One Year in Sydney....

Its been a year since moving to Sydney and time has really flown by....sigh.....I am now thoroughly used to Sydney life and have already fit into the routine of daily life here....

Well, about how i rate Sydney as compared to Melbourne....i guess they are different...
I expected Sydney to be pretty much the same as Melbourne but there are actually quite alot of differences. Its much more cosmopolitan in Sydney i feel... i see more different races.....the Thai population is definitely more visible here and there are tons of Thai students and people in the CBD whereas you don't really see that many Thais in Melbourne...there is even a 'Thai Town' in the CBD where alot of Thai people congregate as there are alot of Thai groceries there and Thai video entertainment rentals which is not found in Melbourne. In fact, I hardly saw any Thai groceries in my entire 6 plus years there and hardly saw any Thai rental stores in the CBD....or maybe they are in the suburbs....on the other hand, the Vietnamese community is smaller in Sydney than Melbourne...i mean Melbourne has alot of Vietnamese suburbs such as Victoria St or Richmond but i think Sydney only has one in Cabramatta.....

There are also more Koreans in Sydney as opposed to Melbourne....there is like 'Koreatown' here both in the city (the city area is teeming with Koreans!!) and in Strathfield which seriously looks like a suburb of South Korea...and the Indonesians have 'Indo Town' as well in Kingsford....all these are not present in Melbourne (to my knowledge)...i don't think there is any particular suburb with a strong enough presence of the above two nationalities to constitute a 'town'...although there are alot of Indonesians and Koreans in Melbourne as well!!! There just doesn't seem to be a particular area where they have congregated to form a 'Indo' or 'Korean' Town. I however haven't found a nice Indonesian restaurant yet ( i am going to Kingsford so maybe i will find one there perhaps!!) unlike my fav one in Melbourne on Swanston St...so sad...haha...

Sydney weather is also hotter which is something I miss about Melbourne cos i love the cold....Melbourne also has a much cosier and warmer feeling compared to Sydney and so I miss that too...I miss Collins Street and its Parisian feeling especially on cold winter nights where the entire street just simply looks stunning....I also miss places like Southbank which is quiet and has this nice feel to it, a nice place to live in....

However, what I love about Sydney is the Asian food as there is much more variety and better in choice than Melbourne Asian food....i had authentic Japanese ramen here which is available at Ramenkan which isn't found anywhere in Melbourne....the ramen in Melbourne is not authentic and many of the Sydney ones aren't also like Ichiban Boshi or Wagamama (the ramen there SUCKS...i have like NO idea why its so popular with the Australians...its an international chain too!!) ..however many people like the unauthentic ones so i guess its a difference in taste preferences but the one at Ramenkan is like the ONLY place which serves ramen like it is in Japan...oh yeah and Menya serves authentic ramen too...but i prefer ramenkan much more as the soup stock is superior...
Also, i just discovered that Sydney has the nice suburb of Potts Point which is a nice place to live at just like Southbank....and it has Westfield Bondi Junction which is like the nicest shopping mall in Sydney and the equivalent of Chadstone in Melbourne....the view across the Bridge and Sydney cityscape from the foodcourt is amazing and a must-see for all people visiting Sydney...i mean you pay foodcourt prize for a high-end view....the foodcourt's interior is modernly designed in the style of the 'Foodloft' chain of foodcourts in Asia....

There is also Kings Cross and Oxford Street in Sydney which is absent in Melbourne catering for people whom swing either way.....there are much more visibly gay people in Sydney....i noticed alot of gay men on the streets, much more than in Melbourne, which prob explains why Sydney is named one of the gay capitals in the world....and there are so many Thai gay men that it isn't funny..haha...like out of 10 thai men i meet or see, i think 9 are gay!! Almost all the Thai restaurants have like 9 out of 10 waiters whom are gay....i asked my Thai housemate and she also said there are like so many Thai gay men around and she doesn't know why...she also confirmed that most of the Thai restaurants from the chef to the waiters are predominantly gay....gosh we were both lamenting how hard it must be for Thai girls to find a 'real man' (now, this is the way Thai people call straight men, i find it funny and interesting though i don't condone such misguided terms for sexuality)...she even asked her boyfriend (whom lives together with her) whether he was gay or not when they first met!! Cos she seems to have like over a dozen thai gay male friends, some of whom she never suspected of being gay and even had girl frens...whatever is a thai girl to do these days??

All in all, I think I made the right decision to move here....people have to move on and not always stay in the same place...i like change, i like excitement and i like exploring a whole exciting new place...so i guess the move was the right thing to do....I hope the next year in Sydney brings more excitement and more importantly, more new things to discover....:):):)

Alittle Bit About Me....関于自己....自己紹介...

I know I haven't really said much about myself in my blog in all the years I've been blogging cos i am not the kind of person to reveal too much personal stuff about myself on the blog to strangers on the wide net out there. However, I think I should let my readers know alittle bit more about myself, at least some basic background about me.

About Me:

Name: hcpen

Age: 23 this yr

Nationality: Malaysian/Taiwanese

Ethnicity: Chinese

Ancestral origin: Hunan Province, China/Biological Ancestry: 3/4 Hokkien 1/4 Hunan

Hometown: Penang, Malaysia

Family members: father, mother, younger brother

Languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, Malay, Japanese, Korean

Education: International School of Penang (Penang), Taylors College (Melbourne), University of Melbourne (Melbourne), East China University of Politics and Law {Chinese Law Winter Program/1 month}(Shanghai), Keio University{Student Language Exchange 1 sem} (Tokyo), College of Law (Sydney)

Interests: Asian studies, Modern Chinese History and Culture, 50-60s Hong Kong society and films, the Chinese Dress (Cheongsam), WW2 and Asia issues, Women's Rights and Interests, Gay Rights and Interests, Thai and Filipino popular culture, Korean history and society, Korean movies and dramas, Law and human rights, swimming, reading, Visiting Museums and Galleries, Eating at streetside stalls as well as high-end classy restaurants, etc

