Voila! They just announced the new 7 wonders from whoever version it is, which is obviously not being recognized by UNESCO. 100 million voters were believed to have selected the so-called new 7 wonders in the world. Yet, another disappointment for me.
Borobudur Temple is not and has never been one of them. It is not even amongst the 21 finalists! Since we were kids, we were made to believe that Borobudur was indeed one of the 7 wonders. It's a deceiving fact. Now we figured out that our school books were wrong (perhaps like they have deceived us for many of the histories of the country). Never mind....
Regardless, I am still disappointed with the fact that Borobudur is not on the top 21. I then questioned the selection criteria. What is it? History? Architecture complexity? Popular demand? In the fairness, Borobudur can easily beat some of the finalists. History... it's got it. Architecture beauty and complexity... it's got it. Popular demand... perhaps not. Why not? Hhmmm... maybe the Indonesian government did not pay much enough to the voting organization? Sounds political and sarcastic, but this is why once again everyone should question the selection criteria.
To put it this way, being in the top 7 would easily bring in the tourists to the country. How many of you have had a dream of visiting the 7 wonders before you die? I do. Now, if it's not part of the tourism marketing campaign, then what? Perhaps Indonesia needs a stronger Tourism Minister to negotiate. So much for being a nationalist today.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
Roland Garros for Nadal
The third tennis Grand Slam will commence this Sunday in the famous clay courts of Roland Garros, Paris. Am I excited? Tell me about it! I have already got tickets for QF on June 5 (thanks to the SLB Committee Enterprise). Can't wait for the day. This is going to be my first visit to Roland Garros. Been to Paris Masters in Bercy twice. Wimbledon twice. Missed the Australian Open last year. But no RG so far.
Although I do not quite enjoy playing on a clay court myself or seeing people playing on it - it's slow - yet again, it's a Grand Slam for which every tennis lover will die to be there given the opportunity.
I bet Nadal would win it, despite of his recent loss to Federer last week. I think he will come back much stronger this time. After all, it was his first loss after 81 consecutive wins on clay! A record-breaking achievement! Still, Federer is his main challenger. The guy is incredible. Despite of no coach at the moment, he proved that no one could ever underestimate him.
The dream final is Nadal vs Federer. However, French Open is well known for its surprising champion. Many unseeded or low seeded players have won it before, simply because of its magic clay! Perhaps, it's good to see some surprises this year too.
Although I do not quite enjoy playing on a clay court myself or seeing people playing on it - it's slow - yet again, it's a Grand Slam for which every tennis lover will die to be there given the opportunity.
I bet Nadal would win it, despite of his recent loss to Federer last week. I think he will come back much stronger this time. After all, it was his first loss after 81 consecutive wins on clay! A record-breaking achievement! Still, Federer is his main challenger. The guy is incredible. Despite of no coach at the moment, he proved that no one could ever underestimate him.
The dream final is Nadal vs Federer. However, French Open is well known for its surprising champion. Many unseeded or low seeded players have won it before, simply because of its magic clay! Perhaps, it's good to see some surprises this year too.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Justin... Who? What??? I Can't Hear You!!!
Last night was Justin Timberlake's night. It was the second night of his concert in Paris. 
Needless to say, the house was full and filled up with teenagers (I felt really old!). The good news is I still saw a good portion of more 'mature' people amongst the audience. It proves Justin has a pretty good range of audience.
Dita and I decided to go to his concert just for fun. We knew little of his music, particularly on his recent album, FutureSex/LoveSounds (which is, in my personal opinion, less attractive than his first album, Justified). All we knew is that he is a good entertaineur and, in my opinion, is very talented. I started to notice this after he released his big hit, Cry Me A River. The song blew me away! To say the least, I had not heard such a sophisticated yet melodious song for a long time. And he deserves the grammy for that.
He proves he can write good songs, produce, sing and of course dance. Arguably, he is the most successful young pop star these days.
The concert itself was a show-off of his multitalents. The stage split Bercy indoor stadium into two, so everyone can see the performers from 360-degree angle. The dance was fine (I was not too much interested in it though). But there was one big problem... I could not hear his voice throughout the concert!!! Are we supposed to see a music concert or a dance performance? Frankly, I was disappointed with the bad quality of the sound system, at least from where we were sitting. The drum overpowered the vocals and the other instruments. What the heck was wrong with the mixing engineer? Did he not realize that? Was he deaf? Or was it done in purpose in order to 'hide' Justin's vocal behind the music?
