When I dreamed up my “do it now” theme for this new year, never has it crossed my mind that I would turn into a shopaholic on steroid. Though, come to think of it, these are merely a cascaded list of delayed decisions over the years that sooner or later, someone – by that I mean either Cynthia or I, or realistically, by that I mean I need to make some decisions. Get it over and done with so as to speak.
I had lunch with my rather well-to-do friend. And I was lamenting on things at home that have broken down, or are at the verge of breaking down, badly in need of a replacement. Like my two air conditioning units. His response was: Things that we want to replace don’t break down (like his 3 years old panel TV, he said) while things that we don’t, they do.
Very true. Like my 12 years old bulky color television.
Last week, Cynthia still asked why there was a need to replace our television in working condition. Yesterday, the reasons were all written on her face as she was glued in front of our new “investment”. My new investment.
* * I * *
I am happy that my oven is now working. Even though it feels a tad expensive to get it repaired, replaced with new parts. I am moderately happy with my computer’s new graphic card and a slight increase in screen size by two inches. Because the setup that I have replaced is not that bad, even in today’s standard. Of course, Cynthia is ecstatic with my old setup, for her computer.
My shopping spree like the storm and the wind does not stop there. Finally, I have replaced the temperamental decade old rice cooker with a modern one. My mother has warned me before she left Singapore last year: You better buy a new rice cooker before the next time I arrive. And she is due to touch down at the airport this evening. What happens to the old rice cooker? Well, at times we get an electric shock in contact, at times the rice cooker refuses to get turned off and we don’t even notice until we realize that the kitchen is getting too warm. Nothing serious really. I put up with that for years.
And finally, I have replaced my old television with a flat panel one, replaced my hard disk recorder and the digital set-up box with the Hubstation HD, and I have replaced my Pioneer DVD with a Pioneer Blu-Ray player.
Oh happy day.
* * II * *
I must be amongst the last batch of viewers in Singapore who write about high definition (HD) contents delivered via the cable. The picture quality is stunning. I am not a TV kind of guy and I find myself unable to my eyes off the animals on the Discovery channel. I don’t even know what I was watching, captivated by the images mainly. I have predicted that Cynthia would be glued in front of the TV once I proudly unveiled our – or rather my – new investment.
And I was right.
Within minutes, Cynthia has figured out how to record the channels, set up her favorite list, and etc. I knew I wouldn’t need to read the manual. I have a TV addict living under the same roof.
Except, one friend of ours refuses to classify Cynthia as one. An hour a day in front of a TV is far from being qualified as a TV addict.
Cynthia was furious.
Not!
* * III * *
Now that I am happily settled down with my new setup, I have become more furious with SingTel spoiling the party by tearing the sport channels away from Starhub. How nice if I could watch F1 later this March with my current setup, and World Cup for Cynthia. I am uncertain how are we going to fit another setup box into our living room. This morning, switching on my computer triggered a power failure. And I have to reroute the power cable of my plasma TV to another mains.
Although, if I was SingTel, I would have probably done the same. Starhub’s Hubstation HD setup box comes with free phone line and free Internet. And that is the bread and butter of SingTel. Offering television broadcast is merely a counter tactical move by SingTel that happens to upset a lot of people, unfortunately. From a long term perspective, I reckon SingTel will excel and more channels will be switched from the green camp (Starhub) to the red camp (SingTel). From a short term perspective, I don’t think people on the ground like you and I are able to see any significant benefit.
Duh!
* * IV * *
I am planning to get the Gossip Girl’s complete season 1 and 2 on DVD today, something I have been wanting to do for months. And I am also planning to get a Blu-Ray disc today, to satisfy my curious mind.
Happy 2010! How did you celebrate the New Year Eve? Initially, Cynthia and I wanted to celebrate the countdown in a Spanish way: to eat twelve grapes, one on each chime of the clock. Alas! At the checkout counter of a grocery store, a few days before the New Year Eve, Cynthia asked if we should get some grapes. I thought to myself: We have apples, we have oranges, why do we need grapes? I said no; Cynthia did not insist; and we have no grapes. As Gurmit Singh led the countdown broadcast through our national television channel, Cynthia, my buddy Mark, two other players, and I were locked inside a virtual dungeon ready to start our battle. That was probably the first time I celebrated New Year Eve online.
* * I * *
Traditionally, this is a time for me to reflect upon the past year and to dream up my new year’s resolutions. Looking at last year’s theme, by and large, I have fulfilled what I set out to do. It is often hard to follow things through and I think I have done a pretty good job last year. On things that I have set my heart onto.
Time, is limited. That is a common knowledge. I have friends who ask me if I am still into photography (after merely a few months’ of break) or I still play my music (OK, an unfortunate series of hiatuses that set my music hobby back by miles). The reality is, if I am into learning Spanish or to re-learn Chinese, something is going to give. Because?
Time, is limited.
* * II * *
Inspiration comes from everywhere. We can find inspiration in the least expected places. That too is a common knowledge. “Superfreakonomics” is hardly a book of inspiration. Buried inside countless set of interesting statistical interpretations are two sentences that hit me so hard. And I said to myself, “Ah ha! That is going to be part of my 2010 theme.”
Mastery arrives through deliberate practice. Setting specific goal, obtaining immediate feedback, and concentrating as much on technique as on outcome.
