Parting Glass to a Master Chef

 

Parting Glass to a Master Chef

 I had just woken up when I saw Jock Zonfrillo’s latest IG update. It was surprisingly black in colour and was barely a few minutes old. Came to realise moments later that it was not his. That’s how I got to know about his passing.

 Jock, together with Michelle and Andy, made up as trio judges for Masterchef Australia since Season 12, with the latest season, entitled ‘Secrets and Surprises’, was supposed to be premiered last Monday (Malaysia time).

 The show, especially since the ‘Back to Win’ season in 2020, has been phenomenal and came at the right time when the Covid-19 pandemic had (and still) affected the lives of people around the globe. It was uniquely different compared to most competitive reality TV shows. The judges, plus the contestants, have warmed the hearts of viewers with their emotional and uplifting support of one another. At one point, the show felt less of a competition, but rather a large support base for people to be inspired and motivated, all while being surrounded by amazing circle of friends and new families from within and outside the competition itself.

 Then, there was Jock. He was incredible since the start. As a Michelin star chef, and a protégé of the legendary chef Marco Pierre White, he was undeniably a class of his own. While I was in awe by his culinary skills, especially when he displayed his passion in cooking through the Masterclass episodes, you couldn’t help but have a sense of admiration for the guy. He was humble as a teacher, a great listener, and was willing to be at the same level with his contestants to learn of their expertise and specific cooking skills.

 From the show, and through his personal socmed account, I am also able to see what he was; a funny and great friend, a special mentor, and a loving husband and father.

 And, that is why I, among thousands of his Masterchef fans, have been affected by his death. It was made worse when it was recently revealed that Jock was secretly suffering from bowel cancer, of which was detected in a colonoscopy in 2021. People would fall to their lowest with that kind of revelation, but he didn’t. Instead, he persevered as long as he could, while he continued with his passion in cooking and witty behaviour, spreading positive words and inspire people around him.

 Going to miss his loud yell of support at the end of each Masterchef episode. May his family, friends and fans be strong enough to deal with the loss. The upcoming season premiere will undeniably be a bittersweet experience.

 As for now, a share of his words. “Go home, make yourselves a cup of tea, be kind to each other, and we’ll see you back in the kitchen soon.” 

 

By: Muhammad Nazreen.  A Malaysian & a Masterchef Australia fan.

Starlight Shining at Westlife’s KL Concert (24 February 2023)

How does it feel to finally meet a long-lost friend from your youth? For sure, it would undeniably be a sweet and memorable one. That’s how my wife and I had felt when we recently went to the Westlife concert at the Axiata Arena Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.

The concert, part of the ‘Wild Dreams’ tour, was held two nights in a row. We attended the second one from last Friday night (or was it Saturday night? I could never get the concept right), and it was definitely a moment to remember. The KL traffic was brutal that day, yet we persevered till we reached the venue, and made our hasty steps from the parking lot to the venue, with the Westlife playlist playing inside our head, rent free.

We actually arrived there earlier than expected, yet we had to queue behind a big ocean of people. Honestly speaking, we thought the visitors would be among those from between the Late Gen Xers to the Young Millennials (or Xennials, but the label’s deemed as scandalous and debatable). Surprisingly, there were a lot of youths, so young that I wondered if they first knew about Westlife while lying in their cradle.

Anyway, we had almost an hour to spare, of which the fans totally utilised the time singing to a lot of multigenerational popular songs being played at the indoor venue (My fav was Everybody Wants to Rule the World). It was already a concert on its own.

Then, they came. It was a soft start with a fine montage display, together with the slow instrumental version of their hits, and the crowd was joining the momentum by becoming more excited and restless. With the escalating mood and lights and special effects, Shane, Mark, Kian and Nicky finally made their presence on stage. The crowd was cheering and singing along to their first performance, Starlight, while the fans were shouting excitedly when the two big screens were showcasing the members for the first time. The group looked genuinely happy to see their Malaysian fans too, and that brought passionate cheers from the crowd.

The night was filled with their greatest hits. Uptown Girl was of pure energy, My Love triggered memories of youthful love from their (Correction: our) generation, and If I Let You Go evoked the what-could-have-been moments when you were young.

What’s more rewarding that night is that the band was really showing their appreciation of their Malaysian fans, as they interacted with the crowd a lot between songs. Shane pointed at a baby from the audience, with the display focusing on the youngest spectator of the night, being clueless and all. They also acknowledged and made jokes on them being older and with kids, together with the fanbase, thus the noticeable lack of energy of both as compared to two decades ago. They also funnily made remarks on the lack of fans at the KLIA for their recent arrival, as opposed to what it was when they came for the first time in 1999, much to the amusement and laughter from the crowd.

The concert ended well, not without them making their last group pose on the stage before making their exit, leaving the crowd fully satisfied. Or perhaps, there was an inner wish by the fans for the night to be a little bit longer, before returning to being adults with responsibilities waiting at home and the workplace.

I guess there were mostly true fans who came there that night, as they disregarded all the miniscule shortcomings of the event, but rather appreciate the rich and interactive experience of being transported to when life was positively simpler and brighter. To sum up, the concert was ‘More than Words’ could say (pun intended).

Hope there will be a next tour soon. And Shane, if you’re reading this, we promise we’ll be at the KLIA next time. Be seeing all four of you. Or five, hopefully.

 

 Nazreen 

- We had Joy. We had Fun -