J-Game, part 2

I am back with the 2nd part of a 2-part review (of sorts) of Jolin Tsai's latest offering. I watched Jolin's re-packaged CD last night, albeit over & over & over again.

Actually, it got me thinking of this: Why did Jolin release a bonus DVD of her live performances & MVs, packaged with her 2nd version of J-Game album? Compared with David Tao, who also released a compilation of MVs from his latest CD, The Great Leap 2005. The difference between these 2 stars are that for Jolin, her compilation MVs are bundled TOGETHER with her CD, whilst for David's case, it is sold seperately, in DVD & VCD formats.

As I waited anxiously to see if David Tao would re-release TGL with some extras, I wondered why the stars would do this. It is hurting the fans' pockets; i.e., less spending money. Fortunately for now, DT has not released it. Only for those who pre-ordered TGL have got a bonus AVCD extra. Further down the time path, Tao Zhe did release a MV compilation SEPERATELY. As far as I know, it is retailing for about S$30 (DVD) & S$22 (VCD) at HMV. There should be retailers selling it slightly cheaper.

A minus-point against JT is that for those who have bought her album when it was first released, only to "discover" that later only in a few months, she would re-package her current album with a bonus DVD compilation of live performances & MVs, they wouldn't know a little (at first) what to do with their copy of her album. Give it away? Sell it on Yahoo SG Auctions? Buy the re-packaged version? Worst come to worst, throw the 1st version of J-Game away??

As the story runs, I bought the re-packaged version of J-Game; the one with a very glossy shimmering CD cover. It opens up to the CD & DVD side by side, long-form. If one is not careful, the lyrics booklet & mini-foto booklet falls out. Yeah, the album does not have your conventional CD casing form.

To play the DVD on my PC as I do not have a DVD player for now, I slotted the DVD into the DVD-ROM. Waited a bit before trying to watch it on Windows Media Player but it failed to materialised. So, waited again & tried later. This time, I went to "My Computer". There was a J-Game icon, which I clicked on. This FINALLY brought me to the WMP & immediately started the DVD.

Alas, due to my impatience, I couldn't get pass the mandatory blah blah copyright warnings. I could not move forward the recording. Wait & wait like forever before it came to the main menu of "choose your song". THIS PART before I get to ACTUALLY watch the music video is dammed irritating. I wonder why it is so. Did the music company made the DVD in such a way that you gotta listen/read the warning BEFORE they would actually allow you to view.

Anyway, the MVs were nice to watch. A very slick production, indeed. Though I watched only 3 of them so far, I am very impressed. I spent the entire time trying to learn 2 or 3 moves from Jolin. I cannot make it, cannot dance even 1% like JT. She must have spent a lot of time rehearsing for the making of MVs. There is a theme for each song, like "Open One Eye, Close One Eye" & "J-Game".

Well done, Jolin Tsai. I just hope that you can win at Taiwan's equivilent of the Grammy Awards.

A really J-Game one

Today, being weary after work, I wandered around the MRT open space near my working place (ain't telling ya where!)

It is the end of the month, July 2005. My friends, who know me, won't exactly raise their eyebrows when they learnt that I, have yet again, failed to rise above the temptations of passing by a CD shop WITHOUT buying one. HA!! They probably will say,"Har?? Buy again har?" ... before jokingly SMS me "you crazy gal".

This time, my latest acquisition is Jolin Tsai's J-Game, 2nd edition. Now what do I mean by that?

When Jolin Tsai (or Cai Yi Ling, as she is known in Mandarin) first released her J-Game music album earlier in 2005, it was the "ordinary version"; no MV & no remixes. Around early-July 2005 or so, a 2nd version of her hit album was released, this time with some MVs & live performances. The live performances, unless I'm mistaken, were taken from her concert held in mid-June 2005, when Wilbur Pan was her guest performer.

I bought this album because of 3 songs, 2 up-tempo quick songs & 1 slower-paced but still danceable song. J-fans will know what I'm talking about.

The 3 songs (in random order) are:

1. Ye Man You Xi
2. Xi La Shao Nu
3. Zhen Yi Zhi Yan Bi Yi Zhi Yan (Open One Eye Close One Eye)

My personal fav? No. 3, of course; the Open One Eye Close One Eye. Both song & MV nicely done. Makes you wanna learn dancing, the sort that you can shoot MV to.

That is all I want to say for now. What were YOU expecting? 60,000 words? Hey, it is a FRIDAY & I wanna relax!! Next time, friend.

Will you MOVE IT??!!!

