what every fan would already know.

Here's some overdue updates on the man-boy lol!

So Leehom dropped his new single 十二生肖 Twelve Zodiacs a few days back (by the time this is published, it would have probably been a couple of weeks since). It's the theme song to Jackie Chan's new (and supposedly his last action) movie of the same name. Here it is:

And what can I say? I love the MV - he's just so adorbs! I love the song (it's very catchy), love the vibe & the energy, the burst of colors, the cute kids, the cameo by Jackie Chan, and the ever lovable Leehom in his nerdy glasses! :D 二哥 二哥 二哥 二哥... 二二二二! :D Well, he definitely has this fangirl's approval la la la!

However, I do think that he's trying, whether intentionally or not, to emulate Psy's no-intro-needed Gangnam Style (which I can't believe is still going strong, and a quick check on youtube shows that it's just 30million shy of hitting the formerly unthinkable 1 billion views, that's 1,000,000,000 O_O)(sometimes I wonder how artists can sing just one song so many times over, I've read of artists who do get tired of their popular songs but they still play it cos that's what the fans wanted)(actually even watching leehom's concert clip where he gets his fans to say I LOVE YOU in their local dialects is tiresome because it's the same thing over and over again but i still watch them hahaha). Back to the topic, I think it's inescapable what he was trying to do, especially with the simple-to-follow dance coupled with a catchy melody. Plus he did ponder aloud about how to make a Chinese song as popular. I am just speculating, but part of me actually wished it's not so, cos it would seem like he's riding on the coattail of someone else's success.. (It's still a fun ride, nevertheless! :) Or perhaps I can choose to see it as a hat-tip to what's current in Asian music. And he did receive the 2012 MAMA (Mnet Asian Music Awards) for “Best Asian Artist”! [MAMA is a major K-pop music award ceremony, and it was held in Hong Kong earlier this month] So maybe it's come a full circle.

Anyway I was watching the MV again on youtube (it/he just makes me smile) but apparently there are a number of ppl who don't like it, up to one in four viewers. I'm trying to figure out the comments which are in Chinese, I think most didn't like the lyrics.. But what's wrong with it? It's basically a message on world peace, and a lesson on the memorising the zodiacs. And why not? Maybe they want him to do another ballad. *frowns*

Anyways, back to da man (yeah he is lol!), he's embarked on a new direction to distribute his music, via his recently revamped website, done just in time to push for the sale of his new single. He's no longer with Sony (which i think is a great move for someone with his clout -- no longer would he be bound to contract fine prints and unnecessary obligations -- he's free to chart his own direction and do what he really wants to do)(which for now seems to be like music AND movies *slight frown*). And here he is, doin' the 'splainin' :)...

Dear fellow music lovers

I'll never forget the sound of those drums, slamming out an anthem that refused to be ignored. The screeching vocals distorted the mic, irreverent, hyperactive, ridiculous – and the coolest thing I'd ever heard.

I had saved up for months, delivering newspapers and mowing lawns, and when I finally had the cash, I begged my mom to drive me to Record Archive, our neighborhood record store. One Thursday afternoon, after picking me up from school, she relented. The minute we got home, I popped the cassette in my tape player, and for the next 44 minutes I soaked in the exhilaration of pure hip-hop bliss. Then, I flipped the tape over and played it again. I was 11 years old when I bought my first record, The Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill, and life was never the same for me after that.

Everyone remembers buying his or her first CD. It's part of coming of age. It brings us into the world, and it can give us release from the world, too. Music has the power to transport us, to transfix us, to empower us, to inspire us. But record stores are dying out, and it's getting harder and harder to sell music these days. Whenever I speak to anyone in the industry about my ideas for selling music in China, I'm always met with a lot of skepticism. Piracy is king, they say, it's inescapable. Now that I'm not with a record label anymore, I'm not even sure what the best way is for me to release new music. But I've got a lot of great material that I want to share with you, so it's about time I start putting together the next album.

So, our team has started by rebuilding my website from scratch to create a place for me to sell my music digitally, and we're hoping to prove that it can be a model for other musicians too. In the coming year, a few other artists and I will be teaming up to start a new site for musicians and other artists to share their creative works in an economically viable way. But it's still just an experiment, and every download on WangLeehom.com is a vote for a new way of getting music to the fans. It's always been important to me to support musicians and artists, famous or not, independent or not, and I'm hoping that the new site will become a way for me to give back to a community that deserves the kind of support I'm so grateful you guys have given me for so many years.

As always, I intend to include you – the fans – and hear your voice on this topic. After all, you are the ones who empower me. We will be developing a way to get feedback from you and together brainstorm the future of a sustainable music industry, whether it's over Weibo, Facebook, or WangLeehom.com. Thanks so much for continuing to be by my side all these years. It’s your support that fuels me with the fire to keep pushing forward, and I appreciate it more than ever as we take this next step together.

With lots of love,
Leehom

[via]

I've already downloaded the new single, which came with a PDF booklet of some photos and the above note in both Eng and Chi. I really appreciate how optimistic he remains about changing the music purchase mindset in China in the face of rampant piracy. Go Leehom! ^_^

So here's the lyrics to the song... there are a couple more tidbits below so don't X your browser page just yet :) And yes, now I can memorise the 12 zodiacs. :)

Ladies and gentlemen
期待了很久
成龍大哥的電影...
這就是十二個生肖
Ladies and gentlemen
This is what we've been waiting for
Jackie Chan's new movie
These are the Twelve Zodiacs

子鼠 醜牛 寅虎 卯兔
辰龍 巳蛇 午馬 未羊
申猴 酉雞 戌狗 亥豬
這就是十二個生肖
Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit
Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram
Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig
These are the 12 zodiacs

是你的還是他的
是世界的 是地球的
一個人能夠活到一百歲 已經算久的
還有什麼好爭？ 做一個好學生
不要反抗 不要打仗 咱們來唱 首歌
What is yours? What is his? It belongs to the whole world
If a person lived to a hundred, that's considered long life
Why be bothered with strife? Just be a good student
Don't resist, no more fighting, let's just sing a song instead

