Yesterday’s BBQ karaoke gathering brought me an unexpected surprise — one of those small magical moments in life that cannot be planned.
Many years ago, when I was a young Form 1 student at La Salle College in Hong Kong, I once sat in the school assembly hall listening to a Form 7 “big brother” singing an Italian song called Al Di Là. At that age, the senior students looked so grown up, confident, and talented. I still remember being deeply impressed by the melody and emotion of the song, even though I did not understand Italian at all.
Strangely enough, that melody stayed somewhere in my memory all these years.
Fast forward to yesterday.
Our ping pong friends had organized a BBQ karaoke party. The atmosphere was warm and lively. There were good singers, good food, laughter everywhere, and many hidden talents suddenly appearing one after another. Nobody expected the gathering to become such a success.
Then it was my turn to sing.
I chose Al Di Là.
Honestly, I do not know Italian. I never learned the lyrics properly. What I remembered was mainly the melody, the rhythm, and most importantly, the feeling of the song. So I simply sang from the heart and tried my best to express the emotion I remembered from long ago.
While I was singing, something unexpected happened.
The lounge door slowly opened, and an elderly gentleman put his head inside curiously. I smiled and greeted him while continuing the song, inviting him to join us.
To everyone’s surprise, he said he was Italian — and he knew Al Di Là very well.
He politely asked whether we could restart the song from the beginning.
Of course, we happily handed him the microphone.
Wow.
The moment he started singing, the whole room became quiet. His voice, pronunciation, emotion, and confidence immediately transformed the atmosphere. It felt as if the song had suddenly come alive in its original spirit. Everyone was impressed and thoroughly enjoyed the performance.
What amazed me most was not only his singing, but the coincidence itself.
A song I first heard as a 13-year-old boy in a school hall decades ago somehow reappeared yesterday in a Richmond Hill karaoke gathering — and then an Italian gentleman unexpectedly walked in at exactly the right moment.
Life can be very interesting sometimes.
Music has a special power. It stores memories deep inside us. A melody heard in our youth can suddenly return many decades later and reconnect the past with the present in the most unexpected way.
Yesterday’s gathering was already full of joy, friendship, laughter, and good food. But this little Al Di Là encounter became an unforgettable bonus that none of us expected.
Perhaps that is one of the beautiful things about life as we grow older.
The memories do not disappear.
Sometimes they quietly wait for the right song to bring them back again.
Grandpa Journey
Stories, memories, and reflections from everyday life
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《Al Di Là》—— 一首從中一開始留在我心中的歌
昨天的 BBQ 卡拉 OK 聚會，帶給我一個完全意想不到的驚喜。
那是一種人生中無法預先安排、卻令人難忘的小小奇妙時刻。
很多很多年前，我還是香港喇沙書院（La Salle College）的一名中一學生。某一次在學校禮堂裡，一位中七的「大哥哥」唱了一首意大利歌曲《Al Di Là》。
那時候，中七學生在我們眼中是那麼成熟、自信、有才華。雖然我完全不懂意大利文，但那首歌的旋律與感情，卻深深留在我的腦海裡。
很奇怪，幾十年過去了，那旋律一直沒有真正消失。
直到昨天。
我們一班乒乓球朋友舉辦了一場 BBQ 卡拉 OK 聚會。現場氣氛非常熱鬧溫馨，有好歌聲、有美食、有笑聲，也突然發現原來大家都藏著不同的才藝。沒有人想到，這個聚會竟然會如此成功和開心。
後來輪到我唱歌。
我選了《Al Di Là》。
老實說，我不懂意大利文，也從來沒有真正把歌詞背熟。我記得的，其實只是旋律、節奏，還有那份感覺。所以我只是憑著記憶與感情去唱，把自己記得的情懷表達出來。
就在我唱歌的時候，一件有趣的事情發生了。
休息室的門忽然慢慢打開，一位年長男士探頭進來看看。我一邊繼續唱，一邊微笑向他打招呼，邀請他一起加入。
沒想到，他竟然說自己是意大利人，而且非常熟悉《Al Di Là》這首歌。
他很有禮貌地問，可否讓歌曲重新開始。
我們當然非常歡迎，立刻把咪高峰交給他。
哇！
當他一開口，全場幾乎立刻安靜下來。他的聲音、發音、感情與自信，瞬間把整首歌帶回它原本的靈魂。大家都聽得十分投入，非常欣賞。
但最令我感動的，不只是他的歌聲，而是整個巧合本身。
一首我十三歲時在學校禮堂聽過的歌曲，幾十年後，竟然在列治文山（Richmond Hill）的一場朋友卡拉 OK 聚會裡再次出現，還剛剛好有一位意大利先生在那一刻走進來，把歌曲真正地唱了出來。
人生有時真的很奇妙。
音樂有一種特別力量，它會把回憶深深收藏在我們心裡。一段年少時聽過的旋律，很多年後，竟然還能把過去與現在重新連接起來。
昨天的聚會，本來已經充滿歡樂、友情、美食與笑聲。但這段《Al Di Là》的小插曲，卻成為了整晚最意想不到、最難忘的額外驚喜。
也許，這正是人生其中一種美麗。
回憶並沒有離開。
它們只是靜靜等待，等一首熟悉的歌，再次把它們帶回來。
Grandpa Journey 爺爺的旅程
分享生活、回憶與人生點滴
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