April Snow

Directed by Heo Jin-ho, starring Bae Yong-jun and Son Ye-jin

Was it because there were too much media hype to the film prior to production, or was it the intention of the director himself? When I saw April Snow the very first day it opened in Malaysia, it was not what I had expected of a korean film all together. It is very different, almost like watching a Japanese film instead - the way the director seems to pull me out of the relationship between the two leads, it is so detached to the point that I could not seem to feel for them or the situation they were in - the agony of falling in love/ having an affair. I felt very distanced from the characters. Nonetheless, there were a few scenes which I loved - the toilet scene where she had to hide in his motel room, so as not to be discovered; the last scene of snowing outside, but watching it from the interior of his car and you could only hear both of them talking. Bae Yong-Jun's performance is commendable, though there was not much of a change from his performance in the hit series, Winter Sonata. But Son Ye-jin plays her role right on the dot. Her control of emotions and subtlety is absolutely unbelievable. But I may be bias due to its media manipulation on the film itself and a pre-conception that I have already formed prior to watching it, so I will have to watch it again in the future.

2046

Many Facades of Love

In school, we were given multiple choices in exams. In life, when it comes to love, can we have multiple choices as well? Loving more than one person at the same time? Is love a test in life? Watching a Wong Kar Wai film is a feast to the eyes and mind. It is great stimulation and pleasure.

2046 is an eclectic approach to his other films and it goes for his perception towards love, I guess. Or at least, for his protagonist, played by Tony Leung. I think the only true love of his entire life is the character played by Maggie Cheung in In The Mood For Love. Someone whom you would fall in love with only once in your entire lifetime and is destined to NOT be with each other for the rest of your life.

His fling with Zhang ZiYi can only be purely physical attraction, no more, no less. It is that sort of love that Zhang will be scarred for the rest of her life. A love which falls on deaf ears. Very torturing indeed.

His affection for Gong Li's character seems very real, but only lasted in moments. This sort of love is so real yet surreal. I personally think that Gong Li steals the show here, even though she only appears very briefly in the film. Her intensity in her emotional delivery is tremendously flawless and close to perfection. Tony's admiration for Faye Wong's character is like a love that almost could have been, but timing and circumstances get in the way. Love can never bloom when it is not meant to be, yet. To me, this love is quite pure and naive.

Just love the art direction and most of all, love the utmost intensity of the film, in terms of how love is being interpreted and portrayed. The emotional weight and the accurate illustration of acute pain and anguish one feels when one is in love is almost unbelievable. It reminds me so much of the feeling I felt when I read Milan Kundera's Unbearable Lightness of Being years ago. Except that Milan has a sense of humour to his version of love between two opposite sexes.

A film worth spending time watching. It makes me wonder, how strange love can be. Now, could you love more than a person at one time, more than once in your lifetime?

Cheery Birthday Celebration

This year's birthday celebration for the boys was a simple yet fun one. It was a gathering at my sister's new place. We had, of course, the usual delicious home-cooked dishes from our mum, we also added extra food like KFC for the kids and Baskin Robbins and ice-cream cake for the grown-ups! The best part for the boys is always the cake singing and blowing of candles ritual of every birthday occasion. Though there were no fancy birthday presents, but I am sure they had a blast! We adults in return get to get together as a family. It was a heart warming experience. Big thanks to my twin sister for arranging it and making it possible for all of us.

Good To be Home

Finally, though this is a small shack, it definitely feels magical to be home...in this hide-away-smaller-than-usual- but-out-of-the-hustle-urban-craziness-home-of-ours.

I am

bAcK

It is all that matters

NoW

Dark Water

Letter Back Home - 5

Beginning of second week

Dark Water

Directed by Walter Salles

Starring Jennifer Connelly, Ariel Gade, Douggray Scott, Pete Postlethwaite, Tim Roth, John C Reilly, Perla Haney-Jardine, Camryn Manheim.

Very atmospheric, almost to the point of making you feel you were staying in one of those cramp units in the pigeonholed apartments in Roosevelt Island. Beautifully haunting long corridors, steep and narrow staircases, spooky and dilapidating lift, deserted basement self-service laundy room, the never-ending rain and the leak of dark chocolate water everywhere, all these are more than enough to give you the creep. I must say that I watched this film with at least two biasness in me already, I believe, subconsciously. So, it is quite difficult to judge the film for what it is. One, I have seen the Japanese version, few years back, when I was still pregnant with Aidan! Two, I met the director, Walter Salles (and thinks that he is such an articulate and great director) personally, when I was in Berlinale Talent Campus early this year. Three, I saw the Japanese one on a big screen. Very tempted to compare the two films naturally.

Personally, I felt the scare more in the original version. I remember walking out of the cinema having this unexplainable deep sense of sadness in me, for essentially, to me, it is a sad story of a girl in search of the mother's love she never had. A lot of things were left not detailed out but in this Hollywood version, it goes more details with the sub plots of Jennifer's character and her relationships with her husband, mother, the landlord, the lawyer and the security officer. Each has its own merits, definitely. Though the Japanese version seems simpler in comparison to its more stylishly done western one, I have to say that I loved it slightly more. Walter did express that he was not too satisfied with the outcome of Dark Water when he was asked about the film in Berlinale but he took up the project for specific reasons. We were also fortunate enough to be able to watch his other documentary film called Life Somewhere Else which he shot entirely in black and white. It was so beautifully told that I could still remember those vivid and moving images from the film. I can't wait to watch another film of his - The Motorcycle Diaries.

