Aku sebenarnya malas nak blog sangat. No, it's not because of any reason.
Semalam, lepak ngan Faz, Jue, Jiji and friend, pastu jumpa Wan, Pora and geng pon tak amik pics apa. Letih pikir na update blog nak transfer, edit dan upload gambar buat sekarang.
Simply because kalao leh aku nak betulkan apa yang tak kena ngan blog aku nih dulu.
Biasalah, baru pindah masuk, ada je yang nak kemaskan sana sini kan. So anyway, look forward to any feedback from you guys. Kalao korang ada komen apa apa yang aku patut ke tambah atau buang, let me know ok, so I an consider to make my blog more easier.
Ni tengahari kang ada urusan ngan Faz nak ke Balai Berita jap, pastuh nak rush office Malay Mail sat, and then I will update more later today. Ada benda na storykan.
By the way, sebab mulai seminggu dua ni aku akan melampau aktif kembali, lower down the blog, aku da siap add an events list of well... events yang aku akan hadiri, so korang tau what's coming up. Right now tak banyak sebab tuh je yang come to mind yang confirmed. Yeap, reunion kat Sarawak aku tak confirm ikut agik... so that's why it's not there.
Ok la.. be updating later. Hope to hear comments from you guys.
And pray for me. My life is getting busier by the minute mulai minggu nih. Syukur.
PS -Kalao korang regular sini, don't forget to join my Followers list. So aku tau la korang ada ke tak nih. Heh.. kat blog ni bukan nampak pon kekadang sapa yang jenguk. And kalao korang nak read the blog by feed (walaopon labat sikit), subscribe to the feed as well. Senang sikit. Also add me to Twitter for more updated news of what's happening, kalao korang interested.
Damn, I'm seriously brained out (is there such a term?)
I just spent something like almost six hours tweaking this new layout. As you guys have notice, I have reverted to the old three column approach, tapi kali ni lebih teratur dan tersusun.
The top bar of picture, will be links to events, while the scrolling stories on the top right hand will be random entries of some level of interest.
Korang tengok below, the links are there to make it easier to view past entries as well as my archive of entries (I still have hundreds more to transfer from my old blog though).
Not to mention, paling penting, I've managed to cut down the weight of the blog so loading time has been reduced as well.
From now, korang nak baca any entry, korang just click Read More on the list of highlights, and it will pop open. A lot easier for sure.
Going to take a nap. Post later... my head is throbbing! Perah otak nak betol kan coding nya pasal. Bersabar ek kalao ada glitches. Still working some things out.
Meanwhile layan video Jackson 5 nih.. sedih dowh tengok... this was from the reunion special in 2001. Layan...
Semalam was a damn emotional day for me. I don't know....
Ada je yang tak betul...
Day started out fine enough, rushing for a meeting. Nak pastikan lagu tuk artis company, kerana ada perubahan strategi. So meeting punya meeting, lom ada hasil. Bukan apa... memang betol kata penasihat. Pastikan produk berkualiti, bukan main tangkap muat. Tapi lagi sekali sangkut soal recording jap.
Tengah meeting, Marlia Musa sampai. Nak amik benda. Dia khabarkan Alam (Zainal Alam Kadir), my former mentor at Malay Mail - yang korang leh layan tengok kat Pentas Anak Wayang tuh (tak tengok lagik live) kena H1N1.
Called Alam later, and he confirmed it. Tengah dok bilik hospital. Amik ko kuarantin.
Cita nya da dua hari dia kena kuarantin, and bila sah positif, kena lagik kurung tiga hari. Skang pasnih, kalao everything ok, dia kena berkurung lak kat rumah selama seminggu without any contact. Amik ko!
But Alam is ok, and kita borak pasal bab keja. Dia dulu editor aku ketika wat hiburan kat Malay Mail, and we'll be working together again coming up soon. Merasalah the old team is comng back in place!
Anyway, abih meeting gerak balik.
Sempat gayut ngan Faz jap update berita terbaru terkini bagai. Korang da vote dia tuk Shout Awards? Kalao lom, masuk sini by CLICKING HERE. Incidentally, the awards pada hari birthday aku on 17 July, and kebetulan aku aan kembali bertugas menulis juga pada hari tu. Talk about comebacks.
Anyway pastuh disaster struck.
Malas nak cita in detail. All I can say is, aku malas da jaga hati orang. Kekadang kan, bila amik berat orang, people just take it for granted. And at some point, you just have to take a step back and declare that ko takkan wat keja kebajikan agik. Tak guna. Hati retak seribu ngan hinaan akibat kemarahan, susah nak repair. Amik ko... korang tak paham pon kan rintihan nasib aku. Takpela... buat buat faham pada orang yang tengah noya nih.
By the way, so far, just confirm I will not be part of Konsert Reunion Akademi Fantasia. Not officially. Adalah drama lagik tuh. Takpe... bukan rezeki. Camtuh lah kalao gamaknya kalao kena bajet je dan harap sponsor yang hado.
Of course, when I say I'm not going, I'm saying as part of the production. Dalam kedudukan lain lom tau ek. So I MIGHT be going still.
