Mad World

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow

And I find it kinda funny
I find it kinda sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very mad world, mad world

Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
Made to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me

And I find it kinda funny
I find it kinda sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very mad world, mad world

一次次地跌倒，又一次次地爬起来。一次次的希望，又一次次的失望。一次次的踌躇，又一次次的挺进。真的好想平平坦坦，无忧无虑地走下去。但，能吗？

C'est la vie. 这就是人生。

２００８年北海道旅行の思い出

３か月前に、私は日本語を解りませんでした。でも、今日本語をできます。毎日２時間くらいに日本語勉強をしています。大変ですが,止めると思う時がありません。日本語はとても面白いので,日本語勉強を続けたいです。下は私が書く去年の北海道旅行の思い出です。

私は家族と去年１２月に北海道に行きました。私たちは函館、登別、小樽と札幌に行きました。冬の北海道はとても綺麗です。私は写真をたくさん撮りました。何処も白く軟らか雪ありました。雪で遊んだ時でとても愉しかったです。私はあそこで友達ができました。

私たちはケーブルカーで函館山を登って、函館夜景を見ました。函館山上に寒かったですが、私たちが見た夜景はとても綺麗でした。晩に、私たちは函館のビールを買いに行きました。あのビールは美味しかったです。

私たちも北海道料理を食べました。北海道の鮭がたくさんいます。毎日鮭を食べたので、私は鮭がちょっと嫌いに成りました。でも、北海道の牛乳とアイスクリームはとても甘いので、私は大好きです。

そして、私は日本温泉好きです。登別で初めて温泉に行った時、私はちょっと心配でしたが、段々リラックスしました。風呂の中に暖かが、静かでした、良いリラックスする場所です。

小樽に行った時は雨の日です。小樽は小さく可愛い町です。あそこのチョコレートとチーズケーキはとても美味しかったです。

札幌は小樽から近いです、バスで１時間くらいにかかります。札幌は賑やかに大きい都市です。デパートや商店街がたくさんあります、地下商店街は混んでいました。私たちは買い物をしました。そして、私たちは有名に札幌ラーメンを食べました。あのラーメンは美味しく温かかったです。

東京に帰った飛行機に乗る前に、私たちは新千歳空港の近くにあるレラモールに行きました。あそこの商品はとても安いです。私はあそこで２枚T－シャツを買いました。レラモールを出たの時は夕方になりました。新千歳空港で飛行機に乗って東京羽田空港に行きました。

次日はこの旅行の終わるの日でした。シンガポールに帰った飛行機は夕方でしたから、成田を歩いて回っていました。成田山お寺に観に行きました。あのお寺は大きく賑やかかったです。お寺の辺りに小さいチーズケーキ店があります。この店が売れるチーズケーキは美味しいです。この店の店員もとても親切でした。そろそろバスで成田空港に行って、飛行機に乗って日本を出発しました。

この北海道旅行はとても愉しかったです。でも、私は雪が蔽うを見た事がありませんでした。ちょっと残念でした。今年北海道に行きたいです、雪を見たいです！

This is an experimental post in itself, to see how much I can write in Japanese alone. I'm quite surprised I can write a 1000-character essay! But definitely I can improve much more on my limited vocabulary and immature grammar...

I love this mv...so cool! Must look at the reactions of the audience, especially the dad holding the camcorder. Lol. Way to go Coldplay!

Plus, check out this guy's rendition of the same song. He's real talented I must say. He definitely earns my applause.

And yup, this blog's title comes from this song. =)

To start off this "new" blog, I decided to post the following clip.

I guess many of us have seen it before. I remember the 1st time I saw this video was last year when I was in Perth. It was a chilly morning and I had just woken up, having breakfast in my apartment room and watching the morning news programme. Then, they aired this video.

And I was awestruck. Blown away by the beauty that was showed in this video. And perhaps a tinge of jealousy towards Matt. "Damn! Lucky guy! Got to travel to so many places! I've got to do that in the future too!"

But you got to admit - it's a superb video. NASA even posted this video on their website under "Astronomy Picture of the Day" (where's the link between "astronomy", "picture" and the video, I have no idea though) and stated that few people can watch this video and not smile.

It can't be anymore truer.

How can you not be moved by scenes of people around the world dancing to the same music accompaniment, with looks of joy and peace on their faces? How can you not be moved by the many background scenes displaying the wonderous landscapes of our home Earth?

This video really shows that music and dance can surpass the barriers of language and race and unite the people of the world. Sounds like a easy dummy-proof recipe for world peace. But turn on the news now and you will see reports of violence and conflicts around the world. There are no scenes of joy and serenity in these reports. Only anguish and hurt.

We have a long way to go.

I am thinking when one day aliens finally make contact with us, this will be THE video that we will beam up to them and let them see. There can't be any thing more appropriate than this. Perhaps that's the motive behind NASA putting up this video on their website. If aliens are monitoring NASA website that is...

And I must talk about the song in the video. It is titled "Praan" and the lyrics are in Bengali. It's perfect accompaniment to the scenes. Hearing it, you can't help but feel a soaring hope and upliftment within yourself. And do read the lyrics. They are indeed meaningful.

Stream of Life

The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day, runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth in numberless blades of grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth and of death, in ebb and in flow.

I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life. And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.