so...  who  are  you?    She  summed  himself  up  with  the  words,  “I  am  a  band  manger  that  works  closely  with  a  group  of  musi-­cians  and  makes  major  decisions.  I  work  a  lot  and  I  read  about  the  music  industry  and  world  events.”      “Yep,  that  pretty  much  sums  me  up,”  she  says.  “I  try  to  be  informed.  I  don’t  want  to  be  the  band  manager  that’s  like  [high-­pitched  voice],  ‘I  dunno  maannnn,  I  just  follow  the  band  and  attend  various  gigs.’There’s  nothing  worse  than  a  dumb  There’s  nothing  worse  than  a  dumb  band  manager  that  doesn’t  know  how  to  play  an  instrument  or  any-­thing  about  the  current  affairs.”    You  must  have  some  other  inter-­ests.  Do  you  watch  movies?  “Not  really.  After  an  hour  I  get  antsy.”  She  describes  sitting  at  home  in  front  of  a  movie  with  her  laptop,  half  watching,  another  half  keeping  track  

watching,  another  half  keeping  track  of  band  information  and  practice  schedules.  “When  I’m  by  myself  that’s  not  a  problem  but  when  you’re  with  your  family  or  friends,  they  are  like,  “Come  on  now.”    What  about  books?  Do  you  read?  “I      What  about  books?  Do  you  read?  “I  don’t,”  she  says.  “I  have  a  very  short  attention  span.  Books  are  tough,  I  like  bullet  points.”    So  you’re  not  going  to  read  this  story  when  it’s  published?  “I  will,”  she  laughs.  “I  will  read  everything!”    Yeah,  right.  We  don’t  believe  her.      Yeah,  right.  We  don’t  believe  her.  So  here  for  your  delectation  –  and  possibly  hers,  if  she  can  put  down  her  laptop  for  a  minute  –  is  Putry  Azhari.  In  bullet  points…You  think  you’ve  had  a  busy  year?  Putry  Azhari’s  week  beats  your  year.“I  am  in  charge  of  coordinating  tours  and  road  activities.  I  supervise  the  band  members  and  activities.  I  supervise  the  band  members  and  ensure  that  everyone  is  okay.  I  have  to  negotiate  with  the  record  companies.  Other  than  that,  I  need  to  oversee  usage  of  band’s  music  by  moviemakers,  advertisers  and  other  agents.  I  also  monitor  publi-­cists  work  for  the  band,  suggesting  media  outlets  and  pulling  in  connections  with  the  media  world.  I  seek  out  endorsements  and  advertising  deals  that  seek  out  endorsements  and  advertising  deals  that  will  raise  money  and  help  to  position  the  public’s  perception  of  the  band  and  their  goals.”…  Yikes!

The  hardest  part  of  Putry’s  life  is  when  she  stops  working.“The  hardest  part  is  coming  off  the  road,”  she  says.  “The  first  three  or  four  days,  the  silence  issuffocating.  On  a  big  tour,  you’re  surrounded  by

15-­16  people  that  you  see  every  day.  There’s  always  something  moving,  whether  it’s  a  truck  or  a  kick  drum  or  a  bag.  Then  you  go  home  and  you  sit  there  in  your  flat  and  you  go  back  and  forth  with  your  laptop  and  you  hear  the  clock  going:  Tick.  Tick.  Tick.  And  it’s  like  hitting  a  brick  wall  –  boom.  That’s  an  adjustment.”

Putry  Azhari  drinks  12  cans  of  Diet  Coke  a  day.Putry  Azhari  drinks  12  cans  of  Diet  Coke  a  day.Can  you  tell  the  difference  between  Coke  and  Pepsi?  “Yes,  blindfolded,”  she  says  without  a  second’s  hesitation.  “When  you  drink  12  of  them  a  day,  you  become  like  a  Coke-­aholic.”

Putry’s  line  of  work  is  predominately  male  and  as  a  woman…“I  try  not  to  let  it  bug  me  but  there  is  always  that  “I  try  not  to  let  it  bug  me  but  there  is  always  that  undertone.  My  band  (Divide)  played  at  a  venue  last  week  and  there  was  a  girl  on  the  house  crew.  I  was  just  so  impressed.  It  is  inspiring  to  know  that  there  is  a  possibility  for  that  prejudice  to  change.  Don’t  let  it  stop  you,  don’t  let  it  intimidate  you.  Show  them  that  women  work  incredibly  hard  just  like  the  men  do…  and  even  better.”men  do…  and  even  better.”

