Tag: TG (Tahar Ghalib)

APM2016 Snapshots

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Artistes from Paranormal Talents – Ayda Jebat, Haikal Ali, Aisyaah Aziz and the company’s chief Melakaboy…

Back with my second instalment. I actually wanted to post this entry up this past Wednesday but got caught up with some personal matters, hence the delay in publishing this entry. For those who are in my Facebook contact list or linked to those whom I had tagged, you’re probably the more fortunate ones cos you get to view these photographs much earlier when I uploaded them early this past week. Anyway these photographs are just a selected few and not everything that I had shared on Facebook. Personally I feel that I did not snap that many photographs during the Red Carpet event, the Pre-Event Cocktail Reception and the Post-Event Reception, as my attention that night was taken up by chatting with some of the artistes and people in the industry. I only realised how few my photographs were when I uploaded all of them onto my PC, hence why I combined them all into one entry. Hope it will suffice for now as I continue to edit and select the 3000-odd photographs I snapped that night and of course come up with my review of Anugerah Planet Muzik 2016…

RIA 89.7FM’s Silver Jubilee Celebrations…

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It has definitely been a long while since I last posted something in this domain of mine. I know I had promised before this that my next entry would be a review of Anugerah Planet Muzik 2015. I have been quite tied up with my own commitments and still have to go through 3000-odd photographs from the 5000-odd that I had snapped that eventful night. I hope to post it up soon when I start to clear my annual leave. For now, I’ll share the event I attended about three weeks ago. At least this domain will not be dormant for too long.

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Kaw Kaw SG was the official event venue of the birthday bash…

RIA 89.7FM celebrated its twenty-five years of existence this past 1st December 2015 with a birthday bash held at Kaw Kaw SG, a chic restaurant situated at Aliwal Arts Centre. What was special about the birthday bash was, twenty-five lucky listeners got a chance to join in the fun through a week-long quiz during the week leading up to the event. I was supposed to attend their mini bash when they celebrated their 24th year anniversary last year held at Penang Street Buffet at Causeway Point but family commitments meant I had to give it a miss, but not this time.

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A shot of the cafe’s interior before the birthday bash…

I was fortunate to have been invited to cover the event and soaked in the festivities, not to mention, walked down memory lane reminiscing all the good memories of all the roadshows I attended, competitions I had participated and won, and also involved in some of the productions when I was an intern with both local Malay radio stations. Long-time listeners would remember me as part of the trio who impersonated KRU and won the Impersonation Category when the station organised the talent competition kRIAtif 897 back in 1997. That was the start of my love affair with the local Malay entertainment scene.

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The birthday bash was hosted by DJ KC and Dzar Ismail…

Anyway back to the birthday bash. Not only were twenty-five lucky listeners able to join in, some of our local acts in the Malay music scene, were also invited to grace the event. And a birthday bash of this magnitude for the radio station would not be complete without the very pioneers who had paved the way and charted the road to where they stand today as a progressive and trendy station, that supports local acts and strives to give off optimal entertainment to the loyal listeners tuning in.

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The ones who have made RIA 89.7FM what it is today (from left): Hassan Salleh, Abdul Razak Rahim (RZ), Suriani Kassim (SK), Isadhora Mohamed, Raja Razie, Mohd Tahar Ghalib (TG), Morniyati Tukimin and Mariam Mas’od…

It was nice to see the likes of Morniyati Tukimin, who was the first voice heard when RIA 89.7FM went live at 5pm on 1st December 1990, Suriani Kassim (SK), Abdul Razak Rahim (RZ), Mohd Tahar Ghalib (TG), Mariam Mas’od, Hassan Salleh and Isadhora Mohamed be a part of the occasion. Though I felt it would have been grander still had the likes of Hafeez Glamour, A B Shaik, Azmi Sempoi, Azmi Oh Yeah, Zarina Safuan, Chairul Fahmy, Zan Sofiyan and a host of other part-timers attended as well, but I guess all of them had their respective commitments to attend to.

