Tuesday 28 June 2011

Song: Que Sera Sera -- Doris Day & Carry On Till Tomorrow -- Badfinger



Two old songs I want to introduce to you today, a busy day.

The first one came to my mind after I was asked what will the future be. Presenting classic Doris Day's Que Sera Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) (1956)



Lyrics:

When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother, what will I be
Will I be pretty, will I be rich
Here's what she said to me.


Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be.


When I was young, I fell in love
I asked my sweetheart what lies ahead
Will we have rainbows, day after day
Here's what my sweetheart said.


Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be.


Now I have children of my own
They ask their mother, what will I be
Will I be handsome, will I be rich
I tell them tenderly.


Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be.

As most people will guess, "Que Sera Sera" naturally means "What ever will be, will be", but the fact is not as simple.

According to Wikipedia, it happened that one day the composer of this song watched a 1954 film and saw an Italian motto of  the family in the film "Che sarĂ  sarĂ " and took it to be the song title. Then the lyricist of the song changed it to Spanish "Que Sera Sera" (without the accent mark) because the language is more popular. However, what might be intriguingly coincidental is that

""Que sera sera" (with this evidently Spanish-based spelling, but no accent marks) appears as the motto on an English family coat of arms described in William Bartlett's 1865 history of the parish of Wimbledon."[1]

**************************************************

The second one was introduced by my uncle after he knew that I was feeling down.He told me not to be trapped in the past and move forward, Carry On Till Tomorrow by Badfinger (1969-1970), a group which got their name after being picked up by The Beatles' Apple label in 1968.[2]

Therefore, you might feel that their songs resemble the style of The Beatles.


Lyrics:



In younger days, I told myself my life would be my own
And I'd leave the place where sunshine never shone
For my life's too short for waiting when I see the rising sun
Then I know again that I must carry on


Carry on till tomorow, there's no reason to look back
Carry on, carry on, carry on


Beyond the shadows of the clouds and onward to the sky
Carry on till I find the rainbow's end
For my life's too short for waiting when I see the rising sun
Then I know again that I must carry on


Carry on till tomorow, there's no reason to look back
Carry on, carry on, carry on


Drifting on the wings of freedom, leave this stormy day
And we'll ride to tomorrow's golden fields
For my life's too short for waiting when I see the rising sun
Then I know again that I must carry on


Carry on, carry on, carry on


And when the heavy journey's done, I'll rest my weary head
For the world and it's colours will be mine
For my life's too short for waiting when I see the setting sun
Then I know again that I must carry on


Carry on till tomorow, there's no reason to look back
Carry on, carry on, carry on


Hope you can find strengths from these songs too!

Vocabulary:
intriguingly -- (adv) very interesting because of being unusual or mysterious
coincidental -- (adj) an occasion when two or more similar things happen at the same time, especially in a way that is unlikely and surprising
resemble -- (vb) [T] to look like or be like someone or something



Resources:
Doris Day -- Que Sera Sera @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZbKHDPPrrc

[1] Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Que_Sera,_Sera_(Whatever_Will_Be,_Will_Be)#Language_in_title_and_lyrics

Doris Day -- Que Sera Sera lyrics @ LyricZZ.com
http://www.lyriczz.com/lyrics/doris-day/12960-que-sera-sera/

Carry On Till Tomorrow - Badfinger - Magic Christian Music @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC24GI9V_Cs

Carry On Till Tomorrow - Badfinger @ Oldielyrics
http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/badfinger/carry_on_till_tomorrow.html

[2] Badfinger @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badfinger

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/intriguing?q=intriguingly
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/coincidental?q=coincidental+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/coincidence?q=coincidence
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/resemble?q=resemble+

Technology: ReadyBoost for Windows 7 and XP



ReadyBoost for Windows 7 has been talked about for many years. At the users' level, what you need to know is that if you have unwanted USB flash drives or any other unused memory sticks, you can simply plug it in while you are running Windows 7, when a box appear you click the ReadyBoost tab and then assign the amount of space you want the computer to use as RAM. This can keep your computer fast when more RAM is needed, which is pretty cool! (More information here)

Image from compufix castle dermot
Windows 7 allow up to 256 Gb, so if you have unwanted USB drives, don't throw them away!!!

But how about Windows XP? Can we do the same on XP? This is not a new thing, since Windows XP is phasing out. but not too many people will care to find out how. I was curious, and this is what I learnt.


If you want a readable version of the instructions, click here, or read it below:


First insert a flash drive
Open up the Control Panel.
Go to "System."
Choose the advanced Tab.
In the Performances section, click on "Settings."
Choose the advanced tab there.
In the "Virtual Memory" Section, press "Change."
Select the letter corresponding to your flash drive. (Hint: It's not C.) You can let the system manage the size or customize the amount of space that you want used as virtual memory. I'm not going to use this flash drive for anything else, so I'll let the system manage it.
Make sure to Press Set once you've made your choice.
Press OK, and the changes will take effect.
Then restart your computer.
And now you have a little extra memory at no additional cost.

If you have multiple hard drives, you can similarly choose the hard drive in the last step instead of the USB Flash drive, and then restart the computer! That can also speed up your system!


Resources:
ReadyBoost @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReadyBoost

Use a flash drive as memory in Windows XP @CNet
http://cnettv.cnet.com/8301-13415_53-10121584-11.html

ReadyBoost @ Microsoft
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/features/readyboost