When it comes to food, I am not that picky, my philosophy when it comes to food: eat to live as compared to live to eat :) Went dinner at around 7pm just now. Since I'm alone, I see no point in spending too much on food so just look for some place and chin chai eat. Last few days I have been eating at food courts but most of them are closed by this time so I wandered to a Japanese cafe near Kinokuniya. Had one of those chicken-don and by the time I finished, it was about 8pm.
As I made my way out, I noticed the streets were unusually dark. Most shops are closed by 7pm on weekdays too but I dont recall seeing so much darkness along the streets. Anyway I dont have any place to go so went straight back to hotel. I switched on the TV to watch the FINA Swimming Championship. In between the telecast, there was a news update and then I got to know that Sydney is dimming the lights tonight to protest emissions. So-des-neh! When I looked out from my hotel room window, alot of buildings doesn't have their usual lightings on.
Surfed the web and read more about it. Found that that this exercise starts from 7.30pm for one hour and city officials, thousands of businesses and many more residents cut the lights for energy conservation. No wonder lah, when I was having dinner just now, at one point, one part of the cafe lights suddenly went off and a few diners including me, thought the lights went kaputt.
Luckily I didnt plan to go to see the Harbour Bridge and the Opera house tonight cos I went there this afternoon and took alot of pictures already. Also took some night shots on one of the weekday nights.
It was also reported that Sydney is not the first place to cut the lights for conservation. In February, Paris and other parts of France dimmed the lights for five minutes in a similar gesture, Rome and Athens also took part in it.
I think at some point, we are all guilty in not doing enough to conserve energy. In Singapore, no doubt our weather is hot and humid, in certain places I feel we are using too much aircon. One example is the Geylang East library near my place. I go there very often, at least thrice a week and it is so cold, dont know why they have to set it to so low. I have not feedbacked to them yet, think I should do it and see what they have to say about it.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
"Oh I know" - As fake as it is
The last few days have been a busy one for me at my customer site but I'm glad the people that I worked with are quite nice and are patient enough, despite the many teething problems that are still unresolved.
Don't worry, I'm not going to bore you by blogging about my work stuff but thought I share with you some of my observation at my customer site.
The customer office has an open concept, you don't see manager's room at all, only meeting rooms and the managers sit together with the other employees. The temporary place that I am seated is quite open, so there are alot of people walking pass me every now and then.
During the hours of analysing log files, troubleshooting issues, I will be staring at the computer screen, clicking with the mouse and typing away on my keyboard. Perhaps I am very used to this kind of quiet working environment like in my office, so when there are some noise or people talking loudly, I get abit distracted.
There is this group of ladies who sits very near my cubicle and they like to make small talk and it seems so fake if you listen to their conversation. Lady A complains that her eyes hurts and Lady B sympthaise with a "Oh, I know" and go on to share her story how her eyes hurt also the last time. Later on, someone talks about the weather getting warmer or something and then you hear the "Oh, I know" reply again. I dunno if it comes from the same lady or not, but I keep hearing "Oh, I know", "Oh, I know" that it really sounds so fake to me!
Maybe its just this group of ladies or its some Australian or angmoh way of what we Singaporeans saying "Ya lor" to acknowledge what the other person is saying.
Have you watched the BBC Productions "The Fawlty Towers" ? I highly recommend it, its good old British comedy at its best! This "Oh I know" encounter reminds me of this scene where John Cleese was getting ready to bed and her wife is still on the phone. The husband keep looking at the wife cos the wife isnt talking much but keep saying "Oh I know", "Oh I know" while doing her nails :) The way she did her "Oh I know" is so classic and pretenious that I think those ladies in the office must have try to learn it from her but falls flat in their delivery! Haha.
I am a person with a few words, friends who know me will be able to testify that and if I don't have much to comment, I will not say much. I'm also quite bad in making small talk, and rather than cracking my head on what to say to the person, I prefer to stay quiet. Of cos, I'm not imposing people to stay quiet and not to make small talk, just want to share this incident.
I rather be quiet and be real then try to say something out of nothing, making it look so fake :)
Don't worry, I'm not going to bore you by blogging about my work stuff but thought I share with you some of my observation at my customer site.
The customer office has an open concept, you don't see manager's room at all, only meeting rooms and the managers sit together with the other employees. The temporary place that I am seated is quite open, so there are alot of people walking pass me every now and then.
During the hours of analysing log files, troubleshooting issues, I will be staring at the computer screen, clicking with the mouse and typing away on my keyboard. Perhaps I am very used to this kind of quiet working environment like in my office, so when there are some noise or people talking loudly, I get abit distracted.
There is this group of ladies who sits very near my cubicle and they like to make small talk and it seems so fake if you listen to their conversation. Lady A complains that her eyes hurts and Lady B sympthaise with a "Oh, I know" and go on to share her story how her eyes hurt also the last time. Later on, someone talks about the weather getting warmer or something and then you hear the "Oh, I know" reply again. I dunno if it comes from the same lady or not, but I keep hearing "Oh, I know", "Oh, I know" that it really sounds so fake to me!
Maybe its just this group of ladies or its some Australian or angmoh way of what we Singaporeans saying "Ya lor" to acknowledge what the other person is saying.
Have you watched the BBC Productions "The Fawlty Towers" ? I highly recommend it, its good old British comedy at its best! This "Oh I know" encounter reminds me of this scene where John Cleese was getting ready to bed and her wife is still on the phone. The husband keep looking at the wife cos the wife isnt talking much but keep saying "Oh I know", "Oh I know" while doing her nails :) The way she did her "Oh I know" is so classic and pretenious that I think those ladies in the office must have try to learn it from her but falls flat in their delivery! Haha.
I am a person with a few words, friends who know me will be able to testify that and if I don't have much to comment, I will not say much. I'm also quite bad in making small talk, and rather than cracking my head on what to say to the person, I prefer to stay quiet. Of cos, I'm not imposing people to stay quiet and not to make small talk, just want to share this incident.
I rather be quiet and be real then try to say something out of nothing, making it look so fake :)
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Off to Sydney
G'day mate! Hope I will get used to the Aussie's accent, quite difficult to hear what they are saying sometimes.
I am at Terminal 2 now, going to check in very soon. Still very full from dinner, so probably have to skip my soon kueh :)
Will update on my trip soon, keeping my fingers crossed that customer will not be too difficult to handle.
Ciao!
I am at Terminal 2 now, going to check in very soon. Still very full from dinner, so probably have to skip my soon kueh :)
Will update on my trip soon, keeping my fingers crossed that customer will not be too difficult to handle.
Ciao!
Friday, March 23, 2007
Busy
Been quite busy with work for the past week so have not blogged for awhile. There have been some teething problems with one of our products and was pulled to help out with the support, getting up at 6, 7am to have conference call with customer as well as our US office. Yesterday boss told me that I need to make a trip to customer site as customer demanded someone down to help resolve some issues. Intitially it was requested that our US engineer do the visit but due to resources issues, I have been tasked to do it. It's a dirty job, really, mainly to help 'clear customer sh*t' :( but no choice, have to go.
Customer site at Sydney and by pure coincidence, wifey is also travelling to Sydney on the same day! She is going there to attend a training but hers was booked a few months back but mine just 1 day notice. Have tried to get my reservation on the same flight as hers but fully booked, so my flight is at 8pm+ , hers around midnight. Looking at the bright side, it's nice to have both of us at Sydney at the same time, at company's account :)
It's my second trip down under, been to Sydney back in 2003. Will be there for a week and after this trip, come back rest for 2 days and I will set off to Tokyo with family for holidays! Looking forward to it, hope can see cherry blossoms.
Customer site at Sydney and by pure coincidence, wifey is also travelling to Sydney on the same day! She is going there to attend a training but hers was booked a few months back but mine just 1 day notice. Have tried to get my reservation on the same flight as hers but fully booked, so my flight is at 8pm+ , hers around midnight. Looking at the bright side, it's nice to have both of us at Sydney at the same time, at company's account :)
It's my second trip down under, been to Sydney back in 2003. Will be there for a week and after this trip, come back rest for 2 days and I will set off to Tokyo with family for holidays! Looking forward to it, hope can see cherry blossoms.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Duets: An American Classic
Haven't buy any new music CD for quite a long time already.
Bought Tony Bennett latest release: Duets: An American Classic today. This album won him the recent 2007 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. By the way, he is 81 years old but vocals still so good!
Some notable tracks that I enjoyed : I LEFT MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO, HOW DO YOU KEEP THE MUSIC PLAYING? – duet with George Michael, SMILE – duet with Barbra Streisand, JUST IN TIME – duet with Michael Bublé and FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE – duet with Stevie Wonder.
I like the James Ingram and Patti Austin's version of "How do you keep the music playing", this new collaboration by Tony and GM is quite nice too.
