http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berserker
New Year's Eve - 2009/10 - Kuala Lumpur
Throwing up the decade digits - Skybar - Kuala Lumpur
So the shot that I’ve actually kicked off this write up with was taken in the decade following the one in which the detail of what I’m writing actually commenced. That’s me throwing up the ‘2010 digits’ after a night partying at Skybar in the Traders Hotel KL. Getting to this point however is something both Jet and I had contemplated over several months, and it was a NYE planned in order to be just one thing, ‘AWESOME’. Sometimes plans fail and sometimes they just line up with every expectation, so to find out which way it fell for us on this night, I need to back track a little and you might need to read on a little further!
The final day of 2009 had me waking up relatively early, (8:43 by all accounts on the Maxis tower), and staring at the Petronas Towers which were being bathed in the morning sunlight, which in turn was reflecting off it’s external façade and providing me with a moderate sunburn. Making our morning moves a little conservatively we so somehow managed to make it down to the Traders breakfast buffet two mins before it closed. Not particularly amazing in itself but impressive when you find out that in those two minutes prior to closing both Frichot and I rounded up a very vibrant and colourful mix of breakfasts foods, took them down with the contempt that they deserved and then dodged the outgoing breakfast traffic to steal anything that was left over. We are the masters of the final minute breakfast lap and surely if we were in F1 we’d have qualified for pole position without any dramas.
Morning view - Petronas Towers from our room at the Traders
Post breakfast we were back up in our room for a while, just chilling out. Jet got into pose down for a few shots for his myspace page, the photos of which he still hasn’t harassed me for but one of which I’ve included here because I think it looks pretty good. We then decided to take a short ride up to the Skybar and check out what was to be our base for NYE in KL.
Frichot - Myspace pose down
The pool deck - Skybar - Traders Hotel
So, how to describe Skybar? Well, for starters it has ‘THE’ view that you’d want to have if you were going to celebrate the main transition! Located on the top floor of the Traders Hotel overlooking KLCC park and the iconic Petronas Towers, it obviously had the view but also had prime position for the fireworks that were going to be let loose at midnight. Right in the centre of what can really be classified as a large atrium is a lap pool, and truthfully, even prior to seeing it I kind of already knew that my destiny would be to end up in the drink sometime after midnight…but that’s a story for later. Along one side of the pool is a none too wide walkway that provides access to the sunken lounges and large bay windows that in turn provide a fantastic outlook onto the park. The far end of the room is where the main bar is located, and scattered around the pheriphery of the pool on the side opposite the main outlook are lounges, bar stools/tables etc. We walked in in order to try and scope a suitable position for the evening but realised quick smart that most of the tables and lounge seating had been booked out and that come 9 or 10pm getting into this place would be near impossible to get into. Having a drink and questioning the bar staff as to availability we found that the upper deck/balcony above the pool was being opened up and that tables there could be reserved…for a price…from what we were told, it was a requirement to purchase two bottles of ‘something’ from their menu in order to confirm your place. To me personally this was a no brainer, if you’re going to be drinking on NYE then why the hell not order in advance. Of course the NYE menu was overpriced but you were locking yourself in to some prime real estate for the festivities. I don’t think it took Frichot too long to make up his mind either, as a few mins later we were advance ordering our vodka and champagne and having it explained that all mixers were included and being briefed on the names of our personal wait staff for the night. ‘Oh Yeah’, it was sounding like we had the plan and it was taking effect. I did also quiz our man as to how many people would 'per chance' end up in the pool during the evening and his comment was, ‘there’s always someone’ …yes my man, isn’t that the case…remember my face bro’, you’ll be fishing me out sometime after 12!
Mr Frelisher - locked and loaded at Skybar
Mr Frelisher also!?
We left Skybar feeling pretty damn psyched as to the set-up that we had. Sometimes NYE’s can be flops but I usually think that the failure is derived from not ‘setting yourself’ up properly. Winging it on NYE is kind of a waste as everyone is out and about, the place that you know or might like to be in will inevitably be full or even if you do get into a place then it's going to cost you big! Wasting time and effort late in the piece just puts you on a downer, so at the very least, if you have a destination and friends to boot, well, you’ve won half the battle.
