presenting my new radio partner BOBBY TONELLI! keep updated via our FACEBOOK PAGE!

well i got the bloody thing removed! BOTH MOLES! GONE!!! did it just before chinese new year and just removed my stitches last week. happinesss!

im alive, not dead.

coming back here sure feels strange… like revisiting an old childhood haunt. it feels like ive just stepped back into an abandoned playground. the chains on the swings are rusty, the wood on the see-saw’s attacked by decay…. there is an eerie silence and for some odd reason, my heart feels lead-heavy at the moment.

updating this blog’s been at the back of my mind every other day since the last entry. so much has happened since then but strangely i hadnt felt the need to share it immediately. what does this mean?

this blog’s helped me through some pretty dark times.. acted as a distraction when my heart was aching from love lost, kept my mind busy so i wont have time to over-analyze the littlest things. i found new friends through this little journey and even won an award thanks to your votes.

it seems almost selfish that ive “abandoned” it now that my heart’s healed. that is why im writing this. i know that i dont have to and i dont owe anyone any explanation.. but i guess i just wanted to say.. hello.

mainstream music is popular simply because the majority of people connect with it. being the mainstream doesnt necessarily mean being “bad”, it simply means being more popular. that said, there ARE some really horrid mainstream junk that gets churned out like clockwork, devoid of soul and artistic integrity. but with every flock, there’re bound to be a few black sheep, its normal. it would be unfair, however, to diss the whole flock as “bad”.

this entry’s inspired by a lil exchange between a friend and i on facebook:

FRIEND (to a friend he bumped into at the Brandon Flowers concert): seems like ur growing out of ur top 40 taste in music lol

BUSYBODY ME: b-b-but.. brandon flowers IS top40……….

FRIEND (on a seemingly defensive mode): i like to think that b.flowers still has some indie in him, despite the killers instant stardom (thanks to the strokes). still wouldn’t put him nxt to someone like lady blabla.

aiiight…. i beg to ask:
01. what defines “indie”?
02. why did i take away the vibe that in order for an artiste to be cool, they’d need to have “some indie” in them?
03. what has lady gaga ever done to offend other than being uber talented, deservingly rich and being basically the most influential music artiste on the planet?

okaaaay… DISCLAIMER: this entry is NOT intended as a personal attack towards any one individual (ive been wanting to write this piece for a few years now so please dont feel offended, young padawan). rather, its a product born out of my long-time bubbling-under resentment towards musical bigotry in general. er.. you could call it a general attack i reckon?

okay so for the definition of “indie”, i turned to the all-knowing (albeit totally editable by any tomdickharry) web-encyclopaedia… and according to Wikipedia, independent music, often shortened to indie music or “indie”, is a term used to describe “independence from major commercial record labels and an autonomous, DIY approach to recording and publishing“. what a noble ideal! i approve! cuz if there’s anything i believe in, its freedom… of expression. and usually, breaking away from the stranglehold of a major record label gives artistes the freedom to be 100% creative. that said however, i somehow feel that that’s not what my friend was getting at when he mentioned “indie”….

honestly, whatever that thing is that defines a certain type of music as “indie” has become somewhat of a joke to me. based on keen observation and at times hasty stereotyping (it saves time), it seems to me that the modern day “indie” movement is made up of an army of kids (termed “indie kids” im guessing?) who get off on listening to music that nobody’s heard of. and often, its random stuff they found on myspace… the more obscure the artiste, the better:

INDIE KID #1: im so indie, my favourite band has 20 plays on myspace.
INDIE KID #2: im so indie that im the only one who knows of my favourite band on myspace.

so what defines music/band as “indie”? answer: the non-conformist ideal, apparently. i found this pretty hilarious post on urbandictionary.com…

Indie Band: we’re indie because we hate how music is commercial, and we don’t want to sell out, because we don’t want tons of money.

