孫燕姿2011新專輯「是時候」官方部落格

As I await the release of Number 11 with abated breath, I start to
wonder how much of the past will come and smack me in the face.
The promotion schedule's been lined up, some really exciting plans are
in the works, Wonderful Music have warned me of tough days ahead.
Tough. Days.
Ha.

Will it perhaps require me standing in minus four degrees in a singlet
with pelting ice? Or living in a glass box with cameras switched on 24/7
ala Truman show? Explain to the world the monstrosity of a much
publicised event? Or would it require the most painful fear of facing
your acne in the mirror?

I recollect my past with some amusement. And a little twitch. But most of all I feel so freaking grateful.

What a difference they have made. These testy events, these hard to
swallow pills. In the words of Alanis Morisette (yea not a good choice,
the album marked the end of her career),

"Thank you frailty
Thank you consequence
Thank you thank you silence."



Aha, but I have another list to add:


Thank YOU.
And him.
And her.
And good cleanser.
And courage,.... there's also airconditioning, story books, love, N,
katy perry, posturpedic beds, Jonah's questions, fertiliser, Barney
Stinson, Kenn C, kind words, Miso, daily affirmation with Jessica, ,
parents, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Christian the Lion, Fiona
Apple, fire trucks, Aomori Gymnasts blah blah blah blah ...


See it doesn't just end at silence. There are so many many many other things.

:)




Translation courtesy of joyapple:


11

我呼吸緩慢地等待著我的第11張專輯發行，開始忍不住嚮往過去的經歷是否會再度出現，再度考驗。

新專輯的宣傳行程已經確定，一些著實讓人興奮地計劃也正在籌備中。美妙音樂已經提醒過我，即將到來的宣傳期可能會是磨人的日子。
磨人。日子。
哈。

是否要頂著風暴，穿件背心，站在零下四度的冰川上？還是在玻璃屋裡，對著鏡頭，上演一場24小時不間斷的楚門秀？或者向外界解釋，一場被誇大宣傳手法的用意？還是要承受最恐懼的，面對鏡子裡臉上的痘痘？


我帶著幾分娛樂的心態回想我的過去。也帶了一點點抽搐。最多的是，很多分感激。

因為這些事而改變的觀感。這些充滿考驗的經歷，這些難以下嚥的良藥。就如歌手阿蘭尼斯.莫麗賽特（Alanis Morisette）（當然這個人選不是太好，那張專輯意味著她歌唱生涯的結束）的歌詞所說：

「感謝脆弱,
感謝因果,
感謝感謝沉默」


啊哈，但我還有更多要感謝的：

謝謝你們。
還有他。
還有她。
還有好的卸妝油。
還有勇氣，.....當然還有空調，故事書，愛情，N，凱蒂•佩裡，Posturpedic牌的床，侄子約拿的問題，肥料，Barney
Stinson，Kenn C, 安慰的話語，那碗味增湯，那位味增TAN，視頻daily affirmation with
Jessica（那個可愛的小女孩），我的父母，Edward Sharp and the Magnetic
Zeros，獅子Christian【被拍成電影《乖獅克里斯蒂安》（Christian the Lion）】，歌手Fiona
Apple，救火車，日本青森體操運動員等等等等….

看吧，並沒有在感謝沉默中結束。還有這麼這麼這麼多的別的事情。

：）

Wayne pulled out his iPad.

"Just look at it. Flip through it."

It was the levels pages of Angry birds.

You see, for past months, we had been furiously addicted to this game of
crushing pigs with flying birds shot from a sling. It wasn't enough to
just get past all the stages, it became paramount that we collected
three stars for each stage, a mark of excellence of our mastery in pigs
slaughter.

I flipped through the pages in silence. Every level was marked with three stars.  

"You are crazy." I announced.
He turned away slowly and smugly, knowing full well I actually meant, "Wow."

I had to hand it to him, he was determined to make the difficult
possible. It was, I suppose in other words, an accomplishment. Of sorts.
He was this close to not making the definition.

I try to remember the people closest to me and some of their accomplishments. Big or small.

My dad washed dishes to pay for his school fees, my mother raised 3
daughters on $300 a month for years. My sister Kia remained kooky and
genuine despite of her high flying job, and there is the other sister
Jeanette. 

One day Jeanette came home from the hospital at lunch time. She looked
exactly like someone who had been up all night with snatches of sleep in
between. She plopped down by the dinner table and told me she managed
to dig all the shit out of this man who had renal failure while I was
having soup. I put my bowl down. 

