Latin Carnival


Nelson´s Column


Statue of the Angel


Buckingham Palace


Green Park


An afternoon indulgence: A good book, good SB Coffee, good SB Panini, and a good tub of Ben & Jerry´s (the next best ice cream after Haagen Daaz)


Meal attempt #2


we probably had the best weekend last week since summer started, the sky was blue and temperature hit an all time high of 26 degrees, it was really hot! anybody and everybody who has a life were out in the sun, filling every inches of every parks with deck chairs and books and food, soaking in the sun for all they´re worth...

it was already late by the time we got to green park, half naked sun worshippers were already all over the place...so we took a stroll to the buckingham palace, hoping to catch the ´guard changing´ceremony...but alas, they only do it every other day and it so happened that we were on ´the other´day...

not to be downcasted, we walked to trafalgar square where we were supposed to meet Eduardo´s friends: a bunch of spanish students studying in Brighton and were on a one-day trip to London...

so we were basking in the sun while waiting for them to arrive, when Eduardo suddenly turned around, put on a solemn face and asked:´what are you gonna do when you meet the girls?´ I was like: ´what do you mean?´ by then he can no longer control his grin and asked:´are you gonna give them the two kisses or the hand shake?´

knowing very well that we dont embrace intimacy so much from our part of the world, the dude was having a good time picturing me in the embarrassing and awkward moment when he should introduce me to his friends; he then went on educating me that the hand shake should best be avoided if i do not want to offend anybody...

i didnt want to spoil the fun by telling him that ive traveled and have met people outside my country, i know very well when to give the kiss and when not to, thank you very much...

as it turned out, his concern was totally uncalled for, upon the exchanges of names, the girls simply reached out their arms, grabbed your back, pulled you closer and sticked their cheeks towards your lips for you to give them two pecks, you hardly have time to protest, not that i wanted to.. :p

it was really great meeting new friends, albeit for only few hours, we had the obligatory drinking session, chilled out for a bit, i listened to everyone babbling in spanish and everyone made an attempt to talk to me in their limited english words that they learned from school...

The same thing happened on Sunday - Me having a lotta Spanish exposure...we went to the latin music carnival at Burgess Park, in Elephant & Castle...it was a massive event, thousands of revellers having the time of their life, dancing to non-stop hispanic songs, enjoying the rides and food fair, and for the most part just lying down on terra firma and taking the infamous Spanish Siesta...

i met two of Fabian´s friends from Barcelona and Madrid, getting the contacts so that i have places to crash when im there later next month...

it´s gotten so comfortable that it´s a lil´hard to leave right now...

why am i such a confused and indecisive person?

hola mi amigo...

the sun is out again and everyone is pretty much getting the most out of it whenever they can...summer has finally arrived!

nothing much happened for the past few days except i feel that my days making sushi are numbered...it´s just time to move on...

will try to make some plans now and see how it goes...dun wanna procrastinate anymore...

till you hear from me again...

Shila getting all smile pre-shopping


Acton Market Place


Eduardo getting all drunk when we got back home from Soho


Pasta challenge


Friday night at Soho



Im so absolutely excited right now, just received an email from Petr and Carola (germans) that they will be visiting me in London in two weeks´time...this cant be any more thrilling, ive always wanted to meet up my travel friends from New Zealand and now it is finally happening! the girls have also invited me to Oktoberfest in Munich and i might just take them up for it...and coincidentally, Chloe will be in Germany too, so i can actually crash at her place and save up some money, this is just too good to be true...

Also, the spanish boys in my house have asked me to follow them back to Valencia come September, and im giving the proposal a serious thought right now, that means my travel plans will have to change, i was actually planning to be in south west England to stay with Suya at that time...

it´s good that things are finally happening for me...i always do believe that things happen in stages...before this, i was in the settling-down-and-getting-complacent stage, right now im in the planning stage, and it is the most exciting stage of all!

like i said, things are pretty much routine now, i go to work everyday, come back home every evening to chill with the folks till night falls and then i go to bed, the same thing will happen in the next day, and the following day until friday night where we´ll head down town to party...

last friday we went to a very good club in Soho and had such a fabulous time, the music were good and the people were cool, had a few drinks, spent some pounds, played on the slots and lost 10 pounds, it was all good fun...

On saturday, Shila asked me to accompany her to do some shopping in Richmond, and of course, i bought something for myself too...apparently the only difference between high street and designer is a mere 20 pounds! i was choosing between a Gap jeans and a CK jeans, the former at 20 pounds and the latter at 40, after massive reduction...so i guess the choice is pretty obvious, right?

with that said, im adamant to save up some money so that i can travel later, will really need to watch that spending a lil´bit, it´s just so easy to spend money here in London!

oh yeah, weather is absolutely shit these days, it´s flooding every where in England, so i guess it´s only rational if i leave this place pronto...

later...

A quickie meal


The books that ive borrowed


Pizza at the Italian Restaurant


Fabian trying his hand on Korean chopsticks


London


Now that i´ve moved to Acton, i get to borrow my housemates´laptop to access to the internet, but i´ll try to restrict myself to once-a-week online usage...

every friday evening, we have our TGIF drinking session at home, and yesterday, i had two sessions...my polish coworkers have asked me along to grab a few drinks and they dont take no for an answer...so when we got off work at 5, we hopped into the nearest liquor store, which is everywhere, got ourselves some beer, and headed to the park...

apparently everyone likes drinking at the park here, well, when the sun is shining...so we drank for a couple of hours, enjoying the sunlight and the cool breeze, talking about our carefree lives and the neverending travel tales, and all the if-onlys scenario...booze tend to make you think that life is good and anything is possible...

before we know it, it was getting cold, and everyone needed to piss, so we relieved ourselves at the supermarket and henry cant resist the urge to buy more booze while we´re at it...so he got us another box of beer and we headed back to his house for round two...

at ten, when everyone was really drunk and happy, i excused myself and told everyone that i really have to leave, as ive promised my housemates to join them at home...everyone protested of my departure but i managed to persuade them that there will be other times...

when i got back home, i had my round three of drinking, the spirit was high and everyone enjoyed themselves thoroughly...We all listened to spanish and japanese songs while savouring on sushis, paninis and dim sum, yeah, weird combination, i know...

i woke up this morning to a very dry throat and fixed myself some anti-hungover beverage of cocoa and milk...after that, i forced myself to do my weekly chores of laundry and groceries shopping...then i got fabian to accompany me to the local library to borrow some books...

it was a painless affair getting a membership at the library, it took us a mere 5 minutes and we got ourselves sorted out, with the help of the over-enthusiastic librarian who speaks multiple languages, it saved me lotsa time explaining to fabian of all the procedures that was involved, as the dude speaks minimal English, and between us, we required lotsa hand gesture and facial expressions to get the message through, but we´re getting better at the art of communication...

