Urban Crate » events

Gruff Rhys in Malaysia @ mapkl, Kuala Lumpur

bapester — Mon, 09 May 2011 19:10:53 +0000

I have a confession to make. All I knew about Gruff Rhys before the gig was that he was the frontman of Super Furry Animals, a band whom I also knew of only by name save for a few songs here and there. However that night’s concert has converted me into a believer of his music. Performing as a one man show, he had a literal smorgasbord of little gadgets and technological wizardry in front of him as his musical backup. Above all the ooh’s and ahh’s watching him toy over his metronome (Trevor?), retro keyboards etcetera, it really was a pleasure just to hear him sing and perform. With his down to earth stage presence, he engaged with the audience not just with his jokes but also his voice and his upside down guitar.

Please forgive me for taking photos from a similar vantage point- it was a sit-down concert.

May 33rpm and the nice people at bfm bring more quality live acts to KL. Amen.

click below for more pics.

incomplete and inaccurate setlist in no particular order

If we were words, we would rhyme

Conversation conservation

Cycle of violence

Candylion

Gyrru gyrru gyrru

Sophie softly

Sensations in the dark

The court of king arthur

Vitamin K

Gwn mi wn

Lonsome words

In A House With No Mirrors (You’ll Never Get Old)

The Terror Of Cosmic Loneliness

Photos from KLPAC Open Day (part 1)

bapester — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:51:51 +0000

OK, this is a long overdue post- my apologies for that. Totally forgot about these pics hanging about in my hard disk until today.

The event happened about 3 weeks ago in the stunningly beautiful KLPAC in Sentul.

Caipifruta, a very talented bunch of acapella singers. (web)

Fynn Jamal, singer-songwriter-poet-rapper extraordinaire. (web)

Can someone help id the performers from the last 3 pics? They did some sort of a cool acoustic poetry slam session, didn’t see their names in the program though..

More to come..

Singapore’s first Men’s Fashion Week

bapester — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:55:52 +0000

Singapore is pushing the envelope yet again in the fashion arena, by hosting the inaugural Singapore Men’s Fashion Week, which will also be the first of its kind in the region.

According to Vogue UK, nine labels have already confirmed their participation in the catwalk. Namedropping around the internet include Asian designer houses like Singapore’s very own Raoul, Shanghai Tang (HK), DressCamp (Japan), G.I.L Homme (Korea) and Issue (Thailand). The international powerhouses include Etro, Canali and Hugo Boss.

Celebrity headliners for this event are three face’s of men’s fashion in Asia: international model Philip Huang, MTV VJ Utt and Singaporean actor celebrity Julian Hee. To helm the creative reins of the show is catwalk producer Daniel Boey as creative director. The organisers have already roped in the help of celebrity hairstylist David Gan.

While I would be keen on seeing more labels from the fashion capitals on the catwalk, I would like to see a more Asian affair with names like Juun J or Yohji Yamamoto to celebrate the fact that it is Asia’s first fashion week dedicated to menswear.

Fingers crossed, I may cross the causeway and be part of this event. Schedules and tickets don’t seem to be out, all that is available are the Facebook and Twitter pages (how will the PR people survive without social networking) and the fact that it’s gonna be between March 30 and April 3.

KL Marathon 2010: My first 10k experience.

bapester — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 19:24:51 +0000

It’s Thursday and the buzz from Sunday’s run has finally worn off. Along with it also leaves all forms of fatigue, aches and joint pains.

Early this year I have decided to challenge myself and resolved to participate in my first run this year, so that I am able to join a marathon a couple of years from now. While the thought of joining the 10k run may seem like peanuts to the initiated, the idea of ME running was quite a novel one. People who have known me personally would probably associate me with activities like eating, sleeping, shopping, drinking, even just sitting around acting all sedentary, but running? Friends, family and even my own self would not expect couch-potato me to run 10 kilometres, and to change this perception was a challenge just as the run itself.

Of course, after signing up for the run about 3 months ago, I wasn’t exactly starting at ground zero. Contrary to popular belief, I DO exercise regularly, and in fact have been making use of my gym membership since late 2008. So in preparation for my run, I started tapering down my weight training and spent more time on the treadmills. I tried to run 2-3 times a week if possible, although sometimes work, personal errands and general laziness did get in the way. My goals were to ensure that my heart was fit enough to carry my through 10 kms, and secondly that my feet were able to take me fast enough to run 10 kms within 1.5 hours (a sort of qualifying time after which you may not be entitled to a cert). Being at my age, keeping in a healthy heart rate zone was not hard to achieve, so my later weeks of training were more about the endurance to run for an hour plus.

