Romance of the Clouds

DragonForce To Be Reckoned With

2007-05-24T17:58:00.000+08:00

Heavy metal concerts are almost unheard of in Malaysia, and the last metal band that visited our shores were German thrash metal pioneers Kreator back in 2005. Our southern neighbours, on the other hand, have had the pleasure of hosting some of the biggest names in metal over the past year. Dream Theater, Mayhem and Slayer are only some of the legendary bands that have stopped by Singapore to play to their legions of adoring fans. DragonForce were the latest international band to rock the city-state on May 20, and they are definitely an international band in every sense of the word. Even though they are based in the UK, drummer Dave Mackintosh is the only Briton in the band, while star guitarist Herman Li hails from Hong Kong. The rest of the band include New Zealander Sam Totman, who also plays guitar, Frenchman Frederic Leclercq on bass, South African vocalist ZP Theart and Ukrainian-born keyboardist Vadim Pruzhanov.

Post-concert

The six-piece outfit included Singapore as part of their on-going world tour, in support of their latest album entitled "Inhuman Rampage". Inhuman is certainly an appropriate word to define the unrivalled skills of the two axemen of DragonForce. Metallica's legendary guitarist Kirk Hammet once labeled Herman Li and Sam Totman as the fastest guitar players he has ever seen. The duo have been known to deliver guitar solos that defy the laws of speed and it was time to show the crowd in Downtown East, Singapore what the fuss was all about.

The concert started an hour late though, which was considered somewhat acceptable, as the fans have waited for years to pay homage to the power metal juggernaut that is DragonForce. It was such a relief to my ears when the metalcore and emo rock-laden pipe music was replaced by Slayer's "Raining Blood", as the main lights were dimmed and the spotlights ran amok across the concert hall. Several metal-hungry fans were already headbanging to this tune before the six members of DragonForce actually rushed onstage as "Raining Blood" draws to a close. They kicked off the show with "Revolution Deathsquad," followed by another three incredibly fast numbers, before letting the aggressive crowd take a breather when they performed "Trail of Broken Hearts", the only ballad off their latest album.

Herman Li (left) and Sam Totman leaving the crowd in awe

Frederic Leclercq (left) and ZP Theart having a blast

After a 10-minute interval, Vadim Pruzhanov came out to mesmerise the crowd with a blisteringly fast-paced keyboard solo, displaying his technical prowess and showmanship to everyone in presence. Pruzhanov made clear of his musical influences, as it suddenly seemed like D'Marquee was organising a hard trance showcase instead. The mood swiftly shifted as the rest of the band returned on stage to continue their power metal onslaught right through the second set. The fans continuously headbanged, moshed and crowd-surfed as DragonForce continued to pummel their senses mercilessly with "Soldiers Of The Wasteland," "Storming The Burning Fields" and "My Spirit Will Go On." Li and Totman should be given a speeding ticket for playing twin guitar solos that were too fast to be true, without being off-key. As if to add insult to injury, the two of them actually joked verbally with each other while shredding their guitars spontaneously!

Vadim Pruzhanov during his techno-inspired keyboard solo

Totman (left) and Li continuing to slay all that is upon them

The London-based band then left the stage but came back out five minutes later after repeated cries of "DRAGONFORCE! DRAGONFORCE!" by the fans, who clearly have not had enough. Surprise faces were all around D'Marquee after they took the stage without Li; vocalist ZP Theart claiming that "He has left the building", leading to bassist Frederic Leclercq strapping on Li's guitar and started mimicking his style of guitar-playing. It was not to be though, as Li ran back just as they were about to start the encore, saying that "The guys locked me up when I went to the men's room", followed by a roar of laughter by the audience. Each band member then rocked out one last time with "Through The Fire And Flames" and "Valley Of The Damned" as the two-hour concert was brought to an end.

ZP Theart entertaining the crowd

Theart gave his all during the show

The droves of fans that turned out, including a number who made the trip from Malaysia, definitely got their money's worth that night. In fact, if there were a "Cirque Du Soleil" of metal, this would be it. Right from the start, DragonForce proved that they are not merely skillful musicians, but competent entertainers as well. The main attraction would be the virtuoso style of playing from their guitarists, especially Li, who let his tongue do the playing during certain parts of the gig. Theart's interaction with the fans, the witty jokes and the energetic performance from the rest of the band also deserved recognition. In the end, it was another hard day's night for the band, who left Singapore that very night for their next show in Taipei, leaving behind a trail of numb necks and aching bodies.

Displaying gratitude (from left): Leclercq, Theart, Dave Mackintosh and Totman

The three musketeers (from left): Li, Leclercq and Theart saying goodbye once more

North American Space Bullcrap Del II (In Sorte Diaboli?)

2007-05-11T10:07:00.000+08:00

This is definitely not the best time to post an entry, but I couldn't care less. I’ve got three stories that are due today and five interviews, which I haven’t figured what questions to be asked; yet I couldn't care less. I could care for a lot more, yet I wouldn't care less. All because Sgt. Asan has returned from France!! To those of you who are wondering who the hell Sgt. Asan is, refer to the P.Ramlee movie titled Sarjan Hassan to get a picture of whom I’m talking about. For regulars (if there are any) of my blog, Sgt. Asan is a play on letters related to my "North American Space bullcrap" post slightly over a month ago.

As I was saying, I’m putting all my work on hold till I finish this post about the Sgt., since its been two weeks since the whole of Omerta (related to the post after "bullcrap") outcasts and their seniors here at rage have seen her beautiful smile. Gosh, that last sentence could certainly be a measure of how senseless (don't make sense) I could be, right? As much as I hoped you guys would disagree, I believe I don't stand a chance against common sense. Back to Sgt. Asan. Her trip to France have certainly made a different person out of her, or at least to her skin.

I don't know what those children of the revolution have done to her looks, but Mademoiselle Asan is looking much prettier than ever, to the point that I had to look (stare?) at her for a full two minutes before finally realising that Matt Heafy (Trivium) might've had French blood in him as well. Words could never do justice to such exceptional beauty, and I’m not talking about matt, therefore I will try to snap a picture of her majesty the Sgt. to share with you guys. Daulat Tuanku.

Stronger Than Steel - Malaysian Metal Royal Family

2007-05-03T07:20:00.000+08:00

Flyers for the anniversary showcase

Fans of all races, shapes and sizes gathered at Planet Hollywood on April 28 to pay tribute to the epitome of Malaysian metal music, also known as the legendary Sil Khannaz. There is no local band capable of emulating what Sil Khannaz managed to pull off last Saturday at their 20th anniversary showcase, period. Everything from the get-go spelled success, in terms of punctuality, support, showmanship, feedback and flow of the performance. Even the souvenir t-shirt to commemorate the band's 20 years of existence was sold out before the show started. That was the only disappointment I experienced throughout that fateful Saturday evening, as everything else couldn't be any more beautiful than it already was.

They couldn't have chosen a better MC for the occasion either, as Bob (also frontman for The Pilgrims) entertained the 500-strong crowd (thanks CoreThumb) with his hilarious antics throughout the evening. He even turned what could have been a dull prize-giving ceremony into something fun, by giving out remarks like "Dia memenangi make-up sumbangan penaja...untuk corpse paint!" But the real stars that day were of course the incomparable metal juggernaut that is Sil Khannaz.

The band in full-force from the start

They opened their first set with the first track off their new album (Berdiri Antara Panji-Panji) "Intravena Tantrika". The crowd went wild from the first riff onwards, even though not everyone in attendance had bought their latest release. They continued the set with other tracks from "Berdiri Antara Panji-Panji" like "Teras Besi", the May 13-inspired "Purnama 13" and "Al-Hulm, Al-Araq". Fans that have memorised lyrics to the new songs were singing along from the top of their lungs, while the others headbanged, moshed and crowd-surfed their way through the first set. The climax of all the friendly aggression (moshing) came during the last song of the first set, "Mestica Ibni Israel", where fans apparently channeled their anger and frustration of Mastika magazine towards each other. In my opinion, this song was written and performed with the sole intention of getting metalheads into a headbanging frenzy.

