... good things like school holidays. In a few hours, I'll be thrusted into a new school term. Stressful work, screaming (at) kids, what's not to like? :P
Anyway, somebody new has entered into my life. Not too sure of things yet, but it's a good start. Will write more when I get to know Ms A more.
Monday, June 28, 2004
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Linkin Park Live and Loud at the Padang (MAIN SHOW!!!)
5.30pm. Reached the Padang and boy, is that a long queue or WHAT? (I was hoping for WHAT, but too bad, it really was a queue). I started queuing about 500m away from the main gate, seeing the other avid/rabid fans stampeded across the junction to reach the Padang, while paying no heed to the coming traffic. This goes to show that although Malaysia and Singapore pride themselves for being different from each other, deep inside, M'sians and S'poreans still cross the road the same way when they're desparate. :P
7.15pm. Z-Sueh and his friend, Angie joined me in the queue. The organizers were letting people in by small batches. They were so short-handed that they actually asked us to tear our own tickets and pass them the stubs. I dunno much about this country, but why is it everytime when the people involved reaches the thousands, the organizers always seem helpless and disorganized? Huh? HUH? Reminds me of my Idol experience...
7.30pm. We're finally in the inner circle mosh pit. Luckily for us, the front of the stage was not filled up yet. Found ourselves an alright spot about 200m away from the stage. Was a bit miffed to see people on the rooftop of the S'pore Recreation Club, which is just behind the stage, to catch a free show. Hehe... if only they knew what surprise was waiting for them... >:D
8.20pm (and the ticket said 8pm, mind). Daniel Ong and Sheikh Haikel from Perfect 10 98.7FM opened the show. They started to tease the crowd, only to tell us the rules and regulations, exit points, blah blah blah... No moshing/body-surfing in the MOSH PIT?? We might as well call it a STAND PIT, then!
8.30pm. The opening band is a nu-metal band called PIA (pronounced as 'PEE-AH!') from Korea. A piece of advice: whatever band name that sounded cool in one language, could be merely laughing stock in another language. No disrespect, but I think they're just copying the style and moves of Linkin Park. Moreover, these guys just won't get off the stage! They just kept singing their unintelligible Korean songs and pretended that we like them! It's more fun just listening to the Mat Rocker behind me making fun of them--
PIA soloist: Hello Singapore! (Mat Rocker: Goodbye!)
PIA: You guys are lovely! (MR: f**k you!)
PIA: We love Singapore! (MR: Get off the stage!)
PIA: Our next song is called *WHATEVER THE NAME*. (MR: Oi! Speak English lah!)
9pm. They finally let go of the mikes! Daniel and Sheikh came out again to reiterate the RnR. The stage crew took off the canvas sheets and revealed Mr Hahn's turntable and Rob's drumset, complete with Meteora artwork on them! What's that behind them, lowering from the stage ceiling? Is that what I think it is? Well I wouldn't know, coz some technical glitch occured and the thing couldn't rise again!
9.30pm. 30mins of standing and listening to CD being played through the speakers. I paid $152.20 to listen to CD on the Padang? "Absurd" is a total understatement, man... The thing is moving again! It's... it's... the Linkin Park mega-screen! The mega-screen blocked the stage completely away from the view of those people on the rooftop of the S'pore Recreation Club. YEAH! Take that, SUCKERS!
More than 14 MILLION copies of their first album sold. With "Meteora" at No. 6 of THE BILLBOARD 200 year-end chart in 2003, Linkin Park is the only act to repeat from previous year's top-10. "Hybrid Theory," the group's debut, placed fifth in 2002. If that ain't cool for you, it's time to move to the north pole!
The pieces were in place, and the crowd was drooling for hardcore rock action. The familiar tune started playing... and there they come!
The GODS have landed!
As soon as they played "Don't Stay", everyone just went wild! Everyone knows their every song, screaming and singing with them. The band's energy was just amazing! Chester looked like he's either possessed or very, very, very angry, hollering into his mike. Brad looked goofy with his new-found hair, and he looked like he smoked pot before the show as he swung his arms like a conductor to lead the audience. Everyone of them was on FIRE!
Spotted! The elusive Devil's Horn hand sign...
