Andrea Bocelli

He proably has one of best voices in the world.

I was first introduced to this great singer sometimes around 1997 /1998. At that time I have befriended Mr Clement Lee, a then PhD student in the CS&E department in CUHK. I used to visit his office quite often when I was free or when I have some questions to ask. He had a collection of CDs on his desk and he allowed to pick some CDs to listen to when I was working in lab.

One day he gave me a CD and told me this CD was pretty awesome. That CD was Bocelli's album "Romanza". The main attraction of this CD is the song that gave Bocelli the international attention, a duet with Sarah Brightman called "Time to say goodbye". This song was an instant hit in Europe back then and a super star was born.

The media said his voice is like the voice from heaven that can cleanse every men's soul. I am not sure if a man's voice could have this power. For me, I think his voice is unique in a way that it is powerful, yet gentle; it is strong, yet its touches are soft; and it is larger than life, yet it can penatrate your heart.

So far I have collected only his pop albums.
"Romanza" is a classic because of the timeless song, "Time to say goodbye" and also its original version "Con Te Partiro". The duet "Vivo Per Lei" is nice too.

"Sogno" is probably the least favourite of all his four pop albums that I have collected. Well the album contains a duet between Bocelli and Celine Dion, "The Prayer". But I just don't like it very much.

"Cieli Di Toscana" is my favourite so far. In "Someone like you", Bocelli performed the song completely in English. The Italian version of this song is not available in the Asian version of the album. But I managed to get it ... illegally. :P
"If it's the only thing I ever do
Then I know it's true that I should love someone like you
Someone who believes in me
make my voice to sing with a heart so free
As sure as I can be
For me if one dream can come true
Then I will love someone like you"

The latest album "Amore" feature collaboration with different artists, from Kenny G, Stevie Wonder to Christina Aguilera. The real jem of the album is the last song, "Because we believe". Bocelli has performed this song in the closing ceremony of the 2006 Torino Winter Olympic Game. The lyrics of the song contain both English and Italian. Currently I am still looking for the translation of the Italian lyrics.
"Once in every life
There comes a time
We walk out all alone
And into the light
The moment won't last but then,
We remember it again
When we close our eyes

Like stars across the sky
E per avvincere
Tu dovrai vincere
We were born to shine
All of us here because we believe"

Willie's "So Cliché" Q&A #2

I am on a row! Let's see the second question.

In fact, this one is not always directed to me in the form of a question. Sometimes it is more like a remark, comment or observation made by my peers. This remark (ok let's just settle for a moniker here) somehow reflects the change of culture and behavior in our society (wow...).

Here it goes.

Q2: How come I always see you reading/holding/with a book?
(Variations:
Q2a: Oh you like to read so much!
Q2b: Oh you are reading again!
Q2c: Geez.. You even bring a book to lunch?
Q2d: Are you going to the library?
)
A2: When does READING become an obscure kind of activity?

The followings are the most common followup questions if the conversation continues. Here we go.

Q2-1: How much time does it take to finish this book?
A2-1: I don't think I have any prescient ability.

Q2-2: How much time do you finish a book on the average?
Q2-2a: How many books can you read per month?
A2-2: If every book is of the same length (and assume that other properties are negligible) then I can tell you.

Q2-3: This book is so thick, don't you find it heavy?
A2-3: It is not so heavy enough that I can't carry it around.

Q2-3: What is this book you are reading?
A2-3: (...mumbling the book's name, author and a general description)
Q2-3-1a: Is it good?
A2-3-1: I will tell you when I am done with it.
Q2-3-1b: What is it about?
A2-3-1b: Are you sure you want me to tell you the whole story right now?

Afterwords:
It is weird that people treat you as some outer space creature when you are reading. Really, when does READING become an obscure acitivty?

In a society where listening to iPod and playing handheld video game devices are becoming the norm, maybe it does.

Confession:
Ok I own a NDS and also an iPod. But I still read. Sometimes I am reading while I am listening to the iPod.

Willie's "So Cliché" Q&A #1

Recently I found that I have been asked some questions over and over by different people. In view of this, I have branded all these questions as a series of cliché and I have been trying to find the ultimate answers to all these of them

After a while of aimless blundering and random searching, I have found the answer to the first question. Here it is:

Q1: Are you planning to have kids?
(Variations:
Q1a: Will you have kids?
Q1b: Do you like kids?
Q1c: How many kids do you want to have?
Q1d: Do you prefer sons or daughters?
Q1e: You should have kids early. When?
.....and the list goes on.......
)

A1: I am just "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly".

Origin of the ultimate answer:
This is one of the songs in Irving Berlin's classic musical "Annie Get Your Gun".

New Life. New Challenge. New Game.

This is the first time I post after my wedding.

Yes I am a married man now. I am living with my wife Sarah in a cozy medium-sized apartment in Ma On Shan. The living room of our apartment has a nice view of the To Lo Harbour as well as CUHK and Science Park. The scenery is nice but it won't last very much longer. The piece of land in front of us has become a construction site. I guess this nice sea view will be completely blocked by the new housing estate at the end of the year.

Basically, for me, life is not much different from my bachelor's years. I have already used to spend much time with Sarah, so the fact that we even need to see each other after work is not much of a difference. Oh and I still go back to my mum's place for dinner :D.

But I do spend less time in front of the computer and also spend less time watching DVD. However, you just can't count these as some MAJOR changes. The new challenge for now is to find a balance between my personal time and "OUR" time. Currently, while I am writing this blog, I am spending my personal time :) as Sarah is sound asleep already.

Recnetly I just discovered Sarah's interest in video gaming. She likes the game Mario Kart DS in the NDS very much. So we have now a game that we can play together, which is great!