yung's potpourri

Back after 3 years

2009-11-22T19:03:00.002+08:00

It's been about 3 years since I migrated to yahoo blog. Now that the spam there is getting out of hand and that goo may be moving to blogspot, it may be the time to come back here. Looking at the stuff on my first page of this old blog, I guess things haven't changed much - Sammi, Hocc, Joey, Amami, books, drama. It's still the same old me!

Birthday

2006-08-19T19:03:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday, Sammi!

Change of Mind

2006-07-31T18:03:00.000+08:00

Have decided to still update this blog now and then anyway...haha, fickle-minded! Summary of past activities...

Current fave songs:
招搖 & 死物它 by 葉佩雯 (Grace Yip). Melodious rock! Will be getting her album when it's released.

Current fave TV drama:
離婚女律師 (Divorce Lawyer) starring 天海祐希 (Yuki Amami). Now showing on Channel 50. Very funny!

New (and not-so-new) books:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Finally I bought it (must be one of the last!) cos I was waiting for the paperback version.
Final Notes from a Great Island by Neil Humphreys - I enjoyed his previous two.
Nana comics - Borrowed them from dolores mama. It's addictive! Next time I mustn't borrow so many at one go!

In between, there was KTV at JB Neway again, once at Party World, guitar lesson with francine at mama's place, applications stuff for further studies etc etc.

Think this more or less covers everything for the past month or so...

Short message

2006-07-22T22:36:00.000+08:00

Guess I'll spend more time at my yahoo blog than here...Too tiring to maintain two blogs...

Our Time Has Come + Ten Most Wanted

2006-07-08T18:33:00.000+08:00

Haa...long overdue post!

Since "Dress Me Up!", I've always been feeling a little nervous whenever hocc releases a new album...I guess my expectations as a fan are getting higher.

On first listen, "Our Time Has Come" might come across as a little bland esp when you compare it with "Glam" or "Butterfly Lovers". But it asserts itself in its own quiet right after you take time to savour its contents slowly. This time hocc comes up with three melodies each with a different style. Frankly I am quite looking forward to hear her sing "滿城盡帶黃金甲" live! Of course I love her ballads too, and after listening so many times, my favourite from the album is still "圓滿", which gives me a very warm feeling every time I listen to it. I love the arrangement esp the use of strings and real drums which seems to be used less and less often nowadays. I must say hocc and Green Mountain Orchestra made quite a lot of effort on the music arrangements this time and the results are rather pleasing.

I didn't think much of "Ten Most Wanted" on my first listen, but it just gets better each time. There is a much greater variety of music styles, other than the usual ballads and dance tracks, and I think that much effort had been put into the music arrangements. A number of the songs feature pretty intense arrangements and my favourite is "最後的朱麗葉", which sound just a tiny bit like hocc's "花迷戀" at the end. Perhaps Joey is trying to pull away from her K-songs image. I like this album.

Busy Busy

2006-06-30T22:10:00.000+08:00

It's been a busy last few weeks.

We had three visitors from Taiwan on attachment, one from the place I went to in Feb and the other two from another agency. Frankly speaking it was a little tiring cos I have a no. of urgent cases to tackle recently. So much stuff due in the next 2 weeks! But it was definitely a good exchange of ideas and opinions; I think I learnt as much from them as they have from us. It was great fun and happiness with them around. As I had mentioned before, the Taiwanese are such nice people!

Belated birthday stuff: Mum and Dad gave their usual ang paos. Sis bought me a World Cup t-shirt (black with YELLOW patterns! How did she know I lack yellow stuff?) and a plush of the Mascot Goleo! My good friend from England sent me some lovely gifts bought from Japan. And something special from my dear X...haha didn't expect that! Not forgetting those warm msgs, cards, sms, emails! Thank you, all!

Lazy Bum

2006-06-18T17:52:00.000+08:00

I've been a lazy-bum...not been doing much updating apart from the Pop Village shows, though I've been posting guitar chord pros faithfully. Actually there's lots of stuff to talk about, like Ah C's and Joey's albums "Our Time Have Come" and "Ten Most Wanted" respectively; songs that caught my ears during the past couple of months like those of Patrick Tang, Eason, Shine, Grace Yip, Jade Kwan and Ella Koon etc; my birthday pressies; various tit-bits in life etc etc...Maybe next post...haha...

Pop Village@Fort Canning Park

2006-06-15T13:37:00.000+08:00

Day 1 - Nanase!!!
Pop Village is a 2-day music event organised by the National Arts Council and part of the Singapore Arts Fest this year. Acts from all over Asia performing from 4pm to 10pm on 10th and 11th June at Fort Canning Park. The program and other stuff:

On the 1st day, the only act I wanted to see was my dear Nanase and since she was the last to perform, I only went at around 7.45pm. Surprisingly still quite few people, all sprawled on mats and plastic bags on the grass. Decided to sit too cos only a few people were standing. A Taiwanese 原住民 singer Ji Xiao Jun and her musician family were on stage. They were good, and the audience responded with polite applause, but I guess they are quite unknown here.

Slightly better response when Korean singer Ryu took to the stage, esp for his Winter Sonata theme song. But his songs mostly quite slow. Guest Chua Li Lian only dueted one song with him. I moved up to stand near the front cos I could sense that the crowd was growing in anticipation of Nanase's arrival...

And then there she was! Shocking pink hair and decked out in red outfit and black boots. Cute and cool at the same time...At first she seems quite stern and serious when belting out her first no. "R U OK?!" but when she smiles she really looks very sweet!

(apologies for my crappy camera which takes absolutely lousy pics in poor lighting)

And her smiles were flashed out more and more often when she saw how hyped up the fans were! 好high ar! The crowd was fantastic too, chanting her name frequently and clapping along.

She talked a bit, at first in English but reverted to Japanese after a while. I didn't spend those few years studying the language for nothing and I could understand what she was saying! It's her 1st time performing in Sg (Actually 2nd time here but 1st time was only stopover to India). She went to see the Merlion but unfortunately it was under maintenance (Mr Merlion is taking a 5-week bath, 'Excuse me while I take a shower.') and then she went shopping at Mustafa of all places and bought fork and spoon of all things! So maybe she's kinda 'dai b' too haha!

Her 8-song set comprised all pumping rock no.s including R U OK?!, Trouble Maker, 夢見る少女じゃいられない, Fly to Rainbow Ray, Sweet Emotion, Everybody Goes and Dahlia. (Don't know the title of the 3rd song...) I love the part when she was singing Dream Girl, and everyone joined in at the 'Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!' and '夢見る少女じゃいられない' parts! Ging ar!

She got quite 激動 nearing the end...

Despite the crowd's incessant chants of "Nanase! Nanase!" and "Encore!" I guess no encores were allowed and she looked apologetic when she waved hard before trooping off the stage...But it was a truly wonderful, awesome (and a bit ear-splitting) rock performance! I hope she'll be back again!

Souvenir guitar picks from the organisers...

Day 2 - at 17! (and Chet Lam, Tanya...)
Day 2, I had considerably more company as most of the sg gootoes liked at 17 too...Met up with caocao, rae, meyes and mama to 'da-bao' some dinner before meeting fanfan who had all their tics! (Steph was joining us later) Luckily the rain had stopped by 5-plus when we climbed lots of steps to reach Fort Canning Park...

In the end I was tempted and bought at 17's 3rd album 變變變 (with DVD). I already had their 1st two which were also on sale together with Chet Lam's and Tanya's CDs. Saw a couple of acts that we didn't know, but decided to go stand at the front anyway or else we won't get a good view later. That was the beginning of our back-breaking 5-hr standing ordeal...

At about 7pm, caocao's 'Jiajia' (Gong Shi Jia) appeared on stage. Actually she was there the day before to see Nanase too though I didn't see her! Then she sang a duet with Tank, followed by Tank's solo. Not so familiar with the two of them...

At long last, at 17! The front row of Tank and Shi Jia fans moved away swiftly to be replaced by at 17 and Chet supporters! at 17 was so cute, esp Eman! At the beginning, the emcee asked her something but I think she didn't really catch it so she fumbled for a short while before saying 'Pardon?' in a most amusing manner. She speaks Mandarin very well while Ellen spoke mostly in English. And though Ellen was the well-known accomplished guitarist (型!), Eman's guitar skills also not bad. The strumming was so fast and furious for part of 女扮男生 and Radiohead's song!

Song-list: 始終一天, 三分鐘後, 女扮男生, The Best is Yet to Come, Paranoid Android(Radiohead Cover), ??? and 忘記他 (Teresa Teng Cover), 青春, 歌唱達人 and 衝衝衝

I love their performance esp 始終一天, 女扮男生 and the rocking 歌唱達人 (Did I get the title right? I know it's the new theme song of JSG). Ging!

Chet was next, on guitar of course. At one point he also used a long stick-like thing to strum the guitar! He sang a no. of familiar songs like 我和泡麵 and 離開，是為了回來, and English covers like Madonna's Crazy For You and ABBA's Dancing Queen, but a no. of them featured new arrangements. Unfortunately we didn't pay full attention cos we spotted Eman and Ellen sitting at the side of the stage, watching Chet's performance on a big screen so we migrated to the side too to look at them!

Tanya was the final performer. She was fresh from her victory at the Taiwanese Music Awards and seemed rather hyper! I realised that I quite like a no. of her songs...perhaps I'll buy her Best album...

Chet appeared as a guest and sang the English version of Stef Sun's 遇見 together with Tanya.

We managed to catch Tanya before she left and she nicely said hello to the fans and consented to sign autographs in half-darkness! People were trying to provide some light with their handphones!! Yeah, somehow they led the artists away on a very dark and 'ulu' path lor!

I realised that I had taken more photos of Tanya than at 17! I guess I was too engrossed in at 17's performance to take a lot of pics. And I'm possibly the only one with more shots of Eman than Ellen among the sg gootoes? My back was still aching a bit the day after...standing for 5hrs plus is tiring!

Relax

2006-05-31T17:59:00.000+08:00

Finally I am done with the TOEFL and GRE!

The GRE was quite nightmarish! I took quite a lot of time to decide on the topic for the first essay, cos neither of the topics appealed to me. Eventually managed to squeeze out some stuff, but I didn't think it was very good...

I thought the Verbal part was BAD...didn't know the meaning to half the words and had to make educated (or in many cases, wild) guesses cos there really wasn't much time to think them over. And this was despite me trying my hardest to cram in loads of new words over the past few weeks...

The Maths bit was harder than expected too; the practice questions posted on the Internet were deceivingly easy! For the real test, I spent so much time puzzling them out that I couldn't finish all the questions.

So when I was about to view my scores, I was seriously thinking, should I not report the score if it falls below the requirements? But I was pleasantly surprised by the score I received...definitely much better than what I had imagined and thankfully meeting the requirements set. I guess I was very lucky lor!

Can finally relax for a while now. For a treat, I bought myself a couple of CDs (Aikawa Nanase, yeah!) and am blasting "R.U.O.K.?!" now.

Blog Game

2006-05-24T19:21:00.000+08:00

Yeah it's one of those games. I usually have no patience for these. But well, there's always a first time. Just for fun!

你點我﹐我點你

點點點~你中標﹗﹗~快點答﹗
The following 5 :
Francine, irishblue, littlefish, eowplum & wenzi

參加者請複製以下兩項!(遊戲+規則)
?遊戲名稱：【愛的大集合】

?遊戲規則
1.必須發表一篇文章，把所有愛的問題都答出來
(問題請看指名你的那位朋友的網誌在複製過來寫就OK了)
2.寫完所有愛的問題後，自己加多一題，請點名５位的lucky朋友繼續串聯下去！_

1 點我的人 ﹕CaoGu
2 寫出填寫日期吧 - 24/05/06
3 愛的食物︰媽媽煮的
4 愛的音樂︰搖滾
5 愛的地方︰家
6 愛的口頭禪︰哦
7 愛的顏色︰藍﹐綠﹐紫
8 愛的偶像︰Sammi & hocc
9 愛的甜食︰雪糕
10 愛的節目: 音樂
11 愛的書籍︰Harry Potter
12 愛的店︰唱片店
13 愛的作家︰Sammi (writing those columns, 算不算?)
14 愛的唱作人︰hocc
15 愛的國家︰新加坡
16 愛的座右銘︰Don’t do unto others what you don’t want others to do unto you.
17 愛的習慣︰胡思亂想
18 愛的腔調︰堅強
19 愛的是受還是攻︰Both?
20 愛的星座︰雙子座
21 愛的休閒︰聽歌﹑睇DVD/VCD
22 愛的個性︰穩扎穩打
23 愛的女人︰媽媽
24 愛的男人︰爸爸
25 愛的公仔︰Kinokoron
26 愛的動作︰忘形時搭膊
27 愛係點的︰互相扶持
28 愛人地點對你︰真心
29 愛的飲品︰可樂
30 愛的感覺︰甜
31 愛的類型︰像hocc
32 愛的朋友︰一起共患難的
33 愛的承諾︰I’ll be there for you
35 愛的運動︰籃球
36 愛的人︰爸爸媽媽
37 愛的歌詞︰能成為密友大概總帶著愛
38 愛的收藏品︰CDs, Toy MINIs
39 愛的工作︰現在這份
40 愛的服飾︰Casual
41 愛的牌子︰Reebok
42 愛的subject︰Chemistry
43 愛的結果︰圓滿
44 愛的勇氣：當面表白
男山咖啡問 45 愛的時間：放假
建仔問 46 愛的文章：如無意外 by hocc
藥丸問 47 愛既季節：秋
denise 問 48 愛的節日：hocc 出碟的日子，算不算?
在途中...沒停站問 49 愛的興趣：結他
nochoice 問 50 愛的反面(除了恨)：無情
Vanassa 問 51 愛的願望: 我愛的人健康快樂
痴心情長劍問 52 你相信愛可以改變一切嗎? 相信
天使之淚問 53 : 愛到極愛但得不到愛，你會報復嗎？不會
自由鳥問 54 : 當你發覺自己越愛越深，同時卻愛得越深越痛，你會??? 不知道﹐等真的發生了再說﹗
CaoGu問55﹕ 愛為她/他做什麼﹖拍照
yung 問 56 愛的歌曲:

Complete

2006-05-20T20:15:00.000+08:00

This is for my friend A who is getting married today! (Well they are behind us by 7 or 8hrs...) Gong hey nei!

圓滿 (何韻詩)
作曲：何韻詩作詞：黃偉文

舊日在我生命　
砌圖留下一方先完成
遺失的風景當方向沒法被對證　
空空的框框只有白色的背景

但現在我肯定　
遊人其實在隨後接應
將一幅一幅精彩畫面拼入去　
美滿結局變得確定

未完善的身影　
要無縫的跟你合拼　
今生最重要志願才達成

由從前若有所失　
由從前認輸怨命　
經已變做自信和後勁

原來我所失去那半正是你　
我已完全因我已獲得你我未完備　ａh~ｈa
當空缺被你完全縫合才是我自己
嘴角上留下一吻的距離
等你填滿這傳奇

並無什麼都好
最祈求的經已遇到　
未來回顧我亦能自豪　ａh~hａ
何來遺憾要修補　猶如甜蜜的句號　
繪了個圓讓我們共舞

原來我所失去那半正是你
我已完全因我已獲得你我未完備　ａh~ｈa
當空缺被你完全縫合才是我自己

原來我所需要那半正是你
我已完全因我已滿滿地裝滿你再未完備ａh~ｈa　
都可靠著你神乎奇技重造我自己
這結局其實使我很好奇

為何尋遍世上　追溯著名與利　
令人圓滿卻是你

Worried

2006-05-18T00:06:00.000+08:00

Radiotherapy is very, very terrible gar! Esp at the throat area. All along she didn't puke while doing chemo and I thought everything's ok. Who knows that two weeks into radio her mouth becomes dry and throat hurts so badly that she can't eat solid food. Now can't even swallow porridge and can only drink the nutritional drink which smells horrid! Six times a day! Maybe it's that smell or one of the medicines that's causing the vomiting. This evening she couldn't eat anything...And I can't do anything until she goes and see what the doc says tomorrow...So worried...

Some updates about the past week or so. Tiff visited last week. Dinner at Purvis St and drinks at Boat Quay last Tues. But that turned out to be the only day I could join them, cos my sickening cough got worse. Felt so sorry to Tiff. I rested on Wed then joined bobble, wenzi and pris for dinner on Thurs cos we'd already arranged to meet long ago. Then as the evening progressed I coughed more and more until by the time I reached home I had no voice left! Spent the next few days resting and staying away from air-con. In the end decided to try the 'coughing soup', this Chinese herbal thing that comes with all the ingredients packed nicely. Just need to throw everything into boiling water and simmer at low heat. So far I've drunk three packets. Good thing it doesn't taste too yucky. Hope to get rid of this cough soon.

First packet:

Second packet (cheaper!):

Mother

2006-05-14T15:56:00.000+08:00

Honestly these few days not much mood to blog. Cough still on-off. Thurs night was the worst, cough until almost no voice left. I think I'd better stop going out esp to air-con places! This morning also coughed quite badly. The kind when once it starts it takes a while to stop.

My mum isn't feeling too good either. If we thought chemotherapy was bad, then radiotherapy is much worse! Cos it's in the nose/throat area, so it's affecting her ability to swallow. She's now eating mostly porridge and nutritional drinks, both very yucky things to me lor...I feel so sorry for her. And despite her own troubles she just bought me some "咳嗽湯". Just one packet first in case I can't stand it. I'll have to try it and see if it works. Let you all know how it tastes later. It's being brewed now!

Anyway, the main purpose of blogging today:

She doesn't like me to waste money on expensive and useless things. So I just bought her some simple purple silk roses. Happy Mother's Day!

Calligraphy

2006-05-10T19:43:00.000+08:00

I first started practising Chinese calligraphy in Dec 2004. My initial thought was to improve my ugly handwriting and to be able to write Fai Chun for CNY. I don't think my handwriting has gotten better and I can't write Fai Chun yet!

Then again I haven't been very disciplined. There were several periods of long breaks during the past one and a half years, but happily I managed to pick it up again this year.

From the beginning, there was no cfoo. I just bought elementary books and cheap ink and brushes and started writing on old newspaper. My mum gave me comments now and then but she wasn't a master herself. I haven't kept my earliest (and ugliest) pieces so I'm not able to make a comparison with my latest ones. But I have improved though, I hope!

Ok, it's not good, but here are my latest works, written during my last practice session last Sun:

Happy Birthday to Ho C Goo!

