【水世界】的前製設定與現場劇照
WATERWORLD (1995)
In celebration of today’s anniversary of this wet mess/epic. Let’s celebrate the hard work this crew put into bringing this world to life. Water movies are never easy but when it comes to this movie anytime you bring it up and a crew member from it is in earshot, the stories pour out. Not always bad, I know a AC that said he had a blast, he loved the boat rides out and all the camaraderie the crew had to have to get thru it. To all the crew that helped bring WATERWORLD to life, We salute you and thanks for the memories. I personally enjoy this hot mess of a movie, it’s one of the last ones of its kind...done practically...in a way.
let’s take a deepest of dives into WATERWORLD
The director, Kevin Reynolds, knew there would be problems before production had even started, “During pre-production. Because having never shot on water to that extent before, I didn’t really realise what I was in for. I talked to Spielberg about it because he’d gone to do Jaws, and I remember, he said to me, “Oh, I would never shoot another picture on water”.
“When we were doing the budget for the picture, and the head of the studio, Sid Sheinberg, we were talking about it and I said, “Steven told me that on Jaws the schedule for the picture was 55 days, and they ended up shooting a 155 days”. Because of the water. And he sat there for a moment and he said, “You know, I’m not sure about the days, but I do know they went a hundred percent over budget”. And so, Universal knew the potential problems of shooting on water. It’s monstrous.”
The film began with a projected budget of $100 million which had reportedly increased to $175 million by the end of production. The principle photography had overrun for at least thirty days more than originally planned due to one major decision.
Whereas today they would film in water tanks with partially built sets, employing green screens to fake the locations, back in 1995 they decided to build everything full size and shoot out on the ocean.
This causes extra logistical problems on top of those that already come with making a major action blockbuster. Cast and crew have to be transported to sets. The camera boats and sets float out of position and will have to be reset between takes taking up valuable production time.
The first draft of Waterworld was written by Peter Radar, a Harvard graduate who wanted to break into the film business. His contact in the film industry was Brad Kevoy, an assistant to the legendary director Roger Corman.
Roger Corman is best known for making films very quickly on a small budget. He also liked to give young talent a chance to direct and write their own films. Brad informed Peter that if he could write a Mad Max rip off, he would arrange to finance and let him direct the picture.
Radar came back and pitched the idea for what would become Waterworld. Kevoy took one look at him and said,
“Are you out of your mind? This would cost us three million dollars to make this movie!”
So Radar kept hold of the idea and decided to re-write the script but, this time, going wild. He wrote what he wanted to see on-screen, limited only by his imagination, not a real world production budget.
He managed to get the newly written script shown to a pair of producers with whom he had made contact with. They loved it and ironically they passed it onto Larry Gordon. He shared the enthusiasm saying it had the kind of cinematic possibilities he was looking for. A deal was signed on Christmas Eve of 1989.
As further script rewrites progressed, it became clear that Waterworld was too big for the Larry Gordon’s production company to undertake by themselves. In February 1992, a deal was signed with Universal Pictures to co-produce and co-finance the film. This was now six years after the first draft had been written.
Universal had signed director Kevin Reynolds to Waterworld. Whilst he was finishing his latest film, Rapa Nui, pre-production for Waterworld was already underway.
The decision was taken that the largest set for the film, known as the atoll, would be built full size. The atoll was the primary location for film and in the story served as the location for a small population of survivors.
The logic behind this decision was due to the high percentage of live action filming required in this location, as well as a huge action set piece. No sound stage would be big enough to incorporate this number of scenes and it was crucial that we see the mariner sail his boat into the atoll, turn around and set out again. A full-size construction was the only way to go as the use of miniature and special effects would be impractical.
The next problem was deciding where to build this huge set. After much research, Kawaihae Harbour in Hawaii was chosen as the location. The atoll could be constructed in the harbour and rotated when needed thus allowing for open sea in the background. Later towards the end of principle photography, the atoll could be towed out into the open sea for the filming of the big action sequences which would be impractical to shoot in an enclosed harbour.
Director Kevin Reynolds also discussed the possibility of using the same water tank as James Cameron’s The Abyss, which had filmed there around five years ago,
“We had even entertained the notion of shooting at that big nuclear reactor facility where they had shot The Abyss, to use it for our underwater tank. But we found it in such a state of disrepair that economically it just wasn’t feasible. We didn’t have as much underwater work as they did. Most of The Abyss is interiors and underwater and model work, ours is mostly surface exterior.”
The production company had originally envisioned building the atoll by linking approximately one hundred boats together and building upon this foundation, just like the characters in the film. The production crew set out to search Hawaii and get hold of as many boats as possible.
