Modelville: ANTM Cycle 1 Revisited

This is where it all began. In May 20,2003, UPN showed the 1st cycle of America's Next Top Model. Thanks to Tyra for making her dreams come true. And television has never been the same again (to me lah!). The catchphrase was "One Girl has what it takes". Featuring 10 contestants and in ranking order:
Last - Tessa,
9th - Katie,
8th - Nicole,
7th - Ebony,
6th - Giselle,
5th - Kesse,
4th - Robin,
3rd - Elyse,
2nd - Shannon,
Winner - Adrianne

The international destination was Paris. Adrianne won:
1. A contract with Revlon cosmetics
2. A contract for representation with Wilhemina Models
3. A spread in Marie Claire

Adrianne claimed that she did not receive all of her prizes, leading to a feud with Tyra. She was 20 y.o. when she won the title. She has since been disowned and completely disconnected from the show. In fact, rumour has it ANTM weren’t too happy when Adrianne was paid US$1 million to appear on the cover and in a nude pictorial for Playboy in 2006. Later, she appeared on VH1’s fourth season of The Surreal Life and began dating fellow housemate Peter Brady (well, Christopher Knight who played Peter in the original television series, so close enough). After The Surreal Life, the couple starred in a reality show documenting their life together called My Fair Brady, from which Adrianne reportedly earned US$250,000. The show led to her being featured in Maxim’s Hottest Women of Reality TV, and ranked (last) on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2005. Adrianne wed her Brady-beau in a gothic-themed ceremony in 2006.




















My award for the Bitchiest Contestant goes to: Robin.

Well she has definitely irritated the atheis Elyse and at the same time confronted the lesbian, Ebony. She complained about her makeover. Dismissed Ebony for her being a lesbian and bringing her girlfriend, Ka to the loft. But she was made to sleep on the floor in Paris. She even paid a boy to help her in Paris for direction during the go-sees. She refused to shoot naked knowing the fact that she flashed her boobs to Jay earlier.

Best photos goes to: Elyse and Adrianne's shot with snake and also Adrianne's shot for Reebok ad.

Worst photos went to: Kesse's shot with the snake (she looked ghastly and horrified instead of edgy), Shannon's shot for Stuff (she looked anorexic), and Tessa's "I'm going to take a dump on a top of a building in New York" JLO's swimsuit shot.

Most successful ANTM alum of Cycle 1 goes to Elyse. (She is the most successful ANTM alum ever and very successful in Asia. I saw her in lots of Hong Kong Fashion Week. She is feature in Sony commercial).

Where are they now (other than Adrianne and Elyse)?

1. Shannon Stewart: has done some print work and signed with Elite Model Management in Chicago.
2. Robin Manning: is pursuing an acting career and has been in 2 movies, did some church-related print work.
3. Kesse Wallace: has done some runway, acting, and commercial work and was signed with Gilla Roos.
4. Giselle Samson: did a variety of test shots.
5. Ebony Haith: was signed with Downtown Model Management and was an extra on Freakum Dress video for Beyonce
6. Nicole Panattoni: had modeled for various companies including La Isla Couture and Deal or No Deal but has retired to have a family.
7. Katie Cleary: is working with Deal or No Deal and has done some print modeling. She has also landed a few acting roles.
8. Tessa Carlson: did a few test shots but ultimately did not pursue a modeling career. She did posed for Stuff in 2003.

I conquered Gunung Datuk for the 2nd time!

Dah lama aku tak panjat gunung. Last year, I climbed Mount Kinabalu and Gunung Datuk. So, me and my friend, R, went to Gunung Datuk in Rembau on 14 Feb. It was R's first and the second for me. We left KL around 7.30am and reached the summit of Gunung Datuk around 8.45am. We started climbing around 9.10am. Before start climbing, siap ambik gambar and posing. Itu sudah kemestian. Gunung Datuk has a height of 2,900 feet above sea level.

The trail is a bit rocky with lots of small and huge rocks. Akar2 kayu pun ada. besar and kecil. But the trees are a bit weird in terms of the features and the names yet astonishing. I did snapped a few bunga liar. Quite rare and nice.

We managed to reach the top at 11.10am; exactly 2 hours. We spent almost 1 hour at the peak. Taking pictures. The view is simply breathtaking. Cold wind as well. Tengoklah my pics yg posing FIERCE ala model. Hehehe! Berangan lah tu. Well, bila lagi nak berangan kan?.....

My favourite show ever: ANTM!

