der 4te gemeinsame Auftritt von Flowjob und Ihmes, und dann gleich mal vor 2000 Leuten. Ein unbeschreibliches Gefühl!!! Es hat so viel Spass gemacht, und das Publik war voll am Start. Wir hätten niemals damit gerechnet das es sooo cool wird. Am liebsten wären wir einfach auf der Bühne geblieben. Wir haben schon viel positives Feedback bekommen was uns ungemein anspornt. Danke an das SUPER GUTE Publikum, an Radio-Galaxy, Radio8 und natürlich auch an die Jungs von Viva Voce!

Hammmmäääääääääääää

Ihmes&Flowjob bekommen am Sonntag ( 20.07.2008 ) ein par Minuten vor einem rießen Publikum auf der Bühne des Ansbach Open!

Die Band Viva Voce hat zusammen mit Radio8 und RadioGalaxy aus Ansbach Nachwuchsmusiker gesucht die am Ansbach Open "die Bühne rocken".

Wir sind neben Campaloona die anderen auserwählten unter den eingegangen Bewerbungen. Ja auch HipHop kann Bühnen "rocken"

Wir freuen uns tierisch auf Sonntag!

Auserdem sind wir heute Abend bei Radio Galaxy im Studio. Wer also Zeit hat nebenbei ein bischen Radio zu hören: 105,8 in Ansbach, oder einfach übers Webradio unter folgendem Link.

Webradio und mehr Infos zum Bandcontest:

http://www.radio-galaxy.de/galaxy/local/ansbach.php "aktuell"

This afternoon I had viva voce during FI practical.
So you must be wondering what is viva voce exactly?
It is actually an oral examination.
My class was divided into 5 groups.
Each group had to attend at different time slots.

Most of my classmates were already at the staircase,
waiting anxiously for their turn.
We were so nervous because we do not know what sort of
questions will be asked at that point of time.
We only knew that we were supposed to
draw out our own questions.

You are given another chance if the first time you
pick the question is difficult.
But if the second time you get is even harder, you
are left with no choice but to answer the second question.
There is no such thing as turning back.

I belonged to the third group.
The first 2 groups got easy questions and
I wished that my turn would be the same.
But guess what?
We got difficult questions for the first time.
All of us used the second chance.

The first time when I stared at my question.
I was like OH NO!
I did not know the exact answer.
So I took the risk to change the question.
When I got the second one,
I got scared because it looks difficult.
Hahahaha.

So I just calmed down since I was just feeling nervous.
I focused and tried to think of the answers while my
one of my group mate was answering hers.
It's actually quite easy.
I just had to identify 2 conditions for
the gelling properties of Genu pectin.

For your information, pectin is
a form of food stabiliser which
can be found in jams and jellies.
Hahahaha.

After that we were supposed to ask her one question.
And of course, we defnitely could not ask her stupid questions.
This viva voce is graded.
But I am glad that it was like a short question and answer session.
And it was straightforward.

Our tutor even welcomed us by saying this,
"Welcome to the FI game show".
What the hell right??
Hahahaha.

Well it's finally over!!!!!!
Now I shall focus on the upcoming quizzes.
So just wish me luck =)

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Laura Veirs
Year Of Meteors ••••½
Nonesuch

At the risk of plunging straight into the pull quote, if there's any justice in the world, Year Of Meteors will be the album that breaks Laura Veirs through to a wider audience. Following a trio of acclaimed collections, including last year's stellar Carbon Glacier, Veirs plugs in to her more experimental side, melding ambient electro with traditional singer-songwriterisms, but crucially does so without dropping or fumbling the melodic ball. Throw in her sideways-looking, intelligent lyrics and quirky similes and it all adds up to more rather than MOR. Perhaps it's partly her unusual background that marks her out from the crowd. After all, it's unlikely that there are many artists in the Seattle alt-folk underground who speak fluent Mandarin and have a postgrad-level grounding in applied geology.

Certainly, Veirs's way with a lyric flits from the Zen-like and philosophical to the mundane and seemingly irrelevant, yet somehow revealing. And that's often with the space of a single song. Take ‘Secret Someones', for example, in which she ponders a restless horizon before casually asking what you make of the drummer's haircut. All of this propelled along by a beautiful jazz-tinged backing track set to a garage beat and punctuated with distorted guitar stabs and feedback. It's an ambitious mélange that's never quite matched elsewhere but is heartening evidence of the album's inventive spirit.

Opener ‘Fire Snakes' starts out with dreamy acoustics reminiscent of Suzanne Vega, particularly in the phrasing, but Veirs soon raises the bar with beats and bleeps that signify a defiance to be easily pigeonholed. Further textures are woven in with hammered dulcimer and Eyvind Kang's haunting viola, amassing and ascending to an engaging climax. Similarly, the obvious first single ‘Galaxies' kicks off with vocal and solo guitar (albeit this time spiky and distorted), contrasting nicely with the smooth beats, keyboard vibraphone and analogue synth sounds that follow.

