Here are some random images of pretty things I came across during my trip earlier this month to the Bay Area of California. And all the things I found pretty are food items. Hmm…
Delicious and Pretty Pink Cupcakes
(Pink Champagne Cupcake from Sift Cupcakes in Napa and Raspberry Delight from Kara’s Cupcakes in San Francisco)
Sweet and Healthy
(Yoghurt from Red Mango and Pinkberry, and sweet strawberries from a San Jose Farmers Market)
French Delights
(Signature chocolate bouchon and vanilla macaroon from Bouchon Bakery in Yountville, Napa Valley)
Just Good Food
(Burrito from Chipotle and margherita pizza from Ubuntu, an excellent vegetarian restaurant, in Napa)
Earlier this month, for my birthday, I went on a mini-trip to the Bay Area of California (San Francisco, Moneterey, Napa Valley, Santa Cruz, San Jose). It was great to get away from rainy Vancouver. I mean, what’s more depressing than rain, wind and grey skies? Ugh. Here are some of the fun places I visited during my sunny and whirlwind trip:
Alcatrez
For some people, I’m sure Alcatrez is a very interesting place. It is a prison for infamous inmates afterall. But I don’t find it too appealing. It’s way too touristy and you can’t really learn a lot about the history of the place because it’s packed with people all the time. When I visited, there were at least two (large) school groups there. For me, I just wanted to get out of there and into the fresh air.
Fishermans Wharf
Definitely one of my favourite places in San Francisco. In particular, I like the “old part” of Fiserhmans Wharf where all the good seafood restaurants are located. “New” Fishermans Wharf is way too manufactured for my liking. If you go to Fisherman’s Wharf, you must visit Boudin, which is this excellent sourdough bakery place. You can stand outside and watch the bakers create beautiful bread. Or, go inside and try their delicious clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. It will warm your soul. A little ways from Boudin is a series of excellent seafood restaurants for both people who want to eat in or take it to go. I love Nick’s Lighthouse, where I had a delicious crabmeat cocktail to go. Seriously, it’s all crabmeat.
Black Stallion Winery (Napa) and V. Sattui Winery (St. Helena) in Napa Valley
Okay, I’m not really into drinking wine but it was still fun to visit a winery. In addition to the beautiful architecture of the winery, it’s also just a really relaxing place for roaming around. When I was at V. Sattui Winery, I saw someone get married there! Well, actually, I just saw the bride and her wedding party.
Bouchon Bakery and French Laundry Garden in Yountville (Napa Valley)
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to visit the French Laundry (apparently, one of the best restaurants in America) BUT I did go to Bouchon Bakery (fantastic bakery with wonderful French style baked goods) and the beautiful French Laundry garden. Once you see the garden, you’ll understand that they only use the best ingredients at French Laundry. And why it’s so expensive.
Farmers Market in San Jose
Beautiful, delicious and sweet fresh fruit. Need I say more? No wonder people in California all seem so happy.
Monterey and Santa Cruz
This is so California. Gorgeous beaches and the waves coming in. And a corn dog in Santa Cruz.
Khalil Fong (方大同) has always been one of my favourite Chinese singer-songwriters. He has a beautiful soul/R&B vibe that is a breath of fresh air in the Chinese popular music scene, especially in Hong Kong. The amazing Khalil Fong recently released Timeless, an album of covers of some of the songs that have had a major influence on him. (My copy is in the mail!) From English to C-Pop to M-Pop, it’s clear that a diverse range of songs have influenced Khalil and made him the great artist that he is today.
Two of my favourites are Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You, made popular by Glenn Medeiros in the 1980s, and 紅豆, Faye Wong’s classic. I know what your first reaction is going to be: the sappy 80s song Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You? Really? REALLY? And taking on Faye Wong song? Wow. The kid has got musical guts. But trust me, it’s great. Khalil Fong puts his own spin on these two songs and makes it his own. LOVE it.
And for all the critics, remember, he’s paying tribute to these songs; he’s not making an exact replica.
Have a listen and enjoy! I’m sure you’ll fall in love with him too! And yes, I do have a major crush on Khalil Fong. He makes me blush.
Khalil Fong – Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You MV
For the first time in many years, I was finally able to catch a couple of flicks at the Vancouver International Film Festival. Unfortunately, many of the films I wanted to see was during work hours but I was able to catch the Korean film Mother. I really wanted to see this film for three reasons: 1) It got rave reviews in Korea when it first came out; 2) It’s Korea’s official entry for Best Foreign film at the Academy Awards; and 3) It stars Won Bin. Done.
Directed by acclaimed Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-Ho, Mother is, simply put, a film about a mother’s relationship with her son and the lengths she will go to for him. The veteran Korean actress Kim Hye-Ja plays the mother to Do-Joon, Won Bin’s character. Do-Joon, a grown man with a mental disability, is cared for by his mother, a herbalist and acupuncturist. Do-Joon is unemployed and spends his days hanging out with and emulating his friend Jin-Tae, a man who he looks up to. One day, the police arrest Do-Joon and accuse him of murdering a high school girl. His mother is devastated by the accusation and heartbroken when no one is willing to believe that her son is innocent. Her lawyer belittles her and the police refuse to acknowledge that Do-Joon is innocent. Frustrated that no one is willing to help her, she goes off to investigate on her own in order to prove her son’s innocence.
