Category: Sackville’s Memorial park

The first French Christmas Medley does no need any introduction. You will recognize the melodies where you hear them. One thing is sure: Ms. Hiba Tawaji’s voice is so uniquely beautiful. And what can we say about her look and way of being? She puts her heart and soul into her songs. Imagine when the latter are Christmas carols from her own childhood. It is simply magical.

The following song-prayer gives Bambi goosebumps every year since her early childhood in her birth country. Like all the kids of her age, she sang it too (mind you, once, this was on TV, along with her classroom– thank Goodness as the group covers the frog’s voice :)). Seriously now, this song is about the night of Christmas [Laylat El Milad]. A night when hatred ends. A night when war stops. A night when love blossoms. A night when the planet becomes full of blossoming flowers… and love!

The picture above shows a citizen from Northern Lebanon (Akkar) walking out of a hospital with the dead body of his newborn. The latter spent 25 days in the neonatal intensive care unit. His dad could not afford to pay the $2,500 medical bill. In order to get the dead body of his child, he left his own car to the hospital (in guarantee).

According to the Arabic-speaking An Nahar (https://bit.ly/3VXJqB9), the Director of the hospital reported not having asked for this guarantee. Maybe he did not ask specifically, but he was certainly willing to take it.

The saddest part of this story is this dad’s grief (along with the extent of misery of the people of Lebanon). If Bambi may, she would like to offer this Lebanese father her condolences, along with Ms. Linda Lemay’s French song entitled “Pas de mots” [“There are no words“]:

“…There is no term to describe the father. The one who tucks his boy into the graveyard. Never a single poet. Never a single pastor. Never a single author. Had enough letters for so much pain…”.

Today is December 6… yes time flies.

Time flies yet we pause to remember tragic as well as happier times:

Tragic like the Polytechnique massacre that occurred 33 Decembers ago. May the memory of “Geneviève Bergeron, Maryse Laganière, Hélène Colgan, Maryse Leclair, Nathalie Croteau, Anne-Marie Lemay, Barbara Daigneault, Sonia Pelletier, Anne-Marie Edward, Michèle Richard, Maud Haviernick, Annie St-Arneault, Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, and Annie Turcotte” be eternal.

Happier or hopeful like Santa’s Day or Saint-Nicholas’ Day. Yes, today is a day of love and giving. A day of respect and compassion. Yes, time for an extended hand to share or to help, as needed. In the spirit of love, there is always room for light and healing; instead of the darkness of hate and killing.

To highlight this day, with its horrific as well as merrier times (Happy Name Day again Nicolas ❤️!), one song comes to Bambi’s mind. It is about love and humanity in a world increasingly blinded by narrow-mindedness and hate… yet always with room for the hope of increased LOVE, thankfully.

Thankfully, there is music and talent in life.

Thank Goodness, Mr. Joe Dassin’s musical legacy is eternal…

As for you Garou, Bambi thanks you once again for your beautiful interpretations of Mr. Dassin’s unforgettable songs!

She does not know about you, but Bambi loves both Ms. Ginette Reno and Christmas carols. So imagine, our Canadian diva singing Christmas songs. Wow, is there anything more warming than her voice and happier than those carols?

For some, these carols may represent a re-connection with their childhood (if they were part of it). For others, theses songs are just beautiful melodies to re-discover or a way of learning the beautiful French language. Yet for others, these songs may mean the world from a spiritual point of view. Regardless, one thing is sure, Ms. Reno is FULL of talent. Thanks to her for this new Christmas medley!

Mr. Omar Khayyam, a Persian poet, mathematician, and astronomer died in Neyshābūr on December 4, 1131. It was like this day, but 891 years ago.

You may be familiar with the English writer Edward FitzGerald’s translation of his Robāʿīyāt [or “Quatrains”] in a now classical book, which is entitled the “Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám” (1859).

The book cited above has been translated into several languages. Bambi is lucky to have a German translation of it, thanks to a precious gift from an aunt. To honour the memory and work of Mr. Oma Khayyam, she found an English song based on Khayyam’s “Rubaiyat“.

Words cannot die, especially if we honour them. Long live words. Long live poetry.

Bambi has no clue why, but her Youtube kept showing her videos about ducks today.

A man taking his duck to the subway of New York.

Another person taking his duck to Ikea… Well, not really another individual; indeed, Bambi could not resist to the temptation of watching the second video. When she did it, she discovered it was the same man in the video above. This means the same cute duck!

Now, why would anyone think of taking a duck to a crowded human-made place like a subway? She wondered. Of course, this man is free and his duck does not seem to be miserable at all. On the country, it appeared to be relaxed and happy even. Surely, not afraid of people who took picture of it or even touched it.

Anyhow, Bambi will spare you the third video seen on her Youtube screen about ducks exploring a house. She just want to end this post with a friendly thought for this cute duck, for a charming pelican bird in Beirut she has older posts on (as you can see further below), and for a couple of ducks, which visit her backyard, almost every spring. She loves these two dearly. If she may, she will offer them ALL two songs, one in French and the other in English, hoping you will enjoy them too :)!

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Thanks to the “National”, Bambi is finally able to introduce you to her new love: Beirut’s pelican!

One month later, Amnesty International is still demanding an international investigation of the Beirut surrealistic explosion. Where is it?

Some songs make our hearts melt. “Petit papa Noël” [Little Santa] is one of them for Bambi; maybe because it reminds her of her happy childhood. Yes, all the magical Christmas times (despite the ongoing crazy civil war). Indeed, for a very long time in her early and not-too-early years of life, this melody was her preferred song. Is it still the case in her middle-age, at least during the month of December of each year? If you wish, you can take a guess :).

Bambi refuses to go to bed without sharing what her friend Mona kindly sent her today. Yes, you can hear and see the grandaughter of the late Mr. Charles Aznavour singing “La Bohème“.

How beautiful… How moving. Bravo for her talent, obviously running in the family!

Thank you Mona for this discovery. Bambi loves you and misses you so much ❤️.

Grandaughter:

Grandfather with English sub-titles… May his memory be eternal:

Bambi learned from a tweet by journalist Roula Azar-Douglas who works with L’Orient Le Jour that the latter won the prestigious Francophonie Award of the Académie Française. Bravo! “Mabrouk”!

Below is the evidence in a tweet, a picture, and a video… of course all in French :).

Following this, Bambi will congratulate L’Orient Le Jour, with its more recent twin English-speaking sister L’Orient Today, with two songs: (1) The first is about the beauty of the French language, obviously in French, by Mr. Yves Duteil; and (2) the other is about heartfelt congrats with the Lebanese-Arabic song “Mabrouk” [ or Congrats] of Mr. Ramy Ayash.

Thank you l’Orient Le Jour for keeping us informed about Lebanon, the Middle East, and about the world, including sometimes fast and accurate news related to us here in New Brunswick and Canada!