Klang Valley bloggers tea party

Yup, you read that right. rinnah is having a blogger tea party to get to know the faces behind the blogs, especially those anony-mouse ones.

If you wanna know the who, what, when, where and how, keep reading...

Who?
Organizer : rinnah (and Paris Beaverbanks as co-organizer)
Attendees : So far... there should be six of us.. besides your lovely organizers - zewt, angeles, winn x 2 will be coming
Who else : You, you and you reading this! If you're a blogger / blog-reader in the Klang Valley, you are invited to come join us. Email your RSVP to me at rinnah [dot] lee [at] gmail [dot] com.

What?
Blogger tea party loh. Tea party because it's more informal than a lunch or dinner and you can come early / late and leave early / late too. Less protocol. Hehe. To get to know your fellow Klang Valley bloggers.

When?
Next Saturday, 31 May 2008. Tea time begins at 3.00pm and ends whatever time you want it to end...

Where?
IZZI – Uptown, PJ
No. 45G & 47G, Jalan SS 21/37
Damansara Utama
47400 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Malaysia

Telephone : +603 77290855
Fax : +603 77290955



How?
Like I mentioned above, if you're a blogger / blog-reader in the Klang Valley, you are invited to come join us. Email your RSVP to me at rinnah [dot] lee [at] gmail [dot] com. Feel free also to let other bloggers know about this get-together.

Addendum @ 14:40hrs : I forgot to mention that Izzi has free WiFi access, so any bloggers from places other than the Klang Valley can also join us remotely cos I'll be bringing my laptop... let me know how you can be contacted online, yea?

I'm really looking forward to meeting you all, so I'll see you soon, 'kay? *wink*

Frustration, irritation and disgust

Sorry to be in such a rant-y mood, but I am feeling extremely irritated by the actions and attitude of a certain work colleague. I'm no saint myself, and God knows I've tried and tried, but I cannot help but be irritated and disgusted with his actions and attitude. Am I just being persnickety?

~ He never bothers about anyone other than himself and what he likes or what he wants to do. And he will not hesitate to try and force his opinions on others around him. E.g. He doesn't like shellfish, so he will tell anyone else eating shellfish that it's bad-tasting and unhealthy. Or when I suggested archery as an activity, he pooh-poohed the idea by saying that "Archery is stupid". Similarly when another colleague organized a bowling outing. If you don't want to join us, just say so and leave it at that la. Why go and ruin everyone else's mood by running it down just because you don't like it? Sour grapes. Ish.

~ He does away with common courtesy like "Please" and "Thank you" or "Excuse me". General politeness like "Hello" and "Goodbye" are also foreign words to him. But then again, this isn't surprising in a guy whose infamous phrase is : "Go and eat sh*t la. Don't disturb me." Oh, and I was NOT happy when he called my mom in a disrespectful manner this morning. He told me, "An old aunty called you". Hello? You're talking about my mom, okay! I don't say anything rude about your mother even though you have her face tattooed on your leg. Bleh.

~ He doesn't like to plan ahead for eventualities (he was the reason why we had some difficulty securing lodging during the Medan & Lake Toba trip) and his idea of travelling is to NOT confirm his accomodations or travel plans or transportation. That just smacks of plain ol' irresponsibility to me.

~ This is the guy who flat out blatantly lied to me about where they were during the Chiling Falls expedition. And he did the same this morning, telling me that my ex-boss' father was critically ill in hospital and close to dying. (It sounded credible because he just had a discussion to my ex-boss' husband before he said the same to me.) Guess what? It wasn't true because I checked with my ex-boss' secretary who told me that my ex-boss was at work and everything was fine. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I HATE LIARS.

~ He was invited to play basketball for the company over the weekend. He's never played basketball before in his whole life and he refused to go for the pre-game briefing. He told the organizer "I'll be there for the game but not for the briefing". When the person asked him how he intended to play without knowing the rules and whatnot, his flippant response was "How hard can it be? I'll just take the ball and run with it and knock down anyone who tries to stop me". Even if you're a basketball legend, it is not kosher to behave this way.

And that's just a quarter of his other annoying personality traits.

