Monday 30 June 2008

In Rome with me...

Today is my third day is Rome. And it is super hot here. Somehow, I'm so glad that in Malaysia, the hot period of a day is between 11 am to 3 pm but here, it's from 9 am to 5 pm! It was 39 Celcius on the first day I arrived!

I spent the whole day yesterday to experience the Ancient Rome. That's include Colosseo, Palatino, Areo di Tito and Foro.

Today, I'm covering the Vatican City and areas surrounding it.

Insya-Allah, will be going home tomorrow and once I'm in Manchester, I will upload all the interesting pictures so that you guys will green with envy! hehehe...

Ciao!


Updated as at 1 July 2008

Kindly click on the following links to view the pictures from my trip to Rome, Italy:

Rome Trip 2008 Album I
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=42677&l=eb8cb&id=722686470

Rome Trip 2008 Album II
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=42682&l=981c9&id=722686470

Vatican City Trip 2008
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=42685&l=2518b&id=722686470

Saturday 28 June 2008

In Pisa with me...

Buon Giorno!

I'm in Pisa, Italy now. And it's still hot here. It took about 4 hours from Venice to Pisa by train and the fare is EUR39.25. But, there is a cheaper alternative but you need to (1) buy early, (2) change train at least two times and (3) it takes 30-45 minutes more.

I've decided not to spend too much time in Pisa because the only thing that interests me is the leaning tower. Again, I will upload the pictures when I get back home.

Oh yeah... it's possible to spend about 2 hours in Pisa even you melenggang as me! You may walk to the Torre Pisa (betul ke, grammar ni?) but I decided to take bus (LAM Rossa) there which costs less than one Euro (EUR0.95 to be exact for 60 minutes).

Ciao!


Updated as at 1 July 2008

Please click on the following link to view pictures from my trip to Pisa, Italy:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=42675&l=7a4e0&id=722686470

Friday 27 June 2008

In Venice with me...

Alhamdulillah, I've safely arrived in Venice, Italy. It's really, really hot here! And for the first time in months, I'm sweating like a p** (can I use horse instead, or horse is only when to describe you're eating a lot!).

Although the place that I stay is quite a distance from the central of Venice, I so glad I did this. At least, I get to see the other Venicians (betul ke?) live. The place is in Magherita, about 15-20 minutes to the central of Venice.

Frankly speaking, you could cover the whole island in a day even if you walk as lenggang as me! If you're going there, just concentrate on San Marco and San Polo areas. If you're travelling alone like me, it's worthwhile to opt for waterbus (EUR6.50 one way or EUR16 for 24 hours pass), istead of gondola (EUR80 per gondola!). What I did is I walked all my way to San Marco, then took the waterbus on my way back to Piazza Roma.

Insya-Allah, will upload my pictures in Venice as I return to Manchester. Ciao!

p/s: Sorry for the delay on publishing official comment for Nor Azrina Zakaria's article. Will publish it once I get back to Manchester.


Updated as at 1 July 2008

Please click on the following link to view pictures from my visit to Venice, Italy:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=42669&l=157b6&id=722686470

Tuesday 24 June 2008

Third Finalist of Beyond P. Ramlee Project

BEYOND P. RAMLEE
by Nor Azrina Zakaria


Barang yang lepas jangan dikenang
Kalau dikenang tentu menangis
Barang yang lepas jangan dikenang
Kalau dikenang meracunlah diri
Tiap insan hai tidaklah kekal
Tentu kan pulang di mana berasal
Janganlah sedih hai janganlah pilu
Serahkan pada Allah yang satu

- Excerpt from the song “Barang Yang lepas Jangan Di Kenang”
Lyrics by S Sudarmaji
Song by P Ramlee

There is a possibility that not every Malaysian is an ardent fan of Malaysian film but the name P. Ramlee would be very hard to miss as his films are being repeatedly shown at every channel in the country which makes it hard for someone not to at least watch it. How could one forget his greatest film such as Penarik Beca, Bujang Lapok, Anakku Sazali, Nujum Pak Belalang, Ibu Mertuaku, Madu Tiga and Laksamana Do Re Mi.

Tan Sri P. Ramlee was and still a legend in the entertainment industry in Malaysia and also Singapore not only due to his vast contribution in the movie and music industry but he himself was an amazing film actor, director, singer and songwriter. Although he had only managed to shine for only 25 years since he was discovered by B.S rajhan in 1948, he had become the most celebrated entertainer even after his demise in 1973. For the present generation, what is left behind was his numerous films and the former house of P. Ramlee which has been converted to be his memorial as remembrance of that great actor, singer and producer.

