"Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix" in English

Composed by Camille Saint-Saens
English lyrics unknown



Softly awakes my heart
as the flowers awaken
You love, tender as ever

...
Now will I be forsaken
Speak again, or sleep forever
Oh say that from the isle
you'll never depart
...
Thou so dear to my heart
Thou so dear to my heart

**
Oh once again, I implore thee
Oh once again, say you adore me
I implore thee, say you adore me
Oh once again, say you adore me.

...spring wilt away
...gently moving
So says my trembling heart,
...so loving
...in its flight, is not swifter than I
when leaving all behind
To your arms I fly, into your arms I fly

Repeat **

Sunset, sunset,
I adore thee.

六月 The Month of June

曲/詞: 藍奕邦 編曲/監製: 藍奕邦/李漢金
Song and lyrics by Pong Nan

別 恨自己生於這悲情世代
Don't hate yourself for having been born into this tragic era.
怎麼永垂不朽 轉眼亦已不再
However it might go down to posterity, it has vanished with the blink of an eye,
像 六月天空都會忽然飛霜
Such as the June sky that has suddenly filled with floating snowflakes.
把它當 美景仔細慢嘗
Treat it like a wondrous landscape that one should slowly savour.

慘 偏偏醉人漂亮 偏偏歎為觀止
Tragedy: why is it undeniably beautiful and sublime?
哀傷偏要是最博得俗世讚賞
Why is the world mesmerized by pain and suffering?
淚光閃得明亮 亦可教人欣賞
Even the sparkling teardrops appear dazzling,
勝過自彈自唱
It's better than listening to a live musical performance

*我對天 高聲一再呼喊 從無回覆一下
*I lament to the Heavens, but I get no reply.
也許衪根本當凡人是個笑話
Maybe God has always treated us as a joke.
淚滴變成飛花 人們無需念掛
Tear drops become snowflakes, which people will forget.
愛不到我就算吧
If you don't have love to offer me, that's fine!
(抱不起我亦能抱著雪花)*
(If you can't carry me, at least carry the snowflakes)*

難道你們都感到害怕 Or perhaps you are all afraid, too.

想 天天笑容燦爛 可惜世情冷酷
Wish: everyday is smiley faces; regretfully, the world is cold and ruthless.
當中喜與怒樂與哀未到我揀
Joy and Anger, Happiness and Sorrow; they're not my choices to make.
萬種悲歡離合 逐一化為灰燼
A thousand kinds of sad and happy partings and reunions merely turn to ashes in the end;
連同白雪花遍地瀰漫
Along with the snowflakes, they cover the ground.

Repeat @ with ( )

我也想 今生不再哭泣 樣樣事都不怕
I also wish that I will never shed another tear in this lifetime, and to never be afraid of anything again.
也許先要把最殘酷視作笑話
But first, I will have to be able to laugh at cruelty.
淚亦變成飛花 人們無需驚訝
The tears have turned to snowflakes, but people need not fear.
再多悲壯亦能笑一笑吧
Anything worse that comes our way, we'll just laugh it off
唯願我從此不再害怕
In the hopes that I will never be afraid again.

Pong Nan 藍奕邦 - 烈

烈

作曲：藍奕邦
填詞：周耀輝

床上吻過我要吻的臉
然後默默預言沒有預言
皮上碰過細膩如絲
但沒大時代的烈

途上抱過我要抱的肩
然後暗暗刺上什麼漢字
就算得出一個謊言
也相信　我與你在灼熱

從未聽過最放肆的電
然後慢慢在淪陷裡弔唁
從未試過美麗如癲
為著大時代的烈

從未見過似塊鏡的天
然後冷冷照過什麼故事
就算得出一晚安眠
從未去過某個偉大陣線
卻拜過暗黑聖殿

＊當所有大城無詩意　
所有馬路無天使　
只要願意　愛上你這樣容易　
找得到花的意思　悼念著未幹的事＊

當所有薔薇在咀邊
所有傳奇在指尖
只想到此　好好的相依一次
算有過我的壯烈

沿著我吻你吻我的臉
然後漸漸面前沒有面前
拿著某串往事如煙
但沒大時代的烈
陪著我抱你抱我的肩
然後暗暗爆發什麼戰事
沒有顛覆只有糾纏
也相信　我與你　在灼熱
但是並沒有燃點

REPEAT＊

當所有薔薇在咀邊
所有傳奇在指尖
青春到此　好好的相依一次
也說過華麗句子

找個愛人來詩意
找個愛人做天使
只想到此　好好的相依一次
算有過我的壯烈

Bridal Shower @ C.W.'s

This past Saturday, I went to C.'s house with Clare to attend the bridal shower. I got to see Chan again, who is T.'s sister. We had a lot of good laughs. I also met one of T.'s colleagues, and she was very funny. We laughed about T. and his sister and how much they resemble one another.

