Updated: Metroinfo 2014 apr 9 Mala promotes duet

metroinfo 《娱乐旗舰店》
Duet on youtube
English lyrics translation 

METROINFO:



Notice how closely Mala sit together on that spacious loveseat? Wonder if the reporters asked them to sit close together for better shots or they did that of their own accord?

Reporting based on Mala's song promo interview in Metroinfo.
Salient points:
1) DJ does not believe in platonic love, and wonders why Mala don't the romantic feel

2) Steven explains their 1st & 2nd collaboration was as siblings and that's their direction of their relationship henceforth despite their later 3rd and 4th collaborations as lovers. 

3) Fala reveals that because of their real life sibling relationship they both felt awkward when acting as lovers in Link to Temptations.

4)The reporter surmises that the only reason why they did not date is not because of their sibling feel but that they each had their own significant other at the time, as revealed by Fala. Their timing wasn't right at the time.

5) Fala says Steven seldom talks about his love life, that she had to go after him for info. "I would ask him, "Wei, how are you? Still single?" I worry about him and want to know, and also want him to be happy. Steven says Fala would call him up with this greeting: "Wei, how are you, you're not dead, are you?" I said:"Yup, not dead."

6) lol! 2:58  Fala: He's such a good young man (nam jai). Steven cuts in: A mature man (nam yan) Nowadays I'm scared of people using 'young/little' to describe me. Recently on weibo there was this one person called me BB (Fala: Want to puke) I instantly wanted to scoop him/her out (Fala: I too want to puke) No, used on females is ok.  Me as a man, to be called BB, I would not punch you?

7)Fala: He is very chauvinistic. Doesn't understand women's feelings. He doesn't understand.

8) Steven immediately protests: "Who said I don't understand. Women; very simple, just a little cajoling will do it. I'm not a romantic person but I'm very practical. If you ask me to waste lots of money to buy you this one crummy (lan guai) handbag and to stuff it full with roses; I could come up with it but would not do it lo.  (Fala: Such a romantic thing came out so unromantic in his mouth.) Steven: I can ask the martial arts people to arrange me to fly down using wire and when I land, bang, the fireworks is set off. (Fala: So old-fashioned!) And then above the sea appears your name, so sweet or not? (lam mg lam ah?) Fala: Are you back in the Qing Dynasty mie?  So outdated! Steven: Haha!





The female host vehemently states that she does not believe in platonic love among different genders. The hosts pestered Mala why they did not date each other, was it because they got stuck in their sibling roles?  Steven said since they had already struck up this sibling relationship, it felt weird to veer into a romantic relationship.  Fala chips in saying that at the time they both had their own significant others, and that they both knew each other's partner.  The hosts all praise Fala for her alacrity in revealing their situation.  They want to remove Steven from the group so that they can pry more info on Steven from the more forthcoming Fala. Steven says that he and Fala are quite similar in that they do not like to talk too much about their love lives.  That there is no need to open up their love relationships for everyone to know.

Again the female host insists that given Mala's closeness, it's only missing one tiny click to nudge their  platonic relationship into a romantic relationship, so what's keeping them apart? Fala says just like gor (Steven) has said I have already become his sister and moreover he already had, already had, had (stutters meaningfully).  Steven chides Fala for her: had, had, had litany.  (Male host says he admires Fala's forthright personality because she is so forthcoming, and  he asserts she is his goddess now! lol!) Fala cuts through the loud boisterous laughter; she says she has not finished speaking ba! -- because his (Steven) younger sister also has the same horoscope as Fala's so Steven is used to seeing Fala as his mui. (haha! Fala gotcha them!) Given their sibling relationship they actually felt awkward starring as lovers in Link to Temptations. Too bad that in their first collaboration their relationship was already as siblings. It would have been better if their status was not set for e.g. like mother-son, emperor-slave etc haha!

