Libya, a country in great danger. The cruelty of Gadaffi, the helplessness of the people, the confusion in the region. Wow, really concerning. Then, maybe we should look at other regions: Russia. Recently, I came across an article about Chechnya. So, who, or what is Chechnya?
Apparently, Chechnya had a long conflict with Russia. After being declared independence, the Chechens were invaded by Russia in 1994: their territory was about to be reclaimed. After a long and bloody war, hundreds of thousands of Chechens were killed, but their homeland was safe, for now. However, when Chechens helped rebels of Russia, they were once again targeted, and they were not as lucky this time. Russians eventually gain control of the region in 2000. Both sides continued fights and horrible war crimes were committed. Then I asked myself, did this even happened? All this cruelty, all this killing, all behind a veil, cloaked and unseen by most. The Russian government had blocked media coverage in this area. So, the Chechens
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Friday, August 13, 2010
What? Math and music??
I have heard and seen (from some websites) that music actually can improve your ability to solve math problems. Is it really true?? I myself is learning music, so i guess this interesting topic will help me identify shortcuts to good grades....
After some research I found out that this is more than a rumor...
Experiment 1:
Study shows that pupils who trained on the piano keyboard and played with a specially designed computer math game during the four-month study scored 27% higher on math problems than did a control group that took English classes and played the same game.
The researchers say that learning the piano and how to read music helps children understand note values, such as an eighth note being half of a quarter note.
Experiment 2:
Another group of high-schoolers volunteered to have the experiment tested on them. When the high-schoolers listened to pop music or another classical composer, the music didn’t affect them on a test, but when they listened to Mozart, they got higher test scores.
Then the testers had a different group sit in 10 minutes silence they also thought that sitting in silence helped your brain. The group that listened to Mozart also sat and listened to Mozart for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes were up, both groups took the same test. The Mozart group scored higher. <- Mozart effect??
Music targets one specific area of the brain to stimulate the use of spatial-temporal reasoning, which is useful in mathematical thinking. ST reasoning would be utilized in activities like chess when one needs to think ahead several moves.
However, Whether or not music improves math skill, it has no relevance to many musicians. Most musicians practice music because of the wonders and joy they feel and earn by playing music even if they are not aware of the math that is in music. So in any case, do try to pick up music as a hobby.
(references:http://library.thinkquest.org/4116/Music/music.htm, http://jackhdavid.thehouseofdavid.com/papers/math.html- http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/52305.html- http://members.cox.net/mathmistakes/music.htm)
After some research I found out that this is more than a rumor...
Experiment 1:
Study shows that pupils who trained on the piano keyboard and played with a specially designed computer math game during the four-month study scored 27% higher on math problems than did a control group that took English classes and played the same game.
The researchers say that learning the piano and how to read music helps children understand note values, such as an eighth note being half of a quarter note.
Experiment 2:
Another group of high-schoolers volunteered to have the experiment tested on them. When the high-schoolers listened to pop music or another classical composer, the music didn’t affect them on a test, but when they listened to Mozart, they got higher test scores.
Then the testers had a different group sit in 10 minutes silence they also thought that sitting in silence helped your brain. The group that listened to Mozart also sat and listened to Mozart for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes were up, both groups took the same test. The Mozart group scored higher. <- Mozart effect??
Music targets one specific area of the brain to stimulate the use of spatial-temporal reasoning, which is useful in mathematical thinking. ST reasoning would be utilized in activities like chess when one needs to think ahead several moves.
However, Whether or not music improves math skill, it has no relevance to many musicians. Most musicians practice music because of the wonders and joy they feel and earn by playing music even if they are not aware of the math that is in music. So in any case, do try to pick up music as a hobby.
(references:http://library.thinkquest.org/4116/Music/music.htm, http://jackhdavid.thehouseofdavid.com/papers/math.html- http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/52305.html- http://members.cox.net/mathmistakes/music.htm)
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Music & Plants
Have you ever heard that music can affect plant growth?
Many scientists have done experiments regarding this. Dorothy Retallack used 3 laboratories containing the same species of plants. She used different types of music for each lab. The plants in the laboratory where music was played daily for 3 hours a day grew twice as large and became twice as healthy as those in a music-free environment. On the other hand, plants in the laboratory where music was played for eight hours a day died within two weeks.
