I was on this laptop writing my previous post when Sita put on a VCD featuring Siti Nurhaliza in concert at the Royal Albert Hall London. I continued writing while at the same time listening to her songs but it got more and more interesting, attracting my attention, that I switched off the laptop and joined Ram in viewing the two and a half hour video show.
Sita bought the VCD for her mother. Siti Nurhaliza is one of Malaysia’s very popular songstress. I quite like her songs. She is versatile, able to adapt to any style, whether it is jazz, modern, classics, ethnic or foreign, she performs them very well. I think being accepted to perform at the Royal Albert Hall, London, says a lot on the capability of the singer. I like music, I listen, but nowadays I do not normally go out of my way to purchase music CDs or tapes. I used to buy them in my younger days but have stopped doing so since many years ago. So when Ram mentioned about Siti Nurhaliza’s Albert Hall CD, I was slow in purchasing one and finally Sita offered to buy one for her.
I have listened to her songs over the car radio and I very seldom watch TV thus I have not seen much of her on TV but I know of her popularity and have heard or read news about her in the papers. She is one commercially savvy personality, able to seize opportunities, and very focused in her music career. There have been attempts to ‘throw her to the dogs’ by those who are jealous but she has withstood all these, persevered and came out unscathed every time. She has her own production house now and I hear that it is doing very well. On April 1st. this year she brought pride to the nation. She glorified the country by performing at the Royal Albert Hall, London. This performance was jointly sponsored by leading corporations in the country. That’s how much confidence people have in her.
Watching her video I was attracted to how the performance was professionally executed. She was backed by professional musicians, back up singers, back up dancers, event managers, expert public relations supports and the Royal Albert Hall musicians. She had one of the best, if not the best, support to make the show something that the country can be proud of.
Just one singer, but a myriad of support groups and personalities are required to push that one singer to the pinnacle of her career. The overall event manager had, just before the start of the show, and after days of preparations, rehearsals and practices, called upon everyone together so as to psyche them up for the show by asking them to give their best, saying that they are there because they are the best, and that they should continue to give the best. Siti Nurhaliza herself talked to all of them by saying that they have been going through the routines and that they are a team and supports each other to make it a success. She acknowledged that she would be nowhere without the support they provide and that speaks volume of this petite lady. She is a motivator in her own right.
The show was indeed something that Malaysians can be proud of. They have put together a wonderful show. They have itemized the songs and arranged them in the order to build up audience support. The dances were very well choreographed and the songs, music, musicians and musical instruments very well selected and planned. The end result was something quite spectacular in its own rights. Proofs that local musicians and singers have the capability to be world class if they only stay focused and work hard at it. The announcer, a popular, multilingual local PR management man, announced at the start of the show, that Siti Nurhaliza was Asia’s best kept secret…… it is now secret no more …
MKI Ramblings Unlimited,
Petaling Jaya
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Exciting Weekend - With Family and Friends
The last weekend was an exciting weekend for Ram and I. Sita and baby Najla was home, so also Tessa, who had just returned from Aceh, Indonesia. As it is still the month of Syawal, the month of Eid’l Fitri celebrations, we had calls from my brothers/sisters, Ram’s nephews/nieces, other relatives, and their families checking whether we will be home during the weekend for them to visit. We were delighted. They are always welcomed to visit. We also had several functions to attend, a number of open houses to visit, a birthday party of a very close friend’s grandson, a wedding and also a newborn thanksgiving session.
We were juggling time and hopping out of the house to attend to the various functions or rushing home to welcome visitors to our house. We even managed to visit our neighbours. As always, there were food and more food. We just indulged. However, these gatherings, get together, visits and functions were not just about food. Food is only a part of it, not the main part though. It is more about meeting and fraternizing, sharing news and views, exchanging thoughts on issues, current and others. It is about respect for the elders and the younger ones alike, all in the spirit of Eid’l Fitri.
In preparation for the visits of relatives, Ram and I made some plans of what to cook and serve our guests. We woke up very early every day to clean up the house. We also cooked several different types of dishes, beef and chicken based, to be taken with either rice or buns and french loafs. There were also the cakes and cookies that Tessa and some that Sita obtained for us, including the colourful Sarawakian spiced cake that Mini and Shaffik brought for us when they came home recently. All these were served to our guests. Ram’s nephew and niece brought some food with them when they came. So there was more than enough food for everybody. At some point in time there were more people amongst our guests than there were chairs in the house to seat all of them. So children had to make do sitting on the floor. It was fun and we had a good time. The children especially, had fun, receiving ‘duit raya’ or money from their elders.
A few days later, baby Najla had her body temperature on the high side with running nose. Sita was also not well. Because of too much food? maybe…. Running around too much and stressed up? maybe that too. We brought both of them to the clinic and got medicine for their ailments. That’s the easy part. The difficult part was to make Najla take the medicine. It’s a ‘fight’ whenever it is medicine time!!
