Hear Your Soul

 

Sometimes I find myself caught in the busyness of life, scrambling to complete one task after another only to feel empty and unfulfilled at the end of the day.

 

Sometimes I find myself constantly clouded from the continuous stream of thoughts and incessant chatter that hijack my mind.

 

In the search for more mindful and purposeful living, I turned to meditation.

 

Comparing the mind to a CPU, sitting in silence centered on the breath triggers the shutting down of the unnecessary processes, freeing the RAM for more important applications.

 

Some days, I am able to still the mind rather quickly but on others, the thoughts just sprout uncontrollably like pimples on an adolescent’s face.

 

On days like this, I would use some additional help in the form of meditation apps. My two favourite apps are iSonic Mediation and iSonic EasySleep.

 

iSonic Mediation combines the sounds of nature with calming music which helps me to anchor the mind with ease.

 

 

iSonic EasySleep offers a range of meditative sounds which is claimed to reduce cortisol (stress hormones) levels in your body.

 

I love to put on the ‘summer night’ ambience’ which is the sound of crickets chirping. It bestows on me the calming effect of sitting in nature yet with the security of being indoors.

 

 

For the past month, my JBL speakers have been instrumental in helping me achieve centeredness during meditation. The clean and crisp output greatly enhances the entire experience, transforming my humble room into the different meditative landscapes.

 

 

“Quiet the mind, and the soul will speak.”


Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati,

The 11 Karmic Spaces: Choosing Freedom from the Patterns That Bind You

 

Having the nagging feeling that there’s more to life than what you are going through? Why not give meditation a try?

The Virtual Guitarist

 

While making my rounds to guitar shops searching for a ukulele, I was treated to more than the array of guitars but the different types of people who were trying out the guitars!

 

Then it occurred to me that it would be interesting to come up with an informal classification of the different types of guitarists out there.

 

 

So which type of guitarist are you?

 

With the flourishing of smartphones and tablets, there is now a new type of guitarist – the virtual one. I was first inspired to try virtual guitar-playing after watching this video:

 

 

Recently I found a way to bring virtual guitar-playing to a whole new level!

 

Pairing the phone with my JBL Charge is like plugging the guitar into an amplifier (without the annoying cables!). No EQ, no reverb, but it more than makes up for in tone and sound quality.

 

By coupling to the bluetooth speakers, fiddling with the virtual guitar becomes elevated from casual playing to some serious performing. It sorts of sets the stage for a mini concert:

 

 

     Just shoot for the stars if it feels right

     Just aim for my heart if you feel like

 

Mind blowing~. You’ve gotta try it for yourself.

 

For more info on:

 

1. guitar apps:
http://theappwhisperer.com/2010/11/17/top-10-guitar-iphone-apps/

2. JBL bluetooth speakers:
https://www.facebook.com/JBL

Summer Holiday

 

I am going away for a short trip to Batam!

 

I pride myself to be a light traveller; my packing mantra:

 

     Only the essentials.

 

Maybe it is the NSmen in me; everytime I go on a trip, I will draft a packing list akin to one for mobilisation or in-camp training.

 

 

This time, the decision to bring along my JBL micro wireless is an easy one.

 

Compact and lightweight but heavy in performance, it is an ideal companion for music lovers like me. Travelling light no longer means less enjoyment!

 

Ciao for now. Happy summer holidays!

 

Meanwhile, don’t forget to vote for Chords Haven in the Singapore Blog Awards 2013!

The Simple Pleasures

 

In the good old days where the web wasn’t as world-wide and phones weren’t smart, the radio was a key feature in the growing up years for many people.

 

The nights spent listening to the random playlist of songs and the mindless chattering of the DJ; and the excitement that grips you when your favourite songs come up. All that seems so trivial now.

 

Do you remember <音乐日记>?

 

Hosted by 灵芝 & later 佩芬, each episode features a moving story that tugs at your heart strings through the emotive narration and the infusion of matching songs.

 

     那时我们被困在路边世界不过是一个小小屋檐

     你说如果雨一直下到明天我们就厮守到永远

     [音乐日记 opening song: 范曉萱 - Rain]

 

There’s also <大头芬的世界> which features the stories of a girl nicknamed 大头芬 and her quirky friends 大奶彬, 阿Toot, 天才庆, from secondary school till university. The stories can still be found at: datoufen.blogspot.com.

 

With the introduction of mp3 and youtube, listening to the local radio station becomes more of a nostalgic activity.

 

 

There are the nights where I would turn on the halogen lamp, stream 93.3 on my iPhone through the bluetooth speakers (I no longer have a radio in my room), and regress into the simple and rudimentary pleasures of listening to the radio.

 

When was the last time you did that?