Dorothy Retallack also tried experimenting with different types of music. She played rock music to one group of plants and soothing music to another. The group that heard rock turned out to be sickly and small whereas the other group grew large and healthy. What's more surprising is that the group of plants listening to the soothing music grew bending towards the radio just as they bend towards the sunlight!
Although music is not an absolutely proven factor in plant development, several studies have aided the musical development theory. Some relates this to how music (eg. classical music) affects the human brain positively. So basically, the effect on music on plants can be drastic; noisy music will only make the plants grow feeble and sick. Play classical music (Bach, beethoven, chopin) to make your plant grow better. Even if it isn't classical music, I believe, just soothing music will have the same effect.
Reference ( http://www.ukpianos.co.uk/plants-respond-to-music.html ; http://www.miniscience.com/projects/plantmusic/index.html ; http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_effects_of_music_on_plants)
If you want to try this experiment yourself, follow the steps here: http://www.freesciencefairproject.com/projects/plants_music.html
So basically, just expose plants to 2 different type of music : rock and classical.
See the difference for yourself.
Many scientists have done experiments regarding this. Dorothy Retallack used 3 laboratories containing the same species of plants. She used different types of music for each lab. The plants in the laboratory where music was played daily for 3 hours a day grew twice as large and became twice as healthy as those in a music-free environment. On the other hand, plants in the laboratory where music was played for eight hours a day died within two weeks.
Dorothy Retallack also tried experimenting with different types of music. She played rock music to one group of plants and soothing music to another. The group that heard rock turned out to be sickly and small whereas the other group grew large and healthy. What's more surprising is that the group of plants listening to the soothing music grew bending towards the radio just as they bend towards the sunlight!
Although music is not an absolutely proven factor in plant development, several studies have aided the musical development theory. Some relates this to how music (eg. classical music) affects the human brain positively. So basically, the effect on music on plants can be drastic; noisy music will only make the plants grow feeble and sick. Play classical music (Bach, beethoven, chopin) to make your plant grow better. Even if it isn't classical music, I believe, just soothing music will have the same effect.
Reference ( http://www.ukpianos.co.uk/plants-respond-to-music.html ; http://www.miniscience.com/projects/plantmusic/index.html ; http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_effects_of_music_on_plants)
If you want to try this experiment yourself, follow the steps here: http://www.freesciencefairproject.com/projects/plants_music.html
So basically, just expose plants to 2 different type of music : rock and classical.
See the difference for yourself.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
NBC
2010 is a very special year for our band, as this year, the 3rd NBC(national band concert) will be held at around 1oth July. In this competition, about 35 schools from Singapore will be participating, and definitely not excluding the Hwa Chong Institution band. Apart from all these, Aichi Meidan High School, an Award Winning Band from Japan, will be also performing. All bands have to play a required march piece, and another choice piece.
Our band is very excited about this upcoming event. We had only about 3 months to practise, and therefore, we practised almost every week in our own sections. However, with our current standard, we might not be able to achieve the top award-Gold with Distinctions, the award we have been aiming for. In the last NBC our school band participated in 2006, we attained a Gold award, behind our target by a mere 0.84%! Our seniors were devastated knowing the results, and have been encouraging us to work extra hard, so that we would not regret like how they did. This gave us a lot of pressure...
Anyway, the pieces we are playing are March Together, and Warabe Uta fantasy.
Warabe Uta Fantasy is a very traditional song, with solos from various instruments including the clarinet and the saxaphone. This is an especially tough piece as there are many places where the time signature changes.
Try listening to it - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4FIAwEbF0A ( played by another band)
March Together is a simple and easy piece with a nice melody. It is, however, a piece that stills requires great co-ordination from all instrument parts. Coincidentally, the composer for this piece is one of the judege for the competition!
The HCI band has came a long way building its reputation. We hope that this competition will allow us to prove our strength once again, and at the same time, be an unforgettable experience for all of us. Good luck to us
Our band is very excited about this upcoming event. We had only about 3 months to practise, and therefore, we practised almost every week in our own sections. However, with our current standard, we might not be able to achieve the top award-Gold with Distinctions, the award we have been aiming for. In the last NBC our school band participated in 2006, we attained a Gold award, behind our target by a mere 0.84%! Our seniors were devastated knowing the results, and have been encouraging us to work extra hard, so that we would not regret like how they did. This gave us a lot of pressure...
Anyway, the pieces we are playing are March Together, and Warabe Uta fantasy.
