I don't comprehend...

Thanks to a boy who keeps singing "If I were a boy" to me every few days, I had switched from listening to English language radio stations to a Cantonese dialect radio. I truly agree with Andrew's opinion about local radio stations. They may broadcast 24/7 but they only play 10 songs a day. "If I were a boy" is definitely one of the 10 songs they play.

I notice Cantonese channel tends to be more generous in their exploration of music. They play English songs, Thai and even Japanese music.

As I was driving and listening to the radio this morning, I heard a nice tune from Lee Hom, his voice is so recognizable mainly because he sings with an English accent.

And then there was a song by Eason Chan. I was taken back by the nice music in Chinese songs and I can be in sync with the tune but not the meaning. No matter how I pay attention to the songs, I feel like I'm a Chinese from another planet. I do not understand the language and the meaning of its words. I can only hear beautiful music.

I feel handicap at my inability to comprehend.

I speak Chinese only at a conversational level. There were many times when I don't remember what garlic is called in Cantonese. There were times when I tried to explain what I studied in uni and what English literature is about. Yet, I do not have that kind of vocabulary in Chinese to say what I know in English.

I feel illiterate, like I've never been to school. I always got a feeling that if I could study Chinese literature, I would do it as well as I do for English literature.

I just need to get rid of the handicap feeling first.