I’m going to start with a look at DRT’s customer communications in 2007.  DRT’s web site was much the same in 2007 as it was the year before, but some reorganization had been done to improve layout.  Some of the changes were suggested by me, and it appears DRT was listening, and for that I’m pleased.

So where does it stand now?  Overall, the site is better organized than it was a year ago.  Extraneous links have been cleaned up, schedule pages are better organized, and in general there is a higher quality to it. 

But there is still one thing that nags, and that is the use of Adobe PDF files for tabular schedule information.  This is a general no-no on the web, as it violates accessibility rules (e.g. making sites easy to use for people with vision difficulties).

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’d like to see DRT move to an approach in which the route schedules are displayed in-line on the page, using approaches similar to that found on York Region Transit’s site at www.yrt.ca.  PDFs can and should be used for printable route summaries including both maps and schedules, as YRT does, but the core question of “when is the bus coming” can be answered without PDF files.

Printed materials fared well during 2007.  Multiple schedule books were streamlined into a pair of books for Ajax/Pickering and Whitby/Oshawa/Clarington, with the northern and regional routes covered in both books.  Printed materials for service changes were also handled well. In October, DRT released a terrific printed map of the entire system, their first.  This map took DRT’s map design to a new level.  Unfortunately, these maps have become virtually impossible to find at information kiosks.  I urge DRT to print more and make them available again, as they are truly exceptional.

On a related note, I came some guidelines on developing printed transit material, coming out of a research project at the National Center for Transit Research at the University of South Florida.  DRT’s materials are good, but these guidelines show how they could be even better.

Now for the bad news. DRT’s “on site” communications at GO bus stations leaves much to be desired.  Not only is schedule information no longer available at bus stops, but route maps have also disappeared (at least at Ajax GO).  Service changes last spring were poorly communicated, and December’s cuts were particularly badly handled.  I know that DRT does not have a huge staff, but communicating service changes on site is critical.  Only a small portion of people will make the effort to visit the web site.

I’d like to give DRT a 8/10 on the basis of the printed materials and web site changes, which were truly worthy, but the onsite communications problems demand that I lower the rating.  Instead, I’m giving DRT a 6/10, simply because the problems were so damaging.

I’ve been promising to write about 2007 in review for a few weeks now. I’ve been fairly busy, but am now going to begin. This blog began in January 2006 with a review of DRT’s initial year of service. You may recall that my review was somewhat mixed. In some areas, the newborn system was already doing better than its predecessors, but other expected improvements had not occurred.

Not surprisingly 2007 was an evolutionary year for DRT. The system was up and running, buses had their liveries, the web site was in place, and buses were rolling. It’s not surprising, then, that there is less to talk about in 2007 than there was in 2006.

But there are still a number of items that are worth covering in detail.

• Service levels
• Fares
• Equipment
• BRT planning
• Communications

As I did before, I’ll break these down into multiple posts over the next few weeks.

The National - how I love thee. Their album Alligator, released at the end of 2005, may be the first CD that I’ve destroyed through overplaying (it hasn’t left my car for two years, and is now skipping uncontrollably), and they almost single-handedly elicited a trip to Chicago, where they played the 2006 Pitchfork Music Festival. Their 2007 followup, Boxer, with its gorgeously moody B&W photograph on the cover, matching the gorgeously moody music within, turned out to be worthy indeed, also going into permanent rotation and landing on a many a best-of-2007 list. But where The National really shone were in their live shows, which somehow manage to be compelling without being theatrical. I also love the way that the magnetic lead singer, Matt Berninger, can gracefully stand aside to let the musicians have the spotlight. I ended up seeing them four times, in three cities (and two countries!) in 2007, including two nights in a row at the Middle East, Cambridge, and they just keep getting better.

website myspace emusic amazon

MP3: The National - Fake Empire

One of my most-anticipated albums of 2007 was Reunion Tour, from Winnipeg-based The Weakerthans, and it turned out to be worth the wait. Each song is a beautifully-crafted short story, marrying narrative, emotion, and music into a memorable package. The tales range from the fall of a high-flying executive, to the heartrending continuing saga of Virtute the cat, who has now left her owner and is struggling to survive a ‘Peg winter, to the best use of curling as a metaphor for relationships that you’ve ever heard (okay, possibly the only use of curling as a metaphor that you’ve ever heard). Small wonder they are starting to earn the sobriquet of ‘Canada’s band.’

Image: Weakerthans track jacket. Photo by Flickr user the queen of subtle, reposted here under its Creative Commons license.

website myspace emusic amazon

MP3: The Weakerthans - Tournament of Hearts

Well, it’s the start of a whole new year, and just in time for our completion of our first-ever series, 2007 in Review. Examining 12 albums in such quick succession was quite challenging for all of us, but we did it! Stay tuned for more series - I have some interesting ideas in the pipeline.

Just to clarify things, the albums covered in 2007 in Review aren’t necessarily the most important albums of the month, but ones that we thought were important for some reason or another and haven’t covered. (For example, arguably the most important albums of November included Jay Chou and Fish Leong, which we have already covered.)

Here’s a recap of the series, in case you missed anything:

• January: 五月天 - 為愛而生 / Mayday - Born to Love (2007 in Review)
• February: 曹格 - Superman / Gary Cao - Superman (2007 in Review)
• March: 孫燕姿 - 逆光 / Stefanie Sun - Against the Light (2007 in Review)
• April: 吳建豪 - V.DUBB / Vanness Wu - V.DUBB (2007 in Review)
• May: S.H.E - Play (2007 in Review)
• June: 張棟樑 - 王子 / Nicholas Teo - Prince (2007 in Review)
• July: 林俊傑 - 西界 / JJ Lin - Westside (2007 in Review)
• August: 王力宏 - 改變自己 / Leehom Wang - Change Me (2007 in Review)
• September: 楊丞琳 - 任意門 / Rainie Yang - My Other Self (2007 in Review)
• October: 蔡健雅 - Goodbye & Hello / Tanya Chua - Goodbye & Hello (2007 in Review)
• November: 卓文萱 - 幸福氧氣 / Genie Zhuo - Oxygenie of Happiness (2007 in Review)
• December: 許茹芸 - 北緯六十六度 / Valen Hsu - Latitude 66° (2007 in Review)

Thank you, JibJab

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztj2qfui114 Here is the link. JibJab decided to have the video embedding disabled.

