What happend on APRIL TOT?

To start off with this round of TOT, a disclaimer: I was waiting for my turn to entertain the crowd. It’s not so much because I was sitting down there watching the whole show feeling so restless.

Or maybe.

Weirdness.

Don’t ask.

Anyways, as much as I hate to say this, this is by far my favorite month of TOT!! Talk about celebrities, talents and Garrett jumping up and down giggling the whole time, it’s like my birthday, new year and going to Mariah Carey’s concert all wrapped up in this 2 hour exhilarating time.

Kicking off the night was both our very own giant jazz musician, tapping away on the keyboard, James and slapping on the lines of his “Booked” bass guitar, Jude. Their drills and thrills of a medley kept me on my toes the whole time! Hey Sharon, if you’re reading this, you should have been here seeing our very own female-version of Jay Chou cum-part-time Stevie Wonder singing one of her song she composed and written. To be perfectly honest, I never expected much since I was familiar with her oriental-operatic influenced style in music; she totally brought me back to the days I lie down in front of the idiot box with my milk bottle watching Snow White and the annoying elves. Or dwarfs? Ah… blissfully nostalgic. It then escalades to a happily ever after ending *wide grin*.

Clad in a simple T-shirt and jeans, Adam from the Ravelution accompanied by a friend, Dimi showed us the wonder of throwing small wheel up in the air by a thread, sometimes, 2 wheels practically everywhere without getting them tied up in knots like I would. They are the yo-yo masters who spend hundreds of ringgit getting fanciful equipments to try out new moves and stuff. Awesome! Another performance by the Ravelution, Max with MJ braced the stage accompanied by an electronic-enhanced-techno with a slight hint of Arabian music by keyboardist, Zaif. Their energy and enthusiasm was infectious as they dance in from both sides of the stage you could see Jonathan and I making waves with our fingers at the back =D

Our host, Neil and Cpt Cruz was not only tickling our funny bones on stage but their skit on the video was hilarious! The crowd burst into laughter when the police came up who looked like Cpt Cruz. We knew that was him when he started speaking funny. Weird stuff. To stop myself from biting my lips off in a dizzying state of humorous euphoria, I put my notepad in my mouth. Hailing from the Philippines, Talent Inc. was invited to the stage to share what they have prepared for us, a lineup of colourful choices of breathtaking performances. Talent Inc is a 1 year old team based in Davao, the Philippines under the church, Victory Christian Fellowship organized by the Fabregas. Together with us that night was Julia, Maybelle, Josh, Marlou, EJ, Ivy and their dedicated team of pastors. Ushering them to the stage was the romeo of *cough* Sarah’s *cough* dream guy, Filipino on-screen-heartthrob, Pangako sayo actor, Jericho Rosales!!

They started off with a dance number to the remix version of Awesome God which was awesome. Enough said. They moved so passionately to the upbeat of the song they had the whole audience swaying and singing to it especially Garrett and his signature move *wink* Their second number was a song by the legendary Gloria Gaynor, I will survive. It was starkly rapturous to hear both EJ and Ivy as they add their own raw flavour to this classic tune without committing musical sacrilege. Josh, a lively 16 year old chap came up afterwards to tell us stories with his drum jargons. Keeping a repose position with the sticks in his hands, he rocked my sox. They ended with yet another excellent dance number, to the hit musical, Hairspray. Keeping the show alive was also their resemblance to the characters from the play. I can imagine what Garrett is thinking right now, mmm never mind.

Wrapping up the night was our guest artist, our very own homegrown talent, Miss Melina William from Tempered Mental. The vocalist and the bassist from a three piece band, equipped with a guitar, a humble presence and a message to convey, she presented 4 songs for the night which kept the crowd wanting more when she delivered her last number. Easing her into arranging herself on the center stage was of course our lovely hosts, Neil and Cpt Cruz asking her lots of questions haha. The audience barely let up the releasing of adrenaline as she performed “Riddles”, a haunting melody and then “Blindfold” and the last one, “Re-Call”. Timeless tunes.

Even the aftermath of the whole event was a blast! We had CDs sold at the back and signature session, photography session in the front, fellowship with the performers, picking up rubbish, arranging chairs and of course, makan time with the celebrities!

All in all, the TOT nights are definitely getting better and better each time with more exciting shows and talents of our generation lined up in future. I for one am really looking forward to it and having said that, not forgetting our key persons in organizing these nights, kudos to all the light and sound crew and of course our “mane” man, Kelvin. Do check out our next TOT with performances from Garrett (Wooo Hooo Finally!), instrumentalist James, Frogway cast, Marielle-Digby NOT! =P and guest artist, bla bla bla…. On the 23^rd May, Friday at 7.30 pm.

If you ever get lost on the way here, check out the contacts on the side pane of this page. Till then, chao chin chao!

Written by Fly [B]oi ^.^ V