AJL 27 - 2013

AJL is here again with it's 27th edition. This year's theme is Gabungan Seni dan Musik or is it Ekspresi Seni. The website state Gabungan Seni dan Musik, the host said Ekpresi Seni. As promised by the production team behind the ere w('anugerah berprestij') show, the theme will allow lots of creativity in the  artists' performances as well as the grahic display to be used thru out the night. We'll see..hmm

Opening - Mek Sah kuar nyanyi Bunga-Bunga Cinta juara tahun 2003. The graphics had already started with Mek Sah standing in front what appears to be a haunted house from a cartoon/animated film. And I suppose the reason why she is wearing white, is so that they could flash more 'graphics' on her.. started
with obor-obor motif.. then when the chorus kicks in.. yes you guest it.. daun-daun berguguran.. cumanya.. kat Malaysia ni takde mapple leave.. tapi daun yang gugur tu daun mapple leave. Macam mana tu? Ok lah di maapkan sebab mana pulak nak cari motif daun jambu ke.. daun pisang ye tak?

Next, Ziana Zain. Yeay. But then, she's in a 80s MTV music video singing a song that I don't know. I would have forgiven her if she sang anyone of her classic :(

Ziana was followed by Faizal Tahir with Anti Gravity.. hence a space ship projected behind him, complete with some dude floating in space. It could be him, but at this point I don't give a rat's ass. It looks errmmm amatuerish? And then I lift my head and take a look again at Faizal Tahir. Perhaps he's staying in Bandar Sri Permaisuri that do not have water for the pass 8 days.. muka macam tak mandi.

Opps... that concluded the opening. What just happened? I'm not at all pumped up? Here comes the host... they introduced the songs.. with some I dunno.. let's call it 3D effect? That.. was quite entertaining. The ombak.. the pelangi.. the bintang... but they could do with lesser stuff in the background.

Perhaps just the two of them, white background and the effect.

Let's move on to the performances.

1. Ombak Rindu - Adira & Hafiz
Komposer : Nurzaidi Rahman
Penulis Lirik : Nurzaidi Rahman

How was it? - I didn't watch Ombak Rindu, neither a fan of Aaron Aziz. So Whatever monolugue he was rambling left me bemused.But the fans seems to love it.The stage lit up with Adira hidden somewhere in the middle of ... I want to say a coral reef? But then after there's more light... and the smoke clears up, rupanya dia duduk celah2 bunga. Hafiz pulak diri atas kotak kot? Let's not even discuss what was The songs is nice.. I thot both of them did well..all is not lost... but wait... here comes Haron again. On stage. To carry away Adira. Kenapa Hafiz tak boleh angkat?

2. Patah Seribu - Shila Amzah
Komposer : Shila Amzah
Penulis Lirik : Shila Amza

How was it? - Ada monologue jugak. It's not necessary. Somehow, I might have mistunderstood this.... but macam dia kata bila nak mati nanti ada orang akan call? Erk... I don't really like her baju. But whatever. I thot her voice is brilliant. Though her concentration might have been messed up with the monologue. The music arrangement... maybe the original sounds better. Ohh.. masih ada asap2 atas stage. Ni lebih yang performance tadi ke? I thot the backdrop looks good though. Good choice of graphic.

3. Simetri - Hazama & Amy Search
Komposer : Audi Mok
Penulis Lirik : Firdaus

How was it? - I'm not a fan of this song at all. I think there are better songs out there. Kuar asap lagi. OK.. ni macam metal tapi rambut macam rasta? OK, let's stick with the song and the performance. Ermmm.. still not a fan. OOwwwwwwwwowww.. Eh wait.. is that Edrie Hashim with the fab looking hair on guitar?
That hair is definitely *swoon* factor. Lama pulak lagu ni.. I need nourishment STAT!

4. Idola - Azlan & The Typewriter
Komposer : Audi Mok
Penulis Lirik : Azlan

How was it? I thot the voice and the music were superb. Best Vocal so far. So I take that this is Phantom of the Opera theme. Azlan and the band tu smart la jugak. Yang backup singer macam mime tu ada sket ganguan perasaan sebab ada certain tu aku tengok macam Amish pun ada. Hahahaha.

5.Pelangi Senja - Stacy
Komposer : Taja
Penulis Lirik : Tun Teja

How was it? - Errmmm... Ok, I love the song. I love the video clip. I love Stacy. But let's be honest, the performance were a bit here and there. I like the idea of them bringing the kayu bakau pier on the stage. Macam video clip la kan. Aku ganguan perasaan dengan dancer yang nak bawak train of materials kat baju Stacy tu. I think it's disturbing her... then the music were too loud. And the backup singer sounds odd. I think the hair and dress for stacy is wrong. Arghhh whyyyyy.... but I have to say this. I admire her determination... she wants it bad. All the best Stacy. I lobes u no matter what.

6.Lagu - Bedroom Sanctuary
Komposer : Bo Amir Iqram
Penulis Lirik : Bo Amir Iqram

How was it? - Ok la. I appreciate the simplicity of the performance and the singer sticking to originality. Sempoi. And the gimik pun boleh la di maapkan. Entertaining.. but maybe not going to win anything. Walau apa pun, good job bro!

7. Tanpamu - Amir Jahari
Komposer : Amir Jahari
Penulis Lirik : Amir Jahari

How was it? - I read somewhere that the 'entourage' for this performance will be the biggest and kecoh in this AJL. Hmm... yang menepuk ni aku rasa mcm salah key. Yang lain tu ok la. I think he should just go with the 'stompers'.... dah kecoh sangat aku tak dengar dia nyanyi. And kenapa dia aje yang kaler-kaler muka. Apa ke maknanya? If aku tutup mata, the music arrangement is quiet good actually.

8. Teman Pengganti - Black & Malique (RJ)
Komposer : Malique
Penulis Lirik : Malique

How was it? - Ok openingnya... aku sudah terpukau...Pastu Black appeared from the turning platform. Nice... Then the wrapper who looks like a representative from MIC appeared and rapping out. Ok lagi... then things turns into circle. Hahahah I think the timing for the platform is a bit off. So bila part Rap,orangnya ngadap belakang. Bila part nyanyi orangnya kat belakang. Aku gelak gila. Nevertheless the song and the performance is good. I think the song should win something.

9. Terukir Di Bintang - Yuna (Aizat)
Komposer : Yuna
Penulis Lirik : Yuna

How was it? - Hahahahhaha I lobes this one. I'm not really a fan of Yuna nor Aizat. But I thot Aizat did a great job. Misai dia tu betul ke tak? Macam misai gatai.. but it suits the character i suppose. The expression on his face is priceless. Hahahahah.. as if to say.. "aku ni nyanyi lagu orang je". Hahahah. The performance was sweet. I vote this one wins best performance!

10. Ku Akui - Hafiz
Komposer : Ajai
Penulis Lirik : Ajai

How was it? - Honestly aku tak pernah dengar lagu ni. But overall, I thot the performance was good. Hafiz's voice was superb. And the music accompanying him was brilliant and not over the top. Erkk.. maybe this could win something as well? Best Vocal at least.

11. Andai Ku Bercinta Lagi - Mojo
Komposer : Edry Abdul Halim
Penulis Lirik : Edry Abdul Halim

How was it? - What can I say about a sudden resurgance of the French Revolution on the stage? Lagu ok la.. suara pun boleh la.. tapi costume dari kain langsir tu and Ms Marsha yg dah mcm bride/ Mary Antoinette... aku mcm blur batak kejap. Oh ada Edry tadi. Tak perasan.

