Indochina

Baoding – a small town south east of Beijing in the Hebei province has seen the negative effects of the Olympic Games coming up in a few months. The thirsty northern cities, including Beijing, has been drawing water from the town’s river and aquifers in order to build a lush image for the games.
The local farmers have had to switch from growing rice to wheat and life has been even more difficult than before. A local woman was quoted saying, “we used to be poor and now we are poorer.”

The current project in northern China includes a major irrigation system from the south to the north using the Yangtze and its tributaries. This will quench north’s thirst, let’s hope.

Shockingly, most of the local residents have not developed resentment towards the games. (I guess this is so freakin’ sad they have just accepted their fate.)

As for in Beijing, many of the labourers brought in from the countryside’s to work on the olympics project aka “100 days” (to be completed by April). However, many of them have not been paid by the contractors and the gov’t have yet to do anything about it. Just thinking how the infrastructures for the games (ironically celebrating the human spirit) is built with bloodwork……..for china to show off it’s a world class country…..something wrong with that picture or is it just me?


In other news, read an article about a Vietnamese-American paparazzi today in the Sydney morning herald. His name: Ut. Once famous for this shot of Kim Phuc (see above) during an American air napalm strike (oh did i mention agent orange, too? don't u just love how casual i brought that into the conversation) , he’s now famous for his shot of a distraught Paris Hilton last summer.

The photo leaked around the world in the early 70’s, therefore played a part in pressuring the US to end the Nam war sooner.

Unlike the Vietnam War, the US now controls the coverage of the war on iraq in main stream media a lot more carefully than back then.

Kim Phuc now lives in Toronto where she works for a NGO helping kids in the war-torn countries around the world.

To read more about her: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Phuc

IrwinED

So it’s probably been a week since my last post. I have been busy with work and other poop. Officially done work on Australia day last weekend. The picture above is my man, Irwin, as part of the coin-ride thingy at the shopping center I worked at.

Have been going to the beaches (Coogee) and playing basketball.

Anyways, some randomness about the Aussies.

1) A “large thick milkshake” is pronounced as “Laaage Fick milkshaayke”

2) A bachelorette party is known as “hens night” (however, the bachelor party is sadly not known as “cocks night” or “roosters party”, but rather “bucks night”.

3) “Arvo” is short for afternoon, as in “let’s go to the beach this arvo.”

Read this funny article by Richard Glover of the Sydney Morning Herald, titled “you know you’re an Aussie if….”

1) you know the meaning of “girt”

2) you believe that stubbies can either be worn or drunk

3) you pronounce Penrith as “Pen-riff” and Melbourne as “Mel-bin”

4) you believe the “l” in the word “Australia” is optional.

5) you believe that it makes perfect sense for a country to have a $1 coin that’s TWICE the size to the $2 coin.

6) you believe all famous Kiwis are actually Australian, until they stuff up, at which point they again become Kiwis.

7) Hamburger. Beetroot. Of course.

8) you still don’t get why the “labor” in “Australian Labor Party” is not spelt with an “u”.

9) you understand that “excuse me” can sound rude, while “scuse me” is always polite.

10) you understand that “you” has a plural and it’s “youse”.

11) you know it’s not summer until the steering wheel is too hot to handle.

12) when returning home from overseas, you expect to be brutally strip-searched by customs – just in case you’re trying to sneak in fruit.

13) you understand that all train timetables are works of fiction.

14) you get choked up with emotions by the 1st verse of the national anthem, and then have trouble remembering the second. (advance Australia fair?)

15) you know, whatever the tourist books say, that no one says “cobber”.

16) you believe the more you shorten someone’s name, the more you like them.

17) you know what’s it like to swallow a fly, on occasion via your nose.

18) you believe it’s appropriate to put a rubber in your son’s pencil case when he first attends school.

19) when you hear that an American “roots” for his team, you wonder how often and with whom.

20) you made a bong out of your garden hose rather than use it for something illegal such as watering the garden.

21) you are secretly proud of Australia’s killer wildlife.


Last but not the least, watched 2 Japanese Animation films 2 weeks ago on tv. I had seen them before when I was a kid in Taiwan, brought a lot of childhood memo’s for me. They were “Porko Rosso” and the “Grave of the fireflies”.

About 2 months ago, when I was taking a bus from suburban Sydney to downtown, I saw a short animation clip done by some Chinese guy from Vancouver. I only knew this because it said “John Wong” of Vancouver Film School at the end. How weird……of all places in the world……..displayed on a bus……..in the northern suburbia of Sydney.

