malaysia Blog and Journals

Singapore, 19th December 2009

It had been ages since we returned to Backstage. New funky star shaped lights had been embedded into the wooden floor.  My heels still got stuck between the wooden floor boards. Though our old haunt still looked the same, it felt a little empty without our good sisters Terrence & Zeus. It was nice to catchup with our dear friends Azmi and Sabri after many months.

Our dearest Adaline pulled a suprise birthday celebration on our beautiful sister Geraldine. It's nice to be 24 years of age again even if it's through the eyes of our young sister.

We discussed detials of our Bangkok trip next year. The itinerary is very exciting with loads of shopping and partying. If you're interested to take part in the planning discussion, please visit our SGGURLS forum.

Asia's growing transgender network:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sggurls

http://www.sgbutterfly.org

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bangkoktrans

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mygurlz

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chinagurls

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MXPX MIX THINGS UP FOR AN INTERNATIONAL RUN
IN JAPAN AND MALAYSIA

Trio Announce All-Star Line-Up Featuring Mike Herrera,
Kris Roe of The Ataris and Chris Wilson of The Summer Obsession 

Los Angeles, CA, October 7, 2009 - Bremerton, WA's punk trio MxPx will be embarking on an International tour to Japan and Malaysia, but with a slight twist.  An MxPx All-Star line-up has been announced featuring MxPx lead vocalist and bassist Mike Herrera along with Kris Roe of The Ataris on guitar and Chris Wilson of The Summer Obsession on drums.  The MxPx All-Stars will perform four dates in Japan with friends, Zebrahead starting on December 4 in Tokyo and ending in Osaka on December 8.  The All-Stars will then head off to KualaLumpur, Malaysia for a solo date on December 11.

"We decided to change things up a little for some International dates, due to Yuri having another baby recently and Tom wanting to be home through the holidays," said MxPx lead vocalist and bassist Mike Herrera. "Chris [Wilson] has been our fourth member for awhile covering on select dates, so he was an easy selection. I asked Kris [Roe] to join in because he's another close friend of ours that plays his own music and I knew he would be a fun addition to the line-up."

For the past decade, MxPx have had a relentless touring schedule.  Having traveled to Australia, Israel, Russia, China, Europe, South American, Indonesia, Japan, and now Malaysia, the band finally had this summer off to finish recording and mastering their new EP, Left Coast Punk, which will be released later this year.  They will also finish recording additional tunes for their holiday album, which is set to be released in the next few months as well. 

Ataris front man Kris Roe met MxPx in 1996, when both bands began their first tours together. "We all bonded in the fact that we were all under 21, grew up in small towns and had left school and dropped everything we knew to get in a van to follow our dreams of what we loved and the only thing we likely knew... to play music." Roe is ready to let go of his normal front man role to fill in for MxPx guitarist Tom Wisniewski. "Being able to just play guitar for an entire set without having to worry about being the singer will be a great relief.   It gets a little tiring sometimes."

Chris Wilson is very familiar with MxPx's set list as he has filled in for MxPx drummer Yuri Ruley in the past on occasional dates as well as being a fan of the band while growing up. "MxPx have definitely been one of my biggest music and lifestyle influences, and when I tour with them it always proves to be a great time!  I mean hell...I get to play for one of my favorite bands again! Who wouldn't want to do that?"

The song selection will consist of tracks from MxPx's massive catalog, and of course, include tracks from their current covers album, On The Cover II; And with Roe and Wilson in the mix, they will also be performing a couple of Ataris tracks, as well as some special surprises.

The Ataris, a pop punk band originally out of Anderson, Indiana have released five studio albums and are currently finishing their forthcoming album The Graveyard of the Atlantic.  They will be touring the western U.S. throughout September and early October before heading to Jakarta, Indonesia for one show, and then continue on to New Zealand and Australia. 

The Summer Obsession, a punk band now based in Los Angeles, is also working on a new album.  Having last released their major label debut This Is Where You Belong through Virgin Records, the band took some time off, but are now back in the studio working on a new material.

Current Tour Itinerary for MxPx All-Stars:

w/Zebrahead:

December 4                 Studio Coast                Tokyo, Japan

December 6                 Bay Hall                      Yokohama, Japan

December 7                 Diamond Hall              Nagoya, Japan

December 8                 Hatch                           Osaka, Japan

Solo date:

December 11               Number One Café       KualaLumpur, Malaysia

www.mxpx.com

www.myspace.com/mxpx

www.facebook.com/mxpxpx

www.twitter.com/mxpx

# # #

For more information on MxPx All-Stars, contact:

Kelly MacGaunn

kelleemack pr

p. 818.506.7105

e. kelly@kelleemackpr.com

19th Sept 2009

Singapore

This Satuday I learned that sometimes last minute and no plan can be quixotic formulae for a fun filled night? It was an auspicious day with triple nines in a date, the eve of Hariraya Adilfitri and the first night after the Chinese hellgates closed. I was quite confident that things would workout eventhough it was the first time we held an SGGURLS outing in Ootique. We had to pickup a girlfriend of mine from the early SM days. She's the archetype Singapore Airlines stewardess: exotic, beautiful, cool and oh so girly.

