Share Share Picnic

Massa Kritikal

27 May 2010 - Massa Kritikal rides every Friday of the last week in each months. This month's ride was publicized fairly wide that two or three fliers came out to promote the event. I was informed by Arip early on the week of the ride as I did not have internet to get the latest updates. We had planned how I can get a bicycle because my bicycle is still in Hana's house in Shah Alam. Arip was too kind to help me borrow Salleh's spare bike. He even helped me fix the bike to make sure it works fine during the ride. There were some problems with the tire and brake pads. They collide with each other whenever the back tire spins.

The meeting point was at the mamak restaurant at Annexe, Central Market. Arip and I were the first few early birds after Zul, Prop and another dude. Prop was one of the documentors for the event. As cyclist came one after another, the number multiplied from 10 to 30 people, I could already feel the soon to be hypeness of the event's atmosphere. Fellow female cyclists came soon after. There were about 13-15 grrrls that stand out from the "mob". Yes we were the mob rioting out the boring streets populated by fast-moving-smoke-excreting vehicles.

I've missed out most of the previous rides but I'm really glad that I managed to came to this one because we had made herstory. There were 80 cyclists all together making this event the biggest ride ever held. We did not made headlines in the newspapers nor appeared in the 8p.m TV news because that was never the objective. We were aiming to reclaim streets and to wave and greet the people with our smiles. Making our presence known. To inspire and to spark tiny sense of awareness about how fun cycling can be as a form of transportation. Although there were no mission statements on banners that night, the number of cyclists that roamed the streets were enough to give an impactful and bold statement about our stand on fossil fuel.

That night cyclists conquered the roads. That night we blocked engine powered machines that were 4 times the size of bicycles (or more) from going faster than they normally would. We felt the city was ours the few minutes we passed by each buildings, pedestrians, cars, motorcycles, tourists, shopping malls, clubs, houses, restaurants and streetlights. Cars had to wait to get through the mob. Some of them were pissed off at us while some honked for support. Some even pulled down their windows to cheer for us. Some had taken the liberty to ask questions like where we were from and to which group we belonged to out of simple curiosity.

Actually, we had deliberately spread across the street and pedaled slowly to block cars from passing through. I think this was a good strategy as it made them slow down to our humble pace and at the same time share the huge patience we cyclist normally have when we ride our bikes on these dangerous streets. Busses were the usual road bullies. It is because they are big. It is similar to the animal kingdom where smaller creatures often goes below the chain. It was a vicious terror as these mammoth often care less about other road users. Lowered, modified cars with large and loud exhaust pollute the air with smoke and noise. A few did actually forced the cyclists to the side by tailgating them and after they had managed to pass through, they sped off leaving in dissatisfaction and anger as though their clubbing nights were ruined by these mischievous but nice and well aware cyclists.

There was one tall bike that night. It was Roby's white and green tall bike. I've heard this a dozen times... Friends had talked about building tall bikes. We've got space and tools to do this. Now we need to plan to find old or scrap bikes. Emm.. I want to join in to assemble the bikes. Nak blaja welding and make community tall bikes. Weee!

I remember how I felt that night. I was so happy and at the same time excited to be in the mass of bicycle loving people. I've never felt safer cycling on the road than when I'm riding with them. It was so relaxing that I got the chance to tilt my head up to stare at the sky and admire the trees' silhouette the foreground of lighted tall buildings. It was a rare feeling. I can see in the sparkling eyes of fellow cyclists and their glowing drops of sweat on their faces that they were really enjoying themselves. The bond of heartfelt solidarity was strong. We were street kids with a purpose to breed interest and spread our love of these revolutionary vehicle.

Cops did not hassle us that night. Maybe they did not receive complaints from any informed citizen. We were after all harmless cute bicycle kids. Hehe.. I heard someone said that if they were to stop and arrest us, they would not know under which offense to charge us with. We were helping the traffic to be less speedy and more cautious thus preventing accidents on that crazy Friday night. I remember Yuen told me and Hana on the way back from Sg. Tekala the other day that when he was in one of the Sarawak's village, the roads were generally in bad condition. In 10 years there had not been any major accidents because people drove slowly on those bumpy roads but when the government paved the road and made them flat and smooth, accidents occurred almost everyday. Speed kills!

As for the route, I was not sure whether they had pre-planned it or just following some of the usual crew. I'm not active in cyber space of late but I'm pretty sure they had discussed it online and informed people about the route. It was a discentralized event. No leaders only volunteers from the usual Massa kritikal crew who helped with security and traffic. It was necessary because we ran plenty of red lights that night. Haha.. I felt that sense of above the law the few seconds stopping cars from the other road as ours had turned red. Civil disobedience.

ERROR - Alak's chain fell off as we were about to approach Chow kit. A girlfriend cyclist, Ned had fell from her bicycle nearing Brickfields. But all in all, the ride went on without major problems.

Almost everyone had brought their gadgets to capture this herstoric event. This was the time to get every angle of everything. Phone camera works at this time of need. Ekin helped Karen to take video because Karen was sick with a fever. Onie drove Ekin. I think Karen will edit and upload in Facebook like some other people had. Thanks to all who had uploaded, tagged and shared the footage and photos of the event. You're all tots awes!

The last destination was Telawi food court where we had replenish our energy with awesome nasi lemak. We filled two long rows of tables and chairs. Macam kenduri pulak. Our bicycles were parked everywhere.. The place was not full as the usual weekend nights coz it was only Friday night kot. Memang meriah! I read on the Massa Kritikal's blog, someone suggested that the next ride it'll be cooler if we stop at some lake/garden or field and bring our own food to share together. I think that idea is awesome. It'll be interesting to share food made from each participants. I'm thinking soggy sandwiches, cold nasi goreng and dishes, cakes! and drinks. Kena ada panniers. It'll be superb to chill on grass and not have roof on our heads. Only Explosion in The Sky~ Haha. (^_-)

After, a few of us went to Karen's place for the next chillaxing and get together with close friends session. Karen's garden was perfect place to lie down because the plants provided cooling and ambiance feel of the night. It was open air. The neighborhood was quiet. The only thing that made the street visible was the dim orange street lights. It was very romantic as someone told me.... Karen's sofa mattresses from Thailand were the envy of everyone who visited her house. Memang best! It was even better when you have your friends and love ones to share that moment of comfort with you...

Thinking about the moment when we cycled to get to Karen's house, we held hands while riding our bicycles. Arip and I cycled to Shah Alam that night to Hana's house because we have a sewing circle activity together with the Coathangers Revolt geng the next day. We left at 2.30a.m. It was a very...... very........ very...... long ride.......... It was cold... I was tired and sleepy... I think we arrived at Hana's house around 6a.m because we got the chance to catch the sunrise together at the emo lake~ Everything was beautiful. Setiap hati itu dibelengu awan yang menutupi mentari. Apabila hilang awan, bersinarlah ia.

Molester Rempits Can Go To Hell!

My fingers are shivering as I’m typing this. My heart burns with anger. My left arm is bruised with an opened wound. My boob still hurts. I fell from my bicycle after being groped by two mat rempits (guys on motorcycle) on the way home. Those fucking morons! BASTARDS! I wish I was better protected. I wish I had carried a weapon. I wish I had been prepared. The wishes of victims of sexual assault. The burden are always on the victim’s who have to have this crazy mental guilt of not taking care of themselves well enough thus making them vulnerable prey and susceptible to violence. Ironically and sadly, this happened on International Women’s Day!

I came back from Petaling Jaya after I had a meeting with a friend. It was extended until 12 midnight. Yeah I know some might say that it happened because of the time of occurrence, the road taken and the transportation mode. Predators lurk from every corners of the dark to hunt for their meal. This was about power. Power over the weaker and fragile sex.

How can women be empowered and liberated if we were to be afraid all the time?

“The male is eaten up with tension, with frustration at not being female, at not being capable of ever achieving satisfaction or pleasure of any kind; eaten up with hate -- not rational hate that is directed at those who abuse or insult you -- but irrational, indiscriminate hate... hatred, at bottom, of his own worthless self.

