Category: I See I Write

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I See I Write

I Looked At HMV’s Japanese-Korean Chart And Got A Shock

As I was sampling one of the CDs at HMV Orchard, my eyes wandered off to the charts displayed on the wall. In front of me was the Japanese-Korean chart and many of them have already become my own CD collection (those with links to my review blogs).

1. Ayaka – First Message
2. BoA – Made In Twenty (20)
3. YUI – From Me To You
4. Koda Kumi – Black Cherry
5. Angela Aki – Home
6. Ayumi Hamasaki – Secret
7. Rain – Rain’s World
8. Nana Starring Mika Nakashima – The End

I am really surprised with the staying power of Ayaka’s First Message. Singaporeans must have loved her. And YUI’s debut album finally re-released in Singapore. About time I must say as HMV must have realised that Singaporeans are ordering the album via the Hong Kong HMV website. I have almost bought Angela Aki’s Home. Angela is a mix between Japanese and Taiwanese with an unique soulfully soothing voice. The music is a bit soft for me though but it may appeal to you. And of course if you observe closely, female artists rule the Japanese-Korean chart.

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Cat Deeley – The Star Behind “So You Think You Can Dance”

I better publish this blog before it gets too dated. Earlier this month, Singapore has aired the finale of “So You Think You Can Dance Season 2”. I have not missed a single episode of both Season 1 and 2. “So You Think You Can Dance” (SYTYCD) is a great concept. Unlike “American Idol” that focuses on individual competition and finding an unique voice, SYTYCD is a competition that focuses on partnering with different contestants from different genres and requires each contestant to go out of his or her genre that includes ballroom, tango, hip-hop, contemporary, disco, and others – some I have not even heard of. It may sound easy but it is not. That is why partnering contestants from different genres will ultimately help one another to grow. And that is why contestants learn from one another more so than aiming to eliminate one another. Another thing I observed is that dancers are the emotional bunch. You can really see how they give in hundred-and-one percentage. I saw tears in SYTYCD more than other reality shows.

That is the brief introduction of the show. Season 2, in my opinion, is more successful than Season 1. The panel of judges and the team of choreographers are pretty much the same. It is the replacement of the host with Cat Deeley that makes all the difference. I can see that Cat Deeley enjoyed the entire season thoroughly and she did interact with the contestants on stage and off stage a lot (perhaps due to her background). The little compliments she gave, the small talks with the contestants on stage, the little jokes she had with the judges … I think she is the real star behind SYTYCD. And how can the faithful audience forget the scene when the hot Russian dancer Dmitry approached Cat Deeley with a sexy dance after his solo performance that resulted in Cat blushing from head to toe? Or when executive producer and one of the judges Nigel Lythgoe commented on Cat’s dress (covered with small silver reflective rectangular pieces) “If we would have hung you from the ceiling on a wire we could have spun you around. You were like a disco ball tonight.” Cat’s reply (with a big smile) was, “Listen, if you fix the wires you can hang me any way you like.”

There is still no news on a potential third season. I hope there is one on the way.

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Axl Rose Is My Hero – Guns ‘N Roses’s New Song “There Was A Time”

Guns N’ Roses is without doubt one of the most influential and successful rock band from the late eighties to early nineties. Songs like “Welcome to the Jungle”, “Paradise City”, “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, “Patience”, “Don’t Cry”, and “November Rain” – just to name a few – are classic to those who enjoy listening to heavy rock music.

From 1994 onwards, the band started to fall apart. In 1997, with the departure of the legendary lead guitarist Slash, Axl Rose was the only one left in the band. Since then, Axl Rose continued the recruitment effort and there has been talks that a new album called “Chinese Democracy” is in the making. Every year, I am hoping to see the album in store and every year, I have been disappointed. Plagued by all sort of issues such as the further departure of band members, the cancellation of tour dates (some due to Axl Rose failed to show up that resulted in riots), and the disagreement with the management and the record company, at times I doubt if this new album “Chinese Democracy” will ever see daylight. According to Axl Rose, he has cancelled the North America leg of the World Tour in order to focus on the post-production of “Chinese Democracy”. He promised his fans that the album will be out by mid March this year. I am not that hopeful.

