Hardcore and Minimalist Rock Combo:- Conquest for Death and My Disco

It is very rare that Malaysia gets a chance to watch really great bands perform live in Malaysia. If you think Linkin Park and My Chemical Romance are GREAT then aren't you a sucker for MTV's bullshit and propaganda. And for any person with 6 inches and balls packed in their crotch think that "Hey but we have Westlife here before what?", I have now struck you off my friends list permanently.........

What Penang got to see on Monday was freakin awesome. A gig featuring:-

Conqest for Death:- A hardcore metal band from the States.

and................

My Disco:- A minimalist rock band hailing from the land down under. I have never heard anything so minimal which was so intense. They sound so freakin good LIVE and much better than listening it off mp3.

Now I must say that I have grown out from all the mosh pits and crowd surfing but It was great to see it all happening on Monday. Reminds me of younger and happier days.

Click here to check it out the gig review, pics and some bootleg concert tracks.

Penang:- 10 Feet UNDER water

In the wee hours of Thursday morning, Penang's drainage system failed on us Penang-ons (why can't we be Penangons instead of Penangites?).

When you combine a crappy drainage system and heavy monsoon rains what you get are floods with drain water with all its gunk and junk spewing out on our roads. Cars were going against one way streets just to avoid the jams. Motorcyclist soaked and drenched and good ol Danno had to park his car in the opposite road from his house and waddle in shitty drain water......

Penang's Ultimate Hangout

Location: Soundmaker Studio, Weld Quay

Probably one of the most chilled out nights ever at the studio according to Alvin. Beers and smokes and a quick jam session followed by a late night supper at Green House is just freakin awesome. Before I let the pictures do the talking, let me first do a little promo for Penang's very own indie scence.

The Soundmaker Studio is most probably the only place where you can go for gigs and check out local bands as well as a few international bands which pop by. If you are sick of the useless crap they bombard on the radio or in the clubs check out Penang's only Indie website by clicking here.

Ok here are the snaps of the night out:-

The "WALL" just outside the entrance of the studio

Chillin in the studio:- Beers,smokes,music and kick ass company what more can one ask for

The "GREEN house":- Supper; what Penangites (and a half Melakan/Singaporean/Aussie?) does best

Phukkkeettt bayBehh!!

<As I promised in my earlier post, here is unedited article on my company's annual trip. Originally, the duty of coming up with the article for the PwC's magazine Xpression was given to a female colleague of mine (smoking hot by the way). She had politely asked me to help her out on it when she found out I did last year's article and I couldn't say no to a hot chick now can I? So please bear with my grammar and spelling for I can't be asked to frigging go through this and check through.>

“Bollywood in Phuket”

There is only one result when you load up three tour buses with overworked and overstressed PwC-ians heading to Phuket on a Thursday night.

“MADNESS.”

Months before the trip, we could see various PwCians in the Penang office showing various behaviours such as hair-pulling and some were even spotted crawling up our office walls. To say that we needed deserved this break is an overstatement.

After a gruelling 16 hour bus ride (including toilet breaks and such), we finally arrived in Phuket just in time for breakfast. We quickly stopped by at a restaurant to have our breakfast. We stuffed ourselves with food as quickly as possible as we were waiting impatiently for our first activity, a Thai massage and Spa treatment. The male population of PwC could not hold back their eagerness and excitement at the prospect of getting a massage by a beatiful Thai lady.

Once we reached the spa (which was called “The Mermaid Spa”), we were given an abundant choice of eucalyptus, rose, sandalwood, orange and many more, as our choice of our massage oil.

At this point of time there was a cry of disappointment from the males as we had found out that we were only be given JUST a traditional Thai massage. Never the less, a massage after 16 hours on a bus was just what we all had needed.

Before our massage, we were spoilt with a steam bath as well as a dip in the spa’s Jacuzzi. With our muscles massaged and our stress released, we headed off for lunch.

After an exquisite lunch at Phuket’s biggest international buffet, we stopped by a temple to admire it’s splendour and beauty. We quickly head off to a extreme outdoor park where we could take part in elephant riding, rifle shooting, archery and a chance to ride on an ATV.

