Wishing you all a safe, happy and prosperous New Year! Gott nytt år! Bonne année! Ein gutes neues Jahr! 新年快乐! Feliz ano novo! Feliz año nuevo! あけまして おめでとう ございます!
Melancholia
I knew from the very first images of Melancholia, the 2011 movie written and directed by Lars Von Trier, that it wasn’t going to be me. The premise is interesting though: two sisters, one deeply depressed, coming to terms with (bad) family issues while a planet called Melancholia threatens to hit and destroy Earth. The end of the world. Two parts in the film, each one focussing on one of the sisters. A weird family. Illness, depression, and then nothing. Even if the story is interesting, it failed to grab me, maybe because not much happens (except, I suppose, the end of the world, which is in fact quite a lot!) or maybe because the atmosphere of the movie is suffocating. And with two hours and ten minutes, it is long. By the way, it’s got a stellar cast, Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Ramping, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Gainsbourg… wow. But I expected more.
Filed under Movies
The Women on the 6th Floor
In the 60′s in Paris, a very conservative couple is faced with a group of Spanish maids who live on the 6th (and last) floor of the building owned by the very same couple. A new maid turns up to work for the couple, and their lives take a new turn… This 2010 comedy/love story by Philippe Le Guay is a classic clash of classes. Of course it is one of the best material that exists for comedy, and this one is no exception. It has however deeper moments. You have to know Paris well to realise that the sixth floor of Hausmann buildings was a series of tiny rooms with no running water (and often no heating) sharing one toilet, and which was where the maids lived. These maids were not allowed to use the lift, which didn’t reach their floor anyway. Nowadays these “maid rooms” are rented by students or those who can’t afford larger apartments. I have fond memories of parties on the 6th floor – I actually owned and lived in one of those rooms myself for a few years. “The Women on the 6th Floor” is a good film: funny, never boring, at times tender and beautiful, and so very French – but with a good plot. I think it is one of those very good, low-key French films. I’m not fond of Fabrice Luchini, the main character, but it worked for me this time. Five stars.
Some of my neighbours…
There is a range of creatures living in the park next to our place… possums, kookaburras, parrots, as well as the below cockatoos and flying foxes (fruit bats). My New Caledonian friends love the fruit bats too…. for lunch or dinner! Here in Australia they are a protected species. I did have one for dinner once in Vanuatu, and I think it is safe to say that it also was the last time. I love them, they are beautiful (although you should never park your car under a tree full of them if you don’t want to see the paint disappear!).
Filed under Australia
Already Gone, by John Rector
Jake Reese, a University professor, is attacked by two thugs who cut one of his fingers, and then apologise. A few days later, his finger turns up in the post. You don’t need to be psychic to know that not everything is right. The police is dragging their feet, and then his wife disappears before turning dead in mysterious circumstances. Jake decides to turn to a childhood acquaintance, Gabby, to find out what is happening. Jake knew he shouldn’t do that – and his wife had told him so before disappearing – but it’s too late. And it is something he may regret forever.
We’ve all read so-called page-turners, but “Already Gone” is one. Literally. It is a short novel, full of action and suspense, cliffhangers and twists. You will be eager to finish it as soon as you’ve started it. And it is sometimes a bit bloody, although not in a very graphic sense. I enjoyed the novel. Having said that, I was a tad disappointed by the ending – not that it wasn’t right, it had all the ingredients to keep you on your toes, but I was expecting more I suppose. Maybe it is because the book is so full of twists that I wanted it to end with a big bang… Some of the characters’ actions are also unrealistic at times, in a horror movie kind of way, but it works well. A very good read.
Walking the Talk
I’ve finally managed to read the book! Walking the Talk is a “how to” book, a methodology on managing large cultural change programs within an organisation. Culture change is usually seen as something fuzzy, something that can not be changed or embraced in the same way other enablers of a successful organisation can. But the same successful organisations have all been able to create a strong culture within their business. This book shows how to address culture and make it a key success factor of your business. It goes hand in hand with the “Walking the Talk” service offering (which my company offers) but can be used independently. It is full of practical advice, real-life examples, and tools to manage small and large culture change. I highly recommend it to HR and change management practitioners all over the world. The culture change reference manual.
