Apologies for the lack of updates!

Hello readers! :)

I'm really sorry for the insane lack of updates. I have been somewhat jobless for the past 3 weeks, but I also have never been happier, and busier. Since I left my job, I have been working on myself physically (going back to Bootcamp), artistically (being extra nerdy with Monday Show) and emotionally (I have more time for myself!). This can only mean one thing, a very much happier and relaxed me!

So, in terms of my job, I have been freelancing as a writer for an online radio portal, brainstorming with a friend to take part in his company, and writing articles for someone dear to me. I think I have enough, if not more than enough, to keep me occupied in terms of work.

In terms of artistically, I have been really giving my all to my Monday Show classes. Been watching and researching musicals and singing and dancing. This week, the assignment is Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. Pretty easy right? But try comparing the movie to the staged version, the past to the present, the West End and Broadway. Yes, that's what I've been doing for the past week or so. Of course, Julie Andrews is perfect to me. I've also been in researching into musicals of the Emerald City to look into the soundtracks to find songs that I like and we could possibly working for a recital. I've also been insanely into Newsies. Been looking into the actors, actresses, their past and present jobs, etc. Okay, I may sound insane, but it's really so much fun!

Mary Poppins

Sound of Music

Newsies

Wicked

In terms of physically, well, Bootcamp is Bootcamp. But here's the thing, I do Bootcamps in the evenings of Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Yes, just before heading over to Monday Show classes. In the beginning, it was physically difficult, but now, I'm starting to get used to the routine and I feel healthier and definitely fitter. Can't wait to whip myself back into shape! 

So those are my updates for the past three weeks. I know I promised to update way earlier, but this is my life now. It's filled with music, song, dance and nerdy stuff. This is the beginning of my new life. It can only get better from here :) Time to start my new life, with my new family (Monday Show) and of course, my new business partners! 

Thank you to everyone for your support and I will do my best to blog more often! Do expect some posts to be of musicals. When it's my turn to do my assignment for #Musical101, I will be blogging so that my Monday Show colleagues can read it as well. 

I love you guys so much! 

My beloved Monday Show Family! This is only part of them... 

The loved ones... :) 

Here's to a new beginning :) 

Love always,
DancerGal Sheryl!

My first performing arts review as published on StageKL.com :)

First and foremost, thank you to StageKL.com for giving me this opportunity to review a performing arts piece. It is something that I have never done before, nor did I ever think I would get the chance of doing. So happy to see my name there :) Thank you once again and here was my piece :) 

“In a Space of Time” is a contemporary dance piece choreographed by former Cloud Gate Dance Theatre dancer Wong Jyh Shyong featuring 6 dancers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia (2 dancers from each country).

This piece features music from famed musician Ng Chor Guan who is also the winner of several BOH Cameronian Arts Awards.

With a simple set of just, what looks like a giant sun clock in the middle of the stage, all 6 dancers danced around the clock hand in the first part of the show to depict the different relationships of different people with time.

What Wong Jyh Shyong aims to emulate is the 6 different dancers with 6 different understanding or interpretations of time. While some look at time as moving too fast, others deem it as too slow, whilst some of us view time as both slow and fast depending on the circumstances.

Allowing us to focus on the dancers’ bodylines, Jyh Shyong provided the audience with an intricate explanation of how time plays such an important part in our lives and yet, we tend to take it for granted. When time is lost, all that’s left are memories. These memories may be bitter or sweet. Screaming at the lost time does not bring back the time and all that’s left are memories. Sweet. Bitter. Painful. Joyful.

An interpretation of such magnifying proportions would be able to send a strong message to the audience. The costume is simple. Wearing almost everyday clothes, the dancers prance and hop and roll around in what seems to be like clothes that we wear on a daily basis.

What was interesting was a barrage of pebbles coming down as pendulums where the dancers laid themselves over the floor. Giving the illusion of a ticking clock, as the pendulum swings, the dancers narrate verbally what time means to them and how it can reflect and change our society. The lighting of the show was fairly simple as well, spotting each dancer where they need to be spotted.

All in all, it was a relatively simple production with a powerful message. Each dancer brought their own qualities to the table showcasing the talents from all three countries.

