Recovering from Idol-atry

Goodness! What am I going to do on weeknights now that American Idol is over? The funny thing is, this was the first ever season of AI that I'd watched from start to end, as I thoroughly enjoyed the auditions, most of the final 12 and definitely both Davids.

I'm glad David Cook won as I felt he had the more mature presence and better overall package of musicianship, personality and intelligence (gotta love a guy who loves words!). His rock style was refreshingly innovative and contemporary, even if Archuleta had purer vocals. That said, no doubt both will go on to do very well.

Cook's unique arrangement of Lionel Richie's "Hello" got me hooked:


Here's a few moments I enjoyed in the finale (and that extended Love Guru promo was definitely NOT one of them).

The hillarious spoof of Gladys Knight and Her (New) Pips:


One Republic and Archuleta "Apologize":


Carly Smithson and Michael Johns, who both left way too early, duet on "The Letter" (Wayne Carson Thompson):


Cook reflects on "The World I Know" (Collective Soul):


Archuleta reminds us to "Imagine" (Beatles):


The final results and David Cook's first single as American Idol 2007 - "Time Of my Life" (Regie Hamm):

We are a city on a hill

This excerpt from John Winthrop's 1630 sermon "A Model of Christian Charity" was recently used during the inauguration of Harvard's 28th president, Drew Gilpin Faust. Based off a passage in the bible (Matthew 5:13-16), Winthrop suggests that God holds us accountable for our deeds, esp. when placed in positions of leadership.

For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken ... we shall be made a story and a by-word throughout the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God.... We shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whither we are a-going.

I find this view still valid today, no matter our "status" - government leader, corporate CEO, relief worker, labourer, doctor, teacher, military man, homemaker, parent, student.... Each of us is called to be a faithful steward of what we have (or have been given), and this includes being an informed and compassionate global citizen. Consider "to whom much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." (Luke 12:48).

Five reasons to watch P. Ramlee the Musical

5. Back by popular demand, it's only in Singapore till May 19 (tickets here) before moving to Kuala Lumpur from May 28 till June 15. The show sold out in both cities in its first season.

4. Experience a musical almost entirely in Malay, peppered with classic favourites like Getaran Jiwa and Jangan Tinggal Daku. No fear, for those language challenged, there are subtitles!

3. Support a local production to celebrate a local legend. I thought the female leads (especially Liza Hanim as Saloma, Atilia as Junaidah and Melissa Saila as Norizan) outshone Musly Ramlee who was debuting in place of Sean Ghazi from the original cast.

2. Go down memory lane from Penang to Singapore to KL in the 1940-70s, a time of independence, transformation and eventual separation for Singapore and Malaysia. Witness how this impacted the "people" through the eyes of P. Ramlee and his circle of loved ones, the Shaw brothers and Malay Film Production troupe.

1. Learn about a man who loved deeply and lived fully, as well as the context behind his art: He had three wives, was divorced twice, acted in 60 films (directing 37 of those), composed and performed over 250 original songs, and won multiple Asian Film Festival awards (best musical score, male actor, comedy film, most versatile talent) -- before his premature death at 45.

P. Ramlee's last song, Air Mata Di Kuala Lumpur (Tears in KL) is a poignant reflection of his life, sung here by his last wife, Saloma:

Celebrate Pangea Day

Pangea Day is a global event bringing the world together through film.

Why? In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and conflict, it's easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that – to help people see themselves in others – through the power of film.

Starting at 18:00 GMT on May 10, 2008, locations in Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro will be linked for a live program of powerful films, live music, and visionary speakers. The entire program will be broadcast – in seven languages – to millions of people worldwide through the internet, television, and mobile phones.

The 24 short films to be featured have been selected from an international competition that generated more than 2,500 submissions from over one hundred countries. The films were chosen based on their ability to inspire, transform, and allow us see the world through another person's eyes.

The program will also include a number of exceptional speakers and musical performers. Queen Noor of Jordan, CNN's Christiane Amanpour, musician/activist Bob Geldof, and Iranian rock phenom Hypernova are among those taking part.

In 2006, filmmaker Jehane Noujaim won the TED Prize, an annual award granted at the Technology, Entertainment, Design Conference. She was granted $100,000, and more important, a wish to change the world. Her wish was to create a day in which the world came together through film. Pangea Day grew out of that wish.

Learn more about Pangea Day here.

A little conscience goes a long way

It's great to be proud of the company we keep:

Nokia today has donated 350,000 euros (~USD $510K)to the Finnish Red Cross to help victims of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar. There is an urgent need in the South East Asian country for housing, and the donation will allow for the provision of thousands of temporary shelters as well as a significant amount of tools and materials to help in the rebuilding of homes. The Red Cross says that in rural parts of the country up to 95 percent of all homes were destroyed.

“The devastation wrought by Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar has been truly shocking. We wanted to move as quickly as possible to help provide relief for those affected, so the Red Cross was a natural choice,” said Martin Sandelin, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility and Community Involvement, Nokia.

Nokia press release, May 8, 2008

You and I can make a difference. With our support, local NGOs expect to contribute almost 4x the USD $200K committed by the Singapore government. A list of Singapore donation centers is available here.