Cape No. 7

M has complained, twice, that I am not writing any new posts. The justification I can come up with is that I’ve been so busy at work, and the boss has become so demanding after I returned from Israel, but the truth is, I do not have any excuse, but have been just lazy, although I do have something to share. I took photos of something, uploaded them to the Blogger, wrote something, but never completed it.

Ok, let’s talk about movie for now. 2 weeks ago I went back to Tainan to visit my folks. I was not able to get tickets to return for Moon Festival, and luckily one typhoon hit Taiwan right over that weekend, so it turned out to be good for me to not return. So I promised my mother to go back the next week, and I did.

I wanted to do something together.

I am used to going back and just stay with them the whole time without going out at all. If I am familiar with shopping environment (though I cannot afford it) in Taipei 101 area, how would I want to run to those department stores in Tainan anyway? And I really did not keep contact with friends well enough, so really did not feel like calling anyone.

Cape No. 7 is the in movie in Taiwan. It started out slow in just a handful of theaters, however, it received great reviews from the audience, and the interesting thing is that the audience highly recommends their friends and relatives to go, and it starts to get more and more attentions from more and more people, and then it airs in more and more theaters. Many people actually go watch this movie more than once.

The nice thing about this movie is that it tells a simple story and it uses the language we are used to. It does not intend to give us a cinema lesson, nor does it try to show us movie is really a form of art. It is not even a romantic love story, although the 7 letters from 60 years ago are gently read. Writing this, I do not know how to proceed with the story. 

Anyway, I decided to take my parents to the movie. I was on the train going back to Tainan that Friday night. When was the last time I went to the movie with my parents? I really could not recall. I had only 2 impressions. One is when I was probably in the kindergarten. My parents took all 3 kids to watch a movie. The title of the movie is something like “Cute animals” in Chinese. Maybe just animals did some funny things on the movie, similar to the programs we may see on Discovery Channel now. I had fun, and I was very little. The second impression is that my dad took me only to a theater. I think I still barely remember where the movie theater was located, and know that at one point it became a porn movie theater when I was a high school student. I was probably a second grader only. Not sure why my dad took only me, or was it a Sunday. Maybe my dad felt like some entertainment, and knew I would not tell my mother. Well, the movie theater was very busy, and because the seats were first come first served, and we went in late, so my dad and I stood there watching the movie. I was really too little, so standing in the crowd, I remember I saw more asses than the movie.

Those probably happened 30 years ago.

Later I asked my parents about it. They also could not remember. They said the last time they ever went to the movie theater was like more than 20 years ago. I don’t remember my parents ever took us to dine out, how could we possibly afford to go to the movies?

Cape No. 7 is a Taiwanese movie. Conversation is mostly in Taiwanese and Mandarin, some in Japanese. So it is easier for them to understand. There has been such a hype of this movie on the newspaper, television programs, etc. Even my mom knows about it. So it is a nice thing to go to the movies together.

So, my parents, niece and nephew (they happened to spend the weekend there too, as my sister had to study for the weekend), and I went. This time, kids got popcorn and coke, my mom was satisfied with a cup of hot tea, my dad and I got a nice size of Starbucks coffee. Hard to believe that we watched the 1pm show, and it was all full. By saying that, we sat at the very last row, and we could tell easily, even the first row was all full.

This movie is still creating miracle in terms of attention and revenue, and it is almost certain that it will become one of the top 10 Taiwanese movies in the history. What do I like the best in the movie? Courage. The hug in the poster looks like eternity, but it only lasts for like 2 seconds in the movie. The main actor, Aga, delivers the 7 letters to the address Cape No. 7 and goes back to the beach, hugs the actress, and quickly says, either I go with you to Japan, or you stay, and he hurries to the stage and start performing in the concert.

Of course they barely know each other, however, Aga knows if he does not say or do something he will lose her forever. That hug is so short, but is stronger in emotion than hot kiss and hot sex.

How much do my parents like the movie? Well, I don’t know. My mom had to pee one hour after the movie starts, and the movie runs 2 hours and 40 minutes. I know my dad would be happy if I bought him a cup of coffee latte from the Starbucks, no matter what we do. I had a good time, however, taking care of things and watching the movie.