So noya for pretty much a good part of the night.
Dengan kesibukan perah mental seharian, nak abihkan planning bebenda semua, tak cukup tidur - tak sampai tiga jam dalam the past 48 jam, and tiredness setting in, added with masaalah tak perlu, it pretty much f*cked up the rest of the night for me.
Takpe. Janji aku da bebas belenggu emosi bab nih. Sometimes when people push you too far, it's just what you need to just back off. And I have chosen to.
Tapi sebab noya bagai takde mood, tak sempat jumpa Bob dan Shuib sebelom meka berlepas ke KLIA nak ke LA for the World Championship of Performing Arts. Harap-harap, Bob, Sarah dan semua wakil Malaysia will make us proud!
Sempat berSMS je ngan meka, and here's all the best to them for the coming week of competition.
By the way, one of the songs Bob akan nyanyi, in the R&B category tak silap aku, is my suggestion. Korang penah tengok filem Hairspray kan? Well, remember lagu yang dinyanyikan Queen Latifah? It's called I Know Where I've Been.
Anyway... going to bed now. Time time ni la insomnia aku set back in and no Xanax to pop. Cam kesial! Oh well.. here's to a new day... erm... today. To friends, I'm switching off my handphone and all, so will be out of contact. Aku nak bertapa jap. Need time to myself.
PS - To those yang lom vote for me for the Ikea Go Clean Your Room grand finals round, please CLICK HERE and go and vote for me! If you need more info, scroll below and read prevous entries. Not voting closes TOMORROW! So VOTE, VOTE and VOTE! Get friends and family to do it. Last kopek da nih!
Damn gotta rush this entry sebab nak keluar dah. Memang kelam kabut sikit hari ni sebab plans pushed earlier semua. So hate to be up at this unGodly hour. That alone tells you how much I am NOT a morning person.
Apapon da la tak cukup tidur semalam. Ni kena bangun awal! Benci!
Smalam ada several things happened.
One was kecoh ada member cita sana sini pasal something that happened. Erm.. tak yah aku cita sini. All I can say is, when karma bites you on the ass, MAN DOES IT BITE HARD! Mintak mintak orang berkenaan amik ikhtibar apa yang berlaku. Things happen for a reason. And that reason is wasted kalao masih tak sedar, dan perbaiki diri pas apa yang berlaku.
Aku tak tepuk tangan dengan apa yang berlaku, tapi sekadar mengharapkan, orang tu akan sedar apa dikatakan selama ni ada merit. Jangan salahkan orang lain je.
Kalao betul ada peluang lain, beringatlah saja jangan ulangi kesilapan sama.
Erm... bab lain. Perkembangan. Yeap, it does look like aku akan kembali ke bidang penulisan. Tapi nanti aku story agik kang da confirm. Apapon, company tetap akan jalan as planned, just banyak sikit keja aku pasni. Cari duit ma.. nak pakai Hummer sebelom umur 40 tapi takde bapa yang Datuk camtuh la gamaknya.
What else... owh... story bodoh.
Semalam nak ke RTM sebenarnya, nak catch the rehearsal tuk rakaman band indie tuk Raya. Kata je indie, tapi diselit persembahan special Liyana Jasmay. Amik ko.. indie ke. Me thinks RTM tak paham konsep.
Tapi yang kelakar masa nak on the way tuh, dapat call dari bebudak 6ixth Sense. Kisahnya kansel! Sebab?
Well it's an outdoor event. Pastuh, al kisahnya kan hujan semalam. Some bright person tak pikir nak jaga mixer bagai. Masuk air hawau! Meletup la gamaknya, kansel terus soundcheck dan rehearsal. Amik ko!
Smart!
Owh...also ada la kawan mengumpat masa time lepak, ada sorang producer hebat ni, kisahnya bangga sangat kutuk orang.
Time Michael Jackson punya memorial, decided nak kongsi pendapatnya yang begitu bernas sana sini pasal the show and all. Erm... whatever. Orang tu memang semakin jadik laughing stock gamaknya. Malaih nak campo...
Anyway smalam lepak kat McDonalds kat Bangsar in the end pas soundcheck kansel. Dah la nak carik tempat kat smoking section yang cantik. Ada mamat tidur mati selamba je! Sial!
Tension nya mamat tuh. Tido berejam agik tuh! Menyusahkan je kita terpaksa dok dalam. Masa kuar isap rokok, kita siap nyanyi Heal The World lagik, nak adakan memorial tuk dia. Manalah tau kalao memang da leh siap tuk dikapankan.
Macam haram mai tempat public camni tuk membuta.
Eh... tanak lambat tuk meeting. Nak gerak dulu. Malam ni aku update agik.
By the way... korang da vote aku tuk Ikea Go Clean Your Room contest ke belom? More or ess two days left... PLEASE VOTE! Tak sampai seminit je tuk tolong undi aku. Read the previous entry to find out how. Later...
I'm actually up early this morning.. so you know this only either means aku cukup tidur atau aku memang tak tidur langsung.
Well, actually a little bit of both.
