ALLEYCATS : SAMPAIKANLAH SALAM CINTAKU

As much as I love cats, this entry is not about any cats at all. This one is a story about me and the Alleycats, the Malaysian music group. Well, to be exact, it is not even about me and them. It is actually about me and a very good friend. You might wonder how the Alleycats are part of this story and I'm going to tell you how. Although none of the musicians are Malays, the Alleycats were very popular among the Malay music listeners back in the 80s and 90s (they still are). Back in 1985, I attended a concert (Malam Kerana Kau) at Stadium Negara with a very dear friend (who will remain anonymous of course). It was a last-minute decision to go and see the Alleycats in action. As a result, we arrived quite late since we were not familiar with the route to the venue at all. It was also raining slightly that night and the motorbike ride all the way from Serdang (I was studying there at that time) to the stadium was not pleasant at all. By the time we reached the place, we both looked like two skinny cats (no pun intended) which had fallen into a drain. But how wonderful it was to be young and carefree! To be without heavy responsibilities and life-long commitments. It was definitely a night that I will remember and cherish until the end of time. That was almost 27 years ago and now, both of us have gotten older and hopefully, wiser too. The sad thing is we are not even speaking to each other anymore. We had a falling out back in 1986 and we have stopped talking to each other ever since. We had been friends for years and suddenly, everything went down the drain just like that. It's obviously stupid when we fight over petty matters but it's even more stupid when we lose someone over something that can easily be avoided. Looking back, I wish I had not allowed my foolish pride and ego obscure my judgment and decision. I humbly admit that everything was due to my own folly and none of my friend's.

Sampaikanlah salam cintaku padanya
Walaupun terluka namunku merindu
Kerana cintaku tiada akhirnya
Walaupun kau telah menghancurkan

Sampaikanlah salam cintaku padanya
Walaupun sengsara namun ku masih sayang
Kerana cintaku mewangi dan harum
Walau tercampak di mana jua

Andai ku tiada, andai ku pejam mata
Biar ku abadi cinta yang setia ini
Biarpun kau jauh, sambutlah salamku
Kerana aku masih menyayangimu
Tidak pernah aku membenci dirimu

p/s Dear friend, you are not forgotten and will never be. Terima kaseey for the wonderful times we had!

The ticket stub from the Alleycats' 1985 concert.

GONG XI FA CAI!

I think it is still not too late for me to wish all those who are celebrating to have a wonderful Chinese New Year. This year is the year of the Water Dragon; supposedly a very auspicious year to get married and have children. Neither one of them will be happening to me, I can assure you that. I was at the bank today when I saw a Lion Dance troupe getting ready for a performance. I have seen a few Lion Dances before but I've never had any opportunities to take any pictures. This time, I had my old but reliable camera along. I am not a photographer (I never will be) and my camera is not one of those sophisticated DSLR types (it never will be either). Still, I kept on snapping pictures like there was no tomorrow. The banging of the drum and cymbals added to the merriment of the occasion and I stayed until the whole performance was over. The lions moved animatedly from one part of the bank to another much to the excitement of the bank customers. They would stop and eat the mandarin oranges that were placed all over the bank before spitting out the rinds to people who were in front of them. At the end of the performance, one of the lions plucked the lettuce which was hanging at the entrance of the bank and spat the lettuce all over the bank manager who then rewarded the lion with a red envelope. For those who are not familiar with the ritual, it can be a truly ROTFLOL moment when you see lettuce flying out of the lion's mouth before landing on whatever that is nearby (including people!). FYI, I have a long Chinese New Year holiday this year and will only start work next week. Let's hope that the Water Dragon will bring us a lot of 'ong' this year. To all, Gong Xi Fa Cai!

SHARIFAH AINI : BIDUANITA NEGARA 1 & 2

Finally, the CDs that I've been waiting for are here. I found out that the music shop from which I ordered the CDs had lost my phone number and that was why they never called me to inform me that the CDs had arrived. Well, it was worth the long wait (more than two months actually). Kak Pah's pictures on the CDs covers are truly 'divalicious' and classy; befitting her status as a 'biduanita'. I won't say anything about the song selection but I'm really happy to hear certain songs that I haven't heard in such a long time. They truly took me back to another place and time when life was much simpler and less complicated. Unlike Kak Pah's other compilations, one can tell that these CDs are special. All the 10 CDs were priced at RM 89.90 and to me, that was super duper dirt cheap. Where else can you get a nice compilation like that at such price? A few online sites that I've checked are selling them at a much higher price and that doesn't even include the postage. To all Kak Pah's fans, go out and buy these CDs. You know you want them!