Check out this awesome performance by Tony and Stevie, especially Stevie's harmonica part:
and with Barbra:
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
《剃头刀》的吊诡
Titoudao reviewed on ZaoBao 13th March.
2007-03-13
文／周文龙
看《剃头刀》演出，我像是翻阅一本泛黄相簿，勾起很多过去回忆，包括第一次看《剃头刀》的印象。
我想，吴文德开始创作《剃头刀》时，有很多深刻的情感在里头，想一口气倾吐出来。尤其是他对母亲的感恩，对街戏沦落的愤愤不平，对时代面貌的缅怀，都在舞台上显露无遗。这使《剃头刀》贴近吴文德内心的炽热情感，有种超越文本的悸动。
■触动人心的情感没有了
重演《剃头刀》，这种触动人心的情感没有了，吴文德收起昔日激情，更冷静地审视这出戏，更精确地设计演出的场面效果。
看看新《剃头刀》的演员阵容：黄淑贞、谢敏、陈瑞彪、蔡恩来、陈慧娟、阿蒂丽(Alin Mosbit）等。他们都是目前本地剧场最炙手可热的演员群，深受观众喜爱。而吴文德也擅于利用观众对演员的熟悉度，让演员不时在舞台上跟观众进行互动，增加剧场的热闹气氛，使观众融入剧情里。偶尔演员掺杂流行话题如“Rain演唱会”“你们不听我就投票给Hammer”等，更贴近观众生活，引起他们哄堂大笑。
总的来说，演员表演自然生动，彼此之间也颇有默契。比较不足的是，所有演员都非福建大戏出身，演起福建大戏来，唱腔、咬字和做工都有得改进。唯有陈瑞彪演得认真，福建大戏表演算是“上得了台面”。
这实则也带出演出一个引人深思的问题：《剃头刀》要说的是什么？
■观众想看道地的福建大戏吗？
在演出中，吴文德借演员黄淑郑之口，对本地传统街戏渐渐被时髦歌剧和音乐剧所取代感到愤慨。对他而言，街戏的精致性不在外国歌剧音乐剧之下，其美学意义有时更超出后者。通过《剃头刀》演出，他希望观众能正视街戏为重要的艺术形式。
然而这次演出观众所接触的，是一群英语演员所演出的福建大戏。这些人演得很认真，态度很积极，但他们那“半生不熟”的演出，老实说并没有带出福建大戏的精彩性，有时倒成为笑点。譬如马来演员阿蒂丽那生硬的福建话，还有蔡恩来夸张的戏曲动作，都是逗起观众笑声的滑稽元素。
如果今天的演出换成正式的福建大戏，由道道地地的福建大戏演员来演出，是否会如此受落呢？观众会想看吗？还是他们更想看“半生不熟”的福建大戏呢？
这些都是我看《剃头刀》时产生的吊诡问题。
同样是彰显传统艺术魅力，赖声川的《暗恋桃花源》找来的是一流的明华园歌仔戏团，演出一流的歌仔戏，让你在笑声中同时被歌仔戏演员的沉稳表演功底所震慑。《剃头刀》也叫人嘻哈绝倒，但笑声后却是空空虚虚的，马上就忘了刚才所笑的是什么了。
在一个变迁的时代，许多人都在寻找新的形式，去留住和发扬传统。或许我们也应细想，这些新形式到底留住和发扬了什么？
2007-03-13
文／周文龙
看《剃头刀》演出，我像是翻阅一本泛黄相簿，勾起很多过去回忆，包括第一次看《剃头刀》的印象。
我想，吴文德开始创作《剃头刀》时，有很多深刻的情感在里头，想一口气倾吐出来。尤其是他对母亲的感恩，对街戏沦落的愤愤不平，对时代面貌的缅怀，都在舞台上显露无遗。这使《剃头刀》贴近吴文德内心的炽热情感，有种超越文本的悸动。
■触动人心的情感没有了
重演《剃头刀》，这种触动人心的情感没有了，吴文德收起昔日激情，更冷静地审视这出戏，更精确地设计演出的场面效果。
看看新《剃头刀》的演员阵容：黄淑贞、谢敏、陈瑞彪、蔡恩来、陈慧娟、阿蒂丽(Alin Mosbit）等。他们都是目前本地剧场最炙手可热的演员群，深受观众喜爱。而吴文德也擅于利用观众对演员的熟悉度，让演员不时在舞台上跟观众进行互动，增加剧场的热闹气氛，使观众融入剧情里。偶尔演员掺杂流行话题如“Rain演唱会”“你们不听我就投票给Hammer”等，更贴近观众生活，引起他们哄堂大笑。
总的来说，演员表演自然生动，彼此之间也颇有默契。比较不足的是，所有演员都非福建大戏出身，演起福建大戏来，唱腔、咬字和做工都有得改进。唯有陈瑞彪演得认真，福建大戏表演算是“上得了台面”。
这实则也带出演出一个引人深思的问题：《剃头刀》要说的是什么？
■观众想看道地的福建大戏吗？
在演出中，吴文德借演员黄淑郑之口，对本地传统街戏渐渐被时髦歌剧和音乐剧所取代感到愤慨。对他而言，街戏的精致性不在外国歌剧音乐剧之下，其美学意义有时更超出后者。通过《剃头刀》演出，他希望观众能正视街戏为重要的艺术形式。
然而这次演出观众所接触的，是一群英语演员所演出的福建大戏。这些人演得很认真，态度很积极，但他们那“半生不熟”的演出，老实说并没有带出福建大戏的精彩性，有时倒成为笑点。譬如马来演员阿蒂丽那生硬的福建话，还有蔡恩来夸张的戏曲动作，都是逗起观众笑声的滑稽元素。
如果今天的演出换成正式的福建大戏，由道道地地的福建大戏演员来演出，是否会如此受落呢？观众会想看吗？还是他们更想看“半生不熟”的福建大戏呢？
这些都是我看《剃头刀》时产生的吊诡问题。
同样是彰显传统艺术魅力，赖声川的《暗恋桃花源》找来的是一流的明华园歌仔戏团，演出一流的歌仔戏，让你在笑声中同时被歌仔戏演员的沉稳表演功底所震慑。《剃头刀》也叫人嘻哈绝倒，但笑声后却是空空虚虚的，马上就忘了刚才所笑的是什么了。
在一个变迁的时代，许多人都在寻找新的形式，去留住和发扬传统。或许我们也应细想，这些新形式到底留住和发扬了什么？
Friday, March 09, 2007
The Lives of others
The Germans have been churning out good films over the last few years and I am glad to have watch them.
2006 The Lives of Others
2005 Sophie Scholl - The Final Days
2004 Downfall
2003 Goodbye Lenin
Looking at the above titles, one probably wonder if the Germans have an obsession with their historical past, in particular with the Nazi era, the fall of the Berlin wall cos most of the recent films have stories revolving around that subject. Admittedly, these are events that shake the world and Germany have a big role in it. The leaders were responsible for the Holocaust and the divergence of the German states and one would think the way out to hide from all these shameful pasts was to sweep it under the carpets and not bring it up again. But no, the modern generation did the opposite. Films starts sprouting over the years and the stories usually centers around issues that happens during the traumatic eras. I must applaude the Germans for having the sanity and courage to show to people what they have done wrong in the past as this serves to remind and educate the young of some worthy history lessons.
I went to catch The Lives of others last week, the film freshed from winning the Best Foreign Film in the recent Academy Awards. The story was set in East Berlin during in 1984 and revolves around the Stasi, which is the secret police of East Germany. The Stasi influenced almost every aspect of life in the East Germans back then and it had a network of civilians who infiltrated their family/friends lives to report to the authorities.
The lead character Gerd Wiesler (looks abit like Kevin Spacey) plays a staunch Stasi agent controller. In his routine job, he interrogates people, with no mercy, till they reveal the underlying facts that the Stasi is after. In a special assignment, he was tasked to spy on a playwright Georg Dreyman, who was suspected of Western leanings. The playright's house was wired and tapped to a nearby room where Gerd sit and listen to the conversations and the exchanges that happens within the house.
I must admit the movie was quite slow paced in the beginning that I dozed off abit :) , but it got better when the story unfolds. Gerd began to empthaise on Georg and this got Gerd's career into trouble ... Heard of the Stockholm syndrome before? Actually the storyline likens to this effect, which is a psychological response sometimes seen for example in an abducted hostage, in which the hostage can show signs of having feelings of loyalty to the hostage-taker, regardless of the danger (or at least risk) in which the hostage has been placed.
Watch it to find out more!
窃听风暴
This film review on The Lives of Others, appeared in ZaoBao on 2nd March.
