It’s that time of the year again, the time when Guinness is going to rock Malaysia on Arthur’s Day 2011 edition. This is installment number 252, yes, the famous black beer has been around this long, and will be around long I am gone.
This is the 3rd year running that Guinness is bringing in a big act to town for the celebration, and this year it is none other than Taio Cruz.
If the name does not immediately ring a bell, check out the video above and I’m sure you’d know the ultra catchy tune being played at every club that matters.
The big party will be at:
In previous years, you can usually buy a ticket to the concert, but this year, the party will be exclusively by invites only.
For those who are interested, there is good news, I have FIVE (5) pairs of exclusive tickets to be given out here. All you need to do is tweet or post a photo of yourself on facebook wearing your Arthur’s Day outfit, and post the link on the comment box below.
That’s it, the 5 most interesting photos get the tickets, I’ll be the judge and decision is unfortunately, final. 
It is a Money can’t buy event! So win them here and good luck yo!
For more information hop on to http://www.fb.com/guinnessmalaysia
Remember, money can do a lot of things, it can even buy you a pint of Guinness like the one pictured above, but money can’t buy experience, some things you’ll just have to earn it!
the photos taken from Arthurs Day 2009 and 2010
Some of the best parties I’ve had was at Athurs Day 2009 and 2010. They say picture says a thousand words, so the above collage is an 8,000 words demonstration on the sort of time you would expect at this year’s party. Don’t miss it!
So take that photo and see you at the party!
For your amusement, here is my outfit.
MTV World Stage is back again, this is the 3rd year in a row that Xpax brings MTV World Stage to Malaysia.
The concert this year will be held at i-City, Shah Alam with all new line up of - Thirty Seconds to Mars, the new international sensation Neon Trees, Korean pop group Beast, and our very own Pop Shuvit. If past year is any indication, this year’s party will be another pure entertainment pleasure.
Before we talk about how you can get your passes to this awesome concert, lets look at the line up a little closer.
Thirty Seconds to Mars:
Fronted by Jared Leto, singer/actor. If you’ve seen Fight Club, you’ve seen Jared Leto, he’s that blonde guy that got his face really whacked. Little did I know that he is also a rock star. Check out their current hit Kings & Queens on the youtube video above.
Neon Trees
An alternative band from Pravo, Utah, with their first hit single “Animal” (video above) that has over 10 million views on youtube. Check it out.
Beast:
South Korean band made up of 6 members and originally named B2ST. Their first mini album had over 20,000 in sales.
Hit single “Fiction” : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAzWT8mRoR0
Pop Shuvit:
Our very own and one of Asia’s premiere Hip Hop act. They’ve worked with international acts such as My Chemical Romance, The All American Rejects, The Wu Tang Clan, and more.
Latest single: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWmMQjFtFEo
With these line up we can expect a concert that will surely never disappoint.
Now the most important question is, how do you get a free pass to this gig, right? Well there are more than one method:
Reload:
First, check out xpax.com.my/promo_mtv.html.
From 16th June till 15th July 2011, just reload with Xpax, U.O.X. and S.O.X. & stand to get 2 passes! Just follow these simple steps:
i. Register by sending MTV to 28881
ii. Wait for confirmation SMS of successful registration
iii. Reload RM50 (cumulative)
iv. Receive a mobile voucher for redemption of 2 FREE passes to MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia 2011™
The passes are available on a first come, first serve basis and while stocks lasts only.
Facebook Challenge:
Go to www.facebook.com/xpaxfb, “like” the page and join the contest.
i. Select the act that you’re most excited to see
ii. Come up with a creative reason why you think that act rocks.
iii. Get as many people as possible to “Like” your creative entry.
The top 5 entries with the most “Likes” will be given 2 free Xzone passes to the event for an exclusive, money-can’t-buy experience.
“SCREAM YOUR WAY TO MTV WORLDSTAGE” Promo:
Record your most creative scream of “I want to go to MTV Worldstage!!” to stand a chance to win 2 FREE normal passes to MTV Worldstage 2011.
Dial *52925 and scream your lungs out!
50sen/recording
Channel X Promo:
Go to channelx.com.my to find out about “I Want to Meet Neon Trees” Promo and “I Want to Go to MTV Worldstage!” Promo too.
Good luck and hope you get your way to MTV World Stage 2011, it’s gonna be a blast!
