1) Red Cliff 赤壁
I had the pleasure of watching Red Cliff last night, staring Tony Leung (梁朝偉) and Takeshi Kaneshiro (金城武）. The movie really was quite a joy to watch, especially for those like me who know very little about Chinese history but have an unquenchable thirst for violent depictions of its military prowess. The scenes were beautiful, capturing vivid images of warfare, contemplation, lust, and struggle, and along the way, I learned a thing or two about China's history, however out of order, skewed, and popularized it may be. At least I now have a faint idea of the sequential order of the many dynasties, and the movie has even prompted me to search for a map tracing the political boundaries of the many dynasties throughout China's 4000 year history. I'm sure it exists out there. I just have to find it. If my efforts fail, I'll just compile and draw one myself with the abundance of free time that I have. But back to the movie. Despite the movie being a highly satisfying 2hrs and $60 well spent, I left with a bitter taste. The movie, you see, is called Red Cliff because it tells the story of the battle at Red Cliff, which by my understanding, is the last stand during the Han Dynasty circa 200 AD immediately preceding the emergence of the Three Kingdoms. I'm not a history buff and can't tell you more about the significance of this battle, but any battle that signifies the end of one and the beginning of another era is one worth noting. Yet despite the movie's name, the movie itself only builds up to the battle at Red Cliff, and doesn't continue to stage the epic battle!! Just when all the pieces were in place, the screen not-so-ceremoniously shows the words "to be continued...". Can you imagine my frustration with sitting through 2 hours of a movie to end up not being shown the scene for which the movie is named after? It'd be equivalent to a movie depicting the H-bomb in Hiroshima to never actually show how it happened or what ensued. I now have to wait until the sequel comes out, whenever that may be, and in the meantime am left grappling with the irritation of a truncated ending.
2) Miss HK Pageant (Part 2)
I realize pictures can be misleading (or how about Miss Leading, a la Miss Photogenic, Miss Congeniality, etc.?), and so compiled a second round of Miss HK candidate photos to continue my poll on who has the most potential to be crowned this year's winner.
After this second look, I've given my votes to #3, 5, and 8. What's your vote? Here's the tally thus far. Pink denotes round 1 votes, and white denotes round 2 votes.
3) Wedding Photos
Quite a few of my friends are now engaged, and so the topic of wedding planning is often discussed, with me as the quiet observer with nothing of value to add to the conversation. One piece of the wedding puzzle that has particularly caught my eye are wedding photos. I believe most people typically have a set shot to leave as a memory of their youth and their love. Great. But most of the time these photos try too hard to capture the essence of romance, leaving the soon-to-be newly weds as puppets at the photographer's mercy - a bad decision that often lends its way to photos like this one:
I don't know this couple and only found this image online as an example. But seriously now, is this how the couple truly wants to remember their wedding? The frail man falling wounded in the arms of his new bride? I don't think so.But instead, let me draw your attention to this gem I found featuring my close friends Eko and Charissa. They're probably gonna kill me for putting this photo up, but THIS, is the pinnacle of wedding photo perfection:
Everything about this image is unequivocally and unapologetically cool. They make no mistake in telling you they're badass! =)
4) iPhone 3G launch
Congrats to all you who bought your new iPhones. I'm tempted to get one myself, but my personal financial advisor is telling me not to. I might have to fire him soon.
I have no qualms against iPhone owners, no matter how many hours in line they stood and waited to get their hands on that newly minted gem. But I do have a problem with guys like this who wear a shirt with the word "Jealous?" written across the front as part of a calculated effort to make his way to fame as Hong Kong's first iPhone 3G owner (photo: South China Morning Post):
If Eko and Charissa's photo epitomized coolness, this photo should sit in the Webster-Merriam dictionary next to the word "Asshole".
1 comment:
Nice photo of Eko. I know exactly what you mean with the wedding photos thing. I don't think pointing at empty space and glazing at a distance mean anything. 5 years later they might be wondering what they were thinking/looking at the time...I'm more into the hi-fashion photoshooting style so hopefully mine will turn out ok (doing them on the 25th).
As for the Miss HK...I'll stick with my original vote of 5, 7, 8! :)
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