December Flashback: Bermalam di Ipoh

I've decided to revisit my adventures in December last month! Yes, I haven't been blogging often, but after reading through some of my old posts, I really want to document things that happen in my life for the benefit of Future!Me and her sentimental side. 

December was a very busy month, work-wise. I won't go into details about work, but it was nice to have the holiday to look forward to while I was in the thick of things. I took a half day on the Friday before Christmas week to do something I've wanted to for years: Watch Mamma Mia! the musical. The rest of the family had their chance for this ages ago when I first left for NS. To have my ticket burnt because of bad timing! I remember how disappointed I was then. So when I heard that they would be showing again this year, I jumped at the chance.

It was a good show, though Mama and the sisters agreed that the one they saw before was much better. As I have nothing to compare to, I thought it was alright. What bothered me was the crowd of families around me with kids in tow, saying things like, "This musical isn't meant for children!" 

Well ... it's no surprise? Who told you to bring your kids along to a show about a girl whose father could be any one of three people? :/ 

The next day, Mama, the kids and I piled into the car for a road trip to Ipoh. Mama was having her high school reunion at a hotel called Tower Regency, so we decided to stay the night before heading to Penang to meet Papa (who was there to see a bike race). The journey was uneventful, and we arrived at the hotel with time to spare. 

As a first-timer in Ipoh town, all I can say is that it feels remarkably laid back. Granted, it was a Saturday ... but the streets were kind of empty, and there was a sleepy, wispy quality to the air. Hanna and I went exploring around the hotel, but all efforts to get to the rooftop proved futile. We got a great view from the top floor though; Ipoh is a strangely flat town, surrounded by mountains and rock formations. The view was beautiful. I would love to go hiking in those mountains one day.

While Mama was at her reunion, the kids and I met Mira's friend BK. We ended up having lunch at New Hollywood, which is one of those corner lot hawker-restaurants just a few minutes drive away from the hotel. BK was our official tour guide for the day.

Each of us ordered a plate of char kuey teow each, and I have to say that it was one of the best I've ever tasted. The lovely charred flavour, accompanied by juicy prawns; heaven in my mouth.

I even made a little friend while we were there. This pretty kitty plopped herself down underneath my chair and shared my shoe by placing her paw in it. She seemed healthy and well-fed. She didn't even ask for any food, I think she was just looking for company.

After lunch, we went out looking for desserts. Apparently, one of Ipoh's oldest ice cream shops is just a short walk away from the hotel. Crazy Ice Cream & Salad House has been around since the 90s, serving ... exactly what they advertise. Haha. They also have Western food on the menu, but we were only there for their homemade ice creams. The one pictured above is a banana split. I love how they included a few spoonfuls of cereal at the bottom of the dish - a nice surprise while you're digging in.

Nothing much happened afterwards. We couldn't swim in the pool because it was too crowded, and dinner at Maria's Steak House was nice though not very memorable. Mira and I were in a separate room so we spent the night watching the Suzuki Cup finals. Such a close game! Pity we didn't win, but good effort from everyone on the team. So that was the end of Day One. For the next post, I'll go into our Georgetown adventure - definitely a fun trip!

For Good

This is a really late update, but better late than never! A couple of weeks ago, me, Acu and Mira went to Singapore to catch Wicked at Marina Bay Sands. I've read the Gregory Maguire novel about three years prior, so I was interested in seeing what they changed in the musical adaptation. :) We left for Singapore on a Friday morning. Took AirAsia. It was a very short plane ride, didn't even take out my book to read.

The show was that night itself. After spending the day walking around ... OK I can't remember the name of the shopping mall. But it was right opposite our hotel. We spent the day there, then went back to the hotel to get ready for the show. Marina Bay Sands is huge! And pretty spacious. It even had a river running through it, haha. Acu contemplated trying to get into the casino to see how it's like in there, but Mira and I are underage. Oh well.

I'm comparing the photo taken above with the photo of Mira and I when we went to watch Cats at Esplanade two years earlier. It's very different. Haha!

