. . . rambling thots . . .

Celine Dion is coming here to KL this April 08!!!
It's for her Taking Chances World Tour Concert.

I'm definitely going!!!

The tickets are selling like hotcakes!!! Gotta be quick!

What do you think of that poetry?
Personally, I find it beautiful, like the flower itself.

Reading it at one go, I find myself falling in love with it.
Reading it again, trying to distinguish the best out of the many lines are difficult when every line is wonderful in its own way.

Like these...
"Even after I’m reborn I shall be a flower close to you"
"If everything is going to fade one day, we should appreciate each other more"
"Becoming stronger by loving one; Overcoming things by believing in one"
... i can go on and on...

If it is this beautiful after translated in English, I can't imagine how the poem would be in Japanese (cuz that's the original language that it is written)!

*Yeah... I do have this fascination with the Japanese language...*

You might realise this by now.

This poem is actually the lyric to the song "Hana" by Orange Range (オレンジレンジ).



I first heard of this band somewhere last year through their song "Asterisk" which is the opening song for my fav anime "Bleach". But I only found out about "Hana" accidently over the web when I was looking for Bleach OST's mp3s to download.

If you've ever listened to their songs, which are mostly uptempo and rock/techno-like (I might be wrong here), and looking at their appearances, it's a bit difficult to digest that this song was written by them. EverytimeI looked at their pictures, the word "Pop Shuvit", the Malaysian band who incidently managed to penetrate the Japanese market, comes across my mind.

Orange Range (formed in 2001) has released 8 albums and 19 singles to date. HANA, which is their 9th single released in 2004, sold over 1,000,000 copies and won them 2 awards for :-

• MTV Video Music Award Japan 2005 for Best Video of the Year: Hana
• Japan Gold Disc Award 2005 as Artist of The Year : "Hana"

In case you're wondering what the song sounds like, you can listen to it on my Playlist (in the column to the right).


HANA (花)
by Orange Range

Hanabira no youni chiriyuku naka de
Yume mitai ni kimi ni deaeta KISEKI
Aishiatte KENKA shita
Ironna kabe futari de norikoete
Umare kawatte mo anata no soba de hana ni narou

Itsumade mo aru no darou ka ORE no maue ni aru taiyou wa
Itsumade mo mamori kireru darou ka naki warai okoru kimi no hyoujou wo
Izure subete nakunaru no naraba futari no deai ni motto kansha shiyou
Ano hi ano toki ano basho no KISEKI wa
Mata atarashii kiseki wo umu darou

Aisuru koto de tsuyoku naru koto shinjiru koto de norikireru koto
Kimi ga nokoshita MONO wa ima mo mune ni hora kagayaki ushinawazu ni
Shiawase ni omou meguri aeta koto ORE no egao torimodoseta koto
“Arigatou” afureru kimochi idaki susumu michinori

*Hanabira no youni chiriyuku naka de
Yume mitai ni kimi ni deaeta KISEKI
Aishiatte KENKA shite
Ironna kabe futari de norikoete
Umare kawatte mo anata ni aitai

**Hanabira no youni chitte yuku koto
Kono sekai de subete uke irete yukou
Kimi ga boku ni nokoshita MONO
“Ima” to iu genjitsu no takaramono
Dakara boku wa seiippai ikite hana ni narou

Hana wa nande kareru no darou
Tori wa nande toberu no darou
Kaze wa nande fuku no darou
Tsuki wa nande akariterasu no

Naze BOKU wa KOKO ni iru n darou
Naze KIMI wa KOKO ni iru n darou
Naze KIMI deaeta n darou
KIMI ni deaeta koto sore wa unmei

Ame agari niji kakari ao arashi ni umareshi hikari
Koko ni yuruginai taisetsuna mono
Kidzuite’ru “aisuru” to iu koto
Mada arukeru darou? mieteru n da mou
“Omoi” toki wo koe toowa ni hibike
Kimi no yorokobi kimi no itami kimi no subete yo
Saa saki hokore motto motto motto


Alright. That's all for now.

I'm off to my first Jazzercise class (after 3 years since my last class!) trying to pick up the momentum again.

Well, so much for my effort to save $$$ for Spain!

2 down.

at least 8 more to go!

kanbate-ne!


