PREP Live in Jakarta

PREP Live in Jakarta!

Hello hello! Well I just returned... Not really just returned. But yes I got back from Jakarta last night catching PREP live in Jakarta on Wednesday, and also doing some shopping errands on Thursday! Man, PREP's gig was so so awesome. Still thinking about it, and probably will take some more days to move on from it haha. They're my favourite band that I discovered in the recent years.

Anyway I went to Jakarta on Wednesday via train, cause I'll be rendezvous-ing with my worker on Thursday for the shopping errands. Love taking train rides to Bogor, and now I'm kind of familiar with the KRL (Jakarta metro) system, although I'm still pretty clueless about Jakarta itself haha. Before the show I went to catch Coldplay's documentary, A Head Full of Dreams which was co-incidentally showing for one day only on the 14th. I'll talk about that on a separate post!

After the movie I met up with Wilus first before the gig. Wow man it's been almost 9 years since we both last met! We probably last met back in Tanglin while I was taking my O Level results back in 2010 haha. I remembered meeting with some of the Indon peeps on that day. Anyway glad to know she's doing well in Jakarta now! We had lots of catching up and also talking about music and gigs.

The gig was held in Hard Rock Cafe Jakarta. The venue is kinda small but I thought it was a good venue cause the show felt more intimate and fun, moving alongside with the other fans haha. I caught PREP last year at Kampoeng Jazz and it was such an awesome show. They sound really good live. And this gig is no different. They played all of their songs from the 3 EPs and they sound so good T_T

Ollie Weston killing it with the sax solo

Not gonna go into details but some of my favourite songs are Line By Line from their new EP, Don't Bring Me Down from Cold Fire, and to end everything, singing along to Cheapest Flight with the rest of the audience. Definitely one of the highlights of 2018! There isn't a single song that I don't like from them. So to see them play every song from the EP is really like bliss to me. 

Thank you PREP for signing my Futures EP booklet!

And Tom for the photo (sigh, I want to take a photo with the band!)

After the show there was a signing session and we were all queuing for the moment! The VIP ticket holders are given priorities to go in first so we patiently waited to go in. The 4 members of PREP are such a friendly and humble bunch! Had a good time talking to them, and Tom, the vocalist, actually remembered me from Kampoeng Jazz! He was like I think I remembered you, we were at that white tent signing stuff hahaha. No photo with the whole band but got a photo with Tom! 

Great to see you again, Wilus!

Thank you PREP for coming to Jakarta and for the incredible show. Well at least I don't have to take a cheapest flight, just a (second) cheapest train ticket to catch em live mwahaha. I hope to see you again one day in Indonesia! And also thank you Wilus for coming to the gig with me! What a great way to meet after such a long time of not meeting one another haha. All the best to you in Jakarta :)

Then I headed back to the hotel and went to do the shopping errand the next day.

Well, like I mentioned for WTF'18, music has always been my escape. It's great to take a break just for that one hour plus and enjoy some great music. To quote the song that started it all:

"I'll take one more sleepless night, and I'm on the cheapest flight to give my head a chance to clear"

Thank you PREP!

Line By Line

PREP just released their 3rd EP on Friday and I am currently hooked with every song! I'll be seeing them live on Wednesday with Wilus and I can't wait for it arrgghhh. Okay short random post. See you with the concert post haha. I always look forward to seeing PREP live. It's an awesome experience!

Weird Dreams

Okay I know this is a weird way to start a post in a new month but... Here's another dream diary entry. I've been having weird dreams, in fact, 3 nights in a row! I can't remember the dream I had last night but it was weird. But the dreams I had back 2 nights ago are still vivid in my head.

Here goes. So on Friday night when I went to bed... I dreamt that I was in Amazing Race! Or something like that. Basically a traveling reality show thingy. I was with my cousin, Febi, and as usual we had to do some challenges to get our next clue for the next destination. The weird thing was I don't know where we were, all I know was that our first challenge was to try this traditional Chinese medicine treatment method. And there was a lady assisting me who speaks with a thick Chinese accent so... 

I assume I was in China or something haha.

The "treatment" involved me entering this hot water tub. After that she threw some leeches in! WTH haha. Apparently it was some acupuncture method but instead of needles, it was leeches. The weird thing was that I can feel "sensations" while I was dreaming. Not sure how, it felt really real. And the worst part was... After they sucked my blood, they turn into centipedes -.- Anyway I finished the challenge and we were happy because we were the first team. Then I woke up.

And on Saturday night I dreamt of going back to Singapore! But it was a super weird dream... Like I was actually walking in my hometown, on this particular street I know. After walking for a while, I just told myself "Hmm I want to go back to Singapore". And after a few turns I actually arrived in Somerset 313 WTF HAHAHA. And I was feeling really sad because my favourite CD shops were closed down already? And it was like 12 PM and I called Jeslyn if she wanted to have lunch. 