What They Really Mean: We suck so hard, no-one would give us a label in a million years. we’d sell out if anyone actually liked us, and we only say we don’t care about money because we couldn’t sell our tripe to a bunch of deaf idiots.

those indie bands have fans who are also most likely to insult popular music but have no valid reasons as to why it’s bad. omg. no need for insults surely? my stand on music is that, like religion, it’s subjective and personal: “to each his/her own”, “whatever rocks your world and makes you happy” etc. therefore, there cant ever be “bad” or “sell-out” music. instead, only two categories can exist: the “successful” and the “not so successful”.

lets talk about a coupla obvious success cases: Justin Bieber, virtually unknown “indie” youtube talent turned overnight teen-pop sensation after being discovered and signed by Usher. Lady Gaga, uber talented musician, who “slaved” many years as a song-writer before her current world domination. both artistes rose from the ashes of obscurity and were thrusted into the nirvana of success. does that mean they’ve lost the precious “indie” in them? and if so, does that mean they’re now producing sell-out crap? i think not. and i believe that their combined army of over 10 million fans will agree.

dont get me wrong, i really dont mind indie music at all. i do appreciate the occasional dose of morrissey, metric, casablancas and other bands whose band names tend to start with the word “the”. to me, its NEVER about the music genre. my gripe is about people who drew the proverbial elitist circle around themselves to keep apart from the mainstream music riffraff they deem as “uncool”. come down from your moral high ground already hunny! LOL!

just cuz i cant get into the music of Interpol or Beck, doesnt mean they’re crap – it just means that they’re acquired tastes that i have failed to acquire. and if that makes me “uncool” then so be it. excuse me while i go wallow in uncoolness to the sounds of Van Halen’s (commercial but) fantastical guitar riffs…

all music is art. art is culture. culture brings people together. some form bigger groups while others make do with more intimate gatherings. regardless of size, music unites humanity. why would anyone in their right mind want to be judgemental about something that does that?

need good makan recommendations. preferably the local food type stalls. we’ve already got Jalan Alor on our list. ive been getting recommendations to check out Bangsar too.. but Bangsar’s more like cafes and restaurants right? where’s your favourite makan hangout in KL? please share and also include address/directions. spaaaanks! xxx

THE RULES:

1. list the first 15 films you’ve seen that comes to mind and that you love.
2. don’t take too long to think about it. complete it in no more than 15 minutes.
3. post your list of 15 films under “comments”.

DAS EXPERIMENT

in German. directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel.

FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS

based on the book by Hunter S Thompson. directed by Terry Gilliam.

OLD BOY

in Korean. second installment of The Vengeance Trilogy. (the best of the three, in my opinion). directed by Park Chan-wook.

TITANIC

directed by James Cameron. won 11 oscars. (dont judge me, ive watched this over 30 times.)

2 DAYS IN PARIS

in English/French. directed by Julie Delpy. a gritty real-life story about love. no sugar coated nonsense here.

HOSTEL

original script by Quentin Tarantino. directed by Eli Roth. the concept of killing presented in this film got me thinking for weeks.

THE PIANIST

directed by Roman Polanski - one of the most powerful films, about the resilience of the human spirit, that ive ever seen.

INGLORIOUS BASTERDS

a Tarantino masterpiece. Christoph Waltz's performance was stunning.

BIG FISH

directed by Tim Burton. this is my happy film. i watch it whenever i need to renew my faith in the magical things in life.

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL (LA VITA E BELLA)

in Italian. directed by Roberto Benigni (who also won an oscar for best actor in this film)

THE BOY IN STRIPED PYJAMAS

directed by Mark Herman. one of the most disturbing, yet beautiful, film endings ive ever seen.

ZEITGEIST, THE MOVIE

documentary by Peter Joseph (watch it for free by clickin on the link above the poster)

FIGHT CLUB

based on novel by Chuck Palahniuk. directed by David Fincher. this film is quotes galore. class A.

THE READER

based on a German novel of the same name by Bernhard Schlink. written by David Hare and directed by Stephen Daldry. very intrigueing story of love and discovery.

THE BUCKET LIST

directed by Rob Reiner. i turn to watching this whenever life gets me down.

those were my top 15 at top-of-mind recall. what’s yours… i wonder

anyhoos, back to halloween. its a huge affair for me cuz its the one day i get to let my innermost freak out without being judged. well, actually, not quite. this year, i GOT JUDGED. by a cab driver. omg.

so i hopped into a cab and headed for home after i got my makeup done at Muse B’art. a conversation with the cabbie ensues…

