Call Me TWI-MUM!!

Twilight-obsession began sometime after mid-2008 when I started reading the books but was only truly cemented after I watched the first movie in Dec 2008.
In an earlier post, I had mentioned that it was my son's reading of the first book which intrigued me and even up till I watched the movie, I was not really caught up in the pre-movie hype.

http://fandomizfun.blogspot.sg/2012/04/bitten.html

I even bought the movie companion for my son and as he was not in Singapore, I kept it on my bookshelf, unopened and unread.
Well, I remember walking into the movie without knowing what to expect and walking out of the theatre with only one thought on my mind:
"I MUST watch this AGAIN!!!"
(As it turned out, the movie also spawned an enormously popular franchise which made the actors and Stephenie Meyer into superstars literally overnight.)


Haha...I would eventually watch it five times in all; alone, with another son, with the TwiSg girls. ;)
There was no stopping the Twi-mania therafter.
Books, magazines, piano books, CDs, yadayadayada....
I made a whole new bunch of friends from Twilight Singapore, whose passion for the franchise go waaay beyond mine.
We had loads of fun online, especially when two of them went for the Twilight premiere in Tokyo; I remember being really excited about their updates, especially when they saw Robert Pattinson at Narita Airport!
They have also organised lots of interesting events for each movie and I'm looking forward to the Twilight marathon when Breaking Dawn Part 2 is released in November!!
Thank you so much, you amazing ladies for keeping the Twi-light aflame!!!

Here's the website for those who are keen to follow updates:

http://twilightsingapore.com/
 

I also discovered many other like-minded friends, some through unexpected ways from comments on Facebook or random conversations.
And Kinokuniya became a favourite haunt for all the books and magazines related to Twilight, when I realised how immensely up-to-date their stocks were....and which I'll showcase further below.
And I was even interviewed by a local women's magazine about the Twilight phenomenon and why Edward Cullen was such a beguiling character for the ladies, young and not-so-young. ;)


I now present the collection I've amassed over the past four years:

First came the books, which I bought from Borders. I love how creased and dog-eared they are...shows they've been well-read!

Then came the movie cover editions:

 The DVDs, CDs of the OSTs/scores, piano books and movie companions:

 
Official Guide to the Saga, Bree Tanner novella and Twilight graphic novels....note how beautifully the two covers form a composite!

 And there were lots of spin-off books:

Magazines galore!!

And merchandise like a teeshirt from another Twi-Mum, calendars and an Eclipse folder with Edward on one side and Jacob on the other!

Edit on 23 July 2012:

Thank you, Laura for sending me this beautiful board game!

Now awaiting BD2 stuff!!!

Retro rocks!

I feel so privileged to have partied in the era of 80s new wave, Brit pop, synth pop and dance music which is now so popularly known as Retro and is kept alive by Mambo Jambo Nites at Zouk, lots of airplay on radio stations which dedicate whole days and sometimes nights to these songs alone, and concerts like Retrolicious. Many of the singers and groups from those good old days are still performing and have popped by our shores quite frequently for fans to rock out nostalgically with.

Bananarama, Rick Astley, Belinda Carlisle, Human League, Howard Jones, Tears For Fears, Kylie Minogue, Johnny Hates Jazz, Spandau Ballet, Cyndi Lauper, Mike and The Mechanics, to name a few and Madonna is of course still going strong (although she has yet to come to Singapore).
There are simply too many for me to name them all and I have started compiling a list on my youtube channel, which has more than fifty songs and still counting.
Michael Jackson was also tremendously popular at that time and I saw how his style and looks evolved, at times with considerable alarm. It was really saddening when he passed on so suddenly and with so much more music that he could have given the world.

Where was I in the 80s?
In junior college and then on to Uni, where going for the Hops and Jams at the different faculties  ensured that I heard the latest hits and bopped along enthusiastically with youthful exuberance!
Actually, I still bop along happily after all these years!!
Those were great times in the Kent Ridge campus at the Central Admin atrium, where we had live bands performing in the earlier part of the evening (the Jam) followed by the dancing (the Hop).
And of course, the best thing was that it was all FOC!!!
Definitely very useful for poor not-earning undergrads!!

The radio was also a constant companion in those days. There was not the Internet as we know it now. And staying in the hostel for three years coupled with a very packed schedule meant I did not get to watch much TV, which is why I completely did not catch on to the MTV craze.
I only listened to the songs on the radio (and later on CDs) and it was only until recently that I've gotten more interested in music videos, partly due to my sons' viewing habits but mostly due to my Jay Chou fandom, as he is one artiste who believes wholeheartedly in producing a MV for almost every song on all his albums!