Aku sempat tidur, but definitely tak cukup and I will have to take a snooze later.
Anyway, wanted to update you guys a little. Sebab da lama tak cita anything pasal Akademi Fantasia ataupon bebudak kan? Hari tu I mentioned kan the actual date for the Akademi Fantasia Reunion Concert will actually be on Sunday, 26 July?
Well, apparently, the actual confirmed date is now pushed back to 25 July. The simple reason being, I think people in Kuching are aware that another major event in Jom Heboh is taking place on that night. So nak bagik peluang kat orang sana nak enjoy, and avoid potentially splitting the crowd for both events, so the reunion show will now be moved a day earlier back to its earlier rumoured date.
The kids begin recording next week for a couple of days from 13 to 15 July, and a then spend a few more at rehearsals for the show from 18 to 22 July. They will be in Kuching from 23 to 26 July.
Now in between all that on 14 July will the launch of Hafiz's mini album in KL. Tapi from what I've heard, the day before the reunion, there will also be a Kuching launch.
Alamak... sibuk gila nampaknya time tuh (kalao aku jadik ikut). Tapi sesapa peminat Akademi Fantasia serempak kang, jangan lupa my birthday on 17 July (matilah aku kena carut promosi besday sendiri).
Oh well... life's too short. Celebrate every moment.
A little bit more update on Akademi Fantasia from 27 July to 2 August... word is it'll be shot in Melaka. And I've gotten word aku dijemput turut serta. Aiyo.. besnya... terharu aku. It will be the real reunion cause as far as I've heard, tenaga pengajar musim ketujuh pun akan turut serta (mintak mintak Ida da ok by then so she can join).
Ok... puas korang aku da update? Heh... nanti aku update agik la word on Akademi Fantasia punya reunion plans.
For now, aku still reeling from the whole trauma of realising the King of Pop is actually gone. But oh well... time to move on kan. Sadly enough... still keeping tabs on updates though.
Anyway, speaking of updates, korang still remember that I'm in the Ikea Go Clean Your Room Contest kan? There's more or less three days to go until the voting closes on 12 July, so guys, please.. PLEASE keep voting for me! If you have voted, mintak, paksa, pujuk, rayu kengkawan, keluarga and geng kat opis undi tuk aku.
Anggap pelaburan la tuk besday present aku sebab the results come out on 15 July, just two days before my 33rd birthday (is that a hint enough?). Ikea people take note too tau. Matilah aku leh hint sampai camtuh.
Apapon, sapa da lupa camna vote, or where to go, CLICK HERE for the 'step by step' guide.
As of 7.30am, here's the standings for now. Sapa yang tatau, erm... my entry is under my full name, Joseph Lee Cheng Kim tau!
Thanks for the push guys. For now aku leading... but it won't be that way for long, I'm sure. Keep voting ok?
Here's my videos, the before one that got me in the top 5 and won me RM2,000 for the makeover, and the after, which I cleaned the mess up four days later. Note I did NOT throw anything out like what appears to have happened with some of the other rooms.
And also, I kept storage visible, which was a challenge since I had SO MUCH stuff. Not to mention some of the other rooms were pretty empty to begin with, so no challenge for them there camtuh.
And my choice for the look was simple, comfy, and yet stylishly functional though minimalistic. One of the reasons for that pon was because I wanted to tayang my CD collection, which actually forms a feature wall of sorts in my room with the Billy bookcases. If you guys like it, vote for me so I can get RM5,000 to add on (selagi nak makeover bilik orang tua aku lak)
Before
After
Now that you've seen that, VOTE HERE! (again aku pakai nama panjang aku, Joseph Lee Cheng Kim)
I gotta leave for the office now to do a little something. Esok ada meeting ngan producer nak bak jumpakan ngan talent J² for the first time.
Plans have changed quite a bit since last couple of weeks with all sorts of unnecessary drama, which brought a bit of delay. But now hopefully things will get back on track. Focus!
Ok.. got to run. Be blogging later. Nak rajinan diri hari ni pas hampir seminggu hibernasi dan ala ala dalam koma.
Watched the Michael Jackson throughout its entirety while sitting in front of the laptop on Facebook and Twitter and communicated my grief with other fans of Michael Jackson from midnight to past 4am just now.
It was a wondrously moving event, and definitely a memorial fit for a king! No less the King of Pop!
When it started and they carried the coffin in, I just broke down in front of the TV and cried. This was a man, who made me believe in all things magical and beautiful about music, and the power of it.
Memang sedih, especially with the backing of the Andrae Crouch Choir with Soon and Very Soon. I don't know. Suddenly it hit home, that the real life Peter Pan... was gone.
It was also touching to see the Jackson brothers who also served as pallbearers, carrying in the coffin, with one single white sequined glove on each. Michael would have smiled at that.
And when Mariah Carey came on all choked up, emotionally perhaps, though revealing too much cleavage for a memorial for her own good, it just brought on more tears as she dueted with Trey Lorenz on I'll Be There.
Honestly, I was appreciating every moment of the memorial up to this point. Then Lionel Ritchie came on with a beautiful rendition of Jesus Is Love. This brought on the wave of idiots.
