The Platters

The old and beautiful. Beautiful people with beautiful voices, ultra mightily talented and powerful vocals, enough to blow you off your roof top. The Platters, yes, were a successful band. But I believe, their music is still being heard by their fans. I was born in the 80s and this is not a disqualifier for me to explore music from the past. They’re just so soothing to listen. The rock bands nowadays have their own way of triggering fans and music lovers. I do Paramore as much as I do Linkin Park. Their music has the edge. And of course, there are those crappy bands. Much like in Malaysia, there are the more successful bands , but they’re music still does not have ‘the’ edge. Rock but jiwang, pop but jiwang. So not my taste though it is OK to listen to em once in a while. The tunes are just too..how shall i put it..sleepy ! Here’s a sample :



Completing an assignment with this kind of tune would falter and weaken my motivation to type or even to lift my finger ! LOL. no offense. A sunny day would turn into a cloudy day ! Literally speaking. Let’s check out Paramore’s CrushCrushCrush

Nothing compares to a quiet evening alone
Just the one, two i was just counting on
That never happens
I guess I’m dreaming again
Let’s be more than this now

Rock and roll, baby
Don’t you know that we’re all alone now?
I need something to sing about
Rock and roll, hey (Hey!)
Don’t you know, baby, we’re all alone now?
I need something to sing about
Rock and roll, Hey
Don’t you know, baby, we’re all alone now?
Give me something to sing about

Now, let’s have a taste of the early rock n roll era. I present to you, The Platters !

You may have listened to The Platters’s songs but may not realize or appreciate the artist/band who sang them. Remember ‘Only You?’ Do sing along dear reader !!

A tribute to Zola Taylor of  the only female member of The Platters , who broke gender barriers as the first female member of the 1950s R&B group -  may your soul rest in peace.

The Platters were a successful vocal group of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound was a bridge between the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition, and the burgeoning new genre.

The group's lineup has changed many times. The original lineup in 1953 included lead vocalist Cornell Gunther, Herb Reed, Alex Hodge, Joe Jefferson, and David Lynch. This lineup changed when the group signed with Ram, who built the group around Tony Williams' distinctive and versatile voice and his ability to bring life to Ram's songs. Within a year, Hodge, Jefferson, and Gunther were out, and Paul Robi, Zola Taylor, and new lead Tony Williams were in. This lineup - the one remembered for the group's biggest and most successful hits - lasted until 1960

The Platters' unique vocal style had touched a nerve in the music-buying public, and a string of hit singles followed, including two more Top 100 number one hits, one Hot 100 number one hit, and more modest hits such as "I'm Sorry" (#11) and "He's Mine" (#23) in 1957, "Enchanted" (#12) in 1959, and "The Magic Touch" (#4) in 1956. The Platters soon hit upon the successful formula of updating older standards, such as "My Prayer", "Twilight Time", "Harbor Lights", "To Each His Own", "If I Didn't Care" and Jerome Kern's "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes". This latter release caused a small controversy after Kern's widow expressed concern that her late husband's composition would be turned into a "rock and roll" record. It topped both the American and British charts in a tasteful Platters-style arrangement. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in its inaugural year of 1998. The Platters were the first rock and roll group to have a Top Ten album in America. They were also the only act to have three songs included on the American Graffiti soundtrack that sparked an oldies revival in the early to mid-1970s: "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "The Great Pretender" and "Only You (and You Alone)".

Take a listen to Zola’s beautiful, chirpy yet unique vocals !

To know more of The Platters click any of the links below :

The Platters by Marv Goldberg

Zola Taylor of The Platter Dies at 69

Wikipedia

Zola Taylor

Listen to them :

iTunes

Four Platters and  A Lovely Dish

I should

Stop asking myself why. If why is the only issue I should think of, then the rest of my life will end up in looking for an eternal list of Whys? Whys surface when there’s a need to , but not to serve as an excuse for an argument or to satisfy one’s satisfaction. E.g. Why am I so fat? Why can’t I reduce my weight? Why the oppression? Ok, fine. Just stop right there. Go on to the next step. The hows. Look up for the hows. Just like the Whys, there were be a plentiful of whys. Then comes the challenge of facing these options. Which one to choose from ?

