Poise and Rationality

11th October. Two gigs. One heck of a good time.

After a chillout at Deepti’s place, I took an LRT from Bangsar and went straight to Pasar Seni where I followed the music to where the stage was. Found Kolep and gang setting up the Durjana booth beneath the tents, and helped them for a while. Monisha, supposedly supposed to accompany me, decides to bail out because of her parents’ disapproval, which only left Trett to come along and witness the KL gigs for the first time in his life. And oh boy, did he not regret it!

Missed out on Couple’s performance, which was stupid. But I did manage to snap a few faraway-cannot-see-a-thing pictures. I found Aidil and went O.T.T on it, which just got him laughing. Followed by Couple’s performance was Love Me Butch, which I COULD NOT MOSH TO because I was waiting for Trett to arrive so someone could accompany me into the moshpit. GOSH Trett! Chilled with Kolep and sang along to LMB from where we stood, and bumped into the three girls I had met at MCPA during Escape The Flock. Exchanged numbers with one of them, hee. So Trett arrives to the sound of The Aggrobeats, who made me want to get up on one of the parked cars and skank above it. Kolep was really friendly to Trett (aww!) who was feeling slightly awkward. Why? He’s the only white guy. He’s tall, so he can’t hide. So he’s like SO obvious. But EVERYONE kept asking if we were siblings or cousins… WHYYY!? In the crowds, by the booths, in MCPA, the bands we chilled with… WHYY?!

Followed by the Aggrobeats were The Times! Absolutely awesome performance by them. I went into the crowd with Trett and Nad. Trett got into the groove so quickly, and we were both moshing senseless. Poor Nad was so unprotected, but she soon found her knight in shining armor - some guy in a songkok who stood behind her the whole time protecting her from getting trampled on. Aww. XD
Me: Siape tu?
Nad: I pon tatau!
Me: BAHHAHHAHA

The Times performed awesome tunes, but I kind of forgot what they were? I was too lightheaded to remember… Woah…
After the exhausting workout - LOL - we went into CM to grab some drinks at the foodcourt. Grace calls and says she was going to head to CM once she’s settled at the hotel. And Faiz FortyWinks calls to say he’s already at CM and ready to talk about the gig at Singapore. So yeah, that was artist 1 that I chilled with that day. It was a really funny chillout session though, we kept getting distracted by everything. AND he thought Trett was my brother.
Faiz: So, about the bus ticket just let me know…
Me: Okay… Ooh, I like this song!!! *cocks my head towards the speakers* (Aliff Aziz’s ‘Sayang2′ was playing)
Faiz:… You’ve got A.D.D man.
Me: WHAT!?
Faiz: Yeah… you get distracted easily… bahahaha hey it’s a cool thing to have.

It was a pity Grace didn’t arrive in time to chat with him about the gig. Oh well, he told me I already settled everything they needed to know anyway. And he was so touched by the fact that I was listening to Forty Winks while doing my homework.
Faiz: It’s so…. educational!
Me: What the hell!?
Faiz: Yeah, doesn’t really make sense.

Oh did I mention Nad was all torn up when she found out Trett was 3 years younger than her? HAHHAHHA, kantoi. Walked out of CM to find Meet Uncle Hussain already performing! I almost screamed in shock, and dashed towards to booth to dump our wallets to Kolep, and ran to the crowd, jumping to “Halusinasi” at the same time. Lan, why don’t you play the guitar anymore?
Moshed like CRAZY. Made friends with one guy - Arol, Arol! - in the audience. He, too, thought Trett was my brother. What the… ANYWAY. Meet Uncle Hussain played “Halusinasi”, followed by “Pari-pari”, “Balik Kampong” (yes, the old classic), and “Lagu Untukmu”. When we sat down for the pause because Lan needed to pee or something like that, I realized we’d missed Lalala Kerjalah. DAMN IT. Trett really liked M.U.H. Whoo!
After MUH, Bittersweet were next, and holy hell, they were good. They. Were. Good. They performed… wait let me register it in my head first… they performed “Burn Berlin Down”, “Kucing Hitam”, “Capital E” and … some other song, holy crap I forgot. I think it was a song we didn’t know. Some raya song I think. We walked out on that one, because Grace had arrived. I went to meet up with her and suggested her to speak to Pijie Bittersweet. Went to find him (artist 2!), only to get him telling me to head over to MCPA because they were performing there, too. Sigh. So Trett and I went to grab some drinks with Grace and Francis, and Francis followed us to MCPA to catch the next gig. Awesome shit, man.
We walked in and the new bassist of Bittersweet - didn’t catch his name! - told us Pijie was upstairs. Went upstairs, and Pijie said we’ll talk after the show. So we enter the hall and are greeted by Deserters playing. They were goood. When we went to grab some drinks after They Will Kill Us All, whom we MOSHED LIKE CRAZY TO!, Trett and I bought ourselves the Deserters CD. Cooool… David from TWKUA was so pissed off at his guitar issues when setting up he swore so many times it was funny. I loved the bit when Fizul was singing “But I don’t know youuu!” and like bent down until our faces were quite close and I sang along in such a hyper way he went back up laughing. Hahaha.
Went back upstairs and chilled, watching Bittersweet set up was probably the funniest thing ever. They were all half dead. Herri looked as though he was completely clueless to whatever was going on. When they were about to start, he puts up his hand and says there’s no sound coming from his mic. The technicians all checked and found nothing wrong….. until someone came up to the mic and switched it on. LMAO! Everyone burst out laughing like crazy. That was an awesome moment, right there. Trett was thrilled to watch B.sweet for a second time, and damn he could not stop moshing. I placed my water bottle under the steps in front of the stage, which later on when I took them out, two mates of Pijie beside me were like “Oh my god! Effective!” as if what I did was completely ingenious. Hahaha.
Bittersweet performed “Burn Berlin Down”, “Simone”, “Capital E”, “Get It On” and “Kuching Hitam”. Pijie was so limp, he was falling all over the place, and when he jumped into the crowd he seemed to lose all balance and control of his muscles. Woah… crazy, crazy, crazy performances!

