Friday 27 June 2014

Hannah Quinlivan

It has been a rollercoaster of emotions for many Jay Chou fans ever since the news broke about his impending nuptials. (See previous post)
Personally, I am very happy that he has become more and more forthcoming about his relationship with Hannah as it shows that he is serious about her and has decided that she is going to be Mrs Jay Chou. 
I myself am happily married and a mother of three. It gives me great joy to see Jay moving forward to another phase in his life; one in which he has indicated he is eager to embrace new roles, viz that of being a loving husband and responsible father. 

What saddens me, however, is how some fans outright reject this happy news, going all broken-hearted and weepy or worse, protesting about Jay's choice and decision and saying not-so-nice things about Hannah....even though he and Hannah have been together for three years and it's practically an open secret. Granted, he has never openly admitted that she is his girlfriend but he preferred to keep things low-key and I would presume, so did she. 

With all that in mind, I thought I'd write a little about the young lady who has captured His Royal Diaoness' heart, based on whatever information I have gleaned over the past three years' worth of news reports. 


Hannah Quinlivan was born on 12 August 1993 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, the daughter of a Taiwanese mother and Australian father. She studied briefly in Taiwan but continued her schooling in Australia, until her teens when she came back to Taiwan. Being of mixed parentage, her looks are unusual and eye-catching and she gradually got into showbiz even as she was still a student.


Watch this vid of Hannah with Dad, Patrick on a gameshow in her midteens, I think.
Incidentally, her father speaks Mandarin fluently and it is a very entertaining segment indeed. 


I may be wrong but from what I understand, it was Jay's friends who introduced them to each other, circa 2010/2011 when she was working in Jay's fashion store, PHANTACi. 
I think their relationship evolved from there as they got to know each other better and spending time with their group of friends.
As we know, Jay's band of brothers are super loyal to him and likely to be fiercely protective as well.
So there were many reports of people like Xiaomai and Xuegao taking turns to use Jay's cars to pick her up or act as decoys to the pappz when they wanted to go out. 
I was fortunate to get into Jay fandom in 2011, which was when reports surfaced about him holidaying with her in France and speculations and judgements from fans and the media started flying around. 
I, too had my misgivings initially about their 14-year age gap but equally, I was optimistic and had faith that it would not matter if the two of them had the right chemistry and mindsets required to make the relationship work. Stranger things have happened after all. 

Anyway, more about Hannah....and her Dad. 

Here is a vid of her with her father at the Asia-Pacific Cities Summit in Taiwan last year:


Some pics of father and daughter:



She also has her own Facebook Pages and I found a fanclub Page for Brisbane as well:



She is involved with a charity for the hearing and speech-impaired, Hear And Say.




Check out Mr Quinlivan at the Kaohsiung marathon!
Jay better take some running lessons from Yuhao and keep up with his future father-in-law...lol!



Hannah is also the spokesperson for the high-end departmental store, Breeze Centre in Taipei. 

http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002090&id=2496


Cool answers about Mother's Day gifts at a Breeze event:


She worked with Jay and friends in a 7/11 commercial in 2011.







She is also close to her Mum and has been seen shopping with her and there have been reports about her at Jay's tofu shop. :)



This is an interview in which I found her reply about her boyfriend's hair quite endearing:



A look at her room:



All in all, my impression of Hannah has been generally favourable as she appears to be discreet and well-behaved, as well as a filial daughter. 
She has her own career but has also managed to spend time with Jay and his friends and of course, Mama Chou, who reportedly is quite happy with her.


One of my favourite pics:




And note that Jay is finally opening up more and sharing with us gradually, for which we should be grateful. At least, he is not going to spring a surprise marriage on us (unlike some other well-known celebs).

Grocery shopping in December 2013...cool as cucumbers in matching outfitts, chains and masks. :)



Night market stroll with Hannah blissfully unmasked!



Family outing to Danshui....both without masks!!!




I think we'll be seeing more of them together in public from now on and can then appreciate better their interaction with each other. :)


Of course the media is going to town with this and now the next question occupying netizens and fans' minds is.....

How is Jay going to propose???
What new and creative way will His Royal Diaoness think of??

Feel free to leave some comments!






Thursday 26 June 2014

Jay at GMA Global Music Festival and more ;)




*fangirl squeal*
Doesn't he look absolutely gorgeously handsome????

