Today's Headlines [read | associates | numbers] Francis [ who? | xxx ] [ calendar | xxx ]

(Grab a skateboard) "Dude, sell me some bpm!" [27 Dec 2003|09:35pm] [ mood | impressed ] [ music | Dream Theater- A Change of Seasons ] Pushed myself to 116 bpm. Meanwhile, Zakk can easily do 202. That fucker!

(Grab a skateboard) Yeah. [27 Dec 2003|09:32pm] [ mood | lazy ] [ music | Pantera- Cowboys from Hell ] Okay, so Kevin came over, thinking it was Nafis' house, and dropped his drums off, heh. They'll be relayed to Nafis' house tomorrow.

(Grab a skateboard) "One drum, two pedals, dumbass..." [27 Dec 2003|11:38am] [ mood | blank ] [ music | Dream Theater- The Glass Prison ] Okay, today, I'm in charge of ensuring that Kevin delivers his drumset to Nafis' house. I dunno what I'll do for the rest of the day. Oh, I was able to push myself to 112 on the metronome, playing sixteenth notes. My goal is 120 for now.

(Grab a skateboard) Liberty! [26 Dec 2003|11:30am] [ mood | disappointed ] [ music | Iron Maiden- Hallowed Be Thy Name ] I got a haircut today. Heh, it's weird how I go all the way to Astoria to get my haircuts, but it's the same place I've been going to since I was kid, since I used to live there. Anyway, I instructed the barber to cut the sides short, while leaving the top moderately long, since I hate having to wait a week before the top grows to a sufficient length to be able to spike. I returned home, picked up my guitar, and left once again for my guitar lessons, rescheduled to a friday. I used my new hardshell case, so carry the guitar in. I hate it. Unless someone's driving me to my destination, I'm never using it again. Alone, it's light, but stuffed with a guitar, cable, and instructional books, it's heavy as hell, with all the stress put on the fingers. The advantage to gig bags is that when using the strap, the weight is effectively distributed all over the back, instead of the fingers alone, increasing mobility. Additionally, the hard shell case kept hitting people on the train, highly undesirable. Yeah, I'm tired and sore. I'm going to rest now.

(Grab a skateboard) [23 Dec 2003|10:14pm] [ mood | energetic ] [ music | Dream Theater- One Last Time ] Armed with 180 dollars, I purchased a hard shell case, and a wah-wah pedal, for my guitar. Only later did I realize that I had left my extra cables at Nafis' house one saturday, during band practice, and as a result, had nothing to connect the wah-wah pedal to. The price of both items, totalled to approximately 150 dollars, meaning I should have about 30 dollars left. For some reason, I don't. It's strange how I can't account for such a huge discrepancy. It probably went to the purchase of BLTs, guitar picks, snapples, hot dogs, and a pina colada, so I blame the loss on "miscellaneous expenses". I'm just hoping my mom doesn't question me extensively about it. She didn't want me spending the money irresponsibly, and I truly didn't, but still, there's no way she's going to believe 30 dollars just disappeared, and neither can I. Nevertheless, I'll probably recieve more money as more christmas cards, loaded with money, start to flow in. I can't wait. Peter gave me "Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar" as a gift. I'll be practicing from it heavily over the vacation. Supposedly, Dave taught himself to shred using this book. I'll find out soon enough. I'll try to update the journal more regularly now. Until then, go away.

(Grab a skateboard) Yeah. [12 Dec 2003|09:48pm] [ mood | awake ] [ music | In Flames- Zombie Inc. ] I haven't updated in a while. Been busy with my guitar. I went to Sam Ash with Pete, Jack, Geon, and Jen. There, I finally identified an obscure brand name gig bag that I noticed and liked, during my previous visit there, during the grand opening. It turns out it's a Ritter gig bag. This is from the official website. Man, the only probem is, that these gig bags cost 150 bucks. Shit. I need a new guitar stand as well. The foam used to coat the guitar stand I'm using reacted with the finish on my guitar, causing it to bubble up. Fuck. We purchased Ashley's Beatles zippo, on our third trip to that place on St. Marks. Finally. There's nothing more to write, or I can't think of anytihng. This is a forced entry. I'm a sellout.