It doesn't seem to be much of an issue in Perth but it sure is here in Singapore; a BIG-ass problem too. What am I talking about this time?

Answer: a tendency to NOT move in when you board the MRT. You see, dear old me nearly got KAPUT by the doors recently SIMPLY because the people in there were crowding around the entrance/exit (& the carriage in question wasn't even half full) & didn't want to spread out by moving further into the carriage, into the middle for instance. Will you die if you fail to move in???!!!!!

Shoot!! Why are people so self-centred to the point that they can't have the brains to think a wee bit about their fellow passengers. Have they got brains the size of a pea? If so, next time this happens, I feel very much like saying to them,"HEY PEA-BRAIN, move in, will ya?!!!"

Only when these selfish idiots heard the pitter-patter of people rushing in & not missing this train journey, do they move an inch further in. Excuse me but I do not think that moving in further is a loss of face, if that is what they are concerned about. Further more, THERE ARE NO GHOSTS/HANTUs in them. What is with these people? 100% pure idiots, I say.

As for me, I always move in & not block the doors.Eh, I'm not going to die nor injured by doing so. No prizes for moving in either but it's OK with me.

In Perth, as far as I can remember, people do crowd around the doors BUT the difference is that they do not wait until their brains are the size of a pea to see that people who want to come into the carriage will be crushed if they do not move in. Is this manners or what? I'm mighty impressed by their behaviour. Perthians, you should be proud of yourselves about this.

Monday Blues ... bleh

Come every single MONDAY, I am oh-so-moody!! I've to drag myself out of bed, wash my face, eat brekkie, brush my teeth & get ready to go to work. It is dammed monotonous/boring.

Apparently, I am not the only one. When I SMS my good friend, she replied "ya, i m also moody & not feeling good. I feel your weariness, friend." We all got to tahan it, it is life she tells me. Yeah yeah.

This got me thinking, whilst I'm on the MRT going to work. If Mondays is traditionally blessed with the name of "Monday Blues", then what about the rest of the other six days of the week? Here is my take on it.

1. monkey Monday Blues
2. must Tahan Tuesday
3. Wednesday Whinner
4. Thursday Thorpedo
5. Freak Friday
6. Saturday Jam
7. Sunday Bliss

Friday, Saturday & Sunday are the days when I don't have to be OSCAR, you know that little furry grouchy thing from Sesame Street. I can be like my moniker, COOKIE MONSTER. Except that I heard that in today's health-conscious 21st-century world, CM has turned healthy. No more "C is for COOKIE, good enough for me!"

As the MRT arrives at my destination of work, I stare into the listless crowd, who are like me, moody & listless, dragging our feet to work. Not that I am complaining about having a job; it is just your normal MONDAY BLUES. Can't medicate for blues, can't don't go to work (it is not my own company) ...

Korean movie: My Tutor Friend

When Channel U broadcast this movie 1 week ago, I didn't watch the first half of it. Boy, did I miss out a lot!! Thank God that the people at the TV station dubbed it in Mandarin, so I could follow every line that the actors in "My Tutor Friend" said.

SUMMARY: It's about this girl who is studying in university in Korea. To help lessen the burden on her family who is paying for her uni fees, she takes up tutoring. Her latest assignment is to tutor this guy who has been dragged back to Korea by his father.

The odd thing about this guy is that he is repeating senior high school (not sure which year) again but he is not interested but has to go along with his father's wishes, else he gets his credit cards cancelled. To make things even worse, he is of the same age as his female tutor; all the more he goes against her attempts to quell his supposed lack of interest. The reason for his lacklustre study attempts are revealed in one scene. She however, does not give up on him, her pupil but persists in her efforts to teach him.

As the movie progresses, we are shown that the tutor is in love with a guy (not her student), who later breaks her heart (though the reason for breaking her heart is not another woman/man). The tutor & her pupil are shown from here to get closer (to the point that he begins to develop feelings for her). Eventually, they do get together in the final scenes. Of course, along the course of love, it is never easy.

The way I am writting this review is slightly different. This is after I googled "My Tutor Friend" & found out how others write their review. Which, in my opinion, should be good. As then, one can read about various viewpoints. For one who just saw the movie, it is even better to see how others "see" the movie.

