Wednesday, June 17, 2009

300 pins and counting...

Excited when Faizal called me on Tuesday morning telling that my article is out on Kosmo! Thank You again to Adham and Kosmo! for giving us another chance to share our passion, but this time more on Anna's hobby.. Here we go.. part of the article.

Anna on Kosmo!Anna on Kosmo!
Still got the rockin' feel? with Faizal's post earlier on? Just to complete our journey, let me story a bit on our Singapore trip.

Inside the KTM trainInside the KTM train
As usual we took a almost 10 hour train ride to Singapore. Actually the trip only takes 8 hour but the checkpoint in Woodland yang lama. Tapi disebabkan ianya murah dan selesa, kitaorang tak kisah..Tapi this time in Woodland, ada pemeriksaan H1N1, suspen jugak takut-takut kena tahan, maklumlah kalau badan panas sikit nanti boleh detect. Alhamdulillah..lebih kurang pukul 8.30pagi selamat sampai di Singapura terus pekena Lontong Singapura, peh! Terus energetic. Top-up our ezlink card terus menuju ke Bugis Station.

SuperHub@Arab StreetBugis StationMasjid Sultan, SingaporeKampung Glam, SingaporeRoad sign
North Bridge RoadFaizal@North Bridge RoadCapitol TheatreFaizal's Favourite ShopSingapore Skyline
Since we arrived quite early for check in, we left our bag at the reception and ronda-ronda dulu. I must tell you this, The SuperHub hostel is strategically located (5 mins from Bugis Station), close to Masjid Sultan, and attractions to Malay Heritage. Dan yang paling best sekali, tempat makan yang banyak dan connivence store yang berdekatan. Within the 3 hours before we got to our room, Faizal and I sempat ke City Hall, where Faizal likes to shop his CDs and DVDs there. There is one place called, Gramaphone just opposite City Hall MRT station. Disebabkan eager to catch the concert, we went to Esplanade in case they have their merchandise to sell. Just to make sure we among the first to get it, but sadly they only have it during the concert. Patah balik to Bugis and got to our room. Wow! It is clean but the space, kecik yang amat. Price memang a bit pricey tapi kalau kat Singapura ni mana nak ada tempat yang murah in city centre. One night lebih kurang RM162 untuk 2 orang. This hostel is not suitable for those who're fussy with space and simplicity, but it's good enough for traveller who wants a good night sleep with everything else within reach. Well done, Ronnie and his mother who're running this place.

AnnaEsplanade, SingaporeArab Street, SingaporeSuperHub@Arab StreetBussorah Street@SingaporeDSC_0356
This time we have a few friends joined for the trip, especially for the concert. So we met them for lunch at Victory Restaurant opposite Masjid Sultan. Murtabak and their nasi briyani memang sedap dan banyak, so careful when you guys order them. While waiting for the concert, we went back to our hostel which is just 3-5mins walk from the restaurant to rest.

Makan-makan place in SingaporeLunch@Victory, SingaporeMasjid Sultan, SingaporeMasjid SultanArab Street
To get to Esplanade is very easy, just get down at City Hall station and follow the direction inside the station to Esplanade. Along the way, there are a few malls, such as City Link, Marina Square, Raffles City and Suntec City. This time Singapore Great Sale is not great anymore. My opinion is because their currency is high and the economy is so..so.. Pelancong memang sentiasa ramai di Singapura tetapi yang bershopping tak ramai sangat. Or maybe because we were there while they just started the sale so belum panas lagi... Anyway, we still shopped at few places such as Gramaphone, HMV and Bugis Street Market (this place boleh tahan jugaklah..ada banyak souvenir,T-shirts, streetwear and bags).

City Link mall, SingaporeRaffles CityBugis Junction MallMarina SquareBugis Street, Singapore
Orchard Road@SingaporeOrchard Road@SingaporeOrchard Road@SingaporeBugis Street BazaarEsplanade@Singapore

Bussorah StreetBest Nasi Padang in Singapore
Ok back to the concert, opps! Faizal has reviewed it before, OK after the concert, after my signing autograph session, Art Fazil told us to try this Nasi Padang somewhere in North Bridge Road and Kandahar Street, Warung Pariaman. He said this is the best nasi padang in Singapore and you have to reach there early otherwise..tinggal nasi je lah... Food lovers, check it out. Ikutkan nak pergi ke Mustafa Centre sebab ianya dibuka 24 jam (dah penat sangat tak jadi, we have been there before). Tempat ni ada jual macam-macam barang, anything that you can think of. Kereta pun ada jual kat sini. Kalau nak ke sana, turun di MRT Farrer Park. Anytime around the clock boleh pergi.

The next day, after breakfast at Sultan Cafe, we took a bus no.2 to Changi Prison Chapel and Museum. Took us about 11/2hour to get there. Actually there are 2 ways to get there, 1. Take no.2 bus and get down at Changi Prison Chapel and Museum or 2., take MRT to Tanah Merah and catch no.2 bus from there. It may save you 30-40 mins. Admission is free, but SGD12 for two person for audio guided tour which i found very useful. I was trying to relate their history and ours, definitely the same as we were together before. Have heard about Leftenan Adnan?, He was one of the heroes during that time. Japanese Occupancy has brought big impact on our previous generation but the Japanese has changed and developed a lot. Especially their country and people, but asking ourselves back are we changing? After all, what they have done to us can be forgiven but definitely not to be forgotten. Want to know more, please click here.

