Aoi Usagi (碧いうさぎ), opening theme of Hoshi no Kinka (星の金貨), aka Heaven's Coins

Aoi Usagi (碧いうさぎ), literally "Blue Rabbit", performed by Noriko Sakai (酒井法子), and used as opening theme of the J-Drama Hoshi no Kinka (星の金貨), better known in Singapore in the mid 1990s as Heaven's Coins.

The show about a love triangle between a deaf nurse and two handsome doctor brothers (actually, only the younger brother acted by Takenouchi Yutaka is handsome), spawned a craze in Japan to learn sign language.

http://wiki.d-addicts.com/index.php?title=Aoi_Usagi&redirect=no
Lyrics
あとどれくらい 切なくなれば
ato dore kurai setsunaku nareba
あなたの声が聴こえるかしら
anata no koe ga kikoeru kashira
なにげない言葉を瞳合わせて ただ静かに
nani ge nai kotoba wo hitomi awasete tada shizukani
交わせるだけでいい
kawaseru dake de ii
他にはなんにもいらない
hoka ni wa nanni mo iranai

碧いうさぎ ずっと待ってる
aoi usagi zutto matteru
独りきりで震えながら
hitorikiri de furuenagara
淋しすぎて 死んでしまうわ
samishisugite shindeshimau wa
早く暖めて欲しい
hayaku atatamete hoshii

あとどれくらい 傷ついたなら
ato dore kurai kizu tsuita nara
あなたに辿りつけるのかしら
anata ni tadori tsukeru no kashira
洗いたてのシャツの匂いに抱きすくめられたら
araitate no shatsu no nioi ni daki sukumeraretara
痛みも悲しみも
itami mo kanashimi mo
すべてが流れて消えるわ
subete ga nagarete kieru wa

碧いうさぎ 鳴いているのよ
aoi usagi naiteiru no yo
そう あなたに聴こえるように
sou anata ni kikoeru you ni
たとえ ずっと届かなくても
tatoe zutto todokanakute mo
永遠に愛しているわ
eien ni aishiteiru wa

碧いうさぎ
aoi usagi
宇宙を翔けてく
sora wo kaketeku
心照らす光放ち
kokoro terasu hikari hanachi
愛の花に夢をふりまき 明日へと Ah
ai no hana ni yume wo furimaki ashita he to Ah

碧いうさぎ 祈り続ける
aoi usagi inori tsuzukeru
どこかに居るあなたのため
doko ka ni iru anata no tame
今の二人 救えるものは
ima no futari sukueru mono wa
きっと真実だけだから
kitto shinjitsu dake dakara


[edit]Translation
Blue Rabbit*



How much longer until my suffering is over?
Perhaps, Darling, I can hear your voice?
I turn my eyes toward your casually spoken words
If we were only to exchange our thoughts in silence
That would be fine—that would be all that I need



Blue rabbit, I’ve been waiting for you all this time
All alone and shivering in the cold
So lonely I feel I could die
Hurry, please warm me up with your love



How much longer must I endure this pain?
Perhaps, Darling, I can follow after you?
The smell of your freshly washed shirt could envelop and rescue me
My pain and sorrow—everything will be washed away



Blue rabbit, I’m screaming so loud!
I want you, Darling, to be able to hear me
Even if I never get to tell you directly
I love you, Darling, forever and ever!



Blue rabbit, gliding across the sky
You release the light of my heart to shine
As love’s flower blossoms into my dream of tomorrow and beyond!



Blue rabbit, I continue to pray
Wherever you are, for your sake, Darling
Because the two of us, who once were lost but now are saved
Absolutely saved by true love



The blue rabbit comes from Japanese folk mythology, handed down to children from their parents.

The rabbit lives on the moon—and at night, if you look closely, you can see the rabbit, blue in
the moonlight, making mochi (traditional Japanese rice cake).

My pet wikipedia causes

Wikipedia?  Among some circles, the very mention of it elicit a raised brow in the least, if not utter contempt and denial of its existence.

Well, for me though, it is a great opportunity to recapture some nostalgic memories of childhood - creating and updating information about some of the best series of books I read: Three Investigators, Race Against Time, Agent 13™, A Wizard in Rhyme and more. 

