Malaysian Dreamgirl - The Audition

after reading all the very encouraging comments, i decided to go ahead and audition for Malaysian Dreamgirl.

and … I MADE IT!!!!

yes, i made it past the first round of the Malaysian Dreamgirl auditions :D haha who would have thought?! i’m now in the Top 50, and next week there will be another round of auditions to determine the 12 finalists that will star in the Malaysian Dreamgirl online reality show :)

pinkpau @ Malaysian Dreamgirl!

hahahaha no lah bluff you all only. i didn’t audition!

and i couldn’t even if i wanted to, because i’ve been hired to be one of their two official bloggers throughout the show :) Shaolin Tiger is the other blogger, and the both of us will be following the shoot closely for the next 11 weeks to bring you a closer and more in-depth view of each episode. and of course, bringing you the dishy stuff and what goes on behind-the-scenes ;)

so i sat through a whole day of auditions today, and i got to see all the girls strut their stuff in front of the judging panel. it was very interesting to watch, and i must say that in the first hour or so i was extremely taken aback by how harsh the judges were. Elaine Daly and our homeboy Kenny Sia were almost relentless in their comments and type of questions. i’ve never met Lim Jimmy or seen him in interviews, and i was expecting a real catty man who would be harsh and almost bitchy, but he wasn’t!! he was actually damn nice throughout all the auditions. i spoke to him briefly during lunch, and he was extremely sweet and pleasant. haha but apparently for tomorrow’s auditions he wants to be meaner.

so the auditions system works like American Idol where as long as 2 out of 3 judges say Yes, the girl goes through. of all the auditions today, only about 20 girls made it through to the next round. tomorrow they will probably select another 30, and that makes up the Top 50, from which the 12 finalists will be chosen.

and because i watched all the auditions, i can tell all aspiring Malaysian Dreamgirls what to expect if you’re going to audition tomorrow hehehe.

1. Be confident and outspoken
i said this in my previous post before i watched the auditions, and now that i’ve watched it, i must say it is THE make-or-break factor in your audition. ALL the quiet and shy girls with no confidence didn’t make it through the auditions, simply because they were boring. almost all the girls who came in with spunk and attitude got through to the next round because they excited and inspired the judges.

2. Don’t be afraid to show some attitude
because attitude is what they’re looking for. when asked ‘do you think you’re pretty?’, forget the ‘er… no lah not really pretty lah but i’m quite okay lah..’ answer and just say YES i think i’m pretty. most of the 20 girls picked today answered such when they were asked that question. not a single girl sounded cocky when she said yes, she thinks she’s pretty.

one girl came in with sunglasses on her head and a very confident personality. Elaine was saying how she doesn’t think this girl is what they’re looking for, but she just interjected and gave the reasons why she thinks she can be the Malaysian Dreamgirl. hahaha that was awesome. we were all rooting for her in the media room, and the producer said he likes her ‘dont give two fucks about what you think’ attitude. hahaha. she made it through. her name is Dani, and this is her picture below:

3. If you have a flaw, tell them how you can compensate
there was girl who was extremely pretty with a good command of English, whom i thought was DEFINITELY going to advance to the next round. but during her audition, she was told by Elaine and Jimmy that she’s too short to be a model. Kenny, who thinks she’s pretty, fought for her … but the whole time, the girl just kept quiet while the panel argued it out. i think that if she had just said SOMETHING to prove how she can compensate for her height, she would have gotten a yes from Jimmy. she could have said how even the HOST of Malaysian Dreamgirl, Sazzy Falak, is 5′1 and yet she’s so successful. but no, she kept quiet and so she lost her chance.

then there was this other girl who is a little bit on the fleshy side. Kenny asked her if she could take it if the online world calls her fat, and so the audition suddenly became all about how she was fat (she really wasn’t fat, just fleshy). she told them she would diet, that she has the determination to work on her body, that she thinks she’s not fat but curvy, that she has the looks to make up for the fact she’s not rail-thin.. and she got in through the next round :)

oh and one girl came in with braces. i think she was quite self-conscious about it, but she was praised by the judges for taking the initiative to correct her teeth. so dont hide your flaws if you have any - be aware of them and tell them that you know how you can improve on them.