如果說 人有十二種不同
不如花點時間學習 每個品種
If we say that there are twelve kinds of different people
Why not spend some time and learn about each type

鼠牛虎兔 龍蛇馬羊 猴雞狗豬 大聲地唱
Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit
Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram
Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig
Singing out loud

Hey！我們還 年輕
Hey！We want some 感情
Hey! We are still young
Hey! We want some love

是你的還是他的
是地球的 是世界的
有人說世界和平很遙遠但 我不覺得
放眼這個目標, 無論什麼生肖
關心一點，在乎一點 鐵定能辦得到
What is yours? What is his? It belongs to the whole world
Some people said that world peace is a distant dream
But I think if you make it a priority and care a little more
It's definitely achievable

On another note, Leehom has recently been "crowned" King of Weibo as he overtook Chinese actress Yao Chen (who?) on the scoreboard with the highest number of weibo followers of 27 million. That's a whole country there (hello, Malaysia)! Not bad for a relative newcomer (he opened his account in March 2011, and slowly made his way to the top in just 20 months).


I like that he posts regularly (once a day, and never more) so that I have something to look forward to each day but sometimes when he posts stuff that are just so -__-"

 take note Leehom: this is a sample of a good update. :)

And this is a sample of -____- update. No! My only comment is 这。。。关你什么事？At least give your opinion of what you thought about the new leadership. Otherwise, I would gladly see a photo of your lunch. Come to think of it, you hardly show us food photos. Why not? :D

Nerdy glasses are *heart*. But the peace sign.. hmmm... the jury's still out on that!

all hail the king. peace out!

my 2 second of fame

this is an entry about my brief and closest direct brush with a celebrity. in case you didn't know, Janet Hsieh is the fun-loving hyperactive host of Fun Taiwan, a Discovery channel travel show. she posted a note on FB last week asking who would be her 7,000th follower on Twitter. i would have liked that to be me, but i read her msg a little too late, hence what i wrote. and she replied to my tweet almost immediately. thought this was quite cool. :)

Lee Hom posted this on his weibo yesterday:

昨天跟媽媽通電話時她說她正在坐長途車，爸爸在開. 我就說 “那我放心了, 爸爸是最好的司機，你可以好好休息”. 媽媽說 “他不但是最好的司機，也是最好的朋友，最好的伴侶，最好的老公." 爸爸媽媽，兒子我好佩服也好感動你們的婚姻到今天為止正好長達41年了. 結婚週年日快樂 Happy Anniversary!

I was on the phone with my Mom yesterday and she told me that she was in a car on a long distant trip and that Dad was driving. So I said, "Then I've no worries, Dad is the best driver, you can take a good rest". Mom replied, "He is not only the best driver, but also the best friend, best companion, best husband." Dad, Mom, this son of yours truly admires and is deeply touched by your marriage which by today has reached the 41-year mark. Happy Anniversary!

Like, AWWWW right? :D

And my response to his weibo, which reflects my thought on marriage and parenthood (and envy of him :P):

The best gift your parents have ever given you (aside from those awesome genes for good looks and remarkable intelligence and impeccable musicianship) is the enduring love they have for each other. You are so blessed! Happy anniversary, Mr & Mrs Wang.

On the subject of weibo, one of the best things about it is being able to connect with fellow fans (another is the relative anonymity it provides, which makes me feel more at ease (but still civil nonetheless ;) compared to the other social media platforms that I engage in). There were a couple of misses but so far I've hit it off pretty well with two people from two different corners of the earth who just share in my enthusiasm for all things Lee Hom... and more. :)

• quote of the day:

In frustration, C.S. Lewis once asked Tolkien “What class of men would you expect to be most preoccupied with, and most hostile to, the idea of escape?” Tolkien answered: “Jailers.”

• ooh i made payment for Lee Hom's concert in Genting! as the prices of the tickets are reaaaally expensive, i'm only getting the second cheapest and that is already RM290 (it goes allllll the way up to RM1k. for that price, methinks the ticket holder should get to keep him! -_-) srsly, how do i not feel like i'm being fleeced! argh. but but but.... I am so excited! it's another four months away... i don't hope for it to come so soon. i don't want the first quarter of 2013 to end. but at least it would end with a bang! *fangirl squeals* [note: i made a pre-booking for the tix via the fan club, which gives me a better-than-nothing 5% discount on the tickets. *small cheer*]

• speaking of him, Lee Hom has a new song called 十二生肖 (lit. 12 Zodiac) out this Friday. he posted a 30-second teaser which can be heard here. my take on it? I kinda like it but it's too short to conclude. i'm happy it's not a ballad! hehehe.. it appears to be the theme song to Jackie Chan's 101st and purportedly last movie before he retires, Chinese Zodiac. here's the trailer for the movie which will be out on 12.12.12, a date as auspicious as it could get.

• i actually knocked off by 8pm last night. and i slept for 12 hours straight (i did wake up to pee once hehe). i could be wrong but i think this is the first time that has happened to me. am still tired though. gosh.
• and you would think that i'd be sleeping early again since i was so tired right? but here I am at 3:45 in the morning, still awake!! :( i hate it when my hours get jammed like this!! grrr..
• i got my phone back yest morning! I don't know how I did it but I survived the week. someday i'll write a book about my days in the phone-less wilderness. I am legend.
• had dinner at madam kwan's last night. thad's friend from China, one of his students, is here for holidays. he speaks english rather fluently and has been great help to thadd and other friends who went to Beijing so he's receiving royal welcome here. :) went out into the light drizzle to take pic with the iconic towers. it's such a gorgeous sight to behold, esp at night! :)

just another quick one before i go off to bed, and it's only 7:35PM.

