Jace 'n' Place: Reviews

Leaping Through The Years

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 05:29:22 GMT

How to spend a very romantic day on the 29th of February? Watch "The Leap Years" with your dearest of course! And then promise to keep each other company on the next leap year *sweet*! This is simply just what Marcus did, and his review of the movie is equally saccharine and telling...

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Interestingly, today is the 8th leap year that I have experienced in my life so far :P and I did not really pay much attention to this date previously. However, I decided to mark today to be a little bit more memorable as I will be spending the first leap year with my special one, our first leap year together. The significance here for me will be the rare occurrence of the date, once every 4 years. And due to historical tradition, this date can also be associated with romance and touching moments. I already had this thought in mind during the day and after watching the movie The Leap Years, it really further reinforce my belief.
The movie had a predictable plot, a simple cast and nice soundtrack from Corrine May. However the selling points of this movie for me are really none of the things mentioned above but more of the heart-warming n touching scenes, sweet quotes n union and sad partings. The soul of this movie centered on this couple making a promise to meet on every Feb 29. A promise that sets the stage for heart piercing decision to be made, romantic n memorable stories to be told. I was first attracted to this movie by the background music of the movie trailer which never failed to bring a sparkle to my eye whenever and wherever I hear it.
After doing some search, I discovered the music was actually composed by a Japanese musician; Ryuichi Sakamoto titled Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. A simple story with underlying love messages for you to take away if you ponder long enough. A resolute mentality towards holding your own dream and courage to plunge into a dream believing that your true love is there waiting for you, just like the way you are waiting...

`·.¸¸.☁‧: Read more @ Marcus's blog :‧☁,.¸¸.·´

You can also read other interesting reviews at Marina's Bloggariffic (very, very nice pics), Memoirs of a Geri (nice quotes) and Call Me Uray (her 3 stars worth). I have been *persuading* Shimin to go ahead to watch it with her beau before the movie run ends *hurry.. book now*! If you find it dragging a bit, just close your eyes and listen to Corrinne May whenever her songs enter the scenes, that will justify the ticket price too. =p

And about the nice OST by Corrinne May (mostly) as recommended by Marcus, you have to believe him:

Scars (Stronger For Life)
Love Song For Number 1
I'm All About You
Baby Girl
Little Superhero Girl
The Birthday Song
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
Strings Version
Vocal Version (with David Sylvian)

listen ... and enjoy ^^

Note:

The soundtrack music used in "The Leap Years" cinematic trailer is an adaptation of Ryuichi Sakamoto's "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence". It was re-arranged by Robert WS, a composer commissioned by Raintree Pictures solely for the trailer. Composer Ricky Ho, who composed the main movie soundtrack, is not in any way associated with the trailer, as stated on his website on 1st March, 2008.

Possibly due to some unforeseen issues, the trailer music has not been released to the public as a full single at the present time.

The original version of the 1983 soundtrack for the movie "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence", the strings version, as well as the vocal version with lyrics by English musician David Sylvian, are included in this collection.

Last but not least, thanks to itsallen for the songs!

I Believe You

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 18:11:31 GMT

Moments earlier, I was listening to Tanya Chua's recent album, Goodbye & Hello, which was released back in October last year. It was a captivating journey into the love experiences of Tanya, and I simply put down whatever I was doing to listen intently, her unique voice bearing an emotive yet soothing empathy.

Unlike most music albums, the feeling was almost like listening to a good friend confiding her misfortunes in love and what she had learned from those painful experiences; 她的吉他总是安静俐落地划开爱情的伤口, 坦言不讳地述说着人类与生俱来的孤寂与欲念. The songs 达尔文 and 当你离开的时候 left me with the deepest impression. Then I remembered, a song from her previous album actually summed up what I still feel despite the memories:

这个世界随时都要崩塌
我没有其它的愿望
假如明天将消失了趁现在我爱着
只想记得被你抱着温热的感受
Love's beautiful, so beautiful...

