Archive for November, 2007

Nightwish; Anyone into Symphonic power metal?

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , on November 11, 2007 by mdjasrie

I was browsing in HMV the other day, just to keep myself updated in the music world. There were a number of new albums released by all the big mega music artist. It wasnt till i was sampling through an album, created by a Finnish band and it sold me through and through. I bought the album within 15 minutes of listening to them.

I knew nothing of this group till i listened to their tracks. The band’s name is called Nightwish. Its a Finnish symphonic power metal group. Huh? What did you say? Symphonic power metal group?  Even i was surprised at this unique categorization of Nightwish. But amazingly, it was something new to me, and thus i find it really unique. Imagine infusing heavy metal with an orchestra. Thats the whole essence of Nightwish. And it works for me, because i find their compositions really great. The band has a male and female lead vocalist, very much like Evenescence, kind of band members. Adding to the fact that they arent an American or British group, and that they sound really great regardless, i just had to give Nightwish their support. They arent that big worldwide, but i can see that they are making a presence. While i was there, it was #18 on the HMV pop/rock charts, so i guess even though not much is known about the band, at least when people stumble upon it, they find it good. I like the fact that is not about the reputation, but rather whether they can make good music or not.

And i think its worth getting the album. It has 2 cds inside. The first being the music itself, while the second one is the instrumental version of the first cd. So essentially you can enjoy the music without the vocals and its great to hear. It almost sounds like a epic movie soundtrack, which is strange because you cant associate the music to any movie, yet it feels like a movie soundtrack.

To give you a sample, you can listen to the first track entitled, Bye Bye Beautiful, and  the second track, Amaranth.

Its great to discover new music.

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Heroes Graphic Novel Vol 1 OUT!

Posted in Uncategorized with tags on November 11, 2007 by mdjasrie

Ecstatic is all i can say. I am a huge fan of the hit series Heroes. Got the R1 season DVDs from Amazon and im watching season 2 every week through BT downloads even as i type this. The tour was a let down though when they arrived in Singapore as one of the worldwide tour in promoting the show. It was awfully short. However im pleasantly surprised to see that many fans coming over at Vivocity the other day just to support some of the actors who were here. Namely Hiro Nakamura, Dr Suresh, Greg, and Nicky Sanders were all there. Of all, Im grateful for having Hiro come to Singapore.

With that being said, i finally got my hands on the graphic novel. Over 30 short stories about the heroes featured in the TV show. Each short story showcases a little bit more about the characters and are side stories in between episodes of the first season. I havent finished read it yet, but from what ive read so far, its really good. It provides a good filling to the already awesome tv show. Its a must get for any Heroes fan and it will look great on your coffee table of bookshelf.

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Fieldcamp over!

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , on November 10, 2007 by mdjasrie

Finally the fieldcamp, which is the highlight of BMT is finally over. Having gone through 6 days outfield, with the last 3 being the most miserable days of my life, ive managed to survived the ordeal. Now with a 4 days break starting on Deepavali, i had the time to start blogging.

Alot of things happened in BMT, both good and bad. Its been an experience, and being myself, an experience i will not forget and will not want to go through again. Its been challenging both physically and mentally and this break is a much deserved one. Im grateful that i was not slated for any regimental or extra guard duties during this precious 4 day break.

With BMT i dont have a lot of time in my hands to do the things i wanted and thus i find that time is very precious to me. BMT truly has taught me to appreciate the small things in life. If im not wrong this would be the 7th week in BMT. Just a little more before i POP.

Just to update on myself:

I havent been able to watch that many animes nowadays, though i have bought a number of original R1 anime DVDs, namely Mushishi and Samurai 7. There are both great products. Im planning to get Noein, Suzumiya Haruhi and possibly Beck and Full Metal Panic TSR in the future. But currently im putting my purchases on hold and focus on buying mangas and comics instead. These include Ex Machina, a new series im collecting by the famed Brian K Vaughan, Fell by Warren Ellis.

I went to HMV yesterday to have a look around at some of the latest album. I came across this unique Finnish Symphonic Rock band and i really like their music. The band is called Nightwish and they have a pretty good female vocalist, somewhat similar in the direct of Evenescence. You guys should check out their album. Ill give a more detailed review later.

While in camp i managed to keep a log of my experience on a notebook, but ive yet to transfer them digitally here. Now im a little hesitant on whether i should transfer them or not due to personal reasons and the length of texts in which i have transfer. Since i havent been updating it regularly, the number of entries have been piling up. Sadly though most of them are undated, but they are in chronological order when written. Maybe ill transfer them when i have finished BMT.

Thats it for now.

Oh by the way, I’ve watched this awesome Anime movie, Tekkon Kinkreet and i heard that the animation has been submitted for the 80th Annual Oscar animation nonimation. That must be big news for the people who worked on the project. I really appreciate the efforts put into making this visually incredible piece of animation. It would be nice if they are nominated. However, they are in for a tough fight with big contenders like Shrek 3, Rataouille, and Beowulf. Well best luck to them.

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