Wicked Aura In Da House!

Wicked Aura is Wicked. WORD UP.

Voted one of Singapore's best-loved percussion band, they've created something very special with their very own brand of Brazilian samba. Fronting the 13 member band is charismatic Budi, who currently spots a mohawk and is a Wesley Snipes lookalike. When he and his brothers perform, they literally bring the house down with their electrifying and energetic drumbeats. Their passion for the rhythm is so contagious, it sets fire to feet and gets people off their seats!

Last night, I went to BluJaz to catch them live for the 2nd time and dare I say, I am fucking hooked on that shit! They are DOPE! We don't even fucking get this stuff in Canada.

Some friends who have never seen them LIVE are now new converts because of how awesome a performance these guys put up. I was on my feet all night and the music was so infectious, it's easy to get others off their butts and start dancing with me. It's so hard to convince anyone of how just dynamic they are as a group but once you've heard them LIVE, you'll definitely be a fan. They are a riot and you better fucking believe it.


Pouring with sweat, this is definitely a great workout, for both the band and the audience.

This is the beauty of Wicked Aura, they always look like they're having fun. Here's Budi, the frontman, drummin' it up.

Met this Cuban chick who was at the same table as us. Turns out she's quite the flute player. Broke out her instrument and improvised with Wicked Aura. Muy excelente!

Here's Wan Afro wearing a ski cap. I was thinking he must be dying in it. Looked good in it though! His inspiration is derived from musician, Steve Thornton.

Salle is really cute in a big teddy bear sorta way. He makes girls wanna go and give him big bear hugs, I know I do! Lol...Apparently he had dreads in the past, I like his cute little afro though. Oh oh, he loves Latin music!!

Hardy stands all the way in the back row but has a quiet confidence about him that intrigues. I'm sure he's got quite a few women swooning over him!

Silvio, a guest player, straight from Brazil, plays the strange looking berimbau. This instrument has African origins and is incorporated into the capoeira, the Brazilian martial art. A girlfriend commented on the berimbau and not wanting it to be a part of an anal probe, uh, on anyone.

Hailed all the way from Kitchener, Ontario, this is Rebecca! Who knew a Canadian would be seated right beside me, and to have lived so close to each other in Canada! She is here in Singapore on a short vacation while teaching English in Korea. Best of luck!

She, who is fasting, cannot be drinking. I prefer her drinking...lol...

Just my luck, she's a heavy weight drinker and didn't have enough booze in her...not like me, I'm a cheap drunk!

Ex-colleague turned good buddy, Samit made it down to the bar and was wowed by Wicked Aura and its energy thumping beats. Once again, too bad he didn't have enough booze in his system. Apparently he can get pretty crazy on the dance floor! Seriously, what's up with these people who don't drink in bars?!

When the night wound down, Samit and I decided to grab some teh halia - ginger milk tea - to soothe my throat coz I was so raspy from screaming. We stayed out till 5am, catching up, talking about diversity, stereotypes, work culture, you know, just shooting the shit with each other. BTW, it is my lifelong mission to find him a nice Indian wife, who is as sweet as he is! Anyone knows anyone knows anyone?? Ok, he's sooo gonna freakin' kill me for this. Hehe...

So, since we're on the topic of hanging out with buddies of the opposite sex, are platonic relationships possible between men and women?

When I was in Singapore, I've always had more male friends then female ones. Other than a small handful of girls that I just reconnected with after 20 freakin' years, most, if not all of my friends are males. I guess I'm just the male kinda gal. If you haven't noticed, it's also easier to talk to men. There's none of that emotional crap that women go through, there's no watching your mouth, being sensitive to issues, there's no *gasp* "I can't believe she just did that" bullshit. With men, you say it as it is, you swear, you get over it, you're having your next drink, that's obviously if you're hanging out with men you're not romantically linked with.

So, is hanging out with a buddy till 5 in the morning, acceptable for a married woman (Eastern or Western)? Would David approve of this if I told him about it?

Just to test the waters, even though I already knew the answer, I asked him. He proved me right. There is absolutely nothing wrong with hanging out with people of the opposite sex, yes, even alone. Are humans such rabid animals that they cannot conduct themselves appropriately, with well defined boundaries that they know they must never cross? Does hanging out with another guy mean that I do not treasure the sanctity of my marriage and is willing to jeopardize the trust we've spent all these years building? Do I seriously have to be 'allowed' to hang out with someone other than my husband? The last time I checked, I stopped asking for 'permission' when I was 16.

Would I be ok if David hung out with a good female friend of his? Apparently, right after I told him I was out with Samit, he said he was over at a friend's place the night before having farewell drinks with 2 chicks before boarding the plane to come home to me. Was I ok with that? Did I for a moment think he was up to anything licentious with either one of these women? Hell no, coz I knew he wouldn't. We have too much freakin' trust and respect for each other to do that. Maybe it's coz we worked so damn hard, against ALL odds to be together, that we're not ready for this 'pushing the boundaries' bullshit.

Does having such a deep connection with your loved one means you can no longer have or maintain meaningful adult relationships with people of the opposite sex? Does insecurity drive people to place petty restrictions on their loved ones that may drive people to cheat anyways?

This is the thing I love about David. He knows I will never do anything to put our marriage through shit we don't want to deal with. He also knows I will not sacrifice time with him to be with a buddy, coz seriously, if I do that, there's something seriously wrong. I am the way I am, I keep it real. I don't behave a certain way with my buddies when he's around and another way when he's not. Should I, since I'm married? Is it inappropriate for married women (Eastern or Western) to do this? Does this make me a worse person? Am I fundamentally altered coz I don't believe in this bullshit? Am I being edgy? Maybe to some tight ass people but you know what? I can't please everyone, so how about pleasing myself? Ok, that just sounded sexual, didn't it? Get your minds out of the gutter!

There's this stereotype that people who are this way shouldn't be that, that people shouldn't say certain things or do certain shit. Do I fucking care about these stereotypes and about dying to fit in? Not really. I'm going to try and maybe even pretend, but I may never truly seal the deal and seriously, at the end of the day, who do I answer to? MY OWN FREAKIN' SELF. Just imagine for a second if I do care. Do I wanna be a carbon copy of the next person beside me on the bus? How boring would life be if that was the case? Have I always been like this or was it the 'western devil' that got to me? As far as I can remember, I've always been opinionated as a child. In fact, my primary school girls can attest to that, which kinda shocked me a little. I didn't think children were that perceptive about characters at 7 or 8.

I've gotten feedback about my blog. Some people like it, most people find it interesting, I've got some shockers but am I gonna change the way I write. Let me think about this...no. This is a blog, THIS IS NEW AGE, if people can't deal with it, they shouldn't be here.

So, enjoy it or blast off!

Just being myself,

Lady P.