Decluttering.

A gloomy week has come and gone. With that, people are slowly letting go and moving on with their lives. Along with the mood of recovering mourners, I am going to make an effort to impact my life too.

I have a confession to make.

This is about turning 30, and realizing that after all these years of bumming around different towns, I know myself a little better. Not enough to know what I am, perhaps just enough to know what I’m not.

Unlike my dad, who has a penchant for hoarding all sorts of stuff, I am making a conscious effort to let go. I am decluttering. A cleaner house leads to clarity in thinking. I have been hoarding 30 years of paraphernalia that will make shifting houses a veritable nightmare even for professional movers.

It’s time to declutter. For a fresh start, to work with only what I need.

In this post you will see 30 years’ worth of forsaken dreams for sale. I am saying goodbye to a copious amount of personal effects that made me think that I was, but I have yet to become. For all those nights of fantasizing that an electric guitar in my possession will make me a rock star on stage, that having a video camera in hand will fashion me into Ridley Scott or Martin Scorsese sauntering up on his way to pick up another Academy award for my visionary direction.

As you pick and choose items from my collection to fit in yours, may it help you find out who you are in time… The way they did for me. I may reacquire them again later in life, but for now, I am decluttering. You will see updates to this post as I uncover more items from my childhood, until my room is mine once again… Free from the weight of memories. A blank space.

  • A Requiem for Music

Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars, but we won’t. We’re slowly learning that fact. – Tyler Durden

So with that realization, feel free to take over some of these artifacts. My loss is your gain.

Fina Electro-Acoustic Guitar

There is a phase in life where you fancy yourself on stage with an acoustic set up. You got someone playing the shaker. You got someone playing the cajón. You? You’re playing finger style, plucking at the strings with such precision, feeling every note as it comes from deep within you. Good thing your gear can plug into an amp. Or you could be at a barbecue and playing some familiar songs beside an open fire, chilling with friends, without the burden of finding electricity. You will find all that you need to get started on your journey with this semi-acoustic guitar.

  1. Comes with strap for playing while standing;
  2. Turbo winder because life is too short to be wasting time changing strings the slow way;
  3. Pitch tuner to keep your instrument sounding pitch-perfect;
  4. Case to keep your guitar safe from water damage, because Travis often asks the same question;
  5. 9V battery because you can and should plug it into an amp for transforming your room into Timbre;
  6. Capo, because pop songs would all sound the same if not for this tiny but mighty work of wonder by Dunlop;
  7. Extra strings, because you know, I thought I’d be changing the strings weekly like they do when they’re interviewed on MTV;
  8. Couple of picks, because without picks, your strumming may well be a treat for the ants on the wall. ESPECIALLY when playing at BBQs. Can’t keep the damn ants from sneaking past security and attending your concert en-masse for nuts;
  9. Did I mention you get the guitar too, with its solid finishing and all 21 frets on its board in pristine condition? Fret board is slightly dusty… Nothing a little lemon oil won’t fix up.

Get everything you see in the picture in exchange for a bag of silver coins worth $200. Try before you buy at 79 Bedok North Road. Ping me at 8 five 8742 five 9 to see how many offers it’s getting.

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Ibanez RG Electric Solid Body with Jem Jr Headstock (Dr-Manhattan’s-Dong-Blue)

There exists a genre of music that makes the modern-day listener of folk songs to the likes of Death Cab for Cutie, Ed Sheeran, or Passenger cringe hard. The crowd that visits Esplanade for classical concertos may foam at the mouth – their eyes showing only white – upon the very mention of this kind of music. It is suspected to cause die-hard listeners of Britney, Christina and Ariana to curl up and die. That type of music is likely sporting instruments that have sharp edges, a Floyd Rose bridge, and dual pickups also known by its bad-ass name that is the humbucker. Very importantly – it must. Have. A. Leather. Strap. Attached.

Putting all of these together, you get an Ibanez Jem Jr, with all 24 frets so you can hit the higher notes that make the Gibson and Fender models sob uncontrollably at one corner in shame. It’s so bad-ass that the tremolo arm has to be pictured separately from the body, just so you know, Herman Li can’t get to it.

Which other guitar you know comes with an instruction manual that you will never read? I’ll include that in for you anyway. What was that, you want something more useful? Ok, maybe I’ll throw in an Alley key for you to lock in the strings at the neck. Keeps the guitar in tune better when you channel Satriani and his not-of-this-world squealing. Micro-adjustments are done at the bridge with thumb screws that resemble those found on Boss pedals. How do I know? Because I’m selling a whole case of Boss pedals. But you’ll have to read on to see them. Let’s focus on getting your metal band in place with a guitarist that acts the part, but needs the gear to LOOK the part.

