today i reached another milestone in my leehomania: i created a sina weibo account today, just to follow him (and david tao).
for the uninitiated, weibo is "is a Chinese microblogging website... [a]kin to a hybrid of Twitter and Facebook... with a similar market penetration that Twitter has established in the USA... [with] has more than 300 million registered users as of February 2012." (wiki) Lee Hom just hit 16 million followers a few days back, making him the fifth most followed person on weibo. and tenth in the microblogging universe. (msn)
i just had to get onto the bandwagon, ya know?
as i have mentioned previously, i had relied on another website for the English translated weibo post, but decided that i should just be a part of the statistics. (imagine, if each follower were to give him just RM1, he would instantly be RM16million richer..!) to the two, i've also added sodagreen and ashin of mayday (who's written songs for wlh), for a total of four accounts i'm following. feeling a little lonely amidst the 300million users. anyone care to join me? hehehe..
if you thought that i am getting out of hand with this lh business, i can assure you that i am not. this is the kind of "homework" i put into my favourite artists. initially i also thought that i was going crazy with the amount of energy i'm investing into "researching" him, until i realised today that wlh is the first mega star that i like. really.
yeah, if you look at the list of singers/musicians i like, it's a list of relatively known but not super big names. it's not like i'm a hipster or anything, it just happens to be like that. switchfoot, relient k, david crowder*band, mae, david tao and owl city. and i've done my homework on all of them. this means that i:
have an almost complete catalog of all their songs
own physical CDs of their albums wherever possible
have trawled the web for related articles/goss
have checked out most of their youtube vids for music videos or interviews
would religiously read the writing of those who write (like jon and adam)
am privately stalking them on twitter and instagram :)
srsly, the works. trust me, if i'm into you, it's all or nothing. haha! ;)
this also explains why there are only a handful of names. being a fan in my dictionary is energy- and time-consuming undertaking. the only thing keeping me from calling myself a walking encyclopedia of them is my inability to memorize the lyrics to all their songs.
back to what i said, lee hom is the first star i've taken to like who's of this caliber.. and by that i mean that he has hoards of adoring fan from all four corners of the earth, a career that spanned 17 years with 15 full albums and other associated albums, have acted in a few movies, have tonnes of videos from hour-long interviews to hundreds of music videos and concert clips on youtube. *breathes* not forgetting, i have to contend with the barrier that is the Chinese language (not for long, i hope!!)
what can i say, i'm happy that i'm a fan in this day and age. and yes, this is huge in many ways. and yes, it's strange that he's the first.
just came back from coffee with chongy and the husby at artisan coffee in TTDI. i am far from embracing the coffee culture, but have no problem sharing space with fellow aficionados and snobs. for me, coffee's coffee's coffee. i enjoy a cup or two now and then, though i can't tell the difference between great, good or bad beans. it was a nice place to hang out on a friday evening, friendly proprietors, decent cuppas, comforting ambience; we would likely be back soon.
anyways, the equation here is coffee + me = 無法入睡. so here i am.
Bersih 3.0 will be on next Saturday. am looking forward to participate in it, having missed out the previous one due to work. curious as to how the government machinery will spin this. i think the gov has been hard at work preparing for the coming elections. i can't help but roll my eyes every time a goodie is declared or a new IC is handed out or see an MP's face grinning in the papers. frankly, i can't read national news without my body involuntarily twitching as an allergic reaction to the wool they are trying to pull over our eyes. downright preposterous!
i can't wait for the media attention from around the world to be focused on this country. how fundamental is it to ask for a fair and transparent election?
from bersih.org:
BERSIH 3.0 will take the form of a sit-in (“duduk bantah” in Bahasa Malaysia) on April 28th 2012, and will take place across Malaysia and throughout the world. In addition to the demands of the previous BERSIH demonstrations, BERSIH 3.0 has three demands, namely:
The Election Commission must resign, as it has failed in its responsibility and has lost the confidence of the public.
The electoral process must be cleaned before the 13th General Elections.
Invite international observers to observe the 13th General Elections.
Through BERSIH 3.0, we will continue our struggle for clean and fair elections, assembling and expressing our views peacefully as are our rights as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.
NB. read this or watch this to see how the gov has underhandedly went against the demands for reform. 'em sneaky lil liars!
Didn't manage to finish the one I was working on, as I am not in the mood for love.. *coy* I'm referring to the recurring theme in the songs I've been listening to lately, of course.
It's Friday again tomorrow. Wasn't it just Sunday yesterday? But well, I'm somewhat resigned to be continually confounded by frivolous questions like that.
I'm listening to Switchfoot's Life, Live and Why. It's my thoughts perfectly encased in two verses and a chorus. Good ol' Jon, I can always count on his music or his words when I indulge in existential thoughts. Ah, thinking, a luxury afforded to the bourgeois*! Even when we are so undeserving!