In the run-up to the race, I started my preparations for the run. Many tips I followed were from Mark who guided us at the organizer’s running clinic held few weeks back. I forced myself to drink adequate amounts of water on Saturday. Typically I am not a fan of drinking water, but a recent experience of unbearable thirst during a morning run taught me the importance of hydrating myself especially in an event like this. Carbo-loading, the practice of loading the body with a carbohydrate energy storage, was not necessary for a shorter distance run like 10km. Nevertheless to make sure I didn’t make a pitstop at a mamak stall in Brickfields in the middle of my run, I had a bowl of soup noodles 2 hours before the run.

My friends and I remarking on how it would be best if it rained BEFORE the run so that the day would not be so hot. God must have heard us, because sure enough, it started pouring like crazy at 5am. A pity for the full marathon runners who were scheduled to start at that time. Arriving at Dataran Merdeka at 5.45 am, we had ample time to use the portable toilets (twice, in my case) and to hydrate myself with some 100 Plus. At around 6.40 am , my colleagues and I got into position at the start line, right at the back. Leaving my position five minutes later to throw away my 100 Plus bottle proved to be a wrong move as the crowd swelled and I could not get back to my colleague. Apparently the 10km run was the most popular category of all with about 7000 runners, no wonder it felt like being in Jusco on members’ preview sale. I was stuck at the sides of the starting block until the gunshot at 7am, and took a few minutes to finally inch my way across the starting line.

Just before walking across the start line.

The first km out of the starting line didn’t feel like a run at all. The crowd of runners was just humongous, and even though the adrenaline rush would push anyone to run, chances are that I’d bump into the hoardes of people in front of me. In the end the first few kms were more of a brisk walk-run than a run.

The experience of running in a road race was just priceless. I loved the feeling of running in the middle of roads that are typically occupied by cars and motorbikes zooming past each other. The view of the city while running in the middle of a city street beats the view I get through the car window, hands-down. Especially here at the six lane Jalan Syed Putra, a road I used to drive on all the time. Especially on a cloudy, cool day with the air slightly damp from the rain. Especially with all the cars stopping at the beginning of the road for us, waiting impatiently for their turn to regain possession of the road.

As you can see from the picture above, many people appear to be brisk walking. I don’t know if it’s just me, but a lot of people seem to be doing this instead of running. My guess is that it’s probably just different people resting at different times, or probably these people are not aiming to finish within the 1.5 hours target. I was somewhat influenced by them too, taking it easy and brisk walking more than expected. (My initial strategy was to run at a 8min/km pace, taking mini breaks between each km) After all, I needed to last for 10kms, my knees had been hurting for some time and my right ankle got some major pains at the first couple of kms.

1 hour has elapsed and I have reached Padang Merbok near the Dataran again, assuming that the race was ending soon. With no distance markers along the route, little did I know that I had only finished 60% of the race in about 70% of the time! Time to pick up my pace, I tell myself. We pass the DBKL building, and an uneasy scene mars my enthusiasm a little. By the road is a small crowd where several people are trying to perform CPR on one of the participants. A disturbing scene when the rescuer shouted at one of the traffic men something along the lines of ,

“This man has no pulse! Get on your fricking motorbike and GO and get help, what part of the sentence do you not understand?”

It was a sobering reminder that I make sure I am all fine before pushing myself too hard. That stretch along Jalan Raja Laut was particularly quiet. Read the first hand account here. (RIP, Lim)

As mentioned, I picked up my pace along this second half, thankfully with my ankle and knee pain miraculously disappearing. As I run along Jalan Raja Laut away from Dataran Merdeka, and I wait impatiently for the juncture where we can finally enter the parallel Jalan TAR in the final stretch towards the finish line. The turning into Jalan TAR came soon after, but by now my heart was beginning to feel the burden. But the arch with the finish line soon became visible, and the motivation to run towards it provided the fuel to make the last sprint. As I move closer, the timer is visible and 1:30:00 was soon approaching. I made it near the finish line at 1:28, after which I walked breathlessly across the finish line at 1:29! Nothing impressive, but I pat myself on the back considering the pace I ran, the toilet and photo breaks I took, and the pain I was experiencing. My net run time was 1 hour and 25 minutes thereabouts.

Joy, for the cert and medal is within my reach… but not before jostling with the herds of sweaty, panting, thirsty people for a cup of 100 Plus.

We proceeded to go for breakfast next, which was not completely necessary considering my sufficient caloric intake of soup noodles, lots of 100 Plus and half a Power Bar after the run (~120kCal). A 7 hour nap upon reaching the house ensued after that (not before a shower first, obviously).

I had never expected to enjoy my 10k run this much. I am raring to go for the next run, although there are still things to be sorted out. One thing I need to find out is how to prevent from knee and ankle pains in future. Probably analyze the way I run, and also find a shoe best for my running style, body size and foot arch. I suspect the inadequate support from my footwear to be the cause of my aches, in addition to the possibility of it being an overuse injury.

