SUEDE – THE DROWNERS (NUDE)

SUEDE – THE DROWNERS (NUDE)

“The Drowners” is one of those songs that probably shouldn’t be great but at the end of the day it just truly is. Ultimately it just represents a certain moment in time that was defining to a group of people (such as myself) and even though there was better music about at the time that should have been completely occupying my stereo I (and maybe you) couldn’t help but allow this record (and the band) into my consciousness.

Right from the start Suede always felt like something of a one trick pony with a paper thin singer warbling over paper thin guitar riffs while everyone and everything else around them (including me) generally tended to be smelly and aggressive, disinterested in another Bowie fop. Thankfully with their much hyped debut record they delivered at a time when almost all was (quite rightly) American.

I still remember vividly the early days of Suede, of them appearing on The Word doing “Brass In Pocket” and of Brett Anderson doing photo shots that appeared in Select magazine and genuinely made him look like a bird (and not in a good way).

Bernard Butler opens “The Drowners” in glam rock manner akin to “Ziggy Stardust” and this was perhaps probably where all the Bowie clone accusations got started. This then was not helped by Anderson verbally mincing like their apparent hero in a very weedy fashion. How were these people ever going to mature or develop when so dead on arrival?

Then something magic happens to this song: it’s memorable and possesses genuine hooks. Suddenly you get the sense that these two have taken on an idea and actually managed to build on it rather than slip into some kind of lazy homage. When Brett chimes off about drowning and accusing someone of “taking me over” all can be forgiven as the swooping flow of the piece genuinely serves to lift the listener regardless of all the frilliness attached to proceedings. With all the kissing and weirdness it just doesn’t sound like a nice place to be. Brett, is this really what its like to be homosexual?

“To The Birds” occupies second place on this CD single with an almost generic, almost shoegazer type run out that listened to now almost fifteen years later sounds probably more individual and maybe even better than upon release. Here you can see why Luke Haines apparently held the band in such disdain, this was what he was also doing only not with such a pretty band or face. That said by the end of the song I just want it to fucking die.

The final track here is “My Insatiable One” which I seem to remember appearing on a magazine compilation tape or CD. It always reminded me of a Radiohead song for some reason even though listened to now Anderson makes than comparison sound somewhat inaccurate. This is actually a very strong track, perhaps more reminiscent of Blur on helium. Meandering and levitating in a classic indie manner coming full circle it is easy to concede to just how much promise there was to Suede at the beginning.

As with the first three singles the artwork here is striking with a cutting image crashing across a blank white cover and the iconic Suede logo preventing any kind of identity confusion for the purchaser even if there may have been in the music.

These were great times.

Thesaurus moment: capital.

Suede
Nude Records

THE VANITY SET – THE BIG BANG (SHE-HE-IT RECORDS)

THE VANITY SET – THE BIG BANG (SHE-HE-IT RECORDS)

Sauntering into the vision of escapades centred around it there is something distinctly lush about the first offering from Jim Sclavunos’ latest undertaking. With a roaming bassline that can run with the best of them immediately it is blindingly obvious that his time spent with Nick Cave has rubbed off on him in a most positive of fashions.

Creaming out like a Birthday Party track on downers the menace to proceedings is subtle, distrusting and evocative of the most tense and testing social occasions. This is a tight crowd/mob, both musically and spiritually it would seem.

Coming out of New York this has a big city noise attached to it, a definite coolness that could equally have come from any dark portal across the globe as it rains evocative of also Crime & The City Solution and would not have felt out of place turning up in some shady club scene of an eighties Berlin movie such as Wings Of Desire.

Sclavunos continues to wear Bad Seeds on his sleeve as on the flipside the band serves up a cover of the Nick Cave b-side “Sheep May Safely Graze” with vocals delivered by Alice Texas. It feels a fitting composition to be lent to an act carrying the moniker The Vanity Set as the string laden hymn carries a heavy burden within its content.

Thesaurus moment: intoxicate.

The Vanity Set
She-He-It Records

SEBADOH – BEAUTY OF THE RIDE (DOMINO)

SEBADOH – BEAUTY OF THE RIDE (DOMINO)

With “Beauty Of The Ride” Lou Barlow thankfully displayed his more energetic side of song writing as opposed to the slow, sappy break-up songs that came to represent his contribution to the cannon of Sebadoh while Jason Loewenstein would run rampant with all the headstrong, firecrackers of songs. In many ways this is the song that best represents all the good parts of the Sebadoh experience.

