今中さん

I took leave today and met up with 今中さん and Perina for lunch. I have not met 今中さん since last September, ever since he stopped teaching at Bukit Batok CC.

I am glad to see that 今中さん looks healthy and happy. He is now teaching on every weekday nights and the whole day of weekend. Very busy fellow. As what 今中さん said, although he is single and no money, he is happy as compared to his friends. He keeps himself occupied with work and writing. It's really good to hear that, especially from a person at his age.

We had lunch and proceed to coffee shop for coffee. It was about a 3 hour gathering, and I really enjoyed it. I like talking to him as he is very knowledgable and humorous. I am not sure when I will see him again, but am definitely looking forward to our next meeting!

Jazz

I took up Jazz! I attended the first class at Danz People yesterday. My instructor is Fil, who teaches in Dance Circle.

In fact I have attended jazz class once in gym but I totally hate it. I tried this class because I saw Fil last week and I think he is professional so I would like to give it a try.

I chatted with Fil before the class started. Fil told me that he started out in the streets too, ie. hip hop. He also teaches hip hop now. As he said, the hip hop now is pop, not really the authentic street dance. He moved from street to ballet and other types of dances. He explained that hip hop focuses more on choreography (yap, it’s true) but he focuses more on the techniques in his class and does little choreography. He will move to more choreography when we are more familiarized with the techniques.

As what Fil has mentioned, I managed to learn new techniques in his class. I really enjoyed Fil’s class and it is the first time I find Jazz interesting. Yes, I will continue Fil’s class!

Having taking booty dance and Jazz, I am taking a step back in Hip Hop at the moment. I want to try other types of dances and explore different genres of music. This will help me brush up in hip hop, hopefully.

Peranakan Museum

I visited the newly opened Peranakan Museum on Sunday. My friend is a volunteer guide of the Peranakan Museum so she invited me as a guest and I need not pay for the entrance fees.

The museum is really interesting. There are lots of displays with regards to the Peranakans. Be it the Peranakans' culture, daily lives and their beliefs. It was amazing to be able to see such historical stuff in this museum.

I enjoyed the visit and will definitely go there again, probably with my foreign friends.

In fact, I am considered as a Peranakan, but not a pure Peranakan. My grandmother (dad's mom) was a Peranakan. My dad was born in Malacca, which is one of the places where the Peranakans originated from. I had been asked before if I was a Malay and people told me that I don't look have normal Chinese looks. Because of being a Peranakan 後代, I am really interested in Peranakans culture etc since many years back. Probably that is why I like Malacca so much, even though I have heard people saying that it is a boring place.

If my grandmother had not died when my dad is young, probably I would be able to know more about the Peranakans culture from her. It is quite sad that this Peranakans knowlege was lost and did not come to me. I just have to read up and know more about the Peranakans background on my own.

I feel quite proud to be a Peranakan 後代 as Peranakan has a history of our own.

Booty Dance

I started Booty Dance at Danz People on Wednesday.

As Sheena is away, Clare took over the class and she will be teaching this class for 8 weeks (one course).

Clare has taught me before (replaced Pat), so I know her teaching style well. She is patient and will go around to check for mistakes and coach the students (unlike Pat).

Clare taught us the basic movements for the warm up. We have to move our butt back and fro, side to side and turn in circles. Then we did the body wave. The butt movements were quite easy for me as I have been doing it during warm up at Pat's classes. The problem is the body wave. Yah, I often did it during Justis's classes. Ever since he has stopped teaching, I don't have the chance to do it at classes, unless I self-practice. Anyway I felt awkward of my movement!

The first lesson was just a warm up for the course. We will start the routine next week. I was motivated when Clare said she will teach us one dance chereo within this 8 week course. Yes!

After class, one classmate asked me if I am a dancer. I almost puke! Haha.


(Wow, I have not done it for a long time

Shock...

Just received the notification from Lawson that all my ballots for EXILE concerts were unsuccessful... (>_<)

How can I get the tickets???? Arghhhhh~~~~~

魂ラジオ- 福山☆冬の大感謝祭其の八 報告

Masha and co-DJ 荘口さん talked about Masha’s concert on 魂ラジオ. 荘口さん mentioned that there were fans from overseas and Masha just replied うん（Yah）.

This was mentioned in ANA radio report on 8 Jan at http://www.allnightnippon.com/fukuyama/blog/index.php?YMD=2008-01-08

福山雅治、2007年感謝祭を振り返る

日本全国、さらには海外からもお客さんがいらっしゃった今回の感謝祭では、エレキギターを弾きまくった福山さん。そのせいか、
F「普段は使わない左の“手のひらの筋肉”が凝ってしまって…」

(There was also an overseas fan on 30 Dec concert. I knew it from watching Wow Wow’s broadcast of 大感謝祭. Masha asked about overseas fan and one person replied. Masha said “おう (oh)” and “ありがとう(thank you).”

Masha as usual did not talked much about overseas fans or his fans. I feel that he always maintain a neutral position. This is probably he does not want to upset any fans by showing favoritism.

I am happy that Masha has started asking for overseas fans (maybe since past few years) during his concerts. In the past he did not even asked for it. This showed that he has started to believe the fact that he has overseas fans.

I was thinking if he has asked this question in his 1998 concerts and I shouted the answer, he would be totally stunned and speechless. I would love to imagine his expression. (^_^)

4 January 2008 – 利根川

I woke up a bit late, perhaps 8plus am and had my breakfast. Su’s mother is a good cook. The dishes she cooked for dinner and breakfast are so delicious. Su said he will take me to a place to take photos. Later I found that it is利根川(とねがわ). This is the place where he said it’s his favourite place and he promised he will bring me to this place almost 10 years ago. Su drove out his white Mitsubishi lancer sports car from the garage! Wow, he seldom drives this car! It was the first time for me to take his car.

We parked our car and I started to take photos around the area. The place is peaceful and quiet. Su looks really happy when he is there. He allows me to take photos of him. He was smiling! He seldom smiles when take photos. When we were about to leave for スカイスポーツ公園, which is a park located at the other end (it is too far and cold to walk!), I saw a group of baseball players (students) running on the track. So I quickly took their photos. They saw me and I waved to them. The situation is as if in movies! (^-^)

There are items for children to play at スカイスポーツ公園. I saw some children with adults (either grandparents or parents). Su started jumping on the トランポリン and he was enjoying himself. I tried too. It was fun but tiring. Especially in cold weather, it is harder to breathe.

We walked around and saw the ブライダーの写真. The real ブライダー (aeroplane glider) was displayed at the park. We walked on フリ橋 to see small real aeroplane flying across利根川. This is also a place for people to fly small aeroplanes.

Then I told Su I want to try ローラースベリ台. I saw the children sliding from it and it seemed so fun. So Su and I tried and oh gosh, I almost knocked onto him and my buttock was painful. It was fun!!! I was screaming when we slide down the ローラースベリ台. Su had not played it for many years (ever since he was a kid) and he enjoyed it too.