Get this guitar for your underground pleasure, right where it came from.

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Everything you see in the picture (and an Allen key not pictured) in exchange for a sack of precious stones worth $250. Try before you buy at 79 Bedok North Road. Ping me at 8 five 8742 five 9 to see how many metal heads have looked but not found. What, there’s more?

Effects & Pedalboard

I remember the story of this pedal board. Met the seller at Temasek Poly, this rather young chap who’s a nice guy. Kinda stocky for his age, but nice. Tells me he bought it but realized he got no time for it. So he sold it on SOFT. What a lad with no determination, I thought to myself. So I got it brand new condition, and have since brought it with me everywhere I go. Jamming, gigging, more jamming. Next thing I know, I’m wishing it will find itself an owner whose passion for electric guitar driven music is burning as bright as if you’re standing under the light of a thousand stars (the electro-acoustic guitar above plays this song really well by the way).

You can install power on it, but I didn’t figure out how. So 4 super damn long screws will come with it so you can figure out in turn how to power the damn thing internally. I use an external power source for this. Pedal board itself comes with soft velcro all over the top part so you can attach pedals that have been velcroed with the hard side to it, except the border. Because borders have to look tough. You have to take it out like you’ll see in the pictures, so the cables can go into the pedals.

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The outer part is of similar build to guitar cases, made of nylon that can probably take rain from kthxbye showers, but not that of Orchard road rains that causes ponding. Comes with 2 zippers so you can let everything meet halfway. Maybe except the recent ties between China and Japan. $60 (SOLD)

Boss Pedals are analog. I only have one regret in life, that is to ever think for a single moment that digital effects can match that of their analog counterparts. The lag time, the hissing sound, the jumping through hoops to balance the treble/bass/mids… The agony! One thing though, I can never really tell if true bypass really is because my ears aren’t sharp as those of the canine family.

  1. DD-6 Digital Delay: Because RHCP’s reverse guitar solo is made by this. And intro to this song by Stefanie Sun – $150 (SOLD)
  2. CH-1 Super Chorus: Dry clean guitar is like dry gin. Gentlemen prefer their drink strong and dry. When you need to bring out the persuasiveness of the fairer sex, you switch the tone over and you turn on the chorus for an immediate sex change operation on the spot. Cut off the… Protruding parts of the sound and bring up some curves. $80
  3. BF-3 Flanger: Don’t think for a moment that because you have a BFF, you won’t have any need for the BF-3. Meeting the wrong people in life is a sure way to knowing when you meet the right one. That kinda feels the same when I acquired this piece for my board. I had the BF-2 but it was too blunt for my liking. The BF-3 allows me to demand more out of my soundscape. $90 (SOLD)
  4. GE-7 Equalizer: Did you see the movie starring Denzel Washington? Me neither, but I heard it’s good. But not “customizing-your-sound-at-seven-variable-points” good. Just buying it for the boost during guitar solos so the leads do not get drowned out by the thunderous drumming and the incessant dumming of the bass was a shut up and take my money moment. $80 (SOLD)
  5. AC-2 Acoustic Simulator: Too many people make this gaffe of mixing up “stimulate” and “simulate”. Once and for all, it simulates the effect of the acoustic guitar, but unless it’s got Kate Upton peddling her goods in front of you, it’s hardly stimulating. 4 types of guitars can be imitated using your electric guitar. It’s like a parrot. Only it parrots your acoustic models. $90 (SOLD)
  6. MT-2 Metal Zone: I don’t care what generation Wakazu, Yuzu, Isuzu version the present-day pedal is capable of coming up with. If you’re looking for catharsis in a black metal box, just get this already. Pinch harmonics level up, down tuned chords level up, capable of bringing Cobain back from Neverland… well, almost. What, didn’t you hear? He reached Nirvana. $90
  7. Lazer power supply and master switch: Can’t believe they ripped off the industry design of Boss pedal but squeezed so much text on it. Tsk tsk. But it’s able to power 7 devices with the aid of the daisy chain, so I’m not complaining. It even comes with get this, the silver thumbscrew that’s characteristic of Boss pedals from the 80s. The rest of mine are in Gothic black. $80
  8. London Fuzz by MJMGUITARFX. I got this because boutique pedals are hard to come by, but precisely because of that, you get a sound that’s less common on the mass market of musicians out there. So can Sally wait while you decide whether to get this? It doesn’t seem to take plug-in power, so I use it exclusively with 9V batteries. That lasts for months. $100
  9. Danelectro Cool Cat! Tremolo: Kinda got this just for the Audioslave guitar bits for “Like A Stone”, but I’m sure you can come up with creative uses for it. $80
  10. Morley Classic Wah: If you love driving but can’t get a car living in Singapore, this kind of feels like flooring the accelerator, putting the pedal to the metal like they say. Hendrix wails, Vai wails, psychedelic scratchy sounds made by muting strings and strumming at the same time… Also ran it on 9V battery like the London Fuzz. $80
  11. Zoom G1 Digital Multi-effects: Little is known about this digital effects pedal except that unlike its normal siblings that run on 9V batteries, this one happens to like being inserted with AA batteries. Four of them to be exact. It needs them all to be inside in order to function properly. I never bother as I usually plug in electricity. Used it for its ability to simulate Phaser, Auto-Wah effects most. Because my pedal board is full and at a point of time I realized I might be grappling with Gear Acquisition Syndrome. Don’t bother with the amp simulator presets. It WILL disappoint. Maybe it’s a conspiracy to get you wanting the real deal more. $60

