(image credit: Shine)
I just found this clip that someone put together in regard to Joanne’s journey up until now. Well, for the most part. But it really brought back lots of memories. She had gone a long way, worked really hard, and now becoming an established artist. I’m so proud of her.
NOTE: The video clip has been deleted so it’s not there anymore but still an amazing video highlighting Qiao Qiao’s journey over the years.
Oh joy, I’m bringing this back since it’s another year of madness. How did it go? Let’s check the number first, lol. Yes, before I start bragging and realized it wasn’t worth bragging over, lol. But before I actually go into the stats, I would like to thank The New World and iHero for making some of the impossibles happen. Because if it wasn’t for the dramas, I wouldn’t have updated so much or kept it so consistent for the better half of the year. Also, anyone wanting to check out the stat report from WordPress, click here.
365 (35% of all time). Yes, I took the challenge of trying to keep up posts for 365 days SO had to brag here. It wasn’t easy and some posts were less impressive than others. However, I think it was already tough that I managed it all year long. For this year, will I be continuing on this pattern? I want to but I would say no. Since quality trumps quantity so I’ll still be updating, still be my random self at times, but I won’t force it as an everyday thing. If it happens, it happens. Now, moving on to the breakdown of different categories.
284 (78% of overall). I took out Ady and Hu Ge early on so I didn’t feel like I needed to include them in this section. Anyway, because I did the 365-day challenge, everyone benefited–one way or another. However, Achel had a surge, leaving Jun Ya behind with only 22 posts, because Wallace, Joanne, Bianca, and Jacky ended up having more posts than him for the year. That knocked him off top 5 for the year yet didn’t damage his overall record too much. Talking about that, he was the reason why I held off so long of not publishing this post since I needed to calculate some of the posts again. Yet I decided to gamble and take out some and possibly double back next year to correct it all. Oh yeah, I didn’t count general updates for some people, especially those with higher numbers already.
Wallace Huo: 26 (9% of the year)
Janine Chang: 16 (6%)
Vic Chou: 12 (4%)
Joanne Tseng: 25 (9%)
Nicholas Teo: 18 (6%)
Xiu Jie Kai: 12 (4%)
Angela Chang: 12 (4%)
Zhao Jun Ya: 22 (8%)
Yvonne Yao: 7 (2%)
Penny Lin: 16 (6%)
Achel Chang/ Zhang Xin Yu: 34 (12%)
Sophia Chou: 6 (2%)
Ruby Lin: 16 (6%)
Van Fan: 9 (3%)
Eric Suen: 5 (2%)
Bianca Bai: 25 (9%)
Jacky Chu: 23 (8%)
I will say that I was both proud and also a bit ashamed because I was cheating for several dramas by inserting placeholders. I was trying to motivate myself to watch faster and/or fill the spaces yet things got in the way and I fell behind once again.
I think that it was too obvious that it was a Phil Chang year for me. Yes, I love that guy. Okay, mostly his songs, lol. But he is funny. Getting back to this, totally outdone myself on some levels. Overall, I translated 51 songs. OMG, that’s like a major achievement for me in this area. The previous year, I only did 12, but that was because I didn’t really take it as a challenge. I think this number will drop the upcoming year since I won’t be forcing myself to update every day.
130 posts – My randomness seriously has gone way past normal. I didn’t count some of the side stuff. But The New World and iHero obviously dominated the scene for the beginning of the year.
For this year, I hope to bring out more quality posts, like I said earlier. I also hope to finish up the placeholder posts that I haven’t previously. Wish me luck and see you all next year!