I can borrow up to 15 books at a time and it´s completely free! they dont take any deposits from us and trust that we will return the books when it´s dued, i can also make the books renewal online, how´s that? now im really utilising the tax that ive paid to the government...

once a week i allow myself to dine with style in the restaurants and pay tips to the waiters like a true gentleman...it feels really good leaving behind a 20 pounds note for a bill of 18 pounds, and to date, we´ve had Thai, Italian, Chinese, Indian, and lebanese cuisine...

was gonna go to the theatre for Les Miserables last weekend but everything was sold out, even other options like Lion King, Wicked, and Fame...you really needa book everything in advance here in London, there are just too many ppl here...

life´s all good though...

Spanish Potato Omelette


Muffin and TV are a good combination


Beef Tacos


Big Ben


attempted to take an artistic picture, failed...


River Thames



North Acton, London


this is just great, i've just moved out of Camden Town to North Acton like two days ago, and everything is settling down perfectly, just the way ive anticipated it...

right now im sharing room with Zeus, a mexican guy, and he, being a bad influence that he is, is really easy to hang around with...the first thing that we talked about when i moved into the room and have barely sat down was:' Hey listen, you wanna go to the bar with me later?' and then we just hit it off like that, they say drinking is the best way to get to know someone and aint it just so true?

My other housemates in this beautiful two-storey English house include a Korean girl, an English Girl, and two spanish dudes, and they are just how an ideal housemates should be...

Due to my age, i'm sorta like the big brother in the house now, with exception of Yun, the korean, everyone else is around 22, 23 y/o...but the thing is, i feel like they know more stuffs than i do, giving me advice on London and other European countries, where to go and where not to go...the spanish told me that ive just missed the run-with-the-bull insanity at Pamplona and ppl-throwing-tomatoes-at-each other festival in another city and urged that i really needa SEE IT...i guess im more keen on the latter as i really hate animal cruelty, on the contrary however, some PETA activists have decided to go NUDE to protest against the festival, now that's really something else that i can look forward to... :p

on the first night, Yun cooked us some Korean delicacies that involved shrimps, veges and beef, it was really good having home-cooked meals again after surviving on fast food, pasta, cous cous, and bread...then yesterday i tried some potato omelette thingy prepared by Ando and Fabian and it was scrumptious! Zeus also attempted to impress me with his Mexican beef tacos and while i love it, i miss the americanised Mexican food at TGIF and Chilies back home, cant help thinking of the nachos and fajitas...

it's just so shameful that i have no Malaysian food to reciprocate to all these displays of different cuisines, but i really cant cook! so to make up for it, i offered SUSHI to everyone, pretending to be a japanese instead, it worked, :p

So this would be the senario at dinner time, Yun, who works at Starbucks, would bring back coffee and muffins every evening, Zeus would bring back beef and meat from his restaurant while i'll be handing out sushi boxes, the spanish are still looking for jobs, so they joked that they should get a job at Tesco and bring back household supplies instead, now that sounds like a fine idea, dont u think?

yesternight Zeus (he's a self-proclaimed alcoholic) dragged me to the supermarket to get booze...just when i've promised myself to go easy on drinking and save some money for later, now im being arranged to sleep with this dude who HAS TO drink every freakin' night, i guess im just destined to have to spend that SIN money...to look on the bright side though, we bought two dozen calsberg for only £10, so it's less than 50 pence per can which means it's only rm3!

i'm telling you, the purchasing power is that good here, with £10 in your pocket you can walk away with loads of goods in the supermarket...Haagen Daaz ice cream selling for only £2 for a 500ml tub, and lotsa other good deals...i guess ive turned myself into some cheapskate shoppers looking for bargained products all the time, but what to do, im not really earning the big bucks here...

will probably stay here until at least end of next month as im really getting to like all the ppl that ive met...looking forward to chill out tomorrow at the free music festival...and i heard it's not gonna pour, so it should be a fine day out...

Freak storm


Money Money Money


Red Alert


A bowl of tomyamkung for 6pnds


It's getting pretty unnerving these days, what with the city going into red alert with all the threats and going-ons, everyone's feeling pretty touchy..

i escaped a tube derailment this morning where 800 tubers were stucked underground for 2 hours! i would have been caught as well should i get on a later train...

The met department has announced that there shall be no summer this year, with the only summer day being on 15th of July...it's been raining every freakin' day and im not enjoying it at all...There are lotsa activities taking place in town despite the shitty weather, and this weekend 'Le tour de France' is kickstarting in central london...i guess i will be witnessing it, to see what the hoohaa is about...

been looking for a place to move out too, cant crash at the girls' place forever, albeit it saves me some 100 pounds a week...but there is only so long that dossing is allowed, you know...i know i'm always welcomed to stay as long as i like, but im not gonna risk trespassing ppl's hospitality...

now that i have some income, i guess i should be planning for my next destination, will get myself sorted out for all the fantastic deals and travel as cheaply as possible...i still cant get used to the idea that im paying 90 pounds a week for tax...why should i be contributing to renovate the queen's palace? it's just pure absurdity...

anyway, im really looking forward to Harry Potter next week...the casts were at Leicester square for the premiere but i didnt join the screaming kids in the rain...im not THAT into it...

later...