Chan and T. have a similar accent: not a Vietnamese or Cantonese or any linguistic accent. Rather, I believe it's a special accent for their family only. They use the same phrases and expressions, which sounds hilarious when you hear Chan's voice in your ear, but you can picture T.'s voice in your head. Really, it was very funny for those of us who know T. well.

There were 2 funniest moments. One was when C. was beting quizzed on how well she knew her fiance, T. Clare and I knew a lot of the answers, but too bad we weren't sitting next to C., otherwise we would have given her the answers. Poor C., she ended up having to stuff her face with all these marshmellows, which is quite sickening if you think about it.

Then, C. had to open her gifts, and quite a number of women gave her lingerie. What made it funny was how some people gave her very revealing lingerie, and she liked the cute ones more, or the ones that were more conservative.

Overall, I would say it was a huge success! Thanks to Chris, Carol and Tien, the bridesmaids, for organizing this party.

地獄少女

地獄少女

曲／編：謝浩文@宇宙大爆炸　
詞：方杰　
監：Timothy Lau/Spencer Wong

從未掃地　我的家　有一股異常味
也偷歡喜　亂葬缸　四片牆是我的大地
脾氣壞　情緒爛　逃出去　到這裡大醉

地獄寄居　舊雪櫃放電結他
沒有伴侶狀態原來不差
一個看天花　坐梳化渡假
家　就算又怪又可怕
兩百呎放滿了娃娃
有一點　擠迫嗎
也不奢望到豪宅插花　強迫優雅
全日化妝　感覺　會自在嗎

全屬禁地　像私己　這小小大場地
我快枯死　便會整晚發狂　大眾請避避
塗眼淚　無法睡　如粉碎如何捱下去

Repeat ＊

愚弄我　懲罰我　當打擊　這麼多
看看我　也不錯　小小單位救活我
玩我　蠶食我　死不肯認錯改過
我要唱　我的歌　香薰中一身赤裸

地獄寄居　電腦上有垃圾嗎
尚有便當在戰場廚房嗎
九百套新衫　炸毀衣櫃嗎
家　大概又怪又可怕
我快會領養隻烏鴉
有一點　骯髒嗎
我私生活要人和議嗎　如不睇化
無謂理它　喜愛　到地獄嗎

失眠幻想曲

主唱：李卓庭
作曲：古曲
填詞：夏至
編曲：謝浩文@宇宙大爆炸
監製：方樹樑

靜悄的半夜裡　在被窩努力進睡
但腦筋卻面對　工作高壓恐懼
睡覺總愛盤算　賬單失去預算
總會輾轉難眠　其實我可以避免
拿著電結他　深宵一個苦鍊
逃離麻煩和瞞騙　枕室中彈跳瘋癲

誰人沒脾氣吧　可否宣洩徹底轟炸
無奈唯有幻想吧　不理實際亂爬
擺脫不安想喧嘩
聽到嗎　是我青春的年華

讓我消耗力氣　亂去洗擦或掃地
白晝抑壓悶氣
今晚處理　准我完全來忘記
孤單感覺卑微　原來床頭和床尾
通通可做我知己

誰人沒脾氣吧　可否宣洩徹底轟炸
無奈唯有幻想吧　不理實際亂爬
擺脫不安想喧嘩　不要太公式化
拍打我手中的衣架
演奏我的功架　隨便來吧
明晨沉悶嗎通宵輕鬆一下
我不夠假
笑也笑不出了會有害嗎
現在沒避忌盡情喊吧

還未能放下　朝早抑壓每天轟炸
臨睡前有幻想吧　一灘不滿又噴灑
誰沒脾氣嗎　可否宣洩徹底轟炸
無奈唯有幻想吧　不理實際亂爬
擺脫不安想喧嘩　不要太公式化
拍打我手中的衣架
演奏我的功架　隨便來吧

Harper Gov't's Apology to the Victims of Residential Schools

Recently, the Harper government issued an apology to the Canadian aboriginal population, particularly the victims of the state or church-run residential schools. Since the 1800s, these residential schools had been set up for the "education" of Aboriginal children. It has to be noted that this form of "education" was a violation of the children's cultural identity more than anything else in the hopes of assimilating them. These children were forcefully taken from their homes and parents, and taken to boarding schools where they were given Christian names, taught western manners and customs and the English language above all.