2007-03-02
江迅
第七十九届奥斯卡金像奖最佳外语片——德国电影《窃听风暴》（The Lives Of Others），虽在中国不能上演，但该片今年农历新年期间却悄然流行，特别是知识界、文化界，一传十，十传百。朋友见面，竟然不说“恭喜发财，身体健康”，而说“你看《窃听风暴》了吗？”
官方不演 民间流行
这是一位中国网民春节期间在“凯迪社区·猫眼看人生”上的帖子：“昨天买了几张碟，其中有部《窃听风暴》，（一译《窃听者》、《别人的生活》、《他人的生活》），朋友坚持要买的。偶（我）以为是类似《国家公敌》的片子，便去上网了。但是那朋友看了不到五分钟便喊道，这个片子你不看，就别在猫眼混了。”
在中国不能上演的这部德国故事片《窃听风暴》，在农历新年期间却悄然流行，特别是知识界、文化界，一传十，十传百，买一张《窃听风暴》DVD回家欣赏，成了许多人春节的一个节目。朋友间见面，竟然不说“恭喜发财，身体健康”，而说“你看了《窃听风暴》了吗？”在德国，《窃听风暴》的影响超越了电影范畴，历史学家和政治学者给予它极高的评价。
时下在中国，观看盗版DVD《窃听风暴》，联系中国现实谈论《窃听风暴》，已经成为一种社会现象，在地下凝聚成一股风暴，在中共十七大召开前的半年，给政治体制改革的热门话题注入了新鲜元素。
另一方面，在最大的中文搜索引擎“百度”搜索一下，“《窃听风暴》”有11万个相关网页，“《窃听风暴》中文字幕”有1100多个网页，此外，还有“《窃听风暴》影评”“《窃听风暴》字幕”“《窃听风暴》迅雷下载”“《窃听风暴》电影”等。
《窃听风暴》是2006年最成功的德国电影，不仅荣获第七十九届奥斯卡金像奖最佳外语片，而且它在享有“德国奥斯卡”之称的罗拉奖评选中获得十一项提名，并获得最佳影片、最佳编剧、最佳导演、最佳男主角、最佳男配角、最佳摄影、最佳美术设计等七个重要奖项，平了1999年《罗拉快跑》的纪录。另外，《窃听风暴》还获得三十二届洛杉矶影评人奖最佳外语片奖，以及第六十四届美国电影电视金球奖最佳外语影片提名。
《窃听风暴》昨晚开始在本地上映。
电影故事：
东德警察的别样生活
这部片长137分钟的剧情片《窃听风暴》，由多纳斯马克(Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck) 导演、编剧，台湾海鹏电影公司发行。故事说的是发生在1984年的事。全东德百姓被100万斯塔西（STASI，前东德国家安全局）秘密警察控制着，还有 200万名告密者，在人口仅1800万的东德，如此多人从事间谍相关活动，堪称史上最为空前绝后的超高密度间谍网。他们窥视着、窃听着东德的每个公民。在东德，600多万人被建立了秘密档案，每3个人中就有一个被监控，如此恐怖的情报工作，造成夫妇、朋友和同事之间到处是线民，监视告密成了人们生活的一部分。
东西德统一后的十几年，前东德国家安全局的作为未被公开提及，前东德公民对历史怀有复杂的情绪，《窃听风暴》是他们首次面对这段历史的集体回忆。
秘密警察奉命监视作家
《窃听风暴》说的是斯塔西中一个名叫戈德·维斯勒的上尉（乌尔里希·穆埃Ulrich Muhe饰演）奉命对作家乔治·德莱曼（塞巴斯蒂安·考奇Sebastian Koch饰演）展开调查。维斯勒是个审讯和窃听专家。他在德莱曼的公寓里安装了监视设备，透过视频观看发生在作家家里的一切，透过窃听了解他的一言一行，对于敏感的、“不正确”的言论，一一记录，报告上级。他可以听到作家和朋友们关于艺术和社会现实的讨论，和女友西兰（玛蒂娜·吉黛克Martina Gedeck饰演）之间私秘的对话和交往。个人生活几乎是空白的维斯勒在窃听他人生活的过程中发生了变化。
暗中保护被监视对象
德莱曼的女友西兰是一位优秀演员，却不得不屈从于文化部长的淫威。维斯勒在监视过程中逐渐对西兰产生了情感，当他监听到德莱曼和西兰的争吵，当他明白西兰遭受的屈辱和所做出的牺牲，他无法忍受了，于是暗中保护这位作家及其女友。不过，他依然尽职地做着他的窃听工作，直到上司的一番话，让他意识到在这个时代，无论你做什么，没有人是绝对安全的。他开始清醒了，于是藏起了原本要上交的报告。
德莱曼揭露东德自杀者现状的文章在西德的杂志发表了，西兰被秘密警察抓捕，德莱曼的家被秘密警察搜查。但由于维斯勒的暗中保护，当局对作家的调查因没有证据而以失败告终。没有完成任务的维斯勒事后平静地接受上司的处分，被调往不起眼的检查邮件的部门。
作家给秘密警察的惊喜
柏林墙倒塌的两年之后，德莱曼给素未谋面的维斯勒一个温暖的惊喜。德莱曼终于知道了维斯勒为他所做的一切，他写了一本书《一个好人的奏鸣曲》，就是关于那位只知编号的秘密警察的故事。当维斯勒走过书店，无意中看到德莱曼这部新书时，他买下了，是送给自己的。作家用一本书来表达感激，秘密警察用这本书作为对良知的奖励。
影评：
对人性的提纯
中共的窃听技术和手段，早在上世纪四十年代就相当先进。由江苏人民出版社出版的《西安事变新探──张学良与中共关系之谜》（杨奎松著）中就有描述。书中说，毛泽东对长期坚守陕北根据地表示乐观的理由之一，就是“红军窃听电话和破译电报工作相当成功，对于敌人军事行动部署几乎了如指掌”。
后柏林墙与后天安门
研究自由主义与中国宪政民主转型的成都大学法学讲师王怡看了《窃听风暴》后说，“我几乎爱上了这部电影”，“这部电影给世界一个机会，尤其是给中国人”。
他说，东德国安部监控了1800万人中的600万，线民人数接近全部人口的十分之一，柏林墙竖起的近30年间，平均每天就有8人以“破坏国家安全”的罪名被捕。
他说，德国统一后，国安部的全部窃听档案，开放给所有公民查阅。这些监控资料一本本铺开，足有1000公里长，无数人发现自己的同事、朋友、律师和医生都是国安部的告密者，整个社会以极大勇气，承受前所未有的道德打击。
1989年的柏林墙和天安门，影片导演是“后柏林墙”一代，而他则是“后天安门”一代。他说：“我能体会一个‘后柏林墙’时代的青年导演，能拍出那样椎心刺骨的创伤。”
新锐导演：
中国缺乏这类影片
凭借电影《世界上最疼我的那个人去了》和《我们俩》获得多项电影节大奖的35岁新锐女导演马俪文看完电影《窃听风暴》后的最大感受是，影片“沉静”地表达给她留下深刻印象。该片不仅有大的历史背景，还关注着个人的命运，并伴随着冷静的思考。中国缺乏这种类型的影片。
中国电视剧四大最卖座导演之一、《东京审判》导演高群书说，《窃听风暴》风格简约，表现手法真实，令他十分欣赏。他说：“生活对人来说不是绝望，而是充满了希望。这部影片是对人性的提纯。”他认为，《窃听风暴》有监视、有特工，但更主要的是表现普通的日常生活，拍出了一波三折的戏剧性，同时还有奇特的温情。
2007-03-02
江迅
第七十九届奥斯卡金像奖最佳外语片——德国电影《窃听风暴》（The Lives Of Others），虽在中国不能上演，但该片今年农历新年期间却悄然流行，特别是知识界、文化界，一传十，十传百。朋友见面，竟然不说“恭喜发财，身体健康”，而说“你看《窃听风暴》了吗？”
官方不演 民间流行
这是一位中国网民春节期间在“凯迪社区·猫眼看人生”上的帖子：“昨天买了几张碟，其中有部《窃听风暴》，（一译《窃听者》、《别人的生活》、《他人的生活》），朋友坚持要买的。偶（我）以为是类似《国家公敌》的片子，便去上网了。但是那朋友看了不到五分钟便喊道，这个片子你不看，就别在猫眼混了。”
在中国不能上演的这部德国故事片《窃听风暴》，在农历新年期间却悄然流行，特别是知识界、文化界，一传十，十传百，买一张《窃听风暴》DVD回家欣赏，成了许多人春节的一个节目。朋友间见面，竟然不说“恭喜发财，身体健康”，而说“你看了《窃听风暴》了吗？”在德国，《窃听风暴》的影响超越了电影范畴，历史学家和政治学者给予它极高的评价。
时下在中国，观看盗版DVD《窃听风暴》，联系中国现实谈论《窃听风暴》，已经成为一种社会现象，在地下凝聚成一股风暴，在中共十七大召开前的半年，给政治体制改革的热门话题注入了新鲜元素。
另一方面，在最大的中文搜索引擎“百度”搜索一下，“《窃听风暴》”有11万个相关网页，“《窃听风暴》中文字幕”有1100多个网页，此外，还有“《窃听风暴》影评”“《窃听风暴》字幕”“《窃听风暴》迅雷下载”“《窃听风暴》电影”等。
《窃听风暴》是2006年最成功的德国电影，不仅荣获第七十九届奥斯卡金像奖最佳外语片，而且它在享有“德国奥斯卡”之称的罗拉奖评选中获得十一项提名，并获得最佳影片、最佳编剧、最佳导演、最佳男主角、最佳男配角、最佳摄影、最佳美术设计等七个重要奖项，平了1999年《罗拉快跑》的纪录。另外，《窃听风暴》还获得三十二届洛杉矶影评人奖最佳外语片奖，以及第六十四届美国电影电视金球奖最佳外语影片提名。
《窃听风暴》昨晚开始在本地上映。
电影故事：
东德警察的别样生活
这部片长137分钟的剧情片《窃听风暴》，由多纳斯马克(Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck) 导演、编剧，台湾海鹏电影公司发行。故事说的是发生在1984年的事。全东德百姓被100万斯塔西（STASI，前东德国家安全局）秘密警察控制着，还有 200万名告密者，在人口仅1800万的东德，如此多人从事间谍相关活动，堪称史上最为空前绝后的超高密度间谍网。他们窥视着、窃听着东德的每个公民。在东德，600多万人被建立了秘密档案，每3个人中就有一个被监控，如此恐怖的情报工作，造成夫妇、朋友和同事之间到处是线民，监视告密成了人们生活的一部分。
东西德统一后的十几年，前东德国家安全局的作为未被公开提及，前东德公民对历史怀有复杂的情绪，《窃听风暴》是他们首次面对这段历史的集体回忆。
秘密警察奉命监视作家
《窃听风暴》说的是斯塔西中一个名叫戈德·维斯勒的上尉（乌尔里希·穆埃Ulrich Muhe饰演）奉命对作家乔治·德莱曼（塞巴斯蒂安·考奇Sebastian Koch饰演）展开调查。维斯勒是个审讯和窃听专家。他在德莱曼的公寓里安装了监视设备，透过视频观看发生在作家家里的一切，透过窃听了解他的一言一行，对于敏感的、“不正确”的言论，一一记录，报告上级。他可以听到作家和朋友们关于艺术和社会现实的讨论，和女友西兰（玛蒂娜·吉黛克Martina Gedeck饰演）之间私秘的对话和交往。个人生活几乎是空白的维斯勒在窃听他人生活的过程中发生了变化。
暗中保护被监视对象