Fala talks about how Steven had helped her tremendously to deal with culture shock in both HK vs US, and ordinary life vs entertainment culture.

What made you two such close friends?
Fala: He always helps me to see things in different perspective.  When I shot Steps (their 1st collaboration) I was still pretty new to HK and people were just getting to know me.  But there was a lot of negative press on me making me very upset, unsettling me, and I did not know how to handle the situation, being alone in HK all by myself.  He would open up my mind, and whenever I had problems I would ask him and he would advice me on how to face those situations, and how to get along with other people and the reporters.  He helped me get through that period of time, I was often very frustrated - why did they set me up? why did they write such things about me? And he would say: Haiz! Mui, this is a good thing; it all depends on how you see it.

Steven cuts in: I didn't say it was a good thing, some of the reports were really bad. But I myself also have those too. I told her if that stuff is not true then you don't have to be angry. But if the stuff is true then it is not for you to get angry, you can only admit your wrongdoing. And if the stuff is fabricated to step on you then no matter how you explain or how angry you are, they still going to step on you.

transcript below



2 female djs 1 male dj; Steven and Fala
-------Paraphrase----

fdj1: Just listening to the song will know who our guests are. One is very talkative with a lot to say.
mdj2: yeah, nonstop
S: What do you mean by that?  Don't say that of Fala!
F: Of course, they meant you, Ma Chun Wai.
fdj1: I meant Fala all this time

S: Did you hear it, Fala?
F: Heard it
fdj1: Actually it's Ma Chun Wai who talked nonstop.
S: Wei, it's you who engaged me in conversation about our common interests.
fdj1: Well, that's true. But of course I couldn't say that of myself. Anyway, welcome,  both of you. Let you two introduce the song. Platonic Love

S: A song about a man and woman but it's not romantic relationship
fdj1: I don't believe it.
S: Yes
fdj3: So what kind of relationship?
fdj1: Yeah, what kind of relationship? Explain!
S: An unrelated by blood brother-sister relationship

fdj1 snorts: Don't believe it
S: It's true
F: It truly exists in this world
S repeats Fala's sentiment: It truly exists in this world
F: You're looking at two of them
mdj2: I support you, but women don't believe
S: How can there not be?
fdj1: Show me some proof.
fdj2: Yeah, how's platonic love like? How do you interact with each other?

S: Actually it originated from us filming tv series. Fala's 1st collaboration with me, in our 1st and 2nd collaborations both times she portrayed my younger sister. (tn: watch 00:44 on above tv news. series: 2007 Steps; 2008 AJCL)  And our relationship deepened as our personalities and thinking are very similar. We truly became good friends.  And all along we never change our address of each other; I call her 'mui' and she calls me 'gor'.

mdj3: Shooting a series, there comes a time to remove yourself (from role), so besides sibling relation can you not consider other kind?
S: Haiz! Why so dogmatic in your thinking? The relation between a man and woman does not always..
fdj1: In this program he's responsible for dogmatism.
S: Oh, is that right? It's not always that. You ask 'Ah Mui' our relationship

fdj1: You said you two always acted as brother and sister, so that means you can't remove yourself from the characters.

S: No
F: We have acted as lovers in other series.
fdj1: You did?
F: In our 3rd and 4th collaborations
S: Ghost Writer as lovers, and Link to Temptations
F: LTT also as lovers.
S: We even got married.
fdj1: What, you can't click? You two are close.
S: Because we have already click as siblings, going deeper than that is akin to incest.
F: Feel very weird.
fdji: You over think. There is no blood relation.
S: We never thought of it
F: No. Also at the time we each had our own significant other.
S: Hai mie? (Is that right?)
F: At the time
fjd2: Ohh, that's why?
S: Hai mie?
F: What, yours can't be discussed? At that time, many years ago when we were filming series.
mdj: Heard that Fala is a very straightforward person, and it's true.
Fdj1: Let's get Ma Chun Wai out of here first leaving Fala by herself. So, MCW's what year?
F: Huh? What 'what year'?
Fdj1: When was it?
S: 1993
hahaha!
F: It has been quite a while ago. While still shooting series.
fdj2: So, you both had your own partners. 
F: And we all knew each other
fdj1: So you four all knew each other.
F: Ya.Hai lo.
fdj2: No wonder
S: Ha, you're truly forthcoming.
mdj3: She spoke the truth. 
S: But some are false. haha
fdj1: Just the year is false, the other stuff is true

