TANG & iTANG presents

MERDEKA 2011 @ Fusion + Co.
Malaysian Independence Day Celebration

9 International Malaysian celebrities/DJs/Artists, 2 World class clubs, 1 ticket, 1 celebration!

Date: 30 August 2011 (Tuesday)
Time: 9.30pm
Venue: Fusion at Level 3, Crown, Melbourne CBD
Featuring: Moon Arena (Fusion – RNB / Mash / Dance – Joey G, Eva T, Funkzu, MC Terry T, Fluke) / Star Arena (Co – House / Electro / Dance – Mr Nasty & Guru Guru, Dennis Lau, Victor Trixter / Patricia K)
Prices: $25 pre-sold tickets

Malaysia’s national day celebration calls for a clubbing session hosted by OMG Fridays, Forever Fridays and Lavish Saturdays. See you there!

RSVP here.

I was contemplating if I should support Fremantle, but because my one year studying in Perth doesn’t automatically make me a Perth supporter. Neither does my stay here in Melbourne justify my support for the Western Bulldogs. But, being based in Melbourne, I guess I should support the Bulldogs and since Josiah had a Bulldogs cap lying around somewhere in the house, we thought why not support Bulldogs plus they’re the stronger team. Ah, didn’t really matter really. I just wanted to understand the game better so I would eventually pick my favourite team. It’s really easy to have the herd-mentality and support the stronger team.

So there I was rooting for the macho men in Blue, Red and White, catching a close glimpse of the players from the fourth row at the ground level.

Josiah and I were with the entire Malaysian cycling team.

There I was trying to spoil their photo! *grins*

I was still trying the spoil their photo here.

You must be wondering why I wore the bulky scooter jacket. I couldn’t lug it around wearing another jacket so I decided to wear it the whole day. I wore it for around ten hours. Felt like I was carrying weights on my back the whole time!

Action close-up. Again, thanks to my favourite Canon Ixus 200 IS. Can’t live without my camera!

Josiah’s Aussie coach, John Beasley.

Some crazy-supporter in his punk mohawk hairstyle.

Action-packed game!

Supporters with their massive pom-poms!

The entire stadium was filled with supporters in blue, red and white.

These people live and breathe footie!

Finally, the results! Western Bulldogs win at 158 points and Fremantle at 76 points.

The end of the game. It was worth  watching, especially with a great seat, close view of the game, really makes a difference!

Slicing through my eye fillet in a cafe on Chapel Street, I opened up a Melbourne Weekly newspaper insert last week and saw something on the Emerging Writers Festival, scan-read to the bottom of the page, looked around me to check if anyone was looking my direction before I quickly tore that section on top picks during this festival.

Maybe kimong.com isn’t that kind of fluffy, bombastic and flowery type of writer but as long as I am still writing and have an audience who want to read what I have to say, I think I’ll continue to be an emerging writer.

Creative Writing Boot Camp (what’s with me and boot camps? – the last was pole camp!) caught my attention. There are three sessions for inspiration, ideas and a space in which to write with guided writing exercises with Maddie Crofts, Maria Zajkowski and Komninos Zervos at the City Library, 253 Flinders Lane from today till Thursday, free of charge.

I felt abit under the weather, it’s so cold but I decided not to stay at home to be intoxicated by my house heater. Instead, I went for the first boot camp just before a nice dinner and a workout session.

There were a few exercises in the room of 50 over students seated in canteen-seating style. Some had laptops, some had old school lined A4 exam writing pads. I had my moleskine on me. As I sat at one corner, I imagine myself sitting amongst some of the more prolific writers, those who should feel out of place because they are authentic writers amidst the emerging writers like myself. The oldest was probably 70 years old, how emerging of a writer could that lady be? It was indeed humbling.

Anyway, here’s a breakdown of all the exercises. We were given writing exercises throughout the entire hour.

Music

Exercise: Based on the 3-minute melancholic song we listened to, write a stanza of lyrics for the song.

My version:
If you were mine at all
I won’t beg at all
But you might complete
For you might love me
Complete… me…
Effortless dream…
Hope and relieve…

Imagery

Exercise: Write an excerpt based on the image you see in front of you. The actual photo that was shown was an artistic rounded optical illusion like that of wood grain. This is the closest photo I could find online.

