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.

King of Fruits

"It's in season!" went the Facebook post by my dear cousin...which could only mean one thing!

A couple of WhatsApp messages later, we were on our way to her supplier in Chinatown for our King-of-the-Fruit fix. *yums*

101 Fruits at Keong Saik Rd is a family-run business which imports their durians from Malaysia and Thailand. However, the Malaysian varieties are definitely superior and we tried three different levels of taste. Really sweet, sweet and more-bitter-than-sweet...lol!
It was interesting to note that some patrons actually wore gloves to eat and my cousin told of a friend who would use chopsticks! All to prevent their fingers from smelling of durian long after the feasting was done.
But not us...no way!

Truth to tell, I'd recently had a craving for this fragrant and tasty repast, which I have loved since I was a kid. Strangely, my own kids never caught on to this wonderful fruit.
So now I mainly enjoy eating it with like-minded friends who totally understand the sheer pleasure of biting into the succulent flesh and getting it all off the seed....and licking our fingers clean...bliss!

So I've had my fill and craving is satisfied....for now. ;)

Wingardium Leviosa!

Ah yes!

I remember very clearly how Mr Potter cast his spell on me many years ago, one fateful afternoon in Popular Bookstore, which was then just around the corner from my workplace.
It was about 1:45pm and as I was wandering around the store, something compelled me to pick up a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Partly because there was great interest in the series as the movie adaptation was underway and due for release soon. And I was curious as to what the big deal was about this children's book.

Chapter One, entitled, The Boy Who Lived got my attention straight away!
And following that was:
"Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much......."
JK Rowling's narrative was so arresting that I had read about four pages of the book before I realised that it was nearly 2pm....and time to get back to work!
What else does a girl do but hop along to the cashier post-haste to part with her money and hurry back to the workplace, whilst wondering how to sneak in reads of the book for the rest of the afternoon....yes, it was that interesting!
I finished the book that very night and the next day, it was back to Popular to get the other two or three titles which were available then.
I even entered a contest by Popular for entries about why we loved Harry Potter....and I won a $50 voucher! Not bad, eh??

I cannot remember my exact words for that entry but it was to do with escapism in the magical world of Harry and friends, where one could have fun with the swish of a wand.
The school setting of Hogwarts was also reminiscent of all the beloved Enid Blyton books of my childhood like St Clare's, Mallory Towers and The Naughtiest Girl series in Whyteleaf School. The kids in those stories seemed to have so much fun at boarding school that I often wished I could do the same here in sunny Singapore too...lol!

Subsequent book releases would see me queueing up at Kinokuniya early on the Saturday mornings to grab them as soon as possible to devour and finish reading within a few hours....so keen was I to know what would happen in each new installment!

Anyway, the first Potter movie was released to a wonderful reception and I could certainly see why. Great casting for both the child and adult characters, a good script, John Williams' brilliant score and the attention to detail for the sets and costumes ensured that there would be more book-to-screen adaptations and the journey only ended last year with the release of the eighth and final movie.
What was amazing about this franchise was how beautifully the child actors stayed and grew up with the series over ten years!
And the plethora of acclaimed British actors who portrayed the senior wizards and witches were nothing short of awesome!
Special mention must be made of Alan Rickman's Professor Snape...those who have watched the movies and read the books will agree that he is easily the BEST character in the story,

Ok, now I feel like reading the books and watching the DVDs all over again!

A Mozart Memory

Growing up with piano lessons and lots of music in school and at home gave me an opportunity to learn to enjoy both classical and pop music. My piano background enabled me to appreciate the great masters such as Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy et al and there was also lots of pop music going on at home and at school.
I'm glad to say that I'm equally at home, listening quietly at an SSO concert or screaming and singing along at a pop/rock gig. :)

Listening to the classical music station this evening in the car, I thought back to my very first orchestral concert experience which was the Singapore Symphony Orchestra sometime back in the early 80s...I think. I do remember clearly that I attended it with my best friend, MY and the conductor was Choo Huey. The SSO was in its infancy then and it was quite an exciting time for the classical music scene locally.
Here is a link to a blog post by my friend Dr Chang Tou Liang, a well-known pianophile, about the history of our local orchestra:

http://pianofortephilia.blogspot.com/2009/10/short-history-of-singapore-symphony.html

As MY and I both loved the piano too, it was most appropriate that the programme for the concert we attended featured not one, but TWO pianists and on TWO pianos...viz Mozart's Double Piano Concerto in E-Flat Major KV365. And the pianists were none other than our very own Toh Chee Hung and her partner, Dennis Lee (from Malaysia).
It was truly a night to remember as the concerto is very easy to listen to (it's Mozart, after all!)and their performance was wonderfully enthusiastic and brilliant in every way. One could see that they were having a lot of fun playing together!
It's a pity there isn't a youtube clip of that concert but I did find clips of Mdm Toh and Mr Lee and I shall share them here:

Something more recent:

And this is the first movement of that concerto in three clips from youtube but NOT the SSO....I love this piece!

MY and I frequently enjoyed getting together to play duets too. :)
I would usually pop over to her place as she had a grand piano (Bosendorfer, no less!) and one absolute favourite was the Mozart Symphony No 40 in G Minor for Four Hands. Haha....we could more or less manage the first movement with lots of practice!
After all these years, we still like to play it but unfortunately, due to lack of practice, there are mistakes aplenty but there's just something about playing a duet which is really fun!

MY:

If you're reading this, hope you enjoyed this little trip down Memory Lane!