jan 23rd, 2016.

i sang teresateng 's "tokino nagareni miomakase "and won champion in 2007 jan 14th japanese 6th annual karaoke singing contest in vancouver,bc, canada.

I LISTENED TO TERESA TENG'S SONGS WHEN I GREW UP. IT WAS FATE I GUESS. THERE WERE MANY SINGERS AT THE TIME BUT I JUST CHOSE HER. ..WELL..SHE DIED ANYWAY. I COULD NOT BELIEVE SHE IS GONE TILL THIS DAY.

SHE HAD INFLUENCED SO MANY PARTS OF MY LIFE THROUGH HER SONGS AND LIFESTYLE. SHE ALSO OPENED MY EYES TO A NEW JAPANESE MUSIC WORLD. NOT TO MENTION MAKING ME LEARN JAPANESE TO UNDERSTAND HER SONGS.   MY FIRST JAPANESE SONG WAS "KONYA KASHIRA ASHITA KASHIRA (MAYBE TONITE OR TOMORROW) A VERY CUTE SONG FROM TERESA TENG.IT WAS IN FACT HER FIRST DEBUT SINGLE IN JAPAN.  I DID NOT KNOW WHAT THE SONG WAS ABOUT AT THAT TIME, I LEARNT IT BY WRITING DOWN THE SOUNDS AND PRONUNCIATIONS OF IT. 

LATER ON, "KUU KO" ARRIVED. THAT WAS HER ONLY HIT IN THE 70'S. I WAS MOCKED BY MY CLASSMATES WHO LIKED JAPANESE POP SINGERS LIKE PINK LADY AND MOMOE YAMAGUCHI AT THAT TIME.  I STOOD BY TERESA TENG AND I KNEW DEEP IN MY HEART SHE WOULD SUCCEED. AND SHE WOULD MAKE IT BIG IN JAPAN!!

IT TOOK ME 3 YEARS TO GET ACCEPTED TO THE PRESTIGED 2-YEAR DIPLOMA JAPANESE COURSE IN HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY(83-85).  IT WAS ALSO BY FATE THAT TERESA TENG RETURNED TO JAPAN AS A COME BACK SINGER IN LATE 1983. IT WAS LIKE A NEW BEGINNING FOR THE BOTH OF US.  ME AND MY IDOL.

I ORDERED JAPANESE BILLBOARD LIKE MAGAZINE (ORICON) TO TRACK DOWN HER SALES. I MADE FRIENDS THRU PEN PALS ' ORGANIZATIONS.  SOME PEN PALS HELPED ME VIDEO TAPED THE SHOWS T. T PERFORMED IN JAPAN AND IN RETURN I SENT THEM THEIR FAVORITE STARS' RECORDS IN HONG KONG.  THEY ALSO HELPED ME GET THE CONCERT TICKETS AS WELL. BESIDES, I ALSO SENT LETTERS LIKE I USED TO DO IN THE 70'S TO RADIOS IN HONG KONG TO REQUEST HER SONGS BUT THAT TIME WAS IN JAPAN. I SENT IN REQUEST LETTERS TO JAPAN FROM HONG KONG..I WISH THEY HAD INTERNET AT THAT TIME.  FINALLY, HER FIRST COME BACK HIT "COMPENSATION"(TSUGUNAI) MADE IT TO THE 6TH PLACE AFTER 53 WEEKS AND A TOUGH LONG FIGHT!!!

I WENT TO ALL HONG KONG JAPANESE LOUNGES TO PROMOTE HER SONG FOR FREE.  THE SONG WAS  CALLED "TSUGUNAI" MEANING "COMPENSATION".  I SANG IT SO MANY TIMES THAT I EVEN WON "THIRD PRIZE" IN A PUBLIC NEW STAR CONTEST IN 1985. I SANG BOTH JAPANESE AND MANDARIN VERSION. 

