My bilingual blog offers a wide variety of topics, including: my random thoughts; human relations; traveling pictures; running marathons; policy and politics; art and arts; chilling out with family & friends; and other aspects of life in Canada.
Earlier tonight the weather forecast said the temp would go above freezing on Saturday. So I grabbed my pair of cross-country ski boots, snapped on my skating blades onto the Salomon binding, and headed out to the Rideau Canal. It was 22h55 when I jumped onto the ice and headed south toward Dow's Lake. Even tho the temp was quite warm at -3 deg C, there were not that many ppl on the canal at this time of the day.
Upon reaching the Dow's Lake Pavilion, I turned around and skated all the way to the north end of the canal (i.e. downtown Ottawa at the National Arts Centre) before heading back to Argyle Street where I started. My watch read 23h45. The non-stop round trip of abt 16 km took me 45 minutes, yielding an average speed of slightly less than 3 min per kilometre.
Haricot 2011-03-04
Update 2011-03-05: As I am writing this, it is pouring rain out. Am I ever glad I went skating last night before the National Capital Commission closed down the world's longest skating rink. Unlike many of my HK friends who hate the cold, I just love winter sports!!!
Photo credit: * Wikipedia / Rideau Canal * Skating on Rideau Canal at night - http://www.bbcanada.com/bb_traveller/edition95/
This is one of the old Chinese songs I have been singing with the local choir. The song had been composed by 黄自 (see his bio below) and was subsequently sung by the famous female vocalist 郎毓秀 in the 1935 movie 《天倫》. While the video clip was an old recording, the song and the singer's voice were both hauntingly beautiful. I have also posted below the lyrics with Chinese pin yin 歌詞與漢語拼音. Enjoy !!!
1935年電影《天倫》插曲: 天伦歌 Tiān lún gē
作曲: 黄自 歌词: 钟石根 演唱: 郎毓秀 (漢語拼音: Machine-translated by Google >_< )
人皆有父 Rén jiē yǒu fù 翳我独无 Yì wǒ dú wú 人皆有母 Rén jiē yǒu mǔ 翳我独无 Yì wǒ dú wú 白云悠悠 Bái yún yōu yōu 江水东流 Jiāng shuǐ dōng liú 小鸟归去已无巢 Xiǎo niǎo guī qù yǐ wú cháo 儿欲归去已无舟 Er yù guī qù yǐ wú zhōu 何处觅源头 何处觅源头 Hé chù mì yuán tóu, Hé chù mì yuántóu 莫道儿是被弃的羔羊 Mò dào er shì bèi qì de gāo yáng 莫道儿已哭断了肝肠 Mò dào er yǐ kū duàn le gān cháng 人世的惨痛岂仅是失了爹娘 Rén shì de cǎn tòng qǐ jǐn shì shī le diē niang 奋起啊孤儿 Fèn qǐ a gū ér 惊醒罢迷途的羔羊 Jīng xǐng ba mí tú de gāo yáng 收拾起痛苦的呻吟 Shōu shí qǐ tòng kǔ de shēn yín 献出你赤子的心情 Xiàn chū nǐ chì zǐ de xīn qíng 老吾老以及人之老 Lǎo wú lǎo yǐ jí rén zhī lǎo 幼吾幼以及人之幼 Yòu wú yòu yǐjí rén zhī yòu 收拾起痛苦的呻吟 Shōu shí qǐ tòng kǔ de shēn yín 献出你赤子的心情 Xiàn chū nǐ chì zǐ de xīn qíng 服务牺牲服务牺牲 Fú wù xī shēng fú wù xī shēng 舍己为人无薄厚 Shě jǐ wéi rén wú bó hòu 浩浩江水 霭霭白云 Hào hào jiāng shuǐ ǎi ǎi bái yún 庄严宇宙亘古存 Zhuāng yán yǔ zhòu gèn gǔ cún 大同博爱 共享天伦 Dà tóng bó ài gòng xiǎng tiān lún
* English version from Wikipedia: "... Huang Tzu (Chinese: 黃自, Pinyin: Huáng Zì, 23 March 1904 - 9 May 1938) was a Chinese famous musician. His courtesy name was Jinwu (Chinese: 今吾, Pinyin: Jīnwú). Huang was born in Chuansha of Shanghai, China. In 1916, he studied in Tsinghua College and started to touch the western music. After graduation in 1924, Huang went to study psychology in Oberlin College, Ohio, United States and turned to Yale University in 1928, studying the theory and composing of the western music. His composed the overture In Memoriam there, which is the first large-scale orchestral work by a Chinese composer. In 1929, Huang came back to China and taught in the University of Shanghai, National Music College and others. In 1935, Huang established the Shanghai Orchestra, the first all-Chinese orchestra, and taught many famous Chinese musician, such as He Luding, Zhu Ying, Jiang Dingxian, Lin Sheng, Lin Shengxi and Liu Xuean. Huang's famous works have Philosophical Song (天倫歌), Plum Blossoms in the Snow (踏雪尋梅), Flower in the Mist (花非花), Lotus Song (採蓮謠) and Benshi (本事). He was also the composer of National Flag Anthem of the Republic of China. Huang died in Shanghai, 1938 because (sic) of the typhoid fever. ..."
