MIKA NAKASHIMA - sakurairo mau koro


Nakashima Mika - Sakurairo Mau Koro

When the Color of Cherry Blossoms Fills the Air
composed by Kawae Minako


ENGLISH

when the color of cherry blossoms fills the air
I'm alone,
standing dumb, unable to contain what I feel in my heart

when the color of the new leaves sprouts
the feelings come pouring out,
I lost track of everything,
and drifted towards you

Only the changing trees saw us.
quietly letting us know
that we can't stay in one place

turning the color of dead leaves
next to you
the days passing by
change this to love.

please, at least let these trees
keep my feeling safe
rustle those leaves above us
just once more

soon enough, time will
carry us away
I hold gently to what we have now,
the only thing I can be sure of.

covered over by snow
the feelings stray
the footprints will fade,
a soundless mischief.

please, at least let these trees
keep my feeling safe
freeze us in 'eternity'
let us live on here.

Only the returning trees
saw us.
quietly letting us know
that we can't stay in the one place

when the color of cherry blossoms fills the air
I'm alone
savoring my feelings for you.


ROMANJI

sakurairo mau koro
watashi ha hitori
osaekirenu mune ni
tachitsukushiteta

wakabairo moyureba
omoi afurete
subete wo miushinai
anata he nagareta

meguru kigitachi dake ga
futari wo miteita no
hitotokoro ni ha todomarenai to
sotto oshienagara

karehairo someteku
anata no tonari
utsuroiyuku hibi ga
ai he to kawaru no

douka kigitachi dake ha
kono omoi wo mamotte
mou ichido dake futari no ue de
sotto ha wo yurashite

yagate toki ha futari wo
doko he hakondeyuku no
tada hitotsu dake tashika na ima wo
sotto dakishimeteita

yukigeshou matoeba
omoi hagurete
ashiato mo keshiteku
otonaki itazura

douka kigitachi dake ha
kono omoi wo mamotte
'eien' no naka ni futari todomete
koko ni ikitsuzukete

sakurairo mau koro
watashi ha hitori
anata he no omoi wo
kamishimeta mama

MIKA NAKASIMA

Sakurairo Mau Koro

"When the Color of the Cherry Blossom Flutters"

"Sakurairo Mau Koro" or "When the Color of Cherry Blossom Flutters" is a lyrical and heartwarming love song about lovers parting in springtime. Nakashima uses her extraordinary singing skills, blending her tender vocals with the stirring piano and strings accompaniment. The song is written by an upcoming singer/songwriter Kawae Minako, who is inspired by Nakashima's strong presence, and wrote the song in a day.

...as taken from YesASIA.com

A final thought for today...

I've really gotten into the swing of this blogging thing. I've decided to make it as informative and entertaining as possible. But, with a reference to me. I'm going to post up stuff like my thoughts, stuff that I'm interested in, music and whatever else comes to mind.

I've always thought that any treatise of the higher order of thought has to be shared and evaluated. Else, where would the modern civilization of today be without the writings of Aristotle and Jung. It's not that I am placing myself on the pedestal with such great thinkers... it's just that PHILOSOPHY is a great excuse to just talk!

One of my favourite quotes came from a movie where Jack Nicholson said, "You make me want to be a better man." Sounds absolutely great, doesn't it? Your partner can illicit such a response from you that you feel the need to improve yourself. Perhaps I'm really looking at my partner (not that I have one) to trigger some sort of positive change in me. This really constitutes as using my partner as a crutch.

No one is responsible for me besides... well... ME!

This is my choice... This year, I shall strive to improve myself. I know that I procrastinate, I have a chronic punctuality problem, etc... I'm going to try and correct these flaws wihtin my character. Have to be proactive and exercise some measure of control over myself. I'm not going to play video games until 6 am and decide fuck going to work/university anymore. I'm going to leave my assignments until the last possible minute. The real world doesn't work that way.

I really wish I was a 5 year old again... not a care in the world.

Been playing a lot of badminton these days, trying to improve my body silhouette and gain back some of my youthful stamina. Vanity, in small increments, is really good for self confidence. I'm really only 23 this year. It's really sad when you try and climb 7 flights of stairs and end up panting breathelessly. RMIT Uni really has to do something about their lifts 'cause it's a pain waiting for the them, especially when you're already late (note the chronic punctuality problem).

Well, back to working on my assignment paper. Thanks for listening.

When saying 'I love you' is just... not enough.

Love is probably the greatest drug in the world. You feel more alive. Food tastes better. You sleep better and wake up feeling like you can take on the world. All this... because you know someone out there values you as a human being. All this... because you are loved. But then this feeling is fleeting. Today you may have the love that you deserve and tomorrow you may lose it all. I believe that to love someone is to be able to let go of that somone whom you love.

Love is sacrifice...

This is something that I found while reading aroundon the Internet. It is amazing what you can find these days while doing a google for assignment research. By the way, I am doing a paper on Organizational Management focusing on Interpersonal Communication in the work enviroment. This was what the self improvement website had to say...


