Friday, June 25, 2010

人之所以痛苦,在于追求错误的东西

I don't know......some say life is too short, others say

it is too long, but I know that nothing that

we do makes sense

if we don't touch the hearts of others.......

while it last





如果你不给自己烦恼,别人也永远不可能给你烦恼。因为你自己的内心,你放不下。

好好的管教你自己,不要管别人。你随时要认命,因为你是人。

这个世界本来就是痛苦的,没有例外的。

你什么时候放下,什么时候就没有烦恼。每一种创伤,都是一种成熟。

当你烦恼的时候,你就要告诉你自己,这一切都是假的,你烦恼什么?

根本不必回头去看咒骂你的人是谁,如果有一条疯狗咬你一口,难道你也要趴下去反咬他一口吗?

忌妒别人,不会给自己增加任何的好处。忌妒别人,也不可能减少别人的成就。

永远不要浪费你的一分一秒,去想任何你不喜欢的人。

得不到的东西,我们会一直以为他是美好的,那是因为你对他了解太少,没有时间与他相处在一起。当有一天,你深入了解后,你会发现原不是你想像中的那么美好。

这个世间只有圆滑,没有圆满的。

不要刻意去猜测他人的想法,如果你没有智慧与经验的正确判断,通常都会有错误的。你要感谢告诉你缺点的人。

时间总会过去的,让时间流走你的烦恼吧!

不要因为小小的争执,远离了你至亲的好友,也不要因为小小的怨恨,忘记了别人的大恩。

感谢上苍我所拥有的,感谢上苍我所没有的。

当你手中抓住一件东西不放时,你只能拥有这件东西,如果你肯放手,你就有机会选择别的。人的心若死执自己的观念,不肯放下,那么他的智慧也只能达到某种程度而已。

如果你能够平平安安的渡过一天,那就是一种福气了。多少人在今天已经见不到明天的太阳,多少人在今天已经成了残废,多少人在今天已经失去了自由,多少人在今天已经家破人亡。

恶口永远不要出自于我们的口中,不管他有多坏,有多恶。你愈骂他,你的心就被污染了,你要想,他就是你的善知识。

你不要常常觉得自己很委曲,你应该要想,他对我这样已经很好了,这就是修行的功夫。

世界原本就不是属于你,因此你用不着抛弃,要抛弃的是一切的执著。万物皆为我所用,但非我所属。

学会用理解的,欣赏的眼光去看对方,而不是以自以为是的关心去管对方。

成熟的人不问过去;聪明的人不问现在;豁达的人不问未来。

发光并非太阳的专利,你也可以发光。你可以用爱得到全世界,你也可以用恨失去全世界。

爱的力量大到可以使人忘记一切,却又小到连一粒嫉妒的沙石也不能容纳。

人总是珍惜未得到的,而遗忘了所拥有的。

如你想要拥有完美无暇的友谊,可能一辈子找不到朋友。

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

My favourite singer, Shirley Kwan

Shirley Kwan Suk Yee is an influential Canto-pop singer from Hong Kong. She first shot to fame in 1989 as a pop sensation with the hit, "Happy Are Those In Love" (难得有情人) and was popular throughout the early to mid-90s. She is noted for her distinct, breathy vocal style, and known equally for singing ballads and for more alternative pop fare.

After a decade-long hiatus in the late 90s, she made a successful comeback in 2005 and is among the most acclaimed singers currently active in the Hong Kong music scene.

Early Years (1986-1988)

Kwan was born in Hong Kong, the middle-child to an affluent family. At age 15, she moved to Los Angeles, where she later studied fashion design in college. Kwan had her first taste of the limelight in 1986 when she became one of twelve finalists in TVB's New Talent Singing Awards, along with Andy Hui and Leon Lai, but lost to both. Two years later, with the encouragement of a friend, she recorded a demo tape for the prestigious “Marine Blue” singing competition in Japan and won. She caught the eyes of record executives at Apollon and signed a contract, releasing two Japanese pop albums in two years. Kwan sang in both Japanese and English for these releases, and notably made her first and only rap vocals in the song “Borderless”.

PolyGram Period (1989-1995)

Kwan’s Marine Blue success in Japan quickly led to her discovery by PolyGram. In March 1989, Kwan released her debut Cantonese album “Winter Love” (冬恋), with its R&B-influenced first single, “The Rebel” (叛逆汉子).

Her sophomore album, “Happy Are those in Love” (难得有情人), would produce her first major hit with its title track, which immediately propelled Kwan into Hong Kong stardom, and became the theme song to a popular day-time drama series on TVB. It was a No. 1 hit in various radio charts and a frequent request in Karaoke bars, making Shirley Kwan a household name, and its title becoming synonymous with Kwan's name for years to come. The album spawned four other hit singles such as the up-tempo “Lovers Underneath the Stars” (星空下的恋人), and had huge chart success. Being tipped as the next big thing in Cantopop, Kwan swept all the best-newcomer awards that year.

