I love my new iPhone! It took me forever to get one, but I took the opportunity that I was moving back to Australia to get on with the program and enter the world of iPhoners. No regrets. I am amazed at the quality of the photos it takes, so I keep taking random photos as I move around my day. I’ll post one or two here from time to time. This one I took at the office in Melbourne last week. I was about to start a meeting and realised the view was to die for. Enjoy!
I have decided that contemporary French and Chinese movies have quite a bit in common. This includes people smoking all the time and yelling at each other every five minutes or so. There’s also a fair amount of drinking going on at times. I’ve just watched The Equation of Love and Death, a 2008 Chinese movie directed by Cao Baoping. In the film, the main character Li Mi, who is searching for her boyfriend who left her suddenly four years earlier, smokes and screams more than she breathes. Okay, this is a little exaggerated. And her life is not easy. She works as a taxi driver, showing every passenger a photo of her ex and asking them if they have seen him. A suicide will trigger a series of events, all interlinked, and leading her to her ex. Three stories are the backbone of the movie: Li Mi’s search for her boyfriend, the fate of two drug traffickers, and Li Mi’s boyfriend’s erratic behaviour. Gradually each story will run into each other, creating a web of connections and complexities. Life in Chinese cities is well pictured. This movie falls into the thriller/suspense category, and it’s quite okay. A bit grim, but Chinese movies are often like that, I think. I wish Li Mi would smoke and scream a little less, but I forgive her. Now, has anyone seen this movie and know where it was filmed? I got excited more than once because I seemed to recognise my beloved Kunming, in particular the pedestrian bridge at the crossing of Dong Feng Dong Lu (区东风东路) and Bai Ta Lu (白塔路). Can anyone confirm that?
I’m adding the trailer to this banter. Unfortunately it’s in Chinese and there are no subtitles, but you’ll see what I mean about the yelling! 
I was looking forward to reading The Colour of Death, by Michael Cordy, as most reviews I had read were good or even very good. It goes to show that you can never take reviews at face value – or at least that it’s not because most liked it that you will also like it. This novel didn’t really work for me. It took me a long time to read it, and it may be because I was moving house (and country) while reading it, but to be honest if it had been riveting, I know I would have finished it a long time ago. The story could have been interesting, but it just didn’t keep me on edge, and it was all fairly predictable. The characters felt a little like cardboard characters, their behaviours didn’t sound true, and at times it wasn’t moving much. Another problem I found is that you heard all the characters’ voices – including those of the antagonists – and it took away some of the mystery, nothing was left unsaid. And the plot (in terms of the actions of the characters) was not always credible. Give it a try though if you like supernatural stories, as the premise is interesting. The novel is about a young woman who appears on the scene after saving several captive women from a horrible death. But she has no memory of who she is whatsoever, so the police, helped by a psychiatrist called Nathan, try to help her remember where she comes from. Nathan quickly discovers that Jane Doe (as she is called by the police) has the power to relive people’s deaths, especially if they have been violent and painful. All of a sudden, Jane’s father turns up to pick up his daughter and take her back to the sect that he leads somewhere in a forest far away from civilisation. Nathan can’t help feeling something is wrong, and against his better judgement, decides to follow Jane and her father into the sect. What he discovers is a combination of lunacy, murders and sex, which he will help to bring to an end – saving Jane (whose real name is Sorcha) in the process. There you go… If you read it, I’d love to know what you think.
Au Revoir Taipei is a 2010 film directed by Arvin Chen. As the title suggests, it takes place in Taipei! Kai (Jack Yao) has been dumped by Faye, his ex-girlfriend who’s moved to Paris. Kai has no money but intends on joining her in Paris to try to fix their relationship. He gets involved with a customer of his parents’ dumpling restaurant, Brother Bao (Frankie Gao) who agrees to lend him the money to fly to Paris if he agrees to take with him a package, the content of which has to remain secret. But Bao’s nephew has something else in mind. In the space of a single night, Kai finds himself chased by a group of thugs who are after the package which has just been delivered to him. Susie, a girl he met in a bookstore (Amber Kuo) while learning to speak French in his spare time, is his reluctant compadre in this wild chase. Will Kai go to Paris? Will he be arrested by the police? Au Revoir Taipei is a love story, simple, discreet, sweet but effective in the end. It verges on boring at times, but a range of weird and quirky characters make it really interesting and even fun. I particularly loved the way the film was shot. Very dark (remember, it happens at night), re-creating the atmosphere that is so typical of Taipei: hidden, calm, almost dull. I love the scenes in the bookstore. Nowhere else in the world are the bookstores like those from Taipei: the layout, the shelves, the book colours, all are unique to Taiwan. And Taipei has so many bookstores! You also get a glimpse of the night markets, with their food stalls and strolling visitors. Night markets are another great feature of Taiwan. The actors speak Mandarin with a Taiwanese accent, of course, which I found difficult to understand at times (It was captioned, thank God). It reminded me that one of the greatest difficulties in learning Mandarin for me was that no one in China speaks the same way. Most people are bilingual, they speak their own dialect as well as Mandarin, but often their Mandarin is so heavily accented that it sounds like a foreign language. Not easy for the non-Chinese! Oh, I forgot to mention that the music of the film is great, really.