Later on, Azam tells me he had no idea my moshing was so fierce. He was there at MCPA (I couldn’t meet him at CM because I was in the crowds with Trett - he’s leaving the next day, so I felt like I should show him as much of the gigs as possible) and was shocked when he saw me turn up. So while Francis discusses things with Bittersweet’s manager/friend, I was in the hall having a blast. Man, I should organize gigs more often.
After Bittersweet, we walked down to get another bottle of water, and were almost falling down the stairs. OH MY GOD THAT REMINDS ME! I kept falling UP the stairs! ARGH! Trett was tormenting me with the memory every now and then. I tripped up the stairs walking out of the monorail station, and twice I tripped going up to the hall at MCPA. It was my shoe, Trett, NOT me. xD

Bumped into Amir TWKUA (Artist 3!!!) who was surprised to see me at MCPA (I could never make it to a lot of TWKUA gigs), and we had a cool lepak, with him telling me the lack of response from their Myspace was not ignorance but merely due to busy times. So the good news is they might make it on the Singapore band list! WHOO! Oh, he thought Trett was my cousin. -_- Went back up to the hall to check out The Great Spy Experiment (a singaporean guest band) and Amir intro-ed me to the rest of TWKUA. Went into the crowd to dance to GSE, the crowd was dead, went back to the side of the stage where Amir was.
Me: You like them?
Amir: Oh yeah, they’re mad. They are way better than us.
Me: You can’t compare! You guys are different! Different sound, different awesome!
Amir: True… Heehee. I gain good karma for that. LMAO.

So what do I think of GSE? They are GOOD, that’s definite, but I found some of their tunes very mainstream. And the vocalist’s voice didn’t really make a presence, unlike Fizul TWKUA, who was… THERE. Oh wait, I’m not supposed to compare.
ANYWAY, I find Pijie saying bye to everyone, and he pulls me into the room behind the stage to discuss on what Francis was saying due to continuous ‘huh’s because we couldn’t hear each other. Loud music + half deaf = pointless conversation.
Pijie: (after all discussion) Okay… oh i check your myspace… you memang 15 years old ke!?
Me: 16! My birthday just passed!
Pijie: Whatttt!
Herri: *walks in* Hello, nice to meet you… sorry my voice dah hilang la…
Me: It’s okay…
Pijie: She’s 15
Me: 16!
Herri: Yeah ke? Wow, tak cam… 15?
Me: 16!!!!!! BAHH!!!

Walk out to where Trett was stood, and we decide to leave a few songs before GSE calls it a night. So we grabbed our stuff… well, MY stuff, and exited the hall. Decided to stop at the mamak outside MCPA first, and ordered milo ais. Trett was amazed, impressed, awed by this side of KL he has never seen. It was a whole new culture for him, and was so pissed that Australia never have mini gigs like these. Well, like I said, you don’t need to get drunk and kiss random girls to have fun HAHA, he agreed though. And we made a pact to go to a gig every time he comes back to KL.