The autographed guitar giveaway

A much-needed intermission then followed, as the band, at least according to Bob, "dah tua, cepat pancit". The fans took this opportunity to claim their drinks at the bar and refuel their supply of nicotine. Sil Khannaz' frontman Jaie Jokhannaz then came back on stage after 15 minutes to announce the winner of an autographed Hamer guitar, before being surprised by guitarist Dark-E who brought a birthday cake for the band. Jaie then invited the band members on stage, including former Sil Khannaz stalwarts CD Naz (guitarist) and Lan Bye (Drummer), to blow out the candles and cut the cake together, accompanied by their fans who sang an off-key but emotional birthday song for the mighty Silkz.

One big, happy, "Metal" family

The second set soon kicked-off with Lan Bye and CD Naz taking over their original positions to play with the band. CD Naz rocked out incredibly well, delivering meaningful solos and mind numbing riffs that he was once known for. Lan Bye wasn't bad either, rarely missing a beat although he has not been in the Silkz' drum stool for almost four years. This set consisted mainly of songs from their first album "Conception of Madness" and the more hard rock-ish "Bara Pawaka" album. CD Naz even swapped the guitar for the microphone to sing his rendition of "Purnamarjuna" (thanks blood), to the delight of the fans.

CD Naz swapping his guitar for the microphone

A short break ensued soon after, but Sil Khannaz apparently have another surprise for the legions that turned out at Planet Hollywood that evening. The band went back on stage with Jaie announcing that, for the first time ever; they will play with three guitarists at once. The first thing that came up everyone's mind was Iron Maiden, and before long you can hear screams of "Maiden Weihh!" and "Up the Irons" from various sections of the crowd. Although they didn't cover any of the mighty Maiden's songs, the atmosphere was comparable to Hammersmith in London, as fans were singing to every riff in unison, reminiscent of Maiden gigs. The third set is probably the most intense and energetic performance by the band that day. The most recognisable and loved Sil Khannaz' classics were performed in this set such as "Eastern Barbaric Skullkrusher", "Gerbang Kayangan" and "Santapan Terakhir Raja Bersiong". Almost everyone was shouting along to the lyrics, and the moshpit got totally out of control at this point. It is all too clear that the band was feeding off the crowd's energy and vice versa. Jaie then took a moment to thank everybody who have helped them through the years, stressing that all their dreams would have remained as dreams had they not receive the support from every single person present. The band proceeded to play its last song of the evening, "Kiss of the Whisper" which was the cue for total mayhem in the pits, and that was exactly what happened. More than 500 people shouted in unison "Akulah...Sil...Sil Khannaz!!!" while raising the devil horns salute as the band brought its unforgettable performance to a close.

Jaie Jokhannaz and co. bringing down the house

Dark-E mesmerising the crowd

Joe Slaughter showing off his supernatural powers

Hashim Pestilence weaving his magic on the four-string

Dark-E and me after the show

From left: Joe Slaughter, some dude, and myself

Call me crazy, but I took one of the setlists as souvenir

Extreme Purity

2007-04-27T16:02:00.000+08:00

Cymbals crashing thunderously, furious machinegun-like bass drum kicks, chugging guitar riffs that resemble a steam train running at full speed, all producing ear-splitting music that is known as extreme metal. Some perceive this genre to be the epitome of chaos and catastrophe, and then there are those who go a step further and declare this to be the soundtrack to armageddon. The most ridiculous ones accuse this to allegedly be devil-worshipping music. Yet, it is the words of these few "ridiculous ones" that have brought the most impact and almost killed Malaysian independent music altogether. The media dug out the term "black metal" from their archives and blew it out of proportion, causing the government to ban and label almost all underground gigs as "black metal". Lots of people (young and old, men and women) who played in local bands had to go on a hiatus for something that they could never imagine doing.

One band that have persevered through this and still standing strong is Sil Khannaz. Formed in 1987 in Perlis, these guys have withstood not just the test of time, but also the struggles that would have made most people give up their dreams. The band migrated to KL in search of pursuing their musical dreams and got to record two demo tapes in 1990 and 1992. These materials, plus their tireless efforts of playing gigs around the city, secured them a recording deal. They had already garnered a huge fan base by the time they released their debut album "Conception of Madness" in 1993, which resulted in them managing to sell 20,000 units. Their sound progressed further with the addition of classical malay music elements to their next album "Gerbang Kayangan", which sold 22,000 units. The success of those albums prompted frontman Abdul Ramzee to set up his own recording label, Nebiula Productions, which signed underground metal titans like Langsuyr and As-Sahar. He also decided to open a music store that caters mainly to metal/rock listeners (Nebiula Heavy Metal Shop) since there were not many around the country back then.

Little did Abdul Ramzee and Sil Khannaz knew that dark clouds were forming above them, and the empire they built was about to crumble right in front of their eyes. The whole "black metal" issue exploded in 2001, causing the authorities to conduct raids on their businesses and gigs. These problems eventually proved to be a major blow not only to their reputation, but also to the rice bowls of each band member. The band were forced to lay low for awhile, and just when things looked to be calm like before, the "second wave" of the "black metal" episode resurfaced in 2005. Once again, their plans of coming up with new material had to take a backseat.

Although plans of resurrecting their career have been welcomed with stumbling blocks since the start of the new millenium, the fire in Sil Khannaz never faded and giving up have never been the band's motto. A number of line-up changes followed before they could finally release "Berdiri Antara Panji-Panji" (BAPP) at the end of 2006. Not merely an album to cure their fans' yearning for new material, BAPP proved to be the landmark record to show how far Sil Khannaz has progressed as an extreme metal band. Their lyrical approach this time is also more diverse than before, including a song about the unfortunate events of May 13, 1969. Some of the lyrics in "Purnama 13" reads : "Dalam aku ada kau, dalam kita ada darah yang sama (There is a piece of you in me, we share the same blood within)" which promotes unity and harmony with each other.

Some would argue that their problems outweigh their success, but Sil Khannaz has never thought of slowing down, as the fire is still burning strong. Between them they share an unbearable amount of false accuusations that they let fall on deaf ears. They have turned the other cheek whenever lies are thrown at them for the past 20 years. It is this patience and perseverance that have kept them going for so long, all in the name of making pure and honest extreme metal music. To celebrate 20 years of uncompromising brutality, Sil Khannaz is preparing a special show for their fans on Saturday April 28. Former members of the band will also be there to play Sil Khannaz classics of their time. This gig will take place at Planet Hollywood, fans should be there at 3pm for a rocking time to remember.

Trinidad & Tobagans in a Toga

2007-04-23T19:34:00.000+08:00

Pejam celik pejam celik, three weeks have passed, just like that. It is obvious that I was referring to my time here as an intern at The Star. While it remains arguable whether my style of writing have improved, it would nevertheless be an understatement to say that this stint has been one of substance so far. Yes, although our department spend endless hours daily on the telly (Oprah, Simpsons, Idol, etc), chatting on msn, fooling around with umbrellas and munching on free snacks, we interns do gain valuable knowledge and experience in between.

The three interns have so far gone through press conferences, fashion shows, gigs, celebrity interviews, movie screenings and so much more. We experienced more than just jitters and butterflies in those situations. Last Saturday, for instance, the two girls (Syar and Josephine) got chased by two rempits in Pudu who wanted to give them "a ride". Luckily there was a taxi nearby that they could rush to for cover. Where they nearly fell to the hands of urban scums, yours truly went down in a less dramatic way; influenza. I initially fought all I could without any medical attention whatsoever, as I barely had time to squeeze in between my multiple assignments. However, the final straw was on thursday evening (after my interview with VJ Denise) when I could barely speak a word and my physical health succumbed to the virus that has taken the mightiest of men.

So the first blood was drawn when I was forced to take an MC last Friday. The next chapter promises to be much tougher and uncompromising, as we brace ourselves to be shifted to Omerta Department. There's a few points worth taking note of here. Firstly, the people in Omerta are allegedly dull and lifeless, way off the mark compared to the beautiful folks here at R.AGE. On top of that, the workload of Omerta could easily rip the head of your most hardworking donkey. Articles are due a lot faster, travelling out is more common than roti canai at Raju's and fun is welcomed with as much enthusiasm as spring cleaning day. The final quirk would be that Interns Inc. would be no more, as each of us are going to be sent there on different weeks INDIVIDUALLY.

