Thursday, October 17, 2013

My Love For Chinese Pop Songs (Vol 1)

My internet friend Gary once commented that my father must had made a mistake sending me to English school. Gary is 100% correct. Although I think and speak in English, everything else is Chinaman in me, especially music.
From today onwards, if possible, each day, I shall present my favourite evergreen pop songs from youtube and share them here.


fb #1 (13 Oct 2013)
For a starter, let me share with you one of my top favourites
無言的結局 Wu Yan De Jie Ju
by Lin Shu Rong & Loh Shi Fung





 fb #2 (14 Oct 2013)

While searching through the youtube site, I came across this wonderful video featuring a duet doing two Hokkien songs, featuring traditional musical instruments.

Hokkien songs are mostly about love, family and the vicissitudes of life. They are usually sung with deep emotion and delicate vocal, facial and body expressions. 




fb#3 (14 Oct 2013)
Today I like to share this piece with you by Loong Piao Piao. This piece exudes that air of nostalgia for an old man like me. Ah! Time flies and awaits for no one, even the bloody corrupted and racist politicians have no chance to escape.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boIFalWj17Y&list=RD02aUxHbwvJm-w

fb #4 (15 Oct 2013)
 wang shi zhi neng hui wei by Yu Yar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umGfX57xXig

fb #5 (16 Oct 2013)

Today I like to share this song with you by the stunningly beautiful Tracy Huang.

Autumn Wing 秋 风... 黄莺莺 TRACY Huang

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mRCkivOeG9s

I particularly like the Thai version which sounds very sensual. You can listen to the Thai version and read more in my blog posting @
http://blackandwhite999.blogspot.com/2012/08/tracy-huang-happy-61st-birthday.html


 My love for Chinese pop songs (#6) (17 Oct 2013)
Today I like to share a happy song in Hokkien by Chen Lei the Taiwanese singer. He is hot property since he sang this song.
欢喜就好 - 陳雷 Chen Lei : HUA HEE TIO HO

"Happy Is Good Enough". this song describes the ironies in life. Even the best things have their problems. The last line is superb "Pretty wife, elopes". meaning having a pretty wife, also problem! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9qGmA5rHmc


My love for Chinese pop songs (#7) 18 Oct 2013

Pan Mei Chern's greatest hit. I think it means "Wishing for a family". Her trademark : a tomboy look.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qOOMTw3hGU4
My love for Chinese pop songs (#8: part 1 of 2) 19 Oct 2013
If you an Asian, you will know this song. The evergreen classic by Teresa Teng : The Moon Represents My Heart
If you wish to know more about Teresa Teng and listen to more of her songs please click the link in "My love for Chinese pop songs (#8 : part 2 of 2)" after this post.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bv_cEeDlop0
My love for Chinese pop songs (#8 : part 2 of 2)

More about Teresa Teng :

http://goodguy.hubpages.com/hub/Teresa-Teng-the-iconic-Asian-singer
My love for Chinese pop songs (#8 : Bonus Addition)

This piece by Teresa Teng sung in Malay (actually Indonesian) is for my Malay friends. I remember a similar piece sung by local Malay singers in a male/female duet with a chorus line "lompat apek lompat".
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VHD5peWp7w&feature=share
 My love for Chinese pop songs (#9 part 1 of 2) 20 Oct 2013

Feng Fei Fei aka Queen of Hats, because she always wore a hat in her performances. Sadly Feng Jie (Sister Feng) as she is very fondly addressed by all of us, succumbed to cancer on 3 Jan 2012, aged only 58.

