NEW YEAR, NEW REAR
The new year arrived with much of the expected fanfare of previous years. Some preferred to usher 2010 with parties, revelry and merrymaking until the wee hours.
Others prefered to keep the celebration low key with small gatherings among friends or relatives at home.
And there are those who barely noticed when the clock struck 12 on the night of December 31. For some, January 1 is another day amidst the routine of work & study.
Celebrations in Johor Baru was no less glossy and "happening". I am sure it a similar scenario with towns all over Johor.
New Year's eve is always a good time to hold parades, concerts or have a firework display.
For me, it was a time to karaoke and hit the dance floor with friends in the clubs.
We had planned for it to be a large gathering of old friends. But a couple of them were unlucky as they were stuck in a huge traffic jam between Skudai and Johor Baru.
This friend and his wife ended up cancelling their New Year plans with us after their car was involved in a minor accident while going through the massive traffic snarl.
My sympathies go out to him and his wife. But I am glad they were alright though their car was less fortunate and had to be sent to the workshop the following day.
Anyway, the plan to have a karaoke night and clubbing continued despite the couple's absence, albeit with a smaller group. Actually it was just me and my pal.
The karaoke outlet in Taman Pelangi was packed to the brim with families, and people young and old.
The outlet marked the special night with a lucky draw and gave out free gifts. Other than the free give aways, it was like any regular night at karaoke.
After the obligatory countdown courtesy of the karaoke management, we set off to the Zon in Stulang Laut.
This seaside duty free shopping centre houses about half a dozen night clubs, bistros and pubs.
In other words, it is Johor's equivalent to the nightlife of Kuala Lumpur's Bangsar or Jalan P. Ramlee. I expected a large crowd but never did I expected the crowd to be seriously wasted.
But it was all in good fun, and it was quite funny to see.
A group of youngsters were seen taking pictures of their friend, who had passed out presumably after having too many rounds of drinks.
One need not enter a club that night because the music was loud enough that it could be heard from outside the discos and pubs. So we managed to save on the RM50 entrance fee.
Since my friend and I were late- we arrived at the club about 2am- we thought it better to simply loiter and watch people.
And boy was it a sight! Guys and girls, young and not-so-young dressed to the nines and intoxicated. Many were simply people-gazing like us while others kicked off their shoes , and began dancing with abandon.
Though I was used to sights like those during my work stint in Kuala Lumpur, but I never thought Johoreans could party that hard. They definitely can.
I imagined it must have been a great party as there was a countdown and concert organised by the Zon hotel. I suppose many people are taking a cue from the annual New Year concerts of Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC)and Merdeka Square.
For supper, my friends and I skipped the many seafood outlets dotting Stulang Laut for a small burger stall.
I was prepared to sink my teeth into a juicy Ramly Burger Ayam Special, amongst the sweaty and tired out party goers.
But that gastronomical experience never materialised- somehow our waitress had misplaced our orders and by the time we reminded her about it, we decided to go forget about as it we were too tired to wait any longer.
Thankfully, the at 4am in Johor Baru was clear. And we all arrived home safely in the comforts of our homes.
Maybe next year, I would stay home on New Year's eve. A low-key gathering of close friends and family sounds pretty darn good after what I went through.
---published in the southern edition of a certain newspaper in a certain country.
The new year arrived with much of the expected fanfare of previous years. Some preferred to usher 2010 with parties, revelry and merrymaking until the wee hours.
Others prefered to keep the celebration low key with small gatherings among friends or relatives at home.
And there are those who barely noticed when the clock struck 12 on the night of December 31. For some, January 1 is another day amidst the routine of work & study.
Celebrations in Johor Baru was no less glossy and "happening". I am sure it a similar scenario with towns all over Johor.
New Year's eve is always a good time to hold parades, concerts or have a firework display.
For me, it was a time to karaoke and hit the dance floor with friends in the clubs.
We had planned for it to be a large gathering of old friends. But a couple of them were unlucky as they were stuck in a huge traffic jam between Skudai and Johor Baru.
This friend and his wife ended up cancelling their New Year plans with us after their car was involved in a minor accident while going through the massive traffic snarl.
My sympathies go out to him and his wife. But I am glad they were alright though their car was less fortunate and had to be sent to the workshop the following day.
Anyway, the plan to have a karaoke night and clubbing continued despite the couple's absence, albeit with a smaller group. Actually it was just me and my pal.
The karaoke outlet in Taman Pelangi was packed to the brim with families, and people young and old.
The outlet marked the special night with a lucky draw and gave out free gifts. Other than the free give aways, it was like any regular night at karaoke.
After the obligatory countdown courtesy of the karaoke management, we set off to the Zon in Stulang Laut.
This seaside duty free shopping centre houses about half a dozen night clubs, bistros and pubs.
In other words, it is Johor's equivalent to the nightlife of Kuala Lumpur's Bangsar or Jalan P. Ramlee. I expected a large crowd but never did I expected the crowd to be seriously wasted.
But it was all in good fun, and it was quite funny to see.
A group of youngsters were seen taking pictures of their friend, who had passed out presumably after having too many rounds of drinks.
One need not enter a club that night because the music was loud enough that it could be heard from outside the discos and pubs. So we managed to save on the RM50 entrance fee.
Since my friend and I were late- we arrived at the club about 2am- we thought it better to simply loiter and watch people.
And boy was it a sight! Guys and girls, young and not-so-young dressed to the nines and intoxicated. Many were simply people-gazing like us while others kicked off their shoes , and began dancing with abandon.
Though I was used to sights like those during my work stint in Kuala Lumpur, but I never thought Johoreans could party that hard. They definitely can.
I imagined it must have been a great party as there was a countdown and concert organised by the Zon hotel. I suppose many people are taking a cue from the annual New Year concerts of Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC)and Merdeka Square.
For supper, my friends and I skipped the many seafood outlets dotting Stulang Laut for a small burger stall.
I was prepared to sink my teeth into a juicy Ramly Burger Ayam Special, amongst the sweaty and tired out party goers.
But that gastronomical experience never materialised- somehow our waitress had misplaced our orders and by the time we reminded her about it, we decided to go forget about as it we were too tired to wait any longer.
Thankfully, the at 4am in Johor Baru was clear. And we all arrived home safely in the comforts of our homes.
Maybe next year, I would stay home on New Year's eve. A low-key gathering of close friends and family sounds pretty darn good after what I went through.
---published in the southern edition of a certain newspaper in a certain country.
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