昔日文章

一波未平，一波又起，我指的並不是疫情。第一波是指小女兒近幾個月忙於小一入學面試，作為家長當然絞盡腦汁為她作最好的準備和訓練，剛剛衝了第一輪，現在算是可以唞一唞，回一回氣。誰知這個十一月份就是大女兒學校考試月，於是第二波便把所有注意力放到大女兒的學業上。始終只有七歲、加上上半年完全沒回校上課，突然要回校考試，家長都要幫一把，起碼引導着溫習的方法。 就是這樣，兩個女兒輪流着忙碌，我和太太也互相分工。就在上週五晚上，兩個女兒突然一起問我：「這段時間我們也很努力，所以也一個多月沒看過電視。這個週末我們可以看一齣電影嗎？」望一望家中的電視機，的而且確鋪滿灰塵，雖然從來沒有看電視的習慣，但眼見未來一個多月也沒時間可以看，便答應了。到了週六早上， 小女兒出外上音樂班，便決定利用這段時間讓大女兒看電影。打開電影串流網站，萬花筒般的選擇下，她居然選擇了《Life of Pi》！ 只有七歲，為何會選擇這齣電影！太太閱讀過原著、我亦在飛機上看過電影版，表面抽象、內涵高深，那豈不是要不斷解釋給她聽！  陪她看着，才醒起電影開端，是講述居住於印度、家中擁有一個動物園的主角男孩對各個宗教信仰的好奇和興趣，於是不斷轉變信仰，包括天主教。最後舉家帶同動物園的動物坐船移居加拿大，卻經歷大風暴，但主角反而驚喜萬分，向上天祈求希望可以把風暴的威力增強，最後當然沉船了，他的一家葬身大海中，只剩下他、老虎、猩猩、斑馬和鬣狗 待在救生艇上，掙扎求存。這個男孩當然內疚萬分，認定是自己的祈求害了自己的一家。看了半齣戲已一個多小時，於是我暫停了，留待下次有機會再看。這時大女兒問：「爸爸，是否我向天主祈求的都一定會發生？我怕我祈求了錯的東西。」 五歲小女兒則揀選了另一齣真人真事電影《Soul Surfer》，講述一名美國滑浪明日之星少女，卻因一次練習時被鯊魚咬掉了一隻手臂。之後努力憑着意志、毅力、信仰和一次在南亞海嘯後當義工的經歷， 重新在滑浪板上站起來外，更把這個正能量傳揚給其他人。之後小女兒問：「爸爸，天主選擇的道路和經歷，一定是對嗎？」 我回答他們：「爸爸就是對你們有信念，本來從不讓你們看電視，結果今次證明我的信念是對的！因為你們都從電影欣賞中， 學懂反思的睿智。不過答應我，看畢這兩齣電影後，便要開始上初領聖體班，因為爸爸真的招架不住了！」    捐款支持公教報  http://kkp.org.hk/donation

No one knows how long the summer vacation will be for this year since there is a lot to catch up at school after the pandemic（大流行病）. Everyone is facing different changes and challenges in life, students or adults. There may be summer classes throughout（貫穿）July. Gianna used to join the yearly（一年一次）summer camp organized by her parish（堂區）for the altar servers（輔祭員）. Each camp in the past still brings her the best memories of all because she could be with her best friends from church, people who serve（事奉）Mass with her for a few years. Three whole days away from families, playing at the retreat campsite meant a lot to youngsters（年青人）. Whether it rained or shined, each summer camp turned out to be wonderful.  As Gianna is a longtime（老資格） participant in the Altar Servers Summer Camp, she is being requested to be the game coordinator （協調人）for this year. She is thrilled（興奮）to try because she knows the soul（靈魂）of a camp is how the games are conducted（進行）. They have to be fun yet（而）meaningful（有意義）. It will take her a lot of time to think of something that will work well. Also, while planning, she needs to talk with a few other coordinators on the venue limitation（場地限制） ,duration（時間）, age of the participants and so on...  Gianna takes pride in（感到自豪）being accounted（被認為）as capable（有能力）. Yet, she was told that she needed to get all things planned, but there is a high possibility（可能性）that the camp cannot be held due to the Covid 19 preventive measures or availability（有空）of students who have shortened（縮短）summer holidays. This dampens her enthusiasm（潑冷水）to help.  What would you do if you were Gianna?  I'd reject to take up the post because my hard work would be wasted, which meant my time and effort would be for no use. Let someone less busy do it.  I'd gladly come up with the most appropriate games. Even if the camp would be cancelled in the end, my talent is from God, doing the planning this year could keep me well equipped （裝備）to serve Him in upcoming camps or other activities. 

Happy New Year ! Did you achieve your last year's New Year's resolution? Whether you have accomplished it or not, it is now a good time to reflect on the previous year and look at the beginning of the year of 2020 as a new lease of life.  A lease is a contract by which you pay money in order to use a flat, a vehicle, or a service for a specified period of time. Thus, a new lease of life suggests that a new period of life, like a property, is given to you once again.  This expression originally meant a recovery from illness or a chance to live longer, as shown in“Letters and Memorials”written by Jane Welsh Carlyle, a Scottish writer, in 1853.  “She was going to have a new lease of life with better health.”  Nowadays, this idiom figuratively refers to a fresh start or renewed enthusiasm.  Alfred has a new lease of life since he now spends more time on sports rather than computer games.  The new-born grandson has given Mrs Chan a new lease of life.  This expression can also be used to describe inanimate objects.  The multi-coloured cushions have given the sofas a new lease of life (煥然一新).  While“a new lease of life”is mainly British English, American people normally say“a new lease on life”.  Whatever difficulties and hardships are ahead, let us hope that the year of 2020 will be a new lease of life（重新充滿活力）to all Hong Kong people.  Glossary   Resolution  決心  Accomplished  實行  Lease  租約  Property  物業  Recovery  康復  Enthusiasm  熱誠  Inanimate  無生命的  Hardships  艱苦

“How to pretend I do not know my best friend's secret while I do know ?”  Wright and Webster were assigned（ 被編排）to sit together at school many years ago, and that started their close relationship. They have been boon companions（好友）and they always say that people with names starting with a W have the same personality（性格）. True or not, they are still best friends till today.  Between the two boys, they have an unspoken（默許）practice of buying the same pair of new sneakers（波鞋）during the first week of a new year. That is not only to show others how close（密切）they are, but more on a practical side（實際方面）—— buying two pairs gets a higher discount offer. The new pair of sneakers will also be the designated（選定）Christmas presents from home, which saves their parents much effort to shop for other things.  Yet this Christmas is different. Webster's father is not doing smooth（順利） with his investment（投資）. His whole family has to move to a subdivided unit（劏房）to cut rent（租金）down. His mother, used to be a housewife, is now working part time. Life is not easy as before. Webster seldom talks about this, but it is a fact that everyone knows about at school.  As the usual practice, this weekend is the time for shopping for a new pair of sneakers.  What would you do if you were Wright?  If my good friend was tight on budget（財政緊張）, I could ask my parents to pay for him the new sneakers. My parents would be happy to help. He did not deserve（值得）to be deprived（剝削）of anything that he usually had.  To protect my friend’s feeling, I’d suggest that according to our maturity（成熟）, we should not use our parents' money any more. Instead we could both get a part time tutoring（補習）job and try saving up our own money for our new pair of sneakers. That would be the best present to our parents to show that we have really grown up. More, there would be no rush to buy anything unless the old pair was worn-out.