Taken from “Harmacy” this period represented the band at the peak of their powers with perhaps the most accessible material of their career. Suddenly out of nowhere this was the band to name drop and no longer bogged down by the seeming necessity to be lo-fi these times saw Sebadoh as a playful and tight unit perfectly syncing and exchanging ideas in a kind of harmony that had not been suggested before. Loose and exciting this was definitely a high water mark for the band from a pop perspective.

It opens with a seemingly calamitous beginning before Lou Barlow drops in which his trademark heartfelt vocals and lyrics of concern. With this you can see why so many indie girls found themselves getting wet over his glasses and locks and why so many indie boys co-opted the actually easy look in an effort to perhaps channel into some of his sloppy seconds at the shows in the process. Yes I am pulling your pisser.

The conceit of this song appears to be agony but thankfully there is an urgency to proceedings that means it is never allowed to slow down and falter, there was never to be any flab on the Sebadoh body while these thoughts were zipping around.

It all ends well, the listener is satisfied and Lou most definitely sounds satisfied as anyone around in misery is not represented. Yes I am drunk.

On the other side of this seven inch is their cover of the Palace/Will Oldham song “Riding” taken from a BBC session back in the days when they recorded indie bands in session. The tone of the track is a corking compliment to the Bonnie Prince that Lou and the band actually manage to wrestle away from a swamp country quagmire. Now if this is a good thing depends really on whether you have a beard and how long it is.

How green was the fucking cover?

Thesaurus moment: soaring.

Sebadoh
Domino

YEAH YEAH YEAHS – MAPS (POLYDOR)

YEAH YEAH YEAHS – MAPS (POLYDOR)

Maps is a tension filled slow burner of a hit that appears to occupy Karen O’s leanings towards lyrical content as opposed to the bolshy aspirations very often displayed elsewhere in their catalogue. Getting all deep and sultry spat over Nick Zinner’s noodling it too soon turns to poodling.

This is far from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at their best, indeed it is far not the most obvious of songs to cull from Fever To Tell and release as a single. For me this represents the horrid flaw of the band and how they just seem to drift, seemingly boring themselves as much as the listener in the process. I suspect I am most definitely missing something here.

That said there is a distinct pull to this track that can indeed serve to work and enthral on a dark day and certain mindset but I have always required from music that it affect me emotionally and not vice versa.

I sense this is why I never really quite jumped in and dug the Yeah Yeah Yeahs wholeheartedly. In a scene that strived individuality but too often also found itself easily charmed by the flavour of the month sadly the impression I got from this band was that they more represented the latter rather than the former.

In the end though it reaches a grand conclusion even if no satisfaction was arrived at during the way and I didn’t come.

Thesaurus moment: hairstyle.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Polydor

DEVO – WHIP IT (VIRGIN RECORDS)

DEVO – WHIP IT (VIRGIN RECORDS)

Most of the time this is the first DEVO song people are lucky enough to hear. Usually it comes in the form of witnessing one of the greatest pop videos in music history. If only all promo clip directors were as imaginative and inventive.

This song is truly infectious. As the song opens/begins with a gallop everything about it is right. The chords are immediately memorable; the lyrics are a code that are deciphered on first listen and when the tone needs a euphoric lift it is there.

Very few songs will ever contain a more uplifting message and be able to serve as such a genuine rally call to those that need it most. When Mothersbaugh sings “give the past a slip” it is pure poetry and the most definitive term created with view/regards to getting over something or someone and moving on. Indeed I have often used the term when addressing ladies that have broken my heart. This will always be the centre piece of a DEVO set or collection.

Released in 1980 this means that the video will soon be thirty years old and to be honest it still looks revolutionary and even though it doesn’t contain the horrible slickness that most do now it does possess a kind of spark no one else seems to have. At a time when everything is so guard and PC here is one of the most pure gestures and expressions ever from a popular and healthy band. Likewise the exact same sentiments and descriptions can be applied to the song in general.

This is a song that will honestly help get you through the day, help you to face your demons and win (“when a problem comes along, you must whip it”). When David slayed Goliath this was the record he listened to that morning.

Thesaurus moment: win.

DEVO
Virgin Records

CALVIN JOHNSON & THE SONS OF THE SOIL – CALVIN JOHNSON & THE SONS OF THE SOIL (K RECORDS)

CALVIN JOHNSON & THE SONS OF THE SOIL – CALVIN JOHNSON & THE SONS OF THE SOIL (K RECORDS)

Never failing to enthuse and as ever sounding as if straight from the greatest surf bikini movie never made here is the latest outing of Mr Johnson. This is happily a very beach party record for those afraid to remove their shirts and expose their bodies. Surfers and beatniks make for a great combination.

