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October 06 2008 娱协奖 Music Awards Nomination A week ago, my artist 起政 called me up real excited : CONGRATULATIONS
Teacher!!! You're nominated for 娱协 Music Awards for Best Music
Arrangement, for the work on 莫文蔚 <手>。 I go: Hmm...... and he
goes: Aiyo dont pretend la, you must be very happy inside! I guess I'm happy... just not thrilled. Is it because I really dont think it's my best work? Is it because I rather another song of mine, 好听的歌 get nominated instead? Or maybe I'm just a little down as I wasnt nominated for Best Production Award. Oh well... I'm actually a VERY competitive person... but that just helps to push me further and harder. Quite a few senior/junior colleagues of mine were already getting Grammy Awards... so I guess you could kinda understand how I feel. But in the end, I guess I just LOVE music! The situations in Malaysia are kinda tough that sometimes I'm afraid of not having the chance to do what I love anymore. But that only making it so much more precious each time I lay my hands onto a new project. Hmm... I guess instead of saying that No Music No Life Cliche... I'd say to myself the very same thing I say to all my students.... Gambate ya!!! My Family Vs Tears Past 2 weeks had been very emotional for my family. All because of my sister's celebrating the happiest day of her life, her wedding. Much tears were shed, tears of joy, tears of letting go, tears of mixed feelings. All of us cried. My father cried during the tea ceremony, my mom cried during the hair combing ceremony, my sister, my brother and I all cried uncontrollably during the wedding reception speech. That's how we are, and That's my family that I'm SO proud of !! The chances of all of us getting together are pretty rare nowadays. So it's actually quite refreshing to see each other all getting this emotional during this family gathering haha.  At the departure gate @ KLIA, baby Chen-Yi started crying when Jie Jie's about to walk in, and he for no reason, stopped crying minutes after we lost sight of her. Could it be that he shared the sadness of separating? Or could it be that he did it on purpose to relieve/ distract all of us from an emotional goodbye? Jie Jie and Richard, be HAPPY always ya! Gogo loves you much ! September 12 How To Afford a RM500,000 HOME ?Lately, I've been contemplating to buy a condo unit. Nice place, nice view, nice location... but the price is close to RM500,000.
 WHat's frustrating is that I cant see myself affording a HOME at that price range:
1) My current salary sure cant support it.
2) Even with additional music production jobs dont even seem that promising, especially when that income isnt even consistant.
3) Selling songs to local artist for RM200/song dont really help either.
4) Bear in mind my wife and my cars are already over 7 years old.
5) Additional savings are necessary aside from pouring all the money towards that HOME.
6) Baby Chen Yi's expenses and education fund, of course with Chen Er and Chen San in mind...
How? The answer is simple: increase the income. But it seems I've pretty much used up my time to full capacity, balancing between work and family.
Me not a money-minded person. All I wanted from life is to do what I LOVE, and to live comfortably. The place I wanted is actually quite far from luxurious... and that sucks even more! I cant even afford a slightly above average kinda lifestyle. What the FUCK???
 Maybe some adjustment is needed in my life. Any tips or suggestions?
