Me appearing on newpaper:
if anyone hasn’t noticed, i appeared on sunday times 12 feb page 6 of the main paper; heading ‘Idol Mania’, me in blue in the 3rd picture. if you knew who i am and that i was wearing blue, it would be so OBVIOUS it was me lol. i was standing right next to yuli!! i tell you.. everything.. i tell you.. she’s soO pretty. all the crew (esp. 2 of them; 1 with an awful unkempt chicky hair crap style) started filming her and taking photographs!! she mesmerised me with her beautiful doed, saucer eyes with her hazelnut-coloured contacts. her nose ring was also bling-tastic. petite she is yet confident she seems. the 2 crew (the guy was very handsome and i believe he acted in chinese dramas before) kept on taking shots of whatever she was doing- talking on the mobile, standing next to her bf, holding the SI file folder, fixing her shoes, pasting her sticker tag blah blah, right from 9 am when the whole mediacorp entourage came and the queue started all the way into the audition rooms at ard 2 plus pm. and remind you, i was NEXT TO HER in queue! chances of me not appearing in any media scene is completely ZERO. she reminded me of my friend’s gf, nora in terms of looks and voice. we did exchange conversations, quite short ones, giving each other a confidence boost, with her sweet uniquely husky voice. and in that article, you see the short-haired gal in black coat with white handbag standing behind her.. she’s UBER nOisy!! she was attempting to take on clarkson’s “a moment like this”, and with her bunch of friends all equally annoying (they’ve been singing nonstop to brit, mariah, kelly, etc etc since last night.. Fucking noisy!), how can it not be possible for the mediacorp crew to NOT film them? and again, they’re only a few feet behind me.. die die also have to appear on tv/papers lol. all said, i have absolute faith that this noisy chick is gonna get in. her rendition of “a moment like this” was very very good. she has a high range and powerful vocals, plus she has the x factor and sassy image. yuli on the other hand was always on the fone or creative player most of the time, appearing calm and relaxed while she’s being filmed. she was never camera shy and had never once shouted or screamed or be noisy like that bunch. she’s trying to conserve her voice. and so was I. (continued)
Hopefuls queue and gave pathetic responses to hosts’ calls:
we didn’t even respond to daniel or gurmit’s calls. we just merely looked at them, with quivering smiles when they joked. in fact, the hosts had to constantly ask us to be more enthu and wave at the camera but everyone’s not responding! lol. like this:
gurmit: hello SINGAPOOREEEEEEEEEE!!!
All: (a few squeals here and there)
gurmit: eh alamak.. why like tat one? be more enthu la guys! HELLO SINGAPOREEEEEEEE!!!!!!
contestants: slightly better; not enuff to get noise-induced deafness.
malay guy: (shouts) hungry LAA~
gurmit: Eh! you guys never eat anything ah? aiya good la, later eat too full later “somewhere over the rainBURP…”
me: LOL (for the first time)
(gurmit went ard with the mike and crew and interviews one gal)
gurmit: hey why u think the response of you guys so dead one ah?
gal: haha i guess they’re conserving the voice.
gurmit: oh i c. oh yea yea you shd you shd. conserving your voice so you BLOW THE JUDGES off, right SINGAPORE?!!!!!!
All: (a few squeals here and there)
gurmit: aiya ask also no pt.
me: LOL
daniel: hey bro, why not do this.. since they’re gonna conserve their voice, why not we use their hands.. to do the Singapore Idol Wave!! man. i’m sure these guys miss the o’l kallang days.
gurmit: HEY.. good idea.
and guess what:
after 4 pathetic waves.. they gave up LOL.
very simple reasons: if you’re there queueing up for hours and hours and the morning heat takes its toll on you, you get fatiqued, lethargic, sleepy, tired, hungry, and so wanna go to toilet but can’t leave the queue.. would you still be enthu.? ok maybe yes for the minors, the siao ting tongs, crazy bozos, those who wear demonic outfits looking kinky and shitty, not for the majority.