The following two years saw the release of four albums, in which Kwan started to develop a more individualistic style, incorporating elements from various musical genres. Though she scored another major pop hit in 1990 with 爱恨缠绵, she grew dissatisfied with only singing standard Cantopop fare, and wished to explore and diversify her own sound. Also evolving was her public persona, which matured from the early teen pop icon into a more sophisticated and mysterious artiste, noted for being fashion-forward with subtle hints of sex appeal. It is during this period that Kwan started covering New Age music, such as the work of Gregorian and Michael Cretu. Kwan’s 1991 version of “Once In A Life Time”, renamed “Love Is Forever” (恋一世的爱) was presented back to back with the Gregorian original on the promo CD sent out to DJs, as a promotional strategy by PolyGram.

From the same album, Kwan struck critics and audiences with her cover of Amina’s 1991 Eurovision winner, “Le dernier qui a parle”, renamed “Buddhist Chant” (梵音). With words written by legendary veteran lyricist, Andrew Lam (林敏驄), the original Tunisian adventure was given an Eastern spin. Originally a sidetrack, “Buddhist” became a surprise hit as well as a memorable hit in Alternative Cantopop. It also represented her first struggles in artistic control, as she had had to fight long and hard with her production team to have the song included in the album.

Towards the end of 1992, the tabloid’s reception of Kwan has shifted dramatically. Years of relentless invasion into her private life has taken its toll, making Kwan increasingly indifferent towards the press. This unfortunately triggered even more media hostility as well as negative publicity. Disillusioned about her future as a public figure, Kwan took some time off to recover, only to return with yet another transformation.

In November 1993, Kwan released “The Story of Shirley” (真假情話), with the lead single “Solo” (一首独唱的歌), followed by the minor hit “Fabricated Love Stories” (假的恋爱). This was another artistic breakthrough for Kwan, who was garnering increasing attention for her talents as a vocalist, pleasing critics who were surprised with a new and more polished sound.

Kwan further established her place as a critics' darling with her next album, “My Way” released in the summer of 1994, which would be the last album containing all original Cantonese material until Shirley's Era in 2009. Singles included the acid-jazz influenced “Lost Legend” (逝去的传奇) which sampled a riff from the Digable Planets' 1993 single "Rebirth of Slick," and the immensely popular ballad “Cuddling Underneath the Stars” (缱绻星光下), which won numerous song awards at the ceremonies that year. Other songs included the traditional Chinese melody, “Arrow to the Heart” (心箭), the more techno influenced techno-influenced “Anxiety” (紧张) and “Out of This World” (惊世感觉), and another popular ballad “Farewell” (告别恋曲). The album, together with a new crew-cut look which has now become iconic, was one of the most celebrated albums in 1994, enjoying both commercial and critical success.

With increasing confidence in her musical style, Kwan had wanted to produce something musically coherent for her next album and asked producer Joseph Ip (叶广权) and eight different sound engineers to rearrange ten of her favourite Cantopop songs which she handpicked for her new tribute album. The result, was “'EX' All Time Favourites,” released to much anticipation in February 1995. Familiar classics of Cantopop icons such as Anita Mui (梅艳芳), Leslie Cheung (张国荣) and Alan Tam (谭咏麟) were reworked with psychedlic and electro influences, with Kwan singing in her trademark tone punctuated with breathy whispers. Much to Donald Ashley’s credit, the innovative reworking of Teresa Teng(邓丽君)’s “Forget Him” (忘记他), released as the lead single, elevated Kwan to a new level of recognition in the industry. It was featured in Wong Kar-Wai(王家卫)’s 1995 arthouse feature “Fallen Angels” (墮落天使). Interestingly, the same tune was reworked yet again in “What a Pity” (可惜), sung with new Mandarin lyrics and to spare acoustic accompaniment for the Taiwanese release of 'EX'. Achieving critical acclaim as well as commercial success, 'EX' is widely regarded to be one of the best Cantopop albums ever produced, and set off a wave of tribute album fever in Hong Kong.

In the summer of 1995, Kwan released her third compilation album, "Journey of Life" (世途上 新曲+精选), containing two new singles, "He needs you, She needs You" (他需要你, 她需要你), a dreampop track which incorporated the traditional Chinese instrument Erhu (二胡), and the minor hit, "Are There Real Friends in Life" (人生可有知己), a pop ballad which has since became a concert favourite.

