Finally, it’s here!
Or rather, finally, I gathered up the guts to finally post this… ‘^’
I looked it over one last time, and figured I didn’t have much else to change.
And I guess if I find something I have to fix, I will! Harharhar.
Welp, here we are; hope you enjoy!
English Trylics
I’m not who I was, I got a brand new sound (Like the way you smile)
With this new me, won’t you take it one more round? (Like the way you talk)
Dance, dance, dance, ’til we run this town (Whenever you’re ready)
(Wanna be… Something new) Oppa, Oppa, I’ll be, I’ll be down, down, down, down (Oh~)
Hey, Oppa look at me; come on, just look at me
(My first time talking to you this way, ha)
I’ve gotten my hair done, and put on make-up, too
(Why’re you the only one who doesn’t see?)
Thudding, thudding, my heart is thudding aloud
My imagination is brimming with you (Oh, oh)
How should I approach you?
Though I once held my nose high, I want to confess to you
Oh, oh, oh, oh, Oppa, I love you
Ah, ah, ah, ah, really, really do
Since I’m really shy, please, I beg you, don’t laugh
And yes, this is the truth, so please don’t be so shocked
But he’s only saying idiotic things (Ah, ah, ah, ah) Oh~
I’m not who I was, I got a brand new sound
With this new me, won’t you take it one more round?
Dance, dance, dance, ’til we run this town
Oppa, Oppa, I’ll be, I’ll be down, down, down, down
Oppa, wait a sec; hear what I have to say
(Stop trying to talk about other things)
Don’t only think of me as your little sis’
(You’ll come to regret it in a year)
He has no idea how I feel about him
Tactlessly, insensibly he’s fooling around (Oh, oh)
What to do with you
Hey, immature adult-child, listen to me now
Oh, oh, oh, oh, Oppa, I love you
Ah, ah, ah, ah, really, really do
Since I’m really shy, please, I beg you, don’t laugh
And yes, this is the truth, so please don’t be so shocked
If you keep acting like this, I might cry, oh~
I’m not who I was, I got a brand new sound
Something’s different; today I’ve got a heated heart
Don’t try to delay this; I’ll only get mad
Oppa, Oppa, don’t be this way, no, no, no, no
Tell me, boy, boy
Love it? It, it, it, it, it, it, ah~
Oh, oh, oh, oh, Oppa, I love you
Ah, ah, ah, ah, really, really do
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oppa, I love you
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Really, really do
But he’s only saying idiotic things (Ah, ah, ah, ah) Oh~
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oppa, I love you
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Really, really do
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oppa, I love you
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Really, really, oh
Original Korean Lyrics
전에 알던 내가 아냐 Brand new sound (Like the way you smile)
새로워진 나와 함께 One more round (Like the way you talk)
Dance, dance, dance ’til we run this town (Whenever you’re ready)
(Wanna be… Something new) 오빠 오빠 I’ll be, I’ll be down, down, down, down (Oh~)
Hey 오빠 나 좀 봐 나를 좀 바라봐
(처음이야 이런 내 말투 ha)
머리도 하고 화장도 했는데
(왜 너만 너만 모르니)
두근 두근 가슴이 떨려와요
자꾸 자꾸 상상만 하는걸요 (Oh, oh)
어떻게 하나
콧대 높던 내가 말하고 싶어
Oh, oh, oh, oh 오빠를 사랑해
Ah, ah, ah, ah 많이 많이 해
수줍으니 제발 웃지마요
진심이니 놀리지도 말아요
또 바보 같은 말뿐야 (Ah, ah, ah, ah) Oh~
전에 알던 내가 아냐 Brand new sound
새로워진 나와 함께 One more round
Dance, dance, dance ’til we run this town
오빠 오빠 I’ll be, I’ll be down, down, down, down
오빠 잠깐만 잠깐만 들어봐
(자꾸 딴 얘기는 말고)
동생으로만 생각하진 말아
(1년 뒤면 후회할 걸)
몰라 몰라 내 맘을 전혀 몰라
눈치 없게 장난만 치는걸요 (Oh, oh)
어떻게 하나
이 철없는 사람아 들어봐 정말
Oh, oh, oh, oh 오빠를 사랑해
Ah, ah, ah, ah 많이 많이 해
수줍으니 제발 웃지마요
진심이니 놀리지도 말아요
또 그러면 나 울지도 몰라 Oh~
전에 알던 내가 아냐 Brand new sound
뭔가 다른 오늘만은 뜨거운 마음
다음 다음 미루지 마 화만 나
오빠 오빠 이대로는 No, no, no, no
Tell me, boy, boy
Love it? It, it, it, it, it, it, ah~
Oh, oh, oh, oh 오빠를 사랑해
Ah, ah, ah, ah 많이 많이 해
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
오빠를 사랑해
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
많이 많이 해
또 바보 같은 말뿐야 (Ah, ah, ah, ah) Oh~
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
오빠를 사랑해
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
많이 많이 해
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
오빠를 사랑해
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
많이 많이 Oh
Whoo, boy, procrastination’s got the best of me.