I guess not everything could go your way after all. But to be fair to everyone, the time is not even here, how could I simply judge what I don't actually know for a fact? So til I actually face that situation head-on, it would not make much sense for me to go on ranting as it probably won't be that bad of an experience after all. Nevertheless, I would keep my eyes open and fly close as I await to face yet another day at THE INTERN'S OFFICE *insert The Apprentice/Amazing Race/What's-His-Face Reality Show style dramatic end theme here*

NASA (not related to the american space bullcrap)

2007-04-02T15:46:00.000+08:00

Alright, so today is my first day doing practical training at The Star and you can bet your ass I'm NOT the happiest man alive. This has nothing at all to do with The Star though, since they provided me a very comfortable working environment, what with the the cute Ms Nasanenol (its an insider drug-related joketerm NOTE: Drugs are not cool, kids).

Syar's presence made things seem more friendly though. It really helps having a familiar face around, well a couple actually, if you include my former lecturer Mr. Rubin, who's a journalist here, and also the cute Ms Nasa (have I mentioned that I think she's cute?).

Well, let me get back at the upset part first. First and foremost, I was dissapointed with Nana (not Nasa, she's cute) for cancelling our coffee date last evening. Really looked forward to meeting her before starting work today, but I guess one can't have everything, right? And I am also abit upset at not being able to go jamming after work today, as it would have been great to meet up with the boys to blow these monday blues away, especially since its the first day of workenol (another drug-related thingy. NOTE: I'm not high, at least not at work).

All in all, rejoice, for had it not been because of those so-called mishaps, Cinta Arjuna would not have received an update today, especially since I'm stealing company's bandwith here, therefore I am at risk of facing a 5-year jail term or taking Ms Rekha out on a date or both. Hopefully I dont live to see out the latter. And that rhymes with Tattler, whom job offer I rejected even though they offered almost twice the money here at The Star. But its not about the money, we have to aim for the stars, which justifies both my decision for The Star and Nasa.

Therefore, I'm not super* (thanks for asking).

*South Park-related gajizzismo.

Babble Babel Buble

2007-03-12T10:00:00.000+08:00

Ahoy mate, this is your El Capitan speaking. Does that sound like a traffic police or what? Oh, before I, or you for that matter, move on any further, a word of caution: This post is just going to be me rambling about nonsensical random crap all for the sake of killing the 30mins of my life that I have to spare. So if your life means more to you than having Oreos with King Leonidas in the middle of Soho Square on a snowy afternoon, press the "Back" button on your browser now, or you could alternatively visit nakedpicsofborat.com.

Glad to still have you on board, oh mighty sailors (and sailorettes)! Oh since we have sailorettes blogging on this site, I wonder if ther is any SLAYERettes in the house tonite?? Woohoo, New York City, Do you feel me?? Well, feelings are delicate, so my word of advice is take good care of hearts (yours and others) by avoiding oily food, caffeine and probably blowjobs, though the occasional nasi lemak shouldn't cause that mass of a destruction.

I know that some of you might have been complaining why don't i update my blog more regularly. Truth is, there's nothing further from lies, therefore i won't further frustrate your mind nor rape your soul with fabricated truths that gets its origins from lies themselves (though some people say that lies come from Calcutta, oh wait a minute, that's lice, mybad). So I'll just admit straight up here that the only excuse I have for not updating this "labour of love" is probably cos I've lost the love that I thought I possessed. And nobody should be blamed for all this but myself, as the love was there to be found, alas I just lay it bare on the ground for it to be helplessly dumbfounded and picked by a guy named Ashley Summers (Dude, get a life! Or at the very least, get another name!).

Since alot of people who know me knows that i feel strongly towards my country, culture, religion (I also feel strongly towards porn, but it just doesn't sound right alongside the others), let me close this post with a pantun, as my thirty minutes is almost up, meaning I better get moving before The Eternal Blizzard Witch of Zion (what I call Syar) lays her wrath and mighty spells of terror and muffins(Raga) on me. Behold:

Pagi ke Petang mencari dara,
Namun tak satu yang menarik hati,
Hatiku panas bagaikan bara,
Kalau ditarik nantikan mati.

Wassalam.

REVIEW: Angelus Apatrida - Evil Unleashed

2007-02-26T14:15:00.000+08:00

Ever wished you were back in the 80's where rock music ruled the universe? I'm talking 'bout days where "Hair" bands like Motley Crue, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard dominated the airwaves, and also when the underground scene was dominated by Thrash Metal spearheaded by the "Big 4" (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax).

If you miss the golden days of Thrash, you would definitely want to give Angelus Apatrida's most recent release a try. These four Spaniards bring you the best of what the 80's scene was all about. Music that makes you want to mosh, harmonious yet crunching riffs that makes you strap on your well-rusted air guitars, and inspiring chorus lines that you could sing (and occasionally scream) along to.

Frontman Guillermo Izquierdo truly represents what thrash metal vocals is all about. Forget Matt Heafy and his wanna be James Hetfield style, this is pure bonafide thrash vocal quality. Harsh yet melodic, high-pitched but laced with a smooth, almost nasally finish. Traces of Dave Mustaine and Phil Anselmo is all over this album, but rest assure that this is a naturally good combination, not a failed impersonation excelled by Mr Heafy as mentioned above.

Another important element of thrash is the guitar solos, and boy, Angelus Apatrida has plenty of them in "Evil Unleashed". Izquierdo combined well with his fellow axeman David G. Alvarez to deliver mind-numbing solos that are still beautifully crafted and harmonious, the kind Mr King and Mr Hahnemann likes to avoid in their albums. The rhythm section is also well-covered by Jose J. Izquierdo (bass) and Victor Valera (drums), who sometimes deliver grooves reminiscent of the great Pantera in their heydays.

All in all, I would say "Evil Unleashed" is an exceptionally good album for everyone who appreciates old-school American-styled Thrash Metal. The fact that it is Angelus Apatrida's debut album simply makes this an amazing first try. Well worth every cent of my online purchase.

What The Hell Is A Meme??

2006-12-29T06:45:00.000+08:00

Syar got me to do this. According to the rules, each player of this game starts with the “6 weird things about you”. People who get tagged need to write a "blog" of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says “you are tagged” in their comments and tell them to read your blog. So without further adieu, I present to you…"The 6 Weird Things about Me"

1. I could be quite OCD-ish at times. Actually, most of the time. And by that I mean touching a specific angle of the door before I come in/when I leave, making sure the volume of my tv/stereo is always at even numbers, combing my hair the same number of strokes EVERYTIME etc. Heck, I even purposely ensure that the reverse sensor of my
car always comes to the “death beep” sound before I eventually switch the gear to “P”.

2. Buying playstation video games are a must for me. I’ll probably go game shopping only once a month, but I won’t come home before picking up at least six titles or something. The weird thing about it though, is that no matter how many games I buy, I’d only stick to playing one particular game, which is a famous Japanese football game called “Winning Eleven”. Without a doubt, the best football game series ever to come out of the PS2 (even PS1 for that matter). I would probably play the new games I bought once or twice (at max), and then they’ll be chucked away forever. I can’t seem to get Winning Eleven out of my system, ever since I was 12 (next year would be my 10th year anniversary of playing WE)! On that note, I’m always looking for new challengers to compete with…any takers?

3. Whenever I flip any reading article, be it a novel, newspaper or magazine, I would read a particular sentence or article numerous times if they even mention something that is close to my heart. For example, there was this article on Malay Mail once where famous local band OAG said they used to hangout at Central Market back in the day with underground legends such as Sil Khannaz and Butterfingers before they became famous. I read that sentence at least five times before moving on to the next one. Even worse was when Dan Brown wrote in “The Da Vinci Code” something about the Zurich bank having only three branches throughout the world, and one of them was located here in Kuala Lumpur. The mere mention of our city alone got me repeating that sentence a zillion times; it nearly even brought a tear to my eye! LOL

4. Shaiful Nizam Jaaffar is one guy with loads, and I mean loads of guilty pleasures. People who are close to me would testify to that. On the outside you might think that I am all about metal music, brutal image, some would even suggest that I worship Satan and eat children for lunch! Although I might preach that “I like my coffee black, just like my metal”, in truth my musical tastes vary a lot more than that. I absolutely love blues music (which is one of the roots of rock and metal anyway), I have a vast collection of blues records from BB King, Eric Clapton, Gary Moore etc. Jazz is also another passion of mine, with people like Miles Davis, Stan Getz and Ella Fitzgerald getting regular plays at home. Occasionally, I do enjoy a little boy/girlband bubblegum pop. Occasionally.

