Due to a stroke of unforeseen luck, I had the opportunity to attend this year’s Hennessy Artistry thanks to invites by Vince and Spinzer Tock. Hennessy Artistry boast one of the best music events featuring artist from all over the world(which yes does include our very own Malaysia as well). This year’s guest performance was by Spinderella, Vandalism and our very own Kyoto Protocol. Set this time at Opera in front of Sunway Pyramid the glitz and glamor can be seen from the impressive display of well…interactive showcases at the entrance. After checking in the registration counter, guests who registered themselves on the Hennessy Artistry Facebook page were given a special RFID tag that they could use to update their Facebook page with contents during the event itself.

I have to admit. Being the country with the most Facebook friends in the world, the ideas was BRILLIANT. Guest were invited to play a ‘Fruit Ninja’ like game on an iPad, take photo in front of a green screen and edit it Ala Purikura and also mix their own 60 second music by placing colored giant hockey puck like objects onto an interactive table and then upload the said music or picture onto their Facebook wall. The top five high scores on the ‘Fruit Ninja’ like game will even be given a limited special edition 70 oz Hennessy to boot!

I’ve only been to The Opera just once and it was more than enough to know that the place is small and cramped with pretty bad air flow in the middle. Although I thought that this time it will be different as being an invitation only kinda event that crowd control wouldn’t be a problem but oh was I wrong. It became packed. So pack that it looks like The Opera on a weekend and it isn’t a complement. Everyone felt so hot it wasn’t even sexy anymore.

Being a once-in-a-year event I was expecting to see a free flow of Hennessy being served. Pure or cocktail’ed. WE(as in everyone) were ridiculously disappointed. At the Johnny Walker’s Black Circuit event a few weeks back free flow was NEVER an issue and boy was it awesome. Hennessy however stooped to the level of being a scrooge on it and even opened its doors to outsiders who may enter if they open a bottle. What??? An ‘EXCLUSIVE’ event that serves limited amounts of alcohol and allows uninvited guest to attend? Yes. It just lost its exclusiveness. The event was supposed to highlight four new types of cocktails made by using Hennessy. Too bad at the end I had more non-alchoholic cocktail than what I’m suppose to be trying. In light of all this I really REALLY like that lemon-lime concoction. Damn it was refreshing.

On a high note, the music performance was incredible. All the bands were amazing in their own rights. Vandalism especially in my opinion or maybe its because I just prefer their genre of music. Anyways, it was kinda disappointing to see us Malaysian not getting into the mood of the performance though. When stuff like “Put your hands in the air!” was screamed/sung/mentioned 90% of the crowd went “Is she talking to me ah? Eh, I think she’s calling you lah!”. I mean seriously guys?

In the end, we left early since we had nothing else better to do there and in desperation for some booze we even chipped in to get a bottle of a Limited Edition bottle of Hennessy to drink. Golden bottle looks damn GOOD though. It seems that, right after we left part of the plaster ceiling collapse bringing the event to an early end. I actually had more fun eating at the nearby Chinese food stalls that standing at the overcrowded venue.

Overall, although its my very first(and maybe last) Hennessy Artistry event I would have to give it an equivalent of a 3 out of  5 stars. Assuming I gave start ratings in the first place la. The music was good. The drink was good but the amount was not. The venue was disappointing and the service? Well, it was bad. No exclusiveness for a supposed exclusive event. The money used for the additional attractions outside was actually really insignificant to the overall reason to have the event itself. Better take the money for a better venue and more booze. I may not be a VIP at the VIP lounge but then again if a rival company can do it then I don’t see why not.

And no, I’m not still kinda pissed for not being able to place at the top 5 for the “Fruit Ninja” game. I got kicked down to 6th place by some guy in front of me and I was not allowed to replay even after waiting stating that the game ends at 1am even though it wasn’t mentioned anywhere. Damn. Okay lah. Maybe I am, just a little…maybe.

