Thank you Gina for making Bambi discover the fabulous culture of the “Brayons”, also called sometimes “Madawaskayens”.
Who are the Brayons? They are the French-speaking inhabitants of Madawaska county. The latter is located in Northwestern New Brunswick, Canada. The Madawaska county forms the Canadian portion of “Madawaska”. Originally, it has been a larger territory that also included Northern Aroostook county in the US state of Maine as well as the upper Saint John River Valley (https://bit.ly/3YUTe08).
Below, if you are as curious as Bambi, you may watch a very brief English video explaining the meaning of “Brayon“. This will be followed by a little bit longer French-Canadian video, made in Québec with a touch of both tenderness and humour, about Madawaska. Next, if you wish, you can enjoy a joyful song by the late Mr. Jean Lapointe entitled “En Brayon voyons” [“In Brayon, come on!”]. Bambi just discovered the latter while preparing this post. Last but not least, the final French-speaking, or also Brayon-speaking, video (sub-titled in French) is about the Brayon Festival, which Bambi is dreaming of discovering this coming summer! In the same video, we also learn about the richness and uniqueness of this culture, with its Acadian, Québecker, Indigenous, Irish, Scotish, and American joint influences. The video also informs us of an apparently delicious traditional buckwheat crepe called “La ploye“. Mmm!
This being said, Bambi is proud of herself. Today, she became truly New-Brunswicker because she now knows the difference between an Acadian and a Brayon, according to Mr. Philippe Melbourne Dufour’s article on her beautiful province (https://bit.ly/3yWe9p3). Long live New Brunswick. Long live Canada with all its cultural and linguistic richness!
“Amto” [Aunty] Salwa, may your memory be eternal… always and especially on your birthday
Today is March 14. It would have been Salwa’s birthday had she still been (physically) among her loved ones; as per an earlier post shown further below. This is why Bambi will send her late aunt a loving wink while smiling to the skies.
Indeed, to highlight this meaningful day, she will borrow Grand Corps Malade‘s beautiful slam poem-song, which is entitled “Nos absents” [“Our absent ones”]. The original French lyrics follow the English translation (https://bit.ly/3mNwvpd). This post will end with the song, which is sub-titled in French.
May your memory keep on being eternal, Salwa ❤️. May God protect your descendants in Lebanon and in Brazil…
“The ghosts do not really exist, but their absence is so much strong that creates in us a presence which makes us weak, which supports us.
This is the absence of those we loved that creates an almost tangible void, because the love we had given to them now is an orphan who looks for a target.
For some of them we were aware of it, we had been prepared for the worst, but the other ones disappeared suddenly.
Without any advance warning.
We did not say goodbye, they had left without our permission.
Because death has its own reasons that our reason is unaware of.
Thus we are regrouped with an utopian comfort.
Several of us are stronger but not less sad.
It is in the solitude that we mourn for them, because when we are alone, we feel the effects.
We tame the pain and the presence of our absent ones.
Our absent ones are always there, in our mind and in our memories.
In the video of vacations, in these photos full of smiles.
Our absent ones surround us and remain by our sides. They come back to life in our dreams ,as if nothing has happened.
We are reassured by the suffering that pinch our neck, saying that wherever they are surely have less pain than us.
So we walk, we laugh, we sing.
But their shadows dwell.
In a corner of our brain.
In a corner of our happiness.
We have some projects, we plan our tomorrows.
We decide the way, we look at the future in our hands.
And in the heart of action, in our victories and our hells, time to time we imagine that our absent ones are watching what we are doing.
Every life is a miracle, but the end is annoying.
I am well informed, that we will not leave here alive.
Must learn to accept it for trying to grow old happily.
But every year our absent ones get a little more numerous.
Every new disappearance transform our hearts into lace.
But the time passes and the long lived pains become pastel.
For once the time is a true ally.
Every hour passes is an ointment, it will take thousands.
Me , the dead, the missing ones,
I do not speak much.
I write about them.
I tickle the taboo subjects.
This big mystery which waits for us,
Our ultimate point common to all.
