On the last evening of 2022, Bambi is having some fun playing a musical game while awaiting the start of the “Bye Bye”! The latter is an annual famous Canadian TV show, which originally began before Bambi’s birth (i.e. 1968). Produced in Québec, the Bye Bye features sketches satirizing the past year’s political, social, and cultural events. It always ends with a countdown to the next year.
Well, over the past 32-33 years, Bambi has never missed any Bye Bye since migrating to Canada. If she is travelling or celebrating somewhere, she always takes the time to watch this show either on TV or online in the following day(s). Why would she miss the opportunity to laugh about the passing year? Tonight, she will have the chance to watch this TV show live. Cool!
Anyhow, this post will only feature some songs she likes. Almost all of them were posted on her blog in the past year. Some more than once even. Perhaps only one or two songs she did not have the chance to share them with you yet.
For all sorts of reasons, Bambi has trouble choosing which song to sing while transitioning from 2022 to 2023? For each one of them, she has a reason to think it may the one. At times, she likes the song because of the fun melody. At other times, it is more due to the deep meaning of the lyrics.
If you have the time or feel like playing with Bambi, you may comment on your preferred or least liked song. Bambi would love to hear from you. If you need any translation of the lyrics, she will happily guide you to earlier posts or consult her good friend, Mr. Google Translate :). For now, she will stop her blahblahblah to let the music have the final word of the year. Happy 2023 to all! Oui, bonne année 2023 à tous ❤️!
Bambi would like to wish you a wonderful new year filled with whatever your heart wishes.
If she may, she would like to also wish you what she has been blessed with in 2022 (and in life in general): Friendship!
Friendship can take so many forms in life.
First, and to begin with, being the kindest friend we can be with ourselves at all times, from the moments of fun with loved ones, to times of solitude with internal trips as per the earlier post [thanks Roula :)], and to hardship in life.
Second, true friends can become family. Is there anything more meaningful in life than a caring family?
Third, friendship is also about remaining true to ourselves, to our deepest values, and speaking our mind.
Fourth, friendship is also about being/remaining the most genuine “friend” we can be to loved ones; and friendly with those who reach out in times of hardship.
Fifth, being thankful to both our faithful and ALL the new “friends” (some are a true gift of life!).
Last but not least, as a friend to both herself and others, Bambi refuses to lose her humanity in life. It is in this spirit that she wishes everyone a wonderful new year. This includes those who have been friendly as well as those who may have lacked humanity to the point of indulging in lies, defamation, and/or attempt of cancellation. This also includes those who may have lacked the courage to take the time to remain friends, even privately. May everyone’s new year be filled with the beauty of humanity and the true meaning of friendship.
To conclude this post in music, one song comes to Bambi’s mind on new year. It is Ms. Céline Dion’s celebration of friendship (English lyrics copy-pasted from YouTube follow the melody). Our dear Céline is right: “friendship is the most beautiful country” [“L’amitié c’est le plus beau pays“].
Happy 2023, dear friends in humanity ❤️!
Bonne Année 2023 chers amis de l’humanité ❤️! ️
“If it’s a
friend
If he’s for
you
What you are
for him
The one who
can love you
Without ever
judging you
The one that
stays when the others already left you
I say that
if it’s a friend
Then you
have succeeded in your life
You already
found the evening star
And you’re
not alone anymore on the road
If it’s a
friend
Give your
bread and your wine and your life
And do the
world all over again
Like have
done three hundred times
Don Quixote
and his old Sancho Panza
If it’s your
friend
Tell him so
he’ll sing and sing with him
Friendship
is the most beautiful country
If it’s a
friend
If he
becomes crazy when you do crazy things
If he shows
you sometimes he feared for you
If nothing
less than the best satisfies him for you
I say that
if it’s a friend
Then you
succeded in your life
Each one on
our side
We’re only
thow halves
Together we
go over mountains
If it’s a
friend
Give your
bread and your wine and your life
And do the
world all over again like have done three hundred times
Don Quixote
and his old Sancho Panza
If it’s your
friend
Tell him so
he’ll sing and sing with him
Friendship
is the most beautiful country
If it’s your
friend
If he has
your laughing if he has your tears too
If he has
the same angers
Fill him
when the earth
With its
trumpets and its wars goes wrong
I say that
if he’s a friend
You can say
a huge thank you to life
Because it
made of him
A brother
you choose
And the
companion of luck
If it’s a
friend
Give your
bread and your wine and your life
And do the
world all over again like have done three hundred times
Don Quixote
and his old Sancho Panza
If it’s your
friend
Tell him so
he’ll sing and sing with him
Friendship
is the most beautiful country
If it’s a
friend
Give your
bread and your wine and your life
And do the
world all over again like have done three hundred times
A few nights ago, Bambi did a tour of the news in her birth country concerned about its financial crisis. While doing so, she came across these beautiful lines by her own sister, Ms. Roula Douglas. This author and journalist is full of wisdom. Yes, this is Bambi’s conclusion, regardless of any sibling bias :). Just check one of her latest tweets. The text is in French and you can read Bambi’s translation following it.