Those were also the days of vinyl records and cassette tapes. The latter was frustrating to have sometimes when the tape would got caught in the cassette player and become unwound and thus unplayable!
Vinyl records could also get scratched if not handled with care (not unlike CDs today).

Cassette tapes slowly gave way to CDs in the late 80s and I well remember how excited some of my friends were about these discs and would wax lyrical about how much better the sound was and go on buying sprees.
Indeed, my hubby also got caught up in the CD and audiophile craze, acquiring 'high-end' sound systems and all kinds of CDs, especially classical music but I think we've not listened to even half of what we bought...lol!
A frequent and favourite haunt was Dave Boo's Sembawang Music Centre. He was a pioneer in the CD business then. :)

I'm pretty certain 80s music will stand the test of time.
What with Glee remakes and people like me who refuse to be influenced by 90s music (but don't get me wrong...I do like the Backstreet Boys!), these songs hold a special place in my heart, mind and memory and simply put, they are so infectiously fun to sing and dance to and also to plug into when I'm running!


To end, here is my youtube list, which is still in the process of being added to:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL217D251EC6705420&feature=plcp

I will always LOVE these songs!!!

All By Myself...

I just came home from watching The Amazing Spiderman on a Tuesday night (when tickets are cheapest!)...alone but not feeling at all lonely.

People are often surprised when I tell them that I enjoy going to the cinema on my own...well, to be fair, I have a couple of friends who agree with me but, the vast majority apparently do not and cannot fathom how this can be so.

I did not always feel like that, though.
When I was much younger, watching a movie was definitely a social activity to be shared with friends, eating popcorn and chattering excitedly pre and post show.

But I got my first taste of flying solo when I got caught up in the first Lord Of The Rings movie. The Fellowship Of The Ring. It was fantastic on first viewing, what with its amazing music, storyline, special effects and cast...especially Orlando Bloom's Legolas.
I walked out of the theatre with only one thought on my mind: "I gotta watch this again!"
And that was exactly what I did a few days later...by myself...albeit a little apprehensively at first, but I discovered, to my tremendous delight, what a liberating experience it was!
I could just immerse myself wholeheartedly in the movie, indulging all my senses.
And I also realised that I prefer not to eat during a show as that activity distracts me from following the movie properly.

Ever since then, I have had no qualms whatsoever about going it alone...but it has usually been when I wanted to re-watch to get more out of the movie.
This happened with the other two LOTR movies, all the Twilight movies and a few of the Potter ones.
Admittedly, I'm very used to doing things on my own, a habit from primary schooldays when I was content to eat my lunch whilst absorbed in a book as I had to stay back to wait for my mother after school.

I guess I'm just happy in my own company. ;)

Edward Cullen vs Jay Chou

From my post on multistars forums back in November 2011:


My two fandoms collided this November, what with Jay's new album and the release of Breaking Dawn Part 1!
It was somewhat inevitable that my brain would wander into comparing Edward Cullen, the unconventional and fictional vampire versus Jay Chou, also unconventional but a very real and red-blooded human (or is he??).

So here are my musings thus far...Twilight and Jay fans will understand but non-fans can read it for a laugh!

First, the similarities:

1) Music!

Both Edward and Jay play the piano, compose and have tremendous musicality.

2) Cars!

Both are crazy about cars and fast ones, at that!

3) Sports!

Edward loves baseball; Jay loves basketball.

4) Skin!

Edward, of course, has amazing skin but Jay's can easily rival his...in fact, one of my friends, when she first found out about my Jay-mania...her first comment was: He has such beautiful skin!

5) Superhero!
Jay is of course, Superman and as for Edward, Bella initially wondered if he was like a superhero from the comics!

6) Filial piety

Edward thinks the world of his vampire parents, Carlisle and Esme. Like Jay's tremendous love and respect for his mother and grandmother, and I'm pretty sure, his Dad too.

7) No need for sleep?

Edward NEVER sleeps and Jay, seemingly, does not require much either, judging by the way he works!

8) Virtuous

They're both quite old-school, which is really nice!
Edward cares about Bella's 'virtue' and Jay cares about his (girl)friends' too, from what he has mentioned numerous times about not wanting to be photographed with them by the pappz so as not to 'tarnish' their reputations.

9) Wealthy!

Both are RICH!!!!

10) Facial features

Here's a description of Edward's face from Eclipse:

"...the hard square of his jaw, the softer curve of his full lips---twisted up into a smile now, the straight line of his nose, the sharp angle of his cheekbones, the smooth marble span of his forehead..."

Could easily describe Jay's face too, ya?
Especially the cheekbones part!
No mention of dimples on Edward tho'!;)

11) Immortality!

Edward is a vampire....vampires are immortal. 'Nuff said!
Jay is The Incomparable One, whose immortality will span more than just The Era, thanks to his music and other works. :)
Jay also channelled a vampire in this song/MV for The Era...brilliant!

 
12) Magic

Edward can read minds (all except Bella's!).
Jay can apparently do the same too when he performs magic!



Now for the differences( which are quite obvious, really):

1) Diet

Edward only drinks blood.
Jay can eat anything!

2) Dates

Edward doesn't date.
Jay...definitely does!

3) Water

Edward swims well...of course.
Jay is hydrophobic!

4) Languages

Edward speaks like, a thousand and one languages.
Jay is, unfortunately, still quite monolingual, in spite of his TGH experience. :(

5) Self-confidence (or lack thereof)

Edward has this continuous self-loathing and doubt.
Jay...the complete opposite!

6) Old vs young soul

Edward is, well, definitely an 'old' man at heart.
Jay has alot of the child in him still. :)

7) Sense of fun

This probably relates to Point 7.

Edward is really quite serious most of the time whilst you can always count on Jay to have fun at his friends' expense, playing tricks on them!


I love these two dudes!!!

And incidentally, 20 June (tomorrow) is Edward's birthday!!

Birthday Celebrations: Fangirl Style

Just a few days ago, this fangirl celebrated the anniversary of her birth many moons ago.
And no, I'm not revealing anything here but those who do not know me but have read my earlier posts should be able to do a little elementary Math and have a rough idea of just how many candles should be on the bunch of Chinese birthday buns in that pic. ;)

In previous years, I would usually only take a day's leave on my actual birthday but last year, I could not even get that particular date due to manpower shortages at work.
So I was determined to make up for it this year by taking not just one, but THREE whole days off to indulge in my favourite things with some of my favourite people.

Sigh...as luck would have had it, I was destined to have a challenging time at work the very day before my leave started. It seems to be such a familiar pattern that sometimes I wonder if that's God's way of making me cherish my leave even more (like I don't already love it enough!). *grimace*
Anyway, what happened on that day had quite a profound and sobering effect on me, with the result that my celebrations over the next few days would be tinged with a little regret and remorse.
Nonetheless, as my friend V advised me:
"Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but doesn't get you anywhere."
And I would reflect much to learn from the experience so as to grow from it as well.

Enough of the serious stuff!

Day One saw me having a nice lunch with two of my boys and hubby, a luxury to be enjoyed only because it is school holidays. And later that night, it was a night of karaoke-ing with three other like-minded girlfriends (C, A and L), singing only songs by Jay Chou and Mayday (fandom time!)

Day Two came and it was time for yet another lunch with two precious longtime friends (from Primary schooldays, no less!), MY and V at Swensen's, where I had been reliably informed that I could get a Firehouse Sundae, FOC, on account of my birthday!

Following which it was time to pay a visit to the Harry Potter exhibition, which had recently opened at the Art Science Museum, Marina Bay Sands (fandom time again!).
It was a nice trip down Potter Memory Lane for me and my family, as we relived the magic of the movies whilst wandering through the costumes, props and other memorabilia associated with this wonderful franchise. I may post separately about the exhibition.
Tempted I was to get a wand from the merchandise shop but decided against it eventually as my fandomania lay more in another direction currently.

Day Three dawned bright and sunny...thankfully, as I had a golf game lined up with three ladies, whom I had not had a chance to play with for more than a year. We used to play together occasionally more than a year ago but due to many reasons, we had not managed to keep up any regularity for the game, which is really quite time-consuming.
However, I do love golf...and will expand on this in another post some time soon.

It was then time for fandoming again that night, as I persuaded my dear hubby to accompany me to JCube to check out a Jay Chou-themed Disco Night at The Rink. :)
Check out the post here from my Jay blog:

http://jaychoudiaoness.blogspot.sg/2012/06/jay-disco-nite-at-rink.html

Needless to say, it was fun enjoying Jay's music whilst watching other people skating. :)

And on that very pleasant note, three days of birthday leave came to an end.
But the next two days were the weekend, which meant more time off to recharge before reporting back to work today.

Now I look forward to another day of leave in two weeks' time when I attend my eldest son's prize-giving ceremony at his former school!

Bibliophile: Kinokuniya

One afternoon in my favourite bookstore which was having a 'Grand Summer Sale' and I happily came home with that stack of beautiful volumes, just waiting to be savoured, :)
To be honest, Singapore does not have summer, as it were.
But the important word there is 'Sale'....which accounts partly for the quantity purchased.

Anyway, I would like to pay tribute to Kinokuniya, a Japanese-owned chain which is my lunchtime haunt, especially when in the midst of a fandom frenzy.
I am indeed fortunate to work in the same building as the biggest outlet for Kino (as it's affectionately referred to by all and sundry) their stock is very up-to-date; staff are courteous, efficient and helpful; and the ambience is oh-so-conducive to browsing.

"A place where I almost always find what I want and what I did not know I wanted!"

That's my tagline for this satisfying bookstore and describes a situation which has occurred many times.
I'd walk in to pick up a book which I had reserved or had my mind on and end up walking out with another one or two magazines which just *happened* to be there.
And for a fangirl like me, Kinokuniya is HEAVEN!
I've lost count of the number of actors' biographies from their shelves which have ended up on mine eg Ewan McGregor, Johnny Depp, Michael J Fox, Robert Pattinson, to name a few.
They also brought in every Twilight/Potter-related books and mags there were and almost always at the same time as their releases in the US.

And although there are no English books about Jay Chou, Kino has a comprehensive Chinese section which stocks all the latest books and mags, which I can be sure to get not long after said books and mags have been mentioned on Facebook.
The Japanese section is probably even more comprehensive and I've seen Malay, French and German merchandise....truly a cosmopolitan bookstore!

I say unreservedly....Kino's stocks encompass all genres and subjects...a most amazing feat.
Borders used to be a worthy rival but somewhere along the line, that chain lost the plot and my loyalties soon lay firmly with Kino. :)

Ok...gotta go now....I've started sinking my teeth into that pile above...

Fandom...NOT: Part One

In a reversal of sentiment, I shall post about an activity which I am absolutely NOT a fan of.

It was a fine day in Dec 2010, en route to Yong Pyong ski resort in South Korea with my family, in anticipation of learning a new skill....yup, sliding down a snowy slope with balance and grace.
First stop was at the ski shop to get our jackets, pants, skis, etc.
The shop guy gave me a suit which made me look totally like the Pink Panther. *grimace*
The skis were another matter altogether....just getting into the boots was an ordeal...and trying to move in them was daunting indeed.
We also met our instructor there, a handsome dude from Australia who liked to spend his summer on the slopes giving lessons to clueless newbies like us.

Clumping in my boots to the snow to strap on my skis, I gulped.
Why was I even doing this??
Oh yes...it was because I had always wanted to try skiing after seeing all those pics of friends on Facebook decked out in their ski suits and posting about slaloms, pists and what-nots.

Anyway, our instructor ( I can't remember his name...let's just call him Dave) patiently explained all the do's and don'ts of how to fall and get up and I ventured forth on a flat expense of snow to take my first faltering steps....and fell after only two.
Getting up was impossible. Dave had to help me up and off I went again....and fell. Sigh....this was not going to be easy.

I'll spare you the details of how I even managed to move a few steps and cut to the part where Dave suggested we try coming down a gentle slope.
So up we went on the ski lift to the top of the beginner's run.
The ski lift ride was nice but after I had gotten off and was looking at the expense of slope going downhill, I gulped again.
Well...I slid a little....and fell.
Took about 10 minutes trying to get up using the technique Dave had taught....but eventually had to unstrap my skis and get to my feet clumsily.
A few more tries of this and I finally decided enough was enough.
I was hot and sweaty; my nose had been running non-stop; and I was TIRED!
Not to mention the fact that sliding even down a very short distance was, I discovered, a terrifying feeling for me....and not at all exhilarating.
I was certain I would fall and break something or go uncontrollably fast and end up crashing into someone or something at the bottom.
In the end, I had to tandem-ski down with Dave, hugging him from behind for dear life and my sense of relief when I reached the bottom was immense beyond belief.
And that was is for the rest the afternoon...for me, at least.

The next day, I attempted to ski again....but I could not even get my boots attached on to the skis properly. Somehow, they were just not clicking into place when I stepped on them.
I took that as a message from the universe...happily.
No more skiing for me....ever.