Shamelessly Seeking RM 50 000

The atmosphere at Shah Alam Square was vibrating with the Merdeka spirit.

So here’s the story. Yesterday one of the female recruits, a student of Monash University was featured in one of the major newspapers. Today, another female recruit did a cross over with Sham in the studio informing him that she will get featured in the in house newsletter of Ikano Power Station. Every one has been stepping up their game and I seriously need to review my strategy or will forever be left behind.

After meeting up with the roadrunners, I went to 1U to update my blog. One thing that is good about me is that I can multi task. I can be typing something out and yet my mind, on the other hand, can be planning for a strategy for another project. So while writing, I was thinking of how I could improve my ranking in this competition.

On the day we were sworn in, Mesh advised me to be at the Merdeka Square, stand in front of the camera man shooting that night and pray to be featured on TV. I don’t mind the part about being thick skin and stand in front of the camera man, but, to actually go to Merdeka Square will be suicidal. One, the place will be so jam packed with spectators thus hardly have space for me to set up my cut out. Two, I believe that there will be so many recruits trying to get a cameraman’s attention, my chances of being featured is much lesser. So, after thinking about it for a very long time (my thinking cap was kind of worn out and torn at some places…kidding), I came to a solution that in order to get that kind of attention, I would have to go to a place where there will be loads of people congregating for the countdown but accessible enough for me to penetrate the crowd in order to have the advantage of tracking down the cameramen on duty.

I called up a few friends and they told me to give Shah Alam Square a try as there will be performances as well as live cross-overs later that night. With renewed determination, I packed my stuffs and headed down to Shah Alam. Traffic on the road was building up and the journey from 1Utama to Shah Alam took about 1.5 hours. Finding a parking space was horrendous. I finally found one in front of the SACC Mall and made my way towards the Merdeka festivities held behind of the Blue Wave Hotel.

We were united by a simple red band, the "Unity Band" that symbolises the color of the blood that runs through our veins irregardless of race nor religion.

Merdeka!

It was a long walk by normal standard and at most places, the ground was kind of soft, wet due to the rain that poured earlier. I carefully made my way towards the front of the main stage where I know the dignitaries were seated. I purposely got a spot beside the red carpet where they will walk down from the stage towards their waiting limos at the end of the show. You see, I have a plan. My plan is to stop the Chief Minister of Selangor later that night and asked him to take a photo together with me. On top of that, I know that the cameramen on duty will definitely station themselves around the area so the chances of me being featured will be much higher.

Kami Anak Malaysia!

While waiting for the clock to strike 12 midnight, I chatted with the people around me. Most were not aware of such competition being held and I had a fun time explaining about it. I had earlier gotten a pack of unity bands from Lil John and distributed them among the crowd around me. I encouraged a group of students to shout Merdeka as another took a picture of us with our hands on the air. It came out beautiful. I was feeling very good about everything and my spirit to celebrate our nation’s independence was at its peak.

We are proud to be Malaysians!

Suddenly, someone announced that it was 11.59, a minute away from the countdown. On a count of 3 the crowd chanted the countdown, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 – MERDEKA! MERDEKA! MERDEKA! We then sang the National Anthem, Negaraku with so much energy, our voices strong and melodiously could be heard across the night.

We come together to celebrate our nation's independence.

I could feel the spirit of being proud to be Malaysian present in each individual. We are “Anak Malaysia”. United by the love of the country that has reached its 50^th independence.

The cameraman, Mr. Jeffri was the one who made it possible for me to appear on national TV.

