BREATHE

Living together with people make us into a tolerant being naturally, things that we have to express can't be channelled through the usage of words. Those who are more expressive than others may benefit form this, by making new enemies. In fact all of us try to live peacefully, being as close to a pacifist. Recently, I read a 'self-help' book, technically I am not a big fan of 'self-help' books, but this book is different. You just can't help but to find those motivational phrases helpful in some ways.

The interesting thing about this book is that it tells you how to understand your feelings, aware of it and express them in many ways. Well, we do things at times spontaneously, which can sometimes be good or bad. Subsequently, we live through it but at times we crash and fall, get hurt and mind-bruises all over.

Many of us still don't understand hurt, pain and how they just grow on you and turn you into a depressed prune. But that is not what we are heading for in life, the worst feelings of all times in this world is to express pain. People do it in many ways, get drunk, get high, masturbate, have loads of sex, self-mutilate, I think there are other peaceful ways.

This come to my conclusion of meditation, its all about the breathing, yeah, I am going back to the basics of breathing. Anywhere you go, take your time to breathe and enjoy life, see things like as if its the first time. Let's do it...

If my grandfather was Bob Marley, My dad was Johnny Depp and my mum was Liv Tyler

If my grandfather was Bob Marley, My dad was Johnny Depp and my mum was Liv Tyler
Originally uploaded by mrfantesticles.

This is Rizman Depp, son of Johnny Depp and Liv Tyler and Grandson of

Bob Marley.

Year of Transformation

I have never thought I would be in a position of being an educator, this is probably because when I was in school I thought teachers were all bunch of boring people who had nothing better to do but to teach. Well, I am wrong, in the next couple of months I will be facing my karma, yes, I wll be conducting creative dance lesson in a really obscure neighbourhood school where its really far from where I am living.

I am going to be like Michelle Pied Fur in Dangerous Minds.

Apart from teaching, there are list of things coming up this year which I think will totally fill up my time, in other words, 2006 for me will be a fast and swift after seeing my schedules all laid out, higlighted and planned in a very concised manner which is really not me at all 10 years ago.

Word to Your Mother...

Word to Your Mother...
Originally uploaded by mrfantesticles.

Hello World, here comes the Elastical Doink from Doinkazoo.

Half man/Half machine

The brand new and spanking website of Choy Ka Fai, the other half of KYTV, comprehensive list of works. Check them out!

www.ka5.info

Before Rock there Was Brinjal Rock

Before Rock there Was Brinjal Rock
Originally uploaded by mrfantesticles.

Fat Brinjal Rock Bottom at Hard Rock Cafe, shared the same stage with

electrico before they turned ELECTRICO.

Wizard Action Fierce in 04

Wizard Action Fierce in 04
Originally uploaded by mrfantesticles.

This was my attempt of trying to be EMINEM/Wizard of Gauze look, 3

years ago when we Tiramisu performed at the rooftop of a famous art

centre.

Homage to Anais Nin

Ok, if I have a daughter I would like to call her Anais, so she will be Anais Rizman, (pretty exotic?hehe). I am beginning to fall in love with her writing, I am halfway through Henry and June, yes, me knowing me, a cheapskate found the book in the library. Here are some of her beautiful quotes:

"We are like sculptors, constantly carving out of others the image we long for, need, love or desire, often against reality, against their benefit, and always, in the end, a disappointment, because it does not fit them."

"We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are."

Nostalgia: College Drawings

Nostalgia: College Drawings
Originally uploaded by mrfantesticles.

I enjoyed my life drawing session back in the old days in college, this

one is a huge one called 'Bubba Sleeps Tonight' executed 1998, in

charcoal.

My Mumbai Experience

Mumbai was an experience which I can never forget, the environment, people, food, sound, air and of course nothing or sort were made up of our pre-conceived Bollywood dreams. There were slumps, ghettos, poverty, hierarchy, post-colonialisation, nice sunsets and crazy traffic.

We spent most of the time at the workshop and back to the hotel with 60 channels to choose from, which most of them were Bollywood channels, though there was VH1 which saved me from my lonely nights.
The young actors were fantastic, they were so engaging nevertheless, we managed to devise a rough piece, which I would say a decent accomplishment. We experimented with all kinds of magic, to the point of exhaustion, but the 5 days we spent together brought us into a form of union that I really cherished most.

Now that I am back in Singapore, I have to face the reality all over again, it seemes like beginning of the year, not the end of the month. Are we really all pampered in Singapore? We are so used to cleanliness, moral values and social conduct. Every morning, as I stepped into the lobby of the hotel, they played the 'ohm' chant on loop, it was really soothing.

I am grateful with life at this moment, all of us know we can't change the world, but there are things we can do. What we see and can't understand is something that we have to swallow. We are all inter-connected in some ways...

