1st anniversary

Nothing marks my one-year-in-London milestone quite historically as the London Naked Bike Ride. Last year's took place the second day I set foot in this country. I went with Bel. This year, I managed to convince Andrea, Simon (who told me about this event last year), Omar and Rafael to tag along.

Rafael stole my camera and disappeared into the crowd to take pictures with the wimmin (taking off his top as camouflage). I was quite pissed because I missed plenty of opportunities for my own pictures. One of which an interesting specimen wearing Borat's swimming costume in red. Damn.

Omar prefer his au naturel. I roll my eyes and huff but actually admire their courage to go "excuse me, can I take a picture with you?" because I secretly want to take pictures with hot naked guys too. Boo... maybe next year. I'm slowly improving ok. Last year I didn't even dare to take any frontal pictures.

All too soon, the whistle sounded and... they're off! My party followed suit. Damn cold day... poor shriveled cyclists. I'm sure their passion and dedication keep them warm, though. As well as other cyclists. And pure adrenaline.

Me no guts can only take picture of myself. Loh. Next time someone be nice and offer to shove me into the crowd for a quick snap ok?

snow

Just when I thought the weather is turning warmer and I look like an idiot wearing winter jacket and sweating waterfalls inside... it snowed again this morning.

So much has happened over the last month I don't know where to start.

But I have recovered from the meanest bitch of a flu of the century. Until the cough came back yesterday that is...

great beer festival 2007

Si texted me to meet in town for a post-interview mini-celebration today. It's been the best interview I've had to date, by a young and laid-back MD with a really interesting background. I didn't think someone up there can be so similar to myself. Let's see what comes out of this. For now, let's see Jessey drink!

Quantity of beer: 6. (Eco Warrior, Guzzler, Ossian, Danish Dynamite, Dark Fantastic, Orval) Nevermind I had like 3 sips on average of each. Just treasure the rare pictures of me actually allowing alcohol into my bloodstream, ok?

Where/What: The one place where all beers of the world come together to teach the world to sing in imperfect harmony (oh the band *shudder*), and drunken men swap clothes with drunken women, and hotdogs go for an insane price, and the queue to the men's port-a-potty is longer than the women's.

How/Why: Because Si graciously paid for everything (including dinner at Wagamama's!) and happily (at least he looked so) guzzled all my beer (that he chose) after my 3 sips. Entrance fee is a crazy 8pounds each ok! I so think I wasted mine. Hence this picture is an attribute to the awesomeness of Si-from-Land-of-Skirt-wearing-Men. Thanks for the experience, sayang.

Tomorrow, we're going to Stratford-upon-Avon to breathe the air that Shakespeare slept, wrote, farted and left a legacy in. And explore Warwick Castle.

No, I don't think Dionne owns it.

out of the blue

Shit on a schtick I've been so lazy. Someone give me a good hard kick on the butt! The past few days were a blur, went to an interview, then moped around refusing to send out more CVs, forcing self to be convinced that the job is mine, then got a call from interviewer-guy who apologetically told me no because they don't want to go through the hassle of converting my visa into a proper work-permit in a year's time, then moped around even more berating self for moping around.

So anyway it's another Sunday. Already.

Last Sunday I went to Out Of The Blue at the O2/Millennium Dome, Greenwich. It was more fun than Mirage (no I'm not saying this because there's food and coffee and dessert involved at the O2)!

Colourful slinky-costumed women posed and offered to be posed with at the entrance. They stuck around for 15-20 minutes then left. Actually, that's the pattern of the performances. Between intervals of 30 minutes or so, some other performers would come out and pose and be posed with. Quite refreshing.

These silver jurassic birds with weird honking noises coming out of loudspeakers placed on their asses (ok ok, back of their thighs) and Marilyn Manson were my favourite.

