Jim Morrison

JIM MORRISON: Life, Death & Legend. (In memory of the legend)

17 January 2005.

This week has been a very slow week. And the weekdays especially have been quite repetitive but ended fast. Thomas A20 and I had completed our "Order business cycle" project on Monday but our presentation to the directorial board had to wait until 24th of January. So, we can consider even freer than our ordinary day, doing non related works like browsing photos on laptop, trying to beat each other's time record on various games like "Mahjong tiles", "Pin ball", "Tennis", "shooting the birds" etc, smoking and reading in between job and others.

The whether here is getting colder again especially at night and in the morning as well. On Wednesday morning, while on the way to office, with Visa's "Dalam Gerimis", Dewa's "Risalah hati", "Aku milikmu" etc on the head phone, Chris, our van driver told me about his good news, the news that he had been rejected many times for the past five years, that he got a job as a waiter in one of the hotel in Dubai, UAE.

I am happy for him because he deserves this opportunity. He always told me about his desire of leaving the country and earns more money and sees more of the world but the call is finally here. He is smart, young, speak good English, a person full of dream and courage and also, one time played a professional soccer. If everything is going accordingly, he will be leaving for Dubai end of this month. Best wishes for him.

Natalia the Colombian chick also left us yesterday, went back to Colombia for good while Lucia, the girl from Portugal also completed her traineeship and left us yesterday to Australia, to be with her sister.

At this point of time, Jim Morrison and The Doors had just cut their maiden contract with Elektra record. Jim had also started a somewhat stable relationship with Pamela Courson, the girl that later in Jim´s life, would influence Jim's legendary status as a poetic rockstar, just like Yoko Ono did to John Lennon. I am so much obsessed with his biography that I carry it with me everywhere I go and read it in between free time.

Wednesday night was kind of chill, cool, and somewhat romantic. Anna and I were on the couch. Later my head was on her tight while laying down flat while Eric Clapton's classic played on the air. Like Jim Morrison to Pamela Courson, I was showing some of my own, original poems/ song lyrics to her and after reading it, she told me it was really good and that she like it very much, that one of her comment to me was she can feel the feeling of each written poems, the agony and the joyous feeling, the pain and the happiness feeling, the courage and dream and etc. The "untitled" poem, which I recently wrote even, prompted her to ask me whether am I in love or depression or not. I was like, "well…let put it this way, some of the poems written was real and some of them through observation and imagination".

She would later put and light a cigarette for herself and me while both of our hands hold tightly, exchanging warm. And then suddenly, Eric Clacton's live version of "wonderful tonight" were on the air and needless to say, hmm… maybe I will write a new poem/song lyric out of this.

So, Kek, what's holding you back? You don't have to think no more, I am waiting for you to put a melody to my poems and songs. Just like Jim Morrison. He was never a musician. He played a little piano but he forgotten it while forming The Doors. He was a legend because he wrote a very poetic and meaningful lyrics, his influence on blues and the beat culture and thinking, his rebellious thinking of antimilitarist, anti-authoritarian etc (which later turn into songs like "Light my fire", Hello, I love you" and "Break on though"). The rest of The Doors namely Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek and John Densmore later brilliantly added the melody and their road to stardom was completely unexpected.

I don't know why for the past few weeks, I lost appetite on my company's canteen foods. I have been skipping lunch by simply eating some bananas even though sometime I was really hungry. Unless if Thomas, Omar and I go to Johnny's bar and restaurant, I won't be having my lunch.

Also, for one week already, I had been listening to old school malay rock music on the way to work. Songs like XPDC´s “Semangat pejuangan harmoni”, May´s “Sketsa sebuah cinta”, Kris´s “Tiara” and so on. Even as I am typing this, I am listening to Search´s Unplugged.

DJ Shariff brought a new bike, replacing his old bike. His new bike, or rather superbike 180cc is one of the famous high power bike in India. You can see Jackie Chan and the new model on the billboard everywhere in India. Sometime, I will take his bike and go ronda-ronda kotaraya.

Just down, DJ Shariff and I went to Laksmi road to check out some speaker stuff. There is this road where lots of dirty and bull shit whores, selling their sex services to hungry man. Those whores were dressed up in “sari” and most of them look even worse than Penang´s transversites.

