Players

Two good friends of mine, Kenneth and Adrian, have since started a new business of their own - Players! A drinking games bar + deli located on the second floor of 29 Carpenter Street. They had their soft launch party last night and after visiting the place for the first time, I think they've done an outstanding job of executing their business plans in a short period of time. And so here am I, 'seeding' information about this neat new place to all you readers out there. Do support!

Thailand Recollections

Got back from 5 hectic days of travelling. What started out as a solo travelling trip up north to visit friends morphed into a pretty pleasant expedition with Weiming as a companion. Together, we braced through Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Maesai, Tachilek, The Golden Triangle and Done Sao - locations spanning across 3 countries! By the end of my 5 day hit-and-run travel itinerary, I ended up more tired than when I first began.

I left Thailand feeling happy - happy that I met up with friends I've missed over the years, happy that I covered the places I set out to visit, happy that we made the most of a short 5 day holiday. But I also left Thailand feeling apprehensive - I somehow worry for a certain someone living there, anxious that these charged up ideas about getting-out-there-and-living-life-to-the-fullest will diminish with the mundane pressures of everyday life.

Meeting up with the Field Studies group in Chiang Mai (via rather coincidental circumstances) made me treasure my very own FS experience in 2007. Nothing I have experienced, absolutely nothing, can replicate nor come close to representing the wealth of experience I had on that trip. The combination of peoples, our conversations, the friends we made, life's lessons we learnt, and the vices we'd liberally indulge all string together and form 'moments' - to be etched deeply in memory.

There's a message in every moment, a moment in every passage - and therefore, a message in every passage.

shot after shot

I drank beyond my comprehension last night. Went barhopping with LeeSH, Dennis, Nicolaj and Steven - decking shot after shot. Time for my favourite post-hangover meal kway chap.

All for the art

I just watched Akihiro Tanaka in concert last night at the Asian Civilisations Museum. In true Lorraine fashion, I bought tickets to the show without a partner. I thought to myself that it was ‘all for the art’, and that even if I were the only person in the world who felt inspired by it – I would have to support it anyhow. Little did I realize a few days before the show that it’d be pretty depressing to enjoy a guitar concert without a fellow musician within reach. I would like to chat about it, ask questions about it, or ravel in it with someone who KNOWS guitars. I managed to get Marcus to go with me at the eleventh hour!

I’ve never been to a solo classical guitar performance. Tanaka started the show with cute choppy English, he introduced his translator as well. He was adorable to say the least. Strumming on his guitar, and tapping away on the wood – he reminded me of Kotaro Oshio + Tommy Emmanuel + Chet Atkins. Bottomline – he was fantastic!!! Most of his songs were original compositions that had some Japanese influence of sorts.

He also played a couple of familiar songs such as Somewhere over the Rainbow and Fly me to the moon with Rosli Mansor, a local guitarist. Right after the show, he autographed the songbook that was given at the entrance – Marcus and I made use of the opportunity to photowhore! Never in my life have I ever met a ‘celebrity’ who took photo-taking with fans so seriously!


Through sheer hard work, Tanaka learnt everything on the guitar with no formal training. He shared about how he started from piano at the age of 3 (ME TOO!) then abandoned piano for guitar (no I don’t intend to abandon the piano). Learning the guitar (or any other musical instrument) with a background in piano sure helps tremendously, especially if you can play by ear or by chords. For myself, I started playing by ear on the piano, so when I started to learn the guitar, applying the ‘chord concept’ was way easier.

Anyway, he’s got me fired up about music once again!