Weird weird dreams really.

Okay sorry for the weird post to welcome this new month of November! Can't believe we're in the last two months of the year already. 2018 will soon come to an end and a new year is dawning upon us. 2018 has been a weird year. Can't really put it into words. Well I'm just seriously hoping that the rest of the year will go and end beautifully. And not weirdly heh. Hope you had a great October. Wishing you a beautiful epilogue to this year too! Seize the day, take care and see ya :)

Tired

Not sure what I'm feeling the past few days

Just tired.

Solace

Whew, it's the last day of October tomorrow! 2 months left into the year. That is crazy eh.

Anyway as usual I'm getting busy for the end of month stuff so here's me leaving some short time to blog about some great music I discovered this month! Not so much actually hmm.

Great Music of November:

- Treat You Better by Rufus Du Sol

- Premonition by Charlie Lim (ft Weish)

- Unconditional by Charlie Lim

- Sick Feeling by Boy Pablo

- tkm by Boy Pablo

- Missing U by Robyn

- Light On by Maggie Roggers

- I'm Still Here by Sia

Song of The Month: Light On by Maggie Roggers

Right there are a few albums releases in October but... Hmm. Somehow I didn't quite enjoy them haha. Even though I was expecting them for quite some time. But it's ok! Artists are always free to create whatever music they want so yeah. Perhaps it is not just my cup of tea.

Charlie Lim released his new album this month! It's more upbeat and more catchy I guess, even though I kinda miss his more mellow and subtle music from his EPs. But the songs from his new album are awesome. I love Premonition with Weish in it! I hope to see him live one day still sob sob.

Boy Pablo also released his new EP which is a collection of songs that he has released in the past few months. Well Boy Pablo has his signature sound and this EP is no stranger to that! I think it's a great album with the same familiar chill vibes. Can't wait to see him next month in Jakarta eeep.

Rufus Du Sol also released their new album Solace. I love the opener song "Treat You Better" and No Place, which has been in my playlist for quite some time now. Although hmm I don't quite get the album as a whole. I thought their first album was better as a whole album kinda thing. But still nevertheless a good album! I hope they'll come to Jakarta and I wanna see em live woop.

Robyn also released her new album after a long time! Well I only got to know Robyn back err 2-3 years ago I think? When I chanced upon her video for Dancing on My Own on YouTube. I would say Honey is a good album but yeah, I think I need to listen to it more and more I suppose!

Next last but not least there are a few songs released in this month! Light On by Maggie Roggers is such an incredible song. I really love the lyrics, which I find really relatable to me I guess haha. I am so excited for her new album in January arrgghh. And also Sia's empowering and uplifting I'm Still Here which is also a song relatable to me. Been having some rough times this month :l

Alright that's all from me and the new music of October! Not sure why the music this month aren't really touching and clicking my heart heh. Oh well, to more music in November I guess! :) I hope you had a great October. And here's me wishing you a Nourishing November mwahaha.

Fear and Worry

A continuation from my previous post, again.

Now that we have talked about how it seems like the world is function to make us feel like we never have and never be enough, lets branch out to why this can happen. What if perhaps... The world is constantly making us worried that we can never have enough, and never be enough?

What if we're made to live in fear that we will be inadequate. And we're always worried about this. Somehow we are all trapped into this system and we can't seem to get out of it. Buddhism calls it Samsara, the cycle of birth and death. And the aims of Buddhists is to get out of this cycle!

Sometimes I feel that the world is feeding us with fear and worries. And how it seems rather impossible not to have them. It feels like they have become a part of our lives, and we can't shake them off easily. And when we don't have them, people will think we're just insane and bizarre.

Or should I say that when we try to clear our minds off them, people will think that we are just "lazy" and that we do not think "wisely"of our own lives. What if, fear and worries become our "supplements" that we need in life. And how we become incomplete without them.

The thing is, I've always wished to become a more fearless person. I am striving to worry less because I have realised that worrying is truly a waste of time and energy. It doesn't do anything good to the already existing problem. Like the saying goes, worrying is like sitting on a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it gets you to nowhere. Yup, beautiful representation of worrying.

And also I feel that this world uses fear and worry as a tool to manipulate us. In a world where we never feel enough, hence secured, hence stress-free, it seems like I can't runaway from these two words.

Well I can go on and on to talk about what's wrong with the world. There are many wrongs with this world but I believe we can avoid them. And I think only mindfulness can cure this problem. The only skill we can put into practice that breaks away these two words from us. To learn to see everything for what they are and what they are not. To be a human here, and not a human in the (non-existing-yet) future. Not a human who lives in a fraction of our own created thought, that will disappear.

I hope the universe can give me clarity to help me to see through things. Grant me the courage to walk fearlessly forward. Stray me away from the darkness. And when I land on it, 

may you shine some light on my path.

Function

Sometimes I can't help to think that

there's something horribly wrong

with the way the world functions