"It ain't easy being greasy" - N2gether Now

Been working a lot lately…..it’s been a while since my last blog update.

Watched “the weather man” a few nights ago (fantastic…love the characters, the father……daughter and wife). Nic Cage plays a wonderful bitter/helpless dude.

Switched back and forth with “gattaca” (loved the setting and the display of human will through time that even the “weakest” of us could sometimes be the strongest of all.

I was also able to catch a few glimpse of “The holiday”. Damn, I was mos def multitasking. It was nothing more than a typical RomCom. Waste of time, but yet interestingly filmed. Jack Black is the man.

And of course can’t forget about “borat”, my 2nd love.

Saw this program today called “Don’t tell my mother……….(that I am in……North Korea)” hosted by some French guy. It was pretty neat. Pretty funny to see that on “May Day” they had a “family day” and played this game of attacking a wood board with an American soldier painted on it while screaming “to the death” in Korean.

Watched “the kite runner” with my friend tonight………a great movie. Very touching to say the least. However, one question keeps flowing in my mind: why didn’t amir do something about it when his friend, Hassan, was being raped by an older boy. I am not sure what I would have done, but I would have done something at least to distract the older boy from doing the deed. That shit was fucked up (no pun intended). Damn!

RIP Heath Ledger of Perth.

Ghostly Encounter

Watched American Gangsta today. Fantastic. Makes me wanna bang and slang drugs. haha.......what's wrong with a bit of thug life glorification?

Anyways, I have long thought about this........but was never able to verbalize it until today. I have felt this way for a few weeks now.

When walking on the streets of Sydney, I feel very alone even during rush hours. I feel like a ghost to be exact. Strangers may feel my presence, but not soo much what I am about or what I am doing in Australia (god knows what I am doing here.........I think I have lost my focus here.) I guess I can't expect others to know when I have no idea.

So yeh, although I pretty much wear the same crap daily (I didn't bring much with me for my trip even after I have acquired a few pieces of clothings here in Oz), but nobody seems to notice. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

I desire the day that I will be known again......by my friends.....random people......and just whomever. Is it the ego or am I just going loco? Nah, crazy people never ask themselves if they were crazy. I am sane. I guess this is my way of screaming for attention. Look at me! I am insecure! Whooray!

H to the Izzo

watched Powaqqatsi last night.......part of a trilogy. A like like Baraka, but not as good.

watched Pilot Guides' Vietnam special tonight (noticed I skipped talking about work? it's work....same shit different pile). I shoulda gone to Vietnam...........looks unreal.

anyways, i find it extremely ironic that all these buddahist countries in asia (including taiwan) r all about stepping on the others to get to the top.........to win the game..........yet their buddahist values are the complete opposite.

thinking about renting baraka to watch it. only seen it once before........frosh week of my 1st year at guelph. good times.

Spring In A Small Town

Just watched this Chinese movie called “Spring time in a small town” (the remake in 2002) after work. It wasn’t bad, but typical of a Chinese movie though. However, I love how the characters in the Chinese cinemas are always so reserved………..i love a good Chinese love story. (no, I am not a girl) The relationships between the characters are always so awkward…….and so weird. The sexual tension usually just kills me. Haha

Anyways, the story takes place post WWII, so I guess it’s sometime in the late 30’s or the early 40’s. The director, Tian Zhuangzhuang, has had another movie prior to this one in 93 called “The Blue Kite” and apparently it was quite controversial, but I don’t know anything about it. Something to do with the Red Guards, Mao, and communism labour camp.

Crossover

No, it's not EPMD. It's a title of this movie I saw tonight. (A World Basketball Odyssey).

The documentary went everywhere......from the US to France to South Africa to Serbia and Montenegro. Greece, Taiwan, and Spain.

I am just intrigued by all this. Some American dude went to South Africa for 3 weeks, but stayed for 8 years. Set up his own biz....basketball camp and helpping them out.

I think I could do that......that'd be interesting. I could go on and on about this, but you have to see it for yourself. Having Chuck D narrate the story in a spoke word style is mos def a bonus.

I am thinking about this.....perhaps I could do this: http://hoopedia.nba.com/index.php/Basketball_without_Borders

Choices

Here are my 5 options upon returning to Canada. My friend Cam'ron suggested them:

Diplomat Steve (that's another oxymoron if I ever heard of one)
Carbon Steve - Carbon credit trading (mainly in europe though)
Human Trafficking Steve (to combat it, not part of it....you sickos!)
Rich Gambler Friend Steve - junket (in Macau)
Mailman Steve - (well, just like it says)

Untitled just like D'Angelo

Gotta love this.