Me in the queue:
i was probably the 300th plus contestant queue, so i was entitled the survivor kit and the opportunity to perform on the same day (max 500 auditions on sat; the 501th and above hopefuls get to perform on another day). right after master’s farewell dinner i went to rush down at 10 pm to queue up. luckily they placed boards on the grass so at least it makes it easier for all of us to settle ourselves; but the boards were wet. but no complains, who the hell loves to sleep on the grass anyways? thank goodness i brought sleeping bag and newspapers.
so.. me and leilan sat there, listened to music, talked, people-watched and ate chocolates. he ate all, i had none for the sake of keeping my voice and not developing too much phlegm. my cousin and his friend (faizal, also my ex-sch mate) joined the queue at 12 am..
so we waited and waited and btw yuli was next to me, with 3 other guys of which one of them was my pri sch mate.
till at abt 2 plus am i KOed. my friend kept awake. he KOed at 5 am. at around 1 am, some guys not related to s.i. but still belonging to the chn 5 family did filming next to us (i was tucking into my sleeping bag then); they kicked my sleeping bag, stepped on my shoe, crossed over my bags, and made hell lots of noise. how me gonna sleep?!! cb. of all places to film such stupid lame cuts like those madTVs!! leilan looked at the entire filming process, and enjoyed every single moment of their laughter, acts and silly moves. the entire filming lasted till 4 plus am.
i woke up at 5.30 am with a terrible flu with so much mucus running. i sniffed the dry air and vocalised a few scales and shook my head. i was thinking how i am to sing in such a condition? bad environment for the throat. faizal came over to my area and he too, couldn’t sing on pitch and reach the high notes (the same exact notes mariah hits) and we both were pessimistic abt the entire auditioning thingy.
survior kit. let’s see what i’ve gotten haha:
a. 1 file folder
b. 1 SI poster
c. 1 pkt tissue paper with mark lee’s picture on it -_-
d. 1 dark pink s.i. shirt (XXXS i believe)
e. 1 lanyard
f. 1 bott good earth mineral water
g. 1 can of jiajia liang teh
h. 1 handphone strap
i. 1 pair of car sunblock window shades
j. 1 notebook
k. 5 magz (incl latest copy of 8 days)
l. 1 door hanger
m. 1 sticker
n. i poncho
o. 1 “lime” writing book
p. 1 ricola pack of sweets
q. 2 pkts of khong guan biscuits
On dress sense:
I won’t say i’m the best-dressed of the lot, but seriously i beg to differ daniel’s statement of “look at you guys! you guys are dressed in awesome clothes; better than last year’s contestants!”; some of the people i see ard me have fucking no taste in their clothes. so many faux pas. so many weird dress sense. like one i saw i was going “Oh like so you think a green tubetop with black flowery jacket and a frangipani in your hair sticking out looks gorgeous?!” lol. and another one.. the entire outfit mickey mouse.. handbag mickey mouse, jeans mickey mouse, shirt also mickey mouse. might as well name yourself mickey mouse… -_-.
but of cos, there were some who could easily snatch away the best-dressed awards. the guys - some of them had their hair styled fashionably with golden hair edges. some guys wore sunshades they thought they looked like taufik. some of them tried imitating M.I.B., some came in beach wear flip flops; but most were just normal, wearing a simple jacket, long sleeve clubbing collared tee, and shiny black boots to go with. when it was nearing my turn, i wore my springfield jacket. i wondered how most of them could withstand the heat.
gals - scantily dressed with many accessories. most wore a simple shirt / top / with jacket and cool jeans. i saw one who wore a classic daniel yam evening gown with bling blings and looks completely like mariah except for the hair colour. the same colour shades, face features, flawless skin, body figure - So Diva haha.. and as expected, she was filmed and interviewed.
