Konsert 4 Akademi Fantasia 6

The yo-yo!! Hip hop intro….what’s up with that.Its not a theme week, so I didn’t quiet get it…hmmm…I suppose production is trying really hard to ‘meriahkan konsert AF6 yg still half baked ni. Didn’t work for me tho.

Here goes....my humble opinion of last nite's concert, where nobody was expecting much. Not even this man.

Faisal: Joget Bunga Melati (Halil Chik)
Before he sang, the VT was shown to remind the audience to brace themselves for potentially horrendous vocals. (Like we need reminding). But sometimes, you hit rock bottom there’s no where to go but up.

With the joget number, and the back up dancers…it started out with potential. I thot Faisal may just pull this off. Then I got bored. He could at least have joget a bit more to make it at least visually interesting. It was not his worst vocal performance in my opinion, but too little too late. And the voters gave up on you last week already.

Toi : Laukku Cukup Masin (Spider)
With looks not his best point, and mediocre vocals…Toi really need that one performance to keep his place in the Akademi. Being a world class angklung player apparently is an insignificant trivia, and not scoring him any brownie points with the voters.

It was just forgettable, pretentious and Toi can start packing.

If not for all the hype about Faisal being ‘buta bunyi’, Toi is my next choice to boot out.

Alif: Menghapus Jejakmu (Peterpan)
Alif showed potential vocally at Konsert 3. But the tukar lagu incident, and him being hard on himself for not being able to nyanyi lagu omputeh….no one is expecting much from Alif this time around. We all saw he’s struggling in the Diari kan.

This number I would have thot would be a bonus to any student, sing-a-long, clap-a-long kinda song. But Alif made it so boring. I still think he has a nice tone to his voice, but nyanyi macam takde perasaan and takde energy.

Having said that I would like to see Alif brush off this bad week, and shine because he has potential.

Saida: Hati Kama (Siti Nurhaliza/ Noraniza Idris)
A potentially meriah performance, with back-up dancers and all. One of my fav Siti songs. Ingatkan Siti yang nak naik nyanyi. Kak Ani rupanya.

She still seemed too conscious and I would have thot having a duet partner would make her more brave to go all out. Like I’ve repeated in every concert review, again we are hearing glimpses of good vocals. It’s a difficult song no doubt, with banyak lenggok lenggok that only Siti can pull off perfectly. I thot she was slurring at many of those lines.

It’s been 4 weeks, and glimpses of good vocals are not enough to carry you through Saida. Penat la tunggu…

Stanly: Kasih Tercipta (Faizal Tahir)
This song…..one of my favourite ballad for 2007 – both Faizal Tahir and Bob’s version. And even before Stanly nyanyi, I know I’m gonna hate him for hancurkan lagu ni.

It started out ok, baru nak suka he went ‘tora’…part ‘lara’….’cinta’….dah la lupa lirik ‘lalalala berganti pedih’. A very emotional song, but he seemed focus on technicalities konon nak campur2 classical elements…which failed miserably. It was pure torture to watch and listen.

Given Toi is the more bearable character in Diari, maybe Stanly can go home next week. I doubt so la with his East M’sian loyal supporters

Rina: Terbang Helang (Sharifah Aini)
To her credit, mama is always confident and relaxed. Kesian dia pakai gospel singers robe in bright yellow. After kena tegur dgn pengetua, ni ke Jasmi’s interpretation of what a 44 yr old should look like????

It was just average for me.

Nadia: Mengapa Dirindu (Saloma)

I am liking her vocals more and more each week. Nadia is one of them that is learning and improving. Maybe keras sikit lenggok dia for this traditional number, but that is forgiven because the rest were so pitiful. Best performance of the night.

Nubhan: Cinta Hampa (D’Lloyd)
It was a relieve to hear that soothing tone again after he destroyed Summer of 69 last week. But his body movement were just keras and unnatural, and that corny thing with Ogy, posing2 atas stage…..aiyooooooo…..keliruuuu ok!

The second half of the song sounded really sumbang to me.

I don’t see any improvements in his vocals. Patutla pengetua mengamuk …balik asal! He came to the Akademi with that nice tone, and after 4 weeks takkan sama je.

Adlin kata Robocop yg pandai menyanyi, pastu habis bateri….hahahaha. Best. (post lucah lagi….hahaha)

Riz: Marabahaya (Pop Shuvit)
An energetic performance from Riz, and the choreography and back up dancers helped to spice up his act. Vocally…the melody part, he sang ok..but rap is not his thing. Towards the end he just ran out of gas.

Betul jugak Ogy cakap, need not be interpreted as lagu untuk car racing je.

Stacy: Cinta Terhalang (lagu sendiri)
A supposedly historic performance, never before a student sang a new song at the 4th concert. I have not warmed up to the song yet. Ok ok jer. Credit to Stacy for being able to carry the song…but I found her breathing so audible in between lines that I found it distracting. Comparative to other students, Stacy dahsyat!...but that wont be a fair judgment kan.

