X Factor Final: Results

As the winner of television's The Face of London competition, I feel I speak with experience, and an element of authority, when I say "Rhydian - you were robbed! You sang with the voice of an angel and conducted yourself throughout with dignity. And that, after all, is what winning is all about. So do not despair. Listen to Harriet Rose who sometimes knows what she's talking about. Read her Meditation 35 from 'The Infinite Wisdom of Harriet Rose and know that you are a true winner. Congratulations, Rhydian!"

Meditation 35

'I once lost a race when I'd won it.
It taught me that life's seldom fair.
I watched while they made losers winners,
Pretending that I didn't care.

I've tasted the beauty of winning.
I've savoured the joy of success.
I've relished the failure of rivals.
I've longed for perfection, no less.

But now when they make me a winner
I hesitate as they applaud.
For winning can sometimes be losing.
Perfection is often best flawed.

So tell me I've won, but with caution
Remind me of others who failed.
And we'll all wait for that final curtain
To teach us what winning entailed.'

I was once asked why I wrote my Meditations. I answered that I wanted to make people think - about subjects they may not have considered before or that they had considered but not from the Harriet Rose perspective. So when I Googled The Infinite Wisdom of Harriet Rose and discovered that people in faraway countries are quoting and recommending my Meditations and taking time to reflect on them (www.blogmoon.blogspot.com) , it made me want to cry with joy, and laugh too. Strange that a response can entail two such opposing sentiments - different and yet the same.

So, my message for today is to keep reading my Meditations, all you out there in Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa, Australia, Holland and the many other discerning countries of the world. And thank you all for your part in spreading the word of Harriet Rose.