"I beg your pardon?"
"I had to, he couldn't pass shit, if I didn't he would die of toxicity."
"Oh."
"Tonight!"
"Ohkay! I get it!"

I resumed drinking my soup, then it suddenly struck me,
"You did it with your hands?"

She rolled her eyes and said, 
"With gloves on of course silly."

I don't think I told you, but that my dear, is an accomplishment.

I supposed all these little things may not amount to much at this point. 
And sometimes we wonder why we do the things we do, be it soldiering on
with bombing pigs or digging fecal waste from someone's intestines. Some
of it makes complete sense, and some do not. 

But i believe in the cool cliche that everything happens for a reason.
Just like Steve Jobs and his course in typography in college. Just like
washing dishes behind a restaurant in winter. Just like plowing for
shit. And what the hell, maybe, just like slaughtering pigs on your
iPad. We may not have the answers now, and maybe at the end of it, we
realised we do it only just because, WE CAN .

Hell yeah everybody. Let's roll.  


Translation courtesy of joyapple:

豬與糞便

曹先生 (Wayne) 抽出他的iPad.

"你看一下嘛。"

那是憤怒的小鳥（目前一種十分流行的iPad/iPhone遊戲）的等級頁面。

你可知道，過去的幾個月裡，我們一直瘋狂地沉迷於這個用投石器把小鳥彈出去打豬的遊戲。打通關已經不夠了，我們到最後，每一關都必須蒐集三顆星。這才能看出一個人殺豬技術的登峰造極。

我靜靜地瀏覽了每一頁。每一關都是三顆星。

「你太瘋狂了。」我宣佈說，

他慢慢地轉過臉，有幾分得意，他確信我其實是在說「哇！」

我不得不承認，他曾下定決心去攻克所有的難關。我想，換句話說，這也算一種成就。在某種程度上。他這種行為只差一點點就不能定義成就這個詞了。

我努力想身邊的人和他們的成就。偉大的或卑微的。

我的父親為了攢自己的學費去刷盤子，我的母親每月用300新幣養育了三個女兒很多年。我的姐姐燕佳儘管從事著高職的工作，卻還保持著個性和真誠。還有我的妹妹燕美。

一天，燕美午飯時間從醫院回家。她看起來像是熬了一整夜，只是中間眯了一小會而已似的。她撲通一聲坐在餐桌前，告訴我她幫一個腎衰竭的病人把糞便全部清理出來。當時我正在喝湯。我放下碗。

「再說一遍？」
「我必須要這麼做，他無法排泄，要是我不這麼做，他就會中毒身亡。」
「哦。」
「今晚就會！」
「OK我知道了！」

我重新喝我的湯，突然又有了疑問。
「你用你的手做的嗎？」

她翻了白眼說：
「當然要帶手套了，笨蛋。」

我想我沒有對你說過，但是親愛的，這是你的成就。

此時此刻，所有這些瑣事也許目前感覺沒什麼大不了的吧。

有的時候我們會思考，為什麼要做我們做的事情。不管是不屈不撓地挑戰如何炸豬，還是從一個人的腸子裡挖出糞便。有些事情是意義非凡的，而有的感覺一點意義都沒有。

但我相信，用俗不可耐卻很酷的話說，凡事皆事出有因。比如斯蒂芬·喬布斯（蘋果的CEO）在大學期間學了排版印刷。比如冬天在一家餐館的後門洗刷盤子。比
如清理糞便。又或者也許在 iPad玩殺豬遊戲也算在內。我們現在可能沒有找出答案，也許最終，我們只是意識到我們這樣做只是因為：我們做得到。

