Gold in Them Hills

Give the world a chance to say
A word or two, my friend
There's no telling how the day might end
We'll never know until we see
That there's gold in them hills
There's gold in them hills
So don't lose heart
Give the day a chance to start

-- Ron Sexsmith, "Gold in Them Hills"


Discovered via Katie Melua, who covered it in her latest album, "Secret Symphony". Fabulous choice for the opening track of the album: in Dorothy Boyd's words, it "had me at hello".

Soothing melody, soothing voice, soothing words -- I have quite a lot on my mind these days so these hit right home. Do listen for yourself in this gorgeous live version.





Side interest: The phrase "There's gold in them thar hills" is supposedly a cliche -- though one I didn't know before and had to Google -- related to the historical gold rush. But in this song I'm guessing Sexsmith uses it as an allusion to hope, in a "silver lining" way rather than a "California Dream" way.

s.ty.lized

So there's this thing with some stage names or pen names which, though they consist of normal English words, are not supposed to be written with the usual capitalization rules. For example, e.e. cummings and k.d. lang. Wikipedia calls it "stylized", or sometimes "typeset".

It gets rather chaotic in the Japanese music scene, where some English names are natively written in katakana, which is ordinarily transferred to Latin in all-caps. So it is not clear whether DREAMS COME TRUE or FUNKY MONKEY BABYS should always be written in all-caps (which can really be quite glaring), since it might just be due to the katakana representation. It is easier to figure out true stylization when it's all non-caps, like the brilliant green (which looks like just a part of this sentence), or when it's mixed, like HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR (which is still glaring). Of course, some name owners themselves are inconsistent about the typeset, like how Every Little Thing have named themselves in all-caps, all non-caps, and katakana, all in three different single releases.

I am the type to rename my music files when I find out I've not been capitalizing them correctly, so this is significant. =D Well, getting someone's name correct is a sign of respect (though this guy here does bring up a compelling argument). Capitalization may not be as crucial as spelling (say, when mix-and-matching Patti Smith with Patty Smyth) but in names like hitomi the lack of capitalization is the factor that makes it Furuya-san and not Yaida-san or Shimatani-san, while missed capitals on names like KinKi Kids could push them a step closer to distasteful misspelling (as well as land one in trouble with dedicated fans).

This string of thoughts came about as I was just getting all starry-eyed blissful-eared clickety-fingered watching k.d. lang on YouTube, and trying to put my finger on how she can sing the same song differently every time (a swell here, a shortening there, a few different notes once in a while...) without ruining the original feel of the song. Even when it's a cover, instead of performing it as a musical composition she grasps its story and just tells it, and with that seemingly effortless divine vocal delivery she can surely afford to improvise and still tell it flawlessly.

...Yeah, watch me ramble, but the point is, for someone as accomplished as that, I'd pay really good attention to how she wishes her name to be written! (And here's a pretty entertaining article on the controversy over the miscapitalization.)

But this blog entry would not have been written had I not gotten extra rambling material from the recent realization that one-north (the MRT station where my office is at) is so far the only station with a stylized name... except counting HarbourFront, which would not cause any capitalization dilemma anyway, for example when the station name occurs at the beginning of a sentence.

Now to close this entry, Happy New Year! (And this one I'm pretty sure is meant to be capitalized like that.)

Safe in A Crazy World

I once read someone saying, "Music saved my life." He was in depression for an extended time and had repeatedly considered suicide. I suppose he found an outlet in music -- all I knew was he started composing music in genres that were... not so mainstream. The phase passed, and he seems to be a happy person nowadays.

With a brief Google search I found more such stories. A youngster who grew up in a slum learned to play the guitar and so instead of getting drawn into the neighbourhood gang he became a performer. A student who couldn't do well in any subject at school found her potential and purpose of life in playing music.

I haven't thought of music that way until the past week when I experienced something like that, albeit in a much milder scale. In my case, stress was building up from an assortment of little things: unsettled issues that piled up, small annoyances from people all around... Sometimes I feel the little things are worse, because in addition to these you second-guess yourself why you should be so upset with them when they seem so insignificant, and you chide yourself for being narrow-minded.

