In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.
Hi there, my beautiful young Julia. How are you feeling today? I'm suddenly tired for some reason, I had to take a nap before I could write this letter. It's been raining everyday, so the weather is nice and cool. I just finished the backup vocals for "Dragonfly", and am about to mix them down. They're not perfect, but I could always computerize them, or if that fails, I'll just do them again. But making music with a computer is much easier than it was 15 years ago, when all I had was a 4 track cassette recorder. Oh, yuck! I don't know if you are familiar with the technology, but it doesn't matter, Those days are over, thank God!
In case you didn't know, long ago cassette tapes were common before the advent of compact discs, which was before hard drives, which was before flash memory. It's hard to say that optical drives are better than hard drives are better than flash memory, but all of the above are better than cassette tapes. Generally when you listen to music, you are aware of 2 tracks: the left and the right, for your left ear and your right ear. A 4 track allows one to add maybe another voice or a guitar to those left and right tracks, and you could put those new tracks on the left, or the right, or the middle, or in between. Of course, you could start from scratch and record guitar, bass, drums, and vocals, and arrange their position relative to your 2 ears. Back when, the big record companies had 48 track machines in their studios, and they used 2 inch reel to reel tapes. Which obviously made time in the studio very expensive, added to the many more walls available in a studio as opposed to a bedroom. Therefore the cost of making and selling recorded music is what drove many a musician into slavery. Of course this cost is offset by sales and royalties from public performances (radio, TV, etc.) but few artistes are able to garner and maintain mass exposure.
The inventors of computers didn't know they were creating a monster, but they did, and their work was and is rapidly compounded by others. So really, God is the One who created the monster, which currently resides on your cell phone, which could probably be configured as a recording studio. This new technology quickly made the old ways obsolete, and now anyone with a cell phone can be a radio or TV producer. Down with the oppressive media moguls. Truly the Grace of God is for only God to administer to whomever God wills, and is out of reach from the willpower of humans.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Monday, November 26, 2012
Letter to Julia 20121127
In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.
Hi Julia, my beautiful and precious love. It's almost the end of the year, huh? How time flies, and it's coming to the 4th year since I first proposed to you. I don't remember exactly when, you probably know better than me exactly when, I think it was sometime after February 2009. Well, I'm still game, because I mean it, Julia. I love you, and I want to marry you. I have chosen you for my wife, and I am committed to our marriage.
And I have been waiting all these years for Allah to grant me the means to marry you. I want to give you a good married life, and not my poverty, that is why I wait. I believe Allah will bring us together InsyaAllah, so please pray with me.
I'm not a priest Julia, I'm just an ordinary person trying to be faithful, to God and to you. There is no priesthood in Islam: the imams you see are generally elected officials. God didn't create the priesthood and monasticism: humans did. But there are certainly some sincere servants of God among the many priests.
Hi Julia, my beautiful and precious love. It's almost the end of the year, huh? How time flies, and it's coming to the 4th year since I first proposed to you. I don't remember exactly when, you probably know better than me exactly when, I think it was sometime after February 2009. Well, I'm still game, because I mean it, Julia. I love you, and I want to marry you. I have chosen you for my wife, and I am committed to our marriage.
And I have been waiting all these years for Allah to grant me the means to marry you. I want to give you a good married life, and not my poverty, that is why I wait. I believe Allah will bring us together InsyaAllah, so please pray with me.
I'm not a priest Julia, I'm just an ordinary person trying to be faithful, to God and to you. There is no priesthood in Islam: the imams you see are generally elected officials. God didn't create the priesthood and monasticism: humans did. But there are certainly some sincere servants of God among the many priests.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Letter to Julia 20121126
In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.
Hello my beautiful young Julia. How are you feeling today? I pray you are healthy and happy. I just had steak and fried rice, which was really rich and filling. Are you hungry? Do you want some? Perhaps you would join me for dinner sometime.
Oh, I'm so lazy, Julia. I just want to laze around all day, and snuggle with you. You are so beautiful, my love. I have completely lost my desire to tour, like a normal singer would do. Perhaps they should build an airport here at the kampung, so I can gig at the airport. I'm a disgrace to the word "rock star". I don't want to tour, I don't want to be photographed or do interviews, I don't like parties, I don't smoke, drink or do drugs, I don't have any tattoos, I don't want to slut around, I don't want to worship the devil... everybody else in my business is such a conservative fuddy-duddy. I am the rebel.
Hello my beautiful young Julia. How are you feeling today? I pray you are healthy and happy. I just had steak and fried rice, which was really rich and filling. Are you hungry? Do you want some? Perhaps you would join me for dinner sometime.
Oh, I'm so lazy, Julia. I just want to laze around all day, and snuggle with you. You are so beautiful, my love. I have completely lost my desire to tour, like a normal singer would do. Perhaps they should build an airport here at the kampung, so I can gig at the airport. I'm a disgrace to the word "rock star". I don't want to tour, I don't want to be photographed or do interviews, I don't like parties, I don't smoke, drink or do drugs, I don't have any tattoos, I don't want to slut around, I don't want to worship the devil... everybody else in my business is such a conservative fuddy-duddy. I am the rebel.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Letter to Julia 20121124
In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.
