2 Bad News

18th August

1st Bad News:
One Million Star final is live on last Friday night. I thought Lin Xin Yi will get 1st in this competition, based on her performance on that night. But in the end, the judges gave it to Xu Jia Yin. I was not really happy about the result and I felt that it was not really fair.

Before the second round start, Tao Zi keep mentioning that Lin Xin Yi only needs 1 point to beat Xu Jia Yin. Lin Xin Yi got 21 for her second song. After the performance by Xu Jia Yin, the judges gathered around to discuss how many marks need to give to her, because her point will decide who get the 1st and 2nd. At that moment, you can see that the producer of One Milion Star was there discussing with the judges as well. How can this be? He is not the judge. Why the judges need to discuss before they are giving out the marks? They should give the marks based on the performance! I was really pissed off.

I hope One Million Star season 4 will have a fair result.

2nd Bad News:
Lee Chong Wei lost to Lin Dan last night on the 2008 Beijing Olympic Badminton Men Singles Final. He lost 12-21 and 8-21. All Malaysians hope he can win the gold medal for Malaysia for the very first time. However, he perform so badly in the final and only manage to get the silver medal.

According to the performance last night, Lee Chong Wei was not good at all. He made a lot of mistakes and I think he was under pressure. His performance is the worst I have ever seen. If you watched the match last night, Lin Dan played a very good match. He is fast, made less mistakes, and confident. I was so disappointed after watching the match.

When only Malaysia can get a gold medal in the Olympic? I have no idea, I don’t think anyone can answer this question.

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2008 Beijing Olympic: Performances

10th August

10. Art Performance “Beautiful Olympics” — Prelude

Synopsis: The video screens in the stadium play a short film before the artistic performance begins.

The short film artistically describes the process of creating a Chinese scroll painting, beginning with papermaking and showing the four treasures of study, to coloring, mounting the painting and affixing the scrolls. The film is an indication of the overall aesthetic style of the ensuing artistic performance.

11. Painting Scroll

Synopsis: The “painting scroll” shows the origin and development of China’s history and culture.

11.1 A Chinese painting scroll opens in the center of the stadium and serves as the stage for the evening’s performances.

11.2 A blank canvas is placed in the center of the painting scroll. Papermaking is one of the four great inventions of ancient China.

11.3 A stream of cultural icons in China’s historical advancement flows onto the painting scroll, including porcelain pottery and bronze vessels.

11.4 The Guqin (ancient stringed instrument) used in the performance was created more than 1,000 years ago and is nicknamed the “Sounds of Utmost Antiquity.”

11.5 The unique body language of the performers contains the charm of Chinese ink and wash painting. The night’s performances are kicked off with the black and white tone of Chinese ink and wash painting.

11.6 The performers draw numerous “lucky” clouds on the paper. The clouds dissipate magically, leaving only the mountains, rivers and the sun.

11.7 On the ground is the famous ancient Chinese painting “A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains.”

12. Writing

Synopsis: Chinese characters are among the oldest scripts in the world and represent the long-standing history of Chinese civilization.

12.1 The “three thousand disciples” of Confucius are Played by actors who chant the often quoted lines of Lunyu (the Analects) — “All those within the four seas can be considered brothers.”

12.2 The disciples are holding bamboo scrolls, which were a kind of book with scripts carved onto the individual bamboo strips.

12.3 A performance of movable-type printing, one of the four great inventions of ancient China.

12.4 The movable-type printing performance creates images of both ancient and modern fonts of the Chinese character.

12.5 This is an ancient representation of the Chinese character “He,” which means harmony.

12.6 This is another ancient representation of the Chinese character “He.”

12.7 This is a modern representation of the Chinese character “He.” All three character representations show not only the evolution of Chinese characters, but also the Confucian idea of humanism, that is, “Harmony is precious.”

12.8 The Great Wall is demonstrated by smooth lines, both concise and vivid.

12.9 A sea of peach blossoms romantically demonstrates the good wishes of the peace-loving Chinese people.

12.10 All 897 performers have trained for more than 10 months. Each person has a unique movement sequence, which can be accomplished only with a good memory and diligent practice.

