A man's navigator

Woman: Is that your vibrating phone, or are you that happy to dance with me?

Man: Oh, it’s my navigator, telling me where to go. But don’t worry; I’m not entertaining it anytime soon.

Woman: Where do you plan to go?

Man: I don’t think you want to know, just yet.
.

.

Woman (felt it again): Ooh, what is your phone doing now?

Man: I don’t know. I left it on the table with the guys.

Eye on Kuala Lumpur

It’s erection was achieved in January 2007 but I only got the chance to check the landmark Eye on Malaysia last Thursday.

My solid reason came in the form of a bunch of a good friend’s family members on vacation in KL.

As we arrived at the Lake Titiwangsa ground at 9pm the air was full of festivities. The speakers were blaring with patriotic and tourism anthems accompanied by lasers beaming the night sky and video clips projected on several water curtains. The crowd was understandably small since it was only a Thursday night. Nevertheless, people kept on coming till 10.30pm, another half an hour before the venue closes. The wheel kept on turning.

The whole setup was a feast for the senses and I must say, I have to come back another night with a tripod for a delicious set of pictures.

In the meantime, here are my shots.

Lake Titiwangsa is just a huge stone's catapult away from the city center really.

Eye see you baby...

Waiting to board the gondolas. The ride lasts for 12 minutes, with the wheel turning clockwise and couner clockwise while filling up four gondolas each time.

A not-so-impressive night view of Kuala Lumpur.

I couldn't get the camera steady for a good shot. It was also slightly drizzling that night. Or maybe it's the height.

Looking at the center of the wheel. Pivoting in more ways than one.

Looks like a sketch.

Reflections...

More reflections...

The thumbnails make a nice image.

This Eye on Malaysia delightfully serves as an eye on Kuala Lumpur actually.

Of Sydney and Mawi

I was spending my Sunday night watching TV when a friend sent me a text message.

[Astro Ria, Mawi in Sydney] Dony texted.

I flipped the channel to check out Mawi’s tour with fans in Sydney. He was constantly yapping and the camera was focused on him most of the time. I guess that’s what you get when the star attraction is the visiting celebrity instead of the place he visits.

[So I take it you’re watching Mawi? Can’t stand him so I’ll just wait for your video] I replied.

[It’s my wife. She’s just excited to see familiar places we visited during our trip last week] he explained.

[Hehe… of course. The senses increase with knowledge and familiarity. It’s like suddenly noticing and hearing more about things you recently learned. I know that feeling. The coincidence is delightful] I reciprocate.

[Yup. And since I’ve been there myself, I know that some stuff Mawi is telling viewers are wrong]

[Mawi is never bright anyway]

[Agree, same goes with his fans, hehe…]




Okay, I know that was nasty. But people talk about other people all the time. Why, many of you would say posting this exchange of thoughts is not exactly smart of me either. Can’t please everyone can we.

Like it or not, less than tasty things are always said about us, upfront or from behind. And when you’re a public figure, it becomes relentless. It gets permanently written everywhere, again and again.

And for the three thousand seven hundred and twenty third time, Mawi can’t sing.

Navigate me to...

I was watching this Nokia 6110 ad the other day and thought that was another persuasion for me to get a new phone. Check out the ad by Nokia if you haven’t. It’s worth a third watch. Finally, a phone that tells you where to go, it says in the end.

When it comes to mobile phones, especially mine, I would be the most technologically challenged. Apart from expensive, those all-bundled-up-in-one phones seem too complicated and somewhat fragile. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind being given one, but to spend way more than a grand... it better be damn good.

Most people handling them for the first time will always treat them like newborn babies; with utmost care; delicate touch and gentle strokes only please. Thank you.

Is it necessary? Not really. They’re just expensively brand new. Drop them once and you could get a heart attack.

Mine? Heck I’ve dropped mine so many times that my friends say I do it on purpose just so I have an excuse to get a new phone.

The only navigational guide I have on my phone is the LED light. When I ask for direction, where to go, it gives me this…

Finally, a phone that tells me where to go.

Thanks phone, but I prefer you to stick to telling me the time.

Full moon

Reading the morning paper today I was rather surprised to stumble upon this article. “From love song to anthem” reads the title. It describes how Malaysia’s National anthem was born, in all its regality; rightfully the brainchild of a royal.