S: Actually my personality is that, she knows it and it's the same with her too.
fdj1: which is what?
S: It's that, I know we can't just talk of work, and as an artist the transparency is higher on stuff, and also can't just say can't speak of this or that cos' that would be very boring.  Just that sometimes Fala and I are the same in that we don't always talk about it all the time. So long we know, that's enough. Don't have to expose everything to talk.  The relationship with her (who? - Fala or girlfriend) got even closer.

fdj1: But like I said earlier the reason why I don't believe in platonic love because after a while of been so close it can cross over, just missing a click that's all.

F: Like Gor has said I've already become his 'mui', moreover he also had, had, had (stuttering)
S: yao yao (had, had) you are not using me as the topic to avoid some other subject?
fdj1: Chen Fala is forthright.
mdj3: Chen Fala is truly the goddess in my heart
S: She as a goddess is not surprising but don't keep pushing me out there.
F: I've not finished speaking. Because his sister's horoscope is also the same as mine.  He really treated me as his mui in our interactions and we became used to this kind of relationship and it felt weird when next we shot LTT as lovers.  Very weird, we were not used to it.

S: Yea, slightly awkward.
F: Have to get used to it as we always acted as siblings, and then to act as siblings, the feeling was very strange. 
S: yes, it's true.
F: We laughed when we shot the more intimate scenes. Very weird, Steven is my ah gor, ma.
fdj1: Too bad your earlier collaborations positioned you two as siblings. Maybe if not positioned as such; like for instant mother-child, (hahaha!)
mdj3: Like slave to emperor
S: Wah, what slave to emperor?
mdj3: imagination for filming can be more fantastical. How did you two become such close friends? There got to be something that promote such deep friendship?

F:He always helps me to see things in different perspective.  When I shot Steps (their 1st collaboration) I was still pretty new to HK and people were just getting to know me.  But there was a lot of negative press on me, and I became perturbed, and I did not know how to handle the situation, being alone in HK all by myself.  He would open up my mind, and whenever I had problems I would ask him and he would advice me on how to face those situations, and how to get along with other people and the reporters.  He helped me get through that period of time, I was often very frustrated - why did they set me up? why did they write such things about me? And he would say: Haiz! Mui, this is a good thing; it all depends on how you see it.

Steven cuts in: I didn't say it was a good thing, some of the reports were really bad. But I myself also have those too. I told her if that stuff is not true then you don't have to be angry. But if the stuff is true then it is not for you to get angry, you can only admit your wrongdoing. And if the stuff is fabricated to step on you then no matter how you explain or how angry you are, they still going to step on you.

fdj1: So you helped Fala to handle the real life problems, what did Fala do to help you to become your younger sister? 

S: Actually there was this one incident which only was just brought (tn: by Fala in their RTHK interview) and, dink, reminded me of it.  At home, I have this big brother feel so I'm used to taking care of my own problems, and dislike asking for help from other people.  But eh, just now we talked about this one incident at an outside job.  (tn: rthk) There was just one person who did something wrong to me, very petty stuff. Fala was there.  Before I even had time to react,this Chen Fala suddenly very loudly yelled at him: "Wei, what are you doing?" 

F: I stood up for him.

S: I did not even any reaction yet. And she already could not bear it.  Her thinking was: What's the matter with you? What kind of attitude was that? But conversely I said to her: seon la! Forget it!

fdj1: xxxxxxx

S: Not short tempered but that under the circumstances If I made a big deal of it I would make it worse

F: I didn't know any better.

