yay for mayday!

here's a shout-out and little congrats to the boys of Mayday for their massive win at the recent 23rd Golden Melody Awards Ceremony (Taiwan's version of the Grammy's) in Taipei last Sat, bringing home with them statuettes for Best Band, Best Composer, Best Album Composer, Best Arrangement, Best Song and Best Album! they have been in business for the past 13 years, but for whatever reason, has never really been recognised. some say this is wayyy overdue, but whatever it is, i'm happy for them! and let me say this again: their Second Round album really do rock! ^_^

of jimmy and aaron and two decades past.

at a chap fun lunch with my colleagues yesterday, we got to talking about some of the Chinese singers we liked back in the 90s.. in particular Hong Kong's Four Heavenly Kings (Jacky Cheung, Aaron Kwok, Andy Lau and Leon Lai) and their Taiwanese equivalent (Jimmy Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Nicky Wu and Tommy Su). it turned out that one of the guys at lunch was also into Jimmy Lin! that was an exciting discovery and soon we were singing some of his old songs right there and then at the lunch table.. that wasn't something i'd expected! :D

anyway, when we were talking about Aaron Kwok, which the same colleague was also a fan of, i suddenly remembered that i liked this song by Aaron but had completely forgot what it was like -- I had no idea if it was in Canto or Mandarin, what it was about, how the tune went. the only thing I knew was that it was a sad Aaron Kwok song from one of his movies back in the early 90s. with those measly clues, we obviously couldn't to figure out which song it was..

after lunch, i came back to my place and decided to give it a try and looked it up. i started with AK's wiki page but nothing rang any bell there. my friend looked up the Chinese version of the wiki page, but also nothing. we prodded about aimlessly. then i suddenly remembered there was a beggar in the show (turned out to be AK himself haha).. so i googled "aaron kwok beggar" and a few links later, I'm listening to the song.. ladies and gentlemen, if you do not know this already: the internet is an crazily amazing place.

it's the theme song from his 1993 movie, The Barefooted Kid. i've no idea what the storyline is already but i rbered that it has a tragic ending. and it is a sad song. not planning to translate it, but you can try checking back in the future. i just might.



留下句號的面容
(電影『江湖傳說』主題曲)

路像無去路　我心跌進了風暴
剌痛的往事　淚痕留下記號
未盡人生路　半身泛進了波濤
跌痛不說話　未曾停下腳步

絕望地乞討　找再生的預告
只想有妳在身邊　寧沒一生的最好
極目望遠方　彷彿找不到歸咯
命裡輾轉有驚濤　還是定數

獨自人上路　聽不到妳的呼號
再見不再會　面容留下句號

heart:broken

Did I think that you would leave? Yes. It was why I took so many photos of you and us every time I saw you. I knew I would need something to remember you by, for the memory. I wished for the longest time that you would stay, that you would be different from the others before you.. But I guess you are just like every one of them.. leaving without a word, stomping on my heart with those fluffy paws.

I wish I didn't give my heart to you. I wish I'd never ran my fingers through your luscious coat. I wish I'd never held your squishy body in my arms. I wish I'd never gazed into those eyes. But I did, and those times were pure bliss and I regretted not a moment of it. Except maybe for when you were younger and I'd leave with bloodied calves because your needle-like claws. Good times.

Remember that song I dedicated to you? The song's playing in my head again.

你的眼神充满美丽带走我的心跳
你的温柔如此靠近带走我的心跳
逆转时光到一开始能不能给一秒

I will remember how you would come greet me each time I go home, looking disinterested but never minding my rubbing your tummy tum tum, hugging you, baby talking, kicking you around.. You loved it didn't you? I could spend an entire evening harrassing you and you'd still be around.

And I love how Dad and Mom often lovingly spoke of you too. How could you leave them?! I'm so mad at you! They fed you and they played with you and they slept with you, more than I ever did.. How could you break our hearts like this?! :(

等着哪一天你也想起
那悬在记忆中的美好

I miss you very much.

of chicken curry and calvin and hobbes.

