what is the world coming to?... just saw on channel news asia: people like jack neo and patricia mok are actually recording their voices (oh what could be worse? oh yes, WATCHING them could just be more painful them hearing them. like it's not bad enough. shudder...) and say things like "can you stop talking your saliva is showering all over me", "and can you stop sticking your butt in my head"... oh my goodness... what could get worse... there is no way this is going to solve any of the problems we are facing on mrts. i honestly don't see how you can get people to be more considerate to others on the train out of their own accord, if they can't even follow instructions like "please keep left" that are printed large and bold on signs EVERYWHERE near escalators. don't even think about it. talking about embarrassing things on tv, how can i miss this... that day i had the misfortune to be watching crimewatch on channel five. apparently there was a robber that went about robbing petrol kiosks and convenience stores, wearing a mask, shades and a red cap, and carrying a red paper bag (for putting in mandarin oranges during CNY, you know...). his last stop was a clinic. he went up to the nurse at the counter. thief: i'm here to rob you. nurse: ok! ok! you wait ok (goes in to talk to the doctor) nurse: doctor, there's a man outside who says he's going to rob us. doctor: ask him if he's joking nurse: (goes out) i'm sorry, can you repeat what you said just now? thief: i'm here to rob you. nurse: (goes in again) he says he's serious, he needs money. doctor: ok i'll come out and take a look. ... duh... it was so fake, the whole conversation. but what's the big surprise? these sort of stuff are always available on channel 8's local productions. i had just expected something less tasteless on channel 5. but what to do? same company... haha ==================================== what is it with people bashing john stevens? i don't like him that much, i don't think he's a good singer or performer. i agree he has a unique voice, though it is sometimes off key. i don't think he should stay in the competition as long as he did. but that doesn't mean he deserves to be bashed. that kid is only 16. it's not his fault that he's in the competition as long as he was. he wanted to go, it's obvious. anyone can see that he wanted to leave the competition. but the reason why he's staying there for so long is not him. he didn't ask for that. he never begged for votes. he's there because he got more votes than others. that's because people are voting for him. and they're not wrong by the way. they're voting bcs they like him. he got more votes than others because the others are nto getting that many votes. who's responsibility is that? the fans on these contestants. hey, if you want your idol to stay in the competition then you should vote harder for him/her. as for those who just simply don't like john, then go vote for who you think deserves to stay. it's no use if you just keep bashing him, that's not going to help. and that just means that it's not his fault if he's in the competition longer than he should - it's yours. posted by Yee 10:49 PM . . .
just as a follow up to a certain earlier entry... here's an article from streats. ... from the new york post to the international news wires, people on both sides of the pacific have been speculating that the voting on AI,..., is racially motivated, simpoy because all three women who garnered the least number of votes were black. up until 22-year-old jennifer hudson's ouster in an episode where contestants sang the music of barry manilow, she and two other black divas on the show, fantasia barrino and latoya london, appeared to be leading the pack, performance wise. but with hudson's ejection, the issue of race was raised, along with other theories - my favourite being from an AI fan on a message board who claims a bunch of "superhackers" are digitially manipulating the vote. when interviewed by reuters, even eltopn john decried what he felt was racism on the part of the american public. part of what is fanning all this righteous indignation is due in large part to the quality of the three diva's rivals, who made it to the next round, including 16-year old john stevens, whose inconsistent performances have been lambasted by the AI judges. but not only did the redhead survive, he wasn't even in the bottom three. to which i can onlhy say, what's so surprising about that? while the producers have declined to release all data on voting statistics, U entertainment industry insiders have noted that the student has notonly garnered the support of the tween audience, he also has the support of older audience who enjoy steven's repertoire of dreamy classics and dean martin-esque voice. it helps that he trots out his adorable grandparents every so often as well. in a programme where the majority of 20-odd million votes are cast by whites, the race factor is a convenient way of explaining last week's results. this isn't even the first time. in season 1, after talented tamyra gray was knocked out, voters were blamed for racism. but instead of looking for the dirtiest and most obvious answer, it's actually easier to look at what else the three divas have in common. not only are they all black, they are also women with thunderous voices suited to power ballads and vocal gymnastics. talent-wise they are almost on par with each other. a racist public isn't killing them - the three ladies were killing themselves by splitting the votes between them. it won't be surprising if stevens ends up in the finals with either barrino or london and the lady ends up winning. add that to the fact that before last week's vote, half the remaining contestants were black, not forgetting as well that last year's winner, ruben studdard, was all-black and proud of it, and the racist argument just doesn't hold up. blame stevens for his strong fan base, blame the three divas for being almost equally talented, but don't blame the americans racist. they deserve much better than that. this week's results will be announced tonight at 10pom on channel 5. posted by Yee 9:50 PM . . .
