bits 'n' bobs at 36

People, I gather you together in bloggerland to celebrate another fabulous year in the life of the riverman~~~. Much has occured and much has recurred and sometimes not everything has concurred. Alas c'est la vie...

Let's review some of the very best of last year...

In the category of Dangerous Infusion:

Yes the infamous Binny-PIMMS: A motley-molotoval concoction served up in large jugs under sunny skies in July, capable of knocking out large Australian men by the dozen.

1 big jug (a Bodum is usually best!), Pimms No.1 Cocktail, Glasses: Highball, Garnish: Mixed fresh fruit (E.g. Cucumber, Lemon, Lime, Strawberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, Raspberries & Mint) , 25ml Gin, 50ml Pimms No.1, Lemonade, Soda water, Ice

Method: Cut up strawberries (unless they are the tiny sweet ones). Cut up cucumber (shave off the skin first). Dump all fruits (cut and whole) into a large Bodum glass jug. Pour in Gin and leave for 5 minutes so the fruits get saturated. Add in some ice. Pour in a double amount of Soda and a single amount of Lemonade. Tear and stir in mint leaves. Top with ice and serve in highball glasses.

In the category of Most Beautiful Discovery:
Flawless light in a darkening air Alone...and shining there Love will not elude you Love is simpleI worship this tenacity And the beautiful struggle we're in Love will not elude us Love is simple Be sure to know that All in love is ours And love, as a philosophy Is simple I am calm in oblivion Calm, as I ever have been Love will not elude me Love is simple Be sure to know that All in love Is ours...Is ours...That all in love Is ours And love, as philosophy Is simple...And ours...

In the category of Evil Bitch

Yep, you guessed it - English Weather! We can safely say that global warming has turned English weather into a foul, deranged and ill-mannered harpy! And just to prove she can change her mind on a whim... guess what Reader!?

Just three weeks ago, it snowed... AGAIN! Yes - right smack in the middle of April...

... and then that little vixen splashed sun all over our skies this week!

In the category of Self-gratifying-Prima-Donna-Moment:
Thank you Melf, Gary and Adam for a wonderful time! Here's to many more wonderful moments in the next year! I promise not to begrudge you your Prima-Donna-Moments too!!

In the Category of Remarkable Jigsaw Puzzle
Go on then! Let's see YOU put the pieces together!

In the category of Helluvvah-Gawd-awful-time-of-the-Day:

You can probably guess this one Reader.

Yes... simply everytime I sit at this desk facing this monitor... It sort of makes me feel a little like Kitty below...

Next: The Errol Flynn Award goes to.... (drum-roll-trumpet-blare-etc) Terence for that remarkable swish-slash stroke that reduced my potato-chip to mush at that cafe in Valencia... Just look at his double cutlass precision here!
Finally here is the category of Long-Lost-and-Missing-Person :

No ladies and gents, it isn't the elusive Madeleine McCann! So breathe easy. We won't ask you for donations so you don't have to hide away your wallets.

Remember this little guy?
Yes Reader... I report with much distress that the riverman~~~ is missing! I have been trying to track him down over the last couple of days, and I can't seem to locate him anywhere. Remember how he set out on his little oddysey over the billowy desert sands of my bed so long ago?
Well, he hasn't come home yet... and I am getting a little worried. I chanced upon Elleyfaant a couple of days ago and asked him about the riverman~~~.

Elleyfaant simply stared at me and shook his head.

He told me that he was not an elleyfaant. He had discovered that he was a "Twor-tease", and was on a search for his missing shell.

Elleyfaant or Twor-tease... he's not very helpful!




So Reader, the hunt is on for the riverman~~~. Do drop me a line if you see him anywhere, and if you do get a chance to talk to him - tell him he is missed!

