26 posts tagged “emo”
I met her personally once, not as a reporter covering a former president, but as a private person.
It was Holy Week. I don't even remember the year, maybe 1999 or 2000.
We were going to Tarlac to spend it at Hacienda Luisita on the invitation of Kuya.
We all agreed to meet at the Times house which Kuya shares with her.
Before the day, we were teasing him if we see his mom, can we interview her?
We were just joking of course and he was like: "DON'T!"
On the day itself, we got there on our best behavior.
We were not really expecting to see her.
We sat in the living room chatting with Kuya while waiting for the car.
And then... suddenly... she came out from her side of the house.
Not expecting this, we all panicked. OH MY GOD, IT'S HER.
Kuya said I thought you wanted to meet her?
Before this, I've seen her in coverages but she was always up at the front while I was on the side covering.
This was different. She was THERE. In her house dress.
Not as a former president but as the mother of a friend.
In fact, it was like a mom coming out to meet her son's friends and make kilatis if we were good influence on him.
We greeted her and she graciously greeted us back, asking if we've eaten.
I remember Kuya chiding us why we're all suddenly shy.
After we were all introduced, she asked us out of the blue: "are you all single?"
SILENCE.
Cory: "Is it a difficult question to answer?"
Nervous laughter.
Personally, I was stupefied. I wouldn't expect that question coming from her, maybe from Kris, yes.
Kuya: "Mom, si *yupki* kasi has not accepted yet that she's single."
Much as I wanted to make a comeback (something along the lines like who's talking or who's older!), I kept quiet.
I don't remember much of what happened afterwards, everything was a blur.
True, in our line of work, we come across VIPs, celebrities, presidents all the time.
But this was so unexpected and I was struck at how simple she was.
When we asked if we could take a photo, she at first demurred saying she was not ready.
But a beat later, she said okay.
We only had one camera that time. And this was when digital cameras were not common yet.
I don't even know where that picture is now.
Before we left, she gave us her handpainted fan (which I have kept).
And like any mother, told her son to drive carefully.
That day, she ceased to be a myth to me.
And my image of her would always be as a mother.
Rest in peace... Tita Cory.
Aside from Yang Cheng Lin and her manager, I do have people to thank for last night's unforgettable encounter.
Baby hentai and partner-in-crime xwolrax for giving me the "door" to open; and shinbi (who followed me on Twitter for a "live" feel lolz) and my other friends at the "pink home". It's amazing how two individuals could bring together people from all sorts of background. And the best part is having Yang Cheng Lin validating SMART. Now, who could bring us He Jun Xiang to our home???
And lastly, when it comes to things like this, I have become more blase. If it happens, it happens. If not, life goes on, there are other stories to write and people to meet. But the mere fact it happened, then it was meant to be.
So... thank YOU.
The thing with admiring an artiste is the fear that they might fall short of your expectations and disappoint you when you finally get to meet them.
I've been lucky to have seen some of the artistes I admire up close like Chou Jie Lun (just as I expected), Rain (after which I stopped admiring him if that says something), Lea Salonga (a very deserving role model indeed) and Arashi (a very fun experience with Kaytee). And then yesterday, the interview I have been quietly working on the last week suddenly fell through. Yang Cheng Lin or Rainie Yang to you and me. It was so unexpected that I had no time to be excited about it; until now, I am still fumbling with my emotions. Finally, coming face to face with the other half of my OTP, the only concern I had was if I could ask questions about her "other half".
Her manager was very nice and I was wondering, would she be as nice too?
But more than the phsyical, she is very simple and no airs at all. No "I'm a star, look at me" tag on her forehead. Very low-key with only her manager accompanying her in her almost two months stay in the Kingdom to shoot a film. She carries her own bag and does not demand any special treatment (so unassuming that even a hotel staff was the one who acted more like a star with the gall to throw her weight around, which of course earned a complaint from me straight to the GM but that's another story).