What's the point of going to concerts if you already owned the band's CD? Obviously, it's to listen to something that's NOT on the CD, and Linkin Park didn't disappoint, them being great remixers of their own songs. "Breaking the Habit" started with a mellow piano solo by Mike. As for "A Place for My Head", they found a half-naked audience and got him on stage to sing the bridge. What a headbanger! He was running all over the stage, headbanging all the way. Lucky bastard...
Speaking of headbanging, this dude in front of me really swung his head like a hammer. Fearing for the safety of my nose, I raised my paper cup behind his head. Sure enough, he banged into cup and looked at me, so I gave him a very concerned look and asked if he's ok (HIAK HIAK). I think he took the hint coz he started headbanging SIDEWAYS after that. For a while. Then he's Mr Hammer Head again...
A chick beside me was irritated by another violent dude in front and she pushed him away pretty hard. The dude looked like he wanna fight, but eventually gave way for the lady. Heh, it's good to have an unknown pretty girl rocking and smiling beside you, instead of another sweaty hairy armpit. Remember that we weren't allowed to body-surf? One dude not far from me tried to body-surf, only to fall flat on his face coz nobody was holding him. It's moronically funny, I tell you! :P
The band just couldn't resist the crowd after the supposed "end" of the concert, like we couldn't let them go so easily. They returned for another 3 songs, including the song that propelled them into super stardom, "Crawling". For their last song, guess who's back to join them on stage? It's PIA! Don't these guys EVER give up??
11pm. The real end of the concert. It's totally worth the money, man! I'd like to thank Teresa for allowing me to hijack some of her photos and post them here. I'll post more photos of the concert as and when they become available to me. For the moment, I took these pix of my little memorabilias. Enjoy! :)
Standing ain't Free, pal...
My concert wristband
I belong to the Inner Circle, BABY!
7.15pm. Z-Sueh and his friend, Angie joined me in the queue. The organizers were letting people in by small batches. They were so short-handed that they actually asked us to tear our own tickets and pass them the stubs. I dunno much about this country, but why is it everytime when the people involved reaches the thousands, the organizers always seem helpless and disorganized? Huh? HUH? Reminds me of my Idol experience...
7.30pm. We're finally in the inner circle mosh pit. Luckily for us, the front of the stage was not filled up yet. Found ourselves an alright spot about 200m away from the stage. Was a bit miffed to see people on the rooftop of the S'pore Recreation Club, which is just behind the stage, to catch a free show. Hehe... if only they knew what surprise was waiting for them... >:D
8.20pm (and the ticket said 8pm, mind). Daniel Ong and Sheikh Haikel from Perfect 10 98.7FM opened the show. They started to tease the crowd, only to tell us the rules and regulations, exit points, blah blah blah... No moshing/body-surfing in the MOSH PIT?? We might as well call it a STAND PIT, then!
8.30pm. The opening band is a nu-metal band called PIA (pronounced as 'PEE-AH!') from Korea. A piece of advice: whatever band name that sounded cool in one language, could be merely laughing stock in another language. No disrespect, but I think they're just copying the style and moves of Linkin Park. Moreover, these guys just won't get off the stage! They just kept singing their unintelligible Korean songs and pretended that we like them! It's more fun just listening to the Mat Rocker behind me making fun of them--
PIA soloist: Hello Singapore! (Mat Rocker: Goodbye!)
PIA: You guys are lovely! (MR: f**k you!)
PIA: We love Singapore! (MR: Get off the stage!)
PIA: Our next song is called *WHATEVER THE NAME*. (MR: Oi! Speak English lah!)
9pm. They finally let go of the mikes! Daniel and Sheikh came out again to reiterate the RnR. The stage crew took off the canvas sheets and revealed Mr Hahn's turntable and Rob's drumset, complete with Meteora artwork on them! What's that behind them, lowering from the stage ceiling? Is that what I think it is? Well I wouldn't know, coz some technical glitch occured and the thing couldn't rise again!
9.30pm. 30mins of standing and listening to CD being played through the speakers. I paid $152.20 to listen to CD on the Padang? "Absurd" is a total understatement, man... The thing is moving again! It's... it's... the Linkin Park mega-screen! The mega-screen blocked the stage completely away from the view of those people on the rooftop of the S'pore Recreation Club. YEAH! Take that, SUCKERS!
More than 14 MILLION copies of their first album sold. With "Meteora" at No. 6 of THE BILLBOARD 200 year-end chart in 2003, Linkin Park is the only act to repeat from previous year's top-10. "Hybrid Theory," the group's debut, placed fifth in 2002. If that ain't cool for you, it's time to move to the north pole!