13. Opera

13.1 This is the percussion performance of traditional Peking Opera of China. As China has a vast territory with people speaking numerous dialects, hundreds of traditional operas have been derived.

13.2 This operatic percussion performance depicts a festive scene of terracotta soldiers’ triumphant return.

14. Silk Road

14.1 The performers advance, carrying a canvas. On the ground is the map of the “Silk Road” and the cultural symbols along the road.

14.2 The Silk Road, well known far and near, existed more than 2,000 years ago, when trade caravans of China set out from Chang’an (today’s Xi’an of Shaanxi Province) with expensive silk, crossed the Hexi Corridor and entered the European continent. Hence, the Silk Road became an important passage for economic and cultural exchanges between China and Western countries.

14.3 The “Maritime Silk Route” shows the grandeur of Zheng He’s voyage to the West.

14.4 More than 600 years ago, under the Ming Dynasty, Zheng He led seven shipping fleets with 27,000 people on board on a long voyage starting from Quanzhou of China and arrived in Western Asia and Eastern Africa, thus creating the well-known “Maritime Silk Route.”

14.5 The performer holds an ancient compass, one of the four great inventions of ancient China, in his hand.

15. Music

15.1 The actor is singing Kunqu, which is an ancient and traditional art form that has entered the world list of intangible cultural heritage.

15.2 On the ground are five of China’s most famous paintings, finished respectively in the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.

16. Starlight

16.1 Renowned pianist Lang Lang and a young child, five-year-old Li Muzi, play a romantic tune together, welcoming a brand-new age. Li began studying the piano at the age of 4.

16.2 The ancient paintings extend in the endless starlight, indicating the more splendid age of today.

16.3 The color tone for the modern performance turns from black and white to bright colors.

16.4 One thousand performers build a “bird’s nest,” towards which a lovely kite flies from the sky.

17. Nature

17.1 Taijiquan is the most representative forms of shadow boxing in Chinese martial arts, characterized by the “combination of the dynamic and static and the interdependence of hardness and softness.”

17.2 The multimedia performance demonstrates the ancient traditional philosophical concept in Chinese martial arts: the relationship between man and nature.

17.3 “The torrent dropping three thousand feet/Straight down to the valley floor/I think it must be the Milky Way/Spilling to the earth from the heavens.” The poetic flavor of the famous lines by Li Bai, a poet during the Tang Dynasty, is expressed in a performance.

17.4 The Eight Diagrams of Taiji symbolize eight natural phenomena that bring out changes in all things on earth and include heaven, earth, thunder, wind, water, fire, mountain and lake.

17.5 A total of 2,008 Taiji performers form a circle, which means grandness and consummation in the traditional Chinese concept. The present array is called “Round Heaven and Square Earth.”

17.6 The children are coloring the ancient Chinese paintings of nature green, expressing the idea of environmental protection which is also the key concept of Taiji — unity of man and nature.

18. Dream

18.1 It took more than one year to design, construct and install the gigantic elevating Globe.

18.2 The actors run, seemingly free from gravity, on nine rings covered with an Olympic torch cloud pattern, full of magical fantasy and bravery.

18.3 The actors have trained for more than 10 months in order to complete the difficult movements. The performers on the lower half of the Globe are running downwards.

18.4 The theme song “You and Me” is performed by Sarah Brightman of Britain and Liu Huan of China atop the Globe.

18.5 The several thousand students entering the field now are all volunteers for the Beijing Olympic Games.

18.6 The thousands of children’s smiling faces from throughout the world were collected by BOCOG over a span of a year.

18.7 Fireworks form 2008 “smiling faces” in the sky. Performers representing 56 Chinese ethnic groups dance joyously to greet all the athletes.