德莱曼的女友西兰是一位优秀演员，却不得不屈从于文化部长的淫威。维斯勒在监视过程中逐渐对西兰产生了情感，当他监听到德莱曼和西兰的争吵，当他明白西兰遭受的屈辱和所做出的牺牲，他无法忍受了，于是暗中保护这位作家及其女友。不过，他依然尽职地做着他的窃听工作，直到上司的一番话，让他意识到在这个时代，无论你做什么，没有人是绝对安全的。他开始清醒了，于是藏起了原本要上交的报告。
德莱曼揭露东德自杀者现状的文章在西德的杂志发表了，西兰被秘密警察抓捕，德莱曼的家被秘密警察搜查。但由于维斯勒的暗中保护，当局对作家的调查因没有证据而以失败告终。没有完成任务的维斯勒事后平静地接受上司的处分，被调往不起眼的检查邮件的部门。
作家给秘密警察的惊喜
柏林墙倒塌的两年之后，德莱曼给素未谋面的维斯勒一个温暖的惊喜。德莱曼终于知道了维斯勒为他所做的一切，他写了一本书《一个好人的奏鸣曲》，就是关于那位只知编号的秘密警察的故事。当维斯勒走过书店，无意中看到德莱曼这部新书时，他买下了，是送给自己的。作家用一本书来表达感激，秘密警察用这本书作为对良知的奖励。
影评：
对人性的提纯
中共的窃听技术和手段，早在上世纪四十年代就相当先进。由江苏人民出版社出版的《西安事变新探──张学良与中共关系之谜》（杨奎松著）中就有描述。书中说，毛泽东对长期坚守陕北根据地表示乐观的理由之一，就是“红军窃听电话和破译电报工作相当成功，对于敌人军事行动部署几乎了如指掌”。
后柏林墙与后天安门
研究自由主义与中国宪政民主转型的成都大学法学讲师王怡看了《窃听风暴》后说，“我几乎爱上了这部电影”，“这部电影给世界一个机会，尤其是给中国人”。
他说，东德国安部监控了1800万人中的600万，线民人数接近全部人口的十分之一，柏林墙竖起的近30年间，平均每天就有8人以“破坏国家安全”的罪名被捕。
他说，德国统一后，国安部的全部窃听档案，开放给所有公民查阅。这些监控资料一本本铺开，足有1000公里长，无数人发现自己的同事、朋友、律师和医生都是国安部的告密者，整个社会以极大勇气，承受前所未有的道德打击。
1989年的柏林墙和天安门，影片导演是“后柏林墙”一代，而他则是“后天安门”一代。他说：“我能体会一个‘后柏林墙’时代的青年导演，能拍出那样椎心刺骨的创伤。”
新锐导演：
中国缺乏这类影片
凭借电影《世界上最疼我的那个人去了》和《我们俩》获得多项电影节大奖的35岁新锐女导演马俪文看完电影《窃听风暴》后的最大感受是，影片“沉静”地表达给她留下深刻印象。该片不仅有大的历史背景，还关注着个人的命运，并伴随着冷静的思考。中国缺乏这种类型的影片。
中国电视剧四大最卖座导演之一、《东京审判》导演高群书说，《窃听风暴》风格简约，表现手法真实，令他十分欣赏。他说：“生活对人来说不是绝望，而是充满了希望。这部影片是对人性的提纯。”他认为，《窃听风暴》有监视、有特工，但更主要的是表现普通的日常生活，拍出了一波三折的戏剧性，同时还有奇特的温情。
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Titoudao
Watched Titoudao last night, a play by The Toy Factory productions. It stars Pamela Oei (one of the DimSum Dollies), Beatrice Chia-Richmond, Karen Tan, Sebastian Tan, Chua En Lai etc.
Writted and directed by Goh Boon Teck, the play is a tribute to his mum Madam Oon An Chian, a popular Hokkien street opera (wayang) performer in the 1940s.
The play won "Play of the Year" at the Life Theatre Awards in 2001 and this is the 3rd run.
The wayang part of the show is in Hokkien but dont worry if you think you will catch no ball cos there are English subtitles displayed near the stage :) The actors gave a very good performance and I enjoyed it very much.
The play runs till 31st March, catch it if you can!
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Oscars
It's been a while since I last blogged, backdate a bit to talk about the Oscars.
The Oscars winner list:
Best Picture: The Departed
Best Director: Martin Scorsese for The Departed
Best Original Screenplay: Little Miss Sunshine
Best Adapated Screenplay: The Departed
Best Actor: Forest Whitaker for the Last King of Scotland
Best Actress: Helen Mirren for The Queen
Best Foreign Film: The Lives of Others
Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson for the Dreamgirls
Best Cinematography: Pan's Labyrinth
Best Music Score: Babel
I'm not exactly pleased with the results especially the wins for The Departed, a film adapted from Hong Kong's Infernal Affairs. By far, the honorary Best Picture usually go to a film with credibility, think Schindler's List, Last Emperor, Godfather etc. Of course there are exceptions in the past which I do not agree on as well, like Million Dollar Baby, Shakespear in Love, Chicago etc.
The fact that The Departed was adapted straight from another film just doesn't deem fit to win Best Picture. Yes you can twig the plot, screenplay to make it your own, but to me, it pales against something which is original. I see a difference between adaption from a film and adaption from print. The latter is a far challenging effort, to conceptualise the screenplay from hundred/thousand pages to a film of about 2hours. It brings life to the characters, settings, mood, something that a book may not be able to.
Ok, moving on to Best Director. You probably know that Martin Scorsese was snubbed by the Academy for like 5 times, namely for Raging Bulls, Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York and Aviator. Martin eventually won this time for The Departed which is not his best. I think the Academy probably pity him this time and give it to him. In the industry, Martin is acclaimed for his works and even without an Oscar statue to his credit, people still respect him. I'm not sure if he's so hard up for the award or not but probably he is. I read somewhere and some sees Martin like a kid who see other kids having toys that he doesn't have and yearns for it. In my opinion, he should have won for Raging Bulls (lost to Robert Redford's family drama Ordinary People). I guess sometime you have to be in their good shoes to win, or in some cases, the Academy seems to be 'biased'.
