FocusPositives

This is a short funny Cantonese song from a TVB Drama, 荃加福祿壽探案 quán jiā fú lù shòu tàn àn (Super Snoops). Their singing and dancing makes me laugh out loud.

Study Materials

The song is sung in Cantonese. Many words are very hard to translate due to the nonsense nature of the song. Even my Cantonese friends says that it can’t be directly translated. I tried to translated it the best I can at the bottom, don’t take it as being 100% correct. This is a nonsense song for fun only. Learn the words for what it is with the Vocabulary list 荃加福祿壽探案 無聊合唱團. The definition and Mandarin pingying are in Traditional Chinese (I don’t know of a Cantonese translator). Download, enjoy and learn.

Test Yourself and Sing Along 🙂

Song #2: 荃加福祿壽探案-無聊合唱團

懸懸居居去買麵
(懸懸居居, not 100% what this means, I think it means dumb) dumbly I go to buy noodles
買着個蝦子麵
bought a shrimp noodle
媽媽沖谅, 爸爸耕田
mama’s takes a (æ²–è°…) bath/shower,  Papa tills the fields
由我去買麵
so it’s up to me to go buy the noodles
爺爺失眠就開風扇
grandpa has insomnia and goes to turn on the fan
但係冇晒電
but there’s no electricity left
我最節儉用芭蕉扇來撥面
I am the most frugal I use a palm-leaf fan to fan my face
三叔公佢回頭鬧我
3rd great uncle turns back to scold me
乜你咁曵未去買麵
why you naughty and not gone to buy the noodles

I used to sing Kereoke with a friend whispering Chinese lyrics in my ear as I somehow manage to sing. It was painfully fun and I learned a few characters. I’ve always loved to sing (not that I am good) and  I’ve always wanted to learn to read Chinese. Kill two birds with one stone, learn to sing in Chinese with KTV.

My first Chinese KTV lesson is a theme song from a Chinese Drama, 步步惊心 Bù Bù Jīng Xīn (Startling by Each Step). I love the melody of the Song. After I translated and understood the lyrics, I found the song sad but beautiful.

Study Materials

You can download, enjoy and learn with this pdf  vocabulary list of 步步驚心 – 三寸天堂 or study right here with the set of Flashcards I made. Choose a study mode with audio on/off.

Test Yourself and Sing Along 🙂

Song#1: 步步惊心 – 三寸天堂 Three Inches of Heaven
Singer, Lyricist, Composer: 严艺丹  Yan Yi Dan

*停 在 這裏 不 敢 走 下去
讓 悲傷 無法 上演
下一頁 你 亲 手寫 上 的 離別
由不得 我 拒絕
這 條 路 我們 走 得 太 匆忙
擁抱 着 並不 真實 的 慾望
來不及 等不及 回頭 欣賞
木蘭 香 遮 不住 傷

不再 看 天上 太陽 透過 雲彩 的 光
不再 找 約定 了 的 天堂
不再 嘆 你 说 過 的 人間 世事 無常
借 不到 的 三 寸 日光 *

不再 看 天上 太陽 透過 雲彩 的 光
不再 找 約定 了 的 天堂
不再 嘆 你 说 過 的 人間 世事 無常
借 不到 的 三 寸 日光
那 天堂 是 我 愛 過 你 的 地方

Inspired by KTV小姐

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The personality profile of my hair is straight, thick, coarse and stiff. It is so stubborn that the baby hair sticks straight up at the top of my head even if blow dried. I could never have short bangs because they would stick out as well. The only solution was to grow it long enough to weigh it down. No side swept bangs for me :(. Haircuts are dangerous as well. If the wrong stylist touched it, my head would end up looking like a big broom. My mom, not a professional, has the most experience dealing with my hair. She has cut my hair since I was a baby. I only trust her with my hair.The broom look was not encouraging for me to go to a stylist. After moving out, I was itching to experiment with cutting my own hair. I thought to myself, “It would be great if I could cut my own hair just the way my mom did.” I played with cutting my bangs. Failed, my hair was not obedient like usual but I was hooked on how I could possibly control the outcome of my hair.

With lots of research on different ways and methods to cutting hair, I decided to order the Original CreaClip Set. It seemed diverse and easy to use. If the kid in the video could cut her own hair, I could too. While waiting for my CreaClip I watched all the related CreaClip instructional videos and saw a similar technique of cutting hair into layers using a rubber band. I’ve always wanted a layered cut, I was so gung-ho about it that I took a pair of scissors and a rubber band and started cutting. I was so inspired and eager try the technique. Sometimes I am very impulsive, when I want to do something really badly, I have to do it now. Are you thinking, “Oh my Ga…she just butchered her hair!!!!”? Don’t worry, I didn’t need to run to the barber shop. Originally I had a straight blunt cut with no layers. I was in a rush to cut my hair and totally forgot to take a picture.