Funny how the politicians and powers that be, saw red over this when it was highlighted by a radio station in 2005 as posted in this link, http://www.malaysia-today.net/blog/2005/10/rais-minta-radio-era-henti-spekulasi.htm

They were issuing directives, warnings and measures in order to confine the facts within their imaginary boundaries. As I recall it was debated by the ministers and policy makers and some smart ass said it should not be discussed further for fear of confusion and disrespect.

And now that the record is set straight yet again, I can only guess how the ‘silencers’ would react. Or am I just so backwards? As in absolutely clueless about the fact that it's okay to discuss and highlight the origin of the anthem. Have they lifted the ban on playing both 'Mamula Moon' and 'Terang Bulan'? When?

Here's an interesting article by Shanon Shah about the controversies shrouding Negaraku, pre-Namawee of course.

This is not the moon. It's one of the lighting props used at the Rainforest World Music Festival 2007.

Heritage derailed

Old buildings and architectures demand attention and admiration. The curiosity and desire to experience the lifestyle of old never fail to linger a while, especially when it used to be a place called home to some, eventhough for just a few days. Such is the lure of old Kuala Lumpur Railway Station’s Heritage Hotel. (Another site here)

A friend checked in with his family a long time ago and he said it was ok for a two star rated hotel. It is listed as a budget hotel after all, and they are proud to be ‘Low Budget but High Quality’.

I have always wondered how it would be like to stay there for a night or two. So when the opportunity came I couldn’t resist finding out.

My elder sister was in town two weeks ago and somehow most of the economy class rooms in the vicinity of her assignment area, Bangsar, were fully occupied (It was summer holiday in the middle east, go figure). The health ministry only allowed her RM 160 for accommodation, see.

On our way to look for other options we passed by Heritage Hotel KL. The location was strategic; a straight forward route against the morning traffic rush. My sister checked in a twin room so I can accompany her for the night and send her to work in the morning.

I finally have the chance to experience and explore this piece of historical item.

Unfortunately, the reception was less than welcoming. The Chinese lady behind the counter gave an impression of a ‘mama san’ too proud to care. Short of chewing gum, her lazy eyes kinda said ‘...yeah, what do you want? Sure we got rooms. Take it or leave it, just make it quick…’ And the assisting migrant worker understood few English and Malay words. He could be Nepalese. The place almost felt like a crackpot whorehouse. It could be due to our late arrival, 11pm I guess. Perhaps they should put up an additional note saying, "Pleasant Smiles and Hospitality Rate applies after 11pm. Charged separately"

Nevertheless, my sister was too tired to give it a second thought and decided to just get a good night sleep. I told her we’ll check out first thing in the morning.

“I’m going out to have a look around this place” I told her. With my trusty Olympus I gingerly walked the timber corridors. The floor squeaks and squeals in most places. The old carpeting helped muffle the sound a little.

Outside it was drizzling and there were few wandering souls around. A red bucket sits shamelessly on a mouldy (how else would you describe it, when red turns green?) carpet floor, trying hard to keep the surrounding areas as dry as possible. Up above, the white paint on the ceiling peels off steadily with every drop of rain seeping from the roof, but not before changing color and getting heavily stained.

I examined the old school elevator; one with manually closed doors and exposed frames. It’s seen better days.

Then I went to the railway station. Empty and sad. The new Kuala Lumpur Sentral transportation hub buried this old hag for good it seems.

Pity, for all the charms, emotions, grandeur and romance Heritage Hotel projects in photographs and assumed status, it is in dying need of restoration proper. A complete makeover is in order, from the shady front desk to the mouldy floor space.

Bring it back. Back on track.







The staircase surrounding the elevator shaft. Pesky fingers of the living sure left an impression on the railings and poles. I hope they're still in the 'living zone'.

The station's corridor leading to the hotel.

A corner of the heritage.

The view from across. This building houses the headquarters of the Malaysian Railway Company, KTM Berhad.

An indication of the entrance.

The lounge, for reading, chit chatting or just wandering.

Another view from the third floor.

There's a hole in the ceiling, dear Eliza...

Don't kick the bucket, yet.

Charlie's Cafe.

Fixed!

It was a sad day when I found out that my Olympus mju (read: mew) 300 of 4 years failed on me last Sunday. It happened just when there was a perfect photo opportunity; I brought my camera but it just won’t activate. The sliding cap wouldn’t open all the way for the camera operation. I applied some force but nothing happened. There goes another great companion, I reflected. And with it, burns a grand and a little more.