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Art Fazil with an impromptu performance of “Relek Brader” with the two hosts…

We had special performances by the two current hotties in the local Malay entertainment scene, Sufie Rashid and Ryan Sufiyan, Farhan Shah who came all the way back from Perth, an impromptu performance by Art Fazil, Didicazli who introduced his new single “Izinkan Cinta“, as well as his protege, Hazirah Musfirah, a 14 year-old rising talent, and last but not least, former member of SleeQ, Syarif, who came with his expecting missus, Malaque Mahdaly. Initially, Dato’ Fazley Yaakob was slated and promoted to perform, but he was unable to make it due to last minute commitments. Nonetheless, those who had performed, more than made up for the non-appearance and everyone still felt contented and left the event feeling enjoyed.

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The attendees and guests of the birthday bash cramming together for a group photograph…

Another special aspect of the birthday bash was, it was broadcasted live on air between 3-5pm, so those who were unable to make it or joined in the fun, were fortunate enough to tune in and imagine the goings-on at Kaw Kaw SG. To complete a celebratory occasion, RIA 89.7FM was also awarded the longest tuned station in Singapore in a recent survey by AC Neilsen. For the record, Kaw Kaw SG was the official event venue sponsor of the birthday bash. Other sponsors for the bash were One Drop Perfumes, Karva SG, Perfect Frames, Nongsa Resorts, Grey By Ortenhill, Heiraz Bakery & Academy, Lovera Singapore, Hello Adiva, Suka Sucre Bistro, Inglot Singapore, Alive Museum SG and “Sambal Belimbing” by Roslan Shah…

#theSyarifs’ Wedding Dinner Event…

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Back with the third and final instalment of #theSyarifs‘ wedding. This entry will feature photographs of the wedding dinner event, which I felt resembled a mini Pesta Perdana event, with the local Malay entertainment scene’s personalities making their presence by gracing the occasion. It was a long day for the newly-weds as well as those who had worked hard to make the whole event tick, yet everyone was smiling throughout till the very end, happiness etched on their faces and sharing the joy of the newlyweds. The wedding dinner event was held at the same venue (Alkaff Mansion) as the earlier morning’s solemnisation ceremony and lunch reception.

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Like the solemnisation ceremony, those who had tuned in to the couple’s official Youtube channel, would have gotten a glimpse of what went on live via the webstream. Unfortunately I heard that the full clip has been taken down by Youtube due to copyright infringements of some of the songs featured. Though you will not be able to view the clip, I hope this entry would satiate your thirst to view some of the event’s happenings as well as see who’s who in the local Malay entertainment scene who had turned up. This was afterall THE “Wedding of the Year” for 2014, for me. It would be criminal not to feature this entry in my blog, especially when the groom took great pains to invite me and the wife to attend. For that I say “Thank You!!!” to Syarif and Malaque for having us, me in particular, for almost the whole day.

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The wedding dinner event was hosted by Ben Muthusalam, Syarif‘s intern-mate when he did his internship with Mediacorp back in 2009. Please don’t ask me why the host’s name has an Indian surname. Maybe his good friends reading this can help to enlighten me cos I’m in the dark myself. Guests were treated to lovely performances by local groups The Trisno Trio and Northbound, as well as a guest performance by Malaysia‘s Dina Nadzir, whose rendition of Katy Perry‘s “Unconditionally“, had my hairs standing. She is such an under-rated vocal powerhouse. We also witnessed Syarif singing a song titled “Malaque“, which he had composed with Trisno Ishak just two weeks leading up to the wedding event.

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The eleven-tier wedding cake was specially baked by Malaque herself, whom some of us know specialises in pastries, desserts and cakes. Also, the cheesecake recipe during the dinner event itself, was specially concocted by her, assisted and executed by Chef Siti Mastura and team. Female guests were fortunate to have received a make-up kit by Benefit Cosmetics, to go along with the main door gifts consisting of a Grey by Ortenhill bag, a lovely jar series, Sugee cake by Chef Siti Mastura and Calvin Klein parfum vials. The gifts oozed class in every sense, a reflection of the newlyweds. All in all, it was a wonderful and memorable wedding event and here’s wishing the newlyweds once again a blissful married life with filial kids in tow… 🙂

Imran Ajmain’s “Setulus Kasih” Album Launch…

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Last Saturday (19 April 2014), situated at the Play Den, The Arts House, Imran Ajmain launched his third career album in front of a bevy of local media representatives, his friends from the local Malay entertainment scene, loyal followers from his Imtiaz fan club and other invited guests. The album titled “Setulus Kasih” (Pure Love) is a seven-track tapestry of love notes and empowering words for womankind. I’d like to call it an “Ode to Women” after listening to six of the songs performed by Imran that day, lyrics which gratify and giving gratitude to women of all ages, for their sacrifices and love. I think this album’s launch is apt, in the middle of International Women’s Day (8 March) and the upcoming annual Mothers’ Day celebrations on the second weekend of May, even though no mention of this was made that day.