I just end up pushing everything behind, and behind, and behind, and get nothing done.
I’m supposed to be doing homework right now, but I missed posting so much, I just had to.
Well, here’s a quick update on what I’m working so far:
I’m almost finished translating 소녀시대’s (Girls’ Generation) “Oh!” Actually, I’ve had it finished for some time now, but I have this perfectionist tic in me that makes me keep going back to check it again and again for potential, better translations…
OH, and I decided that I am going to coin a new term… For myself… mostly. I don’t expect it to gain worldwide usage or anything… It’s mostly just for my own convenience.
So anyway, I will use the term “lyric translation” or simply “translation” to mean exactly that — the translation of a lyrics. It means that you probably won’t be able to sing along to a song with them, since they won’t be fit into a song’s rhythm/syllable count and stuff.
The lyrics that you can use to sing along to the songs, I will call “trylics” — short for “translated lyrics”. Lame, I know, but it sounds fine to me. ._. Besides, it makes sense. Gosh. Well, anyway, trylics will be the lyrics that I’ve translated specially so that you can use them to replace the original lyrics.
As aforementioned in a certain, long, grueling post, I try to keep my trylics as close to the original interpretations as possible. Let me give you an example.
Let’s say the lyrics of a song is:
Oh! 너무 부끄러워 쳐다 볼 수 없어 (This is an excerpt from 소녀시대’s (Girls’ Generation) “Gee”.
Romanized, it reads:
“Oh! Nuhmoo bukkereowuh chuda bol soo ubsuh”
And it means, literally as possible:
“Oh! I am too shy. I can’t look at you.” (This is what I call a translation.)
Some people, when they create their own trylics, alter the meaning of the original lyrics dramatically, sometimes not even keeping the gist of the meaning. For example, one trylics I found says for this line:
“Your smile your lips your kiss I always reminisce
” (by urabaninja88 on YouTube)
which sounds perfectly fine, but doesn’t keep the original meaning of the original lyrics.
The trylics I created out of this line is:
“Oh! You make me so shy, it’s hard to look in your eyes” (This is what I’ll call trylics, lame as it sounds, God forgive me for not being able to come up with something better.)
which might not sound as pretty as urbaninja88’s trylics, but which better keeps the original meaning.
Hopefully, all that made sense.
Now, on with this informal update:
I am also working on Vocaloid SeeU’s “I=Fantasy” (from Korean lyrics into English trylics). Again, I’m also actually done with this one, too…. I’m doing that thing where I keep looking back at it for things to improve… *smacks myself*
I have also pretty much finished Vocaloid Megurine Luka’s “Leia” (from Japanese lyrics into Korean trylics). *sigh* Once more, I am still looking back…
I am considering doing English trylics for “Leia”. There is actually a very good one out there by someone named Nano, but I’m asking myself, “Do I really want to try producing another version?”
My answer is currently, “Yes,” not because I feel like challenging these wonderful trylics, but because I want to challenge myself in creating a more close-to-original trylics that still sounds nice…. We’ll see if that actually happens.
Aaaaaaaaaand, recently, I ordered myself a mic online so that I can start recording covers of my own!
As mentioned before, I already have the “Gee” cover released, but it sounds terrible, because my mic is terrible (Actually, it’s probably my voice, but shh!), so I wanted to try rerecording with a more acceptable mic.
We’ll see how that goes as well. I don’t think I’ll be using any pitch-correction/autotune programs, and I only know how to use Audacity for mixing (and not very well, either…), so it’s bound to sound terrible, but…. It’s really fun to do, so I want to do it!
Hmm, I think that’s about it.
Welp, it’s time for me to get cracking on that homework! (*sobs*)
Hopefully, the next time I post, it won’t be forever later.