Beginning with one of my friends' Facebook comments from someone stupid in their list of friends. Malas aku nak komen mana la, but this person posted, "I'm hurt watchin his funeral now..how could they???", which was an obvious reference to the song having religious connotations.
I just blew up.
Do you know what a memorial is? It's an event that serves as a remembrance of a person passed on. It's to celebrate the life of the person, to engage those memories of when they were alive, and accept it as a closure to their passing. Too many big words? Then turn off your f*cking TV or computer if you're watching online. What the...
Bodoh gila! Do your homework, b*tch!
Yes, we all know that he reportedly changed his name to Mikaeel after he converted.
But here's the thing. The Jackson family, like Michael throughout his life, has been very quiet about Michael's religious inclinations, and have not revealed what religious aspects from what religion or religions might be incorporated into either his private or public memorials.
So it is up to them. You don't f*cking know him, b*tch, and you're not f*cking family! So shut the f*ck up. It's a memorial. We're celebrating his life! Not b*tch about what songs are chosen to be sung. Apalah.... benda macam ni pon ada nak feeling nak debat bagai.
Panas betol. As a Michael Jackson fan, I disregard whatever religious connotations with the memorial, and aku tanak bincang pasal agama. I just want to remember a man who has been pivotal in music for the last five decades unlike anyone else.
So bodoh gila! If you're not a fan, don't watch just because the world is watching. Michael, preached about healing the world, and how we are the world. Not b*tch about my f*cking memorial because it didn't suit you.
Tenang sikit hati aku when Stevie Wonder performed Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer. By the time Jennifer Hudson came on with Will You Be There, aku da sebak balik da. It's an emotional rollercoaster watching this, knowing that finally Michael won't be hurt by anymore scrutiny of his life that no one understood.
John Mayer, did an instrumental Human Nature backed by the choir, followed by brother Jermaine Jackson with Smile, what Brooke Shields said was his favourite song.
The lyrics were beautiful, and Jermaine did a version like Michael's which brought on more tears.
"That’s the time you must keep on trying. Smile, what’s the use of crying? You find that life is still worthwhile if you just smile.”
Menyayat hati sungguh.
Then came Usher's Gone Too Soon. When he walked down and touched the coffin... mmm... I don't know. The tears came again.
By this time, I was having another argument on Facebook. A 'friend' had changed her Facebook status to "thinks they're just overdoing the speeches at MJ memorial - yes, he's a great entertainer but he's not God.." I think this person just stayed up too late past her bedtime. No one mentioned him about being God. People were remembering the good things about him - which is like du-uh... what you do at a memorial.
Seriously so many people ignorant of what a memorial is. Argh!!! Ignorance is bliss - and stupidity is contagious.
She was reacting to Sheila Jackson Lee's speech. I personally liked it. She was eloquent (Sheila, not my ranting pissy friend). She stood up for Michael who no longer can defend himself. In retort to white supremacy, racist redneck Peter King's comments on Michael and how he was undeserving of such media attention over his death (still a WTF moment), Sheila said this.
"I can tell you as a member of the United States Congress, we understand law, and we know that people are innocent until proven otherwise, that is what the Constitution stands for."
Thank you Sheila. And thank you everyone who shared their memories of Michael who made us all feel just a little closer to him. Thank you Queen Latifah, Berry Gordy, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Brooke Shields, , the children of Martin Luther King and Kenny Ortega.
Reverend Al Sharpton came out with one of the best quotes of the night while addressing Michael's children. "Wasn't nothing strange about your daddy. It was strange what your daddy had to deal with."
I cooled down again when Shaheen Jafargholi came on with Who's Loving You. No one in America apparently has heard of the 12 year-old who came out seventh in Britain's Got Talent and apparently many were unaware that he was invited to perform because the boy was scheduled to be featured to perform with Michael in London.
Korang tengok persembahan dia. Damn.. this boy really has soul. By the way, He sang the same song during his audition of the talent show.
The finale was a group performance of everyone, led by Michael's backing singers singing We Are the World and Heal the World. More tears from me for sure. Kenny Ortega mentioned that the two songs, and how they were presented were intact as they were to be performed for the London This Is It show.
But the most moving moment, that made me break down, was the final word that night from a family member. Jermaine spoke, and after that was Marlon Jackson's moving speech on his brother, and how he asked Michael for a favour to hug his twin Brandon (who was a stillborn). Janet was supposed to speak next. but she seemed to think the spotlight deserved to at least one of the three who were supposed to speak up for Michael best.
And so, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson spoke. For the first time.
Sheltered like her brothers from the public eye all this while, this was the first time we got to hear at least one of Michael's children speak. She painfully shared only a few words. But everyone of them counted as she choked back tears before finally falling into Janet's arms.
She said this.
"I just want to say... ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you can ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him. So much!"
It just made me cry out.
People see Michael as a freak. A monster. A weirdo.
You can disregard the beauty of how much love he brought through his music. You can ignore the fact he inspired many generations, and more to come with his music and moves. You can disregard the barriers of race and religion he broke through with his success.