In reality, everything about an Aboriginal child's heritage was supressed with numerous degrading methods of punishment. The worst part of all this was that the schools were run by pedophiles and sadists who sexually, physically, and emotionally abused the chidren.

The lasting remifications of residential schools is having created of a whole generation of Aboriginals who have become abusers, or are still sufferers of the memories of years of torment. Their children grew up with parents who abused drugs, alcohol, and sometimes themselves in the same ways that their parents were abused at these residential schools.

I applaud Ben Harper for this gesture of issuing an official apology, but more needs to be done.

1. Textbooks.
The content of Canadian history textbooks must be revised to include a more indepth analysis of this chapter in Canadian history. The Americans in the U.S. will never be able to live down the shame of their treatment of black slaves. Why should Canada be allowed to hide our shameful treatment of Aboriginal peoples by ignoring it in the classroom?

2. Community Services and Support
More community services must be erected in Aboriginal communities across Canada to help the survivors and their children cope with all this pain. The support system should be designed through consultation with Aboriginal community leaders, incorporating their own traditional methods of reconciliation for conflicts. This must not be a "white" system run by "white" people. At its heart, it must put the welfare and the recuperation of the Aboriginal people first and foremost on their list of priorities.

3. Monetary compensation
People who are directly affected by the abuse endured at the residential schools should be given some monetary compensation, perhaps in conjunction with a counselling program.

Do you want to know what is the most shameful part of all this? In the U.S., the descendants of the black slaves still live in the cities, and they are very much a part of the contemporary cultural fabric of America. By comparison, in Canada, most of the Aboriginals live on reserves, or in the remote northern parts of the country. On the reserves and far away from economically developed urban centres, the Aboriginal people are so much more easily ignored.

Over-populated Canadian cities don't have to deal with crimes committed by Aboriginals. We don't have to worry about Aboriginal gangs. We don't have Aboriginal musicians singing and chanting about drugs, guns and womanistic values. Instead, we can just ignore them. And we do.

We put more money into providing services to our immigrants than we do our Aboriginal compatriots. That has to change.

"Revolution" by Starfield

If I'm here all alone
If I'm left behind
If they spit in my face
If they hate my kind

I will rise above
I will live for love
I will answer to the call
For the bond between
For the depth unseen
For my God forsake it all

'Cause I'm a fire
I'm a flood
I'm a revolution
I am a war
Already won
I'm a revolution

When the world is at war
When the grace is gone
When the hungry lay dead
While the rich live on

I will rise above
I will live for love
I will answer to the call
For the bond between
For a depth unseen
For my God forsake it all

(Here I stand)
Open hands
Waiting for You
I won't back down
I'll live to speak Your truth

*Canadian!*

Inside Out (Everlasting)

By Hillsong United

A thousand times I’ve failed
Still Your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
I’m caught in Your grace
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart and my soul
Lord I give You control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out

Potluck with OISE Friends

Just came back from dinner at V.S.'s place down in East York. It was the monthly get-together for the Foodies club. A potluck is always lots of fun because it's easy on the wallet. The only part that's depressing is people leave at different times, and when you're leaving all by yourself, it's extra depressing.

Anyhow, V.S. made a very lovely dinner for us. I have never had rice and mince meat roasted in a tomato before. The flavours were rich but light at the same time.

I brought cupcakes, which were really the size of muffins. You see, I was supposed to make 24 cupcakes, but I put too much batter into each cup and it turned into 12 muffin-cakes.

We talked about our work and now I feel like I work at the best school in all of Toronto, and I have the best colleagues and admin. Seriously, compared to what my friends are dealing with at their schools, my school is Paradise. YAY for me! =D

Thanks to everyone at V.S.'s party,
Good night.

Birds mentioned in TDIR

These are pics of the wren. The first is a winter wren taken by Marie O'Shaughnessy. The second is a house wren, photographer unknown.

http://www.dkimages.com/discover/Home/Animals/Birds/Orders-of-Living-Birds/Passerines/Crows-and-Relatives/Rook/Rook-4.html
http://www.dkimages.com/discover/Home/Animals/Birds/Orders-of-Living-Birds/Passerines/Crows-and-Relatives/Rook/Rook-1.html
Here are two pics of rooks I found on dkimages.com. The colour black is enough to suggest the sinister nature of the bird. Plus, the pic of the bird crying shows a beak like a pair of scissors: viciousnes. Unfortunately, I am unable to directly upload the pictures because they are subject to copyright.

