My First Cantonese Concert: Eason Chan

 

On December 1, 2013, I went to my first Cantonese concert--Eason Chan's LIFE Show-at the Event Center at San Jose State University. One word I would use to describe this concert is AMAZING. One thing I liked about Eason is how he is able to appeal to so many Mandarin-speaking fans since he was originally from Hong Kong and most of his songs were sang in Cantonese. I guess it was because he has released a number of Mandarin albums in the past. Also, I did not expect that the major audience would be youths (people around my age) since Eason has been a singer for many years ever since 1997; thus, i expected that most of his fans would be people in their 30s' or so. Another thing that surprised me is how famous Eason is in America to have 2 nights of his concert to be sold out quickly like pancakes. I thought he was famous only in Asia--Hong Kong. Who knew that he would gain fame all around the world as well? There was originally only one show at San Jose State University but due to popular demand and the first show being sold out, a second night was added in to accomodate the people who did not get the chance to buy their tickets, including me. Therefore, I was glad I was able to get decent seats for the second show.

 

English lyrics on the screen

 

 

 

 

The concert lasted for a total of 2 and a half hours, including 8 minutes of encore; most of his songs he sang were in Cantonese and a few were in Mandarin which were all very easy to sing along to. In my opinion, I think his voice sounds better live than listening to it on the CD. For the benefit of the non-Cantonese speaking audience, Eason spoked in 3 different languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. I liked how he encouraged the Mandarin-speaking fans to learn Cantonese if possible so that they can be able to understand and appreciate his Cantonese songs. In fact, I'm glad I'm Cantonese and can also speak Mandarin and English very well despite being born in the United States. He also cracked alot of jokes which made the audience very high. A surprising moment was when a guy fan sitting on the front row suddenly jumped up on stage to give Eason a hug which was not allowed but Eason still gave it to him, making everyone full of envy. It must have been a dream come true for him to have the lucky opportunity to hug his idol. If I got the chance to hug my idol, Jay Chou, then my life would be complete and I will never wash my clothes that I was wearing during that moment. It was also really funny when Eason said he wished the person who hugged him was a girl instead of a guy; this kind of proved that he has more guy fans or the girls were just too shy. Near the end of the concert, I seized the opportunity to get up from my seat to run up near the front of the stage to have the chance to get a glimpse of him up close. By doing so, I was satisfied because this opportunity have fulfilled my money's worth.

 

My close up shot of him near the stage

 

Some of my favorite songs he performed during the concert was "Eliminated", Time is Like a Song", "Tomrrow of Next Year", and "Backpack". The first song I have ever heard from him was "Time is Like a Song" (Sui Yuet Yu Gor), the theme song from the TVB drama, "Triumph in the Skies", which I have watched during my middle school years. "Eliminated" was his first mandarin song I have heard from Eason and was composed by Jay Chou who was my original source for this song.

Overall, I really enjoyed this concert and would likely give it another go if he comes back. :D

Piano Shoes Designed By Alicia Keys

Side view

Back View

   I first found out about these awesome piano shoes when my sister told me that she saw them on display in front of the Reebok store at the mall a few months ago. At first impression, I thought the front part looked a bit awkward but the back part with an image of the piano keyboard looked really unique and trendy. When I tried them on, I realized that the front part did not look that awkward after all. It's hard to tell if anything looks good unless you try them on; as a result, I have tried them on and it does fit and look good on me. The store did not have my size but I was able to find the correct size online at Amazon.com. I actually got them on sale for $29.99 on Amazon compared to the ones at the Reebok store which cost $39.99. These shoes are definitely a must-buy if you are a piano lover like me. :)

My first trophy

Victory!!! <3

                             

I have never felt so victorious in my life before until a week ago when I won my first trophy from taking part in a table tennis tournament at my school. Thanks to my schoolmate--who invited me to be his partner for the Mixed Doubles--for giving me this opportunity. We ended up winning a third place trophy but I thought we could've done better if we had practiced beforehand but my partner canceled our practice appointment at the last minute so we did not have any time to prepare for the game. Despite that, we still did pretty well. Most importantly, I had a lot of fun because I got to play with people of different levels and also with my tennis table teacher who remembered me really well. :)  By the time I got my hands on the trophy, it felt like I had won the lottery. Therefore, I have to give myself a pat on the back for setting such a great milestone. This is a good way to end the school year with since I will be graduating in one month. The thing I'm going to miss the most from school is my table tennis class and the people I have met in that class. I actually did not realize how much I missed playing table tennis at school until the end of the tournament when I did not feel like leaving. *cries* I wonder if I will have the opportunity to come back after graduation to take part in future tournaments again. If so, then I will come back next time prepared with my goal of winning first or second place.    

Pianists I came to admire

Ever since I started learning the piano, I began to learn about the world's most renowned pianists. The first pianist I came to admire is Lang Lang, a pianist from mainland China who is also popular in other countries. He is the fastest piano player I have ever seen. I admire the classical music he plays especially his "Nocturne" covers. The first time I saw him was on the Mnet awards.. He had also cooperated with Jay Chou by appearing in his music video, "Dreams Start".

Look at those piano fingers!!

