[Music] Alan Tam - Love in Deep Autumn

1. Alan Tam, who is affectionately known as "Principal Tam", is the doyen of Cantopop.

I hate to use an uncommon word such as "doyen", but it seems appropriate to describe Alan Tam's standing in the Cantopop community.

According to Merriam-Webster, "doyen" means:

(a) The senior member of a body or group, or

(b) A person considered to be knowledgeable or uniquely skilled as a result of long experience in some field of endeavor.


2. Alan Tam indeed has long experiences in Cantopop.

He started out singing in the late 1960s by forming the band "The Wynners".

The Wynners was disbanded and then reformed in 1973.

Although no longer active as a group since 1978, remarkably, The Wynners have been holding five years reunion concerts ever since - the latest one being in 2010.

This testifies to the friendship between the five members of the band.


3. Alan Tam has a very successful career ever since the members of The Wynners went their separate ways.

In my opinion, Alan Tam's career has peaked more than once in the 1980s and 1990s.

"Love in Deep Autumn" ("愛在深秋") was one of those peaks; it came out in 1984 and has won many awards.

It was also collected in the album "The Root of Love" ("愛的根源"); "The Root of Love" is one of the most beloved album by Alan Tam's fans.


4. A search in YouTube yields many instances of this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9CWH_mBJYI

I like this video, which was apparently shot in South Korea.


5. I like the musical accompaniment for this version from 2008:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcSPYcouAlE


6. Alan Tam in concert:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE8PhoU576g


7. Deep autumn and Canadian maple leaves:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG8yxt6MH0Q

They go together.


8. Alan Tam and Hacken Lee:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdATsmS5Rro

This video is from their "Left Alan Right Hacken" ("左麟右李") tour?

Very nice arrangement of the song.


9. Alan Tam in concert in Hong Kong in 2010:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUUL0QG0-ug

Alan Tam was born in 1950.

His voice is still very good at 60 years old.

Actually, I like this version better than his 1984 version.


10. Alan Tam performing on China's CCTV in 2011 Mid-Autumn Festival celebration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4jdfAi-aGc

Very nicely done.


11. Alan Tam performed this song as recently as January 23, 2012 at Heilongjiang Province, China:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlMGNhlaelo


12. I have no doubt that he was enjoying himself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPW71FmHZnQ

And that is good enough.


13. Priscilla Chan covering the song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7mTLw61hk

Priscilla is a very good singer.

I just wish the quality of the video is better.


14. A violin cover:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2gx-zqxV7s

Very nice.


15. A cover by Michiko:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WypV5RL0fCI

Michiko is apparently Japanese and not a native speaker of Cantonese.

But good effort.


16. A cover with guitar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdFFCNzpbsM

I can feel that he has an emotional grasp for this song.

Very good.


17. A silly rock version by Alan Tam and Hins Cheung:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVoW9inI_58

But one must has to have a sense of humor.


18. A cover version sung in Putonghua:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDie0jgGjD8

The heading in YouTube said the singer is unknown ("佚名").

I suspect this is one of those "pirated" version produced in the cheap in China.

The lyrics are slightly modified from the Cantonese original; maybe this is due to the difference in pronunciation between the two Chinese dialects.

I enjoy this version anyway.


19. Another cover version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbj6p9r914U

His voice is not bad; but I agree with some of the comments in YouTube that his emotional interpretation of this song is wrong.


20. Very nice instrumental:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZdtGKRH_L4

Highly recommended!

According to the uploader, the photo is of Dalian, Liaoning Province, China.

Maybe that is where he / she is from?

