Day 23. A Day at Danga Bay

First off

The headline of this post is copy-masturbation at its most self-glorified best

not only did I manage to alliterate danga to 'day' but also made 'day' rhyme with 'bay'

you might think it simple, but that's some pure back-to-basics serendipity magic right there

Which ties in perfectly with our posting about our latest tour-of-duty

8am dim sum with juli was the perfect way to start the mornin

Durim was late

so he missed dim sum and cost us some time on the road

No biggie

Our driver rapheal (pronounced: Ray-feel), not to be mistaken for our graduado Raphael (Ha-fa-el) made sure we got there on time

a few paranoid moments in the van

i was sitting in front

and i'm the world's most chickenshit front-seat passenger

not the mention the fact that a friend of mine in high school lost a leg that way

cause your legs are the same height as the engine, should the unfortunate event of a head-on happen, ouch.

So i tried to sit cross legged, and get some nap.

I think ray had the same idea

i caught him slipping lanes coupla times

and when i stared right at him, he was oblivious, with his eyes semi-shut!

The Bantus Bandwagon is notorious for diversions

We have never. NEVER had a trip where we got there and back on time.

diversions are always part of the masterplan.

The first was Sunny taking us to a god forsaken part of Taman Aminah in the boondogs of JB for lunch, when there was a superb variety of food at the Danga Bay streetmall.

Ok, nobody knew and we were all hungry.

Other than the street mall

Danga Bay's a god forsaken stretch of seaside with no breeze or crowd whatsoever.

The Astro Soccer Safari was under way

It was scorching! The only people who were present were of course the 3-on-3 football participants

No matter, we're free spirited capoeiristas sword to amuse and entertain even if it was a crowd of one

one small problem, the heat was merciless

And we've all been spoilt by too many stage performances

Mental note: ROAD TRIP = SHOES (It is called a road after all)

The sun was blistering. The cement tiles were blistering. My feet were blistering. Even my slippers were blistering damnit. It got to a point where playing in the roda was a better respite than standing and clapping

Roda I

Ache: 6/10

Jogo: 6/10

Roda II

Was slightly better

we warmed up a bit to the 'nice' weather with some futsal

I scored some nice headers from Rafa's crosses

Granted that the keeper was Terry, but it was a nice feeling imagining myself actually doing that in a real game

I miss futsal.

Anyway, second roda was in the futsal arena

It was just as blistering, but at least it was a bouncy floor

the enclosed surrounding and ready-made crowd was also good for energy level

The Aseana Percussion Group were at hand. We're long-time collaborators and Krshna is also my old schoolmate. Great to have them with us on the bataria.

we had a really nice tight roda, every one was very intuitive and worked flawlessly as a unit

Personally, my Capoeira Blitz training at the park's paying off. Got more kicking up-game into my more ground-movement based jogo. Threw in a semao and flippety-flop here and there. In fact had quite an airtime one. I swore i was looking at the ground for a second before landing. Time to work on something new with all that milliseconds to spare.

We were also treated to some super-cool gumboot dance moves by some students from Botswana.

Ache: 8/10

Jogo: 8/10

Roda III

The day eased into the evening.

The crowd was building up at the main stage.

thanks to the Akademi Fantasia performers

The Aseana Percussion Group and Gumboot dancers were also a nice touch.

So we had to put up a show ourselves

and put up we did

another great performance roda

The grand finale was truly epic

Gumboot dancers, Zimbabwean (i think) bushmen with spears, garb and shield, and dopey chinese capoeiristas, plus Dr. Freestyle! Malaysia's best hope at showing the world we too know how to football, powered by the Aseana Percussion Gang

All in one stage!

It was true fun.

By this time, the ball of my right foot was already ripped to shreds

But the rest of the team had a great time doing some really cool tricks to the crowd

Durim's back flik flak across the stage

Malcolm and Durim's mirror compasso back the other way

Terry's semaos

I did some gumboots with the Botswanans.

