Charismatic

...is part and parcel of this industry or even ministry.  A few incidents stand out. Last year, I remember being asked to sing lead vocals 2 songs for a Christian album. I wasn't feeling too comfortable about it, because the keys were on the high side. But the producer said that it wasn't possible to change the key of the song, because this was the key the church wanted to sing in. After finishing one session for them, the producer called me and said I was not needed for the other song. The church felt that my voice was not 'church' enough. It was too 'pop' for them. Whatever that meant.  When the CD was finally done (and a copy was given to me. Free CD's are generally given to people involved in the album), I saw that they had supplemented the track I sang on with another male lead vocalist. It was obvious that I had been found wanting.... It stung. Although it was never my ambition in any way to be a 'church'-ey singer, it still stung when people...

I didn't go on because of my back injury Up they go The theme was the 'One piece' manga cartoon We pose Ta-da. Pirate Ship  We still got wet The 3-D movie The kids with us Up the cable car Sun Moon Lake...gorgeous At the lake in the afternoon Another emo shot Liz and the sunset Another shot from the cable car L and P It was a heart shape Cherry Tree lane Me The night view....

This is Jeremy Lin, the latest hot topic on Facebook and on the Taiwanese news. I've seen Jeremy Lin in KevJumba's videos last year. I wasn't too interested in the fact that he was an NBA player for the Golden State Warriors, because basketball has never been a remote interest of mine. But I did notice that he seemed like a pretty devout christian.  I wasn't too impressed when everyone on FB started posting about Jeremy because it is so easy to get caught up in hype and forget it a week later. And Jeremy is o-so-cool now to everyone because he scored 25 points for the New York Knicks. To be honest, I felt a bit turned off. I was asking inside, where was everyone when he didn't score 25 points? He was probably at his greatest when he was trusting God while he was sitting on the bench. I didn't want to post about him, because I felt it was shallow.  But I found out that before Jeremy was absolutely hot stuff, GOOD TV already did an interview on him last year. S...

這幾年都會羨慕生活比較穩定的人。可能是因為這幾年都不確定自己的未來會是甚麼樣子。 例如：我會羨慕妹妹。每次聽到妹妹開開心心地規劃自己未來 ［尤其是關於婚姻，家庭和為國家服務的規劃］， 我都會覺得自己的未來像一片曠野～心裡會冷笑，5年后我又會在哪兒呢？是不是又需要搬家了？我開始不敢對自己的未來有太仔細的規劃和期望～因為我的生活就是彈性很大～連下個月的時間表都有點不肯定。 我會懷疑自己到底有沒有勇氣一直面對這種確定未來不？ 我有沒有辦法面對夢想不成真的可能性？ 常會有那種快要崩潰，隨時會抓狂的感覺一波一波地攻擊我的心。 一直要提醒自己，是上帝帶領我來到台灣。我必須一直信靠他～要對自己宣告 : 耶 利 米 書 29:11 耶 和 華 說 ： 我 知 道 我 向 你 們 所 懷 的 意 念 是 賜 平 安 的 意 念 ， 不 是 降 災 禍 的 意 念 ， 要 叫 你 們 末 後 有 指 望 。

Of course, I'm not referring to THAT soap. I'm talking about a loosely constructed organization called the Fire-makers,  a bunch of Christian artists/musos/hair and makeup stylists etc who are...well, young and restless.  After reflecting on 2012, I realised that the Fire-makers have become community for me in the areas of work and ministry. * I am still involved with my 'normal people/normal life' cell-group. They are 'family' in ways that divert me from the music world, which is very necessary sometimes. And they keep me in touch with the 'normal' world of people who work 9am to 5pm [or 8am - 8pm more likely], who don't play instruments, who are experts in other fields etc.  From October to December, I saw most of the Fire-makers every 1-2 days, mainly due to our involvement in the extravagant evangelistic concerts held in night-clubs every Friday. Then, of course, the organization is fairly well-funded by well-to-do socialites and business people...

I get a little worried when songs that have been trending are tracks like these:  Far East Movement are an Asian-American group. I have a lot of respect for them in a business sense, and also to some extent, musically. However, I wonder if the lifestyle and the values they are consciously AND unconsciously spreading around is the best thing for their sphere of influence. I was going to post Nicki Minaj's latest video called 'Stupid Hoe'. It was released yesterday, I think. But I was thinking that my parents read this blog and they would be probably be disgusted by the video. Heh. so i decided to post this video of Sophia singing 'Super Bass'. It's a great single, catchy and full of fun. And Sophia is a phenomenally talented and charismatic little 8-year-old.  But... 'Super Bass' lyrics....have you ever checked them out? Granted, Sophia isn't much aware of what she's singing. But still.... How does one create great art, that speaks tru...