Oh the harrowing Oxford St Sales and hey, MIsha menang?!

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Bunga-bunga cinta... layu di pusara

- Misha Omar’s “Bunga-bunga Cinta”

Berakhirlah penantian setahun oleh peminat-peminat setia muzik di Malaysia..terjawablah sudah persoalan yang membelenggu pemikiran mereka ..siapakah yang bakal dinobatkan sebagai juara pada tahun ini? Berlangsungnya Anugerah Juara Lagu ke-18 (AJL18), di ambang tahun 2003 menyaksikan kemenangan seorang gadis cilik yang masih mentah dalam dunia lagu-lagu balada Melayu, tetapi mempunyai bakat dan suara yang besar dan bakal menggegarkan persada seni Negara kita..Misha Omar telah berjaya membolot anugerah juara kategori balada dan anugerah juara lagu yang menjadi impian finalis-finalis yang telah beradu suara dalam pertarungan sengit di atas pentas Stadium Bukit Jalil malam tadi…airmata kegembiraan kelihatan berlinangan setelah gelaran juara diberikan, beserta jambangan bunga dan piala emas berbentuk treble clef, yang sudah merupakan ikon yang simbolik untuk AJL buat 18 tahun..

Arrghhhh…who am I kidding? I can’t write bahasa berbunga-bunga..there is a reason why I didn’t get an A1 for that subject back in SPM…

Anyhoo..how did u guys find the AJL18 ? Privately, I think it was ok..well, kind of…it could do with a little less of Sarimah’s high-pitched screams, and Aznil could lose the multiple headbands (which he did at the last bit, but I suffered in agony before..)..i’m not going to go into intricate details over what happened throughout the show, because of the poor-quality streaming that TIME provided (ooh, damn you TIME, just when Anwar Zain needed proper scrutinizing by moi)..am I happy with the results? Well, Ezlynn won Pop Rock? Err…big hairdo and orangey outfit? Hmm…personally, I thought Exist’s “Percayakan Siti”with the retro wig and bouncy dancers were more fun and poppish…don’t u think so? Wahida’s “Wassini” with the fire-breathing dancers might look more authentic, if they were to wear something else other than white t-shirts and blue jeans…Misha Omar’s winning ballad “Bunga-Bunga Cinta” was nicely done, which merited her winnings…

Siti, surprisingly, looked funky, and the rapping part was a little cheesy, but, it was something different, other than what I’m normally accustomed to watching whenever Siti comes on the screen…Noraniza Idris did not disappoint by filling up the stage as everyone predicted she would..and who could forget Mas Idayu’s mike-holding stance at the beginning of her song?.oh no, this is sounding more like a review where the reviewer practically slagged off everyone…ok, ok, I think it’s a noble thing for TV3, using the funds they made for charity..it explains the venue of AJL18, which I was kind of against (heh, kalo u against pun, bukannye diaorang will change..hellooo??)

I love the part where all the invited entertainers did their bit..i mean, the vocalist from Metalasia (correct me if I’m wrong here..) and Amok singing to Tiada Lagi Cinta?!! Delicious!! And Ella singing dangdut songs?? When pigs flew! Well, some pigs must have sprouted some wings and did just that, cuz Ella actually sang Rindu and Selamat Jalan Romeo!! And don’t you just love the blue kebaya Siti Sarah wore with the terjongket sarong by Rizalman…?

Ok, enough of AJL18…today is the day where my roommate and I took a much deserved break to watch the show and put our feet up? Why??

Oh, the harrowing, agonizing Boxing Day Sales….

For 2 days in a row, Ainor and me have worn off our shoes tripping up and down Oxford Street, looking for supposed bargains and all that we envisioned we would have gotten…instead, we came away with bags of stuff that we didn’t have any inkling that we would actually be purchasing..gaH!! I don’t think I’ll be eating much next month *sigh*…On Boxing day, we arrived at about 10 a.m., and even then, the pavements were busy..by mid afternoon, the crowd had reached tremendous proportions, and we had to elbow a few people in our pursuits…time flew like nobody’s business that when I glanced at my watch, while queuing up with a handmade Polish glass vase for my mom, it was already 4.30 p.m…! and I thought it was only 2 p.m.! and even then, half the stores weren’t even open! My quest for “petite”jeans proved to be fruitless, as the ones at Dot Perkins weren’t on sale..grr…apa diorang ingat orang-orang pendek nie loaded ke?
Dahlaa Next put up this tantalizing notice with “we’ll be open at 5.00 a.m. on 27th December..” well, suffice to say, I bet there’s gonna be huge crowd the next day…lunch was nearly horrendous as McDonalds was soo crowded that we thought we would have to join the many people squatting down by the buildings, chomping down their burgers…nasib baik dapat tempat…
And I was right…I was not able to purchase another thing I saw for my mom on Boxing Day, and decided to go on the 27th as well…Ainor was tired as she went full-steam and came home with loadsa bags and surrendered to the idea of going again..hehehe…the next morning, she got ready as well, and decided she wanted to come along! Hah! We rushed off, an hour earlier than the day before..and when we arrived at Next (just to see what the big deal is about) we were SWAMPED with the crowd! It was unbelievable!!there were soooo many people and the queue at the counter was snaking its way to the middle of the store..itu baru one floor!! Sheeshh…by midday, when I happened to stand at one point that overlooks the lower part of Oxford Street, I could only see heads moving..and no empty space in between…it was unbelievable..!! we rushed off to Bayswater for lunch as we were looking for fried chicken…and instead got to taste humous and other Arabic food…hmm..interesting..met Afie, Za and their friends, on their way to visit Coventry..
Well, at least I got away with decent stuff, stuff that I need and some on bargain..although, there are still some things missing on the list..but I’ll take a week long break first..maybe my dear cousin from Birmingham might convince me to swim through the crowds again? *hint, hint*…sempat jugaklaa nak merasa the “famous”Boxing Day sales…

On a sad note, my borrowed futon, on which I enjoyed 2 full nights of contented sleep, has been returned to its rightful owner…dang! Now the space under the bunk bed looks empty and forlorn…I guess, I’d have to look for another…however, our room have gone under a reorientation process..it now looks more spacious, neat and contains mostly, our stuff…*happy sigh*…but it was damn tiring , as we had it done the day after we got back from Germany, when our energy level was still low…clean out wardrobe, move wardrobe, cabut mattress from katil, move katil, fall flat on our backs, decided that it was totally wrong, moved back the katil, decided to move the huge bookrack, unloaded the stuff off, move the bookrack and finally put the wardrobe into place….PHEW!!!
And just when I’ve established my comfy spot under the bed, the missing owner of the futon had to turn up and took it away from me…boo hoo….and (on another totally unrelated matter) I missed the screening of My Fair Lady..double boo hoo…

Ooh, but I’ve claimed one pot of gold from the end of a rainbow by watching Amelie…luvverly!