It would be a hard task to locate a local artist to replace P. Ramlee because he is simply irreplaceable. Other factors in the difficulty to find someone who has the same acting skill, sense of humor, the aura and attraction as infectious as him would be because of the growing number of players within the local film industries be it artist, actress, musicians and singers. Because of the tough competition between the players to survive in the industry, many are drowned and suffocated while trying to stay afloat which resulted in them not being able to stay consistent to make a big impact to the audience.

After due deliberation, I would personally vote Adflin Shauki to be someone that I would expect to follow the footstep of P. Ramlee. Currently, he is known as a writer, director, stage and screen actor, comedian, singer and songwriter and presenter, which enough to indicate that he is a man with many talents. Afdlin who was born on 19 may 1971 at Johor Bahru started his career in the entertainment industry performing a duet song with Sheila Majid at Ikhlas concert in year 1990. He later left Roslan Aziz Production to further his study in TV and films in UK and upon returning have been very active in TV, theater, films and singing. Quietly he diversifies himself in the industry by learning his way up.

As a singer, musician and live performer, Afdlin, together with his band Acid Iz, presents a flavour of R&B, acid jazz and funk. His debut album FUUYO! was released late 2003 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afdlin_Shauki).

He has acted in numerous local and international films such asHollywood movie, Anna And The King, local movies such as Mimpi Moon, Soal Hati, Soalnya Siapa?, Gerak Khas The Movie II, City Sharks and Buli. The box-office Buli, a film Afdlin Shauki wrote and directed has brought him an accolade of awards, such as Best Story, Best Screenplay and Best New Director of the Year at the 17th Malaysian Film Festival (http://sultanmuzaffar.blogspot.com/2005/04/unitar-mini-film-festival-student-of.html).

His comedic talents is the most well known of by his fan and although most of his performance in the theater and films was heavily dominated by this characteristic, he is always capable of switching it to serious role when needed. Same goes to P. Ramlee, where most of his films had focused more on his comedian side.

Afdlin Shauki is admired for his determination to make a change in the entertainment industry in terms of quality products, possibly world class productions, because he believes that people will appreciate it if filmmakers put the effort to up their production values and couple it with good story telling. He is advocating new era for Malaysians movies (http://afdlinshauki.blogspot.com/).

Afdlin Shauki is still gaining his popularity and if given enough opportunity and exposure, he would be able to become another legend in the making. Everyone is given chances to make a different in his or her life, which is usually for the better, but for a person to be able to make himself the greatest in what he does is a trait that is not easily acquired.

Monday 23 June 2008

Proton cars are more reliable than Mercedes Benz's?

You find it shocking? Me too.

Believe it or not, this is the latest finding of a brand reliability survey by the Which? Car magazine as published in its July 2008 edition.

The findings was also appeared on the Manchester Evening News on 20 June 2008.

And guys... here is the brand reliability table compiled by Which? Car magazine:

  1. Honda, Japan (85)
  2. Toyota, Japan (84)
  3. Daihatsu, Japan (83)
  4. Lexus, Japan (83)
  5. Mazda, Japan (83)
  6. Subaru, Japan (83)
  7. Suzuki, Japan (83)
  8. Hyundai, Korea (80)
  9. Mitsubishi, Japan (80)
  10. Porsche, Germany (80)
  11. Mini, UK (78)
  12. Nissan, Japan (78)
  13. Ford, USA (78)
  14. BMW, Germany (78)
  15. Skoda, Czech Republic (78)
  16. Kia, Korea (78)
  17. Proton, Malaysia (78)
  18. Mercedes Benz, Germany (78)
  19. Audi, Germany (78)
  20. Jaguar, UK (78)
  21. Vauxhall, UK (78)
  22. Citroen, France (75)
  23. Volvo, Sweden (75)
  24. Peugeot, France (75)
  25. Smart, Germany (75)
  26. Chevrolet, SA (75)
  27. Daewoo, Korea (75)
  28. Jeep, USA (75)
  29. Saab, Sweden (73)
  30. Seat, Spain (73)
  31. MG, UK (73)
  32. Alfa Romeo, Italy (73)
  33. Rover, UK (70)
  34. Fiat, Italy (69)
  35. Renault, France (68)
  36. Land Rover, UK (67)
  37. Chrysler/Dodge, USA (67)

I personally think, 17 out of 37 car manufacturers is NOT TOO BAD for a small manufacturer like Proton. At least, Proton cars are more reliable than the French, Italian, Spanish and Swedish cars.

Congratulations, Proton and continue to do us proud with better quality and innovative cars. Malaysia Boleh!

