Begin Anew

Begin Anew - 早春

Spring is coming to town. It just seems that way, here, there and everywhere if one pays close attention to it.

Technically speaking, springtime should start, on paper,  on March 20th. But, like anything else in this city, schedule is only the part of the story, nothing follows exactly the scripts. And among all types of possible offenders, weather probably is the most elusive and the worst ones. :)

Every morning in the whole winter if I was not out of town, and weather permitted (no snow storm, slush sleets or heavy rains), I ran in the park as a ritual to keep myself in shape. Along my normal trail, I'd, with help of my vigilant sensors, pick up the slightest difference from that of the previous day, comparing with it and other stored data in my brain and try to make some sense of them. It's a simple mind exercise I’ve enjoyed doing for years as a cost-effective way to "kill" the boredom and loneliness let alone to keep me safe and sound. Such mind game alerted me, few times, to avoid the lurking dangers, and most time it tells me the change of the season. For example, when I saw soldanella and crocuses poking their heads through the ground of melting snow, I know, winter is about ending, and a brand new spring is arriving.
 
To me, spring and autumn are two seasons I like the best in a year in this city. Unlike melancholic winter gray and monotonous summer green, spring and fall are not only beautiful and kaleidoscopic, but alive and poetic. Particularly, spring is so allure, dynamic and vibrant in my eye that jolts my mood uprising instantly, making me feel alive when I notice the changes on the ground and in the air. Such daily refreshment worked like an energy source to encourage me to explore something new or do something different each day. That is one of main reasons why I prefer to live in east coast over southern parts of America. In part, I like distinctive rotation of seasons; I can't see myself to live tropical place without missing the change of the seasons. I remember, about 10 years ago, I was invited to have Christmas holiday in Pasadena, California. Everything was going well, but when I saw a fake white beard Santa wore shorts outside of an entrance of the shopping mall, I felt a sense of weirdness, and at the same time, it made me almost have an urge to fly back to the east. Guys, let me make this clear, I have no intention to bash people who like to live in tropical and sub-tropical zones, and further, I believe that each of us should have the right to choose wherever he or she prefers to settle down.

In my mind, spring is just so magical as if there is someone who suddenly pushes a restart button and sets a brand new course on motion - everything appears moving: trees, bushes, all come to life, flowers burst into blossom, migration birds return … everything begins anew.

This early morning while I was running I wondered what if we humans have such similar privilege and capability to make our lives renew like spring once a while, what would happen, good or bad? :)

Note:

1) Put an instrumental version of song, "Begin Again", by Piano Guys. You can skip the last 30 seconds of promotional part at the end of clip.
I feel to be compelled to point it out that in Chinese people eyes, these two musicians might look crazy and creepy or 用流行說法就是: 他們看起來似乎“有點 2“. However, I give them credits for enthusiastically doing the thing that they are passionately drawn to and at the same time, enjoying what they are doing for the living.

 2) Also I put the original song sang by singer-songwriter Taylor Swift as a tribute to her creative work.

3) I'd like to thank 阿蘇 for her help to write HTML codes to make the two video clips back to back possible.

 

[花自飄飄零]

回複縱然平行的評論:
好啊，deal！ u frist,then my turn:)

嗬嗬，你的美味佳肴該拿出來顯擺一下了吧~~~

[縱然平行]

回複盈袖2006的評論:
AJ, Sorry for relying your comments late. I don't know why wxc seems not always showing comments in the sequence of time. If it's not for 花自飄飄零's remarks, I didn't have a change to return this piece and I might have been considered to be rude guy by you.:(

In terms of mystery, I think that is what we liked, isn't it ? Mystery intrigues us to keep us curious, in turn, it may give us intensive pleasures and rewards. :)

Please don't think that as flattering words, I do think that way in my heart.

