the end of bmt.

The End Of BMT.

   ohhhhh. the end is near, and so I face, the final curtain. the end is near,    oh shit.

OH shit. the end of my holiday on that island!

weeeeeeee no more coming back to this shit hole!!!! ( or so I thought). knn.

last few days. Handed in our wife’s. Said our final goodbyes. Shagged her for the last time. Took her apart, inspected every gap, every orifice and every matt black metal. And into the armory she went. Slut. Bet she`s waiting to see which young punk she gets to sleep with in a few days time.

even had two parties. the military`s MDC ( performing arts group thinge) came to sing. came to do skits. fukin boring. other party was at the company level. we acted. we danced. we sang. all for the dam oc`s, pc`s, instructors. fukin joke again. 

anyways, we were fit. we were trained. we were ready to get sent somewhere to some camp. we were freshly trained kids ready to kill ( or so we thought).

But before we left, we had some POP parade. Passing Out Parade. bah. Waste of time. We were to put on a show for our families and the whole bloody army HQ I think. Formation march. Formation shows like those you see on TV about north Korean large scale human parades.

Did that show at some stadium some where on the main land. oh well. went back to the island, handed stuff back, say good fukin bye to that island, got on the RPL back to commando jetty. round 7pm.

 as usual we were sat in our company, platoon levels. the officers came alone. did their stupid speeches. wowo u are great. owow you are now ready to start your life. wowowow you are now men! wowowo you will make us proud. all that shit.

we were than given our postings.

“ Nicholas. heres yours. you are to report for ACT. see you next Monday”.

we were already told wad each postings meant. each one know wad it all meant, where the places are, wad we will expect, wad type of places we were to go, infact, all the possible places that we could get posted to.

fukin ACT? !!! wtf? shitttttttt. arrrrrrrr!!!  2 more fukin months on that fukin island! arrrrrrrrr!!! fuk wad did I do to deserve this?

ACT= Advanced Continuous Training (Infantry).

We were given one week off, starting that evening. well than. one week of drinking, womanizing, sleeping and stuffing food into mouths.  not a care in the world. only 1 week of freedom enjoy it while we can. 

SIS x06 Clusters

well, here we are.

some fighting thinge called 1FC.

Singapore Indoor Stadium.

centre ring.

total of 32 Clair Brothers i212 cabinets. oh, x04 is218 subs.

x04 stacks of 5 each and x02 stacks of 6 each.

with downfalls from showco.

truck comes at 130am. lets see what happens shall we? hehe


20th oct.

well, show went well i guess. all over clear. ring announcer a bit loud. had to limit the system.

slept at 7am. hey ho )))

moving granddad

so. the day grand dad moves his resting place.

went with dad. maybe the women did not want go cos it was to late at night.

maybe it’s a place where thousands of dead ppl stay?

maybe it’s the thinking of “ do not go unnecessary “ to a grave yard.

wad ever it was, only dad and me were they.

so. we met the guy in charge. he plans everything. the food. the monk. the candle. the diggers. all

met the monk too. so we drove in.

they got lost. had to get of out the car to direct them. got to granddad house.

there was a make shift tent age over his grave. lurking in the back ground was the diggers, three of them. a gen set was on providing power to the single floru tube.

so man in charge sets it all up. the food. candles. josticks.

man said its ok to take a picture or two before commencement of the prayers. so we did.

monk gets into his outfit. we stand behind him.

1^st prayers. to the landlord. the god of earth. this god is in charge of anything related with the earth I think. so hes the chap looking after all the graves and people staying there. so prayers were said. fod was presented. words were said to him,

eg,

“ dear land god. thanks for looking after granddad all this while. u did a great job. have some food here that we have prepared for you.“

along those lines.

once the land god has been appeased, its granddads turn.

candles. josticks. food. monk did his chant.

no words were said. just the man saying “bow”. we bowed.

next, each and every food dish was held up and offered to granddad.

snice he was moving home, he had to do it in new cloths. there was a cardboard box full of cloths. shoes. everything a person needs to go on a short journey to their new home.

we burned this box to him.

final prayers were said.

dad and me stepped back.

could see the chaps getting ready.

