I finally gor some sleep after turning in about 4am semalam. Seriously, the sleep did me so much good that now I resemble less of a freaky panda sebab eye-bags tak horrific sangat ler.
Meetings...planning..paperwork...and all this after work hours. Quite a few things running in tandem, so memang pening habis. Aku pun tak tau ler camna nak handle. Hari ni jer dapat cool off a little sebab hanya ada interview ngan Noraniza Idris and then another meeting at 9pm tonight. Esok lak ada event yang kena organise sikit berkaitan ngan kerja, so...it's pretty smooth sailing until the weekend.
Semalam was the worst ler, sebab nak jumpa the whole she-bang of the Ning & Associates and Artistes United crew kat Habib Jewels, Ampang.
Akibat mata melekat and various other unrecognised charitable contributions (isn't it always such a bitch when that happens) - sampai pun everyone da gathered.
Ada orang tuh tak call, terus diva yang call. Yang ni nak amik ati kata nak sampai pun susah. Kalau orang lain leh brush off.
When it comes to Ning, here's how the conversation went. Transcript ala ala berangan cam blog orang ni...
Ning : Dear, where are you? (in serious hushed tones meaning serious business lah)
Me : We're two minutes away, diva. Be there in a very short while...I love you (bodek amik hati)
Ning : Everyone's here and waiting for you...
Me : Oh, everythere's there already. Don't worry, darling...be there in two minutes...I love you...
Ning : Hurry up...
Me : Love you Ning...
Ning : I know...now hurry up!
Oh well...biasalah. When we got there, security sibuk kata Ning lum sampai, turns out though they were already in the meeting room. Now you know why some people are doomed to live the rest of their lives in well-deserved squalor.
Handed in our ICs and then headed to the safe room/meeting room upstairs to pick the baubles yang akan dipakai oleh both Ning dan Nikki untuk persembahan pembukaan dan juga red carpet kang kat Anugerah Bintang Popular.
At the end of the glitter fest, here's the total racked up for harga berlian yang akan dipakai oleh Ning dan juga Nikki. (no harga rounded ek..this is the actual price tag punya harga)
Ning (for red carptet, a sapphire and diamond set) - RM726,995 (necklace), RM181,280 (earrings), RM288,295 (bracelet) and RM86,135 (ring)
Grand total for that?
RM1,282,175.
Nearly RM1.3 million. and that's just one set. Malas nak list out the whole price list of all the And Ning has two sets...one more for performance coming up to more or less the same amount while Nikki too has dua set nak pakai tuk malam tuh, satu tuk performance dan satu agik ketika jalan kat red carpet.
Total amount of precious stones that collectively will adorn both divas?
About RM4 million.
Pening...first time aku dok bilik with millions of Ringgit worth of jewellery strewn all over. Makes you just want to turn into a jewel thief. like you see in the movies.

Ning showing off one of the sets she rejected. Then discussing ngan Hatta pasal design tuk baju performance along with Nikki. Bawah tuh, yang kiri is the sapphire diamond set yang Ning akan pakai and on the right is the ruby set Nikki akan pakai. Those two baru set yang korang nampak kang kat red carpet...there is another set for each of them for show.
   

   

Now isn't it just fun to play dress-up. Bertukar-tukar set si Ning ni. Pening tengok banyak lak diamonds, si Nikki. You see the diamonds on the table? I think there must easily be RM10 to Rm20 million worth there....
    

   

    

It was fun...and hardly dampened by the fact someone spilt mineral water all over early on in the proceedings, or chose to shine his own diamond rings in the middle of it all.
So once the divas had agreed to their choice, okayed by Vernon, and given the nod by myself and Hatta, who has been selected to design the outfits for the performance, for the overall effect...we were on to another meeting.
This one was for the launching event of the repackaged Maharani album by Nikki.
A bit of a yawn fest really...cause I hate meetings which involve people with no experience, but I'm not even going to go there. Instead, busied myself with a fascinating discovery (not really fascinating...just to illustrate how bored I got).
I ordered my usual dose of sugar in Coca Cola, tapi yang sampai nih...Qibla...seb baik bukan Qiblat cola. Keji teramat.
Didn't bother to try how it tasted sebab tanak gamble...I've had a few weird colas yang rip off Coke...and just...well...there's nothing like the real thing no matter what.
They may rip it off in terms of looks, but they can't do anything about the taste.
By the way...kenapa ler Coke tak saman...there is more than just a passing resemblance of these kind of colas to the actual Coke...it's actually quite pathetic to see these kind of colas sebab cam rip off to the max.
Took a pic of it though sebelum aku tukar ngan a 7-Up to shoot up and get a slight adrenaline buzz (tired out like hell) to endure the next few hours.
Accompanied Hatta to another meeting to Cheras, before headed back to Shah Alam for a meeting with some other designers untuk tentukan sapa akan buat baju sapa tuk Anugerah Bintang Popular. Yes, Right now, I am overseeing about eight names to liaise between them and the designers selected. And tonight punya meeting lak nak determine sapa lagik pas bincang senarai artis yang we want to make look good.
Hard work...but fun. At least it's work...and I'm doing something with my life.
One thing yang ala sentap sikit sebab tak jadik ke surprise birthday party Siti jer lah...so korang tenung-tenung jer lah pic hasil dari Vernon ek.
Yes, he officially has the bragging rights as the only blogger so far to have the pictures online. I have the first say of taking them and posting them on my blog (gelak keji....but at least I'm THANKFUL and ask first...not imply and remain ungrateful - laughter rings out again)
Enjoy the pics...esok posting lebih menarik to close the week.
So surf over to mrmanager's blog kalau nak baca lebih pasai surprise birthday event tuk  Siti.
And happy birthday to Siti Nurhaliza....best wishes girl...and all the best tuk 2007 ek!

