I am optimistic and sentimental to the point of being annoying, especially to people who think that being cynical and cold is cool. Everyday, I thank Allah for everyday things like the ability to breathe, the ability to love, the ability to laugh, and the ability to eat and drink.
Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'unoh my. ):
i am very much saddened by the
unfortunate passing of
Yasmin Ahmad whose condition, following her stroke on Thursday, took a turn for the worse last evening, and never woke up from her coma.
indeed,
the world has lost a most brilliant creative genius, and an amazing individual today. ):and it all occurred just so suddenly. in fact, i had thought she was going to get better after reportedly being in stable condition following the surgery. but, it was not meant to be. well, i guess that just goes to show how regrettably unpredictable life is, as we always lament.
Yasmin Ahmad had so much more to contribute and enlighten the world, with her impactful and moving works of art, from the critically-acclaimed motion pictures (
Rabun,
Sepet,
Gubra,
Mukhsin,
Muallaf) to meaningful commercials (among them, the MCYS-commissioned
Family and
Funeral). really, whatever she produced was nothing short of brilliant and left the audience with a deep impression.
and it was that deep impression that i had when i watched her film,
Sepet, one school day afternoon, as part of the RI Mother Tongue Week back when i was Secondary 1 (if i remembered correctly), that i so fell in love with her works, and have always looked forward to seeing what she had in store next. alas, we won't be seeing another
Yasmin Ahmad production in our lifetime. and it's really such a shame and a waste that she couldn't stay with us any longer.
still, thank you so very much for touching the lives and being such an inspiration to many. you truly are one creative genius, and a gift to the world. (: and although i do not personally know you, your works spoke to me and really touched me deeply.
my prayers and thoughts are with her family and friends. and let's all pray for her, alright.
Al-Fatihahtoday is a sad sad day! ): and by the way, do watch her productions if you have yet to do so. i can assure you that you'll walk away from the experience an enlightened and enriched person.
- Sunday, July 19, 2009
let's take a breather
i'm lazy to post SYTYCD videos up, so just hit them hyperlinks! (:
#1 Travis Wall's simply amazing Contemporary routine for Jeanine & Jason (((:
#2 Tyce Diorio's interesting Broadway routine for Melissa & Brandon
#3 Wade and Amanda Robson's awesomely cool Jazz group routine for the Top 10 with an Asian flavour!
and yes, my faves of the season - lovely
Randi and
Kupono - are out, sadly! ): but they did underperform that night, so they deserved the boot lah.
anyway, wonderful music for the week:
Jason Mraz feat Joss Stone - Details In The Fabric
okay, the first two songs aren't new. but the
Joss Stone guest performance on my favourite
Jason Mraz song is just too lovely (which explains the words on my blog skin!). and
Kelly's rendition of
Already Gone on Letterman is amazing.
as for the third, i stumbled upon this feel-good song and yeah, it's darn good! (: it's just a really hopeful and joyful song, that makes you feel like everything is going to be okay. so, do take a listen!
i've also been listening to quite some good K-Pop, in the form of
Boys Over Flowers OST, which is quite awesome. =D okay ah, being the sappy hopeless romantic i am, of course i am deeply in love the ballads, which are really heart-strings-tugging. and they are nothing like
Wonder Girls'
Nobody, if you happen to detest that song (but i like it! haha).
and by the way, the week went by fine. and what better way to end it than with an awesome
staygay Harry Potter outing on friday night! and the usual dinner at the playground. (:
- Friday, July 10, 2009
tesla
school's been a-okay, as usual.
anyway, today is SYTYCD day! =D so, presenting the best routine of the night...
Kayla & Kupono - Top 12Choreographers: Mia Michaels (Contemporary)
Song: Sara Bareilles -
Gravity a deep, moving, and simply beautiful contemporary routine by Mia Michaels performed by Kayla & Kupono. amazing! (:
and of course, the better Hip-Hop routine by my favourite couple, which i totally enjoyed:
Randi & Evan - Top 12Choreographers: Tabitha & Napoleon D'umo (Hip-Hop)
Song: Beyoncé Knowles -
Halo and another two which i enjoyed as well:
but this week, their Hip-Hop group routine wasn't exactly very well done, so i'm not gonna bother putting that up. and omg, Caitlin is out! ): one of my favourite girls, but really, the competition amongst the girls is so much tougher and stiffer. so oh well.
and thanks to Google, i discovered that
Nikola Tesla (yes, THAT si unit of magnetic flux density) was born today, 153 years ago. so um, happy birthday to him!
and omg, Boys over Flowers is so addictive! xD i can't believe i'm actually watching it, haha. but i must say, Korean entertainment is going places! (:
alright, have a smashing weekend everybody! =D
- Monday, July 06, 2009
crazy, cruel tennis
indeed, such is the nature of my all-time favourite sport. which is exemplified by the heart-wrenching defeat of
Andy Roddick in the finals of the
Wimbledon Men's Singles against
Roger Federer. and for those of you who caught it, i'm sure that you know what a tight, epic match it was.
honestly, i felt that Roddick played better throughout the match, but Federer got the crucial points that mattered. and that was how it all went down. i mean Roddick's serve was not broken until the final game when it was at Championship point, while Federer's serve was already broken at least once by Roddick. how tragic! and really, Roddick had the more solid serve. of the many chances he had, the one that cost him most was when he failed to capitalise on his 6-2 lead in the second set tie-breaker, which could've easily won him the match. though of course, it can't be said for certain. that said, Federer was a fighter through and through, and i guess that was what gave him the edge.
