My First NuYou Magazine

Truly out of fun and a little boredom, I flipped through those magazines found at MPH over Tesco in Sungai Petani recently, and determined to get one to pass time. Finally, it was this that I got. Firstly, it was value for money because I did not want to spent that much on a magazine just for leisure reading, second of all, there were some interesting articles that caught my eyes. Well, after a few readings, going through all those pages of colourful pictures and loads of product info, mainly beauty related, I have come to realize how women are being viewed by society and how we would want to project ourselves based on how it is expected of us. Aren't most of us would be interested in articles like "how to find mr.right?" (for those still single and available). Gosh, I am babbling already. All right, will just stop here. Bottom line is, I should not take this sort of magazine very seriously but just to read them as how it is meant to be read.

The Father's Birthday

A special occasion for Patrick - his birthday. This year, we got two slices of cakes from our nearest berry cake house on the eve of his big day and the boys sang happy birthday to their father at home. Of course, they were the ones who blew the candles! The next day, my in-laws were also around to celebrate. We had lunch at Alexis in Bangsar coz we missed the tiramisu cake so much that we had to go there for our celebration. No doubt about it, it still tasted so good but also cost us a bomb! But I guess most of all, everybody enjoyed the food and family could get together, is what it matters more. Look at those two cheeky boys...

The Sea Inside

The Sea Inside (2004), Spanish

Directed by Alejandro Amenabar

Starring Javier Bardem (Ramon Sampedro), Belen Rueda (Julia), Lola Duenas (Rosa)

Patrick and myself were at the theatre at FINAS just the other night, sitting amongst the crowd, getting ready to watch a feature film, for the first time (for me), at that place. When I found out that it was from the same director who did Abrelos Oros (Open Your Eyes) and The Others, I was already feeling the excitement for I was really impressed with the structure, the way the story unfolds and the turn of events in Opens Your Eyes (which was later been picked up by Hollywood and turned into a movie that starred Tom Cruise, called Vanilla Sky). The Sea Inside tells a story of a poet, who is bedridden and is fighting for a meaningful cause, a cause to end his life with dignity. In his journey in doing so, he met Julia, a lawyer who is willing to help him in his pursue of ending his life, and Rosa, a local woman with two children, who visits him out of a chance meeting and starts to slowly harbour secret feelings for him. The film is poignant in its story telling, truthful in its portrayal of a man in agony yet full of hopes and spirit, beautiful in its visuals and images, and sensitive in its ability to capture moments of feelings of characters/ human condition at those times of difficulty and predicament. The writing/ screenplay is so beautifully poetic yet sad at the same time. All actors were absolutely great in their performances. This is a film that has to be seen and to be felt in order to truly enjoy the openness of it all. It cuts right into the heart and soul of the question and the meaning of our simple existence in this life. To Roman, a life is without any meaning if all he could see about the whole world is just a view through his bedroom window and a small television. A film that matters and definitely a film I would recommend, anytime, to anyone.

A Surprise From An Old Friend

A Surprise email, an interesting album, but it felt like a somewhat missing piece of jigsaw puzzle. Don't get me wrong, dear friend, I was thrilled to have received an email from you, what more, an album. At least, I could see how you have become lately. I immediately fell in love with Hokkaido the minute I saw those snowy photos of picturesque hot springs and snow blanketed mountain. Mother nature truly has her own way of capturing my heart. I wish I could be there, one day. I believe I will, if I truly believe in it. I thought I had lost another contact the moment I did not hear from you for quite some time. The last time you wrote me was when things were rough. I hope a new page has turned for the new year. Great things will definitely come your way, I truly believe so. The only thing that was missing in the email, are those familiar words I used to receive in your letters, letting me know how your life has been. I guess the more we grow older, the less we are willing to talk about things in life, at least, maybe not to friends whom are far apart, but to our most dearest and nearest to us. Don't worry, I am like that as well. I have also lost touch with most of my friends...at some points. Too occupied with my own family and the things that concern my everyday life. I have been very lethargic for the past few days. Not only physically, but emotionally as well. Life is great but life also takes so much out of you at times. But after all that I have said here, I still secretly think that I am blessed that you still remember me, as your friend and you are kind enough to send me these lovely photos. I am sure you had a great time in Hokkaido.

Here's to a long lasting friendship!

