Nawem or National Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Malaysia

My dearest gang,

On Saturday 23rd July, I was at the Nawem annual dinner held at Sunway Lagoon Resort Hotel. The guest of honour that night was, YB Dato’ Seri Rafidah Aziz, Minister of International Trade and Industry and Patron of Nawem.

As usual with such dinners, the guest list was of course very impressive. Well known captains of industries were spotted. Members of Nawem were themselves an impressive crop of business women.

Nawem or National Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Malaysia, was launched in 1993.

Nawem’s vision is ‘To unite Malaysian Women Entrepreneurs through the process of nurturing their skills and by helping them realize their dreams’ and Nawem’s mission is ‘To provide the leadership and inspiration to act as a conduit to the transformation of role of women in business into a dynamic force’.

It was quite a treat for the guests that night. We were entertained by Donne Ray Radford formerly with The Platters and The Drifters. I was too young to remember their songs but what I heard that night were real lovely songs indeed especially ‘Only You (and You Alone)’. That was a beautiful number. We were superbly entertained by Cathy Ibrahim too. Boy, she certainly has a captivating voice. Her renditions were impeccable. A few of her romantic numbers simply dazed us into a feeling of utter rapture. Atikah Suleiman, my hostess that evening, seemed deep in romantic mood all the time Cathy sang, as Cathy is her idol.

Right after Donne's performance, Sharon and I, had the privilege of meeting Donne Ray Radford. We had a wonderful chat with him and I found him so affable. I had the pleasure of complimenting his rendition of 'Only You (and You Alone)', which I truly found fabulously mesmerising.

Guests were also treated to fashion shows by Tom Abang Saufi and Simon Seow. I thought I saw my ‘Hari Raya’ ensemble on the catwalk (only if I could get to Tom Abang Saufi, fast enough that is, as raya is round the corner and I bet her hands are full...sigh!)

Highlight of the evening was 'The Nawem Women Entrepreneurs Award' ceremony, where 30 Nawem members were vying for the coveted titles in different categories such retail, training, trading and more.

There, I met quite a number of our OGs (old girls), some were members of Nawem and some came as guests like me. I met K Pi, K Yam, K Husna, Noridah and a few others. I also met some new OGs, Norsaadah, Fuziah and Maria.

It turned out to be quite a wonderful night, indeed with superb entertainment, delectable spread and good company.



I shall leave you with the lyrics of the rapturous song, Only You (and You Alone) dedicated especially to those deep in love.

Cheers,

Ruby.



Artist: The Platters Lyrics
Song: Only You (and You Alone) Lyrics














Only you can make this world seem right
Only you can make the darkness bright
Only you and you alone
can thrill me like you do
and fill my heart with love for only you

Only you can make this change in me
for it's true, you are my destiny
When you hold my hand
understand the magic that you do

You're my dream come true
my one and only you



Pix 1: Dato Seri Rafidah Aziz officiating function.
Pix 2: Ruby, Atikah.
Pix 3: seated, Atikah, Sharon, Sanisah.
Standing, Norsaadah (OG), Fuziah (OG).
Pix 4: Sharon, Ruby, Mas, Azura, Sega.
Pix 5: Ruby, Noridah (OG).
Pix 6: Ruby, Donne Ray Radford, Sharon.
Pix 7: Maria (OG).

Do Something.

My dearest gang,


Ahh... another day at the protest front!

Another day where we reaffirm our solidarity with the masses against the injustices of this world.

*#!# with so and so….

So and so….Go to *#@^!

Yes, we have the obligatory placards. Add a dose of flag burning. Let me see, which flag is it this week…

Throw in a frenzied crowd and voila…..what do we get?

A sense of satisfaction. A sense that we have done our bit, voiced our concern and we are not just part of a silent majority.

Now this is a serious matter, just as any protests are serious but I can’t help wondering, do we really achieve anything apart from creating a massive traffic jam for which some people are probably smug about...at least that feeling of control over something must be good, right?

I feel downright sad that everytime there is a wrong done to us, we resort to...well...shouting! Why can’t we examine the reasons for the wrong that’s perpetrated on to us?

Do something!

