Kita- The Flash Mob (June 6th)

Phew! That's all I can say, after a long but fruitful day out with young folks who are matured in mind. It was an awesome experience and I would like to share that with you.

Woke up at 7am this morning. Damn tired cuz yesterday night I attended a colleague's wedding dinner at TTDI. Anyway, that's besides the point. OK, after waking up, I checked the CausePlay inbox to see whether there were any last min matters that needed to be taken care of for today's mob. None. Checked the fb wall. None. OK, went to get ready, and headed off to the ERL station.

Reached KL Sentral around 8:29am. Obviously, no one was there. Ah, I remember now. I would have hung out more at the ERL Waiting Lounge, but there was a blind man sitting beside me in the train, so I had to guide him up to the exit area, hence I couldn't hang out in the Waiting Lounge. Anyway, so, I went to Burger King to wait for the rest of the CausePlayers.

8:30am

8:35am

8:40am

8:45am

Ping! I see the guys from IACT College lugging bags of T-shirts and freebies and also posters. Amazing kids I tell you! Went to introduce myself. They're so damn cool, with their tattoos, sense of fashion, hair, glasses, piercings. How I wish I had lived that path during my teens. Hmm *dreamy*

Anyway, slowly one by one the CausePlay mobbers started trickling into the meeting point. By then, it had already been 9:10am.

So, finally we headed into the bus (our designated "flash mob tour" bus), with our McD breakfast sets waiting for us :) Yummeee..

First stop was Times Square at 10:30am. We started off by singing the "Negaraku" while being blindfolded. Then the IACT lecturer recited a poem by A. Samad Said. We removed our blindfolds and started singing childhood songs. It was so awesome cuz it was accompanied by the kompang. The shoppers were just staring at us, some taking photos, some shooting videos.

Next, we headed off to Central Market. Yes, I know, probably one of the more dodgier places in the heart of KL City. It was kinda like Chow Kit Street, with all the stalls selling arts and crafts. Saw this stall inside Central Market selling T-shirts with really catchy statements printed on them. E.g., "Naked Inside" using the Intel Inside logo. Wanted to buy one of the shirts, but they were trying to rip me off for RM35. I was like, you might as well rob me in bright daylight.

So, at 12pm (I think), we did our thing again at the area near the kereta lembu. Cool, had better responses from the crowd, cuz Central Market being the area where tourists frequent and not forgetting the very very dodgy immigrant workers.

Next, we headed off to Kompleks PKNS Shah Alam. When we first landed, we got a vanilla sundae. Yippee! Then we went around the complex with our Kita T-shirts on, drawing a lot of attention from the public cuz they were thinking that we were from some kinda mob (like a kongsi gelap), which is kinda true right? We ARE a flash MOB group :)

So, at 2pm (I think), we did our thing again, right smack in the front entrance. People from McD and the shoppers were watching but didn't really do much (except for one lady that was recording our gig). So, I told Kim that the crowd was kinda "stoned" and she took it as "they were too stoned cuz our gig was so awesome". Right.

Then, we had our lunch at the park (by the lake) opposite Kompleks PKNS. Nice view (but dirty water), slightly breeezy but damn hot. Good company. Everyone just sat on the benches and ate the nasi goreng.

After that, we headed off for our last stop which was at Lot 10. This time, we didn't sing. Instead, all of us did a formation in a straight line, hands locking with the person next to each other, while being blindfolded, did a freeze. So, technically it was a blind freeze. Damn awesome cuz you know Lot 10 being a hot spot for tourists, we managed to get the attention and awareness that we wanted.

So, all in all, tiring day but really amazing. Enjoyed meeting fun and young people (cuz they make me feel young) and learning from them at the same time :)

Shoutout goes out to:

Jacqueline

Cody
Thaqifah
Khiflani
Siti Zurya
Elina Suyani

Shaheera

Aris Hushaini
Mohd Faisal
Zackrey
Danial Hasif
Muhammad Amirul
Mohd Fazrin Shah
Ainul Hafzan

Daniel

Steven

You guys ROCK!! Looking forward to next week's!! :):)

VFM: The Videos

Here you go. Enjoy!!

VFM: Post-mortem

All I can say about VFM is...

AWESOME!!! Never would I have thought that it would be such a success. It was indeed a catapult of success vs the Christmas Beatboxing & Singing Flash Mob. I loved every single moment of it, and I'm sure the participants and the photographers did as well.

Here's a brief account of what actually happened at KL Sentral (1st wave of VFM).

