Shifting Through Times..

shifting through boxes
looking through the past
relationships that didn't make it
friendships that did not last..

Was in a thinking mood the past few days..and some things which i usually neglect came around..

I realise..

familiar names
but so many lost along the way
letters, christmas cards
they once remembered my birthday..

1. contrary to what most people believe, i don't have many friends..most of them i would prefer to call acquaintances. I know, it sounds bad but it's true..how many of my "friends" actually call up or write or send me a greeting card or at least even try to find out how i'm doing? or for that matter, how many actually remember my existence? and by existence i do not mean me receiving a conveniently forwarded email which probaby most people around the world will receive as well!! i know i've been guilty of neglecting my friends as well..but well, it just makes this an even sadder case..

2. i'm no longer that love-struck sentimental romantic anymore..or maybe i'm just tired..valentine's day is just around the corner..and i'm still struggling to find the enthusiasm that i once had that made me travel from tampines to choa chu kang with a rose in hand just to make sure a friend isn't alone on valentine's day..

3. it's about time to throw away the old adrian and look forward..or maybe it's this new one that's causing problems. i don't know..instead of nice decent quick humour..i'm picking at people's bad points and magnifying them - in front of others - at the expense of them feeling bad.. and the biggest problem is, i seem to overstep the line between humour and snide remarks rather frequently. i just realised this when my gf started shooting me those crap remarks as well..it hurts, and i've got to learn to stop hurting people..

but that's just life
bits and pieces we're left with
and if we retaliate
we lose our belief..

4. lastly, i realised that i cannot change life with just a snap and a wink..i cannot just sleep on it and wake up a whole new person the next day..i cannot just throw away all my cds and start all over again! anyway, my point is, change is not impossible, but it will only come if i am willing to accept my faults..and i am determined enough to change for the better..i can still remember i once had this habit; any girl who was out with me on valentine's day will get a rose, even if she was just a friend..and i also had another weird habit of contacting all the names on my telephone list at least once every few months to check on how they are doing.. but all that is past, i can make it happen again in the present if i want to..but for the moment, i'll just be shifting through times and shifting through my heart for something special to make myself a better person..

8 Miles and Running

The much hyped about screen debut of Eminem, the rapper cum father cum husband everyone loves to hate. But love him or hate him, you really got to hand it to the guy. For a debut movie, Eminem is almost flawless. Sure you can say that he acted a part based loosely on his own life but hey! Madonna acts like a bimbo in every movie she's been in and look where that's got her! (got my point?) From the facial expressions to the body language, Eminem makes the part of Rabbit aka Jimmy very much his own. From his love for his sister, his frustration with his mum, his bondage with friends and his constant search for a brighter future, every emotion is got through to the audience seamlessly. Basically, the show tells a story of how a white man attempts to defy the odds to break into a music dominated by the blacks through sheer grit and persistence. Whether he succeeded in the end, we are left guessing. But one message 8 Mile gets across strong and clearly is to never to give up on your dreams and if you want something, you have to reach out for it.

Overall, it's a refreshing change from all those "mainstream" movies. Just a warning though, the show is loaded with vulgarities - there's basically a f--- in every sentence in every dialogue, which explains the NC-16 rating! - and the slang is a little hard to catch at times. But one thing's for certain, misunderstood or not, the Eminem show has only just begun.

Due to overwhelming traffic at the Jay Chou "The One" Concert picture sites and Tripod's limited bandwidth, some of you may not have been able to access the pictures i posted. So in order to make sure most of you at least get a peek, each page will be up for 5 days each.

Page 1 : 13 Jan - 17 Jan
Page 2 : 18 Jan - 22 Jan
Page 3 : 24 Jan - 28 Jan.

Sorry for any inconvenience caused =)

Jay-walking

My first concert of the year and pleased to say, Jay didn't disappoint. Ok, so maybe he could have engaged in a little more crowd interaction but i'm pretty sure all those screaming meimeis and jiejies didn't mind it one bit!

Arrived at the indoor stadium close to 8pm and the atmosphere was kinda subdued - probably with anticipation! But at around 8.30pm, when the lights went out, the whole place was suddenly littered in yellow, red, green and blue waving lightsticks. The feeling was electric and thankfully (or not!) there were few "screaming banshees" in my section.

The pace of the concert was quick, song came after song with little (almost none!) banter in between. And when Jay disappeared for his numerous costume changes, his backup singers, dancers and some clips on the 3 giant screens suspended above the stage filled in the gap. Some memorable moments of the evenings include the "old man" who appeared at the start of Ye Ye Pao De Cha carrying a bird cage and walking with a hunchback. And when the song kicked in, the old man who seemingly had problems walking, started dancing! That was really worth a laugh! Then there were the clips on the giant screens showing Jay Chou during his younger days playing the piano. While the crowd were glued to the screens and the clips started to fade out, Jay appeared from "below" the stage sitting at the piano playing the same piece that was in the clips. Of course, not forgetting to mention his gorgeous rendition of Faye Wong's Wo Yuan Yi which made me fall in love with the song all over again.

And even though he announced Zui Hou De Zhan Yi as the last song, he came back for two encores! The first to sing his guitar based songs Xing Qing and Hui Dao Guo Qu mixed with light banter with his guitarists and the second time to end the evening with Kai Bu Liao Kou.

Throughout, Jay's energy and unfaltering diction in the slower numbers was matched by the crowd's unfaltering enthusiasm. Pity though, about the interlude where Rui En took over for one song and the crowd took the chance for a toilet break.