Summer sale is on


Free sushi i bring home every day


Mamma Mia on stage


Fame on stage


Chicago on stage

The past week has been totally chaotic, what with Tony Blair stepped down and Gordon Brown come on stong with his new cabinet, things are really changing for me...i know im not a political person, ask me anything about it and chances are i'll merely give u a blank stare...but really, people are pretty enthusiastic bout it here...how nice to able to criticize your new PM on national television and newspaper? the freedom of speech here is a wonderful thing...

my information bout all the happening events come from the free newspapers from the tube station everyday, the vendor will shove one into your unsuspecting arm when you happen to walk by them, and if you miss them, there are papers everywhere in the train, and reading them has become my daily past time in the tube...it can get pretty boring underground...

so how do all these changes of political power affect me? for one thing, in conjunction with the new PM taking over the throne, some Al Qaeda freaks decided to share the lime light by planting a Merc full of explosives at Picaddily Circus...and yeah, they bloody suspended the tube line because of the scare, the entire area has been cordoned off...

I never knew my life is gonna be threatened here in London until another bomb scare hit me earlier on the Northern line, some 'suspicious' packages have been found in the tube and now the line has been closed for inspection...just when i needed to get home! and no, the weather hasnt been the finest lately, i ended up walking on the street under the rain to look for the appropriate bus stand...talk bout the worst day here in London...did i mention im having a bad toothache and migraine?

I've come to rely on the weather forecast here, albeit it is pretty predictable, if it is not cloudy and gray, it is pouring, so go figure...saying London has a bad weather has got to be an understatement of the year...

Furthermore, with the new PM now in place, some folks are taking the opportunity to come together and go on strike...yeah, that's a pretty common phenomenon here...what do you do if you're not happy with the government? yeah, make your voice heard! some hundreds of tube employees have come together to protest for a pay rise, along with the post service crews stopped delivering mails today to ask for a five-workday-a-week amendment...just when im waiting for my debit card to be delivered...so how am i not affected?

on a positive note however, London is going smoke free from tomorrow with the smokeban in place! what a relieve! imagine having no more puffing billy in the pubs and bars! yeah, and my working place too... :p

The summer sale is on and i went on my first shopping spree after three weeks here...Oxford street has gone completely mad, and i mean, the entire place is simply packed! Queueing up to pay is a real hassle, and i thought the Isetan presale in KL was bad...i got some really good stuff from Gap, Topman, and Von Dutch...at a very good price too.. so luvin' it...

oh yeah, i went to a free musical weekend at Leicester square last week, most of major West End musicals and plays have given up their matinee shows to come to showcase their talent here, for free!

guess that's all for now...more london post to come while im still here...

Yay, i found this internet cafe that charges an unbelievable price...you would never guess how cheap it is...it's even cheaper than KL!

so far, ive seen charges as expensive as £8 an hour, yeah, that's just plain daylight robbery, other places normally offer £1 for one hour's usage...

and my secret place? £1 for unlimited usage....wahahaha....no, i do have life here apart from hanging around internet cafe, just needa settle some errands online, that's all...

Working as a sushi maker aint the toughest job in the world, but it can take its toll on you...looking on the bright side however, i get to eat free sushi! an average sushi box here could cost you around £7, and a komachi set around £12, yeah, it aint no fastfood...

liquor, on the under hand, it's relatively affordable...one pint of beer at the bar cost around £3, but if you get it at tesco, think the same price for five cans...

it's summer so the drinking is on...lotsa music festivals are taking place and ppl are hanging out late...sunrise at 4am and set at 10pm ish...oh btw, today is the longest day in UK...

'Lord of the Rings, the musical', premieres yesterday at West End, apparently it's one of the most expensive West End productions, and it suffers some very bad reviews from critics...

I'm thinking of cathing a series of theatres while im here but it'll hafta wait till perhaps next month, just needa stock up the bank account first...

in the mean time, i'm interested to visit the places in London featured in the Monopoly board game, starting from Pall Mall and ending at Mayfair...of course, ive already been to Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, Oxford street and the like and all the train stations in the map, but it'd be cool to walk down all that spots that inspired the game creator...

guess that's all for now...

The London Underground has gotta be one of the most complicated, busiest, oldest, dodgiest, and so on, in the world...

first time users might find it daunting at first, upon entering the tube you'll feel as though you're in a labyrinth, and im not kidding! one station could link up to four lines, imagine finding your way to the right one...

despite that, being the smartass that i am, i've got it all under control, the system is in my finger tips now...let's just say ive been using the tube like every single day since ive got here, and pretty much have covered most of the stations in every lines, zone 1 and zone 2...aint i the traveler?

but really, the underground is not a pleasant place to hang around...it is dim, stuffy, pulluted, HOT, and full of weird people, and i dont mean the 'underground performers', most of them are pretty talented really, just the other day there was this fiddler playing Vivaldi's, and it was so good that i actually stopped to listen to him play...

the government is currently undergoing some massive refurbishment to the underground and adding new lines in time for Olympic 2012, yeah, it's a huge thing here, the paper talks bout it every day, and the current debate is on the london2012 logo...apparently everyone hates it and are trying to get them to redesign...personally it wasnt very appealing, i dont get the message of the logo at all!

one thing i like about the transportation here is that it is so convenient, it gets you literally everywhere! and when the new high speed train is ready in august, i can be in scotland just in a blink of an eye...

the roads in central london are very narrow, nothing like the three lanes we have back home, but the side walk is just so wide! yeah, the londoners do like walking a great deal, and they have every reason to be...the congestion charge in downtown london is £8 per day, not too expensive in their standard, it's equivalent to rm 8 back home...would it deter you from using the car in KL if you have to fork out rm 8? i dont think so...

no, London is not my favourite place, and i'll say it again...there are lots to see and do, dont get me wrong, but it is really too crowded for my liking...walk down the street and chances are you'll see lotsa immigrants, everyone speaking in their own tongue...and yeah, the brits hate london, and most of them stay away from it if they can help it...

will let you guys know when i leave this place...


Underground map

Covent garden


British Museum



Meal prepared by Shila


Well, it's been a week now, and im still alive and well, that has to count for something, right?

