The night we partied like rock stars...(title coined by Jessica)

Jessica whom I haven't seen since 2004 when she visited Toronto, was heading to Stereolab on a Saturday night when she pinged me and asked if we wanted to head there as well. I thought why not, we've never been to that place and we haven't seen her in ages.


With a 25 age limit, the place guarantees that it is NOT a crawlin' with young teenagers. It apparently is the seen and be seen place-to-be with a very creme de la creme exclusive guest list. The management is confident enough to say they want to be able to pick who gets in so that they have the 'right people' in their club. They don't even promise entry into the club if you're oh-so-lucky to get a ticket, that was of course their delusion BEFORE the club actually opened. The cover charge of $38, inclusive of one drink kinda put us off at first. I mean that's pretty steep for a cover, doncha think?? Well, looks like the hype for the newly opened place has died down considerably.



Da Bi and I pulled up at the Pan Pacific Hotel at 11.45pm and the place was crawlin' with more doormen and valet parkers than partay patrons. There were three lines outside the club - VIPS, regular club guests and reservations - and they were all empty. Talk about exclusivity, we were whisked right by to the ticket counter. We were in for surprise - $23 for women and $28 for men, inclusive of 2 drinks!! SCORE! Another sign that the club isn't doing as well as they like if they lowered the $38 cover charge to that.


Once we got our tix, we saw a sparse group of people standing around, in front of big double doors and it turned out they were waiting for their membership cards to the place. TO THIS PLACE?? Ok, whatever, if people wanted to wait in line, let them wait in line. We were once again whisked right in. Boy, do we feel like the creme de la creme now.



What greeted us disappointed us, empty cushy seats and tables and the people standing? I could probably count them on my hands if I made 2 rounds of the place. What happened to the 'smiling faces' and people feeling the music (as advertised) in this place? I saw a few women in ball gowns! YES, ball gowns! Some grandpa in a white blazer and a whole lot of unfriendly, disinterested people with pretentious, shi shi attitudes.


The music was indeed interesting though, a bit of soul, a bit of jazz, a bit of funk with electronic beats, not sure if it's our cup of tea. I just can't dance to endless thumping beats and electric sabre sounds all night.


We couldn't find Jessica and friends, turned out they were chillin' in the Stereolounge, another room that didn't require patrons to pay to get in! Damn, jibbed again!! The lounge was a bit fuller but no means a busy area. Met another secondary school friend, Weisan! She has not changed one bit, still cute as a button. All of us grew up and matured but not her, she's still the vision of a baby! Obviously, someone has the fountain of youth piped to her personal faucet.



Met a couple other peeps, like Jess's colleague, Natasha, Weisan's very young looking boyfriend and some others.




2 bottles of Moet champagne later, we wondered if we could utilize our drink tickets that we got from our cover charges. The waitress informed us that we could not do so in Stereolounge, only Stereolab and we couldn't bring our drinks over. I thought that was kinda ridiculous since we paid to get in while everyone in the lounge didn't have to. I told the waitress that she should tell management what a bad policy I thought that was. She was polite and apologetic and we were resigned to our fates. 5 minutes later, she came back and told us she would take our tix. Now, that's what I call customer service!



Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to keep us there. After the 3rd bottle of champagne, we decided we were gonna party like rock stars, actually Jessica decided. :p She was adamant to paint the town red and all of us were happy to oblige.





Chillin' with Jess, Natasha and Greg at Stereolounge.


That's Jason, Weisan's b/f and Weisan, flanking Da Bi and I. Speaking of young looking...seriously, just look at them! The minute I was introduced to Jason, the first thing I said was 'YOU LOOK LIKE A BOY!' to which he chirped in goodnaturedly, 'I AM A BOY!'

I turned to Weisan and said, 'Good for you!' She is 3 years older than him and that is not an issue between them which I think is great! I mean maybe he is THE secret to her youth, yes??!


