By admin on April 13, 2013
I watched the Psy live concert at the Seoul World Cup Staduim on YouTube earlier this evening. Psy gave a very energetic performance and I chuckled at his parody of Beyonce. The highlight of the concert was the unveiling of the music video for Psy’s latest single “Gentleman”.
"Gentleman", the long-awaited follow-up to "Gangnam Style", hit online stores Friday in a midnight rolling release across 119 nations. In a move that surprised some industry experts and frustrated a lot of fans, it was released without the music video which had been the main focus of anticipation and speculation.
Some 50,000 fans packed Seoul's World Cup stadium for the concert, which comes at a time of soaring military tensions with North Korea, and with South Korea's armed forces on heightened alert for an expected missile test. Psy and 50,000 fans gave a "shout out" to the people of North Korea at his concert.
At a press conference before the concert, the 35-year-old South Korean rapper also acknowledged the "enormous pressure" of following a global phenomenon like "Gangnam Style, but argued he had been singing too long to be called a one-hit wonder.
Describing the division of the Korean peninsula as a "tragedy", Psy said he wanted North Koreans to share in the "fun and happiness" of his music.
"Gangnam Style"and Psy's signature horse-riding dance catapulted him to global stardom last year after it was posted on YouTube, becoming the most-watched YouTube video of all time with more than 1.5 billion views since it debuted last July. It also made him the biggest star to emerge from the growing K-pop music scene and Psy's horse-riding moves sparked an international dance craze.
"Gangnam Style" was always going to be a hard act to follow, and "Gentleman" has had a mixed reception as Psy acknowledged, although he was happy with its initial chart showing.
"Many expressed disappointment, saying I made too many calculations and I should have remade some of the songs I did in the past. But this is the best song, best work and the best choice I could possibly do," he said.
"I made the song feeling enormous pressure," he added. "Gentleman" went straight into the top five of the iTunes charts in South Korea and other Asian markets like Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, but could only manage 90th spot in the crucial US equivalent.
The song – a satire of a self-proclaimed "gentleman" trying to woo women at a party – contains more English lyrics than "Gangnam Style" in a clear nod to the singer's newfound global audience.
"Let me tell you about myself. I'm such a charmer with guts, vigour and humour," Psy sings in Korean before launching into the song's English catch-line: "I'm a mother-father gentleman."
"Gonna make you sweat. Gonna make you wet. You know who I am? Wet Psy!" he sings in English.
Already an established artist in South Korea with six albums under his belt, Psy has been building and polishing his own style of quirky, explosive music and his flamboyant stage persona since his debut in 2001.
"I've been doing this for 12 years. Would it be fair to call me a one-hit wonder just because my next song falls flat?" Psy said Saturday.
Psy, whose real name is Park Jae-sang, graduated from the Berklee College of Music in the United States and made his debut in 2001 with the album "PSY from the Psycho World".
But he ran into trouble with the authorities for "inappropriate" content in the lead song on that album, which was seen as sexually suggestive. He was also charged with possession of marijuana in 2002. Since then he has released five more albums.
Psy's brash style – at a concert last year he parodied Lady Gaga, complete with fake breasts that he set on fire – stands in stark contrast to the squeaky clean singers that dominate K-pop which is finding an increasingly large international audience.
Posted in Amazing People, From Around The World, Music | Tagged "PSY from the Psycho World", Gangnam Style, I'm a mother-father gentleman, K-pop, military tensions with North Korea, one-hit wonder, Park Jae-sang, Psy Concert Happening, Psy Is A Mother-Father Gentleman, Psy live concert at the Seoul World Cup Staduim, Psy's signature horse-riding dance, Psy’s latest single “Gentleman”, Psy’s parody of Beyonce, the most-watched YouTube video of all time, YouTube PSY's Gentleman, YouTube video Psy Concert Happening |
By admin on April 1, 2013
My application for migration to Canada under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) has been approved. I received a confirmation email from Mr Sigueh Kua of Maple Leaf Migration Services this morning. This really comes as a great surprise as I did not harbor much hope that my application would be successful.