So far, I am pretty good at setting goals. But I have been lacking in the rest. No wonder I am jack of all trades and master of none.
* * III * *
The only consolation is that if writing is counted as a skill I can master, I do practice my craft diligently. And because what I write is published through the Internet, I do at times receive feedback in the forms of online comments, offline comments, text messages, Facebook messages, and etc. So, thank you for your feedback. It helps me a great deal in understanding what works, what doesn’t.
Ironically, for this one particular skill I am attempting to master, what I lack is a specific goal.
* * IV * *
Inspiration can come from watching F1 too!
Last year was the first time I have watched the entire F1 season, on a television. Commentators would at times use the term “committed driver” to describe someone who all of a sudden kicks into action, putting on a personal best performance on the track. Such fire, such determination, and such commitment. Last year, I have tried to experiment this spirit on things that I do. It could be a Spanish class whereby I do my best in answering every question, in memorizing everything the teacher has said – every minute, every second of the class. Being committed is a sustained effort, from the beginning till the end. It is not a temporary boost of performance. But rather a sum of all the little edges I create that makes me a different, better person.
So, is this new theme all business and no play? Not really. I have tried that when I play the online game with a team of players too! Often, we are locked inside a dungeon or a series of dungeons from anywhere between 15 minutes to a few hours. It pays off being committed. Even more so as a team.
Whenever I think of high performance, I think of my ex-company Accenture. Whenever I think of Accenture, I think of golf and one of their old advertisements.
“Go on, be a Tiger.”
* * V * *
Are you still a vegetarian? Why do you become a vegetarian? And this particular question asked by my mother beats the rest: Are you switching religion again?
Yes, I am still a vegetarian. It is a lifestyle choice. And no, I am still a Catholic.
One day, Cynthia told me that according to her boss, once you keep eating a certain diet for a week or two – exact number of days I forgot – you will acquaint yourself with the diet and find yourself liking it. It is true. I have no craving for meat now and recently, after I have learned from my India vegetarian colleague that broadly speaking, it is important to consume vegetables of different colors, I have extended my food choice to salad. There are prepackaged and triple washed organic salad of different types that are sold in our local grocery stores. To spice up our bowls of salad, we add mixed nuts, sunflower seeds, dried cranberry, and of course, salad dressing. After a week or two, I am craving for that bowl of salad. I feel hungry by thinking about it. That is my new comfort food.
OK. I lie a tiny bit. There are things in life that I do miss. Japanese raw fish is amongst the top of the list. Today, I crave for Guilinggao jelly – a Chinese dessert made from the shell of a turtle that is supposed to have positive medical effect. Now, you can’t possibly classify that as a meat dish.
Can you?
* * VI * *
The year before last year, my theme was “Do It“. I really love that theme. I think I can do it better this year. With a better sense of urgency: “Do It NOW”. There is only that much I can plan. And I realize that planning to do something is not the same as doing it. Why not cast the vagueness of timeline away, action today, and manage the decisions in the future if need to?
Now, where does that come from?
One day, Cynthia picked up the phone and make an appointment with the oven repairman. Within minutes after his arrival at our home, our oven is back to operation after months if not years of breakdown. We are S$230 poorer but at least, we can now bake cakes.
Or vegetable pies.
* * VII * *
One commonality between this year’s post and the last year’s one is the picture used. Both are taken in Bandung, Indonesia. As you can see, I still have a backlog of unprocessed photographs, overdue for more than a year. Alas! Backlog of this, backlog of that. Now you know why I need to do-it-now, and do it as committed as I can be.
I remember what school holiday was like. Or to describe my current sentiment more correctly: these two weeks of annual leave reminds me of what school holiday was like. In UK, the school holiday is long, very long. Six weeks of break in between terms (we call them Michaelmas, Hilary, and Trinity), more than three months of break in between the years. Maybe school holiday is long, everywhere in the world. Since staying in the college added extra strain to my student loan for my university education, I often opted to visit my relatives in Paris, just across the English Channel (note: today I learn that the same arm is called differently by the French and the Dutch … of course!). Or to stay with my friends in London, which till today, I am still thankful of their hospitality whenever I think of the good-old-days.
In retrospect, I suppose I could have made my school holiday more productive. Like doing an internship, finding an opportunity to help out the faculty or the graduates who may need an assistant, or even picking a voluntary work to do. Holiday in Paris was often more productive, comparatively. I would soak in the local culture familiarizing myself with every corner of the street, every significant piece of artwork inside a museum that caught my eyes. Holiday in London was often more – for lack of a better word – laid-back.
What does laid-back mean? Depending on which camp you are in, if you think that laid-back is a negative attribute, especially in the context of a work environment, the opposite of laid-back would be driven, motivated, all the wonderful descriptions that are likely to earn you a good bonus. But if laid-back is to mean relax, the opposite would be tense, edgy, and uptight. All the negative attributes you probably would not want to see in your partner, or your pet. Having said it, it is about the context, isn’t it?
Progress and mass expectation is extrinsic. It is always good to positively contribute to the community, even if it is in the expense of your internal happiness and well being. Society does not reward you on how happy you are. It does however have a multitude of goods and services that you can purchase to make you a happier person. Feeling relax and happy is intrinsic. Something you have to generate from within. The best of it all is to find someone as laid-back as you, when you want to be. Imagine the otherwise.
