Nostalgic Weekend - The Surfers/October Cherries

During the late 60s and early 70s, The October Cherries were one of the most innovative local groups in Singapore and Malaysia. They have about 20 albums to their credit. They started their recording career as The Surfers, and branched out on their own as the October Cherries and Jade & Pepper in the later years.

On the recommendation of the band leader of the Surfers, the group signed with Baal Records. Their first record was distributed by EMI with "Hooray for Hazel" reaching No.1 in Singapore and Malaysia. Not happy with EMI and to avoid legal hassels, the group decided to change its name to October Cherries with recording, production and distribution moving to Baal Records in 1968.The virgin release on Baal of Cucucu Choo and Coffee Toffee Squares hit No. 1 in Brazil, Singapore and Malaysia consecutively. The Vietnam war was coming down and Bangkok was booming. Psychedelic clubs become a wave in the U.S. The Montein Hotel Group in Bangkok opens its state of the art mind-blowing disco, The An-an featuring the October Cherries. The Cherries packed in thousands to the disco.

A compilation of some of their previous hits were released on CD in 1995. It included titles like Something I Like About You, Coffee Toffee Squares, Don't Tell It To Jane, Far Away Now, Cu Cu Cu Choo, I'll Wait, All Alone Like The Deep & Lonely Sea, Felicia-Flowers For Your Grave, I Love Suzie, All Things Work Together For Good To Them That Love God, Butterfly, Please Love Me, Beautiful Sunday, Chingay, Can't Stand The Pace, I Wanna Be Loved By You, This Is A Love Song and Bad Trip. A "must-buy" for all their fans.

According to the October Cherries website, it seems that the song "Far Away Now" was later adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber to become the song "Don’t Cry for Me Argentina" in the musical "Evita"! Now how’s that for far reaching?

UMNO and Critical Thinking

View the video to see the anti-thesis .....

President Herman Van Rompuy and Najib Abdul Razak

A conversation between President Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council and Najib Abdul Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia.

President Herman: Najib, You kept on saying that Malaysia is a moderate Muslim country, but this is not the feedback I have been receiving.

Najib: What made you say so?

President Herman: From my well informed sources in Malaysia, I understand that there have been too many body-snatching cases involving the decease of non-Muslims?

Najib : Yes, but it is only natural that deceased Muslims must be buried according to Muslim rites. We don't stop Christians nor Hindus if they want to bury their dead. We fully respect their rites. Actually, I don't see any problem here. But, considering this, we are still a moderate Muslim country.

President Herman: But don't you guys show any empathy towards the grieving family? Wouldn't they be traumatised?

Najib: As a Muslim govt, our concern is only for the Muslim dead. Since the family is non-Muslim, they are disregarded in this case.

President Herman: What about the Lina Joy case? Can't a person convert to a religion of his/her choice?

Najib: No. She is a Muslim, period, from womb to tomb. But not to worry. We normally send a person like Lina Joy to a rehabilitation camp to get her to repent. Considering that, we are still a moderate Muslim country.

President Herman: Another thing, is the recent "Allah" issue. Why can't the Christians use the word since it is already an accepted practice in the Middle Eastern countries where Muslims and non-Muslims have been using the word since the dawn of Islam.

Najib: Er ... Sorry, this is Malaysia and we have our own practices here. The word is definitely out of bounds to non-Muslims, but considering this, we are still a moderate Muslim country.

President Herman: What about the natives in your Borneo states who have been using the word for centuries? Don't you think it is callous on the part of your govt just to yank it away all of a sudden? Wouldn't the natives be religiously traumatised?

Najib: Er ... not to worry. They will get over it. Our chief ministers of the two Borneo states will make sure they will be well looked after come every election.

President Herman: The Chief Minister of your Penang state recently, as part of the state welfare scheme for the elderlies, offered RM100 to each senior citizen, but this was spurned by your party as they said it was "sin" money since it was derived from a donation made by a turf club.

Najib: We have to reject this as it is against our religion to accept money from "sinful" sources, and the Chief Minister should have known better, that such an act is against our religious practice.

President Herman: Since the population of your country comprise of 40% non-Muslims, and even your former prime minister, Mahathir, said that the Chinese contributed 80% to the nation's tax, wouldn't you yourself be receiving money that is tainted as well.

Najib: This is different, because the money comes direct from tax payers.

President Herman: Okay, but where do you think the tax payer's money come from?

Najib: It doesn't matter as long as it is not directly from a "sinful" source.

Prsident Herman: Oh, I see. Since gambling is sinful which I do agree with you, then would you call for the resignation of Muslim directors in companies such as your casino company, Genting; brewery company like Guiness-Anchor or even betting outfits such as Berjaya Toto? Even a son of your former prime minister is a shareholder in San Miguel, Philippines.

Najib: No it is not necessary since these directors need to earn to maintain their lifestyles. If they were forced to resign, then the bumiputra stake in the nation's economy would drop to less than 5%. We can't have that, can we since our current goal is to reach 30%.