As some kind of weird crooner Calvin Johnson is second to none, his voice is very distinct, clear and piercing, in a league of its own creating excitement in the hearts of sloppy cats looking for wicked love.

Dated but timeless this collection is trademark K Records, naïve sounding and appearing to exist in its own dimension/reality numbed but not subdued against external forces. This way either the listener can enjoy and indulge or it can clear off.

With this record Calvin is taking the opportunity to run through some of the prize moments from his back catalogue to run through and record Beat Happening, Halo Benders and Go Team songs for the first in a band setting. Great success!

There is something almost seedy in these ambiguous, weird sex songs (“Banana Meltdown”, I ask you). Calvin Johnson these days feels on the verge of turning into an indie pop John Waters figure sticking staunchly to his guns whilst constantly discovering new ammunition. He is remains a real raconteur, using the technique of visionering humour as displayed in the “Cattle Call” breaks/breathers. The second of these skits almost sounds like something from Kids In The Hall. It is no secret as to how much influence Calvin Johnson has had on the US independent and college rock scenes (the International Pop Underground) over the past twenty years and these days it feels a rare pleasure to hear a new record of his. And with his reputation being somewhat prickly, it is a genuine relief to report that this is a fine album.

The cool surf guitar serves to conjure a cool scene, a downbeat day at the beach where all the morons are at work or have stayed at home. There is no dog shit in this sand.

My own personal highlight is the dirty work out of “Tummy Hop” that is classic K, classic Olympia and, dare I say, classic grunge in the style of Some Velvet Sidewalk or Mudhoney. Then as “What Was Me” plays out Calvin has achieved the almost perfect ending to an album with its Velvet Underground overtones and smarts.

This is a record for sensible haircuts everywhere.

Thesaurus moment: sandy.

Calvin Johnson
K Records

MUDHONEY – TOUCH ME I’M SICK (SUB POP)

MUDHONEY – TOUCH ME I’M SICK (SUB POP)

Easily one of the greatest singles in alternative rock history “Touch Me I’m Sick” if often described as a (grunge) anthem and in a rare example of perception being correct for once it is a song that delivers wholesale.

Lyrically as dumb as it gets, it also benefits from possessing the ability to cause great offence if observed by the wrong people from the right angle. There is an ambiguous tone to the words that if taken one way can represent the largings of quite frankly a paedophile. Also with the whole “sick” tone of proceedings there is a horrible element of trivialising the most precious and affecting of states. If you over analyse these words you are destined to find the worst parts of the human condition.

This recorded version by Jack Endino is actually a pretty clunky offering from Mudhoney as listening to countless live recordings of the song will attest to its power and strength ranging far beyond what is offered by this record. For a Mudhoney song it is a pretty clean recording, low on fuzz and distortion as it seemingly gets underplayed and buried beneath the verbal intention of the piece. Rarely did the band ever sound more like The Stooges.

“Sweet Young Ain’t Sweet No More” on the flipside perhaps fairs better sounding more apocalyptic and drunk in the process with yet more explicitly dark lyrics addressing more dysfunction in a fashion that appears to have no resounding comeback. Painting the nasty of pictures here is a band writing songs about realistic and tangible tales of what it is really like to be a true rebellious youth in the face of so many false idols. As the playing rains out Steve Turner’s guitar retorts sound almost like a hoover sucking up the debris in the damage of the piece. The elevation is then complete as Mark Arm’s vocals disappear into the ether only to return with a condemning snarl aimed directly towards the mother of the piece. It all ends as a song about bad parenting. Such is life.

Without doubt the best single ever released on Sub Pop.

Thesaurus moment: Gore.

Mudhoney
Sub Pop

Episode 4!!!

Rozz plays a horrible prank on me. It's mean!

And plus, you get to see me sleepy, with horrible hair, and absolutely no make-up.

What can make better tv than that?

Click on the picture to watch it. =)

THE SMITHS – HOW SOON IS NOW? (ROUGH TRADE)

THE SMITHS – HOW SOON IS NOW? (ROUGH TRADE)

Generally I think this will tend to be The Smiths track that will blow people away upon first listen – very rarely did Marr’s playing and Morrissey’s vocals sync so perfectly. The guitar sound here is majestic and haunting and most importantly does not sound like anything anyone as ever heard before or since, genuinely these chops are the sort that cause a person to sit up and question “how on earth is he doing that?”