A lot have forgotten he was someone's son, brother... and yes, even loving father. You believe what you want to.
Michael is in a better place, and we the fans, got the closure we needed. As Marlon put it. Maybe now they'll leave you alone. We love you Michael. So much. Michael inspired us to come together. And now... it's as if the hope has died. But it lives... in his music. We just have to keep reminding ourselves that.
Need to rest now. Apart from the fact I have now gone 24 hours without sleep... am just so emotionally exhausted from this. It's a sad, sad time.
Am watching with the rest of the world... as we all prepare to bid our farewell to Michael... the King of Pop.
To fans who join the mourning of millions across the world like me, these videos came up on Youtube.
Michael, I hope to God these are not true, and that your soul has finally found peace. Amen.
Check out the video of the CNN Larry King slot. Tell me who or what you see. I won't draw conclusions. But just hope Michael has finally found peace.
To lighten up the mood, here's something truly STUPID I found in the news related to Michael.
Soon after his death, a woman claiming to be Michael Jackson's wife demanded his body be returned to her .
Nona Jackson, who claims to have had 15 children with the late pop star, filed a 93 page claim to Jackson's estate.
She states in the claim: "All my husband's properties, monies and assets must be transferred to me immediately.
"My husband's body must be returned to the coroner's body or the mortuary immediately (sic)."
In another part of her claim, Nona stated: "Though he died to this earth, he lives with my father, Satan the Devil Khalid Lucifer."
A Los Angeles judge refused her request.
Last year, Nona filed for a restraining order against Michael's ex-wife Debbie Rowe, saying she made it hard to concentrate when she attended award shows with the star.
She also claimed to be the real mother of Jackson's three children, Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and Prince Michael II, seven.
Nona - full name Nona Paris Lola Ankhesenamun Jackson - had previously made claims about Jackson in court in 2006 and again in 2007, although none had sufficient evidence to back them up.
Speaking last year, another judge said: "I feel her evidence fails to establish any genetic relationship."
Satan The Devil Khalid Lucifer????!!! What the fuck???!!! She must be friends with Peter King.
Anyway, Ian in Los Angeles, sorry dude, but I checked my email and this came in. I did no get the invite to the memorial to pass to you.
Good luck, man on figuring if you going to be out there for the memorial some way or another or not. Can anyone in the LA area, please, please pick up a This Is It tour t shirt that AEG will supposedly be selling? Please! The final thoughts of the King of Pop....
The Latin phrase de mortuis nil nisi bonum dicendum est, usually shortened to de mortuis nil nisi bonum or just nil nisi bonum which means "No one can speak ill of the dead," "Of the dead, speak no evil," or, more literally, "Let nothing be said of the dead but what is good."
Hasn't stopped this f*cking redneck lowlife New York congressman called Peter King, who lambasted the media for all the coverage on Michael Jackson. The Long Island Republican called Michael, "a lowlife", "a pervert", "a paedophile" and a "child molester" and said the King of Pop was undeserving of such attention as he was "a lowlife".
Yes, everyday heroes should be honoured. Teachers, firemen, soldiers...
But Michael has done more than what the loser Peter King will ever do! And forget just America - the King of Pop has touched and inspired the hearts of people all over the world. Allow us to mourn please... unlike what will take place when you finally expire - you second rate politician trash.
Only in America, could someone like Peter King be considering a Senate.
You would think firstly, he would respect the dead, secondly the family and loved ones of those in mourning and thirdly - the wounded hearts of people all across the globe. If nothing else, at least respect the memory of a man who has passed, who if nothing else, is a son, a brother, an uncle and many more things to those who have suffered a great loss.
Mr Peter King, the biggest dickwad on the face of planet Earth, will also serve to remember, even in America - innocent until proven guilty too stand - and as far as we remember, Michael of acquitted of charges, and investigations revealed most of the claims were extortion attempts, and the 'pay off' for the first case - was upon insistent of the insurance company, against the protests of Michael who wanted to go to court to fight out his innocence. Obviously Peter King has not paid attention to all the facts.
So Mr Peter King, here's a big hearty FUCK YOU from this side of the world, you pathetic, opportunistic, publicity seeking idiot.
PS - Debbie Rowe could do with a man like you.
Watch the asshole called Peter King's (a congressman no less) video
How about play RISK with friends in a very public eatery.
Thanks to some friends yang joined for dinner - who just bought RISK, the board game (more like BORED game sebab pas seam baru figure out how to play) lepas makan malam kat Rasta tadi, leh main lak sebab ada yang beriya baru beli dari Toys 'R Us. Matilah depan khalayak menggila...
But had fun and started screaming excitedly... before I got dominated! Boo! Spent HOURS on it, sampai Rasta tutup. I think I need a life soon. Need to get busy... seminggu dua lagi...
As promised, Madonna kept her word for a tribute to Michael in her show for the Sticky & Sweet Tour at the London O2 Arena where Michael was to have performed.
It was simple. It was enough.
A fitting tribute from the Queen of Pop, to the late King of Pop. Icons in music like them will never come about again. Forget your Britney, Mileys, Rihanna, Akon, Usher or whatever teenybopper names you choose.