Poison
Sung/Lyrics by: Sorimachi Takashi
Composition: Inoue Shinjirou
Arrangement: Yoshida Ken

itsu made mo shinjite-itai
Always, I want to keep believing...

saigo made omoi-tsudzuketai [1]
Until the very end, I want to keep thinking...

jibun wa ikiru imi ga aru hazu to
that there has to be some meaning to my life.

sameta me de waraikakete'ru
Smiling with a cold glare

tamashii wo okasareta yatsu
Do guys who have had their very soul violated

namida wo nagasu itami wa aru no kai?
really feel the pain of shedding tears?

iitai koto mo ienai konna yo no naka ja
In this kind of world where you can't say what you want,

Poison


ore wa ore wo damasu koto naku ikite-yuku [2]
I'll go on with my life, still being true to myself

Oh Oh


massugu mukiau ima ni [3]
In this moment we face it head-on,

hokori wo motsu tame ni
we have to fight

tatakau koto mo hitsuyou na no sa
in order to keep our pride.

kaidan ni suwarikonde
Sitting on the stairs,

owaranai yume no hanashi wo
we went on talking of unending dreams

yo ga akeru made katari-tsudzuketa
until the break of dawn.

sarigenaku kisetsu wa kawari
The seasons change casually

muishiki ni shisen wo otoshi
I unconsciously drop my eyes

nagasareru koto ni narete-yuku no ka
Am I really getting used to being swept along?


chiisa na yume mo mirenai konna yo no naka ja
In this kind of world where you can't have even small dreams,

Poison

jibun rashisa zutto itsudemo suki de itai
I want to always, always be able to like being who I am.

Oh Oh


jiyuu ni ikite'ku hibi wo
I want to cherish

taisetsu ni shitai kara
each day I can live freely, so

ikitai michi wo ima arukidasu
I'll walk whatever path I want.


kitanai uso ya kotoba de ayatsuraretakunai
I don't want to be manipulated by filthy lies and words.

Poison


sunao na kimochi kara me wo sorashitakunai
I don't want to turn away from my true feelings.

iitai koto mo ienai konna yo no naka ja
In this kind of world where you can't say what you want,

Poison


ore wa ore wo damasu koto naku ikite-yuku
I'll go on with my life, being true to myself.

Oh Oh


massugu mukiau ima ni
In this moment we face it head-on,

hokori wo motsu tame ni
we have to fight

tatakau koto mo hitsuyou na no sa
in order to keep our pride.

**************************
[1] Or "feeling" or "dreaming"
[2] Literally, "not deceiving myself"
[3] "ima" (now) is the reading given for the kanji for genjitsu (truth, reality)

went to watch My Chemical Romance's concert with Joe last Sunday at Stadium Merdeka (I think the Stdm was renovated cuz it looked more open or cleaner somehow).

it started to drizzle as soon as we entered the venue. the crowd was still small as most are still lining up outside. one buck short was performing as one of the opening act, followed by pop shuvit around 7ish pm.

we bought the rm115 valued tix for rm103 because of the XPAX 30% discount. from where we stand, i couldn't see a thing bcuz i am a bit on the short side. or perhaps bcuz the people standing in front of me mostly are taller. Joe had no problem as she's tall too. i didn't mind though as long as i can here MCR sings!

after the opeining acts, MCR came on stage about 45 minutes later which i think was very late and most of the crowd were already restlessly waiting in the rain.


clad in all blacks clothing and gothic (or rather panda-like) make up, their performance to me was so-so. their songs were a bit hard to follow along even if you have spent a month memorising their songs.

don't get me wrong. i love MCR's songs. i listen to it on my way to work and i kept it on repeat mode everyday.

perhaps having watched Linkin Park and Gwen's performance in their Msia's concerts, MCR failed to meet my expectations.

or it might also be the crowd. they weren't just that LOUD enough for me. after MCR finished singing each song, there'll be this stretch of silence. to the extent that i shouted "people, make some noise lah!!!". but, the silent still remains.

oklah the crowd around me (plus moi), did jump and sang along when Gerard sang. getting your foot stepped on, or being pushed around or head hit on by someone's hand that's normal in a concert. i don't mind that much (just as long as you don't grind you body to mine).

but some people don't share my sentiment.

joe got into a quarrel with this one guy who scolded her for apparently pushing him. man, that guy's stupid or what! that's bound to happen la... what do you expect? you're in a concert for god sake! if you don't like it, get out and go to a library or something@! kesian kak joe... tak semena-mena...


back to the concert...

well, sound system's a bit bad also.

so, all in all.... OK LAH...

