JustJack

Tonight is a weird night. It feels more quiet than usual. Quiet in my heart. Even though i had a rather exciting day. I started my day earlier than usual. Tired as i didnt have enought sleep and have an appointment with my friend for lunch .

Got out of the house by 12pm, ran some errands ( under the hot hot weather) which almost blew my head off. Met my wife and met my friend for lunch.

Its a simple regular lunch that i need to make with my friend to catch up with each other’s lives. I guess its simple lunches like this in a lazy afternoon that injects that certain quality we are looking for in our busy lives.

We had lunch at Wheellock so i am able to pop by the Apples shop to visit my Ipod Touch. But as usual too many people are Touching it. So i just admire from far. Sometimes i think things like this is best to admire from far.. coz you have too high expectations of it .. so if you get it you will find it disappointing you.

I went to work there after and found myself in a rather productive day. but thats truly not impt. work is nothing like me. I am bigger than that .

and now i am .. after a shower in my room … typing this last thing before i sleep.

just a song before i go .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6XzV8PKyPM

this is a song that have a lot of feelings for me. it brings me back to 1998. When i was in Junior college 2nd year.

Jay Chou latest album review

Again one more last gasp review for my dwindling “idol”. So Jay is pulling out his trump card i guess. last gasp for him too. I saw this theme coming for him. He played cow boy in his last venture and i know it is a matter of time he pull this rabbit out of his hat. Magic has been all along his interest and it is no doubt he will extrapolate this into his music and money churning albums.

After a thourough listen thru his album please see my breakdown by songs

01  龙战骑士 - I do not think this is a good way to start his album. But perhaps he just want to camouflage this bad song by puting it as a passable/forgettable first song of the album. This is a fast track . Focus is on a trance fast beat rip thru. Its one of those songs that you will forget easily.
02  给我一首歌的时间 - This is definitely THE ballad that you will sing at Karaoke. It is easy to catch the melody. I am sure u will get tired of listening to it on EVERY neighbourhood CD shop in no time. I particularly love the lyrics because it is a surprise by Jay chou. He wrote it and i am very impress with his production. Finally he has something decent to go with his own music. The lyrics are just bubble pop. Its digestable and will surely be on your mind and many people’s handphone ring tone
03  蛇舞 - What is he doing with his style i asked myself when i listen to this song. Passable as a try but for sure it doesnt shout “Jay” to you when you listen to it. It is a dance track. tumz tumz tumz. Listen and forget. next please
04  花海 - Listen to qi li xiang first then listen to this. Its the same. Just that qi li xiang is better. This is a ballad that just couldnt make it. I would think this will catch on with a lot of advertisement as 3rd wave lead song. but truly.. it is just passable.
05  魔术先生 - Contrary to popular believe i like this production. It is a circus song. Truly. if u play it in a circus you wouldnt know the difference. It is a Niu Zai Hen Mang clone. I suspect he wrote this during his last album but didnt use it. Now thats convenient. He just plug and play. One more song less to write this time round. Notice the end of the song.. its the SAME lyrics as Cow Boy very busy ! Gosh yet its a good song.
06  说好的幸福呢 - Can’t help but to think that he wrote this for Bu Neng Shuo de Mi Mi movie. But just DIDNT use it. But again on the chorus end it seems like this is meant for another singer. Perhaps he chose not to sell it. Listen carefully, it is NOT meant to be sang by a male. Suppose to be written for a female voice. so yucks. i would not rate this too highly. Typical jay tune too.
07  兰亭序 - sounds like Ju Hua Tai clone. Ok this starts to sound like a CLONE / SPOOF album ! anyway another zhong guo feng song. listen and throw it away because i am sure many jue dui super star will sing it next time for some strange reason.
08  流浪诗人 - this is a good song. Jazzy. Swing. Considered a good breakthru for Jay. Nothing like jay. Just lots of jazz. good try !
09  时光机 - This is re-freshing jay ! i love this production. Lyrics are great and simple. A lot of innocence went into the lyrics and tune. It talks about Doraemon. And how a simple pure love is conveyed thru the use of Doreamon’s time travel machine and dragon fly flying gadget. 10/10 . So jay and there is no parallel. Thumbs up.
10  乔克叔叔 - Another Clone. Figure out the clone yourself. think of a china game. Pull string one….  argh.. out right copy from his previous album. else its an ok song. I know too many of his songs to get a clone. so much for being a fan.
11  稻香 - This is the main song that you will hear often on radio. Great song. Great lyrics and pure thoughts in it. catchy tune and very jay. I would give him credit for bringing the nice fresh feeling again in this song.

OverAll. he did a lot of copy work. only three song fit to be in your mind.

给我一首歌的时间,时光机,稻香

Should you buy the album ? Get a parallel import copy. Rip the song and put in your player.

Enjoy. Oh ya.. i have a copy.  i can lend you. no need to buy.

This is at Tanglin Mall. Off Nassim road. Would like to get a piece of this some day some how and live a “tanglin mall” life.

Its a simple late morning. Its probably something that i took it one stroke too easy. Going to boey’s house for a pasta lunch. This hasn’t happen the most number of times but it feels like we have been doing it for ages. Each visit is just so down to earth.

The walk up Jalan Tekad is a slope i never want to do too often but it’s always rewarding being able to step into the house at the end of it.

The usual suspects that i greet at his house, the same tranquility and the same feeling it brings me into.

The pasta is the same. The best sauce the best people to go with . the best chats as well. Just a simple 2 hour affair always ending with a great good bye and a great sense of relief as we would have unloaded our great deal of affairs that we haven been able to catch up with .

A simple plate of pasta. A friendship that we never thought has come quite so far.

I read long ago that physicists ( the leading ones) are trying to come up with ONE theory. the theory that combines all the current big 4 theories.  that was like 10 years back. i guess they are still working on the problem sums.

Slowly when i grow older, i read and get exposed to all these self help books. each trying to say ” that is the only book to break you free” also something like a ONE theory concept.

We are so keen to sought out these ONE THeory solutions to our life problems. its like our head hums the question on ” what is the answer that i need to solve all questions ? ”

phrases like “peace” ” happiness” ” zen” ” at one” ” letting go ” comes by as popular ones. some rolled into belief, into way of life and some into religion. so its like everyone trying to think different have their own UNIQUE solution. on the grandeur of things its all the same.

after a while we get tired to search for these ONE solutions. and start to say ” hey that doesnt work ” ” these doesnt work at all for me ” . And before you know it.. you walked pass MPH again and pick up another of such books thinking again you re-found something you should have. after 2 - 3 weeks.. repeat step one …

so how ? as common people we have weak minds. can we afford ONE solutions? there is no ONE solutions. the searching is perhaps a wrong focus in this . the Pursuit is wrong. There is not pursuit. let it go and be with yourself. feel the breathing and face yourself damn truthfully. there is no discomfort in being “NOW”

This perhap is a ONE solution. but this solution seeks you when you are ready rather than you seek it.

lets see if it lasts on me.

Slightly tempremental

thats good news because could have been worse

I saw the volatile stock market going down up down

thats good news because could have been down down down

Bought 3 cds today. I didnt pay for the songs i realise but for the piece of memory that pop up conveniently when i walked pass the CD stall

It costed me 30 bucks. The songs playing in my ear now is nice indeed. but the memory it retrieved back from the back of my mine is pricelss. Its a priceless catalyst.

And so i went back to work after a week of medical leave.  the things that i am asked to do or happen to do or encounter at work makes me feel important and indispensable. its ego at work. superficial medicine for the worthless ego.

the song now is good in my ears. so good that i can stop typing this.

but lets try to random type thru my snippets of “great” stories.

I felt a slight impulse to drop everything and get real to be a farmer. of course leaving everything crumbled.

irresponsibly dumping all responsibility to be responsible for myself rather than others. again this is mostly hypothetical.

I am learning thai now. myself. its the in thing now for me. its my in thing. its more complicated than Hua Yu Cool. its so not cool to learn. but i like it. need to retire there so i need to start now.

so .. 3 more month to 2009. i need to draft my year end news letter soon.

its gonna be really cool.

If it warrants the US government to “bail out” the crisis that the bank created then it means something. But something to what ?

Does it mean the government REALLY wanna help ? Or only BUSH wanna help ? the bailout plan didnt get passed first time round !

well the world is spinning.. now euro countries are trying to save their banks too.

So how ? really there will be a recession ?

My view : The world investors will go into a wait and see. Big institutions will buy in and merged as much . The common demand for common goods will remain still. Property prices will drop by next quarter. It will remain as it is for sometime. The rise will not come back till 24 months later.

Jobs will be cut. Service industry will pick up these retrenched workers in singapore.

What to invest ? If you have cash .. dump them into the savings accounts. Get enough to buy a property in 9-12  months.  else if not enough put them into gold. If not enough then put them into green companies shares.

My view only.

Some say its because of F1 night race. They wasted too much on lighting up the circuit with lights 4 times stronger than a soccer match stadium rather than using candles or firefly butts..

But well whatever the reason.. in short you have to pay more for what u are currently using now.

Solution - Use less or earn more.

how to use less ?

i have a few ways which i am currently using

1) I use candles at home in my toilet when i bath

2) I charge my handphone and all players in office

3) i shit in office before i go home so i save one flush

4) switch off all lights at home when i do not use it

well it sucks right. oh well. i no longer can show off my 60 dollar electric bill.

so solution 2.. earn so much that this increase is insignificant.

I think the govt is training us to go for solution 2 ! wake up your idea ….

Hands up if the last time you seen him in PERSON was at cityhall MRT up the escalator just before entering Raffle City shopping centre ?

Then you are in the very same position as me.

Hands up again if you gave some thought about this old man who holds a lousy printed book and shouting as if he would love you to buy a copy of it.

I gave it some thought. Not once but many times when i see him selling his books at the busiest corners at the weirdest times. Weird enuff i associated him STRONGLY with singapore politics ( even though i am not a singaporean) he brings me back to 1980s… and i associated him with my dad. because my dad talks semi fondly of him. His name rings a bell with me since i was sec 1….

I do not know a lot about JBJ. But i feel nostalgic when i see him. Thats why he is more an icon than a person to me.

Next time when i walk pass raffles city entrance i will think about him still. I may just ask myself subconsciously.. “eh .. why is that old man not here ? ”

Because perhaps an Icon never dies.