戒色

剛剛看完《色·戒》，明白到為何要給電影這個名字。差不多三個小時，卻很緊湊。故事週旋於情、慾、理想、責任的拉扯矛盾中。

非常好的一部影片！

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謝謝你的翻譯！！

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剛收到從英國寄來的兩本權威飲食雜誌 《Restaurant》，看見這樣的菜色，可以不拍案叫絕嗎？

ＴＩＦＦ

今年中因出走歐洲而錯過了ＳＩＦＦ，幸好來到多倫多有ＴＩＦＦ，而且比ＳＩＦＦ更大規模 （來自５５個國家３４９套電影）。

想看的（比較大路的）有：
Lust, Caution
Blood Brothers
Love Comes Lately
Chaotic Ana
Chacun son cinéma

因為錯過了買學生套票，所以不能多看。況且沒太多時間．．．

開學一個星期，漸漸習慣了。每天不到６ＡＭ便起床，陪伴我的是比我更早的娘，還有早晨日出：



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OK, that's all for practicing Chinese typing for now :-)

So the Culinary Skills lesson on Friday is pretty fun, as the chef told us that we don't use any measuring cups--we use large eggs to "measure" our stuffs. Each large egg has about 2 oz, so:

3 eggs = 1/2 cups
1 egg = 3 table spoons
1/2 egg = 4 tea spoons

Oh, and the chef said that he doesn't use white pepper, as it destroys any flavor. I was a bit skeptical on this, until my mom cooked fish in tomato that same night--the white pepper she added was way too strong and stimulated my throat. After doing some research on the web though, the white pepper is supposed to be less pungent than black pepper.... hum... that doesn't make sense to me now.

I am planning to try replacing black pepper with white pepper and see what the difference would be. And I'm going to try it out on a 羅宋湯 ：）

販賣夢想

Wouldn't it be great selling your dream satisfying people's needs while getting success? Pixar did it again, and this time creating a dream through the fantastic Ratatouille! It's a funny movie yet very meaningful. The drawings are so real and delicate that make me feel so hungry!

Love this quote from Anton Ego in the movie, who is a restaurant critic:

In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realize that only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau's, who is, in this critic's opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau's soon, hungry for more. (courtesy of IMDB)

Hopefully, being an overaged chef school student, I could have half the talent of Remy the rat in the movie, and half the luck of Linguini, the once unrespected garbage boy of the kitchen who eventually opened up "La Ratatouille" after all those twists and turns. And, most importantly, the love and profound efforts of all those who realized their dreams and pursued them.

The Great Dictator

The Great Dictator is another gem of Chaplin. There are a few scenes I can't stop laughing, and the last speech of the barber is powerful and moving. It's like a declaration of war to the social problems of that era.
Which sadly still remains to be our problem--that the Great Dictator is still here, living within us...

I'm sorry, but I don't want to be an emperor. That's not my business.
I don't want to rule or conquer anyone.
I should like to help everyone if possible;
Jew, Gentile, black man, white.
We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that.
We want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery.
We don't want to hate and despise one another.
In this world there is room for everyone, and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone.
The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.
Greed has poisoned men's souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed.
We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in.
Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want.
Our knowledge as made us cynical; our cleverness, hard and unkind.
We think too much and feel too little.
More than machinery, we need humanity.
More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness.
Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.
The airplane and the radio have brought us closer together.
The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men; cries out for universal brotherhood; for the unity of us all.
Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women, and little children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people.
To those who can hear me, I say, do not despair.
The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress.
The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people.
And so long as men die, liberty will never perish.
Soldiers! Don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you, enslave you;
who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel!
Who drill you, diet you, treat you like cattle, use you as cannon fodder.
Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men - machine men with machine minds and machine hearts!
You are not machines, you are not cattle, you are men!
You have the love of humanity in your hearts!
You don't hate! Only the unloved hate; the unloved and the unnatural.
Soldiers! Don't fight for slavery! Fight for liberty!
In the seventeenth chapter of St. Luke, it is written that the kingdom of God is within man, not one man nor a group of men, but in all men!
In you!
You, the people, have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness!
You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure.
Then in the name of democracy,
let us use that power.
Let us all unite.
Let us fight for a new world,
a decent world that will give men a chance to work,
that will give youth a future and old age a security.
By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power.
But they lie! They do not fulfill that promise. They never will!
Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people.
Now let us fight to fulfill that promise.
Let us fight to free the world!
To do away with national barriers!
To do away with greed, with hate and intolerance!
Let us fight for a world of reason,
a world where science and progress will lead to all men's happiness.
Soldiers, in the name of democracy, let us all unite!
Hannah, can you hear me? Wherever you are, look up Hannah!
The clouds are lifting! The sun is breaking through!
We are coming out of the darkness into the light!
We are coming into a new world; a kindlier world, where men will rise above their hate, their greed, and brutality.
Look up, Hannah!
The soul of man has been given wings and at last he is beginning to fly.
He is flying into the rainbow!
Into the light of hope, into the future!
The glorious future, that belongs to you, to me and to all of us.
Look up, Hannah.
Look up!