During this search, a unique boat in Honolulu caught their attention. Upon further investigation, they discovered it was built by Navitech, a subsidiary of the famous aircraft production company, Lockheed.
They approached Lockheed with the strange request of figuring out how they could build the foundations of the atoll. Lockheed found the request unusual but didn’t shy away from the challenging. They agreed to design the atoll foundation and Navitech would construct it.
Meanwhile, an 11ft miniature model of the atoll was sent out to a model ship testing facility in San Diego. Scaled wave tanks are used to determine the effects of the open sea on large scale miniature models of new untested ship designs. This would help determine what would happen with the unusual design of the atoll when it was out of the harbour.
The atoll, when finished, was approximately ¼ mile in circumference. It took three months to construct and is rumoured to cost around $22 million. As the atoll would be used out on the open sea, it required a seafaring license. Nothing like this had been done before and after much deliberation, it was eventually classed as an unmanned vessel. This meant that all cast and crew would have to vacate the set whilst it was towed into position. By the end of production, the atoll was towed out to sea a total of five times.
Shooting out on the open sea presented a series of logistical problem as Reynolds describes,
“We had an entire navy, basically – I mean, this atoll was positioned about a mile off-shore in Hawaii, it was anchored to the bottom of the ocean so it could rotate. What you don’t think about are things like, you’re shooting on this atoll to maintain this notion that there’s no dry land, you always have to shoot out to sea. Away from the land. So we chose a location where we had about a 180 degree view of open water. Nevertheless, any time when you’re shooting, there could be a ship appear in the background, or something like that, and you had to make a choice. Do I hold up the shot, wait for the ship to move out, or do we shoot and say we’re going to incur this additional cost in post-production of trying to remove the ship from the background.
And at that time, CGI was not at the point it is now, it was a bigger deal. And so, even though if you’re shooting across the atoll and you’re shooting out onto open water, when you turn around and do the reverses, for the action, you had to rotate the entire atoll, so that you’re still shooting out to open water. Those are the kinds of things that people don’t realise.
Or something as simple as – if you’re shooting a scene between two boats, and you’re trying to shoot The Mariner on his craft, another boat or whatever, you’ve got a camera boat shooting his boat, and then the other boat in the background. Well, when you’re on open water things tend to drift apart. So you have to send lines down from each of those boats to the bottom, to anchor them so that they somewhat stay in frame. When you’ve got a simple shot on land, you set up the camera position, you put people in front of the camera and then you put background in there. But when you’re on water, everything’s constantly moving apart, drifting apart, so you have to try to hold things down somewhat.
And these are simple things that you don’t really realise when you’re looking at it on film. But logistically, it’s crazy. And each day you shoot on the atoll with all those extras, we had to transport those people from dry land out to the location and so you’re getting hundreds of people through wardrobe and everything, and you’re putting them on boats, transporting them out to the atoll, and trying to get everybody in position to do a shot. And then when you break for lunch, you have to put everybody on boats and take them back in to feed them.”
The final size of the atoll was determined by the size of the Mariners boat, the trimaran. The dimensions for the trimaran were finalised very early on in pre-production, allowing all other vehicles and sets to be sized accordingly.
Production required two trimarans boats which are so called because they have three hulls. The first was based on the standard trimaran blueprint and built for speed but also had to accommodate a secret crew below decks.
During wide and aerial shots it would have to look like Costner himself was piloting the boat. In reality, a trained crew could monitor and perform the real sailing of the boat utilising specially built controls and television monitors below deck.
The second trimaran was the trawler boat which could transform into the racer through the use of special practical effects rigs. Both of these boats were constructed in France by Jeanneau. Normally this type of vessel requires a year to construct but production needed two boats in five months!
Normally once the boat had been constructed, Jeammeau would deliver it on the deck of a freighter, requiring a delivery time of around a month. This delay was unacceptable and so the trimarans were dismantled into sections and taken by a 747 air freighter to the dock Hawaii. Upon arrival, a further month was required to reassemble the boat and get them prepared for filming.
sets recreating the inside of the tanker were built using forced perspective in a huge 1000ft long warehouse which had an adjoining 2000ft field. In this field, they built the set of the oil tankers deck, again constructed using forced perspective. Using the forced perspective trick, the 500ft long set could be constructed to give the impression that it was really twice as long.
There’s more to a film than just it’s sets and filming locations. Over two thousand costumes had to be created with many of the lead actors costumes being replicated many times over due to wear and tear.
This is not an uncommon practice for film production, but due to the unique look of the people and the world they inhabit, it did create some headaches. One costume was created with so many fish scales the wardrobe department had to search the entire island of Hawaii looking for anyone who could supply in the huge quantity required.
Makeup had to use waterproof cosmetics, especially on the stunt players. As everyone had a sun burnt look, a three-sided tanning booth was setup. The extras numbering in their hundreds, with ages ranging from six to sixty-five, passed through the booth like a production line to receive their spray tan. The extras then moved onto costume before finally having their hair fixed and becoming ready for the day.
In some scenes, extras were actually painted plywood cutouts to help enhance the number of extras on the set. This can easily be seen in one particular shot on board the Deez super tanker.
Filming on the water is not only a difficult and time-consuming process but also very dangerous. It’s been reported that Jeanne Tripplehorn and Tina Majorino nearly drowned on their first day of filming.
Waterworld’s star Kevin Costner reported having a near-death experience when filming a scene in which the mariner ties himself to his catamaran to survive a storm. The pounding water caused him to black out and nearly drown.
Unbeknownst to most of the crew, Kevin Costner’s stunt double was riding his jet ski across 40 miles of open ocean between his home on Maui and the film’s set on the Big Island. When he didn’t show up for work one day, the production team phoned his wife, who informed them he had already left for work. The stunt double’s jet ski had run out of gas halfway through his “commute” and a storm had swept him farther out to sea. It took a helicopter most of the day to find him. The stunt doubles name was Laird Hamilton.
As well as the logistical problems of creating a film of this scale and on water, they also had to deal with the press who seemed intent on wanting the film to fail. Director Kevin Reynolds discusses the situation,
“It was huge, we were constantly fighting – people wanted to have bad press. That was more exciting to them than the good news. I guess the most egregious example of that that I recall was that the publicist told me that one day…we’d been out the day before and we were doing a shot where we sent two cameras up on a mast of the trimaran and we wanted to do a shot where they tilled down from the horizon down to the deck below. We’re out there, we’re anchored, we’re setting the shot up and a swell comes in, and I look over and the mast is sort of bending.
And I turned to the boatmaster and I said, “Bruno, is this safe?”. And he looks up the mast and he goes, “No”. So I said, “Okay, well, we have to get out as I can’t have two guys fall off from 40 feet up”. So, we had to break out of the set-up, and go back in a shoot something else and we lost another half-day.
Anyway, the next day the publicist is sitting in his office and he gets this call from some journalist in the States and he goes, “Okay. Don’t lie to me – I’ve had this confirmed from two different people. I want the facts, and I want to hear about the accident yesterday, we had two cameramen fall off the mast and were killed”.
And, he goes, “What are you talking about?”. And he goes, “Don’t lie to me, don’t cover this up, we know this has happened”. It didn’t happen! People were so hungry for bad news because it was much more exciting than…they just said it, and you know, it hurt us.”
Upon release, the press seemed to be disappointed that the film wasn’t the massive failure they were hoping it to be. Universal Studios told Kevin Reynolds that one critic came out of an early screening in New York and in a disappointed tone said,
“Well, it didn’t suck.”
It is true that during principle photography the slave colony set sank and had to be retrieved. However due to bad press, the rumour became much bigger and to this day when you mention the sinking set, most people assume it was the huge atoll.
During production, press nicknamed the film “Kevin’s Gate” and “Fishtar”, referring to 1980’s box office failures Heaven’s Gate and Ishtar. Heaven’s Gate failed so badly it led to the sale of United Artists Studio and has become synonymous with failure in Hollywood.
As well as the exaggerated set problems and other various production rumours, there were also difficulties with the script. In a risky move, the film was green lit and moved into production without a finalised script.
The final total is a reportedly thirty-six rewrites. One of the writers involved was Joss Whedon. Joss had worked on many scripts before becoming a director having being at the helm of both The Avengers and the sequel Avengers: Age Of Ultron. He described his experience on Waterworld as,
“Seven weeks of hell”
Everything came to a head just three weeks before the end of principle photography. Kevin Reynolds who was an old friend of Kevin Costner allegedly walked off set or was fired. There was no official statement on what happened.
When Reynolds left the production this event caused many changes to be made. Composer Mark Isham had already composed approximately two-thirds of the film’s score by the time Reynolds left and that event ultimately caused him to leave production. As Mark describes in this interview excerpt,
“Kevin Reynolds quit the film, which left me working for Kevin Costner, who listened to what I had written and wanted a completely different point of view. He basically made a completely different film — he re-cut the entire film, and in his meeting with me he expressed that he wanted a completely different approach to the score. And I said, “oh let me demonstrate that I can give that to you”, so I presented him with a demo of my approach to his approach, and he rejected that and fired me. What I find a lot in these big films, because the production schedules are so insane, that the directors have very little time to actually concentrate on the music.”