5. I’m not sure whether this could be classified as weird or not, but I dislike eating vegetables, especially the green ones. I consider myself to be a full-blooded carnivore and I can’t pinpoint why. As a child I remember absolutely loving vegetables, grinding on raw celery for snacks and enjoying spinach soup for dinner, so I’m not sure what went wrong. Legend has it that I was cursed by my older cousin, who also liked vegetables when he was young and despised it by the time he could read, but that is another story for another day.

6. Unlike most people, I do not have a favourite colour, favourite number, nor a favourite song. To me, all colours are beautiful as they all come from God, and God is the best scientist of them all. Having a favourite song, in my opinion, would be an injustice to wonderful music. Beautiful music could be found everywhere, at every corner of every street, just like colours. Therefore it would be a crime to choose just one composition on top of others, as music should be loved unconditionally without any boundaries and limitations. Free love baby!

For this post I am tagging Ayu, June, Simone, Alicia, Jeremy and Nadia (check your comments page people!).

Bang...You Rock My World Bang

2006-12-16T08:02:00.001+08:00

Rock The World 7 is upon us! It is that time of the year again where rock music fans of all shapes and sizes gather for 8 hours of non-stop music that knows no boundaries, no limits and abso-fucking-lutely no clean toilets! Yes, I’m talking about your emo wannabees, your goth kids, your metalheads and your friendly neighbourhood punks and skinheads all coming together to enjoy fifty bands that are all out to destroy the three stages at their mercy. There are sure to be lots of moshing, head-banging and bodysurfing going around amongst 40,000 people that are going to be in attendance. In commemoration of this annual festival, I am going to review two albums that were released by two bands who were/are involved in the Rock The World concert series (Langsuyr in 2005 and Sil Khannaz this year).

Langsuyr - Asyik (Clockwork Records/EMI) March 2006

To begin with, this album prides itself with killer artwork all through the album’s sleeves. Orchestrated by the band’s founding guitarist Azmaniac, the very artsy layout of this album would make even the fussiest art gurus proud. Wish I could say the same about the music though. Not that it’s lack of memorable riffs and catchy tunes that will stick in your mind, hell no. On the contrary, this album is punch-drunk full of that, maybe even a little more “commercial-sounding” than it should be. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not the self-proclaimed “Metal Purist” type who despise any vocals that sounds better than a masturbating cat, and accepts nothing more than a studio production done in a 17th century toilet.

What I’m saying is, this album emphasizes too much on its melodic part at the expense of technical riffs and dark, and almost melancholic lyrics. How could they possibly shift from their early days of the “Occultus Mysticism” Demo and “Eastern Cruelty” EP to this? From mind-blowing, highly technical song structures of “My Oath for Thee”, they have now moved on to lyrics that talk about love (Mata Ayer), and also about becoming Hip-Hop listening Rempits (Sunut). Gosh! For a band that dons corpse paint and sports the Necronomicon symbol on their logo back in the day, Langsuyr sure have made a 360 degree turn-around. I guess age must’ve caught up with them, and being contracted to a major label could’ve played a part in that as well. At least, those factors got them a place at last year’s “Rock the World”, a headlining gig at Planet Hollywood, and also airplay at some radio stations (Traxx, Suria, Muzik FM). Good on you boys, I certainly hope you r band gets an AIM someday. As for moi, all I could say is, Rest in Peace Langsuyr (1991-2005).

Sil Khannaz – Berdiri Antara Panji-Panji (Interglobal Music)

The Malaysian Metal Gods have done it again! Although Sil Khannaz have barely disappointed ever since their first demo “Doctrine to Hell” came out in 1990, I was initially skeptical of this release since there was a definite shortage of local metal albums for the past couple of years, let alone good ones. So my initial thought was that Silkz (nickname given by fans) would just release a mediocre album that will still sell well considering the market’s extreme thirst for local metal. Boy, did I shit my pants when I first put this CD into the stereo! Of course I didn’t, but I nearly did, since I suffered from food poisoning the night before (damn you cannibalized chickens!). From the opening Swedish-styled riffs of “Intravena Tantrika” to the closing guitar instrumental of “Airmata Palestine”, this album would definitely convert every single one of you metalheads who, prior to this, believe that local metal sounds no better than David Beckham’s voice.

Lan Bye’s backing out of the band for family reasons and CD Naz’ departure for a solo career did not cause Sil Khannaz to crash as many expected. If anything, that actually made them stronger with the new recruits i.e. guitarist Joe Slaughter and drummer Adjeez. Joe’s chemistry with Dark-E on the guitar works of this album is amazing, especially during the remarkable twin guitar solos and unprecedented riff changes. Adjeez, also known in the underground scene as the ‘Malaysian Portnoy’, truly gave justice to that title, with impeccable drumming that compliments the progressive nature of this album. Compared to Silkz’ earlier albums, this record might be a little less aggressive, nevertheless it is much more progressive and technical. And also, the band members are using their real names instead of their pseudonyms this time around in the album sleeves (no longer known as Jaie Jokhannaz, Dark-E, Joe Slaughter, Hashim Pestilence and Adjeez). Rock The World 7 today will definitely be a blast with Sil Khannaz promising to belt out two songs from this album and three classic tracks from their glorious past. Come one, come all to Stadium Merdeka this evening and let Ramzee, Azrin Daharie, Zulkifli, Neer Hashim and Mohd Afzal take you for a neck-breaking trip onboard the majestic extreme metal vessel that is Sil Khannaz.

When Everything Ends, Blame No One Else...KARMA

2006-12-07T17:18:00.000+08:00

Once and for all, please stop calling me a hoax. Or phony, or fraud, or Jared Leto, etc (especially the last one, since I can’t stand whiny emo studs). Not that I want to whine some more, but the fact remains that I have valid reasons for not being blog-active recently. First and foremost, I have been having problems connecting to the internet for the past FIVE days. Oh my god, It must have been the longest five days of my pre-adult life! (do I sound like an irritating prom queen or what?). People say that exams are over (I’m looking at you, Ayu), so there is no excuse for me not to post more often. Well, yes and no. Even though I don’t have papers to study anymore, I still have tons of work to do to complete my directorial film debut.

Talking about that, KARMA is in its final stages of editing and should be ready in time for its premiere tomorrow morning. I’m glad that after almost two weeks of running around, late nights and tireless effort being put in by the team, we are ready to launch our golden child, so to speak (who’s the father??). All in all, KARMA will be a 17-minute epic of spectacular proportions. Expect high doses of heart-wrenching drama, adrenaline pumping action scenes, top-of-the-line CGI effects, and the steamiest sex scenes ever to come out of the Malay Peninsula. Trust me, you WILL be disappointed. Watch out for this space, as I will post the entire short movie on youtube soon enough. I would expect nothing less than honest reviews; however heartbreaking those comments might be (I know where you live, people).

Also out tomorrow would be the Original Soundtrack to KARMA; a compilation of 15 tracks that gave inspiration and feel of the short movie. Yes, you heard that right, almost 70 minutes of music that inspired us to produce this movie in the first place. Just let me know if anybody is interested in getting a copy. By copy, I DO mean CD-R, of course. I will leave you guys with the credits for KARMA OST, just for you to get a general atmospheric feel of the movie and also how the soundtrack would sound like.