Lunch! Mmmm! Damn I miss my Sakae Sushi's kakiage and Sagano's beef teppanyaki. But sushi here in London ain't half bad. (in retrospect, I guess that's exactly what real Japanese people would say when eating sushi in Malaysia maybe, hehe)

Giant seafood inflatables! Good thing they cordon off the Lobster Opening Oyster To Release Pearl show area. Rambunctious kids bouncing on the open oyster would further confuse the lobster, who's slow and retarded-looking (grab the damn pearl already! why release it when you don't want to grab it? i cannot live not understanding the logic!)...

Luckily my brains were saved from further messing by a good steaming cup of latte and chocolate marshmallow brownie (wah so sweet my teeth can fall off). I thought Baskin's Rocky Road isn't so sweet. Hmmm.

Next stop: London Bridge and the obligatory photo evidence. Nevermind it's raining cats and dogs and I was freezing cold. I actually had an umbrella in my bag but didn't want to use it because I didn't know where to keep a wet umbrella when I'm done using it. Yes, you may beat my head with it.

At times like these it's probably apt to play London Bridge Is Falling Down at half the normal tempo with er-hu accompaniment. Only the falling down would be done by the Ogress not the bridge. See how grey everything is? Welcome to the everyday London.

Next stop: Camden. The market's closed, the lock's deserted, the shops on the main street are mostly closed. Unbelievable right, at 8pm or so on a Sunday. Supermarkets close at 4 or 5pm on Sundays, even. Culture clash kao-kao. No syok at all.

Did manage to take quite a nice picture at Camden Lock though. Nevermind it's got no lock-action. (and no, it's Lock not Loch) Nevermind there're many people whispering and whistling to sell you illegal stuff as you walk past. Had to make many detours walking back to the tube station!

Finally, wet and tired, dinner! Don't tell my current boss that I'm eating from a competitor! They make really good curry and beef kuey-teow (kuey-teow only available to Malaysians by request) though, albeit being a tad too pricey. And no, I don't eat naked. It's just the angle ok!

saturday

Mirage promised to be a "ravishing processional performance, evoking the landscapes and traditions of Africa inspired by travels in Ethiopia and South Africa" according to the website, so I went.

We were about 10-20 minutes late from the stipulated time, 9.36pm (??!!) but when we finally arrived at Roman Road to be pleasantly ravished, all we saw was a scattered small crowd. There were more law enforcement officials than audience, even.

Then there was a ruckus from afar, some smoke and strobe lighting... and Indian music. And thus, voodoo robots with flashing elongated nipple-like eyebulbs were summoned.

Breathing in the heady, exotic African (mixed with ciggie) smoke and staring hypnotised at flashing lights exploding from the top of the heads of Tall People surrounding me... all I could do was helplessly give up on my struggling efforts... and passed the camera to the taller one. No way I could stretch my arm high enough to get a decent shot. And no way could I accept the offer for a shoulder-ride because I certainly don't look 5, and/or someone might throw a bottle at me from the back, if my kind and noble steed hasn't died of a crushed spine or torn body part or both. Yes, because I'm that heavy, see.

And yes, those were real people (not real African performers though, sadly) marching with half-opened real umbrellas. Why were they neither closed nor open, I don't know. Just like how I don't know why the dancers screeched and snarled with teeth bared at the audience. Must be the ever-watchful, ever-bright voodoo robot's eyes at the back.

More screeching and snarling performers slamming painted aluminium hoarding. Maybe a lot of them couldn't see well in the dark and slammed hoarding on toes, hence the screeches and snarls. Maybe they're even paid to do that for more realistic and rich screeches! *horrified* I didn't enjoy this segment. They sounded similar, but not as good as, my high school brass band. They looked dissimilar from, and not as good as, videos I've seen of Stomp! and the likes. Part of the reason, also, could be because there was an old couple with the woman in wheelchair stuck in the middle of the crowd with no one offering to let them get to the front. I felt irritated enough not being able to see anything but she's at my waist-level! And I didn't see that many interesting-looking butts that night.

Speaking of wheelchairs, a few blokes were strapped on to them and made to play drums while being pulled backwards with lampshades over their heads. Sure hard to see their facial expressions from the layers of paint, this one captured and forever frozen by camera had to be bewilderment. I'd be too, if I remind people of a cymbals-crashing wind-up monkey.

