The Cool Chow Yun Fat

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an impressive commericial by the always charismatic chow yun fat of hk movie fame. selected as part of crown macau hotel & casino's newest promotional campaign as part of their upcoming grand opening. qualified as the only 'six-star experience' on taipa island, macau. crown towers is expected to be open to the public in two days on wed may 9 2007 with a grand opening gala set for the following sat may 12 2007. majestic... epic... exuberant... glorious. would you expect any less??
















click here to watch the 90 sec mini-movie. or if you prefer youtube. read new release here.

-YLee

is global warming a hoax?

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since environmentalists and the media introduced global climate change as a problem, global warming is constantly a heated debate among the general public. the momentum accusing humans as the source behind the earth's increase in temperature has become frenzied, cumulating with al gore's feature film-umentary "an inconvienent truth". to refute this, publicly acknowledged as a rebuttal from opponents, "the great global warming swindle" was produced by the uk's channel 4 and broadcast on march 8th, 2007 in great britain. thanks to the web 2.0, we are able to readily watch this entire production online. click here for an alternative google video version.

The Great Global Warming Swindle


in this documentary, one of the key arguments against humans being the cause of global warming suggests that the entire global warming process began well before the industrial revolution. there is no doubt that temperatures have increased over the last century, however the larger part of this temperature move was prior to the era where humans used planes, trains, and automobiles. also, one of the climatologists interviewed concluded that co2 in our atmoshphere was not lead temperatures upward, but rather lagged to movements in temperature. that is to say that temperatures rose ahead of co2 levels as opposed to increases in co2 leading to increases in temperature. this british documentary created so much buzz that locally, the calgary sun has written an article summarizing the content, which can be read here.

the conspiracy theory behind the global warming hoax is that it is an elaborate political movement that is intended to create barriers to entry preventing undeveloped nations from competing economically. in short, the current economic superpowers are trying to hold developing nations down.

by no means is this film the be all or end all of the climate change argument. however if the intention is correct, it will certainly spur the discussion further. as expected, articles have already surfaced attacking the credibility of "the great global warming swindle". check here for this article written by the uk publication the independent. and so the fight ensues.

so what are my personal thoughts on this? additionally, i feel that humans are very short-sighted by nature and the true effects of climate change are much greater and extend much further than any of our lifespans allow us. so yay or nay, doesn't matter to me.

-YLee

yesterday once more

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sammi concert poster featuring her signature left upper ear piercing, show mi sammi cheng in concert 2007 may 18-21.

90's cantopop queen sammi cheng sau man 鄭秀文 is in the midst of making a huge comeback. recently announced a new song release which coincides with the announcement of a 4-show concert to take place in hong kong. sammi is still wildly popular even without releasing an original artist album since 2004 or feature film since 2005.

a multi-faceted entertainer, sammi gained exposure when she left capitol artists and signed on to warner music in 1995. having over 20 albums under the warner label in a decade, sammi has become an icon for hk female pop music. additionally, sammi's popularity is not only for her vocals, but for her film roles. creating a niche at a time that romantic comedies dominated the hk box office ahead of triad films, sammi became the face of the silly (yet cute) girl next door looking to meet that special someone. more famously known for trilogy of films with andy lau 劉德華, "needing you 同居蜜友", "love on a diet 瘦身男女", and "yesterday once more 龍鳳鬥" solidified sammi in the hk entertainment scene (it doesn't hurt that award winning director johnnie to was behind these films).

more recently sammi as resurged with her first single "long live love 愛情萬歲" from her 2005 signing with label east asia record production company. east asia is making headlines by attracting artists away from the big recording companies with the most recent recruit being publicized rival miraim yeung 楊千嬅. east asia is tied to "amusic" which is leon lai's 黎明 startup production company that features popular singers such as janice vidal 衛蘭, micheal wong 王光良, and chapman to 杜汶泽.

check out this rare track featuring sammi covering an andy lau song (which was used as the theme song for their movie "yesterday once more 龍鳳鬥"). this song is not featured on any published album, heard only during the movie credits. i think sammi's version is better than andy lau's original song. both are here for your listening pleasure. welcome back sammi.

Sammi Cheng 鄭秀文 - 如果你有事

Andy Lau 劉德華 - 如果我有事

-YLee

the red fire pig has arrived & longweekendfunk

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gong hay fat choy! the lunar calendar has come around again and we have just entered the chinese red fire pig year. this year is supposed to be a prosperous year to have a baby so you young couples better start pumping.

this weekend also coincides as a long weekend for alberta (family day) and usa (president's day). come out to the cherry lounge for some sunday night funk with the vinylidols djs airek and rocky. good enuf reason for me to celebrate.

