It's Gonna Be Me!

It sure was! It sure was Dafi that left last night! *sob* LOL! *wink* I am gonna miss seeing him at next week's concert and the finals.......

Dafi sang that song by N'Sync at last night's 8th concert. He danced beautifully. I really enjoyed his performance last night. The moves were well coordinated, and, what can I say, he was just so cute! LOL! *blush* His singing has improved a lot, even for this tone death writer! LOL! *grin*

It was sad to see him go last night. I said in my earlier entry in my blog that Dafi cannot sing, but, he has worked hard, and it shows. He might be lacking in the vocal department, but he has other trades which can make up for his lack in singing. Besides his good looks (Syafinaz once said that singing is a skill that can be acquired with practice, but, not everyone is born good looking, and as one of the critics said, it's hard being Dafi), and a charming personality, he is one good dancer! I cannot say much about the other kids that are left behind. He danced effortlessly and in tune. Each concert, I look forward to seeing him dance, and he has yet to fail me in that department. But, now, my excitement of seeing him perform weekly has been cut short by 2 weeks..........

By now, many who follows my blog, and read about my comments on the AF Concerts could tell that I am no fan of Aswad (ooops! Just by saying that is going to garner Aswad 10,000 more votes! LOL!). Yes, I am not a fan of Aswad, and to see Dafi go instead of Aswad is saddening. So, OK, I am supposed to be objective in giving out my opinions, but, sad I still am, because that is my personal feelings.

Why am I sad? Objectively speaking, yes, I agree that Aswad sings better than Dafi, no argument about that. But, can Aswad dance better than Dafi? He has yet to prove me wrong. Charms, Aswad do not have. His personality? He has yet to impress me. There are already many singers of his capabilities. The music industry is over run with singers like him. Do we need another one like him? His fans will say a big YES!

For me, I would like to see something different. I like Mila's vocals - very powerful and unique. She can carry many genres of songs, and last night was just prove of that. Heliza gave new meaning to the rock genre by singing a rock number, while still maintaining her demure character of a well-mannered muslim. Kudos to her!

Both Shawal and Ebi have vocals which are masculine, powerful and unique (one critic said that the industry is looking for people with vocals like Shawal), though in the last few concerts, Ebi struggled to get back his magic, after a powerful performance through his impressive rendition of KASIHNYA LAILA at the 4th concert. I hope this coming week, Ebi will get a song that will once again prove that he has got it to make it to the finals.

Although I am no fan of Candy, I cannot deny the fact that she can sing most songs effortlessly. She will have my vote anytime as compared to Aswad.

There are only six kids left, and another concert to eliminate just one more talent before going into the finals. Think! Among the 6 that are left behind, who is the least talented? Who will be the sacrifice to leave next week in place of someone who is getting votes through sympathy?

Who will you vote to be the eventual winner? Who has got the unique vocals to make it into the music industry which is getting more competitive by the day? Who has got the looks that can charm the general public into wanting to buy their albums, and wanting to hear their songs day in day out without getting bored? Who can dance in tune effortlessly, making kids even as young as 3 years old, wanting to do the same dance steps? Who has got the personality to make it into the industry which is always faced with strong critisms even for the simplest of mistakes? Who? Think! If you have been following my blog, you would know what my answer would be! LOL! *wink*

*Note: all photos were taken from Akademi Fantasia's official website at http://www.astro.com.my/akademi_fantasia/v5/

My frustrations.......

I have been having sleepless nights the last few weeks, if not already months. I am feeling anxious, nervous and worried. Most of all, I am feeling very frustrated......

I am frustrated that there are only a few more months left before the contract for this project ends but I cannot seem to see the light at the end of tunnel. Each day I see more problems cropping up, but the Project Manager and Site Supervisor do not seem bothered by them, or rather they seem oblivious to the problems cropping up, despite my constant reminder to them that there are issues which needs immediate attention. They do not seem to understand. They do not seem to be able to appreciate the problems we are facing and will be facing. I am nervous. I am worried.

I am only the Design Manager. My design team have worked hard, very hard, to come up with the best possible design we could, to the best of our capabilities. We did the design in under 6 months. Six months is a very short period of time, considering the size and the cost of the project.

I was overcomed with emotions when my Diretor General gave me only 6 months from the day of approval of the design, to finalize the design and to come up with the working drawings and design details. It is a huge project with over 25,000 sq meter in floor area, not including the supporting buildings, at a cost of over RM100 million, including the equipments. My management skills and capabillities were stretched to the limit. It was the one of the toughest times of my career. This wasn't the only project I was resposible for. I had 20 odd other projects to manage as well. I cried a silent cry almost daily during that period of time when things got so tough and I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to carry the project through. I am a perfectionist. I do not want to disppoint anyone. Certainly, I do not want to fail. My boss expected me to deliver. Both she and the DG expected the best from me.

I thank God that I had a good Design Team who gave me full support and cooperation to get the project done on time. My staff worked overtime to get the designs and drawings ready for tender. We sat and discussed daily to ensure that all works are coordinated and thought through.

We tendered the project as per schedule. I thank God for giving me the stength to carry it through. My Design Team and I look forward to the project taking off and seeing what we had worked so hard to design materilize the way it was designed. We knew there were still some details that needs to be worked out, but, we knew that with a good Project Manager and Contractor, whatever issues that needs further detailing could be settled professionally, if we all work together to find the solutions. We couldn't be more wrong.

As the project progresses, it was becoming more obvious that the Project Manager is 'incapable' of handling projects of that size, cost and nature. While we discussed the big issues like the roof systems, wall cladding systems, ceiling systems, mechanical and electrical systems and many more big issues, he was more concerned about the colour schemes. The walls are far from being completed in order for them to be ready for plastering work to receive any coat of paint.

