QUESARAH

Happy 2010!

2010-01-01T18:47:00.002+08:00

Another year gone by where I failed to blog more as I resolved to do.

But I hope 2009 was good to you, and 2010 - better.

ApSci "Crazy Crazy Insane"

2009-06-17T00:43:00.003+08:00

ApSci's "Crazy Crazy Insane" is much like its title: crazy catchy, insanely irresistible. It's off their latest album, Best Crisis Ever which will only be out in late July. Apparently, the husband and wife duo has performed at Laundry before? Damn I must be behind the curve if I had no idea. Bah, what a waste of missed music. Anyway, "Crazy Crazy Insane" has whistling and lyrics that read: Six syllables, rhymes with Snakes On A Plane. Um, guess what that might be?

Crazy Crazy Insane - ApSci

The embed is just a 30second preview... full song, please click the link riggggght above this text. :)

Preach it, sista

2009-05-09T17:32:00.004+08:00

Little Boots wins quote of the day.

I wanted to make a pop record. I don’t care about being cool or edgy. I wanna reach people and I wanna make music that people have fun to and have a good time.

Little Boots, "New In Town"

My new favourite T-shirt

2009-04-11T16:23:00.002+08:00

I just had to share cos it's dope.

I lugged myself to Sunway for the David Archuleta showcase after dilly-dallying as to whether to go or not. Parked, walked in the rain (cos someone took the umbrellas out of my car), reached the entrance only to be told it's at its full capacity so I can't enter. Surprisingly, I wasn't too upset. My fault for being late anyway.

But walking in the rain just for David Archuleta? I believe the term in this part of the interwebs is ... FML?

Viva La Vida in Singapore

2009-03-29T14:48:00.014+08:00

This time last week, I had just arrived in Singapore, filled with anticipation for Brewerkz at night, and a whole glorious day of no work and a Coldplay concert the next night.

For reasons like that, I really do wish life was a movie you could rewind to the parts you like. Because I really miss last weekend! But I guess I shouldn't whine because I'm heading to Johor Bahru next week for a, er, SalahWrong DJ gig. Whee! We're moving beyond state lines. How did that happen?! Maybe in between all that we can squeeze in a short Sing trip. Preferably between 1 to 3 pm, where the beer is $4 at Brewerkz ...

Anyway, just a few weeks ago I blogged about how excited I was about the Coldplay concert. Even put up some pictures I found online of the "Viva La Vida" tour. Now I can brag that I have my own to show.

Yellow balloons that burst with yellow confetti during "Yellow". The crowd went nuts, but that was only the beginning of more euphoric moments to come.

Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones. "Fix You". Maintain tears moment #1.

And then they performed at the ramp closest to where we were sitting.

And then they upped the ante by going into the crowd and performing on the stands! Right opposite us! I cursed them lucky mofos who got those seats! :( Actually I'm just jealous. Can't you tell?

I like this photo. As Fairuz said, it looks like they're performing in the stars. I didn't get a picture of the next euphoric moment of the night, which was the Mobile Phone Mexican Wave. It's a pretty self-explanatory title. While the lads made their way back to the stage, they plunged the venue into near complete darkness and asked everyone to do a Mexican wave with their cellphones lit up. Fucking amazing to watch.

All through out the night, they had really cool visual projections on the screen behind them and on these orbs that hung from the ceiling. Sometimes it would be really quick cuts of the band in action. Sometimes it would be rendered to project a grainy image of Chris performing solo for a nostalgic effect. For the picture above, it was an almost literal translation of the lyrics for "Lovers in Japan". So absorbing it was to watch that I didn't realize that my next Maintain tears moment #2 was coming up.

Crazy confetti that poured from the ceiling! It came in a few bursts, in line with the various high points of the "Lovers in Japan" song. It was yet another euphoric moment for the crowd, as you can see from the pumped first of the dude sitting in front of me. So, so, SO very amazing.

I loooooooveee this photo. Chris walking with umbrella under confetti rain. You can barely make him out.

Love! Usually when I have high expectations of something, I come home kind of underwhelmed. Not this time though. I knew it was going to be an unforgettable show because I've done enough research but it totally surpassed my expectations! I never screamed so much at a concert, or had my heart filled with so much happiness at what was going on. I was a TOTAL fan and behaved like one; at the end of the show I even begged the security dude to scoop up some "Lovers in Japan" confetti for me (he obliged). It was epic, my friends, EPIC. I've been to enough concerts to know the difference. A lot of artistes can put on a good concert, but Coldplay's was all that and more ... it was a proper show, filled with theatrics, effects, humour, drama. I would pay another RM450 to experience it again, no doubt.

Ok I'm almost done with this blog post. Check out these two songs I love at the moment.

Andrew Bird's "Oh No". Violins, whistling, hand claps and lyrics about "harmless sociopaths". A strange combination on paper but Mr. Bird pulls it so tightly together. His latest album, Noble Beasts, is worth your money.

Peter Bjorn & John's "Nothing To Worry About". So infectious!

On repeat for 17 March

2009-03-17T23:24:00.001+08:00

Heard it in passing somewhere and loved it immediately. Stumbled upon it yesterday and found out the artiste and track title, and love it even more with the video. Some things come full circle....

Then and Now

2009-03-12T20:33:00.002+08:00

Two years ago, you couldn't drag me to at St Patrick's Day event.
A year ago, I developed a liking for Guinness.
Now, I willingly RSVP for a St. Patrick's Day event.
Now, I have a tummy that was never there two years ago.

:(

Oren Lavie, "The Opposite Side of the Sea"

2009-03-09T22:00:00.003+08:00

This is the album I've been putting on constant loop over the past two days. You probably have seen the cool as hell music video for Oren's single, "Her Morning Elegance" as it's making its viral rounds on YouTube. I watched the video because Myra said it's wonderfully made, and it really is, but I remember being more intrigued by the music and Oren's vocals. His style easily fits into the singer-songwriter genre, in the vein of Nick Drake, Sufjan Stevens and Joshua Radin. He's got an easygoing delivery, yet the tone of his voice gives the impression that there's more going on beyond the breezy nature of his songs. And then there are the arrangements. "The Opposite Side of the Sea" is heavy on strings, accompanied by the sparse tinkling of the piano keys and fingerstyle guitar. I personally love the combination, it lends to the music a rather cinematic, classical feel. I feel like the story behind the songs come to life a lot stronger ... and truthfully, listening to his music makes me feel like I'm in a beautifully shot indie film where everything moves a little slower and the most everyday of occurrences - like laying safe in bed while the rain pours outside your window - become sublime.

Yeah I am waxing lyrical. I really like it! :p

His MySpace
Official website
Wikipedia

And "Her Morning Elegance" video:

3-day weekend

2009-03-09T00:02:00.002+08:00

Instead of writing, I ended up spending an hour dancing alone in my room. I made the most retarded dance moves, probably not recommended to be demonstrated in public. But that is how I entertain myself when I've nothing to do on a weekend. And tomorrow's another sleep-in-day, yay! I love long weekends. But the downside is that I take total advantage of it by thinking that there's always time to finish my stories.

It's early Monday morning now and nothing is done.

In other news, I clearly need a trim. Damn those bangs.

Mmmmmmmm-raz.

2009-03-05T23:43:00.003+08:00

A few years ago, my About Me read: "I'm all about them words. More than numbers, unencumbered, numbered words. Hundreds of pages, pages, pages forwards... more words than I have ever heard and I feel so alive."

Yeah I was a bit of a dork (still am!!!), was totally into books, authors, lyrics, words, vocabulary ... I was just getting into my journalism course at that time and was all gung-ho about being a writer.

So it was only apt that I loved Jason Mraz and his incredible way with words. That verse from "You and I Both" is something that I remember pretty strongly.

Hearing it sung back to me live by the guy who penned it was rightfully amazing. People always tell me that he's a great performer, and after last night's concert, I fully agree that Jason Mraz is pretty damn special.

My favourite part of the concert was when he slipped in "Sleeping To Dream" during his performance of "You & I Both". Two of my fave Mraz songs combined into this tender, beautiful medley. I raise my hat to you, sir. Hear and see what I mean:

Some pictures from yesterday.

I video-ed that from my perch way up high. I've never been that high before in a concert but I actually kinda liked it. I could see everything .. how the lights moved, how the crowd moved, the light radiating from thousands of cameras and handphones ... it was sweet!

In 2 weeks - Coldplay.

Life is good in these few fleeting moments. Appreciate.

Where my money goes to

2009-03-02T23:11:00.007+08:00

It's only the second day of March but I've already spent more money than I was supposed to for the month.

I just paid money for Sunburst tickets. You're probably wondering why I bought the tickets, considering I could probably get a pass from work. I bought it just... in case. I do this for all events that I really want to go for, and would rather not wait until the media pass comes in at the last minute. People have been saying a lot of things about the festival - that it doesn't live up to last year, that it sucks because Coldplay isn't playing...

Everyone's just whining because they can. Some of the comments really irked me. Coldplay was always just a rumour that some chose to believe in too whole-heartedly. And as for the line-up as it stands: Korn, N*E*R*D, Erykah Badu being the big pulls; other smaller ones include ex-Morcheeba singer Skye and ... Naturally 7, which I admit, drew a complete blank. I personally thought that 2009's line-up was on par with 2008's. Not better, mind you. But on par. We should rejoice for Erykah Badu, honestly. I'm not a huge fan but it's such a rare appearance that it has gotten me excited.

I can honestly say that I'm not a massive fan of any of the headliners this year (but I did think N*E*R*D's "Seeing Sounds" album was rocking!!), and neither was I a big fan of 2008's line-up. But there's something really great about going for a music festival that sometimes goes beyond the music. It's the atmosphere of camaraderie, of music lovers thronging to one space to share an experience, of getting stuck in the rain but not caring anyway, of being on your feet the whole day listening to live music that you go to bed so damn exhausted but content.

Maybe in ten years I'll be able to afford Glastonbury or Fuji Rock, but for now, Sunburst makes me happy.

In fact, the whole of March has made me slightly delirious. There's so much going on and simply not enough cash, ever.

I really want to watch the Japanese dance troupe Condors when they're down this Month. Also, 19 March is Battles, followed by Lovefoxxx DJ set on 20 March. 21 March is Sunburst, and I leave for Singapore on 22 March.

Ah... yes. Singapore. That's going to be what makes me fucking broke this month.

I'm heading to Singapore on 22 March to watch Coldplay LIVE on 23 March.

You have no idea how excited I got typing that out. I am going to watch COLDPLAY live. LIVE. In full concert setting, for their Viva La Vida tour. It's like one of my To-Do goals in life - to watch Coldplay live.

Danny Lim laughed at me over Facebook when I told him Coldplay was my favourite band. :p

"How hip of you! Have you heard of U2?" he teased.

Fineeee. Finnnne. I know proclaiming Coldplay as your favourite band makes me look so wimpy but we can't help what or who we love right? I played "Parachutes" to death when I was 15 and it was the first record that really made an impression on me.

Ooooo I do hope that they'll perform some stuff off "Parachutes" and "A Rush Of Blood To The Head" as those are my fave Coldplay albums. It would be worth the RM440 I am spending just to hear those songs live.

Yep you read right. I paid RM440 for concert tickets ALONE. Not even including travel and misc. expenses yet.

I must be insane. It's the most I've ever paid for a concert ticket. '

But it will be worth it.

Because, have you seen the concert pictures?

It will be epic.

And money was made for spending, right?

Pictures from Peter Hill.

Just another day at the office

2009-02-25T23:02:00.001+08:00

Junk magazine, April 2009 issue - watch for it!

14pp feature

2009-02-18T19:20:00.004+08:00

Wrapped the massive feature yesterday. Had a mild panic attack during lunch at Subway because editorial director called and said we have to add four more stories asap because of some ... ads. Don't really know the story, was busy panicking and looking for filler stories.

Found this place in 1U called Garden. It's all decked out in plastic ... kinda tacky, but the food is quite decent actually. I really enjoyed their sorbet which was presented in a rather unique way - scooped into the hollowed out fruit from which it was made.

Wrote the emergency stories in a daze when we got to the office. Didn't know what to make of the title, so I asked Myra if "Secret Garden" was too tacky.

"No, it's okay. And the cafe is quite 'secret' given its location." (ie hidden)
"Okay! Now ... who wrote Secret Garden again...?" I ask.
"Bruce Springsteen," she replies. With absolute certainty.
" ...... LOL."

So I googled the author, found the REAL writer and not an Americana folk singer, finished the story with a flourish and submitted it to editing.

"Wow ... am I done???"
"Yeah," Myra says, quite bothered cos her CD of images with KL Design Week photos were fucking up.
"OMG... I can has freedom?"

Which is why I am here, blogging inane crap. Don't shoot me.

You know what's fun?

2009-02-04T23:52:00.003+08:00

Listening through a stack of unlabeled CDs you burned from 2005/2006.

Oh, sweet nostalgia. And dubious choices - Jesse McCartney, "Because You Live", really Sarah?

PS: I was really looking for this compilation. That Rockefeller song damn hard to find la online.

Rainy days and Sundays

2009-02-01T17:03:00.002+08:00

... always get me down? Not really, Karen Carpenter. I am quite enjoying the solitude of my house right now. Granted, I have bolted the upstairs grill and activated the alarm because I'm a paranoid freak.

This is by far the wettest Chinese New Year ever. I've come to associate the festival with hot, humid weather but 2009 has proved me wrong. Since tomorrow will be the real start of the working year (because Xmas/NYE/CNY celebrations just sorta blend into one another), today I won't do anything but bond with myself. Next week is already looking all sorts of crazy.

Oh. Except for people working in KL though - Federal Territories public holiday for you tomorrow. This is the one occasion I wish we still worked at Bukit Bintang.

I'm OD-ing on these two songs currently.

School of Seven Bells "Half Asleep".

Half Asleep - School of Seven Bells

Not new, but still wonderful, The New Pornographers's "Challengers". <3

Challengers - The New Pornographers

I'm hooked on Dexter

2009-01-30T15:08:00.003+08:00

Power saw to the people, yo.

Best. Scene. Ever.

Didi, ya made my day with that genius GIF.

A working girl

2009-01-23T00:49:00.005+08:00

I braved traffic and rain to interview a pole dancer a few weeks ago. Her studio was in Hartamas, next to this place called Kelab Casablanca, which was guarded at the front by some surly dudes in blue. From the outside, no one can see what goes on inside as the glass was tinted and people went in as quickly as they came out.