TV (my TV that is hehehe...) has never been the same since America's Next Top Model (ANTM) shown on air. Thanks to Tyra for making a fashion modelling as 'real TV'. I love the cattiness. Bitchiness. The in-house drama. The over-the-top photo shoots. The outrageous catwalks. The juries' antiques and Tyra's too. It's FIERCE all the way through. I've watched religiously (the 1st runs, the repeats, the DVDs collection) every cycles of ANTM.

The winners from Cycle 1 to 11 are:

1. Adrianne (Elyse should have won. She is famous on international catwalks though now.)

2. Yoanna (My all time favourite)

3. Eva

4. Naima

5. Nicole

6. Danielle (Surprisingly Mollie Sue outdid Dani as she made headlines and now based in Paris.)

7. Caridee

8. Jaslene

9. Saleisha

10. Whitney

11. McKey

Here is my ranking for the winners. Which winners came out top on my list?

1. Yoanna

2. McKey

3. Nicole

4. Jaslene

5. Naima

6. Saleisha

7. Danielle

8. Whitney

9. Eva

10. Caridee

11. Adrianne

Family trip Perak (continued)

25 Jan 2009

1. Pasir Salak

My family and I went to visit Kompleks Sejarah Pasir Salak (Pasir Salak Historical Complex). It is said that this is the place where Malay nationalism transpired with the assassination of JWW Birch, the first British Resident of Perak. Birch dibunuh oleh Puntum. Sadly, kitorang tak dapat tengok kubur si Puntum. The complex wasn't being maintained well except for the Terowong Sejarah (Time Tunnel). The tunnel is, basically, meant to instill the patriotism among the visitors on the journey of our nation towards Independence. The garden, the flowers, are not poorly maintained with dried flowers all over sporadically within the complex. The complex, has a nice view though with Sungai Perak as the background.

There is also the Sun Clock just opposite the entrance of the complex, which I found really interesting to look at. Namanya 'Jam Suria'.

Pas tu, plan nak pegi Gua Tempurung but when we reached there, the visiting hour is closed. We reached there at 4.30pm and apparently, the operating hour is from 9am to 4pm. Lesson learned, check operating hours of any local attractions to save you time. We went to Kellie's Castle after that.

2. Kellie's Castle

Kellie's Castle is situated at Batu Gajah. The castle belongs to Scottish rubber tycoon, William Kellie Smith (hence, the word Kellie) built for his wife. The castle is famous for its mystery such as the hidden elevator from bottom to the top floor and two tunnels under the nearby river. Legend said that at times, Kellie's spirit roamed in the castle especially in the walkway.

26 Jan 2009

3. Kuala Kurau

We spent the night before at Bagan Serai at my brother in law's uncle's house. After breakafst, we passed by Kuala Kurau fishing village. A breathtaking view from the newly built bridge. Didn't go there but snapped a few photos from the bridge instead since my nephews wanted to go to Taiping Zoo before heading home to Seremban.

Waddup!

It's been a while since my last post. Anyway, let's recap on what happened to me since 18 Jan 09. Oh yeah, my last day with the company that I worked with was on 16 Jan 09. Been there almost 5 years. Had both good and bad memories. Going to miss my staff, my colleagues, my cubicle. Life has to go on. I'm looking forward for new challenges in my life and can't wait for what lies ahead of me. For the record, I'm still jobless as of today. But I received an offer on Wednesday ( it wasn't that good but the opportunities seem to be fruitful later end of year). There is another offer but I have yet to be interviewed by the hiring personnel. The latter seemed to be my 'cup of tea' as it promised better career prospect. We'll just have to wait and see then.

Shagged Yusof on 19 Jan 09 around 2pm. It was ok. He proposed me business opportunities in unit trust. Seemed interesting. May meet up with him later for the briefing. Going to PD next day and checked in at Le Paris Resort, Batu 1. Very quiet. Need to take a break from KL. Refresh and recharged. Did, however, shagged 2 guys (1 on 20th and 1 on 21st - haiqal and duan). Tragedy occured on 21st. I accidentally killed a cat as I was about to leave the hotel. Poor thing died slowly. I'm sorry cat. The beautiful sunset at PD (picture below).

Watched Underworld 3 on 22 Jan 09 at Times Square. Then, hanged out at Starbucks Coffee. Surf internet. ada wifi kat situ. Then, terjumpa Bun, my ex company's client and I told him that I had left the company and he told me that he may have something for me. Rezeki kot. Alhamdulillah. Next day, sent car for service. Saturday, went to Perak with my family. Bawa my anak buah jalan2 ke Perak. We went to Sg Klah Hot Spring at Sungkai. Very cool place for relaxing your muscles ( a pool of hot spring water). Me any my mum and Alif was scared in getting to the hot water (pic below).

