one day.

randoming musings.

one day is too far away
two becomes a painful state
and three is way too late.

---

AND. next stop for the wandering planet?

Ballarat. Looking forward to getting some gold mine action.


random musings.

"Ballarat (formerly spelt "Ballaarat") is a city in Victoria, Australia, and one of the country's largest inland cities. It is well-known for its history and heritage.

It is approximately 105 kilometres (65 mi) north-west of Melbourne, with an urban population of 88,437 people. The city lies at 441 metres (1,447 ft) AHD and consists of an area of approximately 740 square kilometres (286 sq mi), with the city occupying a built up area of approximately 75 square kilometres (29 sq mi).

Gold was discovered near Ballarat in 1851, and the influx of over 10,000 miners in less than a year transformed it from a pastoral town into Victoria's largest settlement. The Victorian gold rush occurred throughout the 1850s and 1860s whilst gold could be readily extracted from the surface. The city's growth slowed after the 1880s and Melbourne quickly overshadowed it in importance. However, Ballarat has endured as a major inland regional centre and tourist destination, having retained much of its Victorian era heritage, a unique culture, and is highly regarded for its grand heritage listed public and private buildings, monuments, statues and expansive gardens."

Source - photo and writeup from Wikipedia.

Wandering Cheers

A new year awaits.

troubled heart,
no need to look so far away
your peace is right there
no need to give it a name,
a shape,
a form,
nor cry out loud for a dream
it is right here, right now, and going nowhere.

A life of utter garbage

Worth checking out - one man's attempts at throwing 'nothing' away for a whole year!

A life of utter garbage
Thu, Dec 25, 2008
from Asia1 website

LOS ANGELES - DAVE Chameides has spent almost an entire year living a life full of utter garbage and hoping he can inspire other Americans to do the same.

The Los Angeles-based cameraman has lived in his comfortable Hollywood home without throwing away a single piece of trash, from wine bottles to chewing gum and pizza boxes.

Instead the 39-year-old Chameides - nicknamed 'Sustainable Dave' - recycles his garbage or else stores it in his basement. He says he wants to show that it is possible to dramatically reduce his family's consumption habits.

And he can show astounding results. Rather than the 1,600 pounds of trash the average American family produces each year, Chameides, his wife and two daughters have amassed only 32 pounds over the last 12 months...

Click here for the rest of article.

or go here for his blog.

Something to work towards for the new year!

Merry Xmas everyone

to one and all, a great time ahead. time to forget the worrying and leave it all to someOne else. :)

this Xmas season's got 3 bbqs lined up. time to load up on the wandering to keep reasonably healthy and looking like a former track athlete.

and now for some random photos whilst this world keeps on spinning.

---

found in a car at a shopping mall's parking lot in box hill - a jack russell.


not sure if the photo's clear enough, but the fella was pretty well stocked in there. food, drink, plenty of cushion and lots of air.

---

found in Singapore's Maxwell Market, Tanjong Pagar.

Houseboat Action

Source - http://www.murrayriver.com.au/

Just spent 4 days drifting up and down the Murray River, a main artery of Australia's internal waterways. Lovely great fun. The boat we had had 4 rooms, a sweet upper deck with deck chairs, a bbq pit and a living room with plasma tv. well, and fully functioning kitchen too. have to do it again. it was very very sweet sailing down a river playing music with my band-mates. 2 guitars and a djembe and the lovely surrounding sounds of nature. couldn't ask for a better way to embrace coming X'mas.

Houseboats rock. Check out the facilities on this one!

Having Parents around

being away in Australia means I don't get to see my folks much. We do the occasional skype call which is great, and free. IDD calls used to be so expensive I could hardly afford to in my undergraduate days. I remember chalking up $100s of phone bills calling an ex in Sydney. These days a $10 (students pay $8 if they purchase them on campus) phone card gives me 200odd minutes of talk time. folks were just over for a coupla' days and for graduation, it was the first time they ever saw me wear that silly gown thing. I skipped mine for the Bachelor's (2002) in a care-less show of silly defiance. Sometimes I blame it on the Singaporean Chinese kid in me saying,"Nevermind not worth going".- have we all not been guilty of this?.

wanted to share, when a dear friend asked what it was the best thing having parents around.