I spent the weekend doing a few things, namely:

• cooking and burning a pot of curry (managed to salvage it somewhat but i was rather disappointed) :( read somewhere online that adding peanut butter to the dish can reduce the burnt taste but i didn't have any at home so i didn't try. am curious if it would work!

• listening to Mayday's 第二人生 (Second Round) album which I really, really like :) 

• "warming" my ex-housemate's new home.. i was expecting a big crowd so i was pleased that it was a cosy get-together.. and there was wine too so yeah i was kept relaxed haha :) also, her husband loves reading and collecting action figures so a huge section of the condo was dedicated to books and collectibles -- impressive!

• reading calvin and hobbes! i started from the very first strip and is now half way through the first tome. i aim to do this once every other year. :) if only i could express how much i adore the boy and his friend!

• it was father's day yesterday! we just had a simple dinner at Puchong Curry Fish Head. had wanted to bring him for Thai food, the same place where we celeb'd mother's day but he wanted something else -- i was so pleased we went there cos food was really delish. ^_^ but erm, i didn't even get to take a photo with dad! *regret* after dinner we went home to have some laichee which were very sweet. oh before that, my mom told us that...

• the cat has ran away. *HEARTBROKEN* stupid cat! i am so over this cat business and i will NEVER love another one of your species! EVER! STUPIDCAT why you go and break my heart?! :'( please come back :'(

anyway, today's write up has nothing to do with the song..

i think the lyrics to 玩偶 Puppet is quite obvious, a boy who's after a girl who's not into him. i don't really know anyone like that in real life, but i am familiar with the stereotype. shame on you!, is all i can say to the person stringing another around. ok, this is obviously not my area of expertise and i have nothing to add to the topic right now. have a good week ahead! :)

update: after posting this, i was tempted to rewrite the whole piece because the writing is so bleh.. but, but..


當司機 搬東西 幫你開車門
隨傳隨到陪你逛街 希望你認真
你跟別人玩耍 叫我在家楞
餵你的哈士奇 還聽他說我笨
i am the chauffeur, the mover, i'll even open the car door for you
roaming the streets together, hoping that you would take me seriously
while you're out playing with others, i'm left at home staring at nothing
and when feeding your pet husky, even it calls me stupid

我不想讀你的腳本
不想讓你動我的嘴巴
我不想往身上綁線
不想當你的玩偶~玩偶~
i don't want to read your script
don't want to allow you to move my lips
i don't to be moved by the strings tied to my body
i don't want to your puppet/marionette

送你禮物鮮花 幫你修電燈
帶你上山陪你烤肉 還解不了悶
每天每天痴等 是我太遲鈍
想做你的情人 可是感覺像光棍
giving you presents and fresh flowers
helping you repair the electrical light
bringing you up the hills and sitting with you as we roast meat
but you're still bored
every day i wait for you like a fool, i am an idiot!
i want to be your lover, but it feels like i'm single

我不想照你的規則
在你的指間 No
我不想當你的玩偶
i don't want to follow your rules
or to be wrapped around your little finger, no
i don't want to be your puppet





玩偶 Puppet

當司機 搬東西 幫你開車門
隨傳隨到陪你逛街 希望你認真
你跟別人玩耍 叫我在家楞
餵你的哈士奇 還聽他說我笨

我不想讀你的腳本 不想讓你動我的嘴巴
我不想往身上綁線 不想當你的玩偶~玩偶~

送你禮物鮮花 幫你修電燈
帶你上山陪你烤肉 還解不了悶
每天每天痴等 是我太遲鈍
想做你的情人 可是感覺像光棍

我不想讀你的腳本 不想讓你動我的嘴巴
我不想往身上綁線 不想當你的玩偶~玩偶~玩偶~

我不想照你的規則 在你的指間 No
我不想當你的玩偶

我不想讀你的腳本 不想讓你動我的嘴巴
我不想往身上綁線 我不想當你的玩偶~玩偶~

玩偶~玩偶~

of noah.