來吧大家。飛吧飛吧。

The other day while playing mahjong, we indulged in our usual gossiping.
"Oh so and so broke up with his gf."
"Really, weren't they getting married?"
"Nah she wasn't really his type."
"How so?"
"Hmm let's just say she's a little bit coarse."
"Coarse? What do you mean coarse?"
In my mind I was thinking, this had better be good.
"You know, a little bit ribald....low class."
"Whaaat?!"
The mahjong resumed clacking as I pondered inward.
"I'm coarse!"
There was some awkward silence before I started berating them on being
mean and judgmental. Our game resumed, but it got me pondering on this
ubiquitous categorization of people into "classes".
My mister told me, "a person with class does not talk about it." which
made me even more disturbed about its furtiveness.
Even as singapore prides itself on it's diverse yet harmonious
society, we still can't seem to run away from this classification (pun
intended). There is the old rich, the kuoks, the tans, the lees, (I am
randomly putting out surnames here, I don't actually know the list of
the who's who in Singapore), the nouveau riche who made bank from a
sudden windfall or business or selling millions of CDs, the middle
class and the lower income bracket. This classification is purely
monetary and should in no way determine the classiness of an
individual. Right?
So does it boil down to education? I know this girl who never made it
to college but has the classiest way of putting you at ease. A primary
school educated man who remained silent about his rivals'
indiscretions even under extreme pressure. That's classy.
Upbringing? Basic etiquette? Dressing appropriately? This can go on an on!
I define classiness as being honest really. I don't think a well
spoken/dressed/known/mannered person should be bestowed a high class
honor for what he appears to be. I would rather keep a tattered true
friend than a polished back stabber by my side. My very sartorially
adept girlfriends would think I'm being ridiculous. Oi, better wear
more rags around me ok!!
But having said all this, I do know of obviously well
dressed/mannered/etc. individuals with integrity and forthrightness
(sorry I do not know of a better word). People like Christina Ong,
Harry Lee, Kit Chan...although I don't claim to know them personally,
But they sure have proven themselves over time to be able to walk the
walk and talk the talk. As for myself, I nestle comfortably, knowing that I lie
between them and the 'coarse'. I'm sure the world has space for the
likes of me.
Thank you for reading this, at an altitude of 20000 sq ft, I bid thee
a classy adieu. Buy!
Translation courtesy of Joyapple:
一天，我們打麻將的時候，又開始八卦起來。
「那個某某與女朋友分手了。」
「真的啊？他們不是要結婚嗎？」
「不可能，她不是他喜歡的類型。」
「怎麼會呢？」
「嗯..我覺得她有點粗俗。」
「粗俗？這話怎麼講？」
我心想，最好是一個有建議性的解釋。
「就是…有點惡俗…低級。」
「什麼？？！！！！」
我們繼續啪啪地打麻將，可我內心不禁開始思考起來。
「我也粗俗！」
突然安靜下來，有些尷尬。我開始怪他們這樣講太刻薄、太主觀。我們繼續打麻將，但我已開始反思這個普遍存在的現象——把人劃分等級。
先生告訴我，「一個有修養的人是不會討論這個話題的。」於是我對於它的隱晦性感到更加不安。
儘管新加坡人對於我們多元但和諧的社會感到自豪，我們似乎仍然無可避免地被劃分為三六九等（故意使用雙關語）。我們有富裕的老家族、郭氏家族啦、譚氏家族
啦、李氏家族啦，（我在這裡隨意列出幾個姓氏，其實我並不太瞭解新加坡的名人錄），通過意外收穫或者做生意或者賣掉幾百萬張CD而致富的新貴、中產階級和
低收入群體。這種劃分僅僅是從金錢角度的，所以完全不應該據此判斷一個人的品位和修養。是吧？
這應該歸結到教育上嗎？我認識從未上過大學卻讓你感到非常自如的女孩。一名只有小學學歷的男人卻可以頂著巨大的壓力，對於他競爭對手的輕率魯莽保持沉默。這才叫做有品位有修養。
教養？基本禮節？衣著得體？說不完的性狀！
我對於修養和品位的定義是要真正誠實。我不認為一個善談的/衣著光鮮的/出名的/舉止優雅的人僅根據他們的外表就可以被稱作高層人士。我寧願擁有一位衣衫
襤褸的真正朋友，也不想身邊有一個看起來體面卻能在背後捅刀子的人。我那些很會打扮的女朋友們該覺得我不可思議了。是的，在我身邊你們都穿破布好了！！
但說了這麼多，我確實認識一些衣著考究、舉止優雅的人卻正直坦率的人（抱歉我沒想出更好的形容詞）。像Christina Ong, 李光耀,
陳潔儀這些人…我私下倒不是與他們很熟，但時間證明他們確實可以說到做到。對於我本人而言，我在這舒服地呆著，知道自己處於他們和『粗俗之人』中間。我確
信世界之大，可以容納我這樣的人。
謝謝你們讀這篇博文，在處於海拔兩萬英呎的高度，我對你們優雅地說再見。拜~
註：
1、Christina Ong 是 COMO group 創辦人， 她於 1972 年創建了 「Club 21」（Multi-label store）公司。
2、Harry Lee：李光耀，曾任新加坡總理，現任新加坡內閣資政。
3、Kit Chan：陳潔儀，新加坡著名實力派女歌手及舞台劇演員。