just finished watching american idol. Latin pop, gloria estefan. i don't like it at all... this is such a bad theme. i don't think it was comfortable for most of the finalists. it relies almost entirely on the miami sound machine, which i must say really rocks... the band is so good... i'll just put it this way. latoya can dance. credits for that, i'm fair. the only one who did it was diana. she's good!!! turn the beat around. she did it well. i can't comment much on the dress lah... it wasn't nice, but it suited the theme... ok, no mood already, sugarpie is disturbing me. hehe... posted by Yee 11:29 PM . . .
where's the roof? no roof for me to climb up to and throw my worries away, or just to lift my mood. been moody these two days, no idea why. i still get irritated easily, and i'm petty over little things. i don't like that. i try to change it. i talk to myself in my head and try to get myself out of doing stupid meaningless things. it makes me wonder why some people know what's wrong with them but refuse to make any attempt to change it. especially when they've admitted it to the whole world. and they still say "can't help it..." what's wrong? trying to find excuses? nope, it's not even an excuse, hello... ok, i think this entry is getting a little too philosophical for my style. watched Country Spirit vcds today. finished 8 cds in a day. this is such a feat... what's even more amazing is that i don't even feel sick with watching too much tv... maybe it's because i didn't lie down while i watch tv. and i got up during intervals to gt some water or go to the toilet. self-discipline is so important isn't it? then why doesn't my self-discipline come into play whenever it's supposed to? am i supposed to sit down and give some thought what to do for this long holiday? instead of finish watching all my vcds and dvds before i start thinking, and then waste all my time away? should i get a job? if i get one, i'll have to take leave for a week halfway through. that's not good... but should i like at least try and place my name somewhere first? and see if they allow it if i take leave then? or should i just sign up for lessons? go and learn something... but then, learning won't take the whole time, what am i supposed to do during all that spare time? if i'm going to take many many lessons to take up all that time, hey, it's going to take money... i don't really want to start working yet cos i know i'm going to have to work all my life (provided i can even get a job). yet i also think i shouldn't be wasting my time here doing useless things like watching tv all day long. maybe it's peer pressure, knowing your friends are doing something about planning their holidays. why am i so slow in doing these sort of things? how about part time? er, part time is always long term... what am i gonna do?!... i can't always hide within the safety of my home. i can't always lock myself within the misleading thought that i'm good at all i do, which is basically only studying. i'm probably good at nothing else. i can't keep thinking that i can do things on my own, because bi almost always want to have company, and i'm so dependent on others. welcome to reality my dear... i hate this. i hate growing up. i hate facing reality. i know studying is the best, cos there's no other worries. i've always known that and appreciated that. but so what? it's not going to help me in doing anything in future. i've been looking forward to my holidays, only to find that it really sucks... i don't want this... what am i to do???... certain people are irritating me for no particular reason. i mean nothing to them even if they constantly harp on the "importance of friendship". don't give me that crap. if friendship was so important, you won't be treating me this way. very nice. they say "i appreciate a friend who finds time for me on his calendar, but i treasure a friend who for me does not consult his calendar". these people, won't even consult their calendars to find time. so much for "treasuring my friends"... ok. looks like i can't run away from this. i'm talking like petty girls!!! yucks! i don't wanna be like that... does it make it any better if i just keep it here as grumbling and not go about singing about it? :weak attempt to smile: /*****************************************************************/ american idol tonight, top 6. george, john, diana, jasmine, fantasia, latoya. i believe the two "divas" will be safe. after landing in the bottom three, you can't go in there again... people don't land there for two consecutive weeks... george is gonna be fine i think. which means you have the three little kids inside... no prize for guessing who's probably getting kicked out. posted by Yee 6:38 PM . . .
