Another concert

Yundi Li

This time it’s a live concert!  Yundi Li in Roy Thomson Hall… thanks to a last-minute single ticket from my co-worker!  The seat was so good!!!  I was no more than 10m from the piano (3rd row on the main floor, right in the middle)!!!

 

I haven’t been to a concert at RTH for so long… I think the last time was an Anne-Sophie Mutter/Toronto Symphony Orchestra one, perhaps 6-7 years ago?

I have my doubts about hosting a piano recital in such a big concert hall… recitals are best in a small and cozy hall (Mutter at George Weston Hall in North York comes to mind). But I guess with so many people interested, there is no other choice. Since I sat so close, I don’t really care… hahahaha…

A side note, I hope the strengthening Canadian dollar will bring in more well-known artists to Toronto now, especially Ms. Mutter (she hasn’t been back for years)!

 

Got there 10 min before it started… which is a bad idea with these classical concerts. Unless you know the pieces performed, you will need some time to read the programme. Unfortunately, I am not much of an expert on piano pieces so I had to do a quick scan.

 

It’s basically the same programme as in his latest album, "Vienna Recital"… except a different Liszt piece (Sonata in B Minor).

A bit of everything… a playful sonata from Mozart, a colourful "Carnaval" from Schumann, a showpiece from Liszt (this piano sonata, according to the programme, has been called "impossible", "monstrous" and "sublime") and then for encore, one from Chopin, another is a Chinese piece(?).

 

I’m no music critic but I can say he is quite a virtuosi with charisma (ask the ladies!) and I enjoyed the recital a lot. You can feel the heat coming from the music, especially when he was playing Liszt!  The music does inspire people… perhaps I should start listening to classical music more again as I was told I lack the ability to inspire people…

 

I overheard a Caucasian woman in her 50s behind me (she was so loud):

 

"Oh, he is such a handsome young man!" (Note: she was referring to Yundi Li, not me)

 

"Oh, there are so many Chinese tonight!  I guess it’s because he is Chinese." (Note: Dah!!  From my observation, I would say about 70% Chinese… the people in front of and besides me all speak Cantonese)

 

"Oh, please stop talking like that and don’t embarrass me!" (Note: to her husband, but she should be the one to shut up!)

 

Annoying!!

 

Yundi stayed around to sign CDs afterwards… super long lineups… I spent C$17 to buy the "Vienna Recital" and waited more than 30 min and got to meet him up close. I said "thank you" and he said "thank you", hahahaha…

 

Anyhoo, took some pics with my cell phone, not the greatest quality, but trust me, it’s him… haha…

And the autographed CD (let me know if you want to try it)!

http://www.roythomson.com/eventInfo.cfm?P=3232&YearMonth=2006,4 

http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/artistmicrosite/?ART_ID=LIYUN

http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/special/index.htms?ID=yundili-viennarecital

And the fairy tale continues…

Middlesbrough

This is simply unbelievable… I wrote about Middlesbrough‘s remarkable comeback a few weeks ago and they did it again tonight in the UEFA Cup semi-final 2nd leg!!!!

 

Just like in the quarterfinal, they had to score 4 goals to avoid elimination… and again, they only had 70 min to do so!

And just like any soccer fairy tale, against all odds, they scored the fourth goal, the only difference this time being it happened in the 89th min!!

 

The English commentator just went nuts on the fourth goal… and the whole stadium went crazy… hahahaha…

 

Even though a mediocre team, I do hope they will go on to win the UEFA Cup final… that would be the perfect ending to the fairy tale.

 

Ok, so as I recall a few weeks ago, I said the moral of the first story is "Never give up even in the worst situation (but you also need a bit of luck)"… I think the moral of the second story is "Just never give up. Period."…

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=196052&cc=5901

Concert

Hacken & Jolin

I don’t buy a lot of music CDs these days… well, beside yanzi, haha… but I bought a few during lunch last Friday and I have been listening to Hacken concert 2006 in the car.

When I do get a choice, I prefer to buy the concert version… there are always some pleasant surprises in live performances.