August 31 I'm saying it nicely: PLEASE F*#^king LEAVE !!!You being here supposed to help. But you've become a burden and create f%^#$@king tons of stress. My patience is running out... The constant takeover, the constant negativity in your tone and words, the constant blame assigning... I've had just enough of it. The mere sight of you f^%$&king pisses me off. Go HOME!!! I'm trying the best to put it nicely... PLEASE F^%#$king LEAVE!!! August 26 ER VisitNever would I thought I'll visit an Emergency Room... at least it's a thought that never occurred to me. But it happened... Sat night, a day after Chen Yi's full moon party, we heard a scream coming from his bed. We picked him up but soon realised something's wrong... he was crying but there was hardly any noise... his body became so stiff that it seemed like he was in some sorta spasm. Not too long after... he had trouble breathing as his face turned red. Panicked! Panicked! Panicked! What to do? I raced him to HUKM, while listening to his troubled breathing and uncomfortable murmur... remained as calm as possible for my wife and mom... before they took him into the ER. While Chen Yi's finally ok... but there's no definitive answer for this incident. It seems he choked and cant quite catch his breath. Lots of tears were shed that night... from us... from our parents. But so much thanks to Pin as once again, you've helped and supported us for just being there. Being a parent is of course tiring... but not so much physically... but mentally and emotionally that drains all the energy out of you. Chen Yi, be healthy and happy ya. Please allow us more time... to learn to be a great parent! August 14 What MORE could I ask for ?Guess what I'm doing now? I'm writing blog... my lovely wife sitting beside me, feeding baby Chen Yi... and we're listening and grooving to the music I produced. (Alternating between 张起政 <这一刻> and Danny's <Say Goodbye> ) A quiet evening... but what more could I ask for? I got the love of my life, my music, and my future here... Thank God for blessing us! July 25 The Beginning... Welcome Chen Yi !!!2008 July 22nd, 5.05pm - a new chapter of my life began. A baby boy who weighs 2.93kg... Welcome Chen Yi !!! Can I be a good dad? Will I be a good dad? I'd definitely try the hardest I can !!! THANKS to all who had sent in your wishes... We were overwhelmed and still are... but me and Yin do really appreciate it !!! July 16 Summer Blockbusters 2008 ! - Rd 2Alright guys, here we go for Round 2 of Summer Blockbusters : The Incredible Hulk It's LOUD and it's Dynamite... and it's 10 times better than Ang Lee's HULK movie. Definitely worth watching, but it's no Iron Man! GRADE : 4  out of 5Wanted What a stupid movie! I know I know Angelina Jolie's hot... but aside from that, it's just a decent B movie to me. It tries to be flashy and stylish... but it failed to get there. Any Michael Bay's movie would kick this piece of 'WANTED' ass. P.S. Is it really necessary to get that bloody and violence? GRADE : 2 out of 5Get Smart It's funny and smart, light and easy. Definitely a nice change from all the action packed LOUD summer blockbusters.  A few surprising cameos... and Anne Hathaway is HOT!!! I dont think she's any less hot than Angie. Definitely worth catching it on DVD if you've already missed it....GRADE : 3 1/2 out of 5Hellboy 2: The Golden Army Many of my friends seem to be turned off by the character's look... but I remembered walking out from the 1st Hellboy movie LOVING it! Hellboy 2 does offer a lot more. More action, more interesting creatures, more fantasy, more laughs, cool efx... but dunno why, it just failed to engaged me. I really love what I see, but I wasnt immersed with what's going on. Sigh... I REALLY wanted to love this movie... maybe it's my mood, or stress or whatever the hell that's going on.  It'll require a 2nd viewing for me to rate this accurately. But guys, go see this and lemme know what you think!GRADE : ? out of 5Conclusion: Round 2 is so much tougher to judge. But I'll have to go with Hellboy 2! Yes I know what you'd think. I CANT event rate it... but there's a LOT to like and definitely worth watching. Go see it for yourself ya! 2nd Half 2008 is ALL About CHANGES ! It's a weird feelings... it seems the rest of 2008's
gonna be damn interesting... a lot of excitement mixed with some
uneasiness. Life's all about changes... but I dunno if I'm ready for
it... just yet...  1) Change in my work. Well... there's actually not that much change to it.... but still... it's interesting to say the least... Got some big plan, just need some time to put it in gears. 