Sultan CafeBussorah Street@SingaporeChangi Chapel&MuseumChangi Chapel&MuseumUnkl347@Singapore
After that we headed back to city centre, trying to shop but couldn't find things that I wanted. Except for Faizal, he was enjoying himself with CDs and DVDs. Since our hostel nearby the Kampung Glam area, we actually spent our time visiting places around there.

Kampung Glam, SingaporeMalay HeritagePavilion RiauRumah MinangMalay Heritage
Istana Kampung GlamJalan-jalan SingapuraMasjid SultanBussorah Street@SingaporeIgnite Production, Singapore
The next day, before we check out sempat jalan-jalan di sekitar our hostel. Memang berbaloi stay kat sini, walking distance to many places. Kali ni, our backpack agak luxury a bit, we took a flight back to Kuala Lumpur with Jetstar. Harga promosi lebih kurang RM98 seorang. Yang senangnya, from Bugis station turun kat Tanah Merah dan naik ke Changi airport. Tak payah pening kepala..kena naik teksi.. Kita orang saja je pergi airport awal sebabnya nak jalan2 dalam diaorg punya transit mall. Hard Rock Changi tempat yang Anna sebenarnya nak pergi. Changi Airport ni memang best for transit, macam2 ada, shower room, free internet, free movie ada massage dan etc..etc,, Tak boring la kalau ada yang kena transit kat sini.

Changi Airport, SingaporeHard Rock Changi AirportChangi Airport, SingaporeChangi Airport, SingaporeResting Area, Changi Airport
Changi Airport, SingaporeChangi Airport, SingaporeLepak at Changi AirportTerminal 2, Changi AirportChangi Airport, Singapore

BudgetCouple
Tepat pukul 1.40pm kami berangkat pulang ke tanahair, macamana cantik dan best negara orang best lagi negara sendiri..kan?!

*We spent RM600 (train,hostels & flight) for 2 person, 3 days 2 nights.


Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Rockin' with Sweet Charity

Music magazine
Music is another reason why we travel aboard, especially for Faizal. He always does his research on finding what are the music attractions beside our backpacking plan. Sometimes he will check out who’ll be performing a concert tour on the month that we plan to travel. He..he… (a self acclaimed concert traveller).

Yup! We travel because of concert too… crazy huh!. (but this is something that Malaysian Tourism should look into..). For example, we went to Singapore to catch Coldplay’s 2006 X&Y tour and at the same time, we went for our backpack there. Same thing goes to our Indonesian backpack, we managed to catch the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta too. Awesome..!!!

Coldplay in Singapore 2006Coldplay in Singapore 2006Java Jazz Festival 2009Mau jadi Slankers?Van Halen's CD
So, bila the unexpected meet up dengan Papa Rock, Ramli Sarip di Singapura last February, he said there’ll be the Sweet Charity reunion concert, apalagi we straight away marked the date and prepared for the trip.. 

Sweet Charity concert poster
I’ve never watch a Sweet Charity performance before.(kalau Ramli Sarip solo tu adelah…). So, it’s a “not to be missed” concert by the legend of rock n roll that I started to know from their “Jangan Tak Jadi” song. Lagu yang cukup popular di radio dan majlis perkahwinan sekitar tahun 1980an.

The “sold-out” concert was held in Esplanade and started at 8pm. By the time we reached the venue (around 7pm), the place was already filled with the mix of young and old fans. Everyone looks eager and excited to watch the generation that create the buzz to our rock n roll music scene.

A sign to EsplanadeAround Esplanade, SingaporeAround Esplanade, SingaporeAround Esplanade, SingaporeBudgetCouple @ Sweet Charity concert
This is my second time watching a performance in a concert hall as grand and beautiful like Esplanade. (The first one was Malaysian Philharmonic, watching a performance by Orchestra Baobab). The stage setting was simple but the crowd was fantastic. The whole concert hall ambiance drastically turns us back to the 70’s feel of “tapak pesta”. Loved it..

Even there were only 4 members left (Ramli Sarip on vocal & guitar, Rosli Mohalim on lead guitar, Aj on keyboard and Rahman Sarbani on drums), and backup by the strings sessions conducted by Haji Eddie Marzuki (Flybaits), but that didn’t stop them to give a 100% top notch rock n roll. A big thank you to Hamid (Black Dog Bone bassist) and Kudin (Headwind keyboardist) who did great job filling the place of late Syed Hassan and Masrom. Well done guys!.. (Wan Ahmad – 2nd guitar non-appearance has left the fans guessing).

The opening song “Hilang Gelap, Timbullah Terang” really got the crowds cheering. Everyone was singing together word by word with Ramli Sarip. It shows the vintage 40 years old band still have fans that love and miss them.
Although Sweet Charity only made 7 albums, to make a setlist for the concert was not an easy task. It was told by Ramli Sarip. Each song has its own message and story, while performing Ramli Sarip has told us a bit on the history of the band and how thankful they are to be where they are now today. 