Take for example the Best Supporting Actress category in this year award. Out of the 5 nominees, Adriana Barraza is Mexican, Cate Blanchett is Australian, Rinko Kikuchi is Japanese and left with the little girl Abigail Breslin and Jennifer Hudson, both American. The little girl is fortunate to be nominated already so the tussle is between the other 4. Cate won for Best Supporting Actress in Aviator in 2004 so unlikely the Academy will let her win again but having watch Notes on a scandal, she gave her a very good performance. Likewise for the other two supporting actress in the Babel especially the Mexian lady who plays a maid to Brad and Cate's characters' kids in the film. And no prizes for guessing who won the award, American Jennifer Hudson and fyi, this is her first movie! So lucky right, first time act, win already, so easy huh! Ok I have not watched Dreamgirls and I may be biased against her. IMHO, I do not see how a role who sing and dance can win a best acting award!
There are other coincidence as well, here goes. Helen Hunt in her first movie role, won Best Actress for As good as it gets, beating Judi Dench, in Mrs Brown, back in 1997. In 1996, another American Francis Macdormand also won in a category in a tug with 3 Brits, 2 Ameicans. That year, Brenda Blethyn was a hot favourite to win for her role in Secrets & Lies but lost. Gwyneth Paltrow beat Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth) also hot favorite back in 1998. You probably see this as American bashing :) afterall this Oscar is an American award so nothing wrong to award Americans right? Well, enough said, I have seen some of those films, make comparisons, read reviews from different sources and view results from different awards and I truly think that this Oscar just does not do justice to some lor.
The Oscars winner list:
Best Picture: The Departed
Best Director: Martin Scorsese for The Departed
Best Original Screenplay: Little Miss Sunshine
Best Adapated Screenplay: The Departed
Best Actor: Forest Whitaker for the Last King of Scotland
Best Actress: Helen Mirren for The Queen
Best Foreign Film: The Lives of Others
Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson for the Dreamgirls
Best Cinematography: Pan's Labyrinth
Best Music Score: Babel
I'm not exactly pleased with the results especially the wins for The Departed, a film adapted from Hong Kong's Infernal Affairs. By far, the honorary Best Picture usually go to a film with credibility, think Schindler's List, Last Emperor, Godfather etc. Of course there are exceptions in the past which I do not agree on as well, like Million Dollar Baby, Shakespear in Love, Chicago etc.
The fact that The Departed was adapted straight from another film just doesn't deem fit to win Best Picture. Yes you can twig the plot, screenplay to make it your own, but to me, it pales against something which is original. I see a difference between adaption from a film and adaption from print. The latter is a far challenging effort, to conceptualise the screenplay from hundred/thousand pages to a film of about 2hours. It brings life to the characters, settings, mood, something that a book may not be able to.
Ok, moving on to Best Director. You probably know that Martin Scorsese was snubbed by the Academy for like 5 times, namely for Raging Bulls, Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York and Aviator. Martin eventually won this time for The Departed which is not his best. I think the Academy probably pity him this time and give it to him. In the industry, Martin is acclaimed for his works and even without an Oscar statue to his credit, people still respect him. I'm not sure if he's so hard up for the award or not but probably he is. I read somewhere and some sees Martin like a kid who see other kids having toys that he doesn't have and yearns for it. In my opinion, he should have won for Raging Bulls (lost to Robert Redford's family drama Ordinary People). I guess sometime you have to be in their good shoes to win, or in some cases, the Academy seems to be 'biased'.
Take for example the Best Supporting Actress category in this year award. Out of the 5 nominees, Adriana Barraza is Mexican, Cate Blanchett is Australian, Rinko Kikuchi is Japanese and left with the little girl Abigail Breslin and Jennifer Hudson, both American. The little girl is fortunate to be nominated already so the tussle is between the other 4. Cate won for Best Supporting Actress in Aviator in 2004 so unlikely the Academy will let her win again but having watch Notes on a scandal, she gave her a very good performance. Likewise for the other two supporting actress in the Babel especially the Mexian lady who plays a maid to Brad and Cate's characters' kids in the film. And no prizes for guessing who won the award, American Jennifer Hudson and fyi, this is her first movie! So lucky right, first time act, win already, so easy huh! Ok I have not watched Dreamgirls and I may be biased against her. IMHO, I do not see how a role who sing and dance can win a best acting award!
There are other coincidence as well, here goes. Helen Hunt in her first movie role, won Best Actress for As good as it gets, beating Judi Dench, in Mrs Brown, back in 1997. In 1996, another American Francis Macdormand also won in a category in a tug with 3 Brits, 2 Ameicans. That year, Brenda Blethyn was a hot favourite to win for her role in Secrets & Lies but lost. Gwyneth Paltrow beat Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth) also hot favorite back in 1998. You probably see this as American bashing :) afterall this Oscar is an American award so nothing wrong to award Americans right? Well, enough said, I have seen some of those films, make comparisons, read reviews from different sources and view results from different awards and I truly think that this Oscar just does not do justice to some lor.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Doraemon Sightings
Caught Doraemon at Dhoby Gaut MRT station. He was there to do a 7-11 Promotion. Spend $5 and get a doraemon magnet.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Forgive but never forget
CNY is supposed to be a time to be joyous but mine was slight marred by an unhappy incident. During my days when I was single, friends and I will organise house visiting during the cny period and we collect angpow from friends parents and play card games to immerse ourselves in the festivities. Now that I'm married, I still try to find time to visit friends or invite friends over as part of the tradition. But what happen this year makes me think twice if I am going to invite this group of friends ever again.
On the 3rd day of CNY, we were invited to a friend house in the morning and also to have lunch. I have another gathering around 3pm that day so in between there were a few hours to spare. I thought I could either visit my uncle or invite friends over but I decided to opt for the latter. So on the 2nd day of CNY, I sent out sms to this group of friends, inviting them over to my place . Guess what, NONE of them replied, ok to be fair, one of my close friend did, that's it. The rest just kept quiet. At this point, you may ask why don't I call them, but friends who know me will know that I am the sms and email kind of person. And to give my friends the benefit of the doubt, it was a last minute arrangment cos it was just a day before.
What will you do if you have something on or find it too rush to fit in an appointment with your busy schedule? Tell the person that you are not free right, if you cannot make it, just say it, whats so difficult with that? For the record I have known them for like 10 over years, though not that close, the group of us still try to make it a point to meet up every Xmas, CNY and occassional gatherings. Perhaps I was just too naive to treat them as my friends or they take me for granted that no one bothers to reply at all?
I was a little perturbed by the lack of response but I thought to myself that maybe they are too busy to reply. So on the 3rd day of CNY, wife and I went to my friends gathering, (its the same group of friends that I'm inviting over to my house). When we meet everyone, none of them said if they will be coming over. One of my close friend help me to check with the others and they said they will be coming over and I also verified with one or two that they will be dropping by too. So after lunch around 12.30pm, we left my friends place and went back home to prepare some snack, goodies and waited patiently. As the time starts ticking away, there is still no one in sight. My close friend who was already at my place received a sms from one of our friends that he and a few others will not be coming, citing some excuses. I start to wonder my existence, why wasn't the message send to me but send to proxy to my close friend instead? It really makes me wonder again if I am a worthless friend or am I too unapproachable? Oh ya forgot to mention that on the 2nd day of CNY, right after I sent the invitation sms, one friend called to my close friend that he has something on and won't be coming over to my place. I didnt get to know it personally , but by proxy again. Perhaps my close friend has more 人缘 than me, that I admit. From then on, excuses started pouring in. Another friend upon receiving my sms that none has turned up, decided not to turn up as well, citing time as an excuse which I refuted right away. Another said she misread my sms and by the time she arrived at my place, I was already out. So was it a case of miscommunication or no communication?
First, none replied my sms to confirm if they are coming , second, others are somehow influence by others' decision not to come, or third, everyone is trying to be politically correct not to reject my invitation and at the same time not attending it, and lastly, I learnt that no reply means automatically that one is not coming, wow, what an assumption! (One of them blurted that if he didnt reply sms then it means he cannot make it and that he dont like to sms, rather call but I did not received either of them, excuses excuses ... This was during dinner at another friend's place dinner (same group of people). I could have just do a no-show as I wasn't in the mood since that afternoon but I am a man of words, and since I have agreed, I still show up but I kept quiet throughout the dinner.
It's the New Year season and I am trying to stay cool to not spoil my mood but in every positive or negative phases in life, we learn some valuable lessons. I'm glad I've gone through this now than later. It makes me sit down and evaluate what kind of friends I have here. Am I making a big fuss out of this? I don't see anyone feeling apologetic for not being able to come to my place, not that I'm desperately seeking for attention or sympathy. Reminds me of a song "You have to hurt", although its a song about love but one can relate it easily to friendship as well. Here's an extract, I've amended abit of the lyrics :)
"
You have to hurt - to understand
You have to get by the best you can
Until you hurt - until you cry
You won't know about friendship
And the reason you’re alive
You have to hurt
All that expectation
Too naive to really see
Maybe they knew better than me
It was better just to let them be
"
Get the gist of it? Yes, sometimes you have to hurt to understand how one feels in times like this. You may think I am petty or not forgiving but if you were not in my shoes, you will not feel the anguish and the disappointment of how I actually felt.