(Credit: 胡夏 HuXia)
Song Title: Step Forward (學著走)
Lyricist: Shi Fang (十方)
Composer: Tan Zhi Hua (譚志華)
Key:
Bold = Chinese
Maroon = Pin Yin
Blue = English
你那時候的溫柔 變成此刻的狂風
ni na shi hou de wen rou bian cheng ci ke de kuang feng
Your gentleness at that moment has changed into this moment’s fierce wind
傷捲進胸口 好痛
shang juan jin xiong kou hao tong
The wound has traveled through the chest, very painful
你最後的笑容 縱放過後迎來寒冬
ni zui hou de xiao rong zong fang guo hou ying lai han dong
Your last smile has released to welcome winter
背影揉進眼眸 散成惡夢
bei ying rou jin yan mou san cheng e meng
Back view brushed past the eyes, turning into a nightmare
回憶像荒蕪的樂園 觀笑聲逃出從前
hui yi xiang huang wu de le yuan guan xiao sheng tao chu cong qian
Memories are like uncultivated gardens, sounds of past laughter unleashing
海盜船廢 摩天輪斜 木馬不旋
hai dao chuan fei mo tian lun xie mu ma bu xuan
Pirate’s abandoned ship, slanted Ferris wheels, unrevoling wooden horses
離開痛 學著走
li kai tong xue zhe zou
Leaving pain, learning to move forward
往事太重我再也背不動
wang shi tai chong wo zai ye bei bu dong
The past is so heavy that I can’t even lift it
不能逗留 人越是回頭 越有漩過 越往上游 越向下落
bu neng dou liu ren yue shi hui tou yue you xuan guo yue wang shang you yue xiang xia luo
Don’t stop, the more one looks back, the more one will go in circles; the higher one tries to go, the more one will fall
想小時候 學著走
xiang xiao shi hou xue zhe zou
Reminiscing of childhood, learning how to walk
第一步總是擔心害怕和惶恐
de yi bu zong shi dan xin hai pa he huang kong
The first step always is worrisome, full of fear, and living in fear
時間回伸出變手 抱往我別難過
shi jian hui shen chu bian shou bao wang wo bie nan guo
Time stretches and changes hand, surrounding me so don’t be sad
淚水中找彩虹要勇敢的像孩童
lei shui zhong zhao cai hong yao yong gan de xiang hai tong
Finding the rainbow within tears, be courageous like a child
(music)
心是個拉圾掩理場 收集著件件破爛
xin shi ge la ji yan li chang shou ji zhe jian jian po lan
The heart is like a garbage dump, collecting pieces of rags
半個永遠 斷句誓言 情感碎片
ban ge yong yuan duan ju shi yan qing gan sui pian
Half of forever, broken promises, fragments of love
離開痛 學著走
li kai tong xue zhe zou
Leaving pain, learning to move forward
往事太重我再也背不動
wang shi tai chong wo zai ye bei bu dong
The past is so heavy that I can’t even lift it
不能逗留 人越是回頭 越有漩過 越往上游 越向下落
bu neng dou liu ren yue shi hui tou yue you xuan guo yue wang shang you yue xiang xia luo
Don’t stop, the more one looks back, the more one will go in circles; the higher one tries to go, the more one will fall
想小時候 學著走
xiang xiao shi hou xue zhe zou
Reminiscing of childhood, learning how to walk
第一步總是擔心害怕和惶恐
de yi bu zong shi dan xin hai pa he huang kong
The first step always is worrisome, full of fear, and living in fear
時間回伸出變手 抱往我別難過
shi jian hui shen chu bian shou bao wang wo bie nan guo
Time stretches and changes hand, surrounding me so don’t be sad
淚水中找彩虹要勇敢的像孩童
lei shui zhong zhao cai hong yao yong gan de xiang hai tong
Finding the rainbow within tears, be courageous like a child
離開痛 學著走
li kai tong xue zhe zou
Leaving pain, learning to move forward
孤單變成我最好的朋友
gu dan bian cheng wo zui hao de peng you
Loneliness has become my best friend
帶我看懂 愛那時候的風 那年的冬 那傷的錯 那黑的夢
dai wo kan dong ai na shi hou de feng na nian de dong na shang de cuo na hei de meng
Letting me understand, that time’s love storm, that year’s winter, that pain’s mistake, that darkness of dreams
想小時候 學著走
xiang xiao shi hou xue zhe zou
Reminiscing of childhood, learning how to walk
下一步會讓不知所措變成熱
xia yi bu hui rang bu zhi suo cuo bian cheng re
The next step is to let the loss turn into familiarity
日曆飄出了窗口 過去己經去過
ri li piao chu le chuang kou guo qu ji jing qu guo
Time flies out the window, the past is already gone
你不再愛我忘記疼痛要像孩童
ni bu zai ai wo wang ji teng tong yao xiang hai tong
You don’t love me anymore, forgetting pain like a child
*All translations were done by DTLCT.