4. Come equipped with some fashion knowledge
seriously, if ONE MORE girl answers Tyra Banks as their favourite model, imma scream. please lah there are a lot of better models out there than Tyra Banks!! giving that answer just shows how little you know about the fashion industry despite saying ‘i’ve been wanting to be a model since i was twelve!’ (and almost every girl said this), and merely shows that you watch a lot of America’s Next Top Model. some were also asked who their favourite designers were. only one girl could give an answer.

5. Come dressed well
i really underestimated this part of the auditions. one girl was sent out within 20 seconds because she came in track bottoms and couldnt really answer why she chose to wear that. every girl is asked about their outfit, where it’s from and why they chose to wear it. many girls got very harsh critique about their choice of apparel, and on that note, most were sent out. those who clearly put some thought into their clothes won favour with the judges. don’t forget one is a fashion stylist and one is a seasoned model!

you dont have to be wearing designer clothes or anything, and of course if you have your own style, SAY IT. even our lovely Cheesie, who came dressed in her usual quirky style, was not spared from harsh fashion comments by the judges. she dealt with that by coolly saying that this is the way she dresses as she prefers cutesy bargain clothes over designer labels. she got through to the next round :)

we love you Cheesie!

that’s about it. questions asked were things like - tell us about yourself, why do you think you’re the Malaysian Dreamgirl, tell us about your outfit, what is your favourite part of your body, who is your favourite model, why do you want to be a model. then they follow up with more questions based on your previous answers, and they ask you to do a catwalk and they ask you to come closer so they can look at your complexion. critique can be harsh, but my advice is to take it in stride and dont let them scare you. they’re doing it on purpose to suss you out :)

some of my favourite girls of the day besides Cheesie and Dani:

Cindy, a friend of mine who wowed the judges with her looks and bubbly personality

this girl was subjected to a really thorough line of questioning by Elaine Daly, but she was very brave and articulate in her answers. she deserved to pass the audition!

this is Suet Li wtf. no lah her name is Yvonne, but she looks like Suet Li right??? she was so cute and she spoke really well, no surprise that she would pass the audition.

Chin Yee, who is actually a kindergarten teacher. in my opinion the prettiest of the lot and definitely best dressed. a little bit shy though. Stewie and i thought she would have attitude, but we were wrong!

Alison, my favourite of the day. tall, fun, SMART, spoke very well, friendly, a natural in front of the camera. it was a unanimous yes from all three judges. she’s finalist material; the only one from today whom i think is a clear shoo-in for the Final 12

okay lah no more :) to all auditioning, best of luck!!! MWAH - good luck kiss from the pinkpau!

Malaysian Dreamgirl Auditions
Dates : 16 & 17 Feb 2008
Time: 10am - 5pm
Venue: Selangor Room, PWTC Kuala Lumpur

Comments February 16th, 2008

Home and Away

i’m blogging from home right now. it feels good to be back even if for just a little while - the whole of last week was spent staying with Martian now that he’s back in KL for a bit. i came back home earlier this afternoon to grab some stuff i’d forgotten to take with me; tonight, it’s back to the hotel again.

i like the fresh hotel towels and the never-ending supply of soft tissue. the pool and deck chairs. the ROOM SERVICE MENU! the neat room that greets me when i return, and all of my loose change stacked up nicely on the desk in ascending denomination. i like all of those things. and i love driving into the hotel carpark with Martian after dinner, both of us chattering away or quiet from sleepiness (or sulkiness.. hahaha that would be me). i love kissing him in the elevator on the way up to the room. i love going to bed with him; i love how he comes up to hug me while i’m brushing my teeth. i especially love going out for supper with him anytime i wish. i love the way he holds my hand as we fall asleep, and i even love how i have to carefully sneak away from him to go online. i love crawling back into bed with him and being welcomed back with sleepy kisses. these things and more make me give up my home for a bit.

but despite all that, i’m always missing home at the back of my head. i miss the newspaper, i miss my familiar pillows, i miss my internet connection that doesn’t cost RM 60 for 24 hours, i miss the bottle of cold water that’s always in the fridge. then i miss channel surfing on Astro, and my parents, and the sounds of my brothers playing Dota. i miss the random fruits my mom brings home. i miss my desk, the best place on earth to do work - second only to the table next to the glass panel at Starbucks Bangsar. and i always feel bad when my dad tells me that i should be spending more time at home. it’s even worse when i’m away with Martian in Singapore for long stretches of time, and more so back then when he was in Hong Kong.

