Now, I’m sure most, if not all of you have your own respective political leanings one way or the other, and I’m well aware of the extremities of many. Some are blindly anti-PAP, voting for any opposition ‘just because they can’ (*cough Temasek Review cough*), while others are blindly pro-PAP because they’re afraid their votes are traceable and are afraid of getting in the bad books of the Men in White (*cough the rest of you cough* hahaha ok lah I’m kidding XD).

But seriously, as with anything, please practice moderate thinking. Don’t just go hating the ruling party because you can, or don’t just go hating the opposition just because they’re interested in change. No, there won’t be an end to the manufacturing sector just because a smart-alec candidate suggested so. Neither will the ISD track your ass down if you vote for the opposition. Evaluate your respective constituency’s contesting parties’ manifestos, and make the choice you think is right!

I sincerely believe that the PAP has done many good things for Singapore.

1) The implementation of the Central Provident Fund so that people would have money to retire on (unlike in many first world countries),
2) The implementation of the Enlistment Act so that us Singaporean men have something to look back on and a sense of belonging to our country,
3) Building up our economy to unprecedented proportions in such a short span of time,
4) The implementation of subsidized education for the masses, and making education up to primary 6 compulsory,
5) Islandwide installations of a fibre network for cable broadband to the masses to increase technology infiltration into Singapore homes, among other technologicial initiatives,

among other countless things, but I do feel that they are getting too complacent in their current positions. Some of the things that’ve bugged me about the PAP are the following:

1) Blurring the lines between the government organizations and the PAP (no, the PA (People’s Association) is not a precursor to your PAP please. And neither is the NTUC. These organizations should be independent, dammit!),
2) Dangling public money as a reward for supporting the PAP (PM Lee mentioned in a public forum less than 2 weeks ago that the opposition GRCs are getting their upgrade programs de-prioritized because they voted for the opposition),
3) Minister Yaacob Ibrahim for even suggesting that the Malay Language should be relegated to being a foreign language (I’ve got nothing else to say about this but WHAT WERE YOU SMOKING?)
4) Dr. Vivian not being accountable for the YOG budget going up over 3 times to approximately $387 million from $104 million. Who was responsible for the financial planning, and where did the shortfall come from?
5) Minister Wong Kan Seng’s ‘apology’ and the subsequent discharge of the immediate officers who were ‘in-charge’ of Mas Selamat’s detention. Was an apology enough for the public? Your ministry was in charge of a terrorist with an international network – and all you could do was apologise and fire people under you? Ministers in other countries resign over such scandals – I’m surprised you got away with only an apology for something so damn big.

Yes, I know. No political party is perfect. I’m not asking for a political revolution (are you friggin’ insane? And risk foreign investors pulling out from our no-natural-resources country (and risk my future potential job prospects too?lol)).

All I’m asking for is a more representative cabinet – one that has the views of others, one that is willing to challenge the mainstream cabinet opinion (i.e. the PAP’s) , and one that is strong enough to keep the main political party in check with its decisions on public policy. The PAP is not going to be ousted, that much I realistically realize. But it is our job as citizens to make the people serving us as representatives accountable for their decisions and actions. You won’t be able to get that with a one-party cabinet. Opposition parties allow for that accountability to happen.

At least in my opinion it does. You get paid highly for your jobs – ministers at almost $10,000 a day – therefore the onus is on you to be answerable to the Singaporean public. “Willing to take all of the glory, and none of the blame” no more.

I won’t have to tell you who I’ll vote for in the coming polling day, but I do hope all of you vote regardless of your political affiliations – it’s your job as a Singaporean Citizen to do so. Do your part in shaping Singapore’s future!

And yes, bo-chup-ness and not voting could possibly be considered as a political movement in itself, so vote please! Singapore’s future is in your hands (:

For more information on the elections, do visit http://www.ge.sg/ !

But it’s one heck of a good feeling to recall that I’ve represented 9DIV in SAFSA back when I was in the army, and completing a 1.5km sea-swim and a 10km run in a biathlon.

I would have loved to have done more. I aimed for the holy trinity: Biathlon, Triathlon and Full Marathon.

But fate dealt me the ‘screwed up knee’ card right after my Biathlon.

URGH. Why must life be so cruel? ): sighs.

I want to run once more!