Next up, fire. A burst of flame of any size and the crowd oooh-ed and aaah-ed. Nevermind it's an armadillo on fire with more fire shooting out of its ass.

Man hanging from a giant horn pulling acrobatic stunts with fire cackling merrily down below. I like roasting my chicken wing at BBQs this far above the fire too. Mind you, it probably takes longer to cook the wing, but the meat's evenly cooked and juicy and not burnt to a crisp on one end, and uncooked on the other. And I don't know why but it seems apt to bring in the subject now.

More and more giant African animals roamed the streets of Bow. By this time I was sick of trooping behind the procession up and down the street like an extra in some horror movie where the villagers march up to the giant tree to burn the witch. So we stood on the pavement somewhere and just snapped pictures of whatever's passing by.

The grand finale. Ooooh. Aaaah.

pirates

So we got free tickets to Pirates. The show's good, Simon and I spotted and bitched about many "celebrity" bloggers who were present, met up with some people we know from the same industry... but somehow it just wasn't enjoyable.

Why #1? Aggy got the shits. She left halfway through the show and didn't return after 15 minutes. Nobody else seemed too concerned so my maternal instincts kicked in and convinced myself that she's fainted in the loo. However much I hate to be interrupted during a movie, I got up and fumbled all the way up to the back to the cinema (nevermind we're seated third row from the front) and shouted her name in the loo. No reply. Many occupied cubicles though. Ah dammit. Should I kick down the doors? Knock first? How?! Then I positioned myself as the imaginary poo-ing person in the cubicle. Wah, very malufying to be knocked on...

So anyway... >>fast forward>> I decided to take a walk outside to see if she's there, or ask the guard if he's seen her... when she came up the escalator, from the mall. Hmmm. Apparently she christened the loo on every floor of the mall with her... condition!

I think Why #2 is far worse. Being an event for ad agencies to get together, it's only courteous to mingle around (read: ogle at other agencies' sizzling hot scantily clad AEs) a bit and horror upon horror, people started asking for our namecards! Good Lord is that legal? The act of exchanging namecards surely cannot be proper and polite? How can it be, when the employees of our company don't even get one after working for 3 years? Certainly our bosses won't do this to us! Well, Aggy, Yap and I have just been with the agency for a year... our presence is barely felt, like disposable underwear. Why couldn't people just leave us alone to wallow in our gloominess without rubbing salt to the wound? I bet Roy feels even worse, being with the company for 3 years now and not being acknowledged as an employee even.

This sucks. Oh well... ONE MORE WEEK!

Thank goodness Inmagine gave us good goodie bags. Hurrah!

good charlotte

I can't believe I walked out on a gig. After spending 2 hours to get to the venue, another 2 waiting for them to play... I left Good Charlotte's concert within 30 minutes without even a hint of regret. Sure, the instruments and arrangement were all tight. But they just lack the raw live stage power. I felt like watching a concert on telly. Gosh they say the stupidest things ever on stage.

"I see so many fine and hawwwt people here tonight!"
"I'm going to move here and have beautiful Malaysian babies!"
"I'll need a place to stay, someone to drive me around and a wife!"
What. The. Fuck. Wei.

They're definitely high on something before coming on.

A lot of people went. 80% were there because it's free. 10% were there to ogle at Denise, Utt and Colby. (Fazura who?) 10% were Good Charlotte's legion of screaming, goth highschool girl fans who're probably there because it's free and they can hold hands with their boyfriends without parents' friends or relatives bumping into them.

The opening acts were One Buck Short (too punk rock for my liking), Lo (not really a rock act but hey, Jonesy likes one of his song so...) and Estranged. I'm gonna coo and go on and on about Estranged starting from the next next sentence so if you don't like 'em you can be excused. And find me where they're playing at next while you're not reading this.