P/s: Due to me being as blur as usual. I totally forgotten to bring my camera to the event. So all picture credits go to Denise with the Olympus E-PL1.

I just really hope that I would have more than enough cash for next year’s haul. I just hope I’ll be able to finish reading all this by that time though.

What makes this experience here in the United States so special is the locals and I believe that in traveling it is the local people that will make the trip a more fulfilling one. Those that I have met should it be either our graduate mentors, our lecturers, our host family or even the local towns people, they have really gave me the opportunity to learn so much about them.

After all that is said and done, I have only one conclusion and it is that the American people are one of the nicest, most honest and strong people I have ever met.

Thank you Dr.Foster, Dr.Jackson, Mrs. Foster, Mrs. Jackson, Drew, Cary, Onur, Joel, Jennifer, Dr.Brown, Emily, Selin, the Wagners and to all those who had work so ahrd to made our experience an unforgettable one.

To the people of the United States, I say this to you for I shall return…one day.

The 4th of July is a day in which Americans regardless of faith, race or even ideology set aside their differences to celebrate their victory against evil alien invaders that blasted most major cities around the globe independence from British colonial rule and at this year’s celebration we got a taste of what it is like to celebrate Independence Day.

To see and experience how a small community celebrate the 4th of July, we were taken to Kaskaskia Island located in Randolph County in Southern Illinois. Kaskaskia Island was once a major French colonial town and then it became  the first state capital of Illinois. Now it just has a very sparse population surrounded by farmland.

As we arrived there was already a small crowd gathered at the site of the Kaskaskia Bell or also known as the Liberty Bell of the West. It was given by the then King of France to the people of Kaskaskia. A high school band was playing music and people were just sitting around some having something to eat and some just talking to each other waiting for the ceremony to start.

The ceremony was started with a presentation of colors by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, two military veterans groups based in the area.

Then there were the usual speeches, singing of the national anthem, a firing salute, the ringing of the bells of the Church of the Immaculate Conception and more singing. A special tributes was also given to the military veterans present for their service to their country. It is interesting to see how a small and I mean a really small community come together from all over the place to this small venue that is literally in the middle of nowhere.

Barb Brown, the Master of Ceremonies

Barb Brown who was the Master of Ceremonies also works for the small town of Chester helped to organize this trip for us. It was certainly an eye opener for us on how patriotic the ordinary American can be.

The Kaskaskia Bell

After the ceremony was over we then went to Fort Kaskaskia which was a site that the French build a fort upon and was destroyed in a battle with the British. The view from this hill site was magnificent as we can see the entire Mississippi river below cutting across the plains.

Soloist Taylor Crum. She sang the patriotic songs during the ceremony. Yes, I'll rather put her pic up than the old dude standing behind her. Hehehe.

Lunch was provided by Barb Brown’s family which I do not mind saying time and time again served the most mouth watering delicious hamburgers that I had ever tasted in my life. It was all home made and home cooked and boy, was it good.

The view from Fort Kaskaskia.

Later on after lunch, we went down the hill to visit the home of the first Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, Pierre Menard. His home is one of the very few surviving structures from the early part of the area’s history. An earthquake during the 18th century changed the flow of the Mississippi river and dramatically changed the landscape in the process.

Although some parts of the house is rebuilt, the furniture are all authentic from that era.

We also had an chance to watch a fireworks display organized by the local Lions Club in Carbondale just near the old football stadium located next to campus. Although it’s not as grand as a multimillion dollar fireworks display it was still impressive non the less.

Attempting to take pictures of fireworks makes me realize on how much work I still need to work on.

It was a wonderful but ridiculously tiring day and finding time to blog about so many things that happens is tiring enough as it is.I just hope that the next update would be faster.

Apparently, if you ever had a physical education while growing up in the US you would have definitely learned, heard or even most probably played baseball. Alongside Basketball and (American) Football it has one of the biggest followings here in the United States and is also the official national sport of the country.