I had to endure hours of anxiety and heartbreak before I could get home to my tools and do a simple diagnosis. And to rub it all in, the tool that I thought I had was no where to be found. I had to wait till Monday to buy a set of precision screwdrivers.

Here’s what I saw on Monday.

The activation mechanism was jammed. The switch holder’s latch/stopper had broken under pressure (maybe due to repeated depression in my pocket and/or travel luggage) and the whole setup was pushed back into the camera. After tinkering with it for several minutes, I learned that it could still operate if the holder was pulled up to its correct position. I figured if I could come up with a latch, preferably a thin metal to be fixed with the available screw, it could stop the holder from 'sinking' into the camera, and I could still save my private Ryan.

The solution came from an obsolete item; the sliding cover of a 3.5” diskette.

Like a miniature blacksmith I carved the desired shape; all the while beaming with confidence and knowledge that I could fix it.

(Cue Bob the builder's theme song: “Bob the builder, can he fix it? YES HE CAN!”)

After all was said and done, my mju was whole again. It slides and latches like new; that'll do, mju.

At times like these, the mastercard moment flashes on.

Price of a new camera, 1.5 grand, max, SAVED!

The satisfaction of revival, PRICELESS.

Next stop will be Olympus service center to get the switch holder replaced. That shouldn’t cost much since it is made of just plastic and metal parts and no electronic components.

Sex and the sun

Post bloom sunflowers look rather sad. The seeds each flower bears make it too heavy to stand up straight. It seems like there is no beauty and pride left after the petals have dried up and all that’s left are dried seeds waiting to break free from the head. Another cycle of life will soon take place. That is if all the seeds are not eaten as tid bits of course.

Very productive don't you think?

And speaking of new life, look what I caught trying to breed just a few inches away. It may not look like much but this couple is having mad hopping sex! His competitors must be green with envy.

For all we know, they are blushing.

Erm... GO GREEN ! ! !

I guess...

Chants of the forest

Here are the concert videos shot during the second night of the Rainforest World Music Festival. The clips are in sequence and some have broken bass sounds, such was the intensity and explosion of world music up close and personal.

Opening ritual was performed by the Mah Meri tribe, one of the indigeneous tribes living in Peninsular Malaysia, locally known as Orang Asli (Original People).



Jerry Kamit and crew took over and hypnotized the crowd with the Sape, the traditional Borneo guitar; icon of the event.



A group of artists from Afghanistan called Ensemble Kaboul showcasing the music from the middle east.



Listen to the rythm of the blowing man.


Beat it!


Here's something to take your mind off the cartoon movie...


More and more peculiar things come from the UK these days.


Tammorra, the gigantic tamborine brings Italy in the form of sizzling Sicily.


Huun Huur Tu and Malerija blow the mind....

Rainforest Workshop

The workshop videos are finally up. It breaks my heart to reduce the DVD quality video all the way down to 340 kbps and some to 150 kbps but it kills me to not share the sounds, or let you wait an eternity for the video to load on YouTube.

So here are the reduced quality video clips my friend Dony recorded during the afternoon workshop session. Three sessions were conducted simultaneously so we had to check out one after the other and linger at the ones we really liked.

For more browsing options, click on the playing video to go to my YouTube page. My collection of uploaded videos can be found in the 'More from this user' tab. Enjoy.

Oh, and one more thing; next year, be there!



Members of Inka Marka performing music from different regions of South America, songs from the Andes.





Mohd. Kamrulbahri from Aseana Percussion Unit doing the gendang demo above and the Rebana demo below.


This is Richard Kensington of Mas Y Mas with Cajon magic.


These are members of Shannon showing how bodhrans and bones shake things up.


The percussions jam sessions



The jam session continues as leader Marek Kwandrans from Shannon leads individual instrument players, starting with Alexey Saryglar from Tuva Russia playing the duyug, then father and son outfit Tabuh Pak Ainal with the Ketabong and Sabang drums, followed by Hanitra of Tarika Be clutching the talking drum and a portion of Aseana Percussion Units's demo.


This is Shannon battling it out with Shooglenifty in the Celtic wars, who's the most celtic of them all... Shooglenifty can't wait to beat the crap out of their instruments and win the title.



Coming up next update, the concert videos.