Take them all with patch cables as you see them, plus adapter not pictured – Original total $1040. Get all – $980 (because you get the Zoom multi-effects free)

Guitar Stand (SOLD)

The more gear I have, the less I seem to be able to spend time with them. As decluttering begins, I am going to require less room for axes. Much less. This one houses up to 5 full sized guitars. For the collector in you. I will disassemble it so you can bring it back easily. You will need your own Alley key, because I’m giving mine away to the buyer of the Jem Jr. $40

Dimensions: 70 cm x 65 cm x 45 cm

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Ibanez Amp IBZ10G (SOLD)

Practice amp that doesn’t skimp on the input jacks. You have CD-in that doesn’t just connect with a CD player. With the line in cable, your phone or iPod that contains the backing track can still let you jam. For the tactical silent jam, plug in your headphones to the jack. Quarter-inch to 3.5mm adapters needed. I can throw in one for you FOC. Three band basic equalizer knobs to get your basic tone up. $50

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  • Graveyard of Inspector Gadget

Having techies as relatives may be both a blessing and a curse. Throughout travels between China and Hong Kong, I find myself constantly piling up my room with devices that can barely hold up against Gru’s freeze ray. They may come in useful, ‘some day’… That day may never come. So take what you want.

Sony MiniDisc MZ-N1 (SOLD)

There was a time when CD walkman’s and mp3 players each came with their shortcomings. For instance, the CD player can last longer on replaceable AA batteries than the mp3 player. But try running for the bus with your CD player still playing, and you will have what is known as the modern-day dubstep music. The mp3 player on the other hand, came in flavours of 64MB if not less. That’s as good as… 6 tracks. If you fancy looping a song over and over till you can see the lyrics appearing in front of you while you shower, it would be awesome. The minidisc player from Sony was the solution to bridge the shortcomings of both devices. With skip-free music playing and the ability to squeeze 4 CDs into one disc, this minidisc player can run for 9 hours on one single AA battery. $90

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Sony DiscMan D-EJ985 (SOLD)

A CD player released during the untimely decline of the optical storage media. In 2003, when this was released, people no longer felt the magic from Sony in spite of its unibody design, with no uneven edges at all. Until a revival is in order, when you realize all the digital music you’ve been consuming are compressed. And the price you pay is the same, for a .99 track that’s likely limited to 320 kbps, compared to CD quality that’s 1411 kbps. Appreciate what it’s like to load a disc into the player, for 45 minutes of pure joy again. Optional component – instead of the remote shown in the video, get to choose a Sony FM tuner remote that came with an older CD Walkman if you buy first. The remaining item will go with the MD player. $70

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Divoom Capsule Speaker

Small but still able to bring up the atmosphere in a 15 sqm room. Battery lasts 5 hours, not tested at maximum volume because frankly, it sounds like crap at its loudest. Think of a subwoofer that’s got a bad sore throat. Now think it having a sore throat all week without Strepsils. That’s how it sounds at max volume on speaker and on device together. You can press the capsule together and twist to lock it, making it more compact, but one hinge is wonky so you get it to lock halfway. $8

