Got to know this song - 菊花台 (Chrysanthemum Flower Bed) by Jay Chou from the movie - 满城尽帶黃金甲 (Curse of the Golden Flower) directed by Zhang Yimou which released in December 2006.
This fictional story is set in the imperial court of the Later Shu (后蜀), which was during the turbulent of Five Dynaties and Ten Kingdoms (五代十国) period . The plot adapted from a play - Thunderstorm (雷雨) by Cao Yu (曹禺) during 1934. Is about the volatile balance of power between the King and the Queen and his three sons, which entails betrayal, deceit, infidelity and conspiracy where the King against the Queen and father against sons (not a martial arts film if you're expecting it to be but a classic epic tragedy tale where power and authority conquer everything).
The title of the movie is taken from the last line of a Tang dynasty poem: 不第後賦菊 - 黃巢
待到秋來九月八，我花開後百花殺。
When autumn comes on double ninth festival, my flower [the chrysanthemum] will bloom and all others perish.
衝天香陣透長安，滿城盡帶黃金甲。
When the sky-reaching fragrance [of the chrysanthemum] permeates Chang'an, the whole city will be clothed in golden armour.
It was well reflected in the film with yellow chrysanthemum as the theme and found this song beautiful sadly written.
菊花台 CHRYSANTHEMUM FLOWER BED - 周杰倫 Jay Chou
妳 的淚光 柔弱中帶傷
Your tears reflect pain in its tenderness
慘白的月彎彎 勾住過往
The pale white crescent moon hooks onto the past
夜 太漫長 凝結成了霜
The endless night freezing into frost
是誰在閣樓上 冰冷的絕望
Who is in the loft, in icy cold despair
雨 輕輕彈 朱紅色的窗
Rain gently bouncing off the vermillon window
我一生在紙上 被風吹亂
My entire life on paper, messed up by the wind
夢 在遠方 化成一縷香
Dreams become faint in a faraway place
隨風飄散 妳的模樣
The image of you, drifting in the wind
菊花殘 滿地傷 妳的笑容已泛黃
Crushed chrysanthemums reflect our pain. Your smile has faded
花落人斷腸 我心事靜靜躺
Hearts broken into million pieces like petals falling, I lay my troubles aside
北風亂 夜未央 妳的影子剪不斷
Northern winds gush and the night is still young. Unable to shake off your shadow
徒留我孤單 在湖面 成雙
Leaving me alone with my reflection in the water
花 已向晚 飄落了燦爛
Flowers at dusk, fallen splendor
凋謝的世道上 命運不堪
Withering social values, unthinkable fate
愁 莫渡江 秋心拆兩半
Don’t cross the river. Worries tearing my heart into half
怕妳上不了岸 一輩子搖晃
Afraid that you will be unable to get back ashore, floating for the rest of your life
誰 的江山 馬蹄聲狂亂
Whose territory is this? Hysterical galloping of horses
我一身的戎裝 呼嘯滄桑
Fully armoured, My life whizzed me by
天 微微亮 妳輕聲的嘆
Coming dawn, you sigh softly
一夜惆悵 如此委婉
A melancholy night such tactful indirectness
Spending our time searching and waiting to be loved, hoping that special love will find us one day. Feeling empty and lost without it, wanting someone to give us love and fill us up. Sadly to say, that’s not how life works. We will draw exactly what we create in life, and what we believe we are worthy of.
Personally, I like the illustration by Leslie Karen Lobell, M.A. in her blog - The Art of Loving. Our life is like a vessel, if we keep giving to others without giving to ourselves, it is like pouring water from a vessel and eventually, the vessel will be empty if we keep pouring and pouring without ever refilling it.
Used to think that by giving endlessly all we have is a way to show love, kindness and unselfishness. However, that's not true as it should be giving out from our surplus. Is only when we are overflow and that's when we will have the energy and love to give to the people who we love around us and to the world.
"We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies." ~Roderick Thorp, Rainbow Drive
"Greatest Love of All" is an inspirational song beautifully delivered tribute to love ourselves for who we are written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed. The song was the fourth and final single released in April, 1986 from Whitney Houston's.
THE GREATEST LOVE OF ALL - Whitney Houston
I believe the children are our are future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be
Everybody searching for a hero
People need someone to look up to
I never found anyone to fulfill my needs
A lonely place to be
So I learned to depend on me
I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can't take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all
I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be
And if by chance, that special place
That you've been dreaming of
Leads you to a lonely place
Find your strength in love
Found this web movie - 爱在线 Always Online (With English Subtitles), a notebook PC advertisement by Lenovo for model S10 thru googled and found it a nice touching sad story.