I think it would take many people by surprise that I have no educational background in Chinese given the impression i give people of being highly oriental and Chinese-oriented in my interests, language, and thinking. I have never had a single year of Chinese education since entering primary school and my fluency in Chinese is purely through my perseverance and sheer determination in picking up the language. I was always immensely proud of my Chinese heritage since young (for reasons unknown even to this day!) and i really worked hard on learning how to write Chinese. Many overseas Chinese either cannot speak Chinese at all or fluently or even if they can speak it, are unable to read or write Chinese. I was determined to learn Chinese and it has paid off. My Chinese level is up to standard as proven by my passing the difficult national translation exam in Australia and becoming a qualified translator and also now that China is bent on becoming the next world superpower and with its economy booming, Chinese has become an asset. When i was growing up, China and the Chinese language was not thought of as that important and people in Malaysia generally didn't think of making their children learn it, resulting in many Malaysian Chinese nowadays being unable to speak Chinese or even dialects or being able to speak but not read nor write. You see so many Koreans, Japanese, Westerners learning Mandarin nowadays and I feel truly blessed that I don't need to 'learn' it now as learning a language once you reach your late teens or in adulthood can be extremely difficult.
My brother on the other hand being more westernised, can only speak Mandarin and not Cantonese nor Hokkien and he can't write or read Chinese. Its sad, he also went to International School and is now in the UK and never bothered to really learn Chinese despite going to Chinese weekend tuition like me during our primary and secondary days. Sigh.....

I still try to maintain my Chinese level nowadays through making sure I read Chinese gossip magazines (learning a language can be fun too!), Taiwanese entertainment shows, HK dramas, and I purposely buy the chinese versions of many things just so i need to read it in Chinese even if i am most comfortable with English.

As for Japanese, i started in Form 1/Yr 7 but i should be making more progress than i have. Granted i can now read Japanese novels, newspapers, magazines and understand most of it but i really can't speak well at all....Korean i understand very basic korean which surprises even me given that i have never studied any korean before nor lived in South Korea but given that 80% of all movies and dramas i watch are korean (the other 20% being American, Chinese, Japanese, etc) and i've watched them since 16, I have managed to pick up enough korean to get by with daily usual conversations. Its been fun listening in on korean student's conversations sometimes when i happen to be beside them!!

As for personality wise, I think I am quite a traditional person although I would classify myself as a conservative liberal. This means I am still a liberal by category though on the conservative end of the spectrum. For example, on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being radically liberal and 10 being radically conservative i would say i am a 4.
I am liberal on most moral issues but conservative when it comes to values and politics:
Eg.: I am pro-choice meaning abortion is a woman's choice, pro-euthanasia, pro-gay, believe that sex before marriage is fine although my conservative streak shines through in that i believe you should only have sex with someone whom you not only love but also believe you will spend the rest of your life with (even if u eventually don't, the intention is more important) meaning no one nighters, sex with strangers, flings,etc.
My conservatism in politics is that i am quite supportive of the invasion of Iraq and hope America topples the evil North Korean regime as well, more Liberal Party than Labour Party cos i think Liberals have managed the economy very well which should take top priority (altho the fact that Kevin Rudd vis-vis John Howard is better looking, lived in Beijing and Taipei before, and knowledgeable of China as well as is a fluent Mandarin speaker does make me swing in favour of him as well:))

However, my liberalism has its limits as i hear of more wild things happening in society today like gay sauna group orgies, heterosexual wife-swapping parties, prostitution and all the 'acrobatic stunts' they do in brothels which makes me more and more conservative as i shudder at 'too much' liberalism. On the other hand, i am extremely tolerant of other people's behaviour and lives. Basically as i put it, i am 'conservative towards myself but liberal towards others'. Although i would never even dream of having sex with strangers, having sex with someone i only know for like 1 month or even shorter, etc i wouldn't discriminate against those whom do. I still like being friends with people who do sleep with strangers, sleep with boyfriends and girlfriends within the first couple of months of dating cos i think its their personal right and everyone is interesting and nice irrespective of their values. I don't think less of a person just because they don't adhere to my moral standards. In fact, the personality and character of a person is almost wholly separate from their sexual practices, meaning a person whom believes in abstinence may well be a lousy friend whilst a person whom visits saunas and has sex with strangers regularly may well turn out to be the most caring friend you could meet!!

Anyways, i hope readers have gained a better understanding of me:)

Happy 50th Anniversary Malaysia!!!....馬来西亜独立５０週年..マレーシヤ独立５０周年記念...

HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY MALAYSIA!~~

1957~2007

August 31st marks the 50th Anniversary of Malaysia's Independence this year. To be exact, this year marks the 50th Anniversary of Independence from British Colonial Rule in 1957 for Malaya and not Malaysia. Malaysia is composed of West and East Malaysia which are separated by the sea. Malaya refers to West Malaysia and the Malay Peninsula and this was the area which first got independence from British rule. East Malaysia followed in the 1960s and Malaysia was created in 1963 (which then incorporated Singapore which left the union in 1965). Thus, to be precise, the country now known as 'Malaysia' did not exist until 1963...but of course, the government now has to promote unity and it is just easier to make independence day 1957 then 1963. Besides, West Malaysia has always been the centre of attention and where all the major cities and tourist spots are as well as where the majority of the population of Malaysia resides.

Anyways, enough of history.....as they say, migrants and people who reside overseas become more traditional and patriotic as opposed to people who remain in their own countries. I think this is certainly true for me. Having left Malaysia and come to live in Australia (first Melbourne then Sydney) for the past 6 years plus I have grown to become more proud of being a Malaysian. I always look forward to returning for a holiday and really enjoy the place. people, and most importantly, the food!!!!! More importantly, everything is so much cheaper bck there than compared with Aus and the quality is the same! You actually get the same stuff for a much cheaper price in Malaysia which is why i tend to buy all my clothes there and other stuff.