   

   

Nak off for now...layan surf on my new notebook sat. Time ni dapat leh enjoy sikit nak have a cup of coffee, watch the world go past, and still surf the net....before the whole stressful routine begins again.

Dengan tibanya another round of anugerah, maka tambah lah sibuk aku.
Yerlah...ada kerja-kerja lain yang aku kena wat. In fact sebenarnya, I really don't have much time for anything nowadays sebab banyak nak dedicate kat keja.
Tuh pun tak dapek aku nak keep up with the demands of the responsibilities I've chosen to shoulder. Sabar jerlah....azam 2007 nak wat duit bebanyak....so gotta keep my nose to the grindstone.
Today was busy the whole day...patutnya gi sidang media Anugerah Juara Lagu, but instead gi recording Prelude Anugerah Industri Muzik kat ntv7 di Shah Alam. Sana lebih ramai artis tuk aku settle kan keja dan wat stockpile of stories, so decided ler nak gi sana.
Ramai wooo! Pening lak tengah malam ni nak taip cita abihkan keja dulu, lupakan bantal tuk pastikan esok lak tak pening pala nak rush gi hantar cita kat opis sebelum tugasan seterusnya.
Seriously....ni pun baru dapat time nak settle kan, sebab nak settlekan beberapa perkara berkaitan Anugerah Bintang Popular akan datang....with my own company punya affairs.
Lum agik pecah pala pikirkan pasal beberapa perkara lain berkaitan, and also the first project tuk syarikat aku yang akan ditubuhkan. Rezeki...baru nak tubuh da ada keja nak wat. Tapi tu la pasal..pening tak terkira.
Meanwhile, sayang di'lupa'kan wat sementara tuk memberi ruang masa pada segala urusan while my best friend and lover kini notebook Compaq aku yang baru. Yeap...that's mynew toy and mysteady companion nak abihkan keja.
Seriously kan...I bet you guys thought it would be something more exciting. Sorry, guys. Aku ni skang turning into a yuppy (two generations too late) But what to do...reality catches up with us sooner or later.
Didn't have time to catch Fail Sulit Akademi Fantasia tonight...but don't think I missed too much. Anyone want to fill me in on what I 'missed' as I had my moneymaking venture going on?
Was it as bad as yesterday or ws it decidedly better?
What took place?
To Nana yang call aku dan mesej bersusah payah dari awai pagik, Yer nok...jangan marah ek aku cam Zahid pecah lobang...Nana and Aypol...sitting in a tree...C-E-N-S-O-R-E-D....first comes love, then comes  marriage, kalau tak comes anggota JAWI and counselling free (rhyming tak???) Yes, girl...I do think you deserve higher than setakat nombor empat paling stylo...(and for the first time aku tak nyampuk sebab jujur nih)
Anyway, ni nak end the entry for now (I will try and post later pasal some stuff later sebab kena temankan beberapa artis ke Habib Jewels tuk pilih accessories for Anugerah Bintang Popular later this afternoon).
So I'll leave you guys with some pics for you guys...until later today y'all...ta!