 
21. The Lyrics in Traditional Chinese:


譚詠麟 - 愛在深秋

如果   命裡早註定分手
無需   為我假意挽留
如果   情是永恒不朽
怎會分手

* 以後   讓我倚在深秋
回憶   逝去的愛在心頭
回憶   在記憶中的我
今天曾淚流

# 請抬頭   抹去舊事
不必有我   不必有你
愛是可發不可收
你是可愛到永遠
我是真心捨不得你走

@ 有日   讓你倚在深秋
回憶   別去的我在心頭
回憶   在這一刻的你
也曾淚流

Repeat * # @


22. The Lyrics in Simplified Chinese:


谭咏麟 - 爱在深秋

如果   命里早注定分手
无需   为我假意挽留
如果   情是永恒不朽
怎会分手

* 以后   让我倚在深秋
回忆   逝去的爱在心头
回忆   在记忆中的我
今天曾泪流

# 请抬头   抹去旧事
不必有我   不必有你
爱是可发不可收
你是可爱到永远
我是真心舍不得你走

@ 有日   让你倚在深秋
回忆   别去的我在心头
回忆   在这一刻的你
也曾泪流

Repeat * # @


23. Names, Words and Phrases:

Alan Tam (Traditional Chinese: 譚詠麟; Simplified Chinese: 谭咏麟).

Dalian (Traditional: 大連; Simplified: 大连).

Hacken Lee (Traditional: 李克勤; Simplified: 李克勤).

Heilongjiang (Traditional: 黑龍江; Simplified: 黑龙江).

Hins Cheung (Traditional: 張敬軒; Simplified: 张敬轩).

Liaoning (Traditional: 遼寧; Simplified: 辽宁).

Mid-Autumn Festival (Traditional: 中秋節; Simplified: 中秋节).

"Principal Tam" (Traditional: 譚校長; Simplified: 谭校长).

Priscilla Chan (Traditional: 陳慧嫻; Simplified: 陈慧娴).

The Wynners (Traditional: 溫拿; Simplified: 温拿).


References:

"Alan Tam", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Tam
(accessed 2012-01-31).

"The Wynners", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wynners
(accessed 2012-01-31).

"譚詠麟", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hant/%E8%AD%9A%E8%A9%A0%E9%BA%9F
(accessed 2012-01-31).

"愛的根源", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hant/%E6%84%9B%E7%9A%84%E6%A0%B9%E6%BA%90
(accessed 2012-01-31).

End.

[Opinion] Mitt Romney and his 13.9% Tax Rate

1. This post is not about the Republican nomination for US President.

It is less about the 2012 US Presidential Election.

This post is about the politics of envy and about how the US media reports it.


2. Bloomberg is a pro-business website.

Yet it starts off a report on Mitt Romney's 2010 Tax Return with the following (Rubin and Drucker 2012): Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s 2010 tax returns and the 13.9 percent rate he paid highlight how wealthy investors can use the preferential treatment of income classified as capital gains and dividends to minimize payments to the U.S. government.

Is income from capital and investment given "preferential" tax treatment?

It is true that business income is taxed at a lower rate than employment income, but there is nothing unfair about that in principle.


3. I am not familiar with the US tax system, but I suppose that the principle of taxation underlying the US tax system is sufficiently similar to our Canadian system to justify the following comments.

The Bloomberg piece reports (Rubin and Drucker 2012): The Romneys earned $21.6 million in 2010 and paid $3 million in income taxes. More than half of the former Massachusetts governor’s earnings were considered capital gains and dividends, which are taxed at a top rate of 15 percent rather than the 35 percent top rate for ordinary income. His campaign released the returns yesterday.

I suppose what Bloomberg called "ordinary income" is your everyday employment income.

So business income is taxed at a top rate of 15% and employment income is taxed at a top rate of 35% in the US.

Since business income is taxed at a much lower rate than employment income, therefore business income has been given "preferential" tax treatment.

Is it true that business income has been given preferential tax treatment and therefore the 15% top tax rate is unfair?

Arguably not.


4. A business is any undertaking in the nature of "an adventure or concern in the nature of trade."

As an adventure, there are risks associated with a business undertaking.

Depending on the nature of the adventure, the risks can be quite substantial.

Making a profit is not a sure thing - it can be very risky.

In contrast, the risks involved in employment income are much less.

One can usually depend on employment income to provide for oneself and one's family.

Recognizing the difference in risks between business and employment income, the two types of income are treated differently from a tax perspective.