“In these last days of the year, I realize that among all the journeys I have made and all the paths I have travelled, the most significant today is the one that leads to me and my inner peace”.
Mind you, in a country of multiple crisis, including a paralyzed political system (yes still no President of the Republic of Lebanon!), this is quite an achievement on behalf of Roula.
Same if you live in other countries of the world, including Canada, with much inflation and loss of purchasing power. Of course, same for yet other countries with extreme poverty and cholera like Haiti, Syria, and Lebanon. And what about countries with raging territorial or civil wars respectively, like Ukraine and Myanmar, or places with cyclic clashes like Armenia-Azerbaijan, Gaza-Israel or Afghanistan. And what to say about countries with ongoing fights for liberty like Iran or some continuation of war like Syria?
Yes, many troubles worldwide. Despite all this, may everyone remain safe and as serene as realistically possible at the end of internal trips like those of Roula.
To end this brief post on a musical note, Bambi would like to offer Roula and the dear readers of her blog, a French-Canadian song she discovered while preparing this post. It is by Ms. Marie-Denise Pelletier and it is entitled “Le voyage intérieur [Interior journey].
Safe travels everyone, both internally and toward 2023 ?!
Allez, bon voyage à tous à la fois à l’intérieur de soi et vers 2023 ?!
The powerful article, featured in this post, summarizes what has surprised Dr. Joseph Facal in 2022. It is food for thought about the increasing censorship in Canada.
Dr. Facal’s article (https://bit.ly/3I5VX1X) was recently published in the Journal de Montréal. With the assistance of her faithful friend Mr. Google Translate, Bambi will first present his article in the language of Shakespeare. Second, she will share a song she discovered this morning while preparing part of this post.
This musical discovery is entitled Liberty and it is by Ms. Lauren Kellie. Its lyrics are powerful and its music beautiful. At the very end, following Kellie’s superb song, you can find its lyrics, as copy-pasted from YouTube.
From the lyrics, the following sentence resonates in Bambi’s mind:
“It’s in our DNA to be free,we’re not made to live this way” .
As a society, why are we collectively accepting the unacceptable, which is censorship? Are we doing so out of fear or is it out of a desire to please and conform? We can perhaps add to the latter a lack of critical analysis in addition to a distortion or a corruption of the use of principles. Stated differently, principles like freedom of expression and/or academic freedom apply for thee and not for me. Censorship is for thee and not for me. The violence of cancellation, or cancel culture, is tolerated for thee and not for me.
So, what is the best antidote to the above? It may be simply respect for all. This means for everyone’s opinions, no to violence for anyone, yes to individual rights for all/anyone, AND, most importantly, a re-commitment to principles for the the sake of principles. This means the latter apply to anyone with any opinion, including unapproved political or scientific ones.
Indeed, it is vital to constantly protect freedom for all. If we stop venerating the latter, as a cherished principle or value, especially in so-called “controversial” cases with which we disagree, like Bambi’s own story, it is only a matter of time until each one of us will lose freedom in our society.