Rumours report that Costner took control of production. He directed the last few weeks of principle photography and edited the final cut of the film that was released in cinemas.
Reynolds discusses his surprise at discovering that one of the most famous scenes from what is known as the extended version, was left on the cutting room floor,
“…it would have differed from what you saw on the screen to some extent, and one of the things I’ve always been perplexed by in the version that was released, theatrically, although subsequently the longer version included it, and the reason that I did the film, was that at the very end of the picture, at the very end of the script, there’s a scene when they finally reach dry land and The Mariner’s sailing off and he leaves the two women behind, and in the script they’re standing up on this high point and they’re watching him sail away, and the little girl stumbles on something.
And they look down and clear the grass away and that’s this plaque. And it says, “Here, near this spot, 1953, Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary first set foot on the summit of Everest”. And that was in script and I was like, “Oh, of course! Wow, the highest point on the planet! That would have been dry land!”. And we got it! We shot that. And they left it out of the picture. And I’m like, “Whaaat?!”. It’s like the Statue of Liberty moment in Planet of the Apes. And I was like, “Why would you leave that out?”
Written by John Abbitt | Follow John on twitter @UKFilmNerd
If any the crew cares to share any of their experiences on it please comment.
Thanks for reading
If you want more deep dives visit
https://www.facebook.com/groups/crewstories/?ref=share
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说一说…..父母
前一阵子,参加了一个心灵课程。
一位三十岁左右的男人出来做分享。
他在新加坡工作,去年得知妈妈的癌症复发,而且还开始扩散,心里很难过,也很纠结。
他问了一个长辈朋友他该选择留在新加坡继续打拼事业还是辞职回去陪伴妈妈?
那位长辈朋友跟他说了自己亲生的经历。
长辈朋友说他年轻的时候,母亲患癌症,他带着母亲到处寻医,希望可以把母亲治好。
最后有位医生跟他说,他的母亲只剩一个月的命。
他致电给远在国外念医学系的弟弟,告诉他这个消息。
他的弟弟几年前获得了某间著名大学的医科奖学金,一个人到国外升学。
他还剩四个月就毕业,正式成为一个专业医生。
他跟教授申请一个月的假期,希望自己可以陪母亲走完她最后的人生。
结果教授不领情,说如果他这时候停学,就没办法毕业。
后来,他跟教授说,他很谢谢教授这几年对他的照顾和教导,但母亲只有一个,于是他选择了停学,回到家乡照顾妈妈。
长辈朋友说,他的弟弟归来后,每天无微不至照顾卧床的母亲,喂食,洗澡,清洗排泄物….。
而母亲在孩子细心的照顾和陪伴下多活了三个月才离开人间。
听完长辈朋友的故事,他决定辞职,回到他成长的土地,回到那个赐予他生命的母亲身边。
他的妈妈因为不想再承受多年前做化疗的幸苦,于是选择自然疗法。
他陪着妈妈一起学习气功,一起练习。
当妈妈学习遇到障碍时,他耐心教导妈妈,陪伴她一次又一次的练习。
这一次她带着妈妈,甚至爸爸一起来上课,三人之间的交流一天比一天温暖,一天比一天更往内心深处流动。
你可以看见这个三十的大男孩,边哽咽边诚恳地分享他内心的感受时,脸上闪耀着光芒,他的孝心滋养着他的生命,富足了他的灵魂,也感动了所有聆听的每一颗心。
你可以看见他患癌的妈妈因为他的爱而流露出幸福的笑容。
你可以看见他踏出的每一步是如何地一点一点软化了平时大男人的爸爸,让老夫老妻的爸妈重新感受相爱的甜蜜。
这段分享一直在我心中流淌,像安静清澈的河流,流过之处都获得了一份滋润。
今年农历过年前,九十几岁的外公中风跌倒,摔断了腿,也检查出食道收窄而必须插鼻胃管进食。
