Woots, long time no see Bloggie!

really very lazy to blog, don't know how others do it! XD Anywayz lately
still having the Kpop poison running thru my veins and having lots of plans about
what I wanna do (after I pass my Basic Theory and getting a second hand car). Like
taking up pop piano, learning Korean from friend's friend, hopefully joining Lemon's Hybrid band... etc etc... but all these need $$$!!!!

I think I think too much about getting more $$$ until I'm going round the bend. I event dreamt that I won over $1000 in roulette! OMG and I have NEVER stepped into the casino before at Sentosa or MBS! Haha!

Basically wanted to vent a bit coz mainly someone was irritating me a little bit with her antics... Just because you have done a lot for something/someone does not give you the right to judge who should leave who should not. Honestly she should get out more, no one told her to stay anyway since she's not happy!

I for one am glad I listen to other genres of music, so it's healthier! That's why I don't have these kind of troubles bothering me... not to say I got no loyalty, I still admire his music. Everyone does have their own way of supporting someone they like, there's no SOP for this kinda thing...

Yeah she's entitled to her own opinion, but it if hurts other people then the phrase "if you don't have anything nice to say then keep quiet" is very applicable here. Oh wells, in the end she's tiring herself out coz of all these...

Humans are indeed strange creatures, we end up cutting our noses to spite our faces most of the time! =) Anywayz, venting over. Now back to work!

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Phew, I've really been swept off my feet by the Kpop craze, well not really ALL Kpop but mainly SJ... and I suppose it could have been worse! All along I'm only a avid follower of Jpop (to me the Japanese language is easier to learn, or prob coz I'm getting OLD! hahaha) hence the craze about TVXQ didn't hit me, even now I know they are multi talented, I still didn't feel that way about them, but I do like most of their songs.

Maybe it's because their vocals are not my cup of tea however good they may be at singing.... to me, their voices are not on par with Kyuhyun's for sure (no offense to Cassiopians out there, your idols are good I admit)

You can hear the difference when you hear them sing together, for instance in the song Wish (collaboration between TVXQ and Kyuhyun/Ryeowook). Mr Cho just has that natural singing talent... anywayz!

Just a quick update about what's going on since my last post! I officially got my PR approval letter from ICA on the 10th of May, then I went on to make an appointment on the 17th May to submit whatever stuff for the PR to be process and voíla! The following Monday (24th May) I got my blue IC! Really quick compared to last time I heard, new PRs had to wait for erm, months to get their IC done?

Anyways this PR is gonna help me lots in my job search, compared to being a normal work pass holder! Still irritates me a bit the presumptions I get from people about my PR application "So now you're gonna stay in Singapore?" There's always more than one reason for almost everything we do!

Okay now back to my new Kpop love! Haha! Another reason I'm considered lucky to fall in love to Kpop (SJ) is because recently only then the Korean artistes are coming to SG (especially the famous ones)... like previously F.T. Island, SHINee, 2 PM, Brown eyed girls have come to this small island... and now! SJ is coming this Sunday! When never before no one would have believed they would ever come! Unfortunately, it's just 9 guys instead of 13 (Kangin went into the army, Hankyung left =( Kibum's into acting, Siwon cannot make it due to other engagements). I'm just glad Mr Cho is focusing more on his singing so he's less likely to not turn up!

If I had gotten injected with the poison much earlier, I would have pined like the rest of the Kpopsters more. Look at TVXQ, the only member who came was Xiah Junsu but they can no longer come as a whole group due to some issues in SM.... sigh poor Cassiopians! Now we E.L.F.s have this fear of the "5 year curse" that seemed to be true within SM Entertainment as most groups that have been shot to fame had issues after 5 years of work! I pray hard for SJ.... I still wanna hear their songs!

The latest album "Bonamana" wasn't a letdown as usual, and I'm secretly delighted coz it's more K.R.Y based songs and fewer fast numbers :P which obviously means I hear more of Kyuhyun than ever!

Okay you can tell the percentage of Mr Lim in my heart has shifted tremendously haha! All it takes is one very very very good set of vocals and I can positively swoon! No one knows my favourite voice by far is that of Mr Sung Si Kyung's and now Kyuhyun has joined in! The best part is Mr Cho admired Sung SI Kyung too! I felt the same way when I know that Jam Hsiao admires Jeff Chang, coz both of these veteran singers are my favourite too! And I also stumbled upon some youtube videos of Kyuhyun singing Sung Si Kyung's songs and it's very nice!