Up On the Roof The Drifters Written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King When this old world starts getting me down And people are just too much for me to face I climb way up to the top of the stairs And all my cares just drift right into space On the roof, it's peaceful as can be And there the world below can't bother me Let me tell you now When I come home feelin' tired and beat I go up where the air is fresh and sweet (up on the roof) I get away from the hustling crowd And all that rat-race noise down in the street (up on the roof) On the roof, the only place I know Where you just have to wish to make it so Let's go up on the roof (up on the roof) At night the stars put on a show for free And, darling, you can share it all with me I keep a-tellin' you Right smack dab in the middle of town I've found a paradise that's trouble proof (up on the roof) And if this world starts getting you down There's room enough for two Up on the roof (up on the roof) Up on the roo-oo-oof (up on the roof) Oh, come on, baby (up on the roof) Oh, come on, honey (up on the roof) FADE Everything is all right (up on the roof) posted by Yee 9:02 PM . . .
You Needed Me -Artist: Anne Murray -peak Billboard position # 1 in 1978 -Words and Music by Randy Goodrum I cried a tear, you wiped it dry I was confused, you cleared my mind I sold my soul, you bought it back for me And held me up and gave me dignity Somehow you needed me You gave me strength to stand alone again To face the world out on my own again You put me high upon a pedestal So high that I could almost see eternity You needed me, you needed me And I can't believe it's you I can't believe it's true I needed you and you were there And I'll never leave, why should I leave? I'd be a fool 'cause I finally found someone who really cares You held my hand when it was cold When I was lost you took me home You gave me hope when I was at the end And turned my lies back into truth again You even called me "friend" You gave me strength to stand alone again To face the world out on my own again You put me high upon a pedestal So high that I could almost see eternity You needed me, you needed me You needed me, you needed me posted by Yee 9:01 PM . . .
and here's food for PLENTY of thought. can't americans use their brains and work their conscience? can they stop blaming others for sending home jennifer hudson? can they stop using jennifer as an excuse to express their outrage (and guilt, secretly) that they caused their dear fantasia and latoya to land in the bottom three too? can they stop taking it out on a harmless innocent john stevens who never pleaded for your vote nor insist that he deserves to be there? jennifer didn't get voted out because FOX rigged the show. she got booted because her fans got complacent that she is now much stronger than before. same goes for the other two. they were always safe, they seemed fine all the time. they get great feedback from the judges, whether or not they actually performed well. naturally the fans think they're totally safe, and become complacent in voting for them. on the other hand, john, jasmine and diana were safe. that's bcs they improved. they were better than usual. this makes their fans happy. so there they were voting their butts off for their respective idols. people love giving sympathy votes. that's why the most-bashed contestant will be fine. and it's all bcs you people were too cruel with them. and quit trying to bring in racism whenever you lose out. when a white goes home, there's no complaint, not a sound. when a black goes home (or, gasp! lands in the bottom three! what a big deal! john stevens has never landed in the bottom three before huh?), people insist on bring in that issue. bcs they know it's a sensitive issue, and no white will dare (nor be allowed to) make any comment about it. it's totally despicable. so what if your beloved three divas landed in the bottom three? then how come the only person who's always been safe is george - a black? this has got NOTHING to do with race. george has given many solid performances, he brings the atmosphere, he's established his fan base already. jennifer hadn't. so what if she has been improving? she did so only 2 weeks since the finals began, and her improvements weren't dramatic. it's not fast enough to establish a strong loyal fan base. it's only going to get encouragement and reward votes. but when these voters' idols are in need, they know who to give the votes to. jennifer didn't deserve to go this week, but that doesn't mean it's impossible that she left. don't doubt it, it's your own fault people. here's something to support my argument that they're overusing the excuse of racism against blacks. when ruben won clay by a 13000 vote margin (less than one percent), the whites didn't give that much crap about racism being the matter. this is absurd how they abuse that excuse. stop blaming one another people. if you're so free to think of scapegoats, go and spend your time thinking how to save your beloved idols from the bottom three. and by the way, it's no "Conspiracy," for all you 10-year-old girls who have been text-messaging in your votes for geeky 16-year-old John Stevens. the planning wasn't secret, the acting wasn't secret, it's not unlawful and it's not harmful. it's generating revenue that's propelling your beloved economy which makes you people so proud and full of yourselves. (go see http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35134-2004Apr22.html) so before you wanna accuse FOX, think again. the only way FOX wants to rig the shoe is to give you what you want to see. they're not stupid. and do't think FOX is guilt free. they may have rigged it another time. but they don't seem to have the need to do it this time. use your brain. posted by Yee 8:04 PM . . .