Anyway, we weren't allowed to take photos of course, so I took this at the very end of the show. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Brought a pair of binoculars so I could see the faces of the performers. Really glad I did. I kinda liked G(a)linda in the show. Reminds me of Pinkie Pie from My Little Pony. x) They changed the ending completely from the book version, so I was taken by surprise. I like this ending better though. It's happier. 

Night shot of the skyline seen from outside Marina Bay Sands. Gorgeous or what? Pardon the low quality image. Perry takes awful pictures at night. The weather was lovely, so we walked around outside for a bit before heading back to the hotel. The next day we went shopping at Orchard Road then headed home in the evening. Just a one night trip, but I think we made the absolute most of it! And I got myself some Wicked merch hehe. :) When I got home, I downloaded the Broadway soundtrack. Playing on repeat. So goooood.

Paper bags and plastic hearts

I had no classes yesterday, so I was given the task of fetching Mira from school.
She came into the car screaming her head off.
About how there was going to be a free BLG concert on that very night.
I was like WHUT free are you serious.
And turns out it was TRUE. O_o

So we went to Bukit Kiara and sat through four acts to reach BLG performing at 10. I was quite impressed with the second act, Aizat. I only knew one song from him, 'I Go' from the Talentime soundtrack so I had good expectations of him. He was actually really good! The live version of 'I Go' is so much more awesome than the studio version. I wish I could have it. :( I even downloaded a few of his other songs I heard at the concert. Really nice. I like 'Fikirlah'. It's got a nice melody to it.

Anyway, BLG. The main reason we went.
I have no photos to show because my phone camera quality wasn't all that great and all I got was a mess of rainbow lights and a vague impression of the band amidst the coloured chaos. But the show was AWESOME. So totally worth it, waiting four hours to watch them. They played 'Love Drunk', 'Five Minutes to Midnight', 'Thunder', 'Heels Over Head', 'Heart Heart Heartbreak', 'Hero/Heroine', 'Two Is Better Than One' ... and there was one more song which I'm not so familiar with. Overall, an excellent show.

Martin jumped across the crowd barrier and did some crowd-surfing. (!!) Too bad we were standing on the opposite side of the stage. This is the second time I watched them live, but this time they've reminded me why I fell in love with their sound when I was fifteen. :)

In other news, I'm done with my group's music video project.
First time editing by myself, whoop!
I have some stuff I'm not all that satisfied about and I won't be able to rest until we're done with the presentation. Brr.

MTV World Stage

"You people are ridiculous!"
- Doug Robb, Hoobastank

He said that after the whole crowd sang along to Ghostbusters.
Freaking awesome man!
Hahaha.
Anyhoo, they were my favourite act throughout the night. I don't agree with the newspaper report. LOL.

Special ultra mega thanks to Laksh for giving me the pass to go in! :3

There's more to be said I guess but I'm kinda in a rut right now.
I HAVE A PRESENTATION TO PREPARE ARGH.
I thought I'd be done with sejarah when I left high school
Think again, my dear juniors.
:|

To Coconut Islaaaand

Woke up late today after watching the SA I Have A Dream musical last night with Laksh. It was awesome! I was really impressed. The orchestra especially, they blew me away. And the show was fun! I love the characters. Sad thing was that Laksh and I were the only ones from the 2008 batch. Gosh. Represent! Haha. Talked to some of the teachers, mainly Pn. Mary, Pn. Chua and Pn. Chris ... also bumped into a few juniors. Wanted to hang around and find people, but the musical ended late and I had to go. Hari K, Hari K. Can't wait to see everyone again.

Anyhoo, woke up late after a really weird dream about ice-skating. Which had lanes like bowling. And something about ordering food and waiting around 2 hours for it. My dream self was very pissed off and hungry. WTF. Haha. Woke up, dragged myself out of bed an hour later than usual (9.30. Yes I am a weirdo who gets up at 8.30 on a usual basis) and slouched off to feed Peach The Biting Fish.

Then I saw a box on my study table.

So I shuffle over there, with my hair sticking all over the place and your average morning expression on my face, to see a box.

This was in it.

Just imagine that the middle button bit is pink.