In a way this is modern bombastic, which in itself is a term that does not really lend much credit to vastness of the composition. Even before Morrissey kicks in the song is already towering over everything in its vicinity, there is a true sense of drama attached to proceedings and a distinct majesty inevitably prevails.

With his words Morrissey really managed to touch a nerve with so many on this single. Here is a dogged description of pathetic loneliness but still loneliness that is very tangible and was/is experienced by thousands if not millions of individual in search of fruits away from solitude. Did it really take a man with a silly quiff and hearing aid to put it so succinctly into words? Well I guess it did because it takes a certain bravery to risk the modern life castigation of being seen as a person so vehemently feeling sorry for oneself, for expressing their misery and not looking necessarily looking beyond it.

All in all this is probably the most famous track of The Smiths. Over the years Americans have jumped for it not least with horrible emo bands covering it or it taking on a whole new (and not necessarily complimentary) meaning by serving as the theme music to a teenage witch TV show. Perhaps though with Morrissey’s strange fondness for the oddest things kitsch and pop he just might secretly have been a fan of Charmless. No way.

There are times in my life when this song will always serve me well but others when it might just be my worst enemy encouraging me to indulge in my softest thoughts and weakest temperament. You can see the world’s quandary.

Thesaurus moment: motion.

The Smiths
Rough Trade

TEENAGE FANCLUB – THE KING (CREATION RECORDS)

TEENAGE FANCLUB – THE KING (CREATION RECORDS)

Every great band should have a release like this lingering in the background of their catalogue that stands out like a sore thumb in comparison to the rest of their arsenal.

The King is a record that feels like a band getting into the studio for a session with a producer for a weekend looking to jam out and capture a particular sound. The producer in question was Don Fleming a man whose alternative rock and grunge credentials were high having played in the fizzy Gumball and producing Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr.

Released in 1991 and perhaps best known for the fun cover of Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” the nine song album has taken on something of a negative reputation over the years being recorded/released to serve as contractually obliged recording to get them to onto Geffen Records in the USA. In the UK it was deleted from their back catalogue on the day of release although Creation still managed to press up enough copies before the deletion to make it a financially sound release.

Taken on the merits of the music however I am actually a very big fan of this record. With raging feedback the album opens with the instrumental “Heavy Metal 6” that comes doused in Stooges-esqe saxophones as the band sounds like a combination of the Drop Nineteens and Jesus & Mary Chain. The aptly named “Mudhoney” then follows with more explicit and meandering Stooges leanings and a distinct lack of vocals.

Another cover version occurs in the form of “Interstellar Overdrive” as Pink Floyd’s finest material gets the grunge rock treatment to great success. Later the most extended jam comes in the form of “Opal Inquest” that serves as a true adventure into modern psychedelia very much resembling the more abstract and lengthier moments of Mudhoney in full flow.

The Byrds and Big Star feel like the furthest things from the band’s mind as this selection of songs were ungracefully churned out lending a whole different face to Teenage Fanclub, one that has never been seen or heard since. A loss.

Thesaurus moment: outcast.

Teenage Fanclub
Creation Records

MY BLOODY VALENTINE – LOVELESS (CREATION RECORDS)

MY BLOODY VALENTINE – LOVELESS (CREATION RECORDS)

Gut wrenching from off with Loveless My Bloody Valentine truly live up to their name immediately as the swinging stabs of motion that inhabit “Only Shallow” sound like no other beginning to an album in history. Swiftly as the vocals enter proceedings and ethereal air grabs hold of proceedings and a comforting air of grace lends a true air of class to the now dream like series of circumstances that lay ahead.

With their second studio album My Bloody Valentine genuinely manage to sound like no other music act in history. As the closing strains of “Only Shallow” disappear into the either the ensuing blast of “Loomer” serves to move the soul of the listener to places probably previously undiscovered. As the guitar sounds begin to echo whales singing you can only but wonder how this band is making and getting away with these sounds without disappearing down some blind alley.

Famously this is the album that almost bankrupted Creation and upon arrival at “To Here Knows When” the studio indulge does begin to overtake the create process and to some degree all those cheques Alan McGee wrote out do not feel worth the paper they were written. This is just the frustrating air that comes with this record, at times it is just too hypnotic and abstract and given relaxed from of mind it is possible to lose yourself in these songs when it doesn’t serve the listener very well to do so.