Canada PR & Canada Immigration for Skilled Workers is points based. You need to score 67 of 100 points from factors like age, qualification, work experience, occupation & language. I managed to score 68, just a point above the minimum points required.
I left Canada in August 1980 so it has been over 30 years since my departure. I have always been filled with so much nostalgia each time I think of Canada so this is truly a dream come true for me.
See you soon, Canada!
Posted in Memories Are Made Of These | Tagged Canada PR & Canada Immigration for Skilled Workers, Federal Skilled Worker Program, FSWP, migration to Canada |
By admin on March 5, 2013
A 4-minute creepy but wonderfully creative spoof of Mandopop star Derrick Hoh’s dance-pop number “Forever” has gone viral online.
The spoof entitled “Dead Girl Seeks Meaningful Relationships” has been viewed about 70.000 times since it was uploaded to YouTube on February 26.
In April 2005, Derrick (何维健) auditioned for Project SuperStar, a nationwide talent competition in Singapore organised by Mediacorp, and emerged male 2nd runner-up.
Two years after his last release, Derrick returned to the Singapore pop scene not with a new Mandarin track, but an English-language single entitled ‘Forever’ . Composed by Hoh, with lyrics by local songwriter Marc Lian, the song climbed to the top of the local iTunes singles chart for five consecutive days.
The popularity of the song led to this creepy parody that echoes Derrick’s lyrics of eternal love albeit with a wicked twist to the idea of “till death do us part”. Beginning with a morbid suicide crime scene where a ghost-like lady dressed in white lies lifeless next to a river, the story soon unravels into a comical chase for eternal love where the coroner at the crime scene falls in love with the dead body while the misunderstood dead girl looks for companionship elsewhere.
The video is hilariously original but also extremely creepy. In one scene, ther head of the dead lady pops up in the middle of the tub as a man is relaxing during his bath.
Produced by Shaun Koh and veteran comedian Jonathan Lim who also plays the coroner, the video pays homage to the typical horror film scenes of bathroom ghosts, hanging legs, dark alleys and smeared make-up of a haunted being stuck on Earth with unfinished business.
Watch the grim but funny tale unfold.
Posted in From Around The World, The Odd The Weird The Wacky | Tagged Creepy spoof of Mandopop star Derrick Hoh’s dance-pop number “Forever”, Mediacorp, Project SuperStar, till death do us part, “Dead Girl Seeks Meaningful Relationships”, 何维 |
By admin on February 19, 2013
Malaysians crave for titles. There is little doubt about that. Just look at the number of awards dished out every year, from federal titles to state titles. But this number does not meet the demand which must be in the thousands.
In Malaysia, Datuk is a Malay term for an honorific title that is bestowed upon individuals who are deemed to have served the community and the nation well and also on people who have excelled in their areas of expertise and professionalism. It is a title that many a Malaysian craves for day and night, often way before he or she is actually ‘due’ for such official recognition or conferment. Apart from the glamour and social status that the title supposedly carries, it also opens doors to business opportunities and other pecuniary benefits.
In Malaysia, Datuk can be a federal title that is conferred to recipients of the Panglima Jasa Negara (PJN) and Panglima Setia Diraja (PSD) awards. Initiated in 1965, the two awards are limited up to 200 living Malaysians each at any one time. The numerical limits apply only to Malaysian subjects and do not include foreigners who may receive the award in a supernumerary and honorary capacity and use the title locally. The wife of a federal Datuk is a Datin, while a female conferred the title in her own right is formally known as "Datin Paduka". However, the prefix "Datuk" is now more commonly used for both men and women.
The title of 'Datuk' may also be conferred by Sarawak, Sabah, Malacca and Penang that have a head of state nominated by the respective Dewan Undangan Negeri/state's Legislature. This is different from the title, "Dato'", which is awarded by individual states headed by a Sultan. Individual sultans (and their staff) determine the award of these state titles.
The apparently easy dishing out of datukships to all and sundry has raised concern. State datukships have, by and large, lost much of its prestige due to a common perception among the public that many individuals are buying their way into ‘datukship’ through agents because of the apparently high stakes attached to this title.
