Hennessy Artistry - Ying Yang Twins

Who doesn't love a good party? Especially when it's free flow all night long with Hennessy. Artistry hit the ground on July 25th 2009 with great artist line up. Held in one of the venues where almost anything could be done, Bukit Kiara Indoor Arena was the ground where it all went down.
The set up was fantastic. We could all see where the money was spend. The exterior was pretty straight forward - similar to last years entrance which makes sense because if something isn't broken, why fix it right. The huge walk way entrance was breathe taking.

We, being Malaysian's a bit kan-cheong la - worried that we might end up standing in line for hours, decided to get there a lot earlier than most people. We were not the only one's there early :). The organizers were kind enough to pass me a VIP parking pass which allowed us to park inside the party zone. Still had a bit of walking to do but that was good coz after all that drinking, sober time was needed.

I got my hand tag well before the event but my friends had to register first before they were handed their tags. Before getting to the registration counter though, we had to be tested for fever as part of the organizers initiative to keep the crowd clean, clear and healthy from any H1N1 infections. Once we did all that, we walked into the arena to partyyyyy!!!

Upon entering, there was a bar serving various cocktail mixes with Hennessy as a sampler but guess what - people were downing them like it was the only bar in the arena - typical. We didn't coz we knew what was in store at the main room - insider information la.

There were also DJ booths to test your mixing skills - both of audio as well as video mixing. Video mixing has been around since 1998 but not many execute it - wonder why. I had the chance to do this is 1998 when I was working as a DJ in a club back then -it ain't easy mate. Also, there were areas where you can chill which was away from the main room - in case you needed "alone" time to clear your head.

The main bar was flowing mate - and when I say flowing, I mean "FLOWING!!" There was no lack of alcohol and in fact, we had to actually stay away from the bar due to over-alcohol availability. We had a fantastic waiter who kept feeding and stocking our table with booze.

Most of us had zone passes. The area was split into Zone:

Zone V - is for trade customers.

Zone S - for Media

Zone O - for CRM

Zone P - for celebrities and KL socialites.

Despite having VIP zone passes, we decided to stay on neutral ground where the real partying happened.

One of the performers - HOT!HOT!HOT! Taiwanese with an American accent. She could move her ass man! I mean MOVE HER ASS!!! She got the entire ground drooling over her. That was the first time, I really wanted to be on stage :(

The Ying Yang Twins - so don't match the name but theire performance was alright only la. They were not that great but the fact that they are from America and are hip-hop artists, created the stage presence.

If you ask me, Fatman Scoop was a lot better. He did numbers from Michael Jackson and other cover songs which was very very entertaining. He tried to do the moon-walk but let's face it - 300 pounds of weight trying to move smoothly on stage - not happening but it was entertaining to see him try doing it. At some point, we were all doing our moon-walks coz after 20-30 glasses of Hennessy, everyone becomes Michael Jackson and Tupac.

My partner in crime- Mr.Clyde - Notorious BIG - white version. We had lots to drink at this point so we made a pact that every photograph taken, needs to be decent so that we don't get in trouble with people - "wink wink"!

I realised that most of the VIP were actually on the neutral ground - this is Yean from Zouk Club and she was partying her hat-off with the general population - the people that know how to party and who are not interested in looking good or being proper at a party - literally not posers la. Again, a decent photograph.

Here I'm with Vythi and Shereen. I dragged them down from the Zone P to the gen-pop zone. After several continous drinks, they ran away.

In summary, great party, good crowd. They clocked in close to 6,000 people at the venue. The venue didn't look like a temporary venue and in fact looked like a permanent structured club. There were so many familiar faces and it was fun to see everyone shaking their asses off to good music, non-stop flow of Hennessy and good friend.

Till the next one - keep the mixes flowing.

