"Ms Elva" the follow up album to "Diamond
Candy" is as good or even better
than its predecessor.


To roll up an album within a year or less
is nt tt impossible; but two
consecutive good albums is
something.


I was a bit concerned whether "Ms Elva"
will be good due to the pace of
album release.


Melo-pop, '错的人' was very
well received. The song has
Kenji Wu rubberstamped all over it;
personally, the music is very well
composed & the lyric very meaningful.
Kenji-Wu and Elva Hsiao is a nice combination,
& in future, he should be asked to compose
the melo-pop for her album.

Listening to the song & hearing Elva commenting
the song, one got a feeling tt Elva believes
in love a lot. Tt resonates in the quality
of some of her romantic songs. Her vocal
range is not extraordinary but what stands
out is that she can express a lot through subtle
modulation of the tone and pitch of her voice.
Anyway, I always feel vocal range is
over-rated, like a retail company
which impressive revenue but
low profit.


The trend for 'Ms Elva' continues from 'Diamond
Candy' with the fusion of dance music
& mando-pop. 'Ms Elva', the lead
song, is however, more
techno-inspired.


There are plenty of high-tempo romantic
songs to carry on from 'Diamond
Candy'. 狂想 . 曲, 抱緊你,
讓愛飛起來 are fantastic
productions. The music
composers are top-notch &
Elva have the voice & energy
to match the tempo.


Then, finally, there is this super cute
track about slimming, '瘦瘦瘦瘦'.
There is a multi-layered feel
to Elva's voice for this song,
just like the mixed bag of
emotions a determined
person to slim down
could have.


越美味越是有罪 脂肪找隔壁那位
eat不过七点 饿了就喝水
有美食那些节目都当做恐怖片
美丽的曲线 太油会毁灭
单身的悲惨世界 绝对碰不得甜再饿一点
再淡一点 (美就是晕眩)再忍一点
再苦一点那窈窕 已经不远

Overall, this album is top notch.
If you like high tempo Mando-pop, you will find
this an excellent record. Great job, ElvA!!!

________________________________________

October is a busy month. I have 11 consecutive
days of tuition, a record which I hope
will not be broken.


Teaching while you are sick is a bit
tough. At least, busy period
is almost over. Expt is
finishing as well.

Tuition is a very good part-time job.
It is not very tiring, because
there is limited physical
exertion.


Tuition and performing experiments
are like day and night, heaven
and earth.


There are times when you sign out
for something but realises
that the aspect of the job
that you likes only
makes a small component
of your day-to-day routine.


Right now, I am happy thinking
about the prospects of finishing
my thesis at the comfort of
my home.


No more lousy air. No more paying
for routine food. No more
having to spend $$ juz
to squeeze onto
the bus.


I always feel research will always
be my first career. With the completion
of thesis, this might the end of it,
or the beginning of it. As for
tuition, it's also the same.


It's feel strange but graduating
this time really give me the
same joy as in 2001 when
I ORD, although I
have more freedom this time
round.


I want to be brave and see whether
I can crave up another niche.

_________________________________________