Snapshots from El, Inc.

I'm all mushy and sentimental again. This time I miss my grandmothers and the rest of my family back home in good old Malaysia.

For those who are Chinese illiterate (like Joel the Xiang Jiao Ren ;p), here's the romanized and translated lyrics of the song. Enjoy!

Translation: Sighzzz - www.jay-chou.net (with some grammatical changes by Joel the Xiang Jiao Ren)

(verse 1)
今天是外婆生日 我换上复古西装
jin tian shi wai po sheng ri wo huan shang fu gu xi zhuang
Today is grandmother's birthday, I changed into an ancient western suit

载着外婆开着拉风的古董车兜兜风
zai zhe wai po kai zhe la feng de gu dong che dou dou feng
Driving grandmother around with my cool antique car

车里放着她的最爱 找回属于是她的时代
che li fang zhe ta de zui ai zhao hui shu yu shi ta de shi dai
In the car her favourite music is playing, brings back the years that belonged to her

往大稻埕码头开去把所有和外公的往事静静回忆
wang da dao cheng ma tou kai qu ba suo you he wai gong de wang shi jing jing hui yi
Driving towards Port Da Dao Cheng, quietly thinking about all those memories she had with grandfather

外婆她脸上的涟漪 美丽但藏不住压抑
wai po ta lian shang de lian yi mei li dan cang bu zhu ya yi
The ripples on grandmother's face are beautiful, yet could not hide stress/inhibition

失去了爱情只盼望亲情 弥补回应
shi qu le ai qing zhi pan wang qin qing mi bu hui ying
Love has left her but she only hopes for kinship to make up for it

大人们以为出门之前桌上放六佰就算是孝敬
da ren men yi wei chu men zhi qian zhuo shang fang liu bai jiu suan shi xiao jing
The adults thought they were filial just by putting $600 on the table before they left home

一天到晚拼了命 赚钱少了关怀有什么意义
yi tian dao wan pin le ming zhuan qian shao le guan huai you shen me yi yi
Their everyday lives are battles, but lack of concern makes earning money meaningless

(chorus)
外婆她的期待 慢慢变成无奈
wai po ta de qi dai man man bian cheng wu nai
Grandmother's anticipation slowly turns into resignation

大人们始终不明白 她要的是陪伴
da ren men shi zhong bu ming bai ta yao de shi pei ban
The adults don't seem to understand what grandmother needs is companionship

而不是六佰块 比你給的还简单
er bu shi liu bai kuai bi ni gei de hai jian dan
And not just $600, it's even simpler than what you gave

外婆她的无奈 无法变成期待
wai po ta de wu nai wu fa bian cheng qi dai
Grandmother's resignation is unable to turn hopeful

只有爱才能够明白 走在淡水河畔
zhi you ai cai neng gou ming bai zou zai dan shui he pan
Only through love you will understand, walking at the bay of freshwater lake

听着她的最爱 把温暖放回口袋
ting zhe ta de zui ai ba wen nuan fang hui kou dai
Listening to her favourite song, putting back warmth into her pocket

(verse 2)
记得去年外婆的生日 表哥带我和外婆参加
ji de qu nian wai po de sheng ri biao ge dai wo he wai po can jia
Still remember her birthday last year, cousin brought us two to the party

她最最重视的颁奖典礼 结果却拿不到半个奖
ta zui zui zhong shi de ban jiang dian li jie guo que na bu dao ban ge jiang
I'm unable to get any award in the ceremony she most values

不知该笑不笑 我对着镜头傻笑 只觉得自己可笑
bu zhi gai xiao bu xiao wo dui zhe jing tou sha xiao zhi jue de zi ji ke xiao
Don't know whether to laugh, I smiled meekly at the camera, thought myself as a joke

我难过 却不是因为没得奖而难过
wo nan guo que bu shi yin wei mei de jiang er nan guo
I'm sad, but not because of not getting any awards

我失落 是因为看到外婆失落而失落
wo shi luo shi yin wei kan dao wai po shi luo er shi luo
I'm depressed because my grandmother's depressed

大人们根本不能体会表哥他的用心
da ren men gen ben bu neng ti hui biao ge ta de yong xin
The adults don't understand cousin's intentions at all

好像随他们高兴就可以彻底的否定
hao xiang sui ta men gao xing jiu ke yi che di de fou ding
Seems like they can reject his work if they feel like it

否定 我的作品 决定在于心情
fou ding wo de zuo pin jue ding zai yu xin qing
Reject my work, depending on their mood

想坚持风格他们却觉得还欧颗 没惊喜没改变
xiang jian chi feng ge ta men que jue de hai ou ke mei jing xi mei gai bian
Wanted to remain my style but they feel it's outdated, unexciting and unusual

我已经听了三年 我告诉外婆
wo yi jing ting le san nian wo gao su wai po
I've heard that for three years, I told grandmother

我没输 不需要改变
wo mei shu wo bu xu yao gai bian
I did not lose, I don't need to change at all

表哥说不要觉得可惜 这只是一场游戏
biao ge shuo bu yao jue de ke xi zhe zhi shi yi chang you xi
Cousin said don't feel that a chance is wasted, it's only just a game

只要外婆觉得好听 那才是一种鼓励
zhi yao wai po jue de hao ting na cai shi yi zhong gu li
The biggest encouragement is only when grandmother thinks it's nice

外婆露出了笑容说她以我为荣
wai po lu chu le xiao rong shuo ta yi wo wei rong
Grandmother smiled and said she's proud of me

浅浅的笑容 就让我感到比得奖它还要光荣
qian qian de xiao rong jiu rang wo gan dao bi de jiang ta hai yao guang rong
Her weak weak smile is enough to make me feel prouder than getting an award

(ending)
外婆她的无奈 无法期待
wai po ta de wu nai wu fa qi dai
Grandmother's resignation is unable to turn hopeful

有爱才能够明白 走在河畔
you ai cai neng gou ming bai zou zai he pan
Only through love you'll understand. Walking by the riverside

听着最爱 把温暖放口袋
ting zhe zui ai ba wen nuan fang kou dai
Listening to her favourite song, put the warmth into her pocket