Sunday, June 24, 2007

Good One....

Our performance at night was good. In fact it was really good. When I walked off the stage, I realised that we had nailed it. It was one of those moments where you feel, “yes man!” I spoke to Dham @ the lunch and told him that I will be singing at the dinner. He had requested for it earlier, so when we realised that we could do it, I confirmed it with him. We got there late, cocktail party started at 7.00pm. Shobie Shobs was there calling me continuously asking me to come as soon as possible. But we were in the Church practicing and perfecting the songs. Once we knew we had to leave, we left. Anto drove us to Rennaisance Hotel. We arrived at the hotel at 8.00pm. Had the first course, then it was charging time. I was so tired from the previous night of not having enough sleep and the long practices. So, I made sure this time I was getting myself as relaxed as possible. We were priviledged to have a waiter who more or less became our personal waiter. He kept bringing to us (just Ruf’Ruf and me) 2 jugs at a time, everytime! So we drank the night at a private bar that we made just outside the ballroom. Anto was our sound engineer and P.A. He kept watch on the programme, to make sure we were ready for our queue.

Two other people sang as well. Our slot was the last one. Our first song was Can You Feel The Love Tonight by Elton John, second one was When You Say Nothing At All by Ronan Keating and as I was about to end the performance, Ruf’Ruf looked up to me and said, ‘one more’. So, we did Change The World by Eric Clapton. While we were singing When You Say Nothing At All, it was very moving when our singing actually managed to get couples to come up and dance. I’ve never had that happen to me while I was singing. It was indeed a moving experience.

We had very good reviews from almost everyone. Everyone loved it and when I hear that they loved it, it drives me to further improve my singing and of course Ruf’Rufs’ guitar playing. So we hope to keep doing this as long as we can. We have a few more weddings to play for, so I hope we can keep improving. A lot of pics were taken, but it will take a while before I get them though. Arvind (the brother of Dham) took some as well. I have told him to send em’ to me. So when I get it, I will upload them.

We will be leaving Melaka in about an hour. Hope to beat the evening rush from Melaka to Seremban. More when I get back.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Awful....

As far as I was concerned that was the standard of our performance during the P&W that Ruf'Ruf and I did. While I started singing and playing the piano, some other guy takes a mic and starts singing. It bloody clashes with my voice. I am telling the guy who handles the PA system to turn off that guy's mic, he wonderfully turns off my mic. I couldn't hear myself. I shouted at him, telling him that I can't hear shit and to make matters worse, I can even hear myself - mind you, all this is happening while I am leading the congregation in the first song of the P&W. Finally, he turns back the volume on my mic and just slightly lowers down the other fellow's mic. Yeah, like that will solve the problem. That champion of a guy, realising that his mic is not as loud as it was, starts singing even louder than how he was singing earlier. Damn it! I was so pissed off, but I couldn't do jack. Just went on with it. Somehow it turned out ok. I am a perfectionist. I don't do ok. Ok for me is equivalent to bad, but not really bad. It really hurt, because Ruf'Ruf and I practised for about 5 hours the night before, just to perfect the 4 songs and our pitches. We got home at 6am, slept for 3 hours, got up and came to perform. So, you should be able to realise how pissed I was. Anyway, I kept my head up and told myself that I will not allow a glitch in our earlier performance to screw up our entire morning. I told Ruf'Ruf that we will nail the Special Item song - I Could Not Ask For More (Edwin McCain).

So, we calmed ourselves down and we got back for the Special Item. It turned out much better than the P&W. I am still very sad. In fact, whenever a screw-up like this happens, it bothers me for an entire week. It hurts even more that we did our very best, but people had to **** it up for us. Well, shit happens. That is the only consolation I have - shit happens. But when it happens after spending the entire night rehearsing, I don't know man!

Dham and Pearly have asked us to do a song during the dinner as well. I hope and pray it turns out well.

More to be reported tonight after the performance. We're thinking of doing either More Than Words by Extreme or Faith by George Michael.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Melaka....

I will be leaving for Melaka trow. You see I would normally go back on Sat and return on Sun. But this weekend, I am going back to attend my friends' Dham's & Pearly's wedding on Sat (morning). He has graciously asked me to sing him a song during the wedding, which I gladly agreed to. Well, normally it is me alone on the piano. But this time, I am taking along with me my lead guitarist (Ruf'Ruf). So, it will be a minor VofW gig. Hopefully we get to do a number in the reception at night in Rennaisance as well.

I hope to take a lot of pics and upload them when I get back. So till then, adios!

To Dham and Pearly CONGRATULATIONS and may God shower His richest blessings upon the both of you always.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Don't Faint....

Thank you for the tag-line Akka and Belinda....