There are far more urgent matters that needs to be looked into and resolved to get the building completed for delivery. Coordination of works on site need to be done, and it has to be done by the Project Manager. The services coming in needs to be coordinated to ensure that all services work together. The Project Manager has to undertake to do all that, but, alas, he expects everything to be done for him by the Design Office, expecting that everything be served to him on a silver platter.

The Design Manager only coordinates the design related issues, and I have undertaken that responsibilities by calling for Design Review Meetings almsot weekly to resolve issues of all trades related to design matters. So many of these meetings that I call, on top of my other projects, that my calendar is filled up two months ahead of time. I feel like I am not breathing at times when I run from one meeting to the next to the next, at times, 3 meetings colliding at one time, for some of the meetings for other projects I am involved in, are called by my boss who sets meetings according to her own schedule. There are also the travelling outstations that I have to do to manage my other projects all over the country, at times doing a marathon of travelling from north to south to the east coast. I am stressed out. So stressed out at times that my mouth ulcers would not go away for weeks.

To add to the 'incapabilities' of the Project Manager, the Contractor is, in my opinion, simply 'incompetent' to handle projects of this mega size and yet he says that he has done numerous big projects, far bigger then this one. Really? He has me fooled. Going by the way he is managing this one, it looks like this is his first big one, or rather, his first unstandard and complicated one. Before this, the big projects he has done must probably be just standard designs. *sigh*

I pray that God will give me strength again to see through this stage of the project. My sleep is getting shorter. I wake up in the middle of the night, worrying. I am nervous. I am anxious. I am worried. Most of all, I am frustrated.....I am crying a silent cry again........

An unwise move........

Each time I put up comments in my blog about the Akademi Fantasia concert, some friends would tell me that I am such a fanatic fan! LOL! Err...... am I really? *wink* Anyway, I did not put up any comments last week for two reasons - one, there was nothing really to comment about the 6th concert, and two, I was busy cooking up a storm for my son's 7th birthday party! LOL!

Am I planning to put one up today, and risked being labeled a fanatic again? LOL! Heck, it is just my opinion, and what I feel like saying! LOL! Anyway, here is just a little of what I want to say......I need to get it off my chest, right? LOL! *wink*

I think it is very insensitive, in fact, I feel it was rather unwise, of Astro to show clippings of the kids passing gas, or, to put it bluntly, farting. The malay says, "menjatuhkan air muka orang", literally translated to mean, to put down someone's face, or to embarass a person, by showing those video clippings.

Why did Astro do it? Has Astro ran out of gimmicks to show to attract its audiences? There are so many gimmicks that Astro could have come up with, but to show the kids passing gas is simply unacceptable, insensitive, embarassing, and simply ridiculous, especially in a culture that supposed to be polite and well mananered! Is Astro up to something? Another strategy by Astro to embarass some kids while it garners votes for the others? Really, Astro, it is always just about money?

The last concert saw Aizat having to leave for the lack of enough votes. Astro played the emotions of the audiences by bringing in the parents of all the other kids, except Aswad, whose parents have passed away. That scene of the kids crying as they met their parents, leaving Aswad looking very sad, pulled at the heart strings of many, I supposed, since Aswad's position was pushed to number one at the end of the concert, inadvertently, pushing Aizat to the last position, from a comfortable position in the middle before the concert.

Many in the audience were surprised by the announcement that Aizat had to go. Many felt that it was premature, him leaving in the 7th concert. Many expected him to make it to the finals. Even though I am no fan of Aizat, and yes, some said that his personality does not impress many `voters', but I do agree that he is more talented than Aswad. I am not saying that Aswad is not talented, but, by comparison, anyone who appreciates real talent could tell you that among the eight kids that were left, he was the least talented. But, Astro played a gimmick. Two wrong gimmicks, in my opinion - one, about the passing of gas by the other kids, making them look bad, embarassing them, in fact, and two, about Aswad being an orphan. Don't get me wrong. I do feel sad for him and I sympathize him for his loss, but, again I ask, is this a talent competition, or a competition to win by gaining pity and sympathy? *sigh*

It's hard to understand the mentally of the Malaysian majority who judges talents using their emotions. But then again, a blog I read said that if Astro had wanted a competition based solely on talent alone, and not make the viewers judge the characters and personality of the kids, then Astro shouldn't have the Diaries that show the personality of the kids when they let their hair down.

I guess AF will always be a competition of who wins the most sympathy. Didn't Faizal win because of his humble background more than for his talent? I am sure many would agree with me that Farhan is the more talented one in AF Season 4. Mawi did it too, though I must say that at least Mawi has very strong fan base that buys his albums, pushing it to be the most saleable album in years. Zahid is talented, but, his success in the music industry is nowhere compared to Farah and Adam's successes. Vince is only now making his mark, after already 4 years in the industry.

Are we going to end up having another mediocre talent coming out of AF this season? If that happens, it would be another sad day for the music industry.

*Note: all photos were taken from Akademi Fantasia's official website at http://www.astro.com.my/akademi_fantasia/v5/

On your mark, get set, GO!!

Aaahh! Finally the day has come for us to start on this long awaited piece! LOL! Yup, at NNC, we officially started on our Long Dong Mystery Sampler Stitch-A-Long (LDSAL) yestersay, 1st May 2007.

After about an hour of stitching, I ended up with a neckache. Why? Because the printout chart from the online magazine, Gift of Stitching, is so small that I tend to bend my neck more to read the chart. I tried to copy and print it out in a bigger size, but the output did not turn out clear.