All this being said, Bambi will stop her own initial thoughts here because it is time to share Dr. Facal’s sharp and wise words now. Please remember the musical treat following his article!
—
“War in Ukraine? I confess that I did not believe it until the last minute.
But that a tyrant invades his neighbour is not particularly a novelty.
For me, the most disturbing, the strangest, the most insidious event of the past year has been the continuation and deepening of censorship in our Western societies.
Storm
Instead of slowing down, it seems to me to have accelerated.
Lexicons of now banned words are produced.
TV shows are banned for hearing “offensive” words.
Artists guilty of being white are removed from museums.
Books disappear from reading lists submitted to students.
Even yours truly had his picture taken down from a wall in my old CEGEP [or college in the province of Québec. He is apolitician, academic, and journalist. He was a Parti Québécois member of the National Assembly of Québec (1994-2003) and a cabinet minister in the governments of Mr. Lucien Bouchard and Mr. Bernard Landry]. It was only put back because people started asking questions.
Obviously, censorship is nothing new, but who expected such a comeback?
I’m not sure that today’s young people, many of whom have become so embedded in the software of self-censorship that they don’t realize it, realize that they can say less than you and me in the year 2000 or 1990.
Have them watch a sketch by Yvon Deschamps or RBO [the former is a famous comedian and the latter is Rock et Belles Oreilles, a radio, television and stage comedy group that was very popular in the 1980s and 1990s] and see their bewildered reactions.
We are experiencing a perfect storm, that is, the meeting of elements that combine to produce maximum effect.
You have, on the one hand, a properly religious thought, which divides the world into good and bad, which has an answer to everything and which never doubts.
You have, on the other side, cowardly administrators, who bend before the slightest protest, no matter how outlandish, and who will justify their cowardice in the name of “respect” due to the “feelings” of a handful renamed “the community”.
However, I will bring a nuance immediately.
As people retire and are replaced by younger people indoctrinated with wokeism, who rise to positions of influence in newsrooms, on campuses, in human resources departments, etc., censorship is no longer just the work of people who are afraid, but of executives who are on the same wavelength as the protesters.
It is, moreover, fascinating to see the extent to which wokeism, now well established in power, persists in presenting itself as the struggle of the “dominated”, as the legitimate struggle of those below against the oppressive power of the capitalist and liberal society.
Fight
It is equally fascinating to see their instrumentalization of the meaning of words.
These people only have the words “listening”, “dialogue” and “openness” in their mouths.
But for them, “listening” means agreeing with them.
“Dialogue” means imposing their monologue.
The “opening” is one-way. Have you recently heard of a censor who acted out of conviction and not out of fear to admit that he was wrong?
The fight, I fear, will be long, as the struggles against religious obscurantism have always been”.
Thank you Ms. Linda De Suza for your musical heritage in French, Portuguese, and Spanish!
Before going to sleep late yesterday night, Bambi came across a YouTube video referring to the death of M.s Linda De Suza at the age of 74. Her brain immediately dismissed the news as a hoax. Perhaps because she has seen many of the latter about other artists or even politicians? Or perhaps because our first natural reaction to death is denial (https://bit.ly/3G0dxlm)? Regardless, Bambi just heard a confirmation of this sad news on her internet Lebanese-American radio, along with a couple of De Suza’s immortal songs.
Of note, Bambi was preparing a post on censorship in Canada, which will be a translation of a very thoughtful article of Dr. Joseph Facal (in partnership with her beloved friend, Mr. Google Translate, of course) and an opportunity to share her recent musical discovery on liberty. She put it aside now, perhaps until tomorrow, to post this brief tribute to Ms. Linda De Suza… May her memory be eternal.
You may perhaps wonder why would Bambi be saddened by the death of Ms. De Suza to that extent? No, it is not only because she is BIG fan of this inspiring lady (who sold over 2 million records); like many fellow fans worldwide, not just in France or Portugal. Indeed, it may be perhaps the case because her French songs have rocked Bambi’s childhood and adolescence in Beirut. It is as if a part of her youth has died now with Ms. De Suza, even if her music will outlive her and us all.