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Can somebody please...oh please tell me what was the point of Fail Sulit Akademi Fantasia yesterday.
I really thought some of the issues were really thought provoking and all, tapi semalam, alam episod pertama gagal!
Ok let's begin with host Sarimah Ibrahim. Kak Mah Gali??!!! How long did they take to coin that monicker up? Hardly creative, and it was a little contrived to see Sarimah going all out.
Well... that's another candidate to fill Aznil's shoes out of the grand scheme of things.
First issue : kononnya kisah cinta Nana dan Burn. Malas nak komen lelebih...cause sapa yang tau, and kept in touch with musim pertama and following that would know the truth. In other words...BASI!
Dijadikan lawak lak bila Burn kata pasal Nana, "Bukan taste Burn". In whatever context, I thought that was just ridiculous and such a no-no. Statement aku paling suka dari Zahid yang kuat pecah rahsia - "Nana ada boyfriend sebenarnya" (rasa nak call je si Aypol - sorry Nana...I love you)
And I didn't get the point of the second issue, a none issue as far as I'm concerned on kenapa Farhan suka berahsia. Abih yang lain takleh. Erm...abih bebanyak aku dengar pasal si polan tuh dan nih tuh apa. Better tackle issue Mr. Purple...oops!
Lupa Akademi Fantasia kena deal ngan issues rated U jer...
And then issue bila ler nak pelajar pompuan nak dominasi lak tempat pemenang. Erm...cuba masuk lebih mendalam faktor BAGAIMANA pelajar pompuan dipilih (tak terjawab lagik skandal musim lepas pasal peserta pompuan masuk kerana tali persaudaraan ngan seorang executive producer - no komen ler tuh)
In between the three mundane issue, kena lak kita tengok poll, sapa lak yang paling stylo dalam Akademi Fantasia. Was this voted? Ke suka-suka je bagi? Tempat kelima, Amylea. Erm...sorry...not even in my list. Nana should have ranked higher than just number four, as well as Fitri yang aku rasa patut top the list (yerlah, audition pun da kimono - nama pun da pelajar jurusan fesyen). Tapi dia dapat nombor tiga je.
Amirul leh nombor dua????!!!
You got to be joking!!!
And number one?
Adam?!!!
Now something's really wrong. Kalau nak wat poll - jangan ler wat ikut taste jer. I mean seriously...sapa ler yang minat anak ikan nak nobatkan dua orang tuh top two. If wearing a bandanna on your hands is supposed to be stylo...or trying to appear a wannabe rapper circa 80s in in...then I really wanna be a geek.
I don't know what will happen in tomorrow's episode...but from what I've caught, I was hardly impressed. Camna ler tujuan meka nak promo tuk musim kelima kalao benda nak kupas yang konon sensasi nih, so salah punya topik.
Banyak lagik benda nak tanya...
Aku rasa, gossip sebenar Akademi Fantasia ketika jalan musim-musim memasing tuh lebih hangat...but I suppose some people just didn't do that much of research. I dread to think what season five of the series will be like kalao camni. Ok ler nak tidur...ada banyak keja esok. Antara sidang media Anugerah Juara Lagu atau Anugerah Industri Muzik. Will write more on that as well as my new 'toy'.

PS. Tuh bukan aku tau yang kuar muka. Tu klon yang pakai t-shirt promo blog aku jer. (statement keji tidak mengaku katanya)

Dapat SMS just a while ago dari Yasmin. As usual, if there's an SMS from her, aku berdebar-debar sikit. Yerlah...she usually messages not frivolous stuff like from this other person, but things yang ada ler worth sharing.
So bila baca, let out this whoop of joy in the Internet cafe as I was updating my blog, because it was a bit of good news yang memang aku bangga sangat!!! For those of you anticipating the showing of Mukhsin in local cinema, be proud of the fact that the film has been selected to compete in the 57th Berlin International Film Festival which will be held from 8th to 18th February 2007.
Memang kebangaan ler tuk aku, cause Yasmin's films never cease to amaze, not just at home but also abroad. Ni baru kata mengharumkan nama negara...but oh... yeah...I forgot...pencemar budaya lak kata orang kita, kan?
Oh well..whatever rocks your boat.
Apapun, congratulations to Yasmin and also her talents and crew responsible for Mukhsin. Whether or not they come hope with a Bear (I believe that's what they call their trophy), is irrelavant. Janji, we get to share a little of our Malaysian culture and heritage through film...and what better way than through an innocent love story.
Mukhsin di calonkan untuk pertandingan dalam kategori Generations. For those yang malas masuk link, this is a slight explaination of the Generations category.

Since 1978, the Berlinale has dedicated a special section to films, which see the world from the point of view of children and young people: Generation.
The section began as the Kinderfilmfest and has been complimented by the youth film competition 14plus since the Berlinale 2004.
The section was renamed for the Berlinale 2007 in order to do justice to its specific programme structure. The section's competitions are now known as Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus.
Every year, the Berlinale awards three Crystal Bears to the best films of the section. In the Generation Kplus competition, the winners are selected by an eleven-member Children's Jury.
The seven jurors of the Youth Jury award the Crystal Bears for the best feature films of the Generation 14plus competition.
In addition, an international expert jury awards the Grand Prix of the Deutsche Kinderhilfswerk (German Child Support Organisation) worth 7,500 Euros to the best feature film in the klpus competition.
The Special Prize of the charity, which has a value of 2,500 Euros, is awarded to the best short film in Kplus.
Special appeal: the diversity in the audience Generation is not just a platform for a flourishing segment of the film industry and its films, but attracts a very diverse audience.
Every year, more than 35,000 moviegoers attend the screenings in the Zoo Palast, CinemaxX Potsdamer Platz, Filmtheater am Friedrichshain and in the Colosseum Filmtheater in the Berlin district of Prenzlauer Berg.
In the cinemas, professional guests, directors and actors meet up with children and young people of every age group. These encounters contribute to the special appeal of the section.
Both praise and criticism for the films are expressed during moderated discussions in the cinemas immediately after the screenings, making a visit to this section a unique experience for audiences of all generations.
A broader understanding Generation stands for a broader understanding of films for children and young people.
Alongside high-quality children's or youth films, the programme contains productions that have their own appeal for younger viewers, without having been specifically conceived for this target audience.
With a programme that consciously and passionately presents films from diverse backgrounds, Generation encourages the film industry to shed its fear of young audiences."