This was an awesome year for me. I think I did a good job of kicking off my career BEFORE I graduated. Here’s what I accomplished:

Online presence:
I wrote articles and columns for Mookychick.
I converted my Myspace into a writer’s Myspace.
I started logging onto Facebook again.
I joined LinkedIn.
I started my own blog, which spawned another, a writing gig for 451 Press and a contributing gig for Sticks of Fire.
I have multimedia projects up on TBO.
I built my first Web site, from templates (I’m going to change it into a writer’s Web site this semester).
I uploaded video onto YouTube and used them in blogs.
I learned some basic HTML.

Print:
I finished an internship at Creative Loafing.
I started and finished an internship at Tampa Bay Illustrated.
I wrote book reviews and interned for The Tampa Tribune.

Classes:
I took a magazine feature writing course, a blog and column course, a public affairs writing course that focused on public documents, and a course that gave me more clips from The Trib. I also registered and will be attending a graduate level course before I get my bachelor’s degree.

Creative writing:
I submitted short stories and features to magazines and proudly displayed the rejection letters.
I finished the first draft of my first novel.

What I wish I had done:
I wish I’d saved more money, and I wish I’d figured out a way to travel abroad. I doubt I’ll be able to go on the Ireland trip, but I can always hope. I’d like to go to Chicago for the alt-writing internship.

Ah, the blog’s first full year. I wish you all the best in 2008, and party hard and safely. Here is some of the best, and worst, of my associated ramblings (like you’ll read them all; I certainly don’t expect you to.) Happy New Year, everyone!

January:

• My earliest, and likely still greatest, hit — pleading for more of Erin Andrews. It all went downhill from there.
• Bill Parcells didn’t listen to my career advice, obviously.
• Minnesotans just don’t get the ire up to make “FIRE MCHALE” signs enough.

February:

• The first, and likely most successful use of the “parody” tag — NFL baby daddy play dates. The next one will have to involve Travis Henry somehow.
• NORV!
• The first of many cheap A-Rod gags.
• Jason Whitlock hates America. Flip-flopper.

March:

• Blatant thievery of a much better writer in service of Kobe Bryant.
• The beginning of our mean streak of NCAA hatred.
• Unless Clemens actually does something notable (like sign a contract), let’s not talk about it.
• In which I smack the CW regarding O.J. Mayo and Kevin Love around a bit.
• More smacking around of Whitlock’s bad writing.

April:

• Fuckin’ Schrutebag.
• Supreme Dictator-for-Life Goodell gets his swerve on. I bitch about it.
• We were all Hokies for a day.
• Bring me the head of Hudler!
• Lord Rog, fashion policeman.
• Fort Collins, Colorado: plenty of beer, plenty of weed, fucking shit up.
• The terrorists are after us for…our cheerleaders?

May:

• The discrepancies on Bonds.
• Mike Marshall, pitching revolutionary.
• Moving Day!
• Bizarre type of family planning — your baby or your scholarship, miss.
• An NFL show every day in the offseason? Is that really necessary?
• A-Rod and Jeter have a spat.

June:

• Gary Sheffield in two parts.
• Turns out Rick Reilly was even more forgiving of ESPN than I thought.
• Even Shaq got in on reality TV this year.
• If the NCAA really wanted to, I bet they’d have rules in the books regarding sexual positions for elite athletes.
• Nine-game World Series? Please, no thanks.

July:

• MLS + Beckham + press conference = amateur hour.
• Jon Gruden, quarterback collector.
• Michael Vick’s mess crosses over into my day job.
• Barry Bonds is not evil. Save that adjective for someone who really deserves it.
• The Broncos O-line omerta is no more.
• If character counts in baseball’s Hall of Fame, then why is Ty Cobb in it?

August:

• Penning the impressions of Bonds hitting #756.
• Leaving USC one week after you’re on the cover of SI.
• Falling in love with the sound of your own cliches.
• Vick pleads guilty.
• Tom Brady gets advice while observing his newborn son.
• My team’s new RB has almost enough kids for his own football team.
• It’s all a bunch of tree-hugging hippie crap in Berkeley.

September:

• Rick Ankiel, golden boy, brought down.
• No more using the “-gate” suffix for stupid shit like the Patriots, please.
• Mike Shanahan and his last-second time out.
• Marc Ecko can go stamp his asterisk on the Hall of Fame while he’s putting one on Bonds’ ball.
• 90s-era Cowboys calling out the Tank Johnson signing for being a bad character move is funny.
• I told you so, Bears fans.
• Matt Leinart meets with his first-year coach over his playing-time split.
• Vaqueros vs. Osos on Sunday Night Football is, apparently, the end of America as we know it.

October:

• I eagerly await this site’s terrible twos.
• New proposed flavors for Gatorade Tiger.
• Aren’t you supposed to watch some games if you opine on college football?
• Sure, we believe you, Paul Byrd.
• Rudy Giuliani, authoritarian douchebag and Red Sox bandwagoneer.
• See, there was a useful reality show on ESPN!
• Diagnosing the Broncos’ problems.
• I join an online book club.

November:

• Bonds indicted.
• L.A. Times columnist rattles UCLA alums who want their head coach gone.
• Sean Taylor was clinging to life and the media had to talk ish about him.
• USC playing in the Rose Bowl — during the season?
• Bill Belichick: Dr. Frankenstein :: Troy Brown : the Doctor’s creation.

December:

• ESPN runs its own fake bowls. News to me.
• “Sportsman of the Year” is all about being the best liked now.
• Pro athletes must forfeit all expectations of privacy. Right.
• Why I love bowls despite wanting a playoff.
• Tony Kornheiser doesn’t know who LaDainian Tomlinson is.
• The NFL asked for a favor, and with regard to Pats-Giants, Congress wanted payback.

It’s an annual ritual, dating back more than two decades.

Right after Christmas I sit down and take stock of the past year, assaying it in terms of the quality and quantity of work I’ve composed, what I feel I accomplished and where I fell short. This assessment is rarely kind: I can be awfully hard on myself. On that point, I’m not alone:

“It is now sixteen years since my first book was published and about twenty-one years since I started publishing articles in magazines…There has literally been not one day in which I did not feel that I was idling, that I was behind with the current job, and that my total output was miserably small. Even at the periods when I was working ten hours a day on a book, or turning out four or five articles a week, I have never been able to get away from this neurotic feeling.”

George Orwell wrote those words in a notebook he kept during the last year of his life. His heroic work ethic unquestionably contributed to his early demise; this fact is not lost on me. You can literally write yourself to death.

Cheery thought, innit?