I used to stitch with my glasses on (when I am not wearing my contacts), so I did not need to bend my head so low, but eversince I changed my glasses, it's giving me problems seeing near that I am more comfortable stitching without my glasses. I can see my stitching better, but have trouble seeing the charts that I tend to bend more to see the tiny charts. Can I last to finish this LDSAL? LOL!

So far, after about 2 hours of working on it yesterday, this is the outcome. Not much really, but I am beginning to see the colours and I am liking it as I stitch it, only I need to take long breaks, so that I don't end up having a bad neckache.

I think I will only be working on this piece on weekends, because the piece is too big to be carried around. On weekdays, I am planning to work on my off-white and purple crochet piece which is more mobile to bring around. I can even crochet in the car if my hubby is driving! LOL! This works out fine for me actually, because then I can actually get this crochet piece done sooner than if I were to totally put it in cold storage as I work on the LDSAL. I need to finish this crochet piece so that I can start working on the Wish List Exchange due in June to be sent out to Rhonda, all the way in the United States. Am I starting to panic already ? LOL!

This crochet piece is getting bigger than I expected. As it is, it is already more than 29cm (11") in diameter. I still have about 10 more rows to do before it's done. I can't wait!!

Arrghhhhhh!!!! *grin*

I don’t know where I did wrong, but miscounted I did. I checked and checked but still I could not find where my mistake was. Even if I ripped the piece, I wouldn’t know to rip it until which part of the piece. After some thought, I decided to snip off the thread and abandon this piece I started some two weeks back. Such a waste of time and effort (aarrgghhh!!!!), but carrying on with it would not be worth it, and ripping it would only be worthwhile if I rip it until where I changed the colours of the thread. *sigh* I just lost the momentum and mood to proceed with this piece. I might start over with a new colour though, maybe some time later. Maybe also never! LOL!

Anyway, with that piece stashed at a corner, I picked up my beige thread and started on a new piece with a new design, as you can see from the photo. I have combined purple into the piece. I have advanced further since the photo was taken on 26th April. I will put up progress photo of the piece later this weekend. I have to complete this soon as I had ‘unintentionally’ *wink* signed up for the Wish List Exchange currently being organized by BJ at NNC. It is an all craft (because it is not just cross stitch, but patchwork, quilting, crochet, tatting, or any other crafts which your partner wishes for) exchange where what you get in exchange will be different, in most cases, from the item that you will be sending to your assigned partner.

I am going to have a very busy schedule in the office since I foresee a lot of traveling in the next few months, but, heck, for the fun of it, why not, I will join the exchange, if not for anything else, to lend support to the activities organized in the group, for as long as my time permits. I might not be able to join in anymore exchanges come June, so, I think, this will probably be my last exchange until the end of the year. Wish me luck! *wink*

On the cross stitch front, after an almost non-cross stitching activity for close to a month, I started on something small two weeks ago. It is an alphabet taken from the Sajou series freebie which a member at NNC had posted a link at the board some time back. I am not telling what alphabet I am stitching for now, for this is going out to someone when done. *wink* If you can make out the alphabet, then just keep it to yourself, OK? *wink* Ssssshhhhhhhhhhhhh…………*grin*

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Aiman!

Aahh! It's been a tiring 3 days getting things ready for my son's 7th birthday party. A week before that, I had already started preparing the party packs, and the invitation cards needed to be printed out so that my son can hand deliver them to his classmates in school.

My hubby had earlier suggested that we just have the party at McD, KFC or A&W, but I was not in favour of it because the places where parties can be held were far from home. My hubby then suggested that we cater the food and have it at home but, when we went down the menu, I realised that I am capable of cooking and preparing all the food that we wanted on the menu. It would be such a waste to spend so much on something that I know how to do. So, finally, we agreed that I would cook some of the food, and my sister-in-laws (Eina & Eli) would help prepare one or two more dishes to make up the balance of the menu that we wanted. So, the stage was set......

I took leave on Friday, 20th April, to bake the cake as I would have to frost the cake on Saturday, in between preparing the things to make up the sphagetti sauce, potato salad and garlic bread. I need only have to cook the spaghetti and the sausages come Sunday morning, 22nd April, the day of the party, and the actual date of Aiman's birthday.


Baking the cake, frosting it, and preparing the things to make up the sphagetti sauce, potato salad and garlic bread sounded pretty easy, or so I thought. I have cooked this menu numerous times before when I had a maid, and before my son came into our lives. The last time I cooked up a storm single-handedly was more than 6 years ago, and I was younger and stronger then. I thought I could do it, and I wanted to do it for my son. We did not have any celebration for his birthday last year because just three weeks prior to his birthday, we sent the maid home unexpectedly due to some problems. All plans to have a party went down the drain as we took time to adjust to the new routine without a maid. So, this year, I promised him that we will have one. He was also eager to have his newly found friends from school over for the party.

So, prepare I did for 3 whole days, most of the time on my feet.

The party was on Sunday morning, and I think most of the kids had fun. I had prepared food enough for 20 kids and their parents, making it enough for more than 60 people. Guess what? I learnt something new as a parent. When you have a birthday party for a child and invite his or her school friends, the parents take it that the invitation is only meant for the child, and not for the parents and his/her siblings as well, unless you clearly stated it in the invitation card. I did not know that. Duh!

I naturally thought that a child would definitely be accompanied by at least one adult. I, for one, wouldn't just drop off my son at someone's house and just go off shopping or something. I would want to make sure that I am there in case he wanted food or drinks or needed to go to the toilet, something like that. Who is going to keep an eye on my son while the host is busy entertaining the other guests? Okay, so you say that I am overly protective of my son? Who wouldn't, in this time of day when kids go missing within split seconds at the blink of an eye. But, more so why I wouldn't just drop off my son and go shopping is so that my son wouldn't bother the host should he needed anything.

