The Simpleman's Adventures

Prelude to Closing time 2008

2008-10-22T12:48:00.004+08:00

its a little early to do my closing time two months before the year ends, so this is my prelude to my closing time 2008.

i haven't been posting much here since two years ago, i guess in many ways i have moved on but sometimes the memory comes back and i die a little more.

sometimes, i look at myself in the mirror and ask myself what have i become ever since then. i have become a little colder, a little more jaded. the smile is gone, my friends say. the laughter is hollow, the infamous grin is virtually non-existent.
i have become a pale shadow of who i was.

5 years on, i am still trying to find a place of my own in this world but i still try.

i still believe in happily-ever-afters, but that hope is slowly fading away.

i still believe, but how long can i fool myself?

there is that person out there and i pray every day that she will recover

good bye and thanks for all the fish

2007-03-19T00:13:00.000+08:00

there's always an expiry date for everything.
and i guess after so long, this is i believe the last entry i'll make in here.

i'm going to take some time off to do what i was supposed to do.
pursue what i'm supposed to pursue.
spend time with people i'm supposed to be with.

thank you all for being part of the simpleman's adventures and who knows maybe one day i'll pop by in the future for anything.

i may start a new blog. but that's another story and time altogether.

well.
have fun everyone.

thanks again.
goodbye and have a good life.

a picture says ....

2007-01-23T14:20:00.000+08:00

a thousand words.
i don't know what to say.
can't string the words together.

i is back. miss me?

2007-01-07T21:46:00.000+08:00

hi people i'm back from the states :) it's been tough trying to write any entries from over there cos of the distractions.
but i'm back!
but will be gone again for the next 5 days cos of bloody reservist.

so here's a little preview of the photo's i've taken while i was there. not much cos i was distracted by shopping, the sights or the girls there.

be writing soon

xoxo
mister maroon

i heart shopping

2006-12-29T13:15:00.000+08:00

this christmas season i bought for myself :-

a) lots of jeans. last counted erm... 9? methinks? i'm eyeing another pair.
true religion, paper denim & cloth, edun, rock&republic, monarchy, fallen, krew!!!
my god, my denim monster is alive and kicking.
yes i am a denim addict

b) shoes! lots of shoes. i admit, i have a problem, i'm a sneaker freak
nike, pumas, adicolor, cole haan!

c) tumi comp bag

d) t-shirts! tons tons and tons of them

e) polos. tons and tons of them

f) nice coach wallet

g) jackets.

h) the works.

i came i saw i conquered big time

Closing time 2006.

2006-12-25T08:20:00.000+08:00

A year came and went. where did 2006 go?
i ask myself this question over and over again for 2006.

so here i am again, writing down my thoughts of the year gone by.

it's strange cos for 2 years in a row, i've spent my christmas and new years away from singapore.
which is good because i can take a step back from my reality and see what happened away from the world which i know.

here i sit, in my sister's place 30 hours away from home, in dallas, with the people that i love and care about, typing in the middle of the night.

maybe i shouldn't end and start the new year with being melancholic like every year.

but it wouldn't be me if i didn't gripe about life huh? :)

this year, i ...
- left the the company i've spent 2 happy years in to see life outside my comfort zone.
- worked freelance
- helped out in 1 feature film, 1 indie short film, 1 documentary, many tvcs, and corporate videos. which is good as i learnt so much from other people and learnt my craft all over again.
- work as a lecturer teaching the new generation my trade.
- toured L.A, Las Vegas, and Texas.
- spent more time with my friends, and family.
- left my old life and the people i knew from that life.
- met many wonderful people, and loved all of them.
- gotten in more trouble than i can ever imagine hehheh.
- dj-ed more than last year and discovered my own style.
- rediscovered my love for my craft, music and life
- welcomed my nephew into this world.
- made my peace with God
- finally let her go. and moved on. for real

that's all i can remember after many glasses of red wine with my brother in law

it's gonna be a long flight back home but i'll write more about my thoughts of the year gone by.

simpleman travel journals

2006-12-17T17:50:00.000+08:00

2 hours to spare and chilling at the cancer room.

oh the places we go :)

2006-12-17T09:43:00.000+08:00

ok people by now i'm on the way to the airport.
sooo take care and be good now.

see you in 3 weeks.

travelling light.

2006-12-13T00:52:00.000+08:00

this is the first of many many posts that i'm gonna erm... post in the next few weeks cos i'm getting outta this stupid country for christmas.
where? you'll know where in a couple of days

i think these can last me for a few weeks.
but must travel in style too... maybe i'll get lucky with some air stewardess hehheh

i think my mum really has obsessive compulsive behaviour.
it's only tuesday and she's already nagging at me to pack.
what's there to pack?
if you forget to bring anything, just buy it there. it's not like we're going to some backwater country.

that's all i'm bringing, maybe less when i finally decide to move my lazy ass to pack everything into my backpack or luggage. (maybe luggage, considering the amount of shopping i'm planning to do.)

the thing with a lot of asian people, they'll take everything and everything possible.
i've been on tours where they bring instant noodles, kettles and everything a hotel or any decent 24hour deli would have.

to me, these are my essentials.
1. hiking boots or good skateboarding sneakers. can't go wrong with either of them.
2. clean underwear. (good hygiene down there does matter)
3. my ipod. (can't live without music. and yes, it must be my ipod, i'm not going to go through the horror of listening to someone else's crappy music.)
4. mobile phone. (in case i need some takeout in the middle of nowhere)
5. credit card. (yes, it's true what the ads say. a credit card does save your life when you're caught in funny situations.)

the rest, you can buy.
yes. you can buy.
you're overseas. you're bloody travelling.

since you paid through your bloody nose to get out of this country, don't fucking complain about the prices. don't compare the prices of what we have back home. it's all about the experience, so quit whining and start chilling.

i'm gonna go crazy in the next couple of weeks maxing out whatever cards i have.

don't bitch if i forget to bring back presents for you... it's my bloody holiday.
i'm a selfish bastard so sue me, but it's every person for himself when it comes to holidays
*evil laugh*

test

2006-12-11T20:20:00.000+08:00

Test test

the little thing that stole my heart...

2006-11-28T01:01:00.000+08:00

mister maroon's wish list

2006-11-28T00:53:00.000+08:00

my god, the shopaholic in me just came in me pants.
my search for the perfect bag may just be finally over...

taken from the website.
"Equally suited to land and sea. Chrome roll-top waterproof backpacks challenge the assumptions of how waterproof bags should be built. Our ground breaking design brings together two separate, and typically opposed, ideologies of backpack construction.

First we start with a superior all-weather backpack with large easy access external cargo pockets, urethane coated YKK zippers, large external wet-dry pocket, comfortable shoulder straps, daisy chain lash points, haul loop handle, waist strap, adjustable sternum strap, and unbreakable stainless steel hardware.

Next, we add to the main compartment, a fully waterproof liner with high frequency RF welded seams, and finish the whole thing off with a watertight roll-top closure.

This dual bag ideology creates a bag that is completely waterproof when it needs to be, but exceptionally functional for the other 99% of the time that it is above water."

i is the great superhero, no?!

2006-11-28T00:46:00.000+08:00

here's living proof that mister maroon should be a superhero.

move along now...

2006-11-23T14:52:00.001+08:00

everyone is looking for a judas to hang when things go wrong.
sometimes people can't accept that sometimes people just want to break away from a cycle for their reasons only known to themselves.
but the world moves on, and if you can't accept it, just deal with it.

if everyone is looking for a judas to hang, then fuck it and hang me then.
i'm too used in this role. everytime, i'm the judas.
it's so easy to pick isn't it?
it's just so easy to raise that hand and point that finger at me.
time after time after time again...
anyone else can do something wrong all the time and still get away with murder all the time.
but not me, never me.
so let me be the judas for the very last time and let me live my own life.

hurt? not as much as i've been stabbed. accused. hated. spat on. cursed. lied to.

so what do i do?
i just upped and left. no reasons. no excuses. no nothing.

just this simple.

i'm happy where i am now. no complaints. no troubles. no politics. no reason to spiral down that vicious cycle of depression.

i'm doing things my own way without being under the scrutiny of anyone's eyes or views.
and that gives me my peace.

so you want a judas to hang?

i'll let you all hang me for the very last time.

sweetmusic vs sublime. don't miss the love...

2006-11-14T10:25:00.000+08:00

woohoo! another crazy wednesday.
put on your dancing shoes and get the hell down to homeclub.

this is how maroon does it.

mister maroon's song of the week. you give me something by james morrison

2006-11-09T23:52:00.000+08:00

You want to stay with me in the morning
You only hold me when I sleep,
I was meant to tread the water
Now I've gotten in too deep,
For every piece of me that wants you
Another piece backs away.

'Cause you give me something
That makes me scared, alright,
This could be nothing
But I'm willing to give it a try,
Please give me something
'Cause someday I might know my heart.

You already waited up for hours
Just to spend a little time alone with me,
And I can say I've never bought you flowers
I can't work out what the mean,
I never thought that I'd love someone,
That was someone else's dream.

'Cause you give me something
That makes me scared, alright,
This could be nothing
But I'm willing to give it a try,
Please give me something,
'Cause someday I might call you from my heart,
But it might me a second too late,
And the words I could never say
Gonna come out anyway.

'Cause you give me something
That makes me scared, alright,
This could be nothing
But I'm willing to give it a try,
Please give me something,
'Cause you give me something
That makes me scared, alright,
This could be nothing
But I'm willing to give it a try,
Please give me something
'Cause someday I might know my heart.
Know my heart, know my heart, know my heart

Internet Radio Sundays

2006-11-09T09:13:00.000+08:00

INTERNET RADIO SUNDAYS

10pm to 12mn: Tan[g]kap Sux on unpopular.radio listen here

12mn till late: Late Nights with MisterBlack on sweetmusic.fm listen here

Please do not forget to dump your TV every sunday nite for a night of internet radio. Tan[g]kap will play many Singaporean/Malaysian/Southeast-Asian bands which will turn you and your english teacher on. MisterBlack will chase away all your post-coital blues with chillout tunes to ease you to bed before monday fucks you over with wage-work/studies.
LIVEISEVIL will be back this week.

Oh yes, please tell your friends about it and feel free to bootleg/record our streams and play them on your ipods/zens for the rest of the week. While capitalism attempts to steal good music away from the telestrial airwaves in the service of profits, enjoy our modest rescue attempts.

p/s: mistermaroon will make a guest appearance on MisterBlack's set

i remember you...

2006-11-03T17:58:00.000+08:00

Strange how life brings you to places where it’ll always remind you of a person from your not so distant past.
These two years life has taught me not to be too sentimental, that things happen for a reason and that change is the only thing in life which is inevitable and for certain.
And when you accept that change is the only thing certain in life, you enjoy the moment while it lasts and stop holding on to your past.