Dancers

• Chiu TungTung (Hong Kong), former dancer of Hong Kong Dance Company
• Cliff Huen Tin Yeung (Hong Kong), former dancer of City Contemporary Dance Company
• Huang Yu Teng (Taiwan), former dancer of Taipei Chamber ballet, Kao Hsiung City Ballet, Focus Dance Company
• Tsou Ying-Lin (Taiwan), studied in Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA) Graduate Institute of Dance Performance and Choreography M.F.A Program.
• Kyson Teo Khai Shen (Malaysia), guest dancer of WC Dance Theatre
• Rachel Chew Zi Xin (Malaysia), former dancer of Ballet Jörgen Canada

Pictures courtesy of Gary Ng and Damansara Performing Arts Centre.

In the Life of DancerGal: Reliving my childhood with Walt Disney!

I went to the Putrajaya International Fireworks Competition over one of the weekends with some MSS friends (Adry, Min, Dennis and Kevin) to check out some fireworks and play with my new toy! :P Little did I know, I was going to be thoroughly surprised and amazingly happy by the end of the night (before your mind starts to wonder, no, I was not proposed to and I am not engaged!)

From what I knew, the contender for that evening was from the U.S of A. We tried looking for a spot upon arriving at the Pusat Maritime, Putrajaya. There were so many people and it was so crowded. We took at least about 20 mins just looking for a good spot, which we did find in the end. Anyway, after setting up, Dennis helped me set my camera to certain settings and taught me how to use it. Once that was done, we sort of stood there waiting for about 15 to 20 mins more. Then an awesome announcement was made. They did a short profile about the contender from USA and guess what? The contender was from WALT DISNEY!

Walt Disney's signature

I was jumping with joy and super ecstatic when I heard their name! Imagine the look on a 5-year old child that just got a huge cotton candy. I knew that this competition included choreography between music and fireworks. That means, 25 minutes of Disney music, 25 mins of fireworks... wow. I was so superbly excited. Honestly speaking, I didn't take that many (good) shots, but I was proud of a few. Please note that these photos are NOT edited hence the horrible smoke around the fireworks and incomplete shots. I'm sorry I have yet to figure out how to play with Photoshop and I would rather post this sooner rather than later. So please go easy on me okay?

Here are some photos from my awesome camera-savvy friends. I honestly speaking am in awe by the beauty of their photos and I can't wait to learn more from them! :) 

Credit: Dennis Lee

Credit: Dennis Lee

Credit: Alvin Wong

It was pretty epic. We were entertained by songs from my childhood favourite cartoons like Cinderella, Tarzan, Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, etc. It was just so much fun that I couldn't stop smiling after the whole thing was over. Like I said, I was like the 5-year old child who just got her favourite cotton candy. I was quite frustrated in the beginning of it all, but by the end of it, I was just like OMG OMG OMG! (If you know me well enough, you'd probably be able to picture me saying this!) 

OH YEAH! I'm a happy girl! <3 div="" nbsp="">

Love always, 

DancerGal Sheryl!

Guest Post: Goodbye Cempaka Damansara by Hisham Hamzah

Again, this fella has outdone himself with a brilliantly written article about saying goodbye to his beloved campus, Cempaka Damansara. Read more of SammoBammo's penmanship here: http://www.hishamhamzah.blogspot.com/

Cempaka Damansara. Photo credits: lumenstudet.blogspot.com

Had I known on Friday the 9th of September, I would be teaching for the last time in the Damansara Campus for the year, I don't know what would have gone through my mind. Of course now, in hindsight, many memories come flooding back from my own school days at Damansara Campus. But at that moment in time, my mind was elsewhere. Probably like many other Cempakans I was thinking about the coming weekend, although United wasn't playing, about how it would be a nice time to rest and get to grading my IGCSE Trial papers. I was also thinking about the week ahead, like most teachers are wired to, looking forward to the class activities, the discussions and the lessons I would be delivering.