Overall, everything made for a wonderful concert. Though, the guy can be a little prone to over-showmanship at times, like his not too convincing cantonese on Dick Lee's Zui but hey! No one is complaining and i sure had a brilliant time! =)

To Jay, let's hope he never stop walking in his musical journey!

Pictures taken for the Jay Chou "The One" concert are now available at http://faded-away.tripod.com!!

All pictures courtesy of Angel! =)

PS : Pictures may take some time to load so please be patient.

Sick of Macdonald's!

i got TWO of the same Mashimaro today..all because the guy at the counter told me he had the two different ones available for the week! so being the naive me, i ordered two extra value meals and two Mashimaros..but when the order came and i've paid, the guy told me that they only had one! meaning i had to take TWO Mashimaros with Tangerine!! gosh! and i had to eat TWO extra value meals by myself! sick..and when i think of it, there's still FIVE more extra value meals to swallow..makes me want to puke already..

With A Tear In My Eye

don't mind me if you see me with a tear in my eye these days..don't know what's wrong either =(
my right eye keeps leaking! i cannot understand it and cannot stand it! for the past two two days, i smile, a tear runs down my face, i laugh, a tear runs down my cheek..grrr...think i'll see a doctor later or tomorrow..hope it doesn't need an injection in the eye like my friend says -touchwood- else i'll probably just accept it, move on and live everyday with a tear in my eye..

Happy Birthday Boy!

someone's 20 today..to think when we first met he was only 15 (or was it 16?!) and i was only 19 (presumably!)..how times just pass us by..from that first (disastrous) trip to that (un-club-like) club..to organising all those channel outings together..to all those girls he had problems with before..to all those girls i had problems with before..to the times we first picked up pool and couldn't even hit the ball properly..to me tricking him about failing my driving test but actually getting my driving license..to him using the same trick back on me -curses and swears-..to last night's pizza hut treat..

and that is not even counting those nights at east coast park and those birthday gatherings, those movie outings, those chinese new year get together at my place and those whooping sessions we used to have on #tkgs..

in between..so many friends have come, some have gone, some we see less often..funny how we stick together..or maybe he just sticks to me! lol..

anyway, enough of that..just would like to dedicate this short message and all the times we ever had and all the times we may have in future to this BOY..here's to our friendship, CHEERS! may you have a lovely 20th birthday =)

music playing in my head now..98 degrees' Invisible Man..used to like this song but since i've seen it typed so many times before on my screen by SOMEONE..it's quite irritating..irritating but appropriate! =P

another half day in my life..

saw a primary school kid got hit by a taxi today..reminds me of that time when i was in primary school myself and my friends played a trick on me..

we crossed to the middle of the road and waited for the traffic on the other side to pass..but kids being kids, i wasn't paying much attention so when they suddenly stepped out i thought the traffic was clear and ran across..but suddenly something honked at me and stopped me dead in my tracks..as i turned to my left, i just managed to see a lorry halt to a stop right in front of me..

if that driver had been less attentive that day, i might not have lived to see today.. anyway, not sure if the kid hit by the taxi was alright or not..presumably so, as the taxi wasn't going very fast and there wasn't any trace of blood when i later went past the place again..

got my hair cut today..hope it doesn't grow back too quickly, else i'll have to waste money to get it cut during the chinese new year period! =(

went to city hall to pay my school fees..a whooping 2,400 aussie buckeroos for two subjects! gosh..but well, it's for a good cause i suppose..
in between reaching city hall and paying for my fees though, i went to macdonald's to get the mashimaro with the red packet..so now i got two little furry whites sitting side by side in my room! hehe..oh! and i started my new year shopping..bought a pair of nike shoes! =) first time in years i've bought any nike products..anyway it's nice and light, grey with a zip at the front, hope it is lasting..the converse one i got last chinese new year started opening at the edges after only a few months!..sickening! x_X

if you're wondering about the title, well, i took half day off work to settle the stuff mentioned above..the other half, needless to mention was spent idling at work..as usual! =P

playing rui en's ai qing fu zuo yong, nice husky voice but her pronounciation reminds me of myself! lol..anyway, it's a lovely song, have absolutely no idea what it's about though! =P
great to see alternative songs coming from chinese singers nowadays =)

2003

it's the new year!! funny how every year seems to pass quicker and quicker..

in 2002, i

1) won my first medal - since sec sch - (ableit a bronze one) with one of my soccer teams.
*good* <-- emotional level
2) went for a minor heart surgery to remove an extra nerve in my heart.
*terrible*
3) got rid of my long time crush (hopefully!). we are still VERY good friends =)
*good*
4) pissed off lots of people with my increasingly bad temper.
*very bad*
5) bought lots of things CDs i didn't need!
*very bad*
6) turned 23.
*duh!*

for the new year, i

1) have to do something with my temper before it goes out of control.
*hard* <-- level of difficulty
2) will stop being so drama-rama.
*hard*
3) buy fewer of things which i don't need! CDs.
*very hard*
4) will study hard and stop giving myself heart attacks very time grades are released!
*hard*
5) turn 24.
*piece of cake*
6) will have 2 more years to my ORD from the airforce!!
*cheers*

not very ambitious am i?
well..anyway, my short term goal is to collect all 8 MashiMaros for my darling girl..anyone interested to help me out?! =P

Happy New Year to all =)