12 to 12

I watched "12 to 12" this weekend with Fanni, Kristy, Vincent J, Wee Siong, and Vincent at the Esplanade.


From the PA website + official programme:

Soundwaves 2008 (12 to 12) is an evocative blend of dance, drama, music and songs and is jointly created by Cultural Medallion recipient Dick Lee and PA's resident artistic producer Fan Dong Kai.

It tells an intriguing tale of a lone traveller named Bryan, who returns to Singapore after a long time. Bryan encounters a beautiful muse named Bella who is trapped by a powerful spell. She can be freed if she regains three songs stolen from her, but only if she does it within 24 hours! Bella enlists Bryan's help for this quest. Mystery, adventure and romance unfold as they go through the streets of Singapore, chasing time in search of the songs of Singapore.

The concert features the PA Talents Dance Ensemble, Singapore Pop Orchestra and the best of professional and community artistes in Singapore.

Cast :

Bryan (George Chan)
Bella (Elena Wang)
Suri (Cara Whitehouse)
Ghost 1 (Chai Yao)
Ghost 2 (Lan Yu)

Jay Chou World Tour 2008 (Singapore)

Jay Chou World Tour 2008
18-19 January
Singapore Indoor Stadium

Before moving to Singapore, chinese music equated only to both Aaron Kwok and Jacky Cheung who were the only chinese singers I knew in the early 90's.

I knew nothing about Jay Chou until around May 2007 when I heard one of his songs in a bar with a live band. I tried to learn the melody of "An Jing" until I reached a point that I can sing it with 80% confidence at KTV.

Since then, I have developed a higher interest and enthusiasm over chinese music. I would look around shops which sell chinese pop CDs. I would prefer Chinese (and Jap) albums while in the plane on overseas trips. And I guess the ultimate sign of my affinity to it -- purchasing a ticket to a concert which is 100% Mandarin. As a consolation, I was able to recognise "xìe xìe" / "thanks" which Jay Chou said after each song rendition.



As I've shared with a few friends, the concert was spectacular. It really felt like a concert, not just someone singing onstage. I caught Black Eyed Peas in October 2007 and though the audience were very receptive, I had never seen an audience so electrified while swaying a gadget with rapidly blinking lights that dotted the sold-out venue that night.

Jay Chou is a crowd pleaser, occasionally giving the impression that his fans are truly special (well, particularly the ones who paid around $178+ for seats close to the stage whom he waved to).

He sang a few tracks from his latest album, "On the Run", which after several rounds of playing on my MP3 player on long bus trips and idle time outdoors had already registered well in my mind.

Here are a few photos before my digicam died a natural death (my fault for assuming that the battery was fully charged).

For those who managed to catch the concert, I hope you agree with me that it was money well spent or worth more than what you had paid for.

On my way out, I noticed a long queue for some of his merchandise which included a Jay Chou doll (?!?).

Why do I bother listening to Mando/Canto-pop even if I only know English and Tagalog? Ask those who love Latin music even if they have no clue what the lyrics mean. :p

ASEAN Football Final 2007

Photos from the 1st leg of the ASEAN Football Championship final 2007 between Singapore and Thailand held at the National Stadium (Kallang, Singapore).

Holiday Destination Up in the Air

For the first time, I am spending Christmas away from home. The only problem is that I haven't decided where in Asia I'd like to go.

A few friends from Finland and South Africa are heading to Thailand to spend the holidays and I'm thinking of meeting up with them.

I may likely spend the New Year in Singapore as I havent done so before. Let's see where my travels will take me.