I am reading Vernetta Lopez's Memoirs of a DJ- Life in progress.
Quite frankly, a lot of the book is about her life as a DJ (hence the title)... but I bought the book because I wanted to get straight to the bits about her failed marriage with Mark Richmond.
See, I grew up watching them on TV and hearing them on the radio. I remember in an interview, Mark Richmond saying something like.. the first time he held Vernetta's hand was when they were crossing a road, and then after that, he didn't want to let go. Such things, though inconsequential to my own life.. just stick in my head (other more important things.. like where I put my phone.. I forget in 3 seconds).
When they got married, I was still a teenager, and I got so excited. When they got divorced some years later, I told myself I would NEVER get married at St Andrew's Cathedral. They jinxed it for me!
Bearing in mind that I am only reading one side of the story here, I still can't help hating Mark Richmond.
HE CHEATED ON HER. REPEATEDLY. And when found out, instead of coming clean, he denied it... and even got 'B' (obviously Beatrice Chia... who in my opinion is very talented, but SHAME ON YOU, wench!)... well he got B to tell Vernetta that there was nothing going on. Meanwhile, B is sniffing his "SMELL" on her pillow. Gah! The cheek!
To be fair... he's maintained a longish marriage so far with Beatrice, and they have a 5 year old son. So it's not true then... that common saying- Once a cheater, Always a cheater.
Either that, or Beatrice, being thegiant woman that she is, is just better at holding onto the reins compared to Vernetta. I will need to learn from her (because I am crap at the art of control and manipulation. My mom is ace at it, and she uses it to make me feel bad/give in/ agree with her.... she must have been Dr Phil in her previous life. I want to be Dr Phil!).
I have not read the whole book yet. But I know Vernetta remarried in 2009 (when she was 36), and she has mentioned (in interviews) that the clock is ticking, etc. I wonder why they haven't had kids yet. She's 39 now. If it were a true memoir, I expect to see the honest truth on this too... are they trying? Is something wrong? What?
I hope it's not one of those memoirs which are brutally honest when it involves other people (i.e. Mark Richmond), and then kinda all perfumed when it comes to her current life and marriage.
Some other biographies I would love to read would be:
DJ Glen Ong's - Third Time's a Charm: Kate,Jamie and Jean.
Prince Harry - Being the Only Ginger in the Family.
Robert Downey Jr. - Ironman: Sex, Drugs and Drink
(unfortunately, none of these titles exist yet.)
Whose biography would you like to read? And... is all fair in love and war.. do you too feel like spitting on Mark Richmond and Beatrice's affair?
P/s- New stuff listed on ClubCouture today :) Imma do some shopping!
See, I grew up watching them on TV and hearing them on the radio. I remember in an interview, Mark Richmond saying something like.. the first time he held Vernetta's hand was when they were crossing a road, and then after that, he didn't want to let go. Such things, though inconsequential to my own life.. just stick in my head (other more important things.. like where I put my phone.. I forget in 3 seconds).
When they got married, I was still a teenager, and I got so excited. When they got divorced some years later, I told myself I would NEVER get married at St Andrew's Cathedral. They jinxed it for me!
Bearing in mind that I am only reading one side of the story here, I still can't help hating Mark Richmond.
HE CHEATED ON HER. REPEATEDLY. And when found out, instead of coming clean, he denied it... and even got 'B' (obviously Beatrice Chia... who in my opinion is very talented, but SHAME ON YOU, wench!)... well he got B to tell Vernetta that there was nothing going on. Meanwhile, B is sniffing his "SMELL" on her pillow. Gah! The cheek!
To be fair... he's maintained a longish marriage so far with Beatrice, and they have a 5 year old son. So it's not true then... that common saying- Once a cheater, Always a cheater.
Either that, or Beatrice, being the
I have not read the whole book yet. But I know Vernetta remarried in 2009 (when she was 36), and she has mentioned (in interviews) that the clock is ticking, etc. I wonder why they haven't had kids yet. She's 39 now. If it were a true memoir, I expect to see the honest truth on this too... are they trying? Is something wrong? What?
I hope it's not one of those memoirs which are brutally honest when it involves other people (i.e. Mark Richmond), and then kinda all perfumed when it comes to her current life and marriage.