소녀시대, more commonly known as Girls’ Generation or SNSD in America, is one of the most popular Korean-pop girl groups. Their songs, though in Korean, is extremely popular with English-speakers as well, so I translated the lyrics into English for those SNSD lovers. :) The lyrics are pretty easy to sing even if I say so myself. I’ve tried. XD This was the one cover I tried releasing on YouTube, but it didn’t come out too well, in my opinion… >.< I hope to edit it it for re-release soon, but that’s another story. Meanwhile, please enjoy these English lyrics! ^^
Korean –> English
Uh-huh
Listen, boy
My first love story
(Ooh, uh-oh, ooh, uh-oh, oh yeah)
My angel (Ha, ah)
And my girls (Ha, ah)
My sunshine
Oh, oh, let’s go!
You are much too handsome; it’s simply blinding
I can’t breathe; I’m just a trembling girl
Gee, gee, gee, gee
Baby, baby, baby
Gee, gee, gee, gee
Baby, baby, baby
Oh! You make me so shy, it’s hard to look in your eyes
I have fallen for you, this bashful girl
Gee, gee, gee, gee
Baby, baby, baby
Gee, gee, gee, gee
Be, be, be, be, be, be
(Oh, what should I do?) Oh no, what should I do?
(Like a leaf I am) Like a leaf I’m quivering
(Thudding, thudding, thudding, thudding) My heart is thudding
At night my thoughts of you keep me up
I must be a silly idiot
For thinking of nothing but you; Dummy
That’s right, I know I am a fool
Much too sparkling, shining, oh, so blinding
No, no, no, no, no
I’m so shocked, surprised, I can’t help but go
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
You excite me, thrill me, electrify me
Gee, gee, gee, gee, gee
Oh, your charisma (Oh yeah)
Oh, luring fragrance (Oh yeah, yeah, yeah)
Oh, how are you so kind? It really blows my mind, you
Had me at first glance; May I be your girl?
Gee, gee, gee, gee
Baby, baby, baby
Gee, gee, gee, gee
Baby, baby, baby
Blazing, fiery, scorching, I can’t even touch you
Burning in my love, I’m a fevered girl
Gee, gee, gee, gee
Baby, baby, baby
Gee, gee, gee, gee
Be, be, be, be, be, be
(How to make this right?) How should I make this right?
(What can shy girls do?) Quiet, shy girls like me
(Don’t know, don’t know, don’t know, don’t know) I don’t know what to do
Every day I just yearn for you
My friends always tell me this
Really, there’s no ever stopping you, Dummy
Even so I only look at you
Much too sparkling, shining, oh, so blinding
No, no, no, no, no
I’m so shocked, surprised, I can’t help but go
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
You excite me, thrill me, electrify me
Gee, gee, gee, gee, gee
Oh, your charisma (Oh yeah)
Oh, luring fragrance (Oh yeah, yeah, yeah)
Can’t bring myself to tell you how I truly feel; I’m too shy
(Ooh, uh-oh, ooh, uh-oh, yeah)
Can’t muster up my courage (Ha, ah)
How should I go about this? (Ha, ah)
Thudding, thudding, I can only watch from far away
Much too sparkling, shining, oh, so blinding
(Oh~) No, no, no, no, no (Ha!)
I’m so shocked, surprised, I can’t help but go
(Ooh, oh, oh, yeah~) Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
You excite me, thrill me, electrify me
(Electrify~) Gee, gee, gee, gee, gee
Oh, your charisma (Oh yeah)
Oh, luring fragrance (Oh yeah)
(Oh, so blinding~) Much too sparkling, shining, oh, so blinding
(No, no, no~) No, no, no, no, no
I’m so shocked, surprised, I can’t help but go
(Oh, oh, oh~) Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
You excite me, thrill me, electrify me
(Electrify~) Gee, gee, gee, gee, gee
Oh, your charisma (Oh yeah)
Oh, luring fragrance (Oh yeah, yeah, yeah)
Original Korean lyrics
Uh-huh
Listen, boy
My first love story
(Ooh, uh-oh, ooh, uh-oh, oh yeah)
My angel (Ha, ah)
And my girls (Ha, ah)
My sunshine
Oh, oh, let’s go!
