My blog
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My recent life - Work, Party and Have Fun
( 繁 | 简 )Tuesday, Sep 15, 2009 3:06AM / Standard Entry
John LegendThanks to the Alivenotdead team, I got to watch one of my favourite singers - John Legend in Macau. He was absolutely amazing, I was really disappointed at the small no. of people that went. I would've thought that he'd be more popular in Asia given his talent and abilities, so if you don't know him, check him out. He sings beautifully and with a lot of soul. After the concert, my friends and I went to the after party by the Venetian pool. Reggie was an awesome DJ, and a dance floor was built across the pool - how cool is that! A bunch of us ended up staying the night since we missed the boats, Cara, Jesper, Yalun and I ate dim sum at 6am at the Casino restaurant. I have to say, I'm getting way too old for these early morning dim sum gigs, nonetheless, they were good times!
Bey Logan's WeddingBey Logan is a wonderful man, and a wonderfully married man indeed :). I was honored to attend his wedding on the 7th of May and he is now officially married to wonder-woman Elizabeth! They were so adorably in love together. Elizabeth was beautiful as ever, Bey was nervous as ever (and sweet, especially when he sang 'you are always on my mind' and I met Australia's very own diva Kate Ceberano (Bey's sister). She is an amazing singer! Full of heart, feeling, emotion and greatness! I had so much fun.
A rather embarrassing story from the event was when Bey told me to get up to sing Eternal Flame. How could I say no to the groom right? What I didn't realise was that Richie would be 'acting' it out! I was trying soooo hard not to look at him and laugh, when he yelled 'Celina' after I sung 'Say my name', I tripped over my own tongue thinking there was some emergency! I was totally caught off guard and now on youtube... It was hilarious nonetheless.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqr_nELdvUcI also had the honors to sit next to Maggie Q, she is such a gorgeous woman and a very nice one indeed. She flew all the way to HK just to celebrate this big day with Bey and Elizabeth!
EventsBelow are some events I went to recently, I've been to a lot more, but unfortunately didn't bring my camera with me. You see, it's really difficult to take photos, in my opinion. For one, I'm usually holding too small a handbag. Secondly, it's embarrassing to go shooting away. Thirdly, I'm usually with good company, and I enjoy talking to them! I just forget to take out my camera until it's too late! Oh well, the best memories are the ones in your head. Talking about events, I went to the Angels and Demons Premiere last night and surprisingly really enjoyed it. The book is still better but I forgot how wonderfully thought out the ending was. I love Dan Brown! (Sorry... forgot to bring my camera - maybe BC magazine caught a shot?)Sing Pao Anniversary
Oxbridge Charity Ball
Angels & Demons Premiere
Arrogant CatThanks again to Alivenotdead, I have the most amazing clothes sponsor - Arrogant Cat. When I lived in London, I used to go to Arrogant Cat just down the road from me on Kings Road, I love their stuff, it's for women to feel like women. They accentuate your curves, make you feel confident, edgy and ready for anything that comes your way! Check them out at IFC. The leather jackets are amazing!!! All the nice dresses above are from Arrogant Cat!
Boat TripWhat's Hong Kong without going out to sea. Some friends invited me on a boat to go swimming, we had the best time. We went to Lamma Island for seafood in the afternoon and then dinner at Mijas in Stanley. We all sung American Pie, Blowing in the Wind and other classics - soooo much fun! Don't miss out on renting a junk this summer, it's only $3000 and if you get a group of 10 people together, it's absolutely affordable.
Jillian's GraduationMy most loved one, my younger sister - Jillian, finally graduated from high school. Yup, she's no longer baby, she's 18! And out of high school! Time flies! I went to her graduation ceremony and embarrassed the hell out of her when I scrambled in front of everyone to take a photo of her receiving her certificate on stage. Everyone broke out in laughter after I screamed 'OVERHERE!!! ONE TWO THREE' as I clumsily took her photo. My excuse later was, 'HEY! At least I got a photo! My graduation photos from LSE all came out blurry because Dad didn't SEIZE the moment!' hahaha So proud of her!
