Friday, August 29, 2008

Snapshot - Hi Semua!...

Ni erra ni...saje nak share...sebenarnye beng jugak ngan hubby...sebab dia langgar janji...janji nak break the news sama2 bila dah cukup 3 bulan...rupa2 nye dia menggelupz dulu (i guess hes extremely excited kot)...anyway thnx for all your wishes and prayers...tolong doakan semua baik dan selamat untuk erra dan baby k...

Rasa nye lepas ni hubby will update the development frequently...love you all muah muah muah!!!

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Snapshot - She's Expecting!...

I wanted to keep this info as long as possible...but somehow one of the malay papers cought it just now and called me (i must credit Serimah of Berita Harian for being the first person to catch me off guard)...apparently they have found out that wifee is expecting...yes she is...shes almost into her 3 mths pregnancy now...

We found out of the good news 2 months ago and only shared it with our close family members...the last time we went for a check up was 2 weeks ago...and dr. harun idris confirmed that the mummy and baby are doing very well (we even saw the baby's heart beat)...alhamdullillah...thank you for all your prayers...

Yabedabedoo!....will upload pics of the scan soon...

Snapshot - Merdeka With The 3A's

Its just a few days away...and we are feeling it already (manyak jalan tutop n hali2 jam mah...)...if you travel to work in KL you wouldve experienced the same thing too...road closure for the merdeka parade rehearsal...and for once i wasn't complaining about the traffic!...(since its for a good cause)...

I still recall vividly during my days in RMC...we took part in the merdeka parade...we always get excited then...simply because it was a rare chance for us to see the outside world and mengorat the aweks in the parade too lah...so we never complained having to march under the hot sun!...

Nway...i will be celebrating merdeka with some of the coolest people in the country and in one of the coolest (if not the) places on earth too!...(im not exaggerating kay)...so stay tuned for exclusive pictures!...

Lets not have a distorted perception about merdeka...we (malay,chinese, indian,kadazan,iban and others) should all stay united as Tunku dedicated his life to keep us ALL united till today...

Merdeka Pasti Rancak!....

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Snapshot - I Need Help

I know i have creative and insighful riders...(this is judging from the comments i received thus far)...although we haven't met but i somehow feel we are very closely connected (thanx to cyberspace)...

Ok...i would like to give my riders an opportunity that is hard to come by (so please dont be missed out on this kay...)...furthermore you maybe included in this project if you are the lucky one chosen...

You see...there is this new rock band that is GOING to be formed...hence they don't have a name yet...the lead singer (who is a close friend of mine) asked me for favour (i gladly accept) to mention this in BML to get my riders to suggest some names for their band...

So riders lets get on our bikes....

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Tolong Lah...Jangan Susahkan Kami Laa...!

Started my day very early...got up at 5:15am for TM Corporate Golf Tournament in Nilai...yes had to wake up that early coz tee off was at 7:30am and we were told to be there by 6:30am for registration and then breakfast...

My game was pretty ok today despite screwing up the first 4 holes...(biasa la pagi2 hantu belum mari lagi)...if i remember correctly i only got my game going by the 5th hole onwards...completed the 18 holes by 12:30pm before heading straight to the changing room to shower...i didn't stay on for the prize giving ceremony (tak menang ape2 pun)...

You see...my whole family tries to gather on saturdays for lunch at my parents...thats the reason i had to rush home soon after...nway (you imagine eh, kita dah la penat n ngantuk...theres always something that just bound to happen kan?...) as i was getting out of Nilai...just 1km before the toll booth to enter Seremban - KL highway...there was a very long queue of...standard la traffic jam...

The stretch was about 2km long i think...u all nak tau pasal apa jam?...police buat 'road sempit'...why i say 'road sempit' n not 'road block'?...ye la diorang tutup 2 lane jadi satu lane dengan cone polis tuh...and bukan nye diorang check ape2 pun...there was this 2 police guys standing under the shade prolly just admiring the long queue...ok takpe so i thought ni mungkin just a routine 'road sempit' lah...but i sempat honk my car and give them the 'apa daa' hand gesture...

So fine...lepas toll Nilai i entered the highway la kan...masa tu i remember i glanced at the clock in my car and it was showing 1:20pm (basically i was crawling out of Nilai for 20mins lah padahal patutnya 5 min je)...so dalam masa kita tengah dok pecut punya pecut suddenly at the exit to Serdang/Kajang (mind you this is still a good 10km away from the Sg. Besi toll ok...) jam lagi sekali...(wa pun masa ni dah maki hamun la...semua bahasa carut masa wa belajar kat sekolah dulu wa ingat balik n wa carut la sorang2...bagus gak at least wa boleh revise balik apa yang wa dah belajar la kan...)...damn! i was so pissed off at that time...i cant remember the last time i was boiling with such anger...

And you know what...when i reached Sg Besi toll i asked the toll attendant..."brader apasal jam sangat ni?"...and he said "ada road block la bang kat depan"...by this time i told myself this is very unusual...2 major road blocks on the same day....haa then i remembered ni mesti pasal the important event on the 26th august nih...(kita pun sambung balik la... #@*&%#! *&^%$@+?&%$!...)...

Ok eh...dari tempat tadi (exit Serdang/Kajang) sampai toll Sg Besi dah crawling for 10km...pastu from the toll i had to crawl again for another 5km sampai ke Petronas/McDonalds opposite Mint Hotel....that's where again i saw the police buat yet again ANOTHER 'road sempit'!!!!!!!!...3 policemen standing bawah pokok with only 2 lanes not blocked (4 BUSY lanes to 2) with their cones...

My goodness for havens sake!...kita paham pihak polis kena jalan kan tugas seperti yang diarahkan oleh pihak atasan...but please la theres always a SMART way of doing things as to not punish the innocent road users...jangan lah bagi kitorang marah tak tentu pasal...kalau nak buat road block buat la betul2 dan cari lah jalan yang terbaik untuk elakkan kesesakan sepanjang LIMA BELAS KILOMETER!!!...

Simple je...kenapa tak tempatkan seorang anggota di setiap empat2 lorong di highway untuk buat pemeriksaan?...dengan cara ini tak terjadi la 'road sempit' nih...keempat-empat lorong tadi masih boleh di lalui walaupun perlahan, jadi takde la jam tu teruk sangat...lebih teruk lagi dan lebih menimbulkan kemarahan kami ialah apabila kita nampak ketiga-tiga orang polis yang sepatutnya memeriksa jalan berdiri dibawah pokok di tepi highway...jadi apa guna nya buat 'road sempit' ni kalau semua kenderaan yang lalu tadi lepas tanpa sebarang pemeriksaan...kita bukan nak suruh you periksa setiap kenderaan (kerana ini tidak sesuai dan mustahil untuk dilakukan diatas highway lebih2 lagi di waktu puncak macam tadi)...tetapi sekadar melihat and mengecam muka pemandu cukup ler...

My brother inlaw's mother ( i call her aunty sayang) experienced the EXACT same 'road sempit' today on her way up from KL to Ipoh for a wedding and i finally got to my parents at 3:15pm...

Haiya tuan...kasi tolong la...

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Snapshot - She's In!

I would like to pay tribute to my new PA Azah who joined the Suria family officially on 19/8...you see i've been PA-less for about 5 months before she came on board (couldn't find the RIGHT candidate until i interviewed her)...you have no idea how relieved i am since last tuesday...my office is now SO much more organised and teratur...oh oh and clean too i must say...Azah has been helping me out with the house keeping (mind u it was a REAL mess!) since her second day at work...will upload some pics of my new-look room tmrw morning...(biasa la...kena tunggu Faqrul buat kan)...


Many thanks Azah!...and again welcome to the family...







Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Snapshot - A Few Good Men

I enjoy meeting up with nice new people and listen to what life experience have made them to be...earlier this evening i chanced upon 2 great men (chances of this happening are very far and few between) introduced to me by my company director over dinner...one is a retired doctor and the other a successful but low profile businessman...

You see...i always get excited when i meet these kind of people simply because i know i can learn a lot from just chatting with them...both men are very articulate...from the way they speak i could tell that they are well read and travelled gentlemen...mind you they are the type who look at you when they say something...and by doing so they make you feel important and most significantly respected...priceless!...

