Crazy Elephant

This is something I should have written about a long time ago. For those who know me well, you'll know I'm a hardcore Classic Rock/Blues fan. So when I first moved here to Singapore three years ago to study, I was kind of sad about the fact that I would miss out on the great live music scene that I was used to in Bangalore.

So imagine my surprise when I'm walking down Clarke Quay one day and suddenly I hear a blistering rendition of One Way Out by the Allman Brothers. Following my ear leads me to this loud bar filled with a motley crew of beer drinkers. And what's better, it's called Crazy Elephant! Nestled in the hustle and bustle of Clarke Quay, by the Reverse Bungee, Crazy Elephant is what I'd consider to be the best live music venue I've been to. And they play exactly my kind of music. I'm talking Allman Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, Muddy Waters, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and even some gems of Delta Blues like Mississippi Fred McDowell.


Mean Jean and the Blues Machine is the in-house band that plays there on most nights, and they are fabulous. Jeanne French, the vocalist, is just mind-blowing. She can do Janis Joplin as well as Janis did! And I'm not exaggerating about this. Hear her go crazy on You Gotta Move or Pride & Joy, and you'll know what I mean. She's even performed with some really big names in the business like Bonnie Raitt and Susan Tedeschi. Dr. John Chee, the lead guitarist, is one of those performers who just leave you wondering 'WTF how does he do that?'. Dr. Kamal is the fabulous Bassist who can play just about anything, and Mark Boatman on drums keeps the band so tight, you wont know what hit you.

Some other great performers who I've seen at Crazy Elephant include Dave Shafran, John Hanson, and Dom Turner of the Backsliders.


Of course, Crazy Elephant is not the only place for live music in Singapore. You do have Timbre, Roomful of Blues etc. But if you are into Classic Rock and Blues, this is definitely the place to be. And even if you aren't, you're still assured a great time, with a fun crowd, reasonably priced drinks, and a pool table. And heh, don't miss the Joke screen above the bar.

Get together and let the good times roll.

Home

A friend of mine recently said something interesting. He told me that the concept of home was quite unclear and ambiguous to him. His statement set me thinking. What is home? Is it just simply the roof under which you live? If so, then for me, I should have two homes. I live in a hostel as well as presently during the holidays in what I always considered home. But then again, home should be something concrete. Right?

They say home is where the heart is. Is it that simple after all? My friends in college don't like it when someone refers to our hostel as home. If I was to say to one of them - "Hey, lets go back home and pick up the book", I'd be quickly reminded that home was back in India. Why the hostility towards residences outside the proverbial home? Aren't you living by your own rules out here? Isn't it a relief that no one tells you what to do? It's your own personal kingdom. Freedom is found in abundance. And yet the apprehension.

It's a personal thing I guess. Many find comfort in different places they go to. For them, home is a fellow traveler. I'm a rooted individual myself. Wherever I go, home will always be my city, my house, my room. Home is my own low, amazingly sleep inducing bed. Home is the trolley next to the fridge, with myriad edible things for me to increase my waistline. Home is the basketball ring to which I still have to attach a net. Home is where my best friends "hang out" for more time than they do in their own homes. Home is the posters on my wall. Home is my family. Home is where I will always belong, someplace I'll know better than I know myself.

"What is more agreeable than one's home?" - Marcus Tullius Cicero

Lost In Translation

They say that there is no time like the present for postponing what you ought to be doing. 4 months, 6 days and 23 hours is a long time. In terms of a blogging break, it really is. Reasons could be given, but what purpose would it serve? So here goes - another attempt at effectively capturing my life on cyberspace.

Indonesia left south east asia in a haze.
North Korea left the world in a daze.
I finally got out of the maze.
Or was it just another phaze?

Singapore does a few things to you. It shows you the trick of survival in a varied culture. It teaches you too look below the glossy exterior and identify the dirt within. It exposes your weaknesses faster than a torture chamber would. It gives you the best opportunities in the world, but snatches it away the moment you loosen up. And of course, it reduces grammar requirements drastically. You don't need to give an elaborate explanation to ask one for something. All you have to ask is 'can?'. Mostly, cannot. It's worth the try.

Home is being missed terribly. I miss my family, my friends and my food (Ma.. I'm hungry!). I miss my city. I miss M.G. Road. I miss NPS. I miss 5 hour-long phone conversations. I miss long walks through Defence Colony. I miss Bangalore. But I aint gonna complain. Life is good here. Plus, my ticket for december is booked. So I'm happy!

New friends have been made. New places have been seen. New types of food have been eaten. Old habits though, have remained. College is great fun. I love SMU. Not just because every place in it is covered by posters screaming the same thing! I love it because it is everything I expected it to be. And sometimes its gone way beyond. The technology in this place could make NASA raise an eyebrow. Or maybe two. And of course, who can ignore hostel life? It's something I'd recommend highly. Nowhere else will dinner be at 6 in the morning, and nowhere else will you meet a football player from Ghana, and a Thai monk who debates.

I have mastered the art of getting up at 8:20 for an 8:30 class, and still making it in time. I'm impressed! Quizzing is being missed sorely. It's place has been taken for now, by debating. British Parliamentary at that. It's great fun. Before I move on, any P.O.I.'s at this point? I kill myself!

Motion picture type soundtrack has begun playing in the background. The sirens are going off. The show has begun. And I'm on my way. Come on, lah. Slow down cannot. Have a great time? Can. Wah lau eh!

Lost in translation.