If you want to read more about her and watch her other videos, please click the link on my next post after this @ (My love for Chinese pop songs #9 part 2 of 2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0OxnL_kK10
 My love for Chinese pop songs (#9 part 2 of 2)
More on Feng Jie @
http://blackandwhite999.blogspot.com/2012/02/feng-fei-fei-another-mandarin-pop-icon.html
 
My love for Chinese pop songs (#10) 21 )ct 2013

Jenny Tseng was born in 1953 and still looks stunning today, albeit a little weight has been added! She is from mixed parentage, mother Chinese and father Austrian. Her peak career was in the 70s and 80s. She married the popular actor Alexander Fu Sheng who died in a car accident in 1983, aged 29. In 1987, Jenny gave birth to a girl and later revealed that the father was Fu Sheng, from his sperm bank.

I named my daughter almost 30 years ago after Jenny Tseng whose Mandarin name is Zhēn Nī (甄妮). I spelt my daughter's name as Chern Ni for ease of pronunciation for those not familiar with Hanyu Pinyin pronunciation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxF14XWZNAk&list=RD02c41dygWjHvY
  My love for Chinese pop songs (#11) 1 Nov 2013

It's a gloomy day. Rained heavily and disrupted my favourite Hokkien serial on Astro. So I shall share a gloomy song by Tang Lan Hua 汤兰花 in her famous 1960s' film "Jilted" 负心的人 or literally translated as "heartless person". This video shows the original clip. The theme song bearing the same title starts @0.00 and ends @ 2.37. Then follows by a happy song @ 8.22.
我在你左右 - I'm By Your Side
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgZRHa1oAms
 
My love for Chinese pop songs (#12) 2 NOV 2013

Since there are friends reading this, I shall continue. Today and another 2 days I like to share three singers I never knew by names but were very familiar with their songs since the 80s. Because of this "My love for Chinese pop songs" series, and grateful thanks to youtube, only now I know their names. They were original singers for such evergreen songs, but sadly I think they didn't make it big. Perhaps Chai Yoon Choy and Kang Gary can give me more info into them.

First on the list is 橄欖樹 (Olive Tree) by 齊豫(QiYu). I notice that her name has 2 versions Chyi Yu and Yu Chyi. From the photo characters from top to bottom it is Qi Yu or Chyi Yu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrjQmZ8t8nQ
 Photo: My love for Chinese pop songs (#12)

Since there are friends reading this, I shall continue. Today and another 2 days I like to share three singers I never knew by names but were very familiar with their songs since the 80s. Because of this "My love for Chinese pop songs" series, and grateful thanks to youtube, only now I know their names. They were original singers for such evergreen songs, but sadly I think they didn't make it big. Perhaps Chai Yoon Choy and Kang Gary can give me more info into them.
 
First on the list is 橄欖樹 (Olive Tree) by 齊豫(QiYu).  I notice that her name has 2 versions Chyi Yu and Yu Chyi.  From the photo characters from top to bottom it is Qi Yu or Chyi Yu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrjQmZ8t8nQ
 
My love for Chinese pop songs (#13) 4 NOV 2013

Today I like to share the second "mysterious" singer. Her name is Shen Yang (沈雁) and this is my favourite song "一串心" (Yi Chuan Xing). The website has a few translations for "Chuan" meaning rude, arrogant, relative, conspire, string. So I need Gary or Chai to give the exact meaning in this context "一串心". Hope they can give me more info on this singer.

This song brings nostalgic reminiscence of my more relaxed family lifestyle in the 80s. This song is so soothing to listen to. I don't know whether the lyrics has beautiful sentimental meaning or not.

This song and almost all of the songs that I enjoyed were usually played on cassette tapes while driving during the 80s along the federal highway from Subang Jaya to town and back home after work. I have thrown away all the cassette tapes and now having problem finding these songs on cds because I don't know Mandarin. Lucky to have youtube!!

They said when you are retired, you will have time to enjoy life. Time yes, but circumstances sometimes affect one's life. So I will just listen to this song again to regain my sanity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFbp7iRJmzg
  My love for Chinese pop songs (#14) (Maybe last post on this topic) 5 NOV 2013

The last of the three "mysterious" singers is Yin Xia (銀霞). The song is 蝸牛與黃鸝鳥. Sorry don't know how to read Chinese. Doesn't matter. Just enjoy listening to the song. That's what I have doing for donkey years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KAMe3UtRAg
 My love for Chinese pop songs (#15 part 1 of 2)  6 NOV 2013

This song is for my sister's listening pleasure. Happy Birthday And Stay Healthy And Be Happy!

