This LJ is semi-friends only.

I DO NOT add back people who do not comment and ask me to friend them back.
Even if you do, I cannot guarantee I will add you back - it depends if I feel we might have something in common.
Especially DO NOT ADD ME IF YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO COMMENT. This is the thing that makes me the saddest

This journal contains:
-rants and unremarkable accounts of everyday life
-food talk, food pictures, food in general
-ridiculous fangirling for underage boys
-ridiculous fangirling for a 60+ year old man
-endless devotion for a godlike man
-major spammage of music and songs and lyrics translations
-an obsession about correct spelling
-intense dislike for a number of common favourite things
-and a good 40% of filtered posts in Italian.

Just don't say I didn't warn you.

After listening to the songs tenths of times, reading interviews and getting hold of the official lyrics, I've decided to translate Bump of Chicken's new songs.

I am a little proud of these translations, they weren't easy, therefore PLEASE do not copy and paste them anywhere, feel free to link to this post though.

In order for you to understand the song a little better or to get your own idea about it, I also translated bits and pieces from the Natalie PowerPush interview and an Oricon interview. Fujiwara biased, of course, as we're talking about lyrics.


R.I.P

Translating R.I.P in particular wasn't easy at all. It took me some time to find the right key to understand what it was all about, and I didn't want to translate it before finding it. For me it's about childhood memories, but rather than nostalgia, what permeates this song is the little melancholy of not being able to share them with who hasn't lived them, however precious a person they might be. But that's just my own point of view.

( interview - lyrics translation )

------

Merry Christmas

This one was much simpler, and easier to understand, but by no means less interesting or meaningful. Only Fujikun could have written such an unusual Christmas song!

( interview - lyrics translation )

Finally yesterday I finished my mini renovation works, and it was a sunny morning allowing me to take pictures of my room :D

It's been more than a month since we've moved in and we've settled nicely. I really love it here, I don't ever want to move out anymore ;_; And the neighbourhood is so lovely as well...

So, here's my room if you want to take a look :D

( a LOT of photos )

There's only one word I can find for this song, and it's beautiful.
Beautiful melody, beautiful mood, beautiful lyrics, beautiful voice...

I think the studio version, dating back to 1978 or 79, is still the most beautiful of them all. When Momoe sings it, it sends shivers down my spine. Therefore, I embedded a no-video version of it because I think it's better to focus on music and lyrics (don't think only about the translation, the strenght of the word choice is also in the sound of those words).



Yamaguchi Momoe - "Ii hi tabidachi"
w/m: Tanimura Shinji
( lyrics translation )

I had a zillion things to write but I always postponed writing them, so now the "things to write" blackboard in my brain was full and I just erased it all. (Don't you think blackboards are beautiful things? I've always loved them) And still this post is so long. XD

( don't you love cooking china? it's so white and shiny )

Anyway. The point is that I'm making Belle-Helène mini pies tomorrow. Pate sablée, pears poached in vanilla syrup, and bitter chocolate melt together with butter (I'm getting fat just by thinking about it), for one of the awwww-est things in the world. Recipe courtesy of Monsieur Hermé, of course. *__*

And I also bought new cookbooks *__*
( wanna know which? )

I want to retranslate the whole Hamasaki Ayumi discography into Italian because I am intensely in love with her at the moment. I have rediscovered how her lyrics have such power and such beauty... I want to make a new lj account just for the purpose, then contact forums/fansites etc to ask for a link exchange. This time I won't romanize the lyrics or so but approach the translation in a "professional" way, much better than the experience-less translations I had done before. I really want to focus on the lyrics as if they were poems, that will be my way of honouring her talent and her beautiful words.
Her catalogue is a little shy of 170 tracks. From tonight ganbarimasu! ^o^/

Music Monday, one day late. XD

You might or might not know that I have a mild liking for all girls idol group AKB48. I can't really call myself a fan, I only know the most popular girls, don't own any album or such, but I like and respect them for their hard work, like their edgy cuteness, and I really enjoy some of their songs. They honestly have a handful of very good pop tunes. Their latest single, "River", is a little different from their usual girly poppish singles and more reminiscent of some of the tougher songs they do during their stage shows. On the other hand, the b-side is so sugary that even I can't stand it, and the girls chosen for that song all have chipmunk-like voices, wtf! And generally speaking about AKB48, I might have been spoiled by the high level of Johnny's dancing because I've seen fresh Jrs dance better than the vast majority of them ^^

Idk, people keep saying "but there's too many of them!!!" and it might be true (though I wouldn't say it aloud being a Johnny's Jr fan myself XD), but I don't find the need to know each and every member's name to enjoy their songs, and I find their lyrics usually much better than those of any other girl idol group.