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Apple iPod Classic 160 GB (SOLD)

The media player that needs no introduction. Perhaps most famous for putting the CD and other mp3 players into the freezer for good. Battery runs for 9 hours under real world usage for audio, and enough to play a movie using TV-out. The cable comes with the iPod so you can connect it to your TV also. No earphones for hygiene reason. $280

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Taiwan Smartphone (SOLD)

Good for viewing shows on the 5″ screen at 800 x 600 resolution. Comes installed with stock Android 4.0.3, not rooted. The photo gallery widget that came with this OS is better than many found on custom ROMs for some reason. The ones that come with fancy phones seem to make the thumbnails rather small. Expandable memory using microSD card. Roaming users will like the dual SIM card function, accepts the big sized kind. Throwing in spare battery, though one battery on a full charge lasts 2 days. Even with surfing, calling and checking emails. To do that, screen brightness was set at 15%. $50

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 IR Dongle

If your hobby was transferring ringtones and backing up your contacts from your infra-red ports of the Nokia 8xxx series, you will remember this device fondly. Not forgetting PDAs from companies like Palm. You needed this to transfer files between your computer and device. Good if you still have any of the devices that you need to communicate with. $5

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  • Dead Director’s Society 

Used Canon TAPE Camcorder (SOLD)

One day you just wake up and realize that you’re already an actor in the stage of life, and you’re too busy playing your role to be outside capturing it. So there goes the dream of becoming a director. If you’re looking for a dedicated video capturing device that runs on good old mini cassettes, you’ve found it. Comes with plenty of mini cassettes that I will be throwing in, together with charger, remote, fire wire cables (one for mini head and one for full size head) and a case that fits the camcorder snugly. Video by tape comes out to 480p. Fits a 2GB card for recording digital, but that is good for 240p video. and 1024 x 768 still images. $50

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Used Holga 120 GCFN

Love to use Instagram? Well you’re looking at the grandfather of Instagram. Bring vintage to your outings with friends, and lose the instant prints camera in favor of waiting for the photos you took to develop, collect them in a yellow paper bag and peek inside to see the photos you took, all 12 of them. Create another opportunity to meet people that you love to hand out with… this time to gather round the prints and have fun remembering what went on and who said what the last time. Say hello to the traditional hobby that is back with true enthusiasts who know a good experience of taking photos when they see it. Prepare your own AA batteries to power the flash, because there’s no way you’ll be able to adjust anything else. Maybe except the flash color which gives you 3 options other than white. Experiment with colours! Comes with shutter release cable, just need to get the frame for the shutter release yourself. Whatever film that I haven’t used, you get them too. Expired film may yield results you and I won’t even expect. Love surprises? Yeah thought so, will throw in a couple rolls for you. For you to try out double exposure photos that gets people all confused and impressed. At the same time. $70

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  • Mass Burials

Coca-Cola / Coke Memorabilia

The collector’s missing piece. Coke can. Perfect for completing your display case of Coke collectibles. Without the added sugar. $5

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iPhone 4/4S protection. Bring on the instant recognition of the red Coke can when you whip out your phone. Red is power. $5

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IKEA computer desk

Full size monster. How big is it exactly? One 19″ monitor and 22″ monitor, plus sub woofer later, it can house the keyboard, the UPS on the surface. And still have room for comfortably resting your wrists on the keyboard and hand on the mouse without knocking into anything. Stuff like magazines and warranty papers are within an arm’s reach. Assuming you put them on the trays provided with the desk. See the reason why I have to declutter just by looking at the desk. After selling this, I will have room for the bed that will come in handy after marriage. Pro-tip for guys – always plan for your space usage as you are moving into the next phase of life. More often than not, you’ll end up saying goodbye to many things, like it or not. $90

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Postcards – 100 Years of South China Morning Post

Photographs that made headlines, now in post cards for the collector, the observer of headline-worthy events. For the old soul in you that wishes to keep at your fingertips every bit of history in the past 100 years. Split into categories for your specific interest. $40

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Black and Yellow Wallet

Remember the song by Wiz Khalifa, that just pretty much describes this item right here. Every time the song comes up, flash your wallet and draw dem hoes over. Texture is like that of a basketball, so that’s something you don’t get from generic wallets off the shelves, unless you look really hard. So if you want something that looks unlike ordinary wallets, and feels different… Get this. $30

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  • Tomb of Toys (Coming Soon)