S: True, I wasn't in the wrong but if I made that incident a big deal it would escalate. Sometimes, it's not necessary 

fdj1: But listening to this case, I personally don't think Fala did anything to help you, instead almost caused your problem.

hahaha!

S: I like your thinking

fdj1: The situation was fine. You kept quiet and let it go


F: But it was not right.

S: It's true it was right, regardless seniority or whatever, the person at the time was wrong.  Precisely because #1) I'm a man and #2) if I took umbrage at you (tn: guess that person must be a woman then), what was I supposed to do? Scold you? So should I blahblahblah and step on you?

fdj1: of course not

S: But Fala's reaction at the time truly moved me. If my own biological sister was beside me her reaction would be the same. But my sister's reaction would be stronger she would drive the car onto that person. Just an analogy.

mdj3: So impulsive.

fdj2: Talking about a toy car, that's all.

S: At that moment I was very touched.  At my side I had a very good friend.

fdj1: I see  a good point. Fala had to speak out to alert that person he/she was wrong. And you would cover it up, much better than having you internalized it, and no one knew.  Even that person did not know he/she did wrong.

F&S: Even till now he/she did not feel he/she did wrong.

fdj1: Wah, that's bad.

S: I don't think he/she feels he/she was wrong. But seon la (forget it)  Something can't be explained.

fdj1: So that laid the path to creating this song,  Platonic Love?

F: Even last year when he released his cd I wanted to support him and had also talked about it.  But at the time, our schedules were off and also did not have a song. But now there was more time to find a song, got Johnny Yim to compose the music and Fo Fo (Fire Fire) to write the lyrics.

S: It is a tailor-made song.

F: based on our story.

S: And knowing before hand Fala's schedule was ok and we would do a duet so had Johnny and Fo Fo to tailor made a duet for us.

fdj1: So a song written to understand the story of you two.

mdj3: In the song lots of stuff pertaining to sibling stuff but the last line: actually your, actually my heart has hope. What is that hope? Thinking of bad stuff.

fdj1: Don't think of bad stuff, the atmosphere so happy here.

S: This is a good question. At the time, we also wondered whether a concrete ending or leave the ending to imagination.  "I've a hope", how do you know what my hope is?

mdj3: That's why I asked you

fdj2: I believe you hope for peace on world (ALL: Hahah!) I believe you Steven. I truly believe you, Steven. (tn: digging on Steven's mr. nice guy image/personality)

S: Because in the past people tend to believe that godbrother and godsister's relationship is just for show but in the end the godbrother hit on the godsister.  (woah! wah! chaos! lol!) oops! Sorry, beg your pardon, said the wrong thing.  That in the end it's ahh..what? the initial relationship between the godbrother and godbrother changed. (Jesting aside, Steven takes on a more serious tone but laughter engulfs him so he bursts out laughing instead, his thoughts so jumbled he can't continue with his explanation.) We have this hope.. this hope.. don't know what to say. (laughter)

fdj2: Fala, do you have anything to add?

fdj1: What do you think the hope is?

F:If you analyze the lyrics, the content tells of when meet with the numerous problems in life, who helps you to resolve them? So the hope you carry inside is Ah Gor advices miu to carry hope to continue walking her journey.  Because in the song my problems are of bottom neck type.

fdj1: Should have Fala do the promotion. 

mdj3: Wah, the 'hope' is different for you two.

S: That's what it (hope) is about.

fdj1: At first the hope was this but has now become this. (meaning) That's why it's platonic love because Fala's not into him. hahaha! The definition of "hope" is different for you two.

S: It's best to leave it up to everyone's interpretation.The society has freedom (but the others' blah blah whatever to purposely drown out Steven's attempt at explanation. lol)

mdj3: Yeah, like the hope for world peace.

fdj2: No need for further explanation.

mdj3: I want to ask Fala: Is Steven always like this with you?