On a unrelated matter, hehehe, I would like to announce that I'm going to Italy next week!!! Insya-Allah, will be flying from Liverpool to Venice and will be staying in Venice for two nights. Then, my next stop will be Pisa to see the infamous Leaning Tower. After Pisa, I will travel to Rome by train and, insya-Allah, will be staying there for three nights. Please wish me a safe journey because I'm a bit nervous with this part III of my Europe Tour, considering that I'll be doing it all by myself.

Caio!

Friday 20 June 2008

Interesting, funny, but... boleh percaya ke?

I must admit it's very hard to stay objective when you're reviewing something, or in this case an article on someone that you like very, very much. However, picking a subject that really close to my heart could be a mistake, instead of an advantage. Especially, if you don't careful with your facts.

I didn't finish when I first read this article. I put it aside and read others at least twice before I picked Mustaffa's write-up on Ogy once again.

Overall, this article was nicely outlined and written. It presents both well known and new facts. Although the only new information to me is Ogy's date of birth, but I'm sure there are some people who didn't know about the wardrobe malfunction highlighted in this article.

I personally think it's a smart move by Mustaffa NOT to overrate this TWO times winner of FFM's Best Actress award. She has numerous accolades and glories under her belt, but as a human she too makes mistakes. At least, when I read this article, I don't feel like reading an obituary - where we must NOT say negative things about the deceased. And Mustaffa did this with a sufficient dose of humour. A trait which many of our local journalists are seriously lacking.

Nevertheless, this article was too general and lack of elaboration on specific examples which could convince the readers on Fauziah Ahmad Daud's charisma and aura as a seniman or seniwati terbilang.

And Mustaffa's biggest sin is the fact that he presented, not one but two wrong facts in his article. This reminds me of the work of several journalists from Harian Metro, Berita Harian, The Malay Mail and The Star, which I had emailed them in the past to pinpoint and correct their mistakes. To me, this is about credibility and ethic!

I've highlighted one of the mistakes, and I hope others could spot the other error. My two cent to Mustaffa and others... please find a credible source. Trust me, wikipedia is definitely, NOT one of them.

Tuesday 17 June 2008

Second finalist of Beyond P. Ramlee Project

Beyond P. Ramlee: Fauziah 'Ogy' Dato' Ahmad Daud
by Mustaffa


Don't laugh at me just yet. Don't accuse me for playing best-friend card (we're all know arenaKu loves Ogy) or for heaven's sake - unoriginal (now that I know my competitor championing the same subject!) Hear me out what I want to say and you'll see why this isn't just about winning the RM50 voucher and why she came on top of my list.

True, Allahyarham Tan Sri P. Ramlee is incomparable; an iconic figure in Malay cinema and no one is disputing that, certainly not me. Although, sometimes, it does sound as if the entire Malay entertainment industry was built upon one name only, we tend to forget that this may not be necessary true.

My humble guessing is our little community has come to embrace and love 'the legend' so much; it was such pain to know there were probably someone close enough out there to match his undisputable great talent. But they are such talent out there. These people do exist. They are people, given enough opportunities and time would eventually brush on with his greatness.

And one of them is our 'Akak' Ogy.

Fauziah Dato' Ahmad Daud, or affectionately known as Ogy was born on 10 October 1962 in Singapore to equally lauded Malay cinema legends Dato' Ahmad Daud and Datin Saadiah. She made her acting debut in Hati Batu (1973) and successfully generated a favorable and detectable industry buzz. Following her parents' formidable footsteps in acting, Ogy never looked back ever since and continued to act in another 15 major Malay movies and hundreds of TV dramas.

There are many actresses whose unconventionally acting method I admire, and Ogy is one of them. She has the ability to immerse into her character in a second with much gusto. She would look normal one moment and hot-as-Sunday-morning sex the next (OK, maybe not!) I meant Ogy has the guts to look like a whore (Bintang Malam) and a bloke (Rentak Desa) at a drop of a pin. Not many our current hot actresses would be able to do that and I believe most of them can attest to that.

Ogy also tried her hands in different spectrum in entertainment industry and singing is one of them. Though it may not as successful and colorful as her acting career she did have few hits ('Wajah Rahsia Hati', 'Bunga-Bunga Berguguran', 'Azura', 'Simfoni Kasih') that still command listeners in our local radios until today.

But until after helming gossip TV's equivalent to E! News -'Melody' in the mid-90s, that her talent in hosting was discovered. The show became a huge success and it became so synonymous with her. She then was offered to host numerous other big, red carpet events like Juara Lagu and Anugerah Bintang Popular and this had shot her name back to the limelight.