• today has been a long day. my church held a family day event which lasted a good 6 hours, by the end of which i am pooped through and through. i worked the redemption counter with two other girls. it was kinda quiet in the morning because no one had enough coupons to exchange for any of the gifts, but towards the later part of the day, it was madness! we managed to clear most of the stock. went for durian feast after clean-up. i haven't eaten so much durian in a while! it was good stuff, fleshy and sweet, the way i like it. 

• i was supposed to be donating blood today, concurrent with the event. again i hyperventilated when the nurse took my blood sample, but i was preparing myself for the worse. then came the doctor interview. she thought that my breakfast was too simple (a small cupcake with a tiny cup of soy milk), and wasn't too keen that i had just about 5 hours of sleep the night before, but i thought i would be fine. however, the third strike came when she asked if i had consumed alcohol the night before, and argh, i did! i had a coupla glasses of red wine at my colleague's wedding, and... i was disqualified. mm i am still disappointed that i didn't get to do it. bleh.

• i haven't been running for about a month due to the daily rain we've been receiving.. but managed to squeeze in my usual 4 laps at the KLCC park on Wednesday. and did i struggle! i couldn't even run one lap without stopping. and that is bad. plus i kept hoping that it would rain as i ran, so that i'd have an excuse not to finish the jog. 

• sorry if these entries are boring you, but i really have nothing interesting to say. good evening and good night!

just another short post tonight. another baby step to overcoming my lack of inspiration.

• i didn't wake up this morning. i woke up past noon. i didn't have my alarm clock and the husband was out and my biological clock seemed to think that i needed to sleep in. was supposed to meet K for lunch at about that time! wondered why husband was not back. called him from the house phone. turned out that K had to go back to the office to work. poor fella!

• went for ex-colleague's wedding dinner at Parkroyal Hotel tonight. the food was so-so and the ceremony ended late, but the bride was beautiful (this colleague resembles a Singaporean celebrity :) 

• read a little of Life of Pi (half a chapter?) and it has mention of this fish called dorado, which is "distinguished by dazzling colors: golden on the sides, and bright blues and greens on the sides and back". and the protagonist of the book described killing the fish (by whacking it repeatedly with a blunt object) was like "killing a rainbow" because it would turn all sorts of colours before it breathes its last. and as sadistic as it might sound, i am kinda looking forward to watching this on the big screen. in 3D no less!

• also read a chapter of Steve Jobs, and i don't think he's ever going to redeem himself by the end of the book. he has few redeeming qualities to pass as a decent human being. i'm surprised that he allows this biography to go out without reading its draft. what does he have up his sleeves!

• the Big Bad Wolf sale is coming, in about 2 weeks. will be taking a day off to be there. i need more books around the house that i won't be reading *sheepish smile* 

• i just finished season 2 of Suits. i love the show! mostly for the dresses that the corporate ladies wear. DROOL! i just lurve the glamorous side of the corporate world, the killer heels and sharp dresses and pencil skirts and It bags, sleek modern offices with glass walls and gorgeous view of the city skyline,  ruthless manipulative power players.. okay, strike the last one out. but yeah... :)

• caught up on the latest episodes of Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother and Elementary. thanks, unifi hahhahaha!

• i had to send my phone in for repair, and i have been living without a phone for close to a week now. i'm actually survived! okay, given that i had access to the internet at the office and at home, it wasn't really that bad. happily, i received a call from the service centre who said that my phone is on my way back to me, and that i should get it by Monday. whoopie!

• Life of Pi is opening next week. w00t! gonna be watching it as part of my birthday outing. w00t w00t! which reminds me, i need to finish the book. why is it taking me forever?

• have i mentioned that Lee Hom is coming back to Malaysia March next year? it would be at a smaller venue, up in Genting. was totally psych'ed about going until i got to know of the ticket prices. gosh, looks i have to starve myself for the next three months! grrr.. it's almost double the other performers okay. just who you think you are! T___T a top-notch superstar with crazy fangirls like you. yup.

thirty four.

The blogging muse is on her year-end holiday, an explanation as feeble as any for the lack of update here. This must be my blog's driest month this year! Anyway, with the 4th anniversary of my 30th birthday looming in the horizon (at the point of my writing this, it's just 4 days away), I thought I should put my fingers to keyboard and write something here. But what, I asked. And there was silence, naturally.

Aha, why don't you revive that 100-things-about-me meme? A voice suggested. But I don't have that many interesting things to warrant a list of 50, let alone 100! I replied to no one in particular. Mm maybe I could just do 34? I thought to myself, and then thought that was rather clever. Indeed.

So, here are 34 things about me that are not in anyway mysterious or groundbreaking as I would have in one way or another spoken about them. But a list's a list, so here goes nothing.

1. I'm very sure I have a mild *cough* form of ADD, which according to wiki, is characterized primarily by inattention, easy distractibility, disorganization, procrastination, and forgetfulness.
2. I hate writing. When I say this out loud, I usually receive polite protest that I could write, but I think people just want to make me feel better. Oh but you have a blog! I don't think that means much but I appreciate the affirmation though. :) 
3. I enjoy reading, but these days, most of my reading are Internet articles. I kinda dislike this fact.
4. I'm often lost in my own world.. like Alice. Ok, my world is not that rich. I like to hold imaginary conversations with people. Aloud. Which can be embarrassing. 
5. According to Myer-Briggs, I am a Nurturer (ISFJ). I sure didn't see that coming but the description is pretty accurate. And it helps me understand myself a bit more. Like how I've always wondered why I didn't do well in varsity, and even in my on-off studies at the bible college, until I read this (so it's really not my fault *ahem):

ISFJs learn best by doing, rather than by reading about something in a book, or applying theory. For this reason, they are not likely to be found in fields which require a lot of conceptual analysis or theory. They value practical application. Traditional methods of higher education, which require a lot of theorizing and abstraction, are likely to be a chore for the ISFJ.