Ache: 10/10

Jogo: 7.5/10

Roda IV

By this time, i was deliberating with the toilet lady

i looked so dirty she insisted on charging me rm1 because she didn't believe that i was only going in to use the sink to wash up, (20 sen for toilet, rm1 for shower facilities)

we were given hotel facilities though

bliss

and serendipity came along with us in the form of the Aseana Percussion dudes checking out

so we took over their rooms

which definitely saved us some time

no way 8 of us could've showered and be done in 45 mins

Durim was so happy to see the shower he decided to have a Thai Songkran Water Festival in there

the only thing left barely dry, were my wits and sanity

Anyway back to the show

once again, tough crowd

think Johor's big on family dinners and nothing else

there was hardly a crowd

and we already formulated a very nice sequence for them in hand!

no matter, crowd of one, is still a crowd

and bantus aims to please!

so we did our solo entradas, i wanted to do a flipetty flop by settled for a humble headstand

Durim did a backflip despite eating a packet of rice (showoff)

and we all had some very nice benguela games

makulele was also quite tricked out

with some simple choreography to break the routine

all in all, 10 minutes went by really quickly.

Ache: 9/10

Jogo:7/10

More tomfoolery ensued.

In no chronological order, i shall recap the day's non-capoeira highlights

1. Danga Bay has nice food but miserly bathroom attendants

2. Durim sucks at directions! Don't ever put him next to the driver

3. Malcolm always has a bag of snacks at hand

4. I don't know how Lynn stays so calm

5. Rafa, durim and I can form our own Airhorn acapella group. Lynn has the videos to prove it.

6. Curry chicken and enclosed van afterwards = gas chamber. Main suspect - Durim. Chief culprit - Rafa.

7. Road trip = SHOES!

8. Rafa submitted more than 20 entries into the lucky draw - all brasil of course, but i'm the one who put Clint Dempsey as man of the match! Lynn might walk away with a plasma TV!

9. Keep yerself hydrated and bring TWO towels for roadtrip capoeira

10. Durim sucks at directions.

Cool Use of OL SKOOL MAILER meets NEW SKOOL GOOGLE MAPS by DDB Germany Berlin for Volkswagen

Ah finally, a new batch of shortlists worth shortlisting again.

The first page of the direct mailer category A01 was rather boring,

I was beginning to lose hope

that my sleep was sacrificed for naught.

Until the second last shortlisted entry came up

The Navigation Letter from Volkswagen:

Intriguing title, and a curiously simple submission layout

You probably can't make sense of the visual above

but thanks to some simple web ferretting

(by the way, i found better hits on bing for cannes shortlist visuals and references)

so here's the link go check out the case study

http://www.xipax.com/ad/11468/the-navigationletter/

(i've got to learn how to post videos on my blog damnit!)

What's crazy about it, is its simplicity

Use google earth to find the exact route it takes from the Volkswagen office to the customer's home

Trace the outline of it, and customise it on the envelope

Viola!

A very personalised mailer, criteria number 1 for every DM kit.

Guess what they're selling?

In-car GPS of course

I was beginning to wonder why did thebigWON rank Germany as the most creative country in the world

But after this very neat piece of Direct Mailer

I can imagine the beautiful alchemy of the logic and the lucid in the land of mechanical motoring wonders.

Guess what? They're good in making ads for cars too!

And that is why, the Navigation Letter from Volkswagen rocks my balls (located 176 S, 78SW)

Here's the link once again

http://www.xipax.com/ad/11468/the-navigationletter/

day 21 & 22: Capoeira Blitz

Who says you don't get no inspiration from Bejewelled Blitz

First, i got me first 200k medal in 10 mins while waiting for a meeting

i get an inspirational rant about the industry and its fixation for getting the highest rankings

(see Rant and Roll Chapter 2:

http://woeihern.blogspot.com/2009/06/rant-roll-chapter-2-story-of-life-told.html)

then, because these days life gets in the way

but we're still lovin capoeira in the grass right?

