In the heat of summer sunshine

"Hey, you free on Monday?"
"Yeah, I guess. Why?"

"Wanna go Malacca?"

"Whoa. Sure!"

We took sun-bathing a whole notch higher, beh-bay! We literally soaked up the sun! Nothing beats risking a sun-stroke :) Nah. It wasn't that scorching, more like glaring. And the occasional breeze kept the heat at bay when we were sizzling under the sun's blistering mercy. Though I would not have complained if we WERE roasted and grilled to the bones, much preferable than being rained on, non? Imagine fleeing from shop to shop, not being able to roam on the streets freely, and then squirming uncomfortably for the rest of the day in clothes with wet patches of rain. Ugh. The only times I enjoy getting drenched thoroughly are:

a) a pool party

b) I have a change of clothes at hand

c) I'm not having any electronic gadgets or non-waterproof objects on me

But the skies were generous today. There wasn't a tinge of grey in the clouds :) Too bad we boarded a typical-Malaysian bus in the morning, potong our steam for a moment. That dumb guy conned us that the bus was leaving at 8.30am but, voila, it departed at 9am, being all adamant about filling up the seats. No wonder Malaysia's public transportation has always been a constant down turner.

We're on an adventure, Charlieeeeeee!

From the terminal in Malacca, we hijacked another degraded bus to Jonker Street!

Seriously, I could hear the seats squeaked as our butts sunk low into the cushion.

The square (or whatever it is called)!
Jing Hua, Eu Chern, me, Joanna

Such humour insight to the minds of the people in the olden days

By the time we were done entertaining ourselves with the fountain, cam-whoring and holy-ing ourselves in the church, we were, more or less, fazed by hunger. To the Jonker Street! Eu Chern directed and we stalked along like the living dead.

I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts! Erm. I mean A lovely coconut. HAHA. That sounds wrong.

Wandered down the street for a while, pausing, at first, at every single shop, then the amount dwindled with our growing thirst, till we just simply dived headlong for the cendol store. Mamma mia, we found heaven :)

Candy mountains, Charlieeeeeee!

Can you believe these 2 skinny things had THREE bowls of cendols?! OK. They weren't BIG bowls, but still. Sweet stuff takes up A LOT of space in the stomach, which is why desserts are always served at the end of a meal.

Goreng-goreng me likes :)

And out we went again, to bask in the full glory of stinging rays of sunlight.

At a point that I was only vaguely aware of, we couldn't tolerate the heat anymore and seeked shelter from Dataran Pahlawan. To be honest, the reason I squealed and reeled in shock about entering the mall was that I genuinely thought it was an open-air location, not a shopping mall. I mean, 'Dataran' makes me think of the forsaken Dataran Merdeka and the shimmering heat. So it wasn't because I didn't welcome the blast of cool air, I just didn't expect a shopping mall with that name. Yes, I've been living under a rock, as far as places in Malaysia are concerned.

Screw that face.

Mine fits better. LoL.

Me: Teehee! We're in Mahkota Parade!

Eu Chern: *Disgusted* Purple homos bumping their stomachs seductively

Lost?

Somehow it was decided, perhaps through telepathy and my connection was down, we should give this Solero Shot-lookalike a go. The next thing I knew, I paid 10 bucks and was in the queue waiting for the ride.

Up, up and away! Seriously, I initially freaked out. Stupid, stupid acrophobia.

That thing, what do you think? It rocks! Ah.Ha.

Then, more walking. Awed by the many wonderful locations to cam-whore.

What WAS with these people?!

A matching colour of blue and white

Ditto. Though reversed.

Took a detour up and over St. Paul.
Bottoms up!

Ah. A' Famosa. Heavily fragranted with the scent of cat piss.

Just envision I'm holding a flag, k?

And our last eventful stop of the day: Satay colok (do correct me if I've misspelt)! Quite worth it I suppose, after all the trouble of locating the shop, no thanks to the already-sleeping Jonker Street by 6pm.