Watched Chappelle's Block Party for the 1st time since I saw it with my friend when it first came out back in October 2006. I miss songs like "Bigger than Hip Hop", "Get By", and "Killing Me Softly".

Higher Learning

it's 1:30 am here on sat morning. i just worked my ass off today, got 3 more days to go before my next day off.

watched "higher learning" by john singleton tonight...........very typical of his style. mostly racial related.

u know how one knows it's a particular producer or director's movie when they could just tell by its Genre, way of the film was shot......editing and even sound? that's exactly it with guys like The Neptunes (hip hop producers), Spike Lee (his love for double takes), Wes Anderson....etc.

i only mentioned spike lee because i like his stuff.........a bit repetitive, but always thought provoking. as for wes anderson, just saw Darjeeling's Limited yesterday by myself at the theaters. i had no idea darjeeling was a place in the west bengals in india before that. i knew the movie took place in india though.

anyways the stype of shooting and the soundtrack were both so distinctively wes anderson. u could not mistaken it with any other directors. it's like a tim burton movie, u wouldn't think otherwise! almost like a signature move by a basketball player. i could see the silhouette of the movement and be able to tell which player it is.

*i really enjoyed the royal tennabaums" by Wes Anderson.

i actually thought little miss sunshine was done by wes anderson, but it's not..........certainly similar enough though.

lastly, for real this time, i know this is random (but what isn't about me?)........there are lots of great movies.......i particularly found any movies that touches upon race to be intriguing. my fav movie of all time has got to be American History X.

so powerful. graphic?...hell no........it's the type of subject one couldn't do without being so intruding that even the audience watching it could feel the wrath from their seats.

it really makes u wonder how we could be soo cruel towards one another based on blind hatred and the colour of our skins. as for my fav actor of all time.........hands down to my boy Edward Norton. johnny depp ain't got nothing on him (gotta love the double negatives).

Aussie Talk

A picture of the 2007 New Years Eve over the Sydney Harbour. You can find more of the pictures from Sydney Morning Herald's site at http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/2008/01/01/1198949751852.html

Anyways, I just wanted to say that they talk funny here.

Butter is pronounced as "Butt Er" instead of "But Ter".

Ketchup is "Red Tomato Sauce" (why put the red in the front? ask them aussies)

Tin foil is "alfoil" (short for aluminum).

Aluminum is pronouced "Alu Min Um" instead of "Alu Mi Num"

Summer is pronouced like "Summa" and Colour is "Colla" ( I guess that's more like the Brits)

Bicycles are called "Pushbikes"

Baby strollers are called "Prams" (fyi: a pram is like a retacgular flat bottom boat)

Strand is same as beach

The Darjeeling Limited - Factory Girl - Samsara

Lazy day today after balling in downtown Sydney yesterday. Conclusion, the aussies, germans and SE asians can't ball.

Watched Factory Girl this morning then went to a theater to see The Darjeeling Limited. I have always liked Wes Anderson's movies.......The Royal Tennebaums and...

Darjeeling reminded me a lot of my trip to India with my 2 friends. If I were to identify myself with one of the brothers in the movie, I'd be Jack. Nick'd be Peter and Charles would be Francis.

Gotta love the off beat humour and a sense of corkiness from Wes Anderson. The soundtracks for his movies are always fantastic. Though he didn't do Little Miss Sunshine but I could see that being his style.

All that's said and done, I still can't take Owen Wilson seriously. How the heck did he get that role in Behind Enemy Lines?

I think Wes Anderson has a weird relationship with Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray or the Wilson brothers. He always has them in his movies.

I guess it's like Adam Sandler and Rob Schineder.

While watching Darjeeling, I recognized that one of the indian dudes from another movie - The Namesake. His name was Irfan Khan. Pretty neat.

I looked him up on imbd and found out that he's working on a movie called "Road to Ladakh" due in 2008. This further reminded me of another movie I saw a couple of days ago called "Samsara" aka The World when translated from Sanscript.

Pretty neat movie about some Tiebetian monk and his choice to leave his pursue for eternal enlightment for The World, which is full of desires, dangers, happiness, and confrontations. The commonality between Irfan and Samsara is that Samsara was the first motion picture to be filmed entirely in Ladakh, India.

Prior to that, Ladakh was off limits to even the Indian citizens.

Am I on a movie binge? Indeed. More to come.

I must have seen over 40 movies since I have been to Australia 2 months ago. I wonder if they have a support group for movie addicts.