NEXT CAME "AIJIN" MEANING"MISTRESS", TO PROMOTE IT, I TOLD MY PROFESSOR TO ALLOW ME TO JOIN THE 1985 JAPANESE SPEECH CONTEST WITH THE TITLE "AIJIN". BUT I WITHDREW AFTER HAVING FLOODED MYSELF WITH SO MANY PERFORMANCE PROJECTS AND CONTESTS.  I SANG IT TO MY GUEST HOST IN JAPAN WHILE ON TOUR IN NAGANO, JAPAN.  I WAS SICKED THE WHOLE TRIP BUT I SANG THE SONG WELL AFTER LISTENING TO IT 3 TIMES.  

I VISITED JAPAN 3 TIMES IN 1985 TO SUPPORT TERESA TENG'S SINGLE "AIJIN".  THE LAST TIME WAS TO SEE HER "ONE AND ONLY ONE CONCERT" IN NHK HALL DECEMBER, 1985. SHE LATER PERFORMED IN THE "RED AND WHITE CONTEST". IT WAS HER FIRST TIME. I WAS SO SO HAPPY AND PROUD OF HER.. SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SELECTED IN 1984 FOR IT WAS VERY HARD FOR ENKA SINGERS TO HAVE A BIG HIT. "TSUGUNAI" AND "AIJIN" WERE BIG HITS!!

IN 1986, HER ALL TIME FAVORITE HIT SONG"TOKI NO NAGARENI MI O MAKASE" WAS PUBLISHED OUT...I DID NOT REALLY LIKE THE SONG AT FIRST BUT AFTER ALL, IT WAS MY IDOL'S SONG..I WAS LIKE A VOLUNTEER STAFF TO HER. WELL, I AGAIN DID A HONG KONG JAPANESE KARAOKE LOUNGE TOUR TO PROMOTE. I STATIONED AT ONE KARAOKE LOUNGE CALLED"MELODY" WHENEVER I HAD FREE TIME. I WOULD SING HER SONGS.  I WAS ALSO BUSY WITH MY WORK AS A JAPANESE TOUR CO-ORDINATOR AND CHINA ESCORT. I WOULD HAVE THE LOCAL TOUR GUIDES BROADCAST TERESA TENG'S SONGS DURING BREAKS AND LONG RIDES TO SCENIC SPOTS WHILE TOURING CHINA.  IN DECEMBER 1986, I WENT TO JAPAN TO SEE FOR MY OWNSELF HER SUCCESS IN THE 2 "YUSEN HOSO TAISHO"SHOWS  HELD IN TOKYO AND OSAKA.  I HAVE TO THANKS MRS HIROSE TO ACCOMPANY ME TO TOKYO HALL AND MR MORIMOTO(DECEASED LAST MAY) TO GO WITH ME TO OSAKA HALL TO SEE HER SHOWS. IN TOKYO, WE MET TERESA TENG'S AFTER THE SHOW AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE ELEVATOR ACCIDENTALLY, I WAS SO HAPPY TALKING TO HER THAT I FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE WITH THE CAMERA LONG HELD IN MY HAND.  WHAT A PITY!! I REGRET TILL THIS DAY!! I NEVER NEVER THOUGHT T. T WOULD LEAVE US THAT QUICK!!!!ANYWAY...IT WAS ALSO FATE THAT WE NEVER HAD A PICTURE TOGETHER..I SAW HER WON AND ACCEPT THOSE AWARDS WITH MY OWN EYES IN THE HALLS. I WAS SO HAPPY FOR HER AND ME. SHE FINALLY MADE IT.  SHE WAS ALSO IN "RECORD TAISHO" AND "KOHAKU-RED WHITE" THAT YEAR.  ALL MY FRIENDS THOUGHT SHE WOULD NEVER MAKE IT. BUT I ALWAYS BELIEVED IN HER AND SHE DID NOT DISAPPOINT ME!!!!