Menuju Puncak.....were they miming again? This batch macam tak suka je lagu ni. I dont know why. This should be their song...of their struggles together...and every concert, the last time they sing and dance together as the final 11,10,9...and so on. For someone who watched this show dah masuk 6 season ni, i feel Sad la...

Considering dah sebulan budak2 ni dalam Akademi, with the dream team of Tenaga Pengajar…..the entire Konsert is far far below expectations.

Cheering up

Tengah2 emo and stressed out pasal kerja and life in general, its nice to get some cheering up. It doesnt solve all my problems, but at least a relieve to have a good laugh with good friends. An unexpected lunch with my ex-colleagues who happened to drop by The Curve semalam.

Me and Sue Ann
( i was her boss dulu, now we are good buddies:-))

Me and Mages

(our team was mostly girls, this is one of the only THORNS -

he's a nice guy laa...cuma naughty je)

Me and Seema
(She's the youngest in our team, tapi i rasa dia macam BIG SIS
Her big day is coming up soon, you look radiant gal!)

About one year ago, we had my farewell when i left the team...one year later dapat prezzie lagi...hahaha.. Tiap2 tahun kasi i hadiah pun ok guys:-)

Lepas lunch, Jill & I 'masuk office' kat GJ as usual. Then i went home all EMO all over again...:-(

Strange Day

Sekejap happy - Sekejap sedih

Sekejap semangat - Sekejap down

Sekejap marah - Sekejap simpati

Sekejap rajin - Sekejap malas

Letih la macam ni. So emo

A Talllllllllllllllllllllllllll Order

Picture taken: Dec 2005.
Location: An Indian restaurant, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain

i was going thru my Pictures folder and found this old picture from a few years back. I ordered a plain paper thosai, and when the order came - got the shock of my life!!!!

Little Miss Happy

Sometimes it takes just a small, simple gesture to make someone happy.

Today a THANK YOU from someone sent me to the moon and back.

Dunk It

Pick a good one

Dunk It

Yummmmmsss

When was the last time you Dunk IT??????

Konsert 3 Akademi Fantasia 6

So this is the “rock kapak” week. Personally I don’t like themed weeks. I prefer the variety of the usual non-themed concerts. Anyway, all the kids rocked it out last nite (whatever their interpretation of rock is/is not).

What’s with the 2 ‘model’ in red pegang telephone and tarik luggage tu?????Perlu ke?

The critics were pretty interesting last nite. Ning is more bold with her comments, and I like the parts she openly disagreed with Ogy punya komen yg tah ape ape. Good to have Adlin back as well for blunt honesty.

Here are my views of last nite’ fare.

STACY - Pelesit Kota (Search)
Stacy can sing and we figured that out already. Ballads or Rock, Stacy can deal with it. Personally, I don’t really get what this song is about so I don’t know about her interpretation. She was just jumping about, and it didn’t seem to affect her vocals. She’s definitely final concert material.

FAISAL – Sentuhan Kecundang (Ekamatra)
Faisal oh Faisal….you got a major break last week, but that was as good as it gets. Starting note dah ‘tora’…off key, off pitch…we are just waiting for you to get off the stage man. Sorry.
(suka Adlin masa komen Faisal…)

NADIA – Total Eclipse of The Heart (Bonnie Tyler)
Nadia ‘tebus’ her mistake last week singing Umbrella. Her big voice suited this song well, and the diction and pronounciation which I termed as ‘weird’ last 2 weeks improved. Stanly did good too. One of my favourite performances of the nite.


ALIF – Kamelia (Sweet Charity)
This is Alif’s best performance so far. Dah boleh dengar suara dia yang agak macho. It wasn’t perfect but you can see him putting his whole heart into the performance. Berair mata dia. Good job Alif. Tapi betul jugak komen Adlin…Alif sang like a very, very angry lover at times….hehe. It’ll be interesting to see Alif’s development, and I think he’s starting to get more girls voting for him as he’s opening up more in the Diari.


LUFYA – Tika & Saat Ini (Medicine)
I just see Purple. Nothing wrong with purple but what’s with the baju la Kesian pulak kat si Lufya ni ….it looked like upholstery material to me.. Her singing and performance seemed forced.

NAIM – Opera Hidup (Wings)
3 concerts and nothing to show for, Naim. Time to go home.

STANLY – Patahnya Sayap Malam (Massa)
Seksa dengar Stanly nyanyi. After the Josh Groban song, its been a downward spiral for Stanly…can he sing anything else but classical/tenor type melodies..? On the high notes, I cringgge…like Ogy sd, ‘scary’!