Today's theme is brought to you by the diluvian patriarch of old -- Mr Noah son of Lamech! -- because interestingly, my two favorite Chinese artists sang about him in their songs.

Some persistent youtubing on my part has unearthed this song by Lee Hom, written way back in 1996 (for his third album; he was 20!~ so young~), and having listened to a handful of his English songs (I honestly think that lyrics writing esp in his native tongue is not his forte, and I sure hope that he is aware of it too :P), I must say that this is one of the better ones.

Mayday's song, meanwhile, is from their latest album released late last year. I was looking through the track list of that album and realized that I've heard many of those songs on Youtube and liked them, so I erm.. download the whole album. *happy!* I think I'll purchase the album one of these days. :) I really like their music videos -- they are very.. well directed and cohesive [compared to *cough* Lee Hom's, which sometimes make me wanna pull my hair out (have mercy, monsieur Wang, for I have very little left). Yes, yes, I'm still a huge fan. Haha!]

Incidentally, these two songs reminded me of this fictional book by David Maine called The Flood that I was reading halfway sometime and never got to finish because I was.. distracted or something.. (And I have no idea where the book is now! *sad face*) It was an interesting book; each chapter was a first-person narrative by Noah and members of his family of the events leading up to and after The Great Flood. I tend to romanticize the entire endeavor when I read the Bible as it happened yonks ago (in Genesis!)(read the biblical account *here*) so the personal retelling of the story (albeit fictional) painted a clearer picture of what could have happened. Lee Hom's version reminds me of the book. Mm, where could the book be?!

Anyway, here are the songs. I didn't have to do the translation this time because (1) Lee Hom's song is in English (2) I nicked the translation from Mayday's song from another blog (link below) weehehe.. I'm putting them side by side because I like the way it's displayed and I like both songs equally. Plus I can't make a fair comparison, as they are written by different people in different languages at different stages of their lives. Lee Hom's song hints of a psalmist's lament while Mayday's Ashin is a contemporary poet. The only thing in common being the reference to that one ancient figure.. butttt if there was a gun to my head, I'd go with... Mayday Lee Hom Mayd.. mm, I honestly can't decide. Who say I got to in the first place? Hehe..

So I'll leave you to enjoy both songs while I go and listen to Mayday's latest album. Toodle!

Noah Wang Lee Hom 王力宏 On the first of December I was commissioned to sail away On a ship that was sinking Forty nights and forty days And while I went under The tears of a murdered land Were turning the earth into sand I'm too cold to be sleeping So I light up a candle of regret To burn the secrets I'm keeping And pray that someday I can forget The cries of my people The voices of doubt inside my head I think of the things that you said Am I alone here？ Are there others like me too Safe in my capsule Unable to move？ How long has it been now？ And where will this journey end? Will it end...ohhh.. Got the hands of a farmer The words of a preacher's tongue Got the heart of a sailor To believe till your work is done I will stand in the ocean With these wooden planks under my feet I will come to your table After my journey's complete I believe in the future I can feel the blood rising in my veins It's the sound of a battle cry When only the echo remains I will serve you forever I will build you a nation of love I'm relying on luck, oh God The four-leaf clover from a dove And isn't it crazy For me to start life brand new？ And when I find Ararat The first thing that I'll do is drive cross the country side And nap in that sweet sunlight...yeah I'll be singing a love song For my, my dear dear wife And nap in that sweet sunlight Before the night is over I'll be crying on your shoulder My wild imagination Is keeping me from losing patience Why did you make us Only to tear us away？ Why have you chosen me？ It was your fault anyway...

