(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding

Sittin' in the morning sun
I'll be sittin' when the evening comes
Watching the ships roll in
Then I watch them roll away again, yeah

I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
Watchin' the tide roll away, ooh
I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time

I left my home in Georgia
Headed for the Frisco Bay
Cuz I've had nothing to live for
And look like nothing's gonna come my way

So, I'm just gon' sit on the dock of the bay
Watchin' the tide roll away, ooh
I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time

Looks like nothing's gonna change
Everything still remains the same
I can't do what ten people tell me to do
So I guess I'll remain the same, listen

Sittin' here resting my bones
And this loneliness won't leave me alone, listen
Two thousand miles I roam
Just to make this dock my home, now

I'm just gon' sit at the dock of a bay
Watchin' the tide roll away, ooh
Sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time

[Ends in harmonic whistling] 

I am sometimes amazed with myself at how I can fall in love with almost any type of music. Lately, I am into old-school soul and R&B. I can connect with this song, even though it was first written and sung in the 60's. At first listen, it seemed nearly boring. But the words speak to me: of being lonely and helpless. The person in this song seems relaxed to the outsider, but he sings of a quiet discontentment with the life he's living. I am just like him. The difference is, I am sitting in front of my computer each day, and not on the dock.

The fundamentals don't change.

turning sadness into kindness

this is a song from Naruto, one of my favourite animes. it's called 'Kanashimi wo Yasashisa ni' which means 'turning sadness into kindness'. it is a bit too long to post the whole translation of the song, so i will just choose a few parts/paragraphs (?) to share.

this is dedicated to all friends who are having tough times in their lives.

turning sadness into kindness
your uniqueness into strength
it's okay to get lost so begin walking
once again, once again

do you like to be praised by
answering everyone's expectations?
will your smile always be beautiful
even if you hide your true self?

it's natural like the rainbow
that somehow appears after tears
the rain stopped

so the most important thing is
always without any shape
even if you have it or lose it
you'll never know

turning sadness into kindness
your uniqueness into strength
believing that you should be able to do it
once again, once again
once again, are you ready?

Shine by Vienna Teng

In this desert land
I know some rain must fall
See where we began
We've come so far
On this harbor shore
We hear the ocean call
In our minds at war
We have so far to go

Shine with all the untold
Hold the light given unto you
Find the love to unfold
In this broken world we choose

In unending storms
We search for space to breathe
How our hearts are worn
We've come so far
In this desert
How we blossom and we cease
Tell your story now
We have so much to know

I meet with so many people in my life. They are so dazzling, shining with personalities and strengths to call their own. And all of a sudden, I feel a pang of jealousy, eating up my whole being. Where is this coming from and where is this going? I do not know. I feel so uncertain. So angry. So lost.

And the medicine for this disease comes in many different ways. A chat or two. A reassuring SMS or email. Or simply a karaoke session to heal the broken soul. Whatever it is, I still have to live on, right?


good night Days, good old days
Since the day I wanted to fly away, I promised to become stronger

good night Days, good old Days
Since the day I swore I'd never come back, I've put my memories to rest

ah knock on the Days, good old Days
Though I've come to miss you, I regret that I had pretended to be strong, but
I'm climbing the hill again, so I'll paint my dream on a blue canvas, see you again
Continuing up and down, I'll quietly drop by to see you, see you again

-Fly Away by THYME-
-translation and transliteration by Rizu-chan-


Strum the tune of your existence
And sing that you're here

A new journey is beginning now
Each of the ever-changing seasons
We live through
Gives us wisdom and strength

Strum the tune of your existence
And sing that you're here
Let it ring out into the red moonlit sky

-Re:Member by FLOW-
-translation and transliteration by hikon11-

Eric's Song by Vienna Teng

I really wanted to write something personal, but I run out of things to write. So, instead I will introduce Eric's Song by Vienna Teng. Her songs are like poems, amazingly beautiful and deep.

Eric's Song

Strange how you know inside me

I measure the time and I stand amazed
Strange how I know inside you
My hand is outstretched toward the damp of the haze

And of course I forgive
I've seen how you live
Like a phoenix you rise from the ashes
You pick up the pieces
And the ghosts in the attic
They never quite leave
And of course I forgive
You've seen how I live
I've got darkness and fears to appease
My voices and analogies
Ambitions like ribbons
Worn bright on my sleeve


Strange how we know each other

Strange how I fit into you
There's a distance erased with the greatest of ease
Strange how you fit into me
A gentle warmth filling the deepest of needs

And with each passing day
The stories we say
Draw us tighter into our addiction
Confirm our conviction
That some kind of miracle
Passed on our heads
And how I am sure
Like never before
Of my reasons for defying reason
Embracing the seasons
We dance through the colors
Both followed and led


Strange how we fit each other

Strange how certain the journey
Time unfolds the petals
For our eyes to see
Strange how this journey's hurting
In ways we accept as part of fate's decree

So we just hold on fast
Acknowledge the past
As lessons exquisitely crafted
Painstakingly drafted
To carve ourselves instruments
That play the music of life
For we don't realize
Our faith in the prize
Unless it's been somehow elusive
How swiftly we choose it
The sacred simplicity
Of you at my side