Hi Julia, my beloved! How is the most beautiful girl in the world feeling today? Yes, you are the most beautiful girl in the world to me. I pray you are feeling healthy and confident, and you are slowing down.
Everyone's a reporter nowadays, don't you agree? Maybe someone took a snapshot of some celebrity with their cell phone while pretending to dial a number, then posted it on their Facebook page with a little report on the circumstance. It is annoying, but there's the crowd for you. On the plus side, it makes them more current and exclusive than the media corporations. It sort of makes those large media groups redundant, going to the point of unnecessary and archaic. Slow moving dinosaurs! My excuse is that I'm too lazy to conform to the vile expectations of the entertainment business. I've never had much love for the press, especially the big clunkers. The press has less foresight than politicians. They think they can intimidate me with irrelevant headlines. Guess what? I put MY fear in Allah! They can't grasp that? It's not my fault that they have no faith. Let them publish a report on something as redundant as themselves, like K-pop and the Billboard charts.
I have decided not to grant anyone an interview except for publications (not reporters) that have interviewed Shadowplay before, back when we were a 3 piece band consisting of Andre, Terry and me in Salt Lake City 1995. Maybe I might place a few ads here and there, if it's not a waste of money. And these love letters to my sweetie Julia are the closest thing everyone is going to get to an autobiography. They're going to publish lies anyway, so why even bother. I put my trust in Allah.
Hi Julia, my beloved! How is the most beautiful girl in the world feeling today? Yes, you are the most beautiful girl in the world to me. I pray you are feeling healthy and confident, and you are slowing down.
Everyone's a reporter nowadays, don't you agree? Maybe someone took a snapshot of some celebrity with their cell phone while pretending to dial a number, then posted it on their Facebook page with a little report on the circumstance. It is annoying, but there's the crowd for you. On the plus side, it makes them more current and exclusive than the media corporations. It sort of makes those large media groups redundant, going to the point of unnecessary and archaic. Slow moving dinosaurs! My excuse is that I'm too lazy to conform to the vile expectations of the entertainment business. I've never had much love for the press, especially the big clunkers. The press has less foresight than politicians. They think they can intimidate me with irrelevant headlines. Guess what? I put MY fear in Allah! They can't grasp that? It's not my fault that they have no faith. Let them publish a report on something as redundant as themselves, like K-pop and the Billboard charts.
I have decided not to grant anyone an interview except for publications (not reporters) that have interviewed Shadowplay before, back when we were a 3 piece band consisting of Andre, Terry and me in Salt Lake City 1995. Maybe I might place a few ads here and there, if it's not a waste of money. And these love letters to my sweetie Julia are the closest thing everyone is going to get to an autobiography. They're going to publish lies anyway, so why even bother. I put my trust in Allah.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Letter to Julia 20121122
In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.
Hey Julia, my love. Assalamu'alaikum. How's it going today? I pray you are healthy and confident, for I love you. Sigh. I apologize if it seems that I leave a trail of destruction in my wake. But it's not really me, I'm just a servant. I can't raise the dead, I can't distort time and the weather, I can't bend probabilities. Allah is the One who does that. Perhaps Allah has granted me a little bit of strength to go with this chimp-like body, but strength will fade like beauty. Whatever strength I have, I will use to look after you and our loved ones. InsyaAllah.
Again, if you are in a hurry to be married to me, please know that this little house needs at least a bathroom for you, the doorways need to be made taller, and we could probably convert the living room into a bedroom. And regardless of how much money we have, you will have to put up with this little house for a little time, while we work out legal and land issues. I believe it best to be patient, and wait until Allah grants me my own wealth so I can help contribute financially to our family. Please pray that it be soon, and that my loneliness doesn't cause a massive disaster in the meantime.
Hey Julia, my love. Assalamu'alaikum. How's it going today? I pray you are healthy and confident, for I love you. Sigh. I apologize if it seems that I leave a trail of destruction in my wake. But it's not really me, I'm just a servant. I can't raise the dead, I can't distort time and the weather, I can't bend probabilities. Allah is the One who does that. Perhaps Allah has granted me a little bit of strength to go with this chimp-like body, but strength will fade like beauty. Whatever strength I have, I will use to look after you and our loved ones. InsyaAllah.
Again, if you are in a hurry to be married to me, please know that this little house needs at least a bathroom for you, the doorways need to be made taller, and we could probably convert the living room into a bedroom. And regardless of how much money we have, you will have to put up with this little house for a little time, while we work out legal and land issues. I believe it best to be patient, and wait until Allah grants me my own wealth so I can help contribute financially to our family. Please pray that it be soon, and that my loneliness doesn't cause a massive disaster in the meantime.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Letter to Julia 20121121
In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.
Hi there Julia, my beloved young wife. InsyaAllah. How are you feeling today? I hope you are pacing yourself, and trying to slow down. Yesterday, I took Bat Cat to the vet for a deworming shot, then I had lunch with my parents. For dinner, I slow grilled a fish. It was a torpedo scad, which is perfect for grilling because of the thick skin. It wasn't one of those monster sized fish, but this one weighed in at about .6 kilo, so I am quite full right now. I sauteed the liver and roe in the butter I used for basting and dipping. Oh yeah. I like fish roe that is undeveloped, where the eggs cannot be separated, a creamy texture if you will. Tasted creamy, too.