12. Anak Kampung Jimmy Palikat & One Nation Emcee
Komposer : Jimmy Palikat
Penulis Lirik : Jimmy Palikat

How was it? - Sekampung bah, naik pentas. Takde kuda aje. I lobes the kebaya worn by Mimi at the begining. Aku memang suka lagu ni. I think the lyric to this song is honest and sincere. Whatever happens, kudos to Jimmy Palikat and One Nation Emcee. Though there's a lot of people on stage, everything works well. I would suggest to the tourism board to use this performance to promo Visit Malaysia Year 2014!


Interlude - Rock Never Dies.

Rock Legend with Guitar Heroes.Sessi goreng keropok lekor berlarutan selama 5 minit....tahan sebab tunjuk Edrie Hashim dengan rambut lawa. Another 5 minutes... sabarrr (mcm sabar aku tunggu air 8 hari dah takde)...

Rahmad Mega with Bayangan Gurauan. Hoo... here comes Rempit Me. Heheh.

Aris Ariwatan with Lamunan Terhenti... OMGGGGGGG Lagu wajib karaoke. Tapi awat mcm off je dia nyanyi. Apa ni abang? Frust akak uols. Apa pun, I lobes this song to death. Hahahahah.... lalu kau menolak (pause)... berbalas renungan... takde yang lagi best dari emo nyanyi part ni kat RedBox.

Joey of BPR with Seribu Tahun Tak Akan Mungkin .....wheeeee suara bro ni best siut. Lepak aje. Ni pun lagu fav akak.

KE TEPI SEMUA.. this is how it should be done: Ramli Sarip! Kamalia... WOWWEEEEE... I think Ramli Sarip has single handedly redeemed the night. Suara power gila.

And now the result...(who cares.. they had me at ..Tiba-tiba langkahku terhenti... tadi)

Best Performance - Teman Pengganti - Black & RJ

Best Vocal - Ku Akui - Hafiz (lagi... 2 tahun berturut-turut...) well done Hafiz.

3rd Place - Ku Akui - Ajai/ Hafiz

2nd Place - IDOLA - Audi Mok / Azlan and The Typewriter.

Juara Lagu ke 27...(drum roll please..): HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHA. Terukir Bintang - Yuna.

Please appreciate the irony here: Yuna has not won.. but when she's not around, her song won. hahah Aizat menang dengan misai gatai.

Good night all!

Keukenhof - May 2012

It was the last week before Keukenhof. The tulips are already blooming. Ada yang dah nak mati pun. We took the bus from Schipol airport. A short ride and then it was a few hours of nothing but posing and posing somemore.

We met this kakak and her husband from Shah Alam somewhere in the park. Dia terkejut beruk bila aku offer dia, "Nak tolong ambik gambar kak?" after looking at the two of them juggling an iPad, a SLR, camcorder and a phone to snap pictures. "Eh, ada orang Malaysia...Ambik guna iPad dik, nanti senang nak upload kat Facebook" hamek kau Jah...hahaahha I wonder how did her pictures turn out. And I wonder who she is. But she was wearing a Burberry coat no less!

Now, let the pictures do the talking.

 

Train Live in KL, 16th June 2012 at KL Live

It had never occurred to me that I will get to listen to Drops of Jupiter ...live! Well, Train came to KL. Yipeeeeeeeeeee. It will be a small event I guess, since it will at KL Live. Lagi small lagi bagus, senang nak tengok semua orang. But then, semua standing aje la pulak. Can I survive this?

Nak tak nak kena la survive kan. Heheh so it was a Saturday. Nak brave the traffic satu hal lagi. Tapi nasib jalan clear. We parked at the next building to KL Live.. LifeCenter.. whatever you call it. Kejap aje dah penuh parking. Nak keluar dari parking kena naik tangga pulak. Kugagahi jua. Nak masuk KL Live.. tangga lagi. Sabar je la..

Right, we're in. Lepak kat belakang aje. Malas la nak berasak2 kat depan. Susah jugak standing only ni. Sebab if terstuck belakang orang yang tinggi, dah tak nampak.

On cue, Train took the stage. And wow the crowd. Nampaknya semua orang tahu lagu-lagu depa, kecuali aku (as usual). Marry Me was practically sung by the crowd. Heheheh. In between the set, ada pulak si Pat baling free t-shirt pulak to the crowd. Unfortunately we are too far nak berebut. And he was very sporting as well... siap ambik some phone from the front row, and took a shot of himself and the crowd. Sape yang dapat tu, mesti tak tido malam ni.

According to Pat, Train don't do encore. Tak sempat aku nak beli twisties hehehe. Here comes the moment that we have been waiting for. Drops of Jupiter. PERGHHHHHHHHH. best gila. And before you know it. Dah habis dah. The concert was short but it's definitely not a drive by ;). At the end of the nite, Train was giving out a guitar that was Pat was using while performing... Whhhhaaaattttttt????? And the band had put their signature on it... WHhhhhaaaatttttttttttttttttttttttt. Andddd... he gave it to... (wait for it...) ... ME! Whhhaaaaattttttttttttt? Hahahhah of course not. Pat choose a little girl from somewhere in the front row. Adik sape la tu. Dik kalau kau tak nak guitar tu bagi akak dik.

I wonder adik.. tu dah pandai main ke tak guitar tu eh?

p/s: ada gambar from the concert but it's in my phone..tunggu la lagi sepuluh tahun aku nak download and post it here..

Cranberries Live in KL - 4th April, 2012 - Stadium Negara

Mula-mula, memang tak minat sangat nak pergi. Tapi bila Kay ajak, aku game je la kan. Tak la tahu sangat lagu-lagu depa ni. Kononnya nak tengok satu konsert satu bulan. Beginilah cita-cita orang yang tiada hala tuju hidup.

Anyway, bila dengar the daily promo, eh rupanya, banyak jugak lagu yang aku tahu ek. So dengan semangat waja, download la segala mak nenek lagu depa and pasang hari-hari on the way to work. I think my favorite is Animal Instinct.

Come the night of the concert. Dah la Wednesday. Tak ingat aku keje ke tak pun hari tu. But I think the weather was ok, so hopefully tak jam la. Kay came over and drove both of us to stadium Negara. Traffic was clear. But now.. mana pulak nak park ni. Tempat parking haram sebelah stadium dah ada construction pulak. Then we realize, eh depan stadium ni ada sekolah. Maybe we can ask the Pak Guard to let us park inside. Success! Dia bagi masuk tapi kena RM10. Which I don't mind at all. Dah la dapat parking elok, ada guard plak and hanya sekangkang kera aje dari entrance. Tak payah susah-susah. Unlike most asshole yang kononnya drive VIP ke hape tah yang nak park jugak dalam stadium tu kalau boleh. Pastu nyusahkan rakyat marhain lain nak beli burger. Hahahah.

As usual aku memang benci nak kena check bag la apa la bila nak masuk. So seboleh-boleh nak makan jugak burger ke air ke apa semua bagi habis. Haha nasib tak tercekik. Aku rasa Kay berjaya seludup air ke masuk. Camera plak, as usual aku masuk dlm kocek rahsia hehehe.

The stadium was packed. Nasib tak panas. We sat to the right of the stage kot. Ok la jauh dari orang-orang. Duduk rapat nanti kang rimas. Tak sangka pulak ada stage for VIP ke royalties ke. I dunno why they bother to come and watch. Sebab kena control ayu semuanya, walhal the crowd dah frenzy tak tentu hala.

Dim the lights, here comes Cranberries! Damn, they were good! Semua lagu layan. Aku layan sambil duduk la kan. Pastu half way, lapar pulak, beli lagi burger. Hahahah. My love affair with bugger pijak memang tak boleh nak dipisahkan.

