NEW YEAR'S EVE

The day is coming to an end in a matter of hours and a friend was asking me this afternoon to reflect and recount on 2010 before the year passes. I don't know because I don't normally do that. Maybe what I will do is to list down 11 chinese songs from the 80s and 90s that I missed because I have not heard them for a long while etc. This is going to be a really long post and the songs are not arranged in order of preference though.

1. 明天会更好

The first has to be this very nostalgic song. I am like wow when I heard this song on youtube once again. It is so inspirational and I think it bodes well to greet the upcoming year. I cannot believe the MV was made about 25 years ago. Although the visual quality wasn't good, I am lucky to still be able to find it. This song has to be one of the biggest songs in Taiwan history to amass all the greatest singers from the industry at that time. There were so many familiar faces that I could recognize and most of all have aged very well since. Some have disappeared from the musical scene altogether though.

2. 飛鷹三姝 - 有我有你

Groomed by the legendary 刘文正, these are 2 meaningful songs about friendship were sang by 3 newbies then - 方文琳, 裘海正 and 伊能靜. Now one has retired as a mother, while the other 2 are still in the entertainment industry. Alright, I cheated here by listing 2 separate songs under one entry.

方文琳&伊能靜 - 朋友

3. 張清芳 - 激情過後

This very beautiful song was the main song recorded in the first album of this high-pitched singer who made it very big in the music industry after she stood in to sing the song written by her friend in a song writing competition. Naturally, she gained instant popularity and the song won the top prize. She has since retired from singing and is a happily married lady with children.

4. 夜半歌声插曲 - 一辈子失去了你

From the above movie and sang by the late Leslie Cheung (张国荣), this sensuous rendition was the sidetrack of the chinese movie version of the "Phantom of the Opera". And the talented Leslie has passed on for years now.

5. 千百惠 - 当我想你的时候

Back then, this was a magical duet between the very popular female singer and the composer 史俊鹏.

6. 蔡榮祖 - 久久才見到你的好

I thought he was one of our very own local singers who ventured to Taiwan many years ago to develop his singing career but who since disappeared into the sea of new singers. But apparently, he is actually from China or Taiwan and released his several albums here then. It was said that Taiwan produces at least a new singer every week, so the competition is really very, very fierce even back in those days. I wonder what happened to him and where he is now?

7. 萬芳 - 新不了情

This soft sentimental song was the main song from the movie of the same title starring 刘青云, Carina Lau (刘嘉玲) and the very young 袁咏仪 in her movie debut then.

8. 古皓 - 片体鳞伤

This was a much unknown song from the only album of this newbie singer.

9. 王馨平 - 别问我是谁

The daughter of the famous legendary one-arm swordsman 王羽, she released a few albums but this was her first, if my memory serves me correctly.

10. 康乔 - 对不起全是我错

Actually, I don't know anything about this singer although I still remember this song fondly.

11. 費玉清, 楊慶煌, 鄧妙華, 名洋, 岳雷 - 珍惜來臨的一年(1987版)

I guess I will end this year and this day with this song to welcome the new year.

DREAM

I had a dream this morning and as I drifted between the different cycles of REM (rapid eye movement), I wasn't conscious that it was a dream scape despite the unrealistic situation. It was neither a very happy dream nor a nightmare, it was more of excitement so I don't know what to make of it.

To cut the long story, I mean dream, short, I found myself visiting some relatives in Australia. I wasn't elated at first but when told I could move there, a lot went through my mind. It seemed to fire off a lot of synapses, because I remembered feeling excited when I uncovered some hidden plants e.g. strawberry, spring and summer plants, below the snow, and realized I could have so much fun during the 4 seasons from spring right down to winter. And that was when I woke up.

I suppose the inspiration or message that I got from it is that the year is coming to an end soon and a new year is beginning soon. Time has managed to slip another year through our fingers like sand underneath our watchful eyes and there is nothing we can do about it. The only thing we can do is to dream big in the new year because only when we dare to dream, our wishes may come true. This message rings true for me because in this upcoming year, I can see the challenges facing me in my work. How can I overcome the obstacles and bring myself to a higher level and contribute my best to the organisation I work for? My mind is already racing against time and I hope it would be another fruitful year for me.