6. According to the same test, I'm an introvert (though I didn't need it to tell me). People are often surprised that I am. In turn, I'm surprised that they are surprised. I can also be very shy. And I've been told they are not the same thing. I'm shy and gregarious.
7. I am absolutely terrified of syringes and snakes.
8. I love Calvin and Hobbes.
9. I enjoy sitcoms. I think life has enough drama that my escape shouldn't be more drama. My current favorites (and in this order) are Community, How I Met Your Mother, and Modern Family. 
10. I don't watch horror movies. I get startled very easily. I watch scary scenes through the gap between my fingers with my palms over my eyes. I don't want to watch an entire movie like that. I don't watch much drama movies/TV either (the slow pace is very distracting).
11. I like detective stories. Agatha Christie is my all-time favorite crime writer. If I have access to her books, I would like to re-read them again. I like Sherlock Holmes too. I love his recent screen incarnations (Robert Downey Jr, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jonny Lee Miller). I love Jeffrey Archer although he doesn't really belong in this genre.
12. I love Wang Lee Hom and David Tao. An unabashed fangirl, I am. I don't like female singers. I don't know why. Female voices tend to get boring very quickly. According to the idea of six degrees of separation, I am 3 degrees away from Lee Hom. alas, those are but weak links.
13. I love the smell of new books. But I wouldn't wear it. What were they thinking? I feel like a fraud when I talk so much about books, but I've only read so few this year, or in total.
14. When I was younger, I used to finish all the books I ever started reading. I don't do that anymore, and although I feel guilty when I don't, I still don't. 
15. I am a top-notch procrastinator with super short memory span. I have met people who are worse at procrastinating, but I don't remember anyone who has fish memory like me. Mm probably I have met the person.
16. While I prefer to remain "emotionless", I am easily excitable. -_- If you wanna test it out, just mention Lee Hom or cats or Calvin and Hobbes (or anything in this list that began with "I love...") in a sentence. 
17. I rarely cry at movies, but I have shed tears watching my fav sitcoms. True story. 
18. I love jokes and I can appreciate good ones, but I suck at delivering them (remember Nemo's dad earlier attempts in telling the joke about the mollusk and sea cucumber? I'm like that.)
19. I love cats. Not all cats. Just the cute ones. Not a big fan of kittens. I sigh when I see pics of cute cats online. I think that a feline's silhouette is captivating. I don't have it in me to be a crazy cat lady thou.  
20. I love musicals. Okay, not all. My favorites so far is Puteri Gunung Ledang and Wicked.
21. I can be rather particular with kerning in design. I'm annoyed with designers who are not.
22. I love Melbourne! Had my best vacation there. I'll definitely be back. 
23. I love travelling. The wanderlust in a force strong in me. 
24. Friendster, Myspace, Multiply, Flickr, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Weibo, Tumblr, Blogger, Dropbox, Gtalk, Skype, Live Messenger, email accounts from Hotmail, Yahoo! and Gmail: I have them ALL ("had" for the first three items in this list). 
25. I love Google. 
26. Every morning when I open my Chrome browser, I simultaneously open these pages: Yahoo! mail, Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, Google Reader and Weibo. Then I close the Twitter tab after glancing at some tweets. The rest are open throughout the day.
27. I am very fond of the pi π symbol. If I could have a tattoo on me, this would be it.
28. I like chocolate with nuts or wafer. I like dark chocolate. I don't like white chocolate.
29. Milk in its liquid form makes me queasy. Even thinking about it makes me nauseous. So I thought I was lactose-intolerant. But I drink choc milk, and eats milk in other forms i.e. cheese and yoghurt. Go figure.
30. I love fish head noodle.
31. I don't like buffets. It makes me greedy and I will overeat and that's just bad. I think I'm much better at controlling myself these days. Still, I don't like the idea of paying to gorge on food. 
32. I love potatoes. In every edible form.
33. I am an insomniac.
34. When I'm not focused, I'm not. But on the very rare occasions when I am, I'm unstoppable.  

Yay! Done-doh! So.... happy birthday to me. Sometimes I can't stand me, but I'm generally okay in my own skin. I am writing in one of those moods, can you tell? Anyways, I hope the next 365 days will be good (generally), and I would continue to grow up emotionally, spiritually and mentally, and shrink physically.

My friend tried to get Lee Hom to wish me over weibo. Well, there's one in 24 million chance of that happening. Oh well, I'll make do with his song then. I've posted this song before, so here's just the MV (translation here). Have a good day on me, everyone! *MUAKS*

versus.

since news on Lee Hom has been slow lately, plus i'm almost at the point of OD'ing on his songs, i have presently shifted interest back to my long-time music "love", David Tao. while i appreciate LH for the versatile and skillful musician that he is, David's music has somehow always moved me on a deeper level. and for a longgg time, i was trying to figure out why. and i was still pondering about it when i started this post, but wouldn't you know it, lady epiphany dropped by just in time to say hi. :D

so.... here's my theory on why I think David's music is better (it's a relative term, don't hold me against it :) than Lee Hom's (or maybe i should use the term "different", as in how D's music is different in comparison with LH's):

• D's academic background in Psychology and Film-making gives him a more educated insight into the human psyche and also makes him a better story teller, compared to LH's courses in Music (classical, jazz, vocal) and Asian Studies which makes him a more well-rounded musician but as I've said before, he has ample room for improvement in the lyrics department.
• personality wise, i think D is more reserved and serious, while LH is an eternal optimist and more carefree. in this sense, my character partially mirrors LH's, while i would be drawn to someone with D's traits. so i actually relate to them or approach their songs differently.
• lifestyle-wise, i think D makes time to lead a more "normal" life (he's been known to go into hiding periodically, also he is also into business and runs a fashion boutique) while LH lives and breathes work 24.7.365. I believe LH genuinely enjoys his marriage to his music or movies, but I don't think his devotion can offer him a meaningful kind of inspiration or understanding of the world outside the entertainment industry. of course, this is purely conjecture on my part, i do however strongly encourage him to take a sabbatical (in fact, i've highlighted this when i was a month-old fan :) because if he was gonna sing a love song, it'd better be believable, otherwise it would be a sham.
• in an industry where artists churn out at least an album a year to remain in the mind of their fans, D has always taken his time to work on his music. since debuting in 1997, he's only six full-length albums to his name (compared to LH's 14 albums in 17 years). i know LH can be incredibly persnickety when it comes to producing his music and he pours in an incredible amount of time and effort in getting the exact sounds that he wanted, he's always managed to deliver not too far from the deadline. he's reliable like that. :) but like a pot of beef stew, it's probably edible after an hour of simmering on low fire, but an extra two hours in the pot would do it wonders. and if you left it overnight in the fridge, you'll be discovering a far richer, more flavorful pot the next day. can you see my point? ;)

