Berlin: Rosanthaler Platz

A view from the room in our hostel. You can see what your neighbours are doing.

A Hugo Boss boutique with a fantastic neon interior.

Experimental Berlin sound art in a pub called Zapata in a very alternative district at Oraninstrafze.

A rundown East German buillding near Rosenthaler Platz.

The Travellers

Trase resting and finding his way on the map in the hostel room.


A view from the hostel upon arrival, the european sky.


A view of Doha International Airport, all high and dry.

Hello Berlin, I am an Asian...

I have arrived in Berlin, and the weather is like Singapore, what a dud, its about 30 degrees, and the bartender at the lobby of the hostel was sweating like hell. The flight was long and Qatar airlines did not provide with in flight entertainment, so I had to resort to eat-sleep-eat-sleep formation. Our transit at Doha was strange as well, there were no money changer in sight, for 2 hours we had to roam around the transit lounge, and they sell duty free cars in the middle of the lounge. How strange...

Doha International airport is located in the middle of the dessert, and the weather was about 40 degrees, and there were no connecting platform to the plane, and we had to take a bus which was about 15 mins from the airport.

We got stopped by the immigration and were told to present them with a travel document stating that we have a purpose in Germany. At Tegel Airport in Berlin, the immigration officer asked me, " Do you have any money while you are here?" I wonder what will happen if I say no. Ha ha...

The complication of travelling when you have a Muslim name and you don't look important... this is what you get, while a white man with suit and a briefcase gets through with ease. Nabe...

Its Summer in Berlin, there are a lot of teenagers roaming around with beer bellied school teachers bringing them around.

Achutung Minen..

The Union of Souls

Last weekend was one of the most intense weekend I have ever had in relation to weddings. All in all I went to 3 weddings, I am not sure of how to decipher the notion of an auspicious date. Wherever I go, there were weddings taking place, under the void decks, in restaurants, couples were posing outdoors in their most loving poses... I guess 7/7/7 is special to a lot of people.

Its time for merry cheery I guess, my former schoolmate/band mate got married last weekend, and I was assigned to sing for his wedding together with the wedding planner Akira and my Bee Strompol. I am a nervous wreck when it comes to singing in weddings, not sure why, it is worst than any other performances that I have been involved in. Probably its just expectations but nevertheless I tried my best butchering up songs by Billy Joel, UB40, Beatles and other classic evergreen hits.

Me + guitar + singing = scary

Gone Shopping

A film that Lilin directed and wrote, which had been in the making in the course of 3 years, Aaron Kao the co-founder of KYTV is playing one of the main role. I got some cameo bit as a drag queen called Ash in it. You can catch a glimpse in this trailer, and dancing in the Sari Section in Mustaffa at 4 in the morning is no laughing matter. It will be out on 27th of July at Golden Village Cinemas.

Movies Galore...

Finally, after a year, I finally get the chance to idle and indulge in my favourite past time... watching films...Super yay!
The list of films watched since June 12th:

1. Music and Lyrics by Mark Lawrence
2. Jack Johnson and Friends (Concert and documentary)
3. All The Vermeers in New York by Jon Jost
4. Panic Room by David Fincher
5. Billy Elliot by
6. Its All Gone Pete Tong by Michael Dowse
7. Adele H by Francois Truffaut
8. Iron Ladies II by Yongyot Thongkongto
9. La Promesse by Jean Pierre and Luc Dardenne
10. Beach Boys: Endless Harmony by Alan Boyd
11. The American Invasion (Dance documentary) by Valerie Preston
12. The Catherine Wheel by Twyla Tharp Dance Foundation and music by David Byrne (Ace Stuff!)
13. U Carmen E Khayelits by Mark Donford May
14. Transformers by Michael Bay