Weak

2006-05-10T19:15:00.000+08:00

WHO seems to be warning about flu epidemics quite a lot recently.

The flu viruses are getting stronger? Or am I just weak?

Every year I get little colds and flus, and these are ok lor. But I find that the last two major flus I had, I took so long to recover completely. Last July it was so bad that I had 4 days MC (accumulative) and it took me another 2 or 3 weeks to regain my appetite.

This time I'd already spent one long weekend sleeping plus 2 days MC. But still not well! The throat just gets painful now and then, and the cough makes its presence felt on and off. Not to mention the stupid phlegm that refuses to vanish! My colleagues advise me to rest more and don't talk. But if people talk to me I have to respond mah...

Worse thing is my mum's illness...chemo drugs lower the body's immunity so my dad keeps telling us to try to avoid getting sick so as not to spread the germs to her. As if we can help such things!

I really need to get well soon!

Remedy

2006-05-09T13:45:00.000+08:00

I guess I'm still not completely recovered from that sore throat/cold/cough that first surfaced 1 week plus ago.

Finished the doc's medicine a few days ago but still got a lingering cough and some phlegm residing happily in my nose/throat! And I tend to lose my voice sometimes.

What to do? Don't speak? Drink honey water? I think maybe I drank too much of it, this morning got diarrhoea :(

Anyone got any remedies to suggest?

Btw Workers Party has been offered the NCMP seat. So we are going to see Sylvia Lim in the Parliament? Supporters of 'Aljunied's Ah Lian' (haha, I read that in the newspapers...thought that was a rather cute and endearing nickname coined by someone!) and those hoping for a louder Opposition Voice will be pleased.

Gala Spectacular 1986

2006-05-06T20:52:00.000+08:00

One of those re-runs of classics by TVB again this afternoon. It was great! A no frills charity show for one of HK's oldest charity organisations 保良局, the six performers were truly singers while the four comperes (Lydia Sum, Ho B, Ah Lek and Carina Lau) were witty and funny.

First off was a very young Lui Fong. Even though I wasn't familiar with his songs, I remembered his duet with Carina, and 君心知我心, the theme song of a very old TVB series 赤腳紳士 which I watched when I was very young. Sometimes I'm a bit amazed by my memory!

Next was George Lam. He and his moustache looked exactly the same then and now! I only knew a few of his hits and he sang all of them, the classic 最愛是誰, the tongue-twister monster of numbers 數字人生, the even-more-of-a-tongue-twister 阿Lam日記, and 千億個夜晚.

Then it was Anita! She and her Grasshoppers did three songs including 愛將 and 將冰山劈開. During the latter, her mic suddenly went silent and her vocals couldn't be heard. One Grasshopper cooly went up to her and gave her his mic while an equally calm and collected Mui-jeh passed him her spoilt one, as if it was all part of the dance routine. 型爆!

Teresa Teng was up next but I wasn't very familiar with her songs apart from the evergreen 月亮代表我的心 and 償還, later covered by Anita and Sammi respectively. Her Cantonese wasn't perfect but I actually found her slightly clumsy speeches rather endearing, and so did the audience, I think.

Then it was Leslie, who opened with two slow numbers 當年情 and 有誰共鳴 before getting the audience high with his by-now classic duet with Anita 冰山大火 and another fast song.

Last to perform was Jenny Tseng. I didn't know any of her songs, except her final take with an innovative combination of 明天會更好/We are the World.

But even though some of the songs were dated and the make-up and dressing rather weird by today's standards, after watching the show, I was again reminded that some people are just born with the poise and charm to be a star.

有些人站出來就是巨星.

Election

2006-05-05T13:06:00.000+08:00

It's Polling Day tomorrow but I'm not getting to vote AGAIN.

Even though I’m not very interested in politics, I seriously think that this GRC business is terribly unhealthy in the long run. Can you blame young people for their apathy towards politics when half the time people don't get to vote because there is a walkover in their 5- or 6-membered GRC helmed by a heavyweight minister?

Can we have all SMCs next election? (wishful thinking?) In a GRC, it seems that people are mostly voting for one or two particular ministers with proven capabilities, while the rest of the members just ride on it and get elected together. Rather than just tell people that these candidates are capable, why not put them through the test by making all of them fight a contest, and when they win, everyone will be convinced of their abilities.

The theory behind GRCs is supposedly to ensure representation of the minority races. But aren’t we a society built on meritocracy? Surely minority candidates of calibre shouldn’t have problems winning the votes if they are really capable and care for their people. Anyway, there are still NMPs in the event that the minority races are under-represented. Or at the very least, GRCs should contain fewer members, perhaps three each.

I don’t know if it’s because they are not being challenged, but in the last 5 years, I have never seen any of my five MPs, except once when one of them came for a very short house visit. And I had to be very ill when he visited so I never got to meet him! But even this one MP has now moved to another constituency! I wonder if I will ever see any of my MPs on a walk-about the next 5 years.

Let me also say that I think it’s unfair to link upgrading of housing estates to voting. People pay taxes irregardless of which ward they live in, so if there should be any priority at all, it should be given to the oldest flats. It’s the people’s money, not the party’s money, for goodness sake.

Wasteful

2006-05-01T14:35:00.000+08:00

Started having a sore throat on Friday. Seemed like getting better on Saturday cos my throat wasn't very painful anymore. I was practising guitar and even met Satoshi for dinner. Long time never met him! Supposed to meet up on Sunday as well, but he was sick and so was I! My nose started running like a tap...slept pretty much the whole day until my back aches! Today feeling better but still nursing a slight headache due to my now choc-a-block nose! Aaargh...what a waste of a long weekend!

I Wish I Knew How to Quit You?

2006-04-24T20:10:00.000+08:00

Hocc has a new plug! 願我可以學會放低你...Some fans commented that the title (and even the melody) sounds very 'un-hocc'. That the lyrics seem to be inspired by Brokeback Mountain. That the melody is quite ordinary but the music arrangement salvaged a lot of points for the song. That the lyrics are a little below Wyman's usual standards. That Hocc handled the song very well, since such simple songs without much ups and downs are perhaps the most difficult to sing. That the song is too slow. Blah blah blah...

Yeah, hocc has critical fans. Fans who don't just blindly accept everything their idol churns out, who give constructive feedback, genuinely wanting the best for her.

But sometimes, it's not necessary to analyse too deeply into a song. I think listening to music is a very subjective thing. You can't always come up with reasons why you like or dislike a song. Just use your heart to listen!

In a nut-shell, 願我可以學會放低你 touched me. Perhaps as veegay said, many people can empathize with it because they all have someone that they 放不低. Touched a chord in their hearts. Hocc is singing their story. I like the song.

Some people said that the song is rather commercial. The thing is hocc has never said that her music is alternative or non-mainstream. I always think that one of her greatest talents is her ability to inject her own character into her songs, commercial or otherwise. The new song very 'un-Hocc'? If people could so easily predict her next move, then it's not Hocc!

Lyrics from the horse's mouth (from her blog):

願我可以學會放低你

曲: 徐偉賢詞: 黃偉文編: 何秉舜@goomusic/英師傅
監: hocc@goomusic/何秉舜@goomusic/英師傅
唱: 何韻詩

任我出去任我飛
遊蕩兩日又重踏這地
沒有牽掛就會死
難道我靈魂被你收起
自己都管不了自己
太多錯誤經已因你起
我都知再找你
連幸福都要放棄

其實你有多好
到別處碰不到
至令我重返這條路?
臨近晚節不保
卻行到這一步
難道天空海濶再無芳草

* 願我可以學會放低你
就讓我重頭來過物色新知己
望著你的臉如山水一般優美
要走的我總企在原地
願我可以絕到踢走你
但是我如何能拒絕張開的臂
自問我可以贏你
但喜歡輸給你
猶像你親於我自己
我怎可以一刀切下來親手傷你 *

其實你有多好
到別處碰不到
美麗到危險的程度
臨近晚節不保
卻行到這一步
沿路的山丘已化成焦土

Repeat *

我只可以將心割下來親手給你

Hospitalise

2006-04-20T08:47:00.000+08:00

I think my pc got problem...only a few months after i got it sheesh! Luckily still under warranty so the guy said that he can fix it for me and replace any faulty parts free of charge. May need to hospitalise for 1 or 2 days :-( So no more online at home for the rest of this week :-( :-(

Double-Decker

2006-04-16T23:48:00.000+08:00

Caught 1983's JSG Awards on TVBJ yesterday! They are doing re-runs of past award ceremonies and charity shows etc on Saturday afternoons. Can't believe it's nearly 23 years ago...I hardly know any of the songs (except those by Mui-jeh, Danny Chan and Roman Tam).

Just imagine, in those days, only 13 awards were given - 10 song awards and 3 most popular songs (as voted by the fans, music industry professionals and general public respectively). And now we have like 60 or even 100++ (for Metro Radio)!

The most 'ging' was Mui-jeh, she had only released her 2nd album that year and yet was the only one to win 2 song awards among the 10 songs. Danny Chan got an award too, and for the first time I thought that actually 他蠻帥的!

Sunday we went to JB Neway in celebration of Yee's birthday! Happy happy Birthday! 11 plus to 5 plus and as usual we did lots of Ah C and Sammi. The room was huge and had a private washroom attached, but it was super freezing lor! At one point we started choosing fast songs and stood up and swayed around cos it was just too cold! Aarrrggh! Oh yah, Yee's birthday cake was yummy...much better than our ermm...too-creamy dh cake which we felt sick eating! We also had pressies from Dolores who had just come back from a holiday in Japan, including little red goo...so cute!

Dinner at Jusco, nothing spectacular about the food. In fact the prawns in the har gau and mushroom mai like got a bit of a smell and the dim sum was too hard in general...The highlight of the day though, was our 'double-decker car', the art of squashing 8 people into one! But I don't think we'll try it again. My back is still aching a bit now...Hahaha...

Konnichiwa

2006-04-12T20:16:00.000+08:00

My host family in Japan whom I stayed with for a few weeks during high school finally visited Singapore for the first time! Haven't met them for so many years...It was Kanako and her mum together. They only had Monday free in their 3-day tour so I took leave to accompany them.

It was their request to experience more 'Singaporean' stuff rather than 'tourist-y' things only. So I brought them around by train and bus. We managed to squeeze in Sentosa, lunch at Chinatown hawker centre (porridge and Hainanese chicken rice, yummy), St Andrew's Cathedral, shopping at Orchard Rd (with special request to go to the Heeren!) and dinner at food-court (Ba Kut Teh, Pig's Trotters and dessert).

My rusty Japanese didn't fare too badly and we could communicate pretty well. The best part was seeing the two of them enjoying each other's company perfectly, with the occasional chiding and jokes. And nearly all the clothes they saw were 'kawaii' (cute) and 'yasuii' (cheap), with both mother and daughter making many last minute purchases despite their initial assertion that they were only going to 'look' but not 'buy'! They definitely share a close bond, 十分難得。

The Majestic Merlion!

This Fort Siloso car is cute. The driver was going off but stopped to let us take a pic.

Very 夏日麼麼茶-feel?

Another 夏日麼麼茶-sque pic...

I pass by this 'cannon-ball tree' so often and finally I managed to take a pic!

Winner in our hearts

2006-04-09T19:36:00.000+08:00

Yesterday met up with sg gootoes at Yee's place for our 'project'! It was easier and less time-consuming than the previous...but looks great! We ended up watching the Leung Joke DVD...haha...then snacking...Oh yes, and exchanging of magazines too! Yee helped us to buy them much cheaper in JB...Imported magz in Sg super ex lor! My magz all stacked up are about the height of the body of my guitar! Let me do a headcount one day...

Got home just in time to watch the HK Movie Awards. Sammi was there! Even though she missed the photo-shoot and there were rumours that she would not attend, she did say that she would (at her forum). And sure enough, there she was seated in the audience wearing a suit and 'V-hairstyle' (whatever you call it). Every time the camera turned on her, she was looking happy and/or chatting with her companions. (Photo from wenzi's blog.) Winning or not, it's great to see her looking so cheerful.

On the whole, the awards show wasn't very interesting though...my favourite part was the movie themes song special...felt a bit 眼濕濕 when Chris Wong was singing "追" against the screening of "金枝玉葉 2" clips...Anita, Anita and Leslie...3 great actors and one great movie...

Getting my act together

2006-04-04T12:30:00.000+08:00

Time to get my act together.
Need to plan a proper schedule or things will never get done!

Check-List (Target: before 1 Jul, but latest 30 Sep)
1. Apply for company sponsorship.
2. Schedule dates and take TOEFL and GRE tests.
3. Write letter of application.
4. Fill up application form.
5. Ask Uni for official transcript.
6. Ask 3 people for references.
7. Ask Boss for employment verification.

No. 1: Done, now awaiting outcome. Boss and Bigger Boss seem pretty supportive :-)

No. 2: Ran into a bit of a snag :-( No dates available for TOEFL cos they are in the midst of changing the test format...darn, shouldn't have dragged my feet over this matter...And do people need to study for GRE? Seriously I'm a bit worried...

Dunno if I'll 'kill' myself in going for this part-time study...Got a lot on my plate and am tired enough as it is without the extra commitment. But there is support from my important people, hopefully it is enough to see me through...provided the application is accepted!

In a Retro Mood

2006-04-02T21:10:00.000+08:00

Been in a bit of a retro mood recently...or maybe I'm just bored with current stuff. Dug into my collection and unearthed these:

再不小心(Nicola Cheung)
I admit, I was looking for something to make up the nos. for the 3 for $9.99@ deal at yesasia some years ago. Even though I didn't know much about Nicola's songs, I like 上帝愛我 very much and so bought this album. Chucked it aside after a few listens, being attracted to only 上帝愛我. And I didn't think her singing was very good.

But I quite enjoyed it when I listened to the album again last week. Apart from 上帝愛我 and her cover of Leslie's 風繼續吹, the rest of the songs were self-composed. Not brilliant material but at least refreshing and different in style. Some people may think that if someone else had sung 上帝愛我, it might have become a bigger hit but somehow I feel that the song is 'very her'. Even the charity version 同步過冬 by various artists didn't sound as good as Nicola's 上帝愛我.

2002 Fifa World Cup Official Album (Songs of Korea/Japan)
I bought this only cos I thought it was an interesting selection for the World Cup, and yes, surprise surprise, I was a soccer fan. It's my only CD containing Korean songs (apart from a couple of tracks found on the Seoul Raiders soundtrack) and I must say that I still don't like them very much. To me, Korean songs are either depressing ballads or annoying hip-hop/R&B dance-tracks and this album did nothing to dispel that.

As a whole, I enjoyed the 2nd half of the CD better. The Japanese tunes are more varied and likeable, esp the cheerful and encouraging songs by Mai Kuraki (the one who sang a duet with Stefanie Sun) and sunshine band Tube. Even though the heavy metal + rap of Dragon Ash was a bit hard to stomach on first listen, at least it was a decent and melodic song. Perhaps I just like J-pop.

Song For USA (Checkers)
My first idol...this album was made almost 20 years ago! I love every song here. Checkers was the perfect example of a substance + idol band. They played musical instruments, had an excellent and good-looking lead singer, two wonderful chorus singers, looked cute, and eventually wrote and produced their own songs.

Btw, Song For USA is the original version of 幹一杯, Sammi's 'contest song' in 1988, while Stay With You, a HK composition, has the same tune as Jacky Cheung's 相愛. Interesting stuff. So my 緣份 with Sammi began much earlier than I thought?!

擺脫 (Amanda Lee)
It was a time when I was at my most adventurous, buying all kinds of music. There it was, going at $5 at HMV, and I was curious to hear Amanda's songs. Like Nicola's case, I didn't know much about Amanda except that she was tall and quite pretty. Her voice isn't really my type so I didn't listen to the album much. But listening back now, it is actually quite interesting and listenable, except 2 or 3 songs. But where is she now?

Live Encounter (Shirley Kwan)
This is a 2VCD live-cum-1CD best selection released in 1999. Think it was sold at a very cheap price too, so I decided to go for it. Her voice is also not quite the kind I like, but she did have a number of very nice songs like 人生可有知己 and the little-known 當世界無玫瑰. Wonder if her recent concert was very good?

Buzzing

2006-03-28T18:11:00.000+08:00

Have you ever had times when a song keeps repeating itself in your head?

I've experienced it loads of times and it usually drives me nuts! It's worse when you don't even like the song, but thankfully most of the time I do.

Recently, the chorus of 愛你變成恨你 by Kary has been 'buzzing' me. I didn't like the first couple of solo plugs by 吳雨霏 (this name takes some getting used to!) but finally here is a song of hers that I like. I still prefer her songs with Ping Pung tho, the rocking and a bit sexy Kary.

This morning, for a short while, the song in my head changed to 摩登時代 by Joey, which I now find quite likeable. But I've still not made up my mind to buy 'Ten Most Wanted'. Somehow it doesn't fulfil my criteria for buying an album (to stop myself buying indiscriminately):

1. Anything by or related to Sammi or Hocc
2. Certain albums of Anita, Candy and a couple of Japanese artists
3. Best selections (e.g. Joey, Andy Hui, Edmond etc)
4. Good albums (e.g. U87 by Eason, Love and Hate by Ping Pung etc)
5. Albums containing songs I like very much (e.g. 越唱越強 in Bi-Heart by Joey etc)

Yeah, I think that's about it. Need to try and save money.

Ouch!

2006-03-22T22:19:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I went for my company annual health screening. It's very basic stuff...height and weight, blood pressure and blood sugar. I have never been afraid of blood tests because usually things go very smoothly, but yesterday was the worst experience I ever had...

I stuck out my left arm as usual for the nurse to take blood. Once the needle poked into my skin, I knew something wasn't right cos it was more painful than usual. And no blood was coming out into the collection tube. Then she started poking the needle around to try and coax the blood out. Nothing. She tap tap near the place she poked. Nothing. She moved the needle a bit more. Still nothing. She pressed my skin. Nothing! By then the pain had become almost unbearable and I didn't want her pushing the thing around to 'search for my vein' anymore. I told her, "Very painful! Can you try my other arm?"

I guess she had no choice so she withdrew her needle from my poor arm and proceeded to take blood from my right one. Aiyo...still painful but at least some blood was coming out. But it was flowing very slowly so she just kept pulling at the syringe! Oi! Painful leh!

Finally my ordeal was over...terrible...and she had the cheek to tell me that my vein was not very visible. So why didn't the previous nurses ever have any problems huh? And I later found out from my colleagues that I wasn't the only who encountered this. Yikes...

