Latest Message By Teresa to her supporters

For those who wishes to know the recent messages left by Teresa, below is a copy of the post by Teresa on Sat Apr 28, 2007 9:59 pm at TFC Yahoo! Group:

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Hello Everyone,I am Teresa here..... It had been a long long time since I last left a message here for you all. Sorry^^"

First of all I would like to say a thank you to Wen Long for your generous gift. As we have to move in a group, and due to the security, i was not able to say thank you and to show you my appreciation.

CSS2 has now started, wish that you all would render the same support to them like you had towards me for the past year, thank you very much.

As you all must be aware that this is the examination period, like everyone else with no exception, I am going through the examination period as well. There after, I would be going back to Taiwan to visit my friends and relatives there... It had been 3 years since I last went back to my birth place. After which I would be back here in Singapore, and towards to end of June, I would be involved in a NEA concert. Do not know whether is it open to public. There after in July, I would have 1 to 2 shows with MOE in celebration of SYF. Thomas or myself will keep you posted on the upcoming events.

In the meantime, for students, please work hard and wish that all of you all would pass your mid-year exam with flying colours. All working adults, wishing you all a very good and prosperous second half year of 2007.

Till then, do keep in touch.

With Love,Teresa Tseng
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Honestly speaking, given the massive (but generally quiet) supporter strength of Teresa in her fanclubs and forums (approximately around 2000 minus the spammers), I do sometimes wish that Teresa can post to her supporters more often because it will definitely develop closer ties with her supporters but it's still comforting to know that she is doing what she can to post messages since she is trying very hard to juggle her midyear examinations alongside with all the official MediaCorp events that she is performing at.

On the topic of her upcoming performances at the NEA concert in June and SYF concert in July, I am personally very happy for her because it shows the kind and level of attention Teresa is getting from even the civil service ministries which must have appreciated her singing abilities as well as her healthy Campus Superstar image enough to invite her to perform for such events. As far as I know, these are major indicators that Teresa is gaining a firm and respectable foothold in the singing and performance scene in Singapore's calendar of events. It, of course, speaks volumes of how successful her Campus Superstar mini-career is.

I was observing Teresa during the Bishan Junction 8 event last Saturday and I was very comforted to see how attentive Teresa is during the event. While waiting for the cue to go onstage to pass the CSS banner to the new CSS 2 Top 20 contestants, she chosed to stand because the seat offered to her had an airconditioner vent behind which was blowing her hair out of place - Teresa respected the stage and did not want to stand onstage with any less-than-presentable appearance. Teresa also waited patiently and attentively for the cue, responding and readied herself in seconds when the cue was given. Both small actions demonstrated her professionalism and responsibliity in giving her best whenever the stage calls for her presence.

In 2006, after much deliberation and thought, I chosed Teresa as my favourite Campus Superstar and has since never hesitated to stand behind her for many reasons. The abovementioned two are just two of them.

To the CSS 2 contestants reading this, learn humbly and you will go far. Remember what Teresa had said to the twenty of you - 放轻松，多学，多看，多听，会辛苦一点的。The journey will be long, work hard, learn humbly and you will go far.

(Image source: blanketma, 28 Apr 2007, idollic.com/teresa)

(Message source: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/teresafc/)

Afterthoughts & Commentary on CSS 2 Bishan Junction 8 Event 28 Apr 2007

Okay, I have almost forgotten all the song titles sung by the performing Superstars today becasue I was more focused on their singing and performances rather than the song titles. I will be counting on those who remembered to fill in the blanks in this area. I was also paying attention on how the CSS 2 Top 20 contestants were behaving in their first public appearance as a group, noting their management and response to the screams and fanfare.

I will only do a brief commentary on the various performing Superstars because my main focus was still on Teresa (to be fair to her and all her faithful supporters) but there are still certain noteworthy points that I wish to address to the Superstars themselves (hopefully this blog post can reach their computers during their leisure time). Here we go:

Renfred - I am seeing improvements in your dancing and that is a good sign since your forte isn't exactly singing. Commit yourself to dancing properly and you will reserve for yourself as one of the few Superstars that can genuinely give a proper dance performance onstage. Your singing of the was not really up to my personal standards (since I can sing that song too) because you were not buffing the song up properly and hence it sounded thin and a little lacklustre on my ears. Work on your breathing techniques because I noted a few sections in which you barely managed to catch your breath on time.