The pieces were in place, and the crowd was drooling for hardcore rock action. The familiar tune started playing... and there they come!
The GODS have landed!
As soon as they played "Don't Stay", everyone just went wild! Everyone knows their every song, screaming and singing with them. The band's energy was just amazing! Chester looked like he's either possessed or very, very, very angry, hollering into his mike. Brad looked goofy with his new-found hair, and he looked like he smoked pot before the show as he swung his arms like a conductor to lead the audience. Everyone of them was on FIRE!
Spotted! The elusive Devil's Horn hand sign...
What's the point of going to concerts if you already owned the band's CD? Obviously, it's to listen to something that's NOT on the CD, and Linkin Park didn't disappoint, them being great remixers of their own songs. "Breaking the Habit" started with a mellow piano solo by Mike. As for "A Place for My Head", they found a half-naked audience and got him on stage to sing the bridge. What a headbanger! He was running all over the stage, headbanging all the way. Lucky bastard...
Speaking of headbanging, this dude in front of me really swung his head like a hammer. Fearing for the safety of my nose, I raised my paper cup behind his head. Sure enough, he banged into cup and looked at me, so I gave him a very concerned look and asked if he's ok (HIAK HIAK). I think he took the hint coz he started headbanging SIDEWAYS after that. For a while. Then he's Mr Hammer Head again...
A chick beside me was irritated by another violent dude in front and she pushed him away pretty hard. The dude looked like he wanna fight, but eventually gave way for the lady. Heh, it's good to have an unknown pretty girl rocking and smiling beside you, instead of another sweaty hairy armpit. Remember that we weren't allowed to body-surf? One dude not far from me tried to body-surf, only to fall flat on his face coz nobody was holding him. It's moronically funny, I tell you! :P
The band just couldn't resist the crowd after the supposed "end" of the concert, like we couldn't let them go so easily. They returned for another 3 songs, including the song that propelled them into super stardom, "Crawling". For their last song, guess who's back to join them on stage? It's PIA! Don't these guys EVER give up??
11pm. The real end of the concert. It's totally worth the money, man! I'd like to thank Teresa for allowing me to hijack some of her photos and post them here. I'll post more photos of the concert as and when they become available to me. For the moment, I took these pix of my little memorabilias. Enjoy! :)
Standing ain't Free, pal...
My concert wristband
I belong to the Inner Circle, BABY!
Linkin Park Live and Loud at the Padang (Pre-Show Makan)
Haven't been blogging when I was home in Klang, Malaysia. Shall write about my little (mis)adventures back home in the future. For now, let's concentrate on the biggest show to ROCK Singapore!
Went for porridge buffet at Suntec with Wee Lee and Pearlyn at lunch time. Had 2 full bowls of porridge. Yum! Wee Lee 'coaxed' me to snatch duck meat plates after plates after plates... By the end of it, I said we might as well ordered the whole duck at the beginning. We even got 2 duck drumsticks! Heard this from 2 insurance agents (I guess) beside us, "Rational tells, but Emotion sells." Huh!? Well apparently what they meant was if you put more emotion into selling insurance, you'd have better chances to seal the deals. Quite true. My dad becomes his clients' best friends long after he's gotten them to buy insurance from him.
Initially, I planned to go queue for the concert right after lunch, and maybe pack Burger King for dinner. However, my bloated stomach called for a walk around first, so we strolled to Carrefour to find Pearlyn's frisbee. After that, we went to Cafe Cartel for waffles and coffee (at 4.30pm!?). I ordered a Mocha Float, but only to realise that the ice cream was actually placed in HOT coffee. What happened to COLD ice cream on COLD drinks, man? Anyway, the ice creams actually cools the coffee, so it's just a sweeter form of ice cubes, I guess... :P We toyed with my phone and took this pic:
Pearlyn and Me
Our chat topics always revolve around relationships. I guess that's what happens when 3 single people are together. "What happened to you and Ms N?" Some people asked. Well, I'm sorry to let you guys know that it's not all too well. The previous posting of "All by Myself" was a hint, refered here. My spy have informed me that Ms N is not interested in anyone at the moment. That was after my spy's spy asked her what she thinks of me. Sigh...
"What do you think of Ms N?" Someone asked after that. Well, i said this:
Imagine the prettiest rainbow you've ever seen, then Ms N will be standing at that rainbow's end.