Estranged fucking ROCKED my socks! Powerful vocals, tight instruments, the right volume... everything a good head-banging rock experience should be! And ohmygoodiliciousness the drummer really is Azwin Andy. I always think drummers are the yums but Azwin... has got to be the epitome of yumness. Why oh WHY haven't I heard them play before? They're gonna play at Laundry on 12th May... anyone wanna come? C'mon, they totally owned Good Charlotte's asses, must see them live!

What a long wait. In between local acts. Waiting and waiting for the heroes of the night to come out (we didn't know it's gonna be a disappointment yet)... and watching the MV of Keep Your Hands Off My Girl for the 19083762th time... what else is there to do but... take pictures?

No self-respecting rock band drummer should ever pose like this, James. Ever. Leave that to Japanese schoolgirls. But hey, Good Charlotte hadn't come out and we were all in high spirits!

Don't even get me started on the fucking horrible rail transit system on the way back.

MFB press launch

Last week we went to a press launch of our client's new spokesperson. I wasn't that much of a willing participant because there wasn't any free food involved. But then I'd be ogling a famous Hong Kong actress from mere inches away. In the end, lust won.

I've never heard of this little Thai restaurant/pub before this event. It's... cosy (the diplomatic version of small). And that's about it. I didn't develop any sudden urge to come back again in the near future to order half the stuff on their menu. Anyways after 2 Bangkok trips I think it'll be hard to get me excited about Thai food in Malaysia.

Bernice Liu looked right into my eyes and smiled. And I almost collapsed from shaky knees. She's so hot! And her Canadian accent is so endearing! But nothing beats British accent-lah. Poshness to the max. No I'm not saying it because I got my UK Working Holiday visa.

I'm saying it's one of the major reason I wanted to get my visa in the first place.
And now, lao-niang is GOING TO LONDON IN JUNE, bucks and bitches!
*head bang to a Mika song - because they make me happy*

Luna Bar looking fun even in broad daylight. It's right upstairs our launch event and the maintenance guy was kind enough to let us in (must be my cleavage). So THIS is what Luna Bar looks like. Heard plenty about it but haven't been. Very nice concept but... cosy. Pubs with a pool and possible bikini-clad hot mommas splashing water at each other while giggling should make it a point to cram in more tables and chairs. Around the pool. And binoculars for seats further away.

Lunch was an explosive affair at Chilli's Bangsar. Why explosive? As usual, we ordered too much food. And I was determined to break my 7-glasses-of-bottomless-tomato-juice record. Only managed 5 though. But we only had an hour for lunch so I guess that's still some achievement. I stopped when my jeans buttons almost shot out and kill Aggy across the table.

For more group camwhorisation, go to my Multiply yar.

weddings

Four weddings down for 2007. And it's not even the end of March. Wassup with you people? Year of Pig very auspicious to pinch your friends' and relatives' hard-earned sweat and blood money is it? Siiiigh. No, no. I'm not upset you're married and I'm still single, I see plenty of me around at the dinners. And we're happy me's too, mind you. I'm upset when you send the wedding invite to my hometown address and get my mum upset. And when she's upset why I'm nice to children and old people and kind to animals and financially sound but single, she'll say, "Must be you're too fat-lah, can you please don't eat so much!" and I'll get upset.

When you're almost 28, being single can never be BY CHOICE anymore?

But to my married (and marrying) friends, may you stay married long long time! And have sex legally and make plenty cute pinchable babies and so on so forth.

For more festive lovey-dovey pik-chas, go to my Multiply yar.

Muse aftermath

Muse opened with Knights of Cydonia, followed by Hysteria. YES! So very predictable. Hee hee. But so good. I was practically floating on cloud nine (until I watched Ethan's Hullabaloo DVD with their off-stage idiotic footage that killed all fantasies) throughout. On second thoughts, they were TOO good. No ripping off clothes, no spraying champagne at the audience, no smashing of instruments... Hmm. How come other concerts have these and we don't! Now I feel a bit deprived. Note to self: must go stalk their UK gigs when they're back from the world tour. Reading here I come!

Best song of the night has to be Plug In Baby. And I damn near cried when Invincible came on. My only regret? Not bringing the camera. My phone camera takes the lousiest shots. Nothing can be seen! NiamahaiKNNCCB! Thanks to Dee Dee, now I have at least some pictures to post. Also taken with someone's phone camera.

