2015-04-18

【Aiden in English】

        The road to perfections is a road that doesn’t exist like Kentucky Wildcats. Sure, there are many people who pursue it, but following the road seems like learning to sprout wings and fly, which I’m certain someday that will be possible. Yet having a Chinese yo-yo performance without our star, without any abundance of time to practice, and with a large audience, the foundation of disaster has already been set. All my yo-yo class has to do was to scheme the plan in motion. 

        The Lansdale Borough in PA hosts the 24^th International Spring Festival @ North Penn High School every year, and featured performances of different cultures are showed all throughout the complex. It has become the largest diversity event in the state. The majority of the shows were being performed in the main gym. That turned out to be our stage to shine on with our Chinese traditional arts, and it was also our rendezvous point. With our performance around two o’clock, the meeting time was set around 12:45 pm. Only thing was that no one was there when we arrived. Mom and I waited at Guang Hua Chinese School designated area. Ten or more minutes later, only one kid Kevin showed up. No sign of our teacher, Eric. At this time, I blamed mom for everything because half an hour later, Eric came rushing into the bustling gym, followed by another student, and said that we were supposed to gather at the audion as if it was my fault waiting at a place mom led me to! So, after giving mom a glare that could turn a dream to nightmares, the small band of four yo-yoists (hey, I made up a word!) left the heat rising gym to practice.

        Originally, an hour ahead was plenty time to practice, but with “miscommunication” between parents (yes, that’s the excuse mom used. So lame!), the time was cut evenly in half. Not to mention the fact that time wasn’t the only thing cut in half. Our numbers went from 10 at the last week’s practice down to four now. So fitting time with music got even harder. The previous experience was hard, but at least time wasn’t as big as a factor since we had plenty of it. Now with a performance right upon us and with no idea what to do, things seemed even gloomier. Somehow, Eric made the things we got into something else, but even he was discouraged with our efforts. Then the last chord snapped. We finally did something to cut the losses, and as if just to harass us, four more kids arrived. That was the last push, and everything we had just collapsed. We walked on stage without any determination other than our tricks. In the last moment, our teacher gave us a quick order and we were set on our way. 

        Nothing at all could’ve prepared us for this situation. It was a mess, from start to finish. Surprisingly, I went flawless, but everyone else had hit a problem hard. Another kid was doing the Cat’s Cradle and dropping it. Bam! I really hated the sound of a yo-yo hitting the floor. Then I walked to the center stage, tucked the string under one arm, and tossed the yo-yo around my arm. The trick was done pretty well, and so was my next one, the catch and toss between me and my friend, Devon. Again, flawless. I finally began to think that we were in a groove, then “Bam!” Somehow our teacher dropped it. That trick was flowed by another “Bam” as my friend attempted a ridiculously hard trick. That wrapped up our yo-yo program, and it went according to the plan…ish. 

        Life is full of these kinds of unexpected situations and some even more severe than this. But shrugging off the defeat and moving forward is all that matters. The road to perfections doesn’t exist. If it can’t be found, don’t cry on it. 

【紅霞譯文】

        世上根本沒有完美的道路可走，肯塔基大學野貓籃球隊堪為最佳佐證。沒錯兒，不少人為之努力，希望有朝一日能夠插上奮飛的翅膀漫天翱翔，說來我堅信不疑。然而對於一個既無明星坐鎮、又沒時間打拼、但需斗膽面對廣大觀眾的我們空竹隊來說，勝算微乎其微，失敗勢在必行，當務之急倒是如何抖起空竹。

        賓州蘭斯代爾小鎮每年春季都要在北賓州高中舉行“國際節”，代表不同文化背景的民族團體紛紛獻藝，到目前為止，它已發展成為全州最大的多元性文化交流平台。今年第廿四屆“國際節”中多數活動被安排在主體育館內進行，到時我們將閃亮登場，向各位來賓展示抖空竹中華民間藝術。本次演出設為下午兩點鐘開始，因此大家事先約好十二點三刻到會場集合。當我和媽媽趕來時，其他人尚未到達，於是我倆便在光華中文學校指定的地點等待，過了十幾分鐘，除了凱文露面以外，連老師耶桁的人影都沒看見，這下我可耐不住性子，將滿腹牢騷全部發泄到媽媽身上，因為半個小時後，耶桁帶領另外一位學生匆匆走進體育館並衝着我說集合地點定在大廳，仿佛我犯了什麼過失一樣，而我只不過誤信了媽媽才呆在不該呆的地方！我狠狠地瞪了媽媽一眼，足以叫她吃不了兜着走。隨後，我們一行四位空竹能手（瞧，我竟編造一個新詞出來！）結隊離開漸已趨於白熱化的體育館到別處練習去了。

        起先我們設想若提前花上一個鐘頭臨陣磨槍肯定可以應對現場演出，但由於父母之間交流有誤（的確是媽媽慣用的理由，多敷衍呀！），原本打算的練習時間被白白地減半，這還不算，表演人數又從上周訓練的十人降至眼前報到的四人，給配樂伴奏帶來十足的麻煩。以前雖說我們實踐經驗有限，但每次至少事先都能做好充分準備；如今演出在即，我們心裡宛如十五個吊桶打水七上八下，實在不是什麼好兆頭；而偏偏恰值緊要關頭，老師往東指我們卻往西奔，害得耶桁一點輒兒也沒有。未等焦慮心情緩解下來，很快因其他四位同伴突然出現又攪亂了剛剛排定的陣容。我們不得不臨渴掘井，試圖使出渾身解數打好圓場。上台前夕，大家依然心如亂麻，老師抓緊最後時刻重新部署表演動作。

        有誰像我們這樣趕鴨子上架，從頭到尾一直散散洋洋。出人意料地，我竟然成了亂世英雄，隊裡的人中呂布馬中赤兔先後錯失前蹄，有一位隊友在表演“小貓搖籃”時空竹出線，“咣噹！” 應時發出一種令人生厭的碰撞聲來，我趕緊走上台子中間巧施技藝，將線繩先往胳膊上纏，然後再讓空竹沿着胳膊兩側的線繩跳來跳去，表演得乾淨利落；下一個與朋友德文合演的長傳空竹節目同樣沒捅漏子，我情不自禁地感嘆起咱兄弟二人的默契。未容多想，“咣噹！”不知怎麼搞的，老師的空竹應聲落地，接着又出現一聲“咣噹”，那是同伴上演高難度絕活不慎失手帶來的，整個空竹表演也接近尾聲，基本上符合我們預期的想象。

        生活中充滿種種意外，有的甚至遠過於今天所發生的事情，但重要的是朝前看繼續努力，世事沒有一帆風順，即使遇到挫折也不必難過傷心。