This a piece of homework I did for English as part of poetic studies. It was originally meant to be four lines of poetry, but I decided to finish what I started. The point of the task is to investigate the effect of poetic techniques and their applications in poetry as well as how feelings can be communicated indirectly. I did not get the chance to present my poem due to time constraints but here it is anyway. In case you are wondering, I am not psychotic.
My heart is chained to a mountain,
A burden too heavy to carry.
My heart is bound by the stem of a rose,
Piercing with every heartbeat.
Rid me of these memories,
These hideous acts of crime.
Should I run?
Should I hide?
Either way,
The demons will hunt me down,
I am never alone.
you only live once,
Artking.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Materialism
Over these few years, my musical taste has been through an incredible journey of both highs and lows. My taste in guitars has also evolved since then. Here is a list of guitars in my guitars wish-list as of 6.00 p.m., June 13th, 2010. (it is in order of most desired to least desired, from top to bottom)
Burny (Super Grade) Les Paul - almost a must in my collection, and I may be able to get one at the end of this year, from a friend of mine. Made in Japan with hand wound VH-1 pickups (only those made from 1975 - 1977), these are one of the best replicas of the original Gibson PAFs to date. The VH-1s are only available on the neck pickup of my friends guitar however, his bridge pickup is a Gibson 490, even better. The Gibson 490 is featured on Jimmy Pages Gibson EDS-1275 double neck guitar which he used to play Stairway to Heaven live, as well as several other Gibson guitars.
Gibson EDS-1275
Duesenberg Starplayer TV - a semi-hollow electric guitar made by the Duesenberg company which oddly enough used to make cars. This guitar has a P90 on the neck and a vintage humbucker on the bridge. The floating tremelo is a favorite of many artists including Nigel Hendroff of Hillsong. It looks like a Gibson, plays like a Fender, and sounds like a Grestch, perfect combination.
Duesenberg Starplayer TV
Epiphone Les Paul Custom - nothing too fancy about this guitar, however, it is a relatively cheap quality instrument I intend to upgrade. If I could, I would distress the finish, change the neck pickup to a p90 and put a Seymour Duncan Seth Lover at the bridge.
Gibson SG Standard - two humbuckers, 22 frets, one great body. That's all I need to say about this.
Ibanez JEM 7V - Steve Vai's signature guitar, 24 frets, tone that cries goodness, food for my progressive rock soul.
Ibanez JEM 7V
Danelectro 59' Original - cheap plywood body, two telecaster pickups, ideal for the beginner or the professional. I will not need a fancy Fender for a telecaster sound, this will do just fine.
Eastwood Airline 59' Custom 3P - Any good fan of The White Stripes would be craving for one of these Eastwood guitars. The model that Jack White uses (or used) is a 2P, slightly different, but in the spirit of 'originality', why not?
Fender Road Worn Mexican Stratocaster - maple fretboard please! and this time I will play it right the way round. A friend of mine gave this guitar a really good review and I'm hoping to get my hands on one. I have tried a Mexican Standard Stratocaster which is miles cheaper than the normal American ones, but you get what you pay for. The workmanship on that guitar is acceptable, and the sound is reasonable, but not as full or vibrant as the American version.
Ernie Ball Music Man Silhouette Special - Super Stratocaster type guitar, used by Lincoln Brewster when he was in the Steve Morse Band. I plan to replace all the pickups to create a Yngwie Malmsteem/ Lincoln Brewster hybrid. The single coils will be replaced by Seymour Duncan STK-S10 YJM Fury pickups, and the humbucker at the bridge will be a P90.
Ernie Ball Music Man Silhouette Special
you only live once,
Artking.
Burny (Super Grade) Les Paul - almost a must in my collection, and I may be able to get one at the end of this year, from a friend of mine. Made in Japan with hand wound VH-1 pickups (only those made from 1975 - 1977), these are one of the best replicas of the original Gibson PAFs to date. The VH-1s are only available on the neck pickup of my friends guitar however, his bridge pickup is a Gibson 490, even better. The Gibson 490 is featured on Jimmy Pages Gibson EDS-1275 double neck guitar which he used to play Stairway to Heaven live, as well as several other Gibson guitars.
