Tackteh

Nora Zolfaghari & Armita Dabirzadeh

Tackteh is a game of chance. No matter what skills or strategies you might possess, it all comes down to the roll of the dice. They say if you want to hide a tree, plant it in a forest. That was our way to stay safe: blending into our surroundings, hoping we weren’t pulled out of our homes for standing out too much. But eventually, we decided to take our chances, and roll the dice, bringing us here, where we can go outside without the pressure of being watched, without overthinking our own moves, not having to try our best to be just another tree.

 This piece is dedicated to babahjoons, but only the ones who play tackteh.

為生命的綻放鼓掌 (The Praise of Life)

Sumiki Hayashi

I praise the blooming of life. Some people may be ordinary through their lives, and finally disappear silently in the world, somebody, however, desires a vigorous and meaningful life, even a moment of beauty is worthy for them. People will face death finally, and become a part of the loess after death, and be submerged in the torrent of time. No one knows, and no one remembers. As death is inevitable, why don't we try our best to bloom our life, and leave no regret before we leave the world.

I have seen a kind of flower that blooms in a very short time, but surprisingly stunning in full bloom. This flower is called "Ephemeris". The ancients use ephemera to describe something very rarely seen or happen. It can be seen that its flowering time is short. Ephemeris only blooms once in her life, after a few hours, the flower will wither and fall into the ground. She exhausted all her power for the flowering. While the ephemeris bloom beautifully, have anyone thought that this is the first time, and also the last time she blooms.

Some people may ask, is it worthwhile for ephemeris to trade their lives for a short-term blooming and beauty? Maybe she thinks that when she blooms, she was the most beautiful and eye-catching one among all the flowers, that's enough for her. She has already decided on her own, it is worthy or not. Ephemeris also has an alias "Beauty under the moon". I remembered a quote from a Chinese poem, "Heroes are easy to grow old, and beauties are easy to fade away" Ephemeris are not like the twilight beauty, it withers quickly after blooming. People always remember that the blooming is beautiful as her life has been recorded in the best posture, leaving the most touching impression in people's mind. Beauty often loses the beauty of their youth, and the only thing people remembered is their old face, which becomes conversational during dinner. Ephemeris end her life in the most vigorous and most beautiful way.

Moths have an inexplicable yearning for light, and it can even be said to be obsessive. The moth desires light, even if it is the light of fire, even if the light will destroy it. In people's eyes, moth may be a fool who blindly pursues the light. But in my heart, the moth is indeed worthy of respect. I have once seen a group of moths flying around a candle, they flew straight to the fire without any hesitation, burning themselves like fireflies in the night with a dazzling light. They burn and shine like the stars in the sky, and finally started to extinguish, and fell down. Are they born to die? This idea in my brain shocked me. After I grew up, I started to understand that they burn for their own dreams, they burn for their desire and their lives. It is their fate to burn into fire. They might know that the fire will kill them, but they are not regret. How many people in the world can sacrifice their lives to pursue their dreams? There are probably only a handful of such people. I think it is the best thing in the world to bloom your life for your passion.

I hope that everyone can live as majestic as Ephemeris and moths, bloom their lives vigorously. Live up to their lives and leave no regrets.

Я все еще тебя не знаю (I still do not know you)

Eva Alperovich

Have you ever missed someone you don't know?

This can happen unconsciously: you may lie on the bed and think that one day you will find the right one. It doesn't matter what you're talking about - friends or true love, or maybe a puppy whose breed you haven't decided on yet. It is "expectation" - expecting for the best moment when something or someone will arrive that will change your life forever. But what is «unexpected»? Is it related to «expectations» directly or only implicitly?

Let's imagine a few situations in which unexpected is directly related to something expected:

Let's take the same example with a puppy. You walk down the street and think that you like all the puppies on this planet, but there are so many breeds that you cannot decide which one to choose. Oh, and many dogs have their "mini" versions (mini pug, mini Maltese and others)! It only makes your present situation much harder to bear. You sat down on a bench in the park to finish the report that you need to send before Saturday but then a ball lands at your feet. You pick it up and see a dog running towards you. She is so cheerful and merry, beautiful and well-groomed. Yes! It is the one that you want! It is the exact kind of dog that you have to take. Imagine? Did you expect to see this dog while working on the report?

Another example: You are lying down before going to bed and can not fall asleep. You are tossing and turning, wondering if you are missing something right now. But is it even possible to miss someone you don't know yet? You want to dream with this person, but you have no idea whom you would like to dream together. Will he have blue, grey, green or brown eyes? Will he have dimples? What kind of coffee does he love? With or without sugar? Or does this person like regular green tea like you? Falling asleep with these thoughts, and in the next morning, or a week, a month, even a year, you unexpectedly meet your soulmate!

Although sometimes you assume something will happen, it still comes as a surprise for you when it does.

Birthday! Next week is your birthday. You suppose that something unusual will happen on this day: a gift that you have desired, an arrival of your relative whom you have not seen for a long time, or an incredible party with a crowd of people that you are planning to throw. You understand that something is being prepared, but you cannot know what will happen exactly.

And now, the x-day is coming. You wake up and see that your entire room is decorated with balloons, and there are flowers and gifts next to your bed. You get up to thank your family for this beautiful surprise. In the kitchen, you are not only greeted by your dearest relatives but also by your best friends.