shovels. scoops. large crow bars. and a powered hammer drill.

granddads tomb is marble. solid red marble from some mountain somewhere.

so I guess all the heavy demolition kit.

they started. we stood back by the road side.

crow bars into the space between marble and soil. bend bend bend.

break break break.

marble all over. soil is exposed. the digging starts.

shovels. soil everywhere.

sigh. (( dad wants to go home.

so I get not get to see the coffin or when it was opened up.

they worked all into the night. body was taken out. went straight to the burning centre somewhere in the west.

next day, 1130am at granddads new home. we waited for him.

granddad was dropped off at 12pm. in a small red cloth.

prayers were said. food was offered.

than the process of placing him in the urn. each one places a coin of any denomination into the bottom of the urn.

each one than picked up a single piece of him with chopsticks. placed that part of him into the urn.

the man from the temple, ill call him the official urn packer, than puts the rest of granddad into the urn. the last few pieces in were the remains of his skull. the top plate , the larger parts.

which than is followed by another coin and some gold flakes and a special gold coin thinge.

this than concludes the urn stuffing.

lid placed on, brought to the table.

prayers said, food offered, chants performed.

than dad took granddad to his new apartment. 13^th floor, apartment 11. 1311.

placed him properly.

grandma is just a couple of blocks away. they can always meet downstairs at the playground.

next, burned the red cloth he arrived in, an umbrella, and more paper stuff. gold and sliver.

that than concludes the moving of granddad. hope they are happy to be side by side.

Basic Truck Loading Safety - Part 2

There are some basic things that a person needs to take note of when in the process of setting up or tearing down a show. The norm would be: loading up the trucks, getting to the venue, unloading the trucks, setting up the equipment, tearing down the gear, and getting it all back to the office. But each of the above listed stages has it own set of dangers. For the final part of this article, I shall conclude with the unenviable but important subject of stacking stuff on the truck.
Stacking Stuff On The Truck

Depending on what types of side structure the truck has will most likely affect the way you load. Covered or open sided with wooden battens. Check the height limit of the loading bay that you are going to. Will stacking too high - even if it’s well secured - be under the limit/barrier?

Covered: Solid metal sides or canvas covers? Need to strap items down? Items might need to be secured even if it’s a canvased truck. The
canvas might not hold the weight if a corner is taken too fast. You will still need to secure items down. Do not for a minute think that the canvas will hold the flight cases.

Open Sided: How high are the wooden battens? Can it take the weight pushing outwards if items are stacked too high? How many ratchet straps should be used? If used, which part of the load should it be used at?
Will that cable or that small case slide out between the wooden battens? Do I need to fill that gap between cases to prevent any unwanted minute movements which might
lead to a large moving mass on the truck? And just how high can I stack the large cases? 

Different loads are packed differently. Let us say you have tall cases, with some smaller and/or shorter ones. Stack the tall ones in the middle space of the truck. Then on the outsides, you place the shorter ones. If wooden battens are not high enough, strap it all down.
You might have all tall stacks, but made up of smaller cases. This type of stacks should go in the middle of the truck, with tall one- piece cases going on the outside. The single tall cases will help to contain the “loose” cases that are in the middle.
At most times, as you all would know, the truck pack is different. There are seldom times when it’s the same pack. Truck sizes are different too. There is not one fixed method to load a truck. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle or a game of Tetris, everytime. You do your best to mix and match your cases on the truck. While loading, think safety.
Do not sacrifice safety for improper loading. Loading takes time. If the jigsaw puzzle needs to be redone, do it. If items need to come off the truck and be reshuffled, do it. If your pack is too high which might mean there is too much, then get another truck or do another trip. Do not overload in weight and height.
If you have the space, it might be a good idea to know what you are going to load. Make a space. Mark it with tape or use something similar. Limits of marking should be to the truck type you are going to use. Push your items and/or cases into this marked area. Even before the truck gets to your warehouse, you must know the layout of your pack. In the context of ballroom shows, all the gear will get pushed in at the same time. Loading will be easier if cases of the same dimensions gets up the truck together. These cases could be from the different aspects of the show: Lights, Sound,

Video, Trussing, etc. Mix and match the cases and you will most likely get a neat and well packed truck.