* * I * *
This holiday, I have done something unconventional. I am often someone who is loyal to brands and shops and spends a great deal of time researching on products and pricing before making a purchase. Since Cynthia is not as insistence on an overseas holiday as she is used to be and since my sister’s baby may pop out any time soon, I am happy to laid-back at home, for the entire two weeks.
I know in certainty that Cynthia and I would spend much time playing an online computer game. And I know for a long time that upgrading Cynthia’s computer would vastly enhance her gaming experience, visually speaking. So I took something from my computer and planted it into hers. That works great for that one computer game that Cynthia plays. But what about me? I got myself a pretty decent video card and an even larger wide screen monitor. Decision was made on the spot. It was a cash transaction so you could say that it was a premeditated move.
Funny if I think about how laid-back I had been in making that purchase decision and now in a laid-back holiday, I tacked the situation with motivation and drive, as oppose to the laid-back philosophy. What’s going on here?
* * II * *
I look forward to a day when economists write a book on the online game World of Warcraft. Its success story is much to be learned by other corporations. It is amazing to see how Blizzard – the producer of the game – is able to constantly evolve the game and motivate the millions of subscribers to keep playing a game that is now more than five years old. Premium contents are continuously commodified, made accessible by the mass players who may not have as much time to invest as the hardcore players, as new premium contents are produced. That way, there is always a chance for the laid-back players to catch up and at the same time, a strong motivation for the hardcore players to reach new heights. On paper, that is an easy thing to say. Blizzard executes this vision flawlessly by making changes on different aspects of the game simultaneously so as to bring forth a holistic experience that does not feel patchy. Putting customers with different aspirations at the center. So easy to say, so hard to do it right.
We know that we manage what we measure. That is the foundation of the management tool called balanced scorecard: measuring performance by key indicators. Cynthia and I are fortunate to have Mark – not sure if his wife would think the same – to immerse in this online game in this laid-back holiday of ours. Last night, we have re-installed a gaming component that enables us to view our in-game performance in real time. All of a sudden, I observed that Cynthia has turned insanely competitive. Against me, in a cooperative mission, with a team of 5 against our adversities.
Huh?! What’s going on here?
With real time meter, she has turned into a committed player dishing out insane amount of damage against our common targets. I could not help but to peep onto her screen during our cooperative battle to see how I was doing in comparison. Why? Because she is tracking performance battle-by-battle while I am tracking how well we do by the sum of all battles. Her hunter beat my mage in both counters – hers and mine. And I conclude that tracking near-term targets yields a higher performance than tracking targets over a longer duration. An analogy would be if you have to clock in 40 hours of learning a year in your work, more likely so, you would defer your learning till the end of the year, which you may or may not be able to spend all that 40 hours. Setting a quarterly cumulative target would have yielded a better result.
Because we manage what we measure.
Back to last evening, I think I was the laid-back one. 4 in the morning and I was sleepy.
* * III * *
In a normal day, racing games are the least of my favorite. Because I suck so badly in this genre. Maybe I am simply not a good gamer. Maybe I am simply a laid-back gamer. I play games to experience something quite honestly speaking, if you seldom or have not played any computer game, you are missing an unique experience in life. An analogy would be you as a regular user of the Internet (which I presume you are since you are reading this) wonders what those people who have little or no exposure to the Internet would have missed. Cynthia’s mother from Indonesia was so amazed when she was with us in Singapore as she witnessed how McDonald’s breakfast can appear at our doorstep with a click of a button. That, to her, was an experience.
The game DiRT 2 comes with the video card that I have recently purchased. The delivery of the game is via STEAM – a service provider that streams games that you own into your computer via the Internet. That alone is an experience worth mentioning. Imagine no more game boxes that take up space (did I hear Cynthia cheering in the background?). OK. The download takes long. But the good thing is that you can re-download games that you own any time in the future and all the patches can be applied via the one source. Now, that is STEAM. But what about “Games for Window”?
The Microsoft initiative “Games for Window” has been around for ages. To be frank, I had no idea what difference does it make if I am to compare games that do not have “Games for Window” stickers to those that have. DiRT 2 is the first “Games for Window” game I have that saves my game progress into Microsoft gaming server, online. Combine that with STEAM, this is what the future of PC gaming should be like. As and when I upgrade my computer, all I need to do is to install STEAM, re-download my games in their latest versions, and pick up from where I have left off. No game boxes, no need to search for latest patches online, and no need to manually back up my game progress. Life is not only good, but great.
DiRT 2 is not only good, but great. One of the few games that utilizes the latest DirectX 11 graphics standard. And I have one of the few video cards today that support this new standard. Visually, the game is stunning. The dust, the water splashes, the smoke, and the day and night scenes. I suck at playing racing game. But once in a while, I am able to put up a heroic performance that involves teeth grinding overtaking moments, beautiful drifting in spacious corners, picking up from my mistake and fight back to the top of the grid. If only DiRT 2 allows us to upload our replay – which by the way, is very visually satisfying, realistically made – to YouTube for sharing, that would have been a dream comes true. For now, below is a video clip featuring Ken Block. And yes, it is that real.
