Les Miserables

It's my first time going down to London, the main city of UK. Not so much for sight seeing, we're mainly here for a famous (so called) musical show - Les Miserables. We arrived earlier in the day for some free time, everyone just went off to do their own stuffs (shopping etc...), I'm left alone in the streets of London.

London station and street:

My first place of visit is Hyde Park, heard that it's another big and pretty park. Yupz, the bridges, rose garden, Iris statue and Princess Diana memorial fountain are nice places to go, the park is incredibly huge. What's more amazing is, they are constructing an Olympics ring there, it's gonna be used for the Olympics game!

Walk around Hyde Park:

Time for lunch, Japanese food in London... I actually made others wait at the place while I'm figuring how to get there by underground trains. £6.50 for a supersized and thick curry rice~ good deal. Me and Sean shared a sushi plate, tasted nice too. Then we spend some time visiting the big M&M building and China Town before entering the musical.

Curry pork rice and sushi:

This is amazing, a whole theater just for that particular show. It's interior is very well decorated, just like luxurious high class show theater in the old days. They have live orchestra and music for the musical, the stage setups and props are just mind blowing. The plot is not too bad, I'm just surprised that the whole show is without dialogue, they sang the story/conversation for whole 3 hours, but every actor can really sing.

The main agenda of the day, musical theater:

Oh ya, the biggest achievement for this London daytrip is, I found my long lost love. Chatime bubble milk tea! Oh yeah... it's a little expensive if I convert the price to Malaysian ringgit, £3.50 for a large size, but it's been too long since I had it!

Bubble milk tea in UK:

"The LORD will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; He will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh."
-Ezekiel 11:19-

Thank You Lord for granting us safety in this big and crowded city. I pray for the Olympics game that will be held in London soon, that it will be a peaceful and inspiring moment as the whole world comes together. Bless us to look over the differences and mistakes each other made and be more understanding, Amen.

Hatred Kills

"SoundShoots is a unique music platform that challenges music makers to create a 90 second piece of music in response to a given weekly theme. The site is 100% free to use and whether you make your own music, or just like listening, there are plenty of good reasons to join!"

For this week's theme, "Death", I may have different ways to make my soundshoot. I could do my usual sentimental style for a rest in peace motive, or sad piano style for heartbreaking moment of loosing someone. However, I chose hatred and anger, thanks to the bad mood and frustration over the month.

Ever experience being ignored by a close friend? We used to tell each other almost everything, and now both act like strangers to each other. The worst part is, I don't even know the reason. It's definitely one of my worst/most devastating moment in life, but now I'm using it to grab this emotion.

According to 1 John 3:15, "Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him." The mentioned brother refers to a believers of Christ, no eternal life simply means not going to heaven, which only leads to hell. I tried browsing songs related to hell, death and demon, if I could get some ideas how to portray those negativity in music. Honestly, they're just too disturbing, felt so uncomfortable listening to them.

In Matthew 13:42, "The angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." This verse gave me a pretty good illustration. Fiery furnace sounds like a wielding factory, terrible temperature with screeching noises. Gnashing teeth is only done when in extreme anger and fury. Weeping stands for mourning and sadness. Indeed hell is a perfect place for betrayal, sorrow and weak heart.

Gnashing of teeth and weeping:

For dark ambient, minor chords do their jobs best. I used heavy strings/orchestra, as their attacks are pretty aggressive that bring sense of anger, with some piano sprinkle and appergio that adds for the sadness. The sound effects really took me a lot of effort, such as heart rate monitor, burning, crying, and teeth grinding sounds. I admit, this is so far the hardest soundshoot to make, I'm kinda exhausted spiritually and mentally.

Click here to listen to:
Hatred Kills - Adam Jong

Rate the track with the ✓ icon (you need a soundshoot account to do this), or facebook like it with the icon. Hope no one is too disturbed after listening.

"Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord's glory."
-Ezekiel 10:4-

If you hate a person, you've killed him in your heart. He no longer lives in your heart, which makes one's heart a pretty gruesome place for anyone else. Forgiving is never easy; to seek for forgiveness/apologize take a lot of courage as well. Pray that God bless this broken friendship, fix this heartache, Amen.

Garden of Life

"SoundShoots is a unique music platform that challenges music makers to create a 90 second piece of music in response to a given weekly theme. The site is 100% free to use and whether you make your own music, or just like listening, there are plenty of good reasons to join!"