Madonna and Michael came from a generation of performers, did everything. They were true artistes, using their art as a form of self-expression. Not just money-spinners.
Not since the passing of the late Princess Diana, the Queen of Hearts, will the world see such bluebloods that reign in the hearts of so many around the world, and touch us with their stories, and provide us with the inspiration in 0ur daily lives.
Sedih betul tengok bahagian persembahan Madonna ni. Was waiting for it to be uploaded, and when it came out, was left speechless. One can only wonder what Madonna must have felt... and I can understand if she didn't want to make it more personal.
Beyonce, one of the 'new school' of stars who paid tribute to Michael, gave a more moving tribute. More perhaps for me, because Halo was my most overplayed song last couple of weeks for it's beautiful lyrics... and because Beyonce grew up in a generation where she was inspired by Michael as a lot of us were.
This was her from her performance during a concert in Atlanta as part of the I Am... tour on July 1. There are two versions of fan videos, check them out.
So whether or not Michael is going to be buried in a solid bronze, gold-plated coffin worth US$25,000 with a blue velvet interior and a hand-polished mirror finish is not important. How the memorial on Tuesday will pay tribute to the legend, the King of Pop will...
PS - If anyone is in LA, AEG has said they'll be selling the O2 Arena This Is It tour t shirts. Anyone can get me one for memories...?
What do people like Sarimah, Fazura, Rina Omar have in common with so many of my other lovely friends?
That's easy enough. All of them voted for me in the Ikea Go Clean Your Room contest! Helps to have a networking of industry friends who jump to help you... too bad no one jumped and asked me out this weekend.
Aku dok bosan kat rumah bertapa je tak kuar langsung ujung minggu nih. Something's gotta change. Need a routine - and one that is not f*cking dependent on others' availability.
Anyway... aku nak plug for this again cause I need more votes! Thank you to friends who have continued voting - and for those who haven't, please do. Kalao ikutkan, each one of you yang masuk blog aku ni kalao take just a minute, to vote... aku da cecah ribuan undian. So something's not right here. C'mon guys. Aku selalu give in to your demands here, so vote for me please!
Like I said, results will be out on 15 July, two days before my birthday, and so want this. Nak makeover bilik orang tua aku lak.
So, just in case ada yang kata tak reti, here's how you do it, step by step! So no excuses! Besides when you guys vote, you're up for RM50 Ikea voucher pun apa... so win win la. Here it is...
After you click the link on top in a new window or tab, then follow these four simple steps, and voila! You would have voted for me!
Ok... if you guys have done that, thank you so much! If you haven't boo to you then! Can't even spend a minute to do that but demanding I update my blog selalu!
Ok... going back to watching some DVDs. Bored as all hell today. Remember! Vote!
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Lambat sikit update pasal Pesta Malam Indonesia, but here it is. Walaopon nak up kan sampai rambut aku da kembali hitam katanya.
What do you do when you go to a concert?
There are several types of people yang gi konsert.
Let me break it down for you so you can appreciate why there will be different responses to any live show.
Empat golongan yang akan ke konsert adalah :
1. Peminat setia - Group ni are the best. They know everything or almost everything the artiste or band will perform, and appreciate anything that goes on onstage. Their fave acts tak perlu nak sound like they're off a CD, because it's the live experience that matters. It's all a delicate balance and combination of good music, awesome showmanship, fantastic live twists and the general atmosphere yang makes up for the enjoyment of people in this category.
2. Yang konon konon peminat setia - Simply because they've heard one song, they just want to be at the concert. Saja nak layan.walaopon takde lah minat sangat artis ke band yang akan membuat persembahan.
3. Yang memang berangan peminat - Nak go to a concert or live show just cause of the hype. Kira walaopon tak penah dengar band A, or band B, dan penah dengar band C popular, or band D ni dikatakan hebat, terus nak muncul sebab nak be part of it so they can 'analyse' the music and tell people they were there. Very little homework done, and they know bits here and there, and want just to impress people that they were there for the show.
4. Yang takde substance at all but nak orang bajet meka ni peminat - Sanggup menghabiskan wang Ringgit, or mencari tiket pree (dalam kes ni biasa dapat pass complimetary VIP sebab bersaudara dengan jiran kepada sepupu organiser yang merupakan besan pada abang ngah pakcik nya) tuk gi ke show yang meka sendiri sebenarnya takde minat, so that memang they can just say they were there. Meanwhile, golongan ni juga sanggup wat pe saja to prove meka belong in the bona fide fans category dengan sibuk nak pics band, memorabilia dan sebagainya - atau jumpa ngan band... so that they feel cool. Yeap... for some it is cool just being at a show that's big, and these people lain sikit kategori 3 sebab meka ni just want to make it known they were there and not really bothered in convincing people they are fans.
Why do I need to go into that classification?
The rundown
Sebab the response to how good a show it was - depends largely on why you're there. As a real fan, Pesta Malam Indonesia 3 was off the wall! Memang happening gila, and with 10,000 plus or so punya audience, memang the vibe was just amazing! Aku basah kuyup siot, cam mandi lak by the end of it.