너무 너무 멋져 눈이 눈이 부셔
숨을 못 쉬겠어 떨리는 Girl
Gee, gee, gee, gee
Baby, baby, baby
Gee, gee, gee, gee
Baby, baby, baby
Oh, 너무 부끄러워 쳐다 볼 수 없어
사랑에 빠져서 수줍은 Girl
Gee, gee, gee, gee
Baby, baby, baby
Gee, gee, gee, gee
Be, be, be, be, be, be
(어떻게 하죠) 어떡 어떡하죠
(떨리는 나는) 떨리는 나는요
(두근두근두근두근) 두근두근거려
밤엔 잠도 못 이루죠
나는 나는 바본가봐요
그대 그대 밖에 모르는 바보; 그래요
그댈 보는 난
너무 반짝 반짝 눈이 부셔
No, no, no, no, no
너무 깜짝 깜짝 놀란 나는
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
짜릿 짜릿 몸이 떨려
Gee, gee, gee, gee, gee
Oh, 젖은 눈빛 (Oh yeah)
Oh, 좋은 향기 (Oh yeah, yeah, yeah)
Oh, 너무 너무 예뻐 맘이 너무 예뻐
첫 눈에 반했어 꼭 짚은 Girl
Gee, gee, gee, gee
Baby, baby, baby
Gee, gee, gee, gee
Baby, baby, baby
너무나 뜨거워 만질 수가 없어
사랑에 타버려 후끈한 Girl
Gee, gee, gee, gee
Baby, baby, baby
Gee, gee, gee, gee
Be, be, be, be, be, be
(어쩌면 좋아) 어쩌면 좋아요
(수줍은 나는) 수줍은 나는요
(몰라몰라몰라몰라) 몰라몰라 하며
매일 그대만 그리죠
친한 친구들은 말하죠
정말 너는 정말 못 말려 바보
하지만 그댈 보는 난
너무 반짝 반짝 눈이 부셔
No, no, no, no, no
너무 깜짝 깜짝 놀란 나는
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
너무 짜릿 짜릿 몸이 떨려
Gee, gee, gee, gee, gee
Oh, 젖은 눈빛 (Oh yeah)
Oh, 좋은 향기 (Oh yeah, yeah, yeah)
말도 못했는걸 너무 부끄러워 하는 난
(Ooh, uh-oh, ooh, uh-oh, yeah)
용기가 없는걸까 (Ha, ah)
어떻게야 좋은걸까 (Ha, ah)
두근두근 맘 졸이며 바라보고 있는 난
너무 반짝 반짝 눈이 부셔
(Oh~) No, no, no, no, no (Ha!)
너무 깜짝 깜짝 놀란 나는
(Ooh, oh, oh, yeah~) Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
너무 짜릿 짜릿 몸이 떨려
(떨려와~) Gee, gee, gee, gee, gee
Oh, 젖은 눈빛 (Oh yeah)
Oh, 좋은 향기 (Oh yeah)
(눈이 부셔~) 너무 반짝 반짝 눈이 부셔
(No, no, no~) No, no, no, no, no
너무 깜짝 깜짝 놀란 나는
(Oh, oh, oh~) Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
너무 짜릿 짜릿 몸이 떨려
(떨려와~) Gee, gee, gee, gee, gee
젖은 눈빛 (Oh yeah)
좋은 향기 (Oh yeah, yeah, yeah)
Lyrics!
Posted on: Friday, March 16, 2012
One of the things I really love to do is to translate songs. I love the idea of sharing songs with people even though they may not understand the language it’s originally in. I firmly believe that language, above all things, should not be a barrier to the worldwide diffusion of music. So my goal is to translate into English and Korean songs that I like! :) I will start to post some soon.
Specifically, I will probably mostly be translating:
Japanese –> Korean
Japanese –> English
English –> Korean
Korean –> English
And maybe I’ll be able to translate languages other than Japanese into English and Korean. Maybe.
You may think that the lyrics are slightly awkward or hard to understand (even if you know the language of the lyrics), and I’m sincerely sorry if it bothers you; but, I believe in translating lyrics as directly and literally as possible (unless meaning is incredibly lost in transition, where in that case, I am forced to be more liberal), especially since the song is not mine, and the original artist/composer probably had intentions they wanted to get across through the lyrics. Thus, I believe I have no artistic license to get carried away with my translations.
Nevertheless, there is always room for improvement, as we say! If you think something is off with the lyrics, or you have some helpful tips (or even criticism) for me, I would greatly appreciate it if you shared them.
If you’d like to use the lyrics for your own cover or whatever else, please feel free to do so, though I ask that you kindly give credit to me, Krefi Ungranted, for them. Be sure to credit the original artist of the song, also!
I, personally, don’t have the best singing voice, which is incredibly unfortunate (and for which I’m incredibly apologetic to everyone for), but I do love to sing, and I hope I get to release some covers of my own. I’ve actually already released one on YouTube not too long ago (I’ll keep information about this on the down-low, so that I can, hopefully, make a better version for re-release without embarrassing myself! >_<), but I have no professional gear whatsoever. I use the mic on my laptop, and I mixed (Is that the correct jargon? I don’t even know.) the song on Audacity 1.3 Beta (Fantastic tool, I suppose, except I can hardly say I know how to use it). This would also explain my inability to make my voice less horrible… I have no idea how to autotune or anything. The finished product is a rather mediocre, not-up-to-par quality of music. If you have some helpful tips for me, I’d love to hear them.
