Life's Great Pleasures #3

Finding a beautiful song.

Any song, any artiste, any how, any where, any time.

on Pandas who Kung Fu ...

We haven't taken Catriona to watch that many movies but Kung Fu Panda 2 was one of them. That was all of 3.5 weeks ago. Since then, pretty much all her stories have been about the characters in the movie :

* Po, that big clumsy black and white bunch of fur

* Angelina Joli the Tigress

* Snake (can't remember this name...)

* Mr Crane

* Mr Praying Mantis

* Mr Sifu

* Mr Moo the cow

* Snappy the Crocodile; and of course

* The Peacock

If you can't recognise some of the character names, it's because they have been changed. How is this possible ? Well, some elements of the story have been changed too. And you know what else has changed ? Dragon ball biscuits are now a favoured food for her.

In the Jailhouse Now

Never actually watched the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou", but the soundtrack had quite a few good songs. And this one always stands out :

This version was by The Soggy Bottom Boys (what a wonderful name!) but I first heard it done by Steve Earl on a Jimmie Rodgers tribute album. Wonderful stuff !

vol. XIII

When You're Smiling

Can't imagine this song not putting a smile on your face ....

Life's Great Pleasures #2

Dancing in the rain.

I intend to do it with the girl before she's 12 years old. Hope that it doesn't freak her mother out.



The flip side ? Hopefully she'll take me out to dance in the rain when I'm 64.

the Nuclear Question

This question really puts matters in perspective. Sometimes there are so many issues and so many positions that the noise drowns the really important stuff out - until ...

the Malaysian context :

* Affirmative action policies are meant to help Malays improve their economic standing.

* the Malay rights pressure groups are demanding that Malay rights are preserved as the Malay race is still too poor to stand on their own two feet.

* The Pakatan Rakyat are asking for affirmative action policies that help the poor/disadvantaged, instead of the Malays as a group.

* if there are so many poor Malays, then they would automatically be classified as poor/disadvantaged and would thus be eligible for affirmative action policies. Which means that all the poor/disadvantaged Malays would still be helped.

* it's only the rich / non-poor Malays who lose out. But then again, they are not poor - so why would they need help ?

It's not a question that is usually asked. But it's in many people's minds, general election or not.

Datuk Ng, where's my money ?

Here's a Question :

How much did YOU spend on your Facebook Page ?

The Time is Nowitzki

The Dallas Mavericks win the NBA Finals and Dirk Nowitzki is named the Finals MVP. Congratulations !

Dirk's personal coach, shot doctor Holger Geschwinder : "Tomorrow he gets a day off, as promised."

Bryan Ferry, CBE

Just read that Bryan Ferry was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) this month. In the write up, it was noted that he was 65 years old. Wow !

In my mind, he's still this guy perpetually dressed in suits and noted for his style - to the extent of being dubbed the "coolest living Englishman".

That sense of style extended to his music too, whether it was with Roxy Music or as a solo act. So as a homage to Bryan Ferry (the Singer, as opposed to the Style Icon) I'm sharing his one song (other than Roxy Music's Avalon) that regularly turns up on my play lists.

the Prescription

Spent yesterday morning in front of the TV watching the NBA Finals Game 5 : Dallas Mavericks vs Miami Heat - primarily to see if Dirk Nowitzki (wiki) could take the next step towards winning his first NBA title.

It was worth it. Great passing, Passable defence, Great shooting, Lots of tension, Great game. And a Dallas win. Perfect.

Dirk's come a long way since he joined Dallas in 98. That's a 13 year career which I won't go into since it's so darn long. Wiki gives the facts but doesn't include the analysis, opinions, etc. which sports writers provide. Suffice to say that Dirk has consistently been one of the best NBA players for the past decade and is generally regarded as the best 7-foot shooter in NBA history. That's shooter, not scorer.

But it's been 5 years since his first NBA finals (which Dallas lost) and now, here he stands (or shoots, or rebounds, or drives ...). Again. Just one win away from being an NBA champion. It will be tough to get that one last win but I'm rooting for him all the same. Go Dirk !

NB. The Celtics would have taken him with their 10th pick in the 98 NBA draft. Instead, Dallas got him at the 9th pick. The Celtics picked Paul Pierce instead.

The Grandmasters

Looking forward to Wong Kar Wai's next film, a biopic of Yip Man entitled "The Grandmasters". Expected to be released in 2011, this film comes with the usual slew of disclaimers applicable to Wong Kar Wai films.

• There is no guarantee that this will be the next Wong Kar Wai film released. Perhaps he films, edits and releases another film before he finishes post production work for "The Grandmasters". He did it before with "Chungking Express".


• Expected to be released in 2011 - which means that it might be released in 2012 ..... hopefully by 2013 ..... I think definitely by 2046.
  


• Yuen Woo Ping (of "The Matrix" trilogy fame) choreographed the action sequences, which is a good thing. Wong Kar Wai is the director, which means we should not expect straightforward kung fu scenes. Maybe they were when he filmed it, they won't be by the time we watch it.


• Christopher Doyle isn't the cinematographer, Phillipe Le Sourd is. Wonder how it turns out.

Life's Great Pleasures #1

Thanks to the bowl I just had, I felt inspired to start a series on life's great pleasures.

Entry #1 :

a bowl of Hot Soup on a Cold Night; or Day, for that matter.

the new 'Baby-Faced Assasin'

Much has been made and said about the similarities between Chicharito and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - the clinical goal scoring skills, the 'super sub' tag and yes, the baby face. So, to no one's surprise, the British press have dubbed Chicharito as the new 'Baby Faced Assasin'.

Unfortunately, sometimes words and nicknames get lost in translation, as this Mexican magazine proves.

I hope that the nickname translates well in Mexico, cos in English 'Baby Killer' has a totally different connotation.

NB. My personal opinion of Chicharito ? There are some striking similarities with Solsjkaer but Chicharito reminds me more of another Old Trafford hero - Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Like Ruud, Chicharito is totally focused on scoring goals, often plays on the shoulder of the last defender, can't hold the ball up, isn't very good at involving other team mates in play and scores practically all his goals in the penalty box. He's also a master of the tap in, scoring a ship load of goals with the goalkeeper nowhere near him to attempt a save. And, unlike Solsjkaer, I could never imagine Chicharito playing at right midfield.

As things stand, it looks like Chicharito will be scoring many, many goals for United in years to come. Just like Ruud used to do.

the Moon represents My Heart

I don't listen to that many singers who sing Mandarin or Cantonese songs, but Teresa Teng happens to be one of them. She was a fabulous singer who is still much loved by her fans - and there are many of them. I am nowhere near that level of being a fan but I do have a double CD compilation of her greatest hits. And I do pop it out occasionally to give it an airing over the waves.

Now, what's on my mind ? Well, even as I contemplate moving on to another chapter in my book, I will remember with particular fondness a character in the present chapter; one whose favourite song happens to be Teresa Teng's biggest hit.

that Hole in the Wall

There are times in one's life when you wonder whether the grass is greener on the other side. So you poke your head through that hole in the wall - a figurative window - and you look at the grass.

You look around as much as that hole allows you to. You take in the smells and feel the breeze on your face. And you assess.

But the only way that you can really find out whether the grass really is greener on the other side is to walk through another hole in the wall - a figurative door.

Then you will know.