It's damn near impossible to find free parking in Hartamas, so I decided to park near the Kelab. It was RM5, and I only had RM50. The parking attendant wouldn't let me in. So I tried to reason with him and put on this stupid manja voice, reserved for moments like this.

Me: Bang.. please lah Bang. Let me park first, nanti I pergi 7-11 tukar duit kecil ok?
Him: You nak pergi mana akchurlee?
Me: Kelab Casablanca. (I wanted to say pole dance studio, but I couldn't figure it out in Malay fast enough)
Him. Oh. Buat apa kat sana?
Me: Ahh... *tries to translate English to Malay in head*.. ada ... interview.
Him: Oh ya ke?? Ok ok, park dulu lah okay. Bila you dapat kerja, I happy. You happy, Bang happy.
Me: Oh.

(realizes he thinks I'm interviewing to be a GRO or something)
(contemplates telling him he got me wrong)
(... or play with it for free parking)

Me: Oh thank you Bang, thank you.

(parks)

Not gonna lie. Being a girl has its perks.

****

I met a really cute boy today by the way.

He doesn't like me half as much as I like him.

A pause

2009-01-18T15:47:00.002+08:00

I had to pause in the middle of a crucial scene in an episode of Dexter season 2. I don't want to spoil anything but he's dangerously close to getting caught and I just cannot bear to watch that happen!

It's kind of morbid that the show has us rooting for a serial killer... with morals but no less, a serial killer.

Okay, time to face the climax...

Just got back

2009-01-18T05:37:00.002+08:00

... from P lay Electric at Z ouk where someone told me the confirmed acts for S unburst 09.

All i can say is

SO

DAMN

EXCITED

WORDS

CANNOT

EXPRESS

I'm From Barcelona - Paper Planes... have come to conclusion that all songs of that title is immediately wonderful.

Workaholic

2009-01-11T00:25:00.002+08:00

Much as I hate to admit being one, denial is hard when you look at your remaining leave days for 2008 and discover you have 12 freaking days.

Not that I'm complaining, but how is that possible? I mean ... I did travel. I took a few days off because of that. But still ... 12. And I'm not taking any leave for Chinese New Year as well. Man.

Maybe my 2009 resolution should be to go on more breaks. And not feel guilty about taking a break.

The latter seems to be the important message in this entry.

Fader Fabulous

2009-01-09T02:26:00.006+08:00

I tried calling Istana Budaya today to confirm a show they were supposed to be hosting. At first I was quite optimistic that I'd get an answer asap, because when I went on to their website (please be ignoring the horrible music they have as you enter the site ... it's the government's interpretation of our culture, although what that really constitutes is another debate altogether), I found a long list of names with individual numbers, arranged according to departments. Wow, I thought to myself. How awesome - finally a governmental website that wants to help you out and not mindfuck with you.

But I call and call, different numbers each time, and get no response.

"Why is no one answeringggggggggg?" I whinge to Myra who sits next to me.

She takes one look at her laptop clock and retorts: "Do you really expect Istana Budaya to answer calls at 5.50pm?"*

"..... That is so damn true."

Foiled once again.

*You have to be Malaysian to get this

++

I got a little emo while writing a story about Jason Mraz. I was reading through his blog, doing some research. Came across this entry entitled A Change Is Going To Come and as I was reading it, Flica's "All" came on my iTunes. It was like the perfect combination and I don't know why but I really FELT the song and what Jason Mraz was trying to say. I just kinda sat there in the office, spacing out to the song and his words. "To be alone with everyone." I know what you mean dude.

Am definitely looking forward to his show in March. Please also check out Flica because he's my favourite local act at the moment. I love, love his style.

Tomorrow is going to be quite the madness. Birthday bash at Urbanattic and then Kevin and Ethan's super cool can die night at 69. You better play some cheesy choons ok!

Celeb gossip overload

2009-01-04T01:07:00.004+08:00

"I was reading Lindsay's blog and she said that this was the first time she'll be away from her family during Xmas and NYE because she'll be spending it with Sam," said Myra last Friday on the drive home from lunch.

"Awwwww. But isn't Sam in Miami?" Didi asked.

"Yeah they both are. I saw pictures," I offered from the backseat.

A pregnant pause.

"Maybe we shouldn't be talking about Lindsay Lohan like we know her."

**

Are you a fan of Scrubs? I freaking love that show but for some reason, only watched 2 ... or was it 3 ... seasons. Anyway, they now have webisodes entitled Scrubs Interns. Episode 1 is just out and I believe you can watch the entire web series through YouTube, so make sure you subscribe to it. Here's the first episode, enjoy! I haven't watched it yet because I am engrossed with season 1 of Dexter - it is freaking me out but I am so intrigued! I dig my own nightmare grave, honestly.

Thank gawd for potong stim.

2009-01-03T14:12:00.002+08:00

I woke up from a disturbing dream. I dreamt that a good friend and I decided to hook up and the venue of choice was this dingy ass hotel in Bangsar (which does not actually exist). While we were at the reception, which for some reason doubled as a coffee shop/hawker place, a group of our friends suddenly came in for after-clubbing supper and we quickly made excuses that we were just here for supper too and joined them.

At this point I woke up and was really fucking thankful for interfering friends, even in dream land.

Lesson here: no more Snakebites for me at night. It only causes dreams that I never want to have.

Two Week Countdown: #1

2008-12-31T20:32:00.002+08:00

Ok, this is it, the last in my 14-day countdown and would you believe it, I don't know what my number 1 is? Fail. But looking back and what I've written so far, 2008 has been kind to me, with loads of stuff to keep for memories. I find myself single again after 3 years and it's been a period of adjustment but I am doing fine, and I'm happy. I feel 2009 will be a whole new year of discovery, seeing as I've never been by myself and at this stage in my life where the world really is my freaking oyster. There is nothing holding me back.

Resolutions? Plenty but all I really want to resolve to do in 2009 is to apply myself in everything I do. I want to look back at the end of 2009 and say, "I really tried my best". I want to be better in all aspects. Not the best, just better.

Happy New Year. May 2009 be one sweet year. Global credit crunch? Pah!

Two Week Countdown: #2

2008-12-30T20:20:00.004+08:00

Today as I was driving to meet Didi and Myra for roti canai breakfast at Raju's, I thought to myself, "Hmmm, traffic is particularly loud today". So I kept pulling up the window controls just to make sure all the windows were up.

At breakfast, my brother calls and tells me there's glass where I parked in front of my house.

"Go check your car and see if your window's been smashed and if anything's stolen."

I went and found this.

Thanks a lot you fucker fucking asshole who did this. I didn't even notice it when I got into car cos I was rushing and because the main window was still in tact. So, that discovery totally killed breakfast for me as I drove home to exchange cars with my brother so he can bring my car to be fixed. It's okay now and thankfully didn't cost too much. To be honest, I was more pissed off that it had to happen on NYE Eve and the possibility of having no car tomorrow night was ....... irritating. To say the least.

Anyway, all this is just a roundabout way of bringing me to #2: I got my own car this year.

It was momentous actually. I've always been a public transport person, which in KL totally sucks ass. After years of battling it out with the madding crowds, of trains being BEYOND late and breaking down, of the city smog and pollution in my face, of declining events, parties and hangout sessions because of not knowing how I'd get home ... having a car just granted a whole new world of possibilities and freedom. I love my car! Even the thought of paying RMXXX a month for the next 5 years hasn't killed me inside yet. (The operative word here is YET)

Next, I want my own apartment (or, share an apartment with a friend or something). The goal is to move out by 25.

Tomorrow's the 31st, and that'll be the end of this countdown. Just so you know, this list is in no particular order. I'm just blogging it as I remember them. It's kinda crappy though that someone had to smash my window in before I realized that I got my car in 2008.

-_-

On a non-countdown related note, but equally as important and memorable, Adlin held his kenduri kahwin last weekend. It was a pretty afternoon; blue skies, a nice breeze, good music all around. I wish Ayu and Adlin all the happiness in the world!

Today, I got home before 8pm. That hasn't happened in ages. I have 15 minutes to decide whether I can make it for Z ou k's friends party ... I am honestly exhausted though. It feels just nice lying in bed and listening to all the live concert podcasts I downloaded this afternoon: Thao Ngyuen, Peter Bjorn & John, Au Revoir Simone, DeVotchka, The Ting Tings. Podcasts are so awesome; I don't know why I didn't jump onto the bandwagon earlier.

Two Week Countdown: #4 & #3

2008-12-29T22:31:00.005+08:00

Only 2 more of these entries to do.

#4 I traveled quite a bit this year.

Let me see if I can remember all the locations.

Langkawi for a sailing trip. Stayed in the Westin which was fabulous.

Sarawak for the Rainforest World Music Festival. First time at the fest and it was super fun. Am contemplating going again in 2009 but it really depends on my budget.

Hong Kong, twice. First to interview Wyclef Jean who was pervy in a very charming way (yes it can happen guys). And then once again with mother and brother. In both times, trips to H&M were the highlights.

Bangkok, with Michelle for her birthday vacation. Was shopping like a madwoman and spent so much money! Massages everyday, Thai coffee everyday (I LOVE THAI COFFEE), ate like a pig cos Thai food is the bomb ... did I mention the shopping? Dayummm. I want to go back in 2009.

Portland, for a work trip. First time on USA soil and it was exciting. Sorry, quite jakun that way. I guess all those years of media and cultural imperialism showed itself quite clearly while preparing for this trip. However I didn't get to visit the major cities so I wouldn't say that I've really seen the States. Portland was so pretty though - green and clean, with lovely public spaces and parks, coffee everywhere, quaint individual stores which I am a sucker for.

I lost a lot of my vacation photos thanks to my laptop crashing on me (it's less than year old, thanks a lot Compaq HP). But here's 2 from this park in Portland where I sat for a solid hour, relishing in the warmth of my coffee and the sounds from my iPod.

Sadly in 2009, I think I'll have to travel less. I am seriously feeling the consequences in my bank account, omg. Here's the plan though: less cities, more islands because you spend less cash on an island. It is after all, a frigging island.

#3 Urbanscapes

Before I started working at where I worked now, I always wanted to be part of the team that helped put Urbanscapes together. Since the fest went on hiatus for four years, I didn't know if I'd ever get the chance to do so. But it happened this year, and I was really excited to be helping out with ideas on what to do and also help out on that day. I get a nice buzz when I wear a CREW tag around my neck, instead of one that says MEDIA or VIP or WRITER or the usuals that I get. CREW tag pwns all.

Urbanscapes was, in my biased opinion, great. There were hiccups of course, like the rain storming in around midday and I had to basically cancel the performances at the Lawn Stage for a while, but in overall, everything worked really well, and most of the people who came had fun. Or that's what I was told anyway, so I choose to believe that! Hehe.

Am looking forward to Urbanscapes 2009 but I have to admit it, I am kind of terrified at the same time. Now that the bar has been set, you really need to surpass expectations. Wish us luck.

Two Week Countdown: #5

2008-12-27T05:44:00.003+08:00

ARGH! I am a day late again.

But I can't believe I almost forgot to write about this:

After years of wanting one but holding back because I didn't know what I truly wanted, I finally got my first tattoo this year. And I can't love it enough.

Pictures by Meesh Gunaselan. I was too much in pain to think of camwhoring.

The photo right above was taken right after it was done. In case you're wondering, yes I did quote Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher. It's my favourite quote and a saying I think of every time the tough gets going. I got my tatt done in Bangkok by this wonderful tattoo artist called March. He did an amazing job; as you can see, it is a very intricate design and was very detailed about it. I paid RM450 or so for it, which I doubt you can get in KL.

Again, I need to be asleep but was so immersed with Guitar Hero that I left the office pretty late. I REALLY need to spend less time there! But hey, at least I can say for sure that I can get by on Medium now for Guitar Hero, teehee.

Making a mix of love songs for a friend's wedding kenduri later. Here's what I was thinking of:

The Beatles - When I'm 64
The Pogues - Love You Till The End
Guillemots - Made Up Love Song #43
Youth Group - Sicily
Band of Horses - No One's Gonna Love You
Beach Boys - Wouldn't It Be Nice?
Ingrid Michaelson - The Way I Am
Joshua James - The New Love Song
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps
The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize?
Deathcab for Cutie - I Will Follow You Into The Dark

.... I really want to include "Falling Slowly" from Once cos that movie was the ultimate love story, but I fear there might be too much cheese. Need to edit that list though, I only have 30 mins and need to re-arrange for flow.

6am - sun is rising. Should attempt sleep now. And BASKET, I just remembered I left my makeup bag at work which means I need to drive down later to get it cos I need make-up for a wedding! I'm sorry I am vain OKAY.

Two Week Countdown: #7 & #6

2008-12-26T02:28:00.005+08:00

Happy Christmas!

And yes I missed two days because I've been too busy to do anything but eat, drink and be merry. Spent Christmas this year with Michelle and family since mine was MIA (parents in Singapore, brother in Melaka) and had a sweet time.

Um..so yes, back to the countdown. I'm already scratching my head and searching my memory for stuff to write about. I don't know why I thought blogging consistently for 2 weeks would be a good idea ... I should REALLY not make decisions like that at 3 in the morning....

But #7: moving to the new office!

We moved in November after months and months of deciding where to set up shop at. The colonial bungalow where we used to reside was quaint and one of a kind but it was definitely too small for us. And the clutter was so overwhelming that one can't even wrap their head around clearing it. It's best just to start on a clean slate.

It was quite a change. We went from Bukit Bintang to Petaling Jaya. From a bungalow to an office block. But I quite like where we are now, and it's not just because Starbucks is right below us. (Though that helps with the caffeine fix)

Scenes from the shelves behind me:

We had an officewarming party on Tuesday. It went on from 730pm to 230am. In between those hours, 12 bottles of wine were opened and 60-70 cans/bottles of beer were consumed. I only had one bottle for those who think I help contribute significantly to that amount! It really felt like a frat party at one point, haha. But it was tres fun and I was so pooped from it that I almost turn into a lane with incoming traffic on the way home - thank God for Ming and Kevin who started yelping in the car. Sorry for the scare!

Adrian giving a ...hmm, heartwarming year-end speech. :D

This was going on outside though.

So.much.food. Roast turkey from Shangri La, fried chicken wings and some famous belacan fried rice from Fatty Crab, sushi, Christmas cakes, chips&dip, salad, etc. I feel pretty guilty now cos the night after this, I had roast pork from Nero Teca, pasta, bread and dip again with Michelle's family. Followed by mutton stew for breakfast. It's their family's tradition ... how could I possibly break it by saying no?

