Category: Thoughts
A reason
All things happen, for a reason.
It might be divine intervention, or it could be just pure laziness to restart the process because your session has timed out. The latter took place during lunch time yesterday; about 24 hours ago. I decided it was finally time to book my flight tickets to Jakarta and Bali. I did the search, picked the flights, entered the relevant information but stopped short as I was getting hungry.
Then, just as I completed booking for the flight to Bali (from Jakarta, no less), I switched tabs to complete the booking for the other flight.
“Your session has timed out. Please restart the process”
Are the rough words of what was on the pop up. I got lazy and decided that I’d just do it when I get home.
Fast-forward to 19:42, message from Syafiq said, and I quote:
“In Flames coming to sg sia! July 20th”
My first thought was, “Shit. That’s the day I’d fly to Jakarta; in the morning!”
A bit of a back and forth later, I decided that I would skip the first day of We The Fest and go catch In Flames instead; flying off the next day. As it is, this would be In Flames first performance here in Singapore and when else would they be back? That got to me. Let’s just hope that I don’t end up missing Lorde, Odesza or the Neighbourhood.
Procrastination does pay off sometimes, heh.
P/S: just checked, definitely not missing Odesza as they’re performing in Singapore on the 20th as well! yassssss.
3 Months In
It has been just a little more than 3 months since I’ve started on this musical journey, effectively cutting back on perhaps another expensive hobby. It’s not a very wise decision, financially speaking, but it does make me feel good and that is enough, in my opinion.
Zul, why collect vinyl records when you already have Spotify Premium?
Good question! Am glad you asked that, lol.
For starters, I AM far from being an audiophile, I WILL NOT give you the argument that music played on vinyl sound crispier or warmer or has more bass. I don’t have perfect pitch and I still struggle to differentiate music tones from how bright it may be, how dark it may be or even how each of the instruments are perfectly in-sync to create a banger of a track. I know none of that. All I have are subjective opinions and not many might agree. What I do know, I am a lover music.
So back to the question, why vinyl records?
There’s something about holding a physical copy, in your hands, it just feels good. A therapy of sorts. One would argue, it’s another form of retail therapy. Sure, it’s not a very sound decision (pun intended) financially, but that’s what hobbies are sometimes, expensive.
Also, I can’t begin to truly describe how I feel when I watch the records I have, spin on the turntable. It still baffles me how a piece of plastic can contain such beautiful music. (Not really, just an exaggeration, I know how it works.) Plus, I do have a soft spot for some of the beautiful records out there. Multicoloured splatter on a clear vinyl record, oh my gosh, it’s just beautiful. That right there, is the second reason.
Audiophiles and other record collectors will argue that black vinyl will have the best audio quality and everything else, especially split pressings and splatter pressings cannot even hold a candle in audio quality. They are not wrong. Hands down, they are right. True aficionados will only have a handful of coloured vinyl against their mostly black collection. I am not one of them.
I am in it for the colours and the beautiful designs. Most of my records are coloured and only a couple are black.
What is in your collection?
As it has only been 3 months, my collection is still small and humble, but we’ve all got to start somewhere right?
What I have are as follows; in chronological order.
- Tame Impala – Currents (Box Set)
- Amateur Takes Control – ATC EP2
- Explosions in the Sky – The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place
- CHVRCHES – Every Open Eye
- MONO – Requiem For Hell
- Halsey – Hopeless Fountain Kingdom
- the XX – I See You (Box Set)
- ODESZA – A Moment Apart
- Stranger Things Season 2 Soundtrack
- Childish Gambino – Awaken, My Love!
- Paramore – After Laughter
- My Chemical Romance – I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love
- Khruangbin – Con Todo El Mundo
- Dirgahayu – Commemorate!
- The Crown Season Two Soundtrack
- Beach House – Devotion
So that is it for now. Quite a lot for something that began just before 2018 began.
What’s next?
Moving forward, I just hope that I will not get carried away with the collection and only buy records that I would really listen to. I don’t foresee myself having a collection of thousands, but rather a small, tight collection of records that I love.
Wanderlust
wanderlust
[won-der-luhst]
noun
a strong, innate desire to rove or travel about.
Is that what I’m currently feeling? that innate feeling and desire to travel.
The airport is literally one bus away from work, a travel time of less than half an hour. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been at the airport for an extended lunch break, just so I could break my own heart; by not flying off to some foreign land.
