Of Heaven and Hell.....

I think that for this year...my blog should contain more than just entries of my nites out on the town......something meaningfull, something personal, something that will leave a trace of my existance in this world.....

A Royal Wedding

15 Jan 2006 was a really cool day for me. I was invited by His Royal Highness, Tunku Bendahara Johor to his wedding for close personal friends at the Ritz Carlton Hotel here in Singapore. HRH was one of our clients last year being the patron for the Johor Cultural Foundation’s Cultural Extravaganza here featuring Siti Nurhaliza and which our company was appointed personally by him to organize. The night before, he had his formal wedding at the Istana Serene in Johor attended by about 4000 people which included the Prime Minister of Singapore as well as various other leaders from both sides of the causeway so I was quite honored that he had invited me! Anyway, off I went at 8.00 dressed in the dark suite and yellow tie that is the usual for all his functions and upon reaching the Ritz, met Wei Koh who was helping to organize it on his behalf. I was immediately drafted to be the private photographer of the event. Not too long after grabbing my first glass of Coke, I had a call by a surprise friend, Tan U-Jin from Kuala Lumpur! He is an old friend who went to the same school as me (though many years apart) and is one of the hardest party animals that I know! He too was invited for this part of the wedding and was in town for one night only so this was setting up to be a seriously happening night. David Chin swung in wearing traditional Baju Melayu!!! He was the ONLY one in that outfit and caused quite a stir Finally HRH arrived with his wife, Tunku Teh Mazni. This was going to be a small personal affair with only 10 tables or so. As we all were ushered into the ballroom, it was beautifully decked out in a modern theme instead of the usual Malay wedding theme. We quickly got to our seats and dinner was quickly served. Next to me was the General Manager of the Ritz Carlton in Kuala Lumpur as well as popular TV and events host Mahatir. The champagne flowed like water through the night but both U-Jin and myself avoided it as a select group of us had been personally invited by HRH to his suite for the after party. After the dinner, Fendy and his band kept the crowd going and some of the guest even hit the dance floor! It was only at this time that U-Jin and myself availed ourselves to the Moet and soon to the Chivas that was finally out. After most of the bride’s party had left, we then adjourned up to HRH suite for the rest of the night to drink and catch up. We must have made quite a ruckus cause about 4.00 am….we were finally asked to turn the volume down OR ELSE! Dragged U-Jin home in a rather wasted state after canceling our meetings for the next day and called it a night to a otherwise excellent nite out on the town!!

Monday? ....Its a Holiday!!!

Eve of Hari Raya Haji and another public holiday is upon us. After a long weekend….it seems like the party rocks on even on a Monday night out on the town. But tonight is different….tonight one of the most happening DJ’s I know rocks the decks in Zouk….. the S-Man himself, Roger Sanchez!!! Cannot miss this one! The last time I heard him rock the decks in Kuala Lumpur, the room exploded with the energy of this dude! This ability to move a crowd to their feet is just unbelievable! And his type of music, the funky bass, driving rhythms, jumping from classic floor fillers to a new twist on the disco staples of yesterday…just total mayhem! And…of course…I forgot about it until Victor calls and insist that I come on down! Now I know why! Hahahaha!!! Took a nap and headed down to Velvet to hook up with the boys. Karen Hoong from Timber called and headed on down, expected Boon to call but he had to head back to the office to make more money designing buildings! Fiona was there as well as Don and June….and for some strange reason, it became Martini Night! Lychee, Peach, Watermelon, a couple of shots…but generally a painless night! Lincoln swung on by at about 2.00 a.m. and much to his surprise, I was only drinking water!!! Well, this was part of my effort to cut down on the booze and. Totally a good idea in his opinion for 2006! Shelia Chia turned up just before we ran off to catch the S-Man…and of course she joined us! Up to the Members Bar which was PACKED!!! True to our expectations, the music was totally mind blowing! Pop went the Moet!!! and we quickly made our way off to the Main Bar to get the full impact of the tunes! Believe it or not…I actually made my way down to the dance floor! The rest of the night dissolves into blissful tunes from Donna Summer to Bob Sinclair! And mind you….Bob himself will be in Zouk this Friday! The tables have been booked…the wheels are in motion, and the party on Friday night should be ROCKIN!!!

Of Japanese Chicks, Jazz Singers and Crazy Commando's!

Friday night and it the weekend is here! Kelvin was still in town so again after work, we scheduled to meet at his hotel and so off we went to our happy dining ground of San Hoi San in Tiong Baru to re-taste their excellent Deep Fried Noodles with Beef and Prawn Paste Chicken! Yummzzz! Haven’t had that in AGES! We gorged ourselves and since it was his last night in town, we decided to re-visit our happy home ground of Thumper and ended up kidnapping a pretty young Japanese girl from KL that happened to be visiting Singapore! I wish I could remember her name…starts with “A” something…I think, but she proved to be a great sport! Ka-wa-eeeeee neh?

