When a party is set to hit a small town you spent your childhood in, you know it will only spell a whole new experience.

I accepted the invitation with full anticipation when Ipoh, Perak was the chosen destination of ELEVATE’s finale of its nation-wide series of events.

My plus one & I 

It’s the last ELEVATE party of the year – already?

Throughout the year, partygoers from all over the country didn’t need to travel all the way to KL city to partyrock the night away. ELEVATE brought the party to the revellers instead.

I’ve personally attended a couple of ELEVATE events – ELEVATE Penang & ELEVATE KL.

Two out of the total number of six parties which was also held in Malacca, Kuantan, Johor Bahru, Kuching… and tonight, it’s time for ELEVATE Ipoh to wrap it all up with a fantastic closure 

The latest dance club in Ipoh was the chosen partyzone

Growing up in this little quaint state, one would quite naturally assume that I know everything there is to know about it.

Before you request I point you in the right direction of Ipoh’s best clubbing scene… Sorry to break it to you, I can’t LOL. It is rather surprising (even to me!) that I’ve never once partied within the grounds of Ipoh’s townscape before.

You can’t ever miss the neon prism-like hotspot that is

Sensation of Sound (SOS) located along Jalan Raja Ekram!

We arrived in all shades of blue, adhering to ELEVATE’s colour theme.

The venue was already packed with guests as early as 9.30pm! Hmm.. that’s something vastly different from the KL club scene where partygoers would only begin to flock the venue just before midnight.

Soaking in everything Ipoh’s partyscene has to offer 

To warm-up the party before it set off, we were first entertained by SOS’s very own in-house entertainment.

Their DJ was spinning us electronic & RnB tunes

And their nine-piece Filipino live band

They belted various renditions of popular songs ranging from the classics, alternative rock, rap, to the latest chart-topping pop hits.  

We enjoyed the free-flow of Carlsberg for the night. There was plenty to go around! 

Us with some local Ipoh friends!

Girls decked in blue & our boys in grey

The other half & I 

Chillin’ on one of the many comfy, velvety red lounge seats in SOS!

Suddenly, the lights dimmed and we were shrouded in darkness 

The music took us by storm and local dance crew Elecoldxhot, fully clad in robotic LED gear appeared before us!

They worked their tight & well-synchronized routines on stage

Some of them were breakdancing, while others were shuffling, popping & locking!

They ended their first performance bearing ELEVATE’s logo in a creative formation of their arms!

After a short interval, the next performance gave us something to jump right outta our seats to dance and sing along with.

Any guesses? There was no surprise when the band belted out the ever-contagious, annoyingly amusing song of the year, Gangnam Style! 

The lead singer was even dressed to mimic Psy!

Heeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyy! Sexy lady!

All of us, myself included, went on a frenzy and galloped along to the rhythmic horse-riding moves that made the song hilariously popular in the first place.

It was certainly a sight to see! Partygoers, both young and old were seen doing the exact same dance moves. Gangnam Style is no doubt, a phenomenon that is here to stay! 

Elecoldxhot joined the fun and gangnam-styled on stage too

We had so much fun! That certainly cranked up the mood of the party.

Really, now… what’s a party without Gangnam Style nowadays, huh? 

Just being silly 

More party pictures ensued. It was lovely catching up with familiar faces that night!

Elecoldxhot took to the stage again – this time, in a different apparel.

They were donning their signature vibrant & colourful streetwear this time 

How smooth can these boys move? 

Sparks lit up the stage and fizzled for a good few minutes

Their closing dance was certainly a bang!

Confetti burst out in the open and engulfed the dance floor with shimmery tinsels of blue and silver.

Some of the shiny paper even landed on our faces and got into our glasses of beer, from where we were standing!  No matter, all in the name of good fun! 

We had to fetch ourselves new drinks though, just before the free-flow ended at midnight.

DJ Yasmin raises the temperature!

We needn’t have to wait long before our final act stole the limelight & took full control of the night.

