Unimportant Ramblings

Its 3am now. Feeling very awake though. Just drank nescafe with the intention of going through the notes for the following day's meeting. But somehow, my mind just keeps wandering and I cant stay focused. So here I am, blogging some unimportant ramblings on my daily life. :D

Anyway, after having a haircut yesterday, my family members commented that I look much better and refreshed now. Previously, they said I looked like a 'xiao zha bor'(mad woman) with the dishevelled hair. And I totally agree. I couldnt stand how I looked with the stupid messy hairstyle but then I was too lazy n busy to care about it until yesterday. And that's cuz got important events coming up soon, so I have to look more presentable. I can't possibly appear in such a shoddy manner mah rite..will be very inappropriate and reflect badly. :)

I screwed up my own roster. I thought it was my off day so I happily booked the concert tickets..then when I got back to work and checked my schedule, I realized that I am supposed to be on night shift that day. Oops. Bo Bian..i have to request for time off hurridly manz. Hopefully, it will be approved else my ticket wasted and moreoever, I really wanna watch the concert. A chance not to be missed. Talking about concerts, I am still pining for Andy Lau to hold a concert here. It has been 5 years since he last held one in Singapore! :( However, he will be coming to Singapore to attend the awards ceremony on 28th Oct. :)

Just wanna share a review which I penned (and took pride in) 5 years ago. :D.

This was posted on my HOTY site, under 'Webmistress Section' http://www.geocities.com/reviewinnhoty/

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CONCERT IN SINGAPORE: Andy Lau Summer Fiesta'01

An Experience to share,A Pleasure to pen...

After 21 years in showbiz, he still oozes charm and his popularity transcends different walks of life...

HONGKONG Heavenly King Andy Lau Tak Wah held a successful concert here on 17 November 2001 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. This is the fourth time he has held a concert here since 1994, 1996 and 1999. Each time round, there were great surprises awaiting his legions of die-hard fans and never once, any of us will go away disappointed. This time round, it is no exception either. In fact, this year marks an important moment in his life for he has just turned 40 in September. After 21 years in showbiz, he still oozes charm and his popularity transcends different walks of life. Despite the emergence of a potential new generation of singers, it is definitely an indubitable fact that Andy still remains one of the reigning artistes in the Chinese entertainment world.

The Concert. The concert started at around 8.20 p.m. and ended at 11 p.m. Throughout this 165 minutes duration, Andy has delivered a remarkable performance, coupled with his winsome humour. Just like in the HK concert, the opening was a Cantonese song Blue Heart (there is a Mandarin version known as Tian Ma Xin Kong) and subsequent fast paced ones to build up the appropriate atmosphere first. Perhaps understanding that local fans are more of the passive type who prefer to listen quietly to him, he started interaction with the audience early and did his best to rouse the audience. I would say his attempts were extremely successful! One can surely feel the high mood during the whole concert and not forgetting the members of his fan club, who have been waving the light sticks continuously without any rest, to show their unwavering support for their idol.

The Stage Layout And Design.The stage is a three sided one. Although I was sitting more towards the right of the stage the view was pretty good. I can see him quite clearly. (Phew!) I quite like the design of the stage where on the 2 sides, there are ladders and in the middle, a hanging bridge. At times, in order to get closer to the fans on the both sides, he would cross the bridge or climb the ladders and yet remain singing at the same time. An amazing feat! (I was a bit worried for him!) Also, one unique aspect of the concert was his Latin dance with the professional graceful lady dancer from China. This segment lasted for around 10 minutes or so (can't really remember). Normally, I am not that interested in dances but this one did impress me. Great coordination. Every move was a treat.

The Costumes And Stage Gimmicks. The costumes were eye catchy too, though not as elaborate as the ones in 1999. I think the most grand costume was where he wore a feather hat and fluffy white costume, singing Chinese (zhong guo ren), Unforgettable Water Potion (wang qing shui), Heaven's Will (tian yi) etc. My opinion - he looks not bad in this attire but I still prefer him in suits, T-shirts and vests. More dashing and hot!! Other gimmicks include the posh grey car (really beautiful! I hope one day, I can own a car like this too) , jungle style set up and 'bathing in the rain.' The rain segment is quite an innovative idea and he looks especially endearing. Clothes soaked (actually merely wearing a vest!), constant brushing of hair and his expressions. (Screams!) Can really melt people's hearts!