I don't know why, but having to face this person everyday at work just makes me go "Urgh" and I feel like smacking some common sense into his thick skull. Not that it'll change him one iota, except to hurt my own hand. I wish I could leave it well alone, but this person will come and bother me even when I'm doing my best to pointedly ignore him and not talk to him because I don't want to get upset over something that I cannot control. It's like the more I "tak layan" his antics, the more and more shocking stuff he wants to say and do. So childish!

Okay, in all fairness to him, he is a nice person when he chooses to be - practically all the stuff he bought while on holiday was for his girlfriend. He sometimes (only sometimes, mind you!) waits for the girls to go out for lunch and holds the elevator for us. When he feels like it, he belanja's the department ice-cream. But other than that... it's like sheesh! this guy could be called a jerk.

Anyone got any tips to give me on how to handle this exasperating colleague of mine?

Baby you're so wonderful

Today is a very special day.

Today, a beautiful baby angel came to earth to become the daughter of a special couple. :o)

Everyone, say hello to Princess Leia baby Rachel, the newborn daughter of Adino and Poey Chin!

Dearest baby princess Rachel, jiejie rinnah wishes for you :

"God's bountiful grace, beauty, blessings and presence to be ever-present in your life.

The brightest sunshine, clearest skies and coolest breeze to accompany you every step of your journey in life.

That you will experience the deepest, purest, truest love, joy and happiness always.

To be the greatest blessing ever to your parents, family and to all whom you meet."

I can't wait to meet you now and when you grow up. :o)

Luv & hugs,
jiejie rinnah


**********

And you know what? Baby Rachel made her debut just in time for Poey Chin to celebrate her first ever Mother's Day! So congratulations to both Adino and Poey Chin, and a very special first Mother's Day greeting to Poey Chin. Rest well and be back soon! (Our Scramble games will be waiting for you. Hehe.)

GAP presents Marie Digby showcase in Malaysia

A short list of reasons why rinnah will be attending the GAP presents Marie Digby showcase next Wednesday :

a) It's free. LOL. How often do you have international artistes coming to our shores and you get to watch them at no cost?

b) Marie Digby is so pretty. Who says I cannot like an artiste for the way she looks? Ahahaha. Although I frequently make references to females who are prettier than I am, this should be in no way read as, uh, you know, a preference for my own gender!!!

c) rinnah adores Marie's song Say It Again (need to find a place to download it!) but is not a fan of Umbrella (dunno why... could it be the repeated ella's at the end of the chorus?) even though that is the song that brought Marie her current fame and recording contract.

d) It's a live acoustic event (but dunno how good the sound system will be though - hope it doesn't suck big time).

e) rinnah gets to practise her n00b photography skills... again.

By the way, Marie Digby is also Mix.fm's Artist of the Month and they are running two contests - a singing one and an SMS contest with great freebies. Click here for more details.

Advertlets is also having a Marie Digby contest in conjunction with EMI Music here and you could stand an opportunity to win Marie's CDs and maybe a guest pass (for two) to meet Marie in person!

*rinnah is crossing her fingers and toes in the hopes of winning something since she plans to enter both contests! Oh and also hoping her big sis the Giddy Tigress' lucky streak in winning contests of late will rub off lil' sis...*

And no, this is NOT a sponsored post, 'kay? I'm not famous enough yet. Haha. This is a community service notice brought to you by rinnah. *grin*

So, make a date to meet me Marie at 1Utama, yea? *wink*

Is the lateness concept acceptable to you?

We live in Malaysia, the country that invented the concept of "rubber time". Tell a Malaysian that a meeting / appointment / wedding will begin at xx:xx time and they will invariably show up after the stipulated time.

Today, I was supposed to meet up with a group of people (note that I use the term "group of people", they comprise of my colleagues, acquaintances and strangers) for an outdoors expedition. We were supposed to meet at 8.00am in Rawang town, a time and place set by our so-called "guide". Since I stay far away from Rawang, I make the extra effort to be on time and arrive at the appointed meeting point at 7.54am. (Yes, I am *that* precise.) Look around, no one's here yet. I call XY to see where they are. And this is what XY tells me :

XY : "Yeah, we're here already. In fact, I can see your car! We're finding a place to park."
Me : "Okay, see you in a bit then."

