15 days to FIERCENESS

Second time lucky, finally Malaysia can play host to Sasha Fierce aka Beyoncé Knowles as part of her I Am… World Tour. Sweet dreams indeed :). The multi platinum, multi Grammy female version of a hustla’ will perform at Stadium Nasional Bukit Jalil (which is right in front of my house!) on Sunday 25th October.

Thanks to a good friend of mine, we managed to pay a pretty penny and secure some of the best seats available (Thanks Hazry)

I have been a fan since her DC days, and I must say she couldn't be here soon enough… In the meantime, here are some preview pics from her upcoming concert to whet your appetites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I should be so lucky

OMG where to begin? I remember about one and a half months ago when a friend of mine text me, "Jom tengok Kylie nak?". Immediately i called him back with a resounding YES! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be entertained by the Her excellency the Princess of Pop up close and personal, and I wouldn’t missit for the world So on Tuesday afternoon the three of us scuttled our way to Singapore for the KYLIEX2008 concert and some early Christmas shopping.

 

Two Energie models PPT on the ERL

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kylie merchandise outside the National Indoor Station, Kallang Singapore

 

 

 

 

 

Laying my hands on the tourbook, I should be so lucky!

 

 

 

 

 

 

View of the stage as the sell out crowd starts to fill the arena

 

 

 

 

 

 

The show is starting... and here she is, KYLIE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

View of the screen (just in case any of you do not believe me)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Strutting her stuff like no one else can (well, perhaps Madonna hehe...). Though the Asian leg lacks some of the impressive set pieces, the choreography does not disappoint

 

 

"Are you having fun tonight, Singapore?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, two hours later (all too soon i might say), the show ended with the bang

Spinning Around...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will be flying of to Singapore tomorrow evening to witness the princess of pop, Kylie Minogue perform live for her KYLIEX2008 TOUR at Singapore Indoor Stadium, Kallang. This will be in fact my second Kylie concert, the first being the 2002 'Fever' tour in Cardiff. I am so looking forward for a fun-filled night of dance hits, fantastic choreography and out of this world costumes.

The tentative set list are as follows:

Act 1: Xlectro Static

• Speakerphone
• Can't Get You Out Of My Head (Greg Kurstin Remix) (with excerpts of "Boombox", an unreleased song from Body Language)
• Ruffle My Feathers (an unreleased song from X)
• In Your Eyes

Act 2: Cheer Squad

• Heart Beat Rock (contains elements of Mickey)
• Wow
• Shocked (DNA Mix) ¹

Act 3: Beach Party

• Loveboat (contains elements of The Love Boat Theme Song)
• Copacabana
• Spinning Around (contains elements of Got to be Real)

Act 4: Xposed

• Like a Drug
• Slow (with excerpts of "Free" from Intimate and Live)
• 2 Hearts

Act 5: Naughty Manga Girl

• Sometime Samurai (Video)
• Come Into My World (Fischerspooner Mix) (contains elements of Finer Feelings and Dreams)
• Nu-di-ty
• Sensitized

Act 6: Starry Nights

• Flower (an unreleased song from X)
• I Believe in You (Ballad Version)

Act 7: Black Versus White

• On a Night Like This
• Your Disco Needs You
• Kids
• Step Back In Time
• In My Arms

Encore

• No More Rain
• The One (Freemasons Vocal Club Edit) ²
• Love at First Sight (Ruff and Jam U.S. Remix)
• I Should Be So Lucky
• All I See (Acoustic Version) ²

¹Performed as a dance interlude at certain dates

²Performed at select dates

Embunan Bersinar

Ning gave a sneak preview her latest single here... and dare I say, it has SMASH HIT written all over it! She will premier the song live at Zoom In, this Sunday. Betcha wish you had them tickets now eh? hehe...

Embunan Bersinar

Lyrics : Tess
Song : Aylwin Santiago

Azab dan sengsara
Duka yand terlara
Mengajariku menjadi dewasa

Lapar dan dahaga
Hidup nan derita
Sering menguji
Ketabahan Hati

Bagaikan musafir
Dipadang pasir yang sepi
Kembara tiada henti

Chorus
Mencari haluan jiwa ini
Percayakan mimpi
Jalanan ku harungi
Bertemankan harapan
Akhirnya ditemukan
Hamparan Mawar
Embunan Bersinar

Disini bersemi
Hidup nan terindah
Sendu dihati ku langkahi sudah

Bagaikan musafir
Dipadang pasir yang sepi
Kembara tiada henti

Chorus

Bridge
Yang..... hilangkan terbit kembali
Yang.... jatuh bisa bangun berlari
Ku mengerti kini
Harus sabar menanti
Ku teguhkan hati...............