* * IV * *
Computer gaming often delivers what we fantasize. It would not be a good game if it involves reading and replying emails, organizing and attending conference calls, like my real job. Space traveling is a different kind of fantasy. Unlike dragons and trolls that we know they do not exist, cars that we know exist but highly unlikely that we would be behind those wheels any time soon, anything to do with a probable future that involves space traveling has a certain charm. And that is the main reason why I enjoy playing Mass Effect. Therefore, I have decided to start all the way from the beginning even though I have lost my previous game progress when my hard disk crashed. Now, that would not be a problem had my game progress was saved online, would it? And since its sequel is due to be released early next year, in my mode of ‘laid-back-ness’, I better finish the game fast.
When Cynthia peeped at my screen one fine day, she commented that the game is like a movie, with dialogs and story development. Indeed, Mass Effect to me is like an interactive movie. An experience that is hard to describe (imagine how difficult it is to describe what Internet is and can do to those who have little exposure to the technology). Almost like directing your very own movie in your own home.
Back to the game, I have no clue how gamers can finish a game in 20 to 40 hours. I have no clue how anyone can finish any game these days. So many hours have been sunken into this game and I have yet to see the ending. That shows how laid-back I am with my gaming career.
Want to know what I am playing for? Below is the trailer of the sequel. Mouth watering. No less.
* * V * *
I reckon I can be an ambassador for PC gaming. And if you have the patience to read thus far, I have a message for you. Have a great New Year Eve celebration. Thank you for being with my site all these while and have a productive 2010, in a laid-back style.
PS. Of course, in this 2 weeks of laid-back holiday, beside computer gaming, we have also enjoyed watching the movies and dinning out. Come to think of it, just like how I spent my school holiday in London. Woot! I made it. This post has a word count of 2009!
The main reason of I picking the film “An Education” was to relive the memory of the university that I studied in. Of course, having an aggregated score as high as “Avatar” is a pleasant bonus. A screenplay written by Nick Hornby is also a pleasant surprise. It is a story based on the true memoir of a British journalist Lynn Barber who has studied English Language and Literature at St Anne’s College, University of Oxford.
Set in the 1960s, 16 years old Jenny – played by the talented Carey Mulligan – has set her goal to study in Oxford, supported by her school and her family. Along comes David, a charming and much older man, who is more than willing to show Jenny a different kind of education – one that is as real as life itself. As Jenny confronts the contrast of the vividness of real life and the boredom of school and university – which I am certain all of us do at some points in our lives – and asks what the point of studying is and what the point of the education system is, Jenny is ready to throw her goal of Oxford away and to walk into the life of David.
Nick Hornby is known for his wit and humor. I have always enjoy reading the dialogues of his novels. Under his script, the character Jenny has come alive as someone who is intelligent, innocent, and yet have the bravery of facing the reality. “An Education” is filled with music – a common trademark of Nick Nornby’s works. The cinematography of the 1960s UK and Paris is beautiful. I enjoy every bit of the film.
Although this book is not going to change the world – at least I do not think so – like its predecessor “Freakonomics”, “Superfreakonomics” is an entertaining read, full of good conversational materials. That is, if you can remember the numbers and details.
Backed by numerous reports (the note section alone takes up 36 pages) and the authors’ personal interviews, “Superfreakonomics” does appear as a credible read. Some parts, yes. Others, draw criticism from others. I personally find some of the topics non-conclusive. Like the car seat experiment that the authors that have personally paid for. If the conclusion is that Americans should not waste money in equipping car seats for children who are beyond a certain age, that message does not seem to come out clearly, from what the authors appear to lead me in believing with numbers and statistics. And when the authors write on the topic of climate change, even I as someone not from the field nor has studied economy, I smell something not right. Indeed, that chapter alone comes under fire from fellow economists and scientists.
All these aside, “Superfreakonomics” is a good effort in making cold hard numbers that the micro-economists study highly readable. Some topics, I have already known. Others, I thought I have known. As random as the layout of the topics as it may seem, “Superfreaknomics” does start with [human] prostitution and end with [monkey] prostitution. Below are my chapter-by-chapter thoughts.
Putting The Freak In Economics
An interesting introduction setting the stage of using observable statistics to look through the lens of an economist. Walk drunk is more dangerous than drive drunk, more people are killed by elephants than sharks. These are interesting topics. But to single out one particular race and comment on their penis size not able to fit into the condoms? My inquisition mind would direct to the investigation on why World Health Organization specs do not take that into account. Instead of writing “penises too small … to fit” that set some readers’ minds wild (it is always fun to laugh at other people’s penis size without thinking that yours doesn’t enter into the Guinness Book of Record either), I would – if I have to – write, “The condoms are manufactured with the wrong specs that do not fit well.” Then again, with such a non-sensational piece of writing, I doubt if it would fly as far as book sales is concerned.
Now, why am I so passionately defending another race? I do not think that it is the right thing to write. And I am pretty sure that my race does not enter into the Guinness Book of Record as the largest penis size on average either.
How Is A Street Prostitute Like A Department-store Santa?
I am not sure if I am 100% comfortable reading a chapter on the the pricing plan for the different tricks prostitutes turn nor the discount they give for various incentives. If you are genuinely interested in this topic, I would strongly recommend books that are written from the sociology instead of the economics perspective. I have read a few in the past.
Why Should Suicide Bombers Buy Life Insurance?