One can argue about the top rate for each type of income, but I do not believe there is anything unfair about treating them differently.


5. I have seen a business owner in his fifties crying his heart out before his bankruptcy officer.

It was not a pretty sight.

To those who think business income has been given a "preferential" tax treatment: Let's see you start a business and see how you fair.


Reference:

Richard Rubin and Jesse Drucker. 2012. Romney’s 13.9% Tax Rate Shows Power of Investment Tax Preference. Bloomberg. January 25.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-24/romney-paid-13-9-percent-tax-rate-on-21-6-million-2010-income.html
(accessed 2012-01-25).

End.

[Music] Chyi Yu - A Bird and A Fish

1. The first time I listened to the music of Chyi Yu I find her voice strange and unusual, but before long I was mesmerized by her voice.

Maybe because of her Buddhist beliefs, there is something other-worldly about her singing.

There is something ethereal about her voice.


2. Chyi Yu was born in Taiwan and her mother is ethnically Manchurian.

Her younger brother Chyi Chin is also a singer / song writer.

Chyi Yu began her career in the late 1970s and she has been active until now.

Although she sang many love songs, many of her songs have other themes such as about nature - about birds and animals and fish and trees.

Does this have anything to do with her having a Master Degree from UCLA in Anthropology?

In the early to mid-2000s, she released a few albums with Buddhist theme.

Do not miss out on her English songs either.

She sang many English folk songs along the lines of Joan Baez and Peter, Paul and Mary.

In my opinion, she sings as well as any of them.


3. "A Bird and A Fish" ("飛鳥和魚") is one of her songs with a nature theme.

Chyi Yu wrote the music for this song and her younger brother Chyi Chin wrote the lyrics.

(Errata: February 3, 2012 - It was the other way around. Chyi Chin wrote the music and Chyi Yu wrote the lyrics.)

The lyrics are ostensibly about a bird and a fish, but there are many associations and imageries that come to mind when listening to this song.

There are many layers of meaning.

A search in YouTube yields a few instances of this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2v2VofGJ9hM

I like this video; the video expresses and explain the music and lyrics very well.


4. This version is a different instance of the previous video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4q3jGJ846Y


5. Chyi Yu in concert:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axps5x0_AaI

So ethereal!


6. This video is consisted of a static photo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_olgkBFB1A


7. A cover version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpLdGuHDOTk

Not bad.


8. Another cover version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvyZ2PI_SFU

Quite good.

But the background is inappropriate for this song.

This song is not meant to be sung in a sidewalk.


9. Echoing a comment in YouTube, I like this video too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm-tD2izy90

As to the singing: good attempt, but need polishing.


10. A cover in a singing competition:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzNOYv34Hgg

Good try.


11. The Lyrics in Traditional Chinese:


飛鳥與魚 - 齊豫

我是魚   你是飛鳥
要不是你一次失速流離
要不是我一次張望關注
哪來這一場   不被看好的眷與戀

你勇敢   我宿命
你是一隻可以四處棲息的鳥
我是一尾早已沒了體溫的魚
藍的天   藍的海
難為了   難為了我和你

什麼天地啊！ 四季啊！ 晝夜啊！
什麼海天一色
地獄天堂   暮鼓晨鐘
Always Together   Forever Apart
Always Together   Forever Apart

什麼天地啊！ 四季啊！ 晝夜啊！
什麼海天一色
地獄天堂   暮鼓晨鐘
Always Together   Forever Apart
Always Together   Forever Apart

睡不著的夜   醒不來的早晨
春天的花如何得知秋天的果
今天的不堪如何原諒昨日的昏盲
飛鳥如何去愛
怎麼會愛上水裡的魚

飛鳥和魚
飛鳥   飛鳥和魚


12. The Lyrics in Simplified Chinese:


飞鸟与鱼 - 齐豫

我是鱼   你是飞鸟
要不是你一次失速流离
要不是我一次张望关注
哪来这一场   不被看好的眷与恋

你勇敢   我宿命
你是一只可以四处栖息的鸟
我是一尾早已没了体温的鱼
蓝的天 蓝的海
难为了   难为了我和你

什么天地啊！ 四季啊！ 昼夜啊！
什么海天一色
地狱天堂 暮鼓晨钟
Always Together   Forever Apart
Always Together   Forever Apart