SAIDA – Sepi Sekuntum Mawar Merah (Ella)
Still having confidence issues. Let it go girl, let it go. It was not too bad, but Saida need to do herself and her many supporters justice pretty soon. It’s been 3 weeks and she has not shine. We are only hearing glimpses of her wonderful vocals and I am so hoping for that one killer performance. Hopefully there will be one before she gets booted out.

NUBHAN – Summer of ’69 (Bryan Adams)
This is my all time Bryan Adam favourite. Hancur Nubhan. It’s the language problem more than anything else, I don’t think he can appreciate the story behind the song. The lyrics – he mumble through many of the lines, pronunciation was really bad. The only positive thing he can take away is he got through the compulsory English number week (every student kena nyanyi 1 lagu omputeh kan), so no more excuses after this.

RIZ – Keunggulan Cinta (BPR)
Another decent performance from Riz. I predict that Riz punya downfall kat Akademi (if there is gonna be one) will be his personality issue dalam Diari, and not his vocals.

TOI – C.I.N.T.A (XPDC)
I never liked this song, and Toi just reminded me how much I hated it. Sedapke suara Toi ni in the first place???…someone help me out here..


RINA – Enter Sandman (Metallica)

Mama you rocccckkkkkkkkk!!!!. She brought the house down, such energy…walaupun sepatah haram I tak faham apa dia nyanyi. Most happening performance of this night.

THE RESULTS

Malaysia voted – Naim & Lufya – out.

My top 3 pick of the concert – 1.Nadia 2.Rina 3. Tie between Alif/Stacy/Riz.

Random pictures

Lama tak post pictures....lama tak go snappy snappy sangat pun. I think since i cut my hair (trust me its really bad), malas nak ambik gambar. anyway, ini je pics yang i ambik last week...

Cute tak apron i...yes, since the bad haircut i only take headless pictures:-(

See that foam on my latte...a heart from the barista...see Jill's chai latte..no heart. Jill wasnt pleased..heheh

Karipap IKEA dengan kopi memang sedap

This is Sally, my mum's maid. Semalam Abang & I sent her off to Port Klang, she's going home for good.

Friday Ponderings

I received this in my email this morning. Thot it would be good to share it with all my fellow muslim bloggers ....may we all benefit from it on this blessed friday, Insyaallah.
_______________________________________________________

JANGAN MENGELUH ........... Kita selalu Bertanya....................dan Al-Quran sudah menjawabnya.................

KITA BERTANYA : KENAPA AKU DIUJI?

QURAN MENJAWAB "Apakah manusia itu mengira bahawa mereka dibiarkan saja mengatakan; "Kami telah beriman," ("I am full of faith to Allah") sedangkan mereka tidak diuji? Dan sesungguhnya Kami telah menguji org2 yg sebelum mereka, maka sesungguhnya Allah mengetahui org2 yg benar dan, sesungguhnya Dia mengetahui org2 yg dusta."
-Surah Al-Ankabut ayat 2-3

KITA BERTANYA : KENAPA AKU TAK DAPAT APA YG AKU IDAM-IDAMKAN?

QURAN MENJAWAB "Boleh jadi kamu membenci sesua tu padahal ia amat baik bagimu, dan boleh jadi pula kamu menyukai sesuatu, padahal ia amat buruk bagimu, Allah mengetahui sedang kamu tidak mengetahui."
- Surah Al-Baqarah ayat 216

KITA BERTANYA : KENAPA UJIAN SEBERAT INI?

QURAN MENJAWAB "Allah tidak membebani seseorang itu melainkan sesuai dengan kesanggupannya."
- Surah Al-Baqarah ayat 286

KITA BERTANYA : KENAPA RASA FRUST?

QURAN MENJAWAB "Jgnlah kamu bersikap lemah, dan jgnlah pula kamu bersedih hati, padahal kamulah org2 yg paling tinggi darjatnya, jika kamu org2 yg beriman."
- Surah Al-Imran ayat 139

KITA BERTANYA : BAGAIMANA HARUS AKU MENGHADAPINYA?

QURAN MENJAWAB "Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Bersabarlah kamu (menghadapi segala kesukaran dalam mengerjakan perkara-perkara yang berkebajikan), dan kuatkanlah kesabaran kamu lebih daripada kesabaran musuh, di medan perjuangan), dan bersedialah (dengan kekuatan pertahanan di daerah-daerah sempadan) serta bertaqwalah (be fearfull of Allah The Almighty) kamu kepada Allah supaya, kamu berjaya (mencapai kemenangan)."

KITA BERTANYA : BAGAIMANA HARUS AKU MENGHADAPINYA?

QURAN MENJAWAB "Dan mintalah pertolongan (kepada Allah) dengan jalan sabar dan mengerjakan sembahyang; dan sesungguhnya sembahyang itu amatlah berat kecuali kepada orang-orang yang khusyuk"
- Surah Al-Baqarah ayat 45

KITA BERTANYA : APA YANG AKU DAPAT DRPD SEMUA INI?