Song Title: Change It Over (改變)
Lyricist: Yan Yun Nong (嚴云農)
Composer: Chen Zhong Yi (陳忠義)
Key:
Bold = Chinese
Maroon = Pin Yin
Royal Blue = English
Red Violet = Vietnamese
停在街頭 吹吹風
ting zai jie tou chui chui feng
Stopping at the intersection with wind blowing
Dừng chân tại ngã tư nghe gió thổi rì rào
好像找機會到國外走走
hao xiang zhao ji hui dao guo wai zou zou
It seems like searching for an opportunity to take a stroll abroad
Giống như đang tìm cơ hội để ra ngoại quốc đi dạo
停下來 問一問自己 在忙什麼
ting xia lai wen yi wen zi ji zai mang shen me
Stopping, asking myself a question, “What are you so occupied with?”
Dừng lại, tự hỏi chính mình: Đang bận chuyện gì đây?
選夢想或工作 愛或自由
xuan meng xiang huo gong zuo ai huo zi you
Choosing dream or work, love or freedom
Chọn lựa mộng tưởng hay công tác, tình yêu hay tự do
選擇越多 越迷惑
xuan ze yue duo yue mi huo
The more decisions there are, the more baffling it is
Có càng nhiệu sự lựa chọn thì sự việc trở nên càng mơ hồ
害怕自己 己被掏空
hai pa zi ji ji bei tao kong
Fearing that I would be emptied out
Sợ bản thân sẽ bị trống trải đi
男生是應該溫柔
nan sheng shi ying gai wen rou
Men should be gentle
Là nam nhi thì phải nên ôn nhu
還是該獨立 靠自己行走
hai shi gai du li kao zi ji xing zou
And should be independent, relying on oneself to move forward
Còn phải tự lập, nhờ chính mình để tiến tới
世界對我們的期待那麼多
shi jie dui wo wen de qi dai na me duo
There are a lot of expectations the world has for us
Thế giới đối với chúng ta có rất nhiều kỳ vọng
不管堅強能夠維持多久
bu guan jian qiang neng gou wei chi duo jiu
It doesn’t matter how long perseverance could hold up strength
Không cần biết rằng kiên trì có thể bền vững được bao lâu
總有疲憊的時候
zong you pi bei de shi hou
When the moment of exhaustion comes
Khi sự mệt nhọc đã kéo đến
可不可以 允許脆弱
ke bu ke yi yun xu cui ruo
Is it possible to allow weakness?
Có thể nào cho phép được yếu đuối không?