She answered the questions straightforward, no fumbling. And the manager did not require me to submit an advanced set of questions to prepare her (unlike other stars and even politicians--the better for them to get their lies ready I suppose). Their only request, no photos of her taken last night to be published and that we focus more on discussing her career, which I happily obliged. They were both very nice about it in the first place, and it wasn't like I wasn't able to ask a question about He Jun Xiang. And she knows a lot of people are rooting for both of them. As to the truth behind them... only the two of them could answer that, not to a journalist like me, but to their very own hearts.
Some artistes are worth the admiration and spending a fortune on CDs, concerts, films, magazines and the like. One of the reason is because they are good in what they do and they work so hard for their craft. But more than being good, I am also one type of fan who would look beyond that. Is the person nice? Decent? Worth admiring in real life? If the answer to all these questions is a NO, then forget it.
True, we don't pay for who they are in real life but who they are and what they do whether on TV, movies or music. For the fantasy and entertainment they offer. I don't agree with that school of thought, however. Because what's the point of supporting someone who aside from having a great voice and good acting chops does not have much to offer as a person? There are always others out there who are as talented and are nicer, more pleasant individuals.
With Yang Cheng Lin, the answer to whether she's nice, decent and worth admiring in real life is a resounding YES. Of course I just spent an hour with her, that may not be enough to judge her wholly as a person. But though it may have been short, if she is a diva or a prima donna, I would have seen it in her subtle body language sooner or later (especially when I was asking the very personal questions or the hotel staff was being a b*tch). I also don't think a nice manager could cover up for an ill-mannered talent.
So thanks to Yang Cheng Lin (and Da Da-ge) for proving that in such a superficial world as the entertainment circle, there is still a nice and decent person who just work hard to do what she enjoys doing and deserves the support she gets from countless of strangers who may not be as lucky as me to meet her personally. Rest assured that she really is worth supporting and admiring, even worth emulating especially her humility and grace.
His family is from Sichuan. But thank God his family is safe and was not affected by the quake.
I just got an SMS from TS asking me to go to Jeff's house tomorrow. Am I in the mood for a night of Jay-and-Arashi-less karaoke across town?
AO sent me a four-year-old email to remind me how far I have come from that One Big Heartache. The benefit of hindsight really gives us a different perspective. The world didn't end, life went on. And I'm questioning my capability to love that way again.
It's easier to love someone you know will never be yours (and no, I am not talking about pop stars). No expectations and therefore, no messy heartaches afterwards.
Just remembering this moment at Jay's concert when Chow Yun Fat and Jacky Cheung "guested" (watch out starting 1:53). The fan video (uploaded by middles 1314) is not sharp clear and forgive the fan who sings along loudly though I envy him because I really wanted to do that if only I memorised the lyrics but well...this was taken at the Hong Kong con, I'm guesssing. (I can't wait for the concert DVD to come out.)
對了 我會遇到了周潤發
Dui le, wo hui yu dao le zou ren fa
Oh yeah, I will meet Zhou Run Fa (yes, Chow Yun Fat)
所以你可以跟同學炫耀 賭神未來是你爸爸
suo yi ni ke yi geng tong xue xuan yao du shen wei lai shi ni ba ba
So you can show off to your friends, "The God of Gambling will be your father"
我找不到童年寫的情書 你寫完不要送人
Wo zhao bu dao tong nian xie de qing shu, ni xie wan bu yao song ren
I can't find the childhood love letter. Don't give it away after you write it
因為過兩天你會在操場上撿到
yin wei guo liang tian ni hui zai cao chang shang jian dao
Because you will find it on the playground two days later
你會開始喜歡上流行歌 因為張學友開始準備唱吻別
Ni hui kai shi xi huan shang liu xing ge yin wei zhang xue you kai shi zhun bei chang wen bie
You will start to like pop music because Jacky Cheung is about to sing Kiss Goodbye (a hit song in the '90s)
聽媽媽的話 別讓她受傷 想快快長大 才能保護她
Ting ma ma de hua, bie rang ta shou shang, xiang kuai kuai zhang da cai neng bao hu ta
Listen to mother's words, don't let her get hurt. You want to grow up quickly so you can take care of her and protect her...