Cutting my own hair using the Rubber Band Method VS CreaClip: Back

Cutting my own hair using the Rubber Band Method VS CreaClip: Left

Cutting my own hair using the Rubber Band Method VS CreaClip: Right

Rubber Band Method:

(Updated 12/28/2013: The original Rubber Band Method video I saw is missing on Youtube, the pictures below are recreations of what I did.)

Cutting my own hair using the Rubber Band Method: Front view, Steps 1 & 2

1. Comb and flip hair to the front.
2. KEEP CHIN TUCKED, Tie hair with a rubber band. Pull rubber band straight down until you reach a desired length.

Cutting my own hair using the Rubber Band Method: Side view, Steps 3 & 4, Pictures are showing more then you should cut. Cut horizontally about 1/16″- 1/4″ at a time. Repeat until you reach your desired length.

3. Using sharp hair cutting scissors, cut horizontally, 1/16″- 1/4″ off at a time to remove split ends or shorten the length. This creates a blunt edge. This step can be repeated until you reach the desired length.
4. To feather the ends, point scissors vertically and cut OR use feathering scissors if you have one.

Cutting my own hair using the Rubber Band Method: Back view, Step 5 is optional

5. Optional: If you prefer a U shape, tie hair at the back and pull downwards, trim a little at a time. Release and check often before you cut more. (This step, if done alone, creates a straight edge.) Repeat Step 4 for the feathering effect.
6. Release rubber band and brush.

I basically followed the exact steps in the CreaClip video below but instead of using the CreaClip I used a rubber band to hold all my hair together. The rubber band was still tied to my hair after the cut. I used layering scissors at the tip to refine the cut for a feathered look

Pros

• Easy to tie hair and cut.
• Good for long hair.
• Require only scissors and a rubber band.
• Saves money.

Cons

• No defined guide to see if hair is even. I used my nose, lips, chin as a markers for keeping my hair leveled.
• Tough to cut through with one clean-cut. To ensure evenness it took lots of patients with slow tiny cuts. If you have thin hair it might be easier.
• Edges of my hair turned out jagged. I had to do lot of correcting with thinning scissors afterwards. Maybe because my hair is super straight and thick even small flaws can be seen. If you have curly hair you may not have my issues.
• Can’t be used on short hair or guy’s hair.

CreaClip Method:

Cutting my hair with CreaClip step by step, TL) Clipped all my hair together in the front. BL) Made sure the bubble is balanced BR) Scissors pointed up, cut my hair a bit at a time. TR) Package from CreaClip.

🙂 I kept it simple with a basic long layers cut for my first haircut with the CreaClip.

Pros

• Fast and easy to use.
• Spread my hair evenly which made cutting faster and easier.
• Evenly defined results. You can clearly see the V shape in the back. I didn’t have to do any correcting.
• Can cut many endless possible stylish cuts, bang trimming, short or long styles, layered or blunt.
• Can be used on short or long hair.
• Effective and easy tool that will save money for the whole family.

Cons

• The white clips is a bit too flimsy for my hair thickness. It may be better for finer hair. It’d be perfect if they could make it the same firmness as the blue one for the bangs.

Conclusion

Both method gave similar results for this layered look. The Rubber Band Method cost practically nothing but took a lot longer with unpredictable results while the Creaclip is a small investment with a guarantee of ease of use and diversity in the styles you can produce. Overall I loved playing with cutting my own hair. For a hair cutting newbie like me, the CreaClip was a super simple tool that gave me courage and confidence to start creating experimenting with cutting my own hair. I felt safe and sure that I wouldn’t mess up my hair. Tip: Go slow and cut a little at a time. Hair can’t reattach itself. I can’t wait to try the “A line” cut or trim my bangs in the future with the CreaClip. It’s been lots of fun, I love it.

Want the CreaClip?

You can find the Original CreaClip Set and Scissors Package on Amazon. It sells for $39.99 plus shipping and handling. Customer service was friendly and fast. You can shop similar products for a lesser price. I did not try the other products similar to creaclip so I don’t have any thoughts on these items.

* This product was sent to me for consideration. This is NOT a sponsored post and contains affiliate links to help keep this website up and running. All views and opinions are my own.

忘 wàng, to forget / to overlook / to neglect
掉 diào, to drop / to fall
失去 shī qù, to lose
çš„ de, (possessive particle) / of
珍惜 zhēn xī, treasure / value / cherish
擁有 yōng yǒu, to have / to possess

忘掉失去的, 珍惜擁有的…
Forget your loses, Cherish what you possess…

~ Chinese Drama:步步惊心 Ep.18 quoted from the King.

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