Happily, Veirs never errs toward the pretentious in her music and the obscurist in her lyric. Each song is quickly appealing and the arrangements, though dense, are also swiftly accessible. Indeed, it would be easy to listen through the entire disc and be unaware of the complexity (and downright oddness in places - the heavy riffing viola on ‘Parisian Dream' for example) of the sounds, so seamlessly do they become a part of the music. Similarly, the ambiguity in the lyrics allows space for the listener to draw their own meanings and fasten their own values to the frameworks provided. Even better, this multi-layered approach only serves to make the simpler tracks, ‘Spelunking' and ‘Where Gravity is Dead', all the more striking, particularly as they bookend the measured brutality of ‘Black Gold Blues'. Viola has never sounded so menacing! ‘Lake Swimming' draws the album to a mesmeric close, save for the almost obligatory ‘hidden' track; in this case, a short, protean version of what was to become ‘Magnetized' with a performance for which Veirs could reasonably be accused of phoning in... but in a good way.

The skilful production from Tucker Martine, also the drummer in Veirs's backing band, The Tortured Souls, turns what could so easily have been a sonic mess into a record of great beauty. Every performance is impeccably nailed, from Veirs's vocal and acoustic guitar to Steve Moore's keyboards and Karl Blau's bass and electric guitar. It's gratifying then that Year Of Meteors has been deservedly lauded from all corners of the press and should comfortably ensconce itself in many a shortlist for album of the year.

Trevor Raggatt
originally published November 28th, 2005 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Laura Veirs
Live at the Fleece & Firkin, Bristol ••••
February 16th, 2006

The night does not start well. After a lengthy altercation with the bouncer about age, Citizen Cards and valid forms of ID in which I have to get my friend to drive down to the venue with my passport, I am finally allowed in midway through Pure Horsehair's support slot feeling a little irate and somewhat weary. However, my malaise is dispelled in an instant when I catch sight of Laura herself sitting at a little table in the corner doodling on her setlists and signing stuff for the occasional fan. She's sweet and entirely approachable, even when pestered by crazy-permed archetypal middle-aged men who have seemingly converged upon the venue to confirm the folk fan stereotype.

When she takes the stage solo, a serene hush cloaks the venue, in contrast to the noisy chatter that rather overwhelmed Pure Horsehair's quiet melodies. It feels as if we're watching one of our friends play for us. Opening with ‘Cool Water' - a joyfully simple and beautiful song - Veirs sets the tone for a set comprised mostly of older songs, many from 2004's Carbon Glacier. This is surprising and refreshing as she's touring behind last year's Year Of Meteors, but chooses from her entire back catalogue and does not allow the new songs to dominate.

Announcing "It's good to be in Bristol!" (and looking like she really means it), she launches into ‘Lakeswimming' and capably proves that she's just as captivating solo as she is with the various incarnations of her band, The Tortured Souls. Making excellent use of a sampler and pre-programmed electronics, the song is ably constructed through a multitude of looped beats and layered vocals. This approach also perfectly suits the songs from Year Of Meteors, an album which sees Veirs embrace a far more electronic influence than ever before - think of a midpoint between The Postal Service and Gillian Welch. Speaking between songs, Laura seems almost apologetic that she hasn't brought her band, but her impeccable musicianship shines through the myriad of sounds, melodies and layers that she spectacularly conjures on her own.

For ‘Tiger Tattoos', Veirs passes out metal chiming sticks to members of the audience, asking them to accompany her by playing them against the venue's walls and posts. It's potentially a risky move as just one overactive participant could mar the song's fragile beauty, but it pays off wonderfully. Under Laura's direction, the crowd's subtle chimes, as well as claps and even beatboxing (!), prove to be a highly effective accompaniment to her acoustic guitar and clear, crystalline vocals. On ‘Fire Snakes', subtle electronic touches brush alongside the acoustics, and the song draws upon the geological and astrological images that Veirs returns to throughout the night - ice, stars, sea, glaciers.

During the main set, someone in the crowd yells out for ‘Ether Sings', and Laura happily plays it when she returns for the encore, the beguiling melody weaving a hypnotic spell upon the attentive crowd. Throughout the evening, the beats and effects employed haven't been at all obtrusive, but for closer ‘Jailhouse Fire' they are, and wonderfully so. Pulling out a Melody Pop (remember them?) and alternately whistling and chomping on it, she records and layers the sound until her whistling fills the venue. It's a fitting end to an entirely charming evening.

Danny Weddup
originally published March 6th, 2006  

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Veronicas
The Secret Life Of... •••
Sire / Warner Bros.

