A Letter to Elder Archuleta

By Tracewillow

Dear Elder Archuleta

Why the heck do I heedlessly address you as Elder
When I am so many years and decades and eons older
Perhaps you remind me of my own dear old grandpapa
Who I have loved and adored with my eyes a-gaga

So now you have assumed the role of a solemn respected priest
And we must take a few steps back to submissively retreat
No more bellows of Woahs and Woots and ridiculous ravings
No more concerts and flights thank you, we’ll have plenty savings

Tell us, are you seriously enjoying your faraway mission
Or are you just a guy steeped in some confusion
Please do not deem it a sham to take the reverse bus home
Should you throw in the towel and no longer want to roam

How do you spend every hour till the midnight chime of the clock
Other than chanting your prayers and washing your own socks
Do you think of us at all while merrily swaggering around
Handsomely attired in a suit and tie where nice Latinos abound

Do you shake their friendly hands and tap your musical feet
Or 2-arm hug them in church while you meet and greet
Do you squeeze in a melody or two while you solemnly preach
Or are you one of those really boring people when you teach

Are you still singing every night to religiously practise
Or have your vocal cords gone mouldy and rather amiss
No spicy food please, chilean chillis are mighty potent
They make you sweat, numb your tonsils, or have you forgotten

Do you feel at ease speaking their Spanish lingo
When the guys smile at you and call you Amigo
We are envious when the senoritas eye you with amore
Poor us must wait 2 years to do the same, what can we say

We hear from sources you’re frisky and very happy
Then there you must stay, we are really not that ratty
Oh dang I lost my senses, what am I saying
Come back this minute, we are hoarse from constantly braying

Rumour has it you quietly sneaked a trip to Argentina too
Oh dear how many missions do you intend to do
Aren’t you worried we’ll dump you if you do one too many
Won’t attend your concerts or buy your music, won’t spend a penny

So have our blessings, chop-chop completo your chilean mission
Me and my friends can be fickle beyond your wildest imagination
Today is about your princely self and all your adorableness
Tomorrow may be an unworthy xyz and his cute abomination

We hear BEGIN seems to be the brand new word in town
Been guessing left right and centre it’s making us frown
Is it the BEGINning of a BEGINning that you want to BEGIN to BEGIN
Or you will BEGIN to BEGIN a new BEGINning you know will BEGIN to win

Peace Be To Thee ArchuElder
And to all your ArchuArchies
AMEN

American Idol Season 11

Can I get a hands-up for those of you who took the time out to watch the American Idol Season 11 finale yesterday night?

To be honest, I have lost interest in American Idol since David left the show.  The contestants have become increasingly boring and predictable season after season. And the frustrating bit is when someone talented does come along, they are immediately voted out in the early rounds. The two lucky contestants who actually end up in the final round are nothing but pretty faces. However, I keep checking back to see if any of the contestants were able to match David’s vocal prowess.

Season 11, however, was known for its powerhouse contestants such as Jessica Sanchez(left) and Joshua Ledet(right). So it was definitely a surprise when Philip Philips, the monotone contestant who can’t seem to part with that guitar of his, made it to the finals. Such a pity Joshua had to leave. He would’ve been a tough match for Jessica in the finals. But alas, it was all down to the powerhouse and the acoustic singer.

The performances for the final round were definitely in Jessica’s favour. I was hoping Philip would have done something out of his usual stage act but he stuck with his predictable choice of songs. I must say I’m a little biased when someone does a rendition of a song performed by David. So when Philip sang Stand By Me, I had high expectations. And unfortunately, he let me down miserably. The song was completely revamped, leaving no space for the liveliness of David’s rendition. But then, of course, each artiste has his or her own unique style. So, I ask, which was your favourite performance of the night?

As for the finale, it was a night of the usual, I would say. It was filled with the common R&B performances and judges advertising their own music *ahem, you know who*. But I must say, Neil Diamond’s performance of Sweet Caroline really did bring me down memory lane. Did any of you took the same trip? (:

When it finally came down to the most awaited part of the evening: the results, my dad was so anxious that he stood right in front of the TV. Unfortunately, he too was disappointed when Philip was crowned the winner of AI Season 11. In fact, he was more than disappointed, he was devastated. He started pacing the floor asking: “Why?! Why?!” Rest assured, I didn’t have a nice meal with his constant questioning after the show. Hahaha.

What about you guys? Did you have any memorable moments throughout the season? Were you satisfied with the results? Or did it pass as just another normal and forgettable season of American Idol?