Oversleep

Those who know me in person know more or less that I have sleep problem. I would go to bed at midnight and wake up at 6. If I sleep later, like play wow until 2am, then I would still wake up at 6 or 6:30, then could not go back to sleep. That does not mean I am not tired, but just can’t sleep again, and then probably would feel miserable for the whole day. “Why don’t you try to go to bed earlier then, like 10pm”, you may ask. Thanks very much. That is a good idea. I’ve tried that, but woke up at 3 or 4. I can’t even sleep in on Sunday.

So yesterday when the wind blew (typhoon will hit Taiwan this weekend, damn it) through the window, and let the sunlight come in through the curtain, I opened my eyes, stretched, yawned, automatically assumed it was 6. I got up, went to the living room, and my bro was gone. I was wondering, why did he have to go to work so early? I stepped into the restroom and finished my morning ritual, awoke my computer (I was lazy and put it in sleep mode only).

It was 9:40.

I could not believe my eyes, and checked the time on Mistress, still 9:40. Oh, my, G. Not sure why that happened. The alarm on Mistress is set to go off at 7am, Monday through Friday. If I want to sleep in, and ignore it, it goes off every 9 minutes (don’t ask me why 9, not 10), and I did not hear anything.

Panicked, of course, it was the perfect time to scream and cry for help. Unfortunately no one was home to see me perform. I tried to think what I had to do, and remembered I had an interview at 10am (please, check your calendar for the next day before you call it a day). I tried to stay calm, said something out loud until I did not sound sleepy, then called our HR/secretary/reception (this is a small office) to inform her I was running late, and would get there by 10:15.

I hastened to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, put on whatever is available from my closet, put the shoes on, picked up my backpack, hurried downstairs, waved the first taxi that came down the street and is available, and at 10am, I walked into the office, gracefully, smiling, pretending nothing was wrong, and everything was going as planned.

Later in the evening, sis-in-law asked me if I took time off to sleep in or not. She said so many things happened in the morning. The kid puked over her in the morning, so she had to wash her, changed diaper, run around the house making a lot of noise to cook and all that, but I did not move my finger at all, so she assumed I took half a day off and just tried to ignore her.

Honestly I do not know what happened and swear I did not hear anything. All I know was I went to bed and 12:30 and got up at 9:40, and was dead asleep. 9 hours’ sleep? That is the first in recent years, and you know what? I kind of miss the satisfaction I had when I stretched to greet the sunshine yesterday morning. Things like this do not happen very often.

the Hours

It turns out my best time to read is while traveling, otherwise there is just too much distraction in my regular life, the largest threat being WoW, and the endless mindless clicking when I am tired but still refuse to go to bed. And the thing is when it takes too long to fly, reading is really the best way to kill time.

Flying from GMT+8 to GMT+3 does not seem like a long flight, however, on the way back from Tel Aviv, it is an 11-hour flight, 3-hour transition at the Bangkok airport, then another 4-hour flight back to Taipei. So my flight left Tel Aviv at 11pm, and it was past midnight when I finally went home. It is a full-day flight.

Finally I finished the Hours on the flight. I have its DVD version, and have watched all the special features on the disc. The producer has done a terrific job putting all the features together, including interview with Virginia Wolf’s nephews talking about Virginia, and interview with the screenplay writer. It is so much better than just simple interviews with the actors to know how they feel about the movie and the interaction among them (ok, this is included too). There is so much more.

I love the movie. No doubt about it. However, I am not absolutely clear what ‘the hours’ means in the movie. The screenplay writer also talks about it a lot in the interview, saying that we live in the hours, which still does not explain what the author is trying to tell us, especially when it is used as the title of book (or the original title of Mrs. Dalloway, written by Virginia Wolf). Chinese translation of the title is even more confusing, which can be translated as “all the times” (What am I doing? Translation of translation?)

After having finished the book, I realized he is talking about we live at the present time, aka at the present hour, and there is more time, aka more hours, ahead of us. For Virginia, there are hours of darkness, voices, and hours of self awareness, of being herself, hours of desire to escape from the country and live in London haunting the streets. For Laura, those are hours of staying in the hotel just to read in the room, away from her son, her house, hours to be home to be the housewife and mother, hours in her later life witting in Clarissa’s house waiting for the time when she can be alone and go to bed. We all have hours to live in, like it or not, hours to come. Some strive to find a way out; some are content of what they have and what they do, the blessed of all.

