Pink Dot 2014

28th June 2014, Singapore — 26,000 people gathered at Hong Lim Park for the 6th time since 2009 to support the freedom to love. The turnout broke last year’s record of 21,000 in the face of opposition voices this year.

As usual, Hong Lim Park was filled with participants in pink on picnic mats, on the grass while enjoying the concert. In addition, there were speeches in support of the freedom to love by various personalities including “sticker lady” Samantha Lo and Mr Benjamin Lee, better known as Mr Miyagi. Mr Miyagi spoke passionately about how he was the “fortunate few to have friends who were gay”. He added that his National Service mates were subjected to verbal abuse but still turned out to be “best” at their jobs. His entire speech can be read here.

Trevvy spoke to Mr Ignatius Christopher Chua who brought along his wife and twelve-year old son. He said, “the issue shouldn’t be about politics n nor religion; it is about inclusiveness… everybody wants to be included. There is enough space in Singapore for everyone to co-exist.” Well said, Mr Chua, we believe there’s enough space on the PLANET for everyone to co-exist.

The signature Pink Dot this year was formed with a white heart shining through a lovely sea of pink.

Homosexuality: Nature or Nurture?

28 June 2014 — In the 1990s there was a claim that homosexual men share a gay gene. The claim created a furor but now, two decades on, supports this claim and adds another candidate gene.Still, to say that just three genes makes one a homo or not is a little bit “meh,” if I may say so myself — there probably are many genes that affect human sexual orientation. Instead of thinking of gay genes, perhaps we might consider them as male-loving genes, which according to science is common in a female which predisposes her to mate earlier and more often. Now take that idea and flip it on its head to consider a female-loving gene, in both men and women.

Using normal techniques to detect genetic variance associated with homosexuality is difficult for many reasons. One of which is that gay men prefer not to be open about their sexuality. In fact genes only play a part. The question often is “Nature or Nurture?” Perhaps now we can actually say, BOTH.

In 1993, a study was made that suggested that a gene on the X chromosome predisposes a male to homosexuality. Needless to say this study was extremely controversial. In another study associations with genes on three other chromosomes were found, while some others gave contradictory results.

We know that there are gay gene variants in the animal kingdom. Indeed homosexuality is common throughout the animal kingdom. So why is there such discontent about such discoveries? Perhaps gay men and lesbian women are simply on extreme ends of the same spectrum?

Gay men and lesbian women may simply be the two ends of the same distribution.

Google’s Pride Easter Egg

This is an oldie but a goodie nonetheless. Enter P R I D E in the first five columns of the web version of Google Sheets and see what happens!

Some of us have known this little Google easter egg for a while now, but it’s Pride weekend, so have a little fun if you’re going to be working on Google Sheets! 🙂

All you gotta do is open up a web version of Google Sheets and enter P R I D E in the first five columns. VOILA!

 

What I think of @arminvanbuuren

Anyone who knows me will know how much I like the music of Armin Van Buuren. “Like” is a very very tiny word that I use to describe the major love I have for his music. Perhaps it seems so pedantic that I go on and on about his style that I become just another mad fan. 

But I am not.

From a regular perspective, a fan will know all the names of the all his tracks,  which albums they were from, the years in which they were published, and perhaps all the various remixes of that track.  I’m not that sort of fan. Though I certainly wish I could remember all the details, I’m that sort of fan that goes for the feel of the music. And without a doubt whatsoever, Armin imbues his music with feel, and I can be drop dead sure that when he’s feeling excited about a set,  he sticks it IN his set. I know what you’re thinking; he’s just another DJ riding that phat wave of a fad that pushes through the mainstream picking up gold coins as he surfs that wave. But that’s where you’re wrong. I’ve been a follower of underground music for a long time – even from when House beats were underground.

Does anyone remember Clivillés and Cole? They were also known as C+C Music Factory. How about The Shamen? These were the early sounds of House which later evolution-ised to Electronica and Trance. Tony de Vit, Paul Oakenfold, Judge Jules, Dave Seaman, Nick Warren; these, to name a few, were the forefathers of dance music as we know it today. I name these DJs because they all stayed true to their form, their music.  While they have diverged in their musical paths they have stayed true to their souls. If you’ve heard any of Seaman’s or Warren’s sets you’ll start to understand the true sound of Progressive. I remember these two DJs for their gigs at Zouk because every time I thought they brought the music to a high, they’d bring it even higher, and they blew my mind everytime they did it. And mind you, I’m talking about a high that their music gives you –  without drugs and without alcohol. Yes, you read that right. Zip. Nada. Zero. You didn’t need any of that when they were on the decks. When they were on I’d be on the dance floor, or more likely the podium, going at it,  getting into a state of trance because I’m that sort of fan.

I’m that sort of fan that won’t know the title of their tracks but will remember how they feel, and indeed how they made me feel. And while they’ve matured and their music diverged I’m still with them because I’ve grown with them and their music.  I appreciate the changes they’ve made whether it be for the sake of music or money; everyone needs to feed a family of some kind, and Armin’s no different.  We’ve seen him through his weekly radio show, A State of Trance , recorded from his home to his multi-national gigs for his albums,  to his multi-continent, multi-staged, multi-DJed, mammoth gigs. Armin’s ridden the Electronic Dance Music wave and even heralded EDM as “here to stay.” But EDM has gone mainstream and while Armin did bask in it for a short while, I recognise his efforts at bringing it back to his roots of Trance.  He went back to the core of his music with “Who’s Afraid of 138” and even went as far as using LPs, aka vinyls, for some of his Intense  World Tour gigs. The way this man is changing it up… I’d say he really does have a passion for his craft.  And yep! I can feel it in my over-35 bones: Armin Van Buuren will go down in music history as LEGEND – like Clapton, Hendrix,  U2 & the Rolling Stones.

Yurks! I really wanna meet him and tell him what an inspiration he is. What I wouldn’t do to shake his hand. Le sigh

Trance is ♡

Worldcup in the Hood

World cup season for me usually means an increase in the number of groups of 23 idiots decked in flourescent jerseys & spiked shoes WALKING around a field, following a ball & shouting “BRA! BRA! Oi! Oi! Here! Faster!” This is peppered with the “Phweee!” of a what sounds like a whistle with several holes in all the wrong places. The only time the whistle sounds nice and precise is when it calls half time or full time. This is when the poor sods saunter off the local school’s football pitch, heads hung low from exhaustion and dripping with sweat, to the closest void deck (mine), lean into the wall and sip their choice isotonic and energy drinks. Before you can say “shagged” the air is thick with rings of smoke through the trees, courtesy of the Marlboro man.

If a Worldcup match was an F1 race, the weekly weekend torture I endure would be like grampy Bob playing croquet with his army buddies from the Korean War. There are even occasions when the ball gets to roll down to a complete stop before another fluorescent boot comes in contact with it.

What. Joy.

A blue-full of sky

Be Still, My Beaten Heart

Kindness strips you of your masks & armour and leaves you to the devices of  carrion and highwaymen who harrass and  (b)eat you, then leave you shredded but not dead, till cold wind eats your dessicated bone, all the while your heart still beating. With your last breath, Kindness will grasp your heart in her hands; she will grin as your mind fades and your soul slips. That final mask will fall off and you will see Kindness for all he his – a hooded, cloaked spectre of bone – boney digits of one hand clasped around a shaft of woode bereft of time, tipped by a shiny Scythe, and the other, outstretched, will offer you a blade hilt first.