Moving pictures and unboxed music

Nope. Nothing crazy which happened in the past few days to tell you people about. No bearded ladies or pugnacious senior citizens, no best mates (e.g. KH) rolling about on the ground and eating grass, no ingenious master pranks, nothing of those sort. But come to think of it, I do remember a very solemn Sean detailing to Jerry and I, the undeniable existence and purpose of UFOs in our modern world, over dinner last week. That would make an interesting story, but let’s leave it for another time.

But of course, that doesn't mean the week was anything short of being great. Last Sunday Jolyn and I watched Freedom Writers, the latest Saint-saves-students movie which did raise a few thoughts with its portrayal of American youth apathy and racial segregation, perpetrated by a prejudiced education system and street gang feuds. Before that was Music and Lyrics, and while I don't usually watch romantic comedies, the witty dialogue and charming performances from Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant made the movie thoroughly enjoyable.

I met up with some of the guys too, before their overwhelming revision schedules consume what remaining free time they have left. Last week Jerry, Sean and I made a trip down to Arab Street, searching for a live Jazz café recommended by Andre. And while there, we discovered that Arab Street, well known for its Shisha bars and cafes, also has pretty damn good Mediterranean food. Jerry and I shared a Lamb carcass cooked with special herbs and served with fragrant rice. It was so good we licked the plate clean, though for 2 persons, the portion leaves more to be desired. Jerry says I was exaggerating, but I swear I can finish the thing by myself. A little down the street we found the place we were looking for, the Blu Jaz Café. Im not sure if the band that played that night was the resident band, but they were definitely good. The music was a blend of experimental keyboards, jazzy bass playing, and light but fast drumming. Music aside, the beer was affordable and the food (judging from the fish and chips Sean ordered) seemed decent too. Im going back there for sure.

Then just a few days back, we went to Crazy Elephant at Clarke Quay. This time there were more of us, probably because the draw was live rock music. Jerry and I met first, then KH, Yeja, Sheng and Richie joined us later. The band that played that night mostly did blues rock covers. There were Jimi Hendrix, Elvis, and even a skewed version of The Door’s "Backdoor Man" which included some parts of "The End". Technically they were very good, with both guitars taking turns to play fantastic solos, and the drums and bass providing excellent rhythm support. Listening to them play for almost 2 hours was pure pleasure, reminiscent of the time when we were at Bangkok’s Rock Pub.

The only regret I have, was not taking pictures at any of the places, or rather in this case, no videos of the bands playing. Oh well, remind me to bring my camera along the next time I’m going to explore another live music venue, so you can listen to the good ones play here.