Okay, fine. I call VW to see where they are. This is what VW says to me :

VW : "Aiyo, why are you so punctual one? I'm just leaving my place, on the highway now. Should arrive in 15 minutes time. Why don't you take breakfast first while waiting?"
Me : "I've already taken my breakfast. Just waiting for you and the others to arrive."

Okay, it's still fine. I consider whether or not to call Z, but surmise that they should be coming anytime soon. How wrong was I!

20 minutes pass. It's now 8.15am. No sign of either XY's car or VW's car. I get concerned, so I call XY again. Maybe they're parked somewhere else where I can't see them. Or maybe they've gone off to have breakfast. The phone rings for nearly 6 rings before XY picks up. (Note: XY was not driving, someone else was. XY was a passenger in the car.)

Me : "XY, where are you guys? Did you get lost parking?"
XY : "Actually we're still on the way la. We should be reaching soon."

Wtf? (Sorry, I don't normally swear in real-life or on my blog but this was beyond me.) Why can't you tell me that you were on the way earlier? Why do you have to lie? I HATE LIARS. Period. Doesn't matter if it's big lie or little lie. A lie is a lie is a lie. Don't tell me it was a joke and try to laugh it off. (Which, by the way, XY did not say. Neither did he apologize. It was just a matter-of-fact thing to him, to tell an untruth without blinking.)

At this point of time, there are supposed to be 12 people for the outing, and none of them have arrived yet.

The time now is 8.19am. Finally a car I recognize. It's Z's car. Z comes over to say hi.

Z : "Eh, what happened to the rest? Where are they?"
Me : "Well, as you can see, they're all not here yet. XY and VW are on their way. I don't know about VW's friends."
Z : "Haiyoh, and I thought I was going to be late. Must really scold them..."
Me : *looks at Z* "It's definitely not 8.00am now. Then can I scold you first?"

Z is a bit embarassed now.

Z : "Actually hor, I was on time, but just that on the way here, on the highway, I needed to pangsai* so I had to stop!" *pangsai = sh*t

By this time, my reaction is like, whatever. Evidently these people have no sense of responsibility. Some minutes pass. The time now is 8.26am. XY's car arrives. The 3 of them inside are all laughing through the windows AT me as they park next to my car. Not a word of "Sorry we're late" or anything else. Bah. Right now, if it weren't for the outing that I so looked forward to, I couldn't give a damn about all of them. They could all go to perdition right there and I wouldn't blink an eye.

Me : "It's about time you guys got here. What happened to finding a parking space, huh?"
XY's Driver : "It's XY's idea la. He thought it would be funny to pull your leg."
Me : "Actually, I don't find it funny. To me, that's a lie."
XY's Driver : *laughs* "But he does it so well and convincingly!"
Me : "In fact, I hate liars. So please don't ever lie to me again." *with the firmest tone and grim face I can muster, leaving the unspoken consequences hanging in the air between us*
XY's Driver : *quickly adds* "Oh yes, I hate liars too!"

So the XY's Driver hates liars lying to her but it's okay for them to lie to someone else, right? Humbug. All this while, XY doesn't even come over to say a word to me but walks around the parking lot aimlessly.

XY's Passenger : "Hey, I just spoke to VW on the phone. They're lost, somewhere near... *names the landmark*"

I know where that landmark is, so I use my handphone to call VW's handphone. It rings to the end; VW does not pick up. XY's Passenger tries with her handphone, and VW immediately picks up the call. Wtf? Oh okay, I get it. You feel guilty that you're late so you won't answer my call. But you'll answer someone else's call, not knowing that that person is actually sitting next to me. Coward.

Finally, at 8.45am, VW's car arrives. Like XY, VW doesn't come anywhere within 4 ft of me (probably because I radiate disapproval like the sun's heat rays) until it's time to give out directions for the next leg of the journey. And then, this is what VW says:

VW : "Oh, we were delayed because of the rain!" (Like hello? What rain are you referring to? The barely there light drizzle?)
Me : "Mmmm."
VW : "Anyway, we shouldn't let this spoil the rest of the trip. We should enjoy it!"
Me : "Huh." *stifling the urge to roll my eyes*

It's not like they all don't know that the meeting time is 8.00am. We were all reminding each other about it the day before. In person and via emails. But yet, look at the times that they arrived! And all the *wonderful* excuses they made for themselves.