每次 遇見要自己放棄 的我
mei ci yu jian you zi ji fang qi de wo
Each time meeting up with the part of me that wanted to give up
Mỗi lần đối diện với sự muốn bỏ cuộc của bản thân anh
我總是聽見 你說
wo zong shi ting jian ni shuo
I always hear you say
Anh lúc nào cũng nghe được em nói rằng
勉強自己是 幸福的
mian qiang zi ji shi xing fu de
Forcing oneself is happiness
Miễn cưỡng bản thân là một sự hạnh phúc
每次浮現了 渴望愛的念頭
mei ci fu xian le ke wang ai de nian tou
Each time memories emerge, the desire for love also occurs
Mỗi lần ký ức khơi dậy thì khát vọng tình yêu cũng khơi theo
不管我會往哪走
bu guan wo hui wang na zou
It doesn’t matter where I go
Không cần biết đi tới đâu
我想這都是該改變的時候
wo xiang zhe dou shi gai gai bian de shi hou
I think that those are the times that I should’ve changed
Anh nghĩ rằng những lần đó là những lần anh nên thay đổi
擁抱身邊 的朋友
yong bao shen bian de peng you
Embracing friends by my side
Ôm lấy những bạn bè bên cạnh
大家都有被羨慕的理由
da jia dou you bei xian mu de li you
Everyone has a reason to be envious
Mọi người đều có lý do để ghen tỵ
卻難免 有各自的不安出沒
que nan mian you ge zi de bu an chu mo
Yet what is unavoidable is the occurrence of each haunting instability
Nhưng chuyện khó tránh là khi mỗi lần sự bất an lại lai vãng
愛上了一個人 或者分手
ai shang le yi ge ren huo zhe fen shou
Falling in love with someone or breaking up
Yêu thương một người hay chia tay với ai đó
不管充實或寂寞
bu guan chong shi huo ji mo
It doesn’t matter substantial or loneliness
Không cần biết đó là sự dồi dào hay lẻ loi
我想我們會幸福的
wo xiang wo men hui xing fu de
I think that we will experience happiness
Anh nghĩ rằng chúng ta sẽ được hạnh phúc mà
每次 遇見要自己放棄的我
mei ci yu jian yao zi ji fang qi de wo
Each time meeting up with the part of me that wanted to give up
Mỗi lần đối diện với sự muốn bỏ cuộc của bản thân anh
我總是聽見你說
wo zong shi ting jian ni shuo
I always hear you say
Anh lúc nào cũng nghe được em nói rằng
受點傷害實值得的
shou dian shang hai zhi de de
Enduring a little pain is gaining
Chịu được chút đau thương là đã được lời
每次浮現了 相信愛的念頭
mei ci fu xian le xiang xin ai de nian tou
Each time memories emerge, the desire for love also occurs
Mỗi lần ký ức khơi dậy thì khát vọng tình yêu cũng khơi theo
不管我會往哪走
bu guan wo hui wang na zou
It doesn’t matter where I go
Không cần biết đi tới đâu
我想這都是該改變的時候
wo xiang zhe dou shi gai gai bian de shi hou
I think that those are the times that I should’ve changed
Anh nghĩ rằng những lần đó là những lần anh nên thay đổi
我應該更開心
wo ying gai geng kai xin
I should be happier
Anh đáng lẽ phải rất vui
做想做的事情
zuo xiang zuo de shi qing
Doing things that I love
Làm những chuyện mà mình thích
盡量少說不可以
jin liang shao shuo bu ke yi
Give it your best and saying less of impossibility
Nên làm hết sức mình và bớt nói tới chuyện không thể
我也許可以改變自己
wo ye xu ke yi gai bian zi ji
Perhaps, I could change myself
Có lẽ anh có thể thay đổi chính mình
不管未來 有沒有榮幸
bu guan wei lai you mei you rong xing
It doesn’t matter, in the future, if I would have the honor
Không cần biết rằng sau này anh có còn vinh hạnh
遇見你
yu jian ni
Of meeting you again
Gặp lại em hay không
每次遇見要自己放棄的我
mei ci yu jian yao zi ji fang qi de wo
Each time meeting up with the part of me that wanted to give up
Mỗi lần đối diện với sự muốn bỏ cuộc của bản thân anh
我總是聽見 你說
wo zong shi ting jian ni shuo
I always hear you say
Anh lúc nào cũng nghe được em nói rằng
在等待一下是對的
zai deng dai yi xia shi dui de
Waiting a little more is right
Đợi thêm một chút nữa mới đúng
每次浮現了相信愛的念頭
mei ci fu xian le xiang xin ai de nian tou
Each time memories emerge, the desire for love also occurs
Mỗi lần ký ức khơi dậy thì khát vọng tình yêu cũng khơi theo
不管我會往哪走
bu guan wo hui wang na zou
It doesn’t matter where I go
Không cần biết đi tới đâu
我想我都該改變
wo xiang wo dou gai gai bian
I think I should change
Anh nghĩ rằng anh nên thay đổi
每次遇見想要遇見你的我
mei ci yu jian xiang yao yu jian ni de wo
Each time meeting up with the part of me that wanted to see you
Mỗi lần đối diện với sự muốn gặp mặt em của bản thân anh
每次浮現了相信愛的念頭
mei ci fu xian le xiang xin ai de nian tou
Each time memories emerge, the desire for love also occurs
Mỗi lần ký ức khơi dậy thì khát vọng tình yêu cũng khơi theo
不管我要往哪走
bu guan wo yao wang na zou
It doesn’t matter where I want to go
Không cần biết muốn đi tới đâu
我想這都是該改變的時候
wo xiang zhe dou shi gai gai bian de shi hou
I think that those are the times that I should’ve changed
Anh nghĩ rằng những lần đó là những lần anh nên thay đổi
*All translations were done by DTLCT.