That all obviously changed very quickly on Friday night. I was relaxing after dinner, enjoying some Splinter Cell (a great game!), when I received a call from Encik Raphael. He sounded worried and confused at the same time, asking me if Damansara campus was on fire. The immediate image that appeared in my mind was a small fire, something trivial that wasn't a cause for concern. I looked out the window of my house which, I think a lot of Cempakans realize from many of Dato' Freida's tweets, has a perfect view of the campus. The image I saw will stay with me forever - bright and blazing. The next few minutes was a blur as I ran to get the keys, jumped into the car and sped to the school. The rest has already been well documented on Twitter, Facebook and our own Schoology.

After the fire. Photo credits: The Star

 As you know, a few days after the fire, myself, along with other teachers were in Cempaka Damansara helping to move equipment. Moving from class to class, seeing them empty and bare left a bittersweet feeling with me. I walked the corridors I have always always walked since 1990 - then as an incredibly cute and fat 5 year old. I recalled all the memories: my tadika days at the canteen level of the primary wing; Standard 2 taught by Ms Choo at the office level; Standard 6 with Mrs Goh at the IT level (which was an old fashioned library back then); Form 1 with Puan Rahimah at the hall level secondary wing; Form 3 with the all star team of Puan Aimi, Puan Sapura and Puan Jamaliah at the link bridge classrooms (no link bridge then either); Form 5 with Cik Zainab, Ms Sandra and of course Mr Sheat next to the IT Centre. Not forgetting my principal then at Form 5, as yours is now, Puan Farah.

On moving day, everyone was involved including the cleaners, gardeners, volunteer students, teachers, principals and even Dato Freida herself - truly a family affair. Yes it was tough, and I am quite sore and have cuts in some places but it was absolutely worth it. How can I justify not helping? My job as a teacher is to ensure you have your education with everything within my power. Right now, besides our Cempaka@Home, I can do that with my two bare hands. And every desk we moved from Cempaka Damansara, meant one more student's education continues. I am truly proud and honoured to be with your other teachers, shoulder to shoulder, working together to ensure your continued education.

Teachers, staff, management and students helping to move tables and chairs.
Photo credit: lumenstudet.blogspot.com

 As time passed and called me to move on, I felt the pain of saying a slow goodbye to a very dear friend. It's true that we were already planning to move in 2014, but this was sudden and unexpected. The move had to be hastened to get school up and running again, but maybe I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. Cempaka Damansara, I've learnt over the last few days, means more to me than I ever realised.

This is where I grew up, in every sense of the phrase. I was always among the earliest to school, and would stay back late most of the time (I walked to and from school). School holidays were spent working in the school bookmart, family dinners listening to my parents discussing school matters. More recently during my summer holidays from university, I interned in various departments of the school. This was my childhood.

Yes, my parents were extremely busy running the school, and except during the later years of my school life, my older brothers were at university. Yet, I never ever begrudged them that, how could I? A whole school raised me! A school, created for myself and my brothers that has since evolved into an institution of learning that serves other children. That is perhaps the most important lesson I learnt from my parents - that our place on this Earth is to be of service to others, to make others' lives better. I truly believe that these values are absolutely core to being a Cempakan.

I love Cempaka. I care for the school. I hurt when it hurts. I know some will think it is ridiculous. How can one love a building or an organization? Of course you can't. I love the teachers that taught me and raised me like I love my own parents. I love all of you students like my younger siblings (not my children okay... I am not that old…). It may not always seem very obvious with me and my prickly nature sometimes, but it is true!

Serve others before yourself. Photo credits: Cempaka Group of Schools Facebook page

Furthermore, let's not forget Cempaka Cheras, who greeted Cempaka Damansara's call for help with open arms. As a proud alumni of both campuses, I was incredibly touched by the teachers and students of Cheras Campus who helped to unload equipment from Damansara without complaints but instead with warm smiles and open hearts. Once again, they embody the values of Cempaka - being of service to others.

The large Cempakan family. Photo credits: Cempaka Group of School's Facebook Page

 We are a family together. We triumph together, we hurt together, and we persevere together.

I know this is not goodbye for good to Cempaka Damansara, but perhaps it is more of a "see you soon". We will be back, stronger than ever. #CempakaBoleh

At the end of the day, Cempaka isn't an organisation. It's a family. Although I wasn't there for long, I am grateful to be proud of such a wonderful family. Thank you, Cempaka. I love you. 