Thank you! I hope you enjoy.
- In: Music
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Hooo, it’s been forever since I’ve last posted, but thank goodness, I am back!
I really missed blogging on this thing, even though I’ve only done several until now. While I was on temporary hiatus, I’ve been coming up with a bajillion things to write about, and here’s one of them!
Have you ever heard of a musician named Lindsey Stirling?
Well, now you have! :D
She’s this incredible violin player, and she doesn’t just play classic, oh, no. She’s renowned for her faster-paced twists to what we stereotypically know and define as “violin music”. On top of that she dances while she plays! Well, in all honesty, she doesn’t do anything crazy like breakdance while playing the violin, but she is definitely energetic, natural, and fresh. What impresses me is how she manages to keep her lovely tone quality while she’s jumping around in the way that she does… I’m also not sure how she manages to memorize her piece and her seemingly random and natural dance moves!
Please check out her site at http://lindseystirlingviolin.com/! (I made a link out of her name earlier.)
You may also want to check out her YouTube channel (she goes by the name of lindseystomp). This is one of my favorite pieces as is this one as well as this! XD
Please check them out, and spread the Lindsey Love!
_Chronicle_ T.T
Posted on: Thursday, February 16, 2012
So I watched the movie Chronicle recently, and I loved it. Oh. So. Much!
I… I admit it. I cried. Thinking about it still makes me sad.
Okay, so I’m going to try not to spoil anything, but there might be times when I absolutely have to mention a scene from a movie. If that happens, I’m going to alert you with this: [spoiler]. And then when it’s over, I’m going to go: [/spoiler] so skip ahead to that, ‘kay?
Generally, I love all superhero movies: Sky High, Zoom, Push (one of my all-time favorites), Fantastic Four, Ironman, The Incredibles, Harry Potter (I prefer the books). And well, by superhero, I actually just meant movies with powers in them. I fantasize about it all the time. Having powers, I mean. It’d be great to have them, wouldn’t it?
But you know what they say: “Great power comes with great responsibility” or something like that. Anyway, this movie got criticized for endorsing that message, which is apparently overused, because supposedly, all super power stories end up, in one way or another, teaching the hard lesson that powers aren’t all fun and glory.
Still, I personally liked the story. But then again, I’m no movie critic, and I’m a very sentimental person. (Wah, that’s not a good thing, I don’t think? ‘^’) I’m very easily pleased when it comes to stories, and I really liked this one. Yes, it had that underlying theme of “don’t let your powers end up controlling you”-ish, but the story I liked. Maybe the story again, though, is overused. [spoiler] There are three main characters, but the main main character is a boy named Andrew, and he’s got a pretty harsh life, and so obviously, he is the one who ends up misusing his powers. [/spoiler] But I think, for the simple (or maybe not so simple) reason that he aroused much of my sympathy, I was sucked into his story.
Now, if you don’t want any other spoilers, skip the following paragraph, because I want to talk a little about the scene that made me cry.
[spoiler] Andrew is actually a nice guy. His cousin, Matt (from the beginning portrayed as Andrew’s only friend who also ends up with powers), also says so near the end of the movie. He’s a very good guy, or he could have been, had he not been driven so deep into a corner. And that’s why it was so sad. This was my thought process: He has an abusive, alcoholic father; his mother, whom he loves, dies, and he is accused by his father that it was his fault; his family is financially unstable, and his father lashes out at him for splurging on this one object that makes him feel secure: his video camera; high school is always Hell, and particularly to Andrew, it seems. [spoiler spoiler! (What’s coming next is such a monumental spoiler that I felt I had to give another warning.)] So naturally, I couldn’t stop the tears when Matt had to spear Andrew clean through (Oh no, I’m feeling my heart sink while I type this out. :( ) to stop him from his hurt rampage. Andrew couldn’t trust anyone. He lost trust in the two people he could call friends (Matt and Steve, who is actually one of the most popular boys at school but befriends Andrew and Matt after receiving the same power), and it was none of their faults… It was just an unfortunate consequence as a result of difficulties Andrew faced in his life. In his mind, he had no one. Can you imagine that? It’s probably worse than death. Maybe I’m being dramatic again, but think about it. Our world isn’t a friendly place. It’s a cold, lonely world, and all the worse if you feel there is no one for you. It is a heart-shattering concept. Knowing that he carried this kind of incredible pain in his heart, I can’t blame Andrew for doing what he did (which was to go on an utterly destructive spree). I also can’t blame Matt for having killed Andrew, because Matt truly believed Andrew was beyond hearing his pleas (that’s the way it seemed), and because his love for Andrew is so obvious. Matt didn’t kill Andrew out of any kind of spite. It was a mercy kill, mercy for the citizens, mercy and freedom for Andrew from a despicable, frosty world. Before the movie was even over, I’d fallen in love with all of them — Andrew, Matt, and Steve — perhaps because they loved each other so much. (See? I’m getting sentimental, I know.) It was a good story, a good ending (a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful ending…), but an incredibly unfortunate and sad one. Of course I’d rather have seen them all survive. [/spoiler spoiler (Regular spoiler ongoing.)]
