Part 1

That flight attended was crazily making me uneasy in my seat. If 'moves' is a way of the seducer, then she has puh-lenty of that. Her voice is strangely sexy. Sandpaper-like, but very smooth in between her ifs and buts, pardons and thank yous, and the occasional how are yous and more thank yous. Her name is Ridhani. And this is yours truly, wishing to himself that she'll be on the return flight on the 6th.


It's only my second coming to the land of the Queen, but it felt as if it's another trip to some island off the shores of Kedah. A vacation of this calibre deserves a slightly meticulate, beforehand planning and packing, but I only pulled the whole deal off on the 11th hour. Barely. Perhaps Ibu was right, "this feels like balik kampung!". Hung out with the gang (read: Mimi, Bono, Alia and Azhar) the night before and it was the best 'bonding session' thus far despite the upset of a full-house William's. It's pleasing to know that my momentary absence is setting foot on bright-lit staircases.

We hit Heathrow at approximately 1800hours local time. Strange is how I hoped that we landed in KLIA. Homesick much? I must be out of my mind. It's a chilling 16 degrees outside but already I'm breaking sweat from all the walking from the gate to the exit; a feature of the busy airport that I found so not appealing. Immigration was nothing short of uneasy. We're lucky we didn't have to go through what our neighbours on the right and left counter went through. If we were being questioned, they were being scrutinately interrogated. It's a bitch, really. After checking in into the apartment, all 8 of us strolled to Sommerfield for groceries. Had dinner, watched a Big Brother update, and called it a night around 11.

The apartment isn't like how we left it 2 years ago. Gone are the carpets, making way for the wooden panel flooring, the switch between the dining area and the living room is not something that is well greeted by Ibu since the adjacent kitchen door is useless and the sofas are now very Ikea-ish. Even the bathroom went through the refurbishing phase giving a serene look to the whole set-up. Oxford Street's getting busier by the second. Whatmore since today's Bank Holiday Monday. Yes, the English summer is just around the bend but most of the ladies decided to embrace its cometh a lil' bit sooner. I'm getting like, 80-120 fixtures of cleavage per day. With today being a personal coldest day at 12 degrees, they must be starking mad. Crazysexycool.

The city's chilling madness is toned down a notch or two by HMV's brilliant, scorchingly tempting offer. You can mix & match any 3 from truckloads of selected CDs and DVDs for 18 quids! Bloody brilliant aye? Sadly, I lost my libido for CD hunting as soon as I set foot in the store. So for those of you who's willing to fork out RM126 for all Sigur Ros' releases (except for Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do, remixes and B-sides) let me know instantly coz' the offer's good for a limited period only. I'm still cracking my head for souvenirs. I've found only one for someone so far. There's like, 8 others. Maybe Hamley's can save me the worry but I'm too lazy to walk all the way to Regent Street. Especially in this wheather.

Ibu's planning to pay a visit to Madamme Tussaud's tomorrow with Mik and Chu. Me and the sibs might headover to Camden Town for t-shirts and also commence 'Operation Pimo Invasion' around the city. Hopefully I won't get arrested for this.

This is Part 1 of, something. There may be a Part 2 or maybe not.

Have a nice day.

Adieu

Ok folks.

Off to London in about 10 hours time.

A lot happened between then and now.

Will indulge once I'm online again.

Bye-bye, Malaysia.

See ya in 10 days.

Dewan Pusaka

I knew beforehand that today's going to be a long one but I never expected it to last that long.


I woke up at 6 so that we could avoid the bumper-to-bumper traffic (and hopefully score a parking spot). It's my 2nd trip to the Federal House (opposite The High Court Of KL, en route to Dataran Merdeka) ever since this whole harta pusaka fiasco came about. The local municipal hall (DBKL) has been a prominent fix in the daily ramblings of my family as far as I could remember. Give and take, talks of the lands of Kg. Baru being taken over by the governement has marked its 25th year last month. This year, it's good to go.

Things get complicated when rightful heirs are scattered all over the nation (not to mention over the Causeway too). There's forms to sign, oaths to be taken, court proceedings to be attended and all that family drama expectations. It's around this time that I get to delve into the 'deep, dark family secret' more freely simply because; they couldn't help talking about it.