QURAN MENJAWAB "Sesungguhnya Allah telah membeli dari org2 mu'min, diri, harta mereka dengan memberikan syurga utk mereka... ?
- Surah At-Taubah ayat 111

KITA BERTANYA : KEPADA SIAPA AKU BERHARAP?

QURAN MENJAWAB "Cukuplah Allah bagiku, tidak ada Tuhan selain dari Nya. Hanya kepadaNya aku bertawakkal."
- Surah At-Taubah ayat 129

KITA BERKATA : AKU TAK DAPAT TAHAN!!!

QURAN MENJAWAB "... ..dan jgnlah kamu berputus asa dr rahmat Allah. Sesungguhnya tiada berputus asa dr rahmat Allah melainkan kaum yg kafir."
- Surah Yusuf ayat 12

Bad Day

The plan was to chill a bit today, take a breather from work and watch this movie with Jill. Jill wasnt feeling well.

And my day just started out wrong, and it went on and on - one bad thing after another.

Tomorrow cant get any worse (fingers crossed)

Song now playing in my head: Samson's Luluh!

Ibu....

Ibu Yusni Jaafar passed away early this morning. I tumpang sedih la....bukan a big fan or anything, tapi i'm sure you all have read in the papers as well as watched on Melodi her sufferings di akhir kehidupan dia...family, financials, health. So much sadness for this mother whose life was dedicated towards making people laugh. The more recent tv interviews, berlinang air mata dia bila bercakap...and i am reminded of those images as i am typing this post:-(

Untuk semua kesengsaraan itu, pasti Allah menjanjikan sesuatu yang indah di akhirat untuknya, Insyaallah. Al-Fatihah.

*************************************************************************************

Speaking of ibu, i was preparing a quick lunch sebab ada meeting pukul 2. Sometimes tak larat makan luar, masak sendiri goreng ikan makan panas2 lagi best. This was my lunch.

Nasi putih gaul sikit dengan margarine, letak kicap...makan dengan ikan goreng panas, sedikit ulam. Nostalgic tau lunch ni....dulu masa i kecik kalau sekolah petang, sebelum bas sekolah datang, mak suapkan ni:-)

When i was speaking with my mum this morning pasal Allahyarham Yusni, mum sd dia takut di akhir kehidupan dia susah macam ibu yusni. I wont let that happen mum, promise.

Anugerah Bintang Popular 2007 (Results Updated)

Nominees for 2007

* Highlighted in Red are predictions by Anne's Prelude, which does not necessarily reflect Anne's favourite. Happy watching tonite's show y'all. (Anuar Zain nyanyi tau;-) )

Popular TV Host (Male)

1. AC Mizal

2. Ally Iskandar

3. Aznil Nawawi

4. Azwan Ali

5. Wahid Mohamad

The winner: Aznil Nawawi


Popular TV Host (Female)

1. Cheryl Samad
2. Fara Fauzana
3. Fauziah Ahmad Daud
4. Raja Azura
5. Sharifah Shahira

The winner: Fara Fauzana

Popular Radio Presenter (Male)

1. Aznil Nawawi (Era FM)
2. AC Mizal (Era FM)
3. Faizal Ismail (Hot FM)
4. Khairil Rashid (Sinar FM)
5. Kieran (Era FM)

The winner: Faizal Ismail

Popular Radio Presenter (Female)

1. Abby Fana (Sinar FM)
2. Fara Fauzana (Hot FM)
3. Linda Onn (Era FM)
4. Nana Mahazan (Era FM)
5. Nila Kurnia (Sinar FM)

The winner: Fara Fauzana)

Popular Comedian (Male)

1. Afdlin Shauki
2. AC Mizal
3. Saiful Apek
4. Piee
5. Zul Yahya

The winner: Saiful Apek

Popular Comedian (Female)

1. Adibah Noor
2. Kenchana Devi
3. Raja Azura
4. Sharifah Shahira
5. Sheila Rusly

The winner: Sheila Rusly

Popular New Artiste (Male)

1. Bard R1
2. Dafi Ismail
3. Diddy Muhid
4. Fiq Halim
5. Kaer Azami

The winner: Dafi

Popular New Artiste (Female)

1. Farah Asyikin
2. Fouziah Ghous
3. Heliza Helmi
4. Julia Ziegler
5. Mila Jirin

The winner: Mila

Popular Nasyid Singer

1. Hijjaz
2. Inteam
3. Mirwana
4. Rabbani
5. Raihan

The winner: Rabbani

Popular Singer (Male)

1. Adam Mat Saman
2. Anuar Zain
3. Faizal Tahir
4. Mawi
5. Hazami

The winner: Mawi

Popular Singer (Female)

