***
yuuyake ga machi wo somete
hitori aruku kaerimichi
natsukashii kaze ga fuki
kimi no koto omoidashiteru
aitakute aenai mama de
toki dake ga sugite iku no
* kirakira hikaru futatsuboshi yo
yurayura tooku michibiite yuku
kimi mo onaji sora wo miage
watashi no koto wo omou deshou ka...
yuruyaka na kono michi wa
kimi no moto e yuku no kana
itsudatte kimi no tonari ni
itai to tada inotteta
aitakute aenai mama de
yume dake ga kiete iku no
kirakira hikaru futatsuboshi yo
harahara namida koborete yuku
futari sugoshita hibi wo motome
kimi mo ano hi wo negau deshou ka...
unmei wa watashi to kimi wo meguriawasete kureta
sore na no ni watashi to kimi wa musubarenai no...
* repeat
hoshitachi ni kakomarete
hitori aruku kaerimichi
***
Kuala Lumpur is still raining. Sun ray did come and see us for a short while yesterday's evening, not long before rain poured down and melt the heart away with emotions.
I'd downloaded Crystal Kay's new album, Color Change! and as usual, it is good as what I am expected. I always thought Kuri's (Crystal nickname in Japan) R&B-ish voice would suit my mood very well, immediately after get my chance to hear the tracks. I won't comment more about the whole album, at least not yet before I blog about this one. One of my favourite track in the album, Kaerimichi/帰り道(On The Way Home) is haunting me badly since my journey back home from work yesterday. Well maybe, the song fit the condition at that time :p
It is quite rare for Kuri to sing any sort of Asian/Japanese influence tunes in her track in previous album, so I might say that Kaerimichi is one good try. And it is one good track too. Seems this one will be my on my heavy rotation this week (forgive me SPEED, I just excited about their reunion yesterday, but sorry, I got new song to hooked to :p)
On a more personal note, I'm going for Hatha Yoga class this evening. And gosh, I really in desperate need to organize my financial matter as soon as possible (car insurance deadline, Bangkok trip saving bla bla..). I'm on the verge to finish my current book (The Last Oil Shock: The Survival Guide to Imminent Extinction of Petroleum Man by David Strahan), which is quite surprising that I could finish reading it, since I'm always not a big fan of serious and non-fictional stuff. I wish to read more Haruki Murakami piece after this, so might blog about that one too.
Till then, have a good rainy Tuesday!
Kuala Lumpur was all gloomy the whole weekend and rain seems can't stop pouring down. As the emotion got carried away, I found myself in good, comfy sleep and the restless week has been greatly paid for.
My mind starts wondering when my iPod starts playing some random old tracks which yours truly almost forgotten way back. If my mind can't even tracking back the singer and the title, my emotion always able to draw and reminiscing the memories associated with the track. And that is why I always thought that is the magic behind music, it gives soul to your life.
And this time, the iPod plays Eternal Place by hiro, out of sudden, out of my lazy, rainy, gloomy Sunday morning.
And I remember very well, how I adore the four girls. They all grown-ups now, with more mature appearance. The girls are one girl J-pop vocal group, SPEED. That's where my interest in J-Pop started (not from Doraemon and anime like everyone else), when I was introduced by these girls by my Japanese teacher back at my boarding school days, Miss Akiko. I know it sounds uncool for guy to like girl bands, but I can't resist the fact that Spice Girls and All Saints was really a phenomenon back then in the West, and so did Japan.
My first encounter of SPEED was the track named White Love, when the music video was aired by Miss Akiko in Japanese audio room back in the year of 1999. I was so instantly hooked up and look for their album when I was in my outing in KL. And there I was, being the great fan. Until suddenly they decided to disband sometime in 2000 and it shocked everyone including me. When they said that they're going solo, I was easily come to conclusion that only Hiroko (now known as simply hiro) or Takako can make it, since only both of them steal the limelight. And seems I was correct.
Hiroko now works solo, appears as a lead role in one movie called Backdancers, and managed to have two solo albums, and somehow have a jazz band named Coco d'Or. She dated Hitoshi Matsumoto (well-known as Matchan, one of the two combination of popular comedian of Downtown), which is 21 years older than her at that time. Eriko, managed to come up with few albums and her solo career goes well until she announces that she was pregnant and going to marry his boyfriend, Shogo, vocalist of 175R. She then gave birth to Raimu Kinoshita in October 2004. Takako, appears in some commercial break, films and dorama, and still kicking until now. Hitoe, unlike the rest, start her art career in New York and live there since the break-ups. She is also getting her certification as yoga teacher.
They had their short reunion few times since they disbanded, but all of 'em never lasts. I was reading Mr. Swifty's blog this morning until I found out they reuniting seriously this time, after 5 years of hesitations and going solo. Some of the blogs I read does give some comment on whether they will make it big this time, since they are getting older (the Japanese entertainment industry really pays big deal with age and maturity, where older celebrity will be seen less popular except if you're in classic/enka genre and a comedian) and the music landscape has truly changed this time (they started mainly in R&B and pop genre, but no idea whether they'll stick with that concept now). But I do hope they remain as the old SPEED I know before.
Tell me how to live without your love
Hoshi wa itsuka moetsukitemo
Anata e no ai kawaranai kara
Shinjite ite eien no basho
Eternal Place by hiro playing endlessly in my mind. Some things are better left unchanged. And so does SPEED.