Then finally comes the moment. ZOMBIE. Seriously, everyone sang as if their life depends on it. Aduiii... cuba suruh ngaji? But I guess, yes that was one of the best moment in any concert that I have ever been to. Yang tak tahan tu, kitaorang dok perhati, yang those tadi duduk and haram tak response to any of the songs, tetiba dah up on their feet ... menyanyi dengan penuh semangat siap dengan hand gestures, macam la dia yang tulis lagu tu. Hahahahah gamaknya, ni je kot lagu yang depa tahu. Sure pi karaoke ni la lagu wajib.
The VIP stage masih tidak menunjukkan sebarang emosi. Borrinnggg!

It was good nite out. Good music, good company, dismal burger pijak. Posing mesti posing :)

But you see, it's not me, it's not my family.

In your head, in your head they are fighting,

With their tanks and their bombs,

And their bombs and their guns.

In your head, in your head, they are crying...

In your head, in your head,

Zombie, zombie, zombie,

Hey, hey, hey. What's in your head,

In your head,

Zombie, zombie, zombie?

Entah....

Avril's Black Star Tour - 18 Feb, 2012 at Stadium Merdeka

Avril Lavigne Live in KL! Not to be missed... walaupun clearly this is a teenage angst fest. Tak pedulik la.
I think we were in Johor siang tu. There was a wedding. Mujur la sempat sampai KL. Memang tak senonoh!

Petang tu hujan la pulak. Aduss mesti stadium lecak. Kensel nak pakai kasut baru. Selipar cabukku sila jalankan tugas anda. Konsert start 8.30 ke 8.00 pm tah. So sempat la nak solat dulu kat rumah. Dah siap-siap2 nak pergi, baru terperasan mana pulak ticket? Ya salam... ticket tak jumpa. LOL!

Korek punya korek, gaduh punya gaduh... finally found it in my sister's closet. Tadi bukan main dia mengaku takde pada dia. By then, dah pukul 8.30 kot. Gamble je la... lagi pun lagu2 yang starting tu tak best sangat. (Yes, dah siap check setlist ye).

So as usual any concert at Stadium Merdeka, mesti naik LRT than Monorail. And of course dalam banyak-banyak minggu, ni la minggu yang depa nak launch integrated system across the transit system. Tak boleh pulak beli ticket pergi balik. Kena beli token lain2. So to be save, masa sampai kat monorail tu kitaorang beli dah token siap2 untuk balik. Nak kena ingat plak mana token LRT mana token monorail. Arghh.. dah la dah lambat. Nasib masa sampai dah renyai2 hujan, so boleh la redah je.

We arrive dah almost 9.15 ke.. Avril pun nak balik dah. Hahahah. Tapi yang pasti, dapat la dengar dia nyanyi Wish You Were Here... Dapat la emo bila ramai-ramai nyanyi part Damn...Damn.. Damn... to be honest aku tau part tu je pun. Heheheh. Unfotunately, terlepas Sk8er Boi (notice that I'm using the 'correct' spelling..sighh).

Bila dah nak encore tu, dia bukak dah all the gate. So semua orang boleh rushing turun ke padang and grab a place front and center depan stage. Err.. termasuk la aku and kakak aku. Sekali tu tengok-tengok, padang tu gila lecak... boleh tersangkut kaki dalam selut. Gila cardio aku nak get across the field. Dah la rupanya dari bleachers tu nak naik ke padang tu ada longkang besar.. and ada pulak adegan panjat memanjat. Nak tersimpul urat perut aku.. terkejut dah la tak bersenam!

And Avril close with Complicated. Enough said... SCREAM, SHOUT and JUMP people! Memang best. Before balik sempat la ambik gambar amongst the throngs yang berpusu-pusu nak balik. According to my colleague yang berendam kat padang tu since 6pm, kasut dia dah boleh buang dah. Hahaha nasib aku datang lambat. Shot Avril semua goyang. So instead, letak la gambo perempuan  yang perasan ada teenage angst ni.Hahaha

Stand By Me

(Jerry O'Conell, River Pheonix, Wil Wheaton and Corey Feldman)

Hari ni, finally managed to catch Stand By Me on tv. Will Wheaton sangat comel :)

When the night has come

And the land is dark

And the moon is the only light we'll see
No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me


And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh now now stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me


If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
And the mountains should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me


And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me, stand by me-e, yeah


Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me, oh now now stand by me
Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me


Darlin', darlin', stand by me-e, stand by me
Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me

Il est très beau! beau!

The guy who did not say a word won the Best Actor. Jean Dujardin!
Need I say more? *swoon fest*

.... ok enough!

The Year of Adele

She's 23. She won 6 Grammys. What's that again? 6. Right
Her performance of Rollin in the Deep?
BLEW MY MIND AWAY. LOBES IT.

p/s: Lobes Glen Campbell with Rhinestone Cowboy as well

Bagaimana pun jua....

AJL 26 - 2012

Opening

Act 1 - Ahvang Jamal with Alleycat's Senandung Semalam. Terpempan akak. Terpempan uols. Leather pants is totally forgiven. Guruh petir tu ada sedikit kureng. Tapi sebab suara dia best again all is forgiven. Kenapa la aku tak dapat ticket nak tengok kat Bukit Jalil sigh

Act 2 - Ahvang Awie pulak. Sepatah haram aku tak tahu lagu ni. Suka hati kau lah labu. Rambut kau tetao ganguan perasaan. Dah hujan pulak sekarang. Hebat pyro ke lampu ke apa benda ni. Company mana buat ni agaknya.Boleh la hire kalau nak buat birthday party sendiri lepas ni theme filem Jodie Foster & Bill Paxton - Twister.

Act 3 - Akak Sheila yang nampak kurus. Damn. Menyanyi lagu cari makan sejak 20 tahun. Err.... boleh tak panggil Ahvang Jamal lagi sekali. Dancers as usual nyemak aje.

Maka keluarlah MC berdua. (Please lah berdua aje) Baju yg gegirl cantik. Yg boboi pakai tie ke tuala kesat pinggan kat dapur tu? Mintak mahap saya tak paham sangat konsepnya. Err butang kat kot pun macam terlebih je. Right skang cue explanation about the night's theme - Air. Aku dengar macam white noise aje... the conclusion that I got? Saya nak buang AIR mendengarnya, sambil mengalirkan AIR mata?

1. Wanita Seluruh Dunia - Projek Pistol:

Hello ahvang2 on the trumpet, trombone and saxophone. Rambut Edrie tetap terbaik (masih tak tahu saloon mana dia pergi). Arrangement and the vocal surprisingly sedap. Cool idea adding in the brass section. Good job! If the lyrics have more depth, perhaps the song will have more substance and might stand a chance to win something tonight.

MC - bla bla bla bla bla deblab lalala yada yada yoya yoya ....Pistol Air. Main tembak-tembak Tah amenda.

2. Sedetik Lebih - Edry Halim/ Jac

Ok nothing beats Ah Vang Nuar I suppose. OK focus. Baju Jac cantik. Sweet color. Dia memang sentiasa pandai pilih what looks good on her. Anyhoo, I thot her voice was too edgy for the song. SO feeling to ada lari sket. Nevertheless, I think she did a very good job considering ni bukan lagu dia kan.

MC - bla bla bla super sub yada yada yada.. penyanyi yang digantikan. You are touching me. Nonsense.