But there’s always that one person that will always have your heart.
That one person whose memory you’ll always hold on to tightly, and when your memory of her starts to fade away, the glutton for punishment in you will always try to remember every single moment so that every moment, every memory, every sight and smell will always stay fresh in your mind, your heart and your soul.

Here I sit in my classroom, looking out the window and I see her place in the horizon and being so close yet so far to her triggers off all my memories of her.

This is the only person whom I’ll always love with all my heart.
This is the person who changed my reality and made me the person that I am today.
This is the person whose memory will always churn out feelings so extreme that I will laugh and smile with all my heart, and cry like the entire world has abandoned me and feel my heart breaking apart all at once.

This is the adorable and beautiful person who was once part of me. My other half, my soul and my very heart which made me complete and whom I found a home in her arms.

It’s been 2 years now since I lost my home, and it’s been 2 years since I shut my heart from the world.

Once in a while I’ll open it and allow someone in for a peep, but never like the way I let her in fully and unguardedly.

There’s so many journal entries I’ve written about the way I felt about her, and grieved about the loss of my heart, and I still have a lot more kept in my countless moleskine journals over the past 2 years, too painful to type out on my computer, and kept away in my closet after pouring my feelings out on paper, like a confession box, and maybe one day someone will find them and somehow will be returned to their rightful owner.

Over the past 2 years, when they discover that I once loved someone so deeply and madly, they would ask me in amazement, what was that person like? Was there ever a person who could tame a free spirited person like me?
Was there a time where I was able to settle down?

She was the world to me, I would tell them. But we had reached a point in our lives where we just couldn’t agree with anything anymore and it broke our hearts to go off in different directions.

Some of my closest friends now saw the two of us together in reality, and knew that she was that person. I didn’t have that ‘edge’ in my face, I was peaceful when she was near to my side, and I looked contented in just the nearness of her. And some of them saw the pictures of us and noticed that I looked different.
They couldn’t connect the person in the pictures with the person that they know.

And yes, I remember you. I remember every single detail about you even though you’re not part of my life anymore.
I remember the you that I used to spend many lazy and carefree days talking about everything but anything in particular.
I close my eyes and I can almost feel you next to me, and I wish that there you are tapping me on my shoulder to wake me up from this reality without you.

I keep all my memories of you close to my heart, and the pain still lingers on. And it comes back in a heartbeat, easily triggered off by almost anything.
A song, a sound, a smile, a color, a song… even the whisper of the passing breeze.

I try to hide your memories for the few years. It surfaces now and then, even in the company of my new found family. The family that you used to know has drifted apart somehow, each member busy with their own lives and new journeys. And I can’t be part of that anymore. It feels different because I know I’ve become different.

I avoid the places that we loved, but being in a small island, you find yourself in familiar grounds once in a while. I still see us there.

That's how I remember you.
This city somehow keeps those memories of you and opens them like pandora's box everytime I pass by the places where we used to be.
Even though we're not in contact much these days, it doesn't mean i don't remember how you made me feel.

Cos even till today, I remember every single thing I shared... with you.

alternate realities. what could have been.

2006-10-26T01:56:00.000+08:00

i just finished watching a tv miniseries about the bermuda triangle and it featured alternate realities, a topic which i have spent many nights thinking about what could have been...
what if i took a different path in life and lived my life differently?
what if things turned out differently, what kind of reality would i be in?

one reality would be me living in a place facing the ocean in perth, giving up everything in singapore, living a simple life pursuing my dreams, churning out music videos... and having my clear blue skies everyday.

another reality would be me still working for my dad, probably not aspiring to pursue my dreams, contended with my lot and not being angry, and probably building a life with her...

and my present reality.
one without her.
but yet i met all these wonderful people who made up for all the losses that i experienced in the past 2 or more years.
producer, director, lecturer, dj, free-lance crew... and i wonder what i will do later on in this reality?

i had a dream the other night of two possible realities, and i woke up feeling lost....
one is a loss of my clear blue skies and beautiful surf.
the other is a loss of my heart, my angel...

however everyone of these alternate realities, there's a price to pay, a sacrifice for living in them.

don't ask me now if any of my decisions are the right ones, i can't give you an answer...
perhaps in five or ten years time, i may have an answer for this question.

but now, in the words of p.m dawn, "that's the way it goes, i guess?"

mister maroon's song of the week. 14102006

2006-10-14T06:12:00.000+08:00

this song has been on repeat in my car while i drive around aimlessly for a while now.
other than this song is a mixtape from a dear friend whom i would love to have as a late night drive companion but there's this huge ocean seperating us.

this song says a lot of how i'm feeling these days.
every word, every chord, says everything that i keep inside of me for so long.

not just for the emotions that i bottle up inside
the name that i don't even dare to whisper to the wind for i fear i may just lose my control over my emotions.

so here it is, an insight to how i feel in this song.

eve, the apple of my eye by bell x1

You left it, I sent it
I want it back
You left it, I sent it
I want it back

If I had you here, I'd clip your wings
Snap you up and leave you sprawling on my pin
This plan of mine is oh so very lame
Can't you see the grass is greener where it rains

You left, I died,
I went and you cried
You came, I think
But I never really know
I've served my time
I've watched you climb
The wrong incline
But what do I know

Accept it, Don't let it
Turn the screw
Accept it, And let it
Scream back at you

Now this applies both equally to you and I
The only thing we share
Is the same sky
These empty metaphors
They're all in vain
Like can't you see the grass is greener where it rains

In the garden Snake was a charmin'
And Eve said let's give it a try
Now lead us not into temptation
But no matter how hard I try
When in the garden and
Snake is a charmin'
And Eve says let's give it a try
Eve is the apple of my eye

And I lie behind you
And a cradle you in the palm of me
And I pat your hair down
I think will we sink or swim?
'Cause we could do either on a whim

i hate october

2006-10-04T08:31:00.000+08:00

october is here.
which means i'm getting a year older, but not any wiser.
i used to be a huge fan of october.
octoberfest, birthdays, end of the year coming and all.
well i still do love octoberfest and the coming of the end of the year, but i decided to call birthdays especially mine, the denial-day. yes i am in denial.
and i don't care if the ladies seem to like men who's in their 30's. (try harder to convince me to accept my age)

another phase in my life is starting which is rather exciting.
well 2 actually.
i'll tell you more about in the days to come.

however here are some pictures from my previous shoots.

algin and allan on top of the trailer rigging for blk a's short film.

that's me in my crew getup. not too glam but it does the job for me.

and my trademark good morning towel.

the short film shoot was a good experience for me even though i was exhausted by the end of it.
i met a couple of fun people to work with and came out of it with better relations with people that i've known for a while now.

more pictures of the shoot will be posted once i get them from the photographer.

Among my most prized possessions are words that I have never spoken

2006-09-21T06:07:00.000+08:00

"Among my most prized possessions are words that I have never spoken." Orson Rega Card

this was the heading of my old webpage.
and i still love this quote till today.

there are many words that i keep inside of me that i want to say but don't really know how to. and sometimes i try to use songs to say how i really feel inside.

it's not easy trying to make a mixtape to really say how you feel sometimes, and try as i may, but i can't really find a song that can say everything that i really want to say inside.

and which is why i take a longer time to make some of my mixes, especially the nshn sessions. and till today only two people would know what nshn mean, one of which would be me.

i can't say everything in those lyrics, nor can i say everything with the music and song selections, but sometimes i do hope that someone out there will realise that every song is selected for a reason.

to those that download the mix, i do hope you'll enjoy them as much as i enjoy making them.

nshn sessions v.11. the chill and acoustic mix

2006-09-12T03:00:00.000+08:00

well i haven't post up a mix in quite a while now.
but i'm working on a few more now and you'll definately get more mixes on a regular basis.

this mix is kind of different from the ambient and downtempo nshn mixes you've been getting lately. this is definately more emo and indie for me, but it's served chilled nonetheless ;)

so here it is,
hope you like it

xoxo
mistermaroon

tracklist
1. over the pond by the album leaf
2. stay by my side by club 8
3. can't get you out of my head by helena
4. somersault by decoder ring
5. eve, the apple of my eye by bell x1
6. moving pictures, silent films by great lake swimmers
7. the nearness of you by norah jones
8. better together by jack johnson

download mix here

believing in ...

2006-09-05T19:37:00.000+08:00

i was wandering around the city as usual, taking photos as part of my training in cinematography and many memories came back to me while i looked at the city through my viewfinder.

why do i feel like i've been here before?
why do i feel like you were here before?
why do i feel like we were here before?

i feel trapped in the city where we fell in love in.
and trapped in the city where we fell out of love in.

i have tried every single way to escape the reality of us living in seperate lives, seperated by everything that we do.

in a city that's so small, our paths never did cross.
in some ways, i hope to run into a familiar face with that familiar smile, but would you smile at me?

i don't know if i can still smile the same, i'm not even sure if i can still smile at all.
these few years, the pain of the distance between my heart and i created a void in my emotions.

but is there anything left to believe in?

people lie. people change. people grow apart. people fail you. people always leave.
so why should i believe?

it's 7am in the morning and i stared at the four walls that surround me. your image still haunts me and i still can't sleep without medication.
i tried to hold on to your fading image and try to reach out but all i can hold on to is just emptiness and nothing.
why do you still haunt me so?

please god.
let me sleep in peace for just one night.

sublime sticker party @ homeclub

2006-09-02T06:33:00.000+08:00

see you there at the sublime sticker party at home club!
sweetmusic fm will continue their madness at MAAD @ red dot on sunday!

happy birthday...

