“I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity.”
- Gilda Radner
Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No it won’t all go the way it should
But I know the heart of life is good
- “Heart of Life”, John Mayer
Here’s a list of my favorite underrated guitar players.
Nuno Bettencourt
Guitarist of Extreme (yes, that More Than Words band). At times, a little self-indulgent during his solos but you can’t deny his skill. Watch, as he plays Flight of the Bumblebee at around 4 minutes. Severely underrated because the band is forever remembered for their overplayed ballad.
John Mayer
Better known as a singer-songwriter rather than a guitarist, John Mayer is also famous for some (annoying) radio songs like “Your Body is a Wonderland”. Check out his solo for “Covered in Rain” here and maybe it’ll change your mind.
Prince
Previously known as some weird symbol and infamous for being vertically-challenged. He had some catchy songs back in the day but few people know he’s also an accomplished guitar player. Watch him in the 2004 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame performance, where he played with some other guitar greats.
Lenny Kravitz
I’ve never seen this man without his shades so I’m not sure whether he has eyes or not. He’s churned out some good hits but his guitar chops are quite awesome. He also went to school with Slash. See him here, he shreds a little and he also talks about black people and music.
Alex Lifeson
Alex-Who? Alex is the guitarist of a band called Rush, famous for their unique take on progressive rock back in the 80s. Alex is so severely underrated because of bassist Geddy Lee and drummer Neil Peart, who both seem to be a little more famous for their craft compared to Alex. Here’s a video of Alex from their recent tour. Fast forward to around 2:30 when he switches from acoustic to electric guitar.
Who are your favorite underrated guitar heroes?
One of the most precious lesson my dog taught me is to spend time playing. And be darn good at it.
This morning, I slipped briefly into the “If I could go back in time and relive my life, what would I do differently?” rhetoric. With that thought, coupled with an underlying feeling of regret over certain decisions, I sought counsel from my confidant in the office.
These are her wise words to me:
Our collective experience – good or bad ones, fertilizes the soil in which we grow on.
Things are always clearer when we look back.
We’ll soon find that what we fear now doesn’t really matter that much after all.
But how we manage what happens now matters more than what has already happened. That much, we still have control over.
If hindsight is really 20/20 then I’ll just have to wait for that to kick in.
This is a very significant date which I completely missed. However, I have a wonky clock that showed yesterday’s date.
I’ve been spending far more time at home than I used to. And being home means being with my beagle, my companion.
I love how she’s always wants to be within earshot of me, whether I’m lying in bed or standing by the window.
I can no longer remember how my life was before her. She is family.
This is one of my favorite pictures of all time. It’s been on Flickr and Fotopedia so I thought I’ll post it here for good measure.
I took this while lying on the couch, nursing an awful ear infection.
Originally posted on Instagram so apologies if you’ve already seen this.
p.s. An ear infection is a horrible thing to have.
This was taken some time back in Borneo.
She’s the daughter of a boatman we stayed with, along the Kinabatangan River. Waddy has a twin sister called Irra. When her mother was in labour, the family was rushing to the hospital down the river and they spotted an extremely rare river dolphin called the Irrawaddy.
They were named after the elusive animal.
I promised her I’ll return to visit her a few years later when she’s older. I hope she’ll still remember me then.
How will you use your gifts? What choices will you make?
Will inertia be your guide, or will you follow your passions?
Will you follow dogma, or will you be original?
Will you choose a life of ease, or a life of service and adventure?
Will you wilt under criticism, or will you follow your convictions?
Will you bluff it out when you’re wrong, or will you apologize?
Will you guard your heart against rejection, or will you act when you fall in love?
Will you play it safe, or will you be a little bit swashbuckling?
When it’s tough, will you give up, or will you be relentless?
Will you be a cynic, or will you be a builder?
Will you be clever at the expense of others, or will you be kind?
I hazard a prediction. When you are 80 years old, and in a quiet moment of reflection narrating for only yourself the most personal version of your life story, the telling that will be most compact and meaningful will be the series of choices you have made.
In the end, we are our choices.
Build yourself a great story.
- Jeff Bezos, 2010.
I thought my ability to fall asleep standing in a crowded train is something but this guy is right in the middle of New Delhi’s spice market. This is pure skill.
Sometimes photographers get so caught up with depth-of-field and perspective that they forget this medium is really only 2-dimensional.
So let’s drop everything we know and appreciate that sometimes, the world could really just flat.
This was taken in India, at the top of a mosque in New Delhi. I’m amazed there are buildings all the way to the horizon, as far as the eye can see.
This is one of my favorite places to eat in Singapore. There’s something really old school and unpretentious about this place. The food is simply delicious and I would recommend this to anyone who wants hearty Chinese food without breaking the bank.
Must-try on the menu is the 扣肉, fish steamboat and chestnut chicken. Be sure to come earlier for dinner as it fills up pretty fast, even on weekdays.
Jin Wee is located at 931 Upper East Coast Road.