XXXuffles says: (12:39:31 AM)
what do you like best about having parents around
bob | and so it is. says: (12:39:50 AM)
i can be a small boy again
bob | and so it is. says: (12:40:00 AM)
takes away the weight of adulthood, ya know?

i didn't think much of it till she asked, and the answer came out as naturally as it could be without a doubt, a exactly pure unadulterated thought with no agenda, unlike what most of us may think of nowadays, in some ways. i really think i meant what i said.

'although sometimes i know we try to behave all the more adult when they come around these days, but i think we all fail, some more than most, but definitely rarely so.

Waiting in Vain.

Cover of Bob Marley's (yes, my glorious namesake) Waiting in Vain.



Location - Home. Wesley on Guitar and Vocals, Ronald on Guitar and Vocals, Bob on Djembe and keeping time, and some backup Vocals.

TOoooooo Cute

Just had to share.

Photo from the Age website.

Signaling on the Roads in Singapore

Signaling seems to be a very hard thing to do for drivers on Singapore's roads. Why is it so I wonder. I took special attention this time I'm back, after 1.5 years of a pretty gracious driving experience in Melbourne where people are quite happy to let you take your time, and usually wave at you in thanks when u give way. And we're not just talking about nice old lady drivers here, it's everyone from the sharp suited yuppie to the heavily tattooed biker.

In Singapore, I've noticed that few drivers signal on the roads. Be it to switch lanes or to indicate a turn or slipping into a filter road, most do so without flicking the signal switch (which I've found to vary between 100-120 bpm, depending on the car model and make). Whether it's a case of just being too lazy to flick the switch or sheer nonchalance, it's worrying. When you are polite enough to signal a lane change, or to make a turn, drivers behind you usually treat it as a sign of utter intimidation or brutal challenge. Thus they speed up to ensure you don't take over their side of the lane, even if you're a few car lengths away. I've read in the HardwareZone forum that if you wish to change lanes, it'll be better to do so without signaling so you get the job done. The moment the signal comes up, that's it, you're challenging the driver behind on the next lane. Scary isn't it? So this period back home has been interesting observing these habits on the road. Initially I thought people refrained from signaling in a futile attempt to save and prolong battery life.

So I took it a step further to ask a cabbie what all this is about. And he had the funniest theory.

He argued that on the roads, all Singapore drivers see, are their grandfathers. Their Ah Kongs. So deprived of time with their grandfathers, they hallucinate about them (yes of all places) on the roads. Therefore they can't see other road users. So we can't blame them. They're playing catch-up time - a sure allusion to the local term 'Grandfather's Road'. Haha!

Exploring the Island

What if we found out who we are, and what we wanted, a little bit too late?

Just had to go explore Singapore whilst back, amidst the madness of Singapore's rebuilding. Too many cranes, too much construction, too many hoardings. Leave the island alone!

---

So...it was an absolute pleasure taking a day off to revisit some pages of my home's significant pasts. Here's Haw Par Villa, now a pale shadow of its absolutely shining past. But it's all good really. I prefer it this way. Rustic, peaceful and not bustling with tourists. Last time I was there was probably 20 years ago. 20 years later, I'm back!

p.s. I should endeavour to remember it is a lot harder going for long walks back home here in Singapore. Unlike Melbourne during her kinder seasons, it's really a tad too hot to go on sojourns in the sun. But well, Bob. Don't think so much!


Tiger Balm anyone?




If this doesn't hark one back to the past, I don't know what else will.


International flavours for the Balm


dancin'


welcoming Gates.

Somewhere in the Middle

Anyone remember Dishwalla? :) They used to make my day in those growing up days. And they still do.

Would love to share this timeless track with everyone. It's especially special cause its starting chords are exactly the same as one of E.P.I.C's early tracks, written around the same time, circa 2001 - What I have to Say.

The chorus says it all.

tripping hard falling down onto the ground
cause I can't stand up
and I can't fall down
cause I'm somewhere in the middle of this



This thus prompts me to come up with my Top 5 list of favourite 90's bands, i.e. the growing up college soundtrack.