SIFF光伴我心...

So the yearly Seattle International Film Festival is around the corner! Too bad the film list won't be announced until May 10... If you are interested in volunteering, you can get more information here. The job involved is nothing comparing to any other volunteering work--in most cases, all you need to do is just ushering. In return, you'll get to see the movie you're helping out with for free (well, depending on your workload AND the mood of the lead usher), and get one voucher for every two hours of volunteer work!

I'm so looking forward to this event. It's really fun! Um... will Ping Pong be on their list?

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It's the THIRD case I know someone who needs to fight against caner this year... *sigh* every time when I heard of the news, I'd imagine it'll be my turn sooner or later...

Limelight: 不完美的人生，才叫人生...

I was not a fan of Charlie Chaplin when I was small. The only impression I had was that he's always moving with his stick in a slightly fast forwarded pace. And I found it really boring.

Well, apparently I hadn't gone through a lot of life issues to come to appreciate the paradoxes of Chaplin's comedies. Until recently a radio show aroused my interest to check out his DVD, and I picked 《Limelight》, a 1952 film that was written, directed by, and starring Chaplin.

It is truely marvelous!

After half a century, this movie is still touching the heart of its audience...

Life can be wonderful if you're not afraid of it.
All it needs is courage, imagination.
"--- Calvero, Limelight"

What is there to fight for?
Everything!
Life itself! Isn't that enough?
To be lived, suffered, enjoyed!
What is there to fight for?
Life is a beautiful, magnificent thing.
Even to a jelly fish.
"--- Calvero, Limelight"

(But I can't dance without legs!)
I know a man without arms
who can play a scherzo on a violin and does it all with his toes.
The trouble is you won't fight. You've given in.
Continually dwelling on sicknes and death!
But, there's something just as inevitable as death
and that's life.
Life, life, life!
Think of the power that's in the universe!
Moving the earth, growing the trees!
And that's the same power within you.
If you'd only have courage and the will to use it.
"--- Calvero, Limelight"

***
Thanks so much for the call! I'm so looking for that day--that big milestone we have to achieve!

你、我、他她他

《Me and you and everyone we know》 《你，我，他她他》 is a funny movie. There are a lot of reviews and summaries out there alrady, so I'm not going to repeat.

And what can you say with a film that has 15 awards?

You either love it, or hate it :-)

Well, I guess one of the reasons why this movie got so many awards was that the story is very familiar to everyone, that people are so looking to love and be loved, yet we are scared getting too close to the people around us. We like to communicate with friends using various "high tech" channels--blogging, messenging, emailing. We meet friends, "soulmates", and what not on various websites. The ending of the movie is funny but also satirely.

This movie is a success, since it's a story about me, you, and everyone we know.

If you really love me, let's make a vow - right here, together... right now.

好幸福

I think Sassy got spoiled already. She now crawls to my bed every night and has to sleep with me. When I just get into sleep, she's gotten 1/4 of the bed; but then when I wake up in the morning, I found myself having 1/4 of the space instead--and Sassy is still sticking right next to me!

Look at her, so satisfied, so enjoyed, so spoiled....

Talking about satifaction, I'm sure Ho Gor is very pleased today too, as he's started to help doing some housework--and I assigned my favorite job: bathroom cleaning. See how he looks after accomplishing such a big task!


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After listening to your story about the trip, I have better understanding of what I should do with my career change. I'm so glad to learn that it's actually not unachievable at all--at least there are people doing it now, and in the future.