But I’m not going to let my neuroses get in the way of celebrating a productive and creative year. Not me. No, sirree. I mean, I should be pleased with what I accomplished and a fair summary of 2007 would probably go something like this:

It was, to my mind, a year of retrenchment and learning. Retrenchment in that I finished a couple of longstanding projects and, re: the latter, thanks to my blog I got a real education as to the scope and limits of technology and came to a clearer understanding of the possibilities inherent in cyberspace.

I get the sense that during this past year I was tooling up, doing my utmost to marshal and focus my skills, honing them to razor sharpness.

Preparing for things to come…

The high points:

• In the early part of 2007 I completed final edits on Voiceworks. It’s a thin volume (71 pages), made up of 50 or 60 of my favorite monologues and short, spoken word pieces. The material is drawn from the past twenty years and includes offerings like “Cranes” and “A.I.” and a number of monologues from The Break (my one-act play).

• I finally put the finishing touches on my Redbook poetry collection (so named because of the red notebook I scribble the first drafts into). Sherron helped me paste it onto the background I wanted and it looks great. This one took a mere decade to whittle and pare into shape.

• Revised two older stories, fleshing them out and coming up with luvly new versions of “Adult Children” and “Matriarchy”. I especially treasure the latter and was pleased when CBC Radio producer Kelley Jo Burke picked it up for broadcast on “Gallery” (air date: October 27, 2007).

• Sewed up the movie deal for “Kept”, acting as my own agent and going through about twenty drafts of the contract with the increasingly frustrated producers and screenwriter. Used the Writers Guild of America’s model contract to help me restrict the option period, secure compensation for sequels and remakes, protect literary rights, etc. A time-consuming, frustrating, annoying, nerve-wracking process but it got done and now we’ll see what happens.

• I revised a few of the short stories from my venerable (1990) short story collection Sex & Other Acts of the Imagination. It gave me the chance to tighten up the prose and fix the last line of “The Cattletruck”, which never seemed right to me. The new versions are leaner, tighter, superior to the originals. Worth the weeks of murderous edits.

• In March, I finally heeded Sherron’s prompting and allowed her set up this blog. Beautiful Desolation. One of the smartest decisions I ever made. Started out as an experiment, a lark. And then it grew and grew as I added rants, commentaries, reviews, loaded on stories that hadn’t seen the light of day for years, an excerpt from the best unpublished novel kicking around (So Dark the Night). Presently, we find ourselves victims of our own success. Far more hits than we expected, people expecting new content on a regular basis—sheesh. So we’ve expanded the site and intend to utilize new publish on demand and podcasting technologies to…well, there are big plans afoot and we’ll leave it there. Stay tuned.

• But the absolute best thing to happen (writing-wise) in 2007 was undoubtedly finally summoning up the nerve to commence work on a longer effort, my novella “Of the Night”. Took every ounce of courage and willpower I had to stick with it but I did (thank you, Creator). You’ll be hearing more about this one in the months to come. Sherron loved the draft I gave her just before Christmas and I see big things ahead for this 160-page, 40,000 word beauty.

* * * * * *

When I actually list what I’ve done in the past 365 days, at first blush it seems like a pretty significant amount of work. What do you expect, I write every day, often failing to pace myself, working overtime to the detriment of my fingers, shoulders and back (to say nothing of my mental state).

But when I stack myself up against some of the truly prolific writers out there, I’m a time-waster, a lazy, itinerant asshole. Look at the sheer amount of titles folks like L.E. Modesitt, Kevin Anderson, Timothy Zahn or Robert Jordan can thrash out. These guys have bibliographies that would choke a fucking stegosaurus. How do they do it? I’m not talking about the quality of the work, I mean how can they physically produce that amount of prose, year after year? How can they put out so many pages a day when I can manage only a fraction of that while maintaining a schedule that sucks my strength down to the last dregs? How? How? How?

“What we write with difficulty is written with more care, engraves itself more deeply…”

-Joseph Joubert

Well, all right, granted, there’s that. The guys I just mentioned aren’t exactly literary stylists, straining to compose brilliant sentences, so lyrical they practically serenade you from the page. They’re hacks and their readers have minimum expectations when it comes to their work.

But what about authors like Anthony Burgess, Joyce Carol Oates and William T. Vollmann? They produce(d) a flood of pages every year and, for the most part, have secured their literary reputations and earned the highest awards in the land. Hugo, Balzac, Stendhal, Dumas pere et fils—huge canons, literary immortals.

Fuckers.

It baffles me. Are they that much smarter, more efficient, better focussed than I am? While I struggle and grope for words, does the prose flow from their hands, whole chapters emerging fully formed, committed to the page with hardly a correction? Didn’t I read somewhere that Kevin Anderson dictates most of his books into a tape recorder and has them transcribed later?

My mind reels at the thought. If I did the same thing, the best I would likely manage would be a few constipated groans and a string of scatological profanities. And that’s on a good day…

I know it’s ridiculous to draw parallels between my career and that of other authors—everyone is unique, each of us a prisoner of psychology, circumstance and other factors harder to label and categorize. But the whole physical aspect fascinates me—I completed a good draft of my novella in about 3 1/2 months. I worked on that novel from the first week of September until Christmas, taking only 2 days off for Thanksgiving. 160 pages. Some of these fantasy fucks can excrete the equivalent over a long weekend. Knock out a novelization in a month or six weeks to help pay the rent….

(Long, drawn out sigh.)

I said I wouldn’t do this, didn’t I? Promised I was going to concentrate on the positive and not get bogged down in self-loathing.

But you knew me better than that…

I know…I’ll close off my last posting of 2007 by listing the things I’m grateful for, the people who remind me life is worth living and some of the stuff that redeems my boring and uneventful existence:

God. Yup, I’m serious. I am inspired and sustained and strengthened by the knowledge that my life, my work is serving the aims of a conscious, enigmatic Creator, an entity encompassing every square nanometer of our universe and a similar proportion of the other 10 dimensions currently thought to exist. So there.

Family. Couldn’t do it without you. Sher, boys, thanks for everything.

Friends. The people who care for me despite my long silences and busy schedule, who stick around despite my inattentiveness, who persist in believing in me against all evidence to the contrary.