My one complaint is… that Casey girl is so annoying! Oh, Matt, you could have done so much better… :( [/spoiler]
Okay… I’m a little too sad to write any more. (Truthfully, I forgot what else I was going to write… Maybe because I got so sad. :( )
Point is… I loved this movie. (My friends didn’t like it so much. D:) I would highly recommend it, but that’s just me.
Recently, I’ve been talking to my friends about school. At school. (Okay, well, not always.)
I mean, I have nothing against it. Believe it or not, I love school, and not just because I get to see my friends every day. I love that we have the opportunity to learn, and make no mistake, I’m extremely grateful for it, BUT… there is just so much wrong with our system!
You can’t deny that you’ve never seen anyone cheating. Maybe you’ve even done it yourself. Now, I’m not writing this article to judge those cheaters, but I’m going to blabber about how our education system isn’t so great, and if you’re willing to read on, God bless you.
I thought about why this might be. I mean, obviously, people cheat because they want good grades, and they want to get into a good school. But do they want to cheat? Of course, if they don’t have to, I’massuming that they’d rather not. So why do it?
Grades. That’s why.
Our education system is no longer (or was it ever?) about the joys of learning, of absorbing wisdom, of savoring the delicate fruits of knowledge, and reveling in the notion that we get smarter with each morsel of delectable information. (Yeah, I like being a little dramatic sometimes. It’s fun!) It’s about getting “good grades”. Why? To get into a “good college”. Why? So we can finally learn what we actually want to learn.
Take APs, for example. Why do students take them? Because to college admission people, APs indicate a rigorous academic schedule. But does this indicate intelligence accurately? Of course not! Because there are cheaters, yes, but also because some AP classes might as well be regular classes. Anyone can do them if he tries. Now, what I think the more important question is, does he care about these APs that he’s taking? What if he’s taking them just to get into a good college? What if he’s not interested in the topic at all? Now, that is a sad waste of time for that poor fellow who is simply trying to please this corrupted education system. Imagine if he simply wanted to go into engineering. Will AP US History help him? Will AP Biology? Maybe I’m not making the best arguments, but hopefully, you understand what I’m trying to get at.
“You know, the whole point of school is supposedly to learn, but the truth is, it just stresses us out and leaves us little time for true intellectual curiosity since we’re so occupied with our grades.” This is what I said to one of my friends in a discussion recently. I didn’t realize the truth of this sentence until I thought about it and discovered that what I said pretty much sums up our education system. We’re not learning anymore. We’re slaves to our grades, and we’re just generating those A’s to please the admissions offices.
Well, in all honesty, I can’t offer a solution, I can only complain and point out the faults of the system like I did just now. I don’t know how I would fix this kind of problem. Because let’s say we did get rid of the grade system, of APs, of, heck, say we even got rid of standardized tests (there are plenty of complaints against that, too). Then how would kids be picked for college? The competition is no joke, and I understand that people who want to go into college have to work for it; they can’t just slip in so easily without any effort. It would be like, “Oh, I don’t have to do any of this work because I’m going to college anyway”. Of course that also can’t happen.
Now, this is sort of on a tangent, but I’ve also been baffled by the way the following generations have become so lax about their school etiquette. I mean, since when was not doing your homework cool?
Okay, maybe I’m confusing you with this sudden change of topic, so let me introduce this a bit better.
I go to school, and I see these kids just not… doing anything right! They don’t do anything right! And they’re purposely messing themselves up, because it’s “cool” to do it! It’s just so ridiculous, I can barely believe what I’m typing out right now. I mean, some of these kids, they do their homework, and they don’t turn it in because it’s suddenly cool not to do homework.