The best part? We sit around in the parking lot for another ten odd minutes waiting for the so-called "guide". Remember, the one who said we should meet at 8.00am? Yes, that one. Who only arrived close to 8.55am. A full 55 minutes late! Talk about extreme lateness. If it were a restaurant that was so slow in serving your meal, I'm sure you would have kicked up a hue and cry already by then. Because you expect more and because you're paying for it. Well, I expect more because I've more than paid for it with my time!

By the time we finally left on the next leg of our journey, it was 9.02am. And I had been waiting for over an hour because I was punctual. Really (@)Q(*#$&%*($&*(@#($!!!!!!

The delay incident was not the only thing that happened during the outing. There were other little incidents, words flippantly said and actions that spoke louder than words. All in all, today solidified the feelings I had in this post here and made up my mind. You know what? From today onwards, I'll never want to voluntarily organize anything else for this bunch of people. Association with them - as minimal as possible. (If not for the fact that right now they are the only group of people I can do activities with, I wouldn't even bother trying in the first place.) I don't think it's too much to ask for if I expect at least a modicum of reciprocation and effort on your part? And it is a matter of character that shows in how you approach these trivial matters.

I'm not saying I didn't enjoy myself today. I did, immensely. The outing itself was wonderful. Just that, the people I went with, are not.

p.s. There'll be two camps of people on this post. Those who think like me and those who think like XY, VW and the rest. I only ask one thing if you're going to comment. Please, be truthful about your two cents worth of opinion. Thank you.

Too tired to try

It's one of those days again.

Tired of...

The environment I'm in.
Dealing with people I dislike.
Having to settle for what I have.
Having to be upbeat all the time.
Having to babysit incompetent people.
Shouldering responsibilities that are not mine.
Not being able to tell someone how I truly feel.
Having to lower my standards and preferences to fit in.
Not having any intellectual stimulation in conversations.
Communicating with people who are as dense as brick walls.
Trying to fit in where I clearly stand out like a sore thumb.
Trying to find some commonality with people I have no affinity for.
People misconstruing my tiredness and non-communication for being in a bad mood.
Being ridiculed because of others' insecurity (so that they feel better about themselves).

All this tiredness is giving me a headache. Bah.

I miss my friends. The ones who know where I'm coming from. People I can really talk to. We share the same interests, likes and dislikes. Folks who are cut from the same cloth, from the same mold, etc etc etc. It's horribly lonely to be surrounded by people who are different from you.

I don't fancy Daniel Craig

Okay, all you Craig fans out there, just shoot me now. *grin*

I rewatched a bit of Casino Royale during my recent holiday (we were chillin' out in the evening) and it so happened that the movie was at *that* part where Craig attempts to do a Halle Berry and walks out of the sea clad in nothing but his baby blue Speedos. (What? Cannot be observant har? LOL.) See, I'm so nice I put a refresher picture here for you too. ;oP

For the 101th time, I've tried my darndest to accept a blond Bond but I just cannot bring myself to accept that. Bleh. For that reason and that reason only, I kind of get put off watching Bond movies. (Eh, I have watched almost every Bond movie ever made, 'k. Blame it on my dad, the Bond franchise fan.) Guess that explains why I've never been able to complete watching Casino Royale. After like five minutes, my brain just goes, "Waittaminute... that's not Bond! Bond's not supposed to look liddat..."

But seriously, what is it with people's obsession with Craig and that particular scene? Is it because he broke the unwritten and unspoken gender rule that only females get to do the bikini scene? Naw, didn't think so. It's because of his body. But hor, IMHO, nothing much to look at la. I've seen nicer. *giggles* On television and on the movie screen la! What were you thinking? *piak*

Think Will Smith. Much, much better looking any day. Or Hugh Jackman. Mmm. But the guy that takes the cake has gotta be Colin Firth. Oh, Mr Darcy! Who else can make women swoon while fully clothed? Lawl.