And it’s not just childhood nostalgia.  Since I've taken to updating info about the detective series Case Closed, better known in Singapore as Detective Conan, I've been picking up some Japanese language in the process too, at least where names of people are concerned.

I could have captured on these on my own webpage too, but it's just too much trouble compared to using wiki.  Besides, using wiki is a good way of 抛砖引玉 to entice other fans around the world on-line to contribute what I might not have.  Though wiki requires me to refrain from inputting personal thoughts about it, I could always do it on my own blogs.

I don't work too hard for some series, like Three Investigators, Hardy Boys and Biggles, which already got strong presence online.

To date, I must say I did a fairly good job for A Wizard in Rhyme, Race Against Time and Agent 13™, though I really wish I have more info.

These are series which have not been reprinted since their initial publications, and IMO, would be a pity if lost to time.

I stopped work on A Wizard in Rhyme series after book 5 - the series jumped the shark then and I couldn't muster enough interest to continue.

Only 2 volumes from Race Against Time is missing, and that's because I can't get hold of the books.

I got all 3 novels of Agent 13™, but I do wish to get hold too of its SSI accessories as well as graphic novels.  I skimmed through the graphic novels when it was published, but couldn't afford to buy.  Great artwork.  Not Alan Moore stuff, just a lot of fun with pulp era.

And Chinese history ... oh yes, did some of those too, but didn't want to get sucked into another biggy.

How to copy a clip from DVD?

Got my hands on the DVD of Some Kind of Wonderful but found the record function in Real Player disabled when running it.

I really wanted to copy the clip of "Can't Help Falling In Love" at the closing scene.

Anyone got any ideas?

Oppose extremism and mindlessness

http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2008/04/nationalists-paris-torch-relay-hero-now-a-traitor/

Hero to Traitor: The Difference a Day Makes

After excoriating a respected news editor for advocating greater freedom of speech and venting their anger on a Chinese student at Duke University for trying to promote dialogue between pro-China and pro-Tibet protestors, Chinese nationalists have turned their sights on a new, and frankly shocking, target: Jin Jing, the wheelchair-bound fencer declared a national hero last week after using her frail body to protect the Olympic flame from protesters in Paris. Jin’s crime? Expressing doubts over plans for a boycott of French retailer Carrefour–a boycott motivated in large part by the treatment she received in Paris.

Lanzhou-based blogger Liang Fafu wrote a post examining the nationalists’ demonization of Jin. Liang’s commentary is no longer available on his blog but has been re-posted by someone at 6571.net. Translated by CDT:

Below is a news item:

2008-04-16 14:24:00 Source: Xinmin.cn. Netizen Comments: 480. Summary: Olympic torch bearer Jin Jing has publicly said she hopes netizens will be prudent in handling calls to boycott Carrefour as the first victims of such a boycott are likely to be the many Chinese who work for Carrefour.

Below is some of the commentary from netizens:

Netizen from Jinan, Shandong: “Jin Jing is bullshit! Speaking on behalf of Carrefour. I think she’s a traitor.”

Netizen from Beijing: “Torch bearer Jin Jing, I earnestly request you to shut your mouth. You’ve done your duty already. Don’t go around making irresponsible remarks. First she’s missing a leg, now she’s missing a brain.”

Netizen from Dalian: “This c*nt’s attitude is the same one the Qing rulers had after the Eight Allied Forces came. What was the result then? Are you capable of representing the Great Han Race? Do you what you’re supposed to do!”

Netizen from Chengdu: “Someone goes to France once and it’s like she thinks she’s French. Jin Jing speaks with the voice of an utterly brainless evil-eyed wolf traitor. No wonder her original work unit wanted to get rid of her.”

Netizen from Jiangmen, Guangdong: “Jin Jing??? A cultureless, brainless stupid c*nt!!! And she’s a torch bearer…I demand we rip the torch from her hands!!!”

Look at the face of these nationalists. A few days ago, Jin Jing was a hero because of her courage in the face of attacks from [splittists], but today she becomes a traitor because her conscience led her to point out reality: a boycott of Carrefour will harm the Chinese people who work there. Even if she’s wrong, it’s her right to freely express what she thinks. Why curse her so crudely?

In my opinion, the harm done to her here is worse by far than the harm done her by the [splittists]. These nationalists are attacking her for her handicap, launching inhumane personal assaults on her.

In the eyes of the nationalists, Chinese workers losing their jobs—losing the money they need to support their families—is a matter of no consequence. For love of country, everybody should be willing to starve to death before going to work for a foreign company. This leaves me speechless.

To use such cutting rhetoric to attack a handicapped girl, to assault her on the basis of her handicap—－where has these nationalists’ humanity gone? As long as you love your country, it’s OK to dispense with humanity, dispense with basic respect for other people, dispense with basic respect for the dignity and spirit of a handicapped girl?

From this you can see just what kind of thing a nationalist is.

Ironically, the New York Times has just run a long piece on China’s love for Jin Jing: “Sympathy on the Streets, But Not for the Tibetans“

Breaking the rules for the casinos - a real story of the Camel's Nose

For the fable of the Camel's Nose, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel%27s_nose

http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Story/STIStory_231054.html

April 26, 2008

Smoking to be allowed at S'pore's casino gaming halls

Separate areas to be required for smokers and non-smokers

By Jermyn Chow

CASINOS here will be one of the last holdouts for smokers who want to light up indoors, when they start operating from the end of next year.

The Government has decided to leave gaming halls out of a nationwide ban on smoking in indoor public spaces, which is being rolled out in the next few years.

But the two integrated resorts (IR) will be required to draw up 'house rules' to protect non-smokers.

This is likely to mean providing separate smoking and non-smoking gaming areas, as is the case in Australia.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) will give its input in the making of the house rules, its spokesman told The Straits Times.

NEA would not say if there would be a cap on the amount of space to be set aside for smokers. The no-smoking rule will, however, apply in all other parts of the IRs, including restaurants and bars.

The reprieve is good news for casino operators - as many as 85 per cent of gamblers tend to be smokers as well, according to some industry estimates.

Gambling havens like Macau do not have rules regarding smoking, though some casinos provide non-smoking gaming floors.

Others are stricter. Just three days ago in the United States, Atlantic City finally pushed through legislation to ban smoking in its 11 casinos from October, though some casino operators are fighting back.

The industry claims such a move could cost it 20 per cent of revenue and put up to 3,400 people out of jobs.

The decision to exclude casinos here from the indoor smoking ban comes after almost a year of talks between NEA and the IRs, The Straits Times understands.

But the IR operators are keeping their cards close to their chests with regard to their plans on house rules.

A spokesman for Resorts World at Sentosa would say only that it has made plans to separate its smoking and non-smoking gaming areas.

'Our casino would be designed in a way that guests could access smoking areas that are both comfortable and convenient,' he added.

Its competitor, Marina Bay Sands, also declined to elaborate on its plans.

But one industry veteran, Mr Ramachandar Siva, who ran the casino in Genting Highlands in Malaysia for 10 years, said one option would be to create a 'buffer zone'.

In 1995, when Genting hived off a third of its gaming area for non-smokers, a restaurant separated the two zones, he said.

Glass walls or partitions could also be used, said Mr Ramachandar, now the head of vocational casino school International Club Games Training Centre.

Smoking restrictions here have been extended gradually since 1970. Lighting up is now banned in all air-conditioned buildings, including offices and malls. Nightspots have stubbed it out too, except in specially ventilated smoking rooms, and al-fresco outlets restrict smoking to 20 per cent of the floor space.

Non-air-conditioned workplaces and public areas, including playgrounds, markets and multi-storey carparks, go smoke-free in January.

The exception being granted to casinos has prompted some to question the double standards.

Mr Dennis Foo, chief executive officer of St James Power Station, said that it gave casinos an 'upper hand', especially if gaming floors had lounges or bars serving food and alcohol.

jermync@sph.com.sg

 

To be or not to be ...

Been invited to be a moderator in AE.  For some reason, rather tempted this time.

Maybe it's the disgust over the conduct of some AE mods.

This is the 2nd invitation in AE.  Got 1 from SMQ sometime ago too, but SMQ has been rather dead, not sure why.

CHF was practically home, but I always declined joining as a mod.

First, can't let me consume too much of my life.

Second, can't access it as readily now.

Third, I got too much baggage there and know some people too well.  Makes it harder during times of disagreement.  Not much baggage in AE or SMQ.

Closed for a week after 3rd case of HFMD

Darn ... 3rd case of HFMD in the kids' school, closed for a week.

My annual leave is being burnt faster than the inflation rate.

Brought them to the park this morning.  Letting them watch a kids video now, going to cook an early lunch for them, then pop them into the bath and then to granny's for the rest of the day so I can go to office.

Snowylass was a very much easier kid to handle.  Snowylad is a bundle of dynamite and it doesn't help that granny can't carry him since her surgery last year.  My dastardly plot is to keep him awake in the morning so that he'll sleep at granny's. hopefully, longer.

Tales for my children

I had begun making up tales when Snowylass start badgering me to tell her stories.

It began when I couldn't easily find enough "good" books from the library.  Then it continued during the car rides or while waiting for mummy to run errands as we wait in the car.

Of late, she's been wanting stories about princesses, nice stories she said, without the "bad parts".  I am still trying to find ways to show her that the "bad parts" were vital ingredients to making the stories interesting and worth listening to.

Snowylady told me I should record some of these stories.  So here is a blog for jotting down some of the stories I told.

Princesses for Snowylass ... I wonder what Snowylad would ask for himself in time to come ...

Straits Times April 12, 2008 : PM warns of talent loss, leaving no 'central core' to lead S'pore

http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Story/STIStory_226383.html

Straits Times April 12, 2008

PM warns of talent loss, leaving no 'central core' to lead S'pore 
Country therefore needs to draw in foreign talent, encourage overseas citizens to return
By Lydia Lim, Senior Political Correspondent 

SINGAPOREANS are the ones who will suffer if the current outflow of talent leaves the society bereft of 'a central core' that can lead the country forward, the Prime Minister warned yesterday.
It is the third time Mr Lee Hsien Loong has expressed his concern over the loss of talent since the Cabinet reshuffle two weeks ago.

He was speaking at the fourth London School of Economics (LSE) Asia Forum, which saw top minds from Britain and Asia engage in a robust debate on the best and worst aspects of today's knowledge economy.

The PM identified the loss of talent as one of three major challenges facing small, open societies such as Singapore in this era of global talent and information flows.

'To do well, a country needs a core of its ablest citizens, those with both the intellectual and social acumen to play leadership roles in the economy, the administration and the political leadership.

'Without that central core to take the country forward, the society cannot perform to its full potential, and the citizens will suffer,' he said.

But, Mr Lee said, Singapore must accept such talent flows as a reality, draw in foreign talent and encourage its citizens who study and work abroad to return home.

He also highlighted two other challenges for societies in the knowledge age, in his speech to 600 LSE alumni, civil servants, academics and executives attending The Politics Of Knowledge forum.

The LSE hosted it with the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

The first challenge is the unequal distribution of economic benefits, with the lion's share going to those with the right skills and abilities.

The second is the instant transmission through the Internet of unfiltered, raw information or misinformation, with their potential to spread extremist views, stoke religious hatred and lower the level of public debate to one in which emotion rather than reason prevails.

Following his speech, the discussion shifted to the trade-offs in the economic sphere when Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, an LSE alumnus, chaired a session on how knowledge drives growth.

Professor Danny Quah, head of LSE's economics department, gave an upbeat assessment of Asia's progress in the decade since the 1997 financial crisis.

He highlighted how growth across Asia has rebounded, lifting half a billion people out of poverty.

'Asia continues to pull east the world's centre of gravity,' Prof Quah said.

Mr Tharman noted that one area where Asia has not recovered is in the rate of fixed investments in productive areas.

Part of the problem may lie in the constraints some countries face in building the institutions their societies need to assimilate knowledge from abroad as quickly as possible, he said.

Acting chairman of the Brunei Economic Development Board Timothy Ong said there remains much unfinished business because of the huge gap - in incomes, output and knowledge capabilities - between Asia's high-performing economies and the rest.

Prof Quah later said there was a trade-off between growth and income disparity.

China's income gap, for example, has widened considerably as its growth rate soars.

But the income inequality between rich and poor countries 'completely dwarfs' the gap that exists between rich and poor people within countries, Prof Quah said.

The top 1 per cent in the world earn as much as the bottom 57 per cent.

'That kind of disparity you will be able to get rid of only through economic growth at the bottom of the world distribution of countries. That's exactly what I think can be achieved through knowledge and productivity,' he added.

lydia@sph.com.sg

Some Kind of Wonderful - The definitive guide to SKoW

http://www.somekindofwonderful.org/index.html
One of those movies I watched during the growing pains years, adolescence, pubescence, teen nostalgia.

I actually only watched it in 1991, about 4 years after it came out. It was the exams period of first year in the Uni, and I took a break to catch a show in the hostel's TV room.

Crazy, I know, it was a bittersweet memory of love lost and love could-have-been at that time.

Osorubeshi! Otonashi Karensan (おそるべしっっ!!! 音無可憐さん)

From the same soundtrack used in Some Kind of Wonderful 1987 movie by John Hughes.

I loved that movie, especially the final scene, where this song was played.
Can't find it online, so I guess I'll have to borrow the video from the Library.

But meanwhile, the Japanese use of the soundtrack in the light-hearted comedy starring Enomoto Kanako (榎本加奈子) as Otonashi Karen (音無 可憐) fits the mood too.

Osorubeshi! Otonashi Karensan website : http://jdorama.com/drama.305.htm

I Can't Help Falling In Love

Performed by Lick The Tins

Wise men say only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you
Shall I stay
Would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you

Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling so it goes
Some things were meant to be
Take my hand take my whole life too
'Cause I can't help falling in love with you

Wise men say only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you
Shall I stay
Would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you
If I can't help falling in love with you

One step closer to being eligible to get my own HDB flat

http://www.asiaone.com/Business/News/My%2BMoney/Story/A1Story20080409-58819.html

Claire Huang, Wed, Apr 09, 2008, my paper

 

Shunfu Ville is set to be privatised - by narrow vote
 
SHUNFU Ville is one step closer to becoming the first HUDC estate in the last nine months to be privatised.

Industry sources told my paper that the 358-unit estate located along Marymount Road has secured "slightly more" than the required 75 % of votes since its second mass signing exercise five weeks ago.

This comes after the 528-unit Laguna Park in Marine Parade was converted into a strata-titled estate last July, the last HUDC estate to do so.

Mr. Philip Liau, chairman of the Shunfu's pro-tem committee, said yesterday that they are waiting for the HDB to confirm the estate's eligibility in filing for privatisation.

Another HUDC estate, Serangoon North, also looks set to be privatised.

The 244-unit estate had held its first mass signing exercise at the end of last month, and more than half the residents have given their thumbs up to the idea so far.

The legal representatives for both pro-tem committees, from Tan & Au LLP, confirmed that they have started the process of privatisation for both Shunfu Ville and Serangoon North.

The firm added that there has been strong response from both estates and the residents have appeared to be "very enthusiastic".

Should Shunfu Ville qualify for privatisation, the residents will not only be eligible for a collective sale, they will also be able to purchase a second property.

In privatisation, residents essentially pay the HDB to take over the ownership of common property such as carparks and landscaped areas.

They will also replace the town councils in managing the estate.

The committee had initially amassed about 67 per cent of the votes, but Mr. Liau, 57, said they managed to meet the stipulated 75 per cent after going door-to-door.

But he said: "We still have to garner more votes because some of the owners are selling their flats."

"We need to get the new owners to vote as well."

Shunfu residents' earlier attempts at privatisation did not succeed.

In August 2001, the estate conducted its mass signing exercise, but only half of the residents voted in favour.

Not wanting to give up, some residents sought for a privatisation-cum-collective sale in July last year, but this was also rejected.

Over at Serangoon North, the lawyers have declined to reveal the exact number of votes obtained, but mentioned that the response thus far is considered good for a first attempt.

Meanwhile, another HUDC estate, Eunosville, has also obtained the required 75 % of votes.

There are 18 HUDC estates in Singapore and 11 have already been privatised.

HUDCs were built in the 1970s and 1980s to cater to those who were not eligible for HDBs, yet could not afford private housing.

The break down after ....

The good news is ... I finally submitted my first freelance translation assignment ... took me nearly a week of revision to correct some surrealistic sentences composed at 3am in the morning though.

The bad news is ... my body also broke down, and the whole family too came down with flu.  Snowylad got it particularly bad, with nasal congestion forcing the mucus out through his eyes.  Fortunately, the ulcer at the back of the throat was not HFMD.

Been away from work and school since Monday.  I hope tomorrow we can all return to normal. Snowylady got to return today.