Truly Truly Truly Outrageous!
I know I know, I wrote about my trip to Singapore already. But I recently spewed forth this email and I think it is somewhat more jovial in mood and probably describes my state of mind better. So if you're up for it, here is the Second Round of :
Miin and Jamie's Awesome Adventures. Like Totally! (in Email Format)
Hello my Dear Lovely Gorgeous Wonderful Friends who I miss very much (yeah yeah, I'm putting on the Cheese today),
How are you? I know I've only been away from Melbourne since Early Jan but it feels like FOREVER for some reason. Probably because some of you went and did things like GOT MARRIED, or moved interstate or have gone travelling. So basically it's all your fault.
Wow, long time no Mass Email (which probably seemed like a good thing, but let me tell you, by the end of this email you'll be convinced that getting narcissistic cybernotes from Miin is SO what you needed right now!).. I guess the novelty of perusing awesome gigs in Australia which I can't attend has somewhat worn off into severe bitterness (hehehe.. me? bitter? nooo), and I also realise that my ramblings about my very uninteresting current existence might bore you to tears, and you'd rather go read your physiology textbook or some internet site about.. ok let's not continue that sentence.
So.. since I have an actual excuse to write you an email, I thought I would. I went to Singapore the other weekend for the Mosaic Music Festival (otherwise known as the Why The Hell Does Singapore Get All the Cool Festivals with Amazing International Acts I Would Die For? Festival, often with the tagline "Malaysia is very nearby, come on people, do us a favour and just.. get on that dang bus!!") with my homie, Jamie (her royal pink hotness), mainly so we could fangirl and stalk a certain Miss Rachael Yamagata. I also managed to fit in Mr Buddy FARKING Guy which makes up for me having never seen a) Jimi Hendrix, b) Eric Clapton/ Cream, c) Stevie Ray Vaughan or d) John Lee Hooker Jr in the flesh. More on that later.
We travelled the seven seas (ok just one Strait but let me embellish will you?) on a double decker yellow bus for 5 hours, enjoying the greenerosity (is that even a word?) of our fine country and the neighbouring island of Singapura, land of the Merlion and Kiasu inhabitants. It was like.. serious opposites.. dirty Malaysia/ clean Singapore, chaotic Malaysia/ anally organised Singapore, great Malaysian food/ really shitty Singaporean food which tries to imitate Malaysian food and so on.. we decided that despite Singapore being so ultra organised that things actually get done and you actually can follow public transport and get to places ON TIME (which is even more than you can say about Melbourne) we would never live there. Big Brother up Yo' Ass, I'm just sayin'.
Jamie's Awesome Auntie let us shack up at her ultra clean government flat (75% of Singas live in those) and we ventured out to the Esplanade to check out the sights and sounds. Now, the Espy looks like two huge Durians or Fly Eyes or Spiky Peanuts but apparently this was done as one of those architectural wonderments so that they could have a glass roof but not get everyone inside burned to a crisp like ants under a snotty boy's magnifying glass. Quite brilliant. Damn Singas. Anyway... the moolah came from the Lotteries Commission, who splurged $640 million kaboozles on this baby.. basically Singapore has way too much money and doesn't know what to do with it so HECK why don't we build a huge ass arts and music centre and then host a brilliant annual festival? Shit yeah. Their schools are already so gorgeous and clean and beautiful and their kids are so freaking smart I guess it's fair enough. And I must say the Espy is damn amazing lah.
ALSO I must mention the MRT system there. It reminds me of HK's but just a lot more organised (if that is possible). Daymn it was easy to use and I mean I'm a Directional Retard (TM) so it's a good thing my parents made me learn to read signs properly. Thanks Parents. They also had NO CLOTH SEAT COVERS on the train.. ARE YOU LISTENING MELBOURNE? So it always looked clean and yes, there was no bubblegum in sight. I wanted to like smuggle some in and chew it really loudly to see if someone would zap me with one of those electric cattle prods. Yeah I'm a sucker for electrocution. Or should I say chewer.. :P (Bah Bau...) Everyone looked really bored and serious though, they needed a good slap up the ass. Lots of Emo kids as well.. like OMG I'm going to dress like My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy and listen to emo sad slit-my-wrists music really loudly on my fancy ass phone that my rich parents bought me. Cynical? Me? Nooo...