This weekend has been rather eventful. My boy Rufus (Rufus is my cousin with a VW as well, he also happens to be the lead guitarist in our band - VW [Vessel of Worship]) came by the house for a convoy trip that was scheduled to be held on Saturday night @ 9pm from PJ through Bangsar, KL and back. I had just got back from dinner, his car was parked at my house, I called him to come out anc chill. When he got out, he said that he wanted to go for the convoy. I said, I had other plans, but I promised him to join him later. As he was talking, he just blacked out and fell down on the grass outside my house. The black out lasted for about 10 seconds and he got up and started talking again. So, the people who were there (Sir, Akka and Belinda) thought that he was pulling a fast one. Upon getting up, he walked into the house compound and this time he fell flat on the ground - hurting the back of his head and his elbow. I knew this was no fooling around. Sir and I carried him into the house. Akka immediately made him a sweet drink. Both the sisters, Akka and Belinda were really good. I presume they must have had some first-aid-training of some sort. Anyway, they brought him back to consciousness. Then, I rushed him to the clinic. His BP had dropped to 80/50 (BP is supposed to be120/80). The doctor opined that he be sent to the hospital to get a thorough check up.

The boys who were supposed to come on the convoy, were already at my house. So, we convoyed him to Assunta Hospital. All the VWs parked in a row in the car park of the hospital. It was really cool! Anyway, got him 'checked-in' then I got back. I am still awaiting the report of the labs on his condition. He had been having fever for the past 4 days before the black-out episode. So that could have been a contributing factor. I just got back after visiting him, I have been seeing him everyday and I can see that he is making progress. He is extremely under weight and he needs to improve on his eating habits. Glad to know that his BP has become normal.

Well, we hope and pray Rufus recovers soon. The both of us have a gig at Dham & Pearly's wedding this Saturday in Melaka. I pray that the doctors will be able to diagnose his problem and cure him completely.

Please pray for my boy Rufus Aston Bexel. God bless!

Friday, June 15, 2007

Pick-Up Lines....

While I was surfing yesterday, I came across this site with all the most unique pick-up lines. Interesting, how people come up with such lines just to get into the sack.

Enjoy.....
1. Do I know you from somewhere, because I don't recognize you with your clothes on?

2. Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?

3. I'd like to name a multiple orgasm after you.

4. I'm betting that you cannot wait until tomorrow, because I bet that you get more and more beautiful every day.

4. Why don't you come over here, sit on my lap and we'll talk about the first thing that pops up?

5. I'm trying to determine after years of therapy and lots of testing, whether or not I'm allergic to sex.

6. Please help the homeless. Take me home with you...

7. You are a 9.999. Well, you'd be a perfect 10 if you were with me.

8. Your Daddy must have been a Baker, cos you got the nicest set of buns I've ever saw.

9. I'm good at math, U+I=69

10. Save a horse, ride a cowboy.

Cheers!

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Chiropractor....

I've got a chiro session AGAIN, tomorrow! Damn, I have to go through another 2 more days of a back sore after that. You see that is the thing with these chiro sessions. What happened before was that, my body adjusted itself to the injury. This means to say that, although I was suffering, my body adjusted itself to the injury. My right leg was shorter than my left leg by about an inch. Following the treatment and the exercises, I am on my way to recovery - but a very long way back. I have to be patient and careful about whatever I do. For any over-exertion may result in another injury on the back.

More reports on my treatment on Thurs. Till then, please be careful. Do not do anything that may put you at risk of any back injury.

Cheers!

Friday, June 08, 2007

Orang Kurang Upaya....

When I hurt my back, sometime ago, the first time - June 2006, I was called 'Orang Kurang Upaya (OKU)' by one of my colleagues in the office. Well, I used to just take it as a joke, because I knew he didn't mean it as an insult, but he was merely having fun, fooling around with me with such names. But do you realise that in our midst, we come into contact with a lot of people (whether known or unknown to us) who are handicapped. What I am suffering is merely an injury, which will get better (God-willing!), provided I do everything necessary to take care of it (i.e. chiro sessions, physios, proper sitting posture and so on). But some people are born with disabilities. Some very serious, others not as bad. This story that I read below, opened my eyes in a very sad way. Whether we realise it or not, the handicapped are in some way or the other discriminated. This discrimination does not necessarily come from the schools, offices they work in and so on, but by us - individuals. When was the last time you gave up your seat on the LRT or buses for a handicapped person?

So, please read the story below and realise that these people who are handicapped did not chose to be handicapped. THEY HAVE TO BE TREATED EQUALLY! There should be no further talk on this issue. Imagine if you have a handicapped one of your family? How would you feel if that person is discriminated?


