The rolling stone week

The rolling stone week

First of all, thanks to all who actually read the craps to the bottom and also to those who replied to me. It is great to know that my blog is visited though this crap is all about me and my life and everything and everyone that known only to me.

It is so damn hard to reset my mood after a 4 days trip to Goa, especially to a mood of living every waking hour, knowing I had to go to work. Life was so good and relaxing in Goa that my happening daily routine had become numb to nothing. But I think, despite the lazy and mood-less syndrome, I am (and so are the rest) recovering very fast.

It was a disaster week for Thomas A20 and me. We had been together in the same project team, in the same company, doing the ongoing project (analysis of order business cycle) for almost three-month now and upon returning from Goa, we found out that all of our files pertaining to our ongoing project (folder) were somehow deleted. It was no human’s fault. It was completely computer’s fault. So guess what, we got to re-do the project. Luckily, we got some files on our laptop (though it is not updated), so we only required re-do certain part of it.

DJ Shariff, the guy from Sudan visited us that night. He brought along a very big and long hash and a package of weed hence the beginning of what would to be known as “The rolling stone week”. Arp borrowed me his precious asset to me, which is his CD collection (about 50 CDs). His collection mainly comprise of lounge jazz, electronic jazz, punk jazz, Bossanova, Raggae, mellow rock, old school rock and some French and Arabic music. So, lots of new music (which is also my new interest) to accompany while we rolling stone. Some of the CDs that is my favorite is Pink Floyd’s “The other side of the moon”, “The best of Leonard Cohen”, “Collection of Dire Straight”, “The punk Jazz double CD”, “Bob Marley & the walrus”, “The in-house jazz”, “lounge Jazz album”, “Spyro Gyro” and “Beck’s mutated”.

So, Wednesday night, DJ Shariff, David, Omar and I spent our chill out time in our ever "chill out" balcony. While watching the clear sky, getting chill with 15 degree, neon bulb and hot tea, we smoke away the night until the clock rang at twelve. It was Omar’s birthday (DJ Shariff’s birthday is the day after). Thomas A20 got back in time and all of us including the sweet Anna sang him a happy birthday in our respective language. The singing took away our time for a while, but not too long because our journey and odyssey to the moon and great paradise was just about to begin. And the CD of the night that accompanies our journey was of course, Leonard Cohen.

My Mitch Albom’s “Tuesday with Morrie” had been read like crazy. Meike was reading it and she told me the story of Morrie got into her emotion and she shed tears even after she finished the book. The book had also prompted her to write a meaningful email to her dad (which she never did). And now, Omar is reading it and he is talking about it every single hour. At this point, I almost finish Paulo Coelho’s “The devil and miss prym”, about 10 pages to go. In this book, this time, Paolo dramatizes the struggle within every soul between light and darkness, and its relevance to our everyday struggles: To dare to follow our dream, to have to courage to be different and to master the fear that prevents us from truly living. And next in line, waiting for me to read is also another Paulo's masterpiece; “ Veronica decides to die” which I just brought yesterday. Here, I read as much as I watched DVD at home. I guess it is normal la…since we don’t have a TV or DVD set here. By the way, I had my first “Cinema Paradiso” experience in India last week. We watched “Ocean 12” at InOx. Though I admired so much of Catherine’s gorgeous-ness and sexiness (the best brunette of the year), but frankly, I think she is not suitable for the character. She seems fake and pretentious.
Thursday evening was another evening to remember. Omar invited the family of A20 (and Meike) to his birthday dinner at one of the high-end restaurant; MALAKA SPICE, which just located opposite our apartment. Everybody dressed up to the occasion like attending a high class (memang high-class pun…) dinner at Victoria steak house. It was one of the occasion you won’t see me wearing my Barney shirt and Adidas track bottom.

So, David, Thomas A20, Marielle, Bernard, Anna and I were there to celebrate with Omar, his 23rd birthday. It was a private dinner, only to A20 people and Meike. Not even DJ Shariff or John Archer was invited (Omar’s best buddies). The house gave him a present. The present was 3 volumes of Neale Donald Walsch’s “Conversations with God” (original, brought from a real book store, not the one I always visited). He likes the book so much. I felt relieved because it was my decision in choosing the book. An alarm clock was also part of the present, for an obvious reason.

After the long speech, thanking everybody for such a beautiful and meaningful evening and other craps, we started our dinner with red wines. He ordered about 3 bottles of red wines but he never drinks a drop. He quitted any forms of alcohol drink “cold turkey” when he was still in Montreal University. But the hash and weed still goes on for him.

All of the cuisine and desert and meals we ordered were as classy as that cuisine in any of the exquisite restaurant. It was the best dinner of the fort-month. The foods and wines was so good that one can start to describe the sinful acts of consuming them and the tastes of every bites in a way Hemingway did.