Another important factor in a relationship is common life goals.

"If the relationship is going to be long term, we need to be going in the same general direction as the other person. If his dream is to travel as an international businessman and she wants to be a realtor in a single location, conflict could arise. If she wants to live in the countryside with nature and he likes the hustle and bustle of a big city, there are potentially serious problems with the direction of the couple's lives."


This is especially sad... because I believe in true love. One that lasts a lifetime and is basically both transforming and fulfilling. Yeap, I'm one of those hopeless romantics. But, seriously, life is more about practicalities and survival. If you cannot afford a partner (financially, time, emotionally, etc.) you just shouldn't be in a relationship.

I'm really single now, not by choice, but because I just recently had a bad experience. When you get dumped you tend to think alot. Poor me... sob! sob! But anyway, 'cause of life differences and differing preferences on how I and my ex-gf wish to live our lives we sort of drifted apart. I decided that perhaps it is better to just give her space and we broke it off. It was not because of a lack of love... It was more of a lack of time and commitment.

It's basically better to move on, right?

Probably my final thing for today.

I'm gonna talk about my arcade habit. What games do I play? I never had a Nintendo SNES 16 or even the earlier Playstation. My parents decided that it would be to overly distracting for lil' me. Why? 'cause I was young and impressionable and I happened to LOVE technology. Used to remember dismembering (haha! remember rhymes with dismember) my grandad's pocket watch. That was an antique too.

Anyway. I grew up around Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The best arcade back then, when I was like form 2~4, was in Sungai Wang way in downtown KL. My friends all called it the airport arcade... I never understood why. But, it was really rowdy with people smoking and gangsters looking real tough and what not. I was a nerd mind you, and a devout CHRISTIAN nerd at that. So I almost walked away but I saw Street Fighter for the first time.

From then onwards I've played all incarnations of Street Fighter including the wierd 'hacked' taiwan version. Ryu and Ken could shoot millions of hadoukens when they did their shoryuken... WTF!?! My favourite in the series has to be Street Fighter EX 3 Alpha Plus and ofcourse Street Fighter 3: Third Impact. I never did get into King of Fighters (KoF) though, even if was really big here in Melbourne. I did go through a short period with the Soul Edge ~ Soul Calibur series, but that was short-lived.

The beauty will ever lie with the series of games that is TEKKEN. The Tekken series started out life as a poor 3D versus fighter that no one was really interested in. I found the pace of the first two games in the series to be too slow. Then they did the fan appreciation version of Tekken TAG Tournament. You choose 2 characters and you could switch out between the both of them. The speed was improved and it had a really strategic combat system with paries, grabs, throws, breaks and cancels.

I remember the earlier days in university where me and a few close buds would crash in one apartment and we'd play Tekken 4 and eat pizza (or was it KFC). Short hellos and longer salutations to my brother Sugianto, Thomas, Frek and whoever else I had the honour of challenging (win or loss). Highlights would be the attack reversal system and the really cheap Lee Chaolan f+1, 2, f+1, 2, ad infinitum.

I really had fun kicking Ling Xiaoyu around in her cute school girl outfit. Poor Thomas really thought she was his girlfriend. I did teach Sugianto the finer aspects of the traditional karate Jin Kazama with the combo flows, throws and tech hits. The student did supercede his master... haha. But my Hwoarang was really sneaky with the endLESS ways of chaining his kick combos together. Overall, the best style of characters are the fast power hitters like Paul Pheonix with his *deathfist (tm)* and Bryan Fury with his *mach ANYTHING!* and the real sneaky *snake EDGE*.

Mishima style Karate arts.
Jin Kazama, Kazuya Mishima and grandfather Heihachi Mishima.

TaeKwonDo, korean defensive martial style.
Hwoarang.

Fast forward about a year and we have the greatest incarnation of TEKKEN. Tekken 5 is about the same as Tekken 4. Same system sans a few improvements and character balances. Did I mention 3 new characters? I'd really love to play the game but the closest machine here in Melbourne is far our in the suburb of BoxHill. Can't wait until the Playstation 2 copy arrives.

Thanks for listening...

Looks *unique* yea? I can't decide whether I look sort or perverted or scary in this picture. A good friend commented that I look like about to rape someone. I mean c'mon... I'm really a nice guy. Totally harmless. Honest!

Anyways, this is gonna be my avatar. I think I need to put it up here first. Then I'm gonna try and link it to my profile... heh!

Alright people... this is a pretty good photograph of me. Took this at a spa resort about a year ago. A few people have commented that I look like some pimp daddy in this picture. I was using a pretty good 5 megapixel camera. I got myself a DIGITAL IXUS 500 camera last february in Malaysia. It's a really good camera.

Comments?

AYA EUTO.

I'm pretty sure she is a jPOP singer or at least a japanese celebrity. I liked the picture. White symbolizes purity... hence the snowflakes. The pose is also pretty suggestive of prayer or deep contemplation. I think I'd be looking out for her music whenever I'm free.