(Credit: itsJPMofficial)
This topic came forward because of how I had this conversation with Vanadia about the recently popular boyband “Super 131.” She was saying how they seemed to have dropped off the radar or disband or possibly just moved on to other things. She was really getting unease with not having a boyband to chase after. She wants me to give her a band? I’ll not only give her one but many more to think over! In an attempt to bring forth the right atmosphere to discuss this topic, I decided to use JPM’s catchy song “365 Days” to emphasize my point. (Go here for lyrics translation.) Anyway, without further ado, here are the Taiwanese boybands worth mentioning:
First off?
Mayday (五月天). Probably one of the longest formed bands and still active to this day. Ah Xin’s really talented with his songwriting and I really love his style. Although ironically, I like it more when Ah Xin write songs for other singers, lol. But I must admit, they’re a strong band. With all the awards and recognitions they received, I don’t think they need me to praise them, lol. So yeah, they’re one of the coolest bands around.
F4/JVKV. Although they have sort of scattered in the previous years to do their own thing, they still haven’t officially disbanded yet. Their last performance together was in 2013 for the Spring Festival. Who knows? Maybe they will get together again to bring out another album, if not another round of performances.
5566. They’re still around. Even if they are not as active together. They’re actually quite strong during their more active years so they still have a solid fanbase regardless.
Chemical Monkey. I will say that I’m not really a big fan of them, because I have my weird moments, lol. But I think that they’re a genuine, artistic band. Indeed very talented in their own way.
SpeXial. The ten-male members’ band. YES, there are ten members in this band. All male. What’s amazing about them is the ability to harmonize so well. You could get addicted to them by listening to just one song. They bring a refreshing feeling to the pop genre. (And yes, there are two members missing from the picture, because they’re busy right now so can’t join in with the recent album.)
831 (八三夭). Another band that brings forth a refreshing feeling to their music. I especially love their “Why I Cried” song. They lean toward the rock and roll path more than the usual pop so it might take getting used to. But they have their own uniqueness.
io Band (io樂團). Rock band. They sure have style. If you like rock, it’s a must check out.
Gentleman. Their name tripped me since it’s more than one person so it should be “Gentlemen.” But other than that, I guess I’ll live, lol. Seriously though, they could be fun to listen to.
MIXION. Max and Steven. Looks and voice. Nice? They do have some fun songs as well.
Last but not least?
JPM. Yup, I saved them last on purpose. I will tell you that I’m already past the age that I could listen to loud music and enjoy it. LOL! But JPM’s one of those bands that I could enjoy both heartwarming songs and at times, like the song at the beginning of this post–upbeat, uplifting, energetic ones. I will also say that I wasn’t into their previous bands that much, mostly because of the number of bands within the industry so it was SO hard to keep up. But what got me into listening to them was none other than the drama I had followed for several months and fell in love with, True Love 365. If you want to get a sample, you could go hunt them down on YouTube (i.e. click on the credit and it should take you to their official channel) or check out my review of their second album.
Okay, SO not all of them are eye candies, considering some of the new bands. But they make up in talents and variety. Some of the coolest bands out there aren’t considered all that ‘hot’ either but are known for their music.
*Images were either scanned by DTLCT or were collected around the net hence belonging to their rightful owners.