Time Goes Around

There is a Japanese voice I admire. Her name is Miyuki Nakajima (中島みゆき) and dun be surprised: she is now 57 years old. I bought three albums of hers more than a decade ago, the best buy of which is 大吟醸. It was by chance (or maybe destiny) that I came to listen to her song, and I found her songs very melodious and her voice very captivating. Her voice spoke to me. So did the music. She wrote and sang this nice song 時代 whose meaning I did not understand. Only recently did I find out what it all meant. I do not know her, except for her talent and performance. Someday, I will in good old-fashioned tradition, get her autograph in person, and say to her どうも ありがと うございます!

This is one of her famous song: < 時代 > In English it's "Time Goes Around"
Here is a youtube clip of it

今はこんなに悲しくて
now you’re so stricken with grief
涙もかれ果てて
that even tears run dry
もう二度と笑顔には なれそうもないけど
probably will never smile again

そんな時代もあったねと
“i have had such moments too”
いつか話せる日がくるわ
that you will say someday

あんな時代もあったねと
“i have had such moments too”
きっと笑って話せるわ
surely you’ll say it with a smile
だから 今日はくよくよしないで
so, now, don’t brood over it
今日の風に吹かれましょう
let’s bask in today’s breeze

まわるまわるよ 時代はまわる
round and round goes time
喜び悲しみくり返し
reiterating joy and sorrow
今日は別れた恋人たちも
even today’s parting lovers
生まれ変わって めぐりあうよ
will start life afresh and rencounter again

(旅を続ける人々は
those who’ve been journeying on and on
いつか故郷に出会う日を
would someday be home again
たとえ今夜は倒れても
even though tonight they may tumble
きっと信じてドアを出る
still with stern confidence walk thru the door
たとえ今日は果てしもなく
even though today, unceasingly
冷たい雨が降っていても)
chilly rain is pouring

めぐるめぐるよ 時代はめぐる
round and round goes time
別れと出会いをくり返し
reiterating parting and meeting
今日は倒れた旅人たちも
today’s tumbled travellers
生まれ変って歩き出すよ
will change anew and set off again

めぐるめぐるよ 時代はめぐる
round and round goes time
別れと出会いをくり返し
reiterating parting and meeting
今日は倒れた旅人たちも
today’s tumbled travellers
生まれ変って歩き出すよ
will change anew and set off again

今日は倒れた旅人たちも
today’s tumbled travellers
生まれ変って歩き出すよ
will change anew and set off again

英訳: 三千絵
Eng Trans: Michie

Advanced Admitted

Just got an auto-email invitation to participate in the 60th GK Tournament, starting Monday, August 3. I never knew about such events at Gameknot.com. Apparently such tournaments can take more than a month, or even two, to finish; but still Gameknot starts one every month, anyway.

I wouldn't join these tournament too lightly or quickly. However, 60 is a nice whole number; there is a famous book by Bobby Fischer: "My 60 most memorable games." So I have decided to participate, just for the experience and fun of it!

At the time of sign up, there are 2352 participants across five sections. I cannot join the casual or the intermediate section as my highest rating in the last 90 days qualifies me for the advanced category. The expert category is open too, but I am no expert. The grandmaster category is open to anyone, of any ranking, who is either genius or crazy enough!

The advanced category's ceiling rating is 1700. As numbers indicate, I'm in the bottom half of the 567 strong cohort. I'm expecting a great quality and multitude of challengers! Wish me good fun and good luck!

Saga and Kanon

Saga and Kanon is a reference to the pair of Gemini twin brothers in Masami Kurumada's Saint Seiya. My two bishops and their combined influence in this game prompted the association. Some of the prided bishop actions were move 13, 25 and 27.

In this rematch with my Latvian friend, there were interesting complications like a frustrated rook, a knight move under cover fire, and a king bringing the ending battle to the enemy camp. There was also a part where the black queen took out my rooks quite like what happened in the Immortal Game (You can recap it here).

The ending of this game was simplified thru black's last two moves. It could have gone much more complicated and vexing for me. I would so love to discuss about that alternate time line in another entry, in honour of the beautiful envisioned moves by the bishop brothers. Til then, enjoy the replay of this one!

Play chess online

Dialogue Duihua

Two old friends were discussing about music.

A: I think you know abt music much more than i do

B: Love.

A: ok, you love and know about music more than i do :)

B: 中学时期，内忧外患，满怀愤慨，庆幸上帝赐予我一个认识音乐的机缘。音乐里有我的故事，我也爱上了Liszt, Beethoven etc 古典乐成了我在乱世里的桃花源。

A: 有寄托是好事，我喜歡音樂，但對音樂沒什么研究。

B: 这爱就一直持续着对音乐的学习咯。没有天分；就只有一点点，赤裸裸的爱。

I thought the last line was a little funny. Of course, B meant an undecorated or very simple kinda love.

Precipitation PL

Sunday I was having late dinner with JC and SL at a Vietnamese Restaurant when it started to pour heavily outside. It simply meant that we were going to have to find a way to walk back to SL's car without getting drenched.