As the sun began to set, we were taken to the hotel to check in and prepare ourselves for dinner.
Dinner would be at an abalone farm by the seaside which was an hour away from the hotel. All throughout the bus ride, we could hear tummies rumbling and the words of “ARE WE THERE YET?” The agonising wait seemed unbearable at that time.
After what seemed longer than Frodo’s journey to Mordor, we had finally reached our destination. We were greeted with the wonderful hospitality that the Thai’s are famous for once we hopped off from the bus. With flowers hanging around our neck we were ushered to a hall where we finally thought we could fill our stomachs to our heart’s content.

However instead of dinner, we had to bear with a 20 minute presentation on the wonders of abalone given to us by the owner who apparently did not have any concerns about our growling stomachs. Although several guys had to be restrained from smashing the projector we actually did enjoy the presentation and managed to learn a lot about Abalone (just don’t ask us now anymore)



For dinner, we were given the chance to savour the wonders of Thai cuisine. From the mango kerabu to the wonders of tomyum, we were experiencing what Thailand was about. FOOD!
Satisfied and with our stomachs filled, we all headed off to the beach to light some lanterns for good luck. The night sky was lilted beautifully with all our lanterns.

We were given free time after dinner and most of us decided to enjoy the bustling nightlife of Phuket. While there were a few of us who went to a local cabaret show, the majority of us could be found on Bhang La road where we partied the night away!

Day 2, Coral Island

After a quick breakfast, we quickly left the hotel to take a short trip to Chalong pier where we took a 15 minute speed boat ride to Coral Island known locally as Koh Hae. Coral Island is a beautiful getaway destination located nine kilometres southeast of Phuket.

On this beautiful paradise we had our team building activities such as a relay race and a game called “The Human Knot” where we would be tied to each other in weird positions and had to untangle the human knot without letting go of hands.

We were given time after the activities to have our own free time to explore the wonders as well as participate in the activities provided on the island such as snorkelling, scuba diving, parasailing and a banana boat ride. However the main attraction would be the very unique “Underwater Sea Walker.”

The Underwater Sea Walker is an amazing experience where the participant will wear an astronaut helmet and just freely walk under the sea. A couple of our fellow PwCians are now proud that they are one of the few who have ever tried this unique activity.
Soaked and sunburnt, we had lunch by the beach before proceeding back to the hotel where we would enjoy the rest of the day shopping and relaxing under the Phuket sun before our big dinner.

Bollywood Night

As the clock struck 8, the hotel ballroom had suddenly turned into a Bollywood Grammy award show. Our very own Shah Rukh Khans and Ashiwari Rais could be seen across the hallway. An out of place Superman was also spotted during the night. With all the laughter and flashes from cameras, one could be forgiven that they mistook the ballroom as a Bollywood movie set.

Following our PWC tradition, this would be the time when we would “celebrate” our new promotes. As usual, our dear promotes were given the honour to entertain us for the night. The line-up event for the night for our promotes was our very own PWC Fear Factor Challenge!

While having our dinner, our dear Director Mr Mike Lee Then Thong, went up on stage with his guitar and started serenading us with his charming voice and beautiful melodies. Many girls started fainting across the hall. A Mr Lee Fan Club would soon be in the making.

With our hearts entertained and our stomach filled with glorious food, the night drew to an end. The night ended with a group photo shoot and a dance floor where we danced till the hotel’s staff chased us out! At this point of time, some of us had already passed out while others continue their merry making into the streets of Phuket.

Last Day

Early the next morning, we were awaken by a 6am morning call. Kicking and screaming, we proceeded to pack our bags and headed down for breakfast. We then quickly headed to our buses to leave the beautiful island of Phuket. As many of us were exhausted from the night before, snores could be heard throughout the journey.

On the way home we stopped by Krabi (for lunch) and a famous Tiger Temple before heading to Hatyai for a short dinner and last minute shopping.

We eventually reached Penang at 12am. With our stomachs filled with seafood tom yum and mango kerabu and our hearts overwhelmed with joy and happiness, our three day rampage of Phuket would never be forgotten.