Heaven's Girl

天之驕女 (容祖兒)
作曲：Edmond Tsang 填詞：林夕 編曲：Jim Ling

悠長工作　過後仍是工作
回來一覺　都不可跟你享樂
還是發覺　再沒有多少話講
難道有事業會沒承諾

隨著我　上進心　已跟頂峰這樣近
你的嬌小自尊傷損太深

旁人話我看起你居然揀你
別理世間這麼勢利　明日變成戀愛傳奇
覓個辦法做個預算每分每刻每日都於一起
但是你我都欠見地　情人就似好的知己
但若你有別的女子也許我都永不會知從何管起
無時候陪你　這一生不夠十個星期真可交給你
但我有餘下半日　仍是愛著你

忙來趕去　我們如何可追
如何爭取　這圈子充滿恐懼
明日百變　我沒有芳心能許
流淚也是人叫便流淚

旁人話我看起你居然揀你
別理世間這麼勢利　明日變成戀愛傳奇
覓個辦法做個預算每分每刻每日都於一起
但是你我都欠見地　情人就似好的知己
但沒有轉機　沒法說起
只因彼此投入到不相關的影戲
連平日我工作痛苦都不敢說起

誠懇講對不起你多委屈你任那世間諸多妒忌
誰若好奇總有好奇
覓個辦法做個預算每分每刻每日都於一起
就讓我迷戀　惹妒忌　而其實我都輸不起
就讓你的愛心儲起記憶儲起有關你的沒人可比
仍然奉承你　是畢生好友就似演員都必需交戲
但我柔情蜜意全為你起　這段愛一定有轉機
腳步願放慢迎合去就你


Been playing this song a lot recently. Hmmm...first time I'm deciphering Joey's lyrics. Don't usually pay too much attention cos her songs are mostly quite typical love ballads. But this one seems at least semi-autobiographical, a song that speaks not only for popular female celebrities, but perhaps for many 'strong' women in powerful positions as well...


Work takes up practically all my time,
I am always busy.
Your pride pales as my career soars.
People say you are not good enough for me,
But even though I have little time for you,
you are still in my heart.
How can we go about our pursuits,
in this terrifying circle?
You seem to be only my good friend
rather than a lover.
But let them be jealous,
let them be curious
of a lifelong friend who helps me in the act.
I still believe that things will get better,
even if it means slowing down my steps to match yours.


Songs of the moment:
Everything in Hocc's "梁祝" album (still) esp 汽水樽裡的咖啡, 有人跟蹤我, 勞斯.萊斯, 化蝶
Joey's "Bi-Heart" album: 天之驕女 (obviously), 越唱越強, 罪魁
Anita's "I'm So Happy" album: 愛的教育 (I prefer this version, more 'rock'!) and 由十七歲開始...

Weekend

Watched "我左眼見到鬼" (My Left Eye Sees Ghosts) and "自梳" (Intimates) in one morning. It's not the first time I'm watching them, but still feel like crying at certain parts...oops...

The former is my favourite Sammi movie. Although the title sounds a bit silly, it is actually a rather touching story with an unexpected twist in the plot. Although many fans seem to like Sammi with Andy Lau or Louis Koo, I thought she and Sean Lau also make a nice screen couple. Helps that his acting is very good!

I think that the latter is a very well-made film. It tells of the stories of two generations varying greatly in values and morals, but transitions between the past and present scenes are very smooth. I like it quite a lot more than "Butterfly" actually, much more subtle but yet beautiful...

KTV session at JB Neway was great! They already have "汽水樽裡的咖啡" and "禁色"! As usual, we did lots of hocc and Sammi songs. Fran and ww were so funny singing Britney songs and I didn't realise Irish could rap so well! And the more I listen the more I think caocao's voice sounds like Candy! We had dinner and a nice chat at some 'zi-char' place recommended by ww, and she gave us all a lift home. Right to the door-step! (so nice...thank u!) Before that though, we were stuck at the customs for nearly two hours! Holidays coming up...what to do...

