WHITNEY HOUSTON'S I LOOK TO YOU - THE ALBUM

I know I'm bad and I deserve a spanking on the butt but I couldn't help myself. So please spare my tender behind. I confess that I downloaded the whole Whitney Houston's I Look To You album before it even hits the American music stores next week. I really, really couldn't help myself and I couldn't wait that long since I don't know how long before it will officially be available here. I did download five songs and snippets of her songs a week earlier but that was just not enough. I wanted the whole thing and I wanted to be one of the first people to be able to listen to the whole album. My conscience did pay me a visit but I turned him away saying that his visit was untimely. Finally, I did the unspeakable deed. So what is the verdict? Well, the album is worth the long wait. I love all the songs. I love her new voice and I love how she uses it in many different ways. In fact, her voice is on fire and the album will be burning the sales and airplay charts. I have been playing the songs non-stop since last night. That's how crazy I am. I know I should be ashamed of myself but I do not regret my action at all. After all, 'there are worse things I can do' (borrowing the lyrics from 'Grease') and I know I will buy the cd later on. I hope the Malaysian special edition will have extra remixes and videos. That will really make my day. My favourites are I Got You, A Song For You, Salute, the new version of Like I Never Left, For The Lovers and Call You Tonight but I'm sure the others will grow on me too in time. 6 out of 11 is not really that bad. Actually, it is very, very good.

RAMADHAN COMES AGAIN

The public schools will close tomorrow and InsyaAllah, Ramadhan will also start on the same day. I have always treasured the first day of Ramadhan since to me, it is an indication of how the whole month is going to be like. I hope this Ramadhan will be as wonderful as the previous ones. In fact, I think it is going to be more meaningful this year. I will be able to spend at least a week with my family and how I wish that the schools would close for a month. School-going children will be able to spend more time at home and families will be able to break their fast and perform their prayers together. As for me, I will have the chance to do early preparations for Syawal although last minute preparations and shopping (chaos is more like it) are much more fun and exciting. The house needs to be cleaned a little bit and I guess I will have ample time to bake a few types of cookies. I know my nephews and nieces (including their parents aka my siblings) will be asking whether I have baked enough of their favourite cookies for them to take home. So it is important that this task is completed early before I run out of steam! I would like to wish everyone a happy Ramadhan and I hope this Ramadhan will bring peace to all. Have a wonderful Ramadhan!

I WON'T FORGET ABOUT YOU, JOHN HUGHES

John Hughes, the director of teen flicks like The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, passed on a couple of days ago. In his movies, he depicted the coming-of-age period exactly like it was in the 80s. Unlike other directors of teenage movies, he poked fun at the the characters' irrationality, insensibility, insecurity and circumstances in a very funny yet touching way. Teenagers from all sorts of backgrounds flocked to the cinemas to watch his movies and it was good to know that there was someone who knew how to portray your life without being too judgmental or condescending. You can always see various characters and personalities in his movies and you can almost identify with at least one of them. There would be geeks, dorks and nerds, bitches, sluts and jocks, rebels, misfits and outcasts, and not forgetting overbearing parents and patronising teachers all thrown in in a less than two-hour movie. And I have always loved the songs he picked for his movies. True (Spandau Ballet) from Sixteen Candles and Don't You Forget About Me (Simple Minds) from The Breakfast Club are still some of my favourite songs until now. His movies have made life much more bearable for those who think that they are alone and different than the rest of the crowd. He showed that despite our differences, there can also be a common ground which we can share : love, compassion and understanding. And that is something that we should not forget.

AM I REALLY OUTDATED?

