Friday, May 13, 2005

I love operas and arias...

Hmmm... at last I am not so busy these days anymore, but I expect myself to be busy with my works soon. Anyway, while I am enjoying my life away now, I have started to learn some operatic tunes and I have therefore learn to sing some European operas. Among them are:

LA DONNA È MOBILE, the Duke's aria from Rigoletto (Italiano) (TENOR)

La donna è mobile, qual piùma al vento,
The woman is fickle (movable), like a feather in the wind,
muta d'accento, e di pensiero.
she changes the tone of her voice (i.e., her accents), and her thoughts
Sempre un amabile, leggiadro viso,
Always a sweet, pretty face,
in pianto o in riso, è menzognero.
in tears or in laughter, (she) is (always) lying
La donna è mobile, qual piùma al vento,
The woman is fickle, like a feather in the wind,
muta d'accento, e di pensier
she changes her accents, and her thoughts
e di pensier, e di pensier
and her thoughts, and her thoughts

È sempre misero, chi a lei s'affida,
It is always miserable, he that trusts in her (He is always miserable who trusts in her)
chi le confida, mal cauto il core!
who to her confides, his unwary heart!
Pur mai non sentesi felice appieno
Yet nobody feels happy fully
chi su quel seno non liba amore!
who on that bosom doesn't drink love,
La donna è mobil, qual piùma al vento,
The woman is fickle, like a feather in the wind,
muta d'accento e di pensier,
she changes the tone of her voice and her thoughts
e di pensier, e di pensier!
and her thoughts, and her thoughts!

VOTRE TOAST, JE PEUX VOUS LE RENDRE, Escamillo's aria from Carmen (Français) (ARIA)

Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre,
Your toast, I can give it to you
Señors, señors, car avec les soldats
Sirs, sirs, for along with the soldiers
oui, les toreros peuvent s'entendre;
Yes, the Toreros, can understand;
Pour plaisirs, pour plaisirs,
For pleasures, for pleasures
Ils ont les combats!
They have combats!
Le cirque est plein,
The arena is full,
c'est jour de fête!
it is the feast day!
Le cirque est plein du haut en bas;
The arena is full, from top to bottom;
Les spectateurs, perdant la tête,
The spectators, losing their heads,
Les spectateurs s'interpellent à grand fracas!
The spectators began a big fracas!
Apostrophes, cris et tapage
Apostrophes, cries, and uproar
Poussés jusques à la fureur!
Grow to a furor!
Car c'est la fête du courage!
Because it is a celebration of courage!
C'est la fête des gens de coeur
It is the celebration of people with heart!
Allons! en garde! Allons! Allons! ah!
Let’s go, on guard! Let’s go! Let’s go! Ah!
Toréador, en garde! Toréadorr, Toréador!
Toréador, on guard! Toréador, Toréador!
Et songe bien, oui, songe en combattant
And dream away, yes, dream in combat,
Qu'un oeil noir te regarde,
That a black eye is watching you,
Et que l'amour t'attend,
And that love awaits you,
Toréador, L'amour t'attend!
Toréador, love awaits you!
Et songe bien, oui, songe en combattant
And dream away, yes dream in combat,
Qu'un oeil noir te regarde,
That a black eye is watching you
Et que l'amour t'attend,
And may love await you,
Toréador, L'amour t'attend!
Toréador, love await you!

Tout d'un coup, on fait silence...
All of a sudden, it is silent
Ah! que se passe-t-il?
Ah, what is happening?
Plus de cris, c'est l'instant!
More cries! It is the moment!
Plus de cris, c'est l'instant!
More cries! It is the moment!
Le taureau s'élance
The bull throws himself out
En bondissant hors du Toril!
Bounding out of the Toril!
Il s'élance! Il entre,
He throws himself out! He enters.
Il frappe! un cheval roule,
He strikes! A horse rolls,
Entrainant un Picador,
Dragging a picador,
Ah! bravo! Toro! Hurle la foule!
Ah, Bravo! Bull! The crowd roars!
Le taureau va, il vient,
The bull goes, he comes,
Il vient et frappe encor!
He comes and strikes again!
En secouant ses banderilles,
Shaking his banderillos,
Plein de fureur, il court!
Full of fury, he runs!
Le cirque est plein de sang!
The arena is full of blood!
On se sauve, on franchit les grilles!
They save themselves, they pass the gates
C'est ton tour maintenant! allons!
It is your turn now. Let’s go!
En garde! allons! allons! Ah!
On guard! Let’s go! Let’s go! Ah!
Toréador, en garde! Toréador, Toréador!
Toréador, on guard! Toréador, Toréador!
Et songe bien, oui, songe en combattant
And dream away, yes, dream in combat,
Qu'un oeil noir te regarde,
That a black eye is watching you,
Et que l'amour t'attend,
And that love awaits you,
Toréador, L'amour t'attend!
Toréador, Love awaits you!
Et songe bien, oui, songe en combattant
And dream away, yes, dream in combat,
Qu'un oeil noir te regarde
That a black eye is looking at you
Et que l'amour t'attend,
And that love awaits you
Toréador, L'amour t'attend!
Toréador, love awaits you!
Et songe bien, oui, songe en combattant
And dream away, yes, dream in combat,
Qu'un oeil noir te regarde
That a black eye is looking at you
Et que l'amour t'attend,
And that love awaits you
Et que l'amour t'attend,
And that love awaits you.
Toréador, L'amour t'attend!
Toréador, love awaits you!
L'amour! L'amour! L'amour!
Love! Love! Love!
Toréador, Toréador, L'amour t'attend!
Toréador, Toréador, love awaits you!