( lyrics translation )

Missing T&T as a duo a lot lately. This is one of my favourite rockish songs of theirs, the b-side from their "Samurai" single. Also a great song to sing.

Tackey & Tsubasa - "HIMEGOTO" (Secret)
w/m: Takeshi
[download]

A slow wind blows on this dry world
It smells like your perfume mixed with smog
It reminds me of a fruit peeled in a spiral
How about embracing each other directly in this bitten illusion?

Our love rubbed with our fingertips is like melted gelato
Oh no no no, a held back sigh

Dive into this dirty secret
The future you wanted will sink in darkness if you raise a false voice
Therefore a secret is a vibe
Your sweetness is almost dangerous
Hold on, I'm only holding you tight

The remains scattered on the carpet pile up
And they smell like you
We haven't spoken since then
I got close to them in this mindless reverberation

Whisper to my ear again, my idol
Oh no no no, your eyes are moist with tears

Dive into this dazzling secret
The truth reflected in the mirror
Deceptions and mysteries won't arrive to your soul

Therefore my secret is live
Please see through it all
It will be too sad if you won't touch it
Hold on inside eternity

Loving an intonation that seems to caress notes
Oh no yes no, an enticing melody

Dive into this dirty secret
The future you wanted will sink in darkness if you raise a false voice
Therefore a secret is a vibe
Your sweetness is almost dangerous
Hold on, I'm only holding you tight
With this sweet perfume

You are a secret, you are a secret

The Bump of Chicken excitement didn't make me forget about the meme! But since I'm going to move out from tonight to Saturday (yes, again... this time it's definitive, though) and Sunday I'll be in Milan, I will update it at a slower pace.

Day one: a song
Day two: a picture
Day three: a book/ebook/fanfic
Day four: a site
Day five: a youtube clip
Day six: a quote
Day seven: whatever tickles your fancy

There are a few books that I really, really love. I read a lot but often reading is more of a pastime to me, I don't really remember most of the books I've read, however much I've liked them.
The ones I do remember are the ones I've really really loved, and read more than once (my most re-read book ever is The Catcher in The Rye, I must be over 20 times now, immediately followed by Murakami's Norwegian Wood and Fitzgerald's heartbreaking "The Great Gatsby").

But despite being few, they're still too many for me to choose ONE among my favourites, so instead of those I'm going to recommend a book that has really charmed me lately: Elias Canetti's "Die gerettete Zunge" (The Tongue Set Free - I read it in Italian translation of course, the only German words I know are Bill Kaulitz), the first part of the writer's authobiography, published in 1979.
Now, I hadn't even heard Canetti's name, even though he is a Nobel prize laureate, nor knew anything about him since the most recent German speaking author I'd read was Goethe (I really NEED to fill this gap soon!). But my father who likes his work "Crowd and Power" recommended his autobiography to me a couple of weeks ago, and I tried reading it.
I hadn't been captivated so much by a book for a lot of time; at least, more than one year ago when I finished "The Devotion of Suspect X" by Higashino Keigo, but it was really a wholly different appreciation - not lesser, just different. I'm not going to tell you the plot or anything you can find easily with a google search. It's just that... I don't know, I felt as if it was ME having the same experiences of young Canetti, and even though he was much better than me at nearly everything, I felt that we were really similar in thought, experiences, opinions and passions.
So it might probably be a very personal reason to like this book, but the writing's really beautiful, at least judging by the translation (and for once a novel was translated into a very good Italian, not some strange hybrid language as most contemporary novel translations ¬__¬)

I liked it so much that today I bought the second part of his autobiography, "Die Fackel im Ohr" (which means "The Torch in my Ear" but the Italian title means "The fruit/result of fire"... ò_O also not the same translators of "The tongue set free", here's hoping they're not bad translators). I can't wait to start it! At the moment I'm finishing re-reading "The Treasure Island" by Stevenson, ahah XD I was missing my pirates! XD

Ok I don't think anyone's going to find this entry interesting, but if you happen to find it and give this book a try, I'll be happy and I'm positive you won't regret it ♥.

Ahem *clears throat*
May I have your attention please?

BUMP OF CHICKEN ARE RELEASING A NEW SINGLE

Ok, now that you are aware of the most wonderful piece of news since the beginning of A.D. 2009 (you can find the details I've translated here) let's proceed with the spazzing!

Bump of Chicken don't release stuff at a quick pace. They are known for taking their time, which means two years can pass between two singles, four years between two albums.
They don't appear on music shows like Music Station or Utaban, they just show their PVs on one channel, Space Shower.
They don't act like stars and you will never see their names on gossip magazines.
They do lots of live tours but have never released a live dvd.
Nonetheless, they are one of the best selling acts in the most quickly changing music market of the world, Japan, and their fans' loyalty never sways.