Gratuitous violence, besides `proving' he's a `Man', serves as an outlet for his hate and, in addition -- the male being capable only of sexual responses and needing very strong stimuli to stimulate his half-dead self -- provides him with a little sexual thrill” (S.C.U.M Manifesto)

Earlier that day, I had just noticed that I’ve never had vulgar words or repulsiveness displayed by the road users. In fact, I’ve always get encouragements which I know were triggered by me being a female on muscle-powered wheels and not purely on the basis of supporting bicycling. When reading Chainbreaker, in many parts of the cities in the U.S, cyclists are seen as pest. Here in Malaysia, male cyclists are predominantly being hate as told by a friend cyclist, Arip. But female cyclists are seen as chicks that are easy targets for verbal harassment, entertainment for lame boring guys to make their day worthwhile from their lazy ass jobs! Somehow moving tits capture their attention.

I’M ANGRY!!!!! Resent in utter repugnance! I feel harassed and violated, if not vulnerable and weakened. I understand what Hana felt like when she was molested by an old guy in a bus a long time ago (Happiness comic), how Luke felt when an old guy (something’s wrong with them!) touched him at a place where he felt violated his boundaries in the train to Penang last year, how a friend had been molested in boarding school by his seniors, how women have to constantly fight off sexual harassments every single fucking days on the streets, at homes, at their offices, at gigs, EVERYWHERE. Hana and some of our close girl friends were rubbed over their backs at the Buzzcocks gig. Anna Vo from Crux had been groped while performing in Taiping and later found out it was made as if that was awesome by some idiot guy online. Where is our safe space?

Time and time again, this shit happens to us. So how do we fight back?

Going to the police was definitely not an option for me for this specific case. I was without an ID. It will be another issue all together if I was to launch a report without it. What can they do about it? Patrol at the vicinity? Tell me off that I wasn’t to cycle at night? Or is it just for the sake of record to identify that there are psycho mat rempits on the loose in the area? Mat rempits are EVERYWHERE. They are SHIT!

Hana and I talked about it and will put up signages and leaflets in the dataran Frinjan (i think this was the place the mat rempit saw me and followed me) and at the spot where I got molested (which another ironic thing, was the same place the police stopped me a few days ago). Maybe banner dropping, leaflets, and graffiti are the options we can take. Psychologically, there in this soft spot, had scar.

Community support!?

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh SIAL!

I screamed at them but they sprinted away with laughter and throttled loud their success leaving me on the road fumed by their fossil fuel smoke.

I HATE POWER TRIPPING MAT REMPITS! ARSEHOLES!!!!

Weather Underground

Today I came back to Shah Alam after crashing at Noisy studio for 2 days with the Wild Dogs and a day in Ponyo. The initial plan was for me to cycle from Noisy to Shah Alam but it was too damn hot yesterday that I had to stop at Ponyo to rest at noon. Did you feel the heat yesterday? It was so hot yesterday that Ponyo felt like a big oven or sauna. There was no wind at all. The trees stood utterly still with their leaves hanging with no movement at all. That night, I fell asleep at the badminton court in the playground in front of the house because I can't stand to be inside but the mosquitoes feasted on my blood. It is in this dry condition, these parasites come out and hunt for their food. I had to come back inside and brave the stuffy hot air in the house after battling with the blood sucking insects outside!

There were 3 traveling girl friends who arrived at Ponyo yesterday. Two from Aussie and one from Ireland. They were friends of Wojtec. Cekidut~! Woot woot.. (imitating Yuen). It was Wojtec's last day in Malaysia. He's going away somewhere yet again. This international lover can't stay still in one place for a long good period of time. There must be something to do with his legs.. They appeared to be normal but I think he has itchy or squirmy legs. Hehe.. I know when you are so used to traveling, you won't stop because there are so many places to visit. When you get into the rhythm of going on various transportation, you'll know the procedures and fussiness which country will get on your back because of your nationality. Discrimination on citizenship, skin color, background and your clothes does play a major drama for travelers and the immigration. Especially when you come from third world or troubled country (i.e UAE - terrorism?) See you soon Wojtec.

We looked up for the Polish artist, Zdzisław Beksiński after Cem's admiration of this guy. We ended up listening to repetitious haunting music from his website while being blown away by his artwork. Awesome artwork dia... Post apocalyptic. Very dark and lonely.... Same as the music.

Another artist we checked out was Nikki McClure who did the illustration for the Off the Map's cover. I love her artwork!!! She incorporates nature from her surrounding. Mostly from her back yard. She does stencilling for her work. They looked like normal computer or hand drawn illustrations but they are actually cut out from black paper.. Tedious but awesome~!


Okay.... I want to share a story about my encounter with the cops yesterday. I was cycling from PJ to Shah Alam and I was about to continue my ride after stopping for a drink when two cops approached me at my bicycle. I was somewhere very near to Hana's house. It was so freaking hot and I was so tired. I didn't want to argue as I know I did not have my identification card with me. One of the cops asked for it and I just gave him my library card instead. He asked me all sorts of questions. I gave the infos he wanted as I really want to get going. The second police who had finished cross checking with a guy who was further up the road came and started to threaten me to go with them to the police station. I said that was not necessary because they can check with my dad or sister as they were near by. He was playing the bad cop in this scenario of interrogation. Giving the fierce look. They were kind of accessing me with psychological tactic which I know a thing of two about it. I was playing the innocent girl role. They wanted to check my bags (I carried a couple of bagpacks on pannier and on my back) but I said there were only clothes and threads. I kept repeating that I was on my way to a friend's house to do work (sewing). That gave me a plus point being in the role of an innocent girl. After all the drama, the bad cop asked me to sing Negaraku to verify my nationality as true Malaysian. I almost burst out laughter but had to control it and I sang a couple of lines to please them and they let me go. Power tripping I tell you.. Intimidation. Instilling fear. Grrrr!

What a weird day.. when I was having breakfast earlier someone gave me a CD cover with Saleem's lyrics. It was so funny.

That evening it rained and Hana and I went out to dance..... We took a walk behind her house where there was guerilla gardens and lake. It is a community space. People actually plant things there because there were so many land to grow stuff. Bananas, pineapples, papaya, and heaps of vegetables. It is a place along huge power polls. The road was in a really bad condition. Pecah dan rabak. Everything feels like being in kampung when you block out the sound of the highway and the sight of the police headquarter building from its view. Some people were fishing at the lake. When we reached at the small jetty, one of them shout at us to be careful not to fall down into the lake. They were using some animal's stomach as bait (as I recalled from some experience fishing with friends long time ago). We stayed near the lake until the rain stopped and the sky cleared and the grey clouds vanished leaving the blue background. Sparrows came flying from all over. A few hanged at the electric cables while drying themselves. We love watching them sit together in pairs and we made silly conversation for them. We head home and quickly showered to avoid getting a cold and fever which we did (a pinch).

After, we cycled to get some mushroom soup, baked beans and Tabasco sauce which Hana craved for some wild weird reasons. It must be all the talk with ehem an English dude. Hehe sorry no Tabasco for you today Hana. Small shops doesn't carry this delicate sauce. Try Giant or Tesco. Oooppss free ads for them. No!!!

Road Trip With Knot Records Fellow Friends

Sunday, 28 February 2010

It is now 9 a.m and we’re still in Taiping as I’m writing this. We’re at a motel called HLW. The darkness of the room made it seemed like it is still night time. I was awoken by nature’s calling to empty my bladder. I could not help myself to get back to sleep and then came the tingling feeling to write.

It has been a long two days trip with Knot Records fellow bands and friends (the groupies). Knot Records had organized a party gig for their fans back at their birth place. So The Pips, The Garrison and Pusher which had recently released their new albums came all the way from Kuala Lumpur to celebrate and bring The Rainhouse down.

I will get back to that in a minute. Just so you’d follow through the journey (if you want to).

Last Friday was the Maulidurasul, a holiday making it perfect for us to plan a detour to Penang before heading to Taiping for the party on Saturday. We had assembled at the Rawang rest house at about 12 noon. Marr, Hana, Karen and I went with Yuen’s yellow 4 wheel drive. It was a nice sunny weather. I can say this because we’re moving by car with the luxurious air-conditioner on. I’m happy and could not complain. I even managed to sew a few cross stitch patches along the way. The Garrison folks rented a van and they had stuffed about 10++ people in it. Sardines in can!! Lily being the only female drove the van. Hail salut! Ekin and Yoyo went with Onie’s car. While others in 2 more cars.