3. Kekanda Adinda - Monoloque/ Atilia:

Ada makcik joget lambak...opps tu penyanyinya. Ok this is too busy. Semua benda nak letak. Nak main guitar tapi pakai kain pelikat. Nak letak angklong tapi ada drummer boy dari sekolah mana ni. This reminds me of the yearly inter school koir and band competition. Cuma aku tak nampak orang pegang recorder dengan castanette aje. Serious macam kelas muzik genderang sekolah rendah. I'm not progressive? Thank god. Next!

MC - pot pet pot pet pot pet.. Depa ni kena kejar train ke apa. Asyik tersyasyul aje.

4. Gadis Semasa - Yuna:

Aku memang tak tau lagu ni. So the first 5 minutes tu macam ... apakah ini? Nak nyanyi ke tak ni? Hmmm.. I can't decide whether I'm liking or dissing this song. There are parts of the vocal that shows some potential and exude coolness. What I can decide though.. is that I'm convinced that I am distrubed and keep on thinking how does one talk to the person sitting next to them with the head gear? Hoodie? On their head... hmmm. Eh dah habis pun lagunya. Good. But what the heck do I know. Suppose if Pharell Williams is producing your song, you must have some fierce music chops.

5. Kalau Berpacaran - Sohaimi Mior Hassan, Altimet & Ana Rafali:

Alamak, ada kedai-kedai kopi pulak. Ok jangan tengok gegirl nyanyi. Gediks la pulak (I guess the song calls for it). Dengar aje. Ok setan naik motor ye. I think this song is nice. They do not need the actors and the surrounding scene. But I thot Ana Rafali sitting amongst the dancers at the table, cool jugak. Tak perasan pun dia.

MC - tepuk amai-amai...belalang kupu-kupu.. tepuk biar ramai.... zzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Oh they were talking about something else? Sounds the same aje.

6. Cinta Muka Buku - Najwa Latif/ Ika Latif:

The video clips of all of the youtube cover version was a good idea. The couple berlakon-berlakon dating not a good idea. The chelo (errr.. tapi tak sedap) not a good idea. Pink is sweet, the dress is not. But against all odds, 16 year old performing for the first time at AJL, I still salute you. There maybe some jitters, but she still hold her own court. A for effort.

Anugerah Juara Mobile - err ye la buat la apa-apa yang patut.

7. Karma - Faizal Tahir:

Standy for over dramatize and flair. Err.... boleh tak terbosan kejap? Hmm esok rasa macam nak pakai suit kaler purple la pergi keje. Macam Barney? All I can say.. the scarf is nice. Hmm why is there no goreng pisang when I need one? Ohhhhh ada kacang pagoda.......BRB.

MC - ada kebakaran? Piano terbakar. Wow.. tak berminatnya.

8. Kisah Hati - Alyah:

Charlie Chaplin? Music Box? Not bad... kudos for idea (the music box..not the charlie impersonator). Tapinya...Tangan tak penat ke? Tak pening ke? I thot the stage looks nice. And her vocal and music sounds good. Baju pun cantik. One thing that I like about this performance is that, dia kuar sorang-sorang aje. OH damnnnnnn spoke too soon. Tu dia Hero Malaya Ah Vang Remi la pulak...sighhhhhhhhh

9. Sungai Lui - Aizat:

Ok bunyi akuarium sape pulak ni. Kenapa dia pakai seluar hijau? Errr... ada sand art pulak. Nice! Tapi if win best performance, mamat sand art ni la patut dapat duit. Hehehe As I said before the song is a great song. But there are better songs out there. So All the Best Aizat.

Australia Open break sat... alaaaa tak sukanya this si Joko menang. Sian Nadal.

10. Penakut - Yuna:

Selamat datang ke pameran lampu over stock dari China. Seriously? Seriously? Bila aku dengar.. ini tidak adil ... ini tidak adil, rasa macam pening plak. At least the arrangement is better than her first song I think. Whatever la.

MC - Sape buat rambut gegirl ni? Le buroks.

11. Awan Nano - M Nasir/ Hafiz:

Silence please! Herman Tino memang terbaek. Best opening. Oh pakai t-shirt kodi dengan track bottom je. Cayalah. The vocals was superb. But I don't really feel the arrangements 3/4 of the song tapi ok la. Ok aku memang kata Herman Tino kena datang. But I would've choregorafed it differently. Aku rasa Hafiz aje yang nyanyi with feel. This one deserve best vocal, best performance and best song. Ambik kau!

12. Seribu Sesalan - Ning, Jac, Shila Amzah:

Standby, semua nak tunjuk vocal chops masing-masing. Err apsal sorang lagi pakai kaler lain? Awwww... I think the night already peaked with Hafiz. So whatever left is not relevant dah. But still this is a good song. And the 3 ladies did a good job indeed. Ok the forums are buzzing about people's ass. Hahah tak senonoh!

Closing:

Tribute to Sudirman by Black, Azlan & Hazama. Soalan, sekarang ni seluar kaler hijau is in ye? Ok, seluar hijau, scarf purple tadi, julian lenon glasses..oh ott hoodie. Right.Hmmm

The music arrangements by Ramli MS, tak perlu dipersoalkan la. I thot it's unique. Tapi yang tengah terkinja-kinja atas stage ni apa ke halnya? CHow Kit Road.. Chow Kit Road.. my fav masa kecik-kecik. Hehehe. Actually terasa macam disconnected pulak. Apasal audience ni refer liriks? Takkan tak tau lagu ni? Mana kacang tadi...BRB.

The AWARD goes to

Best Performance - Alyah (Kisah  Hati) - Nice!
Best Vocal - Hafiz (Awan Nano) - Yeayyyyyyy! Alamak tak tukar baju ke?

3rd Place - Karma - Faizal Tahir & Audi Mok

2nd Place - Beribu Sesalan - 3 Suara. OK please be graceful people. Tergolek sudah...

Best Song - Awan Nano - M Nasir/ Budi Hikayat/ Hafiz - Yezaaaaaaaa.  Hahahahah M Nasir's speech memang best. And I think a big credit goes to Budi sebab aku rasa lirik lagu ni memang best.

T-shirt, track bot and Herman Tino Rawksssssss!

Congratulations! And Good Nite!

Everytime You Go Away

Last week, me & my colleague discovered that some verses in this song indirectly represents exactly what we felt forthis particular bi-weekly meeting that everyone dreaded. Memang lawak. Either way it's a great song. I like the version in Rebound. How cute is that guy singing it at bedtime ;)

Everytime You Go Away - Hall&Oates, Paul Young and tah sape lagi

Hey
if we can't solve any problems
and why do we lose so many tears?

Oh
so you go again when the leading man appears.
Always the same theme
can't you see
We've got ev'rything going on and on and on.
Ev'ry time you go away you take a piece of me with you.
Ev'ry time you go away you take a piece of me with you.

Go on and go free
maybe you're too close to see.
I can feel your body move
does it mean that much to me.
I can't go on singing the same theme'cause can't you see
We've got ev'rything
baby
even though you know:
Ev'ry time you go away you take a piece of me with you.
Ev'ry time you go away you take a piece of me with you.

Can't go on singing the same theme'cause baby
can't you see
We've got ev'rything going on and on and on.Ev'ry time you go away you take a piece of me with you.
Ev'ry time you go away you take a piece of me with you.
Ev'ry time you go away you take a piece of me with you.
Ev'ry time
ev'ry time you go away - but I don't care -
You take a piece of me with you. Ev'ry time you go away -
Ev'ry time you go away - don't leave me all alone

And breakin' up a piece of me. Ey'ry time you go away.

You Can Do It!