I'm prolly half their age to say the least...any tom dick and harry at that age could've just ignored me or couldn't bother to take me seriously...but you know what...never a second did they not pay attention to what i was sharing with them of my views (we were talking about politics btw)...i thoroughly enjoyed their company this evening...wish there were many more men like them...

It was a great pleasure meeting you sirs!...

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Theres Nothing That Covers My Legs Like It

You see...i'm very particular with what i wear...for comfortability that is...i'm a t-shirt and jeans kinda a guy and a big fan of denim jeans...but i do enjoy putting on a well tailored pair of suit too...when occasion calls for it ofcoz...but most of the time i'll just be in my t-shirt and blue denim...

i'm not a fan of imitation goods (i dont feel comfortable wearing them as i feel as if i'm lying to myself)...i'd rather buy something cheap but original kinda thing, if you know what i mean...so i normally get only the original stuff (and i dont mean this in an arrogant way ok...) i guess prolly because i like originality full stop...

nway i wanna share with you about my craze for Levi's jeans...if you were to slide my closet open...you would see i have more than 50 pairs of Levi's 501s...and they are all still wearable until today...i've been collecting them since my high school days...i still remember they cost only about rm100 those days and made in the US of A lagi...sekarang dah mahal giler yang ori made in china pun dah RM300 lebih...

A bit of history of it...it all started in California in 1853...a man opened his dry goods wholesale business in San Francisco...selling necessaries such as clothing to the pioneers of the time...his name is Levi Strauss...

What i'm more interested to share with my riders here is the Levi's 'Vintage Clothing' which has become collectors items to me...for some who are not familiar...if you see a capital 'E' on the red Tab of an authentic vintage pair of Levi's...it is an indicator that the jeans is over 37 years old...and mind you the older it gets the more expensive it is...

In 1936 the red Tab device was placed on the right back pocket of the overalls...and had "LEVI'S" stitched in white capital letters on one side only...(it became double-sided in the 1950s)...in 1971 the Levi's brand changed the word mark that today reads 'Levi's'...the leather patch (above the right back pocket) was introduced in 1873...it can be seen on the oldest pair held in the Levi's Co.'s historical archives in Frisco, which dates to that period...the two horses symbolised the strength and durability...

Now where can you find these really cool stuff ?...at the bundle stores...i managed to get my first pair of vintage (6 years ago) that dates back to the 1930s from a store in Kompleks Membeli-belah Campbell (got it for RM1500)...yup if you're one nut case like me u can tell the year it was made...all u have to do is to know which part of the pair to inspect and what to look out for...that's why i love this brand...every pair has a story to tell...basically u just need to know ur stuff thats all...

But lately the Levi's Co. have come up with replicas of the pair of vintage jeans in their archive...mind you they are still the original with the capital E on the red Tab (also known as big E...) so kalau u all pergi kedai Levi's mana2 just ask them if they have any big E jeans...if they carry them grab it!...coz believe u me its very very rare and better still these stuff gets more expensive by age...

Ok lah enough about Levi's...im trying to help a good friend of mine who is a jeans smith...let me tell you this...he's prolly one of the best jeans smith i've ever seen...if your jeans need any repairs or alterations...please do visit his new store in Pertama Complex...some of you may have heard of him...his name is Latip...he's quite famous too among the KL people ni...his store is on the same side and level with the Red Wings shoe store...kedai dia memang takde signage lagi...tapi he's the only store that repair jeans on that floor...so senang je nak cari...if you do visit him just say that you are one of my riders...he knows that i'll be posting about his store tonite as i was there earlier today before i had dinner with wifee...

Will upload pics taken with Latip this evening at his store tmrw...(masih bengap lagi la pasal blog ni, have to get my IT guy Faqrul to upload them for me tmrw morning)...

Meantime put on your denim to sleep...









Let US ALL Look In The Mirror First - Final Part

Got wifee to say something (last sunday) and this will also serve as a closure for L.U.A.L.I.T.M.F ....a piece of advise you may want to follow...imagine how cumi and ciki speak to each other...this will get u closest to a real live audience experience (as if you were listening to my interview with wifee, live la...) coz thats also how we talk to each other almost all of the time (when we r not fighting ofcoz)...for u it's like putting on a pair of 3D glasses la bila tengok wayang...

You may also noticed (from pics below) that i wore a different helmet for this interview...now as CRM and her husband la kan...at least kalau things get out of hand i can use my kuasa veto as her husband haha...i thought its also good for me to put on a more expensive helmet this time to protect my head from any flying objects (nway this is to just lighten up your riding la...don't take me seriously pulak k)...of coz im giving her the open road to say what ever she wants...mind you wifee has her own mind and strong views about everything...and thats why i always find it stimulating talking to her...
Q1 EE : Ok chayang apa pendapat chayang tentang 90:10 nih chayang?

A1 EF : Tujuan tu baik chayang...tapi cara tu mungkin agak keras...to me chayang, niat untuk membantu industri yang tengah nazak, sewajarnya kita semua ahli Karyawan bersidang dan discuss about it...mungkin ini adalah tindakan setelah beberapa pihak berbincang...tapi dari pandangan i chayang kita perlu kaji dari akar umbi kenapa industri kita malap...

Q2 EE : Chayang rasa cukup material ke kita nak ichi 90% nih chayang?

A2 EF : Ok chayang, kata kan la eh artis albumnya ada 10 buah lagu dan 4 daripada nya boleh dimainkan di radio maka cukuplah...tetapi masalah nya chayang, kita artis sendiri hanya push single atau hanya satu lagu hit saja dalam album tersebut maka tak cukup lah chayang...lagi pun berapa kerat sangat lah artis yang masih aktif yang kita ada sekarang chayang...

Q3 EE : Chayang ada pihak berkata radio kita tak berlaku adil terhadap artis tempatan...apa pendapat chayang?

A3 EF : Secara jujur nya chayang...i mengharapkan sokongan yang lebih dari pihak radio...tapi sekarang radio mempunyai alasan mengatakan yang material artis m'sia tak cukup dan lagu2 nya kurang bermutu...disitu lah kita kena mengkaji dimana silap masing2 chayang...

Q4 EE : Chayang setuju tak kalau pendengar radio sendiri kata kita tak banyak lagu yang berkualiti?

A4 EF : Dia macam ni chayang...kita amik satu contoh di indonesia k...since orang media suka sangat lagu2 indonesia ni kan...dalam 100 artis mereka hanya ada 30% yang gred A, 30% gred B dan seterusnya lah...sama jugak ngan artis m'sia chayang...kita pun ada gred2 ni...so mmmm...kalau nak kan gred A...kita memang tak cukup lah chayang...kita perlukan lagi lagu2 yang baik...

Q5 EE : Ok chayang...di zaman moden ni kan...kita ada internet, satelit tv dan macam2 lagi medium hiburan...jadi kalau kita sekat radio untuk putarkan lagu2 asing tak guna jugak kan chayang? apa pendapat chayang?

A5 EF : Disini lah yang i maksud kan chayang...semua pihak...semua lapisan tak kira media mana elektrik, astro ke, (yes dalam dia tengah geram2, my chayang tersasul cakap media elektrik instead of elektronik) radio ke, komposer ke...semua orang kena sumbang kan sesuatu...kena sit down and think how to bring up kita punya industri...ok kalau radio tak main kan lagu2 asing tv pulak main jugak...jadi semua pihak kena mainkan peranan yang...kalau semua buat macam tu baru la equal chayang...i rasa ada elok nya la tapi...bukan la kita nak sekat seratus peratus...contoh yang paling dekat...suatu ketika dulu chayang...ini i bagi contoh panggun wayang di indonesia la eh...suatu ketika dulu tidak dibenarkan...indonesia punya la strict mereka tidak benarkan filem luar negara masuk ke indonesia...sebab kan dia nak pelihara industri perfileman diorang....and that time during the control was in place...filem indonesia adalah filem yang terbaik...zaman tu zaman yang paling meletup bagi mereka...zaman tu zaman betul2 boom...why? because diorang sekat kemasukan filem2 luar...kemudian bila diorang bukak balik chayang...boom jatuh mendadak mencanak-canak...sehingga lah sekarang mereka masih lagi nak bangkit dan berlawan nak bangkit sekarang ni lah...begitulah juga dengan industri musik kita...yes industri kita tak lah se-gah orang luar...tapi siapa lagi yang nak menyusukan anak kalau tidak emak nya sendiri...(by this time i was thinking gotta remember to make babies tnite)...apa yang i nak tekan kan kat sini chayang adalah...semmmua pihak...i tak blame hanya pada radio...tetapi semua pihak termasuk komposer, artis tu sendiri, recording label...semua orang kena main kan peranan dan bagi yang terbaik...(by now i interrupted her saying that her answer is already too long and i wanted to proceed with my next question...but she said...) suka hati la i nak cakap panjang chayang...you yang nak interview i...(kawe pung tok leh nok ghoyak gapo aa...at least i know i dont have the patience of a reporter...)

