Damn Thief!

Stupid thief broke into my house compound area! I lost:

• 1 pair of soon-to-be-donated shoe
• 1 pair of regularly-wore brown leather shoe
• 1 pair of regularly-wore sneaker
• DKNY watch with broken band, from my car
• Touch-n-go card with credit left around RM50, from my car
• Coins worth around RM50, from my car

Although all of these things doesn't worth a lot, knowing that your stuff had been stolen caused me feeling uneasy. Especially both regularly-wore shoes. I have already 'bonded' with them for few years, but now gotta 'build start-from-zero-relationship' with the new shoes. :-(

The damn thief got into my car as well. Knowing that somebody was committing crime in your car..... eeww...... (it's the crime scene!) ...... feel sorry to my car. Luckily, my CDs (legal!) were untouched in the car. Phew..... I would feel really sad for that if it happened. But, I don't understand why my Giorgio Armani sunglass was safe from being stolen from the car??

At 1st, I thought that the thief could be one of those foreign workers from the construction sites nearby, according the 'stolen list'. However, later I found out that my Touch-n-go card was lost as well. So, I think I've made a wrong guess.

P/S: The thief wasn't smart enough. Or should I say, NOT PRO ENOUGH. Come on, if wanna steal, go steal expensive stuff rite? STUPID! haiz........

Akademi Fantasia

AF5 Finale Concert memang Best! It was so fantastic! Last Saturday Finale Concert of Season 5 Akademi Fantasia was held in Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil. I've never watched such a spectacular concert in Malaysia before. Grand opening, with touching moments towards the end of the concert. The production team has certainly done a very good job in it.

However, for me, it's more like an AF alumni gathering rather ‘convocation’ for the AF5 'students'. The best moment was when all previous AF stars performed together for the Menuju Puncak dance. So touching! Plus, it's a farewell party to the host, Aznil Nawawi, as well. The spotlight was more on Aznil. That's why I think this concert has failed to work as the finale for AF5 unfortunately.

For the 1st time, the Champion of AF is a lady! Mila aced it! Although I'm not a supporter of her this season, I do agree that she is good singer. Furthermore, I don't think that Candy deserved to be the 5th place. She should be well-placed in the top 3! Well, this might be because both Mila and Candy were too alike. So, voters had to choose one of them.

I still think Farhan of AF4 is better. But why she's not the champion last season?? She's always top the voting lists after every concert since the 2nd concert. At the end, she could only manage a 3rd place, behind the more popular duos - Faizal and Lotter. Nevertheless, I do agree that all 5 finalists of AF4 were deserved to be the top 5. No doubt! This was not the case for this season. (And also Season 1 and 3)

In my opinion: Farhan + Velvet (of AF4) = Mila + Candy (of AF5). All 4 are great singers! Let me name them as the 4 Diva of AF to time. (I don't see any Diva from Season 1 & 2 and I didn't follow Season 3, sorry!)

After all, we should understand that AF is not a singing competition where the best singer would be the champion. Popularity is not the only reason to explain it. There is a mixture of different factors affecting the public to vote for the AF 'students'. (I always call this the ‘x-factor’). As an example, the gimmicks that always surprise the students do affect the voting trend and not much in affecting the student’s performance.

There is no logic stand behind it. Therefore, don't be upset when your favourite 'students' or the best vocalists got eliminated. But, this rule is not easy to understand apparently. Even the pros from the entertainment industry couldn’t see it. This is a reality show. In reality, the best-selling singer is not necessarily the best singer. Moreover, we should know the difference between voting and buying ‘legal’ album. So what if you are the 1st place in AF, but your album isn’t selling? Remember: the x-factors!

AF is not only a platform for the new talents. It’s a stage for the existing entertainers as well. The ‘students’ are trying to shine; the ‘tenaga pengajar’ are shining without noticing; the ‘pengkritik’ are gaining the popularity; some artists got to appear in AF, thus some of them were getting 2nd chance to sparkle; even the host himself become a superstar! This is phenomenon. It has certainly boosted the local entertainment industry.

Well, good luck to all of them. I’m waiting for the next season to begin. Munuju Puncak, that’s where you all want to be!

Why 怡保= 坝罗 ?

住在怡保或附近小镇的老一辈，尤其是华人，大多数把怡保(Ipoh)称为“坝罗”(Paloh)。这是许多外坡人所听不懂的。可是，当中的原因，连很多土生土长的怡保人，也未必可以给你一个确实的答案。

而我呢？呃……不知道！只知道有个坝罗古庙，有关系码？哈哈……我还没有资格当个‘怡保通’。这个疑问，也在我脑子里逗留了不短的时间。

不久前，阅读着《怡保城乡散记》里<怡保市开辟简史>一文时，看到作者—朱宗贤写到：

“近打县开发时，首府在华都牙也。
当时交通靠水运，船舶沿着霹雳河，
由安顺经华都牙也北上怡保，
于甘榜巴罗(Kampung Paloh)码头停泊，
所以“坝罗”（或“巴罗”）即是怡保的别名。”

这时，我才恍然大悟，“原来如此也！”如果作者朱宗贤没有骗读者的话，以上的疑问也就‘水落石出’！你明白了吗？

注：
· 近打县(Kinta District/Daerah Kinta) — 霹雳州境内九个县之一；人口最稠密的县。
· 华都牙也(Batu Gajah) —离怡保不远的一个小镇；华裔人口居多；著名景点：凯利古堡(Kellie's Castle)。
· 安顺(Teluk Intan, 旧称:Teluk Anson) — 位于霹雳河下流；属于下霹雳县；著名景点：安顺斜塔。
· 甘榜巴罗(Kampung Paloh) — 处于近打河旁；有一座‘城隍庙’。

What Happened the Year You Were Born?

In 1983 (the year you were born)

Ronald Reagan is president of the US Sally Ride becomes the first American woman to travel in space Marines are killed when a TNT laden suicide terrorists blows up Marine headquarters at Beirut International Airport US Marines and Rangers invade the island of Grenada and evacuate hundreds of US citizens The Soviets shoot down Korean Airlines flight 007 The Internet Domain Name System was invented by Paul Mockapetris Ronald Wilson Reagan signs a bill creating Martin Luther King Day Baltimore Orioles win the World Series Washington Redskins win Superbowl XVII New York Islanders win the Stanley Cup Return of the Jedi is the top grossing film "Every Breath You Take" by The Police spends the most time at the top of US charts The A-Team and Webster premiere

What Happened the Year You Were Born?