– Tracy

Evidence to the contrary – freedom of speech Malaysian style

By John Chang

For those of you who blog, have FB and/or Twitter accounts, post comments on forums and generally interact with others on the internet please beware of the new amendments that have been ‘enacted’ in our august Parliament.

The new Evidence Act now says that anybody is liable for any content, and therefore presumed guilty, that is found on their PCs and other electronic devices, electronic publications i.e. blogs, FB, Twitter accounts that carries their name or picture that is deemed to be seditious, inflammatory, defamatory or harmful to public order and thus can be persecuted in a court of law. The onus is on you to prove your innocence because you will be seen as guilty of propagating and disseminating questionable content just because you are the owner of the electronic media.

For example if you are the owner of a FB account and I come along and anonymously post controversial material on your FB wall then YOU are liable for prosecution unless you can prove that the content in question did not come from you. This applies to any other online social media or blog that you may manage.

Even if you are only a subscriber to a particular service and have no meaningful interaction of any kind with that service, you will be liable for any content that is published on that service! Just because you are a member than it is deemed that you have broken the law as it stands now.

From now on you have to be doubly careful what you re-tweet, link or re-publish from your blogs or social media accounts as the law says you are guilty until proven innocent.

This asinine new  law is our government’s version of democracy, transparency, accountability and free speech. It’s my way or the highway! Vision 2020 is more like a mirage now as it  is clouded by myopia and a dictatorial tendency to control and subjugate the masses.

What a joke only it’s not funny when the powers that be are doing everything possible to instill fear in the general public. The attempts to stifle and cower any form of dissent is pathetic and disgusting. The heavy hand of the law is being used to snuff out any form of civil liberties and views as long as they are seen as contrary to what is deemed acceptable.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Malaysia Boleh!

Love to Love you baby

Probably the most iconic vocalist of the Disco era during the 70s. She vaulted to fame and maybe even infamy with the song ‘Love to Love you Baby’ – delivered in a breathy, highly sexually charged manner which in the relatively prudish 1970s was considered very risque.

Born LaDonna Gaines in Boston, Massachusetts she adopted and Anglicized her ex-husband’s name of Sommer to Summer and proceeded to conquer the music world of the 70s with her brand of sexy, pounding disco beats and fiery vocals – she did possess an amazing mezzo soprano voice – to the tune of multiple Grammy wins and million selling albums. Every female singer who followed in her wake was a Donna Summer pretender and she was the benchmark of the Disco era.

The high point of her career probably came with the release of the album ‘Live and More’ in which she sang a cover version of ‘MacArthur’s Park‘ which became her first bona fide number 1 hit in the US. This was followed by the album ‘Bad Girls’ which solidified her position as the Queen of Pop in the music industry.

Even though Donna Summer is best known for her prowess in the disco genre, she was also a pretty good songwriter and came up with songs like ‘On the Radio’ and the female empowerment anthem ‘She works Hard for the money‘. In addition to her songwriting skills she could also sing in a variety of genres like R&B, Gospel, Rock and Pop.

R.I.P. Donna Summer multi-talented entertainer that you are. They don’t make ’em like you anymore.

Begin the Beguine

When I heard that David’s 4th studio album ‘Begin’ (I don’t consider ‘Forevermore’ to be an official David Archuleta album) was to be released this August a song with this word in the title immediately sprang to mind.

I don’t suppose many of you would know about this song. I’m not trying to insult anyone here but the song was written in the 1930s before any of you (me included) were born. The beauty of the song lies in it’s timelessness and the many interpretations of the word ‘Beguine’ which the songwriter has cleverly alluded to in it’s melody, thematic elements and lyrics. It also sounds as good today as it did back in the 1930s. This is a more recent version of the song by Michael Buble:

I find the word ‘Beguine’ intriguing because of it’s many meanings; it’s the name of a ballroom dance that originated from the West Indies, it’s the name of a sisterhood of religious women that, although not particularly affiliated to any religious order, leads a very austere life, it’s also the name of music written in the bolero rhythm and also appropriately rhymes with the word ‘Begin’.

But the definition that I like the most comes from the French word which is also spelled ‘Beguine’ which means infatuation or flirtation.

The song ‘Begin the Beguine’ often talks of beginning something and also reminiscing about something that’s lost. For those who are more romantically inclined it’s a song of lost love and what could have been. It has a very wistful feeling to it – a memory of something that’s sweet and nostalgic tinged with regret for not having done more and yet reluctant to rekindle the fire:

What moments divine, what rapture serene,
Till clouds came along to disperse the joys we had tasted,
And now when I hear people curse the chance that was wasted,
I know but too well what they mean;

It’s probably true to say that I’ve lost a bit of my ‘infatuation’ with David lately because I feel that he has not applied himself to his craft with enough artistic integrity. His more current musical endeavours comes across as far less ‘involved’ and frankly, plain lazy. It’s disappointing and perplexing to say the least. I find it hard to imagine the possibility that he could ever lack the inner pride to strive to create something noteworthy in his chosen field in which I feel he has ample talent to leave a significant imprint.