I don't know how many Asian films will be shown as well, but still no less praise for Mukhsin's nomination. So, here's a shout out for Mukhsin...may it open some eyes, minds, and hearts... 

PS. Happy birthday Yasmin!!!!

Could't sleep...so rajin ler nih nak posting sesuatu yang nak syok sendiri.
Supposedly insightful...but I doubt it is. Maybe for me lah...
I saw this whole crap about Visit Malaysia Year 2007...I mean not that I'm against it or anything.
Just I think that the authorities and the people who actually have the power to open the purse strings of the country ni tak pandai tul merancang tourism.
One major thing has to be improved...before we can spend...or more likely waste millions on wooing people to visit the country...and I'm not talking about public toilets either.
Something happened that day between friends....yerlah...sebab aku ramai kawan Melayu kan.
I grew up in this community where ada this mix of all races, evenly at that...and I was always comfortable with other people of different races. The term racist was never something I could understand.
Masaalahnya...as I grew up, I learnt to be politically correct, sebab masa tu, tidak lagi dapat nak senang-senang nak panggil orang racist terms which we used without intent.
Back then, innocence was the key to everything, and no one had any malice in reference to someone's race.
My friends were welcome to my home...regardless of creed or colour...and other distinguishing factors. Sadly enough...things seem to have taken a downturn now.,
A few days ago, a little spat between friends, which was more of a misunderstanding than anything else...resulted in me being called, what was that now..."cina babi busuk".
Sampai hati...memang kelakar kan...kalau tak kena ngan batang hidung sendiri. It's not so funny when it's your ancestry that becomes a joke though. I was dumbfounded by it...until a friend pointed out that as non-racist as I choose to be, there will always be people like that. It's embedded so deep in us that we just ignore it when we choose to. However it rears its ugly head when anger...or some form of a stronger emotion pushes it out.
I was a little distraught by what I was told by my friend...tapi nak wat per kan?
Aku terima.
What was a little hard to swallow was the fact that he told me that it WILL happen again. Each time they needed to mock me...or make fun of me. The easiest and most distinguishable point would always be my race. That's the hazard of being friends with friends of other races...I don't want to believe that.
I never feel that way kalau aku bengang manapun ngan orang. I never resort to race or religion. An asshole is an asshole...no distinguishing factors about that...not visibly at least...
Susah ler...orang camnih nak kutuk ikut bangsa ataupun agama nih...sama ada memang takde modal...ataupun cam katak bawah tempurung. As we pride ourselves on racial integration...ada lagik yang judge by the colour of skin.
Aku tak penah anggap orang tuh keji sebab warna kulit dia...ataupun fahaman agama dia. If you're an asshole...then you are. Nothing makes you that way...least of all your race or religion.
Another friend yang balik daripada Bali selepas bercuti, SMSed me the moment she touched down on KLIA, telling me in comparison to the Balienese she met, she realised how rude and ugly Malaysians are. That's KLIA for you.
Just walking down those hallowed hallways will do that for you.
And yet we pride ourselves on our warmth. Our loving nature...our harmonious culture.
All I can say is we are like a carpet. Pretty on the outside..attractive in ways...but the reality is, there's a lot of ugliness and dirt that lies beneath....
And that's what we have to address first and foremost. Be real...be loving.
We can't turn the clock back to the 80s (retro sih!!!) to achieve that, but as globalisation kicks in, I realise our people are more divided than ever....call it the nasty remains of past generations. This hatred and fear of others...
Sowill Visit Malaysia Year 2007 work?  Probably during the period...but I think that those who make the call forget what is the biggest selling point of our country.
Hmphh...and we get pissed when we're among the rudest....really!!!!
Oh..and they should realise that at the end of the day...selling the country with malls...theme parks and skyscrapers isn't going to work. I think they have that in other countries too.
And golf courses??? Really...
Eco-tourism? Such a joke...when it becomes more of a circus sideshow when packaged to tourists.
Anyway...here's hope that they realise a simple warmer and more genuine people will help achieve the aim. A clean public toilet helps quite a bit too lah...
Not all of us travel business class, or stay in five star fancy spots that HAVE to treat you like gold because of the greenbacks you carry.
Is it too late for me to wish...selamat datang...and welcome to Malaysia....just a smile away... or is it?

DISCLAIMER : Entry ni aku tulis time berat mata....so merapu ler sikit...just needed to get it off my mind so leh tidur...