I remember a lecture given by the Grand Mufti of Bosnia at the London School of Economics where he asked the audience what was struggle all about. What is jihad, he asked, this man who came from a war torn country?

I am sure images of war and all that brings comes to mind. Images of bombings and killings? Did he advocate going to the various war fronts or troubled spots all over the world as has been advocated by some irresponsible leaders all over? Well, no. Not at all! He said the pursuit of study, that’s jihad or struggle! Is he wrong? Think about it. History has shown that the weak and helpless have always been victimized time and time again.

So, my small message to all of us who want to make a difference is simple…STUDY. Study and study. Proper education, research and its subsequent effective implementation to our everyday lives will get us out this seemingly helpless situation we are in.

Cheers,

Ruby Ahmad.




Illustration: www.thewe.cc

Finale Wind Orchestra

My dearest gang,


'Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.' Red Auerbach




But yesterday was not 'everyday', for me. It was a special day of sorts.

I do hear music everyday. It certainly washes from the soul the dust. Yesterday it was not everyday music. It was real live music from some exceptionally talented young kids, we can proudly say, our very own! Music yesterday, had some sort of a rest, the dust in my soul was as delighted and enthralled, that they simply turned to gold.

That was how enchanting my evening was, at the ‘Finale Wind Orchestra’ held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center.

This was jointly held by the Ministry of Education and ISME 2006.

The 27th International Society for Music Education World Conference ISME 2006 was held for the first time in Malaysia this month, sponsored by University Teknologi MARA and other partners. This conference involved some 3000 (whoa!…yes, the hall was filled with a great number of Internationally renowned musicians the world over) musicians both from 83 countries.

The guest of honour was Dato Sri Hishammuddin bin Tun Hussein, the Minister of Education, accompanied by his uber stylish wife, Datin Sri Tengku Marsilla Tengku Abdullah.

My ticket, was with Safiah and she was delayed with unexpected jams at Midvalley. When Safiah arrived with ticket, we rushed recklessly to the hall and almost bumped into the Vip guests head on, as both parties were going in opposite directions. Thank God all we received were warm broad smiles from the Vip group. Must be the 'TKC' effect, lots of people were saying of us. Ha ha ha...*wink*

This competition was held amongst the 18 orchestras from the 18 SBPs (sekolah berasrama penuh or residential schools) and last night saw 5, vying for the coveted trophy.

They were:

Tunku Kurshiah College
Sekolah Dato Abdul Razak
Sekolah Tun Fatimah
Sekolah Seri Putri
Sekolah Sultan Alam Shah

Each team was made up of at least 70 members. Each would be led by a conductor.

Listening to live orchestra, especially by our own Malaysian kids truly was amazing.

Soon enough, with sweet music, one simply finds oneself wandering into another unknown but surreal beautiful world. You see and feel wonderful abstract bliss (like, maybe, just maybe, eating green tea ice-cream for me..mmm...) never before, in that new world. I suspect, one will remain youthful, in that realm. It was just full of serene and pleasurable calm. Every note simply seduced your creative mind to stretch further with pleasure.

No wonder people encourages us to do daily chores, be it writing, studying, excercising, cooking, whatever with your favourite music and they promise the result will be exceptional. I agree.

I especially enjoyed watching the conductors in action. Everyone of them had their own style. I could feel their passion, their joy. I saw it in their unique body languages, last night. The way they moved, was testimony as to the way they embraced music with passion and obsession, in a good way.

Seeing and hearing music definitely is a different experience, altogether. It gives you double joy. Triple joy when I was seated beside our president Puan Sri Fauzah Darus as having some 'intellectual' chats during interludes was another source of great entertainment and fun for both of us.

Btw, songs from the movie 'Ibu Mertua' ku was popular last night. especially, 'Di mana kan ku cari ganti'. Mahathir Lokman, emcee for the night, had fun jesting, 'Aha, Nyonya Mansor (the status conscious mother in-law in that movie, played by the late actress extra-ordinaire, Mak Dara) will be proven wrong tonight. PEMUSIK (musicians) rock tonight! They do have fantastic future...as opposed to what she thought years and years ago! Ha ha ha.'