Another renowned pianist from mainland China is Li Yundi. I liked how he plays the piano with a lot of emotions which can be seen on the expressions on his face during his performances. Like Lang Lang, Li Yundi had also cooperated with Jay Chou on the same stage in the past and I think they make a really good partner. Hope to see them cooperating again soon!

Li Yundi

The PianoGuys is a American music group which consists of several musicians but mostly, they only have two people---one playing the piano (Jon Schmidt) and the other playing a cello (Steven Sharp Nelson) ---in their music videos. The first music video I saw from them is their cover of One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful" which shows 5 guys hitting, rubbing, and banging on various parts of the piano to accompany the piano guy, Jon Schmidt. This is pretty cool because it's the first time I have ever seen something like that. Their other music videos are done very beautifully and filmed at interesting locations with unique elements and background. 

Yiruma, a renowned pianist from South Korea, is another pianist who I also became fond of. His music, "River Flows In You" and "Kiss the Rain" are both really popular that they have been used in a lot of Chinese dramas. I have heard "Kiss the Rain" for the first time a few years back when I was watching a TVB drama so every time I hear it, memories of watching TVB dramas would come up in my mind. "River Flows in You" is a really beautiful and melancholy music which I want to learn how to play later on. 

 

My First Bollywood Movie

       I saw my first Bollywood film entitled "Bhagg Milkha Bhagg" with my friend, Martha, and her friend Daisy, who are both from El Salvador. I had no idea that Bollywood movies are that popular in the United States until I walked into the auditorium to realize that most of the seats are already taken. We arrived 30 minutes late so we had to sit at the front on the second roll which was too close but regardless, we could see the screen really well. The movie is based on a true story about a really successful Indian track-and-field runner, Milkha Singh. I was really inspired by the story because the message behind it is that hard work and dedication is the most important when you want to accomplish something in life. In the movie, Milka Singh started out as a poor kid who had to steal to make a living. Later, due to his ability to run really fast, he got recruited onto the Indian track-and-field team. Then he enters the Olympics and encountered some setbacks---losing the first race--- but despite this problem, he was able to get back up by training day and night until he became confident that he will win in the next race. As a result, all his hard work and effort paid off, which helped him to become the most famous Indian track-and-field runner at that time. After watching this movie, it inspired me even more to dedicate my time to the piano so that I can accomplish my goal of playing proficiently. 

Update on Piano Lessons

Nice pic, eh?

 After taking time off piano lessons for 5 months (from January to May) due to school, I was able to  resume these lessons during the beginning of June. The good news is that I have recently upgraded to Level 4. Now that I'm currently on summer vacation, this means I have more time to practice on the piano. 2 more levels to go until I can be able to play effectively. Now looking at piano sheet music gives me less of a headache compared to when I first learned the piano since I am able to read most of the signs/symbols. From the last lesson, my teacher introduced me to the arpeggiated chords where the lowest note had to be played first followed by adding the next higher notes one at a time until the chord is complete.

Learning a classical music is a must when playing the piano. During my leisure time, I have tried playing some classical music and one of them I was able to play decently is the simplified version of Frederick Chopin's "Nocturne".  As a beginner, it took me quite a while to memorize all the keys and try to play as smoothly as possible. The most frustrating part was trying to get the timing right but after much practice, I was able to get the hang of it. I have to admit that learning a new instrument is difficult and requires a lot of time and commitment but perseverance is the key to success. Since I have already started, I won't give up when I run into difficulties because if I do, then all my efforts would be wasted. My piano teacher told me that a lot of people have given up by the time they have reached levels 5 and 6 because they find it too difficult to handle but I promise myself that I would not be like them. As long as I'm committed to the piano, difficulties will not be a factor for me. 

To end today's post, here is a video I have recorded of myself playing the simplified version of Chopin's "Nocturne":

 

Jay Chou's 2nd self-directed and self-acted movie, "The Rooftop"!

"The Rooftop" pose is a combination of martial arts and dance

For the past few weeks, I have been keeping track of the latest news from Jay Chou's upcoming movie, "The Rooftop" which will be released in Asia on 7/11/13 and in North America only in selected theaters on 7/19/13. I'm so excited because the movie will be shown at a theater near my area. Also, it will be shown at the New York International Asian Film Festival which will be a great opportunity for Jay to promote his movie to international audiences and to get more people to know about him in America. "The Rooftop" is actually Jay's 2nd self-directed and self-acted movie since the release of "Secret"  6 years ago. "The Rooftop" is about a love story between a poor, young man named Lang Zi Gao (Jay Chou) who lives on the rooftop and Li Xin Ai (herself)  who belongs to the wealthy class and lives below the rooftop. Both of them face many hardships trying to be together because of the differences between the two classes. Basically, this movie shows the differences between the people living on the rooftop who lives a normal and carefree life and the bourgeois class who lives more of a complicated life surrounded by money and fame. The setting takes place during the 1980s', which is Jay's favorite time period. Something unique about this movie is that it will have some musical scenes inspired by India's Bollywood; this will be Jay's attempt in introducing a Chinese-style musical film to international audiences. All the genres you want to watch is incorporated in this movie: romance, musical, action, comedy, drama, etc. I cannot wait to watch this movie and definitely looking forward to it! :D Here is the link to the awesome trailer of "The Rooftop"!

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq6uEC-1U8E&feature=plcp