I know everyone's written about this, tapi yerlah...kira civic duty nak war-wakan about the upcoming Akademi Fantasia auditions.
Rasanya kalao korang ada Astro, takyah ler sesapa announce...dah banjir semua channel ngan iklan tuk ujibakat.
Why am I not keen on it?
Cause I doubt that the fifth season of Akademi Fantasia will be much different from last season yang hancus gila babs.
Still...there are  A FEW worthy valuable people in the production team yang harapnya mampu membawa kelainan pada musim ni. Yerlah...jangan harap tiga musim meletops...terus rilek jer kan?
Banyak aspek perlu diperbaiki, you don't just rest on your laurels.
But then again...for some...laurels are a good place to rest...so lantaklah.
Just a few months of non-fame, Faizal da pun nak ada pengganti takhtanya sebagai juara. Lain lah dari Vince, Zahid and also Mawi, yang leh kira tahan gak sampai ari nih.
But for those of you yang masih nak cuba nasib...apa salahnya kan?
Just learn from the mistakes of the past...I mean seriously...how can people watch previous seasons tapi still masuk Akademi bangang nak mampos with the same act...over...and over...and over...thinking that the viewing public will be taken in.
Yerlah...yang selection pun kena pandai sikit. Jangan pikir nak lawa jer...tapi sora very the tak kemana.
Jangan lak pilih sedara mara....oops!!!
For those yang nak audition...here are the details. Just head to ASTRO, Bukit Jalil (13 & 14 Jan as well as 3 & 4 Feb for those yang around Klang Valley atau kawasan kawasan sewaktu dengannya.
Pendaftaran akan dibuka mulai 9am to 1pm/
Please...make it easier for yourselves...(bertahun cakap sama jer tiap kali) ngan email segala butiran ke tac@astro.com.my atau hubungi TAC Team di talian 03-95436688 ext 2539, 2552 atau 2253.
Bawa foto terkini anda (abih nak bak foto sapa lak kan???) bersaiz 3R, salinan kad pengenalan (nak buktikan korang bukan bangla). Pastikan ko berumur antara 18 dan 27 tahun pada 1 Jan 2007.
Lagu wajib bagi peserta lelaki : Diari Seorang Lelaki (Pretty Ugly), Kian (Mawi), Dealova (Once) dan Lonely No More (Rob Thomas).
Untuk peserta perempuan, Teman Tapi Mesra (Ratu), Biarlah Rahsia (Datuk Siti Nurhaliza), Langit Ke Tujuh (Sharifah Zarina) dan Because Of You (Kelly Clarkson).
Kenapa takde lagu dari bintang Akademi Fantasia lain selain Mawi...tak endorse ke hasil keja bakat meka pilih??? (gelak sat...)
Jangan berlengah lagi. Inilah peluang TERAKHIR anda ke Akademi Fantasia!  So they say...to let everyone this may be the last go. Mmmm....penting ke emotional blackmail gituh....
Oh well...
For those yang nak pergi, ni aku recycle tips aku leh berikan tuk meka yang nak prepare to go for auditions. This is based on previous auditions process...and since website Akademi Fantasia (CLICK HERE TUK BUKTI) TAK PERNAH diupdate kecuali untuk warning orang pasal bab jangan deposit duit dalam bank account...so don't know ler apa cita. Dulu leh download borang pelbagai...skang...nampaknya ada pihak makan  gaji je kot...update ikut musim.

Stage 1
Peringkat ni simple...dan confirm ramai yang lepas kecuali memang bangap!
Kalau nak senang....print out borang dan bak sekali supaya takyah leceh berejam nak isi borang. Kat sana pun leh...but better if you do it earlier. Jangan lupa gambar berukuran 3R dan kad pengenalan. Please...make sure you ikut syarat umur ok. Pastikan anda warganegara Malaysia...and please oh please be able to speak English dan juga Bahasa Malaysia.
Hah...kan senang...kira layak da ke peringkat seterusnya.

Stage 2
Here's where it gets tricky.
Peringkat kedua...peserta akan dibahagikan kepada dua kumpulan, Team A dan Team B.
Disini, vocal, presence dan kebolehan memberikan persembahan yang menarik secara keseluruhan penting.
Tapi kalau anda mampu membuktikan anda mempunya vocal yang bukan sahaja menarik dari segi tone suara, tapi juga kebolehan basic mengawal pitching dan tempo...dan TAK SUMBANG, then you're in. Pada mereka yang serious, sila sediakan pilihan lagu sendiri kalau-kalau pengadil mahu mendengar sesuatu kelainan dari anda untuk lebih menilai your vocals secara acapella, atau tanpa music, untuk lebih meyakinkan mereka.
Please take this stage seriously sebab aku perasan ramai yang main-main jer time ni. Takkan untuk tak sampai seminit takleh wat preparation betul-betul kan?
Sila ingat video yang diamik tu bukan setakat tayangan kat @15 tau, tapi akan digunakan untuk penilaian juri kemudia kalau anda lepas stage 4 untuk decide whether or not anda akan jadi pelajar Akademi Fantasia.

Stage 3
If you've made it this far, congratulations. It means there is something about your voice that people do bother with, and you're more than just penyanyi longkang bertemankan kapok.
Cabaran seterusnya diadili oleh dua lagi set pengadil.
Peringkat ni melibatkan interview untuk discover your personality. Peringkat ni, selain dari tu, anda mungkin diminta menyanyi lagi, ataupun menari untuk menyakinkan juri anda layak.
Seperti mana stage 2, please note that sesi ni juga divideokan, walaupun bukan untuk tayangan, tapi untuk tontonan juri sebagai sebahagian proses evaluasi.