Well, Justin is not Lionel. I realize that. I am not here to compare them in terms of their vocalities. What I heard yesterday was an acrobat of drumbeats and songs full of backing vocals (there were four of them), instead of Justin's vocal. I could hear a little bit of his voice during some slow tunes. Even so, the drum was still annoying in there! Why would he need the percussions when he was playing a slow tune on a piano? I bet no one could even hear the piano! At the end, my ears hurt!
What I noticed from Justin's music is it's black! Or he is trying to be black. His collaborations have always been with black musicians. His musicians on stage are mostly black. All his four fine backing vocalists are black! Don't get me wrong! I like R&B and I like black musicians. But Justin, you are not black! You can't deny that your voice lacks of 'blackness' when you are trying to interpret an R&B song. I agree you have written some good R&B songs, but your interpretations are still pop. All in all, I am not saying his vocal is bad. No, he's got a good one, if not mediocre. His consistent falsetto is amazing.
With musicians, backing vocalists and nine dancers, the stage was awfully crowded. There were times when you thought it was a noisy marching band parade with some pom-pom girls rather than a music concert. But still, the stage technology was incredible. The transparent screens, lightings and hydraulic stages were enjoyable. That is the difference between the current pop stars and the oldies. At least, I give them one credit :-)
The night was long for us. Frankly, we did not quite enjoy it as much as we did for Lionel. We left earlier, probably, one or two songs before the end. One of the reasons was of course to avoid the rush.
For all Justin's fans, don't feel offended with my review. I still admire his talents. I can assure you I would still like to listen to Justin's future music or simply see his videos on MTV, but not his noisy and drumbeat concert like last night.
Needless to say, the house was full and filled up with teenagers (I felt really old!). The good news is I still saw a good portion of more 'mature' people amongst the audience. It proves Justin has a pretty good range of audience.Dita and I decided to go to his concert just for fun. We knew little of his music, particularly on his recent album, FutureSex/LoveSounds (which is, in my personal opinion, less attractive than his first album, Justified). All we knew is that he is a good entertaineur and, in my opinion, is very talented. I started to notice this after he released his big hit, Cry Me A River. The song blew me away! To say the least, I had not heard such a sophisticated yet melodious song for a long time. And he deserves the grammy for that.
He proves he can write good songs, produce, sing and of course dance. Arguably, he is the most successful young pop star these days.
The concert itself was a show-off of his multitalents. The stage split Bercy indoor stadium into two, so everyone can see the performers from 360-degree angle. The dance was fine (I was not too much interested in it though). But there was one big problem... I could not hear his voice throughout the concert!!! Are we supposed to see a music concert or a dance performance? Frankly, I was disappointed with the bad quality of the sound system, at least from where we were sitting. The drum overpowered the vocals and the other instruments. What the heck was wrong with the mixing engineer? Did he not realize that? Was he deaf? Or was it done in purpose in order to 'hide' Justin's vocal behind the music?
Well, Justin is not Lionel. I realize that. I am not here to compare them in terms of their vocalities. What I heard yesterday was an acrobat of drumbeats and songs full of backing vocals (there were four of them), instead of Justin's vocal. I could hear a little bit of his voice during some slow tunes. Even so, the drum was still annoying in there! Why would he need the percussions when he was playing a slow tune on a piano? I bet no one could even hear the piano! At the end, my ears hurt!
What I noticed from Justin's music is it's black! Or he is trying to be black. His collaborations have always been with black musicians. His musicians on stage are mostly black. All his four fine backing vocalists are black! Don't get me wrong! I like R&B and I like black musicians. But Justin, you are not black! You can't deny that your voice lacks of 'blackness' when you are trying to interpret an R&B song. I agree you have written some good R&B songs, but your interpretations are still pop. All in all, I am not saying his vocal is bad. No, he's got a good one, if not mediocre. His consistent falsetto is amazing.
With musicians, backing vocalists and nine dancers, the stage was awfully crowded. There were times when you thought it was a noisy marching band parade with some pom-pom girls rather than a music concert. But still, the stage technology was incredible. The transparent screens, lightings and hydraulic stages were enjoyable. That is the difference between the current pop stars and the oldies. At least, I give them one credit :-)
The night was long for us. Frankly, we did not quite enjoy it as much as we did for Lionel. We left earlier, probably, one or two songs before the end. One of the reasons was of course to avoid the rush.
For all Justin's fans, don't feel offended with my review. I still admire his talents. I can assure you I would still like to listen to Justin's future music or simply see his videos on MTV, but not his noisy and drumbeat concert like last night.
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