As the song arrives at “I Only Said” you are amazed at how Shields appears to have made a guitar sound like a clarinet as the remainder weaves in and out of the healthy part of the mind.

“Sometimes” now rains as one of the most recognizable MBV songs after its emotive usage in Lost In Translation which has since added a whole new dimension and weight to the value of the song. Some say that getting Shields to work on the soundtrack of that movie were the seeds of his return to live action.

The album closes in the most bombastic of manners with “Soon” which is probably the best known and popular piece of the My Bloody Valentine armory. Here is a song that warrants some kind of research and attempted interpretation as the messages that come from the specter are so mixed and allusive. As the drums bounce it almost sounds like a dance track as the chunkiest wall of noise gears up to bomb in the most blatant and unsubtle fashion. This is a song designed to burst ear drums and serve as the aural equivalent of a love/hate relationship and argument.

This record marks the land.

Thesaurus moment: romantic.

My Bloody Valentine

Creation Records

BEASTIE BOYS – SURE SHOT (CAPITOL)

BEASTIE BOYS – SURE SHOT (CAPITOL)

The opening track from “Ill Communication” it feels like a no-brainer that this was also to be a single as the rhymes flow slickly over a Gil Scott Heron-esqe flute accompaniment that seemed to disappear from backing hip hop tracks as fast as it arrived.

Looping between of the three of them with resounding ease this track exudes the confidence that the band would have been feeling after their critically acclaimed rebirth with “Check Your Head.”

Occupying the additional tracks here came “Mullethead” another of their latter forays into hardcore which was a track that actually appeared on their “Sabotage” sell through video in addition to showing up on/in the soundtrack to Clueless. A few years later Brittany Murphy would be appearing alongside Eminem in 8 Mile. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

Next “Son Of Neckbone” was one of their funk instrumental numbers that didn’t quite appear on “Ill Communication” but wouldn’t have been far from the cut as a Moog laden groove sporting the seeds of love in between the lines is supplied by the super efficient Money Mark. Another jazz odyssey to take the pace low low down.

The disc ends with a Mike Nardone mix of “Sure Shot” which lends even more funk bass sidesteps overtaking the pounding thump of the original.

At this point in their history the Beastie Boys rarely sounded stronger or tighter undertaking one of the more organic moments of their history away from the blunt cold electronic sounds later came before and after without jeopardising or compromising their rhymes. Pow!

Thesaurus moment: undisputed.

Beastie Boys
Grand Royal
Capitol

THE SLITS – CUT (ISLAND RECORDS)

THE SLITS – CUT (ISLAND RECORDS)

I found this CD at a place called Clacton Common inside a budget/discount music and video store that dealt in nothing but the most rejected of titles. In a way that is perhaps the most true way to discover this band as the case it came in was smashed to shit and held together with cellotape. Alas that shop no longer exists and Clacton is a poorer place without it.

The Slits are one of those bands that I have never really understood. You can also add The Raincoats to this category as to me it is generally the sound of a pretty lightweight band using certain elements of their cannon to paper up the cracks of other areas of their delivery. Does this make sense? In a short/brief sentence, the people behind this record may be angry but they aren’t shaking it up to compliment their energy, intellect and desire. Please in all sincerity change the rules but don’t do it in/with a murmur.

In many ways the record never surpasses its cover. I love how in a family friendly record store you are still able to buy an album with artwork featuring bare breasted women covered in mud. These days they get away with this for being old (for being lauded history) but at their height this would have been a most major statement. Too much try hard.

There is no doubting or questioning what the band did at the time was of great importance and significance as an industry happily shepherded its audience to anything harmless and family friendly (nothing’s changed there then) but the sad truth of the matter is just that time has not been kind to this music.

The trance like qualities of the mantra and silly singing voices are not enough in a modern age to compel a person to move on with their lives to better things. You can tell that bands such as Huggy Bear will have listened to these songs with relish in the past but their resembling output constitutes the poorer moments/fodder in their cannons.

At times this album sounds like a Bjork/Sugacubes offering (but not a very good one). The vocals make me physically sick at times, they’re too animated and overblown, unbelievable and fake in the worst possible way not really matching the wayward fun and experimentation that might be taken from the actual playing otherwise. Am I right in possessing such disdain? Am I missing out on something?

Thesaurus moment: labour.

The Slits
Island Records

Too many photos!

Unbelievably enough, when I was out the other day, two blog readers (Nope, I will never use the word "fans". Oh gross! It's like so buay hiao bai like that) actually approached me.