So I needed a tranquilizer. I turned on music and sang. And to dramatize a bit, I can say that music saved my sanity at the time.

As a Buddhist, a perhaps better alternative would be silence. But I'm ashamed to say that I've been struggling with meditation, that my mind is still too untamed that it kept slipping back to the noisy thoughts. But drawing a lesson from our former music director, I'd like to think music could be a form of meditation to some.

So while I continue to train this monkey mind, let me just hold on to my music -- the ever reliable companion when I need to be alone.

Noise keeps chasing me no matter where I go
And life likes pretending that it's on a TV show
When it's hard to tell what's real
From what the world just wants to preach
You are the voice I seek

'Cause when I'm wrapped up in your arms
Nothing else can touch me
What a wonderful way to recharge
I feel like I can breathe again

You keep me flying
You keep me smiling
You keep me safe in a crazy world

-- Corrinne May, "Safe in A Crazy World"

A Flower By Any Other Language

I'm posting this for the unexpectedness value: when I saw the link to "Chinese version of Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana" I thought it would be the usual Chinese cover of a Japanese song by Chinese singers, but turned out it was SMAP themselves (the original Japanese singers, none of whom speak Chinese) singing it.



If I understand correctly they released this Chinese version for charity in support of the earthquake relief efforts. I've been out of touch with Japan entertainment news for quite a while, so I've only found out about this from the recent news about them serenading the Chinese Premier with this song during his Tokyo visit.

Pronunciation aside, I think the Chinese cover is really not too bad. It maintains most of the original meaning of the song without being overly translation-awkward, it rhymes well, and the overall thing is pretty amusing. =D Maybe it helps a lot that the song has pleasant and catchy melody to begin with. In fact, my favourite version of the song so far is the lyricless one:



...by a Chinese group, come to think of it. How great that music is universal, don't you think? =)

Before We Can See the Sky

I really should have stalked her better. Not only so that I wouldn't discover these beautiful things so late, but also so that I can perhaps start saying what I've been hearing people say about k.d. lang: "This woman can do no wrong." =D


Katie Melua - Blowing in the Wind (Bob Dylan cover, live)




There have been many renditions of this song but the only one I've heard before this is Peter, Paul and Mary's acoustic version (at the time when I haven't known what the lyrics meant yet). While I like this one for its own style, the comparison just added on to my marvel at the dynamics in Katie's rendition.

On the topic of seeing the sky... 
Welcome back, my beloved clouds, colours of sunset, glimpses of stars.
心配していた--
また会えて良かった。

Broken People Get Recycled

Katie Melua! I love her already for the mellow tunes, but haven't expected her to come up with something this grand. ♥♥♥




The Flood
Katie Melua


Broken people get recycled
And I hope that I will sometimes be thrown off the pathways.
What I thought was my way home
Wasn't the place I know.

I'm not afraid of changing,
I'm certain nothing's certain.
What we own becomes our prison.
My possessions will be gone,
Back to where they came from.

Blame... no one is to blame.
As natural as the rain that falls,
Here comes The Flood again.

See the rock that you hold onto;
Is it gonna save you
When the earth begins to crumble?
Why'd you feel you have to hold on?
Imagine if you let go.

Blame... no one is to blame.
As natural as the rain that falls,
Here comes The Flood again.

Flush away the weight that pulls you down.
Light the ways that freed from the dusk.

Don't trust your eyes,
It's easy to believe them.
Know in your heart
That you can leave your prison.

Don't trust your mind,
It's not always listening.
Turn on the lights
And feel the ancient rhythm.

Blame... no one is to blame.
As natural as the rain that falls,
Here comes The Flood again.


>> Katie on song inspirations

Finality

Fullmetal Alchemist the manga has ended! That's one month of excited waiting since I found out it would be ending. ^^ (I feel little need for me to re-summarize the series =P so please just click on the hyperlinked title for the description.)

The series started (9 years ago) with good humor, interesting scientific angle and cool action scenes, then it grew darker as the serious plot unfolded, at which point I stopped following it closely. ^^0 I picked up again when the climax drew near, and got firmly hooked until the end. The whole thing is really quite well developed, I think, and with a reasonably happy ending -- not "everything is all right" perfect but one that does see to the deserved fruition of the characters' effort.