Right now, other than hosting job, Ogy is also known for her memorable stint as the 'other' acid tongue judge in Akademi Fantasia, (the other is the Adlin Aman Ramli). Was she great or what? She never minced her words, stole the show in the process and people love her for that. (Not-so-great news for the host, eh!)

A great actress, a great host, and err….OK, not-so-great singer, Ogy had tried them all. She survived a divorce, Janet-Jackson-epic-like wardrobe malfunction and nasty rumors and after all these years, she's still here with us. Her contribution to Malay cinema world is tremendous. Her persistence, her passion, her talent, are very well liked and well received by Malay and non- Malay audience alike.

While Tan Sri P Ramlee was more famous for his versatility, Ogy was known for "trying" on everything. She acts, she hosts, she directs, she produces and she sings (with mixed result). She nominated, honored and won numerous awards that probably put any new talents to shame. (Some icing on the cake, she has won FFM's Best actress three times and BH's Most popular artiste)

So is there anything else she has not done or achieved?

People want to believe and keep saying there will be no worthy substitute to our much beloved legend. While I can totally understand the sentiment, but in all honesty I believe we should all be moved on, well, at least giving credit to where it dues. Doesn't she even deserve that for 'trying'?
Well, I think she does and who are we to stop her?


Note: The picture of Fauziah Ahmad Daud is taken from FayZSpace on Flickr.

Sunday 15 June 2008

A weekend in late spring 2008

It has been quite some time from the last time I used to hang around with my adik-adik. Last night, we went out for a late supper at the Montana Cafe. Each one of them was very excited to go home after four years in Manchester. And their graduation ceremony will be held next month. Some will be going home in July and some in August. And everyone is so excited to earn real money from a real job!

They really remind me of me! At about this time eight years ago, I've started emailing my resume to a total of 4 companies - PWC, Renong, Public Bank and Bank Negara Malaysia. Thank God, all four companies called me for an interview and three of them offerred me a job.

"You only applied for 4 companies?", asked one of them.

Yeap, because I strategically think, at that point of time, I could sell myself BEST to these firms and have very high level of confidence that I will get the post. That was after I went through the list of employers in the Graduan, for hundred times and made a couple of stages of shortlisting my top 5. The other one that I didn't send in is Petronas, due to personal belief.

I'm so happy to find out that some of my adik-adik have already got unconditional job offers. Congratulations, guys. To others, best of luck and break a leg!

Another 2 cent from me is don't quickly spend your first salary for the down payment of your car and NOT too excited with the credit cards offerred those commission-hungry sales people.


Dini, Acap & Fendy


Sharil & Isma


Me & Danial


p/s: NOT in the pictures are Ayap & Izuan. On Sunday morning, I joined Fendy, Ayap and Sharil to the carboot sale in Burnage. Unfortunately, we forgot to take picture.

Thursday 12 June 2008

Danny Zulkarnain, what a promising writer he is!

Like always, I'm very nervous when talking about this subject - Siti Nurhaliza. To review an article about this Queen of Malay Pop, is definitely, NOT an easy task. At least for me, who in the past has been branded by a number of Siti Nurhaliza fans as "CT hater". I sincerely think that the label is too BIG for me, and I personally think, "kurang gemarkan Siti" will be an appropriate one instead.

Danny picked a bold title - (the) most influential artiste in Malaysia. With a bold title and an attention grabber first paragraph, I said to myself, what a promising start!

Nevertheless, after reading it two times, I can't help to say to myself, "sayang, sangat!"

Indisputably, Danny has one of most interesting subjects and I totally agree that Siti Nurhaliza is the most influential artiste in Malaysia in late 90s and the first decade of this millennium. No doubt about it.

However, even not a fan myself, nothing in Danny's write up that is a brand new information to me. I was hoping that he would pick the specific moments in Siti Nurhaliza's 12 or 13 years of singing career in order to illustrate how Siti influenced us, the Malaysians.

Siti taught us that glory is for hardworking people like her who took the bus from Termeloh to Angkasapuri to sing in the final of Bintang HMI or to her recording of her debut and self-titled album, Siti Nurhaliza or all of the show in her early days as an artiste.

To me, the MOMENT of her career is not what have been described by Danny, but when she officially dethroned one of our favourite DIVAs, Ziana Zain, in the final of Juara Lagu 1997 with beautiful rendition of Jerat Percintaan. She (at the time was NOBODY) proved to us that if you work hard, do your very best, you can take anyone, including the giants in the industry.

She might be taking raw eggs in the toilet behind the stage (yeap, another rumour I guess), but who cares, so long as she sings beautifully on stage. It is so good to find out, whether or not, the fact that she has NO stage fright like the big names such as Ning Baizura, Anuar Zain dan Ziana Zain, is due to her early days' informal singing training while selling kueh mueh from one door to another in her neighbourhood. Or her experience singing at the wedding at early age? Even Ramli MS himself was impressed with this quality of Siti.