I can see where the rainbow ends, but I can never reach her place.
Ms N is the unreachable bliss, the one girl that I'll really miss.
She's like the mirage over the scorching desert, and I'm just the marooned traveller that's chasing a dream.
If the above is too profound for you, it simply means that the feeling sucks.
Anyway, after the tea break, I reckoned that it's high time that I get my ass over to the Padang ASAP. Wee Lee and Pearlyn were kind enough to walk me to the convention centre (but they just wanna walk to ease their stomach...), and planned to have dinner at Sakae Sushi tonight. You guys have just been freed by Iraqi terrorists or something?
Watch this space for the full report of Linkin Park concert!!!
Went for porridge buffet at Suntec with Wee Lee and Pearlyn at lunch time. Had 2 full bowls of porridge. Yum! Wee Lee 'coaxed' me to snatch duck meat plates after plates after plates... By the end of it, I said we might as well ordered the whole duck at the beginning. We even got 2 duck drumsticks! Heard this from 2 insurance agents (I guess) beside us, "Rational tells, but Emotion sells." Huh!? Well apparently what they meant was if you put more emotion into selling insurance, you'd have better chances to seal the deals. Quite true. My dad becomes his clients' best friends long after he's gotten them to buy insurance from him.
Initially, I planned to go queue for the concert right after lunch, and maybe pack Burger King for dinner. However, my bloated stomach called for a walk around first, so we strolled to Carrefour to find Pearlyn's frisbee. After that, we went to Cafe Cartel for waffles and coffee (at 4.30pm!?). I ordered a Mocha Float, but only to realise that the ice cream was actually placed in HOT coffee. What happened to COLD ice cream on COLD drinks, man? Anyway, the ice creams actually cools the coffee, so it's just a sweeter form of ice cubes, I guess... :P We toyed with my phone and took this pic:
Pearlyn and Me
Our chat topics always revolve around relationships. I guess that's what happens when 3 single people are together. "What happened to you and Ms N?" Some people asked. Well, I'm sorry to let you guys know that it's not all too well. The previous posting of "All by Myself" was a hint, refered here. My spy have informed me that Ms N is not interested in anyone at the moment. That was after my spy's spy asked her what she thinks of me. Sigh...
"What do you think of Ms N?" Someone asked after that. Well, i said this:
Imagine the prettiest rainbow you've ever seen, then Ms N will be standing at that rainbow's end.
I can see where the rainbow ends, but I can never reach her place.
Ms N is the unreachable bliss, the one girl that I'll really miss.
She's like the mirage over the scorching desert, and I'm just the marooned traveller that's chasing a dream.
If the above is too profound for you, it simply means that the feeling sucks.
Anyway, after the tea break, I reckoned that it's high time that I get my ass over to the Padang ASAP. Wee Lee and Pearlyn were kind enough to walk me to the convention centre (but they just wanna walk to ease their stomach...), and planned to have dinner at Sakae Sushi tonight. You guys have just been freed by Iraqi terrorists or something?
Watch this space for the full report of Linkin Park concert!!!
Sunday, June 13, 2004
Swingin' Good Time!
Went to the Count Basie Orchestra concert tonite. We are so fortunate coz the last time they're here was in 1971 (I'm not even a sperm yet!). What do I think of the concert? DAMN, THESE GUYS ARE GOOD!!! The music was electrifying, the chemistry was tight, the choreography (yes, there's actually some) was fun to watch! Lovely, money well-spent. Think I better start to stock-up for white bread for all my meals in the following month... :P
After the concert, we went to Harry's at Boat Quay in hope to bump into some of the Count Basie Orchestra members. Sure enough, one of the trombone players walked into the bar shortly after us, and joined the resident jazz band for a jamming session. It's his first time playing with this band but he blended in like a chameleon. The house went wild lindy hopping to the soulful crooning of Diane and the band. When it's time for the last order of the night, we ordered a cup of Guiness for the trombone player for his great music, and he actually came over and shook our hands. I've been touched by a star!!! :P
Going home in a few mins time, so this blog won't be updated until I return to S'pore next Sunday. Looking forward to Linkin Park on 22nd June!