At the end at the first week we had an opportunity to attend a Minors League baseball game between the Southern Illinois Miners and the Oakland County Cruisers. We arrived around 7pm in the evening and it was warm day although it’s much better than the tsundere weather we have back home.

The atmosphere was filled with excitement and fun for the whole family. It was almost a full house as we arrived as most tickets was already sold out and we had to sit at the grassy area at the end of the field. Visibility sucks though but the tickets was already sold out the week before so there’s nothing that can be done. We had to sit on the grass at the edge of the field behind the fences.

Believe it or not. This picture was taken at 7.30pm local time. Sunny isn't it?

I literally can’t see much but then again I’m just there to learn about the sport and to seep in the atmosphere. The food was remarkably pricey here, especially the beer.

Mega nachos and a corn dog = USD9.00

It was kinda fun to watch and learn about America’s national pastime but unfortunately, we had to leave before the game was over as it was past the 10th innings and there was no conclusion yet. Not to mention most of us were feeling chilly under the night sky.

A special thanks to Cary for explaining to me how the game works.Now I finally understand that the pitcher doesn’t have to shout out the attack name while trowing the ball. *SUPER TORNADO FLAMING FLYING DRAGON!!!!!!*

Cary is a big St.Louis Cardinals fan if you haven't notice. (it's a baseball team! XP)

]]> http://clowonline.com/2010/07/10/the-great-american-pastime/feed/ 0 http://clowonline.com/2010/05/18/gacc-2010-the-last-gacc/ http://clowonline.com/2010/05/18/gacc-2010-the-last-gacc/#comments Tue, 18 May 2010 14:05:10 +0000 clow http://clowonline.com/?p=992 Its about bloody time I posted this damn event review up even though it is about almost 2 1/2 months late. Stupid busy schedule. But I guess its better late than never right? So we’ve all heard or almost all of us anyways that this year’s Games, Anime and Comics Circle will be the last held at Multimedia University’s Melaka campus. Although swamped with work I just have to find the time to at least drop in for a visit since I was there at its creations it is only fitting that I’m also there for the end. Might as well since this would be my last GACC while I’m in MMU anyways.

The first day was to be honest an unexpected uncontrollable headache. The university apparently decided to have an open day on the very same time and the actual venue for GACC was pushed to the nearby classrooms which was hot, small, cramped and ridiculously hot. Did I mention hot? Cause it was like HOT! The air-conditioning was futile with the large amounts of visitors packed into the small makeshift venue. The MC’s both veterans of the ACG community were however there to lighten up the mood and try to create a fun atmosphere.

Then came the usual mix of activities that one would have expect from a large ACG event such as stage performances, competition and tournaments. The second day was a relief as the GACC committee was finally allowed to use the Examhall and to the relief of the visitors as well as it was fully air-conditioned. Cosplayers and the number of visitors were well below the amount seen in previous years. I guess maybe it was just at the wrong timing and the long distance from Kuala Lumpur. In any case, it was still a memorable event with friends meeting up and enjoying themselves with the ongoing activities in and out of the hall.

Yes, I know this isn’t much of a review but I was busy manning the the Anime Depot and the Emina booth. Besides I was too damn tired anyways. My head was spinning the entire weekend I was there. Too bad for me I guess. Be cause of that I really wasn’t able to take much pictures that I would like too. Now that was dissappointing to say the least.

In other news, I’ve finally made a proper watermark for all my future picture uploads. Looks way better than the previous one. As I’ve mentioned previously, I did not have much of a chance to take pictures of cosplayers and the like during my time at GACC but take a look at some of those that I did. Did some experimental photoshop. Kinda like how it turned out. As usual, comments and constructive criticism is very much appreciated.

[View with PicLens]

Sony A350 with kit lens. I so need to get myself a flash unit for the camera…sigh.

