Jay Chou Live in Malaysia

23 Feb 2008

At last…the day has come.
I walked ALONE and reached Syaza’s at 3.00 p.m. Then, we rode in RAPID bus – my fave public transportation…rm2 and you can go anywhere! We took the monorail to Times sq. first coz syaza was hungry. On the way (inside monorail) I saw lots of people at stadium merdeka (station maharajalela)…it was still 4++ p.m only!

After solat at times sq, we waited for monorail around 6pm but it was so full that we got into the 4th train which was 40 minutes later. There were tons of people like sardine inside the monorail and semua turun at maharajalela.

We didn’t know where to go and this one abang munchy’s said that he could help…so I asked him and he asked about my ticket and then he showed me where to go. Then he asked (again) “Betul ke minat ni?” Haaaiii…dah sampai rm333, takkan tak minat kot?

We entered the stadium and I asked every single pekerja there about my seat. Once, this one Chinese guy said “kamu first beli”…. Don’t know what he meant. At first I was kinda disappointed cos my seat was hujung sekali and far from stage. This couldn’t be so cos I paid a fortune for this..but I didn’t know the advantage of duduk tepi yet…

8.20pm…..there he was!!! With the merak costume and transformers opening and all of us stood on the chairs! Actually this was just another siaran ulangan cos I had watched the dvd of his concert in HK. His voice was so powerful (in my opinion la…) it was so great!

Plus he sang my other fave songs which were not included in the dvd…cai hong, ye de ti zhi zhang, kung fu dunk etc. And yeah..he played piano well, he can dance especially during niu zai hen mang and ben cao gang mu. He had a drum fight with mr.Q and piano fight with his best friend from nan quan mama. He played this one Chinese instrument for fa ru xue and also the Chinese yoyo (my friend called it). He’s very entertaining laa…BEST sangat!

His voice didn’t disappoint me! He sang live well. I sang and screamed all the time. I had fun laa. I was so happy. I paid rm333 and I wanted to enjoy every single bucks I paid so I stood on the chair, sang and danced throughout the concert and I wanted more!!!

Oowh..after yang guang zhai nan, he stopped and the stage was dark. A few people left but I still waited and there he was...playing that Chinese instrument. He didn’t sing so WE sang fa ru xue for him and then he sang Huo yuan Jia and Nunchucks as the ending…

I don’t know what else to say…the concert was up to my expectation and I was (am) so happy cos I had fun that night! While waiting for my parents at maharajalela, there were these 2 malay girls tegur us. They said they were all the way from penang and pahang… lagi fanatic diorang tu but theirs were free standing…sorry girls, I stood on the chair…that’s the advantage of duduk tepi. I got to move freely, did whatever I wanted and danced…..!

Just a lesson to learn… next time, buy the most expensive ticket, earlier and ask for the ‘frontest’ row.

Saturday Feb 2, 2008.

The day I finally met Jay Chou

I only knew that Jay Chou would be at 1utama that Saturday (2/2/08) on Thursday! Aaaarrrrrgh! How was I going to go?! So I asked everybody that could give me companion coz I hadn’t been in 1utama for ages and lastly, Hajar (thanx Hajar….Love you so much!) volunteered to give it a go.

The night before that, Pelatas and I went out to look for Hern’s Juara and we came home at 2.45 a.m. So I slept late and the next morning (of course) I woke up late. But thankfully I got to the bus stop on time. We were gonna ride in RAPID Bus – 2 ringgit and you can go anywhere you like!

We reached 1utama at 10++ a.m. To make it short, we redeemed posters, went shopping, got to know from Wani that Jay would only be there at 7.30 p.m. so we continued our spree and oh yeah, we bought the VVIP passes cost rm20 each.

It was raining renyai-ly but I got payung so no need to worry. We were standing in the ‘frontest’ row (behind the reporters and the pagar) and Oh, there was a singing contest and this one peserta really looked like APAM!

The MC was really funny… once he said, “I know you girls will be shy when you see Jay Chou but inside you wanna grab him and tear him apart, rite?” And then there was this one GUY screaming and the MC said, “Hey, I said that for the girls lah! What’s wrong with you, MAN?! Security!”

After some shows, at 8.11 p.m., there he was! Jay Chou!!!!!!!!!! And Baron Chen (I don’t know him) and Kevin Chu (the director) were there too. They talked and showed some basketball skills and there was a contest and this one Chinese girl won and got to take pictures with Jay on the stage and he presented prizes for other contests and basically, that was it.