Sabah used to be the butt of jokes, with the Sabah State Assembly in 2001 being told of the joke going around in the peninsula that “if you throw a stone into a crowd in Sabah, not only will it hit a datuk but it will ricochet off him and hit another datuk”.
The capping of Datukships to be awarded is thus an important first step to restore public confidence in the credibility and legitimacy of state honours and titles.
In economic terms, the demand for titles far outstrips the supply, which is why status-conscious Malaysians are willing to pay a small fortune to get such titles.
Honours-hungry Malaysians have been duped into paying anywhere between RM100,000 to RM300,000 for the fake “Datu” titles purportedly conferred by the sultan of Sulu.
If the Datu title from the Sultan of Sulu is beyond your means, you may want to consider a PhD from Rochville University which will set you back by about RM2,000 only. It is a lot cheaper than doing a real PhD or a Datu title from Sultan of Sulu.
And then there are also those honorary PhD degrees. Honorary degree recipients should not refer to themselves as "doctor", nor should they use the title on business cards or in correspondence. I know of a very wealthy Chinese businessman in a neighbouring country with an honorary PhD conferred by the University of New Castle in USA. I remember meeting him one day many years ago a couple of months after he got his honorary PhD and as usual, I addressed him by his surname (Mr Surname). I immediately saw his face darkened with displeasure. I know almost everybody was addressing as Dr Surname as they wanted to curry favour with him. I checked out University of New Castle USA and it is a non-accredited university meaning that its degrees are not valid, and may not be used for academic or employment purposes, or acknowledged as a credential in any public forum or publication, including on a website or in communication related to professional practice or participation in professional organizations.
When I see someone using a fake degree or award, the first thing that comes to my mind is that you cannot get any lower than this. The yearning for recognition and the vanity of such yearning is stunning. This really tells you something about the character of this person.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs probably explains why Malaysians crave for titles. Once your physiological, safety and love/belonging needs have been met, you begin craving for your esteem and self-actualisation needs. Getting a title attached to your name probably goes a long way towards meeting your esteem needs.
By the way, I came across an interesting article written by Fahri Azzat entitled Belakang Punya Dato' about the awarding of titles in Malaysia. Go to this link to read the article: Belakang Punya Dato'.
Posted in Malaysia, Uncategorized | Tagged awarding of titles in Malaysia, Belakang Punya Dato', craving for titles, Datin, Datin Paduka, Dato, Datu titles purportedly conferred by the sultan of Sulu, Datuk, datukships, esteem needs, Fahri Azzat, fake degree or award, honorary PhD degrees, honorific title, Malacca, Malaysians’ Obsession With Titles, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, non-accredited university, Panglima Jasa Negara (PJN), Panglima Setia Diraja (PSD), Penang, Rochville University, Sabah, Sarawak, state datukships, Sultan, University of New Castle in USA, yearning for recognition |
By admin on February 15, 2013
Malaysia has always been proud of being one of the top producers of natural rubber and apparently that has affected the Malaysians to the extent that they have a rather laid-back “elastic” attitude towards time that is commonly termed as MRT (Malaysian Rubber Time). This is similiar to jam karet in Indonesia.
MRT is “elastic” and tardiness is not seen as a ‘moral crime’, as it is in much of the Western clock-obsessed world. MRT means that things in life are supposed to happen in a very relaxed fashion. Time is perceived as a gentle stream carrying everything along at a leisurely pace with little effort being made to "manage" the flow.
Malaysians are generally not lazy – they just have a different perspective on time and don’t place a huge emphasis on being governed by the clock. This is why you will find that Malaysians are seldom punctual.
In Malaysia, VIPS are almost always fashionably late to turn up for events where they are the guests of honour. I am sure most of you have experienced something similar to the following scenario:
You arrive at a dinner function 10 minutes early and take your seat. As the time ticks away, you keep glancing at your watch. Finally, after you have been waiting for over an hour, the VIP makes his grand entry with his entourage. A loud applause erupts to welcome the VIP. You then have to endure a few speeches while your stomach grumbles. Sounds rather familiar, right? Apparently your time is less precious than the VIP’s.
