No Music No Life 03/2008

itunes: 19, Adele (2008)

April 2008 is the month I can look forward to. Madonna (Hard Candy) and Mariah Carey (E=MC2) are releasing new album on 28 Apr and 15 Apr respectively.

The list of CDs that I have bought in Mar 08:


Life In Mono, Emma Bunton (2006)
This album was not released in Singapore. I wanted to get a copy and yet do not want to pay full price at Amazon.com. After months of hunting, I managed to get a used special edition on ebay at a price of GPB3.70, good deal! hehe. This album is simply the continuation of her previous album, Free Me, a nostalgic direction of swinging 60s and bossa nova. It comes with 2 remake of Mono's Life In Mono and Dusty Springfield's Downtown. Nevertheless, I still prefer the previous one.


19, Adele (2008)
I can remember very vividly the very first time how her voice touching me to the core while I was on the treadmill in the gym, watching MTV. The song Chasing Pavement is indeed a lush power ballad, sweeping off my feet, an anthem to me until this album released in Singapore. She is even a more exciting new artist than when Lily Ellen thrilled me during her debut. This album is simply an accomplished work, particularly the rich soulful smoky world-weary voice from this young (19 years old) singer songwriter and her amazing mature song writing skills. Best new artist of 2008!


Discipline, Janet Jackson (2008)
Finally, she is back with something listenable before I started to write her off. Something that is less dull than Damita Jo, more exciting that 20 Y.O. Well, at least she is not far off from the level where her classic Velvet Rope left since. Nevertheless, it's a good beginning for Janet to break new music grounds under her new label. I will hope for her next best thing.


The Best Of, The Cardigans (2008)
I dun consider myself a fan of The Cardigans even though I love their early hits and the 2 recent albums, Long Gone Before Daynight and Super Extra Gravity. This would simply make me a step closer to being their fan with a good collection of their hits and side B rarities.


Yaiko's Selection, 矢井田瞳 (2004)
Yaida Hitomi is a female Japanese folk rock singer/songwriter and guitarist. This album contains her favourite tracks, a follow up album of Single Collection released 3 months earlier. I bought her Single Collection and was amazed by her rock and powerful vocal. Cool chick!


I Love A Piano, 今井美樹 (2008)
A new release from the most perfect woman in Japan. I Love A Piano is an EP release in which Miki works with seven different pianist to remake some of her old hits. I would not say this EP is refreshing but it does make one feel these old hits differently.


鴿子, 楊宗緯 (2008)
This Taiwanese pop newcomer has a tough long road to stardom. Aska started appearing out of nowhere cameo on some TV talkshows, until one fateful show in which a tv producer suggested live on air that he should focus on his good voice if he wanted a good career in the entertainment business. However, tv critics condemned him of his plain and country pumpkin appearance. He went on to participate a 'American Idol' like of singing competition and went all the way to the final 6 but was booted out because he lied about his age at the time of entry. Despite of that, by then he has already earned millions of fans with his strong and influencing vocals. Well, I'm one of the million fans who see him from rags to riches.


愛 愛 愛, 方大同 (2007)
This is the second album of soul HK singer/songwriter, Khalil Fong. I didnt notice him until this album, his voice is so soulful, so much so the soulfulness is naturally in him. Seriously I'm impressed with his delivery. His appearance has made many so called R&B Asian artists poseur. Check him out.

Earth Hour 2008

itunes: Seal, Human Being (1998)

Lat 65° N Dream 2

itunes: 王若琳, Start From Here (2008)

Countdown: 50 days

Finally, I managed to drop an email to my boss requesting him to approve the leave days from 12th May to 27th May. His response: "Ok, if there aren't any projects you need to complete." Short and sharp. Well, whatever it is, I shall take it as a yes. Looking forward, besides the routine work I need to do, I have 3 projects starting within the next few weeks. One project on stock interface is targetted to go live on 12th May (by then I'm already in Iceland according to my schedule) and the other 2 SAP projects are expected to spread across 2 - 3 months. Hehehe I already have a plan in mind to deal with this. Since I'm in extremely good terms with the SAP manager in the IT department and the timeline for projects is still not out, I'm going to ask him to go real slow or if not, put my projects on hold during my absence, and fully resume after I return. So he has to take this into consideration when working on his timeline. Is not it a great idea? haha


This satellite map shows a tentative route that we are going to take in Iceland, think there will be changes later We have started booking our accomodations at each destination. We have also started to monitor the weather and road condition of Iceland on this website. It seems it is still winter and many roads are not closed because of snow. Hopefully by the time we reach, all will be passable as it will be spring by then. Still the temperature then is expected to range between 0°C and 8°C, still consider very cold to me.

Weather of Iceland today:


Accomodation Reserved:
Day 3 Osar Youth Hostel, to visit seal colony, sea stack, lava tubes
Day 4 Kaldbaks Kot Cottages, to go whale & puffin bird watching
Day 5 Keldunes II in Kelduhverfi, to transit
Day 6 & 7 Hotel Reykjahlid, to visit waterfalls, pseudocraters
Day 8 Hótel Aldan, to visit volcano, ridge, geothermal field, crater
Day 11 Vik Youth Hostel, to visit black sand beach, basalt columns
Day 12 Hotel Geysir, to visit geysir, hot spring, fissure
Day 13 & 14 Northern Light Inn, to visit Blue Lagoon, rift, cliff

Gear Bought: Timberland Goretex Windbreaker, Montrail Hiking Boots

No Country For Old Men

itunes: Erykah Badu, New Amerykah: Part One (4th World War) (2008)

I walked out of the cinema, feeling a great sense of anger and annoyance which I do not know why I felt it this way. Is it because it was not my preferred movie genre and I wasted my time watching it or is it because there was no justice done at the end of the story? Halfway thru the show, I asked myself why am I feeling so super-tense, so breathless enough to make me puke even though the pace of the show is slow. It has been nearly 2 weeks and why the 2 coin toss scenes still flashbacking?

Now I understand.

This movie is unique in a certain way. Though it's a simple cat-and-mouse-chase plot, I dun see the fast-pack actions but rather a steady frame-to-frame movement of tranquity. The audio and visual is almost minimalistic, a fixed set of plain colours throughout, and the soundtrack is hardly existed. Such superficial, I would consider it as boredom. Yet, what I didnt realise was as the plot develops, I was subconciously immersed into the vicious undercurrent, feeling lost and helpless as the darkness intensified. It may sound philosophical and inspiring ironically, this movie shows how vulnerable human beings can be when faces his destiny, particular death which is inevitable. The psychopathic killer Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is no less a spine-chilling soul snatcher, who take centrestage and the biggest winner in this movie. I feel sick, while my brain tries to reconcile what my eyes see, my conscience and my adrenaline secretion.

No Country For Old Men is flawed even it remains as one of best picture of the year. Its brilliance and lasting impact leave me haunted.