Proper servicing before travelling long distance with the engine powered moving “tin cans” is a must. I’m not sure whether it was jinxed or they were just unprepared, but almost all the vehicles had problems. First there was Nana and Apeng’s car and then as we reached Penang, Yuen’s conveyer belt fell off its place making the steering hard to turn. Once we reached Penang, i heard Alak said they saw a car swivelled because one of its tyre fell off. Sarjan Hassan could not make it because their car broke.

When ever I get on a moving vehicle, I will get some sort of nostalgic sensation from the past reminiscent of a baby’s experience in the cradle. This is a very good time to sleep! Sure the view was nice but staring at the window screen for hours watching the long endless highway clamed by the greens seemed too much. I think I’ll give this scenery a pass thank you.

We had arrived at the Penang Bridge just about when the sun was setting. The sunset view from Penang Bridge was amazing. I wish we could pull over and hang out by the bridge to watch the sun disappear...

We had dinner at a food court along Weld Quay and I ordered Laksa. It was automatically blurted out of my mouth to order this glass rice noodle in fish soup dish. When ever I come to Penang, this was the one dish that I won’t miss to order. Aww and I was practicing to be veggie... There’s still hope. Ekin, Yoyo, Hana, Cem and I decided to sneak away from the group and go to the jetty. We went to Tan’s jetty because it was the longest jetty so that we can get some privacy.

Penang has a long history of migrant workers. These jetties which are made out of wood were also homes to about a hundred houses of the historical descendants from China. Most were brought here to work with the merchants. They had lived by this sea for many years now. Their homes are now part of the heritage of Penang thus protected by the UNESCO after some of the houses had deteriorated and destroyed by the corrosion which the harsh salt was responsible. Maybe some were torn down by authorities but I’m not too sure. This close knitted community of Chinese displaying their culture and laid back lifestyle will continue to beautify Georgetown for years to come hopefully forever.

After deciding about our lodging, we head to Bayu Senja in Feringghi. I still remember cycling through the curvious road going up the hill before reaching the beach. This was last year March during our cycling trip to Penang. Although there were signages of bicycle lanes, the road was too narrow for cyclist to feel safe with the lanes provided. The sharp corners made it dangerous for cyclist to climb steadily up the steep hill. The thought of being squashed and cornered by buses or lorries did came into my mind while riding up the hill. I could only hoped that they see me and my tiny blue bicycle~ Upon reaching Kerachut beach, the distraught of the mind vanished like foot prints on sand being washed by the waves. The only thing that was unpleasant were the hot sun (we reached the beach at noon) and obor obor! (jelly fish) Btw, I’ve found out that my favourite snack when I was in school is made out of obor obor.. The round shaped squid like taste snack with strong spices skewered on sticks mostly made in Thailand. Do you know which snack I’m talking about? I really don’t know they were obor obor.. Cute obor obor........ Hana got stung by one of them when we got into the water. The ocean in this area is filled with obor obor. Visitors are cautioned with signages of these near fluid creatures. The cure for the lucky stung people was a plant near the beach. These plants were purposely planted near the beach for the brave souls to seek cure for ailment. The other natural remedy was to pee on the localize injury. [singing the Amazing Horse song - Sweet lemonade.. Emm sweet lemonade...]

So back to Bayu Senja, the place was like Petaling Street. This is one of the beaches that attract tourists with its night market, restaurants and bars. The place was crowded with people from all over, so much so that car parks became an issue. Nana’s car got scratched on its bumper while the driver was trying to get in the parking space behind Nana’s car. CAR PARKS.... THEY DON’T DANCE.

I think it was just the hypeness from the artificial lights and the colourful stuff being displayed for sale that drove people to this place. Adding to that, the bars/clubs nearby surrounded the beach making full use of this extra feature for its attraction. Their music blasted the night from its quietness to make it more happening. We on the other hand chose a spot a little further along the beach. A nice dark spot away from the crowd and artificial lights to enjoy the natural moonlight. It will be another day for the moon to be full but none the less, the moon shun for these punks who came all the way to watch it radiate. The shiny reflection from the waves made up for the clouds covering the twinkling stars. It was as if there were some festivals going on up there as well. The God and Goddess danced forming the atmosphere the surreal unearthly Armageddon. It was for those who are willing to see.

I’m now wearing the Ocarina everywhere I go. I practiced the Ocarina so that someday I can make some beautiful melodies for some hearts to melt. Though the process of learning and playing with it is a bit annoying due to the high pitched sound it creates. The first time the Ocarina was passed down to me from Yuen, I got crazy with it and Hana’s maid did not like the noise and slammed the door. Was I that terrible?? Huhuhuhuuuuuuu *cries inside* Ekin and Yoyo had a taste of addiction blowing this tortoise shaped instrument. FYI, it broke! :’( We also brought jembe and Sidh and other regular baskers had tried to entertain us but failed miserably due to being too drenched in hallucinogenic subs and liquid. They were all pecah that night! Alak was the first to take a dip in the water. Others followed suit. Some even skinny dipped. Cem had been pranked as he tried to be courageous to join in the fun to go stark naked. His pants were taken away and they said his pants were dragged to the sea. He really panicked and looked for his pants in the water. I know he never wears boxers or briefs. So that pants was his only hope. They later gave back his hope. :P

And then there were us, the sober homosapiens. I was lucky that a few people did not drink and had kept me company. Like Mat Nor, Yoyo, Ekin, Hana and Marr. There was something that I clearly distinguished between being in that state of mind of the other party than my own soberness. Being aware was precious to me. This newly sophisticated feeling had left me wanting to explore solidarity with those who are pro-drunkenness but rejects substances. It was an article in Icarus that had made me think about how subculture had been married with substances. Not being preachy just mere reflection. I concur with the idea that hallucinogenics are naturally produced in our bodies. We just need to alter our perspective while being fully aware of our state of minds. To be in control as well as let loose. The notion of having fun should be withheld from consumer culture. Vis versa.

We left the beach to get to Mr. Ong’s place. It was allowed to us only after 12 because there were other events going on I think. The place is a space supposedly a film club. It didn’t take me too long to snooze after a long day. I practically dozed off as soon as my head reached the pillows. Who cares my snoring.. Most guys slept at the Soundmaker studio on the first floor. I know they were terrorizing the studio without actually having to be there to witness it. Wehad to pay RM3 each as rents.. It was super nice of Mr. Ong to offer his space to anyone travelling in this vicinity. Thank you Mr. Ong.

Saturday, 27 February 2010

Today is the day, the day to party. I craved for rice and veggies. So we head to the nearest small Indonesian restaurant a few meters from Mr. Ong’s place. We were all too tired (spoiled) to be adventurous and go to Evergreen unlike Karen who walked all the way to Komtar just to get her cendol. I really wanted to go to Evergreen... I just wasn’t as enthusiastic as Karen to hunt for what the heart longs for. Plus I woke up quite late and dilly dallied to get ready.. It felt too much like home since I’ve already been at the space about 5 times. Evergreen is a vegan restaurant somewhere in Pulau Tikus. This place is heaven for vegetarians and vegans. Travelling friends from abroad passed this by word of mouth to their friends. Almost all vegans must know about this place. You’ll be spoiled for choice just by seeing more than 20 vegan dishes that were displayed. They even have all kinds of side dishes, desserts, and titbits. Some are organic. VEGAN ICE CREAM! This is a very rare item seekable only at few known places. Arrghh my mouth is watering already :P~~

Off we go to Taiping...

We reached there about 3-3.30p.m. We were the first to arrive. We quickly hanged The Pips’ pink banner which we made with lots of lurve. I took every opportunity to mess with the drums. I finally got the basic beats. It was one of the times where I could find to utilize for a drum lesson besides tagging with The Pips at their jamming sessions.

The crowd started to show about 4-4.30p.m. The show started about 5p.m with a local band Amieva. They were very young kids but pretty much emancipated the atmosphere of its long silent wait. They played screamo something core :P Sorry I don’t really know the categories of the ever complicated tunes. Yang pastinya keras. You’d get too much of fast and hard music that sometimes bla bla bla who gives a shit ya know. All I know they were loved by the locals and a few girls cheered for them. They were with so much energy banging their way with their music. The power stance plus the head banging while playing guitar, you do the math.