蔡健雅's Beautiful Love (listen)

Thereafter, I received a surprising email from Boon Seng, and a poignant story titled "I Believe You" was revealed:

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Joanna is a 17 years old student in National Junior College. Like any other Singaporean, she lives in a HDB flat and eats at coffee shop. But she believes that she has a curse; She believes that whatever negative things that she said will come true.

Jacky, a classmate of Joanna, believes that Joanna is not suffering from any “curse”. He believes that Joanna is just suffering from some mental illness. When their paths crossed, a touching love story began...

Read their bittersweet love story at:
http://www.goodybooks.com/ibelieveyou.htm (pdf)
Over ten thousand readers in Singapore had read their story; now it’s your turn!
(I didn't know that.. maybe I am really getting old =p)
You can watch the video trailer of the story at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIDRtEOLWiU

`·.¸¸.☁‧: From Low Kay Hwa :‧☁,.¸¸.·´

A Rush Of August

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 22:01:09 GMT

I had only watched the first 20 minutes of this dazzling musical journey of love, and I was already enraptured by it all. Even before continuing, I was enthusiastically telling Kyong, "August Rush 真的很好看！！Wow！！没得顶！！有一部分很有震撼力，就是在街上拥起的音乐，随着感觉而起，也随着男孩的迷惑而坠。演员们表露出来的感觉我喜欢，还有一个钟头多，我对这电影很期待"; There was this part whereby the street turned into a concerto of sound that rose and fell with the boy's feelings. Another good friend, Inji, exclaimed to me earlier on, "I saw a movie 'August Rush'. Did you see it? I was so moved. The OST is so great".

In a nutshell, "August Rush" must be one of the best movies I have seen in recent times, "Atonement" notwithstanding. My spirits just kept on going up and up right till the resounding finale...

There is no one better, me included, that can be counted on to write a more definitive review on the movie than Kloudiia Tay IIng, our very own professional love coach:

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Call me Tricho Kiia. Never mind that it does not sound as chic as August Rush. For the better of my career, I have decided to change my name anyhow.
Besides having a modish name, Evan Taylor aka August Rush (Freddie Highmore) really boasts an unique and stunning ability to hear sounds, all thanks to the great genes inherited from his acclaimed musician parents, Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell) and Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). To ears like mine, the capability to string mundane noises into an orchestra piece is not nothing. It is something.
Imagine the thumping of basketballs. The clanging of bins. The humming of wind chimes. The clattering of foot steps. Now put them all together, and play it in C Major. You get it? Never mind if you don’t. Me too, but that does not stop me from enjoying the grand music.
Music aside, let’s talk about the movie. But we can’t! Because August Rush is all about music and love. And some magic.

Continue reading Leap Year Bonus 3: Rush for August, Rush ...

`·.¸¸.☁‧: By kloudiia :‧☁,.¸¸.·´

Some of the most beautiful sounds in the movie:

... enjoy ^^

A Stirring Evening

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 06:07:07 GMT

Kyong randomly picked and recommended a movie to me based simply on an intuitive feeling, although both of us have not watched it before. With the knowledge of neither the plot nor the genre, I got the film "Evening" rolling and for quite a while, I was still wondering whether it was a horror, mystery or romance story. The first dialog to rouse my interest was:

"Your first mistake is like your first kiss. You never forget it."

From then on, I prodded along as the film veered from present to flashbacks intermittently. Early on, the present was insipid at times to be honest but by the halfway point, I was made to take my words back. Like all good movies, the plot progressively put me in a ponderous mood as the past and present interwove in a delicate way. Moreover, the brilliance of the actors simply shone through. Here's another stirring quote at this point:

"In this world there’s so much of what looks like love, and sounds like love, and it calls itself love, but it isn't. It's just people saying and doing what they think that they ought to say and do."