But ada ada yang suka, ada pon yang tak suka. "Band **** sucked la... nyanyi hancus!" or "Tak feel lah". Etcetera.... etcetera.... Aiyo...
I know lots of friends who loved the show. But some thought it was a not so good schtick this time. For me simple je. A concert is not about being caught up in getting CD quality stuff. Especially for a rock concert, it's about the energy and the raw edge that is brought on the sheer intensity of the performers.
Oh well. All I can say is, when Padi kicked off the set after local bands Aku and Jinbara, aku da smiling happily da. They served it up with their songlist. Yang penting, one of my more recent favourites Terluka pon ada. Risau je aku yang meka won't perform that. Cuma was hoping they'd do an acoustic set on that. But it was ok to mosh to the original arrangement of it too. What can I say... Padi is one of the most intellectual rock acts about, no doubt. But on stage, they can kick it as good, if not better than any other bands out there.
PADI!!! The intellectual rockers!
Next up, Andra & The Backbone. Honestly not so into them, so spent time running backstage (thank you keluarga TM for the opportunity) to snap some pics of Padi with lucky winners of TM's iTalk who got to meet the band exclusively backstage.
iTalk HQ
The crowd earlier in the day. Not much, compared to 10,000 plus by the time the sun went down
Republik Cinta booth
The iTalk lucky consumers who got to meet Padi
Backstage
Amik ko warnings!
Andra and the Backbone
The Padi family
Me and Fadly from Padi! One of my idols!
Got to chill with the Padi boys... especially vocalist Fadly. Dapat gak sembang ngan dia jap. Suka!!! Samsons takde tahun ni, luka terubat sikit ngan Padi lah. Heh! Pastu gi menjelajah cari makan, minum dan lepak booth iTalk. Argh! Only much later aku nyesal teringat selain meet the fans, a special edition electric guitar yang autographed by all performers at Pesta Malam Indonesia 3 was up for grabs! Lupa lak nak isi borang kat dalam tiket tuh dan kembalikan keratan. Menci!
By the way, about iTalk. Ni some general info..iTalk kad is the calling card from TM, yang korang leh pakai nak wat buat panggilan ke luar negara cukup murah. For example, for me to call my ex in Jakarta would be about ï½½ sen utk 30saat.
Now, TM ada keluarkan iTalk mobile dialer, an easier way nak membuat panggilan, tak perlu nak punch in like a zillion ID numbers. The sim untuk iTalk mobile dialer akan diberikan dengan starter pack. It's like filem nipis berwarna hitam, yang perlu diletakkan atas sim card anda.
And if you're not mechanically inclined, get some help dari petugas layanan TM who can get that done when you purchase it.
So iTalk is definitely an easier and quicker way, plus it offer great rates. For more info, orang KLICK SINI (link – http://www.tm.com.my)
Cehwah... macam duta iTalk lak aku nih.
Hah back to the konsert.
After Andra & The Backbone cleared the stage, Sheila On 7 were next after break for prayer time.
By this time, the crowd had grown gila gila da. I swear tetiba ramai sangat dalam lautan manusia yang membanjiri perkarangan Stadium Bukit Jalil for the concert,
Aku masuk area 'kandang' which was meant for the media, specificaly photographers to take some pics. Tapi halfway, aku da rimas and shifted to the edge of the crowd. But not before I got to sing along to Duta's fantastic rendition of a mesh up between Leaving On A Jet Plane and Itu Aku! Aiyo... Itu Aku membuaikan aku tuk tidur on so many nights. For me, that was the highlight of their awesome performance. Duta and the boys tak penah disappoint.
Sheila On 7 in action!
The crazy party people - and the security watching guardedly
More of Sheila On 7
With the iTalk meet the fans session
The TM family photo op
Duta, Adam and Eros lepaking backstage
Pas abih show, again went backstage to watch them chill with iTalk winners. Sempat borak ngan Adam, sebab tahun lepas masa band nak main, found out dia demam. Tahun ni lak, dia ilang suara! Aiyo! Datang datang KL je demam lah itu lah ini lah. Kesian sangat!
By the time Gigi were up, aku da letih, so caught the performance via screens set up in the VIP area as well as off the huge screens erected and visible from backstage.
The obviously most awaited band was Dewa sebab memang you could sense the crowd wanted them on.
Band anak Ahmad Dhani on dulu as the opening act. Lucky Laki as they're called, aku cuma tau lagu meka yang Bukan Superman. And they did ok I guess, though I suspect they were lip synching to it.
Me and the maestro - Ahmad Dhani
Masa meet the fans iTalk session with Dewa, crazy!!!
Whatever... janji for kids at such a young age, they did quite well. Memang ke mana la tumpah kuah kalao bukan ke nasi.
The only complaints for me yang valid for the night, kalao ada yang bising katakan Dewa nya performance cam kejap sangat. Aku pun rasa camtuh.
