Month: January 2006

Categories
Whacky Thoughts

Not Unlike High Platform Diving

I am not a big fan of sport broadcast but since young, I fall in love with high platform diving. With a high platform, the athletes are given enough time to chain the difficult moves together and yet land onto the water with the minimum amount of splash. Perfect ten is made of this.

Some argues that gifted people with talents are able to paint a picture, write a book, compose music, perform drama acts, and etc. naturally without the need of long hours of practice. Little do some knows that these gifted people devote much of their lifetime doing what they love best.

What prompted me to think of high platform diving was when I was doing recording for my new song (this is the one). It was frustrating trying to get the vocal recording right. Taking the song into pieces trying to make each piece sounds right is not unlike the moves within one high platform dive. Lots of practicing.

Categories
Songwriting

Kewl Song: Something In Your Eyes

I was planning to compose the song as written the night before. Turned out that the chords, rhythm, and tempo did not fit the theme of the song. So I have decided to write another song instead. When I first demo’ed it to Cynthia, she said: it’s cute! Yep, it is a darn cute song. The lyrics as such:

Something In Your Eyes

This is the last time I promise myself
I will not give in to the look in your eyes
Spin around losing track of time
I want to run run run away from you

Won’t be the next time I promise myself
To let you break my life apart
You do me good till I’m barely alive
I want to run run run away from you

Something in your eyes corrupting my mind
Something deep inside contradict my life
Sometimes when you smile I feel so sublimed
Sometimes when you cry I feel so denied

In this lukewarm paradigm of a dream denied
I swim in this pitch dark black pool of mine
It is hard to find when I cannot open my eyes
I cannot think straight when you are by my side

Something in your eyes corrupting my mind
Something deep inside contradict my life
Sometimes when you smile I feel so sublimed
Sometimes when you cry I feel so denied

Copyright © 2006 by Wilfrid K. F. Wong. All Rights Reserved.

Categories
Songwriting

Statistic On Song Writing

Just some useless statistics. You see, when I write songs, I write the lyrics and chords on a notepad. Usually I will type them out nicely into Words format as well as updating an Excel spreadsheet in order to keep track of what I have written. Over the year, I have become lazy and just put up with handwritten scores. Today, I have decided to do some housecleaning. I have realised the following useless statistics:

  • As of today, I have written 136 songs.
  • I have written 22 songs in the year of 2004.
  • I have written 15 songs in the year of 2005.
  • The first month of 2006 is over soon and I have only written 1 song.
  • There are 17 songs yet to be typed into Words format.
Categories
Songwriting

Are You Feeling Lonely (Let Me Be With You)

Wife was having conference call in the late evening so instead of composing music melody, I worked on the lyrics instead. The title of the song could be “Are You Feeling Lonely (Let Me Be With You)”. All comments are welcome. I have not worked on the music yet.

Are You Feeling Lonely (Let Me Be With You)

Are you feeling lonely, sick of what people cannot see in you?
Are you feeling tired of these standards, sick of what they say to you?
Do you consider to be different, someday someone may see the real you?
Do you consider leaving, find yourself another home?

Do you think it is fair, hurt by the ones you love most?
Do you think it is the norm, to take in all that they say to you?
Do you feel like hidding from the faces of your daily life?
Do you feel like running away from your kind?

Come to me, my love, I can take care of you
I see true beauty missed by the eyes of fools
I see how far you can fly though no one believe in you
Let me ease your pain, and see how much I love you

In this arid land you are looking for a sign of hope
You feel so deflated, not sure what to do
You are desperate and quiet, your energy is running low
Keep walking, though you wish someone is with you

Come to me, my love, I can take care of you
I see true beauty missed by the eyes of fools
I see how far you can fly though no one believe in you
Let me ease your pain, and see how much I love you

I was once broken not unlike the present you
I was once hurt way worst then you
There came upon an angel helped me to get through
Now my arms are opened, let me be with you

Come to me, my love, I can take care of you

Copyright © 2006 by Wilfrid K. F. Wong. All Rights Reserved.

Categories
Whacky Thoughts

Singapore’s Customer Services

With the recent Hong Kong trip still fresh in my memory, I find it hard not to compare the customer services experience in Hong Kong and in Singapore. Back in Hong Kong, one evening I entered an electronic shop not unlike Courts near closing hours. The salesperson was very helpful full of enthusiasm showing me the subtle differences between Plasma TV and LCD TV of various brands. Beyond the statistical information and general product descriptions that some Singaporean salespersons can’t even memorise, he showed me the TVs in the viewers’ perspective. In particular, he was pointing out the color vibrancy, the feel of realism, the comfort level, amongst many other key feathers that a viewer should look out for.

Today’s lunch time, I took a train to Raffle City and walked all the way to Suntech to visit the optical shop that I have purchased the contact lens from since 1995. I forgive the fact that as a salesperson, he has thick nose hairs sticking out of his nose (eeeewwww) but I can’t forgive the fact that after looking at my long record card, he said that the product that I have been using is a monthly disposable lens. I told him that no, it is bimonthly. He insisted till he has to refer to the one who sold me the lens (does that make a difference?!).

Excited by new toric lens, I asked this salesperson what the differences are. “Supposed to have more oxygen” was I think the only reply. “Stick with the lens that work for you” was I think his only suggestion. Fine, I have ordered a trial pair to see for myself what the differences will be. Don’t they know that they can easily solicitate customers’ feedback when the customers have decided to place an order after the trial period is up?