I started practice yoga last April and enjoy it ever since. I have always been interested in its style and always thought that yoga is not just cool, healthy and relaxing, but chic as well. And to tell you the truth, one of my aim in practicing yoga is to do scorpion pose (picture above).
Not until...
I received the news that my yoga club has financial and management problem, and will probably closing down. I was shocked, since I was just started and start to enjoy it very much. In addition to that, I have paid a lump sum of one year membership which cost me RM 1688. It's all started when the club was taking a week break from all classes, saying they're changing management and stuff. And not just a week. They continue had problems later on, with ever changing class schedule and more problems. Later I discovered from one of my yoga instructor's blog that the management has financial problem and haven't paid full salary to their stuff and instructors for months. To make things worse, some of my foreigner instructors had been evicted out from their apartment and their pay-check bounced. And my reaction of course, Oh.My.God, this is one damn big problem.
I was not aware of any sign of problem when I signed up four months before. I was also not aware that the rumors has been spreading in Chinese newspaper and some of TV cover ups. They even had problems with Ah Long (loan sharks) and some of the outlet has been splashed with red paint.
Miraculously, I was not terrified and overreacted. It's amazing to see myself who was always in state of panic to stay calm and able to judge and think correctly. I decided to hold and see what will happen few weeks after thank God, the club has been ordered by court to change its management, and good to see that their website is back and class schedule has started again.
I wish the new management all the best in managing their new baby. I always hope that yoga can be one of the medium for Malaysian society to practice new healthy lifestyle in addition to the rapid growth of health center and gym. I am hoping I can start practicing back at their center and maintaining it. It is not easy for ones to start a new hobby and maintained practicing it. But I hope I've given a chance to try.
On a more personal note, I started learning Japanese seriously by myself after years of interrupted focus on it. I started picking up Japanese by myself (from books, manga, songs etc.) but never thought of learning seriously. You can feel some level of difficulty learning it especially the kanji (Chinese character) and understanding some of intermediate level of grammar, but it certainly give no problem at all to me since I am learning something that I very look forward to. I really hope I can pass the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT/Nihongo Nouryoku Shiken) Level 3 this December and able to pursue my grad studies in Japan next year.
I am also thinking of editing the layout of this blog to start a new feel about it, but my burdening workload would slow the process. Hope this works.
Have a good week, everyone:)
Dear readers (if there's any),
It has been two long years since I post anything here in my site. It's not that I'm away, I'm still here, still breathing the same polluted air, the glaring at the same sun shine, and looking at the same shooting star as you people. I'm still here in the land of Kuala Lumpur, having fun, and currently sipping my favorite coffee at my very same desk two years back (except it's been a bit messy with files and rubbish). In other word, life has been the same, with few surprises and solaces, and here I am, still kicking the ass like tomorrow's never end.
And I do hope you guys have the same feeling in your life.
When I decided to start back writing and re-energize this blog, I am very sure that nobody is gonna read it. I am so surprised to see some of friend's comment in the past post, and dear God, I do love all my friends. Having friends shares the mutual feeling that you are currently be loved, and been taken care of, and of course that's the best feeling to keep you in sanity.
Some little update on what happen to me during two years of non-blogging drift away: I have fulfilled most of my new year's resolutions and the long wish list, I have started practicing yoga and pilates and loving every single minute of it, I went to Tokyo last year for visiting friend and vacation (besides realizing my travel dream), plus I'm now a proud owner of my own Macbook lappy and iPod. There's some setbacks came along the way, but after all life was good.
And recently, I've got an offer from Panasonic to pursue my graduate degree in Japan. And even more recent, I got feedback from one of my target professors in University of Tokyo that he is willing to accept me as student in his lab. Alhamdulillah God, all praises to Him.
Looking back at my unsuccessful attempt to go to UK last two years, how ironic to realize that God does listen to your prayers, chanting and what your heart speaks. Being a firm believer in God and destiny, I believe I am stronger now. Amin.
It has been two long years since I post anything here in my site. It's not that I'm away, I'm still here, still breathing the same polluted air, the glaring at the same sun shine, and looking at the same shooting star as you people. I'm still here in the land of Kuala Lumpur, having fun, and currently sipping my favorite coffee at my very same desk two years back (except it's been a bit messy with files and rubbish). In other word, life has been the same, with few surprises and solaces, and here I am, still kicking the ass like tomorrow's never end.
And I do hope you guys have the same feeling in your life.
When I decided to start back writing and re-energize this blog, I am very sure that nobody is gonna read it. I am so surprised to see some of friend's comment in the past post, and dear God, I do love all my friends. Having friends shares the mutual feeling that you are currently be loved, and been taken care of, and of course that's the best feeling to keep you in sanity.
Some little update on what happen to me during two years of non-blogging drift away: I have fulfilled most of my new year's resolutions and the long wish list, I have started practicing yoga and pilates and loving every single minute of it, I went to Tokyo last year for visiting friend and vacation (besides realizing my travel dream), plus I'm now a proud owner of my own Macbook lappy and iPod. There's some setbacks came along the way, but after all life was good.
And recently, I've got an offer from Panasonic to pursue my graduate degree in Japan. And even more recent, I got feedback from one of my target professors in University of Tokyo that he is willing to accept me as student in his lab. Alhamdulillah God, all praises to Him.
Looking back at my unsuccessful attempt to go to UK last two years, how ironic to realize that God does listen to your prayers, chanting and what your heart speaks. Being a firm believer in God and destiny, I believe I am stronger now. Amin.
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