Nathaniel - Good singing and good audience interaction overall. You have a knack for knowing when to interact and gesture to the audience and that is a plus sign. However, your clothes were a little bit too informal for your Project Superstar status so maybe you want to dress up a little more for the next event. One more thing - try not to close your eyes too much when you emote your song because it means less chance for you to electrify the audience with your eyes.

Geraldine - Your singing has improved and you seemed to be working well with your emcee interaction and I was impressed. However, you still lacked the stage presentation skills and most of your chorus seemed to be "riding" on the background music rather than properly projecting your singing voice into the microphone. It's very subtle to most listeners but I can pick it up because I was close enough to the speakers.

Carrie - Your voice is obviously suited to the song that you sang and amongst all the Superstar performers today, I was enjoying your emcee interaction the most because you were quick-witted and expressive. Well done. Your singing was pretty alright for me and there was nothing much to pick on except that you needed to pay a little more attention to your lyrics pronunciation because it sounded much like slurring on a few parts and that lessened the enjoyment value of your performance.

Daren - I like the idea of you coming closer to the stage because it definitely helped people to get a better view of your singing with all those placards and banners in the air. Like Teresa, you gave one of the most stable performances and I was impressed with your singing today. One thing to note is that on two occasions, your "ku qiang" got the better of you and it was distinctly heard breaking out. You, like Nathaniel, close your eyes more frequently than necessary and hoep you can work on that too.

Diya - You looked really kid-like with your attire and on other occasions, it would be inappropriate but for the song you sang today, it was fully suitable. I liked the way you stirred the audience to a high with a good song selection plus the interactive-ness with the audience, especially the CSS 2 Top 20 Contestants (a big plus). The downside, however, was that you were trying too hard to mimick Jay Chou. Avoid that because you should develop your own confidence and style in performing the same song. Trust your stage skills and your ability to connect with people.

Sin Huey - I have always looked up to you as one of Singapore's budding A-list singers but your performance today made three terrible mistakes today and I am going to list them down here. Depending on the sanity of your die-hard supporters, I may or may not be expecting an incredible amount of flak and hate posts either on the MediaCorp forums or on my personal blog page but I supposed I should remind you of the good things you were supposed to do or not do. One - over-emoting to the point of choking on the song. You must learn to either control your emotions when you want to sing a particularly emotionally-attached song or not to choose it at all. The interruptions at your second song were sub-standard and unacceptable to me.

Two - You were over-the-top with your supporters at the event and took much more precious time playing with them when the whole event was not about you but the Campus Superstars themselves. Avoid hogging too much attention at other people's events lest they think you are egoistic or self-centred.

Three - You actually told the CSS 2 Top 20 contestants that you had forgotten about them sitting right in front of you? Even if you had forgotten, you should not spelt it out. If you had seen their disappointed faces, you would be regretting your words today too. Thank goodness it wasn't some international event or concert and you said out aloud that you forgot who the star audience were or even I would have to hide in a hole in embarassment for you.

Sin Huey, if you are reading this, please remember to pay enough attention to the focus audience or stars of the various events instead of overly-immersing yourself in your own performances or you may risk being buried by the stricter event organizers permanently. This is not a threat but a genuine piece of advice for you from me.

Top 20 CSS Contestants - All twenty of you were still very shy and not as expressive. I can easily forgive that part because that was still the first public appearance and most of you were not accustomed to the screams, cheering, clapping, attention, and camera flashes. I see some great smiles paralleling Teresa's and that is a good sign even though most of you are quite clumsy with the emcee interaction portions.

However, I am personally very unhappy with those of you who did not bother clapping after some of the performances were over or were fidgeting in your seats for no apparent reason. If you want people to clap for you when you are onstage, you must not be stingy with your own applause for others, no matter what the quality of the performance was. It is simply a matter of professional courtesy and good behaviour. How can one ever hope to be a Superstar if one does not understand the value of applause or attention and readily expects these from others?

