Happy Birthday!

One month before Tim’s birthday
Elu: "Hey, we are turning 31 very soon."
Tim: "Well, you are 31 and married, I am 31 but single."
Elu: "U r okay lah… Marc is 46 when he married me, u still have 15 years to go, hahaha!"
Tim: "……"

On Tim’s birthday
Winnie: "Tim, 你31歲了嗎?! 好老哦…"
Andrea: "真老…"
YaYa: "再也沒比這更糟的了…"
Tim: "……"

醫龍 • Team Medical Dragon

"我本來是為了改革這裡, 而想成為教授.  可是, 不知道什麼時候, 我變得和他們一樣了…" http://cid-b8c72f070f38da1c.skydrive.live.com/embedrowdetail.aspx/Public/BlueDragon.mp3 http://cid-b8c72f070f38da1c.skydrive.live.com/embedrowdetail.aspx/Public/Aesthetic.mp3

求婚大作戰 • Operation Love

"禮一直在我的身邊.  我就理所當然的覺得, 她就應該在我的身邊.  一直覺得告白, 是無論什麼時候都可以做的事.  明明靠的這麼近, 卻什麼都沒能做…" http://cid-b8c72f070f38da1c.skydrive.live.com/embedrowdetail.aspx/Public/RisingRoad.mp3 http://cid-b8c72f070f38da1c.skydrive.live.com/embedrowdetail.aspx/Public/%e6%98%8e%e6%97%a5%e6%99%b4%e3%82%8c%e3%82%8b%e3%81%8b%e3%81%aa.mp3

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!

聖派屈克節 (St. Patrick’s Day), 是紀念愛爾蘭的守護神Saint Patrick主教 (約公元387到461年) 的節日, 在每年3月17日舉行.

為什麼在美國那麼大肆慶祝呢? 早期有許多移民從愛爾蘭來到美洲大陸; 在獨立戰爭爆發期間, 幾乎一半以上的士兵都是愛爾蘭裔. 因此每年的3月17日, 在美國許多有廣大愛爾蘭裔人口的城市, 都會舉行遊行來慶祝這個節日. 代表愛爾蘭的綠色, 也就成了聖派屈克節的代表色.

紐約通常都會舉辦全國最大的遊行. Surprisingly, 第二大的遊行是在南方Georgia的Savannah.
托安基小婷的福, 去年有機會來到Savannah, 見職到了以黑妹居多的St. Patrick’s遊行… XD

Savannah是Georgia第二大城, 靠海, 與South Carolina接壤.
1733年英國將領James Oglethorpe沿Savannah River抵達Savannah, 並宣佈喬治亞為第英國在美國的十三塊殖民地. 隨後的一個多世紀, Savannah陸續經歷了西班牙, 葡萄牙, 愛爾蘭, 法國等地的殖民文化. 於是, 今天的Savannah街道上, 充斥著各式各樣不同風格的建築, 讓人目不暇給, Savannah也成為美國重要歷史古城之一.

Savannah也是America’s first planned city. 在佔領Savannah後, James Oglethorpe把這小鎮分為五區共24塊的廣場 (其中21塊至今仍保存下來), 並把主要街道規劃成棋盤狀交錯. 雖然歷史學家對Oglethorpe從哪得來此靈感仍有不同的看法, 但這位將軍的作法或許導致日後Savannah得以逃過一劫. 在著名的Sherman’s March to the sea裡, 北軍的雪曼將軍一把火燒了亞特蘭大後 (話說芝加哥還不孤單, 並不是唯一被火燒過的都市), 一路往海岸線前進, 沿途催毀所有的建築鐵路糧食牲口, 所經大小城市無一倖免. 但行軍終點到了Savannah時, 雪曼將軍覺得這城市太漂亮, 決定破例不燒, 把它當做送給林肯總統的聖誕禮物. 也因此, Savannah的大部份歷史古蹟, 才得以保存下來, 留待後人欣賞. 市內的 Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD, 小婷的學校) 是全美最大的藝術學院. 果然不負藝術學院的盛名, 這裡的女生們怎麼看都怎麼有氣質! 於是, 在SCAD的薰陶之下, Tim也開始變得有氣質了起來! Savannah的外圍區以Fort Pulaski和Tybee Island最有名. Fort Pulaski是南北戰爭期間的一座重要碉堡, Tybee Island最有名的當然就是沙灘和海鮮. 感謝篇: 黑堡是個送往迎來的地方, 要說有認識長達四五年的朋友, 確實不多. 安基和小婷就是至今還在黑堡 (雖然小婷到Savannah唸書了) 的老朋友. 我想, 大概也是最後了, 應該不會有人還留在這裡那麼長的時間了… 題外篇: 在Savannah的第一天晚上, 龍捲風襲擊Georgia和South Carolina, 對Atlanta和Charleston造成不小的傷害. 慶幸的是Savannah只有豪大雨和停電. 這是生平第一次離龍捲風這麼近耶, 其實感覺還蠻刺激的, 我們還不時打電話跟Allen現場連線報導… View Savannah Album

