Thursday, July 02, 2009
"Make that change"
Michael Jackson - Man in the MirrorI cried when i watched this clip.
I have been humming this song since the day Michael Jackson passed away. I loved it when i first heard it at his concert. And i rem how a few years later, my hockey coach played it to us, to teach us about changing ourselves for the team and unity. And it is also this song, that made me and my sister turned into somewhat environmentalists. We became very concerned about recycling (though not easy to accomplish in Singapore) and not wasting paper (for the record, i went through FOUR years of university education without using a single stack of foolscap. Except for the exams and term papers which i have no choice, EVERYTHING ELSE on rough paper).
This clip was in the concert VHS (thank goodness there is Youtube) that me and my sis bought and when we saw the A-M-A-Z-I-N-G crowd waving their arms in the air to his singing, we coined the term "ba hu effect". Haha. (Note: "ba hu" as in pork floss. Because there were sooooo many hands, they really looked like ba hu swaying in the wind.)
Anyway now that i am older, i think i appreciate the lyrics so much more. They really go deep and make you think. Plus MJ sang it with such clarity, power and energy, i can understand why the crowd, from young girls to grown-up men were crying. Oh gosh, i am suddenly SO GLAD i saw him perform this live!!!! And i wish everyone could have experienced his performance. I rem when he talked, he is soooo soft-spoken and gentle, but the moment he starts singing, he became this amazing powerful being. Never seen any other performer like him.
I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make the change
Such a mesmerising star, is he really gone?
snuffles at 10:57 PM
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Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Concert withdrawal symptoms
I miss Takki.I miss Takisama.
I miss TakiRanger.
I miss Takizawa Souchou.
Oh gawd, i miss him. =333
会いたい～～～～
Is he seriously 27-yr-old? LOL.
The three concerts have been FANTABULOUS!!!
Never mind the big bruise on my knee when i fell while running to Yokohama Arena. (haha)
Never mind the fact that halfway through, it become a "Power Ranger" show.
If Takki wants to act out his fantasies, we will gladly play along. =P
I will feed TakiRanger his "three bowls of rice". LOL.
Our boy can just morph from a pilot >>> idol >>> gangster chief >>> idol >>> TakiRanger >>> idol >>> Takisama >>> idol... Otsukare sama de gozaimasu. m(_~_)m
i REALLY enjoyed the concerts so much!!
I laughed and laughed until i got a wrinkle around my mouth!
Demo Takki no tame dattara, maa ii ka!
Haven't laughed so much in a while,
and i really forgot all the sucky stuff in RL and was truly happy during the three concerts.
ありがとうね、タッキー。
もうあのエロポスターをベッドの隣に貼っといたよ。
一緒に寝ようぜ～（笑）
Labels: Takki
snuffles at 1:02 AM
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Saturday, June 27, 2009
RIP, Michael.
At the precise moment my TV came on at 7:15am yesterday morning (i set it on alarm), there was a newsflash on Mezamashii TV and they reported that Michael Jackson was being sent to hospital for cardiac arrest. I remembered i was grabbing for my glasses. Then the whole morning as i was getting ready to work, i had one eye on the TV as the whole world was swamped and confused with mixed reports from the various TV networks that speculated whether he survived or died. I stayed to watch as much as i could until i simply had to run for work. The moment i reached my office, i switched on my PC and opened up my homepage, and there, on the Top Ten Google hits, NINE were about his death, confirmed. Oh no... ... T-TIt felt like the end of an era.
I remember how me and my sis were crazy about him when we were young. I was still in primary or secondary school when he came to Singapore for his world tour. He came twice, first for his Dangerous World Tour, then the History World Tour. I wonder if I still have the ticket stubs somewhere. I can't rem how we ended up going for the first tour. I think it's cos my cousins wanted to go, and they decided to bring us along. I think that was the first ever concert I've ever been too. It was at the National Stadium, and we bought the free-size (read: oversized) Dangerous t-shirts! I rem being very mesmerised by the design... (everyone ought to image google for "Dangerous Michael Jackson" at this point to know what i mean) I think if your first ever concert was by the King of Pop, at the National Stadium, it kinda set some high standards for future concerts....