Day and night and a decade has passed
Hello and goodbye and you breathe your last
Rhyme and reason but you're a mess
Catch the only ride out on hope express
That would be the first verse of my song should I write one. The only writing I'll be doing now will be 選擇 (trad.) and 选择 (simp.) [xuan ze; choose, decide].
life and love and why
child, adult, then die
all of your hoping
and all of your searching
for what?
ask me for what am I living
or what gives me strength
that I'm willing to die for
take away from me
this monstrosity
'cause my futile thinking's
not gonna solve nothing tonight
ask me for what am I living
or what gives me strength
that I'm willing to die for.
switchfoot :: life, love and why
* haven't seen this word since Wild Swans (or some novels in that genre)
it's been some 18 days straight days of continual blog posts.. i amaze me! i am very very pleased in fact. and IF i don't pressure myself to churn out daily posts, i should be able to continue doing this.. it makes my day! the only thing is, the list of vocab is growing way faster than i could catch up.
aside from posting here, i've taken to buying those checkered exercise books and writing the characters out. it's really time consuming and tiring, and the only reason i do it is because i want to recognize the shape/outline of those characters. right now the words are too small on the computer screen for me to see the finer strokes.. and due to my fondness for traditional Chinese (which is dwindling with each word i write hehe), and the necessity to know the simplified version, i've got A LOT of writing to do.. and i am very slow at it. not sure if i would sustain the practice, but if anything, i would bet against me. haha..
so yeah, i need to catch up before i get left behind for good.. i am assuming this is what i would be doing if i signed up for class, so doing it on my own is the prudent thing to do, right? DIY/cheapo ftw!
anyways, i know i said that i was going to lay off the sappy songs for now, but i'm feeling really dejected right now. SIGH. all because of one man. and for what's happening, somebody's gonna get a hurt real bad! if you primarily speak English and have no clue as to who I am talking about, I suggest a holiday anywhere outside of the rock you've been hiding under. hehe..
i am referring to none other than the inimitable Russell Peters. i was really excited about going once his KL show was confirmed.. especially cos the hubby had wanted to go too (it's rare that we share a common performance interest).. and since i knew that tix sale starts today at 9am when i wldn't be in the office yet, and that zul was equally gung-ho to attend, i asked him to help w the purchase.. and so there he was, sitting steadily in front of the computer since 8 this morning andddd of course, the site was unable to handle the traffic it was getting and he kept getting booted out from the queue. just to keep us in the race, i thought i should also down to Rock Records KLCC to get hold of the tix. was there at 10 sharp and was #20 in a queue that never moved in the 45 minutes i stood there, only to give up when we were told that only RM338 tix were for sale. by afternoon, only the platinum tix (RM438 apiece) were available. woe is me!
so yeah, as I wallow in the aftermath of having my hopes dashed, let's listen to 愛錯 (Loved Wrongly), one of wlh's more well-known songs, which is still very singable 8 years after its debut. I prefer the concert version over the music video (but if you are a fan of Van Ness Wu, or cute sweaty men battling it out in a boxing ring, do google for the vid).
I like how he hits every note just so nicely, even effortlessly, here (if I haven't told you before, I've a weakness for male falsetto).. he could be singing about roast pork or the inflation for all i care. 烤猪肉啊啊啊, 为什么啊那么贵啊? 是因为通货膨胀吗? 啦啦啦。。。 sumfink like that.
you know what, I NEED A HOLIDAY. sigh~
毫不留情 háo bù liúqíng - no mercy
逃脫 táotuō - escape (reminds me of Dory in Finding Nemo trying to pronounce this word.. "es-ca-pay" =)
整 zhěng - whole (i've always thought that this is written as 正.. rupa2nya they are different words :P)
降落 jiàngluò - land/ing, descend/ing
翻開 fān kai - turn over
仔細回味 zǐxì huíwèi - carefully ponder
北風毫不留情 把葉子吹落
脆弱的她選擇了逃脫
葉子失去消息 風才感覺寂寞
整個冬天 北風的痛沒人能說
the north wind is merciless
in blowing the leaves off trees
a fragile girl decides to escape
the leaves were not heard from again
and so the wind feels lonely throughout winter
no one is able speak of the pain that it bears
我從來沒想過 我會這樣做
從來沒愛過 所以愛錯
我從哪裡起飛 從哪裡降落
多少不能原諒的錯 卻不能重來過
i've never thought that i would do such things
i've never loved before, that's why i loved wrongly
i landed where i had lifted off (i.e. i never progressed beyond where i started)
there are many unforgivable mistakes, there's no way to start over
翻開回憶角落 完美的生活
以為幸福都可以掌握
仔細回味當初 那個故事背後
Oh 原來是我 犯下從沒承認的錯
i turn over a corner of the memories: a perfect life
i thought that i could hold on to the happiness
i carefully ponder about the beginning, the background of the story
i realised that it was me who had committed mistakes i've never admitted to
在這少了你的世界
Oh 找不回那些感覺
其實我不想道別
那些過去
without you in this world
oh i could not retrieve those feelings
i actually did not want to say goodbye to the past
note: i thought this would be a quick entry, but i was pleasantly surprised at the length it got. i've learned so much! :)
i love this song! ok, i obviously love a lot of wlh's songs.. but this one, it's fun and again, not a ballad (we'll lay off those for a short time)! the chorus may sound repetitive as it makes use of three 'mei' homonyms, i.e. 美 (beautiful), 媚 (charming) and 妹 (sister), which were echoed rather liberally throughout.
a quick side note: the Chinese language is rife with opportunities for punnery as it "has a significant number of homophonous syllables and words due to its limited phonetic inventory" (wiki). I remember stumbling upon a fine example of this in a poem called 施氏食獅史 or The Lion-Eating Poet in the Stone Den (uh yeah :D), a "92-character poem written in Classical Chinese by Yuen Ren Chao which contains every syllable has the sound shi (in different tones) when read in modern Mandarin Chinese." (wiki)
it's a deliciously bouncy tune so much so that i converted the chorus into my ringtone. with wlh proclaiming how drop-dead gorgeous i am every time you call makes me giggly, so excuse me if i don't pick your call immediately hahaha!
the verses were also interesting, as I was introduced to ancient China's Four Beauties (more below), who were said to be so enchantingly beautiful they had kings weak at the knees (and someplace else obviously? heh..) wrapped around their little fingers. ooh lala femme fatale..
the music video is erm.. very Ne-Yo/Usher-esque hahaha.. i don't know.. it's very been-there-done-that kinda feel, you'd probably think he was the Smooth Operator's brotha from another motha.. i rber some youtube vids of him and Usher at an event, so probably he got star-struck or just want to channel his inner hip-hop star. i'd say that he's rather dashing in some of those suits, but i wish they'd done something more/different.
i held my tongue at calling him a wannabe, as this is the culture he grew up with, and i would like to think that you should be able to adopt the culture of your home ground without being discriminated based on your skin colour -- i actually reasoned this out when watching the latest Far East Movement ft. Justin Bieber & LMFAO - Live My Life music vid. it took me a good minute to mentally synchronize the sight and sound of Kev Nish throughout the song.. here's this very East Asian looking dude dressing and singing like any other hip hop artist out there, and i thought to myself: why not? he's American, grew up in NY listening to those very songs, and he's just like everyone else there. so yeah, applying that logic to wlh and his dapper hhop 'do, i ask, why not? again, i wish they'd thought of something more original visually.
on to the list of new words for me:
花蕾 huālěi - bud (flower)
搅乱 jiǎoluàn - confuse, disconcert, disorder, abash, blush, confound, embarrass
摧毁 cuīhuǐ - destroy, wreck
占据 zhànjù - occupy
视线 shìxiàn - line of sight
想入非非 xiǎngrùfēifēi - to indulge in fantasy (idiom); to let one's imagination run wild
雅贼 yǎ zéi - elegant thief
责怪 zéguài - blame
冒昧 màomèi - taking the liberty
征服 zhēngfú - conquer
大江南北 dàjiāngnánběi - lit. both sides of the Yangtze River (idiom) / fig. throughout a vast area
沉鱼落雁 chényúluòyàn - lit. fish sink, goose alights (idiom); fig. female beauty captivating even the birds and beasts
项背 xiàngbèi - back of neck/body
你这么美 你这么媚
你这么美 你这么美 美 美 妹妹
you're so beautiful, you're too charming
you're so beautiful, girl
[i was having difficulty translating 妹妹 as it literally means younger sister which give this song an incestuous twist. i knew it meant something like shawty but i wasn't sure, and then i found this here:
Talking about internet homophonic words, the most familiar one for these students who are learning to speak Chinese is the word “美眉”. This word means “妹妹” in internet language and is always used to address girls and the two morphemes “美” and “眉” are all related to girls in Chinese. Therefore, this word contains the meaning of beautiful ladies, which gets semantic connection with the noumenon “妹妹” of homophone.]
你是寒冬里的花蕾
你是西施搅乱了春水
你是天使般的恩惠
你是我宠爱的贵妃
you are a flower bud in the midst of winter
you are Xi Shi who confuses the spring water (Xi Shi is said to be so beautiful that fish would forget how to swim and sink away from the surface when she walks by)
you are the grace of angels
you are my most beloved of the imperial consorts (i guess this is a reference to Xi Shi again)
from wiki: Xi Shi is one of the Four Great Beauties are four ancient Chinese women, renowned for their beauty. The scarcity of historical records concerning them meant that much of what is known of them today has been greatly embellished by legend. They gained their reputation from the influence they exercised over kings and emperors and consequently, the way their actions impacted Chinese history. Three of the Four Beauties brought kingdoms to their knees, and the lives of all four ended in tragedy or under mysterious circumstances.