In the meantime, play me my birthday song (in the YouTube window above), won't you Reader?!
~~~

The Days of Wine and Roses

Reader, these are magic days... soaking up sunshine, probing the politics of the garden squirrel gangs, conjuring clouds into cats'n'cushions, weaving daisies into dilly-daydreams... and allowing the hours to flit-flutter away so quickly... much-too-much-too-quickly...

Then the evening sunset arrives, performs her alchemy... and diva-like slips away before we can ask for an encore... pulling a cloak of stars around her. Ah yes Reader... and now I have this grabbing urge to rummage into my dusty childhood for that warm wonderful song...

Now how did it go...? Oh yes...

The days of wine and roses,

Laugh and run away,

Like a child at play,

Through a meadowland,

Toward a closing door,

A door marked never more,

That wasn't there before.

The lonely night discloses,

Just a passing breeze,

Filled with memories,

Of the golden smile,

That introduced me to,

The days of wine and roses,

And you!

I pottered around on the Internet today and found a wonderful guitar version of this classic song, which is embedded above. Go on Reader and play it... and then close your eyes and imagine sitting back on your deck chair out in the garden in the evening. Come on then, sit beside me, swirl that wine around your glass and watch the night stir into the sky... Now aren't you awake to how alive you are!

How wonderful... how intense... how exhilarating: this dreamy-delirium so peaceful and yet so intense with a sharp nip of caffeine in the side. Oh okay! Hang the attempt at poetry! That "nip" is probably courtesy of a small family of red ants that have made their nest under my table... and *ouch!* those dastardly critters are now attempting to invade my slipper... Fine... fine ...so be it! ...Time to get indoors!

(FYI: Those who know me best are persistently bewildered that the same riverman~~~ who spent more than two years in the Singapore army feeding leeches and eating fruit bats, is frightened of flying cockroaches, bee stings and red ant bites! It is a measure of my special regard for you Reader, that I make this confession here, to the detriment of any reputation I may still have!)

And as sure as I will continually get chased back into my house by marauding ants that pitch camp under my garden furniture... these Days of Wine and Roses, as glorious and as warm as they are now, will end.

They are not long, the weeping and the laughter,

Love and desire and hate;

I think they have no portion in us after

We pass the gate.

They are not long, the days of wine and roses:

Out of a misty dream

Our path emerges for a while, then closes,

Within a dream.

(1867-1900) (From Vitae Summa Brevis Spem Nos Vetat Incohare Longam)

And in a couple of weeks I will put away the barbecue grill, fold away the patio umbrellas and take down my autumn jacket from the top shelf of my cupboard. But for today, I raise my glass to magnificent summer memories... to "livin' easy... jumpin' fish and cotton so high...." ...and to "lazy-hazy-crazy-red, pink-n-polka-dotted-skies" and the "Slam-Bang-ALA-CA-ZAMMM-of-it-all"!!

Yes Reader - Here's to the Days of Wine and Roses...

Now drink up... don't waste a drop... and then pour us another glass each!

*HIC!!!*

~~~

Raindrops

It's getting pretty cold nowadays.

Nature's all Tooth 'n' Claw today, and I am allowing her to bite deep. It's that familiar drudgy mucky cusp between summer and autumn. So, I stand in my doorway and watch sweeping rains wash away the evidence of last weekend's summer barbecue, and beat and stir the grass into a little lake in the middle of my garden.

In a little while when the clouds dissolve into the night and the cricket choir under my neighbour's hedge takes up the chorus... I will curl in front of my little clay pot fire and start on that book my friend loaned me - a promise of floppy dog-eared companionship for the rest of the night. But for now, I will do a little indoor laundry and string out a few words on this post to dry.

Here is an almost Forest Gump type quote: “Life is like a rainbow. You need both the sun and the rain to make its colours appear.” So I do not begrudge the rain when it falls, and the best thing one can do when it is raining is simply to let it rain.