This sounds like bad karma, revengeful but I'm going to just try to forgive but never forget.
On the 3rd day of CNY, we were invited to a friend house in the morning and also to have lunch. I have another gathering around 3pm that day so in between there were a few hours to spare. I thought I could either visit my uncle or invite friends over but I decided to opt for the latter. So on the 2nd day of CNY, I sent out sms to this group of friends, inviting them over to my place . Guess what, NONE of them replied, ok to be fair, one of my close friend did, that's it. The rest just kept quiet. At this point, you may ask why don't I call them, but friends who know me will know that I am the sms and email kind of person. And to give my friends the benefit of the doubt, it was a last minute arrangment cos it was just a day before.
What will you do if you have something on or find it too rush to fit in an appointment with your busy schedule? Tell the person that you are not free right, if you cannot make it, just say it, whats so difficult with that? For the record I have known them for like 10 over years, though not that close, the group of us still try to make it a point to meet up every Xmas, CNY and occassional gatherings. Perhaps I was just too naive to treat them as my friends or they take me for granted that no one bothers to reply at all?
I was a little perturbed by the lack of response but I thought to myself that maybe they are too busy to reply. So on the 3rd day of CNY, wife and I went to my friends gathering, (its the same group of friends that I'm inviting over to my house). When we meet everyone, none of them said if they will be coming over. One of my close friend help me to check with the others and they said they will be coming over and I also verified with one or two that they will be dropping by too. So after lunch around 12.30pm, we left my friends place and went back home to prepare some snack, goodies and waited patiently. As the time starts ticking away, there is still no one in sight. My close friend who was already at my place received a sms from one of our friends that he and a few others will not be coming, citing some excuses. I start to wonder my existence, why wasn't the message send to me but send to proxy to my close friend instead? It really makes me wonder again if I am a worthless friend or am I too unapproachable? Oh ya forgot to mention that on the 2nd day of CNY, right after I sent the invitation sms, one friend called to my close friend that he has something on and won't be coming over to my place. I didnt get to know it personally , but by proxy again. Perhaps my close friend has more 人缘 than me, that I admit. From then on, excuses started pouring in. Another friend upon receiving my sms that none has turned up, decided not to turn up as well, citing time as an excuse which I refuted right away. Another said she misread my sms and by the time she arrived at my place, I was already out. So was it a case of miscommunication or no communication?
First, none replied my sms to confirm if they are coming , second, others are somehow influence by others' decision not to come, or third, everyone is trying to be politically correct not to reject my invitation and at the same time not attending it, and lastly, I learnt that no reply means automatically that one is not coming, wow, what an assumption! (One of them blurted that if he didnt reply sms then it means he cannot make it and that he dont like to sms, rather call but I did not received either of them, excuses excuses ... This was during dinner at another friend's place dinner (same group of people). I could have just do a no-show as I wasn't in the mood since that afternoon but I am a man of words, and since I have agreed, I still show up but I kept quiet throughout the dinner.
It's the New Year season and I am trying to stay cool to not spoil my mood but in every positive or negative phases in life, we learn some valuable lessons. I'm glad I've gone through this now than later. It makes me sit down and evaluate what kind of friends I have here. Am I making a big fuss out of this? I don't see anyone feeling apologetic for not being able to come to my place, not that I'm desperately seeking for attention or sympathy. Reminds me of a song "You have to hurt", although its a song about love but one can relate it easily to friendship as well. Here's an extract, I've amended abit of the lyrics :)
"
You have to hurt - to understand
You have to get by the best you can
Until you hurt - until you cry
You won't know about friendship
And the reason you’re alive
You have to hurt
All that expectation
Too naive to really see
Maybe they knew better than me
It was better just to let them be
"
Get the gist of it? Yes, sometimes you have to hurt to understand how one feels in times like this. You may think I am petty or not forgiving but if you were not in my shoes, you will not feel the anguish and the disappointment of how I actually felt.
This sounds like bad karma, revengeful but I'm going to just try to forgive but never forget.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Listen - to the Message of "Babel"
I caught the movie Babel recently and like it very much. Want to share with you a very good review that I read from www.TheDailyEnlightenment.com
The biblical story of Babel tells of how humans used to speak one language, and how they were later condemned by God to speak different tongues. This is the supposed genesis of the myriad races and mass human conflict via their differences. Of course, other religions such as Buddhism have their own explanations on the source of conflict. The film "Babel" however, is neither about the Bible nor God - it is a modern account of human disconnection, reconnection, and interconnection. "Babel-like", it is also about communication, miscommunication and discrimination, about how language and culture divide outsiders as much as it might unite those familiar.
"Babel" consists of three interlinked accounts of human experiences in three different lands, set in poverty-stricken Morocco, middle-class Mexico and affluent Japan. Transcending differences in language, in fact, beyond language altogether, all human suffering is one and the same in substance, while strangers connect to each other through unconditional kindness. For instance, we see a policeman hug a lonely girl (played by Rinko Kikuchi) he barely knows to comfort her. And we see an old Moroccan woman patting a distraught American woman to sooth her.
Words are not always needed. Words can be too much. Actions speak louder than words, and the often wordless language of compassion is universal. That which connects us all is that which would save us all. This is the human condition. We are disconnected only by discrimination, reconnected by empathy and understanding. Humankind essentially consists of kind humans, though some might forget to be kind from time to time.
A Moroccan father buys a rifle from a man, who received it as a gift from a Japanese hunter (played by Koji Yakusho). His sons he passes it to were supposed to use it to shoot and kill jackals endangering the family’s goats. However, one of them fires it at a bus for fun, thereby injuring an American woman, whose children back home were unwittingly put through a harrowing experience of being lost when their nanny takes them out of the country. Though worlds apart on the same planet, everyone above are protagonists in the interweaved life-turning story of their lives. Just how many degrees of separation are there between each party? Much much less than they or the audience expected. Yes, we are interdependent in the web of life.
The tagline of "Babel" is simple yet profound - "Listen". It is from the failure to listen deeply that so many interpersonal problems arise. Themes on the importance of communication thus recur in the film. The estranged American couple (played by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) were frustrated from marital strain when neither could communicate their feelings of guilt and blame to each other. In their absence, their family nanny Amelia (played by Adriana Barraza) could not communicate to them the overwhelming significance of attending her son’s wedding in Mexico, which compelled to bring them across without asking.
The Japanese father was accused of not "listening" to her deaf-mute daughter, but she too failed to "see" he was trying his best – both suffering from loss of the central person in their lives – the wife of the first and the mother of the latter. Attempting to mindlessly drown her sorrows and loneliness in drugs, alcohol and sex, she awakens to the fact of the futility of it all, as she reconnects with her father. Ironically, while it is tragic when there are gaps in connection, it often takes a tragedy to bridge gaps.
The subject of gun control comes to mind too. The rifle, a gift of goodwill, almost becomes a cursed accessory to manslaughter. The "hunter" becomes the hunted. The boy who fired the gun is hunted down with his family by the authorities. The misunderstood become demonised, mistaken as terrorists by their own people. Is it better to demonise the suspicious? Obviously, it is "safer" for the demoniser (at least in the short term), but dangerously unfair to the wrongly demonised. Regrets loom ahead for the demonisers too.
While politics is supposed to help people, the overly-politicised harms them instead, as we see governments argue over red tape and "face" issues, while lives are at risk. Fellow Americans on the same tour bus demonise the Moroccans as dangerous, as they flee in fear and for comfort, abandoning the desperate couple in a village without medical aid. When the husband fights to retain the use of the bus, these questions came to mind - In our bid to help the ones we love, is it at the stake of altruism for others? Conversely, is altruism at the stake of those we love? Is it possible to have a win-win situation? Why not? Was the husband selfish or were the other passengers so? Do we have the courage to give priority for the bigger picture when we need to? Well, the Buddha did renounce his worldly family to seek the path to True Happiness for the greater cosmic family – of all beings!
"Babel" is about paying attention to each other’s pain and sorrow, about forgiveness and healing. It is about bridging of differences with similarities, about humans saving each other from alienation, from being stranded in existential desert of isolation. "Babel" is about how we are all lost without each other, about how much we cannot afford to lose each other. Simply too much is at stake. Let us listen.
- Shen Shi'an
The biblical story of Babel tells of how humans used to speak one language, and how they were later condemned by God to speak different tongues. This is the supposed genesis of the myriad races and mass human conflict via their differences. Of course, other religions such as Buddhism have their own explanations on the source of conflict. The film "Babel" however, is neither about the Bible nor God - it is a modern account of human disconnection, reconnection, and interconnection. "Babel-like", it is also about communication, miscommunication and discrimination, about how language and culture divide outsiders as much as it might unite those familiar.