The [remade] anime has 3 more episodes to go, and I'm still quite looking forward to watching the rapid-fire climax/ending in animation. (That reminds me that I may have forgotten to advertise the ending of Cross Game, the manga as well as its pretty good anime adaptation, although I have felt totally adequate with the manga alone, given Adachi-sensei's delightful story-telling.)

Here's a selected opening sequence to further entice you:




In the past week, I also managed to watch Ao no Honoo (The Blue Flame), a movie I've read some good reviews about. The lead actor is the younger self of one of the main actors in the critically acclaimed Letters from Iwo Jima.

I think the film is good in several aspects, but boy is it depressing. =X I should have anticipated it since the suitably haunting The Post War Dream was playing in prelude to the first scene, but I thought things would be resolved somehow. Instead, the ending left a feeling of despair that made me think of the word "finality" for this entry.

Trailer for those of you who may be in the mood for something angsty and sobering...




On real life news, Commencement is drawing near. In my mind, my student days have been practically over for some time, but there have been "echoes" of it when the School contacted me for something or other... All these will probably be laid to rest once I get through the Commencement. Not that I want to cut off these ties -- I do gladly stay in contact with my supervisors and ex-labmates (and if needed, my juniors), but when those links have to do with my results from back then, it sometimes feels like hanging on to "past glory" (not that it's particularly glorious either!) while I have been trying to pick up speed on my current career. A chapter closed, I guess? =)


This final point doesn't have much to do with "finality" except maybe the winter theme and the fact that I discovered it through Last.fm recommendation, hoh. I just like this song and the vocals that sing it. =D

Surya Tenggelam

Relived this gorgeous song by Guruh Soekarno Putra while populating my playlist today.




Idle browsing on this song turned out its "happy" counterpart, which is news to me:




The Kid Brothers's version is oldies-sounding and is an oldies all right (1980 album, if I gather correctly), but I am surprised to find that Chrisye's version actually first appeared in his 1978 album. I thought I first saw it on TV in the 1990s (also the period that would justify the more modern arrangement), but I can't remember if there was any event/movie/... that might have re-popularized this song at that time.

This discovery certainly crushed my half-formed hypothesis about the "generation gap" of music tastes. xD

心上的人兒

Oldies.. but believe me this is already the more (most?) contemporary rendition among them all. xD The version I first heard and liked is probably this exact one or similar. (Lesson learnt: internet links do not live for ever.)

It's a personal example of mental association that contradicts the actual meaning of the words, as I have, inexplicably, always thought of the phrase "心上的人兒" (lit. the person in my heart) in a plural sense, and associated this supposed-romantic-love-song with my family.

Probably it's how their faces in my memory are always smiling; how they are the ones I can count on to give me the sun in the dark of night; how I automatically think, whenever reminded of them, "do not be sad; I wish for your smile to stay that way forever" --- as I suddenly do right now.

非常的幸福

Been following the series 宝莲灯前传 (Lotus Lantern Origins) on CCTV while I was back home, and I'm now a little addicted to its ending theme.





It seems to be a rearrangement of an insert song in the older Lotus Lantern series:




In the distance is a mountain
On the mountain is a tree
Under the tree is a grass hut

In the sky is a cloud
Slowly dispersing into fog
The wind on earth is chasing it

In the distance is a mountain
On the mountain is a tree
A family lives in the hut
Very, very, very happily*


* Given the drama's celestial genre, I was quite tempted to translate this more romantically as "an extraordinary happiness". =D


I never noticed Yvonne Lim until I watched her there. She has such a pleasant look that makes me not mind her character being so childish and crybaby, and sometimes makes me want to smack that Yang Jian for not treating her better. =D; Curious as I am as to how they would end up, I wonder if I have enough energy to follow through that series now that vacation is over. ^^0 The story is really quite interesting as it covers the (complete?) Chinese mythology including Journey to the West.