Personally, I'm not that impressed with all those hundreds of accolades that Siti has won so far. But, I'm totally puzzled with the seven or eight years of Siti Nurhaliza-mania. At one point, in any competition or festival that Siti was in it, other contestants already put up their white flags even the competition hasn't begin. Mawi might have created a similar tsunami, but his is only for 2 or 3 years. And Siti Nurhaliza did well in both competitions with professional jury or without jury. Although I might agree to a few critics that one or two awards that Siti Nurhaliza had won (with professional jury) might be based on sentiement, rather than total merit, but the fact that professional jury can also be blinded by her aura, is totally amazing to me!

And her decision NOT to take pictures with male colleagues, to me, is another defining moment in her career life. Although, some might consider it as a pure gimmick, I personally think it is the best gimmick (if it is, indeed, a gimmick) that came out from Siti Nurhaliza. It is a total blow to those mengada-ngada artistes (also known as pelakon/artis majalah) who frequently picked by Mama Juwie or Huzz to feature in their magazines. I totally buy Siti's reasons. Why should she takes pictures with other male artiste, if she's hardly in the same picture as these people. What is the rationale of taking pictures of two persons pretending to be a couple - hugging and staring like a teaser of a porno film (do they have a teaser for porno?).

I can go on and on, but my point is most Malaysians feel Siti is very related to them. Some girls might see themselves in Siti (in her style and lifestyle) and some mothers might dreaming of having an obidient child like her. And the boys? I let yourself to answer it.

In summary, the said article by Danny Zulkarnain is a good summary of Siti Nurhaliza and it will be a good reading to new or potential fans of this Number ONE singer in Malaysia. Nevertheless, Danny did not do justice to the title of his article because after reading it more than once, I still can't list down points on how influential Siti Nurhaliza is.

Sayang sangat, Danny!

Tuesday 10 June 2008

First finalist of Beyond P. Ramlee Project

Most Influential Artiste in Malaysia
by Danny Zulkarnain


Siti Nurhaliza – A figure that needs no introduction to the music industry in the Malay Archipelago. Siti, as she is fondly known, was born on 11 January 1979 in Police Barrack in Awah Village, Temerloh, Pahang, Malaysia. She is the fifth child among her eight siblings. Her father, Tarudin bin Ismail was a policeman and her mother, Siti Salmah Bachik is a full-time housewife.

It is indeed safe to say that Siti is one of the most influential artistes in Malaysia since the last decade. Her existence in our entertainment industry has brought about a new dimension and perspective to all of us Рwho would expect that a young girl from a small village who merely speaks broken English can become a songbird not only adored by her own people of all walks of life, but also by people of the neighbouring countries like Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei. The beautiful gifts she possesses - her ethereal voice and talent Рhave touched the inner feelings of all people. Her agile voice appears to flow from her effortlessly. Her grace and beauty have truly motivated legions of audiences. We can hear the growth and poise that she has harbored as she matures from a coltish, fresh-faced ing̩nue to a self-assured celebrity figure.

No one can deny that virtually every aspect of Siti Nurhaliza is record setting. Years of development and persistence have led this courageous person to discover that nothing is impossible when it comes to the heart and mind. Indeed, this young lady has earned accolades from the industry through immeasurable deeds and hard work. Her eponymous debut album, produced by a local recording company, Suria Records Sdn. Bhd. in 1995, became the first of a series of Number One albums. At the time, she was only 16. Since then, Malaysian ears have grown up surrounded by the mystique of Siti Nurhaliza, and throughout the past decade, she has astounded the entire local and regional music industry and the public with her talent and accomplishment. She has experienced the emotional depths of being an artist. All of her work promoting and supporting the local music industry has given her a permanent recognition in the coveted "Malaysia Book of Records". In fact, she was bestowed the 'Darjah Indera Mahkota Pahang' award by the Sultan of Pahang which carries the title 'Datuk' in October 24, 2006 in recognition of her contribution to not only the local music industry but also for her undivided support for good causes and public service activities.

Today, Siti Nurhaliza is a template, a touchstone, and a hallmark of the regional industry. She is admired and envied by friends and foes equally. She is a singer capable of combining the fiery voice of C̩line Dion with the stunningly elegant lyrics of Saloma Рa local Malay legend. She has garnered more than a hundred awards from her 10 solo pop and traditional albums as well as many other fan-based-vote awards and recognitions from local and regional music industry. Blessed with a great voice, she has crossed all barriers with hit after hit within various genres - ballad, pop, R & B, and traditional Malay. Due to her big name and influence that she has on millions of people, she is sought after by many to be a guest artist, model for tv commercials, product ambassador and spokesperson, etc.