Right?

...

#6 I learnt how to use the CDJ this year.

And did some gigs where people introduced me as a "DJ". Which never fails to embarrass me because I so do not qualify as one yet. Perhaps in 2009 I shall make it a point to practice a bit more.

Two Week Countdown: #8

2008-12-23T02:57:00.006+08:00

Black Circuit Paddock Party, 22 March - the best party of 2008.

Thank you Steve Aoki, for the good times. And you too Cobrasnake, for making the too-cool-for-you KL hipsters BEG to have their photograph taken. Hah.

Big xox to Kevin Yeoh for the picture! I love you sayang!

On another non-countdown-related note, I love fairy lights. Especially when they come like this:

During Art For Grabs at The Annexe last weekend, I bought the mini version of Bright Lights At Midnight's Playground Series. Mine is called "Don't Friend", and it has Bob the Builder on it! Myra placed her red reindeer from Muji in between and it is currently serving as our Christmas desk decor (red, green, reindeer - close enough!). On other days, "Don't Friend" will serve as my desk plant seeing as I killed the previous, living, actual plant. This will never die!!!!!!!!!!

And it's cuter too.

One more for the road.

And cryptic blogging for the night that only I will get when I look back on this entry: don't let yourself be second best.

Two Week Countdown: #9

2008-12-22T03:30:00.005+08:00

I am guilty of a certain yuppie pleasure: pretending to do work (ok lah, I actually DO work) and generally looking busy in some wifi-ed cafe. What can I say? I love coffee, am a workaholic, spend too much time online, but likes to be out - so, I go out to a cafe somewhere, work, have coffee, and be online on Sundays. And only Sunday for some reason, I don't know what. Habit, I reckon.

The harder part is finding the perfect place for all the above to take place. I don't like going near where I live cos I run the risk of bumping into someone I know and have uncomfortable small talk. I've done the Starbuckses, the Coffee Beans, etc ... but I found my favourite this year in Pick N Brew, 1 Utama.

I call it my hideaway because it's so damn quiet there on a Sunday. In the smoking lounge where I plonk myself most of the time, there's hardly anyone in it. Which is great for me! There's a lot of coffee to choose from, warm food to order if you get hungry (as opposed to stale pastries you get at other coffee places), and agreeable ambiance. Also, the waiters will come to your table and fill up your glass of water which is nice since the lingering aftertaste of coffee and cigarettes isn't exactly minty fresh. My only beef with the place is that it's freezing sometimes.

Yesterday was Sunday and I was there again. I spent ... five hours? And then I left for Ipoh chicken rice with Meesh, followed by a lounge poolside with a beer in hand and great conversation. I love nights like the one I just had. <3

Ok yes I was Facebooking but I did finish a story today!!

Two Week Countdown: #11 & #10

2008-12-21T13:08:00.002+08:00

#11 My Album Of The Year

Cut Copy's "In Ghost Colours"

Amazing from track 1 to track 15. Love how "Feel The Love" blends into "Out There On The Ice" so seamlessly, you'd think it's one awesome, long track. Great mix of indie rock, pop, electro, '80s nostalgia. Heard they're incredible live. Cannot wait to see them ... soon I hope. They're from Australia so there is HOPE.

#10 Officially, the best song to roll around in bed in on a Sunday. Dreamy and contemplative, sad but hopeful.. I can't get up everytime I hear this song. It lulls me back to sleep. I mean that in the best way because it's the sort of sleep anyone would be envious of; restful, deep, peaceful. It's so good for your soul!

Two Week Countdown: #12

2008-12-19T12:29:00.003+08:00

Alone again, naturally! It comes full circle eventually.

(Ok i cheated it's actually Saturday as I type this. Girl's got a life okay and time can be spent on better things than blogging!)

Two Week Countdown: #13

2008-12-18T22:50:00.010+08:00

2008 was a very good hair year for me. I've never received so many compliments before in my life regarding my hair - in the past it was always dry, frizzy, and generally fail. But not this year.

This was the year I met Ming.

I was first introduced to him at a cover shoot for a magazine. He had bleached blonde hair at that time, and he pranced into the studio in denim shorts. I thought he was the most fascinating looking person ever, but I was also intimidated by his fabulosity. And he always looks fiiiierce. Why would anyone that awesome give me the time of the day, I moped to myself.

Then, in March or so, Bombshell opened in Bangsar. I found out then that this was Ming's salon. So with nervous fingers, I typed an SMS ... a very polite one, filled with pleases, thank yous, and such ... asking if I could schedule an appointment with him.

That was it lah. I found out that I really loved what Ming does with his scissors and I particularly liked how he never tried to force me into buying products I don't need or treatments I can't afford. He's brutally honest with what wouldn't work on you and he knows what he's doing. More importantly, he is a genuinely awesome person whom you can talk to about anything.

I trust Ming to do whatever he wants with my hair. This year, I've had my hair long, I had bangs, I got it cut short, I got side-swept bangs, I went red and now I'm purple. I've also recommended tons of people to him and everyone has loved their cuts so far. Ming has a vision for what he wants to do for me but it requires me growing my hair ... so I'm waiting for each inch!

Photo of my hair at its reddest by Myra ... who also goes to Ming!

Hanging out at Bombshell is damn fun too. It's so easygoing in there, and er, you can smoke. Plus when Aaron is around, it's so funny to watch him and Ming interact! Yesterday night I went for my appointment and three of us ended up watching this porno on the computer featuring this porn star named Shyla whom Ming and Aaron have been talking about FOREVER. They finally showed me who she was. I've never seen tits that huge in my life. After my hair session was done, Ming and Aaron took time out to camwhore and pose for me.

This is Aaron, formerly known as Kaspian Kas Kas. He's a total sweetheart.

All this talk about hair leads me to Joyce, who did about the bravest thing ever yesterday. She shaved all of her hair off, and raised RM20k for charity by doing that! Of course, about half of Kuala Lumpur knows that by now since she's updated her blog. I have so much respect for her and she's so damn brave to have done so. And she looks awesome without hair too! Some people are born gorgeous, what can I say?

GI Joyce for the win.

Related entry: this.

Two Week Countdown: #14

2008-12-17T00:08:00.002+08:00

As we approach the year-end, every blog does a weepy, sentimental, optimistic 'looking back' post which romanticizes the year which have just passed. I am so very guilty (and slightly embarrassed) of this blog crime that I will not even link my weepy-31-December posts through the years. If you're really curious, I'm sure you can easily find it for yourself by looking at my archives.

So to stop myself from committing yet another act of emo-ness, I shall blog consistently for the next 14 days, each entry dedicated to something from 2008 that stuck with me.

And because I took the Duffy CD back from work today, I'll blog about her song "Warwick Avenue". Or rather, the music video that went with it. It's the only music video which have ever made me ~~cry~~ sniffle. It has a really boring premise though: Duffy's on her way in a cab or something to Warwick Avenue, presumably to meet an ex for the last time. During the ride, she sings the song and suddenly just starts crying. It's very subtle at first; you see her eyes cloud over, and the tears well up. And then a single tear falls; she avoids all eye-contact with the camera and looks embarrassed. As the song builds, more tears drop and she even stops singing during the middle to regain some control. I think it's wonderful that the director didn't edit the part out because it really hits the viewer HARD. Seriously, if there was an award for Best Acting in a Music Video (listen up VMAs!!), Duffy would walk away with it. Watch.

So, the rooftop concert ...

2008-12-14T04:22:00.003+08:00

Otherwise known as UOX Play, was fucking crazy.

The masses (if you know what I mean)was there in droves and on more than two occasions, I actually feared for lives.

Afterhours at the office.

2008-12-12T21:51:00.002+08:00

Who needs Friday TAG when you gots the geeetar heeero?

Everytime the Boss deposits the Guitar Hero and XBox in the office, the crowd goes wild and is willing to "work" overtime. They're playing some total bam chicka wow wow song now and I have no choice but to layan cos the noise overpowers my headphones anyway.

I want to boycott my Mogwai story and join but I know I'll regret it come Monday.

U.O.X Play rooftop concert tomorrow! Followed by the (unofficial) after-party at B ar S onic with Mystery Jets playing a DJ set. Hot.

The first TAG at B ar soni c

2008-12-06T04:50:00.003+08:00

Was spent hoarding the couch behind the console, hiding in the corner and jumping on the couch. Joyce already spilled her drink so we've christened that Our Corner. Hahah. Yeah, right. Massive karaoke moment when "Belaian Jiwa" was played and surprisingly, found that I still knew all the lyrics (so did about 80% of the people at Sonic which made it that much more fun!!).

Ming, Ethan and co. once again dressed to kill, stealing everyone's attention. Didi and I love looking at them - it's like an explosion of colour and personality. And they're all so bloody nice.

"I love being in the gay zone," Didi commented while gawking at Ming's platform harajuku sex kitten boots.

"You mean ... the safe zone?"

Cos that's what it is!

Damn beat now, will post some pictures tomorrow (although I see Valene has already uploaded some on Facebook.. damn semangat right..)

2008-12-05T17:14:00.002+08:00

A conversation today.

"So are you taking Christmas leave?"

"... No. My parents are heading to Singapore but I'm too lazy to follow."

"Oh so, New Year's? Any plans? Sure party right."

"... Er. No. No plans. Sit at home maybe."

(awkward silence falls as my friend goes SOCIAL PARIAH SOCIAL PARIAH in her head)

I am a giggly schoolgirl.

2008-12-03T22:25:00.003+08:00

Oh damn. I know what my kryptonite is and that's cute boys who sing emo singer-songwriter songs about love. Damn damn damn. I cannot resist. Which is why I am hooked on blinktwice4y, a YouTube singer (thanks Cris!).

Here's an original, "Mercy".

Very nice very nice, and I am digging that lumberjack look on guys.

A cover of Damien Rice's "Cannonball". A lady killer of a song ~~and it being featured on the movie "Closer" does.not.help lessen the swoon factor.~~ (that was "The Blower's Daughter" oops) period.

Squeeeeee.

Ok, and the deal clincher, another original: "Mario Kart Love Song".

Hahah how adorable is that fake moustache.

And the lyrics, omg so cute I is melllltinnngggg....

You be my princess
I'll be your toad
I'll follow behind you
on rainbow road
Protect you from red shells
wherever we go
I promise.

Noone will touch us
if we pick up a star
If you spin out
you can ride in my car
When we slide together
we generate sparks
in our wheels and our hearts

The finish line
is just around the bend
I'll pause this game
so our love will never end
Let's go again

The blue shell is coming
so I'll go ahead
If you hang behind
it'll hit me instead
but never look back
cause I'm down but not dead
I'll catch up to you

Don't worry about
Bowser or DK
Eat this glowing mushroom
and they'll all fade away

to the mushroom cup
and the flower cup
and the star cup
and the reverse cup

walalalalala
walalalalalawaluigiiiiii

I showed it to Myra and Claudia at work and we are all in lurve.

My heart goes ting ting!

2008-12-01T12:37:00.004+08:00

Remember when I waxed lyrical about The Ting Tings?

Now, whenever I love a band, I always wish them mainstream success. I really don't get why some music fans are so protective over their fav bands. If they hear them on radio, they freak out and start spewing bullshit about "selling out". And then they bitch about crap music on radio ... but yet get angry when their fav bands get played?! Um hello, make up your mind you snob elitist.

I want my fav bands to get on radio. It dramatically increases the chances of me seeing them perform live in a country nearby. Being on radio, on MTV, on whatever mainstream channels sends a clear signal to promoters that this band can SELL tickets. For promoters, it's all about the $$$ anyway.

So! The Ting Tings did explode into popularity like I hoped and guess what - they'll be performing live in Singapore next month!!!!!!!

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

I am applying for leave now and tickets will be bought by the end of this week. I can't wait! Now I'm hoping we can somehow secure an interview with them. I'll probably freak out though.

Switched off.

2008-11-28T02:09:00.005+08:00

It's a hotbed of events now in the social calendar. Fashion week is on, which means shows and after-parties. Christmas is near, which means Xmas parties. And November seems to be the month everyone is born in, which means birthday shindigs. And Z ouk is near completion, which means the return of Friday night TAGs. Oh how I miss. Speaking of Z ouk, am just back from the launch of their new look. The crowd was kinda ... weird. I think Ethan said it best when he announced, "Welcome to Cheras!" after Didi and I said hey. Ming just complemented that statement with, "It's an office party in here", in reference to the many, many button-down striped shirts. You know, standard Metrojaya wear for guys. Am beginning to wonder if that's all there is to style for guys in the corporate world. There HAS to be something else to put on? Why not just put an end to the early morning what-the-fuck-should-I-wear-today bizniz and create uniforms.

Lately I've been feeling a little switched off from the whole "scene"/industry. I know I should be attending at least one of the fashion week shows, but I can't seem to get myself into the mood of dressing fabulously and being well-groomed. It's scary how lazy I am to groom these days. Considering that I should be ...er... "prowling", given my suddenly single status, I really should put in the effort.

All I enjoy doing these days is reading a good book and having coffee. I love not having to layan anyone but myself, and I always make sure I have headphones on so I can pretend I can't hear if someone weird tries to disrupt my personal space. I don't really know if this behaviour is healthy; certainly it doesn't help in the making-new-friends area.

Which brings me to my next point: I don't really have that many friends. I have acquaintances, yes.. I have people I air-kiss at parties.. but ... do I know them well? Have I ever had one decent conversation with them in the din of a club?

No. As I grow older, I realize I get pickier on who I spend time with. If I don't feel I have much to offer you, and vice versa, I don't really want to waste my time on the small talk. Though that makes me sound like a downright snob (which I can be at times...), the good thing is that once we're friends, we're for life yo. I've been friends with my school mates since Standard 1, and we're still really good friends.

And though no one believes me for some reason, that's why I feel so socially awkward at events. I want to make a connection when I talk to people, I want to be friends. But more often than not, these sorta events don't allow for connection. They exist in that one frame in time, that heat of the moment where everything is great ... but as the night hits 3am and the lights are switched back on, we air-kiss and disperse with nary a word ... until the next party.

I guess I'm tired of that. I know what it's like to make a connection, and everything else just pales in comparison.

I'm So Damn Competitive

2008-10-21T23:26:00.000+08:00

I don't like to admit it but I can be uber competitive at times, especially in situations when I know I have some hope of winning. Different story la when I'm so out of my league. Hey at least I'm realistic!

So today I went over to TTDI Plaza (not before getting lost ... again) after work to support my colleagues at this Heineken event where the winning team gets a trip to Krabi. I was prepared to just sit there, have a couple of beers and cheer/laugh at my colleagues.