i hope i would NEVER have to choose between D and LH. it's like having to choose between my right arm and my left, or my heart and brain! i want to be whole, man. hehe.. i don't want to have take anything away from either one because they are both great singer-musicians in their own rights. plus they are both genuinely super nice guys. and oh, they are both seemingly destined for prolonged bachelorhood hahaha anyway, the BEST part right now is both artists have said that their new music will be out by the end of this year. the year is already ending on a high note with my anticipation for these two movies, and now this.. if the world is really ending, it's going out with a bang! tee hee!

back to D and to make my case about his songs, i normally don't fancy songs that i cannot relate to. here, 暗戀 or Adoration (though I think Secret Crush/Love is more apt) is a song about a guy who's secretly in love with a girl but gets all tongue-tied around her so he's left tepuk sebelah tangan... and unfortunately, the song doesn't have a happy ending. awww :(

anyway, i shouldn't be able to have anything to do with it now, right? but i fell in love with it (and i'm talking about the stomach churning, skipped heartbeat type of fall okay) the moment i heard him sang the first two words, and i've not really stopped listening to it since. i especially love what i imagine is the effect of the ebow holding those notes, and i also love the lyrics and melody, and i love how earnest he sounded (i watched somewhere that he was expressing the loss of a real crush). love, love, love! ^_^

oh btw, this song is for you. i imagine that person singing it to you... but who knows, his song could have a happy ending. :)


昨晚又再見到你 你還是那麼美麗
我緊張到話都不會說 就傻傻看著你
渴望永遠這距離 就是和你在一起
醒來發現這一切都只是我的夢境
saw you again last night, you're still so beautiful
i was so nervous i couldn't speak, so i just stared at you foolishly
hoping to remain this close to you always, just to be with you
waking up only to realize that this has all been a dream

告訴自己要冷靜 卻又無法不想你
我的懦弱已經開始讓我討厭我自己
是你對我有戒心 還是我沒有自信
可是誰也不能阻止我 我要暗戀你 So lonely
told myself to remain composed, but i can't stop thinking about you
i'm starting to hate myself for my weakness
was it you who got wary of me, or was it me who couldn't trust myself?
but no one can stop me from secretly loving you, so lonely

so here I am standing all alone
在某個街頭 有個我在這裡只為你等候
here I am waiting just for you
開放我所有 希望你能瞭解你能夠接受 So lonely
so here I am standing all alone
on a certain street, there's me waiting just for you
here I am waiting just for you
wearing my heart on my sleeve, hoping that you would understand, that you would accept my love

今晚渴望再見你 雖然只是在夢裡
短暫的甜蜜也勝過了一輩子沒有你
就算沒快樂結局 就算從此死了心
我要付出我所有誠意 只要能感動你
我願意
hope to see you again tonight, even if it's just in my dream
the short-lived sweetness has passed, in this life i will be without you
even though there is no happy ending, even as i give this up now
i hope my sincerity shines through, to just touch your heart
i am willing

so lonely so here I am standing all alone
在某個街頭 有個我在這裡只為你等候
here I am waiting just for you
開放我所有 我要為你怎麼做你才接受我
我喜歡你。。 我要你。。 我愛你
so here I am standing all alone
on a certain street, there's me waiting just for you
here I am waiting just for you

wearing my heart on my sleeve, what do you want me to do for you to accept me?

i like you.. i want you.. i love you

so here I am standing all alone
在某個街頭 有個我在這裡只為你等候
so here I am waiting just for you
開放我所有 希望你能瞭解你能夠接受
I'm lonely
so here I am standing all alone
on a certain street, there's me waiting just for you
here I am waiting just for you
wearing my heart on my sleeve, hoping that you would understand, that you would accept my love

i'm lonely

故事就說到這裡 就算你們再好奇
我想說的都已說完了 其餘是秘密
在那某一個街頭 會流傳某個旋律
那是我在輕輕唱著歌 我多愛你 著妳
the story ends here
even if you are curious, i have said all i've wanted to say
everything else will remain a secret
on that certain street, a certain melody will linger
that's me quietly singing how much i love you...


懦弱 nuòruò - weakness
討厭 tǎoyàn - hate
短暂 duǎnzàn - brief, short-term

暗戀 Adoration
作曲：陶喆
填詞：陶喆 娃娃

Still lonely still lonely

昨晚又再見到你 你還是那麼美麗
我緊張到話都不會說 就傻傻看著你
渴望永遠這距離 就是和你在一起
醒來發現這一切都只是我的夢境

告訴自己要冷靜 卻又無法不想你
我的懦弱已經開始讓我討厭我自己
是你對我有戒心 還是我沒有自信
可是誰也不能阻止我 我要暗戀你
So lonely

So here I am standing all alone
在某個街頭 有個我在這裡只為你等候
Here I am waiting just for you
開放我所有 希望你能瞭解你能夠接受
So lonely

今晚渴望再見你 雖然只是在夢裡
短暫的甜蜜也勝過了一輩子沒有你
就算沒快樂結局 就算從此死了心
我要付出我所有誠意 只要能感動你
我願意

So lonely so here I am standing all alone
在某個街頭 有個我在這裡只為你等候
Here I am waiting just for you
開放我所有 我要為你怎麼做你才接受我 (才接受我)
我喜歡你 (我喜歡你) 我要你 (我要你) 我愛你

