The 21st Birthday

Project 365 #8: Saturday, 21st February 2009

My birthday celebration began yesterday in the form of receiving a package in the mail in the afternoon – it felt a little heavy, was addressed to me, and as I unravelled the envelope, a pointless thought crossed me, wondering whether this could be a ticking bomb from an enemy I didn’t know I had wtf.

Another envelope remained inside the outer envelope, so I began tearing that up too until I saw this:

A birthday present from Ting!

It turns out to be The Tarot Bible book! I made a passing remark to her on MSN that I’d like to pick up tarot card reading after an Internet user freakishly accurately detailed my characteristics (but it turns out that it could merely be astrology – this book however says that you could use numerology and astrology, among others, in conjunction with tarot card reading so that would explain it).

This is just too sweet and thoughtful of her – a gift all the way from Singapore. =) I was altogether touched and a surge of happiness welled up – receiving a surprise present lights up anyone’s mood anytime.

Alvin arrived at my house at 5.45pm sharp, whereupon we chatted while waiting for Ding to pick us up (as well as me practising the piano for a while). Ding arrived together with Kai Tzin right when Alvin was bringing the 6-pack of Carlsberg he bought for me to be placed inside the refrigerator.

Both Ryui Bynn and Jon phoned me at the last minute to tell me that they couldn’t come, the former had to suddenly go to Perak with his mum, while the latter had to babysit some churchmates.

We used the NKVE highway to skip the supposed jam, and then parked somewhere near Hartamas Square – we weren’t charged RM10 like what Esther had told us previously. And on arriving at Decanter Too at nearly 7pm sharp, we realised we were the only customers.. with quite a number of tables with the ‘Reserved’ sign placed on top of them – Wai Hong’s car which contained Shawn and Andy arrived just a minute after we sat down.

I was a bit disappointed when we couldn’t sit on the lounge as that was also reserved (heck I had already booked a table on Thursday night actually), but I was comforted by Esther (who rang up Kai Tzin) who said that we didn’t have to stoop down to eat anyway – which was true, as I suppose the lounge was more suitable for drinking purposes rather than eating, with the height of a table so low that you’d have to bend your backs just to eat.

Obligatory group pic! The telly was screening Ultraman on TV3.. highly unsuitable for a bar of this class. <_< As you can clearly discern, it’s a sausage fest that night as we no longer have any remaining girls in our u8 gang in Subang. =(

Kai flashing his cute smile as usual, used a selective colour Photoshop technique to achieve the mood of this photo.

The menus on the wall. Shawn was asking the foreign waiter what side dishes would be served along with the rib-eye steak that was on a today-only menu, but the waiter merely told us that he didn’t know. -___- Service 101: Never say “I don’t know”, at least say “I’ll check with the chef/manager” etc. Even when Shawn asked him to ask the chef, he kept saying he didn’t know wtf sigh.

My scrumptious mouth-watering Seafood Platter (RM20). It wasn’t exactly very filling though. Our drinks were also in huge glasses as compared to the last time we came, and I had a faint suspicion this was because when I was on the phone with Decanter Too on Thursday, I told them, “I want to book a table for my birthday this coming Saturday night”.. so maybe that’s just it – free supersize of drinks for the entire table on a customer’s birthday. :D

Me, Wai Hong, Shawn.

A group photo minus Kai Tzin who was the cameraman – with some stupid hand sign from Shawn and Ding devised by Shawn’s collegemate.

It was really quite relaxing just sitting down there at this bar/bistro and chat while listening to the jazz songs playing throughout Decanter Too, a huge departure from all the R&B and trance and techno and heavy rock common in clubs. And some popular numbers have been jazzified, like Norah Jones’ Don’t Know Why and Wang Lee Hom’s 唯一 (Wei Yi), the latter song’s jazz version apparently was on a collaboration with Kenny G, which sounded serenely stunning.

The singer for that night armed with only an organ and his guitar. He started performing at about 8.30pm, one of which was Ronan Keating’s When You Say Nothing At All.

Shawn playing around with Wai Hong.

Ding and Shawn doing The Stupid Hand Sign on Andy wtf.

Shawn’s muka sohai hahahaha.

It was still empty even at nearly 9pm, but perhaps it was also because it was raining quite heavily at the time.

Me absolutely enjoying myself.

At one point, the singer dude asked whose birthday was it, and when I told him my name, he started strumming and singing a Happy Birthday song for me along with the rest of the gang. I was a little embarrassed actually wtf but it made me quite happy. =D Later on after another song when the singer was looking and smiling towards my direction, I quickly took the opportunity to ask if I could make a song request, to which he said sure, what song?

“U2’s With or Without You please!”

