So it’s 2:30am now and I just got back from a crazy long day filled with music of all sorts of genres, vocals with all sorts of ranges and guitars of all different shapes and sizes.

I left the house so early this morning I couldn’t even remember what time it was that I left. It wasn’t extremely early, but it was early enough for a Sunday morning. I headed over to Central Market for the World Press Freedom Day gig organized by CIJ. The sound on the Front Of House was good but the stage sounded a little funny. Monitoring the whole band was a little difficult and I think we could have done a lot better. But overall, I had heaps of fun just rocking out, acoustic style! We could play the louder songs which we hardly play during acoustic shows. The feel was just right. I had an awesome time watching the other bands, catching up with friends and musicians.

Thanks Sonia and Hasbee for organizing this wonderful event and taking care of us. You guys rock!

And as usual, I stayed till the end of the show. It was about 6pm and I was clueless, not knowing what to do next. “To go home and come out again later for Troubaganger or just hang around KL till Troubaganger starts?” those were the words playing in my head the whole time. In the end I decided to hang around CM with Saiful and gang to catch up and chat over drinks.

Then it was time to head over to La Bodega for Troubaganger’s 1^st Anniversary! The place was packed again and all the performers were simply awesome. Wish I wasn’t so hungry and tired so I could have met them all.

Again, I stayed till the end of this show, also because I played open mic right at the end. Though the crowd had thinned down a lot by then, I still played anyway. It’s always a warm feeling about La Bodega because every time I step through the door, it feels like stepping home. I played Shooting Star, a song that is not on the Midnight In St. Kilda album and dedicated it to Fikri, the singing waiter at La Bodega. He’s been requesting for that song ever since I played it a long time back and I think it’s been months. Somehow, the mood was just right for the song tonight and Fikri sang along too. Then I ended the two song open mic set with a slower version of Scratch, just because the mood was right. That’s what La Bodega does. The songs really bounce off the atmosphere and ambience of the place, according to its feel and mood. I never really know what to plat at La Bodega gigs and the spontaneity really adds to the thrill.

Two gigs in a day. It reminded me of the first time ever that I played at La Bodega for open mic. It was right after playing a few stages at Fete De La Musique in 2005.

Congratulations Azmyl Yunor, Tan Sei Hon, Jerome Kugan and Jasmine Low for keeping Troubaganger alive and kickin! I truly appreciate our friendship and all the tremendous support from the four of you.

Happy Birthday, Happy 1^st Anniversary Troubaganger.