Cam-whored a little while in the midst of searching for the dessert store earlier. Two particular people were craving for a fourth bowl of cendol.


Settled at one of the last few shops that were still open. Not too satisfied, sadly.

Breathtaking, isn't it? Taken by Jing Hua. There's one more similarly beautiful, captured by Joanna, but it's on Facebook. You're welcome to check it out.

Last group shot at the terminal.
Bought the 8pm ticket but the bus wasn't there after we came out from the toilet. Unnerved us a little.




Hoooooooomeeeeee!

Freaky, eh?

I want you oh-so-badly it hurts

My sanctum. My haven. My empyrean.

Those MPH staff probably had not seen anything as deraged as me and Amanda.

It was indubitably the act of thaumaturgy: Amanda's random pick from the shelf. The Ugly Betty. Flipped through the book, eyes darting from one photo to another. Lost interest. (Here's the part where you should envision it in slow-motion) Amanda's arm extended to chuck the book back onto the shelf. My eyes traced the shallow arc of the movement and rested upon the thick glossy cover of the book underneath. Choked on my breath in recognition of the treasure I unearthed. My sudden ebullience suppressed my voice to a bare craze-filled whisper, "Oh my God, it's a sign!" My fingers gingerly lifted it from its cache to a level we could both ogle at it. Our eyes flashed with delirium. Reaching the acme of our elation, we exploded into a chant of "OH MY GOD, IT'S A SIGN!!!" Non-stop.

We found the last installation of Cassandra Clare's magnum opus, the Mortal Instruments trilogy: The City of Glass.

So there we were, amongst the 'Young Adult' section, squealing and giggling while clamping onto the book like clams, going berserk for the world to see. But when we turned the book over, we screeched even more: it was RM35.90! For a HARD COVER! And what made it oh-so-screech-worth was the preceding books were bloody RM59.90 (or more) when they were first sold last year!

Oh oH OH! Best of all, my aunt's company card could reap us 50% off any damn MPH books! *Wild screaming*

While we were waiting for her to arrive, I went to grab the first two to satiate my desire for a flawless Mortal Instrument collection. But City of Glass wasn't on the shelf, so I went to ask the guy at the counter, who was so sweet. When he returned from the book storage or wherever he went to find, his hands were behind his back and he had that attempted-remorseful-look on his face. Then he suddenly drew out the book with a triumphant smile and expecting eyes. I shrilled with delight in a polite response.

Thirst quenched. Mission accomplished (as in sis' belated birthday present).

Nothing propels me to higher spirits than purchasing the book(s) I've always longed for.

She had nearly forgotten that Jace was cute, given everything that had happened. He didn't have Alec's delicate cameo looks, but Jace's face was more interesting. In daylight his eyes were the color of golden syrup and were......looking right at her. He cocked an eyebrow, "Can I help you with something?"

Clary turned instant traitor against her gender. "Those girls on the other side of the car are staring at you."

Jace assumed an air of mellow gratification. "Of course they are," he said. "I am stunningly attractive."

"Haven't you ever heard that modesty is an attractive trait?"

"Only from ugly people," Jace confided. "The meek may inherit the earth, but at the moment it belongs to the conceited. Like me."

-City of Bones-

P.S. The 3 books are NOT for rent. They are secured and guarded under my personal book vault. I apologise profusely.

P.P.S. "It's a sign" refers to our dilemma about whether to go all the way to Kinokuniya to buy City of Glass. Our initial plan was to head over there the next day, obtain the book, have lunch and catch a movie. But mom's subtle objection led us to doubting our scheme, which was why we loitered at MPH to check the availability of the book there, thus deciding whether to carry on with the Kinokuniya plan. And voila! The appearance of City of Glass was THE sign: a no-no to our KLCC trip.

Mad World

Tuesday (28/7):

Ah. The dawn of the horrors to ensue.