MIKA NAKASHIMA - yuki no hana

This a beautiful song I chanced upon when I was looking for some PVs. Basically, the song title literally translates to snow flower. I mean... c'mon. Not everyday do you get a beautiful song that has a beautiful name.

The best thing about my new songbird here is that she really can sing. She has a beautiful voice to match her beautiful face. Reminds me of the younger Utada Hikaru. She was the first jPop singer I really followed 'cause she could sing. Nothing against the fans of Ayumi Hamasaki or the later Koda Kumi. But I mean... if you can't carry a tune you're most probably wasting radio airplay.

Some lyrics here for the song I was talking about earlier.

Okay, guys and gals?

ROMANJI
nobita kage wo hodou ni narabe
yuuyami no naka wo kimi to aruiteru
te wo tsunaide itsumademo zutto
soba ni ireta nara nakechau kurai

kaze ga tsumetaku natte
fuyu no nioi ga shita
sorosoro kono machi ni
kimi to chikadzukeru kisetsu ga kuru

* kotoshi, saisho no yuki no hana wo
futari yorisotte
nagamete iru kono toki ni
shiawase ga afuredasu

amae toka yowasa ja nai
tada, kimi wo ai shiteru
kokoro kara sou omotta

kimi ga iru to donna koto demo
norikireru you na kimochi ni natteru
konna hibi ga itsumademo kitto
tsudzuiteku koto wo inotte iru yo

kaze ga mado wo yurashita
yoru wa yuriokoshite
donna kanashii koto mo
boku ga egao e to kaete ageru

maiochite kita yuki no hana ga
mado no soto zutto
furiyamu koto wo shirazu ni
bokura no machi wo someru
dareka no tame ni nanika wo
shitai to omoeru no ga
ai to iu koto wo shitta

moshi, kimi wo shinatta to shita nara
hoshi ni natte kimi wo terasu darou
egao mo namida ni nureteru yoru mo
itsumo itsu demo soba ni iru yo

* repeat

amae toka yowasa ja nai tada, kimi to zutto
kono mama issho ni itai sunao ni sou omoeru
kono machi ni furitsumotteku masshiro na yuki no hana
futari no mune ni sotto omoide wo egaku yo
kore kara mo kimi to zutto...


ENGLISH TRANSLATION

As the shadows grow side by side on the pavement
I walk with you in the twilight
If we could just hold hands
and be close forever, I'd cry out of happiness

The wind has cooled down
I smell the scent of winter
In this town, it's almost the season
when I can snuggle up to you

* This year, with the first petals of snow
the two of us nestle together
Just taking in these moments
makes me overflow with joy

I don't fawn over you out of weakness
Rather, I just love you that much
That's how I feel from the bottom of my heart

When you're with me
I feel like I can surpass anything
I pray that these days
will continue forever

The wind shakes the window
and wakes up the night
No matter how sad you are
I will make you smile again

The falling snow petals
outside the window
have no intentions of ceasing
They're dyeing our town white
I have learned that
when you want to act for someone else
that's true love

If I were ever to lose you
I'd become a star and shine upon you
Even on the nights when the tears drown your smile
I'll be right there, by your side

* repeat

I don't fawn over you out of weakness
It's just that I long
to be with you, like this, for all time
These words come from the heart
The white snow petals
that fall and pile up on this town
softly paint memories in our hearts
Now, we'll never have to be apart...

MIKA NAKASHIMA again...

I really like these artistic stylized phototgraphs. I mean the glass flower really makes the picture more interesting.

more MIKA NAKASHIMA

MIKA NAKASHIMA - MUSIC...

I mean c'mon guys help her out n support her new cd single.

This girl was *almost* unnoticed by me earlier in 2004. I was walking around Singapore on Orchard Road and I didn't know what else to do. I just decided to pop into the biggest HMV I had ever seen. it was 3 stories of perpetual music madness. It had dedicated floors for Chinese and Japanese music. I was browisng around for some Mai Kuraki or even some jRock and I chanced upon her pretty face.

I picked up the cd and had a browse. They then started playing her single ~aishiteru~ on their big shiny LCD televisions. I was impressed... she can sing and was really pretty. Statesque beautiful.

Btw, she got a haircut tho...

UTADA HIKARU again...

UTADA HIKARU

Here is a little trivia for you. The colour is known as Royal Purple. This is from way before the time of the British Monarchy and their decision to change the colour royalty (their royal house colour) to that of a deep blue.

I'd prefer the purple anyday.

UTADA HIKARU

Or Hikki as she is affectionately known within Japan. This is the girl that started my love story with the music that is jPop.

I'm definately one of the older generation these days 'cause it seems that most of the drama 'addicts' prefer the korean imports now. I mean even the interest in anime is slowly fading. Maybe it's 'cause the japanese culture thing has gone mainstream now.

This is my first blog guys.

I'd like to thank the people who got me interested in this.
Chu Kwang, JoHanna, Leanne and Darren...

Can't say I've meaning to do this 'cause I was a bit hesitant on publishing my thoughts online.

So... what does a simpleton post on a blog?