Anyway, Buddy Guy was freaking brilliant. He played old faves and then growled his way through the rest of it.. He even did "Strange Brew" (HELL YEAH) and some JLH (John Lee Hooker you fools, not Jennifer Love Hewitt!) and of course, "Mustang Sally". He walked in the crowd cos his electric guitar was WIRELESS (that was so brilliant, I need me one of those systems peeps) and everyone was up on their feet, dancing, chanting, clapping, cheering. The vibe was most excellent. I had to eat my words because it wasn't just the AngMors there.. there were all sorts, all ages. His keyboardist was the freakin bomb, I can't even describe. Unfortunately he only played for about an hour because Singas are anal about start and finishing times, no encores. POO TO THAT!
Jamie and I are such good girls. Despite it being our party weekend, we got home before midnight EVERY NIGHT haha cos we couldn't be arsed with taxis and always took the train.. we're getting old.. :P
The next day we had a lovely lunch in this area called Holland Village which is like a nice suburb of Melbourne, all green and pretty and full of white folk. Or trendy Singas who have obviously studied overseas. Yeah I know, soooo highclasslah. The restaurant was called Original Sin and served vegetarian food, which was quite yummy I must say. Then we headed over to Chinatown and checked out some Tibetan Buddhist stuff (for Jamie) and then gorged ourselves on some traditional desserts. Mmmmm.... It was ultra humid in Singapore too, but not enough sun to get a tan. Damn tan you have evaded me again!
Then it was time for Rachael!!! SQUEEEE!!! *Fangirls* Here is your guide to RY:
1) Watch some lame ass emo inaccurate medical show like "Grey's Anatomy", or a Zach Braff produced/acted/directed
/validated TV Show or Movie, and become enamoured with this smoky female voice that rivals Bic Runga's in its ability to make you want to weep uncontrollably in a small ball in the corner of your room.
2) Find out who said singer is- Rachael Yamagata
3) Marvel at her beauty and bangs that cover her eyes
4) Buy "Happenstance"
5) Listen on repeat for hours and hours until you are suitably depressed and return to said corner of said room to weep uncontrollably
6) If you want to break up with your boyfriend, play the CD LOUD on repeat. It will work. Guaranteed. Every time. He'll think you're some hardcore emo self harming Gen Y freak who is clingy and desparate for attention.
OK so it's not THAT horrid but she did mention "mass suicide" and "depression" during the set. The place was PACKED OUT .. I didn't realise that people in Singa loved her so much!! I thought.. RY is this indie small time singer songwriter who got played on some TV shows and.. but hey.. her first ever solo gig was opening for David Gray at Madison Square Garden so.. KUDOS GIRL KUDOS. Her voice was quite off that night due to jetlag, smoking too much (WHY DO MUSICIANS SMOKE??? ARGH) and drinking herself into a puddle. "I sound like I'm going through puberty" But the crowd loved her so much, and her onstage banter was hilarious. Plus she's HOTT. In a cute HOTT way. :P I guess she's the kind of friend you'd feel like giving a big hug to and let her cry on your shoulder, because she never seems to have any luck with guys. I have a few of those kind of artists on my playlists (what does that say about me?? I'm talking to you Bic Runga). Overall, it was definitely worth the bus trip over and the moolah, even though again she didn't get to play for very long and we didn't get to meet her because the emokids assembled in this HUGE ASS line, and well, Jamie wanted Hot Chocolate from Max Brenner. So it's all her fault :P We were going to tell her we earned 5cents an hour and had saved up to come, prostrated across the border which had taken us three days and the leftover money was to buy her chocolate, whilst we went back to sleep on cardboard at the MRT station. Damn. That would have definitely got us into the friend's zone. MWAHAHAHA. We're bad stalkers (see "Gutted" pic). Also missed out on seeing Tristan Prettyman but it was no biggie.
