Yurisan's Xanga

Monday, June 04, 2007

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 10:44:49 GMT

I've been thinking about a makeover.

Actually, truth be told, it's already begun.

There are too many things that I want of myself that are different from what they are now. Too many. And you can't just flip a switch and go lahdeedah and find yourself transformed. Doesn't work that way. This kind of change comes gradually, and with some effort. But it all boils down to incentives. What incentives you have to create that change within yourself.

I'm talking about that slow and steady process of evolving into someone you want to be. Growth. I suppose you could call it that.

Recently, I've been thinking a lot about happiness. About the things that make me truly happy. And I find that it's quite hard to be really honest with myself. Do I really want that new shiny item-of-desire-at-the-moment? Do I really not care that I want it? Am I copping out by saying I don't want it? I tell little white lies to myself, and at the end of all the questioning, I'm just as uncertain, if not more, of what I want. But I can feel it coming. I know that if I keep asking myself, and each time try to be a little more honest, I'll find out eventually.

I think most people tell themselves little white lies everyday, half believing them. Things like hey, I've got a job with a nice salary, life's good. Or, oh she really loves me, it's just me that always let her down. Or, I'm really, truly happy

Are you?

If you're not, ask yourself: What makes me happy, really?

And when you find out, go chase it with everything you got.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Wed, 30 May 2007 14:45:13 GMT

You know that feeling when you have your own space, all to yourself, to do whatever you like, whenever you like?
Those four walls where within you spend time playing guitar in your boxers and falling asleep, or having laugh-out-loud sessions with your friends, or just sitting and emptying your mind of the universe?

Well,
I don't have that yet. But I've a new home in cyberspace.

www.yuriwong.com

p.s. don't worry, I'll still be here tho :)

Of Scales, Modes and Heart

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:04:10 GMT

I've always pretty much been a 'play by ear' sort of musician; the kind that used to fail the sight-reading part of exams and made for it with aural scores. Recenty, though, I've been re-educating myself (and being re-educated by someone else) with good ol' music theory once again. The particular area of interest now is scales and modes, particularly how they relate to modern melodies. I've also been re-acquanting myself with the blues and the finger techniques (left and right) required. It's quite fun.

But none of these would matter if the music didn't have heart.

In the end, after all the technicalities, the studying, the working out of fingerings,
it's all about how the music connects, and how much of yourself you put into it.

That's how I see it.

Blood On My Sleeve

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 05:28:30 GMT

If you were there at Laundry Bar for Moonshine last week, you would've heard the debut of this song at the end of the set. It's one of my favourites so far.

Here are the lyrics:

Wear it loud, wear it proud
Wear it till it bleeds and stains your shirt sleeve red

Pin it up, point it deep
I feel it beat and I hear me weep
But still I wear it out on my sleeve

La da dee da
It doesn't hurt
La da dee da
It's just a shirt

Ride it high, ride it good
Ride it wild and fall just like you should

It's okay, I'm alright
I'm just weeping but I'm feeling fine
And still I wear it out on my sleeve

La da dee da
It doesn't hurt
La da dee da
It's just a shirt

Oh lord it's coming
It's coming over me
That sweet, sweet misery

(repeat)

Oh lord I'm drowning
I'm drowning in the deep blue sea
Of that sweet, sweet misery

(repeat)

That sweet, sweet misery
That sweet, sweet misery

Moonshone

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 01:12:42 GMT

'Yuri and Vostok1' played our debut show last night at Laundry Bar, and the one thing I can safely say is that we had great fun. And I hope you did too, if you were there.

I enjoyed Jasemaine's melodies - that girls vocals are amazing, as always, and I was glad to finally catch Plush as a full band. Lucy in the Loo rocked out, and Hana has a kickass Telecaster.

Videos and pictures to come soon.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 16:18:16 GMT

Music's a funny thing, especially when it comes down to that little word: Credibility.

What's real music to you? Something that moves you? Something that's technical enough to baffle a nuclear physicist? Modes and scales? A beat that hits you right in the chest? Sounds to mosh to?