We walked around again and I kept taking photos. Before we leave, I said let’s try ローラースベリ台 again. I followed the children and used a cardboard to sit on it while sliding. But still it won’t work! Maybe my buttock is too big. (><;)

Before we left, Su allowed me to drive his sports car around the carpark. Wow!!! It’s the first time I drive a sports car. I got excited and worried as I have not drive a car for the past few years. Luckily it is a manual and I can pick it up easily with Su’s instructions.

After driving a few rounds, we have to leave the place as insufficient time. I need to leave for airport around 1plus. I wish I have more time at 利根川. It is such a beautiful and peaceful place.

We went to ジャスコ(Jusco) as Su wanted to check on Paul Frank’s products. The whole shopping mall is on sale! No time to shop around! Su was disappointed that he cannot find his items at Paul Frank. We had to rush off. Yet we have a hard time trying to locate the car as the carpark is really big!

While we are coming out of the carpark, one car almost bumped into ours. The stupid driver just reversed without checking! Su horn the driver and stepped on the brake. He was calm but angry with the driver.

We did not manage to take our lunch as it was to rush. So Su called his mum and his mum prepared soba for us. I had a quick lunch, packed my stuff and head off to the train station. Su and his dad drove me to the train station as they will do some shopping afterwards. I bid farewell to Su’s dad while he parked the car and walked to the station control with Su. We bid farewell and I rushed to the platform.

I passed by Saitama Super Arena! Wow! I wish to watch a concert there in the future. There is a John Lennon museum at Saitama Super Arena. I managed to catch and change the train and reached 日暮里 on time to take the skyliner.

On my way to the airport, the weather was cloudy, same as my feeling. When I reached airport, I was tired… I don’t want to walk too much around the airport. Instead I emailed to Masha at ANA email and read emails. Then I called Miho, Mami and Su before I board the plane.

This is a very short trip but I really have a great time! I hope to drive snow mobile again! Thanks to Su for planning the trip to 福島、Su’s dad for his plan to 美ヶ原高原穂 and his treats and kindness, 宇野さん for his kindness and teaching me how to drive snow mobile, Mami for joining me for Masha’s concert and spending the New Year with me, Miho for meeting me, Su’s mum for taking care of me and Maki for introducing her husband to me.

Most importanly, thank you so much Masha! Thank you for realising your dream as a guitarist and giving me such a wonderful memory.

Japan, Masha and my friends, I will definitely come back to my second home this year!

3 January 2008 －長野,信州（しんしゅう）

We set off to 美ヶ原高原穂（うつくしがはら）after we had our breakfast. Today’s drive is about 3 hours plus, shorter distance than yesterday.

It was snowing on the way when we reached長野. When we stopped by the traffic, I saw one family clearing the piles of snow in front of their courtyard. It was unbelievable that I saw this real scene. Always saw it from TV…

We diverted a bit and stopped by at tip of 美ヶ原高原穂 to take photos. The scenery to me was nice. Su and his dad said the scenery at the top of 美ヶ原高原穂 is even better. The temperature was about -4℃.

Actually we got lost on our way earlier and Su’s dad’s friend got worried and called to ask us of our whereabouts. On our way to the top of 美ヶ原高原穂ホテル山本小屋, we met Su’s dad’s friend, 宇野さん. , 宇野さん ride the snow mobile and looked for us. He’s so nice! Worried that we can’t find our way there.

The temperature at 美ヶ原高原穂ホテル山本小屋 is -7℃ with strong wind. When I alighted from the car, I was like, oh gosh! The scenery is so beautiful.

We had soba for lunch. It was so delicious! Especially to drink hot soup and tea when feel cold. After lunch, we prepared for the set off. I had to wear宇野さん skiing suit as Maki’s skiing suit is too small/short for me. I had to wear boots, mask and gloves too. Wow! I begin to feel that “yeah, I am really going to ski!”

I sat behind宇野さん on the snow mobile and we drove to the open space at美ヶ原高原穂. The strong wind blow on my face and I felt painful but when I saw the scenery, I almost faint and felt that this is worth it. The land/mountain is filled with snow, all white! I saw mountains (including 富士山) and trees filled with snow. The scenery was totally awesome. I can say it is 絶景. I have never seen such beautiful scenery before and I felt as though I am in paradise.

When we saw the beautiful scenery, 宇野さん told me that those who said work is their life are all lies! Life has to play too! I totally agree!

I stepped on the snow and the snow is up to my knee cap level! I fell down when I walked as I took too big a step. 宇野さん taught me that I have to take small steps so I tried and yeah, I can walk on the snow!

I was so happy that I kept taking photos. But my gloves hinder me, so I took the right glove off to press the shutter. After a while, my right hand got numb and it became so painful! I was so worried and felt as if my hand is dropping off! I put on the glove again but it didn’t work. 宇野さん advised me again to put under my clothes and let my own temperature warm the hand. It worked!

Another stupid thing of me is that the wind was so strong that my face felt painful. It was as if a burning sensation. I complained and the three men surrounded around me to solve the problem. Haha. It was rather funny! They are really helpful and nice.

Anyway, I was taking photos happily. 宇野さん is also a camera lover and he kept taking photos too with his Nikon DSLR (yap, Nikon fan too).

We drove a bit out and we could see better scenery. Su drove quite slow as it was the first time he drove snow mobile. 宇野さん had taught him how to drive. Su’s dad can drive it. 宇野さん and Su’s dad ride snow mobile at this place before.

Su asked me if I want to try driving snow mobile. I replied “Yes of course!” 宇野さん taught me how to drive. It’s very simple! So I tried and宇野さん sat at the back. I drove a few circles and宇野さん asked me to drive alone! Wow! I was so excited! I drove slowly at first but increase my speed gradually. Then I started to speed! It was so so fun! I simply love snow mobile! Much better than skiing I think.

I could not see clearly as the hot air I breathe out fog my spectacles. So I took off my spectacle and started speeding again! My legs were so cold then. We were there for about an hour or so. We went back to the hotel and rest. I got to sit at the entrance to get the warmth from the heater.

We had coffee and chatted a while. There was flock of birds outside the hotel. I took photos of it. So beautiful! I can feel a sense of freedom when I watched the birds fly towards the mountains.

宇野さん asked if I want to try the snow mobile again. I was too cold and felt a bit tired, so I rejected his offer. We bid farewell to 宇野さん as he will stayed there for a night.

I felt a bit sad to leave美ヶ原高原穂ホテル山本小屋as I really love the place. I would definitely come back again!

We headed to 和田宿温泉(わだじゅくおんせん) and paid 300yen for やすらぎの湯。 Then we headed back home. On our way, we had dinner at service station. I ate 釜飯の佐久　(かまめしのさく), a famous dish at 長野. This dish was only eaten by the imperial families and rich people in the past. Supposed to be healthy food. I find it tasteless and don’t really enjoy it.

I reached Su’s home, packed my stuff. Tomorrow will be flying back to Singapore. After packing, Su and I started drinking and watching TV. He was surprised that I like EXILE! Anyway, we drank and chatted while Su’s parents and Maki slept. Su was drawing the New Year cards for his friends. He draws New Year cards for friends every year. He said there are about 50 or so. So each year he spent a lot of time on this. I was hungry and shared a hot dog with Su. Hmm, I wonder why I get hungry in Japan easily.