Seaside Stalls with Technicolour Syrup

Seaside Stalls with Technicolour Syrup
Originally uploaded by mrfantesticles.

Feast your eyes with the colorful syrups of assorted colours.

The Substation of Mumbai aka Prithvi Theatre

The Substation of Mumbai aka Prithvi Theatre
Originally uploaded by mrfantesticles.

Prithvi Theatre, reminded me so much of Substation back in the old

days, with the cafe by the side, and there's even a bookshop.

Draw your Experience 101

Draw your Experience 101
Originally uploaded by mrfantesticles.

Participants drawing from experience.

Alley of Institution

Alley of Institution
Originally uploaded by mrfantesticles.

Katak Kudung walking through the hallway of the school where we had our

first session.

The Instigators

The Instigators
Originally uploaded by mrfantesticles.

The Singapore Representative outside Jamini's.

The Tower of Hope

The Tower of Hope
Originally uploaded by mrfantesticles.

The Tower of Hope, on the way to the airport.

The Swan Lakers at Prithvi Theatre

The Swan Lakers at Prithvi Theatre
Originally uploaded by mrfantesticles.

The Swan Lakers led by the man in the middle Hakeem, on his right is

Achmed the Bollywood prodigy with Santosh the moonwalker.

Beach for Brisk Walkers Unite

Beach for Brisk Walkers Unite
Originally uploaded by mrfantesticles.

Sunset at Juhu Beach, which is not far from Prithvi Theatre, where we

had our workshop.

Old Man in motion, innocent bystander

Old Man in motion, innocent bystander
Originally uploaded by mrfantesticles.

The side walk poetry on jagged road and dusty rhoads.

Waiting for The Train

Waiting for The Train
Originally uploaded by mrfantesticles.

Khar Train Station, we where had our virgin ride to Jogashwari.

First Day of workshop in Mumbai

First Day of workshop in Mumbai
Originally uploaded by mrfantesticles.

The First day of workshop, presenting the Mumbai Train Crew from

Working Title.

The City Horse

The City Horse
Originally uploaded by mrfantesticles.

Our daily ride in 'Daytona' Auto-rickshaw, at times they come with

super sub woofers...

Alive in Mumbai

Mumbai is a total hardcore place, the food is super good and its not a Little India anymore here, its 14 million people crammed in one Indian City.
They have put us up in a nice hotel, with great restaurants around our area, I just had a fantastic chappati-paratha with Chicken masala, the other I had Chicken Rashida, a dish with a Minah Rocker's name.(as in Taman Rashida Utama by WIngs)

Nevermind that, the workshop has been really good, yesterday was our first day, and I have been drinking loads of water to beat the dusty road and heat. It gets chilly at night, but they have VH-1 in the hotel room, that's fantastic.

The traffic is madness, but like what Effendi said its a visual onslaught, and Nat would say a Cinematic experience. I feel like I am in a Hindi movie sometimes, seeing the workshop participants, some look like MArc Anthony, some look like Hank Azaria, but all in all its been great. Productive and constructive at the same time.

They talked about their daily train rides, from what I heard 5 people die everyday from taking the rides.So I am not sure whether we should give the train ride a shot, but it will be quite an experience.

We have to constantly take care of our belongings, from mobile phones to our hand luggages, cause there are so many people on the streets walking. Its best to be careful...last night I saw a man peeingright in front of my eyes, he was drunk.

What you see in Little India on Sundays is nothing compared to Mumbai on a daily basis, this is India, the smell, the 1001 curry, sweet desserts and Marathi the state language.

We walked pass two Buffaloes who were strolling by the roadside, that was nice...

Mumbai here I come...

What Mumbai has to offer, I don't know...will post some report in the coming weeks, cheers and vannakam.See ya all!

Senses Ricochet

Ka5 has left for New York last night, and I am leaving for Mumbai tomorrow morning. I will be working with a really exciting Theatre group called Working Title. Loads of workshops and new things to learn. (yay)

Dropped by Lasalle for Encounters, a talk by a Dutch artist IEPE who invented Chess Boxing, kinda like his works, its been a while since I have attended an art talk. Well, a talk is still a talk, how much changes can you expect from a talk.

I have stopped questioning the state of Singapore Art, because I am tired or maybe I find it a distraction, or it could be an exhaustion. I used to be this intense/aggresive person when it comes to art, but I am not sure of what has gotten into me that I feel I have finished with the questioning the definition.

I am more interested in swimming, how do swimmers do a butterfly? Or watching a good movie, and order in some junk food, having coffee while listening to the rain drops. The process of doing my laundry and folding them nicely onto the shelves. This self-shut mechanism is a form of retaliation maybe, or just finding that peace or whatsoever.

Well, I am still interested in creating, but the baggage surrounding that creation feels like an unwanted catastrophe, from people, environment, situation, and many other things.

