Just just now was the Male Nasyid competition. The Female's was yesterday night but boys aren't allowed entry because as we all (should) know, the female voice is an aurat. But i'm pretty sure we didn't miss much. Their nasyid show couldn't have outdone the male's as there are certain boundaries of dignity that I'm sure our girls would not lightly overstep.

Case in point : The Topaz Performance. It started out very very promising (They came on stage with the old candle-bearing trick). Excellent choice of songs and so was the execution. But well into the second song, the Great Joko came on stage and did a rap number. Somehow, the juxtaposition didn't quite work as had been hoped. Plus, his rap message didn't get across since his words were barely audible. Regrettable, yes but a worthy effort nonetheless.

Which warranted the "What the hell was that?" comment by Mr Jamal (referring to the Joko bit). Oh, the judges had a comment session after every performance ala Malaysian Idol. A very nice touch.

Topaz were third to come on after Diamond and Garnet, whom were mediocre to say the least. Well, to their credit, they were probably good, well above average, but the last two performances wiped out all memory of theirs.

Which brings me to the last group : Sapphire. They were superb. Yes, I'm actually typing this to be published. I just have to hand it to them, they stole the show. They even did a little sketch at the end which was really cute. Aman the lead singer (and probably the most prolific male songbird in the college) has just succesfully expanded his fan base.

And the icing on the cake (or the salt on the wound, depending on your house affiliation) was that 2 out of 3 judges said that they were the best performers that night. So much for anticipation for the results come Sunday night for the closing ceremony.

Heh. Again, congratulations Sapphire. :)