Gibson EDS-1275
Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster (Left-Handed) - call me a wannabe, I am one. Yes I play right handed, although I'm left handed, but I want a left handed Stratocaster so that I can play it like Jimi Hendrix did. Not for show if that's what you think i'm trying to do, for sound. The slanted bridge pickup on the Stratocaster was originally designed to highlight the highs of the high E string and make the lows on the low E sound mellow. This is because the closer your pickup is to the bridge, the more of the treble you will pickup (I call it twangy-ness, because that's what it is). When Jimi Hendrix played his Stratocaster the other way round (because there were next to none left handed Stratocasters available during the time) he accidentally created this new sound when his strings were restrung. The low E string, because bright sounding and the high E because mellow, thus the famous Hendrix sound. So although I play right handed guitar (despite being a left handed person), I would love to get a Stratocaster and play it just like the master did, inverted. Also, I have this bias toward maple fretboards, the warmness of the rosewood versions do not suit stratocaster sounds very well, although there are exceptions where it works very well indeed.
Fender Left-handed Stratocaster
Fender Left-handed StratocasterDuesenberg Starplayer TVEpiphone Les Paul Custom - nothing too fancy about this guitar, however, it is a relatively cheap quality instrument I intend to upgrade. If I could, I would distress the finish, change the neck pickup to a p90 and put a Seymour Duncan Seth Lover at the bridge.
Gibson SG Standard - two humbuckers, 22 frets, one great body. That's all I need to say about this.
Ibanez JEM 7V - Steve Vai's signature guitar, 24 frets, tone that cries goodness, food for my progressive rock soul.
Ibanez JEM 7V Danelectro 59' Original - cheap plywood body, two telecaster pickups, ideal for the beginner or the professional. I will not need a fancy Fender for a telecaster sound, this will do just fine.
Eastwood Airline 59' Custom 3P - Any good fan of The White Stripes would be craving for one of these Eastwood guitars. The model that Jack White uses (or used) is a 2P, slightly different, but in the spirit of 'originality', why not?
Fender Road Worn Mexican Stratocaster - maple fretboard please! and this time I will play it right the way round. A friend of mine gave this guitar a really good review and I'm hoping to get my hands on one. I have tried a Mexican Standard Stratocaster which is miles cheaper than the normal American ones, but you get what you pay for. The workmanship on that guitar is acceptable, and the sound is reasonable, but not as full or vibrant as the American version.
Ernie Ball Music Man Silhouette Special - Super Stratocaster type guitar, used by Lincoln Brewster when he was in the Steve Morse Band. I plan to replace all the pickups to create a Yngwie Malmsteem/ Lincoln Brewster hybrid. The single coils will be replaced by Seymour Duncan STK-S10 YJM Fury pickups, and the humbucker at the bridge will be a P90.
Ernie Ball Music Man Silhouette Special
Artking.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Influence
Music is a vital part of me as most of you would know. Music takes me to another world, another place. Music puts me in a trance quite literally, when its just me and my Ipod. Its quite hard to describe what I experience but I'll try my best here. Turn on Windows Media Player and put the visualizers on, that would be similar to what I see. In addition, I feel the music as well, weird and hard to grasp, but that is what I experience. Sometimes, I'm put in the shoes of the persona of the song. Sometimes I feel the emotions that inspired the song. Occasionally, I write songs in my sleep, or between my state of awake and asleep, when I'm 'drifting off'. I don't have a format, the music just flows out of my head, but as soon as I wake up, trying to scribble something meaningful from that dream/hallucination (or whatever you call it) and find that I don't remember anything but the feeling that I felt creating that melody.I am known for my wide and diverse musical taste, although I focus mostly and rock, I appreciate every other genre of music. I listen to material from blues, to contemporary, metal, progressive rock, sometimes even classical music.
Here is a list of some of the most inspiring and influential people of music that drive and inspire perseverance in my musical journey.
Mike Shinoda - a rapper and song writer who embodies meaning into his work, he (and his band Linkin Park) is one of the first to drag me out of the dark and exposed me to a whole new world of music.
Ray Taro - guitarist of My Chemical Romance.Matt Bellamy - of Muse. Incredible musical talent, and a unique voice.