The MC said earlier that VVIP can take pictures with Jay but I didn’t see where that happened and it was already 9 p.m., so if we miss U82 this time we were gonna sleep there. So we took the 1st bus we saw and left without knowing whether Jay met fans or not…so I didn’t take any pictures with him laaa… But the thing is I was (and am) happy to see him live. Maybe some of you don’t give a damn about him but think of it as your fave…MCR or Sheila on 7 or Siti or LP…you would know how I felt.

P. Ramlee the Musical

6.30 a.m., 2nd November 2007.
Wani, Shaza and I were waiting for the ‘Rampid Bus’ to arrive at sec2. Extremely early hah? Actually, we had just finished studying…I repeat… studying computer at McD the night before. Five of us – Shaza, Wani, Nonz, Hadi and I. The night was quite suck coz I couldn’t concentrate at all BECAUSE it was COMPUTER IN EDUCATION! Anyway, I was thrilled though coz something huge and exciting awaited me that night. It’s P. Ramlee the Musical!!! I couldn’t stop saying Sean Ghazi and Siti Nurhaliza all the time we were in McD and the bus stop till Shaza got bored with me. Eventually, the bus came but I couldn’t get to be the first punter coz there were two Indons got onto the bus first.

Anyhow… after I reached Mawar (2A-04-14: that’s my room) I at once hopped on my bed and got my nutritious beauty sleep. I don’t remember at what time I woke but it wasn’t noon yet and I instantly packed my stuff (bet you know what stuff I mean) to be brought back home. No breakfast and no lunch for that day.

5.00 p.m.
Wani and I started our journey to Istana Budaya. From Mawar to sec2 then to KTM Shah Alam and met Hajar there. Herne would meet us at Istana Budaya coz she went there with Uncle Jalal…oh, I mean Mr. Helan Abu..hehe. My parents fetched the three of us at KL Sentral and the thrill just got greater. Then, we got there at around 8pm++ and my dad parked the car next to a big-green-tong sampah coz that was the only parking space left (malas nak cari lain sebenarnye).

Inside Istana Budaya, the first person we saw was Zahim Al-Bakri having ‘light dinner’ with his friends. Then, we met Herne and her dad…. and then Adlin Aman Ramli. We DID take pictures with Mr Zahim and Mr Adlin.

Enough said… we got to our seats (the second cheapest seats!) at level 3 in Panggung Sari and waited for the play to start. Around 9pm++, a classic-young-and-good-looking man presaged the show.

Curtains up…. there they were… Sean Ghazi fiddling with the piano as P.Ramlee and Liza Hanim showing her singing skill as Saloma...in nightdress. The background was so COOL showing the rainy-and-windy weather. Then, it was all flashback…

The stage was quite crowded coz there were too many actors and actresses singing for the opening of P. Ramlee’s life. Syafie (Mukhsin in Mukhsin) played as young P. Ramlee and ‘my neighbor’ (believe me, I see her everyday but I don’t know her name till now) played young Azizah. Speaking of which, Siti played Azizah. The little girl’s mom said that her daughter and Siti were placed in the same room days and nights for two months for the practice (almaklumlah azizah kecik ngan azizah besar). Back to the play, the first part where P. Ramlee kecik and Azizah kecik played was verrry funny and believe me, that pretty-little-girl-next-door CAN sing!

Then, there was this one part where Sean Ghazi sang for a show and the ‘audience’ made noise and then, after he finished singing, the small stage turned around to show what happen behind the stage. The noise got softer and Sean Ghazi met Siti behind the stage. Well, for me, that was a verrry COOL idea!

Siti’s voice couldn’t be questioned and it was powerful and managed to bring the sadness for they were parting at that time. A friend of mine said that Siti couldn’t act but I disagree with that opinion. I think that Siti’s acting couldn’t be judged yet for this is her debut acting and her part – although important – was small. Or maybe the night I went, Siti played well. Who knows?

Oh, I would like to tell about the props and stage. Whoever in charge of the props, setting and stage was a total genius! The train was so COOL! It was meant to be seen from inside and outside…hard to describe, you’ve just got to watch it. Too late, hah?

Once, when P. Ramlee missed Azizah, we got to see what was ‘in his mind’. Siti sang remarkably behind a curtain and the light was on her to create ‘the memory in P. Ramlee’s mind’. That part was really poignant and heartbreaking and sad. A few times I almost cried but hey(!) my parents were beside me!