The Sun Also Shines at Night

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! I'm really bad at wishing people these things since I'm not much for celebrations myself. =P Also feeling a little 'delinquent' the past week, I guess, wanting to just take care of my own worries and left with little mental energy to deal with other things.. even though I have time to spare, in the end. Ah, forgive my selfishness, despite this being the season of sharing and all. -_- Well, I still went to gatherings I've committed to and those I chose to commit to and hopefully behaved acceptably sociably? Ahaha.

The above-mentioned worries have also led me to clear my schedules for the long weekends in case I need to take care of them, but I end up free anyway, so I went for a last-minute-planned lunch and second-hand bookstore cruising with DIsk today. The latter itinerary item was again my selfish quest since I've had my eye (and occasional yearning thought) on a book in Bras Basah Complex for two weeks. I didn't buy it when I first spotted it because (1) it was bulky to take to my next agenda, and (2) I needed time to succumb to the temptation and tell myself I could afford to stuff my room with one more collectible item. =)P

There it is, my latest 36x44cm hardcover full-colour baby. ^^ The pic was actually taken at the store that first time when I didn't buy it yet (for reminder mah), hoho. DIsk said it was a geeky purchase, but what seduced me are more the high-resolution, pretty images inside. So much better for drooling and gushing over, while the knowledge aspect could probably be obtained freely and more extensively on the internet, fufufu.

With this event tomorrow, seems I will have a quite eventful Christmas weekend after all. We'll see about the New Year weekend when it comes. There are still issues left to handle but time is really an unbeatable factor right now, and much as I am easily bothered by indeterminately pending plans, I do detach myself quite well... even if I do say so myself, ha. I sense that some are thinking this is 'cold' of me, and I'm still not enlightened enough not to bother about such opinions, but I reevaluate my (saturated) considerations and reaffirm this growing courage for self-expression that seem to come with age, and well... things are okay somehow? xD

In response to Eka's encouragement I said that it wasn't really in my belief to 'pray', but leaving the perspective difference aside, I.. we.. do draw on many sources of strength-- the kindness of people from close friends to gracious strangers, every little thing however silly or earthly that help to lift our spirits, my own faith in life and powers unseen-- a litany of my own definition, maybe?

Fuyu no Seiza Orion

Thanks to the long downpour that cleared the sky, and the big bright full moon that drew my attention up there, half my wish has been fulfilled today. xD The stars were so visible tonight!

[Edit 7 Dec 2009:] Thanks to the timing I exited the building too probably; these days they seem to come out to play around 10pm.

I've always wondered how people can identify constellations when the positions always seem so vague to me. =P After a bit of digging I think the one I saw is Orion, judging from the three in the lineup plus the trapezoid corners:

Picture courtesy of christiancyberspace

Even with just a small piece like this, among the intrusions of the now-too-bright, now-too-dense street lightings of this city, it felt pretty amazing. =) Not as interesting as the ever-changing view of the sky when it is rich with colors, but there is a different kind of amazement in the vast darkness, the way the stars go in and out of sight as our vision adjusts to different regions of that darkness.

(I still want to go to a well-built planetarium someday for an even more profound emotion, weird as it may sound after this non-artificial experience. =D)

Now while my adrenalin is settling down, here are some constellation-themed songs! ^__^


Nakashima Mika, "ORION" [Ryuusei no Kizuna OST]




Otsuka Ai, "Planetarium" [Hana Yori Dango OST]




Onitsuka Chihiro, "Ryuuseigun" (Meteoric Swarm) [Trick II OST]




And lastly, an old-time favourite of mine:

OMD, "Walking on the Milky Way"

Acoustic Lovelies 2007

Did some catching up with artists who have enchanted me in the past, and they didn't disappoint indeed.

Three talented ladies, all of whom happened to release their latest albums in 2007. Live versions, because they shine like that.


Katie Melua, "If You Were A Sailboat"
Album: Pictures
Hunt down her other songs for: flowy, relaxing melodies like this one

Interesting bits from Wikipedia:

Melua said of the song: "...a lot of love songs tend to deal with the fluffy nice side of love, but this one deals with how you get very selfish when you fall in love with someone, and you don't want to share them with the world, you just want them all about yourself. ... Musically it sounds like a really nice smooth love song, but the message is pretty intense and quite dark."