2006-08-31T06:08:00.000+08:00

happy birthday,
to you, the person who was my angel, my all and my very self.
i pray that this whisper will reach your ears as you sleep tonight.
be happy always.

ever and ever,
hammy

sublime vs sweetmusic.fm

2006-08-31T05:50:00.000+08:00

the sweetmusic boys (grey, black and maroon) are playing on wednesdays at homeclub.
support support a bit hor.

i like to take first shift of the decks (or rather CDJs) so be there at 9pm to catch my madness.
will it be indie? high school hits (cira 80-90s)? funk groove soul? or mash up madness?
god knows till i wack the decks. but one thing for sure, the sweetmusic crew will fill your night with great music!

and that is just the beginning, stay for grade 'A' techno from the sublime crew.

p/s: you may catch a repeat telecast of the sweetmusic crew at red dot museum on MAAD sundays.

click

2006-08-20T05:17:00.000+08:00

was having one of those nothing-will-seem-to-make-u-a-little-cheerier days.
being at my favourite hangouts with your favourite music playing, hanging out with 2 of your favourite people and even more will be coming down didn't lift my spirits.
talking to 2 pretty girls who infestious charms will make any other guy's day didn't lift it either.
just what the hell was bothering me.
i don't know actually.
everything just didn't feel ... right.
then i gave up trying to make myself feel better and headed off to watch a movie, hoping good ol' adam sandler will make me a little happier.
he did for a while ... until the familiar phrase someone told and asked me a lifetime back was used in the movie.

and that familiar voice, that baby voice, saying "ever and ever..." and asking me "ever and ever?" came back to haunt me.

i wish that i had that fucking remote control that adam sandler had, so that i can rewind my life and relive those days as everything is played back while i sit in my room, where i don't have to take these fucking sleeping pills and painkillers to numb all the pain i have to face every single night.

and i don't want your image or your voice to haunt me every night...
and i don't want you to haunt me everywhere i go

two years on, and you're still haunting me
and your memories are still holding on to me, refusing to let me sleep at night, and not letting me move on.

and i have to bury you deep in my consciousness while i push myself to work till i drop on my bed exhausted but still have to take the damn pills to block out your voice.

i don't want to go to sleep kneeling there crying for god to stop my pain and asking him to take away all my memories of you so that i can have one night of peace while i slept.

please.
if you're ever there
take away all my memories of her.

just for one day.
let me sleep

losing and gaining your heart's desire

2006-08-13T03:05:00.000+08:00

"there are two tragedies in life : one is to lose your heart's desire, the other is to gain it"
George Bernard Shaw

this quote from Shaw is something that i've always been familiar with, and something that's been part of my life for the longest time.

both ends of the spectrum still hurts me till today.
after two years, it still hurts.
and sometimes i wonder why do i still fight so hard everyday just to move on without you.

mister maroon's track of the week. now that you're gone by ryan adams

2006-08-09T02:59:00.000+08:00

it's been a while since i've posted a new song that i've discovered for your listening pleasure.
i've been busy at work, trying to make some sense of my new direction in life and why i'm doing what i'm doing.
it's been 2 years 2 months and a day to the day since i went down this road by myself.
even though i'm pursuing a dream, a passion... and that's my driving force.
however kahlil gibran once wrote, your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul. if either be broken, you can but toss and drift, or else be held at a standstill in midseas. for reason, ruling alone, is a force confining... and passion, unattended, is a flame that burns to it's own destruction.
perhaps for that reason, i always burn out once in a while.
while my dreams and my passion rules my life now, and no matter how much it hurts, or how tired i am, or how many times i have to slip and fall and wish for once i can just give up all i have done just to live an easier life, i don't give up.
however it just seems so pointless, for i lost that reason in my life 2 years back.
and now i need that reason to stop me from burning myself into that path of self destruction.
and when i heard this song, the lyrics does say the words that i've been holding inside of me for these 2 years.
i wish that the person that made me fight so hard with my reality now knows that i'm drawing my strength, my courage and my wisdom every single day that she's not in my life, so that i'll be a better person cos i'm learning to the man that i wasn't. and prepare me for the next person i'll allow in my life and my heart again.

now that you're gone by ryan adams

I ain't afraid of hurt
I've had so much it feels
Just like normal to me now

I'm alone and I'm dancin' with you now,
In your old room, in your old house
I'm alone and I'm dancin' with you now,
In your old room, but there's nobody there

Now that you're gone
Now that you're gone

Everything you ever touched, the fingerprints are like
Crime scene evidence, so undisturbed in dust
I don't dare touch anything of yours,
Because it's evidence of us
And it means everything
Well sort of

I'm alone and I'm dancin' with you now,
In your old room, in your old house
I'm alone and I'm dancin' with you now,
In your old room, but there's nobody there

Now that you're gone
Now that you're gone
Now that you're gone
Now that you're gone for good

I'm alone and I'm dancin' with you now
In your old room, in your old house
I'm alone, and I'm dancin' with you now
In your old room, but there's nobody there

Now that you're gone
Now that you're gone for good

mistermaroon's track of the week. horizons by concave scream

2006-07-20T04:48:00.000+08:00

it's been a while since i've heard a song from a local band that could move me the first time i listen to it. and concave scream is a local band that never fails to disappoint everytime.

i've heard this song performed by another local band, the local barboys (who's acoustic version is also fantastic) and i had to find out who did the original version.

and over the weekend i was there to listen to concave scream sing this song live at baybeats (which was a fantastic event) and i said it there and will say it here. concave scream is a band meant for the big stage and arena.

have a listen to this wonderful song and you will know why i enjoy listening to this so much and why this is the track of the week.

if you can, please buy the album cos most of the songs are equally good, however because i'm biased, this is my favourite track from the album.

enjoy,
mistermaroon

Horizons

It's been a long time,
It's been a long time coming,
Held my breadth too long,
got to get back to the surface.

Rain rain, go away,
bring back the sun.

It's been a long road,
Seasons past chasing horizons,
It's been a long road,
Know it never could last forever.

Rain rain, go away,
bring back the sun.
Rain rain, go away,
bring back the sun.

i try...

2006-07-20T04:13:00.000+08:00

everyday i try to be strong...
i try to look forward to a new day, where everything is a great unknown, and to let my passion carry me through another day.
even though it's hard and tiring, and sometimes i feel tired trying to fight another battle, trying to convince the people around me to fight for what they believe in.

everyday i try to convince myself that this is worth the pain, the tears, the sweat and blood shed.
that one day, i'll reach that peak that i looked at many years ago.
and stand there proud and strong, and looking back at the steps that i've taken to reach that place and willing risk everything and go back into that valley of the unknown.

everyday i try to tell myself that my time is not up yet.
being the stubborn person that i am, i will not die without putting up a fight.
my time is not up yet, i've got many years left even though the facts are before me.
i have defied the odds before, and i will defy the odds again and again and will keep defying those odds till the day i lose the battle against my curse and strangely, the source of my strength.

everyday i try to control the pain, and hold it back... and not to let that pain take over me like it did many years ago.
i am in control. and will always be in control. and have to be till that day when it finally claims me as it's trophy.

i will keep trying to win the impossible odds against me.
i will... i must.

it's tiring and sometimes i want to give up.
it hurts... physically, mentally and emotionally.
and i've kept a lot of people out of that inner space that i've built over the past 2 to 3 years.
and even though it's lonely, it's a choice that i have to make, because i've learnt over the years, the people i allow into that inner sanctum will leave cos it's not something that they can handle.
it's a choice that i've made. and the price i will have to pay.

i've let down that one person before, for being so foolish to let my curse consume me and left me losing everything that i believed in and be lost in my own anger and fear of my own fate.

i will never let it happen again.
never.
ever.

till that day comes,
i will try to fight it... everyday.

to infinity and beyond....

2006-07-15T06:59:00.000+08:00

i couldn't say what's happening to my life as i was still deciding...
and somethings are better kept among the people i hold dear to my life.

after 2 years of working in a company i've called my home and family, i've decided it's time to move on.

it's not an easy decision.
it was one of the hardest thing i had to do in the longest time.

i've become stagnant. complacent. jaded. angry... and lost that passion for the past couple of months.
i guess it reflects in the quality of my work.
somehow over the past couple of months, the ideas stopped flowing... i've stopped communicating or even caring with the management.
they know it
i know it
we were moving in different directions.
and the decision was mutual.

i've decided to pursue something else... in my own industry. to get back to my roots.
it's a little unstable but it's exciting.

so here i am, yet another crossroads in my life.

so ladies and gentlemen,
i present to you...

nicholas chu
freelance director.producer.production crew.researcher

wish me luck

brave new world

2006-06-30T19:39:00.000+08:00

well... more of this in the future posts.

;)

Stuff I Wish For, Dreams I Dream

2006-06-22T22:43:00.000+08:00

this is something that i came across a long time ago and it always never fail to make me smile and hope and dream of things that i really want.
it's strange that in this world that we live in, when we ask people for this that they wish for, it's always either money, material things or for career.

these are the things that i really wish for and dream of...

melted Absolut in a vodka bottle
a popsicle of frozen time
a 3-D picture of thunder
a coffee-mug of crushed diamonds
a Trojan Horse full of M&Ms,
lost illusions in a glass bottle
a fire-breathing wooden dragon
a happy clown
a crystal angel on a motorbike
a sun that never rises
an empty Pandora's Box
a fire that burns underwater
a first kiss in a summer rain
super-glue for a broken heart
a spaceship full of squids
footsteps in the sands of time
a graceful swan of never
a love song for a vampire
an H-bomb to detonate in my skull
wild horses to ride over the hills
a star to hold in my palm
a rear-view mirror to see Hell with
a time capsule from the island of Atlantis
a never-ending story
a silver platter of mice and angry grapes
clean underwear
a banana from the monkey on my back
a second-hand shop that sells dreams and memories
a figurine of Buddha jumping over a wall
a bed of 99 black roses
a molatov cocktail on the rocks
a tattoo of Death doing the Macarena
a near-life experience
a reason not to kill myself
a dream that never ends
a love that never dies

an emerald green parachute
five bouquets of tiger lillies and one organic broccoli
a donkey clown pinata full of crickets
a protective gargoyle lifted from the Chartes Cathedral
a strawberry chocolate cake baked in the shape of a question mark
a DNA map drawn up by the Human Genome Project
fistsfuls of sparklers
a refrigerator magnet cast in the likeness of the Dalai Lama
a digitally remastered CD of the Big Bang
the key of life accidentally placed inside a Crackerjack Box
band-aids that heal everything
knowledge in the form of chocolate
glittering pristine snow on a rusted can
a giant turtle with a world on it's back
an hourglass to jam in the spokes of the wheel of time
a galaxy in an empty milk carton
ten summoners walking in a field of gold
a backpack that leads to the warehouse of an orange merchant
a rubber ducky on a sea of nails
a diamond moon, containing light from the stars
eternity in an hour (crowfire)
a diving board into the gene pool
a daisy chain that never withers
a solar-powered torchlight
a rewind and pause button on life
a day as a cat
a lifetime supply of oreos and milk
an 'Undo' button for real life actions
a heart that streches, but does not break
an ever-lasting bottle of glowing glacial water
a handful of shooting stars
the other side of the sky
dance on the moon

retro.sofa with mistermaroon v.1

2006-06-20T18:38:00.000+08:00

remember s.o.f.a. nights at cafe cosmo?
well, if you do... these are some of songs i used to play when everyone's smashed.
turn the volume up and relive all those crazy drunken nights we had at cafe cosmo.

tracklist.
1. once in a lifetime by gregorian feat. sarah brightman
2. damn, i wish i was your lover by sophie b. hawkins
3. say what you want by texas
4. baby, i love your ways by big mountain
5. head over heels by tears for fears
6. raspberry beret by prince
7. roll with it by oasis
8. let's groove by earth, wind and fire

xoxo
mistermaroon

download mp3 mix here

delicate by damien rice

2006-06-20T01:15:00.000+08:00

i've heard this song a long time ago when his album was released but it didn't mean a lot to me till recently.
i remember how it feels to care for someone, to allow someone in my life... inside the heart that is filled with many memories, many realities, and ... and many sad stories that can last more than a lifetime.
and the other day while i was driving home from work, i thought of this person whom i let into my life earlier this year after shutting everyone out for the longest time.
of how i met her, of how i fell in love with her, of how we came together... and how she said to me one day, "lets be friends..."
and even though many of damien rice's song say so much about loss, heartache and heartbreaks.
this song is one that needs more than one listen to know how much one feels when things end,
and how it describes the feelings left when that person hurts you, and how your delicate heart breaks.
thats how i feel when i remember that reality not so long ago.
and i still get the same feeling everytime i listen to this song when i drive and look up at the clouds above me... and think of her.

delicate by damien rice

We might kiss when we are alone
When nobody's watching
We might take it home
We might make out when nobody's there
It's not that we're scared
It's just that it's delicate

So why do you fill my sorrow
With the words you've borrowed
From the only place (that) you've known
And why do you sing Hallelujah
If it means nothing to you
Why do you sing with me at all?