Originated from Malaysia especially the state of Sabah, I'm probably familiar with this week's theme, "Rainforest". It's like the trademark of Borneo island, which people from West Malaysia refers as 'jungle'. I'm proud of growing up in this 'jungle', we don't live on top of trees by the way.

My hometown, Sabah rainforest:

If anyone have been to jungle trekking in a tropical forest, you should know how amazing are the wildlife, plants and animals that live in it (minus the mosquitoes and leeches). Also, I personally think that the song of nature is actually very comforting. The sound of birds chirping, river flowing, wind passing through the leaves and crickets, they are all wonderful sounds.

In this soundshoot, I'm doing the nostalgic feeling of adventure in a tropical forest with friends. I was imagining... walking through the narrow path in the jungle, where everyone have to look back occasionally to make sure no one's missing. Stepping over mud, resting at the riverside, taking pictures with random animals and plants, those are definitely great memories.

Click here to listen to:
Garden of Life - Adam Jong

Guitar plucking serves well as accompaniment, providing a sense of 'keep going'. Piano sprinkle as main lead, reminiscing about nostalgic adventures. Pan flute and bongo add on for the urban sound, remote enough from city/town to forget those life problems. Most importantly, some sound effects of the song of nature, the animals and river which I really love. There goes my recipe of my "rainforest" track, Garden of Life, a beautiful art and creation of God to bless our land

Feel free to rate my track with the ✓ icon (you need a soundshoot account to do this), or facebook like it with the icon. Thanks so much for supporting.

"They will know that I am the Lord; I did not threaten in vain to bring this calamity on them."
-Ezekiel 6:10-

Thank You Lord for Your wonderful creation, a magnificent sight of how great You are. Also for the memories with trusted companions, to walk through ups and downs in life. I just pray that this marvelous treasure at home can be preserved and continue to be a blessing for many people, Amen.

Pharmacy Graduation 2012

The long waited day for all my Pharmacy friends in UK, their graduation after 4 years of suffering. The UK campus did it differently, the number of graduates are so many that they're having graduation ceremonies throughout the whole week (it only took 2 sessions in Malaysia). They setup a large tents in front of Sports Center, the main ceremony is in the Sports Hall itself *No badminton at night T_T*.

Graduation setup:

Seems like Sera's family didn't have time to prepare gift. After they went in for the ceremony, me and Shuang Ling went Beeston for flower and teddy bear hunting. We got back before the ceremony ends, OMG... the number of graduates and parents in 1 session, so many that the Sports Center barely fit all of them.

Back to graduation with our flower:

We are really lucky that the weather is clear, it was raining for few days before this. Finally, my housemates and most friends in UK have graduated, gonna move on with our separate lives. Have been mixing this bunch of people a lot for this academic year.

Pharmacy year 4 students throwing graduation hats:

At night, for a few of them that don't dine with families or had already settled their families joined us for dinner at Hooters. They have half price ribs for £7.99, it was kinda OK. A possible last gathering before all the Pharmacies go off for home or work.

Post-graduation dinner at Hooters:

"Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord."
-Ezekiel 1:28-

Once again, congratulation to all the Pharmacy graduates, it has been a fun year with all of you guys. All the best in your pre-reg life either in Malaysia, UK or anywhere else. God will guide you as you believe, Amen.

Unchained

"SoundShoots is a unique music platform that challenges music makers to create a 90 second piece of music in response to a given weekly theme. The site is 100% free to use and whether you make your own music, or just like listening, there are plenty of good reasons to join!"

"Freedom" is the theme of this week's soundshoot. I think... there're a few ways to portray freedom, such as wide space, sky, breaking out, flying or running. These ideas suits an upbeat track a lot, but I'm gonna do some contrast this time. The fact that human only appreciate freedom after being bounded, just like how students long for holidays because of exams.

In order to bring out more flavour for freedom, I'm starting the track with a sub-theme "bondage". It's like being thrown into prison and chained, mixture of despair and loneliness. The most obvious way to bring this out is by adding sound effect of chain. Heavy reverb for drums adds on to the confined space and stiffness in mood. By using strings at low pitch kinda feels like attempting to struggle.

Shifting from minor chords to more major chords, I'm bringing in the "freedom". It comes in mild at first, showing a dim light found in this eternal darkness, a possible exit. Strings are played in higher range for the heavenly effect. The main melody is a variation from the first half, with heavier impact. Overall, the second half is like a bird break off from its chain and turbo burst into the sky.

Click here to listen to:
Unchained - Adam Jong

If you like this, support by rating the clip with the ✓ icon (you need to be a member to do this), or facebook like it with the icon, cheers.