):

What do you actually do when your dreams clash,
and they don’t quite agree with one another?
What do you do when you have the love of your life in one hand,
and a lifelong hope in the other?

Maybe, these dreams aren’t meant for me, or maybe,
just one will materialize,
But seriously, how is life really supposed to be?
The perfect flow is but a long-standing fantasy,
Meant to be relegated eternally,
to the dumps because, life ain’t as perfect as I thought it’d be.

As much as I have my dreams and and the perfect picture in my head,
My internal self is not quite agreeable with that.
It’s pretty scary how things turned out the way it had,
yet there’s a certain sense of calm in my head.

After relying on so much of people’s opinions and thoughts,
it came to a point where I just knew I had to come to a stop.
Some people have the luck of going for what they want,
no need for any compromise on their end.
But I have not been afforded that luxury, and maybe I’m not so blessed in that sense,
but what I do know is that I have someone whom I really care for,
for me to really love and always adore.

I won’t give that up for the world, as much as I may need to go against one of my outlooks in life
One of which is to never give up on my dreams, not even when in strife.
But for us I am willing to make that sacrifice,
I do hope that this is not in vain, I know its not, but I just want to refrain,
from causing you any more possible future hurt and grief,
Maybe you’ll change your mind one day, but only if.

Hmm.
I’ve gone on rambling more than I should be,
Its supposed to be a poem, not something that would make people want to say ‘shoot me’.
Anyways, I think its time to lay down the truth out there for all to see,

See what?

That I think that now, being a pilot is just not the thing for me.

R.I.P.

Mmmmm, now lets see..where do I begin? How about where I left off in my previous post – my musical aspirations! (:

I am pleased to announce the official launch of Tachifeely Productions – my music production outfit!

On the 25th of January 2010, 5 days after I posted my blog, I posted my first song under my brand new moniker Tachifeely Productions!:

‘Lost <3 Love’

A collaboration with Mahathir ‘Matt’ Aziz on a Japanese (with slight interludes of Korean. Yes. Korean. Ask Matt. He’s the Korean mega-boyband fan XD) ditty, music composed and produced by yours truly, lyrics written by my friend Satomi ‘Sammy-chan’ Nakamura, sung by Matt, and rapped by once again, yours truly. It caught on quite well with our friends; many of them had the songs on repeat – some of them even memorized parts of the song. And many more had fun with the video – picking on my unique rapping style (read: hand-movements). Grr. hahaha.

But with all that said and done, people liked the song – I was glad. It was my second full-length song I’ve ever created (the first being another collaboration with Matt – the theme song for the Singapore contingent for the 36th Ship for South-East Asian Youth Program). Anything prior to this were seriously at most, 2-minute shorts with nothing but instrumental bits: I stepped my game up for reasons unknown to me), but I knew that I couldn’t rest on my laurels. I didn’t know how to begin my next song, but as luck would have it, an inspiration came in the most interesting of forms.

Many of you might have noticed that I was very much affected (in the best of ways possible) by my participation as a youth ambassador representing Singapore in the 36th Ship for South-East Asian Youth Program last year. In my previous blog post I mentioned about composing a song for all 11 contingents, with musicians and singers from all over ASEAN and Japan. Well, one of the ideas from the many brain-storming sessions we had was to make a rap track – but it wasn’t quite a feasible idea. We wanted the song to be easy to sing – at least for the chorus part, and rapping didn’t come naturally to most people, so we scrapped the idea. Until now, that is. Building from that idea that we came up with on the ship, I wrote a rap song detailing the most important portions of daily life whilst onboard the ship. From the nightly star-gazing sessions, to the mad-insane-delicious food buffets we had at every meal – everything went into the song. And to top it all off, I fused in the chorus from the original song we made on the ship, into the song. And thus, the following was created:

Again, Someday (Fujimaru 600-Word Remix)

Oh, and the reason its called a 600-word remix? I viewed the song as an extension of the ORIGINAL song (by the same name), the raps added up to approximately 600 words and the ship we were on was called Fujimaru! The video can be seen here:

And the response for the song was quite good as well. Most, if not all, of the participants from the program (including some of the program administrators!:O) liked the song – it invoked many good memories from days long gone. And so was the response for my second full-length song- pretty good! (:

Now, the time in between ‘Lost <3 Love‘ and ‘Again, Someday (600-Word Fujimaru Remix)‘ was only about 1 week – inspiration just came out of nowhere! That’s the thing about music – you’ll never know when inspiration’ll hit ya. This third song took quite a bit longer though: a month, to be exact. I went through a short creative dry spell, until one of my good friends Matthew ‘My Sister’s Room’ Low suggested a collaboration.