We might live like never before
When there's nothing to give
Well how can we ask for more
We might make love in some sacred place
The look on your face is delicate

So why do you fill my sorrow
With the words you've borrowed
From the only place (that) you've known
And why do you sing Hallelujah
If it means nothing to you
Why do you sing with me at all?

So why do you fill my sorrow
With the words you've borrowed
From the only place (that) you've known
And why do you sing Hallelujah
If it means nothing to you
Why do you sing with me at all?

lonelily lonely

2006-06-15T14:55:00.000+08:00

it's been a long while now since i had a little reflection of what happened in the past few years...
and especially the past year, there's been a lot of changes happening in my world.
even though i've lost a lot of things that used to mean a lot to me in the past,
i've found a lot of things that made up for all the loss.

but sometimes, in the middle of the night...
my heart calls out to me in a whisper, how long more are you going to lock everyone from me?

just a while more.
just a little while more.

i need a little more time to recover.
from everything... from all the hopes, from all the disappointments, from all the expectations, from all the laughs, smiles, and.... heartbreaks and tears

leave me alone for a while.
i don't want to feel and hope for something that will never ever be mine.

everytime i try to touch heaven, there will always a catch... a little glitch in the matrix that sends me crashing down again and again.

and i chose to be lonely.
after my last encounter earlier this year, i stopped hoping or even trying.

sure, i still look for a pair of bright eyes and a smile that will make my heart skip a beat.
but my cynical defense mechanism kicks me in the balls and tells me that's how much it hurts everytime.

so if you see a guy walking towards you and suddenly clutches his privates and groan in pain, that would most probably be me.

mister maroon's nshn sessions v.11

2006-06-13T12:22:00.000+08:00

you thought i forgot about the nshn sessions didn't ya *grin*
i took a while to get this done cos i wanted this edition to be extra chill and downtempo.
so here it is,
enjoy.

i hope you'll like this mix like the rest of the nshn sessions

tracklist
1. opening from brokeback mountain by gustavo santaolalla
2. i guess i'm floating by m83
3. song for olabi by bliss
4. mother nature by fauna flash feat. sugar b
5. sweet lullaby (ambient mix) by deep forest and enigma
6. private road by bent
7. remember me by phreaq
8. useless by depeche mode

mistermaroon

download mp3 mix here

ladies and gentlemen, it's time for my madness to begin

2006-06-08T13:29:00.000+08:00

mistermaroon says "football season is on!"

se7en

2006-06-07T21:30:00.000+08:00

Seven dreams before I die:
1. direct my first feature film
2. walk up to the podium with my production team to collect our oscars
3. own my beach hut
4. be respected as a director
5. get married
6. travel the world with national geographic
7. publish a book

Seven things I can't do in this lifetime:
1. be a business person
2. Forsake my family
3. quit the media industry
4. Erase my past.
5. forsake love
6. hit a girl
7. get rid of my eyebags

Seven things that attract me:
1. smiles that ends with a comma
2. the curve of the back
3. voice.
4. smell
5. confidence
6. Intellect.
7. spontaneous nature

Seven things I say:
1. 'fuck'
2. 'yah man'
3. 'i think...'
4. 'fuck'
5. 'bugger.'
6. 'wanker'
7. 'fuck.'

Seven books that I love:
1. the little prince
2. the places we go
3. the giving tree
4. the bible
5. tuesdays with morrie
6. the art of happiness
7. the rules of work

Seven movies that I've loved:
1. crash
2. requiem for a dream
3. chunking express
4. crying out love in the centre of the earth
5. fight club
6. before sunrise
7. green card

s.o.f.a sessions with mister maroon v.01

2006-06-07T03:21:00.000+08:00

s.o.f.a = space of fine atmosphere.
no genres, just atmosphere.

so here is the first s.o.f.a mix... enjoy.

tracklist
1. holdin' on together by phoenix
2. turn it around by alex kidd
3. inside and out by feist
4. give it up or turn it loose by james brown
5. how do i love thee by queen latifah
6. lady brown by nujabes
7. l'enculé le plus cool by cuizinier

mistermaroon

download mix here

two years on.

2006-06-05T14:45:00.000+08:00

2 years on.
730 days.
17520 hours.
1,051,200 minutes.
63,072,000 seconds.

that's the amount of time i've spent on the road.
that's the amount of time i've left my old life behind and went down the road less travelled, not by choice, but by what life has decided for me.

despite all that time spent, i still do spend many quiet nights staring at the walls that surround me, and still haunted by my memories.
and sometimes, the memories and images have faded like the photographs and i wonder to myself, did it ever happen? did i ever held an angel in my arms?

and why did god take that angel away from me?

i've moved on.
in so many ways.

i left my old life behind.
i've said so many goodbyes in the past 2 years that when i look back at the road behind me,
there is little left around me that reminds me of anything of whatever i had for those magical years.

if it hurts, cut it loose.

and cut loose i did.

friends, places that i've been to. old photographs, messages, notes, little knick knacks...
everything.

i don't know if i've changed for the better or worse.
it all depends on your perception.

to some individuals that hold on to the person that they used to know, i've sold out.
i've changed. i've forgotten my roots.

to some, i've found who i really am.
free to choose whoever i want to be, free to pursue whatever i want to do without anyone judging me.
or telling me otherwise.

i'm not stronger.
i'm just a little more resistant to pain.
a little more numb.
and it is easier for me to deal with a lot of things in life.

it is easier to move on with my life.

i don't try to dream about a lot of things in life.
other than my work, i stopped hoping for a lot of things in life.
if it happens, swell.
if it doesn't, well... just move along then.

2 years on.

i'm still trying to find the answers that i couldn't answer back then

thoughts...

2006-05-15T16:00:00.000+08:00

i was helping out my friends for their feature film and am pretty amazed at their passion.
people with no proper training in film making, catching the film production bug, investing money and time for a feature.

and for people like me in this industry, starting out with so much drive, ending up losing steam along the way, and start to feel jaded.

i was speaking to the director and felt rather inspired by his passion in film making.
the thing is that i do have stories to tell.
and i have the entire sequences running in my head ...

i have the right DP, the right team, and the right people to help me.
so what am i waiting for?

simpleman's graphic novel. you could be happy by snow patrol

2006-05-10T14:58:00.000+08:00

Important info.
1. Click on the images to see the full size.
I kind of realised a lot of people don't know that.
2. the audio clip is at the bottom of this page. click to hear the song.

i like this song by snow patrol from their new album.
the haunting xylophones and melody takes you away to a reality many memories away.
i love songs that are haunting and simple, and this happens to be one of those rare tracks that falls under this category of songs which i love.

mister maroon's best of ::nshn:: vol. 2. beach & roadtrip chillout

2006-05-10T12:05:00.000+08:00

here's vol.2 of my best of nshn mixes.
if the first mix was more chill, more sensual, more relaxing,
then this mix would be more flirty, uplifting and relaxing at the same time, and breezier.
it's perfect for long drives to nowhere, the beach and roadtrips... and makes you want to drop your work and just run away.

so wind down that window when you drive and embrace the wind... and enjoy this mix.

p.s look out for the last installment of the best of series - vol.3 *wink*

once again, enjoy.

xoxo
mister maroon

tracklist
1. i don't know what i can save you from (röyksopp remix) by kings of convenience
2. sunshine's better (talvin singh remix) by john martyn
3. summer samba (so nice) by bebel gilberto
4. so long without you by bent
5. sunrise by afterlife
6. blue cafe by style council
7. chasing cars by snow patrol

download the mp3 mix here <-

play the mp3 mix here

mister maroon's best of ::nshn:: vol. 1. late night chillout

2006-05-09T15:04:00.000+08:00

after 9 nshn mixes, (ah you have to figure out which one is the 9th nshn mix *wink*)
i've decided to do 2 special best of mixes.
this is the first part of the best of mix,
perfect for late night chillouts, mornings, or just when you need a mix to just lie back and relax.
think of it as an aural foreplay

hope you enjoy it as much as i did doing my mixes.

xoxo
mister maroon

tracklist
1. breathe (intro) by telepopmusik
2. komorebi by the hijiyama project
3. yma by boozoo bajou
4. secret fish by lux
5. the call by catoma (feat. pathaan)
6. kissing by bliss
7. merry christmas, mr lawrence by ryuchi sakamoto

download the mp3 mix here

play the audio below

mister maroon's late night mix 08052006

2006-05-08T15:58:00.000+08:00

this would be my first mix in a long time.
and a good way to kick off a series of mixes would be my essential late night night.
no genres. just atmosphere.
just songs that i love to listen to at night
driving around, working in my office, or staring at four walls at home.

tracklist
1. komorebi by the hikiyama project
2. gatekeeper by feist
3. autumn leaves by eva cassidy
4. boys don't cry by plumb
5. i can't make you love me by prince
6. broken by you by jordan knight

it's hard to classify my taste in music, it's neither here nor there. -laugh-
but i do hope you like my mixes so far.

xoxo
mister maroon

download the mp3 mix here <-
(left click and save as for pc, ctrl + click and save as for mac)

my audioblog is up... so back with the program!

2006-05-08T12:25:00.000+08:00

my audioblog is back up again...
so all my mixes are available for download and listening again

have fun.

i'm gonna be busy these couple of weeks due to work but i'll try to post up my new mixes.

be patient now

mister maroon's listening to...