A Simple Happy Birthday Wish

Today is your birthday. I have not gotten you any present this year. The most valuable present I got you, I remembered, was a watch, which you are still wearing. I have always been bad when it comes to buying present for friends. How long have we known each other? Slightly over seven years. Come to think of it, it's quite a long time! I hope your journey with me so far, has been a fruitful one, I hope by knowing me, it has made you know yourself better, like how it has made me understand myself more, I hope by each passing birthday of yours, we grow a little wiser together, and know each other that little better. Life is a little more complicated, yet fun, with you in the picture. Hope there will be more birthdays to come, for us to celebrate together!

happy birthday

my dear

my greatest critic

my greatest strength

my greatest hope

my greatest partner in crime

in the world of make belief (reel world)

in the world of real life

again

happy birthday

My Sandy

I have always loved Sandy Lam, but have never had an album of hers. Two days ago, we finally bought one of her best compilation albums - My Sandy. Soothing voice, pleasant face with her signature small eyes, but nonetheless great smile and good sense of wardrobe and styling for this album cover. I immediately fell in love with most of the songs here. I don't know why, but it could be my biasness, I still think that Mandarin songs sound a little nicer than Cantonese ones. To me, it has more rhythm and grace in its tone and pitch. This beautiful language manages to capture the soul and the very essence of a certain feeling, no matter in songs or in other matters. Some of my favourite tracks in this two-discs CD include Waiting For You To Say Love Me, A Reason, You Can't Have It Back, among others. I believe she has come a long way in terms of her singing career for I remember she has been singing for the longest time. Too good a voice to let go.

Love Marathon, Almost

I had managed to squeeze in some time, amidst my busy working schedule back in Sungai Petani, to catch two romantic comedies within the span of three days before coming back home, KL. Must Love Dogs and Just Like Heaven. I started to notice Diane Lane was when I saw Under the Tuscan Sun last year, which I thought it was a great film. This time around, in Must Love Dogs, she plays a divorcee as well, which I thought was a little bit being typecasted already, but I kept an open mind to the film. It turned out the film was not that bad after all. Maybe because it has quite a good line up of actors, for instance John Cusack, Christopher Plummer, and my favourite guy from My Best Friend Wedding, Dermot Mulroney. Subtle acting and some great screenplay here and there, especially the scene where Christopher talks to Diane about her mother. Nonetheless, I was slightly disappointed by the ending. Not that it did not have a happy ending but the fact that this sort of ending somehow bugs me inside, seeing how Diane Lane finally being 'accepted' by everyone, having found her "mr. right" and "thank God" that she is not lonely and miserable again, seems to send this "false" but "hopeful" notion that women's ultimate happiness is, still, lies in the hands of men, to be fulfilled by the opposite sex. I am not a feminist nor a hypocrite, but this strange little voice just seems to creep right up in me. At times, happiness in life is so intangible that one can only rely on oneself to harness and create that sort of feelings, within ourselves, not somewhere or someone other than your SELF...maybe I am a hypocrite after all?

I did not really sink in to Just Like Heaven until almost half way through the film. Not that I didn't like Reese Witherspoon's character, but maybe it was just the pace of the film, or maybe at times, I felt it tried a little too hard to be funny. Mark Ruffalo was equally interesting to look at, though not his character, exactly. I just loved the art direction and the location of Reese's apartment, especially the sofa! My favourite shot in the film turns out to be the shot of the red Golden Gate bridge seemingly floating in the midst of flying clouds in the early morning at the very beginning of the film. So magiacal and breathtaking that it could almost swept me off my feet and wished that I were there. Not too bad for a small romantic comedy.

The Arrival of the Lions

Lion Dance and Fireworks. These are the two things that would excite anyone, no matter how old one may be. From the back of my in-laws house, at the open kitchen on the second floor of a two-storey shophouse, I saw major display of fireworks at the dawn of Chinese New Year. It was great fun! No one could get any sleep right till 3 in the morning that very first day. On this very first day of Chinese New Year in this small town called Sungai Petani, Kedah, my two boys announced to their grandfather that they wanted to go see Lion Dance. So, we packed them in the car and drove around this quiet town, in search of our noisy dancing lions but to no avail. Maybe because it was already close to noon and all lion dances in town had finished their rounds performing for the day. The next day, a vague but familiar sound lured us downstairs and there it was, a troupe of Lion Dance performers was getting ready to perform for our neighbour. What luck we had! So, there was the usual dancing, waving of the lion's head and wagging of the tail, the fetching of the greens, receiving angpows (red packets) and whole loads of firecrackers and loud music. I believed Ryan had fun "feeding" one of the Lions mandarin orange and I think it was an extraordinary experience for our half "gui low" cousin, Michelle from Australia, staying in Malaysia for a short holiday, to have witnessed a true lion dance, right in front of her eyes, at such close proximity. I had to really salute my mother-in-law for her great ability and skills in preparing so many chinese new year dishes at one go, for so many relatives and friends whom they have invited over to the house to makan (eat), and yet, all dishes were of great quality and tasted that good. Suddenly, it made me missed my own mum's cooking all over again...well, it was, after all, an interesting chinese new year, away from home, this year around.