"Babel" consists of three interlinked accounts of human experiences in three different lands, set in poverty-stricken Morocco, middle-class Mexico and affluent Japan. Transcending differences in language, in fact, beyond language altogether, all human suffering is one and the same in substance, while strangers connect to each other through unconditional kindness. For instance, we see a policeman hug a lonely girl (played by Rinko Kikuchi) he barely knows to comfort her. And we see an old Moroccan woman patting a distraught American woman to sooth her.
Words are not always needed. Words can be too much. Actions speak louder than words, and the often wordless language of compassion is universal. That which connects us all is that which would save us all. This is the human condition. We are disconnected only by discrimination, reconnected by empathy and understanding. Humankind essentially consists of kind humans, though some might forget to be kind from time to time.
A Moroccan father buys a rifle from a man, who received it as a gift from a Japanese hunter (played by Koji Yakusho). His sons he passes it to were supposed to use it to shoot and kill jackals endangering the family’s goats. However, one of them fires it at a bus for fun, thereby injuring an American woman, whose children back home were unwittingly put through a harrowing experience of being lost when their nanny takes them out of the country. Though worlds apart on the same planet, everyone above are protagonists in the interweaved life-turning story of their lives. Just how many degrees of separation are there between each party? Much much less than they or the audience expected. Yes, we are interdependent in the web of life.
The tagline of "Babel" is simple yet profound - "Listen". It is from the failure to listen deeply that so many interpersonal problems arise. Themes on the importance of communication thus recur in the film. The estranged American couple (played by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) were frustrated from marital strain when neither could communicate their feelings of guilt and blame to each other. In their absence, their family nanny Amelia (played by Adriana Barraza) could not communicate to them the overwhelming significance of attending her son’s wedding in Mexico, which compelled to bring them across without asking.
The Japanese father was accused of not "listening" to her deaf-mute daughter, but she too failed to "see" he was trying his best – both suffering from loss of the central person in their lives – the wife of the first and the mother of the latter. Attempting to mindlessly drown her sorrows and loneliness in drugs, alcohol and sex, she awakens to the fact of the futility of it all, as she reconnects with her father. Ironically, while it is tragic when there are gaps in connection, it often takes a tragedy to bridge gaps.
The subject of gun control comes to mind too. The rifle, a gift of goodwill, almost becomes a cursed accessory to manslaughter. The "hunter" becomes the hunted. The boy who fired the gun is hunted down with his family by the authorities. The misunderstood become demonised, mistaken as terrorists by their own people. Is it better to demonise the suspicious? Obviously, it is "safer" for the demoniser (at least in the short term), but dangerously unfair to the wrongly demonised. Regrets loom ahead for the demonisers too.
While politics is supposed to help people, the overly-politicised harms them instead, as we see governments argue over red tape and "face" issues, while lives are at risk. Fellow Americans on the same tour bus demonise the Moroccans as dangerous, as they flee in fear and for comfort, abandoning the desperate couple in a village without medical aid. When the husband fights to retain the use of the bus, these questions came to mind - In our bid to help the ones we love, is it at the stake of altruism for others? Conversely, is altruism at the stake of those we love? Is it possible to have a win-win situation? Why not? Was the husband selfish or were the other passengers so? Do we have the courage to give priority for the bigger picture when we need to? Well, the Buddha did renounce his worldly family to seek the path to True Happiness for the greater cosmic family – of all beings!
"Babel" is about paying attention to each other’s pain and sorrow, about forgiveness and healing. It is about bridging of differences with similarities, about humans saving each other from alienation, from being stranded in existential desert of isolation. "Babel" is about how we are all lost without each other, about how much we cannot afford to lose each other. Simply too much is at stake. Let us listen.
- Shen Shi'an
Your inner circle comes first
Something to share, something to ponder over:
The Electric New Paper : One day to live? Your inner circle comes first
By Shashank Nigam
14 February 2007
LAST year, I attended a panel discussion on the working lifestyles of Singaporeans at a conference at the Singapore Management University.
A top executive of a local bank sat on the panel, and when a student asked for his views on striking a work-life balance, this was his reply:
Put your heart and soul into work while you are young, he said. Work hard until you are about to retire. Only then should you find time to do the things you really want and start spending time with your family.
This philosophy would supposedly help to ease us into retirement when the time comes.
His views troubled me, but I did not have a good counter-suggestion - till now.
I recently read Chasing Daylight by Eugene O'Kelly, the former CEO of accounting firm KPMG.
After rising to the top ranks of the accounting world, MrO'Kelly was diagnosed with brain cancer. He was given 100 days to live.
Though the book is about the writer's impending death and how he 'managed' it professionally, I felt he had clearly put forth a lesson in prioritising. Although (or perhaps because) he did not live a very balanced life, his reflections are powerful.
He wrote about a manager who came home after a three-day trip. The first thing he did, to his family's dismay, was to check his e-mail.
'Is that necessary?,' asked MrO'Kelly.
'In his interview, when the manager was asked why he worked as hard as he did, he replied without hesitation, that it was because he loved his family.
'And he wanted them to know that (despite the fact that his clients had greater access to him than his family).'
MrO'Kelly hired a consultant to teach the manager in the story, and those like him, the simple joy of having dinner with their families with their handphones turned off.
Upon returning home, the manager was told, spend the first 30 minutes giving undivided attention to the family.
This advice made me to think hard about my life too. Even though I'm still in school, I have to confess that I'm guilty of spending 90 per cent of my waking hours stuck to my laptop (even on the train, where I'm writing this article). Unfortunately, this is true for most of my friends as well.
In Singapore, we are taught to be dedicated and hardworking (which is good), but never taught how to prioritise various aspects of our lives.
In his last days, MrO'Kelly organised the people he wanted to spend time with into what he called 'unwinding circles'.
The concept involves six concentric circles featuring the people in his life. The least important people are placed in the outermost circles and the most important ones at the core. For example, the outermost circle may be filled with acquaintances, the next one with close business associates, and his immediate family at the core. MrO'Kelly then spent the most time with the people at the core and less with those on the periphery. It is a simple yet effective way of realising how important certain people are and how much time (and energy) they deserve.
This has made me think of how often we spend our time with those in the outer few circles, at the expense of those in the innermost ones.
Is it really necessary to have breakfast once a week with people in circle one? Maybe not.
As MrO'Kelly wrote: 'When I joined KPMG, I rose through the ranks by sheer hard work. I set an example by being the most hardworking person ever, at every post I took up.
'What if I had set an example of the most accomplished balancer of life? What if I had left work at 5pm every day and yet got all the work cleared and had become a symbol of a family man?'
It's certainly worth thinking about.
The writer is a final-year student at the School of Information Systems at Singapore Management University.
Shashank Nigam
Guest columnist
The Electric New Paper : One day to live? Your inner circle comes first
By Shashank Nigam
14 February 2007
LAST year, I attended a panel discussion on the working lifestyles of Singaporeans at a conference at the Singapore Management University.
A top executive of a local bank sat on the panel, and when a student asked for his views on striking a work-life balance, this was his reply:
Put your heart and soul into work while you are young, he said. Work hard until you are about to retire. Only then should you find time to do the things you really want and start spending time with your family.
This philosophy would supposedly help to ease us into retirement when the time comes.
His views troubled me, but I did not have a good counter-suggestion - till now.
I recently read Chasing Daylight by Eugene O'Kelly, the former CEO of accounting firm KPMG.
After rising to the top ranks of the accounting world, MrO'Kelly was diagnosed with brain cancer. He was given 100 days to live.
Though the book is about the writer's impending death and how he 'managed' it professionally, I felt he had clearly put forth a lesson in prioritising. Although (or perhaps because) he did not live a very balanced life, his reflections are powerful.
He wrote about a manager who came home after a three-day trip. The first thing he did, to his family's dismay, was to check his e-mail.
'Is that necessary?,' asked MrO'Kelly.
'In his interview, when the manager was asked why he worked as hard as he did, he replied without hesitation, that it was because he loved his family.
'And he wanted them to know that (despite the fact that his clients had greater access to him than his family).'
MrO'Kelly hired a consultant to teach the manager in the story, and those like him, the simple joy of having dinner with their families with their handphones turned off.
Upon returning home, the manager was told, spend the first 30 minutes giving undivided attention to the family.
This advice made me to think hard about my life too. Even though I'm still in school, I have to confess that I'm guilty of spending 90 per cent of my waking hours stuck to my laptop (even on the train, where I'm writing this article). Unfortunately, this is true for most of my friends as well.
In Singapore, we are taught to be dedicated and hardworking (which is good), but never taught how to prioritise various aspects of our lives.
In his last days, MrO'Kelly organised the people he wanted to spend time with into what he called 'unwinding circles'.