But it was a fantastic show, and no matter what any reviews said, I enjoyed it. Malas nak tulis pepanjang. Korang layan je pics. Sorry if it's not as great cause I was using a normal camera je (sapa nak carut belikan aku DSLR ek) and after the Sheila On 7 show, tak larat nak berasak ngan orang tuk amik pics Gigi dan Dewa punya performance.
Click VOTE NOW to begin the voting. And you'll see this page.
You'll see this page with the top five messiest room and finalists for the grsnd prize of RM5,000! My name is the first.Just click on the picture with my name, and you'll have a window pop out with my entry like this.
What you can do now, is view my previous video, the IKEA stuff I got, and also the makeover results.Then click VOTE and it will request your name, IC number and also your email (for notification purposes kalao korang menang the RM50). Vote for me maximum!
Winning this would be a great birthday present. So kalao leh get your friends to vote for me too! Thanks guys and gal...be updating later!
My Nokia N95 8GB is f*cked! Something wrong takleh on.Stress gila! Pas bateri mati tadik I charged it up. Two hours later, looked at it, takde benda langsung dan takleh on.
Binatang betol!
Gi kedai, satu kedai kata - bateri ok, virus kot. Kedai kedua kata, bateri da rosak. Kedai ketiga kata, bateri pun da rosak and sold me this underwater battery which cost as much as the original. Balik tak sampai sejam - nan ado lagik. Damn!
Went to Uptown Shah Alam nak usha phone repairs, mamat tuh kata samaada problem connection dalam, ke bahagian cucuk charger. Ado!
Matilah seharian tanpa phone since most people call me on that number je.
So anyone who's trying to reach me, call my DiGi number cause my Maxis over the Nokia is not on. Alternatively, kengkawan industri cari or mesej aku kat Facebook. Everyone else, email saja.
Adoi! Susahnya pakai satu phone je.Cam tak betol lak statement aku. But coming from someone who had THREE lines (masa tu siap ada Celcom tapi time tuh mahal nak mampos nak not worth it so gave it up) not that unusual.
By the way guys, the Ikea Grand Final submission for the Go Clean Your Room contest start besok. Nanti aku update. make sure korang vote for me ok!
Going to sleep now.. esok nak ke kedai repair handphone. Aduh... lari bajet da ni.
PS - Now I really welcome anyone who wants to give me a birthday present of a handphone. Ada ke mobile phone manufacturers nak sponsor bagik aku endorse. Nokia and Motorola only... lain takyah (kecuali kalao Blackberry or iPhone - tu aku sanggup!)
Hari ni rehatkan minda sikit. had to sort out some personal stuff. Thankfully by the end of the day I could afford to smile.No more personal drama.
Skang the only thing playing in my mind is how I'd like to be busy with work soon.
Memang banyak sangat nak wat.. but semua on hold for now.
Recording God willing will begin in a couple of weeks kalao everything ok. TV show lak tengah awaiting approval and go-ahead and budget. Meanwhile, bagik korang who know my work as an entertainent writer, yes, I am seriously considering going back into writing lepas setahun 'bersara' and writing occasionally dari masa tuh hingga Oktober last year.
So many things to do, I really have to brace myself for the upcoming schedule.
Anyway, my 33rd birthday is just a couple of weeks away, and I have some personal promises to fulfill before I hit the big double digits.
Entah how many jobs aku nak hold down, but like 50 Cent said, get rich or die tryin'! Matilah! Ni la akibatnya obses nak Hummer by the age of 40!
So come July 17, I expect to be broke for spending so much the last couple of months (preparation for the setting up of the company and all - and a few.. ehem... shopaholic sprees). Sapa nak hantar aku present, kecik ke besar, it's welcomed! Matilah mintak...
Tapi kan... I was browsing for some stuff I really wanted... simpan duit nak sangat beli. Sapa nak bagi hadiah, these would be good presents for me that would send me screaming like a 14 year-old girl getting to see Tommy Page or New Kids on the Block live - erm... that was the era where I had to put up with those types.
My wish list for my 33rd birthday on July 17 (probably will remain a wish list)
A Nokia N97... korang kalao lama da baca sini, mesti tau I was so hyped on the release of this phone. Oh the beauty of it! I want it bad! Nokia Malaysia! Gimme one!
And how about a HPPavilion dv2? I could use a new laptop, walaopon aku nya kira ok lagik. Everyone may have a dream Mac in mind, but I'd settle for this.
Or how about a Canon HV30 DV camera?
You got extra bucks? You do know my dream car is a Hummer kan? Well, any Hummer would do, but a 2009 Hummer H2 would be enough (don't fancy the H3s so much, tapi kalao bagik amik jerk)
Apapon... paling busuk, I hope for my birthday someone does give a flying f*ck. No I mean literally...
No I wasn't swearing. A flying f*ck is a remote controlled helicopter toy. It's a flying... erm F*CK. You can get it online HERE. Courtesy of the weirdos, I mean great people at ThinkGeek. Stuff there and TheGreenHead slalu ada the coolest stuff. And it's too badly priced too.
Alah... actually kalao ada orang ingat birthday aku pun cukup. At the end of the day, I have my family, my friends and my loved ones for another day pun da cukup.