Walking back to the office, I stopped by Funan for lunch. Passed by the Nokia shop at ground level after my fish soup rice meal and besides me was a foreigner who was interested in one of the phone. He asked how much the phone is in US dollars. The friendly salesperson even borrow his colleague’s phone and did a live demo on what the phone can do. After the foreigner has gone, I proceeded to ask a few more questions and all his smile suddenly disappeared and gave me a two or three words reply like “It’s a designer phone” and turned his back to me. I am not kidding, he has literally turned his back on me! I asked another salesperson to show me one of the phone and she passed it onto me without a word. She was not even trying to sell me anything. Not a single smile. Like I was a waste of time. Even in Hong Kong, the salespersons are professional enough to give the potential customers a good impression

Categories
Drama Movie Reviews

French Movie – Anthony Zimmer

Verdict: 8/10
Pros: Engaging scenes with a tightness that hold your attention from beginning till the end. Good acting from the lead actor and actress. And of course, Sophie Marceaus – the sexiest French on earth.
Cons: You probably may watch it again once or twice but not as many times as some of the other French foreign films.

It all started with the authorities’ desire to hunt down a business criminal William Zimmer whom has disappeared but has one weakness – Chiara (played by the beautiful French actress Sophie Marceau). From then on, it was a constant spinning of the story how Francois fell in love with Chiara in a random encounter only to find that he was manipulated and now hunt by hitmen and authorities. And of course the big question: Where is William Zimmer.

I must say that the scenes are well crafted that not one scene is in excess. The storyline is somewhat predictable but what is amazing is how the movie is being delivered despite it’s predictability. French films usually include quite a number of artistically made sex scenes but this one has none. Looking back, having those scenes in the movie will probably spoil the character development.

This is one movie that I will definitely get a DVD version when it releases.

Categories
I See I Write

Realplayer For Real?!

I came across an album by Miho Karasawa and wish to check out her materials in the Internet. Turned out that I needed to install a Realplayer. After launching the Realplayer, I was greeted with many interesting movie titles such as: Love for Sale, My Sister the Geisha, Favourite Body Parts, Why Men Pay For It.

I clicked onto Love For Sale – L.A. Story and watched the trailer (to play the video, I will need a pass). Dialogue as follows:

Interviewee (girl) – “Women should be coming in no more than {paused} seven minutes. If you’re longer than seven minutes, you need my help. You need to come to me {pause}, ya. ”

Interviewer (girl) – “Where do you get seven minutes from?”

Interviewee – “That is about the point when you start to getting frustrated. If I am doing it, and I can’t come in a {paused}, I am usually like a two or three minutes girl. But if I can’t come in like seven minutes, for the first one, then I will get really frustrated. So I would {pause} say that, using me as the model, if I can, you know, if it takes you fourteen minutes to come, I can show you techniques that can cut that time in half.”

Now, I wonder what that technique is.

Categories
Diary

In the Spirit of Black

Cynthia and I must have spent three to four hours hanging around the Honda Showroom. It was flooded with people. Most people were asking if cars can be delivered before Chinese New Year, which is like in a couple of days time. The new Civic draws lots of attention too. After hours of idling (and going through the decision tree one zillion billion times), the saleperson was kind of surprised that I can decided on the colour as well. So, a black 2 litre Honda Civic it will be.

And in the spirit of black, and since my new car does come with an iPod integration, I am going to get a black iPod to match with the car. Since I am going to get an iPod, there is no point in waiting for the N91 Nokia MP3 phone to come out (in restrospect, it is fortunate that Nokia takes forever to lauch its 4GB MP3 phone). Hence, I am going to get the black Nokia swing phone – the one I love.

Categories
Diary

What Makes Me Happy?

CL called me yesterday as he was arranging for a reunion lunch with my clients from StanChart back in 1999. I gladly accepted the invitation and how I missed them. One of them has to travel from Plaza from the Park and another one from Suntech. Looking at them, I registered the familarity but yet so much has changed. In that year 1999, it was like a juncture that we all met and from then, we all headed different ways. Yes, I am happy to have caught up with them and gosh, for one I am the youngest in the group – by a good margin!

During lunch, thoughts were triggled as in what really makes me happy today. Yes, friends have been telling me that I need progression (and no, I will not leave Singapore for the time being). And yes, my career life has been stagnant. No, I am not thinking of changing to a job that excites me and no, I am not going to give up my balanced lifestyle as yet.

Next to my office’s unit is a law firm. One of the lawyer inside has a band and has played in Esplanade. She is the bassist and vocalist. Although I am not exactly a big fan of their music, I feel happy that their band has released an album that can be bought in HMV Singapore (http://www.Lunarin.com). She is indeed my inspiration. If she can do it, so can I!

Categories
Diary

Why I Wish to Upgrade My Car

Last year February I have written a blog on “Why I Don’t Upgrade My Car”. Then couples of days ago, TK told me that if I am to deregister my car after the 5-years mark, I will get a “penalty”. He asked me to check out http://www.OneMotoring.com.sg and so I did.

The results? If I am to deregister my car on May 7 instead of May 6, for that one day, I will lose S$8. If I am to deregister my car on May 8 instead of May 7, I will lose S$1,826.

Besides, I found out that I will get back close to S$40,000 if I deregister my car on May 7. I bought my car at S$90,000 and that is quite a “linear” depreciation. Besides, car price has dropped so much. My COE was S$34,000. Today, it is less than S$10,000. The tax structure has changed too. So it is about time.