As we sat at the mamak, Herri and B.Sweet’s manager went to another table, and Herri started talking to me (he thought I was Singaporean, ew) so they shifted to chill with us on our table. Then Emai and gang joins along with Pijie, who plops comfortably beside me, only to get me to steal his infamous shades. He thought Trett and I were related. xD Surprise, surprise.
Pijie: So you guys are… cousins? Siblings?
Me: He’s my brother.
Pijie: Oh!
Me: No la, kawan je.
Pijie: *confused*…what… OH! Eh, you guys are mixed, that’s why you look alike!
Me: *turns to Trett* aww, abang!
Trett: Hey I know what that means! See, I’m catching up!
Me: Yeah…what words DO you know? Tapi… Abang… milo ais… dua..
Trett: Tiga!
Me: Wow.
Herri, Emai & Pijie (they were the only ones listening to us): LOL!
Trett: Well, next time I’ll be able to speak more Malay!
Me: Yeah, what, recite lyrics from the albums? *puts on Pijie’s shades again & recites Kucing Hitam*
Pijie: LOL
Me: *turns to him* Your shades senget sikit la.
Pijie: I know…

Do you realize Pijie looks like he’s grinning 24/7? Even Trett mentioned it! He was like “That guy’s such a rockstar… with those grins that’s constantly on his face!”
Herri was so damn sweet when he placed 4 Bittersweet CD’s on the table for me to have and give to friends. So damn sweet. Trett was so pleased to get another CD in his new Malaysian music collection, LMAO. Oh, by the way, HAHA TRETT YOU ALMOST SPILLED YOUR MILO AIS THAT’S WHAT YOU GET FOR LAUGHING WHEN I TRIPPED! Oh, and I hope I didn’t make it that obvious that I’m not a big OBS fan…
Pijie: One Buck Short ade pergi Singapore jugak ke?
Me: Errrrr….. no….
Herri: *looks at my expression*… why?
Me: Coz…? *ahem*
HAHAHA then I went into a rant about mainstream people who have so many people who know them already and I want the indie, indie, bands. Wait, I actually said that because Herri mentioned something about them not being signed by EMI, and I was like “I wouldn’t have invited you guys if you guys were signed by EMI, because I’m looking for indie, indie bands!”
Pijie was like “Aha… :)”

Finally, we left the table and walked up the stairs to the overhead bridge to cross the road, and I swore, realizing we could’ve just taken the stairs that led to the monorail station. So we walk back down and walked towards the other stairs. I froze. Turned to Trett. “We didn’t pay for our drinks dude.” We just burst out laughing and spent 2 minutes debating on whether we should just SMS Pijie and get him to pay (rude la!) or if we should turn back. We turned back hahaha, and made complete fools of ourselves. Walked back to the mamak and the guys from our table were like ‘???’ and I go “We forgot to pay”. Everyone started laughing and Trett was like “God, that was embarrassing!”

Walked up to the stairs of the monorail station - realize its CLOSED, so we walked down again to catch a cab. Dude, just picture it. Whole day of moshing. Toes stepped on, leg muscles screaming, and we had to walk up so many steps! ARGH it was so annoying. Luckily we got ourselves a really nice taxi driver who only charged us RM30 to send us to Bangsar and Mont Kiara. Laughed when Trett walks out of the taxi, goes to the sidewalk and trips. Last thing I see of him is his ’shut up’ face and a middle finger. HAHAHA!

The Movie: What I thought of it.
Teenagers. Secrets. Music. Life. Kuala Lumpur and it’s many lifestyles. This was a movie everyone could relate to. Yeah, so what if the actors were way older than their given ages in the movie, it was worth watching, definitely. I liked the way they showed how so many different people could still share same interests. Loved the way everything connected to each other. Enjoyed it a lot. It made you sad, made you angry, made you laugh until you’re in stitches. Made you think. You feel like you’re not watching a movie, but just life itself. A life that any of us could possibly live, because it’s so close to how we are now anyway. Makes me look at any stranger, or friend, and think, is there something they’ve been hiding since the beginning?

The Characters:

Ali - Played by Syarul Ezani

This character was like the Harry Potter of the movie. One of the more dramatic ones. You know. Pretty boy, temperamental, is a hero at some point. Unlike Harry Potter however, this guy doesn’t pop into my head as a ‘nuisance’, but more like a troubled soul, which he obviously is. His secret? He used to do drugs. And is still tempted. And does get tempted. But does he fall for it again? Watch for yourself lah kan. Also, he reads the indie mag “KAMI” which is written by Lynn, though no one knows it’s her. Who’s Lynn? Read on. Also, he is a guitarist of a band, but he’s got this crazy stage fright, that causes him to restrain from becoming a vocalist, too.
At the end of the series, his mother leaves the dad, his sister leaves the house and he quits drugs as a promise to Abu. Who’s Abu? Hold your pants, I’m getting there!
As an actor, I feel like Syarul managed to connect with the character later on in the whole process of filming. I found his acting quite rigid and unnatural in the first few series of Kami, but by the time the movie came out, he was Ali. He was Ali.