Take into account: Items that you might need first at the venue (to use), e.g., Motor hoists, Power DBs, and main power cables. Last on the truck, first into the venue.

Pack in a safe way: Think of the truck doing turns at a higher speed than normal. A good pack ensures your gear gets to the venue in one piece and not some random flight case on some road somewhere.

Rain: We all hate when it rains during a truck move. Should that happens, that particular canvas that goes over the load must be secured down well. The front end is the crucial part. No airflow should get under it. Airflow getting under it will rip it apart. Just like a sail, if it catches some wind it starts to balloon. Catch more wind, it will unfurl and balloon up and rip the canvas from its tie-downs. This means danger to your gear and danger to other road users as well.

Leave no room for doubt: From parking the truck, to handling of the cases, to loading the gear, and to the stacking, its always about safety. Never drift from it, stick to it. If in doubt, Stop-Think-Confirm, then continue. If something does not look right, it most likely is not. Stop whatever is going on and sort it out.

In conclusion: It could be any one, a part time loader, a freelance sound engineer, or an experienced rigger. It is everyone’s job to make it safe. Everyone should look out for everyone else during those moments of pushing and carrying heavy items onto that vehicle.
So with all these points to take note of, happy loading and look out for that tailgate! 

thanks clarenceeeeeee

Basic Truck Loading Safety - Part 1

There are some basic things that a person needs to take note of when in the process of setting up or tearing down a show. The norm would be: loading up the trucks, getting to the venue, unloading the trucks, setting up the equipment, tearing down the gear, and getting it all back to the office. But each of the above listed stages has it own set of dangers. I shall begin with getting the gear onto the truck.

Loading and Unloading

Flat ground is a must. This should not be an issue in most cases, but if the ground is not flat, the vehicle should be facing downslope and never upslope. Why? Unless you strap (ratchet strap) down the cases every 2 meters, they will all fall off the back of the truck - simple physics. Once you take off the strap at the backend of the truck which holds ALL the cases, the total weight will be in the “tons” and the two persons (or more) on the truck WILL not be able to hold back this weight.

If the truck is facing downslope, then no issues as long as the gradient is not too steep as we wouldn’t want the cases to roll towards the truck cabin at rollercoaster speed. The safety should never, ever be compromised. The total weight of all the cases will be towards the front of the truck. Pretty much common sense at work here.

Manpower will be wasted when there are many persons on the truck just to hold this weight back. So, point the truck downslope if needed.

Handling the flight cases on the trucks is pretty dangerous too. Having work gloves on will not prevent your fingers or hand from getting crushed when a case of two PS15’s speakers come rolling at them. Again, its simple physics. A moving case with two speakers inside will come to a stop when it hits another stationary case. Your fingers and hands do not count as a stationary object. They will get crushed.

Always hold onto the flight case on the side which is facing you. Or on top. Move the case while handling the case on the top surface. 

NEVER hold the corners or sides of a case that’s not facing you during a truck loading/ unloading and use the handles if they are available. Prevention is better than getting your fingers mashed. Its ok to hold onto the sides when its an open space where you are at or when you are pushing cases to another location. You can see around your person and if no other cases are around so its perfectly ok. But when it’s a congested area, or when there are other people doing the same thing as you, its advisable to place your hands on the top or the side facing you.

Never unload from a vehicle alone especially when using tailgates. Minimum there should be two of you to do the work. Just think about it, can you handle the weight of that flight case coming off the truck? Will it run over you? Is that flight case top heavy? Will it fall on you when it rolls off the tailgate? Does that flight case have a small wheel footprint? Higher chance of it tipping over when it rolls and stops at the gap between the tailgate and the floor? Are all those big fat 63 Amp power cables on top of that case going to cause it to tip? Will that tool case fall off the flight case when it comes off the sloped tailgate? Take it off beforehand? Is that gap between the tailgate and the floor too large, causing items to possibly tip over? Stop, Look, Adjust and Think “Safety” to prevent accidents. And re-adjust the tailgate when the truck becomes “lighter”. Many accidents can be prevented if a person uses more common sense. If the slope is too steep, don’t even load or unload. Even if the truck is parked facing downslope, you will not be able to slowly and safely glide the flight case to the front part of the truck. If to unload or load safety requires the truck to be parked somewhere else, park it some- where else. It’s just a matter of pushing stuff a bit further. Sweating a bit more is preferable to a case breaking your legs. Never try to lift something that you think you can’t or you might end up in hospital. Wait for manpower.