As I was having fun singing along with the crowd, a cameraman walked past and took a shot of me. I thought he look familiar and kept my sight on him so that I could get the details of what he was filming. The moment I saw him about to leave the site, I rushed up and asked him for the details. I told him that he actually looked familiar but I just could not identify the place or occasion where I met him. The cameraman, Mr. Jeffri, told me that he was filming a live telecast for RTM 1 and I caught his attention because of the cut out that I’m carrying around. He said that we met at one of the dive centres before and he recognized me from the dive expo held earlier at PWTC. I told him about the competition and thank him for the national coverage that he gave me even though it was only for a few seconds. I also told him that I would appreciate it if he could contact me again if he could get me featured on TV at any time prior to Sept 16^th. I gave him my contacts and told him that I will post the pictures taken on my blog, annlivingwithikaserenacandpietro.blogspot.com as soon as I could. We parted as friends and from that moment on, you could see the happiness very much apparent on my face. Thank you Jeffri, you are THE MAN!

Datin Seri Zaharah bt Kechik & me on the red carpet

I waited for the dignitaries to leave the place and for my patience I was richly rewarded. I saw the Chief Minister of Selangor, Datuk Seri Dr. Mohamad Khir Toyo & his wife, Datin Seri Zaharah Bt Kechik getting up from the main stage so I quickly positioned myself at a possible spot where I could get a photo taken with them. A mis-judgement of distance saw me losing the chance to be photographed with Datuk Seri Dr. Mohamad Khir Toyo. Fortunately, his wife, agreed to be photographed and that was good enough for me. Datin Seri looked radiant even after hours sitting on stage and compared to her, I looked like I just came out from a baking factory (yes, I was sweating heavily!). Nevertheless, I was happy to introduced her to my 3 best buddies and told her briefly of my quest for that RM 50 000 bounty.

I left Shah Alam Square with fond memories that morning. I was very happy that I was a part of such patriotic display by young and old standing still singing the National Anthem to celebrate our nation’s independence. I fulfill the requirement of having to appear on national TV and I also got a photo taken with a famous person. What else could a girl ask for….. HAPPY MERDEKA EVERYBODY!

Pre Merdeka Celebration with Lil John & Vic

The happy crowd at TTDI

Lil John & Vic, the famous two who are always able to bring the house down. Yes, if you do not know what I'm talking about, make sure to catch these lads one of these days. I caught up with them at their TTDI stop and they were surrounded by a group of happy supporters. Laughter could be heard non stop and sometimes I do wonder whether Lil John had actually laced the drinks that they offered to the public with any drugs that induced happiness.... hmmmmm

You know how to play or not??

In order to play the game, we have to make a circle of unity!

Bang!

The famous game "007BANG" was played and the winner walked away with the GSC complimentary movie passes.

How come females also cut classes one? U sure ah??

Lil John also took the supporters down memory lane where he asked everyone to share one of their fond memories being in school. Lots of tales of skipping classes and a girl told everyone that she sent a cockroach present to the teacher that she hated most. Fantastic! My own personal experience of school that I truly love was the fact that it was the place for me to meet up with friends. I guess, I attended school for the wrong reasons but you can't fault me with that. I'm the only child and I have no friends at home. The only time when I was truly happy was at school where I could mingle and play with my classmates..

Lots of goodies were given out and before we left the area, Lil John reminded us that he'll be at the Curve for the countdown with Serena C later that night. More goodies were to be given away so those who are out there with no plans in mind, head down to the Curve for a taste of MERDEKA MANIA!

More photos here:

Cheerful laughter brought us closer together.

Brother now it's between you and me

Kin Kin Liow, what are you waiting for?

How About Lunch at Tesco Shah Alam?

Lunch hour at Tesco Shah Alam proved to be a great place to get spotted. Very crowded between 12-2pm. I was spotted by a group of students, a guy getting a haircut and a lady buying fruits. Not too bad for an indoor outing. I was very hungry when I got there but maybe due to the excitement of meeting up new people, I just could not think of what to eat. There is a great selection of food at the food court itself but I decided to get some bread to last me the day sin I will mostly be on the move. So for the rest of the recruits, if you want to get spotted, do visit Tesco during lunch hours. Happy publicizing!

I was having so much fun explaining the mechanics of the competition I did not realised that this shot was taken.

The students were a great bunch. Happy to be spotted by them!

