the new year and beyond

now that we're all in a contemplative mood since the year's drawing to a close yet again, let me share with you a little something that i have "rediscovered"...

when i was in sec 3, the craze in my school was the band called beyond. and being the ultimate "eat potato" kid of the whole school, i obviously didn't understand what the fuss was all about...i was into guns 'n roses, kris kross and other trashy stuff like that.

recently however, i have been listening more to these long lost chinese /cantonese songs...partly cuz i miss those playful years...but mostly though, i must admit, cuz i have a karaoke session with my colleagues coming up, and i'm trying to add to my current repertoire of 3 chinese songs.

so anyway, i was doing a bit of research on beyond...you can find it here (not that it's very much)...but if you wanna know more, you can probably email billy to find out more...he was the resident beyond fanatic in my class...i swear, his hairstyles were modeled after paul wong's. too bad his guitar skills didn't follow suit. haha.

on to the good stuff...this is my (and half a million other people's) favourite song from beyond. it's called "海阔天空" (hai3 kuo4 tian1 kong1)...which means "boundless oceans and vast skies". with a title like that, how can the song be anything but spectacular?

check it out...




the version above was made in 2003, which was the 10-year death anniversary of wong ka kui, one of the original members of beyond.

this is a video made in 1993, at the hong kong music awards, shortly after ka kui's accident in japan...




emotional stuff...

i liked the song so much that i spent the whole day trying to translate it. mind you, i know no cantonese whatsoever...so spank me if i get something wrong.

"海阔天空" - Beyond

今天我寒夜里看雪飘过
in this cold night, i watched the snow drifting past,
怀著冷却了的心窝飘远方
carrying a cold heart to distant shores.
风雨里追赶 雾里分不清影踪
chased by the wind and rain, the fog masks all shadows and trace,
天空海阔你与我 可会变(谁没在变?)
boundless oceans and vast skies are you and i, which will change (who doesn’t change?).
多少次迎著冷眼与嘲笑
no matter how many times we’ve been given the cold eye or been laughed at,
从没有放弃过心中的理想
we’ve never given up our hearts’ desires.
一刹那恍惚 若有所失的感觉
in an instant, i feel a sense of loss,
不知不觉已变淡 心里爱(谁明白我?)
unknowingly, i become weak, with a heart with love (who understands me?).
原谅我这一生不羁放纵爱自由
forgive me, but in my lifetime, i have relentlessly loved freedom,
也会怕有一天会跌倒
but i’m also scared that i’ll fall down one day.
被弃了理想谁人都可以
to cast away your ideals, everyone can do that,
那会怕有一天只你共我
so don’t be afraid if one day, it’s just you and i.


仍然自由自我 永远高唱我歌 走遍千里
and still, my freedom will let me sing my song and walk a thousand miles...

i love it. it's so poetic and inspirational...very apt for tomorrow and the days beyond... =)

happy new year everyone...cheers. =)