Teacher Jay took to the stage on 24 June 2014 at 7:30PM at the ATT Showbox to deliver his lecture on music-making and share his experiences as a songwriter with eight hundred music students and aspiring musicians. 
Dressed in an eclectic ensemble of black top, vest and scarf-tie combined with his signature printed pants, he was the epitome of Diaoness as he chatted with Matilda Tao, Gary Yang and his audience. But he did admit in the interviews that he was actually quite nervous before the event as this was a first for him. 

Link to a news article about the event: 


Playlist of vids from the event:


NB: 
One of the best pieces of news from Jay was that his new album would be released in September! 
Can't wait! 














                                                            **********

There was an interesting sidetrack from the lecture when news started appearing on weibo that Jay had actually talked about getting married to Hannah, which soon went viral and from what I gather, all the major news sites got in on it and reported on this matter.
However, a careful analysis of the vids show that Jay did not mention anything at the official Q&A session after the event.
What did appear soon, though, was an audio clip of what sounded like a reporter chatting with Jay and Matilda backstage, in which he kind of indicated he would get married before January 2015 and that he had not proposed yet. 
The thing is whether Jay knew it had been recorded or would be picked up by the media.
But as of now, neither Jay nor JVR has come out to refute any reports.
In fact, Jay was just at a PHANTACi Transformers party earlier this evening and I have mot received any news pertaining to this. 
So I'll take it that he is cool.

NB:

An update on FB has indicated that Jay was aware he was being recorded.
So that's a relief! 





Whatever the case may be, Jay and Hannah's relationship has been something of an open secret for the past three years already and it is only a matter of time before they tie the knot. 
Unsurprisingly, there was the usual outcry from broken-hearted Jay fans at this latest development but that is such an immature reaction.
Why can't they just be happy for Jay that he has found a special someone to be with and start a family of his own?
It's not like they stand any chance of becoming Mrs Jay Chou.
I also know many fans have been secretly hoping that Jay would get together with another singer whose name also starts with J.
But that is just not going to happen. 
So deal with it and move on.


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I shall end with a most eye-popping pic of His Royal Diaoness looking all brawny and tough.
Heh...he looks like he's ready to bash any unsuspecting paparazzi who get in his way....lol!
Erm....how about removing that top, Mr Chou and dazzling us with your abs and pecs, in addition to your arms??




Well, it has been an exciting day and night but now, it's time for me to turn in. 

More about the PHANTACi party in a separate post.

Good night and sweet Jay dreams! 




Sunday 22 June 2014

Diaoness Updates: Jay as China's Anti-drug Ambassador and PHANTACi in Singapore! (Updated)

It's a well-known fact that His Royal Diaoness does not smoke nor drink.
But even more importantly, he does not do drugs and has never been known to do so, despite the pressures of his fame and fortune. After all, how many stories have we heard of musicians and rock stars succumbing to the lure of substance abuse, sometimes with deadly consequences?
Admittedly, these seem to be more widespread in Western culture, perhaps because of the easy availability of and more liberal attitude towards these addictions. 
Nonetheless, drug abuse is a known problem among teens and youths in many countries and China is no exception.
As such, having a celebrity spokesman to front a campaign against drug abuse and illegal trafficking is a good step; and not just any celebrity. 
Jay is hugely popular and is also considered one of the most respected stars by the youth in China.
He is such a logical choice!
Doesn't he look amazing??


He was interviewed and also appeared in a television special for this event.
He also performed two songs, Snail and Fragrance of Rice on the piano.


Article in China.org:
http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2014-06/20/content_32725830.htm

The song mentioned in the article is Coward:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi_RBDWZaT0

Lyrics from Jay Chou Studio:

http://jaychoustudio.com/jay-chou-translations/coward/46


News clip about this campaign and Jay's involvement:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL-vxidzLE0


NB:
The show is scheduled to air on 26 June.
I shall update here accordingly as usual if and when any vids are available.