Accidental Tourist

Our first meeting since Leung Jok: caogu, Irish, ww and me got together to bring Tiff around. We got to know Tiff, who was from the US (but came here from HK) because of hocc and it was her first trip here.

First stop, Chinatown Food St. Satay, stingray, fried squid, ngoh hiang and popiah completed the spread. I love satay! But the stingray was so spicy that both Tiff and I had to give it a miss. And it was hard to eat the popiah without creating a big mess, so ww got us some extra bowls and spoons from the kind uncle who obliged despite us not buying from his stall. (We still created quite a mess, btw...hehe...)

Things were a little awkward at first cos it was our first time with Tiff and we were a bit shy, oops! Who ask our PR manager Ms Fan Fan to have to go to work?! Anyway, we tried our best to be tour-guides and brought Tiff around Chinatown’s little alleys. Well, it was mainly souvenir-ish stuff and little stalls that she has probably already seen enough in Mongkok. She did buy some Bak Kut Teh spice packs though (wonder if ah C tried cooking those that we gave her last time?) and we passed Sri Mariamman Temple (hope I got the spelling right) where it seemed that some event was happening for it was so crowded.

Next, met up with Fran at Paya Lebar and found our way to the Malay Village market. I turned into a tourist and started taking photos cos it was my first time there:


More crowds, stalls, and stuffy conditions not unlike Ladies St or Temple St. Then it started drizzling so we decided to go back, stopping for some Tau Foo Fa first. We tried to plan for the next day, but ended up gossiping away about...keke! By the time we reached the MRT station, we had missed the last train and had to go back by cab!

The stupid surcharge is so much!! Cost like $16 for a short trip...Btw, after Irish alighted and we were heading towards my place, the driver became rather chatty. “Where you go? Malay Village?” Then he shared his experience about going to night markets and how he’d go on the last day to get the best bargains...blah blah... Lucky I don’t live very far from Irish! It took probably less than 5 mins with the minimal traffic at that time, and I was glad to be home.

Well, good fun to be out together again. Looking forward to this Sun...

True Files: Nuisance Call

Time: This afternoon
Place: Office
People: An annoying Z and an annoyed Y

Z: (In a polite and polished voice) Good Afternoon, this is Z, calling on behalf of H International. We have a chain of xx hotels and yy restaurants under a special programme lined up...

Y: (Blur, not sure what she’s in for) What’s all this about?

Z: (Encouraged, continues in a smooth voice) Okay, we have xx hotels and yy restaurants available that you can choose from to stay and dine at your leisure and pleasure...You will receive a special VIP card that comes with additional privileges. This special package is priced at a very attractive discount, promotional price only $xxx...

Y: (Thinking: Oh no, this kind again...) Sorry, but I’m not interested...

Z: But Ms, I’m sure you are either married or have a special partner that you want to...

Y: (Thinking: What’s that to do with you?!) I’m NOT interested!

Z: Okay, but how do you normally celebrate your family members’ or friends’ birthdays?

Y: (Getting more impatient) I don’t see why I should tell this to people I don’t even know!

Z: (Presumably acting blur) Huh? Pardon?

Y: (Getting infuriated) I think I want to end this call NOW...

Z: But Ms, do you have any friends that you can recommend for this special package? I...

Y: (Audibly annoyed and irritated) NO, I really want to end this c...

Z: (In an incredulous tone) NO? You mean you don’t have friends that...

Y: Bye!


(Not word-for-word, but the idea is there.)

Fat Hope, Slim Chance

According to an article, thin people with a high metabolic rate tend to lead active lifestyles and have alert minds, and it follows that they need more sleep. Hmmm...is that a valid reason for my feeling perpetually tired? (Though I probably wouldn’t qualify for the ‘active lifestyle’ bit, haha...and how do you have an alert mind when you are tired half the time?!) And if you envy people who remain thin as a stick despite gobbling down copious amounts of food, perhaps you don’t need to feel envious for too long. The catch is that these people are likely to gain weight as their metabolic rates decrease with age, for they are already used to eating a lot and will find it difficult to reduce their intake later. So should I start feeling concerned about the amount of rice I wolf down everyday?