In the coming week or so we have more functions to attend, especially during the weekends. Many are holding their ‘open houses’ in these remaining days of Syawal. We look forward to catching up with more of our neighbours, friends and relatives. It is not often that we get to meet so many at one time and Eid’l Fitri and Syawal certainly fill the gap. There are also weddings to attend on all the weekends until January. The Christmas holiday weekend is especially full of weddings. We have four wedding invitations that weekend alone. Hmmmm …. I look forward to attend all the functions but aware that I must double up on my workouts being more aware that I can easily put on the bulges either in my thighs, paunch or waistline ……………
MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya
We were juggling time and hopping out of the house to attend to the various functions or rushing home to welcome visitors to our house. We even managed to visit our neighbours. As always, there were food and more food. We just indulged. However, these gatherings, get together, visits and functions were not just about food. Food is only a part of it, not the main part though. It is more about meeting and fraternizing, sharing news and views, exchanging thoughts on issues, current and others. It is about respect for the elders and the younger ones alike, all in the spirit of Eid’l Fitri.
In preparation for the visits of relatives, Ram and I made some plans of what to cook and serve our guests. We woke up very early every day to clean up the house. We also cooked several different types of dishes, beef and chicken based, to be taken with either rice or buns and french loafs. There were also the cakes and cookies that Tessa and some that Sita obtained for us, including the colourful Sarawakian spiced cake that Mini and Shaffik brought for us when they came home recently. All these were served to our guests. Ram’s nephew and niece brought some food with them when they came. So there was more than enough food for everybody. At some point in time there were more people amongst our guests than there were chairs in the house to seat all of them. So children had to make do sitting on the floor. It was fun and we had a good time. The children especially, had fun, receiving ‘duit raya’ or money from their elders.
A few days later, baby Najla had her body temperature on the high side with running nose. Sita was also not well. Because of too much food? maybe…. Running around too much and stressed up? maybe that too. We brought both of them to the clinic and got medicine for their ailments. That’s the easy part. The difficult part was to make Najla take the medicine. It’s a ‘fight’ whenever it is medicine time!!
In the coming week or so we have more functions to attend, especially during the weekends. Many are holding their ‘open houses’ in these remaining days of Syawal. We look forward to catching up with more of our neighbours, friends and relatives. It is not often that we get to meet so many at one time and Eid’l Fitri and Syawal certainly fill the gap. There are also weddings to attend on all the weekends until January. The Christmas holiday weekend is especially full of weddings. We have four wedding invitations that weekend alone. Hmmmm …. I look forward to attend all the functions but aware that I must double up on my workouts being more aware that I can easily put on the bulges either in my thighs, paunch or waistline ……………
MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya
Haziq, A Cut at The Chin
Ram and I were attending a wedding reception last Sunday evening when son Shaffik called just to inform us that grandson Haziq had a fall while playing ball with his brother Hifzhan. He fell forward and hurt his chin. To break his fall he had used his fist to the floor but he fell on the fist hitting his chin with his thumb. He must have had his thumb pointing upwards when he fell. That ‘thumbs up’ had caused a small tear on the skin at his chin. He was taken to hospital and had a small stitch done on the tear in the chin. It’s not serious, said Shaffik but blood oozing out of the tear had the little kids screaming with fright!! Understandably so.
The next day I called the kids. Hifzhan picked up the phone and as usual he was very excited talking to me. He rambled on about, amongst other things, his drawings. He had drawn power rangers he said and he is still colouring it. He also said that he watches his favourite tv programme and played with his younger brother and sister, but not once did he mention about Haziq’s fall. Only when I prompted him did he say that his brother had a fall and he went on to explain in detail what happened to the brother and how he was treated and so on. He was a bit longwinded, and sounded like his grandfather rambling on and on. So, the brother having had a cut on his chin was insignificant to him. His power rangers have the upper place in his thoughts. I had to cut his ramblings short to speak to Haziq.
As soon as Haziq came on the phone he straightaway gave a description of what happened. Tok Bah, Dedek play ball with Babang. Dedek fall. Dedek had a cut on Dedek’s chin, bleeding and bleeding and bleeding. Dedek very scared. Dedek cried and cried and cried. Daddy took Dedek to hospital. That uncle at the hospital put medicine and stitch Dedek. Now no more bleeding. He said all these in almost one breath. He sounded cheerful. He must have got over the initial trauma of the bleed. I asked whether he will play ball again and he said yes. So, that little accident was none the worse for him. All in the process of growing up……
MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya
The next day I called the kids. Hifzhan picked up the phone and as usual he was very excited talking to me. He rambled on about, amongst other things, his drawings. He had drawn power rangers he said and he is still colouring it. He also said that he watches his favourite tv programme and played with his younger brother and sister, but not once did he mention about Haziq’s fall. Only when I prompted him did he say that his brother had a fall and he went on to explain in detail what happened to the brother and how he was treated and so on. He was a bit longwinded, and sounded like his grandfather rambling on and on. So, the brother having had a cut on his chin was insignificant to him. His power rangers have the upper place in his thoughts. I had to cut his ramblings short to speak to Haziq.
As soon as Haziq came on the phone he straightaway gave a description of what happened. Tok Bah, Dedek play ball with Babang. Dedek fall. Dedek had a cut on Dedek’s chin, bleeding and bleeding and bleeding. Dedek very scared. Dedek cried and cried and cried. Daddy took Dedek to hospital. That uncle at the hospital put medicine and stitch Dedek. Now no more bleeding. He said all these in almost one breath. He sounded cheerful. He must have got over the initial trauma of the bleed. I asked whether he will play ball again and he said yes. So, that little accident was none the worse for him. All in the process of growing up……
MKI Ramblings Unlimited
Petaling Jaya
Hifzhan & Haziq
The two brothers. One is serious, showing off his drawings of power rangers, the other happy to show his new patch on the chin! 
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