Well, actually, I think the reality is, it’s cool to not do anything, but still get by. You know, like not studying but still being able to pass a test? Purposely not getting good grades in school and opting for community colleges? (I have nothing against community colleges, believe me. I have friends in community colleges, and they’re some of the smartest people I know. But that’s a different story. Just please believe me that I have nothing against community colleges. I’ve studied at one, and it was a fantastic experience.) But on a more extreme level. There are more insults for a… for “good” kids (“nerds”, “geeks”, “tattletales”, “teacher’s pet”, “goody two-shoes”) than for “bad” kids (“gangster”, “rebel”, “delinquent”, I don’t know, I can’t think of any more. >_<;;). Seriously, it’s praise to be called a “bad” kid, or to be considered a “gangsta” or a delinquent.
And I’m being critical, but my hands aren’t completely clean, either. I rake in the grades, but I’m not trying my best. (Oh God, I sound like I’m bragging.) It’s not a good thing. Not. A. Good. Thing. I’m no better than a machine, either. I’m just taking my AP’s, getting those tests done, blah blah blah, but the problem is, I don’t care for most of that stuff. Calculus? Physics? Screw it, I’m not using that stuff in my future. (At least I don’t plan to.) Not that I have anything against those subjects, because I know that stuff is crucial if you want to pursue that kind of thing, but that’s not me. I wish instead of wasting my time with that stuff I don’t particularly care about, I wish I could take the “less rigorous” courses so that I do have time for things that I actually want to do. Like write some more. I’ve fallen in love with my WordPress site (putting aside the fact that this is only my third post…), and I love being able to write about whatever the heck I want. For me, this is mental stimulation. Calculus or physics can never make me feel or think this way.
Yeah, I just… It makes me sad, thinking about how I could have used my time on better things. Maybe it’s my fault. I mean, I’m sure a lot of it is my fault. Of course I could have defied status quo, refused to take those APs to pursue the things I love. I’m responsible for my actions, right? But I think about how I’m probably not the only one with this dilemma. I’m sure there are others out there, who, like me, wish things were somehow better. I just hope that some day, things will get better, if not for our sake, for the sake of the future generations. Maybe I’ll think of something in the future. And just maybe, I’ll be able to stand up against the status quo to help make that change.
Haha, now that’s being a little too ambitious, I think, but a student can dream. Right?
Fruits Basket T_T
Posted on: Saturday, February 11, 2012
- In: Manga
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I started reading Fruits Basket a reallly long time ago. … I’ll try not to spoil anything while I reminisce about it.
I remember when I first found it in my local library…
Unfortunately, as most libraries go, it didn’t have all the books, and of course, other people were inevitably checking them out, also.
See, back then, I didn’t even know sites where you can read manga existed. When I finally figured it out, though, I still wasn’t able to finish it, well, firstly because I didn’t have much time (though I suppose that’s subjective) and secondly, even if I did have enough time, I wouldn’t have been able to finish it, since Natsuki Takaya, hadn’t finished the series at the time (harhar, see wut i did thar?).
I’ve finally finished it recently and HNNNG! — pretty much summed up all the emotions I had reading through it. I’m not the type of person to cry, sadly, so I didn’t get to bawl over it like I wished I could… Nevertheless, the experience was none the worse.
I fell in love with this manga, since the idea of it was so original. I mean, I think there are plenty of mangas out there with romance and high school life and friends and conflicts, of course, but… how should I describe this… It’s not just incorporating the idea of the Zodiac animals that make it genius — it’s how she molds this idea, and works with it to make it her own.
People. Possessed by the different animals of the Zodiac. Not only that, but it includes a God and an unorthodox addition: the cat. These people are bound by an ancient promise; it is supposed to be beautiful and comforting, but it becomes incredibly twisted, and it is a curse that drags everyone down. It doesn’t stop there, though. The members of this cursed family turn into the animal spirits which possess them when they are hugged by a member of the opposite sex, excluding the other members of the Zodiac (which in this story, includes God and the cat). The plot coils around the numerous forms of desire so strong, that I can’t help but love all of the characters — no matter their faults or shortcomings. (Nooo, don’t ask me who my favorite character is! My mind and heart will explode… ;^;)
It’s… Maybe it’s just me, but Fruits Basket is just such a work of art. I’m completely blown by the concept of such a story. It’s beautiful. I just… can’t express myself properly.
Despite my deep love for it, I do have several complaints.