[縱然平行]

回複花自飄飄零的評論:
其實 “小老頭”頭銜也不錯，經驗豐富， 老謀深算，調情高手, 足智多謀... ，這麽多知識產權都木有攤到，可惜哈。 ：（(

"怎麽沒有跟盈袖姐姐秀一秀萌照?" 讓我想一想，也許， 我還在等著看你在澳洲度假時拍得海灘照呀。：）

最近， 你好像加快了博客更新的頻率，讓我不僅眼花繚亂，五體投地，而且常常讀到一半脊梁骨開始冒冷汗- 嚇得。為什麽？ 用你的話說就是“隻能意會不能言傳，說出來就沒意思了。：））

[花自飄飄零]

回複縱然平行的評論:
哈哈，今天不嗬嗬地笑了，怕給你帶來恐懼感~~~
那個“小老頭”是說著玩的，你還記著呢？早知道就不說了，你肯定心裏不高興了，縱然，你要真是小老頭，俺就不敢叫你小老頭了~~~

怎麽沒有跟盈袖姐姐秀一秀萌照？我一直關注著呢~~~

[盈袖2006]

回複縱然平行的評論:
i am over flattered, however, i can work on that though~~~

Well, we will keep you as a mystery, where the charm gets more intense

thanks again for this beautiful piece. it gives my so much joy...

[縱然平行]

回複盈袖2006的評論:
Indeed, I agree with you, these two guys are pretty cool, and they played music very well in all kind of settings.

曬萌的事， 是個好主意，你可能要和阿蘇，米麥商量一下時間和地盤。 不過，不要把我算進去。 因為， 我一個大男人在脂粉中曬萌，今後我還有沒有臉在城中浪跡天涯。：）

其實，AJ在我心目中， 永遠是年輕美才女。

[盈袖2006]

年輕真好！要不我們小範圍也來曬曬萌照？證明我們也曾年輕過~

[盈袖2006]

回複縱然平行的評論:
who restricts this only to men, we ladies likes new and adventure as well

Have you heard about the 3d printing? I am so looking forward to it!

[盈袖2006]

picture one is the scene that touches me most in coming spring, life unstoppable; the piano guys are my favorite. I don't feel them weird at all, just love them playing outdoors, especially in wildness

[縱然平行]

回複蘇鄉門地的評論:
你現在腫木可以逾來逾讓你的道德底線退卻呢？你難道不知道全中國絕大部分男人和女人都在鄙視SH男人嘛？但你好歹也是鄰居城市出來的，何苦損我。：（

坊間傳說並被大多數人堅信：和其它地域的型男,猛男,潮男,純男（純爺們）相比，SH男則是小氣男，奶油男，煮菜男，洗內男 和猥瑣男。：）

你有沒有想過，我已經是剩男，再被你冠於SH男的“桂冠”，我找女友就難上加難啦。 ：（（

[蘇鄉門地]

班門弄斧（Show & Tell)， 沒事找事啊。

--- 又沒人建議你去啥壇子搗漿糊，就是給常來這裏的JM們一個見證麽：縱然是,頂天立地，上得廳堂，下得廚房的，上海寧~~~

Okay, don't mean to push you too hard, but we sincerely and patiently hope that you dazzle us with your culinary talents, someday, hehe

Glad to see the clips working now. Take care!

[縱然平行]

回複蘇鄉門地的評論:
拜托， 你又來跟風“起哄”啦。：（ 你在城裏算得上資深住戶， 難道不知道城中攝影達人，各類大師和新秀此起彼伏，比比皆是嗎？像我這樣的一介草末，用點不入流的英文糊弄你們，借以苦撐門麵，至今,僥幸還沒有被人家痛批橫掃， 已經是莫大的恩典了。再要班門弄斧（Show & Tell)， 沒事找事啊。：）

[縱然平行]

回複花自飄飄零的評論:
木有辦法，春天來了，春蠢欲動哈。：） 不然，再小老頭似的悶沉沉下去，就不好意思了。

不知道為什麽，我特別怕“嗬嗬” 或者 “喝喝” 這兩個疊音字， 它們給我“恐懼感”。 就像，如果有人突然連名帶姓叫我， 我會預感傾刻就要“大禍臨頭”了。“嘿嘿”和“哈哈” would be alright， I think :))

[蘇鄉門地]

什麽時候把你研製的菜肴秘籍貼出來？：） - ZT & x2

Like this great idea! ^_^ what else can be more fun than having a Show N Tell?...

[花自飄飄零]

嗬嗬縱然，你變得勤勞了~~~
好文章。
什麽時候把你研製的菜肴秘籍貼出來？：）

[蘇鄉門地]

This is what you have for the current clip (of course, I can't use 尖括弧 here, it'll eat the link :))

iframe width="950px" height="535px" frameborder="0" onload="javascript:if(this.width>450) this.width=450" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/P94DusN4LsY?rel=0&autoplay=1

I always use the old embed code, which would be

embed height="360" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/P94DusN4LsY?version=3&hl=en_US&autoplay=1" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always

To add another clip, you just need to copy and paste the other youtube embed code under the first one. You have to to do that using the "Text Mode" by clicking the "Toggle HTML Source" button, after you paste the links, click "Toggle HTML Source" to have a preview, you can edit the space between them/insert commment etc, before you 發布博客文章。

Oh, you certainly don't want the 2nd, 3rd clip to play simultaneously, so you should delete the text "&autoplay=1" from those embed codes.

Hope this would help! (BTW, I am making 醃篤鮮 for dinner)

[縱然平行]

回複婭米的評論:
"每個人生命最無奈的地方在於個人無法完全掌控自己的命運，但這也是最有趣的生命。" 講得很有道理，如果我們擁有完全掌控自己的命運的能力 - 甚至知道死於何時，何地，何因， 那真是無比亞曆山大的事。：（

“不過，如果我們每個個體若是能洗牌重來的話，估計不好玩兒。” 你是這樣想的嗎？ 我和你的看法有點不太相同。 我以為，假如有一天，科學進步到一個程度，“年年歲歲花相似，歲歲年年人相同。”相對講成為一個可能，而不再是一個虛無縹緲的假說和傳奇， 那麽，人類的生命的境界將會多麽的豐滿。

在我的一生中，最困擾我也讓我最無奈的隱痛是： 看到家人在年複一年的步入中年，老年，特別是看到時間這個“貪婪盜賊” 毫無廉恥，無聲無息地竊走我祖母，我母親，和我喜歡的美眉的美麗的時候...:((

希望，未來人類可以讓歲月變慢，讓美女的青春得以常駐； 嫵媚的容顏，青春的活力再加上因年月集納的深厚內涵和智慧。 那對我們男人來講，會是一個多麽大的福祉；這樣，，我們不再會“專一”地青睞小美眉了。：））

[縱然平行]

回複蘇鄉門地的評論:
Me too, I like these two guys' whole new approach to the song, which removed the sentiments of sadness and uncertainty, replaced with happiness and animation. However, I think that I should give Taylor Swift, the original singer-songwriter, her deserved recognition for her work by posing her original clip back to back with Piano Guys new interpretation. Can you let me know how to put two videos in one blog page?

Are you asking us treat ladies the same way as to handle valuable antiques? Although it's doable, I think it can be very difficult. We human, especially men, have this fundamental flaw/ tendency - chase newness, freshness and youth beauty, partially it's because of our hardwired genetic makeup in our DNA. Therefore, it will have to take huge efforts to render the commitment without being tempted.

"Tiger mom" still have time to watch TV programs? :)

[蘇鄉門地]

This clip, the performance sounds truly full of energy, excitement and yearnings to Spring time! great match to your fine writing and spring photo. I actually never paid attention to the original song until after I listened to this. I prefer this version of Begin Again much more than Taylor’s version :))

喜新厭舊，human nature. 某文化人曾說除了兩樣東西，對古董和愛人，不得喜新厭舊，而如今的世道，就剩古董一樣了~~~

昨天總算把Downton 三季看完了，嗚呼哀哉，they gave Mary&Matthew Crawley a new baby boy but then "killed" Matthew Crawley at the end :((

(just realized that i had several senior moments in my prior comment, please delete that one. thnx!)

[婭米]

春天到來，萬物周而複始，帶給人永恒的感覺。

“This early morning while I was running I wondered what if we humans have such similar privilege and capability to make our lives renew like spring once a while, what would happen, good or bad? :)“ 我們人類的循環是從每一個新生兒開始的。不過，如果我們每個個體若是能洗牌重來的話，估計不好玩兒。

每個人生命最無奈的地方在於個人無法完全掌控自己的命運，但這也是最有趣的生命。：）