My favourite scenes in the movie include:

1. She tendered to him after he got injured from yet another fight. Me thinks that this is the start of the part where he changes his mind about her slowly.
2. KSW sure has a 6-pack body. Man, I feel embaressed talking about it; ladies, ya know what I am talking about. There are 2 scenes where one gets to stare with big goldfish eyes at THE BODY.
3. When he tries to hold her hand in church, she slaps them away, he makes the sign of the cross, prays & then smile at her, oh my god (pun NOT intended) ... makes me wish I was her. I wouldn't slap his hands away from my hands, for sure.
4. When they are up there in the sky, KSW tells her that he has feelings for her, she is speechless. Then, when she gets into an accident, he is so anxious for her safety.
5. When he TRIES again to hold her hands at the amusement park but FAILS, he looked so forlorn & sad.
6. When he notices her wearing the necklace that he bought for her, he smiles (oh sooooo cute!!) & mumbles something.
7. Our hunk in question got jealous when she started getting rave reviews whilst dancing at her school festival, to the point of punching some poor guy who knocked into him. Oh YES!! I like the song; it is catchy & better still, I CAN'T UNDERSTAND A SINGLE WORD OF IT.

The last bit of my review is no spoiler, I think. The more important thing is to watch the movie in its entirety & then, formulate your own views. That should be the way with watching shows, be they on the telly or in the cinema. If I wanted "spoilers", I would write a longer review but hehee, I can't write that much & I don't wish to. For those who have not watched it, watch it.

The lead actor in this movie is HOT!! His name is KWON SANG WOO, born on 5 August 1976, in South Korea. Sorry but I do not know the name of the lead actress BUT she is good; she is Kim H. N. I will try to get my own copy of this movie & other movies that KSW starred in. Of course, I will make sure that the copies I shall own are ORIGINAL, with that censorship sticker on it.

By the way, I have managed to buy a VCD copy of My Tutor Friend. Am looking forward to future ownership of more Kwon Sang Woo movies, hopefully in DVD format as these have movie extras, such as deleted scenes & MVs. They (the DVDs) are awfully expensive to own, however.

Kam sa ha mi da.

Which Direction?

Dear Blog,

This is my 5th blog entry. I'm very happy to have started this blog because you see, since then, I've managed to meet up with 2 old schoolmates online, though not through blogging. One of them is located in the same country (SINGAPORE!) with me, the other is overseas.

Very very happy. That is how I would describe my own feelings upon chatting with them online. They are two people who have been with me through thick & thin during those schooldays. Yeah, I miss those crazy days & I miss all those friends I made, when I didn't have to work, didn't have to dress in officewear (not that I hate it but ...). All I did was to study & try to get good grades.

When I chatted with one of them, I told him about my blog. Blah this, blah that ... blah blah blah ... I then asked him "what do you think of me blogging?" He then told me to do what I want to do, give it my best shot & not to worry about what others think, which would be too much trouble. Besides, he said that we can't always please everyone. Yup, I totally agree.

He then asked me, along this line: so, where is your blog going to head to? Is there some sense of direction for your blog? What was I trying to achieve? I told him "Honestly? I don't know. I just started this blog after getting inspired through reading another schoolmate's blog." What I do know is that I value this schoolmate's opinions. Even during our schooldays, he was spouting lines along the likes of Shakespeare & other great thinkers. Here's to you, friend!

Seriously, that is my true answer. After logging off, I thought about it for a very long time & I still have no answer. I must admit though, I find other bloggers far better than me, in terms of content & layout. When I mentioned this to the other schoolmate based overseas (the 2 guys do not know each other & both guys are from different schools), he said "Take your time, you are still new. Things like good blogs take time." Another thing this overseas mate said that cheered me up "Actually, your blog ain't too bad, you know" ... Whaddaya know, man, IT actually CHEERED me UP!!

It is like being at a buffet, with many good things to eat but you don't know which to start first. You nibble this, you nibble that ... still undecided. Do I want the decision on what to blog & how to blog to be made by other bloggers' entries? Nope. Influenced by them? Yes, of course. Ultimately, the final decision lies with me.

I do know that I have to let nature take its course. It is no use planning too far ahead for certain things, like blogging. It takes time to develop your own individual style, unique to oneself. Thus, for the short-term future at least, this blog site won't be as stylish as others nor exciting but most important thing is: I like it. I'll keep working at my blog, hoping that it will evolve through the passage of time into something truly impressive. In a nutshell, when I come to the river that I have to cross, I'll think about how to get across.

I'm still a baby blogger, don't know what to do next, when to blog & how to blog "right". Guess, Father Time will have one more charge to take care of from now.

Flashing Friday

Ahh Fridays. It is ONE of my favourite days & letter-of-the-alphabet (not that F). Haven't really noticed it until today in the office that come end of "official working hours" EVERY FRIDAY, the mood gets better & even when it comes to OT (aka overtime), it is very welcomed.
I pity those that have to work 5.5 days, or worse still, EVERYDAY. How you guys can tahan is beyond me ATM.