CABBIE: are you christian?
ME: nope.
CABBIE: good.
(puzzled) ME: er… why ah? (on hindsight, i shouldnt have asked…)
CABBIE: if you’re a good christian, you should not be dressing up and celebrating halloween. its a pagan festival.
ME: okaaay… no worries. im atheist. im just dressing up for the fun of it.
CABBIE: you dont believe in a religion?
ME: nope. was born a catholic but renounced that faith.
CABBIE: good. you did the right thing. always question. never accept. that way, once you do accept, you will be true to your faith.
ME: er… which christian branch are you from? (again, on hindsight, i shouldnt have asked…)
CABBIE: im a jehovah’s witness.
ME: okay you can stop there. im sorry.

cabbie didnt stop there. in fact, he went on to explain how jehovah’s witnesses are a sorely misunderstood people. i told him i didnt care and that i respect everyone’s right to believe in whatever they wanna believe in and that i hope he can also respect my right to NOT WANNA KNOW WHAT HE THINKS I SHOULD DO. omg. but he didnt stop lah. he went on to explain the bible from genesis all the way to book X…..

that cab ride felt like the longest 20 minutes of my life.

PICTURE THIS: a jehovah’s witness cabbie trying to preach his faith to an atheist dressed as satan… OH THE IRONY. it was the most miserable cab ride experience ever. i felt so violated. felt sick in the stomach as well. why cant people keep their religion to themselves?! seriously. tsk!

was so determined to not let that ruin my night. sigh.. anyhoos, here are the photos i took. chris, my makeup artist, was AMAAAZING. if you want special effects makeup done (she does bridal makeup too), contact her HERE. i gave her a few photos and she came up with this look for me. total time it took to slap the devil on? 3.5 hours. it cost me $280 but it was worth every single cent. LOVE LOVE LOVE! only thing that i hated was the time it took to remove my makeup.. omg. i took 3.5 hours thereabouts tryna scrub off the red paint and remove the prosthetic latex and my fake nails. by the time i was done, it was 530am!

so forgive me for the onslaught of ME photos. i think for the effort that was put in, i deserve to “hiao” abit more lah hor?

3PM: starting on my makeup at Muse B'art with the uber talented artist, Chris.

the prosthetic latex horns etc that's gonna be stuck on my face

step one - its ridiculous to like half the fool.. get my face on already!

chris working the paint on me. red water-base paint layer first.

chris is very meticulous. made sure the paint job's done purrfactly.

red oil-based paint done. evil.

black horns on

adding on the details and shades

getting the body painted.

SNARRRL. HISSS. GRRROWL.

in the cab, tryin not the freak the cabbie out on the journey to clarke quay.

mister young as the black spidey

pretty costumes: nora as wonder woman and desiree as the queen of hearts.

our listeners. the most WICKED costumes amongst the lot. LOVE LOVE LOVE

my partner, shan wee, the christmas tree. (he MADE the whole costume himself)

lose the flash and HE GLOWS! (he also managed to stay unelectrocuted the entire night. amazeballs.)

with lyn, the mexican sugar skull bride

my pretty angel, aixa

the morning show duo: vanessa as tank girl and divian as gladiator

with my partner shan wee. we are worrrrlds apart. belonging at extreme opposite ends of the spectrum..

but im glad that we're on the same plane when it comes to halloween. this is our 3rd halloween as a duo. its been rockin fun thus far, partner

edward scissorhands. GUESS WHO?

its PATRICIA MOK!!! another awesomely impressively recreated costume/makeup of the night

martin the mardi gras gladiator

gettin my freak on with marrrtin x

with sarah tan AKA alice in wonderland x

at TAB. wan as batman and thats hidir as black spidey. both decided to give superhero powers a break and scale heights via the escalator instead.

adeline as japanese geisha/student and lyn as the mexican sugar skull bride.

then we saw hit girl (julia) and kick ass (george) xxx

kick ass VS hell girl.... round #1, FIIIGHT!

my dearest friend aishah and her handsome man-friend magne. such a gorrrgeous couple!

with one of the owners of TAB, adrian mah. dont gimme that look doode! im of legal drinking age! duh!

with the cutest hamburgler in the world, sara wee xxx

who u gonna call?

2AM: still standing... fangs starting to hurt my inner lip... and dreading the washing off of makeup..

one last one for the road. til next halloween, ROAAARRRR!!!

HALLOWEEN 2009. shan went as rubik's cube and i was gene simmon's alter ego in KISS. i got my spike cape tailormade at my friend's costume shop MOEPHOSIS. go google. they're AWESOME.