Turns out that there was a last minute pull out and I had to fill in the spot for the third and final member, wtf.

Reluctant at first because I thought it was a football-related game but turns out that it wasn't. Divided into three sets, the first game had you directing a truck to a store to deliver Heineken, the 2nd had you doing a Mexican wave (virtually) and the 3rd, you had to catch a bottle sliding across the bar.

So we played the first round.. selamba je... just for fun right?

Nope.

When we ended up in the top 4 teams out of 10, the competitive streak in me went into overfriggingdrive. That's a 1 in 4 chance of winning a free, 5 day 4 night, VIP trip to Krabi!! Sun sea sand and beer!!

ZOMG. OK MUST FOKUS.

My heart was beating in the semifinal and I was really annoying to my teammates. I kept screaming, cheering, jumping around the console, freaking out ... but it worked and we made it to the finals!!

Wooohoo.

Except not.

We lost by 3 seconds to a team of bloggers because Adrian dropped three of his bottles in the last and final set. Omg nailbiting stuff for real!! *shoots death stare at boss*

You should have seen Didi's and my face when we returned to our table. Didi was red and I was so hot I had to remove my jacket. And Adrian suffered our wrath mwahahahaha.

SIGH. So close yet ... so faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrr. I hate being second. Is the worst position to finish!

Later on the drive home, I got a text from boss.

"Sorry guys, well do krabi as company trip. :)"

I'll hold you to that Adrian!! :P

Oh my sincerest congrats to the winning team. I may be competitive but I'm no sore loser. Alco all arouuuund!

There is such a thing ...

2008-10-06T03:56:00.002+08:00

... as too much caffeine.

Totally regretting the two cups of coffee I had. Lesson of the day: never have coffee during dinner.

Arrrggggghhhhhhhhhh i wanna go to sleeeeepppppp.

Nothing matters on a rainy Saturday.

2008-08-23T17:47:00.007+08:00

Since when was it ok to call someone a 'whore'? And mean it so maliciously? Knowing that that person is no one close to one? Just because she dresses in a certain way? Because she has on make-up? All superficial shit, and gives no one absolutely no right to label anyone a whore.

I will never use that word on anyone, ever.

(ATTENTION whore, maybe...)

So the petrol price went down to RM2.55 per liter, effective today! But increase or decrease, the roads were a nightmare yesterday when the news broke. Maybe Brian was right when he predicted that there'll be many stalled cars on the road because die die also they won't pump petrol until price decrease. Hahah! I think that that's totally possible.

My mom must've felt motivated from the decrease cos she went out to book the new MyVi today. We haven't decided whether I'll be sticking to my current one, or switching. But still, no complaints. Now my brother won't have to hijack my car, wheeee!!!

The past week has been quite the madness. Out every night either working or at events. Had a really good time at the Tongue in Chic's launch at the Apartment KLCC on Wednesday. Had good company, endless drinks, quite good duck pasta (my 1st decent meal at Apartment, honestly) and the space upstairs was so chic and quirky. As usual, didn't take pictures cos am a lazy mofo but bless Facebook, here are 2 from other people instead.

This is from Shuk Yin's album, where we tried to emulate Xu's "O-mouth-look-in-sky" pose, as seen on Cobrasnake. Erm, we all quite fail eh..

And this one I liked, from Reta's album.

More photos here >> click.

Upon recommendation from Jet, I've been listening to CSS's new album "Donkey" lately and it is some hot shite. It just spells out g-o-o-d-t-i-m-e.

I really like CSS remixes too. My favourite has to be their remix of Grizzly Bear's "Knife". It's just amazing, better than the original (which was in all honesty, quite depressing).

Oh! And OMG, this news made me so happy for some unknown reason but Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling are back together! I usually do not care much about Hollywood couples but I love them together.

Ok gtg, going to watch "The Notebook"!!!!!

SCREAMS

2008-08-18T01:44:00.003+08:00

In the middle of the night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was almost done typing out the Checklist for the KLue site when I accidentally hit the Back button and lost fucking everything!!

OMG.. inhale exhale inhale exhale

I feel so cheated cos I fought off sleep so I can get it done tonight and not worry about it tmr but now I am just frustrated, tired and upset with technology, laptops and my carelessness in general.

Sigh. Time for bed and worry about tomorrow when it comes.

Rewind 3 years.

2008-08-17T05:31:00.004+08:00

I went to Starbucks today to get some work done. With my laptop. And an air of importance. Like, wow look at me girlfriend - look how assured I am as I type, type, typeeee!!

The truth was I did get quite a bit done. I would've never had achieved that at home seeing as the lure of my comfy bed is too hard to resist (as I type this I am lying down. That's how lazy I am).

Sitting at the very same Starbucks where I worked at three (omg has it been that long?) years ago made me a little nostalgic (why am I always nostalgic these days). I knew where and what everything was/is, but at the same time the whole place has changed. It's been renovated; it's a lot bigger now and there are actually COUCHES! Back when I was there, all we had were the wooden chairs as we weren't a high volume store, hence we didn't get the whole Starbucks treatment. The baristas were friendly but no face was familiar - the crew that I worked with have all gone and moved on with life. There wasn't a customer there that I recognized ... I guess they've moved on too.

Funny how this place was practically my second home in 2005/2006. I spent so much time there working shifts, making coffee, steaming milk, cleaning the grease trap, blending ice, carrying chairs around...

... and now someone else does it for me. Upgrade, I say.

**

Was watching "Running With Scissors" last night and Catherine Feeny's "Mr Blue" came on. It made me so happy! I remember hearing it for the first time on... er, "The OC". Don't care what anybody says, that show was revolutionary until Season 3 came and they hyped up the melodrama. Season 4 was loads better but by then they had lost majority of the early fans!

Anyway, "Mr Blue" people. (Joyce Wrong, you'll love it!)

1 more for the night.

2008-08-13T01:54:00.003+08:00

On a roll today!

Tomorrow... or rather, later today, I'm going to check out Queens of Noize at Zeta Bar. Which I am quite excited about. They're a female DJ duo from the UK and host this night called Smash & Grab at Punk Club in London; if I had to compare, it would sort of be like LapSap or TAG ... but with girls behind the decks! Yay!!! I found this scan from UK VOGUE while doing some research. Looks like their nights are pretty popular over there, judging from the people it attracts...

Plus they have this Video Booth thing at their parties where guests can go and record themselves; later the organizers take the footage and make a vid to remember the night. Sweet. There are so many on YouTube but I like this one cos Of Montreal's "Wraith Pinned To The Mist (And Other Games)" is just a fun song, despite the long-winded, annoyingly cryptic title.

Fun! Hopefully it'll work in KL. Zeta Bar isn't exactly the first place that springs to mind when you think of nights like these but hey, I won't knock it till I've tried it. Queens of Noize starts at 11pm, 13 and 14 August. Admission is FREEEE, fools!

Word wankdom.

2008-08-13T00:43:00.002+08:00

April Kuan (i donno why i call April Kuan by full name but it rolls off the tongue!) sent me this link of "9 Words That Don't Mean What You Think" and I totally geeked out to it! I've been mis-using certain words for years! OMG MIND BLOWING (for real. But maybe only because I am Her Royal Dorkdom.)

Ironic

People think it means:
Any kind of amusing coincidence.

Actually means:
An outcome that is the opposite of what you'd expect.

So, if a porn star moved to Virgin, Utah, that would be ironic. If the same porn star bought a house in Boner Knob, Montana that
would not be ironic.

Pristine

People think it means:
"Spotless" or "as good as new."

Actually means:
"Ancient, primeval; in a state virtually unchanged from the original."

It's therefore perfectly possible to have a pristine mountain of fossilized brontosaurus shit, but if you were to buff that mountain to a lustrous shine, it would no longer be pristine.

(Honestly I really thought 'pristine' meant so new it was shiny! I mean... even the word 'pristine' is kinda ... sparkly.)

Enormity

People think it means:
Enormous.

Actually means:
Outrageous or heinous on a grand scale.

War crimes are enormities. Extra-big bouncy castles are not.

Should you care?
This is one of those words you really don't need to be using anyway, unless you're giving a speech at the U.N. Just remember that if you say to your girl, "I hope you're prepared for the enormity of my dick," you're implying that your penis is responsible for several acts of evil on the scale of ethnic genocide. This may or may not turn her on, depending on the girl.

Also I am glad to know about 'nonplussed' and 'bemused'. Gawd I need to read MORE.

Recently I've developed a huge liking for pop punk dance band Cobra Starship. OMG they are made from all sorts of WIN!!!!!

Didi has seen them live and met Gabe. I am so jealous. Pouts.

Nerdy pet peeve.

2008-08-11T23:07:00.001+08:00

When people confuse 'dateline' and 'deadline'.

Dateline: The part in a story, news piece, article which states where and when the piece was written.

Deadline: The date you have to submit your stuff in by before your professor grills yo ass.

Or editor.

Bedfellow.

2008-08-09T03:20:00.005+08:00

I'm finally home, snuggled within my comforters with laptop on my ... lap. Earlier tonight, I was at the Kent event at jin tendang* Mines. I'm quite proud that I didn't get lost driving there from Bukit Bintang, but it took me an hour just looking for the right exit home. -_-

The event was quite cool actually; organizers had turned a plain exhibition hall into a big space decorated with huge lights that glowed from the ceiling and even the table stands were basically lampshades. Unfortunately I think I was tired out from the past week to really get into it. All the alcohol just made me even sleepier and I knew that I should leave seeing as everyone started to ask if I was okay. No one likes a spoilsport.

Being at one too many parties this week just made me realize how much of an introvert I really am. Though I had fun at each and every one of them (particularly the MTV Asia Awards after party - so much white wine and Moet!), attending them always make me miss the privacy of my own space and the luxury of having alone time. Small talk is by far the scariest thing for me to do, especially in a place where the speakers are pounding. Why bother, I think sometimes, when no one's gonna remember this in an hour?

So much of what I do seem to be exercises in futility lately. I think it's a funk I'm going through where my self-esteem is just crippling me. I wish I was more interesting, wittier, a better conversationalist. At 23, you'd think being happy with who you are would come a lot easier.

I met someone today at the party who is friends with a former lecturer in college. He told me that my lecturer was immensely proud of what I'm doing, what I'm becoming and where I am now. I felt a warm rush after hearing that and it was seriously the most comforting thing I've heard about myself in a while. Most days I wake up thinking that I've got so much to prove, but for that one moment then, it felt alright to just ... be.

Today's inspiration is brought to you by Britney Spears, who is looking like a million bucks again. I'm rooting for your comeback Brit, and I don't care what anyone says, "Black Out" was amazing!

And lately, I've been listing to Cut Copy obsessively. I totally believe their hype now. "Strangers in the Wind" is definitely one of those songs I'd put on repeat.

Jin tendang - a place so far and obscure that it seems like a genie (ie jin) kicked you there in spite. (Didi totally rocks for introducing me to the word)

Superstylin'

2008-07-31T01:21:00.003+08:00

You know that dream most women have of finding THE hairdresser? The sort of hairstylist you can joke with, share with, bond over magazines with, and gives you beauty tips? The one person you go back again and again?

Ever since I was a kid, I wanted a hairstylist who would do all that. This was because I had bad hair growing up. It was really thick, and bushy, frizzy, dry, waves all over the place, and no style whatsoever. Hair was just hair on my head, not a reflection of my personality.

Thankfully as I grew, my hair got better. The first time a hairstylist said my hair was healthy (and not the usual remark of "SO DRY!"), I beamed with pride. It was seriously a MILESTONE as I've always wanted healthy hair with no split ends! And at 20, I finally achieved it. Ah, hair nirvana - finally.

Over the last year, I've been blessed by the Hair Gods (Vidal and Sassoon?) once again as I've finally found a hairstylist whom I love: Ming from Bombshell on Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar. Girls, he's wonderful and so fabulous! Honestly, he's the most fabulous person I know.

I'm so glad I went to get my hair cut today. Not only did I get a cut and wash, Ming did my eyebrows, introduced me to an awesome eyebrow mascara from Bobbi Brown (which I will get tomorrow!!!), told me what to wear for the MTV Asia Awards and even lent me an effing hot red leather (pleather?) jacket for the show! I is a happy girl.

So yeah - want a good hair cut? Ming from Bombshell okay?! He is fantastiko.

KLue TV News

2008-07-28T23:53:00.003+08:00

I cried laughing when I saw this. My crazy colleagues. Damn jobless! (Technically true! No internet and no electricity at office when they shot it)

Remember that song?

2008-07-26T02:34:00.002+08:00

Back to life
back to reality
back to the here and now yeah.

(oh yeah and back to the gym considering the shameful amount of food I stuffed my face into in HK)

Arrrghhh.

2008-07-21T01:24:00.002+08:00

Just finished packing. Supposed to be leaving home around 2.30am. Need to shower. And pack shoes! Oh the last minuteness. Just discovered that my handphone charger might be fucking up on me. No "Charging" icon when I plug it in. Perhaps my batt is charged out... then again, it will usually say "Charge Complete". Gawddammnnn. Please don't fail me NOW of all times. Come to think of it, I left my charger in HK the last time I was there. And now, my new charger is potentially dying as I am leaving TO HK. C'mon Universe, what are you trying to tell me? Stop with the handphone clues!

Contemplating whether to pack the laptop. So paranoid of someone breaking into hotel room and stealing it wtf.

Attempting to stay up til 2.30am and sleep on the flight.

Yawn.

Spacing out to Band of Horses "No One's Gonna Love You". Such a beautiful song, and I love its many layers.

And gladiator sandals? Cannot stand the sight of them on any more feet. Trend overkill now.

Nevermind the buttocks..

2008-07-19T02:38:00.004+08:00

Why is it that I spend all my day in front of the computer, come home, and then turn my laptop on?

Honestly I cannot sleep if I don't loiter aimlessly online first. It's my equivalent to milk and cookies as a child.

Tomorrow I am going to do my laundry. Then draw up my HK list COMPLETE with directions. Convert currency. Take the boyfriend out for early birthday dinner as I'll be missing it on Monday.

And maybe if I feel like it... I'll join my crazy colleagues who want to audition to be part of the moshpit at the MTV Asia Awards. Already have media pass but still insist on being in the moshpit. Aiyoo uselessness.

Oh! Kevin posted up this picture of me lining up for food at Rainforest. I love it. Tis a true reflection of my soul!!!

Holla!

Idealist.