London Trip

http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Bryanston+Street,+London,+W1H+7EH&sll=51.514138,-0.145397&sspn=0.011698,0.025706&ie=UTF8&ll=51.513123,-0.157371&spn=0.011698,0.025706&z=15
Thistle Marble Arch Hotel, Bryanston Street, London, W1H 7EH

http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=London,+England&ie=UTF8&ll=51.4995,-0.124025&spn=0.023403,0.051413&z=14
Map of London

Places We'll See
Day 3 - Parliament Sq., Palace of Westminster, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey
--------Whitehall, Nelson's Column Trafalgar Sq., Buckingham Palace.

Day 5 - St. Paul's Cathedral,

Dith Pran (1943-2008)

Yesterday, Dith Pran died at age 65 of pancreatic cancer in a New Jersey hospital.

He is the Cambodian-born journalist who reported the happenings in his homeland with his partner, Sydney Schanberg, for The New York Times. They went over there in 1975, when the Khmer Rouge entered Phnom Phen and started what later became known as "the Killing fields," s term coined by Pran and which became the title of the Oscar-winning film. It was called such because over an estimated 2.5 million people died during this terrifying campaign. People were rounded up and sent to the countryside to work as farm labourers. People died of starvation, disease and over-work; hence, the killing fields. Anyone who opposed the demands of the Khmer Rouge were executed or sent to prison. There, they were tortured. Pran was one of these unfortunate souls when the Khmer forces forbade him to return to the United States.

Four years later, he was able to escape to Thailand.

In recent years, survivors of the Khmer Rouge era who have emmigrated to western countries like the US have opened up about their experiences in prison. Paintings have been exhibited at galleries, and looking at these oil and canvas renditions would make your churning stomachs feel like an endless hollow pit.

How a person can survive such suffering and have their mental faculties intact is something of a mystery to me. I find it revolting because of the evil behind those acts of torture, but I also find the resilience and strength of the survivors to be mystifying.

I have often thought of what professions do I admire most, and undoubtably, journalism is close to number one. It's right up there with being a teacher :p

TDIR Inspired Research on the Celtic Beliefs on the Afterlife

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Did_the_celts_believe_in_immortality

The Celts did believe that a soul lived on after death and would enter another world. It's not the same as reincarnation, but it's similar. Or, maybe it's the same?

Reincarnation
'It was around the first century AD that both the Greek and Roman writers were surprised by the fact that the Druids, a priestly caste of the Celts (see Druidism), believed in reincarnation. The Greek writer Diordus Siculus (c. 60 BC - 30 AD) noted that the Druids believed "the souls of men are immortal, and that after a definite number of years they live a second life when the soul passes to another body." '

Celtic Reconstructionism FAQ
Has a lot of questions with links to answers. Not necessarily on reincarnation, though.

Now, assuming that Cooper based a lot of her book on Celtic folklore and mythology, then the idea of immortality for the Old Ones makes sense in this way: the soul of an Old One doesn't die. It just takes on a different bodily form, or it goes into a different world. Whether it is Merriman's case or Will Stanton's case, this makes sense. After Merlin died, he came to our world. How could it be that Will is so young, yet he could possess an Old soul? Perhaps the soul just reincarnated into his body at birth, and so when he dies, the soul will travel to another body. That body will have to be "awoken" when the time is right. However, Will is the last of the Old Ones, and he is immortal. That means that his soul will not reincarnate into another body. He will simply live forever.

It's actually not clear if Merriman had to go through a similar process as Will did on his 11th birthday, or if Merriman is the same body-form of Merlin way back in King Arthur's time. I think if Will Stanton had to be born ignorant of his special powers, and only realize it once he turned 11, then Merriman would have had to go through the same process. It's just that with an Old One, Merriman could have gone through that process over 3 or 4 hundred years ago.

Dr. Drew (Over Sea, Under Stone)

I'm re-reading The Dark is Rising Sequence for the nth time now. I never noticed how funny Dr. Drew is, the father of the three adventurers in Susan Cooper's novel.

Chapter 2
'Did you go fishing today, Father?' Jane said hopefully from across the table, feeling that it was time to change the subject.