什么天地啊！ 四季啊！ 昼夜啊！
什么海天一色
地狱天堂 暮鼓晨钟
Always Together   Forever Apart
Always Together   Forever Apart

睡不着的夜   醒不来的早晨
春天的花如何得知秋天的果
今天的不堪如何原谅昨日的昏盲
飞鸟如何去爱
怎么会爱上水里的鱼

飞鸟和鱼
飞鸟   飞鸟和鱼


13. Names, Words and Phrases

Chyi Yu (Traditional Chinese: 齊豫; Simplified Chinese: 齐豫).

Chyi Chin (Traditional: 齊秦; Simplified: 齐秦).


References:

"Chyi Yu", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chyi_Yu
(accessed 2012-01-22).

"齊豫", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh/%E9%BD%8A%E8%B1%AB
(accessed 2012-01-22).

"齐豫", Baidu,
http://baike.baidu.com/view/4552.htm
(accessed 2012-01-22).

End.

[Opinion] How to Write a Critical Essay

1. There is method to essays writing.

The best brief statement on how to write a critical essay that I know of is by Joseph Agassi.

Agassi wrote that he learned the method from his thesis advisor Sir Karl Popper and the statement of the method is buried as an aside in a book review by Agassi.


2. Adapted from (Agassi [1974] 1988, 287):

(a) Start with a problem.

• Explain why the problem is important.
• Explain what is puzzling about the problem.
• Explain any relevant background information to the problem.

(b) Present the past solutions to the problem as best as one can, thus paying one's predecessors all the due they deserve.

• Optional: Try to improve past solutions as best as one can.

(c) Show the fault of past solutions.

(d) Optional: Present one's solution.

(e) Optional: Show that one's solution is immune to the criticism leveled against previous solutions.

(f) Optional: If there are previous solutions not yet validly criticized and one is offering a new solution, then discuss the variance between the solutions and its possible import.


3. "Popper's Hopeful Monsters: A thicket of Misconceptions" is a review of Objective Knowledge: An Evolutionary Approach, by Karl R. Popper (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1972) and first appeared in Philosophia, 4, 1974 under the title, "Postscript: The Futility of Fighting the Philistines".


Reference:

Agassi, Joseph. [1974] 1988. Popper's Hopeful Monsters: A Thicket of Misconceptions. In The Gentle Art of Philosophical Polemics, 281-313. La Salle, Illinois: Open Court Publishing Company.

End.

[Music] Julie Su - Yes or Nay?

1. The title of this song in Traditional Chinese is: "是否".

"是" means yes; "否" means no or not.

As use, "是否" is meant to pose a question.

I have seen three different English translations of the title in YouTube:

(a) Is it true?

(b) Whether?

(c) Whether or Not?

The first two are very good translations.

The "or Not" in the third translation I find unnecessary.

I like to suggest a fourth translation for the song title: "Yes or Nay?”

Not: "Yes or No?", "Yea or Nay?", or "Yea or No?”

But: "Yes or Nay?”


2. Julie Su is from Taiwan and she started her singing career in 1968 as a lounge singer in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Julie caught her break in 1983 by singing the theme songs for the Taiwan movie "Papa, Can You Hear Me Sing?”

After that, her career just exploded for the next 10 years or so.

Julie Su's musical influence was not limited to Hong Kong and Taiwan, but has reached mainland China and the Chinese diaspora as well.

Julie Su puts a lot of feelings into her songs and her singing style has been compared to American soul music.


3. "Yes or Nay?" is a Mandarin Chinese song.

A search in YouTube yields many instances of this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id7PEifn4xU

Very, very, very nice.


4. A slower version of the song by Julie Su:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zadwqyPTol8


5. A cover version by Sally Yeh:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57enxW1A-eA

Bravo!

