Bad girls bring millions
March 29, 2008
“She make you take your clothes off and go dancing in the rain.”
-Ricky Martin
Ricky made millions out of writing a song about his experience with a girl.
Father once told me girls like that are a bad influence.
Kanye did a song too. He’ll probably make millions out of it. However, looking at what happened to him, I think the girl is gonna get that money.
I’m taking father’s advice.
.
300 in sparta, 3000 in four months
March 27, 2008
Since we launched in Nov 2007, our coalition managed to garner a ridiculous 4/3 majority of votes, 3000 hits. Our writers are growing insecure, dyslexic and random by the alphabet. To further assist their inability to function, I seek your support to response if you have visited this site more than once.
Thank you. With some help from Mordor and Tibet, we will now go for battle in Putrajaya, Islamabad, Pennsylvania, Thimphu, Bangkok and Taipei.
Beyond denise, elle and my right brow
March 25, 2008
“Like any other singale woman on the planet, I wake up and the first thing I see is me – no mascara, no foundation, no gossy lips. Just me.”*
-Denise Keller
For the moment:
Humko Humise – Mohabbatein**
*I suppose in the village where she comes from, non-single women go to bed with makeup.
**On really contentful moments, I sing this song to my pre-teen sisters. They ‘love’ it.
***Photo from Bilal Zaheer.
Today I read a relatively well written article by Denise Keller (MTV VJ, among other things) in the Singapore Elle Magazine (December 2007). Well enough that I might offer her an internship placement here at RA. The article crossed my path when I was reshaping my right brow in the lift mirror while sipping Ribena. Because that’s how I lead my life.
Excerpts of Beyond Skin Deep,
“I have made my name through a combination of genetics, hard work and some characteristics that are part nature, part nuture.
And the older I get, I have come to realise that, if beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then I am holding onto whatever I have. That means I take care of myself, watch what I eat, manage my stress levels and try to do good.
While I had naturally straight hair, I wanted curls; I grew up wanting to emulate the beauty of stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Iman and Gong Li. A gentle conflict, it seemed, from very early on but the clash of cultures and the often diametrically opposed ideals of beuaty helped shape me into the woman I now am.
That we perceive beauty as black-and-white is only because we have been sold the idea that it only comes in a certain form and packaged in a particular way. Beauty has become something created by the media, for example, to be sold in stores, and to be consumed by the masses. Conformity has become the new individuality.
Beauty is a philosophical debate, which preoccupies with concepts such as taste and expression.”
The last sentence sounds deep, but actually it does not make sense (first reading). Must drink more Ribena.
Gym pitch, part 2
March 23, 2008
“Andai dipisah laut dan pantai, musnahlah ilham, hilang pedoman.”
-Fantasia Bulan Madu
For the moment:
Passenger Seat – Stephen Speaks
Some weeks ago, someone I know (Al) got a call from a gym membership salesman (Eg). As Eg’s opening pitch on the phone was unique and good, Al decided to pay Eg a visit at the gym for an extended pitch.
For this part, imagine a salesman struggling to sell his product (the membership) by relentlessly going on about its rosy elements without breaking the rule of agreeing to anything negative.
*For part 1 of this post, click here.
What kind of activities would you be participating in at the gym, if you were to join?
Some cardio, weights and I like to swim.
Sorry bro, we don’t have a pool.
Why not?
Cause of hygienic reasons. Sometiems you don’t know what these people do in the pool.
True, but not the kind of people at your gym. I’d like to think that your clientele’s more well behaved than that.
Well, you never know what these people do in the pool sometimes.
Wait, you talking about your clients here. Don’t tell me they’re that bad. If they are, why’d you tell me, since you want me to be one of your clients? I think you guys need to work on that one.
*few moments later*
We have classes available for you to join. Like yoga and pilates.
Yea. But you have no pool.
*later*
There’s also a refreshment area where drinks are always available for you.
Still no pool.
*at the end*
Once you’re done with your workout, you can get freshen up in our bathroom equipped with showers.
Minus the pool.
Chantek number five
March 23, 2008
“Anak kita dan ayahnya semua sebulu, aku bilang kau chantek dan mereka setuju.”
-Chantek
For the moment:
-N/A
Last week, the song of the video below, hit #5 on the charts of Era FM, the number one radio station in Malaysia.
And I hope to see it climb higher.
Naturally, as the publicist for the artiste, this is good news to me. It means that arranging interviews and features henceforth would be more of a breeze. In the language of the industry it means the next time you hear a radio interview, I’m sitting outside the vocal booth.
And the next time there’s a feature in the newspaper and magazine, I’m sitting in the blind spot of the camera lens.
Nationalism in a global city
March 23, 2008
“By offering a conducive environment for work, family, arts consumption and the odd topless cabaret, the idea is to turn the little island into one giant Baskin Robbins — you are bound to find a flavour you like.”
-Terence Chong
For the moment:
Gadget Flow – Lupe Fiasco
I am now in Singapore. Will be back in Malaysia on Friday 28 March.
Every morning at home, I have the News Straits Times or The Star with Koko Krunch. Somehow, I have always found that there’s more interesting content (to comment about) when I have the Today (Singapore) for breakfast.
I came across this brilliant piece at my 11.45am breakfast.
Excerpts of Nationalism Should Not Be Exclusive with the sub-head Why embrace foreign PRs while demonising Singaporeans who emigrate?