Now I'm just praying hard for this Sunday's event to be smooth running... I cannot imagine the crowd... *shudder* Oh and I heard that B2st is coming to SG, so my dear friend Dory is very excited. Of course we wish it was Big Bang but that shall remain in our hopes!

Okay, gonna go continue watching Explorer's of the Human Body now! =D

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Well, it's the 8th of April now... gonna be the 9th in just less than 2 hours' time. I can't really recall much of last month except towards the end when Jj's in SG town for his "100 days" album promo. His schedule's so tight, they could only fit a day for SG... n I guess coz M'sia market's bigger, so it's like 3 days!

28th March was the event and it was tiring but overall satisfying! I realised being a lot more active is a good thing, but for my case, I have to be forced or arranged to do things then I'll get more active :/

I was helping out in taking pictures during the events and I guess I have a lot to learn... like it's not just about snapping the artistes but also capture the moment of everyone!

The day started out with the photo session at Bugis Junction (can't stand events held there, very horrible if weather is bad!)

It was scorching hot, and in the sweltering heat of the sun we waited... lucky we were nearer to Toastbox, where we can get some shade and see Mr Lim when he first arrives (The door near McDs)

It is moments like this I really admire the artistes for their tolerance and patience, dutifully posing with each fan for the camera. Doing repetitive stuff is probably part of everyone's lives, especially for work, but for the celebrities, they have to be mindful of their image as well!

After singing one number (Back to back), the photo taking commences and we patiently waited for the queue to shift bit by bit. When it was nearing our turn, we had to take out the lyrics book so that the staff can stamp on it to indicate we have gotten our one chance to take photo each! I panicked coz mine was in the car but luckily Chunhao got an extra! Sweet of her! (She's a SJ fan too, her 爱人is Sungmin haha).

Dory was before me and she had a G-dragon name tag attached to her necklace, to which Jj asked if it was her name in Korean! I couldn't help but turn my head away and snigger as it's really quite funny! She simply laughed her way through, not answering his question and took the pic.

I was a little flustered when it was me up next coz I have to hold my bag to the correct side and for a moment, I faltered with an "errrrr" coz I lost sense of where I should turn my body to pose. Jj just laughed and I'm glad he was amused coz I just wanted a photo where his smile wasn't plastered on! So here's the final result:


It wasn't as bad as I feared, coz everything moved so fast, I just let him take the cue and he grasp my hand while I turned my body automatic to the left side. I wasn't even sure at that point in time whether was I looking at the camera! Luckily all's well =)

After the photo taking, the whole gang of us (Dory, Jia Qi, Joleen, Chunhao etc) rushed off to *Scape. Well, actually we went to Cineleisure to grab a bite first!

I really enjoyed the Jj party 4 that night, coz it was like another mini performance, which I preferred so much more than huge concerts (mainly for solo singers) coz I wanna hear the singing more than fans' screaming or even the artistes' costumes! Concert is all for presentation anyway! That's why Jam Hsiao's one was simple yet fabulous... in the end we focused on his performance!

I don't know when will Jj's next mini performance will be, but I hope he will consider doing more of it! That 零距离 feel, I like!

Off to pack for KL now!

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Oh what a superb concert it was!

Okay, to be honest I know Jam Hsiao's good, so it was with only this thought I had in mind when I went to the concert.

What I didn't expect was his funny ways which is a natural part of him, that he didn't purposely spend hours to think on how to make us laugh! Though he is a person of few words, but I still enjoyed the concert to the max!

He started with “王子的新衣” and followed by songs of different languages like Hokkien, Cantonese, Japanese and English. His outfits were simple but with a unique touch, but what stood out ever the most was his performance...

My favourite parts were when he rollerbladed on the stage during "Blues" and when he went back to the times when he was singing at the pub in Taiwan before he entered the music industry. There was a backdrop showing "民歌餐厅 24H" and a keyboard was placed on stage for him. His first song was "心如刀割" and it was very very goosebump worthy! I have never heard him sing Jacky Cheung's songs before and it was truly beyond my expectations.... Of course, I was over the moon when he sang "爱如潮水“, as we both admire Jeff Chang!