So we scored a spot, had breakfast and I was left alone at the cafe. I couldn't be bothered with the hearing anyways. Oh, guess what? I finally found a place to rival the awesomeness of Idaman's Teh O Ais. It's damn near perfection. Only lacking in the texture department. But it's a surefire thirst quencher nonetheless. It was around 9 when Papa Mok sat with me at the table and had our idle chit chat. Again, like visiting Papa Talib, it felt extremely awkward. I was concurring most of the time while he did all the talking. I need to start working on my adult-people skills. Pronto.

After 6 drinks, it was finally over. It was lunch hour but I wasn't hungry. Transited at Mik's place, managed to finish a movie (Shopgirl), then off back to home.

There's a chance that Ibu might fly to Singapore on Monday. Babysitting, again. This whole harta pusaka affair is going to be around for a while. I'm not hoping for a piece of the pie, but if it's mine to be, alhamdulillah. Right now I;m contented bearing the title of "4th Generation of Kg. Baru's Settlers". Ok, it made me sound like a part of the mafia family.


I guess my fatigue was a result of oversleeping. Can't help it. It's a luxury I can't afford to waste. Champions League finals tonight. Wehuu~~

Hey ho~

When Robert Smith sang about being in love on Fridays, I thought he was being autobiographical.

Well I guess he's not.


I've always looked forward to Fridays because good things are bound to happen. Fits its calling card as the peghulu segala hari. Fridays are so refreshing. It's a start to a weekend and also an end to dull, mundane routines. To sum it up, last Friday turns out to be memorable.

Akim's quran class was cancelled so I had a pretty good start for the day. Woke up at 9. Heh. Channel surfed, did some laundry, had lunch then off Papa Talib's crib. For those of you who read the news, there's an article about a RMAF training aircraft pulling an emergency landing in a paddy field somewhere in Alor Star. It was him. Thank god he escaped from the ordeal unscathed. He was ecstatic to see us even with the absence of Ibu. I felt weird. I felt so, 'pakcik'. It felt like a huge block slumping on my back being the head of the family for the visit. Geez. Got a text post-Friday prayers from Pojam saying he's coming with Akak. Yay. They lugged me off the back seat and we jet to Idaman for that oh-so-splendid teh o ais. Heard someone hollering my name amidst the soon-to-be-pouring rain. It was dear 'ol Danial. He's on a long holiday as well. Goodie.

It was also the band's practice session that day. The Casio was already with me a few days prior so Akak can't help her twitching fingers and played on a bunch of gorgeous riffs I'd only dream of hearing let alone making. For fans out there, expect Furniture's next release to be a killer. Start saving! Something interesting happened when we were toying around with the new song while waiting for Bob to arrive. Akak and Pojam were playfully fiddling with the KAOSS pad that ignited a spark of rush. It gell with the song! Golly good. We might even call them up as guest features for upcoming shows. Heh. Later that night I went out with Akim to 15's Uptown in search of his 'komunis' cap. They don't stock his size so to ease the upset, I treated him to a of bucket fries in Darus. It's nice to really talk to him once in a while. He is surprising. No one can really tell what's underneath that matured facade. There's a part of him that's still Akim -the baby of the family- and there's this part of him that's boldly Fahim; the intelligent observer of life. Of course, the 8 years gap between us can be an issue but I try my best to put that aside and really let him express himself. Unlike me, he's really lucky to have a whole lotta love from a brother. And he's the only one I got.

Saturday came as welcomed as any other day. It's a day of relief, a day of momentary pause from reality. My Saturday was very kind. I woke up rather early and washed the fans. It wasn't much of hassle but the one in the kitchen was such a bitch. It was literally coated with cooking oil and other greasy stuff. Took me close to an hour just to clean the cage alone. I dozed on the living room's floor so soundly that I didn't even realize Ibu's homecoming. Had a lovely dinner with Akim at Radhi Corner then headed home. It was a very kind day indeed.

Mother's Day was swell. The kids made Ibu a chocolate cake (real chocolate. used Cadbury's Dairy Milk. Yumm!). She was very happy with it and we were so pleased that she did. Kak Ati called up for lunch at her place a few minutes earlier than Azhar's phone call about Syamil's invite to his brother's majlis bersanding. Bob and Majin hitched me a ride and we got there by 3 after we lost our way to Bukit Jelutong. We had loads of fun yakking with each other that we didn't realize that the caterers were packing the tables! Paid a visit to Mokh's new studio (he took over Pentatonic Studios) and boy are we eager to crank up the volumes there this week. Can't wait!