IN MAY 1987,  I WENT TO ENGLAND/GERMANY/AUSTRIA  TO PERFORM WITH THE STOCK MARKET CONCERT BAND-A COPPER BRASS CHARITY BAND.  I BROUGHT MY TERESA TENG'S MMO'S WITH ME SO I COULD PROMOTE HER SONGS AS WELL.  I CHOSE TO SING HER SONG TITLE "SCANDAL", A VERY DIFFERENT PRESENTATION WITH DANCE AS WELL.  I CREATED MY OWN NEW DANCE AND STYLE WHEN I SANG  "HATSUKOI"  IN A CONTEST 1984 AND SO I ALSO TRIED SOMETHING NEW FOR IT.  BUT IN REAL LIFE, I HATE DANCING. ANYWAY, THE BRITISH AND GERMANS LOVED ME.

I DID NOT PROMOTE MUCH FOR HER NEXT SINGLE "WAKARE NO YOKAN" I WAS BUSY WORKING FOR MY TRAVEL AGENT AND GOING TO AUDITIONS AS WELL.   BUT I DID TRY TO PUSH HER SINGLE "KOIBITO TACHI NO SHINWA" IN 1988 AFTER THAT.  I AM SAD TO SAY "WAKARENO YOKAN" WAS THE LAST HIT SONG TERESA TENG HAD IN JAPAN.  AFTER THAT, NOTHING REALLY SPECIAL HAPPENED. SHE EVEN RE-DEBUT THE SAME SONG IN 1994 HOPING TO REVIVE HER SINGING CAREER IN JAPAN. I HATE THE TITLE OF THE SONG TOO. IT MEANS ROUGHLY LIKE "THE SIX SENSE OF LEAVING/DEPARTING" WHICH FINALLY SHE DID LEAVE ALL HER FANS.  SO SAD!!

"KOIBITOTACHI NO SHINWA" WAS A TV SERIES THEME SONG, MELLOW SAD TUNE.  IN 1988, I SENT IN MY TAPE FROM HONG KONG TO PARTICIPATE IN A BILLBOARD LIKE MAGAZINE "ORICON" SINGING CONTEST IN JAPAN. I GOT NUMEROUS PHONE CALLS FROM THE ORGANIZERS ASKING ME TO GO TO JAPAN AT ONCE. THEY LOVED MY PRESENTATION. THEY WANTED ME TO BE LIKE TERESA TENG. THEY WANTED TO USE THE SAME WAY TO PROMOTE ME.  I FLEW OVER GRABBED AN AWARD AND WAS INVITED TO A RESORT TO STAY WITH THE PRODUCTION TEAM. SINCE THEY ALREADY HEARD THAT TITLE SONG AND SO I DECIDED TO SING THE B-SIDE SONG OF THE SINGLE CALLED"GARASU NO MATENRO". THEY LIKED WHATEVER SONGS I SANG CAUSE IN FACT I SENT THEM MY WHOLE TAPE FULL OF SONGS IN FIRST PLACE AND THEY BELIEVED I HAD THE SOUND AND QUALITY THAT JAPANESE PEOPLE WOULD LIKE.  BUT DUE TO DIFFERENCES IN TERMS DURING CONTRACT-NEGOTIATIONS, I DECLINED THE CONTRACT AND FLEW HOME TO HONG KONG.

I DECIDED TO PROMOTE MYSELF AND DEBUT A CD IN JAPAN IN 1989.  SINCE T.T WAS SO LOW KEY IN ALL HER NEW SINGLES,  SHE DID NOT HAVE A HIT AND I SORT OF LET LOOSE TOO. I ONLY SANG HER NEW SONGS ONCE OR TWICE IN KARAOKE LOUNGE.  NEXT CAME THE TITLE SONG"HONG KONG", "KANASHI JIYU", "NAMIDA NO JOGEN", I STILL SANG AND PROMOTE THEM FOR HER BUT I WAS ALMOST THE ONLY ONE WHO SANG THEM IN THOSE LOUNGES.

I DID PUSH HONG KONG A BIT AND AFTER ALL, IT WAS"HONG KONG". I SANG IT SOME MANY TIMES A NIGHT THAT MANY PEOPLE STARTED TO LIKE IT AND LEARN TO SING IT TOO.

IN 1990, I FINALLY DECIDED TO START MY OWN CD, I BOUGHT COPYRIGHTS FROM A FRIEND'S PRODUCTION COMPANY FOR A FEW SONGS OF THE GROUP"OFF COURSE". I DID NOT WANT TO SING T. T'S SONGS BECAUSE AFTER ALL, THERE IS A TERESA TENG ALIVE.  7 DEMO SONGS HAD BEEN RECORDED.  IT WAS DUE OUT IN JAPAN IN LATE 1990.

DUE TO SOME PERSONAL PROBLEMS, I DECIDED TO CHANGE THE WHOLE PLAN. I RECORDED 2  SONGS FROM T. T.  "HONG KONG NO YORU" AND "HO RI CHUN ZAI LAI".  I LOVE MY LAST PROJECT. I RECORDED ALL THE SONGS IN OK STUDIO HONG KONG.  IT COST ME A FORTUNE. BUT I HAD TO DO IT.  I WAS DOING SO MUCH TRANSLATION WORK FOR JAPANESE TV AND SINGERS SO I THOUGHT I COULD BENEFIT FROM THEM.  BUT AGAIN, OUT OF IMPULSE, I PUSHED EVERYTHING AWAY AND FLEW TO STUDY IN HAWAII.  I LATER CALLED OFF THE "HONG KONG NO YORU" SINGLE WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY SET TO DEPUT IN JAPAN JAN 1991 BY POLYDOR JAPAN.    

IN 1991,  TERESA RETURNED TO JAPAN AFTER 1 & 1/2 YEAR REST, SHE RELEASED "KANASHIMI TO O DORASETE" ANOTHER SAD SONG, "DANCING WITH SADNESS". SHE WAS IN "KOHAKU-RED AND WHITE CONTEST" AGAIN FOR THE THIRD AND LAST TIME IN HER LIFE. SHE SANG"TOKINO NAGARENI MI O MAKASE".   I ALSO DID MY PART AS USUAL TO PROMOTO HER"DANCING WITH SADNESS" BY SINGING IT IN ALL KARAOKE BARS IN HONOLULU. IT WAS A NICE SONG.

IN 1992, SHE RELEASED "AINO HIZASHI". I PROMOTED IT BY SINGING IT IN "1993 AMERICA JAPAN KARAOKE CHAMPIONSHIP". IT WAS SAID TO HAVE BEEN BROADCASTED IN LOCAL HONOLULU TV AND JAPAN. I WON A SPECIAL AWARD. I WAS BRILLIANT AND EVERY ONE CAME TO GREET ME AFTER MY BRAVO PERFORMANCE. BUT I WAS ONLY AWARDED A SPECIAL PRIZE CAUSE THEY THOUGHT I WAS NOT AN AMATEUR SINGER. THEY DID NOT WANT PROFESSIONALS TO BE THERE.  THE LYRICS WRITER OF THE SONG"AINO HIZASHI" WAS THERE. IT WAS NOT A HIT SONG AT ALL ANYWAY. HE LIKED MY PERFORMANCE.

SHE RELEASED "ANATA TO TOMO NI IKITEYUKU" IN 1993. IT WAS NOT A HIT AT ALL.  BUT I DID SING IT WHENEVER I WENT TO KARAOKE WITH MY FRIENDS. I WAS ABOUT TO SING IT IN 1994 JAPAN AMERICAN CONTEST BUT I WAS INVITED TO HELP A CHINESE OPERA SOCIETY WITH THEIR PERFORMANCE THAT SAME DAY. I GAVE MYSELF A REST. 