i came home with achy feet, neck and shoulder. but i didn't lose my voice!

my idea of a GREAT concert is when i lose my voice from screaming, not just singing along with the songs... hehehhee

Poison - Takashi Sorimachi
Hana - Orange Range
Ikenai Taiyou - Orange Range
D-TechnoLife - UVERworld
Number One - Hazel Fernandes
Life Is Like A Boat - Rie Fu
Norul Saranghae - Han Dong Joon
Sad Song - Inger Marie Gundersen
White Love Story - As One

you can see the influence of JDorama/SoDorama just by looking at my Playlist. But, for sure, I totally dig music from Orange Range. gonna try to find their albums, if possible.

Spare me some of your time. read my rantings on my current state...

...listening to
recently, i find myself listening almost-24-7 to Maroon 5's latest album. Not few songs, I LOVE THEM ALL!!!

there's that feel to it... retro.

unlike, their previous album, i sensed their music somewhat matured.


so what if RollingStone reviewed it only 3 and a half stars!

...fretting about
mainly, $$$.

i'm dead-broke. luckily, pay-day is approaching very soon. and i'm already thinking of buying this and that i.e. SLR, external hard disc, new office attire, those So/jDorama boxsets etc.

but then again, those thoughts are always overridden by the reality that i have some more debts to clear off. the usuals; credit cards (must make those 'cheti' stop pestering me), maintenance fees. as Destiny's Child aptly put it, "bills, bills, bills!"

in addition, i'm going for that trip with Cik Tinn, Roy n Jal soon. and i need spending money for that too!

also, there's that My Chemical Romance's concert this Dec 9th at Stadium Merdeka...

i need to do something about this money problem of mine.
something to enable me to stretch me pockets a bit more every month.
if not, i must try to constrain my "wants" for things i could not afford, right?

so many things to buy/pay, so little money.

what else i've been thinking lately...?

oh... my annual overseas trip for 2008.

huh! yeah, even with my current financial situation, i can still think about this. i must. this is my getaway-from-work-time that is really necessary in order to release work-related tensions.

for the past 2-3 years, Indonesia has been my frequent destination. Yogya-Jakarta-Bandung-Lampung-Solo.

although the memories of those trips are DEFINITELY PRICELESS, i need to broaden my horizon, open my eyes/mind to new places/cultures, spread my wings to places i've never stepped foot before.

a trip for personal/pleasure. not for business. although, i don't mind being sent overseas once in a while.

2008, i'm thinking Dubai or Australia or China.

Why?

Dubai; my cousin's husband has recently been sent for work there for 3-years. and per normal practice each year they'll be given a paid for return ticket to Malaysia. my cousin said, that ticket, if her hubby decides not go use it, he's giving to her to come to Dubai instead. i'm thinking, and already told her my intention, if this is so, i want to join her as well.

Australia; guess it's the right time to go, since AirAsia has just extended their service there (is this true?). actually this year, i was trying to get the Bank to send me for a 5-days training there. it didn't quite work out my way. anyway... in Australia, i'm thinking of visiting their popular Australia Zoo, see their Zoo staff in action. even before the demise of Irwin, i very much wanted to go there and see him in action. too late now, right? i still wanna go.

China;Simple. Cheap stuff!

Whatever it is, wherever it may be, i need to start saving for the trip now.

...trying to do to loose these fats
i've enrolled myself in an FOC Personal Training Program here in the Bank. it's been a month or so now but i've only attended not more than 5 sessions.

and the pounds are starting to pile up.

i must start disciplining myself. i must get back into the momentum.
recall what was it that motivated me to lose those 5 kilos, which i have now re-gain (urggh!!!), the first half of 2007.

Chaiyo! Kanbare! Aja-aja fighting!

...finding time to revamp the blog's layout
i'm getting bored of this current (standard) layout. one of these days have to find time to revamp it.


so.... that is it from me... for now...


I Won't Go Home Without You
by Maroon 5

asked her to stay but she wouldn't listen
She left before I had the chance to say (Oh)
The words that would mend the things that were broken
But now it's far too late, she's gone away

Every night you cry yourself to sleep
Thinking: "Why does this happen to me?
Why does every moment have to be so hard?"
Hard to believe that

It's not over tonight
Just give me one more chance to make it right
I may not make it through the night
I won't go home without you

The taste of your breath, I'll never get over
The noises that you made kept me awake (Oh)
The weight of things that remaind unspoken
Built up so much it crushed us everyday

Of all the things I felt but never really shown
Perhaps the worst is that I ever let you go
I should not ever let you go

And I won't go home without you

Nobody knows who I really am
I never felt this empty before
And if I ever need someone to come along
Who's gonna comfort me and keep me strong?