世间的伤悲 全都被你摧毁
你是美酒千杯 我怎能不醉
不小心爱上 oh 你的香味
the sorrows in this world have been destroyed by you
you are a thousand cups of great wine, how could i not get drunk
can't help but to fall in love with your fragrance
只有你 占据了视线
其它的 我都看不见
这是爱情或 这是对你的迷恋
i only have eyes for you
i can't see anything else
is this love or am i just infatuated with you
怎么那么美 是你让我想入非非
想当一个偷心雅贼
爱已萌芽 万分珍贵
没有时间可以浪费
how did you get so beautiful
you make my imagination run wild
i want to be an elegant thief who steals your heart
love has blossomed, it's so precious
there's no time to waste
我愿意用生命换一个机会
让我吻上你的嘴
Hablo Espanol 给你拉丁味道
你的美就是一种美好
i am ready to trade my life for an opportunity
let me kiss you on the lips
i'll speak in spanish and give you a taste of Latin
your beauty is a kind of goodness
别责怪我的一点冒昧
我想陪你度过年年岁岁
你太美 你太媚
为了你 我能 征服大江南北
please forgive me for saying this so freely
i would to spend eternity with you
you're too beautiful, you're too charming
for you, i'll conquer kingdoms
沉鱼落雁 难望你项背
文字不足形容你的美
嘿 宝贝 给我你的拥抱
让我永远珍藏你的美
怎么那么美
you are so beautiful, even from the back
no word can sufficiently describe your beauty
hey precious, come into my embrace
let me forever behold your beauty
you are just too gorgeous!
i can't believe i haven't said this before: we're going to Taiwan end of this year, and will be crossing the new year in a foreign city, and enjoying a cool crisp air of Taipei.. and can someone tell me what are the odds of bumping into wlh?!?! 1 in a thousand? 1 in a hundred thousand?? a million? or is it zero, cos he will be back in NY with his family? i don't know, but i could wish right? maybe he'd do another freeshow (how does one NOT love that) like what he did this year? maybe, just mayyyyybeeeee... tee hee.
anyways, i've chosen for this post a simple song (i think i've overused this phrase lately haha.. I can be quite the nag.. i have just the next song to shut my mouth up hehe) written by his friend Vivian Hsu: 柴米油鹽醬醋茶, which is literally translated as Firewood, Rice, Oil, Salt, Sauce, Vinegar, Tea a seven-word phrase meaning the essentials of life. hey, the iPhone is missing from the list! Steve Jobs is a-rolling in his grave. :P
this music video is undeniably inspired by the opening sequence of Pixar's Up. it was directed by none other than Music Man himself -- a decent job but i thought one scene in the ending was a bit the weird, as in the actor pairing.. if you get what i mean, then you do, if not, it's no biggie, it's just one scene.. this song is a reminder that we don't need a great deal of things to be happy, just the love of family and friends and good health. don't subscribe to what the world esteems as valuable, because it always gets it wrong. remember to count your blessings -- it's a great exercise to actually do it, and not just admire the sentiment or philosophy; you will be amazed at the results. trust me! :)
this song also brings to mind this scripture:
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 1 Timothy 6:6-11 (NIV)
today's list of words:
穿梭 chuānsuō - shuttle
颳風 guā fēng - wind
保護 bǎohù - n. & v. protect, safeguard
複雜 fùzá - complicated
小時候 你想要什麼
我要一台大大藍色的飛機
帶我環遊世界
到地球每一個角落
在藍天白雲中穿梭
what did you want when you were young?
i wanted a huge blue aeroplane
to bring me around the world
to every corner of the earth
shuttling between the blue skies and white clouds
而長大以後 我想要什麼
我要一台小小紅色答錄機
和妳一起錄下
"喂 我們現在不在家"
藍色變成紅色 因為 妳
what did i want now that i've grown up?
i wanted a small red answering machine
to record with you this message
"hello we are not home right now"
blue becomes red, just for you
柴米油鹽醬醋茶
一點一滴都是幸福在發芽
月兒彎彎愛的傻
有了妳什麼都不差
firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea
every bit and every drop is budding happiness
crescent moon, silly love
when i have you, everything's great
給妳快樂無論白天黑夜
握緊雙手就算颳風下雨
我就是要妳
要妳待在我身邊
保護妳直到永遠
giving you happiness no matter if the sky's bright or dark
holding both your hands through strong wind and heavy rain
i only want you and only you by my side
to protect you for all times
月兒彎彎愛的傻
沒有一個理由
活的那麼複雜
有了妳什麼都不差
crescent moon, silly love
there's no reason for a complicated life
when i have you, everything's great
i thought i was getting over leehom (cue gasp!) - but i think it's more like reaching a point of saturation - i've got too much of his songs coursing through my veins hehe.. and i still can't believe how some songs ended up on his albums. those were mediocre in the least! i had half a mind to write him off, but when i saw his concert videos, i got the goosebumps again. he's one consummate performer, and as I am writing this, tomorrow (4.14) will be his Beijing Bird Nest Stadium performance. it's a 90,000 capacity venue, which he's shown us with some photos on his weibo account. it's massive! how i wish wish WISH i was going to be there! *runs to a corner and sulks*
but surprise, surprise, today's song is not wlh's. i've been checking out a few of sodagreen's songs on youtube, and i must say that i really like what i see and what i hear.