2008-07-16T22:59:00.002+08:00

Despite all the hell breaking loose now, I find comfort and a bit of reassurance when I saw how gorgeous and bright the moon was tonight.

Sigh.

Avoided a road block on Jalan Hang Tuah earlier thanks to Joyce who texted to warn everyone in the office.

In other news, the washing machine pipe burst today. Die la. Got a mountain of laundry from Rainforest and some from last week all waiting to be washed. If not fixed by tomorrow, need to send it to the laundromat. Does one separate colours from whites when dropping off laundry or do they do it for you? Yes I know. So many laundry questions these days...

Anyway... was googling 'laundromat' (cos I didn't know if it the word was that or 'laundrette') and came across this site: Satan's Laundromat. Ok it really isn't as deviant as it sounds! It's just a collection of photos shot in New York City. Man I LOVEEEE city pictures. Love looking at different cities, the lights, the people, the crowd. Toying with the idea of doing something similar for KL. Brush up on my rusty photography.

Enough idling. Going to have myself some cake and then, a shower!

Hong to the Kong.

2008-07-15T22:32:00.002+08:00

What is the best way to wash a black pair of jeans in the washing machine? I've been hand-washing them the past few times but it's so heavy when wet and I am lazy. The colour still runs till now! Grr..

Am looking through the prepared itinerary my mom's friends made for the upcoming Hong Kong trip. It's all tentative of course things to do include lots of shopping, and touristy stuff like Ocean Park. Which I am okay with, really. I've been to HK twice in the past but both were for work so I never had time to see much of what the country has to offer. Haven't even been to The Peak! I just hope we won't get completely cheated seeing as we're walking straight into tourist traps.

In the free time that I have, I've been googling for other stuff that I personally wanted to do when there. Here's the working list so far:

Aberdeen Harbour boat ride. Eat at Jumbo Floating Restaurant but it's a rip off, of course.

Eat authentic dim sum.

Buy stuff from H&M and Uniqlo.

Go to Repulse Bay? Then to Lamma Island to eat seafood dinner.

Eat famous roast duck/goose? at Central.

Eat mango pudding Adrian told me about the last time I went to HK.

Eat HK street food.

All I want to do is eat! Shopping isn't even turning me on right now as I'm saving myself for Bangkok in September.

If you've been to Hong Kong, tell me: what should I do there? Besides the obvious things like the above! Hehe.

Back from Kuching.

2008-07-14T18:28:00.001+08:00

My first Rainforest World Music Festival experience is over. Now I can scratch that off my list of Must Dos in life.

Damn tired now. As soon as we reached KLIA, my mind kicked into Work mode. What stories left to do? How's the opis? And dear god, what will greet me when I open my inbox? Seriously the thought of my e-mails scared the shit out of me!

Reality kicks in too fast.

Notes on the fest (because writing a proper narrative is too much to handle now):

how I, even though not remotely a world music fan, completely layan-ed the music. It's true what everyone says: you'll love it when you're there. The whole vibe just makes the music easy to enjoy.

the 50 beer coupons courtesy of Heineken. 50 beers in 3 days - all finished. Not just by myself of course, shared with some friends and brought some as goodwill to after parties!

the evening poolside fun with Kev, Mary, TL, Nur, Joyce, John, Natasha.

ass-wrestling on the beach O_O. And how Joyce beat Undefeated World Ass Wrestling Champion of the Universe (self proclaimed), Khai Lee.

sunset at the beach. Too bad that happened on my last night :(

the day-time workshops! In all honesty, I enjoyed them more than the night performances.

eating at the food mart. The Arabic Rice stall is awesome.

the Sarawak Cultural Village. It's beautiful!

tuak.

so. much. MUD. It's Recharge Revelation 4: Global Gathering all over again for me. The last time I danced in mud, I had an itchy rash on my foot for a whole month (yes I know, too much info) so I'm still a bit wary. When will I learn to invest in a pair of Wellingtons?

the scary food at Santubong Resort's restaurant. Rubberband mee hoon. Deep fried and re-fried spring rolls. Sarawak Laksa made with perencah and jazzed up with bits of egg and prawn. It's quite a cool resort but they should really do it up a little seeing as they put all the media and performers up there.

the rather disappointing pool parties. I only put it here cos everyone tells me how awesome it is when the performers start jamming spontaneously by the resort's poolside till the wee hours of the morning. I think I waited till 4am on the last night and still no action. Sigh.

that I didn't get to see Kuching town. No one to bring me around. Confirm get lost.

O well... maybe next year? And I'm so staying here.

Exhaustion.

2008-07-11T00:10:00.003+08:00

Tired, mentally physically, beyond belief. The kind of tired that makes your hands shake. Almost lost it driving home earlier when I got stuck in a jam on Jalan Hang Tuah.

Not even done yet. Still got tedious odds and ends to wrap up before flying off tomorrow. Haven't had dinner. Haven't PACKED. And must be up by 6.30am tomorrow.

Oh my god la, my heart just squeezed itself thinking about the night ahead.

Remind me to think twice before accepting trips on a workday.

Why am I facsinated by this?

2008-07-10T11:12:00.005+08:00

Nicolas Cage recently spent over $3 million to buy this house in New Orleans.

Nice right? Until you read its history, that is.

In 1833, after several neighbors allegedly saw her cowhiding a young servant girl in the mansion's courtyard, rumors began to spread around town that Mme. LaLaurie treated her servants viciously. According to one tale, a young slave girl had been brushing Mme. LaLaurie's hair in the upstairs bedroom when the young servant hit a snag in her mistress's hair, causing LaLaurie to become enraged. Mme. LaLaurie whipped the twelve year old slave girl, who tried to escape but fell off a balcony overlooking the courtyard, ending her life. The girl was quickly brought into the LaLaurie Mansion, but not before being observed by neighbors, who would file a complaint. The neighbors would later assert that the young girl was buried under a tree in the yard.

On April 10, 1834, during another party, a fire broke out in the kitchen of the mansion. The firemen entered the building through the courtyard. To their surprise, there were two slaves chained to the stove in the kitchen. It appeared as though the slaves had set the fire themselves in order to attract attention. The fire itself was soon subdued.

However, the biggest surprise was to be found in the attic, where the fire brigade was directed by the other slaves. The door was bolted, forcing the fire brigade to use a battering ram to open the door. Inside the crawlspace attic was the stench of death. According to contemporary accounts, over a dozen disfigured and maimed slaves were manacled to the walls or floor. Several had allegedly been the subject of gruesome medical experiments.

The exact details are unclear; owing to the horrific nature of the crime, many details were either swept under the rug or embellished. One man looked as though he had been victim of some bizarre makeshift sex change. Another one had a hole in his head where a stick had been inserted to "stir his brains". A woman was trapped inside a small cage where her arms and legs had been badly broken and then reset at odd angles, making her appear as some sort of "human crab." Another woman had her arms and legs removed and patches of her flesh had been sliced off in a circular motion to make her appear as a giant caterpillar. Some had their mouths sewn shut and had then starved to death. Others had their hands sewn to different parts of their bodies. One woman had her entrails pulled out of her stomach and was secured to the floor by her own intestines. A small boy of about twelve had the flesh on half of his face peeled back, revealing muscle, veins, and so forth. The wound had since been infested with disease and insects. Most of the victims were found dead. Those who were still alive, begged to be put out of their misery and died shortly after.

Also discovered in the attic were teacups and saucers, encrusted with a "red substance." There were several bottles lying about with what was assumed to be the same red substance. The substance in the bottles was later identified as blood.

From Wikipedia.

O.M.F.G how fucking sick is this!
I guess the real question is what possessed Nic Cage to spend 3 freaking million on the hell hole?

Exploding, floating.

2008-07-10T02:18:00.002+08:00

Chalking up another late night.

A short poll: do you concentrate better with or without sounds/distraction/noise? My brother and I are polar opposites when it comes to focusing. I work and learn better when there is background noise, but he can't absorb anything if any one so much as speaks. When exam season rolls around, you can never see his batang hidung in the house because he spends his time in the deadly silence of the library.

Which brings me to what I'm doing now. Working on the feature. I erased 500 words in a second because I just wasn't feeling it. The music that was on was just wrong. They were all too ... happy. Bouncy. Shouty. Dancey. This laptop I have is new so my iTunes is kinda miserable with only 1GB worth of music.

I needed something to space out to, something that would fill the holes in mind with emotion, colour, texture ... Right, you have no idea what I mean. I had to resort to YouTube to get my fix of the music I needed, which was anything by Explosions in the Sky.

I'm not a huge post-rock fan. After watching Explosions in the Sky live, a friend asked me if I'd go to another post-rock gig to which I responded that once you've heard one post-rock band, you've probably heard 'em all. Such a sweeping statement yeah, but I meant it. However, I can definitely see the genre's appeal. There's so much majesty and tragedy in the instrumentals. The fact that there are no vocals makes it a lot like a blank page on which you can write whatever story you want.

Which is probably the best thing about this genre. Everyone feels the song differently. For me, I feel like I'm floating whenever I listen to it. I feel disconnected ... but in a good way. Like my mind gets to just be my mind without my heart interfering.

Yawn.

2008-07-08T22:26:00.003+08:00

I'm on leave tomorrow to run some errands that have been backlogged since May. I'm actually kinda excited to get them done, so I can just move on with life instead of constantly harping on the fact that they sit pretty on my To Do list. Yes this is what excites me these days. Not parties, not events, not even booze, but the ability to strike things off my ever-growing To Do list. Yay to me!

For those wondering, Urbanscapes was awesome. I guess you could call me bias for saying that, but I'm totally not kidding. There was just so much going on at the same time that it was a bit of a stimuli overload. Since I was there from morn till midnight, I really got to see how the festival grew over the day, and how the endless activities played out. Of course there are some people who've told me that they were a little bored - understandable of course. You can't please everyone kan? Just the fact that they made an effort to show up was good enough for me. Some more all the way in Sentul which I know is quite jin tendang for blur Subang and PJ people. :P

The next on my agenda is Rainforest this weekend. Am looking forward to that as I've never been. Heard it's an experience to remember - hopefully it'll turn out that way!

The Hong Kong trip with my mom and her friends is still a bit lost at the moment. The hotel which were initially supposed to be at was apparently seized by the bank because it couldn't pay its loans. And therefore, no hotel. AirAsia should really look into the credibility of the hotels they put on their list, methinks. Anyway, we've been going back and forth about a substitute. They put us in this hotel near the damn airport, which is just too far from any where of interest. Right now, it looks likely that we'll have to top up a little extra for a hotel in Kowloon. What is this fuckery. Ugh. No accomodation confirmed and my flight is on the 21st!

I guess nothing beats my mom's Remark of the Week. She wanted to e-mail me information about the substitute hotel and asked for my e-mail address.

So I told her. "sarah at xxxx dot com dot my"

Her: And how do you spell that...?

"MAAAAA!! You gave me my name!"

Some habits, like confirming an e-mail address, are hard to kick.

Not THAT sober.

2008-06-28T00:26:00.002+08:00

Lot 10 is having a massive rebranding which means, massive renovation. I saw the initial plans today and it looks... promising. What interest me most was their plans for their Rooftop. They're going to have 2 "UK-branded nightclubs" (I quote. No details yet) up there, restaurants, a gym ... all set to a "urban jungle" theme. By the end of 2008, you'll be able to see noticeable changes to Lot 10 trademark green facade.

Anyway as a precursor to these changes, they threw their "Lot 10 Fabulous Rooftop Party" earlier tonight. Being stuck in the office finishing up last minute stuff before Urbanscapes, I had initial plans to boycott, go home and get much-needed rest (need to be up from 7.30am - waaay after midnight the next day). But after dilly dallying in the office, Joyce and I decided to check it out anyway.

Besides, there were promises of Grey Goose cocktails.

And oh boy, Grey Goose did NOT disappoint. I had... six lychee martinis? On a near-empty stomach. Probably not the best of idea but they were so yummy. Grey Goose is possibly the smoothest vodka on the market, with Belvedere being a close second (though even with that I can taste a slight burn). I just downed one martini after another, while vulture-ing for any food that came my way.

Now one thing I really don't get about events. You set your event to start at dinner time. You plan to serve shitloads of alcohol. Why bring out food in such tiny portions, on mobile trays, where guest can only take one slice/piece/portion because it's too embarrassing to hog the waiter? Why why why. I know it's so kampung and probably not too chic *roll eyes* but a buffet would be the most welcomed. Like mm... barbeque... nasi goreng... lamb chops.. oh god my stomach growls still thinking about it. I left the event hungry, but happily tipsy. And realized that when I have alcohol, my toes start to cramp. Why ah. So not helpful when you're in a club, going at it on the dancefloor then ALAMAK... TOES CRAMPING...

I craved for Ramly burger on the way home. Reality: I had wholemeal buns with butter and jam instead. Needless to say, it did not hit the spot.

Have you Jokerize your photo yet?

2008-06-27T00:33:00.002+08:00

The Dark Knight: 17 July. Woot.

So much to do on Saturday.

2008-06-26T23:31:00.002+08:00

Looking at my Facebook today, and was amused to see this under Events:

Pwnage.

So, what about you reading this? Coming or not? And noooo, don't ask me about free tickets k! Everyone's been asking. I've ran out, only had 5 to begin with anyway. Don't tell me you can spend RM200 LIKE THAT *snap* on Topshop stuff but can't part with RM25 (presale)? Come on now... :D But the Marketplace is totally free of admission, and so is the Lakeside arena! That's where peeps like KL Undercover, Lapsap and TAG will be performing. WILD is around 6pm, and it's gonna be a real short set but I'll play some really shameless, guilty pleasure pop there.

Anyway enough plugging. Let's move on to music I've been listening to lately, shall we?!

Santogold "L.E.S Artistes". Santogold, real name Santi White. Genre-bending Afrian American singer. Currently opening for Coldplay at most of their North American tour dates.

Lykke Li "Little Bit". Swedish indie pop singer. I don't know how to pronounce her name, actually. Comparisons to Robyn are inevitable, but she's .. sweeter? More laidback.

Missy Elliot "Shake It Like A Pom Pom". Dayummm this song is my JAMMMMMM. Didi and I freak out everyday to it in the office, and proceed to 'shake our pom pom' and.. stuff. There is no escape when I shake it in yer face. A lyric full of WIN.

MGMT "Kids". Duo of Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden (so damn sexy) from Brooklyn. Psychedelic goodness. Downloaded their album a few months back but I finalllly have the physical CD. You must go watch their other videos "Time to Pretend" and "Electric Feel". It's. So. Trippy.