1. Toad the Wet Sprocket
2. Dishwalla
3. Gin Blossoms
4. The Verve
5. Radiohead

Home

Home is where the food is.
Home's where we find rest.
Home is the secret chord that gives us peace.
I wish home isn't so hot! :)

It's been a tad difficult attending to the hot and humid days of the sunny island set in the sea, even ventured to have a game of tennis just prior to noon today. And match point went to the bright scorching sun. 32-33 degrees with almost 100% humidity. Too much! I've been whining non-stop of the heat. Need to stop!

Leap and the net will appear

All we need is one leap and faith
and everything else will fall into place.

Bob returns Saturday!

The Song

A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.

Chinese proverb

Today's stay home day. Spending it all on transforming the dining room into a well, 'full-fledged' studio capable of doing some live recording.

Stay tuned!

things.

In creating artificial people we find out how little we know about ourselves, and the nature of things.

More glorious home-cooked food and a further touch of home.

Hammock Action.


Ice-cream anyone.






where's our middle way.


pasta with fresh spinach.


Stir-fried everything.

II V Song.

Your steps were taken too far ahead
Now you're left with what isn't instead.
You cry that nothing ever turns out right
Oh my, what a frightful all-out sigh.

Life has been rather peaceful post-thesis, now I await the results coming in two weeks. All good things to come! It's been a while since the last proper update.

Am in a period of general rest, mostly. The global financial nonsense has directly affected me a little, employer here has had to cut down overheads and not unexpectedly, the graphic designer's hours gets cut first. The politicians here are massively warning the people of horrible times ahead, and naturally, sofas and lounge suites stay far from anyone's priorities. (this is what I do by the way).

Apart from a shortage of work hours, life has been all about banging away on the drums at home, band practice with my new band the Suntrap, soccer on weekends, and a smattering of meals with friends in the city area. It's been nice.

Just today, I drove all the way to a bright open shiny sunlit park about 30km away to nap in the sun and winds for 2 hours. How beautiful.

All good things!

Oven-baked Pasta, Steak, and Garlic Bread Nibblers

Now that the paper's done. Bob's cookin' again!

---

In other news. No matter how different we are, we all...breathe.

Fly

In order to fly, all one must do is simply miss the ground.
Douglas Adams

Shisamo

Shisamo. bought a box for like $4.99. amazing price, there were like 20 in the box! what a pleasant find.

It is done.

And it turns out Monash University is 43rd in the world last year.

Chicken Curry

made by yours truly.

Eavesdropping

Eavesdropping songbirds get predator intel from overheard calls
from here (and for the full article)

Humans are a funny lot. While we seem to be relentless voyeurs, we generally frown on eavesdropping as an invasion of privacy. But in the animal world, eavesdropping can be a matter of life or death. Animals rarely communicate in isolation. Often it pays for one species to monitor the dialogues of others, particularly when predator warnings are involved.

Small animals in particular do well to pay attention to the alarms of other species, as they are often preyed upon by the same larger hunters. Even very unrelated species can listen in and understand each other's signals. Vervet monkeys respond to the alarm calls of superb starlings, while mongooses are well-versed in hornbill calls...

Alarm calls aren't just a simple matter of shouting "Look out!", and many species have different calls for different predators. But one of the most sophisticated alarm systems so far discovered is used by a small, unassuming bird called the black-capped chickadee.

The chickadee acts as an inadvertent sentry for a multitude of bird species. Its name comes from its distinctive "chick-a-dee" alarm call, made in response to a perched bird of prey or a land predator. When this call sounds out, anywhere between 24 and 50 species of bird marshall together and mob the predator, robbing it of the element of surprise and harassing it from the area.
---

Nice to know.

How can Bob not love this.

How can the drummer and Phil Collins fan in Bob not love this? :)

Spring Time in the yard

Amp in the Laundry

One weekend over at the Bassist's place. :)

Electric Company and the Chickens in the Tree

And a break from the study with some Youtube action.


What a great show. Great tune! Anyone remember Morgan Freeman in the Electric Company? Sure didn't realise. Until now!

---

And from Sesame Street. Nobody remembers this but me, thus far. And it's made Bob wonder if it was a figment of his imagination all this time.


---

And the most powerful of 'em all.

Must learn to jam this with the band sometime.

a good place to be.

plans for the future?

how does "Dr. Tan and the All Good Things Cafe" sound.

Someone

Someone to lay my words on the gentle bars of a rhyme.
Where could you be?
Between now and then, maybe.
Bookmarked on a page lost to the wind.