Writing. Obvious, huh? But writing isn’t only about putting words on paper; it’s also prayer. It’s when I feel closest to my Creator—often, when my talent and resolve falter, something takes control and gets me back on track again. How many times have a looked up from a paragraph in wonder, not remembering having composed it? Those are the moments I live and pine for…

Books. I’ve repeatedly insisted the printed word saved my life and I mean it. God bless you Arthur Conan Doyle and Philip K. Dick and L. Frank Baum and William S. Burroughs and Cormac McCarthy and Homer and Franklyn W. Dixon…

Music. Soothes this savage beast like nothing else. Electronica, soundtracks, alternative, metal…and Glen Campbell singing “Wichita Lineman”.

Movies. Not as many as the old days, just not enough time. But doing my best to see some of the classics I’ve missed, discovering for myself the genius and vision of artists like F.W. Murnau, Tati, Georges Henri Clouzot and Val Lewton…

Sports. Every Saturday night (from September to June) finds me in front of the TV set, watching the nationally broadcast hockey game (a rite going back about, oh, 40 years or so). Whenever I can, I try to squeeze a few quarters of a CFL football game in between marathon revision sessions. I’m a frustrated athlete, if I died and could be reborn as anyone, it would be Joe Montana, two minutes left in the game, the ’Niners on our own ten yard line…

Radio. Old tyme radio dramas, CBC documentaries and features, BBC World Service…the possibilities nearly endless since we started piping in high speed internet. Radio Moscow anyone? NPR…

Art. Blame Sherron for this one too—every so often words fail me and only a visual image will suffice. Collage, acrylic paint, short films…over the past few years I’ve dabbled in just about everything. Sher’s a great teacher in that she does the best she can despite her student’s ineptitude.

Canada. I really do live in the best country in the world. I bag about the stupid cultural bureaucrats and the mediocrity I see all around me…but, cripes, I’m free to speak my mind, there’s nobody strapping a bomb to his ass and hopping on a bus behind me, nobody telling me what to think or say…my home and native land. I despair for it sometimes but I wouldn’t trade citizenship with anyone, anywhere.

You. Didn’t think I’d leave that out, did you? If you’re a repeat visitor or if this is the first time you’ve popped by—don’t matter, I’m grateful to you for seeking me out. The amount of “hits” this year surprised me and convinced me that there’s a potential audience out there, smart folk with an appreciation for good writing, good company and who appreciate (or, at least, tolerate) a certain amount of hyperbole and/or satire. Hang around because there’s more good stuff coming in 2008. A change in format, lots of new material including—

Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself again. But I’m really excited about what the next year will bring. I have a strong hunch 2008 is gonna be a good one.

And I sincerely hope it’s the same for you.

Album: 任意門 / ren yi men / My Other Self (lit: Free Gate)

Artist: 楊丞琳 / yang cheng lin / Rainie Yang

Release Date: September 7, 2007

Review By: illuminance

Editor’s Note: Our contributor for the August entry hasn’t showed up yet, so we’ll continue with that one soon. Thanks for the patience.

I have not been particularly familiar before this album with Rainie Yang, so please bear with me. In fact, when I first looked at the album art, I thought it was a picture of a big strawberry. (You do have to admit - that outfit looks funny…)

Rainie Yang, is, after all, just another Taiwanese pop artist, but I think I like her music better than some other pop princesses. As with the others, I’m not sure how much lasting value an album has by them, but 狼來了 and 任意門 are quite nice, while 缺氧 is a melancholy song from her TV series. Check it out!

Buy Album | Songs from the album ↓

狼來了 / lang lai le / The Wolf is Coming

Song Link | Lyrics ↓

夠了　我不想一而再　對感情一頭熱
我以為　我能夠用忍耐　換來忠心不二

愛對你　是一種挑戰　對蒐集戰利品　已狂熱到病態
我想　你擅長的博愛　該上網拍賣

＊早已見怪不怪　你說狼來了　狼來了　說你還是　愛我的
花心死性難改　我說　狼來了　狼來了
誰是下一個受害者（該有人幫你上一課）

夠了　我不想一而再　對你那麼隨和 BYE BYE
你的測謊失敗　你已經被 FIRE
別再用　對不起　搪塞
別被我拋棄了　才懺悔裝可愛
我想你一定會很快　找到新的女孩

