Miscellaneous

Second night shift in a week, and I have to say I kinda enjoy it. When my overall luck is good, that is. :)

Wasn't very productive today though. I'm tired no matter how much sleep I get. No wonder I have no social life, heh heh.

Speaking of social life, perhaps it'll pick up later this month if I do meet him for another dinner.

Maybe I'll muster the courage to spill my guts this time. 6 years is long enough!


Good News

What a beautiful photo. Love love love the hair. :)

No track listing as yet, but Entertainment Tonight mentioned 10 covers and a few new songs. Heard him do parts from Richard Marx's Right Here Waiting. Should be interesting.

There were rumours on the Internet back in 2003 about Clay having written the song To Where You Are, before relinquishing all rights by selling it to some music company, which then passed it on to David Foster, who got Josh Groban to record it and claimed it as his own.

Complicated as it is, Richard Marx got stuck somewhere in the middle as co-writer, and lots of Clay fans were upset and almost petitioned to expose the whole incident.

To cut a long story short, Diane Bubel -- a good friend of Clay's and co-founder of the Bubel-Aiken Foundation -- denied this, though many didn't believe it. But since he's covering a Richard Marx piece, I think that story probably wasn't true after all.

Anyway, my head's stuffed with useless trivia. Good to get it out once in a while. :D


Top Contender

It became very clear last night. Hady Mirzadeserves to win the Singapore Idol title this year.

After wowing me a week ago with an excellent performance of George Michael's Freedom, he did it again with You've Got A Friend.
I've heard Carole King's version, which is extremely gentle and sedate.
Hady's, on the other hand, started off that way but soon escalated into a full-bodied soul / jazz vocal. It was bold, original, sexy, and good enough for American Idol's Top 10.

Yes, it was that terrific.

Only problem is, Singaporeans often vote for the wrong people, and for the wrong reasons. Joakim Gomez is awful yet has a rabidly loyal fanbase. Another screw-up is Paul Twohill, who struck me as different and nurture-able but continues to deteriorate with each passing week. The girls just love him, never mind the icky hair, horrible braces and frightening eye makeup. And what's with the unforgiveable sellout when he chose Boyzone's Picture Of You? No self-respecting rocker would ever do something that stupid. I ended up flipping channels during those few excruciating minutes -- Rock Star Supernova was on cable, and those contestants are the polar opposites of pathetic wannabes like Twohill.

Nurul also needs to be kicked out ASAP. She's a sweet girl, but not star material. Jasmine stands a better chance but also shouldn't make the top 3.

Unfortunately, I don't feel sufficiently motivated to call in at this stage. Once they hit the final 5, I'll be more pro-active.

In the meantime, good luck, Hady!


Waxing Lyrical - Part 3

Rest assured, no more talk about European men. :)

Still reminiscing daily about the recent holiday. And haven't honked or flashed my headlights at anyone yet, despite meeting quite a few a**h***s on the roads.

I fully expect to start swearing again in the near future, but shall enjoy the positive effects while they last.

But how I do miss the European summer, with its intense sunshine and low humidity, which gave me major sunburn without the nasty perspiration. Was blessed with rosy cheeks, a healthy tan and blissful smiles the entire fortnight.

Ate many an ice-cream cone, either on the run through yet another town or city, or just leaning against a wall or railing, enjoying the sun or gazing down at a sprawling valley, waving to tourists taking the cable car up Mount Pilatus ( photos to be posted in a subsequent entry ).

I was practically forced to relax, especially in the lakeside resort of Lindau ( will post pictures soon ). This is also where we met that adorable waiter ( see earlier entry about cute European dudes ). This is one laid back area, like New Zealand's Queenstown, but with lots more flowers.

Still vividly remember our lunch there on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. Sat on the patio of a quaint hotel restaurant, surrounded by fellow diners -- some tourists, but most appeared to be locals -- facing the lovely harbour, with buskers nearby playing the accordion and violin. It was warm, our sodas tasted exceptionally delicious, and the breaded fish fillet caused significant post-prandial lethargy. If only I had a favourite novel in hand -- that would've made everything perfect.


Think I'm becoming dangerously addicted to travelling. Already planning the next few vacations -- may try 2 trips / year instead of the usual one. Japan, Amsterdam, USA, China and Russia are all in the cards. No more new clothes or visits to the cinema for me.

Happy belated National Day. ( I saw the fireworks display from my window, wooo. :))