I may be a year late in showing the original link and video below, but the sensational Susan Boyle did not let age, time or skepticism stop her from dreaming big. Her success story should be a great inspiration for all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OcQ9A-5noM&feature=related

It is time to count down to the new year and we are just 2 days and 2 hours away from a fresh beginning. May we all reflect on the passing year and hope all our wishes come true in the upcoming one.

BLACK & WHITE

I was hoping to capture the distinct line that separates the dark and white clouds, but it didn't work. I guess between black and white are often different shades of grey, as evident from these photos. And this is just life.

NEX - ROOFTOP FACILITIES

The Public Library isn't open yet, but the water-themed children's playground on the rooftop is always a draw, like VivoCity, IMM etc.

There is also the small enclosed Dog Run area, and I could see the dogs and owners having a swell of a time there.

NEX - ROOFTOP LANDSCAPE

This is the rooftop greenery landscape and the rooftop seemed to be thronging with people. They were not there for the greenery but to access the other facilities which I would post separately.

Some plants are beautiful and it showed that these are the plants that would do well under such conditions. Some other inappropriate plants are already showing signs of decline and deterioration.

One stark thing that I noticed that is different from other rooftop gardens, is the lack of trees. I suppose the developer and management do not want to be burdened with tree management on the rooftop, which is definitely more complex and require more specialized arboriculture contractors, or the rooftop may not have been constructed to take the load of the bigger trees.

NEX - PET SAFARI

I was at Nex for the 3rd time and this time I went there to catch a movie "Meet the Parents: Little Fockers". But that is not the topic of this post.

I checked out the newly opened Pet Safari and lo and behold, they have an albino hairless guinea pig on sale! The poor thing was labeled as 'skinless pig' but a pig it is not. I feel it is one thing to be albino for a pet animal because albino hamsters always look adorable with their blood red eyes. But it is strange to be hairless for a mammal.

As I was snapping photos of this beautiful creature, yes it looks so fragile, beautiful and was staring back at me that I felt like cuddling it in my arms, I heard different views of the animal. Some love it and some loathe it. I hope whoever buys it would love and look after it very well.

Some links are shown here and I find the 2nd link to be endearing:

1. http://www.criver.com/EN-US/PRODSERV/BYTYPE/RESMODOVER/RESMOD/Pages/IAFHairlessGuineaPig.aspx
2. http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/off-topic-discussions/my-hairless-guinea-pig-ivan-41536/

Then there is the equally adorable but very furry Angora Rabbit, that is on the opposite end of the scale for hair possession. A link is shown below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angora_rabbit

For those who wants to rush out to get a pet for the new year, please think twice as it is a huge lifelong responsibility that goes with it, at least for the lifetime of the animal. Responsible ownership is the key to having a meaningful relationship between the pet and the owner.

LE CAFE CONFECTIONERY & PASTRY

This is a well-known shop outlet located at 264 Middle Road, that is even shown as a landmark on the online Singapore street directory map. Apparently, the cakes, pastries etc are so good that the shop is often featured in the papers and magazines and famous local and overseas stars are their customers.

At this time, the selling price of the mouth-watering looking pineapple tarts has been raised in anticipation of large orders for the upcoming Chinese New Year.

A link on the shop is shown here:

http://www.lecafe.com.sg/

WILKIE EDGE

I couldn't remember what the former building was called, but after a late lunch, we ventured towards the new building Wilkie Edge, directly across Peace Centre at the junction of Wilkie Road and Selegie Road.

Now they even have a huge media screen on the building. Wow, I am amazed at how much the place have changed over the face of time. They even have green on the higher floors. It looks like the promotion of skyrise greenery is making an impact and presence, after so many years.

Inside the very spacious and upmarket looking interior were several interesting outlets e.g. Starbucks, and a christmas tree. And viola, the famous 7th Storey, formerly standing alone along a stretch of Rochor Road before the Downtown Line construction moved in, was set up here. It looked more posh though.

Too bad we had to rush back to work, otherwise I would spend a bit more time here.