Sally's interpretation of this song is quite distinct from that of Julie.

Both are excellent.


6. A cover version by Lo Ta-yu:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjCLDetnCUc

Lo Ta-yu composed both the music and lyrics of this song.


7. A piano cover:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKaDJDq0Zfo


8. A karaoke version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdxujqKzswY

Both the singer and model is not Julie Su!

But whoever sings this song, it is pretty good.


9. Another karaoke version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc0FB3Bwd3U

This time the singer is Julie Su but the model in the video is not.


10. The quality of this version is not too good:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8v_M4_SvCo

But both the singer and the video model is Julie Su.


11. Another version by Julie Su:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz_osv7x6Gc

This version has more than 500,00 hits in YouTube.


12. A cover version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZrmdf4mTf0

Not bad.


13. Another cover version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPzb2IWr8GY

This is OK too.


14. Interesting arrangement with a rhythm and blues feel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGiLvIhrFRE

The singer is a Malaysian Chinese.

Very good.


15. A version by the Vancouver Chinese Choir:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_1Z8i0GE8E


16. A duet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyrV8vGp_RU

The male sounds like he has vocal training.


17. A pretty good cover version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6b6uv19EEw


18. Another cover version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BHKZBU6j7M

Her enunciation of the lyrics is too distinct and distracts me from the music.

This song must be sung with either a soul music or a rhythm and blues feel.

Not that her voice is bad, but somehow her interpretation of this song does not sound right.


19. She sang with a lot of feelings:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ftd2tbMNqjE


20. The Lyrics in Traditional Chinese:


是否 - 蘇芮

是否   這次我將真的離開妳
是否   這次我將不再哭
是否   這次我將一去不回頭
走向那條漫漫永無止境的路

是否   這次我已真的離開妳
是否   淚水已乾不再流
是否   應驗了我曾說的那句話
情到深處人孤獨

多少次的寂寞掙扎在心頭
只為挽回我將遠去的腳步
多少次我忍住胸口的淚水
只是為了告訴我自己我不在乎

是否   這次我已真的離開妳
是否   淚水已乾不再流
是否   應驗了我曾說的那句話
情到深處人孤獨

多少次的寂寞掙扎在心頭
只為挽回我將遠去的腳步
多少次我忍住胸口的淚水
只是為了告訴我自己我不在乎

是否   這次我已真的離開妳
是否   淚水已乾不再流
是否   應驗了我曾說的那句話
情到深處人孤獨


21. The Lyrics in Simplified Chinese:


是否 - 苏芮

是否   这次我将真的离开妳
是否   这次我将不再哭
是否   这次我将一去不回头
走向那条漫漫永无止境的路

是否   这次我已真的离开妳
是否   泪水已干不再流
是否   应验了我曾说的那句话
情到深处人孤独

多少次的寂寞挣扎在心头
只为挽回我将远去的脚步
多少次我忍住胸口的泪水
只是为了告诉我自己我不在乎

是否   这次我已真的离开妳
是否   泪水已干不再流
是否   应验了我曾说的那句话
情到深处人孤独

多少次的寂寞挣扎在心头
只为挽回我将远去的脚步
多少次我忍住胸口的泪水
只是为了告诉我自己我不在乎

是否   这次我已真的离开妳
是否   泪水已干不再流
是否   应验了我曾说的那句话
情到深处人孤独


22. Names, Words and Phrases

Julie Su (Traditional Chinese: 蘇芮; Simplified Chinese: 苏芮).

Lo Ta-yu (Traditional: 羅大佑; Simplified: 罗大佑).

"Papa, Can You Hear Me Sing?" (Traditional: 搭錯車; Simplified: 搭错车).

Rhythm and blues (Traditional: 節奏藍調; Simplified: 节奏蓝调).

Sally Yeh (Traditional: 葉蒨文; Simplified: 叶倩文).

Soul music (Traditional: 靈魂樂; Simplified: 灵魂乐).


References:

"Su Rui", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Su_Rui
(accessed 2012-01-19).