I dedicate this song to the Australia Open 4th Round match between Li Na and Kim Clijsters. Exciting match, true fighting sprit from both ladies. Kim won even when she had to strap down her ankle. With a set down, she managed to claw her way back in the 2nd set, winning a tie breaker though she was 4 points behind. Let this be an inspiration for 2012.

Lobes you, Kim!

Keep Your Head Up - Andy Grammer

I've been waiting on the sunset

Bills on my mindset
I can get deny theyre getting high
Higher than my income
My income's breadcrumbs
I've been trying to survive


The glow that the sun gives
Right around sunset
Helps me realize
This is just a journey
Drop your worries
You are gonna turn out fine
Oh, you'll turn out fine
Fine, oh, you'll turn out fine


But you gotta keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down, eh
You gotta keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down, eh


I know it's hard, know its hard,
To remember sometimes,
But you gotta keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down, eh.


I've got my hands in my pockets,
Kickin these rocks
Its kinda hard to watch this life go by.
I'm buyin in the skeptics,
Skeptics mess with, the confidence in my eyes


I'm seeing all the angles, starts to get tangled
I start to comprimise
My life and the purpose
Is it all worth it,
Am I gonna turn out fine?
Oh, you'll turn out fine


Fine, oh, you'll turn out fine


But you gotta keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down, eh
You gotta keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down, eh

I know it's hard, know its hard,
To remember sometimes,
But you gotta keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down, eh.


Only rainbows after rain
The sun will always come again.
Its a circle, circling,
Around again, it comes around again


Only rainbows after rain
The sun will always come again
Its a circle, circling,
Around again, it comes around,


But you gotta keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down, eh
You gotta keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down, eh


I know it's hard, know its hard
To remember sometimes,
But you gotta keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down, eh


Keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down, eh.
Keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down, eh.
Keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down

1st Concert for 2012

Yes, it's Awie & Ella... at Istana Budaya no less.

There are 6 shows, and we chose the one in the afternoon. Macam tak kuasa nak keluar malam-malam and nak cari parking kat Istana Budaya tu kan. It's not that it does not have enough parking, it's just that there's no parking at all! Apakah all cultured people (kononnya) nak watch arts-whatnot-kesenian, naik helikopter nak pergi sana? Or naik bas atau kayuh basikal mungkin? Apakah.

Ahh who cares...

We only care about the show! And what a show it was. 2 hours non stop of songs upon songs. Awie and Ella playing tag entertaining the audience. No intermission. Bak kata Awie pun, boleh kena buasir! For the first time for a long time, I didn't even record any songs on my phone, sebab nak concentrate punya pasal. Dah la sekarang ni acik-acik kat Istana Budaya dah pakai laser beam power zass. Siapa-siapa yang nak capture picture or record anything kena la pancaran laser.

The concert is suppose to start at 3. Tapi biasa la, pukul 3 tak penuh pun lagi. Memang tak paham bahasa. I suppose half of them got free tickets, so suka hati la nak datang pukul berapakan. Macam open house gitu. The show start at 3.10pm. Nasib baik... kalau tak dah nak terlelap dah. Ada jugak orang yang masuk dekat 4.30pm. Salah print apa ticket? Tergangu aku nak feeling-feeling.

Awie and Ella was not disappointing at all. Very impressive energy and vocal performance, though they already had 2 shows before. I suppose back then, to make it, you must really, really have the chops. Suara depa memang maintain! Speaking of maintain, Ella tersangat la slim! 45 years old looking fine..Damn!

My favorite song? From Awie... most probably Tragedi Oktober. Oh of course, Iris! Then from Ella, (since she didn't sing 'menyonsong matahari' aku), perhaps Sembilu... it's because she got down and run around the crowd. That got everyone in shrieking frenzy. I also love Pengemis Cinta arranagements. And the closing ... I lobes Gemilang and Terima Kasih. Seronok dapat jerit2 macam orang gila. I just wish that Ella sang Permata Biru instead of Awie.

Akhirkata, boleh tak saya nak tahu saloon mana Edrie, Ella and Awie pergi? Edrie dengan Ella... sebab rambut is to die for! Gila cantik ok. Err... Awie.. supaya aku tak pergi kedai tu :P ..heyy but I'm still a fan!

Dengar kata lepas ni Anuar and Ziana pulak. Dah perform kat Espalande, Singapore... takkan tak nak perform kat Istana Budaya ;)

Getting Crabby

We always wanted to eat Chilli Crab in Singapore. Tah berapa kali pergi asyik tak sempat aje. So this time around, dah siap-siap google nak cari Chilli Crab yang halal. Surf punya surf, a lot of people recomended this place, along Changi Road name Kampung Chai Chee Restaurant . Check out their website

Walaupun aku tetiba telah demam and had breakouts all over the body. The symptoms were all pointing to measles. Gosh bila yang aku pergi Singapore tak sakit. And we also had to ditch the idea of going to USS. This happen masa pergi tengok Belinda Carlisle and gang. Alhamdullilah diberikan jugak kekuatan and rezeki and dapatlah merasa chilli crab ni. Kitaorang naik cab aje pergi. Bagi address kat cab driver. Habis cerita.

Chilli Crab cecah dengan fried bun. Sedap gila bun tu!

Closer look

Nasi goreng kampung yang masih terkenang sampai hari ini

Memang sedap and price is reasonable. Tapi if nak belanja orang kat sini accept cash aje. So if rasanya nak melantak tak ingat dunia, bawak la duit banyak-banyak ye. Will definitely come back next time.

Jogja - 19 to 22 Oct 2011 - Part 3

Nothing is plan for today accept to visit the Kraton. And also what is this place call Taman Sari. Everyone was talking about it. Tu la sebelum pergi tak google dulu semua benda ni. We had breakfast at the hotel which had a pretty decent spread. My friend was raving about head messages around Jogja. Tak jumpa pun. So instead I booked myself a 3 hour massage at the hotel later in the afternoon.

Kraton or palace or Istana is open for the public to have a looksy. A lot of people were miling about dok ambik gambar. While purchasing the ticket to enter the palace, we were approached by this uncle. Who turned out to be Indian from Canada. From here on, I say this again - It only happen to me.  

This guy, who I shall refer to as Uncle Vinod (not his real name. I do not want this to be traced back to me in anyway. Hahaha), wanted to join us as he said that he did not understand mostly what's being said. So since we can speak English, he would like to join our company while going around the palace ground. We got an English speaking tour guide who took us around. We saw a number of the Sultan's gift collection, clothes and pictures. Ada meja makan tu macam meja makan kat rumah Tok aku kat Muar pulak aku tengok.

Kraton ground

After the tour we tip the lady guide. Turns out Uncle Vinod's middle name is Al Kedekudsi. He claimed that he have yet drawn out cash from the ATM. Ya right. We then went on looking for Taman Sari. I thought there's like a water park or garden somewhere not far from the Kraton. Taman Sari used to be a place of leisure for the Sultan. Agaknya macam summer palace ke? Or weekend gateway palace?

Uncle Vinod still followed us when we met David who's kind enough to bring us to the Taman Sari. Which is now in ruins. It's wedge in between the settlement of the Kraton household. Semua orang nak jadi Prajurit so that you are part of Kraton and get to live around the Kraton. Davis is also a Prajurit who also oversee's the conservation of Taman Sari. Kena kencingkah kami? Mungkin juga. Tapi I had a thoroughly enjoyable day as David seems very knowledgable and keep on dishes bits and pieces of interesting facts of the place.