I arrived at KL Sentral at about 12:57pm. But even on the way, my phone was already ringing off the hook cuz I was receiving phone calls and sms-es from the participants enquiring and confirming certain details. I have never felt so popular in my life =p

So, when I reached, I met up with Charz and Fran. Thanks to them, the VFM had a big-ass hailer to scream out the instructions to the participants. So, slowly one by one, the mobbers started trickling in. Some came in couples, some in groups, some single. Went around meeting the mobbers. It's very interesting that these people actually came to know about the VFM through a 3 or 4 degrees of separation method (i.e. they found out via their friend's friend's friend's friend, obviously I do not know any of them). I love facebook. If there was no decent man left in the world, I'd take fb anytime, hands down (even if it turns out that fb is a "She").

So, by 1:30pm, we started with the briefing (although it was originally scheduled to start at 1pm, but you know the Malaysian attitude) using the big-ass hailer mentioned above. The mobbers were very supportive, paying close attention to the modus operandi and asking when they had doubts. Could tell that they were very very keen and supportive. Oh, note to those that ffk on us, go and screw yourself.

So, we divided ourselves into little teams with a leader (either voluntary, or forced voluntariness =p) and designated locations to each team. Main focus was on the concourse area of KL Sentral, just outside McDonalds.

At 2pm, we started. Oh, btw, there was this group of German ladies who looked suspiciously-keen, so I went up to them and asked whether they were there for an event. The lady was like, "Oh yea, we're here for a flash mob". My heart was screaming in JOY. I said, "Yes, you're right on time, we're just about to start. Why don't you get settled and join in?"

So, at 2pm, we started. I did not freeze cuz there was no videographer, so me being the kuli, had to step in. There was literally silence as commuters started stopping in their tracks and wondered what was going on. People started taking out cameras and their handphones and started recording. We even stole the limelight from this bunch of girls dressed up in Cosplay! Muahahaha. They ended up moving to the sideline and whispering to each other (probably cursing us LOL).

So, me being the kuli, was walking around recording in my not so canggih videocam known as the E71, was also trying to stir things up. I went up to some random commuters asking, "Apa yang sedang berlaku ni? Kenapa semua orang beku je?" I even overheard the Information Counter officer calling up his superiors and saying, "Semua orang tak bergerak. Beku". LOL, it's kinda funny how we translate things from English to Malay right? Freeze= Beku.

Come to think of it, he was actually pretty silly. He should have seen that I was one of the mobbers cuz I was carrying that big-ass hailer on my right shoulder. Probably the sight of someone carrying a hailer at KL Sentral is normal to him. LOL.

Anyway, there were tons of poses. Most of them attempted to stay grounded, like a mannequin. But I'd have to give them credit for pulling it off as this was their 1st time freezing in public for 5 minutes. Bravo!

So, at 2:05pm, everyone unfroze and moved away. Then, came back the noise and hustle-bustle of the KL Sentral scene. Then, we all re-grouped back at the briefing area for a de-briefing. Kudos to the photographers for moving with such speed capturing all they could in 5 minutes. Such professionalism. We will definitely hire you (for free) next time! ;)

So, after the debriefing (which ended around 2:40pm), we took some group shots and a couple of police officers came to "kacau" (sorry dude, no wang kopi for you). The policeman asked me whether I had the permit to do such event here at KL Sentral. So, I proudly took it out and waved it at his face (silently screaming "Take it suckaaaa!!). Nah, I didn't scream THAT out, but I politely told him that I had the management approval. He glanced through it, as though he was trying to spot some grammatical error. When he couldn't find fault with it, I innocently asked him, "Encik, ada apa-apa masalah ke?". Then he mumbled something and said, "Oh, ini management tahu, tapi kita polis tak tahu". WTF has an event IN a building got to do with them?!?!?! Helllooooo?!?!?!

Anyway, after that whole rigmarole was over, we all headed to the Monorail station, secara beramai-ramai like a Mickey Mouse platoon. LOL. We reached Times Square (TS) at about 2:45pm. Still early, so the gang went to Starbucks to hang out while I went to meet with the TS Officer to co-ordinate some last minute logistics.

First wave of TS VFM was at LG floor, where they were planning to slot in our gig right after the 8TV CNY Promo Tour. Lucky Styvee. We ran a little off schedule, so we started off slightly later, at about 4:45pm. It was right smack in the middle of the concourse area, where any blind person could see us. Great stuff. Reporters from every imaginable press was there. You name it, you got it. The Star, Nanyang, Sin Chew, Berita Harian (OMG!!!). So, that was my first shot (and very possibly the only shot) at stardom. So, they asked me all sorts of questions and I answered all of them. I was so beat by then I wanted to faint right in front of them. So, they asked me how to write my Chinese name and how to spell my English name. Good sign right?