Am I really outdated? Do I need to upgrade myself? I ask myself these questions all the time. Every time I surf the Internet, I will find something new and totally alien to me. I wonder if my life will be better if I keep myself up-to-date with whatever that is new and recent. Is it necessary for me to buy the latest cell phone with the latest applications and features so as not to be left behind? Do I need to learn a new IT programme just to make sure I am indeed in the know? Do I have to listen to new songs so I can have something in common with my hip friends? Do I? Or don't I? I ask myself these questions simply because I don't want to be a blind follower of a trend or a fad. Many of us fall into traps set by others who have been trapped by others (who have been trapped by others too). We buy something not because we we need to but because we feel we need to. We do something because we see others are doing it. Is it necessary to do all that? Well, it is definitely important to keep abreast with development but to become its victims is something all of us can do without. I believe we have more choices now compared to the past and because of that, we don't necessarily have to follow all trends and fads which are shoved down our throats. We can choose whatever that suits our current needs. At the same time, it is also important to embrace what's 'current' in order to survive. A lot of companies have gone under due to their inability to move on and there are countless institutions which have become static due to lack of progress and development. At the same time, certain things are better the way they are intended to be in the first place. So back to my question. Do I need to upgrade myself? To answer that, I think I'd better stick with fadzali XP instead of ugrading myself to fadzali 7. I'm quite happy with fadzali XP's operating system at the moment and I guess I can still survive without crashing...

TIE-DYE (A SUMMER'S TALE)

I was watching e-news last night and it seems that tie-dye is making a comeback. Well, it's been a while since I last saw anyone wearing tie-dye t-shirts or skirts on the street. With the weather getting really warm and hazy, it's about time something cool and vibrant made its appearance again. Welcome back, tie-dye. I've missed you so much. I remember wearing my tie-dye t-shirts (till the colours faded) almost everywhere I went to when I was still a student. With my unruly long black hair, torn jeans, beads and sandals, people thought I was a flower child or at least, someone trapped in the 60s and just couldn't get over the era. I was definitely a sight to behold so I can understand now why people always gave me the weird look every time I passed them (the same way I look at the present youngsters with their pierced body parts). I also remember going to a free open-air reggae concert on my campus field and the organiser provided buckets and buckets of dyes for concert-goers to dye their white t-shirts in. There were lots of tie-dyed t-shirts (including a few underpants and bras!) left to be dried on the grass while the concert-goers moved and grooved to reggae music. That was also the summer when I had to repeat a class I had to drop earlier. Once I went shopping at The Mall (it was still the 'it' place back then) with a few friends (Aznan, Zainor, Ali and Mudasir) and we spotted a shop (I think it belonged to the former actor, Azmil Mustapha) selling tie-dye shirts. We were like hippies on pots when we saw the clothes! Oh! It was patchouli and sandalwood-scented psychedelic heaven for us and we got ourselves a tie-dye shirt each. Now that I'm older, I wonder if tie-dye t-shirts can still look good on me. Maybe yes but I'll get a second opinion before I dare wear them in public again since I definitely do not want to look like a member of the Grateful Dead.

On second thought, maybe I should start with these tie-dye boxers.

WHITNEY HOUSTON'S I LOOK TO YOU - FREE DOWNLOAD

Yes, one of her songs can be downloaded for free from her official website (whitneyhouston.com). Until Friday at least. I did that this morning before I left for work and I've been listening to it endlessly. I actually downloaded it from youtube a few days ago but it is not of good listening quality. The song itself is simple in arrangement without any fancy orchestration or lavish production. The song showcases Whitney's deeper and more mature vocals and I guess the reason for the lack of elaborate arrangement and production is simply to prove the doubters, haters and critics wrong. There have been many who say that she has lost her voice and can't sing anymore. As I wrote in one of my earlier post, her voice has changed but it is still a powerful voice that can and will put many other singers to shame. Her phrasing is different but still as clear as ever and you can really feel the emotion in the song. This song is obviously about turning to the Almighty for strength, guidance and hope. It sums up everything that she has been going through without going into details what her trials and tribulations were. It sounds almost like a prayer to me. This song will never make it to the top of the pop chart since the current music scene is dominated by a different music genre but who needs another pop song which will be forgotten once its 'freshness' is over? This one is definitely going to be another classic and timeless Whitney Houston's song.

ANOTHER DIVA FACE-OFF!