Are Jess and Lisa Origliasso - aka The Veronicas - the Australian equivalent of Tegan & Sara? Not quite, but the diminutive identical twins certainly serve up many of the right ingredients on their debut album The Secret Life Of..., a collection of immensely likeable power-pop that presses a good many buttons with just the right amount of post-Lavigne attitude (though sadly not post- sk8r punk spelling, or should we just blame Prince and mobile phones?). With no less than seven producers on board, including Canadian songstress turned Lavigne co-writer Chantal Kreviazuk, there's no shortage of gloss; these people have been put to good use! As such, the rockier numbers chime with smoothly crashing guitars, while tasteful piano and acoustic strumming effectively underpin the ballads like ‘Nobody Wins', but it's carried off nicely without sounding overly clinical.

Which is all well and good, but what about the performances? Happily, they are perfectly judged; Jess and Lisa's dual vocals and harmonic interplay adds an extra sheen to an already polished sound, but, crucially, it seems natural and unforced. Like Tegan & Sara, their seemingly instinctive communication endears them to the listener and raises all the usual questions over twin telepathy. For what is essentially a straightforward pop product, it's gratifying to be able to say that the songs on which the twins have a writing credit (that's 8 out of 12) are the strongest, with special mentions for ‘Leave Me Alone', ‘When It All Falls Apart' and ‘I Could Get Used To This'. Indeed, any cynical preconceptions of the Origliassos as simply a fabricated marketing ploy are happily dashed after just one listen.

The tongue-in-cheek humour of first single ‘Everything I'm Not' and the sublimely executed Secret are just two of the highlights, the latter song recounting the inevitable difficulties when your find out that your gay best friend isn't really into guys and is actually just stalking you. It may not be original (did you see ‘Three To Tango'?) but it's fun regardless. Less fun is their pseudo-angsty cover of Tracy Bonham's ‘Mother Mother' which fails to convince, attempting to invoke rebellion in a lameass, "ooh, I went to a bar and had two lagers" sort of way. It's a disappointing way to close an album that, for the most part, is very enjoyable. 

When it's good, The Secret Life Of... is perfect for zooming down the motorway with the top down, hair whipping in the breeze, and the tunes are defiantly hummable. What it really lacks is substance; the job of this sort of album is to inveigle its way into the teenage psyche and become the soundtrack to youth. You have to wonder how many of these songs are going to be played in 10 years' time at a class of 2006 school reunion - not many I suspect, and that's a real shame.

Trevor Raggatt 
originally published October 27th, 2006

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Victorian English Gentlemens Club
The Victorian English Gentlemens Club ••••
Fantastic Plastic

For every terrible band that's looking to the early 1980s for a shot of inspiration, there's a surprising number of good ones. This may well be to do with the fact that they're digging just that little bit deeper and pulling their influences from further and wider. So where The Futureheads dig Gang Of Four, Captain are the anti- fashion with their Prefab Sprout influence and countless bands pick up on the punk-funk element, The Victorian English Gentlemens Club are flying the flag for the overlooked genius of the early work of The B-52s and The Cramps. A recent radio interview saw the band proclaiming their love for XTC, and whilst that is certainly an audible influence, the Club have a stronger alliance with the former.

Take ‘Stupid As Wood' for instance. There's a rumbling bass line, trashy drums and psych-surf guitar - all the elements of The Cramps in glorious 3D technicolour. It's no mere homage either; the Club are far too savvy and skilled for that. ‘The Tales Of Hermit Mark' is another good example of this, right down to the way lead singer Adam Taylor yelps like Lux Interior, while the chorus shows off the B-52s link. Similarly, ‘Such A Chore' jerks and bounces all over, exuding the same insanity that pervaded their major influences.

Other songs reveal a feeling much closer to some of their more contemporary peers. Latest single ‘Impossible Sightings Over Shelton' has the ramshackle spirit of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, while ‘My Son Spells Backwards' is musically reminiscent of The Young Knives with some really great interacting male and female vocals. As this is Wears The Trousers, it's at this point that the brilliance of bassist Louise Mason and drummer Emma Daman's backing vocals deserves to be mentioned. Indeed, the term ‘backing vocals' almost does them a disservice as they form an integral part of the tune, filling out the melodies rather than being merely added as an afterthought. More of that please.

Early single ‘Ban The Gin' is a pleasant surprise when it arrives just past the halfway point. Stylistically, it lurks somewhere between rockabilly and skiffle - unexpected but highly effective! However, closing epic ‘Cannonball' dwarfs all that came before it, kicking off with such convincing Pixies-style latent dementia that you simply can't wait for the dormant volcano to blow. And then, of course, it does, showering sparks of Sonic Youth and The Fall down from above.

Exhilarating and with great appeal, The Victorian English Gentlemens Club have come up with a very fine debut, one that's very much of today and, simultaneously, of times gone by.

Russell Barker 
originally published October 5th, 2006

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Viva Voce
Get Yr Blood Sucked Out •••
Full Time Hobby

Any long-lasting relationship needs a bit of spice; in the case of husband and wife duo Viva Voce, you're probably on fairly safe ground if instead of 'spice' you read 'vast quantities of brain-warping intoxicants'. And though Kevin and Anita Robinson don't explicitly bill themselves as proponents of illicit substances, the mantric vocals and hazy grooves of fourth album Get Yr Blood Sucked Out are so thoroughly blissed out you've got to think that, at the very least, they have freakishly high serotonin levels.