Many Malaysians who are here whom have not been here for long (or those whom belong to the lower social strata in Malaysia and migrate to Australia for a higher income) always complain about the government, how crappy Malaysia's transportation, school system,etc is and the Chinese-Malaysians ALWAYS, and i mean ALWAYS complain about the racist nature of the government and its policies towards the Chinese minority is. I don't know, I always felt that your country is still your country and just because it has faults and flaws doesn't mean we shouldn't still love or feel patriotism towards our country. I mean we should look at Malaysia and feel grateful about many things. (ok i am aware that given my background and the fact that i am away from Malaysia MOST of the year and residing in a developed country i may not be qualified to say much on this issue..but hey i am still a Malaysian k so this is my 2 cents on it)

Things to feel grateful about Malaysia when we are complaining about how backwards Malaysia is:

1) Many people, incl Malaysians, may be unaware of this BUT out of the over 200 yes TWO HUNDRED NATIONS in the world, Malaysia's economy is within the top 30 economies. Now, this means that if we think Malaysia is a backwards country, there are over 170 other countries which are below Malaysia in terms of economic development!!!! 170 mind you!!!

2) Malaysia is the SECOND most developed nation in SouthEast Asia, only after Singapore, which is essentially a city-state and not your average sized nation. This means we are ahead of Thailand (yes ahead of world-famous tourist spot Thailand even tho i must admit Bangkok is like waaaaaaaaay more developed than Kuala Lumpur), the Phillipines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia,etc..you get the picture.

3) Malaysia is the only country where there are three main races within society and is truly multicultural (even though the government tries very hard to only promote the Malay majority's culture in its tourism and other policies). Singapore is similar as well but once again Singapore is more a city than your normal country and so you cannot really compare it with Malaysia. Further, Malaysia is definitely more fun as a tourist destination given the EXTREMELY small size of the entire Singapore state which is only 20km from north to south i heard which is VERY VERY small. This means it does not have any natural areas like Malaysia's Mount Kinabalu and rainforest in Sabah and Sarawak or our various island resorts like Langkawi or Penang. Singapore really only has shopping and errr..more shopping? We have all the usual brands in Kuala Lumpur as well so there is no need to go to Singapore (ok so maybe our prices and range of choice is more limited).

4) Malaysia's minority races can often speak more than one language which is rare for any other country either within Asia or otherwise. And often three or four. The Chinese can usually speak English and Malay and Mandarin and a Chinese dialect like Cantonese or Hokkien. The Indians can usually speak English and Malay and an Indian dialect like Tamil or Urdu. The Malays will usually know Malay and English.

5) Malaysia has the Twin Towers which is like one of the most amazing architectural feats of the 20th Century. I have been to both the Jingmao World Trade Centre in Shanghai and the Taipei 101 Building in Taipei and, for me at least, i definitely think that the Twin Towers is far superior than the other two towers. It is just an amazing sight and stands out much more because of its steel frame...i personally thought the Taipei 101 was a big let-down and pretty unimpressive and the Shanghai Tower was also just not as bright at night as our Twin Towers.

Anyways, I think on the 50th Independence Anniversary, we, as Malaysians should take the time to ponder over what Malaysia has achieved in the last 50 years and learn to appreciate what we have attained instead of just whining and complaining all the time. Of cos, on this 50th year of Independence, it is also a timely opportunity to reflect on what still needs to be done, for instance the abolition of the official 'racial affirmative action policy' where the government actively discriminates in the interest of the majority Malays and discriminates against the Chinese and Indian minorities (eg quotas are in place in all Malaysian universities which limit the number of Chinese and Indian students allowed in which means higher scores are required to get into the same course than compared to Malays. Civil service employment also has a preferential policy of accepting Malays. Licences for all kinds of businesses and government projects in Malaysia are given to the Malay-owned companies first irrespective of merit. The list goes on.)

Other areas with room for huge improvement would be investing more money in schools as the school system in Malaysia is seriously underfunded with poor decaying facilities and freedom of press as there is essentially no freedom of the press in Malaysia given the annual licencing system of all media in Malaysia whereby the government can revoke the licences of any particular media institution if it 'steps out of line'. There also needs to be more accountability in government than now where government officials are rarely prosecuted for corruption or nepotism despite all the talk of it in the media or by the government itself.

So...... after having reflected on some of the achievements as well as shortcomings of Malaysia on this 50thIndependence Day, I just wanted to say ' Happy 50th Birthday Malaysia!!!!!!"'

Nice (and only) Malay Song i Like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSvxPWTIo60&mode=related&search (Belaian Jiwa-Caressing the Soul)

Useful Links for Malaysia:
http://www.tourism.gov.my/
http://www.tourismmalaysia.or.jp/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia

Articles of Interest regarding India and Thailand...

I have decided to post these articles bcos i found them really informative and interesting.

Further, I love Thailand and everything Thai since last yr after my Bkk trip (love the place and the food and all the good looking guys and girls there!!) and find Thai people one of the friendliest people in the world....it seems others agree too:)

Further, I have always had a special spot in my heart for Mother India, the world's largest democracy, one of the oldest civilisations in the world, and also a place of deep culture and history. India, by the way, celebrated its 60th Anniversary of Independence from British rule a couple of weeks ago (India was split into modern-day India and Pakistan in 1947, now known as 'The Partition') and so i would like to wish Mother India a Very Happy 60th Birthday:)

Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2007
Thai character trumps flaws of politics
By TOM PLATE
LOS ANGELES — When social scientists or journalists are in doubt, sometimes it's best to consult the artist.
On Aug. 19, there was a big referendum vote in Thailand. It passed, but no one is that thrilled about it — no one except the ruling junta. It had kicked out the previous prime minister, who is now in exile, and cooked up the new referendum to make it harder for someone like him to ever have so much power again.
The referendum did well enough in the urban areas of Thailand, but it pretty much bombed in the rural areas where the previous prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, is still considered a hero.
The reason Thaksin is liked in the sticks is that he gave the impression he really cared about the plight of the poor. The gap between rich and poor is a big problem in Thailand, even if poverty is no worse than in the rest of Asia. Increasingly, in fact, it's a regionwide concern.
India's intellectual prime minister has offered deeply thoughtful and timely speeches to his wealthy business elite as well as to his countryman about it.
China's current leaders have openly admitted that creating wealth alone won't do if the rich-poor gap only gets worse. Even Japan, with its samurai-socialist-capitalist system equating proper income distribution with social harmony, is alarmed by its own apparently widening gap.
But up to now, none of these three giant countries has been able to dazzle the world with original and effective gap-reduction policies. Thailand, under Thaksin, had hoped to be different. Instead, Thaksin's pro-poor policies were viewed as deeply demagogic and insincere by ruling circles, and triggered a military takeover almost a year ago. To say the least, the country's oft-admired king did not appear notably unhappy about the ouster.
You would think that all this political turmoil would have made Thailand into something like another gloomy Myanmar. But that hasn't happened. That's because, if I may be allowed a diversion, you can travel as much as you want and go wherever you want but you may not find a more likable people anywhere than the Thais. In their culture there is no hour for the dour.
This is where the artist as expert comes in handy. Chris Coles, the painter who divides his time between Bangkok and Los Angeles, is a huge fan of the Thais as a people and often paints them in his art: "In my paintings, there is tremendous resilience in the Thai culture and personality that can deal with an amazing level of adversity without complaining, a primitive energy that can work six 12-hour days and still find the energy to party hard a few nights a week.
"And there is also the Buddhism that helps Thais maintain a strong desire for the middle way (i.e., endless compromise and wavering) instead of violent confrontation."
Coles loves painting Thais precisely because their stoic energy brings his canvases so much to life. And if the artist — with his slashing expressionist lines and bucolic bursts of color — has in fact caught the national character more or less exactly right, the character of the Thais should long endure over the defects of the country's political system and culture, at least as we in the West see them through our own ethnocentric eyes.
You don't have to be an expert on Thailand to appreciate the enduring Energizer-Bunny energy-level that is manifestly on view. Coles himself admires the Thais for more than their vivacity as models; he admires their vivacity in life. He says the reason that unemployment in Thailand, despite all the other troubles, hovers at a mere 2 percent or so has little to do with government policies.
Rather, it has everything to do with the Thai character. These people work — and when they lose a job, they don't wait for someone to help them; they go out and find a new job.
Says Coles: "The big capitalists and industries will keep growing, the tourists will keep coming, and the Thai people will carry on."
Artists are not always known for being optimists, but this optimistic view by one optimistic artist is going to be my view for the time being. Thailand is never going to become a leaden Myanmar or a disaster like North Korea. Bumping along, working hard, it will find its rightful place on the Asian stage — and find it with a smile as big as the country itself.

UCLA professor Tom Plate is a veteran journalist and author of "Confessions of an American Media Man."





Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2007
SCOURGE OF 'WOMB MURDERS'
Indian women who never had a chance
By B. GAUTAM

MADRAS, India — India may be the land where the Buddha preached nonviolence, and Mahatma Gandhi practiced it to perfection, but the country's "womb murders" are a horrible reality.
The UNICEF report "State of the World's Children 2007" states that about 7,000 fewer girls are born each day in India than the global average of girls born in a given population would indicate.
This finding is based on the latest Indian census data and a study by the British medical journal, Lancet. UNICEF concludes that 10 million female fetuses have been aborted in the past two decades. India's gender ratio has therefore fallen to a terrifying 800 girls to 1,000 boys.
While the nation is ready to congratulate itself on a variety of achievements, including a 60-year-old democracy and a just judiciary, many Indian mothers turn into killers. More precisely, they are pushed into killing baby girls growing inside them. If female fetuses are not aborted, many infant girls are killed soon after birth. The methods are primitive: Babies are fed paddy husks or poisoned milk, or drowned in water or milk, or smothered with a pillow, or buried alive.
Renowned economist Amartya Sen said as early as 1986 that 37 million women were missing in India. The aversion to raising a girl child is age old. Ancient Indian religious texts such as the Vedas say: "Let a female child be born somewhere else. Here, let a male child be born."
Another religious manuscript, Manu Shastra, is well known for its vilification of women. The mood and the mind-set have not changed much since then.
Today's pressing socioeconomic problems are added factors provoking feticide and infanticide. Women in India are still second-class citizens and, at least covertly, are treated so.
Sons are preferred because, traditionally, they will earn income and support their parents. And in a largely agricultural society like India's, boys are considered more helpful for working the land than girls.
Daughters will marry and leave home; what's worse, they must be provided with a large money dowry for their husband's family, an obligation that still festers like a cancer.
The belief that the solution to the burden of providing a dowry lies in eliminating a female life cuts across religious and economic lines. The rich and the poor are equally guilty of this crime. In the posh, upmarket South Delhi area, the gender ratio is 798 girls to 1,000 boys.
Despite the ban on conducting sex determination tests, clinics for this purpose, under the garb of examining the fetus for abnormalities, have sprung up in Indian cities. If the fetus happens to be female, chances are high that it will be aborted.
The question that naturally arises is how a mother can take the life of her own child. Writer Gita Aravamudan says: "The hand that takes the life of the infant may be hers, but the will is not. This will has been generated over many centuries by the subjugation of women to a subhuman status. The time-immemorial prejudice has been so internalized by women that they can hate their own baby girls and carry out murders with clinical precision. She remains mute as her backyard is turned into a graveyard."
I remember seeing a Bollywood film in which the scriptwriter and the director paint a horrifying picture of a futuristic land with hardly any women. Men turn into carnal creatures, treating the few available women as pure sexual objects, meant solely for pleasure. A family of five men — a father and his four sons — ravish a woman to death!
Is there a way out of female feticide and infanticide? Some say yes, and they point to education. In a highly literate state like Kerala in South India, womb murders are unheard of and there is a healthy sex ratio of 1,058 girls to 1,000 boys. Female literacy in the state is a high 87 percent, and one can understand why little girls live.
Literacy certainly enables communities to get around dowry and other troublesome issues. Education is equally helpful in making women economically productive and independent. Above all, it fosters a healthy respect for women, which is still a distant cry in most parts of India.
Ultimately, society must learn to turn a girl from an economic liability into an economic asset by educating her and helping her lead a life without crutches of any kind. Only then will society be able to vanquish practices such as womb murders.

B. Gautam writes for a leading Indian newspaper.

August 15th, The 62nd Anniversary of the End of WW2...終戦６２週年記念特集：抗日戦争記念電影.....終戦６２週年記念特集：中日戦争に関する映画プりヴィウー

Today marks the 62nd anniversary of the end of WW2. As usual I have a special post each year to commemorate this significant day given my interest and area of specialisation in the topic of WW2 and Asia.