Forrest Gump @ Savannah

"Forrest Gump" begins with the feather floating down from the steeple of the Independent Presbyterian Church, on Bull Street in Savannah. The feather fell to the feet of Forrest Gump, who is sitting on a bench in Chippewa Square. Gump picks it up and puts it in a "Curious George" children’s book. He then begins to tell the story of his life to the first of several people who are waiting with him at the bus stop… 改編自Winston Groom的同名小說, 阿甘正傳被導演Robert Zemeckis搬上大螢幕, 以Tom Hanks精湛的演出, Eric Roth完美的改編 (電影刪除了許多誇大的劇情, 多了溫馨及勉勵的成份, 個人覺得比小說精彩許多), 搭配Alan Silvestri動聽的配樂, 成為一部票房及口碑皆佳的電影. 本片以智商75的阿甘來觀看世界, 透過他單純的思想以及善良的個性, 描繪出美國50年代至90年代的歷史及幾乎所有重大的事件. 除了豐富的故事情節外, 本片尚應用了剛步入成熟的電腦合成特效, 維妙維肖地將阿甘的影像合成到甘迺迪總統, 詹森總統, 尼克森總統與John Lennon 的記錄片中. 幾可亂真的特效不但獲得了奧斯卡獎, 也預告了好萊塢電腦特效時代的來臨. 電影多處在Savannah拍攝. 片頭開始羽毛掉落的場景即在Independent Presbyterian Church; 阿甘等公車的地點位於Chippewa Square附近, 坐的板凳後來則被送往Savannah History Museum 收藏. 阿甘正傳是一部值得一看再看的經典. 電影裡阿甘對親情, 友情, 感情的態度, 是那麼地簡單, 真誠, 無私. 他對這個複雜的世界是多麼地不了解, 卻毫無怨言地接受命運對他的一切安排. 他對珍妮自始至終的愛情, 和布巴之間的信任和承諾, 對母親唯命是從的孝順, 都是在現今這個社會難以看到的. 在十幾年前, 當DVD和大尺吋電視還沒問世的年代, 要看上一部好電影簡直是一件非常令人期待的事. 阿甘正傳上映的時候, 班上的同學甚至開了一台大貨車, 把一行人載到電影院去. 其實那個夜晚是很美好的, 自此後, 好像再也沒有那麼多同學一起去電影院看過電影, 因為那年高三畢業後大家就各分東西了. 阿甘正傳, 絕對是我最喜歡的電影及音樂之一. Memorable Quotes: Forrest Gump: "Mama always said life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get." Forrest Gump: "I’m not a smart man… but I know what love is." http://cid-b8c72f070f38da1c.skydrive.live.com/embedrowdetail.aspx/Public/FeatherTheme.mp3 http://cid-b8c72f070f38da1c.skydrive.live.com/embedrowdetail.aspx/Public/SuitefromForrestGump.mp3

Air and Simple Gifts @ The Inauguration of President Barack Obama

http://cid-b8c72f070f38da1c.skydrive.live.com/embedrowdetail.aspx/Public/AirandSimpleGifts.mp3 View Washington, DC. Album

Air and Simple Gifts是John Williams (Composer, American)為第44屆美國總統就職典禮所重新編排的四重奏. John Williams根據美國名作曲家Aaron Copland的Appalachian Spring (阿帕拉奇山之春)裡一段讚美詩Shaker為主題進行改編, 由四種樂器 (單簧管, 小提琴, 大提琴及鋼琴) 共同演出. 進一步剖析Air and Simple Gifts, 從選曲到擔任演奏的樂手, 不禁要驚訝作者無處不在的巧思. Aaron Copland是Obama最喜歡的作曲家之一. Shaker可追溯至1848年一首曲名為The Gift to be Be Simple的讚美上帝的詩篇 (美國的立國精神離不開上帝), 在1944年由致力於發揚美國新音樂民族精神的Copland改編為管弦樂曲Simple Gifts並用在阿帕拉奇山之春上. 阿帕拉契山之春描述19世紀移民時期一對新婚夫婦在賓州拓荒的背景, 此芭蕾舞劇主要表現出他們對生活的熱愛和對未來的憧憬. 於是, 作者巧妙地穿插了對上帝的讚美, 美國的拓荒精神, 以及執政者對未來的期許於一曲. 擔任四重奏的樂手, 更是來自不同國家不同背景不同膚色的重量級音樂家: » Anthony McGill: Clarinet, Black » Itzhak Perlman: Violin, Israeli » Yo-Yo Ma: Cello, Chinese » Gabriela Montero: Piano, Venezuelan, female 一字排開的國寶共同演奏此四重奏. 莊嚴, 優美及朝氣蓬勃的音符響徹了華府上空! 附註: 2009/1/19: Martin Luther King (黑人領袖)紀念日 2009/1/20: Obama總統就職典禮 2009/1/21: Virginia Tech校園兇殺案 2009/1/22: Tim回馬來西亞過年 ^_^