Stage 4
Semakin ler cerah masa depan anda (sial jer statement ni) kalao da sampai peringkat ni kerana anda telah dishortlistkan.
Kalau ikutkan tahun lepas, kurang dari 200 orang je dari beribu yang sampai ketahap ni.
Pada mereka yang lepas stage 3....samaada anda akan diberitahu...terima kasih...apa apa nanti we call you...dan ditunjuk pintu keluar...ataupun anda akan mendapat borang.
Mengisi borang tu adalah peringkat seterusnya. Jangan perlekehkan peringkat ni walaupun nampak simple.
Apa yang anda isi dalam borang tu, akan memainkan peranan juga dalam bab pemilihan.

And then what? Kalau anda da berjaya sampai tahap isi borang...the only thing you can do is wait, and hopefully, the sessions videotaped will have something that will yakinkan para juri anda layak menjadi pelajar Akademi Fantasia.
Untuk membantu korang...ni aku wat guide tuk korang supaya korang lebih bersedia menghadapi ujibakat. Print this out if you have to, and make a check list, untuk pastikan anda ikut guide point by point ni.
This will really help you...so laugh if you must, but take it seriously if you are going for the audition.

*Pastikan anda membawa segala dokumen dan gambar yang diperlukan. Also bring along a CD player tuk nak layan lagu yang anda akan perform during the audition. Practise makes perfect...and daripada anda membuang masa termenung...baik berlatih. Bring along a book too in case the waiting takes too long, and bekalan minuman (ataupun member atau ahli keluarga yang leh jadi 'runner' tuk dapatkan bekalan makanan dan minuman seandainya lapar atau haus. Persiapan ni akan memastikan anda tak lari-lari kemana, takut nombor dipanggil lak entah kemana...it doesn't give a good impression to be late for your audition.

*Pastikan you're dressed to be impressed. Tapi takyah terlampau fashionable, sebab kalao packaging meletop tapi isi tarak pun tak guna. It's only one of the ingredients...looking good... Dress to impress, but don't overdo it. Make sure you look as good as you sound. Choose a look that goes with your personality, tapi pastikan pada masa yang sama anda selesa, ok, as the audition process could take very long. Kalau baju ke seluar baru, kang gatal-gatal ke tak selesa lak kang...but it's always worth investing in doing something to your hair, like getting a cut. Guys, pastikan jangan rupa serabai jer while girls...don't look like hookers (no one listens to me on this}...atau make up nak kalahkan opera Cina. 
Like I said, preparations help. Kalau anda bukan antara batch yang awal, you may have to wait for up to 12 hours, based on my experience.

*Tunjukkan minat anda. You're one of thousands, dan naya je bukak mulot je, juri da kata tima kasih leh cuba tahun depan. Jangan terlampau bodek...kang nampak bodoh lak bakat tak sampai tapi yer yer nak butter up the judges. It will NOT work...trust me. Say what is necessary while maintaining an honest representation of yourself. Jangan lak nak tipu ngan berlakon menjadi something else nak impress. Professionals can see through your acting. I mean it. Dan control your nervousness. Jangan membebel atau meracau. Taking a breath before you say anything. It'll calm you down. No chewing gum ke apa apa. Nampak kurang ajor da.

*Anda tidak akan didiskriminasikan (malah silap haribulan akan dibantu kalao ada pertalian saudara = DISCLAIMER : Statement ini tidak ada kena mengena ngan yang hidup, mati atau patut mampos). So jangan ingat ada apa pun pasal diri anda yang akan menjadi bahan tuk juri memandang serong at you. As long as you're decent in every way, you'll get the same respect from the judges.

*Panik? Buang masa...baik takyah audition. Pada yang beragama Islam...erm...tauler what you have to do kan. Yang other religions pun can say a short prayer before you start. Calm yourself down, and jangan stress. Fokuskan your energy of being afraid yo prepare yourself. Jangan torture diri sendiri. Kalau anda cukup bersedia, anda takkan menghadapi sebarang masaalah, so kenapa nak risau?

*Bayangkan kenapa anda audition in the first place. Kalao ko takde sebab...padan muka ler. Kalao ko cuba nasib sebab yakin anda ada bakat...then you will have no problems. Focus on making it. Maintain keyakinan anda dan sentiasa pastikan diri anda tenang, supaya tak affect persembahan anda. Pastikan ada keseimbangan dalam personalii dan suara anda. Don't let one outshadow the other.

*Pilih lagu yang sesuai untuk anda. INI TERAMAT PENTING! Jangan pilih lagu cam Kian hanya kerana minat Mawi, kerana anda bukan Mawi. Pilih lagu yang bersesuaian ngan suara anda. Juga yang mampu anda persembahkan tanpa sora ke laut. Interpretasi adalah penting. Jangan nak fotostat lak! Tak guna kalao lenggok sebijik nak ikut CD. Wat pe? Kalau anda klon terhebat sekalipun, peluang anda immediately kurang da.

*Kalau suara power, jangan lak sampai menjerit nak robohkan Astro. Impress with your vocals, tapi jangan sampai berserabut sehingga melody pun da takde. Pada mereka yang tak mampu, jangan ler nak melalak. Suara yang kuat, lantang atau nada tinggi tak semestinya sedap! Banyak lagi faktor yang menjadi pertikaian. Show what you have....but remember...don't overdo it...dan ikut kemampuan...