Much like its predecessor The Heat Can Melt Your Brain, giving Get Yr Blood Sucked Out a rating based on a totally sober listen is rather problematic when it appears to have been designed to accompany a heavy dose of prescription medication. Certainly, 10 minutes of ‘We Do Not Fuck Around' (which you've got to think is maybe a smidge ironically named) is not necessarily something that qualifies as 'fun' when you have a clear head. But if a few of the tracks outstay their welcome, it's still the duo's finest moment to date; no jazz cigarettes are needed to appreciate the thunderous rumble of opener ‘I'm A Believer', while lead single ‘From The Devil Himself' sees the pair finally marry their fuggy soundscapes to something approaching a pop song.

More than ever, the sheer scale of the noise the two produce will floor your jaw; these tracks are huge, muscular beasts that stalk the earth like a herd of psychedelic dinosaurs. At this rate of growth the next record should be the moment the ambience of the Robinsons' music is finally matched by the songs themselves. But to steal a march on such hedonistic pleasure, simply give Get Yr Blood Sucked Out a spin while imbibing your trusted narcotic of choice.

Andrzej Lukowski
previously unpublished

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Victoria Vox
Victoria Vox & Her Jumping Flea ••••
Obus Music

What is it with the ukulele all of a sudden? Not since George Harrison became obsessed with them in the early 1990s has the Hawaiian four-stringed instrument been so in the limelight. One of last year's most memorable singles, Mara Carlyle's ‘Baby Bloodheart', was almost entirely ukulele and voice, and criminally under-rated UK singer-songwriter Sam Brown followed in her shoes with the, er, Ukulele & Voice EP. First though, Berklee graduate Victoria Vox steps up to the plate with Victoria Vox & Her Jumping Flea, ten deftly woven original compositions and well-chosen covers, some modern, some from the golden age of the uke's post-World War I popularity.

For the uninitiated, the ‘jumping flea' of the title derives from the literal translation of the Hawaiian. Rest assured, however, that there's no fleas, flies or insects of any kind on Victoria Vox. Since striking out as an independent artist three years ago, she's been plying her engaging brand of acoustic pop the length and breadth of the States, mostly backed by guitar, but since an accident of circumstance introduced her to the uke, she's been slipping it into her live set on an increasingly frequent basis. An entire ukulele album was only a matter of time! Now, to be fair, the uke as an instrument isn't blessed with the broadest of dynamic or tonal ranges, though it is a pleasing sound. However, Vox's consummate skill as arranger and interpreter really pays dividends. So while the uke and vocals take centre stage on all tracks, a sympathetic backing adds texture and depth to each, adding in guitar, bass, cello, vibes, and even toy piano and kazoo.

The album starts off with ‘Ukulele Lady', a cute little novelty song from the ukulele's heyday, written by Broadway composer Gus Kahn, who also had a hand in classics like ‘Dream A Little Dream Of Me', ‘Makin' Whoopee' and ‘My Baby Just Cares For Me'. It's a charming period piece, with its authentic showtune feel and slide guitar ornament providing the perfect opener. Vox interprets another of Kahn's tunes (‘Guilty') later on, while the two more recent covers include the Talking Heads's ‘Psycho Killer', gorgeously arranged with cello, and ‘Le Vent Nous Portera' by French rock band Noir Desir - better known in the UK because of their singer's involvement in the death of actress Marie Trintignant. It's a beautiful rendition, transporting the listener directly to the narrow streets of Montmartre or the Quatier-Latin with its melodica and Hot Club-styled jazz comping. The album's centrepiece, however, is a fantastic medley of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow' and ‘What A Wonderful World'. Here, mellow vibraphone chimes contrast with the staccato ukulele while Vox interweaves and improvises around the melodies, her beautifully pure voice bringing a feeling of innocence and intimacy to the hopeful lyrics - totally beguiling.

Vox is no slouch either when it comes to her own compositions. America tells the lonely tale of being a solo travelling troubadouress, while ‘Dreamin' About You' (the only song that's simply uke and voice) shows that, for all the rich clarity of her vocal, Vox can extend to a more bluesy wail when she wants to. It's a real testimony to her delivery that other songs like ‘My Darlin' Beau', ‘Yodelayheehoo' and ‘Christmas With You', that might have sounded twee or cloying in less skilful hands, are only ever charming and engaging. Certainly, there are few albums this undeniably enchanting, creating a world of their own around the listener. This is a pleasant world, both forwardlooking and back, and indeed, the only real complaint to speak of is that, at little over a half hour of music, it would have been nice to overstay our welcome.

Trevor Raggatt
originally published January 21st, 2006  

I miei quattro minuti e mezzo sono ascoltabili in formato MP3: Maurizio Morabito - Inceneritore - La Zanzara - 20080509.

