Monday, September 26, 2005

Monday Blues

Something was missing today…the voice; Ronnie’s voice…no longer lingering around the room. The space has become somewhat lifeless and hollow yet I’m actually very happy with Ronnie’s departure from M13. Don’t get me wrong! Ronnie is great…my time under Ronnie’s charge has been very educational albeit some un-pleasurable disagreements. But it just feels strange of not hearing those razor-sharp words spitting out from Ronnie’s acid tongue anymore…words that could pierce deeply into your heart and kill off your self-esteem once and for all. I still have the picture of Mikhail’s tearing lost face (Mikhail has eventually left) imprinted in my mind. I was terrified; knowing that I’m very vulnerable in the inside as well. I remembered one late evening where I told Seth that I’m not sure whether I can do this; I don’t want to wet my pillows at night. At times, I too wonder if the Feng Shui of the room has anything to do with this or was it me who jinx Ronnie? Since my arrival, Ronnie has lost 4 bureaucrats; first it was Gracie, followed by Ali, Mikhail and Abbott. Some in the know said that it was Ronnie’s short fuse that drove them away. By all means, Ronnie is not nasty – just a very scheming perfectionist that expects work to be carried out fast, efficient and no mistakes. I (being the inexperienced who has put my foot in the wrong places and stepping on Ronnie’s cute toes occasionally), of course has not been spared either but luckily the blow was gentle and did not knock me off my feet. I guess perfectionists are critical and hard to please. But for now, Ronnie can go and terrorize someone else somewhere.
Meanwhile, everyone is looking forward of the arrival of our new Danish Director; especially Boss. I’m sensing that Boss is plotting something and one of Boss must do list is to get rid of me. Boss finds it hard to control and slowdown a rebel that has a mind of her own. Besides, Boss has the connections and the finest troops in the camp – Thor, Aurora, Guillermo and Joachim. And guess what, I don’t give a damn!

The F1 race is coming to an end. Wasn’t it a colorful season? It’s boring when one team dominates the entire sport. It was so refreshing to see young drivers (Alonso, Kimi, Montoya) dethrone the senior Schumacher. The fall of the Red Baron was so joyous to watched :)

Sunday, September 25, 2005

We Are The Champions

The Glitz & Glamour
The Red Carpet Treatment
The Press, The Media, The Celebrities
The Camera Flashes
The Crowd

(smile sheepishly) I voted for Daniel and he won!! So the question is – did Malaysia get it right? Did the voters vote popularity over talent? Or more precise, did they vote looks over talent? On Friday night spectaculars, Nita has outright shown that she has the extra edge. She has the strongest vocals (the high notes) over Daniel, she has 8 years of experience singing in the club circuit, she is tall, she was beautiful – all these added value has enhanced her stage performance. She was all out; one of the best vocal performances that we have seen from her. And I was not surprise during the exclusive Press Conference (after Daniel was declared the winner) the Press & the callers was harsh on him and voice their dissatisfaction over the outcome; claming that Daniel’s cute face has helped him to get the votes in, particularly from young school girls. Critics were aplenty and what hurts the most is when Daniel’s problem of diction was brought up – is he World Idol material?

For me, Daniel & Nita are 2 very different singers. Daniel’s vocal range is more low-key and his style & tone is very Mando-pop – which I think will be his future direction. He can sings simple songs with easy-going melodies & notes and he delivered them beautifully. I melted when he sang Broery Marantika’s Angin Malam. His music style works for me. If people say that Daniel’s cute looks pulls in the crowd, than what about Nita’s beautiful face and sexy curves? Her sexy rendition of Shirley Bassey’s Big Spender must have attracted some male voters as well – isn’t that another crowd puller factor? Throughout the theater elimination stage to the workshops and finally the spectaculars, Daniel has enjoyed performing, never holds back and connects well with his fans. His boyband personality, good song choices (except for one rotten apple – KRU’s Ooh La La. it was awful, like a fishbone stuck in your throat) has never put this amateur in the bottom 3. Where as the more experienced Nita always got herself hanging by the thread. In today’s global music market, talent helps to sustain an artist’s longevity and beautiful looks generate album sales, sponsorships and concert revenues. Margins are getting thinner you know.

However, I think Jaclyn Victor still out-performs them :)
It was also very unfortunate that Trish and Attila (2 very strong vocal voices of the group) was eliminated early and I hope they will come back, if the third installation is confirmed.

Newcastle beat Manchester City 1-0.
I’m hardly a fan of this St. James’s Park club but since Owen is there…I’ve got to give him some moral support. However at the bottom of my heart, Owen is still an Anfield boy. It’s the entire manager’s fault – he is so thrifty to fork out the cash to bring Owen back to Liverpool from Real Madrid. Well, that’s football. Players are like commodities. Whichever club that has the most cash will makes the call and pulls the strings.

Back to work tomorrow :(

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Have You Done Enough Damage For Today?

The Fluke & Flux of my life...officially begins...