Q6 EE : Ok chayang...mungkin masa diorang buat sekatan tu...penonton kat sana tak dahagakan kelainan atau product negara luar...kerana penonton disana berpuas hati dengan product mereka sendiri...sebab tu sekatan tu berjaya...adakah chayang rasa situasi nya akan jadi sama jika kita adakan sekatan camtuh chayang?

A6 EF : Kita akan sentiasa dahaga kan benda2 baru dan kelainan...jangan chayang kata di indonesia ketika itu tidak dahagakan kelainan dan benda2 baru...sebab itu diorang bukak kan sekatan...tapi bila bukak apa dah jadi terus kecundang...sama jugak dengan m'sia chayang...ofcoz peminat kita akan dahagakan baru yang fresh...itu maksudnya..tak bermakna bila kita sekat kita cut totally...no...bila kita sekat kita cuma bawa masuk product2 yang terbaik...kita kena jadi mahal la...seperti mana meraka mahal pada lagu2 kita...kita jangan semudah-mudah nya ajak orang luar masuk ke dalam chayang...itu satu...kedua nya...dalam masa yang sama...bila kita sekat jangan la kita masih berada di takuk yang lama...thats why i said...kita semua pihak kena bersedia untuk memajukan diri kita sendiri...sekarang global music dah berubah...sekarang ni masalah kita orang m'sia mentality kita adalah...product m'sia is always not good...tak payah tengok penyanyi atau pelakon pun chayang...takat barang pun kalau iaiya local...kita akan kata no good...tapi kalau barang made in china sekali pun kita akan kata good...( by this time kita pun terfikir...then kenapa my chayang asyik suka gi china to shop? oh ya...then i realised my chayang is also orang m'sia)...so chayang itu mentality orang2 kita lah...(haha i cant agree with her more)...

Same goes to her too...what the 4 parties should do?

1. Persatuan artis

Karyawan patut selain daripada meeting dan meeting dan meeting...harus ada action...Karyawan adalah tempat sebagai orang tengah...dimana di situ lah...artis2, komposer, media semua akan tertumpu disana dan menjadi tempat bersidang dan karyawan adalah kepala dia...Karyawan adalah orang tengah untuk membangkit kan isu2 sebegini dan memastikan apa yang kita meeting tidak hanya terbengkalai...

2. Artis themselves

Harus be more creative...kena banyak buat research jugak...kena berfikiran internasional dan global...bukan hanya target untuk berjaya di tempat sendiri saja...saingan nya kita tak patut hanya fikir kan di dalam negeri saja...tetapi kita patut mahu bersaing dengan britney spears (hweek i dislike her...up up aguilera)...and then jangan kita pandang satu negara saja...ini dia minat indonesia...dia ikut indonesia je...no no...kita kena lebih creative n ambitious than that...

3. Record label

I undestand akan kesulitan diorang...nak buat lebih2 agak terlalu mahal bila kurang sambutan...ofcoz diorang agak gentar untuk amik risiko and spend so much...so itu masalah diorang...kita paham tetapi...thats when kita kena support la...and semua orang kena crack our own heads macam mana nak jual album, di m'sia je lah...tapi ini tidak,ada mentality setengah2 label tu hanya mahu focus pada 2 buah lagu je dalam satu2 album...lagu2 lain tu kira tangkap muat je lah sebagai fillers...ha yang ini kita kena hapus kan mentality tu....kalau boleh kita bukan hanya nak buat hit song...tetapi hit album!...so label kena ada mindset yang macam tu...sebab itu untuk membantu pihak radio untuk memainkan lima atau enam lagu dari album tersebut...semua lagu kena bagus...kalau boleh kita tak nak ada lagi istilah filler ni...

4. Radio station

Radio pulak harus ada sifat sokong lagu2 tempatan...saya tahu dan faham permintaan pendengar itu penting untuk radio...tetapi kita selalu mengatakan kepada orang2 filem...filem kita wajah kita...and macam mana pun naik kan mertabat filem melayu...so benda yang sama harus di apply kan pada radio station...radio kita wajah kita...so perlu adakan sokongan yang lebih...walau busuk macam mana pun industri kita...kalau kita tak sokong siapa lagi akan buat demikian...

EE : Give me your kesimpulan chayang...kesimpulan chayang...

EF : Im not lebih blaming anyone...semua orang yang terlibat bersalah...tiada pihak yang lebih salah dari yang lain sehingga terjadi nya industri kita yang malap macam ni...radio station terlalu alpa untuk mendapatkan rating yang tinggi, recording label terlalu kemut sangat dah takut dah nak keluar budget...dok main filler je, komposer pulak dah ketandusan idea...diorang patut explore lagi dan jangan be too comfortable dengan familiar surrounding, artis pulak like i said...jika kita nak bersaing dalam negara je maka tahap kita tahap dalam negara je lah...macam mana kita nak bersaing dengan orang luar camtu?...jadi pendek kata semua pihak kena buat sesuatu...

I promise you i won't be blogging about 90:10 anymore...you can expect a lot of Snapshots after this...












Let US ALL Look In The Mirror First - Part 3 / Chapter 2

Abie B. Abdullah
Wartawan Eksekutif (tugasan pengarang) - Metro Ahad
Beliau menjadi watawan sejak 1993
Kolum beliau - Zon Abie setiap hari Sabtu di Harian Metro dan Cerita Artis Kita di Metro Ahad
Juga seorang penulis lirik - Ada Untuk Mu nyanyian Nubhan di konsert final AF6, lagu ini juga telah menjuarai carta2 lagu Suria, Hot FM dan Era.

Q1 EE : Apa pendapat Abie tentang isu 90:10 nih?

A1 Abie : Sepatutnya benda ni dah lama dibuat...kita tiada perjuangan yang betul2 dinamakan perjuangan didalam industri muzik maksud nya...kalau indonesia boleh mempunyai what u call...unity dalam mempertahan kan hak mereka masing2...dimana lagu2 kita susah nak masuk kat sana kan...jadi saya rasa macam saya kata kan tadi benda ni patutnya dah lama kita buat...tapi takpe sekurang-kurangnya orang kita dah mula sedar tentang perkara ini...

Q2 EE : Memang saya setuju sesuatu harus dilakukan, tapi pendapat Abie formula 90:10 tu betul ke?

A2 Abie : Ok kalau kita nak kira dari sudut material cukup ke tak cukup...saya rasa boleh cukup sebenarnya tapi...saya kena memikir kan tentang orang radio jugak...iaitu dari sudut bisnes...sebab radio ni dikendalikan oleh orang bisnes...meraka bukan bermakan gaji dengan kerajaan dimana subsidi diberikan sana sini...so saya rasa 90:10 tu macam tak sesuai sangat...kita patut berikan percentage 10 tu lebih sedikit...kita tidak nafikan lagu2 mereka yang masuk kesini ada yang bagus...dan boleh dijadikan contoh bagi kita untuk berkarya...maksudnya menjadi inspirasi untuk kita lebih berkarya...maksud saya bukan lagu2 indonesia sahaja...lagu2 dari barat pun...pendengar2 kita patut diberi peluang pendedahan kepada lagu2 ni juga...tetapi saya tengok dan rasa macam lagu2 luar ni lebih memonopoli...jadi kita harus memperjuang kan hak kita...saya bercakap ni sebagai seorang wartawan dan penulis lirik disini...

Q3 EE : Ok Abie mungkin Abie tidak tahu tentang perkara ini...CRM sebenar nya telah dijadualkan untuk bertemu dan berbincang dengan pihak Karyawan pada hari Jumaat ini 22/8...persetujuan ini telah dibuat lebih kurang sebulan yang lepas oleh pihak Karyawan...(by this time Abie said...oh! - which to me is a natural reaction as he was not aware of it)...jadi Abie rasa tindakan Karyawan ini terburu-buru tak?