Repeat ＊,＊

我不想每天檢查你的衣領
我不想每天過濾你的簡訊
解決問題只要不愛你就行

Repeat ＊,＊,＊,＊

Song Link | Lyrics ↓

作詞：陳鎮川　作曲：楊陽　編曲：奧斯卡

＊好悶　結冰的蘋果　用力啃不動
怎麼　才剛覺得熱　突然又颱風
好的佔為己有　壞的一再重播
哪一扇門可以讓我躲一躲

＃溜走（誰把任意門借給我）
逃走（誰把任意門借給我）
不要上鎖（誰把任意門借給我）
拜託（誰把任意門借給我）

突然沒藉口　什麼都不想做
身邊想見的人想講的話　都沒有
口紅覺得太油　瀏海變得太重
我看我　不太我　去去去　做惡夢

怎麼了　煩的常常頭痛
我做夢做夢　可以脫離這宇宙　（做夢）
關上門　沒有人找得到我
逃到非洲　逃到月球　躲一躲

Repeat ＊,＃

人長大後　什麼都要戳破
明明不太好受　偏偏還想長壽
戀愛　行屍走肉　害怕分手　牽著手
工作　越來越多　越來越重　才成功

明明冬天的水果　夏天居然有
自然不自然　顧不了太多
天空破一個洞　身上不斷穿孔
花　越開越紅越活越久　新品種

@ 誰把任意門借給我　誰把任意門借給我
誰把任意門借給我　誰把任意門借給我

結冰的蘋果　用力啃不動
才剛覺得熱　突然又颱風
好的佔為己有　壞的一再重播
哪一扇門可以讓我躲一躲

Repeat ＃,＃,＠

(偶像劇《換換愛》片尾曲)
作詞：蔣篤全(Wonderful)　作曲：左安安　編曲：洪敬堯

春天慢慢一點點發芽　快樂開始都有了想像
城市光合作用的模樣　幸福開始組裝

＊夜裡滿園的茉莉花香　月光灑落看不見憂傷
旋轉木馬前那個廣場　愛情開始滋長

＃想你有時會缺氧　嘴角不自覺上揚
這是不是幸福的現象　胸口微微的發燙

想你有時會缺氧　臉紅呼吸不正常
這是不是幸福的症狀　不知不覺又缺氧

Repeat ＊

想你有時會缺氧　臉紅呼吸不正常
這是不是幸福的症狀　不知不覺又缺氧

無法移動的夢想　就算沒有人鼓掌
我也不會受傷　　不會稀釋的信仰
心穿越磚牆　　在你的身旁

Repeat ＃

想你有時會缺氧　臉紅呼吸不正常
這是不是幸福的症狀　胸口微微的發燙

不知不覺又缺氧

作詞：陳鎮川　作曲：Celetia Martin/Allan Simpson/Colin Emmanuel
編曲：洪信傑/謝明祥

最後一局拼鬥到底弄髒了新衣　下定決心所有懷疑通通查到底
如果清白半夜三更不怕鬼找你　怎麼臉紅氣喘如牛說不出個道理

說謊被我揭穿　事不過三　大過被記到滿　留校察看
藉口堆積如山　如假包換　大錯不犯小錯不斷再不開除遲早麻煩

＃勝利　因為你眼神飄移　勝利　因為你文不對題
勝利　因為你後繼無力　帽子戲法全力迎擊逼到你窒息

＊勝利　看我充滿火力　勝利　看我不驚動你
勝利　看我全力通緝　我眨眨眼睛情勢大逆轉判你出局

所有觀眾通通起立為我鼓勵　不會因為甜言蜜語錯亂了神經
隨愛而來的破壞力可不容小覷　你的輕敵我的勝利得來可不算僥倖

腦袋不夠靈光　還要撒謊　看到哪個漂亮　就想翻牆
罪證堆積如山　一次算賬　你的破綻接二連三再不揭穿可不誇張

Repeat ＃,＊

你怪我的把戲多　卻又喜歡我無厘頭
意想天開想矇過　古靈精怪的你被記過
這次真的　留校查看　寫出心得
這次真的　因小失大　輸給你了

傻子可不傻　瞎子可不瞎　啞巴可不啞　是你太傻
傻子可不傻　瞎子可不瞎　啞巴可不啞　是你太傻

Repeat ＃,＊ ,＊

作詞：李宗恩　作曲：Peiken/Shelly/Samantha Jade Gibbs/Guy Roche
編曲：蔡科俊

剛看完電影　又約我看夜景　動機很鮮明
要注意　你別破壞　你我的完美比例

風景美麗　我卻心跳不停　就怕　被你看清
假裝鎮定　偷偷地深呼吸

笑容堅定　小酒窩很搶戲　你吸引力無敵
濃濃的愛情毒氣　直接挑釁我快頭暈

趕快清醒吧　趕快清醒　別讓我越過愛情禁區

＃甜蜜的愛情　是高卡路里　像個巧克力　又不敢太靠近
忽遠又忽近　維持模糊關係　而現在的距離　是完美的比例

你對著我笑　我臉紅到不行　怕被看清　我裝鎮定　偷偷在做深呼吸
笑容堅定　為我披上大衣　魅力無敵　正面吸引我快要頭暈

趕快清醒吧　趕快清醒　別讓我　還心神不寧

＊你一言一語　我牢記在心　滿腦都是你　卻裝作不在意
你捉摸不清　友情還是愛情　這模糊的距離　是完美的比例

世界上最遠的距離　在你面前卻不懂我的心
世界上最美的距離　從我掌心到你掌心

Repeat ＃,＊

1. This one came from Creative Spark, an Oz in Singapore.

2. Forget where I found this:

3. This one came from The Poet:

4. So did this:

5. And this one from April 2007 of Sirdan and I with Lord Malcolm is sad, as he only had a few weeks to live; but check his smile…

Incoming President’s predictions for next year, and my interpretation.

Tony Joe, 2008 president of the Victoria Real Estate Board, says the Victoria area housing market should remain strong and stable in the coming year. “During the past couple of years we have seen a return to a more balanced market. Demand remains remarkably strong and prices continue to rise, but at a more moderate pace than we have seen in recent years. Barring unforeseen circumstances, all indications point to continued strength and stability in 2008.”

Joe added that the Board will enhance its efforts to “go green” in the coming year. “One of the Quality of Life principles adopted by our Board is ‘preserving the environment’ and we intend to further our efforts to promote green values as part of the real estate transaction,” he said. Joe noted that the Board has had some initial discussions with the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources about new ways to encourage home owners to heat their homes more efficiently. “We’ve volunteered to run a pilot project in Greater Victoria to inform buyers of the energy efficiency rating of various homes. We think growing public interest will prompt more and more sellers to do all they can to get their homes ‘energy-ready’ before they list for sale,” said Joe.

Joe noted that the Board has also volunteered with the Ministry of the Environment to run a pilot project in our Board area to notify buyers of a home’s ‘water-conservation measures’. “We think REALTORS® can play a key role by helping to rate a home based on its use of such items as low-flush toilets, low-flow shower heads, front-end loading washing machines and the use of grey water and rain water,” he added.

The 2008 Board of Directors is as follows: Tony Joe – President; Chris Markham - President Elect; Bev McIvor - Past President; Carol Crabb - Secretary-Treasurer. Other Directors are: Jane Logan, Randi Masters, John McVie, John Smith and Lorraine Stundon.

The 2008 Directors take office effective January 1.

This prediction echoes my personal comment about next year. I believe the continuing strength of the Canadian economy, and in particular, the continued strength and diversification of the Capital Region’s economy will keep prices steadily increasing, but at a slower rate.

The continuing economic woes in the United States and threat of a recession will force the Bank of Canada to maintain the low interest rates or reduce them further to avoid crippling the Canadian economy, which is surely to be affected by the situation in the United States.

Why is the Canadian economy booming, while the United states is suffering? I’ve written about this before, but it’s worth mentioning again. I read this post on a local real estate bear blog which, while clever, is wholly inaccurate. What the bubble-blowers here in Victoria fail to note is that the reasons for our continued economic success here in Canada are not the usual Canadian success stories of manufacturing in Ontario and Quebec brought on by a favourable exchange rate. The rise of the dollar over the last 24 months and the expansion of our economy is driven by global demand for what Canada has to offer: minerals, resources, oil and gas, wheat, technology. This time around is different. Prices here in Victoria are not inflated beyond their sustainability. These $100,000 price drops are not going to happen. Not in 2008, anyway.

The bears will gripe: “the statistics are skewed!” “too much marketing spin!” They will argue that as REALTORS®, we have a vested interest in making the statistics look favourable so we make more money. Of course, with any industry-produced statistics, there can be some professional bias. What they can’t ignore (but often try to) is that as REALTORS®, no one else works as closely with the buying and selling of real property in the area. No one else is as experienced as we are with what the numbers mean. And, no one else depends on an accurate and objective interpretation of the real estate statistics as a REALTOR®.