Well, that was what had happened at my son's birthday party on Sunday. Not that I am complaining that I was suddenly put to take care of 10 of my son's school friends (the rest were cousins who came with their parents. Phew! LOL!), don't get me wrong. If I had known that the parents were just going to drop of their kids I would have better prepared myself for it (mentally and physically) and not be suddenly swarmed with kids asking for water, not that water, this water, not that food but this food, no, I gotta go to the toilet NOW!! LOL!

It was choas for a while, while I got over my shock! LOL! I could have handled the situation better if I have had time to divide the responsibilities with my hubby - who takes care of kids wanting to go to the loo, who gives out the drinks, who looks after the kids who wants to eat, but fussy about the food laid out on the table, and wants something else! LOL! It sure was an eye opening experience for me! Duh! *grin*

So, this is the trend now these days, huh? When your child is invited to a party, unless it is stated that you, the parents, are invited too, you are expected to just drop off the child and go for a much needed honeymoon! LOL!

I am glad to have my sister, Lin, to take care of the games (Musical Chair, Passing The Parcel, Maze Puzzle & Stick the Elephant Trunk), while my brother, Ayis, was the music director for the Musical Chair & Passing The Parcel. Thank you to Eina for the Mee Hoon Siam (Fried Siamese Mee) and the sandwiches, Eli for the chicken fingers, and Kak La for the lovely chicken pies. A BIG Thank You to my hubby for taking care of the kids where he can (I think he was just as flustered too, but he was more calm than I was! LOL!), and of course for organising the tables and chairs and blowing up the balloons and putting them up.

A HUGE BIG HUG to my son, AIMAN! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SAYANG! We LOVE YOU VERY VERY MUCH!!! We hope that you have had a great 7th birthday party. The next one, God wiling, is going to be at McD, KFC or A & W! LOL! *wink*

BTW, did I tell you that we have so much food left over, that we will be eating sphagetti and Mee Hoon Siam for the next ONE WEEK? LOL! *wink*

and another thing..... the kids were more eager to see who gets the car on the cake than who wants to eat the cake! LOL! *wink*

My feet is killing me........................

Work-in-Progress Report

It's Work-in-Progress Report Week again at NNC this week. I have not been doing any cross stithing in the last 3 weeks, prefering to try out some crochet patterns instead, two of which I have completed earlier and have put up photos of the pieces.

My star project has taken a back seat as I try my hands out at crocheting using yet another variegated thread, this time in combinations of off-white, pink and yellow. It is looking only slightly better then the one I did using the pink and off-white variegated thread in that, the blotches of colours are not so blotchy.....well, kind of! LOL!

However, this time around I am having problems of the piece curling up as I crochet the piece. I did not experience this when I was doing my two earlier pieces. Janet suggest that I either spray block it and rip it apart. What? Rip it apart? Oh dear! I am about a quarter way done, and simply `sayang' to rip it apart. The photo shown here was taken yesterday. Since then, I had completed another 5 more rounds/rows, so, you can see, I have advanced quite a lot.

I tried ironing it tonight and it looks like it can hold it's shape. I think I will go ahead and finish this piece, and at the end of it, I will spray block it as shown here at this blog (http://grannyalong.blogspot.com/2007/04/how-to-spray-block.html) put up by Mel. Thanks, Mel! Thanks to Janet too for her suggestions.

BTW, here is a small coaster I made for Margaret as a token of appreciation for hosting the Library Day at her house on 31 March. Thanks, Margaret! Can we do more of this? *wink*

The coaster is nothing great, really, but, it was an attempt at trying something small and different. I just hope that Margaret will find some use for it.

Pincushion Exchange and Garden Card Swap

Aahh! Finally these two exchanges are done with! Well, almost! The Garden Card Swap came to a close when all the participants managed to send out their cards on time. I almost thought I could not make it, the usual excuse being that all of a sudden my schedule at work got quite hectic. But, I still managed to get it done. I made a commitment when I signed up for the exchange, so, I am responsible to mail it out on time, no matter what the consequences were, unless it is a family emergency, which, of course, takes precedence over anything and everything else.

So, here is my card which I mailed out to Ying, who also happens to be the organiser for this exchange. Thanks, Ying! I mentioned in my earlier posting that this is actually not my normal style, but, never the less, I am happy with the result. It is something new, which I probably might not have tried out if not for the exchange.

Next is the Pincushion Exchange which was supposed to come to a close by now, but, due to some members not being able to mail out on time, some for health reasons, others for reasons only known to them, it is still not yet completed. I hope I can close this exchange soon when all the participants have received their PCEs. It is 'stressing me out' when an exchange cannot be completed within a certain period of time! LOL! *wink*

Anyway, above is the PCE I made for Niesa in Sarawak, and here is the PCE I received from Radha. A really nice pice by Radha. Love the teddy bear that came along with it! She told me that the teddy can also be turned into a pincushion, not that I want to poke pins into the little guy though! LOL!

What a disappoinment!

Even for someone who is tone deaf, I noticed that the music arrangement for last night's Akademi Fantasia's 5th Concert was a BIG letdown.

After last week's impressive concert, it was diappointing to watch last night's concert, and I blame it on the music arrangement. I think the kids worked hard to get into the songs, to have a feel for the songs. They got out of the comfort zone to take up Ogy's challenge and to try something new. I congratulate them for trying, despite this being a competition where you don't take risks. The music arrangemments were so bad, that all the critics could see were that the kids could not sing or could not carry the songs well.