Tell me I'm not crazy weird and that Daniel Craig (and his bod) are overhyped? Gee...

Victim of a snatch theft!

You know, I never thought this would happen to me but it did.

My mobile phone just got snatched right out of my hands when I was walking back to office from lunch. Luckily, I did not fall, nor get injured and the thief did not succeed in snatching my purse as well, which was carried in the same hand.

It all happened so quickly that I don't even know how it happened. One minute I was just walking and then the next thing I knew this Malay guy had snatched my phone out of my hand and took off. I screamed, of course, at the top of my lungs. "Hey! Come back here! He took my phone!" And I don't know what made me run after him (some more I was wearing a baju kurung) shouting and yelling. It certainly wasn't bravado. I just wasn't thinking of anything except to get my phone back. But of course, I couldn't catch him because he had an accomplice on a motorbike and he jumped on and took off.

I was so much in shock that I forgot to thank the kind gentlemen who tried in vain to help me stop that thief. One tried to grab the thief by the jacket and two tried to kick the motorcycle to make the thieves fall down. And the wonderful irony of it all? All three of them were Malay. I'm sorry I just walked off like that. I didn't know what else to do after the thieves zoomed off and I just wanted to get into the safety of the office building.

I've already called Maxis to suspend the line, and I'll probably take some time off to get my replacement sim card tomorrow. Unfortunately, all the contacts inside my phone are gone forever, because I didn't write them down and neither did I have the phonebook contact save feature activated with Maxis. So, to the people reading this, can you please email me your numbers again? Don't send me sms 'cos I can't receive it. Thanks.

*sobs* My baby Nokia N80! I mish you... I want you back... *bawls*

Edit @ 21:32 - I just noticed how apt my Verse of the Day (in my sidebar) is... it reads : “In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.” (Psalm 62:7)

It's just a blog-lah... or is it?

It's not easy being a blogger in Malaysia. We get called names. We're accused of being liars. We're dismissed as being unemployed good-for-nothings who have nothing better to do. Lately, according to our Youth & Sports Minister, we are purportedly rumour-mongering cowards and a nuisance to UMNO. Huh.

I'm not a political blogger, no sirree, but hey, I take exception to being tarred with the same brush, okay? It's like generalizing that the whole world outside of US is unimportant. Or it's like saying all females are weepy and emotionally complex creatures. You get my drift? Yes? No?

I thought my blog was just you know, a standard, run of the mill kinda blog. A whole lotta ranting and raving going on about people who annoy me or amuse me. Rambling on and on about insignificant things that happened to me today. The occasional sponsored post or two to make some moolah. *grin*

Oh, by the way, the Home Affairs Ministry is monitoring bloggers too, not just mainstream media. If ever they chance across my blog, I wonder if they'll be able to make head or tail of this really silly, useless post? If you can, I'd say kudos to you! Say, maybe you should apply to the Home Affairs Ministry for that job too? Get paid for reading blogs all day long. Hurhurhur.

BUT...

It's not just a blog. Or any old blog. Through this blog I've met great friends and I'm quite happy (and proud) to say that I've finally met my 'big sis' the Giddy Tigress!

Yup. Face to face in the Curve on Sunday. Hehehe. And the first thought that popped into my mind was that she, Mr Giddy Tiger and the lil' Giddy Tiger Cub are exactly as seen on her blog! That's how I could spot her before she spotted me. Hehe. Now I'm kicking myself for not doing it, but I wanted to give her a great big HUG when we said Hi. (Can I hug you now though? *hug*) Though our meeting was cut rather short (no opp to snap a pic of the momentous event!) by the lil' Giddy Tiger Cub wanting to get a move on to Ikea. Eheh. Next time we go makan, can?

So, who says blogs are no good? *wink*

First appearance day!

I'm not out to steal anyone's thunder *grin*, but here's a welcome to the world shoutout to baby Collin, newborn son of Allandog, the brother of the Giddy Tigress! Some of you may remember that Allan was the chap I supported at the MRSC last December. :o)

Baby Collin, jiejie wishes you a good long and healthy life, superb intelligence and physique, prosperity and success overflowing, and most of all, love, joy and happiness everyday. *muack*

==========
And you know, twenty something years ago, on January 28, a baby girl made HER first appearance in the world. And that baby was me la. *grin*

I had initially thought that this year's birthday would be quieter than previous years and that maybe I could slide past it unnoticed, but no... other people had other plans. Like...