The approach to enjoy this story isn't easy to define and I am sure there are many who clearly felt unimpressed based on some of the reviews I read online. I went into it blind and was pleasantly surprised. The pivot in the middle was crucial although I could not pinpoint exactly where, and Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat succinctly summed it up by saying that it is a psychologically rich drama dealing with the matters of the heart we must face as we swing from the ardor of first love to the peace of our last breath.

"We just did what we needed to do... at the end, so much of it turned out not to matter... *and God bless the somebody that I want to see*..."

The jazz rendition of "Time After Time (Lyrics)" at Lila's wedding was beautiful and I didn't know Claire Danes could sing so well! I scratched my head when she was quoted in PEOPLE magazine as saying that "I was absolutely ready to be dubbed. I wanted to call Kelly Clarkson to see if she wouldn't mind doing me a favor" when she had to sing in front of hundreds of extras for Evening. =p

Over By The Window

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:02:06 GMT

Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window

I have come to notice this Japanese name, when Huini started using Totto-chan for her nick in messenger. Subsequently (a couple of years back), this engaging non-fiction book found its way into my bookshelf. =)

The debacle of recent years had deprived me of the time to read my story books, although I kept putting more into the shelf. As a child, I used to pride myself as one who has read all the books made available on wildlife, insects and star wars in the local library. Now that I have embarked on the daily trips with my mom for radiotherapy, moments to indulge in my forgotten pastime are aplenty. By the way, “over by the window” - meaning on the fringe or out in the cold - as well as the window of happiness that finally opened can be seen as overtones in the title.

It was a delight to read through little Totto-chan’s meaningful journey through Tomoe Gakuen, and more so to learn of her headmaster’s deeply thoughtful methods in bringing out the naturalness in the children. I have never aspired to be an educator, but I am inspired to bring up my children in exactly, or as much as, the same way in the future, where the innate good nature and curiosity should be constantly nurtured beyond the windows. It is the norms of society that restrict a child’s growth in many ways.

I am already motivated to put up my thoughts just as I began reading the postscript and taking in the captivating after-thoughts of the adult “Totto-chan”, Tetsuko Kuroyanagi; the unconventionally bright girl who was expelled from her first elementary school, and her admiration for her headmaster, Mr. Sosaku Kobayashi. I wish Tomoe could be found in Singapore. Huini, are you a teacher in one?

I hope that if no one minds, I shall leave a memorable little chapter on determination and trust as the conclusive rejoinder:

Two days after they camped in the Assembly Hall, the day of Totto-chan’s great adventure finally came to pass. It was the day of her appointment with Yasuaki-chan. And it was a secret that neither Mother nor Daddy nor Yasuaki-chan’s parents knew. She had invited Yasuaki-chan to her tree.

The students at Tomoe each had a tree in the school grounds they considered their own climbing tree. Totto-chan’s tree was at the edge of the grounds near the fence beside the lane leading to Kuhonbutsu. It was a large tree and slippery to climb, but if you climbed it skillfully you could get to a fork about six feet from the ground. The fork was as comfortable as a hammock. Totto-chan used to go there during recess and after school and sit and look off into the distance or up the sky, or watch the people going by below.

The children considered “their” trees their own private property, so if you wanted to climb someone else’s tree you had to ask their permission very politely, saying, “Excuse me, may I come in?”

Because Yasuaki-chan had had polio he had never climbed a tree, and couldn’t claim one as his own. That’s why Totto-chan decided to invite him to her tree. They kept it a secret because they thought people were sure to make a fuss if they knew.

When she left home, Totto-chan told her mother she was going to visit Yasuaki-chan at his home in Denenchofu. She was telling a lie, so she tried not to look at Mother but kept her eyes on her shoelaces. But Rocky followed her to the station, so when they parted company, she told the truth.

“I’m going to let Yasuaki-chan climb my tree!” she said.

When Totto-chan reached the school, her train pass flapping around her neck, she found Yasuaki-chan waiting by the flower beds in the grounds that were deserted now that it was summer vacation. He was only a year older that Totto-chan, but he always sounded much older when he spoke.