After the concert, we went to Harry's at Boat Quay in hope to bump into some of the Count Basie Orchestra members. Sure enough, one of the trombone players walked into the bar shortly after us, and joined the resident jazz band for a jamming session. It's his first time playing with this band but he blended in like a chameleon. The house went wild lindy hopping to the soulful crooning of Diane and the band. When it's time for the last order of the night, we ordered a cup of Guiness for the trombone player for his great music, and he actually came over and shook our hands. I've been touched by a star!!! :P
Going home in a few mins time, so this blog won't be updated until I return to S'pore next Sunday. Looking forward to Linkin Park on 22nd June!
Friday, June 11, 2004
All By Myself (by Celine Dion)
When I was young
I never needed anyone
And making love was just for fun
Those days are gone
Livin' alone
I think of all the friends I've known
When I dial the telephone
Nobody's home
All by myself
Don't wanna be
All by myself
Anymore
Hard to be sure
Sometimes I feel so insecure
And loves so distant and obscure
Remains the cure
All by myself
Don't wanna be
All by myself
Anymore
All by myself
Don't wanna live
All by myself
Anymore
When I was young
I never needed anyone
And making love was just for fun
Those days are gone
All by myself
Don't wanna be
All by myself
Anymore
All by myself
Don't wanna live
Oh
Don't wanna live
By myself, by myself
Anymore
By myself
Anymore
Oh
All by myself
Don't wanna live
I never, never, never
Needed anyone
I never needed anyone
And making love was just for fun
Those days are gone
Livin' alone
I think of all the friends I've known
When I dial the telephone
Nobody's home
All by myself
Don't wanna be
All by myself
Anymore
Hard to be sure
Sometimes I feel so insecure
And loves so distant and obscure
Remains the cure
All by myself
Don't wanna be
All by myself
Anymore
All by myself
Don't wanna live
All by myself
Anymore
When I was young
I never needed anyone
And making love was just for fun
Those days are gone
All by myself
Don't wanna be
All by myself
Anymore
All by myself
Don't wanna live
Oh
Don't wanna live
By myself, by myself
Anymore
By myself
Anymore
Oh
All by myself
Don't wanna live
I never, never, never
Needed anyone
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind today, which was taken from this poem: Eloisa to Abelard (by Alexander Pope). Check out the poem's historical background to have a better understanding of the poem. Enjoy!
This is a part I like:
How oft, when press'd to marriage, have I said,
Curse on all laws but those which love has made!
Love, free as air, at sight of human ties,
Spreads his light wings, and in a moment flies.
About the movie:
Joel (Jim Carrey) is stunned to discover that his girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) has had her memories of their tumultuous relationship erased. Out of desperation, he contracts the inventor of the process, Dr. Howard Mierzwaik (Tom Wilkinson), to have Clementine removed from his own memory. But as Joel's memories progressively disappear, he begins to rediscover their earlier passion. From deep within the recesses of his brain, Joel attempts to escape the procedure. As Dr. Mierzwiak and his crew (Kristen Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood) chase him through the maze of his memories, it's clear that Joel just can't get her out of his head. The film, which takes place mostly within Joel's mind, follows his memories of Clementine backwards in time as each recent memory is replaced, and the procedure then goes on to the previous one, which is likewise seen, and then erased. Once the process starts, however, Joel realizes he doesn't really want to forget Clementine, so he starts smuggling her away into parts of his memory where she doesn't belong which alters other things about his memories as well...
It's been quite a long while since I last seen a movie that worked my brain up so much, like Being John Malkovich, Memento, Fight Club, 12 Monkeys etc. For the record, Jim Carrey CAN act serious roles, though there's still some slapstick moments in the film. I think the love portrayed in the film is very sweet. I especially like the effect when his memory is being erased bit by bit. Houses torn down, books labels wiped out, humans blipped out. It's cheap camera and editing trick, but it's effective. Now who says good movies need big money? Sadly, I think this film will be hugely ignored here, judging by the taste of local movie-goers.
Which is why film gems like these hardly have any effect on the community... which is what movies were meant to do...
This is a part I like:
How oft, when press'd to marriage, have I said,
Curse on all laws but those which love has made!
Love, free as air, at sight of human ties,
Spreads his light wings, and in a moment flies.