Siti has also produced compilations and duets and sung numerous theme songs for television movies, motion pictures, advertisements, and public service announcements. Apart from that, Siti has made numerous solo concerts locally and regionally as well as across the region in order to meet and entertain her millions of fans. One of Siti’s most memorable solo concerts would be, of course, her successful solo concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London in April 2005. British press called her 'Asia's Celine Dion' due to her powerful vocal and outstanding performances. Siti has indeed made Malaysians proud for her commendable effort to bring Malaysian music and culture to a foreign land like the United Kingdom.

However, Siti’s huge influence on most Malaysians is formidable that even her private life is made public to satisfy her fans and critics. After keeping mum on the controversy surrounding her love life, on July 17, 2006, Siti and Datuk Khalid finally made a press conference announcing their wedding plans. The press conference got a frenzy of media coverage and a live telecast from Malaysia’s TV3. Then, her wedding ceremony on August 21, 2006 was also televised live and gathered more than 2 million viewers. The first wedding reception was held on August 28, 2006, at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) which was televised to 6.3 millions viewers nationwide. This media frenzy on Siti’s wedding was understandably unavoidable as she is truly the ‘darling’ of most Malaysians, and that high coverage was made in recognition of the fact that she is so influential to many of us.

Siti is indeed blessed with family, reporter friends and fans that constantly remind her to retain the traits that made her a star in the first place. The glitter of fame may fade as time goes by, but talent of this quality surpasses the test of time. Thus, throughout her career, she has never denied the importance of the support and prayers of her family and fans. They are her greatest teachers and they have left a lasting impression upon her work. Siti truly never forgets her roots – a testament to her humble attitude that has touched many. Despite the fame that she posseses and also, despite her married status, Siti will always be Siti – and no one can ever change the fact that she is so influential that her reign as the queen of Malay pop songs is still going strong as ever.


Note: The above 969 -word article is published without any edit from graha residenKu.

Monday 9 June 2008

Beyond P. Ramlee



This is a special post! Firstly, because I call it special, so... it's special!. Hehehe. Secondly, because of its first kind on graha residenKu.

I've launched a project called Beyond P. Ramlee last month (7 May 2008, to be exact). Actually, this is a contest by an invitation basis only. I've invited my friends to submit their article(s) of NOT LESS of 300 words on who they think is the most influential artiste in Malaysia, of course, excluding our great P. Ramlee.

There is NO catch, but each finalist will receive a RM50 MPH/Sogo cash voucher and stand a chance to win a grand prize of RM500 cash.

The deadline was 7 June 2008 and to my surprise, I received NOT one or two, but seven submissions. Thank you, guys!

So, what's next?

Starting from tomorrow, I will publish each article on every Tuesday and, insya-Allah, the official comments will be published on every Friday. Others are also invited to jot down their feedback too.

Good luck to the following finalists:
1) Danny Zulkarnain
Title: Most Influential Artiste in Malaysia
2) Hafez Zahruddin [Note: Hafez Zahruddin's entry has been disqualified due to technicality]
Title: Defence of Fauziah Ahmad Daud as the Next P.Ramlee
3) Mus
Title: Beyond P. Ramlee: Fauziah Dato' Ahmad Daud (Ogy)
4) Nor Azrina Zakaria
Title: Beyond P Ramlee
5) Wadi
Title: As Wee Remembered; Era of Enigma
6) Zack
Title: Beyond P. Ramlee
7) Zetty
Title: Beyond P.Ramlee

Congratulations and most importantly, best of luck, guys!

Sunday 8 June 2008

Summer is coming honey!

I was thinking of going to the BBQ party organised by the MCOT yesterday at Platt Field, but as usual, I was TOO SHY to go there alone. This is because my adik-adik - Fendy and Dini are currently enjoying themselves in Rome, Italy.

Although I'm deeply interested to join any activities organised by the Malaysian Community of Old Trafford, my final decision will depends on the availability of these two muda mudi!

This morning, I received an email from one of the attendees of yesterday's barbecue party who sent us the following pictures. Although I feel a bit envy looking at the excitement in these pictures, I feel a bit relieved because all the attendees seemed too YOUNG to be around this OLD man!

I guess I need to persuade one of my classmates to organise one. Who should I cucuk first? Huanu has gone back to China, hmmm... let me try Sarah or Hannah. Til then, enjoy the following pictures!
















Thursday 5 June 2008

To hike or NOT to hike?