I see a subtle linkage between the topics on Islamic terrorists and the higher birth defect rate due to Ramadan (an Islamic tradition), innocent as it may seems. While I am not entirely convinced on the latter, this chapter is an interesting read on how one’s birthday – from the cold eyes of the statisticians – affects one’s destiny significantly. There is also a good write-up on the emergency room too.
I sincerely hope that terrorists will not pick up this book and read. Ideas to more efficiently carry out terrorist acts and more effectively hide the identity? Do we really need a book on “Terrorism For Dummy”?
Unbelievable Stories About Apathy And Altruism
I enjoy reading this chapter. People may not be as altruistic as we think we are, nor with such apathy as we are told we are. Some of the experiments are not new to me. In Malcolm Gladwell’s “Tipping Point”, a case study is used to illustrate the power of tipping point. It is a well known news – or so we think – that a number of witnesses in an American suburb failed to report a murder happened in their very street. Malcolm Gladwell’s theory is that because people think that others would pick up the phone and call the police – since it was obvious that someone should because the murder happened just outside their houses – no one picked up the phone.
Now, if Levitt and Dubner is right that someone did and we are not as cold hearted as we are told we are, this would make the book “Tipping Point” looks really bad.
The Fix Is In – And It’s Cheap And Simple
I enjoy reading this chapter too. Some fixes are indeed cheap and simple. It is true that we love to complain, particularly about how terrible the modern world is compared with the past. Many times in the past, we thought the situation was doomed and we managed to find a fix, much cheaper and simpler than what we would have imagined. This gives hope and encouragement to today’s world of course.
What Do Al Gore And Mount Pinatubo Have In Common?
This chapter draws fire from the critics. I can understand why.
If I read this chapter right, global warming is not as doomed as we think it is due to the followings. First, every hundred years of so, a major volcano eruption sets the world back to global cooling, hence reverses the global warming effect. Second, carbon dioxide is not the right villain (and immediately disputed by the source of that claim after the book is published). Third, there is a cheap and easy way to send sulphur dioxide to the stratosphere high up in the sky using lightweight pipes supported by hot air balloons in order to cool our planet. Is it necessary to spend trillions of dollars to tackle the global warming issue? The authors appear to say no.
That, I have my doubt.
Monkeys Are People Too
A short chapter on how in an experiment, monkeys can be taught to use money to purchase food and services. What does it really mean? I do not know. It is a great conversational material nonetheless. Like the rest of the book.
While we were queuing to enter the AMK Hub car park, out of nowhere, Cynthia asked what do people really mean when they say Merry Christmas to one another. Good question. I wonder how many of us genuinely ponder upon the good news of the birth of a savior – God in the flesh of a man – when delivering or upon receiving such a wish.
* * Ø * *
I have a theory. I think “Avatar” has some borrowed ideas from the game “World of Warcraft”. No spoilers here of course. And I bury my theory at the bottom of this entry.
* * I * *
The question is not whether you should watch “Avatar” or give it a miss. It is an experience not to be missed. If ticket price was to be pegged with the movie budget and if you are happy to pay S$10 for “He’s Just Not That Into You”, watching “Avatar” would have cost you S$100. So, what motivates the filmmakers to pour in $240 million – a budget is closed to what it took to create the “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy – to make a movie? I suppose pushing the film boundary with new technology (and hence money) so as to give the audience a never-seen-before experience often pays off. I remember how the first installment of “Lord of the Rings” wowed me to the core. And somehow, the next two installments did not seem to be as visually stimulating as the first one.
Now, the question is: Should you watch “Avatar” on 3D or not? We picked the 3D version. It was an unique experience. It works especially well with computer generated imaginary. It makes sense when you think about it. For real life objects, the 3D effect has already been take care of by the field of depth. Objects in the background are often blurred out. Using the current 3D technology on real life objects as seen in the film tends to make the image less sharp with washed down color, though it is without a doubt a wow factor to see a gun or grass bushes popping out of the screen – however blurry it seems. The same effect on the computer generated imaginary is absolutely stunning. Personally, I find the 3D goggles occasionally gave me a faint headache. It is like the discomfort I experience when an object is placed very close to that one point between my eyes. Cynthia finds the goggles keep slipping down and of course, you can wear the 3D goggles on top of your spectacles. Also, if I am to watch another 3D movie, I would bring along a cloth wiper to clean the goggles.
Back to the question. 3D format is for an unique cinematic experience and the non-3D format is for the visual effect in its full glory. Either way, you can’t be wrong.
After watching “Avatar”, I asked myself: What moves me a great deal when watching “Avatar” or “Bodyguards and Assassins“? I think it is bravery against formidable adversary.
* * II * *
Just before we entered into the movie theatre, my sister texted me and asked if we wanted to catch up in the evening. Did I have plan on the Christmas Eve? A Christmas Mass and my ‘date’ with Mark to show him how to joust in the World of Warcraft. I guess jousting would have to wait (sorry Mark!).
After the movie, TK asked what’s-for-dinner. Good question. In this two weeks holiday of ours, Cynthia and I have hardly put our heads together for any planning. So, why not invite our good buddy and my sister and her hubby for a home cook dinner? One minor logistic challenge though: we don’t have meat in our refrigerator ever since we have become vegetarians. TK volunteered to buy roasted duck and we boosted our menu to a 4-course meal: green salad, soup, pasta with roasted duck, and our dessert was a birthday cake for TK. So few stones, so many birds!