“Chillin’ In the Key of E”
Taken from the album “Hip-Hop Violin”
Performed by Miri Ben Ari
Courtesy of Universal Music

“Hip Hop is Dead (I killed it)”
Performed by Sindustry
Courtesy of Sindustry

“Soulfly IV”
Taken from the album “Prophecy”
Performed by Soulfly
Courtesy of Roadrunner Records

“Confession to Be Burried”
Taken from the album “Gallows Gallery”
Performed by Sigh
Courtesy of Baphomet Records

“The Tranquilizer Song”
Taken from the album “Gallows Gallery”
Performed by Sigh
Courtesy of Baphomet Records

“Gavotte Grim”
Taken from the album “Gallows Gallery”
Performed by Sigh
Courtesy of Baphomet Records

“Rise of the Pentagram:
Taken from the album “Thornography”
Performed by Cradle of Filth
Courtesy of Roadrunner Records

“Chamunda”
Taken from the album “Outcast”
Performed by Ektomorf
Courtesy of Nuclear Blast Records

“Eyeless”
Taken from the album “Slipknot”
Performed by Slipknot
Courtesy of Roadrunner Records

“Satanic Chant”
Taken from the album “Pestapokalypse IV”
Performed by Belphegor
Courtesy of Nuclear Blast Records

“The Graveyard by Moonlight”
Taken from the album “Dusk and Her Embrace”
Performed by Cradle of Filth
Courtesy of Music For Nations

“Descending”
Taken from the album “Sacrament”
Performed by Lamb of God
Courtesy of Epic

“74261700027”
Taken from the album “Slipknot”
Performed by Slipknot
Courtesy of Roadrunner Records

“Death - Pierce Me”
Taken from the album “Death – Pierce Me”
Performed by Silencer
Courtesy of Autopsy Kitchen Records

“Karma”
Taken from the album “My Arms, Your Hearse”
Performed by Opeth
Courtesy of Candlelight Records

This is The Real Deal

2006-11-24T12:02:00.000+08:00

That’s right. Before anyone starts accusing me a hoax for not completing the full circle resurrection of Cinta Arjuna, let me make this clear. It’s been a hectic past couple of weeks and I may have lagged off a bit in terms of updating this “child” of mine. Nevertheless, I’m not one to come up with excuses, unless they’re totally baseless and I say that just to knock the sense out of anyone (like “I was shooting birds at the airport” when I come late for class). Having said that let me explain in detail on what I was up to recently. Of course, like everybody else, I had a bucket load of assignments to be completed since we’re approaching the end of a long semester. One of the most exciting ones was the magazine. I mean, it was physically exhausting and drained out the brain juice out of me, especially since I only did it with Johanna whereas most groups are made up of 6-7 people. But let me tell you, when that was completed it was one of the most rewarding feelings I’ve ever experienced. Seeing my very own magazine coming out of the printing shop was like having a baby (you guys how magical that feeling is, right?). I’ll definitely try to scan the mag to share it with all you friends of Cinta Arjuna.

After the magazine was done, it was time to shoot our 20 minute feature film for Film Studies (duhh). If the magazine drained out the juice out of me, this project definitely sucks my balls clean! Please excuse the language folks, but being the director and also covering for some “missing” cast members in this project ain’t a walk in the park, unless it’s one of those muddy parks in Kelantan under the unforgiving scorching sun, those are hard to go through as well. Anyways, as I was saying, this assignment would dry me up and flush me down once everything gets done and dusted. Here are some photos for you guys to get a picture of what goes on during those shoots.

Day 1: Bandar Sri Damansara (finished at 1.20 AM)

Day 2: KDU College and Clarence' House (Kota Damansara)

Day 3: Zul's Storehouse (Tropicana) and KLCC (no pics)

After three days of pushing ourselves to the limits, I've decided to give everyone a well-deserved break today. Shooting will only be continued in a weeks time, also due to our finals that will be commencing from this coming monday right up to thursday. It will be a week of brain-cramming, skull crushing and bone grinding revision and exams. So all that's left to say is god bless and good luck. *Oh yes, I don't eat vegetables!

*random quote of the day

The Logistics of Open House

2006-11-13T15:22:00.000+08:00

Weekends come and weekends go. Before you know it, the week has started another flow. That’s what has been happening to me lately, or so I think it has. There’s always something to look forward to during the weekends, be it a movie date, jamming in the wee hours of the morning or just relaxing at home (I refuse to work on ANY assignments during weekends).

This is what a one year hiatus does to a blogger

-Before and After-

This past weekend was no different. I had an invitation to attend Intan’s open house last Saturday. Sure, there must be like 12 other open houses to go to during this festive month, right? But when it comes to Intan’s, only two types of people would find it excusable to miss: People with life threatening health complications and Mohd Hafiz Abdul Ghani. The first category explains for itself while the latter is just obnoxious. I mean come on; Intan’s open house is always packed with beautiful people, the food is just to die for, and you get to see Syar in her “As seen on brighthopes” baju kurung, what more would you possibly want on a Saturday evening? Of course these comments may seem a bit unfair to you, Mr. Hafiz, but the truth is this is not about Intan’s, not at all. I’m just disappointed that you didn’t make it to MY open house the following day. So there =P

-Saturday @ Intan's-

After a fabulous and late night out with my friends later that evening, I was up at 6am on Sunday. As much as I expected a busy and hectic day, little did I know how taxing it was to hold a successful Hari Raya open house. Apparently, I was about to find out. Initially I could catch up when mom asked for help in preparing her ‘laksa Johor’ which was the only thing we cooked ourselves, and left everything else to the caterers. But as soon as the reality of cleaning and setting-up of the entire house began to sink in, I realized that I was swimming in dangerous waters. So dangerous that it could cut out my Air Supply and leave me only with the Az Yet version of the classic hit. Alright, that was lame.

(Top) The Sunday Spread (Below) The Four Daughters of The Apocalypse

As the guests start checking-in from 11.30am, it was time to tango. My parents and I had to strike conversations with everyone who came and made sure that nobody felt the slightest discomfort whatsoever. In a way, what the three of us applied that day might be something straight out of the “Cabin Crew for Idiots” handbook. Idiots or not, it seemed that everyone had an enjoyable time while they were there (god knows what happened when they left though), with the very last guests leaving at around 5pm. After cleaning everything up and delivering the leftovers to some important individuals, I finally got to rest at around midnight. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who came and made it a memorable day for our family, we appreciate every single breath and step that you took to get to this humble crib of ours. Your presence made all the money and hard work spent towards this day worthwhile.

-Eternally Grateful-

The Resurrection

2006-11-06T13:37:00.000+08:00

Foreword by Syar*

Shaiful asked me to write a little something to "usher in the new era of Cinta Arjuna" after a year of his blog's 'death'. Like Buffy, clawing her way out of her coffin after being prematurely buried. That might be a little morbid for you, but well...that's part of who Shaiful is. Not morbid in a sad sense, but in a maniacal, mad-scientist sense. And that is one of the highest compliments I can bestow anybody. He weaves weird magic with his words and however lame his rambling stories he'll make you listen all the way to the end even if only to leave you scratching your head wondering what was the point. Because the thing is, Shaiful doesn't need a point. Shaiful tells stories. And what wonderful stories he tells. Hopefully Cinta Arjuna doesn't die another death. Its got too much to waste lying there unread.

* Who thought doing this was highly ridiculous but fun practice for when she has to do this again for Shaiful's other professional endeavours, and/or her own novel.

Welcome Back to Myself by Shaiful

365 days have passed by right in front of our eyes…that’s equivalent to 8760 hours, 525,600 minutes and god knows how many seconds (I’m too lazy to update this blog, what makes you think I want to type on this calculator again?). In chronological order, I personally experienced Rock The World 6, Selangor’s 30th Malaysia Cup triumph, the first ever metal gig in Planet Hollywood, 19 new movies, 67 new albums, 22 visits to FAM for char kuey tiaow, 2,190 gallons of liquid consumed, an countless crushes (big and small) along the way.

First off, let me apologize, err…maybe I should wish first (thinks to my OCD self). Okay, I’d like to wish a very, very belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2006 to all of you! I’m catching up here alright, so please cut me some slack! “Jingle bells, Jingle bells...” Same goes for Chinese New Year, Thaipusam, Hari Raya Aidiladha, Wesak Day, Hari Gawai, Tun Dr. M’s 300th birthday and so on. And most recently, Happy Deepavali and Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, maaf zahir batin dari hujung rambut sampai ke hujung nyawa.

Now, here comes the difficult part, just because Sir Elton said “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” and Air Supply agreed with “Hard to Say I’m Sorry”. I would like to sincerely apologize to all of you, my dear friends, for letting this blog rot in its own filth for oh so long. I’m not one to give excuses (at least not this time), therefore let me just admit that I got lazy. It all started when I thought of taking a couple of weeks break off blogging. Those two weeks felt real good that I decided to just postpone posting till, well, indefinitely! But as the weeks turned to months, the urge to start blogging again grew stronger as certain things happened in my life, and I needed a channel to pen it all down, alongside my views and whatnot.