This years post will focus on film projects that are coming out this and next year which have a WW2 theme.

Also, as a note, res 121 on the comfort women issue was passed by the full house of Congress in late July which demands an official and unambiguous apology from the Japanese parliament on the issue of wartime rape by the Imperial Army during WW2.


Nanking (US/2007):

This Sundance nominated documentary by 'Twin Towers' Oscar winners Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman as well as funded by American AOL vice-chairman Ted Leonsis deals with the group of over a dozen foreigners whom chose to remain in Nanking despite evacuation advice from their embassies. They did as much as they could to protect the chinese civilians and refugees from Japanese barbarity during the Massacre. It weaves archival footage, interviews with Chinese survivors, as well as testimonies of Japanese soldiers with stage readings of the actual diary entries kept by some of the foreigners during the worst days of the Nanking Massacre. Besides Sundance, it has been shown at the Hong Kong Film Festival as well as The Shanghai Int' Film Festival and has been released in China from July 7th onwards. I'm looking forward to seeing it! I think it will have a major impact on worldwide audiences and really help to push the knowledge of the Nanking Massacre (and Japanese WW2 atrocities generally) to a wider audience with the prominence of its directors as well as producer Ted Leonsis. I'm glad an American cared and was moved so much to spend money and make this doco!Way to go Ted:)

Official Site: http://www.nankingthefilm.com/

Purple Mountain (US-China/2008):

A US-British-China co-production on the Rape of Nanking. It is supposed to cost around US$50 million dollars and is planned for release next year in 2008. The director is Simon West (of LaraCroft fame) and the story revolves around a Chinese mother and her daughter during the Nanking Massacre in 1937 as well as the group of foreigners whom stayed behind to set up and attempt to save the Chinese residents of Nanking during the Japanese invasion and subsequent bloody and horrific occupation of the city. The movie shooting has been delayed and delayed and further the scriptwriter was changed and the American production company also changed due to insufficient funding from the original American one. I hope it does get through.


Nanking Christmas 1937 (US-HK/2008):
This film by HK Director Yim Ho will be an international movie with a focus on the group of foreigners including Germans, Americans, and British residents of Nanking whom stayed behind to assist and defend the Chinese against the brutal Imperial Japanese Army during the Nanking Massacre of 1937-38. It is reported that the director is still scouting for appropriate casts and the script and budget has been approved already. It is set for shooting later in the year.



Nanking!Nanking!(China/2008):
This film by renowned award-winning Chinese director Lu Chuan of Kekexili fame has already begun shooting in northeastern China and is set for release next yr in 08. The film revolves around a Chinese soldier and his love as well as a Japanese soldier set during the Nanking Massacre in 1937. The script for the movie underwent major problems with Chinese censors (all the films dealing with the Nanking Massacre undergo rigorous approval processes as they are classified 'sensitive topics' and have to be approved by not only the govt. department dealing with films but also the Foreign Ministry as well as other relevant departments.) The cast is not known yet.

The Diary (US-Germany-Japan-China/Not Known Yet):
Major production by Stanley Tong (most famous for his huge action flicks with Jackie Chan such as Police Story series, The Myth,etc) which is apparently going to be the first major film dealing with the entire Sino-Japanese War, and not just the Nanking Massacre, starting from the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in July 1937 all the way to August 1945 when Japan officially surrenders. It reportedly is going to go even further and end with the Tokyo Trials in 1947. The script and finance for the film have both been approved and the director is currently finalising casting as well as location confirmation.

The Children of Huangshi (US-Germany-Australia/2007):

This foreign production is based loosely on the true story of a British man who leads 60 Chinese orphans across rough terrains to the edge of the Gobi desert to escape the oncoming onslaught of Japanese troops in China during WW2. It is currently in post-production and was shot in both China and Melbourne, Australia. It stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Radha Mitchell, Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh. It is slated for an opening in December in the US and early March next year for China.

Lust, Caution (US-Taiwan/2007):

After Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain comes a Chinese spy romance set in wartime Occupied Shanghai by Ang Lee. It is based on Eileen Chang's short novel which was inspired by true events that occurred. It tells the story of a Chinese girl used by the resistance in China to seduce and assassinate a pro-Japanese colloborator working for the puppet Japanese government in Shanghai during the Japanese Occupation in 1942. In the process, however, she finds that she has already fallen for him. It stars Tony Leung, Tang Wei, Joan Chen as well as Wang LeeHom. It is to be released in September. There was some controversy regarding which country it was produced in during the Venice Film Festival of which it is competing. Ang Lee has always been very proud of his Taiwanese (as well as Chinese) heritage and is known to have refused to naturalise and become an American citizen despite advice from close friends that it could pose as an obstacle to his career in America especially after winning the Oscars for both his latest films. So, whenever his Taiwanese production company is involved in a film he will always insist that the festivals and Academy Awards list 'Taiwan' as the country of origin but this year the Venice Film Fest., due to political reasons, i'm sure, decided to change 'US-Taiwan' on the application form to 'US-China' on their website. After Ang Lee's assistant complained, it was changed back to 'Taiwan.' I am proud of Ang Lee's success.

Anyways, i'm looking forward to seeing his film......

Official Trailer:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CizN-DvGhrc

Reconnecting With My South East Asian Roots

Ravishing Thai Beauty, Aom Phiyada (centre)
I have recently started reconnecting with my SouthEast Asian roots...I have always been more interested in my East Asian roots, being half Taiwanese (my dad), and though I majored in Asian Studies for my Arts degree, i must say, my area of specialisation and knowledge has always been more East Asian than Southeast Asian. Of cos, after visiting Bangkok last year for the first time, I instantly fell in love with it and Thai culture and not to mention Thai men!! Gosh, they are like soooo cute man...and so that experience did make me more proud of my SouthEast Asian roots.....i mean Thailand is just north of Malaysia.....however my big interest and pride in my SEA Roots came this year when i discovered Thai Tv Dramas (lakorns) and a bigger impact was actually my finding out about Filipino Entertainment!!! Wow! The Filipinos really are damn good at their entertainment scene and I just love many of the filipino dramas and movies....and i discovered that filipino men are so handsome too! What a revelation....And so the twin impact of my recent liking for Thai and Filipino stuff (and also more longstanding fondness for Singaporean TV dramas) has really made me more in tune with my SEA roots and made me appreciate more of my SEA heritage...


