Friday, July 22, 2016

Mou Ying's Music Selection


+ [Classical] + [English Pop] + [Mandarin Vocal] 
+ [Mou Ying's Selection] +

Mou Ying's Music Selection

My friend Mou Ying, Mike who is a self made music composer, I don't mean to kiss his butt, but his current composition are way better than many professional classical composer, music is emotion art that totally relies on talent. if anyone listened his composition would fall in love with his music, and every weekend we talk about music stuff, I learned a lot about music and aesthetic view from him, he is more extreme on the standard of poetry and music, his comment on Chinese poetry: "there are 10 great Chinese poems in 2000 year span." "You now have one good poem." (he means my "Heart A Spider Web" poem, the first section).

His music and poetry standard is really strict and high, no mercy to unfinished, mundane, commercial, popular, or pick-by-fame choices... and I totally agree, because it's been a lifetime mission I've searched and selected all the music and songs from classical to now, Western and Eastern to show off my taste and wearing my pilot sunglasses and smile while playing my choices; well, my friend Mou Ying also got his music pick that totally shut me up, I feel I am blessed as a music lover, even tho my guitar skill is really mediocre, and music knowledge is still a Fan class, but a friend who is musician truly benefits my hungry soul, and his selection upgrades my music aesthetic standard. So here I post his music selection list to share with music fans, his music theory is that music is melody driven, across all culture, language and genre. totally true, because music directly speaks to heart, with lyric or not, it's beyond human logic senses, it's feeling, communication thru melody of instrument.

Mou Ying's Music Selection:

Your Love (Once Upon Time in the West) by Giorgia Fumanti
Ave Maria by Schubert
Ave Maria by Celine Dion
Lascia Chio Pianga by Hayley Westenra
Canto Della Terra with Hayley Westenra and Andrea Bocelli
Besame Mucho by Nina Mouskouri
La Paloma by Nina Mouskouri
O Habibi by Yasmeen Anima Olya
Funeral of Queen Mary (Purcell): from March to Canzona

The Moon Represents My Heart by Teresa Deng
Lover's Mountain by Tsai Chin
White Birch Woods by Tao LiZhu

Romance de Amor by Xue Feiyang
Concierto De Aranjuez by Manuel Granada
Schubert's Serenade
The Gael / Promentory
Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile) by Gato Barbieri
Two Hearts by Special EFX
Swept Away by Peter White
Straight into the Sunshine by Gato Barbieri
The Godfather by Henry Mancini with London Symphony Orchestra
25th Hour finale by Terence Blanchard
Souvenirs d'enfance by Richard Clayderman
Concerto Pour Une Jeune Fille Nomme Je' by Richard Clayderman
Fields Of Fortune by Secret Garden
You Gotta Be Real by 3rd Force

Hotel California by Eagles (Hell Freeze Live Version)
Another Day in Paradise by Phil Collins
Do It Again by Steely Dan
Careless Whisper by George Michael
Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits
Smooth Operator by Sade
The Lady in Red by Chris de Burgh
Said I Loved You...But I Lied by Michael Bolton
Women in Love by Barbara Streisand
Sacrifice by Elton John
The Sign by Ace of Base
All That She Wants by Ace of Base
Eternal Flame by Bangles

Note:
There are some songs missing, I will update later after I get his full list.

There's a late Qing novelist wrote a page about singing, pretty interesting from "The Travels of Lao Tsan by Harold Shadick (Translator)" Page 27 and 28.
















Thursday, July 21, 2016

Reflection on Shakespeare's Sonnets

Shakespeare's Sonnets are timeless.