Stayed at Felda Sg Besout (my brother in law's hometown). So, save duit sikit. Next day, Sunday, went to Kompleks Sejarah pasir salak at Kuala Kangsar.

Then, dropped by at Kellie's Castle. Yes, the haunted castle. Before heading to Bagan Serai to spend a night at my brother in law's uncle's house. Next day, went to Kuala Kurau to see the fishing village and then, straight to Taiping Zoo. We reached Seremban later that night. Best gak pi Perak. Banyak lagi tempat menarik yg tak pegi lagi. macam Belum forest.

to be continued....................

Kuala Terengganu!

Dah lama aku tak post blog. Dekat 9 hari. Bukan sebab tak ada cer (cerita). Cuma aku dalam krisis. Tapi tak apa. Berkat doa dan kuasa yg Maha Esa, aku berjaya mengatasi krisis itu dan bangkit menongkah arus kehidupan. hidup tak selalu indah. ada duka ada suka. Tapi i am strong. I have to be. kalau tak, aku pasti kalah dengan cabaran hidup ini yg mengajar aku erti ketabahan dan erti kekuatan. Yang pasti, kita harus sentiasa ingat pada Tuhan dan insyaallah, Tuhan akan membantu kita sedayaNya.

What happened to me for the last 9 days? Aku pi Kuala terengganu pada jumaat mlm sabtu tanggal 16 januari 2009. yes, in the wake of the election. I witnessed myself the commotion, the craziness of the election. Pas. BN. Memang kacau bilau. Even ada pergaduhan. Yang uniknya cara diorang promote parti masing2. Bendera sudah tentu. topi. baju. basikal. kereta. tudung pun. Aku naik bas Ekpres Sutera dari Hentian Putra. Nampaknya, aku sudah ditipu. Basnya azab nak mampus. Bukan sperti bas ekspres biasa. More like bas kilang. Azab. Dengan enjin yang berbunyi. Beberapa kali aku berdoa supaya selamat sampai.

Aku sampai KT dlm kul 7 pagi. Tunggu my friend, Muin, ambik aku kat Bas terminal. had breakfast. Nasi minyak tau. Terkejut aku. Pagi2 makan nasi minyak. Terkezut perut aku sekejap. Then, pi mandi kat Air terjun sekayu.Then the next 2 days. jalan2 kat KT. Nice city. Pi Muzium tamadun islam. very nice indeed.

Bawah ni pic aku depan Masjid Mohammed Ali, Cairo, Egypt.

Ini pula pic aku depan Masjid Kristal. cantik tak?

2 B or not 2 B?

I'm confused. I want to be a good citizen. A good person. An empathy person to be exact. But with all these tragedy in Gaza. I felt so touched of the rampant bombing, the senseless killings, the crying, the catastrophe that occured to the Palestinian especially the innocent children. It is so sad. I was taken aback by this. Stop the killings please! Stop the bombing! World peace please! Macam Miss World lah pulak.

Which brings to the topic. To ban or not to ban? My sister and my BFF told me that the following brands or products have been donating money to Israeli Army. OMG! This is the troop that fired bombs and killed the innocent children in Gaza. So, I'm puzzled as to which brands i should ban. :)

1. Coca cola: B. (Coz i am on a no soft drink diet).

2. Huggies: B. (Definitely. Since when I became straight and have kids? Hehehe!)

3. River Island:? (Never heard of it.)

4. Mc Donalds: B (The diet thing.)

5. Clinique: ? (Not using it).

6. Disney: B (I don't watch Hannah Montana. Sorry Miley!)

7. Donna Karan: ? (Not edgy enough).

8. Starbucks: B (There's always Dome or Power Root Tongkat Ali)

9. Gap: ? (Don't wear it.)

10. Garnier: ? (Don't use it. Or anything with Fasha sandha in it).

11. Perrier: ? (????)

12. Kotex: ? (Since when i have a vagina?)

13. Sanex: B (Never use it).

14. Jo malone: ? (Jo who?)

15. Lancome: ? (Bye bye Isabella rossellini)

16. Libbys: ? (Am i supposed to know this brand?)

17. Tchibo: ? (What? Cibai)

18. Loreal: ? (Don't use it. Maya?)

19. marks & spencer: ? (Never buy from the store).

20. Kleenex: B (Can start using Premier now.)

21. Maybelline: ? (CT)

22. Nestle: Can i say 50/50 since i love the products.

23. Vittel: ? (???)

24. Revlon: ? (Bye bye Halle)

25. Wonderbra:? (Sorry, no boobs!)