Below are some drama;movie intros and pics of my fav stars from Thai and Filipino entertainment:

Kaew Tah Pee (2006): (Thai Drama)

I just fell for Tik's looks after seeing abit of this Thai drama...he is sooooo handsome and cute and in epi 6 when he reveals his chest and is topless(you can see the scene below in one of the photo clips) i was like soooo oogling at his body...However i couldn't finish this drama as i just got so pissed at the script people for making his character in the drama so unbearable.....I mean i am so glad that i am not that shallow, i stopped at epi 6 as i just can't stand his character EVEN IF he has a super to-die-for body. I mean in the drama he was treating Cherry like shit but she still plays the all-understanding girl who puts up with it all...i think the scriptwriters are living in the stoneage in the way they made Cherry's character the all-sacrificing gal who silently endures all the shit that men give her....i just couldn't stand it but I still do Like Tik's look...he's SEXY.

Other Thai Dramas Currently Watching: Oum Ruk (2006) and Hua Jai Chocolate (2006)

Above and Below: Tik Jesadaporn Pholdee and Cherry in Kaew Tah Pee which was shot in Paris.Now, it may come as a surprise that i am kinda addicted to Filipino entertainment recently given how the Phillipines is really not well known to the outside world besides being full of slums and poor, where Filipino maids come from and having Muslim insurgencies in the South...but i just love their stuff... i mean the quality of the dramas and movies as well as numbers is simply astonishing..they are sooo in front of malaysian entertainment and even dare i say Thai entertainment. Although Thai movies are arguably the most popular films out of all the other SEA nations and having the most publicity, i seriously think Filipino films are better in terms of their range as well as the drama genre ones....sadly, you can't watch filipino stuff outside the Phillipines and I've never heard of a Filipino movie or drama being screened anywhere else in Asia unlike Thai horror films and comedies which are quite popular and are screened in cinemas throughout Asia. Further, I was very surprised at the number of gay-themed films found in filipino cinema and they are all quite positive too which is something which amazed me given that i had a previous filipino-chinese reader tell me how bad and stereotypical filipino gay films were and also the Phillipines is a deeply Catholic nation but after I watched some of the gay-themed mainstream films, I was like " What the heck was my fil-chi reader talking about?!! The filipino gay films are really really good and they are not biased against homosexuals at all, in fact i find them quite realistic and positive in their portrayal of gay men and gay relationships...i'll introduce some below....my interest in Filipino stuff has also improved my image of the Phillipines, I now see a different side to the Phillipines besides and beyond the more negative images that I used to hold before..

Above: Zanjoe Marudo

Below: Zanjoe Marudo in sexy pose

Dennis Trillo: One of my fav pinoy (filipino) stars...he is filipino-chinese i think...look at that sexy look...also notice the picture below, i mean when i first saw this i was like 'how erotic' and i actually did alittle analysis of why i found it erotic.....the answer: look at the way he is 'holding' the 'eggbeater' and how he is naked behind the bowl...remind you of something else? or am i just too dirty minded? hehehe...

Dennis Trillo...Gwapo talaga....:)

I've noticed alot of the pinoy male stars are in various stages of undress and frequently pose extremely sexily in various sexual poses in ads,etc...if they did this in the American, Taiwanese, Chinese or Thai entertainment scene, people would most commonly associate it with being gay or trying to get the gay market, i am wondering if the filipinos see it that way? I mean you seldom see mainstream male stars in Hollywood or the Chinese entertainment scene wearing so little and being willing to pose in such sexy poses! Some examples below (rem, these are mainstream actors, NOT some gay porn filipino actors or professional gay magazine models!!)

Above: The magazine above is a male photographic magazine sold in the mainstream...in Western countries or Chinese-speaking areas, a magazine cover like that could ONLY EVER BE a gay one....i am just surprised it could be marketed as a mainstream one in the Phillipines..doesn't it look like the Asian version of DNA?

Below: Pics of one of Filipino entertainment's currently most popular star, Alfred Vargas. Some of the photos are really and i mean seriously targeted towards gay men...i mean especially that pose of him lying on the bed with his legs spread out...and also the one of him with his underwear and you can see his package is 'unnaturally large and positioned abit too perfectly'..if you know what i mean..

Gay Thai and Filipino Films:

This is a special section on SEA gay themed mainstream movies ( as usual i won't be dealing with the independent gay ones which no one but the gay community knows about)

There are too many but i'll just list some, more info can be obtained on specific films by leaving a comment in the comment section and i'll provide more information on a film or by performing a google search yourself!

Thai Films:

Iron Ladies (2001)

Iron Ladies 2 (2003)

Metrosexual (2006) http://au.rottentomatoes.com/vine/journal_view.php?journalid=100000335&entryid=345095&view=public

Me....Myself (2007) http://www.memyselfmovie.com/

Filipino Films:

Mano Po 4 (2004)- This comedy film revolves around a pinoy chinese man and his three wives. His son is a closet gay and in one scene in the trailer he does a drag rendition of Deng Lijun's 'Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin', where else but in a Filipino movie?!http://www.regalmultimedia.net/v2/akolegalwife/index.html

Mahal Kita/Aishiteimasu 1941 (2004)-This film was the breakthrough film for Dennis Trillo and is the gay version of upcoming Ang Lee's spy thriller romance 'Lust,Caution'. Dennis Trillo plays a cross-dressing gay spy whom is with the resistance in Japanese-occupied Phillipines during WW2. He attempts to seduce and kill a Japanese general whom has occupied their town but falls for him in the process. Dennis won many awards for his role. gay cross-dressing spy whom has a female best friend (judy ann-santos) and attempts to seduce and kill a japanese general in wartime japanese occupied territory? Once again, only in Filipino cinema!!!! This is why i love pinoy gay films:) http://www.veoh.com/videos/v478748nNdJJ7jE

So Happy Together (2005)-Kris Aquino in this film about a gay man and his best female friend whom they met at Manila's gay pride parade and their life and love.

The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveras (2005)-Philippines' entry for the Oscar Best Foreign Language Film.

Manay Po (2006)- Presented on Mother's Day last yr in cinemas in the Phillipines, labelled a 'Mother's Gay Movie'. Revolves around a mother and her three sons, all of whom may be gay. I found this far superior to Rice Rhapsody which had a similar theme and storyline.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkjneWDZH84

Zsa Zsa Padilla (2006)- About a gay queen beautician whom transforms into a female superhero at night to fight a man-hating evil villain.

There are really many many more but i can't list them all and some are well known artfilms like Masahista (The Masseur) which I have not mentioned as they have provocative sex scenes.

Above: Angel Locsin, the top female star in the Phillipines currently and Filipino-Chinese as well I think...in fact, i find it kinda strange that almost all of the top stars in the Phillipines are either those with Caucasian blood and look American-Filipino (i'm thinking of Richard Guertisze, Sam Milby, and Gerald Anderson) or those with Chinese blood and look either mixed or pure Chinese ( examples incl. Toni Gonzaga, Christian Bautista, Angel Locsin, Dennis Trillo, Alfred Vargas, Kris Aquino,etc).. i think it has to do with the (somewhat unhealthy) admiration for fair-skinned and the novelty status given that most filipinos don't look like them and are more dark-skinned. This is the same with Thai stars as well, so many of them look Eurasian or pure Chinese and not like the Thai people we know of! ( I'm thinking Ken and Anne in Oum Ruk...which i am still watching...and Tik i am sure has Chinese blood in him as well, you can easily tell by the features..)

I have provided some trailers below so enjoy!

IntEresting CLIps on YOutube and VeOH:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSRQbpwux58&mode=related&search= You Are The One (Filipino/2006) One of the Best Romantic Films I've seen in 2007...what i liked best about this film is that the characters were very believable and had flaws...they weren't made out to be perfect and had their own insecurities,etc..definitely one of the best filipino films i've seen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KORqYOHsYyo&mode=related&search You are the One MV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHbhFBzRfTo You are the One The Making(Part One)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04m-AGlyroA You are the One The Making(Part Two)

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v537940GnnjKcMQ You Got Me! Trailer (Filipino/2007)

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v563095gsXN4Nb2 Gigil Trailer (Filipino/2006)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS4TUIZY0M4 Mano Po 5 Gua Ai Di Trailer(Filipino/2006) Official Site With Theme Song MV: http://www.regalmultimedia.net/manopo5

This is the 5th series in the Mano Po series of films about Filipino-Chinese and their lives.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vlyNXMxP7w Moments of Love Music Video/Trailer (Filipino/2006) Additional Info:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moments_of_Love

I like the tagline: She lives in the past, he lives in the present, ..can love defy the bound of time?
In a sleepy lakeside town, time curves for two people to meet and part. In the end, all that is left are their Moments of Love.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgM67Xwrc6M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NinMjCJBEKg ( I Love this ad, It has a really witty and interesting concept!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsUYZ35-QLE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzfgzt91s6U

I managed to find some websites that have online Thai and Filipino TV Drama and movies with English subs BUT I couldn't find Mano Po 4, Aishiteimasu 1941, So HappyTogether, The Blossoming of Maximo...if there are any filipinos out there who have these films WITH ENG SUB, could you kindly upload them on veoh or youtube and let me know in my comment section, I would really really appreciate it!! Salamat po in advance...

Two Years Since Tokyo, Japan...告別日本的兩週年...日本離れたの二周年

I missed posting on my 2nd blog anniv. back in May but I haven't forgotten that the end of this month marks the 2nd year anniversary since I came bck from my exchange trip to Tokyo, Japan....That was a significant period of my life i think as going to Japan opened up my eyes to a whole lot of stuff that i never experienced or knew about before...many of it adult stuff...haha...not going to mention on my blog....but besides the adult part, i also saw such advanced stages of development and modernity in Japan that I was very impressed...i mean Japan, and Tokyo in particular has alot of modern architecture and technology that I was really overwhelmed...many stuff they have over there you can't get even in Sydney....I mean even the temple area of Kyoto was simply surreal and serenic and had a really mystical feel about it compared to Hangzhou in China (which i loved by the way:P)....anyways, its definitely in my plans to return to Tokyo someday , not only for travel, but to work as well as study and really get my Japanese to somewhat native speaker levels...Here, I provide some photos of my time in Japan, hope you like them!! Link: http://hcpen1111.buzznet.com/user/photos/?id=1156734

PS: Actually, I started this blog in Tokyo, Japan whilst i was on exchange and so my blogging life also started during that memorable turning point of my life:) Readers are welcome to visit my archives for May, June, and July 2005 to see the beginning of my blog life, when it was still a baby:)

How Times Have Changed....1997-2007...時代的轉變 1997-2007...時代のかわり 1997-2007

I have been thinking since the beginning of this year how times have changed in the past decade...so much has changed since 1997, back then when I was still in highschool.

I remember back in 1997, handphones (mobile phones) were just becoming popular then and the internet was also only starting to become widespread....there was no such thing as blogs and the fad was personal websites on geocities (anyone remember those hideous primitive looking sites?? ) I mean they must have seemed so new and interesting back then but compared to our wordpress and blogspot nowadays, its really a world of difference...


On my interest and areas of concern, the past ten years have been fantastic to say the least in terms of the trend...in the area of the Cheongsam, the chinese dress, I've seen a noticeable increase in Chinese society's appreciation and admiration for the dress in the past ten years....in 2000, Wong Kar Wai's ' In the Mood for Love' came out which led to a brief but sharp increase in the popularity of the cheongsam as it became the focal attention of the movie with everyone, and I mean everyone, whom talked about the film, definitely mentioning the array of 60s cheongsam worn by Maggie Cheung....many Mainland Chinese TV dramas I've seen have also placed great emphasis on the cheongsam and you can see beautiful cheongsams worn by actresses in all TV dramas produced by China that deals with the 1930s era....Further, there is even a TV drama on the topic of the cheongsam coming out from China as well as an accompanying movie. I would never have imagined a whole TV drama on the cheongsam ten years ago!! So i'm super looking forward to this drama....the story is apparently about a cheongsam tailor and his lovers...and then there is another TV drama by Stanley Kwan which has come out which also has a character of a cheongsam tailor...so I've noticed a significant increase in the media attention given to cheongsams in the pst 10 yrs which I'm happy about...