"see", because their MVs are quite aesthetically pleasing.. there's a certain mood, certain colours, certain feel to their videos that i find attractive. not because any of them are good looking (i would politely say that they are rather unassuming in appearance; i don't think i'm able to pick them out from a crowd yet), just that the videos are well made *clap clap clap* as for "hear", the band really has it going for them. main vocalist/songwriter QingFeng 青峯 is a class act in the songwriting department and with his trademark androgynous voice, i'm hearing some of the better songs i've heard in a long time (admittedly i haven't heard much).
maybe i'm heaping undeserved praise, as i've only heard a handful of their work. i am really interested but i don't really know where to start. there isn't much updates in english, as compared to lh's which i attribute to fan demography.. i'll share more as i go along.
anyway while the words to this song [無與倫比的美麗, Unrivaled Beauty] are relatively simple (hence only two entries here), i love the whole song comes together very well, both vocal and instruments alike.. i also like how they don't rush to finish a song when the words are over. i also love it because qingfeng apparently wrote this for his best bud 張懸 shiuan chang (not sure who he is), and i'd like to dedicate this to my friends who have enriched my life in ways big and small. :)
拼 pīn - go all out/spell/piece/stake/disregard/join together/reject/risk
掩護 yǎnhù - cover/screen/shield
天上風箏在天上飛
地上人兒在地上追
你若擔心你不能飛
你有我的蝴蝶
above the sky, kites are flying
on the ground, people are chasing after them
if you are worried that you are not able to fly
you have my butterfly
天上風箏在天上飛
地上人兒在地上追
我若擔心我不能飛
我有你的草原
above the sky, kites are flying
on the ground, people are chasing after them
if i'm afraid that i'm not able to fly
i have your grassland
嘿 嘿 你形容我是這個世界上無與倫比的美麗
嘿 嘿 我知道你才是這世界上無與倫比的美麗
you likened my beauty to be unrivaled
but i know that it's yours that's incomparable
嘿 嘿 你知道當你需要個夏天我會拼了命努力
嘿 嘿 我知道你會做我的掩護 當我是個逃兵
you know that when you need a summer day, i will go all out and give my all to get it
i know that you will be my shield/cover me if i were a deserter
ok, my translation does the song no justice! the poetry is lost in translation, and it makes you wanna go 'huh?' i'm sorry! it's really better in its original language. ah well.
i've been tweeting a lot lately, and when i can, i try to do it in Chinese. it's amazing how much you can say with 140 Chinese characters. more than 140 English words, i say.
i've also been obviously listening to a lot of Chinese songs, esp leehom's, lately. and as you can see, i try to translate one song into English each day, as an exercise to sharpen my linguistic skills and in hope that i will pick up some if not all of the words foreign to me right now. it's a daunting task, but the sense of achievement each time i finish a piece is a reward in itself.
i am feeling rather demotivated right now, career wise. nothing much is going on (the sheer amount of blogpost i have been dishing out lately is a clear indication of that right?!) and i feel like my skills and age are slipping away. and when i talk to people, part of me is very much tempted to move on, while the other part wants me to stay. i'll let the subconscious work out the pros and cons for now.
so yeah, writing (or rather, translating) has kept me somewhat buoyant; an avenue for me to channel my energy. i am interested to see where this interest could lead me. while i am generally disapproving of unbridled emotions because if left unchecked, it causes people to lose sight of the bigger picture and all sense of objectivity, reducing us to blubbering idiots... and yet, and yet, the surge of adrenaline from unhinged passion and undivided focus can be so infectious and captivating. i wish you (and i) knew what i'm talking about.
anyways, here's an intermission of sort: an English song! i imagine myself to be the girl in the song. dreamer, that's what you are... while i enjoy it there, sometimes i am not very proud that i live in my own little world. Lord, i thank You for the friends and sister and the hubby who are my anchor to the real world.
i know a girl whose head is in a twirl
she has her own little world
and cos she likes me i get to look inside
and when i do, the things that i see
like trips to spain and houses in the trees
makes me wish that my mind was just as free
i've not heard of sodagreen before this (now i have, thanks to a link from onedayinmay.net), but if this song is any indication, i might just end up being a fan. :) they are a taiwanese folk-rock-pop band that has been around since the beginning of this century, and released their first album in 2005. according to wiki, the band's main vocalist and songwriter is known for his "poetic lyrics, unique performing style and wide vocal range". you had me at poetic lyrics. what is there not to like about that! :) oh well, we shall see.
this one of those songs i liked at first listen. maybe i was intrigued by the title 城市 (City). working up here on the 42nd floor of one of the taller buildings in KL makes me heady sometimes. it's a strange mix of emotions, a simultaneous affinity and repulsion for its sterility (i just bagged me another paradox)(i only have pure repulsion for the city's filth). this song somewhat embodies my sentiments neatly with both its melody and words. i love it.