Update:

Here is the vid!
Love his acoustic rendition of these two uplifting songs. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBgArkkW568



For more pics:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.530619493709392.1073741986.399217090182967&type=3


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The news which sparked up my Sunday morning today was that Jay's fashion line, PHANTACi would be available in Singapore soon!
Like FINALLY???
Ric Chiang posted photos of himself at Haji Lane, a street known for independent boutiques and interesting cafes amongst other things





Here is a nice blog post about the other establishments on Haji Lane:

http://www.thesmartlocal.com/read/haji-lane-hangouts


Haha...dare I say that Haji Lane is only going to get even more hip and happening with the opening of Jay Chou's PHANTACi there??
I know several fans who have already popped down there or who intend to pretty soon....including yours truly...lol!
Perhaps it will become the de facto headquarters for all Jay Chou fans in Singapore...??

Keep watching this blog for more updates!




Wednesday 18 June 2014

DIAOness Updates: Jay's school visits; Jayannah's day out!

SCHOOL VISITS

If you remember from my last post about Jay meeting the children he has supported over the past five years, one prominent request from the kids was that he pay their schools a visit too see them and experience their lifestyle in the mountain regions of New Taipei City. 
It was a request which Jay had readily acceded to and as we all know, Mr Chou is a man of his word. In Chinese, that is referred to as 说到做到 (shuo dao zuo dao).

I had also written about his school visits in an earlier post, which had pics and news clips:


However, to their credit, JVR Music produced a nice video showcasing his activities over those two days and I shall post it here for your viewing pleasure:



I really enjoyed watching Jay interacting with the children and how at ease he was with them.
Not to mention having a simple meal with his staff in one of the classrooms.
He of course had to try out the traditional instruments and did so with his usual finesse and coolness. 
It is obvious that this Heavenly King has absolutely no airs nor diva attitude.
Love him so much! 

Just look at that adorable smile! 







To see more pics, hop on over to the Facebook Page:



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JAYANNAH'S DAY OUT

Jay appears to be having a nice and relaxing time in Taiwan this past week, what with shopping in night markets, playing basketball, eating beef noodles and today, the big news which flooded the Net was about him spending the day out in Danshui yesterday with his Mum and Hannah! 

Pics appeared on weibo and pretty soon on Facebook, together with a report that the threesome had gone to a cafe in Danshui where alpacas were kept and had a great time taking photos with those adorable animals. 

NB: This is, however, not going to please the Taiwan SPCA, which has actually called for this cafe to close down as they feel it is not appropriate to keep the alpacas there. 
But that is a story for another post, if ever.

Meanwhile, take a good look at these photos:

NB: No masks! 
And wasn't Jay just being a typical man, engrossed in his own phone while his Mum and girlfriend entertained themselves taking photos with the alpacas....lol!
However, he obviously could not stay out of it for long as he, too got into the photo-taking excitement eventually. ;)






All in, it was a very nice feel of family togetherness from those pics and many fans were delighted.
Some, however, sounded a little dejected about this further clarification of the Jay and Hannah status.
To them, I would say:
As long as Jay is happy with Hannah, that is what matters.
If you love and trust him, then be happy for him.  
He has been with her for more than three years.
Surely that shows how serious they are?
Get to know Hannah better, via various credible news reports and channels. 
But please ignore the trashy and gossipy stuff which often sensationalises trivial matters.
As far as I can see, she is filial, levelheaded, hardworking and also not the diva type or one who wants to play up her relationship with Jay.

As it is, I have set up a Page for Jayannah, where I post these news snippets, with links to other Pages related to Hannah.
Besides her work in Taiwan, I found that she is also involved with charitable organisations in Brisbane, Australia with her father and grandfather. 


I'll probably write a post about her soon, when I've organised all the information properly. ;)

Meanwhile, I have to say the news about their outing made my day....mainly because I was glad that Jay is definitely loosening up about his relationship with Hannah and even if that means I have to wait a little longer for a new album because he's busy  nurturing this relationship, you know what?

It's OKAY! 

Cheerio! 



Sunday 15 June 2014

Translation of Love and Be Friends event video


Remember this event in March?







Well, JVR released a nice video of the happenings there and my translations are below.
It is very heartwarming and I was almost crying...and watch for Jay's tears at 2:58 onwards.




I've more or less followed the Chinese subtitles. 



Boy: I'm drawing mountain animals for you. They are a little plump. I think you do not have much chances to see them. That's why I want to give you this.
Teacher: These children are very close to their animals which are very precious to them. As such, they want to give this precious gift to Jay, as a heartfelt gesture of thanks to their benefactor. As such, I felt very touched when I read it. 