Some other biographies I would love to read would be:
DJ Glen Ong's - Third Time's a Charm: Kate,Jamie and Jean.
Prince Harry - Being the Only Ginger in the Family.
Robert Downey Jr. - Ironman: Sex, Drugs and Drink
(unfortunately, none of these titles exist yet.)
Whose biography would you like to read? And... is all fair in love and war.. do you too feel like spitting on Mark Richmond and Beatrice's affair?
P/s- New stuff listed on ClubCouture today :) Imma do some shopping!
woooo... i'd be really curious about Glen Ong's bio if he writes one, as the way you titled it!
ReplyDeletewas there any mention that M wanted to call off the wedding but V didn't as it was a lose of face? i read that somewhere off FB...
Had the same reason on why I wanted to buy the book haha. Even so, the cheating shouldn't have happened. The third party doesn't deserve any sympathy. The man however, should have left her before the wedding whether or not vernetta was against it!
ReplyDeleteHad the same reason on why I wanted to buy the book haha. Even so, the cheating shouldn't have happened. The third party doesn't deserve any sympathy. The man however, should have left her before the wedding whether or not vernetta was against it!
ReplyDeleteHahahahaha Glenn Ong's one for sure!
ReplyDeleteThere are always two sides to a coin. I know them personally and the fact that she's exaggerating the facts makes it a distasteful read.While she is lining her dirty laundry and milking profits from it, what more can she gain? A momentary pity from the public as being the victim? Give it a few more months, it will all fade into grey. Mark, on the other hand, is leading a blissful family life notwithstanding the scorned woman dishing out their intimate details.
ReplyDeleteI think he might have been unsure of the relationship before the wedding and yes I agree that it shouldn't have taken place at all. It is easy to call the third party a witch, but the fact is that if two people are genuinely happy and in love, it takes a lot for a third party to be able to step in. When I was younger, I used to believe that cheating is cheating... but nothing is ever simple is it. We are human and there are times we falter. We are not perfect. I'm not talking about those people who callously lie to their partner while screwing multiple extras... I'm just saying that I understand why men or women do this sometimes. Not everyone is brave enough to let go and venture into the unknown - a lot of people want to find that special someone while holding on to just about anyone.
ReplyDeleteAs a side note, I just wanted to say that personally, I have not cheated on anyone but I have been cheated on.
I really wanna read Robert DJ if he has one, i wanna know how he became Iron man. I've always wanted to be a superhero
ReplyDeleteVernetta, from experience, is a two face. In front of Mark and us (we were introduced( shes sweet n i remembered when we passed each other outside the tv studios (she was only a under one roof actress then), she ignored my , 'hello' like shes such a bigshot. Even kylie minogue is humbler... and i was also like her but a dj then. Dont like her then, dont like her ever shes pretenscious.
ReplyDeleteA lot if girls were after mark since holy cross church days and hes been a handsome since pri 1 when i met him in kid brother's school. But can never figure whats so hot about mark. SO surely hes had lots of flings married or not n honestly, so do the other djs and crew that are married. I wont drop names here :)
ReplyDeleteIf u know the two losers glenn married (1st one is a whiney bully & second one just for career advancement ... from robin leong to glenn ong to her current colleague) n hope jean knows what shes doing dron ex dob richmond n that other annoying dj (ekks).
ReplyDeletejuicy stuff just reading the comments here *hehe*
ReplyDeleteMy take is that Vernetta Lopez, like a lot of famous or semi-famous personalities out there, wanted to write her memoirs. And her broken marriage was a defining moment in her life that she felt she had to include.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be fake to sanitize her memoirs, gloss over her broken marriage with Richmond and pretend that it never happened, just for the sake of being super duper nice to her ex-husband's new family. If they're not friends, they're not friends. No need for pretense.
What kind of memoirs would a dishonest one be? For those who don't get it, it would be like reading Andrea de Cruz' s memoirs and there's nothing on the Slim 10 saga. Or reading Christopher Lee's memoirs and there's nothing on the time when he was arrested and jailed for a hit-and-run accident.
