A SYAWAL WEDDING

I really thought that I was done with the whole 'wedding business' after my baby brother got married earlier this year. Boy, was I wrong about that. Zam, one of the guys at the centre where my mother goes for her hemodialysis treatment came to me asking me to help with his 'hantaran'. He was already nervous from all the things that he had to do since his 'kenduri' would take place on the first week of Syawal. I understood what he was going through and how could I say no to him? He was always nice to both me and my mother and to say no was definitely inappropriate. I had tonnes and tonnes of things to do both at home and at work but I figured that I could still manage everything. He wanted royal yellow as the theme colour for the gifts and I was afraid of using too much of that colour. It seems that I'm much more partial to softer and soothing hues lately instead of stronger primary colours which can be very overpowering if not utilised wisely. Initially, he had left everything for me to decide but hey, I don't usually work that way especially if it involves other people and their money. I managed to persuade him to go shopping with me for stuff that we needed (rightfully, it was he who needed those things and not me). My job was made easier when he never did once disagree with any of my suggestions (his mind was clearly somewhere else, lol). I have seen too many extremely elaborate 'hantaran' (a complete turn off for me) and I definitely did not want the decorations to overshadow the gifts. Personally, I'm quite satisfied with the outcome of my work which I think is simple and not too over the top (but only in my opinion, mind you). To the bride and groom, congratulations!


p/s One of my nephews will be getting married soon and I have already told my sister that I can't be of much assistance to her (since she stays in another state). I am ready to give suggestions and opinions but I definitely will not be able to be too involved this time.

THE ROCKY HORROR GLEE SHOW

I know I'm way outdated (almost a year behind actually) since I only got to watch 'The Rocky Horror Glee Show' last week. I did not particularly like the episode and I think the songs were horribly performed. Watching it did bring back some good memories though. I was only 19 years old when I attended the midnight screening of 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' for the first time. All my friends were seasoned and regular attendees of the movie while I was just an innocent and clueless 'virgin'. I'd say that they were quite keen to 'deflower' me. Poor little me. With a little bit of persuasion and smooth talking (it didn't take much to coax a 19-year-old virgin actually), I agreed to go and watch this movie. I had never heard of it before and and no idea whatsoever what it was all about. They promised that I would have a good time and we would go for a 'bite' (no pun intended) after the screening. Imagine my shock when I reached the cinema which was located at the students centre. I could see quite a number of people dressed up in drag and strange outfits. I had seen beautiful drag queens and transvestites before but what I saw made me want to run and hide in a deep hole somewhere. There were guys wearing heavy make-up, black lace corsets, stockings and garter belts under the bright lights! They were definitely not a pretty bunch. Others came with umbrellas, newspaper and flashlights. It was really a strange sight. It wasn't raining at all that night and there was no warning of any impending blackout either. I had no idea what the newspaper was for but I was sure that it was not for reading. A few were comfortably dressed in their night clothes or underclothes (seriously, I'm not joking). I was among the few who were decently dressed and I guess that was how they knew I was still 'pure'. I wondered what I had gotten myself into but there was clearly no turning back from that point on. The rest, as people say, is history. My 'cherry' was busted that night and how! The movie is still one of my favourites of all time and I feel truly sorry for those who lost their 'virginity' watching the 'Glee' version. It was not even half close to the real thing. One has to go and see the stage production or the movie itself to truly feel what it is like to have a mind-blowing orgasmic experience. Now, my dear fellow Transylvanians, let's do the Time Warp again!

My old 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' cassette. Totally last century, y'all!

HAPPY MALAYSIA DAY!

Happy birthday, Malaysia.

SO UN-MALAYSIAN OH BOY!