L'argomento che ho trattato e' stata l'interpretazione dei dati presentati da Stefano Montanari, recentemente anche in noti programmi televisivi, come prova scientifica incontrovertibile che gli inceneritori causano tumori (e quindi non vanno comunque costruiti).

Cosa dico, per chi non ha voglia di ascoltare la mia voce? Dico che, scientificamente parlando, i dati suggeriscono al piu' una possibilita', e sono ben lontani dall'essere "prova incontrovertibile". E che chi si lamenta tanto che "gli altri" non la raccontano sempre giusta, dovrebbe dare l'esempio, invece di manipolare per primo i risultati scientifici a suo piacimento.

In campo epidemiologico, infatti, la "certezza" si ha solo quando il rischio relativo triplica. Cioe', quando l'incidenza di questa o quella malattia e' almeno il 300% del normale: per esempio nel caso dei tumori al polmone, che colpiscono i fumatori con un'incidenza del 4'000% rispetto alla norma. Valori piu' bassi non possono dare indicazioni "incontrovertibili", semplicemente perche' ci sono tante cause per ogni tumore e per ogni malattia.

Quindi se i tumori al fegato sono aumentati vicino a un inceneritore del 9% o del 16%, si tratta di fare una valutazione di rischio (che, a parer mio, rimane comunque basso), perche' certezza proprio non ce n'e'.

Questo non cambia comuqneu la mia opinione che bruciare i rifiuti e' una pessima idea, perche' la spazzatura di oggi e' sicuramente la miniera d'oro di domani. Buttando tutto nell'atmosfera, insomma, stiamo rubando ai nostri pronipoti senza granche' vantaggio per noi stessi.

Dita puntate contro un grande complotto non solo mediatico, Vattimo evoca persino i Protocolli dei savi di Sion, e cioè il famoso libello confezionato dalla polizia zarista all’origine dell’antisemitismo moderno, dicendo che non ci ha mai creduto, ma ora comincia a ripensarci

Di due cose non c'e' davvero dubbio...primo, Vattimo e' un sicuro candidato al premio "Nicola Palumbo" (il dimenticabilissimo personaggio dell'intellettualoide interpretato da Stefano Satta Flores nell'indimenticabile "C'eravamo tanto amati"). Secondo, che se non e' condizione necessaria, l'essere antisemiti, per inneggiare al boicottaggio di Israele, certo e' condizione sufficiente: come si puo' evincere dagli interventi questa mattina alla trasmissione "Boicottare Israele", a VivaVoce, su Radio24.

Take a minute to view this very short clip. The accompanying song is Hopelist by What Made Milwaukee Famous, who have just recently released their second album What Doesn't Kill Us earlier this month. And you will feel like floating too :)

If you would like to watch more artsy-schmartsy-cutesy videos like this, point your browser to zune arts' very cool website and enjoy the parade of wacky characters starring in various interesting short films. WMMF is one of many featured musicians on the site, as well as others such as Mates of State, Viva Voce and Bitter:Sweet, to name a few.

Also, they have a delightful selection of downloadable content, and the text design makes use of lower case letters (as some of you might already know, I dislike caps with a passion! I insist that they only be used accordingly, and NEVER EVER LIKE THIS!) so I am really loving zune arts' layout. This clean, minimalistic and creative site is definitely worth checking out.

(a) menziona continuamente "Destra" intendendo "PDL" in contrapposizione a "Progressisti, Democratici"

(b) dice "I leaders europei hanno la mia eta'" e fa continui riferimenti a "negli altri Paesi europei"

(c) dice "Non abbiamo l'alibi della coalizione, non siamo una melassa". indica poi "Guardate alla sarabanda [di opinioni] sull'immigrazione, nella Destra"

(d) un po' di accuse: "Berlusconi sull'impossibilita' del duello televisivo in base alla legge, ha detto un falso". "L'Italia e' in una gelatina da 15 anni" (da Tangentopoli). "La Destra e' stata gia' sperimentata". "L'immagine di Berlusconi discredita l'Italia sui giornali stranieri".

(e) dice "A Prodi il merito del risanamento finanziario"

(f) messo finalmente di fronte a una domanda chiara cui era necessaria una risposta chiara, ha detto: "Fecondazione assistita? Occorre salvaguardare la laicita' dello Stato, ma trovare una sintesi" (senza indicare quale)

So, yesterday was the concert day. I really cannot tell you exactly how was it feel. You have to feel it by yourself. I almost forget the feeling of performing in front of so many people. I feel nervous, excited, extremely happy, and at the same time I have to concentrate totally to Mr Yong's direction. So hard, especially given the fact that I wore Steffanie's shoes and that's extremely uncomfortable because it doesn't suit my foot type. >.<"

Overall, our 1st half was okay. The folksongs was not bad, only we got out-tuned several times...when it happened, Mr Yong just gonna stare at us for a little while and smiling [he's so nice...almost smile everytime, but we know for sure that gesture means that we make a mistake] and we just smile back innocently while we try to fix it. Thanks Mr Yong...you are really amazing! We love you!

