Berita Hairan

of all days it has to be on that day. i think 1st august attracts showtimes fm outfits that i wanna see (but eventually didn’t). this is the 3 year in a row this had happened. :S

phoenix. august 1st. hockey rink in jakarta.

let’s see if things do not get in the way.

for more phoenix, here kitty kitty.

it’s been a funneh year so far. i’ve foregoned a lot of shows this year just because “wanting to save up for a trip but didn’t go in the end.” bloody swine.

but please hell no this gonna be missed (again!).

envy. kl. july 11th. via junk. i don’t know why, but i seemed to like to head to kl for shows. possibly of the cheap(er) vices. hehe.

So there’s my point of view. I don’t know who’s going to bother reading it. Sometimes I feel sad – it’s never easy moving to a different country – and sometimes I miss Singapore, which I know deep inside has so much potential. Singapore has so much talent, and so much to offer. But it is heading in the wrong direction: it’s turning into a materialistic, bigoted, regressive society where individuals are not valued. Where people don’t dare to be different, and don’t want to think for themselves. commenter on sg.

aptly said, what i can’t put in words. and each day i’m awake, i do intend. the grass may not be greener on the other side, but at least you can do whatever you want with that grass.

+++

ok before the green thing takes place, i am stunned.

TRENT IS COMING TO SG!!!

*doing the morbid fan screaming and fainting mode*

one more month. harrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

and.

Question: HOW MANY TIMES MUST THEY COME OVER?
one can only have so much of mr paltrow’s raised up hands to the sky so…

via anti coldplay coalition. funneh.

it’s that time of the year again – where everyone else will list out their favourite items for the past year. as always, without exception, sarip will like to join in [or isit on] the bandwagon. sarip loves his music and you should too! :]

[it's unfortunate that multiply has suspended the downloads of the music files. at least, users can still listen to the playlist though.]

sarip’s favouritest album/artist/song/feeling-mengfeeling tunes of the year

1. bon iver – for emma, forever ago [listen]
guy breaks up with girlfriend, lives in solitude for 3 months in dad’s cabin, recorded some songs about the heartbreak, dedicated it to her, still talks to her and churns out sarip’s favourite songs for 2008. soothing, serene, heartbreaking, feeling mengfeeling 100 persen.

it seems sarip’s second fav tunes of the year also likes to don flannel wear. oh, these northwestern climes, what air do you breathe.

2. fleet foxes – fleet foxes [listen]
and it’s like not so suspense-surprising kan that sarip was on fleet foxes bandwagon. lush, beautiful, scenic, beach boy-sy / crosby tunes – how not to like? blue ridge mountains performed on letterman sealed the deal, pronto.

legend has it, they are quite nice guys too. super.

3. shearwater – rook [listen]
sarip’s parennial fav band. jonathan meiburg’s voice, tender, melodic, captivating. only qualms [most times in fact on a lot of shearwater tunes] their songs are too short to be appreciated more! still…

4. portishead – third [listen]
ah, beth gibbons. hello you. 1994 you converted sarip, 2008 you still do, even though not as early much. but yes, the rip is one of the best songs for sarip’s 2008. perfect for those late night drive bys. white horses can take sarip away!

5. tv on the radio – dear science [listen]
unlike the previous album, this one is more vivid, angry and does not have the anthem-sing-along choruses. still ‘crying’ is far out loud.

rest of the list
sigur ros – med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust [listen]
she & him – volume 1 [listen]
my morning jacket – evil urges [listen]
marnie stern – this is it & i am it & you are it & so is that & he is it & she is it & it is it & that is that [listen]
grails – doomsdayer’s holiday [listen]
girl talk – feed the animals [clicky]

sorry to disappoint – no vampire weekend! hah! though oxford comma is kinda cool.

gigs of the year that sarip went and then tried to become vincent moon but failed miserably
1. explosions in the sky [yeah!]
2. jens lekman
3. broken social scene
4. manic street preachers

come on 2009!

I show her my passport
what I look like
But she just smiles and lets me know
it’s gonna be all right

monday night at the white rabbit. oh jens, you are such a coy.
i could just listen to you all day and night and those wolf whistles and smirks.

more vids at kampungdusun’s youtuber.

12 years in waiting. but admittedly the show was a wee bit muted. or possibly the audience around me were. or was it just sarip who just stood there lone rangerly, with a touristy vcam.

so naturally, sarip felt weird just like that with the gadget at hand. thus the out of focus zoom. meh.

still, singing to a design for life after years and years of emomotion did render some solace to sarip. it’s like whoa. he almost shed a tear. yes, it was that big of a deal.

anyway, the setlist as follows:-

Motorcycle Emptiness
Autumnsong
La Tristesse Durera
Faster
You Stole The Sun From My Heart
Everything Must Go
Ocean Spray
Masses Against The Classes
You Love Us
Pennyroyal Tea
Send Away The Tigers
A Design For Life
Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky (Acoustic)
The Everlasting (Acoustic)
Your Love Alone Is Not Enough
Umbrella
1985
Little Baby Nothing
Motown Junk
If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next

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THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS THIS IS MADNESS. THIS IS MADNESS!

question: is it just me or are the escalators at the mrt stations putting on a strike ala the bangkok riots? novena, hougang, amk! 3 “spoilt” escalators on the same day? my, oh my.

but what the hell, sigur ros’ festival is one hell of a kicking-feeling-mengfeeling-syiok-sendiri-jerawat-sampai-bleh-pecah-type of orgasm. really.

but what is more tantalizing is the fact that this guy is performing again this monday. I REPEAT. THIS FUCKEN MONDAY.