 

The Hacken concert is really good as he picked 90% of his good old songs. I heard these two before, but I can’t help but keep repeating them again and again… I need some happy songs… the lyrics are so sweet (especially 飛花, the first few lines are so well written)!

 

I will try the Jolin one tomorrow… I love 檸檬草的味道!

 

高妹

歌手：李克勤 | 作曲：梁詠琪 填詞：李克勤 | 編曲：   從來身高　沒那麼高都不會去羨慕 為何今天　令我彷彿失一點分數 跟你合照　挺胸收腹總是攀不到 難道不斷用力嘗試令我雙腳企高 ＊我沒有六尺高　我卻會待你好 　我會接受你一切的改造 　你似美麗城堡的一個待嫁的女巫 　有著各樣法術　一再施法使我迷倒 　吃一口送我的蛋糕　以後就不知道 　從此　只懂去抬頭望你 　似對著神聖的海報 　做你的俘虜＊ 長期服務　付出不等於你有義務 閒來想想　亦有一點不知所措 感覺就似　聽到聲音可是觸不到 但你一站在人群裡便會把你看到　無從投訴 我沒有六尺高　我卻會待你好 我會接受你一切的改造 你似美麗城堡的一個待嫁的女巫 有著各樣法術　一再施法使我迷倒 吃一口送我的蛋糕　以後就不知道 從此　只懂去抬頭望你 似對著神聖的海報 REPEAT＊ 隨傳隨到

——————————————– 

飛花

歌手：李克勤 | 作曲：李偲菘
填詞：陳少琪 | 編曲：吳慶隆

 

凌晨同靜望　奇幻冰雕亮光
你我抱擁於陌生的地方
同遊零度下　純白色的札幌
你說要永遠擁有這夜風光

＊綿綿頭上飛花　散聚了無牽掛
　誰能求漫天雪地裡這溫暖長留下
　綿綿頭上飛花
　能遇上壯麗落霞　(能遇上一次落霞)
　如像你跟我　暫借的火花＊

為何流下淚　沉在一碗熱湯
你說你擔心　若我不在旁
為何還在願望　黎明後捉緊曙光
你我有過這個故事　便至死未忘

REPEAT＊

綿綿頭上飛花　散聚了無牽掛
誰能求漫天雪地裡這足印不退下
綿綿頭上飛花　能遇上一次落霞
如像你跟我　暫借的火花
懷念那一剎　耀眼的火花

 

Sour Grape

Mourinho

Another win for Liverpool, and a major one against the champion Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final. Chelsea won’t get the domestic double this season… hehe…

 

It was an exciting game and Liverpool won fair and square… but the most interesting stuff happened in the post-match interview with Chelsea’s manager Jose Mourinho… you know, for a manager this calibre, he shouldn’t really talk like this:

 

"Did the best team win today? I don’t think so. In the last 30 minutes we deserved extra time."

 

"I cannot wish them luck in the final. Middlesbrough and West Ham will be there and I must respect them."

 

"In the Premiership they have no chance. Over 40 matches no chance. Maybe they will surprise me and they can do it."

 

"But in 10 matches against us they have won twice. In the Premiership the distance between the teams is 45 points over two seasons. We beat them in a final, they beat us in two semi-finals. A psychological advantage? I don’t think so."

 

"In four matches in the Premiership we beat them four times."

 

And he added somewhat mischievously: "I wish them luck for their qualification match in the Champions League."

 

What a sour grape!  He didn’t even shake hands with Liverpool‘s manager after the match… I agree he is a very good manager, but definitely not a classy gentleman… haha…

 

Another lesson learned here… always exit gracefully and control your mouth.

 

Hopefully, Liverpool will win the FA Cup in a few weeks and I’ll have a new MSN pic with Gerrard holding the FA Cup high!

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=195935&cc=5901

Cars

Honda Accord

I guess this is really the end… our first family car in Canada, a green 91 Honda Accord, was sold yesterday.

 

I have so many memories with the car… I drove it to high school for years!  It’s tough to say goodbye to something you’ve been with for so long… really, when you spend that much time with anything, you are bound to feel attached to (or to fall in love with) it. Right?

I think my sis has a tougher time saying goodbye because she drove it to audit clients far away for the last few years… haha… anyhoo, it’s gone now… she got a CR-V as replacement. (And I just found out another friend bought a subaru.)

 

You don’t see that many on the road now (this metallic green is a very special blend of green, quite eye-catching, won’t have difficulty finding it in a crowded parking lot)… next time you see one in Toronto, if there is "Sisley" logo at the back, chances are it’s our Accord.

 

I guess all good things must come to an end?  Or perhaps, like that Shakespearean play, "All’s Well That Ends Well"?

 

The price is C$1500, btw… here are some pics:

Second Act

Robbie Fowler

Yeah!!  Another league victory (7 straight wins) for Liverpool today and another goal for Robbie Fowler (fourth goal in his last four starts)… I guess they will finish at least third this season, and if Man Utd drops more points, possibly second!

 

The real story here is resurgence of Robbie Fowler… for those of you not familiar with Liverpool, he was possibly the best England striker in the early 90’s. But ever since he got transferred out of Liverpool, his form suffered a lot (plus injuries). He is over 30 now and most observers have written him off, saying he has gone past his prime.

 

Perhaps, perhaps… but he seems a totally different player now that he is back in the Liverpool camp (a surprise free transfer back to old club in January). He never really wanted to leave Liverpool in the first place and he loves his old club. Fowler remained a Liverpool fan after he initially left the club; he was in the Istanbul crowd when Liverpool won the Champions League in 2005.

Fowler is seizing this second chance well. His return was warmly welcomed amongst Liverpool fans, who still hold Fowler in high regard.

 

So, is there life after 30?  I have my doubts after struggling for the past few weeks… but I will try to follow his example. Find something/someone you love, even if you stumble or mess up the first time, work extra hard to get a second chance.

 

I hope my resolve is as strong as his… and I hope he will get a long-term contract with Liverpool after this season.

A few thousand words

Evelyn

I was asked during lunch today… how do I come up with a topic everyday for the blog?  Haha… no, I doubt I can write interesting stuff every single day (and I haven’t written anything for a few days)… I am not a good writer at all. I should really refer that question to Morlinja!

 

I have stuff I want to share for the past few days… but I’m not sure if this blog is the appropriate place to do so… anyhoo, I took some pics of Amy’s daughter Evelyn with my Sony T11 today… she is so cute with her BIG eyes!!

 

A pictue is worth a thousand words… so here are a few thousand words from Evelyn!

 

Come to think of it, close to 90% of the pictures in my cell phone are of friends’ and classmates’ babies… haha…

 

Have a wonderful Easter holiday, everybody

Telemarketing

Seinfeld

Aren’t those telemarketing calls super annoying?

I got 2 calls tonight… and I didn’t even say "Hello" to the first caller. The minute I picked up and realized it’s another telemarketing call, I switched to my "hostile" tone and said "what’s this about?"… on the other end, the guy clearly wasn’t expecting this kind of response and tried to say "hi" again.

One more time, I said "WHAT’S THIS ABOUT?" and he said "frozen meat".

I said "No thanks" and hanged up.

 

For the second one, I wasted only a few seconds of my time… and here is a tip, assuming no or blocked caller ID: if you hear a long distance call (different ring tone) and if there is a 2-second dead air when you pick up, it’s 99.99% a telemarketing call and you can just hang up right there.

 

Jerry Seinfeld had his share of telemarketing calls and here are 2 conversations from "Seinfeld" (my favourite comedy!)…

 

————–

 

Telemarketer: Would you be interested in a subscription to the New York Times?
Jerry: Yes.
[hangs up]

 

————–

 

Jerry: This isn’t a good time.
Telemarketer: When would be a good time to call back, sir?
Jerry: I have an idea, why don’t you give me your home number and I’ll call you back later?
Telemarketer: Umm, we’re not allowed to do that.
Jerry: Oh, I guess because you don’t want strangers calling you at home.
Telemarketer: Umm, no.
Jerry: Well, now you know how I feel.
[hangs up phone]

 

————-

 

Great stuff… hahahaha…

I should write more about Seinfeld next time.

