青春年华

This song popped into my head today. Thought all along it was a 刘文正 song. But it could have been a 高凌风 song.



Brings back many happy childhood memories.



Post Date: 23 Aug 09

Wonder Girls - Nobody

Very catchy ...





Post Date: 30 Jul 09

Michael Jackson dies at 50

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/25/jackson/index.html

(CNN) -- Michael Jackson, the show-stopping singer whose best-selling albums -- including "Off the Wall," "Thriller" and "Bad" -- and electrifying stage presence made him one of the most popular artists of all time, died Thursday, CNN has confirmed.

He was 50.

He collapsed at his residence in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles, California, about noon Pacific time, suffering cardiac arrest, according to brother Randy Jackson. He died at UCLA Medical Center.

Lt. Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office said an autopsy would probably be done on the singer Friday, with results expected that afternoon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wow. Was driving along the KPE when I heard the news. I remember back in 1982, Sis and I pestered Dad to buy what was our first ever album - Thriller. We played the cassette on the player and had much fun memorising the lyrics.





Thanks, MJ, for the memories. May you rest in peace.



In related news, ex-Angel Farrah Fawcett died today also, aged 62. Fawcett, who checked into a hospital in early April, had been battling anal cancer on and off for three years.



Photo credits here and here.

Post Date: 29 Jun 09

Pop singer England Dan dies of cancer at 61

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29895228/

Seals, John Ford Coley topped charts with hits such as ‘Nights Are Forever’

updated 11:36 a.m. ET March 26, 2009

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Dan Seals, who was England Dan in the pop duo England Dan and John Ford Coley and later had a successful country career, has died of complications from cancer. He was 61.

Longtime manager Tony Gottlieb said Seals, diagnosed with lymphoma two years ago, died Wednesday night at his daughter’s home in Nashville.

With England Dan and John Ford Coley, Seals had hits including “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight” and “Nights Are Forever,” both in 1976. His country hits in the ’80s and ’90s included “Bop,” “You Still Move Me,” “Love on Arrival,” and a duet with Marie Osmond, “Meet Me in Montana.”



“I’ve loved to play and sing from the moment I knew what it was,” he told The Associated Press in 1992.

Seals, who is survived by his wife and four children, was in hospice care when he died.

“He was very positive,” said Gottlieb, Seals’ manager for about 30 years. “He participated in several clinical trials to assist with research on this type of lymphoma.”

Gottlieb said a major misconception about Seals is that he was a pop singer who came to country music. In reality, he said, Seals grew up singing country music and crossed into pop.

“He was raised in a very rural part of West Texas. His father was an amateur country singer, and he used to play with his dad. They were Hank Williams, Grand Ole Opry people. He was much more of a country singer than a pop singer.”

Seals’ older brother, Jimmy, was the Seals in Seals & Crofts, who recorded the hits “Summer Breeze” and “Diamond Girl” in the 1970s.

Until Dan Seals got sick, the brothers were working as a duo, Seals & Seals. They performed some shows and were recording an album but never finished it. The songs they did complete, about eight in all, will be released.

“In the last two years he only did like three shows,” Gottlieb said. “He just didn’t have the energy.”

Seals, whose father was a pipefitter, was born in McCamey, Texas, and grew up in Iraan, Texas, and Dallas.

His well-crafted songs tended to be insightful and graphic with lofty themes. In 1989, his music video for the song “Rage On” addressed a topic rare in country music: an interracial relationship. It showed angry youths smashing the windows of the car of a young man dating a girl of a different race. One boy hurled a beer bottle at the girl’s father. The song itself was about small town values.

“When we record songs, we take chances,” Seals said at the time. “We feel we are on the cutting edge of what we can do.”

I loved the song “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight” and had blogged about it. Thanks for the music, Dan, and may you rest in peace.



Photo credit: here and here.

