IN THE SPOTLIGHT…

In The Spotlight…

Ms. Nicole Tan                                   

1. Who do you admire? Why?

My dad. He enjoyed his life, didn’t care about others’ comments about him. He also showed love to his children and everyone else.

2. What is the one song that defines who you are? Why?

A classical piece called Canon in D. It’s peaceful, soft, and has a soothing effect on me.

3. What/where do you hope to be in five years?

I want to be somebody who’s beneficial to society, in terms of knowledge-sharing.

Edward Ong

1. Who do you admire? Why?

Genghis Khan – the Mongol ruler. I admire his no-nonsense personality and the fact that he conquered half the ancient world without batting an eyelid. That’s my kind of warrior.

2. What is the one song that defines who you are? Why?

That changes every week. Right now it’s Barbra Streisand’s 1999 album A Love Like Ours. It’s the most romantic album I know. There’s one song on it, a duet with Vince Gill, called If You Ever Leave Me. The lyrics go like this: “If you ever leave me, can you take me with you?” Romantic stuff, which is what I’m made of. ;-)

3. What/where do you hope to be in five years?

A published author or an editor. I hope to get out of education.

Jasmeet Kaur

1. Who do you admire? Why?

Someone who has a positive outlook in life; is able to smile and carry on in life after a thunderstorm. Also, someone who does not lose himself half way through as how Mr. Masukor puts it best, “I have my feet close to the ground!” And yes, I do admire this maths teacher of mine! His thoughts and take on life never fail to set people on their own ‘thinking getaway’. Today, it will definitely be hard to find people like him; someone who stands strong by his principles and does things he believes in, no matter what others think or say. And of course someday I would want to be able to live up to what I admire most in others! 

2. What is the one song that defines who you are? Why?

Something More by Sugarland. Something I believe in :)

“I'm gonna take my chances
Taking a chance I might
Find what I'm looking for
There's gotta be something more”

3. What/where do you hope to be in five years?

Hopefully, I’ll be back-packing around the world! And also getting myself involved in community projects along the way. These have always been my dream! I want to learn through experience; good or bad. I know it’ll only make me a better person at the end of it all. :)

Tham Su Li

1. Who do you admire? Why?

Someone brave enough to chase his/her dreams, who doesn't give a damn about other people's perception and who doesn't get beaten down easily. Haven't met that person yet! Someone I'm not but want to be. Also confident people and those who are not afraid to make fun of themselves.

2. What is the one song that defines who you are? Why?

The Remedy by Jason Mraz. I won't worry my life away~

3. What/where do you hope to be in five years?

Married with kids. Kidding! Em, travelling in Europe/Japan with someone/people I love, and be more sure of myself :)

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT…

IN THE SPOTLIGHT…

1.What three adjectives do you think your friends would use to describe you?
2.What foods do you pair with ketchup? What about mayonnaise?
3.Were you named after anyone? If not, how did you get your name?
4.What's the most embarrassing outfit you've ever worn? Higher chance to be featured in the mag if you share a photo!

Aimran Alif (June 08)
1: In-Your-Face, spontaneous, emo....
2: I pair NOTHING with ketchup or mayo. However, I DO pair various savory foods with cheese. I even melt cheese over my rice when I eat rice.
3: When my parents named me, they were down to Aimran Alif, Aiman Arif, or Nabil Ashraf. My grandfather made the choice.
4: I actually have a ton of those…
(Left is Aimran, in case you‟re wondering!)

Alvin Foo (Ex-srikduen)
1: Offensive, stupid, conceited.
2: Egg omelette with ketchup! Mayo
in California Roll!
3: No. Dad gave it to me....
4: Pink wig, sarong.

Danil Izwan (Ex-srikduen)
1: Retarded, a flirt, stupid
2: Nuggets. Agree with Alvin: California Roll
3: Nope.
Mum: I want to call him Daniel Dad: Daniel? Christian, isn‟t it? Okay la, Danil.
4: I was in a Papa bear suit when I was in kindergarten.