When we arrived in Ootique, there was a hen party in progress. I was absolutely delighted to see a bunch of beautiful girls (real girls mind you), spotting strap-ons and hopping around the shop. I just can't help but grin silly at the much sexier versions of the Everready bunnies as they disappear into the horizon. We were greeted by Ootique's resident sexologist, Dr, Martha Lee (a real life qualified clinical sexologist). Mistress Cyra spotted a wicked smile when I did the introductions. I wanted to ask but I had learned not to bug a beautiful woman on her bemusements. Martha gave Mistress Cyra and slave a tour of Ootique. When we entered into the toy shop, Tiffanie and Annie were like deers caught in headlights. They were hunched a display case ogglig at battery operated devices. :-P Martha revealed that Michelle had been slowly stocking up very high quality adult toys. Ooo ... i wanted them too. 

We waited patiently for our dear Trish to show. A few of us pooled our resources and send one of our dear friend on a brave mission to TCC to get an extravagant cheese cake. Our beautiful Trish finally showed up, much to our relief. The birthday celebration went in full swing. While we ate our cake and had fun, we decided to make full use of Mistress Cyra's slave. In return for crashing the on-going Hen party, we made him give the beautiful bride-to-be a foot massage that rivaled Osim. 

Before more chaos and amorous activities set in, our head bunny, Kayla, called our SGGURLS' meeting to order. On the agenda were the status of the 2010 calendar project, the donor's money, the plans for the 2nd anniversary and halloween. No swords were crossed in the meeting but I can't say the same for the two duelling nymphettes swashbuckling their red hot vibrators after the meeting. I am not sure what the gurls were doing to the two poor manequines. When midnight rolled by, the gurls were itching to go to Dixie's for their round usual rounds of KTV and pool. I think the KTV and pool were not the attraction but the permission to smoke in an aircond room. As for the outcome of the meeting, I'll leave our Chairwoman to announce them.

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More on our transgurl groups and ootique, please visit the links.

Ootique: http://www.oohtique.com/information.asp

Singapore's trans groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sggurls ,http://www.sgbutterfly.org

Malaysia's trans group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mygurlz

Bangkok's trans group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bangkoktrans

China's trans group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chinagurls

Tickets are currently on sale, contact the numbers listed on the flier to purchase them now! This is one of the band's only two Southeast Asian gigs in support of their 2008 release The Feel Good Record Of The Year so you don't want to miss out on this.

Singapore, 30th August 2009.

It was a nights when good friends met for a round of umbrella drinks to exchange experience about our personal trek through the bleakest economic winter. It has been tough for everyone and the tired smiles showed. The consensus is that things are improving and Singapore has been luckier than most places. There was a brief discussion of the slow pace of the Calendar 2010 project. *Choke* Well, with everyone working multiple jobs to stay afloat is not a wonder that there was miniscule progress made. It takes time, energy, patience and faith to transforms free spirited friends into a cohesive work team.

A very deep philosophical discussion cropped up. The topic revolved around dealing with personal issues and revealing the hidden half to loved ones. Adaline gave us two wise advises when it came to opening the closet: one has to consider
the consequence from the wider social circle and one's ability to take gossips in stride. There were five obvious facets to transitioning that we could conclude. Life is a journey with a start and an end. In the course of the journey, we will learn as well as educate others. Thirdly, the destination is not as important as the journey. It's like climbing up a beautiful mountain early in the morning to admire the sunrise for a few hours. Eventually we have to descent. Fourthly, we can't escape from the circle of people whom we are associated with no matter how hard we try. Lastly, how we treat others is important. The fourth and last conclusions were derived by looking at how human lives were designed: we are meant to learn and teach. The endeavor to unleash the inner student and teacher requires tremendous courage. After the dizzy round of deep discussions, the gurls went over to Dixie's for a few rounds of pool.