Noah's Ark 諾亞方舟 Mayday 五月天 再見 草莓甜甜圈 街角咖啡店 落下雨點 再見 黑白老照片 回憶電影院 埋進地面 Good-bye strawberry donuts, the corner coffee shop, falling rain Good-bye old black and white photos, the buried and nostalgic movie theater 再見 我們初識的那個公園 那天是誰先吻了誰 被誰遺忘的鞦韆 再見 那麼多名車名錶名鞋 最後我們只能帶走 名為回憶的花園 Farewell to the garden where we first met Remember who kissed whom first that day? And the forgotten swing set Good-bye, all those brand-name cars, designer watches and shoes In the end all we take with us is our garden of memories 如果要告別 如果今夜就要和一切告別 如果你只能打一通電話 你會撥給誰 If you have to take your leave, if this very night you have to take leave of everything If you could only make one phone call, whom would you call? 晚安 鸚鵡和孔雀 花豹和人類 望著海面 晚安 底片和唱片 沉浮在浪間 就像詩篇 Good night, parrots and peacocks, leopards and humans, look out toward the sea Good night, photonegatives and record albums, bobbing up and down on the waves, like a psalm 晚安 自由女神漂到華爾街 我們在甲板上摸到 杜拜塔頂的塔尖 晚安 海豚躍出西藏的屋簷 原來幻想中的這天 會比幻想更唯美 Good night, the Statue of Liberty drifts toward Wall Street, from the ship’s deck we can touch the tip of the tower in Dubai Good night, dolphins leap from the rafters of Tibet, as it turns out, this day is more beautiful than it ever was in our fantasies 還是要告別 還是放棄海拔以下的世界 你會裝進什麼回憶紀念 在行李裡面 終於要告別 終於沒有更多的明天要追 你有什麼遺憾依然殘缺 還沒有完美 You still must take your leave, you still must abandon the world beneath these waves You can keep some mementoes in your luggage It’s finally time to take leave, there are finally no more tomorrows to pursue What regrets do you still have that you have not made good? 當彗星燃燒天邊 隕石像雨點 當輻射比陽光還要熾烈 當愛變得濃烈 當每段命運 更加壯烈 當永遠變成一種遙遠 當句點變成一種觀點 讓人類終於變成同類 When comets streak across the sky, meteorites fall like rain When radiation blazes more powerfully than sunshine When love becomes concentrated, when every act of fate is fulfilled When forever becomes a kind of faraway, when a period becomes a point of view Making humanity finally become one 勇敢的告別 勇敢地向過去和未來告別 告別每段血緣身分地位 聰明或愚昧 Bravely taking leave, bravely taking leave of past and future Taking leave of every bloodline, rank, or position, intelligence or stupidity 最後的告別 最後一個心願是學會高飛 飛在不存在的高山草原 星空和藍天 At last take leave, at last a dream learns how to fly away Fly across the lost mountain grasslands, starry nights and blue skies 讓 諾亞方舟 航向了 海平線 讓 諾亞方舟 航向了 換日線 讓 諾亞方舟 航向了 天際線 讓 諾亞方舟 航向了 無限 Let Noah’s Ark sail toward the horizon Let Noah’s Ark sail toward the dateline Let Noah’s Ark sail toward the skyline Let Noah’s Ark sail toward infinity [I didn't do the translation this time, I just took the whole thing from *here*, with minor personal preference tweaks :)]

这种 forever love 那么深, 我们的歌 那么真

It's Friday again! Yay, I lurrve a short work week..  although not much work has been done this year.. I mean, week. The boss's wedding is coming up this weekend and I'm super stoked about it. Look at what I got the couple! Cute right? I commissioned my friend (an ex-colleague who is doing this as a hobby -- let me know if you are interested!) for this job, and I love how the polymer clay figurine has turned out!

I was quite specific as to what I wanted, and every detail I'd hoped to be captured came out just as I imagined it to be:

She is wearing her favorite black sheath dress from Zara (every time she wears this to the office, I'd know that she's having a special dinner after work), with her purple pumps from The Cobbler (with a matching bangle). In her hand is an old-skool camera cos she loves film photography, and she's had this haircut since I knew her.

As for him, that bumblebee shirt is special cos he wore it on his first date, and he wore it again when he proposed to her. He usually wears it with upturned collar, khaki 3Q pants and moccasin. The look is completed with his gelled spiky hair. I've only met him once but she does describe him to me in our conversation, so I am very impressed with myself for remembering. Hahaha..