When Yasuaki-chan saw Totto-chan, he hurried toward her, dragging his leg and holding his arms out in front to steady himself. Totto-chan was thrilled to think they were going to do something secret, and she giggled. Yasuaki-chan giggled, too.

Totto-chan led Yasuaki-chan to her tree, and then, just as she had thought it out the night before, she ran to the janitor’s shed and got a ladder, which she dragged over to the tree and leaned against the trunk so that it reached the fork. She climbed up quickly and, holding the top of the ladder, called down, “All right, try climbing up!”

Yasuaki-chan’s arms and legs were so weak it seemed he could not even get on the first rung without help. So Totto-chan hurried down the ladder backward and tired pushing Yasuaki-chan up from behind. But Totto-chan was so small and slender that it was all she could do to hold onto Yasuaki-chan, let alone keep the ladder steady. Yasuaki-chan took his foot off the bottom rung and stood beside the ladder bowed. Totto-chan realized for the first time that it was going to be more difficult than she had first thought. What should she do?

She wanted so badly to have Yasuaki-chan climb her tree, and he had been looking forward to it so much. She went around and faced him. He looked so disconsolate that she puffed out her cheeks and made a funny face to cheer him up.

“Wait! I’ve an idea!”

She ran back to the janitor’s shed and pulled out one thing after another to see if she could find something that would help. She finally discovered a stepladder. It would remain steady so she wouldn’t have to hold it.

She dragged the stepladder over, amazed at her own strength, and was delighted to find that it almost reached the fork.

“Now don’t be afraid,” she said in a big-sisterly voice. “This isn’t going to wobble.”

Yasuaki-chan looked nervously at the stepladder. Then he looked at Totto-chan, drenched in perspiration. Yasuaki-chan was sweating profusely, too. He looked up at the tree. Then, with determination, he placed a foot on the first rung.

Neither of them was conscious of the time it took Yasuaki-chan to reach the top of the stepladder. The hot summer sun beat down, but they had no thoughts for anything except getting Yasuaki-chan to the top of the stepladder. Totto-chan got underneath him and lifted his feet up while steadying his bottom with her head. Yasuaki-chan struggled with all his might, and finally reached the top.

“Hooray!”

But from there, it was hopeless. Totto-chan jumped onto the fork, but no matter how she tried, she couldn’t get Yasuaki-chan onto the tree from the stepladder. Clutching the stepladder Yasuaki-chan looked at Totto-chan. She suddenly felt like crying. She had wanted so badly to invite Yasuaki-chan onto her tree and show him all sort of things.

But she didn’t cry. She was afraid that if she did, Yasuaki-chan might be crying, too.
Instead, she took hold of her hand, with its fingers all stuck together because of the polio. It was bigger than hers and his fingers were longer. She held his hand for a long time. Then she said, “Lie down and I’ll try to pull you over.”

If any grown-ups had seen her standing on the fork of the tree starting to pull Yasuaki-chan – who was lying on his stomach on the stepladder – onto the tree, they would have let out a scream. It must have looked terribly precarious.

But Yasuaki-chan trusted Totto-chan completely. And Totto-chan was risking her life for him. With her tiny hands clutching his, she pulled with all her might. From time to time a large cloud would mercifully protect them from the blistering sun.

At long last, the two stood face to face on the tree. Brushing her damp hair, Totto-chan bowed politely and said, “Welcome to my tree.” Yasuaki-chan leaned against the trunk smiling rather bashfully. He said, “May I come in?”

They stayed on the tree for a long time and talked about all sorts of things.

“My sister in America says they’ve got something there called television,” said Yasuaki-chan with enthusiasm. “She says that when it comes to Japan we’ll be able to sit at home and watch sumo wrestling. She says it’s like a box.”

Totto-chan didn’t understand yet how much it would mean to Yasuaki-chan, who couldn’t go very far afield, to be able to watch all sorts of things at home.