The critics failed to see that the kids could dance and sing at the same time. That the kids could act while they sing their songs. If their singing failed them, their acting and dancing pretty much made up for it. Okay, so this is a singing competition, so the kids should concentrate on their singing first before they go into acting and dancing. But, is it really just a singing competition? I think not. If it is, than why have the diaries where the kids are exposed to the pubic everyday for them to be scrutinized and critisized for everything that they do or do not do?

Yes, it would be a sorry case if the winner emerged as one who cannot sing, but has the good looks. I am not expecting Dafi to win if he does not improve on his singing, and I have said before that Dafi cannot sing, but, last night, he did a good job of dancing effortlessly while singing. That, you have to give him credit. The dance steps were well coordinated, and his moves were cute! So, OK, he's cute *wink*, but, he has improved, and he tried. Give him that credit at least.

I must also salute him for being able to take the hash critics against him weekly very well. He took it in his stride, him being only 19, and worked to improve. He just haven't got the songs that is his genre. Maybe this coming week? I can't say the same about Aizat, other than simply that he thinks that he is great! Is he really? Did the audience really boooed him last night?

Another sorry case of bad music arrangement, I think Heliza did a good job of acting while singing, but, again, all the critics could see was that her acting took away her focus on her singing. She probbaly did not sing as well as the previous weeks, but, neither was she doing an act in previous concerts. She did something different. She got out of her comfort zone, and tried acting while singing. What did she get for her efforts? Harsh critics for not spending enough time polishing up her singing, but spending too much time acting. If I were Cikgu Fatimah Abu Bakar, I would have been embarassed, for she was the one that had put Heliza up for the acting, and she (Cikgu Fatimah) did a good job of it. I would give Cikgu Fatimah credit for being able to get Heliza to act while singing. For, if not because of the acting, it would have been just a dull song, what with such a bad music arrangement.

I have never been impressed with Shawal, but, him singing a dangdut song this week, I looked forward to his performance last night. I thought his dance steps were entertaining, though I expected more aggresive moves, but, it was worth given credit. However, again, he was critisized for concentrating too much on the dance steps, and not on polishing his singing. Hey! Don't the critics get it? Blame it on the music arrangement! It made the songs sung by the kids a BIG disappointment!

Even Ebi, who I looked forward to perform, was disappointing, though this song made famous by Broery Marantika, could have been one of the killer songs for the night. This song is not Ebi's genre, and the bad music arrangement simply made it worst. Even Candy was not spared the bad music arrangement, her being a consistent performer each week.

I hope ASTRO would bring back Sham Kamimaze who has done such a wonderful job in the music arragement for the past 4 seasons to do the music arrangement for the rest of the concerts for this season, instead of leaving everything to Roslan Aziz. It is obvious from 3 concerts already that when Roslan 'meddles' with the music arrangement, the concert turns out a disappointment.

Really, ASTRO, please WAKE UP!!!

*Note: all photos were taken from Akademi Fantasia's official website at http://www.astro.com.my/akademi_fantasia/v5/

Time for a happy dance!

Yeap! It's been quite a productive weekend, stitching wise, well, rather, crocheting wise. I managed to complete both pieces of the crochet pieces, and I am happy to say that both turned out quite nice, even though with different effects.


The one in pink variegated is kind of sweet. My only wish is that the variegated could have been more subtly instead of in blotches. It won't be my last attempt at using variagated though. I can't, I have 4 balls to finish! LOL!

This second piece is a combination of pink and off-white, though I think the colour in the photo does not show it up too well. I used DMC Traditions size 10, colour 5746 combined with WINA, colour 902. I really like the feel of the DMC thread. Really nice and soft to work with, making your end product very nice to the touch. The WINA is rather rough, but, combined it with DMC, the end result is really nice. I am going to try more of this combination with other patterns in the future.

BTW, the variegated is MINLON POLLY colour 288, for those interested to try out the thread, to see fo ryourself the effects.

On another note, here is a photo of the crochet pieces Usha did for me which she sent with the Garden Card Swap. I now have matching crochet pieces, 3 lovely pieces in all, all crocheted by Usha. Thanks, Usha!

He's got my vote! *wink*

heheh.....after watching last night's concert, Ebi's got my vote (yeah! Like as if I am voting! LOL!)!

Wow, that was a great performance by Ebi! I really enjoyed it, especially when he jumped off the stage and landed beautifully in front of Ogy! LOL! I did not notice him before this except for last week, like I said, I was impressed with his rendition of Mawi's Al-Jannah. Not an easy song to sing, that one, but he carried it well in his own style.

I saw that his ratings went up tremendously (43% was it?) after his performance and his placing went straight up to number one, pushing even the crowd favourite Dafi aside with only a 10% vote! I think the young girls are smitten by the fact that he won 1st runner up in a manhunt competition or something like that! *wink* I was smiten, not by his looks, but definitely, by his good performance last night. I will be looking out for him in the next concert and the next and the next! *wink* Hopefully he will have the holding power to last till the finals.

I was kind of surprised though with those who got eliminated last night. I had thought that Fatin and Noni would last at least another 2 or 3 concerts before being eliminated. But, because last night, 3 students were eliminated all at once, it would have been difficult to actually predict who's going out. Only I thought it would have been either Mila or Dekna, since there were nothing really outstanding about both of them, not that the others, with the exception of Ebi, has got anything outstanding to show off anyway.

Well, that's reality TV for you. You get shocked by the results, and these young Malaysians can sometimes shock you by whom they vote for, and this is not necessarily for their talent.