A Few Songs...

2006-03-19T17:20:00.000+08:00

圓滿 (Hocc)
Strictly speaking this was released very late last year but I count it as 2006 anyway...So far this year I still love this song best. Nice arrangement and meaningful song.

December Rain (Rain Lee)
Until very recently, I had been quite nonchalant about her. Didn't remember a single song of hers and didn't like her much. But I like this one. People say that she sounds like Miriam here and I agreed the first time I heard the song. But last week I listened to it again and found that she didn't really sound like Miriam after all, though the music style is quite like the latter's early songs.

獨角獸 (Fiona Sit)
She (or maybe her producers) has a knack for snapping up good songs eg 奇洛李維斯回信, 男孩像你 and 麥當娜一吻. And now I find that I quite like 獨角獸 too. Slightly mystical and magical...

粉筆字 (Jade Kwan)
This is probably only the 3rd song of hers that I like, after 你有心 and 挪亞方舟. I thought it was quite bland the first time I heard it, but after a couple more listens I thought it was pretty good, with some sort of an elegant feel and special 氣質.

當玫瑰遇上真愛 (Yumiko Cheng)
Ok, I don't like her very much but I think this song is quite nice. Different from her previous type of songs.

羅曼蒂克 (Edmond Leung)
Finally Edmond is back...I like his come-back song...makes me look forward to his new album.

最佳損友 (Eason Chan)
Lots of people love this, but I don't know...I find it ok. Quite nice but not really excellent...Perhaps my expectations too high?

花見 (Hocc)
I like the guitar intro but overall the song didn't really catch me the way 迷你與我 or 艷光四射 did. I think this is another one that takes a bit of time to grow on me...Still, I like her to be challenging different styles and I'm looking forward to her new EP.

Demo Project

2006-03-12T13:30:00.000+08:00

I bought a new CD on Monday, called "自作自樂" (Demo Project) by HK composers, a collection of demo versions of songs that has already been released, many of them major hits.

Even though the arrangements may be quite simple for most of the songs, the composers or demo singers really did a great job, singing much better than some so-called singers.

My faves and songs of the moment include:
苦撐 by 張佳添 (Published version 明目張膽 by Hocc)
今非昔比 by 陳詠瑜, composed by Edmond Tsang (天之驕女 by Joey)
名種愛人 by Eunice, composed by 方樹樑 (奇洛李維斯回信 by Fiona)
終身學習 by 謝杰(same title by Stephanie Cheng)
空肩膊 by 徐偉賢 (兄妹 by Eason)

Btw, 謝杰 is the one who wrote hocc's 露絲瑪莉 while 方樹樑 wrote Joey's 一拍兩散 and Nicola's 上帝愛我. I love these songs! I find 張佳添's singing style a little bit like Joey Tang. 陳詠瑜 sounds so much like Joey and Eunice's voice reminds me of Ella Koon...not bad not bad...the singing is good!

I am also impressed by the singing of 徐偉賢, 金培達 (composer of Sammi's 輸得漂亮) and 柳重言 who sounds so much like Jacky Cheung! Then there is 颱風 (男孩像你 by Fiona) by 徐繼宗 who was the composer of Joey's 心淡, and 執爾之手 (按摩女郎 by Andy Lau) by 馮瀚銘 . I didn't like it at all when I first heard Andy Lau's version but after listening to the demo version I thought it was quite nice.

Out of the 16 songs in the collection, only 5 kept their original titles, which meant that record companies only wanted the melody but not the lyrics. Sometimes I feel sorry for the lyricists, who are already being paid less per song compared to composers in general. And good lyrics are perhaps harder to come up with than tunes though a nice melody is always the first to catch a listener's attention.

Thank you

2006-03-05T20:16:00.000+08:00

I am in a much better mood these couple of days. Several reasons for this...

My mum is feeling better. I think the chemo side-effects are wearing off a bit, until her next session anyway, so she doesn't feel so tired now. Hopefully the treatment is working.

I went for a hair-cut today. My first time going to the new place. My hairstylist moved there recently so I 'followed' her. Been putting up with a messy look while in Taiwan and I think I look more 'refreshed' now with the new cut.

I feel very inspired after coming back from Taiwan. There are lots of things I want to get done at work - thinking through project ideas, reading research papers, organising my notes and messy files, thinking about the future etc etc. I actually brought home a stack of papers to read over the weekend! I realised that there are still so many things I am ignorant about or maybe just scrapping the surface, and I am keen to catch up by reading up as much as possible.

I have one person to thank - your calls and emails really helped me a lot.

And not forgetting the encouragement from my friends, even though I have only known some of you for a year or less. I appreciate all your comments, sms and well-wishes very much. Thank you :-)

Beautiful Taiwan

2006-03-04T22:47:00.000+08:00

Depressing thoughts aside for now, wanna share with you some of the pics I took in Taiwan...

On the Plane...白雲朵朵...

Christmas-New Year Tree at CIB

Hornet's nest on display at the Fire and Disaster Prevention Museum

The legendary Taipei 101 looking a little spooky at night...

淡水 (Danshui)

Rising moon (above), setting sun (below), taken at nearly the same time

So many eggs!

淡水's specialties - 阿給 & 魚丸 with 阿媽的酸梅湯 in the background

Lovers' Bridge

紅樓劇場 at 西門町(Ximen-Ding)

元宵節 at 中正紀念堂 (Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall)

A dragon made of pineapples and spring onions

Another dragon

Jostling with abt a million people...

國父紀念館 (Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall)

象山 (Elephant Hill)

Taipei 101 as seen from the top of 象山

Bird's Eye View of Taipei City

Spotted some wild 'goos' on my way down

Part of the illuminated Ferris Wheel

Ah-Bian's home and office

桃園 (Taoyuan County)

Statue of Chiang Kai-Shek at Police University

割包...yummy

This is 九份

陽明山 (Yang Ming Shan)

Sulphur spewing from hot springs

The flower-clock

陽明山花季 (Yang Ming Shan Flower Festival)

Souvenirs

刑警寶寶 (from CIB)

Police Toy Cars (from Police University)
110 is the no. to dial for the police; 119 for fire engine & ambulance

My little fleet of Minis! Check out the purple one on top

My electric blue guitar

Nana (Mika Nakashima)

Back...

2006-03-01T00:13:00.000+08:00

Came back last night.

Should've been happy to be home...but found out that mum's illness is really more serious than i hoped, quite advanced.

So it's 3 cycles of chemotherapy (1 cycle = chemo + 2wks medication + 1 wk rest). That'll take abt 2 mths. Followed by chemo + radiotherapy...Also need to monitor regularly to see the effect...She's quite tired nowadays...and she used to be the healthiest and strongest person in the family...

I dunno what to say...i just feel so tired, very sad and helpless...

The person who understands me most is not by my side now...我好想他在我身邊...不過我知道他很擔心我...

Back to work tomorrow...gotta put on a cheerful face...and tackle the work that's waiting for me...

Updates from Taiwan (2)

2006-02-21T14:38:00.000+08:00

Thanks to the connections here, I visited the Forensic labs under the Ministry of Justice and Taipei City Police, and also the Police University and its rather impressive museum. One of the Uni professors showed us around and kindly bought me a couple of toy police cars as souvenirs. At first he wanted to give policeman models, but upon hearing from a colleague that I have a thing for toy cars, he decided to give me the car models instead! Actually I'm currently collecting Mini Coopers only but I like toy cars of any sort hehe. Also amassed a tiny fleet of Minis on this trip! Post pics later...

Last week I rode pillion on a scooter for the first time when a colleague here decided out of the blue that we should go climb up a hill to catch a full view of Taipei City. We went to 象山 which was quite near the office. The ride was kinda scary at first even though we didn't go at a very fast speed! We got to the bottom of the hill and started our ascent by foot...a bit tiring at first but manageable. Abt motorbikes/scooters, Taipei is practically overflowing with them...it's very easy to get a licence. Girls on motorbikes very 型, but i'd rather have a car anytime...

Then one colleague brought me on the Ferris Wheel to see the night view of Taipei City...another wanted to bring me to Yang Ming Shan last Sun but the weather was horrible so we went to some hilly areas in 桃園 instead. Still, it was a very cold and wet outing...would've been much better if the weather was good...

Abt my mum’s illness...not as good as we hoped. Instead of just the 6-week radiotherapy, now she needs to undergo chemotherapy first, followed by medication and then chemo plus radio together...My dad didn't explain it very clearly over the phone but at least I'll be home next week to see how things go. First treatment session scheduled for tomorrow...chemo is very jialat isn't it? I worry for my mum...can she take it or not...

Updates from Taiwan (1)

2006-02-14T12:50:00.000+08:00

Some updates about my 1 1/2 weeks here so far...Arrived in Taipei two Sundays ago and spent that day familiarizing myself with the surroundings. Getting to work from the lodgings is fairly simple and the buses and MRT are quite easy to navigate. The way people drive here is rather 'fiercer' compared to those in Sg so think you just need to be 'fierce' too.

Didn't know that winter in Taiwan can be so COLD! Last week I was absolutely freezing!!! Need some fats! Not surprisingly, the time I hated most was bathing time...brrrrr, but no matter what I can't stand not bathing or washing my hair everyday so I just have to bear with it! And the worst thing was the cold made my nose run...don't think it's a real cold as in illness, but still annoying...

First day at work...was brought around to the various labs for intros. Some thought I was still a student, haha! The first week or so was quite interesting...got to look at some case exhibits, use the equipment, read through past reports, visit a Disaster Prevention Museum and best of all exchange ideas through many casual discussions.

Taiwanese people are very friendly, maybe too friendly at times? Always fighting to make payment...after a while I just let them pay if they offer. I think that fighting to pay looks very ‘unglam’so I just stick to my usual practice: offer to pay next time.

One of the colleagues here brings me around a lot. While I think it's easier for me to remember the streets if I wander around on my own, after a while, I feel very grateful for her kindness. 被關心的感覺真好! My workplace is near the major shopping belt, so I've been to Mitsukoshi, 誠品 (a really huge bookstore), Taipei 101 and New York New York so far. But the place I like best so far is 西門町, lots of interesting stuff and CD shops! I found one that has lots of HK and Jap CDs; they've actually got the most hocc CDs I've seen so far in a single shop in any country - hocc2, free love, dress me up, best, glam, Butterfly Lovers etc and even the Leung Joke musical DVD/VCD! But HK stuff must buy in HK...it's too expensive here. I did grab quite a few Japanese ones tho...old habits die hard!

Visited 淡水 last weekend and also went to the Sun Yat Sen and Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Halls...will upload pics after I get back to Sg.

I find that they are all very respectful toward their elders or seniors here, calling their seniors 學長 or 學姊. One young colleague called me 學長! And this guy in my lab told me 如果你是男生應該很帥! Hmm...I don’t think so, but I'll take it as a compliment...hee...

Gong Hey Fatt Choy!!!

2006-01-31T19:29:00.000+08:00

My dad says that Chinese New Year is getting quieter and quieter year by year and I agree with him. It used to be a really boisterous affair when I was younger. We used to have to visit many more places when my grand-dad, grand-uncles and grand-aunts were still alive. Now despite the fact that many of them have passed away, we're only slightly less busy than before because more people visit us instead! And we still have a few places to visit so it's still pretty hectic.

1st day...we had 6 groups of visitors in the morning. In the afternoon we went out for a bit of visiting, then they came round to our place for dinner. So tiring, cos I was like catching a cold so I took some medicine at lunchtime...it made me so sleepy for the rest of the day.

2nd day...Still feeling a bit sick but had to help entertain 2 groups of visitors in the morning. Didn't feel like going out so I siam all the visiting in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day sleeping...Gotta try and get better soon cos I'll be going to Taiwan this Sunday.

3rd day...Visited Nan and had lunch with her. That's about it...quite relaxed today. Nose still feeling a bit itchy, think I shall sleep early tonight again and hope to throw off the cold completely. Supposed to go back to work tomorrow but I took the day off. Decided that I'd better start organising my luggage for my trip...if not I'll just leave it till Saturday and it'll be too late if I find that I'm missing certain things!

Not sure how much Internet access I'll have in Taiwan, but I'll try to update this if possible. If not then I'll see u guys in 3 weeks' time!

It's Hereditary

2006-01-25T13:16:00.000+08:00

Thank you to my dear purple friends and shocking pink friends (you should know who I'm referring to!) as well as those who choose to be anonymous here but nonetheless, thank you very much for all your support.

It has been a harrowing few days and I was in a really bad mood on Monday. It turned out that 23 Jan (Mon) is the gloomiest day of the year, based on a formula worked out by this psychologist. Coincidence? Btw, 23 Jun is supposed to be the happiest day...let’s see if we’re all really happy then...

Ok, trying to cheer myself up since there's not much I can do until 9 Feb anyway. I got both Butterfly Lovers and Reflections of Joey’s Concert DVD. My sis really enjoyed watching Butterfly Lovers, saying that it was way better than watching some mediocre movie on a lazy afternoon. She doesn’t see why 勞斯萊斯 wasn’t chosen as the song of the year for 2005 and likes it far more than 夕陽無限好, 無賴, 希望 or whatever other likely candidates, for its meaningful lyrics and touching melody and arrangement.

I also got a new blog for my guitar stuff. Was thinking of making a separate one anyway and since I signed up for the yahoo one, may as well make good use of it.

Was telling my parents about my air-ticket arrangements and mum asked whether my flight has a stopover in HK? Haha, I wish...but nope. Dear mum understands me so well...I suddenly recalled that she used to be something of a 追星一族 too! When we were cleaning out the cupboard for photo-albums some years ago, she showed me her vast collection of autographed photos! Those days she used to go to movie screenings and the actresses would give out their signed pics! Seems like 原來追星也會遺傳的, hehe...

Stuff to cheer me up...Why do I need both the DVD and VCD of Leung Joke? I also dunno...keke

Shocking News

2006-01-21T19:55:00.000+08:00

It's been a couple of days since I heard the bad news; I guess I'm feeling a bit better now...

While she was mopping the floor two nights ago, my mum casually informed me that she has cancer.

What......?

"Don't worry lah, even I'm not worried", she continued cheerfully in a matter-of-fact voice.

How not to be worried??!! I knew something was wrong when she complained of blood when sneezing, but still, the news came as a shock. But dear mum seems to be taking it all in her stride, saying that all she needs is a 6-week course of radiotherapy and then she'll be ok.

She hasn't seen the specialist yet so we don't know the prognosis and when she does I'll be in Taiwan. Why do I have to leave just then? But I can't postpone the thing anymore with all the arrangements done.

I have to keep myself busy so that I don't have time to think about bad things, trying my best to go on with life as normal, but sometimes it's very difficult. I used to be angry with my dad for not telling me about his illness years ago. But now I realise that he has my interests at heart...it is really very devastating to find out that your loved one is struck with such an illness.

Anyway, the fanciful name for the one that struck mum is "Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma". I did some reading up on the Internet to try and understand what the results of the preliminary test meant. Seems like things aren't too bad...Treatment is supposed to be most effective when the thing is non-keratinizing and least so when differentiated. The results indicated "Non-keratinizing and undifferentiated", so I am hopeful.

I hope to have good news on 9 Feb...Meanwhile, I just have to carry on, and think positive. First up, to settle my presentation for next week and to finish the stuff that I have promised I will get done by weekend...

Rolls.Royce

2006-01-16T21:00:00.000+08:00

I am over the moon! Yeah!! Congrats to my dear Ah C!!!

Initially I hadn’t been nervous at all about JSG. I felt sure that she will get a song award for 勞斯.萊斯 and probably one for singer-songwriter. After all she had 3 successful hits during the selections (如無意外, 化蝶, 勞斯.萊斯) two of which were composed by herself.

Then ten minutes before the Awards were due to start, my sister suddenly said, “I’m feeling excited, wonder if she’ll be getting awards.” And of course the ‘she’ refers to hocc.

Earlier, I had asked my sis about whether I was being biased. Since I’m such a big fan, I may have been less than objective about hocc’s songs. But she said, “No lah, I like 勞斯.萊斯 very much and 化蝶 also.” What about 如無意外 and 圓滿? “Also like. She's got some great songs last year.” Look, my sis isn’t a fan and she doesn’t really like 汽水樽裡的咖啡 so I think her comments are fair and unbiased. Feeling happy and reassured, I asked her what’s her Song of the Year and she replied 勞斯.萊斯! Like me, she loves the interlude part when the Chinese musical instruments come in. She even asked me if my friends are coming over to watch the awards again!

Anyway, I was quite relaxed at first but after so many red herrings and false alarms (花木蘭, 鐘無艷, 男孩像你, 呂方&男方 - Eric Tsang and Amigo really played up the atmosphere so much the whole night, I seem to be detecting references to ah C all the time), I was beginning to feel worried. Then out of the blue, they announced that Hocc wins the Gold for 傑出表現. I should have been happy, but at that moment I was just stunned because it was so unexpected. It was my sister who reacted first with “Yay, she got award!” A nice surprise but when they played the music for 勞斯.萊斯, I thought, did that mean they weren’t going to give her the song award? The 傑出表現 was like a consolation prize and even hocc must have thought so then...I kept saying to my sis “不可能 '勞斯.萊斯' 沒有歌曲獎, 難道頒給 '如無意外' or '化蝶'? But that’s so unlikely...” and she too was wondering aloud how they chose the songs, saying “If she doesn't get a song award, it'll be so unfair...” At this point, my parents woke up from their naps, probably because we were making so much noise grumbling!

Finally when they announced the last song award went to 勞斯.萊斯, both my sis and I let out a triumphant "yeah!" and she cheered even louder than me! She told me later that her heart skipped a beat when they announced that ah C had won and it was a good thing that we haven't got weak hearts! Even my parents were looking happy for Ah C, yeah! But my dear mum exclaimed when she saw Ah C's backview...keke...Personally I liked her 'lantern sleeves' outfit best. Hocc should be 賣歌藝, 歌曲, or even 賣'型' but not 賣'露'. 要露也留給 the Special One mah! Speaking of this topic I didn't see why Joey had to wear that costume when doing the Latin dance. Just making it easier for people to ogle and '博懵'!

I don't remember ever being so stressed out when watching award presentations, not for Sammi, not JSG and even 903 awards. I do get headaches sometimes after times of stress e.g. exams, presentations or job interviews, and I developed one after seeing ah C win the song award! Gosh, it must have been really tense...and I've never seen my sis getting so excited about awards before...hehe.

