Dance, to decadence!

It's been quite around here, but I'll update this blog with a personal post this time. So I've been listening again to "oldschool" EBM lately — which reminds me of the 18 years old me, thanks to High-Functioning Flesh and Body Of Light. I have committed a series of unapologetic, shameful acts at that time. God forbid what I did! I was a "mall goth" back then, it's not like I'm a real one or something now, and I don't want to be labeled anyway. But I've been through all that phase, I learned how to apply eyeliner myself, I had Joy Division and The Smiths bootleg shirts, I even had a Vampire Freaks account! You know, that Friendster-like social media for "mall goths" — for those who happened to like anything from dark electro to visual kei (what the fuck?!), which landed me on dark electro, future pop, "rave goth" type of things. I showed those bands to some of my friends, and they got hooked to the beats too.

After all those embarassment, then I came across bands like Skinny Puppy, Front 242 and Front Line Assembly. I was like, "What the fuck? These bands are weird and dark, but not like, all those rave goth kind of things!" I have discovered bands like Bauhaus and Siouxsie & The Banshees, even more "dance-able" bands like Dead Or Alive and Soft Cell, before I listened to aggrotech and future pop. But no, I've never heard of EBM (Electronic Body Music) at the time, the term and the music — not until I discovered Skinny Puppy and such. It's like a rabid mix of industrial and synthpop, when I heard them for the first time. And then I questioned myself, "Am I going to repent thy sins?" Then I did, I deleted my Vampire Freaks account, and I disposed of my eyeliner. It's been a long time, and I'm revisiting "oldschool" EBM now. It's not like I'm a hardcore fan, in fact, I only listen to a handful. But to celebrate the good old days, I'm going to lace up my boots, and dance to decadence!





*artwork by yours truly, original image via Free Images

Holiday In Cambodia: Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum / S21 Prison

I remember my dad used to tell me stories about leaders like Pol Pot, Mao Zedong and also Idi Amin when I was a kid, maybe thats one of the reasons why I love Dead Kennedys' "Holiday In Cambodia" when I first heard the song. I always told myself that someday I gotta go to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, and finally I did. I spent 4 days in Phnom Penh, it was not for vacation anyway. I came there to work on a project, "company stuffs" if you know what I mean. So after I make sure all my work has done, I decided to go to the museum on Friday (April 6th) by myself - my friends were going to visit another place. I left my hotel around 10.30 am, and arrived there around 11 am. The trip took about half an hour by Tuktuk (a traditional transportation), its not as far as you think since there's a regulation in Cambodia not to drive fast (below 40km/h for cars, and below 30km/h for motorcycles). You need to pay $2 admission (US Dollar) to enter the museum, every visitor got a photocopied brochure. The horrors started as you walk into the area, you can feel the eerie atmosphere on this place.

 

 

~

From now on, this blog will be used for my 'selected' works, daily stuffs, and also things (art, music, design, whatever) that interest me.