She simply wondered how sumo wrestlers could get inside a box in your own house. Sumo wrestlers were so big! But it was fascinating all the same. In those days nobody knew about television. Yasuaki-chan was the first to tell Totto-chan about it.

The cicadas were singing and the two children were so happy. And for Yasuaki-chan it was the first and last time he ever climbed a tree.

p.s. I realized after typing down this part that there were so many other meaningful chapters that I would love to share. Directly after this chapter, the book revealed how Tomoe’s students overcame their fear for ghosts! But I guess, the headmaster’s incredible methods will be more appreciated reading from start to finish…

Dolce Vita: A Touching Love Story

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 16:47:45 GMT

"如果我有一千万，我就能买一栋房子。

我有一千万吗？没有。所以我仍然没有房子。

如果我有翅膀，我就能飞。

我有翅膀吗？没有。所以我也没办法飞。

如果把整个太平洋的水倒出，也浇不熄我对你爱情的火。

整个太平洋的水全部倒得出吗？不行。所以我并不爱你。"

读了 “第一次亲密接触”后，很神奇的发现我的好友玉庆也在同一个大学里，同一个麦当劳里买汉堡，和同一条回宿舍的路。故事里很多点点滴滴都让我回味无穷：

在成大，故老相传着一句话：“自古红颜多薄命，成大女生万万岁”

这次你请我……下次我让你请

天底下没有不合的星座……只有不合的人

为什么是“亲密”？……而不是“亲蜜”？蜜者，甜蜜也。……密者，秘密也。

如果每个人的内心，都像是锁了很多秘密的仓库。那么如果你够幸运的话，在你一生当中，你会碰到几个握有可以打开你内心仓库的钥匙。

其实，我曾经在八年前阅读过一个很特别的新加坡版本。这版本，Dolce Vita (Sweet Times)，是用Singlish方式写的。作者用心的把故事*本地化*，内容也保留了原有的感觉，当时的确给了我很大的震撼！（可能我还小吧，内心感情太丰富。。）

"slorr... do u know what's the correct way of applying perfume?"
I shook my head. in fact, I had never used a perfume or cologne before, medicated oil maybe.

"1st u apply some behind ur ears... then ur neck and wrists...after that spray some onto the air, then walk through it..."
"sure or not?... in that case this little bottle wont even be able to last u for 3 days...."
"slorr.. shall we try?..."
"'we'?... u go ahead... I m a MAN..."
She opened up that DOLCE VITA...behind her ears, neck then the wrist she applied some... and she really did spray some onto the air!!...

WABIANGZ!!.. expensive leh!... finally she stretched out her hands... facing up... like enjoying the raindrops falling on her face...
"hahaha...."
"slorr... this is so fun!.... now its ur turn...."
She went through the same procedures with me and I can feel the coldness of her fingers. maybe its the perfume... I guess.

"slorr... get ready... I m going to spray!!..."
I imitated her.. face up...and walked through my 1st perfume rain.
"slorr...lets have another round!!..."
" WHAT!!... serious?.."
My money isn't easy to come by leh!!.... b4 I can collect the broken pieces of my heart, she had walked through her second round. She was even more excited this time, hoping around, like her nick.... a flying and dancing butterfly. late night of AMK, the streets smells unusually nicer rite now until we finished the whole of that DOLCE VITA...

*excerpts from Dolce Vita (Singapore version)

The Host

Fri, 01 Sep 2006 15:57:28 GMT

Korean monster movie "The Host" overtook the epic film "King and the Clown," becoming the most-viewed film at the box office in Korean cinema history, and its phenomenal success is continuing setting new records everyday.

The blockbuster directed by Bong Joon-ho Saturday broke the previous ticket sale record - 12.3 million set earlier this year by the historical piece "King and the Clown" - in just 38 days; the latter took 112 days.