Never try to push or pull something that you cant. You will injure yourself. Wait for manpower. Never unload/load alone. We are not weight lifters that can handle sudden jerks or sudden pulls against gravity.

Which is more important? You or the items in the flight case? The answer is YOU. If things go wrong, as an example, that a case with the FOH sound desk in it comes rolling off the truck, What do you do? Get crushed by trying to stop it from rolling off? You know that you can’t stop it. There is only one option. You get out of the way. It’s just an example. If maybe it’s a smaller case, you could try to stop it. Things like this happen very fast. You have to make your mind up in a split second - To stop it or not to stop it, Getting crushed or not getting crushed.

Unloading and loading a truck needs your attention at all times. Being attentive, you can make those split second decisions if you have to. Concentrate at the task at hand. Using the phone? That’s a no-no. Talking shop with another person that takes your mind off the unloading and loading is probably another no-no. Keep the chatter to a minimum if possible. Don’t want to push the case off the truck when the tailgate is at ground level do we? Always look around your vicinity. Is there a person on the ground behind that case ready for the next load? 

“I was watching someone pushing a case up the tailgate. It was a cable case,
not that high with a small wheel footprint and had a coil of 63A 30m cable stacked on top. I knew it was going to tip over seeing that there is a gab between the tailgate and the ground. It did. No one was in front and the guy who tried to stop it from tipping got pulled over with it. It all happened in slow motion. So there you go, someone lying on a flight case, on a tailgate”

Are there enough people on the ground to accept the load? Should you wait for two persons? Would that flight case roll off the truck after it got onto it? Are the persons on the truck ready to haul it away? When you get to the venue, be very mindful when the tailgate comes down. During the drive, things might move. Not saying that items will move, but they might have even when their castors are locked and strapped down because of gaps formed from irregular flight-cases dimensions. It’s better to be safe and check, then something dropping off the back when the gate is coming down. The person controlling the tailgate should have their eyes and ears open at all times. One little miss-press of the button and a flight case would tip over and possibly crush someone. Lock every castors that can be locked, or available to be locked. Two or three loading crew on the truck is about right - one in-charge, and two to assist. Too many cooks will spoil the broth as some would say. Might be better to have an in- charge to determine where to slot the cases to minimize gaps instead of just stuffing random cases onto the truck. These are just some pointers on unloading and loading of truck(s). It takes time, It is not a competi- tion, there is no time limit, and it should not be rushed. Do it safely.

Many of you will know about hotel ballrooms and those carpets in them. Lovely isn’t it? There is a case that weights 50kg. Being on carpet, the “weight” might seem like 80kg when you want to move it.

That stationary case will be hard to move and I would like to expand on this topic. Like I mentioned above, our bodies are not build to take sudden jerks nor pulls. How does one get this case with a dead weight of 80kg to move? (a) Make sure there’s a few of you to attend to this flight case. (b) You move it alone. (explained below)
It is relative to each of us, if I know I can handle the weight I can get it to move, and once moving the “weight” drops back down to maybe 60kg, as an example. Once this “60kg” case is on the move over the carpet it is than relatively “easy” for me to push it. A smaller size person might not be able to even kick start this “80kg” deadweight. A larger, or stronger person might be able to make it move, and keep moving it. Never force yourself to move a deadweight, you will injure yourself. Do not get to a case, and suddenly start to push or pull with all your strength. Give it a slight push, a constant push and slowly putting more force into it. If it doesn’t move, forget it. There is no way it will move with you alone. Each person has their limits, and never go beyond your limit.