(Lyrics taken from JayChou.net)
Note1: Chow Yun Fat is actually imitating the kid in the original MV and just like in Hong Kong, the crowd in Singapore roared when Jay pointed at the giant screen and the famous actor appeared, then later, Jacky Cheung who even sang a few lines.
Note2: That last line in the song is a killer... Jay really loves his mom and it touches a chord in everyone else I guess. I miss my mom.
Note3: I hope Jay will mention Takuya Kimura, Won Bin, Andy Lau, XiaoMei&ChengLin (yes, as a package deal), F4 and why not, Arashi, in his future songs so there's a chance of them doing a cameo in his future MVs or concerts. Man, that would be sugoi!
I'm tired of this cycle.
Before I know it, we'd be 80 years old and still be like this.
Then that would be too tragic.
Which brings me to tonight's bad news. I know it's not easy being an idol. Everyone wants a piece of you. But it's not easy being a fan either. And to say that it is bloody expensive is an understatement. Which is to say, while there are things beyond anyone's control--especially since fans don't and can never control the time of their idol--I am really, really in the honto way depressed, disappointed, frustrated. I had a bad feeling this afternoon. Now I know why.
And with all due respect to Jie Lun, I wonder if he can save his fans?
When we arrive at eight in the morning or earlier, he's already there; when we leave at six in the evening or even later, he's still there standing in the small lobby of the editorial building in his blue and white uniform that he accessorises with a tie. He knows us by name; we know his name of course and in his limited English and our even more limited Thai, we are able to hold conversations. I learned he's from Laos and he always makes it a point to know the staff that comes to join us every now and then, and he was always fascinated at identifying their countries. Our former colleague from Singapore used to wonder if he ever takes vacations. Even on weekends, he's there. So whenever we don't see him, we wonder where he could be, if he went home to Laos and took that long-deserved vacation finally. Today, he's been missing for the third day and we learned that he suffered a stroke while at work early morning on Tuesday. He's in ICU and the doctors say there's a clot in his brain. Somehow, when I enter the lobby and doesn't see his familiar, friendly face there, there's a void that even the nice, courteous guy who had taken over his post could not fill. I remember when he'd laugh at me whenever I'd take the stairs on my way home and creep down just before reaching the landing just to check if Big Boss is anywhere near. Sometimes, he would happily report that Big Boss is safely in his office at the executive building. No matter what time of day it was, he was always friendly. As JF said, even if he must have problems--and for sure he had tons--he was always pleasant. We miss him and I do pray that he recovers from this. (My father died of a stroke five years ago so everytime I hear about someone suffering from it, it's like a raw wound being rubbed with salt.)
I'm packing my luggage again for a short trip, this time to Siem Reap in Cambodia where the famed Angkor Wat is. I don't want to sound ungrateful so though I'm still tired from the China trip, I look forward to seeing the temple and hope that in the process, I won't be missing that someone. I hate myself when I feel like this because life should move on.
(Kelangan Tagalugin ito at nang hindi maintindihan ng kinauukulan.) My fave Nino solo. Para sa kanya at sa kanyang pagbabalik sa mundo ko. Kahit alam ko na hanggang dito na lang ito. Ganito pala yun ano. Noon, akala mo tapos na ang mundo mo nang matapos ang lahat sa inyo. Pero tuloy ang ikot ng buhay, ng mundo. At lumipas ang ilang taon, heto may pagkakataon para lumingon sa nakaraan at naisip ko, buti na lang hindi kami nagkatuluyan. Siyempre, bahagi na siya ng buhay ko, hindi na mababago 'yun. At hangad ko na maging masaya din siya. Pero ngayon, hindi ko na makita ang buhay ko na kasama siya. Masaya ako sa buhay ko ngayon. Na wala siya. No regrets.
Boku wa kokoro kara te wo furuyo
Gyutto nigiri au te wo te ni
Shinjita yume wa ugoki dasu
Kimi wo zutto wasurenaiyo
Amai yuu sora ga toketeyuku
I'll wave (to you) from my heart
We tightly grasp each other's hands
As the dream we believed in starts to move
I won't ever forget you
As the sweet evening sky fades away
