mongchacha

just testing out this application :)
if you didn’t know, I got myself an iPhone a little over a week ago and have been having a blast (a few quibbles here and there) using it!

here’s a photo just for the sake of testing out this app. I just took this from inside a starbucks. it’s my bike and it’s very difficult to steal…especially with me sitting in plain sight of it!

will update more later!

(click on the links to see the craigslist posting)

1. first generation pedaltrain

2. boss PSM-5

3. orange crush 15R

i really couldn’t believe this when i read it.
steven curtis chapman’s youngest daughter was killed in an accident on wednesday.

just to give you a little background, steven curtis chapman has been in the christian music scene for just about 2 decades now. the ministry of his music and his life has impacted people all over the world.

personally for me, it was his music that sorta broke me away from all the classical music i used to listen to. i hate to admit that at some point in my life i felt that i had “graduated” from his music and moved on to “better” things. but i find that these days, when i listen to his music it moves me just the same, if not more. recently his ministry has been very active in a place that holds a special place in my heart - china. three (one of them, maria) of his 6 children were actually adopted from china. i really have nothing but respect for this man.

i know for many of us, christian or not, there’s comfort in believing that “everything happens for a reason.” but i’ll be honest in saying that i find it kinda hard to just say that and feel better about it all. i still whole-heartedly believe it’s true, but i really wonder what God’s reasoning is for this. of course whether that reason is ever revealed doesn’t matter. i guess it just goes to show how finite i am and how much i just need to have faith.

there’s a lot going on in this world. and as bad as it all is, i’d be scared to death if God wasn’t behind it all.

here’s a short clip of maria.

on this beautiful saturday, becca and i set off to rockland county to fly her new kite! why not central park, you ask? i don’t know, just didn’t wanna go there.

below are two pretty cool pics of us taking turns. it’s hard to see in these thumbnails, but the kite and the kite flyer are on opposite corners of the picture.

here are some videos of our first attempts >>>

Kite day - Becca’s attempt from mongchacha on Vimeo.

Kite day - My attempt from mongchacha on Vimeo.

take a look at this vintage marvel
(click to see larger, in case you’re new to the internets).

this is the sony D-25s discman. i acquired this old piece of technology years ago on ebay simply based on its sleek looks. for a few years now, it’s been at my parents’ place in “my” room (it’s really just wear i stay when i’m there), hooked up to a simple 3-piece speaker set. recently i became curious and decided to google the model # of this discman (as they were formerly called) and was surprised at what i found out.

The D-25 portable CD player is regarded by many as one of the best portable CD player ever made for sound quality. Its construction is superb and is made almost entirely of metal. Not like the cheap players of today. This player was made circa 1989 and has the audiophile coveted 4X over sampling that offers incredibly detailed and smooth sound. The headphone out will drive even the most demanding headphones with ease and the line out when paired with a nice headphone amp offers the most liquid midrange and taught accurate base. The D25s has a strong headphone out and a true Line Out on the back of the unit.

awesome! click here if you’re interested in finding out more.

on a related note, have you listened to CD’s lately? with my mp3 players being my main source for portable media entertainment (and before that, MD players), i’ve somewhat abandoned CD’s. but with the discovery of this little treasure of a discman that i own, i’ve recently started to listen to them again. and i must say, there is a noticeable difference in quality. try it out. but remember, what you hear is only going to be as good as your speakers or headphones.

going to the Airport is still somewhat of an exciting thing for me.
last night, my parents came back from their trip to australia/china/hk.

Parents are back! from mongchacha on Vimeo.

even though the wait sorta isn’t that fun, it’s still nice to see their heads finally pop out of that door.
i think my dad’s looking funnier and funnier…

Brown Bears - Six Flags Safari from mongchacha on Vimeo.

becca was very happy at the safari.
happy becca = happy simon
it’s math, yo.

i’ll admit, this may be one of the stupidest reasons to not like an effects pedal.
but i really don’t like Line6’s line of stompboxes. to me, they’re aesthetically displeasing.

i mean, look at that! stupid!
what are those ridges on the corners? just a lot of curves and corners done in a very distasteful fashion. dumb yo.

and look at this.

silly, man. power ranger fan for sure.
and the choice of type face. boring.

of course the sound holds precedence when it comes to deciding which pedals are keepers, but if they’re as ugly as Line6’s pedals, i’ll look elsewhere. i guess i’m weird like that. i think boss did it right the first time with the DS-1. their stompbox design has remained the same - for the most part - since its inception in ‘78. the other way to go would be the boutique look; a simple rectangle of a casing with the bare switch(es) showing. i like that.

here are some good-looking pedals >>>

some boutique-y pedals in the foreground and some in the back with a more concealed switching mechanism.

a true work of art, in my opinion. it also sounds as good as it looks.

here’s one i picked up on ebay that’s discontinued. my first impression was that it was very industrial. all those bolts (screws) might have something to do with that.

well, there you go. a very useless, but necessary, post on effects pedal design. :)