It feels like he is more often ruled by his heart than by his head, which is not always bad I suppose if you’re talking about helping a fellow human being, but in one’s chosen work one must have that singular pride and integrity, an unyielding compulsion to make sure that it’s done well. It doesn’t matter what type of effort you put forth – how and what we create makes a big statement about who we are. It’s a reflection of our character – whether we have pride in our work or are we just going through the motions and hoping for the best? Would we expect a Leonardo Da Vinci to be anything less than distinctive? Or a Picasso to be dull and uninspiring?

But I am prepared to throw caution to the wind and trust that David has expended more effort in this forthcoming CD. I am ready to be ‘bewitched, beguiled and bewildered’ once more for a talent and a voice that deserves to be better represented. So like the song says ‘begin the beguine’ and lets be reminded of the past which once promised so much and hope that the magic and allure is still there. I want that magic again.

Sacrifice

“And it’s no sacrifice
Just a simple word
It’s two hearts living
In two separate worlds”

~Bernie Taupin~

In 1989 Bernie Taupin wrote these words to Elton John’s  ‘Sacrifice‘, one of their most successful collaborations. It became Elton’s 1st ever number one song in the charts – which is hugely surprising considering the  amazing success that Elton had up to that point.

The song is about the end of a relationship where the couple involved just could not come to terms with each other even though you get the feeling that their love for each other is not the real issue. The end is as inevitable as it is painful and the sacrifice in this case is the child that they have.

The thing that surprised me the most is the music video for the song in which the woman seems to be the one walking out of the relationship leaving the daughter with the man. Usually it’s the other way around. The premise is that she made the conscious decision to ‘sacrifice’ her child in pursuit of her own dreams. A case of marrying too young perhaps?

Whatever the case may be, it takes a lot of conviction – rightly or wrongly – to leave behind one’s family in pursuit of a greater goal. In Elton’s video we may feel less charitable towards the woman who abandoned her marriage for her career leaving the husband to care for their child in less than splendid surroundings.

But what if the driving force is not career, money, fame but an entire nation and its people? Would anyone of us walk away from all that we love and cherish for a higher cause and perhaps even greater love?

Such is the case with Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma. Her identification with being a Burmese is so profound and deeply ingrained that she walked away from all that she held dear for the sake of her country. She endured more than 2 decades of incarceration, loneliness and isolation in her steely defiance of Burma’s autocratic military regime. All the while her husband and 2 sons were a world away in England not knowing when and if they would ever see her again.

Michael Aris and Aung San Suu Kyi in happier times

As it turns out Aung San Suu Kyi would never see her husband alive again as he died of cancer in 1999. Even then she made the momentous decision not to attend his funeral for fear that she would never be allowed back into Burma again should she leave the country.  The decision must have been a painful one to make and by some accounts has caused a strain in the relationship between Suu Kyi and her eldest son Alexander. Indeed many would debate the choices that she has made in her life and the repercussions that they have wrought.

What would we do if we were faced with such a situation? Would we place king and country above our personal fulfillment if we were to be tested in the same way? Would we be willing to endure a lifelong separation from our family in the service of a cause that we deem to be more noble?

And let’s not forget Michael Aris, Aung San Suu Kyi’s husband, who also put aside  his personal happiness in support of his wife and the cause she was fighting for. Two people deeply in love with a growing family but choosing to forsake it all because a country demanded it. How many of us would take the same path?

If we want our children to have role models I would recommend that we look no further than these two amazing people. Theirs is an extraordinary love story darkened by sacrifice, separation and ultimately heartache. Their selflessness has exacted a heavy toll. They went down the road far less traveled in defense of their principles and values in order that a whole nation and it’s people may one day live a life that is democratic, just and free.

Aung San Suu Kyi, a daughter, wife, mother and now political leader struggling against a repressive regime with nothing more than her courage, convictions and the simple belief that hers is a just cause. The human spirit is truly an amazing force for it can prevail against the most brutal injustice and oppression. The example of Aung San Suu Kyi is a powerful lesson for all of us, in particular our children, to learn

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mums out there (and Dads) who may not be faced with issues as daunting as Aung San Suu Kyi but are in your own ways teaching your children about what it means to stand up for your beliefs in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds and that might is not necessarily right.