Maki woke up around 3am and was surprised that we are still chatting. Haha. Well, we seldom have chance to chat. Once we started chatting, it can go on and on.

Su was still busy drawing while I go to bed. Today is the last day in Japan. I can’t bear to leave. I wish I have more time here...

2 January 2008 -福島

I woke up about 7am and quickly brushed my teeth and washed my face. Don’t want to be late for departure to 福島. We left about 8plus and had breakfast at 上河内(かみかわち) Service Area (SA). SA is a resting area for drivers. I had my favorite ramen.

Su’s dad paid for my ramen. I wanted to buy coffee from vending machine and was surprised that Su said his dad will pay for all my experience these few days. Although I refused, his dad insisted to pay for me. In the end, I accepted his kind offer and decided to buy him gifts.

Su’s dad drove us with his Suzuki SX blue color new car. It took about 4 hours to go to 相模屋旅館(さがみや), 新野地温泉（しんのじ）, 福島. It was snowing on the way. I was so happy to see snow again. The last time I saw it was 1998.

We went to 相模屋旅館 for onsen. There were snow around 相模屋旅館. I went to try the indoor onsen first. Initially I thought of giving up the 露天風呂(ろてんぶろ) as it was too cold (-6℃). But I changed my mind as this will be the first time I tried 露天風呂 during winter.

My body was warmed after the indoor onsen. I put on my clothes and rushed to 露天風呂. I met Su and his dad along the way. They finished 露天風呂 and wanted to go indoor onsen. Both of them only wear their shorts underwears. Don’t they feel cold?

I quickly took off my clothes and went into the 露天風呂. I was alone! The water was hot, yet the weather was cold. There were piles of snow around the onsen. Suddenly it started snowing. Oh my god!!! The scenery around me was awesome! I can’t believe that I am experiencing it!

I stayed there for quite sometime to feel and admire the nice atmosphere. A woman joined me later. I decided to come up and go back to indoor onsen again. I was trembling when I put on my clothes. It was snowing and abit windy. Worse is the whole basket full of my clothes dropped onto the floor. The woman asked me if I am alright. (><;) I hurried back to the indoor onsen.

I heard Su’s dad chatting with another guy. The indoor female and male onsen is only separated by a piece of wood. So it’s usual to hear the people talking from the other side.

I stayed there for a while again and came up to put on my clothes. I heard Su’s dad asking Su where am I and I just shouted back I am in indoor onsen. (^-^) It was kind of funny.

We were satisfied with the onsen and headed to 栃木市(とちぎし) for dinner. It was a long drive again. We bought some おにぎり and snacks at a big supermarket, shopped around for sake. I was hungry again… I get hungry easily during winter.

We had dinner at Genki Sushi. There ware more variety of food at Japan Genki Sushi. The order for menu is by touching the TV screen next to the table. I ate sushi, French fries (yummy!) and blueberry moose pudding (very yummy)!

I am happy today. Initially I thought I will have generation gap with Su’s dad. But my worries were unnecessary. We can chat at times. Su’s dad likes to listen to 演歌 songs. He even played Masha’s songs for my sake.

We reached home around 10plus. I have to take a shower again as I felt itchy over the body. The onsen was too strong for me. It was cold to take shower as there is no heater outside the door and the tiles in the shower room are cold. Luckily I did not catch a cold.

We (Su’s family and I) chatted while watching TV. Su started drinking and of course I joined him. We tried the wine that Maki got as a present for her wedding. It was sweet! We drank beer and sake too. Su bought some sake (the delicious one that he has given me) at the supermarket today. Only 2 of us drank as Su’s dad has stopped drinking due to his health. Maki and her mum don’t drink.

Su, his mum and I are always the last ones to go to bed. Su and I watched TV while his mum sleeps at the living room, next to the TV. I went to back to my room around 1am as I wanted to listen to Oguri Shun’s All Night Nippon. I listened to it for a while and fell asleep. I woke up at 2am and his programme was still on air. I was too sleepy and turned it off… went back to sleep again.

1 January 2008 – Happy New Year!

We reached hotel around 4am. I asked Mami to walk straight to the lift and pretend she stayed in the hotel. I went to ask for the hotel key. Mami stayed with me for the night. It is dangerous for her to hang out alone after the concert (she did not book any hotel). Although I stayed in a single room, the bed is rather big and can sleep 2 persons.

Luckily our plan went smoothly. Mami slept not long after reaching the hotel. I started packing, washed my face and eating while watching CDTV countdown “live” programme. I waited till around 4.45am, w-inds appeared! Ryuichi don’t look happy. Perhaps he was too tired? W-inds did not talk much as compared to 05-06 CDTV countdown. Anyway, I was rather happy to see them on TV, especially on “live”
programme.

CDTV Countdown ended at 5am. I tried to sleep but did not sleep well. I woke up at 10am, had a bit of breakfast (leftover snacks), took shower and finished my packing.

I had a late checkout at 12pm (the hotel allowed but I have to pay extra charges). Mami and I went to eat ramen at a ramen shop at Ours Inn Hankyu. Luckily the shop is opened!

We the proceed to 浅草寺(せんそうじ). This is the first time I went for 初詣（はつもうで）. 浅草 was so crowded! We waited for about an hour before we can enter浅草寺.

I bought お守り and went inside the temple to pray. Everyone was pushing like mad inside the temple. There were security/policemen guarding the place and controlling the crowd. We went to おみくじcorner and see our luck for this year. I got a good おみくじ. My luck is good for this year!

It was interesting as this is the first time I went for 初詣. As expected, it was very crowded. Luckily the crowd was under control and weather was good. There were many 屋台 along the streets. People ate New Year food and chit chat. I would have stayed there longer if I have the time.

I bid farewell to Mami around 3pm, rushed back to hotel. Dropped by at Ito Yokado bookshop to buy “Switch” (Masha on cover!) No time to buy gloves and Su messaged me to say that he will lend me. I managed to clear some emails and sent an email to BROS (wrote about Masha’s concert) before I met Su.

We changed train at 上野 to go 東鷲宮(ひがしわしのみや) in order to go Maki’s house. I bought 2 cakes (cheese and coffee flavor) at 上野駅. I was so hungry that I ate the 2 cakes and some snacks on train. I wanted to sleep but could not get to sleep. The journey took about 1hour 15minutes. 東鷲宮 was so cold! Maki picked us up at the station.

It was the first time I visited her house. She stayed in the second floor at a semi-detached house with her husband 田中さんand baby 孝憲くん(たかのり). Her parents-in-law stayed at first floor. Both storeys have kitchens and facilities. It is staying separately but under one roof. I have seen this in dramas but it is the first time I saw the real thing. 面白いです。

It was also the first time I met 田中さんand 孝憲くん (born in early Dec). Su also met 孝憲くんfor the first time. I looked at Maki and her family and find it 不思議. I’m so happy for Maki!