Firdaus Roslan (June 09)

1: Strong, stronger, strongest.

2: My name is Muhammad Firdaus bin Roslan. It is stated in my IC.

3: Neither is part of my diet.

4: I do not pursue fame.

Ahmad Affandi (June 09)

1: Aloof, talkative, and OKAY.

2: I‟ve never asked my parents about it. But most probably they took it from a book! NAMES BOOK!

3: For sure fried chicken, fried noodles, and my sandwich. Mayonnaise: French fries/ Spanish fries.

4: Trousers (forgot to zip it).

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Three questions.. Aimran Alif

Three questions… Aimran Alif http://www.timeoutkl.com/music/articles/Three-questions-Aimran-Alif What made you want to be a singer songwriter? I know it’s cheesy, but I actually started off writing songs as a way of expressing myself and getting away with it. I would put in these intricate subliminal messages in the lyrics just to see if audiences took the time to realize what is actually being said. With that, I could express myself without coming off as a whiny teen (which, sadly, at times, I consider myself to be). How did you first get into playing the guitar? Actually my grandfather played guitar. He played everything. And so did his son, my uncle. And when I turned 13, my uncles and aunts all got me an acoustic guitar. I suppose it was kind of like the family equivalent of a bar mitzvah. I already had some musical training by then. It was shortly after I started taking piano classes (although I could already play a few notes here and there before that) so I wasn’t too lost in trying to figure out how to play the guitar. So how long have you been performing in KL? I started off playing in a punk band called My 479 back when I was in secondary school. In fact, we were already playing gigs in clubs and pubs when I was 15. I only started branching off into my own solo act in early 2007. I must say though, playing in a band has really taken me on a journey vocally. Looking back at when my band first started, if I attend the show as I was then, I doubt you’d be hearing a flattering voice at On The Up. What is your usual setup when you perform? My usual setup? A terribly intonated guitar dropped one whole step. No effects, I’ve always had bad experiences with effects and excessive cables. How would you describe your music? I would actually say the music varies with my mood. Right now I’m trying to keep my options open, I mean, I’m still 19, plenty of music to absorb. I do however, tend to lean more towards blues and funk nowadays. Who or what influences your music? My earliest days of music revolved around me forcing my parents to listen to Michael Jackson’s (R.I.P.) albums in the car, on repeat. And when I got home, I would watch his music videos on VCR, on repeat. There was a point in my life when I was actually into rap. The wordplay got me hooked. In the later years of secondary school I primarily listened to emo/scream/death metal/pop punk. I had the chance to meet a bluesman named Patrick Laemmle while I was working in Switzerland, and he really steered me in the direction I’m currently heading. If it weren’t for him, god knows, I might be playing jiwang acoustic pop songs now. What are your top three tracks on your playlist currently? My number one track right now would be Adam Lambert’s version of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’ (yes, I did acknowledge the existence of that song long before Adam made that cover). Ever since Michael Jackson’s death I took the time to relive my childhood, so ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ would be second on the list. The third would probably be ‘You Belong With Me’ by Taylor Swift. Any plans on coming out with an EP or album? Well, I really would love to come up with an EP, but I’ve just been extremely busy with the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. I’m also looking to find a studio that specializes in such recordings. Sadly, my band’s EP recorded in *insert anonymous studio here* didn’t turn out very pretty. Where can people catch your performance? Well, my myspace is pretty much defunct. It contains mostly old songs of mine, poorly written, atrociously sung, and badly recorded. Anyone who wants a good laugh can check it out at myspace.com/yoursecretadmirermusic. Right now I just moved to youtube, and you can find footage of songs, with both me as a solo act, as well as my band. The channel name is Aimran479. Aimran Alif will be sharing the stage with Liyana Fizi, Rhapsody and Lovesick Avenue at No Black Tie for Time Out KL’s On The Up, Aug 19.

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