President Herman: Even if it means involving in "sinful" business?

Najib: Now you see why I am having a real headache managing a multi-racial, multi-religious country. But considering this, we are still a moderate Muslim country.

President Herman: Recently, your party and some Muslim NGOs associated with your party, kicked up a row about one opposition member, a non-Muslim lady, for stepping into a mosque, when all she did was to hand over a cheque as part of a charity drive to a mosque in conjunction with the Ramadhan celebration.

Najib: Yes, as a non-Muslim, she should not have done that. It is not permissible in Islam for a non-Muslim to step into a mosque.

President Herman: But one non-Muslim female member from your governing coalition did the same thing at one mosque not so long ago.

President Herman: That's right, but she wore loose clothing, whereas the lady from the opposition party wore a tight dress similar to that of the Singapore Airline air stewardess. We can't have that, can we? She is a Malaysian so how can she be promoting Singapore? This is so unpatriotic. But considering this, we are still a moderate Muslim country.

President Herman: I tell you what, Najib. Don't call us, we'll call you. Have a good day.

Monday Humour

HOW TO START A FIGHT

One year, I decided to buy my mother-in-law a cemetery plot as a
Christmas gift...
The next year, I didn't buy her a gift.
When she asked me why, I replied,
"Well, you still haven't used the gift I bought you last year!"
And that's how the fight started.....
________________________________

My wife and I were watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire while we were in
bed.
I turned to her and said, 'Do you want to have Sex?'
'No,' she answered. I then said,
'Is that your final answer?'
She didn't even look at me this time, simply saying, 'Yes..'
So I said, "Then I'd like to phone a friend."
And that's when the fight started...
________________________________

I took my wife to a restaurant.
The waiter, for some reason, took my order first.
"I'll have the rump steak, rare, please."
He said, "Aren't you worried about the mad cow?"
"Nah, she can order for herself."
And that's when the fight started.....
________________________________

My wife and I were sitting at a table at her high school reunion, and she
kept staring at a drunken man swigging his drink as he sat alone at a nearby
table.
I asked her, "Do you know him?"
"Yes", she sighed,
"He's my old boyfriend.... I understand he took to drinking right after we
split up those many years ago, and I hear he hasn't been sober since."
"My God!" I said, "Who would think a person could go on celebrating that
long?"
And then the fight started...
________________________________

When our lawn mower broke and wouldn't run, my wife kept hinting to me
that I should get it fixed. But, somehow I always had something else to
take care of first, the shed, the boat, making beer.. Always something more
important to me. Finally she thought of a clever way to make her point.
When I arrived home one day, I found her seated in the tall grass, busily
snipping away with a tiny pair of sewing scissors. I watched silently for
a short time and then went into the house.. I was gone only a minute, and
when I came out again I handed her a toothbrush. I said, "When you finish
cutting the grass, you might as well sweep the driveway."
The doctors say I will walk again, but I will always have a limp.
________________________________

My wife sat down next to me as I was flipping channels.
She asked, "What's on TV?"
I said, "Dust."
And then the fight started...
________________________________

Saturday morning I got up early, quietly dressed, made my lunch, and
slipped quietly into the garage. I hooked up the boat up to the van, and
proceeded to back out into a torrential downpour. The wind was blowing 50
mph , so I pulled back into the garage, turned on the radio, and discovered that the
weather would be bad all day. I went back into the house, quietly
undressed, and slipped back into bed.. I cuddled up to my wife's back, now
with a different anticipation, and whispered, "The weather out there is terrible."
My loving wife of 5 years replied, "And, can you believe my stupid husband
is out fishing in that?"
And that's how the fight started...
________________________________

My wife was hinting about what she wanted for our upcoming anniversary.
She said, "I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 150 in about 3
seconds."
I bought her a bathroom scale.
And then the fight started......
________________________________

After retiring, I went to the Social Security office to apply for Social
Security.
The woman behind the counter asked me for my driver's License to verify my
age.
I looked in my pockets and realized I had left my wallet at home.
I told the woman that I was very sorry, but I would have to go home and come
back later.
The woman said, 'Unbutton your shirt'.
So I opened my shirt revealing my curly silver hair.
She said, 'That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for me' and she
processed my Social Security application.
When I got home, I excitedly told my wife about my experience at the Social
Security office...
She said, 'You should have dropped your pants. You might have gotten
disability, too.'
And then the fight started.
________________________________

My wife was standing nude, looking in the bedroom mirror.
She was not happy with what she saw and said to me,
"I feel horrible; I look old, fat and ugly.
I really need you to pay me a compliment.'
I replied, "Your eyesight's damn near perfect."
And then the fight started........

Nostalgic Weekend - Rocky Teoh & The Falcons

ROCKY TEOH BENG HOCK (1949-1990) could be considered as Malaysia's first and best Elvis Presley Impersonator, was born in Taiping, Perak on the 2nd of April 1946. His love for singing was inspired by no less than the King of Rock 'n' Roll himself.