The story was telling a man had a cancer but he didn't want to let the girl know about it. Instead, he acted to her that he can't stand her anymore and wish to break off with her. Then he had her to contact him only online whenever she faces any difficulties so that she would live even though he would die. He die secretly with his spirit remains in the bear. the girl did not know but after she found out at his apartment, that's when he has to go ... ...
True love is when we know that we love someone when we want him/her to be happy. Even if that means we're not a part of their happiness.
The song - - "Always Online" by Lín Jùn Jié, 林俊杰 (a Singaporean chinese pop-singer born 1981) was featured in this webmovie. This song was in his sixth album, Sixology (Liu) which released on 18 October, 2008.
Try to listen and maybe, just like me somehow getting to love his songs.
Secret Garden is an award winning Irish-Norwegian duo playing New Instrumental Music, also understood by some as Neo-classical music. It became famous in Korea by being featured in the drama 젊은이의 양지 in 1995.
Secret Garden has released a Dreamcatcher: Best Of album for its tour through Australia and New Zealand in 2004. It reached the top of the Australian New Age charts and the ARIA top 50 album charts.
Love this album as it helps to calm, pacify, peace and serene my heart ... ...
Sissel Kyrkjebø, also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano. She is best known for singing the Olympic Hymn (Hymne Olympique) at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 1994 Winner Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway and her participation on the Titanic film soundtrack.
SUMMER SNOW - Sissel
It's summer snow in the deep blue sea
I try to touch, but it fades away
It must be a dream I will never get
Just like my love that's crying for you
If there were something not to change forever
We could feel it deep, deep in our heart
Today is over with a million tears
Still everyone has a wish to live
Oh, I do believe ever lasting love
And destiny to meet you again
I feel a pain I can hardly stand
All I can do is loving you
It's summer snow in the deep blue sea
I try to touch, but it fades away
It must be a dream I will never get
Just like my love that's crying for you
Just like my love that's crying for you
"One Cell in the Sea" is the first studio album by A Fine Frenzy (an American band fronted by singer-songwriter and self-taught pianist Alison Sudol), released on July 17, 2007.
NEAR TO YOU - A Fine Frenzy
He and I had something beautiful
But so dysfunctional, it couldn't last
I loved him so but I let him go
'Cause I knew he'd never love me back
Such pain as this
Shouldn't have to be experienced
I'm still reeling from the loss
Still a little bit delirious
Near to you, I am healing
But it's taking so long
'Cause though he's gone
And you are wonderful
It's hard to move on
Yet, I'm better near to you
You and I have something different
And I'm enjoying it cautiously
I'm battle scarred, I am working oh so hard
To get back to who I used to be
He's disappearing
Fading subtly
I'm so close to being yours
Won't you stay with me
Please
Near to you, I am healing
But it's taking so long
'Cause though he's gone
And you are wonderful
It's hard to move on
Yet, I'm better near to you
I only know that I am
Better where you are
I only know that I am
Better where you are
I only know that I belong
Where you are
Near to you, I am healing
But it's taking so long
Though he's gone
And you are wonderful
It's hard to move on
Near to you, I am healing
But it's taking so long
'Cause though he's gone
And you are wonderful
It's hard to move on
Yet, I'm better near to you
Yet, I'm better near to you
"Sliding Doors" directed by Peter Howitt and released on June 1998. The film follows the life of Helen Quilley (Gwyneth Paltrow), who is arriving at work one morning and discovers that she had been unjustifiably sacked from her PR job.
The film's plot splits into two parallel universes which run in tandem. In one universe, Helen catches the tube train, meets James and arrives home to find her loathsome Lothario lover Gerry cheating on her with his ex-girlfriend Lydia. In the other reality, Helen misses the tube train, gets mugged, goes to hospital and eventually arrives home to find Gerry alone in the shower. The two realities move forward in tandem; in one Helen leaves Gerry and forms a happy, new, loving relationship with James; in the other Helen's live becomes more and more wretched as she takes on two jobs to support her worthless, cheating boyfriend as he supposedly writes his novel but in fact carries on a torrid affair with Lydia.
"Sliding Doors" is one of the best films that Gwyneth Paltrow has done. Humour, anger, sadness, love, compassion and a lot of lying in this film and the most special of this film is for the way the two storylines overlap, making a very original movie. It uses the concept of time by showing what a significant difference a few seconds can make in one's life.