Love always, 

DancerGal Sheryl! 

In the Life of DancerGal: My reaction to the Cempaka Damansara incident

For those of you who are unaware, a fire broke into the Damansara campus of my alma mater, taking down three classrooms and one dance studio. To be honest, I did not realize how bad it was until I stepped foot into the school on Saturday. Tears came to my eyes when I saw the wreckage. On Friday night, went I went onto the social media networks, on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, my heart just dropped.

I was appalled at some of the jokes that were made, yet I was so encouraged by the support and unity of fellow Cempakans. And yet through all of this, I was not ready for what I would be seeing on that Saturday afternoon when I walked in. I caught a glimpse of the wreckage from SammoBammo's house. We decided to go closer and took a drive out to the school. That's when I almost broke down. I saw everything up close. I walked up the stairs towards the hall and realised that the ceiling of the hall was black and covered in soot. That was when I noticed that the dance studio had been destroyed.

The fact that I am a dancer, and it was a dance studio was beyond the fact as to why I was distraught. I slept there around this time last year, during the annual Cempaka Christian Fellowship (CF) Camp. I slept in a sleeping bag, inside the studio.

But that all sadness and distraught went away when I read this post in the Lumen Studet blog called "To All Cempakans, From Cempakans". I really thank the writers of this blog, whoever it may be. The post reminded me of what happened in Japan back in 2004. The huge tsunami incident. What happened back in 2004 was very unfortunate, but look at Japan after that. They received support, encouragement, and love from the rest of the world. In the end, they ended up becoming a stronger nation and came up not only better, but also more productive and more innovative. I foresee that for Cempaka as well.

When news of the fire broke out, I read online that many students were upset. While in shock, there were many others, including current Cempakans already encouraging and supporting one another. I was so encouraged by their Cempakan spirit, that I took part as well. Listening to the concern of some Cempakans concerned me and I just wanted to comfort them, but to be honest, I was only a piece of grass in the field that is the Cempakan support system. Care about one another. Care about their alma mater. Care about their family, their home, where they spend most of their day.

It is very comforting to know that no matter what happens, Cempakans will always back one another and have each other's backs. I am truly proud to be Cempakan, and in the words of our Founder/Mentor, Dato' Freida Pilus, "Not to worry. We are made of stronger stuff than mortar and bricks" and Encik Hisham Hamzah, "Chin up. It's just the building. You and your classmates are Cempaka Damansara. That can never be burned down".

Within the next couple of days, the students from the Damansara campus will be moving over to Cheras. I caught an Instagram video of the Cheras students, making a line to help carry chairs and tables across. Best part of this? They were all doing it with a smile and I know that they will be more than welcoming to their fellow brothers and sisters from Damansara. Their warmth, their support, their encouragement, their care, their love, their camaraderie is what makes Cempaka such a strong body. The support extends beyond current Cempakans. Old Cempakans are sending their messages of love and care via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. It is truly a wonderful sight :)

It's true. The building does not define us as Cempakans. We define ourselves and just by this incident alone, I am already very confident that Cempakans will make it out of this, (as the song says) harder, faster, better and stronger! :)

Cempaka Cheras campus where I finished my A-Levels and where my heart will always be. 

As the first line in our school song says: CEMPAKA MEGAH BERDIRI.

Love always,
Old Cempakan DancerGal Sheryl! :)

In the Life of DancerGal: New Toy! :)

Last night, I got my hands on my very first Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera and it was the Nikon D7100 (source image below) and a lens (Nikon 55-300mm VR)

Nikon 55-300mm VR
Photo credits: www.taringa.net

Nikon D7100 with kit lens
Photo credits: www.prweb.com

I am superbly excited to take on a new journey with my new camera and I cannot wait to start blogging more photos. I am in the midst of scouting for a good watermarking app/software (other than the insanely expensive Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator) to include more photos into my blog and I am thinking of the possibility of starting on vlogs, considering that now I have part of the equipment. 

Took this trial shot this morning over breakfast... 