'No,' said Father.

'Don't be stupid,' Simon said ungratefully, still smarting. 'It was raining.'

'Well, Father does go fishing in the rain sometimes.'

'No, he doesn't.'

'Yes, he does.'

'If I may be allowed to explain my own actions,' Father said with heavy sarcasm. 'Occasionally I have been known to go fishing in the rain. Today I did not. Is that comprehensible?'

Chapter 3
But when all three children were upstairs (sent early up to bed because, Father said ominously when Simon imitated a lightship siren right behind his chair, they were all 'overtired'),

師奶唔易做 My Mother is a Belly Dancer (2006)

I just saw this movie on CFMT (cable 14 on Rogers). It's so rare to see this kind of movie come out from Hong Kong*(see note below). The cast does not contain any young pop superstars, and the story is not about how a boy tries to get a girl. Instead, the movie is a candid yet inspiring portrayal of how four housewives (women with children is more accurate) try to go against oppressive attitudes about what a woman's role is, and where her power lies.

Plot:
Four women each have their own problems to deal with at home. One young woman is a single mother; another is aging and loses her husband to a younger mistress; a third loses her job as the garbage lady and is afraid of telling her family; a fourth is emotionally abused by her husband and her young son. One day, they decide to take belly-dancing lessons, given by the housing estate after the original folk dance teacher disappears. Through the dancing, these women start to rediscover the greatness of having self-confidence and self-esteem on your own terms. Then trouble arrives...

In the end, real life catches up to the fantasies, and not everyone has a happy ending...well, at least some have bittersweet endings. Having supportive friends, belly dancing and self-esteem aren't the answers to all their problems, but they are the foundations to building a meaningful and fulfilling life.

Kudos to Andy Lau for appearing in a cameo role to show his support for My Mother is a Belly Dancer.

*ETA:
No wonder the story is so well-written! The screenwriter is Erica Li 李敏, who was a member of the musical group, Dream Theatre. Together with Yvonne Lau, they wrote their own lyrics and released over 5 albums during the mid-80s to early 90s. I knew that she had since moved to the US and become a writer, but I didn't know that she had started writing for the screen. YAY!

花木難 歌詞 Mulan's Disaster Lyrics

作曲：方皓玟
作詞：方皓玟
監製：Edmond Tsang
喜歡 投入到淪陷
單戀者最後全場圍剿我被困
還是我應該慶幸
如何流乾眼淚與裂痕
中毒更深
假使 凡事出必有因
不想講責任 誰曾留低過熱吻
其實我都不算笨
堂堂男子漢未須操心
我極勇敢
為愛竟犯了錯 前路坎坷
雪地太孤獨萬劫不復像最初
除非唱錯一首悲歌要舉世風靡
欣賞表演的觀眾未夠多
隨手可打擊我
每日排著坐任你觀摩
失去他 沒可怕
萬馬千軍流失血汗吧
沿路蓋著腳印的瘡疤
迷戀你的優雅
真與假 亦恐怕
滑過指尖贏取讚頌吧
遙望最劇痛心的落霞

失去他 別驚訝
萬箭穿心來得更瀟灑
蒙著耳願意信的廢話
迷戀你的優雅
為愛竟犯了錯 前路坎坷
雪地太孤獨萬劫不復像最初
除非唱錯一首悲歌要舉世風靡
欣賞表演的觀眾未夠多
隨手可打擊我
每日排著坐直到干戈
喜歡 投入到淪陷

"Mulan's Disasters"
Sung by Renee Dai
Song & Lyrics by Charmaine Fong
Arrangement by Edmond Tsang

Love, so deeply as if conquered.

They surround me on the battlefield, trapped;
Or should I feel fortunate?
How can I cry until my tears are dry?
And, the cracks let more poison in.

Suppose, everything has a cause;
Not to blame, but who left behind a kiss?
Actually, I'm not a fool.
A manly man need not worry
because I'm very brave.

Made so many mistakes in love; the path will be full of hardship.
The field of snow is a lonely and treacherous path like it was at the beginning,
Suppose, I've been singing the wrong love song, yet expecting to be admired by all.
There aren't enough audiences who appreciate it:
Single-handedly, he could strike me down and
Every day, I sit here as you watch and fondle at will.

I've lost him, but I'm not afraid.
Let the sweat and blood flow in battle;
marching along the path full of scabs and scars,
bewitched by your elegance.
Real versus make-believe, how frightening they are
If I could only ski over the fingertip and win all their praises,
But I could only stare at the painfullest heartache of sunsets.