in essence, it was a truly epic match! and as much as i hate to see either of them lose, someone had to win it, and you could say the best man did.
although i sat on the fence for this finals, i couldn't help but feel so sorry for Roddick for his devastating loss, especially when he had already given it his all and had played the best he could. already, going into the finals,
these two men had a lot at stake - for Federer, it was to be his 6th Wimbledon title, record-15th Grand Slam title, and the No. 1 ranking, while for Roddick, it was to be his only 2nd Grand Slam title since US Open 2003, and the No. 4 ranking. so i really couldn't not support either of them, and moreover, they are such great players and individuals!
alas,
Federer triumphed and will be back at No. 1, and also enter the lone territory of having 16 Grand Slam singles titles to his name. but like
Shawn said, i hope it'll be a sign of good things to come for
Roddick as well! (:
read:
Epic win gives Federer record 15th Slam
How often will Andy Roddick wake in the night over the coming months and find himself back on Centre Court, reliving his failure to convert one of the four set points he held in the second set tiebreak?
Roddick's second set nightmare
Roger Federer became tennis's greatest champion as he beat Andy Roddick 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 16-14 to claim his sixth Wimbledon crown. It was a record 15th Grand Slam title, surpassing Pete Sampras who was in the Royal Box
to steal a quote from the second article:
"Elite sport is played out in an arena as wonderful as it is cruel, and only the bravest need apply." indeed. =/
and of course, this was reminiscent of the
Dementieva-Serena semis which Dementieva had a number of opportunities to win it. remember that second set when Dementieva was 3-2 up? alas, Serena got the crucial points she needed and won.
read:
Dementieva disappointed at missed chance
Elena Dementieva could not hide her disappointment as she pinpointed her biggest regret about losing an epic Wimbledon semi-final to Serena Williams after being match point up at one stage.
Serena forced into titanic scrap
After watching Serena Williams sail majestically through the draw, her semi-final against Elena Dementieva produced the result everyone had expected. What took everyone by surprise was the way she was forced to fight to get her win.
and since i didn't cover the Women's Singles finals:
Serena battles to win classic semi
Serena Williams claimed back the ladies' singles title from her sister Venus with a straight sets victory. The first set was close,with Serena winning the tiebreak, but then Venus quickly lost the second set as she struggled with her serve.
okay, with
Wimbledon concluded, we should all just look to the future, i.e. the
US Open. well, i'm hoping hard for a
Federer-
Roddick finals at the Flushing Meadows, and an appearance by
Dementieva in the finals of her niche hard court surface! (:
- Saturday, July 04, 2009
of happy things!
it's gonna be a
Federer-
Roddick finals at
Wimbledon on Sunday, and boy am i very very happy and excited! xD
Federer will be gunning for his sixth title at the All England Club, while
Roddick stunned Murray and home crowd in an amazing four-setter to reach his first Grand Slam finals in three years. alas, my dream Federer-Roddick finals is happening! (: but the same can't be said for the
Dementieva-
Venus finals which was so close to becoming realised! =/
oh well. but i am now divided over who to support for the Men's finals, so i shall just sit on the fence cos i really am happy if either of them wins it. i say - may the best man win! =D
on to SYTYCD! once again, the Contemporary routine didn't disappoint (and it's choreographed by Sonya baybeh! xD):
Kayla & Kupono - Top 14Choreographer: Sonya Tayeh (Contemporary)
Music: Blue Foundation -
Eyes on Firethough i must say, it's rather annoying that Kayla is so obviously overpraised. and i believe this is the very reason why she keeps being in the Bottom 3, dragging her unfortunate partner along. well, Kupono had better get ready better solos for the weeks to come!
and of course, my favourite couple of the lot with their rather impressive Broadway routine:
Randi & Evan - Top 14Choreographer: Joey Dowling (Broadway)
Music: Sweet Charity -
Rich Man's Frugyou just gotta love them! (:
Top 14 Group Dance (& Guest Performance)
Choreographer: Tyce Diorio (Broadway)
Music: Brand New Day from The Wiz
absolutely fun and entertaining group routine. and oh well, i didn't think that
Karla & Vitolio deserved to be in the Bottom 3 cos they really did their
Quickstep routine well. and alas, they were sent home. but again, like i've said before, the competition's really stiff for this Season. no one can afford any mis-steps, literally. xD
alright, nights! (:
- Friday, July 03, 2009
listen to the music!
okay, so
Dementieva didn't capitalise on her many chances yesterday to book an appearance at the finals of Wimbledon. which was a real pity considering how well she played and managed to strecth the 25-inch-waisted
Serena. oh well. still, you gotta love Dementieva! =D
anyway, three MUST-WATCH videos:
America's Got Talent 2009
Kevin Skinner - If Tomorrow Never Comes
yeah, another undiscovered country singer who's even worked as a chickens-catcher. and well, people are labelling him as America's very own
Susan Boyle, which of course spells for good things to come his way. but i say, let him be his own Kevin Skinner yo! that guy's got a pleasant vocie. (:
Michael Jackson's Final Rehearsal
just so we all got a sample of the promising comeback concert by the genius,
Michael Jackson, whom we will never see perform again. and by the looks of the footage, it certainly seemed potentially breath-taking.
and finally, as a tribute to the King of Pop, here's an awesome acoustic version of one of his singles, by the wonderful
James Morrison. (:
James Morrison - Man in the Mirror (Michael Jackson cover)
and since the
Federer-
Haas semis is ongoing right now,
GO FEDERER! (: