Gary and Faith = Married!

Phill and I made the trip to Singapore in July, pretty unusual as we only travel to Singapore at the end of the year. But we had a special reason - my younger brother, Gary, was getting married to Faith. Living in Singapore has prevented us from spending more time with Faith but the impression we have is that she's easy-going, has a ready smile, and she is the guru for good eating places in Singapore!

It's so good to see my brother settle down but more so because my sister-in-law is such a nice girl. It's being married to the right person that is a true treasure! Gary is truly blessed!

Gary and Faith had their church wedding on my birthday, today!!! And being the sweet couple they are, after their church wedding and having rested at their hotel, Marriott, they organised to take me to a Russian restaurant at Far East Shopping Centre. I hadn't had Russian cuisine before so I was intrigued....pics below:

The waitress setting fire to our dessert.

It was a visual treat that tantalised our tastebuds too.

SATC rocks!

I like Carrie's and Miranda's outfits!
I enjoyed this scene when Carrie tried on some of her notable dresses - brought back memories!

What was that feather on Carrie's head??? Then I realised in the movie it was a bird. Glad I'm not the only one to think it was a feather though!

I watched Sex and the City with 2 colleagues earlier today. I was initially going to watch it in Singapore but when I heard that Singapore was screening the censored version, I decided to watch it in Australia. Then, I realised the reason for the censorship - Dante!

My verdict? Absolutely loved the movie - it lived up to my expectations and more! It's a funny movie and I was disappointed, though not surprised, that there were so few guys watching the movie at the cinema. And yes, they did look like they were reluctantly dragged to the movie or went cos they were trying to impress a gal.

Out of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha, I love Miranda's fashion the best! Her clothes, earrings, necklaces. She looked sharp and stylish! I loved most of the songs in the movie too - adding that extra oomph to vital scenes. And although some critics felt the ending was an anti-climax, I understood why it had to be it - so many fans to satisfy!

My main gripe was that all along, I felt Aidan was the right guy, stable, attractive, sporty, one-with-nature, and oh-so-manly, and I would have felt more satisfied if Carrie had ended up with Aidan. So, that crushing scene in one of the series episodes where Aidan was seen carrying a baby, I wished then that he was simply baby-sitting. I know. Me - the delusional one.

Straight after the movie, I wanted to watch the movie again. Yes, that's how much i LOVE the movie. As for the critics? I felt they were just too ready to criticise it and fail to see it for what it's worth, a movie about fashion and relationships. At the end, each gal didn't try and change the other guy. They accepted what they wanted in a relationship, recognised their own shortcomings and decided the type of relationship they wanted. That was quite affirming in terms of what relationships are meant to be - not what we can get from a relationship but what we can offer so that we grow together with our better half to be better persons.

I Love Technology!

I read this article (below) about how a young mum who lost her camera managed to retrieve her photos and interestingly, that of the thieves who stupidly took pictures of themselves with the camera. The special memory card, the Eye-Fi, allowed her to download her photos when the culprits walked past an unsecured network. I love that technology allows you to do that because often, it's the photos we feel sad about losing, not the equipment that is replaceable. Of course, if it's a $10,000 camera, that's quite another story.

And then while watching the news, I saw how technology is incorporated into an American university. While the lecturer teaches and asks questions, the students each has a clicker that they will press with answers of A, B, C or D, and their answers will go towards their final score. That 'forces' students to read up before the lecture and eliminates additional work for lecturers who are inundated with so much marking to do nearly every week! Most lecturers don't just teach one subject. The onus is on the students to work hard and attempt to answer the questions and makes them responsible for their actions.






Lost cameras 'phone home' to catch thieves
June 6, 2008 - 1:02PM

Alison DeLauzon thought the snapshots and home videos of her infant son were gone for good when she lost her digital camera while on vacation in Florida.

Then a funny thing happened: her camera got in touch with her.

Equipped with a special memory card with wireless internet capability, DeLauzon's camera had not only automatically sent her holiday pictures to her computer, but had even uploaded photos of the miscreants who swiped her equipment bag after she accidentally left it behind at a restaurant.

"I opened up the Eye-Fi manager on the computer and, lo and behold, there are the guys that stole our cameras," said DeLauzon, a native of New York. "Not only is it the guy who stole our camera ... but the guy took a picture of (his accomplice) holding our other camera."

DeLauzon received the Eye-Fi, a 2-gigabyte SD memory card that fits into millions of digital cameras, as a holiday gift to go with her Canon camera.

Priced at about $US100, the card automatically uploads pictures to a home computer or online photosharing service as soon as the user is linked to a familiar wireless network.

Luckily, the culprits passed by an unsecured network, whose factory-installed setting matched that of DeLauzon's home system, and the Eye-Fi automatically shipped the photos: first baby pictures, then the snap-happy scoundrels.

Her experience reflects the rise of technology that empowers everyday gadgets to protect themselves or the priceless personal data - from family phone numbers to business budgets - that consumers keep on portable electronics devices.

Cameras are perhaps the most common home-phoning gadget used to thwart criminals.
An eerie case occurred last month, when a Japanese man set up a hidden camera because food was disappearing from his kitchen. While he was out, the camera sent pictures to his mobile phone of the intruder - an unknown woman living secretly in his closet.

A few years ago, there was a well-publicised case of a Sidekick mobile phone that was first lost in a New York taxi, then found by a 16-year-old who used it to take pictures and send instant messages.

But the device's mobile service provider automatically backed up such data on remote computers, allowing the owner's friend, Evan Guttman, to uncover a trail - and launch an online shaming campaign against the 16-year-old, who was eventually arrested.

While passive systems have helped reunite missing gadgets with their owners, more aggressive measures can be employed to protect everything from laptops to iPods and BlackBerrys.

GadgetTrak, sells software that can be loaded onto any of those devices. If a BlackBerry, for example, falls into the wrong hands, the software grabs information from the new user's SIM data card and e-mails it to the rightful owner.

With an Apple Mac computer, the software instructs the built-in camera to take video of the thief and sends to the owner, along information about nearby wireless networks.

Some 20,000 GadgetTrack licenses have been purchased in about one year - including 10,000 from storage company Seagate.

"The reason we have been so successful is that people are not expecting this kind of software to be installed," said Ken Westin, the company's founder. "No security solution is 100 percent - there are always going to be work-arounds. But your average thief is not going to be a computer expert."

DeLauzon didn't want to press charges against the people who had her camera: Both were employees at the restaurant where she dined and accidentally left her photo equipment.
Sure, they were fired - but getting justice was not as important to her as retrieving her memories of her baby boy.

"When we finally got it back, my husband and I spent the night just sitting and watching the videos - stupid videos, like him feeding himself for the first time or him pulling himself up in his crib for the first time. We sat down one night and just relished it."

Reuters

http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/lost-cameras-phone-home-to-catch-thieves/2008/06/06/1212259068570.html

AFL State of Origin

Phill and I made a trip to Melbourne to watch the AFL State of Origin - Victoria (all players from Victoria) vs the Dream Team (from the rest of the state). It was a chance to watch the best AFL players in the country play at the same time, in one spot! I relished the chance to watch them! Below are some pics of our weekend trip to Melbourne.

The chef at KoKo Black where a Singaporean university classmate, Laura, took us for hot chocolate - yummy!
The beautiful arcade where Koko Black is located. Left, Laura and Phill at our table.
The AFL State of Origin Match at Melbourne Cricket Ground (a beautiful stadium)
My colleague, Lauren, me, and Phill at the stadium
The AFL players in action!

More AFL players in action

Me and my favourite dish - spicy mee pok dry noodles!

While I enjoyed the match, the players did hold back though and didn't play as hard as they usually are with their clubs. That is to be expected. But it was a good match, capped with the fact Victoria won!!!

Barack for 2008!

I have been following (not closely though) the US election campaign. I was initially proud of Hillary Clinton, her achievements, and was glad she was campaigning to be a Democrat nominee. But increasingly, I found myself disagreeing with her public persona and her tactic of launching personal attacks and smear campaign against Obama.

That swung me towards Barack Obama whom I felt was looking ahead rather than looking backwards (as Clinton sometimes has). He may not have as much experience as Hillary but he sure didn't lie about his credentials like she did about avoiding sniper fire at Bosnia. And I love his ingenious way of obtaining political donations. Sure, it was a no-brainer but does that mean Hillary and her team are no-brainers? She obtained donations by asking for large sums while Obama asked for what people could give, so that when he needed more, he could return again to them and asked if they could donate again. So, people who were donating $20 were more likely to give $20 again. For Hillary's donors, it's a huge ask to get them to donate another $100,000 after they've parted with that significant amount.

And if I wish I could sum up my sentiments in a nice, strong, and powerful article, I wish I could write like Anne Applebaum (her article below).


Hillary! It's not about you, so hang up your hat

Anne Applebaum May 9, 2008

Clinton's refusal to see reality is damaging her party and Barack Obama. ARE you tired of the US election campaign? Not really sure what they're arguing about any more? If you're feeling as if you've lost the plot, don't worry. It's not because you're not American, or because you haven't been paying close enough attention: we Americans feel exactly the same.

The malaise that the endless Democratic primary campaign has inspired across the political spectrum was summed up by writer Nora Ephron, who described the ongoing contest between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama as an "unending last episode of Survivor. They're eating rats and they're frying bugs and they're frying rats and they're eating bugs; no one is ever going to get off the island and I can't take it any more!"

Ephron wrote that a month ago, and nothing has changed. On Tuesday night, primary votes in North Carolina and Indiana once again confirmed everything we knew already. Obama is still safely in the lead, both in the popular vote and in the delegate count. Clinton is still behind. And even if they keep going until the Democratic convention in August, Obama will still be safely in the lead, and Clinton will still be behind. For Clinton to win now, she has to get her party to change the rules of its primary, post hoc (apparently she is planning to try) or bring more states into the union.

Which is ridiculous — but so is this campaign. If you've found the election hard to follow of late, that's because the only real issue at stake is Hillary Clinton's extraordinary, irrational, overwhelming ambition. As I write this, rumours that Clinton intends to drop out are in circulation. Allegedly, she cancelled her talk show appearances yesterday. Allegedly, her campaign is utterly broke. And yet no one can be certain that she won't fight to the last delegate, using up every cent of her own money (she lent her campaign another $6.4 million last week) and every last ounce of the Democratic Party's credibility, because everything we have learnt about her in the past few months indicates this is possible. Clearly, she wants so badly to win that she will try anything — and we know that "anything" includes adopting positions and methods of a kind she once claimed to abhor.

She is not above smear tactics, among them attempts to link Obama to '60s radicals, people with whom he had only the slightest contact, if at all. She is not above hints, verging on racist, that a black man can't win the general election. She is not above exaggerating her achievements, claiming to have helped "bring peace" to Northern Ireland and to have dodged sniper fire in Bosnia.

Bizarre though this will sound to foreign ears, she has also spent much of the past two months trying to remake herself as a whiskey-drinking, gun-toting, blue-collar politician, the candidate of the working class. Although she is a multimillionaire whose best friends are multimillionaires, although she spent most of her life among what can only be described as the elitest of the liberal elite, and although her opponent was raised by a single mother and went to university on scholarships, she has run around in circles trying to convince people that he is the elitist, and she is the populist.

The Chicago Tribune analysed her speeches and determined that she was using grammar and vocabulary several grade levels below that deployed by Obama, "the language of the least-educated, lowest-earning voters". At one point, this long-time supporter of gun control described how her father taught her to shoot.

It would take a psychologist, not a political analyst, to explain why she does this. To prove some feminist point? To show that she's the equal of Bill? To take revenge for Monica?

Still, barring a "deus ex machina" or an Obama implosion of some unpredictable kind, sooner or later she'll have to step down. When she does so, she'll leave a divided party in her wake, as well as a candidate seriously weakened by her prolonged campaign.

You may be bored by the election campaign, but the Democratic Party, when it wakes from this nightmare, will be very angry. And if John McCain beats Obama in November, it is not the Republican Party, but Hillary Clinton who will be blamed. Anne Applebaum is a columnist with The Washington Post.

This article first appeared in the Telegraph. This story was found at:

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/05/08/1210131165200.html

Millie's graduation day

Phill taking Millie through the ropes of an obstacle course

Not a very sharp picture because I took it with my Canon Ixus 75 which is a wonderful and handy camera but doesn't have better flash. I don't envisage myself carrying a huge flash while using this camera either. But...the above pic is of Millie taking her test during her final and 4th lesson of puppy school. She had to walk up a small ramp, sit on the first hula-hoop, and then drop in the second hula-hoop. The puppy school has been good for Millie, and for Phill and I. For us to realise how to train her and to be really patient and persistent with our training. She has been good and always improves from one week to the next. In the 2nd lesson, when the trainer gave her a pig's ear and attempted to take it off her, boy, she growled. This made the trainer ask if we were sure Millie didn't have abit of rottweiler in her. I was surprised how possessive Millie was. We were very pleased with Millie's behaviour towards the other smaller dogs in the class. She is very hyper but she goes down on all fours when she sees a dog which the trainer said is a submissive pose so that the other dogs won't be scared of her. I thought that was really sweet! Millie could have attempted to dominate the other dogs but instead, she decided to make them feel safe and comfortable. I love her!

Atonement and James McAvoy

I had watched Atonement in Singapore a few months ago but when our local cinema (short drive away) was screening Atonement, I took the chance to watch it again. Why not? Just another opportunity to ogle at James McAvoy, who though young, has a charismatic and mesmerising quality. He doesn't look overly gorgeous the way Brad Pitt or Keanu Reeves are, without them opening their mouths, but there's a quality McAvoy has that is harder to pin down. He makes me weak at the knees...hahaha!

I immensely enjoyed Atonement, loved Joe Wright's technique of shooting the same scene from the perspective of different characters and the rhythmic tapping of the typewriter which added to the sense of suspense. It all came together so beautifully and smaller roles played by Brenda Blethyn (Robbie's mother), and then in the finale, Vanessa Redgrave was amazing. She said more in her facial expressions - the pain, regret, and wish to make amends. I wish I can act like her!

A comment Phill overheard in Singapore when we were watching this movie has remained etched in his mind such that everytime he sees Keira Knightley, he repeats the comment: "So Skiiiinnnny" in a typical Singaporean accent.

Baby Names have Got Weird!

I have always been abit intrigued with how parents choose a name for their baby. I reckon it's a difficult decision. Parents sometimes want a unique name, one they think their kid will have sole rights to, so that they do not become a Tom, Dick, or Harry.

But an increasing trend among parents to change 1, 2 or more letters in traditional names so that they are spelt differently is one I don't subscribe to. Why spell Alexander 'Alex-Zander'? I'm not sure it adds anything to the name. It just makes the parents seem like bad spellers.

A worse trend (not mentioned in the article below) is where parents choose not to have any vowels for their kid's name. So, for example, they may have a name, hzydn, which they choose to pronounce 'hayden'. If you can take the trouble to wrench those vowels out, then I think those parents should take the trouble to twist their tongue and pronounce the name as it reads.

I know this rant might just come back and bite me in the b*m, but for now, I'll keep my favourite kids' names close to my chest.



Roze by any name would spell as sweet

THE phonetic spelling popular in text messaging and emails has been blamed for degrading the English language.

Now it's being fingered for a trend in unconventionally spelt baby names.

Parents are shunning traditional spellings for versions such as Alex-Zander, Cam'ron, Emma-Lee, Ozkah, Thaillah and Ameleiyah.

Analysing Australian births in 2007, social analyst Mark McCrindle found the name Jayden was registered spelt 12 ways, Aidan nine ways, and Amelia and Tahlia eight ways.

Lachlan had five other versions - Lochlyn, Lochlin, Lochlen, Lochlain and Lauchlan.

"The use of a 'y' instead of an 'i' has hit epidemic proportions, as has the use of 'k' over 'c' like in the names Jaykob and Lynkon, double letters like Siimon and Chriss and hyphens like Emma-Lee," said Mr McCrindle, of private research agency McCrindle Research.

The trend was due to the phonetic spelling in email and text messaging and to parents wanting their children to stand out, he said.

"Gen X parents were the first generation to grow up themselves with mum not staying home with the kids or their parents divorcing, and they hated their parents not being around to show them love.

"Knowing they will probably recreate some of those sins, they now are naming their kids uniquely to show how individual and special they are to them.

"There is also a bit of backlash against the conservative names like Jack, Ella and Olivia."

Jacquelene and Ashley Wilkinson named their daughters Briarna, born on February 15, and Maddisen, 16 months, in the hope of influencing their nicknames.

"We wanted conservative, girly names for our children. I don't like some of the more out-there names people are giving their kids," Ms Wilkinson, from Bulleen said.

"We liked the sound of the name Brianna, but I didn't want her be an 'Anna' because we like the nickname 'Bree', so we decided on Briarna."

Ms Wilkinson had wanted to call her first daughter Madison, but a friend wasn't so sure.

"She said, 'God I hate names that rhyme. They must get so teased at school' off-handedly once and I thought, 'Oh no, what am I doing with Madison Wilkinson?' " she said.

"But I've loved the name forever and didn't want to give it up, so my husband and I were on the internet one night and saw the spelling Maddisen, and knew that was it."

Source: Herald Sun, March 6, 08

Church = Hypocrites?

I read in a Mansfield newspaper recently about a church sign in Mansfield (a short drive away from where we are) that went something like this:

This church is not full of hypocrites,

There's room for more.

I'm not sure about you but in a way, that hit the nail somewhat. It made a statement, but it also showed the church could laugh at itself. In effect, the world is full of hypocrites, isn't that true? There are also hypocrites in church. We are all hypocrites at some point in our lives. Some people may live their lives as hypocrites while others are unintentional hypocrites. Are there times when I know I'm being a hypocrite?

What the statement said to me, as a believer, was "are you a hypocrite? is it time to confess and change". I know only Christ Jesus can make that change in me cos I am not able, I am weak, and sometimes, I don't want to change enough cos I don't want to do the hard yards.

Bringing Millie home!

One of the milestones for us, after returning from Singapore, was picking our puppy, Millie, home. It was a bit traumatic for me last weekend when we had to confirm which puppy, out of a litter of 8, that we want. As we had enquired about puppies since April last year, we were on the top of the list and had the first pick out of the 8 puppies.

The very first time when we first saw the litter of puppies, which was a few days after we were back home after our trip to Singapore in January, I fell in love with a red-collared puppy because she slept and stayed still while I carried her in my arms while the rest of the puppies just wanted to get down. So, when I saw the same puppy again last weekend, I carried her in my arms and had my eyes set on her and she was same as usual, kept still while I hugged her.

However, Phill had his eyes set on another puppy. She was very friendly to Phill and then went and sat in the sun herself. The puppy breeder's son told us that this puppy particularly like being on her own and laying in the sun. Compared to the other puppies who had to huddle together, she was happy being on her own.

Anyway, even though Phill was very besotted with this puppy, he said that we will get the red collared puppy that we were so besotted with.

However, the whole trip home (3 hours drive), I was troubled and did not have any peace at all. Phill went and had a nap and I tried to close my eyes to sleep but I couldn't. So, I sms-d my brother, Gary, and rang him to talk to him and bawled my eyes out. I was so torn. I wanted the puppy that I chose but Phill always gives in to me and I wanted to give in to him this time. And Gary advised that I pray about it and then ring the breeder and if the puppy that Phill wanted was still available, that would be my answer. So that's what I did. I prayed and rang the breeder, Carol, and she said, the puppy Phill wanted and the puppy we chose were the last 2 puppies left. There was only one family due to see their puppy (they didn't have a choice being the last on the list) and would be seeing the puppy Phill wanted. While talking to Carol, couldn't help myself and broke down. She was very kind and understood how I felt. And she asked me three times when I said we would have the puppy Phill wanted (which meant the family that was due to arrive will have my red-collared puppy). Then she said that she noticed how the puppy Phill liked was the first puppy that went up to him and 'introduced' herself to him. She was very friendly to Phill and was the one that picked him out. I was sure I made the right choice then as I believed very strongly in having the puppy pick you.

Photos of Millie when we picked her up today.

What a wonderful trip to Singapore!

Phill and I spent about 32 days in Singapore in our annual pilgrimage back home. And we had fun!!! We caught up with family and friends, and ate most of the local food that we missed for a year. And it felt good to be on a holiday.

I managed to meet more friends this time than I did in any of my previous trips and was glad for it. I even met up with some of my primary school classmates I hadn't seen in ages! And time just flew when we were chatting. It was so reassuring to see that they hardly changed since primary school - doesn't that mean we hardly age?

With Wiggie, a dear friend who I will remember for volunteering to help me at my wedding, I had very interesting conversations. She was telling me about the wild parties at her apartment block and I was telling her how I feel so tired after work and usually get to bed at about 9.30pm and still feel tired the next day. And Wiggie made me laugh when she said, "dear girl, we're getting old." Are we? ....hahahaha.....I'm still in denial. I'm just telling myself it's the Singapore lifestyle vs the Australia lifestyle.

Phill and I have so many memories of each trip to Singapore that we sometimes mix them up. We recall our dinner at Banana Leaf Restaurant, East Coast hawker Centre, Lau Pa Sat, and this trip, we had Botak Jones at Toa Payoh (upon excellent recommendation by Aunty Jenny) - YUM!

During this trip, we had a chance to meet my brother's girlfriend, Faith. And we like her! She's funny, easy-going, sensible and responsible. And most of all, in Phill's words, she's a very vital asset to our family because she knows all the good eating places in Singapore. She recommended a hawker centre in Bedok and there were heaps of good food!! It was YUMMY!

These are some photos of our trip:

My cousin, May, took Phill and I to Dempsey Hills for a meal. We haven't been there before and it was such a cool and relaxing place - a hideaway from the hustle and bustle of city life. Below was the chocolate cake and ice-cream Phill and I had (cos we had our dinner already) but I could only take one photo cos a waiter came swiftly to say management does not allow photos taken of their meals -- ok.

Meeting my former colleagues from National Arts Council - Christina, me, Celine, Sock Hwang and Jessie.
My brother's girlfriend, Faith, who like us is a foodie too - Yeah!!! But unlike us, she can keep her really slim frame! One of my favourite dishes at the buffet at Merchant Court Hotel - durian! Yum!
Phill enjoying his pepper crabs at Merchant Court Hotel (tho his fave is butter).
Our favourite satay place is Fat Man Satay at Lau Pa Sat.
Changi Prison Chapel Museum - I didn't even knew this museum exists previously until Phill asked to visit it on his first trip to Singapore 10 years ago. The museum was also moved about a few years ago to a new location not far off from its previous location. The previous location was not the chapel's original location though. Its original location is actually in the Changi Prison itself.
A board hung in the chapel area of the museum for visitors to post their messages. I find it very heartbreaking to read the messages from nieces, nephews, sons, daughters, grandchildren of Australian and English servicemen who were prisoners-of-war in Singapore.
A beautiful poem in tribute to the servicemen who were imprisoned in Singapore.
Phill absolutely loves Gary's dog - Sacha! She's gorgeous and we think of her heaps when we're in Australia. We love her friendly and personable nature and she loves to play! I'm sold on miniature schnauzers after Sacha!
Grandma's 82th birthday!!! We had a great time just being together as an extended family!
Our meal at Botak Jones in Toa Payoh! The above was a yummy dish that I can't remember and from the photo below, it's easy to tell that Phill was impressed with both the quality and quantity of his meal. And also, he loves fooling around with the camera - hahaha! My cousin, Zachary, is to the left of the photo. It was good to see Zach since we hardly see him much due to us being in Australia and he is a busy guy too.

Above - Another yummy dish (think it was my dinner) at Botak Jones that I can't remember.

Concerts!

I was really glad to have the opportunity to attend 3 concerts when I was in Singapore. The first was a Jacky Cheung (HongKong singer and actor) concert with my brother, Gary, and his girlfriend, Faith. That concert was brilliant and cos I've never watched him live in concert (can't remember if I've watched him on dvd), I really enjoyed every bit of it. Jacky's attempts at dancing which was pretty good at some spots. But his voice was beautiful - it's unique and singing those familiar songs that span more than 10 years of my life brought back memories and tingles down my spine. He was a consummate and cheeky performer, sharing little titbits of his family life and his kids. I must say one of my favourite songs is the lullaby he wrote for his 2nd daughter. It was simple but very meaningful. I enjoyed this concert very much and was sad to see it end.

I know we're not supposed to take photos during the concert but I managed to sneak a few in and then tucked my camera away after that. Another concert-goer, who was quite stubborn, took many more photos and continued doing so even after he was warned. He was finally escorted out of the concert. I also saw some other audience members with long camera lenses. I think they were there for "work" (to sell those photos on ebay....tsk!).

Faith and Gary at Jacky Cheung concert


The 2nd concert I attended was a Fei Yuqing (an evergreen singer from Taiwan) with my parents. Most of the concert goers were senior citizens and they came in droves and gave him so much support, even though some of the audience looked abit too frail. It was a very nice concert and I was surprised that I knew the tunes of some songs even if I didn't know the title of those songs. Fei Yuqing also told some jokes and imitated some of the stalwarts in the entertainment scene which drew laughter and applause. He was very good and most of all, he looked so good. I enjoyed this concert too, and differently from the Jacky Cheung concert.


The final concert I attended was free because my cousin (Charlotte) got Phill and me tickets!!! Yipppeee! My first memory of listening to Suzanne Vega was when I was in primary school and my cousin, Nicholas, used to pull out the new CDs his sister, Charlotte, bought after returning for holidays from her overseas studies in Paris and USA. And one of those CDs was Suzanne Vega's debut album and her songs, "Luka" and "Tom's Diner", evoked memories I had when I first heard those 2 very famous songs. The concert was fabulous, intimate, and live! I had a chance to hear the back stories to the songs Suzanne wrote too and realised I knew more songs than I initially thought. I knew Caramel was included in the film soundtrack to The Truth About Cats and Dogs. I've heard Solitude Standing, Left of Centre and Marlene On The Wall before and love Small Blue Thing and In Liverpool. After the concert, Phill and I hung out with my cousins and Nicholas' friend, and it was such a fun night. Dinner was great and I had a chance to smoke a a hookah, which I've never done before. Thing was, I didn't know there was tobacco in it (I know, silly me) because there wasn't a strong tobacco smell or taste. It was an interesting experience!