So here I am standing all alone(standing all alone)
在某個街頭 有個我在這裡只為你等候
So here I am waiting just for you
開放我所有 希望你能瞭解你能夠接受
I'm lonely

故事就說到這裡 就算你們再好奇
我想說的都已說完了 其餘是秘密
在那某一個街頭 會流傳某個旋律
那是我在輕輕唱著歌 我多愛你 著妳

once upon a time, east met west...

the husband and i are the same in some ways and very different in every other way.. personality wise, don't let me get there, but we clash in every. possible. way, except oh, we are both VERY STUBBORN. hahahaha.. interest wise, at the basic level, we both enjoy reading, TV/movies and food. but rarely do we read the same books (he reads theological books)(as I'm typing, he's reading an OT theology book)(or serious mags like Time or The Economist)(while i like my whodunits or fiction or Calvin and Hobbes); we don't download *cough* the same shows (i love animation and sitcoms, while he watches everything from Hawaii Five-O to Walking Dead BUT doesn't touch my HIMYM or Community); we do eat the same food when i cook (of course =), but i love my pasta or potatoes, while he prefers low-carb meals (or he'll say crazy things like, "let's just have vege and fruits for dinner" to which my only response is an emphatic NO. because the cave-woman in me MUST. HAVE. MEAT. rawrrr! =) on some Saturday mornings, he would up at 6 to go hiking, while i probably would have just gone to bed a few hours before that (i'm allergic to the morning sun, which explains my semi-comatose state before noon each day ;)(but i can get reeeally hyper when my adrenaline kicks in, like really =).

thankfully, another thing we have in common other than our "stiff-necks" (read that in Canto) is our love of travelling and thankfully again, we belong to the same category of travelers (there are many kinds actually, like the first-class-all-the-way type, the backpacking-and-sleeping-at-bus-stops type, the tour-group-only-else-i'd-be-lost type, i'm-allergic-to-sun-and-sea type, off-the-beaten-path-only-please type, city-lovers vs nature-lovers, and many more).. we are the free-and-easy-can't-afford-first-class-no-tour-group type. and while i'm not a big fan of Tony Fernandez, we have AirAsia to thank for enabling us to go places we have been over the years. let's see, together we have been to Singapore (of course =), Bali (Indonesia), Hatyai, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Bangkok (Thailand), Hanoi (Vietnam), Baguio (the Philippines), Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai (China), and recently Melbourne (Australia). and there's Taiwan end of this year! the wanderlust is strong in us. if only our currency is equally strong *cries*

anyways, the reason for today's post is that............... today we are ten. that's TEN YEARS as a married couple. that's (365*7 + 366*3) days (= 3,653 days)(gosh, only 3 thousand plus days? felt like it's been 10,000!)(accordingly to the traditional anniversary gift list, we're supposed to be getting TIN/ALUMINIUM this year)(ergh no thanks!)

and what a ride it has been. haha! i'm thankful for this journey. of course if i could walk it again, there are many things i would have said or done differently. but there's no looking back. we are definitely better people today than we first started, for there has been a lot "sharpening" of the iron kind haha, lotsa sparks (from the friction haha) i think we have learned (and are still learning) to accept each other for who we are (especially our bad sides!) i am very excited for what God has in store for us in the next ten years, and all the tens that follows.

Lord God, we commit ourselves to you. thank you for your faithfulness in our lives. thank you for the happiness we have known together; for the sorrows we have faced together. we ask for forgiveness for any failure on our part; for any times when we became difficult to live with; for any lack of sympathy and understanding; for our selfishness. you have brought us so far along in this journey as husband and wife, we have learned tough lessons about living as one, how to die to ourselves and to consider the other's needs above our own. and we continue to learn. thank you for blessing us with so much, help us to bless others with what we have, with who we are, in return. thank you for the love which grows more precious each day. guide us in your way everlasting. we want to know you more. we want to be sensitive and obedient to the prompting of your holy spirit in our lives. help us God. light our path. thank you for everything. we love you. in jesus' name we pray. amen!

H A P P Y T E N , H U B B Y ! !

love you so, so much! muaks muaks! ^^

two drifters, off to see the world, there's such a lot of world to see...

-moon river-

i've been looking for a song to commemorate this day, and am happy to choose this because:

1. i love derek webb and i love how much he loves his wife and i wanted something from him that reflects that and voila, this song ^^ 
2. this song is fun ["I wanna read the Bible and I wanna make out"? haha! btw this is him and his wife Sandra, if you are interested] 
3. if you asked me if i would do it all over again, i'd probably pause to think for a bit, and then smile and say "Yes!"

I wanna marry you all over again, I wanna meet you and I wanna be friends
I wanna chase you all the way to Tennessee, I’ll meet your parents at the airport bar
I’ll take you out in my rental car, I wanna court you on the record label’s dime

come on baby let’s go back to the start
take it back sugar then gimme your heart
don’t you know baby I would do it all over again

I wanna buy you an old upright, I wanna accidentally stay all night
I wanna read the Bible and I wanna make out
I wanna marry you all over again
I wanna fall in love and say we’re just friends
I wanna race you all the way to Kansas City

I wanna give you a diamond ring, and then we’ll run into my ex-girlfriend
oh, I wanna sing songs while the sun’s going down

derek webb :: i wanna marry you all over again

it's eleventeen o'clock.

it's that time of the day...
when sleep is carelessly whispering sweet nothings into my ears.

it's that time of the week...
just before a nice long weekend and all motivation to work is leaping off the forty second floor of this building.

it's that time of the month...
where i'm more emotionally vulnerable than usual and i can't decide if i'm a usually emo person who gets desensiticized during a period in a month, or if i'm a fairly apathetic person whose guard just goes down during a certain time in a month.

it's that time of the year...
when i give up wondering where the time has gone, and what i have accomplished (or not) and just resign to the fact that December is around the corner!

it's that point in my life...
where i evaluate my career choices yet again.

every moment present and accounted for... not.