Indeed, God knows how many times her songs played on the Lebanese radio during its bloody civil war (1975-1990), bringing tenderness and romance in the middle of brutality; how many times Bambi listened to them: alone, with her sisters, or with friends at the end of parties when music usually turns into slow dancing. She recalls having taking the time to write down De Suza’s beautiful lyrics more than once. She even sang them; alone do not worry because it is safer to the ears of her loved ones. Ms. De Susa’s lyrics are so beautiful that even a frog’s voice cannot succeed in turning them to bad melodies!
Thank you, Ms. De Suza for having existed and for your eternal musical heritage. You were an icon of the successful, and moving, Portuguese migrant to France. You built bridges between hearts in your adoptive and birth countries. Your beautiful influence travelled beyond Europe, including Lebanon and other francophone or francophile places. Heartfelt condolences from Bambi to your loved ones. Again, may your memory be eternal, as it will remain in your fans’ hearts and brains’ limbic system ❤️.
To end this tribute, Bambi will allow herself to borrow the translated concluding words of President Macron and his spouse in their official statement (https://bit.ly/3GpTb6p). Following this, she will share some of Ms. Linda De Suza’s most famous songs found on YouTube (a couple come with an English translation). She hopes you will enjoy either re-listening to them or discovering them.
“At the crossroads of two cultures, two languages, translating her greatest French successes into Portuguese, she asserted herself as an icon of the crossed destinies of our two peoples, and sponsored Portugal when it joined the European Union in 1986.
The President of the Republic and his spouse salute this talented singer who builds bridges between the country where she began her life and the one where she ended it, in this Normandy which was dear to her. They send their sincere condolences to her son, his family, and all those moved by her songs, in Portugal and in France.”
Bambi would like to thank the friend who just kindly shared the story underlying this post with her.
How ignorant can you be to ban a Christmas carol from TV because of its lyrics that refer to Jesus as what he is, the”King of Israel“, as mentioned in both the Bible and the Qu’ran. Indeed, the reference to Israel is spiritual and historic. It has nothing to do with politics, the Modern Israel, and the Middle East eternal conflict.
Banning a famous Christmas prayer-carol like the First Noël is both stupid and authoritarian. The artist is right: this has nothing to do with the Palestinian cause or with the current reality that Lebanon is still officially or legally in a state of war with the neighbouring Israel (contrary to many Arab counties with recent normalized ties).
Bambi has posted this song on her blog. Thus, in this post, she wants to imagine that the embedded video is a TV screen in each household of her birth country where this beautiful song has played during the Christmas holiday and where people are free to either listen to it or to change the channel if they get “triggered”.
In solidarity with Ms. Cynthia Karam and Mr. Bruno Tabbal, Bambi will share their song again, in addition to showing her earlier post again at the end of the current one. Last but not least, she will share what looks like a Facebook (or Meta) open letter, which was also released by Ms. Karam to the media. Her text is in Arabic, but with the help of her friend Mr. Google Translate, Bambi translated it to English for you.
“The Surveillance [of the General Security] banned “The First Noel” on TV screens.
Yes,
the news hit like a thunderstorm. We were informed, one day before the eve of
Christmas, that the committee to which the Gregorian video clip was transferred
(in order to obtain the usual permission to broadcast it on Lebanese TV
channels) wished to “delete the phrase born is the king of Israel” and the
reason: “for lack of misunderstanding”!? ….
Let’s
put everything in its proper context. The First Noel is a traditional English
medieval Gregorian chant first recorded in 1823 in the collection Gilbert and
Sandy’s Carols.
The
First Noel is one of the world’s most famous Christmas anthems and has been
performed by a number of world famous artists such as Celine Dion, Josh Groban,
Maraya Carey, Whitney Houston and others.
The video clip was filmed in a Lebanese village and in the Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation. It shows the piousness of Cynthia Karam and Bruno Tabbal in the context of the Christmas prayer and then placing the baby Jesus in the cave, thus expressing the essence of the religious meaning of Christmas and its human dimension. The question being asked? What in this context is favoured over “misunderstanding”??? Let’s go back and explain what needs no explanation: The phrase king of Israel has no connection to any political meaning! It is found in the Bible and means “King of the Jews”. And everyone, everyone, knows that.