Mobile Observation and Surveillance Robot RX-1

Most of my assignments including my FYP is already done. Only need to do some final editing to my FYP thesis before I print it out into a hardcover copy but other than that its just 4 exam papers and I’m done this semester. Regardless, I had to juggle my academic life with my social life as well otherwise I’ll be missing out on so many things in life.

Went to GACC 2010 for a visit. It was going to be the last GACC due to circumstances of the times. I was there at the creation of GACC as one of the working committee so I felt it was fitting to be there as it slowly lays to rest one last time. The trip was kinda a rush for me as I had to multitask with my assignments and all during the trip. But it was a yummy trip to say the least. Didn’t took much pictures though. I miss photography. I really do. T__T

If you recall, I had posted about a run earlier this year that I would be joining. The Energizer Night Run. It was life changing for me. Ran 10km non-stop after so long with limited training and I broke my own personal best at 1:16:41.77 which is about 1 hour and 16 minutes. Surprised myself and I was feeling fine at the end of the run. No panting like mad or felt like dying. Incredible experience running around Cyberjaya at night with some of my closest friends not to mention the thousands of people. Maybe I’ll try a 21km route next time after more training that is.

Went to the Video Games Live concert, had one hell of a memorable time there, got my event booklet and VGL CD signed by the crew. It was nostalgic, surreal and fun like hell. The sound system could have been vastly improved and the organisers suck to say the least but the performers were GREAT. Only regret is that I should have bought a more expensive ticket as the music was quite soft from where I was seating.

Spoils of war. Lol.

Some might say that I’m mad for juggling so many things at the same time, that might be true. But all I can say in response is that I have no regrets whatsoever. It was a busy start to a new year but its a year of change for me in more ways than one. Oh, by the way. I got accepted to this Study of the U.S. Institute on New Media program organised by the U.S. Government. Which means I’ll be going for a shopping holiday study trip for 5 weeks in June and I’m bring Clowonline on a roadtrip with me as I explore the land of Freedom whenever chance I get.

I’ll be updating again in a couple of weeks after I’m done with my final exams. Till then. ZZZzzzz…..

Bye bye Year of the Ox and welcome to the Year of the Taiga Tiger. XD

I might have a lack of proper judgment lately but I’ve did something I cannot pull out off and well something that I might really regret at the end of the day…

Yeah…I joined another marathon. After years of telling myself to not inflict such painful self destruction upon myself, I still went and done it anyways. The money has been paid and now there’s no turning back. There’s 60 more days for me to train myself for this with one very simple objective. Qualify within the time given. I’m running the 10km distance this time. I guess some of you could easily do 10km in an hour but please do not mind me a person more accustomed to running only when he is being chased by thugs, wild dogs and stray vicious hamsters/cats.

One of my resolutions IS to lose 5kg by the end of the year so I guess this will ensure I’m actually going to do something about it.

Tsubasa Resevoir Chronicle Photoshoot.

Location: Taman Tasik Perdana(Lake Gardens)
Date: 27th November 2009
Time: Late morning/early afternoon
Cosplayers/models: Arisa, WednesdayRaven
Photographers: Clow, KCLee
Random help: Ping, Chris(the other one), Linkinstreet
Costume: Arisa

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Mini Kuroshitsuji Photoshoot.

Location: Fullhouse, Synway Pyramid branch
Date: 20th December 2009 (end of CF’09 Day 2)

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Vocaloid Photoshoot.

Location: Multimedia University, Cyberjaya.
Date: 25th October 2009.

Cosplayers
Rayray as Nigaito
Cutiepie305 as Ainone Kana
Mint as Ainone Kai
Angie00 as Hatsune Miku(Project Diva ver.)
Kazuikori as Yowane Haku
akiko wolf as Hatsune Miku(Black Rock Shooter ver.)
Chikoness as Toeto Luka
DeidaraGS as MechaKaito

Helper:
Beatbox
Zend
Exo

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