Boy: Thank you, Brother Jay. For helping me to go to school.
Girls: We're very nervous. Afraid we'll say the wrong thing. Also shy. 
Girl holding heart: This is my first time meeting him. I'm very happy yet anxious. 
Boy: Very moving. His songs are very nice. He's also very handsome. 


Jay goes on stage.
J=Jay; C=compere; T=teacher; B=boy; G=girl 

J: I'm very happy to finally meet everyone.
C: Jay has been our benefactor for this fund over the past five years and has helped more than 1350 students. 
J: So many? But actually, I think it is not enough. I hope to help even more students. 
C: Really?? Let's give Jay a round of applause!
C: Because many of these students live very far away and not all are able to attend this event, we have chosen some of them to come and convey their gratitude to you here today. 

Videos from students are played.

T: Do you know who provides your monthly allowance of NTD600?
G: Yes. Uncle Jay Chou.  (at which Jay cannot help smiling)

G: When I grow up, I hope to help others like you have helped me.

Taichung school's visually-impaired students....I think Jay was visibly tearing up at this point. So was I. 

B: Big Brother Jay, we thank you and want to sing a song for you.





J: I was very touched. The best thing was that these kids want to help others in the same way when they grow up.

C: Many of the students have prepared questions for you today. 

Q1: How can you play the piano? May I take a photo with you?
Of course his request was granted! 
J: Regarding my piano playing, if I had not worked hard at it, I would not now be able to write songs.

Q2: How come you're so fantastic and can help so many students?
J: You can also be fantastic and help others in future, if you work hard.

Compere picks out thank-you cards from the board at the back of the stage.

Card: Thank you for giving us food to eat. I am your little fan, I want to watch Kung Fu Dunk.

C: Some of the students also want to thank you personally.

B(reading from card): Thank you for providing for us. We will study hard. May I have your autograph? 
C: After reading all that, all he wants is an autograph?
Boy gets an autographed album. 

G: Thank you for inviting us here. I have a dream. I hope you will come and visit us in our school and experience our lifestyle. Will you?
C: But he's very busy taking care of his restaurants. Jay Ge Ge , are you able to fulfill her wish?
J: Yes, I can! 
C: Very touching! 

G: Thank you for helping us. You are a very generous and good-hearted person. When I grow up, I will also help others like what you have done for me. When you have time, I hope you will visit our school.
J: Good!

G: Thank you for helping me in my education. I want to help others in future too. 

Girls crying...compere tells them not to cry...lol!

C: Jay has a promise for us today. 

J: Five years have flown by. Let us continue for another five years. What do you think? 
Compere is awestruck and Jay proceeds to sign the 'cheque'. :)


                                                                 *********


For the record, Jay prefers to keep his charitable works low profile.
And this is quite possibly the first time he has been seen shedding tears.
He's a sweetheart. 










Thursday 12 June 2014

DIAOness Updates: Schools, night market, bike and basketball

Hi peeps!

After nearly a week of not much news, His Royal Diaoness literally burst back onto the scene with two amazing days (and nights!) of happenings and developments galore!
If you had been following me on the Facebook Page, everything was there, complete with reports and pics.


SCHOOL VISITS

Our Jay spent two days travelling to outlying areas to visit four schools in Taoyuan and Xinzhu.
The journeys took him up to three hours or more into the mountainous regions where he met aboriginal students and joined them in their performances.
He has been supporting many underprivileged children since 2009 and it was during an event earlier this year that one student asked him to visit their school.
Jay said he would and indeed, he is a man of his word. :)

News clips:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-LAyckbVO8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70AC6VMH52g













NIGHT MARKET

So after a hard day's work at schools, what does our Jay like to do?

Visit the night market, of course!
Taiwanese night markets are a hubbub of activities and Jay loves walking through and playing those games.
He was spotted by sharp-eyed fans in Kaohsiung's Ruifeng market with Hannah and Lollipop F's A-wei and many immediately did the most logical thing....viz..whip out their phones to take photos and post them on weibo, which soon ended up on Facebook for people like me to squeal over and repost elsewhere. :)

http://jaychoustudio.com/archives/jay-chou-and-hannah-strolls-in-the-night-market-and-plays-with-guns/1647

I'm glad he is finally being less uptight about being seen with Hannah; note that she is not masked up. :)




He also enjoyed eating at the roadside stalls with Will and Hulk and was not deterred by the presence of certain pests of the insect kind. ;)
That's our down-to-earth Heavenly King for you!