We had a lovely time. And it is good to spend Christmas Eve with family and friends.
* * III * *
We did not plan to attend the Midnight Mass for we planned to attend one of the earlier slots. Personally I prefer the one at midnight. It appears to be more authentic. Cynthia feels that Midnight Mass is a bit too late. It is true. The calling of my bed or the comfort of my home was hard to ignore especially when the Mass has passed the 1 am mark.
We arrived at the Church before 11 pm. Seats are hard to come by on Christmas. 11.30 pm the choir started singing the Christmas songs. Surprisingly, the quality of the choir this year was really good, at Christ the King. Even the priest commented that how nice if we are to have this level of standard for our Sunday Masses. The Church was full, our priest was exceptionally energetic, and the congregation was in high spirit. Personally, I would like to thank those who have made this Midnight Mass such a memorable experience. I think the nonstop rounds of applause said it all.
* * IV * *
I think this section may not make me the most popular guy in the planet, as everyone loves “Avatar”. While watching the show, I could not help but to associate some of the scenes to an online game that I live and breath for 5 years. If you have not watched “Avatar”, the following slideshow probably would not make sense to you (and it certainly would not spoil your “Avatar” enjoyment if you see it either). It is hard to explain in words so I took my avatar in World of Warcraft, traveled around the world, and took some screenshots for illustration’s sake.
On the same day we were supposed to meet with our friend on his birthday to watch this film, I was reading “Superfreakonomics” in the morning. In this new chapter, it says we often complain about how the old days are better, but more often so it is not the case. After the film, I thought: What if web conferencing was a reality in 1905? For the 1 hour meeting Sun Yat-sen has with the revolutionists in Hong kong, so many people are willing to put their lives on the front line to make it happens. Apparently, I was not the only one who thinks that way after the show.
“Bodyguards and Assassins” has a few good surprises to me. Cynthia and I were supposed to give it a miss as we were more interested in procuring the tickets for “Avatar”. Not surprisingly, “Avatar” is full house all the way till Christmas and beyond. Instead, TK picked “Bodyguards and Assassins”. The storyline is epic, the costumes in the backdrop of 1905 Hong Kong are convincingly authentic, the acting quality of the huge team of Chinese stars is rock solid, and the film talks to me at the emotional level. So thank you TK for booking this for us!
I have spent a good number of years studying Chinese history when I was in Hong Kong. And I was holding my breath on what a Hong Kong and China production going to do with Sun Yat-sen, father of the modern China, also co-founder of Kuomintang (KMT) – a political party that eventually established itself in Taiwan after a fallout with the Communist Party of China. Given the history and tension between China and Taiwan with a story set in a British ex-colony Hong Kong, how far would “Bodyguards and Assassins” push the political boundary?
It turns out to be one story that recounts the few days of logistic preparation prior to the meeting of Dr. Sun and the revolutionists in Hong Kong. It is a revolution in the making against the Qing Dynasty. The story ends on the day the meeting has ended. And I am glad that the story manages not to displease the authorities of either straits. It is good to be reminded – as a Chinese – how far we have endured in the last century, how much we have progressed in the last century. A collapse of a Dynasty, the invasion of the Japanese, the colonization by the Western countries, and look where China is today.
Back to the film, as nowhere it is mentioned that the story is based on true characters, I have no basis to verify if these are historical events. Having said that, the characters are very much alive. Each individual is portrayed as a genuinely good person, with a future. And that is why “Bodyguards and Assassins” is so hard to watch. No one wants to see good people get hurt. I think Cynthia was tearing all the way.
It is only a matter of time before I revisit my childhood passion of reading Japanese novels translated in Chinese. I read Japanese novels translated in English, such as Haruki Murakami. Maybe there is a certain proximity between the two languages – Japanese and Chinese, I suspect that the Chinese translation is probably closer to the original flavor than English. I do not read Japanese. And hence, purely my speculation.
I know nuts about fishing. I did fish once, or twice when I was young. That was all the experience I have. 《香魚師》, which I would translate the title to “Master Ayu Fisherman” for reference here, is a fictional work that is all about fishing. Not any kind of fishing, but a specific fish specimen – Ayu (you could read more about Ayu in Wikipedia here). The preface has done a great job in giving an introduction on Ayu, the different kinds of fishing tackles – the fish hook that is called “hair rig” – and the environmental impact that affects the habitats of Ayu.
Each chapter of “Master Ayu Fishman” begins with a special title given for a particular “hair rig”. The writing style consists of lots of paragraphs of short sentences and the translator or editor (茂呂美耶) has done a fantastic job in footnoting the novel at places that may cause confusion if you are not a Japanese. As I read the book, I suspected that it was originally published in newspapers or magazines and I was right (magazines indeed). That are repeated references to previous chapters that initially I found it odd. But it is not so odd if the original readers have to wait before reading the next installment.
“Master Ayu Fisherman” is about men’s obsession in fishing. Ayu is often called “Sweetfish” for its special scent of melon and cucumber and “Year-Fish” for its one year lifespan. Ayu’s life journey starts near the seashore and ends as they return from the sea to the seashore area and lay eggs. There are seasonal bans in Japanese on Ayu fishing. In the periods when the bans are lifted, enthusiasts would put aside their daily activities and fish. There are various ways to fish Ayu, and many types of “hair rig” developed to tackle different situations. I am not a fishing enthusiast, but I am intrigued by the passion people have on fishing. In the story, there is this one particular rare hair rig called 黑水仙 (“Black Narcissus”), the only hair rig that can lure the abnormally huge Ayu that survives more than one year. It is a story of two men’s obsession to go after that huge Ayu, almost like an addict. In a strange way, I can relate (close friends of mine would know why).