For someone who seems very quiet and calm, he actually has a lot of zest in him. His signature move is to lean slightly backwards while hollering "你们好吗~~~~~~~~~“ XD
He personally finds it a kick to do so, coz he kept smilng after he was done! He was even very interactive with the symphony orchestra, when he pointed at them and went "yeah yeah yeah!", the girls picked up their bows and played their cellos and violins furiously! Like rock style! YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAH

Haha, his "yeah" kinda reminds me of Crowd Lu Guang Zhong (卢广仲).

Although I felt wistful after the concert, coz I missed out on performing together with Jj and some of Jjfc, I didn't regret it at all. I can say I rate his concert 5 stars!

What I will never EVER forget, is the segment of the concert where he sang "新不了情", his voice resonated through the stadium clearly. Every part of the song he sang, I felt the earnesty and emotions inside. His singing was so full of feelings, everyone in the stadium was just listening with rapt attention, even the fans stopped waving lightsticks! This is something I rarely experience (Mayday yes, everyone singing along in unison), even at Mr Lim's concert =(

萧敬腾... 你，真的是你自己，和大家的国王！

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Okay, I know I told myself to blog more, but oh wellz, I have rarely kept promises made to myself! =P In any case, hmm the last time I blogged was about the Amit concert in January... so now, updates since then!

The Amit concert was a blast to say the least.... it was mostly rock, hence there were a lot of songs I have not heard in her 2008 concert, so it was a refreshing change! And oh she actually did opera singing and I couldn't believe it was her as the voice was so different!

Recently back in early February, I was "poisoned" by Dory, she gave me a huge dose of Kpop music and I have fallen head over heels in love with him....


(Photo source found from Baidu)

N here's a kute look one...


Isn't he a dish? Well at least MY kinda dish... but what attracts me first was his vocals, not looks. Admittedly, poor Dory tried to intro and psycho me into Kpop back last year. Not aggressively, but somewhere along the lines that she mentioned to me he sings very well and did a rendition of Nicholas Teo's "Polaris's Tears" (北极星的眼泪), where she found he sang it better. But somehow I didn't pay much attention, haha!

It all started when I listened to 万人迷programme from Y.E.S.93.3, they have a short segment on highlighting the historical events on each day as well as which celebrity's birthday. Just so happened on the 3rd of February, Zhi Yong started out by saying he is the youngest member in Super Junior and is the best singer in the group. At that, I was like "oh really?". When I met up with Dory few days later, I asked her about him and she pointed out the parts he sang in SJ's songs. This time, she had a receptive audience and I finally knew what she meant by him being a good singer!

When I hear him sing, it gave me almost that same feeling I had when I first heard of Sung Si Kyung. His voice, the way he sang, I felt the emotions he was expressing all around me, like being wrapped up snugly in with a blanket. This, to me is a mark of a good singer... to make me feel all warm or my goosebumps coming out.

ANYWAY, he's only 22 (oldest in group is 27) and he is very good at both singing and dancing. Somehow, I can't really tell what is the difference between his voice and Sung Si Kyung's, but roughly I guess his is deeper and SSK's is richer. Oh yeah, forgot to mention his name, Kyuhyun aka 圭贤! He tends to use more nasal than SSK but it is not irritating at all =) Or maybe I'm biased, haha!

That aside, I celebrated my birthday 2 weeks ago... it was a quiet one with my mum and dad, plus Dory. But I had my favourite Japanese food at Nijyumaru =). Presents wise, I had received a ring and necklace from colleagues, and a small mountain of them from Dory. She made a sort of collage from different photos with messages under each one and had it framed! There was a picture of Jj, Dory and me, Kyuhyun, our M'sia JJFCians and one of Sophie, Dory and me. I do appreciate the effort she takes and I was touched to the core! She also gave me SJ's "Sorry Sorry" album (which was surprisingly good haha) and a perfume by Paris Hilton, packed in a blue box. I guess after 21, there's not much anticipation anymore... haiz, no I cannot feel old!

On another note, I have some grouses to make too.... basically about work related stuff of course. Who else but our "dear" AM... who is like, seems to be trying to flout his authority to take over the "world". Most of the things (like 99.99%) are useful to him but useless to us. So lame, but as underlings we can only comply. I just wish our mgr is a bit more alert to what is happening but it appears she is agreeing with him! Sigh, so so depressing, I think I better try to get out asap!