Do let me know in the comments below if you have any options of good watermarking apps or softwares (preferably free-of-charge)! Also, please be reminded that your comments are moderated by me to eliminate trolls from my blog. Regardless of what people might think, at the end of the day, this blog is a personal blog, to capture my personal feelings, thoughts and opinions. Comments, feedbacks (both good and bad) and questions are most welcomed. Haters aren't. 

Love always, 

DancerGal Sheryl!

In the Life of DancerGal: Cempaka Voices in Concert 2013!

Last Friday, I was at the annual Cempaka Voices in Concert 2013! I was pretty darn excited when I heard about the theme: Back to School! This meant that Cempakan Alumni was gonna be coming back to perform. And I really need to thank SammoBammo for allowing me to bring friends. That was really an amazing gesture. Thank you :)

So, one of my Monday Show buddies, Joyce, agreed to come along. Joyce is this really awesome sweet girl and I thank her for agreeing to come along and I hope you had a great time girl :) Please note that I am uncertain of the classes that these kids graduated from so I am guessing or based on what I heard that night. Please feel free to correct me! Thank you!

Joyce Wong, Monday Show Entertainment

So we left my office at about 6pm and it took us TWO hours to get to Cempaka Cheras. The traffic was insane thanks to stupid rain! Thank goodness when we finally got there (close to around 8pm), the show hadn't started. I felt so sorry to Joyce because the poor girl had to sit through traffic with me while eating her dinner in the car. And traffic was HORRENDOUS but this gave us the chance to chat and catch up. I'm really glad I got to know this girl better :)

So once we got there, I met SammoBammo and the rest of the Cempaka family! Always makes me so happy seeing all of them, especially my very special teacher, Dr Wong. Even as I'm typing this and thinking about them, I'm smiling. Hahaha!

Fareed Hamzah and Hisham Hamzah (SammoBammo) 

I like how because the theme of the show was "Back to School", Fareed took the initiative to wear the school tie which I thought was super awesome! Kudos! SammoBammo came dressed up pretty well, I must say. Smart casual at its best.

Joyce and I before the show!

Gabriel was the emcee for the night and started off by giving some casual greetings and then proceeded to introduce the first performer, Cheryl Tan, class of 2006 (if I'm not mistaken!) where she belted out some amazing jazz tunes. Her voice was totally amazing and I followed her immediately on Facebook just so I could find out more about her upcoming performances :)

Cheryl Tan singing - Photo credits: Lau Jiaying

Shortly after was Teh Gao Jye, class of 2011 (if I'm not mistaken?) and I was blown away. He sang two songs, one about lifelong love and the other about regrets. The best part is that both songs were actually composed by him! Awesome and talented much? I really loved the first song that he wrote. Can't exactly remember the title of the song that I liked though. If someone does remember, please let me know, and do let Gao Jye know that he needs to record it! :D 

Teh Gao Jye singing original compositions - Photo credits: Lau Jiaying

After that, Annatasha Saifol, class of 2010 (if I'm not mistaken?) serenaded us with a piano cover of Katy Perry's Not Like The Movies. I was totally amazed at the talents of this particular firecracker. She is a student in culinary arts, currently a young entrepreneur, the photographs were taken by her, she plays the piano, sings like an angel, AND she is also a dancer. Amazing! All thanks to the education from a great school, Cempaka Schools :) 

Annatasha Saifol on the piano and singing - Photo credits: Lau Jiaying

Then, I started screaming my head off because out came 6 vocalists. Annatasha Saifol, Savira Sigit (class of 2013), Julie Chan Nuo En (class of 2011), Teoh Jun Vinh (class of 2011), Gabriel Tham (class of 2011) and Teh Gao Jye. They sang a medley of pop songs (mostly from Bruno Mars!). I was so insanely thrilled to hear Julie sing again. I used to be the house-mistress in CILC when Julie was head prefect and we got to know each other better then. I am privileged to have known someone like Julie. Don't forget me when you make it big, woman! :P Also, Savira, wow. A superstar in her own right. She has been accepted into a performing arts school in the US of A and I am just so crazily proud of her. I remember back in the day when I used to work in Cheras, she would come and greet me in the mornings with a big hug. Oh how I miss those days. *memories*