Dropping down to KLCC park and then walking over to Petronas, we spent most of the later half of the afternoon just cruising the huge centre under the towers, checking out some of the stores and also trying out the local delicacies. Well, when I say delicacy I should probably say more ‘oddity’. We stopped in at 1901 which is the hot dog equivalent of McDonalds and took ourselves down a couple of Deutsch Doodle Dangs, done more so for the novelty of the name than anything else. Innuendo and weirdness aside, the dog was a damn good one and we had no complaints with following up for the repeat journey of a good old Deutsch following numero uno. [Check out the Doodle Dang Action here]
Deutsch Doodle Dang - A whole lot of something...and more!
Frichot at Petronas - I love this shot!
As the afternoon drew on into the early evening we saw that there was already a few people starting to gather around the main lake in KLCC park, that NYE vibe was just starting to pick up and we were riding that wave. Walking back to the Traders and taking up residence back in our room, we took some time out to raid the bar fridge again and watched the NYE lights take over in the park with Petronas acting as the focal point. With each drink that we had and as the hours ticked on by, that NYE vibe was just starting to resonate at a higher frequency. Ripping out some of AC/DC’s new album and the Black Eyed Peas party classic, I’ve got a feelin’, by the time that 9:30pm rocked around I was suited up and Jet was in his newly purchased Chinese style tunic, and yeah, we were ready to roll!!
Kuala Lumpur, NYE - ready to go off!
Frichot giving KL the 'What for..' - Watch out, we're coming
Skybar, set to go!
Skybar
Skybar was looking good by the time we walked in. We headed upstairs to our table, marked out our territory and started to get our drink on with the attentive assistance of Juno who was going to be our man for all things food and drink related –Vodka, lemonade and lime, ‘why yes sir’! Spring rolls ? Why yes again, thanks Juno. Frichot and I kicked off with our bottle of vodka and took up a position on the balcony overlooking the pool. You could just feel that this place was going to be a hell of a lot of fun, everyone was in a good mood, the music was just right and the setting was as much as you could ask for. By the time the DJ decided to drop I’ve got a feelin, which probably would have been about the 15th time I’d heard it that day…but was still getting better and better with each spin, the room was in full NYE swing and if we didn’t know it before, well we knew it then, this was going to be one for the ages.
Elisher....Henry, Elisher
Windows on the world
'Ay, you order fly lice sir?'
Kind of raising the roof...kind of not
Frichot looks kind of possessed here
Rounding out the 11pm marker and heading into the NYE home straight, I ducked down into our room for a minute or two to set up the camera to capture the fireworks over KLCC park and Petronas. Whilst I still haven’t uploaded this video I can tell you it’s first cut viewing looked pretty damn impressive. Back up at Skybar however the queue out the front door was long and filled with prospective clientele who unfortunately for them had left their run too late, Skybar on this night was at capacity. Finding my man Frichot happily drinking back at the table, I joined him to ride shotgun and bring home the new decade.
The count in - two minutes of the decade left
11:59
Dawn of a new decade!!!!
…and so it was, Frichot and I closed out 2009 in kind of the way we had started it...365 days earlier we had been at a Mexican restaurant overlooking the Yarra in Melbourne when the fireworks lit up the sky [Melbourne NYE Fireworks - 2008/09]. On this evening we were in the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur and bringing in a new decade exactly the way that we had intended it, with style and a good dose of fun!
[NYE Fireworks - 2009/10 - Kuala Lumpur]
[NYE Fireworks - 2009/10 - Kuala Lumpur]
Kuala Lumpur - NYE - 2009/10
Kuala Lumpur - NYE - 2009/10
Kuala Lumpur - NYE - 2009/10
Kuala Lumpur - NYE - 2009/10
Kuala Lumpur - NYE - 2009/10
Frichot, 9 mins of the decade in
Frichot getting friendly with the girl next door...who apparently had just gotten married!?
Frichot strikes - AGAIN
Somehow I’ve always had the perception that the hours after midnight for NYE always move on a hell of a lot faster than the hours prior to it, and tonight was no exception. Midnight turned into 1am almost instantly and by this time, well, my vision of making the one storey dive into the Skybar pool had reached a critical moment. It was now safe enough for me to do as getting thrown out was not going to be the devastating issue that it would have been prior to the cutover. Informing Frichot of my decision, my partner in all things chaotic gave me a resounding ‘DO IT’ – I’m going to film it’, and yeah, it was now game on. Admittedly it took me a little while to build up for the jump but when my brain snapped, well I was already over the ‘no return’ line. I made my way over the glass barricade and stood on the ledge ready to go, and by the time I heard Frichot say, ‘…Yeah, Elisher’s going for a run’, I taken a step and I was flying through space in the Skybar. I won’t lie, it was more than a little exhilarating to take the dive and the cheers coming from the Skybar punters also displayed a little appreciation for my manoeuvre.