Aiyay yay yay yay (Mexicana sound effect) This aint a party until the phat lady sings. The Pips opened their act with Hana holding a candle reciting words of wisdom in Bahasa. They chose Dungeon as their first song. It’s about girls having to go through shit at the age of 13, the age of when the hormones starts to kick in and all the complicated bullshit we had to face. Nor was so excited dancing with her heavy belly covered by her green knitted sweater. Mar and I were jumping with joy. Almost half of the room was filled with people from KL giving The Pips loud enough backup vocals sing along through Ashes in The Wind and Change song. The Pips is a band that brought the red hot cili padi into this male dominated scene to give it the heat and burning tongues that it deserves. A Go Go Go...go go go go!!! They are heading to the garage era by bringing this Dara Puspita song to live.

Freygyle made their appearance after being inactive for 2 years (according to Hana).

Pusher and The Garrison.. The dynamic duo bands. Without these two bands the party won’t be as hype as it did. The Rainhouse Studio was definitely a good space for gigs. The space was with good proportion of size and well ventilated. It was my second time being there. The first was with Scum System Kill tour.

After the gig, we had a crazy photo session. I hope they upload the photos soon coz I need to steal some to delight your eyes with visuals to balance it off with these tiny stretchy compound letters. Soon after, we went to makan. It was a crazy long 20-30 minutes drive to get to the restaurant that was said to be known for its awesomest prawn noodle. When we were in the car, we were like this better be as good as the journey that took us to get there. Everyone was hungry after being drained in the mosh pits. When we got off the car, there were the cracking sounds from our feet. It was a sea of sea shells. Cem was tormented by it and called it a holocaust of these invertebrate sea creature. This was normal for having a seafood restaurant nearby. Hmm.. it was shit load of sea shells....

Everyone ordered something with prawn since it is the main ingredient on the menu. I was terrified getting allergic reaction just by the sight of prawns. I shared with Mat Nor mixed veggie and rice instead. My partner in crime when it comes to being vegan. I find it so cute about Cem being freegan. He’d find friend’s unfinished left over and ate them even though they were meat. Some meals are prepared too much, some stomachs were too small to fit all the abundant food, then came the saviour – the freegans. No food needs to be wasted. No rice toiled by our precious farmers needed to be thrown out. No animal sacrificed died in vain just to be thrown away after the plates of humans. Utilize everything....

Everyone went separate ways after having feast together like a big happy family. There were seven vehicles all together. Yes I counted. A few cars went to a memorial cemetery near Larut hill to get some fresh air while digesting the good food. Everyone had a good time.. Marr and I went at the back of Yuen’s 4-wheel drive to lay on our aching backs while covering ourselves with The Pips’ banner (we knew it will used as a blankie! the fabric is so soft). We were so lucky that it was full moon. The fantastic ironic view of a cemetery combined with the full moon which often made known in horror movies, gave the night its astonishing splendour for us to bring this memory back to Kuala Lumpur. No corps was buried here. At least not as many as the tomb stones appeared. A lot of the names written on the tomb stones were soldiers from India, Pakistan, Bangalesh and some white colonialists. They were those who had been killed in the 1940s war. The soldiers died too young. The youngest was 17 year old kid. I bet they were recruited imports to help the Malayan army back in those days for the Battle of Malaya. It is really sad... Their death is sad. The war that killed them is disgusting. This was fully expressed via my blue spray can. Grrrr!!! While being excited upon having leaving a message in the cemetery, I told Apeng that it would be great that The Garrison posed with the cemetery view as the whole band was present. Plus it would be awesome photo of the band if they were to use it for some silly satire album covers or something. Indeed the pictures had turned out great! Nampak metal sikit.. The Garrison must acknowledge me for this brilliant idea. Haha.. Here’s also the leopard who got lost from the nearby Night Zoo.

We split at midnight. The Garrison folks went straight back to KL. They have several drivers to rotate driving the van. Alak and Onie went back that night as well. Pusher and The Garrison had another gig to attend to at Noisy the next day. We on the other hand looked for cheap motel to stay and rest our weary eyes and aching backs. HLW it was.

The amazing thing about living in small towns is that the food is really damn cheap! We got ourselves breakfast at a Chinese food court. There is a vegetarian stall! Hurray...! I got myself 3 dishes with rice and it only costs RM3! Believe me, when I take vegetarian dishes, I would pile the dishes almost covering the rice. That’s a lot. We also bought some local kuih to snack in the car. Yuen got spring rolls and Japanese jello. Hana and Karen got themselves some charkui and another thing similar but with cinnamon added. Yumm..... Cem had to part from us here. He had to follow Bard, Shimi’s brother to KL because there was no space for him in Yuen’s car. That night when he followed us to the motel, he sat at the back of the car hiding underneath the pink banner to avoid being seen by the authorities. It was night time so it was okay then. I still can see you lah Cem! Hehe

I wanted to go to the gig at Noisy because I did not managed to sell my patches in Taiping.. *cries* I’m flat broke. Traveling does suck the money out of our pockets. Not to mention the petrol, the toll, and food. We were so humbly lucky that our far well off friends chipped in for most of the expenses for those things.... Hmmm...... *frowns* I’ve decided to cycle with Marr to Noisy because Yuen, Hana and Karen had a reunion with their old buddy, Yohana. So we stopped by Ponyo to get my bike. It rained when we were about to reach Karen’s house. Our bags and the jembes were almost drenched as we did not put on the covers. The rain was heavy but quick. Nothing like a nice shower as a present for us cyclists. We hit the road as soon as the rain stopped.

Marr is going away~ She is going to Sarawak to work for a month. The third sister.... this tough girl cyclist will be missed!!! Marr is an inspiration to me.. She rides her bike almost everywhere. She often turned down car pooling just so she could ride her bike. Hardcore! Most of the happenings are in KL. She lives in Puchong. That’s far. It’s okay lah Marr.. Like I said, you can always cekidut the scene there. Maybe bring back some hot gossips. You know how much we like them.. I received an email from her and found out that she fell off her bike after she received an sms from her dad telling her that the job in Sarawak will be for 3 months. Ape lah!~

The gig at Noisy was organised by Pirate Punks Bukit Bintang inviting their guest band from Bandung Pirate Punks, Majestic. They played rock and roll punk. They got keyboard! They sounded rich and majestic. No wonder Joe Kid like this band.. They were awesome. I got stuck watching band after band. It was my second time at a sort of chaos gig. The first was the Big Show at Shah Alam in 19--?. The energy was definitely different. Boots stomped the mosh pits leaving no space for the weaklings. Malescentiric. Most were well build dudes in studded jackets, tight jeans, braces and boots singing along with the band they worshiped. Plenty of vulgar words in their lyrics but with great spirit and intention. Going nicer won’t portray what anger is all about. Fierce.

After we go makan at Restoran Hassan. I got stuck again in between conversation as I sat with the musicians. Joe Kid and Sarjan Hassan band. Hearing them talk about music, bands and performances. I went back with Lily to her place. Had a good chat about our experiences with relationship. I thought it was a really a good start to get to know this tough girl a bit better. I ended up staying over for 3 days. Thank you Lily for letting me stay at you place for me to work (sell patches at gigs). I’m going to Cloth and Clef tomorrow.

There is an end for those who want. (taken from a poster at Lily’s room)

Overdose + Psycling + Sewing Circle + People from The Garrison

So I'm here at The Garrison's dwelling. Everyone's still asleep right now. It's 9.30 a.m. I had a very bad gastric attack that woke me from my sleep and that has only been since 5 a.m. I had to find something to munch on. I knew those biscuits that was taken from the big hamper given to us during CNY would come handy somehow.. I couldn't sleep and had to distract myself from my pain with some light reading. This place is like a palace for punks. Shit their computer doesn't have Microsoft Word for me to write this to help me with my grammar and spelling. They even banned that huh? This table placing the computer is too short hence too close for the eyes to see the screen. I'm complaining because I'm in a bad state of mind. Or else I would be chirpy to be here. I'm in so much pain!