First thought: When the heck did this worm onto my desk??
Second thought: BLOODY HELL IT'S A FREAKING PHONE.
Third thought: *opens box* If it isn't a phone then I can laugh it off 'cause Peach is the only to know I was excited about this.
Fourth thought: OMG IT REALLY IS A PHONE. IT'S SO PRETTY. D:

I love it. I love it sooooo much. I love it THIS MUCH. *stretches arms to eternity*

Thank you Mama and Papa! You guys are awesome. :D

It's so pretty.
*sobs quietly*

Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats

Went to Singapore on Saturday to watch Cats with Mira and Acu. :D
Left the LCCT terminal at 8. Hour's flight to Singapore. Then took the train to Outram, where our hotel was. One thing about the hotel; it's ... different.

This is the view of the lobby. From the 27th floor. Mira and I went exploring together on the last day. Got into the lifts (which were bloody fast; got motion sickness watching the floors whoosh past) and punched the highest floor button. It's so high up. My knees turned to jelly staring down all those floors. xD
We showed the photos to Cik, Acu's friend. She said that it looks like a zebra's backside. Hehehe.

Anyway, to the show itself! We got seats in the third circle, which is pretty high up. Can see the performers, but too far to make out their faces. Here're some photos I yanked from Mira's camera, since that mine is sucky and grainy.


In Mira's words, "It was freaky, but awesome." Because really, the cat costumes? And the way they jumped around? Eerily cat-like. I liked to watch their tails swinging around. Haha. And everytime there are cats dancing in the middle of the stage, there were others lurking at the edges, doing feline things like cleaning their ears and playing with other cats' tails. Very cool.

At one point the cats were whispering together on stage and I heard whispering very close by. Mira elbowed me and indicated the sides (we were sitting in the middle). THERE WAS A CAT STANDING THERE. Leaning across the poor people sitting at the very end and whispering. Gah. Freaky. xD

T-shirt and keychain bought at the souvenir stand. Very fond of the t-shirt, it's just the right size. :D

Random photo shot while Mira and I were adventuring. xD

Found this store while walking down Orchard Road. Took out my camera, caused a lot of people to stare. xD Then two guys actually stopped, looked at the sign with interest and went in. Haaha.

Onwards to battle, ladies and gentlemen ...

"No moshing"?

Well so much for that warning.
I'm pretty glad nobody smoked inside the hall myself. :D

So yes. BotB. Never been to one before, today was my first. First thing I noticed upon setting foot on school grounds: everyone (nearly everyone) was wearing black. WTFish, people. xD I know black makes you look slim and all, but it stops oozing the cool factor when everyone wears it.

I was wearing red myself. Nad's tuition-buddy Andrew was wearing red too, so we were red-buddies. Speaking of which, yes, Nad, your tuition-buddies are indeed awesome cool people. :D

Anyway, the overall thing was OK - the weirded sound system killed it a little for me ... we could hear the guitars and drums, but could barely make out the lead singers. Kinda disappointing. And no moshing? No fun, if you ask me. I've never moshed before, but heck, it looks like fun.

Looks like fun, Sara? Hang a second, what happened to the 'no moshing' rule? Well ... it got scrapped. xD Basically, it started with these two guys dancing like crazed idiots in front of the stage. Then there were three. Three bands later, there was a small group, crashing into each other like water molecules (science-reference, whee). Then there was a bigger group, doing the can-can together.

Apparently, they got 'escorted out'. Poor things.

After the 'ten-minute break', things went wild. When the band started playing (can't remember which one it was) a whole group of guys leaped up and started to dance; I was at the very edge of the crowd, and it was bedlam, I tell you. More people started crashing into the makeshift mosh pit, and people were bouncing off each other, there were cameras flashing, people screaming, and the band howling away in the background. One dude got on a chair and started waving his guitar over the crowd's heads. Then one guy started crowd-surfing. A second guy followed him, and he tumbled off at one point, poor dude. He looked like he was gonna pee his pants.

It was the wackiest piece of fun I've ever seen in my life. I told everything to Acu (it's her birthday btw ... HAPPY BIRTHDAY ACU!) and she laughed and said that the moshing sounded like something out of a comedy movie.

