Gong Xi Fa Cai!

If i didn't know any better, today might have been Christmas or Hari Raya for all it matters. Why? Just like Christmas, the spirit of Chinese New Year seems to be evading me. Only thing that differenciates this holiday from the others is the fact that most shops are closed except for Golden Villages and 7-Elevens! Even the angbao receiving seem such a formality rather than customary. One instant today however, reminded me just what it's all about. We were going into the lift and there was this family whom we have never seen before. Then my mum suddenly turns around and started wishing everyone Happy New Year! Now that is what i call the spirit of Chinese New Year! Not the somewhat "forced" visiting these days or the angbaos or the closed shops. But these instances are getting fewer by the year. It's sad that even though we live in a culture which teaches us to embrace "the important things" in life and most of us choose our career and money over our relationships and traditions. Idealist? Maybe, but i've always been a staunch believer in the "less important things" so.. Happy New Year to all, Gong Xi Fa Cai and may everyone be well throughout this coming year! CHEERS!

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.