This phrase appears more than 27 times in the
Bible.And to mention the example: Nathanael answered him and said to him, “Teacher, you are the Son
of God. You are the King of Israel.” John 1:49 “Let this Messiah, King of Israel, come down now from the
cross, so that we may see and believe!” Mark 15:32 “And you, O Bethlehem, the land of Judah.[…] For from you shall
come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” Matthew 2:3 As for in the Holy Qur’an, Surat Al-Isra’, the second verse: {1}
And We gave Moses the Book and made it a guidance for the children of Israel,
that you should not take a proxy besides Me. {2} The surah is also known as “Surat Bani Isra’il” because it talks
about this people. This is to mention a few examples.
THE
FIRST NOEL chant performed at the beginning of the celebration of the Divine
Liturgy of the Christmas Mass in the Vatican in the presence of His Holiness
the Pope (link: https://youtu.be/Hhrjxix3pAE),
and it was performed by Father Peter Hanna (link: https://youtu.be/KlvEbeXMZv0). I also
performed it personally at my birthday celebration in 2018, in the presence of
His Beatitude Patriarch Mar Bechara Al-Rahi, and the ceremony was broadcast on a
Charity TV. Not to mention countless hits on screens, the latest of which was
on Christmas Eve two days ago, when it was performed by a young artist on MTV.
So, what is required? Replacing this phrase in the Bible with “Occupied
Palestine” and asking all fathers, metropolitans, bishops, and the Pope of Rome
to delete it and not to pronounce it for “not misunderstanding”?! This is
nonsense. So, what is required? Have the word Israel, which means the Jews
here, become the monopoly of the Zionist enemy? So why is the Jewish community
in Lebanon officially called “the Israelis”, i.e. israélites? And if we in
Lebanon do not accept all monotheistic religions, then why was the Magen
Abraham Synagogue in downtown Beirut restored? A clear and unfortunate
contradiction. What did this oversight achieve?
Nothing.
Preventing the Lebanese people from watching a beautiful video clip on TV on Christmas
eve, which is purely Christmas-related, did not achieve anything. The clip has
been on YouTube for two weeks, and it was shown twice or more a day for a whole
week on MTV before we stopped showing it out of respect for the decision issued
by General Security. We are under the law, even if it is unjust. The clip
spread and achieved the required success without registering any objection from
any party or any “misunderstanding”. The Lebanese are not idiots who
need a “guardian to think for them”. The problem is not with the
oversight body, which I have been dealing with for more than a decade, and they
are among the kindest, most respectful, and positively cooperative people. The
problem is with the idea of censorship that is not in keeping with the times
and technology. We have repeated that over and over again. Today, with the
“click of a button”, we can obtain any information without an
intermediary or observer. The problem is with discretion and old laws and
committees that do not match the thought of this time and the development of
humanity in addition to technologies. We need to update it to keep pace with
this era and to be effective, unlike what the First Noel video clip censorship
did not accomplish. In addition, we see a very big difference between
censorship and people, as I repeat that the clip won great admiration and no
objection was recorded. Censorship is in one place, people are in another, and
it is clear that the Lebanese are not ignorant, as they are “aware” and fully
aware of the context of this video clip and its true meaning.
So, today I am addressing this oversight body
and all the respected curators behind it through this publication, which I
consider an open letter, asking them to reconsider this unfair and wrong
decision that harms their credibility and the reputation of our beloved Lebanon. I repeat and repeat the clip circulated through the Internet and
achieved the required spread and success. The request to reverse the ban is only to support the right that
we all thirst for. Our country is going through a collapse at all levels.We need great awareness, solidarity and unity
to correct matters in all fields, and we must always raise our voice to correct
mistakes and “missing steps”. The silent about the truth is a dumb devil.
Many of you dear readers are fans of Ms. Leila Milki; some expressed your appreciation of her talent on this blog in earlier posts shown further below. Bambi hopes you will enjoy her latest project, like she did ❤️!
