“Suddenly”– from Les Misérables
People ask “how is like to be a mom?” Here is a song/poem that can describe my answer.
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“Suddenly”
Suddenly you’re here
Suddenly it starts
Can two anxious hearts beat as one?
Yesterday I was alone
Today you are beside me
Something still unclear
Something not yet here
Has begun.
Suddenly the world
Seems a different place
Somehow full of grace,
Full of light
How was I to know that so much hope was held inside me?
What has passed is gone
Now we journey on through the night
How was I to know at last
That happiness can come so fast?
Trusting me the way you do
I’m so afraid of failing you
Just a child who cannot know
That danger follows where I go
There are shadows everywhere
And memories I cannot share
Nevermore alone
Nevermore apart
You have warmed my heart like the sun.
You have brought the gift of life
And love so long denied me.
Suddenly I see
What I could not see
Something suddenly
Has begun.
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La La Land
At this Valentine and Oscar season, you pretty much cannot escape from being lured into the cinema to watch La La Land. While the critics and so many people on the internet really like this movie, it is too normal for me to rank it as exciting. There are a few moments though in the movie that is worth to be noted:
Musical dances: the beginning scene is “people get out of their cars and dance in the LA traffic jam” – the most colorful traffic jam I have ever seen! I wish people actually dance like that when the entire highway becomes like a parking lot. I am also hoping that people who is watching this scene will stand up dance with the movie. Another beautiful scene is Mia and Sebastian had a tap dance on top of the observatory hill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrqKsog_Siw It is spontaneous and natural, I am sure such moments did not happen often in everybody’s life.
Flavorful moments: Mia picked up a call in the middle of a good conversation and she had to go. Before she got into her car, she asked “hey, I can drive you to your car” “uh . hm .. my car is just right … at the corner” The truth is he parked fairly far away, then why he said no? Also, at the end, Mia and her husband walked into the Sebastian jazz pub by chance. Sebastian saw Mia in the audience, he walked to his piano and played the theme song. Mia listened the entire piece and then walked out of the bar. None of them actually walked towards each other and said hi, why is the case?
(The best answers I have collected for the two questions)
- “he felt a very wonderful moment had lost”
- It will be too emotional for them to do so
Last but not least, piano lovers should not miss this piece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAVNj-46uW8
Midwest (3) – St Louis
2016 Thanksgiving Cloudy
St Louis is a part of Louisiana purchase, so you can see fleur de lis on the flags and also on the chocolate in stores. St louis is a gateway of the west expansion and early Europeans cross here through north American continental to discover the pacific. St louis is the place where the two famous rivers, Missouri and Mississippi meet. If you heard of Mark Twin, then the steam boats, the chimneys and industry buildings you have read from his books can all be found here.
City Museum: if you are a little bit crazy, you will need to visit here. It is built from an old industry building (a shoe making factory?!). The museum does not offer maps, so you will need to discover it yourself by crawling hard. The store stuff said you need 2 hours to visit the museum. Well, you probably want to stay longer. Parking is $2 across street.
Gateway Arch: a beautiful looking and engineering significant object. It is built in early 60s, taller than the Washington monument in DC. The architect Eero Saarinen was born in Finland, and he was also the designer of the Washington Dulles airport. The arch is built out of steels, shipped from the famous steel capital Pittsburg Pennsylvania. It is triangle shaped inside. Think about how you would put up an arch that is 630 foot tall? There are certainly no ladders released from the sky!
The arch is started from the two bottom ends using pieces of triangle shaped steals. Special cranes are built to mount on the in-progress arch, and they climb and lift as the structure grows until the two ends meet in the middle. If you come out night time, also check out the Laclede area nearby, step on the pebble stone street, have a drink and enjoy the Missinippi night breeze.
Confluence park: it is 45 minutes’ drive away from the city. In the old days, Missouri river curves and water runs fast, carrying a lot of sand and broken trees, it meets the Mississippi here and changes the direction … I can hear the roaring sound passed from then. Nowadays, people build a lot of dams to tame the rivers. So this is what you see. It is no longer naturally significant but certainly still geologically significant!
Blues on Broadway: yes, those old music! You will need to find a bar to listen to the live. The Beale on Broadway or the Broadway Oyster bar are one of the famous venues. The shows are 15$ each, street parking is available. A cold night, cozy lights, nostalgic music, a cup of cheek-warming drink and crowds of people, nothing better than that for a holiday season night life! Christmas music available Dec 23.
Central west end and chess museum: The world biggest chess is located here. Many interesting artistic chess pieces, including the one designed by Dali. The museum is free and hosts chamber music every week. Across the museum, is the chess club. Central west end has a few restaurants, bars and shops, with historical looking buildings.
Cherokee history district and bridge bread: A place you can visit if you are interested in St Louis locals. Walking into these shops, the owners will chat with you with a big smile. There is a small eat shop where you can find exotic Asian Mexican fusion food: Korean BBQ meat plus Vietnamese veggies plus Mexican tacos and burritos. Aww, guess what it tastes like?! Also, visit Bridge Bread! It is a charity bread shop that provides training and jobs to people who need it, adding to my favorite charity lists (others are famous people player in Toronto, make a wish foundation and Toms’ buy one shoe and give away another shoe). Walking on the Cherokee, and eating the tasty bread bought from the bridge bread, an old lady caught me up from the behind “hey can I have one of your cinnamon buns?” “sure” — this is how homeish feeling this street offers. Come to experience it!
Food: St louis’ food is cheap. If you like Asian food, considering Seoul Garden for all-you-can-eat BBQ for only about 20$ per person and joy luck buffet, including both hotpot and other stuffs, total also about $20 per person. There is also weihong seafood, a Cantonese restaurant with non-disappointing seafood and Asian kitchen Korea BBQ that offers 20 small side dishes.
