New Music Video

I recently decided I needed software for video editing that was a bit more powerful, so I invested in Final Cut Express, which has quite a few more options for video editing than iMovie 08 or the FlipShare software that came with my MinoHD camera. For example, I couldn't previously fast-forward clips or reverse them, and I had no easy way to line them up and cut between them, or to color-correct and filter. It also means that I'll hopefully be planning my videos a bit better - not just shooting from the hip - and maybe getting a few more people involved in shots.

I am still learning the software, but here's my first project: a music video of one of the new songs I've been working on recording with SoundFarm here in Singapore. It's called "Hold Me" and I wrote it awhile back (I began writing it in 2006 and probably finished it in 2010) but haven't played it a whole lot. So you may have heard it live, but maybe not. In any case, here it is below - hope you enjoy it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-aeIj6VLpQ

Bob Dylan and Imogen Heap

This past weekend I went to Rock and Roots, a festival put on by Timbre, the same group that had me play shows in late January. It was a pretty fabulous concert. The two performers I most wanted to see were Bob Dylan and Imogen Heap.

Bob Dylan played all his well-known songs and had a fabulous band. Seeing him at this age made me wish I had seen him when he was younger - he could barely sing, and his speaking voice was actually more comprehensible. When he spoke verses instead of trying to sing them, I could here the words and tell which song he was singing. And then I could sing along. Fortunately his backing band really did support him (such as when he coudn't quite play that guitar solo). He just went from one song to the next - no chitchat, no interaction.

Imogen Heap, on the other hand, was much more interactive. You could tell she was working the crowd and we all loved it. From the beginning she made it clear that we were part of the show, not just spectators but people who were there because we liked her music, and she respected that. And she talked to us as such.

In a way, you could say that these two performers represented different generations. Bob Dylan more an older generation for whom there was a pretty clear divide between the performer and the audience, and Imogen Heap the younger generation which acknowledges the similarities between performer and audience. But maybe good performers have always been the latter - maybe Bob Dylan was more like that 20 years ago. I wish I had seen him then.

Here's some video of the shows: http://youtu.be/_1L4gT9YZVo

Long Time no See

It's been a long time since I updated this blog. We took a break from school for a week, I had my birthday and then life got crazy. That's why.

So here's a picture of me eating Chili Crab on my birthday at the restaurant 'Big Eater' (see the sign behind me) which is a 5 minute walk from my room in the HDB (a blockof flats constructed by the Housing Development Board here in Singapore). Chili Crab is pretty famous for being a particular Singapore specialty, and let me tell you in was awesome! I don't know what they put in that sauce, but it is really flavorful. and spicy - if you don't like spicy try another specialty.

As for the craziness, it has to do a bit with my program. In this PhD program they usually give you 2 years in which to confirm. That is, you have to give a presentation on your research to show that you are capable of completing the program. After the presentation you begin your official research and get a slight boost in pay.

Well, I mentioned that usually you have 2 years to confirm. I've been here for nearly 6 months and my advisor asked me to confirm this May. It's cool that they think I can do it, and I don't see any real difficulties, but it just means a lot more work. So I haven't had much time or energy to blog. BUT, as my friend Yolanda mentioned, people read these things - so that gives me more encouragement to write. =) I'll do my best.