2) Countdown to my baby's arrival. As each day gets closer, my heart gets...... so much love's awaiting you here alright... cant wait to finally meet you... 3) Qi Zheng's album in store in a week. For all I know... it could very well be his LAST album if it doesnt do well. Me and Yin had put a lot of heart and soul to it at the same time praying for it to work. 4) My sister's wedding in Sept... hope I could get myself together and be ready, be the responsible big bro for the biggest day of her life! And there are a whole lot more going on in my head right now and honestly, I'm getting overwhelmed... I just dunno if I could cope with it... I guess I MUST, but I just havent figure out the HOW yet... I think I'll find out the answer along the way... July 06 About Birthday... Happy Birthday!!! It's been a year now since I started my 1st article... still I found that there's not much to see on my blog. Part of it is due to limitations of spaces... and I promise to keep it up this coming year too. Happy Birthday ya!Also, I went to a birthday party last night... a proud student of mine JiaHao celebrating his 20th birthday. There we ran into a lot of our school graduates, Jing Soon, Emily, Alan, Ye Yong, Xiao Hong, Yee Theng and of course Jia Hao. Havent seen them for a long while now... a lot of catching up, a lot of fun to talk bout music and hala-hala. Some still follow the dream, some are down bout it, some are too busy... and some had left it cold. It reminds me of old time... and all the wonderful memories. I really do wish them well... and guys... feel free to let me know if there's anything I could help with. You all know where to find me. I really had a great time... so great that I drank up 5 or 6 can of beers... and Jia Hao's mom even packed up another 3 cans for me to take home haha...  Cheers!!! July 04 Sleepless night... Something's bothering me... Since the album's done, a lot of other important things began to fill
up my mind... among them inevitably school related stuff, baby stuff of
course... but tonight, something else's really bothering me.... For a while now, I had this talented student who's a decent piano player and a blooming songwriter w/ lots of potential. Been putting a lot of effort teaching him and closely monitoring his progress as 1) he's still very young, 2) he had some serious seeing problem. On many occasions having discussions w/ Yin on how else we could help him learn/grow even with his condition. So he wrote a great song. I did the demo for him, pitch it to our team, use it in the latest album I produced. All the while telling him that we'll discuss and settle the contract thingy after I'm done w/ that particular project. Today I was told by others that he had decided to sign up w/ other publisher.  What the?I really dunno what else to say... it's a lousy feelings... but I guess disappointment made up most of it... Anyway... I'm sure there's a lesson in all of this... can someone enlighten me? June 29 Done and Down...So the good news is, the project I've been working on for the past 6 months is finally done. But the bad news is, I'm sicked again. Doctor said it started from the nose allergy (I'm pretty sure it's due to our company's renovation), then throat infection that led to headache, and also the lack of sleep as the project rushes the finish line... and boomed... I'm down. It sucked, but I'm also quite relieved as I finally can catch up to all the sleep loss. I really hasnt been sleeping well for the past couple weeks... Anyway, look out for my latest baby in store very soon, <这一刻的张起政>。 Will write more about it when I feel better ya... a little groggy right now. Until next time my friend.... June 26 Almost There... Guys... almost there... I'm almost there... I'm dead tired now... and I'm feeling a little unwell at the moment... but it dont matter.... It's gonna be something I'm proud to show you all... Coming Soon!!! June 14 Summer Blockbusters 2008 ! - Rd 1 YES, it's that time again! I love summer... for all the
movie-goers, who wouldn't? This is the time for all the long-awaited
power blockbusters to hit the theater! So I've decided to start a
thread reviewing those movies. Here's round 1: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Still good... but just not as good. I mean a collaboration from Lucas and Spielberg could never be bad. But Indy does look real old now especially in the very 1st scene. Sigh... can the young guy step up to continue Indy's adventure? I really hope so... GRADE : 4 out of 5Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Better than the 1st one. Lots of cool efx and scenery. Does seem a little long though... and why the hell Azlan doesnt show up earlier and save the world? Why does he have to wait for the girl to find him? Then he starts roaring and save the day... I still much prefer Spiderwick though...GRADE : 3 1/2 out of 5Kung Fu Panda OMG it's the BOMB!!! From the story to the animation, characters, dialogue, music etc... it's GREAT! It's funny, it's action packed, it also has a lot of hearts... it's a PERFECT movie!!! I felt so touched and inspired by this movie. If only I could be a part of something that's so great in my mere existence... havent seen an animation this great in a LONG LONG time! Some may argued that it's very Hong Kong-ish. Yes, they maybe right... they use our stuff but they make it so much more... GRADE : 5 out of 5 WOW!!!The Happenings M Night Shyamalan's latest work. This guy is the master of suspense. You could felt the air thickened starting from the very 1st scene. Enjoy it while it's happening... but the ending is a little anti-climatic. Hmm... no twist ending this time around? GRADE : 4 out of 5 Conclusion: Round 1 goes to Kung Fu Panda!!! This is THE movie to beat this summer!!! What? You dont like it? It's ok... we're just not friends no more... I just cant have friends who have poor taste! June 13 人间音缘 Songwriting Competition World Finals By various unforeseen reasons and coinsidenses, I was invited as judge