It was wonderful to hear 勞斯.萊斯 being sung twice...just when I had nearly lost hope. So happy for Ah C and to see her, Joey and Miriam having a ball of a time. Bad blood? Fighting? What nonsense...Btw a re-make of 鐘無艷 by the three of them sounds interesting...hee...

A couple of tiny regrets...Joey didn't sing 越唱越強 when she won Most Popular Singer...and the abridged version of 勞斯.萊斯 didn't have the "能成為密友　大概總帶著愛" part, that line really strikes a chord, but never mind...It's been a 圓滿的2005 for ah C!!!

Recollection 2005 (Songs)

2006-01-14T23:15:00.000+08:00

Favourite Songs of 2005, very difficult to choose so I shall just pick songs that caught my attention this year, somewhat in order but not really, cos it's too difficult to rank!

1. 如無意外 (Denise Ho)
2. 勞斯.萊斯 (Denise Ho)
3. 汽水樽裡的咖啡 (Denise Ho)
4. 圓滿 (Denise Ho)
5. 明目張膽 (Denise Ho)
6. 化蝶 (Denise Ho)
7. 越唱越強 (Joey Yung)
8. 天之驕女 (Joey Yung)
9. 浮誇 (Eason Chan)
10. 遇見了你 (Eason Chan)
11. 大風吹 (Andy Hui)
12. 烈女 (Miriam Yeung)
13. 藍鞋子 (Stephy Tang)
14. 順時針 (Gigi Leung)
15. 你女友 (Bobo Chan)
16. 自欺欺人 (Alex Fong, Theresa Fu)
17. 二等天使 (Wilfred Lau)
18. 男孩像你 (Fiona Sit)
19. 塞車 (Nicholas Tse)
20. 浪漫時代 (Deep Ng)
21. 十個他不如一個你 (Janice)

Come to think of it, Hocc has never got a JSG song award in the finals before...even 再見露絲瑪莉 only got 網上金曲...But chances are good this year! Good luck for tomorrow!

One Step in Life

2006-01-14T21:46:00.000+08:00

I’d been thinking about getting Andy Hui's 大風吹 for 2 months yet not making a move because I didn't like the idea of buying it when I've already got the songs in disc 2. Then on Thursday I decided...2 CDs for the price of 1, purchase justified! First CD of the year!

I like the calligraphic "大風吹" words on the cover and the nature theme of the photographs, but otherwise the overall package looks a bit 'tired'...I guess Go East will not put much effort since Andy has left for East Asia.

But more importantly, the songs. 一步一生 is one of my favourite 安仔 songs of recent years; love both the melody and lyrics: “...Looking back, every step in my life was unforgettable. The people I had met along the way are getting further away from me. Yet at the edge of the cliff I stand firm...Who’s walking with me now, who’s holding my hand? Braving hardships, I still have the strength to smile...”

一步一生 (許志安)
作曲/編曲：伍樂城填詞：林夕

童年是誰伴我走　挽我的手
望我踏上天梯　不可退後
曾經期望著我　前程和戀愛　甚麼都擁有

沿途就算跌　要跌得好看
才能不自責　報答別人厚望
然而誰明白我　沒你們所想的堅壯
我很想找個人　對我說別怯慌

回顧中彷彿一步一生
每一級一世都難忘　如何吸引
曾碰上每個過路人　跟我漸行漸遠
懸崖上我始終都企穩

誰伴我去走一步一生
每一位一個不留神　不再熱吻
還有沒有人　令我驚險又興奮
願我能　提示我這一雙腳　別震

前面是誰伴我走　挽我的手
但笑著吃苦的氣力　我有

There are many other nice songs here: the cheery 大風吹, duet with Anita 女人之苦, 愛你 (famously covered by Sammi in her 1999 concert and more recently sang by hocc serenading Sammi), duets with Deannie Yip 教我如何不愛他 and 美中不足, a rather strange solo version of 會過去的 (the original version with Stephanie Che sounds better) etc etc. Though some people don't seem to like 與神對話 or 學行 much, I think they add an interesting flavour. If not for songs like these you end up with just a collection of 安仔-style ballads.

Me and 安仔 actually 'go back a long time', having first listened to his debut album a long, long time ago! Oh well, my sister bought that. Yeah, it had nothing to do with Sammi at first but I don’t deny that it became somewhat '愛屋及烏' subsequently. And so, over the years, I amassed 8 of his CDs (Looking thru my collection, I see 雨後陽光 1993, 驚喜交集精選 1996, 愛得辛苦精選 1997, 真心真意 1998, 世紀末精選 1999, 借你耳朵聽許志安 2001, ON HITS 2002, 大風吹 2005), mostly compilations though, cos although his songs are nice, I didn't see the need to own all of them (like the case with Joey). Anyway, looking at the frequency they put out best selections, I didn't need to wait very long...

Yeah, my second CD of the year...Mika Nakashima's "Best". The first Japanese album I bought in 3 years or so! What made me buy it? Well, I quite like Mika's singing and she's got some nice songs, and the cover is nice and purple...haha...Btw, she's the one who acted as the rocker Nana in the movie adapted from the comic of the same name, the character Hocc is supposed to resemble...

So I've bought 2 CDs so far and we're only halfway into January...tsk tsk...must keep away from CD shops...Then I'll be getting my Leung Joke musical anytime now and I want Joey's concert DVD (it is super ex, darn!) And yes, I want my Leung Joke...

Future

2006-01-10T02:48:00.000+08:00

Been looking up info for this graduate course I've been thinking about...it is super mafan!!!

The good thing is that it's entirely web-based so I don't have to be there physically. And it seems like the only course that has a major component completely relevant to my job.

But there're loads of things to settle...first of all money. Assuming completion in 2 years, based on rough estimates, I'll still need about USD10,000 a year!!!

The requirements...ok, degree and 1 year experience, I've got those. But then they need a 3.0 grade point average (whatever that means) and also a score of greater than 50th percentile on Miller Analogy Test or at least 1000 points on something GRE. (Don't have a clue what all these things mean...are they stringent?)

And for International Students, a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score is required...Hello, English is my 1st language...I guess 'O' and 'A' levels mean nothing to them? Wonder if SAT is any good in proving language proficiency?

Guess I need to write to them and clarify all these things...Also seriously considering if I'll be too tired to plunge into the course while holding a full-time job...

Guitar Lesson 2006

2006-01-10T02:40:00.000+08:00

My plan to help me practise in a more systematic manner! Really want to play the chords properly...Ok, I started off with Shampoo, 未來 and 迷你與我, admittedly not the easiest of songs, but since I’ve been practising them for some time, thought I’d just put them in lesson 1. The rest of the songs are chosen in increasing levels of difficulty so as not to get discouraged by tough chords right from the start. C key is about the easiest things can get.

1. Must-learn Songs
Shampoo (D key), 未來 (G key), 迷你與我 (F#m)

2. C Key (easy chords)
獨樂樂 (C), 兄弟 (C), 不眠皇后 (C)

3. A minor & C Keys
禁色 (Am), 越唱越強 (C), 下個密碼 (C# play C)

4. G Key
如無意外 (G# play G), acoustic angel (G# play G), 小丸子的心事 (G# play G)

5. G & A Keys
絕對 (A play G), 絕對 (A)

6. A Key
我會選擇C (A), 愛的教育 (A)

7. F Key
小淇 (F# play F), 明目張膽 (F)

8. F Key (cont’)
圓滿 (F), 千千萬萬個我 (F)

9. D Key
有得做 (D# play D)

10. E Key
喜歡喜歡你 (E)

11. B Key
光榮之家 (B-C)

12. G Key
化蝶 (G), 勞斯. 萊斯 (G# play G)

13. D# or Eb
長不大 (D# or Eb)

More Complicated Stuff...

1. C & G keys
忘 (C), 一秒 (G# play G)

2. D keys
做好準備 (D), 露絲瑪莉 (D)

3. C & D keys
花迷戀 (D play C), 花迷戀 (D)

4. key-change
勁愛你 (D-G), 再見露絲瑪莉 (C-A)

5. E key
沙 (E), 出生入死 (E), 艷光四射 (E)

6. B key
Happy Ending (B), 樓台會 (B)

7. Eb key
艷光四射(美艷到不行) (Eb), 明星夢 (C-Eb)

8. key change
汽水樽裡的咖啡 (C-D-E)

9. key change
我是芭比 (C-Eb-F-G), 娃鬼回魂 (Eb-F-G)

10. key change
失戀日記 (G-G#)

11. key change
二位一體 (A-B)

12. key change
與別不同 (A-Bb), 十八相送 (A-Bb)

13. tough songs
天使藍 (G# play G), 水花四濺 (E)

Changes will be made to my list when I find other suitable songs along the way. 燕尾蝶, 終身美麗, 暖色, 天之驕女 and 神經痛 are just a few that I’d like to include but have yet to work out the chords...

Yeah! My grand plans!

New Year, New Hopes

2006-01-02T20:42:00.000+08:00

Before I talk about 2006, first let me do some catching up. Meant to post these pics much earlier but what with one thing or another...Anyway, pop-related Christmas pressies:

Everlasting Regret Limited Edition Box-set, Everlasting Regret Soundtrack, Joey Bus and Denise's Natural Pearl!

The exciting contents of ER Box-set!!

My dear Denise's lipstick (Many, many thanks to leng lui Ripley!!!)

2006, Brand New Start
Sometimes I wonder if it's any good having New Year Resolutions since I don't seem to be keeping to most of those that I made last year. But anyway, I guess I'll have a go again this year:

1. Buy fewer CDs
Believe it or not, this was one resolution I managed to keep last year! Yes, I actually bought fewer CDs in 2005 compared to 2004! Keep it up this year!
2. Practise guitar at least once a week
3. Remember the birthdays of all my loved ones

Wish-List (So far)
This may be kind of contradictory to my NY Resolution no. 1, but given the horrendous nos. and not-so-horrendous-but-still-big nos. of CDs/VCDs/DVDs I bought in 2004 and 2005 respectively, I think I can reduce the no. further. Anyway...

1. Leung Joke VCD and/or DVD
2. Hocc's new EP
3. Joey's Reflections Concert 2005 DVD
4. Anita's re-releases (can't believe they're putting out 8 at one go, 8!!! Luckily, I've already got some of those last time, but I really want the Burning Lips and Demonic Girl ones, among others...)

Awards Awards

2006-01-02T10:30:00.000+08:00

Irish, caocao and fanfan came over to my place last night to watch the delayed telecast of the 903 awards. It was definitely more fun to watch together!

I woke up really early today (before 8am) considering that we had stayed up until 2am. Maybe feeling a bit 憤憤不平?

I shall not attempt to hide my disappointment about last night’s awards. Hocc got the silver for Best Female and was a very close 2nd behind Miriam for Most Popular Female. I know that Hocc herself has said that what matters most is that she has already given her best, but I just feel so ‘唔抵’ for her! And I'm sure there are lots of others like me, probably even non-fans who appreciate her hard work last year.

Seriously, I think that the effort put in and the quality of songs produced by ah C did not reap a proportionate amount of rewards. Much as I like Joey (though of course not as much as hocc) and have her "Love Joey 3" and "Bi-Heart" albums, to me "Glam" and "Butterfly Lovers" far outshine the former...I suspect even Joey thinks that Ah C deserves the gold more, and I feel a bit sorry for her because at one point in her thank-you speech she looked slightly embarrassed while saying "I hope you’re not booing me...". And no matter who got which colour of the award, I’m sure that the two of them will be happy for each other...Actually I’m happy that ah C managed to find such good friends in this line, 難得難得...I love the part when she was singing "勞斯.萊斯" and Joey knew every word of the lyrics!

Ok, finish ‘發泄’-ing. Never mind, new hopes for the New Year, 今年會更好, hope she does better next year; I have no doubt that she will.

My own selections:

Male Singer: Eason
美得有意思　因為你是你自己

Female Singer: Hocc
令人圓滿卻是你

Album: 梁祝下世傳奇
約定了下世共你更傳奇

Song: 如無意外
無奈在這刻　你才重要
(But suffering the disadvantage of a January release?)

Music Arrangment: 勞斯.萊斯
能成為密友　大概總帶著愛

Gratitude

2005-12-30T23:32:00.000+08:00

感激 (梅艷芳)
作詞：林夕作曲/編曲：倫永亮

夢裡所求仍然沒有出現
但這些年彷彿過了千萬年
形象上百變是我吧
但比起那咀臉
原來唯獨我本性不變

是這生涯能燃亮我生命
就算擔承風風雨雨的事情
情懷是永遠沒法靜
在掌聲與燈影
重尋維護著我無盡對眼睛

感激再感激
因你活著就是我驕傲
再度台上見
不必再要我孤身上路
一次又一次
仍然是你待我最好
而一生的歌只得這歌
仍未清楚要怎麼唱好

感激再感激
跟你踏著未踏過的路
再度台上見
只因我有更多可以做
不捨你同行同步
原來命運路上沒句號
天可老唯獨這歌聲不老

天可老唯獨這歌聲不老

(From 是這樣的, 1994)

It's already her 2nd anniversary...

I have always preferred Hocc's casual, natural look because I thought that it suits her personality the best. But recently, I've come to realise why Mui-jeh had always insisted that a singer should have a "singer's look" on stage and why she took so much trouble to create a different image every time she released an album. Perhaps this is the quality that differentiates a real 'superstar' from just a good singer.

I feel that Ah C is getting there...It may make her seem more distant on stage but I believe that off the stage, in her own words, "何韻詩始終係何韻詩" because her c-foo had once told her never to be arrogant even if she becomes successful in the future.

("就算將來成功，做人都一定唔可以囂張。")

感激再感激, 跟你踏著未踏過的路
再度台上見, 只因我有更多可以做
不捨你同行同步, 原來命運路上沒句號
天可老唯獨這歌聲不老

This voice will never age, and her legacy will live on...

Recollection 2005 (Serious Matters)

2005-12-30T23:30:00.000+08:00

I devote like 90% of the time to yak so much about music and hocc and Sammi, so I thought I’ll do a ‘serious 篇’ on work and family for my “Recollection” series...

Work...I don’t talk much about this because going into details is an absolute no-no. So usually I just grumble occasionally about being stressed with this difficult case and that urgent case. But seriously, 3 years into this job, I like it. Of course there's a lot of responsibility involved but then the feeling of having solved a difficult case or helped someone is very satisfying. And the travel opportunities are exciting...I would never have had the chance to go to Montreal otherwise. Been thinking about whether I should pursue higher education. It will be good to upgrade myself...Will give it some serious thought after I get the Taiwan trip over amd done with...祝大家"事業順利"...

Family...My parents have really aged. It didn't seem that long ago when my dad still had a full head of hair but now it's really thinning. And it definitely wasn't many years ago when my mum and I went on this speed ride at some amusement park in Thailand. I felt slightly giddy afterwards but dear mum was perfectly fine! Haha...I remember that it was a month or two after the 911 attacks but mum was determined to claim her holiday subsidies and insisted on going travelling. Dad and sis wouldn't go so in the end I joined her on the trip...But now I wouldn't let mum go on roller coaster rides anymore, no way...祝大家"身體健康"...

Musical Chairs

2005-12-28T14:30:00.000+08:00

Had a scare last night when my mum suddenly felt a very sharp pain in her abdomen. Didn’t help that we had just watched this TV series in which a patient was suffering pains which turned out to be very serious. Alarmed, we decided that she’d better go see a doctor immediately. Luckily there’s a clinic near our place that opens until midnight. We were most relieved when the doctor announced that it’s stomach flu. A bit shocking though, cos my mum is seldom ill except for mild bouts of running nose or cough. Seems like Flu Season now isn’t it? Musical chairs ar, my family all taking turns to fall ill?! 大家保重身體!

At work, my boss is on holiday until next year, while the other senior is clearing leave and away most of the week. And this other colleague also happily went on leave so her urgent case comes to me...kiak...me a bit stressed. Supposed to be going to sing K with my lab people tonight and then to my friend’s place tomorrow. But not really feeling excited at the moment...hope my mood picks up later...

Song of the moment: 圓滿 by Hocc
Did 903 ban it?! I’m playing it like mad...令人圓滿卻是你...

Recollection 2005 (Crazy Exploits)

2005-12-22T19:00:00.000+08:00

Top of the list: HK trip in May! Many firsts – meeting Ah C, taking pic with her, holding her autographed CDs in my hands and that handshake!!! Also first time travelling with caocao, irish and fanfan...we had a good time, didn’t we? And I’ll never forget squashing into that cramped goods-lift at Olympic City, omg...There’ll probably be chances to meet Ah C again in future and I’m sure I’d be extremely excited each time, but somehow the first time is just extra special. There is a kind of 感動...don’t really know how to express properly in words. 用心感受吧! And probably for the same reason, till this day, “hocc2” still remains my favourite album of hers. It is that first time 感動 that cannot be surpassed even by the excellence of “Glam” and “Butterfly Lovers”...

Butterfly Lovers the Musical. Two more in our group...And this brilliant show is worth every cent and much more! “Fa Dip” becomes so much more special – Jumping into the hole in that elegant purple dress and the final 回眸 scene in that magnificent wedding-gown-like costume! “如何回到當時...”

Ah Mi in Sg! She looks really, really good in person and maintained a friendly demeanour throughout her short trip. And our crazy gang (wenzi, piggy, b0bble) snapping pics of ourselves at Goodwood Park, followed by eight people squeezing into a medium-sized car!

Kekeke...the things I did courtesy of Mi and C!

Lipstick

2005-12-20T18:40:00.000+08:00

More like weekly blogging nowadays...

Let’s see, last week I was feeling off-colour...started with a bit of runny nose, then sore throat. After a few days of gargling salt-water and popping Strepsils until I’m sick of them, I was still feeling a bit sick on Saturday. Luckily my boss decided that I didn’t have to go for the workshop so I spent much of the day sleeping. The day’s rest must have done a lot of good cos by Sunday I was feeling almost normal.

Ok, Sunday was great! We celebrated dh b’day with 2 sessions at Neway followed by a DIY cake. 11plus until 6pm! I had expected my throat not to last but it wasn’t too bad. I’d never manage any of the high notes anyway even when in good health. Maybe next time should just lower the key...So yeah, we started off with a wave of hocc, followed by Eason, then a long session of Sammi, mish-mash of loads of others and rounding off with another wave of hocc. Boss and PR mgr took lots of pics including some silly shots haha! Oh yah, met up with a new friend dolores who could sing Faye Wong pretty well! Her voice is nice and bright, maybe a bit like at 17’s Eman? Hee...