A3 Abie : Oh jika demikian...ini macam nak cakap topik lain sebab...saya rasa terkejut apabila dipanggil untuk menghadiri sidang media ini...dalam masa yang sama kalau saya...melihat dari sudut lain...kenapa Freddie tiba2 membuat sidang media ini...sedangkan dalam waktu yang sama...dia tengah berkocak dengan 19 persatuan2 lain?...mungkin Karyawan cuba divert perhatian yang diberikan terhadap kes 19 persatuan2 ini kepada kes perjuangan hak intelektual pemuzik kita...itu saya rasa adalah escapism iaitu peralihan dari permasalahan mereka dengan 19 persatuan2 ini...

Q4 EE : Ok Abie sekarang ni kan kita ada anugerah APM dimana usaha ini dibuat untuk merapatkan lagi tali persaudaraan ketiga-tiga buah negara iaitu M'sia, S'pora dan I'sia...jadi pendapat Abie adakah perkara ini akan menjejas kan inisiatif atau objektif tersebut?

A4 Abie : Ok APM dah berapa tahun dah?...dalam beberapa tahun ini ada tak perkembangan yang kita nampak lebih positif ke apa ke?...saya rasa APM sekadar APM sahaja...sebagai acara penyampaian anugerah...thats it...saya tak nampak lagi perkembangan yang kita menjanakan kerjasama yang...menghasilkan satu album bersama ke...dan i dont know mungkin orang2 muzik lebih tahu...yang sekira nya ada kelihatan ketiga-tiga negara ini bersatu...dan kalau indonesia boleh bersatu untuk menyekat lagu2 luar untuk masuk ke negara mereka...kenapa kita tidak boleh buat sedemikian?...

Q5 EE : Saya tak pertikai kan kenyataan Abie itu...tapi mungkin mereka mampu berbuat demikian kerana product2 mereka sudah mencukupi disana Abie...walhal (a word i just learned last nite che wah!) product kita tidak mencukupi...apa pendapat Abie?

A5 Abie : Oh saya tidak kira pulak la berapa cukup ke tak cukup...ye la sebagai orang radio tak kan kita nak mainkan lagu2 60an dan 70an sepanjang masa je kan...(by this time i had to explain to him of the present scenario where setengah2 recording label are not coming up with good new album on a regular basis...and kalau ada pun cuma satu lagu hit saja dalam album tu...)...saya akui perkara ini...jadi kalau radio terpaksa mengulang dan ngulang lagu2 hit ini...lama2 telinga kita pun sakit mendengar nya...satu lagi yang saya tak faham...kalau lagu indonesia tu hit disana dan dimainkan disini saya boleh maafkan lagi...tetapi ada lagu yang tak hit disana pun kita beli dari sana untuk dimainkan disini...(teringat AC Di mana? AC Disni...sempoiiii...)...kononnya persaingan u all la, radio mana yang lebih cepat putarkan lagu2 ni...jadi saya rasa peranan radio tu dah lari sikit...dulu untuk promote kan lagu...tapi sekarang ni lain...mungkin itu trend baru stesen radio kot...berbalik pada tadi samada 90% tu cukup ke tak cukup material...sepatutnya 10% tu kita kena lebih kan sikit lagi...penting bagi kita benarkan pendengar kita dengar benda lain sebab...orang2 kita memang terbukak kan...kita kena didedahkan dengan benda2 yang lain jugak...tak kan lah kita nak dengar muzik kita je...tapi jangan la banyak sangat...sekarang ni nisbah dia berapa? (i told him - suria is currently playing 70% local 15% english and 15% indonesian...itu pun sekarang ni kita tengah terdesak untuk memenuhi 70% itu...sebab tu pendapat saya 90% ni tidak masuk akal...sehinggakan kami terpaksa merayu kepada record label dan indi2 band yang ada untuk menghantar demo mereka untuk kami mainkan jika sesuai...itu sebenar nya masalah kami Abie...lebih2 lagi sekarang ramai artis yang hanya keluarkan single...artis2 AF pun berbuat demikian...jadi macam mana kita nak memenuhi kuota 90% itu?...) jadi saya kira dah macam banyak dah tu kalau dikatakan dalam sejam kita mainkan 10 lagu dan 7 daripadanya adalah lagu local...baguslah kalau suria selama ni buat macam tuh...kira dah banyak dah tu...kira ok lah 70% tuh...tapi mungkin orang kecik hati kat radio stesen lain kot...(again i had to explain to him - tapi Abie setiap radio stesen mempunyai research lagu mereka sendiri, research ini dinamakan auditorium testing...dimana setiap lagu2 baru ini dimainkan dihadapan sekurang kurangnya sample seramai 20 pendengar stesen2 tersebut...jadi pihak lain kena memahami jugak sebelum kami main sesebuah lagu itu...lagu itu harus melalaui process yang di panggil auditorium testing ini...jadi dari situ kami dapat feedback yang JUJUR dari pendengar lagu mana yang boleh pergi dan lagu mana yang kurang sambutan...dari sini juga kami mencorak kan pusingan lagu kami)...oh hmm hmm...itu lah yang Noramin kata dalam Melodi ahad lepas...dia salah kan pengurus muzik (every station has their own music director that takes care of the music clock) tetapi selepas saya mendengar kenyataan engku ini...jadi saya tak setuju lah dengan apa yang Noramin kata tempoh hari...dimana dia berkata pemilihan lagu ni adalah personal dan bukan secara collective yang engku katakan ini...jadi saya tak setuju dengan kenyataan dia because of that lah...

Q6 EE : Ok soalan terakhir Abie...macam mana Abie rasa isu ini sepatutnya ditangani untuk memulihkan industri muzik kita?

A6 Abie :

1. Persatuan artis

Selain daripada kejutan Karyawan yang membuat escapism dan divertion ini...mereka sepatutnya berjumpa dengan u all dulu...bukan terus mencari pihak media dan mencari publicity macam tuh...daripada perjumpaan itu nanti baru lah memberitahu media...ini mereka menggunakan media untuk macam satu ugutan kepada pihak radio...ye lah konon nya bila dah disiarkan di media kerajaan terpaksa bertindak...diorang dah buat the other way round...sepatut nya berjumpa dengan orang radio, record label dan duduk berbincang dahulu...why not duduk sekali...kenapa tidak buat macam tu?...ini pelik nya dia jumpe press dulu pulak...lebih professional kalau perbincangan dibuat dahulu...tapi saya tak tahu pulak yang Karyawan patutnya berjumpa dengan CRM pada hari Jumaat ini seperti yang telah disetujui...oh...jadi ini memang totally nak divert...tapi pendapat saya sepatut nya persatuan PAPITA yang berbuat initiative ini bukan nya Karyawan...

2. Artis themselves

Diorang bukan hanya kena menyanyi sebenar nya...artis harus menjadi lebih creative untuk berkarya sendiri...menulis lirik2 atau pun membuat lagu sepatutnya...sebab saya rasa meraka boleh buat la...tak kan lah nak nyanyi je...sebab artis sendiri pun kena memperjuangkan kerjaya mereka sendiri...

3. Record label

Ok kalau saya menjadi record label tu...saya takut sebenarnya untuk membuat album...seriously...tapi itulah dalam dua keadaan...macam sekarang ni record label dah banyak yang merge...dalam kekusutan industri ketika ini...tapi meraka pula harus mencari cara baru untuk mempromosi album2 baru nih...tak boleh gunakan cara konvensional lagi dah...sekarang ni ada new media, dah banyak sangat...bukan setakat menjual melalui cd dan kaset sahaja di tower record ke atau kedai2 music lain...no...sekarang ni kita kena jual melalui internet...ring tones dan sebagainya...

4. Radio station

Kekal kan apa yang ada hari ni cuma...jangan lah lebih2 kan promote lagu2 luar...tapi macam u cakap tadi 70% pun u dah merangkak-rangkak mencari lagu2 local untuk disiarkan...tapi ada pro and cons nye disini...saya masih mengatakan cari jugak lah lagu2 melayu dan local yang lain...sebab kita kena kekal kan tahap sekarang cuma kurang kan sikit lagu2 luar...

