An overdued diary

For this piece of diary, I should have written it on the very last day of February, or maybe at the beginning of March. In the end, when I scrolled through my archives just now, I realised that I didn't! Therefore, I decided to write this piece of overdued diary.

What have I missing writting in this blog ?

Well, it's the 25th SD Anniversary held at Senja Soka Centre on 28th February. Besides being involved in the choir performing 2 songs at 2 shows on that day, I was glad to be involved in the exchange dinner once again with the 3rd batch of students from Soka University of Japan. While I missed the 2nd batch exchange due to my holidays in Hong Kong, I was able to be a part of the exchange together with the 1st batch and the 3rd batch. (The exchange dinner with the 1st batch of SUJ students happened to fall on Valentine's Day, see http://i-kieran-yiheng.blogspot.com/2009/02/good-bye-my-friend.html)

This time around after both concerts for the Anniversary shows ended, we were introduced to 2 YWD students whom would be attached to my group(ITAC) for the exchange dinner. They are Megumi and Yoshiko, both 1st year students studying Economics in English. While everyone was hungry by the time we set off, we took them to have a taste of local food for dinner at Bukit Timah Hawker Centre. While both girls chose to eat something with rice, I offered to let them try mixed economical rice(杂菜饭) and I was teased by the rest of the group for being soo "nice" to them and since I offered them such simple treats.

They were special guests from Japan and it's their first ever overseas trip out of Japan, and therefore it's best to give them a dinner treat as a local host.

Once again, like the first exchange on V-Day, we shared conversations of cultures between Singapore and Japan while we enjoyed the dinner throughout the session. And then, we moved off to take a bus back to their hotel to send them back. It was quite a memorable night as we talked alot throughout the entire trip and sang along on a near-empty top level of the double double bus.

As usual, photo-takings were done at the lobby of the hotel before the bunk of us bidding farewell to our newly-made Japanese friends.

Now, nearly 2 months had passed while I had just installed Skype in order to have a online verbal conversations with one of the friends, Megumi. We had been exchanging emails and updating our lives to each other prior to that. (And please guys...don't get the wrong idea.)

Meanwhile, I hope I can visit Japan, very likely in 2010, not only to have fun there visiting attractions, eating their delicacies, visiting the soka centres over there, and also meeting my Japanese friends over there.

For now, I must work hard and make my resolutions come true.

妥協(Compromise)

你总爱编织谎言 我负责配合表演
所有改变 只为了进入你的世界
这情节重复了一百遍 才发现是你的心太野

你划定楚河汉界 我不能轻易犯规
所有时间 都是先给了你优先权
不自觉 爱到不敢冒险
成了你的傀儡一年两年 才看见我有多狼狈

爱到妥协 到头来还是无解
绑着你不让你飞 历史不断重演 我好累
爱到妥协 也无法将故事再重写
你已下最后通牒 我躲在我的世界

你只是害怕一个人睡 我不想再为你掉泪
我了解 不会变 不再徘徊 开始自己的明天

(PS: Those enlarged and in bold best describes my struggles and karma and all these must NEVER happen again.)

15 April 1989...Remembered

Liverpool may have been knocked out of the Champions League this morning...but we had been giving our best in the attempt of making a tremendous comeback...even without the central figure, Stevie G. Perhaps everything happens for a reason, now let's put the 100% concentration and effort in winning the long-lost league title.

Both 14th and 15th April had been the saddest days for the Englishmen, due to two major man-made disaster in the history of Great Britain. In April 14 1912, the "impregnable" Titanic, setting sail from Southampton to New York, sank into the Atlantic Ocean after hitting an iceberg, leaving 1500+ lives were lost. To the Liverpool fans, exactly 20 years ago, 96 Liverpool supporters lost their lives in the crushing tragedy which occured in Hillsborough stadium, home of Sheffield Wednesday. It was a FA Cup semi-final clash between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

I may only be just 38 months old when the tragedy happened in England, I felt the emotions and grief ever since I started following Liverpool and learned about this tragedy which will never be forgotten in the history of Liverpool, and perhaps the world of football. It should be a joyous occasion where friends, brothers, sisters or even the whole family went to attend a football match, rooting for their beloved clubs with their hearts out......but in the end, 96 lives failed to return home on that very day.(Steven Gerrard's cousin was among the 96 victims in that tragedy.)