There was this teacher in school who was extremely fond of peppering her reminders of ‘Study hard’ with threats of ‘if you don’t want to get F9’. We were constantly told that we’d better work harder or else get a ‘BIG FAT F9’! Good thing that none of us actually got that dreaded ‘big fat F9’ for that subject (I think)!

Something else that I read the other day: ‘fat’ and ‘slim’ have opposite meanings, so why do ‘fat hope’ and ‘slim chance’ mean the same thing?

Revisiting - Virtuous Lady

Long before Jacky Cheung ‘declared war’ on rampant cover versions with "餓狼傳說", Anita Mui had already come up with an excellent original-material-only album "淑女" back in 1989. Unlike Jacky’s effort which I thought was long on ideas but short on execution, Mui-jeh had a team of five top songwriters/producers (倫永亮﹐黎小田﹐鮑比達﹐徐日勤﹐郭小霖) to work on hers.

I still remember I had the shock of my life when I heard the album for the very first time! Side A, track 1, "淑女" starts off with a sinister, loud cackling laughter which would make its appearance now and then in the song! Also could be heard was a rather creepy voiceover '我係淑女唔好惦我'...OMG, think I was pretty scared of listening to that song then...(maybe too young?) hahaha...

A few years ago, when I bought the CD, the scary sound effects no longer terrified me and I realised that I had nearly missed out on a good album. Sinister laughs apart, "淑女" is actually a likeable, guitar-driven song written by Chris Babida. He also wrote the closing track "今夜只因你", a rather heart-warming melody with optimistic lyrics. Most of the lyrics in this album are quite melancholic, but the ones I like best are the more positive ones like "今夜只因你" and "一舞傾情".

Versatility was one of Mui-jeh’s strengths. So there is rock in the form of the title track and "戀愛Part-Time", both demonstrating some j-pop-rock influence. There is the up-tempo "黑夜的豹", a style she simply excelled in. She also dabbles in classical Chinese-type songs which she handled in a genteel manner with ease. And her image this time was definitely distinctive (but not very ‘virtuous’ actually.) Who can beat the original Cover Girl, the undisputed Queen of a Hundred Images?

Lan Yu

Four years since it first created a stir, Lan Yu is finally showing here in the uncensored version. Having just watched Everlasting Regret a week ago and since both films are by Stanley Kwan, I suppose comparisons are inevitable.

Idolations for Sammi aside, objectively, I find Lan Yu much better than Everlasting Regret as a film and I don't think I am wrong to say that many people would also agree with me. Of course Lan Yu is basically about two people, while Everlasting Regret needs to tackle five, so it is definitely much more of a challenge to fit inside 2 hours or so. Then again, audiences go into the cinema to watch the finished product, so it is not difficult to understand why some are disappointed by the latter.

Anyway, Lan Yu is actually quite a simple love story: Lan Yu meets Handong in what initially started off as a deal. The two eventually get closer but the latter shamelessly flirts with others, claiming that when two people become too close, the fun stops and it's time to part. The ultimate is when he decides to marry a lady with good credentials (whom he eventually divorces) so that he can fulfill his dreams of finally ending his bachelorhood for family life, leaving a heartbroken Lan Yu. When things take a turn for the worse, during which Handong's illegal business dealings land him into prison facing a death sentence, Lan Yu is the one who chips in generously to help Handong's family come up with the 3 million yuan to secure his release. But just when you think that things are heading for a happy ending in which the couple gained acceptance by Handong's family, the story comes to an abrupt end when Lan Yu meets with an accident...

Well, I suppose the story could go two ways - a fairy-tale happy-ever-after ending, or a tragic one which someone dies. A regretful one always gives more impact (遺憾, 悽美, 震憾), I guess. But still, I couldn't help thinking why Lan Yu had to die(everlasting regret again?)....I like happy endings.