Kesimpulan nya...90:10 itu satu jentikan untuk orang2 industri kita, itu aja...walaupun benda ni sepatutnya dibangkitkan dah lama...tapi kita kena tengok jugak agenda Karyawan tiba2 membuat sidang ini...adakah dia benar2 memperjuangkan atau cuba menutup isu2 lain...itu je yang saya boleh katakan...

FYI Abie ni memang terror karaoke!...nway cukuplah kita dapat pendapat dari wartawan2...i was trying my best to get an even response from them i.e one from Media Prima Group (Metro Ahad) and the other Utusan Group (Utusan Mega)

Will post wifee's piece before i leave office today...

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Let US ALL Look In The Mirror First - Part 3 / Chapter 1

Saharudin B Musthafa
Pengarang Hiburan - Utusan Malaysia
14 tahun dalam industry media
Beliau bertanggungjawab mengarang seksyen Mega di Utusan.

Q1 EE : Dean (i call him) apa pendapat Dean tentang isu 90:10 nih?

A1 Dean : Kita kena tengok dari 2 aspek...yang pertama kita mesti tingkatkan aprisiasi lagu2 melayu kita...ini khazanah kita...bila kita main kan lagu2 ini lebih kerap kita boleh serapkan aprisiasi ini kepada pendengar2...sebagai rakyat m'sia kita perlu ada jati diri...di indonesia mereka menyokong padu industri muzik mereka...aspek kedua adalah dari segi ekonomi...duit kita banyak keluar ke negara lain melalui MACP...ini membuatkan industri kita rugi besar...

Q2 EE : Pendapat Dean kita cukup tak material untuk memenuhi kuota 90% nih?

A2 Dean : Kita ada banyak material...(by this time i had to interrupt as i needed to make my question clear to him...i told him are u sure kita ada cukup material yang bagus?)...memang kita ada...(i had to interrupt again...and i explained to him of the current scenario we CRM are facing...that theres not enough good new material being produced and soon after he said...) oh ye ke? kita tak tahu pulak pasal tuh (i dont blame him as he doesn't just cover music but a whole lot of other stuff in the entertainment industry...i interrupted him twice PURELY to ensure he's aware of the real scenario...i wasn't trying to sway him to any side or anything like that...)ok kalau itu situasi nya...so kita harus jadikan ini the turning point untuk semua pihak...kita harus tahu kenapa mereka bertindak sedemikian...dan ini memerlukan komitmen dari semua pihak...kita kena ada satu dialog oleh semua pihak yang terlibat...

I also mentioned to him that CRM was supposed to meet Karyawan (which they have agreed to before the petition) on the 22/8 next week to discuss this issue...i don't blame Dean for not knowing this as he wasn't part of it...

Again (same in abg amy's case) i asked his opinion about what the 4 pihaks should do...

1. Persatuan artis.

Harus beri motivasi kepada ahli macam mana nak hasil kan lagu yang baik...jangan saja nak mengeluh dan luahkan rasa tidak puas hati...kita kena kaji diri sendiri dulu...jangan suka menyalahkan orang lain...

2. Artis themselves

Sudah sampai masanya ada anjakan paradigma khusus terhadap aspek pembangunan kerjaya seni mereka...kalau selama ni penyanyi kita terlalu bergantung harap pada komposer untuk buat lagu atau terbit album mereka, sekarang apa kata mereka sendiri memperkemaskan lagi kerjaya seni mereka dalam kerja2 penerbitan lagu, penulisan lirik dan penerbitan album...diversify kan sikit career dan talent mereka...

3. Record label

Ini juga sangat2 penting...harus ambil tindakan pro aktif untuk membantu dan menguruskan sebaik mungkin bakat2 tanah air...apa guna mereka bertapak dalam industri muzik ini kalau mereka tidak ada rasa tanggungjawab pada anak2 seni kita?...

4. Radio station

Saya faham radio kena ada fikiran tentang aspek businesss...tapi apa salahnya memberi keutamaan kepada lagu2 tempatan...apa salahnya jika diberikan keseimbangan terhadap aspek penyiaran lagu2 tempatan dan antarabangsa...saya secara peribadi mengharapkan lagu2 tempatan mendominasi penyiaran di semua stesyen radio swasta...pada masa yang sama juga saya memahami dilema yang dihadapi oleh stesyen radio...oleh itu kesemua empat2 pihak harus duduk semeja berkongsi masalah mencari penawar dan seterusnya meleraikan kekusutan yang dihadapi...

p/s: terima kasih Dean kita banyak belajar perkataan baru hari ni...for my riders information Dean ni cakap sikit punya laju...so throughout the phoner (phone interview) i had to ask him to slow down a few times...Thanks again Dean...

Snapshot - There's More!

Hi all...your comments have encouraged me to dig deeper into this 90:10 issue...i shall be posting comments from seasoned entertainment journalist (the editors themselves)...at time of this posting i haven't interviewed them yet (so whatever they gonna say whether in favour of CRM or Karyawan i wouldn't know but i will still post them regardless of the outcome for the sake of balanced blogging) but i will be meeting some of them today to get their response...

I'm getting wifee to say her piece too...so stay on your bikes kay...

Friday, August 15, 2008

Let US ALL Look In The Mirror First - Part 2

To ensure that i give my riders a balanced picture of the entire scenario (unlike someone)...i feel it is very important that i get some feedbacks from THE person who started (i don't mean in a negative way) bringing this foreign artists issue to the public...if you recall not too long ago Amy Search (i call him abg Amy) was interviewed by a few mainstream malay dailies with regards to this issue way before Karyawan did anything...

You see abg Amy has been inviting me over to his house for lepak2 n sembang2 for many times before...but some how i never got the chance around it...so coinsidently i had to send something to him so i took the opportunity to interview him (see pics below) to hear what he has to say about all this RAA RAA...(and got his consent to post what transpired in BML)

To make it easier for my fellow riders to follow closely what he has to say...i shall put it in a dialogue format as follows:

Q1. EE : Apa pendapat abg tentang issue 90:10 ni?

A1. Amy : 90:10 is not the actual and right jalan penyelesaian...ada banyak lagi faktor2 lain yang terlibat dalam kedesakan industry kita ni...sebelum (fyi CRM was scheduled to meet Karyawan - which they have agreed to, for a closed dialogue session next week 22/8 but we don't see the point of it now) sign petition kita kena berbincang dulu dengan banyak pihak untuk mencari formula yang betul beb...aku faham kenapa Karyawan adakan petition tu...tapi cadangan yang cuba diketengahkan kurang tepat beb...
before coming up with 90:10 kita kena kaji dulu dimana kekurangan dan kelebihan kita beb (yes abg amy talks like that i.e. beb after almost every sentence)...

Q2. EE : Jadi abg setuju tak kalau saya kata kita kena cerminkan diri kita sendiri dulu?

A2. Amy : (Amy refused to commit himself to this statement of mine of which i understand...so i proceeded with my next question)

Q3. Ok abg rasa kita cukup material tak untuk memenuhi quota 90% yang Karyawan nak tuh?

A2. Amy : Kita memang tak cukup material yang bagus...n saya tak setuju langsung...that's not the right thing to do...tak berapa tepat la beb...Karyawan patut selidik kenapa recording label tidak membuat talent scouting seperti dulu...pengurangan lagu2 indonesia bukan lah jalan penyelesaian nya...tapi gua bukan suruh radio beri kebebasan pada diorang...don't play all la beb...limit them...(you see he is also being balanced about the whole thing 'unlike someone')...

Q4. EE : Apa pendapat abg pula tentang lagu2 indonesia nih?

A4. Amy : Gua tak persoalkan quality lagu2 diorang tetapi kita telah banyak mainkan lagu2 dari sana...tapi the problem pulak kita pun perlu kan lebih lagi local artis yang top top...in our market pendapat saya indi band saja yang ikut the global trend...artis2 kita yang mana masih belum bergerak have to move inline with the market trend and do it quickly...

Q5. EE : Apa pendapat abg pula tentang rock band kita dulu dengan sekarang?

A5. Amy : Sekarang ni banyak unsurfaced underground music i.e. indie bands...jadi kita kena buat sesuatu untuk mereka2 ni...we need to give them the proper exposure and time untuk progress...(fyi we - Suriafm were the first radio to play Hujan n Meet Uncle Hussein songs)...young talent macam ni they need good sound engineer and producer to guide them beb...its a global trend yang kita kena ikut beb...