My Beloved CousinMy wonderful cousin Greg came to visit us for a month. It was his first ever time in HK, and we took him everywhere! I wish I had a brother! I mean, a real blood brother, I have lots of wonderful guy friends who treat me like a little sister, but I still with I had a real brother, they're so much fun and so easily irritated hehehe. We took Greg for a very different experience - to release fish at north point ferry pier. My grandmother was very ill at the time and had to undergo open heart quadruple bypass surgery. Luckily she made it through and is now getting better in rehab in the states.
My latest developmentI've been doing a lot of song-writing lately, quite an inspirational time for me. I'm starting to collaborate with other song-writers and arrangers too!I also set up an official website for those who want to see my showreel/ information/ biography/ filmography and stuff. I made the site myself on my new mac, so please don't be too harsh on my skills! It's http://www.celina-jade.comAlso, I have set up a youtube channel to keep in contact with friends/ fans. If you have any questions or would like to get in touch, I'd be happy to answer them on video for you when I have time. Check out he official CelinaJade channel! http://www.youtube.com/user/CELINAJADEvids
Try not to laugh at me, it's really weird talking into a laptop camera.. kinda boring too... hahaha. I just wanted to be more accessible to my fans. If your questions are in English, I will reply in English, if they are in Chinese, I will reply in Chinese. :)
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_AO0bq5WlM
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mTAjQIwxRQ
Hope you're all well. I will be uploading my birthday photos soon :)
Big Hug and Kisses,
CJ x
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New Photos
Monday, Jul 20, 2009 2:51PM / Standard Entry
Photos by Andrew at coffeehousephoto/ Clothes: Marc Jacob/ Hair: jackson yung @ ilcolpo (grand hyatt)
Teaser Cover of upcoming Jade Screen Magazine - Interview by Lisa Clemens
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Sharing my birthday with you...
Tuesday, Jun 23, 2009 9:08PM / Standard Entry
Sharing my birthday with you...
First of all, I'd like to thank all of you who left very kind birthday wishes on AnD for me. You're all so wonderful, and sweet. It made my day and I was running around with a huge smile on my face (as you can see) all week because of all of you!
I had a crazily fun birthday this year, very different from paintballing last year, which was awesome! But satisfying, nonetheless :)
FRIENDSHIP IS EVERYTHING
Thanks to AnD and Jeanne, I now have a bunch of awesome, down-to-earth new friends who all came to my birthday dinner, where we celebrated with delicious French food and wine, we played a truth/ false game where people had to either recall and tell the group one interaction that they had with me (e.g. the story about how we met), or make up a complete lie and try to convince the group that it was true. Some of the made up stories were hilarious, involving saving cats, lap-dances, and being spat on. Actors have such a wonderful imagination haha
PS (check out my fake 'drunk' expression) & thank you Jo Jo for the photos
WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE
On the day of my birthday, Yalun took me to Disneyland in HK. It was my first visit there and was really wonderful. Disney brought back all my memories as a child, and gave me hope again that the world is a place where dreams DO come true, if you believe in them.
JAPAN
On the weekend, I took a short-trip to Japan, in which I first visited Hakone, one of Japan's Onsen resorts. It was so beautiful seeing Mount Fuji, living life the real Japanese way (no one spoke English there) and finding my way around. I had Japanese breakfast, slept on a tatami mattress (which killed my back unfortunately haha), and had the luxury to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Japanese countryside. I then, went to Tokyo (I haven't been there since 2000), and enjoyed lots of great Japanese food and shopping. I love how the Japanese are so expressive in their own identities, almost each person, had their own distinctive style/ fashion. It was really cool, and the nightlife almost put HK to shame.
PS Check out the crazy festival where men where thongs!!
PPS Also, did you know they have all -female train carts so women don't get harassed!
So that was my birthday, quite a way to celebrate it and I'm very grateful to my family, my friends (old and new) for being so supportive of me, so loving, so caring. They keep me grounded, and for that, I'm eternally grateful!