Chorus
Hamparan Mawar
Embunan Bersinar

Zoom in with Ning Baizura

When: 8:00PM Sunday, November 2nd 2008

Where: Wisma Angkasapuri

This is your chance to witness Malaysia's Soul Diva in action. The newly 'independent'  Ning Baizura will perform in front of a live audience, in a show entirely conceptualised by herself! Guests are encouraged to dress according to a 70s theme. Complementary tickets are available at the security booth, Wisma Angkasapuri so hurry!

ps: Amir, you know what to do. DO NOT DISSAPOINT ME, hehehe...

pss: btw, if you are a fan, please feel free to register yourself as a fan of Ning Baizura at her Facebook page. And yes, she personally maintains the page. So if you show her the luv/support, you just might get a shout-out from the diva herself!

All hail MA50NNA!

I'm going to tell you a secret...

I wasn't a Madonna fan to begin with.

Yes, way back then I was aware of this chameleon-like entertainer who thrives on shock and awe: the iconic cone-bra definitely comes to mind. But it was all merely passing intrigue.

It wasn't until 'Frozen' came out did I finally took notice. The mystical, sweeping electronica strings in the track was hypnotic:I finally converted and never looked back ever since. Ray of Light became my first album of hers. I enjoyed all her subsequent offerings (even American Life!) and catched up on all of her past work, further convincing me on her talent and genius as one of the most influential entertainer of our time. She is forever on the cutting edge, often imitated but never duplicated.

So on this milestone of a day, I'm celebrating and honouring all of her insurmountable achievements thus far, and wishing her all the success for the future. All hail the Queen!

Tribute to a DIVA

My 'love affair' with the DIVA was started off by, of all things, a mini hifi system.

I remember way back in 1994, my dad finally decided to buy a new hifi system for the family to replace our aging cassette player. It was to be our first that would be able play CDs: we have finally entered the digital age, hehehe...

What influenced him was this advertisement that has been airing repeatedly on TV at that time: it was for the Sony Truvox hifi system. While he was convinced by the superior hi fidelity audio, I was more intrigued by the stunning voice and beauty of the model featured. I was practically hooked from that moment onwards, never to have guessed that she was a budding star destined for bigger and brighter things ahead.

So when I tagged along with my dad to buy some CDs to test it the system's capabilities, I also decided to buy for myself my first CD, her sophomore album, simply titled 'Ning'. You could imagine my sheer delight listening her sing 'Share My Dream (True Vocal)' on a system that promises to deliver true vocals: utter heavenly bliss... hehe!

The most alluring thing that about the idea of celebrity to me is the element of mystery. I love the fact that, no matter the countless times I see her on TV, in the magazines or even at the concerts... that I'm well aware I do not really know her. Some unabashed diehard fans would go to great lengths to buy every magazine, snap as many pictures, get as many autographs, go to every live performance... all in an effort to get to know her at some higher, subliminal level. For that I salute them. But for me, I like to keep my worship personal: I may not be as fanatical, but in my own little world, I would like to think that I am her #1 fan (then again, don't we all like to think so too?). I would do so with little expectation of anything in return, other than hoping that she will continue to do what she does best, that is to entertain and inspire.

But what happens if the adulation was indeed appreciated, and something was given back in return? That is what precisely happened to me some 10 years ago, when a simple Hari Raya card sent was replied in kind...

She didn’t have to reply my Raya card, her busy schedule wouldn't have permitted it. But the fact that SHE DID, and had personally hand written it to boot was like an epiphany to me. It had shattered the element of mystery that I thought I liked and had became something even better: a genuine human connection.

So on this most blessed of days, I am wishing her all the health, happiness and success in the world...

SELAMAT HARI JADI NING BAIZURA!

SEMOGA CITA CITA DAN CINTA KAN TEGUH UNTUK SELAMANYA

Congratulations Governor!

Bank Negara Malaysia governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz got an A for the fifth year in a row in the 2007 CENTRAL BANKER REPORT CARD survey issued by Global Finance Magazine. The magazine said that her "even-handed management of monetary policy has helped Malaysia to successfully weather this year’s global and regional financial turmoil".

Congratulations boss... your success is ours as well. Hopefuly this years bonus quantum would reflect the good news and commensurate accordingly, hehehe... ;)

Congratulations Dr Sheikh Muszaphar!

So the search for Malaysia's first astrononaut has come to an end. On October 10 2007, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, 35 will blast off aboard a Russian-built Soyuz space craft en route to the International Space Station along with Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson for 10 days, conducting life science experiments and other research. Meanwhile, Faiz bin Khaleed, 27 will be the reserve candidate.

I was fortunate to have met Dr Muszaphar during Ning Baizura's 2007 birthday party. He was kind and gracious for having me take a picture with him. 'Star' qualities for a man destined to make the nation and his people proud. Dr Muszaphar, i salute you and wish you the best of luck and a safe return!