Started working as a Sushi maker and earning national minimum wage, after tax i only get about £220 per week....cant complain really, at least i'll be able to support myself now...

yeah, i know ive been bitching bout london being overcrowded and all, but i really needa stick around and save some pounds first before i can move on...i hate to travel with the money i brought with me...

went to Hillsong Church on Sunday and it was a real blast! i truly did enjoy the service and felt God's presence...

was at Hyde park yesterday and we went looking for the glamourous people at Kensington, apparently you can always spot some celebs around...im considering moving to Notting Hill, they say being a waiter there can earn you hundreds of pounds a day! now that's really something...

weather's gloomy lately...

London Underground

Art galleries everywhere


Theatres everywhere
Chinatown


Malaysia Week


Trafalgar Square


Tower Bridge


Summer time


London Eye

London, Tottenham Court Road


Phew...this place is insane, and by that i mean the entire city is pretty generic, the roads, the buildings, the people...im not sure i like it...

arrived safely without any hiccups and immediately my travelers' instinct came to me (it's a gift... :p)...i quickly got myself an oyster card and hopped into the tube at Heathrow...i alighted the train here and went to consult the banking officer to set up a Barclay bank account...

Once i've settled my financial task, i went to collect my Simcard, just like that, im accessible to anyone in town with a UK phone number...

met up with Phenny and Furnny and we went sightseeing for a bit, they told me of all the major attractions and where all the theatres are located...

this place is like a wonderland for theatres freak, every other corner sits a theatre in what seems like just a normal building, nothing like the Theatre at esplanade, singapore...I was delighted to see Les Miserables playing at Queen's and some other favorites like Chicago, Evita, MammaMia, LionKing, Mary Poppins, you name it, they have it...

im not sure if i have all the funds yet to catch the shows and other attractions, everything is just so expensive here...we went for a drink at the bar and the cocktails are priced 6 pounds and above...

transportation is costly too, to get a weekly tube pass i needa pay £23...how can i not work? of course, the accommodation is a killer, cheapest room in a flat requires at least £100 a week...

weather is heavenly at this time of the year, it's supposed to be a hot summer but it's still kinda chilly for me at 18 degrees...

i will get some pictures up and running before long...needa get myself settled down first...im still contemplating whether i should leave london or not...

Oh yeah, it's Malaysia week in central london at the convent park, we witnessed some malay cultural dance there and savoured some malaysian food...they are selling teh tarik for £1.50 and satay at £1 per stick, aint that daylight robbery? it's just so funny traveling thousands of miles to see all the malaysian food here...

quite honestly, i miss home already....the people here are so distant from one another, havent met any backpackers yet, and i dont think i will staying in london, more than half the people here are foreigners...

missing everyone back home...

It's just so hard

to say goodbye...

First pit stop - London

It's getting too hard to ignore...

for the past few weeks ive been evading the idea of leaving the comfort of home and to embark on a journey to one of the most expensive countries in the world, especially so for us who's using RM, just think of your money being divided by seven, that's how poor you're gonna become...

eventhough living the life of a pauper is not something new for me (i havent been working for two months now, go figure...), i shudder to think of my plight in downtown London when im penniless and homeless...will i end up sleeping in the park? good thing it's summer now... :)

As of now i've yet to arrange any lodgings for myself, and i have no head or tail what's it gonna be when i arrive at Heathrow, i will be totally lost for sure...

Looking on the bright side however, this wont be the first time im doing this, experience is a valuable thing when it comes to traveling, i will have no problem pestering passers-by for directions and advice, and somehow i'll be able to make friends along the way to travel together, yeah, im charming that way... :)

It's about time i sent out emails to all my contacts in the UK, friends are crucial when you're in a foreign land, and i have no doubt they will put up with me under any circumstances...did i mention that everybody loves Marcus? lol.

This is the life that i've chosen, as envy as i could be seeing everyone around me earning the big bucks and driving nice cars and buying big houses, i know i have to do what im about to do, how many times in your life will you be able to live as a 25 y/o? once...

im not concern of my future undertakings, i mean, not yet...and i'm sure i'll manage it when it comes...havent i always been carefree? now that's the spirit...

So right now im just gonna put on a positive attitude to my rather bleak future and look forward to all the uncertainties and challenges ahead of me...

I'll make an effort to update my situation in this blog as frequent as possible, just to let you guys know that im still alive and well...start worrying if you havent heard from me for a while...

:p

Am i gonna enjoy London?

The less said about the Musical 'My Fair Lady', the better...

You know how a salesperson behind any EDT counters always offer you coffeebeans to sniff at when you are choosing among the many fragrances, this is exactly how it feels...

I still cant put the smell of POTO off my mind...

watching two musicals one week apart has never been a good idea to begin with...but it was inevitable, considering the production only runs for six nights...and rightly so...

We went for the very last show staged in the Plenary hall at KLCC...and while the venue isnt made to stage any Broadway or Westend production, it wasnt the reason why MFL didnt appeal to me...

Boy, was i bored! The opening sees a ruckus happening in what was portrayed as the market place...well, i can only guess since they put a whole new meaning to the phrase 'bare essential', the sets and props were scarce, little or no effort were put to the lightings and flooring, there were minimal scenes, and special effects were non-existent, and let's not go to the ugly black curtains part...

I hate it that they perform the scene transitions right in front of our very eyes, everything was so bland and dull, and i was actually looking forward to intermission few minutes after the curtain was drawn...i was yawning non stop, and it's not because ive had a long day...

The orchestra didnt leave me a lasting impression, and dont get me wrong, they werent bad, it's the bad music arrangement that was to be blamed, the score just wasnt that fabulous, and it's easily forgettable...

The singing was OK, and i mean she's really good at doing what she's doing, again, song choice, song choice...haha, am i starting to sound like Randy Jackson or what? of course, in this case, she didnt get to choose her songs... :p

there were too many dialogues for my liking, right from the fracas in the beginning through to the feud in the mansion, and too little singing, not taking reprises into account...for those who have an eye for details, they were deprived of it...very little was going on on stage...

We really didnt go there to listen to conversations in English accent, if ive wanted that, i would go to England...with that said, i havent really enjoyed the night...

Now say with me,

'The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain'

Phantom and me...

It's been such a long wait, but i'm not complaining, the experience is worthwhile, it's almost magical, and i'm still awestruck!...i believe that feeling will never go away...