(Grab a skateboard) Heh. [24 Nov 2003|10:13pm] [ mood | energetic ] [ music | Dream Theater- The Glass Prison ] The Big Five Personality Test Extroverted |||||||||||| 48% Introverted |||||||||||||| 52% Friendly |||||| 30% Aggressive |||||||||||||||| 70% Orderly |||||||||||| 42% Disorderly |||||||||||||| 58% Relaxed |||||||||||| 46% Emotional |||||||||||||| 54% Openminded |||||||||||||||| 70% Closeminded |||||| 30% Take Free Big 5 Personality Test Extroversion results were medium which suggests you are moderately talkative, optimistic, sociable and affectionate. Friendliness results were low which suggests you tend to be very rude, uncooperative, and irritable. Orderliness results were moderately low which suggests you tend to be unreliable, lazy, careless, and unmotivated. Emotional Stability results were medium which suggests you are moderately worrying, insecure, emotional, and nervous. Openmindedness results were high which suggests you are very creative, original, curious, imaginative but possibly not very practical.

(Grab a skateboard) Yoink! [19 Nov 2003|11:39pm] [ mood | ecstatic ] [ music | Dream Theater- A Change of Seasons ] My guitar has FINALLY fucking arrived. Somehow all the employees in the store knew about it, and they were all excited. One Deftones fan among them even wanted to play it for a while. Anyway, the tone is awesome, and quite a step up from my old guitar. The heavier string guage, and longer scale length renders a sparkling, clear tone. In the higher registers, the notes sing out of the guitar, and one's fingers slide over the string effortlessly. The guitar plays like butter. The guitar doesn't fail to perform excellently in the lower registers as well. The guitar fucking roars. The additional tension on the 7th string gives a very clear tone, with a lot of girth, especially when using the neck pickup. The sustain is endless, especially with the heavier strings. That low B string can ring for hours and hours. Initially, I didn't think I'd like the fretboard too much, since ebony gives the crispest tone, while rosewood yields a darker tone, but this rosewood fretboard is unlike anything else I've seen so far. It's so well polished, and glossy, it's nearly purple, sort of like Purple Heart (Peltogyne spp). Okay, enough of the superlatives. I'm going to go play it.

(Grab a skateboard) Fire. [07 Nov 2003|05:26pm] [ mood | refreshed ] [ music | Metallica- Fight Fire with Fire ] Fire. I typed a long entry, but it got lost, so this is all I'll say.

(Grab a skateboard) And yet another wrinkle forms. [06 Nov 2003|08:54pm] [ mood | thoughtful ] [ music | Opeth- Patterns in the Ivy II ] Today was my brithday. I purchased a Korg GA-30 chromatic tuner, than can tune 7 semitones flat, and works for 6 string basses, and 7 string guitars, which works perfect for me. The speaker also gives me a tuning note, anywhere from low B, to high E, instead of the usual A (440Hz). Damn this fucking ESP. The guitar is still in California. Hmm. Althought it's probably just more bullshit, they've said that it's expected to ship on thursday.

(1 Poser | Grab a skateboard) Eustachian tubes hurt [04 Nov 2003|01:31pm] [ mood | sick ] [ music | Iron Maiden- Rime of the Ancient Mariner ] Damn, over night, my sickness has gotten worse. I've got full blown toncilitis now. My sense of balance is somewhat fucked, and my head throbs like crazy whenever I do something sudden, and my mouth is still tingly. Of course, it wouldn't be toncilitis if my toncils didn't feel like they were getting stabbed, every time I swallowed. This sucks. My toncils are red and swollen, and look like they could explode any moment. My ears are equally painful, since the pain I feel in my throat is relayed via nerves in my eustachian tubes, so the referred pain makes my ears painful, even though there isn't anything wrong with them. I suppose that's what's affecting my balance. I haven't eaten in over 12 hours, since the sickness has taken away my appetite. I might as well be fasting for Ramadan. I'm going to take some tylenols now.

(Grab a skateboard) Shinko [03 Nov 2003|01:31pm] [ music | Metallica- Ride the Lightning ] It was unusually warm today, and kind of made it feel like spring already, and the air even had that spring "smell" to it. I think it's got something to do with the release of plant oils when it's humid enough. I went with my family to the airport, since my mom and aunt are flying to Philippines, and they'll be back on the 19th. When they come back, my mom said she'd get me another guitar, as a sort of late birthday gift/early christmas gift. My mouth feels tingly right now, and my tongue feels ticklish and is throbbing, sort of like what happens when you have the flu. Additionally, my head hurts, and I'm losing my sense of balance. I think I had too many of those Listerine Mints, which are loaded with phenylketones, though I'm uncertain as to whether those things can actually do this to someone. Oh well.