Personally, I really like the part in the song "Go down Moses" when it comes to the part "At God's command it did divide...when they had reach the other shore, they sang the song of triumph o'er...let My people go!". I think that in the concert, we all get the feeling of Israel's triumph when they cross the Red Sea and sang their praises to God.

The 2nd half was incredible, and very enjoyable for both us and the audiences. The music was nice and we just scream our lungs out. "We go together" was full of energy, as usual. "Seasons of Love" and "Ain't no mountain high enough" was nice, and I really enjoy it.

But the songs I love the most is the ABBA Medley! I really really love it, from the slow "I have a dream", up-beat "Mamma Mia", shaky "S.O.S", "Take a chance", "Thank you for the music" [I like it because for me it's like a prayer to God, thank Him for we are allowed to know, enjoy, and create music], and mostly "Dancing Queen" & "Waterloo". The choreography for those two songs also very nice...thanks to Myrna & Ariel. =)

After all, thanks to God, finally it's over. So happy! Because that means:

- no more rapping Japanese song

- no more 'spooky' traditional spiritual songs

- no more choreography practices in Saturdays!

- no more Ms Lim's yelling that our energy level is not high enough

- no more dancing like crazy with high heels

- no more wearing so-many-accessories-that-makes-me-look-like-a-gypsy.

- no more Indra's "best friend" wandering around thinking that he's the most important guy. Beh!

But then, I'm sure that I'm gonna miss it. Because that means

- no more "Yamko Rambe"

- no more Teng Seng & Rayne's acting. [They're so talented, you know...]

- no more hectic times when we only got 15 minutes to change from gown to tunic + jeans, change our shoes, and wearing all the accessories. Oh don't forget we also have to spread glitters all over our body [guys too!]

- no more photo-taking time

- no more dancing time. [Even though I hate to practice on Saturday, I had a lot of fun doing the dances]

- no more listening to "You Raise Me Up" by Yang Xiao's fantastic voice.

[It's so amazing I even said that if I don't have a chance to see Josh Groban sing that song live, that should be okay because Yang Xiao's version is equally wonderful... :-) ]

- no more holding our laugh when Melvyn [with his funny face] place a BIG-red-heart behind Rayne & Teng Seng as they're dancing in "Thank you for the music"

- no more singing in Victoria Concert Hall [well at least for another year]

- no more all the 2nd half songs! Hiks...I really really like them.

- no more big applauses and cheers from the audiences

- no more joking on Chinyuan saying that the 2nd half story is so him [because it's cheesy...hahaha]

- no more posing in the end of "Waterloo" =p

Big big thank you for you all, choir members!
I shall never forget the night, I shall never.

okay good. here's something to do:

Celebrate the Repeal of Prohibition- Berbatis Pan Wednesday dec. 5th 8pm, free!

Viva Voce, Ohmega Watts, Boy Eats Drum Machine, Kazum, DJ Beyonda and more.

The Politics of Dancing!

dance yo pants off this Saturday the 8th for Agent Bunny G's cable access show. weeeeeee.

The interview was on sort of a discussion pattern so I cant exactly quote them, I am trying to catch the essence of questions posed to me in following words.

Chairman: So you are depriving rural Sindh of another doctor, you are second on list this day only (we were two doctors in this group).

Chairman: Why you want to leave medicine?

Chairman: Why you want to join police?

Chairman: Talk about your dreams.

Chairman: Why don’t you join politics?

Chairman: You can not be leader by becoming a civil servant?

Chairman: What do you know about Palestine issue?

Chairman: Who are Israelis and where they come from in light of Quran?

Chairman: What do you think, are they really allotted with this land through Bible?

[read more]

 Lab =  a workplace for the conduct of scientific research.

Hah !! Haha !! HAHAHAHA !!

External Examiner : What is the meaning of this symbol ?

Symbol - A part of an electrical circuit - A rhombus with the top and bottom vertices marked with a plus and a minus.

#42 : Hmm, umm, eh .. Sir this is a - get this, she actually said this - "A time dependent time invariant voltage source"  

External Examiner (With uninhibited excitement) : Waah beti, waah !! Bahut paisa hai is mey, tum issey patent kara lo, abhi jao aur patent kara lo !!

2) Engineering Mechanics Lab

Lab = HAHAHAHAHAHA !!

The next incident is a brilliant example of one of the fundamental rights enshrined in part III of our constitution - "Right to Freedom (Freedom of Speech)" - Free thinking and the will to speak were never so hilarious.

Any similarity to incidents from real life have been blatantly lifted.

External Examiner : What is a Ball-peen hammer ?

#43 : Sir, it is a very simple instrument - it has a ball and it has a pen - (PEN !!) - so it is a ball-pen hammer.