Added delight, was the performance by special guests, Ballanta Academy of Music from Sierra Leone, Africa and another from Russia.

I particularly enjoyed the African performance. The beats of the drums certainly pushed the adrenalin flow faster creating dancing rhythms in my bones. People around me were reserved and guarded and were not swaying. But I did. It is not everyday, that I will be in the presence of this singing and dancing beautiful African group consisting of both soulful adults and talented kids youngest being 7, with the most talented drummers from around, I told myself. I do wonder how a troubled country can produce such happy looking people. It seems to me, this is testimony that everything is a choice.

The night ended with announcements of the results.

1st Sekolah Sultan Alam Shah
2nd Sekolah Seri Puteri
3rd Sekolah Dato Abdul Razak

We still went home happy.

Must be the magical secret effect of the live music.

*smile*

Cheers,

Ruby Ahmad.

Pix 1: K Fauzah (Puan Sri Fauzah darus, President TKCOGA) with some lovely orchestra performers, our own TKC gals.
Pix 2: Ruby, ninie, Yasmin, Safiah.
Pix 3: Ballanta Academay of Music, Sierra Leone.
Pix 4: Tunku Kurshiah College performing.
Pix 5: Ruby, K Zu (Zuraidah Mohamad, principal SM Sains, Seri Puteri).
Pix 6: Ruby, K Fauzah, Safiah.

It's All My Fault

My dearest gang,


'It’s All My Fault. Yes, I apologise, as it was all my fault.'

If YOU were involved in something that went wrong (say, a project, a presentation, a relationship, anything), never blame others. Blame no one but YOURSELF.


Yes.

YOU.

Today, that I feel I have grown a little, just a teensy weensy bit after going through some new experiences in my life, (very subjective this, as people grow at different rate according to varied experiences and exposure and acceptance and understanding of situations), I believe strongly with the above.

When something goes wrong, the norm is, one’s first reaction is to place a blame anywhere but on oneself. It is only natural. I guess that’s how our natural defence mechanism works (of course with some amazing exceptions amongst us). It definitely is easier to point a finger away from oneself, than otherwise.

And one thinks one has solved the problem.

No. The answer is NO, you have not solved the problem!

If at all, one has only managed to perpetuate the problemated situation and perhaps complicated it further too.

The folly of pointing a finger away from oneself, is that without realizing it, we are giving away the power of change to the other party. This is a serious self-disability. Do you see the point? You will lose control of having the ability to turn things around, should the blamed party take a non-chalant attitude to the whole situation. The blamed party may just be happy to take the blame and do nothing about it. So, you are in an unchanged situation. You are still in a predicament. You are still at square one. What good is that?

Whereas, if you took the blame, you have the choice to do something about it. You have total control over the situation. You have the ability to re-steer the situation in the direction of your choice. Isn’t that better?

Don’t make excuses.

Take the blame.

Take responsibility.

Re-strategise.

Take steps to turn things around. You will get the desired results eventually, rather than waiting for someone else, that you don’t have control of, to change it for you.

You do it yourself.

After all, you were wise enough to have said, ‘It’s All My Fault’.

Well done.

…even at times if it’s not really your fault, it does not matter . You can still take the blame, as they say:

'Lose the battle, to win the war.'

Cheers,

Ruby Ahmad.


p/s If leaders of the world were more magnanimous, were more willing to take the blame, were more willing, to say, 'It's All My Fault'...this world would be a better place to live in. There will be less wars.



Illustration:www.comedy-gags-jokes.com

DECISIONS

My dearest gang,


‘It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be’ by Paul Arden.'

I love this quote.

I love it, as it has such a punch!

It has that force, that grips me firm and plonk me back down to earth. It has that special impact to make me stop in my tracks and ponder! It is so true, every grain of the quote. I like the ring of it as, to me personally, it pushes me to think hard and it has that encouraging nudge to make me dare, to make me DECIDE, to go beyond what I think I am.

I agree, ‘It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be’!!

What comes to my mind with this quote? Yeah, something comes to my mind. A very BIG thing.

DECISIONS.

Life is all about DECISIONS. This is what I have learnt. It is all in the DECISIONS that we want to make, we want to commit to or we don’t.