Me auditioning:
All the hopefuls were kept at holding areas (the last one was at lvl 9 cineleisure) before they were brought to wait outside just outside the room. One by one went in, and me being so nervous, couldn’t sit still outside waiting- i have to adjust my jacket, make sure my hair’s in place and do a few vocal scales. they wished me good luck, i wished them back, i looked at yuli and she being ever so confident starts to show her nervousness!! one by one came out, and went over to the results room to receive the news.
results:
cousin out. his friend in. yuli out. and me.. i’m out.
oh well..
After thoughts & Experiences:
I went for the experience and fun of it of cos with a hope that I can pass the first stage. Then again if i had gotten thru’, it’s highly possible that i’ll get eliminated the next round- reason simbly because it’s just not easy. no matter how well you can sing, it’s all about image, appearance, confidence and biting the cold yes.. and finding an x factor. all these things i lack. I don’t deny that i’m a lil’ sad but I’ve gained a lot from the SI experience, considering how much support and love my parents, friends and campmates gave me. And i love the freebies, so many things lol. and more importantly, i’ve made new friends- Yuli and noodles who got thru’ to the next round. Congrats noodles!!
And leilan, thank you so very very much for accompanying me thru’ the night and having to wait with me till the end. I know how tiring it is for you cos you had so lil sleep.. you’ll always be one of my greatest pals ever!!! i loveEEe you! LOL. and to all of you out there, i’m really grateful for your wonderful support and best wishes.
after all, i did make my day happy by going for buffet with leilan. didn’t eat much though cos what i needed was SLEEP! not fooD! (clarissa: dun always assume i only eat like a pig! lol) yummie nihonji-sen foodie.
Wee~
ehm not done yet. MMC week coming right up. busy busy….
i tell you everything.. i tell you.. yeEe~ yeEe~ okok~
More CNY snapshots as promised (:
Oh and i attached master’s farewell dinner pics too!
cny d1: sweets of assorted colours. more sweets. cousin mich and grand-niece celestine.
festive goodies. me in cashmere jacket. brother n nephew xboxing.
dad, clarence, mich and celestine spaz. celestine spaz again. xboxing xmen.
nephews, niece and grandniece celestine. 2 sumos, 1 geisha n 1 innocent kid. cousins, uncles.
relatives glued to tv (andy lau’s drama haha). me spaz. a game of mahjong with 2 grandaunts at right.
cny d3: food!! elders lo hei-ing, lo hei all over the place.
beehive the latest hairstyle? cousin eric and elder aunt. lil’ kids and nephew meng (in red).
relatives. bro & mummy. mahjong again -_-.
cny d6 at BaliThai: oops! too late. archer statuette. pineapple rice- B grade.
mcdonalds’s sauces. guojie exploring his w660i cam. and again.
cny d7: lo hei again -_-. aunt, me and nephew danny. richie’s doppelganger: me & danny spaz.
big luohan.
cny d13 cum master’s farewell dinner at ricetable, int bldg: campmates ben, prad & tee guan. leicester and ah long. big papa bear and dxos.
jeff and me! anticlockwise: master, stan hon, ben. master and head!!
we love you master!! present includes n6080 & renoma wallet.
queueing up for s.i. at 1.30am cny d14-feb 11: lethargy takes control
s.i. reject not in the least disappointed: plate of edemame. gd fren leilan. enjoying my food!
bbq round pit: see the salmon cheesie dogs?
*yuki-yaki buffet @ $19.90 nett @ cine (incl. conveyor sushi, chicken/fish/tomyam soup, freeflow drinks and juices; add $2 for unlimited ice-cream of over 15 flavours with dipping chocolate sticks)
cny d14 @ seng poh rd’s por kee eating house. cousins adele (hair) & sharon. plate of lo hei, againzz!!
cousin ivan. uncle, aunt & SPASTIC cousin clarissa. getting rotund day by day.
sharon’s lambo gallardo. 1.5m x 1m painting. me and lambo.
me @ the dining table. me in front of built-in cargo lift. thirsty me.
