An Obama Nation.

Congratulations to The OBAMA Family.

It must be such an emotional night for Americans from coast-to-coast, Barack Obama, the first African American President of United States, has been elected.

There's been a lot of talk going on about how the rest of the world would view America if Obama, a colored man, wins the election. Well, I think no matter what race you are, where you're from, everyone must be so proud of this choice. It can happen.

A well managed and successfully executed campaign (enormous size of motivated ground staff, innovative fundraising, unified message, smart use of technology) was probably the key reason for Obama's well deserved victory.

Let's hope his strong leadership skills and clear judgement will stay with him throughout his term in the White House. Let's hope he keeps his promise and will bring reform to Washington. Let's hope he'll take appropriate measures to resolve this huge financial crisis and restore prosperity in U.S. and abroad.

Don Draper, Mad Men.

I really enjoy watching Mad Men.



First of all, I love the setting - Manhattan in the early 1960s. Everything was so glamorous, yet so depressing at the same time. The unstable political situation at home and abroad mixed with the booming US economy creates a tension and contrast... which is very well expressed in the show through the backdrops and characters.





A lot of drinking, a lot of smoking, a lot of fine dining, a lot of lustful relationships, it's so fun to watch, but I also feel sad for these people who are numbing themselves from the reality... There's always a dark overtone surrounding the show... Love it.






Secondly, there's the protagonist Don Draper, Creative Director at Sterling Cooper, a fictional ad agency.

He's who I wanna be ten or twenty yrs from now. Draper's smart, successful, confident, charming, mysterious, has beautiful women all around him... who doesn't wanna be him? But he seems to be always in a troubled, depressed state of mind... like an injured soul waiting to be healed. And, tobacco, alcohol, and sex are his medicine.



There's this self-destructive quality to him... infidelity, chain-smoking in every scene, a dark past in his childhood... He's such an interesting character to watch, almost REAL. A sense of loneliness and emptiness always looms around him at the end of each episode, despite all his achievements... which is how I'm always feeling these days so I really like Don Draper (or Jon Hamm's portrayal of Draper)...

I also love all the ads and slogans they come up with in the series. As a marketing major, I love learning more about the history of advertising in this format. The slogans, the artwork, the client meetings, the sales pitches... they are so retro and fun to watch... and I learn from it too.

Yellow, Reprise.

I'm standing on the verge of the rainbow, finding the yellow...

These are the yellow roses I got from the covocation...

The Moon from at17's Yellow EP has been playing over and over on my iPod, it's a really beautiful melody - simple, calming, that's all I need now...

I don't think it has ever been a favorite color of mine... I don't own any yellow clothing, items, furnitures, whatsoever...

But I've now come to appreciate the brightness of yellow...

My mind is lightened, my pressure is relieved....
Oh my yellow, oh so mellow...

Books, Books, Books.... More Books!

There are two types of stores that I can spend hours in - CD stores and Bookstores.

Over the pass few months as a fucked up unemployed new grad, I spent more time reading than probably all the previous 21 yrs combined.

I enjoy reading A LOT. I usually read before I sleep and after I wake up (if I have nothing to do, of course), with my iPod plugged in, usually Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Sigur Ros, Lost In Translations OST, and any other types of ambiant or laid-back music.

Another perfect place to read is Starbucks... nice cup of soy latte, good book, relaxing music... That's what I call a perfect afternoon.

Went to purchase a couple more books this afternoon with the giftcard I got from Air Canada... Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer and Stephen King's The Stand.

I just can't get enough of Stephen King's horror stories. The ghosts or the killings ain't the best parts... it's the mental, psychological, inner struggles that his characters go through that draws me in. The way he describes the thoughts of these characters are what creeps me out the most, but I enjoy it, really do. There's a twisted and sick sense thrill that I get out of it... and I guess it's what makes him such a popular horror novel writer.

As of this moment, I'm reading Different Seasons by SK, a collection of 4 short stories: Shawshank Redemption (Hope Springs Eternal), Apt Pupil (Summer of Corruption), The Body (Fall From Innocence), The Breathing Method (A Winter's Tale).

You should really read it, it's gonna blow your mind.

Standing on the Verge of a Rainbow, Finding at17's 《YELLOW》...

My Rating: 72/100

Track List:

01. 二百歲少女
02. 依然 . 親愛的 (Feat. 林嘉欣)
03. 101727
04. The Moon
05. 流浪到彼岸

Five tracks, but only three new songs. 二百歲少女 and 流浪到彼岸 has the same melody. The Moon is the demo of 101727. Yellow, however, has a more concise theme than Orange, which was released in July. Orange was an introduction to the entire project, the theme song Over The Rainbow will be my favorite song of the year. But the EP itself lacked a focused theme, it seems like the comments were read and considered.

The second volume of the OVER THE RAINBOW project uses the color of yellow as a theme - Yellow is the sharpest, most eye-catching color of the rainbow, but it fades away faster than its comarades... very much like the years of youth. Good concept, thoughtful idea, greater expectation... what's the outcome? Let's discuss it song by song.