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Imran doesn’t need extravagant settings and backdrop for his showcases. His voice and storytelling alone more than make up for it. In fact, it is a reflection of his humility…

This album has been long-awaited, given that it was supposed to be released last year, but due to Imran‘s family bereavement, the launch was delayed for about a year, with him taking time off from the scene to spend with his beloved mother. Now back with a renewed vigour, Imran has released his album exclusively with Spotify. In case you dunno by now, Spotify is a commercial music streaming service providing digital rights management-restricted content from established and renowned record labels like Sony, EMI, Warner Music Group and Universal. One is able to listen to albums for free without the need to download the songs. Spotify is also available as an application that you can download into your respective iPhones, Androids and Blackberries. For the record, the digital album was officially launched by none other than PERKAMUS President, Cikgu Yusnor Ef.

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Imran Ajmain and Cikgu Yusnor Ef…

Dispensing with melancholic and sappy ballads which he has been known for since bursting into the scene in 2007, Imran has painstakingly injected a positive and motivating outlook in all his songs this time round. A special feature of this album is that all the songs were written by himself with first-time composers and lyricists from Singapore, a project that spanned over two years. One thing I will always enjoy sitting in an Imran Ajmain‘s showcase over the years (and I am a huge fan of his music if you don’t already know by now), is that it has lots of substance, not just plain singing, nor just saying hello-goodbye-thank you to his fans. He makes the effort to relate something from his experiences in life or describe the trials and tribulations he has to go through into composing a particular song he is about to sing or have just sung. This recent album launch was no different.

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Dato’ Fazley Yaakob making a surprise appearance…

What he certainly did not expect was the surprise appearance of his boss, Dato’ Fazley Yaakob, owner of FIPro (Fazley International Productions Sdn. Bhd.). When Imran was about to play Dato’ Fazley‘s congratulatory greetings footage on his album launch, the technical guys purposely refused to play the video clip and instead Dato’ Fazley himself came in with some of the members of Imran‘s fan club, Imtiaz, with a birthday cake and singing him the birthday song. I could see from the looks of the faces of those in attendance, how equally surprised they were and of course some of the ladies gushing at how good looking Dato’ Fazley is. It was a befitting tribute and advanced birthday celebration for Imran (who celebrated his 33rd birthday yesterday 25th April 2014), who I know has contributed to the growth of FIPro through his creative ideas.

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Imran‘s fan club members – Imtiaz – coming forward with gifts for his surprise advanced birthday celebrations…

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Imran Ajmain on the launch of his “Setulus Kasih” album as well as wish him many happy returns on his 33rd birthday, albeit belatedly by a day. May this album mark another milestone and growth in Imran‘s steady career and may he achieve more success than ever before. You can now listen to his digital album live via Spotify or if you are the traditional kind and would like to get your hands on its physical CD format, it will be made available in an event that will happen on 7 June 2014. The CD will be sold and proceeds will go to An-Nur Mosque in Marsiling, of which Imran is a benefactor. All for a good cause, so why not lend our support to Imran and the mosque on that day??? 🙂

 

Te:RaSeh! Episode 2 Recap…

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After the euphoria of the previous week, when the Minahs claimed the first scalp in the very first episode of Te:RaSeh! 2.0, it was the Mats‘ turn this time to turn the tables, equalise so elegantly and bring the score to one win apiece. In truth, the win was never in doubt, no disrespect to the ladies, but I felt that with Suzairhe Sumari and Shahrin Azhar in the Mats‘ corner, a win for the guys seemed like a formality. This is not to belittle the ladies (Aura Shai, Mariam Mas’od and Nurul Nabila), but I did say in my previous recap that there is a certain distinct advantage for the men when the even weeks beckon, with regards to the final face-off (Dikir Barat). Based on last year’s edition, I remember Suzairhe coming up trumps, hence why I felt that this time, it would be no different.