外公一向喜欢独居,就算孩子怎么相劝,他还是不愿意搬去跟任何一个孩子居住。
于是妈妈在家里附近准备了一个房子给外公住,方便照顾他老人家。
这个区可热闹了,小弟,大舅,表妹,两个表弟都住在附近,而二弟和二弟媳就住在正对面,很多照应。
外公出院后,爸妈,三个阿姨和舅舅们每天轮班,24小时在身边照顾卧床的外公。
有个专业护士来给外公做护理和检查时,跟他们说以她的经验观察,外公可能没办法坚持到过完年。
妈妈致电给我,让我有点心理准备。
农历年回家乡时,本来妈妈阿姨们已经订好餐厅一共六桌酒席给外公和我一起庆祝生日,因为我们两人是同一天生日,而且经常很靠近或在过年期间,已经有好几年,我都和阿公一起接受大家的生日祝福,一起许愿,一起吹蜡烛,切蛋糕。而这一次,阿公不止不能庆祝生日,而且长辈们也交代我们不要提这件事,因为在马来西亚华人的传统习俗里,老人家病重忌过生日。
于是所有的孩子,孙子和曾孙子每天都到外公家拜年,聚餐,非常热闹。
外公虽然行动不便,但躺在床上静静的聆听子孙们欢乐的声音,让他觉得很开心,嘴角不自觉微微上扬,好像这些陪伴就是他最好的良药。
他不停吩咐阿姨一定要记得帮他准备好红包,他要亲自给我们每人一个红包。
“爸,新年快乐,身体健康…阿公,恭喜发财,身体健康….阿祖,恭喜发财…。“我们七十几个人沿着客厅到厨房排成长长的队伍,一个一个握着阿公的手,从他手上接过那封非常珍贵的红包。
过完年,回到家,每天和妈妈通电话跟进外公的情况。
一天一天细心的照顾下和子孙每天的陪伴下,外公不止渡过了整个农历年,还自行拔掉鼻胃管(因为太不舒服),然后神奇的开始可以自己进食。
前几天,弟媳传来一条短片,一打开,看见外公竟然可以站起来慢慢的步行了。
这一次新冠肺炎疫情在全球大爆发,欧洲许多独居和疗养院的老人,在未接受正式治疗下,在家或疗养院孤独离世。
而小黄花慈善教育基金会也在行动管制令期间为一些贫穷的独居老人提供免费粮食。
以前和阿姨们一起探访过一间老人院,院长说他看到越来越多的老人院开设,心里觉得很悲哀。
我们现代人引以为傲,这越来越先进,越来越文明,科技越来越发达,物品越来越精致,教育程度越来越高的都市里,为什么就容纳不下这些前半辈子都在为社会为家庭付出的生命呢?
他们曾经也是年轻气盛,朝气蓬勃的劳动者,为什么在他们最需要被关怀,被爱护,被疼爱的最后的岁月里却被遗忘甚至遗弃?
越来越多的优越感并没能让我们感受越来越多的快乐,越来越争取的私人空间让人们的距离越拉越远……。
远到我们都看不见一些真正重要和值得珍惜的人和事。
这些老人们的家人呢?
也许背后有很多很多的故事,但这些故事是不是也许可以因为少一点的自我,多一点的同理心而被改写呢?
宇宙创造生命,而父母就是带这些生命来到这个世界的桥梁。
为什么我们可以把最好的给孩子,却不能把最好的给父母?
好友奶茶一个人照顾奶奶,爸爸和妈妈三个老人家,经常就是走路去看他们,陪他们,给他们煮好吃的,大小事都替他们打点。
每次看到她分享和奶奶,爸妈的合照,影片和文字时,心里都特别感动。
她堂堂一个影后,视后,歌后,平日的生活里,就是一个尽心尽力在照顾上面三个老人和下面一个孩子的平凡妈妈,女儿和孙女。
去年,我和一个好友探访一家慈善收留所,里头住了六十几位失智老人,他们都是因为各种各样的原因而被收留,有一些偶尔有家人来探望,有一些甚至无人问津。
看着那些老人枯萎的身躯躺在床上,空洞地望向远方,任由孤寂一寸一寸地侵蚀他的灵魂,生命就在这暗淡的小屋里渐渐地走向死亡,心里很是难过。
让我们闭上眼,回想小时候,父母辛苦照顾我们的身影,安静下来,感受一下现在的父母,我们是不是还可以聆听到他们的声音,感受彼此连接的温暖?
Let’s talk about….. Parents
Just recently, I participated in a spiritual class. There was a man, in his thirties who did a sharing session. He works in Singapore and last year, he learned that his mother’s cancer had recurred and it had begun to spread. He felt a wave of sad and complicated emotions overcome him.
He asked an elderly friend for advice, if he should choose to stay in Singapore to pursue his career or resign to accompany his mother?
This elderly friend of his then shared his own experience with him. When he was young, his own mother had cancer and he brought his mother around to seek for medical treatment, hoping to be able to cure her. Alas, one doctor gave him one news he would not want to hear, mentioning that his mother only had a month left to live.
He has a brother who had received a medical scholarship to study in a prestigious University a few years back and was all alone studying abroad. He gave his brother a call and delivered the unfortunate news. He was only four months away from graduation before he could be formally known as a professional doctor.