Have you seen him?

My heart cries for the little boy Yin that has gone missing while accompanying his dad shopping at Sogo, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur, a week ago. He is only 5-years old. I am most certain that his family, especially his mom and dad, are having sleepless nights thinking about him, wondering where he is, and praying for his save return. I am most certain 1001 things are running through their minds, wondering if he is okay, if someone had taken him, if he is somewhere wandering in the streets, hungry and helpless, wondering why mom and dad has not come for him.

The Weekend Mail today showed a clipping of the video footage of him walking confidently out of the shopping complex, and it has reduced his mom to tears. It has reduced me to tears. His mom had said that Yin is a quiet, reserved child and does not talk much, so it was shocking to see him stroll out of the shopping complex confidently. It was out of character for him, she said.

I pray that Yin is safe, and I pray that he will soon be reunited with his family. May he be protected from any harm. May a kind soul find him and return him to his family who cries for him. Amin.

If anyone out there have seen him, do contact the numbers listed above with his photo which was taken from the poster Malay Mail is distributing in their efforts to help find Yin.

Say what?

He is the current principal of Akademi Fantasia Season 5. He just called Mawi a fluke. He is labelled by some in the entertainment industry as a perfectionist. I am talking about Roslan Aziz. He was featured in today’s Weekend Mail because of his recent remark of Mawi.

A perfectionist, you say? Hmmm…….if he is so much a pecfectionist, how come this season I have yet to see any real talents in any of the AF5 kids? He said that he has personally chosen each and every kid that made it into the Akademi. So, now we know what his standards of perfections are, huh?

Tonight is already going to be the 4th concert. I have yet to see who among the 13 left can actually make the cut to be in the finals, what more the winner. So far, all the kids have only mediocre talents.

Dafi? He’s cute, no doubt *wink*, but…….. hmm…., sorry folks, I don’t believe he can sing. He’s been lucky so far, his songs have been pretty easy ones. Fatin? Maybe. It depends on the songs that she gets.

Candy? A maybe too. So far, she’s been one of those who have been getting good comment from the critics, including from over-dramatizing queen, Ogy. Shawal? He’s okay. Too full of himself, though.

Ebi’s okay. If there is someone that I want to vote for (not that I am voting! LOL!), he’s getting my vote after his good rendition of Mawi’s (I am not even a fan of Mawi! Oops! My mom’s gonna get mad with me! LOL! *wink*) song last week.

Dekna? Mediocre talent too. So are the rest, although I see some talents in Heliza. I really can’t say who can make it to the finals, or who I hope can make it, because sometimes the young voters’ tastes can shock you! LOL!

In the previous seasons, I can pretty much guess who will make it to the finals, or, at least I have a favourite who I cheer on weekly, and this is not necessarily because of their looks. I think they have genuine talents.

In Season 1, although I am no fan of Vince, but I could see that he’s got talent, and definitely, he’s got strong female fans, my sister included. LOL! I was cheering on for Rosmah, Khai & Sahri. In Season 2, I was cheering on for Bob, Kaer, Zahid, Farah, and Adam, who all made it to the finals.

Come Season 3, I was all out cheering for Kefli! Yup, he’s cute! *wink* But, that boy has got lots to polish on his talent. I have seen him sing live the song 'RATU’, popularized by Awie of Wings, and I was impressed! That boy can actually sing! Remember his great rendition of BERHENTI BERHARAP? He was clearly a winner that night, for sure! I was also cheering on for Marsha, Amylea, Akma and Zarina, although only Marsha and Amylea made it to the finals.

In Season 4, I was impressed with Haziq’s unique vocals, and was strongly hoping that besides him, Farhan would walk away with the car. Alas, they both lost out to Faizal’s mediocre talent because he (Faizal) has got strong voters from the young females who was charmed by his simple and humble ways.

Tonite, again, I hope to be shocked with some great talents. *wink* Shall we see just how a perfectionist Roslan Aziz really is tonight?

*Note: all photos were taken from Akademi Fantasia's official website at http://www.astro.com.my/akademi_fantasia/v5/

An experiment................

I know I should be going back to work on my Star Project, but, somehow today, I just wanted to try out the variagated crochet thread I bought at Haby's when I met up with Linda & Lillie 2 weeks ago.

I actually started on it last nite, but after doing 12 rows, I felt that the I did not achieve the effect I expected. I thought it would turn out something like the effect Faizon had on her tatting pieces. You know, the way the colours kind of subtly change? I like that but, unfortunately I could not achieve that effect with crochet, although the piece looks nice, sweet, in fact! *wink*

It could be either because the colour variations in the thread that I bought is not as nice as the ones Faizon bought, or, my expectations was simply too high! But, actually, by looking at the thread on its own, the colour variations are really sweet! It goes from off-white to light pink to dark. I thought that my doily would have the same effect. Unfortunately, it turned out in patches of off-white, dark pink, and light pink. The colours does not change subtly, but rather abruptly. Nevertheless, it is still a nice piece, if I can say so myself! LOL!

Anyway, not satisfied, I stopped at the 12th row, and this morning I started the same pattern, but using two different colours of thread - off white & pink. I stopped at the 12th row too just to see the effects to compare. I think this 2nd piece still does not exactly have what I had in mind, but, I still like the way it turned out.

I took photos of both pieces, but, I think the photos do not do justice to the nice colour variations of the threads. You can't quite compare the different effects the different threads give. I will snap more photos when I finish both pieces. Hopefully the next time, the photos will look better.