The first one said he likes my blog but can I please update more often??

The second one said she likes my blog but there are too little photos nowadays!!!


Sigh... I cannot even go out in peace without being harassed to do work leh... But nonetheless, I've decided to oblige.


Ladies, gentlemen, and people-who-hate-me-but-read-me-religiously, I present to you...


136 photos.

NYC trip

As most of you already know, Rozz and I were chosen to be the webcast hosts for Singapore Day in Manhattan, NY.

That was donkey years ago though, because I was just too lazy to go edit and post up all the photos. That, and because I hate you. HA! Just kidding! I love you guys!

On the plane ride! Rozz took a photo of me looking glum.

Who wouldn't be?

23 hours on the plane to look forward to!

My little flight schedule thingy.

It's really important to know all the foreign time being converted to local time, so you won't miss your flights!

That, and if everything is converted to local time you can also calculate how long you will be on the plane. =)

My This Fashion jeans that has an elastic band.
Super comfy for plane rides!


Ready to fly!!

No make up + a gold sparrow necklace that Rozz bought for me.

*kisses for Rozzie!!*


Hours later, we arrive at the JFK airport in New York!

Seeing angmohs as service staff takes some getting used to:

It appears NY welcomes us!

Rozz bought boxes and boxes of these Ferraro Rocher in Frankfurt for 11 pounds each! They are really pretty, aren't they?

I want the pink ones...

AND HELLO NEW YORK!!

Ok, here's the thing...

I don't really like NY that much.

I KNOW! SHOCKING! I much prefer LA, coz I think the things in NY are simply too expensive!!

You can't drive there because traffic conditions are so bad, and cabs are expensive (well not unaffordable, but still, even on a cab you take damn long to get to any place because the traffic is so bad), and I hate walking "just a few blocks"!!

I DON'T LIKE WALKING!! Unless I am in flat shoes and I don't wanna wear flat shoes in Manhattan! Bah!

I don't know what I expected from NY really, but it's just like any other city in US except maybe there are a lot of flagship stores here for various big brands...

I guess I really expected to see Central Perk around the corner and celebrities everywhere... o_0

But nope, no celebrities, and best of all, no WALMART!!!

I was sooooooooo looking forward to going to walmart!! (Cannot is it? I know la, where got people can go to NY want to go to walmart... But walmart is really wu chao zuo zhi ok!)

So anyway, in NYC a bottle of mineral water costs US$2.

=S$3.50.

It's ok in a fancy restaurant, but people get thirsty often man! I don't wanna fucking spend so much everytime I want a drink!!

Hotdog stands selling hotdogs for 2 for US$5.

= almost S$4 for 1 hotdog!! MADNESS! Ikea's one is nicer, got unlimited sauces and only $1!!

I won't say I hate the place - I still like it - but once in NYC is enough man. I'd choose Vegas over NY anyday. NY is for sibeh rich people man!

Where do these NY people buy their groceries? I saw like NO place selling groceries.

No wonder in Friends they are always eating pizzas.

Also, I guess that 4 days is not enough for me to fully appreciate NY... we also didn't have people take us to places to go to, and that's why... Rozz and I had the most awful food the first day.

It was like cold noodles and some other rubbish. I pushed away my bowl of obscenities and took self-whoring shots instead:

I was trying to show off my chun li hair buns!

After this, we went to Vivienne Tam, who was sponsoring our evening gowns for the gala dinner.

So nice!

I tried to take a photo with Miss Tam herself, but she was a tad curt and said she was busy. =(

NY celebrities can't be assed with Singaporean bloggers!!!

(Ok then I guess I DID see celebrities, but I expected like A list sorts)

Taking the subway


Joan snapping a pic of us

For dinner, Joan's friend brought us to a nice Thai restaurant!


Super yummy duck curry!


Loved it

Next day, rise and shine!!

It's hello Central Park, Wollman Ice Skating Rink (although there is no ice currently, of course)!

Gillian looking glum for some reason...


Shooting me shooting her




Perfect weather made everyone happy


I had to


One more


Is that the empire state building behind us?




Pink extensions


For some reason, the heavy equipment were baby pink!!

Looking at them made me happy!!

And also, the leggy guys over there are like waiters??

MADNESS I TELL YOU.

The waiters over in NY are super good-looking!

Most of them are guys though, and they all look like models!! I was talking to this Singaporean professor who stayed in NY for many years, and she laughingly told me that all these waiters are all actors waiting to be discovered, that's why they wait on tables in the meantime.