I have to admit that I am wary of our business being so dominant in our marriage, but it's too late now. And throughout history, marriage and business has always been as one. How could they have found time for love? But they did, and I do love you, my Julia. How could I not, you are so beautiful. I don't have a vision how Victoria's Secret be involved in our wedding. Obviously, people can't be half-naked. It will be an Islamic marriage after all. Therein the complexity and depth of our marriage: Europe + USA + Islam + Asia, set in the Malaysian countryside. Would it be a "normal" marriage? Perhaps not, but insyaAllah we should have the power to make everyone else conform to our schedule. So please learn how to slow down.
I question the wisdom of pushing a fashion show out of the context of displaying clothes as merchandise available for sale. After all, that's how the show became popular in the beginning, right? Today, the lingerie seems haute couture, which is great if you're rich and eccentric. Trying to better ourselves every time is commendable, but human creativity is limited, in spite of what our egos say. It is inevitable that the quality and attractiveness of the show will flatline, and that's when corruption and ugliness take over. It's like a large country with a large population getting bigger and bigger, where the rich get richer while the poor become more numerous, will eventually resort to aggression to satisfy its needs. A show, in order not to become boring, will eventually resort to sacrificing its dignity and humanity. Once we run out of the world's most beautiful women, what's left is a skankfest. And nothing destroys beauty faster than corruption.
Hi there Julia, my beloved young wife. InsyaAllah. How are you feeling today? I hope you are pacing yourself, and trying to slow down. Yesterday, I took Bat Cat to the vet for a deworming shot, then I had lunch with my parents. For dinner, I slow grilled a fish. It was a torpedo scad, which is perfect for grilling because of the thick skin. It wasn't one of those monster sized fish, but this one weighed in at about .6 kilo, so I am quite full right now. I sauteed the liver and roe in the butter I used for basting and dipping. Oh yeah. I like fish roe that is undeveloped, where the eggs cannot be separated, a creamy texture if you will. Tasted creamy, too.
I have to admit that I am wary of our business being so dominant in our marriage, but it's too late now. And throughout history, marriage and business has always been as one. How could they have found time for love? But they did, and I do love you, my Julia. How could I not, you are so beautiful. I don't have a vision how Victoria's Secret be involved in our wedding. Obviously, people can't be half-naked. It will be an Islamic marriage after all. Therein the complexity and depth of our marriage: Europe + USA + Islam + Asia, set in the Malaysian countryside. Would it be a "normal" marriage? Perhaps not, but insyaAllah we should have the power to make everyone else conform to our schedule. So please learn how to slow down.
I question the wisdom of pushing a fashion show out of the context of displaying clothes as merchandise available for sale. After all, that's how the show became popular in the beginning, right? Today, the lingerie seems haute couture, which is great if you're rich and eccentric. Trying to better ourselves every time is commendable, but human creativity is limited, in spite of what our egos say. It is inevitable that the quality and attractiveness of the show will flatline, and that's when corruption and ugliness take over. It's like a large country with a large population getting bigger and bigger, where the rich get richer while the poor become more numerous, will eventually resort to aggression to satisfy its needs. A show, in order not to become boring, will eventually resort to sacrificing its dignity and humanity. Once we run out of the world's most beautiful women, what's left is a skankfest. And nothing destroys beauty faster than corruption.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Letter to Julia 20121119
In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.
Hello there, my beautiful, beloved Julia. You are the most beautiful girl in the world to me, you are all I could ever dream of in a girl, I love you, and I want to marry you. I'm sorry for poking fun at your half-naked friends. Well no, I guess I'm not really sorry, because I want to marry YOU, not them. So I don't care if they think I'm a jerk. It's YOU who I love, not them. It's YOU who I want to spend the rest of my life and afterlife with, not them. I love you Julia, YOU are my heart and soul, not your half-naked friends.
So I suppose I'll be switching back to the Sailor Moon marathon on Shadowplay TV. But I want to help your bosses a little by looping the Victoria's Secret fashion show until I see the latest show. Because you are MY girl, and your bosses belong to YOU. For none of us are truly independent, all human works will crumble, and we all rely on Allah.
Hello there, my beautiful, beloved Julia. You are the most beautiful girl in the world to me, you are all I could ever dream of in a girl, I love you, and I want to marry you. I'm sorry for poking fun at your half-naked friends. Well no, I guess I'm not really sorry, because I want to marry YOU, not them. So I don't care if they think I'm a jerk. It's YOU who I love, not them. It's YOU who I want to spend the rest of my life and afterlife with, not them. I love you Julia, YOU are my heart and soul, not your half-naked friends.
So I suppose I'll be switching back to the Sailor Moon marathon on Shadowplay TV. But I want to help your bosses a little by looping the Victoria's Secret fashion show until I see the latest show. Because you are MY girl, and your bosses belong to YOU. For none of us are truly independent, all human works will crumble, and we all rely on Allah.
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