drop no.14 ~ may 2024
They say one day we'll leave this world behind, so build a life you will remember.
It’s official, I resigned from my desk job. Friday was my last day at the office. The months, weeks and days leading up to me “throwing my letter”1 and the weeks and days after were peppered with moments of self-doubt but ultimately, I am not willing to accept mental instability as a trade-off for financial stability. Not anymore.
A huge reason why I was able to take confidence in this decision is the fact my entire family was behind me, at times they were even encouraging me to leave earlier. I can’t tell you how weirdly empowering it feels to be in an Asian society and be able to say “I think I will be a bigger disappointment to my parents if I stay than if I leave” to someone trying to gaslight you into accepting toxicity as your norm.
What’s next? First, a breather and a trip back to my hometown to spend time with family I haven’t seen since May 2023. Then, finishing the mix for my EP and recording more covers for my YouTube channel. After, a trip to North America that I’m equal parts excited and scared about.
Something I hope to be of interest to anyone reading this is that I intend to get back into composition (alongside my usual arrangement/recording work) and with this, I’d like to offer a free one-minute instrumental composition for your film/story/video/podcast/etc.
Just send me the accompanying media you’d like me to score and tell me the vibe you’d like to achieve. As this is a free service, I will not be doing revisions, it will be a “take it or leave it” situation. I’m only opening this to 10 people because I’d like to get them all done by the end of the year, so let me know if you’re interested!
{ 3 drops of golden sound }
“The State of Mind” by Rosemainy Buang
Rosemainy is just one of those people who’s always out here doing cool shit. I first met her when we performed for Singapore Night Fest 2019, she was singing, playing gamelan2 and had composed a piece, and I was on violin. Flash forward 5 years later and she was one of the guest artists for a rave co-presented by my former company, and also for a hybrid dance/music performance at the Singapore International Festival of Arts. Here’s a piece where she melds all her musical disciplines together: voice, gamelan and electronic music.
“Rule #34” by Fish in a Birdcage
Another banger delivered to me by the Apple Music algorithm. Fish in a Birdcage makes edgy, folk-infused pop that would fit in perfectly in a pirate movie or Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes franchise. I highly recommend doing a deep dive and checking out his albums and EPs, my current favourite is Through the Tides.
All Born Screaming by St. Vincent
(favourite tracks: “Flea”, “Broken Man” & “Big Time Nothing”)
St. Vincent’s albums have been the soundtrack to many of my commutes since moving to Singapore. This album came out at the right time, blasting these gritty songs on my daily train ride imbued the “stick-it-to-the-man” attitude in me that was much needed. A somewhat relevant update from last month’s drop: My Canadian visa was approved! I will be visiting the land of maple trees before heading to the US for fiddle camp and while there, I’ll be attending one of St. Vincent’s show dates!
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading and I hope to see you again at the end of the month! Here’s a picture of me in a $729 jacket that I definitely would have bought if I hadn’t just quit my job. :’)
LoL,
rae
Singaporean slang for handing in your resignation letter.
A traditional style of ensemble music originating from Indonesia, primarily featuring a metallophone instrument called the bonang. Read more.