This song sung by Lin Dai in 1956. Composed by Yao Min. The rhythm is Japanese Enka style with the usually long musical introduction before the actual singing. Many were surprised that it was not composed by a Japanese.

Below is the modern version without the long musical introduction. Nothing can compare with the original, which I will post after this one.

Not a very appropriate song for the birthday girl but this surely brings back the feeling of sweet nostalgia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiChUMxk4XE
 My love for Chinese pop songs (#15 part 2 of 2)

Now the authentic one by Lindai herself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgQ1WUN2HF8

Monday, October 14, 2013

Masterpieces Of Traditional Chinese Music

Below is a very informative and entertaining video on traditional Chinese music, through the courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.  The introduction and explanation in English are most valuable for those not Chinese educated, like me.  This video is pretty long, 1 hour and 14 minutes.  Please sit back and enjoy.


Sunday, October 13, 2013

My Love For Chinese Pop Songs (Addition)

Yesterday I put up a posting on this subject.  While searching through the youtube site, I came across this wonderful video featuring a duet doing two Hokkien songs.  

Hokkien songs are mostly about love, family and the vicissitudes of life.  They are usually sung with deep emotion and delicate vocal, facial and body expressions. 

This video focused on the different Chinese traditional instruments in their finest display throughout the songs; a very rare video presentation of such beauty.     

I am sorry I don't know Mandarin Chinese.  The singers are 洪榮宏 and 龍千玉

and the songs are 一生只愛你一個 and 男人情女人心 

The first song sounds like this in Hokkien, "It seng, chi ai, li chit lei" meaning "Love only you in my whole life"
The second song sounds like "Cha por lang eh cheng, char bor lang eh sim" meaning "Man's feeling, woman's heart."   

Well, if you are not familiar with Hokkien, forget about pronouncing the above.  You will definitely get all the intonations wrong, rendering them incomprehensible!
 


Saturday, October 12, 2013

My Love For Chinese Pop Songs

My internet friend Gary once commented that my father must had made a mistake sending me to English school.  Gary is 100% correct.  Although I think and speak in English, everything else is Chinaman in me, especially music.  I mostly listen to evergreen Chinese pop songs, esp those of the 70s and 80s.  My daughter recently presented me for my birthday a special collection of 20 cds of pioneers of mandarin songs of the 30s with an accompanying  book in Chinese and English introducing all the early singers starting from Wang Renmei and the famous and very pretty Zhou Xuan.

Over all these years, I only had hazy ideas about the early singers and songs because I can't read or speak Mandarin.   With this book, the history of the world of popular Chinese music reveals to me like a dream come true. The first Chinese pop songs started from 1927 in Shanghai.  The father of modern Chinese pop songs was Li Jinhui, who founded the "Moonlight Song and Dance Ensemble", which became the cradle of Chinese pops. The pioneer singers were all from this "Moonlight" entertainment group.

From today onwards, if possible, each day, I shall present my favourite evergreen pop songs from youtube and share them  in my Facebook. 

For a starter, let me share with you one of my top favourites 

無言的結局 Wu Yan De Jie Ju

 by Lin Shu Rong & Loh Shi Fung



Thursday, October 10, 2013

Alkaline Water Controversy

I have written an article on ionized alkaline water to share my personal experience on this subject.  You can read it by clicking this link : http://goodguy.hubpages.com/hub/Is-Alkaline-Water-Or-Ionized-Water-Effective.

In this post I wish to "copy&paste" two write-ups by two opposing experts on the subject of alkalinity in our body.  The first writer insists that whatever goes into our stomach will be turned to acidic before passing through the intestine, which means that it is useless to drink alkaline water which will be turned into acidic.  The other write-up explains how our body will become less acidic when we drink alkaline water.