It's like that grand song:

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head

And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed,

Nothin' seems to fit

Those raindrops are fallin' on my head, they keep fallin'

So, I just did me some talkin' to the sun

And I said I didn't like the way he got things done,

Sleepin' on the job
Those raindrops are fallin' on my head, they keep fallin'

But there's one thing I know

The blues they send to meet me won't defeat me

It won't be long 'til happiness steps up to greet me

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head

But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red

Cryin's not for me

'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'

Because I'm free

Nothin's worryin' me

I can't really say in all honesty that "nothin's worrying me". See Reader, tomorrow I leave for Munich... and those of you who know me best know just why I am going and what it means to me. My mind's a mighty muddle right now of "Should-and-Could-and-Will-it-all-work-out", and as much as I shout the proverbial Que-Sera-Sera over all the confusion, I can't seem to drown the clamouring kerfuffle of the dizzilion-dissonant voices in my head...

Decisions are scary things, and I am pretty much at a personal crossroads of sorts... It is unbelievably difficult to turn the other cheek to the blows of insecurity... Then there is the fear of being hurt, and knowing that being hurt is part of Love and Life in all its gritting beauty. But in the same way that I watched summer giving up her fight today, my brain's wearing down, and my heart is beginning to speak.

And I know that one way or another, whatever-will-be, will all come to Be... It's as invariable and as certain as those raindrops which will keep a-falling...

~~~

Thank you!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls! It's a little bit late, but just as heartfelt: A big thank you to you wonderful people who helped create magic on that hot and sunny Sunday afternoon on the 10th of June at Melaka! Here are some outstanding and remarkable people who should get knighted for their efforts!

Gary Thank you dear, for all that support and for pushing me to get out on stage and get the exposure. You played a mean set of drums on the day, and the Girl from Ipanema definitely came a walking and everyone went "H-a-aa-a-a!". Let's keep on jamming together Boi!

Melf Gal, I don't know where you learnt how to play the bass like that... but if it really was in church, I have to start attending every Sunday! Promise me we will get "Fever"ed together again!

Adam Thank you for agreeing to do it for bananas! You made the rest of us actually sound professional. Betcha won't forget those A minor/-7 chords or that chilli sambal in a hurry!

Lau My main man!!! You practically dreamt this whole thing up and orchestrated it from day one. Thank you for being the optimistic person you are and actually believing in us. Oh, and thanks for lugging all the equipment back and forth!

Shah The world needs more astute businessmen like you Shah! Thank you for taking a risk on us actually being able to deliver what we promised, and thank you for not kicking up a fuss when we depleted your stocks of Tiger Beer in your restaurant!

Tina Thank you for your wonderful folk music and for the tambourine shaking and for the belly dance and for the Elvis compliment! Let's try and do this again shall we? If anything - at least the belly dance!

Jacqueline/Jacque Thank you for being patient with us and for getting all that publicity done during your manic period before your deadline. Give us another chance, and we will get more bananas for our little friends in Sandakan (see - now I know how to spell it!).

Dex Hey boy! You and I should definitely do a duet together the next time. Thanks for being such a lovely surprise when you wrenched the mic away from my greedy fingers. That will teach me to hog all the songs!

Ian Thank you for that wonderful artistic flair you have. I just saw the video you filmed on the day, and it is Cannes calibre!

Finally - A BIG MUSHY THANK YOU to YOU! Yes You ... Reader... Supporter... Friend.... Thank you for listening to the music I love and for encouraging me to perform, clapping wildly and cheering whenever I do and pretending not to get bored everytime you hear it again and again and again! Thank you for the telephone calls and the e-mails at all hours of the day asking me when and where and what time and what you could do to help out, or simply to wish me the best (sometimes from as far away as Washington DC and Singapore! - you know who you are, you gems!)

Thank you for one of the best days I have had so far, and for making this a wonderful summer jazz jam!


Here are some photos from the day (Jacque - I stole these from your blog... bloody low class I know... but I don't have any, see - as I was on stage all the time singing for your little furry friends! So I know you will excuse this!) For more pictures and more of a write-up on the event, do visit Jacque's blog http://www.pushinglimit.blogspot.com/