*Paham tak apa tu emosi? Kalau bak lagu sedih, jangan sengih cam kerang busuk! If it's an upbeat song you're singing, look happy, have some energy. If you're crooning a love ballad, do it with feeling so you embody the words coming out of your mouth. Kalau tak mampu nak hiburkan setakat dua anggota juri dan teman teman seperjuangan...camna nak menghiburkan Malaysia?

*Body language is important too. Jangan lak tengah nyanyi tu, tangan tergantung cam mayat je...ataupun nak wat aksi garu tempat tak patut. Choreography is not just about dancing. You already chose your song awal-awal. Jadi persembahan anda dari segi gerakan anda patut dirancang juga supaya ko tak dok setempat sambil tenung spotlight, ataupun jalan kehulu hilir nak merentas desa sebab gementar tatau nak wat apa.

*Be honest. The judges want to see you! Bukan lakonan semula video clip mana ko tengok yang ko nak over-over lak nak tiru. Feel the song and concentrate on delivering it.

*Dalam menunggu giliran (kecuali nasib ko ler jadik yang first) sembang ngan teman-teman sekeliling. Find out what they're singing. Pastu, kalao ada yang nyanyi lagu sama, compare notes. Mana tau, ada idea ko leh curi sana sini to adapt to your presentation.

*Your attitude is important. Samaada ko leh wat perangai yang elok, dan memikat hati juri, atau wat perangai yang bagi orang meluat atau menyampah dimana juri akan terus mintak ko berambos! Lack of confidence is another thing yang sering menjadi penyebab kegagalan. Yakin pada diri anda dan kebolehan anda (masaalahnya ada lak yang terlebih confidence tapi kekurangan bakat!)

*Pada saat anda akan membuat persembahan, cari sesuatu dalam diri anda sebagai motivasi!

*Don't let anything or anyone intimidate you. Kalau takut sebab tak penah nyanyi pakai mic ke apa, buat-buat je cam ko kat karaoke (tapi nyanyi jangan ler camtuh...style sambil lewa!) Kalau takut judges...wat pe...meka bukan nak marah ke nak gigit ke. Kalao ada contestant yang ko dengar sora power, so what? Rilek and do your best. The best voice is not the only thing necessary and just think that the person might not have something you do.

*Ini adalah rancangan televisyen. X-factor adalah penting. Find out what is yours, or if it is too late, confidence will be enough to fake it for the moment. *Your best-selling point has to be something in you. And if you try too hard it will always work against you. You want to be yourself, but at the same time, you want to have something that distinguishes you from someone else. Jangan jadi sesiapa kecuali diri anda sendiri. Be yourself.

*Which brings us to...be honest. Jangan nak kelentong kata pandai wat lenggok asli ke R&B kalau it's not your thing. Admit your kelemahan so the judges know and you don't make a fool out of yourself. Dan educate yourself ok...kata R&B tapi bunti tuh asli...kena gelak kang...

*Be patient. Kalao ko ingat dok 12 jam baru dapat nyanyi 30 saat stressful sangat...dok rumah je ek. Ramai lagi sanggup. Jangan terbawak your impatience or your unwillingness tuk bersabar into the audition. It makes you look really ugly. Lagipun kalao ko ingat tension dok tunggu berejam...bayangkan ler pening dan stressful nya tuk juri nak layan lalakan meka yang pekak badak!

*Kalau anda mempunyai banyak masa, jangan habiskannya ngan melalak. Practise is fine. Tapi aku perhatikan yang datang satu group mai lalak tak abih-abih...tapi masuk studio ilang sora. Ko datang tuk ujibakat...bukan sesi jamming.

*Jangan skali wat alasan tuk your lack of ability to sing. It turns the judges off. Alasan paling original aku dengar dari one of the judges yang told by one of those yang ujibakat, "Saya takleh nyanyi sebab da malam. Saya malam memang takde sora." Kepala hotak ko!

*I cannot stress enough the need to be confident! Tapi...kekadang...untuk sesetengah yang aku tengok....aku kena gak cakap...jangan lak overconfident!!!

*Have fun! That's the first thing before you can have confidence, and also the much needed ingradient that will make you look more like a pro (doesn't make you sound like a pro, but at least it won't affect your voice if you're nervous)

Based on my experiences...this are the best tips I can think of to help you. So...apa lagi. Start working on it if you are going for auditions after today. Tapi meka yang wat audition siang ni....work on it anyway, ok.
Aku akan ke Astro kang tuk hari kedua ujibakat, so kalao korang nampak aku...tegur je kalao ada apa-apa nak tanya. Just call me and said I offered you the help in my blog. I understand how memeningkan kekadang auditions ni, and I don't mind helping out by giving a little advice here and there.
And by the way.... don't get your hopes up tau no matter what...orang ni cuba nasib...tima jer lah ok apa pun keputusan. Ada rezeki tuh ada ler... that's all for now... kalau korang nak apa extra tips ke ada questions, tinggal kat bahagian komen dan aku cuba jawab ok....good night...