2006-05-04T16:34:00.000+08:00

i've been going through my cd collection and i've found another song that i've not listened to for ages. so i popped in the cd and somehow i drifted away from my present reality.
it's strange to find songs like this that affect you, even if it was done by a pop artiste.
i'll upload it once my audioblog is up again.

broken by you by jordan knight
first lonely night, what will I do
i feel my heart breaking in two
i’m such a fool, when will i learn
i fell so deep, then i got burned

If you gave me just one reason why
My heart just might let go
Maybe one day I will fall in love again
But for now, I’ll just leave my heart in two

If I never fall in love again
If I never touch your skin again
If I never feel again this way
If I never see another day
Remember me, remember this
Cause one thing that will never change
Is the feeling in my heart
So broken by you .......

Love still remains, after your gone
Girl please explain, where did I go wrong

If you gave me just one reason why
My heart just might let go
Maybe one day I will fall in love again
But for now, I’ll just leave my heart in two

This melody reminds me of you

I cant let go

If you gave me just one reason why
My heart just might let go

Maybe one day I will fall in love again

Never fall in love again
Never pass this way again
Never,Never, Never
Never fall in love again

Never had my heart broken by you
I’ll just leave my heart in two

mister maroon's current song on repeat

2006-05-03T12:29:00.000+08:00

been going through my itunes lately and found this track which i haven't heard or played in ages. i love bonnie raite's and george micheal's version of this song but prince did a sexier, yet bittersweet version of this song.
and i guess sometimes i like to feel this way. it feel like a scene out of a wong kar wai film.
sexier, yet moody, yet bittersweet.
i'll try to upload it when my audioblog is back up.

i can't make you love me by prince

Turn down the lights, turn down the bed
Turn down these voices inside my head
Lay down with me, tell me no lies
Just hold me close, don’t patronize
Don’t patronize me
Cuz I can’t make u love me if u don’t
I can’t make your heart feel something it won’t
Here in the dark, in these final hours
I will lay down my heart (my heart) and I’ll feel the power
But u won’t, no, u won’t
Cuz I can’t make u love me if u don’t

Do u?
Do u love me?
Look at me

I’ll close my eyes, then I won’t see
The love u don’t feel, when u’re holding me (hold me)
Morning will come and I’ll do what’s right (do it right {x2})
Just give me ’til then 2 give up this fight
And I will, I will give up this fight
Oh, yes I will

Cuz I can’t make u love me if u don’t
I can’t make your heart feel something it won’t
Ah, don’t u know here in the dark, in the dark baby, these final hours (here in the dark)
I will lay down my heart (my heart) and I’ll feel the power, oh yes I will
But u won’t
Tell me why, tell me why u don’t?

(I can’t make u love me if u don’t)
Come here, baby
(I can’t make your heart feel something it won’t)
Talk 2 me, tell me where u wanna be kissed
Talk 2 me, tell me how u want me 2 do this
In this bedroom/church, u can guess the offering

I offer u (my heart)
I offer u sexual relations (but u won’t)
But u won’t (u won’t)
Tell me what’s up baby?
Am I moving 2 fast?
Not only do I wanna be the first, I wanna be the last, the last
Is that so bad?
I.. I want 2.. u know

I wanna, I wanna, I wanna make u love me
(do u love me? )
Come on baby, u can take it (my heart) (come on and take it)
It’s real love - I wanna make it (I wanna)
But u won’t love me, love me (but u won’t)
U won’t love me, baby
What’s a man 2 do?
What is this man gonna do?

I can’t make u love me if u don’t
I want u 2 (love me) love me
I need u 2 (kiss me, yeah)
Oh darlin’ (love me)
Love me {x5}

Turn down the lights, turn down the bed
Turn down these voices inside my head
Lay down with me, tell me no lies
Just hold me close between your thighs
(I can’t make u love me)

bangkok pics.

2006-04-28T11:25:00.000+08:00

it's long overdue, but better late than never right?

here's the apostrophe family's trip down to bangkok

being at the airport means that you're either going away for a shoot, or a nice vacation. this time round, we're going off to bangkok for a well deserved week long holiday.

jay and silent bob found a thai 7-11 to hang around. kaosan is pretty happening at night. especially with the night markets and the pubs with cheap beer...

enjoying our cheap beers and cheaper food at some joint at kaosan.

the three idiots surveying a hotel after spending a night at some dodgy hotel. it was so dodgy that i had to do a cleansing ritual so that we'll be safe from other worldly 'visitors' .
other than the occassional bedbugs, we were safe.

the three idiots on a tuk tuk. it was ken's first ride on a tuk tuk and it was fun to be on one again. sadly we didn't get one that's like the driver from the visa ad.

paul and juls at the other tuk tuk.

the greyhound cafe has great desserts, drinks and very cool chillout music.

jay and silent bob wondering where's the nearest 7-11.

the apostrophe having some drinks at a chillout art place.
the thing about thailand, is that there is so much character in everywhere we go.

here's s.o.f.a. , yup the place where cyan and maroon's tuesday sofa night's came about.

and the lovely people we met at s.o.f.a, as you can see, ken and i are pretty smashed by now

our new friends brought us to their regular after hours drinking spot, which was next to the highway.

u can imagine how smashed we were.

so dun steal my beer. never steal my beer. not even if you're my best mate

(L-R - me, paul, ken and mike)
the boys decided to go go-karting. and i'm gonna kick their butts mwahhahhaha

ken has a little accident, and it seems like he's the one that crashes the most. remind me not to let him drive my car...

i love go-karting. don't get to do this with the bug everyday -hehheh-

(L-R. ken, some dude, and me)
everyone can eat my dust. hehhehheh

new year's eve, and we're all getting smashed.

the only thing about getting smashed is the morning after...
ken and i are not the happiest campers in the morning.
no redbull, no coffee... bugger.

and here it is, apostrophefilms bangkok.

same same but different.

the blue bar in bangkok. mews say it's entry only by invitation or guests... so i guess we're pretty lucky to be drinking there.
great music, and it seems like the trendy like to hang out here.

so there you go, our little trip to bangkok. we did a lot more than this, but well, there weren't pictures to show you cos we were too busy having fun to take more pics.

so till we go back to thailand again for another trip...
cheers,

the simpleman... mr maroon

s.o.f.a. nights

2006-04-28T10:48:00.000+08:00

latest s.o.f.a poster.
titled : till we meet again.

s.o.f.a. is a concept that mr cyan came up with.
we were all in bangkok and mews (our thai friend) brought us to this quirky little pun that reminded us of cafe cosmo, and it was called s.o.f.a. or space of fine atmosphere. it was indeed a space of fine atmosphere as they played an eclectic mix of music.
be it indie, thai songs, oldies, 80's and 90's music. the crowd was fantastic, it was small but they made us feel at home.

imagine people that you met for the first time and they're like offering you drinks, making you feel at home and then take you to their special spot for more drinks.

that's how we felt. at home in a place far away from home.
so when we came back to singapore, we were still filling up spots on open deck night on thursdays at cafe cosmo.
so when mr white and little miss red told us that tuesday nights were available for us to have our own night, we spent quite some time trying to think of a theme.
cyan plays downtempo/chillout/jazz.
i have an eclectic mix of music.
what can we call the night?
one fine day while we were having a smoke outside the office, cyan asked...
"hey, what do u think about calling our nights s.o.f.a nights?"

a space of fine atmosphere. no genres, just atmosphere.
where anything goes. two residents, and everyone is a guest dj.

and that's how s.o.f.a. night came about.

we had great guest djs coming in and sharing their music with people. and i had fun spinning my music for them as well.

but due to the fact that cafe cosmo will be shutting their doors at the end of may, s.o.f.a. night's future is hanging in the air.
we may be continuing our show on sweetmusic fm, but it won't be the same. not with people dancing on the streets, or jumping up and down and everywhere in cosmo.
the atmosphere will be different.

so people, do make tuesday nights free... come down, and soak in the atmosphere, where we play you the tunes that we love that you may love too.
where genres are non-existant, and a place that you will feel at home.

so, at the end of may, mister cyan and maroon will say to their regulars... "till we meet again."
and thank you for coming down.

mister maroon

tales of a country boy lost in the big city. [entry 27042006]

2006-04-27T12:11:00.000+08:00

Numb.
entry : 27042006
my itunes is playing : autumn leaves by eva cassidy

there i was doing my second wednesday jazz set at cafe cosmo and when i was playing 3 back to back versions of autumn leaves, i feel this familiar feeling of loss creeping into my system and almost immediately, my self-defense mechanism cut off every single emotion from my system.

through the years, i've built up this self defense mechanism where every single emotion will be cut off from my heart.
where nothing, where noone, will ever hurt me again. i can choose to allow that emotion to run through my veins or to switch it off.

it has been useful, to deal with many things in life. no expectations equal less disappointment. the less you care, the less it hurts.

and i spent the rest of the night talking to one of my best mates, sitting there by the pool, having beers and cigarettes, enjoying the silence of what the night has to offer...
she was telling me about her problems with her life and i offered my listening ears and two cents worth as usual.
and then she turned to me and asked, "how're you feeling now?"
i knew what she was referring to. that dear girl, even when she's bothered with her problems, she'd still be concerned with people around her.

"could be better... well. could have been worse." was my reply to her.
"numb?" she asked
"yeah... numb."

sometimes when it hurts too much, and too often, you become numb to every single curve ball that God decides to throw in your direction. and even if that curve ball ends up hitting you in your nuts, you wouldn't even be bothered with the pain.

it's not that i stopped caring.
but i stopped hoping.
hoping for what?
if it happens, it happens...
if it doesn't? well, then it's back to your regular programming.

and there was this moment when i was staring at the moon, i'm still in a way .... hoping that i will be excited about many things in life again.

if i had the choice, i wouldn't want to feel so numb.
if i had the choice, i would leave this place and find my way back to my clear blue skies and have the sound of the ocean comforting me while i sleep.
if i had the choice, i'd be sitting by that stretch of beach where i found my peace... and will be surfing every single day and feel stoked and happy.

fuck. i miss perth so much

listening to...

2006-04-25T18:20:00.000+08:00

currently listening to autumn leaves by eva cassidy. i love the versions that nat king cole and edith piaf did, but eva cassidy's version is haunting, sad, and painful...
coldcut did an amazing electronica version of this song - autumn leaves [irresistable force remix]. go check it out... i'll upload this when my audioblog problems are sorted out

i have this song playing on my itunes, over and over again... and let the music take control of my feelings...