Steve Vai - solo artist, guitar virtuoso. The elite of the guitar world, awe inspiring level of skill, musical knowledge and creative ability. His music made me realize that there was more to the melody than most people realize. How beats and tunes can evoke emotions of translate into emotions and feelings. I realized that music did not necessarily need lyrics to work, it is good as it is.
Steve Vai
Joe Satriani - Steve Vai's guitar teacher. Similar genre.
Jimmy Page - the one, the only, guitarist of Led Zeppelin. Pioneer of the blues rock genre and started musics movement towards metal.
Lincoln Brewster - strat wielding worship leader who plays a variety of guitars but is best known for playing his Fender Custom Shop Heavy Relic Road Worn 57' Stratocaster. He is one of the few who insist on using Multi-effects units to create his sound.
Lincoln Brewster : Today is the Day Album Cover
John Mayer - a fusion of modern pop tunes and blues. Few have the skill and talent to produce work that is at par with his.
John Mayer
Jimi Hendrix - Rolling Stones #1 Best Guitarist of All Time, possibly the most influential guitarist of all time. His goal as a performer was to maker the audience feel the same thing he feels when he plays his music. He wanted to play the guitar so badly that he made one for himself with some string and a broom stick. He challenged the way many think of musicians as performers, and musicians as people of music.
Gary Moore - impeccable blues technique and soulful melodies. A tone to die for (figuratively speaking).
The Edge - introduces a different approach to creating his sound. Heavy effects instead of heavy distortion. His style and influence can be heard in many modern christian bands and churches.
Jack White - experimental and persistent. Creative in his approach to music, taking the seemingly impossible and conquering it.
Jack White's Eastwood Airline Guitar, made of plastic.
you only live once,
Artking.
Here is a list of some of the most inspiring and influential people of music that drive and inspire perseverance in my musical journey.
Mike Shinoda - a rapper and song writer who embodies meaning into his work, he (and his band Linkin Park) is one of the first to drag me out of the dark and exposed me to a whole new world of music.
Ray Taro - guitarist of My Chemical Romance.Matt Bellamy - of Muse. Incredible musical talent, and a unique voice.
Steve Vai - solo artist, guitar virtuoso. The elite of the guitar world, awe inspiring level of skill, musical knowledge and creative ability. His music made me realize that there was more to the melody than most people realize. How beats and tunes can evoke emotions of translate into emotions and feelings. I realized that music did not necessarily need lyrics to work, it is good as it is.
Steve Vai
Jimmy Page - the one, the only, guitarist of Led Zeppelin. Pioneer of the blues rock genre and started musics movement towards metal.
Lincoln Brewster - strat wielding worship leader who plays a variety of guitars but is best known for playing his Fender Custom Shop Heavy Relic Road Worn 57' Stratocaster. He is one of the few who insist on using Multi-effects units to create his sound.
Lincoln Brewster : Today is the Day Album Cover
Eric Clapton - Rolling Stones #4 Best Guitarist of All Time. His softer and more delicate approach to rock adds a classy feeling to his sound, inspiring many including guitarist John Mayer.
John Mayer - a fusion of modern pop tunes and blues. Few have the skill and talent to produce work that is at par with his.
John Mayer
Jimi Hendrix - Rolling Stones #1 Best Guitarist of All Time, possibly the most influential guitarist of all time. His goal as a performer was to maker the audience feel the same thing he feels when he plays his music. He wanted to play the guitar so badly that he made one for himself with some string and a broom stick. He challenged the way many think of musicians as performers, and musicians as people of music.
Gary Moore - impeccable blues technique and soulful melodies. A tone to die for (figuratively speaking).
The Edge - introduces a different approach to creating his sound. Heavy effects instead of heavy distortion. His style and influence can be heard in many modern christian bands and churches.
Jack White - experimental and persistent. Creative in his approach to music, taking the seemingly impossible and conquering it.
Jack White's Eastwood Airline Guitar, made of plastic.you only live once,
Artking.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Sun, Earth and Hair
First, the Earth is flat. Then it is round. Flat again. Round again. In the end? Round off course.
Ever since Ptolemy proposed that the Earth was the center of the Universe (Geocentric model) , Christian and Jewish astronomers alike could not part from that view, simple because we were created by the Almighty, right? It just seemed so right, it had to be! We are the special ones! The important ones! The center of attention! We were made in the IMAGE OF GOD!!