I really appreciate the tips I got from the running clinic. Through it I had an idea on how to train, and learned about hydrating and carbo loading among many other things. And Vaseline/glide to prevent chaffing! I definite will NOT ignore this tip at the next run, considering I felt a little ouch myself. Nothing severe like the gruesome major ouch below, though:

taken from MissJewelz’s blog

On to the next!!!

Do check out MissJewelz’s blog, a Malaysian triathlete, who shares some very useful tips for first time 10km runners here.

Summer Hours at the French Art and Film Festival

bapester — Sun, 30 May 2010 16:43:20 +0000

I may have mentioned this before, but I savour moments like this when I am so thankful that I am in KL and not in Terengganu anymore. The Alliance Francaise in Kuala Lumpur is currently holding the 2010 French Art and Film Festival (FAFF) and I attended one of the movies that they brought over.

With a total of 8 films choose from, I was initially clueless on which movie to watch ( besides the much publicized Coco Avant Chanel). Being the nerd that I am, I naturally checked out the festival event page on Facebook and I found my answer through a film fanatic who mentioned in the page that Summer Hours (L’heure d’été) is the clear winner of them all.

It seems as though I was not the only one who felt that way, judging from a rather good turn out that Sunday afternoon. After all, it has a string of accolades to go by, and not to mention good ratings everywhere across the internet.

So what is this movie all about? !warning spoilers abound!

The movie revolves around a matriarch, Helene and her familial home as she prepares for her own death and the (dis)continuation of the family’s history. Helene’s children, all grown up with lives and families of their own, return to their home in the north of Paris for her 75th birthday. Helene was the niece of impressionist artist Paul Berthier, who passed down to her a love for the arts, and hence amassed a treasure trove of arts in the house. She discusses with her eldest son, Frederic, about the house and its art collection that is to be inherited by her three children -what is to be sold, donated, distributed after her death. We the audience were taken on a virtual tour of late 19th and early 20th century French art- Degas, Corot, sketchbooks, armoires- this movie was sponsored by Musee D’orsay after all. Her son was however visibly uncomfortable discussing such a morbid topic on her birthday, but Helene acted nonchalant as she relayed her final wishes to him.

The story progresses along with Helene’s passing away soon after. The bulk of the movie looks at how the children are left to deal with not just merely the material inheritance, but also buried familial secrets. Each of her children looked at the house and its art collection in differing values as financial needs, sentimental and artistic worth all had met at the crossroads. Eldest son Frederic would like to keep the house and its memories alive, but brother Jeremie needs the money to help with his new life in Shanghai while sister Adrienne has no attachment to France as she prepares to marry in New York City. They also soon learn the truth about the relationship between Helene and her uncle that lay beneath the veneer that was an innocent image of their parents and their childhood.

As expected of a French movie, the issues of death and loss is displayed without over-sentimentality and hysterics but never devoid of feeling and humanity. One very prominent theme of this film is the concerns about a loss of national identity as the the globalized world becomes a smaller one. One such scene was at the birthday party where sister Adrienne had a small debate with younger brother Jeremie over the quality of Made In China sneakers. Another was after Helene’s death when Adrienne had planned to sell off her granduncle’s art sketchbooks by the page in New York, much to the dismay of the directors at Musee d’Orsay.

The show ends with a weekend party that is held by Jeremie’s children in the familial house just before its ownership is being passed over to its buyer. The house is now stripped of all its furniture and art pieces, along with it all its nostalgia and memories, as it is run over by youths for whom the place is merely a cool venue. Frederic’s daughter takes her boyfriend to the fields at the backyard as she tearfully laments of her family’s broken promise of leaving the house for her to enjoy. It was only at this final scene that I had a glimpse of the children’s opinion of the decision to sell the familial house.

Throughout the movie was the quiet but charming the character of Eloise, the caretaker. It was a heartfelt scene when after Helene’s death, the first thing Eloise did upon entering the house was to take a vase that was about to be wrapped and put away, fill it with water and some flowers. A funny moment was when Eloise was invited by Frederic to take home a momento for remembrance. She chose a vase that she thought was worthless and not liked by Helene, not knowing its true worth as a Bracquemond. Eloise’s attachment to the home and the family is apparent as she wistfully stares at the emptiness of the study with its artwork wrapped up and doors shut.

There is a scene toward the end of the movie when Frederic and his wife painfully confronts the art pieces of their former home now displayed as museum exhibits. I felt that this melancholic scene sums up the movie for me, because seeing an object transform from an everyday occurrence to a display item not only reflected a sudden loss of character in that object, but also the siblings’ unwillingness to defend the family’s memories due to differences in personal direction.

