死ぬまでにしたい10のこと - My life without Me

週末、姐が勧めた「花様年華」を見ようとしましたが、小さいレンタル屋しかない近所にはなかなか、香港の古い映画を借りることはできなかったため、洋画の「チェンジリング」と「死ぬまでにした10のこと」を借りました。時間がないため、取りあえず7年前の映画の「死ぬまでにしたい10のこと」を鑑賞しました。

すごく、もりたくさんで、感動シーンばっかりの映画ではないです。けど、なぜか、一つ一つのシーンが頭に残り、胸いっぱい感じがした。ごく普通のことしか写ってなくて、ごく普通の「10のこと」ですが、すごく考えさせられました。自分ならどうだったんだろう、旅に出るとか、思い出をたくさん作るとか、家族との時間一分一秒でも増やしたいとか、娘との写真を現像し切れないほど撮るとか。。。でもよく考えたら、ひょっとして彼女と一緒かもしれない。。。これは、本当の現実だから？これの方が悔いが無い？これの方が家族の悲しむ記憶や思い出が最少限に押さえられるから？これの方が大切な時間を無駄にしないから？。。。なぜか涙が溢れてきた。

自分のしておきたいこと、しないといけないこと、時間かぎりではなく、常にできたでしょうか？なぜ、言わないといけないことがなかなか口から出せないだろう、人間って後悔しない限り、大切さを理解することは不可能でしょうか？

In the weekend, I tried to borrow the film 'In the mood for love' recommended by my sister. However, due to there are only small rental shops around my house. Only a small choice for Hong Kong films... so I rent 'Changelings' and 'My life without me' instead. Lack of time, I went for the old film made 7 years ago 'My life without me'.

There are not much sceneries or touching scenes. But, don't know why, every single shot get caught in my head so clearly which filled my heart. The '10 things' she wanted to do is so simple and every scene is simple too, but so rich that keeps me thinking & thinking over & over again. Will I do the same thing as her? I will want to travel to places I have never been to, I will make as much memories as I can, I will precious every single min & seconds with my family, I will take pictures that I can no longer take with my daughters... but... thinking deeper, maybe I will do the same as her. Maybe this is what reality is, maybe this will have less regrets, maybe this will lessen the pain and sad memories for my love ones, maybe this is the best way to precious the time left... tears started to run down my checks.

I wonder if I have done the things I need to do or I want to do at all times. Why is so hard to say some words to the ones I love? Do we always need to regret so as to realize how important it is? I hope I'm leading a life with me in it, and with the things I like and people I love.

Hinamatsuri - The Doll Festival

3rd March is the festival of Hinamatsuri - The Doll Festival. Where you celebrate for the good health and prospects of the girls. Most of the family will have their set of dolls decorated to celebrate. Because I love dolls so much, this is one of the festivals that I love in japan.

But in late years (maybe 10-20 years), due to the less number of children, grandpas & grandmas love their grandchild so much that they buy a whole new set for them. But a good set of Hina dolls really can cost a fortune. So, as far as I've seen, mostly you only get the main tier... What's the main tier?? → For the most traditional set, you will have 7 tiers!! Here it is:

The 1st tier: The Emperor (お内裏様 Odairi-sama) & The Empress (お雛様 Ohina-sama)

The 2nd tier: Three court ladies (三人官女 San nin kanjo), 

one will have no eye browns and with black teeth!! 

to show that she is married or the eldest court lady 

that will never get married!!) Besides the ladies, 

there is also little table-top stands for you to 

put in the seasonal sweets. 

The 3rd tier: Five male musicians (五人囃子 Gonin bayashi) 

as same the japanese 'Noh'

                        The small drum (太鼓 taiko)

                        The large drum (大鼓 Otsuzumi)

                        The hand drum (小鼓 Kotsuzumi)

                        The flute (笛 Fue)

                        The singer that holds a fan (謡い方 Utaikata)

The 4th tier: Two ministers, the left minister (左大臣 Sadaijin) & 

the right minister (右大臣Udaijin) In between,

there will be small tables to put seasonal sweets again.