Brekkie delights

Spiced up wok fried egg on toast with a side of tomatoes and zucchini. Another dish in Bob's menu.

Humans can't multitask.

Ladies. Think again! Yes males are usually said to be completely inept at doing this. But then again, so too are the ladies apparently, in this study.

---

Think You're Multitasking? Think Again
by Jon Hamilton 2 October 2008
NPR website

Don't believe the multitasking hype, scientists say. New research shows that we humans aren't as good as we think we are at doing several things at once. But it also highlights a human skill that gave us an evolutionary edge.

As technology allows people to do more tasks at the same time, the myth that we can multitask has never been stronger. But researchers say it's still a myth — and they have the data to prove it.

Humans, they say, don't do lots of things simultaneously. Instead, we switch our attention from task to task extremely quickly.

Read full article here.

Fish Curry

Finally got down to cooking Fish Curry with the paste my dad suggested I get during the family visit.

And the result? Pretty darned decent. Fresh fish, plenty of eggplant, onions, tomatoes and lady's fingers. Yummalicious.

Singapore Day

Sunny Saturday was spent at Singapore Day at the Sidney Myer Bowl, Botanic Gardens. Quite an extraordinary day I must say. Such effort to galvanize Singapore's sons and daughters who left the 'sunny island set in the sea' for other, much larger and sunnier ones, like this huge as one, Australia. And what did we do? We queued and queued for free food. Chilli Crab, Fried Kway Teow, Chicken Rice, Ice Kachang. The works. With another 10,000 or so Singaporeans who descended upon the event with one aim in mind. Food. Home-styled hawker food. Not some fake-as Singapore noodle bull. And the Singlish. All over. Comforting in a way, and great in the sense that all this was happening overseas. Definitely not quite the same hearing Singlish in hot and humid Orchard Road. It felt like a mega transplant. Pleasurable though, very.

Home is where the food is!


That's me in happy land after landing some awesome chilli crab after 30minutes of queueing. And I got the claw, after a wide-eyed smile.



With the Shoe and her new glasses.

The Wind in the Willows

anyone remember this?

this brings me to mild tears of nostalgia. a special place, another time.

Opening Credits


Closing Credits


The wind in the willows sang softly to me.
Follow my voice wherever it leads,
Through mountains and valleys and deep rolling seas
Born on the wings of the breeze.
Spin me a dream, woven silver and gold of sunshine and shadows and days long ago.
Where people are memories and stories unfold,
Willows, the tales you have told me.
Wind in the Willows you just seem to know,
Who you can turn to and which way to go,
To unwind your wondrous mind. Wind in the Willows, take me home.

How Strong

How apt.

Are you strong enough to find another way?


chorus of a great song by Seal just only recently discovered after watching the Pursuit of Happiness. It's called 'A Father's Way'.
Great stuff. go take a listen!


*Audio Only*

Tulip action

There she grows... Day 3.

Tulip Festival

Sunday was a joyful one spent at the Tesselaar Tulip Festival.

And this is what I came back with.




and the name - Miss Tulip.

Again?

Let's break the rules and count the cost.

No One.

no one got ahead standing in line

you can't erase what you said
just paint them over with sepia or grey
leap and the net will appear
let it all fall into place

Steak

Toad the Wet Sprocket - Windmills

current favourite song of the moment. :) masterful storytelling from the frontman of 90s band toad the wet sprocket. one of my favourite bands.



Windmills by Toad the Wet Sprocket
I spend too much time raiding windmills
We go side by side
Laughing until it's right
There's something that you won't show
Waiting where the light goes
Take the darkest hour-break it open
Water to repair what we have broken
There's something that you won't show
Waiting where the light goes
And anyway the wind blows
It's all worth waiting for
Pull on the borders to lighten the load
Tell all the passengers we're going home
I spend too much time seeking shelter
World without end couldn't hold her
There's something that you won't show
Waiting where the light goes
And anyway the wind blows
It's all worth waiting for
Anyway the wind blows

love this song!

Two Souls

Would anyone drink this? Found in a supermarket - a Korean Yakult, apparently. Biocult. How much more scary can a name get?

---

Two souls together.

Making life so much easier and better.

Do we live inside or outside of nature?