Anyway, 2nd wave of TS VFM was at Ground floor, right smack in front of the main entrance. This time around, the paparazzi moment was even dialled up further. Camera flashes were all over. I took part in the freeze. Yea, wanted to experience it since I already missed out on the previous 2 gigs. My pose was with Keith, trying to shake hands midway. I could feel sweat trickling down my forehead and my leg muscle was screaming "Move your leg, damnit". Seriously tiring. Every second felt like an hour. Sometimes, you feel like you wanna scratch your hands, or wipe away your sweat, or turn your neck, or move your leg. YOU CAN'T!!

When the 5 minutes ended, me and Keith shook hands and walked away casually. Then, we all gathered at the main entrance for a group shot. I de-briefed the mobbers and thanked them. Really grateful to them for showing up. It meant the world to me.

After that, I departed for home sweet home, with an ache starting to build up on my right leg, and smiling like an ass at the same time.

What a day.

And if you're wondering why I even bothered to type out this long-ass piece of article when a video or pictures can tell more, I choose to. Because 10 years down the road, I may have suffered a case of amnesia (*touch wood*) and I would love to feel and relive the moment of what fun really means.

P/S- Video and pictures should be ready in 1 week's time. Patience is a virtue. Amen.

V-Day Flash Mob

Yessssss, the moment you have all been waiting for. The unveiling of the full details of the Valentine's Day Flash Mob (VFM). However, I shall not reveal much until the details have all been worked out.

Date: Feb 7, 2010
Day: Sunday
Time: 4pm (actual event), 2pm (briefing, trial run)
Location: To be determined
Participants: All ages, CausePlay is looking for beatboxers (minimum 15) and dancers (minimum 20 dancers made up of 10 couples)
Routine: Hip-hop dance, emboying the V-Day theme.

So, in the meantime, start RSVP-ing and spreading the word around.

Cheers,
CausePlay

CFM: The video everyone has been waiting for

OK here we go. Key takeaways:

1. Yes, the echo from the train was fking loud. So, I would give props to the beatboxers and singers for making it work. You guys rocked!

2. Yes, we only had 1 cameraman. Yeah, it goes back to the whole thing of ppl ffk-ing us during the last minute. Lesson learnt. What goes around comes around. We wished that we had more volunteers who could help us shoot the flash mob from different angles, so that you could actually see the reactions, smiles and "wow" coming from the passengers. Sometimes, you need to be present physically to be able to experience the "WOW" factor. Take for example, it's exactly like watching Avatar on DVD. That's just sad man.

3. Thanks again to everyone who participated! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2010!

Euphoria: Christmas Flash Mob

So, the Christmas Flash Mob (CFM) was on Dec 20th, Sunday at Putra LRT. 2 words to describe it, "Fking awesome".

A couple of notes to those who ffk us during the last minute: Thanks for not coming (I mean it seriously and sarcastically). You know why? I'll tell you why. It was indeed a blessing in disguise because we couldn't have managed the logistics when we were beatboxing and singing inside the train. It would be too big of a gob to move about (if you know what I'm saying). So, yea, thanks again for not coming and blowing us off last minute. What goes around, comes around.

OK, now I shall begin deciphering the euphoria of the CFM. I'll tell you why it was so "Fking awesome":
1. It was the first ever in Malaysia and I'm pretty sure it was the first ever in the world. For those of you who are thinking of challenging this statement, pls try your very best to search for videos of a group of people "flash mobbing" public transportations while singing AND beatboxing.

2. We totally rocked it even though 15 of us showed up (vs initial target of 30). Like I mentioned above, logistics would have been tougher to co-ordinate. And if you think that beatboxing and singing in the train is easy, you are damn wrong. Imagine having to beatbox for 6 whole minutes continuously while moving from 1 tram to the next and having to balance yourself standing and trying to outdo the noise caused by the echo of the train moving through the underground tunnnel. If you think you can do it, show us what you got. As for the singers, since there was limited number of singers, we had to also outdo the noise caused by the echo. Oh, not forgetting also to keep check of the stations that we had to get out at. Otherwise, we would be ending up in Gombak or something.

3. We definitely brought a whole new meaning to flash mob, whereby long gone are the days where people just imitate whatever that ImprovEverywhere is doing (freezing, doing some train party, pillow fights, etc). CausePlay combined beatboxing and singing this time around. The next flash mob would be even bigger and better. If you wanna be part of it, you know who to contact.

