I don't miss sg but I so missed friends, poptart, rndm, popmycherry, newton... I don't know how my friends overseas in uk, aus, us can do it... im only a mth while they have been at it for a couple of years. can die.

For Shu, Ed, Cal, Von and Nat, Sarawak Rainforest World Music Festival 2005 was their first and I'm so glad they had a ball. All pledged to be back for 2006. For Yap he felt something amissed cos it was his second one and had last year's experience to compare with. I agree. Last weekend's was my 5th time in a row. I still love it but the festival who was a little child had grown up. Gone are his awkward ways, stumbling about trying to find his place in the world. His charm then was his innocence. It's gone now. Heineken sponsored and red-tape glamour. Some of us saw it coming. It's inevitable. That's the thing about growth.

Midway through on the final night I mounted myself on a high point on top of an old tree stump. I looked down and surveyed the joyous thousands on the open field dancing to the earthy bluegrass "kampung music" of Foghorn Stringband. I was awed again. The sight brought about a familiar tingle I felt from my first SRWMF five years ago. This was the reason why I keep coming back. I choked then slow-mo back into the crowd to lose myself in an ocean of joy.

I'm booked for Kuching 2006.


From a solo show at Esplanade last year (or was it in late 2003??) this is one of my fave.

The carabao pub just outside the hotel had a nice Thai country and folk rock band. On another night they had a farlang onstage covering English language rock classics like American Pie. The violinist's playing was clinical and at times off. Farlang then took a break. The band returned to their Thai folk rock songs and the violinist's playing was back on heavenly form.

The lower floor of Scudo was an ocean of pretty faces but had the worst kind of hiphop. The upper floor has great vibes with great breakbeats. A bottle of Johnnie Walker Red Label was 1000bht (S$40). Leon was happy. So was I.

Bed Supper Club's decor is straight from the set of 2001 A Space Odyssey. Nice but not the crowd. Its the incredibly banal chichi sort that hangs there. Only Kelvin and I were dancing like mad dogs while the rest of the place was hellbent on "being seen".

Lonely Planet describes the strip of gogo bars at Soi Cowboy as "aimed not at the curious, but the consumers". I want to add that you can actually tell the girls or mamasans "no thanx". Black & White plays what's closest to indiepop. Ended up the whole night there requesting songs and chatting with a 41 year old mamasan whom I thought was 50something. Hard life has robbed years off her.

King's Castle II at Patpong was all ladyboys. I thought Lucas would be harrassed. Kat would be appalled but instead we all got bored after 10 mins.

The hotel was near the film studio/lab but far away from everything else (except cheap n good food). The only internet access was from the hotel's business center... S$6 for 15minutes or something ridiculous like that. Glad I brought a bunch of MDs to digitize during idle hours. This was from last baybeats. Force Vomit at their best. I so love sing-alongs.