Sweet Charity @ EsplanadeSweet Charity @ EsplanadeSweet Charity @ EsplanadeSweet Charity @ EsplanadeSweet Charity @ Esplanade
From Dunia Perlumbaan, Tahun 2000, Musibah, Ribut 10.59 to Lahirmu Bukan Untuk Dunia, the band music arrangements have a very strong Deep Purple influence. You can feel the raw sound of Rosli Mohalim guitar and licks. Seronok bila lagu Raja Kumbang was on their set list. Masa ni Rosli yang memegang double job as lead & rhythm guitar, memang layan habis dia punya goreng..! Kalau ade Ian Antono (Godbless) jamming together, lagi power..!!

Once Ramli Sarip started the first bait of the most awaited song “Kamelia” (Ana’s favourite song), the crowds spontaneously sing-along with him and my eyes were searching if there any lighter waiving inside the hall. Hehe…
After Kamelia, we knew the 2 ½ hours was coming to the end. The crowds threw Sweet Charity a standing ovation and asking for an encore.

Sweet Charity @ EsplanadeSweet Charity @ EsplanadeAnna & Papa Rock, Ramli SaripSweet Charity collectiblesSweet Charity collectibles
Not to disappoint their fans, Sweet Charity ended the night with Deep Purple “Black Knight” and “Jalan Malam”. There was also a meet up & autograph sessions after the concert. Anna was queuing for the autograph while I’m queuing for the merchandise. The merchandise was selling like goreng pisang panas. (Bought a t-shirt & their last year concert vcd). Sorry cause some of Anna’s photos with Ramli Sarip is blur since I was rushing here and there. 

Hamid BDB and me
We also snapped a picture with BDB bassist, Hamid. “Something interesting is on the way for BDB fans”, he said. It was truly a night to remember and if they will be performing in Kuala Lumpur, our recommendation is Jangan Tunggu Lama-Lama.


Art Fazil and me
*Remember the song “Fikir-fikir” by the group Rausyanfikir. We met with the singer Art Fazil who was watching the concert too. He’s still active singing and writing songs in London. Click to checkout on Rausyanfikir (here) and Art Fazil (here).

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Harus Berani Bermimpi

"Mimpi adalah kunci
Untuk kita menaklukan dunia
Berlarilah tanpa lelah
Sampai engkau meraihnya

Laskar Pelangi
Takkan Terikat Waktu
Bebaskan Mimpimu di angkasa
Warnai bintang di jiwa"




Familiar with this song? Yes, it is Laskar Pelangi by Nidji.
I couldn't wait to share with you guys about the movie that we watched last night. Sampaikan I asked Faizal to postpone his post on Sweet Charity concert in Singapore. Sorry guys....

Me trying not to sleep
Thank you to Fidzy, my friend who just came back from Jakarta. He managed to find us the Laskar Pelangi movie, the one that we've been waiting for. I'm sure some of you guys have heard about it. Besides their meaningful lyrics and best selling novel, the movie has summarized the whole meaning of Laskar Pelangi. I'm not sure wheather I could find the DVD here, but if you do...please...please...WATCH IT! I cried half of the time (alamak pecah rahsia)..maybe because I have read the novel and suddenly everything came alive....

Ok, I story sikit...Laskar Pelangi ni sebenarnya pengalaman sebenar Andrea Hirata (novelist) bersama rakan-rakannya memulakan persekolahan di SD Muhammadiyah di Pulau Belitung, satu-satunya sekolah Islam yang tinggal untuk dipertahankan. Bertemankan 10 orang rakannya, serta Ibu Mus dan Pak Har, beliau mengajak kita semua menyelami the magic of childhood memories dan betapa pendidikan itu sangat penting dan tidak pernah mengenal sesiapa pun...seperti kata Ibu Mus, "Tidak ada orang peduli pun yang anak orang miskin juga harus sekolah" dan semangat untuk berani bercita-cita tinggi.

Laskar Pelangi collectiblesLaskar Pelangi
Novel ini ditulis oleh Andrea untuk memenuhi hasratnya mempersembahkan kepada guru tercintanya, Ibu Muslimah Hafsari dan Bapak Harfan Effendy Noor serta rakan-rakan Laskar Pelanginya. Berbanding dengan movie, novel ini menceritakan lebih detail pengalaman beliau...Biarpun ada sedikit olahan dalam movie tetapi tidak langsung mengubah penceritaan beliau. Filem ini harus ditonton oleh rakyat Malaysia terutamanya orang Melayu kerana penggunaan bahasa Melayu serta lagu-lagunya yang amat dekat di hati kita.

As for me, to have a chance to read and watch the movie Laskar Pelangi, it makes me wonder..... sometimes we have a dream but are not willing to fulfill it...

"Laskar Pelangi
Takkan Terikat Waktu
Jangan Berhenti Mewarnai
Jutaan Mimpi di bumi..."




*Filem ini memenangi 5 anugerah di Indonesian Movie Awards 2009 termasuk Filem Terbaik & Lagu Terbaik.