life is chock-a-block of paradoxes. sometimes they are amusing, sometimes maddening, often inscrutable, rarely rational. what purpose do they serve? i don't pay them much attention these days for the sake of my well-being, but of course they don't really go away. sometimes i feel like they make fun of my denseness, my deer-in-headlights gaze, so i just pretend this is all normal, and they would fade into the background. i don't know why i brought this up. there's really nothing there. maybe it's because i feel like i owe you a blog post and have nothing to offer except for this piece of fairly nonsensical and vague thought.

mm maybe i should tell you the other things on my mind: how i can't wait for leehom's new music (and movies) coming out soon, or how i've been trying to figure out why and how david tao actually moves me deeper, and how that's perplexing given that i relate more to leehom, and with that how i also wonder about the dynamics of the single-direction virtual relationships i have with these two men, how frustrating it could be "talking" to them, one voice among thousands others, and what does any of the communication actually mean, and how sheepish i am knowing that you are reading this and you're wondering why i don't have better things to think about. *blush* well, i also think about the relationship (also virtual but thankfully two-way) i have with my one friend on weibo. and i also think about real-life relationships which i'm not good at growing, but which i suppose i should work on. i have also been thinking about my prayer life, but really, i just need to do rather than think. so many things to think about. let me sleep on them. good night folks.

david tao :: highways (instrumental)

one birthday and two byes

this is super belated and the reason why i didn't do this earlier was because..... (1) i couldn't find a nice photo and then (2) i got lazy and also because (3) i didn't do it for the husband when it was his turn last month so it might be unfair... hehe! anyways...............

as for goodbyes, i just said it to the boss and will be saying it again to the kid under my tutelage. ah, the heart's heavy.

i've been under this boss for the past 3+ years i was here, and we've become really good friends. but nothing lasts forever, especially not in the corporate world, and i think that the new opportunity that she's getting will be good for her career. so we parted as colleagues, but will happily remain friends :) will definitely miss her around here. it's going to be really quiet with her and her booming, projecting voice gone! mm i do hope such right opportunity will come my way too hehe!

as for the kid, she will be leaving to the States soon (less than a month!). it's her parents' wish that she completes her high school and then further her education there (she was born there so she will be enjoying citizen privileges). but she's only 14! and to have to leave everyone she's ever known to that strange place is just too much for someone that age. sigh. the sacrifices one has to make for the unknown future. i'm worried for her and i'm sure the parents are sad too, but they have to put on a brave front lor. what's wrong with staying in malaysia anyway? pffbt. sigh, i'm going to miss her. she's a model student: bright, eager to learn, picks up fast, timely with homework, polite... it was my honour to be her teacher! T_T

• igloo is a funny word. tee hee. igloo igloo igloo igloo igloo igloo igloo igloo igloooooooooooooo... it was the last word in my mind last night as i completed a silly rhyme with it and drifted off to sleep.

• i am reeeeeallly looking forward to the Taiwan trip end of this year. like, really really, *squeals* really. will be travelling with an eclectic bunch comprising my parents, my MIL and SIL, J and her daddy ^_^, and the husband and i. this will be interesting! 

• i hate running, but I can't wait to run every Wed.

• have you ever failed at a test so often you wonder if it's worth trying again? and despite asking for and be given one chance after another, winning remains elusive and each defeat adds to the frustration of  the one before? and you wonder if you'd ever taste victory in this lifetime. you want to just give up and give in. just brand me a loser and leave me alone. but still, the desire to overcome is strong in you. it's the right thing to do. so you humbly ask for another go at it, and pray that no one is collateral damage if and when you flunk. again. my test is that of patience. and if you've seen me lost control, you know what i'm talking about.

• i'm nervous and somewhat stressed about the events that will unfold here in the office over the next few weeks.

hello, old friend.

this song brings me back to the living room of the student house i was living in when i was a varsity student. at that time i had recently been introduced to David Tao by my housemate, and i took immediate liking to his songs. his Chinese R&B songs were a novelty then; in fact, it was David who first introduced the genre to the Chinese market, first via his earlier collaborations with other artists and later, via his albums.

David's songs are timeless. twelve years on from when his tunes first serenaded my ears, they still sound every bit just as good. over this weekend, i've been reacquainting myself with his songs, and found myself unexpectedly moved by the whole experience.

this song here isn't as popular as the others (judging from the severely limited clips available for this song on youtube)... but i love it! it was one of the first songs i looped the entire day back then on my trusty Pentium 4 (does anyone remember WinAmp??)(the mp3 audio file type was also still a toddler back then) Angeline tells of a forbidden love story between a girl sea creature and a boy (kinda like Little Mermaid), and it doesn't have a happy ending. :(

anyway, it's really late into the night, like really really late. and i spy with my little eye Monday morning embracing in its arms a zombie that looks a lot like me. you know the whole insomnia thing that i suffer from?  sometimes it's just me being stubborn and wanting to stay awake. i said sometimes. good night/morning, and have a good week ahead!


傳說從前有一段戀曲　埋藏在深海裡
貝殼潮汐　見證這段愛情
那個女孩叫做Angeline 歌聲甜得像蜜　
乎遠乎近 男孩忘了自己
according to legend, there was once a love song, now buried deep in the sea
shellfish and tides were the witnesses to this love story
the girl's name was Angeline, whose voice was sweet as honey
far and near, the boy fell madly in love

Oh-Angeline my love for you
永遠不忘記你　深藏在我心裡
Oh-Angeline my life 全給你
天荒地老要在一起　我和你
Oh-Angeline my love for you
i will never forget you, and will keep you hidden deep in my heart
Oh-Angeline i give my whole life to you
we will be together for eternity

女孩觸犯海洋的戒律 愛是她的罪名
男孩已經　墬入漆黑海底
波浪像他們碎裂的心　快相遇又分離
一句一句　在月光下嘆息
the girl committed an offence against the laws of the ocean in the name of love
the boy found himself in the pitch dark seabed
the waves are like the shattered pieces of their hearts
time flew by from when they met to when they parted
every word spoken in sighs under the moonlight