這座城市一般
讓你在夢中不停的衰老
人像落葉一般
冬天的空中冰冷的容貌
this city, for most part, makes you continuously degenerate in dreams
we are like falling leaves, our appearance icy as the air of winter
城市面目猙獰 駕著光速奔跑
我們是沉默機器 對照著時間表
the facade of the city is ferocious
running away by riding on its lights
we are silent machinery, running by schedule
我們就像溫室的花朵
麻木的心 刷白的瞳孔 彩色的臉
混亂的慾望和顫抖
we are like a flower blooming in a greenhouse
our hearts are numbed, our pupils whitewashed, our face colourful
desires that are confusing and we are trembling
現在是謠言侵略事實的時代
必須偷看哪個誰是不是在偷看
this is a time of aggressive rumors and facts
there is no need to take a peep at who is or is not peeping
(現在是現在侵略過去的時代
必須悲哀快樂所帶來的更悲哀)
(v2)(this is a time of past intrusion
there is no need for more sorrows brought by grief and joy)
這座城市一般
享受著奢侈卻莫名失落
人像稀釋一般
在鬧區列車上逐漸沉默
in this city, we are experiencing luxury and an inexplicable loss
our lives are diluted
in a inner city train, there's a gradual fade to silence
我們囚禁在格林威治的規則裡
在數位的銀色浪花中喘不過氣
這座城市裡面
試著讓自己沒有那麼糟
人像落葉迎面
在一座ㄧ座孤獨島中間
我微笑
in this city, i try to make myself better
we are like leaves falling head on
in the middle of a cluster of lonely islands
i smile
like wow, i'm practically 喘氣 from this whole exercise. :) hope you'll enjoy the song as much as i do. ok, a longgg list of new words ahead:
衰老 shuāilǎo - senescence
(wow, i don't even understand the english word! but here it is:
se·nes·cence /səˈnesəns/
- the condition or process of deterioration with age
- loss of a cell's power of division and growth)
I found a kindred spirit in this girl. As far as i could gather from her blog, her name's Merry and she is a Norwegian-American from Minnesota, and in her job as a historian specializing in US-China relations, she travels quite a bit esp to the East (she stayed in Taiwan for a couple of years too I think). I'm not sure how proficient her Chinese is, but i think it's nothing less than pretty darn impressive. She is a huge fan of Taiwanese rock outfit Mayday (whose all songs she has translated into English) -- even her website is named after the band.
She wasn't a Leehom fan until she listened to Beside the Plum Tree 在梅邊 (which I hope to translate someday soon), which was written by the lead singer from Mayday. one song led to an album, she ended up at one of his concerts, and in her own words: ...if you are determined not to become a Leehom fan, then you need to stay away from his concerts. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone who enjoys performing that much, or who does so that adeptly. (cue to self: bang head on desk for missing the March concert. sighh..)
I also love how the family was converted, one by one, first the mom, and then the sister (who she says is now the biggest leehom fan that side of the atlantic), and even the dad (who is 100% norwegian).. Anyways, you can read all of her leehom-tagged posts *here*
Amazing right?!
Anyways, today's song is NOT a ballad and it's called 十八般武藝, which translates to 18 Forms of Martial Arts (also the album's title, with the word "Forms" dropped; i prefer it with), and from how I understand it, it means versatility. as it is atypical of the love songs i've been translating, I can't vouch for this translation at all. haha..
I like the sprightly tune (I've set this as my phone's ringtone), and think that the chinked-out sound is done well here. Moving forward though, I think it's really unnecessary for him to continually mention that he's doing the c-o sound, just do it. We will get it. We can handle it. Subtlety ftw yo. ;)
Today's words:
創造未來 chuàngzào wèilái - creating/shaping a future
情緒 qíngxù - mood, sentiment, depression
觀眾 guānzhòng - audience
民族 mínzú - ethnic group
階級 jiējí - class
旋律 xuánlǜ - melody
單調 dāndiào - monotony/ous
交響樂 jiāoxiǎngyuè - symphony
精疲力竭 jīngpílìjié - exhausted
肯定 kěndìng - be sure of
Here ya go!