-YLee

rise of the asian hip hop scene

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jin the emcee rolled into cowtown last saturday (feb 3) performing and hosting @ ilyxor for tonic saturdays with pal yung mac and calgary's own dj al. v. feeling the urge to support the asian hip hop scene, i went to check out the unofficial leader to the fledgling asian-american rap & hip hop community. as hip hop music has been so influential in the past decade, it only makes sense that western born asians embrace and identify with the music and drive it to the mainstream. as proof, jin is consistently getting exposure on mtv chi; the embodiment of asian american pop culture.

popular for his freestyling skillz, jin started his career by making a name for himself by freestyling on the streets. eventually he hit it big through bet 106 & park's amateur freestyle fridays battle competition. underestimated by many due to his ethnicity, jin proved he can cut it by winning 7 weeks in a row and thus inducted into the bet hall of fame. soon after, he was signed by ruff ryders, jin released a 2003 single called "learn chinese" produced by wyclef jean which struggled to gain popularity. soon after, he fell into obscurity, jin was released from ruff ryders and forced to create himself over again. back and reborn, jin has been on tour promoting his myspace exclusive album release "i promise" and more recently, his upcoming album "abc" where the first single (also called "abc") features full on chinglish rapping.

although calgary's asian scene is small, jin came to represent. saturdays @ ilyxor and plush are the only nightclubs that cater to asians, with ilyxor the smaller of the two. throwing down a multitude of songs from his recent album with yung mac providing the backup. most notable was "36-24-36" - 'here's something i bet you've never seen (what's that), asian girl in some applebottom jeans'. throughout the set, he interacted with the crowd cutting up the mouthy ones and dancing with the dirty girls that climbed up on stage. sadly, the majority of the cheering was when jin fished cheap pops from the crowd by yelling out 'calgary', 'c-spot' or 'give it up for flames'. the live peformance went for about 40 mins, eventually finishing with "learn chinese". afterwards, jin stuck around for the rest of the evening wandering the crowd, taking pictures with fans, and letting dj al.v do his thang.

i hate being a hater, unfortunately this event far was from good - ranking below my average expectation. however, i'll admit that this type of show would fare better in a city with a much deeper asian scene. jin is a very talented artist, for his true skill is in his keen ability to think under pressure and rip apart opponents in a freestyle battle. not once did we get a glimpse of this genius during the show.

nonetheless, jin has stuck his head out there and obviously is trying to get more experience and feedback through doing shows. he deserves massive recognition as a pioneer to the urban music movement for this generation of north american jooksings. more photos from this event can be found at netcandi.com. catch u on the round 'bout.

-YLee

sultry as ever

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miss norah jones. the blues-y new york city belle has released a new album called "not too late" on the blue note record label. maturing from her debut pop- album "come away with me", norah walks further into the mellower southern path started with her sophmore album "feels like home". sweet yet incredibly sexy, norah has a way of incapturing listeners with her hypnotic singing. excellent production and engineering work will please audiophile fans, who will all flock to hear her croon on their hi-fidelity stereo and melt at the sound of her sultry voice.

lyrically and melodically, norah contributes to this album more than her previous endeavors. not necessarily good or bad, norah sings of whimsical things and simple thoughts on tracks such as "little room" and "sinkin' soon". unfittingly norah, "my dear country" brings forth a sullen political commentary on america's election process. those looking for the classic norah lounge music will enjoy the current single "thinking about you", however be aware that the lounge sound has been left far behind. as obvious on the first listen, the influence is blues/country/folk throughout. my favorite track "wake me up", is a soft mix of country lap steel and acoustic guitar, which unjustifiably, is one of the shortest in length.

all said, norah presents a pleasant and provoking album for those that have grown with her over the years. nothing groundbreaking here, just an offering to relax to. really not an album everybody will like, this young lass has shown that it is time to come into her own self. certainly not too late.

note: the deluxe edition contains a bonus dvd with music videos, interviews, behind the scenes, and two live bonus tracks.

-YLee

chickie bank

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regrets. i found this crazy looking chicken bank at urban outfitters. the problem is that i never bought it and now i have regrets. this little guy would have a great home on my computer desk giving me the reminder stare that i should be working, not playing. to save, not spend. and to remind me to blog, and not do whatever people do when they don't blog. i guess if i want it bad enuf, i could drive up to edmonton and pick one up there. on second thought, meh.












official description: chicken-shape piggy (chickie?) bank, all dressed up with multi-colored feathers and folksy detailing, finished with a slot at the top and a key lock at the bottom.

and yes. i realize this chickie bank is as ugly as a bag of smashed up pork buttocks but it's a damn funky looking bag of smashed up pork buttocks.

-YLee