	The falling leaves drift by my window The falling leaves of red and gold I see your lips, the summer kisses The sunburned hands I used to hold Since you went away the days grow long And soon I'll hear old winter's song But I miss you most of all, my darling When autumn leaves start to fall (Instrumental for 1 minute) Since you went away the days grow long And soon I'll hear old winter's song But I miss you most of all, my darling When autumn leaves start to fall I miss you most of all, my darling When autumn leaves start to fall

tales of a country boy lost in the big city. [entry 24042006]

2006-04-25T17:47:00.000+08:00

the interesting thing about growing up, is the acceptance that when you start dating someone, work does get in the way of a lot of things. and with work comes the inconvenience of meeting as much as we like.

and this is where i get peeved at how technology replace a lot of things that i used to love.

whatever happened to getting a wake up call in the morning, where you can actually hear that person's voice over the phone... just hearing that voice that you love the first thing in the morning.
these days, all you get is a text message that goes 'goodmorninghugsrushingtoworkcallyoulater'
no voice, just a beep that replaced that voice.
you don't talk anymore. all you get is a clickity click of your keyboards as you send emoticons over msn or yahoo chat.
you don't hear the emotions over the phone, you don't see the person's face when you talk to them. i miss the days where you talk for hours over the phone, or just going over and talk to the other person.

coffee dates these days can be just you sitting alone at the cafe, drinking your cuppa and texting short messages to the other person sitting alone at another cafe... and you share a moment and feel for a moment that the person is actually there.
so i'm dating ms. nokia/sony ericsson/samsung instead of ms. so and so.

faces are replaced by picture avatars of funny anime characters or the green colour msn person. and my memories of a certain relationship is nothing but a yellow bald head smiley.
nothing more than that.

is this what modern technology does to modern romance?
and any form of intimacy is nothing but a [*hugs*] [*muaks*] [*kiss*] [*sayang so-and-so*]?

it's so convenient to say that you're always connected. either by mobile messages, msn or yahoo, or even email.
but that takes away that excitement of not seeing that person for sometime... and then meeting that person to give them that hug... that warm and tender hug... to hold and touch that person.

it does ease the pain of being away from that special someone through technology, but then... it doesn't feel special anymore.

so here i am, lost in the big city, resigned to dating a laptop and a mobile phone. not that i'm seeing someone in particular...

but i dread the fact that my next one will be the same ...

sigh

technical problems

2006-04-24T15:23:00.000+08:00

i'm having some problems with my audioblog now, so be patient while i sort out the problem.
you'll be able to get my mixes and stuff within the next few days.

mister maroon

mister maroon's new groove

2006-04-24T13:39:00.000+08:00

like i said previously,
i was going through a little bad patch and needed sometime to rediscover myself again.

and now i'm back!
mister maroon's brand new groove, look out for it on s.o.f.a tuesday where i will play you tunes that you haven't heard of in years.

i'm going to take over mister pink's jazz slot on wednesdays and hopefully play you some funky chill and fun jazz set.

how did i find back my groove?
lots of love from friends,
lots of good music from the sweetmusic fm crew and quantum lounge crew.

thank you. all of you for being there.

and i will salute all of you with a smashing good time on tuesday night

:)

xoxo
mista maroon

my first meme

2006-04-21T19:26:00.000+08:00

What were you doing ten years ago.
30-10 = 20 ... i believe i was still in poly. [well if i went for an actual lesson in the first place]
can't remember. 19-24 was a funny moment in the chronicles of the simpleman

Five Songs Which You Know All The Lyrics Right Off Your Head Now
i can remember a lot of songs actually

1. let's groove - earth, wind and fire
2. chasing cars - snow patrol
3. let's get it on - marvin gaye
4. i don't know what to save you from - kings of convenience
5. say what you want - texas

Five Things You Would Do If You Were A Millionaire

1. buy a ferrari or a porsche.
2. or invest - buy a flat, condo or something.
3. invest - in a company
4. save cafe cosmo
5. start a little outfit for music/dj-ing/art/whatever

Five Bad Habits

1. i don't look at people when i talk to them
2. my short attention *wot* erm span
3. my ability to channel surf my conversations with people
4. bad temper/road rage
5. mumbling

Five Things You Like Doing

1. climbing
2. surfing
3. dj-ing
4. writing
5. spending time at cafe cosmo with my loved ones

Five Things You Will Never Wear, Buy Or Get New Again

1. ugly shirts
2. tacky bargains which seemed like a good buy while travelling
3. cheap boxers
4. army surplus
5. microsoft products

Five Favourite Toys/Things

1. my powerbook
2. my iPod nano
3. my ipod
4. my beetle
5. my shoes

You're IT! (Five People To Do This)

1. whoever that reads this on my blog

sleepless in singapore

2006-04-21T13:40:00.000+08:00

mister maroon is taking a little break.
[the regular programming will continue after these messages]

sorry people,
been busy with work, and sorting out my personal life.
will be back after a little time out.
do drop by,
may post some pictures up soon

cheers.

mister maroon

2006-04-18T18:24:00.000+08:00

I haven’t felt the desire to leave everything again for the longest time till today nor feel this helplessness or even resigning to my fate.
“Be strong” as I always mutter to myself… and remind myself to breathe in and out every single minute so that I can push myself… and the people around me to live strong.

I am a rock.
I am a rock.
I am a fucking rock.

Like I said previously,

I have built up all these defenses through all my losses and failures in love and build up this whole armor, for years, so nothing can hurt me, then one person, no different from any other person, wanders into my life ...

And I give her a piece of me.

A simple phrase like "Maybe we should just be friends" turns into a glass splinter working its way to your heart.

It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a body-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain.

And I hate feeling like this
I have to walk around like nothing has happened when everything in me is spiraling out of control, when I can’t even feel anything anymore because your body takes over to overwrite the pain you feel.

All because of that simple phrase.
All because of that one person.
All because of not leaving a little piece of your heart for yourself and giving everything to her.

Why am I doing this to myself?
Over and over and over and over and fucking over again.

I have feelings.
I am not a yoyo, so don’t treat me like one.

Noone has to live through this all the time.
Not me.

my question to you...

2006-04-18T14:16:00.000+08:00

why?

.......... why?

mister maroon's ::nshn:: vol.8 - late night road trip special

2006-04-11T15:13:00.000+08:00

this is a special edition of my nshn mix,
special in terms that it is not the usual downtempo chillout tunes,
but chillout musically.
these are the songs i'm listening to for the past few nights... and the emotions that are going through my mind and heart right now.

so here i am again,
pouring out my heart in psalms written in song and melody...

i hope you listen to the lyrics, 'cos that's what going in my mind right now.

tracklist
1. chasing cars by snow patrol
2. slave to love by bryan ferry
3. wicked game by chris issak
4. what am i to you by norah jones
5. but not for me by diana krall
6. misty by billie holiday
7. someone like you by van morrison

download the mp3 mix here

Simpleman's Graphic Novel. Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

2006-04-11T13:34:00.000+08:00

I've been listening to this song for a few days now.
And I've never felt any sort of attachment to the lyrics, but it means something to me now.
It's how I feel now... and there's a little voice in me that is whispering to the wind, wishing that you can hear me.

You can hear the song at the bottom of this post

missing you...

2006-04-10T18:58:00.000+08:00

am missing you so...

2006-04-08T17:33:00.000+08:00

"For you see, each day I love you more. Today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow."
"Within you I lose myself. Without you I find myself, wanting to be lost again."

for you... i am the man who...

2006-04-03T19:04:00.000+08:00

quiet thoughts

2006-04-03T13:23:00.000+08:00

"If I knew that, I'd fall in love over and over again. Hearts aren't supposed to be mended. If you fall in love and it doesn't work out, you get a broken heart. What comes out of that will make you a better lover and partner next time."
Griffin Dunn

reading that made me realise that maybe someone up there was preparing me for you.

headtrip

2006-04-03T13:14:00.000+08:00

bugger me.
i'm still suffering the effects of the concussion and whiplash.

i see stars and on a perpetual trippy headtrip.
i hope my head shifts back soon...

Ode to the Nice guys

2006-03-23T19:29:00.000+08:00

i came across this article and it is a comfort to why i choose to be who i am.
and i hope that one day, i know i made the right choice to be who i am.
*nshn*

so here's to all the nice guys out there who's not into playing the field, or out to hurt you girls... and hopefully you will all sit up and notice us, and know that all these time, we were always there for you... and loving you with all our hearts no matter what.

i know i do.
don't ask me why,
but i do.

Ode to the Nice Guys

11 Mar 2006
Ode to the Nice Guys
This rant was written for the Wharton Undergraduate Journal

This is a tribute to the nice guys.
The nice guys that finish last, that never become more than friends, that endure hours of whining and bitching about what assholes guys are, while disproving the very point.

This is dedicated to those guys who always provide a shoulder to lean on but restrain themselves to tentative hugs, those guys who hold open doors and give reassuring pats on the back and sit patiently outside the changing room at department stores.

This is in honor of the guys that obligingly reiterate how cute/beautiful/smart/funny/sexy their female friends are at the appropriate moment, because they know most girls need that litany of support. This is in honor of the guys with open minds, with laid-back attitudes, with honest concern. This is in honor of the guys who respect a girl�s every facet, from her privacy to her theology to her clothing style.

This is for the guys who escort their drunk, bewildered female friends back from parties and never take advantage once they're at her door, for the guys who accompany girls to bars as buffers against the rest of the creepy male population, for the guys who know a girl is fishing for compliments but give them out anyway, for the guys who always play by the rules in a game where the rules favor cheaters, for the guys who are accredited as boyfriend material but somehow don't end up being boyfriends, for all the nice guys who are overlooked, underestimated, and unappreciated, for all the nice guys who are manipulated, misled, and unjustly abandoned, this is for you.

This is for that time she left 40 urgent messages on your cell phone, and when you called her back, she spent three hours painstakingly dissecting two sentences her boyfriend said to her over dinner. And even though you thought her boyfriend was a chump and a jerk, you assured her that it was all ok and she shouldn�t worry about it. This is for that time she interrupted the best killing spree you'd ever orchestrated in Grand Theft Auto to rant about a rumor that romantically linked her and the guy she thinks is the most repulsive person in the world. And even though you thought it was immature and you had nothing against the guy, you paused the game for two hours and helped her concoct a counter-rumor to spread around the floor. This is also for that time she didn't have a date, so after numerous vows that there was nothing serious between the two of you, she dragged you to a party where you knew nobody, the beer was awful, and she flirted shamelessly with you, justifying each fit of reckless teasing by announcing to everyone: "oh, but we're just friends!�"
And even though you were invited purely as a symbolic warm body for her ego, you went anyways. Because you're nice like that.

The nice guys don't often get credit where credit is due. And perhaps more disturbing, the nice guys don't seem to get laid as often as they should. And I wish I could logically explain this trend, but I can't.

From what I have observed on campus and what I have learned from talking to friends at other schools and in the workplace, the only conclusion I can form is that many girls are just illogical, manipulative bitches. Many of them claim they just want to date a nice guy, but when presented with such a specimen, they say irrational, confusing things such as "oh, he's too nice to date" or "he would be a good boyfriend but he's not for me" or "he already puts up with so much from me, I couldn't possibly ask him out!�" or the most frustrating of all: "no, it would ruin our friendship."
Yet, they continue to lament the lack of datable men in the world, and they expect their too-nice-to-date male friends to sympathize and apologize for the men that are jerks.