Yasmin Ahmad

2009 seems to be a tragic year. We have been loosing so many rare and talented individuals who can never be replaced.
Yasmin Ahmad - a truly exceptional woman. One of a kind. Generous. Modest. Kind hearted. Welcoming. Honest. Faithful. Creative.....the list can go on and on and on.....
I knew her when I was working in Leo Burnett back in 2004. She is what I would describe as "a mesmerizing person". I mean, the office can be filled with talented and creative people but when she walks into a room, without saying a single word, she takes control.
I've asked her many time when she was gonna feature me in her movies but she kept saying that "She wanted to keep me a secret" - clearly means that I'm not a movie star material but it's the way she said it that it didn't sound demoralizing.
She will be truly missed. Malaysia has lost a true talent who made a difference in this world for this country. Someone who stood what she believe in - which is very rare in Malaysia today.
Yasmin - although you are gone physcially, spiritually and mentally, you live in all of us.

Smirnoff Manchester United

I'm sure many of you reading this would definitely be confused as to why I am writing about football. Well my friends, it's not just about football - it's about Smirnoff and football. I love Smirnoff expecially the Green Apple flavor but that's not what this post is about.
Smirnoff recently hosted a series of activities when Manchester United was in KL. I wasn't all that excited becoz I'm not a fan of that sport to begin with. But I must share that, even when you couldn't care less about a sport but when you do come face-to-face with a legend or a celebrity, it is exciting especially if you had the chance to have a beer with the legend alone.

Now, I didn't stand along the lobby of the hotel to take this picture. I was responsible for ensuring that Bryan Robson, the Ambassador for ManU and the Ex-Captain of the team, reaches the Media Conference and the Spirit of Champion party on time. My colleague trusted me in doing this because I was the only one in the office who really didn't care about the sport and so I would carry out my duty as planned without any hiccups :)

But let me tell ya - it was exciting meeting Bryan and Phil Townsend - the Director of Communications for ManU. These guys are really nice and very down-to-earth. Not a single drop of arrogance or ego.

So, after that beer with Bryan and Phil, we headed over to Menara Hap Seng where the Media Conference was schedule to happen at the Hakka Republic Restaurant upstairs. When we arrived, there were fans waiting already. Amazing that even an ex-player still has the same pull as a current player.

The presence of the EPL Trophy made it even more exciting and when the officials reveiled the trophy with bodyguards on standby next to it, media went crazy with their camera's and the fans went nuts. Here you see Bryan with the iconic win!

Of course, part of my job scope was to entertain and ensure that people were comfortable and had a good time and never had an empty hand. Smirnoff cocktails were flowing free-flow - which is always a good thing given that it was a Friday and the next day is a non-working day - at least for me it wasn't :P

This is Kristina Knight from Iris Singapore who is responsible for all the creative work that Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker represents across the region.

The emcee for the evening - my man Joey G! I've got nothing much to say about him coz everyone knows him and nothing I say, could possibly be new-news!

Bryan seen with Ashu Kaul - Marketing Director for Diageo Brands, Riche Monde Malaysia.

Of all the fans that were there to get autographs from Bryan, she was the hottest man! I got her ball signed and Bryan signed it with pleasure.

As part of the evening's agenda, Joey G engaged Bryan and Phil on some Q&A about their role and what it feels like to be part of ManU. Phil and Bryan were quite obliging and took on questions without hassle.

The ball signing ceremony.

After the Media Conference, everyone proceeded downstairs to party at Metropol where regular consumers get to meet Bryan Robson and Phil Townsend. The Media Conference was a closed-door function.

Here we see Zolton ensuring that all Smirnoff cocktails were prepared with perfection.

To keep guests entertained (as though drinking alone isn't entertaining enough), the organizing had some games going on such as football puzzles, football cubes, interactive X-box football console games, and foosball tables, which had attractive prizes, such as SMIRNOFF Red, and original Smirnoff – Manchester United Jerseys, Caps, and Bar Mats for the winners.

Of course the main attraction was the fuss-ball table where everyone thought they were Rooney and Giggs.

Remember I said my job scope was entertaining, this is part of it. What can a guy do when women just wanna take pictures with you?? :)

These are my colleagues - party animal Cheryl on the right and simply subtle Joo on my left. For awhile, we were living the Charlie's Angels life - very short period though!