So, yes, we certainly do have a vested interest in accurate real estate statistics. Our livelihood depends on it.

I hope everyone enjoyed the surprisingly strong real estate market in 2007. Last December, the bubble blowers said 2007 would be the year. I’m not surprised they’re calling for it again this year.

Happy New Year, professionals!

-Tim Ayres

Album: 北緯六十六度  (北緯66度) / běi wěi liù shí liù dù / Latitude 66°

Artist: 許茹芸 / xǔ rú yún / Valen Hsu

Released: December 21, 2007

Post By: illuminance

Brr, it’s cold, just look at the album artwork! Apart from the freezing cold, Latitude 66° is 許茹芸 Valen Hsu’s first full-length album in five years, since the last one 芸開了 in 2002. (Not counting an EP in 2007).

I think perhaps the best aspect of Valen’s Latitude 66°is her voice. In fact this album does remind me of Tanya Chua’s Goodbye & Hello. The album focuses on her voice, and again, it is an album with simple background music and not a whole host of bells and whistles.

I enjoyed this album - especially 手寫愛 (Handwritten Love), which has lyrics by Vincent Fang. You can’t go wrong with that!

Buy Album | Songs from the album ↓

看完煙火再回去 /kan wan yan huo cai hui qu / Let’s Go Back After the Fireworks

Song Link | Lyrics ↓

作詞：許茹芸　作曲：許茹芸　編曲：黃中岳

星星滿天空　漫步秘密小路中　想起和你的時候
冷冷的寒冬　你緊緊的抱住我　一起倒數跨年的夜空你說看完煙火再回去　看完煙火再回去
短短時間裡　我的幸福滿滿的　心裡的愛暖暖的星星滿天空　漫步秘密小路中　想起和你的時候
冷冷的寒冬　你緊緊的抱住我　一起倒數跨年的夜空今年的煙火　依舊閃爍著夜空　想起和你那時候
輕輕吻著我　像一世紀的溫柔　很想時間停在這時候你說看完煙火再分離　看完煙火再分離
短短時間裡　我的眼淚滿滿的　心裡的愛苦苦的