I planned for my cut out to be covered with as many signatures as I could get. This guy is doing a good job helping me out!

Mr. Justin Tan spotted me from the barber shop. What a cool dude!

The Hungry Ghost

Wet Wet Wet

Here's a newspaper for you

After two days standing around public places doing nothing much apart from chatting up perfect strangers, I’m finally developing the art of breaking the ice with ease. Nowadays, instead of waiting for someone to approach me, I approach them first. So something good is happening to me. I’m breaking away from my traditional disposition.

So today I thought that it will be good if I could catch up with the roadrunners, get the latest update on the music front, check out the activities of my fellow participants and most importantly, have fun with the general public.

I caught up with Jared and Ehsan (10 days baby) at Shah Alam, Section 9, along Jalan Tengku Ampuan Zabedah G. Ehsan, the baby is undergoing training and it’s pretty obvious that he’s getting it down to a pat. He asked questions after questions without losing focus and managed to handle the situation with ease. Great job, Ehsan.

1, 2 som (this is a traditional game played by kids in Malaysia)

I would like to thank both Jared & Ehsan for allowing me to stick around today. It’s really nice to know that the new batch of road runners are a bunch of funny and friendly lot just like their seniors. Keep up with the good work and stay safe while having fun. To those who joined us, thank you for spending time with us and till we meet again, continue to have fun with Mix FM.

Big smiles everyone.

It was starting to rain and the Q&A session had to be stopped. Before we went on our separate ways, I managed to get a couple of shots with the other fans of Mix FM and as usual, they took down my name and NRIC number so that they could upload the photos taken online.

That Little Bundle of Joy! 28.08.07

Little baby Ryan Sern, 3.75kgs, 52cm

Early this morning I received a text message from my brother, Raymond informing me of the birth of his 1^st son, Ryan, on 27.08.07 at 11.59pm. Yes, that little nephew of mine just could not wait another second for his birth date to be 28.08.07.

Proud dad, Raymond, baby Ryan and mom, Carol.

Impatient to see the world outside the mother’s womb was what my husband; Nicholas told me when I told him of Ryan’s unique birth time.

Happy to be married


Peekaboo, I see you..

Wedding car with Barbie & Ken

Ryan’s parents, Raymond & Carol got married in October last year and their wedding was pretty unforgettable. Throughout the evening we were serenaded by family members and friends who did unplugged performances of the couple’s favorite songs. The atmosphere was something out of a concert with a great dinner served.

Justin Tan, serenading us with You Raise Me Up

Two happy couples did a beautiful Chinese duet for all that night

Both Carol & Ray are my two of my dearest “extended family” and I’m very proud to be called “big sister” by them.

Family and close friends at the end of the night

Carol, Ray, Marina & me. This was taken after we stripped Ray naked!

Now with the “arrival” of Ryan, I’m officially the aunty and I know that I’ll be a great one too. I love babies but just don’t have the patience to look after one 24/7. So most of the times I’ll volunteer to be the baby sitter to my friends and family for a short period of time (not more than 4 hours). By doing this, my family and friends can get to go out for either a romantic dinner or catch a movie together while still knowing that their baby is in good hands.

From the pictures above, you can see that both Ray & Carol are both very handsome and beautiful. I’m sure that baby Ryan will grow up so good looking; he’ll end up breaking a lot of young women’s heart especially if he takes after his parents’ cheerful character.

Proud grandparents marveling at the sight of baby Ryan

The Marina Ah Ko' (aunty in Chinese), was initially quite afraid to carry Ryan

Marina got the hang of it (carrying Ryan) after a while but is now complaining that her hands are aching very badly.

Ryan’s grandparents were so happy yesterday to hold their grandson for the 1^st time. I caught them looking at Ryan in awe and the same happened when his aunty Marina held him. Happiness was very much evident and it showed on their facial expressions.