3) Back to the Electrical Sciences "Lab"

Internal Examiner : Explain the working of an Induction type Dynamometer.

#58 : Sir, do you mean Induction type dynamometer wattmeter. (NO !! didn't you hear him !! )

Internal Examiner : Huh ? .. uhhh, induction type dynamometer.

#58 : Sir, I can tell you Induction type dynamometer wattmeter. (We get to pick the question - yipee !!)

Internal Examiner (thinking to himself - I have never heard of that - yeah cause it doesnt exist !! ) : Ok, explain that.

#58 : (said some - utter crap !!)

Internal Examiner : Class mey to sir aise hilate ho jaise sab kuch samajh aa raha hai, B Tech to ek class mey hi ho gayi, aur ab naye naye instruments banane shuru kar diye.

Well those who are awaiting to appear from Lahore center, they must click this link that will lead them to a my blog  that I have just shifted to my personal domain and host. For them, I am going to upload the details of the test administered to us at FPSC regional center Karachi.

This life, for me, is not worth anything, but for the connections we make, the loving touch, the warm breath, the caring word, the wanting look.

To nature, to the sun and the moon, to the wind, to the earth, to the seasons, to our family, to our friends, to the lovers, to the mistakes.

So, what am I to make of this one that is “independent” and “proud” and without roots, or affiliations, that calls himself or herself “free”? Am I angry, or bitter? No, I am just sorry, for you are missing out on the most important part! You aim and you shoot, but you miss completely! What is your fame, or your fortune, if you are missing this sunset with all the other drunks...?

In fact, life is not worth much, or anything more than those moments I had with you, and her, and him and the ones I am having now just trying to explain how great it was.

Nothing is ever wasted. If you have been fortunate and you are able to say that you have had this connection, even for a moment, then you are already there. You are the desert that has experienced the rain.

[Dedicated to the Gift of God.]

Our whole life is a superposition of simple, small moments
We spend it trying to make sense of things outside our bounds of understanding
Yet, we are mostly at loss to explain the things inside
In any case, we are all looking for something beautiful to touch
And there you stand, playful, free, and only a warm breath away

Age signs our passage, through the times we come
There is no sense in going back, it has just began
Coldness signs out, in hiding of the sun
Afraid of the summer it has become

A warm scream came up from the inside and took over; release.
If you reach out to touch me, I will not recoil this time; I promise.
I reached out and held the remains of the memory as it's soul left its body and made its way to a destination.
I turned around and extended the soul of everything I thought I was, and every thought I thought I had, as the memory escaped its confines and was lost forever.
I held my breath, closed my eyes and ears and dived into the dark deep, while convinced that this is all too dark and all too deep and we just need to relax and have fun.

Dedicated to all those up to no good_
The times, they are changing, as ever, as always__
Believe___

Smile
Look Back
Realise
Cool
Get it on
And fuck the clock

www.pristinamusic.com

The previous night : at about 9 p.m.

Sourabh : Kal Morning me Motibagh pe milte hai 8 o'clock, Trevor se baat kar lena. Uske saath gaadi me chalenge.

Dinesh : Haan, Good idea.

Obviously Trevor never answered the phone.

The morning of 12-05-07 

So, owing to the infinite loop (of turning and twisting) I executed at night, I woke up at the auspicious time of 7:52 a.m. My first thought - 52 minutes late - body hurts - seems to be just another regular day (long thought). Usually my first thought in the morning is "haah-aah-bloouaarraaaoo".

So after I opened my eyes - completely - I proceeded to hunt down my phone and dial Trevor's number.

Miracle

Trevor answered !!

Dinesh: Hey, you answered !!

Trevor: Eeyeah, I think so.

Dinesh: When are you leaving for college ?

Trevor: I am just going to leave my house, Sourabh se kal baat ho gayi thi, motibagh pe milna hai.

Dinesh: Damnit !! I am late again.

Trevor(Unsurprised): Ok.

Dinesh: Alright you go ahead, I'll come on my own.

After 15 minutes and a few calls back and forth, Trevor was still 'just leaving his house', Sourabh was obviously waiting at Motibagh and I was thinking to myself - "haah-aah-bloouaarraaaoo". After claiming that it would take me just 5 minutes to get ready but 20 to reach Motibagh, Trevor offered to pick me from my place, to which I had to concede that I needed an hour to get ready and 20 minutes to reach Motibagh.

The Journey

After a failed attempt at co-ordinating a joint bus ride with Soumya and one 511 (which fortunately lumbered on till Dhaula Kuan) and one 479 and one 910 (pvt.) i.e. one and a half hours later I reached A-4, Paschim Vihar at the glorious time of 11:00 a.m. - 2 hours behind scheduele - reaffirmed my faith that it was just another ordinary day.

Waste of time

After checking and rechecking the severity of the viva - I hopped across to the 'Net Lab' to look up the definitions of most things that belonged to the realm of 'questionable'.