These days, it's a bit jarang-jarang to see Malaysia mentioned by the international wires. And today, my country is, once gain, appeared on CNN and Al-Jazeera websites. This time it's about the fuel price hike.

Whilst most of us are expecting it to come, but not many people would expect that the government will raise it by 40% plus minus. The government claimed that the new price is still below the actual market price i.e. RM3. In other words, the government still gives 30 sen subsidy. On top of that, the government promised of cash rebate of RM150 and RM625 to motorcyclists (with motorcycles below 250 cc) and motorists (with cars below 2000 cc and pick ups below 2500 cc), once they pay or renew their road tax.

Is this justifiable? Is this fair?

First of all, this is only my personal 2 cent, based on my limited observation and knowledge.

First of all, politic aside, no one can deny that the world price of fuel will never go down, simply because of the demand and supply, and scarce resources theories. There will come a day when there is no oil beneath us, and Malaysia is not excluded. Therefore, we have to embrace the fact that, fuel price is going to go up, sooner or later. Period.

The issue here is how to effectively deal with this phenomena.

To answer this, lets assess the consequences of fuel hike. Immediately, it will cost more to commute and of course, the transportation cost of most businesses will also increase accordingly. And this will effect most, if not all, Malaysians.

On the other hand, where will the savings from fuel subsidy withdrawal goes? One thing for certain is the RM150 and RM625 cash rebates. But will this be equivalent to the total savings? It is not worthwhile, if the people gets only this.

The government needs to do more explanation of what in the pipelines in order to ease the people's financial burdens.

Could we expect further reduction in road tax and of course, tariffs and duties on imported cars and spare parts? This is because maintenance cost also makes a bigger hole on motorists' wallets. And how about NO increment in toll rates, please...

But the above is still NOT enough. The government should at the same time provides cost-effective alternative in the form of an efficient public transportation. The savings should be channelled to Prasarana and KTMB in order to improve the services of LRT, Komuter and RapidKL. Among others, buy more coaches, increase frequency and extend the network for all three - LRT, Komuter and RapidKL buses. Then, and only then, the government may introduce the congestion charge. In addition, the government migh want to give direct subsidy to three targetted groups - school children, warga emas & OKUs. As an idea, the school children is travel for free in London.

However, the measures I mentioned above is only to ease the cost to commute for general public.


To be continued...

Wednesday 4 June 2008

Happy birthday, abah!

Aku, Abah dan Kejanggalan

Duniaku tak pernah sesunyi itu
dan hidupku tak pernah sekaku itu
bersamamu petang itu
dalam Neo yang bergerak laju
ke bandar Melaka.

Duniaku tak pernah sesunyi itu
aku dan kamu
tiba-tiba hilang suara
hanya hela nafas yang kedengaran
kadang kala pendek
kadang-kadang panjang
berbaur keresahan.

Hidupku tak pernah sekaku itu
aku dan kamu
bak tunggul
cuma bebola mata bergerak-gerak
cari kekuatan
tunggu keabraban.

Biarpun asalnya sama
aku dan kamu
sama-sama janggal dan kekok
resah
dalam kesunyian dan kekakuan
penuh kebingungan itu.

Abah...
walau kita janggal lagi kekok
aku tahu kau sayang darah dagingmu ini
dan ketahuilah jua
aku sayangkanmu, abah!
dari sini santak akhirat.

Monday 2 June 2008

Talk on Biasiswa

It has been long since the last time I posted a serious stuff on this blog. What I mean serious is an issue which has nothing to do with my takes on music, movie, travel or tv shows. Don't worry, Mus. I'm NOT talking about politics today.

For the past few days, I've read a number of articles on the same issue on a couple of sites, particularly Susan Loone blog & Malaysiakini. It's about the revised scholarship quota to be offerred by JPA, from 10% to 45% places reserved for non-Bumiputera.

For the record, I'm not a fan of quota policies which is quite famous in Malaysia and our neighbour, Singapura. Do you know that in Singapore, there is a policy on racial composition at a housing estate. If my memory from my fieldtrip to Singapore in last March serves me right, in any housing estate, 80% plus must be Chinese, X% must be Malays, Y% Indians and Z% Others. Similarly, the Government maintains a strict policy on population breakdown. If the Indian population shorts of its official ratio, for example, an equivalent number of Indian-origin immigrants will be bring into Singapore so that the percentage of races in Singapore will be stably maintained.

Coming back to JPA scholarship issue, the Government has recently announced about her intention to increase the number of scholarship for non-Bumiputera from 200 places to 900.

Some has applauded the move while some has urged the Government to reconsider the said plan (or is it confirmed already?). And some even suggested that the Government increased the total number of scholarship from its current 2000.