是 我是不是 又在創造未來 (又 站上了舞台)
是不是 我又在 讓情緒更 high
帶動全場 的觀眾朋友？是
am i reshaping the future (verse 2: standing again on the stage)
am i lifting the mood higher, and moving the whole audience
yes
是不是 還在不斷 學習
無論 什麼 民族 或什麼 階級
繼續 讓我 靈感 源源不絕？是
am i always pursuing learning/education
no matter which ethnicity or class
continue to let my sources of inspiration be endless
yes
唱(寫) 最動聽的旋律給你 讓你
所有的煩惱 所有的單調 往你 的 背後 扔掉
是 這是 chinked-out 交響樂 送到全世界
又更新一遍 什麼時候歇到你精疲力竭 嘿
am i singing (v2: writing) a moving melody for you
so that all your problems, all that's monotonous
be thrown away over your shoulders
this is the chinked-out symphony that i'm giving to the whole world
another new song to help you chill out
送你的十八般武藝
就是 無二獨一 世人都在注意
看傻的十八般武藝
多麼不可思議 其實都是為你
i'm giving you a gift of 18 forms of martial arts (i.e. a versatility)
it's unique, the whole world's paying attention to it
it might look silly
you might not think so, but it's all because of you
看傻 為你
得來多麼不易的十八般武藝
期盼你能點頭 來肯定我的努力
looking silly for you
it's something that does not come by easily, all these versatility
i hope that you will nod to affirm the hard work i've put into this
十八般武藝
王力宏
是 我是不是 又在創造未來 (又站上了舞台)
是不是 我又在 讓情緒更 high
帶動全場 的觀眾朋友？是
i think i'm ready to confess that i'm a sucker for wlh's ballads. it's one of my favorite sounds i guess. maybe it's bearable, even enjoyable with repeated listen, due to the mellifluous nature of the Chinese language. but i'm still trying to come to terms with the quality of some of his lyrics. but there's always a place for simple songs right? :P
btw am i making a sweeping statement if i said (Malaysian) Chinese youth are an emotional lot? maybe that's why they are drawn to sappy music and tv shows. or maybe it's because they grew up on a steady diet of emo tunes that they become such. chicken and egg. and would you agree that if you look at the profile pictures of one Chinese youth after another, you would think that they ALL share the same stylist: for girls, it's that head tilt and glossed pout and doe eyes and for the dudes, it's a variation of Nicholas Teo hairstyle in pensive poses. you know i speaketh the truth. ahaha.. i hope no one's offended.
i don't mean to be condescending -- i can be as emo as they come. urgh. it's a constant battle for me. times like this i'm grateful for lh's non-emo songs.. maybe i'll share one next (those are more difficult to translate tho' but i'll try)..
anyways, i choose this next one called 星期六的深夜 Saturday Midnightfor the apparent fact that I'm working on this post on a Saturday evening.. The simple lyrics kinda work here, so I'm not complaining.. but I can't imagine him staying in on a weekend night and thinking of a girl. knowing him, he's more likely to be tinkering on his music from his home studio, if he's not working away at some other places. yes, i know him that well *cough* ;)
I don't want to wait til the next Sat to post this thou'.. this is why you are reading this on a Thursday.. don't worry, Sat is just around the corner. just blink and you're there.. :)
first off, new words:
持續 chi xu - continued
發呆 fa dai - daze, stupor
感激 gan ji - grateful
形影不離 xing ying bu li - inseparable
形影 - i don't understand why Google Translate gives it as "overwhelmed by"; when 形 means shape and 影 is image. shadow would be a more accurate translation, no? i am confused.
星期六晚上 那兒都不想去 也無法入睡
看著電視機 持續在發呆 喝了七分醉
it's Saturday night, i've got nowhere to go, and i can't fall asleep
i'm watching the TV in a continual state of daze, somewhat inebriated
閉上了眼睛 試著不想妳 但已來不及
i close my eyes, trying not to think about you
but i was too late to stop myself
忘了如何讓眼淚 停止流下
還好沒人看見(到) 沒人會說話
i've forgotten how to stop the tears from flowing
it's a good thing no one's watching, and no one's saying anything
星期六深夜 我想起了妳
沒什麼特別 只是回憶
it's late into the night on a Saturday and i'm thinking of you
nothing special, just some memories
你讓我自由 我很感激
星期六深夜 喔~~
永遠不會有任何人能代替妳
you've let me be free, for that i am grateful
this late Saturday night ohh..
no one can ever replace you
這就是遺憾的滋味
陪著我形影不離
明天我會面帶微笑
但無法忘記妳
this is the taste of regret
it's hanging on to me like a shadow
i will face tomorrow bearing a smile
but i cannot forget you
as i do these translation exercises, alternating between wlh and dt, i have to give it to dt for his songwriting skill.. the language is simple, and yet, i somehow "sense" (don't ask me how) the paradoxical pair of vulnerability and strength through them. maybe it's the insomnia speaking, it's 5am on a Sunday morning and i am obviously not sleep-blogging. heh.
i wish, oh how i wish, that wlh and dt would work on a project together.
陌生 mo sheng - stranger
黯淡 an dan - dim
牽動 qian dong - affect, moving
苦澀 ku se - bitter
嘴角 zui jiao - corner of the mouth
北斗星 bei dou xing - Big Dipper
疲憊 pi bei - exhausted
守候 shou hou - waiting, keep watch
鏡子中 看見一張陌生的臉 那眼神如此黯淡
笑一笑 只牽動苦澀的嘴角 我的寂寞誰知道
in the mirror, i see a stranger's face
the eyes were distant and lackluster
a smile is merely the pursing of this pair of bitter lips
像條船在海上漂 北斗星也看不到
誰能夠揚起了帆 遠遠離開這黑潮
like a ship adrift at sea, unable to see the Big Dipper (for navigation)
who is able to set sail, to escape this black tide (or Kuroshio)
Angel Angel 盼望你在我身邊
Angel Angel 請你緊緊抓住我的手
Angel Angel I wish you were by my side
Angel Angel please hold tightly onto my hand
有時候 我想不會有人了解 心裡面藏著的痛
我害怕 用真心面對這世界 只好越來越沉默
there are times, i don't think anyone would understand
the pain i've hidden in my heart
i fear to face this world with a sincere heart
it's probably best to remain silent
一個人 在人海漂 說話的人找不到
誰給我溫柔(擁抱我) 擁抱 當我感覺心快要碎了
one person, alone, adrift at sea
unable to find the person who is speaking
who is able to be gentle with me, to hold me close
the moment when i feel like my heart is breaking into pieces?