In confirmation to popular belief, I, KY, really does not play any musical instrument. I am the master of winamp, the car audio player, and my 5800 XpressMusic when it comes to listening to music. As to creating and performing it music, I leave it to the professionals. Professionals such as this ridiculously talented Lee Hom. And he really is a bit ridiculous when it comes to music, quoting from wikipedia Wang Lee-Hom page:
Wang plays over 10 musical instruments. In his albums and live concerts, Wang can be heard playing piano, drums, guitar, bass, violin, vibraphone, erhu, xun, and more.
and that is on top of being able to sing rather well, something I cannot do, evident from friends making excuses to go to toilet or have some “fresh air” when it is my turn to sing at karaoke, mehhh. 
Lee Hom Music-Man Thus it goes without saying that Lee Hom is the one with a huge fan base and not yours truly. And to those fans out there, the Lee Hom music-man himself is coming to KL this on May 2nd to have a concert at Bukit Jalil National Stadium. To make the matter sweeter, there’s a chance for U.O.X. members to win tickets! All you have to do is the following (remember you must be a U.O.X. member)
MeTV
While the U.O.X. mechanic allows members to to get free tickets, the MeTV contest gives participants a chance to win a pair of tickets worth RM 198 to Lee Hom Music-Man Live in KL 2009. 
hohohoho Of course, there is a bit more to do on this since you might not be a U.O.X member. In the MeTV contest, you have to send in your best “Music-Man/Woman” video or picture in. Be creative and send a video or picture via MMS to 26388 with the title MUSIC MAN To view, rate, or download videos or pictures on MeTV
Ok ok, my example might not be the best, but you know what you have to do if you want to see this music genius! The contest runs from 1-25 April, 2009.
I remember buying a compilation cassette sometimes back in 1996, it had a brown cover with the title “Alternative Rock” smeared across in red. This was the cassette that introduced me to songs like Girl from Mars by Ash, You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette , and Good by Better than Ezra.
But the one song from the compilation that made the biggest impression was Oasis’s Wonderwall. It was a song that struck everything in the right cord, with lyrics that Brandon Flowers of The Killers can only dream of writing. From then on I picked up songs like Don’t Look Back in Anger and Champaign Supernova, and Oasis became an integral part of my play list.
Our tickets to rock!
So when Gareth told me about Oasis coming to Singapore for a concert a few weeks ago, I replied “Lets make it happen!” without thinking twice.
For rock concerts, I never settle for anything less than the grand stand tickets. We managed to con Kim & Horny to each also fork up $98 SGD for a ticket (to fill up a car, you know, save money!) to the concert even though Horny didn’t actually know who is Liam or Noel. Amanda was a late addition to the road trip cos she was just too crazy over Oasis; plus, her relatively small size means that she fits in the center of the backseats.
chicken rice balls were yummy!
So last Sunday we departed from KL just before noon and decided to get our lunch (without any breakfast/brunch) at of Melaka, which also make a nice half way rest stop for the long journey.
We had an over fulfilling meal of chicken rice balls at Hoe Kee, and then stuffed ourselves with a bowl of cendol at Jonker88.
Which was all nice and dandy until we drove by this pohpiah stall and had to just cry in agony cos we were too full to even have a bite. Very tragic!
Subway with pork ham and pork bacon!
By the time we hit the road again it was around 2:30pm, we needed to collect tickets by 7pm for the 8pm concert. We thought we had plenty of time.
We didn’t factor in the stupidly inconsiderate drivers at Johor. It seems like the only way to overtake is via the left lane. The kiasu factor of those drivers really got into our nerves.
Alas, we got to the immigration at around 6pm, and forgot to bring along any immigration cards… So we had to go to the immigration office and witness the inefficiencies that infect even the Singaporean officers. It was a long an excruciating 45-minute (I had to call to make sure we could redeem our tickets past 7pm) process before we got out of there.
we were at the front with the crowd, and Liam being a badass
With the help of Gareth’s little portable Garmin GPS unit, we finally arrived at the Singapore National Stadium at 7:30 or so. Got our tickets and went to Subway for some pork sandwich goodness. By the time we got into the hall it was around 8:15.
Then Oasis came out and it was completely awesome!
pic taken without any zooming, that’s how close we were!
