Questions - Jack Johnson

Questions, I once had questions.
And now, when I don't, I realise that I'm finally happy.

The pretty song you're listening to now is Questions by Jack Johnson.

As with Sitting, Wishing, Waiting & Times Like These in the past, Questions is my current staple ditty. It's been playing incessantly for the past few hours on my computer. A personal favourite of mine, you can always count on Jack Johnson & his catchy acoustics for an idyllic yet angst-ridden melody.

I hope this song is pleasing to your ears!

Questions - Jack Johnson
(click to download song)

Questions.
I've got some questions.
I want to know you
But what if I could ask you only one thing,
Only this one time,
What would you tell me?

Well, maybe you could give me a suggestion
So I could know you,
What would you tell me?
Maybe you could tell me what to ask you,
Because then I'd know you,
What would you tell me?

Please tell me that there's time
To make this work for all intents and purposes
And what are your intentions, will you try?

Impressions.
You've made impressions.
They're going nowhere
They're just going to wait here if you let them
Please don't let them
I want to know you

And if they're going to haunt me
Please collect them
Please just collect them
And now I'm begging
I'm begging you to ask me just one question
One simple question
Because then you'd know me

I'll tell you that there's time
To make this work for all intents and purposes
At least for my own

What is a heart worth if it's just left all alone?
Leave it long enough and watch it turn into stone.
Must we always be untrue?

Mich's 2007 Taipei Escapade

Swamped by work lately, I've been scraping at the bottom of the sleep barrel.

Suffice to say, I've not been able to upload my Taipei pics till now, albeit scarcely-stirred photographs from Day 3 & 4. Er.....enjoy pics from Day 1 & 2 ? =/

Mich & Lynn flew with Singapore Airlines while the rest took EvaAir. S$550 down the drain for my air ticket.

Howard Plaza Hotel was pretty expensive for a stay of 3 nights. Cost of hotel lodging? S$600+ per individual, which meant the total expenditure for flight & lodging in Taipei left Mich S$1100+ poorer. Blissfully unaware of the existence the Howard chain of hotels prior to this trip, I was surprised to find international brands like Hugo Boss, Cerruti et al fronting the 4-storey hotel shopping arcade. The ornate decor welcomed me with open arms as I entered our room. What I loved most about the bedroom - the roomy armchair!

Barely 3 hours upon landing on Taipei soil, we wasted no time in clubbing at Luxy, Taipei's equivalent of Zouk. The cover charge was S$30+ per individual and included a paltry 2 housepours. Great Music, Hip DJs, Blah Drinks!

Alvin is an SQ air steward and was stationed in Taipei when we arrived. Since Joshua was his buddy, Alvin hung out with us during our stay. Coincidentally, Alvin was the air steward on duty on my return flight to Singapore with Lynn! Needless to say, I had exclusive service from him on my return flight with Lynn. (The rest were scheduled to fly separately on EvaAir) Zipping up to me before I could plop into my seat,he brought me a cup of orange juice before the other passengers had settled down. Thereafter, he stood along the aisle with a tray in hand, talking to me and occasionally to Lynn. As I was deprived from sleep after rousing at 5am for this flight, I dozed off and some time later, I opened my eyes to see his face hovering above mine. As I was still drowsy, his speech seemed incoherent. All I heard was a cheeky quip, "Ok, shall not disturb you. Goodnight!" and off he went.

After having the in-flight meal, he brought me a box of Toberlone chocolates, made a frothy teh-tarik for me, concocted a Bailey's cocktail and coaxed me into consuming red wine, which I declined as I was on medication. Thereafter, he appeared again and asked if the meal was substantial enough. He had instant noodles if I were hungry. Politely, I declined. Again, he stood along the aisle and chatted for a long while. Even as his superior walked by, he was oblivious to the Upper's presence and continued with his banter. Weariness got the better of me and I dozed off again, only to be roused when the plane finally landed at Changi Airport. As he was stationed on the other end of the plane, I did not see him as we left.

Upon my return to Singapore, I checked my Friendster account and was pleasantly surprised to find that he had found me on Friendster and had left this message in my inbox : "Heya!! glad to know u ya! wat..u waited 1.5 hours at the airport for them..gosh..sorry couldnt really talk to u on board as i was working on the other side of the air craft..Actually wana talk to u a bit b4 landing but u were sleeping.haha" and he left his email and MSN contact behind. Following that, he sent another message,"Let me get to know you better? Can?"