"蘇芮", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E8%8B%8F%E8%8A%AE
(accessed 2012-01-19).

"苏芮", Baidu,
http://baike.baidu.com/view/118424.htm
(accessed 2012-01-19).

"搭錯車", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%90%AD%E9%8C%AF%E8%BB%8A
(accessed 2012-01-19).

End.

[Opinion] On Mental Hygiene

1. We have limited or partial control over our personal belief-formation.

When we see and notice a tree in the yard, it is natural to form the belief in our mind that there is a tree in the yard.

Most people cannot, by an act of the will, force themselves to believe that it is not a tree that they see in the yard.

We have limited control over our belief-formation.


2. We also have limited or partial control over our belief-maintenance.

For example, we can increase the vividness of a belief by recalling the belief periodically from memory into our consciousness.

Reminiscence is a form of belief-maintenance.


3. In A Study in Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes gave some sound advice to Dr. Watson regarding belief-maintenance (Doyle [1887] 1970, 21):

His [i.e. Sherlock Holmes] ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge. Of contemporary literature, philosophy and politics he appeared to know next to nothing. Upon my [i.e. Dr. Watson] quoting Thomas Carlyle, he inquired in the naivest way into who he might be and what he had done. My surprise reached a climax, however, when I found incidentally that he was ignorant of the Copernican Theory and of the composition of the Solar System. That any civilized human being in this nineteenth century should not be aware that the earth travelled round the sun appeared to me to be such an extraordinary fact that I could hardly realize it.

"You appear to be astonished," he said, smiling at my expression of surprise. "Now that I do know it I shall do my best to forget it."

"To forget it!"

"You see," he explained, "I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it. Now the skilful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out useful ones."

"But the Solar System!" I protested.

"What the deuce is it to me?" he interrupted impatiently: "you say that we go round the sun. If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work."


4. Our mind is a splendid and complex thing.

I think Sherlock Holmes was onto something regarding mental hygiene.

Since we have partial control over our belief-formation and belief-maintenance, we have some responsibilities regarding these activities.

As a Christian, I find the following two practices useful for mental hygiene:

(a) Clear the conscience each day by confessing our daily sins to God, preferably just before bedtime.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 HCSB)

(b) Let the Word of God helps in reorganize and structure our mind by reading a
chapter or two from the Bible just before going to bed.

It is well known that our subconscious mind is active during sleep and that part of its task is to reorganize and process the information we encounter during the day.

The Bible is the Word of God.

Why not let our subconscious mind uses the Word of God to help reorganize and structure itself?


Reference:

Doyle, Arthur Conan. [1887] 1970. A Study in Scarlet. In Vol. 1 of The Complete Sherlock Holmes, 13-86. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc.

End.

[Music] Jacky Cheung - Your first name, [join to] My last name

1. A "god of songs" was in town last Friday night and I was grace in his presence.

Just kidding!

Actually, Jacky Cheung's "1/2 Century Tour" came to Vancouver on Friday, January 13, 2012 at Rogers Arena and I was in attendance.

(Jacky Cheung was born in 1961 - "1/2 Century" was referring to his age.)

I like to thank my brother for treating me to a most enjoyable evening.


2. To anyone who listens to any Cantopop at all, Jacky Cheung needs no introduction.

As far as I am aware, the epithet "god of songs" has been applied to only two Cantopop singers: Sam Hui and Jacky Cheung.

Sam Hui, whom has retired, composed his own songs and lyrics and sang them also.

Jacky Cheung has probably the most beautiful voice Cantopop has yet produced.


3. The concert at Rogers Arena in Vancouver was a very well-crafted production.

Jacky Cheung started the concert at around 8:10 p.m. and except for a monologue, literally sang and danced for the next 3 hours non-stop.

The fitness and stamina of Jacky Cheung at 50 years was incredible.

As Jacky Cheung remarked during the concert, "1/2 Century Tour" was meant to give the audience a well-rounded picture of his 27 years music career.

As such, the concert began with songs from his recent albums and ended with some of the old favorites.