"It was spectacular with its computer graphics," Lee Kyu-jung, a 29-year-old office worker, said. "I saw the film after it broke the 10 million-viewer mark as I was curious why so many people had seen it."

The film's fastest pace is attributed to its general appeal to a broad audience with an interesting story and superb special effects.

The film revolves around a family, who fight against a mutant - acclaimed for its graphic rendering - rising from the Han River.

"At a glance, the film is an ordinary monster blockbuster such as the 'Jurassic Park' series," said Gina Yo, a film critic and professor at Dongguk University. "But what makes the film different from such summer blockbusters is it also deals with social issues about minorities, and talks about a new concept of family."

Other "10 million club members" are "Silmido" (2003), "Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War" (2004) and "King and the Clown." "Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War" previously held the record for the shortest period by attracting 10 million viewers in 39 days.

The record-breaking run is also put down to the fact that the film opened on 620 screens, the largest number of screens ever and almost half of the country's theaters. (Source: The Korea Times)

<괴물> 개봉일: (2006년9월7일) Islandwide

GV 시간표: http://www.gv.com.sg/Booking/movies/moviedetails_1874.htm

예고편: http://www.thehost.com.sg/

홈페이지: http://www.thehost.co.kr/

영화평: http://www.koreanfilm.org/kfilm06.html#thehost

Sad Love Story

Tue, 09 May 2006 06:53:21 GMT

There are certain Asian movies that will get me positively fixated from start to finish, such as "The Classic", "Be With You", "Sound of Colors" and personally, "小孩不笨 2"... Recently, here is another:

"A Season for Love" (새드무비, 2005)

Have you ever watched a movie comprised of only sad endings?
Have you ever watched the sad endings, and yet still felt sweetness?
Have you ever treasured the sad moments, as much as the happy ones?

There are many stirring quotes in the movie, that despite the translation, still linger on in my after-thoughts. While not explicitly revealing the whole plot, I hope to share with you a few of the meaningful ones:

"Stop sighing at the ground, stop sighing at the sky"
"Don't just yell for help, sometimes you need to help him first"
"I remember how to say it with my hands, but not with words. It stays at the tip of my tongue. But there are some words that, even if I remember, I can't say. Maybe I just wanted to hear it from you first."
"When you look at your sweetheart, you don't look with a mirror, you look with your heart."

I truly recommend this wonderful Korean movie to anyone, as the set of stories within may connect to you in one intimate way or another. It helps us appreciate heartbreak as much as happiness, as more often than not, they are intricately interwoven together. This understanding is also how you can possibly find inner peace and balance in life.

A Forgotten Epic

Wed, 08 Mar 2006 15:41:00 GMT

Time has been pressing lately but somehow, I just could find a respite to watch "The Great Raid" (thanks! CJ), which is great in its own way, especially of its historical value (excellent footages at the end) and straightforward acting. I believe understanding the crux of the war in The Philippines and the raid is the key to appreciating the gradual pace and portrayal of the story. However, for people looking for acclaimed actors and fierce firefights, this is not for you.

I would definitely recommend the book "Ghost Soldiers", from which the film was based on. A forgotten epic story of WWII is definitely intriguing. Come to think of it, if there aren't much to learn in real life these days, meanings and morals can come from reel life instead; about making a difference in your own heart and taking things on faith...

Maybe it is the conversation in the movie, or a passing thought through some flat, contemplative moments, but I realize that all these years, I have been living in my imagination for far too long. About a lot of things.. Often, with a tendency to glance without wanting to see the details. I know not why I am saying this, but I'm having a lot of mixed feelings recently. Nevertheless, I am entering a critical phase of my studies, and so are many others. So everyone, it is time to cheer up, take heart and FIGHT ^^

아자, 아자, 화이팅 !