Was it the heat from the day before that had triggered the gastric? It has been a long time since I cycled through the highway. For two sweet days it had rained yet on the day I wanted it too it won't. Life is cruel. (Photo : Columonimbus)

Was it that I had skipped lunch yesterday? Was it that I had too much isotonic drink?

Was it the sms I got from my mom asking me to reconsider living outside because I'm bumming and got my bicycle back for that matter? I would never consider bicycle as a hobby as she demanded me to. I would rather not pay near 10 bucks just to get my poor ass around using public transport.  I would rather buy a CD / a zine / pay for gigs / buy fucking 10 colors of threads for that matter. I would rather eat with those 10 bucks than continue to support the fossil fuel more than I have to (when ever I can avoid it). I'm sorry.... I’m trying to find my way mom...

Is it okay to write about people's houses? This house is weird. It is a flat/apartment where in a single unit consists of two floors. It's like a double storey house in a flat. Once inside you won't know you're in a flat. I don't really know what the term for it is. It's really cozy here. Sort of reminded me of the old new Sunway punk house minus the mural/grafitti on the walls. They are a bit more creative and hung banners with stencilled of bands and famous icons instead (The Clash!). I think it is to avoid having to repaint if they were to move out someday which hopefully won't happen. I later found out that Abang (the bassist from The Garrison who was also an artist for that matter) is the one responsible for these artworks. I see it is true that what Arip had told me the other day about Apeng's obsession with calendars. They are everywhere. Well there are four so far I've seen. I wonder why so.... I should ask him someday.

Now it is about 3 p.m (continuing to write), Arip and Apeng had gone to work in the morning. Abang came back to do some work with Styrofoam. He made spiral shapes that imitate the traditional wood carving of the Malay style bunga kerawang without the bunga. He said it was just for fun and would put the three pieces of the work somewhere in the house. Rajin gile. We had a good chat with him and hit a couple of Atari Teenage Riot songs to muse our ears. We left the house at about 5 p.m for Yuen’s CNY open house in Shah Alam.

Working at a major bookstore does have its advantages. They housed about more than hundred copies of books. Mainly ranging from music to veganism. The rare kinds which would be too expensive but they got it off with staff prices. It is like free cataloging. All the range that most of you would like are available. I got the crochet book from Arip!!! Thanks Arip! Hana got the herbal medicine book to add in her witchcraft collection. I think if they were to open a mini library like Black Rose Library or Jura, they had half of what it takes. Maybe combine with the FNB house books a bit coz they have more art books. All these dreams/wishes to someday have a multipurpose space. Library+Music+VeganCafe.

Talking about bumming and wishes, I had a chat with Hana the other day about how to sustain oneself by still able to do what one loves. We both thought of something what we might do to achieve that. Since gigs seemed to be an equally good place to get music and meet friends, energy spent on the extreme nights must be replaced with fuel which is food. Thus we have decided to fill in that need by selling exactly that. How about vegan/vegie burger sound like to you? They are easy to make, carry and distribute during the jammed packed occasion. I'm also thinking of soy drink to go along with those juicy burgers. Haha am I writing this in a manner of excitement or just plain hungriness? CROSSES FINGERS! (suddenly realizes that this phrase some how might be my sewing collective's name which the other meaning is HOPE and kinda have that double meaning as a straight edge thing.. ye meh?)

I really hope this works out. Need to plan things through. Find the recipes for the patties and the bread with vegan ingredients. In a conversation with Arip in YM the other night, we sort of got into the veganism / vegetarianism topic in a new light. We both shared how it is/(was for me) like to be vegie in this meat eating society. What worked and what sucked (dilemmas). We had a session of doodling online. Doodled about the topic of course. I think it was rather sweet when Arip drew Earthlings = a picture of him crying. He told me that he cried during the screening of the documentary. We also discussed how it was strange that some still consume meat after watching those docu (shit that includes me). I gave my part of opinion which I thought that it was all a matter of brainwashing ourselves to hate meat just on the basis of the animals being treated before slaughter. The fact that the form of food (meat) we received from our end of the plate had been "cleansed" from the bloody truth. The hunger we feel constantly and the system that provided the satisfaction. I don't eat meat that often though this is no excuse. I wish I'm as courageous and strong to fight off the urges and guilt. I still have this stigma that I need the protein from meat (fish mostly). Living under the roof of people who does not participate in the same ideology and understanding as you is a bit limitating although what goes in your mouth is your choice. Bummers can't be choosers. Having had a bad experience being vegetarian for one and a half year doesn't help. Dizziness and fatigue. I know it is a lifestyle choice that needed special research, guidance, high sense of awareness, responsibility and will. I will get there... soon. Got to get my shit together.

Cycling is another factor that needed to be considered where energy is concerned. I had cycled from Seksyen 8 to my house at noon yesterday to get some stuff. The sun was fierce that afternoon. It had absorbed every last bit of liquid from which ever source it can reach with its heat. No it wasn't a drought. It's just me on wheel forced to go under this extreme condition. I find that it was a big mistake to cycle during this time especially after Friday prayer. It was dangerous as there were many motorcycle and cars on road this time of the day. I hate the intersection that diverges. I had to wait for vehicles to clear to cross to the other side which at this time with this many vehicles, took me ages to get across! I had to wait under the scorching sun for nearly five minutes in the middle of the highway... This I had to live with if I want to cycle in Malaysia. There will be better cloudy days...

Yesterday Noisy Studio hosted a gig with a touring band named Overdose.. I adore the femme vox of the Overdose band and Killieur Calculator's performance. They were just amazing.

The Pips! Lama tak tengok them perform. They opened the night with Hana giving a little intro and act about how cruel this world is. The act of ripping off a toy monkey’s chest and letting the stuffing out represented how it would be much better for us if we’d just let out and share our feelings and thoughts because it is no use to suffer alone when you have friends by your side.. The bassist, Yoyo, had just got back from Golok just to be here for the band. Ekin who wore a light blue Minor Threat t-shirt “lead” the band with her sweet jazzy guitar riffs. Alak and Cem, the two gentlemen in this tough pink band whom had been with the band from the start, gave their best performance throughout the 5 songs played. I miss the band so much~

Killieur Calculator – guitar electronika with their own groove. They are definitely a band to watch out for. One of the best local bands I’ve seen. Not at all monotonous thus arouses you throughout the entire set.

Overdose – Superb. The vocal sounds so much like Karen O from Yeah Yeah Yeah. She was so nice to everyone that she gave their CDs and stickers to whoever that talked to her. Such a big voice contained in a humble leng lui. I would Die with You.

Other bands were Pusher and Atomic Death. Marr got violent in the mosh pit. She now has a bruised cheek bone. It happens. You go girl!

After the gig was over, some friends from Massa Kritikal wanted to ride to Genting Sepah for their weekly ride. We didn’t join them because we want to go to Arip’s place to crash (The Garrison’s house) since we’ve promised to hang out. Plus we had our ride earlier that day.. No energy oredi~ Owhhh I found a girl who knows kickboxing!!! Lili, you're my idol~

The people who live in the house are nice people. They had fed us reggae music from Jamaica that night. I heard someone said that Apeng would put on reggae music every single day without miss. It’s like his breakfast and air to breathe.  Arip shared his zine Radical Review which he claimed to be the anonymous author but was exposed by a friend in Ricecooker’s website. Nice try. He said this year; he’s going to work on the zine for its next issue after realizing he’d been slacking for the whole 2009. I’m thinking nak menyelit. Boleh ke Arip?

I have managed to sell patches! Yay! Thanks for those who bought them. I will dedicate myself to produce more of these cute things. Hopefully a collective will form out of this obsession. Sewing circle - it has been spoken about. It’s floating~ floating~ floating.. One step at a time..

Okay this entry is going everywhere... It’s the gastric pain I tell you. It’s making me nuts! I’m constantly struggling with the pain.. I need to get to the clinic if it persists for a couple more days. I will try to limit the words and carry on writing this blog entry. So many things happened. The best part is saved for last......

Cycling from Pandan Indah to Shah Alam

Have you ever cycled long distance and let your mind wandered? I found this experience very rewarding both mentally and physically. I had thought of few wonderful ideas about a few things while I cycled yesterday.. I will share about it later lah. Having carried a spray can was like having a b-o-m-b. Under the overhead bridges made perfect spots to spread messages and words.