Six years after her debut, Kwan finally held her first large scale solo concert in July 1995 at the Hong Kong Coliseum (红磡香港体育馆). Presenting a balanced mix of hits and album tracks, "The One and Only Shirley Kwan In Concert" (难得有一个关淑怡演唱会) was enthusiastically received and capped the most successful year in her career. Kwan had to encore for an unprecedented four times in the last show, as fans refused to leave.

After 7 years at PolyGram, Kwan’s contract came to an end in 1996. A final PolyGram studio album was initially scheduled for release in summer 1996, containing three American collaborations, “Infectious” (传染) and “Elusive Love” (爱难寻) written by Andy Goldmark, and “Mumbling” (自言自语 ) by Suzanne Fountain, along with seven other tracks. However, due to Kwan's departure, PolyGram released the material separately in 1997’s compilation “Connection” (心灵相通) and 1998’s EP “eZone”.

Kwan spent the second half of the 90s mostly away from the public eye, but managed to strike up some significant collaborations with friends and fellow contemporaries Lau Yee Tat (刘以达) and Anthony Wong Yiu Ming (黄耀明), formerly of the legendary Tat Ming Pair (达明一派). The first of these included “Blessed Mary” (万福玛利亚), a duet with Wong satirising Hong Kong's materialism; “Cuddle 28800BPS” (缱绻28800BPS), a collaboration with Lau, a song dealing with cyber love; and “Forget If It’s Him or Her” (忘记他是她) - a remake of the gender ambiguous Tat Ming classic, at their request. In 1997, Kwan lent her vocals to the theme song of a radio drama produced by Commercial Radio Hong Kong, “Take Me to a Dance” (帶我去跳舞) which featured a soprano backing vocal mixed in with a thumping dance beat. In 1999, she held a “Music Is Live” concert organized by Commercial Radio, sparking rumours of a possible come back, but to no avail.

BMG Period (2001)

In 2001, Kwan signed a contract with BMG in Taiwan, and published the critically acclaimed Mandarin album, Freezing Flame. However, after the extravagant press conference announcing Kwan's partnership, BMG soon ran out of money for promotion and the album sold poorly. Kwan was already pregnant at the time and left for America shortly after on an indefinite break.
[edit] Music Nation Period (2005-2006)

In fall 2005, Kwan stepped into the recording studio once again and duet with music veteran Alan Tam (谭咏麟) in “Rekindle The Flame” (旧情复炽), a Cantonese remake of the French ballad “J'ai murmure va-t-en”. The news of Kwan making a comeback sent excitement through Hong Kong’s airwaves, and “Rekindle” took the charts by storm, reaching number 1 on TVB, RTHK and Metro Radio.

Two months later, Kwan was signed to a contract with Music Nation Group (大国文化) by the famous producer, Frankie Lee Chun. The first single “About Me” (关於我) saw Kwan reunited with lyrist Wyman Wong and long-time collaborators Joseph Ip and John Laudon. Bluntly autobiographical, it is an uncompromising account of her struggle against the paparazzi and hostility from the media in Hong Kong. Supported by extensive airplay, “About Me” steadily climbed to the top of various radio charts, and its limited-release special edition CD sold out within a day.

In early February 2006, the eponymous EP "Shirley Kwan" was released, introducing the second brand new single, “Evolution” (进化伦). This coincided with the release of a 3CD-Karaoke plus DVD compilation by Universal Music (formally PolyGram), entitled “All About Shirley,” which to fans' delight, containied side projects and rare tracks dating back to the very beginning of her career in Japan.
2006 Being Shirley On Stage

To much anticipation, three comeback concerts, “Being Shirley On Stage” (关于我 关淑怡演唱会) were held in late February, at the legendary Hong Kong Coliseum. Performing her biggest hits in reverse chronological order, Kwan garnered positive reviews for the performance, which dominated entertainment headlines for a week.[1] In the final encore, Kwan famously covered Eason Chan (陈奕迅)’s “Today Next Year” (明年今日) to a standing ovation, and a sing-a-long audience of 30, 000.

As her work for Music Nation drew to a close, Shirley released two new songs in 2007 as an independent artist for songwriter Keith Chan (陈辉阳)’s multimedia musical “12 faces of woman” (十二金钗众生花) at the 2007 Hong Kong Arts Festival.[2] This included the theme song “All Living Flowers” (众生花), released in February, which featured traditional Chinese and Western string instruments.

In March 2007, Shirley released the single “Just Once” (只得一次), which was the theme song to the primetime TVB sitcom series “Best Selling Secrets” (同事三分亲), and which went onto reach No. 1 on the TVB music charts.

Star Entertainment Period (2007- 2009)

In June 2007, longtime friend and veteran producer Herman Ho (何哲图) recruited Shirley to his the new company “Star Entertainment Ltd.” (星娱乐有限公司), which is financed by Neway Karaoke Box (Neway卡拉OK).

