Japan Blog - Tokyo Osaka Nagoya Kyoto: Over the Counter Cold Medicines in Japan

Japan Blog - Tokyo Osaka Nagoya Kyoto: Over the Counter Cold Medicines in Japan: 風邪薬 As in any other country that experiences very cold weather, winter-time Japan is likely to have you coughing, sneezing, blowing your n...

After You

I nominate Tanya Stephens 'After You' as the best break up dancehall song of this era. She is brutally honest in the song but she doesn't remain broken. She gets even, financially. By the end of the song, she is purged and ready to move on. She let all her feelings out and ranted while getting even. 

In the intro, she says, 

"Baby, when you left me,
My life was instantly transformed to hell
And I used to ache so bad
Oh God I never thought this poor heart could get well
And I used to wonder..

After you, what am I gonna do, What am I gonna do,
Baby after you, Whoa Oh!"

So, she cries after the break up. After a break up we usually bemoan our loss. There are moments of utter despair and sadness. However, the next stage is more important. In the next stage of the healing process, we pretend we are ok and try to overcome. Therefore, she sings,  

"Well me a put on a sad face,
So di judge gi me di yard
Run up X amount a bills pon yuh Platinum Card
Throw a tantrum,
Wid me nose a run inna court
So me get to know how to live nice off a child support
Me friend dem love you,
Cos you keep we drinkin Hq
And me coulda fit inna di Benz
But give thanks fi de H2
Me know a you leff me an fi a while me did a bawl
But me tell dem me leff you
Cas yuh buddy too small, now"

[Translation

I put on a sad face, so the judge would give me the home. Used your platinum card to buy lots of things. Throw a tantrum, even allow my nose to run in court, so that I'll be able to live well from child support. My friends love you because you allow us to drink HQ and I couldn't fit in the Mercedes Benz, so thank God for the H2. I know it was you who left me and for while I cried, but I told them that I left you because your penis was too small. Now...]

chorus:
After you,here's what am gonna do,
Ride around on your twenty twos, And still live affa you
(Whoa Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh)
After you, a now me ready fi enjoy me life
Nuh haffu work,n everyting still nice
Baby after you

[Translation

After You, here's what I am going to do, drive around in your 22s and live with your money. After you, I'm ready to enjoy my life. I won't have to work and everything will still be fine. Baby, after you]

verse 2:
Yuh neva knew what a wife an a lover meant
So me want half a everyting like de government
Now you can tell yuh friends yuh really have a bitchy wife
When me stick you up an clean you out like Lionel Ritchie Wife
Me a tek de house, de car, de children, yuh screwdrivers, even yuh power drill dem
All weh me nuh need me still a go tek
Cos me did need you but dat neva stop yuh from leave, now

[Translation

You didn't know what a wife and a lover meant. So I want half of everything like the government. Now you can tell your friends that you really have a bitchy wife when I stick you up and clean you out like Lionel Ritchie's wife. I am taking the house, the car, the children, your screwdrivers, even your power drills. Even the things I don't need, I'll still take them because I needed you but that didn't stop you from leaving. Now..]

chorus

verse 3:
Congratulations me hear yuh new girl's banged up
By di time di baby born me a mek sure yuh bankrupt
If me know divorce woulda be so sweet
I woulda beg di good Lord long time fi mek yuh cheat
Most people haffi sell drugs dem whole life fi this
All me do a say i do an tun yuh wife fi this
And yuh have the nerve fi a laugh when me fling back di ring
Well alright, when me done wid you
Yuh haffu go beg me a ting, cause After you

[Translation

Congratulations, I hear that your new girlfriend is pregnant. By the time the baby is born, I'll make sure you're bankrupt. If I had known divorce would be so sweet, I would have begged the good Lord a long time ago to let you cheat on me. Most people have to sell drugs for their whole lives to achieve this but all I had to do was say 'I do' and become a wife for this. And you had the nerve to laugh when I threw back the ring. Well, all right, when I'm done with you, you'll have to beg me for some money, because after you...]

outro: *Tanya talking

*Yuh see wah you a cause, you know seh me nuh stay so
But wah you expect me fi do,
All a this a fi yuh fault,
Cah yuh nuh leff ,me no choice
A woman my age wid four kids
Which man a go pick me up?!
I dont have a certificate I dnt even hav a marketable skill
And when me tell you say me wah work pon a career
Yuh say not a rahtid
Yuh wife nah fi work
And boops yuh breed me again
Thirty-six months me spend a carry yuh pickney dem inna my gut
Dat a thirty-six month outta my life way me couldn't look dung n see me toe
heh Heh, Yuh Lucky
the rest a ma life u say...