This prompted a short conversation about women dating younger men. Maybe this is what is needed. A youngER man who can keep up and why shouldn't that be the case? For years, men have been on the prowl for younger, more energetic, more youthful women to be eye candy and trophy g/fs and wives so what's if this was reversed? Younger men want to please their women more because they know their women have had more experience, more life, more things to compare to. They want to measure up, they want others to know how their strong-like-bull stamina keep their women happier, lovelier and how they get less of those silly tantrums they put up with if their women were younger. They know their women are confident and have no hang ups about being seen with younger men. They own confidence is pumped because they make their women look so attractive and they know it too.


This not so new trend is breaking down traditional barriers and gaining mainstream momentum. Women today are no longer with men for reasons of yester-eras. They don't need men for financial security as many surpass them on the same corporate ladder. They don't need men for emotional support as they are more in tune with their needs and know what they want and what they can get. Heck, they don't even need men to have babies anymore. They want an equal, someone to make them laugh, live and love. Women who date younger men are the new confident lot! Not that there's anything new with that, just look at Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon and Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry.

Is age really such an issue? Only if you make it out to be. I mean, seriously, imagine the kinda young, fun, wild, crazy sex these couples have! Ok, now, stop imagining.

The boys...man we feel so old around them...but they were tons of fun! That's Rash (??), Laurence and Jason with their godfather. Muahahahaaa...

Next stop: Butter Factory at 1 Fullerton. Da Bi and my first time there as well. The entrance was jam packed full of people, mostly younger folks, some glamourous, some trashy, some indie types, but mostly trendy. Since Jess had made reservations, we bypassed all the sorry blokes and were whisked in again. The cover charges were the same as Stereolab.

The club has 2 rooms, one playing trance and the other hip hop. We obviously headed straight to the hip hop room and stayed there for the rest of the night. The DJ was pretty good, even his amateur beat boxing was passable for a local Chinese dude. The only thing that mattered was that he got people on their feet and hands in the air. The only problem with this place was that it was waaaay too crowded. If it had a bit more dancing and breathing space, it would've made for a more pleasant clubbing night. We'll come back here, if we're feeling ghetto fabulous.

We had way too much fun outside the club. We actually contemplated not going in and just hanging outside as we went snap happy.

Cute sign - "Pardon me Miss, I seem to have lost my phone number. Can I borrow your's(sic)?"

Da Bi was very insistent that there was a pic of him drinking out of a jug of alcohol, common sight in Singapore, unheard of in Canada.

Stereolab

Pan Pacific Hotel

7 Raffles Boulevard, Marina Square

Singapore 039595

T: 6337 0800

Mon - Fri 6pm - late

Sat & Sun 8pm - late

The Butter Factory

1 Fullerton Rd

#02-02/03/04
Singapore 049213

T: 6333 8243

Wed 10pm - 3am

Thur 9pm - 2am

Fri & Sat 10pm - 4am

Another night of partaying over...

Lady P.

When All Hell Breaks Loose

BOO.

The 7th month is upon us. Oooooooh...spooky. It is also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival and it falls on the 7th month of the lunar calendar. It is somewhat like Halloween in North America but it has way more importance than just dressing up as ghouls and goblins. This festival is celebrated by the Chinese in parts of Southeast Asia and China. It's actually taken quite seriously by the people, even the non superstitious ones, in Singapore. Malays and Indians alike observe the general dos and don'ts of this month long festival.

The Chinese believe that during this time, the gates of hell spring wide open and hungry ghosts are free to roam earth. Brings to mind battles between good and evil on middle earth in Lord of the Rings, don't you think?

To pacify these spirits, food and offerings are laid out for the taking. The Chinese are big believers of ancestral worship so this festival is also one to commemorate and pay tribute to their ancestors who have passed on. This is done to ensure good fortune and to ward off bad luck for future generations.