Now, Matthew is an excellent guitarist and singer – I’ve always loved his tone of voice; excellent smoothness to it. Think Jack Johnson, and you’ll know what I mean. It gives you a certain calmness when he sings. I’ve done 2 covers with him – me on the piano and him on the vocals. But that was about it. I did say that I wasn’t that good in composing full songs.. I thought I was just bad at writing lyrics. But then the first 2 songs just flowed, and I wondered if I could come up with a song that we could actually call ours, after all these years of doing covers (:

And luck would have had it – inspiration flowed well and the following song was created:

I Still Remember

Lyrics, music production, arrangement and composition were all done yours truly, and Matthew was at the vocals and me rapping- it was a song meant to tell our friends and family that as much as we’ve gone through the years together and changed, we’ll never forget where we’re from. And thus the third song was completed! The video can be viewed here:

Comments flowed well – people liked the song, and it was very radio-friendly according to some. A third notch in the wall for Tachifeely Productions! 3 fully completed songs, which are pretty okay, within 3 months – a pretty good improvement from what I was previously (weeks for a 2min instrumental, to a complete song with vocals/ backing vocals/raps/20-30 layering of instruments within the same time period).

Whilst thinking about my 4th release (finished the instrumental within 1 week, but I didn’t know what to write about), something I thought near impossible happened to me – specifically on the 20th of March 2010: I met someone who was, for all intensive purposes of the word, perfect for me. She is witty, intelligent, attractive AND she’s attracted to me. How rare is that? XD Anyway, I’m the kind of person that needs to write a song based on something I’ve experienced; something that I’ve gone through; something I really believe in. In short, you won’t see me rapping about hos, going on drive-by shootings, giving gang affiliation shout-outs and all that stuffs: that’s just not who I am.

Anyhoos, back to the song: she became my .. muse. The instrumental transformed itself from a 25-layer only instrumental song to a 25-layer instrumental+a 4 vocal layer RnB/hiphop song tribute to Sha: the love of my life (: Listen:

She Has it All (S.H.A.)

This is the first time I’ve actually used Autotune (the industry standard for correcting pitch imperfections in a vocal recording), but not for what it’s usually used for. I used it to give my singing portions a mechanical quality, ala Kanye West/ Lil’ Wayne/ insert-name-of-hiphop-mogul-here-except-Jay-Z’s. The song turned out very catchy, and that wasn’t my opinion of it; I thought it was quite okay (but still the best so far). Everyone else LOVED the song; I was ecstatic- the number of comments for my video for the song on Facebook were off the charts. A very well-received release from the comments I’ve received (except for the shutter shades – I WILL NOT USE THEM AGAIN EVER K! I promise ):). Fourth notch in the wall for Tachifeely Productions!

I’m really pleased with what I’ve managed to achieve after I’ve set my mind to it! 4 months – 4 songs of respectable quality. I feel pretty darn good about it. Do note that my intention for all these songs were not for me to gain a reputation as a rapper/vocalist/artiste – I just want to show that my musical productions have potential value in them. I know that I might not have the best vocals to sing, or the best raps..but I do want people to know that I want to be among the BEST (if not the best) in composing, arranging and producing songs of exceptional quality.

My primary aim is to be a music PRODUCER – to PRODUCE music for artistes to sing/rap to. Anything else is secondary. I want to be like what Timbaland does – he produces catchy tracks, gets the best combinations of singers/rappers that one can find, and combines both in a reaction that’s both magical AND entertaining. And above all that, he gets to rap in them sometimes as well! I’m trying to get there, and until I find the best mix of artistes to put on my tracks, I’ll just have to make do with myself for the time being (: I hope everyone else doesn’t mind

Do visit my Reverbnation Artiste Page here: http://www.reverbnation.com/tachifeely

Also, my Youtube page: http://www.youtube.com/tachifeely

You can even follow me on Twitter!: http://www.twitter.com/tachi

Do support my endeavor into music please! I’d really appreciate it. Comment/rate/subscribe to my videos on Youtube, be my Fan on Reverbnation and Dig my songs (while you listen to them being streamed – you can even download them from there!).