Knowing that POTO will never make it to KL not unless there's a major facelift of IB and when fellow malaysians have more sense of Theatre appreciation, i took the opportunity to head down to our lovely neighbour's to witness this world-renowned production, this is as close as it gets in the region!

The Theatre@theBay in Esplanade, Singapore is truly an architecture's dream toy, the interior is designed in such a way that everyone feels like being a member of high society, the foyer is luxuriously woodpaneled, every inch being varnished so meticulously that it gleams in triumph, the whole place was glowing!

Opera aficionados can be seen dressing up to the occasion, and it was not uncalled for, it was Mother's day afterall, and what better way to celebrate it if not to bring the mothers to one of the most celebrated opera in the world...

POTO is the brainchild of highly acclaimed Andrew Lloyd Webber, my obsession with it started when a friend of mine lent me the OST of Phantom along with Andrew's other works, i was hooked! and then the movie version came along some couple of years back and ive seen it at least three times already!

Suffice to say that i've been anticipating the musical for some time now, and finally i can cross that out from my things-to-do-before-you-die list, and i do believe that should be in EVERYONE's list...It is like a dream comes true for me to listen to 'all i ask of you', my favourite song in POTO, be sung live on stage...though personally i still prefer Sarah Brightman and Cliff Richard's version.

The musical started off with the auction, it was so surreal watching it for the first time in theatre, i knew for a fact that i'm a POTO fan when i got goosebumps upon hearing the tunes of 'masquerade' from the monkey musical box, the hall was in total silence save for the distinct tune from the box, everyone was holding their breath in anticipation! and when the Chandelier was erected to the top, i teared up...it was such a touching moment...and we all know the famous pipe organ opening of POTO, it can get to you, i promise...

Everything was spectacular, and i'll say it again, EVERYTHING! I wish i have extra pairs of ears and eyes just to take everything in...so many things are going on simultaneously, the sets and props are phenomenal, it makes you wonder of the things that people can do, the replicas of the Paris Opera House and the Phantom's lair, the special effects, the curtains coming together beautifully, the scenes transition, the lightings, the casts, the costumes, i simply love everything!

The Orchestra is top-notch, i couldnt find flaws with any instruments at all, as it is, my ears were expanded to catch different the rhythms and tunes from different instruments, it was orchestrated perfectly, the music was flawless, end of story...

In a way im glad i wasnt seating too close to the stage, if i had, i would be paying too much attention to the expressions of the casts, and by doing so, you will miss out what the other casts are doing, hence you dont get the BIG picture, so what does it matter if i cant tell if the casts are goodlooking or not, or to witness the distorted face of the phantom, i was there for the music and renditions, and for the set on stage...My favorite setting being the river in the dungeon, when the gondola slides across the stage in a foggy ambience, enchanted by the candles, it was simply breathtaking...

My only regret is when the Chandelier crashes to the ground, it wasnt as dramatic as anticipated...for some reason i was actually picturing the chandelier comes crashing down at gravity speed and smashes to pieces on the ground, and they would have to replace the chandelier every single time, how silly of me... :p

All in all, it was a very inspiring trip, and i think i've got the calling of being a cast in theatre! imagine the applause and the standing ovation at the end of every show, so glorious! I'll give it to the Phantom (Brad Little) and Christine Daae (Rebecca Knowles) for their vocals, truly remarkable, despite the unmistakable exhaustion after having such a long run since March, and not to mention the matinee performance earlier in the afternoon...

Everyone should see the show at least once in their lifetime, i know i'll be dating POTO many times in years to come...

Bravo!

God is good...

Not too long ago, mom discovered a small lump just where her throat is, so she went to her doctor to get him to look at it...what followed was a few days of hospital stay and a minor operation where they cut away a speciment of the cyst and sent it to the lab for a diagnostic test...

During this time, we have all prayed fervently that the tumor is not cancerous; it's nothing life-threatening, but the entire process will be more complicated if the lump is malignant...more operations to follow, resulting in greater suffering, and not to mention all the therapy and medication in years to come...it can be very disheartening...

So on Saturday, the good folks at Gleneagles revealed the test result...The cyst is said to be benign with no suspicion of malignancy (whatever that means)...I was like, cant they just confirm that she's well with greater conviction? What if they suspect wrongly? Well, i guess we'll take it, im sure no one would wanna be taken accountable by giving a definite answer, it's human body we're talking about afterall...very unpredictable...

With that, i can now heave a sigh of relief and look forward to Mother's day celebration this weekend...

Thank You Lord for your blessing...

Beautiful Malaysia...

Wow, some weekend that was...

Archie came to KL and i conveniently offered to show him around while he's in the city...again, i have all the time in the world...

we really didnt do much, because there aint much to do...so i brought him and Rasmus, another danish guy, to Batu Caves and quickly regretted it afterward...everyone was tired and to climb up some 200+ steps aint all that appealing, did i mention it was 35 degrees? oh yeah, the place was filthy, screaming: welcome to Malaysia!

Rasmus suggested that we should have more trash bins around, that should do the trick...i havent the heart to tell him that the malaysians take pride in littering AROUND the bins, yeah, they are all trying to make a statement, i just dont know what it is...

Being an observant guy, archie informed me that whenever i signalled to turn left or right on the road, no one would let me pass, instead, they will speed up their vehicles just so that you wont be able to get in front of them, he was like: what's wrong with them?

It's all just over-rated, i confided, all that brochures and advertisements that showcase Malaysians being warm and friendly do not actually happen in real life...They are, in fact, a bunch of very unhappy individuals who hated their work and their life and they are demonstrating their anger on the road...

We came across so many customer service representatives and waiters with long and sour faces, who do not hesitate to showoff their irritation with everything and everyone around them...my friends were stunned! 'She would have gotten fired immediately in Holland', said archie.

Was i ashamed? Hell yeah...but i really dont mind the foreigners having a bad impression of Malaysia, the ppl wont change for a hundred years, so why worry about it?

At night we went to the clubs, everything went well and we were having a great time until we were told by the bouncers that we shouldnt stand so near the 'reserved' tables, the high and mighty ppl need their space and privacy...that totally set us off and we didnt stay another minute more...