The catalyst, or as Nana likes to call it “the lemon that got squeezed into my eyes” for me was when I started reading other people’s blogs again. Namely these two individuals: Syar and more recently Chris. Their posts are so witty and full of life that I felt compelled to start doing something useful again with my free time instead of procrastinating on my assignments. Thank you Syar and Chris for the inspiration (kudos should also go to Nadia and Ayu, the two other blogs I frequent).

As for the future, I was initially planning on having an offshoot blog to post my literary creations and entertainment reviews, but alas both of my mentors have thought of this before I did. Syar’s poetry and Chris’ reviews made me decide to just post my other materials on this blog as well, instead of having another one. Having said that, I already have an offshoot blog underway though, which is more on the fantasy side. I will only reveal that one when it has garnered positive response and prove itself worthy to be announced. So do stay tuned for updates on that prospective project.

Finally, I would to welcome all you friends to the semi-new cinta arjuna. Expect nothing, ‘cos that is what you might get from this blog! Just kidding. The new Cinta Arjuna will strive to beat its predecessor both with the diversity of its contents and also the promptness of which it is updated. Stay Tuned (I kinda like saying that nowadays =P)

Back in Singapura

2005-11-06T13:03:00.000+08:00

-Rest in peace Grandma, I'll always miss you

It took me a three hour drive before crossing over into Tuas via the Second link. We passed the customs and immigration checks by 0900hours. First stop, Pasir Ris, to pick up my aunt before heading to grandma’s cemetery cruising alongside Symphony 92.4 (mom’s favourite radio channel in Singapore). Pretty fair considering that she had tolerated my blasting death/black metal music for the past 3 ½ hours. With smooth sailing traffic on a moist Sunday morning, accompanied by orchestral music, we arrived Chua Chu Kang (Muslim burial grounds) about an hour later. After approximately 490kms of non-stop driving, I’ve reached the most heart-wrenching location on earth, to offer prayers and pay homage to the person I love most, bar my parents. Al-Fatihah, Yasin and Tahlil go out to her…I’m glad that Mother Nature sympathized my pleas and she stopped the pouring rain when I arrived.

-view of the esplanade and singapore skyline from my hotel room

-skyline view at night

We then checked in at the Marina Mandarin at noon, which is situated next to Suntec City and The Esplanade, also about 15mins walk to Orchard Road. We stayed there for about two nights where I did my annual shopping. Thanks to the ever so lovely Ms Ayu (my best friend since I was 3), my trips back home are always filled with fun and laughter, plus some exercise (ayu’s a fitness freak!) just kidding dear ;p Unfortunately the night before raya, she had to go down to KL, cos that’s where her daddy’s family is from. But I’m still grateful to get to catch up with her before she left.

-bought this baby for S$399...could store up to 13,000 songs (20GB)

-also copped these new albums while I was there (from top): Children of Bodom’s (Melodic Death Metal from Finland) “Are You Dead Yet” / John 5’s (former Marilyn Manson guitarist) “Songs For Sanity” / Impiety’s (Singaporean Black Metal) “Paramount Evil”

Balik Kampung?

2005-10-30T02:11:00.000+08:00

It’s that time of the year again when I’m leaving my beloved hometown and return to my motherland, or back to the roots as some people would prefer calling it. In any way whatsoever, it means that it is high time to strut my stuff and BALIK KAMPUNG!! Well, not that much of a kampung anyways as its Singapore, for goodness sake. So should I use the term “balik bandar” instead? Or maybe opt for a more technical term “balik metropolis?” I guess I’ll leave that for you ardent readers to decide (don’t forget to AFUNDI Shaiful ok?) .

Raya this year won’t be the same, I guess, because raya day itself would coincide as the 100th day since my beloved grandmother passed away. Previously she would be one of the only reasons why I’m so eager to get my ass back in the lion city, but now that she’s gone, I even contemplated of spending my aidilfitri at home in KL. But mom tried to cheer me up by saying that at least I have a new mp3 player waiting there, as I have been targeting to get the new Sony network walkman while in Singapore this time around. Well my friends, that is no consolation considering the pain that I have to bear as she was the closest person to me after mom. Only when mom told me that she would’ve wanted us to celebrate raya in Singapore that I decided to proceed with the yearly tradition anyways. But I’m only going to be there for a mere five days compared to the average two weeks that I used to practice before. So with a heavy luggage (including my guitar and amps) and an even heavier heart, I’m going to take the 450km drive from Seri Hartamas to Pasir Ris at 0530 hours (that’s only like three hours away!). Better start packing and get my ass to bed for a bit.

Before it’s too late I wanna wish Deepavali Valthukel to my hindu friends, enjoy the festival of light in all its glory and colours! To my muslim brothers and sisters, Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri…I ask for your forgiveness if terkasar bahasa/salah cakap or any wrongdoings whatsoever in my part. In short I want to wish all of you (no matter race nor religion) happy holidays! Have fun, drive safe and abuse the curries and rendangs cos you know u want to! ;p

The Demise of An Angel

2005-10-21T23:09:00.000+08:00

None of my uttered words could justify my state of shock right now. It seemed like only yesterday that my dear friend Eunice Lee made funny and witty remarks towards her "rabbit" i.e. yours sincerely. Apparently the question over why she called me rabbit all this while would remain a mystery for the rest of my life. I admit that I didn't have the opportunity to get to know this amazing individual more than most of you reading this entry right now, but I could certainly feel the grief that all of you must be currently facing. This is because Eunice was such an intelligent, warm, yet cheeky young woman, even through the eyes of people who do not know her well. These features are well represented in her approach towards studies and also her social life. I find it hard to accept that we would no longer be entertained by her challenging opinions in class, by her charm, by her beauty and also by her character which is far more superior than her already statuesque physique.

In memory of this lovable lady, I was inspired to write a song and managed to record it in a few hours with the help of my very good friend Johanna Renisa (thanks Nana!)...and it would be an honour to share it with all of you who were inspired by Eunice as much as we did. You're all invited to visit here to download the song, or alternatively add me on msn: double9802@hotmail.com and i would be more than willing to send the file straight to your respective computers. As a last token of memory for Eunice, I would like to share with you "My Angel (A Tribute to Eunice Lee)"

Once upon a time,
when the sun was shining fine,
I met a special angel,
a beautiful pretty angel,
she taught me to hold on,
and gave me strength to carry on

It all seemed too good,
too good to be the truth,
God is taking my angel
my beautiful pretty angel
how would I cope,
when I've lost my source of hope

CHORUS
I wish you're doing fine
in a better place than this
I wish you peace of mind
in a better place than this
I know you're home
In a better place than this

Now that she's gone,
I'm gone with her,
gone in my heart,right through this heart
I would never be,never be the same old me

CHORUS X2

I'm praying for your soul,
and for you to make me whole,
I'm really missing my angel,my beautiful pretty angel...Hold on

Excursion Detour

2005-09-11T08:32:00.000+08:00

Talk about being lucky, or is it unlucky? I was assigned to go to Petaling Street with Zul, Alex and Fairis to take pictures for our Photo Ethics Journal. I said lucky because the traffic wasn’t that bad (very surprising for a Saturday) so we managed to arrive to the scene about an hour ahead of schedule. And then it was time to click. We barely had ten shots when suddenly we saw the peddlers scurrying around with their goods, an obvious sign that the authorities were nearby. I even managed to snap a photograph of this guy informing the others on his walkie-talkie about the arrival of the police, which was suicidal. Luckily he was too engrossed in his work that he didn’t have time to deal with me, though he managed to give me a fierce glance for a second.

So then we decided, let’s just head over to Central Market which is a stone’s throw away from PS to obtain more pictures. So we managed to obtain a number of interesting shots over there before all of us (except me) had lunch together (I just had a drink ;p). Even though each of us had taken more than 20 photographs, we still felt rather empty inside so on the way back we had a five minute stop at Bukit Bintang and took a couple of pictures there. Now that is a place where you wouldn’t wanna go on a Saturday evening, the traffic jam almost drove me to the brink of sanity! lol. All in all though, it was an enlightening excursion because it made me wanna go there again soon to shop! Hmm, bringing her along at the end of the month would be a good idea, wouldn't you want that dear? ;)

Prayer For The Lost Soul

2005-09-07T21:55:00.000+08:00

Can you believe this?? Could my beloved fam in college be on the verge of splitting/breaking up? Is this true or could it be just a misconception of words that turned into a bitter psychological war caused by third party infidels? Ya Allah ya tuhanku, tunjukkanlah jalan yang benar kepada hambamu yang sesat ini, berikanlah daku jawapan dan kekuatan untuk meneruskan perjuangan kehidupan ini…Amin.