Dinner was at a zi-char place recommended by ww, then we popped over her place for a short while before getting stuck for a couple of hrs (what’s new?) in the crawling traffic. Then ww drove us home as usual. (Thk u dear!)

Tuesday...finally finished my urgent cases so I can finally take leave! Still have 1 day to clear before end of 2005 or else it gets forfeited. And this weekend I’m supposed to be getting my Denise lipstick! Feeling kind of nervous...keke...

Oh yes, thanks to Jh and Wm for helping me get my new cpu together! Yeah

Short Cut

2005-12-13T14:37:00.000+08:00

Hmmm...think my haircut has gone a bit haywire this time. It turned out shorter than I’d wanted, oops! My dad always tells me that I shouldn’t cut my hair too short so I don't reckon he likes this much. My sis is more encouraging though; she said, “Never mind, it’ll grow back very soon.”

Watched “Pride & Prejudice”, which I found a rather enjoyable movie. I agree with Ht whole-heartedly, Keira Knightley is so pretty...Haha, we were both admiring her beauty and the scenes of the beautiful countryside. Oh, I just have a soft spot for England and English stuff, and I love the British accent!

Anyway, it was years since I read the book so I only had a vague idea of the events. It was just enough for me to follow the characters and developments in the movie without feeling lost, but since I didn’t remember the details I wasn’t making comparisons to the book all the time to see which parts had been omitted in the film. Perhaps that was why I enjoyed it better than for example the Harry Potter films cos I had already read the HP books.

Ok, in the book, the eldest sister Jane was supposed to be the prettiest but Lizzie (Keira) was obviously the most beautiful in the film, together with a stern but rather handsome Mr Darcy (whom Ht says is not proud enough). I guess it would be much better as a drama series instead of a film, but at least the movie was neither too abrupt nor in bits and pieces. But the ending was kinda out of place for a story set in the olden days...

Free Lunch

2005-12-08T14:30:00.000+08:00

Ok, so I have been ‘computerless’ (not counting office pc) for more than a week. Have decided to go for a self-assembled CPU, but still waiting for my friend...hope to settle it asap.

Nearing the end of 2005, don't think I got very far with my resolutions. I still bought loads of CDs (but whether fewer than last year or not I've yet to do a head-count! Maybe that will be the next post...haha) I've not been exercising regularly in recent months. I stopped calligraphy practice for some time but finally picked it up again recently, though results have not been drastically improved. Will I be able to write ‘fai chun’ for CNY? It's still a BIG question mark! I’ve been practising more on my guitar, yeah! But think not enough and after so long it’s still painful when I do barre chords. It’s a lot easier when you strum because you may not hear a muted string among 5 or 6 but when you pluck, then every string is obviously audible so must be pressed properly. And my French is getting nowhere...whatever little I picked up for Montreal has more or less vanished liao haha...help!

Speaking of Montreal, after my wonderful trips I’m now supposed to share my experiences with the rest next month. And that's not the only presentation, I’ve got another coming up in April. Definitely no such thing as a free lunch...

Recollection 2005 (About CDs)

2005-11-30T19:07:00.000+08:00

Haven’t bought many new albums this year. By ‘new’, I’m referring to those released in 2005. Not many good ones around anymore, and in any case I think I've become more selective. I believe that the total amount of attention one can give is more or less fixed so as I get more and more into a certain Ah Mi and Ah C, it seems only natural that some others fade away from my radar. Anyway, my list:

Butterfly Lovers (Denise Ho)
It may be impossible for me to be completely objective and I don’t deny that 我有點偏心. But honestly, based on meritorious grounds, this is indeed my Album of the Year. Excellent melodies, fitting lyrics, interesting arrangements, singing with heart, what more can you ask for? It certainly goes hand in hand with the musical but each individual song tells its own story well too. Although 化蝶 is the one that captures the essence of the musical, I have a soft spot for 勞斯.萊斯. Simple, warm, with a tinge of sadness but not without hope, I especially love its music arrangement of incorporating Chinese classical instruments yet retaining a modern feel. Btw, I would also pick this for my Album Cover of the Year.
Faves: All esp 汽水樽裡的咖啡/勞斯.萊斯/化蝶/有人跟蹤我

Glam (Denise Ho)
I may have picked Butterfly Lovers for my Album of the Year but for a long time, Glam was also in the running. An interesting concept of tribute to top singers in the 80s, the songs are just amazing and well-thought, though perhaps a tad more commercial-feel than her usual standards. I would pick 如無意外 for my Song of the Year for it is still the one that touched me most. One regret was not being able to hear 玻璃蒼蠅 on local radio. Hocc sang it very well, Mandarin not being her mother tongue never hampering in any way. I can only say that they ‘走寶’!
Faves: 如無意外/艷光四射/明目張膽/艷光四射(美艷到不行)

Bi-Heart (Joey Yung)
越唱越強 caught me the moment I heard it (not unlike 艷光四射 did the year before) and it was the only reason for me getting this CD initially. Despite me saying earlier that I’ll not buy Joey’s albums apart from best selections, I quite like this one. Criticised for singing mainly K-songs and having good technique but not singing with enough feeling, I thought it’s all pretty unfair to her. She does sing with heart and her songs are getting better. Yes, most are still quite ‘K’ but more meaningful and greater in variety, at least in Bi-Heart.
Faves: 越唱越強/ 天之驕女

Love Joey 3 (Joey Yung)
I still maintain that even for so-called ‘K-songs’, there are good and bad ones and I think that Joey gets a healthy proportion of the good ones. She also handles other styles well (e.g. 日安憂鬱) but it’s not really her fault that they receive less attention. Initially 一拍兩散 got my attention because she sang it at Chit-Chat last year but I soon discovered 最後一課, a moving tribute to her late teacher Roman Tam, written by Carl Wong and Lin Xi. And her vocal range seems to be getting wider than ever!
Faves: A lot e.g. 最後一課/一拍兩散/痛愛/我的驕傲/想得太遠/心病

U87 (Eason Chan)
I nearly didn’t buy this but a generous discount, coupled with my own desire to find out if it was living up to all that hype made me take the plunge. Apart from a compilation, it was my first time getting Eason's album and I can say that it isn’t hype for nothing. The first two plugs 夕陽無限好and 阿牛 are a little commercialised, with the latter rather convoluted and sounding suspiciously like either Edmond Leung’s or one of Alex Fong’s hits at certain parts, but they are still a notch above typical pop songs. On the whole, there are plenty of interesting and varied songs and the two Mandarin tracks aren't new versions of existing Canto ones but brand new songs.
Faves: 浮誇/爛/夕陽無限好/阿牛/遇見了你

Introducing (Chet Lam)
Chet’s first Mandarin album is a compilation of Mandarin versions of his stronger Cantonese songs. A good collection of soothing, touching, acoustic numbers but perhaps I am one who yearns for more exciting and unexpected stuff.
Faves: 離開古城/重回布拉格/離開，是為了回來/我和泡麵

Evolution Theory (Candy Lo)
Actually I haven’t listened to this very much. It isn’t as alternative and unconventional as I had expected, but perhaps still too profound and not quite melodious enough for me.

Clockwise Compilation (Gigi Leung)
This one also did not get much airplay from me. I was mainly attracted by two new songs 順時針 and 偏見 and a few old ones like 花火 and 新鮮. Perhaps I should have gotten a Canto-best instead.

Fantasia (Bobo Chan)
How I got this was a bit of an accident. Bought two copies for someone but kept one for myself because I remembered that hocc wrote, produced and sang backing vocals for 下個密碼. Ended up liking 你女友 best, but despite her improvement in vocals, think Bobo still needs to brush up on her singing.

Group Photo 2005!

That’s the lot for 2005, but I did buy lots of other albums (oops!) released earlier such as back albums of Anita, Beyond, Chet Lam, at 17 and Josie, and spillovers from 2004 – Ping Pung, Elva’s best album, Edmond’s Effort and Love etc. I would choose Ping Pung’s Love and Hate as the best among the lot. Pity that Kary seemed to have veered off in another direction for her solo effort, don’t think I like it very much.

Revolt

2005-11-30T13:11:00.000+08:00

After hanging on for dear life for quite some time, my dying computer has finally revolted and 撒手歸西! No amount of coaxing will revive it so it's certified...Don't think it's worth sending to the doc cos it gave me so much trouble over the past year or so. Need to shop around for a replacement (which brand is good ar? Besides DIY?); more money required, haiz...

Mr Children

2005-11-23T19:16:00.000+08:00

I went through my lot of Mr Children albums last weekend.

“Innocent World” was the single that propelled this 4-piece band into pop reverence in 1994. Suitably impressed by this song which remains my favourite of Mr Children, I bought my first and their fourth album, “Atomic Heart”. To be honest, I was a little disappointed. I realised that they are one of those bands that you could probably just buy ‘Best of’ compilations. Unless of course you are a big fan who must own every album, but I’m not.

But lured by the strength of their singles, I got the next two albums anyway. “Deep Sea” was an interesting concept album with gems like “The Song with No Name” and “Letter” while “Bolero” was simply brimming with hits like “Everything (It’s You)”, “es”, “See-Saw Game”, “Everybody Goes” and “Tomorrow Never Knows”. And for some reason, I also picked up two of their pre-fame days albums “Everything” and “Versus”. 2002’s “It’s a Wonderful World” was the last one I got.

Mr Children’s songs can be very good and when they are, they would most probably be plugged as singles, perhaps with just one or two exceptions. And Kazutoshi Sakurai’s songwriting style hasn’t evolved that much, I think. But now I’ve ended up with too many albums to justify buying a “Hits Collection”...heck...Perhaps if they come up with a really comprehensive one, I might be tempted just to get it.

Miyuki’s Melodies

2005-11-23T19:04:00.000+08:00

Miyuki Nakajima’s style of singing takes some getting used to. In fact, sometimes I wished that she didn’t sing the way she did. But the composer of Sammi Cheng’s “薩拉熱窩的羅密歐與朱麗葉” and “愛的輓歌” is undeniably an extremely talented songwriter. Every time I listen to Miyuki's album, I am reminded of why I was so attracted to J-pop. Their music arrangements are so much more exciting and fulfilling than the average Chinese pop song. Even though I may not understand all of what the songs are about, Miyuki’s melodies (I mean the really good ones) radiate a warmth that seems to overcome any language barrier.

From the song "糸" (Tapestry):
(words & music by Miyuki Nakajima, translated by Ruriko Duer)
...
縦の糸はあなた横の糸は私
織りなす布はいつか誰かを
暖めうるかもしれない
...
織りなす布はいつか誰かの
傷をかばうかもしれない
...
逢うべき糸に出逢えることを
人は仕合わせとよびます

Your life is like a vertical thread
Mine is like a horizontal thread
We weave a tapestry together
And it may be used to warm someone else one day
And it may be used to hide someone's wounded heart
When one meets the right thread
We call it meant to be

From the song "Not Even Blinking":
(words & music by Miyuki Nakajima, translated by Ruriko Duer)

As our eyes blink life goes by so fast
Stars flicker brightly and disappear,
As we do
Life is so precious
Not even blinking, not even breathing
We seek others
Because our time is so short

Humans are wild animals
Born without fangs, poison or thorns
Instead we possess tears to cry and feel pain
We are bare skinned mammals

Looking at yourself in the mirror
You may not hear any songs to praise you
But I can sing many tunes of the goodness in you
You may never know

It's such a modest life, some may be cynical
It's such a humble life, some may be critical
But I will sing many tunes of the goodness in you
You may never know

Humans are wild animals
Born without fangs, poison or thorns
Instead we possess tears to cry and feel pain
We are bare skinned mammals

If it hurts by being barely touched
The heart is already broken
As you go along the way
Don't you see such people

It's such a modest life, similar to mine
It's such a humble life, could it have been yours
But I will sing many tunes of the goodness in you
You may never know
......

Ramble

2005-11-23T14:40:00.000+08:00

Right, to make up for the past two weeks’ laziness, I’m going to pack a head full of thoughts and ideas into a week’s worth of blog entries today.

It’s been a cold two days, but there is warmth inside. With “Butterfly Lovers” still reverberating and fresh in my mind, “圓滿”(Complete) heralds the excitement of yet another new offering. Ho Ah C has been working remarkably hard this year! Actually “圓滿” sort of reminds me of “如無意外”, but I shall let it all simmer for a bit more and reserve detailed comments for a subsequent post...

Was talking to a CD shop owner and seems like things are really looking grim nowadays. I dread the day when there are no more music albums to buy (and fervently hope that this day never comes). Hit by cheap China imports costing a mere $5.90 (or perhaps cheaper) and worse, illegal downloads (don’t these people realise that what they are doing is amounting to plain stealing? I think very lowly of them, but as if they care about what I think anyway...), it seems to be getting harder to find distributors in Singapore. Even those with branches here think twice and have resorted to minimum orders from retailers before they would oblige. Isn’t Gigi Leung still with Warner Music? But I was told that her past four Canto-releases weren’t being distributed here...

The other day I passed by the new National Library but am nonchalant to the sight of it. Apart from the Sammi movie forum, I haven’t felt like going in there at all. I think of the warm ‘little red brick’ library building that I used to frequent and am reminded that it is no more. Look ahead, yes, but I guess there are always a few things in life that you prefer the old...

One person has been appointed to do something and if you see him in difficulty or needing help, it is asking the obvious to offer your assistance. But no, instead of helping, these people just sit there and comment on what was done wrongly or opine what should have been done, but not lifting a finger to help. Bleah...

Cheer me up

2005-11-15T13:25:00.000+08:00

I still haven’t settled my case yet. They may be chasing for it soon...

And my dad’s illness may have returned. What the...I thought he's been cured? BH...Anyway, can’t do anything except wait for the doc’s prognosis first then see how...

While out scouting for gifts last weekend for this company event, I wandered off to look at toy cars, one of my favourite toys when I was little. Among the barang barang, I spotted some Mini Coopers and rummaged through the pile of boxes – dark blue, green, yellow, silver, red with the Union Jack...but no light blue. Chey, was thinking of buying the whole set at the spur of the moment, but with the crucial light blue missing, nah...

And then, I spotted some bigger ones with all 6 colours available! Look what I bought:

Can open the doors, boot and bonnet, pretty nice...Back home, my mum spotted the plastic bag and asked me what I got. Too late to hide the stuff so I had to hand it over, mumbling, “Don’t scold me...” To my surprise, she quite liked it too and even thought it was quite cheap! She didn’t ask why I chose a light blue Mini though my sister could probably guess, hehe...Cheered me up a bit.

Stronger Coffee

2005-11-12T02:50:00.000+08:00

This can't go into Jam Studio so I thought I'd post here (but I dunno the html to separate the chord positions). Was just knocking about the chords for this song when I realised that it's pretty easy to play. Initially I was using G key, then I realised the original is C which makes it even easier! But the chorus part is just impossibly high...

越唱越強 (容祖兒)

作曲：Hukiko Nakamura/Sonrui 填詞：夏至 | 編曲：舒文
Key: C

C G/B
笑我殺蚊也不夠膽
Am
笑我的天性不夠奸
G F
樂觀的心不懶　我全憑傻勁
G C
行過重重難關　憑信心得到稱讚

C G/B
我要放心放膽去衝
Am
我要上廣闊的太空
G F
豁出幾分英勇　要忘懷沉重
G C
前進才能成功　長空總可給操縱

Dm Em
我信天真的鬥志
F G
需挫敗仍然嘗試　蝕底過當做投資
Dm Em F G G# A#
滿腦太多好主意　從此懷著大志

C Am Em
要越唱越強　艱辛波折別去想
F G
再放聲高唱　唱到底仍鏗鏘
C Am Em
我越唱越勇找到方向　即使一個亦夠響
F G
我已索性不理　你會否熱情來欣賞
Am G D/F#
我　決心　不理形象　發洩我想
Fm C
我繼續狂唱　唱到自信更高漲

C G/B
我要隻身去膽搏膽
Am
跌痛也一個人承擔
G F
遇到些少感嘆　我仍憑傻勁
G C
來抗衡來平反　如孤單都懂得撐

Dm Em
我以最天真的鬥志
F G
需挫敗仍然嘗試　蝕底過當做投資
Dm Em F G G# A#
信我會有天可以　憑聲音去完成大志

C Am Em
要越唱越強　艱辛波折別去想
F G
我會再放聲高唱　唱到聲嘶仍然鏗鏘
C Am Em
我越唱越勇找到方向　即使一個亦夠響
F G
我已索性不理　你會否熱情來欣賞
Am G D/F#
我　決心　一個前行　我信我想
Fm C G/B Am
懶理別人自信堅強更高章
D Fm C
憑我態度全力再上　到世界絕嶺演唱

C Am Em
要越唱越強　艱辛波折別去想
F G
再放聲高唱　唱到底仍鏗鏘
C Am Em
我越唱越勇找到方向　即使一個亦夠響
F G
我已索性不理　你會否熱情來欣賞
Am G D/F#
我　決心　一個前行　我信我想
Fm C G/B Am
懶理別人自信堅強更高章
D Fm C
憑我態度全力再上　到世界絕嶺演唱
G/B Am G F
唱到自信更高漲　放肆放任的去唱
G Am C
來年定了方向　唱到攰了也想唱
G/B Am G F
唱到攰了也想唱　我會竭力的去唱
G C
全憑自信去高唱

And while I am at it, here's the chords of the previous song I worked on, "Coffee in a Soda Bottle":

汽水樽裡的咖啡 (何韻詩)

作曲：阿卓填詞：黃偉文編曲：青山大樂隊

Intro: | C | Caug | Am/C | Caug |

C Caug
誰出錯將咖啡都裝進汽水樽
Am/C F
我覺得很有問題
Fm E
如果我突然想溝鮮奶我應怎麼控制
Am G# G
這是條懷疑上帝的問題

C Caug
男人的粗獷身體裝了女人心
Am G D/F#
我有否心理問題
Fm E
如果我是誰必須根據染色體的設計
Am Dsus4/F G A# C
埋藏內心的幼細大概就要荒廢

D Gm
我身體裝著誰人兩歲半已定型了
C Bm
早知包裝不太搭調
F#m B
但我忍到那日跟你初見面才忍不了
C#m F#m A D D#
砰砰蓬尤如暴漲浪潮
E Am
我的身該屬誰人壓制到接近忘了
D C#m
差一點將本我殺掉
F#m B E Eaug A B
但咖啡可注入這汽水樽情感藏不了

C Caug
如果你是蘋果汁裝進咖啡杯
Am G D/F#
似我這一個類型
Fm E
何不也盡情湧出本性別理裝的器皿
Am Dsus4/F G A# C
咸甜或酸苦半世亦照著你高興

D Gm
我身體裝著誰人兩歲半已定型了
C Bm
早知包裝不太搭調
F#m B
但我忍到那日跟你初見面才忍不了
C#m F#m A D D#
砰砰蓬尤如暴漲浪潮
E Am
我的身該屬誰人壓制到接近忘了
D C#m
差一點將本我殺掉
F#m B E Eaug A B
但咖啡可注入這汽水樽濃香藏不了

Interval: | Caug | Am G | F# G G# | C | Caug | Am G | D/F# | F Fm | C C# |

D Gm
我身體裝著誰人兩歲半已定型了
C Bm
早知包裝不太搭調
F#m B
但我忍到那日跟你初見面才忍不了
C#m F#m A D D#
砰砰蓬尤如暴漲浪潮
E Am
我身體裝著誰人我會說那是前世
D C#m
跟分身的主角對調
F#m B A# A
但咖啡幽禁在這咖啡杯
G#m C#dim/G
同樣可使別人營造心跳
F#m B
別怕軀殼外型全部錯了
C
潛質先緊要

Outro: | Caug | Am G | F# G G# | C | Caug | Am G | D/F# | F Fm |

Yeah, two of my favourite songs this year.