While “Chinese Democracy” may or may not sees its days selling at the record stores, some tracks are leaked out to the Internet via Guns N’ Roses fan sites. Gunsnroses.us, for instance, has made a video out of the song “There Was A Time” (pretty interesting that the capitals of the title form a word that gives new meaning to the lyrics) and that is the song that I wish to share with you all here.

The images from the video is powerful. The music is inspirational. My emotion was high during the first listen. Here I am looking at a man who has been the band’s lead vocalist for 22 years, never gives up and his fighting spirit is simply inspiring. Axl Rose may have his character flaw that pushed most of his friend and allies away but his driving force is amazing. Current lead guitarist Robin Finck is one of the only few artists who has played in two different bands that are listed on VH1’s “100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock”: Nine Inch Nails and Guns N’ Roses.

Do note that this video is not the official Gun N’ Roses video and I suspect that the song still requires further post-production. Nevertheless, a good preview of what “Chinese Democracy” will be.


[LYRICS] Broken glass and cigarettes . writing on the wall . it was a bargain for the summer . and I thought I had it all . I was the one who gave you everything . the one who took the fall . you were the one who would do anything . the one who can’t recall . where she was while she was sleeping . in another woman’s bed . or the doctors or the lawyers . or a stranger that she met . If there’s nothing I can gain from this . or anything at all . it’d be the knowledge that ya gave me . when I thought I’d heard it all :: It was a long time with you . it was a long time with me . it’d be a long time for anyone . but looks like it’s meant to be :: Social class and registers . cocaine in the hall . all the way from California . on the way beyond that stall . to those non-negotiations . to simulate a call . all the bad of learning evils and . your ways around the laws . that keep you up and sitting pretty . on a pedestal of men . and now you’re sleeping like an angel . near the man who reaped it in :: If there’s something I can make of this . or anything at all . it’d be the devil hates a loser and . you thought you had it all :: It was a wrong time for you . it was a wrong time for me . it was the wrong time for everyone . but looks like I’m about to see for myself :: If I could go back in time to the place . in my soul, there all alone . lonely tear drops . ooh, are calling you . but I don’t wanna know it now . ’cause knowing you, it won’t change a damn thing . but there was a time :: yeah, there was a time . didn’t wanna know it all . didn’t wanna know it all and . I don’t wanna know it now :: yeah, there was a time . didn’t wanna know it all . didn’t wanna know it all and . I don’t wanna know it now :: Oh, I would do anything for you . there was a time . I would do anything for you . Oh, I would do anything for you . there was a time :: There was a time . I would do anything for you . yeah there was a time . didn’t wanna know it all . didn’t wanna know it all . and I don’t wanna know it now . didn’t wanna know it all . didn’t wanna know it all . and I don’t wanna know it now (to this love) . There was a time

Related Readings: Guns N’ Roses at Wikipedia, Guns N’ Roses at RollingStone.com, Official Website.

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I See I Write

My First Day with Wireless@SG

You probably wish to ask what does the above picture got to do with Wireless@SG, yes? You will see the connection later on.

As an early adopter of this free seamless wireless broadband access initiated by IDA code name Wireless@SG, I have decided to test drive this wonderful service today. Picked up the phone and called up SingTel mainly to inquire how to activate the service that I have signed up a month ago. In retrospect, the customer service representative was not that helpful. The only thing I learned was how to retrieve my GPRS password for logging on purpose. I doubt if anyone can surf the net via a 3G Wi-fi mobile phone if you are not technologically inclined.

Just before lunch, I looked through a list of coverage areas and my first destination was of course the OUB Hello! Shop (owned by SingTel) right next door. I stood there for 5 minutes trying to figure out how to configure the connection using my Nokia N80. And then I stood there for another 5 minutes getting the “no reply from gateway” error time and time again. That was strange. Was it me or was the service down?
Next on my coverage list was Starbucks so I headed straight to Raffle City. Standing within the perimeter of Starbucks feeling like a spy, I made my second attempt to connect to Wireless@SG. After 5 minutes (yes, I have a stop watch), the log on form appeared. There was some log on options and intuitively I chose STM/Data3 (don’t ask me how I arrived at the decision or what that STM means), punched in my user ID and password, and voila!, my mobile phone started to load the SingTel Wireless@SG homepage. By the time I managed to open Google.com, 12 minutes has passed. I looked behind me and one of the customers who seated near to where I was when I started to surf has already finished his cup of coffee.