Then and again, there’s no hard rules in life saying that you should be doing this, this way or another. You can be an artist, a painter, with a set of painting tools. Give 100 artists a 100 set of the same tools, you’ll come up with 999,999 if not a million type of paintings. That’s the beauty of life. The will power is in our hands. The ability to choose , execute and live is within our domain. Basic rules still apply though. We’re here on earth to do good, to ensure justice and to make the best of our living herein and hereafter.

My life is short. I have a choice. And that is making the best out of each day that I live. No more crying little girl. No more crying.

God Bless.

Stressed up..

Normal huh? yeah..easy to say but when the tyrant wind of stress hits ya..its either u crumble to the grown, stand tall against this strong current.. or.. just ’sway’ with it.. My problem is that sometimes I ‘hit’ back at this force going against me, too hard at times that I might risk of injuring myself. I don’t know.. the simplicity of life and how it should be is a far cry from my reality. It’s a too idealistic concept which I haven’t found a way to make it less idealistic, and more realistic.

Being to optimistic would not help.. Being too pessimistic of course, wouldn’t help either. Maintaining myself in the neutral ‘zone’ of being realistic is hard. I get carried way emotionally too soon. Not forgetting the Leo in me.. always roaring even when there are no exact reasons to roar !

God is indeed testing me. And I have to start bucking up to live up to the ‘tests’. To myself, please please be a stronger person. I don’t know.. but do you get ticked off easily..? I do most times and lately this trait have been showing like there’s no tomorrow. I do not want to die of a heart attack… I know I can’t control death, but I can and should control myself. Life is short.. Very short.. I would not want to waste it. I would not waste it for stupid things, for stupid people or for stupid reasons. We gotta play around in life a bit coz nothing is perfect except God. Life will have its own tricky way to amaze me, so I better get prepped up…

A Message To Eddie

If you’re reading this, I hope you’re all right. God Bless.

Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People®

habit 1 – be proactive®

This is the ability to control one’s environment, rather than have it control you, as is so often the case. Self determination, choice, and the power to decide response to stimulus, conditions and circumstances

habit 2 – begin with the end in mind®

Covey calls this the habit of personal leadership – leading oneself that is, towards what you consider your aims. By developing the habit of concentrating on relevant activities you will build a platform to avoid distractions and become more productive and successful.

habit 3 – put first things first®

Covey calls this the habit of personal management. This is about organising and implementing activities in line with the aims established in habit 2. Covey says that habit 2 is the first, or mental creation; habit 3 is the second, or physical creation. (See the section on time management.)

habit 4 – think win-win®

Covey calls this the habit of interpersonal leadership, necessary because achievements are largely dependent on co-operative efforts with others. He says that win-win is based on the assumption that there is plenty for everyone, and that success follows a co-operative approach more naturally than the confrontation of win-or-lose.

habit 5 – seek first to understand and then to be understood®

One of the great maxims of the modern age. This is Covey’s habit of communication, and it’s extremely powerful. Covey helps to explain this in his simple analogy ‘diagnose before you prescribe’. Simple and effective, and essential for developing and maintaining positive relationships in all aspects of life. (See the associated sections on Empathy, Transactional Analysis, and the Johari Window.)

habit 6 – synergize®

Covey says this is the habit of creative co-operation – the principle that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, which implicitly lays down the challenge to see the good and potential in the other person’s contribution.

habit 7 – sharpen the saw®

This is the habit of self renewal, says Covey, and it necessarily surrounds all the other habits, enabling and encouraging them to happen and grow. Covey interprets the self into four parts: the spiritual, mental, physical and the social/emotional, which all need feeding and developing.

Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits are a simple set of rules for life – inter-related and synergistic, and yet each one powerful and worthy of adopting and following in its own right. For many people, reading Covey’s work, or listening to him speak, literally changes their lives. This is powerful stuff indeed and highly recommended.

This 7 Habits summary is just a brief overview – the full work is fascinating, comprehensive, and thoroughly uplifting. Read the book, or listen to the full tape series if you can get hold of it.

In his more recent book ‘The 8th Habit’, Stephen Covey introduced (logically) an the eighth habit, which deals with personal fulfilment and helping others to achieve fulfilment too. The book also focuses on leadership. Time will tell whether the The 8th Habit achieves recognition and reputation close to Covey’s classic original 7 Habits work.

Various phrases on this page are registered trade marks belonging to Stephen Covey.

Stephen Covey’s principles are protected intellectual property and feature strongly in the Franklin Covey organization’s portfolio of products and services.