The Music Well, of course to me, the best moments are always listening to his songs. It is a delight that he crooned many of his past hits like If You Are My Legend (ru guo ni shi wo de chuan shuo), Thank You For Your Love (xie xie ni de ai), Afterlife Affinity (lai shen yuan), Everytime I Wake Up (mei ci xing lai), Heaven's Will (tian yi), Unforgettable Love Potion (wang qing shui) etc. Its not that I do not like his present songs but somehow his earlier hits are more memorable and special. His present songs are good too but simply lack the appeal of his songs in the early and mid 90s. Another surprise is that around 80% of the songs were in Chinese (In 1999, more like 60% only). I guess its because the people here are generally Chinese speaking and are more familiar with his Chinese songs. Quite a good thing to me, because I absolutely love his Mandarin songs! But then I wish I have known some Cantonese too for in this case, I can also get to know more of his great Cantonese songs, which sadly, I only have knowledge of a few.

Other more recents Mandarin hits that he sang included Its Not A Sin For A Man To Cry (nan ren ku ba bu shi zhui), Icy Rain (bing yu), Tears Of A Lonely Star (gu xing lei), Silly Child (ben xiao hai), I Do Not Love You Enough (wo bu gou ai ni), There Can Only Be You In My Heart (wo de xin zhi ke rong na yi ge ni), Kick a Future (ti chu ge wei lai) etc. This is the themesong of Stephen Chow's recent box-office movie, Shaolin Soccer. In addition, Andy also crooned his hit Cantonese songs like Thoses Days We Have Gone Through Together, You Are My Woman, I Hate Myself For Being Devoted, When I Meet You etc

As usual, Andy not only entertained the audience with his masterpieces but he also brought to us popular songs by other renowned singers. Even though his voice lacked the gentleness required in the forever love ballad The Moon Represents My Heart by Teresa Teng, Andy did managed to bring out a different appeal. He even said that this song was specially dedicated to his Auntie fans, which received thunderous applause. The crowd even sang along with him. I feel that Andy seems to like the melancholic How Can You Bear To See Me Sad by Huang Pinyuan very much, I remembered he sang this too in his previous concert. Anyway, this is indeed a great song and where the audience joined in too.

Everyone was in high spirts! Just to quote a line from the newspapers, "All was under a Heavenly Spell."

The Finale And The Unforgettables. Another unforgettable scene was when after disappearing for some time (some fans become frantic), he reappeared but not as the suave Andy, instead as the cute fatso in his movie Love On A Diet. Then, a big screen was put down where we all got the chance to embark on an Andy Movie Journey (meaning watching some precious moments in his past movies) and Andy's words were touching. The whole concert ended with the song Love You 10000 Years, which is the message that Andy sincerely wishes to convey to his fans. I believe all Andy fans (of course including me!) feel the same way too!! At 11pm, I was thinking, " Urghhh! Why has the concert ended? I wish it would go on forever."But then, all good things has to come to an end.

Final Thoughts....
In conclusion, I enjoyed this concert a lot. The evergreen Andy was definitely the highlight of the whole show! His excellent performance, be it singing or even dancing, has left a deep impression on me. The audience was very participative and Andy never failed to liven up the atmosphere with his humour, sending laughter waves round the stadium. Seems like a big family gathering. This concert was also a good break from the boring books. (I was having my exams during that period)I do look forward to his next concert here. Maybe he can invite Rosamund Kwan and sing the 1995 duet Together Eternally (I like this song but haven't heard it for ages) with her or perhaps Tony Leung, Felix Wong, Miu Kiu Wai and Kent Thong, so that I can see the TVB 5 Tigers of the 80s together again. (I missed them)

Or maybe his past TV co-stars in the 80s like Idy Chan, Yammie Lam etc. Or maybe the other 3 Heavenly Kings? I know all these seem near impossible, but who knows, right? Hmmm... or since there is an "Andy Movie Journey' this year, how about an 'Andy Series Journey' or 'Andy Singing Journey' next time round? ^-^ Anyway, I believe that the forever idol Andy will continue to scale even greater heights in his career.

Lingz13