Diva!

FLASHBACK: ENID BLYTON

I'm pretty sure many of us in Malaysia are familiar with Enid Blyton especially those who grew up in the 70s and 80s. Despite criticisms regarding her work, she has managed to attract a lot of fans from all over the world. Some libraries even withdrew and banned her books due to elements of racism, sexism, separation of class and xenophobia in the books. Her books have been translated into more than 90 languages and here in Malaysia, the task of translating her books into Malay language was initially done by Fargoes Publication. Federal Publications (and a few other publishing houses if I'm not mistaken) took over the job of publishing the translated books later. I started reading the Malay versions of Enid Blyton's books before slowly (and painfully) graduating to the original English versions. I was only a 'kampung' boy whose exposure to English was very limited so a lot of things in the stories totally eluded me. In addition, the setting of the stories was 1940s until 1960s Britain which was totally alien to me. The Malay versions tried to maintain the stories as original as possible but in a Malaysianised context. My favourites have always been the Famous Five (Lima Sekawan) and the Five Find-Outers (Lima Penyiasat Dan Anjing). I did find the Secret Seven (Tujuh Persik) too simple for my liking and I always had difficulty remembering the names of all the seven characters (and who's who) from the series (I still have problems remembering people's names until now). Another favourite of mine is The Secret Island (Pulau Rahsia) from the Secret series. I borrowed most of the books from the school library since I clearly did not have the means to own them. I managed to get some of the books later with my small savings and pocket money. The first Enid Blyton's book that I bought was Lima Sekawan Di Pulau Kanari Lagi (Five On Kirrin Island Again) and that was in 1977. I guess that is why I still treasure a lot of things (especially books, magazines, cassettes and records) from my younger days since they did not come easy to me.

Lima Sekawan Di Pulau Kanari Lagi (Five On Kirrin Island Again)

Lima Sekawan Di Tepi Laut (Five Go Down To The Sea)

Lima Sekawan Riang Merantau (Five Have A Wonderful Time)

To get more information on Enid Blyton's stories which have been translated into Malay, visit this wonderful blog duneoworld.blogspot.com. Another website that is a must for all Enid Blyton's fans is enidblytonsociety.co.uk. Have fun going down memory lane!

FLASHBACK: FLASHDANCE

It has been almost 30 years since the movie 'Flashdance' was released in 1983. As embarrassing as it is, I have to admit that I still enjoy watching it from time to time. I don't care much if people say that I am still trapped in the 80s. To me (and a lot of other people as well), the 80s were the best of times. Maybe it was because I grew up in that era. Nowadays, I am only growing 'out' and 'old'. The movie is definitely not of the so-called 'intelligent' genre so don't expect to be mentally stimulated watching it (guys might be stimulated in other ways though). The plot (is there one?) is much, much thinner than Victoria Beckham on a diet and the acting is clearly not one endorsed by Lee Strasberg. I love this movie and I love it very, very much (I'm a sucker for 'love stories', didn't I tell you that?). I love the cardio workouts and dance routines in the movie (FYI Jennifer Lopez and Geri Halliwell even copied the final dance routine from the movie for their music videos). I love Jennifer Beals (she was such a cutie then and she is still now) who plays Alex, the main character and the way she dresses (totally secondhand and Salvation Army chic!). And I love the songs especially 'I'll Be Here Where the Heart Is' and 'Maniac'. Despite the watery and clichéd storyline, there are a few lessons that we can learn from the movie. The movie is all about never giving up and reaching for your dreams despite all the odds that go against you. Those are the mantras that we should abide by in life if we want to succeed. And if love comes your way, grab it and never let it go. Now, who says that only Bollywoodwood movies and Malay dramas are melodramatic and over the top?

This is the pirated copy of the movie soundtrack that I bought way back in 1983. With my limited pocket money, that was the only thing I could afford back then.

And these are my original cassettes and CD.