Begun slaving for my Project Studio Proposal. After dedicating 2 hours to youtube how-to-build-your-very-own-home-studio-from-scratch videos and consulting a gazillion websites, I succeeded in sketching out 3 quarters of the price quotation. ONLY. I still had a written proposal and a signal flow chart. My brains dazed by the sheer amount of information they just took in, my index fingers sore from navigating around the virtual world using the touch pad, my eyeballs frizzled and dried up after staring for so long and my pupils dilated by the blinding glare of the laptop screen. I was inside out by the time I went to bed. It was 4am.

Well, at least I figured out where my studio proposal was headed.

Wednesday (29/7) and Thursday (30/7):

The Return of the Dreaded Recording Assignments.

Nothing much to elaborate on saved the fact that I sacrificed my band's numbered practice session, scheduled a last minute recording due to technical problems encountered during the first one (sound waves spiked beyond the limits and the end product was sounded muddy, mashed up and echo-ish), had a pitiful semi-frozen doughnut for dinner on Thursday, no thanks to the recording AND band practice and nurtured dark half-moons beneath my eyes. Other people have been or are in worst circumstances, so I shan't whine.

Project Studio Proposal was over and done with by Wednesday 4am. Hallelujah. My first tick off my lengthy list of end-of-term assignments.

Friday (31/7):

Modern Band Ensemble was predicted to last 4 sufferable hours in an attempt to have 11 (or more) bands assessed before moving on to finals the following week, extending from the usual 2-4pm time slot to 2-6pm. Preposterously insane. But due to the absence of after-performance comments from the lecturers and audience, the class was dismissed at 4.30pm =.="

What the heck, right?

Sunday (2/8):

Had my first band practice outside the comfort zone of college jam rooms and brought it to some dimly-lit studio perched at the top of 4 teetering flights of narrow stairs (the worst part was when we had to lug 2 extra keyboards, a keyboard stand and a bass guitar UP). Located in the hems of the Ampang district. Ugh. Resolved this problem by putting up a night at my grandparents' place in that area. Easy for me. But others? I've got to hand it to them (Sharon, Penny, Hueyuen) for braving the traffic all the way from Klang, Subang and Cheras (David wasn't counted since he didn't drive), not to mention the route home in solitude for Penny. Kudos to you guys (:

Savouring the fact that it was my virgin experience of being in a studio beyond the confines of my college, I clammed my mouth shut and didn't complain about the treacherous climb. Didn't know what to comment on the jam room either, though Hueyuen seemed pretty satisfied with its condition: well-carpeted and sound proofed, air-conditioned without so much as a tinge of residue cigarette smoke (I won't say the same about the waiting area), spacious enough for our additional instruments and an adequate number of working amplifiers (though we soon found out that the mixer was hay-wired and cut off our instruments in turn).

Rented the jam room for 2 hours but ended up practising for one since we spent half the time setting up and other miscellaneous stuff like sound-checking. Merely skimmed across the songs 'Summer of 69', 'Super Duper Love' and 'Let's Groove' and crossed out the sections we needed to improve. Better than nothing, eh?

Huffed and puffed 4 floors down with the excess weight, dying to simply let go and allow the keyboards to roll themselves down to the entrance though a shallow scratch would earn a screeching consequence from the owner. But all in all, your author here was enthused by the experience XD

Tuesday (4/8):

Took me 3 tiresome trips to the library just to print 2 pages of essay. On my first trip, I left just before my turn, realizing the stack of clean A4 papers was still on my desk in the hostel room. Second time, I spent more than 30 minutes queueing and seething at an obese illiterate creature who clearly did not comprehend the phrase 'Do not amend document' and was sifting through her goddamn essay to correct the grammar. Only to find the document I needed to print was corrupted, more than likely by the computers in the MIDI lab. When it came to my last trip, there could have been a black pouring/thundering cloud suspended above my head. My mood was dark from the extensive, exhausting walk and the self-centered attitude of the problematic people using the printers before.

I BLOODY PRINTED MY FREAKING ESSAY. AT LAST.