從此白天黑夜的交際 來往的水手們總會聽見
那首悲傷的歌 Angeline
from then on, be it day or night, sailors on ships that pass by
they would hear the sorrowful song
Angeline



Angeline
陶喆

傳說從前有一段戀曲　埋藏在深海裡
貝殼潮汐　見證這段愛情
那個女孩叫做Angeline 歌聲甜得像蜜　
乎遠乎近 男孩忘了自己

Oh-Angeline my love for you
永遠不忘記你　深藏在我心裡
Oh-Angeline my life 全給你
天荒地老要在一起　我和你

女孩觸犯海洋的戒律 愛是她的罪名
男孩已經　墬入漆黑海底
波浪像他們碎裂的心　快相遇又分離
一句一句　在月光下嘆息

從此白天黑夜的交際 來往的水手們總會聽見
那首悲傷的歌 Angeline

more Melbourne moments: Great Ocean Road

this should be my last batch of Melbourne trip-related photos. all that i have posted here were taken with my iPhone. the rest which were taken by the digital camera are in the other laptop, and i suspect they will not see the light of facebook or here. because i am too lazy to want to do it. :D

typical Aussie motto: recycle ALL the things!! old fishing line included. this bin was found near a pier. 

the first kangaroo we saw. it was a relatively small-sized one, as were all the ones we saw.. i wonder where the huge ones were. in the zoo perhaps.

 

the emu looks camouflaged eh? :)

i found the candor of this sign amusing, hilarious even. hehe... 

taken at the Twelve Apostles.

at Lorne, one of our many many many stops. :) the grass was so green and inviting, so i tried rolling on it. but erm it wasn't as easy as i thought it would be. not as fun either. so i stopped very soon after i started. :D 

baby acorn. i think.

at port fairy. sigh. i'm missing GOR all over again.

this is a direction marker for hikers. it was a circular route and at the starting point, you can choose to go from left or right. these markers are found along the way to guide you. 

i took this pic because i find the "face" amusing (yes, i'm easily amused). it reminds me of the Easter Island head statues.

this is another amusing photo. it's like "suddenly, mountain!" 

i think this is the first photo of us from that trip that i posted here. there were very few of such photos, primarily cos the husband detests having his photos taken (-_-") this was taken atop the lighthouse at Aireys Inlet. we paid AUD12/pax for a 30-min guided tour. i think it was pricey, for what the tour was worth. gorgeous view of the ocean though. :)

since he doesn't like to pose for the camera, i have to resort to taking his photos without his knowledge. win-win for the two of us. :) 

this was back in town, at the botanical garden. sorry for digressing from the post title.

i love what autumn does to trees. bereft of leaves, what's left of a tree is a sight to behold. :D

this could have been my favourite photo of myself, had i not "lost" my left arm. i love that striped top (from Esprit), and when i bought it, i knew i was gonna wear it specifically during this stretch of the trip. hehe. this was taken at Port Campbell, our lunch stop for the day after spending a couple of good hours at the 12 Apostles. 

it wasn't always the coastline allll the way along the GOR, sometimes we were greeted by longgggg stretches of grazing fields. Aussie farm animals must be the happiest of the lot. so much space for them to roam about. 

sheep! they are so cute! i giggle every time we drove past them. tee hee.

baa~ baa~ white sheep, have you any wool?

yes sir, yes sir, many bags full!

psalm 23, naturally. :D

the Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

he makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.

he guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

even though I walk through the darkest valley, 

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

a bronze statue of a shearer and his sheep, right in Melbourne airport. this was the last photo i took before we flew home........ awwwwww, i miss Melbie so muchie! rarely does a city so this to me. so to end this series of picture, i would like quote a famous Austrian-accented cyborg: 

I'll be back! 

miscellaneous Melbourne moments

the capricious Melbourne weather, the week we were flying in. thank God it was sunny for most days ^^

saw this on the wall of the airport when we touched down. i wonder if anyone could use this, or only trained professional. i hope no one would have to use it though.

we took the Skybus from the airport to the city. it's a non-stop shuttle that ends at Southern Cross station. AUD17/trip is quite steep methinks. for two of us, it's comes out to be only slightly cheaper than taking a cab straight from the airport. 

the tourist shuttle is one of the best things for tourists in the city. it's regular (there's a bus every 30mins), the driver also acts as a tour guide (there's also the pre-recorded tracks), and it stops at every major tourist attraction in town, making it very convenient. definitely a must-take for 1st time tourists like us! :)

i've no idea what the greatest show on earth is. was just struck by how striking this mosaic piece is on that gray wall.

this shop is full of Matryoshka dolls. my mom has been wanting a set so i went in and checked for the price. they were going for about AUD120+ per set. too pricey for my pockets, but still nice to look at. :)

street art, literally. that's a fish he was painting. reminds me of the street calligraphy by Chinese men in China. 

somewhere over. my phone was not able to capture it, but this was a complete half arch, over River Yarra. we were walking home from town. nicee.

i read in the papers that elizabeth hurley was visiting her Australian fiance the same week we were there, and she visited this exhibition on Napoleon at the National Gallery of Victoria, with her son. we pass by the gallery each time we walk home from town.

here comes the tram. we took it once, to town. it was quite pricey (about AUD4/ride)(but there was a 2-hr ticket for around AUD8, which is still expensive)(thankfully, i had Adrian's monthly pass and rode this for free)

Queen Victoria Market has everything, from food to clothes to souvenirs. i was enthralled by the food selection, from the freshest of meat cuts and fish and vegetable and fruits to dried foodstuff like salami and cheeses and what-have-you-not. it was here at QVM that i decided that i HAVE TO move to Melbourne. hehehe.

why anyone would become a vegetarian is beyond me. the eyes of the cave woman in me practically lit up at the sight of this. om nom nom.

get free parking at QVM before 9am.

the Yongs' abode at 88 park street south melbourne. i had this memorised by heart, cos it was the starting point of all my google map searches. :)