The songs were in both Mandarin (or Putonghua) and Cantonese.

The style varies from rock and roll to classic Cantopop.

As my brother remarked: the audience that night would have been happy if Jacky Cheung just sang the old favorites.

But I am glad that Jacky Cheung sang from his recent albums also and that he is still creative at 50 years old.


4. "Your first name, [join to] My last name" (妳的名字, 我的姓氏), of course, is referring to the union of a man and woman in matrimony.

Jacky Cheung was married in 1996 and the lyrics of this song were written as a wedding present to Jacky Cheung by the lyricist Albert Leung.

I find the way the song title refers to matrimony very romantic.

A search in YouTube yields many instances of this song, but they are nearly all by Jacky Cheung.

A 1996 concert version with music by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3bboa9FAh4

The conductor is Yip Wing-sie.


5. A slower version with guitar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5CHhJxpGIs

Very nice.


6. A 2003 concert version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PHrmatvJro


7. Pretty good music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQEX_prmqO0


8. A 2007 Hong Kong concert version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYt3yoozKWk


9. The 2012 concert version at Rogers Arena in Vancouver:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW8KQTyS4Ig

And I was there!


10. The Lyrics in Traditional Chinese:


妳的名字, 我的姓氏 - 張學友

曾聽說過   尋覓愛情
就像天與地別離和重聚過程
而我跟你   平靜旅程
並沒有驚心也沒動魄的情境

只需要   當天邊海角競賽追逐時
可跟你   安躺於家裡便覺最寫意
只需要   最迴腸盪氣之時可用你的名字
和我姓氏   成就這故事

從此以後   無憂無求
故事平淡但當中有你
已經足夠

如果要說   何謂愛情
便是跟你動盪時閒話著細情
和你走過   無盡旅程
就是到天昏髮白亦愛得年青

不相信　當天荒不再地老不合時
竟跟你　多相擁一次便愛多一次
怎相信　最迴腸盪氣之時可用你的名字
和我姓氏   成就這故事

從此以後　無憂無求
故事平淡但當中有你
已經足夠

從此以後   無憂無求
故事平淡但當中有你
已經足夠

快樂童話像你我一對
已經足夠


11. The Lyrics in Simplified Chinese:


妳的名字,我的姓氏 - 张学友

曾听说过   寻觅爱情
就像天与地别离和重聚过程
而我跟你   平静旅程
并没有惊心也没动魄的情境

只需要   当天边海角竞赛追逐时
可跟你   安躺于家里便觉最写意
只需要   最回肠荡气之时可用你的名字
和我姓氏   成就这故事

从此以后   无忧无求
故事平淡但当中有你
已经足够

如果要说   何谓爱情
便是跟你动荡时闲话着细情
和你走过   无尽旅程
就是到天昏发白亦爱得年青

不相信   当天荒不再地老不合时
竟跟你   多相拥一次便爱多一次
怎相信   最回肠荡气之时可用你的名字
和我姓氏   成就这故事

从此以后   无忧无求
故事平淡但当中有你
已经足够

从此以后   无忧无求
故事平淡但当中有你
已经足够

快乐童话像你我一对
已经足够


12. Names, Words and Phrases

Jacky Cheung (Traditional Chinese: 張學友; Simplified Chinese: 张学友).

1/2 Century Tour (Traditional: 1/2 世紀演唱會; Simplified: 1/2 世纪演唱会).

Albert Leung (Traditional: 林夕; Simplified: 林夕).

"god of songs" (Traditional: 歌神; Simplified: 歌神).

Sam Hui (Traditional: 許冠傑; Simplified: 许冠杰).

Yip Wing-sie (Traditional: 葉詠詩; Simplified: 叶咏诗).


References:

"Jacky Cheung", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacky_Cheung
(accessed 2012-01-17).

"張學友", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://zh-yue.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%BC%B5%E5%AD%B8%E5%8F%8B
(accessed 2012-01-17).

"张学友", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh/%E5%BC%A0%E5%AD%A6%E5%8F%8B
(accessed 2012-01-17).

End.