http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/life/story/0,1870,47782,00.html KIT CHAN'S S'PORE GIG I like pressure. It drives me With her big concert here coming up next week, and a new relationship blossoming in the background, the future looks good to Kit Chan By Tommy Wee KIT CHAN is perfectly adept at telling a joke, even when feeling the pressure of her first full-blown concert here next week. There's no pretending otherwise, Kit Chan feels she is on to something good. -- Chew Seng Kim She leans over and, in mock-seriousness, says: 'You know what are the worst acting roles that can be offered to me?' She pauses dramatically, before breathing. 'Those that require me to play a recording artiste,' she says. 'Sigh. Sei bei lei tai (literally, Cantonese for die-let-you-see, or an agonising fate).' 'All these 'scenes' on television with 'singers' are always such a big farce. They organise these pretend 'autograph sessions'. Silly, huh?' June 9, though, will not be pretend. That night, after eight years in the business, she will take to the stage at the Singapore Indoor Stadium for a solo concert that is costing $800,000 to produce, wearing a wardrobe worth $60,000. Not surprisingly, she is apprehensive. 'It's a good kind of pressure,' she says. 'It's the love of performing that drives me.' Indeed, Chan exudes a positive vibe, clearly happy with the way things are going. 'I think I've found myself. Absolutely. 'I have felt very good-spirited, especially over the last couple of years. And I can't wait to be 30. Why? Because I think life is going to be good.' Part of what makes it 'good', for sure, is a new relationship. Without being specific, she says: 'It hasn't gone very far in terms of time. But time is a concept, right? It's a very, very happy, fulfilling and surprising relationship. 'What's amazing about relationships is that they always teach you new things. With a new person in your life, he'll show you new scopes, about yourself even. And you just look forward to each wonderful day.' But Chan has had her share of tumultuous times, especially in Taiwan, where she made her regional name. 'I've been through some serious s*** there,' she says. ''There was this terrifying typhoon called Typhoon Herb (in 1996) and the chaotic Taiwan elections. 'Yes, Taiwan's like an old friend.' Another new relationship will start for Chan immediately after her concert, this time with a man in his 50s. She plays his 20-something wife in Channel U's upcoming 40-part Chinese television drama serial, tentatively titled Cash Is King. It will begin shooting in late July. The producers are still scouting for a Hongkong veteran to play the male lead, and cannot confirm any names. Although she is first and foremost a singer, she enjoys acting, too. Indeed, she is equal parts singer, actress, active volunteer and entrepreneur (she owns a clothing shop, Flowers In The Attic, at the Heeren). 'I do, I do. I like acting. It's so amazing, to live another life in a television series, for a few months, at least.' One of her most fitting roles found her filling the shoes of another songbird. 'I know I played Teresa Teng, but she's a legend and so much more than a singer, you know?' (She played Teng in a 1998 Hongkong musical, The Legend). You cannot help but agree. Like the late, great Teng, Chan is fast getting too big for her 'recording artiste' shoes. Still, she is brimming with laid-back confidence, sassy and savvy. Obviously, she is honest about her real-life relationship. 'I've always been quite reticent in the past, when it comes to relationships. 'And being as open as I've ever been now, I think it's indicative of maturity and my stumbling on to something good.' And you can tell she is not acting. -- ▌ ▁▌ ▌▁ ▌|情报员标号: g883456.SHAN.ab.nthu.edu.tw |局中| ◤ ▌ ▌ ▌▃ ▌|隶属☆单位: 中央情报局 (bbs.e-cia.net) |邑情| ◣