As to a single person and being able to push it on your own, after testing the weight, and knowing that you can do it, there are two ways for you to get this deadweight on the move. Your hands, which will require a lot of strength, or you can use your lower body – your legs and your hips. Remember, the whole idea is to get the deadweight moving. Once moving, it requires less energy as it becomes “lighter”. You hold the top of the case, turn your body, place your hip against the case, and using your legs, give it a light push, again adding strength. The case will start to move. You than change to using your hands and off you go with that “60kg” case, in fact being only 50kg. Another method is to use your legs - legs against the case, feet on the ground, and push off with your calves, and away you go. (To continue) 

thanks clarence )))))

quad copter

so am bankrupt again.

1500 on a quad copter to carry my go pro up in the sky lol.

Its a touring life 2

In this second part of my article “It’s a touring life for me”, I shall explain to you with my in-depth take on what happens when the tour starts proper.

Let us say the show at Wimbledon ends on Saturday night. At this venue, the touring team will do everything, with the help of the production people that will follow the tour to do the ins and the outs. Also helping are the part timers, “locals”, called to do the out.
So the amount of people doing the sound get out would be x 3 (touring), x 2 (production crew who will follow the show), and x 2 local part-timers, for a total of seven people.
Sound would normally have one truck to it’s own. If it’s a larger show, more gear, than maybe another half a truck which will be shared with another department. On some shows, sound takes two full trucks!
Wimbledon is easy to do a get out. Side stage door open straight onto the road and up the truck. All departments out and all truck doors shut. 0430 hrs: home to sleep and finish packing if its not done.

NOTE: Travel day: Tours in the UK do not go in a nice circle start-point to end-point, e.g., London first than down to the south to Brighton, than it follows the coast to the west to Portsmouth and keeps going in that direction before heading up north.
The theatres are all booked by different shows. The next venue from Wimbledon could be in Leeds, then going on to Belfast, Northern Ireland, then cutting back across to the east coast of England to Norwich. Its one big zigzag road trip. I get dizzy just looking at the map itself!
On Sunday, you will relocate to the next location. The Touring Tech Crew will travel on Sunday. We have to get to the next city or town by Sunday. Some prefer to travel that same night if they have their own transport. Some will stay and travel early in the morning, depending if its near. Once at the next city, you will have to sort out your “home” for the next two weeks. 

Come Monday morning, the set-up starts. Everyone who has to be there must be there - the ‘tourers’, and the production crew that assists the set-up and teardown. The theatre would also have called the local crew of two by our company manager. However the cast and band members don’t have to be there on Monday morning, they plan their own, maybe reaching there on Tuesday itself.
I need to stop here and mention something about the trucks. The drivers are allowed to drive only after 10 hours of rest. The truck has a system connected to the main office that shows where it is, when it moves and when it stops. The driver has to keep to a set of rules. Meaning the show has to stick to it too. If there is some mix up in the timings, it means that that truck cannot “move”, and a replacement driver with his/ her rest, will have to come and pick up the trailer. This could mean your sound and lighting gear might not reach the theatre at 8 or 9am on Monday. Maybe reaching at 12 noon... And you know what that means.

Monday, 0800 hrs: Truck doors open; Dock doors open; Unloading starts. Touring crew, production crew, and local freelancers. By dinner time (lunch), most of the sound system will be up and power will be on. By tea time (dinner), there would be sound coming out the speakers. By the end of day (around 2100 hrs) the whole system would be up and running. Delay times, Balancing, Outputs tested, and Radios tested. If there is a band in the pit, most likely the larger stuff would have been set up. Monitor desk (if there is one), the instruments, stage boxes and mics on sticks. For the local crew of two, Monday evening is their last day, finishing at 6pm and no later. That’s until we see them again at the out. Hopefully it’s the same two persons. Then it’s off to the pub.
The only thing left for Tuesday would be the band seating (if there is a band), their sound check, cast on stage for their walk round, mic up and tech runs, maybe full runs. Then its tidying up, stacking of cases, tweaking the band, and making everyone happy.