1. Adibah Noor
2. Mila Jirin
3. Jaclyn Victor
4. Misha Omar
5. Datuk Siti Nurhaliza

The winner: Datuk Siti Nurhaliza

Popular Group/Duo

1. Kristal
2. Jinbara
3. Misha Omar and Andy
4. Spider
5. Sofaz

The winner: Sofaz

Popular Film Actor

1. Afdlin Shauki
2. Pierre Andre
3. Rusdi Ramli
4. Rosyam Nor
5. Saiful Apek

The winner: Rusdi Ramli

Popular Film Actress

1. Erra Fazira
2.Fasha Sandha
3. Maya Karin
4. Sharifah Amani
5. Vanidah Imran

The winner: Fasha Sandha

Popular TV Actor

1. Aaron Aziz
2. Arash Mohamad
3. Fahrin Ahmad
4. Rosyam Nor
5. Datuk Jalaluddin Hassan

The winner: Rosyam Nor

Popular TV Actress

1. Dynaz Mokhtar
2. Eja
3. Fasha Sandha
4. Rita Rudaini
5. Rozita Che Wan

The winner: Dynaz

Most Popular of Them All: Mawi

Konsert 2 Akademi Fantasia 6

Opening

AC nyanyi dangdut.....The kids intro ala ala dangdut…it was all too much for me. Sometimes less is more.

The Host

I can only stomach AC in small doses. But he definitely was better than the first concert. Seemed like he got rid of his nerves and was more comfortable on stage being himself. I hope he’s not gonna overdo anything in the coming weeks.

Critics

Ogy was missing, and I was happy to have Adlin back. In fact I find Ogy’s absence all the more appealing. I’m sure the kids enjoyed it too. Adlin’s in your face comments are always honest and at times blunt… but at least takde jerit jerit terlebih emo. I wish Ning gets more technical with the vocal comments so that the kids learn.

Performances

Lufya – Cinta 100%

Dangdut was obviously not her thing….but she tried. Her gelek was not bad. But what the fish with the wet underarms….urghhh. Pity her, no one wants to be remembered that way. I don’t really like Lufya’s voice…macam tak puas dengar, and its not serak tapi like tak lepas. Credit for effort, but the singing was not that good.

Toi – Sang Pencinta

How can I forget that green satin outfit with one side ikat tali pinggang? (Lu pikirla sendiri ok) I wasn’t expecting much from Toi, but he pulled it off. Hujan’s song last week was a simple melody, and this week I can really here Toi’s tone of voice. The critics did not have much negative things to say about his singing, but more of his movement and penghayatan. I blame it on the green outfit.

Stanley – Sudah tu Sudah

A case of overconfidence or overdoing it? It was all over out of tune and pitchy. The ad-libbing didn’t work either. Imran Ajmain must have cringgggged in his seat.

Rina – Ku Seru

In the diaries, Ramli MS commended Rina for getting rid of her old singing habits and puts her younger competitors to shame. So I was looking forward to hear her sing. It was just OK for me. She can sing but her voice lack the “kemerduan”. It wasn’t bad but I didn’t feel it Mama, sorry.

( did you notice Ramli giving the thumbs up to the camera masa Adlin was commenting….haha, that is so not a Ramli thing to do kan…)

Alif – Angan dan Sedar

And how did he get picked out of the 6000 who came for auditions?

Aidit “Awak tak sihat eh?”
Alif “sihat bang”

hahahaha

Let’s move on

Ika – Malu Tapi Mahu

Kesian Cikgu Siti Hajar cringing in her seat and willing Ika on, but she just cant sing. Joget joget boleh la dik.

Adlin sd ‘banyak masalah…hancur la. Nak talipinggang ke nak boot…’

The kind Malaysian voters did Ika a favour and saved Ika from kena teruk lagi next week. Terima kasih Malaysia.

Naim – Aspalela

If Adlin nak baling kasut, Naim would be a nice target too.

Jasmi Rejab pun kena dengan Adlin….hmmm, padan. Awful clothes.

Faisal – Ranggi Metropolis

I was expecting a bad one from Faisal after the Friday presentation at the Akademi. Surprise, surprise…He rocked last nite.

Saida – Doktor Cinta

Oh dear girl, you have so many people rooting for you. You just have to bring it on. And she didn’t. So far, we can only hear glimpses of her vocal ability. I still believe she has a lot in her…just a matter of time. This song is sooo out of her character, and I’m sure she suffered doing the dances and all. I hope it gave her confidence to just let loose in the coming weeks.

Stacy – Rela

My Pick of the Nite. Nice tone, nice feel. Stacy delivered.
Suddenly I’m reminded of Candy’s powerful voice, but Stacy ada a better ‘soft’ feel to her delivery. Betul Aidit’s comments, Stacy needs to find her x-factor, otherwise like many others before her, jadi one of those with good vocals but never made it.