He applied for a month leave from his professor, hoping to accompany his mother through her final days. However, his application was rejected with the reason given that if he was to stop his courses, he would not be able to graduate.
He then thanked his professor for his care, guidance and advices throughout the many years but he chose and decided to take his leave and return to his homeland to care for his mother as there is only one mother in the world to him.
When his brother returned, with the special, attentive care and companionship given to his bed-ridden mother; feeding, bathing her, cleaning up her excrement, she managed to live through for another three months.
After listening to his friend’s story, he made a firm decision to resign from his job, returned to the place he grew up, returned to be with the woman who gave him life. His mother did not want to go through the sufferings of chemotherapy and chose holistic treatment instead.
He accompanied his mother to learn Qigong and practiced it together with her. He would be next to her, teaching her patiently whenever she encountered obstacles in her learnings and practice with her continuously.
This time around, he brought his mother and father for class. As days passed by, it can be seen that the interaction among them 3 was all about warmth, delving deeper into their inner world.
One could see a 30 years old man, choking as he shared his deepest feelings but yet his face shining radiantly as his filial attitude nourishes his life, enriching his soul, touching everyone’s heart.
You could see his mother who has cancer beaming broadly because of his love.
You could see how each step he took soften his father’s pride and ego, allowing the aged couple to mesmerize the sweetness of love again.
This sharing has nourished my inner soul, flowing through my system, like a quiet, clear river.
This year, just before the Lunar New Year, my 90 years old grandfather had a stroke and broke his leg. It was also found that his oesophagus was narrowed and a nasogastric feeding tube had to be inserted.
Grandpa has always enjoyed living alone. Nobody could convince him to stay with any of his children. So mum moved him to a house which she got nearby so that he can be taken care of easily. The location of the house is very strategic and lively as my younger brother, uncle and cousin sisters and brothers live in that area. The best part, my second brother and sister-in-law live just across the street.
When Grandpa was discharged from the hospital, my parents, three aunts and uncles took turns, rotating shifts to take care of my bed-ridden grandfather 24 hours a day.
There was a professional nurse who would come over to care, made necessary treatments and check up on Grandpa. She told my parents and relatives that from her experiences as a nurse, granddad would not survive till the Chinese New Year. My mum called me up to deliver this piece of news and told me to prepare for the worst.
We went back to our hometown for the Chinese New Year celebration and initially, my mum and aunts have made a restaurant reservation of 6 tables to have a feast for my grandfather and I as we share the same birth date and it was very close to Chinese New Year. We have had such celebrations for many years however, due to Grandpa’s condition, we were not able to celebrate together this year. We were all reminded numerous times that we are not to even talk about it by our elders because according to Malaysia’s Chinese Custom, it is best to forgo celebrating birthdays when our older relatives are gravely ill.
Therefore, all of us, the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren went to Grandpa’s house every day to gather and have meals during the Chinese New Year celebration. It was bustling with noise and excitement. Although Grandpa was bed-ridden, listening to the gleeful voices from his grand and great-grandchildren has made him feeling happy. It was as though these companionships were the best medicine where one could see the corner of his mouth rising up faintly.
He kept reminding my aunt to prepare the Red Packets (Ang Pows) for him and that he would hand it out to us each, himself.
“Dad, Happy New Year. May you be blessed with good health”.. “Grandpa, Gong Xi Fai Cai, to good health”.. “Azu, Happy Chinese New Year..” There were about 70 of us, we could see an extremely long line forming from the living room up to the kitchen! We would hold Grandpa’s hand tenderly as we take the precious Red Packets from him.
After the Chinese New Year holidays, we all returned to our own home and I called up my mother every day to check up on Grandpa’s condition. With the sincere care and accompaniment of his children and grandchildren, not only did Grandpa spent the entire Lunar New Year with us but pull out the nasogastric tube all by himself (as it was making him feeling uncomfortable) and surprised us all as he began to eat by himself!
A few days ago, my sister-in-law sent us a short video. When I played the video, Grandpa could stand and began to walk slowly!
This time around, there is an outbreak of a new pneumonia (COVID-19) pandemic. There are many elderly people living alone or nursing homes in Europe. Due to them not being able to receive the proper treatment at the right time, many of them passed away feeling lonely.
Little Yellow Flower Education Foundation did a part by supplying free food baskets for some of the poor elderly folks who lives alone during the Malaysia Movement Control Order.
I visited a nursing home with my aunt once and the administrator told us that there were more nursing homes mushrooming and it was so disheartening for him.
It is something that is not understandable as in this modern metropolis world, where we can be proud of our achievements, where the world is more advanced, civilized, technologies are more developed, goods are more refined, education levels are standing tall, why is it that we are not able to accommodate and tolerate these elderly people who have once devoted their early days to the society and sacrificed for their family?
