And so it goes – i received a phonecall one thursday ago from a friend i havent met three years ago. Its uncanny how many people called me this month. I mean, people who don’t normally call me, calls me. I used to play this hide and seek game i have with the world; especially when i don’t feel too good about myself. I stay indoors – in my room with enough weed and DVDs to last until i feel the sunlight touching my retinas again. So it goes – She called me one dazed thursday evening; and i stared at the ringing phone for all of 5 minutes.
1 missed call.
Was there a fullstop at the end of that missed call message in the phone? When it beeped that descending techno dots again, i picked it up. “Do you really have to screen me?” i heard her say, gamely over the phone.
“Well hello hello whats up?” i smiled then frowned; i always wondered whats up when people call. Its never no news. No one ever calls to ask whats up. They simply call to tell you whats up.
Am I free tonight? She wanted to know. I imagined a little me running through my thoughts trying to come up with a win/win answer to this conversation. Simple question: “W-ell, i don’t know; Why? Whats up?”
“i’ve got three invites to this Opening at Zouk’s, tonight…” – really, say no more. I’m there. I called another friend and got totally glammed M.A.C.-ked up with the warm tone shimmers.
The reception tables at Zouk was swarmed with rave-starved undernourished kids. It looked too busy and harried especially with all that waiting in line thingy to get the waterproof wristwrap with the name Zouk on it. M and I waited for Her to arrive with the invites; watching people come and go – dressed in their KL best. Yes, i secretly imagined and wished there were glamorous seven feet tall divas, i-m-so-thin models and beautiful porcelain boys; but reality told me i’m not in New York. It wasnt so bad or maybe i wasn’t hypercritical enough or maybe the mammoth size crowd had intimidated me. In the beginning it felt like an adult Fun Fair sans clowns and ferris wheels. Really, i should have worn my all white raver get-up. KL people should know that black is not back!
A man waiting for a cab next to us, stripped off his waterproof wristwrap and handed it to M; to which we both looked up and smiled. Its easy to not smile. We gushed more thankyous (like as if we needed more invitations) then he gave us the green invite and told us to look under Ms. Cornelia Schlimmer – or something. We lined up at the reception only to find out there was no such Ms. Schlimmer; or we didn’t spelled it right, or we didn’t know where the invite was coming from Singapore/KL/, “whose guest list were we on?” smiled the hotchick behind the table. Eletric.
It must be the bass that was booming from inside; service in Zouk on the first night is fabulous. It’s like being back in Full Moon Capital Koh Phangan. M walked on in with the given wristwrap while i waited outside for Her. She came right up, took my hands and dived into the man-made cave we now know as Zouk KL. The crowd was amazingly well behaved. Very very friendly, i might add. It isn’t some kind of Lah-Dee-Dah Indochina-severed-buddha’s-head kind of atmosphere; in Zouk everything is eletric. Its like everyone’s been waiting too long for this to happen and when it does, no one wants to fuck it up by pulling a puss-on. The last time i felt this fabulous was when DJ Snaz and DJ Forest Green came down to Movement for a one night promotion on Groove, the movie – About an underground San Fransisco rave movement.
So we were shepherded upstairs to the first bar and there She and I were entertained by a crowd of young men, armorous and interesting. Such a fantastic spot to plonk my self down because i ‘ran’ into people i know; people i’ve lost inside, like M and people i’ve been looking for all my life. Then there were these below-20 y/o men; cute, sweet and sexy as hell. For so long i’ve been going to Frangipani doused in the glory of attentive gay men, i forgot what it feels like to be in the middle of all these straight and adorable men. They talk so little about felt clothes and pecs because they rather spend their time and energy trying to get into my bed (most of them still stay with their parents). T was there so its not like i’m lacking the gaydaze. I spent the whole night in two spots. Upstairs by the bar or outside. Met a cute 25 male with a five o’clock shadow whose smile reminded me of one of Carrie Bradshaw’s boyfriend, the writer Jack Berger. I didn’t like Jack Berger the character, but i did like the feel of the bristles on 25/m’s face driving me wild with imagined naughtiness. I saw so little of Zouk, to be honest. I don’t even know where the restrooms are. I haven’t been to the other two rooms but i was mesmerized by the entire night and it has just got to be Zouk. Its eletric.
First impressions never fade. Really, it doesn’t. And for me, that night at Zouk was kinda like a homecoming. I’ve been away from the scene too long. Or maybe the places around the nightclub triangle never did gave me the buzz i used to get before from places like Movement and The BackRoom. I hope those who are manning the party central in Zouk are centered on keeping us jumping for more. There will be one serious breach in a perfect rave night and that would be arrogance which service staff adopts after a few months having been the best-of-the-best. It happened to all the clubs within the Triangle. Let’s hope, Zouk’s people will keep them firmly rooted. Take out your party dress, people –
Zouk’s here to stay.
oh about the chick who gave me that invite? We’re meeting up for tiesto. 
ooohmy, i think 25/m found me in friendster…