—
Earlier posts on the much talented Lebanese-American singer, songwriter, and pianist Ms. Leila Milki:
Jad Dagher gave his first solo peformance on piano on December 26, 2022 in Lebanon!
Mr. Jad Dagher is full of talent. Bambi is not only impressed, but also proud!
Indeed, Jad Dagher is only 17. Yet he completed the Trinity College of London (Grade 8) program (https://bit.ly/3Z1qCDE). The latter is a highly prestigious and rigorous leading exam board and independent education charity. It has been providing assessments around the world since 1877. It specializes in assessing communicative and performance skills, including music, drama, English, and combined arts. The Trinity College of London has over 850,000 candidates per year in over 60 countries, imagine. Jad Dagher has been one of them. He is skilled in both sciences and music, among other skills. Bravo for his multi-talent, diligence, and beautiful attitude in life.
This post will focus on Mr. Dagher’s musical talent only. He began learning piano at age 7. Yesterday, on December 26, 2022, he gave his first performance on piano. He interpreted Bach, Mozart, Debussy, and Skoryk. His concert was followed by an opera concert featuring Ms. Maria Dudnik who was accompanied on piano by Ms. Kateryna Azzi. The latter is the Rock’N Bach School of Music and Art‘s piano teacher.
Following the poster below, you can appreciate Mr. Dagher’s INCREDIBLE talent. Notice how he has memorized the pieces he played. Of note, the last videos are Mozart’s 12 variations of “Twinkle Twinke Little Star” (https://bit.ly/2VBaI0U).
It takes an immense talent, much practice, and courage to perform solo as Mr. Jad Dagher did yesterday. Please, Jad, keep up BOTH your talent and dedication. Bravo for making us all proud and thank you for being an inspiration to Bambi ❤️!
Welcome to all the babies and… long live “Meghle”!
Have you ever heard of or tasted a Lebanese desert called “Meghle”?
Bambi has two most recent memories of Meghle. The first dates from December 2019 when she visited her family in Beirut. The smell of the delicate flavours of anise, caraway, pistachio, coconut, and rose water woke her up upon her first morning in Lebanon. What a nice way to start a day, isn’t it? Bambi followed the smell to her mom’s kitchen, teasing her by asking if she had given birth to a baby sibling for her :)? Her mom explained that it was for both Baby Jesus and for Bambi’s sister, Roula, who likes this desert. Cool, Bambi thought!
Well, it seems that the recipe is relatively easy. Bambi does not trust her relatives when they say so, including her own spouse who is the king of their/his kitchen. They all say this and they most likely mean it, thanks to them. However, they forget sometimes that nothing is easy for those of us who are among the least talented of the common people :)!
Anyhow talking about ease in the kitchen, Bambi’s second most recent memory of Meghle is related to her cousin Samia from Sydney, Australia! When she visited Montreal, in just a few magical minutes, she prepared Meghle for her niece who was craving this delicious desert. Thankfully, there is something called sharing in life. We all got to taste her masterpiece of Meghle. Mmm!
Cousin Samia’s Meghle: Mmm! A picture taken by Bambi in Montreal, Canada in September, 2022.
Cousin Samia’s Meghle: Mmm! A picture taken by Bambi in Montreal, Canada in September, 2022.
Be honest with yourself, please: Are you salivating right now, like Bambi? If so, you may be perhaps interested in reading the Meghle recipe that Bambi found online for you (https://bit.ly/3GkKI48).
Below are brief videos about how to make Meghle in several languages: English, silent (except for the music language) with Arabic sub-titles, Arabic (by the talented Lebanese-American Chef Soha), French, and German.
To conclude this post, “Sahteen“, or Bon Appétit , as they say in Lebanon. “Mabrouk” and welcome to the newborn 🙂 in music with… two songs. The first is a kids’ song in English. The second, you can guess that it is Mr. Ramy Ayash’s Lebanese “Mabrouk” [Congrats!] song :)!
Silent (except or the music language :), English sub-titles