Though life is like a sliding door, it closes one end but opens the other but the result is much alike as everything in our path and destiny is preordained in the book of providence.
"Expect nothing, live frugally on surprise. And we should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once. And we should call every truth false which was not accompanied by at least one laugh."
TURN BACK TIME - Aqua
Give me time to reason
Give me time to think it through
Passing through the season
Where I cheated you
I will always have a cross to wear
But the bolt reminds me I was there
So give me strength
To face this test tonight
If only I could turn back time
If only I had said what I still hide
If only I could turn back time
I would stay for the night.
For the night...
Claim your right to science
Claim your right to see the truth
Though my pangs of conscience
Will drill a hole in you
I seen it coming like a thief in the night
I seen it coming from the flash of your light
So give me strength
To face this test tonight
If only I could turn back time
If only I had said what I still hide
If only I could turn back time...
I would stay for the night
The bolt reminds me I was there the bolt reminds me I was there
If only I could turn back time
If only I had said what I still hide
If only I could turn back time
I would stay for the night
"Life Is Beautiful" is an Italian language film which tells the story of a Jewish Italian, Guido Orefice (played by Roberto Benigni, who also directed and co-wrote the film), who must employ his fertile imagination to help his son survive their internment in a Nazi concentration camp (a camp which maintained by Nazi Germany, under Adolf Hitler throughout the territories it controlled). This film was released in October 1998 and is an unforgettable fable that proves love, family and imagination conquer all.
The film starts in the 1930s, Guido, an Italian Jew, falls in love with a school teacher, Dora, who isn't Jewish. He woos her and steals at her engagement from her rude and loud fiance, a Fascist official. They get married and several years later, their son Giosue grows up among growing anti-Semitism. During WWII, Guido and Giosue are arrested and taken to a concentration camp. Dora goes too, determined not to separate the family. In the midst of the horrors of the camp where the old and the children are killed because they are not strong enough to work, Guido protects his son by pretending that survival in the concentration camp is an elaborate game with which Giosue must play along or be sent home. Various levels of creativity are used by Guido to protect his son in the camp.
This is a great film of love, optimism, courage and inner strength and I was being moved by the love of a father; a sacrificing of a father made for the son which he created lights for him to move forward in continuing while facing with obstacles. Even right until the end of his life, he still not forgeting to make his son laugh one last time by imitating the Nazi guard as if the two of them are marching around the camp together. The son, Giosue manages to survive, and thinks he has won the game when an American tank arrives to liberate the camp and not knowing that his father has died. A truly sad tragedy and encouraging film.
"The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way."
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL - Noa
Smile, without a reason why Love, as if you were a child Smile, no matter what they tell you Don't listen to a word they say Cause life is beautiful that way
Tears, a tidal wave of tears Light, that slowly disappears Wait, before you close the curtain There is still another game to play And life is beautiful that way
Here with his eyes forevermore I will always be as close as you Remember from before Now that you're out there on your own Remember what is real and What we dream is love alone
Keep the laughter in your eyes Soon your long awaited prize We'll forget about our sorrows And think about a brighter day Cause life is beautiful that way
We'll forget about our sorrows And think about a brighter day Cause life is beautiful that way There's still another game to play And life is beautiful that way
We dont realize we love someone untill they have gone from our sight. As I listen to the song, my heart is aching and tears falls down like rain ... ... as it sings right from my heart.
I love you for who you are and how you make me feel. Eventhough our love is short but is amazing that it grows so deep inside me. I asked, "What makes you love me?" and you said, "There's no reason for it and I love you as a whole package". It touches me for what you said and I fell in love with you who willing to accept and love me for who I am.
WHEN THE LAST TEARDROP FALLS - Blaque
It's so hard to lose the one you love
To finally have to say goodbye
You try to be strong but the pain keeps holdin' on
And all that you can do is cry
Deep within your heart you know it's time to move on
When the fairy tale that you once knew is gone
When the last tear drop falls
I'll still be holdin' on to all of our memories
And all of what used to be
When the last tear drop falls
I will stand tall
And know that you're here with me in my heart
When the last tear drop falls
So now I'm alone and life keeps movin' on
But my destination still unknown, oh yeah
Will there be a time when I'll fall in love again?