F: Like what?

mdj3: Very funny. Also since he's older, therefore more big brother feel so he takes charge?

F:  Yeah, he can be that way.  Whether at home or at work during filming he is more of a big brother's status. He's a Chiu Chew man after all.  Quite chauvinistic.

S: Wei, you can't only say it halfway.

F: He takes care of everybody, and watches over stuff even things not concerning him.

fjd1: Actually this is more like being nosy.

F: No, not nosy!

fjd1: like you can't go to the bathroom

S: Not that kind of nosy. Frankly, I'm a very perceptive person of the people around me, and is careful not to overlook anybody.  For instance, when I shot on location in mainland the series, SIAC, there was this body double of mine who had to jump into the river. It's not that I don't know how to swim but that the nearby houses on the river banks use the river as sewer for their wastes. Even from afar can smell the stink already, still wanted me to jump into it, moreover, my nose injury was not fully recovered and could be infected if came in contact with the sewage.  So I said let's not do it but the body double, he's a martial artist from Shanghai, very guai (obedient) and also very professional.  He said: oh, I can do it, no problem.  And so he did swimming in it.  It's very tiring. the water was filthy.  You don't know what stuff floating on it.  I was very touched.  Just him getting into the water, I was already touched, what's more, in filthy water.   So when it was done, everybody began to pack up and the body double only just now began to swim back to the river side. Seeing this I said to them, could you not pack the hose yet?  Let him use the hose to wash himself first.  I stopped them from packing the hose until the he could use the hose to wash off the filth from himself first. But my manage said to me: Aiya, they know to do that.  You don't have to take care of it. I said: It's not whether taking care or not, it's that he did it on my behalf. Shouldn't I show some concern for him? Well, that's my thinking. I don't care when you break for meal, I don't have to eat.

F: (cuts in) You cannot NOT eat cos' he'll lose his temper. (laughter)

fjd1: Actually there are good and bad points having Fala do promotion with you.   And the bad point is her prior comment.

mjd3: Fala is a forthcoming person.  Just seeing the manager's reaction, can tell Fala spoke the truth. 

S: Can you not say things halfway?

F: That's nothing to it.  Just that he has a low blood sugar disorder. He needs to eat sweets.

S: If I'm hungry, and you don't let me have sugar, my hands will start trembling because of the rapid drop in my sugar level.  I would lose control, my hands and legs will shake and need to eat food, if no food to eat is ok but must have stuff like chocolate.

fjd1: Throughout the whole time, I still feel that they are very compatible. Really.  Though what Fala said may be so exasperating you want to slap her but she speaks the truth not falsehood. So you can't become angry at her.  And sometimes her words can make you so irate that your veins pop out but when your hand raise to strike her you withdraw cos' you know you yourself are in the wrong.  It's just her concern for you speaking out.

fjd2: Yeah, so compatible, no reason to..

fjd1: The hope -they each have their own different one, just whether these hopes will match each other or not in the future. hahaha!

fjd2: time will tell.

fjd1: Is this very mystical?

S: very mystical.

fjd1: I've some talent in this.

mjd3: Next time can we just invite Fala only so that we can understand Steven better?

fjd1: This song let us understand Fala better, and Fala is very forthcoming. So next time, Steven can stand aside and let Fala talk. And after her turn we can have Steven back here.  So do you two have some other project together?

S: Yes, we still have the Platonic Love mv to shoot, and later there's my Mandarin song mv to shoot with Fala as the leading lady. They are two very different feel.  Platonic Love and the next one if "I'm going to get married."

fjd1: See? This mv is Steven's finale hope .

fjd2: But it's not Fala's 

S: It's true!  The mv is "I'm gettig married"

fjd1: I didn't say it's false.  So thank you, you two.

S & F: Thank you.