This is our wish for the couple [it's printed on the other side of that card that's clipped to the cardholder (recycled from another wedding card ;), which contains our wish for the couple: We are absolutely delighted to be sharing in the joy of your union, for we truly believe that you two are perfect for each other! ;) May this love that you share sustain you through every season of life: when everything’s quiet and rosy but especially when the ride gets bumpy! 

Anyways, today I was listening to wlh again on the way to work and the CD was playing some of his more popular tunes such as Kiss Goodbye, Forever Love and 唯一 Only One and I realised that I have not attempted to translate those [I wonder why].. so in line with today's post about the newlyweds, here's Forever Love..

Incidentally, Lee Hom performed this song at the wedding of his bestie Blackie to FanFan.. check out the video below :)

爱你　不是因为你的美而已　我越来越爱你　每个眼神触动我的心
因为你让我看见forever 才了解自己　未来这些日子　要好好珍惜
I love you not just because you are beautiful
My love for you keeps growing
Every sight of you stirs my heart
Because you let me see forever and understand myself
We must truly cherish the days to come

爱我　有些痛苦　有些不公平　如果真的爱我　不是理所当然的决定
感到你的呼吸在我耳边　像微风神奇　温柔的安抚　我的不安定
所以我要　每天研究你的笑容 Oh 多么自然
Loving me is sometimes painful, sometimes unfair
Because of that, I have no right to expect you to love me truly
But as I feel your breath next to my ear
Like a magical breeze, gently pacifying my insecurities
Therefore I want to daily behold your smile, oh your natural beauty

Forever love　Forever love　
我只想用我这一辈子去爱你
从今以后　你会是所有　幸福的理由
Forever love　Forever love　
I want to love you with all my life
From now till forever
You will be every reason for my happiness

爱情　是场最美最远的旅行　沿途雨季泥泞　偶尔阻碍我们的前进
感到你的体温在我怀里　像阳光和绚　巧妙的融化　我的不安定
不可思议　证明我爱你的理由 Oh 多么自然
Romance is the most beautiful and longest of journeys
Along the way, the muddy rainy season will sometimes hinder our progress
Feeling your warmth in my embrace
It's like the brilliant sunshine cleverly melting away my uncertainties
Unbelievably proving why I love you, oh so naturally

你感动的眼睛　我沉默的声音　仿佛就是最好的证明
就让我再说一次　I love you oh (直到永远)
Your expressive gaze and my silence seem like the best proof
Let me just say this again: I love you (for all eternity)


触动 chùdòng - to touch / to stir up (trouble or emotions) / to move (sb's emotions or worry)
理所当然 lǐsuǒdāngrán - as it should be by rights (idiom); proper and to be expected as a matter of course / inevitable and right
安抚 ānfǔ - to placate / to pacify / to appease
安定 āndìng - stable / quiet / settled / stabilize / maintain / stabilized / calm and orderly
研究 yánjiū - research / study
沿途 yántú - along the sides of the road / by the wayside
泥泞 nínìng - mud
阻碍 zǔ'ài - to obstruct / to hinder / to block
绚 xuàn - adorned / swift / gorgeous / brilliant / variegated
巧妙 qiǎomiào - ingenious / clever / ingenuity / artifice
融化 rónghuà - to melt / to thaw / to dissolve / to blend into / to combine / to fuse




Forever Love
王力宏

爱你　不是因为你的美而已　我越来越爱你　每个眼神触动我的心
因为你让我看见forever 才了解自己　未来这些日子　要好好珍惜

爱我　有些痛苦　有些不公平　如果真的爱我　不是理所当然的决定
感到你的呼吸在我耳边　像微风神奇　温柔的安抚　我的不安定
所以我要　每天研究你的笑容 Oh 多么自然

＊Forever love　Forever love　我只想用我这一辈子去爱你
从今以后　你会是所有　幸福的理由

爱情　是场最美最远的旅行　沿途雨季泥泞　偶尔阻碍我们的前进
感到你的体温在我怀里　像阳光和绚　巧妙的融化　我的不安定
不可思议　证明我爱你的理由 Oh 多么自然

Repeat ＊

你感动的眼睛　我沉默的声音　仿佛就是最好的证明
就让我再说一次　I love you oh (直到永远)

Repeat ＊

Forever love　Forever love 我只想用我这一辈子去爱你
从今以后　你会是所有　幸福的理由　Forever love
Forever love　Forever love
Forever love

Hey diddle diddle, the Cat and the fiddle, the Cow jumped over the...