A good memoir writer has to be brave enough to make difficult decisions. Certain moments define us in our lives. They may be good, they may be bad, they may be very, very uncomfortable for some people who are still alive, but if you want to write an honest account of your life and if you want your memoirs to be taken seriously, then you better include them.
I don't know any of those people personally, so I can't tell you who I think is a "better person" and who is "one-faced" or "two-faced", but I support Lopez on her choice to include that episode in the book. As a memoir writer, she's not obliged to compromise on a narrative of her life out of kindness for her ex-husband's family.
As for whether she is victimising herself, well, if the Richmonds feel that the memoirs have maligned them or propagated untruths about them, then do it the Singaporean way - sue her for defamation. Otherwise, let the readers be the judge. Or even better, write your own memoirs and give your side of the story.
To those who say that it's not classy to wash dirty linen in public, we're talking about memoirs here. You wash dirty linen in your memoirs.
As a side-note, I haven't been cheated on, but I have been through some rough patches in my life and I know that if I were to attempt to write my memoirs someday, I would include them.
Hear! Hear! Well put!!!!
DeleteHear! Hear! Well put!!!!
DeleteDefinitely not a book I would think is worth reading, when she's not really a very experienced DJ/actress in the industry to even come out with 'memoirs of a DJ'. It just feels her selling point was her being 'victimized' in her previous marriage which I doubt anyone remembered any part of it until she decided to dish it out again in her book. I think the Richmonds would have better things to do in their lives than to spent that sort of money and time taking legal actions against her when Mark and Beatrice are living a much better life with their son. It would be a much wiser choice.
ReplyDeleteI believe they got married in Novena church instead of St Andrew's Cathedral
ReplyDeletethis made me laugh n i too wanna learn! ur mum is so cool: "I will need to learn from her (because I am crap at the art of control and manipulation. My mom is ace at it, and she uses it to make me feel bad/give in/ agree with her.... "
ReplyDelete.....this scares me when i think about marrige or long term relationships...cause i am bad at it too. i always thought that genuinely caring loving n giving warmth and having gd intentions would be enough...but it can b really hard in reality n it depends on ur partner's outlook too.
Well truth be told b is the bitch. I saw vernetta between sobs and looking really down at the lobby bar in shangri la hotel. At that time I wonder why is she looking so pitiful and sad and thought to myself perhaps her marriage is in trouble. Then days later I saw with my own eyes at marina south where they use to hv the $10 per head BBQ thingy, b and mark holding hands crossing the road. Following that I saw them another time behaving affectionately albeit cautious.
ReplyDeleteAnd to add on b and mark did all this cannot see daylight stuff while still married to vernetta. What kind of woman does that makes b? So b for u dissing on vernetta, I say reflect on yourself first.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read about her writing abt her ex-husband in the memoir, i thought Vernetta was being childish and that it's uncalled for. But on second thought, a memoir should focus on events that affect one's personal life and experiences. SO, It would only make sense that these events are included. Of course, the book should still focus mainly on her job as a DJ (as the title stated).
ReplyDeleteAnd whether her version of the failed marriage is being exaggerating, it's not up to anyone to judge. The memoir serve as a record of her feelings and her experiences. The same words or same scenes could be interpreted so differently by each individual. If that was how she felt and how she interpreted, She shld write as it is.
I will just read it like a story book. It's a story written by her and I dislike the ex-husband and 3rd party in her book.
On a side note, I am definitely interested to read about Glen. lolz
Totally agree!!!!
Deletevery surprise u know it now.
ReplyDeletei thought its like open secret even if u guess it?
and then see the next couple, a couple who said they r soooooooooooooooooooo in love after the guy breaks up with the wife (divorce). n this couple get married citing no one is 3rd party in the guy's marriage.... fast forward. the guy n girl break up after a glamour wedding & showing SG how IN LOVE they r in each other arms. kua kua kua.
and the girl now a wife n give birth also.. married angmoh...
i feel sad for the wife (first marriage). i hope she is living a happy life now.
and yea, if V is right, B is a marriage wrecker. and still is pretty wellknown figure? unfair
ReplyDeleteIm not a big fan of B but why is she the only one repeatedly blamed here? It takes 2 to have an affair you know.
ReplyDelete