NAHBEH. really lah, sarip’s pocketful of money no more soon.

but it’s JENS ANAK WAK LEKMAN playing woik! the one yang you sanggup gi sorang sorang gi KL then balik with a group of people who sarip felt he macam bikin suasana yang tegang for them.

so…

2008.

is.

a.

freaking.

superb.

year.

MANIC STREET PREACHERS ON NOV 24!

A DESIGN FOR LIFE!
AUSTRALIA!
1985!
EVERYTHING MUST GO!
KEVIN CARTER!
TSUNAMI!
THE GIRL WHO WANTED TO BE GOD!
THE EVERLASTING!
AND…

1996 here sarip comes!

okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.

how like that?

sept 19! and oct 2!

AND!!!

Camera Obscura on Oct 29! Wah liau WEI!

sarip still has fetishes for this!

Oh yes! Love their version of 1234!

This Friday @ SMU Green!

Listen!

+++

Ok, ok. One day, one day soon.

word up. dcfc had cancelled the kl show. and it’s coming to sheepapore. money speaks, and somehow i don’t like this idea.

but those jakarta folks are really something. the last time bjork arrived, and now karen o and the boys are heading there for the jakarta rock parade.

and both i can’t go!

yes. they are coming. to kl. august 12/13. would you follow me into the dark? via pirates of the bargain bin.

damn, 2 days of leave again.

anyway, i’ll take this over than some overpriced singfest thingy, travis or not.

2 weeks ago, mental floss put up a great article on the project of life of the late jamie livingston. the site, unsurprisingly, went down due to a huge influx of traffic. only until now i am able to view it; you can view the pictures here.

in a time where we are camwhoring ourselves for the world to see, this is truly a gem of a find. discreet, sensitive, emotional, nostalgic and sweet.

and the one big lesson i learn from these photos – digital can never beat the beauty of film

+++

plus…

let’s get it on!

skateboards. portland. young kids. gus van sant. christopher doyle. ok.

paranoid park.

monday paranoid-in-waiting was put on hold watching questlove held fort at hacienda. 4 plus plus hours, standing around with achingly-cool kids and yuppies. but it was still naahice and claps to questlove for digging for hours.

ah, sunday.

“Apa ini semua?!”

1. i hope i am not the only one who felt it’s a bit off for bss’ gig yesterday to be held in esplanade. for the upteenth time, i’ve never like the venue. it’s too prim and proper with too much air and shitty seats. and most will just be too cool for school and just sat on their seats, as if watching a theater. even kevin drew was a bit surprised for them to be playing in such a place. i still miss harbour pavillion.

2. because of the atmosphere, i didn’t feel feel that much throughout the show. somehow, i felt like an idiot standing up when everyone was gangsta sitting daun and fearing for my life paranoid-ing the guy behind me pushing me off the ledge. and i don’t know if you realised it or not, kevin drew was trying as much as possible for the people in the above tier to come alive.

3. it was a very nice surprise that the show was almost pushing to 2 1/2 hours.

4. the people who bought the most expensive tixs? [haha!] suckers! the ones who bought the cheapest? blardy hell. grrr.

5. maybe the next time i can put some johnny in the evian bottle.

6. actually, i loved the comedy skits more than anything.

“….and introducing our latest member who could not make it…Mas Elamat Bin Kastari!”

“…but i only knew you forgot it in people.”
but, but what about the 5 albums we made after that? you know, the techno and raggae stuff?”
“…it was ok, but i still only like you forgot it in people.”

“where’s feist? where’s feist?!”
“come on everybody! 1, 2, 3, 4…”

the part when the spotlight came on to intro andrew when normally he’ll just stub out the cigarette to cue who’s next.

the part when kevin said that he can only take certain cigarettes and fearing coming to singapore and then going to jail for bringing in drugs.

when they introduced the sound guru with the drumroll.

when kevin drew forgot the chords and admitting he does not know how to play as it was too long.

brandon channing prancing like a goofy boy.

kevin drew running along the aisle ala richard simmons.

7. best moment [actually]: when ibi dreams of a pavement came out and yours truly clapped till his hands felt numbed. lover’s spit was not expected to play, was a nice surprise though.

8. most disappointing: when shoreline came on. that pinoy was an utter downer lah.

9. most tak boleh angkat moment: the videocam batt died after 2 minutes. cockanathan!

10. best joke of the day: the crazy crowd at the IT fair.

+++

well the show must go on. sunburst and the rest of mosaic will be definately put off, but at least there’s stereophonics playing april 28th. ah, the poly days.

the rakes? nyet, sarip only knows hedi slimane’s likes them.

“salam untuk semua…kita adalah letupan di langit…”

with tired eyes, tired minds, tired souls, we did not flutter for time stops, along the journey of glittering darkness, we remember a song for our fathers, during the magic hours, while we look into the air, thinking the moon is down…after six days at the bottom of the ocean, we took our first breath after coma, thinking it was yasmin the light, we may have a poor man’s memory, during the magic hours, in the midst of snow and lights..but with your hand in mine, we remembered the only time we were alone, in memorial, so do not greet death, just remember me as a time of day and believe, the earth is not a cold dead place.

1. first breath after coma aka “the baik sial by guy behind me song”

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i’m soooooooooo there Questlove!