Edwin made an appearance in his black silk shirt….and he says I need a image makeover! Chivas as usual was the drink of choice…and I think we sure did justice to a fair amount of a bottle! Tequila chasers for all a followed and the nite out on the town was in full gear! Clara who sings in the Lobby Lounge of the Goodwood Park and who is good friends with Prisca (who was supposed to turn up but was no where in sight!) swung in for a few and we were well into the drinks when Clarice also turned up…albeit rather late. Come 3 am and the party was rocking! Kelvin called it a night at about 3 am. Not bad for an old foggie like him! Big Kudos to the staff at Thumper that night...they really took excellent care of us!

As the night went on, for some strange reason Clara and me had this drunken urge to head to Zouk at this time and just as we headed off, we met Patrick, my commando friend from NYE. He and a friend of his, Brian, was happily bundled into the cab and off we went to by second home! Clara was a fantastic company that night...and incase you are reading this my dear, thanks for the lift home and do email me so I can send you the pics of you and hour hot friends! Much to our regret, it was nearly closed….but Francis Lau was kind enough to let us get a final round before calling it a well deserved kick-ass night!

ITS a NEW YEAR!!! Party On Dude!

Looks like its a new year.....how time as come and gone! Christmas was nice and quite...just the way it was supposed to be...and New Year...was...well...New Year! Just glad I did not wake up with a huge hangover like so many of my friends! Danny Tenaglia was totally fantastic! That cat can sure move a crowd! As we stood there and bopped and moved to the beat drinking Chivas and Green Tea and staring at Sara's funky leggings....I just hope that this year will be one sure on Kick Ass year! Cheers to ALL! Live life to your fullest....Seize the day!

Strange Random Fun Things for my Blog....

Your Career Type: Artistic

You are expressive, original, and independent.Your talents lie in your artistic abilities: creative writing, drama, crafts, music, or art. You would make an excellent: Actor - Art Teacher - Book Editor Clothes Designer - Comedian - Composer Dancer - DJ - Graphic DesignerIllustrator - Musician - Sculptor The worst career options for your are conventional careers, like bank teller or secretary.

What's" Your Ideal Career?

Wednesday night was a killer night! It was the 1st Anniversary of T-Models and the plan was for the usual suspects to head straight to Thumper between 8.00 p.m. and 9.00 p.m. When I rocked in, Edwin was already in the house with Dolores in a meeting wish Shay. Jackie and Lionel had also just landed…and soon after Olivia swung in. Lambo Bobby came down and quickly educated Lionel on what Absinth was! Scary! Sunder popped in to make up for leaving me at Balaclava the night before…and soon the party was in good swing! In good order, Ale, Prisca, Bryant and even Jess turned up! Boon and David were busy entertaining! Met this interesting girl called Lydia who was from Starhub and had a thing against Midas! Very strange considering this legal case was before her time. Oh well, I suppose everyone is entitled to their own opinions…As it turned out….everyone that was anyone had come from the Indochine party. Lynette Lim and her husband popped in as well as Jin. Funny that I have known Lynette for ages and now she is Jin’s boss! The free flow of vodka made everyone quite happy! Even Laura Yin turned up! I must say she has filled out very nicely…and Laura being Laura, after saying her usual hello’s…..quickly ran off to flirt with the numerous hot male models in the house! As we mixed and mingled, Alexis and Yanni showed themselves after the fashion show. It was quite a fantastic crowd and everyone was really grooving! I actually hit the wall at about midnight and was about to go home but then I decided to see if I would win that iPod Nano for voting for the most popular model. Man…that iPod Nano is the coolest sexiest thing I have seen since….er…..since….I walked into a sex shop in Lucky Plaza! Wondering around after I bumped into Chris Wilson who was actually going home instead of to Attica! Amazing indeed! Its funny that now we look back, I have known Chris for nearly the past 7 years! How time flies indeed! Roaming around further, I had a few drinks with Wazeem from StarSports. Was happy to crash into Erika Swan and Charmaine Harn who still looks fantastic! Man, I used to have the biggest crush in Charmaine….and she certainly has improved with age! Just as the night wound down, I spotted Boon with a good friend of ours who had one drink way too many….Poor girl! She was utterly smashed! Well, it was 3.00 a.m. and it took an effort for us to haul her cute little ass out the door…and while Boon ran off to get her bags, this young lady happily decided to “let go” right on her own feet…and my shoes! Thank GOD for leather shows man! However, my velvet pants needed dry cleaning immediately! Remind me never to wear velvet pants when I have to take a LONG WALK at 4.00 a.m!