Visit Malaysia 2007 huh? I think this is a good year for everyone to come and visit the country so that they can go back and warn everyone else dont bother coming...Good Job!

Sunshine...

it was as expected, 'sunshine' is merely another replica of existing space-venture films - the core, armageddon, deep impact...and the list goes on...

all the necessary elements are there - the state-of-the-art spacecraft, what's her name? Icarus, and for those of you who watch AXN, it will remind you very much of Andromeda...I dont care so much of the lookalike, it is afterall, the age of A.I, and talking machines are not unheard of, so we'll let it pass...

and then of course we have the usual storyline - The earth is dying (in this case, the Sun), and the mission signifies the life and death of mankind, we have a troupe of very gung ho astronauts, physicist, physician, scientist, and even a biologist, who would care for nothing except to complete the mission (something about launching a bomb into the sun, not much scientific explanation was given).

It's inevitable, someone HAS TO die, something HAS TO go wrong, someone MUST come up as a Hero and volunteer to die, and in the end, everyone dies...Hmm, why didnt i see that coming? :p

Our very own Michelle Yeoh (i refuse to give her the 'title', come and arrest me...) is in the film, bad acting apart, i really have little comment on her, it still beats me how she's gone international, i want to see some justification! Alright, maybe im coming too hard on her, but it's nothing personal...Still, if anyone should sacrifice for the mission, it should be her, i see little contribution from her role other than taking care of the plants, not like she's producing 02 or something...Funny thing is, she keeps coming about how the entire crew wont survive with the remaining 02 and someone has to go, but never put her name down in the waiting list...

I wont say the film is not worth your time, but if you have to go, please go on a wednesday like i did, and be prepared for a perplexed ending, which totally makes no sense at all...

Guess im all set now, i've purchased my airticket to fly to Heathrow, London, via Qantas...no turning back...

Will be missing Sam's wedding, but with today's technology, video conferencing will put us together, no matter where we are...one click on the web and the flowers shall be delivered...i'm loving this era...

We had very economical Carlsberg at Happy Garden on saturday, a bucket for only rm52! alright, the ambience is no where near Social@bangsar where i was drinking with Niv on Friday, but we were so bz catching up with each other that we could hardly be bothered with our surroundings...and before we know it, it was 2am...

I got a haircut at Snips@Curve, it isnt my favorite salon, but my hairstylist did a good job chatting me up, she didnt stop talking for the entire duration of 2h! She also talked me into getting a scalp treatment, resulting in a bill of rm130, and yes, i did mention to her that i am currently jobless...

will try to hangout less in weeks to come, dont feel good getting money from mom...In all fairness, i NEVER asked money from her, well, at least not anymore...but when she leaves me money deliberately in my room, i cant argue with her regarding her habit, can i?

And what's with Sanjaya still sticking around in AI? am i the only one or is anyone finding him too painful to watch too? Im seriously considering boycotting the show if this aint a singing talent show but a L'oreal hairstyling show...Being a minority doesnt earn him the right to mock the show like that...

Very excited with Amazing Race: All stars, they are in KL now (current episode)! Will definitely participate in the race one fine day, when i become an american citizen...it will happen...

it was all pretty funny really...i was in the middle of an afternoon siesta ( the luxury of not working), when my friend called to ask if i was free the day after to take part in a game show - Deal or no deal.

She works for NTV7 and she desperately needed contestants to fill up the seats for the shooting. Thing is, i've always despised this kinda local gameshow with all these Ah Bengs and Ah Lians competing against each other for dear life, and nothing in the world would make me say yes to appear on national television.

I was wrong, and now ive officially joined the Ah Beng Club and im not proud of it. It happened very quickly, she managed to persuade me that it is an easy game (ive seen the australian version), and that the entire thing is conducted in English, what attracted me most is the EASY-MONEY part...

It was a very good exposure for me, i got to witness the entire recording process, and befriended some friends from Mystic Entertainment, including the floor manager, Emily and our chaperone, Christine. The recording took a gruelling seven hours for one episode, inclusive of meal time and make up session, all for just a 40 minutes show!

To be in the lime light is really nerve-racking, and i salute Non ( our host and Lite FM DJ) for that, there were times when he stuttered and rambled for a bit, resulting in the floor manager yelling 'CUT' at the top of her voice, and then we will have to go all over again...the audiences were given lotsa pep talk, and they got to act excited and was forced to cheer for me, all just for show...

I managed to get through two questions correctly and was declared the winner for the preliminary round. I was really excited that i won, because it was such a close match! three of us out of the six have answered the first question correctly, and we were competing to answer the fourth question which will then determine the winner, in the event that we answer it correctly, or risk facing elimination.

the fourth question goes something like this: 'Name us the lost city of Peru', i hammered on the buzzer, stunned for a little bit as Non addressed me to go ahead and give him the answer, and finally replied with much conviction that the answer is MANCHU PICCHU, after hesitating for a full five seconds between Manchu Picchu and El Dorado, since they are both in the same region...Im glad that the time spent in Discovery Channel: Travel and Living is not wasted... :p

after that everything is in a daze for me, i didnt enjoy being the focus of all with prowling eyes all over me, so i rushed through the briefcases-picking process and didnt think well with all the deals that were offered by the 'banker', resulting in my downfall...

i was offered RM12500 at one time and i turned it down, what the hell was i thinking!? eventually i walked away with only rm2800, looking crest-fallen and somewhat subdued...but dwelling on the bright side however, i didnt have that money to begin with, it was a very unexpected gift, from God, and it can get me a one way ticket to London! :) Not to mention of course the opportunity to appear on National television as a major Dork...hehe...

What more can i say? All's well that ends well...

things happened so fast and so abruptly that i don't know where to begin...

first off, im officially unemployed...AGAIN...though i wont say im complaining of my new found freedom, but surely i can make use of the income? what's gonna happen to me now?

Secondly, mom's asking if im keen to visit brother in China to see what he's up to...i might seriously consider that if my boredom gets the better of me...my plan is to fly out from HK to London after that social visit...

thing is, i've hardly prepared anything for my trip...no accommodation, havent contacted any acquaintances in the UK, no research done regarding the cost of living there, and the job opportunities...million and one other things...