Hanging out with DJ Shariff is like hanging out with a celebrity, say TuPac or Eminem. Since he is a very famous and elegant DJ, he seems to know lots young and party people or shall I say, everybody seems to know him especially the international chicks, the gorgeous chicks. After that, we went to CoffeeDay to have some ice latte, where I ordered “Tropical Iceberg”. DJ Shariff loaned us a new speaker and his Tracy Chapman´s CD. What a CD!!

Few hours back, a new trainee from Germany names Neill has arrived. Oh girl, I will fall for him if I am a gay. He looks like one of the main actor in a Hollywood movie, should I say more. Anna had to work to day. I showed Neill around Korageon park and brief and educate him everything he needs to know to survive in Pune, just like my first day, when the sensitive Polish Michal did on me, which almost got me into fight with rickshaw driver.

Marjolijn and Nathan just arrived from their South India travelling (after travelling to Goa with us).

I hope you actually did spend time read on the article I sent to you (written by Omar, inspired by Neale Donald Walsch). Because I really think it was worth a reading. The article questioning about our very reason of existence, why are we here?, who are we?, what´s the purpose of life? Simple questions that we never thought before. I am not saying I agree with every words written but nevertheless, it somewhat make sense to me as a human being but completely impossible to attain.

If you already did, then I would like to add one similarity that Jim Morrison shared with what he wrote, that shaped him to who he was (legend). His early famous chant that got him fired from the Whisky pub and created chaos to all his band mates and every one that related to him especially his producer was: “KILL THE FATHER, FUCK THE MOTHER”.

It seems crude and “barbaric” at the surface but in later part of his life, Jim confessed that the deeper meaning of this chant was, so I quote: “ (Kill the father) means kill all the things in yourself which are instilled in you and are not yourself. They are not your own, They are alien concepts which are not yours. They must die. Those are the things that must die. The psychedelic revolution (It means human's mind to me)”.

“(Fuck the mother) is very basic. And it means, get back to the essence. What is the reality?. Fuck the mother is, very basically, Mother: mother-birth, real, very real, you can touch it, you can grab it, you can feel it. It is nature, it's real, it can't lie to you. (It means human's soul to me)”. Obviously, you are free to interpret its free will.

Another of his thought that also similar to the essay was, so I quote: " I offer images. I conjure memories of …freedom. But we can only open doors; we can't drag people though."

"Our work, our performing, is a striving for metamorphosis. It's like a purification ritual, in the alchemical sense. First, you have to have the period of disorder, chaos; returning to a primeval disaster region. Out of that, you purify the elements, and find a new seed of life, which transforms all life, all matter, all personality- until, finally, hopefully, you emerge and marry all those dualisms and opposites. Then, you're not talking about good and evil anymore, but about something unified and pure"

This means that we going back to the basic of essence, when where we were first born onto this world, where our soul were still pure and innocence, not knowing what is good and what's evil. In other words, do or act what your deep within want you to, you gotto reach deep inside you, your soul and act it, regardless of what your surrounding are. Because when you act what your soul wants, than, that action will be the truest one because the soul will not lie to you. That's why it called reaction. "RE-ACTION". FREE WILL.

Enough shares of Jim Morrison. I hope you enjoy reading this blog article thus far. Now, I would like to share something noble that I did on Friday. It was my first class with company's educational program for the less fortunate kids from the slump. Omar and I was there to involved. Omar and I did a brief country presentation of Egypt and Malaysia respectively which most of the kids didn´t aware of it. Malaysia as a country is quite famous to Indian as one of the dream country for vacation. First 15 minutes, I did a video presentation to the 30 kids (CD courtesy from Tourism Malaysia). The kids were impressed of Malaysia, so impressed that one of the first questions from this girl was “Can you take me to Malaysia?”

Then I proceeded to explain briefly on where is Malaysia, the people that made up Malaysia, our daily activities, different religion etc. Of course, questions asked made the class richer. They were asking things such as what's our national sport?, what's national animal?, how does our houses looks like?, “do we have cricket game in Malaysia?” and most shocking of all was “is Malaysia a Republic or Monarchy?”