They were also once young and energetic laborers. Why are they now forgotten and abandoned during their last years when they are the ones who needs to be cared for, and loved most?
Feeling more superiority does not bring us more happiness. The more private space we strive for, will only distance ourselves from others…..
So far… that we could not even see and remember the people or things are really matters and are worth treasuring.
Where are the family members of these aged people?
There may be many stories to it but can it be rewritten if there were less pride and a little more empathy?
The Universe creates Life and parents are the bridges that brings life into this world. Why is it that we can provide the best for our children but not for our parents?
My friend, Rene has to take care of her grandmother, her father and mother; three golden gems. She will always walk over to their house to see them, accompany them, cook delicious meals for them and take care of their daily lives. Each time I see the pictures, videos and texts she share about her grandmother and parents, I am deeply moved.
Even as an International acclaimed actress and singer, she would still try her very best to take care of the three old family members and 1 young child as any normal mother, daughter and grand-daughter will do in her everyday life.
Last year, I visited a nursing home with a friend where there were more than 60 seniors who had dementia.
They are given shelter for various reasons. There are some seniors being visited by family members occasionally whereas there are some who are being totally neglected and abandoned. Seeing some of them, fragile looking, gazing blankly into the wall, allowing loneliness to seep into their souls by the inches, waiting for death to visit them while lying on their bed in this empty, dark shed, left me feeling extremely sad.
Let us all close our eyes, recollect our childhood’s memories, picturing the silhouettes of our parents who were taking care of us. Quiet down, feel the presence of our parents now. Can we still hear their voices, sense the connection and the warmth among us?
#说一说
#父母之恩
#letstalkabout
#loveforparents
story about new year celebration 在 Ying C. 一匙甜點舀巴黎 Facebook 的精選貼文
能入菜也能入甜點的萬能松露體驗- Maison Balme 松露之家 / What goes best with truffles? Visiting Maison Balme at Printemps du Goût (English below)
年節已過,這幾天開工,不曉得大家是否一切順利、出外都有做好防疫措施?幸好明天又是週末,可以稍微舒緩一下焦慮的心情。法國這幾天因為冠狀性病毒肺炎陸續出現確診病例的緣故(且五例中有四例在巴黎),也是人心惶惶,許多農曆春節的慶祝活動如在中國城、共和國廣場舉辦的舞龍舞獅遊行等皆悉數取消。巴黎春天百貨 Printemps 原本在昨日也有規劃舞龍舞獅的表演(還有Miss France 的共襄盛舉),也因此一併取消了。不過本週末還是有許多如剪紙、點心試吃、印製個人化托特包的活動等會持續舉行,許多品牌也有合作推廣活動。
我趁此機會拜訪了 Maison Balme,一家已經營了四代的法國松露專門品牌(特別是黑松露),並品嚐了他們的各種松露美食。松露鵝肝、火腿、香腸、乳酪、奶油、松露油、松露鹽等應有盡有(還有松露蛋!),不過這些產品都不脫一般人的認知。那麼 #松露蜂蜜 呢?你聽過嗎?
在我的想像中,松露跟鹹食始終比較搭配,甜點或甜食就有點微妙。我過去一向也是對松露沒什麼特殊感覺的人,有些松露如果因為存放不當,甚至會有瓦斯、氨氣味等。但 Maison Balme 的所有松露產品都只有雋永、細緻的淡淡發酵氣味,而松露蜂蜜更是令我驚豔!大家知道有時在製作或品嚐甜點時,會加入一些鹽來提味,讓甜味在對比之下更加明顯,這裡的松露蜂蜜有異曲同工之妙。雖然松露本身並不是鹹的,但是它 #中性厚實的大地芬芳卻為蜂蜜增加了層次感與底蘊,宛如在風中搖曳的花朵找到了土地依憑,柔和的姿態中帶著堅定,非常迷人。那天下午我在大快朵頤各種松露美食之後,還得到了特製的松露蜂蜜可麗餅,大概很難找到比這更完美的收尾了。
很久以前台灣曾經一度吵過「松露巧克力沒有松露」的議題,但在 Maison Balme,你可以找到 #加了真正黑松露的巧克力!可惜我那天已經吃不下,準備留著下次添購伴手禮時再去,順便一起品嚐看看。另外還有黑松露洋芋片,是不是很夢幻呢?
