*Dinner @ Tok Aunty Jai's & Tok Uncle Yem's*

Went to Tok Jai's yesterday for dinner.. since Aunty Limah & Izzat from Los Angeles are here for holiday, few of the family members have been doing 'makan-makan' lately.. including us.. lol.. This time at Tok Jai's & Tok Yem's in Damansara..

So here r the pics from yesterday:~

And my usual photography session with the lil cousin.. Lydia Karmen @ Manja @ 'The Girl Who Watches A Lot Of ANTM"??.. lol..

And finally.. she was tired.. cute! :)

*Mamma Mia! The Musical*

It was Sunday Night.. So I Screamed.. MAMMA MIA!!!

Finally.. after like 2 and a half months of not watching any live musicals.. I finally got the dosage of my happy drug that I have long needed.. The last one I watched was "The Little Mermaid" in a theatre on Broadway, New York last August.. That was fantabulous! And so was this!!

We sat in the stalls.. 4th row.. Good seats! Loads of leg room.. and we could see the actors' expressions clearly! I always prefer stall seats compared to balcony.. the nearer the better.. some may not like it. but I certainly do as we'll get to see the orchestra playing under the stage.. Mama is beginning to like stall seats too :) My only experience of seating in the front-row was in London.. when I watched 'The Phantom of the Opera'.. and it was one of the best experiences of my life! Front-row seats to one of the best musicals in history.. and in London.. where it all started!! My God.. I am blessed.. Alhamdulillah~ :)

Well.. if you're not into the cheesy songs of ABBA.. you wont enjoy this one as the musical itself revolves around ABBA's songs.. which include: 'I Have A Dream', 'Mamma Mia!', 'Money Money Money', 'Dancing Queen', 'Honey Honey', 'The Winner Takes It All', and my personal favs.. 'Slipping Through My Fingers' (the song the mother sang to the daughter on her wedding day.. about giving her away.. and how time flies etc.. this part of the musical made me weep!) & 'Our Last Summer' (the part where the mother and one of her old flings reminiscing about their time together in the past)..

For the record.. The musical was like 5 times better than the movie which starred Meryl Streep (ok.. she was really good as no one expected that she could sing or dance and who would hv guessed at her age, she could even do the 'toe-touch' jump on the bed! Salute!), The "bimbo" girl from the movie 'Mean Girls' who's voice I think was a little bit too small for the role, and the guys.. sigh (in dissapointment).. why oh why didnt they get actors who could actually sing!.. They got Colin Firth & Pierce Brosnan to play 2 out of the 3 potential dads.. Megeewwwwddd! But to be fair.. I did like the movie.. the colourful scenes and the beauty of Greece were breath-taking.. and I love the old furnitures they have in the movie!! I wonder how they make furnitures look old and rustic.. Im gonna try that one day :D..
But all and all.. I just think that the musical was better.. casting wise.. :)

Anyhoooo.. back to the musical.. this was last Sunday.. and it was staged at Istana Budaya.. went with Mama & Shirin.. & this time they featured the company from West End London.. woo hoooo~ They had Jackie Clune to play the lead.. Donna Sheridan.. & Miria Parvin to play the daughter.. Sophie Sheridan.. And the guy who played one of Sophie's potential dads.. Sam Carmichael (ie. Pierce Brosnan's Character in the movie).. is Cameron Blakely.. When I 1st saw him on stage last Sunday.. I told myself.. he has that look & mannerism that points towards "Les Mis".. ie. I think that he's the kind of actor who would have gone for musicals like "Les Miserables".. and I was right! In the programme book.. it stated that he acted as Thenardier in 'Les Mis'.. hehe.. Im good!

I must admit.. Usually Im more into musicals which have deep & emotional story lines.. Like my all-time favourites.. "Les Miserables" (which was my 1st musical experience & it was in Melbourne Aussie).. and another fav.. which was more recent. "Jersey Boys".. (watched this one in London with Mama).. And of course.. "The Phantom"..! Ok.. so I still wont say that 'Mamma Mia!' falls into 'one-of-the-best-musicals-I've-ever-seen" category.. but I would say that it falls into one of the best "Commercial" musicals category.. When I say "Commercial".. I refer to those musicals that are based on a spin-off from popular movies, stories or even pop bands.. These kind of musicals usually don't have a deep story line.. often shallow I must say :P.. songs are a bit "pop-ish".. and they rely on the popularity of the pre-quels/movies/pop bands/famous story books etc.. Most of which do not have original story lines.. Not all.. But most..
The musicals that I think falls under this category of "Commercial" musicals (but this doesn't mean that they're not good ya..) include.. Wicked (a spin-off or prequel to The Wizard of Oz), Mamma Mia! (based on the songs of ABBA), Avenue Q (from The Muppets I think), Dirty Dancing (from the famous 80s movie starring Patrick Swayze), The Lion King (Disney cartoon flick) etc.. But I think these kind of musicals play an important role when it comes to attracting the none-theatre/musical-goers or the 1st-timers.. so yeah..