In this video, the author, Carolyn Taylor, introduces her book:
Filed under Author interview, Books, Non-fiction, Reading
Melbourne random snaps
Melbourne is an amazing place: sunny one second, freezing the next; full of architectural surprises; multicultural; hidden lane-ways; water and parks everywhere; and more importantly, a pleasure for the taste buds – there are so many restaurants and eateries that you wouldn’t have enough a lifetime to try them all.
Spring Fever (Nuits d’ivresse printaniere)
Spring Fever is a 2009 film by Ye Lou; it is a Hong Kong-French coproduction. It was presented to the Cannes Festival of the same year and won the prize for best scenario. To be honest, I wonder if it won the prize more because it tackles a touchy subject (homosexuality in China) than for the film itself. I found it slow, boring, and a tad too long. And the lack of dialogue makes it painful. The story is simple: two men, one of them married, going with each other and slightly confused. A number of characters revolve around them, but I quickly lost track of who was who. Disappointing.
Giant cuttlebone!
As a kid growing up in France I loved finding cuttlebones on the beach. I kept marvelling at the structure of this internal shell, which only cuttlefish have. The cuttlebones I could find didn’t exceed a few centimetres. Here on the Victorian beaches about an hour’s drive from Melbourne, you can find the biggest cuttlebones I have ever come across (see the photo below). This gives you an idea of the size of the cuttlefish which live in these waters… Cuttlefish have ink like squids and octopuses. Did you know that you can read a cuttlebone to find out how many times a cuttlefish has released ink during their lifetime? If the animal has released ink, there will be a thick black line on the inside of the shell structure. Easy!
Filed under Australia
The Tiger, by John Vaillant
The Tiger, by John Vaillant had been on my list of books to read for a while, but because of travel and work, I hadn’t got to it yet. I have now read it. It didn’t take me very long, which is a good sign. This is non-fiction, but Vaillant is fairly good at creating an interesting narrative out of a true story. In Far East Russia, an Amur (Siberian) tiger has been shot at and wounded by a logger and poacher. The tiger stalks him, kills him and eats him. This sends the Primorye region into turmoil, because in spite of the bitter cold, its inhabitants have to go into the Taiga to make a living. There are a number of tigers living there, but they normally don’t attack people. This tiger, however, proved it can be different. Because he was wounded (and indeed many times) he found it hard to hunt, and was starving as a result. After killing and eating his first man, he turned to others and killed a second person from the same village as the first one. This is not new – many similar stories have happened and still happen in India. A search mission was instigated, and the tiger killed. This is all that happens in the book (and not just quite enough for my liking), but Vaillant excels at describing the region, its people, and their drastic living conditions. He also distils very interesting information about Amur tigers, which is why I found the book fascinating. Having said that, after reading the story you don’t really want to go there – if you forget about the beauty of the Taiga, the living conditions and the poverty of the people are just staggering. I have always been fascinated by this part of the world and this is one of the reasons why I picked up this book. I’m less sure now, but come to think of it, I’d still go at the drop of a hat. I know the other side of the border, Chinese Manchuria, and as too often happens in China, not much of the original natural environment remains (and forget about tigers or any kind of animal!). Russia is a different story. Vaillant’s descriptions of the living conditions and unemployment remind me of a few stays I had to make in Moscow in the years 1989-1990. These were tough times, and I do not have great memories of the place. I just couldn’t find anything decent to eat or drink. Quite an experience, but not one I was looking forward to at the time. I understand things are different today. If you are interested in discovering Far East Russia (North West of Vladivostok) and want to know more about the fascinating Amur tiger, then this book is for you. Amur tigers (like most tigers) are heavily poached and their numbers are ever decreasing – this is partly due to the interest and beliefs of the Chinese in regard to the potency of Tiger organs, meat, paws, claws etc. They are ready to pay a fortune for them. This is bad news for the tiger, just as shark fin soup is bad news for sharks. I won’t delve more into the lack of environment protection in China – we’re all aware of it – but as far as tigers are concerned, The Tiger is a great book.
Here’s a link where Vaillant talks about his book:
Filed under Books, China, Non-fiction