About talent.

2008-06-26T00:28:00.004+08:00

I am a person with no notable talent. I am neither singer or actress. Not an artist or a poet. Hardly a dancer or a pianist (though I was formally trained til grade 6, I hated it honestly). I've been told that I am witty by some, but my wit never comes when I need it: not when writing, or when telling a story, or when competing at a stand-up comedy open mic perhaps (not that I've ever, just a scenario!). Which is why I admire multi-hyphenates so much. You know: actor-musician-dancer. Artist-poet-photographer. Math genius-model-bleeding artist. It would be nice to excel at something or to be naturally gifted in an area. Thinking about it now, I wonder how I got to where I am with no outstanding talent whatsoever.

Oh don't worry. I am not wallowing.

Waking up at 5.35pm

2008-06-22T18:45:00.004+08:00

I rolled across my bed to take a look at the time and my eyes almost popped when it read "17:35".

Granted, I fell asleep at 6am after the Urbanscapes Pre-Party. But still! That's just unacceptable. My mom gave me lip service the moment I went downstairs to make some tea. And she gave me the whole, "coming home at 4am is not good because you are a girl". What the hell. If I get raped, she'll probably say it's cos I have cleavage. My parents are just that sort of conservatives.

So instead of thinking about breakfast or lunch, I've zoomed straight into dinner! Simon's picking me up in 45mins and I have yet to figure out what I want to makan. Am hankering for some Chinese food with pork, lard and oil (did I just describe bak kut teh?).

Blogging just to kill time to be honest. And thinking about the coming weeks. Urbanscapes is in barely a week's time which is scary! I am really really nervous about "performing" under WILD. Really, freaking nervous. Just the thought of it disturbs me.

After that, Rainforest on the 11th. 2 weeks later, Hong Kong on the 21st. MTV Asia Awards/Singfest on 1 and 2 August.

:) Loads to keep me occupied. I feel blessed.

& seriously guys, the new Coldplay album is worrrrldd.

It's late, I know

2008-06-16T03:42:00.003+08:00

I need sleep, but I opted instead to listen to the new Coldplay, "Viva La Vida". I couldn't help but download it because I was so curious. I'd still get a copy though simply because it's Coldplay and the sound of the download ain't grand.

I'm nearing the end of my first listen, and I'm loving it so far. It's not as emotional as "Parachutes" (my favourite) but I feel it's a tighter, more powerful album that both "X&Y" and "A Rush of Blood To The Head". Am tempted to write a review but NAAHHHH.. it's so tiring analyzing music sometimes. Music needs to just ... be. For a while.

So let's just conclude: "Viva La Vida", totally worth the wait. It's going to be repeated on my iTunes for some time, I just know it.

Life in Technicolor - Coldplay
Kicks off with "Life in Technicolour", an instrumental. Now I REALLY want to get my hands on the physical CD. Goodnight y'all.

1.12AM Monday morning.

2008-06-09T00:58:00.007+08:00

When one can't decide on what to title their blog post, a time stamp will suffice.

I'm very near completing my feature on Wyclef Jean, but I'm a little stuck right now. I want to connect one point to another but can't seem to find the common ground yet. But I know once I figure out how this leads to that, it will all be worth it.

Over a late night coffee run with the boyfriend (i needed caffeine to stay awake to finish the story) I complained about how hard it is to find time to get away. Which I guess it's a bit much coming from me, since I'll be in Kuching and Hong Kong in July and then Bangkok in September.

Although I am excited about all 3 trips, I'm still dreaming of Perhentian Island. I told Simon, I just need to go where there's nothing to do but lie on the beach, dip in the sea, eat. It really is the most rejuvenating ever. I still smile like a dork to myself whenever I see the pictures from the last trip. I never got to blog about that did I? I so fail as a blogger.

Every other photo has us with very minimal clothes so I won't be blogging those anytime soon. Heh.

Anyway ... I'm probably the only person who's complaining of her travel predicament. I should probably stop whining and go back to Wyclef. Speaking of which, I never got to blog about the time I met him in HK either. Gah, it is true what they say that just as your life gets exciting, you lose all motivation to share it on a blog. It was the most amusing interview ever, conducted while he was lying down and me sitting next to him. Very O.O .. picture:

Er, forgive the caption.. I had to steal the pic from the work blog because the soft copy is in the office computer. I also had to black out my eyes because the pic was to be published in a regional website and it didn't help that I looked like crap.

And I guess I might as well publish the Marie Digby picture since I'm blogging about the interviews I've been doing in the past few months.

She was very beautiful with pale porcelain skin and the silkiest hair. She was also very nice, too nice almost.

I found out last week Jason Mraz will be at SingFest. I love that guy, I used to have his lyrics on my About Me in my blog. Hahaha. Those were the days. I really like his new single though ... it's music to escape to. Nothing serious, just a sparkly pop tune which reminds you of the sea, which is what I find myself doing too often these days. Sigh.

Ok I feel better.

2008-05-31T15:09:00.002+08:00

Thanks David Cook. You're such a sexy beast.

David Cook BWE
Uploaded by mjsbigblog

Incompetent.

2008-05-31T01:48:00.002+08:00

That's how I feel sometimes.

I mask it pretty well most of the time, reminding myself that I am so fabulosity (too much Kimora Lee Simmons!). If I'm being honest with myself, I have a great life. I've got wonderful friends, an awesome boyfriend, I like my job, I've met so many different people, been to so many different things, traveled for work ... I have a life. Not bragging, just stating what I truly feel - I am a happy person. I've so much to be thankful for.

But I'm also very, very young, naive, idealistic, insecure and sometimes, I just don't know what I'm doing. People always think I've got things under control, that I'm oh-so-great for doing so much so fast but oh my god, it's so overwhelming sometimes. I'm scrambling in the dark most times, just HOPING that my instincts will help guide me.

And of course sometimes it backfires. Sometimes I'm in way over my head. And doing what I do, where you put a part of yourself out to the world in everything you do, you're bound to get criticism, haters, pessimists. I can deal with most of it, but it just gets to me sometimes. Maybe I'm not talented enough, maybe I'm not good enough. And the sad part is that this stems for wanting to be great, wanting to do better and when it doesn't work out, it's just ... sigh, hard to deal with. Perhaps you're nothing more than ordinary.

I don't want to be ordinary.

It has been a rough two weeks. And it's obvious from this post that it has taken its toll on me. I'm still dwelling on it right now, but hopefully tomorrow I'll wake up and feel less sorry for myself (it's pathetic).

I'm reviewing the new Mates of State album (recommended) and the opener "Get Better" just makes a lot more sense now. Everything's gonna get lighter, even if it never gets better. Walau, my emoness is making me ill.

The YouTube Test

2008-05-24T01:12:00.002+08:00

I just realized how much time I spend watching YouTube videos after seeing Weezer's new video "Pork And Beans" from their upcoming Red Album. Seriously - watch the video and see how many "celebs" made famous by YouTube you can spot. I love that they included that beauty pageant chick who gave some hilarious gibberish answer when asked about USA's lack of geographical knowledge. And also Chris Crocker. And the Numa Numa dude. It's such an entertaining video because it references the internet culture. I love that some of us will completely get it, and it would be completely confusing to others. If you want to know how much of a YouTube junkie you are, watch the video.

Happy happy music!

2008-05-19T01:58:00.002+08:00

I'll always be a pop music freak. Some things just don't change!

My current favourite band is Denmark's Alphabeat. They're damn bloody cute and fun and makes really good pop music, something that's like an art form these days because of all the crap that's out there tainting pop music's good name. (Phew!)

They're six people in Alphabeat and three of them are named Anders. No joke. It gets confusing for the first couple of times. There's also Rasmus, their keyboardist who looks like Ron Sexsmith + a hobbit, Troels on drums and the only girl in the group, Stine, whose hair I covet. They were actually invited to tour with the reunited Spice Girls, but DECLINED. Apparently, they did not want to introduce themselves to the world as being the support act for the girls's reunion tour.

Their signature track is "Fascination", a song bursting with frantic energy that one either loves or hates.

My favourite song though has to be "What Is Happening?". I love the boy-girl vocal harmonies and the little twist at the end where the beat picks up. Also, love the bittersweet sentiments and the chorus and the hooks. OMG too many things. This is a great pop tune. And the band does it so well live too. Watch watch watch.

Music videos you MUST watch.

2008-05-06T01:42:00.003+08:00

The Good:

Radiohead's "All I Need"

Puts things in perspective.

The mindblowing BAD:

Girlicious "Stupid Shit".. not kidding that's really the song title.

Girlicious is a product of Robin Antin, founder of Pussycat Dolls. You just... have to watch it. It might as well have the titles "YES I AM SELLING SEX" running throughout its duration.

Because Jerome Kugan is more awesome than you.

2008-04-07T22:28:00.003+08:00

Jerome Kugan is launching his album Songs For A Shadow this Saturday at The Annexe and it's going to be fantabulous, because Jerome is fabulous and his album is fierce. (In a mellow, electro-acoustic kinda way.) If you don't believe me, I have YouTube videos to prove his fabulosity! See!

Tomas
(probably my fav of the three. I remember listening to this at No Black Tie and loving it, way before Jerome and I were friends.)

This Excellent Love

City of Mud

Isn't it fantastic? (Ok I am running out of 'f' adjectives.) Don't you want MORE? Then drag your ass to the album launch this Saturday (12 April), 8.30pm at The Annexe Central Market. There will be readings (bernice chauly + priya k), performances (bulimia, tan sei hon, azmyl yunor, ferns) and a dj set (danny lim +... me -_-). I still get weirded out when people call me a "dj" cos I am so far from one. I just choose my fav stuff and press play.

Anyway, see you there in your fancypants. Don't forget the fancypants, dammit! It's the theme! I am wearing red leggings. Or maybe my crazy retro skirt. Or my loud yellow dress. Hmmm...

It's YouTube day!

2008-04-05T00:23:00.004+08:00

I've been terribly busy working on the new KLue site. We've been trying to get it up for so damn long now that I almost can't believe it's live and running. And running well, and looking good! I must admit, I personally like it; love it even. It's so easy to use, and I should know as I had to test some pretty atrocious ones while working towards the final result. I have a bit of an obsessive personality, and right now, the site is my obsession. (Gah, why am I such a workaholic.)

The last entry on this blog was just before I headed out for the Black Circuit Paddock Party. Oh my god what a freaking awesome night. It was all levels of insanity. There was a fucking crazy mosh pit in the dancefloor .. Steve Aoki and Mark "thecobrasnake" Hunter made full use of the crowd by doing like, 5 stage dives. There was a moment where I thought I was going to die of being crushed by thecobrasnake... he stage dove, I fell, and he almost landed right on top of me. Lucky I got pulled up in time. Anyway, the both of them were great to interview - no egos. Here's a video with snippets of our conversation and clips from the party. The part where it gets static-ky is when they stage dove and Didi couldn't hold on to her camera.

It's definitely in the running to be the best party of the year. Even Aoki thought it was rocking, since he blogged about it. And of course, cobrasnake's infamous party photos of the night.

Ok, moving on to tomorrow's big event - Surface. It's part of this audio-visual project organized by British Council, called Re-Imagining The City. What they're doing for this event is pretty ridonkulous - they've collected recordings, photos and visuals of KL to piece it together into a piece that reflects the city. It's all going to be set to some pretty awesome mood music and from what I saw last night at their warm-up gig, it's going to an eye-opener because the D-Fuse guys really know what they're doing. You'll get what I mean when you watch this video:

Ok, enough event whoring. I'll end this entry with a mash-up of R Kelly's "I'm A Flirt" and "7/4 Shoreline" by Broken Social Scene (drunkards!). It is DOPE.

Sippin' tea before the party

2008-03-22T18:52:00.002+08:00

What a self-explanatory title. It's been raining non-stop the whole day, and I've been sleeping and watching YouTube clips of Steve Aoki. Why? Cos I'll be interviewing him in a few hours for the Black Circuit Paddock Party. So yes, doing my research yo. Judging from his YouTube clips, he's damn psycho when spinning. Stage diving, falling down, pouring vodka all over the crowd ... i feel like i should wear sensible shoes tonight or something cos it's gonna be crrrrrraaazzzzy.

Aoki aside, everyone else seems to be equally excited about his traveling partner, Mark "The Cobrasnake" Hunter. He'll be at the party later as well and no doubt, scouting for interesting looking people to put on his infamous website. So is it any wonder really that the question on everyone's lips is not "Are you going?", but "What are you wearing?". I know everyone's just going to be gunning for him to snap a picture of them, so i am stoked to see some crazy outfits. KL better bring the madness.

.. ok, my tea's done. Going to shower now and figure out what to wear (er, probably top and jeans cos am very NOT stylo).

(ugh. this blog needs some visuals, kan?)

Sunburst

2008-03-16T03:08:00.002+08:00

A few lines on Sunburst.

George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic was hawt. Esp the guitarist who came up in a diaper (i can see his saggy balls but let's not think about that). There were furcoats, pimp wear and good vibes. I love that grandpa.

The Roots were BLOODY GOOD. I like the dorky token white guy. Haha.

Incubus still has it. Media were clamouring over them in the press room. They played mostly stuff from Morning View and A Crow Left of Murder. Maybe cause they're aware that Light Grenades bombed. Brandon Boyd is still the hottest frontman ever. Swoon swoon swoon x 1000.

John Legend sungguh mengada dan berdiva. But still, I had a moment when he sang Ordinary People.

Najwa, Tompi, Gerhana Ska Cinta and Hujan - very good too. Generally, all the local acts stepped it up.

I love how the music was non-stop, literally. Like The Roots would end, and 5 minutes later, Incognito was at the stage next door playing. People were moving back and forth like a pendulum. I was really impressed at just how there was ALWAYS someone performing. Except when it was John Legend's slot. He made everyone wait 15 mins.

Lots of food at okay prices. No RM8 curry puff like Live And Loud, at least.

Free games! Mechanical bull and faux sumo was fun to watch. Fire-eaters were damn cool too.

Great attendance. Much better than I expected. All four stages were nicely crowded. Of course more thronged towards the 2 main stages for the bigger acts, but people who performed on the 2 smaller stages had crowds of thousands watching them still. It wasn't biased to one end.

It was grass. No mud like Recharge at Melaka. Thank god!

For the media, I think they might have had frustrations with getting quotes for their article, or even posing questions to the artists. The mic was't working in the press room so whenever the artist said something, it was lost on everyone. When it was Incubus's time to meet the press, it was just chaotic and consisted of the organizers shouting to get the media in check while a meet-the-fans session was going on.