In most of my working life, there has only been ONE JOB that required me to work 5.5. Man, I tell you, it was a little tough in the beginning but life goes on; however, if you are money-faced, the thought of dough in the cookie jar can do wonders when your days are 5.5, doesn't it?

Recently, a senior ex-colleague whom I met by chance on the streets, said to me one phrase that I remembered until now. She said "THE important thing is MONEY goes inside your pocket, don't care what work". Yup, I agree with her 100%. Money indeed makes the day; you slog like mad all for the pleasure of seeing your bank account fattened, only to be decimated again ... with great relish.

I think that there is a psychological effect of FRIDAYS, that is why I named this blog the double Fs. During lunch hour today, I noticed that expressions on most people's faces were magically lighter, accompanied by the sounds of Class 95 deejays, Vern & Glenn, yakking away at Caltex House; didn't go over to see them.

Also, people were SPENDING MORE. Serious. I was in video rental shop (OK, so no videotapes but VCD & DVD) & I just rented one solo movie, I saw my fellow renters excitedly PAYING for their rentals. Man, is this the stuff that conjures up images of a boring Singapore? I don't think so. One man's meat is another man's poison.

Flash, goes the credit card. Flash goes the ATM card. Flash goes the membership card. I think that The Incredibles just got a new member in the family. Welcome please, the Singaporean Flash ... of the card.

In Singapore, there is always someone flashing a card somewhere, sometime.

Obession With BEHINDS

Is it just me or does anyone notice the fact that in Singapore (at the very least), there is this curious phenomenon called "move-in-futher-the-bus-will-make-me-malu".

This morning, whilst going to work (as usual), I observed that many Singaporeans upon boarding the bus, like to crowd around the front of the bus (where the bus captain is) and/or around entrances/exits. There is a refusal to move to the BEHIND of the bus, as if doing so will make the person miss his/her stop. Weird behaviour, ain't it so?

My reasons for why many (not all) Singaporeans have this irritating habit:

1. BEHIND will make one malu (local Malay word for embaressed)
2. BEHIND will make one miss their stop
3. BEHIND got ghost
4. BEHIND got bad smells
5. BEHIND is no good, means that one is last

I've not ranked them, just listing them randomly. I guess that this is just my 2 cents' worth of grumbling on this evergreen issue.

Keep asking myself,"Why can't those people MOVE a bit in the bus, so that others may board?" In the morning rush hour, when you see these kinds of people, you really feel like screaming your b***** head off (yes, self-censoring here).

5 minutes might not make one rich but can make a whole lot of difference between "ON TIME" & "LATE" for work ... or your superior might remember & then, at the end of the year, when it's due time for bonus appraisal ...

I think from a psychological point of view, there is a somewhat "Tall Poppy" syndrome. However, I'm too lazy to explain further. Yeah, yeah ...

Having ranted my 2cents' worth, I shall stop now. My readers, what do you think?

All about David Tao from a recent convert to DT music

I took the Ultrasound album one day to have a listen to it & the rest, they say, is history, or like a fish takes to water. I got hooked (very bad withdrawal symptoms, one. hahahaa) & almost immediately, went out to buy EVERY SINGLE ONE of David Tao's albums. Not in one day, of course.

Now, depending on how one looks at it, for a guy in the Mandarin/Chinese music industry since 1997 (excluding his behind-the-scene workings), to release only FIVE albums ... is a great stroke of luck for me, as I am still able to get the DT albums. Moreover, the ones I managed to get are all "Limited Edition" albums, meaning there are 2 types of DT albums in the market; the ordinary version vs. the limited edition CD-with-AVCD versions. For those wishing to buy 2nd-hand DT albums, hear me out: VERY DIFFICULT, as it rarely is on the market, whatever DT album you wish to get. That is in my view, a good sign, as DT does a good job for each & every album. It means that there are more people out there who genuinely appreciate Tao Zhe's music genre.

David Tao probably hears this all the time but I will blog it, anyway. One fine nite, whilst on MSN talking to an overseas friend, who btw is "ang moh", I casually mentioned Tao Zhe. Immediately, he msg me back that he has heard of Tao Zhe/David Tao too. Moreover, he was about to get a DT album. I shut him up by saying,"I'll take care of that" & I'll buy on his behalf David Tao albums (he can probably pay me later), "limited edition" CD-cum-AVCD versions guaranteed. He (meaning my friend, not DT) said that I'm the 2nd person to praise David Tao & I said that it is no surprise, considering that DT music is good; he would soon get via the post from me (well ... a bit stretching of the truth ...) Both my friend & I are music lovers, sharing some common interests in music artistes, like DT for example.

