Charlie

Okay so this is definitely worth blogging about.

Parking outside Trinity College to take a crap at 7 am: $58.50
Parking 9 minutes over on a Clearway zone on LaTrobe Street: $117
Getting towed to the pound in Collingwood: $314.60
Having your best friend and girlfriend keep you from going insane: Priceless

For everything else...well, I'm dead broke so I don't think Mastercard is going to do shit for me now even if I owned a credit card.

It's true, with bite-sized status updates and character-crunched tweets, long-post blogs have been crucified upside-down a long time ago. And the people whom I used to blog-surf don't post regularly enough to gain loyalty check-ups. The death of the blog is official: Use one at your own discretion, for your own excretion.

The new JM album is pretty hot, by the way.

Here you go, 7 days to download the best thing I have heard in a long time...gotta get the rest of her CDs soon. This one is called Peace Beyond Passion and I imagine would have been rather provocative during the time of its release; nevertheless a work of genius in every way, on every artistic, musical, emotional, lyrical, production and spiritual level. 

http://rcpt.yousendit.com/772439328/25e50a57839b450ea3508434da476341
https://rcpt.yousendit.com/772446170/2ea7c549b76ad79ccae8c3ebf7b442ec

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

After so much time it seems, I think I am only beginning to understand now.

Mixdown for Demos
Write and send out Press Kit
3 hours/day of Guitar Practice
Start on Website Design
Production Meetings
Reherse Band for Recital
Production Rearrangements
Acoustic Tracks
Teach 3 days/week and save
Book gigs for Singapore Tour
November Recital
Japan/Singapore
Buy a MIJ '52 Telecaster
Gigs
Back to Melbourne
Teach 3 days/week and save
Get photos done
Book more Gigs
Marketing/Public Relations
Budget/Accounting
Launch Website
Begin Album/Cover Art
Final Production Meetings
Individual Tracking
Book Gigs
Mix/Master
Print
Birthday Gig
EP Launch

Just sold the old Clavinova, and found a seller for a '57 Twin-Amp through Reiner. Time to make more room for another beast, although I am thinking about selling the Ceriatone and going for a single-channel Dumble-esque amp like the Clean Machine. Either way this recording is going to be overkill in the gear department. Ryan just got in his Fuchs Overdrive Supreme, couple that with his Handwired AC30 and 1987 Marshall and a bunch of killer cabs, we have enough tonal palette and lethal wattage to take out a small colony of tiny furry animals.

I am only a success because I have no ambition
I am only a failure because I had aimed too far

I am only a liar because I know nothing
I am only a loser because I want everything

I am only a workaholic because I am not content
I am only a sloth because I am too overwhelmed

I am only a fighter because I got nothing else to prove
I am only a lover because I got nothing left to lose

Once again all this Irish charm makes me want to go live in the country and bake potatoes and drink Baileys. I know I should be sleeping as I need to get up really early for the Brazilian module tomorrow but wow Lisa has gotten places since the last time I checked. To be honest I never expected her to get as popular as she is now seeing that her music isn't the most harmonically complex and...well, since when was the number of chord changes in a song relate to how popular an artist can get. Note to self: eclectic instruments are the future. Ensure that your band can handle at least the glockenspiel and harmonium. Heck, I am going to find space on the album for an erhu and a sitar, we already have the players.  

 http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=306300&id=583810313

Photos by Aimée Han and Parkisons Australia

Just blown on:
BEN FOLDS LIVE AT THE PALAIS THEATER $85 AUD
VANISHING ELEPHANT COLLARED SHIRT $112 AUD
JOHN VARVATOS CHUCK TAYLOR BOSEYS $120 USD (DOWN FROM $250)
JACK PURCELL BLACK HI-CUT RACEAROUNDS $100 USD
CLAUDE MAUS COAT $210 AUD (DOWN FROM $499)
GIBSON ES 339 $1600 AUD
TELECASTER REFRET, 339 SETUP $150 AUD (DOWN FROM $400)
3 MONTHS OF PETROL $800

To save for:
FENDER TWIN TWEED or MESA BOOGIE EXPRESS $3000
REFINISH/REPAINT/RELIC TELECASTER $150
RECORDING/MIXING/MASTERING/PRINTING EP $5000
MACBOOK PRO $3500
NORD 88-KEY STAGE $4000
FENDER MIJ BASS $1500

In times like these, it's good to have a paying job. Plus I've decided after many months of consideration to quit Arts for good, which means more time for work and gigs. Although I'll probably do Honors too so I can get a Masters in the States or something, so it'll take me the same amount of time to finish. Now to plan a budget for the aftermath of all this expenditure...