Rainforest Music Oh Seven

I finally have time to post pictures of the Rainforest World Music Festival 2007. You’ve probably read the various reports and reviews in the local dailies but nothing says it better than being there. It matters less if you’re attending the intriguing workshops during the day or soaking in the life of the concert at night because you’ll find yourself wanting to move to the beats even if you’ve never danced in your life, ever before. There will always be a nagging urge to swirl those hips, stamp your feet, slide those ribs and raise your fists! It’s very exhausting to describe and I will not attempt to. You gotta be there. Perhaps this link to an article by Mumtaj Begum in TheStarOnline could serve as a teaser for the curious.

http://star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2007/7/18/music/18329511&sec=music

I’m working on editing some clips my friend recorded to be uploaded to YouTube.

In the meantime, do browse the following pictures. I know they don’t mean much without the sound but I’m working on it.

Having Sarawak Laksa at the Santubong Resort restaurant. Affordable and Good.

Members of Inka Marka serving songs from the Andes during one of the workshops at 3pm, Saturday

Percussions without borders. A selection of world beats at it's best. Thump! Wait for the video!

Decorated columns of one of the traditional show houses at the cultural village.

The food sale booths and dining area. Very affordable, they're almost cheap. Don't bother bringing your own because you'll end up wanting to sample at least two dishes. I hope they keep this up. Imagine the food they sell at Sepang F1; yeah, that's expensive rubbish in comparison.

People enjoying the bountiful local and not-so-local delights.

Chilling out by the lake. The weather was generous come evening. It was still bright but there was no ray in sight. That's the magic of the rainforest.

During the concert, Channel V's Marion and Alvey dropped by for some scoops of the event. The crowd started to take pictures of the impromptu set but I remained seated behind them. I didn't want to get in the way of the film crew so I took the only view I ended up with, their royal behinds. Hey, now now, it wasn't me who pushed my way into the seated crowd to get a good angle for TV.

It didn't take long for the seated audience to stand up and be counted. Well, most of them were pushed to the back by the standing and ever-eager-to-dance crowd. In a way, they were forced to get off their buns and shake the bon bons. Not that anyone's complaining of course.

This was when everyone was politely seated for the first show, as requested by the performers, since it was a sacred ritual performed by the local tribe, Mah Meri, first time on stage.

.

People say this one was special because it was the tenth year and in conjunction with the visit Malaysia year and 50 years of Malaysian Independence. Two things I hope; one, it gets better every year, two, they stick to the old price of sixty bucks instead of eighty (Yeah, that one million ringgit breakthrough is really mind blowing ain't it, it couldn't be partly because of the twenty ringgit price hike, duhh!)

Sadly, even as we speak, they have probably set the target of 2 million ringgit for next year's festival.

I wonder what 'quality over quantity' really means to the organisers... let's hope for the best shall we.

Other related news links.

Source: TheStarOnline


Ticket sales hits magical RM1m mark
[NATION 16-Jul-2007]
History was made at the 10th Rainforest World Music Festival when ticket sales crossed the million-ringgit mark for the first time.

Rainforest music fest ticket sales cross RM1m mark
[NATION 15-Jul-2007]
The 10th Rainforest World Music Festival, which drew the biggest-ever gathering of music fans here, crossed the million-ringgit mark in ticket sales


Rainforest festival off to rousing start
[NATION 15-Jul-2007]
The 10th Rainforest World Music Festival got off to a rousing start at the Sarawak Cultural Village with stirring performances from eight local and international groups.


Randy's back and awestruck
[NATION 14-Jul-2007]
Multi-instrumentalist Randy Raine-Reusch, one of the founders of the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), is back for the 10th edition and is awestruck by its phenomenal growth.


Rainforest music fest kicks off today
[NATION 13-Jul-2007]
The three-day Rainforest World Music Festival starts today at the Sarawak Cultural Village

Drum roll
[SOUNDNSTAGE 13-Jul-2007]
The Aseana Percussion Unit is a band with a lot to look forward to.

Bands start to fly in for weekend of global rhythms
[NATION 11-Jul-2007]
The place to be this weekend is the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong, where The Rainforest World Music Festival will take place.

15,000 tickets sold for Rainforest World Music Festival
[NATION 11-Jul-2007]
Ticket sales for the Rainforest World Music Festival this weekend have already hit the 15,000 mark with more expected to be snapped up.

15,000 music fest tickets snapped up
[NATION 12-Jul-2007]
More than 15,000 tickets for the Rainforest World Music Festival have been sold.