Alvin's a load of fun to be with! Need I mention that he's cute too? -wink-

Choe, Joshua, Lee Meng, Lois & Neo checked out and moved to a cheaper hotel after 2 nights. Alvin's missing from the pics coz he was the photographer!

At Ximending, Taipei's hippest hangout, you must sing your lungs out at Partyworld. An 8-storey karaoke extravagance, chandeliers deck its corridors and lobby generously. Each room houses a party of 10 easily and has its own attached bathroom. How's that for exclusivity? Despite loading on the beer and belting out songs for hours, we barely chalked up S$30 per head! That's a steal considering KBox charges that amount in Singapore with the exclusion of alcohol.

The star of the night - Alvin!

Stay tuned for pics from Day 3 & 4!

What Do You Want?

Wanting more of...
Hankering after....
Yearning for....

Scrambling, fighting tooth and nail, lunging towards the fantasy.
Freudian, unhinged.

Clashing cymbals,
in the distance.

The smile - fades.

Contentment, stamped beyond its use-by date.
Chimera-filled arms, dissolution.

The clamour for Everything.
A sacrifice of Something.

The spoils - Nothing.

What do you want?
Do you know?

I Spy With My Little Eye....

Uh oh!

Mich Is Back!

Mich is back from Taipei!

Fun aplenty, friends anew, shopping abundant.

It was a fantastic trip!

Stay tuned for loads of pics! =)

Taipei Beckons!

Mich will be off to Taiwan for the next few days, albeit not for leisure. Boarding a morning SQ flight in a few hours. (Yes, I know. I ought to be asleep now.)

Initial plans to head to Kaohsiung have been scrapped due to time limitations, not to mention the distance! Therefore, tarrying around Taipei is the most likely option. Daniel will be trotting up instead from Kaohsiung, although no McDonald's ice-cream as mentioned. =(

Yous (plural) in Australia, take care!
You in Taiwan, take a break!
You in USA, sleep on time!
You in PGP, all the best for your assignments!
Yous in Singapore, enjoy your weekend!
Me in Taiwan, try to curb excessive expenditure!

That said, I shall leave you with encapsulated moments from my previous trip to Taiwan in June 2006.

Outside my hotel room.

Ximending

At Mac's (with top entertainment host Luo Zhixiang fronting the ad)

Entrance to the National Museum
(an uphill task literally!)

A "Lovely" abode up on the mountains, if you get my drift. Not in a million years will you have such a sight to behold in Singapore.

View of houses from the peak.

Pretty sticks of marshmallow

These cute owls were actually ocarinas! I spent a night mastering this wind instrument. It's pretty easy once you're familiar with the fingering.

Can't remember the name of this spot, but it was where tourists flocked to watch the change of sentry guards hourly, with the last change at 5pm.

An innocent-looking DVD rental outlet, till you read the Mandarin inscriptions. =.=

An actual campaign poster during the elections. Imagine if this were embraced by the White team here!

Teppanyaki at Shilin Night Market. An apparent ripoff. I paid S$30+ for this! At a hawker centre!

Shops fronting Shilin Night Market.

Juxtaposed against Taipei101.
Can you spot Mich? I'm that speck of blue & white at the bottom of this picture!

The equivalent of our annual IT Fair was held at a building adjacent to Taipei 101. Clusters of babes decked in similar gear were commonplace as each group represented a company and clamoured for the attention of passers-by.

At Taipei 101, a crowd had gathered and the escalator at the main entrance had been sealed off. Apparently, a celebrity was in the house. She made her appearance by waltzing down the escalator.

A celebrity host (I forgot his name) wielding the microphone revealed that it was the launch of a new series of Lux products. Who was the Lux girl?

None other than Mandopop Princess Jolin Tsai (Cai Yiling)!

The entrance of Taipei's Art Museum (yes, I'm quite the geek. I love museums!)A building housing a Ministry. (was it Education?)

At the entrance of the Miniature Museum (Yes! Another museum!)

Does this set remind you of Ben Stiller's Night At The Museum?