For example, he brought us to the bathing complex, which has not been used since 100 years ago. There's two pool. One is for siler siler (nama lain utk gundik or concubine) and one is solely for the king. Even the queen is not allowed. So while siler-siler is taking a bath ala Pamela A in Baywatch I would presume, the king will be looking from the tower above, having the chance to choose his pick for the day. If he likes someone he will pick a flower from a newby plant (which was planted for this one and one purpose only) and threw it to her in the pond. Having the golden ticket ie flower, Ms Siler is now invited to bath with the king in his pool. Later they will retreat to the nearby room for an afternoon delight. Macam nak pengsan tak dengar?

The siler pond. On the left the viewing tower. Picture taken by Uncle Vinod al Kedekudsi

This is where all the magic happens! (Creepizoid!)

David also took us to secluded section of the Taman which was in complete ruins. He said that in one of these rooms that the Sultan will meet up with his other wife from the other world - the famous Puteri dari Pantai Selatan aka Nyi Roro Kidul aka Suzana Sundel Bolong yang si Kay intrigued sangat tu. Dah la tempat tu gelap and creepy. He said that those who lived around the Taman still see her from time to time. By that time, aku dah duduk luar dah tak nak dengar cerita. Takut siut!

As the hours go by, uncle Vinod became more annoying. Memula macam semangat la nak translate all the things that David told us. In my head I thought, hmm if I ever going to be a travel writer or travel show host I must always appear cheerful and able to explain things. That last like half an hour, lepas tu aku dah duduk jauh-jauh je dari dia. Si Kay pun.. lama-lama aku dengar dia explain .... bla bla bla de bla bla de bla... something like that la... yada yada yada daddadyaya da something like that la. Hahahaha. Aku paling bengkek bila dia sibuk suruh aku ambik gambar dia guna camcorder dia. Jadi director pulak, you should walk slowly from this angle and that. Don't forget to push record. Eh banyak la cengkadak plak. It's ok you can explain things while shooting the video. I should have left a few second of malay curse words monologue when I had the chance! The final straw came when uncle Vinod sibuk pulak jadi makcik balik dari pasar, nak tanya kenapa aku tak kawin lagi. Dude, in this blistering hit, please spare me this nonsense.

The last place that David took us was the Masjid Bawah Air. An underground praying area complete with secret tunnel from the Taman Air. That's a pretty cool place. Macam bomb bunker pun ada. After that, we concluded the tour and said our goodbyes. Uncle Vinod sibuk pulak mintak email etc. By then aku dah cross the street to buy some drinks. Panas yang amat. And tak kuasa nak layan si mamat ni. Kay apparently gave him his email. Lo and behold, he did write to her a month after that. In fact, he even called her. And called her from Canada. Apakah?! I told Kay, if he ever ask of me, please say I'm dead.

Inception style staircase at Masjid Bawah Air.

Jib under the open roof of Masjid Bawah Air.



After that we went back to the hotel in style. Naik becak sorang satu. Ok Jib naik dengan mak dia la. Hahahah.

Naik Becak keliling Jogja

Later in the evening we went out for las minute shopping. Kali ni aku pun join in the frenzy at kedai Batik. The whole of Malioboro street has nothing but kedai batik. Seluar batik, beg batik, baju batik, seluar dalam batik semua ada. Somehow we thought that the selection at the batik Kraton shop that we went on the first day was nicer. Syabas Kartini kerana telah berjaya menjejaki kedai itu dalam kepekatan malam. Masa tengah pusing-pusing cari kedai tu terdetik dalam hati, kot tetiba ahvang becak ni nak keroyok aku pulak kan. I don't think that I have the energy to run. Perhaps a better defense I thot maybe I can tell them that I have HIV :P Alhamdulillah semuanya selamat.

Dan selamat balik ke 1Malaysia bak kata Jiben.

So Mayan ruins next?

Jogja - 19 to 22 Oct 2011 - Part 2

Today is activity is to explore Candi Borobudur and Prambanan and it's surrounding area. I just found out that Sungai Solo ie. from the song Bengawan Solo.. is a few hours away. Tapi tak ada apa pun kat situ. Even the tour guide/ driver said that "Di musim kemarau ini...", which we echo " tak berapa airmu?". Hahaha. Kay pulak fascinated nak jumpa long lost aunty dia nama Suzana somewhere in Pantai Parangtritis, which is also not far away I suppose from Jogja. But we thought, let's take it easy and see how thing goes. The main agenda is visit the chandi mandi.

We got the driver from the hotel's contact. Punya la malas nak cari suruh orang hotel cari. So the guy call us up and pick us up the next morning. It will be 500K rupiah for the whole day. Boleh la, malas punya pasal kan. First thing we ask him to do is to take us for breakfast. He stop at a shop along the way. Makan nasi dengan lauk pauk. Sedap gila ikan keli tah masak apa ni

Borobudur

The tour guide/ driver help us to obtain entrance ticket into Borobudur. Mahal jugak la. Dapat la discount a few RM by buying from him. I have been warned that the place will be swarmed with penjaja-penjaja who will pester for you to buy things. Beli dari sorang, satu bukit kejar kau lepas tu. I know that drill. So it's game face! Bring it on!

It's about 200 meters walk perhaps across the yard heading towards the tourist office and entrance to the place. Turun aje dari van, dah 20 orang tunggu. Dengan payung, topi, baju, ayam, itik and tah apa benda lagi. Aku memang hati batu sebatunya. I have indeed perfected my blank expresionless face. Just block all the sound and look straight ahead. They smell fear and emotion. One thing to note, never say anything. Not a word. If you say, "nanti la.. karang", kau balik nanti dia tunggu la pulak. Hahaha. Si Jiben telah diwarn tak payah la nak membeli. Tapi dia tumpas juga, nak membeli topi. Ha ambik kau sekali aku pusing dah macam kena kerumun dengan gremlins. Akhirnya semua berjaya masuk dalam tourists office dengan jayanya.

The driver left us there after passing us the ticket. Nak masuk kena pakai kain la pulak. And tetiba the guard there asked us,

   "Surat mana?"

   "Surat apa?"

   "Ya surat begini.. (pointing to a stack of papers). Kena ada surat baru boleh masuk"

    "Habis ticket ni nak buat apa?" (dah la mahal)

    "Kena ada suratnya juga"

Maka high blood pressure aku pun go upstair!

    "Surat yang macam mana? Siapa yang nak kena tulis surat ni pulak? Kertas apa nak pakai tulis surat ni?

Apa bezanya ticket yang dah beli berapa ratus rupiah ni dengan surat? Surat beranak? Surat cinta? Dekat mana nak dapat surat ni? Bila masanya nak dapat surat ni? Siapa yang nak kena sign surat tu? Raja mana?" ha ambik kau...

"Ya tadi beli.. tiada surat?"

"Saya beli ticket bukan surat. Tak tau, driver yang beli ticket. Dia bagi ticket aje"

In my mind, kalau nak masuk tempat ni pun nak peleceh memang nak kena la kan. Nak suruh aku menyuap pulak ke? No way. Aku sudah bagi icy stare dekat guard tu. Sikit lagi mungkin aku kena tembak pulak kat situ. Nasib la si Kartini sangat bertenang. Dan guard tu baik ati nak callkan driver kitaorang. Berlari la pulak datang driver dengan the so called surat. Serious shit lama sikit, akan aku suruh guard tu baca segala surat yang ada kat situ... apa benda la yang ada dalam surat tu. Yes I am an ASS. But seriously explain kat aku apa rasionalnya aku membeli ticket tapi still tak boleh masuk. Kalau tak nak bagi masuk, jangan jual ticket tu.