4. The participants were not just young, but they were talented as well. Did I mention that they were very sporting as well? Props and kudos to the beatboxers, all ranging from 16 to 20. You amazed me and the hundreds of Malaysian LRT passengers who can testify to that. You showcased your talent and you were not afraid or shy to show the world what you got. A typical Malaysian would just stand by and watch and go "oooo" and "ahhh".

5. The reactions from the LRT passengers was something that money can NEVER buy. All the uncles and aunties who have obviously never seen people beatboxing turned to look, teen couples smiled and sang along with us, youngsters took out their cameras and videocams (for those who were carrying it there and then) and started recording. A couple of foreigners even wished us Merry Christmas after the CFM. Like I said, P R I C E L E S S (kinda like the MasterCard advertisement).

6. There were no rehearsals done. We only gathered 2 hours earlier to conduct the briefing and did a trial run before the CFM. Obviously, people have come from all over the place and we didn't wanna take up too much of their time. A beatboxer even came all the way from Malacca and another singer looked us up (instead of being invited to the event). Kudos!


Once again, a MASSIVE shoutout goes out to:
BEATBOXERS
Kimsng: For being the right-hand person for the CFM, key female beatboxer [http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=629197000&ref=ts]

ABeatC: For being the show-starter and also the lead male beatboxer. Oh, not forgetting video editor [http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=1029405567&ref=ts]

Koujee: For also being the lead male beatboxer and for providing the "enthusiasm" and "humour" to the group [http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=100000421152230&ref=ts]

Danil: Muhibah pilot boy, who also happens to beatbox [http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=714195620&ref=ts]

MC Rave: Cool dude, thanks for showing up man [http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=1362886079&ref=ts]

M3: Another cool dude, thanks for showing up [http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/megatdanial?ref=ts]

Ice: "Hi, I'm Ice" "Hi, I'm Fire" All the way from Melaka, beatboxing for the fellow KL-ians [http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/AisBatu?ref=ts]

Bei: Another female beatboxer. Arigato! [http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/bbbei?ref=mf]

SINGERS
Keith: TQ for being so proactive. Look forward to your participation next round ;)
Peggy: Yes, we all know the long working hours ;) But, I'm sure you can still spend time to come and join us for the next flash mob
Psych majors: Jasmine, Felix and Cheong
Lee Yee: Bei's twin sister! Who can always throw in some beats! You go girl ;)

CAMERAMAN
Yow Fung in da house!! People thought you were shooting some film/movie :p

Do look out for the video. Will post it soon (once it's done being edited).

Cheers,
CausePlay

Malaysia's First Beatboxing and Singing Flash Mob

Alright, this is it! This MUST work. Otherwise we will have to wait until next year's Christmas. LOL.

A BIG MA-HASSSIVVEEE shoutout and thanks goes out to Kimsng for promoting and pulling ppl to be part of the crew.

Date: 20 Dec 2009 (Sunday)
Time: 4-6pm
Venue: KL Sentral to KLCC (Putra LRT)

Cause: To bring joy and smiles to the faces of the public on this joyous occasion
Play: We will be doing a beatboxing and singing gig to Christmas songs :) Simple stuff. No major practice sessions needed. We will meet at 2pm at KL Sentral for a briefing :)

Crew: 10 beatboxers and minimum 20 singers

Hurry RSVP at fb by searching for this event title "Malaysia's First Beatboxing and Singing Flash Mob"

Merdeka CausePlay! (Ex the rain, and 2 mikes)

This is Merdeka CausePlay, less 2 mikes. Hated that it happened (the less 2 mikes part) but it did anyway (*due to some hiccups*). These teens managed to stop traffic flow and wow-ed those shoppers outside Pavilion KL. There was even a couple who were so shocked that they kept whispering to each other and pointing. Indeed a sight.

Proud that we hit our target of 100 people. Not proud (and a little pissed off) that certain parties did not walk the talk. That will be dealt with separately.

For now, here they are! Enjoy!


Purely beatboxers

CausePlay is ON! Aug 25th at Pavillion

Awesome! Merdeka CausePlay is ON!! Aug 25th is the date to remember and 5pm is the time! I am just so psyched!

Here are the main highlights of the day!

BEATBOXERS

SINGING

1000 PEOPLE

PATRIOTISM

CHARITY

FUN!!!

I am just so psyched (oops, I said that already). Event will be held at Pavillion, 1 night only! 1st ever in Malaysia. Come and have fun!

Thanks to Edwin L, Ben L, ABeatC and his Wu Tang Clan :p, Steffi L, Jas, Liza and everyone else who have been helping out!! I owe u guys BIG TIME!


RSVP at fb! CausePlay No: 1- Merdeka
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=128446554154&ref=nf

CausePlay

Revolution has found its name; CausePlay.