I still cannot believe that this e-zine is being run by a 15-year old girl named Emma, with the help of Aimée and her photo-taking and editorial abilities...makes me ask myself again and again and again what I'd done with all my wasted youth.

When everything around me is spinning and hurling out of these human hands, I somehow find you once again, smiling at me at the end of my day, at the break of dawn, on the brink of the setting sun, in the moonlight away from the wind, sheltered from the rain and kept from the cold. You give me something to dream about, you give me a home. You are my rock and my sunshine, you are my lover my sister my guide my friend and my better half which makes me whole. 

I can understand the idea of space and self-sufficiency and personal growth. But the paradox of true love requiring true independence leaves no room for logic nor reason. If true love was mutually exclusive, then why bother?

 

The amount I blog is inversely proportionate to how busy life is at the moment, so I apologize if you are not updated with the latest food and fashion trends.

I'm recording my album over the next half of the year or so and looking for a May 2010 release, where I usually hold the epic annual birthday gig. The band is getting bigger and tighter and production meetings have already begun, with Joash, Reiner and Alex on board the engineering side of things. Alex and Reiner are incredibly tech-savvy and know their gear, while Joash is basically going to be the Steve Jordan of this collaboration, and he is starting his own record label simultaneously so we are all helping each other out one way or another through this project. So far the plan is to record from the end of October to the end of November before I leave for Japan and Singapore, and then come back at the start of January and record till the end of February. That should be sufficient time to track a full EP at least before mixing in March and printing in April. My cousin Yuanqing who is an incredibly gifted web and graphic designer (check out his little portfolio here) will be helping out with the website which hopefully will be up by the end of this month.

I have been spending too much money on petrol, not particularly because I have been driving to many places, but simply due to the fact that I am incredibly asian on the road and I get lost all the time. On Sunday I spent 2 hours on the road looking for Ryan's temporary shack in Chadstone (him and Sarah have moved out of Clayton and are waiting to move into a nice apartment smack in the middle of Melbourne City), and somehow ended up driving all the way to St Kilda and Huntingdale only to backtrack to Mount Waverly. My iPhone died on me and it took my an hour to realize the house wasn't on the map of my old and tattered Melway.

Oh yeah, I've signed on a 24-month Timeless plan with Optus so I can jump aboard the iPhone 3GS bandwagon. So far so good, everything is synced to my iCal, and the camera and voice control is amazing. I've been abusing the 32 GB harddrive...I've already downloaded Worms, Bejeweled, Tennis, PAC-MAN, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Assassin's Creed as well as a whole bunch of Music Apps. I have pretty fat fingers though, so the touch-typing is a bit of a pain to get used to. Anyway my number is +61421477809 if you'd like to leave some voicehatemail.

Opening for The Whitlams at The Corner was great. Gab's going into talks with record deals and government grants to fund the next full album. His songs are perfect in their own right, and I wish I could churn out as many hits as he does in his sleep. Owen and Gareth are simply the best rhythm section that I have ever heard, and Ryan and I are lucky enough to be playing with them.

I don't want to get too sentimental or presumptuous, plus I think I'm already past the fleeting phase of infatuation, but she never fails to amuse and inspire me, and that is amongst many other great things that stem from all the incredible qualities, idiosyncrasies and virtues about her that always make my head spin in bewilderment and heart explode into a galaxy of morning stars but I will not mention them now as they would mean nothing in the facetious realm of cyberspace. I love her, and by love I do mean the kind where you can see past someone's flaws and still be happy to spend the rest of your life with that person, not the kind where you merely fall for someone's talent or attractiveness although I am definitely not saying she doesn't have any of the above...if anything she is bristling full of it. But most of all I am just very fortunate to be loved and accepted by someone so special. By special I mean wonderful, not retarded. Although we both take turns to go into the aforementioned character a lot of the time.