Cueca and i have invented the 45 minute Bejewelled Blitz-inspired Capoeira Blitz

DAY 21:

15 minutes warmup

15 minutes floreio revisions

5 x to-the-max jogo regional - we practiced our standing kicks and up-game, been a lil out of practice, averaged 40-50 seconds per set.

DAY 22:

5 minute warmup

5 x jogo regional - average 50 - 60 seconds per set

7 minute break

5 x jogo benguela - average 70-80 seconds per set

DAY 22 we concentrated on putting our floreio and movements that we've been practicing into the jogo. A lot of times we do new moves in classes and practice it solo, which is easily ingrained into a solo performance, but it's so pretty damn hard to blood into your game.

i think we shall continue this Capo Blitz sessions should we have to squeeze in 45 minute park sessions.

we'll reserve the 60 minute ones for a little take-down and grappling drills

and if we've got more than an hour, only we'll take our time mucking about with floreios and mortals

It's about growing up

it's about economising

it's about knowing what to do and doing it efficiently

it's about Capoeira Blitz!

day 20. The road less travelled

Funny how they say you gotta slow down and smell the roses

Well, being a land-lubber who's so used to driving

You forget what's in store for you when you do hit the road

with your feet

You almost forget how alive your neighbourhood is

Trapped in your sheet metal monotony

Format radio droning along

Or your favourite CD reminding you of who you chose to be

Switch off Track 1 for once, and play Track Neighbourhood instead

The first thing you hear's the rustling of leaves overhead

And the pitter of the stray dead one

And the slight damp moist on your face as you wipe it off your brow

You smell wet grass, then some warm smoke from the nearby village

village? yeah it's there

most of the time you're just busy zipping past and it's reduced

to a series of flashing yellow streetlamps

you take a turn

and another

choose the one less travelled

choose the one without streetlamps

narrower, narrower

smells like teen spirit

the one i left behind along with my mountain bike

there should be a graveyard somewhere

there it is, somehow the familiar sentimentality feels me with warmth

amidst the after-rain night chill

no mist of despair or otherworldly stereotypes

just a familiar smile as i walked on

more nooks and crannies

i don't smell roses though

damp rotting foliage

familiar, yet so often far away

a darker road leads to trepidation

a lone bike looms from the back

my neck bristles, i look at my options just in case

it is dark after all

a gate, climbable to my left

the path to the right, too far and open to consider

i hear manic laughter as they zoom past, almost too close

my hands tense, they swing by awfully close and laughed

racial banter trailing in their wake

i didn't want to risk reinforcements, i climb the gate/border

funny how a simple wall divides

how easy it is to physically cross

yet so defines two neighbourhoods

i spot some patrol bikes and climb as soon as they past

lest they mistaken me for the very people that i was suspicious of

walk. walk the road less travelled

because even a mundane hour can make you feel like Jack Bauer

Nike talks about being alone with your thoughts

They never told you which neighbourhood you should do it in.

Rant & Roll 3: Portfolio Nite 7 - Student 0

I thought the Tourism Selangor pitch was a fanboy experience

with Hwa, Ted, Iska all in suits doing the Reservoir Dog standoff to one another

This was a totally different league

like ... ECDs galore

as i entered the hall, some of the students eyed me as i walked to the registration desk

and past it towards the judges desk

Yeah i couldn't believe it myself

oh well it was as good as any an exposure into the cliquish big-league that was the CDs circle

I know a few of them 

so let's do a quick drive-by on my encounters and fleeting conversations

Fanboy, 'Hi Dani, congrats on your new child'

Dani Coumar (ECD Ogilvy) - 'congrats on your wedding proposal'

Fanboy, 'Hey Andy, how're you'

Andy Soong (ECD Publicis) - 'hey hey, good. you want a beer? How's work? busy? that's good...'

Fanboy, 'Hey Szu Hung, i liked you in Sell out. Chow Chee Fai!'

Szu (ECD Mccanns) - 'oh my god, you saw it? How horrible...'