We are all rowing the boat of fate
The waves keep on comin' and we can't escape
But if we ever get lost on our way
The waves would guide you thru another day

Tookude iki wo shiteru toumei ni nattamitai
遠くで息をしてる　透明になったみたい
[Far away, I'm breathing, as if I were transparent]

Kurayami ni omoe takedo mekaku shisarete tadake
暗闇に思えたけど　目隠しされてただけ
[It would seem I was in the dark, but I was only blindfolded]

Inori wo sasagete atarashii hi wo matsu
祈りをささげて　新しい日を待つ
[I give a prayer as I wait for the new day]

Azayaka ni hikaru umi sono hate made
鮮やかに　光る海　その果てまで
[Shining vividly up to the edge of that sea]

Nobody knows who I really am
Maybe they just don't give a damn
But if I ever need someone to come along
I know you would follow me, and keep me strong

Hito no kokoro wa utsuri yuku nukedashita kunaru
人の心はうつりゆく　抜け出したくなる
[People's hearts change and sneak away from them]

Tsuki wa mata atarashii shuuki de fune wo tsureteku
つきはまた新しい周期で　舟を連れてく
[The moon in its new cycle leads the boats again]

And every time I see your face,
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars,
And soon I can see the shore

Oh, I can see the shore
When will I.... see the shore?

I want you to know who I really am
I never thought I'd feel this way towards you
And if you ever need someone to come along
I will follow you, and keep you strong

Tabi wa mada tsudzuiteku odayakana hi mo
旅はまだ続いてく　穏やかな日も
[And still the journey continues on quiet days as well]

Tsuki wa mata atarashii shuuki de fune wo terashidasu
つきはまた新しい周期で　舟を照らし出す
[The moon in its new cycle shines on the boats again]

Inori wo sasagete atarashii hi wo matsu
祈りをささげて　新しい日を待つ
[I give a prayer as I wait for the new day]

Azayaka ni hikaru umi sono hate made
鮮やかに　光る海　その果てまで
[Shining vividly up to the edge of that sea]

And every time I see your face,
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars,
And soon I can see the shore

Unmei no fune wo kogi nami wa tsugi kara tsugi e to
運命の船を漕ぎ 波は次から次へと
[We are rowing the boat of fate,]

Watashitachi wo osou kedo
私たちを襲うけど
[but the waves keep attacking us]

Sore mo suteki na tabi ne
それも素敵な旅ね
[But isn't that still a wonderful journey?]

Dore mo suteki na tabi ne
どれも素敵な旅ね
[Aren't any of them a wonderful journey?]

damn! it's such a wonderful, wonderful life!

haven't had this much fun since... i can't remember when
haven't shouted and screamed to the top of my lungs since... forever

ada masa aku menjerit tu, rasa macam nak patah backbone and meletup kepala aku nih!
hahaha....

tapi seronok giler!
it was a great night!

even better when i got photo ops with THE man of me dream. he's thiner than last time saw him at AIM (was it? one of those award shows lah!). guessed it's bcoz of that "issue". but my advice to him, "good riddence, Hans"!

ps: last weekend dreamed of him, actually. came to my house untuk kenduri doa selamat, wearing songkok and all, bersila-ing near the door. hehehehe! patut la...

i guess nih je lah satu-satunya lagu melayu Msia yg can make me teared up tiap kali tgk vdo clip dia... buat masa nih la...

Izin Ku Pergi
by: Kaer

Sinaran mata
Cerita segalanya
Duka lara terpendam
Memori semalam

Tinggal segala cinta
Tiada kembalinya
Lama dikasih kita
Kau bawa bersama

Mimpi indah mekar
Saat cinta bersemi
Sedetik asmara syurga
Selamanya

(Korus)
Pergilah rinduku
Hilangkan dirimu
Tak sanggup menanggung
Derita dikalbuku

Pergilah sayangku
Bermula semula
Semangat cintaku
Membara kerana dia
Tiada niatku

Tersemat dijiwa
Setia bersamanya
Cinta murni berdua
Beribu teguhnya

Maafkan aku duhai kasih
Izinkan ku pergi