Well, my 'bus driver' hours are cut to half today since Ibu had to go somewhere in the afternoon. Had tea with Mimi at Pelita and chit chatted like the 'ol days. It was a lovely evening for a drive. Having her in the seat beside me was even lovelier. We should do this often.


.....and guess what? I found a basic for 2 new songs!


Oh, Friday, I love you.

Vroom Vroom

I think I'm getting used to this late nights out. The parents are surprisingly hush about it. Appreciate the freedom, folks.

I don't know what sparked it, but my driving has been increasingly daring these days. It's not reckless, just speedy with extra caution and elaborate brooding confidence when slamming the accelerator. Perhaps it was the Waja. She loves me as much as I love her.

The events that flowed after last Sunday made me realize that I do have another life to live and share. I'm taking slow steps on this, so bare with me. It's not easy walking away freely after spending your whole life slumping in your little cubicle. Well, hanging out with Bono and Alia in Alam Sentral Syed's last night was sufficiently, necessarily relieving. Bono had sooo many tittle-tattle tales that it left me and Alia in sticthes. The fries was fantabulous, and so were the vibe.

The parents are leaving for Dungun tomorrow throughout the weekend which means 'babysitting' is the routine and missing the Soundscapes gig in KLPAC is the loss for the week. Haih. But the upside of that is that the house is parent-free, and I can host for the band's practice on Friday. Speaking of which, we're doing ok I guess. The new song that we're working on is having its bumps but still manageable and after that we'll work on this ditty that Bob has been toying around with since his last band. There's been talk about us recording again this year-end. It'll be a proper EP with probably 6 songs in it. I so need to start saving for the damage of that.

Hmm. Money. One thing I hate about holidays is that I've no strong reason to ask for extra cash since my allowance is -well, not on holiday. But it's neeeverrr enough. Then came En. Musawwir, the Head Teacher of my alma matter. He offered me a sub position in the faculty teaching either Geography or Arts. The pay is damn tempting. RM 29 per hour. The thing is I'm not much of a teacher. But the pay, the pay! Geez. And Ibu really seems eager on me taking up the job. I'm still considering it. If I say yes, it'll be Geography and after the London trip. Hmm. Cikgu Farhan. Has a nice ring to it actually. Heh.

So that's it. Give me a buzz if you wanna hang. The Waja's all mine from tomorrow.

And there were one...

I would apologize for the long hiatus, but I simply won't.

The semester ended on an optimistic note. Everyone was tad sad about possibly being together for the last time but one could not overshadow the brooding, tingling sense of freedom this holiday's about to offer. The DIA batch of June'03- May '06 will soar to great heights. Me? My hunt for a room/house-to-rent is yet to commence, but I'll get there soon. "Getting there" is something I wish I could say with confidence given the deep, academical shit I'm in. Educated virgin my foot.

As to eradicate the slight sigh of negativity, it's good to know that I've a surplus of grounds to cover this 2 long months. Weekend gigs are gaining a steady momentum on quality, which happens to be a much-needed boost for everyone's morale. I know it's only been two days, but I dare say this season is a joy of wonders.

Then that makes yesterday, an essay of reasons.


Travelling across the state kinda gave me the jetlag effect. Even worse. Slept at 5. Set the alarm so I won't miss the gang's convoy to KL. Well, it didn't go off 'cause I woke up earlier than I hoped. All thanks to Amjad who plunged on my back while I was dreaming of a magical summer in Azerbaijan. Thank god he's only 7, and my back is still concrete-like. So around noon I pulled a cab to Azhar's, chatted with his mom, toying around with his Casio then we're off to galeriiizu.

