Day: July 1, 2008

Anugerah Band Episode 9 Review…

 

The following comments below is an excerpt of my last paragraph in last week’s semi-finals review:

“General Feelings – So far, only Trabo and X-Tech have shown that they are worthy finalists. If you ask me who should go through amongst the remaining four, I would go for Fatskunks and Rancour. Don’t ask me why I chose the other two. I just feel that they might make the Final a bit more interesting and they are much better vocals-wise. But of course fans of Cucu Datok Merah and Putra will not agree and leave more nasty comments in my blog. P“

It’s already more than half an hour after the show had ended and the names of the finalists announced, but still I can’t wipe this smirk / grin / smile off my face. My handphone has been bombarded with smses from friends who were laughing away when they knew who got kicked out this week. You know, it is so tempting to join them and the urge to gloat is so strong in this entry, after what happened over the past week in my blog. For those who are not in tune over what has happened, you guys were treated to a verbal tete-a-tete between me and a blog visitor who calls herself “Lazer Hika” a.k.a. “CTGucci” (her blog has since been taken down due to her sudden popularity), which culminated in yours truly being attacked for knowing nuts about music. This particular sentence still rankles in my head till now – “haha with this kinda blog written by PUJANGGA MALAM memang kau malam ah pasal kau buta taktahu tulis, fair kau ckp gi belajar dulu dgn reporter dulu ah sebelom type!“

Somehow I feel that there is no need for me to stoop to such a level. The results tonight have more or less vindicated my stand and position as a bonafide music critic, albeit as one who does not possess professional qualifications. Yes I am extremely delighted that my predictions last week were spot-on. But at the same time, for all their shortcomings, one has to applaud the two groups whose journey ended a while ago. They did their best but their best just wasn’t good enough. At the end of the day, you want to see quality groups gracing the Final and with X-Tech, Trabo, Rancour & Fatskunks, you know that they have been showing some form of quality over the past eight weeks, even if not that consistently, to warrant a place in the Final.

Even though the Final is only next week, I felt like a winner tonight. To the voters and judges, I thank you for having the presence of mind to choose what you felt was right, to lift the standards of bands and to make the Final an intriguing affair. There is nothing left for me to say on the episode I went through last week. I do not wish to add more salt to her wounds. The pain and numbness is already unbearable and I do not want to add more fuel to fire and let the matter rest. As I’ve said above, the results have already answered my observations so far. I have nothing else to prove except to continue giving good, fair, honest and sincere reviews for my dear readers to enjoy.

Of Birthday Parties & Celebrating Newborns…

This past weekend was filled with a lot of activity for me and the family. We had three invitations to attend to and fortunately they were all spread out over the two days. I like it that way, if not, I would be reflecting afterwards and feeling all guilty about eating so much in one day. That’s one of the reasons why Hari Raya visiting is not what I look forward to annually, even though I love it for the sole reason I get to meet my relatives and friends that I only see once a year.

After spending the first two thirds of Saturday cleaning the home, we set out to Aloha Loyang for the birthday party of the Marthin brothers – Samuel and Hizqeel. It was a grand affair so to speak, with a magic show and a corner to have your caricature taken. The kids enjoyed the show of course, likewise the parents who made up of mostly fellow bloggers. Me??? I wasn’t into the show as I was busy pacifying Syadiyah who was jolted by the loud sounds and then I had to look after Syahindah who was walking all over. I didn’t quite liked the voice of the magician anyway, but I guess he had to do what he had to do to capture the children’s attentions. It was for the kids anyway.

Celebrity sightings… Can you spot two of them???

My eyes glistened when I saw the food, especially the yummy pastries that the host, Diana, is known for in the blogging world, besides selling fashionwear for the fairer gender. The last time I had those pastries (eclairs and cream puffs) was during my wedding when Diana kindly donated them as part of the gifts exchanged. So it was good to taste them again but of course I only took a bit as I had to watch my diet. We left the place some two hours later, delighted for the fact that we made the host happy with our presence and knowing that my daughter enjoyed herself playing with the other kids.

This event also introduced me to bloggers I have not known before and the opportunity to meet those I already knew online in the flesh. Most of them were strangers but it did not deter me from smiling at them whenever our eyes met. I think smiling is the least we could do to break the ice and I certainly felt the warmth given by a few of them who not only smiled sincerely but did so genuinely. But of course there were a few who turned up their noses as though they have blue blood, which I will not elaborate further. Plus it’s not as if it was the first time we crossed paths in life. I would rather be friends with the warm ones than the cold fellas…

Sarah Qistina taking a nap…

On Sunday, we attended two Tahniq events, one for the newborn daughter of my childhood best friend Dr Sophian and the other for the newborn son of my old friend, Kak Lynne. Sophian‘s daughter’s name is Sarah Qistina and Kak Lynne‘s son’s name is Izz Danish. One thing I liked about these two events was the fact that I got to meet my friends after so long. It’s already a year since I blogged about Sophian‘s wedding and how time has flown. Likewise Kak Lynne who is now based in Copenhagen and is back for awhile. A pity I did not get to take the photograph of her son as he was being passed around and I was busy chatting away with cousins Ezaad and Julie at the event.

Sunday was also the birthday of my beloved queen – my mother, who turned 55. We held a surprise dinner for her at “J’s Wok & Grill” at Bedok North. The idea to surprise her came from dad, who is not known to show his romantic side for all to see. Which of course took us kids as a surprise, but it was a nice one to have. The plan was for us to be there before they arrived. Prior to that, none of us had wished mum since every year in years past, we would do so first thing in the morning. Coupled with the fact that I took Syahindah away for the day, she ended up being grumpy and not being able to spend time with her grand-daughter. Even my sisters told a white lie about attending a birthday party and dinner with friends till perhaps she felt neglected on her special day. But of course, which ungrateful offspring would forget his / her parents’ birthdays???

The good thing about this restaurant is that they have a function room on the second floor, so we were all waiting for them there. Initially mum and dad sat at the first floor and mum was pissed when the waitress asked if they would like to move upstairs. Mum of course didn’t quite liked the idea since it was just the two of them and the restaurant was not packed. But she had to follow when dad started to go. You can imagine the shock on her face when she saw us all, our family as well as my in-laws. Naturally the tears flowed and I was instantly reminded of the wedding anniversary celebrations of my uncle Dollah and aunt Faridah last year.

The dinner bill was paid by dad and we, the kids, bought mum an Hour Glass shopping voucher. Contrary to negative internet reviews on the restaurant and its menu, my family love the food as well as the ambience there, which explained why we were there for the second time in a month. Maybe through these reviews, they have taken steps to improve them, which was why we could not find much fault with the food served. The waiters and waitresses were also always on hand to assist us. I’d strongly recommend the Fillet in Cream Sauce and Chicken Chop for those who would like to savour the tantalizing dishes there.

Obviously I’m not in the picture as I was the photographer… 😛