According to the author, in Amazon, women incorporated their pubic hairs into the hair rig in order to fish a particular type of fish, long time ago. That rare hair rig in the chapter, “Black Narcissus”, is created by just that. Now, I have tried Google this bizarre concept. There seems to be some applications of such setup but I am unable to verify the linkage to fishing in Amazon. Nevertheless, I think Japanese does have some strange concepts and using pubic hair to create a fishing tackle may well be one of many.
Overall I enjoy reading 《香魚師》. The Japanese author 夢枕獏 appears to be popular in Taiwan. And he has spent four to five years in writing this book, being an avid fisherman himself during the period when this book was written.
For the record, I am a huge fan of the Wuxia genre. I am also a fan of the original Chinese comic book series “Fung Wan”. OK, where shall I begin with this second installment? Part one is my casual thoughts, which fans of the movie may disagree. Part two is my deeper albeit random thoughts, which those with little background of the genre who may find interesting to read.
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Cynthia seems to like “The Storm Warriors”. My mind seems to have paralyzed by the movie not sure if I like it or not. Casual thoughts as follows.
Those hair! Oh my. The hairstyle redefined the art of messiness. I don’t recall it is that messy in the comic book.
I think all the characters in the movie are badly in need of a good bath. Maybe the costumes are badly in need of a good laundry. OK, maybe with the exception of the two girls. Just maybe.
Lord Godless reminds me of the Lich King in World of Warcraft. The evil Wind reminds me of the vampires in Twilight. Maybe that’s why Cynthia likes the movie.
Wow, you call that romance? The relationship between Cloud and Chu Chu is lifeless. The relationship between Wind and Second Dream doesn’t even go beyond a good hug. One may say, so what? Well, the love relationship between, say, Cloud and Chu Chu is supposed to be epic, for those who have read the comic book series. Epic! So epic that makes people cry. So epic that makes me cry watching “The Storm Warriors” for what it could have been.
For those who have forgotten the storyline of the previous installment (11 years ago, who would remember?), this part two does not quite help to refresh our mind. The storyline of this installment – deviates from the original plot I reckon – leaves much to desire. The climax, to me, would have been a joint force battle between the two main characters against an evil character. If the story development is intended for a part 3, I would expand on the battle with Lord Godless, keep the long battle between Wind and Cloud short, and keep the ending as it is (though I still don’t like the bad romance).
The original language of the movie is Cantonese I believe. In Singapore, for reasons beyond my comprehension (or my acceptance), it is dubbed in Mandarin. Often, I can deal with it if I have to though I would love to watch it in my language (and hence, I seldom watch Hong Kong films in Singapore’s theaters). The issue I have with dubbing is a missing in synchronization between the acting and the voice emote. At times, the voice seems to more involved into the plot than the acting (especially so for the two girls). Just not natural, to me that is.
The subtitles are laughable. I have this urge to re-translate the dialogs just for Cynthia’s sake. OK, without the background of Chinese and Wuxia, I admit some if not most of the concepts are hard to grasp. As I read both the Chinese and English subtitles, some of the essence of the dialog could have been better preserved.
Computer generated imaginary does not make great movies. And we know that.
11 years we have waited for this 2nd installment. Back then, in the year 1998, Ekin Cheng (Wind) was 31 and Aaron Kwok (Cloud) was 33. Now, imagine if the 3rd installment is to come in the year 2020 with the original casting …
What I do like are the Thai-powered martial arts and the collateral damage incorporated in the storyline. I think the movie comes alive after some innocent lives are taken. Look. If there is no sex and money in the plot, at least give us blood that pops our hearts. No?
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Wow, part one of this entry is a lot longer than I have anticipated. Perhaps I am passionate on this genre after all.
For those of you who may not be familiar with this genre, I have a few random thoughts to share.
Unlike some of the Western fantasy series, Chinese fantasy series seldom have the demon and angel entities. Seldom do we summon anything demonic from Hell, or battle the evil with the blessing of God. In Chinese, characters are gods of good and evil. It is the person who follow the path of good or evil, not an external divine entity. We have celestial entities like the dragons and we have evilness in the form of greed and power and the desire of immortality that corrupts.
Those who choose the path of good often take years to master the martial art. In fact, the moral compass is often incorporated into the ‘form’ of the martial art. If you recall, after the master Nameless has inspired Cloud to create his own martial art, Nameless comments that what Cloud lacks is the ‘form’. Unfortunately, it is lost in translation.
One could also master the martial art without going through the fundamental of the moral values embedded within. I believe in real life, learning Yoga in its truest form requires practitioners to meditate. If one is to master the martial art by taking shortcuts, one could be consumed by the chaotic power within and turns ‘evil’. Why evil? That goes back to the common observation that anything good be it as reputation, relationship, communal infrastructures, and etc. takes years to build. Destruction takes seconds. The same pair of hands spend years building a school can also detonate a bomb that destroys it all. In the movie, Wind took a shortcut and has become ‘evil’. So that he can be so powerful in just 3 days. Interestingly, Cloud also gains a new martial art technique that makes him powerful in the same 3 days. What gives?