The concept involves six concentric circles featuring the people in his life. The least important people are placed in the outermost circles and the most important ones at the core. For example, the outermost circle may be filled with acquaintances, the next one with close business associates, and his immediate family at the core. MrO'Kelly then spent the most time with the people at the core and less with those on the periphery. It is a simple yet effective way of realising how important certain people are and how much time (and energy) they deserve.
This has made me think of how often we spend our time with those in the outer few circles, at the expense of those in the innermost ones.
Is it really necessary to have breakfast once a week with people in circle one? Maybe not.
As MrO'Kelly wrote: 'When I joined KPMG, I rose through the ranks by sheer hard work. I set an example by being the most hardworking person ever, at every post I took up.
'What if I had set an example of the most accomplished balancer of life? What if I had left work at 5pm every day and yet got all the work cleared and had become a symbol of a family man?'
It's certainly worth thinking about.
The writer is a final-year student at the School of Information Systems at Singapore Management University.
Shashank Nigam
Guest columnist
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Awesomely Bad Love Songs to Avoid
I'm a sucker for 80s music and 80s MTV and last week when I was in KL, there was a VH1 countdown on the top 40 awesomely bad love songs on the MTV Channel. I stayed up to watch and it was fun to hear the quirky comments from song writers, people in the music industry why those chosen songs are awesomely bad.
Here is the list, more than half of them are from the 80s, the cheesy period in music history.
I like some of them actually :)
40. Hero - Enrique Iglesias
39. Is This Love - Whitesnake
38. Joanna - Kool & The Gang
37. God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You - N'SYNC
36. You're The Inspiration - Chicago
35. The Search Is Over - Survivor
34. Get Here - Oleta Adams
33. Truly, Madly, Deeply - Savage Garden
32. When You Close Your Eyes - Night Ranger
31. Heaven - Warrant
30. Suddenly - Billy Ocean
29. You Got It All - The Jets
28. Endless Nights - Eddie Money
27. Eternal Flame - The Bangles
26. All My Life - K-Ci & Jojo
25. Love Of A Lifetime - Firehouse
24. I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) - Meatloaf
23. Rosanna - Toto
22. I Get Weak - Belinda Carlisle
21. When I See You Smile - Bad English
20. Oh Sherrie - Steve Perry
19. All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You - Heart
18. High Enough - Damn Yankees
17. As Long As You Love Me - Backstreet Boys
16. I Drove All Night - Celine Dion
15. All For Love - Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Sting
14. I'll Be Loving You (Forever) - New Kids On The Block
13. The Flame - Cheap Trick
12. Sometimes - Britney Spears
11. To Be With You - Mr. Big
10. I'll Make Love To You - Boyz II Men
9. Hold On To The Nights - Richard Marx
8. I Need A Girl (Part 1) - P. Diddy & Usher
7. Love Somebody - Rick Springfield
6. Key Largo - Bertie Higgins
5. How Can We Be Lovers If We Can't Be Friends - Michael Bolton
4. Tonight I Celebrate My Love - Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack
3. I Adore Mi Amor - Color Me Badd
2. Even The Nights Are Better - Air Supply
1. Truly - Lionel Richie
So think twice before you sing or dedicate any of the above songs to your loved ones :)
Happy Valentine's Day !
Here is the list, more than half of them are from the 80s, the cheesy period in music history.
I like some of them actually :)
40. Hero - Enrique Iglesias
39. Is This Love - Whitesnake
38. Joanna - Kool & The Gang
37. God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You - N'SYNC
36. You're The Inspiration - Chicago
35. The Search Is Over - Survivor
34. Get Here - Oleta Adams
33. Truly, Madly, Deeply - Savage Garden
32. When You Close Your Eyes - Night Ranger
31. Heaven - Warrant
30. Suddenly - Billy Ocean
29. You Got It All - The Jets
28. Endless Nights - Eddie Money
27. Eternal Flame - The Bangles
26. All My Life - K-Ci & Jojo
25. Love Of A Lifetime - Firehouse
24. I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) - Meatloaf
23. Rosanna - Toto
22. I Get Weak - Belinda Carlisle
21. When I See You Smile - Bad English
20. Oh Sherrie - Steve Perry
19. All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You - Heart
18. High Enough - Damn Yankees
17. As Long As You Love Me - Backstreet Boys
16. I Drove All Night - Celine Dion
15. All For Love - Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Sting
14. I'll Be Loving You (Forever) - New Kids On The Block
13. The Flame - Cheap Trick
12. Sometimes - Britney Spears
11. To Be With You - Mr. Big
10. I'll Make Love To You - Boyz II Men
9. Hold On To The Nights - Richard Marx
8. I Need A Girl (Part 1) - P. Diddy & Usher
7. Love Somebody - Rick Springfield
6. Key Largo - Bertie Higgins
5. How Can We Be Lovers If We Can't Be Friends - Michael Bolton
4. Tonight I Celebrate My Love - Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack
3. I Adore Mi Amor - Color Me Badd
2. Even The Nights Are Better - Air Supply
1. Truly - Lionel Richie
So think twice before you sing or dedicate any of the above songs to your loved ones :)
Happy Valentine's Day !
Monday, February 12, 2007
Hong Bao time
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
To queue or not to queue
In the words of William Shakespeare, to queue or not to queue, that is the question :)
I have this incident to share during my recent KL trip.
I was put up at Hilton Kuala Lumpur, situated very near to the KL Sentral station, an interchange where you can commute easily using their different forms of train systems.
Over the span of five days, I use the following trains to get from site to site and it is really a good means of transportation, cheaper and faster than taking a cab.
On my very first trip taking their LRT, after getting down the stairs , I walked towards the yellow line and waited patiently for the train. As the train was abit late, I looked around and was abit shocked to see lines of people queuing! Didnt know they have such a 'system' to queue to get into the trains cos you know in Singapore, we like to queue for food, freebies, buy condos but NEVER for buses or MRT. I felt abit embarrassed cos I realised I was the only soul standing near the yellow line and everyone seems to be staring at me. With that malu look on my face, I went to join in the queue :) I observed this queueing happens in all the different LRT stations that I went to.
A few days later, I decided to go to another shopping mall and in order to reach there, I need to take the KLIA Transit, not the subway type. While making my way down to the train waiting area, I saw hoards of people crowding around the yellow line and there is no queues whatsoever. When the train arrives, everybody try to push and squeeze their way through to get into the train cabins.
Hmm, such double standards. Why can't they adopt a common standard, either queue for all or don't queue at all :)
Well, moral of the story: do as the Romans do.
I have this incident to share during my recent KL trip.
I was put up at Hilton Kuala Lumpur, situated very near to the KL Sentral station, an interchange where you can commute easily using their different forms of train systems.
Over the span of five days, I use the following trains to get from site to site and it is really a good means of transportation, cheaper and faster than taking a cab.
- KLIA Ekspres
- KL Monorail
- KLIA Transit
- KL LRT
On my very first trip taking their LRT, after getting down the stairs , I walked towards the yellow line and waited patiently for the train. As the train was abit late, I looked around and was abit shocked to see lines of people queuing! Didnt know they have such a 'system' to queue to get into the trains cos you know in Singapore, we like to queue for food, freebies, buy condos but NEVER for buses or MRT. I felt abit embarrassed cos I realised I was the only soul standing near the yellow line and everyone seems to be staring at me. With that malu look on my face, I went to join in the queue :) I observed this queueing happens in all the different LRT stations that I went to.
A few days later, I decided to go to another shopping mall and in order to reach there, I need to take the KLIA Transit, not the subway type. While making my way down to the train waiting area, I saw hoards of people crowding around the yellow line and there is no queues whatsoever. When the train arrives, everybody try to push and squeeze their way through to get into the train cabins.
Hmm, such double standards. Why can't they adopt a common standard, either queue for all or don't queue at all :)
Well, moral of the story: do as the Romans do.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Off to Kuala Lumpur
I am at Changi Aiport Terminal two now, at the same free Internet access station where I last blogged before I depart for my previous Beijing trip. Going KL this time, its a short trip, just 5 days to give training. Though KL is just next to Singapore, this is only my 2nd trip there, my first biz trip, earlier trip was a short weekend trip by overnight coach. I have not seen KLCC, Petrona Twin Towers etc, somehow it doesn't excite me to gaga, but anyway, since I will be there, hope can do abit of shopping, see anything nice and cheap to buy :)
Bengawan Solo outlet is just next to me, the 'soon kweh' is beckoning me to go take a bite, will go and get my soon kweh now!
Bengawan Solo outlet is just next to me, the 'soon kweh' is beckoning me to go take a bite, will go and get my soon kweh now!
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Fortune Forecast Lunar 2007
Chinese New Year is less than 3 weeks away and as we await the Year of the Pig, take a look at your fortune for the year ahead. If its good, hope it will turn out well as predicted, if it's not that good, tell yourself your life is in your own destiny so take this forecast as a pinch of salt, ok? :)
Oink Oink, do you know how you fare in my lunar year?
Oink Oink, do you know how you fare in my lunar year?
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