Angel Angel 盼望你在我身邊
Angel Angel 是否聽見我在呼喚你
Angel Angel I wish you were by my side
Angel Angel do you hear my calling out to you?
能不能 告訴孤單疲憊的我 你永遠為我守候
are you able to tell the lonely, exhausted me
that you will always be keeping a look out for me
i'm practically unstoppable, no? i've been scheduling the past 4 blog posts (i am writing this on a friday evening) cos i've been churning out so many pieces that i don't want to overwhelm the blog (that, and i like each post to have its own date). btw if you need to know, i often "tweak" my publish date and time.. you don't need to know why :)
the song i chose today [心跳] was one of the first few new ones i was introduced to in this fangirl phase. it's from the eponymous album; it's simple to translate, fewer new words to learn tee hee.. of all things, this song reminds me of my cat.. long story short, you know how i love posting pics of the furball onto instagram? yes, because there is just not enough cat photos on the internet! hehe.. anyways, I was stuck with the caption that one time, and this song came to mind.. i miss you cat cat! *loving sigh*
today's vocab:
发展 fazhan - develop/ment
逆转 ni zhuan - reversal
悬 xuan - lingering
想跟我吵架 我没那么无聊
you want to get into an argument with me?
i'm not that bored/silly
不懂得道歉 我没那么聪明
you say that i do not know how to apologise
it's because i'm not that smart
好想要回到我们的原点
i wish we could go back to where we began
你又在哭泣 我给不了安慰
我又在摇头 有那么点后悔
you are crying again, i am not able to comfort you
i am shaking my head in regret
爱情的发展已难以回头却无法往前走
our love is not going anywhere
we can't go back and there's no way to go forward
但身不由己出现在胸口
两颗心能塞几个问号
爱让我们流多少眼泪
i feel the dread in my chest
how many question marks can two hearts contain
love has made us shed so much tears
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
等着哪一天你也想起
那悬在记忆中的美好
you eyes, filled will beauty, have carried away my heartbeat
your gentleness is so close, it carries away my heartbeat
i wish for time to turn back to where we began, even if it's just for a second
i'm waiting for the day when you'll remember the good memories that still a-linger
now that i've been a diehard fan of yours for a FULL MONTH, i think it's time to "shake" this relationship up a bit, after all, you did sing "唯一永遠不改變是不停地改變". i can't stay a bright eyed bushy tailed fangirl forever. i mean, i adore you like any other fan would, but this has to be said; and if anyone hasn't told you this, allow me: you need to get a better lyricist -- for your ballads specifically.. i'm showing signs of lactose intolerant from the cheese level in some songs.
you have an amayyyzing voice (like when you held that note at the end of the bridge in 落葉歸根 or effortlessly hit those notes in 愛錯, i can't help but sigh in appreciation, and i was totally in awe of how smoothly - for a non-native speaker - you rapped the last part of 在梅邊) and you have a knack for creating catchy and memorable melodies; but those can be overshadowed by the likes of 依然愛你 or 我們的歌 or Everything with their banal lyrics. I cannot help but disagree with your sentiment that 聽了一百遍 怎麼聽都不會倦. there are listeners who prefer to beyond just melody.. i guess i just wish there was a bit more depth and more breadth to the lyrics; your songs could be so much more, ya know.
another thing, you should take a break already! it's one thing that life is short and you want to accomplish everything yesterday, and that it's in your perfectionist nature to be devoted (practically married) to your craft. i don't doubt it that you makan minum main music, but i do hope that you would give yourself rest and some space to replenish those creative juice. i just get the idea that you might have been overdrawing on that account. so.. take a year or two off, fall in love, go write a symphony, write/direct a better movie (your directorial debut was...n't very well executed :P), travel the world.. then when it's time, make a huge comeback :) don't worry about us, we'll make do with your 15 albums and youtube while you are away.
sorry if i sounded presumptuous and have unrealistic expectations. i probably am and i probably do, but for now, i would like to get that off my chest before resuming listening to your songs. it's been a good run, i only regret not knowing you earlier (my loss!), so imma keep going til the steam runs out (i'll be slotting in some David Tao in between. you guys were awesome *here*, so pretty please do something official together!)
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8 NIV)
For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:10, 11 NIV)
For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:6-11 NIV)