Anna and I were side by side, just like a couple. Occasionally caught in the act of feeding each other, whispering closely, arm on her shoulder and hers on my tight and stuff like that. But nothing is happening. Though we are very close to each other but so far, nothing had happen, including to the fragile me. I am still a one-tough motherfucker and ass-hole you knew.

If you think the night had begun, then you are wrong. We went back to A20, had a rest, another round of smoking and hot tea before we were joint by the company of the C1 residents. Dennis, Mario, Tom UK and John visited us. Thought they were not invited to the dinner, the C1 people gave a gift to Omar, a set of gold tiepin and a self-creative giant post card (in words and poster of two sexy blondes) that contains a crude jokes and explicit wording hence parental advisory were required.

So, we kick started that Thursday evening for two reason (Omar and DJ Shariff birthday). Since DJ Shariff is also a prominent DJ in “Nirvana club”, the club that play mostly hip-hop and old school songs (very cool pub, I like it), all of us that connected to him was granted free access (just like always). We were given a special entrance pass that had Omar’s name on it. That night, all the alcohol drinks was either on the house (DJ Shariff) or Omar.

While Usher’s “Yeah”, Bone Thugs N' Harmony’s “California”, Black Eyes Peas's “Let’s get retarded”, “Where is the love” were play in the air, we were of course dancing like crazy. At midnight, the whole pub went complete silence for 15 seconds to mark a cutting cake ceremony of DJ Shariff. Soon after, he stood up on the bar counter and started to re-launch the night into a hot party, just like the devil stood at the edge of fire mountain. Free strawberry shooters treated everybody in the house (about 5 liter). At that time, I almost high (not drunk) already.

Friday evening was the best day of the weekend, just like every week. But for this week, it was because I went for my second "cinema paradiso", this time I was watching Oliver stone's "Alexander". Being a self-appointed film critic of my own generation, this movie is simply awesome and fucking great. Being a person whose always fascinated on history related subject, Alexander the Great (Iskandar Zurkarnain), the king of Macedonian that nearly conquer the world at the age of 25, is one of my favorite subject. But I think the movie could be better, and should emphasize more on his early empire expansion. The duration of the movie should be longer, something like the Mel Gibson's Braveheart. The cast of line up is marvelously chosen. Val Kilmer, Angelina Jolie, Farrell and Leto are all great actors. I was watching "Alexander" at "E-Square", a modern complex of cinemas. I went with Thomas A20, his girlfriend and group of Iranian people. Through them, I came to know Sam (Iranian) who is also a movie buff like me. We talked lots on all of movies we watched before.

David the Chezh Republic guy, the McGyver of the house and Thomas A20 had bought a new bike. It is full crutch and it looks something like Yamaha's Sport-3. So, for the past few days, I had been to MG road for many times, cruising and rounding Pune City with the new bike. It was a good ride, a "ride the wind" one especially we are not required to wear helmet. The traffic was crazy, massive and lawless. Whoever who can survive India's traffic, can survive anywhere, and frankly, Penang's traffic (the most arrogant one in the country) is nowhere near pune's traffic.

Saturday noon was the best day of my life. While waiting for the mobile guy to fix my charger, I went to "Manney" book store (A real bookstore, selling original only, no more on the street) to look around. I saw a biography, which I couldn't ignore, that I must buy it, read it and own it no matter how broke I am. It was a JIM MORRISON'S BIOGRAPHY: LIFE, DEATH, LEGEND. Written by the same author who brought you "Hammer of the God" and "Biography of Bob Marley". His name is Stephen Davis. So, that Saturday mark the beginning of my odyssey to the era and world of 60s, where the revolution of everything, from sex, drugs, music, thinking, the beat culture, hippies, film, philosophy, poetry etc begun.

Jim Morrison (real name, James Douglas Morrison, 1943-1971) was one of the greatest 60's misunderstood master genius, intellectual of the time, the founder and front man of the America's legendary rock band, THE DOORS. Like Richard Branson and John Lennon or The Beatles, Stephen Davis started with Jim's childhood and now I am at a point where he enrolled to UCLA film faculty, same faculty with Francis Ford Coppola. Forget about "Veronica decide to die" (I already borrowed to Meike for her one-week travelling to North India). Right now, I am officially obsessed with Jim Morrison's life journey. Do you know? Jim Morrison's grave in Paris is the third most visited place after Eiffel Tower and Lourve.

