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[artivanchew]

What is SG culture? (A pretentious poem)

What is SG culture?

It's a lot of Ks and Cs: It's kia-si, kia-su, kia-sai, Formed by the years of chasing the Cs: cash, cars, careers, condos

Resulting in citizens Who are kam-gong, kiam-pah; Top notch Complain Kings and Queens Class-conscious cockanathans Who kao-peh about CPF over their kopi-C, Constrained in concrete confines, Lamenting:

Why cannot chew gum Why CTE still got congestion Why got casino Why need caning Why everything so costly?

But

Even as there are loud cowards, There are the quietly courageous;

Those who, in spite of challenges like covid-19 Remain considerate and compassionate

The kind who will keep Their cool and offer comfort; Our compatriots In calm or crisis.

- Chew, I.

[artivanchew]

4As - Know what others expect; then moderate what we expect of ourselves

"Work anxiety has not helped."

That line from a friend prompted this little essay. These are hardly original thoughts, btw. Mainly bits and pieces inspired by other readings.

***

Our capacity to invent stress is infinite because it's the same capacity that let us imagine the future and possibilities.

If it's not work stress at our workplace, it's stress at home. If work goes well, I could be stressed about something at home. If all is well with my spouse and I, there's my elderly parents to consider. If life is really comfortable, I may wonder if something bad will happen soon.

You get the idea.

Work stress is inevitably because work forms such a substantial part of our lives. I figured it arises from:

- Our expectations of what we think others expect of us;

- What we expect of ourselves

You could say it boils down to just one thing: how we reconcile those expectations.

The hard part is being able to temper our expectations by exercising humility, patience, and courage while still giving our best.

You could say it's 4 As: Awareness, Acceptance, Action, (conscious about) Avoidance.

Which is a sexy of saying, "Know what others expect of us; and then moderate what we expect of ourselves".

Saying "It doesn't matter what others think" by itself isn't the solution, as it may be self-delusion. What others think will always matter to most of us because we live in a society. Few of us can keep sane living as hermits.

Our expectations are the obstacle. If we say, "It's ok that I work as a [occupation with lower pay/status]", do we truly feel it's ok?

If it was OK most of us would've just quit our jobs and go for that alternative one that we think will be less stressful.

We don't because society expects people of certain education, experience, age, backgrounds to take up certain jobs. Or certain jobs have a ready-made social classification attached to it.

We may not mind but can we also say the same of our spouses/kids/parents? Our job choices matter to them as well. It's still down to expectations.

Is there no way out?

The answer to me, at this stage, is really to "Just do our best" knowing that others have expectations, just as we do for ourselves.

If that's our best and we aren't happy with it, beat ourselves up mentally. It's only human and in some ways a necessity. It means we want to improve and we know we can do better.

So beat ourselves up a little but move on with humility.

This doesn't mean telling our boss/clients/staff, "This is my best. I'm sorry I can't do anything about it."

When I say humility, I mean accepting that as we acknowledge that may not have met expectations at that point, we still take action as needed (whether it's to admit our shortcoming, or just keep quiet and move on). To do that requires us to be aware of what our expectations are saying to us, knowing what we may be avoiding just to cope, and the consequences of our choices.

It's complex of course.

Perhaps the 4As won't make you, my friend, sleep any better. In really bad situations, I can't either. But I think it helped me understand why I cannot sleep, and awareness/understanding of what troubles us does lend some comfort when we face uncertainties.

The line between self-delusion and (for want of a better word) enlightenment is Awareness. Then Acceptance is a way to allow us to take Action, rather than Avoidance.

Some people find peace by avoidance, but that's temporary. Peace is more permanent through acceptance of our faults and having the humility to correct our faults.

True acceptance requires courage.

[artivanchew]

Poem: Trickle

Joggers in the distance

Make me contemplate

the impermanence of youth

.

I'm accompanied by the song

that water makes whilst it flows from

narrow pavement to wide Long Kang

.

The heavens tell me to go home

With streaks of light, warning;

Although that may not be the sky

but the call of a faulty lamp post next to where I sit

.

(Though surely, lamp posts

Do not rumble, do they?)

.

Distant karaoke revellers croon

Belting out other people's melodies,

Amplifying to their hearts content

In a bid to postpone Tomorrow

[artivanchew]

[Purpose + Meaning] x [Perspective + Attitude] = Happiness.

Perspective & Attitude: accepting that life is about managing adversities rather than avoiding them absolutely. The former is a skill that can be cultivated; the latter a mere illusion.

