Illusion of Words

New York City

I’ve always wanted to go to NYC. What a bustling city, full of life, full of energy. One of those ‘never sleep’ cities. Anyway, I got the chance to go there for 3 days. Of course, that wasn’t including the 10 hour car ride to get there. And back.

Before I go into the stuff that I saw, let me just say that it was quite ironic considering that the place where I stayed (Brooklyn Chinatown) had no internet. Ugh. This is almost like the very heart of civilization, and no internet? My definition of civilization would be clean place to stay and clean bathroom, modern things, and most importantly, internet. During the couple of days there, without access to the world, I might as well have been living in a jungle (concrete jungle?).

Anyway, the place where we stayed was at the sixth floor and overlooked Brooklyn and even the Statue of Liberty could be seen at the distance.

First day practically rained all day. So we jumped into the subway, emerged at Times Square, tried to stare up but was distracted by all the umbrellas and trying not to step into puddles. Went underground again quickly, and emerged near Central Park. Where we then walked briskly to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Apparently the others wanted to go shopping, so one decided to go with me into the museum.

It was rainy, as you can see everyone trying to hide around.

That was pretty much the day. I spent nearly the entire day walking around the museum, and still haven’t seen all of it. In fact, even the stuff that I saw were mostly just walking by as fast as possible. It’s that big. My feet ached at the end.

Second day the rain let up. Finally! Now we can do more walking! Subways, then more walking. Down to Wall Street, visited the Trinity Church, went to see the World Trade Center site, which is basically just construction - looks like we came at the wrong time. Just in between times when there were some things to be seen.

The inside of the church. Majestic thing, only dated from late 1600s, which is considered new when you think about the truly ancient Gothic/Romanesque cathedrals in Europe.

Because we didn’t want to spend money to go to Ellis Island (where the Statue of Liberty is), we boarded the free ferry bound for Staten Island which will pass the statue.

The Manhattan skyline from the ferry. It’s a cloudy day, sadly. Not so good for nice pictures.

See. It’s so small even though we’re passing it. Sigh.

Went to Times Square again. This time was more like it. A sea of people. I don’t understand the hype of it anyhow. Just a bunch of screens on the buildings.

Chinatown is pretty remarkable. You wouldn’t know you were in USA. Everywhere people speaking Mandarin or dialects, with quite authentic food - first time I ate Foochow food in a year. Although the Foochows were mostly ‘real’ ones, not from Sibu (obviously), so the food was a little different.

That’s about it. Saw Carnegie Hall, visited Central Park a bit - at least just walked maybe a hundred feet into it and back out again. Walked around Chinatown (sigh, horrible place to live). Visited Long Island (the folks I were with were visiting a church), and I got “lost” in the church - at least I was separated from the party for quite a bit. Quite hilarious. Of all places to get ‘dumped’ by the group.

New York City is an awesome place to visit. I like the subways, the sight of all the yellow taxis jamming the roads, the roadside hotdogs - it’s much like the stuff you see on TV. Which I guess, makes it awesome. Not a very pleasant place to live, however, especially if you’re going to live in Chinatown, which is going to be plain horrible. Chicago is a nicer place to live overall, imo, but for excitement and fun and just the rush of city life, it can’t beat NYC.

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Chicago again

So finally I got to go downtown again, this time to the ‘Museum Campus’, which is basically the bunch of museums overlooking the lake. Only the aquarium was giving free admission tickets, so I only went there. The other museums were practically empty outside. The aquarium was a bore, and hot, with so many people crammed inside that I could hardly see anything around the more popular exhibits. There weren’t many interesting fish though, a couple of eels, spider crabs, giant catfish, river otters… no sharks, jellyfish and that sort of cool stuff.

Anyway, I was about to head off to Navy Pier, when the bus passed by a banner with “Chicago Blues Festival” written on it. Nearly everybody got off the bus, and then, I realized that it was once a lifetime chance. Navy Pier will always be there, but not a Chicago Blues Festival! So off I went, along with my companion.

Turns out it was a right decision. There were so many people, again, which explained the traffic jam. A few stages were rigged and people were performing the blues. And there were a bunch of booths, much like a carnival of some sort. And at the end of one line there was a Gibson guitar booth where they displayed a bunch of Gibsons and let people try on Line 6 Pods. I didn’t get a chance, however, since all the spots were taken.