Batman Begins and The Dark Knight

Memorable Quotes: Rachel Dawes: "It’s not who you are underneath, it’s what you do that defines you."	http://cid-b8c72f070f38da1c.skydrive.live.com/embedrowdetail.aspx/Public/BatmanBegins.mp3
Memorable Quotes: Harvey Dent: "You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."	http://cid-b8c72f070f38da1c.skydrive.live.com/embedrowdetail.aspx/Public/ADarkKnight.mp3

Soundtrack: Christopher Nolan拍出了史上最寫實(Batman Begins)和最黑暗(The Dark Knight)的蝙蝠俠; Hans Zimmer和James Newton Howard也聯手譜出了史上最熱血及最沉重的蝙蝠俠配樂. Hans Zimmer 是當今電影音樂界裡最炙手可熱的配樂家; James Newton Howard則是常與奧斯卡失之交臂的中生代創作家. 前者的音樂屬動感型, 後者的音樂柔情細膩. 兩者合作, 寫出了蕩氣迴腸, 餘韻繞樑, 充滿動感且又不失莊嚴的蝙蝠音樂. Warner Brothers在The Dark Knight電影推出後數個月, 在Amazon上獨家推出了The Dark Knight雙CD配樂完整版. 此CD貴為Hans Zimmer有史以來首張完整版配樂, 當然極富紀念價值. 只是一張要價美金$48, 比一片DVD($15)加一片Blue Ray($24)還貴! 華納兄弟吸血絕不手軟! Award Winning: Heath Ledger獲奧斯卡金像獎片段 Heath Ledger獲金球獎片段 Heath Ledger獲演員工會獎片段 得獎海報請按此

20 years’ old friends reunion

It has been my privilege to know you such good friends for 20 years!

新年快樂!

小姪女六號: "叔叔, 新年快樂, 恭喜發裁, 裁員廣進, 裁員滾滾!" Tim: "……"

Wicked 二度邂逅 @ Chicago

Wicked
When Lisa first told me that we were going to watch Wicked in Chicago, I was like: "What the hack is Wicked?" I have heard about Blair Witch Project (厄夜叢林) and Wretch (無名小站), but I know nothing about Wicked.

So, I googled the Internet and found that Wicked is a Broadway musical written by Stephen Schwartz, the composer and lyricist of The Prince of Egypt, one of my favorite animation music. I started to feel interested in the show. Few weeks before our departure, I got the CD and the music was way beyond amazing. As a result, I just totally could not wait to see the show. Without any surprise, Wicked turned out to be one of my favorite musicals.

It was November 25, 2005, the day after Thanksgiving and a very cold winter. Lisa, Bert, and I went to the show together. That was my first visit to Chicago, a very beautiful city. Three years later, at the end of summer 2008, Bert and I went to Chicago again. And for a second time, we went to Wicked. Since our last visit, Wicked has become the longest running Broadway musical in Chicago and has played more than 1,500 performances. The Chicago production of Wicked the Musical is one of the most popular theatrical events in the United States. If you visit to Chicago, you must go to Wicked.

Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, takes heart, humor, and warmth into a story of friendship and courage. We see how the green girl Elphaba and the blonde Galinda ended up as Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the North, both fall in love with the prince Fiyero. We also see how these two unexpected friends formed an eternal bond of friendship and how they changed each other in ways none of them could have imagined. "What if the Wicked Witch wasn’t really the wicked one?" asked by Gregory Maguire, the author of the novel. "Good" and "bad" will never be so simple, but it is "friendship" and "love" that matter.

"Remember the last time an original Broadway musical made you laugh, cry and think – in the right places and for the right reasons? Wicked is the most complete, and completely satisfying, new musical I’ve come across in a long time." – Elysa Gardner, Wicked Review USA Today

Wicked is the must-see musical in a lifetime. Everyone should be able to learn something out of this experience – at least learn how to look at your friends, or your enemies, in different ways. This is exactly what Elphaba and Glinda said to each other in their last song, For Good.

