Britain's Got Talent

Something smart or something frivolous?

Looking at the hour, I'll blog about something frivolous.

If you have had too much of American reality shows lately, check out "Britain's Got Talent". Unfortunately I don't think this has reached our shores yet. I found it on youtube and it's fabulous. :)

"Britain's Got Talent" is the creation of .... (drum rolls) ... yup! no other than American Idol's Simon Cowell. He is one of the judges in this show and is equally nasty. It's a British reality show in search of the next best amateur talent act ... which is NOT limited to singing only.

The winner will receive 100k British pounds and get to perform for the Queen and the Royal Family at the Royal Variety Performance.

Now on to the interesting bits. I managed to "dig" out 3 interesting videos from youtube. Watch Simon's expression in all 3 videos!



I have been watching this video a few times and it has not failed to make me laugh every single time. Hope you enjoy it. Did you catch the judges' facial expressions? At first Simon looked real bored ... but then he perked up ... and laughed! That's incredible. I don't think I've seen him caught by surprise like that! Check out the other judge's reaction and the audiences as well.




This is another good one. Even I was taken by surprise. Without divulging much, check this video out! Again check out Simon's expression. Total disinterest at first and then ... Russel Watson's gonna get a run for his money!




This is a winner. Imagine a 6 year old singing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" acapella. Listen to Simon's remarks.

Yup! Britain's sure got talent!

The Lake House (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Rachel Portman

There were two memorable songs from the movie soundtrack i.e.

1. This Never Happened Before - Paul McCartney (which I can't seem to find from the net) and,
2. Somewhere Only We Know - Keane (which I have downloaded for your listening pleasure)

Somewhere Only we Know - Keane LIVE!!!


I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete

Oh simple thing where have you gone
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

I came across a fallen tree
I felt the branches of it looking at me
Is this the place we used to love?
Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?

Oh simple thing where have you gone
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

So if you have a minute why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go
Somewhere only we know?
Somewhere only we know?

(break)

Oh simple thing where have you gone
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when you're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

So if you have a minute why don't we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go
So why don't we go

HmmmaaaAAAA.....Ahhhoooooo....

This could be the end of everything
So why don't we go
Somewhere only we know?
Somewhere only we know?
Somewhere only we know?

Pussycat Dolls PCD World Tour 2006 "live" concert in Malaysia

We found out a friend was organising the above concert recently. And by sheer luck (and thick skin), I managed to get two free tickets to the concert.

Another friend who also received two free tickets ended up not going because he didn't know who the PCDs are. Talk about NOT knowing what he is missing! His last words to me, "go along and play with the kids tonight". Hahaha ...

Another friend asked me if I have mid-life crisis. Hmmm ... from listening to PCD? Does being over 30 mean we only listen to 80s and 90s music? I would have thought music is universal and surpasses age, race and language barriers.

In any case, the dolls were HOT! HOT! HOT!

But alas, I was very late for the concert. Luckily it started late and I merely missed the opening act and 1 PCD song (was told it was Buttons). The venue of the concert at Sunway Lagoon Surf Beach was also quite unconventional. At least for me! We were literally standing on sand while swaying to the beat of the PCD songs. But as we were standing quite far away from the stage and it was too hot to wedge ourselves among the crowd, we couldn't quite feel the 'beat' of the concert. I couldn't quite see the dolls from where I stand and thus was looking at the huge screen most of the time. After awhile, I was wondering what I was doing there. It would have been better to stay in the comfort of my home with a glass of wine in hand and sway to their music. :)

All in all, the concert was just alright. As they have only one album, they performed all my favourite songs i.e. Sway, Don't Cha and Beep. Loved the tongue-in-cheek lyrics of the latter two. However, the concert was too short (i.e. 1 hour) to rush all the way from KL to Sunway.

Frankly, the next concert I go to, I should either be up front near the stage or I stay home and watch.

Dont Cha - Pussy Cat Dolls

Single - Natasha Bedingfield

I will take a break from the final part of Steve Jobs speech for this interesting song. :)

I was driving to work today and caught this catchy number over the Fly FM airwaves. The lyrics seem most appropriate and I wish to dedicate it to all my single friends out there!

Ladies, enjoy your singlehood and be groovy! Oh Yeah!

Natasha Bedingfield - Single (UK version)


Intro:-

Ah yeah that's right
All you single people out there
This is for you
Yeah

Verse 1:-
I'm not waitin' around for a man to save me
(Cos I'm happy where I am)
Don't depend on a guy to validate me
(No no)
I don't need to be anyone's baby
(Is that so hard to understand?)
No I don't need another half to make me, whole

Make your move if you want doesn't mean I will or won't
I'm free to make my mind up you either got it or you don't

Chorus:-
This is my current single status
My declaration of independence
There's no way I'm tradin' places
Right now a star is in the ascendance

I'm single
(Right now)
That's how I wanna be
I'm single
(Right now)
That's how I wanna be

Yeah, uh huh, that's right

Verse 2:-
Don't need to be on somebody's arm to look good
(I like who I am)
I'm not saying I don't wanna fall in love cause I would
I'm not gonna get hooked up just cause you say I should
(Can't romance on demand)
I'm gonna wait so I'm sorry if you misunderstood

ooohh yeah

Chorus:-
This is my current single status
My declaration of independence
There's no way I'm tradin' places
Right now a star is in the ascendance

I'm single
(Right now)
That's how I wanna be
I'm single
That's how I wanna be
(Right Now)
I'm single
(Right now)
That's how I wanna be
(Right Now )
I'm single, oh oh ooh

Verse 3:-
Everything in its right time
Everything in its right place
I know I'll settle down one day
But 'til then I like it this way...
It's my way
Eh, I like it this way, eh

Make your move if you want doesn't mean I will or won't
I'm free to make my mind up you either got it or you don't
'Til then I'm single

Chorus:-
This is my current single status
My declaration of independence
There's no way I'm tradin' places
Right now a star is in the ascendance

This is my current single status
My declaration of independence
There's no way I'm tradin' places (Right now a star)
Right now a star is in the ascendance

I'm single
(Right now)
That's how I wanna
I'm single
(Right now)
That's how I wanna be
I'm single
(Right now)
That's how I wanna
I'm single woooh

Bad Day

Bad Day - Daniel Powter


I love this song and finally found the lyrics.