The main attraction was a huge stage so far away that I could barely see, and a huge crowd obviously prepared with their chairs and food and drinks. I stood for a while at the sidewalk, one side of my face directly in the sunlight, while some people danced and others sat leisurely around me.

The huge stage

The huge screen in front of the huge stage

The more expensive custom shop stuff.

The cheaper, for people to play stuff. Still, my first ever time touching and holding a Les Paul.

Two words (actually, 3): People and Heat. In the aquarium, of course, the brighter part with the Amazon exhibits.

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Phil Keaggy Concert

So I actually spent $20 to go watch this guy play. It’s not just him actually, it’s along with his band (Glass Harp, I think) and Randy Stonehill. I went by myself, since no one else would spend 20 bucks to listen to him play. Anyway, it was pretty awesome. In the first part, the band played, some rock-ish songs which allowed Phil space to do some soloing on his Les Paul (through a Vox AC30, I believe). It was ok, I mean, Phil Keaggy is awesome just noodling on the guitar, but I was waiting for a solo acoustic set.

Which he did play, first “In the Light of Common Day”, the first song on his Beyond Nature cd, a really nice song. The second song - yes! - Salvation Army Band, which was the first song of his which I saw on Youtube, and it pretty much blew my mind away then. On stage he didn’t really play it as long and as crazy as I’d have liked, but still it was awesome. His techniques and looping skills are just amazing. Very entertaining, especially when he does his own drum beats (on the guitar, complete with a scratch sound), and effortlessly twists the tuning peg to play the bass line for the loop.

Then Randy Stonehill came out to play a bit. He can’t play the guitar as well as Phil, but he made up for that with his humorous song, “Shut De Door”, which was simply entertaining. Then afterwards, the band came out and played again. At the end, everyone applauded Phil and Randy back on stage to play one more song.

So it was awesome. (yes, you realize that I haven’t spoken much about the band, but I will presently). The band was not all that great. I mean, the songs were cute and standard stuff, but quite forgettable. Ok, so each player on stage was awesome in his own right - the bassist, drummer and rhythm guitarist, but I think most everyone in the audience that night was there for Phil Keaggy, including me. Which was why I was quite disappointed when he only played two solo songs.

Despite paying $20, instead of the regular $15 (because well, I didn’t buy it earlier), I actually caught them rehearsing in the hall. We were wondering if we could go in, and the cameraman waved us in. So in we went, sat down and watched the band rehearse, then left when they finished. The funny thing was, during the concert they were just as relaxed as the rehearsal, joking in between sets and asking, “what key?” as if it were an impromptu session. Randy was the one talking most of the time, actually, being funny (and not-so-funny sometimes, but no matter, the audience laughed all the same).

So pics - from the rehearsal only because during the concert I was only 20 minutes early and had to sit in the middle (distance from stage), at which point would make taking pictures practically useless. A lady was sitting besides me during the concert, and at the intermission she asked me why I was here. Like, what was a young person doing here because she had been a fan of Phil’s music for the past 30 years and well, obviously I wasn’t even around then. I said I was just here because Phil Keaggy is awesome on the guitar. Which was perfectly true. Even just noodling around in between songs, his hands fly up and down the fretboard. I can’t ever play half as well, or even a quarter as well as he can, which makes it kind of sad, but God gives different talents to different people. And while Phil Keaggy probably could’ve become world famous alongside the best guitarists of all time had he not gone into Christian music, I think ministering for the sake of the kingdom of heaven will always, in the end, prove to be worth far more than fame and Grammy’s on earth.

Just a couple of youtube vids: first one Phil Keaggy doing Salvation Army Band (he didn’t do it as long and as awesome as on the video, but close).

Randy Stonehill singing ‘Shut de do’, in which he keeps joking. Of course, during the concert I was at, his jokes were a bit different, but kind of similar. A bit.

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Chicago

Finally I went into the city. Was a gloomy cloudy day, raining periodically, which is probably not the best weather to go to the parks.

Skyline from some bridge over railway. Not sure where exactly, but it’s close to Grant Park. I think.

The steel bean thingy at Millennium Park. See if you can spot me.

The famous spitting water thing - Crown Fountain.