~ may's super duper early birthday blogpost

~ l b's birthday blogpost with tag present & very on-time SMS all the way from Italy

~ the giddy tigress' blogpost & mystery pressie (but mysterious no more since I've opened it!). Thank you so much dear! How'd you know that it was the type of thing I'd like?

~ angel's birthday shoutout

~ chevchen's birthday blogmilk... hehe. Got milk? *wipes milk moustache*

~ doreen's birthday wishes

~ Birthday wishes from family, friends and colleagues

~ And oh! all the bloggerific birthday greetings from bloggers all over - mistipurple, narrowband, paris beaverbanks, zewt, pelf, adrian, eastcoastlife, adino, mudpie, kyh, jemima, cocka doodle, huisia, leonard, laundry amah, trinity, bongkerz, huei, _butt, kat

~ One birthday dinner on 26 Jan at DELIcious

~ One birthday lunch on 28 Jan at Secret Recipe

~ A karaoke session on 31 Jan at RedBox Plus

~ One more birthday lunch on 01 Feb at The Daily Grind

~ One more birthday dinner on 01 Feb at Opus Bistro

So, this year was more happening than I thought it would be. *grin*

p.s. I haven't had the time to do up THHC charts for January, so bear with me, k?

Switchfoot will be in town!

I just found out today... Switchfoot is going to be in Malaysia!!! For the first time ever, too. I so badly want to go!!!!!!

If I hadn't confirmed my Lake Toba trip, I would have gone for it, no hesitation. But now... I gotta wonder... will my February and March budget hold up? Theoretically, no. :o( Gah.

How I wish... that someone would sponsor me tix to go. Guess I'll just have to settle for listening to Gone over and over and over again. *cry*

I got mentioned in a publication!

Remember this post?

Well, I got an email from Edward Mischaud this morning telling me that his dissertation on Twitter has been published by LSE (his university), which means he's completed his MSc in Politics and Communication. Plus, he scored a Distinction on his dissertation and got the highest mark in his class. Woot!

Edward was kind enough to send me the link to his dissertation so I could read it, and I am so pleasantly surprised that my little contribution by completing his questionnaire is mentioned 7 times over 3 pages. (Yes, I counted. Lawl.) Turns out that spending that short while helping a fellow student is worthwhile after all. *big grin* And my blogging experiences just get richer and richer.

Makes me feel all energized to start Twitter-ing again. Twit twit two whoo!

MRSC Concert 2007 - Compose, sing 'n' perform

Man, I was supposed to blog about this earlier, but I clean forgot! (Until I spotted the pix languishing in my Photos to Edit folder.) What with the happenings in my life over the past two weeks and all I hadn't had the time to get to this. So, this is a backdated post with tons of pics - a rare occasion at It's all about the spin...

On the first Sunday of December, I was at the MATRADE Hall to lend my support to Allan, the Giddy Tigress' brother, whose composition 'You' was one of the nine finalists for this year's edition of MRSC. I have mp3 recordings of the performances but I don't know how to upload them onto Blogger. Can anyone help me? So, I only have photos to show... (sorry for the blurness - I was sitting some distance away from the stage and using maximum zoom)

Ze emcee (the bald guy) who kicked things off with fun & games - I never screamed so loud before in my life! We (the spectators) had to scream / yell / cheer for whoever we were supporting. Of course, my screams were in support of Allan, and we did quite well too... only losing to Hendra's (another contestant) groupies...


Errr... some singer dedicating a song to a lucky girl who ran onstage fast enough. The song was quite nice, actually.


Another singer from an Indonesian band... (I cannot remember any of their names!)


Performance by Blister - a band from Thailand. Now I can only remember the name of the band because it's in the photo! I like their tagline, but I don't see what it has to do in relation to the band name. :P


The hosts of the show - I didn't get their names. The guy did dual language duty - English and Mandarin.