Made so many mistakes in love; the path will be full of hardship.
The field of snow is a lonely and treacherous path like always,
Suppose, I've been singing the wrong love song, yet expecting to be admired by all.
There aren't enough audiences who appreciate it:
Single-handedly, he could strike me down and
Every day, I sit here until I get to fight for him in battle.

I've lost him, but there's nothing to be afraid about.
I look more heroic with thousands of arrows
pierced through my heart.
I cover up my ears and believe all those lies,
bewitched by your elegance.

Made so many mistakes in love; the path will be full of hardship.
The field of snow is a lonely and treacherous path like always,
Suppose, I've been singing the wrong love song, yet expecting to be admired by all.
There aren't enough audiences who appreciate it:
Single-handedly, he could strike me down and
Every day, I sit here until I get to fight for him in battle.

Love, so deeply as if conquered.

王菀之 開到荼蘼 (Kai Dao Tu Mi)

Last week, Ivana took part in a TV music program and she performed Faye Wong's "The Wilting Blossom" live.



The male (a songwriter for another Faye Wong tune) praises Ivana's singing ability and the fact that she does not have a Cantonese accent. She humbly admits that she does, but she also explains that while she was recording her Mandarin album in Taiwan, her producer stressed the importance of accurate pronunciation. That's why she can sing Mandarin lyrics so accurately and clearly.

Ch. 3: 刀斷刃，人斷腸 (Link)

"他們的笑聲，傅紅雪好像根本沒有聽見。他臉上還是全無表情，慢慢地鑽過柵欄，拖著沉重的腳步，一步步往前。他身上的衣服不知何時又已濕透。紫衫少年的笑聲突然一起停頓——也不知是誰，首先看到了地上的腳印，然後就沒有人還能笑得出。因為大家都已發現，他每走一步，地上就留下一個很深的腳印，就像是刀刻出來一般的腳印。"

Translation:
Their laughter didn't appear to be heard by Fu Hongxue at all. His face expressionless, he slowly worked his way through the gap in the gate, dragging his heavy foot, going forward step by step. His clothes appeared damp again. The group of youngsters in purple robes suddenly stopped laughing--it's not known who was the first, but someone saw the footprint left on the ground, and no one could bring himself to laugh after that; because everyone discovered it then, that there was left on the ground a deep-set footprint as if it were carved by a sabre.

I remember when I was younger, I saw the series made by TVB where Hugo Ng played Fu Hongxue. This is one of the most memorable scenes, if not THE most memorable scene for me. And now, reading it in the original text, it's even more powerful! =D

The Bordertown Wanderer: Ch 2 (link)

So far, very little has happened. Some of the major characters, however, have been introduced. Ma Fongling 馬芳鈴 has appeared, and she is a friend of Xiao Bieli 蕭別離, the owner of the tavern. Yie Kai 葉開 is described as a very poor man, whose clothes are tattered and very smelly. The sole of his shoe has worn out, exposing his skin. The skin has swollen due to all the walking he's done, and instead of criticizing the shoes, he criticizes his own feet. He's very funny, but he's also very wise.

Right now, at the end of chapter 2, Yie Kai is traveling in a carriage to the Ma estate to meet the owner, Ma Kongqun 馬空群. Suddenly, Yie Kai hears someone chanting an ominous song that goes like this:
"The sky's a-flutter, the earth's a-flutter, the eyes bleed and the moon is dim. Once you've entered the Ma Estate, swords will clash and men will die. The sky's a-flutter, the earth's a-flutter. Tears like blood, men will die. Once you've entered the Ma Estate, there is no going back."

"天皇皇，地皇皇。眼流血，月無光。一入萬馬堂，刀斷刃，人斷腸！天皇，地皇皇。淚如血，人斷腸。一入萬馬堂，休想回故鄉。"

***EDIT***
Ch. 6 誰是埋刀人 Who Owns the Hidden Sabre?

無論誰只要鼻樑擊碎，頭就會發暈，眼睛就會被自己鼻子裡標出來的血封住，就很
難再有閃避還擊的機會。

No matter whoever is standing close enough, if he struck you on the nose, the force of the blow would fracture the bone and the victim will start to feel faint. Next, the eyes will glaze over with the blood that bleeds from internally. There is no hope of avoiding the strike or to respond to the attack.