Well, comedy's gotta come from somewhere, and I'm sure most scriptwriters are inspired by real life. I can see clearly now! *dramatic music*

Ps. Don't speak of Narnia: Prince Caspian to me. I can't watch until the holidays. Dx
Ps2. I just watched all existing episodes of Gossip Girl. All I can say is: *incoherent squeaks and blabbering*
Ps3. I am a weak human being who read the Avatar spoilers. D:

ICC and school-field sludge.

Went to my first (and possibly last) ICC last Saturday. Mira and I travelled the LRT without adult supervision for the first time ever. Papa bought us separate Touch'n'Go cards. xD So we began the journey with Nad, Jess, Ilham, Mira's friend Adila and Nad's little brother. Chan joined us later on with a guy friend. The journey was uneventful, until we realised after we got off the train that we had no idea where to go. So we followed a group of boys because Jess noticed one of them holding an ICC ticket.

The concert itself was fuuuun. :D Kudos to the council, you guys did an awesome job. One of the singing groups, Girls Like Girls played Stop and Stare and Umbrella. They were cute. xD Nad got overexcited watching them. I really liked their version of Umbrella ... pity I can't download it. The Mechanics were my favourite dancing group - they had me the moment Greased Lightning started playing. Later on while waiting for the judges to tally up their points, we watched a couple of beatboxers and two rapper guys called Dose Two. The beatboxers were awesome. I was slack-jawed for quite a while. And Nad was practically squirming off her seat watching Dose Two. xD

And as always, the lovelies of SA rocked the ceiling with our cheering. We don't need a reason to scream, ha!

In other news, raptai sukan is tomorrow. Gosh knows what that will bring. Here's to Hijau not falling SPLAT face-first in the school-field mud-sludge.

Ps. I have succeeded in borrowing Aisya's copy of New Moon. I am the envy of all Twilighters whom I recruited in the first place. Mwahahaha, I get to read it before youuu.

My Chemical Romance - Live in KL

Guess where I went yesterday?

I'll give you a three letter guess: M ... C ... R.

Got it yet? :D

Papa, Mira and I went to Stadium Merdeka at around 6.20 pm. The place was packed! There stalls around the outside of the stadium, selling t-shirts and food and stuff. Our seats were on the benches, which means that we get to sit down if we want to, but the stage will be the size of a matchbox. We got into the stadium just as Pop Shuvit were performing, and at that point the only ones jumping around and screaming were the people right in front of the stage.

After Pop Shuvit went off, the lights facing the audience were turned on, so nobody could see what was going on on the stage itself. It was 7 pm around that time.

Finally, after more than a half hour, the lights went off, and the crowd went wild. That's when we could hear the guitar playing - then the stage burst into light, and How I Disappear started playing. Halfway through the concert, after one of the songs, one note was played. Just one note. The very first one leading to Welcome To The Black Parade. And everyone exploded! It was AWESOME.

Mira and I took pictures, but since that we were pretty far off and the camera zoom could only go so far, everything is just a blur of lights and colour. We could see pretty well actually. Although the band were like fairly large ants to us. I spent most of the time watching the screen on either side of the stage.

Here're the best of what we took last night. If you squint, and maybe lean forwards a little more ... you can just make out the band members on stage. :p I tweaked them a little on PSP9 so that they'll be a tad bit clearer. Sorry folks, if you're lookin' for hi-res full-blown pics, I suggest you look through some other blogs. ;)

You don't have to try squinting here ^, the concert ended already. :p

So there you have it. :) My very first concert! It drizzled through the entire thing, so if you weren't wet from sweating, you were wet from the rain. The band was great. Almost too solid, Papa said. They played all the songs except two from the Black Parade album, and a few from their old albums, like Helena.

I wouldn't mind living through it again. -nodnod-

I-do-wish-they'd-played-Disenchanted-though-Sara

Ps. I just went to look at MCR's Myspace page, and one of the comments cracked me up. Yesterday, Gerard Way called themselves the 'American Sex Boys'. Which was a hoot, I tell you. Anyway, I look through the comments, and a Malaysian dude said thanks for the concert and called them the American Sex Boys. Another commenter replied that with:

' "american sex boys". . .?
what ?

sometimes your fans say the weirdest things.'

xD