That is all for my afterthoughts and commentary on the abovementioned event. Hope it was a good and entertaining read to all you readers out there.

Report on Teresa’s Peformance on 28 Apr @ CSS 2 Top 20 Handing Over Ceremony

As a supporter of Teresa, I am obviously giving Teresa the privilege of her performance report first before I start commenting on the other celebrities and the CSS 2 who appeared today at the Bishan Junction 8 handing over concert and ceremony. Well, you can read the performance report I gave her before I start on the other celebrities.

Teresa appeared in a white short-sleeved top, blue jeans and black high heels. She appeared comfortably casual but elegant and I have always liked that kind of plain fashion, which looks great on her especially for this event since the whole event venue was quite hot and stuffy. Teresa then proceeded to sing an F.I.R song 把爱放开http://www.haoting.com/htmusic/98705ht.htm and gave a very good and stable performance onstage. Although Teresa did not deliberately try to stir the audience to a high, her excellent singing skills shone out without a doubt and the CSS 2 Top 20 contestants were enthusiastically clapping in appreciation immediately after her performance.

My personal grading for our dear Teresa for her performance (solo song only) is as follows:

1.0) Singing Capability (Subtotal: 21.5 out of 25 marks)

1.1) Lyrics accuracy (4.5 out 5 marks) - includes lyrics memorization
Reason: I could hear the entire song that Teresa sang but there was a problem with the stereo sound system at the event venue – it was too loud and was painful to my very sensitive ears, so it somewhat affected the overall enjoyment of the performance. But Teresa’s pronunciation of the lyrics was still clear amidst the blasting music and I was impressed with that.

1.2) Tempo accuracy (4.5 out 5 marks) - includes synchronization to the tempo of song
Reason: F.I.R is one of Teresa’s favourite bands and I believe she had put in a lot of preparation so as to sing her favourite singer’s songs properly. Straining my ears for any flaws in Teresa’s grasp of the song’s tempo, I found none.

1.3) Breath control (4.0 out 5 marks) - includes breathing techniques and song pausesReason: I believe Teresa knows the requirements of her chosen song and was doing well to hit the requirements in the breathing section but because she looked as if she needed to “look up” (one of the singing techniques) to clear her airway for a segment of the endnotes, I deducted some marks because it did not look very good from the audience angle.

1.4) Voice clarity (4.0 out 5 marks) - includes pronunciation of lyrics and notes
Reason: Voice clarity was actually good even though the stereo system was wrecking havoc on my ears. I believed Teresa had read my previous report and made sure that this time round, she projected her voice as clear as she could. I deducted some marks because her humming during two sections of the song was not really audible enough though.

1.5) Singing techniques (4.5 out 5 marks) - includes voicing platforms and bass use, rapping, etcReason: Teresa had the proper singing techniques for this song and I am like running out of things to teach the girl (haha) because she picks techniques up really fast and uses them wisely. Way to go, Teresa!

2. 0) Song Delivery (Subtotal: 14.5 out of 20 marks)

2.1) Facial expression of performer (3.0 out 5 marks)
Reason: It could be that the chosen song was a hard-rock ballad so Teresa was not smiling as often as I would like her to, but I calculated that it would not hurt the song much if she had smiled more at the CSS 2 Top 20 contestants. An average mark was awarded for this segment of TEV. You have a great smile, so you ought to smile more, Teresa.

2.2) Body language of performer (4.0 out of 5 marks)
Reason: After so many performances onstage, Teresa had gathered enough experience to know when to gesticulate and when not to. I find little fault with how she presents the song onstage today when it comes to the body language section although it could be a little bit more forceful to suit the song genre.

2.3) Emotion management of performer (4.0 out of 5 marks)Reason: Emotion management of the song was done quite to the job and I still don’t have no complaints with how well Teresa sank into the song’s mood.

2.4) Creativity of song deliverance (3.5 out 5 marks)
Reason: I was hoping for a more forceful overall portray of the song just like how she sang Ci Niao by F.I.R but she was a little more reserved and hence only an average mark was awarded to her for not being brave enough to attempt to impress the song harder on the audience who were already fidgety due to the humid weather under the tent.