Chinese wedding dinners will probably take the crown for always starting late. The wedding invitation cards state that the wedding dinners will start at say 6.30pm. You arrive 20 minutes early so as to get a good parking spot. You then proceed to the restaurant where you hand over your angpow to those tending the registration counters. They ask for your name and then search the guest lists. Upon finding your name, they tick it, indicating that you are attending and have given an angpow (they may even make a note of the amount that you have given in your angpow when your back is turned). You then make your way to your assigned table (though at some dinners, you may be free to sit where you want except for a few tables reserved for the hosts and their families). You can count yourself lucky if the dinner starts at 7 pm. More often than not, the dinner will start at 7.30 pm or in some cases as late as 8 pm. I have never attended any wedding dinner which started on the dot.
An expatriate, not knowing how Malaysian interpret time, would probably be puzzled and annoyed with the general acceptance of tardiness in this country considering that the rule of thumb in many other parts of the world is that time is money.
More than two decades ago, I had to pick up an Australian speaker for a MLM function. I arrived at his hotel about 15 minutes before the function which was being held at a venue about 5 minutes’ drive from the hotel. On the way to the venue, the Aussie was apprehensive about arriving at the function venue late. In an attempt to make him feel more at ease, I told him that most people would arrive at the function late. He was perplexed, asking me why I said that. I told him about MRT and he got a bit annoyed. He asked me whether these same people would go to the airport late when they are catching their flights.
The Aussie was right. Why can’t we Malaysians be punctual when attending functions when we can be punctual when catching our plane flights?
Rubber Time
Posted in Malaysia, Ramblings | Tagged clock-obsessed world, interpretation of time, Malaysian Rubber Time, Malaysian time, MRT, rubber time, tardiness, time is money, ‘jam karet’ |
By admin on January 1, 2013
Posted in Down Memory Lane, Memories Are Made Of These, My Life Journey, Ramblings | Tagged 2012, 2013, 30th wedding anniversary, Bintangkian Lau Peng Yu reunion, book donation project for SM Kai Chung’s library, Gangnam Style, goodbye 2012 and hello 2013, Kai Chung classmates, Mayan calendar, mom’s 80th birthday celebration, “My Wrestling Matches With God On My Life Journey” |
By admin on December 30, 2012
Mom is such a special word
To me mom is the greatest person in the world
She brought me into this world
And refused to let me go
When dad wanted to give me away
Because of mom, I am still a Lim
I almost drowned when I was a little kid
Because of mom, I am still here today
Eighty Years
Have Come and Gone…
There's no way to thank you enough, Mom
For all the things you've done for us throughout the years
You've always sacrificed without complaining
And loved us all unconditionally
From Binatang to Kuching,
Your life has been a journey of love and of courage
Raising us five children was a feat in itself
You persevered and we are who we are today, because of you
Happy Birthday Mom
Mom’s 80th Birthday
Posted in Memories Are Made Of These, My Life Journey, Ramblings | Tagged A poem for my mother's 80th birthday, Binatang, Happy Birthday Mom, Kuching, mom, mom is the greatest person in the world, mother, mum, mummy, 壽, 媽媽的80歲生日, 媽媽的80歲生日晚宴 |
By admin on December 21, 2012
Christmas is just round the corner so I just want to share this joke with you with the hope that you will have a hearty laugh. Merry Christmas to you all!
Letter to God
There was a man who worked for the Post Office whose job it was to process all the mail that had illegible addresses. One day, a letter came addressed in a shaky handwriting to God with no actual address. He thought he should open it to see what it was about. The letter read:
Dear God,
I am an 83 year old widow, living on a very small pension. Yesterday someone stole my purse. It had $100 in it, which was all the money I had until my next pension check. Next Sunday is Christmas, and I had invited two of my friends over for dinner. Without that money, I have nothing to buy food with. I have no family to turn to, and you are my only hope. Can you please help me?
