A Blooming Flower

I wrote this poem while studying and working in Singapore 1992.

A Blooming Flower
It has been a long time
Away from home.
Trying to make money.
Yet, I have not done.

Working all night long
Without a wink,
To meet hand to mouth,
Even don't have time to drink.

Is it worth to all?
I have put into investment;
Money, time and energy,
To stand to be a man?

An old man said “Those who have gone down
To the deepest valley will know,
The magnificent top
Of the mountain".

Whenever I feel messed up in my mind,
You beside me, showing the way,
And giving me strength.
I am again like a blooming flower in May.

BaKoGi
January 11th, 1992

Smokie -Love Take Me Away & Boulevard Of Broken Dreams

Smokie - Love Take Me Away

Smokie: Boulevard Of Broken Dreams

Seasons In The Sun-Terry Jacks

Seasons In The Sun (Terry Jacks)
Goodbye to you, my trusted friend.
We've known each other since we're nine or ten.
Together we climbed hills or trees.
Learned of love and ABC's,
skinned our hearts and skinned our knees.
Goodbye my friend, it's hard to die,
when all the birds are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
Pretty girls are everywhere.
When you see them I'll be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the hills that we climbed
were just seasons out of time.
Goodbye, Papa, please pray for me,
I was the black sheep of the family.
You tried to teach me right from wrong.
Too much wine and too much song,
wonder how I get along.
Goodbye, Papa, it's hard to die
when all the birds are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
Little children everywhere.
When you see them I'll be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the wine and the song,
like the seasons, all have gone.
Goodbye, Michelle, my little one.
You gave me love and helped me find the sun.
And every time that I was down
you would always come around
and get my feet back on the ground.
Goodbye, Michelle, it's hard to die
when all the bird are singing in the sky,
Now that the spring is in the air.
With the flowers ev'rywhere.
I wish that we could both be there.
We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun.
But the stars we could reach
were just starfishs on the beach

(I used to listen and sing along in the late 90s and still love this song )

Lunch time, Anytime with Bee Gees

Words (Bee Gees)

How deep Is Your Love (Bee Gees)

Massachusetts (Bee Gees)

Aye!!! My Favourite Singer, Rod Stewart

Sailing (Rod Stewart)

You are in my heart (Rod Stewart)

The first cut is the deepest (Rod Stewart)

Stumblin In - Smokie

Our love is alive and so we begin
Foolishly layin' our hearts on the table
Stumblin' in
Our love is a flame burnin' within
Now and then fire light will catch us
Stumblin' in

Wherever you go, whatever you do
You know these reckless thoughts of mine
Are followin' you

I've fallen for you
whatever you do
'Cause baby you've shown me so many things
that I never knew

Whatever it takes
Baby, I'll do it for you

Our love is alive and so we begin
Foolishly layin' our hearts on the table
Stumblin' in
Our love is a flame burnin' within
Now and then fire light will catch us
Stumblin' in

---- Instrumental Interlude ----

You were so young
Ah, and I was so free

I may have been young but baby
That's not what I wanted to be

Well you were the one

Oh, why was it me

'Cause baby you've shown me so many things
That I'd never seen

Whatever you need
Baby, you got it from me

Our love is alive and so we begin
Foolishly layin' our hearts on the table
Stumblin' in
Our love is a flame burnin' within
Now and then fire light will catch us
Stumblin' in

Ah, stumblin' in
Mmmm, stumblin' in

Now and then fire light will catch us
Stumblin' in

Oh, stumblin' in
I'm stumblin' in
Foolishly layin' our hearts on the table
Stumblin' in

Have You Ever Seen the Rain-Smokie

Someone told me long ago theres a calm before the storm,
I know; its been comin for some time.
When its over, so they say, itll rain a sunny day,
I know; shinin down like water.

Chorus:
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain?
I want to know, have you ever seen the rain
Comin down on a sunny day?

Yesterday, and days before, sun is cold and rain is hard,
I know; been that way for all my time.
til forever, on it goes through the circle, fast and slow,
I know; it cant stop, I wonder.

Chorus
Yeah!
Chorus

願嫁漢家郎

http://www.youmaker.com/
願嫁漢家郎 - 趙靜

彎彎的藤麻喲　爬呀爬在大樹上呀
活潑的魚兒游呀　游呀游在清水塘
美麗的山茶花喲　開呀開在高山上呀
擺夷的姑娘願呀　願呀願嫁漢家郎
白白的臉蛋　輕紗裝啊　苗條的身段俏模樣啊
溫柔的時候啊像呀像月亮喲
熱情的時候啊像啊像太陽
山上的男人　我不愛喲
一心喲只愛呀漢呀漢家郎喲　漢家郎

彎彎的藤麻喲　爬呀爬在大樹上呀
活潑的魚兒游呀　游呀游在清水塘
美麗的山茶花喲　開呀開在高山上呀
擺夷的姑娘願呀　願呀願嫁漢家郎
白白的臉蛋　輕紗裝啊　苗條的身段俏模樣啊
溫柔的時候啊像呀像月亮喲
熱情的時候啊像啊像太陽
山上的男人　我不愛喲
一心喲只愛呀漢呀漢家郎喲　漢家郎

彎彎的藤麻喲　爬呀爬在大樹上呀
活潑的魚兒游呀　游呀游在清水塘
美麗的山茶花喲　開呀開在高山上呀
擺夷的姑娘願呀　願呀願嫁漢家郎
[I do not understand most of the song. I wish I could find the translation]

Traditional Lullaby

A heart to hate you
is as far away as the moon.
A heart to love you
is as near by as the door.

