Sardine cans n' my weekend
Packed weekends filled with activities which I enjoy, really gets my adrenaline and creative juices flowing. Hence, this super long entry, of which most I had to re-write after being gobbled up by %&*#@ Blogger!!
Anyways, this weekend was one where I maximized my time and kept my mind occupied but also found time for chillin’ just doing nothing. The most enjoyable kind of weekend, I think.
Freaky Friday
Had a bit of misadventure on Friday night. Forgetfully left the tickets to STOMP that I was watching on Sunday with PL at the office. Only realized after dinner with her at USJ at about 8.30 pm. To cut a long story short, had to call a chain of colleagues while driving back to PJ to track down who was last to leave the office (thank God for the "hands free set") and whether the doors had been locked. As if they were locked, I wouldn't be able to get into the office with my access card. To my dismay, I found out that the last person who left the office had locked the doors!!!
However, presence of mind prompted me to call a colleague who I knew had the office key, and luck was on my side as she happened to be near by the office. That wasn't the end of my ticket woes though. The key she passed to me just wouldn't turn in the lock. I must have spent at least 15 minutes frantically trying to open the door, praying that the lock would just turn. I even called the security guard downstairs to help me. He failed and told me "Ini mungkin bukan kunci pintu ni lar..."[ This is probably the wrong key.] and was nice enough to offer to get the other guard who might have the keys.
As he left, I thought to myself, "SHIT! &*#@%!!! How now?!!" I knelt down and started fidgeting with the key again...on my 20th try or so, something just clicked and magically, the lock turned! Thankfully, I swiped my card and entered the office to get my tickets.
Malaysian Idol
Made it back in time to catch Nita singing her first song in the Malaysian Idol finals. Nita definitely outperformed Daniel in the finals, I have to admit. But somehow, I feel happy that Daniel won in the end. I think he's kind of cute in a goofy, gay, pretty boy kind of way. But what appeals to me most is that he seems to be someone who is very sincere and humble in what he's doing and hence deserved to win…also because he’s a huge fan of Jay Chou. *grin*
Daniel, our Idol
I really loved the dress that Nita wore in the results show on Saturday. The dress was an asymmetrical, tapered, off shoulder black number with a floaty, flirty skirt made out of chiffon, I think. Silver spangles adorned and accented her skirt, which fell to her calves at the front and gracefully grazed her ankles at the back. Teemed with sexy black stilettos, the kind to die for, the dress really accentuated her figure, leaving no doubt that Nita is a total knockout babe and excellent performer!
Arty Saturday
I woke at noon and had a lazy brunch of cereal and walnut bread.
Saturday afternoon was spent at UM with my housemates watching a collection of artistic short films by Tan Chui Mui, a local, independent female director.
Her most famous film to date is A Tree in Tanjung Malim which won the Principal Award at the 51st International Short Film Festival at Oberhausen, Holland. The film also stars the talented local singer-composer Pete Teo. [www.peteteo.com]
A scene from Tree at Tanjung Malim and Pete Teo
I found that I could identify with Mui’s films, arty though they were unlike James Lee’s Beautiful Washing Machine (a locally directed feature movie) that I wasted RM 10 watching at MidValley.
Mui’s short films, which ranged from 4 minutes the shortest, to 26 minutes (A Tree) the longest, were engaging, and even more so was the animated discussion that followed the film screening between Mui herself and a local film expert. I found the session very interesting as it gave me a better idea of why Mui chose to capture certain scenes in a particular way. Also, the session gave me some know how on the who’s who in the independent Malaysian film industry.
The local indie film industry is one that is still in the toddler stage. I hope the baby steps it’s taking will become bigger strides and the industry will thrive in coming years. So that there will be many more feature films like Yasmin Ahmad’s Sepet or Bernard Chauly's Gol & Gincu that Malaysians can enjoy, be proud of and truly call our own.
I was really very proud of my country when my Australian ex-housemate bought a copy of Sepet’s VCD for her family back home and told me that they loved watching it. So bangga man!! More so since the movie was filmed in my beloved hometown, Ipoh.
All in all, it was a satisfying afternoon and time well spent.
Later that night, after the Malaysian Idol results show and press conference, I settled down with my housemates to watch 3 episodes of Lost, a series about survivors of a plane crash and the little secrets and mysteries surrounding each survivor.
The first 3 episodes were teasers enough to make me want to know how the plot uncovered. However, my housemate’s friend took back her DVDs for her family to watch, so guess I will have to wait for the series to be shown on 8tv. =(
Stomping Sunday
Finally, the much anticipated and long-awaited day of the STOMP performance arrived and dawned bright and sunny. PL picked me up and 12.30pm or so and we headed to PJ states for lunch at Secret Recipe. After a leisurely, lunch, we headed to Istana Budaya for our show at 3pm. We arrived comfortably ahead of time due to lack of traffic jam and a well-planned schedule, thanks to PL. =D
With almost one hour to kill, we stood in a corner in the foyer of the auditorium and “people watched.” It was the perfect place to do so with a good blend of people of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds.
The people teeming around ranged from the uber trendy and fashionable international school kids (“Wah, we where got wear like that wan last time...”) to the enlightened parents with young kids (“Aiyo, kids nowadays sooooo lucky”), to cultured, young working adults like us (che-wah, so cultured konon) and also senior citizens who have very elastic eardrums and strong hearts. *grin* I guess STOMP is a show that crosses the barrier of age and race.
The show itself was fantastic. I shall never look at sweeping the floor in the same way again… broomsticks, mops, matchstick boxes, rubber pumps (the type you use to unclog sinks), rubber hoses, lighters, metal sinks, newspapers, drink cartons with straws, metal/plastic trash cans…at the hands of experts, all have a unique, offbeat melody. Towards the end of the show, with the use of metal trash cans, the sound produced became more loud and vibrant, think a lively brass band =D.
*STOMP!! CRASH! BOOM!!! BANG!*
The show also had its comic moments with little funny stints by the performers, in particular, a short acrobatic guy who was “bullied” by the others. It also had a lot of audience involvement with clapping and snapping of fingers at selected intervals.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself!!
Later after the show, wanted to give my Baby a wash, but unfortunately, there was no water supply at the car washing lot. So, my new housemate and I decided to head to Bangsar for the pasar malam and a bit of grocery shopping.
Fruits galore! Yummy..
We kind of see eye to eye on healthy food, she being a semi-vegetarian and all. We ended up with a load of fresh produce. I bought strawberries, kiwi fruit and cherry tomatoes from pasar malam and yoghurt, fruit juice and fresh button mushrooms from TMC. Had dinner at Devi’s corner where we shared a table with a chatty old couple.
Unfortunately, all good things don't last forever. As Sunday night waned, the prospects of Monday morning and the week ahead loomed as dark and forbidding as always...
posted by N.J.A.P.F. @ 10:59 PM
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