The 5th tier: A mandarin orange tree on the right and a cherry tree 

on the left. Where 3 helpers will be in the middle.

The 6th & 7th tier: Furnitures, carriages etc.

So the main tier will be the Emperor & Empress. Mostly, you will either have the main tier, 3 tiers, 5 tiers or the whole set. You don't get them in 2 tiers or 4 tiers!! Some family only shows the main tier even if they have the whole set, because of all the trouble to take them out and pack them in again!!

You usually start decorating them around a month before the 3rd March. However, it is known to pack them in soon after the 3rd, or else the girl it represents will get married in a late years!! Some sayings even say that if the girl gets married, you don't take out the dolls to decorate anymore!! But like my mother-in-law, she still takes them out every year so as to give them some air and refresh their spirit. This year, due to we have a new baby girl from my sister-in-law, the dolls have been passed to her bringing her good health and prospects!!

Chris Doyle & Wong Kar Wai Love Fest

I'm a big fan of Christopher Doyle and Wong Kar Wai. I've never been sure what's truly at the heart of my infatuation—Doyle's cinematography, or Wong's storytelling. It was one of the questions lurking at the back of my mind when hubby and I decided to do our own in-home film fest of all of Wong Kar Wai's movies. We've gone through four of his early films so far.

私はクリストファー・ドイルとウォン・カーウァイの大ファンです。けど、夢中させてくれたのはドイルさんの映画撮影術なのか、ウォンさんの物語だろうか、未だにはっきりしないです。この疑問はずっと頭の中で残ってて、夫と家でウォン・カーウァイの映画祭りを開催しました。今のところ、当初の作品を４本鑑賞しました。

As Tears Go By　いますぐ抱きしめたい

Chungking Express (twice!)　恋する惑星（二回!）

Fallen Angels (twice!)　天使の涙（二回!）

Ashes of Time　楽園の瑕

Based on what we've seen, I suspect it's really Chris Doyle I'm in love with.

"As Tears Go By" was the only film I felt let down by. While I loved it when I first saw it as a kid, it felt awfully outdated and over-acted today. It's the only one of the four films that's not shot by Chris Doyle.

On the other hand, the other three films still felt fresh and mesmerizing. I enjoyed them as much as, if not more than, when I first saw them. And a big reason why is how powerful and seductive Chris Doyle's cinematography continues to feel despite all the time that's passed.

Next up in our home film fest: Days of Being Wild, In the Mood for Love, and Room 2046.

見た映画からの判断だと、きっとドイルのことが好きだ。

唯一がっかりしたのは「いますぐ抱きしめたい」です。小さい頃見たときはとても好きだったけど、今にしてはすごく古くさくて、演技も大げさだった。この４本の中で、唯一ドイルが撮影してない1本です。

逆に、残りの３本はいまだに、新鮮で魅了を感じる。初めてみた時と同じく、楽しく鑑賞できた。もう一つ大きな理由は、こんなに歳月を経ってにも関わらず、ドイルの映画撮影術はとても強くて、誘惑的です。

次に我が家の映画祭りに上演するのは：欲望の翼、花様年華、2046

For Pets (Part 2) - Manner Belt

Here is another pet toilet goods that may not be popular in your country. But in japan, this is quite common. While boys like to pee here and there to conquer its district, it will be a problem when you bring your buddy to a friend's house. (especially when there are other doggie boys around!!)
So, this is when this 'Manner Belt' show off its power. It will wrap up your buddy's stomach, so whenever he tried to pee, it will all go to the toilet sheet kept in the inside pocket of the belt. 

My baby boy - Mocha, just never stop peeing when we are at friend's house, especially when there are other doggies around, he even do it on the other owner's leg, so this was really a great help when I have to look after 2 babies at a time!! Of course, you have to change the sheets inside from time to time, like changing diapers for real babies. And keeping it dry from time to time is important if you have to wear it on your buddy for a long hours.