Mark Radcliffe of BBC Radio 2 was amused by the lyric 'If you were a piece of wood, I'd nail you to the floor', and asked his listeners to send in equally strange lyrics and compose a parody song for her to sing, not expecting her to actually do so. However Melua sportingly contacted the show and agreed to play the song. The lyrics included 'If you were some tiling, I would grout you.' and 'If you were ten pints of beer, I would drink you down my dear'.




Missy Higgins, "Where I Stood"
Album: On A Clear Night
Hunt down her other songs for: emotive, brooding ballads like this one




KT Tunstall, "Saving My Face"
Album: Drastic Fantastic
Hunt down her other songs for: impressive live performances

Flowers in the Sky

The song that stuck with me after the end of the concert... and had come close to making me cry during one of the rehearsals.





Brahma of My Heart
i.gemz

Composer: Goh Sue San
Album: Cradled In Buddha's Arms


Do you remember the nights you lullabied me to sleep
Turning my tears to comfort and to laughter
Do you remember the days being the flowers in the sky
You showed me wisdom and guide me all the way

You have sacrificed for me, leaving heartprints of your love
Brahma of my home, teacher and my savior
You’re the hero of my life, gave me everything and more
Brahma of my joys, Brahma of my heart

I will remember your hopes, I will make your dreams come true
I will turn your fears into courage and compassion
I promise to take care of you, share with you all the love I have
Please do believe me, my love for you shines true

You have sacrificed for me, leaving heartprints of your love
Brahma of my home, teacher and my savior
You’re the hero of my life, gave me everything and more
Brahma of my joys, Brahma of my heart
Brahma of my joys, Brahma of my heart

-----

'Brahma' is a Pali word (lit. 'the great one') that has been used to denote many concepts, including 'parents'.

おくりびと ~Departures

As probably expected, many tears have been shed. And I'm really really impressed, because watching the movie has made me realize the distinction between crying over something sad and crying over something beautiful.

[Possible spoiler]
The view that death is not a 'bad' thing is certainly not new, but the perspective I've had of death has been about letting go. This movie introduced me to a wonderful other aspect of it, that is, being grateful towards the departing ones for what their living years have brought us. I wonder if this has always been the point of view of the Japanese?

Despite the humorous moments, there is a unique sort of quiet atmosphere that I think I felt in a lot of Japanese production of this genre ('human drama'?) -- not that I've watched a lot of them... This one is the serene type of silence; the last memorable one I've watched, 誰も知らない ~Nobody Knows, is the minimalist / undercurrent-disturbing sort; and one I recently glimpsed but didn't think I wanted to stomach the rest of, 2LDK, is the thriller-psychological / downright-disturbing sort. =P

Hunting for the soundtrack now, because of one certain scene that has no particular happening but whose mere music broke me down. Joe Hisaishi, indeed...

Sorrow Has A Human Heart.

I can't make sense of the lyrics, but the music is absolutely moving. A bit Gregorian though, so probably only for those more or less tuned to that genre.


Nightwish, "Sleeping Sun"





As for this one, I think most people will be able to appreciate. Simply heart-wrenching.


Diego Modena & Jean Phillipe Audin, "Implora"

Admittedly I have limited choices of streaming sources for that one, but the reason for the still-image video is that I believe in not letting visuals distract from the emotional impact, for this type. =D Would have put up an audio link if I could find a playable one without hot-linking -- much as I'm a big-time web-leech who is still apprehensive about uploading music on my own, wouldn't want to offend anyone. (Any tips on this, by the way?)


In contrast, the next one should probably be appreciated at the level of stirring chorus and beautiful lyrics. The vocals are powerful all right, but in that kinda harsh J-rock style. (And yep, it's the same band who sang the soundtracks of Ichi Rittoru no Namida.)


レミオロメン　[茜空]
Remioromen, "Akanezora"




Red Sky
(Lyrics & Music: Fujimaki Ryouta)

I awaken to the scent of spring,
that was left behind by the day before yesterday's evening moon.
In my favorite sneakers,
the cherry blossom trees have bloomed along the road that I go down.