I was more miffed because the festival had been going on for about 10 days and I had missed seeing Jose Gonzalez, Rickie Lee Jones (I KNOW! I KNOW how could I???), Femi Kuti (sold out), Duke Ellington Orchestra, Yo La Tengo, Take 6 and Chick Corea/ Gary Burton. Ah well. I couldn't really afford all that time to go. Hopefully one day Malaysia will hold such festivals but by the time that happens I'll probably be safely back in Melbourne where it will once again be gigs galore. Thank goodness for that.
We left on Sunday, and were itching to get back home. Still, it had been terrific to spend some time away (even if it was really not that far) and Jamie is a great travelling companion. The only thing that would have made it better is if you guys had been there too.. I have to say that the last few weeks I have had serious Melbourne withdrawals, much worse than any other time in the past year. Probably because I've just gone past the 12 month mark and it's kind of driving me crazy.
As for what's happening now.. ah the ever changing life of Miin. I think only one or two of you know that I'm not going to India anymore and I'm moving to Taiwan in September to do a one year course in Traditional Chinese Language. I am quite excited about it because I have wanted to do it for a while, and hope to be fluent and well read by mid next year... Not to mention I'm going to a really cool looking university and it's out in the countryside, which means lots of walking, fresh air, organic raw food and water sports etc. Apparently we also have to learn things like QiGong/ TaiChi, stamp carving, Chinese Cooking etc. So yes, you can all come visit and I'll carve your name on a marble stamp, cook you an elaborate Chinese dinner and teach you some hardcore Chi Busting moves. Yeehaw! Beyond that, I have no idea what I'll be doing next year, but hopefully it includes travel for an extended period of time, or Kerala and Ayurvedic study.
Please write and tell me how you all are! I miss you like my left arm lost in the war and want to know what's going on in your lives. I feel like things are drifting.
Enjoy the photo! Hehehe..
Love always
xoxoxo
Miin
Yeah no wonder my friends think I'm Loopy McLoopster.
And if I was LJTalented and knew how to insert a photo, I would. But alas, I am LJRetarded instead. Woe is me. *Hangs Head in Shame*
Miin and Jamie's Awesome Adventures. Like Totally! (in Email Format)
Hello my Dear Lovely Gorgeous Wonderful Friends who I miss very much (yeah yeah, I'm putting on the Cheese today),
How are you? I know I've only been away from Melbourne since Early Jan but it feels like FOREVER for some reason. Probably because some of you went and did things like GOT MARRIED, or moved interstate or have gone travelling. So basically it's all your fault.
Wow, long time no Mass Email (which probably seemed like a good thing, but let me tell you, by the end of this email you'll be convinced that getting narcissistic cybernotes from Miin is SO what you needed right now!).. I guess the novelty of perusing awesome gigs in Australia which I can't attend has somewhat worn off into severe bitterness (hehehe.. me? bitter? nooo), and I also realise that my ramblings about my very uninteresting current existence might bore you to tears, and you'd rather go read your physiology textbook or some internet site about.. ok let's not continue that sentence.
So.. since I have an actual excuse to write you an email, I thought I would. I went to Singapore the other weekend for the Mosaic Music Festival (otherwise known as the Why The Hell Does Singapore Get All the Cool Festivals with Amazing International Acts I Would Die For? Festival, often with the tagline "Malaysia is very nearby, come on people, do us a favour and just.. get on that dang bus!!") with my homie, Jamie (her royal pink hotness), mainly so we could fangirl and stalk a certain Miss Rachael Yamagata. I also managed to fit in Mr Buddy FARKING Guy which makes up for me having never seen a) Jimi Hendrix, b) Eric Clapton/ Cream, c) Stevie Ray Vaughan or d) John Lee Hooker Jr in the flesh. More on that later.