Thank you so much for reading! (:

Another related observation whilst talking about a movie: If you do what you really love, you would probably do well at it with minimal effort. An example from the movie was quoted: There are 2 people studying in an undergraduate course: One’s in it because he really loves the subject, the second one one spends most of his time studying even though he does not really like the subject.

Of the 2, the 1st person always ends up with the top spot in the class even though he does minimal studying and the 2nd person always gets a ranking below the 1st person regardless of the amount of time he studies. Now, this is definitely a very ideal situation (ideal is an understatement! haha.), but really think about it.

If you really really love something, you would probably excel in whatever you do (studies/work/etc.), every single day would be a joy to live, time would just pass you by (instead of it just trudging by as so many of you experience every.single.day!) you’d also be able to make good money at the same time! You’d probably do well as well if you work hard, but if your heart is not really there, you won’t do as well as the guy who does (because the guy who does have his heart in whatever he’s doing is doing his best, and the guy who doesn’t would need many times the effort just to achieve what the other guy does!).

But then, another caveat by Su: If you’re making money, you’re probably hating the job.

…okay. Maybe not exactly hate the job per se, but it’d just be…blah. You know, it doesn’t matter if you’re working there or not; its good sometimes, its bad sometimes, depending on the people that are around you in that job. But generally, its just…there! You’re just..working. That’s it.

Now, that really set me thinking. What do I really have my heart set in? I don’t want to trudge to work every single day just to see time pass me by slowly. Wash, rinse, and repeat day after day, after day!

And then it dawned upon me. There was one thing that I love doing; that I really really have my heart set in:

Music.

I seriously have no qualms spending days making a track that is 5 minutes long. Tweaking 30 over layers of instruments, mixing it all so that it sounds as balanced as my ears could tell. Every small achievement was a huge thing for me. From getting a lyric to fit to a certain part of a song, to getting a new instrument to meld perfectly into a song I’ve just conceptualized. I just loved how everything sounded; how everything just flowed as a song. Its virtually an indescribable feeling! Its weird, seriously. Nothing I’ve ever done on such a frequent basis has had that kind of effect on me, ever. I’m virtually happy and elated every single time I make music.

And I didn’t notice this before! Sure, I love music. That much I knew. I love tinkering on the piano; I love to listen to 1001 different genres; I love how instruments meld perfect harmonies to create a cacophony of sound! But I never actually seen it in that light before.

Yes, I’m a chemical engineering major who loves to swim, DJ, with the hopes of becoming a pilot one fine day after I graduate. I’ve spanned a whole huge spectrum to find what I really love…and I would have never thought that it’d boil down to one moment last night over drinks and supper at Arab Street to actually find that out! One would have almost expected it to happen to you while you are meditating in the mountains of Nepal or something. Many people don’t actually come to such an epiphany, even in one lifetime! And I’m so SO lucky to have it when I’m barely 24! Thank you so much God. The Universe rewards well to those who believe in its power.

Sure, not a lot of musicians make it big in Singapore! But think about it, which big name musician that’s world-renowned ever got their big break in Singapore? Olivia Ong, Stephanie Sun, Ho Yeow Sun, JJ Lin all got their big breaks overseas! And whoever said that I’ll stay in Singapore? I’m going to believe in my strengths; believe in my music. I’ll be a big producer one day, just you wait and see

A big thanks to Hyder, Iqbal, Tom, Su and Tammy for being their yesterday night! For if not for that talk, I would have never come to this conclusion!

The next few months are so going to be a blur, but its so going to be worth it.

THANK YOU! )))))))))))))))))))))))

P.S. I know I haven’t quite updated my blog with my post-SSEAYP experiences. So many things happened over those 2 months, it was AMAZING! Once I’ve found enough time to gather my thoughts (yes, I’m still a little SSEAYP sick! I just got a letter, greeting card and a photograph from Yoshi, one of the ADMs, and that kinda reignited my sickness a little.hehe.). In due time, my little sugar droplets. In due time ))

In the mean time, a few pictures to tide you in! PS. To those who are wondering, yes I travelled TONS! And yes, Japan was one of the countries. And yes, it was all paid for by the Japanese government ))

And for the finale, a picture with someone…special Miss you! でも、今週シンガポールに来るんでしょう？：P待っていますよ！：）　We performed Greeeen’s Haruka live in front of everyone.