Sorry, guys, girls like that are beyond my ability to fathom. I can't figure out why the connection breaks down between what they say (I want a nice guy!) and what they do (I'm going to sleep with this complete ass now!). But one thing I can do, is say that the nice-guy-finishes-last phenomenon doesn�t last forever. There are definitely many girls who grow out of that train of thought and realize they should be dating the nice guys, not taking them for granted. The tricky part is finding those girls, and even trickier, finding the ones that are single.

So, until those girls are found, I propose a toast to all the nice guys. You know who you are, and I know you�re sick of hearing yourself described as ubiquitously nice. But the truth of the matter is, the world needs your patience in the department store, your holding open of doors, your party escorting services, your propensity to be a sucker for a pretty smile. For all the crazy, inane, absurd things you tolerate, for all the situations where you are the faceless, nameless hero, my accolades, my acknowledgement, and my gratitude go out to you. You do have credibility in this society, and your well deserved vindication is coming.

Fu-zu Jen, SEAS/WH, 2003

mister maroon's ::nshn:: mix v.7

2006-03-22T19:59:00.000+08:00

this is vol. 7 of my ::nshn:: sessions as inspired by sunsets and sunflowers.
hope you enjoy this mix =)

tracklist
1. autumn leaves (irresistible force remix) by coldcut
2. surfin' by william orbit
3. ralome by plaid
4. blue cafe by afterlife
5. delicate by celso fonseca
6. the frozen world by emilie simon

once again,
enjoy
xoxo

mister maroon

download the mix here

mister maroon's essentials. late night jazz mix v. 21032006

2006-03-21T17:09:00.000+08:00

late nights.
cigarettes.
double malt whiskey.
and songs like these are perfect companions for the lonely soul.

i spend a lot of nights in the darkness listening to these songs and try to imagine myself in a jazz bar somewhere far away wearing a suit, cigarette in my hands and watch the world before me.

so here i am, bearing my soul to you... sharing the songs that reach deep into my heart, and wishing that i can tell you how i feel.

xoxo
mister maroon

Track list
1. cry me a river by julie london
2. don’t explain by herbie hancock feat. damien rice and lisa hannigan
3. but not for me by ella fitzgerald
4. these foolish things (reminds me of you) by etta james
5. misty by billie holiday
6. for all we know by silje nergaard
7. dream a little dream of me by diana krall

download mix here

mister maroon's ::nshn:: mix v.6 (beach roadtrip mix)

2006-03-20T19:04:00.000+08:00

here's my latest ::nshn:: session, it's a little different from the rest of the ::nshn:: sessions.
it's perfect for roadtrips to that perfect beach vacation ;)
so kick back, enjoy and have a pina colada while listening to this chill beach mix

tracklist
1. sunrise by afterlife
2. if i ever feel better by phoenix
3. drop by cornelius
4. i don't know what to save you from by kings of convenience
5. so long without you by bent
6. morenito (bossa mix) by stephen pompougnac
7. groovin' with you by the gentle people

download the mix here

s.o.f.a. tuesdays @ cafe cosmo

2006-03-17T20:40:00.000+08:00

no genres, just atmosphere.
come down to cafe cosmo and listen to a eclectic mix of musical genres through the night :)

oh yeah, i spin on sofa tuesdays as well ;)

catch you there

mister maroon's ::nshn:: mix v.5

2006-03-17T18:46:00.000+08:00

here's my regular downtempo chillout nshn sessions :)
enjoy

xoxo
mister maroon

tracklist
1. she woolf daydreaming by kid loco
2. secret fish by lux
3. bakar by boozoo bajou
4. closer by telepopmusik
5. heaven by lamb
6. oscar by tosca feat. anna clementi
7. the island of children by mum

hope this mix will transport you to a more blissful dreamland :)

download the mix here

mister maroon's essentials vol.1

2006-03-17T13:12:00.000+08:00

i feel rejuvenated after attending two fantastic gigs yesterday.
kings of convenience was the best gig i've ever attended so far.
i can't really say how wonderful they are and they sounded so much better live.
and i can still feel the music tingling in my veins.
the quantum lounge set at home club is fantastic as usual, playing their signature selections and genre.
and now i present to you my essential selections. :)
it's something i haven't done in a while, choosing and selecting music that moves me. that i love, that is in constant rotation in my ipod.

so enjoy my first mix of essentials.

xoxo
mister maroon

tracklist
1. umi says by mos def
2. i can't go for that by hall and oates
3. nothing but your love by toshi kobuta
4. get to know you by maxwell
5. dream machine by mark farina feat. sean hayes
6. teardrops by lovestation
7. my precious with ladybird by llorca
8. lady brown by nujabes

download the mix here

the strange effect called love

2006-03-15T18:18:00.000+08:00

If you asked me if i knew what does love do to me?
i've been trying to find words to to describe how i feel when i fall in love.
i guess this is the closest i can ever get to even describe how i feel.

Love makes you vulnerable.
It opens your chest and it opens your heart and it means someone can get inside you and mess and fuck you up.
You build up all these defenses through all your losses and failures in love and build up this whole armor, for years, so nothing can hurt you, then one person, no different from any other person, wanders into your life...

You give them a piece of you. They can't demand for that piece of you, you just give it to them willingly. They don't ask for it. They do something dumb one day like kiss you, or smile at you, or even a simple "hi" and then your life isn't your own anymore.

Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so a simple phrase like "Maybe we should just be friends" or "I don't love you anymore" turns into a glass splinter working its way to your heart.

It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a body-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. Nothing should be able to do that.

Especially not love.

I wish I can say that I truly hate the feeing of love since it can tear you apart like that.

But I believe in it, with all my heart.
Even if giving my battle scarred heart to someone who may crush and rip my heart to shreds, I will give my entire heart away to that person.
It may sound like I'm a glutton for punishment, but I am willing to risk that chance for that person.

Love does crazy things to things to you,
a simple 'hi' can cause your heart to do a little somersault and the lightest of touches can send waves of bliss through your veins.

So when I do muster the courage to reach inside to find that part of me which I have built these defenses for and give that heart of mine to you, you'll know that it's yours to keep for as long as you want.
And when I say the words, "I love you", You'll know that I mean it. And there is nothing that will ever change that about the way I feel about that person.

I believe in love.
Do you?

through my eyes...

2006-03-15T18:05:00.000+08:00

i see it through looking glass.
a world which is defined by 16:9 or 4:3 formats...
captured in digital and hopefully film one day.
i see the world in 25 frames per second, through wide angles and long lens.
the colours in beautiful RGB and crushed black with silver highlights.

i am not a director, nor a producer nor those terms that the industry has come out with.

i am a dreamweaver, to weave your dreams into reality... into your screens.
if you ever asked me what do i do for a living,
i'd say i'm a dreamweaver, and i craft your dreams into a reality.

i wish...

2006-03-15T12:59:00.000+08:00

i wish that i can spend some time with you...

the simpleman journals. overseas shoot...

2006-03-10T16:53:00.000+08:00

it's been a while since i posted up pictures or what's going on with my life now so here it is.
my life is more or less revolving around my work and music, so it's no more clubbing or painting the town red :P

the good thing about this particular client of ours is that we travel, eat and sleep well, they really put me up in a nice suite.

wish i had a room like this. lol

this is what happens when you spend too many hours on the road.
and we thought we were guerilla soldiers...

it was so cold that our boogers started to freeze and had to find different ways to breathe. the weather out there was about 4 degrees and with the wind condition, it felt like sub zero conditions...

i *heart* my redbull... i smuggled in 4-5 cartons of it and made sure i was juiced up with my favourite beverage to keep me sane and awake for the shoot.

partners-in-crime. ken and i looking relaxed and happy cos we're not doing our infamous guerilla shooting style.

yeah it's jay and silent bob living it up in china

it's hard work... but when you get your shot in, the feeling is just priceless and it shows on our happy but tired faces...

what is good that the crew has a great understand and fantastic chemistry... that helps in working faster and more efficient.
you don't have to say much. just a look and a few words, and we know what to do.
all in all, it was a great shoot and a trip for us even though we didn't do much other than work, eat and sleep.

::nshn:: sessions v.09032006

2006-03-09T15:36:00.000+08:00

here's my latest ::nshn:: mix.
so lie down, close your eyes and just relax with my downtempo mix :)

tracklist
1. yma by boozoo bajou
2. hazy by kate
3. breather 2000 by afterlife
4. have a smoke by d.a.b.
5. another chance (afterlife mix) by roger sanchez
6. brighton beach by telepopmusik
7. wake up... and love again by ace p.c.

i know some of you will love this

xoxo
mister maroon

download the mp3 mix here

my wishlist for now... so drool!

2006-03-03T19:20:00.000+08:00

been thinking of getting a 3G phone for a while now... nokia looks boring...
but sony's looking really sexy now.

hmmm

:nshn: sessions v.22022006

2006-02-22T11:58:00.000+08:00

this is the third volume of my nshn sessions.
so here it is, my ::nshn:: chillout beach sessions volume 3

enjoy =)

xoxo
mister maroon

tracklist
1. breathe (outro hidden track) - telepopmusik
2. the call - cantoma feat. pathaan
3. sunshine's better (talvin singh remix) - john martyn
4. beautiful - mandalay
5. falling - afterlife
6. smile - telepopmusik
7. relaxing with cherry - kid loco

download the mp3 mix here

: n.s.h.n : sessions v.10022006

2006-02-10T11:48:00.000+08:00

here's my second set of :n.s.h.n: sessions.
like the previous session, it's more chill and relaxed so enjoy =)

tracklist
1. la noyee by carla bruni
2. cayman islands by the kings of convenience
3. side streets by st. etienne
4. what would love do now? by mr. untel
5. feel your spirit calling (afterlife lounge remix) by afterlife
6. no ordinary morning by chicane
7. that night (wa-chu-ku remix) by jazzanova
8. the return (mister maroon's outro remix) by luke slater

*nshn*
mister maroon

download the mix here

mister black's homecoming

2006-02-09T01:32:00.000+08:00

be there =)

sweetmusic fm are gonna rock the fucking house

n.s.h.n. chillout mix v.08022006

2006-02-08T02:19:00.000+08:00

here's my first new series of n.s.h.n. mixes.
basically it's the songs that are inspired by the picture that you see above and... *smile*

hope u enjoy it

*nshn*

mister maroon

tracklist
1. ambient beach by big sky
2. kissing by bliss
3. merry christmas mr. lawrence (astral mix) by ryuchi sakamoto
4. durad dee by k+k
5. baya baya by safri duo
6. miss your breath by telepopmusik feat. janet jackson
7. set adrift on memory bliss by pm. dawn

download the mix here

s.o.f.a @ cafe cosmo

2006-02-06T19:35:00.000+08:00

our first session starts tomorrow at cosmo.

first set : juju
second set : chanz
third set : tzynan

our special guests from the sweetmusic fm crew will be dropping by to spin as well =)

my apologies

2006-02-04T20:32:00.000+08:00

there hasn't been any new mixes as i'm still trying to learn how to use my new DJ software. it rocks, but i must still get it right before i start posting up mixes.

if you're into music mixes, please get trackor... it rocks.

been busy with shoots and all so i'll try to get around my mixes.

xoxo

mister maroon.

p/s we have a regular night at cafe cosmo now. it's on tuesdays starting from 7pm till late.

regulars include:-
juju
tzynan
chanz

lookout for
rolando and mark

s.o.f.a @ cosmo

2006-02-01T21:56:00.000+08:00

what is s.o.f.a?