for 人间音缘 Songwriting Competition World Finals on 7th June 2008. This is an event
organised by FoGuangShan, aim to encourage Buddhist's
philosophy/message to be spread thru music. It was an interesting event to say the least. In no other event shall one get the opportunity to hear and enjoy music from 22 different countries. There are contestants from Argentina, Vienne, Brazil, Korea, England, US, South Africa and of course other Asian countries. Music ranges from New Age, Latin, Classical, Pop, R&B, Rock to 20th Century experimental music etc. While some compositions are nowhere near professional level, but there are quite a few surprises and I really do enjoy it... especially the winning songs from South Africa, Korea and Texas are just so damn good!!! Thru out the 3 day event, I was a little uncomfortable at first and felt out of place. For starter, even though I'm leaning towards Buddhist philosophy, but I was never the serious devoted one. 2ndly, other judges are really experienced musicians, and some had whole-heartedly devoted their lives towards Buddhist music. And then... there's ME!!! But oh well, according to Master Oogway from Kung Fu Panda, "There's NO Accident!". And it's down to Yuan 缘 I guess, a Buddhist belief... it all happens for a reason. I'd always appreciate this opportunity and its unique experience. Thanks! P.S. Yup, that's me showing an inappropriate Victory sign on TV. Oh well... I still cant figure out how to act mature and cool... May 23 Wow... Dr Tan!!!So I was at Hospital UKM with my wife for checkup and I thought I'd called my brother for lunch. Some of you may know already... my bro is a 4th year medical student at UKM. He was in between class so we decided to meet at lobby. When I reached the lobby, I saw a familiar figure from afar... but only it's a little different. Standing there looking dark and handsome... dressed in formal wear with shirt and tie. On top of it, he's wearing the doctor's white robe... with that thingy doctor used to listen to your heartbeat... (sorry that word escaped me at this moment)... hanging from the side pocket of the robe. Wow... dunno why.... but that moment really caught me and I was really touched... there stood my beloved little brother all grown up. I cant help the urge but to call him Dr Tan. Even though we're both in KL, but the truth is, we hardly meet. I guess both our schedule dont quite agree with each other. But Pin, I'm so damn proud of you. Gambate ne Dr Tan!!! May 08 Me Vs Music... Now Vs Then10 years ago, I was in college. There's only one thing in my mind: MUSIC! To be more precise, BALLADS! In college, I was known as the pop guy... cheesy mushy Tan who loved and wrote all the ballads. The fact is, it's TRUE! It probably has something to do with me being Asian... I LOVE piano + strings arrangement... and those heartfelt dramatic shit.... and there's only one kinda music I could and wanted to do : BALLADS! 10 years later, I have a "MOMENT" the other day looking at 4 of my latest work... an old school Rock N Roll song, a Rock ballad, a Korean Dance number, and a "yo" Hip Hop song. Wow... it's really weird.... How the hell did I get here? Me not saying I'm great or anything now... but it's definitely a huge difference from 10 years ago... hell ya it's definitely much more FUN now! So, what will I be doing 10 years from now? My wife said I'd probably be doing children music for my kids... hmm... that's something worth thinking about haha... Guess I'll let y'all know in 10 years ya.  May 01 F%$#king Shitty Night!!!For the past couple days, I was really stressed out by some family/personal stuff... but today I really looked forward to relax and hang out as I've promised my colleagues to treat them dinner... and I even asked a couple friends to join us. And YOU have to F$#@king ruin it!!! Complaint after complaint, and a long shitty face to look at.... bloody BULLSHIT!!! Maybe you're unaware of it, It's inexcusable and it affects ppl around you. I already have a mom, a wife, I DONT need someone else that needs sweet-talking... F$#@king A!!! So now, time and money were spent, and I have NO fun... but a bottled up anger. There WONT be a next time! I hope you have some friends who'll call you on it... but I'm sure you'll have your sound and solid reasons... you never run out of bloody reasons... F^%$king SHIT!!! 张起政《好听的歌》 ClipRemember I mentioned bout one of my latest work,《好听的歌》in previous few entries... I've just found a clip of that song on youtube. I've thought about posting it up here since we recorded it... finally here's it. Thanks to whoever that made this clip. Enjoy! April 29 Danny 温力铭 <一起祷告>I'm excited!!! I've got my very first local production out on air now. Regardless of what others said, I love the results of the collaboration! His name is Danny 温力铭. A catchy melody hook, a groovy beat, lots of designed surprises, and a strong message! Check it out y'all! It's first for me and dude, I really had a blast. Thanks for the opportunity!!! P.S. Here's a clip of that song... yeah... there's a few shots of me towards the end.  |
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