Another option: you wake up. No balloons, no gifts, no flowers. And who needs them, right? No one meets you in the kitchen, and there is no note about where everyone goes. You begin to prepare for today - get ready for work, school, or repeat usual routines. Everyone calls you all day, except your family and close friends. Even the mobile operator and pizza delivery congratulated you, but not your mom and dad! Outrageously... Have they forgotten? Then the phone rings, and you are told to come downstairs to spend the evening outside. All of your loved ones congratulated you, and this birthday will remain in your memory for a very long time!

There can be many options for the outcome of love stories, dog purchases, birthday events and many other things. But the most important message in this story that I want to convey is that you should learn how to wait patiently for the moment you deserve and remind yourself to treat the wait calmly. Everything will be fine, and everything needs its time to come.

"Tout vient à point à celui qui sait attendre." -

" Everything comes in its own time for those who can wait.»- Honore De Balzac.

从歌声中汲取力量 

(文字节选自电台节目”活在歌声里——罗文18周年祭”，文后附链接）(An excerpt from the transcript of music podcast "Living in his voice -- A memory of Roman Tam")

Eva He

An excerpt from the transcript of music podcast "Living in his voice -- A memory of Roman Tam"

Roman Tam is a phenomenal pop singer in Hong Kong in the 1970s and 1980s. As one of the founders and vanguards of Hong Kong pop music, he was active in his career for 40 years and is known as the "evergreen tree" of Hong Kong music. In Roman's stage career, not only did he performed many iconic songs with his high-pitched, gorgeous voice and flexible stage style, but he also greatly promoted the development of Hong Kong pop music. Although he had passed, his name stays inseparable in the hearts of the public, and has gradually become a symbol of the "Hong Kong spirit", reminding us of the hard work, glory and memory of Hong Kong people in the 20th century.

  In Roman's life, there were glories and challenges. Regardless of the up and downs, he persisted to face all the obstacles and challenges with passion and optimism. It seemed impossible to find the word "discouraged" in his life. This spirit

思念是什么 (One Sun)

Eva He

A stream of sun——

hangs from the end of winter and shines.

How long have we been apart, my homeland?

A thousand miles, ten thousand miles, with a flight,

the distance across the ocean no longer seem that far;

yet the snow still gets through the blinds in my room 

and brings me back to that chilly morning in Beijing,

where I bathe under the misty sun. 

Ein Neues Kapitel (A New Chapter)

Susana Macias

The sun's rays shone through the window.

Squirrels leaped through the trees like ghosts.

Snow fell from the branch -

I almost jumped up.

I am no longer at home

I am now out of my familiar surroundings.

How will I like it here?

Will I get along well with everyone?

Yet, my worry was quickly taken away

A new chapter in my life has begun.

I have made many friends here,

I haven't laughed so loud in a long time.

I miss my family very much,

But being here isn't quite as hard for me.

For a long time I had waited for being here,

But I never -

expected it.

新冠疫情真的這麼糟糕嗎 (Is the new epidemic really so bad?)

Kamwai (Ben) Cheung

2020 is terrible. A ruthless pandemic destroyed people's lives all over the world. Everyone is complaining about it, but in fact, facing Covid with an optimistic attitude also brings some benefits.

Every day I get up and turn the TV to the news channel, I hear that the number of infected people in different countries around the world is increasing. I am glad that Covid-19 at my city is not very serious, but I feel helpless and sad when I see people living in other countries suffering from the pandemic. Because of it, people from all over the world have lost their jobs and life has become very difficult; People are not allowed to travel freely and do what they want to do; All schools are closed and we can’t visit our friends; The street is quiet. Comparing to the years before, It is almost like another world; All shops are shut down and the economies of all countries fell sharply. The saddest thing is that different countries are constantly blaming each other. Are we not supposed to help each other as brothers and sisters living on the same planet? Because of the pandemic, masks that are usually common have become precious luxury goods, but some people are making money from that --- when everyone needs masks , the price of masks is marked extremely high. The spread of Covid has revealed the vices in human nature. Shouldn't we work together to fight the pandemic?
Although the situation is very bad, this is a fact that cannot be changed. What we can do is to be optimistic and do what we can do. In fact, looking at the bright side, the pandemic has actually brought us some benefits. For example, people spend more time at home with their families and got to know their families better; The reduction in people's activities had reduced pollution and made our planet healthier. Stores are making price cuts and discounts, which has also saved us a lot of money; Since most of the works are transferred to online, people’s working hours are more flexible and free.
We have gained some valuable experience from this pandemic and saw the unity of various ethnic groups. Although the pandemic had created so many challenges, life had to continue, so many people chose to face it with strength and hope. People around the world changed from refusing to wear masks to panic buying masks; companies are not flaunting their superiority, but to respond to the current situation and pay attention to actual performance; All parts of the world are paying more attention to hygiene and personal health.

Although Covid-19 is terrible, the most important thing is our mentality. Have we made every effort to do what we should do? Have we made every effort to reduce the impact of Covid on us? These things are not to be done by one person, but should be done by the collaboration of human race. The pandemic has taught us a valuable lesson, and we should reflect on it.