I found this article while searching for some articles on for my class assignment and was intrigued by the 7 habits suggested and forwarded by Stephen Covey. In life, we never stop searching even we have , at a point of time found what we’re looking for. We search because we want to learn, and we learn because only through learning process we can change, for the better of course. It is always  self-reflection every time I write or share something here on this blog. How I can benefit from it. So here, I gotta be more pro-active ; participate, and shred off any passiveness , begin with the end in the mind; goals, goals, goals… put 1st things 1st.. i gotta be more organized and stop procrastinating !!!! think win-win ; benefit myself and others. seek firs to understand then to be understood ; knowledge and getting my facts correct is always important.. the think tank can’t be empty ! sharpen the saw ; there is always room for improvement and betterment in the various facets of my life.. so jewelz, do yer best !!!

Stop procrastinating. Be positive. Small steps is better than 1 giant leap..!!

I thought..

‘I am lost’.. I thought. ‘But this can’t be possible..’, I whispered to myself again.. walking down the alley up and down again I tried to figure out which turn to take, which exit.. Gosh.. It must have been three to four minutes since I lost my way, so I thought. The alley seems pretty deserted.. I didn’t dare to shout for help as I didn’t want ‘unwanted’ help.. It is chilly outside at this time of the year, with constant evening rain. My old sweater wasn’t enough to give me comfort from both the cold and ‘anxiety’.. How I wish I have zipped my bag.. this would have simply save me the trouble of tracking back for a stupid piece of postcard. Should I keep on walking through the alleys until I recognize the turn I took? or should I just stay put until someone passes by? Either way it’s simply scary as the day got darker.. A rush of wind blew through my face.  I closed my eyes for a second trying to calm my mind. What should I do next? Dear God, please help me !

(to be continued)

Procrastination

The dreaded word. The contagious mind disease. I am in a battle, of my own. Taking 1 step at a time to combat this insanity. It’s been too long that Ive been suffering its time to free myself. I will not try. But I will, make it happen. Clinching that awaited victory over my worst enemy. I can , I can , and I will make sure I continue to psych myself for the good, for the better. Say NO to procrastination.

say NO to Procrastination !

How I (try to) Deal with the know-it-all type

A few tips which I practice when dealing with a know-it-all. A know it all is generally a highly opinionated, arrogant, and believe that their knowledge is superior.  The purpose of this post  is not to undermine the know -it -all, but as a guidance for those who wishes to avoid from getting annoyed by this type of people/friends. These tips may or may not work depending on the strength of your personality and the attitude of the know-it-all. Do provide feedback after reading this post ! Thank you !

Know-it-all

KEEP THE CONVERSATION GENERAL

• Choose AND stick to a general topic, for conversation sake
• If you’re talking one to one, its safe to keep the conversation short-medium. not too long!
• If the topic sides more to the know-it-all type (as in the know-it-all actually knows in-depth about the topic ), do give some allowance for them to talk, but not to the extent of encouraging them to brag of what they know
• You might want to know that some of the know-it-all can be highly insecure people, thus allowing (to a certain extent)  them to talk)shows them that they have nothing to lose

AVOID ASKING COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONS  (unless you have to)

• Sometimes its our own fault, we ask too much !
• Ask specific questions using really selective words as to not ‘generalize’ the question. Instead of ‘Do you know when was the fall of the Berlin Wall?’, use this ‘When exactly did the Berlin Wall fell?’ along your conversation (in this case these 2 people are discussing about the collapse of East German)
• Using ‘Do you know’ sounds just right/ethical , but I personally think if you use it repeatedly, you put yourself in a sort-of lower reliability in terms of who knows deeper on certain issues
• Depth of knowledge is, thus, important. Do increase your general knowledge and do bother to dig up on the issues/topics which interest you
• Email is another option if you want your questions to be answered precisely. Communicate via email Save those unwanted extra chatting time !

 

 

NO NEED TO REPLY TO THE PERSON’S COMMENT/FEEDBACK TO YOUR STATEMENT (and vice versae)

• We don’t want to be rude to anybody, including those annoying ones
• Silence can be potent if used correctly. Not responding to the person’s comment, cuts off the chance for that person to brag on more of what he/she knows. Especially if the person’s comment/remarks are the really ‘inviting’ ones. Inviting statements invite people to respond, and that is exactly what a know-it-all wants, a chance to shine that limelight on him/herself and have that moment.
• If the know-it-all respond to your statement, just cut it off by keeping quiet (not responding)
• Appreciation remarks should be used carefully. Prizing a ‘thank you’ can both show appreciation and humility. But being too humble or too thankful is no good. So avoid ‘Thank you so much’ or ‘I really appreciate it’. You should know when people really deserve these kind of statements.
• Playing with words, especially words that signifies appreciation may ignite that sense of superiority to the know-it-all. So again, be careful.