Watch out for the YouTube link which I will embed on the blog when I get it from Lau/Jacque as soon as they work out the technical issues!

THAT WILD AND CRAZY JUNGLE JAM...

What a day this has beenWhat a rare mood Im inWhy, its almost like being in loveTheres a smile on my faceFor the whole human raceWhy, its almost like being in loveAll the music of life seems to beLike a bell that is ringing for meAnd from the way that I feelWhen that bell starts to pealI would swear I was fallingI could swear I was fallingIts almost like being in loveOh, the shark, has, pretty teeth, dear....and he shows them, pearly whiteJust a jackknife, has macheath, yeah.....andhe keeps it, out of sightWhen the shark bites, with his teeth, dear....scarlet billows start to spreadFancy gloves, though, wears macheath, yeah..so theres not a trace, hmmmm of redOn the sidewalk...sunday morning, ...lies a body oozin lifeSomeones sneakin round the corner...is the someone, mack the knife? From a tugboat.... by the river..... a cement bags, droopin downYeah, the cements just for the weight, dear...bet you mack, hes back in townLooky here louie miller, disappeared dear...after drawing, out his cashAnd macheath spends, like a sailor...did our boy do, somethin rash? Sukey tawdry, jenny diver..lotte lenya, sweet lucy brownOh, the line forms on the right, dears.....now that mackys back in town
Birds flying high you know how I feelSun in the sky you know how I feelReeds driftin on by you know how I feel(refrain:)Its a new dawnIts a new dayIts a new lifeFor meAnd Im feeling goodFish in the sea you know how I feelRiver running free you know how I feelBlossom in the tree you know how I feelDragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, dont you knowButterflies all havin fun you know what I meanSleep in peace when day is doneThats what I meanAnd this old world is a new worldAnd a bold worldFor meStars when you shine you know how I feelScent of the pine you know how I feelOh freedom is mineAnd I know how I feel Never know how much I love you,Never know how much I care.When you put your arms around me,I get a fever that's so hard to bear.You give me fever,When you kiss me,Fever when you hold me tight.Fever! In the morning,Fever all through the night.Sun lights up the daytimeAnd moon lights up the night..I light up when you call my nameAnd you know I'm gonna treat you rightYou give me feverWhen you kiss me, Fever when you hold me tight.Fever! In the morning, And fever all through the nightEverybody's got the feverThat is something you all knowFever isn't such a new thingFever started long agoRomeo loved JulietteJuliette she felt the sameWhen he put his arms around her he said,"Julie, Baby , you're my flame"Thou giveth fever"When we kisseth"Fever with thy flaming youth"Fever! I'm afire,"Fever, yeah, I burn, forsooth."Cap'in Smith and Pocahontas had a very mad affairWhen her daddy tried to kill himShe said,"Daddy, oh, don't you dare!"He gives me fever"With his kisses"Fever when he holds me tight"Fever! I'm his missus, So"Daddy, Won't you treat him right?"Now you've listened to my story,Here's the point that I have made:Chicks were born to give you fever,Be it Fahrenheit or CentigradeThey give you feverWhen you kiss themFever if you live and learnFever! 'till you sizzlewhat a lovely way to burnwhat a lovely way to burnwhat a lovely way to burnwhat a lovely way to burn
SummertimeAnd the livin' is easyFish are jumpin'And the cotton is highYour daddy's richAnd your mamma's good lookin'So hush little babyDon't you cryOne of these morningsYou're going to rise up singingThen you'll spread your wingsAnd you'll take to the skyBut till that morningThere's a'nothing can harm youWith daddy and mamma standing by My baby dont care for showsMy baby dont care for clothesMy baby just cares for meMy baby dont care for cars and racesMy baby dont care for high-tone placesLiz taylor is not his styleAnd even lana turners smileIs somethin he cant seeMy baby dont care who knowsMy baby just cares for meBaby, my baby dont care for showsAnd he dont even care for clothesHe cares for meMy baby dont careFor cars and racesMy baby dont care forHe dont care for high-tone placesLiz taylor is not his styleAnd even liberaces smileIs something he cant seeIs something he cant seeI wonder whats wrong with babyMy baby just cares forMy baby just cares forMy baby just cares for me Another bride Another JuneAnother sunny honey moonanother season, another reasonfor makin' whoopeeAlot of shoes alot of ricethe groom is nervous he answers twiceits so killin that he's so willin'To make whoopeePicture a little love nestdown where the roses clingPicture the same sweet love nest Think what a year can bringHe's washing dishes and baby clothesHe's so ambitious he even sowsbut don't forget folks thats what you get folksfor makein whoopee Tall and tan and young and lovelyThe girl from ipanema goes walkingAnd when she passes, each one she passes goes - ahWhen she walks, shes like a sambaThat swings so cool and sways so gentleThat when she passes, each one she passes goes - ooh(ooh) but I watch her so sadlyHow can I tell her I love herYes I would