Sincerely, Edna
The postal worker was touched. He showed the letter to all the other workers. Each one dug into his or her wallet and came up with a few dollars. By the time he made the rounds, he had collected $96, which they put into an envelope and sent to the woman.
The rest of the day, all the workers felt a warm glow thinking of Edna and the dinner she would be able to share with her friends.
Christmas came and went. A few days later, another letter came from the same old lady to God. All the workers gathered around while the letter was opened. It read:
Dear God,
How can I ever thank you enough for what you did for me? Because of your gift of love, I was able to fix a glorious dinner for my friends. We had a very nice day and I told my friends of your wonderful gift. By the way, there was $4 missing. I think it must have been those crooks who work at the Post Office.
Posted in God | Tagged Dear God, Letter to God, letter to God joke, Merry Christmas |
By admin on December 18, 2012
Colloquial Singaporean English, widely known as Singlish, is an English-based creole language spoken in Singapore. With Singapore’s multi-racial background, it's not surprising that 'Singlish' borrows from the many different languages spoken in Singapore.
First-time visitors often find themselves confounded by the Singlish colloquialisms that pepper Singaporeans' speech.
Sinful English, a three-minute "how-to-speak-Singlish" video shot by a group of Americans and their Singaporean friends, is going viral on YouTube with about 250,000 views since it was uploaded on November 30.
The video starts in dramatic fashion where a fill-in President Obama proclaims, "Every day thousands of Americans fall victim to FWCP, also known as first world communication problems".
Americans are then shown going about their daily lives but lose out when proper English communication gets too lengthy. The tongue-in-cheek video then shows them how to make themselves understood by using Singlish.
US-based Singaporeans Shawn Tan and Leandro Siow are behind the hilarious video,.
Tan, 24, who is working in the film industry as a production crew member, and Siow, 26, who is studying film and television at California State University, said they were feeling homesick when they came up with the idea of shooting a "guide-to-Singlish" video.
"Singlish is not something to be embarrassed about. In fact it's just the way we Singaporeans speak to bring our meanings across emotionally and efficiently", said Tan.
Okay, it is time to learn Singlish:
Posted in Amazing Things, The Odd The Weird The Wacky | Tagged a "guide-to-Singlish" video, colloquial Singaporean English, English-based creole language spoken in Singapore, first world communication problems, FWCP, how to speak Singlish video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiYXiixlV0A, Shawn Tan and Leandro Siow, Sinful English, Singlish, ‘Singlish’ video made in US goes viral |
By admin on December 16, 2012
A fishmonger at East London market in UK has shot to fame with his “One Pound Fish” jingle.
An amateur video featuring Muhammed Shahid Nazir, aka the "One Pound Fish Man", has propelled the little-known fish seller into the limelight. The two-minute video, showing him peddling his fish at Queen's Market through a silly sing-along to anyone who would listen, has gone viral with 5 millions views to date.
"Have-a, have-a look, one pound fish. Very, very good, very, very cheap, one pound fish," goes the song.
The 31-year-old shot to even more nationwide attention after failing to make the cut on Britain's reality music show, X Factor UK. However, he has since been signed on by Warner Music Group, releasing his first single aptly titled "One Pound Fish" in time for Christmas.
The video of the song, which has already hit 3 million views since it was uploaded on December 10, shows him singing the same song but in all its full glitz and glamour.
"It's a dream come true. The feeling of fame is divine. I never thought anything like this will happen to me one day in my life," says Nazir.
Posted in Amazing People, From Around The World, The Odd The Weird The Wacky | Tagged "One Pound Fish", http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETSl8gWsFZ0, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_miGclPFGs, London fishmonger shoots to fame with “One Pound Fish” jingle, Muhammed Shahid Nazir, One 1 Pound Fish, Queen's Market in East London, the "One Pound Fish Man", X Factor UK, YouTube videos of One Pound Fish, £1 Fish Man, £1 Fish Man - One Pound Fish - O-Fish-Al Video, “One Pound Fish” jingle |
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