Congrats to Clarence Chan Weytat

2005-08-27T01:32:00.000+08:00

The night did salvage my day after all, albeit in an unsuspecting way. Let’s just say that I had a huge dosage of fun and excitement at the Mr. and Ms KDU event just now. Long story short, we rooted for our man, and he WON! Congratulations to Clarence, my homeboy, who picked up the top honors of the night. Instead of the usual sing and dance routine, Clarence did an interesting, self-choreographed glow stick maneuver which impressed the judges enough for him to bag the coveted trophy. And for his efforts, he brought home a Ginvera hamper, a bottle of Givenchy perfume and a new Samsung mobile phone courtesy of the various sponsors of the event.

Not only did he excel during his dance and catwalk, but he also received the highest score in the Q&A session (which is usually the killer in any pageant). There were some other notable contestants though especially Karen, the kitty from Kuching, who was my favourite female contestant of the night (she eventually took the runner-up spot for Ms KDU). Karen stepped up confidently on stage with the Marion Raven look and delivered her rendition of “Leaving On A Jet Plane” while strumming on her acoustic guitar.

All in all, it was a great event as we got to see contestants from 4 different countries namely China, South Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia, of course. We had lots of fun even after the show has ended as they invited DJ Nina to spin on the decks with her eclectic mix of Hip-hop, R&B and Funk. So the auditorium turned into a dancehall for a little while until our respective stomachs couldn’t take it any longer.

Mr. KDU himself decided to give us all a treat, and because he was longing for Italian food, we all went to Pizza Uno at Bandar Utama where I feasted on a mouth-watering plate of baked pasta. It had lots of chicken and mushroom in it that I felt like a “bapak ayam” (pimp), hahaha! Guess I have no reason whatsoever to complain about tonight except for the fact that it rained rather heavily after the event and I got myself wet ;p but it was worth every drop of rain..like they say, No rain, no gain! hahaha

Night Save My Day

2005-08-26T17:06:00.000+08:00

Never thought I’d say this, but I miss college! Nevertheless, before you lecturers start “perasan”-ing that I miss your lectures or something, let me officially state that that’s not the case whatsoever. I miss my college buds, the times we spend together, everything (gosh, only one day on my own and I resort to these choice of words??). But the fact remains, up till now, this Friday of mine has been very dull and lonely, let me break this up for y’all to better understand what I mean.

I woke up at 6am for prayers, and then did some chores at home before eventually stepping into the shower at 8am. I suddenly remembered that I just bought a new game last night, which happened to be Winning Eleven 9 (WE9), the ninth edition of the ever so popular Japanese football game (since 1995). I haven’t even tried it yet, so I decided to insert the disc into my PS2 and give it a go. From that moment onwards, I was trapped inside the wicked world of stunning graphics, excellent realistic gameplay and Nippon speaking commentators which I’ve somehow grown fond of throughout the years. I was so obsessed with the game that I did not even realize that it was already 12pm! So apa lagi, I hurriedly switched off the console and jumped into the shower once again, this time to get ready for Friday prayers. Off to Masjid Wilayah on my own.

I would normally have lunch after Friday prayers, but today was an exception. Even though there were many stalls selling various local delicacies outside of the mosque, I wasn’t up to it as it was no fun eating alone. For once, all the chicken rice, assam laksa and char kuey tiaw didn’t seem appetizing. Five minutes later, I was back at the crib, couldn’t wait to play WE9 again. Just as I was about to switch on the TV, I accidentally tripped on an old photo album which reminded me: I HAVENT STARTED S*** ON MY MANY ASSIGNMENTS!!! And I also have the Mr. and Ms KDU event to attend tonight, so I eventually decided to get off the TV and get on my lazy ass and actually finish this mo’fo’ (excuse my potty mouth). Hope tonite would be a blast. Good Luck Mr Clarence Chan Weytat!

Dim Sum Sunday

2005-08-21T23:32:00.000+08:00

Ahh..the luxurious joy of a Sunday morning with mom, which I could only experience when she's around. Royal Selangor Visitor Centre was the first stop this morning after the mandatory market shopping session. The premier pewter company had its clearance sale today, and prices were slashed as much as eighty percent! Mom wouldn't miss this for anything, and she got the opportunity to get herself some bargains of her own and also gifts for others, in case of their birthday, hahaha! Unexpectedly, I splurged there as well, not on pewter though, but rather on a sterling silver ring which I find to be uniquely attractive. Since this is my first proper ring (Ding Dang rings doesnt count ;p), I would most probably take care of it alot better than most of my mediocre accesories. After collectively spending close to RM500 there, we had brunch in the Sheraton Imperial and just chilled and chatted from 11am-2pm, just imagine had I not lived with her? Perhaps staying on my own with a bunch of roommies, we'd most probably start the day at 1pm (when everyone's done hibernating), clean our asses off and head to the nearest mamak shop downstairs, wouldn't even drive just to save fuel. Once seated, everyone would take out each other's box of cigarettes and start puffing away and whoever doesn't have any would "pow" (steal with permission) a stick or two from their mates.

We’ll end up eating two pieces of roti canai each for lunch (take note that breakfast and the previous night’s dinner were skipped) and wash it all down with plain water with ice. And for dessert, it’ll either be bananas or another stick of ciggies and we’re gonna sit there for hours talking about girls or how bad each of us are failing in our respective courses and all that. Four hours later, one of us would get his ass up and the rest would follow suit and I’d go back home smelling of dunhill, gudang garam and sampoerna even though I didn’t touch a single stick. I guess we’d probably call it a day after that.

Back to reality, thank god I’m still living with mom and we pampered ourselves to a scrumptious meal of dim sum at the hotel. I was like a man possessed earlier on, ordering lots of stuff, chicken feet (two orders), har kau, siew mai, yam puffs, chicken char siew pau, basically the whole damn show, ya know. The first thing I craved for after all that satisfying torment was a pillow, hahaha! Mom was like “dah makan banyak, jangan nak complain”. I couldn’t agree more with her, so I just shut up then, as what started as a harmless pursuit of pleasure soon turned into an epic battle between good and fat (pun intended). Guess you’ll know where to find me tomorrow morning ya? (gonna go burn these fats).

Goodbye to Revelation

2005-08-19T17:46:00.000+08:00

It was only 10 hours ago that I was thinking about the Recharge Revelation Beach Party which is gonna be held at Port Dickson tomorrow. When I said thinking I meant planning on what to wear, how many changes of clothes to bring, which pair of shoes that are gonna make the trip, the whole works. Fate must’ve been pretty envious of my optimism and decided to spoil everything, here’s the low down on that. I was working out in the gym earlier this morning with nothing but Revelation and “her” in my mind ;) After the torturous 1 ½ hours, I decided to check out my letterbox before going back upstairs (home). I expected nothing but the usual set of bills to be paid. This time however, amongst the bills and junk mail, there was a letter addressed to yours truly with the header “URUSAN SERI PADUKA BAGINDA” engraved on the top of the envelope. My spider sense was tingling and it told me that something was not right, and indeed, it wasn’t.

As I carefully, ok let me correct this…As I hurriedly tore the envelope open to solve the mystery that is in it, my heart was pounding faster by the split second. I eventually realized that my whole weekend plans had to be scrapped after reading the contents of the letter. There were apparently two summons notices inside of it, issued for breaking the speed limit and violating some traffic rule (which was not elaborated) respectively. And I am given until the fourth of September to fork out RM450 as compound for the summonses, or face being charged in the bloody court of law. And because of that, I would not possibly afford to go to PD this weekend, and I am so sorry guys! I know that you guys worked your asses off in persuading and virtually forcing me to come along but it is just impossible for me to do so this time, I truly appreciate the gesture though. I’ll make it up by having a blast with all of you during the upcoming Merdeka celebrations, alright? You have my word.