Sometimes the most fun nites out on the town are the ones you don’t plan. Tuesday was one of those nights. After spending most of the day in meetings, I headed down to Suntec city to have a final one with Sunder. We had to explore the feasibility of Fort Canning as a venue for 8000 capacity event. After sorting out our plans, we headed over to Balaclava as usual to catch up with Gerard. He is probably one of the most permanent fixtures in the club. Sunder had to meet another client, Helen, who was with the Australian Trade Commission (I think) and we all trooped in. Gerard snagged us a table and we stated on some beers and wine. It was good to just hang out and learn new things about new people. I must say the meat balls and the sausages as snacks are really happening! However, wine that has a screw cap instead of a cork is quite dubious....Scanning the crowd, it was little surprise to see Maddie, Samantha and Shirley in the crowd together with Steven. Ran off to the toilet and then bumped in to Rudy and Ravi. Rudy was quite intoxicated and poured me double Blacks till he passed out! I must say he is a great friend and can go a little nuts after drinking…but none the less…he is cool! Walked back to my table and guess what? Sunder had thought I had gone off and he and Helen together with Gerard had vacated the premises heading for bak kut teh without me! Man! Am I that easily forgotten? Anyway, was cool that William and Lawrence also turned up for drinks with some other friends and we had a good time catching up about the industry. At about midnight, it was time to run off and catch Michael at Thumper….and by that time I was quite sauced! Anthea turned up too and David Chin happily poured bottle after bottle of Moet down us! The nett result was…..Thea and me up on the bar counter! Thank God it was a quite night and I didn’t totally embarrass myself! Walked out of there with a distinct feeling of vertigo and a happy Moet buzz……

Saturday night had the hallmarks of a really special night. Daniel Ou had invited me to his wedding to Karen Kwee at The Pines Country Club….so off I went in jacket and tie! Reaching the club, I walk in to find Daniel and Karen outside the POOL! It was a outdoor BBQ style dinner!!! Lots of laughs were exchanged and quickly we tucked into dinner. The BBQ prawns were the highlight of the meal. Bobby H turned up without driving his trademark super car and proudly declared he did not drive cause he wanted to get drunk! At 19, he sure knows how to live life! Desmond and his girlfriend joined in and Boon came straight from the airport in his trademark suite as well (so I did not feel too left out) and as we ate and continued fellowship, it began to drizzle. It did not last long thankfully and by 10.30 pm, off we went to continue the party at Thumper. I had to prevent Boon from heading home as he had intended to…knowing him, he wouldn’t make it out! Reaching Thumper, we settled down to some drinks outside while waiting for the bride and groom. Bobby and Desmond had their rounds of Absinth (which I avoided like the plague) and soon, Victor turned up. Rounding up the group was Sheena and Shue Shue who claimed she was not going to come out too late cause of her diving course at 9 am the next day! (Tell us another fantasy of yours SHUE!) Victor had send down a couple of bottles of Znapps Vodka so there we were happily trying to replicate the mix we normally have at Velvet with limited success. Much to my joy, old friends Simon and U- Lan were in the VIP room that night and we had a good few glasses of bubbly .Also visiting from Kuala Lumpur was Matthew Ma from Indochine Malaysia and together with David Chin, we had a good time catching up. Rodney and Don popped down and Boon swung back in eventually and so did Lester and Conrad and POP!!! went the Moet kind courtesy of Boonsterino. At 3.00 am…..since we were already having our usual nites on the town, we were supposed to go check out this event down at Tanjong Pagar at a club called MOX. Since we all in a very good mood by this time (2 bottles of vodka and the champagne down…) off we trooped dragging poor Shue Shue with us….(the truth of it was she didn’t really needed to be dragged much!) Reaching MOX , we finally reunited with Rodney and Don….and after much a walking around too look for the entrance, we finally got into MOX. It’s actually part of the building that houses one of the top gay clubs in town, HAPPY…and tucked way way up on the 4th floor. I swear when we walked in it felt like a sauna! Too warm! NO AIR..and we quickly did an about face out to call it a night. Good thing! Another good night of no hang over the next day…just a gentle buzz of a good time!