Well, their loss is our gain! Hehe...

Preparing for the big day

End of rehearsals!


Outside Central Park


Gillian and I

G has such smiley eyes!


Walking along


Isn't this nice?

It's exactly like in storybooks!!

People are frolicking in the park's lush grass bare-footed! Kids are running about happily! Adults are at peace with the world and hugging on the park benches! Teenagers are playing frisbee while celebrating their youth!

I'm not even joking.

The perfect weather makes me want to sing and do cartwheels!


Tralala!!


Me + a statue...

It looks like one of those neoprint things where the background is fake. But it's real!

These horses are reallllly smelly!



AND SINGAPORE DAY ITSELF!

So excited about the fooooood!!




Laksa!

Notice chio angmoh waitress in background


Roti Prata

And Hokkien mee from Tai Hong!


Tai Hong put up a picture of Rozz and I when we interviewed him on GoL!


I wish he was my personal chef...

And we saw sibeh cute angmoh children!





Who is a SIA stewardess no less!!

Hen cute hor? The soft blonde curly hair is almost too much for me to take man. I want to hug her till she bursts!

And guess what Singaporeans are best at?

Queuing la!!!

An estimated 7k people came, and all the food was gone in a jiffy!

It was heartwarming really, to see Singaporeans overseas missing home...

Pure Chinese kid right? But why like even ABCs are cuter than locally bred children? Very weird hor? Is it the weather?

Hehe, the boy's guardians.

Ok, I know these two guys' photo begs the question: "Are they gay?"

I have no idea, they had a kid with them!

But if they are gay, then I think they make a pretty nice couple. Or maybe they are brothers? It's a mystery I will never find out.

My act cute outfit.

WHAT? I will never have a chance to wear my hot pink leggings in Singapore lor!

Straight hair.
My curling tongs got fucked and I had to borrow Rozz's straightening iron!


Rozz's boots!!

She had to borrow my pink socks and she said she felt very uncomfortable coz she knew that somewhere on her she has pink. LOL

OEI ROZZ pink is nice ok!


The crowds


Sambal stingray in NYC!


The $65 pink Hello Kitty bag I bought from the super cute Hello Kitty store!

I HAD to buy something from there lor... They even sold Hello Kitty TVs, Video cams, etc you know! It's so nice!

We move on to NY's famous public library. This is where they filmed The Day After Tomorrow, amidst other movies.

Random photos:

In America, everything is about extremes!!

That's why burgers have 8 slices of ham and 2 slices of cheese!

What's the point of slicing things so thinly, I wonder?

And that's it, back to Singapore via SQ!

Mike came to fetch me at 6am in the morning, and it's so funny that he is the one fetching me from Changi Airport... =)

I was so happy to see him I might have molested him on the spot.

More random photos:

Simmons party Rozz invited me to


Rozz and Doug


Me and Doug!

Pointless, only got 3 photos...


I've got a heart-shaped skin abrasion on my foot!

Isn't it cute?

I bought the Tommy slippers from NY for only $12! That's because they were for kids. LOL

Me without make up on a kelong.

I shall skip on this kelong story because it wasn't fun - for me at least.

Guess what Gillian got for me for my birthday!

Even the plastic bag is in my favourite shade of pink! (mind you, there are some shades of pink I don't like! Super anal one.)

Calvin Klein (I keep typing Calvin Kelvin) undies and still in my favourite shade of pink!

Plus a lovely Juicy bracelet! A real one! (I got a lot of fake ones... Haha)

So happy! Thanks G! All I did for your birthday was to draw and paste ugly stuff!

Was digging through Qihua's bag when I saw this bikini she bought and I fell in love with it!!

To my despair she said that the shop sold her the last piece, but then again she cheered me up by saying she bought the bikini set on impulse and would sell it to me!!

She didn't even wear it before lor!

I bought it for $80 (the original price being $99) from her. Shiok!!

I really like this bikini leh... It's baby pink with golden polka dots on it, a golden clamp in the middle, and at the back of the ass is the brand of the bikini in cursive golden fonts. =)

Also took a few shots of Mike's future condo...

Moving on on August 1!! Super excited.

These are the current tenant's furniture.

The balcony is freaking huge!!


Sorry for the blurness... Living room area...


Kitchen


Guest toilet


Guest room...

The current tenant is staying alone so he put all the excess owner's furniture in this room.

