My Big Fat New Year's Outing

Well ... well ... my first blog entry for the year. I guess that I should try to make this entry somewhat profound considering it is to be the benchmark of entries to come but I thought why set the expectations too high. There are bound to be a lot of time and chances later in the year for me to wax poetic about things around me. I’m still feeling the New Year cheer, even though it has been 5 days since, so for now I am just content to be whimsical.

I didn’t really have anything planned last New Year’s Eve other than having a quiet supper and watching the fireworks from my apartment balcony. I originally had no plans to go out anyway since the thought of being in the middle of that celebration madness wasn’t all that appealing to me. Nevertheless, as it rolled closer to midnight, I found myself strangely restless and unable to sit still. So I decided that I would go out and watch the fireworks at Sunway Pyramid instead of at home which was a good choice in hindsight since my housemate had his girlfriend coming for their weekly shag. I don’t know what could be worse, knowing that your housemates are getting more action that you are or that you have to endure the sounds of very loud straight sex. Of course my other housemate, the one most likely to be having gay sex, had already gone out and was most probably vamping it out in high heels and a bustier.

Anyway ... I made it to Sunway Pyramid about 30 minutes to midnight and found myself a spot near the lion head at the entrance where I thought would give me a good view of the fireworks. The crowd wasn’t as bad as what I had predicted which was a pleasant surprise. There were a number of families with small children in pajamas as well as the customary party goers who were dressed up to the nines. There weren’t any live concerts or anything at Sunway Pyramid that night so most people just sat around and waited for the fireworks to start. Of course there were more than a few people who were running around with cans of that string confetti in a can who seemed to be spraying anything that moves. Fortunate for me that an evil eye was all that was needed to tell these nutters to give me a wide berth and refrain from trying to involve me in their merry making if they know what was good for them. I was all into having fun that night but being covered in foam that I may be allergic to was not my idea of fun.

I have to say that the firework show at Sunway Pyramid this year was a disappointment. It only lasted 5 minutes and no where as grand as it was last Independence Day which led me to wonder if they just pulled this together at the last minute when they saw the crowds gathering. I do believe that my impression of the show was shared by many of the crowd. Most could be heard grumbling about it when it ended and the crowd began to disperse. Feeling somewhat frustrated with the fizzle after being wired up all day with expectation, I found myself weighing the option to head on to Q-bar which was nearby. I pass this club almost every week on my way to do grocery shopping but I’ve never been in it until that night. Since the thought of going back to the sounds of my housemate going at it wasn’t that appealing, I decided to try the club out.

The cover charge that night was RM45 inclusive of the first drink. Since I had planned to make it a substance-free night, I took my overpriced can of Pepsi and walked through the doors. The place was packed wall to wall with people who were mostly young ankle-biters that night. It immediately made me feel a bit self conscious about how old I was but that quickly passed when I saw that there were other people who I knew from the old Sunway Pyramid Modesto’s crowd there. We didn’t really know each other but we’ve seen each other often enough back then that we knew each other by sight. After a wave and a nod, I tried to navigate the flood of human flesh to find a reasonably comfortable spot.

The music that they played wasn’t that bad. They were playing some trance and later some Digweed that I really liked as well as some of the old Modesto’s standards. Sure enough I found myself forgetting about the crowd around me and started swaying to the music. Each tune got me more into the scene and had me thinking less about how much I suck at any type of movement that required complex hand and leg coordination. I just danced my heart out by myself just to feel the sweat rolling down my back and the breath coming into my lungs irregardless of the people around me. All through this, I have not had a drop of alcohol, a single cigarette or even a tab of E which makes it all the better as I was already high on being carefree and alive. I must admit that I haven’t felt that free in a long while and I was quickly swept away by the sensations.

The next thing I knew was that it was approaching 5am and that I had been dancing non-stop for 5 hours. The party was still going on but the people left were fast becoming worse for wear. I decided to call it the night and get another Pepsi to wind down at the bar before walking back home. Just before I walked out, I got treated to an impromptu fire juggling act by the bartenders that was impressive but left my clothes smelling of gasoline. When I got home, I ran into my housemate’s girlfriend who was doing the walk of shame but I didn’t care much at that point after having the most fun substance-free night I had ever.

Of course, my old creaking bones were complaining when I dragged myself out of bed at 2pm the following day but it was well worth it. I got to plan to do another one soon.