It did take time for someone with enough brains and guts to tell all these people that they were wrong. The sun, not the Earth, is the center of a Solar System (Heliocentric model). Man, did those people get into trouble or what! Further revelations showed that the Solar System is in fact a minority in the major event, the Milky Way. But that's not the whole story, billions upon billions of galaxies, all shapes, sizes, temperatures, compositions, etc. in the known universe, thousands of light years apart. The universe sure is a big place. Life on this blue globe seems so insignificant, like a grain, upon a grain, upon a grain, upon a grain, upon a grain of sand. Microscopic in the whole play of events.
With this big light show going on out there, are we too insignificant for God? No! The Bible says that our very hairs are numbered, meaning that even the very strands of hair on your head are numbered by God, a testament to his attention to the details of your life. God created the beauty of space to show us his power, that what he can do and what we can do are worlds apart. He created the galaxies to show us how small we really are. But, he is here with everyone of you, despite how small you are. No matter how small or how complex your situation, He is here with everyone of you, individually, personally, ready to help. You may not be the center of the Universe, but you are, the center of His world. As proof, there is the Cross, the seemingly unimportant event in history, about 2000 years ago. God almighty has appeared to us, fully God, fully man (if you are confused about this, don't worry, nobody can get it, because no one can), accepted death on the cross despite multiple opportunities for him to give up. God has lived through a human life, he knows your struggles because he has experienced them personally. We have been given the opportunity of a life time, because of his death and resurrection, because death has died with him and he came back to bring us life, all we need to do is ask, nothing fancy, not rituals, just ask. "Dear Jesus, I want to accept you as my personal Lord and Savior, from this day on my life is yours, may your Holy Spirit live in me." Its done! Welcome to your new life in Christ.
you only live once,
Artking
Ever since Ptolemy proposed that the Earth was the center of the Universe (Geocentric model) , Christian and Jewish astronomers alike could not part from that view, simple because we were created by the Almighty, right? It just seemed so right, it had to be! We are the special ones! The important ones! The center of attention! We were made in the IMAGE OF GOD!!
It did take time for someone with enough brains and guts to tell all these people that they were wrong. The sun, not the Earth, is the center of a Solar System (Heliocentric model). Man, did those people get into trouble or what! Further revelations showed that the Solar System is in fact a minority in the major event, the Milky Way. But that's not the whole story, billions upon billions of galaxies, all shapes, sizes, temperatures, compositions, etc. in the known universe, thousands of light years apart. The universe sure is a big place. Life on this blue globe seems so insignificant, like a grain, upon a grain, upon a grain, upon a grain, upon a grain of sand. Microscopic in the whole play of events.
With this big light show going on out there, are we too insignificant for God? No! The Bible says that our very hairs are numbered, meaning that even the very strands of hair on your head are numbered by God, a testament to his attention to the details of your life. God created the beauty of space to show us his power, that what he can do and what we can do are worlds apart. He created the galaxies to show us how small we really are. But, he is here with everyone of you, despite how small you are. No matter how small or how complex your situation, He is here with everyone of you, individually, personally, ready to help. You may not be the center of the Universe, but you are, the center of His world. As proof, there is the Cross, the seemingly unimportant event in history, about 2000 years ago. God almighty has appeared to us, fully God, fully man (if you are confused about this, don't worry, nobody can get it, because no one can), accepted death on the cross despite multiple opportunities for him to give up. God has lived through a human life, he knows your struggles because he has experienced them personally. We have been given the opportunity of a life time, because of his death and resurrection, because death has died with him and he came back to bring us life, all we need to do is ask, nothing fancy, not rituals, just ask. "Dear Jesus, I want to accept you as my personal Lord and Savior, from this day on my life is yours, may your Holy Spirit live in me." Its done! Welcome to your new life in Christ.
you only live once,
Artking
Friday, April 16, 2010
Concept
The beast is lurking,
beneath the deepest oceans,
the highest mountains,
the thickest forests.
The slumbering beast will be awaken,
its mask removed,
its true face revealed,
its voice heard crystal clear.
The day will come.
The day is near,
I know it!
Its limbs will fail
But its sight will sharpen,
to see its guts spilled before the Earth.
Its flesh feasted upon by the vultures of death.