We travelled the seven seas (ok just one Strait but let me embellish will you?) on a double decker yellow bus for 5 hours, enjoying the greenerosity (is that even a word?) of our fine country and the neighbouring island of Singapura, land of the Merlion and Kiasu inhabitants. It was like.. serious opposites.. dirty Malaysia/ clean Singapore, chaotic Malaysia/ anally organised Singapore, great Malaysian food/ really shitty Singaporean food which tries to imitate Malaysian food and so on.. we decided that despite Singapore being so ultra organised that things actually get done and you actually can follow public transport and get to places ON TIME (which is even more than you can say about Melbourne) we would never live there. Big Brother up Yo' Ass, I'm just sayin'.
Jamie's Awesome Auntie let us shack up at her ultra clean government flat (75% of Singas live in those) and we ventured out to the Esplanade to check out the sights and sounds. Now, the Espy looks like two huge Durians or Fly Eyes or Spiky Peanuts but apparently this was done as one of those architectural wonderments so that they could have a glass roof but not get everyone inside burned to a crisp like ants under a snotty boy's magnifying glass. Quite brilliant. Damn Singas. Anyway... the moolah came from the Lotteries Commission, who splurged $640 million kaboozles on this baby.. basically Singapore has way too much money and doesn't know what to do with it so HECK why don't we build a huge ass arts and music centre and then host a brilliant annual festival? Shit yeah. Their schools are already so gorgeous and clean and beautiful and their kids are so freaking smart I guess it's fair enough. And I must say the Espy is damn amazing lah.
ALSO I must mention the MRT system there. It reminds me of HK's but just a lot more organised (if that is possible). Daymn it was easy to use and I mean I'm a Directional Retard (TM) so it's a good thing my parents made me learn to read signs properly. Thanks Parents. They also had NO CLOTH SEAT COVERS on the train.. ARE YOU LISTENING MELBOURNE? So it always looked clean and yes, there was no bubblegum in sight. I wanted to like smuggle some in and chew it really loudly to see if someone would zap me with one of those electric cattle prods. Yeah I'm a sucker for electrocution. Or should I say chewer.. :P (Bah Bau...) Everyone looked really bored and serious though, they needed a good slap up the ass. Lots of Emo kids as well.. like OMG I'm going to dress like My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy and listen to emo sad slit-my-wrists music really loudly on my fancy ass phone that my rich parents bought me. Cynical? Me? Nooo...
Anyway, Buddy Guy was freaking brilliant. He played old faves and then growled his way through the rest of it.. He even did "Strange Brew" (HELL YEAH) and some JLH (John Lee Hooker you fools, not Jennifer Love Hewitt!) and of course, "Mustang Sally". He walked in the crowd cos his electric guitar was WIRELESS (that was so brilliant, I need me one of those systems peeps) and everyone was up on their feet, dancing, chanting, clapping, cheering. The vibe was most excellent. I had to eat my words because it wasn't just the AngMors there.. there were all sorts, all ages. His keyboardist was the freakin bomb, I can't even describe. Unfortunately he only played for about an hour because Singas are anal about start and finishing times, no encores. POO TO THAT!
Jamie and I are such good girls. Despite it being our party weekend, we got home before midnight EVERY NIGHT haha cos we couldn't be arsed with taxis and always took the train.. we're getting old.. :P
The next day we had a lovely lunch in this area called Holland Village which is like a nice suburb of Melbourne, all green and pretty and full of white folk. Or trendy Singas who have obviously studied overseas. Yeah I know, soooo highclasslah. The restaurant was called Original Sin and served vegetarian food, which was quite yummy I must say. Then we headed over to Chinatown and checked out some Tibetan Buddhist stuff (for Jamie) and then gorged ourselves on some traditional desserts. Mmmmm.... It was ultra humid in Singapore too, but not enough sun to get a tan. Damn tan you have evaded me again!
Then it was time for Rachael!!! SQUEEEE!!! *Fangirls* Here is your guide to RY:
1) Watch some lame ass emo inaccurate medical show like "Grey's Anatomy", or a Zach Braff produced/acted/directed
/validated TV Show or Movie, and become enamoured with this smoky female voice that rivals Bic Runga's in its ability to make you want to weep uncontrollably in a small ball in the corner of your room.
