Very Cool Christmas Light Show 1 - 高科技聖誕裝飾燈秀(1) - 酷!!

每逢聖誕節前，大部份美國人都會把家裡或戶外裝飾得漂漂亮亮的，來迎接佳節，近幾年來，更有人絞盡腦汁，利用高科技，配合廣播電台的音樂，創造一些聖誕裝飾燈秀，非常有意思，很吸引人!!

您若按下面的播放鍵，就可欣賞到我所說的高科技聖誕裝飾燈秀了。Enjoy!!



(出處 ﹣http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szLmAPW39uE&feature=related)

家母的“美亞老人中心“

"家母約於二十年前，六十餘歲時，開始到美亞老人中心學習英文，重溫做學生的舊夢，這是她感念那些老師的付出，寫的一篇文章，登載於2009年9月的石氏基金會季刊。“

美亞老人中心
李迪吾

我們這群八、九十歲的老人，由公教機關退休後賦閒家中，從臺灣及大陸移民來美。

近廿餘年來，移民美國的華人老者，大都是隨兒女遷來，為生活所需，都需有美國公民的條件。由於考公民必須用英文，因此當我們在六、七十歲時，大家都陸續進入了美亞老人中心(AACI) 的英文補習班，惡補英文近二、三年之久。上天的照顧，大多數的同學與我一樣，都是一次通過，有了公民後就不用愁醫藥及生活問題了。也就在生活無憂無慮之餘，又再回到了美亞來加強英文，更可順便打打乒乓球和聊天，至今已有十二、三年之久。日子真快得可怕!

在美亞十幾年以來，教過我們的老師有八、九位之多。他們是完全義務並只有少得不能再少的車馬費。可是他們的教學精神，無人可比。

在2006年，又換了三位五十不到的少壯派。其中一位李姓女老師，她用音標開教，在一小時的發音時間裡，用標準的韋氏發音讓我們跟著讀，聲音振動整個教室，讓我們如同回到了幼年時代。回想起來，可笑又可悲，真是時光如流水，一去不復返。一眨眼，年到八、九十啊!

第二位施老師，年不過四十五，他教英文文法及英文短詩，並另加一首英文歌。在他教唱之時，他的歌聲有些幽怨，但歌藝不在時下一班歌手之下，且對我們有提神作用，每堂課下來，好像年青了許多。

最辛苦、費神、費時的陳老師，每週上課二天，準備的教材十分充足。同時他看準了我們這些「懶」、沒有回家作習題的習慣，所以每堂課都有考題，讓我們當場練習和考試，同時全場來回的指導。在似考非考的做完作業後，老師再加上一段笑話，讓緊張的氣氛瞬間煙消雲散，真是特殊教學方法。

在美亞中心裡，還有二位服務人員，對人既親切又週到。但更讓我們流戀的是那二張乒乓球桌，每日不到上課時間，乒乓球的聲音是不絕於耳。身體因而更健康，心情又愉快，真是有點流連忘返。◎


(出處 : 2007/09 石氏基金會季刊 第22期 第9頁)

Twelve Days of Christmas

Twelve Days of Christmas

12 Days of Christmas is a famous Christmas song, sung by the famous singer, Lee Greenwood. In the following lines are the lyrics of the song 'Twelve Days of Christmas'.

On the first day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
A partridge in a pear tree

On the second day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Two turtledoves,
And a partridge in a pear tree

On the third day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Three French hens,
Two turtledoves,
And a partridge in a pear tree

On the fourth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtledoves,
And a partridge in a pear tree

On the fifth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtledoves,
And a partridge in a pear tree

On the sixth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtledoves,
And a partridge in a pear tree

On the seventh day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtledoves,
And a partridge in a pear tree

On the eighth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtledoves,
And a partridge in a pear tree

On the ninth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtledoves,
And a partridge in a pear tree

On the tenth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtledoves,
And a partridge in a pear tree

On the eleventh day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtledoves,
And a partridge in a pear tree

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Twelve drummers drumming,
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtledoves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

(出處 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8Jbi-BBp3c)

American Pie - Don McLean

這首American Pie，是Don McLean 另一首還不錯的創作，道出他對在1959年三位飛機失事的歌唱團體 Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. Richardson Jr. (The Big Bopper) 的悼念，和表達出二十世紀嬉皮時代，美國當年時代的脈博，年輕一代的熱情和迷惘，節奏輕快，其中有一些歌壇傳奇人物的珍貴鏡頭，如Bob Dylan, Beatles (披頭四), John Lennon, Elvis Presley (貓王) 等, 但整首歌長達八分半鐘，您若有興趣和耐心，可用上面YouTube 連結欣賞這首Don McLean 唱的 American Pie。

Title: Don McLean - American Pie

Artist: Don McLean

A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while.

But february made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn’t take one more step.

I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.

So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Did you write the book of love,
And do you have faith in God above,
If the Bible tells you so?
Do you believe in rock ’n roll,
Can music save your mortal soul,
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Well, I know that you’re in love with him
`cause I saw you dancin’ in the gym.
You both kicked off your shoes.
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues.

I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck,
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died.

I started singin’,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Now for ten years we’ve been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rollin’ stone,
But that’s not how it used to be.
When the jester sang for the king and queen,
In a coat he borrowed from james dean
And a voice that came from you and me,

Oh, and while the king was looking down,
The jester stole his thorny crown.
The courtroom was adjourned;
No verdict was returned.
And while lennon read a book of marx,
The quartet practiced in the park,
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died.

We were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Helter skelter in a summer swelter.
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter,
Eight miles high and falling fast.
It landed foul on the grass.
The players tried for a forward pass,
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast.

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While the sergeants played a marching tune.
We all got up to dance,
Oh, but we never got the chance!
`cause the players tried to take the field;
The marching band refused to yield.
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?

We started singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Oh, and there we were all in one place,
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again.
So come on: jack be nimble, jack be quick!
Jack flash sat on a candlestick
Cause fire is the devil’s only friend.

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage.
No angel born in hell
Could break that satan’s spell.
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite,
I saw satan laughing with delight
The day the music died

He was singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news,
But she just smiled and turned away.
I went down to the sacred store
Where I’d heard the music years before,
But the man there said the music wouldn’t play.

And in the streets: the children screamed,
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
But not a word was spoken;
The church bells all were broken.
And the three men I admire most:
The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died.

And they were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

They were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die."

(出處 ﹣http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l6RlWes3QM)

Starry, Starry Night - Vincent (Van Gogh) 悲劇的梵谷

梵谷，一位才華橫溢，熱愛生命，確具悲劇性格的藝術家。

Don McLean 在這首Starry, Starry Night 歌中，道盡他對梵谷這位曠世奇才的同情和仰慕，自從多年前第一次聽到Starry, Starry Night 這首歌，我就對這首歌情有獨鐘，因為我欣賞梵谷的作品，也被他的作品中所表達出對生命的熱情所激勵，每回聽這歌，總有很深的感動。曾看過電影“梵谷傳“ - Lust for Life, 電影裡面對梵谷的一生，有相當詳盡的描述，對梵谷有興趣者，不妨看一看。

Starry, Starry Night - Don McLean

Starry, starry night.
Paint your palette blue and grey,
Look out on a summer's day,
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul.
Shadows on the hills,
Sketch the trees and the daffodils,
Catch the breeze and the winter chills,
In colors on the snowy linen land.

Now I understand what you tried to say to me,
How you suffered for your sanity,
How you tried to set them free.
They would not listen, they did not know how.
Perhaps they'll listen now.

Starry, starry night.
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze,
Swirling clouds in violet haze,
Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue.
Colors changing hue, morning field of amber grain,
Weathered faces lined in pain,
Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand.