Post Date: 30 Mar 09

Little Nyonya theme song - 如燕

《如燕》
词曲：陈佳明
编曲：Terence Teo
制作人：陈佳明
演唱：Olivia Ong



愿意合上眼才能美梦无边
别让悔熏乌了从前

也许碎片才能让回忆展颜
何妨瓷花拼凑明天

谁带我寻获幸福的模
却自己谜中困锁

谁为我留下缱绻的天涯
信物是抹晚霞

Chorus:
思念如燕它飞舞舌尖
若是真爱配尝几分苦甜

意念婆娑时间里推磨
追随到何处才结果

燕如针线在青空缝编
几幅女红将以泪缀点

誓言斑驳情雾只是经过
风雨中且让我盈步婀娜




Post Date: 10 Dec 08

881

Caught 881 with the folks yesterday.

I've always had my reservations about local productions, but this one turned out alright. A good break from the J-Team overdose.

The show did not invoke as much nostalgia as I thought it would. This may be because during the 7th month celebration of yore, we always had Chinese opera instead of 歌台. Mum said having Chinese opera was more seh been, because they were more expensive. I also didn't like 歌台 much - they were too gaudy and (audibly) loud!

The story was heart-warming enough, with forbidden love, kinship, success, and eventually death. And the leads acted really well. But what, to me, is the real icing on the cake is the "mainstreamisation" of Hokkien. It's about time people openly accept that as part of our culture!

I was also very mesmerised by the haunting song.




Image from http://www.cathay.com.sg/cp_nowshowing.html

Post Date: 3 Sep 2007

War and Beauty (金枝慾孽)

Started watching from the middle of this show when it was on TV, and am watching the complete series on VCD now with Wifey.

This show really got under my skin. The storyline is captivating, and the characters believable, beautiful on-location filming and an impressive cast. 2 Saturdays (and a few hours last night) later, it got me interested in almost all aspects of the show, that I:

- read the 1st resource available, Wikipedia
- have been visiting forums that discuss this show
- read a number of Qing related articles
- bookmarked 2 unofficial blogs of Charmaine - in English and Chinese
- went on Youtube to view interviews, reviews and bloopers

It's not often that I get so drawn in, so I was thinking through the reasons, and I think they are:

- I've always preferred period dramas (神雕侠侣, anyone?)
- 人心险恶 shows make for a more interesting story (大长今, anyone?)
- it is based on history (although most of the characters are fictitious)
- it is backdropped against the place that we will be visiting soon (Yippee!)
- and finally, well ... it helps that *ahem*charmaine*koffkoff*isinit*koff*ahem*





Post Date: 20 Mar 2007

Wham - Last Christmas

I like this song enough to listen to it 50 million times, and not get bored. It epitomises the spirit of Christmas, and the feel-goodness that comes with it ...





Post Date: 21 December 2006

Nice Song - I'd Really Love To See You Tonight

Have been playing this song at least 8000 times in the car. It's a very sweet song.

I'd Really Love To See You Tonight

(England Dan & John Ford Coley)

Hello, yeah, it's been a while.
Not much, how 'bout you?
I'm not sure why I called,
I guess I really just wanted to talk to you.

And I was thinking maybe later on,
We could get together for a while.
It's been such a long time,
And I really do miss your smile.

I'm not talking 'bout moving in,
And I don't want to change your life.
But there's a warm wind blowing,
The stars are out, and I'd really love to see you tonight.

We could go walking through a windy park,
Or take a drive along the beach.
Or stay at home and watch t.v.
You see, it really doesn't matter much to me.

I'm not talking 'bout moving in,
And I don't want to change your life.
But there's a warm wind blowing,
The stars are out, and I'd really love to see you tonight.

I won't ask for promises,
So you won't have to lie.
We've both played that game before,
Say I love you, then say goodbye.

I'm not talking 'bout moving in,
And I don't want to change your life.
But there's a warm wind blowing,
The stars are out, and I'd really love to see you tonight.

Can also listen to it here:

http://219.129.216.32:8080/wmassss只支持6人在线tts/r/0520/7.wma


*UPDATE*
Just found out this song first appeared in 1976!! FWAH! Why don't they write songs like they used to??!!
: )