I might be inviting some (maybe even a lot of) disagreements when I say that there is not much that young Malaysians can be proud of when it comes to 'Malaysian Boy', a song produced by Astro in conjunction with the 'Suara Kami' concert. I love the idea of having singers of different races singing the multilingual lyrics and the concept of the video portraying young Malaysians coming together but I can't feel the song at all. Yes, the song is catchy and I'm sure that a lot of people like it very much. To some, it is even better than the original version (American Boy) but does it really express 'suara kami' (our voices)? Why couldn't they come up with something authentic (in all sense of the word) to depict the pride of young Malaysians? It's almost funny to think how on earth we ended up adapting 'American Boy' as a supposedly 'youth anthem' for Malaysians when many other singers have made it into a parody (check Wikipedia for a comprehensive list of 'American Boy' parodies). I am not doubting the sincerity and motive behind the song's production. I'm merely saying that we don't need to rely on a 'borrowed' popular tune to reach the masses. I'm pretty sure that we have enough talents among our youngsters and musicians. We should be capable of coming up with something much more original than that since Malaysian music itself is colourful and diverse. Can't we adapt and infuse those Malaysian elements into a song that we can be proud of? All in all, giving the song a pathetic dose of Malaysian flavour does not mean that it has a Malaysian essence. And that is that, thank you.

p/s I am definitely old school (no doubt about that) and I am proud to say that 'Warisan' by Sudirman and the original 'Saya Anak Malaysia' by dR. SAM are still among the best patriotic 'pop' songs so far.

LET'S KARAOKE 18 : DEBBIE GIBSON - FOOLISH BEAT

Tiffany and Debbie Gibson were the indisputable pop princesses and the music industry's sweethearts back in the 80s (very much like Britney and Xtina at the beginning of their careers). Both of them also churned out hits after hits which appealed to teenage girls all over America and their popularity later spread to other parts of the world especially Japan and Southeast Asia. Like many other teenage idols before them, they slowly faded out from the mainstream music scene. Their fans grew up and the fickle music business no longer seemed to be interested in them. Trying to shake off their girlie images, both of them appeared nude (separately, of course) in Playboy magazine (they both looked good by the way). I have often wondered what it would be like if they were to appear together in a life-sized special centerfold (that would definitely be something, right?). Now, before I digress, let's go back to the song I'm trying to feature here which is 'Foolish Beat' by Debbie Gibson (she prefers to be known as Deborah Gibson nowadays). This ballad was the fourth single taken from Debbie's debut album 'Out Of The Blue' and her first number 1 song on the Billboard chart. She held the record as the youngest writer, producer and singer of a number one song for 19 years before the record was broken by Soulja Boy in 2007. She also had a few more hits from her second album but her third and subsequent albums after that failed to match the success that she had earlier. Still touring and performing, she can be seen in Katy Perry's video 'Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)' acting as Katy's mother with Corey Feldman, another 80s teen idol.

The single's cover

There was a time when
Broken hearts and broken dreams
Were over
There was a place where
All you could do was
Wish on a four-leaf clover

But now is a new time
There is a new place
Where dreams just can't come true
It started the day when I left you

I could never love again
The way that I loved you
I could never cry again
Like I did when I left you
And when we said goodbye
Oh the look in your eyes
Just left me beside myself
Without your heart (without your heart)
I could never love again
Now that we're apart

When I was sorry
It was too late to turn around (turn around)
And tell you so
There was no reason
There was no reason
Just a foolish beat of my heart

I could never love again
The way that I loved you
I could never cry again
ike I did when I left you
And when we said goodbye
Oh the look in your eyes
Just left me beside myself
Without your heart (without your heart)
I could never love again
Now that we're apart

Oh, can't you see
I'm not fooling nobody
Don't you see
The tears are falling down my face
Since you went away
Break my heart
You slipped away
Didn't know I was wrong
Never meant to hurt you
Now you're gone

I could never love again
Now that we're apart (now that we're apart)
I could never love again
Now that we're apart