Riz – Separuh Masa

There’s a cocky-ness about Riz that I just don’t like. But let’s put that aside for a moment. He can sing and has the voice, we established that last week. With this fast number, it was pretty obvious that he’s out of breath and pitchy. And that jumping up and down is so unflattering to his belly. Thank the “image consultant” for putting on a horizontally striped cardigan zipped up to the belly...a lot of help that did...duuuhhh. and the hair…no, no!

Nubhan – Tak Bisa Memilihmu

I was looking forward to this. I like Nubhan’s tone, and I like this Sixth Sense song. It’s his nerves and confidence that will determine how well he performs. I thot he did really well and meant to sing this type of songs. That tone just came out so good in this slow number…despite being distracted by that glittery, ala-Christmas vest….i can feel the song. This is only the second week, and if Nubhan learns well from the vocal lessons, I have high hopes for Nubhan.

Nadia – Umbrella

She has a big voice…it’s the way she sings or is it the pronunciation that comes out weird. Even when she nyanyi lagu melayu, I get the same weird feeling. I didn’t like it but she’s definitely one of the better girls in the Akademi.

Menuju Puncak

Correct me if I’m wrong, this is the first time in AF history the students just dance to the Juwita Suwito version without having to sing. Kenapa – teruk sangat ke? Is it a different choreography from last week? I’m not sure…sebab last week nampak beterabur, mcm mana nak nampak step kan….but better this week.

Anne’s Prelude Pick for the week: Stacy & Nubhan

The last 3 days

The last 3 days, i was away at a Seminar at JW Marriot. The drive from Shah Alam to KL and back, going through the bad traffic was a pain. One of the evenings, it took me over 2 hours to get home.

Lucky the seminar was a good one, i met a great bunch of people and learned really cool stuff.

Yesterday evening we had a farewell cocktail event at La Bodega after the Seminar ended. At 7.45pm this lady told me she was making a move..."I nak balik la...malam ni konsert AF" hahahaha, tak sangka makcik vouge tu pun tengok AF. And i excused myself as well.

Wish i had taken pictures to post, tapi training room tu yellow lights, and my camera phone getting blury by the day:-(

Tired. Will do the concert review later.

Berat mata memandang.....

Its a long road ahead.

At times i cant bear the burden on my shoulders.

Konsert 1 Akademi Fantasia 6

After watching Diari AF the entire week, i was not expecting much. Still hopeful though, that with the stage, wardrobe, make-up, live band, audience....the contestants will take it up a few notches. I couldnt be more wrong.

Boring!

Students: Some really lousy performances with the exception of a few OK ones. Nothing outstanding. I personally look forward to seeing Stacy, Nadia and Nubhan develop further because i like their tone of voice. Rina, Stanley and Riz can sing, but lets see them singing songs which are not their 'makanan' in the coming weekes. Saida is interesting to watch for obvious reasons. The rest were just forgettable. I really was happy when they brought 3 luggages on stage, too bad they boot only 1.

Was it me or were all the songs sang in a shorter version ala American Idol?

Host: OMG. AC you need to liven it up, really. Its been said Aznil is in a league of his own, and last nite AC gave the quip an entire new meaning. Aznil never looked so good.

Audience: Those who were cheering, if any, are definitely family members. The rest must have been falling asleep. Who can blame them.

Looks like Ramli MS & team has their work cut out for them this week.

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH,

THE TOUGH GETS DOUGHNUTS!!!!!

Salam Maulidur Rasul dari Anne's Prelude

" KHUTBAH TERAKHIR DARI NABI MUHAMMAD SAW "

(Khutbah ini disampaikan pada 9hb Zulhijjah 10H di Lembah Uranah, Gunung Arafah)*

Wahai manusia, dengarlah baik-baik apa yang hendak kukatakan. Aku tidak mengetahui apakah aku dapat bertemu lagi dengan kamu selepas ini. Oleh itu dengarlah dengan teliti kata-kataku ini dan sampaikan ia kepada orang-orang yang tidak dapat hadir di sini pada hari ini. Wahai manusia, seperti mana kamu menganggap bulan ini dan Kota ini sebagai suci, maka anggaplah jiwa dan harta setiap orang muslim sebagai amanah suci. kembalikan harta yang diamanahkan kepada kamu kepada pemiliknya yang berhak.

Janganlah kamu sakiti sesiapapun agar orang lain tidak menyakiti kamu lagi. Ingatlah bahawa sesungguhnya kamu akan menemui Tuhan kamu dan Dia pasti membuat perhitungan di atas segala amalan kamu. Allah telah mengharamkan riba, oleh itu segala urusan yang melibatkan riba adalah dibatalkan mulai sekarang. Berwaspadalah terhadap syaitan demi keselamatan agama kamu. Dia telah berputus asa untuk menyesatkan kamu dalam perkara-perkara besar, maka berjaga-jagalah supaya kamu tidak mengikutnya dalam perkara-perkara kecil.