As simple as that.

Do you want Japanese or Korean lunch today?
Do you want Poggenpohl or Alno for your kitchen fittings?
Do you want J F Lazartigue or Wella shampoo?
Do you want Tiffany’s or Bulgari watch?
Do you want Issey Miyake or Rizalman outfit?
Do you want to marry Effendi or Jefry, girl?
Do you want to make your first move and say hello to the girl/boy you admire?
Do you want to swallow your ego and make amends?
Do you want to admit your mistakes to L and apologise?
Do you want to forgive S and be friends again?
Do you want to have coffee with N and so, have a nice time?
Do you want to be happy or do want to just wallow endlessly?
Do you want to get on with life or do you just want to regret?

The varied list can go on and on. But what remains the same to all of these questions?

The answer is the need to make a DECISION.

I find that when we do make effort and make a decision we take charge of our lives. Whether it is good or bad, it does not matter, but do decide. At least we are going somewhere. If it is good, well done. If it is bad, well decide again. There are always room for second, third and more chances. You know something, if you thought you needed even the tenth chance to make it happen, you can. You decide. Just don't freeze. Just don't decide, to not make a decision.

Happiness, success, fufilment, gratefulness, sadness, sense of failure has all to do with your decision. Your's and not anyone else's. Don't play the 'scapegoat game', that is lose-lose. If something worked, blame yourself...ha ha ha. If something did not work, blame yourself. This way, you are in control.

Remember, if one procrastinates, and one does not want to make a decision, it is still a DECISION. So take charge of our lives and DECIDE. Eventually we will get where we want to arrive.

I shall leave you with this quote to chew over.

‘Winners decide to make it happen, losers decide to let it happen’.

Cheers,

Ruby.

Talk by Dato Dr Norraesah Mohamad

My dearest gang,



Dato Dr Norraesah Mohamad may be petite but she speaks volumes.



She speaks volumes in four languages mind you. Bahasa, English, French and I missed out the fourth, and it was not Urdu, as we were jesting at the luncheon talk. K Chah as that's how she is fondly known amongst us OGs, has headed banks and corporations. Now she is a respected entity in the political arena.

Yes, a group of us were treated to an interesting talk on Women and RMK9 held at KL Hilton on 11th July organized by Persatuan Tindakan Wanita Islam (Pertiwi). Prof Dato Nik Safiah Karim is Ketua I and Dato Rahmah Hamid is Ketua II, of Pertiwi.



K Munirah Hamid who is an OG, is a Pertiwi AJK (a dedicated member, I can see, since knowing her personally), informed me that Pertiwi is 39 this year and K Muni herself has been involved with Pertiwi those number of years as well since she's 16. Kudos to you K Muni (so now we know...ha ha! Hold your horses...she's not bashful about her age, in fact she is so proud to have arrived there with good health and wisdom and success and being a grandma to two lovely toddlers. In any case she looks so youthful. Bravo babe).



A slight digression there, pardon me. Anyway, K Chah touched on so many varied issues, both the technical and social aspects.



I would like to begin with her parting quote: ‘What a hunger is left, unfulfilled, in our society for no reason other than that women has been so devastated by others and so dishonoured by ourselves’ by Marianne Williamson.




She was indicating, we women are not doing enough for ourselves. We were told that it is all up to us, as women to go the distance in our own advancement. Nobody is going to walk the talk for us. We have to pick ourselves up and get going. She said, to make it, we have to be pro-active and we have to identify opportunities and seize them and not wait.



I found it interesting how we were reminded that women were the highest contributor to world growth, by the World Bank. Yes, women were placed at number one position, second was China and third India, as contributors to world growth. The ladies at my table just found this awesome, as to our role in this world. We women, are a group to be reckoned with, but unfortunately quite an under utilized resource as yet.