Almost there...........

aaahhhh! The pincushion for the PCE organised at NNC is finally done! Phew! I almost thought that I might not be able to complete it on time. I have been doing too much travelling this month, with the days passing by without me putting in a single stitch on my PCE for days! I am glad that I have got that out of the way. It was beginning to stress me out! LOL!

I still have the handmade card to be done up for the Garden Card Swap (GCS) organised by Ying at NNC. I actually did one already about two weeks back, but I am unsure if that is the one I want to mail out. It is a different style from the one that I am used to doing. I got inspirations from one of the many card magazines I have in my ever-expending stash. It looks OK, only, because the style is different, I felt that it does not have my signature style in it. My partner is Ying, and she might just think that that style is my original style. Hmm....I don't want her to have misinterpretations of me, do I? LOL!

I like the card though *wink*. It's different! Maybe I could make that style a part of my style too, but with some changes? Hmmmmm.......

I can't put up photos of any the items I just mentioned above until they have both been mailed out. My partners might just be taking a peek at my blog! LOL! *wink*

I will definitely put up photos as soon as they have been safely mailed out and received by my partners. I can't wait! I get anxious each time I mail out something to my friends, knowing the services rendered by Pos Malaysia hasn't always been smooth sailing, but, I have been lucky on most occassions, so, I am hoping that luck will always be on my side.

I am feeling.....

a little restless today.....

Don't ask me why because I don't know either, but, I have a feeling it has got to do with the fact that I have not been doing much stitching the whole of last week, and I have loads of housework still to do.

It's been a very hectic week for me last week, with the 2-day meeting in Langkawi from Monday to Tuesady (I left for Langkawi on Sunday, and only got back to KL on Wednesday after taking a one day break), followed by a trip to Labuan on Thursday for a site visit and project discussion, coming back to Kuala Lumpur only on Friday.

I did not feel tired at all, at least not until I got home on Friday afternoon after picking up my son from my mother-in-law's house. That's when I felt really bonked out tired that I slept for two whole hours without actually intending to.

I stitched a little, working on my Pincushion Exchange (PCE) organised at NNC , as I waited for my son who was having his art class. The PCE is due to be mailed out on 2nd April, and I still have much to do, but, I could not pick up the momentum to finish the piece this weekend, despite it being only a small piece. I still feel tired from the trips, and last nite, I did not sleep well, because my son climbed into bed in the middle of the night and he kept moving about that it kept me awake for most part of the night.

The laundry needs to be done, the meals to be cooked, the rooms to be tidied up, I am feeling restless because there is much to do, but so little time. School is back on tomorrow, and I still have not gotten all of my son's school things ready - his snacks for his break, his schoolbag, his uniform......I am glad that at least I made him do all of his homework before we headed on to Langkawi, so that is out of the way. Phew!

Just to get my stitching mood back into the swing, I am putting up photo of the partially completed PCE. I have also put up photos of my granny squares which so far I have completed 10, including 6 from the previous batch which I did some time back. I managed to do some crocheting while at the airport in Langkawi while waiting for my flight back to Kuala Lumpur.

I hope to get back into the swing of thinsg this coming week. I need to, if not, I will be lagging even further in my chores........

The fever is back.....

or has it really?

I watched the first concert of Akademi Fantasia 5 (AF5) last night, hoping to see something different. There were some changes made, but, I am sorry to say that the changes made did not impress me the least bit. In fact, I think I got annoyed to a certain extent with some of the changes that were made.

For one, the introduction of the AF5 kids look more like a fashion show. The kids changed clothes THREE times last night - one for the opening intro, another one for their individual performance, and again for the MENUJU PUNCAK song. I wished they had stuck to wearing their intro clothes because they were better then the ones they wore for their individual performances. It was okay to change clothes for the MENUJU PUNCAK song since this song required some dancing steps which some of the clothes worn were not suitable for dancing, but to change clothes 3 times? Is this a talent contest, or a fashion show? *scratching my head, trying to think of a logical answer to my own question*

I hated, or shall I say, I just wanted to puke, when, during the previous seasons, when some of the kids came up with taglines to introduce themselves, but because only a few had tagline intros, they were bearable. But this season, Aznil made every kid come up with a tagline which, to me, was really ridiculous, especially those that never thought of one, but, because it was an `instruction' to have one, one kid actually came up with just a 'CAK' tagline and got everyone laughing in amusement. I pity that girl. She must have felt pretty embarassed by the response from the audience in the hall.

For some reason last night, none of the songs performed had any 'umph' to it. It was either the kids just simply did not give their all, were too nervous, this being their first concert, or the choice of songs were simply bad, or worst still, the music arrangement was terrible! It did not bring out the best (if they had any) in any of the kids. Whichever it was, I hope this week, the choice of songs would be better. And please, do something about the music arrangement, Astro. I am no music expert, but last night, somehow, the music simply sounded odd, even for someone like me who is tone deaf! LOL!

I remember the first concert last season where already I could tell who's got the voice, who didn't. Farhan and Haziq were outstanding even in their first concert with Farhan's strong vocals, and Haziq's unique voice (even my hubby who is not into AF has an opinion on Haziq, saying that the first time he heard Haziq, it made him stop doing what he was doing to appreciate the voice and song that Haziq was singing) just perfect for singing traditional malay songs. Too bad Farhan's strong vocals lost out to Faizal's mediocre talent just because young girls were charmed by Faisal's 'humble' background and simplicity as opposed to Farhan's powerful vocals. Again, I ask, are we judging people for their talent or their background to win a talent contest? *sigh*

Anyway, back to the present AF season, another change made by Astro was to have 3 permanent panel of critics, instead of one. Why? So that the critics can see if the kids improve over the weeks? Okay, granted that that might be the reason why Astro decided on 3 permanent panel of critics instead of one, so this means that I have to listen to Ogy's long winded and over-emotional, over-dramatizing comments every week should I decide to watch the concert every Saturday? *sigh* I might just end up flipping the channels each time she opens her mouth to comment.