It was great to have this petite beauty hailing all the way from Jakarta, Indonesia, right here with us!

Tonight, she not only played uplifting trance beats but also house, techno and dubstep as well

Such a paparazzi shot, no? 

The party kept going for what felt like all night long! However, all good things must come to an end.

ELEVATE officially ended when the doors swung open to the public just after midnight, but this can only mean the more the merrier!

As expected, the venue got even more packed with people than it already is, all in the name of a hectic, buzzing Saturday night.

Thank you, once again, ELEVATE, for having me at your train of parties throughout Malaysia!

Check out KL and Penang’s ELEVATE previous events respectively for more!

Yes yes I have not forgotten about this finale post I promised 😀
 

Here are the prequels – Part 1 & Part 2 and now finally, the closure!
 

Pretty timely, if I do say so myself. Hiak hiak hiak. 'Cos we're featured in The Star newspaper recently!

  Jason and I got a byline for our photographs too!
 

On the final day, Ian, Ivy and I accompanied the BRATs to Satu Suku Surf School. This is one of the only properly established surf schools in Malaysia. No joke about that, for behind these walls are the coaching grounds to Malaysia's #1 Surfer! 😀
 

Satu Suku Surf School!
 

The school is usually very busy with ongoing lessons and whatnot on certain months of the year, when the tide is high, wind speed and especially when the monsoon season isn't looming with danger.

But when we went, it was closed due to the heavy storms and monsoon winds approaching
 

But these fine young fellows opened up the school just for today's session!
 

(READ: Just for us) 😀
 

They were very accommodating and informative! Thankfully, the BRATs didn't have a hard time interviewing the boys.
 

Explaining the basics of surfing and how they begun
 

The BRATs even got a chance to know how surfboards are made and which were the ones most surfers prefer in terms of ergonomics and aerodynamics :D In Satu Suku, Billabong is their main sponsor!
 

Learning in progress! Do. Not. Disturb.
 

The boys shared simple tips, tricks and their signature moves as well!
 

Wah so engrossed with your work! *claps*
 

Meet Muhammad Daud, affectionately known to all as Mamat!
 

Such boyish coy looks 😀 Awwwwwwww.
 

Mamat just outside Satu Suku's porch
 

Soon, we decided to continue the session on the beach instead. The seaside view looks so much better on video! Plus, the lighting is  waaaayy better too. Don't they look so much better in their element?
 

Surfboards, skin tight surf suits and the sea
That what makes a surfboy!
 

Sharing session continues! 😀

One of the best parts of today was that both Mamat and Shukri loves being in the center of attention! 🙂 They really seem to enjoy being interviewed, even sharing light moments with us along the way.
 

Malaysia's #1 Surfer lookin' all regal atop his "throne"! 😀
 

He lived in Australia for a good number of years training himself surfing

and even came back with a slight Aussie accent!
 

When he was looking all relaxed and calm here, check out the opposite side of the table 😀
 

Behind every news story, a dedicated team of workers is at it with sweat and toil!
 

While they were at it, the seniors and faciliators were just making sure everything runs smoothly and the recording equipments were well taken care off. We gotta make sure the BRATs are on the right track in getting to their angle of the story and whatnot too!
 

Towards the end, *inserts random camwhore moment*

Tinted the piccie with a slight tinge of yellow for an old school feel
 

It began to rain midway! 

Yet the BRATs wanted to finish their session first!
 

Come rain or shine, the show must go on

Gotta cap the camcorder lest it gets drenched with rainwater

Finished the final bits of the interview and that's a wrap!
 

Camwhoring with Mamat under the rain

omg my hair looks so damp and flat 🙁 🙁
 

Alls well ends well. Aside from a good story, I'm sure we've got pretty fond memories of these 2 beach boys!

For they were nothing short of an amazing duo of good fun, information and humour!
 

Back at the hotel meeting room, they worked on their news materials before the presentation the next day 🙂
 

They all did a pretty swell job, as a result of the 4 whole days at this young journalists camp.
 

