fashizzlemanizzle

A perfect, perfect way to start the year. Muse performing here on our shores. Holy guacomole. It was, in a nut's shell, super-fantastiche! Came armed with yellow, disposable S$1 poncho and all, smuggling in camera. Thank God the heavens did not open up to pour. Reached ground zero at 7, entered the arena and bam, the front near the stage was already crowded. Found the most central position, together with this click-kids central malay star, with his noisy cronies, and wait and wait and wait. Whilst waiting, managed to feel how it would be like at a Rage Against The Machine Concert, when Testify was played during the pre-show prelude. People around were all singing, "Fak you I wont do what you tell me", hahhaa, great great moment. Oh yea felt like Kurt was in Singapore too when "Stay Away" was played.




At abt 8.20, Matt and gang came on stage. Expected to be blown away with a big-sounding song, like Apocalypse Now or Take a Bow, but they played it safe by gunning straight into Knights of Cydonia. Hell yea, as expected, the crowd begin surging forward. Saw this panicky dude, who really really looked like, "Oh my god, wtf is happening, somebody help me". Man I pitied him coz he looked really helpless and was trying to protect his wife? Other people from the front came out and went towards the back. Heard it was real bad in the front. I managed to hold on my own, with the missus beside me. So it was like, "No one's gonna..." and shove shove, "the time has come to..." shove shove shove. So yea. But it was all good.




Here's the set-list for the nite, courtesy of the Muse Forum:
01. Knights Of Cydonia
02. Hysteria
03. Map Of The Problematique
04. Butterflies And Hurricanes
05. Supermassive Black Hole
06. Newborn
07. Forced In
08. Bliss
09. Feeling Good
10. Sunburn
11. Invincible
12. Time Is Running Out
13. Plug In Baby

Encore:
14. Soldier's Poem
15. Starlight
16. Stockholm Syndrome

A few problems though with the concert. Numero uno, the sound. It was just blasting away. I guess it being held outdoors, the acoustics were just lost in the air, unlike if it were at Indoor stadia, the sounds would have been reverberating throughout the place, perfect for their orchestraic sounds. And yea, air-con might help coz it was wayy too warm outdoors. Numero dos, matty matty, wassup wif the stage deco? A mandarin fan?? To symbolise some oriental mumbo-jumbo? How about putting a huge Fork and Spoon (as below in a posed picture) to show some racial diversity? And at least maybe a huge Muse backdrop might have helped man. The stage did look kinda small for such a big band.



Numero tres, Matty matty, how come not much communique from you. Interaction with fans helps make us feel important yea. There werent even much interaction between the members themselves. You know some bands, like Steve Tyler and Joe Perry would stand back facing each other and do some boogie-woogie. Showmanship. And how some artiste would learn the local language and spurt some hokkien expletives perhaps. But this could be down to them being jet-lagged. It's alright. It' all cool. For all these minor matters, it was just awesome lah to see them live. Matt goreng his guitar, fingers carressing the pianos gently, switching from piano to guitar seamlessly. Tight tight band they are. And thank you for jamming Maggie's Farm. That was just excellent, would've been better if you'd play the whole song. And seeing Matt sing, his eyes closed, totally immersed in his own singing, his hair flying around. Oh so sexy.

Lots of people were complaining abt the short duration of 1hr 15mins. Personally, that seems to be the 'market rate' of bands performing here. Rarely does any performance go almost 2hrs. So yea, it was all good. Heard from Sujin (like I know him personally like that) they're interested to come back here. For all the masam tee and muddy shoes, it was all worth the pain and pogo-ing.

On another note, there was this huge Mat Salleh, who managed to squeeze beside me, his wet armpit was close to my right sleeves. When he moved away, and much much later, I felt sweat on my lips, and I sadin only wiped my lips using the Mat Salleh-armpit-stained right sleeves. Soursweet Symphony I tell ya.


Pics Pics Pics




Starlight


Spot the fan, win a KDK electric fan!




Chris Wolstenholme


Dominic Howard (with Fan, not fans)


Wat time is it? Wat time is it?


The expression, and flying hair, says it all.




Tamat.

In the shape of things to come....