DER VOGELFÄNGER BIN ICH JA -- Papageno's aria from Die Zauberflöte (Deutsch) (TENOR)

Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja,
The birdcatcher I am indeed,
Stets lustig heissa hopsasa!
Always happy, heidi heh hey!
Ich Vogelfänger bin bekannt
I, the birdcatcher, am well known
Bei Alt und Jung im ganzen Land.
To old and young throughout the land.
Weiß mit dem Lokken umzugehn
Know how to get around the bird decoys
Und mich aufs Pfeiffen zu verstehen!
And be understood on the fife.
Drum kann ich froh und lustig sein,
Therefore I can be happy and funny,
Denn alle Vögel sind ja mein.
For all the birds are indeed mine.

Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja,
The birdcatcher I am indeed,
Stets lustig heissa hopsasa!
Always happy, heidi heh hey!
Ich Vogenfänger bin bekannt
I, the birdcatcher, am well-known
Bei Alt und Jung im ganzen Land.
To old and young throughout the land.
Ein Netz für Mädchen möchte ich;
A net for girls is what I would like;
Ich fing sie dutzendweis für mich!
I'd catch them by the dozen for me!
Dann sperrte ich sie bei mir ein
Then I would lock them up with me
Und alle Mädchen wären mein.
And all the girls would be mine.

Wenn alle Mädchen wären mein,
If all the girls were mine,
So tauschte ich brav Zukker ein.
Then I'd dutifully trade for some sugar.
Die welche mir am liebsten wär,
The one I liked the best,
der gäb ich gleich den Zukker her.
To her I would immediately give the sugar.
Und küsste sie mich zärtlich dann,
And if she kissed me tenderly then,
Wär' sie mein Weib und ich ihr Mann.
She would be my wife and I her husband.
Sie schlief an meiner Seite ein;
She would fall asleep by my side;
ich wiegte wie ein Kind sie ein.
I would rock her to sleep like a child.

These are among the few operas and arias that I love. Actually I love to sing these operas, and my dream is to be like Luciano Pavarotti or Placido Domingo or Jose Carerras. They are the 3 great tenors, actually. Oh how I fall in love with these operatic tunes and the singing!

Well, this blog is getting too long now. So, I hope you do enjoy these operas as well. Take care!

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

My diary is the chronicle of my life...

Well, again, I am busy with some circuit design with layout design. This is the life of an IC design engineer. My blog is always getting too long no matter how hard I am trying to condense its contents. Hmmm... today, I just want to make my blog a little different from my two previous blogs. I am going to include here a few favorite unforgettable oldie songs about me going somewhere soon, to Penang on the northern side of Malaysia, which is 200 miles (330km) away from Kuala Lumpur, my childhood hometown... Here they are...

200 Miles (David's edition)

If you miss the train I'm on, you will know that I am gone;
You will hear the whistle blow two hundred miles.
Two hundred miles, two hundred miles, two hundred miles, two hundred miles;
You will hear the whistle blow two hundred miles.

Lord, I'm two; Lord, I'm two; Lord, I'm two; Lord, I'm two;
Lord, I'm two hundred miles away from home.
Away from home, away from home, away from home, away from home;
Lord, I'm two hundred miles away from home.

Not a shirt on my back, not a penny to my name;
Lord, I can't go back home this-a-way.
This-a-way, this-a-way, this-a-way, this-a-way;
Lord, I can't go back home this-a-way.

Lord, I'm two; Lord, I'm two; Lord, I'm two; Lord, I'm two;
Lord, I'm two hundred miles away from home.
Away from home, away from home, away from home, away from home;
Lord, I'm two hundred miles away from home.

And below here is another oldie song about me being there (just read my previous blog which carries the title of "LIFE AS JUST SIMPLY BEING ME" and you will know why)...

I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry (David's edition)

Hear that lonesome whippoorwill,
He sounds too blue to fly.
The train I'm on is whining low,
I'm so lonesome I could cry.
I've never seen a night so long
When time goes crawling by.
The moon just went behind a cloud
To hide its face and cry.

Did you ever see a weeping soul,
When leaves began to die?
That means he's missing his loved ones,
I'm so lonesome I could cry.

The silence of a falling star
Lights up a pitch black sky.
And as I wonder where you are
I'm so lonesome I could cry.

The last song below here tells of what it will be like to be lonely there... just my feelings there...

REFLECTION OF MY LIFE (David's edition)

The changin' of sunlight to moon light
Reflection of my life
Oh, how they fill my eyes
The greetings of people in sorrow
Reflection of my life
Oh, how they fill my eyes

All my sorrows, sad tomorrow
Take me back to my own home
All my crying (all my cryin')
Feel I'm dyin' lonely
Take me back to my own home

I'm changin' arrangin'
I'm changin'
I'm changin' everything
Ah, everything around me
My world's a lonely place
A lonely place
A lonely place to live
But I don't want to be lonely...

All my sorrows, sad tomorrow
Take me back to my own home
All my crying (all my cryin')
Feel I'm dyin' dyin'
Take me back to my own home


All right, here's the end of my song-laden blog. Seriously speaking, I am not really that type of melancholic person, although at times I am a little moody, especially in the morning. I am always cheerful whenever someone is there to accompany me and be my loyal friend. And just one more thing, I WILL give you a nice warm heart-touching SMILE whoever you are, wherever you are, whenever you are. Just call me up and the SMILE is yours :-) Bye and have a nice day!