the same fella who wrote this LaToya and Fantasia deserve better than what they are getting, both from the producers and the voters. I thought this season was geared up to have the first African-American female winner, but the way this is heading, we could end up with the biggest loser ever. I have to say that I heard some of the tracks of the Soul Classic CD (Jasmine’s, Jennifer’s, Fantasia’s, LaToya’s, George’s, Camile’s and Leah’s songs). Jennifer and LaToya sounded amazing, while Fantasia was just alright, probably because I hate her song. wrote this When LaToya began to sing her song, I was thinking that this would probably end up being her best performance yet. At the end, the TV was on mute. I could not take her screaming while doing runs that did not even followed the melody of the song. That just ruined it for me. I think it did for others watching too because she landed in the bottom three. some food for thought... posted by Yee 7:43 PM . . .
i'm getting irascible these days. my patience run short. every other thing annoys me. not to the extent of flaring up, but makes me wanna ignore them. maybe it's just that time of the month. or maybe i'm finally feeling tired. running low on brain power, haha... the last entry, i'm still being annoyed by that. why does everyone like to show everybody their blog? seeking to be understood by the whole world? but they're giving out their blog addresses to peopple who probably ALREADY understand them right? so? i don't like reading people's blogs. main reason, they're almost always uninteresting. then, they're too fancy. pictures and plugins and stuff, take up bandwith and loading time, and so distracting and annoying. plus, they're too fake. if you're writing with the fact in mind that people are reading your blog, it gets so fake. it's so pointless! ! ! i like my blog... simple... can drool, swoon, thud... can talk nonsense, can offend people, can put down random stuff. these days star keep looking for me, keep msging me, asking this and that... dunno why but i don't feel like replying. my sms are running low, and it seems quite pointless to reply, cos bascially there's nothing to reply. it's like, random and out of nowhere, what's there for me to say? if youj msg me on msn and go "boing", what am i supposed to say? obviously you've got nothing to talk about... and if i had i'd have looked for you, not do something like that. think think, probably it's down to my patience again. just these few weeks only, ever since my exams came into view. in other words, they seemed close enough to become a source of worry. :shudder: had nightmare yesterday. i must be out of my mind... i dreamt i was sitting for cz2105 paper, 10 questions. i kept wanting to go toilet (small call), so after i finished 5 questions, i went to the toilet. the invigilator told me no need to sign in when i return, cos he remember my particulars, then he'll sign in for me later. i went out to look for a toilet, none in sight. had to wander out of the school compounds. walk walk walk, ran into huiboon and huiyi. they asked me why i'm there at such a weird timing... i wanted to run or at least walk faster, but i can't seem to speed. until finally i found a place with toilet. apparently a lot of my classmates were there too, same paper i think, but they also needed the toilet. the toilet was open you know... cubicles had to walls, they were sloping down. some old men very hum sup sitting around one, but still a lot of people going toilet. i took a cubicle between two empty ones. closed the door for both of them, then go the one int eh middle. blocked the view! yah right, as if i'm so smart. i was back much faster, could walk much faster. or run. haha. when i returned i realised i spent half an hour away. panic... what's wrong with me? am i giving myself too much stress... and all that rat race noise down in the street... on the roof the only place i know where you just have to wish to make it so... let'g go up on the roof... at night the stars put up a show for free... and darling you can share it all with me... posted by Yee 7:25 PM . . .