All in all this was a deeply meaningful movie that explored the issues of the times like the appreciation of one’s cultural identity in the modern age, the inevitable dispersion of the family with the death of a matriarch/patriarch, the conflict between preserving a legacy and practical consequences. The film was aesthetically pleasing, set in a charming house filled with lovely furniture and art pieces provided by the Musee d’Orsay. Camera work was great, with countless scenes providing such emotional depth without the need for dialogue.

I do not watch movies very often now, but this was definitely worth the trip to the cinema.

Up next, the Japanese Film Festival! This one only lasts for 10 days, June 17-27, but the movie tickets are only RM5. Eight movies are featured, one of which is an animation. Would love to attend this one soon. Click here for the Japanese Film Festival movie synopses.

2manydjs in KL- A capsule review (really)

bapester — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 16:25:29 +0000

Nicolas Cage in the Eyes of the Soulwax.

It was a great night.

2manydj’s are legends.

The video DJ-ing was hilarious, as above.

But the killer visual was of Major Lazer and Aphex Twin in bikinis.

omfg.

Sorry for lack of pics, was too busy enjoying meself.

Supporting acts were superb too.

Only thing missing was long island iced teas.

And Heinekens were sold out by 2am!

It was a great night.

Might enter the history books as the best of 2010.

And my ears are still buzzing.

None of this rhymes.

Something good this way comes.

bapester — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:58:00 +0000

With the exception of the electronic acts that have been performing in Zouk/Barsonic (Shinichi Osawa, Shitdisco, Gareth Pugh), there seemed to be quite a dearth of noteworthy alternative acts coming to KL this year. Two names I can think of were Battles and Jens Lekman.

Battles in KL

In the meantime, neighbour Singapore has been enjoying playing host to NIN and the Ed Banger Crue, among others. Singapore continues to attract quality acts next year (thanks to events like Mosaic Music Festival and Big Night Out), like The Killers, Cat Power, The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s , Green Day and Muse. Just name-dropping is enough to make me cry.

Still, fret not because in the coming weeks, it isn’t just the monsoon that is coming down hard on KL but also some top draw electronica acts. So electronic music fans, keep these dates free:

31 Dec 2009: The Bloody Beetroots

02 Jan 2010: Basement Jaxx

15 Jan 2010: 2manydjs (aka Soulwax)

Hey boy. Hey girl. 2manyDJ's. Here we go!

It’s SOULWAX, baby! All events are happening at KL Live, Life Centre Jln Sultan Ismail. I really really hope to make it to at least one of these, especially 2manydjs. I am crazy about the Soulwax sound.

On the other hand, it’s all quiet on the live music front…

Annexe: Of Ramli Ibrahim and pipit indie craft market

bapester — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:20:00 +0000

One boring Saturday afternoon, I decided to pop by the Central Market Annexe for design community pipit’s 3rd anniversary arts and craft market. The surprise of the day was to bump into the free dance performance happening next door, The Bull and the Cowherd. What an honour to have the opportunity to see classical Indian dance legend Ramli Ibrahim with Guna live in action, for free! It was a pleasure to experience the rhythmic moves and emotive facial expressions of classical Indian dance in person.

Next are pictures from the craft market itself. As the pictures show, the event was chock-a-block with visitors, many of them young DSLR-toting (design?) college students:

The highlight was the stall by Japan’s MARI BRAND selling kawaii handmade dolls:

Adorable Christmas tree with handmade apple-faced baubles:

Other stalls sold everything handicraft: illustrations, drawing, greeting cards, dolls, ornaments, jewellery, patchwork:

Illustration art sold by this stall:

ps: I apologize for not ID-ing the last two stalls.

Terry Fox Run KL 2009

bapester — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:58:00 +0000

Leaving my gym after a short swim (I am trying my utmost hardest to fit in at least 30 minutes of light exercise on my non-workout days), I saw the Terry Fox Run organizers setting up a stall at my gym lobby selling this year’s run’s T-shirts. I am hoping to make it to this year’s run, but I can’t confirm my attendance in case my weekend gets a bit crazy, or in case I can’t find some friends to go with. So I decided to get the T-shirt beforehand in case I can’t make it. Proceeds from it go towards cancer research.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, the Terry Fox Run is held annually worldwide in honour of its namesake who ran across Canada in the name of cancer research. The Malaysian leg of this run is going to be held this Sunday (Nov 1) at 9.00 am in the Lake Gardens. It’s a charity run, meaning you can run as fast/slow as you want, wear whatever you want, and there’s no registration required. You WILL be able to donate money though, and buy yourself a t-shirt for charity. Do show up to lend your support for cancer research. (click here for more information)

If you can’t make it but wish to contribute, you can get your t-shirts at these places. If you’re a Celebrity Fitness gym member, you might be lucky enough to get them from the gym lobby, like me.

Below is the event brochure I got from the stall. (Albeit a bit crumpled from my gym bag)