Taufik...Again?!

Taufik rocks. Really, really rocks.



No, this is not a delayed reaction to Singapore's First Idol. No, I am not a new Taufik convert. No, I am not trying to recreate the frenzy or reignite the epidemic.

I'd just like to share this with you. The reason why I suddenly think he really, really rocks.

A while ago, a few months after Taufik was named The Singapore Idol, somewhere in Singapore, there was an event where he made a scheduled public appearance to meet fans and sign autographs. My aunty, Ma Yong, a 49-year-old primary school Vice-Principal, ex-Discipline Mistress and a fiesty little makcik, happened to be there and decided to get Taufik's autograph for my smitten-kitten little sister.

So she started to queue up. The stage was set up with a long table where the fans would line up and one by one, have their posters, CD sleeves, tee-shirts, underwear etc signed by the ever divine Taufik. Taufik was seated behind the table, armed with a black marker and a beguiling smile, looking at each young, swooning fan as he graced their memoribilia with his practiced signature. Though he did look up to greet each person, he stayed seated, as young fan after young fan came up to him, adoration naked on their shining faces.

But when it was my aunty who approached his table, he stood up.

And greeted her with a salam. And an apa khabar, cik. As he signed the CD (which my sister takes to sleep every night now) for my aunty, took time to make small talk and only sat down after my aunty has wished him well and walked away.

I am humbled by this boy's manners. The power of fame has not handicapped his values. His young age has not made him gullible to the overwhelming effect of the spotlight. He is still.......a nice boy.

In a country where fame comes by very sporadically in spurts and getting rich and recognised by sheer talent is a horrific juxtaposition of the local media's temporary worship and inevitable eternal damnation, one-shot wonders often lap it all up and milk it dry for they know they will not have a shot at the career life span nor the paychecks of The Rolling Stones, Tom Jones or Julia Roberts. This feeding frenzy causes the ones in the spotlight to puff up their chests, swell their egos and lose touch with sane reality. Eventually, the diva-ness triumphantly surfaces and nice ordinary people become rude, spoiled, demanding and selfish brats as the spotlight becomes larger and brighter.

Three years ago, when Azim was still running his restaurant in Singapore, a certain slightly-faded Chinese actress, of a certain police drama fame, turned up at his restaurant's doors after closing time with her then-fiance and demanded to be let in and fed. The waiter tried to explain to her that the chefs have gone home already and there is no one to prepare food for her anyway, even if they do let her in. Eventually, Azim was called out to speak to her and he had to try very hard to stay nice. She started throwing a tantrum and actually asked them haughtily, "Do you know who I am?" coupled with "I come here very often,you know!"

To which her embarrassed then-fiance firmly hustled her away, trying to calm her down and saved Azim and his waiter the trouble of losing their own tempers.

In Ria, Abang G used to tell me diva stories of some of the most untalented local "talents" and their tantrums. Kak Su would join in and contribute when she has her vindictive days, especially after a long day in the editing suite. Even Sheikh has his fair share of divas- both female and male. Which he will sometimes regale us with in his typical diplomatic manner.

Then you have the nice ones. Of course you do. It's not the be all and end all. There is goodness left in the world. But the good ones don't need nice stories to justify their niceness, the public would just know. It's palpable, you know? The nice boys and girls in the spotlight do exist.

And Taufik is the latest one. And by far ,to me, the most amazing one for his rezeki came in a sudden downpour and he had all the oppurtunity to lose his head coz he did not have to work so hard and wait so long to get where he is now.

But his head is still firmly on his shoulders, with his smile reaching his eyes and his heart works together with his mind and not with his ego.

That's why I think Taufik really, really rocks. Not because I'm a groupie now.

I just respect people with manners, that's all.