From L-R: Julie Chan, Teh Gao Jye, Annatasha Saifol, Gabriel Tham, Savira Sigit, Teoh Jun Vinh
Photo credits: Lau Jiaying

From L-R: Julie Chan, Savira Sigit, Annatasha Saifol, Teh Gao Jye, Gabriel Tham, Teoh Jun Vinh

Then out came, Jes Ebrahim who performed a couple of songs. One with his brother, Jes Ismail, and two songs with Abdul Muhaimin. Jes and Muhaimin did a guitar duet of "Getaran Jiwa" and that was just amazing. It did however, remind me of the duet that Jes once did with another Cempakan alumni, Aiman Ahmad Marzio. At this point, I still wasn't aware of what was happening and I was already in lala land thanks to all these super talents. Little did I know, I was going to be even more amazed.

Abdul Muhaimin and Jes Ebrahim - Photo credits: Abdul Qayyum

Jes Ebrahim and Jes Ismail - Photo credits: Abdul Qayyum

After their performance was a performance by alumni Farah Alya Ali, class of 2011 (if I'm not mistaken?) and she sang "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus. The Miley Cyrus that was still sane and could actually produce good music. The way Farah performed it, gave the song a very elegant twist and it was so simple, yet beautiful. Nice!

Farah Alya Ali singing "The Climb" - Photo credits: Lau Jiaying

Then, came my favourite Cempaka skit, directed by Mr Scott McQuaid, Private Eye. There was part 1 and 2 a couple of years back. This year, they did Private Eye 3 starring Muhammad Luqman, Savira Sigit, David Estrada, Nimeesha Chan, Farel Sigit, Cheah Yi Jane, Syakirah Md Saadon, Tengku Dayang Adeira, and Caleb Choo. This skit was pretty hilarious and clearly didn't disappoint and Farel was insanely adorable as "The Big Boss".

Luqman and Farel going head to head. - Photo credits: Lau Jiaying

Farel playing "The Big Boss" - Photo credits: Abdul Qayyum

Soon after, Gabriel Tham gave his rendition of Josh Groban's Broken Vow. Beautiful song and even more beautiful cos you can see Gabriel's face. For those of you who don't know, Gabriel played the Beast in Cempaka's Box Office Production (CBOP) of Beauty and the Beast, followed by Kerchak in CBOP's Tarzan. It truly is a nice change seeing his face outside of make up and fake hair. His voice really does remind me of Josh Groban to be honest.

Gabriel Tham belting out "Broken Vow" - Photo credits: Abdul Qayyum

After Gabriel, out came Julie Chan who belted out Second Hand White Baby Grand. I nearly cried listening to her sing. As I mentioned before, Julie and I got a bit closer during my stay in CILC and I remember her telling me about how she came to know God. It was truly a memorable moment listening to her sing again. I remember when I first heard her sing "Defying Gravity" on stage through a video. To hear her sing live, is really an honour :)

Julie Chan singing Second Hand White Baby Grand - Photo credits: Abdul Qayyum

Then out came Lumiere, better known among his peers as Teoh Jun Vinh. Every time he steps out on stage, I will never forget his amazing stint as Lumiere (the candlestick) from CBOP's Beauty and The Beast. Beauty and The Beast was the first musical I worked on when I was in Cempaka. I watched all six shows, and all six times, I was amazed by his performances. This boy can sure sing! He belted out Michael Buble's "Haven't Met You Yet", one of my favourite songs from one of my favourite male vocalists.

Jun Vinh singing "Haven't Met You Yet" - Photo credits: Abdul Qayyum

Then came the land of the musicians. Andrew Ng on the violin, Abdul Muhaimin on the bass (the fella bought a new bass!), Caleb Choo on the drums and Mr Wong Shen Vee on the piano played Claude Bolling's Suite. It was pretty classical in the beginning, just violin and the piano, but when the bass and drums were added in, it sounded pretty darned awesome! There's just something about Andrew when he's on the violin that makes the whole world stop for a while and just focus on his playing. That is one talented boy right there. When Caleb is on the drums, it's like he is in a world of his own. You can watch him on YouTube where he does covers. It's pretty interesting.