The April insects play their song,
and it's as though my heart is shown to the tips of my ears.

Run through the flower petals that dance in the red sky,
believing only in your dreams.
The future is sparkling in your eyes;
Yes, because it's spring.

My heart is abustle, at the bed by the window,
where some cold is still left behind.
It's like I'm seeing the same emptiness that's within myself,
in someone else.

Searching frantically for the voice of my heart,
outside of the window things are faintly growing light.

Red sky, even the thin moonlight
dies out into the morning.
I want to live today, without hesitation,
because today won't come again.

Throughout my travels, I've recklessly and blindly cut, 
with the knife of ignorance.
The wounds on my heart hurt,
but I don't want that pain to subside.
Oh flames of passion, don't disappear;
Just shine.

Run through the flower petals that dance in the red sky,
believing only in your dreams.
Your eyes are the future;
So let them shine.

Red sky, in the gap between the night and morning;
Color it in the color of the loneliness at the beginning.
The future is shining in your eyes;
Yes, because it's spring.
Yes, because it's spring.

 -- Lyrics translation from Mognet. Find the complete lyrics (kanji + romaji) here.


These popped into my playlist recently, so I thought I'd log them in an entry while I remember... 'cause I recently have this crazy thought of making a grand table of my favorite songs/music, categorized by genre, with columns on video link, audio link, lyrics and translations if applicable. Kind of an "all in one place" thing that I can surf with fond remembrances when I'm in the mood..

Well, aside of the doubtful usefulness, clearly time resource is the main cause for its not happening yet. ^^0

Loving Eyes Don't Ever See

While hunting for Doumoto Tsuyoshi's amusing PVs, I came across this.

Ayado Chie & Doumoto Tsuyoshi, "When A Man Loves A Woman" (Live on Sony's Our Music 2006)




Not my usual taste of music (though I've been fine with this particular song) but this impressed me quite a lot. The emotional effect on me is much greater than the original flowy rendition. (Arguably, for this type of song, seeing it live indeed does that to people, huh.)

Ayado Chie's voice. (Yes, I like it deep no matter if it's male or female.) And such ease. I'm really going to shift slowly into soul if that's where this kind of people is hanging around. I'm sure Eka would be glad to help move this process along. XD

Doumoto Tsuyoshi, an interesting person. I'm a bit partial for him already; always thought he had bad English though =D (as did his partner). He must have practiced hard for this one because he really did fine here. Though, what's up with him instead of her singing "So this man says he loves me"? XD

Well, treating this song as a whole it was perfectly normal, and this man -- as well as many songwriters who rarely come into our attention -- did write a song from a woman's POV before. But given his history of KinKi Kids antics, it kinda caught my attention, ufu.

We all know what an evil that "related videos" feature on YouTube is, so here's another great rendition by Magdolna Ruzsa on Hungarian Idol 2006... and since I'm undecided between the original Percy Sledge's version and the more popular Michael Bolton's rendition, here is their live duet.

Speaking of soul, here is another performance that I really love despite not being into the genre (yet):

Jamie Foxx & Alicia Keys, "Georgia On My Mind" (Live on Grammy 2005)



Such power... I should have made that move into soul long ago? XD I then discovered that Ayado Chie also did a cover, in a pretty unique style too, but I'm the type who stick to the first version that impressed me, which is Alicia's.

Man, this entry is really just one big YouTube link dump, isn't it? (Well, not that big.) I'm unstoppable when excited, heh.

I'm not following American Idol this time round, though. At all. I wonder myself at this lack of enthusiasm, but indeed, weighing the aspects that draw me (music, and... uh, nothing else?) and the aspects I'm simply indifferent about (reality TV, Western show) against my current fascination with J-entertainment (very Asian, and err... unconventional? XD) -- it's pretty clear where all my time will go. ^^

Epic

Just thought this is cute. For the full effect you need to listen to the bouncy song. It was featured in Grey's Anatomy, so I suppose most people already know?

On the radio
You hear November Rain
That solo's awful long
But it's a good refrain
You listen to it twice
'cause the DJ is asleep...