For more on our tgurl groups, please visit our network:

Singapore: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sggurls

Malaysia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mygurlz

Bangkok/Thailand: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bangkoktrans

China: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chinagurls

Datin Norjuma Habib...:-

Wardina Safiyyah...:-

Heliza...:-

Maizawati...:-

Diana Naim...:-

Yuna...:-

Noorkhiriah...:-

Nurafenda...:-

Datuk Siti Nurhaliza...:-

Fifi...:-

Tiz Zaqyah (I only like her on 'Nur Kasih',I hate the real her)...:-

Lisa Surihani...:-

Scha...:-

Annahita Bakavoli...:-

Nasha Aziz...:-

Joanna Sue Henly Rampas...:-

Melisa Saila...:-

Melissa Mauren Rizal...:-

Stracie Angie Anam <Stacy>...:-

Dynas...:-

Lisdawati...:-

Liyana Jasmay...:-

Misha Omar...:-

Zee Avi...:-

Shila...:-

Vie Shanti...:-

Nora Danish...:-

Catriona Bahrin Ross...:-

Faezah Elai...:-

Erra Fazira...:-

Sharifah Shahirah...:-

Ekin...:-

Daphne Iking...:-

Diana Danielle...:-

Nurul Syuhada Nurul Ain...:-

Umi Nazeera...:-

Lydia Ibtisam...:-

Bienda...:-

Waheeda...:-

Salima...:-

Maya Karin...:-

Natasha Hudson...:-

Farah Adeeba...:-

Datuk Siti Nurhaliza.

Heliza.

Yuna.

Maizawati Zainal.

Azura Abu Samah.

Ekin.

Fenda.

Waheeda.

Fifi.

Wardina.

Vie Shanti.

Aidil Zafuan & Rita Rudaini=Rayyan Rizqin (boy).

Rusdi Ramli & Sharon Paul=Reo Ridza (boy).

Eizlan Yusoff & Vie Shanti=Vie Zaara (girl).

Fauzi Nawawi & Lisdawati=Nur Aini Farhana (girl).

Engku Emran & Erra Fazira=Engku Aleesya (girl).

Rizal Ashram Ramli & Nora Danish=Putera Rayqal Ramli (boy).

Urm...I love them!.

MTV World Stage will appear in Malaysia for the first time this coming August at Sunway Lagoon! With Hoobastank, All American Rejects, Raygun, Kasabian, Boys Like Girls, Pixie Lott and Estranged set to take the stage, you definitely do not want to miss out on the opportunity to be there and rock out with them. Tickets for this event are not for sale but there are various avenues for you to win them from.

To find out more about MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia and how/where to get your passes, check out our news post or visit worldstage.mtvasia.com today!

UPFRONT featuring RATATAT: A JUNK MUSIC PROJECT

New York's rock-meets-electronica duo Ratatat, features multi-instrumentalist / programmer, Evan Mast and guitarist, Mike Stroud. Mast is also the brains behind the pretty laptop pop of E*vax, and with his brother E*Rock he runs the indie electronic label Audio Dregs. Stroud has also played, in the studio and on tour, with artists including Ben Kweller and Dashboard Confessional.

Between these duties (and Mast's job as a graphic designer), the duo found time to work on their collaboration. Mast worked beats and song ideas in his bedroom studio, which he gave to Stroud to develop while the guitarist was on the road. Though Mast and Stroud began working together in 2001, things began to really come together for the pair in 2003: in May, while they were still called Cherry, they played their first gig; by September they changed their name to Ratatat; and that November they issued their first single on Audio Dregs, which had a limited run of 1,100 copies. Dates with Franz Ferdinand, Interpol, and Battles followed, and Ratatat signed to XL Records.

The duo's self-titled debut album arrived in spring 2004, coinciding with another round of dates with bands including !!!, Electrelane, and Tortoise. Classics appeared in 2006, followed by a self-released remix album. Ratatat then took a different approach to their third full-length effort, emphasizing live percussion and keyboards while toning down their familiar mix of programmed beats and guitars. Recorded in several short weeks, LP3 was released in July 2008. The albums RATATAT, CLASSICS & LP3 are all available on XL Records.

Event Details

Date: 28^th May 2009, Thursday
Time: 8pm
Venue: ZOUK CLUB KL, 113 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

ADMISSION:

• RM75 at the door
• RM60 advance bookings (send your full details, IC & contact info to ticketing@junkonline.net)
• RM78 special package (Ratatat + KLue Urbanscapes 2009 (www.urbanscapes.com.my) tickets) at the door.

One free Heineken with entry, while stocks last only.

21-years-and-above only. Club rules apply.

Check out the UPFRONT FEAT. RATATAT (US) AFTERPARTY @ Barsonic at 10.30pm. Free admission for guests to the Ratatat show.