Sandy Hook Thoughts: Gone Too Soon

"There is always a lot of mourning from massacres, because they were gone too soon and were lost in the hands of "that crazy one". However, if we were to thoroughly examine the situation, was it preventable? It's funny how we concentrate on everything but the real problem at hand - why do people even end up going on killing rampages?

We can blame it on the person being mentally unsound, we can blame it on the society on many accounts; we can blame it on the music we listen to, the television shows we watch. No matter whether it is guns or knives, massacres or attempted massacres, the impact is great and will forever scar those who are involved, so don't miss the point about MENTAL HEALTH.

We need to think about how we handle stress, emotions and ourselves, before we start blaming everything else and failing to see that if we were in the same situation we might be driven to do the same thing. The question again is, how is this preventable?"

What's good for you...

"If the worst thing someone could tell you is what you want to hear instead of the truth, why isn't it the worst thing someone playing for you what you want hear instead of opening your mind with new sounds?

Truth is that we have been brought up in this world to believe that everything should go our way; and the machinery of marketing and advertising lets us believe we are being pampered even though we're being gouged of our souls, both spiritually and emotionally.

So let's bring back a bit of truth and beauty to this world and start accepting things that we don't want to hear, whether words or music."

Series: November 2012 Thoughts (Infringement, School and Research

"I'm really learning a lot about infringement of another's life and space. In order for you yourself to have the space to grow and create and just be yourself, you often need to either shut others out, or have no one tell you what you need to do, unless asked.

The funny thing is, as I'm starting to shed the old skin of forcing EVERYTHING down people's throats, and yes I do admit to that, I'm beginning to really understand why it was so annoying to do so. We should just all learn to step back and let things take its place unless you understand the other party enough to say something, and have earned the trust of that person." - 2nd November

 "When you start uncovering a lot of life's secrets, you realise that formal education often doesn't give you what you want and what you need. A lot of things in shared knowledge nowadays are often false, and we are often not equipped with knowledge to empower ourselves.

How do we make sure that the knowledge that we know is actually accurate or useful? It's simple, by looking for evidence in daily life and experimenting yourself. Of course there are some things that can't be tested through this means, but a lot of other things like psychology, and health habits, can be tested on your own personal level.

We should just open our minds up and see what are the truly meaningful and useful things for our lives, and always check if what we're learning is actually true for us." - 3rd November

"Even for Gaffer Tape, a bugger like me will do a lot of research just to find out what's the best, which one to use etc....

Should we be doing this for everything in our lives? =X" - 5th November

Quote 1

"Accept, enjoy and love life as broken and as ugly as it is. It is beautiful because of the grit and the pain." - Seow Yi Zhe

Taking Ownership

"There are always going to be naysayers and bad "authorities" because whenever you create something new, most people will say "No, that's stupid" and never tell you anything constructive.

Our best bet is working on our own terms and in our own way to the very best we can, and take in all truly constructive and objective feedback to grow, sometimes even subjective feedback which can help you.

Most importantly, we should go for things which we do because we love to, not because others tell us to. At the end of the day we are the one truly taking the consequences of our actions, not others. At least we would've tried our very best to be the best that we can be. That's the true way of reaching success."

The NEED to Chill

"The reason why you should/need to be chill is not because it is bad to be judgmental; rather it is because your natural state of joy is being hindered by the need for judgement.

It is not about toleration, keeping quiet, or suppressing your opinions either, because it is about true acceptance. What is acceptance is viewing reality for what it is and taking it within your stride, and being able to move beyond it.

So rather than saying that being chill is good, and judgmental being the norm, we can view it that judgmental is actually the negative unsteady state that will always trip on itself, and being chill is the normal way of life.

So let's just all be normal, and let go of all the pains of negative interpretation and just enjoy our lives"

Positive VS Negative Person

"A positive person reacts positively even to negative situations.

A negative person reacts negatively even to positive situations.