我之前已經和大家介紹過位於春天百貨男裝部七樓的美食館「Printemps du Goût」,這裡不僅有各種 100% made in France 的道地法國美食、極度適合血拼紀念品,許多食品品牌如這次拜訪的 Maison Balme、巴黎知名咖啡品牌 Lomi 等,都有設座位和吧台,可以坐下來品嚐、並享受絕美的巴黎市中心景致(夏天還開放露台)。剛好在巴黎、或是接下來計畫來巴黎遊覽的朋友,不要忘了來這邊逛逛!
接下來就請大家點開照片欣賞,更多影音包括松露蜂蜜可麗餅製作等,可以點以下連結,看我的 Instagram 精選動態(要點到最後喔!):https://tinyurl.com/sjwqp66
🔖 延伸閱讀:
100% 法國製造、100% 巴黎美景的春天百貨美食館 Printemps du Goût:https://tinyurl.com/wrdmcoc
*****
Olive oil, ham, cheese, butter, foie-gras, sausages, pâté en croûte, chocolate…truffles actually add flavour to almost all French gourmet food. But have you ever heard of truffle honey? Oh yes, this rare match does exist and it tastes incredibly good!
I got invited the other day to discover Maison Balme at Printemps du Goût, the gourmet food section of Printemps Haussmann. Having developed for four generations, Maison Balme, a French brand specialising in tuber melanosporum, the so called black truffles or Périgord truffles, is an expert in all kinds of truffle gourmet foods. I wasn’t a fan of truffles and I usually shrink back from the distinctive odour of over-ripened truffles. However, the fresh black truffles and the truffle products that I tasted at Maison Balme that day completely changed my impression. The earthly and musky aroma can be in fact very pleasing, especially when they are infused in oils or paired with right products. I got the chance to taste a bit of everything that day. It was a colourful plate carefully prepared by Benjamin, one of the experts of the shop, that includes truffle ham, sausage, butter, cheese, a salad dressed with truffle oil, as well as truffle honey served as bread dipping or dressing.
Honey and truffles, what an usual but beautiful combination! I was really amazed! For a long time I thought truffles can only go with savoury food, and I’ve never imagined that truffles could actually add depth to the delicate sweetness of honey. After the tasting, Benjamin also made us crêpes dressed with that honey. Ordinary crêpes were transformed to a classy dessert with a simple gesture. I was just wowed.
It was a really delightful experience, plus I love the cozy ambiance and breathtaking view from Printemps du Goût. If you are in town or are planning to visit the city, don’t forget to come over and enjoy a 100% French experience. Collaborating with Printemps du Goût for the celebration of the Lunar New Year, Maison Balme is giving a free truffle chocolate bar to customers who spend more than 75€ at the brand. If you’re not a sweet tooth, the black truffle chips could be as tempting.
Other interesting activities and events of the Lunar New Year celebration at Printemps will take place this weekend. Don’t forget to check them out if you happen to be around. More photos and videos of my visit, check my Instagram featured story here: https://tinyurl.com/sjwqp66
🔖 More about Printemps du Goût and what it has to offer: https://tinyurl.com/wrdmcoc
#yingsparisguide #PrintempsduGoût #MaisonBalme #truffes #松露 #春天百貨慶春節
story about new year celebration 在 Culture Trip Youtube 的最佳解答
Viva España! Think you have explored Spain already? Check out these epic experiences to get to know the country’s traditions even better.
Tradition tells us to favor wine, drunk from a porrón, a glass bottle which resembles a small watering can. A porró is a traditional Catalonian wine pitcher – and it’s a great way to share a bottle. You can pass the bottle around without it touching anyone’s lips – but it takes a bit of skill to get it in your mouth! You’ll be sure to encounter the tradition when visiting some of the best destinations around the country: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/the-15-best-destinations-to-visit-in-spain-in-2018/
Celebrated each year in the small town of Castrillo de Murcia, the Salto del Colacho is a week-long celebration which culminates with a man dressed as a devil terrorising locals and jumping over babies. Controversial as far as the Catholic Church is concerned, the celebration is believed to cleanse the new-borns of their original sin. Read more about this festival here
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/el-colacho-the-story-behind-spains-baby-jumping-festival/
One of the world’s most unusual food fights takes place every December in a small Spanish town near Alicante. It starts when one group of locals takes over the town and enforces bizarre laws – anyone caught breaking them pays a fine which is donated to charity. Find out more about this unique 200-year-old tradition here: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/the-story-behind-spains-annual-flour-festival/
Discover more about Spain and start your wishlist here: https://culturetrip.travel/Spain
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story about new year celebration 在 New Year's Resolutions Fill in the Blanks Story 2 - Pinterest 的推薦與評價
3 Super Fun New Year's Eve Printables for Kids. Print these 3 free printable activities including a Wacky Mad Libs Style New Years activity! ... <看更多>