Something to look forward to the 2nd half of the year

Something to look forward to the 2nd half of the year
Originally uploaded by mrfantesticles.

Singapore Biennale 2006, this coming September, this came out of the

papers late last year, not many people notice the middle-finger amongst

the brushes. (hahaha). Another phrase to best describe this photo is,

"Fuck Art, Let's Rock!"

New Years Eve somewhere in Kuala Lumpur

Some of my friends were arrested in a gig that never happened on a new year's eve in Kuala Lumpur. For more report visit ricecooker.kerbau.com


Dino Force Vomit: That New Year at Brickfields

Hey Joe

Sorry i didnt hook up with you in KL. You probably didnt see Wan or any of the Singaporean kids cos we left KL yesterday.

I wasnt hauled up by the cops, but Wan and 8 other Singaporeans who came with us were. Reason why I wasnt with the bunch was cos Nizam (the other FV guitarist/singer) and I, and one other Singaporean friend went to the gig later than Wan and the rest. They were at the area since 9 or so, eating at the mamak and then chilling with the rest of the bands and gig-goers downstairs, where they were raided by the cops. Our drummer, Faz, escaped the incident too cos he was from another party and reached Paul’s late.


When this all happened, Nizam, Shafarizal (dunno if u remember him, he slept over at yr house back in 2002) and I were in our car, still on the way to the venue - we got lost so we took a bit of time getting there. I got the first sms from one of our Singaporean friends at around 10.30, saying that they were raided by the police. I thought it was a joke so I tried calling back, but couldnt get through. A while later another Singaporean friend managed to call through and told us they were being detained at the station.

I tried calling Aby and managed to speak to him briefly, before he told me he had to hang up cos he was speaking with the cops. I didnt have contacts of any of the other organisers, and none of them called me to tell me what was going on. You can guess I was a bit distraught at that point. What made it worse was that the phone lines were down a lot, as it was almost countdown time, and I couldnt call or sms out most of the times. I tried contacting all the KL folks I know but either couldnt get through or they knew nothing abt the raid. And as if things couldnt get worse - we got stuck in this massive jam.

Through the intermittent sms and calls that I managed to make, I gathered that there was nothing Nizam or I could do but wait. We still had to go to the Paul’s Place area to pick up one of our friend’s brother, who somehow managed to give the cops a slip. We reached there around midnight, and there were still a couple of cops at the mamak near Paul’s.

After hours of being stuck on the road, we finally headed back to the house in Cheras to wait for further news. At about 5 one of our Singaporean friends called to say that she and the girls are being released, so they are gonna wait for the boys. Luckily, Wan passed the keys to our other vehicle to the boys from Man Under Zero Effort, who were released early because the bassist’s dad is some high-ranking policeman or something. The MUZE boys drove our vehicle which was parked at Paul’s to Brickfields, so that Wan and the rest can drive back once they were free.

They got back abt 6 plus am - and I was glad that all our friends were OK - in fact they were joking about it as they found the whole incident to be so ridiculous it was hilarous. One of friends, who incidentally, is in the early stages of pregnancy, even recounted how she had to describe Force Vomit’s music by singing one of our songs while being interrogated by the cops!

We decided to leave for Singapore the next day, but we still didnt hear from any of the organisers and the KL folks who were with us didnt seem to have the full story on what went down. I only found out about the press conference while we were driving back - or else we would definitely have loved to stay on one more day to be there.

Anyway, your site has been a great help in shedding some light on the incident. A lot of Singaporeans back home have been calling us when they heard about the raid, and some of our parents even saw it on the Malaysian news! One of our friends said she couldnt give a fuck and didnt even bother to hide her face when the cameras focused on the girls. Nadrah, the aforementioned pregnant friend, also did file a complaint on behalf of the others.

What a way to start the new year, Joe! Man…I was really looking forward to playing at that show - in fact, we were supposed to do the countdown. But I’m just glad all of my friends were OK - except for one of our KL friends whose urine tested positive and Aby, of course. I got an sms a few hours back saying he got released, but I cant seem to get him on his phone.

I’m telling all the Singaporeans involved to regularly check the updates on Ricecooker.

Happy New Year, Joe! Hope to see u soon - maybe at the next Unclogged this month. Provided you dont have any Black Metal bands, that is. :)

dino

Indie Music Videos of Mid 90s

2006 was celebrated with pure finesse, got down the cab to Cocco Latte and there you go, but it was alright...spent some good valuable time watching classic videos, from Manic Street Preachers, Primal Scream, Old Blur, Sonic Youth and many more, while the party goers were dancing to hot thumping hip hop beats upstairs. When I was young I remember watching SBC countdowns on TV, and I thought how happy those people were celebrating a new year.

Not until I have grown and realised, there is nothing much to celebrate except to be grateful that I am still breathing. Love life always...