Just last Friday I was going through some jazz tunes on youtube and caught myself wishing that I could hear Lee Hom do Sinatra's Fly Me To The Moon. And then last night I found this:

You can't fault me for being over the same celestial body that he sang about, can you? ^_^ Oh. my. heart!

Oh btw, we had an amazing time in Pangkor and Penang the past five days. Pangkor was for our church camp where Thadd was the speaker w00t! It was nice getting to know some of the members; we haven't been around at church much due to his preaching engagement so I don't know anyone at all. So the camp was a good place for me to say Hi. For some reason, a few people were surprised to hear me speak Chinese, and I was like I look so Cina whatever gave you the idea that I couldn't? -_-".. Haha.. that aside, we enjoyed the time there very much.. and it is always heartening to see people responding to God's word. :)

We made our way up to Penang after that and experienced what I would call extreme hospitality from Angie and her son Yishen.. they took such good care of us that it made us blush! She brought us to all the best makan places in Penang (away from the standard tourist fare that we usually eat yay!) and didn't allow us to pay for anything. I managed to "fight" and paid twice, for drinks only that is! Every time I hand the money to the waiters, she would say something in Hokkien and the waiters would then refused to take our money. She even paid for the tau sar pneah that we were bringing home for colleagues and friends. T_T We definitely owe them a big meal when they come back to KL.. :)

At every meal, without fail, the four of us will eat enough for six. Sorry for the pics of the empty bowls of what used to be curry noodle, lam meen, and hokkien mee.. for photos of actual food (there are loads), go to my FB album *HERE*. :)

It's such a dread coming back to the office, but here I am, nibbling on a tau sar pneah, reminiscing every bite of our Penang memories. the weather has been mercilessly hot lately, but thank God that it was cloudy with light drizzle the two days we were hopping from stall to stall in Pg. I wasn't feeling too great this morning (post-vacay blues?) but after a glass of Vit C, I'm feeling better. Ooh, the weekend's here again!! ^_^

birthday blast!

was going through the Draft folder and realised that this post hasn't seen the light of the day yet. strange. but a belated post is better than none at all! :) scheduling this post since i'll be travelling around this time. not sure if i'd have access to the internet or not.. 

this birthday boy a.k.a. uncle simon a.k.a. jazzy's dad sure knows how to throw a great party! :D srsly, it was FUN. food was yummy (i've since gone back a few times.. the menu's healthy and reasonably priced - best combo!).. the dad brought along a karaoke set so there were singing throughout the night. his vocal teacher was invited too, and he brought his guitar so there more singing. turned out that he is a dancer too.. and he got us on the floor and taught us basic salsa moves (i discovered my third left foot :( but it was all good :P)

oldies are goldies.. referring to both the song and the man :D

clockwise from top: thadd praying for the birthday boys, jazz and i belting out a couple tunes (we volunteered early to avoid being dragged onto the stage later), and the bday boys (bigger photo below)

clockwise from top left -- a must-have mushroom soup (yums!), balsamic based salad (yums!),  white wine (yums!) and roasted chicken (yums!).. the conclusion: YUMS. there were more food but i was too busy eating to be taking pics :P

uncle Simon's bff Arthur's bday was also around the corner, so it was kinda double celebration hehe..

top: uncle simon with his adorable kids ;) and (bottom) some friends

jazz flanked by her bffs ^.^

this final unrelated pic.. ah, my eyes will feast on this view in person... soon :)