I do want to travel the world and see what it has to offer. Experience the natural beauties such as the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) or its less famous (but equally as beautiful) counterpart, the Aurora Australis (Southern Lights). I want to see the various stadiums of the world, from San Siro to the Juventus Stadium to Nou Camp to Santiago Bernabeu to Waldstadion to Allianz-Arena to the Maracana. I can go on, and this post would be longer than I intend for it to be.
Well, my point is, I do feel the desire to travel and see the world, but ultimately, what I’m actually feeling now is the need to just escape. Go somewhere, relax and just forget my troubles and stress for the time being. Escape and recharge my batteries.
This not me saying that I want to run away from my problems and whatever that has been stressful and is causing me stress. By all means, stress is good, I got that from one of my favourite Ted talks ever.
escapism
[ih-skey-piz-uh m]
noun
habitual diversion of the mind to purely imaginative activity or entertainment as an escape from reality or routine.
Well, that’s pretty much what it is. A chronic case of needing to escape. If one thinks about it really hard, we pretty much escape on a daily basis. At work, I always have Spotify on for two reason, (some) music helps me focus and well, the second, to escape. Music brings me to my happy place, in fact, there is an Alison Wonderland track of that exact same title; Happy Place.
The ritual of escaping continues at home as well. I’d continue with Spotify or I’d be playing games on the PS4 or the laptop. I would watch shows on Netflix or catch the latest episodes of the series that I’m following. Some might argue those aren’t really escaping the real world, but for the period you are engrossed in your gaming session or that hour you spent watching a mindfuck of an episode of Black Mirror, you have disconnect from reality, to an extent.
Your problems have been cast aside. You ARE in another world.
Summary
Well, it’s simple, really. I just want to board a plane, go some place, away from work and other stuff. Take a break. Chill, relax, breathe.
Everything else was just an attempt at me making sense of my thoughts. Next would be my thoughts on how I find sapiosexuals, pretentious. I kid. Or am I kidding?
Do you ever..
..get that feeling that you’re just not good enough?
That you’re not right, in many ways and form. Not right in the head, not right where you belong, not right-handed.
Lately, that has been bugging me. Talking to others about it helps as a form of distraction, but that’s exactly what it is, just a distraction. After the effects wear off, I’m back where I started, self-doubt.
They say that time will tell, but what if it tells me something I don’t want to hear. It tells me something devastating such as, “you should’ve seized your chance, but you let it slip, so it’s all going away.”
“Wise men say, only fools rush in..“
well they are right. There isn’t a use jumping right into something, feet first, without scoping out the full situation and your environment.
But if you’re too cautious and don’t take risks, you lose out.
Though, as typical to my character, playing it safe, being chill about it, will be for the best.
“..but I can’t help, falling in love with you”
Haha! I had to complete the line. and no, I’m not falling in love with you, not yet at least.
Just need to tell myself that I shouldn’t get too comfortable as I will get clingy.
Just gotta chill and do my own stuff.
Chill.
Stop, thinking too much.
fail, so much fail.
Man. Just gotta say that this blog has been such a fail.
Short-term interest on my side has led to no updates in like 8 months.
what has happened in the past 8 months? Load.
Zul oh Zul, so much fail.
the XX in Singapore!
I’m so excited! I am so stoked! Imagine the excitement I felt when I opened my inbox earlier this morning and I saw the below headline/subject line.
WE’RE COMING TO SINGAPORE THIS JULY 25TH! – The xx
YES FAM. THEY WILL BE BACK IN SINGAPORE! YES. A MILLION TIMES YES!
gosh I was so excited that I couldn’t concentrate for a good hour, ooops. 😛
I still remember the disappointment I felt when I saw they announced SEVEN straight shows in London, but it starts only AFTER I’m already back home in sunny Singapore. I was bummed.
So, can you imagine the excitement I felt this morning as I saw that subject line? I was so excited.
Here’s what the message ultimately said:
Yes! I am excited as well! I can’t wait to see you guys as well! On my birthday month too!
Perhaps all that excitement shouldn’t take me an hour to get over, right? Well, I created a playlist on Spotify, based off their setlist at Loolapalooza Brazil . I am so hyped up already.
Check out the playlist below:
Further time was spent looking up more information on the concert as well event details on Facebook. The ticket details and seating plan is also out. Gosh, such excitement!!
Pretty much decided on getting Cat 2 tickets as the Cat 1 seating are sideways, and I feel that it sucks and Standing Pen, well, I don’t really wanna come early and queue just to get good spots for the standing pen.
