Happy New Year 2008

A new year has arrived, marking a new dawn for all of us with new resolutions and so much more to look forward too.

Looking back, 2007 was one of those years which was no or less eventful, nationwide & worldwide. Al Gore awarded the nobel peace prize, Obama's uprising, the Virginia Tech massacre, Pavarotti's death, the Myanmar crackdown and Bhutto's assassination recently. Who knew that the year would bring so many happy and sad occurrences.

As for me personally, it was a year of many accomplishments. Mainly, finishing my foundation and entering the dental degree program. I had many ups and downs, but it's all these that made 2007 a wonderful year.

So how did I usher in the new year of 2008? I ended up at:

Yeah, amidst a huge crowd of ravellers, I had a big blast at one of the biggest countdown event the nation has seen. I missed the countdown scene during Christmas eve which was rather a sober one. So, I made a point to celebrate the new year with a bang. Indeed, the scene last night was truly one big rave party, with plenty of merry people, superb DJ's and a spectacular firework show.



The venue of the show was at the street between Gardens and Mid Valley mall, which was closed down to the public except for those having tickets to the event. The street was lit up with dazzling colored spotlights, creating a 'neon city' effect.

Going with a friend, we somehow arrived earlier than expected. We predicted a jam but traffic was smooth all the way. The gates opened as early as 8pm, but the crowd hadn't poured yet.

A DJ was spinning a few tracks, mainly disco and retro hits. I guess it wasn't what the crowd favored. A few were caught swinging to the tunes, but not many. We were worried the party was a letdown.


Waiting for the hype

However, the sight of a performers on stilts dancing around caught the attention of the crowd. These flamboyant men were showing of dance moves with ease, although they were on stilts. The sight of these performers drew quite a buzz, and their antics managed to urge the crowd to join in the celebration.



The turning point was when DJ Nesh started spinning hip-hop & R&B tunes. MC Vandal got the now vastly bigger crowd on the move with his emcee'ing skills and vibes. Together with DJ Nesh dropping the beats, they had the party started with everyone starting to gather around the center stage.


DJ Nesh & Vandal



As the beats kept going, the party eventually...exploded in style.



Out of nowhere, sexy dancers appeared on the center podium, dazzling the crowd with dance moves straight from a Beyonce video. Booty shaking and hip swaying, everyone was turned on by the girls.

After the seductious performance, the pumping tunes kept going and going. Moments later, person wearing a cloak was bought up the stage, prompting the beat to change. The cloak went off and walla:


I see green...

A lady with disco-ball reflectors all over her body stepped into an array of green laser beams, creating this wonderful green performance. Brings a whole new meaning to dancing disco-ball.!

The stage was then taken over by an Indian percussion unit, merging their drum beats with the bass from the tunes. Tribal fusion at it's best!



Nearing midnight, the crowd was pouring in by the numbers. It was getting stuffy, but no one really cared. A brief downfall didn't really hold the ravellers back as the party mood was all around. Everyone had one common goal, to leave everything behind and party on till the next year.



30 minutes to the new year.






Lion dance at rave party?!?!

15 minutes to the stroke of midnight.



And finally, with the crowd's anticipation, it started with a 10 second countdown to midnight, and ended with the many cheers. The new year has finally arrived!

Right after the countdown, we were all treated to a spectacular fireworks show, one of the highlights of the show. Properly choreographed with the music, it lit up the sky with amazing display of pyrotechnics, all timed to perfection.







Videos of the fireworks show can be found here and here.

The party was far from over after the fireworks display, with continuous mixing of trance & techno beats by few DJ's, namely DJ Jungle Jerry & DJ Matthew White. People were dancing here and there, shuffling by the side, on the center podium, on tables....everywhere.

The famous trance duo of DJ Stoneface & Terminal was the last highlight of the day, coming in big with massive tunes, hard on bass beats. The music was pretty deafening, particularly near the huge speakers in front, but catching these professional DJ's performing their stuff was one of a kind. (Short fuzzy clip of their performance here)


Stoneface & Terminal on the right, with the host of the night, Serena C.

The party kept going till the wee hours of the morning. A number of people were already pretty exhausted from the partying, and could be seen sitting on floors and staring at the crowd, some looking rather stoned.

This dude was dancing alone in front of one of the big screens. I guess he's rather 'high'. LoL

The party had yet to be ended, but I left after 2.00, boarded a taxi back to the mamak nearby my place to meet up with my mates whom had just returned from another countdown event elsewhere. Tired, sweaty but no doubt thrilled, this countdown was one of the most happening I've attended.

Happy New Year folks!