The Rage Cage
Two weeks ago I underestimated D, squaring up against him on a 3-on-3 game in hope of an easy match. I'd like to tell people that I was plain lazy, or that he was wearing lucky charms, but it just wasn't right. The bottom line - I played badly.
And to add insult to injury, those that witnessed it didn't think much of rubbing it in my face on a near daily basis.
But it stirred something within me. It prompted a cameo appearance of my competitive side, which is usually dormant. I became restless and an insomniac. During those two weeks I made my intentions quite clear.
Typical scenario:
Hey M, do you want to go to the Rage Cage tonight?
Is D going to be there?
Maybe.
Man, I'm going to open UP A CAN OF WHOOOP ASSSS ON HIM!!! ARRGGGHH!!!
(No, I don't usually say that and I'm not quite sure as to what it means.)
The shirt is off; I'm punching the midnight air in an empty parking lot. Eye of the Tiger is playing in my head.
[19/12/02 11:45:03 PM | somewhere in between Silverwater Jail and Newington]
Back it in M!!! Use your weight!!!
OK.
START
DO
Check the ball
Turn around
Post up
Turn around
Release a baby hook
Score
IF Score
THEN
Crowd - ROAR!
Repeat from line 1
ELSE
Rebound
IF
Rebound
THEN
Repeat from line 1
ELSE
Defend
END
There was nothing much to it. I was a sophisticated robot sent back through time to open up a can of whoop ass on one unlucky and unsuspecting customer.
The satisfaction from revenge eased Mr. Competitive and me into a deep sleep.
Give Me The Night - Part 3
He opened the show with an instrumental piece, displaying a very slick and fluid technique. The music would smoothly warble down scale, usually followed by a surprisingly sharp note. And with every such note, his head would cock backwards, and his face would become sweet and sour at once.
Tasty stuff.
The bass guitarist also caught my eye – he played the bass as if it were as routine as breathing, but funkier. His body danced like the mid-80’s Michael Jackson, his head wandered about like Stevie Wonder and his left foot was kept busy by playing the tambourine.
The show moved along swiftly, mixing in his greatest hits (Greatest Love of All, Love X Love, Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You, On Broadway) with instrumentals of other classic 70’s and 80’s tracks, such as Lately.
One thing I realised that night was that the line from Moulin Rouge – the greatest thing you could learn is to love, and be loved in return – was actually from a song of his (!)
About mid-way through the concert, the crowd began to get involved, as the music became more upbeat. His disco hits were to affect everyone, as almost half the theatre got up from their seats and cut loose around the aisles and stage, before being told by security to sit down. A gay couple a row or two in front of me, though, couldn’t be stopped. Their dancing resumed on their seat, much to the amusement of the crowd and annoyance to those seated behind them.
I couldn’t help but smile throughout the show, witnessing a theatre full of forty to fifty year olds reliving their glory days of disco.
A good night was had by all.
He opened the show with an instrumental piece, displaying a very slick and fluid technique. The music would smoothly warble down scale, usually followed by a surprisingly sharp note. And with every such note, his head would cock backwards, and his face would become sweet and sour at once.
Tasty stuff.
The bass guitarist also caught my eye – he played the bass as if it were as routine as breathing, but funkier. His body danced like the mid-80’s Michael Jackson, his head wandered about like Stevie Wonder and his left foot was kept busy by playing the tambourine.
The show moved along swiftly, mixing in his greatest hits (Greatest Love of All, Love X Love, Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You, On Broadway) with instrumentals of other classic 70’s and 80’s tracks, such as Lately.
One thing I realised that night was that the line from Moulin Rouge – the greatest thing you could learn is to love, and be loved in return – was actually from a song of his (!)
About mid-way through the concert, the crowd began to get involved, as the music became more upbeat. His disco hits were to affect everyone, as almost half the theatre got up from their seats and cut loose around the aisles and stage, before being told by security to sit down. A gay couple a row or two in front of me, though, couldn’t be stopped. Their dancing resumed on their seat, much to the amusement of the crowd and annoyance to those seated behind them.
I couldn’t help but smile throughout the show, witnessing a theatre full of forty to fifty year olds reliving their glory days of disco.
A good night was had by all.
Give Me The Night – Part 2
Track 9
Repeat – 1
I have never been so much
In love before
What a difference
A true love made in my life
Most R&B songs that I can listen to on repeat usually contain some form of sampling. Interpolation is the word they like to use in the credits. It was from this song that I developed a liking towards George Benson’s music – stemming from K-Ci and JoJo’s Love Always album – back in 1998.
Track 9
Repeat – 1
I have never been so much
In love before
What a difference
A true love made in my life
Most R&B songs that I can listen to on repeat usually contain some form of sampling. Interpolation is the word they like to use in the credits. It was from this song that I developed a liking towards George Benson’s music – stemming from K-Ci and JoJo’s Love Always album – back in 1998.
Zeus Drives A Jaguar
Is it me or are there more and more personalized number plates these days?
Traffic, summer heat and taxi drivers are bad enough, but having to be told that the person in front of me is one or the other is just unnecessary. To the people on the list, I don’t know where to begin…
2SUAVE
GR8CAR
UGOGRL
RUNVUS
ADONIS
SMOOTH
Is it me or are there more and more personalized number plates these days?