MY MOST MEMORABLE PERFORMANCE OF HER SONG WAS IN 1995 AFTER HER DEATH. IT WAS "1995 JAPAN AMERICAN SINGING CONTEST". MANY FAMOUS JUDGES JUN SUZUKI, MIKI TAKASHI(TERESA TENG'S HIT SONG WRITER) WERE PRESENT.  I DID "YORUNO FERRY BOAT" FOR I KNEW SHE LOVED THIS SONG. IT WAS A HUGE  SUCCESS. ONE OF THE REMARKS WAS IF THE KEY OF THE SONG BE A BIT HIGHER, I WOULD BE TERESA TENG'S  LATEST VOICE IMPERSONATOR.   

UPDATES:
I SANG T.T'S "HONG KONG" ON DEC 8TH 2004 IN VANCOUVER JAPANESE NIKKEI CENTRE. I HAVE ALSO PLANNED TO SING HER "AINO HIZASHI" THIS YEAR 2005 AS A TRIBUTE TO HER BEING IN HEAVEN FOR 10 YEARS.

AND A TRIBUTE SHOW IS ON THE WORKS TO PAY TRIBUTE TO T.T. HOPEFULLY, I CAN DO AN INTERNET CONCERT FOR T.T IN JANUARY.

IN 1987, I WAS APPROACHED BY DEREK CABLE IN REPULSE BAY BEACH WHEN CONDUCTING A JAPANESE TOUR GROUP. WE TALKED ABOUT MUSIC AND FOUND OUT HE WAS A DIRECTOR OF A BAND. I SENT HIM MY DEMO TAPE AND WAS INVITED TO PERFORM AS A UNIQUE GUEST SINGER IN THEIR BAND'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW IN ENGLAND AND GERMANY.  I GLADLY ACCEPTED ON ONE CONDITION. I GOT TO SING POP SONGS OF MY IDOL TERESA TENG.  SINCE IT WAS THEIR 25TH ANNIVERSARY AND SO THEY AGREED TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT FOR ONCE. THEY USUALLY DID NOT PERFORM POP SONGS. THE BAND, COPPER BRASS CONCERT BAND HAD PERFORMED AROUND THE WORLD AND IN FRONT OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II NUMEROUS TIMES ON DIFFERENT BIG OCCASIONS.

I SANG WITH THE BAND "THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL" AND IN MY OWN KARAOKE BACKING A SONG CALLED "SCANDAL". I DANCED AND SANG.  IN PRIVATE PARTIES AND OCCASIONS IN GERMANY, I PERFORMED A FEW OF TERESA TENGS' SONGS-AJIN, SCANDAL, AND MY ENGLISH VERSION OF THE HIT SONG-"TOKINO NAGARENI MI O MAKASE".  THE MAYORS OF BOTH TOWNS WERE IMPRESSED.  I WAS OFFERED MANY CONTRACTS SUCH AS BBC, EMI WITH HARSH TERMS.  I DECLINED AFTER ALL AND WENT BACK TO ASIA.  MY MISSION WAS ACCOMPLISHED.  I SANG TERESA TENG'S SONGS IN A NON CHINESE NOR JAPANESE AREA.

MY NEXT PROJECT FOR MY REMAINING HALF OF MY LIFE WOULD BE BRINGING HER "TENG"'S STYLE OF SINGING METHOD TO NORTH AMERICA AND BACK TO EUROPE AGAIN. NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT HER IN THOSE PLACES AND I CAN PERFORM ENGLISH, SPANISH, ITALIAN SONGS IN HER STYLE.   

I WILL BE INTRODUCING TERESA TENG'S JAPANESE SONGS TO NORTH AMERICAN AUDIENCE.  HER PRESENTATION OF FAMOUS ENGLISH SONGS SUCH AS "TIE A RIBBON ROUND THE OLD OAK TREE","JAMBALAYA", "FEELINGS", "SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES" AND "THE POWER OF LOVE" WAS FANTASTIC.  MY VERSION OF "FEELINGS" IN SPANISH (DIME) WAS PERFORMED IN "TENG"'S  STYLE.  HOPE MEXICAN AND SPANISH AUDIENCE WOULD LIKE THIS KIND OF ORIENTAL SINGING TECHNIQUE.