(From Burundi)

Time To Say Goodbye(Con te Partiro)-Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman

Quando sono solo
sogno all'orizzonte
e mancan le parole
sì lo so che non c'è luce
in una stanza quando manca il sole
se non ci sei tu con me, con me

su le finestre
mostra a tutti il mio cuore
che hai acceso
chiudi dentro me
la luce che
hai incontrato per strada

con te partirò
paesi che non ho mai
veduto e vissuto con te
adesso sì li vivrò
con te partirò
su navi per mari
che io lo so
no no non esistono più
con te io li vivrò

quando sei lontana
sogno all'orizzonte
e mancan le parole
e io sì lo so che sei con me, con me
tu mia luna tu sei qui con me
mio sole tu sei qui con me, con me, con me, con me

con te partirò
paesi che non ho mai
veduto e vissuto con te
adesso sì li vivrò
con te partirò
su navi per mari
che io lo so
no no non esistono più
con te io li rivivrò

con te partirò
su navi per mari
che io lo so
no no non esistono più
con te io li rivivrò
con te partirò. . .

I'm Nobody (Emily Dickinson)

I’m Nobody
I’m nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there’s a pair of us-don’t tell!
They’d banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!

Emily Dickinson

藤あや子(Fuji Ayako)-宵待草 & Itsuki Hiroshi-Meoto Zenzai-夫婦善哉

Fuji Ayako - 宵待草, Fuji Ayako is also my favorite Enka singer. Enjoy!

Itsuki Hiroshi - Meoto Zenzai　夫婦善哉

My Hero Daw Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma

For Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and people of Burma, who are deprived of freedom, fairness and human dignity. May Buddha bless you and keep your struggling for peace, unity and freedom. We are with you.

Walk On (U2) For Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

When You Are With

When You Are With
When you're with someone,
I feel as if someone drops a hot
Iron into my heart,
And smoke comes out. It stifles me.

When you're with someone,
I feel as if someone presses my heart,
And my body turns into stone.
It makes me lifeless.

When you're with someone,
I feel, someone sucks out of my blood,
And my languid body out of life.
It makes me faint.

BaKoGi

1990

From Gitanjali (Tagore)

From Gitanjali
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection:
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is lead forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action—
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

Rabindranath Tagore

For Peace, unity, progress, freedom, fairness and human dignity......

If Only (Tagore)

Thanks to Chiu Ping for letting me use this picture.
If Only
I would ask for still more
If I had the sky
With all its stars
And world
With its endless richness…

But I would be content
With the smallest corner
Of this earth
If only you were mine.

Rabindrinath Tagore

A Pleasure To Recall

Thanks to Chiu Ping for letting me use this picture.
A Pleasure To Recall

Simple pleasures, childhood chores,
Common-place things- nothing more,
Yet some day these things will be
Transformed to happy memories.

There’s always something to remember-
Something to be grateful for,
To treasure as a golden memory
In the after-glow of reverie.

Dreams that linger from the past
Friendship which endures to the last,
These, when the grey shadows fall,
Will be a pleasure to recall.

W.M.

The Lamp (Sara Teasdale)

The Lamp
If I can bear your love like a lamp before me,
When I go down the long steep Road of Darkness,
I shall not fear the everlasting shadows,
Nor cry in terror.
If I can find out God, then I shall find Him,
If none can find Him, then I shall sleep soundly,
Knowing how well on earth your love sufficed me,
A lamp in darkness.

Sara Teasdale

You Smiled,You Spoke,and I Believed-Poem by Walter S. Landor

You smiled, you spoke, and I believed,
By every word and smile deceived.
Another man would hope no more;
Nor hope I what I hoped before:
But let not this last wish be vain;
Deceive, deceive me once again!

Walter Savage Landor (30 January 1775 – 17 September 1864)

Remembering and Honouring Teresa Teng 鄧麗君

Again arises the chimney smoke
The evening light covers the earth.
I wish to ask the smoke wave after wave.
Where are you going?

The Sunset is a poem.
The dusk is a painting.
Though poem and painting are delight,
In my heart is only you.

Again arises the chimney smoke
To bring back my memories.
I wish you to become a colorful cloud,
And fly into my dreams.