Both actors did a great job, though I can see why Liu Ye edged out Hu Jun for the best actor award. I find his portrayal of the country boy Lan Yu really excellent. And I guess simple stories are still the best...

Remember

Had a good time with Jh, Je and Yb on one of our regular meet-ups yesterday. Reminiscing about school times, grumbling about jobs (but actually I don’t think any of us are terribly displeased with our choices of career at the moment. In fact Yb and I are currently pretty happy with what we’re into) and basically talking rubbish! Great way to unwind after a long day at work.

And last Sat, I was very happy to meet SH for the first time in more than 10 years at Jo’s wedding! Haha, we didn’t change much. Unlike some people who drift apart with time, we still had lots to talk about. SH still remembers that I used to pick out the peas from my fried-rice into a neat pile, a fact that had already slipped my mind! Jo too had interesting snippets to share when we met up earlier, keke, including the time when our principal hauled us to the office to ask whether we were eating properly! I think it’s because we were both too skinny and dear Mrs Lim was worried about possible malnutrition! I seriously don’t remember this episode at all, ohohoh!

I had actually lost touch with both of them for quite a long time, but a brainwave put them right back into the loop. After unsuccessful attempts to get their contacts from friends, I suddenly thought of the alumni website, an obvious but just-didn’t-occur-to-my-mind source of info, and bingo! Now we just have to locate VJ and the four of us will be back together again. Feeling excited by the prospect of this reunion...

Everlasting Regret

The movie definitely wasn’t boring, but it was like all in bits and pieces. There wasn’t much continuity and I got rather confused at first because the dates weren’t announced in chronological order. When the first one appeared I thought: Oh no, Ming has died and can’t provide for Qiyao anymore. (Well, I was wrong, cos actually he outlived her!) I felt that too much was being crammed into too little time, especially the parts involving Ming and Ke La. (Quote Viineon: “Male leads disappearing!”) The one about Li was more believable because more time was devoted to his part of the story allowing the plot to develop more realistically. I wouldn’t mind another half hour or even an hour of the film so as to add ‘more blood and flesh’ to Ming and Ke La.

At first I was a bit disappointed with the film, but after some thought, I thought it was good in a sense that much was left unsaid and up to the viewer to deduce, interpret and think for himself/herself. It’s a long novel, for goodness sake, so there’s no feasible way to portray every single detail within the movie timeframe. So perhaps what Stanley Kwan did was to leave it to your imagination (though I still think he should have developed the storylines of Ming and Ke La a bit more).

Favourite scene:
When Lili came back to Shanghai to visit Qiyao and how tears flowed when the two friends met for the first time in ? years. I thought Sammi did well here. And the follow up bits when Lili asked Qiyao to thank her (Why did she do that?) and how they (probably a little tipsy) started singing “Beautiful Shangri-La, Cute Shangri-La, I’m deeply in love with her...” and dancing crazily! Then Mr Cheng joined in the impromptu pandemonium while Mrs Cheng and Ming looked so uncomfortable and out-of-place. I was trying not to chuckle out loud!

Dumbest scene:
Ke La flashing his, erm, bum momentarily, omg! What purpose did that serve, apart from making the audience snigger or gasp in shock?!

Apart from the ‘thank you’ scene, there are many other things that I don’t understand. What words did Qiyao have for Mr Cheng that he would never know because she didn’t live to tell him? That after her three tumultuous and fruitless relationships, she finally decided to accept him? Or that she knew of his feelings for her but would nevertheless only treat him as her best friend?

I think it’s great that Sammi is taking on different roles rather than her usual comedies or light-hearted love stories. I wouldn’t say she was brilliant here, but it was a step in the right direction. Her Mandarin was still Canto-accented despite the lessons, but most of the time I found it ok, except the parts when she was agitated and shouted or cried incessantly. Those parts were really bad cos I couldn’t make out what she was saying. And the famous banging-head-against-wall scene. I felt that it was a little exaggerated and prolonged. I prefer her acting during the seemingly calm scenes (淡淡的表情), but in actual fact with much emotional turmoil inside. These are less conspicuous but so much harder to express. I suppose it wouldn’t do to just go for art-house fare, but she could perhaps take on both artistic and commercial movies. I heard that she may accept a lesbian role next. Another new challenge for her and hopefully another feather in her cap...