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The theme for the second episode was “Filem-Filem Klasik” (Classical Films), which seemed to suggest why we had Singapore‘s P. Ramlee impersonator, Shafii Hamzah, as the guest jury of the night. Amongst the many characters potrayed that night, I agree with the judges that Suzairhe deserved to be crowned Man-of-the-Match for his successful impersonation of Kassim Selamat, one of the late Allahyarham P. Ramlee‘s endearing characters from the movie “Ibu Mertuaku“. Even though the guys won by a landslide, the ladies did not put up a feeble attempt and tried to go toe to toe with their counterparts. But I believe the segment that brought them down and somewhat demoralised them was the charades segment. Even the guys claimed afterwards that that segment was rather tricky and that they were a little unsure. They just guessed wildly the dialogues from popular films (which were supposed to be the answers), whatever came to mind.

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Post-show, I had the honour of joining Suzairhe and Nurul Nabila at Warna 94.2FM‘s conty studio for their post-show interview. I believe this will be a weekly routine for the next eight weeks of the competition, whereby the Man-of-the-Match, as well as his or her counterpart (one representative from each team), would go live on Malam 2 Mat with the wacky duo Dyn Norahim and Hafeez Glamour. Last week, Fauzie Laily and Nurul Aini were the ones who were up for the live interview session. We had loads of fun during the hour-long interview session, listening to Suzairhe reminiscing his time as a part-time radio presenter with RIA 89.7FM back in the 90s and Nurul Nabila describing her experience working with Sharnaaz Ahmad in last year’s Hari Raya telemovie “Cinta Ramadan“, amongst other things shared live on air.

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This coming Tuesday (22 April 2014), the Mats will be represented by DJ KC, Taufiq Salleh and Izzat Yusoff, whereas the Minahs will be represented by Nona Kirana, Sarah Aqilah and Suriani Kassim. The theme for the week will be “Malay Icons“. Expect characters like Badang, Hang Tuah, Munshi Abdullah and Mahsuri to be possibly amongst those that will be portrayed. As for the guest celebrity DJ who will join Nity Baizura and Fiza O at RIA 89.7FM‘s conty studio, Tak2ut‘s Ashmi Roslan will be doing the honours of assisting both teams during the quiz segment. I’m expecting a closer challenge this time round since Boria will make its return and with the artistes seemingly on equal footing, as they are not quite accustomed to it. Till then…

Te:RaSeh! 2.0 Prelude @ SG Expo

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2014 seems like a boring year in this domain of mine. I know cos this is only the third entry I am doing so far. I could have done more entries like covering celebrity weddings that happened last month, but I was overseas due to work commitments, which meant I had to miss the weddings of Didicazli & Eliyana as well as “Step Puteri‘s” Ateeqah Mazlan & Effendie (DJ Effen). Congratulations to all of them including bro Hady Mirza & Nur Jannah, SG‘s Siti Nurhaliza lookalike winner Mahirah Yasin & Herdeno as well as Anugerah Skrin 2010 alumnus Mariah Mahfar & Isbahi who have all tied the knot within the last month or so. 2014 is indeed a year filled with celebrity weddings in our local Malay entertainment scene. And it’s still only March. More to follow in the months ahead…

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This past Saturday 22 March 2014, in conjunction with the Halal Food, Weddings & Lifestyle Exhibition organised by Mega Express Pte. Ltd., a segment that was a crowd puller happened to be the prelude event to the upcoming TeRaSeh programme which will make its return come 8 April 2014 on Mediacorp Suria. For those who had been watching or following the first edition last year, you will know that it is a highly entertaining programme with all the crazy and spontaneous antics by all the participants and the hosts. The programme is also an educational one as viewers would also learn general knowledge, culture and and history of the local entertainment scene as well as our country through the questions asked. I did not cover a single episode last year as I was tied down with reservist and family commitments, but I do hope I can cover on a weekly basis this time round, which will be known as TeRaSeh 2.0.