And there was also this one part where P.Ramlee was sad after his second divorce and played the piano in his living room. At the same time, Saloma was singing in her living room coz she ‘had a thing’ for P. Ramlee. That was when the first stage (P. Ramlee’s living room) was brought up half way to show the second stage (Saloma’s living room) and there it was…two living rooms with two people unconnected, but attached in their emotions. It was brilliant and I couldn’t believe that human being can be as creative as that! (Ok, blame me: this is the first time I watched a theater in Istana Budaya)

And again, there was a cameo in a cinema and till now I still couldn’t figure out and understand how they made it. It was like we were behind the screen watching people watching movie… tricky, hah? A high intellectual capacity is required to understand my babbling...hehe.

Well, Saloma and P. Ramlee first date was very very very very FUNNY! And there were ‘offstage rumble’ in the whole hall. Sean Ghazi deserved the part. His voice was so impressive, he can act – WELL – and he can dance ok! The orchestra was so so so good, they played well, the music was splendid and all the songs were…thanks to P. Ramlee(!) So I think all the actors and crews deserved BIG-thumbs up.

As Herne said… “Only one word – MAGNIFICENT!”

Jay Chou: On The Run

This is Jay Chou’s eighth album. For those who doesn’t know what Jay Chou is… he’s a male(!) ok.

Well, I’ve been listening to him since his fourth album (and managed to catch up from his first) and never get bored. BUT BUT BUT… his latest album was quite a disappointment for me. It’s not that I don’t like it but I expected something out of ordinary from the album.

What I like most about Jay Chou is that he manages to blend different genres in one song. And he’s famous for his East-Meets-West songs. How I never tire listening to Twilight Chapter 7 (Ye De Ti Zi Xiang), Nocturne (Ye Qu), Wai Po and my all time favourite song, Father I’m Back (Ba Wo Hui Lai Le).

But this time around, I don’t find something quite like that. Thank God, Wu Shuang (one of the latest songs) saved my money (it’s my current ringtone!). At least, there is one song that can fill my empty stomach….huhu. But I think the beginning of the song is somewhat similar to What I’ve Done by Linkin Park. I think lah…

I like the first single – Niu Zai Hen Mang – coz it’s ‘funny’ and catchy, although that’s not my favourite genre. I make it my alarm tone though.

Anyway, I’ve decided to assume like this: On The Run does not meet my expectation coz Secret was a blast!

SAMSONS’ showcase

It’s Saturday, 11th August 2007 at Menara PGRM, Taman Maluri.

Actually Afiqah got four tickets to watch SAMSONS live in KL. Well, I guess I was lucky enough to be invited..huhu. Not Fiqah and I alone, but with Syaza and Herne too. Well, to get to Menara PGRM was quite a journey itself.

Let’s skip the journey. When we got there, the event had already started with some games conducted by Iwan FO3. He seemed tall on the stage (wait for what happened at the end of the show). Then, there was 6ixth Sense (the frontman was hyperactive!) opening the show with ‘today and yesterday’ and ‘couldn’t go for you’ and a few other songs which I don’t remember.

Then, there was SAMSONS! Ok, let me tell you something… I didn’t know who or what SAMSONS was and what their songs were till I got there. When Fiqah invited me, I was like “Hey, I know the place! I’m in.” In my mind, “Yeah, just a group of guys from seberang. No big deal.” And all the way there, a friend of mine said that they can’t sing live. Well, they can but not very well. So I thought, just wait and see. After all, it was free (thanks a lot Fiqah!)

I didn’t know that Bams is cute. And that was it.

They sang all their former hits like ‘Kenangan Terindah’ which was sung very very well, I think, although the audience was quite noisy, of course and ‘Naluri Lelaki’ and at that time, God knew what songs they sang (told ya, I didn’t know them!) Then, they sang their new songs like ‘Kisah Tak Sempurna’ and ‘Jika Ku Harus Bermimpi’ which I got addicted to for quite some time.

Tell you what, Bams didn’t really speak on stage and all the talking was done by Irfan (I know his name the next morning after I run through the cd). I think they sang well and their songs were pretty good and easy for my ears. I enjoyed the show, so did everyone else.

Just one thing: there were these few groups on lelaki indon who went a little on top – not a little, I think, coz we were very irritated by them. They took off their shirts, carried one another on the shoulders and showed off huge banners. And then, there’s also this one lelaki indon yang pendek showing off his dancing skills in front of us. Disgusting! Well, that was it about the show.

After the show, anybody who had the new album could meet the guys for autograph. I didn’t wait long then and terus bought the cd. I queued….

