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Invierno in Beijing II- siete-nueve-ocho

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I’m back in rainy/ sunny/ ponded Singapore my friends! Just in time for Christmas as well :)

Now that I’ve got my internet access fully back, here’s the next instalment of my Beijing trip!

~

If you’re ever in Beijing, you really need to check out this really cool and niche Arts district, 798.

It’s something like a 田子方in Shanghai but much, much bigger, and less commercialised- sitting comfortably at the crossroads of the modern and the new.

From what I researched on the place (after visiting it, no less :p), it was a former Soviet-owned, German industrial area that was disused and later taken over by the PRC government that was later gazetted as an arts district.

A lot of top artists in China had their roots here, living and working from this area once.

Beijing 2011 Photos5

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Invierno in Beijing I

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it’s Day 21/36 now, and despite my FB/ Twitter cold turkey, I’m still surviving alright thus far!

Many of you have been looking forward to my posts on Beijing- well, although I’m mainly hanging around the conservatory most times busy writing/ sleeping/ eating/ daydreaming/ watching drama serials, I did try to conscientiously try and take more pictures of my usual haunts whenever I’m here in Beijing. I’m not very good at introducing places to visit per se, whenever I travel it’s really more about just experiencing life and soaking up the atmosphere…

My next post will be about this really really cool place called 798 which I visited recently- it’s a huge former industrial area that’s been converted into a super niche arts town- not unlike 田子方 in Shanghai, for those of you who know of that place. Just that it’s not as commercialised yet, and it’s much much larger!

Meanwhile, here’re some of the random things that I’ve been doing…

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a rare hello

After repeated (failed) attempts at breaking through the Great Firewall of China, today seems to be a rare breakthrough!

Yup, I’ve been in Beijing for a week now and I’ve not been able to get into sites like Twitter, Facebook and WordPress.

In this rare moment that I’m actually attempting to send a message out to the outside world (and I hope it works), just wanted to say that all’s well here and so far I’m at Day 6 of 36 here in Beijing and still going strong :D

It’s been a whirlwind time so far catching up with all my old Beijing pals, teachers, and getting through the ceremonial drinking sessions with them.

I wish I took more pictures for this rare post, but I guess I’ll update proper when I’m back and the internet and firewall stuff are all stable!

~

Here’re some photos which I had already successfully uploaded from before I left for Beijing, featuring some of the recent happenings:

TENG performed at the opening of the Sun Yat Sun Memorial at Wan Qing Yuan- it was a fabulous affair by Creative Director Royston Tan!

Wan Qing Yuan 7

Wan Qing Yuan 6

Wan Qing Yuan 5

Wan Qing Yuan1

Wan Qing Yuan 4

Wan Qing Yuan3

We had a real fabulous time playing for the thousands strong crowd that turned up!

Really love the whole retro/ pseudo-Getai getup stage :)

Wan Qing Yuan2

Hopefully I’ll get to post a few more times whilst I’m still in Beijing- if not, take care meantime and happy holidays everyone!

I’ll be back with more photos, tips and all about Beijing and I’ll definitely be returning to Singapore with a lot more completed works!

:)

time to break the silence

I’ve been real busy off late wrapping up the year and preparing for my yearly trip to Beijing, and I was planning a nice photo montage of TENG’s recent performances etc, which I will post very soon.

Yet these few days I noticed a spike in hits to this page, and I braced myself for some ‘blast from the recent past’ kind of thing- I’ve ignored it the past few times but after visiting the ex’s blog to see what the commotion is about, as well as reading all the ‘positive’ comments, I felt real compelled to just simply, break the silence. To tell the story from ‘the other side’.

Yup, it’s a little out of character for me, being naturally shy and all. I know, doesn’t look like it, but I’m really horribly shy when it comes to my personal life. But yet, it has come to a point where really, being a nice guy is really like being a scorpion- bearing all that within yourself and you end up stinging your ownself.

 All the comments I’ve received these few months since the break-up, some of your emails pouring out your stories- I’ve been blessed with the encouragement and love from strangers. And in return I feel I should speak up too for people who’ve been ‘left behind’.

It’s never easy the one being left behind. The one left to pick up the pieces.

I’m not afraid, ashamed or bitter to tell my side of the story because I feel I’ve really moved on from her, and I’ve really found peace somehow through this passage of time.

Many of you have asked, isn’t it horrible because she left with another girl? Honestly, that doesn’t bother me one bit.

All my best friends are of that orientation and they’re wonderful people who’ve seen me through thick and thin.

But I think what really kills one’s sense of hope and faith in relationships is when trust and deceit is the cause of the breakup.

It’s funny, how, she used to get all insecure about me cheating. I told her, I won’t paint myself out to be a saint- that I don’t get tempted, or have never been tempted throughout our relationship.

Yet, it was the fear of losing what we shared that kept me from ever straying.

I once innocently asked my late mom, ‘Dad “works” from 7am to past midnight. Don’t you ever wonder if he’s cheating?’

She simply replied ‘Like air in a balloon, the more you try to contain it by pressuring it into a small space, the more it feels like resisting and breaking out.’

I wasn’t convinced then and still suspected my dad might one day tell us that he actually has another family/ lover somewhere else.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

It’s coming close to 4 years since my mom passed away and my dad has never seen anyone else, or even come close to a hint of someone else possibly coming into his life. All this despite my brother and I saying we’re cool with it and all, we understand that he’ll need companionship etc.

He dutifully buys flowers to put at her niche in the church every week, and he even converted to Catholicism, got baptised and all because my mom was cremated as one.

If that’s not love and commitment I don’t know what it is.

Anyway to end this post off, I want to simply state that I really have moved on.

Being single is not a crime. It doesn’t mean you’re a freak.

Everyone deserves a shot at happiness, even if we don’t play the game the way everyone else does.

When we two parted

When we two parted
In silence and tears,
Half broken-hearted
To sever for years,
Pale grew thy cheek and cold,
Colder thy kiss;
Truly that hour foretold
Sorrow to this.

The dew of the morning
Sunk chill on my brow-
It felt like the warning
Of what I feel now.
Thy vows are all broken,
And light is thy fame:
I hear thy name spoken,
And share in its shame.

They name thee before me,
A knell to mine ear;
A shudder comes o’er me-
Why were thou so dear?
They know not I knew thee,
Who knew thee too well:-
Long, long shall I rue thee,
Too deeply to tell.

In secret we met-
In silence I grieve,
That thy heart could forget,
Thy spirit deceive.
If I should meet thee
After long years,
How should I greet thee?-
With silence and tears.

-Lord Byron

If you have it, flaunt it!

hello again my dear friends!

The school term is almost ending and I’ve been swarmed with work- will update with pictures and happenings these weeks when I’m more free!

The TENG Ensemble is playing again on Sunday, 30 Oct 2011 at the newly opened Sun Yat Sun Museum :)

Come on by if you’re free and say HI! :D

adage. cinco

adage. cuatro

adage. tres

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