14-seat dining table. mummy and relatives at living room. flower doodahs and painting.
dining table & lift. bridge. me on stagesteps making appearance.
top view of dining table. bridge leading to rooms. skippy in lift to B1.
movie room with 14 SIA 1st class leather seats. ivan playing pool at lvlB1. bar lounge with brother.
xavier and phyllis playing pool. “cousin grace, that’s not the way you use a cue stick lol”. swimming pool.
MARIAH CAREY WINS THREE GRAMMY AWARDS, INCLUDING BEST FEMALE R&B VOCAL PERFORMANCE AND BEST R&B SONG FOR “WE BELONG TOGETHER,” AND BEST CONTEMPORARY R&B ALBUM FOR THE EMANCIPATION OF MIMI
MARIAH’S RETURN TO GRAMMY WINNERS CIRCLE FOLLOWS SWEEPS AT AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS, VIBE AWARDS, BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS, AND RADIO MUSIC AWARDS
(February 9, 2006 - New York, NY) Performer and songwriter Mariah Carey returns to the arms of Grammy, winning awards last night for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song for “We Belong Together,” and Best Contemporary R&B Album for The Emancipation Of Mimi.
“This is a momentous and well-deserved confirmation of Mariah’s artistry and devotion to her music,” said Antonio “L.A.” Reid, Chairman, Island Def Jam Music Group. Mariah’s appearance at the Grammy Awards worldwide broadcast was highlighted by a stirring live performance of “We Belong Together,” with full gospel church choir.
The Emancipation Of Mimi, named the biggest-selling album of 2005, generated an all-time career-high 8 Grammy nominations for Mariah. The album includes Mariah’s 16th and 17th #1 career singles, “We Belong Together” and “Don’t Forget About Us,” respectively - which tied one of the most enduring chart records in Billboard Hot 100 history, Elvis Presley’s 17 #1’s. Mariah is now positioned as the only active recording artist in the 47 years of the Hot 100 (which began in 1958) with the potential to match or surpass the Beatles’ all-time high 20 #1 hits.
The Grammy triumph caps an extraordinary season of awards for Mariah, which began in November with the 33rd annual American Music Awards, where was voted Favorite Soul/Rhythm & Blues Female Artist by the 20,000 record-buyers whose votes determine the winners. At the 3rd annual VIBE Awards (on UPN), Mariah led the pack for a single album with four wins generated by The Emancipation of Mimi: Artist Of The Year, Album Of The Year, R&B Voice Of The Year, and Best R&B Song for “We Belong Together.”
Three weeks later at the 2005 Billboard Music Awards, Mariah she was named Top R&B Singles Artist - Female, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artist - Female, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Artist - Female, and Top Overall Albums Artist - Female, with “We Belong Together” named the #1 Hot 100 Single Of the Year. Later in December, at the annual Radio Music Awards broadcast live on NBC from Las Vegas, Mariah was honored with the Legend Award and was named Artist of the Year/Urban and Rhythmic Radio, in addition to “We Belong Together” winning both Song of the Year/Main Stream Hit Radio and Song of the Year/Urban and Rhythmic Radio.
In its 43rd week on the Billboard 200 Albums chart, The Emancipation Of Mimi has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide, bringing Mariah’s career sales over 160 million units worldwide. ULTRA PLATINUM EDITION (which arrived in stores November 15th), the expanded new configuration of the album, recaps all 14 tracks on Mimi and adds four new tracks: “Don’t Forget About Us,” #1 most-added at Pop, Rhythm and Urban radio formats as it moves to the top of the charts; “So Lonely (One and Only Part 2),” Mariah’s collaboration with Twista (with a new extra verse written by Mariah); the remix of “We Belong Together” featuring Jadakiss and Styles P. (previously only available digitally online); and “Makin’ It Last All Night (What It Do),” featuring Jermaine Dupri.