Strong

2005-11-12T02:25:00.000+08:00

Very stressed at work for the past week or so to the point that I considered taking the day off to get away and to ‘siam’ this meeting that I didn’t feel like attending.

But I dispelled the thought. For one, taking leave might have offered temporary relief, but I’d still be worrying over the weekend (and spoiling it). Besides, ‘siam-ing’ the meeting probably wouldn’t get me out of the stuff that I’m supposed to do anyway.

So I decided to face it head on. Went through the case again, consulted boss, and even though I still haven't settled it, at least I'm in a better mood than this morning.

Running away just doesn’t solve problems. I’m glad I didn't let the weak side triumph :)

Mi and Bee (Updated 12 Nov)

2005-11-12T02:13:00.000+08:00

As requested by Fran, the SBS t-shirt:

Front

Back

Front (close-up)

Right Sleeve

Left Sleeve

btw, payment is by Paypal. U need help just let me know...

P.S. Thanks to Piggy for asking Queenie for me!

Info given by the in-charge: (12 Nov)
Price per pc: USD4.6 + USD1.9 shipping = USD6.50

Sizes: 36, 40, 44
TEE的SIZE主要都是度CHEST SIZE WIDTH....但SHOULDER LENGTH和CHEST SIZE也不差太遠吧.
CHEST SIZE WIDTH as follow:
SIZE 36 = WIDTH 18 INCHES ( LENGTH = 24 INCHES)
SIZE 40 = WIDTH 20 INCHES ( LENGTH = 26 INCHES)
SIZE 44 = WIDTH 22 INCHES ( LENGTH = 28 INCHES)

Think size 44 no more stocks but whoever wants can just let me know what size u require, I double-check with them see whether got or not.

Roller-Coaster

2005-11-07T23:36:00.000+08:00

Been lazy the past week. Or rather, not in the mood to blog.

Two public holidays last week, but in a way they sort of contributed to the roller-coaster ride of moods. Alternating holidays don't seem to bring as much respite as I had hoped. Happy one day, stressed the next, maybe should've taken the whole week off, what the heck...

Time with dear B, of course happy;
Tough cases at work, stressed;
K-session again, lousy singing, but 3 hours of good fun;
Erratic PC, to repair or to discard and get new one;
SBS t-shirt, nice!
Reminded again of how close I came to getting something...regretful feelings are always more memorable?

Talking rubbish...darn...

Not really songs of the moment, but these two caught my attention recently:
"遠水近火" by this 3-piece band but dunno their name. My sis said that it is very 'hocc'. A very rock-feel song...miss her old-school-rock days.
"繼續唱" by EO2. This group sings well but doesn't seem very popular...

Heaven's Girl

2005-10-31T14:24:00.000+08:00

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

2005-10-31T14:15:00.000+08:00

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

2005-10-28T13:31:00.000+08:00

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

2005-10-25T23:42:00.000+08:00

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

2005-10-24T22:42:00.000+08:00

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

2005-10-18T23:43:00.000+08:00

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

2005-10-16T13:16:00.000+08:00

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

2005-10-12T13:22:00.000+08:00

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

2005-10-11T13:16:00.000+08:00

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

2005-10-10T18:55:00.000+08:00

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

2005-10-07T13:26:00.000+08:00

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

2005-10-04T19:25:00.000+08:00

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

Heaven's Girl, Blue Shoes and Your Girlfriend

2005-09-29T15:00:00.000+08:00

Allow me a light moment to just admit that there are a number of so-called ‘K-songs’ that have caught my ears recently (though I must be quick to add that an entire album of these songs will bore me and someone who consistently churns out such material does not feature highly in my favourites list!)

Anyway, back to the subject...First of all, Joey's "Bi-Heart" album. My favourite song may be “越唱越強”, but I am liking ballads like “天之驕女” (Heaven's Girl), “損友” (Bad Company), “罪魁” (Ring-leader) and “還未” (Not Yet) more with each listen. Seems to me that “天之驕女” is a true reflection of her life. My personal view is that nobody does these type of songs better than Joey at the moment, bless her voice.

Then there is “藍鞋子” (Blue Shoes) by Stephy, a clever pun of 'Boy'. Her first plug “青山散步” (Aoyama Walk) annoys me! Well, I think her voice is suited to Bossa Nova but it’s just not my thing. “藍鞋子”, however, caught me immediately. Yeah yeah, it’s a typical ‘K-song’, so what? To me, they can be divided into two categories - I like, and I don't like. “藍鞋子” falls into the first category...

Next, surprisingly, “你女友” (Your Girlfriend) by Bobo! Earlier I had said that it’s nice but not very special. The first time I heard the song, “心灰姑娘” and “下個密碼”, I wasn’t very impressed. But darn, after playing the EP a lot these few days, I like the songs better with each listen. I have no choice now but to eat my words and admit that I like “你女友” quite a lot! (Ah Vii will probably laugh at me for this...hohoh...)

Still, I have to say that it's Hocc's work on “下個密碼” that made me buy Bobo's CD in the first place. I won’t say the EP is great, but it’s a good effort with songs of different styles thrown in. “Tee Time” is probably the first time she's tackling a rocking Avril Lavigne-like song (I still like Joey’s “越唱越強” better, haha). Not bad, but my feeling is that the song 好像少了什麼. Perhaps her delivery/singing on this album isn't as good as I expected? I’m a bit disappointed. Hey, she sounded really good singing “羽毛” at a live performance several months ago, what happened?

Butterfly Lovers – The Legend Continues

2005-09-29T13:30:00.000+08:00

The album was released about a week before the musical, but I only got a copy afterwards. Of course, prior to this, I had already heard “化蝶” and “勞斯.萊斯” (RollsRoyce) and bits of other tracks. But I steered clear of radio interviews and magazine reviews as I prefer to listen to the actual CD to discover things for myself, even if it means having to wait. (I have pretty strong will power in that sense...hee)

The Musical
Watching the show first probably has its advantages. I didn’t know the track-list/songs like the back of my hand so there were more surprises in store as I didn’t know what to expect. The first scene was very 震撼! Ah C sang the piano version of “化蝶” wearing an elegant purple dress and with accompaniment by her brother ‘Goobing’. It was so strong, so dramatic, so melancholic...and the part when she took a step forward to leap into the gapping hole with her long dress trailing behind frantically (it was previously arranged neatly, covering nearly the whole stage when she was singing), did that symbolise the death of “Royce”?

There were two timeframes intertwined cleverly into the flow, so initially I was rather confused about the plot. But it soon became clear that one was the present, the other 20 years ago. And while the title was “梁祝” (Butterfly Lovers), there weren’t anyone called ‘梁山伯’ or ‘祝英台’ in this version.

The Past: 勞斯 (‘Rolls’ played by Endy Chow) and 萊斯 (‘Royce’ played by Hocc) met 20 years ago at university. With a common love for fashion design and having to work together on costumes for their school play (incidently they were doing “梁祝”), the two became good friends, treating each other like brothers but secretly harbouring an admiration for each other. Somehow, Rolls ended up with the school belle and Royce, being ill and knowing that time was running out for her, bravely declared her love for Rolls. But the indecisive Rolls needed three days to think over and then it was too late...

The significance of the butterfly: Rolls and Royce wanted to base the design of the final piece of costume for their ‘梁祝’ play on a butterfly called 琉璃蝶. But this butterfly was so elusive that the only pictures they could find of it were blurred. The only way they could think of was to find the equally elusive flower 紫天香 to attract the 琉璃蝶 so that they could finish their costume for the final ‘化蝶’ scene.

The present: Royce had passed away, and Rolls, unable to remember anything except having to search for 紫天香 in order to attract the 琉璃蝶, remained stuck in a time-rut 20 years ago. It was his search for 紫天香 that brought him to Siu Kei’s shop and led him to meet her boyfriend ah Jo (reincarnation of Royce). Jo, initially finding the whole thing ridiculous, found himself being drawn against his own will closer and closer towards Rolls. Siu Kei tried ways and means but all in vain to keep Jo with her. And the confused Rolls could not accept Royce having changed into a man and only treated Jo as a substitute for Royce at first. Eventually he realised that he loved Jo for who he was but by that time, he was struck by an illness that caused his body functions to deteriorate rapidly (probably related to him being a 40-yr-old stuck with a 20-yr-old face)...Ah C appeared to sing the ending song “化蝶”, this time in a wedding gown-like costume. She was so, so beautiful!!! And the final scene when she turned back to look at the audience on a flower walkway...I could not help but think of Mui-Jeh...

Hocc: Throughout the play, she turns up in various guises to sing the songs from the album. She was in superb form! She could handle sexy songs like “不是吟詩的時候” (Not a time for poetry), rocking songs like “有人跟蹤我” (Someone’s following me), emotionally-charged songs like “做好準備” (Prepared) and “勞斯.萊斯”, and my favourite of all “汽水樽裡的咖啡” (Coffee in a soda bottle). Then there’s her butterfly dance – wonderfully graceful and an absolute delight to watch. And her antics had me in stitches in some of the lighter moments, the most memorable being the ‘headless corpse’ scene. (“Give~ me~ back~ my~ head!”)

Other actors: “Rosemary” and “蝦頭” (Prawn Head) provided generous servings of comedy relief and garnered much applause from the audience. Endy sang better than I'd expected but his acting was a little stiff, mainly restricted to running around and looking lost, though it was a credible performance from someone who had practically no prior acting experience. I enjoyed the light-hearted moments during “十八相送” (18 Send-offs) when Royce forced Rolls to ‘act as the bridge’ so that she could ‘pretend to be the train’! Ah Jo (Joey Leung) was simply brilliant (what else would you expect from an award-winning actor). I love his scenes with Royce, especially during the “Coffee” song and “禁色”. I enjoyed Siu Kei’s (Kate Yeung) performances too even though she didn’t have that many scenes. I think both ah Jo and Siu Kei sang very well, I dare say better than Endy.

The CD
Having watched the musical made me love the songs much more. All the lyrics make perfect sense and whenever I listen to the songs, the scenes would come floating back into my mind.

It’s hard to pick a favourite song but if I had to I'd choose “汽水樽裡的咖啡”. It is my favourite style of rock ballad and just the kind of melody that I like. It starts off quietly enough, with some crackling and distortion that made me wonder if the disc was spoilt! Then the guitars and drums come crashing in...the atmosphere builds up some more...(veegay comes in) and more... I love hocc’s rendition - so melancholic, so desperate, so helpless...Brilliant lyrics (kudos to Wyman!), this time using a lot of metaphors, but conveying the meaning so well. “Who made the mistake of filling a soda bottle with coffee? I think it is a big problem...The strong body of a man, encompassing a woman’s heart. Am I mentally-challenged?...Who is the one in my body? It had been decided since I was two and a half years old. I knew the packaging is wrong but I endured until I met you and then all hell broke loose. Who should my heart belong to? I have almost forgotten. The repression is nearly killing the real me. The coffee may be in a soda bottle, the feelings can't be hidden away...” A controversial topic once again, but no one handles these better than Hocc. She and Wyman make such a perfect combination for he understands her so well that every song he writes for her just has 'hocc’ stamped all over.

Compared to “Coffee...”, “勞斯.萊斯” is a lot more direct. I used to think that when lyrics are too direct or simple, some of the beauty is lost. But it is an art to be able to use simple language to convey a profound message and Wyman scores again! I love the simplicity of the melody, set to an acoustic arrangement, but lest you think it’s too simple, some traditional Chinese instrumentation is added, giving a classical-meets-modern feel, which is essentially what the musical is about too.

I wanted rock songs, and I got them and more! “長不大” (Can’t Grow Up) was sung by Endy in the musical and I love the part when the drums come in. Someone mentioned that having live drums at a musical seems not a very good idea as it tends to cover the voices. But I think it's great! Anyway the actors had powerful enough voices to enable them to be heard over the drumbeats. “有人跟蹤我” is another fast tempo rocking song, yeah! Ah C sings it so well, and yeah, everyone remembers her sexy shiny bra costume for this number! I hope they remember her sleek dance moves too! “不是吟詩的時候” is another sexy number and ah C proves her versatility by delivering a wonderfully sensual performance. There is definitely no genre outside her capabilities!

The sweet songs like “樓台會” and “十八相送” she could handle with ease too, and you can feel her playfulness and happiness in these songs. Lots of people like “做好準備” probably because she sang it with so much emotion. She was preparing herself for rejection from Rolls, trying to maintain a care-free, ‘I’m ok’ front even though it was hurting like hell inside. The version of “小淇” here is only the “lalala” version and there are calls to include the lyrics version sung by Kate Yeung.

“化蝶”...what can I say...after watching her performance at the musical, the song becomes so much more special. The essence of the musical seems to have been captured in the song...And I think the piano version is so powerful; I can just picture her in that purple dress every time I listen to it...Although there were comments that “勞斯.萊斯” and “化蝶” are more ‘K’ in terms of melody compared to her previous works, I beg to differ. Actually, hocc probably didn’t set out purposely to make her songs ‘non-K’ but no matter how 'commercial' a melody may seem, the end result from her tends to be something different from the usual so-called ‘K-songs’. Her insistence on injecting some new elements or heart-felt lyrics probably helped, I don’t really know. And I don't think either “勞斯.萊斯” or “化蝶” are easy songs to sing in KTV, by the way.

The Message:
Love has no boundaries, not gender, not time, not race, not religion...But in reality, it’s very difficult to achieve. I mean, consider this: “Would you still love the one you love most if he/she becomes a woman/man?”

This question, amongst other gender-related ones, was posed to hocc’s ‘targets’ for her photobook. Some answered frankly ‘No’; some said ‘Yes’; some gave explanations; some didn't.

Hocc’s answer? She said that “For the time being, I’ll say ‘yes’, but it all depends on the feeling then.” An answer that is more realistic perhaps, which probably also encompasses her current ideas in life and love, that noboby knows for certain what would happen in the future...

In real life, this hypothetical scenario will never come true, but it evokes a bigger question. What if it’s not the gender? What if the special someone becomes very old/young? Becomes very ill? The idealistic answer is of course, nothing should change and love should be forever. But in reality, there are so many other things to consider. Are we really able to ignore others’ gossip, social pressure, family/friends’ concern, etc etc. Are we strong enough to overcome all odds? Ultimately, will you love someone no matter what he/she becomes? Some food for thought...

By the way, among those given in the photobook, my favourite answer to the gender question is still Theresa’s: “The one I love most...of course I would still love!” (A simple reason but so romantic...)

Speaking of her, I need to go find my Theresa soon. Nope, this is a completely unrelated topic. I need a haircut, and the stylist I go to is also called Theresa...haha!

September Story Told in Pictures

2005-09-24T13:07:00.000+08:00

Outside the Theatre

Wishes from HOCCIFC - beautifully done in the shape of the musical logo, which was of course designed by the talented 25

Wishes from Goo Family!!
Turned out that we were sitting in the same row as Goodae and Goomo on the first night and Goomo waved at me from her seat! Later, as always, they obliged with photos. Friendly as ever, they are so, so nice people!

Wishes from Joey Yung
Apparently she cancelled her recording session to watch the last show and was one of those who gave a standing ovation at the end. No matter what some people say, I still think that she is a good singer and a wonderful friend (i believe).

A big crowd trying to grab souvenirs before the show started

Mad Rush!

A friendly ah Jo signing autographs after the day show, 17 Sept.

Busy signing autographs after the night show, 17 Sept

Getting into the van after completing another round of autographs, 18 Sept. She was wearing 'feelers' on her head as it was 'Mid-Autumn' that day!

Souvenirs Galore!

The Tickets

Musical Poster (1)

Musical Poster (2)

Album Poster

Butterfly Lovers CD
Comes with booklet, poster and two sticker sheets

Musical Booklet

Inside of the Musical Booklet (back) and Comic Book (front)

Limited Edition Hocc Photobook (1000 copies only!)

Hocc Photobook contents
Besides the book, there is also a sticker sheet and a big folded sheet with snap shots of family and friends (Including Goomo, Goobing, musical actors and staff, and celebrity friends like Ming-Gor, Joey, Theresa, Ah Gil, At 17, Emme Wong etc)

Musical Pamphlet signed by ah Jo, Siu Kei and obviously, Hocc!
It was tough getting hocc's signature (special thanks to Judy for helping)! Quite a tight squeeze! Both ah Jo and Siu Kei were surprised to hear that we had travelled such a long way. Siu Kei even gave me the thumbs up!

T-shirts (White, Black, Grey)
I got an extra black for wearing (the rest are for keeping and admiring!)

Sweet from Hocc and Bottle-cap from Ngau Kee

Sammi!!

Sammi fans getting ready to scream and snap!

Sammi appears! (and the jostling begins)

Could only get a back view of Sammi and Stanley Kwan from where we were. The best positions were taken up by the media.

Director Kwan posing for the cameras

Costumes in Everlasting Regret

Close-ups

Advertisements

Everlasting Regret

Men's Uno

Reebok: I am what I am

Close-up (so cool!)

Eat and Sing

Ngau Kee (third time there!)

Ah C's favourite dishes...the one in the middle is the roast meat rice that Lady Boss says she is fond of ordering as takeaway.

Coke bottles arranged in the shape of 'C'. Coffee in a coke bottle?!