Maybe I’m being stingy, but I feel that there is something wrong in the fact that [spoiler] nearly everyone ends up with a mate! Tohru has Kyou, Yuki has Machi, Shigure has Akito, Hatsuharu has Rin, Hiro has Kisa, Ayame has Mine, Ritsu has Shigure’s editor (I forgot her name!), Kureno has Arisa, Hanajima has Shishou (so it is implied, to Kyou’s horror)… so on and so forth. It’s like everyone is matched except for poor Momiji ad Kagura. [/spoiler] It’s not at all very realistic. But then again, maybe that’s not a problem. Still, it’s just so… mushy. I mean, I don’t know what to say, actually. I’m extremely glad pretty much everyone gets [spoiler] a happy ending and a life partner [/spoiler], but I feel… so conflicted…
Okay, so I lied, that was my only major complaint. I can’t think of anything else, so sue me.
Fruits Basket will certainly be one of my tippity-top favorites of all time.
There were bonus stuff after it was over, and there was some really fun quizzes and things that compared you to certain characters of the books and things. I have trouble believing in those things (I’m such a killjoy! *weeps*) but there’s no denying that they’re incredibly fun, so I’m just going to write up my results here.
“How much are you like Kyou? (And how can you be lucky in love?)”
“70% like Kyo. You’re cheerful and well-liked. But although you make friends easily, it might be hard for you to take a friendship to the next level.”
How to be lucky in love: Casually express your love every day!”
“Cheerful”, yes, I try. “Well-liked”, I’m not sure about that. I definitely don’t believe I have an easy time making friends… I’m just… not very good with people. *slightly embarrassed* I’m not even quite sure how I ended up with the wonderful friends I have today, and I’m grateful to them for sticking with someone like me. *bows gratefully*
“How much are you like Yuki? (And what diet strategy is best for you?)”
“100% like Yuki. You’re a serious, kind person. You may be a bit sloppy, but you’re trying to improve your habits. But you tend to let your stress levels build, so try to relax sometimes!
Your most effective diet strategy: A diet with a regular exercise regimen.”
I guess I mostly agree with this, except that although I might normally be a serious person, I try my best to be upbeat! My friends call me cheerful, and they say they’ve rarely seen me down, haha! I do let my stress level build (I don’t know what to do with it!). I’ve been trying to go on a diet, but I’m really bad. *laughs* I’m not even exercising regularly. *ashamed* But true to this result, I will do my best! (No, I’m not sure about that…)
“How much are you like Shigure? (And what is your ideal career?)”
“100% like Shigure. You express yourself freely without worrying about other people’s opinions — or common sense. That sounds very nice, but is it really good to be that much like Shigure…? (laugh)
Ideal careers: Author, artist, game designer, etc.”
This result surprised me more than the other ones; I didn’t expect to be so much like Shigure! *laughs* Not that it’s a bad thing, of course– I really admire Shigure, even though he seems to be portrayed as somewhat of a shady character. I do express myself freely and frankly (or I try to! I like staying true to myself.), though I think (and very much hope!) that I have enough common sense to keep myself from saying anything too rash…
The ideal careers hit the nail on its little head, though; I’d love to have those kind of careers… *daydreams*
“Juusanshi Fortune Telling — an explanation of your approach to romance and which of the male Furuba characters is your best match.”
“Cat Type: You’re a bit dense when it comes to romance– you may be completely oblivious to it when someone has feelings for you. However, once you fall in love, your heart will belong completely to that special person.
Your most compatible Furuba character: Your most compatible character is Momiji. You rush headlong into situations, and sometimes it gets you hurt. Momiji’s inner strength and cheerfulness will cushion life’s blows.”
Again, very interesting! I hadn’t expected that I’d get the Cat Type, nor did I expect I’d get Momiji of all people. But, umm, I’m not sure how I should react to this! Because I don’t think I’m that dense, but then again, how would I know, right? o.o I think I would like Momiji, too. *smiles* But then again, I love all of them. *laughs* They’re all such kind, loving people. I wonder if I will really end up with someone like Momiji. *daydreams again*
Natsuki Takaya, thank you so much! ^-^
There and Gone
Posted on: Friday, February 10, 2012
Don’t you hate it when you think of all these awesome things you want to talk or write about, but you forget it because you don’t get the opportunity to vent them in time?
That just happened to me.
I’ve been wrestling with WordPress, trying to figure things out (It is so complicated! But then again, I am technologically impaired… >.<), so I haven’t really been able to post anything until now… Except this post is nothing but a complaint! Oh, well, I guess that’s how the cookie crumbles, haha.
Hopefully, inspiration will return to me soon… I really wanted to write out some stuff. XD
It's Just Not Your Story 