It's been a while since I 'celebrated' this festival since I've been out of the country for so long. David and I were wandering around the suburbia heartlands of Bukit Batok when we chanced upon a 'getai', literally meaning song stage. It is an operatic concert of sorts, although no Shakespeare, performed outdoors in Hokkien or Teochew for both the living and the dead, is a visual and audio delight to the uninitiated. This tradition is a dying one because only the living old truly understand and appreciate the art of the melo-drama. They observe it fastidiously because they believe these performances will please the wandering spirits.

As a child, I use to accompany my maternal grandma (bless her soul) to the big open field beside our apartment, foldable stool in tow to watch these concerts, every night for the entire month. My grandma would pick a cool and unobstructed spot and plant herself there for the rest of the night. Me, I didn't really care for the opera on stage. I was happy to be out of the house, roaming with the other neighbourhood kids. Grandma would always try to scare me by warning me of spirits roaming the area as well. That didn't do anything for me as I played hide and seek, hop scotch and 5 stones to my heart's delight.

Memories came flooding back to me as I hear the familiar sounds of squeaky flutes and clashing cymbals, smell the burning of fragrant incense, see the colourful costumes and elaborate make up of the performers. For the first time in my adult life, I wish Grandma was here to explain what the people on stage were wailing about.

A female performer, dressed up as a man, possibly a scholar.

This is was the resident drummer, living out his dream of being a rock star. Think he was the troupe master since he was the one who gave me the OK to take pics.

Offerings of fruit and cake to the wandering dead.

Decorations, symbolizing wealth or gold.

The robe and headgear of a deity or spirit on display. No one sits on this chair other than 'him'.

Chinese deities and spirits aren't always the most benevolent looking. This one looks like the King of Hades, god of the dead.

Alot of spirits are also beliefs based on folklore to scare people into submission.

Hell money to be burnt, as offerings to the dead. It is believed that even in the underworld, material goods are highly coveted.

A dinner table, laid out for the wandering ghosts and spirits, to appease their hungry stomachs while on their roam on earth.

Elaborate 3 story paper houses, complete with paper servants, plants, suits, cars, jewellery, DVD players, to be burnt so that such luxuries can be enjoyed even in the underworld.

Resplendent house offering for the dead.

The burning of offerings begin.

A row of red chairs flank the 1st row in front of the stage. These priority seats are reserved for VIPs, also known as 'the others'. These performers entertain and hopefully appease.

I've never been one to believe in the supernatural but I can fully appreciate the culture and tradition of this festival. It actually makes me a little sad knowing that 2 decades, or even 1 from now, this would probably completely die off.

On that note, I will think about what I will dress up as for Halloween this year. It's the 1st time I am celebrating it in Singapore and my girls and I are excited about what we'll do.

Past years...

Pimpin' it up, Foxy Cleopatro style. Hugo was kinda scared at first, he kept looking at my afro and trying to sniff it. I think I left my afro in Canada...:(

Foxy with Morpheus from the Matrix.

I was a 1920s flapper girl at the company Halloween party.

What will you dress up as this year?

Needing ideas!

Lady P.

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.

Barbie, blonde wigs and boas...plus a trail of feathers leading me home...

Sooo...this is the day after Serene's Bachorelette Party and I don't know about the rest of the girls but I'm pooped. The theme of the night was Barbie, hence the pink, the blonde wigs, the boas and a dose of dumbness.

We pre-ate, pre-drunk, pre-jello shot, pre-played some highly hilarious game and got ready at my place before jumping into cabs. Our destination was Clarke Quay, where there was a good mix of people.


Serene, bride to be, Grace and myself were in the same cab while Veronica, Sharina and Janice went in another.

We had the worse cab driver ever but we made good fun of the situation and snapped away! Instead of a tiara, we got her a headpiece. Love it, pity it isn't very visible in this shot.

Causing a scene at the taxi stand. EVERYONE was looking at us, some with disdain, some with curiousity, some with awe. WHATEVER! We knew they wanted to be a part of us!

The night begun with Serene having to find someone willing to eat these Polo candy on a ribbon off her chest, NO HANDS!

TADA! First lucky guy of the night. A Canadian from Montreal. He really got DOWN to her chest level, didn't he...NICE!