but waking up to his kisses is the best part. it’s something that i find so hard to give up. i think about the few months that i have left before i leave (IF i’m accepted by any schools..) and i wonder if i’m spending it right. am i dividing my time equally? am i seeing enough of my family and friends? what do i make of my remaining months left with Martian? do we take big plunges now or do we play it by ear?

as i write this now (the continued version!), i’m already back in the hotel and it’s 4 in the morning. i am really quite hungry and i am contemplating calling for room service. this hotel has a delectable menu, and the buttermilk pancakes on page 2 are just calling my name. le sigh. back home, if i were hungry at this hour i’d be having delicious chicken-flavoured instant noodles, or rice with side dishes leftover from dinner. back home, my brothers would be awake and we’d have each other’s silent company.

but here and now, i have my boyfriend. every now and then i crawl back into bed and kiss him, then i come back to the computer. i love the fact that i have him here with me now, and that if i miss him, i can just reach over and touch him. it’s not like that when we’re apart - me here and him there. the nights are the hardest because that’s when i’m awake and he’s sleeping.. and so i look forward to 7am when he calls me on his way to work. then later at night, we have our long phone calls at 9pm.

but now that he’s here, it’s like i have infinite 7ams and 9pms. it’s like i have infinite Skype credit and a webcam with a view range that extends to every possible inch of his existence. i feel like i’m so spoilt by the very fact that he’s here.. and as i sit here writing this, i’m wondering to myself why the hell am i sitting here blogging when i can be in bed being held and kissed by him?

i love him so much that sometimes i just .. dont know what to do.

i’m not known to be very optimistic. right now, in my head, i’m just very convinced about certain negativities… but the truth, the good truth, reveals itself to me in the most unexpected and loveliest of ways. and it is this that i am most grateful for. it is what gives me hope. it is what reassures me that the sacrifices we make are not futile. i hold the keywords close to my heart.

teehee :)

a very tired me, picture taken 2 minutes ago

i’m still wondering if i should call room service…

Comments February 11th, 2008

Festivities and Pineapple Tarts

the truth is, i’ve never been happier.

it’s been such a good week of plenty o’ rest, lots of laughs and good food. yesterday the family and i had the customary Chinese New Year Eve reunion dinner at grandpa’s place. it was such a funny night - grandpa didn’t want to come out for dinner because he’d recently contracted a skin ailment where boils are forming all over his hands, and he was shy about it. so emo! but then my mother bribed him out of his room with angpau… haha. then we all sat down to a really good dinner of siew yoke, foochow fishballs, tung fun, roast duck, soup and lots and lots of mushrooms!

also, my beloved is back in KL :) for 2 whole weeks. could i ask for more?

later in the afternoon, i’m going over to my uncle’s for CNY lunch. we do this every year - them adults mahjong and chor dai dee the day away while us kids just make a lot of noise and collect angpau. actually no lah, us kids gamble the day away too. except for me because everyone likes to con me :( and speaking of angpau, my parents haven’t given us ours yet!!! i swear i will be so angry if my mother gives Martian an angpau bigger than mine again -____-

i cant wait to see my cousins and my grandma later today. and eat lots of mandarin oranges. for some reason the ones in my uncle’s place are always nicer than the ones in mine.

and i cant wait to see Martian. we are temporarily separated because the place he’s staying in right now is giving me the sneezes. but tonight!!! we shall be reunited!!!

so like i said, the truth is i’ve never been happier. CNY is just so. amazing. there is an expanding gloom in my stomach to think that this may be my last CNY back home for several years. may.

happy Chinese New Year everyone!