K Chah spoke of ‘First class mind’. I was puzzled and didn't quite catch the meaning initially and later found out it has to do with being progressive, being innovative, being sophisticated in our thoughts and approaches to overcome problems and constraints in our daily lives. Being today, being current, being up-to-date. Hmm...it is a great concept, I must say and I do believe in it myself. I have my reservations currently, as to how we can achieve that. To me, in my understanding of our current situation, it can only be had, provided we have educators with ‘First class mind’ at schools and 'First class mind' nurturers at home too. This is the only way, otherwise we will only talk the talk. This is my personal opinion. This was the private dialogue I had in my own head. (I may be wrong, forgive me).

There were so many other interesting issues that we were enlightened upon by our revered speaker. It would be too long and wordy for this entry if I were to list all.



Anyway, since we women, form 50% of the population it is imperative, that we can and should contribute to the economy in a big way, thus to quality of life as well.


Cheers,


Ruby.











Pix 1: Ruby (OG), Dato Rahmah Hamid, Munirah Hamid (OG), Dato Dr Norraesah Mohamad (OG), Zuhairah Ali (OG).
Pix 2: Datin Aida Abd Ghani (OG) and 2 other guests.
Pix 3: Datin Seri Kee Ming Yuet and 2 other guests.
Pix 4: More invited guests.
Pix 5: Badilah Samad (OG), Masmah Rashid (OG).
Pix 6: Dato Dr Norraesah, Dato Rahmah.
Pix 7: Munirah Hamid (OG).
Pix 8: Ruby, Laila Johari, Zuhairah.

Do Not Covet Your Ideas

My dearest gang,


'Give away everything you know, and more will come back to you'

Don't we all remember, at school how some students would fight tooth and nail to hide what they know? Let's not just stop at school days. Even at university to think that they are already somewhat adults, this still happened. Saddest is, having said that, this amazing small-mindedness is still rampant at work, rampant everywhere.

'The problem with hoarding is you end up living off your reserves. Eventually you'll become stale'

That is exactly true. When we don't share, we feel we already know plenty and therefore it gives us a false sense of accomplishment. It makes us comfortable where we are, thinking we are so well endowed with knowledge. We then, stop being hungry, to hunt for more knowledge. I have said this before, to be hungry is quite a prerequisite for success. When we are not hungry for anything, we will go the complacent route. We will want to remain in our comfort zone. We no longer have that insatiable push. That's when we go stale. That's when we lose it.

'If you give away everything you have, you are left with nothing. This forces you to look, to be aware, to replenish.'

I believe in sharing.

When you share with one person, your knowledge, you have then elevated that person to your level. Having regurgitated that knowledge to that someone, you have an added sense of fulfilment, and that gives you an added push to want to know more, to share further with the same person or perhaps with some other. Point is, you are not only elevating the other person, in so doing you are elevating yourself as well. If everyone did their bit, can you imagine how much the society would have changed? How the society could be made of dynamic individuals? Can you now see the benefits? How wonderful it is of being part of an intelligent society. Being part of a courteous society. Being part of a dynamic society. Most of all being part of a safe society!

Do we lose out, when we share knowledge?

I don't think so?

In doing so we only improve the quality of each and everyone of us. The side effect is...that, we just sort of get a better society. Voila!

Isn't that what we want?

To be in a good society is a dream, especially with our current scenario now. The rampant existence of both big and petty crimes from all around us. The rife state of apathy amongst our people. The excessive lack of skill and knowledge amongst our youths. The prevailing lack of sophistication in general. More than ever, now, I understand how great it is to be in an intelligent society. Life is that much more meaningful and untroublesome. There will be less of unnecessary undue stress brought upon by substandard services that is so prevalent everywhere, now.

'Somehow the more you give away the more comes back to you.'

Lets chew and ponder upon this, and do what we can.

Cheers,

Ruby.




All quotes in blue have been extracted from 'It's not how good you are, it's how good you want to be' by Paul Arden

Illustration: www1.cs.columbia.edu...just look at the two babies already displaying sharing skills...lovely indeed.

Kau selalu ada

My dearest gang,

This morning I feel melancholic.

To be honest since Engelbert's show!! Ha ha ha...or rather I should exclaim sob. Yeah sob sounds correct.

I can't seem to shake that feeling off till now. Must be to do with most of his super sentimental songs that had such an effect on me, (or could be some other that night), that night, the night of the 28th June. Something must be on my mind and we all do go through all kinds of repertoire of emotions at different times of our life connected with our own personal issues. Try telling me it is not so!