2006-02-01T14:21:00.000+08:00

check out our regular nights at cosmo on tuesdays =)

maroon & cyan eclectic tuesdays

2006-01-23T12:47:00.000+08:00

Finding my Neo (well... the female version)

2006-01-17T03:44:00.000+08:00

I’m having a crisis now. I have the same problem as Morpheus in the Matrix.

Yup, we’re looking for the One.

But I’m not looking for a dude that has no facial expression or someone that looks good in that get up.

My search is tougher than his somewhat. At least he has a team to spent countless nights online trying to find Neo.

And they can beam themselves to him with a little help from a mobile phone.

I thought I’ve found my ‘One’, or so I believed for the past two years.

After a year of flying solo, I half believe usual line to my friends, "Sure, I believe there's one perfect person for everyone. Mine just happened to die in a tragic plane crash when she was nine, so we never met."

Sure I’ve dated a lot, I’ve fallen in love a couple of times, and they were all magical. Sweet, beautiful and intense.

And very, very painful when we said our goodbyes.

But that special someone still eludes me and sometimes I wonder, was it my cologne?

Every time I thought that I found my other self, life as usual gives me a good reality check.

I don't know, call me a foolish dreamer, a hopeless romantic or an idealist, but I'm still holding out for her, despite my cynicism. Maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment.

But it doesn’t stop me to look for her in crowded rooms.

To look for a bright pair of bright eyes and a smile that curls up into little commas and a laugh that will make my heart do a Justin Timberlake dance.

For the past year, I’ve been too tired. And so I went on a journey.

A journey to find myself for I’ve lost too much of myself in my previous relationship so that I can maybe be a better person when ‘she’ enters my life.

So here I am, on my self discovery and exile continues to plays sad simple songs on my iPod on quiet nights, and looks with envy at the way couples especially old couples stare at each other when they walk past.

That part of me wants that too. Wants to look for it.

Thinks maybe I'll find it.

Where is the woman who'll, as Tom Cruise said, "completes me…"

I'd never know it until I meet her, and the love hits me like a sack of hammers dropped from the eleventh storey.

Who is she?

Don't know.

What's she like?

Ok, I do have some specifics. Like most people, it's important to me that there's a certain amount of physical attractiveness. I can't lie about that. I'm not the jerk-off that says that the physicals aren't important.

I’m not looking for someone drop dead gorgeous and all.

I just hope that when people see us together, they’ll say, “hey, you look good together.”

But, I said BUT, anyone can say, "she's attractive".

But when you get to know her, find out what she's afraid of, what makes her laugh and cry, what drives her to succeed or what heart-aching moment shattered her confidence forever… when you begin to know and understand someone, they stop being ATTRACTIVE and become BEAUTIFUL.

So for me, a person's appearance isn't really important. Ask my good friend, Harry. He says I have pretty weird tastes. I have my prejudices; certain body types, certain colors, but these are strictly visual cues, and don't really dictate how my heart works.

Though, I love girls whose smile curl up into little commas.

I would love to meet someone who can talk about everything but anything in particular. To be able to watch the world go by, match up with my shopping binges. To laugh with her heart with no reservations about grace. To do silly and nonsensical things with me. Even if we’re not speaking to each other, we can just be there, enjoying our comfortable silence.

I find a woman who can learn and teach to be exciting; not only do I benefit from being exposed to new ideas and concepts that help me develop as a person, but I get to watch as I enlighten another human being on things that perhaps she didn't know about.

Which brings me to another important quality. Growth. I don't want her to stay exactly the same somebody I fell in love with. I'd like her to be dynamic, constantly adding to herself, so that with the passing of each day, a slightly newer, better person stands before me.

In my ideal relationship, we'd work on each other to grow, develop and remain dynamic.

Why should young kids have all the fun of discovering the world?

Just because we're adults doesn't mean there's nothing out there for us. And we have the advantage of age, experience, and knowing just how valuable each moment is. We'd solve problems by sharing and talking and compromising rather than spite, arguing and shouting.

Perhaps I'm aiming too high. Perhaps I've set myself up for disappointment and there's no one out there like this. Or - even more horrible - no one like this will be interested in me.

But I know love is real. I've seen it, felt it.

And if I could meet someone like the intelligent, dynamic woman I have in my head, she'd be the most beautiful person in the world to me, and I would love her for as long as she allows me.

I would rush back home after work or pick her up from work and spend lots of quality time together.

Oh Come On now… a guy can dream, can't he?

the maroon & cyan eclectic wednesday show

2006-01-16T16:55:00.000+08:00

the maroon & cyan show this thurday @ cafe cosmo

2006-01-16T16:22:00.000+08:00

we have guests coming in for the show, so be prepared for a night of good music and good times =)

mister maroon's roadtrip mix v. 16012006

2006-01-16T16:12:00.000+08:00

it's a monday and don't you wish that you're taking a roadtrip to somewhere?
well here's a little mix to kick back and relax and daydream about taking that roadtrip somewhere =)

enjoy
xoxo
mister maroon

tracklist
1. cafe blue by the style council
2. i don't know what i can save you from (röyksopp remix) by kings of convenience
3. mr e's beautiful blues by eels
4. perfect day by collective soul
5. ocean drive by the lighthouse family
6. you get what you give by the new radicals
7. stars by simply red
8. head over heels by tears for fears

download the mix here

begone sith lord

2006-01-16T02:42:00.000+08:00

here's a followup to my previous blog entry.
i've been doing a lot of thinking over the weekend, about my recent loss of control.
and what better movie to watch than American History X?

while talking to ken, i realised that i have no excuses for letting my anger take control of me again.

here i am trying to make some sense of my life all over again, and i let my past catch up with me.

there's no point in a lot of things. and it's time to let go.
in the words of my mentor from myammar, "why are you still holding on?"

i guess living in my past reality is a pointless attempt of trying to feel human, where my present reality is more real and easier to deal with than what i had before.

and if i can't let go of that, then whatever i do now won't make any sense.

so... in the words of mister pink.
"live today not regretting of what happened yesterday... and live today so we won't regret tomorrow... and anticipate whatever will come tomorrow with excitement."

maybe that will work for me as well

=)

and i thank all of you for making me feel alive... every single day of my life today.

mister maroon's ambient dancey mix v.12012006

2006-01-14T17:04:00.000+08:00

when i first started dabbling in the genre of dance music, orbital and leftfield were the first few albums that i've bought and i've been blown away from the first day.
so for my first mix of the year, i've decided to do a tribute mix for these two legends of dance music.

i hope that you enjoy this mix as much as i did when i first heard them, and still loving these tracks today.

xoxo
mister maroon

tracklist
1. one perfect sunrise (mistermaroon's shaken&stirred mix) by orbital
2. space march by leftfield
3. planet of the phatbird by fatboy slim x leftfield
4. beached by orbital
5. hackers theme (mistermaroon's beach paradise mix) by orbital

download the mix here

the dark side returns...

2006-01-13T16:48:00.000+08:00

yesterday my old self came back for a while.
noone in my office saw this side of me before, it's a person that i've been keeping in check for the longest time and i thought i've exorcised that demon within my soul.

there are certain things that trigger it off but not to the extent to releasing my full rage.
there are times when i burst out and my rage is explosive. but it is the implosive rage that scares and scarred a lot of people.

remember how anakin skywalker looked like when he stared at obi-wan? my look's worse.
it's contagious, destructive and implosive.

it's just pure rage waiting for that singular moment for me to snap and be engulfed in pure and animal rage.
in other words, no reason, no rationale, nothing can stop me to do anything that i want to appease that demon within me.

i am fear, i am anger, i am your worst nightmare, i'm the thing that makes people curl back and watch in horror while the tragedy unfolds.
i am rage.

and i wish that i won't ever be the person i was ever again.

maroon & cyan show!

2006-01-06T21:59:00.000+08:00

check out the details on sweetmusic fm

xoxo
mister maroon

circle of life. [redux]

2006-01-05T18:05:00.000+08:00

while i was away in bangkok celebrating the end of 2005 and welcomed in 2006, there was a night when i was overwhelmed by memories of a distant past which were suppressed so deep in my heart.

as i looked at the city skyline from the balcony, i remembered a time many memories ago where I was having lunch with her a thousand miles away from where I am now.

Those were happy times.

Where we were so much in love and had grand plans of the future. And when i once shared a life with someone.
It was the life of a married couple, where we would spend most of our times together.
She was the first face I see every morning and the last image I see before I sleep.

I knew where my home was. it was right there, in her arms, in her kisses, in her heart.
It was back then where I know I'd be greeted with a smile, a hug and a kiss after a hard day at work.

Then I remember the plans we had of the future.
We wanted to build a home facing the ocean far away from the city with christmas lights hanging from the veranda and a hammock where we would spend our evenings enjoying the sound of the ocean and the warmth of our embrace.

I remember going out shopping with her and whenever we pass by jewelry shops, we'd try to figure out what our wedding bands would be.

Everything was planned. the wedding, the album, the people who would be there, the outlay of the house, the places we would go to travel. Everything.

and when she was in my arms, the peace that i felt when she was drooling on my chest, I knew she was my other self.

I remember reading somewhere that in life, everything was a circle and noone would be complete without a center point. She was my center of the circle. She made my circle perfect.

Sometimes I think back of the years I spent with her chasing after stars and dreams and I would smile at the memories and then I snap back to reality to the world I share now with noone but me.

Those are the memories that I lock so deep in the confines of what's left of my broken heart.

and there i was standing at the balconey trying to remember how it felt like to have someone with me staring at the city skyline. I close my eyes, trying to put an image before me.
Trying to allow myself to drift off and tell myself, that someone's here.

But I open my eyes and there's noone here. And I try to remember how it feels to cry.

I remember her singing the muppet's "Rainbow connection" and try to convince myself that someday I'll find it, the rainbow connection. But now, there's a lot of convincing to myself to do.

Well, that's my story. And maybe one day it'll fade away from my memories with time, but now, it still hurts.

So what's your story?