Regina Spektor, "On the Radio"
Uploaded by reginaspektor



And of course, the referenced "awful long" classic.

Guns 'n Roses, "November Rain"
Uploaded by shermanshecapio



Of this type of rousing, haunting music, "Bohemian Rhapsody" came to mind -- the combination of epic melody and powerful accompaniment.

There are several other great songs which are probably close... say, "Total Eclipse of the Heart" -- feels like the level of power is not quite the same, though. "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" and "Tak Bisa Ke Lain Hati" (that I advertised some time back) are quite majestic too, but not as haunting.

In contrast, the famous "Hotel California" is definitely haunting but in a quiet, undercurrent way; and in The Fifth Element's "Diva Opera", well, the power and the haunting quality all come from Sarah Brightman's impressive voice. I'm not so much into operatic stuff (where I suppose there are more of such things?) so I don't really notice the music aside from the strategic 'bam!'-s.

Speaking of epic there is of course Meat Loaf who has been "breaking several records for chart duration", but (aside of the length factor) I think it has a lot to do with his vocal presentation and less about the full accompaniment.

Hmm... any other recommendation?

想念异乡人

异乡人
作曲 / 作词：李健
编曲：谭伊哲


披星戴月地奔波　　只为一扇窗
当你迷失在路上　　能够看见那灯光

不知不觉把他乡　　当作了故乡
只是偶尔难过时　　不经意遥望远方

曾经的乡音　　悄悄地隐藏
说不出的诺言　　一直放心上

有许多时候　　眼泪就要流
那扇窗是让我坚强的理由

小小的门口　　还有她的温柔
给我温暖陪伴我左右

Foreigner


I strive through night journeys, only for the sake of one certain window.
When you are lost along the way, you'd be able to see its light.

Without realizing, I've come to think of this foreign land as my hometown.
Only occasionally when I feel sad, I'll unconsciously gaze towards the distance.

I quietly hide my past accent;
the promise I couldn't speak out remains in my heart all the time.

The many times that my tears are about to flow,
that window is the reason that keeps me strong.

In that small entrance, her gentleness still remains,
giving me warmth and staying by my side.

---

First saw him on Chinese TV, talking about songwriting in an interview. When he said, "Because [I] lost [my] father, [I] wrote that kind of song," with the soft melody edited into the clip, he definitely caught my attention. (If I got it correctly, I think he basically meant that one should write songs on what he truly felt for.)

Tune-wise the above song is my favorite, but that song he wrote for his father is by far the most touching.

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

想念你
作曲 / 作词：李健


看夕阳徘徊在天边　　迟迟不愿落下山
天空和大地　　这一切让它留恋

你终究还是要离去　　来不及说一句
一阵风掠过　　放开还有温度的手

So I'm losing you
大海在等候　　那条河流
So I'm missing you
梦中那双手　　轻抚我的头
就像小时候

看夕阳染红了天边　　那是最后的眷恋
天空和大地　　忘不了她的陪伴

在你离开后不久以后　　升起满天的星斗
他们不知道　　曾经难受的分手

So I'm losing you
大海在等候　　那条河流
So I'm missing you
梦中那双手　　轻抚我的头
就像小时候

So I'm losing you
大海在等候　　这条河流
So I'm missing you
梦中那双手　　轻抚我的头
就像小时候

看流星划过了天边　　直到你已经走远
长长的弧线　　那时的意念　　想念

Missing You


I watch the setting sun linger at the edge of the sky, reluctant to go down the mountain.
The sky and the earth, all these are holding her back.

At the end you still have to leave, with no time for another word.
A gust of wind sweeps past, and I let go of the hand that is still warm.

So I'm losing you;
the ocean is waiting for that river.
So I'm missing you;
that pair of hands in my dream gently pats my head,
just like it did when I was a child.

I watch the setting sun paint the sky red; that is the last sentimental attachment.
The sky and the earth cannot forget her company.

Not long after you left, the stars that rise up to fill the sky
knows nothing of the sad parting in the past.