Security guards at festivals still irk me. I know they're just doing their job but must they be so rude about it. Seriously, I won't jump on any of the artists. I. Am. Just. Standing. Here. Okay?

Conclusion: Sunburst is one of the better music festivals I've been to. It was organized (on the outside, at least.. who knows internally?) and the performances were more or less according to the schedule given. I think what impressed me most was that each stage was CROWDED. It didn't look empty and pathetic, even with the lesser known acts. I can see a lot went into the planning. They thought about where to place the tents, the scheduling was great, and it was just really, really entertaining. With an event of this scale, there were probably a lot of last-minute changes and general chaos, but they succeeded in hiding that from the crowd. Can't stress how important that is. I've been on my feet since 1pm and it's 3.30am now ... I'm EXHAUSTED like you wouldn't believe. But I'm pretty happy .. just the feeling you get when you know you've had your fill of good live music. So congrats, Sunburst. I'm hoping to see you return in 2009.

My Tablecloth Dress

2008-03-01T17:18:00.002+08:00

Last night, a random hipster came up to me.

Hipster: "Hi... I've seen your dress on two different people already!"
Moi: "Oh. I guess I'll have to burn it now."
Hipster: "But it looks the best on you ..."
Moi: "Thank you". *curtsies*
Hipster: "... cos the other two look like fucking walruses!"
Moi: "... okay."

I can't figure out if that was a compliment or not. Well, whatevs. That's the last time I'd wear my hipster-wannabe dress out to hipster places. And I thought I was oh-so special and different.

XX's Back! (Alright!)

2008-02-27T00:40:00.007+08:00

Wow, consistently updating a blog is such a chore. I haven't even loaded my blog in a month. There goes my New Year's resolution of actively blogging again. I'm just going to use the term 'actively' loosely...

Anyway, the one month hiatus between the previous post and this one has been pretty eventful. Where to begin! That's the problem when you let things pile on each other. When it comes time to actually talk about it, everything becomes a bit of a blur.

It's been a good music month for me. There was Switchfoot in early February. Though I wasn't a huge fan, by the end of their concert I was totally digging them. They performed with such enthusiasm, and frontman Jon Foreman had such amazing showmanship. They were awesome to watch live - and amazing to hear too. Simon who was standing in the middle of the crowd said they sounded like a CD ... crystal clear delivery and pitch perfect to boot.

And later on in February, I went for Explosions in the Sky. Having never been to a post-rock concert/gig before, it's safe to say that the Texan band set the bar pretty damn high. With no vocals or audience interaction (save for when they introduced themselves as Letupan Di Langit, and when they apologized for not having an encore), they still managed to move the crowd and completely immerse the venue with their epic sounds. I loved it. It was a pretty intense gig ... I suppose post-rock does that to someone. You just get really into the song, interpreting it in ways personal to you. I loved the video that Shermen put together for the band, so I'm going to post it here.

Moving on to something HUGE. For me at least. I'm interviewing the Backstreet Boys tomorrow!! If you're wondering why I'm freaking out over has-beens ... well, let's just say that you should have seen me when I was 12. I was OBSESSED with BSB. I had posters, videos, CDs, stickers, magazines ... a total fangirl. I knew all their songs (well, up till the third album :P) and all the dance steps. I would go to bed at night listening to their CD and praying that I'll be able to meet them one day.

And now, that day has come! Z.O.M.FREAKING.G. A decade later, but STILL - the day has come. I wish I could travel back in the past and let the 12-year-old me in on this fact. Bad news: I only have 10 minutes with BSB. Yep, 10 loooooooong minutes shared between three media people. Wonderful.

And in slightly more than a week's time, another huge deal for me - my first time voting. Yep, I'll be voting with the rest of Malaysia on March 8 for the future of my country. I really hope there'll be some change this year. It probably won't be major - a revolution doesn't happen overnight, does it? But a small change that could indicate something positive for bigger changes the next time around.

Found these ads (flyers?) on www.exceptyou.org. They were made for the USA presidential election, but I felt the points were relevant to anyone who is eligible to vote but have not registered, or do not feel that they should vote.

Seriously guys, do exercise your democratic right to vote if you have registered. Sure, it's hard to say whether our votes will even make an obvious difference. But how's not voting going to make things better? We can try, at the very least.

Oh and before I sign off and head to bed, I'd like to invite you guys to this party. My friends and I will be er, "spinning", to use another term loosely. We'd just be playing some tracks from our playlists - indie rock, bubblegum pop, punk-pop, cheesy oldies, local bands, etc. Bottomline: we're not music elitists, so we'll play anything, from Bananarama, to Kylie, to Arctic Monkeys, Paramore, Guns N' Roses, Joy Division, Simian Mobile Disco, bla bla bla whatever's "cool". You can bring some MP3s too! We'll play them! It's a Be Your Own DJ night.

WILD
6 March, The Loft @ Zouk
Free before 12am, RM20 after 12am

Be sure to come up and say hello. :)

Phew, what a long post. Certainly makes up for the absence.

I See Stars

2008-01-31T12:11:00.000+08:00

Just a quick note before I forget.

One of my favourite local bands Estrella will be launching their self-titled debut at Centro (next to KL Sentral) at 8pm TONIGHT (31 Jan). It's a free event, and you'll get to see performances by not only Estrella but by several other acts like Otam and Seven. And to end the night, a DJ set by Poof!. (Not a typo, it's really poof exclamation mark. So cute!)

I first heard Estrella's stuff when I used to frequent the singer-songwriter nights of Troubadours. Subsequently I bought the album Voices From Next Door, a compilation of local singer-songwriters and I loved, loved, loved Estrella's contribution to it. A melancholic, acoustic number called "Take It Slow". It was a slow burner ... sensual, jazzy and groovy. Did I say love? LOVE.

That track and nine more are on Estrella, the album. It's a lovely release; enjoyable, accessible and very breezy. If you like indie, jazz, or indie jazz - please do check them out at their MySpace or AMP.

(This post has been edited to remove tracks.)

Googleitis

2008-01-30T22:54:00.000+08:00

Do you Google yourself?

I admit that I do it every few months. Just to see what kind of search results would come up. I did it again a few days ago. I was surprised to see what resulted actually. If you knew enough info about me (my full name for example), one search on Google and you can roughly figure out where I work, my political viewpoints, where I graduated. Scary no? And what's this I hear about Facebook being our generation's Big Brother? Conspiracy theory? You decide - watch it.

Anyway on this exercise of vanity, I stumbled upon this blog entry and it referred to this mini-review I wrote about Carl's Jr when it first opened in 1 Utama. It was for the company's blog and was done very informally. I wrote that I loved their Double Portobello Mushroom burger, yada yada. Well, the blogger read that entry and decided to check out Carl's Jr and found it disappointing. Which is fine and dandy, because a review is a personal opinion and anyone is welcomed to disagree.

What was hard to swallow though was when he/she implied that I was probably paid to write that review. Now, that's just unfair. I paid for that meal ... all RM35 of it. I suppose what I should've done was added that disclaimer at the bottom of my review. A rookie mistake. I've certainly learnt from that.

Another thing I've learnt from this episode was the impact of what I write. I've been working in the media for almost a year now, but until very recently, I had no inkling of the influence of my role. I honestly did not realize just how much I could sway a decision. Which begs the question: how SHOULD one approach issues/events/reviews? Should you be harsh and judgmental, so readers will be pleasantly surprised when they experience it for themselves? Or, should you be all happy-thoughts-and-unicorns and be positive about everything - but get slack when a reader feels cheated by your words?

It's a tough balance to strike, and I don't feel it coming naturally to me yet. It's something I have to work on this year, along with the resolve to make full use of my influence - I can really do some damage. And by 'damage', I mean good. But of course.

**

And on to some music! I wonder sometimes - if I was in a band, how would I want it to sound like? The answer? A lot like Bishop Allen. Their track "Rain" is a lot of things at once - upbeat, melodic, cynical, moody, hopeful. It's in the tune and the words.

And by the way, I am in a band. It's called The Pageant! We were number 36 in Top Favourites (Today 30/1) - People & Blogs - Australia. HAHAH. What the fuck, seriously. The things you do for giggles.

Coming Soon

2008-01-23T23:58:00.000+08:00

I have so much to blog about: Carl's Jr's crappy service, retarded clubbers and Cloverfield, to name but a few. But I can't seem to find time to spew and rant. Typical. I need to find some space and do all these things I promise myself I would.

I'm updating simply because I heard some exciting news. Was doing a story on concerts that are coming up soon in the region and got really worked up by it. By the end of it I swear I wanted to clean out my bank account just to go for them all. Thankfully (or not), I got a hold on myself.

So we all know Switchfoot is performing soon. I don't mind them. I really enjoyed stuff like "Learning to Breathe" and "Only Hope". Sappy, but sweet. Singing along to them is very fulfilling, actually.

Anyway I called up Mak from Soundscape Records to confirm this rumour I heard: Explosions in the Sky live in Kuala Lumpur.

Yes people. Explosions are confirmed to play on 19 February. They can't confirm venue yet but hey, at least their presence is guaranteed. I'm excited! I'm not a huge fan of post-rock (as I said, I like sing-alongs) but I have to admit that I get really swept away by Explosions's atmospherics. And I heard they are AWESOME live. Can't wait.

Also coming soon to our shores are Swedish acts Club 8 and Pelle - 25 January, which is this Friday. Tickets are still available so go get them! I think I'd be missing this because I have a media dinner to attend. I've not heard much about Pelle but Club 8 is lovely. You can read more about them here.

12:15am. I am going to watch 10 Things I Hate About You and mourn for Heath Ledger. Are you as shocked as I was?

Edit: Well EITS is confirmed. 19 Feb at Ruums. Getcha tickets at Ruums or Rock Corner outlets. RM110 a pop (pre-sale). RM130 at the door.

"Open Minded"

2008-01-07T01:20:00.001+08:00

You learn a lot about people when you go through the classifieds. It is, after all, a section entirely dedicated to people's needs and wants. At work, I share the duties of cleaning up our classifieds section. Basically what I do is delete spam, delete requests for swingers, delete gay porn promotions, delete straight porn promotions, delete anything to do with swapping girlfriends, 'social escorts', and the list goes on and on and on. Believe me, it's as tedious as it sounds. I kind of go into a zone when I do it ... my mind blanks out and my fingers do all the clicking (surely I will get carpal tunnel soon). It's strangely fulfilling.

If there's one term that's over-used to death in classifieds, it is "open minded". It pops up everywhere. It's one of those things that are just suitable for any occasion. Like a pair of quality jeans.

"Looking for open-minded housemate!"
"Seeking open-minded female for companionship."
"Couple looking for adventurous people. Open mind encouraged."

Because of how often I see this phrase, I automatically think open mind = SEXXXXXX AND SINNNNN. My brain's all messed up inside with it. If a guy was to ask me if I considered myself open-minded, I'd probably kick him in the gonads for sexual harassment. Ok just kidding, I'm not that huge of a prude. I'm actually ... do I dare say it ... quite open-minded.

**
On Mosaic

I'm feeling kinda mellow and tired - it's after 2am and I'm still awake, with an early morning event tomorrow. I've been browsing through the line-up of this year's Mosaic Music Festival and though Feist didn't make it on the confirmed list, it still looks really good. I'm not sure if I'll be able to attend it (no $$$), but if I could I'd definitely check out The Bird and the Bee. I really love their brand of pop ... so dreamy, so whimsical, so pretty. Hearing it live would be just awesome.

And because it's become some sort of a habit these days, I'd end this blog post with one of their songs, a cover of the Bee Gees track. They've got better songs but I'm too lazy to upload it at the moment. Also added the song "Challengers" by The New Pornographers as it kind of reflects my mood at the moment. Neko Case's vocals here are just perfect.

Good night everyone! Have a great week ahead.

Superbad and a super band

2008-01-02T19:46:00.000+08:00

I went back to work today, after a long break. Trust me when I say that it was awful waking up in the morning. I contemplated ponteng-ing work before I remembered that I wasn't in college anymore. In fact, I haven't been a student for over a year. Goddamn, how fast a year goes by. There's no way I can simply NOT go to work because "I didn't feel like it". And a week's leave is probably the longest break I had this year. Unlike my brother, a student, who's been on break since November and resumes semester in freaking March! I hope he appreciates his days of bumming because they are NUMBERED, bro.

But I exaggerate, as usual. Work wasn't that bad since practically no one was around. Only two calls came in and my inbox was so clear! What I would give to have such laidback days all year round. I finally got to watch "Superbad" which deserves all the praise it has received. As far as high school movies go, this one tells an awesome, vulgar tale about the awkwardness of that experience. I loved it. I can't believe I LOLed my head off overs lines like these:

"You scratch our backs, we'll scratch yours."
"Well Jules, the funny thing about my back is that it's located on my cock." *awkward laugh, cringing*

(Yeah I memorized it. ZOMG.)

Adlin and I went to get more DVDs after work, so tomorrow it's between "Fido" (about a domesticated zombie!) and "Everything's Gone Green", which is supposedly Canada's answer to "Garden State".

Work is indeed very stressful right now.

**

On the music front, my wish for 2008 is for this band to explode into popularity.

The Ting Tings (MySpace) hail from the UK and consist of just two members - Katie (hot as hell, as you can see from the picture) and Jules. Despite their small number, they make music that is huge on hooks and beats. I had one listen of "That's Not My Name" in mid-2007 and could not get enough of it. I'm still listening to it today! Luckily for me, they've released more demos since then to keep me happy until their album drops. But until then, I'm dying to hear their songs played at TAG or something so that I can freakout to it with my friends. Check them out below.

What a long post. Told ya I'll be blogging more regularly ... and long-windedly. ^_^

New and shiny.

2007-12-31T02:14:00.000+08:00

I've had this blog since 2003, and though I hardly update it now, I haven't the heart to delete it. There are some goddamn embarrassing entries in here, if you care enough to go back a few years. Some might like a clean slate, but not me. I am into clutter, I am into collections. I like looking back and remembering. And in 2008, I want to record my life.

You know how people say, the busier your life gets the less you tend to share it on your blog? Well, 2007 was one of my most memorable years. I did so much, I met so many, I learned a hell lot more. Unfortunately, when I look back in the year, the memories I have of these events are fuzzy at best. Unlike, say, my trip to HK way back in 2005.

So if I don't update regularly in the new year, BITCHSLAP ME PLEASE!