A grand piano. chandeliers, concierge, leather sofas aplenty....Hmm....was this the lobby of a posh hotel?

Nope, it was at the lobby of Party World, where Taipei teens and yuppies flocked to sing their lungs out at this hip KTV joint. Apparently, karaoke is big business in Taipei. This entire building was purely Party World's! Imagine, eight floors of karaoke rooms! An usher would bow and greet you as you step out of the lift, guiding you towards your private room. The smallest room could house about 8-10 and it came with an attached bathroom! How's that for a price of less than S$20 per head?! KBox, take a leaf out of Party World's book!

Mich at some Aquarium.

Singular-pincered crab.

At Danshui Waterfront.

Out at sea!

Right. It's 4am now. Time to catch a couple hours of sleep before stirring again at 8am! Goodnight and Goodbye!

Yo, Mich!

Just for the fun of it, I tried out a new image yesterday.

It wasn't too bad. Ting commented that I looked rather "Yo-yo" (read: hiphop wannabe). Imagine the waitress at Crystal Jade greeting you in English! For some weird reason, I received relatively better service everywhere I went!

What do you think? Do you like this image?

[ If you're wondering, the top and elastic hairband were bought separately at Forever21 and Montip respectively. They just happened to match! ]

That.

My older phone's dying.
It's exhibiting signs of the nigh.

With its dearth, so will That disappear.

Musings.

Imagine -

• Your father is a millionaire, dealing with oil rigs and such.
• Your father has a house in Bukit Timah which is under your name.
• Your mother refuses to allow you ownership to that house despite the legal complications.
• Your father has another apartment in the East.
• You have to settle for a flat instead.

Frustrating?

You bet.

" 爱 我 , 非你莫属 "

Think Mandopop and one could be forgiven for associating it with soppy, saccharine ballads or senseless, cringeworthy covers.

While the latter ought to be trashed for obvious reasons, I'm more forgiving towards soppy ballads, especially when they are composed, arranged and sang by the same person. Hey, at least the guy's got some talent!

I've replaced Corrinne May's Same Side of the Moon with Tank's 非你莫属. A composer, singer and lyricist like Jay Chou, Tank has a nice, soothing voice. Word of advice to Tank : Lose the punkish hair, crappy clothes and wannabe moniker - what sort of a name is Tank, anyway? Instant loss of credibility!

Anyway, his self-composed tunes appeal to the cheena side of me (yes, surprise, surprise, I have a cheena alter-ego, although I find it highly amusing when people raise their eyebrows and gasp, "You listen to Chinese music?!" as if it were vermin. Yes, I do like my Corrinne Mays, Rene Maries, Norah Jones, Rachael Yamagatas, Michael Bubles, Switchfoots as much as my Jay Chous and Jolins. )

It really depends on my mood, actually.

R&B calls for some shaking of the booty. (Akon's Smack That & Black Eyed Peas, anyone?)

Jazz/Lounge with the likes of Corrinne May & Buble are best left for late, lonely nights.

Billboard hits are good to while the time away / in the shower.

Chinese soppy ballads, to me, tuck away the smooth lambada as the message is often pretty direct - 我爱你， 你爱我。Heh.

Hopefully, you will find this embedded tune pleasing to your ears!

Particularly endearing are these lines, loosely translated below:

懂得让我流泪的人
The source of my tears
给的感动一定是最深
Must be from the one who has touched me deeply.

"爱 我 . 非你莫属"
Love. Me. I want only You.

If.

To see the fields parched in gold,

Of yellowed crisps to unfold.

The last lined page catches the eye

Yet the book One does not buy.

-- Mich

If I could, I would run away and never look back.
If I could, I would cut off contact with everyone and never return.

If.

The alternative to reality.
Coming soon, but never quite arrives.

If.

Placebo Effect.

Maybe I've been working hard to run away.

Not As Expected.

10-Second Trivia

Did you know that Ben Stiller's dad is Jerry Stiller (aka George's father in Seinfeld)? I didn't!

[ Pictured left :
Ben & Jerry Stiller in Zoolander ]

Bye Bye, Daniel (again!)

A quick post after my mental marathon -

Goodbye, Daniel!

Will miss you!

Jia you! =p

Why?

I have no answer.

Mich, don't cry.