give my heart gladlyBut each day, when she walks to the seaShe looks straight ahead, not at meTall, (and) tan, (and) young, (and) lovelyThe girl from ipanema goes walkingAnd when she passes, I smile - but she doesnt see (doesnt see)(she just doesnt see, she never sees me,...) You make me feel so youngYou make me feel like spring has sprungEvery time I see you grinIm such a happy individualThe moment that you speakI want to go and play hide-and-seekI want to go and bounce the moonJust like a toy balloonYou and i, are just like a couple of totsRunning across the meadowPicking up lots of forget-me-notsYou make me feel so youngYou make me feel there are songs to be sungBells to be rung, and a wonderful fling to be flungAnd even when Im old and grayIm gonna feel the way I do todaycause you make me feelso youngMy story is much to sad to be toldBut practically everything leaves me totally coldThe only exception I know is the caseWhen Im out on a quiet spree, fighting vainly the old ennuiThen I suddenly turn and seeYour fabulous faceI get no kick from champagneMere alcohol doesnt thrill me at allSo tell me why should it be trueThat I get a kick out of youSome like the perfume from spainIm sure that if I took even one sniffIt would bore me terrifically tooBut I get a kick out of you( some like the bop-type refrain )( Im sure that if, I heard even one riff )( it would bore me terrifically too )( but I get a kick out of you )( some they may go for cocaine )( Im sure that if, I took even one sniff )( it would bore me terrifically too )( but I get a kick out of you )I get a kick every time I see you standing there before meI get a kick though its clear to see, you obviously do not adore meI get no kick in a planeFlying too high with some gal in the skyIs my idea of nothing to doBut I get a kick out of youOld pirates, yes, they rob i;Sold I to the merchant ships,Minutes after they took iFrom the bottomless pit.But my hand was made strongBy the hand of the almighty.We forward in this generationTriumphantly.Wont you help to singThese songs of freedom? -cause all I ever have:Redemption songs;Redemption songs.Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;None but ourselves can free our minds.Have no fear for atomic energy,cause none of them can stop the time.How long shall they kill our prophets,While we stand aside and look? ooh!Some say its just a part of it:Weve got to fulfil de book.Wont you help to singThese songs of freedom? -cause all I ever have:Redemption songs;Redemption songs;Redemption songs.Somewhere beyond the sea,Somewhere, waiting for me,My lover stands on golden sandsAnd watches the ships that go sailing;Somewhere beyond the sea,He's (She's) there watching for me.If I could fly like birds on high,Then straight to his (her) arms I'd go sailing.It's far beyond a star,It's near beyond the moon,I know beyond a doubtMy heart will lead me there soon.We'll meet beyond the shore,We'll kiss just as before.Happy we'll be beyond the sea,And never again I'll go sailing!The days of wine and roses laugh and run away like a child at playThrough the meadow land toward a closing doorA door marked nevermore that wasn’t there beforeThe lone-ly night discloses just a passing breeze filled with memoriesOf the golden smile that introduced me toThe days of wine and roses and youThere are many many crazy thingsThat will keep me loving youAnd with your permissionMay I list a fewThe way you wear your hatThe way you sip your teaThe memory of all thatNo they cant take that away from meThe way your smile just beamsThe way you sing off keyThe way you haunt my dreamsNo they cant take that away from meWe may never never meet again, on that bumpy road to loveBut Ill always, always keep the memory ofThe way you hold your knifeThe way we danced till threeThe way you changed my lifeNo they cant take that away from me!!!Like the beat beat beat of the tom-tomWhen the jungle shadows fallLike the tick tick tock of the stately clockAs it stands against the wallLike the drip drip drip of the raindropsWhen the summer shower is throughSo a voice within me keeps repeating you, you, youNight and day, you are the oneOnly you beneath the moon or under the sunWhether near to me, or farIts no matter darling where you areI think of youDay and night, night and day, why is it soThat this longing for you follows wherever I goIn the roaring traffics boomIn the silence of my lonely roomI think of youDay and night, night and dayUnder the hide of meTheres an oh such a hungry yearning burning inside of meAnd this torment wont be throughUntil you let me

spend my life making love to youDay and night, night and dayEverytime we say goodbye I die a little Everytime we say goodbye I wonder why a littleWhy the gods above me Who must be in the know Think so little of meThey allow you to go When you're near There's such an air Of spring about itI can hear a lark somewhereBegin to sing about it There's no love song finer But how strange the changeFrom major to minor Everytime we say goodbye There's no love song finer But how strange the change From major to minor Everytime we say goodbye...