The ghosts do not really exist, but their absence is so much strong that creates in us a presence which makes us weak, which supports us.
This is the absence of those we loved that creates an almost infinite void that inspire first degree texts.
Must say that death lacks irony“.
—
«C’est pas vraiment
des fantômes, mais leur absence est tellement forte
Qu’elle crée en nous une présence qui nous rend faible ou nous supporte
C’est ceux qu’on a aimé qui créaient un vide presque tangible
Car l’amour qu’on leur donnait est orphelin, il cherche une cible
Pour certains on le savait, on s’était préparé au pire
Mais d’autres ont disparu d’un seul coup, sans prévenir
On leur a pas dit au revoir, ils sont partis sans notre accord
Car la mort a ses raisons que notre raison ignore
Alors on s’est
regroupé d’un réconfort utopiste
À plusieurs on est plus fort mais on est pas moins triste
C’est seul qu’on fait son deuil, car on est seul quand on ressent
On apprivoise la douleur et la présence de nos absents
Nos absents sont toujours là, à l’esprit et dans nos souvenirs
Sur ce film de vacances, sur ces photos pleines de sourires
Nos absents nous entourent et resteront à nos côtés
Ils reprennent vie dans nos rêves, comme si de rien n’était
On se rassure face à
la souffrance qui nous serre le cou
En se disant que là où ils sont, ils ont sûrement moins mal que nous
Alors on marche, on rit, on chante mais leur ombre demeure
«Dans un coin de nos cerveaux, dans un coin de notre bonheur
Nous on a des projets, on dessine nos lendemains
On décide du chemin, on regarde l’avenir entre nos mains
Et au cœur de l’action, dans nos victoires ou nos enfers
On imagine de temps en temps que nos absents nous voient faire
Chaque vie est un
miracle mais le final est énervant
J’me suis bien renseigné, on en sortira pas vivant
Faut apprendre à l’accepter pour essayer de vieillir heureux
Mais chaque année nos absents sont un peu plus nombreux
Chaque nouvelle disparition transforme nos cœurs en dentelle
Mais le temps passe et les douleurs vives deviennent pastelles
Ce temps qui pour une fois est un véritable allié
Chaque heure passée est une pommade, il en faudra des milliers
Moi les morts, les disparus, je n’en parle pas beaucoup Alors j’écris sur eux, je titille mes sujets tabous Ce grand mystère qui nous attend, notre ultime point commun à tous Qui fait qu’on court après la vie, sachant que la mort est à nos trousses C’est pas vraiment des fantômes mais leur absence est tellement forte Qu’elle crée en nous une présence qui nous rend faible ou nous supporte C’est ceux qu’on a aimé qui créait un vide presque infini Qu’inpirent des textes premier degré, faut dire que la mort manque d’ironie»
Bambi just read the following shocking yet not surprising article entitled “Feds commit $10 million to help 200 Black families in GTA buy their first home” (https://bit.ly/3ZIQWlL).
Why are the Feds dividing Torontonians, and by extension Canadians, by their skin colour? Why not help anyone who is struggling to buy a house and if this helps so-called “Black Canadians” more because of more systemic barriers, bravo?
Why the systemic discrimination instead, which aims to “help” so-called “Black” Canadians buy their first house through a program called “BNI Homeownership Bridge Program“, officially described as “An Affordable Homeownership Option that Enables Black Families to Thrive” (https://bit.ly/3l387j5).
The irony is that this announcement was made by the Honourable Ahmed Hussein who is supposed to be the Minister of “housing, diversity and inclusion“. Housing and diversity maybe… but where is the inclusion here?
Replacing skin hue with religion, Bambi could not help not to imagine for one second the Lebanese government coming up with the exact same policy to return the savings stolen by them/banks to the Lebanese citizens, according to their religion. Or to help with housing, etc. Only helping Christians or only helping Shia Muslims or only Druze or Sunni Muslims because they are more “equity-deserving”. How would the Lebanese society take the latter? They will run to the streets, citizens of all religions and backgrounds to denounce their government (with a reason). And may God forbid, if such discriminatory practices keep being institutionalized, this could even perhaps fuel another civil war.