Whatever the experts may say, my opinion is that the most important factor is whether the ionized alkaline water really works on people who have taken it.  The best place to look for this is from personal testimonies from people you know who have benefited from taking this alkaline.  My elder sister and my wife have benefited from drinking the ionized alkaline water.  So my two sisters and I have installed the water ionizer appliance.  My wife's sister and a cousin have also followed suit.

Ok, below are the two "copy&paste" write-ups.





Acid/Alkaline Theory of Disease Is Nonsense
by Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

Have you seen advertisements for products such as coral calcium or alkaline water that are supposed to neutralize acid in your bloodstream?

Taking calcium or drinking alkaline water does not affect blood acidity. Anyone who tells you that certain foods or supplements make your stomach or blood acidic does not understand nutrition.

You should not believe that it matters whether foods are acidic or alkaline, because no foods change the acidity of anything in your body except your urine. Your stomach is so acidic that no food can change its acidity.

Citrus fruits, vinegar, and vitamins such as ascorbic acid or folic acid do not change the acidity of your stomach or your bloodstream. An entire bottle of calcium pills or antacids would not change the acidity of your stomach for more than a few minutes.

All foods that leave your stomach are acidic. Then they enter your intestines where secretions from your pancreas neutralize the stomach acids. So no matter what you eat, the food in stomach is acidic and the food in the intestines is alkaline.

Dietary modification cannot change the acidity of any part of your body except your urine. Your bloodstream and organs control acidity in a very narrow range. Anything that changed acidity in your body would make you very sick and could even kill you.

Promoters of these products claim that cancer cells cannot live in an alkaline environment and that is true, but neither can any of the other cells in your body.

All chemical reactions in your body are started by chemicals called enzymes. For example, if you convert chemical A to chemical B and release energy, enzymes must start these reactions.

All enzymes function in a very narrow range of acidity. (The degree of acidity or alkalinity is expressed as "pH."). If your blood changes its acidity or alkalinity for any reason, it is quickly changed back to the normal pH or these enzymes would not function and the necessary chemical reactions would not proceed in your body.

For example, when you hold your breath, carbon dioxide accumulates in your bloodstream very rapidly and your blood turns acidic, and you will become uncomfortable or even pass out.

This forces you to start breathing again immediately, and the pH returns to normal. If your kidneys are damaged and cannot regulate the acidity of your bloodstream, chemical reactions stop, poisons accumulate in your bloodstream, and you can die.

Certain foods can leave end-products called ash that can make your urine acid or alkaline, but urine is the only body fluid that can have its acidity changed by food or supplements.

ALKALINE-ASH FOODS include fresh fruit and raw vegetables. ACID-ASH FOODS include ALL ANIMAL PRODUCTS, whole grains, beans and other seeds. These foods can change the acidity of your urine, but that's irrelevant since your urine is contained in your bladder and does not affect the pH of any other part of your body.

When you take in more protein than your body needs, your body cannot store it, so the excess amino acids are converted to organic acids that would acidify your blood.

But your blood never becomes acidic because as soon as the proteins are converted to organic acids, calcium leaves your bones to neutralize the acid and prevent any change in pH. Because of this, many scientists think that taking in too much protein may weaken bones to cause osteoporosis.

Cranberries have been shown to help prevent recurrent urinary tract infections, but not because of their acidity. They contain chemicals that prevent bacteria from sticking to urinary tract cells.

Taking calcium supplements or drinking alkaline water will not change the pH of your blood. If you hear someone say that your body is too acidic and you should use their product to make it more alkaline, you would be wise not to believe anything else the person tells you.

A healthy lifestyle
exercise and rest, diet, etc YES !