[artivanchew]

Installation art? Nah. Just a work-in-progress of a planter bench in the making. Salvaged from discarded pine pallet.

[artivanchew]

Review: Lunarin's 2018 "Into The Ether"

I wrote this mostly as a visceral blow-by-blow account, as I Iistened to Lunarin's 2018 three-song album. Using earphones that came with an old phone (i.e. pretty cheapo), playing on my mobile phone.

First track: "Rage".

The sound -- their sound -- it is (still) good. And this is on cheapo earpieces. The mix and mastering is top notch: punchy drums, fat driven guitars, familiar vocals.

Same but different.

More mellow? Chill?

Wah, is that an F-word in track 1? (Reads the PDF 'sleeve'). Yes, I heard right. Even so, there's something non-threatening in the way it's used/ sung. Like hearing a statement made. There is no finger (at least how I see it).

Track 2 now: "Bruises".

For some reason, listening to Track 2 reminded me of the first time I heard Def Leppard. Not that they sound like Def Leppard. It's that feel upon hearing a melody that connects with you. It's personal.

Track 2 grows on me. Sounds like a ballad. It gets more and more melodic as the song progresses. Works very well as number 2 (would have been too slow a tempo as track 1; perfect as the middle track). Lunarin knows what they are doing.

Ok, track 3: "The Flood".

Drums. Guitars. Vocals. I am picturing an MTV in my mind. Goosebumps. It has become my favourite for the moment.

Track 3 sounds the closest to the Lunarin that gave SG and the world The Chrysalis. Maybe because it's darker (but not bleak).

And then it ends.

Three tracks.

Too short. Yet enough. In the way an author knows when to stop a story and leave you wanting more.

I'm playing the album again.

This is a much more mature and refined Lunarin. They are older but the sound isn't old.

Same yet different.

More confident, more melodic than I remember. Sounding strong without having to shout. A band who knows what they want, now.

They have become better storytellers.

I like.

[artivanchew]

Do what we can, until we cannot. Then do something else.

Me

[artivanchew]

Selfish

Everyone wanted to get home.

We stood as comrades in our commute,

United in our impatience.

Although once we secured ourselves a place

Within the carriage, we instantly turned blind

To those

Still on the outside.

[artivanchew]

When you're in the mood to paint, you just have to paint. It helps to have nice reference photos, to which I have my fellow creative to thank (ref photo credit: KW Seah).

Lifted colours off to get the soft highlights on the features.

The initial wash turned out to be too yellow/ green. Nearing the end of the painting, I realised the bright lemon yellow/ green clashed with the predominantly brown. Rescued it with a warmer orange wash/ splash of colour -- it's an exercise in artistic license, but that's always been my style.

[artivanchew]

Visited our National Gallery to catch the Lim Cheng Hoe exhibition. Really inspiring. So much so that I picked up the brush and whacked one out. The calm side of me says, "Not too bad, the idea is there; needs more practice". The impatient side shouts, "Needs more practice!!!"

And, with the exhibition fresh in my mind, I'm reminded of how the late Mr Lim Cheng Hoe honed his craft through decades.

The exhibition ends 9 Jun 2019. https://www.nationalgallery.sg/exhibitions/lim-cheng-hoe-painting-singapore

[artivanchew]

No guarantees that we'll reap what we sow.

But almost guaranteed that we won't reap what we don't sow.

[artivanchew]

Here

A: I'm on the way.

B: Ok see u. I'm also on the way.

A: I'm here.

B: I'm here too. But our 'here' are quite different. And mine is gradually approaching yours.

A: Awesome. Take your time then. I'm always here.

[artivanchew]

#ShitISay #musings What if we'd been inculcated from young that wealth is measured with physical and mental health, rather than money and material? Would it make our society any different?

Where our ability is measured by how we live a purposeful and sustainable life based on what we possess -- rather than our rankings in race to possess or consume titles and things.

That education is a means to an end, rather than the end itself. How would the business of education appear, and would it even be a business?

What if we were taught to treat ourselves well so that we can treat others better? And not merely stop at the first.

[artivanchew]

Made a spoken-poetry music track from remixing vocals/ words by (ccmixter user) MissJudged.

[artivanchew]

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[artivanchew]

Completed the fret leveling and fret end filing. Final neck carving touch ups with cabinet scrapers (very useful indeed). Will leave the neck with just wax polish. Feels better without lacquer on the neck.

[artivanchew]

Test-fitting. Headstock carving done. Next: Final touch ups to the neck and headstock, installing the pickups. Hopefully it will find a suitable owner.