After two seconds his face lit up with instant recognition, then he began to play a different song which I assume was from his selected repertoire of the night. Then after that song, he double confirmed with me once again that it was indeed With or Without You that I wanted, then he proceeded to fiddle with the organ which then belted out an unfamiliar tune.. I scrounged up my face trying to figure out the song, but the moment he strummed his guitar, I knew it was the right one.

Not many people can pull off With or Without You in that deep, reverberating Bono-esque voice – for some reason listening to this song played live stirs a kind of tranquility in me that leaves me in a state of utter peace that would make me forget the moment’s worries, almost as if I had been transported to a dimension where the only forms of existence are me and this song. Several times I’ve heard this song live – most notably at Khao San Road of Bangkok – and it always managed to stop me in my tracks, and I’d forgo whatever I needed to do and just listened to this song till its end.

You’d think that since I really love this song so much I’d know every single letter of the lyrics, but no, I don’t. I only know a line or two from the chorus and that’s about it – it’s the well-composed melodies and the singer’s voice that absolutely captivates me.

And so, after that song, we left.

The bill came to nearly RM220, RM100 of which Shawn paid for as my birthday present as he didn’t know what to get for me (very grateful for it mate!) – we kept ordering more dishes as some of ours weren’t that filling, and they didn’t have the RM3 crunchy garlic bread that night. =/ The bartender whom most regarded as cute came up to me, addressed me by my first name and shook my hands while wishing me Happy Birthday, then the singer shook hands with me as well and wished me the same thing, while I complimented his voice.

To be honest I could just sit there the entire night away just listening to the songs performed live while chatting with the rest of the gang. Who needs mamak when you have a cool bar like this. =) Granted, it isn’t a place I’d go every single day due to the costs involved as well as the distance, but I could just order a single RM4.50 iced lemon tea and sit there for hours.

We drove all the way back to Ding’s house in the pouring rain, initially to celebrate his youngest sister’s birthday and eat a homemade cake made by his other sister, but apparently the cake didn’t turn out too well so we then left after watching several minutes worth of some Astro’s TVB awards live.

We returned to my house after dropping by at the 7-Eleven behind my house to pick up some things to go with the alcohol – Ding brought along his Chivas and tequila.

Jengjengjeng damn a lot of heavy liquors, dad brought out the Martell and the Absolut Kurant which I didn’t even know was still around. >_>

Wai Hong playing with my youngest brother’s lion puppet thingy.

Kai Tzin holding the Chivas.

We played a variety of card games.. first it was blackjack (while incorporating a “loser drinks” rule), then erm a variety of other games like the number game or 007. Before the start of the games, I was forced to down a glass filled with a mixture of other alcohol which eventually tasted more like a cocktail of Absolut Mango + orange juice.. heavy stuff (although Shawn did drink like half for me hahaha).

I turned really red quick.

Hahahahaha muka sohai again wtf.

And another.

Dismantling Alvin’s shirt wtf.

Going crazy.

Angkukukuku hahahahahaha.

HAHAHAHAHAHA WTF I WASN’T AWARE THIS WAS SNAPPED AT ALL HAHAHAHAHA.

As the rest were beginning to complain of being hungry, me, Kai Tzin, Alvin, and Ding began to go out to buy some things. Kai Tzin, me, and Alvin weren’t exactly walking very straight at that time wtf although we managed to go to 7-Eleven and Nasi Lemak USJ and tapau-ed some stuffs for the rest and returned in one piece.

At my living room. I recall phoning Jess and passed the phone around wtf, and trying to hold a conversation with Shawn in French hahahaha.

Kai Tzin was a goner – he told us he has work at 8am and he shouldn’t sleep wtf.

Alvin becoming emo after seeing his ex on the aforementioned Astro TVB awards earlier awww.

I finally gave in to sleep too.

I vaguely remember waking up to them leaving and my youngest brother suddenly appearing O_O and he started to watch television downstairs. I cleaned up the place a bit, made sure that my youngest brother don’t suddenly bolt outside the house and escape again, then went to bed.

I can safely conclude that this is by far the best birthday celebration I’ve ever had – a fitting bash to a 21st birthday (where this age also tends to be overglorified and overhyped). A rejuvenating, serene, quiet night at a bar which I thoroughly enjoyed – private performance by a talented singer, intimate company, shaking hands with The Bartender hahahaha – followed by a session of intense drinking (still not as crazy as our New Year celebration just two months ago) completes the night.. a fitting birthday celebration before I leave to Melbourne in a few months’ time.

PS: Changed the blog layout on a whim – took me nearly the entire day to select a good one and decide and then act on it. What do you guys think of it?