Traffic, summer heat and taxi drivers are bad enough, but having to be told that the person in front of me is one or the other is just unnecessary. To the people on the list, I don’t know where to begin…
2SUAVE
GR8CAR
UGOGRL
RUNVUS
ADONIS
SMOOTH
Give Me The Night – Part 1
The foyer was littered with people on their requisite smoke break, and judging from their faces it was obvious that the main act had yet to come. It was one of those occasions when arriving late was actually practical. I'd skipped on traffic, queuing and on average opening acts.
Excellent.
The heavy decorations and ornate fittings adorning the State Theatre seemed like an interesting choice of venue for a 70's pop/jazz star. I couldn’t help but think that as recently as fifty years ago such a theatre would have strongly debated featuring ‘black music’.
Like everything else that I do, action was taken at the final minute. And as usual, the results could have been better.
The best seats I could negotiate were one row apart with the same seat number. Conveniently, the booking company left out the fine detail that our rows were separated by the main dividing walkway. So D and I sat apart, hoping that sometime during the show a couple would walk out and offer us their seats.
Not happy.
Ladies and Gentlemen, please put your hands together for eight-time Grammy Award winner George Benson!
The foyer was littered with people on their requisite smoke break, and judging from their faces it was obvious that the main act had yet to come. It was one of those occasions when arriving late was actually practical. I'd skipped on traffic, queuing and on average opening acts.
Excellent.
The heavy decorations and ornate fittings adorning the State Theatre seemed like an interesting choice of venue for a 70's pop/jazz star. I couldn’t help but think that as recently as fifty years ago such a theatre would have strongly debated featuring ‘black music’.
Like everything else that I do, action was taken at the final minute. And as usual, the results could have been better.
The best seats I could negotiate were one row apart with the same seat number. Conveniently, the booking company left out the fine detail that our rows were separated by the main dividing walkway. So D and I sat apart, hoping that sometime during the show a couple would walk out and offer us their seats.
Not happy.
Ladies and Gentlemen, please put your hands together for eight-time Grammy Award winner George Benson!
Dirty Pop
Lacking a comprehensive CD collection, the prodigal son has returned to the FM dial. It’s been three months since I’d last listened to the radio and once again my mind is crammed with more hooks than Rex Hunt.
You’re a good girl and that’s what makes me trust you
Late at night I talk to you
Previous experience has taught me that the best way to deal with insanely catchy tunes is to fight fire with fire, don't switch to another station or CD's. Let it into your system.
What's your flava
Tell me what's your flava
It works along the same mentality as smoking a whole pack of cigarettes in one sitting. Just hope it doesn’t backfire and sink into you like nicotine.
Get it fired up in a hurry
Wanna get dirrty
Like all systems, there are still bugs that need to be ironed out…
Major bugs.
Stop
Collaborate and listen
Ice is back with a brand new invention…
Lacking a comprehensive CD collection, the prodigal son has returned to the FM dial. It’s been three months since I’d last listened to the radio and once again my mind is crammed with more hooks than Rex Hunt.
You’re a good girl and that’s what makes me trust you
Late at night I talk to you
Previous experience has taught me that the best way to deal with insanely catchy tunes is to fight fire with fire, don't switch to another station or CD's. Let it into your system.
What's your flava
Tell me what's your flava
It works along the same mentality as smoking a whole pack of cigarettes in one sitting. Just hope it doesn’t backfire and sink into you like nicotine.
Get it fired up in a hurry
Wanna get dirrty
Like all systems, there are still bugs that need to be ironed out…
Major bugs.
Stop
Collaborate and listen
Ice is back with a brand new invention…
Déjà vu
Blue. Red. Yellow. Red. Green.
Party lights.
God they’re an eyesore. It doesn’t help when the light is shining off a room full of fake antique mirrors and middle aged doctors dancing away on a Saturday Night.
I’m sitting at a far corner table, consuming coke to keep myself entertained. The food had been somewhat disappointing, and the company on my table, non-existent.
In the midst of watching a Saturday Night Live imitation I felt a strange sensation pass through my body. The shiver traveled through my body, and lingered around my brain.
Internal Monologue:
What’s going on? What’s happening?
Something is interesting about this evening; I’ll search through our memory files…
Are you sure it wasn’t the curry? I mean, those guys down at gastro are probably…
I’ve dreamt this scene before…
Are you sure?
Déjà vu.
This wasn’t the first time it had happened to me, and it probably won’t be the last. Ever since I could remember I would experience such episodes on average of three or four times a year.
It’s weird, feeling that I have seen the present before, somewhere in a past dream. But I have no recollection of it until I experience that moment.
And the moment reminds me.
Blue. Red. Yellow. Red. Green.
Party lights.
God they’re an eyesore. It doesn’t help when the light is shining off a room full of fake antique mirrors and middle aged doctors dancing away on a Saturday Night.
I’m sitting at a far corner table, consuming coke to keep myself entertained. The food had been somewhat disappointing, and the company on my table, non-existent.
In the midst of watching a Saturday Night Live imitation I felt a strange sensation pass through my body. The shiver traveled through my body, and lingered around my brain.
Internal Monologue:
What’s going on? What’s happening?
Something is interesting about this evening; I’ll search through our memory files…
Are you sure it wasn’t the curry? I mean, those guys down at gastro are probably…
I’ve dreamt this scene before…
Are you sure?
Déjà vu.
This wasn’t the first time it had happened to me, and it probably won’t be the last. Ever since I could remember I would experience such episodes on average of three or four times a year.
It’s weird, feeling that I have seen the present before, somewhere in a past dream. But I have no recollection of it until I experience that moment.
And the moment reminds me.
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