(1 Poser | Grab a skateboard) [27 Oct 2003|08:47pm] [ mood | complacent ] [ music | Dream Theater- A Change of Seasons ] Bought my friend some bass strings (Ernie Ball Hybrid .045-.105), at Sam Ash, and got wet doing it. Damn I hate the rain. Dream Theater's "A Change of Seasons" has got to be one of the best songs I've heard in a long while. The acoustic guitar intro in the beginning blends in so well with the keyboard in the background, and is just so emotional. It made me want to cry. At 23 minutes long, the song is a monster. I haven't listened to music that's had such a profound impact on me lately. Perhaps I'd be able to appreciate this music even more if I were to become more emotionally open. All this time, I've always been detached, and cold. I dunno. I guess I should stop and open up a little bit.

(6 Posers | Grab a skateboard) [19 Oct 2003|02:43pm] [ mood | calm ] [ music | Steve Vai- Bad Horsie ] I've developed a craving for Cool Mint Listerine Pocket Packs lately. I consume them like popcorn now.

(1 Poser | Grab a skateboard) Tech sucks [18 Oct 2003|08:30pm] [ mood | contemplative ] [ music | Amon Amarth- The Sound of Eight Hooves ] I've realized that this year, Tech has been very boring for me. I distinctly remember, on the first few days of school, seeing faces I had not seen in a very long time, yet feeling nothing. Absolutely nothing. It was nothing special to me. The renewed interaction has evoked no excitement. Every single day, things seem to get grayer and grayer. It's hard to explain, though. If you quantify it, you'd see that all the interactions are the same. I still see people, and funny things still happen every day, and I have my laughs, so that can't be the problem. It's just nothing is special anymore. There is no more magic, that there was during freshman year. I recall that around this time, last year, I had met Gary, and as part of Operation Buttsniffer, we went around doing stupid shit, which I enjoyed much. It was immature, but I had to have my fun. Then there was the Nov. 20 walkout, where I first met Justin, and got acquainted with some other people. Everything was new to me, and very exciting. The concept of "cutting", and breaking the rules, to go to an anti-war protest seemed too much to swallow. Man, good fucking times. Those kids at the corner where I used to hang out, are now all gray and dull. I see nothing special in them. They are ordinary people. Additionally, they aren't my crowd, especially since they have no future. I want to befriend people who have better things on their minds than just immature fun... so short-sighted, and so destined to fail, and fade into obscurity. I need a crowd who will motivate me, so that I have a good reason to proceed with my academic studies, and not just give up, grab a skateboard, and "have fun". I believe the main problem is that my circle of friends has stagnated. As part of my plan to revive enthusiasm in my studies, I'm joining Stageworks, since I neglected joining a club, last year. I'm told I'll meet many new people there, and plus, there are power tools. I suppose that's the place for me. I've found a purpose now. Last year, I was lost, and went along with the flow, and that's how I was so exposed to everything and everyone, which allowed me too loosen up and have fun, perhaps the epitome of that being all those very late nights at The Temple, in which I'd arrive home at around 3. Now however, I'm planning on taking charge. I need to focus, because I want a productive future. I do not want to fade into obscurity and become a nobody. I do not want to become a bum. I do not want a sub-par salary, earned from a mere job. I do not want a job, which is pathetic. I don't want to work in a McDonalds, or in the street. I want a career. That's something that will carry on as my life progresses, and not something that will merely pay for the bills, as I struggle to survive, because I was a fool who didn't go to college. I hate these poor fools who seem content with that sort of future. It's just sad. Anyway, enough of my ranting.

(1 Poser | Grab a skateboard) This is interesting... [18 Oct 2003|11:41am] [ mood | happy ] [ music | Nile- Pestilence and Iniquity ] My forehead has cleared up a lot lately, and I think it's got something to do with the shower stall in the basement, which I've been using a lot lately, in which the showerhead is mounted to the wall, instead of on the ceiling, as is the case in the other shower, on the first floor, that I've been using for years. It's my suspicion that since the wall mounted showerhead sprays water directly at the face, my forehead gets rinsed more thoroughly, leaving it less susceptible to pimple formation, whilst the celing mounted showerhead shot water onto my bacteria laden hair, which then ran over my face. I'm not a fucking pizza face anymore. ...no guitar yet.

