Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Feng Fei Fei : Another Mandarin Pop Icon Died



Feng Fei Fei, another Mandarin pop icon died.  Many youngsters may not know her too well.  Incidentally, my number one pop icon, Teresa Teng was of the same age.  Both are now gone; very sad.
I don't speak Mandarin or write Chinese, but I am always a fan of Chinese songs.  I don't fully understand the lyrics, but I still enjoy listening to all of them.  My male pop idol is Fei Yi Ching. (Incidentally, the man sitting next to Fei Fei in the 3rd video below is Fei Yi Ching) 
Theresa Teng and Feng Fei Fei had very special vocal resonance.  I think there is no appropriate word to describe their special vocal excellence.  For Theresa Teng I would say she had a sweet and beautiful voice. As for Feng Fei Fei, haunting and sexy. 
The best way to "describe" is just to listen and enjoy their sweet renditions.  Below, I have chosen five special songs by Fei Fei which are my favourites.  For Theresa's please clik here:
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Her next major award came in 1974, when she went on a concert trip to Singapore, where she was crowned one of the "top ten Southeast Asian Singers."
Better known on stage as the hat-wearing diva who never completely revealed her coiffured locks, Feng Fei Fei was known for her huge collection of headwear as well as her unflagging support for causes the nation held dear.
A frequent performer at National Day celebrations and beneficiaries after her first trip to Kinmen in 1978, when she entertained troops stationed on the island, she donated both her time and money generously to charities. Baseball fans still recall the time when she put on the hat of a cheerleader and went to the United States to root for the junior national baseball team playing there. She was named a "patriotic entertainer" in 1981.
She married in 1980 and her singing career continued until 2011, when she had to cancel a pre-scheduled concert because of the damage done to her vocal cords by cancerous cells.
Fans rushed to CD stores today and bought up all stocks of her album in less than 12 hours.


Mandarin pop legend Fong Fei-fei died Jan. 3 in Hong Kong aged 58
2012/02/13 21:21:50
Taipei, Feb. 14 (CNA) Fong Fei-fei, one of Taiwan's most prominent pop divas in the 1970s and 1980s who enjoyed an enduring following in much of Asia, died from lung cancer Jan. 3 in Hong Kong at the age of 58, her family and lawyer announced at a news conference Monday.

The belated announcement came a day after the pop queen's ashes were placed in a Buddhist temple in her hometown of Dasi in Taoyuan County in northern Taiwan.

"We did not break news of her death earlier in line with her will," her attorney Chiang Yen-wei said.

Noting that Fong Fei-fei, the stage name of Lin Chiu-luan, was a fairly modest and low-profile person, Chiang said the singer demanded that information of her death be withheld until after her funeral was completed.

"Fong Fei-fei also asked me to convey her heartfelt thanks for all the support her working partners and faithful fans had offered her throughout her career and life," Chiang said.

Fong Fei-fei, who started her legendary career by winning the first prize of a radio singing contest in 1968 when she was still a junior high school student, was originally scheduled to hold a concert at Taipei Arena last June.

While rehearsing for that concert in May, she noticed abnormalties in her vocal cords, Chiang said.

Medical examinations confirmed that the problems with her vocal cords were caused by lung cancer, forcing her to decide to cancel her scheduled concert, according to Chiang.

He further said Fong Fei-fei's health condition deteriorated abruptly Jan. 1 and she died at a Hong Kong hospital two days later.

A posting on the late singer's official website said Monday that Fong Fei-fei had willed that her death be announced after the Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb. 6 this year.

The posting also quoted Fong Fei-fei, who attained a goddess-like status among her fans with her charming voice and amiable manner, as saying that she had lived a happy and wonderful life and would like to sing for her fans again in her next life.

"She still personally wrote birthday cards and 2012 New Year cards for her friends and loyal fans in the last month of her life," the posting said.

Fong Fei-fei married a Hong Kong travel industry tycoon in 1980 at the age of 27. Her husband died from lung adenocarcinoma in 2009. She is survived by a 23-year-old son.

In her prime, Fong Fei-fei recorded songs for soundtracks of romantic films adapted from novels of noted writer Chiung Yao. The popularity of those films also helped take her career to new heights.