The only problem I forsee (so far, that is) is that coming from the shape of the Black Tangerine album; DT fans, you know, the long long one with a picture of David in a green T. Now, how am I supposed to wrap that in brown paper so as to post it overseas to my friend? I know for sure, it wouldn't fit into into most parcel boxes. Haiz, my "ang moh" fren, u must wait a while longer B4 I can figure out how best to send those DT albums to you.

I've listened to all 5 albums & like most people, have favourites for each album. Here goes:

1st album - Blue Moon
2nd album - Small Town Girl/ Regular Friends
3rd album - The Moon Represents Whose Heart/Black Tangerine
4th album - Shanghaied
5th album - Ghost/Susan Says

What says you about my choices? Actually, my all-time favourite is Yue Liang Dai Biao Shui De Xin (The Moon Represents Whose Heart). I had thought all along that Teresa Teng did the best interpretation & no one else could compete. All that changed until DT version came along. The one thing I can't get used to is the MV for this song. Serious, I can't get used to it.

My 2nd favourite that ties with the above is "Blue Moon". Very soothing & bringing back very stirring memories for me. MV is also nicely done for this song.

As said earlier, I am just a recent convert to the wonderful music by David Tao. Regards to collecting news about him, like magazine articles .... I'm so far behind other DT fans. I don't go to any of his events yet (being new to his music), don't have his posters in my room & not wait for him at the airport ... SHESSSH ... I feel sheepish talking about this, especially at my age!!

One thing however, I got the ULTRA-LIMITED & OUT-OF-PRINT David Tao documentary "Ultrasound-11 Labour Room", VCD edition. It was released in 2003 & I got 2 copies of it, both within weeks of each other, in 2005. How lucky I am! Not a bad effort at all, David! Unfortunately, I wonder how is my ang moh friend going to watch the documentary, with it being all in Mandarin. I can't translate everything in "11 Labour Room". I feel that this is the rarest of all Tao Zhe things to own. Ga ga!!

Ok, ok ... I will stop now. Might write again about Tao Zhe as time permits. Except one thing: How will I react if I see/talk to David Tao one fine day? If I see DT, I probably will gasp, point at him & go speechless, then say "take picture take picture". If DT were to call me (as if Mr Big Shot David Tao will do that), I probably will go "crazy guy" & then HANG UP on him, then think & think & say "Oh s***, it is really HIM" & try to call him back ...

Tao Zhe, are you reading this by any chance? What do you think? Will I get to see you? Will I get to talk to you?

My First Blog

Today is such a historic occasion. It is the first time that I'm blogging & I've no idea what to write. So, I think I shall start off simple, to the point of being boring.

I created this blog AFTER getting inspiration from a friend, Kenny, whom I met earlier today. When I told him of my wish to blog after reading his blogs but didn't know how, he encouraged me to push on & told me of this site, which would be easy to register.

I've not met Kenny since I graduated & my impression is that he is still the same old Kenny that I left back in Perth. Meaning, he (Kenny) is still NICE, polite & articulate.

At one time, he was my "sparring partner", in the sense that we clashed over some social issues. For someone so young, to be able to stand his ground is admirable. Serious. On & on the 2 of us (me & Kenny) went raving about the pro's & con's till we were blue in the face. Wonder if he can remember the debating that raged through? The topic shall REMAIN SECRET, locked in life's memory.

There I was, waiting for Kenny to appear at HMV Orchard, when lo & behold, he did appear. Went makan with him at Marche, before leaving him to do his own stuff. What did we chat about AFTER not meeting for over 2 years?

Beside the usual "what u been up to", I told him about my life "up & down", how I met him again through his blogging AND I passed to him some very overdue photos, which are about ... let me see ... 4 or 5 years old ... yea yeah, I'm lazy to that effect ... but those fotos were no big hurry to be seen, the fond memories of it are within us people concerned.

However, I didn't know that Kenny blogged until very recently, when I was searching for something else when I came across his blogs. That will be another issue to write about.

HINT? 2 words: David Tao. Now, that I heard is a whole big issue, with so many camps about Tao Zhe. For now, I gotta go off awhile before I blog again later 2nite.

David Tao (or Tao Zhe), are you listening? It's about you (again! how monotonous, DT must be rolling his eyes & saying!!)