2:20am, what's on my mind?

Never thought I was the type that would stay at work until this late, but then, what can you do? When the company is understaffed and people are not delivering as you expected, it either means you have to shift one gear up, or you look for something else.

Well, I'm trying... (which one? haha)

It's actually not as bad as it sounds. 2:25am now, listening to David Tao on my computer... waiting for a draft from a colleague who's sitting 20 feet away... after that I'll need to compile it into the main text and send it out. Why do I bother to tell you all this anyway? I think because I am dead tired and I am not thinking straight....

Oh, it's now one of Jonathan Li Chong Shing's classic "Hard to Stand the Loneliness". Love this song. Not that because I'm lonely or anything... but it perfectly depicts the sentiments of people of our age... 寂寞难耐、时光不再、只有自己为自己悲哀、这一次我的心情不高不低不好不坏。

2:28am, when can I go home?

Was just googling earlier, and found that there's another blog by another C H Mak... he's blog is on Yahoo... seems like he's a father or something, because there's a picture of a dad holding a baby in his arms... Funny, I am coming up in Google searches nowadays... not that there are many instances, but still good to be seen "out there". *sigh* things we do when we are just... wasting time....

2:30am... Miriam is singing "Here Comes the Wolf". Missed her concert last month. Most people who'd seen it said her singing was quite good this time... well... IT'S ABOUT TIME. Like some of her songs... but it seems her songs are very forgettable. The song might be a hit for a year, but when you listen to it again next year you'll find it SO DATED. What could she do now? Stuck in that time in her career when she could either be put on the alter (Sun Toi), or she could open up a new blood path?

2:33am... A-Mei singing "May I Hold You, My Lover?" Yes, please.

2:34am... Was thinking about my travel plans again. It looks like my US plans might be changed. My travel companion is cancelling, but my ticket is non-refundable... so I might still go, but for a shorter period of time. Oh well, will see see. No rush anyway. I'm out of paid leave already, so cutting it short wouldn't mean much to work... I should probably just try to enjoy some time off work.

2:36am... I checked a few blogs everyday... Fun's, Wordy's, and Donald's Movie Blog. Fun's is always fun to read. Not only his writing is funny, people who leave messages on his blog are also funny too. Wordy's always very insightful, and I don't have any friends like him... or so it seems from reading his writing (I don't actually KNOW him). Love it when he writes about his adventures around town at all those yummy Japanese restaurants. Donald's a true movie buff and he's my source for notable upcoming movies... Now I don't have to buy Entertainment Weekly anymore for movie reviews. Donald's quite comprehensive and well-stocked.

2:39am... Now Fong Dai Tung is singing "Love Love Love". Went to a small concert he gave earlier this year at the Arts Centre. This kid is quite amazing, but not sure if he'd ever make it big in the local market. Hong Kong afterall is not a place for those with pure talents. But Khalil is a joy to watch in live performance. Very talented, very comfortable on stage.

2:41am... Sammi sings "Getting Off at the Wrong Stop". She's never been my favorite, but a couple of her songs make it into my "music library". I think it's the melody and lyrics that I love about this song. There is a tragic beauty about getting off at the wrong stop and maybe it's predestined?

Ok, I'll end right here now because if you're not asleep yet, I will be. ;)

Sandy Live '07: 強力回歸

Courtesy of Sandyandme.com

是尾場的關係？當然。

之前九晚鬰左甘耐，尾場一次個釋放出來。

昨晚顯然是fans大聚會。死硬派必然之選。前九晚的問題，其實是憶蓮差不多被逼要收斂。皆因死硬派分散曬，群衆力量未能合二爲一。前幾次的Concert，4場、5場，頭尾場一定是自己人天下，而中間的周末場（星期四、五），都一定大有捧場者。今次就分散左，唯有尾場才能聚首一堂。

沒想到“自制空間”都是一首跳舞個，就是大家個躉已經等左九晚，已經急不及待。

今次之前沒有聼過演唱的，有“早晨”（作爲換衫/中場位，令過程更加順暢）,“再見悲哀”（出奇地沒有忘記歌詞，因歌詞實在kiu口）。

“哭”已經升華至今年Concert的highlight。我覺得憶蓮其實可以再多改旋律的唱法，令歌曲更加耳目一新。

Encore部分是前九晚都沒有的。尾場又怎能缺少？一開始，“詞不達意”，貫徹始終，是國語大碟“呼吸”裏面的一首熱門sidetrack。之後的“為你我受冷風吹”，雖然是熱歌，但經過重新編排，用soft rock配樂，加了一點搖滾味道，更加grunge，顯示歌者的無奈及不忿，與淒麗的原曲有明顯的分別。