Q6. EE : Jadi where are our good producers and song writers heading now abg?

A6. Amy : Gua pun hairan kenapa emphasise tidak diberikan pada perkara ini la beb...gua tengok ada setengah2 band tu production pun tak bagus sebab tak gunakan khidmat sound engineer yang bagus...reference of music, sound engineer and producer play a very important role beb!!...

Q7. EE : Abg rasa la kan...album Search mana yang abg paling puas hati sekali?

Q7. Amy : 'Magic' ( he mentioned this immediately without any hesitation)...gua memang puas hati 100% beb...sebab apa? sebab kitorang gunakan good sound engineer...Search gunakan duit kitorang sendiri RM80 ribu (mind u thats alot of RM in those days) untuk record album ni...itu sacrifice yang kitorang buat untuk pasti kan peminat Search puas hati! (by this time i stood up and gave him my Royal Military College salute)...masa tu good recording studio takde kat M'sia...so kitorang buat basic je kat studio Luncai (owned by another legend M Nasir)...mixing kitorang buat kat Melbourne...and mastering kat Festival Records di Sydney...(he told me the famous Aussie band Silverchair also recorded there)...cita2 kitorang Search dulu besar!...so it boils down to how big your dream is?!...

By this time i wanted to rap up my interview with him as it has been over an hour and my favourite watch was already showing 6:45pm...by the looks of things abg amy could go on and on simply because he cares passionately about our industry...so i ask for his opinion what the 4 major relevant parties (Persatuan Artis, Artis themselves, Record Labels and Radio stations) should do to bring back our industry to the glory days (unlike someone)...

The followings are his sincere comments:

1. Persatuan Artis
Persatuan2 artis patut tanya label kenapa they are not coming up with new album regularly...and encourage them to be more aggressive in talent scouting macam dulu dulu...record labels harus mainkan peranan penting dalam hal ni...kalau diorang tak keluarkan album baru yang bagus atau cari talent baru yang bagus macam mana kita nak mengisi 90% tuh beb?...bila industry kita jatuh kita tak boleh blame radio station je...persatuan pun patut encourage record label untuk cari style baru bagaimana untuk promote satu2 album baru yang keluar...jangan la asyik ikut style lama je beb...

2. Artis themselves

Artis pulak kena pikir satu jalan macam mana boleh menarik kan lagi product album mereka...tak boleh harapkan satu hit song sahaja and harap peminat untuk beli album meraka...tapi bila peminat tak beli kita kata peminat tak menyokong industry kita pulak...tak boleh la macam tu beb...concept album kena betul...sekarang ni saya tengok tak ada artis yang boleh hold a concert sebab tak cukup lagu hit dalam satu2 album...so concept kena betul...again how big is your dream beb?

3. Recording Labels

New marketing strategy kena ada beb...cari new talent...buat research on market needs...and come up with good new album...

4. Radio Stations

You all should look and do talent scouting too...kalau label dah neglect this part...radio djs pun boleh cari potential talent kan?...tapi new artis pun kena tau the music business...apa yang you all nak jadi satu hari nanti?...kita nak someone yang macam Madonna (btw Madonna and Freddie Mercury are his idols) who has big dreams!...kita artis we need to know THE GAME...(i was tempted to ask him rockers pandai main batu seremban tak but i didnt)...that is what show business is all about you need to know how to play the game...ini ada setengah2 artis tu MACP pun tak tau apa...

Finally i told the legend to give his last piece and these are his exact words:

"Be bit more patriotic and give my boys more room to show their talent"

I shall rest my case...oh oh i did invite him to join my 'Ultimate Ride' too...








Thursday, August 14, 2008

Let US ALL Look In The Mirror First - Part 1

Sorry for the late posting...i have a good and valid reason for this...you see...i've been doing some research and study after lunch today to support what ever i'm gonna write here...i want to be sure that i have the facts and figures before i say anything (unlike someone)...this is an important step i took as to not mislead my fellow riders (readers)...
As promised i shall share with you my thoughts on the 90:10 subject...before i proceed i would like to believe my riders have an open and sensible mind (unlike someone) towards this posting as it maybe controversial to some...i will be sharing my thoughts by wearing my other helmet (see picture below courtesy of wifee) as the vice president of CRM and not some1 representing Suria...this is important to eliminate any doubts on partiality...to many who are unfamiliar with CRM (Commercial Radio Malaysia), it is a VERY active and close knitted association...it's members are almost all of the private commercial radio station in the country...it is headed by Dato Borhan as the president (kalau u all nak tau Dato Borhan ni Kudsia Kahar nye boss)...(we had a meeting just now...see pics below)

Ok lets get on our bikes...this issue about foreign music and artistes has been around for quite a while now...in many previous instances the debates were only held at kedai mamak over teh tarik if you know what i mean...never it was brought n discussed seriously among the relevant parties (i.e. artistes associations, record labels, ministry and radio stations) in the local music industry...

Only recently about 2 months ago Karyawan were perceived to be trying to bring up this issue to the industry's attention...this information was not made known to the public...but i can reveal to you here that Karyawan made a visit to AMP Radio Networks (Astro's Radio) to express their concern (more like dissatisfaction to me)...that 'unlike someone' person met up with Kudsia Kahar (i call her Kuds) and her team of highly professional radio people, together with a group of about 40 other members of Karyawan...i see this initiative (but not for what transpired during the dialogue session) as a healthy move by Karyawan...

You see...this matter was brought to the CRM's attention by Kuds in our very next monthly meeting (it is important that i mention this to prove that CRM is sensitive to the voices in the industry)...but after listening to Kuds' brief (on what transpired in the Karyawan dialogue) we collectively feel that Karyawan was acting more on emotional grounds...simply because they coudn't provide Kuds with the following research info : (of which that 'unlike someone' person should find out first before making any baseless accusations)

1. Have our local album production increased or decreased in the last decade?

2. The total number of local artists signed on to record labels both local and multinational

3. Perception of Malaysian Malay music being inferior quality compared to Indonesian songs, especially among the under 25 crowd

You see...every private commercial radio station in this country (and any where around the globe) we do heaps of in depth research about our songs, music and listeners preference...we spent hundreds of thousand of RM (i know AMP spent millions) just to make sure we get things spot on when it concerns our listeners' taste...as when it comes to them we simply CANNOT compromise!...

My fellow riders...it is absolutely unfair to compare us with the situation now to that of the radio stations that have been around more than a decade ago (im talking about before radio Era even existed)...those days we didn't have internet, ipod, mp3 or even MTV and etc available here...listeners were only confined to what they listen over the state radio stations i.e. govt owned...today private commercial radios not only have to compete among themselves...but also other new medium (internet, ipod etc) that technology has created in order to capture the listeners...because with no listeners = no commercial = TUTUP KEDAI...

We are running a business here...and like any other business we need to be prudent to stay in business...business mana yang tak nak tutup kedai lepas satu hari?...kita kena faham tanpa iklan di radio...radio akan lingkup...untuk ada iklan kita kena ada cukup pendengar...untuk dapat cukup pendengar...kita kena pastikan apa yang pendengar inginkan MESTI kita sajikan...

Ok that's just 1 part of the problem...lets look at the other part that maybe a bit sensitive...before i carry on...allow me to make this very very clear...my patriotism shouldn't be questioned here (IF you are a seasoned rider of my blog you would agree 100%)...

Why are we accused of allowing foreign artists to enjoy much airplay over our radio when we don't have enough QUALITY (and i'm not asking for high quality here ok) local products to offer our listeners?...yes we do have a lot of materials to play...but let me put this question to that 'unlike someone' person...do you really think the radio listeners in our country would listen to 'those' materials if we put them on air?

My fellow riders...let me tell you what that 'unlike someone' person said to us..."Kalau kita putarkan lagu-lagu yang tak best tu banyak kali, lama-lama pendengar akan kata sedap"...to me that is a very silly statement coming from someone high ranking in the industry...because in a way it is outrightly INSULTING our listeners (whom are you guys) intelligence...

You have no idea how much Era, Sinar, Hot, Suria, Cats FM, Best 104 and others not mentioned here...have invested our time and RM to support our local industry...if i were to list them down here mau jadi kontot jari2 ku....