Now this conversation I heard in the toilet at Intercontinental Hotel last sat, a father telling his prolly 3-4 year old son, who was peeing rather not confidently at the urinal.

Son was peeing, and turning ard left n right to see other people in the toilet.

Father (in a rather regimental kind of voice) : Eh hallo, when you urine, look at your own penis. Dont look around at other people's one.

Son (meekly): Ok

Errmm ok. As they say, Father knows best.

abysmal. what the fuck were they playing? tennis?
simply unacceptable.

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

Jak sie masz! To sum this movie up in 2 words, it's fucking hilarious (excluding the it's of course). I admit, im into corny but funny jokes, and silly ones. Not so much into intellect ones, so you get a rough idea of my expectations. Not much actually haha. But it's seriously funny (serious? funny?).

The plot revolves around this character baptised Borat (Sacha Baron Cohen of Ali G fame), who hails from Kazakhstan. As convincing as he is, Sacha is not a Kazakh and the movie wasnt even freaking shot in motherland Kazakh. It was shot in Romania. Anyways, he leaves behind his family (with a younger sister who's Kazakh's 4th best prostitute, and he gets to 'lachi' her.) And leaving behind the village rapist, who's this nerdy dude and told to stay off the animals. Poor guy. Dont tink he even understood wat Borat said. And so Borat is leaving motherland for U.S And A, in a mission to learn about the culture there and bring back some useful practices.

Join him in his journey and making fun of people. Of how he tries to shit on the Donald Trump sign. Of how he learns to make "NOT!" jokes. To me, the most hilarious has got to be when he tries to bargain the price of the hotel, and his reaction when brought to his "room".

Call it stupid all you want, but to see it from another angle, it is an intelligent movie. Like a social commentary, It manages to expose the social problems that still lurk among Americans, which we dont see on tv. This (if not scripted) is reality tv. Of how old wise-looking white men telling Borat to shave off his moustache as he looked like a muslim and tat aint a good thing. Of white frat boys, claiming that women should be treated like bitches and that the minority are given more rights. These people unwittingly gave too much an opinion, on national theathers too. Good for you lads. And the Red neck crowd at the rodeo, roaring everytime he supported the War on Terror, but these buffoons were aghast when Borat sang Kazakh's fake national anthem in the tune of the American anthem.

Of course, who would like it when someone comes up to you, offers a handshake and then tries to smooch you. Like one white dude, I'd kick his balls too. Not a homophobic thing, but just not used to it. And the testes-smelling moustache touching ur cheeks might feel ticklish. And when Borat was doing a 'live' interview with a morning show, he was asking if he can go pee, and stood up doing the interview while the host was sitting down, and so you see his body in one shot, and his head in another diff shot. And how, when he showed the woman teaching him etiquette, he asked if it's appropriate to show pictures of family and he showed her a picture of him with his cousin, first carrying him naked and second a mug shot with his cousin's dong hanging in its full-glory.

Be forewarned, the R-rating is given with good reason. Dont watch if you cant bear seein good 'ol nude wrestling (altho I strongly believe Borat's censoring his dong is a tad exaggerated in length) and the facial shot (im referring to photo here hor, not spermula kind) and strong coarse (not rough) language. And if you jew, dont tink u'd be able to sit thru the many attempts of Borat to kill the jews (he even asked a car dealer if a Hummer can run down jews easily). Seriously, Sacha being a jew, I wonder how he can be at peace wif himself making fun of his own people. But I must say, I pitied the nice jew couple that took him. That was a tad too much (oooh elfian, carrying shit in a plastic bag aint too much issit). Im talking in third person here.

It has been a long long time since I laughed this hard watching a movie (perhaps the last time was Kung Fu Hustle). I had cramps, for Alexander Graham Bell's sake. And people around were laughing laughing, and then coughing. Hahahah. Laugh until throat dry liao lah.

With that, this movie gets 4.5 / 5 Char kueyss. High FIVE!

P.s: The ending is freaking awesome. So soviet-east european-communist feeling. Kazakstan, greatest country in the world/all other countries are run by little girls/Kazakhstan is number-one exporter of potassium/Other Central Asian countries have inferior potassium/Kazakhstan, greatest country in the world/all other countries is run by the gays...