HALLOWEEN 2008. duh. i had to go as the joker. and i knew everyone else would too. so i had to make sure my costume stood out. i chose to tweak it a lil and gave the joker a slightly feminine twist. thanks to MOEPHOSIS for jamming one helluva suit for me.

in my honest opinion, a halloween look SHOULD be scary OR at least be over-the-top dramatic/out-of-this-world (like shan’s fetish to be everyday inanimate objects).

i hate it when people use halloween as an excuse to rock out their inner sluts. case in point:

wearing a horn hairband and a stuffed tail while wielding a plastic fork DOTH NOT a red devil maketh. you're still what you are: SLUTTY.

that said, you do not wanna take the word “scary” too literally and end up looking like a joke.. case in point:

this year, after much ding-donging back and forth and scouring the world wide web for famous villians, i decided on the traditional red devil look. i know it sounds boring! but hey, that’s where the challenge lies: to make a simple concept ROCK (its tough cuz i might end up looking like a slut or a worse, a joke). i think after years of flat 2D makeup and face paint, im ready to move into semi-prosthetic 3D special effects makeup.

i initially wanted this look. but after a chat with my makeup artiste, i decided the cost to create this look will bust my bank. the scales are 100% prosthetic.. sigh..

so i had to settle for a less intricate look... but im sure i'll still rock it. SO EXCITED!

so that, coupled with my customized fangs… (gifted to me by my kind brother Ryan, he ordered it online and has his own customized set of fangs too. yes, we are strange that way).

the set of fangs that comes with setting powder and liquid.. and all the props one might need to create tailor-made fangs for life.

TA-DAAAH! my customized new fangs! LOVE! i might wear them for a month!!!

okie its 1:43pm now. gotta pack and up and rush off to pick up my costume and then head to my makeup session. artist says she needs 4 hours. WISH ME LUCK! im soo exciiiited!!! will update with photos tomorrow! HAVE A FREAKY HALLOWEEN! WOOOOT! XXX

RIGATONI - i got this packet from jones the grocer, these get al dente in 8minutes. for single serving, only 2 fistfuls of rigatoni's needed. resist the urge to add more to what might seem like a pathetic amount in the boiling pot. PASTA EXPANDS so dont go overboard.

BABY ROMA TOMATOES - these are sooo sweet and will give this pasta a nice balance in flavour. i love my tomatoes so ive used 8 of these babies for this dish.

FRESH BASIL - why use dried when you can use fresh? and if you have these growing in a pot in your kitchen, you're daaamn lucky. cuz they're fresh, you can add loads. i used about 8 leaves.

PINENUTS - these are a lil pricey but worth every single cent imho. love the nutty buttery crunch it adds to my salads and pastas.. that is IF i dont go overboard snacking on 'em whilst prepping my dinner. absolute fav fav fav.

ASPARAGUS - i prefer medium spears; has more crunch/bite and they're less stringy. i've used 5 spears for single serving of pasta.

BROCCOLI - 6 tiny florets. i know these may seem alot in addition to the asparagus but i LOVE my greens. cant ever have too much of 'em. TOMATO SAUCE - i like Hunt's cuz its 100% natural. i HATE HATE HATE those bottled pasta sauces, vile tasting. use fresh tomato sauce and you'll taste the difference.

STREAKY BACON - used 5 strips of bacon for this dish. i prefer streaky bacon to back bacon cuz streaky has more fats which will flavour the olive oil its fried in and the overall texture of fried streakies add a comforting crispy fattiness to this pasta which i love.

prep the basil, roll 'em up into an herb joint.

slice thinly, set aside.

add the rigatoni to a boiling pan (observe the seemingly pathetic amount of pasta? well im tellin ya, thats the perfect portion), add loadsa salt - this will be your only chance to add flavour to the pasta. if you like your pasta bland, then obviously dont add any. add boiling water and cook away for 8mins or til al dente. (i pre-boil some water in a kettle and pour over the pasta. its just faster via the kettle than sitting cold tap water on the stove to boil... the latter is akin to watching paint dry. ive got no time for that. life's too short.)

cut the bacon up in coarse chunks and throw them into a pan ON HIGH HEAT, with some extra virgin olive oil. make sure they're spaced out. you want them fried to a crisp, not broiled.

almost there... still a tad too pale for my liking.. be patience, cant rush perfection.