About the movie:
Joel (Jim Carrey) is stunned to discover that his girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) has had her memories of their tumultuous relationship erased. Out of desperation, he contracts the inventor of the process, Dr. Howard Mierzwaik (Tom Wilkinson), to have Clementine removed from his own memory. But as Joel's memories progressively disappear, he begins to rediscover their earlier passion. From deep within the recesses of his brain, Joel attempts to escape the procedure. As Dr. Mierzwiak and his crew (Kristen Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood) chase him through the maze of his memories, it's clear that Joel just can't get her out of his head. The film, which takes place mostly within Joel's mind, follows his memories of Clementine backwards in time as each recent memory is replaced, and the procedure then goes on to the previous one, which is likewise seen, and then erased. Once the process starts, however, Joel realizes he doesn't really want to forget Clementine, so he starts smuggling her away into parts of his memory where she doesn't belong which alters other things about his memories as well...
It's been quite a long while since I last seen a movie that worked my brain up so much, like Being John Malkovich, Memento, Fight Club, 12 Monkeys etc. For the record, Jim Carrey CAN act serious roles, though there's still some slapstick moments in the film. I think the love portrayed in the film is very sweet. I especially like the effect when his memory is being erased bit by bit. Houses torn down, books labels wiped out, humans blipped out. It's cheap camera and editing trick, but it's effective. Now who says good movies need big money? Sadly, I think this film will be hugely ignored here, judging by the taste of local movie-goers.
Which is why film gems like these hardly have any effect on the community... which is what movies were meant to do...
Saturday, June 05, 2004
Singapore Idol Wanna-be
Woke up at 5am this morning to catch the first train to City Hall. Some geezers actually started queuing since 9am the day before the audition. Spoil Market! Anyway, the rain started pouring relentlessly and before I even reach the MRT station, my shoes are wet. (read: splash)
Made it to Suntec at 6.15am, and there's no queue there... just HORDES of refugees from the rain. "Hey Mr Channel-5-Crew, where's the end of the queue?" "We'll make the announcement VERY soon, so just wait around, ya?" Ha! Make that VERY un-soon. About 30mins later, then they asked those with stickers (apparently those who'd been queuing since yesterday) to stay at the taxi area. Those who just came? Too bad! Bugger off you go to the queue barricades in the rain. Oh, and try your best to ignore the ankle-deep puddles. BOLLOCKS!
So there I was, in the queue, in the rain, in the puddles. Should have brought some Drypers diapers to suck the puddles dry, like that TV ad. My shoes were completely submerged in the water (read: soaked), and my jeans absorbed the water up to my calves level. And guess what? The stickers gang came gatecrashing into our queue, cutting the lines coz they got "priority" over us Muggles. Obviously, the organizer didn't prepare a bad weather plan. One constestant started tearing his registration form's Singapore Idol logo to fake it as a sticker. Rather desparate, don't you think?
7.50am. Ken Teh from Channel News Asia and Camie De Souza from Channel 5/8 came to shoot the crowd, asking us to cheer and sing for the camera. Needless to say, profanities were heard among the chaos.
8am. Registration started. Dun have a sticker? Stay put then, you. The sticker gang got "priority". And stay put we did... for another good 1 hour.
9am. Muggles were finally allowed to enter the building. And what's waiting for us in the Registration Hall? ANOTHER queue! Splendid... People were busy drying their clothes with hand-dryers in the toilets. Last minute touch-ups. When I walked, I got a squishy feel in my shoes, like those squeaking shoes you let infants wear...
11am. It's my group(of 5)'s turn to proceed to the Waiting Room. And we had to wait outside before we go in. We had to wait to go into the Waiting Room to wait? Now, that's quite a mouthfull. Another queue! Excellent... The producer was constantly prowling the room searching for ppl with flashy appearances and eager to show off, and the crowd cheer them on tirelessly. It's a fun and stupid atmosphere, really. Thanks to Shawnna, Zoo, Hillary, Andy from my group for making the waiting process bearable! :)
1pm. My group had reached the head of the queue for the audition, but then the organizers mixed up the sequence and started letting the groups behind us to go in first! MORONS! Took her 30 bloody mins to realize her mistake. That, coupled with this morning's queue system, tell a lot about Mediacorp's "Efficiency".
1.30pm. After much delays, hiccups, temper flare-ups, the moment of truth had finally arrived. 2 judges (not the official ones), 1 cameraman, 1 mike, and me. Sang for 1 min plus, and that's it. More than 7hrs of wait in exchange of 1 minute in front of the judges.
2pm. We were in the result room, waiting for our impending doom. They just called some ppl's number and then said either "I'm sorry you all didn't make it" or "You all made it through". The process was made even slower coz the camera crew was around interviewing the contestants. The butterflies in my stomach had evolved into cockcroaches... a mix of anxiety and hunger...