Comments February 7th, 2008

This Post Is Not A Joke

you know what makes me angry?

i hate it when people do stupid, rude, spiteful things… and then when they get in trouble for it, turn around and say it was all a JOKE.

isnt that just the number one escape plan of the century? so just because you apparently saw it fit to create COMEDY in a situation that didn’t warrant it, you dont have to be held responsible for the damage you caused? because everything you did was just a JOKE, you dont have to own up to your immature and bad judgment of even making such a ridiculous joke in the first place?

and that’s even IF the ‘joke’ was really supposed to be a joke, instead of a damage control escape route for when you find yourself chin-deep in shit.

i have absolutely no respect for people who cant take responsibility for their own wrongdoings, but instead choose to shift blame or to make stupid excuses like, ‘i was only joking’ or ‘cant you recognize a joke when you see one?’. if you screw up, admit it and take it like a person with integrity. deal with the backlash appropriately and make amends - that’s only the right and responsible thing to do. how DARE you make yourself the martyr in this situation when you were the one who decided to take that offensive step, accusing other people of misunderstanding you or not having ‘a sense of humour’!

i’m ranting about this today because over the weekend, i watched a video of a conversation between two Malaysian Muslim bloggers, who in the video, said that non-Muslim Malaysians should tattoo ‘I Am A Kafir’ across their foreheads and chests so as to not be confused with Muslims.

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT.

i am in SHOCK AND DISGUST. at the utter bigotry. audacity. and dirty mockery displayed by these two bloggers who claim to be righteous defenders of Islam. the 16-minute video starts by a claim that ‘Christians in Malaysia are getting out of hand’ and that ‘Muslims like them have to speak up on this and not keep their religion to themselves’. they later say that Christians constantly meddle with Muslim affairs and that Christians should not try to shove their religion down the throats of Muslims. and then they go on to say - in reference to the Gan Eng Gor case - that non-Muslims should tattoo ‘I Am A Kafir’ across their foreheads and chests so that they wont be mistaken as Muslims in event of their death.

isn’t the hypocrisy so glaring.

after a huge backlash from the online community, both these bloggers have come out to snidely say that they were ‘only joking’. in the words of one of them, ‘Learn to differentiate between a statement and a joke’. he even quoted Voltaire. LOL LOL LOL.

see this is what i never understand about religious fascists. i dont understand how people who claim to love God and aspire to be godlike, can go around pointing fingers in people’s faces, screaming “you’re going straight to hell! there are demons in you!”. i dont understand how people who are enlightened by spirituality can have so much anger and hate and intolerance towards those who do not share their beliefs. and i definitely do NOT understand how people who subscribe to a religion that teaches fairness, understanding and patience, can come out and say Nazi-like things like ‘non believers should tattoo themselves’. i dont understand how people who shove their religion down other people’s throats can be so thick-skinned to tell followers of other religions to not do the same to them. all not very godlike to me.

again in relation to the Gan case, the blogger later goes on to say how they don’t want non-Muslims in Muslim cemeteries anyway. how disgustingly intolerant does that sound to you? he talks as if non-Muslims are dirtier and of lower breed compared to Muslims.

the same guy also says, ‘Well, by now every Islamophobe in Malaysia must be losing sleep and getting very pissed off … There are others amongst the Non Muslims who just mind their own business and choose to live in peace amongst Malaysia’s multi-ethnic, multi-faithed population.’

dont you love how this guy first said that Muslims must speak up about how non-Muslims are ‘getting out of hand’, but when non-Muslims (or in his words, ISLAMOPHOBES wtf) speak up against Muslims getting out of hand, it’s not right? apparently when such hate-inciting and fascist videos are made about non-Muslims, we’re supposed to just suck it up and mind our own business and live in peace among Malaysia’s multi-ethnic and multi-faithed society. why? because we’re non-Muslims.

people like these two bloggers know that they can do all this shit and get away with it, because the country protects people like them. we have all these badan-badan and all these organisasi that are formed just for this purpose, and also to keep a close watch on the rest of us non-Muslims who so much as bring up any isu-isu sensitif about religion. one of these bloggers even wrote on his blog that the Islamic authorities should take action on their behalf. i am so LIVID. i am ANGRY that Namewee who made the Negarakuku video had to go through so much crap and contempt from our country’s administrators and even faced threats of exile, but these two bloggers who created a video that is so much more vulgar and repulsive, can get away smug and scot free. yes i am LIVID. i am SO ANGRY. how is this fair???

WHY IS MY COUNTRY LIKE THIS. WHY.

Comments February 4th, 2008