FINAL DAY!

credits go to the BRATs who put up the pictures they took with me on Facebook 🙂

I stole! I stole!

On a random note, I find this BRAT below very cute!

Doesn't she look adorable? Her name is Kimberly & has a nickname of wasabi or somethin' liddat 

Oh lots of you have been asking me about my godawesome BB casing & cover 😛
 

it's all dressed up by www.blackberryhousing.blogspot.com

Have fun shopping for your BB's wardrobe!
 

Right before we all adjourned back to KL in The Star van, we somehow HAD to stop by beach again for some McD lunch!

Oreo McFlurrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyy is love
 

 
Here I am on a 6 hour long coach ride back from Tioman.
Bah… at this rate, I’ll be alighting the bus approximately midnight

Anyhoozers, Part 2 of The Star BRATs like I promised!
A sequel to this blogpost of BRATS Part 1, Kuantan was where it all happened.
 

BRATs began and a few of us began manning the registration counter.
Typical! The BRATs were all on their best behavior on the first day. Hehe. But not for long! 😛
 

For starters, they were required to introduce themselves.. sounds pretty easy right?
BUT ON CAMERA! Yup, a stand upper was what they were supposed to do.
 

They say a camera adds 10kg to a person. Heh!

They did pretty well considering it being their 1st time. However, there were some hilarious blunders and bloopers which became a significant inside joke for most of ‘em.
 

Something that went along the lines of : “HI. MY NAME IS SIXTEEN. EHH?”
 

More food for thought on newsworthiness, what makes news, different types of news and other fundamentals were being fed to their young minds before putting them on a simple practical test.
 

They were to gather as much info as possible about Jason and I and interview us on different angles of our blogging history, profile and journey. How to interview a person, how to approach a person and ask the right questions 🙂

Now, these were important to hone their skills – before they set off in the open to scour for news and handle real life interviews.
 

Lunchtime!
And I spotted a gingerbread mosque. I’ve seen gingerbread houses, cookies, men and lots more for Christmas…
 

…..but a GINGERBREAD MOSQUE? Cooooolios 😀
 

The very next morning, it was time for them to put their newly acquired skills to test. Yeeehawww!
Feeling ambitious? 😀
 

The BRATs was split into a few groups for convenience and the group that Ian and I accompanied were assigned to the Batik manufacturing factory. For the benefit of my non-Malaysian readers, Batik is a cloth that traditionally uses a manual wax-resist dyeing technique.

See the pretty finished products that we love and adorn?
 

Now, let’s get behind the scenes!

There are 4 key processes involved in making a Batik.   
Waxing, Coloring,  Dyeing and Boiling
 

I watched and guided some of them as they interviewed the masters of the trade
He’s Myanmanese (and I don’t recall his name) but this fella below speaks fluent Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin!
 

Not too shabby for a non-local, at all 😀
 

Kinda puts my Mandarin command to shame but that’s besides the point. Heh 😀
 

They were given a chance in stamping the repetitive Batik motifs with hot boiling wax.
 

I had a go too! 😀

I don’t know who’s bright idea it was to do our very own BRATs version of Batik but we imprinted our lack of artistic skills on the cloth to form an unimpressive, lopsided outline anyway.

Finished product. Doesn’t it look somewhat close to the original? 😀
 

Hell yeah, if I do say so meself!
 

 
Here’s the final process. When everything is all stamped and painted on in place, the masterpieces are dunked into a boiling hot cauldron of water and soda to melt off the wax.
 

We skipped this process ‘cos we ain’t got all day! To boil and wait for it to dry would take furrrevaah!
 

Proud! 😀 Some of them were quite a natural with the paintbrush by the way.
 

Ian and I camwhoring with the Brats Batik!
 

While we were at it, the rest of the groups were busy at their respective assignments; the Keropok Lekor factory and the Ikan Masin processing site. Both are very notable foodstuff in Kuantan – quite like a heritage!
 