So, the Singapore government has imported foreign workers, not just to replace departing Singaporeans, but also to meet industry demands.
The flight of educated Singaporeans, economically speaking, poses no short-term problems for Singapore. For every person who leaves, 14 others come to permanently take his place. As a solutions-oriented approach, the open-door migration policy is a resounding success.
Still, emigrating Singaporeans are framed as a problem, and the government’s response has, so far, been either to woo them back or, in the not-too-distant past, to demonise them.
In wooing them back, the government takes a pro-active approach to reach out through organisations like Contact Singapore and the Singapore International Foundation, and with “soft power” vis-à-vis Singaporean-theme festivals in major cities around the world.
When it comes to demonising Singaporeans, labels like “quitters” and people who are “rootless” were at one time bandied about with ease. Labels like “quitters” are designed to arouse Singaporeans’ sense of nationalist indignity. They suggest a betrayal or abandonment, and mobilises nationalist sentiments against the emigrants.
But if we are willing to accept into the national fold PRs who have not yet forsaken their original citizenship, there is no reason to exclude overseas Singaporeans, both of the quitting and rootless variety.
Why embrace PRs who straddle two societies while cold-shouldering Singaporean “quitters” whose memories will always be rooted to this “little red dot”? The time has come to rescue nationalism from exclusivity.
Scholars are already talking about the “long-distance nationalism” of ethnic and religious diasporas that still hold political and cultural influence over their country of origin from afar.
For example, it (situational nationalism) describes how Singaporeans overseas tend to be more patriotic than those in Singapore. It describes how this patriotism fades when they return and fall into the rhythm of local life. It accommodates PRs who proclaim a great fondness for Singapore without wanting to give up their citizenship.
Until the exclusivity and authorship of nationalism can be fragmented, we will find it hard to accept new citizens.
Situational nationalism also addresses the subjective interpretation of national events. For example, the National Day Parade can fill some Singaporeans with unbearable pride and others with utter cynicism.
Situational nationalism is the most democratic form of nationalism because it is subjective and refuses to adhere to definitions by governments and the cultural elite.”
I wonder how does Malaysia fare in this department.
Skinny model ban
March 21, 2008
“Free size.”
-Factory Outlet
For the moment:
Birthday Girl – The Roots f/ Patrick Stump
A few weeks ago, I was approached to write for a model magazine.
I don’t do well when I am instructed or requested to write on a specific topic or area. In fact, I do horribly. With the lack of passion for the reason of being imposed to write on something related to the modelling arena, I wrote this with effort+enthusiam<18 BMI.
*I did not do the artwork for the writeup. If you like it and would like to use the services of the person who actually did it, then Contact Us.
“If the United Nations recent hot agenda is climate change, then in the fashion world it would be the skinny model ban.
As the Paris Fashion show kicks off, a recent survey by Yahoo! Entertainment, showed that Kelly Brook is the most wanted woman to be seen on the catwalk. Naturally, the diva of the ultra-skinny species, Victoria Beckham, found the limelight at the bottom of the survey.
Kate Moss, skinny model trend setter, post Twiggy era, made it 7th on the list. Nevertheless, if the ban is imposed, whether or not she wants to be seen by others, or others want to see her, she wouldn’t have made it.
The ban imposes that a catwalk model must have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 18. When Spain took the lead, 30% of the catwalk models, including Esther Canadas, were turned away.
What most suspect the skinny model debate is the fact that three models have died from anorexia. And if the fashion industry does bear a significant influence to the people, and thus the girls being selected as models, the effect it has on young impressionable girls who look up to these (role) models, is worrying.
On one hand, you have a few big names who may not support the skinny models ban but who prove that you can make it by being curvy. Namely Laetitia Casta, a Victoria Secret favourite who refused when told to pluck her eyebrows, lose weight or fix her teeth.
On the other hand, following the ban by the hosts in Madrid, fellow peers in London refused to follow suit. Another big gun, the Council of Fashion Designer America, which founded the New York Fashion Week, has also expressed its opinion against the ban.
In a statement by the CFDA, “eating disorders are emotional disorders that have psychological, behavioural, social, and physical manifestations, of which body weight is only one.”
It’s another chicken or the egg problem for the six letter F word industry. What should lead the way? The ban or a shift in fashion paradigm?”
Gullible mosque reformation in lembah pantai
March 19, 2008
For the moment:
One-Nine-Nine-Nine – Common f/ Talib Kweli & Sadat X*
*Common acted in American Gangster.
Gullible people like in this story, make my day.
When Anwar Ibrahim was sacked from office in 1997, the opposition movement called for a reformation of the government. Recently his daughter, Nurul Izzah was elected the Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai defeating Shahrizat Abdul Jalil the former MP.
A few days ago I was in a small sized office in Bangsar. One of the staff, had just done her Zohr (midday) prayers shortly before it was time for her to do Asar (pre-dusk) prayers. She was waiting for the Azan (call to prayer) for Asar from the mosque nearby and asked her colleague whether he heard it or not.
Naturally, something was stirring in my mind and I interrupted,
The mosque cannot Azan anymore.
How come?
They could do it when Shahrizat was around.
Now it’s Izzah. Things have changed.
What?!
From now on, the mosque will call ‘RE FOR MA SI!’
Hah? Oh nooo. I’m going to complain! She can’t do this!