 

On a more serious note, US has a national "do not call" list set up already… but after years, Canada still has none (another proof that the previous Liberal government deserved to be out of power!)…

https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/INFO_SHT/t1022.htm

Laputa and Howl’s moving castle

Hayao Miyazaki

I finally got a chance to watch Hayao Miyazaki’s latest animated film "Howl’s moving castle" on DVD (I didn’t see the movie when it was in North American release). It reminds me of "Laputa", a lot… many elements borrowed, which isn’t necessary a bad thing, I think. If it works, why not repeat it (with some variations, of course)?

 

I won’t give away the plot here… but I find the background of the characters kind of sketchy. Even the reason for going to war (a main part of the film) or relationships between the wizards, weren’t fully explained/explored. Perhaps it’s done on purpose?  Because the only impression I was left with is it’s more of a love story (as opposed to, say, a clear environmentalist theme in "Princess Mononoke")…
I like the film but it’s not Miyazaki’s best work.

 

So, if I have to choose an animated film, "Laputa" is still my all-time favourite (Miyazaki or not). And it’s even more impressive knowing that it was a production from 20 years ago!!  The soundtrack is simply awesome… in fact, lots of TVB TV series borrow background music from his films. "Laputa" is full of thrilling chase scenes… and the imagination shown is unmatched by anybody else in the business.
"Princess Mononoke" is a close second.

 

Next time I am in Tokyo, I will definitely visit his museum!

 

http://www.ghibli.jp/ (the upcoming film from the studio shown on the first page looks very cool!)

http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/

 

Hong Kong Film Awards

April Rhapsody (人間四月天)

I was just reading about the results of the 25th Hong Kong Film Awards tonight… and one of my favourite actresses, Xun Zhou (周迅), won the best actress award!

It’s really no surprise to me… from her earlier work in TV series "April Rhapsody", it’s clear she will become an established actress one day. She may not be the prettiest but her acting is simply amazing.

Oh, btw, I’ve seen the other movie that won the major awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actor), "Election" (黑社會). Personally, I think it was one of Johnnie To’s worst films…

 

Anyhoo, back to April Rhapsody… this is perhaps the best Taiwan TV production I have ever seen, in terms of acting, screenplay, music and cinematography. Most of the Taiwanese TV series have very little production value and are made very cheaply, making them unbearable to watch.

Not the case with April Rhapsody… what a great attention to period details. It was filmed at many real locations including mainland China and United Kingdom. The screenplay was well written, too. It may seem slow at times, but the acting made up most of that shortfall.

And the soundtrack is first rated as well!  The 2 songs are very touching… especially 我多麼羨慕你.

 

飛的理由

曲﹕黃韻玲   詞﹕姚謙   唱﹕林憶蓮
如果這個時候 窗外有風 
我就有了飛的理由 心中累積的悲傷和快樂 
你懂了 所以我自由 你不懂 所我墜落

如果這個時候 窗外有雲 
我就有了思念藉口 愛引動我飛行中的雙翅 
你回應 我靠近天堂 你沉默 我成了經過

翅膀的命運是迎風 我的愛 
當你把愛轉向的時候 我隻身飛向孤寂的宇宙
眷戀的命運是寂寞 我的愛 
當你人間遊倦的時候 我會在天涯與你相逢

 

我多麼羨慕你

曲﹕張洪量   詞﹕姚謙    唱﹕江美琪

有時候 風太急 禁不住 掛念起你
這一刻 離我遙遠飛行
有時候 夜太靜 攔不住 回憶的心
於是淚 每個夜裡如繁星

我多麼羨慕你 總可以 轉身飛 遠遠的
我的愛是你 沉重行李 絆住你追尋夢的決心

我多麼想念你 當時間 都失去了意義
穿越思念後 等成信箱 讓你需要的時候可以投遞

告訴我 沿途中 想與我 分享的心情

 

If you get a chance, please rent a copy and listen to the soundtrack!

http://www.hkfaa.com/

http://www.pts.org.tw/~april/