Anyhoo, setelah friction tersebut, we made our way to the Chandi. Sangat panas ye kawan-kawan. Jauh pulak tu nak jalan. Along the way ada lagi gerombolan yang nak jual-jual benda. This time offer nak sewa payung and yang lagi best, service nak tolong dukung budak-budak kecik naik atas. Bila kitaorang senyap aje, tak paham-paham bahasa dok pester-pester lagi. Aku dah geram, aku tanya dia, "kalau angkat saya boleh? Berapa rupiah?" Terdiam kejap mamat tu. "Ya yang kecil aja.." "Ha kalau nak angkat saya boleh. Kalau tak payah". Bengkek gila mamat tu. Pastu mesti dia maki kitaorang sebab si Jiben sudah tergolek masa naik tangga. Nasib tak apa-apa.

Seriously tempat tu panas and tangga-tangganya sangat steep. Macam nak luruh jantung aku memanjat. Ada 7 levels, each represents something. And every level tu aku kena take a break. Finally sampai jugak la ke langgit ke tujuh katanya. Samapai la ke level-level stupa yang macam loceng-loceng tu. In the recent Amazing Race, they had to count the buddha statue with the different hand gestures. Aku rasa kat bawah, macam ada info board yang tulis all this info. Memang ngok mat salleh tu semua nak kira satu-satu. Ada beribu benda tu around the place. Photo shoot pun bermula. Baju aku dah lencun dengan peluh. Nak turun pun macam nenek tua. Kalau tergolek, kena la panggil balik brother yang nak offer angkat budak tadi!

Assortment of pictures at Borobudur

Merapi

Next destination is to Merapi. Kitaorang semua tertido sikit punya sedap dalam van. I think I might have even snored! Pastu terkejut dengar dengkur sendiri. Hehehehe.

It was about a year ago (25th Oct 2010) that the mount erupted. We can still see the path of destruction along the way up. There's a lot of black sand that is being mined from the river nearby for construction. Pokok-pokok semua dah nak tumbuh balik, tapi pokok-pokok yang terbakar dulu tu still ada lagi. It was very cloudy that day, so tak nampak puncaknya. You can go on motor ride (motor scrambler no less) along the mountain's path to take a closer look. Macam gatal je nak pergi. Tapi kang sape pulak nak cari aku atas gunung tu if anything happen. So lepak-lepak kat bawah je. Despite the hot sun, the temprature up there is very pleasant.

Greens yang dah mula tumbuh among tunggul-tunggul pokok yang terbakar dulu



Very cloudy day, so tak nampak puncak Merapi (kata tour guide tu la)

Untuk celebrate kejayaan dapat melihat Gunung Merapi, kita makan jagung bakar. Terbaek!

Prambanan

Another must visit candi is called Candi Prambanan. Like Borobudur it is also listed as a World Heritage site. The place here is more bertenang and suitable for picnic. This candi is actually a Hindu temple while Borobudur is a Buddist monument. But these days majority of folks in Jogja are Muslims.

Nak masuk, kena beli ticket lagi ye. Kitaorang dah pergi ke kaunter meant for local folks. Baru terperasan that the entrance fee for the locals is way cheaper. We could've easily pass as local as well. Aku pun pernah terbaca blog sapa tah yang berlakon-lakon jadi local and got to buy the cheaper tickets. Memang tak senonoh. Unfortunately, aku terlupa that fact. And masa si Kay dah senyap-senyap beratur, aku terpanggil plak dia. "oit awat kau beratur kat situ?" Hahahahha pecah tembelang. Sorry kak non, lain kali kalau nak berlakon sila brief supporting cast sekali. Hehehehe.

There's a few separate site for the temples. The structures are not as high as Borobudur, but man the place is huge. Jauh gila nak jalan. Jiben at one point, "Kenapa kita dekat sini? Saya nak balik hotel". "Saya pun nak balik hotel" Hahahahha. Nasib kat entrance tu ada tempat makan. Mari la makan dulu. Though tak sesedap tempat breakfast tadi, lapar punya pasal. Layanz!

Assortment of pictures at Prambanan

Si anak kecil yang hampa kerana tertipu kena jalan berbatu-batu (ironically... sambil tengok batu). In the background, si ibu yang masih tegar membeli belah

 UGM

 By the time we got out of Prambanan, dah petang dah. But it's still early. We still have the driver till 5pm. It was just 4pm. So we asked him to take us to the largest and oldest national university in Indonesia, Universitas Gadjah Mada. Known to the local as UGM.

Coolness! The campus is just like UM in KL. The faculties are located along the the main roads around the city. We could see all the students lepaking and riding their bikes. Ada macam-macam fakulti. Aku nampak Perhutanan la... Medical la.. Falsafah la. We even stop for photo op. Pastu ada sorang budak sudah nak merajuk sebab mak dia nak posing sorang-sorang. Hahahah kesian dia.



Budak kecik yang hangin dengan maknya yang asyik nak posing and tak bagi dia 'enter frame'

  

Famous landmark. Mesti ambik gambar, macam la grad dari sini kan

 

Don't you just love the localized English word? Prioritaskan.. sekali baca ingat Senorita :P

Jogja - 19 to 22 Oct 2011 - Part 1

Jogja was not part of the travel plan for this year. Memang dah lama berangan nak posing ala Lara Croft kat Borobudur.. Mayan Ruins... or Angkor Wat. Tapi tak sempat-sempat nak plan. Plus dah kopak pulak after so many sessi berpoya-poya tahun ni.

Akan tetapi tiba-tiba tepikir pulak challenge baru. Can I do a tri-nation visit within a month? Well not exactly a month, but a few weeks apart from each trip. 14-17 Sept to Bangkok, then 8th-10th Oct to Singapore and 19th-22nd to Yogjakarta, Indonesia. All I can say is that, I'm still alive. But between these 3 trips, tah berapa kali aku MC, tah berapa klinik aku pergi and tah berapa kali boss aku geleng kepala sebab assortments of sakit yang kuar including measles scare! Sigh, note to self, lain kali, please allow longer period to regroup and reenergize!

Anyway, back to the trip. Makanya sampailah aku and Kay and Jiben ke Jogja. Flight pagi buta pukul 6 pagi ke. Again note to self, no more early flights please. Nasib baik naik bas dari KL Sentral ramai orang. Dapat la aku tido dengan aman sampai airport. Tahun ni ni la trip aku mencemar duli pergi LCCT. Seriously, the terminal need a bigger space. Lain kali, buat je la semua benda besar-besar, even if half of it is occupied by hantu ke penunggu ke... eventually nanti tak muat jugak. Tak payah la susah-susah asyik nak buat construction nak extend itu ini.

Jogja just had a festive weekend sebab anak raja dia baru kawin. Dengar kata 3 hari 3 malam pesta tari menari gilang gemilang diadakan. Satu bandar tutup, makan semua free la apa la. But by the time kitaorang touchdown, dah habis la pulak. Perhaps it's a good thing jugak, sebab semua orang dah balik. Kang nak pergi mana-mana susah pulak. Tapi if dapat sibuk-sibuk ambik gambar best jugak kot.

The taxi driver who drove us to the hotel patiently explained what had transpired over the 3 days before. All of the who's who that came over. He tried to console me by saying, "Takpe.. ada lagi anaknya yang masih belum kahwin. Nanti bisa datang lagi ke Jogja". Somehow, this is one thing that I am amazed of the Indonesian people. They are very proud of their heritage and culture, they love to share and tell you everything. And they tell it so beautifully, terpegun aku dengar. Macam best sangat, padahal takde la apa pun. This driver who spoke so softly manage to answer all of my questions about Jogja in that just few minutes ride. Tak payah nak wiki-wiki.

