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. 

【红霞译文】

        世上根本没有完美的道路可走，肯塔基大学野猫篮球队堪为最佳佐证。没错儿，不少人为之努力，希望有朝一日能够插上奋飞的翅膀漫天翱翔，说来我坚信不疑。然而对于一个既无明星坐镇、又没时间打拼、但需斗胆面对广大观众的我们空竹队来说，胜算微乎其微，失败势在必行，当务之急倒是如何抖起空竹。

        宾州兰斯代尔小镇每年春季都要在北宾州高中举行“国际节”，代表不同文化背景的民族团体纷纷献艺，到目前为止，它已发展成为全州最大的多元性文化交流平台。今年第廿四届“国际节”中多数活动被安排在主体育馆内进行，到时我们将闪亮登场，向各位来宾展示抖空竹中华民间艺术。本次演出设为下午两点钟开始，因此大家事先约好十二点三刻到会场集合。当我和妈妈赶来时，其他人尚未到达，于是我俩便在光华中文学校指定的地点等待，过了十几分钟，除了凯文露面以外，连老师耶桁的人影都没看见，这下我可耐不住性子，将满腹牢骚全部发泄到妈妈身上，因为半个小时后，耶桁带领另外一位学生匆匆走进体育馆并冲着我说集合地点定在大厅，仿佛我犯了什么过失一样，而我只不过误信了妈妈才呆在不该呆的地方！我狠狠地瞪了妈妈一眼，足以叫她吃不了兜着走。随后，我们一行四位空竹能手（瞧，我竟编造一个新词出来！）结队离开渐已趋于白热化的体育馆到别处练习去了。

        起先我们设想若提前花上一个钟头临阵磨枪肯定可以应对现场演出，但由于父母之间交流有误（的确是妈妈惯用的理由，多敷衍呀！），原本打算的练习时间被白白地减半，这还不算，表演人数又从上周训练的十人降至眼前报到的四人，给配乐伴奏带来十足的麻烦。以前虽说我们实践经验有限，但每次至少事先都能做好充分准备；如今演出在即，我们心里宛如十五个吊桶打水七上八下，实在不是什么好兆头；而偏偏恰值紧要关头，老师往东指我们却往西奔，害得耶桁一点辄儿也没有。未等焦虑心情缓解下来，很快因其他四位同伴突然出现又搅乱了刚刚排定的阵容。我们不得不临渴掘井，试图使出浑身解数打好圆场。上台前夕，大家依然心如乱麻，老师抓紧最后时刻重新部署表演动作。

        有谁像我们这样赶鸭子上架，从头到尾一直散散洋洋。出人意料地，我竟然成了乱世英雄，队里的人中吕布马中赤兔先后错失前蹄，有一位队友在表演“小猫摇篮”时空竹出线，“咣当！” 应时发出一种令人生厌的碰撞声来，我赶紧走上台子中间巧施技艺，将线绳先往胳膊上缠，然后再让空竹沿着胳膊两侧的线绳跳来跳去，表演得干净利落；下一个与朋友德文合演的长传空竹节目同样没捅漏子，我情不自禁地感叹起咱兄弟二人的默契。未容多想，“咣当！”不知怎么搞的，老师的空竹应声落地，接着又出现一声“咣当”，那是同伴上演高难度绝活不慎失手带来的，整个空竹表演也接近尾声，基本上符合我们预期的想象。

        生活中充满种种意外，有的甚至远过于今天所发生的事情，但重要的是朝前看继续努力，世事没有一帆风顺，即使遇到挫折也不必难过伤心。