My version:
Shrouded by fear, a circle of emotions, I draw closer into a realm of reality, an aim to achieve, into the unknown. Here I am faced with obstacles and as I walk closer and closer, I look all over just to find that my surrounding environment differs, layer by layer. I close my eyes to gaze into the unknown and open my eyes to cover my sight. I cannot decide if I should swim or dive into the unknown. My scream is silent, my heart beats aloud for I fear, that one dream might be my defeat.

Action

Exercise: Maria Zajkowski invites a colleague into the room and they start to whack each other on the arm fairly neatly, nine times each with a bean bag. We were to write about that.

My version:
Eighteen punches without a miss, Missy fought hard to maintain her status as the ultimate champion. She remembered the time when Ali told her to pick a smaller opponent, but she retorted in absolute disgust saying, “You want me to fight with the weakest? Heck no, I only pick the strongest opponents to fight with, for I deserve a challenge and those who fear no evil will face me. I only contend with the best and my Lord Saviour gives me that strength.”

Ali looked at her in utter shock and could not believe his ears, but who was Missy to judge when Ali, one who could possibly pass off as a sumo-wrestler would not even kill an ant he finds in his food.

Eighteen times, never a miss, she holds her ultimate champion status in the world fighting arena.

Chinese tradition has it that any number with an eight in it is of good luck.

Sound

Exercise: Based on the creeky-sounds we heard in those few minutes, we were to start writing till the sound stopped.

My version:
She ponders, her heart beats. She wonders if they would come to know about “it”? She opens the door, hoping that nobody would see her, ran quickly out of sight. Her mind goes astray. She continues to run and falls, picks herself up and still hoping nobody would ever see her. During this time,  her mind goes berserk thinking that she might be caught. She screams along with the screams she hear, insisting that she ought to feel guilty. All of a sudden, the screams seem louder, as if people were dying, begging to be released out of the world beneath.

Alas, it was already too late for she would continue to be haunted by the screams of those she killed in the hit and run incident. Suddenly, twittering while driving did not seem so cool afterwards. She will live in fear of those bloody faces she last saw before she left the bloody scene.

One by one, they continue to implore her dreams, creeping slowly towards her, dancing with blood, their death form.

One-Word

Exercise: Write your emotional equivalent of a “push-up”.

My version:
When it comes to push-ups, I think of Johnny Bravo pushing himself up against the ground with both his thumbs. I feared pain but managed to succumb to it. Sweat trickle down my veins as I cringe with motivation. Sweet pain but in a war-like zone. Pain forgets me and I now meet strength, my new best-friend who tells me I am indeed worthy of those biceps and triceps. A sense of achievement ultimately, but getting there is like forcing children to eat green beans they don’t like. Today, every push I make is a step closer to achieving the body I want.

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If I had a laptop, I would have typed out more words than to write in my little moleskine. It was a healthy exercise, I enjoyed myself. Unfortunately I could not make it for the next two sessions as I have to work. Arghh…

I am a crazy wife looking to upskill myself in every single way. I am going for trial jujitsu next week!

Being in Australia allows me to try to understand the Australian culture, what people here like to do and what sports they enjoy. Football is one of them and the Australian Football League is a massive craze in the community here. I can understand why they love it so much. Now you see, this game is quite different from the typical world-level football and the Aussies have developed their own style, rules and regulations. It not only promotes a healthy sporting culture within the community but also promotes funding, sponsorship and branding. Created in the early 19th century or late 18th century, it initially kicked off as Victorian Football League. The players in AFL are really tall and huge, 6-footers are common. Possibly the bigger the better, the more rowdy they are and stronger to beat their opponents! AFL players are major celebrities in Australia creating headlines everywhere, sometimes pretty scandalous, but that’s all the goss we really want to know. I have seen some around and they seem like giants!

I went to watch North Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs at the Etihad Stadium. Everyone was dressed in their favourite team colours, but it seemed apparent that they was a large crowd that supported the Western Bulldogs as they were the stronger team. Everytime they had a goal, the screen would flash a “Goal! Leaseplan.” Leaseplan must be one of the sponsors. Needless to say, the Western Bulldogs won by alot, but it was not as if the North Melbourne team did not score any points.

This adrenaline-pumping game lasted for 2 hours with 4 quarters.

Thanks Angela!

Well, I’m not exactly a fan of football but I can now at least say that I have been to an AFL game.

