SECRET GARDEN: "Swan"

Linger for a while, float gracefully on the dark lake that mirrors atrocious darkness in the fragile autumn light. Then raise yourself up. A white swan destined for higher grounds, flying towards the dark clouds that gather on the horizon. You need not reach for the unavoidable, for it will grab you before winds even conquer the skies. Lift your head with pride, and don’t slide nor revolve in your weakness. Move away from immobility, detest inherent inertia, halt the aggravating paralysis when too much analysis turns into fallacies.

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS: "Under The Bridge"

Vivo lleno de una sustancia de color común, silenciosa
como una vieja madre, una paciencia fija
como sombra de iglesia o reposo de huesos.
Voy lleno de esas aguas dispuestas profundamente,
preparadas, durmiéndose en una atención triste.

En mi interior de guitarra hay un aire viejo,
seco y sonoro, permanecido, inmóvil,
como una nutrición fiel, como humo:
un elemento en descanso, un aceite vivo:
un pájaro de rigor cuida mi cabeza:
un ángel invariable vive en mi espada.


Extract from "Sabor" (Pablo Neruda)

MICHAEL BUBLÉ: "Home"

The place where we belong is neither the place where we are born, nor the place where we die, not anywhere in between even. Belonging is an expression of time, not place.

ENRIQUE IGLESIAS: "Push"

Better is it truly to conquer oneself, than to conquer others.

NORAH JONES: "Sunrise"

Like there is as much beauty in watching a sunrise as there is in watching a sunset, there shouldn’t be more fear for tomorrow than there was for today.

DELTA GOODREM: "I Can Sing A Rainbow"

Dear Thoth:

I need your help. I think I have started to fall in love with a guy from school. I know him for about six months now. We have been working on a few projects together and we see each other almost every day at university, but most often in a group of other classmates. We get along extremely well actually and we can laugh non-stop at times, making one silly joke after the other. Many times I have secretly hoped that he would ask me out one day, but never has he taken any initiative in that sense. He is kind of shy, in fact. And it’s not that he is acting cool to me either, but I find it very hard to find out if he sees me as just a friend or if there could perhaps be something more. If only I could know if he has similar feelings towards me also. I wish you could write a letter to him for me. His name is A.

Thanks.

A.

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Dear A.

There are many reasons I could imagine why I should not be sending this to you. There is only one reason I could imagine why I should.

I fear that any thought unspoken, remains hidden in the shadow for ever. It may be safe and comforting in the shade, but no flower will ever blossom there. Any chance to speak out loud will be lost forever.

I guess not all can be rationally explained. So here I am, stepping out of the shadow, hesitantly, vulnerable, having to confess that I brought my inner, confused thoughts out of the shadow, by writing a poem for you.

RAINBOW

So here you are
Never far
Out of nowhere
From somewhere
High up there
A rainbow peeping
Behind a bed of light-feathered clouds
Like a colorful bird that shouts
Over a downy pillow of warm-mellow thoughts
An angel caught
With a smile that hides what is inside
Ever murmuring silently-loud
Like the tinkling of pearls in this glass of champagne
You reign
And all I see is your face
When I embrace
The dusk and the dawn
The night foregone
So I halt for a while
Searching for directions
On this crossing of two meandering paths
When the light touches the dark
The crystal mirrors a spark

So accept these humble words for whatever they may mean to you: a cloud of words passing by; a ray of sunlight peeping out and brightening the day; or perhaps just a thunderstorm in a fool’s heart. Forget these words, or remember them. Breath them out, fleeing in the air to wherever; breath them in, as oxygen filling you with appreciation. No matter how, no matter what, nothing is lost, nothing is won. Bringing even a little smile on your face is worth it, like a rainbow that colours the sky for a while.

I like you more than just like you, A.

See you in class!

From A.

惠妹 : 如果你也听说 (A-Mei: "Have You Heard Lately")

天無絕人之路 (tiān wú jué rén zhī lù)

“Heaven never leaves a man with no way out”

50 CENT: "Just A Lil Bit"

You must have seen them before. They drive a 100,000 SG$-and-more luxury car, cleaned by their maid every day. They pay a 30,000 SG$ Certificate of Entitlement, giving them only just the right to drive that piece of metal around. They pay hundreds of dollars a week to get those monsters filled with fuel.

And yet, they queue up, blocking the road around the shopping malls, desperately trying to avoid that 50 cents parking fee for those 10 minutes during which their spouse runs a small errand inside. And yet, they park on the emergency lane just ahead of the ERP gantry, in an ultimate effort to escape the 1$ peak hour charge, when there are only few minutes left before peak time is over.

AUGUSTANA: "Boston"

Not all that was ever lost, is worth finding. Not all that is pursued, still suits. Finding out what we are searching for, is harder than finding what you’re searching.

You need to shut down the light for a while, sometimes, to see more clearly. You need to stop talking, to really hear. Pause, before walking. Breathe, before blowing. Release, before holding. Forget, before remembering.

ELVIS CRESPO: "Tu Sonrisa"

Como une línea de música que sorprende, recibimos más que imaginamos que jamás la vida nos renda. Donde no la esperamos, la sonrisa está atendiéndonos, un silencioso cómplice en un mundo de ruido. La pequeña felicidad pasa por la calle, ya se encuentra detrás cada esquina, gratuito para cualquier quién se lo abre los ojos y lo quiere grabar.