Music and film critics said Fong Fei-fei's geniality and the plain lyrics and simple melodies of those songs, which were easy to sing along with but whose vocal intensity was difficult to copy, produced a unique mix of legendary virtuosity and approachable reality.

Wen Tien-hsiang, a film critic, said Fong Fei-fei's charm was not just for young female audiences but also male listeners. According to him, some of the Chiung Yao film songs, sung in Fong Fei-fei's somewhat masculine voice, actually portray the male protagonists' feelings, so male listeners found great empathy in them.

Throughout her decades-long career, Fong Fei-fei produced more than 80 albums and held numerous sold-out concerts at home and abroad, particularly in countries with a large Chinese-speaking population.

In addition to Mandarin songs, she also sang many old Taiwanese songs and engaged in reviving the Taiwanese ballad tradition. In 1992, she released her 78th album, "Wishing to Play the Same Tune." Most of the songs on the album had long been forgotten until its release.

A versatile signer, Fong Fei-fei also sang new Taiwanese songs that broke free from the typically slow and sad style of traditional Taiwanese ballads. She once said "embracing the past is good, but embracing the present is wonderful."

(By Sabine Cheng and Sofia Wu)
enditem/npw


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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Treasure what you have


Here's another viral email that returns to remind me of not to take things for granted:

To realize
The value of a sister/brother
Ask someone
Who doesn't have one.

To realize
The value of ten years:
Ask a newly
Divorced couple.

To realize
The value of four years:
Ask a graduate.

To realize
The value of one year:
Ask a student who
Has failed a final exam.

To realize
The value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.

To realize
The value of one month:
Ask a mother
Who has given birth to
A premature baby.

To realize
The value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize
The value of one minute:
Ask a person
Who has missed the train, bus or plane.


To realize
The value of one second:
Ask a person
Who has survived an accident.

Time waits for no one.

Treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when
You can share it with someone special.

To realize the value of a friend or family member:

LOSE ONE.

The origin of this letter is unknown,
But it brings good luck to everyone who passes it on.

Remember....

Hold on tight to the ones you love!

Do not keep this letter.

Send it to friends & family to whom you wish good
fortune. And don't forget the one who sent it to you!

Speak English to deliver right information

Speak English, Penang CPO tells his men

GEORGE TOWN- Strengthen your communication skills, especially in English, to deliver the right information to the community.
In making this call to policemen, Penang police chief Deputy Commissioner Datuk Wira Ayub Yaakob said only 25% of the 5,000-strong policemen in the state could speak English fluently.
This was despite a pressing need to speak the language, in lieu of the many foreigners and various races in the state, he said.
"About 60% have average English language skills while the rest just know basic English," Ayub told reporters after launching the Special Training English Communication for Tourist Police here.
He said communication failure among policemen would inadvertently lead to misunderstanding among the public.
"The community expects us (police) to solve their problems. We should have the capability to do that, and it comes from good communication skills," he reasoned.
- BERNAMA

The above is a "copy&paste" from Malaysia Chronicle :

Thursday, January 26, 2012

ALWAYS ASK, NEVER ASSUME !!



His request approved, the CNN News photographer quickly used a cell phone to call the local airport to charter a flight.

He was told a twin-engine plane would be waiting for him at the airport.

Arriving at the airfield, he spotted a plane warming up outside a hanger.

He jumped in with his bag, slammed the door shut, and shouted, 'Let's go'.

The pilot taxied out, swung the plane into the wind and took off.

Once in the air, the photographer instructed the pilot, 'Fly over the valley and make low passes so I can take pictures of the fires on the hillsides.'

'Why?' asked the pilot


'Because I'm a photographer for CNN' , he responded, 'and I need to get some close up shots.'

The pilot was strangely silent for a moment, finally h e stammered, 'So, what you're telling me, is . . . You're NOT my flight instructor?'


Saturday, January 21, 2012

Wishing you good health, peace and happiness



Wishing all my Chinese readers a healthy, peaceful and happy year of the Dragon, 2012.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

The World's Greatest Magician is not Copperfield

So you think David Copperfield is the world's greatest magician.  You are so wrong.  Met Lu Chen from Taiwan, truly; THE World's Greatest Magician.  After watching the video below, you can follow up with his other unbelievable magic in the other Youtube videos.

He is simply the greatest...without any prop. 






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