While the other two old men hang out at the side, Kim, Amanda and I made our way to the front of the crowd and managed to get ourselves about 4-5 rows back from the stage. The atmosphere was electric, and the crowd was crazy. Lotsa squeezing and pushing but generally everyone was just having blast.
At one particular point a dude with mohawk started dancing like a maniac and hit a lot of ppl within 2 feet of him. A burly dude grabbed his body and I sorta helped flip his legs up, and the dude got body surfed all the way to the back. We high five-ed
Wonderwall!
With the last bit of GPS juice (car charger died) we managed to find our way back to the Johor border after the concert. By the time we got back to KL it was more than 3am already. We stayed in Singapore for a total of less than 5 hours. My shortest trip yet.
Next trip would be Melbourne to see Mell for a week. Can’t wait!
Last Saturday I went up to Genting to attend the MY FM 10th anniversary celebration thanks to Andrew who obtained media passes for myself and Lorna. Together with the nutty Alice, I think we were the only four people with media passes and not work for any traditional media companies. It is sort of obvious too as we were carrying entry level SLRs (or in the case of Lorna, pen and paper) instead of fabulous and expensive equipments.
Before I start, there are more pictures from the event on my flickr set here.
Andrew in highwire act
Having gone through 12 years of education that involves Mandarin, I do listen to MY FM and other Chinese radio stations whenever I feel like I need to get closer to the root. I used to know my fair share of local, HK, and Taiwanese stars during my high school years. Remember the four kings? Leon Lai, Aaron Kwok, Andy Lau, and Jacky Cheung? Rock bands like Beyond? Yah that was during my time, looking at the thousands of younger kids flooding to this event and their enthusiasm kinda brings back the memory.
Lorna & myself, Alice & Andrew
Our passes were from CIB MALL, the company that is behind this Crazy Shooter Online (CSO) game that looks a bit like counter strike. Incidentally, the game plays a big role in the whole event, with quite a number of people turning up cosplay style. Andrew’s friend Denise (who’s with CIB MALL) was on the stage doing her thing in a costume too, thanks Denise!
check out the incredible family!
Almost all VIPs as well as many attendees went to the event in interesting dresses. There were ghosts, cowboys, batman, spidey, catwoman, etc etc. The winner for the best costume went to the Incredible Family who walked away with RM 10,000! It was actually a family of 6, with 4 incredible characters and 2 small pirates, so cute.
hardcore fans
Before the arrival of the artists, the hall was already filled with many hardcore fans. There’s at least a couple hundred people wearing the same green t-shirt supporting Nicholas Teo ???, another big group for Yoga ???, and the fans of Wu Jia Hui ??? lining up right at the red carpet patiently waiting for him. Pretty hardcore don’t you think?
some performers as well as VIPs on the red carpet
The artists and VIPs started to arrive from about 6:30 onwards and it didn’t end until more than an hour later. There were local stars, singers from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and China. The more notable guests and performers include Ling Yu Zhong, Huang Wei Er, James, Oak Smith, Zhang Zi Cheng, Guo Jing, Nicholas Teo, Xiao Mai, Liu Li Yang, and Yoga. There were also winners of the last Astro talent show.
Ling Yu Zhong, Huang Wei Er, James, Oak Smith
While the DJs from MY FM were a bunch of goofs who dressed up like hell boy, pirates, and sailormoon (male version), the performers were actually very good! Ling Yu Zhong and Huang Wei Er did their bits, as well as James and Oak Smith from Thailand (singing in Thai). Interestingly, Oak Smith (weird name I know) gave up his career as a doctor and a skin specialist to pursue singing.
Zhang Zi Cheng, Guo Jing, Nicholas Teo
There were also equally entertaining performances by Zhang Zi Cheng (as the surprised performer), Guo Jing, Andrew, Nicholas Teo, and Yoga. However, my favorite of the night has got to go to Liu Li Yang from China. Her voice was both captivating as it was powerful, with the style that reminds me of Evanescence.
Xiao MY, Liu Li Yang, Nicholas Teo, Yoga
Towards the end, MY FM introduced their mascot Xiao MY. The whole event was rather entertaining, and having a media pass certainly helps quite a bit as we were just right next to the stage without having to line up or squeeze with everyone else. The only slightly disappointing bit was the absence of Eason Chan, but it didn’t stop the show for being a blast.