Can’t wait for this to happen. Come 25th July 2017, you’ll definitely see me there!
hehe.
-zullio 🙂
Procrastination Part II
So I have been back from my trip for close to two weeks now, and I have to start on my post-trip review. Mind you, in my head, I was going to blog/write whenever I had time to sit down with a cup of coffee while I was there. (as you can tell, I didn’t do such a thing)
I have been kinda caught up with work and definitely not feeling very much into writing a post. Though, I have been occasionally sharing snippets from the trip on instagram.
See below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ-CAtUlI5d/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRJi1wIlCIW/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRaxIi9FnjV/
Well, that is a quick preview of what went down. A proper review is overdue and one that I will write up and post within the next few weeks.
till the next time,
-zullio 🙂
Procrastination
What is procrastination?
By definition:
- the action of delaying or postponing something
It’s as simple as that. Putting off a task you’re supposed to complete at a certain time only to do it at a later date, that is procrastination.
What is procrastination to me?
Procrastination is not doing everything I’ve listed in head (yeah, I’ll have to work on putting it on a proper list) only to regret not doing it in the first place.
Procrastination is keeping all my ideas in my head and not jotting it down. I lose most if not all of my ideas. I really gotta work on this.
Procrastination is not starting this blog after a certain “hangout” so I can shade. But it’s all good now, live and and let live.
Procrastination is not picking up hobbies that I’ve been telling people I want to pick up but never actually made time for.
Namely:
- Ukulele
- Modern Calligraphy
- Electronic music
- Solo adventure into post-rock
- Videography / Photography
Procrastination is not planning and booking and researching about my upcoming trip.
Procrastination is everything and yet it doesn’t amount to much. Perhaps it’s just an excuse that I hide behind, because all I truly am is lazy.
It’s a character flaw that I truly have to work on but honestly, it has it’s perks too. Like, if I were to pick up all the above listed hobbies, I would have spent even more money, so in a sense, my bank account can thank me for being such a procrastinator.
Well that’s all that is in my mind currently.
Peace out.
2016, Oh 2016
2016. What a year.
2016, the internet is calling you a disaster with all the disappoints that you’ve brought along, in the general sense of it all.
Has it been a disappointing year for me? Honestly, not really. There were ups as well as there were downs. But essentially, that was how life is supposed to be, full of ups and downs.
We’re sailing down the ocean, captaining our ship, “Life”. Sometimes the seas are rough, other times it’s calm. It’s all part of the journey to our goals and dreams.
Honestly, this post was going to be longer, in my head at least. Alas, I decided that I would split my 2016 review post into multiple posts (cause I’m organized like that, haha. 😂).
It has been years since I’ve last blogged and back then, I was a naive teen with a narrow view of the world at large. (I’m not counting the failed blog/website I did for my old band, that was ambitiousof us). I’ve grown since then, in more ways than one, hopefully one of it is wiser.
Okay, back to 2016.
Generally, I would say that it was an alright year. There were highs and there were lows. Through it all I have come through, a better person than I was in 2015, but nevertheless, it has been a journey of getting to know my resolve. Be it with troubles and stress at work, disappointments with love, or rather lack thereof, I can say I’m stronger now, mentally at least. I know my limits with stress and handling it better thanks to a TED Talk I came across many months ago.
Basically, stress is a good thing and one should embrace it rather than shun or avoid it altogether. Afterall, life with challenges is much more fulfilling than one with out any obstacles.
Hopes for 2017? (Resolutions, haha)
First off, I haven’t really made or accomplished any new years resolution since I was still a teenager. I could say it has almost been a decade since I’ve made one. But there is some good to making them, at least to keep you going on a path for the first few weeks of the new year.
Focus on myself.
- Basically, just to discover who I really am as a person. Like how William discovered himself in Westworld.
- Build on my strengths, work on weaknesses.
Get into the groove of guitar
- I’ve been neglecting the guitar for far too long.
- Just play it casually with no specific goal in mind.
Lose weight, lol.
- Self-explanatory. Been too lazy in the past few years, gotta get up and move my ass.
See more, do more.
- See more of the world, experience the outside world.
- I’m a recluse by default and I missed out too many things and experiences just because I was lazy or there was no one to go with.
- The above shall not and must not be an excuse anymore.
Well, that was my wrap up. Not overly specific, not overly detailed. I will look back and learn from my mistakes and just get on with my life. Keep moving forward.
-zullio 🙂
zullio is so coolio 
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