18.8 Orchestras from five continents warm up to perform during the Parade of Athletes.

************************************************************************************************************

The painting scroll


Confucius’s 3,000 disciples


Movable-type printing


Peach blossoms


Traditional opera


Silk Road


Sailing boats


Kunqu opera


Artists perform


Lang Lang plays the piano


Art performance


Taiji performance


Elevating Globe


Brightman, Liu sing


Smiling faces

News and Photos are taken from 2008 Beijing Olympic Official Website

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2008 Beijing Olympic: Welcoming Ceremony

9th August

1. Pre-ceremony Performance

1.1 The pre-show is performed both south and north of the National Stadium and on the tracks.

1.2 Several national celebrities demonstrate and train the audience in an energetic and lively manner on the interactive elements in the ceremony.

1.3 Animation video assists the training

1.4 2008-member Fou Band enters from four gates, standing in a rectangular formation on the east and west sides of the field with a 22-meter wide passageway in the middle. The Fou is an ancient Chinese percussion instrument either made of bronze or ceramic.

1.5 The 224-member Chorus dressed in 56 traditional Chinese ethnic costumes start to enter on both sides of the Chinese national flagpole. A child enters and stands in front of the flagpole.

1.6 The 201-member Military Band enters and stands at the north of the Stadium.

2. The Arrival of the Chinese President and the President of the IOC

The President of the People’s Republic of China and the IOC President enter the Presidential Box.

At the north of the Stadium, the Military Band plays welcome music.

3. Countdown

In the last 10 seconds, the percussion rhythm of the “Fou Formation” is as intense as the roar of thunder. Chinese and Arabic numerals flash on the surfaces of the Fou successively, in tune with the rhythm … 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

3.1 A dazzling light activates an ancient sundial.

3.2 The sundial reflects light onto the “Fou.”

3.3 Fou are ancient Chinese percussion instruments made of clay or bronze. In as early as the Xia and Shang dynasties, Fou were used in song and dance performances.

3.4 The rhythmic beating of the instruments coincides with the lights to convey the concept of “time.”

4. Welcome fireworks

Splendid fireworks burst from the Stadium’s exterior trusses, making the entire Stadium like a blossoming flower.

5. Welcome

The sound of the Fou is thunderous and the chant is roaring. Two-thousand-and-eight performers beat the Fou and sing to welcome friends from all over the world. The exciting percussion performance starts to create a rolling, thunderous welcome.

5.1 The 2,008 Fou and their 2,008 musicians symbolize the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

5.2 “Friends have come from afar, how happy we are.” This is a well-known saying of Confucius. Two-thousand-and-eight performers beat the Fou and sing to welcome friends from all over the world.

Confucius (551 BC-479 BC) was a famous educator and philosopher in ancient China. His thoughts deeply influenced later generations.

6. Footprints of History

Twenty-nine colossal burning footprints symbolize 29 Olympiads.

6.1 Twenty-nine colossal footprints rise to the sky in a series of fireworks. At a rate of one “footprint” per second, 29 of them march along Beijing’s central axis from Tian’anmen Square all the way to the Olympic Green and the National Stadium, symbolizing the path of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad and their arrival.

6.2 The footprints consist of fireworks, representing the invention of gunpowder, one of the four great inventions in ancient China.

7. Olympic Rings

The footprints change into clusters of falling stars, which gather to form the Olympic rings.

7.1 The “footprints” pass through Tian’anmen Square and head north, with the last “footprint” exploding over the National Stadium, showering the Olympic venue with clusters of falling stars, which gather to form the five Olympic rings.

7.2 Twenty graceful fairies float towards the ground and cluster around the Olympic rings, manifesting beauty and romance. Their costumes glow with light.

8. Entry of the Chinese National Flag

Eight flag bearers carry the flag into the Stadium horizontally and solemnly display the Chinese national flag. A child sings A Hymn to My Country.

Fifty-six children representing each of the 56 Chinese ethnic groups cluster around the Chinese national flag.

9. Raising the National Flag and Singing the National Anthem

The flag guards raise the national flag of the People’s Republic of China. A 224-member chorus sings the national anthem of the People’s Republic of China.

The national anthem chorus consists of performers from 56 Chinese ethnic groups.