Lyn - Played by Liyana Jasmay

Liyana plays the kampong awek, Lyn, who suddenly moves to KL. Secret? Well, the primary one is that she is the writer of the mag “KAMI” of which she writes under the name of TekaTeki. When she criticizes Ali’s band in Junk Magazine, she has to desperately stay undercover even more than usual. Secondly, she was involved with drug dealing, desperate to earn some cash, and taste excitement. When her mother found out, they moved away from the kmpg. When you think about it, this begins to show some connection between her and Ali. In the movie, her worst nightmare returns when the drug dealer, Boy, shows up in KL, and starts to get himself involved with her friends (Abu, Ali, Sofi and Adii). What happens and how does she solve it? Tengok la filem!
As an actress? Liyana’s good! But she’s very amateur but strangely, it’s acceptable. It’s obvious she’s not been acting before, but in a way it blends perfectly with her character; insecure and kind of fidgety. She did a good job portraying Lyn, definitely.

Abu - Played by Nas-T

Comel, kan? This is Abu. The joker, the rebel, the rough, loud and carefree boy. The one who’s always ready to make everyone laugh, even during the worst moments. So what’s the dark side? He can never live up to his dad’s expectations. He runs away from the juvenile school and lies about it to his friends so they don’t need to worry. He fights. He steals. He lies. But you cannot NOT love Abu. My favourite character of the whole show, definitely. He has a brother who was murdered while waiting for his internet lover to show up near a bus stop. This however, is shown in the series, not the movie. Abu has a soft spot for Lyn, and finds out about her TekaTeki identity, as well as realizing who his brother’s internet lover really is. Hint, hint, Abu makes the movie extremely sad in the end.
Nas-T? Ah, he’s a natural, really. He plays the character extremely well, knowing when to be cheeky and when to be menacing and when to show a weak side of himself. He portrays a lost boy perfectly, and I cannot think of any other actor who can make himself look 7 years younger as well as him. xD

Adii - Played by Ani Ibrahim

Adii. The bubbly, optimistic, supportive friend. The sad part? She can’t find her other half. Ever. Why? Because he’s dead and she has no idea about it. Yup. Adii’s online lover is the brother of Abu. Those of you who didn’t watch the series and were intending on watching the movie, sorry I might’ve just ruined it for you. Adii is Ali’s cousin, and though they don’t show her parents in the movie, she had trouble trying to keep up with her mother’s deafness in the series, which was quite moving at points.
As an actress, I feel she did a pretty good job. Ani was extremely Adii; sporty, not entirely girly but not rough either. With the short hair and sassy look, she was my favourite girl character of the movie.

Sofie - Played by Juliana Evans

So typical, isn’t it? Always put in a rich, pretty girl. Sofie. The girl who has it all but not enough. She seeks for love, not material. Closest to Adii, she falls for her cousin, Ali, so cliché, and surprise, surprise, he falls for her, too, but oh, THANK GOD, they don’t do that whole ‘let’s just get them to end up together for a happy ending’. Her mother has this phobia of being alone, so Sofie has to face the pressure of trying to get her mom to let her go.
Juliana, to me, seemed uncomfortable 3/4 of the time. I have no idea why, maybe it’s the character she plays, of just the way she is. She definitely did fit Sofie’s character, though. But Sofie was my least favourite character out of the five, and part of it was due to the acting as well. Ah well.

So what’s the wow-factor?
The story flowed easily, and secrets didn’t reveal all at once. Each character had moments to really portray what they were all about and I found this particularly good. There wasn’t a moment where I went ‘What?’ during the entire film. There was anticipation ringing in the cinema hall, where for a second everyone was thinking “oh my god, oh my god, he’s going to find out, oh my god!”

Not so wows?
Next time, they should find better supporting characters. Sure they did not matter that much, but still, the people who played Ali and Sofie’s mom, Abu’s dad, and the drug dealer who worked with Boy… DUDE. Honestly. My favourite supporting character was definitely Boy, he played well as the villain, and as this film was his debut as an actor, he sure did a good job to promote himself. But honestly… the supporting characters… no wows from here. Another good supporting actor was Pak Din, the gatekeeper of Abu’s juvenile school.

One thing I really loved from the movie were the scenes when no dialogue passed, like when Ali continuously punches the back of his car, while Lyn sits inside holding Abu, crying. And when she falls to the floor against the car later on. The part when Ali and Lyn look at each other, both caught doing the thing no one was meant to know (find out what yourself!).

Ahhh, KAMI. It was good. Real good. Not a WOW WOW WOW movie, but it was… gooood….