We stayed for a while at Maki’s house. I shared with Su and ate half piece of the cake. Arghh… eat and eat. Anyway, Su, Maki, 孝憲くん and I went to Su’s parents’ house. We will be staying there. Maki and 孝憲くん have been staying there as Su’s mum looks after them.

I last visited Su’s parents’ house on 1 Jan 2005. Wow! Time flies! We had a sumptuous dinner. Su bought お御節 (New Year food) from department store for 30000yen! I cannot believe it! It looks nice but I think the food is so so. I prefer Su’s mum’s cooking. We had sashimi too!

I stayed in the room next to Su and his dad. Both rooms are separated by sliding doors. The 4 cats in his house roam freely within the house. Sometimes they jumped onto my bed. One of them even likes to stare at my monkey cushion. When I said that the room was cold, Su’s parents were so worried. They quickly brought in an additional heater for me to put under the mattress. It was warm so I could sleep soundly.

31 December 2007 – 『福山☆冬の大感謝祭 其の八 働きざかりは 末広がり！だから、、、♪年末にもあったんだ♪』

Pillars filled with Masha posters at the hall lobby

There is long a message by Masha being flashed on the screen. Masha mentioned why he want to have 大感謝祭 despite his super busy schedule this year, what are the things he had done this year, what is the difference between 大感謝祭 and normal concerts etc. I was really touched when he said “ただ逢いたくて..” (only want to meet (fans)). Then he followed by “EXILEです. 私の友たちはオカザイルです。(オカザイル OKAXILE is a unique group formed in 2007 by EXILE and 岡村 隆史” Hahaha! This is one portion of his message:

『ファンでなく、
　『福山？別にぃ～！』っていう人も、
　『福山？さっぱりわからない・・・』っていう人も、
　『福山？そんなのカンケーねー』っていう人も、
　最後には、必ずや、『キスして』と言わせてみせます！！　』

See! Masha can be so humorous!

The message ended by saying let’s start as it’s difficult to explain大感謝祭. The audience has to experience it. Yap, what Masha wrote is true.

Masha stepped onto the stage after the message ended. The screams and applauses were so loud!

Masha wore a blank pants and vest, with a white long sleeve shirt. So jazz style and cool! Masha is so かっこいい！

Masha started strumming his guitar and played つながる時間, the music he has composed for Citizen recently. I wonder if he will have lyrics for this music. It’s the first time I heard him play this music live. He then sang Dear. His singing is full of emotion!

The rearrangement of Gang is so jazzy! It’s not as hard as before and I really love it. During the MC, as usual Masha asked about 『出席確認』. He asked about fans from 関東. He went into the 関東 area and suddenly he felt himself silly and said he can’t cover all the areas in 関東. (>­_<;) Then goes 関西、北海道 (he asked fans it must be warmer here as compared to Hokkaido),九州, 沖縄(he apologized for making her come all the way). Finally he asked “海外から？” I immediately shouted “シンガポール！”　Masha put his hand (too glaring for him to see the audience) on his forehead and tried to search for me. I waved so hard with my hands!

Masha found me and said something like きっと日本人でしょう？(must be a Japanese)“（another fan in the blog mentioned it is「ど～みても日本人ですよね～」(no matter how I look, you look like a Japanese). I shouted my reply “違います！” (it’s wrong!) Masha was taken by surprised and looked puzzled. I shouted my reply again. Masha was speechless! (^_^y) The whole hall was so quiet… There were applause by other fans when some fans shouted they were from 北海道, 九州 and 沖縄. But when I shouted, I wonder why no applause (this happened in 松山 too). It’s funny. I guess the fans are just shocked and find it unbelievable that I came from overseas.Anyway. Masha then continued to thank all the fans for coming and sang his song.

It’s the first time I heard him sang Gloaming Way live. He said he composed this song when he was in LA many years back. Wow, his sexy voice… ah, I almost melt.

Then it came to countdown time. As usual, the screen will display the different TV channels. Masha tuned to Coundown TV, EXILE was performing (abit of screams from audience). Then Johnny Countdown, Hey Say Jump was performing (screams again). NHK showed a visit to a temple located in a cave in 松山. NHK education was showing a orchestra performance. Another station showed a comedian going to onsen and there were traps of scary things. Masha asked us which channel we want watch and asked us to raise our hands to vote when he tuned to the channel. He switched to NHK channel and no response. Masha giggled.

Seems like the audience is not responsive in watching the channel. So Masha tried to start new conversations. Some fans shouted to ask him to sing. Masha said ダメですよ。今歌う中途半版ちゃ (can’t, it’ll be half way – ie. sing only part of the song).

New Year almost arrived and Masha invited his band to come out. When it is almost 0:00, Masha was so excited and said 私は踊るかな? (shall I dance?), and started dancing by moving his body. His action was so funny and cute.

“10, 9, 8….1, Happy New Year!!!” Ribbons were blasted out! Yes, I am so happy to be able to cross over the New Year with Masha again. And of course with Mami for the first time.

After the countdown, Masha and band started playing a music which I found familiar. It was Homage!!! This is the piece of music that Masha has composed for 植田正治さん. It has never been cut into CD and Masha have never played this concert. I am really fortunate to be able to hear this live.

Then Masha talked in his MC and showed us the photos during the concert tour he took last year. There was photo of him visiting 静岡神社. His おみぐじwas not good. So the next photo showed that he ate 5 団子 at one go (with mouth opened wide!). Maybe he was too angry! Haha. The next photo showed him with 加藤晴彦 (かとう はるひこ. He’s Masha’s good friend) at 名古屋(加藤さん hometown) having a meal. Both showed a very surprised expression. Next photo is they hold forks and spoons which are bended.

The come to the photo Masha took at 楽屋 and he was doing boxing! There was photo of him sticking his face on the TV and making funny expression (the screen showed the host of 紅白), 笑福亭鶴瓶(しょうふくていつるべ). The next photo showed a band playing, and a close up photo showed 井上 鑑(いのうえ　あきら) was there! He participated in the performance and rushed back for Masha’s concert. Everyone gave him a very big round of applause. Masha mentioned about井上さん wearing Citizen watch, which is quite obvious from the photo. 井上さん got shy. Haha. The last photo showed Masha eating the New Year soba (Japanese tradition is to eat this soba for longevity). Masha covered his eyebrow while eating the soba. Oh gosh. So funny. Some fans shouted かわいい～～. Masha replied 「こんなんで、いいんですか？・・・・・・・あなたたち、ほんと～にいい人だねぇ～ (Is it ok?... you are so kind).

Masha then asked us who accompany us to the concert. Couple? Friends? Parents? Alone? As usual, he also asked who is 10代、20代 and he always stopped after that. Haha. Not to make us embarrassed about our age.

Squall, one of my favorite Masha’s song. It is the first time I heard him sang Moon. The lights flashed and it showed stars and a big moon showed on the screen behind Masha. It’s so sentimental. I love the new arrangement.

Oh...Moon. I love it so much! There was a moon flashed on the screen behind Masha when he sang it. There were lights which made it seemed like many stars in the hall. So romantic!!!