Liverpool supporters are always soo special and respected... They care and show support for each others(Liverpool fans will never forget the tragedy at Hillsborough and memorial service is held every year.)...They sing their hearts out...They went through thick and thin with the club...Most importantly, they never ditched the club even if the team failed to win the league title for soo many years. Sometimes I ever wonder... Will the fair-weathered fans of some other big club in UK feel such emotions and loss if such tragedy in Hillsborough fall on them ? Will they continue to show their support if the team went into a downfall ? Perhaps, these younger fans of some other team know nothing about the history of their team...

And this season, I truly believe Liverpool deserves to win the long-awaited league title this coming May. Meanwhile, I am proud to be a fan of the Reds and hope such tragedy will never happen again, never...anywhere.

You'll Never Walk Alone.

Butterfly

Well...I really love her alot =P. I managed to purchase and (perhaps being the first person to buy at Toa Payoh's Popular) on the very first day of the release of her latest album (and her first since her move to Warner Music), Butterfly(花蝴蝶). Ever since her move to her previous company, Capitol Music, I had been buying each and every of her album release. (Except for her low-profile english album which were covers of the greatest hits of the western pop.)... Her songs had been accompanying me for these past few years...with the highs and the lows. Here are the recaps.

Album Name: Dancing Diva(舞娘)

Date of Release: 12/5/2006

I got this very first album of mine at a CD shop at Bendemeer Mall near my attachment company. It was the time when I was at a very low-life condition, having suffering from a major family incident and feeling very underachieving and disappointed in terms of studies and relationships. That's the low self-esteem I had at that time, despite having the good fortune and opportunity to be one of the 10+ students in the batch to be attached at a company(And it's a MNC) for Industrial Attachment Programme. It was at the very same time where I was in love with a girl(Which I knew during YCF and YGM in 2005 and whom I still refused to name on my blog until now...), while she was attached at that time. At that moment, I just hoped the friendships with her grew...but too bad there's little room for chances.

Favourite Songs in the album: Dancing Diva(舞娘), Pretence(假装... and it eventually spells the situation between me and her the following year...), Prologue(开场白), A wonder in Madrid(马德里不思议)

Album Name: Dancing Forever(唯舞独尊)
Date of Release: 29/9/2006

It's an album which consists of her mini concert DVD, a disc of her few new songs and another disc of remixes. At that point of time, I was in a worst condition of my life, lacking the wisdom and good fortune to find a good vacation job before NS which led me to work in an environment which I disliked at the very first day of work. At the same time, my low-self esteem, disappointments and bitterness continued. I was seriously lacking faith by then. Meanwhile, I don't even have the chance to see her in gakkai activities during that period of time. (Perhaps it's best not to see her in meetings as I had the face of low-life condition and my acne problems were at the very worst.)

Favourite Songs in the album: The cantonese version of 假装, Heard that love has come back(听说爱情回来过), Marry me today(今天你要嫁给我...and I will put this song in my consideration for my wedding.)


Album Name: Agent J(特务J)
Date of Release: 21/9/2007

This album released exactly 3 weeks after that incident. I don't wish to mention what happen...What I can only say now it's yet another vicious end of pursuing of love. Today, I wanna say again is I don't want such things to happen again. Although my social life had been much better especially since that incident, the song 一个人(Alone) had been accompanying me to overcome this vicious karma of mine and slowly get over this one-sided relationship.

It is a beginning of a new chapter of my life, a beginning of newly-refresh determination and strong life-condition for my human revolution and my pursue of happiness...

Favourite Songs in the album: Alone(一个人), Fear-free(怕什么), Metronome(节拍器), Agent J(特务J)

Album Name: Butterfly(花蝴蝶)

Date of Release: 27/3/2009

As I mentioned above, this is her first album since her move to Warner Music. By then I had already ORD from NS and just started my temp job as a finance officer at NUS...It's a breakthrough and good fortune to find this job though as the current economic crisis continues...

Meanwhile, I am heavily involved in gakkai activities than before while I continue to work hard to make breakthroughs in life... a far cry from 2006 when I was in such a shitty condition. Speaking of that, once again I repeat. I don't want (bad) history to repeat again

In this album, I particularly like Compromise(妥协)...It is a "continuation" of her sobby love ballads such the taste of lemon grass(柠檬草的味道), rewind(倒带), sky(天空), pretence(假装), alone(一个人) and list goes on...

Favourite Songs in the album: Compromise(妥协), You hurt my feelings(你快乐我内伤), Butterfly(花蝴蝶), Real Man(大丈夫)