依然 . 親愛的 (Feat. 林嘉欣) :

First plug of the EP, very soothing, laid back, folk-jazzy arrangement... tempting! Karena Lam's sweet and gentle voice as voiceover, playing the grown up version of title character, remembering an ex-best friend and all the promises they made together. But as time went by, their friendship ended. Perhaps they drifted away as life took them in different directions, we don't know, the point is, it's over and you can't go back...

你話你鍾意關淑怡 (親愛的), 我話我鍾意林憶蓮 (依然)...
你話 你想一齊開間老人院...
如果係宜家 你仲會唔會... 會唔會咁陪我呀?

Friendships, no matter how close you once were or are right now, will drift apart, fade away eventually. Just like the color of yellow. I guess everyone, myself included, has experienced a similar situation...

101727 / The Moon:

越大越易自由暢泳？或是越大越難輕鬆高興?... That's probably the theme of 101727, the likely 2nd plug of the EP. Haven't heard such a hard rockin' song from at17 in a while, and it's really refreshing! The aforementioned line was replaying in my head on the day of my convocation. 10 + 17 = 27. When I'm 27 yrs old, will I become the person I wanted to be when I was 17? I'm turning 22 in December, half way between the starting point and finish line. On a macro level, I think I'm working my way there. All I need is a kick-start in my career... I guess.

As for The Moon, it's Ellen's solo demo. And is it beautiful or what? When I first heard it on the radio, I thought the mood and the inflictions of her voice was very Feist-esque... It's the tranquility and softness that makes this demo so special... so down-to-earth. Ever since 無家想歸 of the Bian Bian Bian album, I've come to fully appreciate the special voice that Ellen has. No, it's not as beautiful as 二汶's. But it's exactly why there's so much possibility for her to adapt to different genres, and it's the versatility of her voice, guitar playing, and song-writing that makes up a big part of at17's unique style.

二百歲少女 / 流浪到彼岸:

I like the lyrics of Cantonese version 二百歲少女 a lot of more than the original Mandarin version... At least there's the positive and encouraging message about life in it. The Mandarin version lyrics are way too bubbly... it's more for Twins or Cookies or HotCha... not at17. In terms of the melody, it's very fun and upbeat but there isn't much to it, just OK for me.... not as good as the previously discussed tracks!

Under the spotlight...

This past weekend, I built a fake chandelier for our living room. It's surprisingly beautiful though. Keep in mind, I put those fake crystals on one-by-one... and it took HOURS!

It reminds me of Miriam Yeung's album <電光幻影>, released in summer of 2004, where the album photos featured a beautiful, antique chandelier.

The summer of 2004... a lot of memories, dead and gone. Anyhow, hope you are doing well.

算了吧　算了吧　別唏噓
教往事　教愛恨　隨風去

明日之歌 楊千嬅

作詞：于逸堯@人山人海　

作曲：梁基爵@人山人海　

編曲：梁基爵@人山人海

涼了的湯　吃飽也覺沒趣

年幼的酒　全干了也未醉

難過的心　連花開都感心碎

時空交錯　停留不去

啊　為何暗自流淚　啊　為何需要伴侶

絕情絕句　是留是去　猶如在懸崖築堡壘

算了吧　算了吧　別唏噓

將心事　將憂鬱　藏歌裡

拾情拾趣　愛惜眼淚　

別再　貪心去追

寒冷的天　有飄雪勝落絮

年老的山　憑煙雨變綠翠

難過的心　能拋棄往日思緒

時光飛過　哪會倒退

啊　為何暗自流淚　

啊　為何需要伴侶

絕情絕句　是留是去　猶如在懸崖築堡壘

算了吧　算了吧　別唏噓

教往事　教愛恨　隨風去

十年十歲　也許再聚　若你　苦心進取

難過雨天　已不怕再面對

嘗過雨點　明天掌握手裡

Convocation . Funeral

Our convocation speaker said... "Commencement speakers are like the host at an Irish wake, people have to be here, and they don't expect you to say much."

Believe it or not, Mr. Segal's speech was actually the highlight of the ceremony, in my opinion, it wasn't boring, or long-winded, or filled with words and phrases that normal human beings rarely use in conversations. The speech was quite enjoyable and humorous, there were also some points that I could take home and reflect upon.

Ellen (at17) wrote on her blog over a year ago a passage that I still remember:

"今天去了一個天主教的畢業禮. 看到很多有心人, 有些人傷心, 有些很平靜, 但令我最感動的是他們全都很有愛心.... 神父說了一句讓我很欣慰的話, "死亡不是生命的結束, 而是改變" 所以我相信我今天去的是一個畢業禮, 而不是一個喪禮."

To me, my convocation today was a funeral. It was to commemorate the past 22 years of my life. From the moment I walked across the stage, shook hands with the school officials, received my degree, I realized I am no longer a kid.

My convocation signified the end of my reckless years, and the beginning of my adulthood. Am I growing up to be the person I wanna be? I'm not quite there yet, but I've been making pretty good progress. :)