I would have never thought the hundreds of hours of training, sacrificing time with family and friends (thank you very much for understanding! ((:) in the past 4 months prior to my departure would have culminated to so much more.

So much more!

You guys would never imagined the experiences I’ve gained. Interactions with so many different types of people, acknowledging the pre-existing cultural differences existing between all of us, whilst in the mean time nurturing our sensitivities towards one another. In Singapore, language might not be much of a barrier, but on this program, gestures are of the utmost importance. Combining this with the various different languages that we’ve picked up along the way, we hone our communication skills to the highest of levels; to a level that one can’t reach through language alone.

But also, that does not mean that languages are not important in this program! I was pleasantly surprised at the diverse amount of people that are able to speak more than 3 languages ((: And the weirdest situations arise on board the ship! Like take for example, me, one Chinese Malaysian and another indigenous Bruneian (not Malay!) understand one another more in Japanese than in Malay or English. Or the Indian girls from Malaysia who’s English isn’t quite perfect but converse in perfect mandarin. Or the 2 Japanese girls that are not so well versed in English but converse in French with the people who can speak French in the ship. Or the Cambodian girl who speaks fluent Japanese, and if not for my Japanese, I wouldn’t be able to understand her much due to her difficulties in English. And so forth. NOT FORGETTING the Japanese administrative staff who could speak English, Malay, Japanese (duh), Mandarin and Thai!

The list goes on and on.. And I’m really thankful for all the lessons and friendships that I have been able to take with me so far. I’ve learnt so much! And now I can safely say that one month of living in an environment where a language is used so often is a lot more beneficial to me than even 2 years of literal studying and writing! Heck, I might even look to living in Japan for a while to soak in the atmosphere, study language a little bit after I graduate from university.

Epiphanies and opportunities don’t come around too often, so I’ve gotta pick as many of them up as possible! (: That, and I’ve got quite a few good friends (both Japanese and Singaporean) and family living in all parts of Japan right now, so no worries about not having any friends or contact with anyone there!

Anyways, just a date check: it’s the 19th of November at the moment while I am typing out this blog in the Saloon while the ship is docked in Port Klang, Malaysia. I’m waiting for lunch and we’re going to be hosted by the Malaysian Prime Minister later in the evening for dinner. I can’t wait for that!

29 more days to foster closer friendships. 29 more days to take in more experiences. 29 more days till the end of the programme ):

How I wish it wouldn’t end.

But the memories on Fujimaru will live on forever.

And ever.

Till next time, peace!

P.S. I hope everyone in Singapore and Japan reading this is doing well! To my friends in NUS, the exams are cominggggg! Hope everyone’s doing fine in their preparations (: I’ll see everyone soon!

Anyways, I’ve actually spent the 3 days I had in Tokyo exploring Akasukamitsuke & Harajuku. I didn’t quite manage to get to Akihabara and Shibuya (though I hope to do so when I’m back in Tokyo for the ASEAN Youth Summit tomorrow), but that’s ok. I’ve actually been in Kouchi prefecture for the past 2 nights and its been one heck of a wonderful experience for me..much more warm and hospitable people than those from Tokyo. First night in Kouchi was spent attending a ceremony for the opening of the SSEAYP Programme in Kouchi, as well as a spot of exploration around the hotel area. We walked past shuttered shops and kids doing the hiphop dance in front of the shops.

…yes, the shops were closed. But that didn’t stop us from carrying on further. It was the first time I was going out with my SG (Solidarity group – comprising of 2-3 members from each country in ASEAN as well as Japan, but Japan didn’t join us due to an influenza scare. ED: I just met them today at the ASEAN Youth Summit!).The company was really REALLY good. Its quite surprising to find out that everyone had a great personality. Led by the National Leader from Brunei (we call him Abang HajI. Fun guy ), we just walked around laughing, poking fun with one another and getting really close. I can only foresee my SG getting closer as the days go by. OH! And we ran across this authentic Sushi shop, and there was this awesome 1000 yen sushi which was HUGE (Diameter of about 10cm, with a length of about 25cm!). It had unagi (eel), tamago (egg) and cucumber. About 8 of us shared it, and OH.MY.GOD. It was so friggin awesome!

