masterwordsmith-unplugged

Battle of the Bands 2011: Passport to Fame, sponsored by Magnum, is the largest talent show aired live in Malaysia which  offers the best platform for every enterprising Malaysian band to showcase their talents.

Last night, the band Juanophobia (my son :-) is the violinist in the band) emerged as the WINNER of this awesome competition and walked away with a  a recording album with Sony Music, a 1+1 contract with the Organizer, RM32,000 worth of product sponsored by SHURE, RM6500 worth of Fender products and RM10,000 in cash.

Juanophobia's Journey in the Passport to Fame

Audition for Battle of the Bands 2011: Passport to Fame began on 28th April 2011 (Thursday) and 29th April 2011 (Friday) at Cheras PGRM. Fifty bands were short listed from the audition and proceeded to the next qualifying rounds. Ten bands were casted out in every qualifying round and only the top 10 bands received the chance to perform and compete for the title “The Ultimate Band” in the semi-finals.

The finals were held last night at Opera, Sunway and  the bands that competed were:



Linet Goh, keyboardist for the band said it beautifully in her Facebook update before the competition began:


In November last year, Juanophobia were the second runner-up in the Polo Rocks Band Competition. Without prejudice, I can vouch that since then, they have been working very hard, improving themselves, practising vigorously and praying hard that God will open a window for them and He has indeed! PTL!! Indeed, I believe and hope that things will really roll out for Juanophobia from now.

Here's one of the video clips of their performance last night - I will upload a sharper clip once the others have uploaded their videos.

A video clip of their performance LAST NIGHT CAN BE VIEWED AT THIS LINK.

The video clip of their prize-giving ceremony can be viewed AT THIS LINK.

I am so sad that my family could not go to KL to watch them as my husband has not been well. Regardless, we stayed up till we received the wonderful news from Julie Chua, mother of Clarence Chua (band leader of Juanophobia) who has been like a mother to all the bandmates, supporting them in every way possible and getting the cheer squad ready, not forgetting all the paraphernalia for the fans.

To the members of Juanophobia namely:



God bless you all with more openings for development, contracts, performances and all that He has to give!!!

Thanks to all friends, relatives and readers who have been giving their support, prayers and wishes to Juanophobia! God bless you all!

It was time for me to do my Dollar Store run, which included light bulbs, paper towels, trash bags and Clorox. So off I go.

I scurried around the store, gathered up my goodies, and headed for the checkout counter only to be blocked in the narrow aisle by a young man that appeared to be about fourteen-years-old.

I wasn't in a hurry, so I patiently waited for the boy to realize that I was there. This was when he waved his hands excitedly in the air and declared in a loud voice,

"Mommy, I'm over here."

It was obvious now, he was mentally challenged, and also startled as he turned and saw me standing so close to him, waiting to squeeze by. His eyes widened and surprise exploded on his face as I said,

"Hey Buddy, what's your name?"

"My name is Denny and I'm shopping with my mother," he responded proudly.

"Wow," I said, "that's a cool name; I wish my name were Denny, but my name is Hal."

"Hal like Halloween?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered. "How old are you Denny?

"How old am I now Mommy?" he asked his mother as she slowly came over from the next aisle.

"You're fifteen-years-old Denny. Now be a good boy and let the man pass by."

I acknowledged her and continued to talk to Denny for several more minutes about summer, bicycles and school. I watched his brown eyes dance with excitement because He was the center of someone's attention. He then abruptly turned and headed toward the toy section.

Denny's mom had a puzzled look on her face and thanked me for taking the time to talk with her son. She told me that most people wouldn't even look at him, much less talk to him.

I told her that it was my pleasure and then I said something. I have no idea where it came from. I told her that there are plenty of red, yellow and pink roses in God's garden, however, "Blue Roses" are very rare and should be appreciated for their beauty and distinctiveness.

You see, Denny is a "Blue Rose" and if someone doesn't stop and smell that rose with their heart and touch that rose with their kindness, then they've missed a blessing from God.

She was silent for a second, then with a tear in her eye she asked,

"Who are you?" Without thinking I said,

"Oh, I'm probably just a "daffodil or maybe even a dandelion," but I sure love living in God's garden.

She reached out, squeezed my hand and said, "God bless you!" and then I had tears in my eyes.

May I suggest, the next time you see a rare Blue Rose, don't turn your head and walk off. Take the time to smile and say "Hello." Why? Because, by the grace of God, this mother or father could be you. This could be your child, grandchild, niece or nephew. What a difference a moment can mean to that person or their family.

From an old dandelion! Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God .

"People will forget what you said, People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel!"
~ The author is Pastor Hal Steenson and this is a real life story of his which took place July 12, 2006

Dear Friends
Logos Hope, the world’s largest floating book fair is now in Penang!

When : 25.08.2011 - 25.09.2011

Where : George Town, Penang

Venue : Ship Deck, Swettenham Pier

Entrance : RM1/- per adult (FOC children under 12 years of age)
Opens : Tuesday – Saturday : 10.00am- 10.00p.m
Sunday : 1.00pm- 10.00pm

Closed : On Mondays

This inaugural visit to Malaysia will be opened to the public at the Swettenham Pier, Penang on August 19, 2011 and will be open through September 25, 2011.

Logos Hope offers more than books and features a fully air conditioned deck that is open to the public to explore. The Welcome Experience, will introduces this new vessel through a short movie and various displays. The vessel also offers ice cream, drinks and snacks for everyone to enjoy at the International Café.

There is an expanded selection of over 5000 books that covers a range of subjects including science, sports, hobbies on board. This includes children’s titles, academic texts, dictionaries, atlases and more.
The all-volunteer crew and staff comprise of around 400 people representing 45 different nations. Logos Hope is operated by GBA Ships e.V., an international, charitable organization from Germany . In 40 years of service, the organization has welcomed more than 40 million visitors up the gangways in over 160 countries and territories around the world.


For more information please visit their website HERE.