Song lyrics

Where is the moment when we need it the most
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
They tell me your blue sky's faded to grey
They tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carrying on

You stand in the line just to hit a new low
You're faking a smile with the coffee to go
You tell me your life's been way off line
You're falling to pieces every time
And I don't need no carrying on

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Well you need a blue sky holiday
The point is they laugh at what you say
And I don't need no carrying on

You had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Sometimes the system goes on the blink and the whole thing it turns out
Wrong
You might not make it back and you know that you could be well oh that
Strong
Well I'm not wrong

So where is the passion when you need it the most
Oh you and I
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
You see what you like
And how does it feel, one more time
You had a bad day
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Are you lonesome tonight?

Akon - Lonely



Lonely a. solitary, isolated; (sad because) companionless
Company n. being with another or others
Companion n. one who accompanies or associates with another
Source: The Little Oxford Dictionary

I recently heard that a friend of mine is getting registered for marriage. Strangely enough, she was crying with tears of misery when she told this to another friend. She was happily into this comfortable relationship and would have continued with the status quo if she had not been pressured to choose either marriage or nothing at all. Fearing the loss of the companionship and loneliness, she succumbed in misery. Is loneliness reason enough to get married?

A couple of weeks back, another friend had to face the reality that the four-year “on-again off-again” flirtation she had with this guy might not go anywhere. She was devastated. And during one of her low moments, she said, “I don’t want to grow old and lonely. But I fear that in order to avoid doing that I might one day succumb into a relationship with a married man.” Is loneliness reason enough to get into a complicated relationship?

There’s this story I heard about a chatter who goes on dates with guys she met online and because she wanted/ needed the “love” and companionship, she was willing to sleep with these guys on their first dates. Sadly, at the time of the telling, she had not found one willing to go the whole nine yards i.e. red picket fences and the little house on the prairie. (Story is hearsay and unverified.) Is loneliness reason enough to sleep around?

A friend once asked me if I am lonely or if I fear loneliness. I answered; of course I get lonely sometimes. Don’t we all? It is not necessary to be alone to feel lonely. We could be among a sea of faces and still feel lonely. But I have learned that loneliness hits when our emotional well being is at its worst or when we have long periods of idleness or aimlessness. And we have no one to talk to about that. After all, an idle mind is a devil’s playing field.

Do I fear loneliness? I have not given that much thought. Perhaps because I live a reasonably good and fulfilling life; with a family who loves me and friends who keeps my life interesting and exciting.

“But your friends won’t be with you forever. They would eventually settle down, get married, have kids and live a life of their own,” my friend persisted. “You don’t want to grow old alone do you?”

Hmmm … now that’s food for thought. Not that I have not considered this aspect before. But getting married and having kids do not guarantee that we would not end up alone and lonely. After all, there are no guarantees in life. Here today, gone tomorrow. Who knows? *shrugs*

Should fear of loneliness spur us into relationships that we do not want or are not healthy for us? To what lengths would we go to avoid loneliness?

I would like to think that I would grow old surrounded by friends and family; whether I am married or not. And I would expect I will extend the same support and friendship to my friends and family.

Perhaps that’s the eternal optimist in me!

Secret Garden

Lush, rich, full-bodied and passionate music ... this is a keeper!



Anyone into world music?

I discovered this group, Secret Garden, several years ago. Check out their album Dreamcatcher and Earthsongs. I love most of the songs in the Dreamcatcher album but my favourite is the “Song from Secret Garden” track. The collection of songs in that album is very soothing and great to wind down after a stressful day. The music arrangement is pretty simple but it’s the beauty in that simplicity that I find so refreshing.

In the words of the Amazon.com reviewer, Leslie R. Marini, on the Dreamcatcher album, “…Lush, rich, full-bodied, and passionate, Secret Garden stands eye-to-eye with other successful Celtic/world-music hybrids such as Loreena McKennitt and Clannad. Highlighted by the ethereal vocal styling of Gunnhild Tvinnereim ("Nocturne") and the tender laments of Karen Matheson ("Prayer"), Secret Garden weaves a mystical tapestry of classic Oriental notes, Irish flutes, deep bodhran, and bold violins. With the crystalline quality of pure water, Secret Garden descends over one's spirit in a tranquil waterfall of renewal, as demonstrated in "Sigma" and "Songs from a Secret Garden." "Elan," which originally appeared on the album Dawn of a New Century, reflects the fire that burns at the heart of Secret Garden. The song soars with a wild, sea-swept energy, a true soundscape of white-sand beach and blue sky. A bonus cut, "Last Present," closes out Dreamcatcher with a simple, balanced melody--poised and inspiring.”

Earthsongs is a recent discovery. I just fell in love with “Sometimes When It Rains” (the first track) the first time I heard it. The rest of the album is ok but not as good as Dreamcatcher.

So, grab a glass of wine, dim the lights, relax on your sofa with your legs up and enjoy the beautiful music from Secret Garden.

P.S. In case there are Secret Garden fans out there, let me know should you have the music notes to the songs. Would love to get my hands on them. : )