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.