Putting all the finalists on stage - Allan is the guy on the far right whom I've circled. *grin* They later presented tokens of appreciation? to the seven finalists (there are nine songs in the final, but two finalists have two songs each). My pics for that part of the concert are waaaaaay too blurry so I won't embarass myself further by putting 'em up. Lawl.


Someone singing the winning song from previous years.


Jane and her band - from City Harvest Church. Btw, Jane is not the lead singer in the picture. Hahaha.


Adorable Jessica (10yo) who sang on behalf of Lawrence, one of the finalists.


Vincent who plays the sax - his was the only Mandarin entry out of all the nine songs. I liked his composition.


Intermission for performance by Erra Fazira


Sam - the eventual winner. He and Lawrence had two songs each. Very energetic rocker performance, but his drummer nearly stole the show with his beatboxing! Oh, and it doesn't hurt to mention that he's *ahem* very good-looking. Too bad he's too young for me. Muahahahaha.


Hendra - there were a lot of Indonesians supporting him


Another intermission for performance by Vince - I've never heard him sing before and he's not bad...


Allan being interviewed on his composition - sorry the pix is blur!


The Wesley Methodist group singing Allan's composition for him - a very nicely done ballad.


Erm, I forgot his name but he's from DUMC. Poor chap was all alone, don't know if anyone came with him and he sang to a minus one track. Maybe the occasion overwhelmed him but he forgot his lyrics in three places. Pity, because his composition was another one that I liked too.


Plucky Jessica performing her second song for Lawrence - you can see him in the right of the photo holding a guitar.


Intermission again for performance by this chap - he rapped in Mandarin and Cantonese. Apparently you can see him on 8TV?


Performing some of the winning songs from last year in Redzuan - The Musical as the judges deliberate over the winner.


Still performing songs from Redzuan - The Musical. This is Sam (again!) and a girl who has a really lovely clear voice. I'd like to hear more of her singing.

2nd runner-up - Hendra
1st runner-up - Lawrence (for his second song)
Winner - Sam (for his first song)


Chaos onstage as Sam's band members mob him after they announce the winner.


The end

Overall it was quite good and I really enjoyed myself (save for one awkward moment outside the hall where I saw someone who doesn't like me and pretended not to see me. Bummer.) and would definitely love to go again next year. Hopefully there'll be someone I can support!

Meet Hafiz!

Today, I'd like everyone to meet Hafiz, the super-friendly male nurse in training who made hospital life last week so much brighter for the family. :o) Now, Hafiz is a first semester student in a medical assistant programs (eh, I 'upgraded' the program name. Med. assistant sounds more professional than nurse. LOL.) run by Pantai Medical College. Every semester, they 'farm' out the students to each of the Pantai Hospitals for a week or two to expose them to real-time nursing life. I think they like the 'free' labour. Lawl. Nah, I'm just kidding. They actually pay these guys an allowance to come for a shift a day, and since Hafiz is under a scholarship by Columbia Asia, they pay his allowance lor. And, not only does he have excellent bedside manners, he's also capable enough to be elected class rep. Woot! Way to go Hafiz!

Heh, we enjoyed talking to Hafiz so much (and we hope he enjoyed our company too!) that we monopolized him for stretches at a time and his other coursemates who were on the same medical assistant training programs as him would come and poke their heads in as if to say, "Don't take so long!" or "What are you still doing here after fifteen minutes?". Lawl. Or maybe they were just jealous that we got along so well? *grin*

I'm pretty impressed at the amount of stuff Hafiz already knows after just one semester at medical assistant schools, it sure sounds a whole lot more than what I remember learning in my first semester at business school. Heh. All the stuff about how to position a patient, learning about the different parts of the body and how they function, even a bit of pyschology thrown in to boot. And I can't believe that they're so strict! Can you imagine writing out a formal explanation letter if you're three minutes late? If that were the case when I was studying, I'd have a whole file's worth of explanation letters leh. I was normally 5 minutes late for class because my lecturers were always 15 minutes late! Ahahaha.

Anyway, all the best to Hafiz in his studies and future career - I'm sure all your patients will love ya. I know we did. Cheers mate!