A Happy 2008 to everyone, and before I leave, my favourite song of the year, for many reasons. I love what it's trying to say, mostly. It's hella old though but eh, I never mentioned anything it being a recent track now...

I think..

2007-10-21T01:51:00.000+08:00

.. that I'll start blogging through Facebook instead now.

There's something comforting about how lo-fi (but effective) the Notes application is.

Anyway. How's everyone?

Perks

2007-08-10T10:43:00.000+08:00

The other day I got up on the wrong side of bed and walked into the office pretty sour. I'm on leave next Wednesday onwards for my convocation and next week is possibly the worst time to be on leave as we're wrapping up September's issue on that very same week. Warghh!! I'm freaking out just thinking what if my interviews don't come back in time ... what if I don't get everything done ... all the listings to compile before I leave ... etc etc.

So I opened my inbox, hoping that some of interviews are back, and I got this.

I laughed at my desk for a good 5 minutes. I look like shite there but I've learnt not to care about bad photos anymore.

Thanks Kev bb, you really made my day!

I Get All The Girls

2007-08-03T18:37:00.001+08:00

Hearts & kisses!

I turned 22 some time this week.

++

Also, I've been listening to Calvin Harris all week. This song is AWESOME.

Closed Chapters

2007-07-21T21:02:00.000+08:00

Wow, it's something like the end of an era.

Woke up, all bright-eyed with excitement this morning at 8am. Pretty damn early, considering it's a Saturday. Drove to the MPH where I pre-ordered my book for RM109.90. I knew there were not going to be lines, considering that MPH wasn't officially selling the book. Honestly, I wasn't too fussed that the hypermarkets were selling it for a lower price. If it encourages you to buy a book and read, I'm cool with that. We all live within our means after all. If you can afford to splash RM100++ for a book, that's great. What it means now is probably that more people would have the joy of reading it on the first day, no paperback wait. It works for me. And I wonder how the lines were at my local Carrefour. I passed the entrance on the way to the bookstore and thought I glimpsed a sizable crowd. Was I wrong?

I walked in - no hassle at all, it was pretty damn quiet - and showed my receipt, and they handed me the book in this nice bag. I drove to a McDonald's, took away their breakfast set, reached home and started reading. That was at 9am.

It's a little bit after 9pm now, and I just about finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I practically devoured it honestly. I left my room only for food. Hermit-like.

So was it worth it? I started reading the book when I was 15, and since I'm about to turn 22 soon, it's been 7 years of following Potter's adventures. The final book is a lot darker than the rest, a lot more matured. It has kinda lost the magical wander it had during the earlier books, which is natural considering that the seventh book dealt with a lot more pressing themes. Death and loss, particularly. No more wandering about Hogwarts at night, no more schoolboy pranks. It's definitely different, but at the same time, the end was justified.

JK Rowling's mind is so amazing - the attention she pays to details is really, really admirable. All the small things you've read in the previous book suddenly play such a big role, and it's pretty awesome to place the pieces in this epic jigsaw puzzle.

But I guess above it, I find it so strange that there will be no more Potter books to anticipate, and that I've actually read the final, final chapter of the series. Yes I got a bit emotional, ain't no shame! But I can always reread the book again. And there's the matter of 2 more movies to watch. So you see, this really isn't the end of the Potter saga, and strangely, that makes me feel happy. The magic lives on, then.

(God I am such a fangirl.)

Island.

2007-07-19T02:17:00.000+08:00

The smell of rain
it brings back a lot
of the past
into the present
as I stand there on that platform
watching the rain fall straight down
on a windless night
it is beautiful
almost military
it is hard and gentle
both quiet and loud
just like those memories
of a weekend that perpetually rained.

(comments off because I suck at poetry. But this one came out of nowhere.)

Online, offline, real life.

2007-07-14T01:16:00.000+08:00

It's so funny how a perfectly good moment can be ruined in just an instant.

Earlier tonight I was checking out this 18-year-old Dutch singer, who rose to fame via YouTube - her name is Esmee Denters. She's really an example of how you can harness the Internet for your own good. What she did was basically recorded herself singing and posted it on YouTube and right now, she has 1 million views and counting ... for each song she uploaded. Such numbers got her noticed by one Justin Timberlake, who signed her on to his label Tennmann. Now the chick's touring UK with JT.

Can she sing? Judge for yourself.

Covering "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield.

Doing Alicia Key's "How Come You Don't Call Me?"

She's good but not amazing but her voice is hardly the point. The point here is that Esmee is just one of many people who are smart enough to see just how far the reach of the internet is. Day after day, I hear amazing stories of people who, with nothing much but hard work and some raw talent, make it in real life through online exposure. Now, that just kind of makes me feel like I can do anything if I really put my mind into it. It was a nice, warm feeling that filled my mind with possibilities as I took a shower ..

But then I log on to Petaling Street and I see ping after ping of a blogger being arrested. (See: here, here and here). On what grounds you ask? That's the thing. The arrest so far has been vague as hell except the fact that it concerns his blog, and certain statements he made. To see such disheartening news after almost having some form of an epiphany earlier was a downer to say the very least. Only earlier in the day Elina and I were saying how out of touch the government was with the young and the new, and this really proves just what we mean. In what developed/developing nation can you just arrest someone without stating, up first, what he is being arrested for? And that's just the tip of the iceberg about how wrong this feels to me. This is a very politically-charged issue and I am by no means, an expert at that. What disturbs me the most here is the human rights side of it. Bloggers being arrested is nothing new, but it will continue to disturb me as I go to bed tonight.

Sometimes it's hard to say just how disappointed you are.

Photopost! Friday!

2007-07-02T23:10:00.000+08:00

I am still recuperating from my weekend. The early portion of Friday was spent at the Martell-KLue RSVP Dinner at Market Place on Jalan Yap Kwan Seng. If you're going "RSV..whaaa?", let me just briefly say that RSVP is a monthly dinner KLue organizes at new restaurants in town. What goes down at every RSVP is that you get to have a really great four-course meal for a fraction of the original price, indulge in a sinful amount of free flow Martell concoctions, take as many polaroids as you can to remember the night (free!) and just hang out with your buddies. I have to say, last Friday's RSVP was definitely one of the most enjoyable. Food was awesome! People were awesome! Etc. Only good things to be said.

I got there a little earlier to set up, so I had time to snap some pictures as well!

2 hours later, and the same place was packed with people mingling.

Oh, and did I mention the view?

Just imagine sitting on the bar stool, sipping on a cocktail and laughing with your friends. ZOMG so Sex and the City. And sorry, there are no pictures of food because 1)I'm horrible with food photography and 2)I was one of the last to eat (had to wait for all guests to arrive) and was so hungry I finished the meal in 20 minutes.

I sat with these buncha kids.

Cool right? If you want to come for the next RSVP, check out the details. So worth your money, okay!

This was followed by TAG, which I haven't been in a while. Last Friday reminded me why I liked TAG so much. Just having a lot of laughs, dancing and jumping stupidly around with my friends, singing along to indie anthems. And cheap long island iced teas. Kev took a crap load of photos and they all make me look oily, pimply and shiny. The joy! Oh and if seeing your boss "create a new dance move" (his words, not mine) is not LOL material, I don't know what is.

I love my new shoes. You'd never guess where I got them.

Elina and I! I have her to thank for my free meal. That's me in the Posh Spice (celebrating the reunion) pose and her Paris Hilton impersonation.

My meeshlet. Haven't partied with her for too damn long.

The designer, the editor and the editorial assistant (-_-).

People went nuts when these lights came on.

To end the night, they played The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights". I have such fond memories of that song, so I left with a smile on my face.

I also went to Aquaria on Sunday. For someone with a slight fear of fish, it was a little unnerving seeing so many fishes. Some more the boyfriend kept saying, "Imagine if there was a leak ..." Ack, vivid images, out OUT! To be frank, I wasn't totally impressed with it and I spent a grand amount of 30 minutes in there. I gave my parents two free tickets to go next week, so maybe they'll enjoy it more than me. My dad especially; he's a nature kinda dude. Strictly Discovery Channel and Animal Planet.

It's my ma's birthday today. She turns the big five oh. She'd rather I not remind her about it.

This has been a shameless narcissistic post. If you'd excuse me, I think I'll go throw out my ego and watch some news.

When 5 become 1

2007-06-29T00:04:00.000+08:00

Pardon the cheesy as hell title but ...

I feel 12 all over again! Guess who's back!

SQUEE!

Oh ma lawd. It's been far too long and no one makes pop songs as well as they do. They practically personified my childhood/early teendom. Don't pretend you're not excited, now.

Just for the memories!

I don't have much to say.. except..
Well first off, before I joined my current company, I did a brief stint in an advertising agency as a junior copywriter. Advertising and I wasn't the right fit but we were working on several clients before I left.

Today as I was waiting on the platform for the train, I glanced over at someone reading NST and lo and behold, the ad with my copy in print. I stared so long that the guy quickly moved two steps away. But wow, it's certainly something to see an ad with your words on them.

So let's see ... I've been on reality TV, I've written copy for an ad that's running in national papers ... Time to work on several other discreet ambitions. Watch out world. XD

Race Day

2007-05-30T21:30:00.000+08:00

Insane things have happened since my last update. About a week ago, I agreed to represent my company for the N95 Wireless Adventure. Believe me, when I said yes I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into! All I heard was - "You'll get a Nokia N95. Brand new. Free." and my brain automatically responded with a "YES! SURE!" Come on man. It's "what computers have become"! It costs more than my monthly salary! It's packed with ridiculously amazing features! GPS! Also, if your team is the fastest, you get a trip to Rome! Who dowan?

But of course, there's a catch and that is to be part of the Adventure, which I didn't really mind because I thought it was sorta like Amazing Race but downscaled to just KL. And I have always wanted to be part of the Amazing Race, so I was actually rather excited about it. Until that is .... I found out that the race was going to filmed. For TV. And be screened for 3 weeks. Panic attacks hit me, anxiety, reluctance. It freaked me out more when I went for the training session and they were already filming, and the cameraman would move here and there and sometimes he's RIGHT next to you, filming you, and you don't even notice it until you turn your head! Maybe I'm being dramatic but for someone who's usually behind the lens, it's a bit unnerving.

The race was on May 26 and 27, and we checked into Marriot the night before for an 'ice breaking' session at Jogoya. The food there by the way, is all sorts of awesome. And my room had a view! Nice. So this is what 5 star hotels are like ... I forget cos I always seem to end up at backpacker places. I'm poor. :|

And what about the race, you ask? I won't divulge much cos that will take away from the fun of watching the tv show! But honestly, the race was just an experience that I definitely did not regret. I did things I never thought I'd do, I met a lot of cool people, I was fed really well (heh!) ... the general atmosphere of the 2 days that we raced was just excitement upon excitement. Here's what I cringe about though - I had so many embarrassing moments that were caught on camera. I was the most unfit in my team (and also the youngest, go figure). Therefore, I wheezed and panted a lot especially during the last day because we ran SO MUCH. And I still feel like throwing up a little whenever I think about the day when the show finally airs.

But. Mortification it's a small price to pay for the experience. And for a N95, heh heh. Here are some visuals that I can show you from the race!

Exploring the dark caves at Batu Caves. Awesome, awesome, awesome. It was pitch black and the warden was telling us all about stalagmites, stalactites and flow columns. Woah. I paid attention, didn't I? There was guano everywhere and the floor was covered with cockroaches.

One of the tasks was to rock climb. *faints* And another team member had to abseil. *vomits* But those were probably two of the most physical tasks (if you don't count the constant sprinting/running)... the rest were more about technique, strategy, etc.

And this was my team after a strenuous Day 1, smiling through the exhaustion, yo.

From left - Soon Min, moi, Aishah, Brian

We clean up nice, no? At the Award Dinner at Third Floor Restaurant. In the middle is Derek, our Race Marshall who was the best!

And of course, all pics by the N95. Not bad eh? It better not be bad.. it's got a 5 megapixel camera. Love.

Weekend Away

2007-04-24T01:08:00.000+08:00

Since I can't sleep, I figured that now would be the best time to post photos from my weekend getaway 2 weeks ago (has it been that long?!). I had the best, most relaxing time, and I can't wait to go away again. Guess where we were. Or not. You know, if you were into competitive guessing games or something, you could guess.. (rambling)

Nothing but road! Miles and miles of it! But it wasn't so bad. When you're stuck in a car for over 3 hours, the radio will start playing songs you like so it was bearable and surprisingly fun.

Scenes from the hotel:

The room is pretty unique as they're all individual rooms that comes with a porch. Great if you just wanna hang out and have conversation. Loved my hotel!

But since we only had the weekend, we were hell bent on having as much relaxation as possible. Is there such a thing as forced relaxation or compulsory relaxation? It seems like an oxymoron, but dammit, we will relax no matter what! Thus, we spent most of our time by the beach, on a hammock or in the pool where I embarrassed myself in front of expats, learning to float.

I had great plans for a gastronomical break as well. But it didn't really turn out that way. We either got lost, the store didn't open or ... we got lost. So I pacified my bruised glutton heart by having tea and breakfast for champions.

Super orange, super articial, super addictive Super Rings! And tea. Random.

Best meal ever. I love breakfast 'cuisine' to bits so I basically ate my heart out. What you see above was probably my third helping, The Healthy Helping basically. The previous two consisted of ham, sausages, pancakes with maple syrup, grilled tomatoes with mozarella, hash browns, a most awesome omelette ... Now I'm craving for breakfast food that ain't cereal.

It was a short but really good trip. It left me wanting more breaks (though I doubt anyone could ever get enough). I only wished that we didn't get lost that often in town! Gah!

We were such noobs. And if you were playing the guessing game, the answer was Penang.

Time to go and attempt sleep now.

//The Minor Canon "It Never Was"
(This is an awesome song by a band I just discovered from Hi-Fi Heart. She's awesome too. Go to her site, my indie rock/pop fans.)

300: LOLs

2007-04-19T22:55:00.000+08:00

MORE!

The Dentist

2007-04-12T15:16:00.000+08:00

Would you get your teeth extracted here?

Daydreaming about the upcoming weekend in my office. Work? What's that?

Make It Work!

2007-03-23T15:15:00.000+08:00

Guess which awesome show is getting a Malaysian treatment?

Now I hope they don't fuck this show up with mediocre talent and a Tim Gunn-wannabe-but-cant-be because I adore it.

Afterhours

2007-03-18T14:19:00.000+08:00

And all that was left was hair stinking of stale cigarettes. Clubs are overrated. Where's a good house party when you need one?