On the second day, we actually visited the Makino Botanical Gardens to learn how to make chopsticks (HAHA AWESOMENESS) and walk around to enjoy the scenery of the plants that the botanist Makino gathered…which was a LOT! Firstly before that, we visited the Kouchi community centre where we actually showed an interesting presentation on how “Life” (growing of plants, and using them in the cookings that the children could eat!) was taught in schools in Kouchi elementary schools. Kouchi’s Chief School Superintendant, was also there. We were also actually featured in the papers, with a photograph of the youth ambassadors plastered in the article as well (I was literally outstanding for some weird reason -_-). We also visited a very beautiful garden with a huge historical significance after (:

On that second night, we were then matched with our homestay family in a very wonderful ceremony cum reception at the hotel.

(I actually fell asleep on the futon at this moment because it was soooo comfortable! These parts onwards are written from another time standpoint; when I’ve settled into the National Youth Olympic Centre for my ASEAN-Japan Youth Summit.)

..and that was when my life totally changed. I was matched with the Kubota family. The family consisted of the father, mother, daughter and her fiancee. We called the father “Otousan” (Japanese for Father), the mother “Okaasan” (Japanese for Mother), Chi (short for Chihiro), and Hiro (the fiancee). They might be a Japanese family, but boy did they exceed my expectations. I was on the homestay programme with another guy called Hafiz, a Bruneian (which someone said was totally similar to me in terms of character and all!), and we were blown out of the water with the amount of things they did for us! On the first day after the first night, we had flower arrangement classes (Ikebana) in the comfort of the Kubota house, followed by a visit to Kouchi Castle (Kouchi-shou in Japanese) After that, we actually took an hour’s drive down to a pottery-making factory, where all of us spent 2 hours learning how to make plates, bowls and cups from clay. They couldn’t be ready on the spot (only 2 weeks later), so they’re going to be delivered to my home in Singapore! (: After, we took a ride back to Kouchi city (we got to a drive through a Mcdonald’s Drive-through for some Ebi (prawn) Filet-O, which was DAMN EXCELLENT btw!), and Chi brought us to Aeon (YES ITS JAPANESE. They have ‘em in Malaysia as well) to shop while Otousan to Okaasan prepared dinner at home. AND OMG UNIQLO is so friggin’ CHEAP in Japan! I bought a pair of perfectly-fitted skinny jeans for 3900 Yen (About 60 dollars, IMPOSSIBLE TO GET IN SINGAPORE’S UNIQLO) and soft insulated sleeveless black vest for 1200 yen (18 DOLLARS?!) . Also went to another shop to get a Plus One navy-styled jacket for 6900 Yen (and it was soooo beautiful, totally fitted me so well. Got so many compliments for it! Looks like someone‘s got a new jacket for the new semester!)) and a few other random stuffs. After that, we went back home, where we actually had a table bbq. And OH.MY.GOD. Everything tasted so friggin’ gooood! From marinated chicken and beef, to vegetables that had been BBQ’ed, to fresh scallops.And the discovery of Noritama (egg/seaweed flavouring sprinkles for plain rice) as well! A game of Jenga was followed by more merriment, which was then followed by some excellent conversation and an exchange of gifts from them to us, and vice versa. We gave em our stuffs from Singapore, but in return they actually gave us a lot of souvenirs, snacks AND..you won’t believe this), A SHIRT PRINTED WITH A PHOTO OF US ALL, taken just barely a day before. Talk about Japanese efficiency! ((: We totally loved the shirt

The next morning, we actually went to the Sunday market, located near Kouchi-shou (Kouchi Castle) to browse the wares that the sellers had. It was barely an hour before we had to check in to the airport (to get back to Tokyou), but we made it in time!

Now, the hardest part was about to come. Even though we’ve just been together for only 3 short days, we were treated so much like family! Laughter, random practical jokes, poking fun at one another, lame puns and that kinda stuffs. The closeness we had was much more than 3 days; it seemed like we’ve known one another for a really long time. Of course, all of us (yes, Hafiz too, hahaha), being very emotional people, got really teary-eyed. We teared, hugged, said our goodbyes, took pictures. Rinse. Cycle. And repeat please. Yes, it was more than one moment that we did all of that. Even when we finally crossed into the departure area, we were still taking pictures through the glass, saying bye and, tearing and talking through the phone. The Kubota family’s hospitality was unparalleled, and they’re always going to be family. Chihiro and Hiro are going to get married next year, so me and Hafiz plan to write a song especially for them And we’re gonna make visiting them a very frequent thing throughout our lives, we swear (:

I miss Kouchi ): I’m currently in the National Youth Centre in Tokyou attending the ASEAN-Japan Youth Summit, and after looking through all of the pictures and souvenirs from Kouchi…I feel a little tear forming in my eye.