Happy with my little achievement, I headed into City Link Mall and according to the coverage list, I should be able to connect to Wireless@SG at all levels. So I turned on the hot spot searcher feeling like a scientist searching for the source of radioactivity or a solder with a land mine detector, I saw Wireless@SG appearing and disappearing and finding it hard to surf the net seamlessly at all.

All of a sudden, my phone has detected a strong signal. Feeling delighted I looked up and saw a Hello! Shop. That must be it, I said to myself, and I matched directly into this shop owned by SingTel. To my disappointment, the signal disappeared. Perplexed as I was, I retraced my steps and as I walked pass O’Briens, it suddenly struck me that all the O’Briens outlets are inside the coverage list. Ordered a meal at O’Briens and I started to surf the net.

According to SingTel, Wireless@SG has a (blazing) speed of 512kpbs. This is exactly the same speed I have at home. My personal website – content rich by the way – can be loaded by my phone within one minute at home. At O’Briens, even the signal was pretty strong (way better any other spots), it took forever to load any page with graphics. In the end, in between my sandwich time, I have managed to read a story about NASA building a moon base at one of the poles from Yahoo! News (very mobile phone friendly with no graphics, but wait, I do want the graphics!). And I have also managed to download a comic strip off CNN.com – a symbolic achievement of the day.

Now, that is the only connection between the picture and the subject of this article. It’s lame, I know.

Click here for the corresponding blog entry.

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Wireless@SG – Love the Potential but Disappointed at the Delivery

Wireless@SG, an island-wide free wireless broadband service, was officially launched on December 1st. Excited as I was, I took out my Wi-fi enabled mobile phone and decided to give this baby a test drive. After all, able to surf the net free even in some designated areas at this initial phase is a dream comes true.

After an hour or two trying out the various locations, I must say I am disappointed by the quality of the network. It is still far from the vision of seamless wireless broadband that is supposed to have a speed of 512kpbs. Hence, application is limited. However, I am still excited by the potential of Wireless@SG.

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Battle of Sennheiser e845 Versus Shure SM58

When I first embarked on the music recording journey, Jason recommend the industry standard none other than the self-proclaimed-legendary Shure SM58 that is tuned to accentuate the warmth and clarity of vocals. For years, SM58 has served me well. I did many hours of recording using SM58 during our jamming sessions and songwriting.

Today, Jason told me that Sennheiser e845 is on sales in one of the shops at Sim Lim Square so during lunch I checked out this Sennhesier microphone priced at S$169. To be fair, e845 is supposed to be one notch above SM58. A high performance super-cardioid lead vocal microphone with a frequency response of 40Hz to 16kHz versus SM58’s unidirectional (cardioid) pattern with a frequency response of 50Hz to 15kHz. The difference is clear. While SM58 makes my voice sounded warm, e845 gives forth the details that potentially rivals condenser microphones (both SM58 and e845 are dynamic microphones for stage use). I have to be careful when pronouncing the P’s and B’s and any emphases when using e845. It is that sensitive.

Coupled my new microphone cable Whirlwind (priced at S$55, supposed to be one of the best and I have left it in my store room for months) with my new Sennhesier e845, the result is simply stunning. The clarity, the truer representation of my voice, the details, and right now, the e845 and Whirlwind combo has my vote. Time to put this to test with my band in the next jamming session.

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Channel [V] Rocks!

When I first heard that Channel [V] was going to be available in Singapore, I was ecstatic. I miss the old MTV that played music videos and not those teen programs like today. When I first heard that Channel [V] is only available with a digital cable box, I headed straight to StarHub and swapped my old analogue box with the digital one. Face it, the digital box was out for many months but I just did not bother (though it is free).