2nd lucky guy of the night...he was munching...yummm....

Some other dude, didn't catch him in the action. Ah well....

Ok, by this time, you're thinking we're racist or something but we were not! We tried to get local men to participate and no one would!! How fucking boring is that? There was this guy who stood there with a ciggy hanging in the corner of his mouth and he just looked at us like we were crazy or something and just waved us off like we were flies...fucking loser, with no life, obviously no balls either.

We got several Chinese tourists from Wuhan who were fascinated by us and insisted on snapping pics of us. She was game enough to chew a polo off Serene as well! Kudos!! Who said Mainlanders were boring?!!

Another Wuhanian who BEGGED to chew the polo candy! Haha...what a great sport!

That's all of us in all our Barbie glory!

Some hottie from Germany...he was delicious! I meant, the polo, the polo...heee...

The Germans, who later signed Serene's shirt. Speaking of which, we forgot to get her to collect more signatures!! Damn it...

This guy was kinda creepy. Apparently, he was following us all around Clarke Quay, or rather he was following Veronica all around Clarke Quay. He was wearing some kung fu outfit without fastening his robe. He was dying to take it off. Pretty impressive tattoos and body...*pant pant*

Another task - when Serene asked if he was wearing boxers or underwear, he gamely pulled down his pants and TADA! Nothing! Sweeeeet!! Check out that white ass! Hahahaha...

We saw a ceramic frog and made Serene kiss it. There was alot of tongue action...kinda gross....good for a laugh though!

We ended the night at Attica. There was a HUGE line up outside so we made Serene hook us up with the funky haired bouncer. He took one look at us and whisked us in!! Great job, Serene! You've obviously still got it! There was a professional photographer who took a snap shot of all of us. I don't even wanna know where that pic is gonna end up!

Some dude who was dancing with us most of the night. Pretty cool guy. He even participated in some of our games. ROCK ON, dude!

Was this before my shot or not? What's with my eyes?? Oh right, they're small to begin with...damn...on another note, doesn't Grace's wig look like her real hair?!! She was obsessively brushing it while at my place, which explains all the straight blond hair all over my living room. Thanks Grace.

Luuuurve the bob on Sha! Very Pulp Fiction-ish. Me likey!

Don't know why Janice was so excited, was it the shot?? Veronica wouldn't stop twilling her hair all night...she was perfect for the dumb blonde role, doncha think??

Holy shit, our 6 shots cost us $120, sooooooo not worth it, plus I didn't even enjoy it! Blah...

Can you tell the night got wilder?? This guy was game enough to let Serene go down on him and pick the ciggy out of his underwear with her teeth! Serene did GOOOOOOOD....now we all know her talent! This girl's got skills.

There we go! First guy and now she's off to the next! Atta girl!

Does the dude on the right look like a younger version of that Taufik guy or what?! The one who won S'pore Idol or something?? These 2 were super enthusisiatic about our games, they were fun!

Ok, this dude was just standing there, smoking and staring at us with a glaze in his eyes so we made Serene go and ask him if she could grab his ass. Surprisingly, he said YES! He didn't seem like he was enjoying it though...he just stood there...hmm...I can't be sure Serene enjoyed it either since his ass was almost non-existent. Ah well, brownie points for the first Chinese local who participated!

I don't know what this crazy woman was doing. She found a couch of some sort and just decided to pose like she's a mermaid without a mermaid's tail. Go figure...

We hit the dancefloor and danced and danced and danced. It was HAWT, like, literally we-were-ready-to-pass-out-hot! The wigs didn't help...lol...

This was the end of the night...we exited Attica in 6 whole pieces and took the last pic of the night.

When I got to my housing complex, I saw the feathers that we had left behind on our way out....there was a clear trail leading me all the way to my block, into the elevator and right to my door.

Know what was the most disturbing thing we discovered about the men?? None of them carried any condoms in their wallets!!! Doesn't anyone practise safe sex anymore?!

Rock on!

Lady P.