Wait for us, Kouchi. Your homeboys are coming home again one day.

45 more days of the 36th Ship for South-East Asian Youths’ Programme.

Always making Singapore proud,

(and eternally your home boy),

Syahmi

P.s. Don’t miss me please XD

Also, I’ve managed to compose a theme song for the ship we’re going to use for the next 2 months: The Fujimaru. At the request of the National Leader (the Singapore contingent leader), I’ve attempted to fuse a sense of modernism with a classic blend of uplifting chords and motivating words. Together with one of my contingent mates Pan Pan (who had helped with the lyrics), Mahathir Aziz (who had sung the actual song) and a few others in the contingent (for their voices), the song turned out a lot better than expected. My first full length debut of a song with vocals, lyrics and the works! Do listen to it here and give me your comments please (: :

Our Hopes & Dreams (The Fujimaru Song) – Mahathir Aziz featuring SPY 09

And now, with barely 4 hours before my plane leaves for Japan, I sit here in front of my computer, pondering on life in general. How did I ever get here? 4 years ago, I was a slothen, nerdy guy who spent 120 hours on Final Fantasy 10, chalking up experience points as well as extra weight (105 kgs at my highest point), to what I am now.

I’ve managed to lose over 35 kgs, completed a Biathlon, represented my army division in swimming and water polo, completed a full-length movie soundtrack, composed music for 2 theatre performances, DJing with NUS’s DJ society SYNQ, completed 2 terms as project director in the NUS International Students Volunteer division, starting on my first term as NUS Original Music Society’s (OMS) 11th President (a job which I truly enjoy. OMS is my life:) ), made a HUGE bunch of wonderful friends and now…now..here I am, as a Youth Ambassador. Representing Singapore in the ASEAN youth summit as well as in the Ship for South East Asian Youth’s Programme. Travelling to Japan & around ASEAN on a cruise ship for 2months. My life is so wonderful right now.

Thank you for that life-changing decision that moment in time a year ago. I really am appreciative of what you did for me, no matter how bad it was then. You’ll always be there as a wonderful memory(:

I would also like to thank all of friends and family members for supporting me throughout whatever I’ve gone through this past few years. I wouldn’t have able to have gone through all that without all of your valuable support.

And for that, thank you.

I am flying off to Japan to fly Singapore’s flag high and proud in the land of the rising sun, in 4 hours time. Wish me luck in everything, and I’ll see all of you again in due time. MISS ME PLEASE! XD

p.s. If anyone has to reach me urgently, FB me or just drop me an SMS. I’ll try to get back to you as soon as humanely possible (:

I never intended for myself to be a normal. I never wanted myself to be normal. And I will never be normal, ever. I’ve gone too far for this. And when you’ve been stuck in the mundane for the longest time, you tend to loose a little bit of that drive, day by day. Slowly, but surely, you’ll conform .. bit by bit.

..but thank God I caught myself in time. I was on a downward spiral for a while these past few weeks. I’ve been looking at what other people have that I didn’t so much, I failed to look at what I had that people wanted. And what I failed to look at numbered wayyy more than what I wanted from them.

Oh, and if you haven’t been up-to-date on the latest Syahms news, I’ve gotten myself into the Ship for South-East Asian Youth Programme (YAY!). Representing Singapore as a Youth Ambassador in the Singapore Contingent, I’ll be travelling to Japan, Phillipines, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei (and also to Singapore, back home for a bit, yay! (: ) over a period of 2 months, travelling by cruise liner! HOW AWESOME IS THAT? Programme’s fully sponsored by the Japanese government (had to pay just a little bit to cover misc. costs), and will be on board with the other 9 ASEAN countries and Japan’s youth ambassadors as well WISH ME LUCK WHEN I DEPART AT END OCTOBER! ^_^/~

Some pictures follow!:

There are actually tons of other pictures on my facebook account (and don’t actually be surprised. Most, if not ALL of the participants are photo whores..and we’ve actually been training for over 2 months now so..XD), so do head down and take a look if you have the time!

