That’s the time I took to climb up the CN Tower in support of WWF Canada. Honestly, I thought it was tougher than I expected. After all, it’s only stairs. I was mistaken, it was pretty tough. I don’t know if I want to do it again. I’ll have too see how I feel next time. It was a nice treat to see the city from the CN Tower and the weather was beautiful.

Another fantastic singer/song writer found on youtube. Found her on one of my frequent searches for Khalil Fong videos. She is a also a fan of his and has done some fantastic covers of his songs. She also does backup vocals for some of the biggest acts in Taiwan; David Tao and A-mei.

I loved her acoustic cover of John Legend’s PDA (We Just Don’t Care). It was the first time I heard the song and it got me wanting to hear to original. It’s a very catchy song and lyrics are great. It also helps that she has such a cute English accent. Here’s the video.

Recently, she did a duet with Khalil on a radio show and she posted it on her blog. Very cool.

Enjoy the music.

A friend recommended me to to her a few weeks ago and I didn’t have a chance to give her a listen until a couple days ago.  I was greatly surprised.  I really didn’t expect to hear what I did.  She has a very clear, deep and full voice, unlike most HK/TW singers, and she’s only 19!  It’s unbelievable that she has such a mature sounding voice.  She has a hint of jazz and soul and remind me of when I first heard Norah Jones.

Her debut album was good, but what really hooked me was her youtube channel.  She performs a lot of covers of classics from the 70s and 80s.  Most of the songs or artists I’ve not even heard before, but I still enjoyed watching her performances.  Even her original songs are well written.  She keeps things simple and it brings out a lot of emotion (you can totally see in the way she expresses with her face) when she sings each song.  I enjoyed this cover of My Favourite Things from The Sound of Music quite a bit.

From what I’ve read, she wasn’t happy with her album because she had to follow the decisions of her record company on what to sing and how to sing it.  She seems to have a very direct attitude towards music and I respect that.  I hope she will be able to record an album the way she wants, it will definitely be a treat to hear it.  For now, check out her channel and enjoy the music.
 

1. KY [abbreviation of kuki ga yomenai - 空気が読めない]: This is (not a reference to the lubricant, but) an abbreviation of the Japanese expression kuki ga yomenai (”can’t read between the lines” or “can’t sense the atmosphere”), which is used to describe indelicate or unperceptive people. Example: That guy is so KY. (taken from Top 60 Japanese Buzzwords)

I first learned this Japanese slang in this video. Around the 5:00 minute mark. The guests talk about a dating experience where their date is KY.

I think everyone has some moments where they are KY. And there are definitely some people who are really KY and they just can’t stop. I think I’m in the middle… sometimes… rarely… never? LOL.

Anyways, I would love to hear some of your KY moments or experiences of others being KY in the comments.

As an aside, I actually enjoy watching Cartoon KAT-TUN. The banter between the hosts and the guests are usually pretty interesting and funny (but I guess you really have to be into Japanese artists to get into it). I can’t say much about KAT-TUN as a boy band, since i never really listened to their music, but they do well hosting this show. And I guess girls like them a lot because they are pretty good looking. The mixed models on this episode were pretty hot too, so that’s something for the guys as well. Everyone is a winner. So check it out sometime, it’s a fun watch.

I ordered this dvd from HMV Japan. It actually came out a few years ago and I wanted to get it, but unfortunately Yesasia did not sell it, for whatever reason. Since I was ordering something else from HMV, I got this as well. The main reason for getting this was because I went to see her at her Toronto show in March 2005 during Canadian Music Week. My voice also makes an appearance in one of the scenes of the Toronto part. Me yelling “Yeah!” or something like that. The DVD itself is pretty enjoyable, it wasn’t really focused on the actual shows, but it was a more behind the scenes on her travels overseas. You get to see her do some rehearsals and also her walking the streets of the city like a normal person. She was on the TTC, she was walking the PATH, she was shopping on Queen Street. Pretty fun stuff to watch.

I actually met her in person, shook her hand, told her I love her music and even got a picture with her! You can totally tell I’m like freaking happy with that huge smile on my face in that picture. I was also sitting like right in front of her during her set. It was an amazing night. She sounded so beautiful live, her voice was so strong and clear and the acoustics were great.

It’s not everyday where you get to meet someone you admire, respect or just really like. This is definitely something that I will always remember for the rest of my life.

I just realized that my previous post was the first post of April 1st, which also happens to be April Fool’s day. I just want to clarify that, that post was no joke. I’m serious. Do listen to Khalil Fong.

This current post is also not a joke.


Most people that know me know that I’m a big fan of Khalil Fong. I don’t think people understand why. It’s about the soul, the funk, the groove. It’s about the smooth rhythms and jumping beats. It’s about the playful melodies and meaningful lyrics. It’s about the music and how you can feel that it comes from the heart and soul.

Every time I hear something come out of his mouth, it just blows my mind. You really couldn’t imagine just by looking at him. How can someone be so talented? It’s amazing.

He just completed his two show concert in Hong Kong on March 30 & March 31 and I wish I could’ve been to either (if not both) shows. He had awesome guests too; FAMA & Fiona Sit on March 30 and Kay Tse & Endy Chow on March 31. I was on flickr and I found these amazing pictures of the show. I have to see him live someday. He needs to come to Toronto or at least release a live DVD this time.

Do yourself a favour and listen to all his albums and watch his live performances (youtube). Maybe you’ll find something you like.

photo by easonlam @ flickr

I’m in a surprisingly good mood today. The nice sunny weather definitely helps. Had a simple and delicious lunch (egg sandwich, satay beef rice noodles and a cup of lemon tea) with the parents and headed off the YMCA for a satisfying work out.

I was on a search for a spring jacket yesterday at Fairview Mall after work, but didn’t have much luck. I walked the mall TWICE in like less than an hour (but if you think about it, I only went to like 7 stores). There’s this new (to me, since I don’t go to Fairview often) store called Little Burgundy that caught my eye. Not that I really wanted anything in there, but the store front drew my focus. (image taken from Fairview Mall Official Site)

Anyways the search continues (until I find one or it becomes too warm to wear a jacket).

I got a call from the TD Canada Trust’s Loss Prevention Centre/Department(?) and they said my access card may have been compromised and I would need to get a new one. I don’t really use my card much, usually only at bank machines and maybe the occasional store (I hardly buy anything offline anymore). If anything I would think my credit card would be more at risk, since I use it much more often for online shopping.

I think I’ve had my card since the beginning of high school. It was starting to get pretty worn out. Funny thing with the new cards is that they no longer print your name on the card, but you can pretty much just look at the signature on the back (given that you have a legible signature, not some crazy scribble).

I usually have pretty good ideas, but I always seem to never put them into action. There’s always something holding me back. That’s the thing I hate most about myself and lately it’s been annoying the hell out of me. There’s no point in avoiding this, it won’t get any better until I do something. My fantastic imagination isn’t helping things at all and my courage is no where to be found. When will this be over?