CausePlay is and will be only 5 things.

1. A community intended to bring the nation closer to each other. We welcome children, youths, adults, old folks, widowed, married, single, divorced, gays, lesbians, Chinese, Malays, Indians. You name it. Any form of discrimination will not be tolerated. Be part of the family.

2. A channel to relay a message to the masses. This movement will NOT be a means to advocate views pertaining to political propaganda, racism or discrimination. CausePlay will focus on advocating help needed to improve the lives of humanity by breaking out from the conventional mindset.

3. A mass movement of actions and voices. We will NOT advocate strikes or rallies that will pertain and benefit the minority few individuals or parties. CausePlay will aim at educating and reminding the masses of a certain purpose (i.e. patriotism, local music, etc).

4. A neutral party. CausePlay is not backed or fueled by any bodies or agencies. This movement is fueled by the support of the masses voluntary kindness. However, any form of support that we get (i.e. money) from the public will be channeled for good use (i.e. orphanage homes, old folks' shelters, etc).

5. Do things for the namesake of "FUN". Sometimes, the acts/gigs that we carry out are all in the name of fun and need not necessarily have a meaning behind it (although we try to have one). Can't we just have fun once in a while?

Ping me to be part of the crew. We will be launching our very first gig (hopefully) by the end of August. We're looking for crew members (around 100 of you) and a couple of videoman/videowoman. You could also be "headhunters" in the sense that you hunt for ppl to be part of the crew too!

P/S- If Yasmin Ahmad was still alive, she would have been the 1st one to sign up. Don't you think so too?

Revolution is here

People of the blog nation,

Hear me out. I will be starting a revolutionary-out-of-the-blue video project. If you have seen the internationally-well-known video of Grand Central Freeze, then you would know what I'm talking about. Otherwise, go youtube it and contribute to its exponential growth in popularity.

If you're going like, "Oh man, not that again" (cuz in case you didn't know, Malaysia did attempt (with emphasis on the word "attempt") but didn't quite hit it off. So, I am NOT gonna be doing that. Instead, I will be doing other show-stopping, eyebrow-raising stunts/gigs. This will depend ultimately on the number of people that volunteer to be in the crew (yup, you guys will be known as crew members). Currently, I have only about 10 ppl that have volunteered (yes, since you and I both know that Malaysians are not willing to do stuff that are considered peculiar or awkward in public). It's a small number for now, but I target to have about 100 people (give or take). I trust that I can and will be able to gather 100 youths that are currently sprawling and just hanging out at KLCC or Pavillion to do this. Seriously. I know that they are up for it. It's just a matter of getting the word to them.

Therefore, I am CHALLENGING you to get in touch with me for sign-up and further details. If you have questions in your mind right now (like where and when), those details will be finalised once we have confirmed on the total number of crew members.

If you're brave and would like to do sth revolutionary in your life, buzz me.

Just so you know, I have talked this idea with lots of ppl and I have gotten tons of comments/reactions. Below are just a few of them:

1. Hah?!?! You want to do things like that ah? (Styvee: Why not? It's not unlawful and certainly is good for your self-esteem)

2. Aiyor, why you want to copy things that ppl have done before? (Styvee: I'm not going to copy, but will instead come up with stunts that nowhere else in the world has done before. Let's create sth for once in our life instead of copying whatever everyone else has done)

3. Oh man, I will die of embarrassment. (Styvee: Then would you rather die of old age? Or getting knocked down by a drunk driver? Or lie on your deathbed wishing that you had done more in life vs just living it?)

4. Don't have time la (Styvee: Too bad then. Looks like I have mis-judged you. Go on and continue doing whatever that makes you happy. I have nothing against that)

5. It's so stupid leh (Styvee: Stupid? Certainly not. Silly? Most definitely yes. Like I said, have fun doing things that you can laugh about ten years down the road. Once that stage in your life is over, then that's it. Period)

6. I'm not gonna go around chasing dreams. I'm too realistic to be doing things like that (Styvee: You know what? It's comments like this that further fuel the desire to make this happen so that I can shut your trap =))

7. Too much dialogue (Styvee: Oh yeah? Just wait and see)

No hard feelings to those that have rejected. We were afterall born in a country/society/culture that teaches and constantly reminds us that we do not do things like this and it's better off to be doing sth productive. Yeah, you're right. I have been productive!! Working my ass off 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, 30 days a month and 365 days a year. Do I want to continue doing that for the rest of my life? Maybe. Do I wish (just for once in this stage of my life that I do sth that I can be truly proud of?) Of course!!.

So, this is my move. What's yours?