The word that starts with the letter (A) is our horror nightmare which gives us the chill although being fully aware that it can happen anytime anywhere regardless being on two wheels or four. Hana got kissed by a car when she tried crossing over to the other side of the road to get to the other intersection. She said she thought the car was slow and that she could make it after having calculated the distance and speed in a matter of seconds. Maybe it was a bad move or just plain luck that the car wasn’t that fast and managed to break upon hitting Hana’s bicycle from the back. She miraculously managed to land on her feet during the collision. She was so lucky to go off without any injury as the impact was minor. The driver of the car got off his car asking whether she was alright and drove off after she claimed stability. I screamed seeing her being hit! I could’ve sworn that I practically threw my bicycle aside the road and got to her. She was cool though.. We sat at the intersection to check on her bicycle for damages and for Hana to gather her strength to calm down. Everything was okay. The bicycle and Hana. After that I kept reminding us to recite the holy words (Bismillah) before beginning our journey. Panic siot!!!

After having cycled for about 5 hours, sampai jugak akhirnya to Yuen’s house. A few close friends were there... Alak, Ekin, Diana (Ekin’s sis), No-e (Ekin’s friend), Onie (Pusher’s bassist) and Cem Cem! I was so exhausted from the ride had to excuse myself to rest. They were enjoying themselves with games, special drinks and the fluffy centre of attention, Yuen’s lil sister’s dog, Bell. They made her wear cheongsam! Emm.. I don’t want to go into the details. Yuen seemed very happy having his friends over. They were too, getting ang pows from his mom and booze from his dad. Thanks Yuen for inviting us.

p/s: will upload photos soon.

New! Cross Stitch Patches

Yesterday I went to fix my bicycle, Gajra, at Seksyen 19. Now Gajra is good to go. I left out the stand so it's less heavy now. It rained right after me and Hana were heading home. We had to stop at a gas station nearby. We got ourselves ice creams while we wait for the rain to cease. I've always loved the rain and the atmosphere it brings after. There is no more intrinsically enjoyable time to whiz through a landscape than when the leaves are still dripping and the air is brimming with that crackling newness only rain can deliver. It gives the eyes its crystal clear view of the world. The grass and trees became greener than usual. Fresh green.

I got a meter of cross stitch cloth before getting my bike fixed. I want to sew some cross stitch patches to get some money! Need to get a few things for my bike and new threads. I'm flat broke. I'll be selling them at Noisy during the Overdose gig, the gig at Taiping where The Pips and The Garrison are playing, and at any events from now on. I'm still deciding about the prices.

I love cross stitch! It's so personalize and the designs are way cool. Pixel art! Okay better continue Jah-it!

Rice Above #2 - Birushanah in KL

Yesterday I came down from Mantin to Hana’s house to assemble my bicycle. I had to wash it first as it was dirty! The chain and cogset were covered with black oil and dirt. I miss you Gajra! This was my first experience assembling and meddling with bicycle parts. It was surprisingly exciting to mess with the bike parts. Although lacking with tools and knowledge, I found it to be empowering for girls to get their hands dirty. The only thing I was unable to figure out was the alignment of the wheel. Need to get to the bicycle shop to fix it but the shop was closed due to CNY holiday. The excruciating wait! Baru je nak ride ke Cloth & Clef.

We got a lift from Kelly to get to the Birushanah touring gig. As soon as we’d arrived, Think Tadpole Think was playing their first song. I know I will do this each time.. Reviewing new and old bands in every single blog entry after each gig. TTT was awesome! The vocal was very expressive and very much a performer. He was all over.. from playing didgeridoo, bass, turntable lp, diving on the floor, tearing his nice collared shirt bearing his chest. Wearing white gloves makes his hands visible through out the performance. Their songs were very very catchy experimentalish. I know it now that the band that gets to play first always has this heavy burden to warm up the crowd. In which case, they had succeeded with greatness.

(A) band called Khayal performed after. This band did not had the bass player that night as he was stuck somewhere in traffic. The front line was Bart (Aghast) as vox. I think this was the first time I’ve seen him perform since I know him as a didgeridoo basker. He was freaky. His voice was freaky to me. Not to mention his face expression. Talk about intense. Was Khayal a new band? I’m not so sure. Mirdza played the drums. Their guitars blew me away. Ganaz gila.

Kah-Roe-Shi was next. Taken from their blog - Firstly took formation sometime in 2006 with the name Union Of Slaves. Kah = excess, Roe = labor, Shi = death, translated literally from the Japanese as "death from overwork" or occupational sudden death. Musically characterized by unrelenting heavy crust hardcore and human-system-hating lyrics. A collective of system hating armchair revolutionaries. The guilty comrades (not in hierarchical order; as it supposed to be abolish!): kid: vocals, tiong: guitar, vocals, fahmi: bass, zul: drums. That night they wore white shirts with hand painted words in red which reads something like a downfall of something or death. It was supposed to be a gimmick however hippie it maybe.. They threw flowers to the crowd. The Jasmine flower, which is often associated with cemetery and death. This band has good reviews in several zines. They are superb! Marvelous.. Viola~

It may appear strange when you don’t really know a certain person as a performer or in general. Abang Zai was in that persona. I never heard of him. It is kind of fun though to have a bit of solo performance once awhile. It gave me the chance to sit down during his performance. Actually, he was all the way from Singapore. He was supposed to perform with Joe Kid and Bullet. The Abang Guard. They play groovy kind of experimental sound highlighting Abang Zai’s guitar riff. You should’ve seen Bullet. He was fast to hit those snare and tom toms! They don’t call him Bullet for nothing. He was an unstoppable force. All these while Alak had overshadowed/hid him by being in front with the mic. I had never really seen him play up close and this intense. The drummer always gets lost on the stage.

The moment that we were all waiting for had came when Birushanah got on stage. This sludge metal core band is from Osaka, Japan. As written in their Myspace intro, they said they used many Japanese traditional scales with fretless bass. The amalgamation of Japanese sounds was deliciously magnifying to our ears. It was not that somewhat soothing, it was more than the ocean crashing onto the rocks. You’ll hurt badly especially when you stand beside the speaker! I had specifically chosen the spot, as I wanted to “hear” and see them up close without getting in the middle of the storm in the mosh pit. They were downright brutal. The drummer was in the spotlight with his buff sweaty tattooed body. The crowd went wild for the powerful trio. The head bangers with long hair got most of the front row glorifying this mad occasion. Who knows what goes on at the back of the room. I was very much immersed in trance. This is sick. Now my ears will wring the thin buzzing sound echoing the quiet. Birushanah encored after the crowd’s request.


A photo with the band's drummer and vocal/guitar. The other was missing.

Once again another satisfying gig.

Seems to me that anarcho punks with patches swarmed the place making the place pitch black as ever. Arip was there! We had promised to visit his house and chill together but did no such thing because of our clashing schedules and other lame excuses. He steal holds the book for making crochet that we asked from him. We’ll hang out someday Arip.. When my bicycle’s fixed and the sky is clear. We’ll make you a crochet!

Many friends were there… Baglo who others and I had noticed to be skinnier had said that I looked nice with the veil. Thanks for the compliment. I know it was the cheongsam I wore. Psychedelic. You are confused. Wojtec was in town! And I never knew he could speak Bahasa. He looked like he had plenty of sunlight. Cher stood out with her corn coloured hair. Goldilocks. She came with Glen. Niesa yang comel pun ada. The cyclist made their presents known too by littering their bikes in front of the entrance. This Friday I will park my bike with The Wild Dogs in their home ground but won’t Overdose. See ya.

p/s: photos curik dari Shieko's FB in Ricecooker Shop group page. Thanks.

A day with the third sister

A day at third sister's house gave me to get closer to (her). It was really funny to have several third "sisters" who are guys. Often we would hang out and there had been one guy friend with us and we’d call him our third sister. A few of them was Cem and Luka. Yuen is one of them. He always said things as though we are being separatists when we grrrls get together and he was the only guy there. I feel that is a weird thing to say because whenever guys get together and there’s a girl there, it won’t matter. And that’s normal. Hence the birthday card we gave him yesterday after the gig at Cloth and Clef.