Anyway, we became fans after that. I would buy all those expensive US magazines from Times Bookshop which featured him, and read about his crazy huge Neverland Ranch (must go visit one day), the amusement park and zoo inside, his albino snake and Bubbles, and all the weird stories like those about him sleeping in an oxygen tank. Me and my sis also dug out some VHS (albeit pirated) of the Dangerous World Tour at some flea market. (no money for official VHS? VCD? DVD? then) We watched those tapes sooo many times and were so amazed at the images. Oh and i rem freaking out when the magnetic tape of the VHS got stuck inside the VCR, cos mebe we watched it too many times? I had to CUT it in the end (sob) and then brilliantly taped the two ends together(ha!) and thank god, it could still be watched, thou it skips at the broken-but-mended part. Yea, was THAT crazy. (and i wonder where the tapes are now...)
Then when he came the second time, me and my sis had to BEG our dad to buy us two tickets to go watch again, which he finally okay-ed after MUCH negotiation cos i think the tics were over a hundred bucks each. Gosh, i rem making panic phonecalls to my sis using a public phone in St. Nicks yelling at her "Pa said okay already, quick run to Sistic at Bishan and buy!!!!". And ohhh... am i glad we made it.
I rem and LOVED his performances of "You Are Not Alone" (that voice...), "Black or White", "I'll Be There" (how it ended with an angel hugging him), "Heal the World" (that huge Earth Balloon that blows up slowly as he sang), "Smooth Criminal" (the dance, the suit and the fedora and that gravity-defying move which i can't decribe!), "Billie Jean" (THE IMPOSSIBLY SMOOTH MOONWALK!!! WE SAW IT LIVE!!!), "Man in the Mirror" (gosh, loved the lyrics) and sooo many more!!! Seriously, my memory is blur. I cannot rem which performance was from which tour, and maybe some of them I never saw live, but from the VHS. Through the VHS though, i found out that he kinda scripted his concert, like how he will always select a girl to hug him during She's Out Of My Life etc, but still, i loved it. And one of the toursm , it was just before or after his birthday in Aug and the entire National Stadium sang him "Happy Birthday". It was sooo sweet, or am i re-calling from some VHS again?
Anyway after that, we even bought the Michael Jackson game (i think it was on SEGA?), and at that time, there's no such thing as memory card!! Once u start a game, u can't stop bcos u can't save. If u stop, u have to re-start. Absolutely dumb, cos can u imagine how hard it is to finish those games with storylines?? But we did it. From morning til night. We just paused the games and rushed to finish lunch/dinner, bcos we were scared that the machine will auto-shutdown if left on pause for too long. LOL. And then i even bought a bloody thick biography on him which i still have at home!! And oh! I watched that weird movie "The Wiz", where MJ was the scarecrow too. Haha... he's really weird sometimes.
Oh gosh, so many memories of my child/teen?hood with him.
But now he's gone forever, and we can never see him dance live again. He was plagued with so many problems in the late ninties and it was so upsetting. I didn't want to believe the reports, and I still don't. I think he's just someone who live in his own world, who doesn't fit with the "norms" so people keep picking on him for that. I just kept hoping for the media to leave him alone.
As i grew up, he kinda went into a career recluse and i drifted away. Though no longer an avid fan, but always a supporter. (The Earth Song still sends chills down my spine)
And bcos i watched so much of him when i was young, i can tell his influence on other performers. Like in JJ's concert, when JJ imitates his... "crying part??", in Johnny Jr's concerts, where they sing Secret Agent Man, in Takitsuba's concerts, where they wear those suits with fedora etc etc... all MJ inspired.
Seriously, even my 60+ yr old aunties who can't speak English know about him.
Sigh. Still kinda surreal. Is he, really gone?
Just a couple weeks ago, i was still watching his Black or White mtv on YouTube...
I think i will forever remember this day, where i woke up to news of a pop culture icon passing away.
Rest in peace, Michael.
I hope you are in a better place. =)
I believe your music will survive time,
and the culture you created will have its influence on many generations to come.
Thank you for all the wonderful memories and inspiring music.
We will miss you!