Wahai manusia, sebagaimana kamu mempunyai hak ke atas isteri kamu mereka juga mempunyai hak di atas kamu. Sekiranya mereka menyempurnakan hak mereka ke atas kamu maka mereka juga berhak untuk diberi makan dan pakaian dalam suasana kasih sayang. Layanilah wanita-wanita kamu dengan baik, berlemah lembutlah terhadap mereka kerana sesungguhnya mereka adalah teman dan pembantu kamu yang setia. Dan hak kamu ke atas mereka ialah mereka sama sekali tidak boleh memasukkan orang yang kamu tidak sukai ke dalam rumah kamu dan dilarang melakukan zina. Wahai manusia, dengarlah kata-kataku ini, sembahlah Allah, dirikanlah sembahyang lima kali sehari, berpuasalah di bulan Ramadhan dan tunaikanlah zakat dari harta kekayaan kamu. Kerjakanlah 'Ibadah haji' sekiranya kamu mampu. Ketahuilah bahawa setiap muslimin adalah saudara kepada muslimin yang lain. Kamu semua adalah sama, tidak seorang pun yang lebih mulia dari yang lain kecuali dalam taqwa dan beramal soleh.

Ingatlah bahawa kamu akan menghadap Allah pada suatu hari nanti untuk dipertanggungjawabkan di atas segala apa yang telah kamu kerjakan. Oleh itu, awasilah agar jangan sekali-kali kamu terkeluar dari landasan kebenaran selepas ketiadaanku. Wahai manusia, tidak ada lagi Nabi atau rasul yang akan datang selepasku dan tidak akan lahir agama baru. Oleh itu wahai manusia, nilailah dengan betul dan fahamilah kata-kataku yang telah aku sampaikan kepada kamu. Sesungguhnya aku tinggalkan kepada kamu dua perkara, yang sekiranya kamu berpegang teguh dan mengikuti kedua-duanya, nescaya kamu tidak akan tersesat selama-lamanya. Itulah Al-Quran dan Sunnahku.

Hendaklah orang-orang yang mendengar ucapanku, menyampaikan pula kepada orang lain. Semoga yang terakhir lebih memahami kata-kataku dari mereka yang terus mendengar dariku. Saksikanlah Ya Allah, bahawasanya telah aku sampaikan risalah Mu kepada hamba-hambaMu..

I digossip y'all....

This morning i received this sms in my inbox from an ex-colleague

'Hi. How's life n job? Hope e'thing is fine. Heard ur engaged. When is the big day?'

I gelak sorang-sorang. Sape la yang bawak cerita ni. BF pun takdak.....:-) LOL

Rasa macam celeb pulak kena gossip hahahaha.

Of believes, hopes and wishes.....

Its coming up to a year now since i left full time employment and set up my own consultancy business with Jill. One year on, and we are still struggling to survive. However, there has not been one moment that i have considered turning back...as tempting as it is, no matter how hard the struggle has been. Am i blindly optimistic? At least if all else fails, it will not be for lack of trying.

Napoleon Hill said, “There’s a difference between wishing for something and being ready to receive it. No one is ready for something until they believe that they can acquire it. The state of mind must be belief and not mere hope or wish.”

Some days, there is nothing going for me (us) except pure faith and believe.

Here's to another year, and that one big break, Insyaallah.

The JB Trip

About 8 hours on the road for a 40 mins meeting.

Was it worth the trip? Hmmm....whether we're gonna get the job - 1/6th chance. 6 bidders, 2 will be shortlisted, only 1 winner.

I got home, showered, makan sikit and tertido sampai 9a.m. this morning.

Today, i'll just laze around at home watching tv and recuperate. Kalau rajin malam ni sambung kerja.

You guys have a good weekend.

(Sorry, Nikli - tak sempat nak jumpa you.)

(Finally, streamyx is back to normal)

Down South

Jill & I will be going down south tomorrow. Mission - to sell ourselves....hahaha, not literally la.

Please pray for us.

(My streamyx is still down, i've been calling TM daily and its getting on my nerves. The pic above is our new office - read: Gloria Jeans Cafe @ Curve. Taking a break from Starbucks, and its peaceful here)

Anne Di Mana???

I'm back. I went missing because

1. Streamyx at home have not been receiving any connection since Friday morning (despite i paid my bills - no tunggakan)

2. Friday afternoon i balik kampung mengUNDI.

3. Back in Shah Alam since monday night but until today (Wednesday) still there is no connection.

I'm online from The Curve now. Hope the connection will be up when i get back.

My Existence

I Exist!!!!

and that is a BIG DEAL.

Anne is happy to "exist" for now. The rest she leaves to God's will.