It would be good with the Government could increase the number of JPA scholarship, but if there is financial constraint on the Government part, I personally think that JPA should do away with this quota policy. But don't jump to any conclusion yet because I'm not finish. At the same time, JPA should amend its criteria to ensure fairness and at the same time enhance the effectiveness of its scholarship programme.

I personally think that there should be two categories for JPA scholarship.

The first category is what I call as the Malaysia's BEST. It's a limited places for Top 10 SPM or STPM achievers, regardless of their race or family background. The reason is, if they're the BEST, even if they're sons or daughters of Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, why must they being penalised or denied of the reward for their outstanding achievement. This scheme is similar to what the Central Bank of Malaysia has now. Bravo Dr. Zeti and her team!

The second category is open for the rest of SPM and STPM HIGH achievers (let say, at least 9A1 for SPM or 4A for STPM), who come from households below certain income level. This to ensure that the Government effectively helps the children of rakyat terbanyak to excel academically. At the same time, we're sending a clear signal to well off families to become more responsible and caring citizens - NOT TO STEAL other people's opportunities to access to tertiary education. These people should stop asking bantuan from the Government if they on the other hand, can afford luxury cars or overseas vacations or shopping trips.

And let other Government agencies like MARA and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia or NGOs or zakat authorities deals with other deserving bright students from low income families or those in the poverty category, but don't qualified for JPA scholarship. And I also hope MARA could also tightening its criteria so that the children of Melayu or Bumiputera Korporat do not eligible for its scholarship unless these children are straight As students. Again, if they can afford to support their children's education the Government should make sure they do so without any duit bantuan from the people's money.

Does this make any sense? I really, really think so.


p/s: My heartfelt condolence to my dear friend, Rudy who recently lost his beloved mother. May Allah bless her soul and place her among His believers. Al-fatihah.

Sunday 1 June 2008

The child inside me

Although I'm still NOT over of the vacation mood, I guess it's timely to stop bragging about my travelling for a while and start writing about other important stuff. Like what? How about Amy Winehouse and her baby mice awful dedication to her hubby (have they married?) or Sharon Stone's untasteful remark about the earthquake in China was a karma for China's mistreatment to Tibet.

Guys... initially, I was supposed to join another trip with friends - Dini, Fendy, Fir & Ayap, from yesterday to 8 June 2008. A trip to 4 cities of Italy, namely, Venice, Florence, Naples & Rome. Due to other crucial commitment, my friends only made the decision at the very last minute and during that time I was away (if I'm not mistaken, in Barcelona) with Nurul and Wan on my part II of Europe Tour. By the time I was informed about the decision (I was in Glasgow that time), the flight tickets were almost 200 pound sterling for outbound flight from Liverpool and inbound flight from Rome. After a careful consideration, I decided NOT to join the trip, but to buy some time to plan properly for my next part of Europe Tour.

So, now I'm in Manchester, in my room NOT knowing what to do besides improvise my dissertation outline and plan.

Last night, I went to my friends' place in Rusholme with the intention to catch the live telecast of Britain's Got Talent 2. Before knocking on their door, I stopped at the nearest pizza take away to get myself a 12-inch pizza with 3 toppings - chicken tikka, pepperoni & pineapples. To my surprise, the show had started at 6ish and by the time I reached the house, it's almost time for result. All of my friends missed all the acts of the finalists since they've just returned from a barbecue party in Old Trafford.

I'm sure some of you have already known the result by now, the winner of the season 2 of Britain's Got Talent is...






George Sampson performed in front of Arndale Shopping Centre, Manchester


What I'm impressed the most about last night final is the fact that it's the kids who stole the show with their professionalism despite of their raw and unpolished talents. They handled the crowd and most importantly, the critism from the judges, extremely well! According to Simon Cowell, they, especially the Checky Monkeys, behaved much better than the adults. In addition, they didn't look nervous (if they were, they managed to hide it wonderfully) at all.

Talent-wise, all the finalists were not comparable with last year's winner, Paul Potts who's exceptionally great. Anyhow, from showbiz perspective, a couple of acts this year are amazingly commercial and filled with likeable factor. And these acts I'm talking about are from kids with wonderful stories attached to them.

From busking in Manchester city centre, George Sampson's never give up attitude although he'd been rejected in last year's contest, proved worthwhile of all the struggle


I wonder if those emotional rendition of Pie Jesu were a true reflection of Andrew Johnston's pain of being bullied at school


I wish I have the cheekiness and full of confidence shown by Charlie and Krista


The 12 year old Faryl Smith really makes some of the current artistes amateur



Note: The above 4 pictures were taken from the official website of Britain's Got Talent.