Carol mentioned that the whole time she was in labor, she was mostly in pain. Even now, hours after the ordeal, she felt as though she can faint at any time. Nevertheless, it was truly an experience that only a woman can experience. She will gladly go through it again for the second child but not so soon. Perhaps in a few year's time.

Both aunties are all smiles, welcoming Ryan to the family

Even though in pain, Carol managed a put up a smile when requested to take a photo with the "cut out".

I grabbed the chance to take a few shots with them together with my cardboard cut out as it was a very memorable day and has to be recorded in my diary as one of my of the few special moments in my life. Even the nurses were pretty excited about my quest and willingly posed beside Carol & me in one of the shots.

Oh ya, by the way, did I mentioned that I was earlier stopped by the guard prior to entering the building carrying my “cut out”? He thought that I was trying to enter the hospital to do some sort of unauthorized credit card promotion and only let me thru once I had explained that it was not the case. He was still looking a bit skeptical when I walked past him to enter the building but was all smiles when I exited. Phew!!

Yes, we did it!

To both Ray & Carol, congratulations. I’m proud to be called aunty and a big sister to the both of you too. Well done guys!

Pasar Malam Here I Come

I just love pasar malams. The vibrant colors of umbrellas, the frantic activities of vendors, the fragrant smells of assam laksa and keropok lekor, the tasty air mata kucing, the cheap fruits, the bargaining of prices and the list goes on. I’m a pure Malaysian at heart who has been brought up going to pasar malams by my granny as well as mom who were always on the look out for a great bargain on almost everything. So when I stationed myself at the SS2 pasar malam yerterday, I immediately felt at home with the surrounding.Ann with the keropok lekor brothers

My 1^st stop was beside my favorite stall, the keropok lekor. The 2 guys selling yesterday were such great sports they even posed with me and my cardboard cut out. After a few minutes of chatting, a pretty gal approached me, asking for permission to snap my photo. Gladly I posed for her although I have to apologise on my sweaty appearance (it was a hot day and my sweat was seriously poring out!).

Ann & Slippers Vendor

I moved to another side of the pasar malam (the one facing favorite hangout KTZ) and stationed myself beside a groovy stall selling slippers and sandals. The lady vendor, after a few moments of chatting up also agreed to pose with me. I AM truly blessed to be surrounded by great people who are so helpful. She wished me luck and as I was walking away towards the main road, I met with a group of people queing up for their dose of assam laksa.

Ann & two female spotters

I stopped beside them and enthralled them with my quest of becoming RM50 000 richer but in order to do that, I truly need their support. Intrigued with my story, two pretty gals immediately snapped my photo and told me that they will do their best to submit it online. Thank you so much ladies.

A few minutes after that the sky started to turn dark and chatters of possibility of rain could be heard among the vendors. Not wanting to spoil my beautiful cardboard cut out, I made my way back to the car and headed to the nearest shopping centre, 1Utama to seek shelter from the rain.

Hanakaya Staffs, 1Utama Old Wing

The staffs of Hanakaya at 1Utama has always been great to me. So when they saw me carrying my cardboard cut out, they immediately came over to ask about it. I told them about the competition and then asked them to pose with me. Without hesitation, they grouped around me and the above was that great shot that came out of it.

From Hanakaya I made my way to Sealantis where I was suppose to collect a few stuffs that I had ordered earlier. There I met with fellow divers, Stanley, Yen and Andy. They had just recently came back from diving in Tioman and still have that island tan. Between raving about what they did, seen, ate and drunk, I managed to get a photo shot with them.

Open Water Divers & Ann, Sealantis

Yen then told me that she will try her best to submit my photo onto the website and before they left, Stanley told me that I should do a major demo at Bukit Bintang area where I will definitely gather a lot of publicity. Thank you Stanley for that brilliant advise.

My quest for publicity ended yesterday at Sealantis. With lots of motivation and condusive advise from all my friends, I will continue with the quest of seeking publicity tomorrow. Be on the look out for my next entry. Till then, take care and publicise yourself!