"Dance Me to the End of Love" from Leodard Cohen, a Canadian folk singer famous for his poetic lyrics and deeply man voice. I prefer this live version to the original version in "Various Positions". There is deeper melancholy.

Forgot to say, it's a cartoon movie. If you are too "mature", don't waste time on it :)

//The Book of 2005: Shen Congwen / "Collection of Essays on West Hunan " (Xiang Xing San Ji)

Before reading this album, I had doubted whether Shen deserved the title as a literary master because "Border Town"(Bian Cheng), one of his most well-known works, did't seem so attractive to me. After reading this book, however, I can't agree more that Shen was definitely as great as Lu Xun and Eileen Chang. In Lu's work, China at that time was like a hell that was frozen and burning at the same time, but in Shen's work, many people in the hell still had a common and colorful life, which sometimes maybe depressing, too. Besides, in my opinion, it is not a collection of essays but more like a collection of short stories about lengendary figures.

//The Soap Opera of 2005: "Desperate Housewives"

Actually, I watched only two soap operas last year (the other one is a Hong Kong-made one). It's not because I had no time to spend watching them but many soap operas, especially domestic ones, are not worth it. So "Desperate Housewives" became a big surprise to me. It is not just a story about four middle-class(?) women and their dramatic family life, but more like a  kaleidoscope which reflects every dark corner of human nature. And you can hardly find any good guy in it, so it's a bad thing to share with your family. If God had watched the opera, maybe he would have gone mad and desperate as well, heyhey. In this year, I'm gonna watch more American soap operas.

P.S. It is a good material for listening training.

//The Music of 2005: Post Punk of Late 70's and 80's

I happened to enter a virtual community called Huabianxia in October and soon began to upload MP3s for sharing. And in last months, I heard much Post Punk music, which has actually been my favorite music for a long time.

Inheriting the pioneering spirit and musical approaches from Punk, Krautrock and other bands such as the Velvet Underground, Post Punk itself has had a great influence on almost every genre of Rock Music since late 70'. Most of their music still sounds fresh, even compared with their followers' today. I can remember I was nearly crazy when I first heard PIL's "Fodderstompf". Besides the big shots, like Joy Division and the Cure, there are many other Post Punk bands whose sound are not widespread but also very important. Some of them are even greater than prestigious ones. For instance, you can't imagine the Birthday Party without the Pop Group, and you will surely learn Robin Guthrie, the guitarist of Cocteau Twins, is not such a genius after listening to the Durutti Column.

//The Snack of 2005: Softheart (Xin Tai Ruan)

Well, it's not about the silly pop song. It's a fried dessert served in hot pot restaurants all over Sichuan. Some friends of mine think it's too greasy and sweet. But I think it's ok because to me, it's a food, and also, more or less, a memento.

//The Record of 2005: "Tatming Pair From Beginning"

Nine years ago, it was my daydream to own a set of Tatming' complete work. And now it has come true. I had thought I would be very excited at the moment I got it, but I was not as supposed. Maybe it's because I had waited a little bit long.

//The Movies of 2005: Edward Yang's "A Brighter Summer Day", "Couples" and "A One and A Two" (Yang Dechang / Gu Ling Jie Shao Nian Sha Ren Shi Jian / Ma Jiang / Yi Yi)

Compared with Hou Hsiao-Hsien, another outstanding Taiwanese auteur, I prefer Edward Yang. It's because I'm not that old:) Hou likes to look back, while Yang focuses on what is happening; Hou moves between national history and countryside in memory, whereas Yang stays nearby in the city. When watching the movies by Yang, I can feel great passion and devotion underneath the calm surface, which Hou's work lacks at most time. I often say that I'm mentally old, but I'm obviously not when Xiao Si stabs Xiao Ming with his knife for a thousand times.

//The Sports of 2005: Walking

Yeah, walk, I'm a walkman:)

//The Entertainment of 2005

Most Chinese will say without thinking, "Supervoice Girl", I believe. But I'll choose another one, Chen Yi Incident(if you have a lot of time to kill, go find it in www.tianya.cn). It is a tragedy, a comedy, a detective story, a thriller,  a melodrama and a farce(no action and science fiction, haha). Less audience but more entertaining.

//The Happiness of 2005

I think the best happiness I got last year is, is ... sorry, I can't remember.

//The Icon of 2005

Em, Lee Young Ah (Li Ying Ai, what an awful English name). You're right, my icons are all belles:)

//The One of 2005

You know it.

As an English major, I wrote no more, or even much less, than 10,000 words in English during my four-year college life. Oh, my Dog! (special thanx to Hu Mage for inventing such a phrase) What a shame!:) So you can tell what a fucking poor English writer I am now. And it's time to restart.

Every morning when I open my eyes, I say to myself, "You guy should be a new one from now on." And ten minutes later I'll forget it completely. But this time I do hope I will keep on it as long as possible.

It's time to change. (Well, just wait ten minutes:)