Astro Talent Quest 2009 Singing Competition

Saturday 25th July 2009

I’ve never been a fan of Astro Talent Quest (ATQ) competition until this very Saturday. I was invited to participate witnessing live of the competition. So, there we go, with a bunch of friends to Bukit Jalil Indoor Stadium to witness live for the very 1st time on the competition. It is a well-known national singing competition. Out of the 5 finalists, I actually knew 2 of them personally, Ryan and Ah Fai. I recognized Ryan some time ago when he appeared in the commercial as I was watching Astro. I couldn’t recognized Ah Fai at all until the very minute when his full Chinese name had been called out after the competition has started! With his giant poster hanging outside the entrance; I still had no idea who he was until that very moment! LOL. Talk about keeping track with friends around me, ‘Bad Friend Award of the Year’!

It was a blessing that I actually had the privilege to witness the grand competition live together with other thousands of audience. I was amazed by the courage and talent possessed by the 5 finalists. Let’s imagine this:

i) You were waiting alone at the back stage for your turn to show off practically everything you have to win people’s heart and attention in the stadium; all you could pray and think of is that everything will go smoothly and you won’t embarrassed yourself on the stage (trying your best not to mess up with the lyrics, dance steps, breath control, notes hitting, body language, facial expression, and be as natural as you could at the same time) accompanied by the back up dancers, singers and musicians;

ii) hitting up by the neon spotlights that make you couldn’t see a thing under the stage clearly although your eyes were wide opened (this could lead you to the fear of uncertainties)

iii) all your movement and skills were observed by the 7 judges whom will determine your championship, (either they like you or they don’t like you, how about that?)

iv) paranoid with all the negative comments and criticism that might be made by the judges and the low response from the audience (this could bring down your self-confidence at the very moment)

I was caught by one of my friends while I was day-dreaming (as usual when I was in deep thoughts). There are a lot of things running through my mind during that time. I actually imagined myself being one of the finalists, performing on the stage. Just thinking about that, it’s enough to make my whole body shivers. I do not think that I have enough courage (for now) to even step on the stage. At the same time, I was trying my best to concentrate in the whole competition and trying to absorb more tips on how a real competition has been conducted all this while.

One of my friends made a comment right after the show. She said it very directly and truthful. “This is not just a mere singing competition; this is a war between your own self-confidence level and others!”

This is how I conclude this whole experience:

If you are standing on the stage, you’re not a singer, actor, or artist. You are a PERFORMER. Someone who performs and ejaculates every talent (Singing, acting, dancing, preaching, public speaking etc) he/she has into the audience mind and makes an impact in their lives!

Do you have what it takes to become a PERFORMER?


p/s: I’ve been keeping

Sell Out!

Alright! Let’s talk about movie! I just can’t stop thinking about this movie. It actually pointed out some of the thoughts that I’ve been having way before this. I was amazed by it. I went for a Gala Premier for a local English/Chinese movie entitled ‘Sell Out’ last Monday (27th April 2009) at GSC Signature, The Gardens. (Yes, it was during APRIL! Sorry for the delay updates!) =p

It talked about the current typical life as a Malaysian in specific, or it involved the whole world in general. The director was trying to let us realize some of the blind/white spots that are actually happening around us, everyday. The weird part was that all of us actually aware of those ‘common’ things happening but only few of us (one of them, of course, the director himself) actually put those puzzles into a better view and showed us thoroughly through ‘Sell Out’.

The director touched about personal decision making, individual’s dilemmas, working ethics, in a totally different and daring way. ‘Sell Out’ involved human psychology, role playing, devil’s advocate issue and double standard issue that almost all of us are facing frequently nowadays.

Some of the questions that I could recall from ‘Sell Out’:

- Are you daring enough to tell the truth of what you really think/feel about your own government in public/on TV?
- Are you daring enough to fight/argue with your boss even when you know you are right and he’s wrong? Bear in mind, you will lose your job at the end of the day!
- Bosses are full of power and authority in bringing a person up or down from his/her position, what are the real stories/reasons behind this issue?
- What is your reaction watching people dying slowly in front of you?
- What is your last wish/say when you are about to take your last breath?
- Being a rich dying person lying on the bed, what your response would be, knowing that your loved ones hoping you to pass away quickly so that they can have your property for their own?
- In order for you to succeed in your career, you have to fulfill one condition which is hoping for more people to die, literally dying in front of you. Would you?
- All of us are fighting for something every moment in our lives. What are we actually fighting for? What do we get in the very end of your life? Who’s actually the one who gets all the benefits and advantages while we are fighting?
- Do you ever believe in ‘real/true love’?
- Why would human beings telling the truth only when they are about to pass away?
- Is it totally wrong for being selfish?
- What is the real standard of being ‘good’ or ‘bad’? How to measure it at the first place?

‘Sell Out’ is a local musical-comedy movie. But do not expect ‘Sell Out’ to be another ‘High School Musical 1, 2 or 3’. The approach and the entire meaning that the director was trying to bring were very different.

He was right. Lower down your expectations before you start watching ‘Sell Out’, you will be better off that way. It wasn’t that ‘Sell Out’ was no good, but sometimes the more you expectation, the more disappointed you are!

Enjoy!

Shop Until U Drop!

OK people! Here we go!

First of all, I cannot imagine that the very first thing that I'm going to share with you guys in this blog would be regarding to SHOPPING!!!! Haha! Thanks to the movie 'The Confessions of A Shopaholic'. (Love it much btw! =D) Nah, it's because of the right timing here. =)

Alright, let's come back! If you guys have no ideas where to go during this coming weekend (10th -12th April 2009), or got nothing to do at all, you guys have to give an ear on this!

1) Valiram Luxury Clearance Sale Up to 70% Off!!!!

VENUE: Hotel Istana, Mahkota Ballroom,
Jalan Raja Chulan

TIME: 10am to 8pm



Some of the products offered are:

perfumes and cosmetics, watches, shoes, bags, leathers, and more!



And some of the brands that they are offering are:

Samsonite, Mercedes, Charles&Keith, Asprey, Jimmy Choo, Coach, Shanghai Tang, Chloe, Pedro, Naf Naf, and more!

2) CANON Prices Shattered (PC Fair)

VENUE: Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC)
Persada Johor, JB
Village Mall, Sg. Petani
Dewan Masyarakat, Tawau

TIME: 10am - 10pm


Some of the products offered are:

all-in-one printers, single function printers, laser beam printers, scanners and more!

That's all for today! Hope that you guys can have a fulfilling weekend ahead! Enjoy your shopping!

See you!!!! =D