MY OWN PRIVATE KARAOKE LOUNGE

I've noticed that my blog has been turning into some sort of karaoke lounge lately. To tell the truth, I don't have anything interesting to say or write at the moment. In other words, I'm running out of ideas on what to write (it's not like I had tonnes and tonnes of ideas before this anyway). I am not really fond of rambling about personal stuff and reporting every single thing that happens in my life sounds a little egocentric to me. In addition, it is so not me anymore to comment on every current issue, especially social and political ones, that others might find interesting. I prefer to keep things to myself nowadays. I'm no longer the loud and vocal person I once was. I haven't lost my bite and my bark but I'd rather not show my true colours too much to everyone. There was a time when everyone could expect a comment, opinion or remark from me regarding almost everything. Nowadays, I prefer to keep my big mouth shut since there have been far too many occasions when I have put my foot in my mouth. Most of the things are quite impertinent to my being and existence anyway. Maybe my seemingly shallow understanding on a lot of stuff has also hindered me from being too critical and judgmental of things. I believe that my commenting on any of them is not going to do any good to me (and others) at all. I'm not saying that I'm so goody-two-shoes or trying to be one. That bitchy, sarcastic and complaining side of me will always be there and can emerge anytime without warning. What I'm trying to say is these days, I'd rather not let things get to me too easily. I think I've enough of chaos, drama and theatrics that can and will rob me off the feeling of peace and tranquility that I so much need in my life. I need something light and not too serious. At the same time, I also want to share a little bit (just a little bit) of my life and feelings with others without revealing too much. Certain things are better kept as secrets, right? Hence, the virtual karaoke lounge in this blog. It's a place where you can sing your hearts out. In fact, you can even vent out your frustrations, sadness and anger here. To those who like to sing, you're very much welcomed here. The number of my self-made karaoke songs is very small and I hope you can find something that you like. I will try to come up with more, provided that I have the time and resources. Welcome to my karaoke lounge and stay as long as you want to. There is no cover charge and this place is opened 24/7/365. Don't forget to bring some friends over and let's have a good time!

EID UL-FITR GREETING CARDS

Today is the 8th of Syawal and I'm back at work again after celebrating Eid with my family and friends. Each Eid is special in its own way to me and I am grateful for all the blessings that have been bestowed upon me. Most of my family members and friends were there for the celebration. I had enough food to serve to my guests. My house was adequately decorated (and most importantly, clean). Everyone (including my cats) was happy and in good health. The weather was fine and heavenly. I definitely couldn't ask for more (and I shouldn't). There was only one thing missing though. I no longer received any greeting cards from friends and relatives. No, I'm not talking about virtual cards that we can get for free on the Internet. I am referring to the old-fashioned greeting cards that we used to send back in the old days. How many of us still send this type of card every festive season? I don't even know anybody who does that on a regular basis anymore and I have to admit that the last greeting card that I sent was like 7 or 8 years ago. Sending these cards was almost like a ritual that I never missed doing until I, too, got hooked on sending virtual cards and wishes via the Internet or text messages. I really feel guilty abandoning this so-called ritual though I know how time-consuming and expensive it can be sometimes. True, sending wishes in this new era of technology is much easier and more convenient than it used to be but it certainly lacks the personal touch that we usually feel when we receive something special and personal. The feeling that we get upon receiving these old-fashioned greeting cards from loved ones via the mail is indescribable (at least it is to me anyway). An absolutely good feeling that tugs at the heart and warms the soul. It makes us want to savour and treasure that moment forever. It will certainly take a lot of effort on my part to start sending these greeting cards again but I hope I will be able to do it next year. I might start by sending a few cards to those whom I haven't seen in years (provided I still keep their addresses somewhere).


p/s I have a mild case of hoarding and I don't usually throw away any greeting cards that people sent to me. Some of these cards are more than 20 years old and I still treasure each and every single one of them.

HAVE A BLESSED EID 1432H

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✿ S E L A M A T . H A R I . R A Y A . A I D I L F I T R I ✿
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To all Muslims, have a blessed Eid and may we find peace and contentment in our hearts and souls.