Tuesday night was fantastic! The Black Eye Peas were playing and as usual, I was drafted by Michael to help out at the show. Got to the Indoor Stadium at about 6.30 and waited for things to happen…..Met up with the usual team, William and Rocky from PrimeSafe Security, Raymond from Cheery Transport and Liz and Stephen as well as Peter Loh. Rhona came down from Phuket together with a whole bunch of friends…Also saw Alan Muir, Mel from London, Glen Ong, Bernard Lim, HRH TBJ, David Chin, Michael Ma and a whole host of others…. Perfect 10 had some promo’s going on and the Pea’s didn’t take to the stage until 9 pm to a full house of at least 8000 people. They sure put on a hell of a show….very high energy! The part when one of them got all the lights off in the venue and got everyone to wave their handphone’s in the air was really cool…the whole stadium turned to a fairy land of little lights! They also got the whole stadium to do the wave…WOW! Real entertainer’s! Needless to say I had a great time! The wonders of an “Access All Areas” Pass! We chilled in the Green Room till the Pea’s left and then headed down to the after concert venue, good ole Thumper! The hospitality was fantastic! David Chin and Shay really know how to turn on the heat! It was really quite crowded for a weekday, I suppose the wind of where the after party was had blown really well! Spotted at the party was Brian Tiong, Chris Wilson, Johnny Tan, Stefanie Ong and most of the models from T-Models! Boon also turned up after watching us from remote control…Also old friends such as Jonty and Adrian Houghton were in the house…what a blast from the past! Closing the house down at 3.15…..Will-I-Am and band still wanted to party on so off we headed to Orchard Towers and to Naughty Girls! Man were we quite wasted by then but we still marched on…..and it was only at about 4.30 that my legs couldn’t carry me any more and I had to call it a night…. Overall…quite an incredible Tuesday Nite Out On The Town!

The last night of Zouk as we know it was something nearly serious clubber in town would not miss. Massive changes are in line to the mecca of dance and club culture in our small little island. Lincoln is dropping $6 million bucks to do what is one of the most massive upgrading. One cannot be but in anticipative wonder as to the little tricks he is going to pull out of his hat to make Zouk "THE" most important club in this hemisphere...and of course....would I miss it? NO WAY! Jackie was nice enough to pic me up and on the way down, we bought teh tarik and kopi for our hardworking friends, the car valets. Shoulder to shoulder, brothers and sisters all united in music and dance...we raised more than a few glasses in homage to what would never be the same again....except for our table we all hope! All our usual suspects from our table turn up....Rodney, Don, Alvin....and alot of people that we haven't seen in ages! I do recall more than a few strangers but everyone was there for one common cause..... Legends of Zouk and Velvet turned up in force to bid farewell to what has been a place that has come to mean more than a club to us. The Doc....Tabla Maniam, Victor and the Chairman revelled thru the night. Spotted in the crowd was everyone from Prof. Herman J Beyer from Germany, Giorgio Ferrari and Sert, Annie Yap from Kuala Lumpur, Victor Goon and the boys from the Jacks's table all the way to George Lee, the Indonesian connection with Howard and Eddie, Big Boss Deen Shahul, Bernard Lim, Lester, Jeff and Desmond. The young and the old, the regulars and the occasional faces all came to pay homage. The night was getting to me with the crowd and supprise supprise, Michael Hosking called. Was moblized to entertain the band and crew of Black Eye Peas at Thumper. The boys must have thought they had walked into model heaven since all the models were already having a party in the VIP section. More champers flowed...more groves were grinded and more new friend were made...It sure looks like the boys had a great time and that they want to bring the Pea's themselves down on Tuesday after the show. As usual, Brenda, David and Shae were the perfect host! Big Ups to them! Ran back to Zouk after I was sure Michael Hosking and the band were comfortable but unfortunately was already feeling a little queezy! Its either the overnight Nasi Padang or the excesses of the past few nights that was making my tummy go on spin circle. Wish I could have lasted longer on one of the hottest Nites Out On The Town but had to run home straight to seek relief. Thus endes the weekend and the start of what I hope will be 5 weeks of rest and recovery before I am able to return home...... I think what supprised me was that I did not get wasted at all! No Sunday hangover, memory loss, nothing that I did that I wish I did not do! The end to a totally festive weekend!

Before I continue, I think I should take some time to introduce the cast of characters in my screenplay of life. These are "THE FELLOWSHIP", theboys, the JOE'S, gents that I spend my lunch, dinner and drinks with. First we have Sunder, my business partner and one of my best friends, George and I-Chou....

One of my oldest friends....Edwin, Jamie and Boy in KL!!!

Victor and Lincoln in my first home....Zouk!!

The Boonster and my fav cousin Kelvin.

These are some of the most important people in my life.....people who share my time, my thoughts, my lunch and dinner......great Nites Out On The Town and quiet days in the city....

Many have asked me to start a blog and I suppose that it would be a excellent way for me to remember the previous days revels with fond hung over memories. So as I try to organize my thoughts and sort out the memories....and pictures.....I promise to protect the identies of the innocent!