3.0) Stage Presentation (Subtotal: 16.5 out of 25 marks)

3.1) Stage posture (4.0 out of 5 marks)
Reason: Teresa did not slouch and she had learnt to put her free arm at the respectable position when standing and talking to the mcees. I find nothing to fault her in this segment of the TEV.

3.2) Stage movement (3.5 out of 5 marks)
Reason: Although I think for this particular performance, there was still room for improvement in this section of Total Entertainment Value, Teresa had done a reasonably good job in making full use of the Bishan Junction 8 stage.

3.3) Audience interaction (2.0 out of 5 marks)
Reason: Teresa did not seem to do particularly well with the audience interaction today because she was not really smiling enough and keeping her gaze on the audience. She was lacking the necessary waves to both the audience and cameras. The worst part was that she was not really interacting with the CSS 2 Top 20 contestants, who were supposedly the “star” audience of the event today. I am a harsh singing critic even though I am a friend of Teresa - failed her for this.

3.4) Camera interaction (3.0 out of 5 marks)
Reason: After a number of performances, Teresa finally had a grasp of the positions of cameras and photographs in the crowd and did her best to pose and face them whenever the song allows her to but she still lacked the genuine beaming needed to capture the attention of all the cameramen at the event. Teresa, if you are reading this now, please work on that some more?

3.5) Emcee interaction (4.0 out of 5 marks)
Reason: Teresa managed to grasp the quick joke by the two emcees today and I was quite pleased with her emcee interaction with the two witty hosts today. She handled the reference to the other CHIJ KC girl (Seah Hui Xian) diplomatically and I am awarding her higher marks for her good management of her words onstage.

4.0) Stage Attire (Subtotal: 19.5 out of 25 marks)

4.1) Fashion appeal and impression (4.0 out of 5 marks)
Reason: Elegant plus gentleness and casual-ness makes up her appearance today and I find no fault in dressing this way. Some find it a bit bland because she has the physical attributes to show off onstage but I suppose today’s star celebrities were supposed to be the CSS 2 Top 20 contestants so I believe dressing down and not overshadowing the star celebrities of the day is a wise and diplomatic choice.

4.2) Suitability for song genre (3.5 out of 5 marks)
Reason: Teresa’s attire was a little dull to portray the hard-rock ballads of F.I.R today and I was thinking that a bit of gypsy-like apparel or accessories would look much more suitable for the song genre and earn more marks in this section of the TEV.

4.3) Suitability for stage movement (4.0 out of 5 marks)
Reason: Jeans are easier to move around on that small audition stage and the clothing was much lighter for the temperature at Bishan Junction 8 event venue and hence looked more comfortable for stage movement. Good choice of clothing.

4.4) Suitability for lighting effects (4.0 out of 5 marks)
Reason: There is a lot of reflected white light at Bishan Junction 8 today and given that the backdrop of the stage was greenish and bluish in color tones. Teresa stood reasonably out with the attire of white top and dark blue jeans. Although I preferred stronger colors on Teresa than her white top but I suppose that would mean competing with the CSS 2 Top 20 contestants in terms of attire clashes.

4.5) Suitability for image of performer (4.0 out of 5 marks)
Reason: Teresa currently still portrays the image of the gentle schoolgirl and hence her stage attire suited her image as a Campus Superstar. Of course, Teresa can experiment with other images if she wishes to but I think her current image is more acceptable to the public because there are already many hip-hype Superstars in the current market.

Total Entertainment Value =Singing capability [21.5/25] + Song Delivery [14.5/20] + Stage Presentation [16.5/25] + Stage Attire [19.5/25] = [72/95]

(Image source: lostloveguild, 28 Apr 2007, Picasa Web Albums)

Hilarious Parody of Spiderman One By Jack Black

In lieu of the upcoming and highly-anticipated Spiderman 3 (which I am most certain to be catching), I received a funny parody video from The Changed Man about Spiderman 1 and had a really good laugh over it. I suppose it's nearly the end of the week and a dose of hearty laugh will be nice for everyone who is visiting my humble blog here. Enjoy and spread the humour around. =D


Spider Man Parody - Sarah Michelle Gellar - Jack Black - MTV Mov - Click here for more free videos

(Video source: Mr. D, 24 April 2007, MTV Mob Video)

Song Recommendation: 旋律 By 林宇中

The Changed Man kept singing this song (at least four times) during the KTV session on 22 April 2007 and after listening to the song for a number of times, I have to agree with him that this song is worth a second look.

I am recommending this song on my blog because not only the tune of the music is interestingly light and yet catchy, the note-changing techniques by the singer was pretty impressive for a young and upcoming singer. The lyrics of the song is also not too heavy-going and the song itself is quite short, making it easier to learn than some of the more wordy and complicated songs around at the moment.

Click on here for the music file of 旋律 if you are unable to access the YouTube video below or just want the audio version of the song. The lyrics are, of course, provided below for your reference:

你是眼里的音乐 最动心的歌
你播着 全世界突然亮了

多么实在的感觉 望着你的脸
这一刻 我到了被人遗忘的永远

在陌生的街 天让我们遇见
像迷路的人找到了回家的路线

你的美丽我要珍惜 昨天会忘记
是谁遗失了你 我愿陪着你找回(你)自已

当你姓名化作旋律在我脑海里
我已确定 那个人就是你 窝在我心里最动听的Melody

So I hereby include a nice YouTube MV video of the song. Amidst the rush and hussle of the midweek, I hope you can tune in and enjoy yourselves in my song recommendation for this month.




(Video source: karry1227, 31 Mar 2007, YouTube)

K-boxing Session on 22 April 2007 With The Changed Man

I like to go K-boxing with friends - let the hair down, lounge on the sofa and sing to the hearts' content. However, the activity can be quite expensive because of the headcount charges, drinks and room charges (depending on the packages available).

So I usually opt to go K-boxing on Sunday nights and the most recent one was from 9.15pm (Sunday) to 1.15am (Monday) with the Changed Man and as with all other KTV sessions, we sang till we have no more energy to continue.. =P

It was a non-stop song's galore for the entire four hours and I recalled singing some thirty songs or more for my part during that session, including:

林宇中's 旋律,
张韶涵's 遗失的美好,
梁咏琪's 给自己的情歌,
周杰伦's 菊花台, 千里之外,
张敬轩's 断点,
潘嘉丽's 爱, 无力,
陈伟联's 触摸, 爱·恨·难, 我只是想要,
陶喆's 天天, 流沙, 寂寞的季节
光良's 童话,
王力宏's 一首简单的歌,
张信哲's 爱转动,
林晓培's 心动,
张惠妹's 记得,
动力火车's 外套, 我不知道, 那就这样吧,
庾澄庆's 戒不掉,
范逸臣's 除此之外,
飞儿乐团's 天天夜夜,
Energy's 某年某月某一天
Tank's 专属天使
无印良品(No Stamp)'s 胡思乱想
五月天(Mayday)'s 天使

I could not remember the rest because we were like so high last night, singing till our voices were nearly hoarse and thus going comically off-key (when crooning becomes croaking) for some of the songs. An extract of the dialogue between The Changed Man (CM) and myself (SH):

CM: （飚不到高音）哎呀，唱不到啦。这首歌根本不是人唱的。哈哈~~

SH: 没关系。练歌嘛，一定有时会唱不到，不然就不会三更半夜躲在这里练唱了。哈哈~~

CM: （听到隔壁的人在唱）是不是在“杀鸡”？哈哈~~

SH: （斜耳伶听）哈哈~~有一点啦，不过我听过更严重的。至少人家肯来练嘞~~

SH: 哎哟，没有水了，没有ammo了，喉咙很干嘞~~

CM: Chey, 再叫水咯，反正不用加钱的。

SH: 你想得美耶，我们的配套只是一杯饮料而已。不如拿和完的瓶子去装自来水吧。

CM: 自来水？不行不行~~若他们在水里下，那我们不就回不了家了吗？哈哈~~~

（爆笑过后，还是叫了杯蜜糖冷饮，不然就唱不下了 =P)

Was finally home at around 1.30am this morning. It was a good KTV session. ^_^