Uglymen 2nd Recording Session (26th-27th July 2004)
latest: we have decided to use “Love Bubble Tea” as the 7th song in the album, 3 more songs to go!
Time & Date: 25th July 2004 12.05am
After finishing every lesson and packed all the necessary stuff, Ric and I went straight to Penang. We stopped at Maxis to submit a project report which I did for the manager to the night guard. Then off we go, I was driving but due to the fact that I needed to look at some very beautiful photos, Ric took over the wheel.
Time & Date: 25th July 2004 12.55am
The night is cool, very little rain, listening to Steve Vai new album and KABAMMM!!! Our car flew up in the air about 1/2 feet from the road and then crash onto the road…. It was very scary and it happened so suddenly. Ric was driving at 110kmh so the car had to be slowed down until 0 kmh and there was about already 400 metres away from the spot the car “flew” up.
Ric : What the ^%&*($%#_(
Mic: Did we knock down anyone?
Both went down and had a look
Ric: Damn, the number plate is gone!!
Mic: Hey look at the bumper, #$%* (the back bumper was dangling)
We couldn’t see anything, no blood stain and no broken bone
Mic: We should go now.
Ric: NO! The plate is gone!
Mic: Hey, did u watch I Know What U Did Last Summer?
Ric: Don’t know lah… let’s get in the car and go back and see what the fxxx we banged…
Mic: ^&(&&))%^#$
So Ric reversed the car like Michael Schumacher, the sky was so so dark, not a single star, and I thought we are approaching some &(%^*)%& at the back now….
Finally reached the place. Ric went down and searched for the plate, I was looking for that “dead person”, would it be a guy just fell down on his bike? Would it be a dog, a deer, a goat, monkey, a tiger, Gozilla???
Mic: Hey Ric look there! There’s a black shadowy thing in the middle of the road.
I have to say this: There was not a single soul on that stretch of hi-way, no cars, no bikes, no moonlight, no mosquito…
Ric: Wa lao ^&(%^*)^)*, we hit a HUGE TYRE man!!
Mic: Shit, this is a tyre from a giant, maybe a 18-wheel truck or crain….
Ric: Mike! I have found the plate, but,,,, the biggest piece is just this (Holding up a twenty cent shape thing)
Mic: kekekeke……
We carried the #$*&^%$ tyre and threw it on the side of the road and continued the journey.
Time & Date: 25th July 2004 1.32pm
Finally reached Penang and we stayed overnight at Suan’s house, Ric was not going to KL with us as he would be seeing his friend in the morning. I hardly got any sleep and surfed the net until about 6am.
Time & Date: 25th July 2004 3.04pm
Suan and I drove down to KL this trip for guitar part recording, we started the journey at 2.55pm from Penang and reached, eh… i mean we lost in KL at 8.05pm. We got confused with the route to PJ and Kenny had to come out to direct us. Met up with Kenny and tailed his car to Kenny Music. To our astonishment, the studio is actually quite near to the place where we got lost .. kakaka. Suan was quite tired then cost he drove all the way
Time & Date: 25th July 2004 8.31pm
Paul arrived to have dinner with us. Kenny took us to a place near GIANT supermarket, it was very lao juak there with dozens of stalls selling stuffs but didn’t have time to look around. We bought some toiletries after dinner, at the shampoo department:
Mic: Which toothbrush should I buy? (I have forgotten to pack one)
and then I saw the cheapest one at RM2.80
Suan: Take this one better (RM3.90), it has a cap.
Mic: Aiya… no need cap one lah, i always dry my toothbrush with a hairdryer after i used it.
Kenny: ………….
Suan: Let’s get a shampoo (RM14.00), see this is 4-in-1.
Mic: Wa, so expensive! Look this one the package is nicer and only RM8.00
Suan: That one don’t have protein protect. This one says riched with protein.
Mic: Aiya….protein some more… we go back and eat some meat ma si got protein loh!
Kenny: You guys really joker……… kekeke…..
Kenny paid for all the stuff later, and off we went back to the studio.
Time & Date: 25th July 2004 10.36pm
Kenny had some discussions with us and watched some Astro programmes “Fear Factor” and donno what taekwondo documentary, before leaving the studio at 11.50pm. Kenny had prepared us mattress, towers, blankets. Paul left earlier around 11.15pm since he will be taking us to breakfast at 8am later. Suan changed his 2-week-old guitar strings and was about to dump it when the savager mike took them back…to fix on a RM300 Yamaha guitar…
Time & Date: 26th July 2004 .12.58am
Suan slept so easily but again me just couldn’t sleep, I always have problem sleeping at unfamiliar places, even at Suan’s house. So I went outside the balcony to count some stars in the sky and send some sms-es until my eyes started to see more stars that there should have been… think slept at around 2.45am
Time & Date: 26th July 2004 7.45am
Paul gave us a morning call, and arrived 20 minutes later, at this time, Argentina was kicking Brazilian butts in Peru… With the Argentines leading 2-1 in the 88th minute
Time & Date: 26th July 2004 8.45am
Donno this place, but selling many chinese hawker foods, i ordered a wantan mee since my usual Chicken Rice was not on the menu of this kopi tiam. (and later regretted it RM5.00 per bowl!!) Suan ate what I forgot already. Paul ate very light breakfast. And then I saw my favourite team lost to Brazil again in the penalty shoot out… 
We stopped at another shop later as Suan was looking for some char sio pao.