I’ve realised this blog is becoming more of a travel blog than a writer’s blog these days. I wonder what it’s going to turn into next? Anyway, I just meant to post a picture or two of the Grand Canyon. It is probably one of the most famous natural wonders of the world, and it is indeed beautiful. A bit scary for anyone who doesn’t like heights since there are no fences and you look straight down. I couldn’t help wonder how many people have fallen over since it’s been open for tourism. A friend of mine had a bad fall there years ago and she had to be airlifted out of the canyon. But she had only slipped on some rock or something. Here are the pix.
I watched THE READER a few nights ago, the 2008 movie by director Stephen Daldry based on the eponymous book by Bernhard Schlink. I read the book many years ago, which was a good thing because I had forgotten the details of the story, and as a result, I think I enjoyed the film more than if I had seen it straight after reading the book. The story opens in post-world war II Germany when teenager Michael Berg becomes the lover of Hanna, a woman twice his age. They lead a passionate affair, during which Michael reads Hanna stories and novels. But Hanna mysteriously disappears one day and Michael is left heartbroken. Some years later, while Michael is a law student attending Nazi war crime trials, he is confronted to Hanna again. This time she is the accused in the courtroom. Hanna’s terrible past is slowly revealed and Michael is faced with the terrible truth of what Hanna did. The movie is okay. It’s all about atmosphere, and The Reader one of those films where actors say something and their partner looks at them for a long time without saying anything or replies hours later. It’s a bit annoying after a while. Other than that, I enjoyed it. Hanna is played by Kate Winslet, who won an award for her role. The movie also stars Ralph Fiennes, as a much older Michael. I like Fiennes.
I’m back on deck! The move from Hong Kong to Australia proved harder than I thought… Finding a place to live was a challenge, with lots of competition and a tight market. We have found a nice place though, in a suburb of Melbourne called South Yarra, probably the nicest suburb I have ever lived in. And it’s only 1o minutes from work, which is a bonus (I hate commuting). The job’s been full-on from day one, with projects all over Australia and a lot of flying around. I am enjoying it though. As you can imagine, the reading and writing have not been a priority, but I am now dying to get back on track!
Before I started work, we went to visit Phillip Island, one and a half hour’s drive from Central Melbourne. Phillip Island is roughly 15 kilometres by 9 kilometres. It is linked to the mainland by a bridge and is famous for hosting the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, which was being held while we were there. A beautiful coastline, pristine waters, protected bush and an abundance of wildlife: wallabies, rabbits, a large seal colony and many birds, including the amazing Muttonbirds (Shearwaters) which come here to reproduce after spending the Australian winter in Northeastern Russia, what a journey! The first seal we saw was dead. Its body was lying on the beach and it was missing a huge chunk of its backside… taken away by a shark, most probably one of the great whites which live in the area. We were not at risk: the water is very cold and we were not about to go swimming, or even put a toe in. I couldn’t help wonder about the surfers though, but the ones we met said they are not fazed by sharks, which they encounter quite often. The most famous inhabitants of Phillip Island though, are not the seals and the sharks, but the Fairy Penguins! They are the highlight of a trip to the island. At dusk they swim back en masse to the shore to reach their burrow, in which a partner is sometimes waiting with an egg or two – or a baby penguin. They are very cute! The area is totally protected, but you can join a tour to observe the penguins at night. Most tourists gather in the main spot with a huge crowd. We decided to join what was called the “ultimate tour” and were not disappointed: a ranger led us to a secluded area on the beach, and we sat down on the sand to wait in silence for the little fellows. They turned up at the expected time and waddled their way to the shore. We saw about a hundred of them that night, walking around us, eyeing us with suspicion before moving on. Magic! As we made our way back to the main area we came across many of them having a chat in the bushes or getting ready for a good night’s sleep before going back to sea before sunrise. Too cute for words!