They were lots of cheering and laughing especially when I proceeded with my imitation of our monkeys, Silat, badminton, rubber taper etc while Omar acted out Pharaoh, the pyramid, praying etc. Those kids were really cute. That’s these brothers; Saddam & Islam, Mahendran & his brother, the youngest of all, Umar (very cute), Priya and so on. Omar gave out lots of chocolates everytime the kids took initiative to ask question, to participate, to speak English etc.

From country presentation, we spontaneously talked about “love”, “sharing”, “caring”, “dream and aspiration”. Some of them want to be social worker like their teacher, some of them want to be doctor, some of them want to be lawyer, cricket player etc.

It was a 90 minutes session, so long that we got to cut it off because we need to get back to work. Ms. Beena, the person in charge expressed utmost gratitude and appreciation and told us that the kids like it so much. So, next week is going to be our second class.

At present, this is my third time continue writing this blog from my third pauses. And now is Sunday morning, exactly at 11.15 morning, with a hot tea and cigarette on my left side and “Brazil Acoustic CD” were played in the air and Tracy Chapman songs on my headphone.

Yesterday night, Wim, Anna, me, Ellen the new American girl from the state of Louisiana, the new German Neills went to Shisha café, the best Jazz lounge around neighborhood. Omar and David joined us after that. So, we chilled out night away until around twelve-ish and we all parted our way.

This week had been a slow week and more relaxing week. But it was a memorable week as everyday is an amazing day and a memorable one because every single moment is a new discovery, had something to tell and to cherish.
Wim came by on Sunday afternoon and since his arrival, we were so busy copying MP3 from his music library (contains about more than 200 albums) into audio CD. I burned Eric Clapton's collection (12 albums which I don't have), The Doors' greatest hits CD 1&2, Jimi Hendrix's The axis outtakes CD 1&2, Buena vista social club, Miles Davis, Kill Bill vol. 1 OST, The Ramones Hits and a lots more. And the rest like Leonard Cohen, Tracy Chapman, Brazil Acoustic & Electronic CD1&2, The collection of punk Jazz have to rain check to other day.

In the spirit of sharing and exchanging resources as well as in the spirit of music CD collector, Wim also ripped some of my collection like "Best of Firehouse", Eric Clapton's "Me & Mr. Johnson", Vertical Horizon, Jaclyn Victor's "Dream", John's Mistress's "Are they stereotyped you too", Amir Yussof's "Aquarius", KRU's Greatest hits and lots more.

That night, Omar cooked for us a huge dinner. Mutton in tomato gravy, mast potato, bread roll, joint, beers, white wine and hot tea were on the menu. We shifted the table to our chilling balcony as well as the long cushion. We lighted the candle and playing the jazz of Ernie Smith (to accompany our dinner). The dinner felt like we were in Mango tree café, Hampi since we were all seated and lying down on the floor. The night was cold. It was great.

As I was typing this (in the office), I just met up with my superior about our project. To cut it short, next week, Thomas and I will start travelling to the Northern India, New Delhi for a branch visit. We are already starting our "Lonely Planet" planning. Tentatively, we will depart from Pune to Mumbai (4 hours by train) and from Mumbai (as a transit point), we will go straight to New Delhi (18 hours by train). We will work there for about 3 days and on the 26th onwards (India's National Day), we will have 2 free day ( and another 2 days in the weekend) to travel around. We will be going to Agra, where Taj Mahal located, and then to Jaipur, Rajakhtan, a province, where majority of the population are Muslims. If things is good, we will meeting up with Gesine, the girl I mentioned earlier in my blogs, who looks like Gytneth Patrow in New Delhi as well as Gokce the Turkish girl in Jaipur, Rajakstan. Then, we will leave on Sunday to Mumbai (by train, another 18 hours), the city never sleep, the Bollywood dream, and work there for about 2 days and then proceed to city of Baroda (by train, 10 hours) and be there for about 2-3 days. And then, to Mumbai, and back to Pune. All in all, we will be out station for about 2 weeks and accommodation (hotel) and transportation and maybe travel allowance will be covered. (hopefully). That's the tentative itinerary.

Later in the evening, I am going to start my first yoga class. That's all for now.
Love & Regards,

Peter