Oh and her blog got featured on the Urban Outfitters daily spiel. Check it out here if you haven't already. "Dreamy photography," they say. "Barely 18," they say...Pffft.

Espy tomorrow, Corner Hotel on Friday with Gabriel Lynch. We're supporting The Whitlams, yay.

July 28, 2009 | Issue 45•31

SAN FRANCISCO—In a move expected to revolutionize the mobile device industry, Apple launched its fastest and most powerful iPhone to date Tuesday, an innovative new model that can only be seen by the company's hippest and most dedicated customers.

"I am proud today to introduce to those who really, truly deserve it, our most incredible iPhone yet," announced Apple CEO Steve Jobs, extending his seemingly empty left palm toward the eagerly awaiting crowd. "Not only is this our lightest and slimmest model ever, but as any truly savvy Apple customer can clearly see, it's also the most handsome product we've ever designed."

The packed auditorium, which had been listening to Jobs in hushed reverence for several minutes, then erupted into applause, with hundreds of men and women suddenly jumping to their feet and shouting, "I can see it!" "Look, there it is!" and "God, it's so beautiful!"

Screams of "Of course, yes, I too can see the phone," were also heard at this time.

According to Apple, the new iPhone 3GI boasts significant hardware and software upgrades, superior processing speeds, and a multi-touch interface that provides those who are "cool enough" with a rich user experience. The wide-screen display reportedly also features the most brilliant colors and finest resolution ever imagined.

"The new 3GI is as light as air," said Apple senior vice president Philip Schiller, reaching inside an empty display case, apparently to remove the mobile device. "See how thin that is? It's like it's not even there."

"Those who really understand what we do here at Apple are going to love this new product," Schiller continued. "Unless, you know, they happen to be totally lame."

Retailing for $599, the iPhone 3GI offers only the most special Apple consumers—the ones who believe in the company more than anything else in the world, and who would never, ever dream of questioning it—the ability to open dozens of powerful applications at once. In addition, the new multimedia device will provide true Apple fans with a high-definition video camera, one-tap editing with Final Cut Pro, and cut and paste.

Like thousands of others, New York resident Kelly Delaney called in sick to work so that she could join the line outside the Apple Store's trendy SoHo location days before the 3GI went on sale.

"Oh my God, I can't believe how much faster you can get online with this," said Delaney, who exited the store holding a cupped hand up to her ear and yelling into her wrist about how wonderful the new phone was. "The reception is so clear, and you can pretty much get a signal no matter where you go."

"Hold on a sec," continued Delaney, suddenly shaking her hand up and down. "I think my battery is dying."

According to Apple, the new iPhone launched in 22 countries and sold a record-breaking 8 million units on its first day.

"The selection of colors is amazing," said Paul Conrad, a Fairfield, VA native who purchased phones in black, white, and silver. "Not only does it look awesome, but it can do pretty much anything you want as long as you believe in it."

"The AppleCare Plan doesn't cover dropping your phone, though, so I'd recommend buying one of these designer protective cases," Conrad added.

While the new iPhone has been greatly admired and widely touted for its impressive voice and data communication capabilities, some Americans remain skeptical.

"Daddy isn't talking into anything at all," said 4-year-old Ella Conrad, pointing at her father, Paul, who has been obsessively staring at, playing with, and customizing the invisible phone since purchasing it Monday. "Daddy's pretending to be on hold with an operator."

It's true. You become so comfortable with yourself you end up caring less, if not anything at all, about what other people think about you. You have no need to impress any particular person, let alone someone of the opposite sex. Because you already have someone who loves you for who you are despite your imperfections. Ironically, one always seems even more attractive to others when he or she is in love. But more importantly, being aware that you are loved by someone else definitely makes one feel a lot more valuable.

You can live on very little, when you are in love. And thus it is easy to get complacent with life, through the act of sharing it with someone else. The idea of love being all you need probably stems from this notion. But we all know that any claim for absolute truth always has two sides to the coin, sometimes more.

http://www.jamwedding2009.blogspot.com/

Congratulations John & Mel, you're the only couple I know who have gone out since primary school to get married a decade later. Damn that must have been a pretty long and epic engagement. May you both have many children while you are still incredibly young and fertile. God bless you both to bits. Much love. Hakuna matata.