Personally.. I define a good.. incredible.. fantabulous musical as the ones that made me feel as though Im lost in the story while watching it.. the ones that made me catch my breath at the end of it and go "WOWWWWW!".. and most importantly.. the ones that made me feel so HIGH long after the show.. literally!.. This special musicals.. touched me deeply that often weeks or even months after watching the show.. I would still dream of it.. sing to the show tunes all day.. talk about it all the time.. and google/you-tube/buy the cds & dvds (if they hv any) long after.. These musicals include "Les Miserables", "Jersey Boys", "Phantom of the Opera" (which I saw in London with Mama.. and managed to get FRONT-ROW SEATS!!!! AMAZING!!) & Cats!

When I hv the time later.. I'll write a special blog post on Musicals alone.. hehe..

Meanwhile.. these are some pics from that night:~

And here's a video of my favourite scene in both the movie & the musical..

"Slipping Through My Fingers"..
enjoy :)




"So I say
Thank you for the music, the songs Im singing
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing
Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty
What would life be?
Without a song or a dance what are we?
So I say thank you for the music
For giving it to me"

~'Thank You For The Music' - ABBA :D

*Management Associate OR Enterprize - Wide Risk Management Executive ???*

Yesterday morning, I got a call from Petronas, offering me a job..
I went for the interview bout a month ago I think.. so meanwhile.. got the offer from CIMB Investment Bank.. and accepted it..
So I told the person on the other side that I've accepted another job offer, but he insisted that I drop by at the Petronas Twin Towers and see what they have to offer..

I have the offer letter with me now..
The post that they are offering me is as stated above.. Enterprize - Wide Risk Management Executive.. So.. alright.. Risk Management IS in line with what I studied in Uni.. Actuarial Science.. and obviously Im quite comfortable with it.. but I think I have this feeling of wanting to try something new..
Fyi.. Previously, I've done an internship period of 4 months at ING Insurance on Jln Raja Chulan KL.. and did a study on Valuation & Risks etc.. so I hv a little bit idea of what the job is like.. and of course by looking at my colleagues there as well.. that gave me a rough picture of what it is like if I ought to take that job at Petronas..

Thinking back when I was doing my internship then.. I cant help but to think that I dont want to do what my colleagues were doing at that time.. sitting in the office.. staring at the computer screen.. and evaluate risks everyday.. Well, at least not for now.. At this particular time, I dont feel like doing that.. I dont think I can just sit still.. I want to go out.. meet people.. do presentations.. doing the fast-pace job while Im still young.. I know that it may be stressful and all.. but hey.. while Im fresh out of Uni and still naive bout everything.. I think a fast-pace job will be a very good training ground..

Like I said in my previous post before.. the offer I took at the Investment Bank is Management Associate.. The company only choose a max number of 15 people per intake.. and these 15 will undergo a 2 month classroom training and 10 mth of rotations in different departments of our choice.. In their words.. the people under the programme will be groomed & trained to be the future leaders of the company etc..

Basically.. after talking to the parents, relatives and friends.. I think my path lays with the Bank.. I think the culture there suits me better.. and I've met a few of the other 14 people who will be my training mates for the next 2 months.. we met during the interview sessions.. and I think we clicked.. so Im so excited bout that.. plus.. The programme is a good one I think. well structured and is a good way for fresh grads like me to launch their career in the corporate world or more specifically, the financial industry.. by experiencing different sides of the company.. and finally at the end of 1 year.. settling in the department that Im passionate about..
Guess Passion beats everything right? ;)

The Decision Is Final:~

Elina Effendi ~ A Management Associate at an Investment Bank

PS: Papa & Mama completed their Hajj in the Holy land of Mecca and came back safely last Monday.. Alhamdulillah~
Haji Effendi & Hajjah Zawiyah !! Weeeee~

*Per Te ~ One of My Favourite Songs & Videos Ever*

Ok.. almost everyone who knows me well knows that Im head over heels over Josh Groban since high school..

Thought I should share with u guys one of my fav songs by JG and of course one of my fav videos of him as well..
This song can make me weep sometimes coz I think it's so beautifully arranged and written..

So enjoy.. :)

* * * * *

Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is a Grammy-nominated American singer-songwriter. He has concentrated his career so far mostly in concert singing and recordings, although he has stated that he wishes to pursue musical theater in the future.

Classifying Groban's voice:

Various music critics have described Groban's voice in different ways, with some referring to him as a tenor and others as a baritone. In performance, Groban's music goes as low as G2 (as in the song "To Where You Are") and extends up to at least B5 flat or the B flat above middle C (As heard in "You Raise Me Up"). This places his voice lower than the tenor range on the low end, and just short of Tenor C, and therefore above the baritone range, on the high end. In a 2002 New York Times article, Groban described himself as a "tenor in training".

Influences and personal details:

Some of Groban's musical influences have been Radiohead, Paul Simon, Sting, Peter Gabriel, and Björk. He says he is able to look up to anyone, musically, who has pushed the boundaries and stepped outside of the box. As for vocal influences, "anyone who told a story with their songs," including Mandy Patinkin, Klaus Nomi, George Hearn, and Luciano Pavarotti.

He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

He is single, but dated January Jones from 2003-2006, breaking up in the summer of that year. They remain friends