(3 Posers | Grab a skateboard) Yeah. [14 Oct 2003|08:24pm] [ mood | lethargic ] [ music | In Flames- Only for the Weak ] I couldn't fall asleep last night. I went to bed, but physically fell asleep at around 2. I had to resort to strapping refrigerated cuccumber slices onto my eyes, with a hankerchief, to cool my eyes down, which tends to bring about sleepiness, for me at least. As a result, I was very sleepy in school today. Can't let that happen again. Yeah. I attempted to join the Model UN club, but they told me is it was two late, and that they weren't accepting any more members. They had been saturated. The fuckers evicted me. Okay, I'm off to sleep.

(3 Posers | Grab a skateboard) New amp. [12 Oct 2003|07:00pm] [ mood | amused ] [ music | Lamb of God- 11th Hour ] My birthday is on the horizon, which means (hopefully) that I'll be getting the amplifier I wanted. Carvin MTS3212. All tube (12AX7 preamp, 5881 circuit), two 12 inch speakers... the works. That'll be all I'll ask for, this year. Of course I still need an adaptor to feed my damn power hungry effects pedals, a good gig bag, and hard shell case, guitar stand, guitar strap, and an unconditional, yet unpredictable steady supply of strings and picks, but that's about it. Oh and a metronome, and perhaps a few instructional books. But that's IT. ...and a Rocktron noise gate.

(Grab a skateboard) The beast reawakens. [12 Oct 2003|06:46pm] [ mood | awake ] [ music | Amon Amarth- Bloodshed ] Damn, I haven't updated my journal in a while. I've been busy lately, and have never gotten around to doing so. Well, I'm still really irritated at the fact that my guitar is STILL not here, since it was in Korea the entire time. I'm told it's stateside now though, and all ESP needs to do is to acknowledge it, bring it into their stock, and commence shipping. It's really pissing me off, but it's worth it. Again, I could've gotten the mahogany guitar in three days, but I don't like the tone of that wood. It's so weak. Maple gives more of a sharper attack. So yeah. Damn, I must've slept on my left arm last night, because I've just discovered that my arm is covered in hundreds of tiny bloody flecks embedded in the skin. The pressure that built up, and the lack of oxygen must've prompted the petechiae formation over night. Typically, petechiae form in the eyeballs of strangle victims. Oh well, I hope they go away. I don't want a bloody arm forever, as it is very unsightly. Heh, Nafis uninstalled his grokster, and lost all 1000+ songs of his, and 600+ videos. His dad wont let him use the internet anymore, since the music is "evil". We suspect that he is basing this assumption on one of the satanic death metal bands Nafis was listening to. (Deicide). Yeah, I can do 8th notes at 192 bpm on the metronome now. That's two notes per click. My teacher has exposed me to many different things I would otherwise have been unaware of had I not resumed lessons, such as various fingerings for different scales (major, minor, dorian, phrygian, mixolydian, pentatonic, Persian double harmonic minor, etc...)

(Grab a skateboard) Yeah [20 Sep 2003|11:31pm] [ mood | silly ] [ music | Meshuggah- Spasm ] A fire started on the 7th floor of tech. We were evacuated and had to stand outside (we just took it as an oppurtunity to chill) for two hours, before being allowed to leave. I was supposed to go somewhere with Gary, Vin, Wriston, and Jason, but being tired, and having encountered an old friend who took the same train as I did, I decided to go home instead. So, at home, I'm sitting there, watching Reservoir Dogs, and they all "surprise" me from behind. It turns out they decided to come to my house, to compensate for my absence. Wriston dyed his hair, while Vin bleached hers. We gave Gary's hair different styles, including the "Carlos", which resembles the steroetpyical 50's latino on the west side, with his hair swept back. We greased up Gary and Jason's chest, and took pictures of them. They turned out to be quite humorous, especially Jason's facial expression on the photographs. We ate pizza and fried chicken, since my dad had brought us some, while we thought of more things to do. We took pictures of ourselves pretending to be bandm while holding toy guitars, and with Vin, the drummer, holding two remote controls as drumsticks. We resorted to taking stupid pictures of us breaking the TV, ripping an American flag, and other phenomena resulting from movement (blur), which we toyed around with quite a bit. Jason left a bit earlier than the rest, who soon followed suit. After cleaning up the mess, I slept. Yeah. It turns out none of Sam Ash's suppliers have my guitar. It isn't in stock anywhere accessible to Sam Ash, anywhere in the country. It's likely ESP had to make one for me, which makes it a bit more special, I suppose, knowing that it wasn't just pulled off of a rack of hundreds of identical guitars. So, the guitar hasn't arrived at UPS headquarters yet, which sucks. It's expected on thrusday, I'm told, and it had better actually come this time.

navigation [ viewing | 20 entries back ] [ go | earlier/later ]