give some, take some; win some, lose some

[in_transit]

another old song playing on the radio heard on a cab ride out last night. i've always liked lin zhixuan's songs, but somehow these liang wenfu lyrics struck me in light of recent incidents. as you can tell by this third successive entry devoted to the recent string of occurrences, i wasn't lying when i said they were weighing heavily on my mind, heh.

i translated some small parts of the chinese lyrics for a friend who was urging me to reach higher and further and strive for more and better this year. this also came after it was made known to me last night that apparently imperial college and other top global health institutions have been referring to some of my work and sharing them with plenty of praise (both utterly shocking and extremely flattering). it's not that i won't try to do any better, of course; i just want to consciously refuse to let that 占据我一生. so, pasting the translation here just for remembrance's sake.

"
遗憾凝成焦点　嘿　它占据你的眼 真实的画面　你让它推远
basically don't let regrets become the focus of your life, obscuring your view of the real life playing out in front of you and letting it pass you by.
生命它给你一些　不给一些 这些那些　自己才是考验
life gives some, takes some; the true challenge lies in overcoming yourself (i.e. managing your own insatiable desires and learning contentment).
得与失都有祝福隐藏的脸 你还在等待永恒的容颜 我愿在每个平凡刹那里面　握住无限
wins and losses all come with their own hidden blessings. as you wait out a glimpse of your future coming into fruition, i'd rather grasp the unlimited potential of every commonplace occurrence in my present.
"

i'm sure a trained translator would be able to come up with a far more poetic interpretation of that, lol. but practising contentment, that'll suffice for me. in the light of all the people around me, my generation, getting heart attacks, battling cancer, going crazy and whatnot, i really want to learn to cherish life and make the best of it, paying attention to the people and things that truly matter and letting go of those that don't.

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the full lyrics in chinese:
你时常看见　嘿　自己的微笑　挂在另一个人的嘴边
车窗外的风景　嘿　幻想中绵延　自己的倒影视而不见
你时常挥手　嘿　这漫长旅途中　像和无数自己说再见
遗憾凝成焦点　嘿　它占据你的眼
真实的画面　你让它推远

生命它给你一些　不给一些
这些那些　自己才是考验
你在念著天边那座花园
我愿笑对眼前的莲
得与失都有祝福隐藏的脸
你还在等待永恒的容颜
我愿在每个平凡刹那里面　握住无限