Yuen’s place was a minimal and cozy small flat house at Kajang. He lives there so that it’s easier for him to get to class at UPM. He’s taking his masters in Anthropology and Sociology. He said he’s doing a thesis on punk rock culture and community (or at least that was the idea conveyed to me as we spoke) which I think is great! It will definitely highlight things that are not known or neglected in the atmosphere of the whole scene. I’m really keen to read it when it’s finished. Caiyok Yuen!

He had load of books to keep us entertained while he was away for his class today. It was like finding a treasure chest. I’ve borrowed a book titled Undisciplined Theory by Gary Genosko.

At noon he was back from his class and had bought food. Briani Rice. We watched the U900 songs on YouTube over and over again while we eat. It’s an addiction. U900 was insanely adorable! They are made out of crochet and played the ukulele. Both are the things in my checklist to learn. COMEL!!

I asked Yuen to help getting my bicycle at Mantin since it was very near from his place. We also made a detoured trip to the Sungai Tekala at Semenyih. It was the waterfall which we had gone to during our all grrrls cycling trip last year. The place was very much empty due to the weekday. On weekends, the place would be packed with families that even pitched tents and set up fire to cook stuff. Indeed we had the place to ourselves that evening. Some mischievous monkeys were there as well and roamed the place as their own since humans were not present. They stole our food while we were in the water. They distracted our moments there thus made us be wary of our things. We had to watch them eating our food on the trees. There were eight of them and three of us. Yep.. we had been “bullied” by monkeys! It was their turf.

It was nearing dark when we got out of the forest. Off we went to my house to take my bicycle. It has been awhile my bicycle left disassembled. I was waiting for it to be transferred to Shah Alam when my family had moved there. Due to the busy schedule that both my parents were under, I had to ask my friend to help. Luckily Yuen was available to help and his car was big enough to fit Gajra – my bike!

After packing my bicycle onto Yuen’s car, we went to makan satay at the nearest restaurant! It’s the famous dish of marinated meat on skewer that’s grilled with splash of sugar and oil which is the most delicious in these parts of town. Later we went to Hana’s house to send her and temporarily keep my bicycle there. It was then that we had trouble opening the trunk of the car. My stuff was in there plus the wheel of the bicycle too. Yuen called his father and asked for help. His father suggested to us to try and open the back seat of the car but we had failed to do so due to the stubborn nut bolts attaching the seat to the car. So Yuen said he’s going to ask his father to open it tomorrow morning.

We hanged out for awhile at Hana’s house and Yuen told us about an experiment on human psychology that was performed on students in a university. The professor who performed the experiment was barred from the university and education ___ for two years or so but later received a noble price? For the experiment had significant contribution to human understanding on human psychology although how unethical it was. The experiment was about testing human behaviors when they were made to role play two sets of characters. One group as prisoners and the other as prison guards. Yuen explained that the outcome of the experiment was rather disturbing as the students were almost convinced and got seriously into the roles as they started to really enforce power over the weaker characters which were the inmates. This crazy state of mind over the power of these individuals had been “granted” was unbelievable but true. They suffered from mental physical and mental torture. It was a reflection of what was really happening today in prisons such as in Guantanamo Bay. I’m going to read more of this. Yuen said the video is available on YouTube.

Yuen lives near my house. It was so close that I could probably walk to his house if I wanted to. Yay! We’re neighbors. I’m imagining the projects and meetings we could do since we live so near by to each other now. We were talking that day of us forming a basketball team in Shah Alam. There are six people that we knew who live in Shah Alam. How about that? Most are cyclist. Critikal Mass in Shah Alam! I’m really happy and grateful that Yuen was able to help…. I had a really good day! I got my bicycle and got to know a friend a bit closer~

Howard Zinn + Cyclown + Marjinal

There was a screening on Friday about Howard Zinn called Howard Zinn: You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train (78 minutes). He was a writer, activist and historian who passed away a couple of weeks ago. The screening was held at Annexxe, Central Market. Hana and I came early at about 6.30 p.m because we wanted to drop by the Ricecooker Shop to meet Mat Nor and check out the new space. The shop is not at all hard to find. It’s a corner shop at the lower ground floor in a building next to Mydin at Jalan Silang. You will notice a restaurant called Shukran and A&W outside of the building. It was our first time being there since it opened. Mat Nor said the rent was cheap. It’s a very cozy place and while you’re there, you can trim your hair at the next door barber shop. Hana did.

When we arrived at the shop, Mat Nor wasn’t there so we phoned him and found out his whereabouts. He was having his evening tea break with a friend from Jogja! We were so surprised that Maya was in town. We knew her as one of the members of Cyclown when they toured in Malaysia back in 2007/8.

A bit of a story here about Cyclown. Cyclown was formed as circus clowns who travel by bicycles and performed from one country to another. They’ve travelled to so many countries, performed endless circus acts and recorded a few songs. They stayed in Lost Generation Space in Seputeh and joined Not That Balai event when they were in Malaysia. They even performed at Food Not Bombs serving place to entertain the homefree people. They are really nice people with loads of sense of humor (hence being clowns). A few times I was awoken by the sound of their trumpets in the morning. They practiced really hard. I really admire them for their spirits to travel by bicycles and make friends from all over.

They were striking wherever they go as it was not easy to miss them with their tall bikes and dashing colorful outfits. I’ve never rode a tall bike before, for them, it must’ve been a whole different view of the traffic and scenery. Once I heard one of them (Raphael) said that the pollution was unbearable whenever they visit any cities and that included Kuala Lumpur. This was and still is true for the streets are never lungs and bicycle friendly.

I remember hearing stories about their amazing stories from their travels although I’ve only had brief encounter with them during their visit here. One of it was that they had travelled through the SAHARA DESSERT BY BICYCLE AND STILL LIVES! Imagine that! They were tough young lads I tell you.

If I’m not mistaken, there were 5 or 6 of them (mostly from the States) when they were here but many others had been cyclowns. You see, Cyclown was an open “collective”. Anyone can join them. They’ve got a few new members whenever they travel in each place. They had always without fail to invite us to join them. Let see if I can remember some of their names.. Raphael, Bob, Christine, Maya, errr.. I forgot most of them. There was always something interesting to learn from visiting friends. I know that they DIYed mostly everything, from their bikes, bags, food, clothes etc. I learned from them to substitute chain oil with cooking oil but later found out that there is some downside to this – ants love the sweet cooking oil – but I’m sure that was not of a big issue compared to holes in their pockets. Travelling does make you learn survival skill and force you to rethink about living with less money and more brains. Being vegan/vegetarians also another skill that needed to be learned while travelling to other meat eating countries. Cooking is always the best part. You would know what they eat and substitute – sugar to honey to maple syrup. Whichever with less contribution to the world pollution and animal cruelty. Ethics.

Here’s their website with more details and photos http://www.cyclown.org/. If you ever get your hands on their CDs, check out the KUCING (cat) song. COMEL (cute) and AWESOME!

Back to the day’s story, I know Maya studied culture and arts in Jogja after the Cyclown’s tour there. Maya’s from the U.S. In Indonesia there’s this program (with sponsorship I think) for foreigners to study Indonesian culture and arts. If it’s not with sponsorship, then it might be cheap because a few friends from abroad did try it out. She said she was renewing her visa and had to work for survival because she was broke. She’ll be in KL for the next two weeks working with the Annexxe gallery. So many things to talk about! She was still as friendly and cute as ever. (I’ll get her picture!) She said she had dropped out from her study because she didn’t find what she had hoped for with the course she took.

Mat Nor was so nice to entertain us with some music from Deepset, gave free zines, and stickers. Wahh ni shopkeeper yang baik ni. He gave Hana a copy of Morgan Muffel's zine and had promised to give me one too, This time Isi collaborate with another cartoonist. Looks really interesting... Much like Mat Nor zine. Scenery is Free. He said he's going to compile them and make it into a book. He doesn't have enough money to get it publish just yet. Money seems to revolve around everything... I'm glad Mat Nor went through his surgery well. I asked him to show me his scar, it's a very long scar across his chest. Now his heart is doing well and he's still on meds. Cheers bro.