It is not about what's right or wrong, good or not. It's how you take it in your stride and make the best out of it. Finding fault and feeling victimised is the sure way to stay being a victim"

Youthful Lessons

"Since August 2012:
1. Learn how to set up a business properly and get accounts straight
2. Learn how to deal with people clearly and fairly
3. How to do a multi-channel live recording using purely Analysis Plus and Gecko gear (Pre-Interface) and sorting out all the logistical headaches
4. Find all the good places to buy good equipment to support my gear
5. Learn how to set up a studio
6. Learn what to look for in property
7. Learn to manage money, create receipts and etc
8. Learn BTT for driving
9. Learn how to handle a large collective group artistically and emotionally
10. Learn that I need a lot more space to list down everything I've learned.

Who said you needed a school to learn?"

Writing for Be Movement Inaugural Issue

Till today, it is still an amazing moment when I got my first copy of Be Movement Inaugural Issue while I escaped from a dress rehearsal of a performance held by TTSH nurses.

I can't seem to find the original version of my article because I won't be putting up the final version of it to encourage people to subscribe to Be Movement, but it'll be on this post when I have finally found my posts!

Series: Reality and Acceptance

"Reality hits hard - nothing is more powerful than realising what actually keeps this world working the way it is. Reading up on history only serves to reinforce this idea.

There is a reason why people love the arts - it allows the most beautiful side of humanity to come through. And through that you can create that by having a place where people can share their ideas honestly and without judgement.

Ignorance is truly bliss, but true happiness is from a choice of following your beliefs and never losing hope and never getting jaded. It will forever be a battle to keep one's dreams alive in view of reality, to make use of everything as tools rather than an end in itself, to reach one's true dreams. That's why the arts are so powerful, for it's the championing of this struggle.

Reality, I accept you and take you on with all my heart." - 8th October

"The art of living is about acceptance, yet changing, of reality. We cannot change what we can't accept, because acceptance is the first key of true understanding, and therefore being able to effectively comprehend the true meaning behind any action or norm. If not, one simply just begins a destructive path which leads to laying waste of good systems already in place. It is, at the end of the day, all about balance and patience, because nothing is more powerful than a genuine, well-intended push for change, bit by bit, day by day." - 10th October morning

"When you begin to accept reality, you realise how sheltered you've been and how blind you've been. And the shock of reality is often more painful because nothing in our education was preparing us for it... What's worse is that the more I understand it, the more I realise that we are encouraged to be blind.

What do you do when your eyes open wide, and realise that what you suspected all along was true?" - 10 October Night

Black and White Shelter

"The ones who require the most amount of protection from the real world, and are actually getting plenty of it, are the people who view the world according only to the two extremes: right and wrong.

The world, on its own, exists without our personal judgement. In fact it is more balanced without humans exerting their influence over it. Animals hunt, kill and feed, they get ill, old and they die. Everything exists in a state of balance that just exists as pure reality.

Human nature is actually much the same, we kill animals and plants for food, we kill each other for territory and ideals, we get ill, get old and we die. When we exert and impose on others what is right and wrong, we fail to see the beautiful balance and adaptation each of us go through to stay alive and sane. Sure, some of it is dysfunctional, misguided, and just plain dumb, but is it ever right or wrong?

When we start imposing right or wrong on everything we start to fail to are WHY these things are right/wrong. Those who start imposing often start having problems even living up to their own judgment, and often fail to recognise that they often repeat the same mistakes as the people they judge do... Why is this so? It's because they deny recognition of reality and are blind sided by their own flaws.

That is why there is so much hate: each other only see the other's flaws but not their own. Therefore they keep reflecting their own judgment on each other.

These people, because they cannot handle reality, need all the protection they can get, because if reality ever hits, their worlds will crumble. It is much harder to love the gray than to dichotomise everything. For our own good, we cannot allow ourselves to reflect back the hate to people who judge us, but instead disarm them by giving love back regardless, for through that you both protect them and open them up.

We can all choose to accept reality and work with it, or be forever protected, fearing and judging our very shadows. It is a choice at the end of the day, and that is a beauty of life regardless"