Love Cx
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MUSIC MATTERS - My third year
( 繁 | 简 )Monday, Jun 8, 2009 2:41PM / Standard Entry
Music Matters is my most looked forward to event every year.
Every year, I get to meet entertainment companies from all over the world talk about their take on where the industry is, it's merits, it's problems and their take on the future of the industry. It gives me such a plethora of insight into my career and possible opportunities, so I can adapt my strategy accordingly. It is soooo much fun!
It is also such a joy to meet like-minded people who are in music to make a positive influence in the world, who sacrifice security and money to pursue their ideals, to follow their dreams. From other artists, to producers, to managers, to executives to choreographers... It is such a joy to know we are all in this together and we all intend to do great things!
The highlight was watching Jamie Cullum perform at the closing of music matters, he was such an inspiration, such an amazing performer, entertainer. He gives us all a clear goal to work towards! Such a wonderful surprise!
Music MATTERS, because music is the commonality that bridges all people, we all attach our own stories and emotions to music, and it make us feel united and not alone.
Thank you Alivenotdead and BrandedAsia for keeping this experience alive for us all, and keeping the spirit of music going!
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Jeanne Hartman's 2 Day Intensive Acting Workshop
( 繁 | 简 )Thursday, May 21, 2009 3:02PM / Standard Entry
Photo by Jennifer Thym (http://www.alivenotdead.com/rockginger)
It was only 2 days, but it felt like a good 2 months, this acting workshop has exceeded all of my expectations!
Before shooting Legendary Assassin, I had no experience in film AT ALL, not even the slightest bit of training. When I was told I got this role, after a long audition, I really thought the directors had a lot of guts to use me as a lead actress! I was a lost lost puppy in a big big world. So, the only things that I could think to do were: research the top acting books and buy them, rent all the oscar-winning movies to analyse how actors portray their characters, rent all the policewomen films available (Western and Chinese) and to go through as many behind the scenes interviews as I could possibly find. I learnt a lot this way, but to be honest, acting became a trial and error for me. What did it mean to 'raise the stakes' in a situation, how do I interpret the directors' directions, how do I create a backstory, how long do I give myself to prepare before I cry? I had a million questions, and so little answers and only until Jeanne's workshop did I really find these out.
She shed light on so many issues: How do I analyse a script? How do I get in touch with my emotions? What parallels can I draw from my life? How do I fill the blank spaces between lines? What actions should accompany my lines if any? How do I create a deep backstory for my character? When auditioning for a role, how do I read the lines without burying my face in the script? How do I build character arc? How do I let it go after all of the analysing? and YES I know the answer to all of these NOW thanks to her!
For the very first time, I was not acting, I was living! Each character, be it a mother, a pschologist, a lawyer, a cop, a girlfriend or a lover... I had no idea how I did after each scene, all I knew was how my chest felt heavy after a tough and depressing scene, how I was out of breath from arguing in a heated situation, how I was numb thinking about a childhood memory I tried to repress, how I was repulsed yet at the same time attracted to a serial killer....
Jeanne Hartman is an acting coach that will make you very comfortable in the sense that you can open up to her, and spill your guts out, you feel you can overcome your fear, and be each character freely. Yet, she is also an acting coach that will make you feel uneasy because she's constantly pushing you to achieve higher and higher, to take on more and more challenging roles.
Not one moment was wasted during the 2 days, as we not only learnt more about ourselves, but we learnt more about each other, and most importantly we learnt from each other! All of us became friends, and came out feeling as though we had known each other for months, because Jeanne's technique brought us together.
I think this is a valuable workshop not only for actors, but for directors/ screenwriters who want to be better at their jobs, for singers who want to be better at expressing themselves and for any other person who wants to learn the art of communication, and the psychology of human beings. It's worth more than $3000 and these lessons will stay with us not only in the field of acting for a lifetime. Thank you Jeanne and Thank you Jason for bringing her to us!