Again, Joo and I with our favorite Smirnoff vodka cocktail. We drank that very slowly coz we know what vodka can do.

Riche Monde Malaysia at it's best!

With another colleague of mine - representing all the way from Penang! She didn't drive so the streets are safe.

Now, this girl was one of the promoter girls working that night for the event. Everyone was taking pictures with this girl and to be honest, she was the hottest amongst all the girls there. But me being me, decided to take another approach - posed with the "I don't care" look but didn't quite work la.
Enyr or now known as Anya, an ex-colleague joined the celebration and just like me, she was soooo not dressed for the theme.
Ashu with Melvin (left) and Sylvia (left). Both are from Penang and none drove.

Overall, the event was great. Turnout was good and the organizers did a real good job at managing expectations. There were some minor hiccups with the bar service but nothing is ever smooth in life.
Just speaking to the organizers, the party was part of the brand’s continuous effort to bring about new and exciting Manchester United experiences to their Asian consumers throughout the partnership. At the same time, this breakthrough partnership has also provided a powerful platform for SMIRNOFF® to take the lead in promoting and communicating the responsible drinking message under the theme ‘United against drink driving’.
Bottom line - next Smirnoff party - count me in + 50 pax!!

Daily Profession Jokes 2

Ok, day 2 of profession jokes. Today, is a tribute to the world of ADVERTISING. We are all suckers to some kind of advertising and frankly, being someone from an advertising background once upon a time, I know what these people go through on a daily basis and my hats off to those who have survived through the scandals, stress, pressure, humility, back-stabbing, bullshit, lies, cheating.....GOD....this can go on forever.

Enjoyzzz:

Two little boys go into the grocery store. One is nine, one is four. The nine year old grabs a box of tampons from the shelf and carries it to the register for check-out.
The cashier asks "Oh, these must be for your mom, huh?"The nine year old replies "Nope, not for my mom."
Without thinking, the cashier responded "Well, they must be for your sister then?"The nine year old quipped, "Nope, not for my sister either."
The cashier had now become curious "Oh. Not for your mom and not for your sister, who are they for?"The nine year old says "They're for my four year old little brother."
The cashier is surprised "Your four year old little brother??"
The nine year old explains: "Well yeah, they say on TV if you wear one of these you can swim or ride a bike and my little brother can't do either of them!"

A young woman, several months pregnant, boarded a bus and sat opposite a young man, he smiled, and feeling embarrassed she changed her seat. But it was to no avail, for the young man smiled even more broadly when she sat down. Again she moved to another seat, he grinned and again after the fourth move, the young man just rolled up and roared with laughter. The woman complained and duly summoned him.
Judge: Well, young man, have you anything to say in your defense against this charge?
The young man: Well, your Honor, when the young lady entered the bus, her condition was obvious. However, that did not prompt my smile, but she sat under an advertisement that read: "Coming shortly - The Gold Rush Twins." The lady seemed indignant when I smiled and she got up and took another seat beneath a shaving stick advertisement, which read: "William's stick did the trick." She moved a third time and sat beneath a poster that read: "Sloane's liniments will remove swelling." It was after she had moved her seat fourth time that I lost control of my merriment for the above was a slogan: "Dunlop Rubber Goods would have prevented this accident."

An advertising team is working very late at night on a project due the next morning. Suddenly, a Genie appears before them and offers to each of them one wish.
The copywriter says: "I've always dreamed of writing the great American novel and having my work studied in schools across the land. I'd like to go to a tropical island where I can concentrate and write my masterpiece."The Genie says, "No problem!" and poof! The copywriter is gone.
The art director says: "I want to create a painting so beautiful that it would hang in the Louvre Museum in Paris for all the world to admire. I want to go to the French countryside to work on my painting."The Genie says, "Your wish is granted!" and poof! The art director is gone.
The Genie then turns to the account executive and says, "And what is your wish?"The account executive says, "I want those two assholes back here right now."

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire public relations officers.