There are many differences between the movie and the novel. Novel is a good way to express emotions, what we feel about a funeral of a thrush, buried with a circle of rose, being temporarily beautiful and peaceful but possibly dug out by shovel the next morning when the garden is attended the next morning, to show Virginia’s thinking process and how and why she feels the desire to flee to London, even just for few hours, at the risk of her husband’s anger, how she decides to go home with her husband, when she has already had a ticket in London in her pocket, but decides to keep it secret. In the movie, on the contrary, a major conflict of Virginia and her husband at the station is designed, in which she claims she is dying in this town, even the slightest being has its own right to say what is good for itself, while her husband was angry and worried that she had a history of hearing voices and committing suicide, but ended up agreeing to move back to London. This is probably my favorite scene of the Hours, and even of Nicole Kidman. She is so delicate and beautiful in the way that she looks approachable and human, not just a pretty blond, who looks cold and faraway.

Kiss is also a major thing in the movie. Mrs. Dalloway loves a woman in her early years, with whom she shares a kiss that she would never forget. Virginia has a kiss with her sister, Vanessa, an un-innocent one, as Virginia calls it. Laura has a kiss with Kitty, which leads to her discontent with her cake and runaway from home. They just happen, and happen only once, and maybe because of that, they set an important milestone in their lives. Mrs. Dalloway will never forget the kiss. Laura may not realize what the kiss means to her, but it actually leads to her decision to abandon the family, the kids, and affect Clarissa, and maybe more.

In the book, Laura stays at Clarissa’s place for a night, and Clarissa is happy that the monster that Richard describes in his book is just an ordinary old woman. Laura does not say too much, but puts a soft closure to the whole story. While in the movie, Laura asks Clarissa what it means to regret when there is no option but you think you are going to die. Same concepts in the book and in the movie, but are displayed in different ways.

Overall, love this book. Although I was thinking of finishing this book, and then remove it from my bookshelf for good, I can’t. I love the story, the wording, and it stays.

Beef Up

Oh no, not dear. I am still your lovely little sunshine boy who greets you a broad smile in the morning, who listens to your complaints when you are in trouble and nods agreeably to what you believe is right, who, like a next-door big brother, gives you every support to shout against the bitch (or witch?) who picks on you in the school.

No, I am not beefed up. It is the computer. Then why am I writing the first paragraph? Of course, everything has to do with myself. Wahaha.

Not sure from the perspective of business, if the trip to Israel is a successful one or not, but at least I got my computer beefed up. And it is really hard to say if this process is an upgrade or a downgrade. The reality is, I had our IT downgrade my windows system to XP and install Office 2003 instead of latest 2007, and my system has a huge boost of performance, which I would describe as an upgrade.

Enough is enough. That’s what I said to myself when the last straw on the camel’s back happened. I had tolerated with slow system performance of Vista ever since I was on board with this company. I found myself losing my patience waiting for the system to respond in the office while I was just trying to do a few clicks. Few days ago, in the Tel Aviv hotel, I was talking to M via Skype, the whole system crashed on me after few minutes.

Is it ok to have the conversation interrupted? A few cell phone carriers provide some promotion packages for users to sign up. If they sign up a more expensive monthly package, then they can have free call to people within the same mobile network for the first 5 minutes, less expensive package then for the first 3 minutes. So what happens is many couple would sign up and take advantage of the first 5 free minutes, then before the 5 minutes are up, hang up and then dial again.

Of course I am not sure how lovely they are, and how their conversation goes, however, I think phone conversation is just like making love. When it is good, you really don’t want to hear the phone ring, not sure if that would be an emergency call, so pick up the phone only to hear voice recording from the other end “this is xxx. I am running for the position of whatsoever and need your support blah blah blah”. You furiously hang up the phone, and find the passion gone, and it’s too late anyway, there is an urgent meeting early tomorrow morning. Ok, go back to the phone conversation. When the conversation is interesting and good (mostly sharing deep darkest stories), I don’t want interruption. So when Skype lagged, and the system crashed, I was so pissed, and was so determined to have the system changed to XP.

IT said he does not have any problem do that for me. It took a while, although he has a ghost image of XP (wanna hear my successful story of how my new iMac recovers all the files and programs I installed in my old iMac within an hour?). Well, there was some problems when I got the computer back and ran it at night in the hotel. There was no sound, and whenever the system popped up a window to remind me of something and there was supposed to be sound to accompany the message, I heard loud loud loud alarm from the mono speaker. What? I have not heard such bad mono sound since the age of windows 98! And the loud noise did get a lot of attention the next time at the office where I had to use other coworker’s office.