Now I understand what you tried to say to me,
How you suffered for your sanity,
How you tried to set them free.
They would not listen, they did not know how.
Perhaps they'll listen now.

For they could not love you,
But still your love was true.
And when no hope was left in sight
On that starry, starry night,
You took your life, as lovers often do.
But I could have told you, Vincent,
This world was never meant for one
As beautiful as you.

Starry, starry night.
Portraits hung in empty halls,
Frameless head on nameless walls,
With eyes that watch the world and can't forget.
Like the strangers that you've met,
The ragged men in the ragged clothes,
The silver thorn of bloody rose,
Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow.

Now I think I know what you tried to say to me,
How you suffered for your sanity,
How you tried to set them free.
They would not listen, they're not listening still.
Perhaps they never will...

(可用下面連結到YouTube 欣賞這首 Starry, Starry Night ，還配合有梵谷畫作的 slide show.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dipFMJckZOM

Silent Night - 平安夜

聖誕節是我最喜歡的節期，通常在聖誕節前一，兩個月，美國各處的百貨公司，大小商店，就開始推出聖誕節的禮物，店內大部份都擺滿了應景的禮盒，同時用大打折 扣，來吸引顧客，等著消費者來大肆採購，到處都在播放聖誕歌曲，聽著心情都不自覺地好起來，這氣氛有點像華人過舊曆年，一片喜氣洋洋，畢竟，這是個值得慶祝的節日啊！

所有聖誕節的歌曲中，我最喜歡的就是這首“Silent night ﹣ 平安夜“，旋律歌詞在在充滿著平安，喜樂的意味，最重要的，這首歌簡單地道出聖誕節的由來和我們為什麼要慶祝這個日子！

Silent night, Holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in Heavenly peace
Sleep in Heavenly peace

平安夜　聖善夜
萬暗中　光華射
照著聖母也照著聖嬰
多少慈祥也多少天真
靜享天賜安眠 (x2)

Silent night, Holy night
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from Heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah
Christ, the Savior is born
Christ, the Savior is born

平安夜　聖善夜
牧羊人　在曠野
忽然看見了天上光華
聽見天軍唱哈利路亞
救主今夜降生 (x2)

Silent night, Holy night
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from thy Holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at thy birth

平安夜　聖善夜
牧羊人　在曠野
救贖宏恩的黎明來到
聖耶穌我主降生普照
散發出來容光　耶穌我主降生

(歌詞 ：德國神父 Josef Mohr
歌曲 ：奧地利人 Franz X. Gruber)

(出處 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T4WB2zfmps; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eqJwRkDsSw&feature=related)

Moments In Life

Moments In Life


There are moments in life when you miss someone;
So much that you just want to pick them from
Your dreams and hug them for real!

When the door of happiness closes, another opens;
But often times we look so long at the
Closed door that we don't see the one,
Which has been opened for us.

Don't go for looks; they can deceive.
Don't go for wealth; even that fades away.
Go for someone who makes you smile,
Because it takes only a smile to
Make a dark day seem bright.
Find the one that makes your heart smile.

Dream what you want to dream;
Go where you want to go;
Be what you want to be,
Because you have only one life
And one chance to do all the things
You want to do.

May you have enough happiness
To make you sweet,
Enough trials to make you strong,
Enough sorrow to keep you human and
Enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily
Have the best of everything;
They just make the most of
Everything that comes along their way.

The brightest future will always
Be based on a forgotten past;
You can't go forward in life until
You let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying
And everyone around you was smiling.
Live your life so at the end,
You're the one who is smiling and everyone
Around you is crying.

*******

Please share this message with those people
Who mean something to you;
To those who have touched your life
In one way or another;
To those who make you smile
When you really need it;
To those who make you see the
Brighter side of things when you are really down;
To those who are so meaningful in your life.

You may just have an opportunity
To brighten someone's day with this message!!!

*******

Don't count the years-count the memories...........

Life is not measured by
The number of breaths we take;
But by the moments that take our breath away!