For Pets - Toilet Sheets

I wonder if this only available in Japan? I remember when I was in Hong Kong, we never come to an idea of buying toilet sheets for our doggies. We only get a toilet where we place newspaper in the under tray. But my former baby girl don't like to step on the wires on the top, where we have to put newspaper on the top too and poke holes to let the pee pee drip down!! (sorry, if this is drops your appetite... :p)

But in japan, we have these toilet sheets for pets that is like diapers for babies. And I find it quite convenient and hygienic. They range from all kind of prices & sizes, good absorbent power, dry touch even after pee pee, long lasting, adore absorbent!! While I have 2 baby maltese now, I got the cheapest one I can get, which cost around USD8.6 a pack with 100 pieces!! This will last around 2 months, so it will be around 14 cent a day. What do you think??

The Tofu

About the mobile tofu shop mentioned in past post. We had the tofu with japanese ginger and dried bonito fish flakes. This mobile tofu shop's tofu is from a store at the fish market of tokyo called Noguchiya. The same amount of yellow beans used for normal tofu will make around 1200 blocks, while Noguchiya can make only 350 blocks. Which means, the taste is rich & sweet with heavy bean taste. Using of natural water and selected beans is also what makes it special. By just 1 bite you will know the difference!!

In love with Cop-Copine

I adore Cop-Copine's gorgeous clothing line. Especially the dresses. They're dreamy and evocative. The designs are unique and creative, yet always approachable in a whimsical way. The delicate little design touches make me smile whenever I put on one of their pieces.

This is one of my absolute favorite Cop-Copine dresses. The babydoll cut is so adorable to wear, on its own or with a shirt underneath. (Here it's paired with a hand-made necklace from the lovely Mademoiselle Montaut, who occasionally sells her pieces on Etsy.)

The layers and scrunchy hemline give it a wispy, floaty look.

I love the subtle flower patterns and diamond-shaped hashmarks on the fabrics, and the decorative stitches. The texture of the fabrics is light and diaphanous. The downside is that it catches and tears a bit too easily.

You can daydream about Cop-Copine's 2010 Spring and Summer collection on their delightful website. From a usability perspective, the site may be a bit of a maze. But it's a magical place to lose yourself in if you love beautiful clothes!

Japanese Culture

This is a common thing in japan that I found it quite interesting. Wonder if your country have the same kind of thing? This guy here is selling 'Tofu' around the neighbour hood. In the past, it is more common and mostly it is an uncle or grandpa. Maybe because you can get a supermarket just around the corner, it is not that common anymore. (Just the other day, found out that a relative still buy tofu from this kind of mobile store though!!) Anyway, today is Sunday & the weather is sunny. With a happy mood, we bought some tofu from this mobile store too... rather expensive then those from the supermarkets but the quality is different. Maybe this is why they still exsist.

Art in the Mission

I love the Mission district in San Francisco. The restaurants, the lively bar scene, the funky shops, and especially the colorful murals.

Superstitious thoughts for Chinese New Year

If you follow the Chinese "Tong Shu" Almanac, we entered the period of 立春, "Spring begins," yesterday. Another week and a day to Chinese New Year on February 14. Eight more days, and we say good-bye to a character-building year of the Ox, and move on to what I hope will be a lively year of the fearless Tiger! This week, I shall give thanks for the lessons of the past year, pay a respectful goodbye to the last 太歲, and make preparations to welcome the new year.

Superstition? Depends on perspective and intentions. When I was younger, I was staunchly anti-superstition—rational, scientific-minded, thoroughly modern and Westernized. I looked down upon the old-fashioned, backward practices of "uneducated" folks. Superstition! I thought.

Now, I seek to reconnect with nature and understand the cosmos. I yearn to feed my spiritual life, and explore the mysteries of being a living creature on this earth. So I come full circle, as I believe that ancient beliefs and practices are useful pointers in my quest. It makes sense, since they are based on patient observations of the earth, the stars, energies, and how everything is inter-related.

If my intention is to observe respectfully and live with awareness, if I don't follow everything mindlessly and slavishly, then perhaps it's okay to be a little superstitious!