Okay, I shall stop the negativities here and dream of my KH hahaha! Much more worthwhile than glooming about that useless piece of shite.

圭贤！！！

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Lelong lelong!

A pair of A*Mei concert tix for sale! Sat 30 Jan 2010, Block A15 Row 11, Seats 5&6. S$342 inclusive of Sistic fees!

I'm unable to make it, hence the sale of tix!

Hope some kind souls will not let these precious tix go to waste!

I'm willing to waiver off the sistic fees of $6! ($3 per tix)

LELONG!

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Woot! What a day! What a day!

Nope, not talking about Jay Chou's b'day....

Heard on 933 that MAYDAY WILL BE HAVING A "D.N.A. Encore" CONCERT ON 17TH APRIL 2010!!!!!

It's a good thing I'm not an S.H.E. fan

Their concert is on the same day, only at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. So there I was, listening intently and praying hard that Mayday's one won't be at the stoopid Singapore Expo (totally bad place for concerts of their calibre!).

So when Cruz announced that it will be at the Padang, I was like "whoa!" Outdoor location! Full of charged energy and adrenaline! Plenty of place to jump! But I must prepare suitable wear and bag for that day.

#1 Preparation for rain - Umbrella is a no no if I wanna jump and move about freely
#2 Small bag - Heavy bag too much of a burden, will hamper my jumping!
#3 WATER! - Warning, much shouting and hollering and screaming to the music expected.

I was just lamenting to my fellow Maydayians that we don't know when will we see them again as it will be AGES until their next album (他们的饭碗主要是靠演唱会的) and now POOF! News of their D.N.A. Encore is here! They must have known we are suffering from withdrawal symptoms...

On another note, heard that Mr Jam Hsiao will be having his "Mr Rock" concert on the 13th March but I haven't heard any details of ticket sales yet. However, this time I REALLY cannot find anyone to accompany me for this concert... haiz....

Had a super good time at Crowd Lu's gig last weekend! It's amazing how this geeky looking "ah boy" can attract soooo many people (youngsters especially). You can see his evident enjoyment in his music and his bashful ways that endear him to us! It's a good thing people are more into substance and not looks now, otherwise he would not have managed to make his mark!

Looks like it's gonna be another blasting year!

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It's been a whirlwind 2009, I've never thought that time can speed so much, it kills seconds! Ok, cold joke, haha

Can't say which year is the best year, coz in the end, it is how best we can make it be. Life's all about making lemonade out of lemons or nice bittergourd soup out of bittergourd :P

I had a pretty interesting year in the sense of doing what I like, jobwise is just stable, now looking for a new path to take.

Wonder where 2010 will lead....

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

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Finally.... THE album of the year is here... rounding off the end of 2009 nicely, sort of an early Christmas present...

Behold



100 Days by Jj Lin, released in Singapore on 18th December 2009.

I was praying very hard that day, as I know usually for new releases, there may be the unavoidable delay due to 101 reasons (Crowd Lu's album "7" is one such case).

Dory and I were frantically calling any CD-Rama in the areas that she/I will pass by and keep getting news that it has not arrived/will not arrive. What was worse was the service by the Bukit Panjang Plaza Popular bookstore staff that Dory got, but let's not bring up the past unhappiness anymore =)

Towards the evening, I was doing my work as usual and my handphone rang, with an unrecognisable number. I answered it with anticipation, crossing my fingers hard that it was good news and YES! The lady who took down my number informed me that the albums have arrived at the BPJ store! I quickly called Dory and since she will be there earlier, she will be the buyer!

We had arranged to meet at Taiwan Xin Wang Cafe (My most fave restaurant after Marutama) and I can tell you I was scuttling towards her as fast as I can, my eyes already eyeing the album!

Don't really know why I'm so excited this time round... was it because I had heard some of the songs online and loved them? Or it has been too long (more than a year) since his last album? Or maybe it's been sometime since I heard a very very good album that I can put on repeat mode without the worry of feeling bored. Admittedly though Sixology was good as well, only a few songs made it to my permanent list of all time listens. Such as Red Cliff (醉赤壁) or 黑武士.