Take, for example, John Mayer. Some people think he's absolute cack. Here's one random sample off YouTube:

"Theres about a million 15 year old bedroom players on youtube who could play circles around Mayer. Hes a teen idol, hes not a musician."

Now, I happen to think John's a kickass musician. But hey, each to his own.

This apparent polarisation (the lines shift wildly from person to person) presents a problem to musicians. I don't know why, but there's a very, very strong innate desire in all musicians to be Credible. But Credibility, as mentioned, shifts wildly from person to person. Hence, the credibility of your music will never be universally agreed upon.

Which sucks.
But hey,
c'est la musique.

Moonshine @ Laundry Bar, Thursday 12th April

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 05:36:58 GMT

I'm really looking forward to this Thursday's Moonshine show

After jamming with Jazlan, Leonard and Adrian, I'm really starting to have a good feeling about it. I'm also feeling super fortunate to have these guys play with me, cos I really like their respective approaches to music, and they play kickass stuff. Plus, they're super fun fellows to hang out with. Oh, and by the way, they're now known as Vostok1 getit getit?

Daphne and Agatha will be featuring that night, so come by and join the fun.

Here's the flyer:

Edit:

Holy hell.

I can't believe it.

Right after posting this, I went to Wikipedia to read up on Vostok1 and Yuri Gagarin. Turns out that April 12th is the date that Yuri and Vostok1 made that historic trip to space. Can you believe the coincidence?

Last Friday and The Next Show

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 05:07:12 GMT

Last Friday was a blast and a half at the attic.

We rocked out with Whye Mun and she grooved out with us, and I'm so glad those of you who came, came!

Was kickass to see the League of eXtraordinary Drinkers (the insane LXD) making the usual ruckus - you guys rock.

Come by the next show, April 12th @ Laundry Bar. I'll be playing some new material, with Leonard Chin on bass and Adrian WowHeCanSingAndHisVoiceIsSexy on guitars.

It'll be fun.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 01:36:02 GMT

I had a great weekend.

Watched some kickass movies (one with the biggest outdoor orgy every shown - partially - in Malaysian cinemas)
Played two fun sets (and made some cash to cover my weekend too!)
Hung out with great company (yes, that included you)

Oh, and this was part of why it was good:

I did what I wanted, when I wanted (mostly), and it was just, well, great.

I want more weekends like these.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 14:24:42 GMT

What a week!

Project Bazooka's Harajuku Night at Laundrybar was super fun.

Stuff from that night:

I learnt that eyeliner is a bitch to draw on neatly (I gave up and tried rubbing it off. It smeared, and i thought, hey, cool.)
Mayumi was super cool, no? She hosted the night and she did most of her stuff in Japanese. Banzai!
One moment I distinctly remember was when Mayumi interviewed Haze onstage: "So, where did you get that outfit? It's so Harajuku!" whereupon Haze replied "Sungai Wang!" and everyone went nuts.

The party at Khailee's rocked too. Lotsa people turned up, and we even had singer-songwriter performances right in his living room. That was fun. Nothing like great company paired with great music. And copious amounts of alcohol, of course.

* * * * *

Lots of show to play in the coming months. Here's the schedule:

When: 25th April, 4pm onwards
Where: Exhibition Hall 1, Midvalley Megamall
What: I'll be playing a set of my compositions with Adrian, and FCannon's gonna be rockin' out with new material too!
Flyer:

Date: 30th April, 8:30pm
Location: The Attic, Bangsar
What: A laid-back trio with Whye Mun and Adrian. It's gonna be fun, cos the range of songs we'll be playing will stretch from Eva Cassidy to Stone Temple Pilots to some of my original stuff.
Flyer:

Date: 12th April, 9:30pm
Location: Laundry Bar, The Curve
What: Moonshine, that's what. I'll be playing my original stuff as a trio with Leonard Chin on Bass and Adrian on guitars.

Date: 6th May, 9pm
Location: Jam Asia, Sri Hartamas
What: Frequency Cannon rocks out at Jam Asia's feature night. New album to be released soon, new material, new live show, same old bloody members though.