Obviously the 'Net Lab' was closed.

So a trip to the nearby cyber cafe at the nearby Bon-Bon Market followed. (The hip-s-ters call it --> B-Marks)

As I was embroiled in the vast reservoirs of mostly worthless information available on the net, I realized that the clock had ticked to 12:45 p.m. and my bill had swollen to 30 Bucks !!

30 goddamn Bucks !!

So I made haste. At, 12:50 p.m. I was outside the Chemistry Lab awaiting my turn at "faking it".

Screw You

In essence that is what it meant.

Listen ICE 1st year

"The Viva for the third (read as third-rate batch) batch has been postponed till next week because we have to conduct the CET-2007 for a thousand courses (MBBS, B Pharma et all) in our 'pre-mices' ."

Thank you, fir aana, agli baar khaana kha ke jaana.

Like a pack of stray monkeys we were shooed out of the 'pre-mices'.

After running all over the campus (short walk) for photocopies and books with Ashu (read as Achoo) we turned towards the Chhole Bhature wala at Punzabi Bagh.

It was evident that half the gang already had their ' Spirits ' lifted and were planning to ' Fly a little higher ' so I decided to exit stage auto-rickshaw with - a recovering from fever - Sourabh and - decent chap - Varun.

Homeward Bound 

One 'Beedi' and two 'Paan Bahars' later I offloaded myself at Dhaula Kuan.

After struggling to get onto a 'Bihari Mudrika' and fighting to get a ticket, I reached home, hungry and confused.

One packet of Top-Ramen, some taunts from Siddhartha, Capsicum-Potato, Dal, Three Chappatees and salad were on the menu.

I saw a drab cricket match and swallowed my lunch. Wandered on the net, put up a strange post and tolerated some music. 

It is almost 7:00 p.m., dreams of eating a good dinner (only dreams), a drab dinner, a drab few hours of news channels, some more music to tolerate will follow.

So, until next time, this is your captain saying - "Goodnight and Godspeed". (I actually said that). 

P.S. In case you are wondering, the auto-wala had the 'Paan Bahars' and smoked the 'Beedi'

Escape to here.

He closed the curtains and the lights before he swayed uncontrollably, a slave to the beat. Tomorrow would be another day, and he would try to make the most of it, he told himself. He closed his eyes. He saw people walking to work, millions, an army, dressed to suit. The bass went right though him. Then, he realised it for the first time. He knew it was time to go alone, and wait for the world to follow. He opened the window. It was a beautiful night, the scream went far, but no-one heard it. He wouldn't have cared. He wouldn't have cared at all.

An examination conducted by word of mouth.

ALTERNATIVE DEFINITIONS

1) An emotional complex - an amalgam of 70 parts humiliation, 21 parts astonishment, amazement and pure wonder, 4 parts of disorientation induced due to rib tickling humour (after the 1st year the disorientation INCREASES abruptly), 4 parts fear (after the 1st year the fear DECREASES abruptly), 0.5 parts feeling intelligent, 0.4 parts outer space (where your emotions apparatus goes completely blank - either you are counthing sheep, humming do-dum..dum-dum-d0 etc.), 0.1 parts triumph (once in a blue moon)   

2) Ass Kicking Sessions

3) The most hilarious moments of one semester of college level education

4) An interrogation session where the interrogator and the culprit / convict are equally ignorant about the topics being discussed.

Interrogator :  An individual who asks clueless lambs a set of questions about topics (welding, electrical circuits, chemicals, machines etc.) which are beyond the comprehension of your  average sheep. It is interesting to note, the interrogator is equally clueless about the questions and will be liberated when he comes across an enlightened lamb ( i.e. never !! )

Culprit / Convict : Charged with the heinous crime of enrolling for a "Bachelors in File Making..cough.. Technology..cough cough.. File Making Technology" inspite of being a domestic animal - lamb / sheep.

SOME CLASSIC VIVA VOCE SESSIONS

Subject : Workshop Technology

Interrogators : Int 1, Int 2

Central Culprit : Siddhartha Jain

5 culprits and 2 interrogators. Notable culprits - Trevor Bonjour, Siddhartha Jain and Pramit Sood.

Int 1 :  What are the different types of polarities in Welding ?

T : Umm......aaahh......hmm.

S: (Thinking to himself - Oh thank god, koi to easy wala mila )

S: Sir, Positive and Negative.

Int 1: Paw-jhi-tive and Knee-ghay-tive ? Yehi hoti hai ? Bas do hi hoti hai

S: No sir, teen hoti hai, positive, negative aur neutral.

Int 2: ( Laughs violently !! , Bangs his hands on the table and nearly tips his chair over )

Int 1: (Looking at P), Tum batao.

P: (In his characteristically " brick lodged in the pants BOOMING voice ") Sir Reverse and Straight

S: (Thinking to himself) Oh shit yeh maine kya bol diya !!

T: (Thinking to himself) Umm......aaahh......hmm.