I so shouldn't have watched Hullabaloo's second DVD. Now I don't want Matt's baby anymore. Hahaha. But I guess what Si said is true, why would rebel teen wannabes idolise Muse if they were just "normal"? Nobody worships normalcy. Food for thought. But that DVD was done in 2001 when they're all just 22 or 23, and since then all of them have settled down considerably. No more crazy vids except on-stage madness!

They're still the best live rock act out there, no matter what. Matt's a talented devil bursting with inspiration and superb energy. And don't forget his magic fingers.

Their complete set list is here (with vids of every song on youtube!) ... *scream hysterically*

battle of the bands

Friday was Battle of the Bands day. I was at the movies when it began, but luckily I managed to catch the final few bands' performances. The crowd was so-so, due to the heavy downpour and undying drizzle... but the biggest disappointment was the winner announcement.

WHO THE EFF WERE THE JUDGES??! Managing director of a canned-drink company? Were there even REAL musicians judging the show? Grrrrrrrrr. I'm upset.

theresa's farewell

Friday night was Theresa's farewell party at Bernard's. Actually I was a bit surprised she invited me. After all, we'd never worked together before, and having lunch twice doesn't really constitute friendship in my dictionary. But bless her soul, Theresa's such an infectiously cheery person that one cannot help but be magnetised by her. She's a sugar bomb-lah. I think me being close to her best friend Boo is an added advantage to get my ass invited to a free makan session also.

I didn't know half the people there. Was seated next to someone the whole night and I didn't manage to get her name. Shame-lah my social skill. But I can name every dish that was served that night. Aiyah, I'm a food person-ma, not exactly people-person.

For more drunken scandalicious pictures like this one, click here.

summer bliss

2 weeks ago, I went for the Summer Bliss garden party at Valencia.

The homes there are nice. In a not-gonna-afford-it-unless-I-marry-a-102-year-old-tycoon way. Siiiiigh. I don't have Anna Nicole's jugs.

I went on an empty stomache. Luckily they didn't just serve pastries (tasting like nothing else but dough and sugar) like the last party. I had spaghetti, potato salad, mini lamb chops, fried chicken, fish fillets, chocolate cake (hard like rock, man) and bread pudding. They had really funky-looking young magicians walking around showing people their, ya'know, wares. Too bad the audience were either too shy to respond warmly or too engrossed in their food (like me) to pay them much attention.

There was a jazz singer and a swooning pianist. I was devilishly trying to catch her accidentally stepping on one of them furry rabbitses. There were so many bunnies clamoured around the pianist's chair and the lightbox. Lightbox I can understand, it's warm. Pianist chair? For what? Enchanted by the tinkling musical notes?

Suddenly the loudspeaker gave a loud squawk. And all the bunnies around the piano jumped into the air in fright. It would've been a ROFL moment if I wasn't more concerned about their eardrums and bowel condition.

Then I saw her. OMG KAWAIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!

SO CUTE CAN DIE!!!!

poppy again

It's official. I'm a party animal. I've never been much of a clubber since... college, but now I'm hitting the club scene every weekend. And true to my words, I'm paying 50 bucks each time to learn how to hold my alcohol. Last night I drank sliiiiightly more than last week and I didn't hurl. Whoopdeedoo. I have a nasty rash on my right arm but it's alright. Next weekend will be better. As long as I don't party with some unmentionable people from last night. I thought colleagues are supposed to be chums and all, but some can be such asses. Or maybe I'm the ass.

Last night the stock price of my right nipple hit a new low due to over-exposure and publicity. Attention-deficient naughty little thing. I guess it proves a coupla things. My left breast is fuller than my right (like my left ear is lower than my right)... and I'm a woman. Because I was in a MNG lacey top. Not Nike. Not Diesel. Not some funky-too-young-for-my-age Japanese tee. Which I bought and not borrowed.

I'm starting to buy women's apparel. Oh the horror.