Someone Who Understand

A boy noted a sign “Puppies For Sale” got off his bike and said to the owner, “How much are the pups, mister?” “Twenty five dollars, son.” The boy’s face dropped. “Well, sir, could I at least see them anyway?” The man whistled, and in a moment the mother dog came bounding around the corner of the house tagged by 4 cute puppies, wagging their tails and yipping happily. At last, another pup came straggling around the house, dragging one hind leg. “What’s the matter with that puppy, mister?” the boy asked. “Well, son, that puppy is crippled. We took her to the vet and the doctor took an x-ray. The pup doesn’t have a hip joint and that leg will never be right.” The boy dropped the bike, took out a fifty-cent piece, and pleaded, “Please, I want to buy that pup. I’ll pay you fifty cents every week until the twenty five dollars is paid.” The man replied, “But, son, you don’t seem to understand. That pup will never be able to run or jump. That pup is going to be crippled forever. Why would you want such a useless pup as that?” The boy paused for a moment, then reached down and pulled up his pant leg, exposing an iron brace and leather knee-strap holding a poor twisted leg. The boy answered, “Mister, that pup is going to need someone who understands him to help him in life.”


God bless!

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Good Food with Good People....

Surin & Brenda (affectionately known from now on as Sir & Akka) - called me on Sunday. We met up for lunch and they took me to this awesome place for banana leaf. Ok, before that, I have not expressed my gratitude in meeting this absolutely amazing couple.

We go way back to my days in Ipoh. I was doing my A Levels in ILTI Ipoh in 1996 and that was when I met Mr. Surin (my Law lecturer) and Ms. Brenda (now Mrs). Akka was a final year Law student. We were on the same debating team which made it to the KL National Finals as well. Anyway, to cut long story short, we used to be so close in Ipoh. We met up for makans, tanni sessions, occasional jamming sessions and so on. We also had another partner in crime, well, actually my partner in crime a close friend of mine from Taiping - Ranjit Singh Randhawa. The 4 of us were very close then. As we all moved our separate ways due to work and study commitment, we lost contact for an amazing 8 years.

Now, Akka with her FBI locater skills managed to track me down about 2 months ago. And ever since then it has been the best 2 months I have ever had in KL. For those of you who have not met these people, you won't have the slightest clue how cool and how amazing they are they are. Anyway, from then on, we kept meeting for food and drinks and even just hanging out. Akka (FBI, remember) even managed to get a hold of Ranjit who is currently running Hard Rock Cafe in Makati (Philippines). I knew he was running the Singapore one for a while, but now he is in the Philippines. So, we are glad to keep in contact with him. He will be down soon, so I hope to get a group picture of all of us and post it. So, that is about Sir and Akka. I will be referring to them as Sir and Akka in some of my posts' - so you know who they are now.

Now, getting back to the issue at hand. They took me to this superb restaurant in Hartamas - Yathras. It is an Indian restaurant. Till today, I am very sure that this is the best place I have ever eaten 'yellai sappadu' - a.k.a. banana leaf. There is a good variety of meat and vegetables and the taste...yummy! This is the closest I have eaten to Amma's cooking. Well, till today, no shop has beaten Amma - to be fair, I have eaten in a lot of South Indian or Chettinad eateries. But this one came close. I had chicken parattel, 2 types of veges, appalam, pickles, tairu (yogurt) and rice. Superb! In fact, Appa and Amma will be down this weekend as Appa has a meeting in St. James, Jalan Ipoh on Sat and is conducting the service at St. Mary's Cathedral, KL on Sun. So I will be taking them there for dinner on Sat.

So for those of you who would like to experience one of the best south Indian cuisines there are in town, try Yathras. It is in Hartamas, behind the row of shops where BullDog is located. Or rather on the same row of shops as Backyard.

That is all for now. I will take some pictures of what I am talking about and post it soon.

Cheers!

Monday, June 04, 2007

Back Ache....

May this be a lesson to all of you. Take care of your back. This is the whole reason why I have not blogged for a while. I have been on medical leave for the past week. I injured my back during one of my futsal sessions. Now, this happened way back in 2006 (in June, if I can remember correctly). I was admitted in SMC for treatment and physio, followed by bed rest. But I did not follow up on treatment and continuous exercise. So, this 'tidak-apa attitude' had aggravated the injury - unknown to me.

On my last trip to Melaka, which was last weekend, on my way back we stopped by at Tasha's parents' place. I was holding Caesar by his collar when he suddenly lunged forward. I should have let him go, but I held on to him and my entire back was forced forward and backward. Ouch!!! Ever since that happened, I just knew I had somehow screwed my lumbar again. Well, we got back to KL and I could not stand the pain, so I visited my chiropractor. With a lot of exercise and traction, I am on my way to recovery. But as I did not take good care of it before, it may take longer than it usually takes. I have been given approximately 6 weeks from today for complete recovery. Now, this is provided I go for my chiro sessions twice a week and follow the exercise regime that my chiropractor has given me.

Well, I am not going to fool around anymore. I may not walk again if this injury worsens, as the affected bone on my back bone is very near to the spine. So, I will be going for rehabilitation.

That's all for now. I will be reporting more soon. I've got an appointment with my chiropractor on Wed.

So, the most important lesson for this week is - BE VERY CAREFUL OF YOUR BACKBONE. Never injure it, for if you do, the road to recovery is freaking long and irritating.