Why, you ask?
Just listening to their songs will be the best answer. The reason why they spend so much time to release something is that they really love music, and they have yet to release something to disappoint the listeners (not the fans; the listeners). Their songs are beautiful - and you cannot separate them from the lyrics if you really want to appreciate Bump Of Chicken.
Fujiwara Motoo is just the best lyricist I've ever had the chance to encounter, and whenever I listen to a song of theirs, paying attention to their lyrics, one word surfaces to my heart and lips - "thank you". Fujikun made me believe again when I thought everything was lost. His words, his stories (because more often than not his songs tell stories) often aren't soothing, but they have the power to go straight into your heart and help realizing what needs to be done. I cried so many times over his songs! And each one of them is like a little treasure box to me. And still, despite being so loaded with feelings, you can't help wanting to listen to them again and again and again. The only two adjectives I can use to describe Fujikun and his lyrics are "pure" and "noble".

Just some youtube links for your listening / viewing pleasure:
Karma
K (the animated video tells the story sung in the song)
May day
Tentai kansoku (my first Bump song ♥)
Kudaranai uta
Snow smile
Planetarium
Sailing day
Dandelion (this is not an official video, but it's so cute! ;___;)


AAAAAAAAAAAAA NEW BUMP SONG I JUST CAN'T GET OVER THIS NEWS I JUST CAN'T IT WAS ABOUT TIME ç___________ç I honestly thought they had forgotten about their own existence by this time. I missed them so much, so so so much...
And lol @ Irish traditional clothes in the "Merry Christmas" PV XDDD although I cannot seem to remember what Irish traditional clothes look like. Only Scottish clothes come to my mind and although I can totally picture Chama wearing a tartan kilt, Fujikun, Nikke and Masu not so much XDDDD I am so awaiting & anticipating the new songs. Really, the news made me cry ç__ç

Continuing with the nostalgia streak in the seven days meme.

Day one: a song
Day two: a picture
Day three: a book/ebook/fanfic
Day four: a site
Day five: a youtube clip
Day six: a quote
Day seven: whatever tickles your fancy

These are my pictures (since it's a landscape, it had to be split into two parts)



West and south views of Osaka from the Umeda Sky Building.

Osaka is my town. ( Finally, a long but coherent 'essay' on why I love Osaka )

I'm not showing this song to you because it's a Tackey song, or the theme song of my favourite drama of the season.
I'm showing this to you because it's a beautiful song. Please try to listen to it reading my poor ;_; translation of its lyrics.



"Hikari Hitotsu" - Takizawa Hideaki
w: Kinosato, m: Mitome Kazumi

( lyrics translated under the cut )

Here's this week's musicmonday!
This time let me introduce to you the singer I'm listening to the most at the moment, Yamaguchi Momoe.
She was a very gifted young singer active from 1973 to 1980, when she retired to get married. I've known her for a long time but somehow she always seemed very cold and unpassionate to me. But then I've gotten to listen to her music better, and she's amazing! She has a very sexy low voice, so uncommon for female singers, and in the second half of her career she had a string of brilliant albums and songs I really enjoy (I'll post some of them on kayoukyoku in early October).

Here's one of my favourite songs at the moment, "Imitation Gold", from 1977. The video's from her final live. I don't like the dress but she's gorgeous, isn't she?



( lyrics translation )

Claudia wants the Beatles Remastered Boxset with a passion. *sighs* The back tracks! THE BACK TRACKS! Lost guitar layers shining like diamonds! Paul's basswork as clear as it always should have been! *sighs again*
I want to find 270 euro under my bus seat tomorrow morning. Please?

So finally, FINALLY, at long last we have found a new house!
We have been looking for one for AGES, and I was starting to get pretty desperate ;_; but eventually we found this pretty apartment inside a small mansion in Pigneto, a zone of Rome that's close to the centre, and lovely and also quite lively. Angela and my room's walls are light yellow and Marzia and Yumi's are pink! And a pretty little kitchen! When we've finished moving in and tidying it, expect a photo tour ♥
We're moving in on October 1st, but I'm going back to my parents' home this weekend, bring my (voluminous and quantitatively enormous) stuff there, stay there for two weeks and then move in in the first October Saturday - just before going to Miyavi con in Milan, but more about that in the future XD

In order to celebrate and also to follow the change of season, I changed layout! Very simple but relaxing to the eye. I changed the friends only entry and banner, too. There's Julie <3 I love that pic too much for my own good ^^;
Tell me if you like it. I hope you do ♥.