Ah…what’s next. AH YES! I’ve actually completed working on my first local movie soundtrack ((: After 1 and a half weeks of 17 hour days working with the director, I’ve actually managed to produce a PROPER movie soundtrack! Sure, when I was actually working with him, there were times when I just wanted to give up. Trying to match creative differences and concepts on so many levels with such a perfectionist was DIFFICULT, but I really appreciated the fact that it made me a much better music composer after. Working under that much pressure and still producing works that matched what he wanted was a feeling just … indescribable! Just wanna give a shout out to Duke and the people from the Crazy Straits Production company. You guys TOTALLY rock (:

Check out one of the pieces that I did!:

Spies Amongst Us – TachiFEELY

A few pictures from the private screening!:

..and yes those are eyebags, andddd no. I did not have enough sleep when the pictures were taken. Heh.

…anddd ALSO! I spun at Blujazz. (again), as you might have noticed from my previous-previous blogpost. PICTURES FOLLOW!:

A picture with miss Shannnnnnon, Jeremy, anddd a totally awesome DJ Neboet (with cap) and rapper Yama (aka Monkey King). They’ve totally awesome productions!

Now, the 2nd last thing that happened would be the Yummilicious 2 Food Tour! Once again, I was the project director of the whole event, leading an organizing exco of about 10 people to organize an event for over 170 foreign exchange students from NUS. It was TIRING but everyone had a lot of fun; many (including me) made a LOT of new friends. I couldn’t have done it without my supportive EXCO. Thanks guys! (:

Peektures follow!:

We totally overwhelmed the Peranakan Museum entrance! hahaha.

A picture with my exco + the group facilitators!

With staff from the Office of Student Affairs Ms. Deborah and Ms. Lim, along with fellow project director Ivy in the middle, and the assistant project director Diana on the left!

Last, but not least (I saved the best for last! ).

I’ve…actually been appointed President of the NUS Original Music Society! ((((: My current exco had actually worked together with me when I was the Marketing Director for the last 2 semesters, and I’m glad all of them accepted their current positions. You guys have been great, and I hope that all of y’all would guide me if I were to diverge, and I would do the same for you guys as well! love y’all! ((:

I guess that just about does it (: This shall serve as a personal reminder to me; if I were to be down about something I’m not getting / becoming, I’ll read this blogpost to bring me back to MY reality.

…and MY reality ROCKS!

peace out. oh, and HAPPY RAMADHAN to all my fellow Muslim brothers. Fast well! (:

Your arms;hands;body tell the story like it was happening at that very moment in time!

“I worked hard for them. Didn’t you know that? The British commended me for my valiant efforts!” you said in Malay, as you carried on narrating your story with your weathered voice.

You suddenly stop.

I watch you, as your thin and bony palms hold the warm teh susu up to your cracked lips.

I’ve only noticed it, but you’ve lost so much weight!

You silently but gently sip it, closing your worn and tired eyes as you savour the refreshing aroma and the warm liquid flowing gently into your body.

Your face relaxes as you proceed to place the Styrofoam cup back onto the wooden table.

You take a deep breath, and carry on telling your story.

The surroundings fade out of focus as I saw your face smiling…

I’m so sorry grandpa. I’m so sorry for not being there when I could have.

sigh.

I’ve been lost in myself for a long, long time. Blinded by the ideals of how I should be; how I should appear to be.

I reminisce through to those times when you cracked jokes, whilst I was having lunch during my lunch breaks with you and Grandma.

I reminisce to those times when you’d always go for your 6pm jogs.

I reminisce those times.

I can only.

Looking at you from this chair I’m sitting in, I look at how you seem oblivious to the fact that you were reliving a moment in time that was long past.

But you seem so happy; almost child-like!

It pains me to see this; yet almost instantaneously thrown back by the fact that you can find so much happiness and joy in that moment in time.

As much as your memory hath faltered, you still find ways to break through it.

I watch you… surrounded by these pale grey walls of the ward, painting pictures of your past grandeur in the Emergency of decades past.

It is you, my grandpa. The Time Traveller.

And I salute you, Grandpa.

I Salute You.

..and I still love you, no matter what.