Although I don’t think the movie is great, it’s not bad. In fact I feel like watching it again, hoping to find answers to some of my question marks. I’ll just wait patiently for the DVD.

I agree with wenzi’s comments to a certain extent, but I felt that human beings and not just women are 犯賤 in one way or another and can’t seem to help it. Why do we go for those that we know are not attainable? Why are we attracted by a rebellious/naughty streak? Why do we not settle for someone who is conscientiously toiling by your side, without grumble or reluctance? Why do we aim for pastures on the other side which we foolishly assume will always be greener? Will we only regret if we lose the person/thing forever? Everlasting regret? Hmmm...

Larger Than Life

當初購買“現代女人心”時﹐
根本沒想到那是妳送的最後一份禮物。
原來已經過了將近兩年﹐
妳還好嗎﹖
有時會覺得應該早幾年出世﹐
可以真真正正感受妳最光輝燦爛的一刻。
但也慶幸生長在這個年代﹐
因為可以見證一個真心愛妳的人﹐
不理會別人的閑言閑語﹐
一面朝向自己的理想前進﹐
卻不忘默默地延續著妳的精神。
衷心地感謝妳給我們的一切。

Tonight, the Starlight is Dazzling

This post is kind of overdue. It was supposed to come out a week or so after the musical, but pushed back due to the excitement of seeing a special someone on a whirlwind visit on 30 Sept!

The song “禁色” from the musical made me re-visit the forgotten Tat Ming Pair CD “繼續追尋” that I bought some 10 years ago. There was a time when I liked their “今夜星光燦爛” and “溜冰滾族” very much. My sis bought a few of their albums but apart from a few songs, they didn’t feature prominently in my ‘likes list’. Maybe their style of music (perhaps a bit like Depeche Mode?) was too experimental for me then and actually I didn’t have a clue what they were singing about! I was aware that their lyrics were alternative, weird and contained messages but at that time, I didn’t know the hidden meaning behind “禁色”, “天花亂墜”, “十個救火的少年” and most of their other songs. And it was a time when guys having long hair were frowned upon by many, so the distinct image of one-long-one-short (Ming-Gor had long hair, while Tats had crew cut) worked against them especially among the more conservative.

Nevertheless, Tat Ming had a cult following among die-hards who were impressed by their unique (and controversial?) views and music style. They thrived during a time when English and Japanese covers were the norm, and together with rock bands and dance groups created their own niche in an glittery industry then dominated by superstars like Alan, Anita and Leslie.

Into the 21st century, things have gone bland. K-songs are now standard fare for fledglings and top-acts alike. If you want a song to be popular, it must be easy for the mass to stomach and subsequently belt out comfortably in Karaoke. The result is an industry veered towards similar-sounding tunes despite a wave of up-coming songwriters. But I believe people are beginning to feel bored with lacklustre tunes and mediocre singing, and yearn for the ‘good old days’. Which explains why the comeback concerts of Paula Tsui and Sam Hui were sellouts, the demise of Leslie and Anita met with so much dismay and sorrow, and the return of Tat Ming and Grasshopper welcomed with open arms, anticipation and expectations.

Tat Ming scored with “寂寞的人有福了”last year and released their new album this year. Hocc and Candy Lo defied current trends with a thoughtful musical album and Buddhist-influenced philosophical muses respectively. A sign of better things to come?

My wild wishes: Sammi to do a crossover with a symphonic orchestra, jazz-influenced album, or rock collaboration with Hocc! And Joey to break out of the ‘K’ refuge and do something different! Maybe work with Chet Lam or at 17?!

Beautiful Sammi

Strength in Numbers
How true this phrase is...I would have been too scared to do such crazy things in the past, but now I have ‘kakis’ and it was fun going around in a group. It didn’t feel silly; instead it was very satisfying.