What attracts me to Alia's (a fellow campusmate, not to be confused with The Alia. The Alia will be mentioned as "Akak" as from this announcement onwards) Ferrari Mazda was the registration plate. MG **** Q. Very 'oummphh'. She came along with her cousin Shikin and of course, the bubbly Bono. The gallery was having its (weekly? monthly? annual?) Sunday Art Lelong Event (cleverly, S.A.L.E) and as a virgin to such engagements, I must say I felt at peace. Well yeah, the gallery itself was no stranger since the last time I was there was for Arty Party but to actually experince a contemporary, breezy art sale/exhibition, it made me crave for more. It was a blessing in actuality that I didn't withdraw my last 50 bucks prior or i would blow it all on the stuffs on sale and then knock my head later on for my 'borosness'. All in all I managed 3 spanking stickers from Bangkit!, two freebie stickers from Carbon Tees and Robots Will Kill (thanks Bob) and a cutboard-cutout, robot-themed flyer from Mumoo.

Azhar and me transit-ed back at his place before heading to JamAsia (yet again, I was there only last week) for Art To Hear. We arrived early, which was brilliant since I've always liked arriving to gigs as early as soundchecks. It's a habit, really. Gives you an idea of what to expect. Holler-ed the boys of Teenage Glory and Deepset before heading to Chili's with the girls for tea. As soon as I planted my arse on the flood up-front, the gig kicked off to a glorious start thanks to Sunway College's Indo boys Lightcraft for their superb blend of alternative pop rock (sung heartmelting-ly in English). Potential is an understatement. Kudos to Adib for discovering them. Their set was brief but nonetheless sweet. The frontman's rock-out poses seemed infectious. Next up was the 'lampu lap-lip'-ness of Teenage Glory For The Wasted. See, these lot of closet comedians churns out songs that seems to be a hybrid of EITS and Mogwai (evidently on Myth Murder and Marshmallow) so in the view of my 'eclectic' self, they're decently good. But their slot proved me otherwise. Wayyyy otherwise. Yakutake Awekening was the band flipping the other side of their post-rock coin with brilliant dynamics and killer arrangements that left everyone in awe. Then came the collosal, post-war eerieness of Baitulmaqdis. Sequencing the beats with FruityLoops, the band lineup shifted awkwardly with Arez on bass, Nik on guitar and Farid manning his Yamaha keyboard leaving only Zack pulling off a David Gilmour ala A Saucerful Of Secrets. It was the most visually imaginable sonic assault by any band for the night. Arguably the hottest post-rock outfit at the moment, Deepset had JamAsia packed with eager fans (notably Irman of KLPHQ) yearning the sounds of their cosmic lullabies. 3 songs were executed including a newbie but not my personal fave, Capture - Of Polaroids And Stills. I was glad that the crowd was tagging along with my earlier chants of encore and forcing them to bow to the power of the masses. Acad saw my plea and they plugged back and jangled to the ringing melancholy of Capture.

Fathul was the oldest dude on the bill. Making waves with his latest project, Fathulistiwa Soundscapes, they're arguably one of the highly-anticipated bands for the show. Everyone was befuddled as it was only him and the drummer showed up on stage. With the rest of the bands having exams, he pulled a twisted DFA with only a vocal and loud-as-hell drumbeats.It took them 2 songs and it was over. Personally, it was a commendable, novelty act but with every possibility to be even more exciting. The only time I ever saw They Will Kill Us All was back in Pyramid when Latte was still around. There's been nothing but praises for them ever since. To witness them live was something that I looked forward to. Nobody expected the prowess of the band that superb. And it was sans vocals (!) since Fizul can't make it. Edwin and co. took charge making themselves heard of what they're really made of. It's unanimously agreed by everyone that if TWKUA chose to fly under the wings of post-rock galore, every existing band will be threaten to extinction. Menakutkan. Fresh from a long break, Telebury ignited my long-lost love for indie songs with their slick new tunes. Being the headliner for the gig, they lashed out 8 wet-dream ditties much to everyone's delight. Edan was very Jonny Greenwood-ish with his modified Telecaster/Firebird and the arsenal of effects he toyed with.


It was lovely how the night ended, and how the early morning was greeted. Meeting people is never easy for me but they were kind, funny souls. Clearly the happiest man of the hour was Adib. It was his organizing debut. Everything went well, the turnout was surprisingly good despite being held on a late Sunday night. Bob, me, Alia and Bono shooed to Mosin after the 'after party' at Uncle Don for a moment of soberity. We talked crap, made wobbly jokes, drank our drinks and we split like when the school bell rang. It was 5 in the a.m. Penat gila babi.


There. A nice update of my absence.

Say sorry? I simply won't.