2.30pm. "When I call your number, please stand up. ... 5059, ... I'm sorry you all didn't make it." So that's it. The end of the road for my Singapore Idol journey. For this year. *wink*
Singapore Idol Wanna-be
5059th?
I survived Singapore Idol!
So how do I feel after all this? A bit disappointed lah, coz I expected to at least move on to the second round of audition. But nevermind, coz I'm actually quite happy, coz (1) I won't face problems to take leave for the competition, and (2) I got another reason to call Ms N! As my friend so aptly put: If I made it through, I could celebrate with her; If I didn't make it, I could ask her out to accompany me. Either way, I will walk away a happy man! :)
Made it to Suntec at 6.15am, and there's no queue there... just HORDES of refugees from the rain. "Hey Mr Channel-5-Crew, where's the end of the queue?" "We'll make the announcement VERY soon, so just wait around, ya?" Ha! Make that VERY un-soon. About 30mins later, then they asked those with stickers (apparently those who'd been queuing since yesterday) to stay at the taxi area. Those who just came? Too bad! Bugger off you go to the queue barricades in the rain. Oh, and try your best to ignore the ankle-deep puddles. BOLLOCKS!
So there I was, in the queue, in the rain, in the puddles. Should have brought some Drypers diapers to suck the puddles dry, like that TV ad. My shoes were completely submerged in the water (read: soaked), and my jeans absorbed the water up to my calves level. And guess what? The stickers gang came gatecrashing into our queue, cutting the lines coz they got "priority" over us Muggles. Obviously, the organizer didn't prepare a bad weather plan. One constestant started tearing his registration form's Singapore Idol logo to fake it as a sticker. Rather desparate, don't you think?
7.50am. Ken Teh from Channel News Asia and Camie De Souza from Channel 5/8 came to shoot the crowd, asking us to cheer and sing for the camera. Needless to say, profanities were heard among the chaos.
8am. Registration started. Dun have a sticker? Stay put then, you. The sticker gang got "priority". And stay put we did... for another good 1 hour.
9am. Muggles were finally allowed to enter the building. And what's waiting for us in the Registration Hall? ANOTHER queue! Splendid... People were busy drying their clothes with hand-dryers in the toilets. Last minute touch-ups. When I walked, I got a squishy feel in my shoes, like those squeaking shoes you let infants wear...
11am. It's my group(of 5)'s turn to proceed to the Waiting Room. And we had to wait outside before we go in. We had to wait to go into the Waiting Room to wait? Now, that's quite a mouthfull. Another queue! Excellent... The producer was constantly prowling the room searching for ppl with flashy appearances and eager to show off, and the crowd cheer them on tirelessly. It's a fun and stupid atmosphere, really. Thanks to Shawnna, Zoo, Hillary, Andy from my group for making the waiting process bearable! :)
1pm. My group had reached the head of the queue for the audition, but then the organizers mixed up the sequence and started letting the groups behind us to go in first! MORONS! Took her 30 bloody mins to realize her mistake. That, coupled with this morning's queue system, tell a lot about Mediacorp's "Efficiency".
1.30pm. After much delays, hiccups, temper flare-ups, the moment of truth had finally arrived. 2 judges (not the official ones), 1 cameraman, 1 mike, and me. Sang for 1 min plus, and that's it. More than 7hrs of wait in exchange of 1 minute in front of the judges.
2pm. We were in the result room, waiting for our impending doom. They just called some ppl's number and then said either "I'm sorry you all didn't make it" or "You all made it through". The process was made even slower coz the camera crew was around interviewing the contestants. The butterflies in my stomach had evolved into cockcroaches... a mix of anxiety and hunger...
2.30pm. "When I call your number, please stand up. ... 5059, ... I'm sorry you all didn't make it." So that's it. The end of the road for my Singapore Idol journey. For this year. *wink*
Singapore Idol Wanna-be
5059th?
I survived Singapore Idol!
So how do I feel after all this? A bit disappointed lah, coz I expected to at least move on to the second round of audition. But nevermind, coz I'm actually quite happy, coz (1) I won't face problems to take leave for the competition, and (2) I got another reason to call Ms N! As my friend so aptly put: If I made it through, I could celebrate with her; If I didn't make it, I could ask her out to accompany me. Either way, I will walk away a happy man! :)
Friday, June 04, 2004
Singapore Idol?