Are there any shortcut then for those who choose the path of the good? According to the famous Wuxia writer Jin Jong, yes we can. Decade worth of power can apparently be transfered from one character to another, in rare instances. But that is beyond the scope of this movie. In retrospect, I suspect the filmmaker wanted to incorporate this concept in the boosting of Cloud’s power by what remains in Nameless (the 10% after some bad wounding from the previous battle). That would have made more sense as the path to good is often a long process. I caught that in the dialog between the two. But somehow, it is not executed that way in the movie.
While characters in a Wuxia setting often wield or in perpetual search for the ultimate weapon and armor – one that destroys all and one that is invincible to any attack – even the martial art technique to shield one from all harm, there is always a weakness somewhere (otherwise the story would be incredibly boring, no?). That is what the repeated clumsy subtitle “his weakest point is hiding behind his strongest point” tries to convey. Since the intended audience of the English subtitles are the ones who should have some concept of the Western culture, I personally would simply use the term “Achilles’ heel” to help with the translation.
Wow, an equally long part two! Thanks for reading. Peace.
Two unrelated stories to share here. One from Cynthia. One from me.
What is seat chopping? For those who live in Singapore, we all know what this means. For my overseas readers, no, we don’t literally chop seats here. We simply don’t chop anything in Singapore. Not even the trees. We move or relocate the trees along the highway when we have the need to add an extra lane or two.
So what does “chop” mean in Singapore? To be honest, I am not born and bred here. The word’s origin to me is fuzzy. I interpret the word or verb quote-unquote chop as “occupy or obtain ahead of one’s need while denying others of the resource or opportunity”. A clumsy interpretation I admit. But by now you should how clumsy I can be with words.
Monday afternoon, Cynthia met with her Indonesian girl friend from Bali and they have not met each other for more than a decade. Under a hot sun, they walked from point A to point B. The sun was so hot that it gave Cynthia a headache till the evening, as she recounted her afternoon story to me inside our car. I do not know where point A was. But point B was a food court at Tanjong Pagar, a location Cynthia seldom roams. Lunch time near the city center, we know how crowded the eateries can be. So while Cynthia queued up for food, her friend carrying tons of shopping bags was tasked to look for a table.
Cynthia’s friend has found a table in a nice and quiet area. As Cynthia placed the food onto the table, she noticed a package of tissue paper as well as a fold up newspaper. Too late to do anything now. In Singapore, white collar workers often “chop” the seats with packets of tissue paper put onto the empty seats or tables. After a seat is confirmed or reserved, they head out to look for food, queue up for food. Personally, I do not do that, unless I am with a group of seat choppers. I do not do that because by the time I look for food, queue up for food, get my food, one or two persons could have benefited from the seat. Especially so for some of the more crowded eateries like Amoy Street Food Court. The flip side is, by the time I get my food, I would be faced with a sea of tissue paper and empty seats reserved by the seat choppers.
Not long after Cynthia and her friend started eating their meal, a Singaporean woman came by the table taking back the package of tissue paper and the newspaper. And she said, “Did you know that these seats are chop? Are you new here?” Cynthia was about to leave the table while her friend was reluctant to do likewise, imagine having to carry her shopping bags and her meal. Cynthia’s friend replied with her Indonesian accent …
“No, I do not know. I am from Indonesia.” And she signaled to Cynthia and continued, “And she is not from Tanjong Pagar.”
Cynthia is not from Tanjong Pagar?!
I was laughing in tears when I heard Cynthia’s friend’s reply. And so was she.
The Singaporean woman – friendly as it seemed – said, “It’s OK. We have found another table. Just to let you know, this is the culture here [in Singapore].”
Singapore culture? Really?
PS. I have nothing against seat choppers. Just so to let you know that I am still your friend.
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Monday morning, my sister dropped me a message in Facebook asking me to check out her comment on one of my blog entries. Lora had a phone conversation with our mom in Hong Kong. She ended the message with: It is quite funny and I hope you won’t faint.
Rewind to a week or so ago, my mom called me on my home phone. And she acted quite strange, repeatedly commenting on how expensive my lenses are. She even threw in some numbers and I was shocked that she knew the price of camera gears. The numbers did not seem right but I was not thinking much. In fact, I confess that I was not 100% with the phone call. I am a lousy person to have a meaningful phone conversation with. My attention simply drifts before the first minute is up.
So I replied, “Well, these are quality lenses and the photographs look great, no?” And my mother went on and on about how rich I have become.
Over the weekend, my mom called my sister and said, “You brother has bought a lens for S$20,000!” I can imagine my sister was as shocked as I would have been had I pay attention to what my mom had said over the phone. In my defence, my sister mentioned that it is not possible to spend that kind of money on camera gears. My mom insisted that she has read it in my website, together with dad as the witness.
Uh-oh. My parents are reading what I write here? How? They do not read English!
Apparently, technology is so advance these days that websites can be translated into another language on the fly. But not so advance to accurately translate the meaning of I wish I have that bazooka lens that costs S$20,000. This gives ‘lost in translation’ a whole new meaning. If I have that kind of money to blow, my photograph of the moon would certainly look better than this.
