今天是冬季以来第一次到老港。一路开车过来,满目箫条,沿街商店、餐厅都紧紧地关着门,全无夏天的热闹景象。夏天最热闹的斜坡小广场上放了两排缠着红色彩灯的圣诞树，坡底残雪未尽，还有除雪车在铲雪。很容易找到了泊车位，我们就依着夏天的印象向应该繁华的地方走去。
进老港的地方立了个门坊，清楚地写着到月底的节目：“晚上七点：音乐会，乐队：Mauvais Sort。八点：Feu Sur la Glace，Fire on Ice焰火；八点十五：音乐会继续。”终于觉得有了些底气，于是继续向里走。下一个问题是：在哪里？拦住一位跑步的路人相问，结果“他的问题比你的还多。”（问完路后朋友的评语。）
虽然风不大，可是零下十几度的气温真不是闹着玩的。何况刚四点，距离音乐会还有三个小时，只好先到科技馆去避避再说。科技馆里很暖和，人也寥寥无几。在里面转了转，主要是锦锦在馆里的网站上玩了一会儿“犯罪现场”的游戏后，发现时间不合，没法看电影，遂在锦锦的强烈要求下去寻找溜冰场，也就是向来处去。
出来时天色已经全部暗了下来，行走的人看上去好象比来的时候多了些。远远看见一处有些晶莹漂亮的灯火，锦锦突然叫道：
“我知道了，溜冰场就是我们划船的地方！”
果然，我们夏天划过船的小河湾已经冻得结结实实，不过溜冰场是在她开过遥控船的小湖上，没有一个人，只有推平场地的工作车在工作。还没等我们注意，忽然之间冰场上全是人，伴着欢快的音乐快乐地转圈。
锦锦迫不及待地下了场，小心翼翼地扶着边走，看起来很辛苦。等到我下场时才发现租的冰刀比看起来的样子更糟。不但冰刀好象不在一条直线上，而且很钝，用力非常难，遇到刀痕就想向前甩人，闹得我狼狈地趔趄着向前走，基本上是小碎步的调子。还没滑半圈，听到一声哨响，我们不知道是什么，还继续向前走，刚超过我们的一对情侣就已经转过身来，还冲我们打了个转回头的手势，原来该调头了。两个人就这么挣扎着转了大半圈，锦锦大概很累了（我换鞋时丫头摔了一跤），顺势坐在边上的围栏上，还招呼我“妈妈快来休息一下儿。”这时大概是一直紧绷着的弦松了下来，居然重心向后移，结实地摔了个屁墩儿，疼得我恨不得流眼泪。
一圈下来，女儿就不行了，嚷嚷着要上去。因为心疼花的钱，连忙劝孩子多滑一滑，起码把钱给滑回来（门票加租冰刀花了我二十几刀，整个儿一个吝啬老妈形象）。磕磕碰碰地滑了几圈后终于来了点感觉，又一圈下来，锦锦高兴地说“这圈我都没停就过来了！”又一圈，又一圈，好象单脚滑的距离又长了一些…
看到有小孩推着Cone助滑，妞也拿了一个，果然好了许多。第二圈就劝我也拿了一个，象第三只脚的感觉，而且重心全部前倾，倒是省力。可就是太矮，弯腰太多不好用力。终于在半小时后我们都筋疲力尽，妞不顾我的暗示，一力要把鞋都还了。（中间有个小插曲：妞在我换鞋时捡到一把锁，于是我们就用来装鞋。用完后她还是坚持还了。Good!）
在玻璃餐厅里草草喝了个汤做晚餐，终于捱到七点，到了盼望已久的音乐会时间，我们就跟着人流跨过小桥，看清楚早些时看到的火堆原来是用来做烧烤…巨型Marshmallow用的。Tellus的促销员卖力地招呼每一个人，递上穿着糖果的细长树枝。大喜，接过树枝就在火上烤起来。人要快乐其实可以很简单，一个烤得焦糊的Marshmallow就能让那么多人喜笑颜开。依女儿的性格，一个肯定不够，于是就有了第二个。我在旁边忙着照相，把这个快乐的时段记录下来。
Bar d'Hier，冬季酒吧, 建得象个Igloo，冰洞。门口就有小女生卖热樱桃啤酒，四刀一杯，好象不贵，交完钱才发现是一个小小的纸杯。好吧，反正除了热以外，也没什么特别。因为女儿明显不满十八，我们被请出了酒吧，直接去看音乐会。
四个乐手各司一种乐器，非常卖力地在台上又唱又动，下面的气氛带动得也不错，很多人跟着哼哼。虽然因为法语的关系听得不明白，不过照样跟着又蹦又跳，否则早就冻得不行了。显然除了蹦跳之外音乐会没有旁边的小雪堆更吸引女儿，所以她很快就转移注意力，爬到雪堆上赖着不肯起来。小孩子自然都很相似，看到几个小男孩爬树，女儿也想去试，结果直接倒摔下来，幸亏有人接着，才没摔个仰八叉。
跟着音乐不停地跳，权当跳健美操（挺累的！）。一曲终了，终于听到乐手们宣布中场休息，赶紧又根据想象去占据看焰火的最佳地点，河边。扩音器里又传来要放焰火的广播，溜冰场上的人也都停了下来，居然密密麻麻地全是人。
焰火开始，居然是配了乐的（锦锦：是音乐配了焰火），非常新奇。开头过后，响起的竟是We Are Walking in the Air，女声悠扬，带着星星点点的焰火，异样的美丽。再后来的音乐虽然不熟，但是与焰火十分契合，仿佛就是为彼此而生，我们都陶醉了。等到河岸上被一片焰火照得通明透亮时我才省起来去拿相机拍照。
所有焰火的结束都是漫天火花，十分壮观。十五分钟结束后，人们异常兴奋，又一轮的活动和买醉开始了。这次，虽然有人退场（诸如我们），每一个离开的人都有两个来人补充，整个小岛（应该是码头）热闹非凡，一扫白天的萧条景象。
这个暴风雪前的周六，过得极为充实。
Monday, April 7, 2008
Nutcracker
看了一场胡桃夹子。不同的编舞差距很大,不说很多动作流于简单,跟音乐配合不契合,单单漏了两场最精彩的舞 - Candy Cane和Poly (Gingerbread Mother)就很倒胃口。换下来一场哥萨克舞还勉强可以应景, Poly的就莫名其妙,一个老男人带了三只小白羊,中间有只黑羊插科打诨,让人莫名地想起刘晓慧。要说有什么可取之处,只有服装和布景设计了。偏偏小老鼠的很简陋,就是加条尾巴,极其可憎,也难怪孩子一直嚷嚷比美国差。却原来,一开始就遇上了最好的,自己不明白罢了。
2005-12-30 Munich - A compelling movie I have to write a review
Jews are known for many qualities, good or bad: greedy, treacherous, miserly, just to name a few. Interestingly Jews share a lot of similar values with Chinese. A Jewish friend of mine once joked that of all those who go to college, half are Asians (of course majority are Chinese) and another half Jews.
Munich however, adds one quality that Chinese may not share: vengeance. 1972’s Munich abounded athletes from all over the world to compete in the Olympic Games. Among them were the eleven unfortunate Israelis kidnapped and butchered by PLO.
The famous Mossad set to work, assigning assassins to hunt down the eleven murderers. One by one they picked off the targets. While they were targeting their victims (or were they really), they became the targets themselves by various organizations, KGB, CIA and PLO by all means. The group members were picked off one by one.
Based on a true story read like a novel (Amazon review), the movie focused more in depth on individual humans affected. Avner the leader of the group, moved to New York after the mission. He could not get rid of the feeling that he was followed or watched. The fear inside him mounted deeper and deeper. He could not sleep at night. Even when he was making love with his wife his mind was so far away at the airport where all the hostages were slaughtered (another event where PLO kidnapped travelers at the Tel Aviv airport and killed all the hostages).
Another team member Hans amassed all his dynamite and invented a powerful bomb to blast himself away (what a shortcut to heaven). Poor guy, he felt what he was doing contradicted with what he believed in. May he find peace.
Such is the revenge. The aftermath of the sweet sensation is, you can’t trust anything. Avner cut down his mattress, broke his television set and his telephone to check for bombs where they’d placed to kill others. Eventually he slept in the closet (may he feel safer there).
Conflicts are throughout the movie like in the middle east for thousands of years.
PS: The world doesn't seem to be in peace any more than it was back then. With Hamaas rising to power in Palestine so heightens the terror that once dominated lives of Israelis and the world. Middle East, a land full of sorrow.
Munich however, adds one quality that Chinese may not share: vengeance. 1972’s Munich abounded athletes from all over the world to compete in the Olympic Games. Among them were the eleven unfortunate Israelis kidnapped and butchered by PLO.
The famous Mossad set to work, assigning assassins to hunt down the eleven murderers. One by one they picked off the targets. While they were targeting their victims (or were they really), they became the targets themselves by various organizations, KGB, CIA and PLO by all means. The group members were picked off one by one.
Based on a true story read like a novel (Amazon review), the movie focused more in depth on individual humans affected. Avner the leader of the group, moved to New York after the mission. He could not get rid of the feeling that he was followed or watched. The fear inside him mounted deeper and deeper. He could not sleep at night. Even when he was making love with his wife his mind was so far away at the airport where all the hostages were slaughtered (another event where PLO kidnapped travelers at the Tel Aviv airport and killed all the hostages).
Another team member Hans amassed all his dynamite and invented a powerful bomb to blast himself away (what a shortcut to heaven). Poor guy, he felt what he was doing contradicted with what he believed in. May he find peace.
Such is the revenge. The aftermath of the sweet sensation is, you can’t trust anything. Avner cut down his mattress, broke his television set and his telephone to check for bombs where they’d placed to kill others. Eventually he slept in the closet (may he feel safer there).
Conflicts are throughout the movie like in the middle east for thousands of years.
PS: The world doesn't seem to be in peace any more than it was back then. With Hamaas rising to power in Palestine so heightens the terror that once dominated lives of Israelis and the world. Middle East, a land full of sorrow.
2005-12-14 Santa Claus is Coming to Town
So you'd better be prepared: shopping, holiday lights, vacation planning... My Xmas tree was toppled over the other night and a couple ornaments broke. Well, seems to be sui sui ping an sign. Santa descended from the tallest building in town two Sundays ago. Santa needed some companions too, so he not only had the red nose Rudolf, Mrs Santa, a nice elf, but an evil elf as well (not sure what the evil elf was after, seemed he was trying to stop Santa. Perhaps he wanted all the toys for himself).
Obviously he couldn't possibly succeed. My daughter will get her gifts as usual although her preference has changed over the course of the year. Now she wants iPod and cellphone on top of millions of other novelties. Gone are the old day favorites that cost average 10 per item. Now she means business. (Still too young, right?)
We had a snow storm last Friday which screwed my dream to stop by the Oyster Bar at the Grand Central. Long time. That was the kind of the price I've paid having my kid. Instead of enjoy myself over the yummiiieee oysters from different locations (like the Virginia Bay's best), had to hurry up to be a nice backstage mom for daughter's Nutcraker show. By the end of the day my ears are full of the Nutcracker music that my dreams were somehow filled with them. When I turn on the radio on the way back home the unending Christmas carols again remind you of the fact “there is no escape of time. Holiday season, here I come!”
Obviously he couldn't possibly succeed. My daughter will get her gifts as usual although her preference has changed over the course of the year. Now she wants iPod and cellphone on top of millions of other novelties. Gone are the old day favorites that cost average 10 per item. Now she means business. (Still too young, right?)
We had a snow storm last Friday which screwed my dream to stop by the Oyster Bar at the Grand Central. Long time. That was the kind of the price I've paid having my kid. Instead of enjoy myself over the yummiiieee oysters from different locations (like the Virginia Bay's best), had to hurry up to be a nice backstage mom for daughter's Nutcraker show. By the end of the day my ears are full of the Nutcracker music that my dreams were somehow filled with them. When I turn on the radio on the way back home the unending Christmas carols again remind you of the fact “there is no escape of time. Holiday season, here I come!”
2005-12-05 Babe
三年前刚与女儿重逢时，女儿扎着满头小辫儿，小脸神采飞扬。
一出门一定不肯走路，要“妈妈抱！”
抱在身上时还不停地叭哒小嘴儿，特别可爱。有时候故意逗她：“你是谁啊？”
“宝贝儿！”
“谁是宝贝儿啊？”
“锦锦！”
“谁是锦锦啊？”
“佳璇！”
“谁是佳璇啊？”
“宝贝儿！”
那神情，是世界上最幸福的妈妈企盼的。
一出门一定不肯走路，要“妈妈抱！”
抱在身上时还不停地叭哒小嘴儿，特别可爱。有时候故意逗她：“你是谁啊？”
“宝贝儿！”
“谁是宝贝儿啊？”
“锦锦！”
“谁是锦锦啊？”
“佳璇！”
“谁是佳璇啊？”
“宝贝儿！”
那神情，是世界上最幸福的妈妈企盼的。
005-06-28 Summer Craze
Summer is here. This summer I have a very special, mixed feeling about it. Above all, the summer has come unannounced. The spring was literally nonexistent other than the annoying allergy part. The late June suddenly turned into a heating pot and drove people outdoor. All of a sudden my weekends are filled in all the way to the end of July. Those activities I've done before started creeping into my way and I found myself so busy preparing for all sorts of weekend trips. Even if I wasn't planning on going anywhere we ended up coming home from the park after dark exhausted of playing soccer and volleyball on Sunday (which is very unusual to me considering my daughter's schedule).
What can I say... Summer is here. This year I have the feeling being crazy playing as if there's no tomorrow. What I felt in Montreal a couple of years ago now comes into me. I feel the flames in me.
What can I say... Summer is here. This year I have the feeling being crazy playing as if there's no tomorrow. What I felt in Montreal a couple of years ago now comes into me. I feel the flames in me.
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