BE BRAVE

• If the person is telling you more than you should know (if he/she is responding to your question), then remind that person not to do it again. Never cut off a person’s line. It’s rude and you might hurt that person’s feeling
• Don’t hesitate to end the conversation. remember, the shorter the conversation, the less risk you face from becoming a victim of the know-it-all
• A few good examples to end a conversation
  • I got to go
    
  • Have a wonderful week ahead
  • Have a nice day
• Avoid these
  • Talk to you soon
  • I wish we can talk/chat longer
  • I don’t have much time (it’ll sound to offensive a.k.a. rude)

AVOID THE PERSON

• Physically, its not a hard task to do. But we should not double-standard them , or anyone else for that matter
• If you’re depressed, this is the last person you want to meet
• If you’re using the online apps ; Twitter, FB, YM, MSN etc, you may want to filter/block or delete them from your list. It’ll save you from the unwanted mess and trouble.
• The point of blocking/deleting them is not that you don’t want to be friends with them,but a way to ease your senses from overflowing info. Come on, that’s why we have search engines and online news ! duh ! We don’t need the know-it-all type to feed u with unnecessary info all the time

 

GET YOUR FACTS CORRECT

• As mentioned earlier, there’s no harm broadening your knowledge
• Do read up, Google, keep up with the news and other going ons in your neighbourhood, state, country
• Revise on the issues which you’re unsure of its validity. Reliable sources is the key.
• Getting your facts correct serves as shield (or sword if you wish to) especially when confronting the know-it-all

 

 

BE HUMBLE

• Boasting and bragging can be a major turn off. Those who can’t brag about their wealth, may choose to brag on their knowledge.
• Keep to yourself, and stay low
• Speak when you need to , but never keep a silence too long
• If a person ask you a general question, you may want to ask the person if there is anything more specific that he or she wants to know. AND answer precisely to the questions.
• If you wish to explain further, have the courtesy to ask frankly whether your friend/listener wants to know more
• Know when to stop talking ; when your listener shows a decreasing/lack of interest

 

Other tips

• recognize that it is useless to argue with this type of person
• don’t take their behaviour personally
• acknowledge their competence and take time to hear them out
• maintain your sense of humour and go with the flow

The Last Interview with Princess Grace of Monaco (Grace Kelly) by Pierre Salinger

Here are 6 parts of the last interview with Grace Patricia Kelly (1929-1982) who later became the Princess Grace of Monaco.

Kelly became an actress in the 1950s, starring in such films as Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, High Society, and The Country Girl, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She retired from acting in 1956, at age 26, when she became “Her Serene Highness The Princess of Monaco” upon marrying Rainier III, Prince of Monaco. The couple later had three children: Caroline, Albert, and Stephanie. Kelly maintained dual American and Monegasque citizenship after her marriage.

Kelly died after being critically injured in a car accident with her daughter Stephanie in September 1982. The American Film Institute ranked her #13 amongst the Greatest Female Stars of All Time.

The interview was conducted for ABC’s program 20/20 less than 2 months before the former American film star’s death on the 14th September 1982.

I hope all of you who are interested in the life story of Grace Kelly, her life as a Princess in the Principality of Monaco, the differences between her life in America and Europe, as well as the legacy she leaves behind, will enjoy this interview video. Each of the 6 parts take around 10 minutes. Total viewing time is less than an hour.

I’m not an avid devotee of Grace Kelly, but I do appreciate the existence influential figures in the world, and this one is particularly interesting as she presents a hybrid between old Hollywood glamor and elegance and the historical European’s royal household ,The House Grimaldi.

Enjoy !

p.s. There are numerous other videos covering the biography of this unique and graceful personality. But mostly are in French. But watch this space aight ?!

How To Deal with Difficult People. (if you know of any!)

Dealing with difficult people in any situation can result in stress and frustration, and make it seem like getting things done is nearly impossible! Whether it is a tank, a whiner or the person who wants all the attention, or the sniper you can learn ways to deal with these people. This article will help you learn that YOU can be in control of your reactions by taking action and give you tips on how to bring out the best in yourself and others.

1. Brinkman and Kirschner identify 10 different behavior patterns often exhibited by people under pressure.The Steamroller (or Tank): Aggressive and angry. Victims can feel paralyzed, as though they’ve been flattened.The Sniper: The Sniper’s forte is sarcasm, rude remarks, and eye rolls. Victims look and feel foolish.

   The Know-It-All: Wielding great authority and knowledge, Know-it-all do have lots to offer, are generally competent, and can’t stand to be contradicted or corrected. But they will go out of their way to correct you.

   The Grenade: Grenades tend to explode into uncontrolled ranting that has little, if anything, to do with what has actually happened.

   The Think They Know It All: A cocksure attitude often fools people into believing their phony “facts.”

   The Yes Person: Someone who wants to please others so much that she never says no.

   The Maybe Person: Procrastinating, hoping to steer clear of choices that will hurt feelings, he avoids decisions, causing plenty of frustration along the way.

   The Blank Wall (or Nothing Person): This person offers only a blank stare, no verbal or nonverbal signals.

   The No Person: He spreads gloom, doom, and despair whenever any new ideas arise, or even when old ones are recycled. The No Person saps energy from a group in an amazingly short time.

   The Whiner: Whiners feel helpless most of the time and become overwhelmed by the unfairness of it all. They want things to be perfect, but nothing seems to go right. Whiners want to share their misery.

STEP 2 -The task orientated personalities will be your basic “whiners”, “no-people” and the “blank walls”. Their personality will be less aggressive and almost seem passive. On the other hand you will have your aggressive task oriented people like your “snippers”, “know it alls”, and “Steamroller” (“tanks”). Their personality says get behind me or feel my wrath. They choose to believe the rest of the team is slacking while they do all the work.Don’t get me wrong both these task oriented groups are there to get the job done. These are the people that will put extra effort to make sure the task is complete and will volunteer at the 11th hour to make sure the deadline is met. However, understanding how they work is dealing with effectively. They are the ones that will come in with the most to say and will want to do the most.They tend to want to get things done (the “tanks”, “snippers”, and “know it alls”) and get it done right (“whiners”, “no-people” and the “blank walls”).

STEP 3 – The opposite end there are the people oriented groups, they are your basic “yes-people” and “maybe people”, even a “blank wall” person can fall into this category. They want to get along with everybody, we are just one big happy family.Their goal is not to hurt anyone’s feelings, they will commit to projects and then not follow through. They’re excuse will be, “I just could not say no”, or “I really did not make a choice for or against it.” They live by the saying, “If you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all.

Most likely they are the ones suggesting the project potluck or meeting up for a celebration at the local happy-hour spot. They’re main focus is to survive and get along. Everything they do is with this goal in mind.

STEP 4 – The last of the people oriented group are the “they think they know it all”, “Grenade” and the “snipper”. They want to be appreciated for their contributions. However, should things not go the way a grenade think it should it will explode all over the place leaving feelings, and emotions everywhere to be cleaned up. the snipper on the other hand will go into hiding and begin to shot bullets (not real)from hiding. They will begin to talk negatively about the project to others but they will never come to you directly. Snippers are the ones in meeting mumbling the smart remarks to their neighbor but when confronted they deny it all.Hopefully you have seen yourself in these examples and types. Step one is to recognize where you stand in this and now we will talk about how to deal with them effectively.

STEP 5 – When dealing with someone you deem to be difficult, you want to first recognize the personality you are dealing with, next you want to ask some clarifying questions. The kinds of questions you want are open-ended, those to which there is more than a yes or no answer. They begin with what, how, where, who, when, and sometimes why—without an accusatory tone. A simple “Tell me more about…” can also serve the same purpose.

Once you have completed this step you want to back-track or say exactly what you heard them say. DO not put into your own words, say exactly the same words they said. This will help you get an understanding, it will also allow them to clarify themselves even more or change what they said without feeling badgered.

The next step in the process has to do with attitude. Search for and acknowledge that the other person’s intentions are positive. This means giving the person you are dealing with the benefit of the doubt. Brinkman and Kirschner advise, “Ask yourself what positive purpose might be behind a person’s communication or behavior and acknowledge it. If you are not sure about the positive intent, just make something up. Even if the intent you try to blend with isn’t true, you can still get a good response and create rapport.”