So I'm losing you;
the ocean is waiting for that river.
So I'm missing you;
that pair of hands in my dream gently pats my head,
just like it did when I was a child.

So I'm losing you;
the ocean is waiting for this river.
So I'm missing you;
that pair of hands in my dream gently pats my head,
just like it did when I was a child.

I watch the shooting star sail across the sky, until you have gone far.
The long arc [is like] the memory of that time, the longing.

Change the WorLd in 23 Days

Just watched L: Change the WorLd. So do I want to talk about it?

Actually yes. XD I mean, I've read discouraging reviews of it and still wanted to go, and without much expectation I actually enjoyed it quite well.

Eng Wah put the title as "Deathnote Spin Off: L Change The World", which disoriented me a bit when I tried to find it among titles starting with 'L'. Maybe they did it to make it recognizable as part of Deathnote... like, how many would actually know who L was if not tied with Deathnote?

Hum, that was random. At first I thought the title "Change the World" was quite 'out of it', like the way Japanese songs include irrelevant English words in their chorus, or something. A one-letter title may not be very identifiable, so they need a subtitle, I suppose? (I remember my own confusion with the J-rock band called "X".) But as with "The Last Name", I think it suits the plot pretty well after all. And I like it that this movie still maintained that "God of the new world" theme in subtext.

Was that random again? Anyway... so the movie wasn't much about wits. The climax was indeed quite run-of-the-mill, at which point I checked my watch for the first time. In my opinion it was more about Watari's importance to L, which is a good point to touch on. They deliberately drew attention to the letter 'W' in the title, too. But L being the way he was, I didn't see much of the emotions, and the heart-clinching moments I did feel was probably due to the all the background I already knew.

So... in the end it was like, one needs to know Deathnote to enjoy it, and yet it lacks all the brainy stuff that one likes from Deathnote. (I actually prefer to think of this as a movie by itself, the manga-purist that I am. Besides, L was a strong enough character to grow out of the series.) But come to think of it, the post-L Deathnote saga feels quite like this -- that is, more of the field work. (Somehow I compare this to the thinking part and the implementation part of my own research work.)

The little girl was really lovely and acted well. Her character was to my liking too (i.e. the opposite of a damsel in distress). The English-speaking characters were, erm, not preferable to be speaking English... even L. But his Spanish(?) was pretty smooth in my ears, maybe because I didn't know that language at all. XD

I don't remember if Agent Suruga has been in the Deathnote movies (i.e. the two actual Deathnote adaptations, because, as I said, this one is not Deathnote to me) but I just feel his sudden appearance lacks explanation. As he proceeded to be the comic relief, we see the purpose, but... yeah. Anyway, he was entertaining. Don't care much about the rest of the supporting characters, and in fact, the villain kha-kias were of the pointlessly violent, brainless, 'bundled' variety that I couldn't stand.

L himself was still a charmer. At least we fangirls would love the liberal serving of his adorably dorky scenes to gush at -- can't speak for others heh. Though, hm, rather sorry to say this, but I'm still not struck by Matsuyama Kenichi's charm outside of this role. (Eka said he looked old in the DramaWiki photo (indeed), so I linked to ThePPN instead.) And I'm starting to think that he gets this role working out so well exactly because he is not that prince-like type of actor. By 'prince-like' I mean someone like Takki or Kimutaku or, well, Prince. XP Though somehow the dorkiness doesn't seem to shine bright enough elsewhere...

...Yeah, now you know the kind of influences I'm subjecting myself to recently. Surprisingly though, among this bunch of teen pop idols there are some that I consider pretty good musical findings, like this Kansai group who sang really interesting songs:

Kanjani8 - Naniwa Iroha Bushi



Glad to know that for all the good looks, at least one of them does have impressive vocals. I say at least because I haven't recognized all of them yet... I say, why so many people in boybands who rarely sing more than one vocal parts? XP But Hady explained that it was to trap more fans across wider tastes, and I suppose I'm indeed victim to such a scheme, true enough.

Hum, jump of topic, but if I really try to tie this in, another one of the Kanjani8 boys is the guy who (sort of) gets the girl MatsuKen (sort of) dumps in Ichi Rittoru, so there. =D