But, to a certain extent, I do agree with some of the chatters at Channel@15 that the kids need critics of that nature (very direct and blunt) so that they don't fool around too much. I felt that the kids last season did not show any improvement even in their 8th concert because they were either over-confident of themselves, or, simply, they were playing around, especially Amirul. They know that the Akademi is just a stepping stone to being famous, so, whatever the critics say does not really matter for they are already famous just by being admitted to the Akademi.

I have yet to know all the kids of this season for I do not follow the Diaries. I wanted to puke when I took a peek at the diary on Wednesday, 15 minutes into the program, that I had to switch off the TV, when the kids started crying. Do the kids think that by crying will get them sympathy and more votes? Really! Farhan, Haziq, Velvet & Diddy of season 4 upheld their tears for as long as they could, and, with the exception of Diddy, they all got into the finals. There were no dramatising on their parts.

This season, it's only the first week, but already the kids are playing up to the camera. It was okay when Farah did it in season 2. It was already getting annoying when Amylea tried the same trick too in season 3. I think a few played up to the camera too in season 4, but, please, not in season 5 too! Enough is enough! They all look so pretencious!

I think AF1 was the best because all the kids were oblivious to the camera surrounding them. Whatever they did, they were just being themselves, no make-up and all. They were sincere in their actions, whether good or bad. There were no pretence about them because being the first batch, they never knew the number of cameras that were focusing on them. Their relationship with each other were close.

Last season, I felt that some of kids are too full of themselves, and only care about themselves. Their tears during some of the concerts when one of them had to part ways did not look real. When Farhan tried to put up a brave front by holding back her tears, she was rediculed, saying that she had no heart, and no feelings for those that had to leave, She was just interested in getting to the finals. From what I could see, she cared for all of them, though she lack the emotions to show it, maybe because she is the eldest in her family and have been taught to always be strong and look strong for the benefit of others. Even though she was just 22, she was matured, and carried herself well.

Heheh...I bet by now, those reading this would know by now that I am pro-Farhan and Haziq! LOL! But, I also like Diddy, Velvet and Zila. I am hoping that if Maestro fails to promote Farhan & Haziq well, that other recording companies would come forward to produce good albums for them for I see strong potentials in both of them. Farhan can carry most songs well, but I think she would do very well singing songs that brings out the best of her strong vocals. Haziq definitely would be a sure win singing "Irama Malaysia" songs.

Okay, I have side-tracked again! LOL! Back to AF5, I hope next concert (if I feel like watching) will see some vast improvements in the performances by the kids. I hope they would be given the right songs, and I hope that Astro will bring back Sham Kamikaze to do the music arrangement because he has done a good job for the past seasons.

Oh, BTW, it is sad that the kids `kicked' out this season don't get to go back to watch the weekly concerts and give moral support to their friends. I wonder why Astro decided on that move. I can't say that it is a good move. Whatever the reason may be, I hope to see better improvements in the coming concerts.

Note: all photos were taken from Akademi Fantasia's official website at http://www.astro.com.my/akademi_fantasia/v5/

Work cum holiday in Langkawi

My husband and I had a meeting in Langkawi recently. Since it was the school holidays, we decided to take leave and extend our stay there and brought along our son and my mum. We stayed at Bella Vista Langkawi for the first two nights where the meeting was held.

My verdict on the hotel? I won't be staying there a second time. As you approach the hotel, you will be impressed with the architecture of the building as it reminded you of a castle where the disney princesses live. You would still be impressed as you get into the lobby to check-in, but that is where your good impression of the hotel stops. The room is rather small (nothing like what you see in the photos shown at it's website), and so is the bathroom, which is OK actually for a 3-star hotel, but what is most disappointing is that the hotel is not very well maintained. The shower curtain is dirty and the air-conditioning does not function properly, causing the room to get really hot sometimes. A friend got trapped in the elevator with his son for 15 minutes before the maintenance could get to him. The television in our room was very grainy, making watching any program like a guessing game trying to figure out the who the characters were.

If we hadn't decided to change hotel on the last day of our stay there (after the meeting was over), I think we wouldn't have enjoyed our stay in Langkawi (the holiday portion of it) that much, except for the shopping part where my mum had a whale of a time shopping and going around town with my son in tow, as we rented a car throughout our stay there, as the hotel (Bella Vista) was very close to town. The only plus point of the hotel, in my opinion.

We contemplated whether we should stay on at Bella Vista for the last night of our stay in Langkawi, but, at the last minute, we decided to pack up and head on to Pantai Cenang and check-in into Awana Porto Malai. Luckily there were still rooms available. I am glad we did. The hotel is beautiful, plus it has a swimming pool, so that was heaven for my son! LOL!

They had no beach since it is a marina, but the beautiful view of the sea and the lovely room very much made up for the lack of a beach. I highly recommend anybody going to Langkawi to stay there, although you would need to rent a car since the hotel is very far from town and very far from any `civilisation'! LOL! Just the way a holiday should be!

Oh, BTW, while I stayed in Bella Vista, who did I meet up? Radha! Yup! Radha also came for a meeting organised by her ministry, though a day later. She recognized me from photos put up at NNC by BJ during our recent meet-up and introduced herself. Fancy meeting her there of all places! LOL! Glad we met, Radha, though we could not chat up for long since we were there on business. *grin* Maybe another time we could spent more time chatting about our stitching, ok? *smile*