This week too I accidentally hear a very sentimental indonesian song, that, to be honest, has been around a long time, but ignorant me, was not aware. Being in this mood that song sounded therapeutic. Listened to it again and again and I found the lyrics was poetic...I could say, ala indonesian 'Kahlil Gibran'. Oh I beg your pardon, I have not told you what song it is. Ok, it is Dealova by Once.

I give you the lyrics:


Dealova

Aku ingin menjadi mimpi indah dalam tidurmu
Aku ingin menjadi sesuatu yg mungkin bisa kau rindu
karena langkah merapuh tanpa dirimu
oh karena hati tlah letih

Aku ingin menjadi sesuatu yg selalu bisa kau sentuh
Aku ingin kau tahu bahwa ku selalu memujamu
Tanpamu sepinya waktu merantai hati
Oh bayangmu seakan-akan

(chorus) Kau seperti nyanyian dalam hatiku
Yang memanggil rinduku padamu
Seperti udara yg ku hela kau selalu ada

Hanya dirimu yg bisa membuatku tenang
Tanpa dirimu aku merasa hilang
Dan sepi, dan sepi

repeat chorus (2x)

Selalu ada, kau selalu ada
Selalu ada, kau selalu ada


My ramble this morning was triggered by a forward sent by a lovely, long time friend of mine, AA. The part of this particular forward that touched me the most, that is connected with my soppy mood, is the last bit.

Here it is:




Keep going, it would be good for you to recognize your role in life.


Do you know what is family?

Do you really understand what is behind the word family?

It gives us a shock when we know the answer.


FAMILY

Father And Mother, I Love You

(People can think of all sorts of ingenuity from their creative self. I have never once stopped to think of the word family, this way. Amazing. Ruby)


WHY does a man want to have a WIFE?

Because:

W---Washing

I---Ironing

F---Food

E---Entertainment

(Gee! This is cheesy. Triple whammy cheesy. I disagree with all 4. Even entertainment sounds wrong...ha ha ha! Wives are partners. Wonderful partners. Period. My view. Anyway, right gals? Ruby)



WHY does a woman want to have a HUSBAND? Because:

H---Housing

U---Understanding

S---Sharing

B---Buying

A---and

N---Never

D---Demanding

(Somehow this sounds EXACTLY right. What say you gals? Ha ha ha. My personal view again. Ruby)



Do you know that a simple "HELLO" can be a sweet one?

Especially from our loved ones. The word HELLO means:


H=How are you?

E=Everything all right?

L=Like to hear from you

L=Love to see you soon!

O=Obviously, I miss you .....



(Aah...terusik hati ku. Ruby)




Cheers,

Ruby.

p/s Heyy gang, before you come to any conclusion lets get it straight here...that is a spoof pix (super-imposed pix lah, tak betul, I didnt go on stage that night) of Engelbert and me...ha ha, courtesy of OP Che Aris of rmcopa. Che Aris was the official photographer during Engelbert's show. Since he knows me from a few of our inter-alumni funtions and forums, he (being creative) said it was his pleasure to give me that treat. I was too chicken to go upstage that night when Engelbert asked for a lady volunteer (apologies OP Azudin).

Make mistakes.

As the person who doesn't make mistakes is unlikely to make anything!

My dearest gang,

Many successful people from around the world understand that failures and false starts are a precondition of success.

How about that? Quite encouraging to hear? That's the whole idea. Life is all about encouragement and being positive. With such an attitude we will go far.

For example, Benjamin Franklin said, 'I haven't failed, I've had 10,000 ideas that didn't work.'

Thomas Edison said, 'Of the 200 light bulbs that didn't work, every failure told me something that I was able to incorporate into the next attempt.'

Theatre director Joan Littlewood said, 'If we don't get lost, we'll never find a new route.'

Really many a times failures were the major contributor to successes.