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Updated: 20110708
More info from Musikland (Source: http://blog.roodo.com/muzikland/archives/531872.html )
"..... 自小愛音樂﹐7歲入上海初小﹐已能熟背許多古詩詞；12歲時進入北京清華學校﹐16歲習鋼琴﹐18歲學習樂理及和聲學。1924年畢業於清華學校留美預備班 (清華大學前身)﹐即以“庚子賠款” 公費赴美入歐柏林大學 (Oberlin College) 攻讀心理學﹐同時在該校音樂院副修音樂。1926年獲文學士學位﹐黃自再轉入耶魯大學音樂院 (Yale School of Music)﹐專攻理論作曲﹐1929年獲音樂學士學位﹐畢業作品為管弦樂序曲“懷舊” ﹐並獲選於同年5月31日在美國康州(Connecticut) 新港 (New Haven) 塢西音樂廳 (Woolsey Hall) 演出。 回國後初任上海滬江大學音樂系專任教授﹐兼任國立上海音專理論作曲教授。他更是理論作曲組的唯一導師﹐培養了不少高足如樂英才﹑賀綠汀﹑劉雪庵﹑江定仙等。1931年918事變後﹐黃自寫了不少抗戰歌曲。1932年﹐黃自與蕭友梅等人組織起“音樂藝文社”﹐親任總幹事推動各類社會音樂工作。1934年開始編寫音樂雜誌、辦副刊、為上海市教育局主持廣播音樂節目、撰寫播音稿件﹐發行音樂專刊。黃自重視新人新作﹐不論是郎毓秀、斯義桂的歌唱﹐或是丁善德、李獻敏的鋼琴獨奏﹐都為黃自所重視﹐這些當年嶄露頭角的新秀﹐後來都成了著名的音樂家。可惜1938年不幸因傷寒於上海紅十字會醫院與世長辭﹐其重要作品有“天倫歌”﹑“玫瑰三願”﹑“ 花非花” ﹑“踏雪尋梅” ﹑“西風的話”等。
天倫歌: 為1935年電影“天倫” 的主題曲﹐由郎毓秀主唱。郎毓秀為30年極受歡迎的女高音﹐除了天倫歌外﹐還有1937年電影同名主題曲“滿園春色” ﹐另有改編自1936年Jeanette MacDonald 的電影名曲“鸞鳳和鳴 (Rosemarie)” 及“愛的呼喚(Indian Love Call)”等。...."
When I was visiting Wat Intharawihan, a Buddhist temple in Bangkok (曼谷 瓦因和漢寺), I saw this dog napping outside the golden door. I wondered what it was dreaming about.
Dog: "zzzz ... Good !! This time, I am the FIRST in line to apply for reincarnation .... " Photo Credit: * I took this photo on Jan 10, 2011 at abt 10h30.
"California cat burglar caught red-pawed" AFP February 17, 2011
LOS ANGELES - A thieving feline has been caught on camera, stealing over 600 items from neighbors' homes in a California town, reports said Wednesday.
Dusty the cat burglar was videoed by a night-vision camera carrying everything from a bath sponge and a toy dinosaur to a neighbor's bikini top down the street in San Mateo, south of San Francisco.
"Towels, gloves, shoes, socks and children's toys," owner Jean Chu told locla ABC News television, listing the various household goods her pet has brought home. "He took my mom's swimming clothes," added one neighbor's five-year-old, after the feline was finally fingered for the theft of some 600 items over the last three years.
Infrared video of Dusty showed it carrying a string of stolen goods in his mouth, including one item of clothing so big and long that the cat's back feet were splayed as it hobbled along the sidewalk, dragging its bounty.
Neighbors have re-named Dusty "Klepto the cat" after he was caught red-pawed following an investigation by "Animal Planet," which featured him in one of its TV shows this week.
References: * Article from http://www.canada.com/newsletter/California+burglar+caught+pawed/4295831/story.html * Video clips from YouTube
On Feb 15, 2011, I went see a doctor cuz the cough that I had caught during the SE Asia trip was not subsiding. Apart from the cough, I had also loss quite a bit of weight. The scale read 1x9.5 lbs which was only 5.5 lbs more than the weight of that skinny Hong Kong student who came to Canada many years ago !!!
While travelling in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, I was following a SE Asian diet for almost a month with little red-meat and dairy products. I ate a lot of fruit, veggie, rice and fish, all of which I enjoyed. I woke up early to go sight-seeing and did not spend hours in front of a TV or computer. It is evident that the fat-free diet, the walking all day, and the change in life style all had an impact on my weight. I am now more wiry and have less body fat around the waist.
All are good news except the cough. Now that I am taking antibiotics and feeling better, I hope I can go back to my exercise routine again. While I will never have a healthy-looking body like Olympian swimmer Dara Torres after child-birth at age 41 (see photos), I can only hope that a better diet and healthier life-style will keep me fit for the years to come !!!
K and I walked around and found the temple simple but elegantly designed with lots of wall murals, colourful tiles and roof decorations. There were quite a few devout visitors praying, offering and asking for devine blessing. I assumed most of them were seeking favours for good health, big money and other personal benefits. Perhaps some were begging Buddha to cure illnesses and misfortunes that were cast upon them or their family members. I wonder how many were interested in global security and world peace.
".... Wat Intharawihan or Wat Intharavihan (Thai: วัดอินทรวิหาร, Thai pronunciation: [wát ʔintʰaráʔwíʔhǎːn]) is a wat located in the Nakhon District of Bangkok, Thailand. It was built during the Ayutthaya period and was originally called Wat Rai Phrik. ... The Ubosot has several interesting Buddha images, elevated murals on the walls and lavishly gilded window shutters. Outside are unusually carved sema stones and tucked away in an alcove there's a lifelike model of Luang Phaw Toh, a famous monk. In the small museum are old Buddha images and various paintings. ..."
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Earlier tonight the weather forecast said the temp would go above freezing on Saturday. So I grabbed my pair of cross-country ski boots, snapped on my skating blades onto the Salomon binding, and headed out to the Rideau Canal. It was 22h55 when I jumped onto the ice and headed south toward Dow's Lake. Even tho the temp was quite warm at -3 deg C, there were not that many ppl on the canal at this time of the day.