"I’ve heard it said That people come into our lives for a reason
 Bringing something we must learn
 And we are led To those who help us most to grow
 If we let them And we help them in return
 Well, I don’t know if I believe that’s true
 But I know I’m who I am today Because I knew you…" – Glinda

"It well may be That we will never meet again In this lifetime
 So let me say before we part
 So much of me Is made of what I learned from you
 You’ll be with me Like a handprint on my heart
 And now whatever way our stories end
 I know you have re-written mine
 By being my friend…" – Elphaba

"Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better?
 But because I knew you I have been changed for good" – both

	"The Wizard and I" by Elphaba Idina Menzel received the 2004 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress for her portrayal of Elphaba. http://cid-b8c72f070f38da1c.skydrive.live.com/embedrowdetail.aspx/Public/TheWizardandI.mp3
	"Defying Gravity" by Elphaba and Glinda Leaving Glinda behind, Elphaba rises into the sky on the broomstick, promising to fight the Wizard with all of her power. This song is simply rocks! http://cid-b8c72f070f38da1c.skydrive.live.com/embedrowdetail.aspx/Public/DefyingGravity.mp3
	"As Long As You’re Mine" by Elphaba and Fiyero As Long As You’re Mine is the love theme. You probably will think that this is a movie’s theme rather than a broadway music. You are right about this. Don’t forget that Stephen Schwartz is also a movie soundtrack composer. He can easily integrate thematic film score into any music. http://cid-b8c72f070f38da1c.skydrive.live.com/embedrowdetail.aspx/Public/AsLongasYou|4reMine.mp3
	"For Good" by Elphaba and Glinda Elphaba makes Glinda promise not to clear her name and to take charge in Oz. She agrees, and the two confirm a true friendship. http://cid-b8c72f070f38da1c.skydrive.live.com/embedrowdetail.aspx/Public/ForGood.mp3

Chicago
Chicago is perhaps my number one beautiful city in the United States.

There are some other big cities, such as New York and Los Angeles. However, I am not a fan of the Big Apple, and Los Angeles cannot compare at all with either New York or Chicago. San Francisco is another beautiful city, but Chicago is full of history that none of the major cities in the West Coast can match.

The Great Chicago Fire destroyed the city in 1871. Modern architecture boomed after the disaster and quickly turned Chicago into one of the world’s largest cities and the pioneer of modern architecture. In Chicago, you can find so many buildings that are unique and have their own meanings.

Sears Tower is now the tallest building in the United States. You can see the entire Chicago city up there. However, if you prefer a beautiful night view, John Hancock Center is probably a better choice.

View Chicago Album

There are so many places in the United States, even in the world, that await you to visit. The chance of visiting a cit three times is very small. It’s very likely that I will never step foot again in Chicago. However, if I ever have a chance to visit Chicago again, I will definitely go Wicked for a third time.

Happy New Year 2009!

2008 年語錄

曉舲: "黑堡沒有好男人!"
Tim: "Damn… 那我算什麼…"

Lee-Chian: "All good men are either other people boyfriend or husband!"
Tim: "Crap… then what am I…"

坤霖: "我們公司唯一的單身老墨男跟唯一的單身老墨女在一起了!"
Tim: "……"

子萱: "我想介紹給你認識的同學上星期剛交男朋友了…"
Tim: "……"

韋萍: "Tim, 你長得不帥, 但人很好…"
Tim: "…… (跟你無怨無仇, 無牽無掛, 竟然也會被發好人卡)"

老媽: "那個以前住對面街的誰誰誰的女兒, 好像也是唸你們學校的, 你認識嗎?"
Tim: "認識啊, 怎麼了?"
老媽: "她現在在新加坡工作, 還單身, 你要不要去認識一下?"
Tim: "… 老媽, 她是我系上直屬學姐…"

朋友甲乙丙丁: "你們學校又出名了! 陳致中要去唸書耶!"
Tim: "… 他要去的是維吉尼亞大學啦… 我們學校沒有法學院…"

Tim 幫自己買老人蛋糕 One week before Tim’s birthday, he went to the bakery to buy a birthday cake. Staff: "Good morning sir, how may I help you today?" Tim: "I want to order a cheesecake for next Saturday." Staff: "Sure, how many inches?" Tim: "How about 12 inches?" Staff: "No problem. May I have your name and phone number, please?" Tim: "Name is Tim Kho and phone number is 540-xxx-xxxx." Staff: "All right, what time you want to pick up?" Tim: "Around 4pm." Staff: "OK, let me write it down. Just a few moments." Two minutes later… Tim: "Oh, ya, by the way, can I write something on the cake?" Staff: "Sure. What would you like?" Tim: "Happy Birthday." Staff: "That’s great! And whose birthday is it?" Tim: "Um, it’s… Tim, me…" Staff: "……" Tim: "……"