By the way, for all those people who are wondering, the one Google hit that wasn't about his death read "Jeff Goldblum dead too?", and no, he's not. Just some hoax.
snuffles at 2:14 AM
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Sunday, May 31, 2009
Learning it the hard way
Recently I learnt that people can change, that you do not always get answers for the questions you ask, and that closure is something that comes from within.snuffles at 11:45 PM
2 comments
Sunday, May 17, 2009
My Own Digital Camera at long last
After months of contemplation, research, constant bugging of friends about THEIR cameras and umpteenth visits to camera shops, i FINALLY settled on one, which amazingly is not even in my List of Considerations at the beginning. Heck, I didn't even really know the brand! Initially, I was bugged by the somewhat obiang design... *cough* but now I am starting to really love it and its vintage look. LOL. Need to learn more about its functions though.Got myself a RICOH CX1!
I LOVE its super powerful macro mode, and the bloody high resolution 3 inch screen.
After looking at THIS camera's screen, I cannot bring myself to look at other cameras' screens anymore.
Presenting my best shot at present.
I just snapped without fiddling with any of the settings and it turned out real nice.
Kinda reflected my kimochi nowadays.
Dou?
snuffles at 5:07 PM
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Wednesday, December 31, 2008
The end of 2008
Can't believe my 7th post is the last post for 2008! Have really been neglecting this blog too much. But at least making a conscious effort to update now before the new year arrives in roughly 22 hours. Hmm.. im really not a new year person. I prefer year end to year start, and not just because there are more holidays in Dec.2008 has been rather, erm.. turbulent? With it coming to a close amidst all the nonsense of economic downturn etc, it further strengthens my distrust and doubt about the entire banking and finance institution. Morever at a time when i am planning to switch jobs. >_<
Anyway, introducing two songs that recently leave me teary-eyed...
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow"
I love his rendition. It is so pure and calming.
Reminds me of my once carefree days.
過去の自分に戻りたいな
もう無理のかな？
何で、離さないの？
何で、忘れないの？
Jay Chou's 稻香
I LOVE the lyrics. How do some people find the inspiration to write lyrics like that?? Someday, i want to be able to write something like this too. Goes down to my "List of things to do".
そろそろ、2008年が終わっちゃう
早いね ちょっと怖い
2008年は一文字って言ったら、何ですかっと聞かれた
ずっと前から答えがあったけど、
その時、「言いたくない」と、回避した
2008年って言えば、『涙』でした。
ねぇ、知ってた？
これからの2009年は、なんか良いことが待ってるのかな？
前向きしなきゃ
o(>_<)o
snuffles at 1:12 AM
2 comments
Sunday, August 10, 2008
とにかく、暑いです。
SO HOT IN TOKYO NOW. I am battling 31-36deg everyday. For someone like me who does not usually perspire much, i am now dripping with perspiration by the time i reach office every morning. Those powder sheets have become an absolute necessity. And my house, i think it's because i am on the top floor (3rd floor only actually), there is nothing above that shields me from the sun, so heat gets trapped in MY house in the afternoon, and even when i come home at like 9 plus, my room measures 33-34deg INDOORS. =___= i worry about all my facial and contact lenses solution that says they have to be kept at room temperature. I don't think 33deg is considered room temperature. Anyone ever tried washing your hair with warm shampoo?
Puppie fainting from the heat?
*LOL*
Was at a cafe with my friend and this WEIRD ojiisan, clad in bright lime green suit walked in carrying a doll (with a name tag that says "Rika" in Japanese). Everyone was trying very hard not to stare. But when he put the doll opposite his table and started eating, it was too hard. My friend sneaked a pic when the girls between ours and his table left.
Sasuga Nihon.
Went to this cafe called Milky Way at Ikebukuro and oh my god!! Everything was so cute and ★STAR-SHAPED★!! Even the sugar jar AND the sugar in it.
Then came our orders and yep, MORE STARS.
See the star-shaped almond tofu in the glass behind??
Found this inverted Apollo in the box!!
Usually it's pink on top but mine's choc! =DDD
Oh yah, i dropped my mobile down an entire flight of stairs today. =__= The fall broke one of the two beads on this omamori that i got from Kamakura. Erm....... i hope this means it has helped me to avert some disaster. *gulps*
Labels: Life in Tokyo
