Dim Sum Diaries
Kids have recently taken to listening to a CD of 70s-ish Chinese pop music my Dad burned for me. I think it's great because they get exposed to Chinese language and culture. They really dig it...though Daughter has begun to ask what the lyrics mean. There is this one song by this guy who apparently was really famous, went up into the Himalayas to do a movie (?), was unaware of altitude sickness. He sucummbed (I guess) and as a result had brain damage...recently came back and did a concert wearing a jacket made entirely of plastic bags...very popular...etc etc etc. This is what Mom tells me.

Anyways, he has this song...which I don't know the name of...but is very catchy with a dog barking sound effect...which I will call "Dah-Gung-Jai".

Daughter wanted to know what that meant...and I...in my lame attempt to translate...told her it was about martial arts and dolls (like teenage mutant ninja turtles!!!)...my translation:

Dah: Hitting

Gung-Jai: Dolls

Oh how wrong I was. When I brought it up to my parents and told them what I thought it meant...after the initial moment of shocked silence...and the howling of laughter for several minutes...Dad was like, "Uh, not!" (Also have you noticed that in my world everyone talks with a Valley Girl accent?)

Apparently its a guy bemoaning his life as a worker and getting crappy pay and a jerk of a boss.

Dah Gung: Hitting/getting/going to work

Jai: Guy/man

Damn...I need to go to Chinese school again.