Warabe Uta Fantasy is a very traditional song, with solos from various instruments including the clarinet and the saxaphone. This is an especially tough piece as there are many places where the time signature changes.
Try listening to it - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4FIAwEbF0A ( played by another band)
March Together is a simple and easy piece with a nice melody. It is, however, a piece that stills requires great co-ordination from all instrument parts. Coincidentally, the composer for this piece is one of the judege for the competition!
The HCI band has came a long way building its reputation. We hope that this competition will allow us to prove our strength once again, and at the same time, be an unforgettable experience for all of us. Good luck to us
Friday, June 18, 2010
The Piano
Ordinary as it might seem, the piano is actually a very unique instrument, and is also one of the most popular instruments.
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. Apart from being widely used in Classical music for solo performances, and accompaniment, the piano is also very useful as an aid to compose music pieces. The word piano is a shortened form of the word pianoforte, which derives from the original Italian name for the instrument
History
The piano was invented by Italian court instrument-keeper Bartolomeo Cristofori in 1698. The piano was essentially a solution to a long-running problem - namely that of producing a keyboard instrument that could be modulated to be loud or. Cristofori's development of a "hammer action" assembly allowed hammers to strike the strings. Cristofori's piano action served as a model for the many different approaches to piano actions that followed.
How it works
When a key of the piano is pressed, the mechanisms in the piano will move a hammer, causing it to hit a string. Cristofori's made the piano such that the hammer must strike the string, but not remain in contact with it because this would damp the sound. Moreover, the hammer must return to its rest position without bouncing violently, and it must be possible to repeat a note rapidly. Cristofori's piano action served as a model for the many different approaches to piano actions that followed.
Pedals
Pianos have had pedals since the earliest days. Most grand pianos have three pedals: the soft pedal (una corda), sostenuto, and sustain pedal (from left to right, respectively), while in Europe, the standard is two pedals: the soft pedal and the sustain pedal. Most modern upright pianos also have three pedals: soft pedal, practice pedal and sustain pedal, though older or cheaper models may lack the practice pedal.
The sustain pedal (or, damper pedal) is often simply called "the pedal", since it is the most frequently used. It is placed as the rightmost pedal in the group. It lifts the dampers from all keys, sustaining all played notes.
The soft pedal or una corda pedal is placed leftmost in the row of pedals. In grand pianos, it shifts the entire action, including the keyboard, to the right, so that the hammers hit only one of the three strings for each note.
On grand pianos, the middle pedal is a sostenuto pedal. This pedal keeps raised any damper that was already raised at the moment the pedal is depressed. This makes it possible to sustain some notes.
Types
Modern pianos come in two basic configurations: the grand piano and the upright piano.
In grand pianos, the frame and strings are horizontal, with the strings extending away from the keyboard. There are several sizes of grand piano.
The longer strings on a concert grand can vibrate more accurately than the shorter, thicker strings on a baby grand, which means that a concert grand's strings will have truer overtones.A grand piano action has a repetition lever for each key. If the key is pressed repeatedly and fairly quickly this repetition lever catches the hammer close to the strings, which assists the speed and control of repeated notes and trills. 
Upright pianos, also called vertical pianos, are more compact because the frame and strings are vertical. The hammers move horizontally, and are returned to their resting position by springs, which are prone to wear and tear. Upright pianos with unusually tall frames and long strings are sometimes called upright grand pianos.
(sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano#History, http://www.pianoinfo.co.uk/history.htm, http://www.pianorestoring.com/History_Education/Education.htm)
The piano is a relatively easy instrument to learn. Despite being expensive, you can actually learn the piano by yourself through the internet. If you are interested, you might want to visit this website: http://www.learningtoplaypiano.net/
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
LA Task 2 T2W10
1. Point of View
--> “…children in the darknessWho someone will teach to fight”
- The poet is trying to say that the children will be “led into the darkness”, learning something sinister which is fighting.
--> “Chalk and blackboards will not be, To this door there is no key”; “Could we give them half a chance,Could we teach them how to read,Could we teach them how to dance”
- Children are supposed to be educated academically. However, in this case, the poet is trying to say that they do not even have the freedom to choose what they want to do. Nobody is able to give them the chance to learn how to read. Their only way is to fight in a war
--> “Will their life and blood be pouredDown some endless thirsty hole”
-The poet is trying to say that, in a war the children will lose their lives easily, when they could have spent their lives picking up new skills instead.
2. Situation and setting
--> “endless thirsty hole”
- The use of the word “thirsty” shows that people fighting in a war are all desperate for survival, and in order to survive, they have to “quench their thirst” by killing others, if not they may get killed. The use of the word “endless” shows that it’s everyone who has this thought. Everyone wants to live on, and will thus fight with all theirs might, and therefore the competition on a battlefield is very tough. If children were to join in, it would be quite apparent that they will die.-
--> “Or will a war consume them,Their body and their soul”
- The poet portrays war as a cruel and merciless environment that will “consume them (the children), their body and soul”, showing that the enemy will not only simply kill them, but totally destroy them physically.
3. Language/ Diction
--> “Could we simply light a candle, Could we give them half a chance, Could we teach them how to read, Could we teach them how to dance”
- “simply light a candle” is trying to say that could adults show them what is the right path in life that they should head. The poet also used “half a chance” instead of just saying “a chance”. He is trying to say that nobody could even give the children the most minute opportunity to learn to read or write, and their fate has been decided, that is, to go to war.
- The rhetorical question also emphasizes the helplessness of adults. They want to prevent the children from fighting in a war, risking their lives, but they can’t stop it.
--> “Back into the darkness,From which there is no flight,Back into the darkness,Into which there shines no light”
- In both the first and last stanza the poet used “darkness” and “light”, which are two contrasting terms. The repetition used is trying to emphasise that going into war will turn children evil, and they will not have any chance to be able to “see the light” to do what a normal child should learn, and also risking their lives. The poet used “Back into the darkness”. The use of the word “back” shows that after thinking through, the poet realises that the only way for children is to head “back into the darkness” and fight in a war.
4. Personal response
- I feel that children should not be involved in war in any ways, or exposed to the cruelty of it. Imagine yourself as a young kid in a battlefield, who has killed another innocent man for survival, and has inevitably turned into a murderer, a monster. This will be marred in the children’s mind forever. Even if a child doesn’t kill, he or she will inevitably witness death, or how cruel one can be when he or she is desperate.
--> “…children in the darknessWho someone will teach to fight”
- The poet is trying to say that the children will be “led into the darkness”, learning something sinister which is fighting.
--> “Chalk and blackboards will not be, To this door there is no key”; “Could we give them half a chance,Could we teach them how to read,Could we teach them how to dance”
- Children are supposed to be educated academically. However, in this case, the poet is trying to say that they do not even have the freedom to choose what they want to do. Nobody is able to give them the chance to learn how to read. Their only way is to fight in a war
--> “Will their life and blood be pouredDown some endless thirsty hole”
-The poet is trying to say that, in a war the children will lose their lives easily, when they could have spent their lives picking up new skills instead.
2. Situation and setting
--> “endless thirsty hole”
- The use of the word “thirsty” shows that people fighting in a war are all desperate for survival, and in order to survive, they have to “quench their thirst” by killing others, if not they may get killed. The use of the word “endless” shows that it’s everyone who has this thought. Everyone wants to live on, and will thus fight with all theirs might, and therefore the competition on a battlefield is very tough. If children were to join in, it would be quite apparent that they will die.-
--> “Or will a war consume them,Their body and their soul”
- The poet portrays war as a cruel and merciless environment that will “consume them (the children), their body and soul”, showing that the enemy will not only simply kill them, but totally destroy them physically.
3. Language/ Diction
--> “Could we simply light a candle, Could we give them half a chance, Could we teach them how to read, Could we teach them how to dance”
- “simply light a candle” is trying to say that could adults show them what is the right path in life that they should head. The poet also used “half a chance” instead of just saying “a chance”. He is trying to say that nobody could even give the children the most minute opportunity to learn to read or write, and their fate has been decided, that is, to go to war.
- The rhetorical question also emphasizes the helplessness of adults. They want to prevent the children from fighting in a war, risking their lives, but they can’t stop it.
--> “Back into the darkness,From which there is no flight,Back into the darkness,Into which there shines no light”
- In both the first and last stanza the poet used “darkness” and “light”, which are two contrasting terms. The repetition used is trying to emphasise that going into war will turn children evil, and they will not have any chance to be able to “see the light” to do what a normal child should learn, and also risking their lives. The poet used “Back into the darkness”. The use of the word “back” shows that after thinking through, the poet realises that the only way for children is to head “back into the darkness” and fight in a war.
4. Personal response
- I feel that children should not be involved in war in any ways, or exposed to the cruelty of it. Imagine yourself as a young kid in a battlefield, who has killed another innocent man for survival, and has inevitably turned into a murderer, a monster. This will be marred in the children’s mind forever. Even if a child doesn’t kill, he or she will inevitably witness death, or how cruel one can be when he or she is desperate.
LA Task 1 T2W10
Background info: Henry M Bechtold was in, sitting in his hotel room in Saigon, trying to write a poem about the girls who work in the park and how badly men treat them. He looked at news on TV. In the background was a photo of a small boy with a helmet and an automatic rifle.
Poem:
There are children in the darkness
Who have not seen the light
There are children in the darkness
Who someone will teach to fight
Chalk and blackboards will not be
To this door there is no key
From this life they can not flee
And these children are not free
Could we simply light a candle
Could we give them half a chance
Could we teach them how to read
Could we teach them how to dance
Or will a war consume them
Their body and their soul
Will their life and blood be poured
Down some endless thirsty hole
Back into the darkness
From which there is no flight
Back into the darkness
Into which there shines no light
Henry M Bechtold
In any war, the children will be pure as they will not be at the battlefield to kill nor witness death of others. However, in this poem, the poet says that “children (are) in the darkness, who someone will teach them how to fight”. He is trying to say that in a war, there is actually no one that is innocent, as everyone will witness death and even kill. Children are supposed to school and learn to read and dance, but they are only able to fight in a war, which will not only pollute their minds, it might also take their lives away. War is a cruel environment that innocent children should not try to get involved in it.
Poem:
There are children in the darkness
Who have not seen the light
There are children in the darkness
Who someone will teach to fight
Chalk and blackboards will not be
To this door there is no key
From this life they can not flee
And these children are not free
Could we simply light a candle
Could we give them half a chance
Could we teach them how to read
Could we teach them how to dance
Or will a war consume them
Their body and their soul
Will their life and blood be poured
Down some endless thirsty hole
Back into the darkness
From which there is no flight
Back into the darkness
Into which there shines no light
Henry M Bechtold
In any war, the children will be pure as they will not be at the battlefield to kill nor witness death of others. However, in this poem, the poet says that “children (are) in the darkness, who someone will teach them how to fight”. He is trying to say that in a war, there is actually no one that is innocent, as everyone will witness death and even kill. Children are supposed to school and learn to read and dance, but they are only able to fight in a war, which will not only pollute their minds, it might also take their lives away. War is a cruel environment that innocent children should not try to get involved in it.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Noise or music?
How do you differentiate between noise and music? Scientifically speaking, both music and noise are created by vibration, and thus produce a sound. However similar they might seem, many always feel that these two things are actually very contrasting.
To me, the most obvious difference between these two is that music sounds more pleasing to the ear, more satisfying for the mind. When sounds that are created sound nice, they will be classified under music. If they do not, they will be classified under noise. It is all about our perception, I believe. If you perceive something as nice sounding, others might not necessarily feel the same way. While a piece of music may be literally music to some, it might be considered noise for others. However, I believe that with in-depth thought about any sound produced, it definitely can be defined as music.
Usually, noise is very high-pitch, or very nasal sounds. To me, these may be considered as music, even though not as nice as others... Nice music, to all of us, is a clean and smooth sound that seems to ring eternally in our mind. This is why music could allow us to focus more, and noise will just distract us inevitably.
Thus, to me, actually there is no such thing considered as noise. If you put in effort and try to understand these sounds produced, you would surely be able to enjoy that piece of music. This is exactly like analysing a poem: on the surface, it might be just plain words that talk about an incident, but actually, each and every phrase has a 'chord' to it. ♪♫
To me, the most obvious difference between these two is that music sounds more pleasing to the ear, more satisfying for the mind. When sounds that are created sound nice, they will be classified under music. If they do not, they will be classified under noise. It is all about our perception, I believe. If you perceive something as nice sounding, others might not necessarily feel the same way. While a piece of music may be literally music to some, it might be considered noise for others. However, I believe that with in-depth thought about any sound produced, it definitely can be defined as music.
Usually, noise is very high-pitch, or very nasal sounds. To me, these may be considered as music, even though not as nice as others... Nice music, to all of us, is a clean and smooth sound that seems to ring eternally in our mind. This is why music could allow us to focus more, and noise will just distract us inevitably.
Thus, to me, actually there is no such thing considered as noise. If you put in effort and try to understand these sounds produced, you would surely be able to enjoy that piece of music. This is exactly like analysing a poem: on the surface, it might be just plain words that talk about an incident, but actually, each and every phrase has a 'chord' to it. ♪♫
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Chinese songs
I usually listen to chinese songs, but most of my friends listen to english songs, or even korean and japanese songs. We constantly argue which one is better.
Comparing English songs with Chinese songs, I feel that there are few differences, and yet these differences creates a big difference. To me, the words in chinese songs are usually more meaningful and yet rhyming, or sometimes even poetic. For English songs, I usually don't understand what the whole song is trying to say, especially in fast-rythm songs. To put it in simpler words, to me, english songs is like a beautiful beach, seemingly flawless. But chinese songs, on the other hand, is similar to a wonderful beach, with a vivid image of a setting sun, so romantic...
I feel that Chinese songs have a wider variety of music. In english songs, we usually hear the lyrics accompanied by a drumset and a few electic cuitars, ocassionally keyboards. However, in chinese songs, each and very one seem so unique and different. There are melodious sounds of the piano, sometimes the violin or cello in fast paced songs, and even flute sounds appearing constantly. This, to me, gives chinese songs a lot more style and originality.
My Favourite Singer
Actually, my favourite singer is jay chou. Many say that he can't pronounce words properly, and you totally cannot make out what he is mumbling, but actually all his songs have a very special style and are very meaningful. Anyway, his inability to pronounce properly can be considered "a special singing style" of his, I guess.
There are many of his songs that I really love. One is 珊瑚海(direct translation: coral sea). It is a duet. It is a love song about how 2 people that are in love are just not meant for each other. Try listening to it, you will definitely like it:"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxpx1rNjlPI" . The MV (music video) also tells a very nice story.
This blog post has a very good translation of the song: http://bibitan.blogspot.com/2006/03/shan-hu-hai-coral-sea.html
Another song that i like is 千里之外（direct translation: Thousands of miles away）. This song has a music of the traditional china style, and yet, it is so beautiful. It is also about love and it is also a duet. If you watch the MV, you will know that the story is about how a guy is in love with a very good singer, but the singer has to leave overseas.
music( with translation): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIhLHMhIGGU
I hope you enjoyed my post. Please feel free to comment, as i believe that many of you would hape very different opinions.
Comparing English songs with Chinese songs, I feel that there are few differences, and yet these differences creates a big difference. To me, the words in chinese songs are usually more meaningful and yet rhyming, or sometimes even poetic. For English songs, I usually don't understand what the whole song is trying to say, especially in fast-rythm songs. To put it in simpler words, to me, english songs is like a beautiful beach, seemingly flawless. But chinese songs, on the other hand, is similar to a wonderful beach, with a vivid image of a setting sun, so romantic...
I feel that Chinese songs have a wider variety of music. In english songs, we usually hear the lyrics accompanied by a drumset and a few electic cuitars, ocassionally keyboards. However, in chinese songs, each and very one seem so unique and different. There are melodious sounds of the piano, sometimes the violin or cello in fast paced songs, and even flute sounds appearing constantly. This, to me, gives chinese songs a lot more style and originality.
My Favourite Singer
Actually, my favourite singer is jay chou. Many say that he can't pronounce words properly, and you totally cannot make out what he is mumbling, but actually all his songs have a very special style and are very meaningful. Anyway, his inability to pronounce properly can be considered "a special singing style" of his, I guess.
There are many of his songs that I really love. One is 珊瑚海(direct translation: coral sea). It is a duet. It is a love song about how 2 people that are in love are just not meant for each other. Try listening to it, you will definitely like it:"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxpx1rNjlPI" . The MV (music video) also tells a very nice story.
This blog post has a very good translation of the song: http://bibitan.blogspot.com/2006/03/shan-hu-hai-coral-sea.html
Another song that i like is 千里之外（direct translation: Thousands of miles away）. This song has a music of the traditional china style, and yet, it is so beautiful. It is also about love and it is also a duet. If you watch the MV, you will know that the story is about how a guy is in love with a very good singer, but the singer has to leave overseas.
music( with translation): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIhLHMhIGGU
I hope you enjoyed my post. Please feel free to comment, as i believe that many of you would hape very different opinions.
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