Mike's going to make this room into his workshop! Plus a bed for guests. LOL... I pity our guests, have to sleep in sawdust.

The master bedroom (I keep typing masterbat.. you know what I was typing. Something wrong with me) is huge!

Part 1


And part 2!

The two parts make the master bedroom.

I get to use that space for my princess room!! So excited leh!


Cupboard in princess room


Our toilet!


Mike's wardrobe.

The master bedroom itself has 4 built-in wardrobe/cupboards can?

SO SHIOK!

And it is bigger than what it looks like on the pictures. 1,500 Sq feet. =)

Back to random pictures...

(After 2 hours I am STILL writing this blog entry. -_-)

QQ and Kelvin brought Mike, Tim and I to eat at this Shin something restaurant at Vivo City!

The food there is super nice! You can order a lot of things on charcoal grilled skewers, like foie gras (2 pieces for $8.80, as seen in first picture), golden mushrooms wrapped with beef, etc.

Yummy!

We ordered so much the bill came up to $40 per person though. Sigh.

Manhattan Fish Market

With Shuyin, ZC, Wanyi, and Alvin

Charring the prawns


Super yummy!

The lemon butter garlic whatever sauce is super yummy! It's like clam chowder but not so thick. *slurp*

My sea bass


Wanyi and ZC.

I took this picture, and I said, "OEI! YOU ALL CAN BE MORE LIVELY OR NOT??"

And they did this...

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Damn jia jia lor...


Teo lala and me


Food finished!


My ninja tamagotchi (doesn't get more random than this)

Vesak Day!

For some spastic reason, we went to Zouk despite reports of it being so freaking full, the queue went all the way up to the bridge.

In Kelvin's car before we knew what was going to befall upon us



With Timmy


With Baby

After some heavy elbowing of the crowds, we finally arrived at Member's. Bah! (Thanks to Jack who brought us in)

QQ acting cute


Kelvin getting kissed by Tim




Candid shot! Hahaha... Tim is going to kill me


Painted Mike's toenails when he was drunk and asleep. Hehe

It took him all morning to discover it! Hahaha

NABEH TO THE GSS!!!

Great Singapore Sale has taken its toil on my pocket!!

Here's my damage:

$53


$23


$48

All from Forever 21.

You know what? The shops keep saying SALE!! outside, but once you go in, the sales items are like occupying one small corner! Then you end up buying the non-sales items!

Grrrr...

$10 bikini.

When I was looking at this bikini, I said to myself, "Woah so cheap, good, I buy already put at home..." and Eekean, who was beside me, replied, "Yeah well, that's a good logic, I really get it... So you buy it, and you don't wear it and put it at home!"

-_-

Actually what I meant was to put in in the new condo so that when my girlfriends come over and if they don't have a bikini they can use this!! Thoughtful mah!

When I explained this to Eekean she said she never coming over then coz she won't wear this pink contraption.

SO FUSSY ONE LOR! On the $10 rank only got pink so I buy pink lah! The other design is like pink flowers can?

$36


$23

From FOX. Sigh... I bought the jacket only because it is... in my favourite shade of... blah blah you already know what I am going to say. Plus it is comfy! I'd wear it on plane rides. =D

Make Up Store glitter eyeshadow. Pretty!

And worst of all...

Guess bag $159!

Original price was $189...

I bought it coz I liked the colour (duh! I need to stop being a slave of pink) and I wanted a big bag!

But it is so pointless as a big bag because the bag is already quite heavy even without a lot of stuff inside!!

-_-

If anyone wants to buy this from me I'd gladly sell it.

I don't want to total up my shopping expenses, so please don't do it hor, thank you. It's all proudly done in like one day.

Mike looking at the Suntec fountain. And it's pink!

Last batch of photos!

CK in 2 u party!










QQ, her friend Michelle, and me!

We started to kiss the CK poster model!


QQ really look like she loves this guy lor, go and kiss people's nose


Michelle look like hua chi


QQ also likes the girl


I look like I am horny for this guy

And the angmoh!!!









Wah lau don't know him...

When I commented that his hand is too high up on the tits he said he is squeezing it up. -_-

And last of all, to end of this longest blog entry in the world, are models!!


THE CK MODELS ARE A NEH NEH FEST!!! You'll see what I mean...

Rozz hosting


Celebrities


Really cute models...




Neh neh (sorry it's blur, she kept moving...)


Neh neh


NEH NEH!


NEH NEH NEH NEH!!!

Ok, thus ends my blog entry.