Perhaps what my good fren Lemon say is true... she finds his songs nice, but not nice enough in the sense to make you go "WOW!" I suppose he had been earnestly trying different things and all, but when a song is written just earnestly to express something, the effect will turn out differently. Which is why usually songs written to express rather than show off, will leave a deeper impression on me. For instance, he had been through some rough times in the past year and from there, the feelings just come along and is penned into a tune. Voila, a great song is born!

As Vivien mentioned last time, good music can be everywhere, but music written to express one's thoughts and feelings, is REALLY good music that is a rare find.

Had listened to the entire album through and through, the following are my thoughts about each track

X - A Mandarin version of "Still Moving Under Gunfire". Not in my list of must-listens

100 Days (第几个100天)
When I first heard the chorus as part of the preview, I didn't think much of it, but I thought hey, let's hear the whole thing before saying anything. I was hooked. The music arrangements, melody, the feel of the song, I keep putting it on repeat more than any other tracks. The music arrangement is done by Mr Goh Kheng Loong, one of the few talented musicians I admire greatly. The whole orchestra sound, the works, he truly is a music genius!

加油! Go! (Feat. MC Hotdog) - A motivational track, lyrics and music all covered by Mr Lim himself. It's a very nice upbeat song with good music mixes. Me like =) I even put it as my computer start up song!

Twilight　（曙光) - a 45 second saxaphone solo by Fabian Lim, acts as a prelude for the next song... nice seductive tones

Obsession (无法克制) - A moderately fast number that is slightly jazzy and bossa novaish. Wonder what will the MV be like? Another one arranged by Goh Kheng Loong =) My fave track (out of so many, ha!)

Back to Back (背对背拥抱)- a very karaoke friendly song, but surprisingly I'm not bored of it. The climax of the song is all there, so it's very good to sing when you wanna pour out your emotions!

Copycat (跟屁虫) - Can't stop laughing silently (coz i'm still at work) when I first heard this! Jj's trademark at speaking with Indian accent, remind me of my own regular customer and I can make a pretty mean imitation of the Indian accent too! Talks mainly about the piracy issue in the retail and music industries.

One, By One (一个又一个) - I super super love this song (after 100 days). First jazz number included in his album and the very good lyrics written by Rynn Lim! I enjoy listening to this especially when I'm driving in the rain, makes you think about life...

Love Chronicles (爱不会绝迹) - a theme song for an animation, the genre is a bit different from what Mr Lim usually does. =) Music arrangement can be better though

The One (转动) - a song written in memory of the great MJ. People who didn't know might think it's about his other half! We can see the impact MJ has on lots of people. He had his glamourous times, but behind every success, there will be those who are there to strike you down with malicious intent no matter what the reason behind. Being a celebrity can be a very lonely experience, one of the lyrics really rings true
"他们总爱流言蜚语言不由衷, 突然我明白你有多孤独慌恐" a very poignant song

Naruwan (妈妈的娜鲁娃) - Another genre that has not been tried before, very tribalish (Dory's words) song. Simple tune yet quietly moving =) Another one to the "must listen" list

Still Moving Under Gunfire - I always liked Jj's English compositions... he's like the english version of Lin Xi or Fang Wen Shan =)

Show Your Love (表达爱) - This track was released previously, a duet with a Taiwan lass, nothing biggie to me to be honest. I only like the harmonizing part haha!

Whoa, longest post by far. Guess it's easier with a album to review =) I have also heard FIR's latest album online but it was quite disappointed compare to their last album which was oh so good!

Lemon recommended Aoyama Thelma to me and her "Diary" album is really nice! Thanks Lemon popo!

Looking forward to Mayday's album like, oh I don't know, in 2020? Kidding, it's not that long, but with the concerts they hold, dunno when either =(

Over and out!

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Whoa, been so busy the past month, didn't have time to blog.

Where do I start? Well it's not anything big since November 1st, but somehow the time flies anyway. Mainly busy on weekends, always meant to wanna have a proper rest but never got down to it. It's like making New Year Resolutions and breaking them!

Now that Christmas is nearing, it's that time of the year again to spend even more on presents than the usual days. I do love Christmas, the atmosphere is so full of warmth and cheer... don't understand why grouch exists!

I'm offically done with the vocal classes, now just concentrate on my 古筝 and try to practice more... sigh! Time is never enough for all the things I wanna do!

I'm gonna try out something this year... hope it works! Well 2 things la not just one... I have my niggling doubts about the things but just brush it aside and give it a shot, after all, we'd never know till we try...

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