~~~

BIG PLANS!

Gosh... I am excited! I have BIG PLANS...

See, there is nothing like looking forward to and preparing for your first summer jazz gig in London!

So how did it all happen, you ask me? Well, actually, nothing has happened yet Reader! It's simply BIG PLANS... and like all BIG PLANS - a product of too much time , too much beer, too much food and too much bravado on a Bank Holiday weekend!

What is a Bank Holiday? Put simply, it is London's excuse for not celebrating every Catholic festival like the Italians, and refusing to give us more than one day off for Chinese New Year. The essential thing to celebrate about a Bank Holiday, is that we London-lackeys get a three day weekend with all the dancing-distraction and debauchery we can squeeze into it!

And that means quite a bit of debauchery!

Then again, why not engage in a little sin! Is it not "... May... May... The Lusty Month of May ... That darling month when everyone goes blissfully astray?- ing away from the topic, as I am now doing?! Let's get back to it!

Sheesh! See what happens when I get excited?!

-------------------------------------

Like all good things... the BIG PLAN started with a good lo-o-o-ong marinade...

6 pm on Friday evening saw me frantically flinging e-mails out into the ether, desperate and determined to clear my in-tray. I have found that the prospect of my Friday pint promotes wonderful efficiency... and at 6.30 sharp, as anticipated, I had my hands wrapped around a tall "blonde" with a pretty head!

The next stop was Annex 3 or "Annex trois" - apparently owned by a ménage à trois of gay men with a penchant for chic-bohemia, strong cocktails and what can only be called a gypsy-motived-kasbah dressed in a motley mosaic of colours and textures.

So for the next four hours we sipped Japanese Scribbles and Mohitos, and held our glasses the oh-so-Chi-Chi-way (please see the adjacent picture for Ling's demonstration of this fine art), and polished off four courses of all manner of animal, vegetable and mineral.

In between mouthfuls, I discovered that I was in the company of a pop singer, a pianist, a violinist and a drummer. My friends merrily introduced me as the "Jazz singer", which naturally resulted in a barrage of "So where do you sing?" - "When will we hear you?" - "What is your style?" "Are you a soprano?" - "Wanna go Karaoke?" ...

...and it was finished off with a stern parting shot: "Go get a gig, gal!!!" And so the seeds of the soon to be BIG PLAN were carefully planted in the mushy depths of my well watered mind...