ULTRA PLATINUM EDITION is also available as a special deluxe limited edition two-disc (CD + DVD) package. The exclusive DVD contains full-length video clips for “It’s Like That,” “We Belong Together,” “Shake It Off,” and “Get Your Number” (featuring Jermaine Dupri, making its U.S. debut here); a never-before-seen interview - “Mariah: In Her Own Words,” plus a link to access the brand new video for “Don’t Forget About Us.”
Grammy.com: Lifted up by a brass section, the 30-member strong Hezekiah Walker & Love Fellowship Choir and Pastor Clarence Keaton, Mariah Carey provided one of the evening’s most powerful performances. Her flowing blond tresses draping her white-cloaked frame, Carey sang “We Belong Together” and “Fly Like A Bird” like they were the most important moments of her life. Bringing that old-time religion to a 21st century venue, Carey raised the roof with her amazing vocal skills.
MTV News: Mariah Carey ended her decade-and-a-half Grammy drought by winning three awards during the night, for Best R&B Song, Contemporary Album and Female Vocal Performance. (…)
Of course, this being the Grammys, there were also some completely expected moments that delivered big time. Carey’s soulful medley of her hits “We Belong Together” and “Fly Like a Bird” packed a powerful vocal wallop, increased 30-fold by the addition of a full-blown gospel choir.
BET: Stevie Wonder and Alicia Keys presented the first televised award, which was the Best Female Vocal Performance, and though Mariah Carey lost to Kelly Clarkson in this category, she already had picked up three in the Best Female R&B Vocal, Best Contemporary R&B Vocal and Best R&B Song categories earlier in the night. But that didn’t stop her from stealing the show later on, as her performance was met by a standing ovation.
Entertainment Weekly: The Adulation of Mimi. In a taped intro, Mariah Carey spoke of the importance of faith in her life, underscored by the word Faith emblazoned across her chest in sparkles. Appearing on stage in a low-cut gown (Carey must have had faith in double-sided sticky tape), 2005’s comeback queen paid homage to her spiritual side by performing with Hezekiah Walker and the Love Fellowship Choir on a medley of her hits ‘’We Belong Together'’ and ‘’Fly Like a Bird.'’ Which is what her voice did, soaring into the rafters like only Carey’s can.
Also, the music critics of Entertainment Weekly did a chat during the Grammys, and here is what they said during Mariah’s performance:
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–Michele Romero: Mariah has faith. |
Barbara Walters praised Mariah on The View saying she “sang divinely,” mentioned that she won 3 awards before the show so you didn’t see her accept them, and ended with, “but wow could she sing!”
On Los Angeles’ Gospel Radio 102.3 KJLH morning show, “The Home Team” hosts commented on how great Mariah’s performance of “Fly Like A Bird” was at the Grammys. They were amazed at how high she could sing and how distinct and clear she sang “Jesus” in such a high note.
Talk show titan Tyra Banks couldn’t stop gushing about Mariah’s big year. “I love her album. I mean, hello! It was crazy– front to back.” (Extra TV)
Calling U2 “my boys,” Kanye West said he figured the group would win album of the year because of vote splitting between his and Mariah Carey’s albums. (Billboard)
“I think winning three is a huge achievement,” said British soul singer Joss Stone. “I think winning eight is a ridiculous thing. I can’t imagine winning half a Grammy let alone three. She went through a lot, and everybody knew it. She’s come back on top.” (The Associated Press)
After winning the night’s big award, album of the year, Bono told Carey, “You sing like an angel.”
Mary J. Blige gave Mariah a shout out again! In a pre-Grammy interview, TRL VJ Vanessa Minnilo asked her if she wanted to see anyone in particular win, and she said she wanted Mariah to clean up. She said Mariah is “my heart, my baby” and that when she was growing up, she and her girlfriends would sing Mariah songs. Mary said she knows Mariah and that she is a beautiful person. Mary also said she loved seeing Mariah come through and “be that good woman they can’t hold down.”