Before the second part of the concert, a video on 荘口さん talking about Masha’s identities this year was displayed. Masha as a musician having concert tour, filming for CM, DJ, producer for KOH+ and actor in ガリレオ. 2007 is a very busy year for Masha. As Masha mentioned, he has overworked.

There are messages displayed by comments from other people like リリー.フランキ (Lily Franky, author of Tokyo Tower and is Masha’s good friend) about Masha. Then the second part of the concert started.

A familiar sound appeared.. It was Hard Luck Lover! Oh, gosh. I heard it live in 1998 concert. It was almost 9 years ever since Masha sang this song again in his concerts.

Masha was really rock in the second part of the concert. When he played 覚醒モーメント and vs.～知覚と快楽の螺旋～ (both are music pieces composed by him for ガリレオ ) with his guitar, I went crazy. Yes, totally crazy and uncontrollable. His expression when playing guitar was so cool and かっこいい. He was so engrossed in the playing and his expression showed how much he love guitar. From the way he played guitar, you can see that he has already moved to the God of Guitar category, just like Santana and Eric Clapton. Masha’s 手の筋 (veins from his hand) are so sexy!!! Oh, I almost fainted. I have never seen such a かっこいい Masha live. Of course, he is かっこいい , but this is the most かっこいい Masha I have ever wanted and dreamed to see.

It was the first time I heard Masha sang 逃げられない and White Light White Heat live. If not for this portion of the concert showing Masha’s rock perspective, he would not have sang these 2 songs.

We sang along with Masha when he sang Carnival. It was so good to be able to sing this song with him at the concert again (we did this in April concert). Masha sang 群青 ～ultramarine～. This is his new song, which is not in CD yet. First time for me to hear it live. Masha is really great. He’s beginning to write a lot of songs which evolve around the world and his inner feelings that express how sentimental he is.

This was the end of the concert. I knew there would be an encore but still felt sad as my time with Masha is going to end soon….

Yap, encore started and as usual we clapped and clapped non-stop. Kept shouting Masha’s name. When Masha came out, he asked us if we are still alright and kept saying that we are sleepy. Acutally he was the one who is sleepy. He looked sleepy. He turned back and then turned round again to show his 元気 face. He even rolled up his sleeves and showed he has bicep and is strong and healthy. Hahaha. I was screaming like mad when he showed his bicep.
Masha then sang KISSして, he was rather shy. This song was written from the female point of view. So I guess he felt embarrassed especially when he sang the words Chu Chu Chu and KISSして. Masha sang much better than 柴咲 コウ（しばさき こう）. Masha also asked us to sing KISSして during the chorus!

I always felt motivated when Masha sang . 約束の丘. I guess is the melody and the lyrics. When Masha sang, もっとそばにきて, we put up our hands and did the action of waving for him to come to us. This is the usual movement we do. He sang 「もっとそばにきてを歌っているときに、「♪もたれていいよ僕の肩に～♪」 and rolled up his sleeve again! I was so high and kept shouting “Woo woo!!” (^_^y) [one Masha’s fan wrote in her blog that she was quite shocked of my reaction!!! She was seated probably a few rows in front of me. Haha!]

After all the shouting and screaming and excitement, the song ended. Fans kept shouting Masha’s name and he said そんなに、ましゃましゃ言ってると、夢でもましゃましゃって言っちゃうよ。隣で、だんなさん寝てるのに・・・」(if you keep on shouting Masha like now, you will also call Masha in your dream. Yet, the one sleeping beside you is your husband…). Masha likes to joke.

The whole hall became very silent when Masha talked. Masha said why he wanted to hold 大感謝祭 despite his busy schedule. He has to start rehersal and the rearrangements of thesongs immediately after hi filming of ガリレオ ended. His reason is [ただりたいことをやります] (I just want to do things I want to do). Masha’s style! Cool!

He continued to say that 『ある意味夢を実現できた今回のライブを開くことができて本当にファンのみんなに感謝しています。』(Thank you so much for allowing me to realize my dream by having this year大感謝祭). Masha’s dream.. I think is to be a guitarist.

Masha then said he wants to dedicate this song to all the people who is travelling back to their hometown, or going to somewhere. He strummed the guitar and the music for 東京にもあったんだ started. This is the last song for the concert… I felt sad…

Masha went to the center and every corner of the stage to wave and bow to us. He was smiling. His smile showed that he is very happy, satisfied and 幸せ. 本当にいい顔です。Before he went in, he blowed kisses to us.

The music of “Heart” was displayed and the big screen showed Masha’s message to us:
「また逢ろう！またやろうな！！！ 2008.1.1 　パシフィコ横浜　福山雅治」

(Let’s meet again! Let’s do it again! 2008.1.1 Pacifico Yokohama Fukuyama Masaharu)
[Masha always write the same message for each concert]

The concert ended around 2.50am.. It was shorter than 2004 大感謝祭. But it is alright. I have confirmed once again why I love Masha so much. I am really glad that I have spent the countdown with him again.

ましゃ、また逢えるな！またやろうな！

福山雅治　『福山☆冬の大感謝祭　其の八　働きざかりは　末広がり！だから、、、♪年末にもあったんだ♪』

セットリスト

1部

01. つながる時間

02. Dear

03. Gang★

04. 無敵のキミ

05. GLOAMING WAY

06. HOMAGE

07. Squall

08. Moon

2部

09. Hard Luck Lover

10. 覚醒モーメント

11. THE EDGE OF CHAOS ～愛の一撃～

12. vs.～知覚と快楽の螺旋～

13. 逃げられない

14. WHITE LIGHT WHITE HEAT

15. それがすべてさ

16. Carnival

17. 群青 ～ultramarine～

～Encore 1～

18. KISSして

19. 約束の丘

20. もっとそばにきて

～Encore 2～
21.東京にもあったんだ (solo)

31 December 2007 – 横浜

福山神社

I met Mami at 横浜みなとみらいの乗り場、赤ラカン. We had a bit of difficulty trying to locate one another as the station as many exits.

We proceed to shop around and took photos atパシフィコ横浜. Then had our lunch and shop again at Adidas. I bought bags at Adidas. Abit regretted after I bought the stuff as I have to carry so many things!

I called Noriko when I was at the shopping mall. I could not meet her this time as my schedule is too tight.

Mami and I were so tired after doing some shopping. 横浜 is cold! The wind is so strong! We were so tired that we stayed at Starbucks for long time and chit chat. We only bought one cup of coffee each. The shop waiter even gave us water when he saw that we had finished our coffee. So nice of him! We had our dinner at the same mall. I had a delicious set dinner as I want to make sure I don’t get hungry.

We left for パシフィコ横浜 as we want to queue for Masha’s 福山神社 (outsideパシフィコ横浜). It was so cold!!! We queued for one hour plus just to take photos at 福山神社. Mami almost wanted to give up but I refused as we have queued for so long.

When it is our turn, we quickly took photos, prayed at 福山神社. We were so cold that we almost can’t smile. We rushed to the hall to purchase concert goods as we only have 1 hour before the concert starts. The queue was again long. Anyway I managed to get the stuff but the queue to the toilet was so messy!