To join, or not to join: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The comments and insults of outrageous judges,
Or to take arms against a sea of contestants,
And by opposing end them?
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The comments and insults of outrageous judges,
Or to take arms against a sea of contestants,
And by opposing end them?
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
To eat or not to eat?
Yesterday, I had lunch for breakfast and breakfast for lunch. Confused? Now that I've got your attention... :P
Had to report to school at 11am and woke up at 9am, so I had to eat something quick. Thus, I ordered 公鸡面, which is literally Cock Noodle. In reality however, it's just 肉脞面 served in a bowl with the picture of a Cock at the side. Could be philosophically interesting ("Is the Cock inside the noodle or is the noodle inside the Cock?"), or just plain stupid gimmick.
After settling matters in school, I went to Funan to buy some blank CD-R to burn my files. Saw an Ah Kun store there and realise for the past 5 yrs in S'pore, I never had Ah Kun before! Needless to say, I ordered a kaya toast set, which comes with coffee, soft-boiled eggs and kaya toast. That's lunch for me.
So what's next? Should I have ice cream for dinner? :P
Had to report to school at 11am and woke up at 9am, so I had to eat something quick. Thus, I ordered 公鸡面, which is literally Cock Noodle. In reality however, it's just 肉脞面 served in a bowl with the picture of a Cock at the side. Could be philosophically interesting ("Is the Cock inside the noodle or is the noodle inside the Cock?"), or just plain stupid gimmick.
After settling matters in school, I went to Funan to buy some blank CD-R to burn my files. Saw an Ah Kun store there and realise for the past 5 yrs in S'pore, I never had Ah Kun before! Needless to say, I ordered a kaya toast set, which comes with coffee, soft-boiled eggs and kaya toast. That's lunch for me.
So what's next? Should I have ice cream for dinner? :P
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
JB Food Quest!
Back in May, me and my NIE classmates went over JB for shopping and eating. But first, we had to go through this thouroughly poorly planned visit to Singapore Discovery Centre. Bored the BEEJEEZES out of me. But then... Ms N looked fine after reporting sick in KL, so I still had an eyefull. :)
As soon as we reached JB, some went shopping, while the others go car-cruising. And me? I went pirated games hunting. WOOHOO! Sure feels good to earn SGD and spend RM! :P
Helped the gals with their shopping decisions. Sometimes, a MAN gotta do what a MAN gotta do...
The MAKAN Crew
Dinner time! We went to the Third Floor Restaurant for seafood, which has only one storey. Why is that so? Some of us actually suggested maybe they torn down the two storeys below the restaurant. Nice. Moulders of our nation's future, indeed... :P
What's on the menu? Butter Crabs, Chili Crabs, Wild Boar Meat with Ginger, Vege, Fish, Prawns, Bee Hoon. We were totally spoilt by Lisheng's treat. Thanks, man!
MAKAN Holy Grail!
Dig in!
Sisterhood
Tao Keh's
Raise your hand before answering!
Here's looking at you, kid.
Aftermath of our Rampage...
After dinner, we hit the bakery before we went home. Wee Lee insisted that a piece of Kuih Lapis was smiling at him. Well, judge for yourself...
The Smiling Kuih Lapis
As soon as we reached JB, some went shopping, while the others go car-cruising. And me? I went pirated games hunting. WOOHOO! Sure feels good to earn SGD and spend RM! :P
Helped the gals with their shopping decisions. Sometimes, a MAN gotta do what a MAN gotta do...
The MAKAN Crew
Dinner time! We went to the Third Floor Restaurant for seafood, which has only one storey. Why is that so? Some of us actually suggested maybe they torn down the two storeys below the restaurant. Nice. Moulders of our nation's future, indeed... :P
What's on the menu? Butter Crabs, Chili Crabs, Wild Boar Meat with Ginger, Vege, Fish, Prawns, Bee Hoon. We were totally spoilt by Lisheng's treat. Thanks, man!
MAKAN Holy Grail!
Dig in!
Sisterhood
Tao Keh's
Raise your hand before answering!
Here's looking at you, kid.
Aftermath of our Rampage...
After dinner, we hit the bakery before we went home. Wee Lee insisted that a piece of Kuih Lapis was smiling at him. Well, judge for yourself...
The Smiling Kuih Lapis
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