Whitney Houston's new album will be released soon and so will Mariah Carey's. Their fans are expecting another diva face-off to see whose album will sell more and who will have more hit singles. On a more local level, another face-off will be taking place too. The exact time and date are still undecided but this time it's going to be between me and my buddy, Fooart. Everybody knows how much I love Whitney Houston and he Mariah Carey. The time has come for us to hit the karaoke boxes (again) and try to outsing each other (as if we can really sing)! Most of our friends know that when the two of us get together, something strange is bound to happen. Both of us have a tendency to choose songs nobody wants to sing. We are also notorious for choosing songs that make people want to say 'WTF is that'? And just wait when we do our own version of 'When You Believe'. You won't believe it when you see our hands and fingers flying everywhere (either to get the 'feel' of the song or to diverge people's attention from our bad singing). Of course, we will give the other the not-so-subtle look of superiority when one of us makes a blunder or croaks like a toad. Don't expect too much from our performance since none of us can actually reach the original notes but you can bet that we will be lowering the keys a few notches!!!

MORNING SICKNESS

I'm not sure whether any scientific studies have been done on animal's morning sickness but my cat sure looks like she's having one. She's pregnant for the first time and has been throwing up from time to time. She looks a little bit groggy and has been spending most of her time resting. I understand morning sickness occurs in humans due to the hormonal changes in their bodies and certain smells and tastes can trigger this condition or even make it worse. I don't see it any different where animals are concerned since their bodies also go through certain changes. Some people say that morning sickness is nature's way of protecting the embryo in the womb and should be seen as a sign of a healthy pregnancy. Well, I'm no scientist so I'm not sure whether this is true or not. If this is so then I shouldn't be complaining and bitching too much even though I have to clean up the mess. Bring the mop!

p/s Thank God she doesn't have any weird cravings...

WHITNEY HOUSTON - I DIDN'T KNOW MY OWN STRENGTH

This is definitely not the official version that will be included in her new album and as I predicted, her voice has changed. I don't think she will be able to reach those really high notes anymore but that voice is definitely her voice. There is no mistake about it. One listen is enough to tell you that it belongs to her. It is just a more mature voice and there is nothing wrong with it. Whitney has said before that she needs to identify with a song before she can give meaning to it and to me, this song speaks volumes about what she had to go through. The lyrics might not appeal to the younger generation (they might find the words too cheesy to their liking) but once you listen to the song, you know that there is a story behind it. She is leaving her past behind and embracing a new life. And just like Whitney, her fans also need to embrace her 'new' voice without comparing it too much with the one she once had. I know it will be difficult but I also know I will have to.

MY WHITNEY HOUSTON'S COLLECTION (SMALL BUT PRECIOUS)

Last night was 'The Bodyguard' night for me. I had nothing to do so I ended up watching the movie again. I can't even remember how many times I have watched the movie but one thing for sure is I still enjoy it from the beginning until the end. Today, I took out some of the items in my Whitney Houston's collection and took a few pictures. I can't believe that it has been more than 20 years since she made her debut on the music scene. Her new album will be out soon and during the mean time, I don't have any choice but to listen to her old songs. It doesn't really matter to me whether the album is going to be commercially successful or not. I'm sure her voice has changed too and her current repertoire will have to reflect that change. It is foolish to hope the 'old' Whitney to be back. My Whitney Houston's collection is small but very precious to me since most of the items have their own stories. I bought my first Whitney Houston's cassette tape when I was still in college and I played it to death until the the tape broke and came off the reel. CDs were still a rarity back then and definitely out of the question for a struggling student like me. I bought her first and second CDs as soon as I got my first paycheck from my first 'real' job. I was going through quite a difficult time in my life when her single 'I Learned From The Best' was released. The song never reached the Top 10 in the US Billboard Hot 100 but the song and video remain one my personal favourites till today. When her 'Just Whitney' album came out, I asked my friend, Zurina, who was visiting her sister in Paris to get a copy for me. I was surprised when she came back with not one but two copies of the same CD. One of them was a special edition that came with a limited edition DVD. These are a few 'love stories' behind my Whitney Houston's collection. There are more, of course but I think I'd better keep them to myself during the meantime..