so many people blog these days. i like to blog if i got a lot of things on my mind, and want to have an outlet to vent my frustrations or just sort them out. i like to use it to "store information online". at least i know where to find it in future. stuff like, clay news. =) no nee to bother about synchronization. i don't blog to tell the entire world how i feel and what i'm thinking. of course, i do blog cos i like to just keep typing and typing. i'm not fast at typing, so this is good for practice. whatya think? sugarpie blogs too. very random. a lot of nonsense. fish blogs too. only got into it recently i think. it's like she's talking to peoplen while she's blogging. her page is very nice, very pretty. but the music is oh so annoying. i don't like the music playing the moment i open the page. so distracting. people can spend so much time on the appearance of their blogs. i can never do something like that. i can't be bothered. nobody's going to be seeing it anyway. this is like a diary for me, no need to take out a book and write. haha. i'm so lazy. my page is probably one of the ugliest around. and i'm keeping it this way. i'd just like to keep it simple and fuss-free. i can't understand why people like to give away their blogs to so many people, and expect them to read it regularly. hey why should i care about your life when i've got enough going on in mine? it's not like you just put the important things inside. you put EVERYTHING inside. it's even funnier when they specifically tell you to go and read it. if there's anything you wanna tell me, why can't you email me/ sms me/ CALL ME? people are under-utilizing the telephone and the landlines these days. the phone lines are merely being used to transfer data. duh... posted by Yee 12:18 PM . . .
just for record purposes, so that i can find it when i need it in future... How to Make an MS-DOS Boot Disk in XP You can still make a DOS startup disk using Windows XP, which you can use to start your computer from a floppy. Here's how: 1. Click Start | My Computer. 2. Right click the icon for your floppy disk drive. Ensure that a floppy disk is inserted in the drive. 3. Select Format from the context menu. 4. Select Create an MS-DOS startup disk. 5. Click Start. 6. Click OK to confirm. 7. When XP finishes writing the disk, click Close. posted by Yee 11:37 AM . . .
i've just finished my exams yesterday.... feels like it's been so long though it's only one day... first paper was it2001. i read through all the chapters in the textbook until towards the end where it was on the topics which he didn't really go through. i realized i was so dependent on the lecturer bcs he was so good at explaining. the moment i had to wander into the less-taught topics i felt totally handicapped. nevertheless i thought that i really pujt in quite a lot of work, but it was only for the 3 days i had to study for it. i wrote study-notes for all the chapters, i read through everything, i went through the tutorials. it wasn't even open book, i memorised. i wish it was better... the paper wasn't easy. i can't believe i couldn't even recall what was FDDI. i put fibre-distributed data interface or something like that. i don't like to face reailty, i didn't even bother to go back and chek if that is correct. sigh... second paper was ma2215. i love that subject, it's the only one that i can understand and can do the tutorials diligently and consistently. and i love the transportation problems. i could every single transportation problem i came across. i better not get the exam question wrong, that would be such a killer... anyway i felt so prepared for the paper, i did about 5 past year papers in a day, i understood the questions and solutions. but when i was facing my own paper, oh man... it totally sucked... i didn't even have to time myself dfor each question, cos i kept skipping parts and parts of the questions. it felt so disappointing. i'm still glad i managed to do some parts in the end. it could have been a lot qworse you know. for example, ma2210. that was my next paper, and it was a TOTAL NIGHTMARE. absolutely. it was horrifying. i'm telling you, the preparation was about a thousand times worse than the paper itself. i've never been that ill-prepared for a paper before. qifen said she's never felt so hopeless. shumin said she's never had a module with that huge a proportion of it thazt she couldn't understand. ok i sound like i'm stating critics. but honestly, it was so awful... i was thinking, fine if i don't do well. i don't wanna fail not bcs of the ugly mark, but bcs i don't want to take the module again and go through all that agony. argh... i nearly went bersek revising for that module. if you can call it revision, cos i felt like reading it for the first time in my life. i'm so glad it's over. though, over in every sense of the word. tsk tsk... right after that disaster worthy paper, i had 5 hours to study for cz2206, and then sit for the paper in the most painful venue-- lt26. i was hunching and semi crouching. my shoulders, back and waist were aching and breaking, so was my brain. after the maths paper, nothing cfan be worse. i found the 2206 quite good actually. no time to check, ya lah. but at least i managed to write something for all the questions. i think. hehe... cz2105 was on the morning right after. oh my gosh, it was quite bad too... but i think the thought of release and freedom kept me through the paper. i managed to, i ACTUALLY managed to mainitain my sanity through all that. i chate creamer. haiz... the moment my exams were over, i went for lunch, somehow i was starving... i got cheated at macdonalds. condemn. came home and finished watching the rest of my "THE LEGEND OF THE CONDOR HEROS" vcds. 4 left, finished all at one go. love it! ok, now it's time to get my dinner ready. still gotta bathe, do some housework, then watch american idol tonight. haha... till then~ posted by Yee 7:07 PM . . .