So Ottawa, for God’s sake, why are you doing this to ALL of us?
It takes great courage to end a relationship despite love.
When was your last heartache after a breakup? Do you remember that pain? How did you find the courage to decide to be lucid, to set boundaries, to respect yourself, to either leave or to let go in order to move on?
Well, Ms. Carla Chamoun’s new song is all about this universal topic. It is called “Khat el Rajaa” [The Way Back].
In this Lebanese artist’s own words, as per Sound Cloud, “this song comes across as a struggle between a love hate feeling of letting go and being peaceful. It speaks every girl’s heart who wants to move on but doesn’t want to hurt the other person. Khat el Raj3a [Name of the song in Lebanese-Arabic; the number 3 corresponds to the 18th letter of the Arabic alphabet] is very dear to me for being a song of moving forward on a good wish for success to what was left, I gave it my best and hoping you will love it as much as I do“.
Bambi is fond of Ms. Chamoun. She likes her latest song and hopes you will enjoy it too. If you are interested, its Arabic lyrics, followed by a quick English translation, appear at the very end of this post after the YouTube song.
To conclude this brief musical post, Bambi wishes you all peace of mind whether you are single, in a relationship, or grieving a meaningful love or a late loved one. Whatever your life stage or romantic journey, may you always remember that the most precious relationship in our lives is with ourselves. Indeed, we all deserve a good self-care and inner peace, regardless of any sorrow, just like in Ms. Carla Chamoun’s beautiful song.
خط الرجعة محيتو” وحبك انتها وقلبي هلأ داويتو وعنك التها
عم بتمنا تكون منيح وبعدي تلاقي حب جديد ما بهمني تكون معذب المهم تضل بعيد ضل بعيد ضل بعيد
Bambi adores ice cream. This morning she was grateful to receive a brief publicly available Instagram video, produced by “Elliott Eatz”, from Salome about the pistachio ice cream of a famous Lebanese shop in Paris called Bachir. The latter shop reminds Bambi of her youth in Beirut where it began and expanded across the entire country. Now, Bachir is present in Paris, São Paulo, and Dubai, according to 961 (https://bit.ly/3ZUfrw4).
If you are interested, below you can watch the video and learn about this particular oriental flavour. It will be followed by a kid’s song honouring ice cream. Mmm!
What does happiness mean to you, asks the sun? For me, it is illuminating your days and tying to warm your hearts
With much love, on the eve of your REAL birthday (contrary to the earlier silly post from last week shown further below), Bambi would like to offer you Roula a song about the recipe of happiness by “Les Enfantastiques“. Yes indeed, in few hours in Beirut, it will be March 10. Finally, your real birthday :)!
Today happens to also be a day of celebrations at your end. If Bambi recalls well. It is The Teacher’s Day in Lebanon, even if it is harder for the country’s teachers to rejoice in the overwhelming economic crisis. Best wishes to all of them, including you as a university professor.
Thank you for being who you are to so many of us. For Bambi, you are a sunshine of a loving big sister as well as a friend. Two in one. What can Bambi ask for more from life? Maybe another sister? Well, she is blessed to have that as well [hello Rania :)].
The song “Recipe of Happiness” is in French [“La recette du bonheur“]. It is followed by the English “recipe”, thanks to Mr. Google Translate. Mind you, the latter wishes you a Happy Birthday, Roula. Believe it or not, he asked Bambi to send you his warm regards [just like “Zaanjar” of our childhood :)].
