Heliza AF5 (5th week)

Just in case if any of you is still wondering, I didn't write about her performance last week because I just couldn't find anything good to talk about it. It was just terrible. But this week there's some obvious improvement. It wasn't a bad performance really but when you compare it to the other's performance, it looks somewhat awful. For the first time after a few weeks, I can hear the whole song without her mumbling any part of it. Still, there were a few moments when she could have done better, especially when she was moving around. She still kept that timidity in her although the song requires her to be a little bit more daring, but hey, of course you expect that from someone like her. She can't help but being herself, even in her performance. All in all, it was a pretty entertaining performance although vocally she could have done better. But what worries me is that other contestants have been improving and that's something she needs to be wary of. I think she's gone backwards since the first week and she really needs to do better next week, or else something "unexpected" might happen. *fingers-crossed*

Devils' Goals Galore!

The game against Roma was one of MU's best games in European competition ever and certainly the best in recent years. It was worth all the hassle waking up in the middle of the night (which I did). We scored 7 goals against a very good Italian team, who are well-known for their defensive qualities, as well as tough-tackling players. And remember that we did it without 2 of our most important players all season, Paul Scholes and Nemanja Vidic. As far as I'm concerned, almost every player was at their best. Smith was running all over the pitch. Carrick produced 2 great goals which made me wonder where his position is, defensive or attacking midfielder? Ronaldo was exhilarating to watch, as he has always been this season. Giggs again showed us how important he is to the team. Fletcher proved that he does have what it takes to be in that red shirt. In defense, Heinze was the most outstanding player, blocking almost every shots and intercepting every passes. Ferdinand handled the pressure well. Heck, even Evra scored a goal! How's about that? This game certainly brings the confidence back in the squad after 2 straight losses. But what is more important is that it proved to the fans that the current squad does have what it takes to be challenging for Europeans top competiton. United have been under performing in Europe for the past 3 or 4 seasons and to be in the semis after such a long time is a good feeling, for both the players and supporters. And we are even doing good in EPL and have the FA cup to play for. Although it's unlikely we're going to repeat the famous treble, but looking at the way we're playing at the moment, anything is possible. So, get ready all United fans! The glory days ARE back!

Heliza AF5 (3rd concert)

Poor Heliza... she was criticised heavily and I believe she deserved it although I'm not really sure what Hattan meant when he said Heliza sounds like CT. I dont think she sounds like CT, or did I miss something?
Okay...let's just forget about Hattan (he's CRAP anyway). I'd rather talk about Heliza. Maybe she's already given her best, but somehow her best is just not good enough for me (maybe I expect too much from her). Everyone was expecting her to give a great performance and I believe most people were disappointed with the outcome. She was struggling from the moment the song started right until the end. She was even out of breath during the rap-like Latin verse. Lack of practice, I assume. It seemed like she can't wait for the song to end. Heliza obviously didn't enjoy her own performance, and it can clearly be seen in her expressions and movements.
On the plus side, her performance was better than some other boys (like Dafi and Rizal) and she can take some comfort in that fact. But I hope she'll give a better performance in the coming weeks. Come on girl!

Invasion of Indonesian songs - who should be blamed?

Lots of people have been making noise about the number of Indonesian singers making their way into our country, especially those involved in the entertainment world itself. Local singers, musicians, composers are saying that it's not fair for these foreigners to be given special treatment, whereas the local talents are being neglected. They also pointed out that many Indonesian singers are being given the opportunity to do their concerts and stuff here, while they can't do the same thing in Indonesia.
I think they are just SO pathetic! I mean, come on, stop being a whiner and start improving your products. Stop pointing fingers to the public or radio and TV stations. People prefer to listen to Indonesian songs instead of local Malay songs simply because Indonesian songs are better. As simple as that. People listen to what they like and not out of patriotism, at least not me. If your products are good, you can survive anywhere! Just look at that Indonesian band, Nidji. Their song was chosen as a soundtrack for the made-in-Hollywood TV series, Heroes. I can't see the same thing happening to our local singers, not in the foreseeable future at least.
And also, this is just another form of globalisation. In today's competitive world, no one is going to protect you from competition. Even the government can't. Proton for example, is struggling to compete internationally because they are used to be protected. So the conclusion is, you need to buck up to make sure you survive in this dogs-eat-dogs world.

Ada Apa Dengan Mawi - what makes him so appealing?

