Lion Heart

If you think the content of this article has to do with King Richard I and his famous crusades, then I'm sorry to disappoint you. I'm not an avid student of history, though I scored an 'A' for this subject in my junior high school years.

So what is it all about? Well, to begin with, it's a song (and a Japanese one too) by a group called SMAP which hit the top chart when it was released in 2000, and further popularized when one of the group member, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, starred in a TV series Food Fight which has this song at it's ending. That's where I heard it for the first time and thought it was quite a nice song, though I didn't think of buying the album for keepsake.

It was not until five years later (which is really only recently) during one of those pressurizing moments of work, that the music of this song suddenly just started playing in my head, I thought to myself, "Hey, I need to learn this song." And you know what? It took me just three weeks to be able to sing it by heart; not the shortest time record though (that'll have to be Teresa Teng's japanese rendition of the chinese song I Only Cared About You, which took me two weeks).

The lyrics of the beginning stanza is really nice (don't worry, I'll put it in English for all you readers):

You're always my medicine box

How do you heal me?

Laughing beside me, look at that smile

And when you cry, tears really do fall.

Call me sentimental, but I think these are the simple little things that makes life bearable and worthwhile, because they are more than words could describe, or wealth could obtain. Sometimes in our bid to secure a better future, we lose something more precious in the process; and the saddest part is we may not even realize it until it is too late. Perhaps it is good to once a while take stock of our lives, and see if we have neglected those who are dear to us, whose simple expressions of care and concern are the daily showers and sunshine of our souls, and learn to appreciate such unreserved kindness which enables us to love in return.

Yes, it takes courage to love. It takes a Lion Heart (pronounced Raion HAATO in japanese).