星星滿天空　漫步秘密小路中　想起和你的時候
冷冷的寒冬　你緊緊的抱住我　一起倒數跨年的夜空

今年的煙火　依舊閃爍著夜空　想起和你那時候
輕輕吻著我　像一世紀的溫柔　很想時間停在這時候

今晚的夜空　星光依舊很閃爍　想起和你當時的感動

男人女人 / nan ren nu ren / Men and Women

Song Link | Lyrics ↓

作詞：吳克群　作曲：吳克群　編曲：鴉片丹　男聲：阿穆隆

許：愛愛愛愛了幾回　也明白其中滋味
付出的從來不會等於收回
我卻還在等待著　誰能出現

穆：傷傷傷傷了幾回　也曾經為愛憔悴
愛情裡好人總比壞人狼狽
我卻還是學不會　狠心對誰

許：男人男人　多希望你是好人
多希望用你的真　讓我不必再心疼

穆：女人女人　我答應做個好人
我答應用我一生　來換你的快樂一生

許：愛愛愛愛了幾回　也明白其中滋味
付出的從來不會等於收回
我卻還在等待著　誰能出現

穆：傷傷傷傷了幾回　也曾經為愛憔悴
愛情裏好人總比壞人狼狽

合：我卻還是學不會　狠心對誰

許：男人男人　多希望你是好人
多希望用你的真　讓我不必再心疼

穆：女人女人　我答應做個好人
我答應用我一生　來換你的快樂一生

合：不會再讓我(你)心疼　一等再等
你就是我等的那個人

穆：男人男人

許：女人女人

合：多麽希望你是對的人

手寫愛 / shou xie ai / Handwritten Love

Song Link | Lyrics ↓

作詞：方文山　作曲：周杰倫　編曲：陳忠義

木格子窗沿邊的雨水蔓延過洗石子的台階
我說眼前發生的　這些　有一種很懷念的感覺

大雨後牆角的羊齒蕨　遮蔽了一雙老舊的鞋
這畫面　像誰在離別
讓人想要去了解

站在大街　手握咖啡　吐氣暖手的平安夜
你就是我的世界 OH~ OH~

那手寫卡片的感覺　字跡裡愛過的一切
你手寫著愛誰　我嘴角甜甜的浮現好多的細節

在紙上紛飛的安慰　你一筆一劃慢慢給
用手寫說愛誰　我細數每段回憶該有的香味

那手寫卡片的感覺　無法重來的聖誕節
你手寫你愛誰　你說你喜歡我閉上眼睛嘟著嘴

白紙上有你的世界　我看到好多的體貼
你手寫愛過誰　愛如此細微連日期都那麼美

我絕對不說我愛你 / wo jue dui bu shuo wo ai ni / I’ll Never Say I Love You

Song Link | Lyrics ↓

作詞：許常德　作曲：陳小霞　編曲：小安

我　絕對不說我愛你
話說太過沒意義
感情已滿溢怎會沒有痕跡
我不願是你眼中的一顆沙粒

我怎麼去說我愛你
說是愚蠢的勇氣
聽見你可能的一句對不起
我不知我能拿什麼瀟灑抗拒

每一次見面吸不到空氣
我懷疑你有令人窒息的武器
一委屈一任性又一妒嫉
只能恨你怪你愛你混淆自己

我　絕對不說我愛你
這是我們僅剩的默契
我相信那是人和人最善良的距離
愛不了你又何苦爲難你

我　絕對不說我愛你
我連眼淚都埋在眼底
我訝異我可以也願意保住謎底
讓你感覺我是如此神秘

我對誰都是孩子氣
唯獨對你最理智
生命有好多的道理沒道理
看不見的未來我竟然不在意

北緯六十六度  (北緯66度) / bei wei liu shi liu du / Latitude 66°

Song Link | Lyrics ↓

詞:許常德 曲:黃國俊 製作人:黃國俊、許茹芸

北緯六十六度我的眼淚全數凝固 走出你的國度 好孤獨
永不落日的苦 原來愛情失眠後更霧 看不清楚來時的路

北緯六十六度風雪捲去我的腳步 怎麼卸下包袱 好無助
永不落夜的幕 一旦復出我全力以赴 愛的光芒來自 心深處

你離開我不能算是辜負 好心分手該是一種幸福
只是傷心到極度會在乎 為什麼快樂有時會痛哭

北緯六十六度寒冷只是一種溫度 想起你的呵護 好模糊
我還是一人住 我想起你還是會哭 想起我們當初 的幸福

我離開你不能算是報復 遠方想念會有一種甜度
如果能得到你一聲祝福 我會向世界大聲說不苦

每走一步 都是一次投入 雪地裡的進步沒有勇氣不能賭

你離開我不能算是辜負 好心分手該是一種幸福
只是傷心到極度會在乎 為什麼快樂有時會痛哭

我離開你不能算是報復 遠方想念會有一種甜度
如果能得到你一聲祝福 我會向世界大聲說不苦

Album: 幸福氧氣 / xing fu yang qi / Oxygenie of Happiness

Artist: 卓文萱 / zhuo wen xuan / Genie Zhuo

Release Date: October 26, 2007

Review By: ashih

Although 卓文宣 (Genie Zhuo) has been involved in the Chinese entertainment industry for quite some time, she has not yet ascended to the level of popularity that artists such as 蔡依林 (Jolin Tsai) or 張惠妹 (Zhang Hui Mei) have. If she is going to rise to this level however, her time is undoubtedly now. 卓文宣 (Genie Zhuo) has been receiving a lot of publicity lately as she played a role in the popular Taiwanese drama公主小妹.(Gong Zhu Xiao Mei) or “Romantic Princess,” with members of the super popular band 飛輪海 (Fahrenheit). Most importantly, in the musical arena, her last album, 習慣 (Xi Guan) or Habit, sported several hits. I highly recommend her duet with 曹格 (Gary Cao), 梁山伯與茱麗葉 (Liang Shan Bo Yu Zhu Li Ye, Romeo and Juliet). Her recent duet with 小鬼, 愛的主旋律, was also very popular on the internet. Given her recent accomplishments and considering the fact that there seems to be a shortage of new female singers lately, this is definitely Genie’s time to shine.
Did her latest album, 幸福氧氣 (Xing Fu Yang Qi) or “Oxygenie of Happiness,” deliver? Well, yes, and no. The album definitely deserves a listen, providing that you are the type of person who likes a, for lack of better words, somewhat poppy and cute sound. But there isn’t that much diversity throughout the album, and there are no duets, (which is a shame because she excels at duets). The first track, 幸福氧氣 makes good use of Genie’s cute voice and succeeds at creating a happy mood. This is the best song off of the album in my opinion. Unfortunately, track 10, 甜甜圈 (sweet circle) sounds very very similar to幸福氧氣. I’m not quite sure what mood Genie was aiming for when she sang track five, 瘋了瘋了. To be honest, it sounds like a generic holiday song with boring lyrics. The sixth track, 自從遇見你, or “since the time that I met you” is quite repetitive and I feel that Genie tries too hard to put a lot of feeling into the song.
All of this criticism aside however, Genie is a talented singer with a voice that reminds me of 楊丞琳 (Rainie Yang) before she started shedding the “cute” image. Speaking of 楊丞琳, did I mention that Genie is very pretty and cute? Her voice and her appearance are like a mix of “Cute Queen” 楊丞琳 (Rainie Yang) and Korean superstar beauty BoA.
So will this album rocket Genie to fame? Probably not. Although there are some good songs here, the (lack of) diversity in the album combined with the sometimes weak vocals and lyrics don’t exactly make this one a sure fire hit.

Buy Album | Songs from the album ↓

幸福氧氣 / xing fu yang qi / Oxygenie of Happiness

Song Link | Lyrics ↓

作詞：卓文萱　作曲：鄭楠　編曲：涂惠源

你說Do Re Mi　我ABC　你打著節奏　我哼著歌曲
很有默契　連毛孔都會著迷　Oh～ Oh～

看你的表情　我很得意　靠在你耳邊　偷偷深呼吸
說預備起　我們的宇宙降臨

骨子裡　那熱情　流動著　那旋律　轉個圈我們一起

＊我愛你　就是你　給我幸福的氧氣
快樂不會過期　每天製造　活力的抗體
Come To Me　就是你　招牌動作眨眼睛
每天寫下日記　反覆練習　只屬於我和你

＃倒數３２１　吸足那氧氣　為我做一個　專屬的表情
搖擺著身體　揮灑那汗滴　Oh～ Oh～

燦爛的天氣　包圍這裡　嚴肅的陽光　也沉不住氣
跟著旋律　往世界的頂端去　Oh～ Oh～

彩虹的階梯　為我升起　天使的翅膀　揮灑著甜蜜
充滿驚喜　隨時有戀愛衝擊

口袋裡　的秘密　轉個圈　都安靜　拋到遙遠太空去

Repeat ＊,＃,＊,＃

Da Da La Da La Da Da La　Da Da La Da La Da Da La 　Da Da La Da La Da Da La Da
Da Da La Da La Da Da La　Da Da La Da La Da Da La 　Da Da La Da La Da Da La Da

不能夠不灑脫 陪著你總是想得太多
把甜的苦得都想過 彷彿一瓶鹽給搖得顛簸 卻很寂寞

只好當作幽默 想不到差別那麼多
把我和你的親近顯得特別錯 彷彿就連鹽也會對胡椒說：

*重覆

我的溫柔帶著白色 你的剛強有點黑色
以為我們就是天作之合 能美麗的配合
能為你改變也值得

終於明白了 雖然我相信跟你註定愛上了
會好像鹽跟胡椒分也分不了 卻原來尋找不同味道的快樂
我終於明白了 也許我可以為你改變多一些
總發現有些東西改也改不了
趁最後晚餐 讓我說再見了

瘋了瘋了睡不著　你的笑有多美妙　我的世界請你緊緊抓牢
你的愛到底多少　我也不知道　你應該明瞭　你應該知道 (你一定都知道)

一二三四五六七　追我的人很多滴　我的世界因為你而全面封閉
多說一句我愛你　又不會要你的命　想要生氣卻又不敢隨便生氣

＊自從遇見你　才發現愛了不起　在心中寫下的詩句
真理那麼美麗　淹沒了我的眼睛
自從遇見你　愛也會負擔不起　想辦法找位置呼吸
因為是你　我喜歡喘不過氣

Repeat ＃,＊

遇見了　相愛了　我們在一起寫日記
幸福的　心痛的　我們不小心就忘記

＊畫一個圈圈　把你包在裡面　愛的圈圈　套在手指上面
仙女棒一揮　從今煩惱都不見
畫一個圈圈　我要讓幸福當選　愛的圈圈
你是我的寶貝對不對　正確答案是Ｏ(圈)

伸出雙手　圍成一圈　從此寂寞　不准超線
美好時光沒有陰晴圓缺　是個同心圓

你幸福得　胖了一圈　我也笑成　圓圓的臉
肩併著肩　世界燦爛耀眼

讓好運加倍　把過去作廢　歸零後　一起向前　我們用力畫出
千真萬確快樂的範圍

到永遠　到1後面的圈圈　數不完的那一天

Album: Goodbye & Hello

Artist: 蔡健雅 / cai jian ya / Tanya Chua

Release Date: October 19, 2007

Review By: illuminance

蔡健雅, or Tanya Chua, is one of Singapore’s more renowned female singers, with her artist history going back to 1999. Lately, however, her direction has been going towards a less rock and more mainstream. With her newest album, Goodbye & Hello, she definitely has shown that.