When I was meant to walk these streets alone
If there was just one wish I could be granted here tonight
It would be to have you right back by my side
Now it's time for me to find my happiness again
And the emptiness from missin' you
Will never ever end, baby
“Funeral” is a TV commercial launched directed by the critically acclaimed and award winning film director, Yasmin Ahmad and commissioned by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS). The story portrays a wife's love for her husband. It takes a look at marriage in a different light. A middle aged woman shares humorous stories during an eulogy at her husband’s funeral. She is celebrating how beautiful imperfections are that make a relationship perfect.
When we are in love with a person, we will love the person as a whole and to accept the 'package' that comes with the person, be it good or bad. "We come to love is not to find a perfect person, but to love an imperfect person perfectly.
Hope we are able to find a life partner who are beautifully imperfect that made them perfect for us and love us for our imperfection as who we are.
“A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we’re pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we’re safe in our own paradise. Our soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we’re two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances are we’ve found the right person. Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life.”
“If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they're yours; if they don't they never were.”
We do not possess anything in this world, least of all other people. We only imagine that we do. Our friends, our lovers, our spouses, even our children are not ours; they belong only to themselves. Possessive and controlling friendships and relationships can be as harmful as neglect.
"Soulmate" is a pop song written and produced by Natasha Bedingfield, Mads Hauge and David Tench for Bedingfield's second album, N.B. (2007). The song was released as the album's second single in July 2007.
Fairy Tale (童話 Tóng Huà) is the third solo album by Malaysian singer Michael Wong (光良) which released on Jan 2005.
Get to know the cantonese version 光良-童话[粤语DIY] but still prefer the original mandarin version. Is better to watch the MTV video rather than listening to the song. I know is a sad song but doesnt really know what exactly it means the first time I heard the song till I watched the MTV video completely.
I love the original MTV video when the piano is being push out to the stage, the guy make a call and place it on the piano while he performed on the stage. Dont understand the reason why he did so untill knowing that is for the girl to listen for the last time at the end. It makes me shed my tears everytime I watch it. It remind us once again to cherish, love and appreciate people that around us each day in our life and dont wait till it's too late.
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
童話 (TONG HUA/FAIRY TALE) - Michael Wong 光良
忘了有多久 I’ve forgotten how long it has been
再沒聽到你 Since the last time I heard you
對我說你最愛的故事 Tell me your favorite story
我想了很久 I have thought for a long time
我開始慌了 I start to panic
是不是我又做錯了什麼 Wondering if I have done something wrong again
你哭著對我說 You told me as you cried
童話裡都是騙人的 That everything in fairy tales are all lies
我不可能是你的王子 I couldn’t possibly be your prince.
也許你不會懂 But perhaps you don’t understand either
從你說愛我以后 Ever since you told me you loved me
我的天空星星都亮了 All the stars in my sky have brightened.
我願變成童話裡 I’m willing to become the one in the fairy tale
你愛的那個天使 The angel that you love
張開雙手 I extend this pair of hands
變成翅膀守護你 and turn them into wings to protect you
你要相信 You must believe
相信我們會像童話故事裡 Believe we will be like we are in a fairy tale
幸福和快樂是結局 Where blessings and happiness is the ending
The album - For All You've Done by Hillsong which released in September 2004.
"Hold on to what is good, even if it's a handful of earth. Hold on to what you believe, even if it's a tree that stands by itself. Hold on to what you must do, even if it's a long way from here. Hold on to my hand, even if some day I'll be gone away from you. Hold on to your faith, even if it's easier to let go. Hold on to God's hand."
WITH ALL I AM - Hillsong
Into Your hand
I commit again
With all I am
For you Lord
You hold my world
In the palm of Your hand
And I'm Yours forever
Jesus I believe in You
Jesus I belong to You
You're the reason that I live
The reason that I sing
With all I am
I'll walk with You wherever you go
Through tears and joy
I'll trust in You
And I will live in all of Your ways and Your promises forever
Watch this video - The (Scienctific) Death of Jesus Christ in the Facebook and wish to include in the blog as to remind ourself once again for the sacrificing of Jesus Christ on the cross for us.
It reminds me of this movie - The Passion Of The Christ which directed by Mel Gibson and was released in April 2004. A film detailing the final hours and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
The (Scienctific) Death of Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ, at the age of 33 was condemned to death penalty for claiming to be the Holy Son of God with sedition against the Roman Empire - He was crucified.