http://www.wcnc.com/news/reality/stories/wcnc-040604-al-american_idol.fde52b86.html Email Brian: Brian Moran is a freelance writer for WCNC.com. Reality Round-up archive I’m 30 minutes into this week’s American Idol and my ears are bleeding. I’m somewhat nauseated and I think I want to have a good cry. The decision to base the entire American Idol voting mechanism on the home audience’s shoulders has finally reached the level of Florida deciding, “Hey, why don’t we use a butterfly ballot this year? That’ll be cool, huh?” We have proven that we are nothing but sentimental fools by voting through infinitely likable contestants who otherwise have no talent. Look, I’m a John Stevens fan as much as anyone. He has a soothing demeanor. He’s humble. He seems like a great kid but it’s time to cut him loose. He’s in way over his head. Early on this season, I decided that I wasn’t going to write any America Idol articles if I could possibly help it. The only idea I had was to write one about how the show was spent. The early episodes didn’t touch any new ground. If anything, I felt like I was watching reruns from previous years. But then things picked up when they reached the final 12. There were quite a few good singers and a great range of styles and personalities. I was really enjoying this week’s episode. North Carolina’s own Fantasia nailed it as usual. John Peter did well enough to make me think he was going to make it through to the next round. I reminisced about Vanessa Olivarez from last season calling a huffy Ryan Seacrest a “corporate monkey” and that always puts me in a good mood. Yup, this night was progressing nicely and we hadn’t experienced any awkward moments that might make me want to punch Simon in the face. That was until John Stevens took the mike in an outfit Elton John himself might call too flashy. His song was a tune that I made famous on karaoke at the Bolero in south Jersey after a bucket of beers: Crocodile Rock. I was so bad, it made a little girl cry and they took the mike away. I can honestly say that my rendition would be neck and neck with John’s. It was just too hard to stomach and it is time for me to step up. To say John struggled with “My Girl” last week is like saying Roseanne struggled with the National Anthem. And the week before he forgot the words and started doing that “skee dappa dee dappa dee” stuff that David made famous on Real World New Orleans. (Before he was arrested for allegedly soliciting a $10 prostitute) Well, Tuesday night trumped both those performances put together. John tried dancing and I almost set myself ablaze. He tried to display a dynamic personality that he doesn’t have. In other words, he really tried to be something he’s not. It’s time to tell old blue eyes:” Put your dreams away.” If you saw his face last week when it was announced that he wasn’t in the bottom three, you’d probably agree. If you saw his face this week when he was getting pummeled by all three judges, you would be behind me 100 percent. It was truly painful. He couldn’t hold his head up. He looked like he could cry. He looked broken. The reason this needs to be said is that this thing could get really ugly. People vote for their favorites only when they’re in trouble. I’m guilty of it and I’m sure you are too. I only voted for Clay when he had bad week. When he nailed it, I never placed a single vote. If he was terrible, I would sit there like an idiot hitting redial for an hour. Complacency of voters towards the week’s best performer has actually cost previous contestants everything. (Read: Tamyra) If this continues, we could be forced to endure his face of shock every time they announce the bottom three when the kid just wants to go home. It’s time to let the Rat Pack rest in peace. Brian Moran is a freelance writer for WCNC.com. Click here to send him an email. For more Reality TV stories click here. posted by Yee 6:18 PM . . .