I’ve been to Maya's house in Jogja in 2008! It was a very nice house with a garden at the center of the house (like most typical houses in Jogja/Indonesia). For ventilation I think. I remember that the house had countless rooms (compartmentalized buildings) that surrounded the garden. It has got a neat common living area where you can chill. Maya said her room was the only one that is on the first floor. Yep I’ve been inside her room. Not many furniture only a thick mattress with “kelambu” and one cupboard. Minimal. Not minding that, she had the view of the village instead. It’s awesome…

She said her house was considered expensive in Jogja. The rent was RM1200+ a year! That’s about RM100 monthly! They had to pay annually though. For the longest time I envy who ever lives in Jogja.. The rent for houses are extremely cheap, the food is very tasty and not to mention - cheap, the warm inviting locals, and most of all, the feast for the eyes – street ART!

In Jogja, it’s still a lay back part of Indonesia. Some areas are still very much kampong and anak punks or weird looking artists/youngsters blended well with the locals. The popular art movement “bloomed” as I heard the term used by art magazines and artist friends’ chit chats since the fall of Suharto’s dictatorship in 1998, moving along side with the activism/resistance movement back in those days. Jogjakarta is considered the center of art and culture for Indonesia.

I went there when I joined the Jatiwangi Art Festival (JAF) in 2008 with Ili, Bebe and their two kids. An artist friend from Malaysia, Aswad also tagged along with us. Ili had a special mission while she was there. That is to document how art event was organized and artists and peoples’ involvement with it. Bebe and Aswad did their share of performance of interaction with locals. Okay this is going to be a whole other story all together and it will be a long one. So, I promise I will write about it in specific details in my next entry.

Aside from that, I thought I would want to add in a little bit about something interesting in Jakarta instead. I’m thinking about another documentary which will somehow relate to the Howard Zinn’s documentary. It was a documentary made by Mash (a punk girlfriend from Germany) on punk band – Marjinal. The band had assimilated themselves with the locals in the kampong (village) where they live. It was rather amazing to see “boys” with dreads/Mohawks, tattoos, pierced who clung on black shirts as their everyday theme helping out the villagers with their gotong royong (_) fixing the road and gutters, cooking, and teaching kids to silkscreen t-shirts and sing. Yes, kids from all ages worshiped them! Their songs are catchy and easy to sing along. Rakyat songs (People’s songs). One of their songs, Hukum Rimba had been covered by The Pips in their new album.

In the documentary, the band members explained how they had open up their space for people to learn about punk DIY resistance culture. In return showing that they are as human as anyone could be because what was important to them is communal living and community. They had been well accepted by the people in the village. I think part of it was because of the warmness and friendliness of the band members with the villagers. They were not at all as fierce as they looked. In fact, they were very polite and respectful. That’s the true (or should be) nature of punks in community I think.

I’m impressed that old folks there are easy to accept the band without being judgmental of their appearance and lifestyle. (At least that is what we hoped for) I think being in the same village does make them neighbors and part of the community where they had to work together to help build the community regardless of religion, ideology or culture. Indonesia and their culture…. I’m not good with history but I do know a few things about Indonesian culture revolution by Suharto where he had made the Bahasa Indonesia as the national language and it has been successfully implemented as all the races speak in Bahasa Indonesia as their first language. Although this has its downside where people lost part of their language/cultural identity i.e Chinese can’t speak Chinese. But I think the unity of language had brought forward the downfall of the dictator himself via his own vision where people would be united through their words and these words were understood thus had educated, mobilized, and empowered people to bring him down. Other than the economic factor and IMF. Read more here.

Talking about history, mobilization and people’s power, I shall continue with the daily journal about the screening about Howard Zinn. See I told you it would somehow relate. Overall like all documentaries I’ve watched, it was fairly good. One comment from a young emerging film maker, Fahmi Reza commented that it was a bit dragging and could’ve been shorten at some part. It was not those documentaries where you’d watch before going to demonstrations to fire up your spirits. It’s more of a memoir of his struggle during his teaching and writing years. He was a modest and decent man with his inspiring words. He wrote several books, to name a few which was mentioned in the documentary, Emma, Karl Marx, and the most famous The People’s History of the United States. He had led many protests against racism and the war while he was teaching at Boston University. One of the intense parts of the documentary was when he told about how he used to be a bombardier during the World War II. Like many uninformed soldiers who were convinced (brainwashed) that they were fighting for their countries, he had explained how on several occasions that they dropped home made napalm bombs on places where German soldiers were awaited for the war to end. Many were near civilians. A shocking statement by the deputy minister of America during that time quoted of saying that they bombed the headquarters of the enemies, which “happened” to be surrounded by civilians. WTH? This was to justify and blind the masses of their bloody war. Howard Zinn said being up on the sky dropping bombs, they were clueless of the impact on the ground until they saw what had happened in Hiroshima. Noam Chomsky was one of the people interviewed. A quote from Howard Zinn – if you don’t know your history, it is as if you were born yesterday. He was kind of like Hishammudin Rais of Malaysia with a little less fashion sense.Ye ke? HAHA.

Oklah.. that was some of the things I could capture in that documentary. We met Pik-Svoon and Fahmi as well as a few others old friends at the screening event - Poodien, Thilaga, Yew Hun, Sis Mas and Kak Yati from SIS, the Brown couple (musicians) and other 50 people or.. After the session was over, we went to downstairs to the mamak restaurant and bummed into the cyclist friends whom just finished their Massa Kritikal ride every Friday. Alind brought a kite given to him by Rat who was there as well. Rat got the kite from his ever-so-resourceful workplace as an installation artist. Others were El Pheng, Sidh, Nana, Nobeat and friends from Sky Bunker, Setapak which I don’t really know/ forgot their names.

After realizing that the mamak restaurant was closing, we headed to a stall at an alley near Kotaraya and Petaling Street. Talked about plans, catching up, movies, gossips, jokes, critics, eat, drink etc. Hana and I didn’t realize that we’d almost missed our bus to Shah Alam. Luckily the last bus was at 11.30p.m. So nice of Pixie and Fahmi to walked us to the bus stand Klang. We felt safe. Thanks mommy and daddy. :P

The day was going to end with something sweet to remember it by. We spotted a boy who looked just like a younger version of Poodien. Memang saling tak tumpah. Serious. The hair, the eyes, the short pants, the bag, the notebook and sharpie! They could’ve been brothers or twins! He even got on the same bus as we did. We decided to give him a card/note which reads “You look like our friend. Wish you’ll have a good day. And at the back, “ Life is so isolated and alienating that all we have to do is reach out to each other”. I managed to secretly snap a photo of him using my hp by pretending to take Hana’s picture. Stalker! Hehe. He just smiled and kept the note. He did not look at us after that. I think he was shy being “harassed” by two crazy girls on the bus.

That was that. After we got off the bus, we had a long walk and talked about how we would feel about getting a note from strangers. For me, it’s fine if a boy gave me a note on the bus or somewhere. Sure I would be shy but I would like it. Indeed, we pass each other every where we go and crossed paths but yet no interactions. These small practices are little sparks of happiness we encounter in our lives.

Maybe that’s also how I feel about street art. They are sweet and cute little “nuisance” that some may not understand. They appear at some corners of these blocks of concrete “life” that shouts Hey! Here are some cute things we did to make you think or just to express. They are not as intimidating as the billboards, which are forced onto us. You’d know which giant corporation that demands your attention and loyalty by repeatedly flashing their ads. I missed those old days where movie signs, shop signs etc were painted by hands. More personalize and “REAL”.

That night we had to pretend that we were crazy because we too had been harassed by passing vehicles as we walked. Maybe we theorized that it would chase them away hence adding a bit of the “illusion” of safety. So imagine two girls walking and laughing while swinging an umbrella given free by an insurance company the one that resembles like a cane in the middle of crazy Friday night trying to make it home safely. All this while still trying to have a good time chatting and enjoying the sky with clear stars. Not yet the full moon…

And I quote “Any woman will ovulate with the full moon if she’s exposed to enough moonlight” – Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver (a book that I’m reading)

p/s: Sorry if my words get a bit long and confusing. It’s just how I like to write them. Don’t really like “fullstops”