Happy New Year! 新年好！
小記者 2018 玫瑰花車遊行現場直擊報導，近距離帶給你 Tournament of Roses – Rose Parade 最精彩角度：琳瑯滿目的花車、神采飛揚的馬匹、步伐整齊的軍樂隊 . . . 看得大家目不暇給！
Singpoli Group 《魚躍龍門》Rising Above 花車以優美造型和深厚文化意義，獲得全場最高榮譽 Sweepstakes 「大滿貫」評審大獎，實至名歸！花車上還有 Shila Amzah 和 Nathan Wang 王宗賢 與大家揮手，為大家帶來新年的祝福！
小記者們的玫瑰花車報導系列也告一段落，從資料搜集、發佈會、採訪、攝影以至剪接，幾位小記者親力親為，上了寶貴的一課，今年小記者們會繼續努力，希望大家為他們打打氣！
Junior Journalists: Jaslyne and Karen
Videography and Editing by Jaslyne
Rose Parade 2018 ~ by Karen S., age 12
Finally, after months of excruciating hard work, the rose floats are taking action in Pasadena for the 2018 Rose Parade. Dozens of floats were driven by drivers who navigated by peering through a small, hidden window somewhere on the float. People on the floats waved, and the atmosphere was lively with the buzzing and cheering of people. The air was quite chilly but the excited onlookers didn’t seem to mind much. 2018 has finally arrived!
There was much to see at the parade. Marching bands, color guards and groups of horses followed after beautiful rose floats from place all over the nation– some even came from across the world, such as Kyoto. There were so many activities going on, but the most memorable was probably the horses and ponies– not just because the horses were beautiful creatures, but also partly due to the fact that what they left behind on the street for the cleaners to pick up didn’t give off a particularly pleasant smell. But it was still a great show, the horses were well groomed and tamed.
Although the other events were awesome, the floats were still the focus point of the rose parade. My favorite float was Donate Life’s float, called The Gift of Time. On both sides of the magnificent float were pictures, made with seeds, of organ donors. The people who received their organs sat on top of the float, waving. The donors gave the recipients the gift of life time, so they could continue living. The theme is so meaningful and the float was intricately decorated with bright colors and fancy details.
Singpoli American BD’s float, Rising Above, was another one of my personal favorites. Unfortunately, I did not get to hear Shila Amzah sing the theme song in person, because the music was not playing when the float passed by our section. Also, due to the poor cell phone reception, the AR app, Metaverse, could not be used, so I didn’t get to see the Augmented Reality enabled on the float either. However, I am sure it is a wonderful display, because Rising Above won the Sweepstake Award for the parade. On the bright side, the float was amazing. The fish flapped their fins in the air, and faint music was playing in the background. Nathan Wang and Shila sat inside a small boat on the front of the float, wearing lively red traditional Chinese outfits and waving to the cheering crowd.
After the floats usually followed a marching band. All the marching bands sounded great and played some really unique music, but Kyoto Tachibana Senior High’s “marching” band really stood out. Whilst the other bands marched straight forward, Kyoto Tachibana’s band actually danced to the music, all while playing their instruments. That must have taken a long time to organize and a ton of practice! I really enjoyed watching their performance.
Wow! There is actually a lot more to talk about, but that would take much longer than this, so I have told you just the highlights of this experience. If you did not come to the Rose Parade this year, I highly recommend you go next year (although it is best to purchase your parking permits beforehand and also get there a little earlier so you can get a better seat). It is a fun experience for people of all ages. The theme of the floats this year was “Making a Difference.” What difference do you plan to make this year? Happy 2018, everyone!