Putry  is  in  a  relationship  with  her  band’s  front  man.“We  have  been  together  for  four  and  a  half  years.”  It  wasn’t  an  easy  relationship,  I  suppose?  “Oh  yes  you’re  right,  it  wasn’t!  Like  life,  it’s  not  all  tidy.  The  speed  of  life  –  and  working  together  in  the  same  industry  –  creates  these  fuzzy  lines  between  business  and  personal  lives.  But  I’m  glad  we  have  learned  to  the  draw  the  line  along  the  way.  He  is  truly  my  soulmate  and  my  best  friend.”truly  my  soulmate  and  my  best  friend.”

Aww!  That’s  really  sweet.  So  where  can  folks  catch  your  band  next?“Come  party  with  us  this  coming  Friday  at  Home  Club!  We'll  be  bringing  a  limited  run  of  our  merch  to  be  sold  at  the  show.  See  you  there.”

Divide’s  latest  release,  ‘The  Sun,  The  Moon  &  The  Truth’  is  available  through  Peter  Says  Denim  Records.facebook.com/DIVIDEjktpetersaysdenim.com

Southeast  Asia’s  first  Microsoft  

Technology  Centre  opens  in  Singapore

Official  opening  of  MTC  Singapore  with  Dr  Yaacob  Ibrahim  and  Ms  Jessica  Tan  at  the  kinect  ribbon  cutting  ceremony.  

Photo:  Microsoft  Singapore

Ms  Jessica  Tan

“

Singapore  –  Southeast  Asia’s  first  Microsoft  Technology  Centre  (MTC)  was  

officially  opened  today  by  Dr  Yaacob  officially  opened  today  by  Dr  Yaacob  

Ibrahim,  Minister  for  Information,  Com-­

munications  and  the  Arts  and  Ms  Jessica  

Tan,  Managing  Director  of  Microsoft  Sin-­

gapore.  Located  at  One  Marina  Boulevard,  

the  new  technology  centre  serves  as  a  

place  for  Microsoft  customers  to  access  

new  technologies  such  as  cloud  computing  

and  unified  communications  before  rolling  

them  out  at  their  own  premises.  

       “The  MTC  is  more  than  a  showcase  of  

Microsoft  technology.  It  features  industry  

leading  best-­of-­breed  solutions  from  us  

and  our  partners,  presenting  many  sce-­

narios  from  increasing  energy  efficiency  

to  addressing  customer  retention  strate-­

gies.  For  the  first  time  in  the  industry,  

there  is  a  place  where  senior  decision  

makers  can  go  to  see  for  themselves  how  

they  can  use  technology  to  transform  

their  business  and  increase  productivity,”  

said  Ms  Tan.

       Since  1990,  Microsoft  has  invested          Since  1990,  Microsoft  has  invested  

over  S$23  million  in  the  MTC  for  the  

next  five  years.  The  US  tech  giant  has  

also  hired  world-­class  experts  to  manage  

the  MTC,  noting  that  these  experts  will  

be  sharing  their  knowledge  and  expertise  

with  local  talents  in  Singapore.

       Mr  Bernard  Chew,  Chief  Information          Mr  Bernard  Chew,  Chief  Information  

Officer  with  NTUC  FairPrice,  who  

toured  the  MTC  added,  “All  of  us  

benefited  greatly  from  the  session.  We  

glimpsed  some  of  the  new  technologies  

that  Microsoft  is  pioneering,  as  well  as  

how  their  solutions  can  drive  

productivity  improvements  and  the  way  productivity  improvements  and  the  way  

we  work.  This  makes  it  easier  for  me  to  

introduce  these  technologies  to  FairPrice  

in  the  coming  months.”

       In  the  near  future,  Microsoft  also  

plans  to  include  made-­in-­Singapore  

innovations  to  provide  greater  exposure  innovations  to  provide  greater  exposure  

to  local  software  companies.

       The  MTC  will  also  facilitate  a  whole  

new  way  of  teaching  and  provide  a  place  

for  business  leaders  and  entrepreneurs  to  

put  their  ideas  to  the  test,  in  line  with  

Microsoft’s  ongoing  efforts  to  play  a  

partnership  role  in  fostering  growth  and  

future  competitiveness  of  Singapore.        

       It  was  highlighted  that  Microsoft  has  

a  significant  impact  on  the  local  econo-­

my  in  Singapore.  According  to  a  recent  

IDC  Economic  Impact  Study,  

Microsoft  partners  and  related  IT  

organisations  employ  an  estimated  47%  

of  the  total  IT  workforce  in  Singapore.  

And  for  every  Dollar  that  Microsoft  

makes  in  Singapore,  its  partners  can  

earn  US$8.13.

       Since  its  soft  launch  in  February,  the          Since  its  soft  launch  in  February,  the  

centre  has  attracted  more  than  1,000  

external  visitors,  noting  that  50  percent  

of  whom  has  arrived  from  overseas.  

Microsoft  expects  the  facility  to  

welcome  6,000  visitors  by  the  end  of  

2012.

3) In

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