***************************************************************************

* Fireworks of the opening ceremony


* Chinese President Hu Jintao takes his seat Chinese President Hu Jintao takes his seat


* Fireworks go off


* Fireworks explode over the National StadiumFireworks explode over the National Stadium


* President of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge wavesPresident of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge waves


* US President George W. Bush wavesUS President George W. Bush waves


* Chinese national flagChinese national flag


* The Chinese flag is raisedThe Chinese flag is raised

News and Photos are taken from 2008 Beijing Olympic Official Website

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2008 Beijing Olympic Opening

9th August

I don’t have cable TV. So, I have no choice but to wait for our free local TV until 8.30pm. It will only start the live telecast for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony on that time.

The opening ceremony was a great one. The last part when the gymnast Li Ning lights the flame cauldron was really amazing! You will know what I mean if you watched it.

Google Logo for 2008 Beijing Olympic.

Nice right?

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08.08.08 8:00pm

8th August

Today will be a memorable day to all people around the world. It’s August 8 2008. Besides, it’s the day for the Olympic opening. This year, the event will held in Beijing and the opening will start at 8pm.

I will be in front of my TV to watch the Opening Ceremony. I think not only me, many will be the same as me. :)

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Million Star News Update

3rd August

I just finished watching the latest episode of the 3rd season Million Star. This episode will decide who will get the 7th place. In the end, Sugie with the lowest score after 5 of the accumulative points episodes, got the 7th place.

To my surprise, the one that I like, Huang Jing Lun 黄靖伦 who ranked number 4 dropped until number 6. After the show, I went to the forum and read some of the news. Only I found out that, on the next episode, Jing Lun will be the one who get the 6th place! How can it be???!!!!

I was not really happy with the result. Sometimes, I felt that the points from the judges are not really fair. Those that sing really good get a lower points than the one who sing badly! However, competition is a competition. This is what will happen in a competition.

After Jing Lun left, I hope Lim Xin Yi 林芯仪 will become the winner. I really hope. But I think the organizer will give the 1st place to Xu Jia Yin 徐佳莹. Let’s wait and see.

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Tony Leung marries Carina Lau in Bhutan

22nd July

HONG KONG: Cannes best actor winner Tony Leung Chiu-wai and longtime companion Carina Lau got married at a resort in the Himalayan nation Bhutan, Hong Kong media reported Tuesday.

Hong Kong art-house director Wong Kar-wai’s Jet Tone Films confirmed the location of the wedding and released several photos from Monday’s ceremony, but didn’t immediately provide more detail.

Hong Kong’s Apple Daily newspaper reported Tuesday that a local monk presided over the wedding and other monks chanted prayers.

The South China Morning Post said Leung donned a white suit and Lau a traditional Chinese red gown.

The Apple Daily said guests included Wong, who directed Leung in movies like “In the Mood for Love” and “Happy Together,” director Stanley Kwan, actress Brigitte Lin, singer Faye Wong and actors Chang Chen and Ti Lung.

Wedding photos released Tuesday by Jet Tone showed Leung in a black tuxedo and Lau in a white wedding gown, posing next to a group of several dozen young monks in red robes. The couple also posed in traditional Bhutanese costumes.

Leung’s credits also include “Infernal Affairs,” which Martin Scorsese remade as “The Departed,” and John Woo’s recently released Chinese historical epic “Red Cliff.” He was named best actor at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000 for his performance in “In the Mood for Love.”

Lau, an actress, appeared in “Infernal Affairs II,” “Center Stage” and director Wong’s “Ashes of Time” and “2046.”

* Taken from International Herald Tribune

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Best Male Singer - Gary Cao Ge

8th July

Gary Cao Ge got the Best Male Singer from the Taiwan Music Awards on Saturday! Congratulation to him.

Gary has his first concert in Malaysia on June 28. I missed it. If I’m not on my vacation, I think I will go and watch it.

For Best Female Singer, Tanya Cai from Singapore got the awards. Congrats to her as well.

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