Abdul Muhaimin on bass and Andrew Ng on violin - Photo credits: Lau Jiaying

Savira sang her solo, "At Last" made famous by Etta James. As usual, Savira at her age, gave us a flawless Savira-ised version of the song and it was beautiful. And there was this adorable moment where the musicians backing her (Mr Wong Shen Vee on piano, Mr Lee Voon Foong on saxaphone, Abdul Muhaimin on bass and Caleb Choo on drums) were doing their thing, and she scooted to the back of the amps, took a sip of water, and then continued with her great performance. Truly an artist in the making and a superstar in my heart :)

Abdul Muhaimin on bass, while Savira belts out her tune - Photo credits: Abdul Qayyum

Savira Sigit singing "At Last" by Etta James.- Photo credits: Lau Jiaying

The show then led to an amazing and adorable dance performance by Abdul Muhaimin, Teoh Jun Vinh, Annatasha Saifol and Natasha Lama. Their dance was called "Hey Pachugo!", which I believed to also be the name of the song they were dancing to, and the two boys were basically trying to catch the two girls. I don't really know how, but Muhaimin ended up tapping on a table. THAT was pretty darned awesome! Annatasha also did a "trailer" to the dance which was pretty amazingly done! Natasha as always, did not disappoint when it comes to dance, and Jun Vinh was just awesome! Flawless cast!

Muhaimin tapping on the table - Photo credits: Abdul Qayyum

The one with purple hair is Annatasha, Natasha and Muhaimin - Photo credits: Abdul Qayyum

The final solo performance of the night was of course, the one and only, Razlan Saharuddin. Student of the Berklee College of Music, Razlan has performed many times in Cempaka as alumni and every time he performs, he sings his own music (well, most of the time!). On the night of CVIC 2013, he sang all original songs, but one in particular made me tear. I don't remember the name of the song, but it was about his best friend's sister who had run away from home. It was just a touching number and I really enjoyed it so so much. Also, Darren Ashley was his drummer and back-up vocalist. Awesome much? :)

Razlan explains the meaning behind every song before singing it to us. - Photo credits: Abdul Qayyum

Razlan in crooner mode - Photo credits: Lau Jiaying

There was this beautiful finale, Seasons of Love, crooned by the entire cast (Julie Chan, Annatasha Saifol, Savira Sigit, Gabriel Tham, Teh Gao Jye, Teoh Jun Vinh, Razlan Saharuddin, Jes Ebrahim, Cheryl Tan, Farah Alya Ali, etc) backed by all the musicians (Abdul Muhaimin, Caleb Choo, Mr Wong Shen Vee, etc). It was truly an amazing showcase of the pool of talented alumni/students from Cempaka Schools. I am proud to call myself an alumni too (although I'm not HALF as talented as all these people are!). 

Seasons of Love Finale - Photo credits: Lau Jiaying

As most of you can see, the photos (the awesome ones!) were taken by Cempaka alumni Abdul Qayyum and Lau Jiaying. Another group of talents. These were some amazing shots and thank you for allowing me to use your photos on my blog. 

Cempaka, megah berdiri,

Tahun '83 bulan Januari, 

Bersatu, berdisiplin, dan berdikari

Melahirkan generasi yang berhemah tinggi

Kami semua, anak Cempaka, 

Berbilang kaum, bangsa dan agama, 

Bersatu, mencapai cita dalam perpaduan

Harapan ayah bonda, dan juga negara

Berkaliber, dan berdedikasi,

Itulah prinsip guru-guru kami, 

Mendidik dan membimbing, sepenuh hati

Meninggikan prestasi pengajian kami

Cempaka, oh Cempaka,

Harummu semerbak merata-rata,

Hijau dan kuning warna gemilang, 

Kejayaan diutamakan

Marilah, mari bersama, 

Mara maju ke hadapan, 

Majulah, oh Cempaka, hingga berzaman

Majulah, oh Cempaka, hingga berzaman

Love always, 

DancerGal Sheryl!