Beautiful Sammi
Sammi looks so beautiful in real life! As Viineon said, the pictures in the newspapers didn’t do justice to her wonderful skin and radiant looks. It was so different from just seeing her afar at concerts. It helped that she seemed to be in a very good mood, obliging with smiles and waving to us often.





The strange thing is that I had never thought of her as being pretty at first. When I first bought her album, what attracted me were the songs and her voice. Even after I became a fan, I was taken by her singing, dancing and stage charisma. I think it was only as late as 5, 6 years ago that the word ‘pretty’ came into the picture. I guess the fact that she has lost weight and coupled with better make-up skills and fashion sense help a lot.

Seeing Sammi
So we met her at the airport. We were undeterred by strong, rock-like bodyguards and piggy managed to pass our green cake to Elinor. (A little gift from piggy, b0bble and me!)

We tried to go to the press conference to see her but failed to gain entry. But we chatted with huayz (we later found out from her that the 'Mi' leaving messages in SBS is really Sammi! In other words that post from 'Mi' to me was really from Sammi!!) and others, and amused ourselves by taking pictures of us at the hotel!!

We joined the “Women in Cinema” forum at the National Library to be in the same room as her and director Stanley Kwan for one short hour. This bit was great cos piggy had the brilliant idea of doing a makeshift ‘SBS sign’ which we waved at her. Having caught her attention and cheeky smile acknowledging our presence, we waved periodically and were rewarded with smiles and nods from her. Wenzi even mustered up enough courage to ask a question during the Q&A session. Sometimes I felt a little sorry for Stanley, cos most of the attention was on Sammi so he must have felt very neglected. But he answered all the questions very well and obviously knew his stuff. His Mandarin is very good!

We then rushed to the movie premiere at Lido to catch a glimpse of her even though we couldn’t get tickets. But it was luck that we didn’t have tickets! Cos Sammi didn’t stay to watch the movie. We were just debating whether to go grab some dinner when she surprised us by walking rapidly out of the cinema hall! We were too stunned and didn’t have time to take pictures. But we recovered by calling her name and waving and were reciprocated when she turned round to wave back, halfway up the escalator already, flashing a beaming smile. We were rewarded again moments later when we spotted her van leaving the carpark. She was on the phone but saw us waving at her so she waved back.

Seeing her off at the airport was another good experience. If she was tired she didn’t let it show. Instead it was more smiles. I was also fortunate to meet a fellow fan, R, who offered me a ride from the airport.

Another good thing that happened was meeting up with someone who had been angry with me some time ago. I'm glad we have now buried the hatchet :)

Re-discovering Sammi
Just one day and I had re-discovered my love for Sammi, that no one (not even hocc) could ever replace. Previously I had wondered and even suspected that I was beginning to like hocc better than her, but no longer am I in doubt. I regretted not doing such so-called ‘silly’ things much earlier. But as Sammi says (refer to her 3rd album, 1992), it’s NEVER TOO LATE.

Renewed Respect
After this, I have a renewed respect for Elinor, assistant of Sammi. I mean, previously we all know that the job of an assistant to a major star is not easy, though many fans not in the know would have thought it was the ideal job. I saw Elinor struggling with loads of luggage, gifts and the mandatory pandan cakes; filming Sammi’s interviews/performances etc; calling out to fans who couldn’t manage to squeeze their way to give their presents, to pass them to her instead so that she can give to Sammi later. Having witnessed it all myself, I realised what a tough job it is.

Aftermath
Over the weekend, I listened to the two ‘first’ albums - “An Eye For An Eye” (1993), the first Sammi album that I bought, and “Sammi”, her debut album (1990). I dug out her “捨不捨得” VCD and "Modern Love Story" boxset (which I hadn't opened yet despite having bought it for so long!) for viewing. Sammi was so young! Then, I went out and bought five Sammi magazines. Maybe, as Viineon correctly predicted, my house is really becoming a magz warehouse!

My first Sammi album


Sammi’s first album


Modern Love Story