Neway Karaoke: A room different from the one we went to last time

Cat Cafe

Discovering Chet Lam

2005-09-12T19:08:00.000+08:00

Like many listeners, I became acquainted with the name 林一峰 (Chet Lam) through his compositions for Sammi, at 17, Stefanie Sun etc. The first time I ever heard him sing was at the 903 Commercial Radio Awards 2003 when he won the gold award for best newcomer. He sang his composition “遇見”, theme song of “Turn Left, Turn Right” and made famous by Stefanie Sun.

My first impression: He’s tiny! And he has a bright, clear voice like his sister Eman of at 17. But subsequently I didn’t pay much attention to his works even though I did, for a short while, toyed with the idea of buying his album. (But at one time, Yesasia didn’t even carry his albums!)

By a strange twist of fate combined with a moment of madness and thanks to a very helpful Vii, all of a sudden, I find myself the proud owner of three autographed Chet Lam CDs – “Pillow Songs”, “Travelogue 1” and “Introducing Chet Lam”. I nearly had another one “Soundtrack of My Life” but changed my mind in the last minute.

I already knew that his songs were simple, folksy tunes set to uncomplicated acoustic arrangements. I wasn’t sure if I would like them very much but I was prepared. And so there were no surprises when I listened to the albums for I got what I had expected – simple folksy tunes set to uncomplicated acoustic arrangements. But there was more: a certain honesty, an earnest feel about them that tugs at the heart-strings, and he became the next person after Hocc whose lyrics I start paying close attention to.

As Chet himself had said, “Introducing”, his first Mandarin album, was in a way his ‘greatest hits’, a compilation of stronger songs from his four mainly Cantonese releases complete with new Mandarin lyrics, obviously. I find that I like “Travelogue 1” (album no.2) more than “Pillow Songs”(album no. 1). So now I’m wondering if I would like the next two - “Travelogue Too” and “Soundtrack of my life” - even better, since I believe that with each release, his songs get better, the arrangements get richer, and there is a greater variety of styles.

My favourite songs from those three albums at the moment: Leaving Prague, Back to Prague, A Moment Before Dawn, Me and Instant Noodles, Leaving is for Coming Back, The Best is Yet to Come

Bi-Heart, Change of Heart

2005-09-07T13:24:00.000+08:00

This time in HK, I got lots of stuff on my wish-list including the "Love Joey 3" DVD that I'd been looking for in vain for several months! Just some quick comments:

Cookies "11 Fires Concert"
It was quite short and they sounded rather soft on some up-tempo tracks. Right from the opening, they sang and danced to so many fast songs, guess they didn’t quite have the stamina and power. It was a marked improvement from earlier days though, with no major faults in pitch and rhythm save for the bits when they were crying so much that only Stephy managed to sing properly. They fared better with slow songs esp solo segments. Kary and Stephy gave credible performances of Elva’s "薔薇" (a tough song to sing!) and Faye Wong’s "約定" respectively. Ok, I like Theresa best (love her voice after listening to "綁架心上人") but I don’t think I’m being biased; I was impressed by her rendition of Nic Tse’s "非走不可". Initially she sounded a bit soft but really got into the act when singing the chorus part. She was good! I’m sure she would sing well if she does songs like this that are suited to her lower-pitch voice. She did a duet with Alex Fong recently but when are they going to plug it?

Anita re-releases
Each costs only about HKD65. G suggested getting the 3CD-compilation but I already had many of her albums and wanted a more complete picture. Some of her earliest songs turned out to be very ‘oldies-feel’, probably more suited to my mum, but I was happy with the Bad Girl album. 20 years later I finally got my hands on a copy, better late than never? There are many nice songs though I was surprised by the inclusion of a Canto version of "不了情". Such an old song but to be honest her voice sounded superb singing it...Quite different from her voice in "壞女孩" or "癲多一千晚". "似水流年" is another classic album and the cover 好型!

Joey “Bi-Heart”
This wasn’t on my list but I was caught up in the frenzy of her new album, released on the day I arrived. First of all, I love “越唱越強”. I kept hearing it in shops and G likes it too. Eventually decided to buy it (and got free poster!) even though I realised long ago that it's unwise to buy an album on the strength of one single. It’s amazing how I never learn...After listening to the album once, I was already beginning to regret buying on impulse. I thought she said that her new album would have a more ‘rock feel’, but where are the rock songs? Apart from “越唱越強” and “亂”, there weren’t any, just the usual ballads and a few annoying dance tracks. But after a few more listens, hey, I found that I was beginning to like it. No surprise that the composer of "亂" is Jerry Lee of Ping Pung, the song is so much their style! The credits also include Edmond Tsang and Harry Ng, familiar names in Hocc’s ‘glam’ album. Glad I bought it after all...

Songs of the moment:
越唱越強(Joey)~勞斯.萊斯(hocc)~非走不可(Theresa)~壞女孩(Anita)~偏見(Gigi)~天之驕女(Joey)

Hello Again, Hong Kong!

2005-09-04T00:37:00.000+08:00

Shop and Shop
Had a fairly smooth journey to HK. Was very happy to see ‘kai-lan’ on the flight! True, it’s a bit overcooked as most airline meals are, but it's just great to see my fave veg after nearly a week of mostly salad!!!

Was waiting at the airport for G who was arriving from Singapore when I found that Chris had come to the airport to meet me! Pleasant surprise! At the hotel, I complained that the bed was very hard while G claimed to like hard beds. But turned out that it was me who had a great sleep (after nights of losing battles against jet-lag in Canada) while G didn’t sleep well!

Next day, the weather was horrid! Rain and more rain. We went to a 茶餐廳 (tea-house) for breakfast. There are loads of them in Wanchai so we were really spoilt for choice! The set usually consists of eggs and ham/sausage (sometimes with bread) plus beehoon/noodles/macaroni etc so it was very filling. One thing I noticed about 茶餐廳 meals is that there is very little veg! We braved the rain to walk from Tsim Sha Tsui to Mong Kok, avoiding big shopping centres for little shops. G got some soap souvenirs while I bought loads of CDs and a few clothes! We went to so many shops and G helped me compare prices to get the best deals. Then we spotted some shops near Jordan that sold clothes that we thought might be suitable for G's mum. But they were very ex!

We were tired and wet from the rain so decided to have an easy night. Then we discovered that this Taiwanese TV channel was showing “Jewel in the Palace”! And G who previously didn’t watch the show became addicted after just one day!

Next day the weather was worse than ever. Heavy rain and windy at times. We decided that sightseeing in this weather wouldn’t make any sense so we parked ourselves in big malls like Times Square and Sogo in Causeway Bay to avoid getting too wet. My umbrella broke and I had to buy a new one... It was my turn to accompany G to buy stuff. Judy also popped by and it was great to see her! I tried to locate Bobo’s albums for Vii but still couldn’t find any...

Electric Tram at Causeway Bay

Bobo and C-Hing Poster at Times Square

Conference
Sunday marked the beginning of a busy week. Before the afternoon workshop, I decided to walk around Wanchai to see if I could find Bobo albums. Not only did I stumble upon Oriental 188 (like Sino, it has quite a few 2nd hand CD shops), I finally got hold of a brand new copy of "Retrospect" (Bobo best selection) at another shop! After going to more than a dozen shops! Vii, Bobo CDs very hard to find! Then both G and I decided that we'd better stopped going to CD shops or I would just keep buying stuff...

Back to the conference, the pace was less hectic than in Canada and of course I didn’t have to fight jetlag which made things much easier! It was also easy to find cheap eating-places. Anyway, met some nice people at the conference, my poster presentation went without a hitch, buffet lunch was provided everyday, and the banquet was great with entertainment in the form of dragon dance, Chinese dance and ‘Face-Changing’.

Lion Dance at the Opening Ceremony of the Conference

Poster of the first HK Govt Lab

Dragon Dance at the Closing Ceremony of the Conference

Night Scene from HKCEC (but i really need a tripod...)

Toothache!
My gum started hurting on Sunday morning but both G and I thought it was ‘heatiness’. So I bought chrysanthemum cooling tea and drank 5 packets but it didn’t help one bit! So pain I had to see a dentist! Fortunately I knew someone who knew a dentist at the conference who in turn knew a local dentist. He treated my problem (wisdom tooth, arrrrgh!), gave me antibiotics and painkillers, and didn’t charge a single cent! I will buy a present and send to him. But he said I'd have to have that tooth extracted...eeeew.

Ngau Kee
Met up with Judy, Ah Sum and their friend Ah Mun for dinner at Ngau Kee. It has moved but still in Central, somewhere near those long escalators. We sat upstairs but agreed that the previous shop exuded a better ‘feel’ somehow.

Ngau Kee at its new location

Red-light District
Wanchai turns out to be a red-light district and our hotel is smacked right in the middle of it!! So on our way to and fro the mtr station, we would see some middle-aged women (presumably the ‘mummies’?) and sexily-dressed ladies sitting outside the bars/clubs. But it’s quite safe cos they obviously go for the men. Twice, however, I saw some girls coming near me saying ‘Come, Come!’ and my heart skipped a beat! Think I was unlucky to be walking just in front of some men!

Night Scene at Wanchai

Wrong Info
Got a call from Sum saying that hocc might make an appearance at some place not very far from my hotel. Since I was free I went there and met Ah Mun and her friend. (Mun is Edmond’s fan.) It turned out to be wrong info :( I only saw Ronald arriving, and Candy, Edmond and Ming-Gor leaving. Guess whoever who said they saw hocc might have mistaken Candy for her.

I had wanted to take a photo with Edmond, who smiled at me in his van! But in the end I didn't. Dunno, I realised that even though I like him, I didn’t really mind not taking a picture. Guess it was the same situation with Candy last time. I mean, this time when I saw her, (she disappeared fairly quickly; they all seem to be in a great hurry), I thought of taking a pic for caocao (but sorry, I wasn’t quick enough). I guess this is the difference between someone I truly consider an idol and someone I just like. So ultimately there are only two singers (Sammi and Hocc) whom I really desire to have a picture taken with, I think.

Kowloon Bay Trade Centre
Money told me I could go for the show at Kowloon Bay! Well, Ah Yip said that there are free shuttle buses from the mtr but the bus-stop was a little way from the station. I asked station control but didn’t get clear instructions and they conflicted with those given by Yip. Heck, I was wondering around like lost sheep when I got a call from Sum! Thank goodness she was going too and led the way. Seems like most of the tickets had gone to Leon fans considering his huge fan base. There were quite a lot of ‘auntie’-type fans. I wouldn’t laugh at them cos I think it's quite remarkable and I myself will most likely still be a Sammi & hocc fan 20 years from now!

I went to thank Goodae and Goomo (esp the latter) for giving me advice about going to Montreal. At first I said I am from Singapore and she remembers! Then I mentioned Montreal and she asked me how I like the place. She said I need to eat more and put on some weight! Goodae was his usual humorous self, telling me that I should just say his name in Montreal Chinatown and I don’t have to pay! He also told me, 'Don't show the photo taken with me to your boyfriend or he will be jealous!' When he heard that I would be leaving the next day, he said ‘oh, if you stay longer you can catch the musical.’ Haha...

Anyway, Hocc was first to appear on stage. She sang "Becoming Butterfly", "You are the 80s", "Glamorous" and "Rolls.Royce". She said that it’s too late to buy tickets to her musical (cos they are all sold out!) but can buy the DVD. So yeah, there will be a DVD release!! Too bad she didn’t stay for the whole show...The other performers were Charles, Janice and Leon, plus appearances by Joey Tang and Dennie Wong. Yay, I quite like Dennie. Through her resourcefulness and dare, Sum got me a souvenir! Thank you so much...hehe...

After the show, we went for dessert, meeting up with Judy and also saw Money and some others. I don't like dessert but I thought I'd try something different called '西瓜涼粉撈'. It turned out to be 'chin chow' (grass jelly) with watermelon! Eeeks, I don't like chin chow, but I ate it all up...But I shall try something else next time...Returned to the hotel really late (think it was last train for the night or nearly the last!) G was still awake, having finished packing already. I was too tired and just went to bed!

Goomo looking absolutely fabulous

Goodae looking great too

Hocc on Stage

Charles and Barry (one of the MCs)

Charles with Dennie Wong on keyboards

Janice and Joey Tang Jamming Session

Leon

Business Class
Guess what, the return flight was overbooked so they upgraded me to Business Class!! Shiok man! The seats were wider than economy with so much leg room I had to take a picture. Suaku lol! But first time on business class! They kept serving drinks and the meals came in course by course – appetizer, salad, bread, main course, fruits, ice-cream! And there was real cutlery rather than plastic. I thought they might have a bigger toilet but was a bit disappointed to find that they weren't much different from the economy ones... But overall a nice experience, too bad it wasn’t for a long-haul flight!

Afterword
I was exhausted after returning home. Slept pretty much the whole day and had to drag myself back to work. Loads of conference material to get through now...

Bonjour, Montreal!

2005-09-02T14:59:00.000+08:00

The Journey
Long day ahead which started at 5.30am. Had only 1 1/2 hrs to catch the connecting flight at HK but things work so efficiently there that I had no problems getting my passes for the next two legs of my journey. But then the panic started.

Supposed to have more than enough time at Vancouver before the next flight, but then the plane was delayed at HK for more than 1 hr. At Vr, I had to go through Customs and collect luggage. And the baggage belt was broken! Took another hr before I got my suitcase and dashed off to the check-in counter. Already had a boarding pass issued at HK but this officer said my suitcase wasn’t tagged for Montreal so I had to join the snaking queue which was moving at a snail’s pace! Seriously thought I was going to miss my flight, cos I had like 1/2 hr and abt 20 pple in front of me. Luckily I asked another officer and he said that I could just get my luggage tagged without the queue! Gosh, annoyed with the woman who nearly made me miss my flight for nothing! I rushed to the domestic terminal and was one of the last to board. Finally arrived safely at Montreal Airport at 10pm, whew!

I guess it's quite normal in the US and Canada for people to miss their domestic connecting flights cos people seemed pretty happy to just board the next available plane.

A short note about airline food. It was my first time on Air Canada. AC’s food was not bad for the HK-Vr leg -there were nice dishes and ice-cream -but the domestic leg...it was some pasta salad thing and more pasta stuff with some weird gravy. I’m just not a cheese-creamy-pasta type of person...

Jet-lag
Averaged maybe 2-4 hrs sleep a day (one night it was practically zero!) except once when I decided that enough was enough, and took a cold tablet (drowsy kind) and for once I had a good sleep. Things got better on the last two days, but then I was going away again!

The Conference
The conference was pretty good, lots of papers and workshops. A pity that I was too tired to follow some of the stuff during the first few days. I also met many people, new and old. I’m not very good at making small talk but things turned out ok...

The City
It's a nice place and although I won't walk in downtown at 2am (quote Goomo), I think it's pretty safe for a major North American city. There are lots of nice buildings and architecture (churches, museums etc) and even along Saint-Catherine Street (a shopping street a bit like our Orchard Road), I was a bit surprised to see such a beautiful church suddenly. And of course Old Montreal was a nice place to spend the afternoon.

Food and French
Basically ate a lot of sandwiches/bread/fast food. The food was ok but I missed my rice!! Lunch-time was not long enough for us venture too far unless on free days, so I had few Chinese meals.

The default language is French and in some shops the menu is all in French! Most people can speak English but some were not very fluent. Anyway, I learnt a few words so I know 'jambon' (ham), 'poulet' (chicken) and 'poisson' (fish) are safe choices, while anything with 'fromage' (cheese) I try to avoid at all costs! I found out how to say Fillet-O-Fish and apple juice in French and was tempted to try, but in the end I stuck to safe old English in case the other person thinks I really know French and rattle off long sentences after which I can only reply 'Je ne comprends pas' (I don't understand)! I think that the French language sounds beautiful and would like to learn to speak it properly.

Pics
I took a lot more scenery shots using my film camera, leaving the digital one for 'people shots' and a few scenery ones (for easy uploading). Even though digital is more convenient and can identify very bad takes immediately, I think film is better for scenery. It's troublesome to carry both around, but anyway I wanted to use up my remaining film.

A building at McGill University

Nice flower...

Nice architecture in Montreal city-centre

Building along Sherbrooke Street

More nice architecture along Sherbrooke Street

Some back-street nearing Old Montreal

Flowers near the Notre-Dame Basilica and Place d'Armes, Old Montreal

Horse Carriages in Old Montreal

City Hall, Old Montreal

Bonsecours Market, Old Montreal

Full view of Place d'Armes with the horse carriages waiting for customers

Montreal Chinatown

Scene in Montreal Chinatown

Another magnificent cathedral...

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts along Sherbrooke Street

Canadian Maple Syrup courtesy of the conference organisers!

Coming up next, adventures in HK...

Wish List

2005-08-07T13:10:00.000+08:00

Just to recap my previous Wish-List (Apr 2005)
http://yung-potpourri.blogspot.com/2005/04/my-life.html

I only bought 3 in that list but now there are more things I want!

1. Hocc’s Leung Jok musical soundtrack (if it is out by then)
2. Anita Mui re-releases (I have started thinking about her more fondly recently...She will always be a great singer!)
3. Joey Yung – Love Joey 3 DVD (Can’t seem to find it here, so annoying!!)
4. Beyond The Story Live 2005
5. Gigi Leung Compilation (Went to the CD shop 3 times intending to buy it but always stopped short each time, think I am put off by her weak falsetto, but somehow it is still lingering in my mind...)

Then I also need to look for something for my sister’s birthday, as well as Bobo albums for Vii!

Josie Ho Rebel

2005-08-05T23:59:00.000+08:00

I bought this CD today. Came across it by chance, going for only $10! Pretty cool for a limited edition album, I hope the songs are nice; it's a pretty old album. Thing is I haven’t opened it yet because of the unique packaging. Am I supposed to undo or cut those wires (and spoiling it in the process) or what? Annoying…

Didn’t manage to find her Sickid (with DVD version) in HK last time. Shall have another shot at it this time…I still think Josie is a wonderful but under-rated actress…

Btw, I spotted Anita’s “Cover Girl” but it is damn ex at $55!!! They also have the re-release versions of "Debt of the Heart", "Red" and "Time Goes By" but I shall see if I can find it cheaper in HK first.

Evolution Theory

2005-08-05T23:40:00.000+08:00

I know this is very late! Lots of people have already commented on this supposedly ‘goodbye-to-k-songs and back-to-basics' album by Candy Lo. Frankly speaking, I bought this album with some reservation in mind, expecting it to be rather unconventional and perhaps a little hard to stomach after I heard the first plug "阿修羅樹海" (Asura). I found it a bit too weird and not quite melodious enough for me though it has since found acceptance after more than a dozen listenings.