Call From An Old Friend So Far Away

Letter Back Home - 4

The very beginning of second week

I had a close friend called me and asked, what you are doing in SP? I simply told her I have some family matters to attend to. Was glad that she called though. In fact, on our way up here last weekend, I receive a surprise call from a long time school friend, all the way from Netherlands, on my mobile. This is the first time I heard from her since we graduated from secondary school. Well, actually, we met again once, during Chinese New Year gathering more than five years back and I have not spoken to her since. We were very close. I used to visit her back in Kota Bharu. We shared our girly interests in boys, exchanging Mills and Boons, thoughts on music and life itself. Coming from a pretty strict family, who could have thought that she would marry a Dutch and is now staying there, with her hubby and son. We talked for almost an hour over the phone...it really brought back some good memories we once shared. I wish you all the best in life and a very happy birthday, on the 8th November, my dear friend called June!

Something Amazing Happened

Letter Back Home - 3

Tomorrow will be the end of first week

Today is the second day of Hari Raya. If we were in KL, would we have gone over to our neighbour's house for a visit? Most likely not because most of them would be away, back in their hometown (balik kampung). It should be the same this year around, is it, baby?

Here I am, with our two sons in SP. This early morning, we visited an old Malay friend of Pa (my father-in-law). They used to be in the police force together, they were colleague. We were greeted with smiles and food that were already been nicely laid out on the table when we arrived. I noticed something familiar...of course, it must be the aromatic fragrance of nasi dagang, a unique rice from Kelantan, the appetizing fish curry and mouth watering beef rendang to go with it. When I took my first bite, I was instantly transported back to the days when I spent most of my childhood days eating malay rice for breakfast and munching down delicacies in the afternoon to running back from school across this field of thousands bird poles erected in the field, used for bird singing competition to finally reach my small humble rented home at the end of the field. The small grass track meandering its way across the field, as if , it is the only way which I could take to go home, was something that I could not have forgotten until today. If I were to go back now, I am pretty sure it is no longer there, but memories would always remain as fresh and as sweet as the curry I have just tasted.

When we were eating away heartily, the wife started telling me how her husband and Pa first met back in the good old days of the police force and how much Pa had helped them through hard times, financially and emotionally, again and again, for the husband were once very ill in his life. Although all sons and daughters of them have all grown up, when they saw Pa and greeted him, I could almost see the respect and gratitude that sparkled in their eyes. Though we may come from different religion and beliefs, they treat each other like brothers, with utmost sincere tone of voice, that was what she told me. I chocked a little, simply because, first of all, was to know that I just had the most meaningful raya celebration I have ever had for a long time, since my childhood years back in Kelantan where we would not fail to visit our Malay neighbours years after years. That feeling seems to dinimish once we moved to more urban places of Malaysia. Second of all, was to get to know Pa much better, from an outsider's perspective, for it made me realize that to be a better person is not to just acquire enough fame and wealth in life, but to simply understand the meaning and the spirit of giving, unconditionally, and to continuously do so. It is this legacy that Pa will leave behind for most of the people here in SP knows him so well, not for his glory days in the police force, but also his gratitude and his generosity he shared with so many others who know him better. You are indeed lucky to have such a great father, don't you agree?

So, how's your heel, better already? Will write more whenever I can.

Still Feeling Restless

Letter Back Home - 2

Almost End of First Week

It is almost end of the first week of trial of staying away from home, in this small town which used to be quite peaceful and quiet, according to your mum (my mother-in-law), but now has been jam-packed and sandwich-ed by loads of cars and other fume-gagging means of transports. Swamps of mosquitoes pour into the corners of dark places in the house and feast on their two most favourite and beloved young victims - our two boys. Both their bodies and legs are stamped with red visible marks, like spots on a pink pot-ka-dot skirt. It seems like three months is still a very long way to go...when you said you were folding our clothes back home and thought of us, and started to miss us already, I was almost speechless...take care and love you always.

Life Somewhere Else

Letter Back Home - 1

Mid First Week

Life here in Sungai Petani, Kedah is uneventful...almost to the point of stagnant, for me, at least. Wished I could be back home, but obviously I can't. Minutes passed by so slowly that I could almost count all my heartbeats. No internet connection, can write but won't be able to save or transfer through emails or something, is a waste of time and effort. Must definitely find myself an internet cafe here. Am counting the days that I could just be back home, back to my old routine in KL. Now I know how it feels like to be stripped away all the material stimulation, or should I say, the urban addiction of material acquisitions and pampering. I guess the two boys feel almost the same too. Aidan said, here got nothing to do, Ryan announced that he is bored and wants to go home. I realized that I missed bringing quite a few things over, like my digital camera, my Full House CD, more CDs and some little little things which seem insignificant back home, but once you have nothing much to do out here, they seem to fill up those small spaces perfectly. No complaint about food and the rest, your dad makes sure that we are all taken care off, KFC, Pizza Hut, Secret Recipe's cakes and coffee, mainly for the kids.

I guess once you are urbanized like us, it is hard to go back to a simple life. When you are being taken away almost everything that justify who you are and the way you live life in the city, though how materialistic they may seem. It is so sad yet so true, something which we can't seem to deny anymore. With this, I end this seemingly down note but hey, no worries, we are surviving!