Olympus PEN Lite E-PL1

The New Olympus PEN, launch on 3rd Feb, 2010 2月3日新発売
ほしい。。。でも、写真に詳しくない私にはもったいないかしら。。。価額もいい値段するなあ～　でもなぜか、このデザインに引き寄せられた、かわいい！！

Should I or shouldn't I?... I'm not at all good at photo taking (love it though), but will this be a waste if this camera falls in my hand? Not a small sum of money, (especially for my status now...) but just can't stop thinking of it...

WeAr

This is a global magazine that our family like. Just got 1 back from Italy, and here are the scraps I like!!

イタリアから'WeAr'を購入してもらった。好きなものをスクラップして見た。↑天井が高くて、素敵な店だな。。。こういうアトリエが憧れですね。。。

I want to get married

All this talk about the wonderfulness of being a married woman made me think of this humorous song from Nellie McKay.

Oh isn't it wonderful to be a wife in America!

The Pew Research report on the rise of women, or more specifically, the rise of wives, just came out last month. The key takeaway? It's good to be a married woman today!

On the surface, the report should make women feel pretty good.

• There are a lot more men whose wives make more money than they do—from 4% of married men in 1970 to 22% in 2007
• Women are more educated than men—amongst married couples, wives tend to be more educated than husbands, and more women than men are graduating from colleges

But...

A woman still makes only $0.71 for every $1.00 that a similarly qualified man makes.

Yes, it's a step forward from 1950, when a woman made $0.52 for every $1.00 that a man made. But we still have $0.29 to go before the finish line.

Those last few cents will be hard to even out. Nowadays, few folks talk about feminism or equality for women. When it comes up, it's about the wonderful strides women have made. Folks will point to the Pew Report as proof. Things may not be equal, but it's equal enough that it doesn't feel like a worthy cause.

Putting numbers aside, I'm interested in the human stories. A girlfriend who is the breadwinner in her family told me that she takes care not to talk about work at home. She agreed when her husband wanted to keep working instead of stay at home with their young children, even though his take-home pay was pretty much the cost of daycare for the kids. But that's what keeps their marriage going strong. Perhaps there is an opportunity for a documentary to capture their story, and stories of other such families.

In the mean time, ladies, keep running!

Setsubun - Spring is coming too in Japan!

Today, 3rd Feb is Japan's festival - Setsubun, the day before the start of each season. But nowadays, when you say Setsubun, usually it means the day before spring, where spring is peeping at the corner giving you the heart of hope for a fresh start.

Most typical events will be throwing fried yellow beans out of the house, yelling 'Oni ha soto, Fuku ha uchi'. Which means, devil outside & happiness inside!! May your spring be filled with happiness and hope.

Spring is on its way

Today is Imbolc, the mid-point of winter. Light will soon overcome dark. Time to prepare for spring's arrival. Time for new beginnings, to refresh, renew, prepare to rejoice!

Coincidence, or my heart moving in rhythm with nature? Yesterday, I was inspired to get some spring flower bulbs for the house.

What inspires you?

Chris Doyle, Isadora Duncan, Kieslowski, Almodovar, Frida Kahlo, Totoro... These are the gods and goddesses I keep at my desk to stir me, fire me up, watch over me.

Give it a try. Get your hands dirty, and create a collage of things that make you happy, excited, fearless, like you're an invincible creative warrior.

Ghibli 2010 Summer Release

The new Ghibli film is going to launch in this summer 2010. By just translating the tile, it will be -  'Arriety's living by borrowing'. (Karigurashi) But it will be more appropriate if it is 'Arriety, the Borrower'. Seems like Mr. Miyazaki likes the sound of 'Arriety', but insist to have the theme 'live by borrowing' in the tile. This is a film reflecting the life that may occur in japan now... where the finance is bad, Mr. Miyazaki thinks that living by borrowing will be a new life style. 

I actually like the idea of that... not in a poor and sad way, but just like the 'Smarfs' I used to see when I was young. A warm community to share or exchange what you have to make a living. And not just goods, but also communicate and share feelings with each other... Hmm, sounds like back to the old days where there is no thing such as 'money'. Is life now better, or the past is more worth living in?