I said in my previous post that you wouldn’t hear from me in a while, but I was obviously wrong! The combination of a typhoon in Hong Kong on the day our removalists were supposed to turn up and masses of people wanting to leave Hong Kong at the occasion of the Chinese National Day holiday has left me stranded at the airport. I have finally managed to get a seat on a plane to Sydney tonight, but this means I will get there a good 48 hours after heading to the airport the first time…. As a consequence, I have stacks of time for reading (and of course, writing this banter). I finished We need to talk about Kevin, by Lionel Shriver. This book won the 2005 Orange Prize for Fiction. It is a psychological, harrowing, disturbing exploration of several important topics which include responsibility and accountability, guilt, the “nature or nurture” question, innate evil, and – let’s not forget the heart of the story – what it means to be a parent (or a child), as well as the why of mass shootings. Phew! Do you think that’s enough? My sister-in-law gave me the book after reading it and warned me about the “difficult” ending chosen by Shriver. So of course, I was looking for that ending from the very start, but apart from one element, I missed it until it finally dawned on me about fifty pages from the word “End”. The book is written in the form of letters addressed by Eva to her estranged husband Franklin; I thought it would annoy me, but it didn’t, on the contrary. It provides a wonderful insight into what goes through Eva’s mind as she initially refuses to have a child, then gives in, much to her husband’s surprise and utmost joy. But things turn a little sour, as their son Kevin is nothing what they expect – and not someone they are able to understand. At all. The letters explore the relationship between Kevin and her mother, between Kevin and her father, but also between Eva and Franklin themselves. At times I found myself angry at one or the other, sad, happy or simply sympathetic, but never neutral. Having children is often not an easy (Read: natural) decision for women, unlike what many would like to believe, and this book is quite courageous in many ways. I am already thinking of quite a few friends to recommend it to. It’s well written and clever. But what I loved about it is that even after finishing it, I keep thinking about what it means. It’s not quite philosophical, but almost. It’s definitely a great book, and I wish I had read it earlier. It’s also a nice change from the crime novels I have been reading lately. Since reading We need to talk about Kevin, I have discovered that it was made into an eponymous movie this year. I think I’ll go and see it if I can. It was directed by Lynne Ramsey, and stars Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly and Ezra Miller. We need to talk about Kevin, the book: five stars!
That’s it, the time has come! Tomorrow we will be moving back from Hong Kong to Australia, not to Sydney where I normally live, but to Melbourne. It’s an exciting time for us, and we’re happy to settle in a new city. Of course, I have been to Melbourne many times for work, but never actually lived there. It was recently voted the most liveable city in the world, so it can’t be a bad choice, can it? Having said that, I have no idea when my next post will go up. With having to find somewhere to live, organising all the paperwork, meeting with friends, and last but not least starting a new job, I think my blog may suffer a bit. Bear with me!
I’m currently reading “We need to talk about Kevin“, by Lionel Shriver. It’s a difficult topic (a school shooting in the US) but so far I’m loving it, as it is well written. It actually won the 2005 Orange Prize for Fiction. I have been told the ending is both unexpected and striking, so I can’t wait. Of course I will write about it as soon as I can. The next three books on my list are “The Tiger” by John Vaillant, “The Colour of Death” by Michael Cordy, and – yes, I have never read it! – “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte.
As I’m about to move back home to Australia, I’ve just realised that I haven’t posted that many photos of Australia. It’s such a beautiful place that one has to wonder why. I suppose it’s just because as with most places where you’ve lived, I actually don’t have too many pictures of home. I have a few interesting ones though, and I will post them in the near future. I have a Christmas trip planned to some wonderful places in Tasmania this year, so I will make sure to get some snaps. Meanwhile, here are a few of Jervis Bay, a three-hour drive South of Sydney. Jervis Bay is a very natural place with a huge national park and many wild animals. You are bound to see lots of kangaroos, parrots but also seals and dolphins. The sand is said to be the whitest in the world, and truth be told, it almost hurts the eyes on a sunny day. I love it there, as I am sure you would too!