I gave up and we went into the hall. Yes, arena seat but far (40plus row). I went to the toilet again to put on my contact len and go to toilet. As the queue at the 2nd floor ladies toilet is long, I went to the men’s toilet instead as I heard one man told his girlfriend that one lady went in. So I don’t bother and go in. Few other ladies follow me as well.

I managed to settle down and wait for the concert to begin. My seat was 1階 B-45　例 28番. It’s arena, but quite far from stage. I was contented that I can get the ticket and even sit at arena. Whether the seat was near Masha, it no longer bother me.

It was already 11pm. The physics calculations as in ガリレオ were flashed on the screen. やっぱりガリレオぽいいな. The lights dimmed at 11.05pm...

30 December 2007 - 原宿と下北沢

I woke up around 8.45am and rushed down to the lobby for breakfast, which ends at 9.30am. Previously the breakfast ended at 9am.

I met Miho and her daughter, Karen at Omori for lunch. It’s the first time I meet Karen. Karen is about 3 months old and resembles Miho’s husband. We had Yakitori bento set for lunch. It was delicious! We chatted a lot and Miho told me Japan is not safe now. There were reports on violence cases almost every 2 days. Cases like child killed his brother by mistake while playing his dad’s gun (his dad has the license to own a gun) and a man killed his friend using a gun in the golf course. Japan allows people to own gun if they know how to use it. Seems like the whole world is not safe now…

I proceed to 原宿 after bidding farewell to Miho and Karen. I first went to Fancl to buy some stuff for Rus. Then went to source for Masha’s photos. I was so happy that I found Masha’s photos taken at All Night Nippon concert in Aug and Music Station Live. Siew Hoon helped me to buy 3 photos when she went to Tokyo in Oct. I bought the rest of the ANA photos and Music Station Live photos. Masha’s poster caught my attention and I bought it too! I was attracted to Takahiro’s smile and bought one of his concert photo. I spent quite a lot of time in the shop choosing Masha, Horikita Maki, Oguri Shun and Sakura Sho’s photos.

I checked the ticket shop but they don’t sell Masha’s concert tickets. I saw Kinki Kids’ concert tickets for 31 Dec and 1 Jan, Johnny countdown, NEWS tickets etc. I was not interested at all. No idea why I have lost interest in Johnny artists’ concerts.

I went to 下北沢 by subway from 原宿. The last time I went to 下北沢 was in Nov 1998 and I like the place. I reached 下北沢 almost 4pm. I like the slow pace of 下北沢 and the atmosphere. I spent quite sometime at DORAMA outlets, checking CDs and books. I bought Masha’s first press 「Calling」 and 河口恭吾「風と落ち葉の季節に」albums for 800+yen after discount! So cheap!!!

I also bought 東野圭吾 「手紙」for 400yen. I watched the movie and like it very much. So I wanted to read the novel as it will definitely be more detailed. I had my dinner cum teabreak at a pasta restaurant. Japan’s pasta is so delicious! I enjoyed eating pasta in Japan.

I shopped around for a while before I left下北沢. I did not managed to cover下北沢. Perhaps next time, hopefully in near future I can come back again.

A 40+year salaryman spoke to me when I was looking at the train map inside the train at 代々木上原 (station to change train between 下北沢 and 明治神宮前). He asked me questions like where was I from, can I speak English. Then he asked me for my telephone number. I ignored him and sat in another bench. After a while, he came and sat beside me. I shifted some distance apart and used by stuff to put in between us. Luckily there were people around us and 2 gals sat in front of us. So I guess he can’t do much. He started laughing by himself. 変態！I stayed calm and prepared to rush out of the train when it reach 明治神宮前. Luckily it was 3 stations away. I alighted the train and walked quickly out of the station. As I was worried that the man will follow me, I kept looking back. I am glad I was safe!

I returned to Oimachi and shopped around LABI. LABI was newly opened in Oimachi. Besides electronics, they sell books, watches etc. I bought watched for my parents and 東野圭吾「容疑者Xの献身」.

I asked the sales at LABI on the Sony walkman and he said it can’t be used overseas. HE asked me to buy ipod instead! >_<

I proceeded to Ito Yokado to buy DHC products. As usual, I spent a lot on DHC products. Then I went to Kumazawa inside Ito Yokado to check on magazines and 小学館文庫 books. There is a campaign called 「小学館文庫 meets 福山雅治オリジナルブックカバー」 which started in early Dec. Some of 小学館文庫 novels covers are printed with photos taken by Masha. I bought 「コスメティック」by 林真理子(けやし　まりこ author of Anego). The cover of this novel is a street in one of the Europe City.

I also bought 劇団ひとり「陰日向に咲く」小説. This novel was first published in 2006. The one I bought is the 5th edition. I like 劇団ひとり and am interested to know of his writing skills.

I was satisfied with the items I bought and returned to the hotel. A busy day for me again. I missed 日本レコート大賞 which features EXILE and w-inds and went for my shopping. I drank the Ebisu beer that Su gave and had a good night sleep. Need to have a good sleep to prepare for the big day tomorrow.

29 December 2007 – 東京

Masha's poster of ガリレオ watch

The flight touched down at Narita Airport around 7am. There were not many people at the custom, probably only passengers from my flight. It was the first time I entered Japan after they implemented the system to take visitors’ photos and thumbprints. The process was rather fast. Lucky!

I washed my face etc before I headed to Tokyo. The 山の手線 train was rather empty. Most of the people would have returned to their hometown for New Year. By the time I reached Tokyo, it was around 11am.

It was not that cold as I expected. I went to shop around at 大井町駅 before I met 中山さん and ともこさん at 人形町. It was the first time I went to人形町. I took a different subway from中山さん so I had to come out of the station and walked for a while before I reached our meeting venue. 人形町 is an old street. The shops sell traditional Japanese food, clothes etc. If I have more time, I would have explored the area.

We went to 今半 for Shabu Shabu lunch. This shop is famous in this area. I found the beef delicious but 中山さん and ともこさん said this beef is of low quality and the beef that their hometown is of much higher quality.

中山さん showed me the new mp4 sony walkman which he bought. The price is cheap (about $200) for 2GB and I like it. I am interested to find out more before I decide whether to buy it.

中山さん is so nice. He called up ticket shops in Shinjuku to check if they sell Masha’s 30 Dec concert tickets. Too bad it was either sold out or the shops don’t sell it.

We went to Shinjuku as I wanted to go さくらや to check ガリレオ watch. I was so excited when I saw the watch! I tried it out and found that it was too big for my waist. I can only see the surface of the watch, without the strip. The salesman discouraged me from buying the watch. He said it does not serve any purpose without seeing the strip. I was so disappointed! I had prepared the money to buy it…

We proceed to the service counter as I wanted to change the battery of my watch. To my surprise, I saw Citizen’s newsletters that has Masha on cover! I took the copies while waiting for my watch. The sales told me that there is no need to change the battery as it still works. He refused to change for me! Strange…

We went every floor to see watches. It’s heart pain to see ガリレオ watch but not buying it. I bought 2 watches for my dad. He requested to use for working. I wanted to buy a pair watch for parents. After checking and considering, I decided to drop the idea as I don’t know if they like it and the watches are not cheap.