Doesn't he look so cute??





BIKE and BASKETBALL

Jay was definitely out to relax and have fun; he tried out a motorbike and played basketball as well!








Watch his fancy moves:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ni-spKY1fY


STEAMBOAT

Jay loves this!
Can we invite him for a meal when he comes to Singapore??





For more pics, do hop on over to Jay Chou Diaoness on Facebook!

Tuesday 3 June 2014

DIAOness Updates: GMA vid; Opus Zhengzhou; Meters/bonwe event, Hito awards; Opus 2 tickets!

1. GMA interview clip with Jay


A short video interview with Jay in the run-up to the Golden Melody Music Forum, at which he is scheduled to give a lecture about his songwriting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brOauxT_jbY


Translation (rough):
"My first attendance at the GMAs was very memorable and unforgettable.
It was painful to wait for the results,
And when other people win, you have to be careful about your own facial expression.
Should you show disappointment? Or feel bad?
Or be happy for others?
It's a test for oneself.
Difficult to be so magnanimous.
A strange feeling.
To be there or not?
Would you regret if you did not?
GMAs are fair.
Finally came my chance to win when I was there.
I was very happy.
You will always be wondering if you're fortunate enough to win Best Singer; it is an expectation of oneself.
Even if I have won previously, I still hope to win again.
I like to be there to enjoy other singers' performances.
Love-hate relationship.
I would always want to win.
I don't know if it right or wrong for me to feel this way.
But at the very least, I want to do it for my fans.
If I win, I can proclaim loudly that the fans have been right to follow me
As such, every album has to have some sort of breakthrough.
I now like to put down roots.
It's impossible not to age.
But music as a legacy will go on.
So there will never be any regrets in making good music.

I feel very touched when I hear the fans singing along with me at the concerts.

Loss of freedom but the gains make up for it, when fans and media take note of your work.
Private life should be low profile/

Music is my life.
Like drinking water....can't live without it."





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2. OPUS JAY ZHENGZHOU: 31 May 2014

Jay holding the gold microphone and the gold mic power bank, a piece of new merchandise!
Doesn't he look adorable with that pout??




It rained (again) at this venue.
Fans are starting to address him as the God of Rain....lol!





More pics here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.521860574585284.1073741980.399217090182967&type=3


Some nice vids from the concert:

Song request from a courting couple:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOFaZc8Qf2o


Simple Love: (one of my absolute faves for his concerts...hope he sings it at OPUS 2 in Singapore!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA6nmTWQvdY


More on my youtube playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbHLPahX3mJ5RHl-kQD8aztArN4YXTH5V


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3. Meters/bonwe store event in Yunnan: 1 June 2014


He looked simply BREATHTAKING!!!!
That tight white tee which showed off his nicely-muscular arms and that blue denim vest was such a nice touch!
And those shades....omg....the whole package was helluva sexy!





Vids from the event....so envious of the fans who got signed tees and his vest!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbHLPahX3mJ4T_MXYbQ58fNeM0LHpkE1h

More pics:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.522554337849241.1073741981.399217090182967&type=3



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4. 2014 Hito Awards

Jay won three awards!
Most Respected Artiste
Best Movie Song (You Are Everywhere)
Top Ten Songs (Ming ming jiu)

Vid of his acceptance speech since he could not be at the ceremony:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfUc8YnZf-8

He says he's working on the new album!

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5. Additional seats for OPUS 2 JAY in Singapore!

My friend caught this on TV.
The organisers are adding seats for OPUS 2 JAY!
This means that Jay is still in HIGH DEMAND!!!!
Pure awesomeness!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6Ly1z7VtCQ

So those of you who have not got your tickets yet....well, you know what to do!
GO GO GO!!!!


                                                     *********


Once again, I hope you guys are following me on the Facebook Page for Jay Chou Diaoness.
Lots to see and swoon over there in real time!

Like....aaaawwww!!!



Cheerio!