Still, as someone who owned practically all of Candy’s albums, I bought this latest CD without any hesitation. The cover is very pretty! I think she looks best with this kind of hairdo - short, spunky and fresh. With the CD in hand, I looked at the song titles, which all sounded very philosophical and religious, and I was afraid that the whole thing would be too profound for me. So I was pleasantly surprised after listening to the album, finding it neither too weird nor too out-of-reach. I was impressed that Candy wrote the melodies nearly all the songs, save for two by her long-time producer Kubert Leung. Sometimes Candy’s songs tend to sound like they were modified from the same mould, but I think that in this album she showed her versatility better. I tend to play tracks 4 to 8 more than the others somehow. Perhaps I am put off by tracks 3 “Asura” (which I don’t like as much) and 9 "送魂經" (Goodbye to the Departed Souls) (I don’t like the Indian influence on it).

The second plug "露西" (Lucy) made it to No.1 on JSG. I like it better than “Asura” but I don’t really like the way she sings it, kind of too ‘animated’ for me. Candy is one of those who speaks in a lower pitch than she sings, as opposed to Sammi who sings in a lower pitch than she speaks. My personal preference is still lower pitch voices.

Regarding the other tracks, I like the soft melodies of tracks "隔岸觀音", "女書" and "敵托邦的拾荒姑娘"; I also like the more powerful tracks "步天歌" and "笛卡兒的長生殿". The melody of "一念天堂”reminds me of some Leon Lai song. I guess it is the most ‘K’ song in the whole album, to balance things a bit. Someone commented that she is off-pitch on "步天歌", but it sounded okay to me. Occasionally, Candy can sound quite off when singing live, but when she’s good, she’s good. Better than those supposed singers who mime all the time anyway.

Jewel in the Palace

2005-08-04T13:26:00.000+08:00

I had wondered what the big hoo-ha was all about when viewers in other parts of Asia were raving on and on about this Korean epic. I didn’t follow it when it started showing here some weeks ago. Sometimes, when things are too popular, I purposely try not to be a part of it. I am a little rebellious in this sense. E.g. when people were going gaga over Titanic the movie and theme song, I chose to give it a miss. I nearly missed Harry Potter too because of the same reason, but thanks to A, I started reading the books.

Anyway, during my MC days last week, I started watching “Jewel in the Palace” and found myself attracted to the series! Now I try to get home on time to catch it, relying on the synopsis in Telescope to keep updated if I miss any parts. I am surprised because prior to this I had absolutely no interest in any Korean drama serials as they are usually too weepy-waily and draggy for me. But this show makes me want to follow and find out what would happen next. I am also amused by the way the older ladies wear their hair – in huge plaits that they wind around their heads!

Although the main character is Chang Jin (she and Lian Sheng are rather cute!) but I think Lady Han and Lady Cui are pretty as well. As one of the ‘bad guys’ in the show, Lady Cui has this annoying smirk about her that greatly decreases her likeability factor. As for Lady Han, somehow I find her attractive despite her being middle-aged and usually wearing a worried/tired look on her face. Haha, maybe I’m a little weird! Too bad I will miss a big chunk of it when I go away...

Flying Man

2005-08-02T19:00:00.000+08:00

空中飛人

Right, so after nearly two weeks of feeling lousy and poor appetite, I have to get my act together and start preparing for my trip. One good thing was I finished the materials for my presentation just before I fell ill, so at least now I don’t have to worry about it.

After getting some advice from Goomo, I’ve finally settled my air-tics and accommodation. Thanks to the web-site recommended by her, I managed to find this hotel that’s cheaper and just a stone’s throw away from the conference venue.

It’s kind of exciting to be going to Montreal! Goomo said that it is a very safe and nice place, but Crystal thinks that no major city in North America is safe. We shall see who is right! What a shame to have fallen so ill the last couple of weeks so I didn’t get very far with my French lessons. I’ll have to try to read my French book on the plane. LaLaLa and the others recommended Old Downtown Montreal so that’s one place I must visit. Hopefully there’ll be enough time to do quite a bit of sightseeing.

My previous HK trip was kind of rushed and I didn't get to spend much time in CD shops or bookshops. Guess I’ll be able to do more shopping this time, hehe, I’ll start thinking about my new wish-list! I’d like to spend more time with Chris too, didn’t get to go out much together last time.

39.3

2005-07-29T18:18:00.000+08:00

That must have been some fierce virus. As far as I can recall, I don’t remember having a fever that couldn’t be brought down by paracetamol. But yes, it reached a peak of 39.3 degrees C. I spent nearly a week mostly sleeping, feeling sick, trying to eat and being stressed out by the amount of medicine I had to take. It was the worst bout of flu I had ever had.

Being very ill made me feel like a child again. There were many things I couldn’t do or didn’t feel like doing and my parents were doing them for me. Towards the last day of my MC, I was feeling better and starting to enjoy my days of rest at home watching TV or sleeping. Of course it felt extremely miserable at first, as if I would take forever to shake off the illness. So any show of concern made me very touched. My dad continuously helped me change the towel on my forehead to help lower my temperature. My mum tried to cook easy-to-eat stuff to coax an appetite out of me. Even a simple ‘Take care!’ sms from friends made me feel better. I am grateful to them.

I didn’t visit forums during this period. And surprisingly I found that I didn’t miss it as much as I thought I would. I am still playing catching up now which is pretty tiring, and something that I will have to do again in August and probably in November. Having been so ill made me realise who are the most important people to me. Perhaps I have been spending too little time with them. I still love Sammi and Hocc and my music very much. But still, when I’m in trouble, they won’t be doing anything for me. I don’t expect them to anyway. In a way, this few days of illness has given me another perspective in life.

Welcome to My Family

2005-07-19T00:00:00.000+08:00

YUNG: U SEEMS NEVER BEEN HERE, RIGHT? U FROM HONG KONG? ANYWAY WELCOME TO MY FAMILY!!! LOVE U!!! :-) :-) :-)

The above is message from Sammi!!! And she must have kept clicking 'send' cos the same message was posted 3 times, plus another 2 that said: "YUNG: HIHI:-) :-) :-)" Maybe the page took too long to refresh and she thought the first post didn't go through! And it's under her registered name at her official site so the messages must be truly from her.

Her site is so busy that usually I either can't post, the page takes ages to load or there are so many posts that probably she couldn't read everything and reply. So I am super lucky! I can just keep reading this post dozens of times a day!!! hohoh (hoi sum dou din jor) :)

Bad Girl

2005-07-18T22:02:00.000+08:00

As far as I can remember, I have never sung "壞女孩" (Bad Girl) in karaoke before. I didn't think I could handle it. But then I tried it yesterday, thanks to caocao! Somehow it just brings back this memory which I had buried for quite some time...

My first concrete memory of Mui-Jeh was this concert that was shown on TV when I was just a little kid. It was on Malaysian TV and I think the images weren't too clear. Actually I can't remember much about the concert except one particular scene during the encore, when she appeared on stage in a casual get-up and short hair (much like her look in the "曼珠沙華" MV). Really 好型! More than 20 years later this image of her singing "Bad Girl" is still stuck in my head, even though the video that my sister had recorded had turned mouldy long ago and was thrown away by my mum.

My sister only started buying her albums from "烈焰紅唇" onwards, so we didn't actually have classics like "壞女孩", "似水流年", "妖女", "將冰山劈開" etc, at least not until I started buying her CDs subsequently. I didn't think I have that many Anita CDs, until I did a count recently and found that I had more than I thought:

情歌1
情歌2
淑女
夢裡共醉
In Brasil
歌之女
是這樣的
Larger Than Life
I'm So Happy
With
Anita Mui Forever

And that's not counting stuff we have on cassette. I'm contemplating buying back some of her older works which have been re-released recently. I remember the few months after her passing, early albums like "Red Anita" had been going for more than US$40 on Ebay!

Why do people learn how to appreciate others only when they are gone? Now I tell myself that if I like and if I can afford, then I will buy. I'm not advocating hasty decisions or rash purchases, but if after careful consideration and you still think i'ts a good choice, just go for it! Don't wait till it's gone, then you'll only live to regret.

Rockdom - We Will Rock You

2005-07-17T00:48:00.000+08:00

So the no. 1 song on JSG is 越唱越強 by Joey Yung. Think it only took two weeks to reach the top, quite a phenomenon. I saw the MV twice and I actually like the song very much. It's one of those that 'caught' me on the first listen, not unlike how 艷光四射 did last year. I can't believe I'm even harbouring the thought of buying Joey's new album! (I had earlier said that I would just get her compilations.)

I guess a big part of me is still very much into rock despite listening to it much less nowadays. Apart from Hocc and Candy, few 'pop' artistes actually venture into the genre. I remember the closest Sammi came to doing rockish songs were '女人不再幼稚' and 'Black Cat City', both of which I like very much but unfortunately not promoted maybe because they are not so acceptable to the general listeners.

Recently, I bought Beyond's "命運派對" CD. I had it on cassette ages ago but after being disappointed by Beyond's post-1994 releases, I didn't even feel like buying back their old albums on CD. Until recently. Seems like it's time for Rock Revival.

I have two Japanese bands to thank for my liking for rock music - The Alfee and X Japan. One has disbanded and the other still going strong after more than 30 years! Guess not too many people have heard of their names let alone their music, but more about them later...

Save Me

2005-07-15T14:14:00.000+08:00

You could get a gold record for selling 25,000 copies of an album in Hong Kong. If you managed 50,000 copies, you get a platinum record. But these figures aren't being used anymore. Simply because sales have plummeted so badly that there's no point in using them, considering that only three albums out of those released in the whole of 2004 sold more than 30,000 copies.

What a sad state of affairs!

Nowadays, people seem to have a different way of thinking. We are listening to songs more often than ever, but few seem to buy albums anymore.

Being still very much into the culture of buying albums, I am probably considered a rare species. I'm sure some singers/musicians take great pains to come up with the concept, image and sequence of tracks in an album. I don't want to come to a point in time when singers don't release albums anymore and I have to download new songs instead of buying a proper album.

Save the industry please!

Euphoria and Disaster

2005-07-10T19:33:00.000+08:00

I was so glad to receive A's 報平安 email early Friday morning. Read that the phone lines had difficulty coping with overwhelming number of calls but fortunately the Internet was undisrupted.

Shocking news indeed! And it had to happen one day after the successful bid for the Olympics 2012. What do the terrorists or whoever expect to achieve by doing this?

Suddenly I thought: what if I have to walk home from my work-place? How long would I take? More than 2 hours? And there could be much worse things. Shudders.

Whatever it is, life still goes on. You are resilient and strong, you will be fine.

Lazy (Lan)

2005-07-10T19:20:00.000+08:00

yung!

You have been lazy! 懶! I thought you wanted to improve your guitar skills? How come you haven't been practising for the past couple of weeks? Not to mention working out chords for other songs.

Ok, so you tried playing "出生入死", "未來", "絕對" and "明星夢" the other day. But painful right? Serves you right for being so lazy. Don't make excuses that you now need to spend time on French. I'm sure you can make time for both.

Buck up and practise hard!

Wild City

2005-07-07T02:58:00.000+08:00

It occurred to me that all along, I have been mistaken that the New Talent which I caught Hocc by chance was 1996's competition.

It is a well-known fact that she sang 女人心 (Woman's Heart by Anita Mui) & 鐵幕誘惑 (Masked Temptation by Aaron Kwok) and she came in first, that was how she received Anita's costume (worn by Anita in the 1982 competition.) The one which I watched showed her singing 狂野之城 (Wild City by Aaron Kwok). She won 最佳台風獎 (Best Stage Performance) then.

For a long time, I had thought that one was the HK region contest and the other was the worldwide contest in the same year. But now I realised that the more logical explanation was that one was in 1996 which she won and the other was in 1994 which she only got the 台風獎 and so didn't get the chance to meet Anita. That would also explain why nobody else seem to have the clip of her singing 狂野之城.

Silly me! I wish that I had the sense to record it at that time (I remember that I even caught the 'repeat' of the repeat the following week) and that I could watch it again. It was the first time I had ever heard her sing, even though it was something like 5 years late (if that was really the 1994 contest). I used to grumble about TVBJ always showing old programmes at that time (they are more up-to-date now), but it was a good thing that they did, or I may have taken a lot longer to discover the potential of Ho Wan Sze, or perhaps never.

Life-Long Learning

2005-07-04T20:58:00.000+08:00

For too long, life has mostly been about studying (and now working), hanging out, rotting at home, and occasionally travelling. Then there’s Sammi and Hocc but I think there should be more to life than this.

I’m enjoying picking up the guitar again after a super-long layoff. I definitely still have much to learn! Don’t be lazy!

And I’ve been thinking of learning a new language for some time. My Malay by self-study got nowhere after two chapters, but now I’ve got a new target – French! Having to go to a French-speaking part of Canada (plus the influence of a certain Ms C, hohoh!) provides some impetus and I hope I can sustain it.

Ok, I finally got started by buying myself a French for beginners book with the help of Ht. I was desperately reading as much of it as I could before our first ‘lesson’ yesterday. We began with pronunciation, simple phrases and two very important verbs 'to have' and 'to be'. Basically stuff to get a conversation going. My question is, why are French nouns divided into masculine and feminine ones? (Who decided which is which anyway?!) It makes learning French a lot harder because you need to know whether things are masculine or feminine or else you may get the article wrong. Then there are the six conjugations of verbs, some of which are very different from one another. Arrrrrgh!

I will be extremely amazed at myself if I can get very far by struggling along on my own. Of course I have a great teacher in Ht but I will need to buck up myself. And I seem to be perpetually tired such that whatever I try to revise doesn’t seem to stick in my head for long. Perhaps a brain that has become used to working-life needs time to adjust back to student-life. Well, I have one month to cram in as much as I can!

Let's Sing a Song!

2005-07-04T19:06:00.000+08:00

Have not been to KTV for such a long time. Gu’s friends are pretty good at singing; they are like seasoned pros! And Hammie (can I call you this?) has a very loud and powerful voice. Very good for singing fast songs like “Mini & Me” and “Ging Oi Nei”! Great fun, yeah!

Wedding by the Sea

2005-06-28T14:36:00.000+08:00

June must be a good month for weddings! Two consecutive wedding banquets in the space of two weeks. But I must say that they have been different this time.

Last week, there was an outdoor English-style buffet dinner. And then yesterday's banquet was very traditionally Chinese but held at a sea-side resort. Getting there and back was slightly inconvenient even with the shuttle buses and coaches provided.

The cocktail reception was held outdoors by the sea and I just managed to catch the sunset! The view was gorgeous! That alone made up for any inconvenience.

'Fing' and Sing

2005-06-27T19:19:00.000+08:00

I watched Sammi's i-Concert'99 again last week. Haven't watched it for such a long time. Even though some newspaper had ever commented that Sammi didn't really know what to talk about during her first concert in Singapore in 1998, in her subsequent shows, I have always found her chatty and the way she speaks can be very interesting and funny.

Taking i-Concert for example, there was this part in the extra video when she, playing a fan of Sammi, talked about "What so nice about Sammi concert? Only get to watch her wearing a bra-top and just 'fing' (Cantonese for shake) and sing on stage!" She was obviously being 口是心非! In fact the entire video (meant to entertain the audience when she was changing costumes) was very, very funny. The Cantonese dialogue had me in stitches, especially Sammi's exchanges with Dicky Cheung! Many of the jokes will definitely be lost in translation...

During the concert, her no qualms about making fun of her famously 'flat' figure, lack of looks without makeup on and teasing a fan who shouted her name very loudly had me (and most of the audience, I'm sure) chuckling out loud. The build-up to her hand-shaking segment of the show was also hilarious.

Then there were serious moments too when she talked about her career ups and downs before singing a very emotional rendition of "幸運是我" (Lucky Me).

I can't believe six years have passed since that concert. I guess there wouldn't be realistic chances of seeing her prancing around on stage wearing skimpy bra-tops and showing off her 23-inch waist anymore. But hey, she can showcase her vocals and new singing techniques learnt from Teresa Carpio instead and I'll still be rooting for her.

I just bought her "眉飛色舞" CD today. Somehow when I first bought that album, there was one song missing and finally I made up my mind to get hold of the 12-song version. (I wonder if the 11-song version is 錯體版 - error version!) I also got my "Evolution Theory" CD by Candy Lo! Will definitely blog about it when I've listened to it thoroughly. The Pearl's Centre shop Jeh-Jeh gave me discount again, so nice of her! And the Gor-Gor recommended Pong Nam and Ivana Wong but hmmm...I don't think I like them enough to buy the CDs...

The English Wedding

2005-06-21T14:54:00.000+08:00

I attended an outdoor buffet-style wedding banquet on Sunday. It was my first time at such a setting, which was special and different from the usual 10-course, quite noisy and very late banquets at some hotel function room.

The ambience at Raffles Hotel was great. There was a string quartet and later a jazz trio entertaining the guests. Although the dinner started slightly later than stated, we managed to kick off at around 8pm and the whole thing was over before 10pm. There wasn't the usual almost-cliche powerpoint presentation of how the bride and groom met. A few tables did the 'yum seng' which I felt rather spoilt the elegance and tranquility. I wonder what the Caucasian guests thought of all that noise! There were a few men dressed in the traditional Scottish kilt. And it was a bit too hot at times even though there were fans whirling. The tentage had to be there in case of rain so it became a bit stuffy when there was no breeze.

But overall I enjoyed it, even though I hardly knew anyone there and spoke to just a few people. I thought I would see some uni friends but surprisingly none of those that I expected turned up. (Maybe they weren't invited, hehe...)

Thank you, L & T and congrats!

Of Cakes and Kueh

2005-06-20T14:47:00.000+08:00

Those who sent me your well wishes, thank you very much!

We were supposed to go karaoke but something cropped up...but in place of that I got a birthday cake! Mango! I'm not a big fan of cakes but this one is special hehe. Speaking of cakes I do like the Coco Exotic from Nutribake, yum yum...

Before that, my colleagues also treated me to lunch. We had an odd mixture of vegetarian and sushi followed by dessert. I don't usually eat those kueh and stuff cos I don't much like coconut. But they said I should try some of each. (There were 4-5 varieties) I found most of them still bearable but there was one yellow kueh with a weird sweet taste that I couldn't stand...eeek! Still not a fan of kueh...