Before the Jesus was crucified, He was being torturing by beating with Roman scourges. The beatings administered by Roman soldiers are well-known to be very bloody, leaving lacerations all over the body. Romans designed their whips (not used to kill, but only for intense torture) to cut the flesh from their victim's bodies on the back and torso. These beatings were designed to be painful to the extreme. It would also cause a fluid build up around His lungs. In addition, a crown of thorns was forced into His scalp which was capable of severely irritating major nerves in His head, causing increasing and excruciating pain, as the hours wore on.
In Christ's severely stressed condition, these beatings were easily enough to kill him. His body was horribly bruised, cut and bleeding. Having had no nourishment for many hours, and having lost fluids through profuse sweating and much bleeding, Jesus would have been severely dehydrated. This brutal torture would certainly be sending Him into what doctors call “shock,” and shock kills.
In addition, Jesus was forced to carry the wooden beam of about 110 pounds (50kg), from the prison to the place of execution for almost 2 kilometers on which He would die. While the crowd spat on His face and throw stones and imagine the effect of carrying a heavy weight if you were in that condition.
Crucifixion is a painful execution where Jesus was nailed with large nails about 15-10 long each with a point of 6cm were craved into the pulses (not into the palms as we're told as the flesh of the palm would simply tear from the weight of the body) and with a bigger nail than those craved into His pulses, the nail were craved into his both feet together. He was then tied to this wooden cross and left to hang until dead.
Hung completely naked before the crowd, the pain and damage caused by crucifixion were designed to be so devilishly intense that one would continually long for death, but could linger for days with no relief.
In the pulse, there’s a tendon which extends till the shoulder, and when the nails were being hammered, that tendon broke, obliging Jesus to reinforce all the muscles of His back, so that He could breath as He was loosing all the air from His lungs. He was forced to support Himself on to the nail craved into His feet and, as His feet could not endure for long time without tearing, Jesus was forced to alternate that “cycle” so that He could breath. The position of the body on a cross is designed to make it extremely difficult to breathe. The piercing of the median nerve of the hands with a nail can cause pain so incredible that even morphine won't help, “severe, excruciating, burning pain, like lightning bolts traversing the arm into the spinal cord.” “A symphony of pain” produced by every movement, with every breath; even a slight breeze on His skin could bring screaming pain at this point and Jesus has voluntarily endured that reality for over more than 3 hours.
Few minutes before He died, Jesus was not bleeding anymore and instead He was simply pouring water (plasma) from His cuts and holes. Human body is composed by nearly 3.5 litres of blood (for adult) which Jesus has poured all 3.5 litres of His blood (three nails hammered into His members; a crown of thorns on His head and, beyond that, a Roman soldier who nailed a spear into His chest).
At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” and soon died, after saying “It is finished.”
Dr. Frederick Farrar described the intended, torturous effect: “For indeed a death by crucifixion seems to include all that pain and death can have of horrible and ghastly—dizziness, cramp, thirst, starvation, sleeplessness, traumatic fever, tetanus, shame, publicity of shame, long continuance of torment, horror of anticipation, mortification of untended wounds—all intensified just up to the point at which they can be endured at all, but all stopping just short of the point which would give to the suffer the relief of unconsciousness.”
All agree that Jesus has suffered one of the most grueling and painful forms of capital punishment ever devised by man which He has voluntarily endured all these for us so that our sins could be "washed". It grieves me to see Jesus in such pain just for us and the blessing that we have so far ... ...
Here's the links:
Movie
WORTHY IS THE LAMB - Hillsong
Thank you for the cross, Lord
Thank you for the price You paid
Bearing all my sin and shame
In love You came
And gave amazing grace
Thank you for this love, Lord
Thank you for the nail pierced hands
Washed me in Your cleansing flow
Now all I know
Your forgiveness and embrace
Worthy is the Lamb
Seated on the throne
Crown You now with many crowns
You reign victorious
High and lifted up
Jesus Son of God
The Darling of Heaven crucified
Worthy is the Lamb
Worthy is the Lamb
LEAD ME TO THE CROSS - Hillsong United
Savior I come
Quiet my soul remember
Redemptions hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost
Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross
You were as I
Tempted and trialed
You are
The word became flesh
Before my sin and death
Now you're risen
To your heart
To your heart
Lead me to your heart
Lead me to your heart
Got to know this song - 菊花台 (Chrysanthemum Flower Bed) by Jay Chou from the movie - 满城尽帶黃金甲 (Curse of the Golden Flower) directed by Zhang Yimou which released in December 2006.
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