During his teens, Rocky won many school talentime contests and also later, went on to win many "Elvis Champion" titles throughout Malaysia. At age 18 he was already singing and doing "live" shows in and around Taiping and Ipoh. A year later, a local Recording Company sign him up. He recorded his first 45rpm 2 tracks Single when he was 19 years old. Both songs were his personal Elvis
favorites "Crying In The Chapel" b/w "There's Always Me". In 1965, he released his first EP (Extended Play) compilation. The song that took the Malaysian pop scene by storm was "JACQUELINE" a self-penned composition to the tune of "Yeh Lai Shiang" which was popularised then by the late Teresa Teng. He dedicated this piece to his childhood girlfriend who later, became his wife.

Today when you mention Rocky Teoh, older folks still remember him fondly and also remember those catchy hit songs of his "Jacqueline", "Selina", "Goodbye" and "Thinking Of You."

He made a total of 9EPs and 2 LPs (Long Playing) vinyl reord albums.
Rocky and his excellent band The Fabulous Falcom toured around Malaysia and Singapore from 1965 to 1967 performing in Cathay Organisation Theatres playing to packed audiences everywhere. They also toured Thailand in September 1966. "The Falcons" backing Rocky Teoh is not to be confused with the other KL group, also known as The Falcons, led by Brian Felix.

He died tragically in a car accident on 9 September 1990. This was coincidently the date on which Elvis Presley made his debute performance in the Ed Sullivan Show in 1956.

Previous Features:

The Saints, Kuala Lumpur

The Quests, Singapore

The "Little" Falcons, Kuala Lumpur

The Crescendos, Singapore

Rose Iwanaga, Sarawak

Naomi & The Boys Singapore

The passing of a film legend - Tony Curtis (1925-2010)

The late Tony Curtis acted in many films but the ones that stood out most in my mind and which have left a lasting impression in me are SPARTACUS (with Kirk Douglas), THE GREAT RACE (with Jack Lemmon) and THE DEFIANT ONES (with Sidney Poitier).

Actor Tony Curtis, star of "Some Like It Hot" and many other top Hollywood comedies, has died at the age of 85, US media reported Thursday, quoting his daughter Jamie Lee Curtis and his ex-wife, Christine Kaufmann.

Curtis died late Wednesday in Los Angeles after a serious illness, according to a German gossip magazine, Bunte, which quoted Kaufmann saying, "I am sadder than I realized I was going to be. It seems like an era is over."

Actress Kaufmann was Curtis' second wife, from 1963 to 1967, and they had two children. He married five times in all. His last wife, Jill Vandenberg, a horse-riding instructor, was at his deathbed.

News reports in summer said Curtis needed hospital treatment for asthma.

Curtis acted in more than 100 movies. He shot to world fame in "Some Like It Hot", a 1959 comedy with Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon and about two men on the run who disguise themselves as women.

Mostly Curtis played comic roles, but he also portrayed darker characters such as murderers and pirates. -

Get ready for Internet Explorer 9

Just when I have yet to warm up to the current IE on Window 7 which was installed onto my PC three weeks ago, here comes Internet Explorer 9. To add salt to the wound, after I have installed Window 7, I found out that my HP LaserJet 1015 and my HP ScanJet 4370 are no longer compatible. Heck I have to cough up an addition RM800 to acquire a new printer and a scanner. I sincerely hope that there will be no more changes in future versions as I am sure, like other PC users, it is slowly burning a hole in our pockets.

Microsoft Malaysia has announced the beta availability of its new web browser, Internet Explorer 9 (IE9).

According to Microsoft, the new browser delivers a fast, clean, trusted, and interoperable online experience to the users.

The IE9 focuses on a comprehensive approach to performance which includes the introduction of a new scripting engine, Chakra, that uses common multicore central processing units (CPUs) in PCs to deliver significant performance gains.

IE9 is also the first browser with full hardware acceleration of HTML5. It harness the power of the graphics processing unit (GPU), reallocating much of the graphic processing to the GPU instead of the CPU.

By using the GPU, IE9 unlocks 90 per cent of the PC's power that went previously untapped by Web browsers.

It has a robust set of built-in security such as SmartScreen Filets, In-Private Browsing, and Filtering, to keep customers safe online.

The new browser has built-in support for HTM5L, Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), CSS3 and other modern Web standrds.

These new set of capabilities allow developers to write one set of markup and know that it will work and look the same in all modern browsers.

Some of the notable features of IE9 include pinned sites which allow users quick access to their most frequently visited websites from the windows taskbar; and tear-off tabs by simply dragging it out from the browser.

Notifications no longer appear as pop-up windows but at the bottom of the browser, and the search box is integrated with the address bar.

To experience some of the new sites using IE9 Beta and to download, visit www.BeautyoftheWeb.com