*Update*

This is surprising, I thought I didn't do good enough for this theme, but it is announced that "Unchained" is no.3 for the week! Two no.3 soundshoots in a row with "Peacemaker" of previous week, never could have done any better than this.

"Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love."
-Lamentations 3:32-

It is often confused if we are bounded by some earthly restriction or having enough freedom to live. I guess human just never learn to give thanks for what we are blessed with. No matter what, God has freed us from the bondage of sin, it's up to us to have that step of faith, Amen.

Liverpool Daytrip

Me and Becky went for a daytrip at Liverpool, got my return train ticket for £20.45 with railcard discount. We left Nottingham early in the morning, slept for the whole 2 hours 30 minutes in the train. The info counter got us a day ticket for most train and bus in Liverpool for just £4.70, not bad.

Leaving with EastMidlands train and Liverpool day ticket:

We first went to Mossley Hill station to visit Sudley House, an art gallery of the house setting. Later to West Allerton station for a walk in Calderstone Park, which we visited the Allerton Oak, a 1000 years old oak tree. Having a day pass for train is nice and convenient, but waiting at the station somehow reminds me of KTM.

Sudley House and Allerton Oak:

We were back in city, while on the way to Albert Dock, we passed by and entered some interesting places. There's an art gallery that has free admittance, so we stopped by for a while... looking at some drawings. Later, it's Liverpool museum that displays insects, birds, dinosaurs and other wildlife, much more interesting.

Art gallery and Liverpool museum:

Had a walk at Albert Dock, a pretty nice place to take pictures... but I'm not too much a fan of sea and dock. There's this Beatles Story souvenir shop that sells stuffs of Beatles and Elvis Presley, one of the costume is £2000, pretty crazy. I bought a pin badge for somebody~

Albert Dock and Elvis' stage costume:

Before leaving for home, we've made it to the Liverpool Cathedral, a super huge church. As I stepped in the church, there's this beautiful choir singing and pipe organ playing. I thought it's a recorded playback at first, it amazed me when I found that they're practicing for an event, live music! Incredible.

Outer and inner view of Liverpool Cathedral:

"Your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you?"
-Lamentations 2:13-

Thank God for the nice weather as the journey goes, and it only started to rain when we're near some shelter. Although time management isn't really good for this trip, still manage to see most of the city, another blessed town in UK, Amen.

Peacemaker

"SoundShoots is a unique music platform that challenges music makers to create a 90 second piece of music in response to a given weekly theme. The site is 100% free to use and whether you make your own music, or just like listening, there are plenty of good reasons to join!"

Here comes the theme "Spirit" for this week's soundshoot. Not wanting to do things last minute again, I really spent time thinking about it for the whole week. Well, there're a lot of different interpretation on this word "Spirit". If I google it, the first thing is... Spirit Airlines, definitely not the thing I want. Wiki says that it comes from the Latin word Spiritus, which means breath, interesting.

Mostly, it's about something without a physical form. People often refer spirit as ghost, soul, and morale. I will take the idea of soul, as in Genesis 2:7, "Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man's nostrils, and the man became a living person."

So, what can I come out with my 'soul'? Probably due to some frustrating matters recently, I visited the chapel quite frequent to have my own time with the piano. I used to (or still) rely heavily on playing the keyboard to release stress, it's like using the gift of God to seek this moment of absolute peace within myself, my style of meditation I guess.

It is pretty similar to Starry Tide, as I want the soothing and relaxing feel. With clean guitar as counter melody, and a piano leads with slight variation along the clip. Not even complicated arrangement, just primary chords. Drums are just quarter hats, soft kicks and side stick, no cymbal no snare. I think simple tune is the best way to bring a heavy heart out from this complicated world. Keeping it mellow while building the dynamics is also a challenge.

Click here to listen to:
Peacemaker - Adam Jong

If you like this, support by rating the clip with the ✓ icon (you need to be a member to do this), or facebook like it with the icon, cheers.

*Update*

I do think that this is so far my best soundshoot, probably same level of favor with Starry Tide, but it caught me in total surprise when the top 10 artist for the week is announced as usual. Peacemaker is ranked no.3 for this week! Probably my best result ever. Previously when Behind the Blinds is at 10th (actually 11th), I was kinda satisfied already. This is really an encouragement to go on.

"Yet I will restore the fortunes of my people in days to come, declares the Lord."
-Jeremiah 48:47-

I think everyone has their own problems in life, most of them can't be helped, but just to face it. While wrestling with all these worldly matters, may God grant is strength and peace that will help us overcome all these challenges, Amen.