We went to a nearby café at a department store for tea break. As the ala carte café has very long queue, we went for the buffet (バケキング) instead. The time limit is about 1.5 hours to 2 hours. I just aimed at the cakes! It was past 5pm and I will be meeting Su for dinner.

We chatted and left around 6pm and headed for Tokyu Hands as I need to buy small pens for dad. I left Tokyu Hands after 7pm and bid farewell to中山さん and ともこさん. I felt sorry as my time with them is always so short. I hope I can spend more time with them. They are such nice friends!

I rushed back to hotel for check-in and get the souvenirs for Su. I met Su at his office past 8pm. I cannot remember how many times I have been to his office. It seems that everytime I go Tokyo, I will visit his office. His office layout has changed ever since I went there in Sept.

We went to 「なあさん」, a 居酒屋 near his office which serve 沖縄料理. The food was delicious, mainly on vegetables. Su told the owner that I will be coming to the shop. Probably I am the first foreigner who visit the shop? It is a small居酒屋. Nice food, friendly owners (old couple) and regular customers. I can understand why Su patronize the shop so often. The old woman resembles Su’s mom!

We chatted and ate. It was fun and relaxing. We left the shop after 11pm and stopped by a convenience store to buy groceries. Then we went back to his office again to get beer and sake. He gave me beer and sake to drink in hotel. I kept blaming Su as I will definitely miss Masha’s radio programme. Well, it’s also my fault that I was late for our appointment. Hehe.

I can’t recall exactly what Masha said in the programme. He did mention about movies. Though I had a good sleep on the plane, I was still tired because of lack of sleep and moving around the whole day. My eyes were red and dry. I slept at 2am… I must relax today!

Great Singapore Sale

The Great Singapore Sale is here again... As usual, I am not interested in it.

Last year's GSS, I bought Muji's products only. Since about 2 years back, I am no longer interested to shop in S'pore. I do my shopping in Japan. Yes, it sounds luxurious, but no one will understand how hard I have to save in order to go Japan and do my shopping there.

In S'pore, I do spend on necessity and expenses like insurance, allowance to parents, dance classes. Other than that, I control my spending. Even if I do spend, it is mostly on Muji products and Japanese magazines, and order CD/DVD/magazines online. As I told my friends, I only spend my money in Japan and I am contributing to Japan's economy. Hey, Japan should give me a PR. :P

This sale, so far I only spent on undergarments, and yes they are necessary. I have not been to Muji to check on any sale items. Probably if I do so, I will spend money again.

My pocket will burn a big hole next month. Yearly insurance premiums which are necessary. Rookies stuff, w-inds album, EXILE Entertainment Best album and Masha's pictorial book "Potrait." Well, it's ok. These are all the items I love. So, GSS, none of my business. I am going to spend more than enough.

福山新曲はテレ朝北京五輪放送テーマ曲

6月11日10時27分配信 日刊スポーツ

福山雅治（３９）がテレビ朝日のオフィシャルカメラマンとして北京五輪に参加することが１０日、決まった。すでに水泳など、今回のメダル有望種目の選手を追いかけ、現場取材を重ねるなど、事前準備は着々と進んでいる。　

００年のシドニー五輪に初めて参加したときは柔道の田村（谷）亮子、井上康生ら注目選手を取材。女子マラソンではリポーターも担当した。０４年のアテネ五輪では女子ソフトボール「宇津木ジャパン」に密着した。２大会とも福山が撮影した写真が五輪中継の中や、ダイジェスト番組の中で紹介された。　

同局では８月９日に水泳男子１００メートル平泳ぎ予選、１７日に陸上男子ハンマー投げ決勝などの放送を予定している。３大会連続参加となる北京五輪でも福山は注目競技を中心に、取材することになるという。　

また、同局の北京五輪放送テーマソングを担当することも決まった。昨年４月にリリースした、映画「東京タワーの主題歌「東京にもあったんだ＼無敵のキミ」以来、１年２カ月ぶりの楽曲となる。関係者によると、あこがれの舞台で高ぶる気持ちをパフォーマンスに変えて頂上に向かっていく競技者の気持ちをアコースティックサウンドに乗せているという。　

００年にはシドニー五輪放送テーマ曲として「ＨＥＹ！」と「家路」を制作した。０４年には宇津木ジャパンへの応援歌として「わたしは風になる」を発表。所属事務所では、今回のタイトルは未定で今月末か来月早々にも披露するとしている。

=======================================================

Yap, Masha is appointed by TV Asahi as the official photographer for the coming Olympics at Beijing. This is the third time he has been appointed this role and composing the theme song for broadcasting of Olympics. Masha will be covering the news on men 100m swimming and hammer throw.

I am really happy for Masha that he has gain the recongition as a professional photographer. ましゃは凄いですよね。 I am so proud being his fan.

Masha said that Beijing is so near to Japan that he can just go and come back on the same day. I guess he will stay for a few days in Beijing to experience it and take photos. Too bad I can't go to Beijing... Sob sob. Even if I go, I may not be able to see Masha.

EXILE Sapporo Concert

Well, my hope for going to EXILE Sapporo Concert is gone.... at least for now

Recieved email from Miho that my ballot for the concert tickets was unsuccessful. Haiz... Guess I have to try ticket shops or auction, if I can get not so expensive ticket and am willing to spend the money.

Wish me luck!

溝端淳平

淳平くん is going to celebrate his 19th birthday on 14 June

Recently I like 溝端淳平 （みぞばた　じゅんぺい, Mizobata Junpei）　as I find him natural and cute. I know of 淳平くん from JUNON. He won the JUNON Superboy award in 2006. Saw 淳平くん in イケパラ　but did not pay too much attention on him.

I watched 淳平くん at 「おしゃれイズム」 and was attracted to his natural and straight forward character. 淳平くん was born in 恋野町、和歌山県. It is a very small town at a countryside. The train only come once every hour. It seems that 淳平くん is the first one in his town to become an artist. So his hometown people are really proud of him.

淳平くん really loves his hometown and he kept talking about it in the TV programmes. I think he's really proud of and love his hometown. I hope he will continue to love his hometown and not be influenced by the city.

淳平くん is a person who likes to imagine and think. He tends to move his eyes around when he think and talk at the same time. We share this similarity. (^-^)

He's now the lead role of ハチワンダイバー　 (yes, I am going to watch soon!) and his movie DIVE will be released on his birthday. Seems like this year will be a busy year for 淳平くん.

淳平くん, がんばってください！

Daigo

I was watching MTV channel programme 日韓音樂瘋 last week and was caught by surprise when 吳健恒 reported on Daigo. Daigo has formed a band called Breakerz and he was the grandson of one of past Japan’s Prime Ministers Mr 竹下登!

I know about Daigo’s existence few years back from magazine. He was called DAIGO☆STARDUST and sang rock songs. His image was more a bit like visual rock. Daigo caught my attention as I find that he’s quite good looking and he looks abit like Yama P.