[Skybar dive - NYE]
Walking back up to our central location overlooking the pool I felt more than certain that we were going to get escorted out of the place and sure enough, security did make an appearance not to long after. Surprisingly though, they were kind of cool about the incident. They only asked me a few questions and didn’t press me too hard about anything else, well other than the fact that they wanted my word that I wouldn’t try the stunt out again…lol…and I didn’t.
[Skybar dive - NYE]
The Skybar crew - post the 'SkyDive'
That's the beginning of my 'trashed face' look
'Oh Henry, why the bottle of red!?'
Sticking it out to the bitter end
Are you scared little girl!?
Walking back up to our central location overlooking the pool I felt more than certain that we were going to get escorted out of the place and sure enough, security did make an appearance not to long after. Surprisingly though, they were kind of cool about the incident. They only asked me a few questions and didn’t press me too hard about anything else, well other than the fact that they wanted my word that I wouldn’t try the stunt out again…lol…and I didn’t.
With a fist load of endorphins and a little male bravado to the good I for some reason thought it was an even better idea to order myself and Jet a bottle of red to keep the good times a rollin’. Ladies and gentleman, this was to be our tipping point. A bottle of red on the back of the vodka and champagne that we’d just tried was probably not the smartest play of the night, and by the time 3am rolled around, me in my still quite saturated ‘remains of the day’ suit and Frichot in his tunic, were rolling around on concrete showing each other the martial arts moves that we’d both picked up over the years. In actual fact, Frichot kicked my arse big time, but I wasn’t prepared to back down from the challenge that he was throwing up at me. The real challenge for us however was that 3am closing at Traders meant that we needed to find another place to keep the NYE party moving and I’m not sure if either of us was in the right frame of mind to suggest anything that had real purpose or potential. For me, this part of the night gets more than a little hazy, but I do remember dropping down into KLCC park for a bit of a morning stroll and then somehow jumping a taxi to Chinatown from somewhere close to the Petronas Towers.
The Karate Kid in KLCC park
Pulling up in Chinatown and still having the wits about me to outgun the taxi driver that was trying to scam us for double the ringett value of the ride, the only thing that we could find open was good ‘ole Maccas. Walking in, most of the tables were occupied by recovering revellers sleeping off their night. For me this was kind of amusing and I felt compelled to take a photo of two of the girls crashed out on the table next to us, well, that was until a middle aged and I think more than conservative Malay man flipped out about us taking the photo. This guy had rage in his eyes but I had alcohol in my veins and I wasn’t going to back down from the crap that he was throwing at us. In all seriousness it could have turned into a fight but Macca’s security suppressed the rage and took myself and Frichot outside to have a chat. After explaining our situation we walked back in and based ourselves in an alternate location, somehow finding some equally hammered Finnish and Norwegian dudes to chat with.
NYE lights out in Macca's - the hands (stage left) are of the man that wanted to kill us
Do you think I need coffee? Man, I need something!
Somewhere close to 5:30am we dragged ourselves out of Macca’s and took a ride back to the Traders. Not sure what the hell I was talking about but I do recall having a stimulating conversation with the taxi driver. Walking into our room a little after 6:00am Frichot had hit the wall and needed to tap out. For some reason I was still charged and hung out for the bell at 6:30am which signalled the commencement of the breakfast buffet at Traders. I did everything in my power to pull Frichot out of his New Years Day coma, cranking I’ve got a feelin at full blast and even screaming it in his ear….but nothing….my partner in crime had checked out. As I walked out and closed the door behind I kind of chuckled, I new that the drinks of several hours earlier would eventually ‘claim me’ and that I’d be taken on that wild hangover ride a little later in the piece. With Struggle St beckoning it was time to make the most of the buffet breakfast on offer, and that’s exactly what I did, I took it down for all it was worth…..(to be continued)