Lets not punish the creative penggiat seni dari seberang for coming up with good products consistently...di negara kita pun kita ada ramai artis yang talented seperti the KRU brothers, siti, annuar zain, ning, amy search, m nasir, kaer, dayang, aizat AF5, noryn aziz, sean ghazi, atilia, reshmonu, sasi the do (yo bro!) and ramai lagi lah...kami memang senang untuk memutarkan lagu2 mereka kerana product memang bagus...

We NEVER practice double standards here...our local artists are always our number one priority!...but please give us the 'product' that will not turn off our listeners...trust me, we (CRM) are even hungrier for it than anyone else in this industry...the biggest sin in radio is when A listener tunes out to another channel because he/she doesn't like the song...

To demonstrate our professionalism i would like to draw your attention to Sakura's comment in my previous posting...even wifee doesn't get special treatment from me (but we do play her songs ok, Sakura u have to listen to us more often lah)...simply because we need to follow strict guidelines and principles to remain in this very competitive industry...i.e 90:10 is impossible to execute...

Stay tuned for Part 2...believe you me you don't want to miss it...hint hint The Legend!









Snapshot - Stay Tuned!

I would like to draw ur attention to some comments in my posting Me & My "Sales Girls"(pls have a read)...it's about the 90:10 issue...I will be sharing my thoughts on that with you later...me gotta rush some paperwork now...

Promise will post some controversial thoughts later today...

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Snapshot - A Mother's Tears

My mother Salmah NEVER fails to give me her best in what ever she does...not just for me but for my 2 other siblings too...Kak Su and Adam...we come from a humble family not rich not poor...mummy NEVER once put herself before anyone of us including daddy...letting us have the last piece of her favourite cake in the fridge - kinda love all the time...if you know what i mean...she has gone thru alot in her life and i can assure you that all my siblings truly feel deeply for her...hence we would do anything to make her happy...Nway what reminded me of mummy at 10:30 am just now, was what is written in Berita Harian today (nasional pg 20)...to say that i understand what/how Pn. Suraya Ahmad and her whole family is feeling is an outright insult...simply because the pain must be unbelievable...Ibu Suraya is adik Sharlinie's mother...you see...WE at Suria make it point to still remind the public EVERYDAY about adik since the day she went missing until today...and WE will not cease doing so until she is found...simply because WE don't want the public to forget about adik...i must say that im close to tears while writting this very sentence...WE at Suria are running out of ideas of how WE can do more for adik...WE have done a solat hajat for adik soon after i came back from my honeymoon last February...PLEASE tell me what else WE can do together...

My prayers are with you adik...

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Snapshot - Me and My "Sales Girls"

Lately I'm unable to blog as often as i would've liked for obvious reasons...nevertheless i must admit that because of the comments that i so far received...have kinda given me the addiction of blogging...many thanks to you beautiful and kind people out there...nway for today's posting i thought i should keep it snappy as i only just got to office 30 mins ago after a hectic morning...was at our head office The Star whole 'am' for work and an interview (check out The Star tommorow and give me your thoughts about the issue i was interviewed on)...

Mean time enjoy the pics of me with THE LOSERS!..hahaha...phewww!...



Sunday, August 10, 2008

Is It Just Me or You Feel It Too?

Hi all...yesterday i had an eventful day running here and there again like a headless chicken...had 3 important things to do...1. Attend a seminar from 9:30am to 7:30pm...2. Attend Junn's (my hard working staff) wedding in Seri Kembangan at 2:30pm...3. Attend Festival Filem M'sia (FFM) in Putrajaya at 8:00pm...

Started my day early (hate having to wake up early on weekends) to attend a seminar in one of the hotels in the city...arrived 30 mins early (its my nature that i hate to be late n hate keeping others to wait for me n likewise i hate to have to wait for people) for the seminar...by 1:30pm i had to rush home to fetch wifee to attend Junn's wedding...(i made it a point NOT to miss her wedding simply because i want to make her feel happy n most importantly appreciated)...you see...Junn is someone whos VERY dedicated to her job and has NEVER caused me any headache (i kid u not about this)...

Reached home at 2:00pm and wifee already looking pretty n all, in her green baju kurung (i still feel she looks alot better in baju kurung) to match the green shirt i was wearing...(wifee very particular about colour matching...well don't all woman do?)...got to Junn's house about 2:45pm after sesat-ing afew times...(the map illustrated in the wedding card wasn't accurate)...although we lost our way a bit i told wifee we didn't do too badly and could enter the amazing race!...

The couple looked beautiful together in beige...simple nothing too fancy (which i always prefer)...Junn's hubby (Fazli) works in Brunei attached to an Oil & Gas firm...(hope he doesn't take my Junn away to live with him in Brunei as its difficult to replace some1 very committed like her)...after wishing them all the best and a picture with the newly weds...i had to send wifee to Shangrila Putrajaya where we got to at roughly 3:45pm...(wifee's performing and been nominated for an award in FFM)...and head back to the city to catch up with the seminar...

What happened next prompt me to write this posting...you see...i wanted to try out the new highway (well its not that new, been around for over a year i think) that links Putrajaya directly to KL city...i heard from word of mouth that it only takes less than 30mins to reach either point and that made me more earger to try it out...furthermore i got to shoot back to Putrajaya later in the day for FFM (if wifee tak get nominated i wouldn't be there as i my day was already packed...i made it a point to be by her side to give her moral support)...

So after dropping her off...kita pun excited la nak cuba-try-test-tengok highway baru nih (kawe pung lamo doh dok tra performeng kete kawe)...mind u the roads in Putrajaya are well signaged (sometimes banyak sgt road signs can confuse people also) u won't get lost there but u may get lost reading the road signs if u know what i mean (maybe its just me?)...nway from Shangrila the road signs (RS) were clear showing me the way to get to the new highway...

But after about 5 to 10 mins drive (somewhere between Putrajaya n Cyberjaya) i was cought between two minds...as i noticed about 100 meters a head of me the road is split into two...one says going to "KL/Kajang" and the other to "KLIA/JB"...you see...all the while from Shangrila i've been following the RS (numerous of them) that says SPECIFICALLY "Lebuhraya Putrajaya - KL"...so naturally i should be looking out for the very same RS right? (or is it just me?)... the more reason any1 should do so because there are many ways to get to KL from Putrajaya kan? (or is it just me?)...so logically the highway operators should direct the road users with the same consistent RS right? (or is it just me again?)...(simply because they created that perception for us)...

So kita punye la naik hangen (wifee likes to use this word instead of angin)...because i took the road with the RS "KL/Kajang" which led me to the old road (KL-Seremban Highway)...by this point i was still very determined to get onto the new highway because i NEED to get back to Putrajaya really fast n quick later for FFM after my seminar...

After making my way back around Shangrila to start my search back from scratch (i wanted to be sure i was right before i blame any1)...n true enuf when i got to the very spot where the road split earlier and took KLIA/JB instead...soon not so far from that spot i could see the RS "Lebuhraya Putrajaya-KL" again...n got to it finally...

You see...just because some IDIOT missed out to put up 1 RS at a VERY crucial spot...i was unnecessarily n wastefully made to cover about 20km...dah la harga minyak dah naik..so u can imagine how berbulu i was la kan...do u feel what i feel?...and for the final time-or is it just me?...

Wifee didn't win last nite...but shes always n all ways my Champ!...

Friday, August 8, 2008

Snapshot - Pheewww!...

Believe u me...i never expected to win...i was prepared for the worst i must say...anyway hope we have cheered up your morning earlier today...i was quite nervous to be honest...as it was the first time i ever went on air...you see...through out the years of being in radio this morning marked a sweet memory for me...yes i've been interviewed on live tv before but that was more to fulfill my profession needs...this morning was completely and entirely different...Anyway i appreciate feedbacks from all of u on other ideas that u would want TBS to do in future...

Im welcoming u to be part of our wonderful family here...

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Snapshot - Takutttttt...