We ended off the night at Sketch Bar... which proved to be a predictable cesspool of chaos and carnage. After another Molotov cocktail of poison, I curled on one of those very comfortable armchairs and drifted off to dreamland while a hypnotic twist of arms, legs and faces whisked around the room.

At around 3 am I was safe at home and in bed - pulling both my duvet and oblivion over my head... and I didn't even wince when the rising sun pierced through my blinds in the morning.

I greeted Saturday with a groan and a mother of a hangover and the disappointing discovery that the weather man had revoked his promise of blue skies and songbirds in the trees over the weekend. All plans for cycling and outdoor activities had to be shelved, and so I made my way over to a friend's house to vegetate in front of the TV and medicate my tender head with (yes... you know me so well Reader!) MORE alcohol.

The sun decided to tentatively javelin a a few rays our way in the late afternoon, and that proved enough to transform us into park-bench yobs albeit with a Waitrose-edge. We came equipped with a bottle of Rose, assorted nuts and strawberries, and plastic champagne glasses. Classy ey?!

Joggers and miscellaneous health freaks passing by stopped to stare at our little pavement picnic. So we dangled strawberries in front of their faces as they cycled / ran / jogged / walked past, and they rewarded us with a few queer looks... Spoil-sports!

We felt hungry after a while, (what with all that wine in our tummies threatening to turn into vinegar), and so we made our way to this newly opened Malaysian restaurant called Melaka in the Docklands for some chow and to meet another mate.

We took a look at the 30 items on offer on the menu and in around 15 minutes, half the list materialised on our table in all its savoury glory.

What could I say?! "Dismantle the diet... unbuckle the belt... bring on the chilli sambal!" It is after all not everyday that we get to eat an amount approximating the annual food consumption of a very small third world country.

An hour later, the five of us ambled down to this little Jazz club called Bootys. It was there that the real fun began...

So there was this pianist and singer belting out very soft jazz/pop. My mates being my mates, decided to hoist me up on stage, and they succeeded. It started with half a song, and then that half a song grew to a solo session, and they actually liked it! I was grinning when I got off the stage to be congratulated by a little crowd of happy people.

Then the BIG PLAN which had been quietly sprouting in the undergrowth... unnoticed... fairly shot up into the air and hit us in the face:

Why not put up our own gig??? Well really now... why not!?

On the way home and in the car, it was all jabber-jaw on ideas on who to ask, and what to play, and where and how and when... and why in the world didn't we think of that before!? Needless to say when I got home I was too excited to sleep and sat around playing my guitar till 5 am - which is what an hyper-tense riverman does...

On Sunday afternoon we trundled down to Melaka again, this time to do a little public relations with the proprietor over a bottle of beer and a smoky barbecue pit. We decided within the space of 1 hour of heated discussion in Lau's car that our summer jazz debut would take place in Melaka's beer garden to a capacity crowd of around 50-60 people... which in my opinion is large enough for me to feel a little Woodstock about it, and intimate enough for me to be myself...

Next thing I know I was tucking into a lamb burger and swigging a bottle of Tiger ... and that is when the "and thens" began... at a dizzying pace:

...and then I got the all-systems-go from Shah (the proprietor)... and then Alan (a baritone singer with a world of music contacts who happened to turn up on the day) promised to get me any musicians I wanted - pianist, percussionist, double bassist... and then Gary (that talented guitarist I met at my barbecue) told me he wanted to help out as well... and then Lau appointed himself my publicist ... and then we decided we would do it for the Orang Hutan sanctuary in Sandakan err... and I insisted...also for Ah Meng... and then 10th June from 2 till 6 pm was fixed upon... and then Ling said she would do an instrumental medley on the day... and then I was reminded that the first practice would be this coming Saturday ... and then I realised that lots of people were talking about it ... and then Shah said he would open up the beer garden to cope with the prospective crowd ...and then... and then... and then...

Wallah! There you have it!

BIG PLANS...

and hopefully the beginning of something truly fantastic!

So, watch this space Reader... it can only get more exciting...

... and keep your fingers crossed for the riverman~~~