Opportunity

Sometimes an opportunity dangles itself in front of you, and as much as you want to grab it....you dont because you want to be sensible.

Grrrrrr. Missed.

My Love Story

Cinta Dalam Hati

Mungkin ini memang jalan takdirku
Mengagumi tanpa di cintai
Tak mengapa bagiku asal kau pun bahagia
dengan hidupmu, dalam hidupmu

Telah lama kupendam perasaan itu
Menunggu hatimu menyambut diriku
Tak mengapa bagiku mencintaimu pun adalah
bahagia untukku, bahagia untukku

Ku ingin kau tahu diriku di sini menanti dirimu
Meski ku tunggu hingga hujung waktuku
Dan berharap rasa ini kan abadi untuk selamanya
Dan izinkan aku memeluk dirimu kali ini saja
Untuk ucapkan selamat tinggal untuk selamanya
Dan biarkan rasa ini bahagia untuk sekejap saja

Song by Ungu.

P/s: Sedih kan my love story

NO to Eggs

I'm staying away from eggs for the entire week starting today. Yesterday alone i had 2 eggs. The rest of the week, hmmm i cant even recall...MANY! I've run out of eggs in my fridge and i'm not gonna get any until the week after. The amount of fried food i have indulged in these days, plus the eggs....i must be on a cholesterol high. NOT GOOD.

Dinner

Ni lah my dinner, Bihun Goreng je. Tapi gambarnya dramatic sungguh!

Meeting postpone la pulak, and Jill and I was already in Subang. So we worked, and had dinner before we left kat Mamak just outside Carrefour Subang.

Pics courtesy of Jill's digicam.

My work day started early yesterday, with a 9a.m. meeting. Supposed to be at 10 but client called to be there at 9, change of plans. Jill and I were punctual on the dot, but the Manager we were meeting was late...overslept (boleh???).

So we waited. Lapar. and rezeki pun datang....the secretary brought in a plate of karipap sardine, and apam; and coffee. So the waiting wasnt so painful.

Free breakfast:-)

Meeting that i estimated to last one hour, habis at almost noon. Letih.

Tapi, best part of course was i submitted my bill. Our first for the year. Harap-harap wont take them forever to pay. Kekeringan dah ni!!!!

My favourite doc to prepare..haha

After meeting, Jill and I pun masuk office...erhmmm, i mean Starbucks @ Ikano.:-). Proposal presentation on Friday petang brought forward to hari ni (thursday). Nak meeting pagi pulak tu....nasib negotiate late afternoon.

mula mula duduk elok je.....

dah bongkok...tak bagus untuk posture kerusi ni

Jill yang busy terpelanting kasut semua....

Got to get back to work. Nak jumpa Jill kat Subang Parade later before our presentation kat USJ. Wish me luck!

David Archuleta

I have found a reason to watch this season's American Idol.

David Archuleta.....just DELICIOUS!!!

Delicious voice!

and a face cute enough to eat!

I bet this 16 year old will be the next American Idol.

The past 1 week, i have been.....

WORKING

Sepatutnya dah habis projek 'interview' tu. i was expecting a breather sambil buat marketing work with Jill and settle personal stuff. On the first day i thought i boleh relax sikit, i got a phone call. Client yang sama nak kasi projek baru. Kelam kabut buat meetings and discussions, mula-mula rasa tak nak buat, but rezeki jangan ditolak. Survival babe, alhamdullilah.

Belum pun habis settle hal2 projek baru ada invitation untuk proposal lain pulak. Projek ni agak besar, and i cant do it with Jill. Kelam kabut cari freelance people to form a team. Now tengah kelam kabut nak finish the proposal by friday.

Sebenarnya, the past 1 year has taught me jangan harap. All these proposal submissions build up hope, just to let you down later. Then frust giler sebab all the effort that went into it. Tapi i know, if i dont send in, how do we even stand a chance. That's the way the consulting business is. Like i said, i've learned not to hope. Tipulah kalau sikit pun tak angan2. Doa jugak tapi tak harap sangatlah.


MAKAN

Been hanging out at The Curve mostly sebab Jill malas nak drive up all the way to my place. And yes....kerja banyak, makan pun banyak.....














and, last but not least...

TIPAH CASE

Dalam busy2, usaha mendapatkan balik duit mesti diteruskan. Sabtu lepas sempat pergi Putrajaya. 2 jam lebih kasi statement. They cant promise much, but it feels better to be doing something about it.





Will try to update more often this week.
How are you guys doing?

Happy Friday

Sorry kalau ada yang jenguk blog ni tapi i tak update. Dah ada in my head apa nak update, gambar pun dah standby tapi bila sampai rumah letih ya amat.

Will try to update soon. Many developments on work, some new opportunities has presented itself, been keeping me busy pegi meeting here n there.

Happy Friday all.