This ones for VL

I've been putting this particular post aside for quite some time and now it's finally time for the Sensation to deliver..

This One's about a group of brothers whom i've gotten to know and GROW with. A bunch of guys whom i've shared my sorrow and joys with and vice versa. A crazy gang of friends whom i Love to the Death.

They are none other than the BEST local band in Singapore... DOLLTRASH!!!

***eh? a bit wrong leh! Checks my script***


Sorry about that folks, i mixed it up.. DOLLTRASh is NOT the BEST local band. They are in fact ( the name says it all ) :D



Anyway, back to the subject matter, i'm sure you guys know who i'm talking about by now. if you don't, you'd better get back under the rock you've been under.


It's VALENTINES LETTER (cue Ramon Screaming this part)


~~The seeds of this friendship were planted when Dess (the bassist and fellow camp mate in the NAvy) and i exchanged friendly banter and it so happened that while we were in the mess one day. We were chatting about music and he offered me his ipod and told me to listen to his band. My reaction after i heard the songs? * Dude? Are you damn sure this is a LOCAL band? It was THAT GOOD! what's more, the songs were just rough demos. I HAD to hear more. Dess invited me to one of his bands jam sessions the following day and i kept my word and went.

He thought that i was gonna back out at the last minute at all and he was pleasantly surprised when i showed up. The first person from the band i met after Dess was Richard(former lead guitarist)and then met up with the rest of them. Ian(rhythm guitarist and smelly guy), BJ the drummer and last but not least, the Man himself, The Master of the Dragon Kick, The one and only Ramon 'Nevasoba' Cedillo. I sat back and they started. For the hour plus that i was with them, i was completely blown( not in THAT sense) The music was Catchy and the lyrics were Great. They didn't seem like a tight band so it kinda surprised me that their music belied that notion. After the Jam session, we hung outside the jam studio (Boons... Memories!!) hahaha. The bunch of us started chatting and getting to know each other better and to believe that RAmon had thought i was some MAT! hahaha. Oh! Ian has always been the whipping boy of the band and i made a joke about getting him a six pack... of yakult.. The guys asked for my opinion on the band and i told them the truth. they were really good and i saw things going far for them. I've seen other local bands and They Couldn't hold a candle to VL.

That night, new friendships were bonded and i was given the honour of witnessing the 'DRAGON KICK' and the forgotten 'CROCODILE SLICE'. GOD! i laughed so hard and i really needed it cos it was barely a few weeks back that my ex cheated on me and broke my heart. I found new energy in this group of friends and i owe them for it.


~~ I attended more of their jam sessions and helped to take some photographs for them.

*Ramon.. Guys, look at his spongebob socks when he takes the picture! hahaha

The first show i went to was at DXO (Rock On i think). I took the videos for them and even though i was behind the cam the whole time, i enjoyed myself. Oh! i was introduced to the rest of their friends and thus, the Famous VLC was born

Suee(awesome friend), PRim(great photographer and fun to talk to), Fai(MAs Selamat's Twin) FAz(fellow ninja in a hoodie), NAomi(band manager and owes me gummy bears for the pack of cigs!!) Wan (The MAjor..miss him!!) Kai(never say die), Zim ( CS buddy! See BAy Hok Ah!) Shaun (Friendly ass grabber) Moses (Ramon's bro and a great guy to hang with), Michael,Shakina,Zul and the list goes on and on.. Lost count of the number of VLC lah.



THE FAMOUS VLC



~Gigs

Alternation at DXO.. the day i got piss drunk at dess's place and broke down from heartache. Ramon and the guys were there to comfort me and keep me in check. By the time they started playing, i didn't know where i was. Later on, i heard that i was moshing like a lunatic and fell all over the place. After their set, ramon helped me out of the place. i remember him asking me whether i was alright and the next thing i knew, i fell FLAT on my face and suffered a gash beside my right eye. Oh! Alex was there too and he took care of me along with the rest. He was the one who followed me back in when another band played and saw me throw myself at an amplifier. gosh!


~Speaking of Gigs, Deafcon 9 was the BEST by far! It was awesome but the joy was bittersweet cos it was Richard's last performance and tears were shed. VL played an amazing set and the VLC moshed and had a superb time. Damn... feel like moshing again. The trill and insanity of it is simply exhilarating! Oh! Fullflight!! The first time i moshed WITH Ramon and IAn. I sprained my ankle but carried on moshing despite the pain and the boys in November Iris thought i was Awesome for that! hahaha.. Speaking of which, haven't heard from them in a long time. Hmmm.. After fullflight, the boys and myself went down to rouge for a few drinks and to watch a live band. Moshed to the sounds of NIrvana and skanked(ska Dance) with Dess and Ramon! Woohoooo!



~~Recordings

NTU Night boys!!! What a Night!! Funny as shit!

-Dess and me with our cab driver problems(TWICE) - Sparked off the song *What's up with the CAb? Baby! Baby! What's Up?