Time & Date: 26th July 2004 9.24am
Back at Kenny Music, waiting for Remy the recording engineer to arrive. Remy showed up 10 before 10 and started to warm up the studio equipment. I was warming my fingers on my “always-in-tune” Ibanez, as I was the first to record today. With the guitar fixed to the POD and direct to the mixing board accessing to a Alesis hard disk recorder.
Time & Date: 26th July 2004 10.40am
Sor Lou (Moron) was the first song we record today, but my part was easy ont his song, only choppy power chords and some fast riffs, the funky rhythm parts had already been recorded on the last trip. So it’s all DONE at 10.57am
Time & Date: 26th July 2004 10.59am
Suan is always very serious with his guitar tone, so he took time to get the best out of his POD. His part in Sor Lou included 2 solos and some very fast muted strums, some second-leads as well.
Time & Date: 26th July 2004 1.47pm
Kenny came to the studio to pick us up for lunch. We headed to Taman Paramount for some malay food. Though Kenny is producing albums for artistes, but he seemed to be more popular than the artistes, almost everywhere he goes, he is welcomed and liked by everyone or at least one or two people will know him, off course what I meant here is when we go to music related places lah, if go to market, the lao ee cannot recognise Kenny lah, they only know Suan nia, right bo Suan???
We ate malay rice and went back to studio at 2.49pm
Our new home – Kenny Music Studio, we have everything here, air-cond, Astro, Bedsheets, towels, cold / hot drinks…
Can anyone spot a dead body??
Paul driving 50% uglymen to breakfast
Kao teh ai chiak ha mik …?????
so so sleepy…. hope the caffeine does the job…
Our good old buddy Ah Hoo was with us on vocal recording for Robot
Michael gona sing the whole Robot, I better get some sleep first
It’s backing on Robot, Suan and I have to sing 8 different parts in different harmonies
Better listen to the guitar and sing the correct pitch. Pitching was so so so difficult for us at the first time.
Remy: Don’t worry everything is OK!
goodbye kenny music.
Uglymen 1st Recording Session (10th-12nd July 2004)
Jul 12, 2004 Gallery, News, Uglymen
Luch time with Kenny at KFC Jln Bukit Bintang.
Thanks to Kenny for everything in KL!
Ugly Recording Session
Time and Events were written down only after 10 days, so I try to remember everything and make it as precise as possible.
Time & Date: 9th July 2004 7.25pm
The last class I taught on this day was Siew Wen at 6pm. I was planning to leave earlier to catch bus to Penang before 7.15pm. So, when I started packing my stuff to leave Siew Wen’s house at 6.45pm. Oh yes, for those of you who don’t understand the above statement, I actually teach Siew Wen at her house. She’s Suan’s cousin. Then…. at 6.47pm, Siew Sheng walked in (Siew Wen’s sister), she served me some bee hoon and chicken…kekeke… have to eat first lah….after throwing everything inside my stomach already 7pm.
I rode on my scooter at 80kmh (the fastest this thing can go) back home, and Ric sent me to the bus station. It was the LAST bus!! haha… my luck.. and only one seat left, so lucky me. But I was having another trouble, my bags, effect box, guitar, sling bag… so I had to cramp myself in the seat (since I am very thin). A glimpse at my watch showed 7.25pm. I called Suan to inform him I’m on the way. The bus departed at 7.45pm
Then, I switched on my PDA and start reading an e-book and Zzzz away…..
Time & Date: 9th July 2004 9.05pm
Reached Butterworth. Had to wait all the passengers get down, cause I was stuck with my stuff in my seat. By this time, the Uglycar was still on the way on Penang Bridge, so I had to wait for a moment. Then I noticed this: some hawkers were making good money at the make-shift bus terminal side entrance, beside the stall there was a small, faded signboard reading: Dilarang Menjaja…kekekeke
Another 5 minutes passed by and the 3 dudes arrived. Straight we headed to petrol station, everyone was a little hungry, especially Uglycar, it ate RM50 of the price-always-going-up petrol. Metal drank lemon tea, I was treating Suan and KJ ice-cream… then Suan disappeared… Guan lai si doing his “usual trademark business” again. (For your interesting but weird information, Suan always pang sai everywhere he goes) so the petrol station toilet also tasted his cakes…. Everyone also paid petrol and tol fares to Metal before we zoooom off…
Time & Date: 9th July 2004 9.40pm
The Ugly journey was on!! Can’t remember where was the first stop on high way but stopped many times for releasing extra fluid from our systems…. Metal was driving, actually he drove all the way to KL. Soon, Suan and KJ snoooooores away, I was sms-ing and playing chor tai tee on my PDA… Metal played some Bon Jovi stuff on his CD player…. Nothing much happened on the way except some gas were released again in the car…. and we were talking on our hot topic: XX, cannot be disclosed here…hehehe….