The western classic I love: Iliad, Odyssey, Shakespeare Sonnets, Hamlet. but I never took classes and seriously studied, yet during my young adult years drifting in ny, away from home and family, and lived solitude lifestyle that I gained some special, personal understanding about these great works. of course, I have read many Chinese classics, the great four novels, Water Marshal, Romance of Three Kingdom, Journey to West... when I was elementary schooler, 5th grade, and later Tang and Song poetry books always by my bedside, late teenage years came to US, dipped in the Western Classic.

the Bard's Sonnets give me sense of Tang poetry style, skillful, playful, natural and acrobatic in wording construction, broad in content and subjects, liberal from Love topic to more of Social and Human concerns, it seems only Bard can express himself fully in strict sonnet form. many his sonnets speak about his society, express his views in disguise of Love. so the Bard kind of inspired me to write a reflection on each his sonnet. and I invented a poetry game with some rules to achieve this task:

1) Start from Sonnet 001 to 150, every night I write one.
2) 30 minute reading, 30 minute writing a related subject
3) compose my reflection in 14 lines, not in sonnet form.
4) no extra editing, no deleting the failed ones, no make up

150 nights since Feb, the first 18 nights were totally scary and humbling experience, I never knew whether I could write 14 lines reflection, often the Bard's 2 great couplets in each sonnet like master swordsman totally cut my brain in halves, in 2 strokes, literately speaking, before writing I felt like I was on the way to my execution or waterboarding program, after writing it, a miracle, especially when the reflection read like something, I was happy, felt lucky, which more important. also I want to preach too, update our social status to Bard's sonnet invention, and keep on all classic poetry tradition, that serves two purposes:
record the society from writer's own angle
break some boundaries that I have touched

30 years Classic Chinese (Tang and Song) poetry reading really helps to build my poems, it's not difficult for me to write couplets, and I have lived in 2 world, Chinese world, and new immigrant in America world, that gives me confident in my writing, also limits my views or broadens my thoughts.

I've been trying to mimic sonnet for a few years, never achieved, 3 samples:
To My Bright Star                                       2009.10.01
Quit The War, And Come Back We F%$#   2009.04.30
Shall I Compare Thee To A Wintry Night   2009.04.03



Successful reflection samples, most only with 2 good lines (*), a few whole thing look great(***):
Sonnet 002 **
Sonnet 008 *
Sonnet 009 *
Sonnet 011 ***
Sonnet 012 **
Sonnet 014 **
Sonnet 017 ***
Sonnet 019 **
Sonnet 023 *
Sonnet 027 ***
Sonnet 032 ***
Sonnet 033 ***
Sonnet 034 **
Sonnet 035 ***
Sonnet 036 **
Sonnet 041 *
Sonnet 045 **
Sonnet 046 ***
Sonnet 057 ***
Sonnet 059 ***
Sonnet 061 **
Sonnet 063 *
Sonnet 069 (use Bard's line for his birthday)
Sonnet 072 **
Sonnet 085 ***
Sonnet 086 *
Sonnet 087 ***
Sonnet 092 *
Sonnet 095 **
Sonnet 096 *
Sonnet 097 ***
Sonnet 098 ***
Sonnet 099 ***
Sonnet 104 **
Sonnet 106 *
Sonnet 107 ***
Sonnet 110 **
Sonnet 113 ***
Sonnet 115 **
Sonnet 117 ***
Sonnet 118 **
Sonnet 119 ***
Sonnet 122 **
Sonnet 133 ***
Sonnet 141 ***
Sonnet 142 ***
Sonnet 143 *
Sonnet 146 ***
Sonnet 147 *
Sonnet 148 **
Sonnet 149 ***
Sonnet 150 **





















Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Sonnet 150



Sonnet 150
Laijon Liu 20160712

This power comes from the weak and helpless
That it’s in lacking their hearts do desire
Many worlds, many many worlds we should see
The days are not bright even in sunny times
Beauty ill, rude honorable, strong weak
Things are not always what they seem
When men offer their hearts to the Mt. Everest
Then Her highest peak turns into a walking cane
Every step toward solitude, toward storms, toward stars
Every step into courage, into new dawn, to the next
Miracle sparked, kindled in primitive hands
Then the whole vast plains filled with lights and songs
We are worthy, we deserve love
We need to keep this fire alive!