I said to Bams, “My friends kirim salam.”
He said, “Oh, kirim-kirim salam balik.” I didn’t know that he’s non-muslim…so did my friends. Then, I salam him and Aldri (gosh, 80 tahun dosa!)

There were lots of pics on the table but I didn’t know what they were and that I could take it. So I went back and …… met Iwan! I wasn’t aware that it was him at first when he said’ “Eh, mana boleh dua kali…” Believe me; he’s not taller than me.

When Syaza and I went back, SAMSONS was taking pictures and one by one left until it was Bams alone with his fans. Sadly, when it was our turn, a bodyguard came and took him away…aaarrrgggh! Poor Syaza…and the pic dah habis…

Peony In Love by Lisa See

After one week of reading, I finally reached the end of the story (tell you: I’m a slow reader). Another novel by Lisa See. Her first book I read was Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. It was wonderful and mind-blowing. This is her second book that I’ve read. Another remarkable work, Lisa!

Peony In Love is totally different from any other novel I’ve read before. This one is what I can say as ‘a ghost love story’. It’s not a ghost story as in ‘seram’ story but it tells the unfulfilled love in the real world that leads to the search for love FROM the afterworld. Confusing, hah? Read it yourself. There’s no shorthanding to it.

This story is full of beliefs and customs in the Ancient Chinese Tradition. I don’t know whether they’re still followed or not but one thing for sure arranged marriage has long been left, right? How sad it was for people – men and women – at that time where they were betrothed since infancy and married to a person they hardly know. And the purpose of marriage – to get a SON! Some were fortunate if they found love after marriage but others, especially those who couldn’t bear a son; their life was fairly useless and hated by parents-in law. They even had to accept the fact that their husbands had to get concubines for that one purpose.

Well, back to the story. Peony was 16 years old when she was to be married out to a man. At that time, she was in love with a man but didn’t know that the man she was about to marry was actually the man she loved. So she starved herself and died five days before her marriage just in time to know who her future husband was.

She died in regret because she should have prepared herself for the marriage and be with her lover but things happen, right? So, this story basically takes place in the eyes of a ghost or soul who still hoped for the love and took care of her lover. Her afterworld journey was tragic as she got to watch what happened in the real world. The only way for her to connect to her lover is through commentary on The Peony Pavilion (they both loved the play) which she believed that her lover would hear and feel her presence by reading the words.

Many young girls at that time died because of lovesickness – just like Peony. They met or dreamed about a guy – once – and fell in love and then didn’t want to be married out as agreed. Hence, they starved themselves and died – just like that. One more thing: daughters were perceived as another mouth to feed and they didn’t belong to their natal family. They were taken care of just to be performed to their future husband’s family.

Now, let us think. If we – girls – were to be married out to an unknown people and at the same time in love with someone else, what will we do? Just obey to save our parents’ face and become lovesick maidens? Or fight?

Alhamdulillah…this doesn’t happen to most of us anymore.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Housseini

A totally heartbreaking story! Make sure you have a box of tissue when you reach the final chapter of the story. A Thousand Splendid Suns tells the story of two women of different generation. They met, it was luck; they talked, it was by chance; they became friends, it was destiny; they became madu, it was fate; they’ll forever be like mother and daughter, it was a promise.

How hard it was (maybe is) to live in Afghanistan during the war. Not only the war that broke everyone’s hearts but the discrimination (again) towards women. There were many issues that evolve from women. Women had to be in a certain ways, cannot do this, cannot do that, must do this and must do that…even cannot say a word about whom she was to be married. Again, women had to accept any choices from parents and the saddest thing is men can marry whoever they wanted without the girls’ approval… they asked for a hand, parents approved, done! No word from the girl is allowed or necessary.

And that would be the beginning of a tragic life for women in Afghanistan. They became slaves for their husband, the punching bag for their husband and the ‘edible item’ for their husband.

War that happened worsened the situation. Enough that women had married to beasts, now they lost every important person in their life before – parents, siblings, relatives – till they had no one to turn to. And there was no hospital that treated women! New authority, new rules. Women cannot speak, cannot be in public without male relative, cannot work, cannot get any education and the list went on and on.

But amid all this, women can still create a bond with somebody who happened to be in the same circumstances. This way, they create hopes that everything would be back to normal again, where they can live peacefully. A thousand splendid suns symbolize the brightness of their hopes, how optimistic women in Afghanistan were during the war. They endured everything silently, without complain, like rocks in riverbed, silently washed away but never moved.