“The recipe for happiness, it’s not that complicated
No need to be a great starred chef
You have to cook with a good heart
Simmer every day
It’s every passing moment
What we savour
The recipe for happiness
Just be patient
In us we find the right ingredients
We prepare it at any time
And always with passion
To taste it without moderation
A smile when you wake up
Crunchy, crispy heat
A ray of sunshine
A pinch of good humor
A sparkling gaze
A good handful of hello
Enliven the taste buds
With a pinch of humour
The recipe for happiness, it’s not that
complicated
No need to be a great starred chef
You have to cook with a good heart
Simmer every day
It’s every passing moment
What we savour
The recipe for happiness
Just be patient
In us we find the right ingredients
We prepare it at any time
And always with passion
To taste it without moderation
A few tears of joy
Well mixed with laughter
Above all, don’t forget
When it’s time to serve
A touch of tenderness
Warmed up with brotherhood
Covered with a promise
Of love and friendship
The recipe for happiness, it’s not that
complicated
No need to be a great starred chef
You have to cook with a good heart
Simmer every day
It’s every passing moment
What we savour
The recipe for happiness
Just be patient
In us we find the right ingredients
We prepare it at any time
And always with passion
To taste it without moderation
The recipe for happiness, it’s not that
complicated
All evening, a song was on Bambi’s mind. It was Mr. Charles Aznavour’s La Bohème. To entertain herself before sleep, she did a quick search on YouTube hoping to discover new performers. Well, she was well served and would like to share with you her artistic discovery. Her name is Ms. Julie Huard. She sings not only Aznavour, but many other popular artists in such an elegant way.
Who is this singer? Well, Ms. Julie Huard was born and raised in Utrecht in the Netherlands [Bente and Salome, do you happen to know her :)]? She is the daughter of the French chansonnier, Mr. Fernand Huard with whom she used to perform on stage at a young age (https://bit.ly/3IX0UJ8). In addition to French, she sings in English and Spanish. Who knows, perhaps also in Italian; at least in one song mostly in English, which is not presented in this post? Of note, Bambi searched for but could not find any Dutch songs by her; only a French one with a title related to the mountain.
This being said, Bambi will stop to share with you nine famous songs interpreted by Ms. Huard’s, including one in English and the other in Spanish. She does not know if you will appreciate her talent as much as she did. Actually, as far as she is concerned, she fell in love with this singer’s voice and singing style. Yes, from now on, Ms. Julie Huard can count a deer among her fans in North America.
OK, it is time to sleep now. Good night… or good morning, depending on your time zone. Have a good one!
All of them are to be celebrated today from our ancestors, to mothers… all the way to our daughters and grand-daughters.
Some women among us struggle more than others because of sexual exploitation, violence, extreme poverty, etc.
Some GREAT women are the reason why we are where are now in our societies (even if we can and must always aim for better…).
Some contemporary women sadly confuse equality of opportunities with hate of men (selective hate even).
However, all of the women mentioned above, in their own ways, have dreamed of a better world for all of us, despite their different convictions or approaches. For this, thanks to to everyone. May we just know how to be more empathetic to truly be in solidarity.
All this being said, with all due respect to all the women of the world, including Bambi’s fellow ones in North America and in her birth country, today she would like to offer a song to the Iranian and Afghani women, along with all the supportive men. On this March 8, 2023, they are a living lesson to all of us in terms of aspirations for freedom. Bravo and thanks to all of them, including those who are in heaven due to their fight. May their memory be eternal…
Life is a journey. Its beauty is that no day is like the other; this is part of the mystery and perhaps comfort of life. If one day seems bad from its start. Another one will compensate for it.
Well for Bambi, today started under the theme of friendship, right from a nice dream through the first email she read when she opened her eyes, which was a reminder about the 10th anniversary of the death of a loved one. It felt like this mentor and life friend wanted to send her a friendly wink from heaven. May her memory be eternal. This email made her connect with a little circle of friends.
Following this, the entire day was a series of planned and unplanned encounters with dear friends she has not seen for a LONG time. Precious shared moments, along with delicious bites. What a lovely day, she could not help not to think to herself.
To honour her friends, Bambi wants to jointly offer them all a song about friendship. She will dedicate it to those in heaven (along with an unforgettable dog) and those on earth. Those far away and those geographically nearby. She loves them all❤️.️ ️
As for you dear readers of this blog, you are also precious. She hopes you also had a meaningful day. If not, no worries please. There is always a different tomorrow… !