一次Encore已經滿足，誰知Sandy再次出場，而期待的“傾斜”再出，熱血沸騰、全場勁唱。跳完再跳，又來多次“逃離鋼筋森林”，以爲一定會完，點知要我們唱“依然”。雖然反應沒比我想象中熱烈，可能背景配樂太大聲？但令到2007年尾場超越1996年“憶蓮盛放”尾場、8號風球全場棒都唔走的情景更熱烈，就是近代經典“沒結果”。其實“沒結果”都唱過不少次。但自1993年“天地野花”之後，勁嗌的尾段都已經刪掉。今次，差不多有1993年那次的勁嗌，但唯缺最後最後最高的一part。但話雖如此，今時今日Sandy的performance，比1993年因嗌而嗌的version有過之而無不及，亦比以往1996及2005年的來的徹底，並以全場沸騰至頂點的氣氛下作Finale。

This is Completeness. 是一個時代的總結，另一個的開始。做過紅館、會展、匯星，連sidetrack再sidetrack都唱埋，仲可以玩什麽？不如重新開始？

Courtesy of Imagezero

Sandy Live '07 Take Three - Incomplete? Complete...

實在太High.
需要時間collect下d thoughts.
原來缺少了的互動，是要一班死硬派fans去做就的。
今次演唱會的intended effects，終於在11月18日尾場完全釋放。。。

Please let me have a private moment with this euphoria....................................

闊別2年，慢左添。。。

上次跑10k，是2005年嚕。上年跑過15k、又玩過兩項（遊水+跑步）、這兩年又試過Ocean Swim。沒時間練更長途（半馬？），唯有再玩10k啦。

天水圍，奈何最近被冠以什麽“悲情xx”（其實，我對標簽比較抗拒。點解要把整個社區定位成一個形容詞呢？做些有建設性的建議罷），自己對他的認識只基於新市鎮規劃、區内樓盤。天水圍的規劃，從一個社區概念(neighbourhood concept)出發。你會發現，圍繞市鎮公園是嘉湖山莊不同期數的住宅群。中間除了有體育場、酒店、商場，還有面積頗大的園林公園。有輕鐵、西鐵，有三號幹綫、西部通道。在平面上，規劃做的不錯。問題出於那？其實新市鎮由初期開始（荃灣、屯門、以及沙田等）都希望做到自給自足的功能。意思是本區生活、本區工作的目標。長途commute，既浪費時間、更不符合可持續發展理念。但是在香港，中環、金鐘、灣仔、尖沙嘴始終是employment centre。連政府都不肯把行政中心遷離市中心。做成Central-Wanchai Bypass一定要建、中區寫字樓租金日日上升（差不多到1994年歷史高位咯）、每天地鐵上班下班時間都逼爆。政府爲何不帶領市場到新的地區，創建一個新的Administrative Node?講是容易，内裏的issues很多很多。

Anyway，呢篇blog的原意是講10k...

沿著天水圍外圍路跑，都使不錯的一條路綫。天色不錯，只是從港島去新界東北，真是很遠。西隧後、長青隧道、再丁九橋、大欖隧道。。。都要40分鐘。

Nike 10k很多人參加，而且大多數是跑的，不像渣兜10k，很多無聊人只掛拍照。

成績退步了一點，唯有在2008渣兜10k新賽道再挑戰自己罷。

AM / FI / MM

(Courtesy of Fun生活)

Sandy Live '07 Take Two - 再度懊惱

Rundown已經定下，根據Sandyandme.com的每天報道，從第六場(14號晚)開始已經沒有什麽變動。

15號，星期四，第七場，陪阿媽去看。她對憶蓮的歌沒甚印象；我知道Sandy唱冷門歌，對媽都應該沒有任何分別。就讓她接觸我其中的一個摯愛罷。

ahem.....