2) Find out who said singer is- Rachael Yamagata
3) Marvel at her beauty and bangs that cover her eyes
4) Buy "Happenstance"
5) Listen on repeat for hours and hours until you are suitably depressed and return to said corner of said room to weep uncontrollably
6) If you want to break up with your boyfriend, play the CD LOUD on repeat. It will work. Guaranteed. Every time. He'll think you're some hardcore emo self harming Gen Y freak who is clingy and desparate for attention.
OK so it's not THAT horrid but she did mention "mass suicide" and "depression" during the set. The place was PACKED OUT .. I didn't realise that people in Singa loved her so much!! I thought.. RY is this indie small time singer songwriter who got played on some TV shows and.. but hey.. her first ever solo gig was opening for David Gray at Madison Square Garden so.. KUDOS GIRL KUDOS. Her voice was quite off that night due to jetlag, smoking too much (WHY DO MUSICIANS SMOKE??? ARGH) and drinking herself into a puddle. "I sound like I'm going through puberty" But the crowd loved her so much, and her onstage banter was hilarious. Plus she's HOTT. In a cute HOTT way. :P I guess she's the kind of friend you'd feel like giving a big hug to and let her cry on your shoulder, because she never seems to have any luck with guys. I have a few of those kind of artists on my playlists (what does that say about me?? I'm talking to you Bic Runga). Overall, it was definitely worth the bus trip over and the moolah, even though again she didn't get to play for very long and we didn't get to meet her because the emokids assembled in this HUGE ASS line, and well, Jamie wanted Hot Chocolate from Max Brenner. So it's all her fault :P We were going to tell her we earned 5cents an hour and had saved up to come, prostrated across the border which had taken us three days and the leftover money was to buy her chocolate, whilst we went back to sleep on cardboard at the MRT station. Damn. That would have definitely got us into the friend's zone. MWAHAHAHA. We're bad stalkers (see "Gutted" pic). Also missed out on seeing Tristan Prettyman but it was no biggie.
I was more miffed because the festival had been going on for about 10 days and I had missed seeing Jose Gonzalez, Rickie Lee Jones (I KNOW! I KNOW how could I???), Femi Kuti (sold out), Duke Ellington Orchestra, Yo La Tengo, Take 6 and Chick Corea/ Gary Burton. Ah well. I couldn't really afford all that time to go. Hopefully one day Malaysia will hold such festivals but by the time that happens I'll probably be safely back in Melbourne where it will once again be gigs galore. Thank goodness for that.
We left on Sunday, and were itching to get back home. Still, it had been terrific to spend some time away (even if it was really not that far) and Jamie is a great travelling companion. The only thing that would have made it better is if you guys had been there too.. I have to say that the last few weeks I have had serious Melbourne withdrawals, much worse than any other time in the past year. Probably because I've just gone past the 12 month mark and it's kind of driving me crazy.
As for what's happening now.. ah the ever changing life of Miin. I think only one or two of you know that I'm not going to India anymore and I'm moving to Taiwan in September to do a one year course in Traditional Chinese Language. I am quite excited about it because I have wanted to do it for a while, and hope to be fluent and well read by mid next year... Not to mention I'm going to a really cool looking university and it's out in the countryside, which means lots of walking, fresh air, organic raw food and water sports etc. Apparently we also have to learn things like QiGong/ TaiChi, stamp carving, Chinese Cooking etc. So yes, you can all come visit and I'll carve your name on a marble stamp, cook you an elaborate Chinese dinner and teach you some hardcore Chi Busting moves. Yeehaw! Beyond that, I have no idea what I'll be doing next year, but hopefully it includes travel for an extended period of time, or Kerala and Ayurvedic study.
Please write and tell me how you all are! I miss you like my left arm lost in the war and want to know what's going on in your lives. I feel like things are drifting.
Enjoy the photo! Hehehe..
Love always
xoxoxo
Miin
Yeah no wonder my friends think I'm Loopy McLoopster.
And if I was LJTalented and knew how to insert a photo, I would. But alas, I am LJRetarded instead. Woe is me. *Hangs Head in Shame*