...Is it normal that when I listen to John singing I want to hug him? when I listen to Paul I want to be hugged instead, ahaha ← yeah that was me fangirling two members of The Beatles, including a deceased one I actually also fangirl the second deceased member. Oh, George!
...supercute y/y?

On Twitter, there is this ongoing meme every Monday called musicmonday; every week you choose one song and recommend it to other people.
I thought I'd expand this much loved (by me) tradition to my lj ^^

Let's start with a song I've been listening to a lot in the last few days. Glay are one of my favourite bands, and I especially love their ballads. This song, "100mankai no kiss" ("A million kisses") is no exception: so sweet, and yet powerful. Teru's voice is so earnest!



( translated lyrics )

I received the two Sawada Kenji CDs I ordered! *happy*
And while I wait for them to upload (I will post them on kayoukyoku and another place) and I try not to melt completely by listening to his awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww-inducing voice I'll just make a little last.fm meme I stole from mami_chan :D


Write the top 10 artists from your last.fm page
1. Candies
2. Sawada Kenji
3. Perfume
4. The Tigers
5. The Ark
6. Pink Lady
7. Hamasaki Ayumi
8. Glay
9. NEWS
10. Bump Of Chicken
I remind you that my last.fm account is very new XD

( Q&A after the cut! )

Maybe someone here knows, I'm going mad trying to find this word.

Yesterday my father was talking to me about a radio show he'd listened to some days ago, whose topic was "the nostalgia for an age you haven't lived in", and that made him think about me (I always think that for my taste and way of thinking I would've been better off if I was born in the early Fifties, even here in Italy).

Apparently there is a word for this phenomenon, but he couldn't remember it. He remembers the Italian word was a Greek derivative, but even if you know the English please let me know (or even any other European language, I could look the translation up). I am at the worst stage of my curiosity now D:

I haven't been posting food pics for a while so I have quite a lot ^^

First, my absolute favourite Summer dish: pomodori col riso (rice stuffed tomatoes)!
Made those the other day. It takes quite a long time to prepare them, some hours for marinating the rice first and then about one hour in the oven (in case you're wondering why a recipe that involves an oven is a Summer recipe, it's because the best tomatoes for this purpose are Summer produce) but it's SO worth it. ♥

( More! Maybe not 'food porn', but I dunno, probably 'food gravure'? )

As usual, if you'd like to know the recipes, drop a line & I'll be happy to write it down for YOUtachi.

"Japanese" style spaghetti with bacon and spinach, from this recipe


When my mother called while I was eating (she always has this kind of perfect timing) she asked me what I was having for dinner, and I lied. XD
She would never approve of me eating spaghetti in a non-Italian style. She'd say I was raping the pride of Italian cuisine, lol.
What can I say, this was very good. I made my own mentsuyu to season them, and I have quite a lot left, maybe I'll make cold soba :D

I feel like translating an old song~

It's a song called "Tachidomaru na furimuku na" (Don't stop, don't turn back) by Sawada Kenji. I have been listening to this song so much lately. Not because it has any relation to how I feel, simply because it's a beautiful, beautiful song that's very pleasant to sing, too. The whole melody flows perfectly - this kind of songs are my favourite songs to sing.
Both the lyrics and music are rather melancholy, but just so simple and beautiful (sorry for repeating myself but I am completely in love with this song).

立ちどまるなふりむくな (Don't stop, don't turn back)
作詞：阿久悠／作曲・編曲：大野克夫
lyrics: Aku Yu / music-arrangement: Ono Katsuo
released on 21st January 1976

listen to the song on youtube

( You can't pull in a torn off string )


And another song by The Tigers, the late '60s group Julie was the main singer of.
"Aoi tori" was one of the first Tigers songs I have really loved. It was written by Taro, their guitarist (and second prettiest ♥), and it is very sweet and a little sorrowful. For the Japanese, a blue bird is considered a messenger of happiness. I wonder if the twitter guys know XD

青い鳥 (Blue bird)
作詞・作曲：森本太郎　
lyrics and music: Morimoto Taro
released on 1st December 1968

listen to the song on youtube

( Blue bird, blue bird, why did you go? )


Actually, I love the album that includes "Aoi tori". It is a very remarkable work, both in musical and lyrical terms. I would like to translate all of it and write about all the devices and tricks you can find in those songs, but I'm not sure if I'm actually going to do it.


I wonder why the happier I am the more I want to listen to / sing sad songs. Probably it's because they don't change my mood when I am cheerful, and I manage to listen to them more carefully and enjoy them more; still, I can't help finding it strange, at least.

冷やし中華
My favourite Summer dish (together with rice-stuffed tomatoes), hiyashi chuka, or cold noodles :D
I made my own sauce and brought it separately (I also packed separately each kind of topping to keep them fresh). It was so good and refreshing ♥