Time & Date: 10th July 2004 approx 1.15am
Approaching KL, Suan has got this direction map with him, think Kenny directed him earlier. At this time, we were still not sure of where to put up at, since we have to find Kenny first. Kenny was performing, or should I say enjoying himself at a pub in Sri Hartamas called 1957… Suan had a good map and Metal drove easily to that pub. There were so many cars, crowded, people everywhere, singing, music, lights, it was like some time at 8pm in Penang. And…. we easily found a parking space in front of a music shop (Metal later says he parked his car UNDER the music shop). It was drizzling and we walked to 1957. There he is Kenny, in a “mini hut” jazzing some great songs… We sat in fornt of the hut, a waiter immediately broke a glass ash tray on to the floor KRING KRIANG!!!! Then everyone looked over here including Kenny, Ah! Uglymen are here!!! (What an announcement!! Thank you Mr. Waiter) Kenny sang another couple of songs then came to join us. And that was the time I only know we are staying at a hotel near by to the recording studio… kekeke… Kenny really treated us like VIP, so pai se nia…. The first thing Kenny told us was: You know? That lawyer student came back from UK one, that day lah, was beaten to death, (pointing across the road) there…. he was killed opposite… huh!!???… Wa… in KL really anything can happen at anywhere at any time….
In the midst of our chat, a hot chick came to our table (I was walking out from the wash room) she sat there and for a second, I thought it was Metal’s KL gf, only to find out later a DVD seller…. Guan lai nowadays like this push DVD one… Kj said Penang awal awal already selling like this, hai…… only me sua pa kao still don’t know….
At about 2.10am, Kenny packed his stuff ( a very beautiful sounding Godin and a Fender Strat) and suddenly asked us, hey, where you guys parked your car huh? very difficult to find parking space here, our beloved Metal answered, there, we parked under the music shop opposite.
and here’s some pics on the journey~
This is where we stay, Hotel De Lisa Inn
It’s bed time at 4.15am for Metal
KJ wishes everyone Good Morning while taking free breakfast at the hotel
The foods are simple but enough for us to be fully charged for the 1st day of recording
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is our recording engineer Mr. Remy…super helpful, down-to-earth, friendly and with vast experience of recording
Part of the many recording equipment in the studio
Remy setting up the drum, tuning, miking, everything…so so fast!
Remy: Are u guys ready? Let’s Roll ! !
He’s here again, he appears everywhere Uglymen go…. he is Paul, from the press 
I’m the first to go….hahah…let me do a handsome pose
Metal is next on the first song, Phak Chooi Cheng…
Metal: Damn! So difficult to record, it’s getting Hot!
Finally it’s Suan’s turn … kereng kereng kereng… lu mai luan wa phak chooi…..
Our guest performers: BOSS effects pedals / POD signal processor.
Its me recording “Missing You”, a song very well accepted by Jeff and Kenny.
Jeff said it will be a Big Hit!! ha ha.. I love this song..
Suan and me discussing on the best guitar sound to record on “Missing You” solo part.
Recording can be very tiring… Suan sleeping while waiting for his turn again…
It’s real easy to locate which hotel room Uglymen had stayed: the room with Uglymess!
Hall of Fame: Feb 2004 – June 2004
Jul 6, 2004 Hall of Fame
In order to encourage all students to strive for success while also enjoying their music lessons, Hall of Fame has been set up.. Every student will be evaluated on every lesson they attend, based on the revision done, homework completed from previous lessons, and also initiative on self-improvement.. No marks will be awarded to students who cancelled or stopped for a particular lesson.
Enjoy your lessons and Good Luck.
All students’ marks will be calculated by the total scores divided by the total number of lessons attended. Absents are counted as 0. Top students will be awarded in Annual Award Presentation and Concert Day
Click here for calculation format
Position Name Instrument Points (aggregate)
1 Bong Sze Rin Piano 13.83
2 Tan Seok Kheng E Guitar 13.72
3 Cheng Heng Lih E Guitar 12.66
4 Ch’ng Shiau Ying Piano 12.45
5 Ooi Chea Wei E Guitar 12.05