Do i get a brand new backpack and winter clothings? must i apply all my visas here to EU countries? what's my itinerary like?

I havent even purchased my airticket...

maybe im not fit to backpack afterall...

Human being has gotta be the most bizarre animal ever, they are often confused, erratic, indecisive, and fickle minded...very much like me...

I know i should be feeling on cloud nine right now, havent i been dreading to go backpacking in the UK? but why dont i have any emotions now that my visa has been approved?

im having mixed feelings...

hurray, i received my first court order yesterday...

Has the system changed after their 200th dunno-what celebration or is this normal? I merely committed a petty offence of making an illegal U-turn, and now im being prosecuted?

i would prefer if they could just issue me a summon to settle the fine out of court, and not issue me a ticket telling me to turn up at the court next month for some stupid hearing...

maybe i should get outta the country before the hearing...

it's a sign...

The Magic Flute, not so magical afterall...

What do you get when you put together a bunch of amateurs to perform one of Mozart's greatest work? the result is a disastrous one...think AI's 'the attack of the tuneless freaks', think Sarah Brightman having a bad throat day, and think of an orchestra sightreading a piece for the first time...

Fine, maybe it wasnt that bad, and may i even say it was worth the price i paid? yeah, that's exactly the standard they are showcasing, something equivalent to 30 bucks...

It's gotta be nerve-racking, performing on debut night, and to hafta tackle the Overture in the very beginning...and yes, everyone judges you on the overture, whether you have what it takes to pull through all the pieces, the skills, and the spirit...It is the introduction to the opera afterall, you needa show us the WOW factor, show us that you can handle the toccata for The Magic Flute...

they failed miserably...

put aside the fact that KLPac Sinfonietta is made up of kids who's yet to undergo Classical Appreciation class, we have a bunch of very eager teenagers trying to play Mozart's pieces...

The Strings messed up big time, they were all over each other! Not being in Sync with one another when they tackle Allegro is forgivable, but when you play off beat in Andante, that's just asking for trouble, you're turning everyone off...

While the brass fair better, they were unable to yield a clear distinctive tune a trumpet or a trombone is supposed to give...it was somewhat muffled...F horn, on the other hand, did a great job muffling out the symphony, that's their role anyway...

Woodwind was a delight, the occasional Flute-solo was welcomed, albeit shortlived...i was just curious why only First Flute was contributing the entire time, second and third flute were seating there looking expectant, willing for a chance to shine...im not talking bout the solo part, im talking bout the concerto...they appeared to be nothing more than a seat-filler...

Percussion managed relatively well, i will give it to the timpanist! she was a star!

As for the Opera, nothing too impressive, and i wouldnt expect them to be, some of them are doing it for the first time...so go figure...Nevertheless, The Queen stands out among the sopranos to be the most successful soloist, demonstrating some challenging pitch change...

Oh yeah, Joe Hasham is a real clown, humiliating himself as a narrator, he can't even get the names right! and playing the blaming card on the Italians aint gonna work for me...

and what's with the cheesy slideshow that's supposed to be some kinda visual aid? surely they can hire some pros to fix that? Nevermind that this isnt about the flash but the music...

I might wanna think twice before attending any theatres in KLPac in the future...

Thinking of POTO...

Raoul
No more talk of darkness,
forget these wide-eyed fears;
I'm here, nothing can harm you,
my words will warm and calm you.
Let me be your freedom,
let daylight dry your tears;
I'm here, with you, beside you,
to guard you and to guide you.

Christine
Say you'll love me ev'ry waking moment;
turn my head with talk of summertime.
Say you need me with you now and always;
promise me that all you say is true,
that's all I ask of you.

Raoul
Let me be your shelter,
let me be your light;
you're safe, no one will find you,
your fears are far behind you.

Christine
All I want is freedom,
a world with no more night;
and you, always beside me,
to hold me and to hide me.

Raoul
Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime;
let me lead you from you solitude.
Say you need me with you, here beside you,
anywhere you go, let me go too,
that's all I ask of you.

Christine
Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime.
Say the word and I will follow you.

Together
Share each day with me, each night, each morning.

Christine
Say you love me...

Raoul
You know I do.

Together
Love me, that's all I ask of you.

Anywhere you go let me go too

Love me...
that's all I ask of you.

The Land before time...

Don't lose your way
With each passing day
You've come so far
Don't throw it away
Live believing
Dreams are for weaving
Wonders are waiting to start
Live your story
Faith, hope & glory
Hold to the truth in your heart

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and I

Souls in the wind
Must learn how to bend
Seek out a star
Hold on to the end
Valley, mountain
There is a fountain
Washes our tears all away
Words are swaying
Someone is praying
Please let us come home to stay

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and I

When we are out there in the dark
We'll dream about the sun
In the dark we'll feel the light
Warm our hearts, everyone

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
As high as souls can fly
The clouds roll by
For you and I

Bridge to Terabithia

Spoiler ahead...




BTT is one of those films that opens up your imagination...being an avid dreamer myself, i found that i can totally relate to Leslie's fantasy world...im all for FANTASY! yeah, that should justify why im so hooked to Harry Potter or LOTR or BigFish and other films of such genre...

But when it comes to reading fantasy themed books, im not so gung ho about it...cant explain why but i suspect it's gotta do with all those very foreign fantasy terms and the effort you've gotta put in to get 'inside' the author's imaginary world...i prefer my own ideal world...

so back to BTT, it's always refreshing to see a promising young star like Josh Hutcherson who really has a flair for acting in any films...he was featured in Polar Express and also Zathura, both of which i fancied...dont remind me any of the kids in Narnia, i dont even remember their names, that how's bad they were!

the only thing about BTT is that, yeah, they created a world of Terabithia, and hey, we wanna see MORE OF THAT....what happened!? i dont mind that they move back and forth the fantasy world and the real world, but just when everyone got all excited after Jesse built that bridge for his sister and we can see that glorious view of that beautiful valley (that's in NZ, btw...) and its magical creatures, everything came to an abrupt end...