Je Suis Un Pirate

2005-08-16T20:27:00.000+08:00

Yes ladies and gentlemen, you read that right, I absolutely feel like a sword stabbing, parrot abusing one-eyed crook on this beautiful Tuesday. This is because I downloaded three music albums today, through an unnamed source, and the bad thing is that those albums have yet to be officially released. They are Soulfly's "The Dark Ages" (due out in October), Staind's "Chapter V" (middle of September) and DMX's "Here We Go" (no release date at press time). By the way, hasn't DMX announced his retirement sometime last year? I guess the lure of the dollar was too good to resist huh, Mr Earl Simmons? Whatever it is, remember this children, illegal downloading is a crime and crime doesn't pay, neither do I ;p

Had lunch with Shamin earlier, and we discussed about the Recharge Revelation Beach Party that's going to be held at Port Dickson this Saturday. She persuaded me to come along, cos most of our college buds are gonna be shaking their butts there (pun intended). Yea, the thought of hopping around alongside throngs of thong wearing, sweaty drugged up peeps on the sandy shores of my dad's home state does sound appealing. Plus, if I'm lucky enough, I might come back with crystal clear memories of my photogenic friends trippin and getting drunk as souveniers. kahkahkah, that would be delightful. Wonder what will my old folks say when I tell them about this..they'll probably go like "Why do you have to mingle with this bunch of wild thornberries when there are many other kids who are cool without having to succumb to all these unhealthy vices and substances" or they'll probably not say a word if I dont spill the beans. Ah, the deception of a modern youth...

Pop Rock Nite

2005-08-15T02:08:00.000+08:00

Yup, u guys heard it right. Straight after having dinner while watching Arsenal teach Newcastle United a lesson in an earlier match, Fairis, Shamin and I left "Uncle Don's" where we had our dinner and headed to Kabuki Studio in search of some fulfillment on their musical instruments. Since two of our regular metalhead buddies couldn't make it tonight for undisclosed reasons, we had to settle with only the three of us with Fairis on bass guitar, Shamin taking charge of the drum kit while yours sincerely had the pleasure of abusing the guitar hehehe ;p (all of us take turns on the mic, by the way) And because of the shortage of staff, we only spent an hour instead of the normal two hours minimum and only played catchy pop rock and pop punk songs..The list included "Adam's Song" by Blink 182, "Separuh Nafas" by Dewa, a couple of Linkin Park numbers and the everlastingly cheesy "Cinta" by Flop Poppy. (gosh, i feel like such an arse for actually listing those)

-The crazy bunch (L-R) Fairis, Shamin and myself

Truth is we couldn't help it, u know. All of us were in such a cheerful mood that playing a heavy metal song would be like trafficking 5kgs of cocaine into the Parliament House! Even though it'll be fun to see the old geezers snotting away and be merry instead of getting at each other's throats for once, we just weren't up to it. Not today, at least. Besides Arsenal's win, each of us had numerous other reasons to be happy about which i would rather not reveal for now. Ahh, it was a good day for all and I sincerely hope that yours wasn't any different either.

A Study On The Lion City

2005-08-13T22:29:00.000+08:00

It has been a few days since I last posted, yet somehow it felt so darn long. The main reason is of course I did not have internet access as I was in Singapore for goodness sake! No offence to you fair lions, but I don't feel nice using my uncle's pc just to update my blog, he's using dial up mind u..Malaysia 2-0 Singapore ;p just kidding lah, hehehe. Back to the matter at hand, I've been in Singapore since Tuesday and there's one thing that I could never understand, which is why I never fail to get impressed everytime I go there. For your info, I just went there less than two weeks ago, and now I already have another reason to adore this island! So far I've been drooling over the cheap prices of electronic goods (ipod, zen etc) cheap guitars (Peninsular Plaza), extensive collection of heavy metal albums (also Peninsular), tv mobile (on their public transports) and lots more that I'd rather save for later.

This time around though it wasn't the sights nor the sounds of the city state that set me alight, it was one of its inhabitants rather, that managed to open my eyes and open my heart into loving Singapore and her populants, either breathing or otherwise. In my opinion, this girl believes that Ranting About Fun Enable Kids Act As Young Understudies ;) hehehe..could I make it anymore obvious? She is very unique compared to most young ladies that I've met before. For once, someone not only appreciate, but actually keep the poems that I've written! Besides that, she opened my eyes into loving the simple things in life and NEVER take them for granted, just like the day we went strolling around Orchard. It was a simple pursuit of pleasure yet I've managed to learn alot during that short span of time, about myself, about her, and of course about her beloved Singapore! I would never have given that time away for anything..by the way, happy belated birthday to Singapore and mein schöner schmetterling!

What A Contrast

2005-08-08T00:56:00.000+08:00

-Chelski skipper John Terry with the Shield

That's right, ladies and gentlemen, only 24 hours ago I was raving about Selangor's successful start to their Malaysia Cup campaign, yet today the English team that I support undeservedly lost! Arsenal were beaten 2-1 by CHELSKI in the Community Shield, which is the traditional curtain raiser for the English football season. Arsenal dominated ball possesion but were sadly let down by their lack of finishing power and some devastatingly poor defending, which eventually led to another victory for the Russian boytoys.

-it's always fiery when these two meet

Apart from that catastrophe, i mean tragedy, i mean..ahh screw it! The point is I was dissapointed with the result and it spoiled a very beautiful Sunday earlier where I not only helped out mom with alotta stuff, but also where I finally went for a drink with my college mates. Ah, its been awhile, I miss you filthy m'f'ers so much! :p

Glory Glory Red Giants!

2005-08-06T22:41:00.000+08:00

Selangor capped an impressive start to their Malaysia Cup campaign by crushing fellow Klang Valley side MK Land 4-1 during their opening match just now. Shah Alam was just buzzing with over 30,000 fans drenched in sweat altogether cheering on our brave warriors as they do battle on the pitch. I feel so honoured to be among the lucky ones who managed to sing their hearts out throughout the match, in fact I may not be able to speak much this couple of days, hilang suara! Although the Malaysia cup may not be as prestigious as the English FA Cup, but it is still rich in history and tradition as it is the oldest cup competition in Asia, initially known as the HMS Malaya Cup back in 1921.

The atmosphere at the Shah Alam Stadium was just unbelievable. The crowd were a sea of red and yellow.Huge banners and flags encouraged the players to soldier on whenever they're off the mark. The hardcore supporters came equipped with their huge traditional drums (gendang and rebana), and there were also a few daring souls who secretly smuggled in some fireworks as loud blasts would follow a goal celebration and the blaring noise would echo throughout the stadium, never failing to shock me everytime. The action was just as intense, with Selangor being put on the scoring sheet by Bambang Pamungkas, Khalid Jamlus and Brian Fuentes, with the latter scoring a brace.

-Fuentes in the Red and Yellow

The trip back was not as eventful though, as three of my pals fell asleep in the car, nobody to make sure that the driver (me) was awake, well i wouldn't have said a single word anyway, lost my voice remember?? Luckily they parked their vehicles at my place, so i went straight up to my house when we arrived. It was such an energy sapping affair that none of us even bothered to kiss each other goodnite :p hehehe.. well before i doze off, here's a kiss 4u, mwaZZzzzZZZzzZZzzz... *sleeping*

-May we win an unprecedented 30th Malaysia Cup trophy this year!

Welcome to my world

2005-08-05T19:48:00.000+08:00

Such a busy day for such a simple man. I suppose I spoil myself with too much useless endeavours for even more ridiculous purposes sometimes. Today yours truly started off the day simply by working out in da not so friendly neighbourhood dump known as a gym, then he called on a bunch of his so called sessionist musician friends and invited them for a jam session at a studio nearby his humble crib. It was a good time though as we played some black metal songs then slowed things down with an Alter Bridge ballad and finally wrapping things up with the Malaysian skinhead anthem "Streets of UPTOWN!" by A.C.A.B.

Needless to say, the four of us left the studio feeling satisfied n uplifted, ready to take on any physical challenge ahead of us..but alas, being da lazy bums that we are, decided to sit down and lepakked at a nearby mamak place instead. After an hour of teh tarik and mee goreng mamak, it was time for an adventure. i took out da car keys from my pocket and went on the hunt for E.S. Posthumus' album reccommended to me by the ever so lovely Ms Ayu Russell. Well, guess what Ayu, you were right in saying that it is unavailable at record stores. I finally came home, with a medium chicken kebab and a thought full of regret.