[Translation

You see what you have caused. You know that this is not like me. But what do you expect me to do? This is all your fault because you didn't leave me any choice. A woman my age with 4 children. Which other man is going to want me? I don't have a certificate, not even a marketable skill and when I wanted to work on a career, you said 'hell no!' because you didn't want your wife to work. And so I just kept having your children. Thirty six months I spent carrying your children in my belly. That's thirty six months out of my life that I couldn't even look down and see my toes. Haha, you're lucky! You said the rest of my life....]

Read more: Tanya Stephens - After You Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

Kindness - What exactly is it?

We often times don't think too much about kindness. Everyone knows of the word and everyone knows that it's better to be kind than unkind, but how many of us are actually kind.


The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines 'kind' as "having or showing a gentle nature and a desire to help others: wanting and liking to do good things and to bring happiness to others".

The Oxford online dictionary defines it as "The quality of being friendly, generous and considerate".

These definitions are understandable but at the same time very vague. The definitions therefore raise a few questions, such as if one is not gentle natured, can't that person be kind? How generous do I have to be so I can be considered kind? Can I be generous to my friends only? Can I be generous to only those in need? Should I only do good things to bring happiness to others in need or is the need irrelevant?

I happen to be of the belief that kindness extends beyond need. It is kind to help an old lady with her grocery bags. It is kind to help a child with home work. There are many kind acts that are based on need, but I believe it shows a greater level of kindness and consideration when you send a friend a scarf because it's winter and she's feeling a bit down. It's awesome when your friend sees some thing being advertised and relays the information because he/she thinks you may benefit from it. This kind of kindness that extends beyond needs shows the true character of a friend. My big brother took my friends and I out for ice cream a few times during high school, not because we needed it or because he would benefit somehow, but because he had day offs and just thought of a way to enhance my happiness.

The thoughtfulness behind a kind act is much greater in acts that are not related to need. Those related to need should be 'mandatory' kind acts, Helping someone with bus fare, giving to the homeless, helping an old lady with her bags are great, but imagine if you could take it a step further. Imagine if you stopped and had conversations with the homeless, shared stories about your day with him or her, talk to the old lady while carrying her bags and listen to her stories. Imagine being able to step up your kindness game, do you know how much happier you would be?!

New Music

New music is always welcome to my ears. When I say new music, I mean new genres, new songs, new artists, and new spins on old songs. Recently I listened to 'sugar' by maroon 5, several mixes by Skrillex and some other Electro Dance Music artists. They undoubtedly lifted my mood in times of need. However, the artist that has created an avalanche in my brain is called STROMAE.

Upon discovering Stromae's music I can't go a day without his melodic voice caressing my soul. He's positively addictive. His voice, his language, his clothes and of course, his music videos. Ooo la la! He is definitely the 'sugar' that Maroon 5 was talking about in their song. :) Well, he's the sugar in my interpretation of the song.

Anyhow, Stromae is a Belgian with a Rwandan father and a Dutch Mother. That mixture of genes led to an awesome physical output. More Rwandans and Dutch people need to hook up and make babies with velvet skin and perfectly curled hair, haha.

His looks are only one part of the addiction though. His music and videos are the main sources of attraction. The first song I heard was 'Tous le memes'. At first I couldn't understand anything that he was saying, but I didn't need to. The music had me dancing at midnight in the middle of the streets and singing 'tous les memes' and 'rendezvous'. I later watched an interview and heard him saying that many people tend to respond to the sincerity of his music and don't require lyrical understanding to vibe to it. Later, of course, I watched a video with subtitles and quite liked the lyrics as well. It has been so long that I've had such a craving for an artist's music that I feel like I've been shocked back to life by this Stromae.

So, I've mentioned his looks and his music, but when I watch him in interviews, my love for this guy grew some more. He's amazingly humble and charismatic. He makes me want to just wrap in a hug and never let him go.

I'm going to end here because I'm getting another wave of desire to hear his voice and practice my french by reciting his lyrics :).

Look at that velvety skin!

By the way, here's a more official article about him :)
http://www.cafebabel.co.uk/culture/article/stromae-role-model-me-at-25-you-shut-your-mouth-and-listen.html