On a lighter note, Happy Birthday, moi lovely Mummy! Don't you love the yellow roses the florist delivery man left on your table?

Wednesday (5/8):

Nearly glaciated in the library after ensconcing there for 4 hours in a non-procrastinating attempt to work on my thesis. So far only spat out 2 paragraphs, a measly 10% of my expected 3,000 words. Ugh.

As for the rest of the evening and half the night, it was wasted on band practice, again out of the college compounds. I mean, don't get me wrong, extra practice was a good thing, something we desperately needed a lot, but the studio management? Pfft. Literally ran by pig-heads.

You see, after the setting up shit (yet another fact, attributed by a ruin amplifier, lack of adapters for the keyboards, problems with wire or plug since there were sparks flying out when we flicked on the switch and a tear in one of the drums) we were just about to start on our first song when we were told our time slot was already occupied. What?!

Apparently our 8pm-12am slot was overlapped with the seniors' (thank God for that) 8-10pm slot. I had never heard anything so ludicrously imbecilic as that. Dude, if you're that wretched in business and needed cash so badly till you couldn't deny any band that signed up, bloody furnish another room for people to jam in! Go grow a brain.

So, like I said, lucky for us, the seniors were willing to give us the 8-9pm slot, then continued with their remaining hour and then it was back to us again. Thank you :)

Other than the tormentous waiting hour (seemed like the lounge was opened for people to 'karaoke', thus the intolerable tuneless howling and shrieking throughout the hour AND our practice session), jamming was cool. Managed to brush up the ending for Summer of 69, accentuate the groove for Super Duper Love and smooth out Let's Groove. If only the studio was more well-maintained and the person-in-charge had a tad of intelligence (hey, I'm not asking much), we could have worked on a heap more. But what to do?

Thursday (6/8):

A miracle happened before choir concert: we actually had time to sit down and enjoy a proper dinner in a restaurant/cafe! An earth-shattering record. A first in the history of UCSI choir concert. At least ever since I enrolled there.

Lee Jia Wen the first victim heehee. But a big hand to Rachel for helping us not look ghostly on stage for once! Thank you, hon' (:

Audrey, why so disgusted?

The Yellow (as in the colour) Girl and me

After make-up

Andrew's method of advertising Rachel's foundation cream.

Left to right: Me, Jin Fem, Huay May, Jia Wen, Pik Ying, Bi Ying, Audrey, Carmen, Kevin and Rachel. And I thought this was supposed to be an all-girl group shot.

HA. Anthony's shorter than Jia Wen!

Anthony Chang. The guy-who-declined-singing-Let's-Groove-for-my-band-coz-he-already-promised-6-other-bands. Pfft.

Ee Ling

Clarinet Boy, Rays, Renee and Vice President

+ Ee Ling

Li Ling, aka 1 0 (pronounce one zero in Mandarin)

Juniors

What was with the Jia Wens? And Jia Wai's pose's so rigid and formal.

Bruh-der, why were you smiling like that?

Sama punya

Hueyuen, my band's awesomeness drummer (:

Rays and me

Supper at OldTown. Dominated by black-clad choristers.

Oskar, Ken Ny, Stephen and me

Friday (7/8):

Modern Band Ensemble finals. No comment. Our time on stage was like living a live band's nightmare. One of the amplifiers went cuckoo: the organ got snuffed out during Summer of 69 and my brass part was merely squeaking throughout Let's Groove. Disastrous.

Penny was depressed about it :( I simply spun a cacoon to blot out that memory to save myself from falling into the pits. I had to keep my head clear for the mountain of assignments. Remorse could come later.

But we did our best, didn't we, Band 4? And (I loathe myself for doing this) I got to quote Miley Cyrus: "Ain't about what's waiting on the other side. It's the climb" If we made it to the concert, cheers to us, if we didn't, we would pick ourselves up and try again the next time :) Que cera cera.

P.S. Yes. I'm aware how darn expensive our MBE is and we can't afford to fail it.