So, if you get the chance, party, enjoy yourself, and have fun on the last day of mardi gras.

Bonne chance, mon ami,

-Janifer

Over the years, however, it was disheartening to watch the downward spiral of Whitney’s glorious career and talent.  Being a singer myself, I watched in awe at Whitney during her hay day, but recall the one episode of hers and Bobby Brown’s short lived reality show, how Whitney really didn’t have much love for her career.  It was a job to her, and perhaps, that’s why her voice towards the end, became so far gone.

On Saturday, when I got the new feed that Whitney had passed, I didn’t believe it.  I immediately went to check out the story and realized it was true.  The woman that reminded me of my mother when I was a child was now gone.  Kinda like Wendy Williams, I didn’t watch the Grammys, instead I reevaluated my goals and what I wanted.  I watched some inspirational films and such, but overall, I laid low.  As awesomely talented Whitney was, I wondered, toward the end, was she happy or was she just going through the motions?

A week before Whitney died, her song “You Give Good Love” kept playing in my head.  Strange, because I hadn’t heard it in ages, then suddenly, it popped up.  I tried it in karaoke and recorded it.  I was going by memory, since it had been since the 80′s since I heard it, so please forgive me if it’s not up to my regular quality.  I just thought I’d share.

Rest in peace, Whitney. God blessed you with a great gift that you were gracious enough to share with all of us while you were here. Thank you for all the joy it brought to everyone who heard you.

http://soundcloud.com/janifer

Enjoy!

Over the years, the man I knew as “Uncle Jim” had been, at first, the driving force of their family, striving for business success for his family. In his later years he became the levity of that same family. The ice breaker and the joker to release the tension in the situation.

I grew up with his kids, considering them my cousins for all of my life. And when my parents were going through a heinous divorce, it was my Uncle Jim and his wife Lily that offered me a place to stay, away from the madness of home. Their family will always be family to me, no matter how much time passes between us.

Then on January 3rd, the unthinkable… Uncle Jim was struck by a car. He was in a coma. Then on the 8th, the day of rest, he passed on, 61 years old, leaving a wife and two grown children. sitting here at his wake, surrounded by mourners and the plethora of flowers purchased in his honor, I still cannot believe he’s gone. His face doesn’t look like him; devoid of his laugh lines.

I wish my father was with me, but he couldn’t get a flight until next week. My mother and her husband are out of the country and aren’t scheduled to return until March. So I sit here in the place of one of his oldest friends: my father. But I also sit here for me. To say “thank you for everything”.

Uncle Jim’s time on this earth meant more than he’ll ever know to my family.

R.I.P. uncle Jim.

James Jin-Ching Shao
1950-2012

Love you all!

-Janifer <3

Love you all and happy holidays!

-Janifer ^_^

I’ve been pretty preoccupied here, returning full time back behind the scenes at Media Mind Candy.  For those that don’t know, MMC was a blog I started back in 2008 to list down sales and events going on in New York.  It’s evolved since then and some of my blessed writers have taken on the wheels of the blog while I was doing the show.  So I’ve come back to writing reviews of places in the city, in the middle of a weekly karaoke spot review.  Might as well take advantage of what I know, right?  But check out the daily deal there as well as on the twitter account @MediaMindCandy for #WhatWeLove.

I’m still writing articles for my tech blog Digital Meanderings, which now has a wider online presence, with homes on Facebook, Tumblr, and Google+.  Check it out, when you get a chance, it’s still young.

As for London, I will be there for the weekend of Christmas.  So if anyone wants to meet with me, sing, have me perform, let me know!  It’ll be my first time in the UK and I’m really excited to be going.

If you’re wondering who’s that fella in the photo who looks like Father Christmas with me, that’s George R. R. Martin, the writer/creator of the “Song of Fire & Ice” series aka, the hit HBO series, “A Game of Thrones”.  I met him last night and thought I’d share the photo.  Very high point in geekdom for me, since I’m a fan of his “Wild Card” series.

In the meantime, if I don’t get to post beforehand, happy holidays everyone and may you have a blessed time!  I look forward to sharing and experiencing with you all of what 2012 has to offer!

Love you!

-Janifer

…unfortunately we did not make the cut this time, but hey, at least we were nominated, which counts.

Thank you to everyone who voted for Lovari and my video Haters.  We appreciated all the support.

Just like the lights on Broadway, we keep shining!

Just thought I’d share this with you though.  A new fan sent me this link over the weekend.  I met this gentleman while singing the day before Thanksgiving out in the city, and after hearing me sing my first song, he decided to video me singing.  He shared with me the link, and I’m very grateful, and now I get to share it with you.  Thank you so much, sugar.

Have an awesome Sunday, everyone!