Anyway, I went back to the IT. He spent almost 3 hours trying to update anything he could think of, and finally solve the problem at the very last hours of my staying in the Israeli office. While we were chatting over the overall horrible experience we have for Vista, he asked me, out of nowhere, if I have the extra cell of battery. I did not have that. My computer is a very plain one, without anything additional. Normally such extra batteries are very expensive. I could not make a case to our manager to ask for one, and I really do not think he has one, although he has to travel much more extensively than I do.

Well, then the magic happens. IT said he has one extra such battery, and no one is using it. If I want it, I can have it. My eyes were open wide, if not popping, moist if not weeping, I can’t such luck (er, that would be another story) was happening to me, like a prince waiting to kiss Snow White and live happily ever after, I said “Yes, I do” (er? That would be a strange occasion when the IT is not even cute.). He pulled out the extra battery, and put my laptop on top. SNAP! That is the sound I heard, and it sounds better than the wedding march.

However, I want more than that. Greedy, huh? Yes, that is what I was, anxious for more and more. I asked IT if he could possibly have an extra Bluetooth module? Ok, here comes another complaint. How can an expensive model (2000+ USD) like this Lattitude XT does not have built-in Bluetooth? I cannot imagine how smart those marketing people are, but I know they really make me angry. So IT said, he does not have one, but another FA guy might have it, since we have received many samples of the products, and he may have salvaged some.

Dang dang dang, that’s another wedding march, and more. I hurried to that guy’s office, got one, and hurried back to IT, and IT installed it in no time! It was 6:05pm when everything was done, and the taxi driver was supposed to pick us up to run back to the hotel at 6pm.

So the original battery could run as long as 2 hours (I doubt if it could be this long), and the add-on battery is good to sustain another 5 hours. As I am writing this post in Bangkok airport waiting for my transit plane to Taipei, the battery has become as low as 55%, but it is still good for another 2 hours and a half.

I know I won’t live happily ever after with this ugly black thing, however I know I can live with it and happier than before. It was really a nice beef-up experience, and I love every bit of it.

Blue Sunday

How can Sunday be blue? Because I am currently in Israel, and Israeli people work from Sunday to Thursday. So I am right now sitting in this meeting room, for my blue Sunday to unfold in front of me. First meeting is coming up in an hour. Darn

New ICash Card

Our 7-11 came up with the idea of iCash card, with which people could store cash value in it, and use it as cash, so they could be spared of the need to bring or get a lot of coins. I love the idea and I go to 7-11 quite often, so MM gave me one card with graphics of World of Warcraft. However, the card broke few weeks ago, last week I received a replacement card as shown on the photo here. A girl with long curly hair and long neck. I am really not crazy for it. I think I'll just use up the cash value in the card, and remove it from my wallet. One less card, simpler life. I am such a minimalist.

Good Morning, Tel Aviv.

I finally arrived at the hotel way past midnight yesterday, after a short flight to Hong Kong, 3-hour layover, and then another 11-hour flight to Tel Aviv. The flight was bumpy sometimes, but uneventful. Food on the plane was tasty. I supposed it is Israeli food, and glad that I do not know anything about it, so had nothing to compare. I finished all the food, including the roll of bread.

Few coworkers told us to be careful of the security check, and always remember the visa is issued from Bangkok, not from Taipei. Some people were asked of this question, and were taken to small rooms for interrogation just because they were not careful and gave the wrong answer. In fact when we were at the airport, we did not see those small rooms.

When we checked in at Tao-yuan airport, we did not get boarding pass for the second leg, so had to go to the counter of Israel Airlines at the Hong Airport for the boarding pass. There are 2 procedures to get it. One is to go for a short interview first, and then stand in line before the counter for check-in. The lady who interviewed me went through my passport page by page, and seemed to serious concerns that I had been to Malaysia before. She specifically asked me why I went to Malaysia, what I did, if I still kept contact with anyone in Malaysia. Of course at this point, even the stupid person would shake his head and say no. Any could be adventurous and say yes, but if the purpose of this trip is for business, of course he cannot be denied entry just because he gives a stupid answer to the custom. If the trip is just for personal vacation, of course he would not say yes and risk the chance of being rejected and the vacation ruined. So her questions really do not make any sense of all. Of course sometimes we do things just to make ourselves feel better...

Anyway in the morning I got up, went to the balcony, and realized, wow, the hotel is right by very nice beach. It was 7am, and I always saw people in swimming suit walking on the beach. Too bad, the taxi would pick me up at 9:30 to the office.

Good morning, Tel Aviv!