It's Been 19 Days?!

Alrighty, I've finally got a bit of time to blog from where I am.
I really really want to put up more pictures but I can't do it through Blogger and I'm actually blogging via email and it takes ages to even load 1 picture!

Anyways, I'm fine and dandy, feeling fantastic.
KL has been treating me nice. It's now officially Day 19 since I've been away from home. Haha.

The event has kick-started and things are going pretty well.
It's my third Short+Sweet season but I was still a tad nervous leading up to full-dress.
It's all good now and I'm having a ball of time.

The people here are exceptionally nice and accomodating and I've made a good number of friends here!

Someone's even dropped my name and started calling me Team Singapore. Heh.

And the venue itself, Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) is a most serene place.

It's not very far from where I'm staying but it's tucked away in this quiet area away from the hustle and bustle of the cosmopolitan life which lies just less than a kilometre away.

There's a couple of grass patches where one can roam freely. Haha. There's a pond with various types of what I think are cichlids, ducks and terrapins! It's so quiet and quaint that upon first impression, I felt like I was in Europe or something.

But what ultimately makes a place is the people and the overall vibe I get from the whole place is that it's like a community.

There's unlike any like this back home come to think. The Arts House might come close but that's about it.

Nuff said for now, take a look at the picture below, taken one lovely evening before rehearsals started.

Singapore Art Cafe - Adieu~

Okay, so this entry is a long time coming but I've finally got a chance to do this.

This entry is in dedication to the Singapore Art Cafe (SAC). It's no secret that this is one of my favourite cafes around in Singapore. Over the years, I've frequented the SAC when I used to borrow DVDs from the library, for various meetings and to just chill with friends. Heck, I even drop by for some nachos or a chocolate milkshake before I a meeting at the Esplanade Office or something of that sort. At times, if I was in the area, I'd also drop in to chat with Jonathan. In fact, when I was on crutches, the first choice of place for a cast meeting with my Short+Sweet Singapore 2008 team was at the SAC, because of its easy access.

Most importantly, the SAC was not only a place I frequented for the above reasons. The SAC in a way, provided my bunkmate in the Army, Azhar and I, a reason to bond, a reason to not think so much of the army. That's right, the SAC Open Mic sessions got Azhar and I to jam even more in our bunk especially after it was just 2 of us in the bunk.

I've always been more of a willing performer from time to time but Azhar was the exact opposite. So, when calls for Open Mic sessions started to open over on Facebook, it got the both of us pretty excited and right off the bat, we started gearing up for one.

And boy, Azhar actually did it! Hahaha! First time ever we did 4 songs in a night and this was some time last year. So, from that Open Mic, we've always been Shaiful & Azhar, the bunkmates who had to rush out from camp to get to the SAC on time, etc. Sadly, we wished we had performed as many more times as we could have but the Army usually held us back most times or we had the lack of practice. Explains why Jonathan called us the "Irregular Regulars".

So, when the heartwrenching news that the SAC was to close came in, I immediately called Azhar up and I said, we've got to perform at this last Open Mic and we should only do ONE song and it should be THAT ONE SONG. He understood there and then what song it was and I immediately got Jonathan on board with us. And the res, they say is history.

Due to the overwhelming response, we almost didn't get to perform but Jonathan got us up, I was gonna leave on the Monday after, for a month at that. So, yeah, we were the last few to perform and we did Eric Clapton's Wonderful Tonight and I absolutely loved the way we did it. Could probably the best we've done with the song so far. :)

So, now that I've said all that, the SAC has really closed down and we can all only pray Jonathan will re-open the SAC down the road. This was afterall, the friendliest Open Mic in town. And no, no muffins were ever thrown at performers no matter how bad they were. Haha.

Me and Jonathan

This is the gentleman who started it all, the one who has been supporting not only the local music scene but the ARTS scene in general.

Great job all these years Jonathan and thank you for the memories! :)

My trips to the Esplanade will never be the same again...