Not so sure what i got myself into now...have been practising with wifee everyday tapi dua2 pun otak lembab...if you don't already know...tomorrow morning at 9am i will be battling with my breakfast crew Tuah & Zizi better known as The Bujang Senang...what will we be battling about?...if u recall dulu masa kecik2 ada tak u all main game sambung2 suku kata i.e. assalamualaikum...kum apa? kombat...bat apa? batman...man apa? n so on...we have this as our feature game (we call it Cik Sam-Cik Bong) on air every weekday at 9am for about 2 weeks now...how tomorrow's battle came about?...you see...since the 2 buggers started this game...i thought they were a bit unfair to the participants (callers)...simply because TBS asyik menang je...so some mornings when i come in to office i always tell them yg diorang main tipu...tak achi la kan...so since then diorang dok cabar i la to go up against them n try kalah kan diorang...initially for many times i was reluctant...tapi selepas hari2 diorang ajak lawan...darah jantan ku pun rasa seperti di tolak naik tangga la kan (blood go upstairs)...so to make it more challenging (im not sure what i was thinking at the time) me n my big mouth suggested if they lose they have to wear my mrs wig (fyi wifee ni pemborong wig n dia telah mengkayakan ramai penjual wig kat KL nih) next monday...and if i lose (which i think is VERY likely but dont tell TBS this ok) i will have to put on one of wifee's kebaya to office...u can view all this thru our website tmrw if you want...u can also check out the radio frequency in ur area there too...

Got to practise with wifee now...she has thrown to me some words...

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Extremely Busy-Productive Day

My watch is telling me its 12:18am when i punched the first letter of this posting...got home at just after 11pm after a long long long day...i haven't had this feeling for quite sometime already...i.e. relieved, satisfied, accomplished, motivated, energised all roll into 1...u know what i mean...the kinda feel that make u go...damn! what a great day...

My day started early at 6:45am did subuh and off to the gym (yea byk org dok complain i dah gemok)...go there around 7:45am, my trainer was already waiting and giving me that hahaha-mangsa-aku-dah-sampai look...for the next 1 hour i surrendered myself to him...Saiful his name is...but i call him Sepol...i've lost 10 kilos since i resumed this life routine nearly 3 mths now...but its hard work i tell u...

Got to office at just before 10am and my first appointment for the day was at half past...you see today was our half yearly appraisal day....sebab tu la busy gil....i had to appraise 6 of my staff today and each session would take at least an hour...so u can imagine lah how mentally drained i am now...

Anyway had a lunch appmnt at 12:45 at La Bodega in Pavillion...then rushed back to office for the next appraisal at 2:30...then 3:30... then 4:30...then last kopek at 7:30...had to postpone the one scheduled at 5:30 to friday as the 4:30 one took longer...then rushed to plaza damas in hartamas for a dinner appmnt at 9:00 after the 7:30 one finished at 8:45...(hope im confusing u already)...

Finished the 9pm appmnt at close to 10pm then rush back to office to pack my laptop n briefcase...early this morning i have to catch the red eye flight to kota kinabalu...finally got out of office at almost 11pm and locked the house at 11:24 to be precise...

Checked my stuff (not much coz its a daytrip) for the business trip and luckly i went through my flight ticket and found out that my dear Ogy (my admin staff who doubles up as my PA until my new PA joins soon yeah!) actually booked my flight for the wrong day!!!...it says 10Aug on the ticket which is this sunday!!!...kita pun menggelabah space kop gaban laa...nasib baik la i dapat to change my flight to tomorrow at 7:30am after calling the MAS booking line...but i can't get the intended return flight at 3:30pm so i opted for 5:30pm...

Its 1:12am now i better get some sleep...nanite...

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Snapshot - It Hit Me...

Just got home after releasing some steam (needed it badly)...You see as i was just about to leave my office at around 8pm earlier when i had the chance to cruise into cyberspace to keep myself abreast with things...pitt stopped at a few famous blogs and what i found out was VERY saddening...before i go on further i would like to make it clear to my readers of what i'll be posting here...that it does not have any bearing towards my stand/belief...nor am i trying to influence any1's, as i don't write about political issues (we should leave it to the experts)...if u have been surfing on the blog world today u would've guessed what this is about...some bloggers have put up our beloved jalur gemilang upside down on their blogs as a sign of cyber-strike...apparently it is also the global code of distress signal...i was and still am terribly disturbed by this recent development...not by their actions (doesn't mean im for it though) but for the very fact that i care for the well being of all...again pls don't get me wrong here as the last thing i want is to mislead any1...

I just need to get it off my chest thats all...good nite Malaysia...

Snapshot - Umrah & Holiday

Hey guys thought i should share with u some of the things that we currently have to offer...To some who have had the intention to perform Umrah or even go on holiday i've got good news for you...starting yesterday we began giving away 1 Umrah or 1 holiday package everyday until next week friday...so we have 5 Umrah & 5 holiday packages up for grab in total...all u have to do is very simple...guess the song title and singer correctly and walah...please go to http://www.suriafm.com.my/ or just click on the link on my blog to look for the frequency in ur area...i'm very lucky to have gone there twice in my life...first was with my whole family and last year i went alone...you see i purposely planned to go alone as i wanted to have a PRIVATE MOMENT with the Almighty...i always believed that all of us have our own special relationship with HIM and im no different...since a boy ive always had that relationship with Allah...its very difficult to explain in writting but im sure my readers know what i mean kan?...

Next insyallah plan to go during ramadhan next year with wifee...enjoy the pics of my last trip...



Monday, August 4, 2008

Snapshot - I Need Help...Again!

I have to admit that i'm VERY bad at remembering names of the people i meet...and more often than not it is VERY embarrasing when people still remember my name when i bump into them later again...kita pun terpaksa la buat2 macam kita ingat nama dia...there was one instance i was with my mrs and we bump into an acquaintance i just met a few months ago then...my mrs ni pulak tau yang i got this disease...so masa i nak introduce this person to my mrs i introduce him as melanhg-jam (sebab kita ingat suku kata belakang nama dia je - Jam)...u know how we normally emphasise the sound that we only remember la kan...bunyi yang kuat Jam je...yang sebelum tu bblllrrr-JAM...u know what i mean?...so my mrs ni pulak ambik peluang la nak kena kan kita...dia buat2 tak dengar and ask me to repeat a few times...my face turned red immediately and nasib baik la this person introduced himself to her after my many failed attempts...

So any tips to cure this disease?...

Snapshot - It Is CRAZY!

All mainstream newspaper put the story on their front page today...and i must admit i was VERY angry when yesterday i received The Star sms alert about it simply because i'm a frequent user of the MRR2 as it is the fastest way to my mother inlaw's and parents'... What compounded my anger further is that this is the THIRD time MRR2 proved to be unsafe for road users like us...(i just can't imagine my bike get hit by falling debris from the pillars)...Get the bloody contractor responsible for this CALAMITY and SCREW them...Are we gonna wait for someone to MATI?!...

Seriously this is ABSOLUTELY crazy!...

Sunday, August 3, 2008

It Is Back!

The one annual event (its becoming more popular than our festive seasons) that does not warrant any public holidays in the country (maybe they should give it a thought now eh) is back and prompted The Star to carry it as the cover story today...Yes people time to look into your closet and search for that surgical mask again because the HAZE is back in town...(suddenly the tune of the song that goes..."the boys are back in town..." is playing in my head).

The culprit?...the forest burning in Sumatera (U didn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out did u)...Apparently a 40ha peat forest has been burning since 2 days ago...and more bad news is that the number of hot spots from satelite images has jumped from 351 to 531 within 24hrs...FYI forest burning is very common there as its the most economical way to get rid of things you don't want laa...

On the home front things are not helping either...over 40ha of agriculture land along the Elite Highway near KLIA has been on fire for the last 2 days too...(hai timing sama ni ada pakat ka?...)Looks like our firemen are putting in the extra hours doing what they are paid for...

Anyway no wonder when i went out for breakfast with my mrs today everything looked pretty much greyish...You see we are now in Lumut, Perak (for our last leg of roadshow in Teluk Batik later in the afternoon) and across the Straits of Melacca from Lumut is....YEEESS....Sumatera...

We should install a gigantic fan along our coast to change wind direction...

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Snapshot - I Need Help

I'm currently trying to create a new radio program and toying with afew ideas for that purpose... You see...alot of research and study goes into the process before anything is put on air...so for something new to be part of the offering in a month's time the hard work will have to start now...listeners' preference and perception is key so i would like my readers to be part of this exciting process of conceptualising...please feel welcome to throw ideas at me...to me theres no such thing as good or bad ideas...simply ideas ARE ideas...so guys i'm listening...

Let me know what your unmet needs are...