-Dealing with technical Problems and Shit

-Ramon and myself running around the camp looking for a 7/11


-Richard, Ramon and myself, going all the way to jurong west late at night to get cup noodles.

-JAc Drawing us a map of how to get to canteen.

-Walking in the Heavy rain towards it and getting the map wet

-Having a breakfast of instant noodles at 5/6am in the canteen

-Going back to camp after a sleepless night

PRICELESS!!!








~ Problems..

everyone has them and the boys and myself have been there for each other when we needed. Me, alternation, Dess, at his place late at night, Ramon, after celebrating Ian's birthday etc. Things that happened after Deafcon 9. i won't say much cos it's all personal and they trust me.Sometimes, you don't have to say much when all you need to give is a warm embrace and words of encouragement. After all, VLC means ONE BLOOD. I owe a BIG thank you to VL and people like Suee,Prim,moses and the rest for being there for me. Muchos Gracias!


~Booze

Hahaha.. being in a band and hanging with one definitely involves drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Drinking Heineken and Corona's at Breko and then singing on the streets, Ramon pulling his pants down and running on the road, me jumping on some dude's car, dess flinging his pair of jeans around. Gosh!! Oh! WE have a little VLC tradition of singing West HAm's "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" Song., Don't ask why! hahaha.. Damn! if you guys knew the things we did when we were drunk, you'd laugh your asses off. anw, Thanks to a certain episode where both Ramon and i got pissed drunk (i somersaulted over a potted plant and puked all over the place).. btw RAmon, don't forget that it's our evil twin brothers who were drunk and ruined things. We were both watching alien vs predator 2 ah! hahaha

Anyways, i'm laying off hard liquor. Just beers and wine for me! Oh! and fruit juiceeee!!!





FUn! Fun! FuN!

~Speaking of IAn's birthday, Ramon and myself went all over marina square to look for a prezzie for him. WE ended up in the ladies section of TopShop and decided to get him a pair of panties. It was Absolutely Hilarious! Just imagine two guys going nuts about choosing the design of panty! The salesgirls looked horrified

*JAson - Dude! let's get the wonderwoman print!

*Ramon - No Balls! We'll get Tweety Bird! More Cute!

We needed a marker to write our birthday wishes and i just so happened to have my eyeliner with me! Subconciously, i told RAmon i had it out loud and the lady at the cashier counter gave us a weird look. .. Hahaha.. Memories!!!


Oh guys! We'll never ever forget the time i mistook some dude for BJ and jumped on him in the train station. That was some funny shit!! Gosh! Thank God that he didn't punch me! Holy Crud! We were all in stitches!!






~~VL and the future

Things are looking really good for Valentines Letter. They are lined up for some good gigs and like i predicted( i TOLD you Dess!!! hahaha) 2008 will be the start of VL's rise to fame. As a band, i've watched them grow both musically and personally (NO IAn!! Not the size of your weiner). There was a point where things almost fell apart but the boys are back on track and in focus. Despite Richard's departure, VL went from strength to strength and the new lead guitarist Alvin took little time in filling up his shoes. I applaud your effort bro :D Dess, your showmanship and confidence has grown tremendously! Keep it up bro! Ian, you're still smelly and you're still MAlaysian so No Improvement! hahaha.. BJ, the way you handle those sticks turns me on man! MArc Anthony, erm, i mean Ramon, what can i say man.. We've been through some stuff together and it makes me appreciate the friendship we have.




Guys, if you are reading this, i wanna tell you that i'm Honestly PROUD of how far you guys have come. 7 months have passed since that first meeting and you guys have made a hell lot of positive changes. Picking yourself up from bad gigs and harsh critics (DOLLTRASH WHO???) to reinventing the wheel with your showmanship(reggae Goodbye - GAyboy! Gayboy!). . This friendship is built for life and you can be sure that EL SenSacion has got your backs. The Whole VLC are behind you and will be there at every gig. Even if the crowd is against you and even if we are outnumbered, know that we will Sing the Loudest and Rock the Hardest for you Guys. Never forget how you guys started out and get over your heads. You guys are a heck lot better than any band in Singapore and i know that for a fact. You have my Support and Blessings.
Continue to grow and Shine. Only you can decide whether Valentines Letter MAkes it or Breaks it.


The Sensation Loves Ya


Here's a little trip down VL history



At first, they weren't known as Valentines Letter.. They were known as. . .





YES! They were known as the Backstreet boys and they set the hearts of teenage girls (and Boys) on Fire cos they *want it that way*


~Well, these teenage girls(and boys) broke their hearts and so with angst in their veins, they became VAlentines Letter (Dess, i'm skipping out SweetPunkRevenge cos i don't want you to 'Suffocate')





Hahaha! the 'SpongeBob' Socks Photo


Fullflight!!


Credits to Smunk

Here's there FAMOUS VLC!!

God Bless Boys :D


The Sensation