Other places you can hang out include: Forest park and museums, where you can find architecture significant mansions (none of them is the same), as well as art museums and history museums – it reminds me of central park in NYC, the Delmar loop, shops, dinning near Washington University St louis, very popular brunch places, St louis’ zoo and botanical garden, Budweiser beer factory, Union Station and also ArtMart, a very impressive locally owned art supply store.
Diary
I was walking along this noisy street
Stepping on the sunshine that peeks through the trees
Chill wind landed on my cheek
Stir up my hair and my mind
Have you left for a while
Have you found a place to stay
Have you tasted the yummy chocolate bar
Have you get drunk with some weird women?
Since the day you left
I started keeping diaries —
September 7
Today is stormy, I went out for a run
The field tears open
The sweater runs free
The muddy water splashes on my leg, up to my face and into my laughters
September 8
Today is sunny, I bought a bokchoy
This bokchoy has some temper
It does not want to be cooked
It insists to be green days after days
I am so scared, it is some fake ghost bokchoy
September 9
Today is sunny, I met a street performer
He painted his face green, as one of his paintings
He colored some wood texture, call it an abstract art
I think all these are nonsense, but I put a few quarters in his basket
For his passion about his illusive future
……
It is not that suddenly life is getting more exciting
It is not that suddenly I want to become a writer
It is that I am so afraid
If I did not write down, I am not able to remember all these momentary thoughts that I wanted to share with you on the day you return
Oh, by the way
Today is a Sunday, a sunny day
How are you?
No Title
People told me you were on a train back home
Is it true
I am not at peace
Hi ~~, how are you
Remember the day you were leaving
It was a similar summer day
The sun was bright
The air was humid
I took a train to New York City
I heard that’s the place where people forget things
On Broadway, “once” made its debut
Though the sign reads “sold out”
I was disappointed
Only years later, I then know the show is not about “forget” but about “remembrance”
Over the time, some things changed, some things never did
I still go to New York City, not for forgetting, but for afraid of forgetting
Sitting in the piano bar, between the cocktails
The moments flash
It was a blue sky
Beautiful sandy beach
You were coming up running
…
Welcome home
Over the time, some things changed, some things never did
New York is still beautiful
Midwest Thunderstorm
The thunder is rumbling
The chimney is rattling
The leaves are tumbling
The bell is tinkling
The lightning rips apart the darkness
Then the field is sizzling
The storm comes with the revolutionary power
Sweeping across the meadows
Destroying and then rebirthing the earth
And I am —
Running into the wildness
Wrestling with the wind
Lifting the heaviness of the rain
Experiencing the surprise of wandering
The Song of 2/29
I can’t resist and
I don’t want to forget
I lose the ability to talk
so I paint a bit,
but why —
I have been watering it down
the color is still so strong
Free, free fallin, probably
That’s the only way to rescue me
“One Day”
When we were little, mom used to tell us “Find a stable job, marry a good man, have a few kids, and live happily after.” Later we found that life never comes that simple, it sometimes turns, falls and hurts, it sometimes is too regular and needs to be broken, it sometimes comes in a shooting star and brightens the darkest night, and it sometimes goes way out of control and you shout and cry but not be able to brake … There may be really no destinies or conclusions, and we are just opening doors one after the other.
“one day” is a movie/book about “life”. Here are a set of quotes I liked:
Emma: “London’s swallowed me up. I thought I’d make a difference, but no one knows I’m here.” Dexter: “Listen, listen. Nothing truly good was ever easy.”
Emma: “i love you Dexter,i just don’t like you anymore”
Dexter: “I need to speak to someone. Not someone – you.”
Ian: “I used to hate you.. because she lit up with you just in a way she never did with me and it used to make me so angry because i didn’t think that you deserved her.. She made you decent and in return you made her so happy, so happy , and i will always be grateful to you for that.”
Dexter’s father “That I think the best thing that you could do ,would be to try to live your life as if Emma was still here.”
“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”
This is THE favorite movie of mine. My critique is going to be short
“LIFE IS ABOUT BEING CRAZY AND BEING FREE”
“The Great Gatsby”
My favorite two parts of this movie/book:
The ending: human beings can be ugly; Nick witnessed all of it and Gatsby died from it. Yet at the end, the author writes “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter–tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…. And one fine morning– So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” when every reader believes this is a sad story, F. Scott Fitzgerald touches a bit brightness on his palette: after suppressing you through the darkness and heaviness of the story, he tells you the hope never had died. Indeed, it is easy to say “we have hope” when the life is smooth and everything is good. But what really makes *the hope* so precious is that when people get hurt, broken, damaged, they still believe in goodness and the existence of future they long for.
The description of Gatsby’s Love: F. Scott Fitzgerald described himself as: “I’m a romantic; a sentimental person thinks things will last, a romantic person hopes against hope that they won’t”. Once he wrote “I love her, and that’s the beginning and end of everything.” Then it is understandable that he can describe Gatsby’s pristine love so precisely. In contrast to Gatsby’s sophistication and gracefulness in business, he is nervous and humble when facing Daisy. This is one of the very touching moments in the book/movie: Gatsby had planned all the details for meeting Daisy, but when Daisy finally arrived, he had to go out in the rain for a walk, running away. He was uneasy “am I good enough? is this good enough?” he tried to cover his nervousness and then yet showed even more awkwardness.
Speaking of American literature, people easily name Mark Twain, the steam boat and Mississippi, or Ernst Hemingway. This is another representative book that discusses American dreams, poor and rich, lust and mirage of New York City, a very welcomed piece by many Americans.