Fanboy, 'Hey Adrian'

Adrian (ECD Saatchis) - 'hi hi....'

Later while spotted smoking in the corner

Adrian - 'smoking's bad for you!'

Fanboy, 'Hi Lakshmi'

Lakshmi (ECD FCB) - 'Hey, how's TM? Which part of it do you all really handle?'

Fanboy, 'Hi Mun'

Mun (ECD BBDO) - 'Hi! Hmmm... where's my table and what's my table number'

Fanboy - eyes Ted Lim

Ted Lim (ECD Naga DDB) - eyes fanboy

they both continue their respective conversations with other people

Fanboy - Would you like to go first? (in reference to a post Portfolio nite interview session)

Tan Kien Eng (GOD Arc and LB) - Nah nah it's ok  (looks away)

As you can see from the above

They were the who's who of the Malaysian creative scene

The above were only bout half of them

The rest i didn't get meet

but god i wish i was a participant instead of a judge

Back in those days, we would've killed to be given the opportunity to splay yourself and work in front of these people

But today

all i saw were half-hearted people who haven't bothered to prepare themselves for Portfolio Nite

I should give them credit though

because at least they turned up.

There are 30,000+ advertising/marketing/design/communication students in Malaysia and TWENTY turned up? 

come on...

the ratio of 1 CD to 1 student was pretty good value

i just wished there was more time to attend to more of them

i only got 45 minutes, 15 each so that's only 3 candidates.

Pretty tiring, but a rather interesting event to be a part of.

VIDEO Interview Curve Ball moment

interviewer, 'so, what is your criteria for creative work'

bimbo noob fanboy zen-like answer 'i dunno... i guess as long as it makes you smile.'

Urg, i still cringe.

The ECDs are mingling post Portfolio nite.

I rolled myself a cancer stick

Organiser, 'Won't you stay? Your boss is still around, and so are many of the ECDs. It'll be fun'

Fanboy, 'No thanks, my team's waiting back at the office'

Organiser, 'Well thanks for coming'

Fanboy, 'Thanks for having me'

The distant laughing and camaraderie 

Already just a murmur in the background

as i head back to the people that matter the most.

Day 19. my back muscle lost its virginity

It's been a week of non-training

i had to squeeze in some sweat-time

great to have cueca as a buddy

he's always happy to accomodate his less-fit corporate capoeirista louhung

At the gym,

Quek: Whaddya wanna do?

Me: Whatever you're doing... but less.

And so we focused on the kryptonite of my capoeira physique

the back and shoulder muscles

started with some half au leg stretches 

shoulderblades breaking at the seams

and then you dip your head through to tear it some more

and medicine ball assisted stretch

i think in medieval times they used something like this too

quek defiled my shoulders by stretching them

i think it'll be worthwile some day

final set in the circuit was the killer leg swing sit up 

without a partner

i used a quek-assisted medicine ball

i think i shall cry my muscles to sleep...

hu huu hu huu

that's what a raped back muscle sounds like.

Day 18. Capoeira. Makulele. Samba. Wine. Nice.

The lull before the drizzle

yes. that is the love of my life. although you 

wouldn't have guessed it by the ever-increasing amount of

incriminating photos.

told ya.

the irony - local chinese boys playing capoeira

to remind south american expats what they miss from home.

all in all... a good day.

Wow it's been seven days of neglect to my lonesome blog

its only inhabitant - an empty shoutbox app still unapplied

i thought i figured it out while using the twitter app

and likewise with the shoutbox

it's true now that i'm in the new decade, i'm not being tsunami'd aside by progress

but i guess i feel its currents stronger on my less youthful brain-legs.