When I first listened to her, I didn’t think that she was so good, or at least, I didn’t really like her style. But the more I listened, the more I appreciated her. One thing I noticed, particularly, is how simple her music is. That’s a good thing - often behind her music is simply just a guitar strum, with nothing more.

That said, I found her album really quite melancholy. Some say it was because she had broke up with a long-time boyfriend. As to the veracity of those claims, I know not. Perhaps the only song that wasn’t like this was 越來越不懂. A bit more variety in style would have been more interesting.

Buy Album | Songs from the album ↓

達爾文 / da er wen / Darwin

Song Link | Lyrics ↓

作詞：小寒　作曲：蔡健雅　編曲：黃中岳

我的青春　也不是沒傷痕　是明白愛是信仰的延伸
什麼特徵　人緣還是眼神　也不會預知愛不愛的可能

保持單身　忍不住又沉淪　兜著圈子來去又是苦等
人的一生　感情是旋轉門　轉到了最後真心的就不分

＊有過競爭　有過犧牲　被愛篩選過程
學會認真　學會忠誠　適者才能生存
懂得永恆　得要我們　進化成更好的人

我的青春　有時還蠻單純　相信幸福取決於愛的深
讀進化論　我贊成達爾文　沒實力的就有淘汰的可能

我的替身　已換過多少輪　記憶在舊情人心中變冷
我的一生　有幾道旋轉門　轉到了最後只剩你我沒分

Repeat ＊,＊

懂得永恆　得要我們　進化成更好的人　進化成更好的人

我可以裝作已釋懷　他對我也算關懷　他看不出來
我知道這樣不應該　在他身上找依賴　算不算是種出賣　因為你一直在

Repeat ＊

我想起你親吻我的時候　想起你眼神中的沉默
想起了我們平靜地分手　我閉上眼
想起當時你每一個承諾　把你整個心都交給我
然而到後來我什麼都沒有　越是沒有你　越是心痛

Repeat ＊

Repeat ＊

以為遇上了就會明白　但每次它只留下驚鴻一瞥的感慨　我越來越不懂愛

什為都不懂　什為都不懂

Repeat all once,＊,＃

那不過是現代的人愛情

Album: 改變自己 / gai bian zi ji / Change Me

Artist: 王力宏 / wang li hong / Leehom Wang

Release Date: July 13, 2007

Review By: ashih

Exactly two years ago, most of the world was waiting for Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Times Square, fireworks out of Taipei 101, etc. As for myself and the rest of the die-hard Chinese music scene, we were anticipating the release of Leehom Wang’s newest album, “蓋世英雄.” When listeners finally got their paws on the album, the response was overwhelmingly positive; songs like 花田錯 continued the unique “Chinked out” style that Leehom is famous for, “大城小愛” proved to be one of the most popular ballads of the year, and the often overlooked 完美的互動 featured collaboration with super popular Korean artist Rain. But after Heroes of the Earth (蓋世英雄), Leehom started an extremely successful concert tour and began filming for Ang Lee’s 色戒(Lust, Caution), failing to release any new musical masterpieces in 2006.
Thus, when Leehom announced the release of a new album in 2007, fans started to wonder if their idol had lost the creativity that had defined his musical career for the past three years, the creativity that had made him one of the three “Pop princes” of China and Taiwan. Speculation continued to abound when the album title, 改變自己, “Change Myself” was revealed. When the song 落葉歸根 was played on hito radio in Taiwan, responses were mixed, just like the responses to the entire album when it came out. 改變自己 marked a departure from the “chinked out” style of music. Instead, Leehom experimented with a more poppy style in 我們的歌 and adopted a more “Western” feel in (the actual song) 改變自己. He collaborated with Selina of SHE and tried some 台語 in 你是我心內一首歌. And he went a little “wild” with Cockney Girl, and a little “crazy” with 華人萬歲. (Just listen to them and you will know what I mean).
In this reviewer’s humble opinion, 改變自己 is a solid album that I still listen to on a regular basis. There is really something for everybody here; the energetic can get more energetic with 改變自己, people looking for some quiet tunes have 星期六的深夜, nationalistic people have 華人萬歲, and what I personally believe is the best song off the album, 不完整的旋律 will definitely become a KTV karaoke favorite in the future.
So what can we say about Leehom’s future popularity and musical creativity based on 改變自己? One thing is for sure, the album was strong enough and the response was enthusiastic enough for Leehom to maintain his status as on the most popular singers in Taiwan and in Asia. At the same time however, I can’t help but worry that because he took this album in so many directions it will be hard for him to find one unique, identifying style that will make him more of a legend than he already is. But in all honesty, I am not going to doubt him. Come on, he is Leehom Wang after all!

Buy Album | Songs from the album ↓

改變自己 / gai bian zi ji / Change Me

Song Link | Lyrics ↓

作詞：王力宏　作曲：王力宏　編曲：王力宏

今早起床了　看鏡子裡的我
忽然發現我髮型睡的有點KUSO
一點點改變　有很大的差別
你我的力量也能改變世界

最近比較煩　最近情緒很Down
每天看新聞都會很想大聲尖叫
但髒話沒用　大家只會嫌兇
我改變自己發現大有不同

＃新一代的朋友我們　好好的加油
大家一起大聲的說　Na Na Na Na Na

＊我可以改變世界　改變自己
改變龜毛　改變小氣
要一直　努力努力　永不放棄
才可以　改變世界　C’mon 改變自己

今早起床了　覺得頭有點痛
可能是二氧化碳太多　氧氣不夠
一點點改變　有很大的差別
你我的熱情也能改變世界

只能代表自己　沒有政治立場
即使這世界讓我看得十分緊張
要調整自己　Mm~
沒想到一點就能　畫龍點睛

Repeat　＃,＊　＊