Meet the nation built on the stilts of lies,
founded on the sand of deception,
surrounded by walls of hypocrisy,
topped with a roof of lust.
Meet the nation of first world infrastructure,
sculptured by the blood of third world swines.
In this world, there are no heroes,
because none can be.
So save your Hollywood fantasies for the Afterlife.
beneath the deepest oceans,
the highest mountains,
the thickest forests.
The slumbering beast will be awaken,
its mask removed,
its true face revealed,
its voice heard crystal clear.
The day will come.
The day is near,
I know it!
Its limbs will fail
But its sight will sharpen,
to see its guts spilled before the Earth.
Its flesh feasted upon by the vultures of death.
Meet the nation built on the stilts of lies,
founded on the sand of deception,
surrounded by walls of hypocrisy,
topped with a roof of lust.
Meet the nation of first world infrastructure,
sculptured by the blood of third world swines.
In this world, there are no heroes,
because none can be.
So save your Hollywood fantasies for the Afterlife.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
What Good?
What good is a flame that dies on a match?
What good is ice that melts in the sun?
What good is rain that falls on the seas?
What good is a seed in desert sand?
A flightless eagle?
A fish out of water?
A claw-less lion?
Airless earth?
What good is the shed blood, the broken flesh?
If the blind see not the light;
If the deaf hear not the news;
If the mute praise not His name?
What good is ice that melts in the sun?
What good is rain that falls on the seas?
What good is a seed in desert sand?
A flightless eagle?
A fish out of water?
A claw-less lion?
Airless earth?
What good is the shed blood, the broken flesh?
If the blind see not the light;
If the deaf hear not the news;
If the mute praise not His name?
Saturday, March 13, 2010
God Only Helps Those Who Help Themselves
Someone said that to me when i was a really young kid, young and naive I must add. Whoever it is wanted me to do extremely well in my exams, I said I would pray, but "God only helps those who help themselves", as if I did not study...
Does God really do that? How can you say that a God who healed the blind, cured the lame, rose Lazarus dead, only helps you if you help yourself. It represents a view that is incredibly self centered, or rather, the "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul" and "I am the Sun, God is a planet" perspective of life.
Did Lazarus try to undo his burial wrappings when he realized that he was dead? There was nothing Lazarus or the people in mourning could have done, yet God helped him.
So, should we just kick back and relax, let the exam papers write themselves? Absolutely not. God promised miracles, for those in need. Sitting for an exam is a privilege, you are not needy. Besides, he gave you the One miracle you absolutely needed. All you needed to do was ask, and you received, simple. God also promised that he would not allow burdens on you that are heavier than what you can handle. Therefore, seek first his wisdom and guidance, praying in faith, then encounter the challenges of your life with his full blessing.
Remember that God is not "watching from a distance", he is right here, right now. He should be the center of your life and you should be a planet, simply because he is bigger and stronger. Not that I'm discouraging you, life is no Hollywood film, no special effects, the blood, the sweat, the tears are all real. This broken world is too much for you, the more you fight it the more you'll fall, he is your only solution.
you only live once,
Artking
Does God really do that? How can you say that a God who healed the blind, cured the lame, rose Lazarus dead, only helps you if you help yourself. It represents a view that is incredibly self centered, or rather, the "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul" and "I am the Sun, God is a planet" perspective of life.
Did Lazarus try to undo his burial wrappings when he realized that he was dead? There was nothing Lazarus or the people in mourning could have done, yet God helped him.
So, should we just kick back and relax, let the exam papers write themselves? Absolutely not. God promised miracles, for those in need. Sitting for an exam is a privilege, you are not needy. Besides, he gave you the One miracle you absolutely needed. All you needed to do was ask, and you received, simple. God also promised that he would not allow burdens on you that are heavier than what you can handle. Therefore, seek first his wisdom and guidance, praying in faith, then encounter the challenges of your life with his full blessing.
Remember that God is not "watching from a distance", he is right here, right now. He should be the center of your life and you should be a planet, simply because he is bigger and stronger. Not that I'm discouraging you, life is no Hollywood film, no special effects, the blood, the sweat, the tears are all real. This broken world is too much for you, the more you fight it the more you'll fall, he is your only solution.
you only live once,
Artking
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