Full report here:

By Angus Morgan at Etihad Stadium, Sportal

It’s taken nine starts, but Barry Hall has finally done his block and been reported in Bulldogs colours for the first time during his team’s 70-point thumping of North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

In an action-packed encounter, Hall scored three goals as the Bulldogs romped home 20.7 (127) to 7.15 (57) against a Kangaroos outfit that never gave a yelp.

In fact, North came within a whisker of being held goalless in the opening half for the first time since 1979, their first major coming 26 minutes into second quarter.

In contrast, the Bulldogs made the most of every opportunity and controlled every line on the field from deep in defence – where Brian Lake was a law unto himself, hauling in 22 marks and racking up an incredible 41 disposals, including 35 kicks – to their attacking 50.

They had six fewer inside-50s for the match than their opponents – 47 to 53 – but managed to goal from 42 percent of those incursions.

It was copybook football, but this contest will be remembered as much for Hall’s explosive second-quarter confrontation with North Melbourne defender Scott Thompson.

One of the most abrasive characters in the game, Thompson sparked the conflict when he cannoned into Hall behind play and knocked the Bulldog flat while he was bent over tying up his bootlaces.

A furious Hall leapt to his feet, grabbed Thompson in a headlock and held on for grim death as four of Thompson’s team-mates tried in vain to get him to release his grip.

When Thompson finally managed to get his head free, he appeared to head-butt Hall while the pair was wrestling on the ground.

When they were eventually separated, a manic Hall theatrically raised his arms to indicate he’d done nothing wrong.

But he still managed to push his forearm into the faces of several Kangaroos as he headed for the bench when dragged belatedly by Rodney Eade.

It was while all this was happening that Matthew Campbell slotted North’s first goal with the aid of two 50-metre penalties.

The trend for the match was set in the opening term.

The ball ping-ponged between the arcs early in the contest and the opening goal from Jason Akermanis was eight minutes in coming.

If he was at all bothered or distracted by the controversy surrounding his call for gays in the AFL to remain locked away in the closet, it didn’t show.

On the contrary, Akermanis thrives when the acid’s on, and he provided assists for two of his team’s six first-quarter goals – six-straight from just 10 inside-50s.

While the Bulldogs were highly-efficient, the Kangaroos couldn’t have been more wasteful – they had 20 inside-50′s for the term, double the Bulldogs’ tally, for a miserable return of just five behinds.

Incredibly, the Kangaroos failed to register a single effective disposal in their attacking 50 for the quarter.

The Bulldogs did as they pleased, racking up 126 disposals for the term – including 12 apiece to Adam Cooney and Lake – to the Kangaroos’ 67, and it was more of the same for the rest of the match.

Cooney finished with 36 possessions in a best-afield performance while Jarrad Grant impressed in just his sixth AFL appearance with 19 disposals, six marks and two goals.

There was a scare for the Bulldogs late in the contest when Daniel Giansiracusa, already nursing a head wound from earlier in the match, was cleaned-up late by Michael Firrito.

Helped from the field, Giansiracusa later returned to the action none the worse for wear, unlike the Kangaroos who trudged off shamed and demoralised.

NORTH MELBOURNE: 0.5, 2.10, 4.13, 7.15 (57)
WESTERN BULLDOGS: 6.0, 11.1, 18.4, 20.7 (127)

GOALS: North Melbourne: Edwards 2, Campbell, McMahon, Wright, Thomas, Ziebell
Western Bulldogs: Hill 4, Hall 3, Cooney 2, Grant 2, Akermanis, Giansiracusa, Griffen, Minson, Hudson, Stack, Hahn, Picken, Eagleton
BEST: North Melbourne: Swallow, Rawlings, Harvey
Western Bulldogs: Cooney, Lake, Grant, Cross, Griffen, Hill, Hargrave
INJURIES: North Melbourne: Nil
Western Bulldogs: Nil
REPORTS: Barry Hall (Western Bulldogs) for rough conduct and wrestling Scott Thompson (North Melbourne) in the second quarter by boundary umpire Scott Hutton; Scott Thompson (North Melbourne) for wrestling and head-butting Barry Hall (Western Bulldogs) in the second quarter by boundary umpire Scott Hutton; Scott McMahon (North Melbourne) for rough conduct in that he pushed his knee into the head of Liam Picken (Western Bulldogs) in the fourth quarter by field umpire Kamolins
CHANGES: Nil
UMPIRES: Stevic, Kennedy, Kamolins
CROWD: 30,000 est. at Etihad Stadium