my first Christmas gift

It's so cute, especially the purple color and the fatty snowmen.
Although I don't have my own Christmas tree, I will put it on my table where I can easily see it.

extra dark chocolate

Scharffen Berger's 99% dark chocolate,
use the 70% one to be the control......

















Ghirardelli's 100% dark chocolate.

















For baking, dipping, or just plain eating!
Not only Taiwanese will eat 99% chocolate but also American will?

grieving for my love

December 10 in Taiwan












(high resolution photos:
http://p1.p.pixnet.net/albums/userpics/1/9/250919/1165688174.jpg)

The power of death from Yoshiki Hayashi

If you ever watched a piano or drum solo of Yoshiki in any concert, you would find that along his powerful and touching music, he showed much more passions and pain. When he was ten years old, his father committed suicide because of some financial problems. This tragedy became a trauma deeply inside his mind and made him devote to music. Especially by beating a drum, he was trying so hard to release his emotion of losing the love.

However, the destiny never went smoothly for him, Taiji, the bass guitar player of his band, departed from the band in 1992. Yoshiki was very sad during their last concert with Taiji and he almost cried in front of his piano. This miserable experience came once again in 1996. Toshi, the main vocalist of X Japan and both the longest-known friend of Yoshiki from their childhood, announced that he was leaving the band, and then, in December 31, 1997, Yoshiki leaded X Japan to perform “The Last Live” concert in Tokyo Dome. As the name of the concert, departure of Toshi resulted in dissolving of X Japan. Yoshiki’s heart was wholly broken. He not only destroyed his drum set, but also wept a lot at the night. His hand was bleeding after his piano accompaniment of the song “Crucify My Love”, but the sorrow was much stronger than the physical suffering.

Since the last exit of life for Yoshiki had gone, Yoshiki was completely thrown into a world without love. He didn’t have the ability to blame Toshi, but otherwise he struggled through the conflict between his depression and enthusiasm. Suddenly, Hide, Hideto Matsumoto, the guitarist of X Japan, was found strangled by a towel hanging from a doorknob and passed away on May 2, 1998. There was no hope to reform X Japan and no chance to see his old partner again. Yoshiki vowed that he would never play drum. The most famous ballad of X Japan “Forever Love” was performed in Hide’s funeral, and Yoshiki showed a speechless countenance when the ritual was going. As the time went by, Yoshiki still couldn’t recover from Hide’s death. In order to pay the last tribute to Hide, He composed a music called “Without You” which was so beautiful that hurt.

The separation of life and death continues surrounding around Yoshiki. That’s why his music is always full of the power which can comfort the soul.

For my lovely dog, 2006, in New York

PV of Crucify My Love

windy night

The weather was unexpectedly warm yesterday. However, after a short and rush rain, it was getting cold and the wind started to blow. The shutters on my windows were ringing. Sometimes, I would wake up by the sounds of them in the early morning. I spend several seconds gazing at them unconsciously, maybe, and then fell asleep again. At the moment I opening my eyes, I was really curious about what coming to my mind.

夜風叮鈴，雖然有些倦了，卻又執戀午夜十分那種稀疏的氣息。偶爾一個人走過幾十條街，尋覓一股身在異鄉的滋味，路人與風同行而過，那是種清新的感受，就像夜一般灑脫、自在，又帶點詩情畫意的憂鬱。定神一看，超市外頭擺滿了五顏六色的鮮花，一旁襯著幾攤秋末冬初的水果，人行道寬敞而看不到機車停放，轉眼間耶誕的腳步逼近，截下來的常綠木整排守候在路邊，燈飾與花圈逐漸爬上城市的衣著，這是無可救藥的孤獨與浪漫。

amethyst

Amethyst by Violet UK
lyric/song: Yoshiki

The melody of this song was originally composed in the period when Yoshiki was in X Japan. In the beginning, It appeared without any lyric or the voice of a singer. It was used to be the background music in every concert of X Japan and the members of X Japan would be introduced during the performance of this melody.

After dissolving of X Japan, Yoshiki falled into a pessimistic mood and was unable to touch any information related to X Japan including their songs or films. Two years passed, and Yoshiki was encouraged by millions of his fans through their mails, activities of memory or other kinds of support. Yoshiki started to know that he was not alone. There were peoples around the world who shared the same pain and grief as what he had. Hence he went back to the stage of music again.

Recently, he was working on formation of a new band, Violet UK (UK is the abbreviation of "Underground Kingdom"). Although there isn't any album released by Violet UK now, it is believed that huge amount of songs have been recorded or under recording. Amethyst is rewrited to match this new band and released secretly inside the last classic album of Yoshiki, Eternal Melody II.

As the clip shown above, Amethyst comes along with the memory of X Japan. It composes of lots scenes from the live performance of X Japan and is the way which fans show their tributes to the most incredible band in the history.

lyric of this song

You are only a whisper away
But I can't touch your heart
If the words aren't enough to bet your soul
I'll give you the moon
You are always shining sun or rain
Like a violet stone
I Close my eyes but you never fade
But you never disappear

I feel alone
Can you see me standing on the verge of blue?
I'll be watching all the stars till they are gone
Should I know nothing could make me miss you less?

Oh, I've been waiting for you
To tell me what is love
I don't know how to be loved
How to be by your side

Morning light shines in my room
I'm holding dreams of you
It may take no less than this pain
But I can't stop loving you

Feel my heart
You have never known that you have all of me
Every time I see you I am falling in love
I can live or I can't live without you

Oh I've been waiting for you
To tell me what is love
I don't know how to be loved
How to be by your side

Morning light shines in my room
I'm holding dreams of you
It may take no less than my life
But I can't stop loving you