Then I heard a sound quite different from even the heaviest downpour I have experienced. I looked out through the full length glass wall beside our table, and outside, a surprise greeted me.

It was ice pellets falling from the heaven! Wikipedia says that Ice Pellets is a form of precipitation consisting of small, translucent ice balls. METAR code for ice pellets is PL.

Initially I had thought that it was hail. It was not, as hail stones (GR/GS) are layered and can be irregular and clumped together, and are usually bigger in size than what I saw. Wikipedia also mentioned that severe weather warnings are issued for hail when the stones reach a damaging size, as it can cause serious damage to automobiles, aircraft, skylights, glass-roofed structures, and most commonly, farmers' crops...!

Ah, farmers' crops: that brings flashback of a scene from 《咪咪流浪记》 a cartoon I watched when I was a kid. 《咪咪流浪记》 is based on an "Sans Famille" 1878 French novel by Hector Malot. I'm sure many others remember the cartoon. To refresh your memory, there is an excellent synopsis of it here.

There was a part of the story right after a tragedy from which Remi was rescued and taken in by the harmonious Acquin family. It was a time of recuperation in peace and joy. However, it was also a fateful year for the Acquins when a terrible hailstorm destroyed their greenhouse. The hailstorm annihilated the flowers that were due for harvest, and consequentially their livelihood as well. When the father had to go to jail for debts he could no longer pay, the children had to be sent to different relatives, and Remi had to take to the streets again.

It's actually a very heartwarming cartoon/anime: one of those stories with bittersweet twists and a happy ending.

I must further mention that actually, the Japanese drama [家なき子] & [家なき子2] in the 90s ("Without Family" starring Yumi Adachi) was loosely adapted from the same story. And I had liked that modern version too, without knowing that both the cartoon of mid 80s and the drama serial of mid 90s were of the same root/seed/origin/source.

It was only after many years that I found the missing link and with a strange sense of fulfillment I must say that the discovery was divine, or at the very least very pleasant.

Midgame Musing

I have already sacrificed a knight before the game reached the stage as depicted.

For the past 5 days, I have been looking at it, and going away, only to come back to the same dilemma.

Black is well developed. He will probably not buy my pawns 'en prise' along the g- or f- files. At this moment, it feels like something got heavier at one end... when he pushes his a-pawn forward. It had begun. The arrow is nocked, and the bow is drawn.

My opponent is a sharp tactician from Latvia, the hometown of the legendary Magician of Riga. Someone who prefers tactical combinations is usually very keen on attacking and has an eye for opportunities.

I see three routes ahead. The first is to defend, and prepare myself to brace the impending attacks. The second is to attack relentlessly, even recklessly and hope to break through to the far northeast. Which is a bleak-looking and far hope to fetch. The last is an elaborate plan. Do I have a plan? Yes. I'm down on material and even the game looks bad for me now, so I guess I'll either have to try winning or lose trying.

Ratings Reminder

There is this chessplayer who has a blog which I find very rich, insightful and well written. He calls himself the blue devil knight. And I just read how he had a disappointing U1200 tournament. He was rated 1180 and played 9 games in which he won 2, drew 2, and lost 5. The crux of the issue is that his rating was supposedly at the upper end of the cohort, however his performance seem to be a glaring underchievement. You can read it here if you are interested.

This reminds me of 2 things. One is the attachment of rating/ranking to performance. Benchmarking, which is what people who are into mambo jumbo terms would say. Already in the entry Notable Nakamura, this year's US champion, I pondered on the detrimental effect of rank/ratings. Ratings/Rankings have a dubious psychological effect on people. One of my earliest encounter was when during my first week at a respectable high school, another boy came up to me, and asked which class I was from and what score I had. After I told him, he seemed to respect me, but also seemed to be readjusting his own 'position'. It might appeal to a prideful ego but then it is so shallow, because he didn't even know anything about me or how I did it or why I even did it. And whatever my score meant to that kid, it was just numbers. Apparently sometimes living people are influenced by dead numbers.

Numbers, stats, and numerical trends are important in organisational planning/business. However I think if I were to buy into ratings or numbers blindly, there will be a trap and probably a nasty surprise somewhere. Most numbers, stats, ratings are at best indicative. AH, I just remembered those ads on investment funds that are on the subway trains. The words they used were 'past performance and any forecasts are not necessarily indicative of future or likely performance (of the funds). First they use benchmarks to seduce you (or your money, really) and then they make a small print disclaimer. We all know which one is the truth. But alas greed, pride or ambition lead us to disregard the small print. And to wrap up this point, the small print to ratings is they are not to be leaned on.

The 2nd thing I am reminded of... is that I actually entered a chess tournament before! It was an open tournament organised by the local community centre and two friends went to support me. I was nervous being my first time doing it. My tournament results was three wins out of seven. I also remember there was a significantly challenging game against a very obnoxious opponent, after which my friend and I jumped to hug each other in blatant joy when i won it. I was especially happy to win that game, but even more memorable was the present support of my friends, the pressures and joy we shared through the whole ordeal. It felt... just like Harry Potter, strangely enough!