A Man Who Went To Mars

Sat, 31 Dec 2005 15:13:41 GMT

It took another timely cellphone message, this time from Zhiren, to remind me that a nice movie was showing on tv. He mentioned in the message that Kim Hee Sun, "the *third* most beautiful woman in Korea", was starring in it. Haha.. I realized, I have personally known the top two all along, by the surnames of Kwon and Kim, and the former who is the beautiful fiancee of Zhiren as well !! *Wink*

It was a tough choice, between persisting with my novel (where I was about to pass through the shadows under the black Dwimorberg) or watching the movie, A Man Who Went To Mars (화성으로 간 사나이, 2003). The beginning scene set in a small village, of an elderly man coughing badly, and adjusting a telescope for her lovely daughter to get a glimpse of Mars, somehow gripped all my attention then and yonder. Of saying that he will be in Mars soon instead of Heaven, it was a heartfelt and tender way to say a last farewell to her little girl.

The sweetest part of the movie lies in the first half, of the endearing charm of childhood and romance, and the wonderful scenery of the countryside amidst the mountains and rivers under the autumn sky, and definitely not of any actual trip to Mars as the title suggests. Moreover, I love the soundtrack too!

In her innocent way, So-hee sent a letter to her father in Mars and her kindly neighbour, Seung-jae, came to know of it. Hence, he retrieved the letter from the village mailbox and replied on her father's behalf, much to the joy of the unknowing So-hee! Thereafter, the continuous exchange of letters also led to a sweet childhood romance between Seung-jae and So-hee in their small village. And before long, So-hee left for the city. Unfortunately, they were not meant to be, between one who remained a simple and kindly postman in the village, and the other, a beautiful and hardened woman in the city.

The rest of the movie, of unrequited love and a perplexing ending, was a bit of a letdown though. Many things came to mind, of keeping faith in fate, and a good deal of time in the movie to ponder, while I saw it to conclusion. My thoughts also flashed back to the quiet night I spent in the scenic and traditional Hahoe Village in Andong. I remembered that at about midnight (with my alarm clock showing a temperature of 17°C), I went to bathe. Alas, I could not find any way to turn on the hot water. Not daring to disturb the elderly hosts in their sleep, I took the most freezing bath of my life!

A Woman's Fortitude

Tue, 29 Nov 2005 12:38:15 GMT

I was roused from my sleep at 2am on Sunday night, courtesy of a cellphone message from Linda. She enthused that a very interesting movie was showing, cajoling me to watch. I turned on the tv, despite the persistent yawning and reluctant eyes. All I saw was a hysterical housewife screaming over the phone for her hubby to come home, to remove a chirping cricket from the bathtub. Haha.. my first impresson was that it is a quirky comedy with silly antics thrown in, but as I watched along, I found myself gripping my sofa and cheering the gritty housewife on!

Rising above the din was that of a young, newly-wedded housewife running painstakingly through the seedy nightlife of Seoul, with a baby girl strapped on her back, to find her hubby trapped and drugged in a shady nightclub. It was hilarous, yet heart-rendering, to see her searching so doggedly for the vivre sa vie nightclub, fighting off and escaping from the ruffians who just kept on chasing her, meeting some kind hearted folks in times of desperation, accidentally losing her 'oh-so-adorable' baby girl, and even signing an autograph for a fan. Doing all these, so as to be in time for her much-feared in-laws' visit in the wee hours of the morning. A simple story that does not try to be more than what it should be, but reminds all of the strength and true grit of a woman, especially in times when she has to protect her loved ones.

Now, I realize that this interesting movie is Saving My Hubby (굳세어라 금순아, 2002) and was once screened at the Pusan Film Festival. The female lead, Bae Doo Na, comes across as so real in the movie. I really enjoyed the show, so fitting was the night for it as well. =P

Women are Special

A little boy asked his mother, "Why are you crying?" "Because I'm a woman," she told him.

"I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will."

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?"

"All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.

Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the phone, he asked,"God, why do women cry so easily?"

God said: "When I made the woman she had to be special.

I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort.

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining.

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly.

I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly.

And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed."

"You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides."