Words can mean nothing to some in this world

We went for Kid Koala on Wednesday, Andrew, Tangwei, QJ, Boon and i. I had never heard any of his stuff before (or other turntablists) and that was the main reason why i wanted to go. I’m enjoying this more, going for gigs that i hadn’t listened to previously, just to be surprised.

And Kid Koala was a very pleasant surprise. When he started proper, i was also in the optimum state of mind to enjoy it. Even though the tunes were mostly unfamiliar to me, i enjoyed his music choices. Good mix of trip hop, rock, jazz, blues, pop, hip hop, etc.

The crowd consisted of mostly people who looked like they clubbed a lot at Zouk, not the Mambo Night kind but more like those who go when they fly in guest DJs. Some of the guys belonged to the Far East Expensive T-Shirt Gang. Baggy shirts, caps, chains around the neck, you get the picture. Mindy used to go out with somebody like that.

Although nobody was really dancing, it was still evident how people were really immersed in the gig. There was a generally positive vibe about that night, like everyone was connected by this wave of euphoria. And you know, there was hardly anyone smoking so I thought it was some turntable etiquette, like it’s rude to smoke when somebody’s spinning.

At all the intended points, the audience went hysterical (I only knew later that those were intended points because like i said, i’m a newbie). Moon River blew my mind. I swear in those few minutes, not a single bad thought crossed my mind. The way everyone else reacted, i think they too only saw beautiful things in their head.

Kid Koala was very charismatic. He had a perpetual smile on his face. QJ noted that he looked like he was frying kway teow. I agreed. He would periodically wipe the perspiration off his forehead with his arm.

Too bad though, it wasn’t held on the rooftop as it was supposed to be. That would have been how freaking awesome?

Just as every cop is a criminal, and all the sinners saints

Stepping into Stones Bar after so many months was the most nostalgic thing i'd done all week. I saw a lot of the same old faces, and was greeted by hugs and kisses, literally.

The place had undergone some sort of a face lift, with new couch seats by the windows and a mini platform for a solo gig. The crew is also slightly different now. Only a coupla people have stayed on.

For some reason the place is more happening now, though i've seen many a happening night there in the past. Maybe yesterday was just more enjoyable since it was my first time after so long.

When we arrived, there was this dude rocking out on his electric guitar and singing along to recorded pop rock tunes. He was really quite impressive during his first set. On his second he went downhill with his song choices - Maroon 5, that irritating one-note song from Hooberstank, etc. Oh would you believe he played a bit of Jackie Cheung's wen bie for the heck of it? But that was really funny.

In between his sets, someone (might have been Uncle Mark) played some really good songs to keep the party mood going. I remember fondly the exact moment i knew i was set for the night. Chuck Berry. Johnny B. Goode! Thereafter we were treated to some Led Zep, Aerosmith, Steppenwolf, etc... and Hendrix and Lynyrd Skynyrd upon request. And it was such a weird concept. The DJ was actually casually providing commentary on the football gold medal match between Iraq and Qatar. But he only did like 2 or 3 sentences within a song, and it mostly had nothing to do with the sport itself.

Speaking of that match, damn it. Firstly, the two teams were playing such lousy football. And when it was finally over, i don't even know who won but the score was 1-0, the closing ceremony/celebration took so long it must have lasted almost 2 hours by itself! And it was so elaborate. With camels, magic carpet rides, pyramids and the works. So much effort was put into that closing ceremony it was even more exciting than the NDP.

While the music was playing, some people were like dancing man as though they were at a club. How cool is that? Disco dancing to rock music.

Have i mentioned that one of my most favourite things to do while getting smashed is to hang out at bars? Especially those random bars with strange crowds that are beyond my age group. It's like you're more aware than ever of your surroundings, and observing people from different subcultures sometimes bring about strange little discoveries.

We're finally on our own

Imagine taking a late night train home and a lady in red (total stranger) says to you, "Aren't you lonely?", before engaging you in a tug-of-war to pull you down the tracks into the way of the oncoming train. And you use all your might to pull so she doesn't fall to the tracks but you lose anyway and she gets herself killed right in your face. Wouldn't you be damn angry? Like why did she do that to you? You didn't even know her.

Sounds like a good story to me. Too bad for 9:56 (Korean horrody). It had a great beginning, but it doesn't actually have much to do with the main plot. And the main plot was actually a very bad story, complete with ridiculous moments and too many messy sub-plots.

Go watch it (on a weekday, i'd recommend) only if you enjoy bad horror flicks, just for laughs.

That aside, i've recently discovered that i have this strange habit of conjuring up disturbing visuals in my head. I've been seeing this pair of slit wrists like in a black and white photograph, the hands are damn pale against a black background, and the slashes run deep. Then i've also seen a man who hung himself. It was a low angle but you can't see his face because his waist-long hair falls forward, over his white robe. What the fuck. It wasn't supposed to be that way!

No one can know how we feel

It is always a lot of fun getting together with the mass comm people. We somehow always end up talking about the same subjects. Ex-mass commers (these 3 we ALWAYS talk about), lecturers, etc.

It was Shaun Koh's birthday so we all hung out at 6th Avenue. We were such gluttons, going from Omar Sharif to Venezia to Tea Party to Adam Road to Mc Donalds. Ate so much!

The best part of the evening had to be at Tea Party, where we played this really cool game. It's a bit like Truth Or Dare, except you can't do a dare. You have to answer the questions.

Wenkai kicked off with a brilliant question for Jeremy. "How big are the testacles of an elephant?" To which Jeremy sportingly came up with a very funny, random answer.

Speaking of Jeremy, now we know what's the kinkiest thing he's done. Haha.

Xiaowen asked another killer one, for Zaki, "Have you ever had the desire..." At this point i thought she was gonna ask something sexual. "... to eat pork?" Everyone cracked up. Zaki's answer was no.

Xiaowen had trouble naming the best song to have on during sex. I stumbled at my questions. (I kept getting the profound, thought-provoking kind of questions when i was definitely in NO state to ponder about anything.)

Boon's question to me was rather interesting but it made me realise something about myself, which was actually very obvious, come to think of it. I just didn't think everyone knew!

Someone (Ian or Zaki, i think) asked Boon what he would have done at the last Writ Comm lecture if he were Desmond Kon. Boon said if he were Kon, he would have apologised to everyone and admitted to being a total asshole. HAHAHAHAHAAA!

We also learnt about Daniel's obsession. So clinical and precise it actually blew my mind! And he was rather surprised that we were all so amazed by his quirk.

There were so many more good questions and equally good answers coming from everyone. And it's such a fun game. I hope we play it again next time we see each other. I've got some questions thought out already. Gonna be well prepared next time!

That was indeed a strange day, but it made me so happy, just drifting into the zone, and enjoying the time. =)