Sonnet 149



Sonnet 149
Laijon Liu 20160712

Yes, I say I love but I never do, it's true, it's true
Like that slogan I shout “World Peace!” too
I want love but I know there’re more important things
Like skills, possessions, price tags, and sacrifice
Emotion part is not yet a main component of humanity
Love is not economy, not politics, not religion
We are pyramid builders, weapon inventors
We can’t bond like dolphins, nor sing like whales
Love is utopia, luxurious brand, the future
Something on stage, in a song, on a page
It’s a dream we tell ourselves daily
When we trying on clothes in front of mirror
So hate me that I spill the beans
For love is not love if truth not told




 

Sonnet 148



Sonnet 148
Laijon Liu 20160712

My mind deceives me whatever I see
Past experiences register in the memory parts
Ready to differentiate, discriminate all information
Wealth, class, race, cultures are sorted
So this monkey eagerly does what monkey sees
I wish love dominates me, leads the programs
Like preschoolers judge not good or bad
But embrace everyone, partake in everything
We’ve been brainwashed since men hunt in group
We believe we’re better, stronger, and we struggle
To dominate the competitive nature and ‘other kinds’
Evolution of brain is a long, slow, painful process
I do admire blind lovers
They are forever young!




Sonnet 147



Sonnet 147
Laijon Liu 20160711

Your love is not fever but a mental illness
It’s caused by chemical imbalance in the brain
You feel dizzy, unrest, high, overly optimistic
Detached from reality, and speech incoherence
Often you sing and dance, write love poems
Lack sleep, good appetite, wanna try new things
And naturally adapt to mood swing
You are bold, go mad or break bad
Adrenaline increases in your blood, rush, thrill
Dopamine drives you want it and get it, hell yeah!
Serotonin kicks in your brain so you become a hippie
It’s addictive, contagious, and incurable
But a headache remedy worth a try
Apply an ice pack to you head











Monday, July 11, 2016

Sonnet 146



Sonnet 146
Laijon Liu 20160710

Fine silk fabric to dress my body
Handcrafted mahogany casket to box this corpse
Silver trays and crystal cups feed my mouth
Orchestra and opera cater my aesthetic choice
I’m rotting every minute, this stench breath
Waste excrete through the pores of my skin
So I routinely bathe and apply perfume
Because the body can be cleansed, unlike soul
The sewage pipes spread beneath the city, like webs
Statues in the parks, trophies in glass cabinet
A wall of books on all subjects ready to serve
But my soul is still hungry, and hungry
I lust for the body, it's beautiful, athletic
That temporary cloth wrapped a dark worm



  



Saturday, July 9, 2016

Sonnet 145



Sonnet 145
Laijon Liu 20160709

O, the lips of love make you suffer?
Well, feel the pain buddy, enjoy it
They say this is not done by you
But the feeling is very real, so own it
Mercy don’t make you cry with quill
But her grilling words do motivate you
Chiding is part of love, remember Helen and Paris?
And the doom part draws more audience
Nobody likes a good happy ending
Classics always outsell fairytales
We dig dirts, gossips, and lingering bitterness
That’s how we feel we are alive.
Broken heart is perfect shape of love poem
Like a love letter written by someone unknown





Friday, July 8, 2016

Sonnet 144



Sonnet 144
Laijon Liu 20160708

Inner struggle, our spirit vs. our flesh
Battling thoughts, our desire vs. reality
Dust blasts in our faces like incense ash
Can silent cries ever be turned to joys?
Endless troubles wander here and there
Like a starved soul, homeless, scavenging
World is a tiny box, world is a vast desert
It makes every heart prey and beg
Tempted? Nay. We don’t have choices.
Living in the moment, lucky if we’re wooed
What men on earth can truly do
When hell angel and heavenly spirit in matrimony?
We can only battle and hope
Or accept our fate, live in doubt