Smoking session with the music of Leonard Cohen and Bob Marley and hot tea (and this time with the book of Jim Morrison) could never be better. As I was smoking with Omar, in our ever chilling balcony, there was silence in the air, just smoke and music. I suddenly thought to myself, sometime what Morrie said is quite true, that a complete silence can means more than anything. Sometime when you are together, it is not necessary to connect verbally, it also can be done through silence, time where heart speak to heart. Time where presence means more than talking. That's why you see people visiting old folks home, doing the same old thing over and over again without even talking, like playing chess for hours, watering plants miles away etc but still, the old folks appreciate and long even more for your presence. Because your presence means your heart speak to them.

Sometime, when sitting in the dark, alone, I also thought so many things that spontaneously jump to my mind. Sometime I think that making love is not about penetrating your proud penis into another's vagina and fuck off the next morning. I think it means more than that. I think waking up in the morning, finding there's someone laying beside you, someone for you to cuddle with, for you to hold and romance and morning talks means more than mere fucking in the night and fuck off in the morning. Though I will still like the idea of one-night stand and fling. Speaking of which, sometime I think you don't need a fling to have a fling. Sometime though time and unspoken words, fling will just happen, and when that kind of fling happen, you know that that fling is a genuine fling, born from the heart, connected by the magnet of two souls, surrounded by the just ambience. And that my friend, that genuine fling is a good thing, not a bad thing, as often as been wrongly stereotyped, wrongly framed in our static society. That fling, is a next best thing to friendship, because it never starts and it never ends.

Sunday evening, all of the trainees went for a charity performance, from the kids. Meike, the social worker, the lovely girl, my great companionship, the knowledgeable and intellectual person, musical girl was one of the organizer that attached to one of the NGO that brought us the charity performance. The kids' performance was simply a blast and awesome.

About 300 of these kids, boys and girls that are so adorable and cute delighted us with lots of dances, from the Elvis to the Disco era to the "80's pop to the Latin dance beats, to cultural dance and performance. It was a mere 90 minutes show, big stage, full costume, stage light, full audio-visual and stuff. We were so touch by the performances of these kids. These kids are no ordinary kids. These kids are from the slump area where if nobody care, they will grow up with diseases, depriving of education, depriving of proper and nutritious life etc. This event shows that there is someone cares enough to fund and finance their life through education. They look so lively, so innocence, full of charm, full of dream, and speak good English too…

The point is, these kids proven to us that everybody is the same under the sun, that if given ample opportunity, everybody possessed the ability to learn and to strive. The performances show us the aspiration of these slump kids that dusty future seems to be map out for them even before they were born.

One of the performance that highlight the night was different costumes of the kids, with different beat of music, light and backdrop, represent different feeling of human being; namely anger, jealousy, happiness, sadness etc. And the movement showed us the consequences of each feeling.

Sometime I think, the adult need to learn from the kids, about what came through their eyes and mind, about their thought and perspective because sometime, the kids can re-educate and remind us the value we used to have that we lost and corrupted along the way to adulthood, the stairway to become someone competitive, means and arrogance.

The message from the kids are so powerful that their innocence and their pureness touch us, the crowd, to the root of our heart. One of the performances was about loving human nature, and there was also about the urge for world peace by singing the infamous "Don't kill the world". Omar and I are seriously talking about involving ourselves in company's children home project where we will contribute our special time to them (Just talked to Ms Beena, and we are now officially attached to the child care program, teaching the kids in a edu-tainment method). David had filmed the whole performance. I will show it to you should I have the opportunity or when I go back to Malaysia.

As for now, Meike and Lars is going to travel to the North for one week, Wimp just got back from Holland, Thomas brought lots of chocolates from Germany, so much that we can do a chocolates steamboat, Anna and I becoming even closer and David and I are starting to talk about our travelling plan to Northern India and Himalaya, Nepal and maybe Tibet. (if you decide to join me, please be informed that you are most welcome)

Starting next week, I might be starting something new to me, a YOGA class.

Also, news from faraway, island of Penang, my second sister had just gave birth to a new baby girl. Her name is Iris and according to my overwhelmed mum (new grandma), she is so cute and adorable.

So, another week had gone and now, without even realising it, it has been three month already and another 3 to go. Now, I would allow myself to fuck off from the computer screen, as I would really like to go back to my Jim Morrison biography, with the music of Amir Yussof** (http://www.amiryussof.com.my/), Leonard Cohen or Eric Clapton and of course, hot tea.

** I met Amir Yussof a month before I came to India in his gig at Bangsar, together with Jamie Wilson (Ruhil's husband) - a guitar maestro, Casey (the seribu Impian guy), Peter Brown and the band mates. One of the greatest gigs I ever attended.
So chill!!

Love & regards,

Peter

P/s: Give me two days and I will send you GOA photo invitation. Happy Chinese New Year. Gong Xi Fa Cai.