The Jay Pritzer Pavilion. They were having a gospel music festival that day, but of course the main events were at night, which we couldn’t go. Unless I insisted, of course, but I didn’t insist, so we just went home. Gospel music is fun - the lively choir, the overboard solo vocalist…

Buckingham Fountain at Grant Park, which we didn’t really go, because it was just the ’same lake as the park near Northwestern Uni.’ Okay…

Welcome to Chinatown! Not a particularly pleasant place, as in dirty. Went mostly to buy egg tarts and go to toilet, because after the second Starbucks of my life (vanilla latte), I was bursting.

Chicago is a pretty nice place. The subways are pretty lousy, however. The trains just not very nice. That is, when compared to Hong Kong, because HK is pretty much the only big city I’ve been to a couple of times. Haven’t seen enough of Chicago though. Haven’t tried the pizza. Haven’t seen Navy Pier and other famous places. So hopefully some time soon, even if the 1-hour train ride into the city is painful. Meanwhile, I’ll play Sims 3. Or maybe the PS2 that was picked up at the dumpster, working perfectly well. You won’t believe the stuff that can be found in the trash - like new things that Americans throw away wastefully.

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Summer

So I’m spending summer in the north. At least, it’s not as hot as it would have normally been, since sometimes these days we’ve had to wear jackets outside. Was at Michigan for a week, where I basically spent all my time indoors in front of the computer. Then went to Chicago, supposedly. I actually haven’t been inside the city proper, besides the initial arrival at Union Station. Too cold, too lazy, and the rest of the same old excuses. But of course, some time I’ll have to go, perhaps during the weekend.

Distant view of Chicago from the bus.

Distant view (maybe not so distant) of Northwestern University’s campus. From the park around it. Not exactly sure where I am.

Rocks at the park, where you can paint your own rock. I think it’s overlooking Lake Michigan if I’m not mistaken.

After almost a year, I finally had a chance to drink a Starbucks coffee. Yes, I never tried it because 1. I’m too frugal. and 2. I don’t drink coffee. But since my hosts have a gift card, why not? I got a caramel frappuccino.

Oh btw, can you tell which pictures were taken with a proper camera and which were with a crappy 1.3 megapixel camera phone? Sadly, I can’t, not when the pictures are so teeny (but of course, I know which is which. I just can’t tell if they weren’t my pictures).

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Heading for Summer

For students here, summer means one thing: holidays. A whole year of studies is over. I’m no longer a freshman! It’s weird. The whole process, however, is extremely exhausting. Who knew packing was so hard? Tons of boxes, and having to depend on kind people to store the stuff. The box sitting in the middle of the living room is formidable. It’s a tv box, the type that a child could use as a house in an imaginary game. Or the perfect box for Spongebob Squarepants, in that episode where he and Patrick play pretend. Yes, I actually remember such an episode. Truth is, it’s not just a time or two when wanting to watch a show that I hardly ever watch, the tv broadcasts the exact same episode that I had watched before. Of the tons of episodes, what are the chances of the same episode showing? Bah. Well, I digress.

So back to packing. Why do I have so much stuff? I should have got rid of my textbooks, but it’s too late for that. The luggage is piling high.. but I’m fairly confident that I could crush the clothes enough to zip it shut. There’s the printer, and the guitar amp. I was going to sell that, but well, this is a remote place, and an advertisement on Craigslist doesn’t get many hits. So now I’m stuck with one more thing for people to store. And I wish I could bring my guitar along, but I’m not about to risk it in a gig bag, on a plane which might be too full. And not to mention quite a bit of traveling in the next couple of months. Not quite worth the extra worry.

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Homestretch

It’s the homestretch. One more week of finals, then it’s all over for the year. And suddenly I will never again be a freshman (Hmm.. why aren’t people hyped up over it being ‘freshman‘? Freshperson! haha.)

People are excited. There’s a bunch of exams coming hard, and for some, it is ever hard to concentrate. So close to 3 months of holidays, yet so far.

Me? I am not a person prone to much excitement. In fact, I feel somewhat reluctant. For some, time can’t go by quickly enough. For me, time is too fast. I want it to slow down. I’ve got a lot of things to study, but most importantly, I want to have more time to play my guitar.

It’s probably the primary reason that I’m not as excited about the holidays. I’ll have to leave my guitar for 3 months. And not to mention that I just bought the Digitech RP255 - hoping to sell my amp in its place. And of course, this buying and selling is probably the first of many to come.