I was reading this book 'Blue Ocean Strategy' and after a few pages, I can't help but relate the story with the success of Mawi. People have been wondering how Mawi became so popular that he is now a household name in the entertainment industry, barely two years after winning the AF. First of all, let me tell you about the book. It's a business book that tells companies on how to create a new uncontested market in order to minimise competition. The phrase 'blue ocean' refers to this market. It says that in order to make most profit and avoid unnecessary competition, a product should have value-added details to make it different from the other products which would eventually make the product stands out from the rest. The idea is to do something different and produce something that no one has yet to seen, thereby creating a "blue ocean".
Somehow, it just came to my mind that this is what Mawi has been doing all along (even without him realising it). At the time when people say it's hard enough to sell 10,000 copies of any albums, Mawi effortlessly sold 60,000 (I'm not sure about the numbers though) copies of his very first album. That makes me think. What is so special about him? I mean, his voice is not outstandingly great. Other established singers can sing better, yet they themselves struggle. He's not that good-looking either. He's not gonna be in my top 10 list of the most good-looking male singers in Malaysia at least.
What makes him so successful then? I think it's his ability to create a new different market for himself. Most of his fans are people who never really buy an album or really care about what's going on in the entertainment world, especially housewives or tudung-clad teenagers. These people like his so-called Islamic background and attitude, which are both his added-value that differentiate him from other singers, and not just his voice. He created a completely new market which never existed before. By doing that, he can avoid competition because this new market is still uncontested. Anuar Zain, or Hazami for example can't compete in this market because they don't have those value-added details that Mawi has.
Let me give another example. If you were to buy a pizza, would you go to Pizza Hut or some unknown Italian restaurant? Of course Pizza Hut. Why? Because of the brand. The brand itself add extra value to the product although both might make equally good pizzas. In Mawi's case, the extra values that he has are his Islamic background and attitude, as I mentioned earlier. So I think it will be some time before another singer can try and win the heart of the people of this new market. Adios....

Euro 2008 - Will England make it?

What a disastrous outing by the England squad! A team which is supposed to be competing for all the titles world has to offer is now facing an elimination at the expense of Russia, Crotia and Israel. It can't be good for the manager, Steve McLaren, who has been facing criticism since the first day he got the job. To be fair, England do still retain control of their own destiny with seven matches to play, four of them at home. They are still to play Russia home and away, Andorra, and the group leader, Crotia.
But England's failure in recent times remained an unsolved mystery. They are a great team, on paper at least. Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard, Terry are all world class players and have been performing week in, week out in the EPL. But they have yet to show their true potential on the international arena. When playing in the England strip, they somehow just lose that extra sparks, extra quality, and passion that they are widely known for. Just a single goal to show in their last 5 matches. And that's their worst run in 26 years! They were expected to beat the Israel with little resistance, but how they proved us wrong! But I hope England can prove the critics wrong by qualifying and giving a great performance in Athens. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Being a Malaysian - what does it really mean?

We have been independent for nearly 50 years (that's quite a short period of time for a nation) and much have been achieved, despite the challenges that come our way. Much development have been going on and I think our ancestors would be proud of our achievements so far. But still, we tend to overlook the simplest thing that really matters - the true meaning of Malaysian. We are blessed with diversity and we have so many different cultures from various races. So it's kinda hard to say which best descibe Malaysia.
When tourists come to our country, we always highlight these various cultures and proudly say that all these are Malaysian. But do we really mean it? Or do we simply categorise our fellow Malaysians as Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Ibans, etc. And there are even Muslims, Buddhist, Hindus, Christians, etc. Yeah, we can't ignore the fact that we ARE different. But instead of looking at our differences, why don't we try to concentrate on our similarities. Malaysia is a diversified country, but diversity itself can be a two-edged sword - it can be our strength, as well as our weakness. And it's up to us to decide which one we want it to be.

Melodi Ahlan...

It doesn't surprise me at all that Heliza got that Waheeda's new song, Melodi Ahlan. Not a bad choice, I would say. But what worries me a little bit is that her vocal and tone is quite different from Waheeda's. I never heard her singing a fast-paced song like this before and considering it's already the third week, people's expectation can prove a huge burden for her. And although I'm not really sure about this, I heard that this song has some latin verse in it. Wow! It can't get any better, can it? Malay, Arabic and Latin - all in one song. I hope - and think, that she can give a really good performance. To Heliza, our 'doa' is always with you. And to all Heliza fans out there, keep voting!

Just type AFUNDI HELIZA and send to 32999. It's that easy...... (although you must make sure you have some credit left first :p)

Pursuit of Happyness

I went to see this movie a few days back and honestly, it was a relatively good movie. It's not a feel-good kind of film, but more of a thought-provoking kind of film. Will Smith did a great job, and so did his son. It tells the story of a man's journey for survival and his strong will to succeed. It also tells about the father-son relationship. The movie makes me think about life and its challenges. One particular lesson that I got from this movie is that what matters most is not the destination, but the journey itself.

But still, I do find the movie a bit unrealistic. I mean, what's the odd of a man living on the street to make it big-time? A million to one, or a billion to one? Yeah...it's not impossible, but most people probably wont make it, no matter how hard they work. And I really feel sorry for these unfortunate people.

SPM - What next?

Okay.....let's just say that I still haven't had the slightest idea what to do or what I want to be. That might be odd, especially for a 18-year-old. I have applied for a few things here and there and I think I'll just wait and see what comes my way.

Sometimes I wonder if there are people who don't really care what they are gonna be doing - people who can just be anything and have no preference on what they want to be. Because I think I'm like that. I'm not really sure where my passion lies, although I have this peculiar interest in business, especially when I read about the success of those people who makes millions or even billions by taking risks. I'm particularly interested in the success of Air-Asia (especially its CEO - Mr. Tony Fernandez) and a few others entrepreneurs that I read about in books like the founder of Subway, the guy who invented instant noodles (who had just died), etc.

But being an entrepreneur is something that you can't learn in schools or colleges, can it?