都沒有什麽好講。憶蓮始終是憶蓮。前幾天聼過某網上留言用“不同凡響”來形容2007演唱會。都算非常貼切。作爲忠實粉絲，我只可以說，我是支持Sandy的。不如分享一下一些片斷罷。

給Fun的：“誰像你好”


今次我最愛的一首：“哭”


將成爲繼“微涼”之後的另一首熱冷歌。。。破曉的別曲，有憶蓮自彈自唱：“夢了”


9場"Incomplete"後，尾場（18號）會是完滿的結束嗎？她不在乎，但我是期待。。。

令人懊惱的嘗試

“走在大街的女子”(courtesy of Fun生活)

望到頸到長埋，但小弟終於在昨晚看了Sandy '07 Live。
之前要求Fun閉嘴，自己亦沒有去check其他fans的留言板。。。

其實一路以來都知道今次的演唱會形式不同。沒有快歌之餘，會以歌會友。

新venue，一直在留意floorplan。其實都不會期待什麽華麗製作。我覺得budget是一個問題。雖然貴飛要$680。但場地始終是小，而聽講雖然場地日租比較便宜，但setup cost都不平。而且，打正以歌會友旗號，當然是一切從簡啦。

結果，是一個簡單的白色background、一條像"Truman Show"片尾的一道通往“世外”的樓梯、一條搭上天的木梯、及考考你想象力的“人面或花樽”立體雕塑，就成爲今次的舞臺。

憶蓮在某interview上，早已提過聘請日本的lighting及visual effects大師為她做創作。不能否認，visual的確是一流。尤其是其中一幕用Sandy的一些相片油畫化再morph、另外把NYC的建築變成波波都很有趣。當然“走在大街的女子”的多個憶蓮一起唱的Acapella亦是very visually stunning。至於網上一些留言提及的那片雲及那盆盆栽。。。我就沒有什麽感覺嚕。

令我懊惱的，不是簡單化的舞臺藝術，而是她決絕的零交流。我贊成，紅館的大型舞臺製作、次次都唱的“瘋了”、幾乎是指定的跳舞medley是可以免的。我記得我都曾經想過，如果Sandy可以開一個純音樂爲主的concert, 如她在臺灣試過的Unplugged，或在更小型的nightclub做個更intimate的聚會，就一流。今次我覺得她的idea，是想只focus在音樂上。Venue是適合的。燈光及音響都好。座位只屬ok。但可能令坐在後排的觀衆未能清楚看見。(can't they put the back section on a riser? Maybe not)選歌，很明顯是選了極偏門的“非大路非滄海遺珠”-即比遺珠更偏門的偏門歌。OK，如果要考考真fans的耐力，或一般觀衆對憶蓮“新的舊歌”的接受度，她是大膽。不能不承認，若沒有她當年做“野花”的guts，可以肯定就沒有憶蓮的神話，沒有了中文樂壇的經典。所以她的大膽，是我敬佩的。但爲何她一反常態減少與fans的交流、互動?昨晚她encore的發言，差不多是要我們接受她今次的堅持；而她的淚光，就好像她自己亦經過很多的掙扎才會下這個決定。聼歌，當然音樂爲首，但現場的難得，就是與歌迷的互動。以往每次的光景，除了一首又一首的classic之外，就是Sandy的真情流露。我不能忘記1996年的歲月流金Medley，2002年的“至少還有你”、2004年的“給我等最久的人”2005年的“感情不老”及“細水長流”。每次無論Sandy及歌迷都有多元的互動。我們熱情的反應，源自Sandy的溫暖、溫情。

今次的Concert，it's almost like a piece of Art.。藝術家的構思、他們的見解、想表達的東西，不是每個人可以明白。而concert裏面在background不時都寫了很多虛幻的statement，或藝術家/Sandy的ideals/principles。其實，若Sandy想以一個Art Project來構思這個演唱會，不如就印些場刊，表明曲目（起碼演唱會完了我們都不會奢求encore再encore），並解釋她想表達的意思。我去欣賞一件藝術品，都起碼有個label或一段文字。

我欣賞Sandy的堅持、她的大膽。但我始終懷念她與我們較親切的聚會。But Sandy, what a great accomplishment!

(courtesy of Fun生活)

後記：多首冷門歌中亦有一兩首大路歌。我十分喜歡“哭”的新編曲。除了新的唱法之外，整首歌改頭換面，猶如一首新歌。聼了“Incomplete”之後，想想。。。是暗示這個series未完，有part 2?