Thriller Live in Malaysia 2015

Hey you guys! How's everyone doing? :)

Today, I headed to the Putra Indoor Stadium at Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur to catch West End’s Thriller Live which was a musical celebration of MJ’s illustrious career, chronicling the Jackson 5’s early pop years right up to the 1970s, followed by the solo Michael Jackson years. It is still on until until March 25 so you guys can still catch it!; information: visit www.ticketcharge.com.my or call 03-9222 8811.

The show is here in Malaysia for the first time ever with over 21 international cast members, 11-piece live band(I am so so in love with the live band.) and the actual stage set and props all the way from London. And I totally enjoyed it even though I wasn't a hardcore fan of the late King of Pop.

The show is very much like a tribute concert, and not a musical play with plots and characters. Instead of having one person pretending to be MJ, the late legend's personality and personas are divided into a few incredible lead vocalists who perform the King of Pop's hit songs along with energetic dancers, colourful visuals and special effects, it's a full MJ musical journey experience indeed. However, just like most theater production, there are two acts with an interval in between. Act 1 kicks off with a bit of MJ's history before taking the audience back in time with songs from The Jackson 5 including I Want You Back, ABC and I'll Be There, performed with retro-style visuals and costumes. I especially loved the few moments with solo electric guitar performances. That was just, wow.

The talented and charming performers were very interactive; at one part they split the crowd into two and seem which could shout the loudest, and they got the strong crowd to not only sing along, but during several songs, majority of the audience got onto their feet, clapped and moved to the beat as well. The dance choreography is amazing and dancers are highly energetic throughout the entire show. The song arrangements, if I'm not mistaken, are mostly faithful to the original except for the obvious ones like the opening Jackson 5 medley; the vocals, needless to say, was pitch perfect.

In the second half of Act 1, the show begins performing songs from MJ's solo career as well like Dangerous and Rock With You. On this night, I thought the act was stolen by Australian rocker MiG Ayesa when he performed the heart wrenching ballad She's Out of My Life. Besides singing and dancing, Ayesa also plays the role of a host/emcee who does the opening speech and introduces his colleagues. The act closed with a strong performance of The Jackson 5's Can You Feel It, and it was like as though they're asking if we were warmed up and ready for an even more entertaining act after the coming interval. Yes, I felt it!

Act 2 features the stronger and more popular hits including Beat It, Smooth Criminal, Man in the Mirror, They Don't Really Care About Us, Earth Song, Billie Jean, Bad, Black & White, and of course, Thriller. The practically perfect performance made Act 1 seemed as though it was just a sound check. Former The Voice UK contestant Alex Buchanan stands out vocally as his growling sounds strikingly similar to MJ's when he sings the "rockier" parts and songs like Beat It and They Don't Really Care About Us. The iconic dance moves like the moonwalk and the anti-gravity lean are assigned to be to led by one of the other lead vocalists, Sean Christopher,(who after watching this show, I am now a huge fan) who dresses like MJ in entire show, and his performance killed it as well. The rest of cast also did a very good with MJ's other styles, personas and personalities, particularly with MJ's trademark falsetto

Thriller Live is one gig that fans of Michael Jackson should never miss when it's in town. It was truly a complete and sincere celebration of MJ's magical music and career, and I was blown away by how great it was. Even the King of Pop himself, although we know he was a perfectionist, may have approved if he was still around today. 

Watch this mini trailer of the show!

PS: Photos are not mine. 

Till next post!

With love, k
xx

Hot & Humid

Hey guys,

So even though I have an assignment due on Monday and a test on Tuesday, it is literally TOO HOT to think of anything. As if my brain is already fried. It's the kind of hot where you have the need to take five showers in an hour. smh.
So I'll just be isolating myself in my room, with the air conditioner on high, & read a book. 

Just the sound of it is pure bliss.

Stay cool everyone!

with love,

k

Girl, you're hotter than Malaysia's weather

Every relationship begins with that first step. Some people never get past that first step. (A silent moment for our brothers in the friendzone..) No matter what they tell you, first impressions matter, (I mean you don't fall in love with people's personality at first glance do you?) and our opening few lines can either energize the interaction,or cause the other person to look around for the nearest exit.

So there are 3 types of people or 3 main categories of openers; 

Direct gambitsThese are the type of people who are straightforward, know their goals and what they are trying to get. They are honest and get right to the point.E.g: "I'm sort of shy, but I'd like to get to know you"
"Hi, my name is ***. I saw you over here and knew if I didn’t introduce myself I’d be kicking myself later."
"Hi, you have a great energy about yourself so I thought I’d come up and say hi. My name is ***."

Innocuous gambits

These are type of people who try to make their intentions subtle and low-key. In other words, hiding a person's true intentions.
E.g.:  "What do you think of this band?"
"What’s good here?" -If guys are standing in line at a cafe or Starbucks and there is a cute chick in line, they tend to use lines like this. And sometimes it actually works. ;) -

Cute/flippant gambitsMostly pick-up lines which involve humor, but often in a cheesy, canned way.
E.g.: "I thought happiness started with an H. Why does mine start with U?"
"Did you fart? Because you blew me away."
"I'm not staring at your boobs. I'm staring at your heart."
"You shouldn't wear makeup. It's messing with perfection."
And it goes on and on and on..

 

Majority of both sexes would agree that cute/flippant pick-up lines were the least attractive. Most girls prefer innocuous lines and had a greater aversion to cute/flippant lines than men. Guys, however, have a greater preference for direct opening gambits than women. (Myself included. Haha) Receptivity to pick-up lines involves cognitive processing, which requires thought. A certain amount of mental energy is required to follow the conversation and cut through the bullcrap to figure out a person's true intentions, which is a girl's favorite thing to do; thinking and over-thinking. But your mental state at any given moment is influenced by a number of factors, including how much stress you've experienced that day, or even just before the current conversation. If you've already been hit by a barrage of cute/flippant lines, your brain may feel a bit fatigued.

 

For me, most are in fact cheesy pickup lines or perhaps at best funny. In fact, I don’t even like the term “pickup lines” because whatever you say first to a woman doesn’t matter nearly as much as the fact that you said something. Guys should just be confident and be themselves. Why try to be someone you're not?

Cheers! x

-KH