I hope this journal finds all of you well. It's been a while but I'M BACK!
First, I'd like to apologize for disappearing for quite some time but I do have a legitimate reason. And that is because I've been both busy with things while at the same time on a hiatus taking a “vacation”. As you can see from the title above, I'm still in LA right now though I'll soon be returning to Asia.
I've spent a few great weeks in LA doing things I needed and wanted to do for quite some time. I haven't been back to LA for almost half a year so it was great to finally return to my home here. I shall dedicate this lengthy entry to what I've been preoccupied with, thinking about and feeling these past few weeks while I've been absent.
A little over a month ago, my promotional tour for my last album, “The Great Leap”, concluded after spending about three months on the road visiting many parts of Asia. It was extremely exhausting though at the same time immensely rewarding. Once again, I saw and experienced so much in such a short amount of time which leaves you overwhelmed. I often feel so grateful that I have the opportunity to see and experience in a few short months what many people don't get to experience in a year's time. Those few months of promotion are an emotional and physical roller coaster and extremely challenging to anybody. I truly believe “life on the road” can either make or break an individual. Like I had mentioned, I visited more than 20 cities during these three months and I felt like I've grown so much from my travels, work and the friends I've made along the way. Of course, there were also many challenges and hardships along the way that left me down and drained. Some are spiritual and psychological while others are physically very taxing such as averaging less then six hours of sleep and then having to perform and sing the next day. Overall, though, I have always enjoyed the entire experience though it does leave you “brain dead” and totally in need of rest and recharge. Everything moves too quickly for you to actually process at the moment so the best you can do is react. You have to leave the “feeling” and digesting part till later when you have a free moment to really sit down and think about things. That's one of the reasons I truly appreciate my time in LA because all I do I is just vegetate and simply do nothing except just “live” my life like any other normal individual. I can stay at home all day, take walks with my dog, have long dinners with my friends, drive my cars without any destination, walk around aimlessly in the mall or supermarkets, etc. When people in interviews ask me what I enjoy doing I always answer the things I just listed above and they look at me bewildered thinking why I'm so boring. How else should I live? I'm just a normal person like everybody else and there's nothing special or different about a “celebrity”. My happiest moments in life are the simplest moments in life, nothing more. The beauty of life is to be able to appreciate the simple moments and pleasures in life. All the money in the world couldn't buy that simplicity.
LA is a city that offers a rather slow paced lifestyle compared to Taipei, HK or China. You can say there's not much to do here but, from another perspective, there's a lot to do although it isn't a city that doesn't go to sleep like many cities in Asia where there is always something going on 24/7. LA is very relaxed, suburban and laid back. And that's the reason I love living and coming back to LA. It can be a very plain city yet if you want excitement there's everything here from shopping, culture, and entertainment to very diverse cuisines. Thus, returning to LA for these past few weeks has really given me the chance to totally be myself and do nothing. Of course, to say that I did nothing is untrue because I did spend the first ten days packing and preparing to move out of my office space. Because my office/studio lease was up after five years I really needed to return to LA to pack up and make arrangements to move out of the space. Could you imagine having to pack, organize and move out of a 3,200 sq. ft. space that I've been occupying for five years? The amount of equipment, furniture, and things was overwhelming and having to pack it all up and move it out was quite a feat for my staff and me. However, we took care of everything with the generous help of my ten friends who helped move everything out in 3 full days. I stayed up all night packing (no sleep at all for about 36 hours) so we could move out by the deadline. It was a real feat packing and sorting everything out but the real challenge was to store everything I originally had in a 3,200 sq. ft. space into a 10 x 17 sized storage space! Again, thanks you guys for your strength and help.
After the move, I had more time to enjoy myself though I wouldn't call my time in LA entirely a “vacation”. Well, being that the weather here was beautiful and there was so much catching up to do for me I considered it a very pleasurable chance to relax and return to normality. I hadn't seen my dog, Lucky, for about half a year as well and spending time with him was important for both of us. When I went to pick him up he immediately ran towards me and started making whining noises that really broke my heart and made me feel guilty for leaving him for so long with my friends. He was very ecstatic to see me and kept on jumping in the air wanting to leave with me. When it was time to leave, he very routinely jumped into the passenger side of my car and sat on the carpet waiting patiently for me. It was as if I never left because there didn't seem to be a lapse in his memory. There was only Lucky and I on the car ride back home and it was a very quiet yet special moment of bonding between us.
I did a lot of very “ordinary” and normal things so there's really nothing exciting to report. No glamorous moments with lights and music, unfortunately. I saw about four movies in the theater which was something really exciting for me because I hadn't stepped into a movie theater more than twice over the past six months because I was constantly working or on the road. It was so nice just sitting there waiting for the show to begin drinking some soda and having some snacks. I really enjoy that short period right before a movie begins as you chat with your friends and feel the anticipation before the main feature starts. Driving around in my cars was also something very ordinary but left me feeling extremely happy and content within. I didn't drive very far nor did I have the time to take a long distance road but getting in all my cars and taking them out for a spin was enough for me this time around.
My first week in LA was consumed mainly with taking care of things and catching up at the office and at home. When you're away for almost half a year there are a lot of things that you neglect and need to take care of. It becomes rather difficult to navigate your business and home from thousands of miles away but it's something I must do and have been doing for many years now. However, I'll be spending more and more time in Asia now so I've been also slowly consolidating my time and resources back here now.
The weather in LA has been great though the days are starting to get hotter as summer approaches. However, since California is very dry and essentially a desert, the heat doesn't really leave you feeling sticky or too uncomfortable. Plus, regardless of how hot it is in the day, the nights are usually quite comfortable and breezy. My favorite time to go out driving is around 6pm when the sun is beginning to set (the days are longer in the summer and the sun stays out quite long) and you can just roll down the windows and feel the cool air blowing in your face and hair. The residual warm glow of the sun really makes for a beautiful and picturesque drive wherever you are.
These few weeks of rest and relaxing have done me a great deal of good and has allowed me to reset my brain and allow me clear out my head. I can't say I immediately have tons of ideas for the new album or whatever projects I'm working on but there is definitely more space and room in my head and heart now for new things and ideas to develop and take flight. I feel ready to tackle new things and projects as the remainder of this year will be a very busy and challenging one with a new concert tour as well as production of my next studio album tentatively slated for a 2nd quarter 2006 release. There is so much to do and I'm very excited about the months to come. I hope to see more of you all and I do hope that you are all doing well and have made much progress in your lives during the first half of this year.
Again, I apologize for disappearing for a while but sometimes it's a necessary break I have to take in order to let myself rest and reset so that I can travel further in life and creativity. As the weeks roll on, I'll be giving you glimpses into my new concert tour coming to a city near you as well as also the new direction my next album will be taking. It will definitely be a surprise and I'm sure it'll be something you wouldn't expect while still staying very musical and honest. I'm aware that the past two albums have been intentionally darker and heavier but I feel that I'm entering into a new phase of my life now, which I sense will be brighter, more full of humor and romance. I can't tell you exactly what the next album will be like because I honestly don't have anything concrete yet but I feel something different will come out of me and it'll be something quite different from the past two albums. Thanks for all your patience and support during this past half year and for always giving me that creative space to do what I believe in. Without all of your love and support, it would be very difficult to be myself and to do what I want to do.
See and talk to you all in a couple of weeks…I'm back!