Better to wallow in things more familiar

like gaming, and capoeira, and of course it comes will circle with passion persistently always the pulse of a writer

so here goes:

a mirthful weekend indeed

full of catching-up with friends

and i was treated to a real blast from the not-so-distant-past

a restaurant full of latin americans celebrating south america day

well not that it's an official celebration

but Malaysians should soak in more of their capricious spirit

music, revelry, camaraderie

we certainly couldn't disappoint them 

and so we went

a nice pleasant roda

no pressures

a nice team of smiling capoeiristas who know that it was to be a day of fun

malandro level down

i had a rather simple couple of games in the roda

decided to give the south americans what they were looking for... Rafael

so i took over the bataria

Terry's very eager to lead the singing now

i'm still getting used to it, because not many people do it in the troupe

it's good that he's taking charge

It was pretty bread and butter

i think everyone was still lethargic from their respective long weekends 

plus it was pretty relaxed in front of a home crowd

all in all

personal roda rating - 6.5

Roda axe rating - 7

Samba was rock steady though.

Quek fell asleep at one break. But i'd rather look at it as a good thing cause we rolled with it and continued like right proper professionals.

Samba rating - 8

Juli was feeling the samba vibe

who could ask for more

fiesty brasilian free spirit, with a penchant for even more spirits free or otherwise, all in a compact chinese child-bearing woei hern-loving package

can be quite a handful

and so i was left to my own devices

in the form of Poleitia and Wei Nee

the evil twins and their rm5 wines

please see exhibit B.

All in all. A pretty great day, to savour what capoeira has always been about. Life.

Rant & Roll chapter 2 - the story of life told in two images

Exhibit A - 4 hours of Bejewelled Facebook meditation 

Exhibit B - The source of my grief

I read a lot about award-winning work

I love advertising and creativity

Much as a loathe the awards game

and believe myself to be one who is 'true' to my profession

meaning - dedicated to giving my clients the best creative solution to solve marketing and brand problems

A part of me still feels competitive

and every time this year (well maybe twice a year, counting kancils, but last year i didn't feel it)

I feel a niggling mixture of frustration, jealousy and impotence when the Creative Review publishes their annual creative rankings.

Does it mean they're better than me?

More importantly, am I as good as them?

Normally the creative child in me is just plain happy to learn, invent and create something new every day. All i want is something new in my portfolio. And if my team learns something as well, all the better. And if we all went through each campaign, and came out alive and smiling, there are sure to be something to remember on our battle scars for the next sortie. 

But nooo. This isn't normal. Not with a 4 day long weekend. Not with jumping into the deep end on the wrong end of the client-agency appreciation scale. Not with the creative rankings issue hanging itself at newstands.

And so i did the one thing i could. Screen-saver meditation. Many creative books and books on creativity will always tell you to walk away and do something else, how it's good for your thoughts. And it always has. So here are some fleeting thoughts through it all.

1. Winning awards - conspiracy 1 - you get hooked, and you stay at the agency, willing to do anything and everything because that's the price you pay to get your name on that poster submission form.

2. Winning awards, irony 1 - you lose your best people after they win the awards, because at the end of the day they're chasing the money

3. Winning awards, irony 2 - last year's top creative person was purely fictional. Truth is, he's more real than most of the work that the creatives whose names are on the list have won on.

4. Winning awards, irony 3 - the 'third-person voice' in me is calling me a loser, because only losers complain about the awards. 

5. Winning awards, irony 4 - where does it all end? for some people never. I guess that's what some people are paid for. It's the choices we make, and to each their own. Also upbringing i suppose. I grew up in the 'blue-collar' part of the advertising neighbourhood. 

Yes. Bejewelled for Facebook. As i started chasing the rankings on the page, i realised... YES! I made it into the Top 3... look at me! I am the envy of everyone else in the rankings. On the overall scheme of things, it ain't exactly the nobel prize. And even then, they don't win on Theory. Just like architects who don't win because they submitted a sketch of the building. Neither do they have to submit their buildings for the award shows (i'm assuming the last point).

At if Hajjah should come in with a copy of the rankings, i will still buy it, study it, and scrutinise it. And of course, try to spot my name in it, semi-conciously.

The irony never ceases. Give me some work to do damnit. Or maybe more Bejewelled Blitz.