又見炊煙升起　暮色罩大地
想問陣陣炊煙　你要去那裡

＊夕陽有詩情　黃昏有畫意
詩情畫意雖然美麗　我心中祇有你

又見炊煙升起　勾起我回憶
願你變作彩霞　飛到我夢裡

歎十聲 鄧麗君 and 童麗

歎十聲 鄧麗君

歎十聲 童麗　
烟花那女子
　叹罢那第一声
　思想起奴终身
　靠呀靠何人
　爹娘生下了奴
　就没有照管
　为只为 家贫寒
　才卖那小奴身
　
　伊呀呀得儿喂
　说给谁来听
　为只为 家贫寒
　才卖那小奴身
　烟花那女子
　叹罢那第二声
　思想起当年的
　坏呀坏心的人
　花言巧语 他把奴来骗
　到头来 丢下奴
　只成了一片恨
　
　伊呀呀得儿喂
　说给谁来听
　到头来 丢下奴
　只成了一片恨
　----
　烟花那女子
　叹罢那第三声
　思想起何处有
　知呀知心人
　天涯漂泊 受尽了欺凌
　有谁知 逢人笑
　暗地里抹泪痕
　
　伊呀呀得儿喂
　说给谁来听
　有谁知 逢人笑
　暗地里抹泪痕

但願人長久Wishing We Last Forever-Poem by Su Tongpo(苏轼)

Shui diao ge tou (水調歌頭; 水调歌头) is the name of a tune which is used to rhyme this famous poem, 水調歌頭·丙辰中秋, by the Song dynasty poet Su Shi, commonly known as Su Tongpo. Poets wrote different lyrics which usually have the same title "水調歌頭." "水調歌頭" made by Su, Shi (also known as 蘇東坡 Su, Tongpo) is the most famous one. 詞(ci) is one of the literary genre that is unique to Song dynasty in Chinese Literature and can be sung with melody. But many ancient melodies are lost throughout history. However, the fame of this lyric draws a modern popular composer to compose a new melody for it and is sung by very famous Chinese female singer,Teresa Teng. (From-http://en.wikipedia.org/)

The following is the original Chinese poem by Su Shi (Su Tung Po).
水調歌頭

丙辰中秋，歡飲達旦，
大醉，
作此篇，
兼懷子由。

明月幾時有？
把酒問青天。
不知天上宮闕，
今夕是何年？

我欲乘風歸去，
唯恐瓊樓玉宇，
高處不勝寒。
起舞弄清影，
何似在人間！

轉朱閣，
低綺戶，
照無眠。
不應有恨，
何事長向別時圓？

人有悲歡離合，
月有陰晴圓缺，
此事古難全。
但願人長久，
千里共嬋娟



水调歌头
苏轼
明月几时有，
把酒问青天。
不知天上宫阙，
今夕是何年。
我欲乘风归去,
又恐琼楼玉宇，
高处不胜寒，
起舞弄清影，
何似在人间。
转朱阁，
低绮户，
照无眠。
不应有恨，
何事长向别时圆。
人有悲欢离合，
月有阴晴圆缺，
此事古难全。
但愿人长久，
千里共婵娟。
Bright moon, when did you appear?
Lifting my wine, I question the dark night sky.
Tonight in the palaces and halls of heaven
what year is it, I wonder?

I would like to ride the wind, make my home there,
Only I hide in a jade room of a beautiful mansion,
As I could not bear the cold of high altitudes.
So I rise and dance and play in your pure beams,
this human world — how can it compare with yours?

Circling red chambers,
low in the curtained door,
you shine on the sleepless.
Surely you bear us no ill will —
why then must you be so round at times when we humans are parted!

People have their grieves and joys, their togetherness and separation,
The moon has its dark and clear times, its waxings and wanings.
Situations are never ideal since long ago.
I only hope we two may have long long lives,
So that we may share the moon's beauty even though we are a thousand miles apart.
Poem written during the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival of 1076 by Su TongPo

ရဟႏၱာကိုစိတ္၀င္စားတဲ့ဗုဓၶဘာသာ၀င္မ်ားသို ့

爱拼才会赢 (葉憲修)-台語歌曲

歌詞
一時失志嘸免怨嘆　一時落魄嘸免膽寒
那通失去希望　每日醉茫茫　無魂有體親像稻草郎
人生好比是海上的波浪　有時起　有時落
好運　歹運　總嘛要照起扛來行
三分天註定　七分靠打拚　愛拚才会赢

一时失志 不免怨叹
Chi shisi ci e mian huan dan
At a time when we lose, our ego would naturally blame.
一时落 魄不免胆寒
Chi si lo bie e mian dan han
At a time when we fall down, our soul would naturally be terrified
那通失去希望 每日醉茫茫
Na tang sit gi hii bang, mui lit zui bang bang
The memory of going through days of losing hopes and getting drunk
无魂有体亲像稻草人
Mbo hun wu dei qing qiu tiu jao lang
My body is without a soul just like a scarecrow
人生可比是海上的波浪
Yin shing ko pi si hai siong e po long
But life really is just like the tide of the sea
有时起有时落
Wu si gii wu si luo
They rise and fall by turn
好运歹命
Ho un pai un
Goodluck, Badluck
总吗要照起工来行
Cong ma ciao gi kang lai kia
Really, you just have to wake up and get to work, do it.
三分天注定 七分靠打拼
Sa hun ti cut tia, jit hun ko ba pia
Thirty percent is Heaven's will, Seventy percent is hard work
爱拼才会赢
Ai pia cia e ya
To win, you have to give your all.