Little did I know that Daigo has now taken away the name Stardust and formed a band. Ken reported that being Daigo mentioned in interviews that being Mr 竹下登 attracted a lot of girls, thinking that he is rich. He could not get involve in relationships as those girls don’t really love him. It’s really sad to hear such thing. Perhaps being a grandson of Mr 竹下登 may sound a burden to us, but from the way that Daigo talked about his grandpa, he don’t think so. His relationship with his grandpa was good.

The Japan media has used his identity as Mr 竹下登 grandchild as a way to advertise on Daigo. I hope they will stop it and concentrate more on Daigo’s works and not neglect the effort he has put into making music.

Frankly speaking, I find Daigo’s voice so so but I do admire his passion in rock music. Although at the age of 30 and his career is not stable yet, Daigo is still persistent in pursuing his dream. I hope his career can move to a higher peak!

Daigo looks much better on TV than on photos. It’s the first time I watched his interview at TV programme (「おしゃれイズム」) and I find that Daigo seems to be a 優しい and straightforward person. He’s quite gentle though he sings rock music.

By the way, Daigo’s blog is named one of the top ten blogs of ameblo. Wow!

Kung Fu Panda

I watched Kung Fu Panda yesterday.

It was very funny!!! I laughed till my tears dropped. The story is about a Kung Fu fan, Po, who is the panda, who is from a noodle seller to a Kung Fu expert.

What strikes me is the message that this movie is trying to bring across. Always believe in yourself and try your best. Po was picked by the turtle master to the one who will master the dragon scroll. Turtle master said something like “nothing is by accident” and he strongly believes that Po will make it. Although others have been discouraging Po and try to make him quit, he never gave up and did his best. Till at one point of time, he almost gave up but yet managed to be persuaded by Shifu to continue his hard journey.

Po realized at the end that all he has to do is just be himself and he defeated the enemy and became a hero.

Yes, it’s a very simple story but I really enjoyed watching it and find it interesting. It’s something I can relate to too. Kung Fu, a Chinese culture that we have been living with.

The Big Groove 2008

I attended The Big Groove 2008 at Expo Hall 1 on 8 June. This yearly event is organized by O School.

The dance items were presented by teams from Singapore Polytechnic, Nanyang Polytechnic and other institutions. O School instructors also presented an item. Other groups were from Philippines and Australia. The guest stars are from a Japan dance group called Wrecking Crew Orchestra.

I don’t really enjoy that much on the performances. I liked the choreo by Zaihar’s group. Some of the dancers can really dance well. Technically they are good, like Ryohei. But I don’t see anyone with groove, like Ryuichi. Ya, I know I am not in the position to comment as I don’t dance well at all. But from an audience point of view, I wish I could see a talented dancer.

I am quite surprised that Singapore is getting a pool of young dancers. It’s a good sign!

Chinatown market

Chinatown market has reopened recently after a closure of about 2 years plus for renovation. I had my lunch there last Sunday. Ah, nice to eat the delicious beef hor fun again.

Of course the CD shop 富良 has reopened! Yes! Can get cheap CDs from there again. I bought Taiwan versions of 安室 奈美恵 new single "60s 70s 80s" for myself and and 藤木一恵(小西真奈美) "Sunny Day" for Rus.

I asked the owner why are there 2 price tags stated on the CDs. She explained that the difference in prices are due to payment by cash or Nets. Wow. Payment by cash is of course cheaper. It will be more expensive if pay by Nets. Well, the owner has to pay charges for using Nets. I do know that some shops will charge more or advise the customers not to use Nets. So next time I got to use cash again in order to get cheap CDs. Haha.

「鹿男あをによし」

I finished watching 「鹿男あをによし」 within a week. The first few episodes were rather slow. Especially the first episode, it was a bit diffult to digest in understanding the story. As I continued to watch the drama, I got addicted to it. It seems like a detective story. It was fun trying to guess who is 狐の“運び番”, who is 鼠の“運び番” and what is “目”.

One of my friends said she cannot understand the story and I guess she don't enjoy watching it. I do enjoyed watching it though. I always find that my taste is different from my friends. Those usual love stories are not my cup of tea. Those dramas that my friends are crazy over are not my preference. And my friends don't like the dramas I really love.

まあ、いいじゃない？自分で好きれば良いです！

Ft Boxercise

I attended Fofoa's Ft Boxercise tonight! I fell in love with Ft Boxercise since I attended the class about two weeks ago.

Ft Boxercise is quite similar to Body Combat but it doesn't have so much jumping. I find Ft Boxercise more tiring and challenging. Fofoa always start the class with a short warm up. Then we will do 110 push ups before we go to the punches, squats, kicking etc.

In the middle of the class, we will do push ups again. Then continue with the punches etc. At the last part, we will do sit-ups, crunches, "aeroplanes" and other abs exerises.

It's really tiring! Everytime I go for the class, I will sure get bodyache on the next day. The impact is much greater than Body Combat. Perhaps that's one of the reasons I like Ft Boxercise. Well, I like Fofoa's teaching too. He's direct, bother to correct mistakes and give sound advice. Some people may not like his style but I find it alright.

Will continue to go for Ft Boxercise weekly!

Advance Hip Hop

I wanted to go for Sheena's Booty dance class last night but the class was cancelled. So I went for Pat's advance hip hop class instead. He promised that the class is not difficult and won't get me killed.

The title of the song is "Tell me." It sound a slow song, but the choreography is rather fast. Pat taught at an average speed and I can catch the choreography. The problem is with catching some of the hit beats and looks nice. Especially looks nice... I looked at myself in the mirror, and compared with the rest of the classmates, I think my dancing sucks. Nevertheless I enjoyed the class.

Glad to see Justis again. Long time have not see him. We do not have much time to talk though. Xiao also attended the class. It was the second time I attended a class with him. He was late for class but yet able to catch and danced so well.

Pat really dots Justis and Xiao. Well, these are the two of his top students who can really dance well. Justis and Xiao were asked to demo for us. Each of them have their style. It's a pleasure to watch them dance.

Pat will continue the chereo next week. I'm not sure if I will go though as Eileen will be in Boston and I will not have any accompany... but I would like to attend the class....

EXILE Dome concerts

Seems like I don't have much luck with EXILE. I joined FC but missed the notification to ballot for tickets. Today I checked the authorised concert seller website, found that the period to ballot for open sales for Nagoya and Tokyo Dome is over! Arghhh....

I checked Yahoo Japan Auction and some unauthorised concert sellers and found that the price is at least 45000yen for one ticket (seats unknown yet). Oh gosh! These are tickets sold by FC members. Damn!

I wrote to an unauthorised concert seller(they helped buyers to bid in auctions and earn from the charges that they charged) in Japan and understand from them that the market price is around 45000yen as there is limited number of tickets in the market. They said that the price may drop after summer, when all the FC and open sales results are known. So they asked me to check again after summer.

Haiz... I wonder if I can get the ticket... (>-<;)

Please please, let me have EXILE tickets!