Thursday, July 7, 2016

Sonnet 143



Sonnet 143
Laijon Liu 20160707

Housewife runs after fowls, father out to buy milk
A black stallion out of the barn into night
So we caught up in the moment sometimes
Need a wind chase or a quick escape
The river suddenly takes a swirling turn
Nosedives into a waterfall, becomes ten thousand pieces
Memories bubble, burst, and reappear
The past that makes us now non existent
We can’t go back in time to fix things
Nor to exit the karma of bad gone worse
Catch our hope, can we? Or turn back, can we?
Then let’s play our part, kiss, love, and be kind.
I wish you may have your will
Forget me if I’m chill or ill





Sonnet 142



Sonnet 142
Laijon Liu 20160706

If love resurrects us, then love cleanse our sins
Milky Way cuts off a couple, an old warrior returns home
A pair butterflies float, lovebirds drink that bittersweet dose
That feeling hits us like a head on train
It smashes us and it takes us
It makes us burn and welcome hell
Feel that moment we are alive for the first time
All our senses are magnified, goose bumps, colors and smells
Deafening thunders is a soothing melody
Chaotic scenes make us smile more
This romance must proceed in a grand scale
Or heaven pours down all its tears
It needs power to revive us
It’s record breaking crime, a medal sweep





Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Sonnet 141



Sonnet 141
Laijon Liu 20160705

Love is a very illogical thing
It’s a concept, but concrete feeling
Not a transaction, not thoughts exchange
It’s faith that comes with our birth
No need to prove and we are certain
I can’t explain base on science or religion
Why we choose right one without doubt
So we drop this and pick that
That thing hides in our heart, some dark corner
Dictates our mind and revalues everything
It drives fools to happiness, rich discard wealth
Sane to insane, and everyone wants to suffer pain
Love never consummated, still love
Dream never fulfilled, yet lasting










Monday, July 4, 2016

Sonnet 140



Sonnet 140
Laijon Liu 20160704

Dying men only want to do good things
Like visit relatives, friends, or some places special
Finish their projects, duty and do some cleaning
Settle all debts, or even give more to charity
Life to this world like unfinished painting
That music sheets must be complete
There are many things to say, to write
Like apologies, love letters, and best wishes
I’m not living up to my potential, toward death
I still hate the world and hold grudges
True, only near death experience can change men
So they know life only deserves good, not ill-wresting
Dying make us smart and brave
We don’t waste time, nor hang on bitterness







Sunday, July 3, 2016

Sonnet 139



Sonnet 139
Laijon Liu 20160703

A hopeless love poem
Penned down by the Man
A lunatic, a lover, and a Poet
Of his obsession, passion and imagination combined
Manic, manipulative and borderline
That love you need saves and kills
You want power, you want art
In the end you destroy everything just for thrill
It’s kind of scary to overlook the facts
Her eyes, her tongue, her unkindness
She dares not to look at you in the eye
She fears to leave that you might revenge
Love too deep is some kind of madness
Slay and kill are bad word choice






Sonnet 138



Sonnet 138
Laijon Liu 20160702

My love lies with me, so I with her
I pledge to the flag that she’s beautiful
And she pretends my loyalty is innocent
Like a native born and bred in this land
I still believe she is brave, true and free
But we both go for glory and gold
I sing her folk songs and share her dreams
But false interpretations keep truth suppressed
We are deep in debt, my love, past and now
All of us are toting this heavy load
Yes, love’s best habit is in seeming trust
So forget about history and truth untold
I praise her with my half truth
She takes me in, ignores all my faults.












Friday, July 1, 2016

Sonnet 137



Sonnet 137
Laijon Liu 20160701

There’s no remedy for this disease
I’m too far gone and out there for so long
I know what beauty is, I can draw it clearly
But the ugly parts are more enticing
I know what’s right and what’s best for me
But the worst traits are truly sexy
Blindness makes me wanna see orange green
Fears and doubts give me sense of being
Pain thrills me, exhaustion measures my energy
And dangers check my surviving ability
However I still have some regrets
I should have played more, and worked less
Too many cities I have never seen
And more tasty beers I must have