And now the answer to the above opinion





Alkaline Water and Stomach Acid
Among the people who question the validity of alkaline water, the biggest question is, "What happens to the alkaline water once it reaches the stomach, which is highly acidic?" People who have some knowledge of the human body, including medical doctors, ask this question. Let me answer that question once and for all to erase any doubts about the health benefits of alkaline water.
In order to digest food and kill the kinds of bacteria and viruses that come with the food, the inside of our stomach is acidic. The stomach pH value is maintained at around 4. When we eat food and drink water, especially alkaline water, the pH value inside the stomach goes up. When this happens, there is a feedback mechanism in our stomach to detect this and commands the stomach wall to secrete more hydrochloric acid into the stomach to bring the pH value back to 4. So the stomach becomes acidic again. When we drink more alkaline water, more hydrochloric acid is secreted to maintain the stomach pH value. It seems like a losing battle.
However, when you understand how the stomach wall makes hydrochloric acid, your concerns will disappear. A pathologist friend of mine gave me the following explanation. There is no hydrochloric acid pouch in our body. If there were, it would burn a hole in our body. The cells in our stomach wall must produce it on an instantly-as-needed basis. The ingredients in the stomach cell that make hydrochloric acid (HCl) are carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O), and sodium chloride (NaCl) or potassium chloride (KCl).
NaCl + H2O + CO2 = HCl + NaHCO3, or
KCl + H2O + CO2 = HCl + KHCO3
As we can see, the byproduct of making hydrochloric acid is sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) or potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3), which goes into blood stream. These bicarbonates are the alkaline buffers that neutralize excess acids in the blood; they dissolve solid acid wastes into liquid form. As they neutralize the solid acidic wastes, extra carbon dioxide is released, which is discharged through the lungs. As our body gets old, these alkaline buffers get low; this phenomenon is called acidosis. This is a natural occurrence as our body accumulates more acidic waste products. There is, therefore, a relationship between the aging process and the accumulation of acids.
By looking at the pH value of the stomach alone, it seems that alkaline water never reaches the body. But when you look at the whole body, there is a net gain of alkalinity as we drink alkaline water. Our body cells are slightly alkaline. In order for them to produce acid, they must also produce alkaline, and vice versa; just as a water ionizer cannot produce alkaline water without producing acid water, since tap water is almost neutral.
When the stomach pH value gets higher than 4, the stomach knows what to do to lower it. However, if the pH value goes below 4, for any reason, the stomach doesn't know what to do. That's why we take Alka-Seltzer, which is alkaline, to relieve acidic stomach gas pain. In this case, hydrochloric acid is not produced by the stomach wall, therefore, no alkaline buffer is being added to the blood stream.
Let me give you another example of a body organ that produces acid in order to produce alkaline. After the food in the stomach is digested, it must come out to the small intestine. The food at this point is so acidic that it will damage the intestine wall. In order to avoid this problem, the pancreas makes alkaline juice (known as pancreatic juice). This juice is sodium bicarbonate, and is mixed with the acidic food coming out of the stomach. From the above formulae, in order to produce bicarbonates, the pancreas must make hydrochloric acid, which goes into our blood stream.
We experience sleepiness after a big meal (not during the meal or while the food is being digested in the stomach), when the digested food is coming out of the stomach; that's the time when hydrochloric acid goes into our blood. Hydrochloric acid is the main ingredient in antihistamines that causes drowsiness.
Alkaline or acid produced by the body must have an equal and opposite acid or alkaline produced by the body; therefore, there is no net gain. However, alkaline supplied from outside the body, like drinking alkaline water, results in a net gain of alkalinity in our body. 

About The Writer

Sang Whang is an engineer, scientist and inventor with many U.S. patents. His fields of expertise span many different areas such as data communication devices (modem), electronic filters, chemistry, water, cornea measuring devices, multi-focal soft contact lenses, etc. An improvement and maintenance of his own health caused him to investigate the phenomenon and led him to the discovery of his theory of Reverse Aging.  He wrote the best selling book “Reverse Aging” in 1990 which has since been translated to Spanish, Polish, Chinese, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Russian.

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