TAH DAAAH! crispy bacon! dish out onto kitchen paper, set aside. (leaving flavoured oil in the pan)

throw in diced fresh garlic, asparagus spears and broccoli florets into the flavoured oil and stir fry for a minute.

throw in the mini roma tomatoes WHOLE. those babies will cook nicely on the inside and give a burst of liquidy sweetness like that of oven baked tomatoes. stir fry the lot quickly for a coupla minutes.

add half a can of tomato sauce..

throw in the shredded basil, stir around, mix well.

the rigatoni should be done by now. drain and add to frying pan. stir and mix well. turn heat to low.

add some fresh ground black pepper.

throw in the crispy bacon at the last minute and mix well. i wont add any salt cuz the pasta's flavoured and the bacon bits are salty. turn off heat. get ready to plate up.

add some pine nuts at the end (i add loads cuz im a nutter)

topped with some freshly shaved parmigianno-reggiano. under the italian law, only cheese produced in the parma, reggio emilia, modena, bologna and mantova provinces can be labelled "parmigianno-reggiano". the same cheese produced outside of these italian provinces are labeled as "parmesan".

MY COMFORT PASTA, enjoyed while watching The Iron Chef on the food network - BLISS.

and there you have it, my comfort pasta recipe. to round off the weekend, i’d like to share this mind-blowingly amazing video with you. a good friend, Kenny, posted this on my FB wall and i thought it to be UBER GENIUS. i think you might enjoy it as much as i did.

(if you cant see the video, click HERE)

“OUT OF THE BLUE”
Julian Casablancas
im just about obsessed with all things Julian. this is my fav track out of his solo EP. awesome lyrics that i totally connect with.

“PEOPLE SHOULD SMILE MORE”
Newton Faulkner
Newton Faulkner.. man, this guy’s c’est genial when it comes to lyrics and melody. another one of my favs, perfect for when your heart’s feeling broken, is “Uncomfortably Slow”. go check that out.

“SAY YES”
Elliot Smith
he was a manic depressive alcoholic when he was alive. this reflected alot in his emo acoustic tunes. he was found dead with 2 stab wounds to his chest, reason unknown. sigh.. R.I.P (06.08.69 – 21.10.03) – thank you for the music.

“WAS IT SOMETHING I SAID”
Brandon Flowers
Brandon’s solo FLAMINGO album gave me my Killers fix and im grateful.

“MIS AMIGOS”
The Dandy Warhols
omg. this song’s my happy tune. totally a blast-loud-with-car-top-open type tune.

“BREAKABLE”
Ingrid Michaelson
brilliantly quirky lyrics. and needless to say, her voice soothes my nerves.

“TIME TO PRETEND”
MGMT
one of my fav trippy tracks.

“THE NEVERENDING WHY”
Placebo
“time will help you through, but it doesnt have the time to give you all the answers to the neverending why..”

“UMBRELLA”
(cover of rihanna’s original on BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge)
Biffy Clyro
clyro’s cover reshaped an already good tune and made it excellently heartfelt. rozz loves.

“PURE”
The Lightning Seeds
oldie but goldie. lyrics are simple and hits me in all the right places.. super positive vibes. one of my fav love ditties.

“FANS’
Kings Of Leon
for days when you’re sick of hearing Sex On Fire and Use Somebody.. i actually love singing along to this while im takin a showerr.. LOL!

“PLANS”
Birds Of Tokyo
aussie band that amazingly churns out hit tune after tune. this is my current fav. shan introduced them to me.

“KIDS DONT STAND A CHANCE + OXFORD COMMA”
Vampire Weekend
omg two of my favourite VW tracks in a single hit. gotsta lurrrve 2-in-1s sometimes..

“11TH DIMENSION”
Julian Casablancas
i wasnt lying when i said im obsessed by all things Julian. this one’s the most popular track of his EP. (i still prefer OUT OF THE BLUE cuz im more of a lyrics kinda gal.. 11th Dimension’s awesome as a dance tune tho)

much as i love sharing music, i love discovering new music too. im particularly interested in other people’s playlists. please drop me a few titles of your favourite spins please, i would greatly appreciate the love. (esp tunes from artistes/bands that arent played on the radio BUT SHOULD.) thaaaanks! x