PS. Perlu ke AC Mizal di katakan sebagai pengganti Aznil? (gelak tak terhingga bila diberitahu sumber beberapa minggu lepas)

Like I said there are some sales that are good. Then there are others like $%^&!!!!
One such sale was the one they held at Putra Indoor Stadium sampai masuk tahun baru. That was the biggest con job ever!!!
Discounts were pathetic...and the only thing worse was the choices of crap they put on show. I mean, most of the items were Petaling Street quality at best. Take for example, the Diesel shirt below...or was it B.U.M? Whatever brand it was supposed to be, I'm sure it was genuine simply for the fact that even at a glance, one already notices the grammatical and spelling errors. Memalukan tul!!!!

Last scene???!!! Birth : Hafel??? my house crossed road for a second and then he was fame???? brignging???
What the $%^&* is this t shirt on about!!!
Speaking of typos and excellent English thanks to our standard of education in the country, check out this one I spotted masa along highway Shah Alam nak ke Puchong melalui Hicom. Whoever hires this security company better wonder if the company is worth the Ringgits poured into the outfit to rely on its brand of security...sebab their English is hardly anything to be proud of!
Yes yes....if you can't see it clearly (cause this was snapped on the go - no...no...er...my car was atationary when I took this pic with my Nokia...I would NEVER consider snapping a pic while my car was moving and breaking more traffic laws), it's clearly tagged that this car, the Kancil is their PETROLLING unit. Erm....patrol ke petrol???!!!
Meronda ke mengisi minyak masaalahnya?
Er...maybe ni unit mengisi minyak bagi keta meka yang meronda kot.
Pelik ler... you'd think if they couldn't spell it right, they'd find a way around it. Ni tak...confident tahap cipan to label their company vehicle camtuh.
So anyone hiring Alpha Guard, pikiaq ler betui betui ek sebelum something happen sebab obviously someone running the company lacks a little something or other.
I dread to think that some of their guards could be armed...
Moving on...Christmas this year was sweet because we had a new member of the family, thanks to Yasmin.
Ni pic of the new addition.
Yang itam bulat sikit tuh Mickey.
And since my other pup passed on (check my previous entries), kurang ler the sound of pitter patter, until Jack joined. Ni Jack with Mickey sunbathing (yes Yasmin, you can see he's now indulging in the finer things in life). In fact I think Jack has gained quite a bit of weight compared to the bag of bones he was masa he was found at SPCA by Yasmin.
He's definitely the BEST gift from anyone this Christmas. Thanks again so much Yasmin...we may have given him a home, but you gave him a chance to have a home...so bless you for that, woman.
Away from the mushiness, and on to the most appreciated Christmas present for personal, selfish reasons...is my sister's offer of a tattoo! Yes, another brand new tattoo to join the ranks of my pathetic...one.
When I'll get it, don't know. How it'll look like or how big it'll be? Don't know...had a couple of designs, but now scrapped most of them.
Anyone got any suggestions?
Actually would like a dragon sebab aku lahir tahun naga api...tapi tuh commercial sangat ler. Plus I don't want to end up looking like I'm in on a chinky triad (talk about dissing your own roots). And my zodiac sign of a crab is pretty lame.
Thought about a crab riding a dragon...but that's even sadder.
Thought of a phoenix, breaking out of the shell of a heart...kind of a metaphor of my love life...always reemerging from sadness and having a fresh go at it...but too lemau.
So nak wat per ek....nanti ler aku pikirkan puas puas. I want something arty yet symbolic...
A couple of days ago, before we hit the new year, also took several pics of myself...why? Sebab I want to remember myself, how I looked at that time. And to remind myself how much I hate having short hair despite everyone telling me I look better with it.
I liked this pic best cause nampak devilish ler sikit. You can practically imagine the horns coming out...
Bukan syok sendiri ok..so sapa nak muntah tengok muka aku...cepat tutup page nih.
Saja jer letak...it's not a case of vanity or anything...and before someone goes, "Me thinks he doth protest too much" or "The guilty flee when none pursue"...shut up Vernon (tau je sapa nak carut aku kan!)
So with that... I'll leave you guys...until tomorrow ok...(gigih ni nak pastikan azam tiap hari ada entry nih)
Ok guys... this took ages to upload sebab every bloody server still seems wonky even though the Internet connection has improved slightly. Mintak mintak it gets better ler cause I seriously took hours to finish this update.
By the way...guys...leave your comments in the comments are because I think the msjbox is one of those suffering from all the wonkiness.
Same goes with my counter. Malas nak remove, sebab nanti ok...nak letak balik lak...keji kan twice the work.
So deal with the broken links for now...and hopefully things get back to normal soon.
Pada meka yang start keja atau sekolah esok (which is 95% of the population ler I suppose - except if your place is still flooded or you're me or Badrul and are off until Monday depan)....HAVE FUN!!!! (keji....can't help laughing...so sincere kan aku punya wishes...)
By the way...did you guys catch the footage of Bangkok bombing tu? Shite....my favourite spots....oh well...seb baik I wasn't there at that point. Another thing to be grateful for going into 2007.
Condolences though to the families of those who were hurt or killed in it. Senseless killing....and so long Saddam.
Out for now...