At the customer servicing center, I was staring at the not-too-customer-centric product offering menu. Ended up have to pay S$12 for Channel [V] and a bunch of others that I most probably will not watch. I looked at the sales person and asked, “You mean I have to pay for Channel [V]? I swap the box because of Channel [V] only!”. Eyes watery and all … then the sales person looked at me sympathetically and said, “Look, I can offer you a half price trial plan for 3 months” and I replied, “Deal!”.

Took me hours to get the new box to work with my arcane system (turned out that my VCR interferes with the RF output of the new box) but it was all worth it. The image is much clearer and now I have Channel [V]! And of course, Cynthia is very delighted by the new TV experience. She just loves TV.

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VivoCity – The Latest Mall in Singapore Probably the Largest

Two weeks ago I took my mother and sister to VivoCity and just covering the walkways took us three hours. Today I took Cynthia (after her FRM exam!) to VivoCity and we went straight to my favorite Japanese restaurant …

Shin Kushiya – #02-120/1/2 – Tel: 62758766

The food is pretty good and I particularly like the varieties. It is pretty pricey though. For evening dinning, reserve a table by the window and you get to feast on the beautiful shoreline of Sentosa as well.

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Hazy Hazy Day

When I left office on Friday evening, the air was hazy. I could even smell the burning ashes that came all the way from our neighboring country Indonesia. Over the weekends, the situation has worsen and the PSI (Pollutants Standard Index) has, at one time, hit 150. Anything beyond 100 is unhealthy so you can imagine.

Ever wonder where PSI comes from? It is actually a measurement of Sulphur Dioxide, PM10, Ozone, Carbon Monoxide, and Nitrogen Dioxide. I have no clue on what is what but PM10 is mainly contributed by the Indonesia fire from what I read.

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Huh? Wine Investment?

One late evening, I have received a phone call on my home number asking if I wished to participate for a survey on Australian wine. Normally I would have politely told them that I am not interested. But wine?! Booze?! Alright, I surely have lots of inputs.
Looking back, I think that the survey was just a gimmick so that some sales person can follow up with the sales work. This friendly salesman called me and congratulated me in joining a lucky draw that with rewards I cannot recall right now and wished me luck. He then politely asked me if I wish to hear more about wine investment.

Part of me wanted to put down the phone. But part of me was curious about what wine investment is about. He started talking about “Blue Chip Wine” and “Cult Wine”. At first I asked, “Huh? Club wine?”. So he explained to me that “Blue Chip Wine” are the wines that entered into the best Australian wine top 150 list. “Cult Wine” are those that are produced in small quantity and favorably reviewed by reputed wine critics. “Blue Clip Wine” has a potential to rise 10% per year while “Cult Wine” has a potential to rise to 500% in a relatively short period of time.

I stopped him and asked innocently, “Okay, wait a minute. I don’t remember seeing the wine I drink getting more expensive each year.” Well, that was when he chuckled and explained to me what “Table Wine” means.

So in my little mind of limited entrepreneurship, I thought, “Oh well, is he asking me money to invest in building wineries? Isn’t it cool to own some wineries and get to visit Australia one day and invites my friends over and said: come to my vineyard and taste my wine. How cool is that?!”

This salesman then explained to me that his company brings in “Blue Chip Wine” and “Cult Wine” from Australia and stores them in Singapore under my name. Okay, I don’t get to own a winery in the end but I get to own some bottles of wine. So I ask him if I could just drink them off. I mean, hey, those are good wine and I don’t mind having them for self-consumption. He laughed.

Well, he tried to reassure me all the process but hey, as an investor, I am more interested in how his company makes money. So I bear all the shipping charge, insurance, storage fee, and the cost of the wine of course. In the end of, say 3 years, I can opt to sell off the wine and then pay a 5% commission to his company. At present, his company has a portfolio of S$20 million.

Alright. That was a lively 45 minutes of phone conversation and I was happy to have learned something. One last question I had was how much is the wine. He said for S$10,000 I can have 100 keg or crate (really can’t quite get his English or my understanding on wine is pretty low). So I asked: erm, how many bottles would that be. 120 bottles and he reassured me that once I have tasted his wine, I would not drink any “Table Wine” no more.

Now, that would be a real bad news to me.