Tuesday, 0900 hrs: Finishing off what was not done on Monday. All departments ready by 1700 hrs. Doors open at 1845 hrs, show starts on the dot at 1930 hrs. The show call crew, “Numbers 1,2 and 3” will be doing different things from the production crew around 1200 hrs onwards on Tuesday. While they are getting the show ready, mics ready, the production crew will be doing their own little things, e.g., sorting out the band, final positioning of speakers on stage, clearing up of all sound items, and taping cables down if needed - general tidying up. Sound No.2 and No.3 will be assisting them in this, but mainly getting ready for the show. The two production sound crew members will be there to sort out any last minute changes.

End of show on Tuesday night: And if the designers are present, they might want to give notes to their respective departments. Since this is the “first move”, most likely there would be notes. Production sound crew can leave if there are no major changes to the sound system. Normally there aren’t. So that’s goodbye to them until they are back for the out.

Wednesday morning: Back into the theatre if there’s any work to be done. If not, than it’s a 1700 hrs sound call for us. Wednesday is the time where the sound department is run by the touring sound No.1. Not that he/ she is not the No.1, but set up is shared between the No.1 and the production sound crew.
The No.1 looks after the day-to-day running of the sound department, also the main FOH Op for the show. He/she will mix the show according to what and how the sound designer wants it and the job of ensuring the show sound good falls to them. How the system gets set up on the Monday mainly falls to the production sound crew. No.2 is in charge of backstage. He/she will look after the radios and system. No.3 is No.2’s seconder backstage and will follow No.2’s orders.

So for two weeks, the same thing happens everyday. Maintenance is needed. No.1 will plan a day for it every week. Coming in at 1400 hrs once a week is normal. There might even be some cast change during the tour, so coming in for rehearsals is normal when that happens. There might be even a change of crew. They have to learn the show as well, and that involves coming in early too.
Comes the last show at the venue - which is on Saturday night. The local crew, hopefully the two there did the in, will be there. The production crew will be there. All the other departments’ teardown crew will also be there. Quite a large group really. The trucks will be parked up outside waiting for the gear to be loaded.
Curtain down and the fun starts. Packing of the small items first: Disconnecting all the cables; Getting rid of the large items before starting on the small ones; Clearance on stage in order to lower the sound truss if there’s one; Getting flight cases onto stage, and all these while trying not to get in the way of other departments. At some venues, the loading dock area is pretty large, so maybe a truck might be left behind for storage of empties. Using the truck as a storage area is sometimes needed as the theatre is so small so there is just no storage area. Each department will carry on their teardown in their own way. A method that falls into place after a few moves.

Note: With the touring production crew and hopefully the same locals that did the ‘in’.

Loading starts when cases are shut. There is always a system of which truck parks at the dock doors first. If there is a band, all their stuff would likely go on the first truck at the dock. At the next venue, their items are needed last. In that order, items needed first will go on last, e.g., rigging, flying speakers, and lights that need to be hung. There is not really a “fixed” way of “I’m to go first than its you”. If the show uses five trucks, things will be packed according to what needs to be used first at the next venue. First in - Last out, Last in - First out. E.g., if there’s a show deck, that would go into the first truck (load out), than out and laid after all the lighting booms are flown (load in).
Once all the truck doors are shut, its time to go back to your “temp” home. Sleep for a few hours than head off to your next venue. You can take the train, you can take a bus, you can book a flight, or you can hitch a ride from someone with a car. Just be there at 8am on Monday. You have to plan this yourself. The Company does not plan this for you. They give you a certain amount of money in order to travel. This money will be standard train off peak travel fare and it’s up to you if you want to travel by first class, you just have to fork out the rest.

The place that you make your home for the time you spend in any city is also up to you to find. The Company will pay you the “market rate”. If you find a place more expensive, you need to top up the rest.

When on tour, there is something we call the “digs list”. This list, kept by the company manager, has names and addresses and pricing of places that you can stay in: Cheap hotels; Residential homes sublet by the owners; Flats. It’s up to you to call and check for vacancies. Try not to leave this “part” to the end of the week. Better book early!
So now you reach your next city and it’s the same routine all over again.

* There are basically two groups of people in this industry. Those that tour, and those that don’t. That line is seldom crossed.

* Touring, when you love it, you will never quit. You will spend your whole career touring. You can’t settle down to do shows in fixed venues. But if you love your city too much and cannot be away from home for too long, then you will never tour.