Quite clearly i didnt see that coming, i was still having trouble getting over with Leslie's death, and was kinda expecting them to find her in Terabithia and to fight the mentioned war against some evil masters, it never happened...

I must say the whole film was half-baked in that sense, but i have enjoyed it while it lasted...so, i guess i cant complain...

still, Leslie shouldnt have died, i didnt even get to say goodbye...

:p

Home is kinda quiet this entire week because my parents are staying over at a suite in Istana hotel...i've been to visit them a few times now and got sick with the food there, you can only have that much in a buffet spread u know...but the breakfast spread is highly recommended, try their omelette with that extra creamy swiss fromage...irresistable!

So parents not at home can only result in one thing, yeah, NO CURFEW! haha....not that ive always been an obedient kid and go back home by midnight, but really, i make an effort to comply them once in a while...you know, dont push it, as they say...

but frankly, im way past stick-to-cinderella's-clock age...doesnt make sense to me why i cant hangout late at all...well yeah, obviously all these news coverage of ppl getting killed or robbed or advertisement of drink driving didnt help much in my protest...maybe it's time to move out...if only i can afford a condo somewhere...dream on baby...

I have been taking this opportunity to catch up with some friends and yeah, my next few nights have been fully booked...lol...good planning huh...

Shall be having a HappyHour session with my colleagues later at Daves and then tomorrow, dinner date with church members and movie session thereafter, friday night going out with Jo and friends to Skybar@tradersHotel, saturday night another drinking session and Sunday, family day...hehe...parents will come back then...

As for next week, im hoping to catch Mozart's Magic Flute at KLPAC and then the following week, gonna go on vacation with my former uni-mates to Langkawi...that should be fun...

see, we are very supportive of VM2007, unlike some folks who wont stop bitching bout the program in TheStar...

on the contrary, being me, i know i will have my two cents too after the trip...

:-)

I dunno if it's just me or if everyone's feeling the heat lately...It sorta put you in a grouchy mood at all times, except of course when you're in the comfort of your own chilled house...

and that means you're constantly confined in an air-conditioned surrounding and not be able to hangout at all...yeah, we are having very warm nights as well...

this Global warming thingy is definitely affecting all of us, more so for us in the tropical region...Gotta go and catch 'an inconvenient truth' as narrated by Al Gore to get a better understanding of what's going on around us...

the Earth is dying...and we know it...

Lea:
Be still my heart
Lately its mind is on it's own
It would go far and wide
Just to be near you

Brad:
Even the stars
Shine a bit bright I've noticed
When you're close to me

Lea:
Still it remains a mystery

Chorus (Both):
Anyone who seen us
Knows what's going on between us
It doesn't take a genius
To read between the lines Brad: ohh
And it's not just wishful thinking
Or only me who's dreaming
I know what these are symptoms of
We could be in love

Lea:
I ask myself why
I sleep like a baby through the night
Maybe it helps to know
you'll be there tomorrow

Brad: Lea:
Don't open my eyes Ohhh
I'll wake from the spell I'm under
Makes me wonder how Tell me how
I could live without you now

Both:
And what about the laughter
The happy ever after
Like voices of sweet angels
Calling out our names
And it's not just wishful thinking
Or only me who's dreaming
I know what these are symptoms of
We could be in love

Brad:
All my life
I have dreamed of this
But I could not see your face

Lea:
Don't ask why two such distant stars
Can fall right into place

(Repeat Chorus)

Both:
Oh, it doesn't take a genius
To know what these are symptoms of
We could be Lea: ohh
We could be, we could be in love

Brad:
Could be in

Both:
We could be in love

awwwww.....aint that sweet?

You know all that traveling is worth it when your foreign friends sent you emails asking if you were alright from that EarthQuake in Sumatra...

that's just priceless...

Ellen's monologue about driving

I cant agree with Ellen more on the issue of how ppl drive nowadays...for no reason at all (at least none that im aware of), ppl can just slow down their vehicles at a particular point (not a bend) or as and when they feel like it and create a butterfly effect on the smoothflow of the traffic...this ppl deserve to go to jail for that!

I particularly like the 'suggested speed limit' part towards the end, hey ppl, when it says "110k/h" it doesnt literally mean that, it is merely a SUGGESTION! so if you intend to keep to that limit, can you please kindly shove your car out of the 'fast' lane?

Thanks for the cooperation...

Review of Dreamgirls...

So we went to watch Dreamgirls after JenniferHudson was voted as the best supporting actress in Oscar...you know, just wanna see what the fuss is all about, that the academy would choose to nominate a you-know-who and then give the award to her handsdown in her first nomination...it makes us just oh-so-curious...

Dreamgirls started off with a real bang, getting you all excited and bringing you to a height of surreal climax, and before long you will realize that's as good as it gets...Alright, if you are looking to get your fair share of strong and flawless vocal throughout the film, then this is by all means the film for you...

but really, there is only so much one's ears can take, you know...we are all very comfortable with Beyonce's voice, no problem...she didnt stay on the chart of Rick Dees Weekly top 40 for no reason, yeah, the girl can sing, let's just give that to her...and oh she's just so beautiful...

on the other hand however...im not so sure of JenH...at first attempt, you will find that you can get acquainted to her voice easily...she demonstrates the vocal of a powerhouse, the kind that will get your attention...well, in this case, just too much attention for my comfort...

The girl started off fine and everyone seemed to be enjoying her performace, yeah, even with her in that bling bling costume...and as it goes on, i found that i got more and more irritated with her over-the-top vocal...i started acknowledging the problem when a slight headache developed, and then everything she sings after that sounded more like she's shouting than singing to me...

It came to a point when i heard myself saying: SHUT UP ALREADY! yeah, that would be the time when she was begging JamieFoxx to take her back, willing him to show her his love once again...and let's not start with JamieF, i was never a big fan of his to begin with...

The show started dragging prematurely in the course of a 2h-length duration and it's never a good sign when ppl start fidgeting in their seat and asking if this is ever coming to an end, enough is enough!

I wont say i havent enjoyed the film a single bit, but asked if the film deserves 8 nominations in the academy award? Definitely not...