I am so excited. I know it's a long way to go, but I can't wait to start!

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Went to Joyo.com and ordered the 《三峽好人》 VCD, only USD$4, in which ￥20 is the shipping cost :-) But still, it's a good price to our standard. 賈樟柯, 大力支持你!

他從一個貧瘠的土地來到北京之後，就認定了他的人生道路，成為一名優秀的導演。在大學期間，他觀摩了上百部的電影，同時，結識了日後在他的職業生涯中很重要的幾個伙伴。 (quoted from here)

It's not easy to find the direction in life, yet stick to it no matter what. I'm glad you did it!

Talking about movie, I have quite a few old movies I want to watch:
《Me and You and Everyone We Know》
《Match Point》
《Paradise Now》
《Paris Je t'aime》
《As It Is in Heaven》
《三億日圓極度初戀》
《死亡筆記（前篇）》
《死亡筆記：最後的名字》
《墨攻》
《傷城》

幸福何時敲門?

《The Pursuit of Happyness》 has a plot that is pretty easy to predict--you almost know what's going to happen next even without watching the trailer or summary. However, it's still a very touching story, not to mention that Will Smith did a very good job.

And the story was just in time when I was discouraged by a recent setback during the quest for my career.

In the movie, Chris lost his wife, and almost lost his son when he's approaching the bottom of his career because of an incorrect investment. His son and Chris needed to sleep in men's room since they got expelled from a motel because of long delayed rent. After that they lived in an emergency shelter every night.

However Chris never gave up. He wanted to give the best to his 5 year old. Unfortunately he didn't know where he's heading to. And when his son asked one day, "Where are we going?", all Chris can replied was, "You gotta trust me, all right?"

"I trust you." replied his son.

It was this trust that Chris hanged on to, and he worked hardly to earn a full time position as a stock broker.

I was thinking, what would I feel if I were Chris that all I had left with was a luggage that I had to carry to work every day? May be struggling in a kitchen some where around the world trying to wait for my break? What if all the bad luck kept happening to me, and I had a family to feed?

I don't know. But I surely will need the trust and encouragement from my loved ones.

Just like in the movie, when Chris' son, who suffered together with Chris every day, said to him, "You're a good poppa." It meant a lot, I mean a whole lot, to Chris.

I need your trust.

Some quotes that hit me:

Christopher Gardner: You gotta trust me, all right?
Christopher: I trust you.
Christopher Gardner: 'Cause I'm getting a better job

Christopher Gardner: [to his son] You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can't do something themselves, they wanna tell you that you can't do it. You want something? Go get it. Period.

Christopher Gardner: Don't ever let someone tell you, you can't do something. Not even me.
Christopher Gardner: All right?
Christopher: All right.

I don't know what I'm going to choose, but in prayers I seek.

全因主的聖名，勞苦可得安靜；
行走於孤單困惑裡面有主傾聽。
全因主的聖名，愁心可得歡樂；
祈禱的必得勝，我以性命來做證！

home sweet home

It's the first time I indulged myself in the office so much that I call it home! Sadly, it happens in times like this--there are still 320,000 households served by my energy company living in darkness over this chilly weekend (26F/-3C')!

One thing I'm touched though, is that there are many people who do have power at home calling on to the radio station saying that they can open their place as a shelter to those who are in need.

And thanks to my power-ful friends who extended thier offer saying that I can stay at their place :-)

And thanks for treating me dinner :-) I wish you the best whereever you go!

***
《The Devil Wears Prada》is a good one! I don't know if the editor of American 《Vogue》is like that or not, but one thing I'm sure--Andy Sachs looks a lot better after she puts on the big name skirts, shoes (Jimmy Choo!), hand bags, and all those accessories.

A good reminder was from another change of Andrea. She used to say "I have no choice." since she was such a "good" employee that she fulfilled the Devil's every unreasonable request. She gained trust (but not appreciation) from her boss, but lost friendship, her boyfriend, and herself. And in every single setback in her life because of work, she found her execuse by saying "I've no choice". But then the Devil once said to her, "You're not no choice, and that's your choice." Finally Andrea knew what she should go after in her life, so she quit her job.

We do have a choice. We all have to choose.

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Photoshop CS3 Beta is available for download, which is supposed to work better under Mac Intel system. Hopefully it's worth the wait!

Here's an overview of the new features.