2008 saw a new concert series, "Unexpected Shirley Kwan in Concert," held at the Hong Kong Coliseum on 24–25 April 2008.

2009 saw the long-anticipated release of a full-length studio album, "Shirley's Era," which contains all radio singles released in 2007-2008, and newly recorded material. This marks her first Cantonese studio album since 1994's All Time Favourites.
























Saturday, June 19, 2010

關淑怡多人撐經濟冇問題 18.06.2010

Shirley離開星娛樂唱片後,未有簽新公司,似乎未有着落,因而傳她經濟出現問題,要向朋友借錢。聽到這個傳言,Shirley沒有嬲怒,反而哈哈大笑,更幽默地說︰「雜誌講借錢畀我嘅嗰個人,我根本就唔識,亦唔知佢係邊個,講到佢有大把錢,不如介紹畀我,等我嫁埋畀佢啦。」

否認玩失蹤
Shirley強調本身經濟完全冇問題,況且一向都不是大使之人,只係啲人鍾意以訛傳訛。她繼續搞笑:「我知大家好擔心我,但唔使驚,如果有朝一日係咁,我點樣都仲有屋企支持,又大把親戚,唔使問朋友借,所以唔使擔心!」對於不時圍繞她的傳言,她已表明明白娛樂圈係是非圈,自己問心無愧,總之自己從無失場及無玩失蹤!

另一傳言指離開了星娛樂的何哲圖想與她再合作,她表示彼此無接觸過,只是傳言,並透露現與一、兩間公司傾緊合作,但未簽約,所以未能透露。提到簽新公司,她有感而發:「好多人以為我獅子開大口,好老實講錢從來都唔係我嘅大前提,我希望嘗試新嘢,我係想搵一啲可以合作到去試新嘢嘅公司,過往香港最犀利嘅地方係國際化,呢樣嘢要做番出來,唔係做K歌。」

繼續出唱片
Shirley再三強調自己為做音樂犧牲了好多,但她無悔,亦向喜歡她的朋友歌迷派定心丸,她說:「我唔會放棄出唱片,我會做番我嘅音樂,屬於關淑怡嘅音樂,唔會嘥時間喺無厘頭傳言之中。」

 Shirley強調自己不是大使之人,故經濟沒有如外間所說出現問題。

Shirley稱轉了新公司後,希望能嘗試新的音樂風格。

Monday, June 14, 2010

Maybe



The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.

It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lost it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.

Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they'll love you back! Don't expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their heart but it doesn't, be content it grew in yours. It takes only a minute to get a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget someone.

Don't go for looks; they can deceive.
Don't go for wealth; even that fades away.
Go for someone who make you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright.
Find the one that makes your heart smile.

Always put yourself in other's shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the other person too.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

Happiness lies for those who cry, those who hurt, those who have searched, and those who have tried, for only they can appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives.


Tuesday, June 8, 2010

黃家強夥非洲童籌款 07.06.2010

張學友、關淑怡和黃家強昨晚在九龍灣 Star Hall出席「他來自非洲慈善演唱會」的表演嘉賓,曹敏莉和未婚夫也有捧場。今次活動是由阿彌陀佛關懷中心所主辦,籌得善款會為非洲孤兒籌建新校舍,並由早前復工的崔建邦擔任大會的司儀,久未做大騷司儀的崔建邦在台上表現淡定,完全沒有生疏之感。

演唱會先由黃家強演出,並與幾十名非洲小朋友合唱《 Amani》,小朋友還以非洲鼓伴奏,他再唱出《遠方的朋友》和《信則有》兩歌。

而以型格打扮的關淑怡就分別獻唱了三首歌《大地之母》、《萬物生》和《梵音》,壓軸表演的學友就先後唱出《祝福》、《沒有童話時》和《 Touch of Love》,大會更安排小朋友與他一齊合唱,場面溫馨。

Juno公佈戀混血模

麥浚龍(Juno)、向佐、黃婉佩(Race)、黃婉君(Rosanne)和關淑怡等,前晚到金鐘出席潮牌 Undercover活動。 Race先跟胞姊 Rosanne結伴到場,向佐其後去到,但大會公關竟不允許他與女友 Race合照,令向佐頗為面懵。

否認示威

一臉風騷的 Juno就公告喜訊,承認與混血女模 Janine拍拖。他表示兩人溝通後,決定公開戀情, Janine更是他第一個公開承認的女友。問 Juno可是向緋聞女友鍾欣桐(阿嬌)示威時,他否認說:「冇諗過呢樣嘢,我哋拍拖係 normal嘅事,只係唔想麻煩先公開,同阿嬌係好朋友,亦唔會同女友交代以前嘅緋聞。」

他來自非洲慈善演唱會 06.06.2010