Kuantan is never complete without their huge-ass Chewy Fish Craclers and fresh Salted Fish
Oh and did I mention that the entire bus reeked of fishy stench the moment that group boarded? Pheeee-ewwww!! 😛 But it was all good!
 

When we all returned back to the hotel, it was crunchtime for them! They were supposed to produce newsworthy material in a few forms – an article, a photo essay and a video. So, chop chop!
 

Till the next blogpost! BRATs Kuantan Part 3 coming up soon. Think surfers and beach boys  😀
 

Oh and by the way, here are some of the local delights which we Seniors and Facilitators indulged in every night for supper.
Satay! Chicken, Beef and.. er.. Rabbit meat -__-
 

But they were all so succulent and bursting with every stick we sank our teeth in! Much, much better than Satay Kajang. Hmmph! I can vouch for that.
 

The famous Nasi Impit. Such adorable cubes of glutinous rice, no? 😀
 

Oh and, one very prominent thing I will always remember at every single BRATs session: SNACKS & JUNKFOOD APLENTY!!
 

And if you thought we were gonna starve you in this “bootcamp”, that’s where you’re gravely mistaken – we stuff you till you’ll never look at Pringles, chocolates or cookies the same way again!

Hey hey all! 😀

Yes, I'm in a land foreign to me. Though I ain't proud to say that I've never stepped foot in Kuantan, Pahang before (it's the largest state in Peninsular Malaysia) I am, in every sense of the word, a tourist in my own country this time round. 😀

But first, here's a pretty sight to see along the North-South highway en route to Pahang!

Yup, it was a faint rainbow somewhere in the distance

After a slight drizzle 😀

Being a first timer in Kuantan, one can't help but to stare in amazement at the HUGE street signs along the roads!

Prolly meant for the short sighted or elderly people. But then again, there can't be that much senior citizens in Kuantan to warrant them ALL huge signages, right? *ponders*

My point exactly.

I swear they are 3 times the size of normal road signs of all the other states of Malaysia!

And well, their moralistic roadsigns can mess up the minds of the guilty!
 

Translated from Bahasa Malaysia :
 

Don't you feel guilty? Throwing rubbish out of your vehicles?

So after settling down in the hotel with The Star R.AGE team, off we headed to Pak Su (Soon) Restaurant.

It's quite a popular foodie outlet for fresh and top-notch seafood! 😀

Don't exactly remember what we ordered, but there were definitely fish, crabs, prawns, bean curds, squids and so much more on the table!

Ian and I before the food arrived 😀

Ooohhhhhhh glorious baby coconuts!

Yes I know we can get them in any part of Malaysia, as they grow in abundance!

But STILL. 😛

Honestly, the pincers of that crab served was enormous 😀

So can you imagine the SIZE of the entire crustacean!?

After a hearty (and rather pricey) dinner, we all adjourned to Teluk Chempedak for some supper by the beach

Totally loved the concept of the McDonalds there!

Very homely and al-fresco style 😀

Beaches are love. Ain't it?

Strolling by the beach. But all alone? 😛

Prince charming, where art thou?

Camwhored a wee bit with the rest of the Senior BRATs 🙂

Leon and Andrea 😀

Jason and I

It was pretty good fun though! With the R.AGE team chillaxing by the beach, with sand in between our toes and enjoying the salty breeze blowing softly our way.

Guess this is all the relaxation we need before handling a bunch of BRATs (40 teenagers to be exact!!) for 4 days starting tomorrow morning.

Love my room though. It's spacious, comfy and has ample lighting!

Oh, and we bunked in at M.S Garden Hotel, Kuantan if you were wondering

Had a long day! We took them all around Kuantan to the fishing villages with salty Fish processing factories, batik making factories and Keropok Lekor production houses! For the non-Malaysians, those are the local delicacies and important heritages of Kuantan

But more of that soon okay? In the meantime, here's a lil sneak peak!

The group of hyperactive and inquisitive BRATs which I accompanied to the Batik making factory

Check out their batik print  – the BRATs logo!