Unlike aku naik teksi kat KL ni. Somehow conversation always get tangled into politics. Just last months, the uncle behind the wheel, tetiba riled up and keep on repeating..."dia cakap dia main punggung... lepas tu dia cakap balik.. ha itu C4 punya case macam mana... dia main punggung ... dia C4...kita semua tengok wayang hari-hari" We started of talking about a chinese restaurant, tah macam mana end up here. No doubt memang kelakar. Aku gelak gila babi dalam teksi tu, but makes me wonder what kind of conversation would he have with  tourists. Sama jugak la bila naik cab kat Singapore. Asal tau je kita dari KL, "So how's your Mr Najib?" Macam la aku PA dia kan.

Opps... sudah masuk simpang lain pulak ni. Back to the trip. Sorry.

We booked ourselves into Ibis Malioboro. A bit pricey sebab charges tak included breakfast. Damn. The room is very nice and most important, memang sebelah mall. Tu sebenarnya sebab nak duduk sini. Unfortunately it was too early to check in, so wandered off to check the place around.

Keluar je hotel, ada la pulak pakcik-pakcik kayuh beca ajak ronda-ronda. Since we have nothing better to do, on aje la. Yang lawaknya, tah kenapa la kitaorang ingat yang kitaorang ni boleh muat dalam satu beca. Bontot aku aje dah 3/4 beca tu. Pendek kata after the ride, aku rasa bontot aku kecik sket sbb padat sungguh dalam beca itu. Pakcik tu bawa la kitaorang jalan along Malioboro, then around the Kraton which he said is still closed and stopped at Batik shop. Ibu Kartini tertewas disini, dan telah memulakan sessi membeli belah tak hengat dunia.

Dah almost nak balik tu, baru la aku tersedar yang pakcik kayuh beca tu tak pakai kasut. Untuk menjadi lebih dramatik, dia turun pulak tolak kitaorang bila ada tempat-tempat yang naik bukit. Kitaorang offer nak turun, dia kata tak apa-apa. Tapi dok terjerit-jerit panas bila pijak jalan tu. Macam la aku ni mendera hamba abdikan. Imagine it's ripe in the afternoon, memang la tar atas jalan tu gila panas kan. Aku dah start la masuk mode hati batu. I told Kay, be prepared to get ripped off. I told her to pay the guy. Sebab karang kalau aku yang bayar, mau naik darah bila dia nak buat sob sob story. Nasib masa bayar tu, it was he price that he said before. Still la mahal kot, sebab sebenarnya murah aje naik beca ni. It was 30K rupiah = RM10 la. Aku saje je tanya, kenapa tak pakai kasut... there you asked for it... siap dengan muka nak menangis dengan tangan-tangan ... cakap la pulak tak mampu nak beli selipar. I just rolled my eyes and walked off. Ingat aku tak nampak kawan-kawan dia dok gelak-gelak kat tepi tu. Kay kata aku tersangat skeptical. Hahahahha.

By then dah tengahari, so soru time. Katanya kat sini food sangat sedap. Tapi aku rasa takde la sangat. Ada certain kedai sedap, ada yang macam hampeh. Along Malioboro ada a lot of stall called Lesehan. I think it meant kedai yang bersila atas tikar getah, on the kaki lima. Which is ganguan perasaan sebab nanti perut berlipat bila nak makan. We went to a stall which has proper stool and table. For the first meal in Jogja... wah sedap banget! I had Nasi Gudeg? Which (aku hentam aje ni kalau salah sorry).. I think meant the gulai/ kari urat/tunjang yang ada kat kedai-kedai nasi padang. Kay had Nasi Goreng apakenda. Rupa macam lemau, tapi rasanya 1st class!

And wash it down with bergelas gelas Es Teh. Aka Teh O Ais. Tapi sedap. Rasanya macam teh botol. Aku assume semua teh kat sini berasal dari teh botol. Es Teh is the source of my horrid coughing for the next 3 weeks sampai doctor almost nak suruh aku pergi chest scan!

Cheers!

Paris 2011 - Part Quatre

Bonjour!

Last day in Paree. Last day in Europe. Last day of the holiday :(

This morning we woke up early and head out to the places that we haven't been to. First stop is Notre Dame. Ada la pulak Sunday service. Public are allowed to enter for free. Mcm eerie la pulak. There's also paintings in the church tapi malas nak tengok. Pergi just nak ambik-ambik gambar je. One of the main attraction is to climb till the bell tower and take a closer look at the gargoyles guarding the cathedral.Tak kuasa la aku kalau masuk bab panjat memanjat ni.

This is what it looks like outside

And this is in the inside

Next the other museums that we haven't visisted. Top of the list, to see Auguste Rodin's work at Rodin Musuem. He is a great sculptor whose famous work includes the Kiss, the Thinker and the Gates of Hell. The scultures were real and to the detail. Memang blown away. The museum itself was a former hotel with a manicured lawn. Cantik

If you are visiting, do not miss going for a walk around in the garden. A number of sculptures are located around the ground. One of it is the Thinker

Inside, you will find the Kiss. The room is full of different version of the Kiss. Let's call this Make Out room.

This is my favorite is the below bust. Made from clay. Macam real kan.

Next we wanted to go to Musee de Orsay. Partly because we already bought a set of Orsay and Rodin ticket. Cheaper. Tah kenapa kitaorang ingat dekat musuemnya. We keep on thinking this building across the street with a golden dome is the musuem. After half and hour walk, we reached the place only to discover that it's actually an army musuem. WTF. Sekarang sudah penat.

And kenapa patah balik all the way to Rodin tadi sebab nak kena naik Metro. Musee de Orsay is actually located across from the Lourve. Adoiii pagi tu aje, berapa ribu steps tah kitaorang jalan. Nasib bila sampai sana, we get to skip the queue sebab dah beli ticket dari Rodin tadi. Kat sini dah tak berdaya nak jalan. We just pass thru to see more works from Van Gogh, Gaugin, Renoir, Boudin, Monet and tah siapa lagi. Memang best, tapi dah tak larat nak enjoy.

Around 4pm, we made our way back to the hotel. Sempat lagi tapau McD tu. Sampai je hotel, sedar-sedar our airport pick up dah sampai. Tak sempat nak makan McD terus angkat bag semua and make our way to the airport. Our flight was a night, so we had a good 3-4 hours at the airport, to sort out nak claim segala GST. The custom officers tak check pun barang-barang kitaorang. Nasib baik. Kalau aku bukak bag aku, tak tentu boleh tutup balik. They are full to the brim.

Ramai pulak jumpa orang Malaysia kat situ. Semua nak balik via Dubai. Masa nak get refund untuk GST tu aje ada geng bukit yang sangat kecoh, membuatkan minah yang kira duit hangin. Hangin pun hangin la dik, janji dapat duit. Heheheh. Flight dari Dubai ke KL pulak, aku duduk sebelah makcik Arab yang anaknya duduk KL. Takpe ke makcik tu rupanya dah pernah duduk Malaysia. Nasib baik aku tak goreng-goreng dia pasal KL. Heheheh nak sampai KL, makcik tu siap tukar sim card Digi. Hebat tak hebat!

With that, we touch down in KL on Monday 28th March at 9.30 pm. Alhamdulliah semuanya selamat. Alhamdullilah jugak semua yang plan nak buat dapat buat. And looking back, I think one of the pleasant surprise from the trip was seeing the Sunflower by Van Gogh at National Gallery in London and again at Van Gogh Musuem in Amsterdam. Never I imagined that I get the chance to take a close look at the masterpiece.

Just like this trip of a lifetime - Manifique!