Trifling matters. I will always have my guitar and stuff waiting for me when I get back. But hardly again the chance to stay in Michigan and Chicago the whole summer. And visit New York in the process. It’s awesome, and for most people, terribly exciting. But I guess in part character, in part all that I leave behind, in part the fact that I like school and all the subjects I will never get the chance to take again. Arts in Western Civilization, which opened my eyes up to art and music, and pulled together the entire history of music in one coherent string. History, awesome subject. English, where I was gratified by the good comments the teacher gave. Biology, which despite not being my favorite subject, is probably going to be what I’m majoring in. Because let’s face it, things like history and english have hardly any future save for teaching. And teaching is one thing that I will not do.

(Thought I’d share a pic of the pedal)

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Auditory Illusion

Really cool. Gave me goosebumps because it was just that realistic. When the mp3 first started, I was like, are you sure somebody isn’t in my room right now? Kinda creepy. Especially when the person “whispers” in your ear.

Auditory Illusion

Of course, you ought to use headphones to listen.

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Charlie Hall / Phil Wickham Concert

I saw the poster for this concert early on, and it said $2 for students, $10 for others. 2 bucks? I’m in! And so I got the ticket, and went to the concert. Obviously.

I got there the moment the doors opened. Not really because I was that eager to sit way in the front, but because I didn’t have anywhere else to go after dinner, and I really didn’t want to walk all the way back to the dorms. Anyway, that being there an hour early is indeed an overkill. But I spent that hour reading Orwell’s 1984 on the iPod touch, which eventually gave me a headache. Ebooks are nice and convenient especially when the environment is dark, but nothing compares to ink and paper. There’s the smell, the turning of the pages.. (By the way, the smell of a book is very important. Before buying a book, I flip through the pages and sniff it. Because honestly, I’ve come across a book or two that stank, which obviously subtracted from the overall enjoyment of reading.)

So Charlie Hall and his band played first. Then after a break, Phil Wickham and his band played. The difference between the two is that Charlie Hall is more ‘conventional’. Well, actually, I don’t know how to say it. Phil Wickham was more like a ’stage person’. More flamboyant. Kind of.

They played their own songs, obviously. Which to non-fans, takes a while to actually singalong. In fact, Charlie Hall’s songs are probably a tad more singalong-able.

Towards the end, Phil Wickham got everybody raising their hands like you see in Hillsong videos. Was pretty awesome seeing hands lifted to God all over the place - well, at least the couple of rows in front of me.

Although I must admit, I was a tad disappointed. Not sure why. Maybe it’s because my view of the electric guitarist was blocked nearly completely (dang!). Maybe because for some reason, this type of praise & worship isn’t my type. Or maybe I’d expected something more.

Anyway, it was a good 2 dollars spent. Good music (I won’t say great), and tired legs from standing at least 2 and a half hours.

(Looking back over the post, I realize that I actually spend a third or so of it talking about ebooks and books. Strange.)

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Britain’s Got Talent

The British talent show is getting a lot of hype these days. Of course, everyone has watched Susan Boyle sing. Now there’s a little 12-year-old also wowing the judges. Seems like every season of the show has one misfit and one little kid who sings better than most of the population.

Susan Boyle’s rendition of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ has already hit millions of views on Youtube. Watch it here. I suppose there is a lot of psychology going on behind all this. If she’d been pretty and normal, I don’t think the support would reach such heights. I won’t attempt to explain this phenomena, since I’m hardly qualified to. Besides, I’m not quite sure why it’s all that way.

Of course, little kids also get to people. Like the 12-year-old Shaheen. (Watch it here)

All these makes American Idol look lousy in comparison. Actually, I only watch the auditions of American Idol, because after that, it gets boring. Just like every single endless season. So as you can guess, I’m one of those people who think American Idol has outlived itself and ought to end. But still, it has so much support… American Idol has a limit of age for contestants, so I guess that pretty much narrows it down quite a lot to the same old type of people, mostly.

I guess Susan Boyle is a reminder that those of us who are misfits and not socially -acceptable can still dream dreams and make it happen someday. Even Jesus, in his life on earth, found company with those shunned by society and spent time with them. I feel that the not-so-kindly nature of human beings will still prevail within the show (Britain’s Got Talent), and I feel that exploitation will occur, especially more so with so much support. (Am I making sense?)

Posted in Music, TV/Movies | 2 Comments »