Mother is a very simple film that is wrapped in layers of complexity. The story is actually quite simple and, at times, very predictable. In the simplest sense, it’s about a mother trying to prove her son’s innocence. On a deeper level, it’s about the complicated and uncomfortably close relationship between a mother and son. Although there does not seem to be anything overtly wrong displayed in their relationship, their level of closeness does make the audience feel uncomfortable in their seats. The filmmaker does a great job in making the various complex relationships in the film seem okay but not okay at the same time.
The acting in the film is quite good. Kim Hye-Ja steals the show with her portrayal as the desperate mother. Although Won Bin was featured heavily in the various promotions for the film, his performance was simply a little above average. Perhaps it’s because it’s his first role since returning from his military stint? The acting skills seem a little dusty. Or perhaps it was the complicated character he had to play? Either way, the film was the Kim Hye-Ja show. Jin Goo, who plays Jin-Tae, also performed admirably even though he wasn’t asked to display great range. The audience is asked to both loathe and appreciate his character at the same time and Jin Goo pulls it off.
While the film is, generally speaking, quite good, there are definitely areas that could be tightened up a bit. The film was unnecessarily long at 2.5 hours. Although I appreciate that the director needed to slowly unfold the story, I thought the various layers just made the whole film feel very lethargic at times. There were simply many unnecessary scenes that don’t add anything to the story or to the development of the characters.
Another area of the film that I found troubling was the portrayal of the female characters. Other than the mother, almost all the other female characters came off as being ridiculously aggressive (the older characters) or sexually promiscuous (the younger characters). I’m not sure what exactly is the point of having characters in this way as it adds nothing to the story other than reinforce some negative stereotypes about women. For example, the murdered teenage girl in the film is characterized as someone who is sexually promiscuous and sleeps around with various men. This aspect of her character is made clear in the film but for no reason at all.
Despite these two major weaknesses, I would argue that it’s worth it to watch this film. It is indeed a very interesting film and tells a story and portrays a relationship that one would hardly see in any mainstream Hollywood films. And if that doesn’t interest you, you should still watch it even if it’s for no other reason than to watch Kim Hye-Ja’s performance. She can definitely teach many of those K-Drama queens a thing or two about acting. Check out the trailer with English subs below.
I apologize for falling off the face of the earth this past month. I’ve been busy with a variety of projects and things will get even more hectic soon. Why? I’ll be starting a new job next week and I’ll likely be swamped for the next few months. But I will still try to update.
Anyways, a couple of weeks ago, I attended a showing of the Japanese comedy Adrift in Tokyo at Pacific Cinematheque. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t know anything about this film prior to watching it other than the fact that it was extremely popular on the film festival circuit and in Japan. And the critics were certainly justified in giving the film rave reviews.
Adrift in Tokyo is a comedy directed by Satoshi Miki and starring Jo Odagiri and Tomokazu Miura, two of Japan’s most popular actors. The film tells the story of Fumiya Takemura (Jo Odagiri), a university student who owes a ton of money to loan sharks, and Aiichiro Fukuhara (Tomokazu Miura), the man in charge of collecting these debts from Fumiya. One day, Aiichiro decides to give Fumiya money so he can pay off his debts. But there’s a catch. Fumiya must walk with Aiichiro around the bustling Japanese capital of Tokyo. The ultimate destination is the police station of Kasumigaseki, where Aiichiro will turn himself in for a crime he committed. The basic plot of the film sounds quite simple but it’s much more complex. Through their Tokyo walk, Aiichiro and Fumiya will tell a charming story about friendship, family and companionship. There are no antagonists or protagonists in this film. It’s simply about a journey two people take.
The comedic moments of this little film comes from the various people the two main characters encounter during their journey through Tokyo. Yes, there’s some exaggeration to heighten the comedy, but the diversity and essence of the various characters of Tokyo are revealed. There’s comedic value in pointing out the truth about people and their daily lives.
The acting in this film is superb. Jo Odagiri and Tomokazu Miura both do a fantastic job in portraying their respective characters. They are light, charming and, more importantly, relatable; you will find yourself sympathizing with them. The film also boasts a strong supporting cast. Yuriko Yoshitaka is excellent as the quirky high school girl Fufumi and Kyoko Koizumi adds a nice balance and strong female presence as Makiko, Fufumi’s aunt and Aiichiro’s fake wife. While these four actors and actresses give excellent performances as the primary and core cast, the many other supporting actors and actresses, who play the various characters encountered on the journey, also give memorable performances. The acting really did play a huge role in the success of the film.
And even if the story or characters don’t interest you, the film is great simply for a glimpses of Tokyo. The director Satoshi Miki tries to film at a wide range of locations in order to give the audience a better understanding of the diversity of Tokyo. For those from Japan, I think it will give you a different perspective on this beloved Japanese city. And for those who are not familiar with Japan, this film will make you fall in love. (Side Note: I’ve been to Tokyo once before and wasn’t 100% impressed but this film gave me a whole new perspective and made me want to go revisit the city.) So, really, there’s no reason not to go see this film. Two thumbs up!!!