This, to me applies even to our daily relationships with our friends, our co-workers and most of all with people whom we love very much. I find it is during adversities we learn of people's true character. If the mistakes were made without any intentions of malice, if the mistakes were genuine, most times it can draw people closer as this presents an opportunity to begin to understand each other. It presents an opening to reach each other's inner feelings and thoughts. We begin to know each other better through mistakes. How we learn from our mistakes and how we make amends and how the recipient finds in his/her heart to forgive and forget, all adds to the relationship... all adds in going the distance.

This is always the time we learn what the other person is made of. Whether he/she is kind, accommodating, forgiving, generous or otherwise. If we were too guarded, then we will lose opportunities to learn more about each other and so lose opportunities to get even closer. This is the time we will know our value, our worth with the other party, as to how they swallow their pride, their ego in the desire to make things better.

To be able to swallow our pride, our ego and admit to our mistakes is not the easiest thing to do. We can only learn in humility. People who can, are true winners. These are the people who get the best things in life, especially in relationships..

Don't be afraid to make mistakes and don't be afraid of failures, for as long as we keep our humility. The more interesting the mistakes, the more interesting the life. The more mistakes we make is also a reflection of the more things we dare to do in life, and the more things we learn. It is better to make mistakes than not having initiative. Learning from mistakes adds to our wisdom and prepares us for the next big conquest in life, only if we are not afraid to make mistakes. As they say, 'The person who doesn't make mistakes is unlikely to make anything.'

I leave you with this quote:


'FAIL, FAIL AGAIN, FAIL BETTER.' Samuel Beckett.


Cheers,

Ruby.


All quotes above have been extracted from 'It's not how good you are, it's how good you want to be' by Paul Arden
Illustration 1: simple.simps.ru/ images/errors/1F04(8).jpg
Illustration 2: www.total-simpsons.de/ ecards/love1.gif

Engelbert Humperdink

My dearest gang,




It was an unforgettable night!




I managed to recover just in time from my bout of cough to catch the evergreen crooner, Engelbert Humperdink. I certainly have no complaints with the postponement of Engelbert’s show from 23rd June to the 28th June.





The night started with some announcements from the emcee, to switch our phones off, about keeping our tickets and so on. The one I remembered the most was that under no circumstances were we allowed to throw our bras and panties on stage. Ha ha ha. The President, OP Habibur Rahman, apologized to the crowd for the inconvenience incurred due to cancellation of the show. But honestly, I take my hat off to the RMC Ops for their high character in compensating the crowd. True character presents itself in times of adversities. Kudos to you guys, you did well.




The crowd was quite excited with Engelbert’s appearance on stage. He belted his familiar fabulous numbers to the euphoric crowd. For some of the songs, to be honest, Engelbert could take a rest and just hang the mike to the crowd and they could just belt out that number for him. Such great loyal fans he has. I can’t confess to knowing these songs being quite young…ha ha ha




In between songs, Engelbert being a smooth entertainer cracked some hilarious jokes. Being the good performer that he is, he did an incredible ala Michael Jackson’s moonwalk quite smoothly. He could still shimmer and swing sensuously, still screaming with sex appeal.




The show sadly ended and there was encore and he sang and he cheekily donned on his House robe indicating no more encore! He’s off to bed…ha ha ha!




We left the hall satisfied that our man has delivered a great show.




Cheers,

Ruby.







Please click on pix for larger view.

Pix 1: Engelbert Humperdink, belting a number. Pix courtesy of OP Che Aris.
Pix 2: Dato Dahan, Suriani, Dr Amir, Datin Aida, Noridah, Ruby Ahmad, Sofiyan Yahya.
Pix 3: Ruby, OP Azly, OP Stupe, Noridah. Btw, Stupe and Azly were assigned to be bouncers that night. I must say they are the friendliest bouncers!



Pix 4: Lutfiah, Umi, Mariam, Ruby, Dato Dahan, Datin Aida, Noridah, Widya, Mariam. Pix courtesy of OP Che Aris.
Pix 5: Widya, Ruby, Dato Jimmy Choo (Shoe designer extraordinaire), Lewre Lew (Lewre shoes), Noridah, mariam.
Pix 6: Ruby, Noridah, OP Michael Tan, Mariam.
Pix 7: Ahh...fame! Ha ha ha. (Pix doctored by Che Aris (RMCOPA))