Further, thats not the only area of interest of mine where the trend is going where i would like it to go....on the issue of Japanese warcrimes and WW2 which is another of my area of interest, there has DEFINITELY been an unmistakable clear increase in the amount of interest, research, as well as campaign movement on this issue in the last 10 years.

I remember bck in 1997, Iris Chang's 'Rape of Nanking' book had just come out and people were only beginning to know about Japanese atrocities during WW2. But still, overall interest Asia-wide was still very low and not prominent and I was thinking to myself (cos I was extremely interested in this issue bck then already, I had started researching into the issue since I was 14) why was there such injustice in the world that the Japanese could get away with what they did?? I was bitter and angry and the only people that seemed to make any noise about the war atrocity issue back in the 90s seemed to be Koreans. However, to my great joy, ALL THAT CHANGED when we entered the 2000s especially since 2003 when China became to take a great interest in the whole issue with a special multi-part series on Phoenix Cable TV on Japanese war atrocities in China in 2003 as well as well-publicised incidents of Chinese residents injured by chemical weapons left behind by the Japanese forces after WW2. Then China-Japan relations deteriorated with the Yasukuni Shrine incident which lasted for around 5 years...i mean the fact that Yasukuni became an issue was great for me as it showed that the tide had changed and that people were now finally becoming more interested and more active in holding Japan accountable for its actions....10 years ago, I didn't think Japan's wartime past would become an international diplomacy issue in the form of Yasukuni as it did in the 2000s.

Further, the 2005 anti-Japanese riots in China was a positive development for me personally (though i cannot say i condone their actions of vandalising private businesses and diplomatic Japanese establishments) as it showed that the younger Chinese were not about to forget Japan's past atrocities and that many people in China, were like me, very passionate about the WW2 and Japan issue and so the issue wasn't going to die out when the actual survivors of that war had died as the Japanese government would hope for. ....also there has been a renewed interest in the Nanking Massacre with at least 7 film projects coming out either this year or next year in memory of the 70th Anniversary of the Massacre due this coming December. It may be astonishing but there has NEVER been a single major blockbuster picture on the Nanking Massacre before in the past 70 years with the only one coming close being the 1995 Taiwanese funded 'Don't Cry Nanking' which had lack of publicity.

The comfort women issue has also raised to prominence this year attracting more attention than it ever has with the FIRST Congressional Hearing held in Washington with 3 former comfort women in February this year and a resolution already passed by the House Committee on Intl Relations calling for an official apology and educational awareness by Japan. A full house vote on the resolution is expected sometime this week or next and it is expected to pass. Many leading international newspapers such as the NY Times, LA Times, The Age, Washington Post,etc all published not only articles in support of achieving justice for the comfort women but even published editorials condemning Japan for its actions in attempting to downplay the whole issue and even going so far to suggest that the women were liars. I mean I would never in my BEST dreams have thought the comfort women issue would make international headlines or get into the agenda of the American congress even a mere 5 years ago, let alone back in 97!

In a word, there has never been so much Asian or international public awareness or interest on the issue of Japanese war atrocities at any time in the past 60 years since WW2 ended than now...its funny how it was not an issue back in the 60s,70s,80s, but has become a major issue now as time has passed on...i think its got to do with the higher awareness of human rights amongst young asians nowadays as well as rising living standards which frees Chinese, SEA Asian as well as other Asians to start thinking about the past as they are able to live comfortably in the present...

Another issue of my interest which has really hit the spotlight is of cos, the Gay issue. No one can deny that the whole homosexuality and gay topic has shot into the limelight and become so mainstream in the past decade that it really isn't even a taboo nowadays...at least in the West and parts of Asia like Taiwan or Hong Kong...i mean i think i'm speaking for everyone that the rise of gay culture and gay rights has been simply phenomenal in the mere 10 years since 1997.

I can think almost ALL the mainstream gay Chinese films came out after 1997 with the first being that famous Leslie Cheung-Tony Leung gay film 'Happy Together' ...the positive images of gay and lesbians has increased tremendously in the media that positive representations now overwhelm negative ones in both the Western as well as Asian media. After Brokeback, which became the first gay themed film to become a blockbuster hit with mainstream audiences as well as winning its director, Ang Lee, an Oscar for Best Director, the visibility of gay characters in Western media is simply astonishing. I mean i hardly watch Western stuff ( hard to believe I know given that I've been living in Australia for the past 6 years) but everytime i turn on the TV, there is BOUND to be some gay character or person!!! Like Desperate Housewives, how one of the housewive's good friend is gay (that Asian guy..and if it wasn't already obvious by his mannerisms and clothing dress style, they had to make sure the audiences knew he was gay by having him say he went on a gay cruise) and then on Heroes there was that gay best friend of one of the heroes...and then there was two documentaries i watched, one about sex and the other on flirting in Paris, both shown on free to air TV this year and both included gay and lesbian perpectives!! I mean how cool is that...10 years ago, it would have been rather rare for a mainstream documentary to include any gay perspective...usually gay sexuality would have to be in a separate documentary solely on 'gay sex' or 'gay flirting trends' but now, documentaries are including gay views very frequently:)

On the Asian front, a gay themed film 'The King and the Clown' became one of S.Korea's highest grossing films of all time (yes! ALL TIME) which would have been unthinkable bck in 1997 and Taiwanese gay films have become such box-office draws and constant winners of awards, 'Formula 17' 'Eternal Summer' , that no one even bats so much as an eyelid at their gay theme...its no longer considered 'perverse', if anything, its considered an attraction drawing straight and gay audiences alike into cinemas in Taiwan...

I've watched some gay themed Western and Asian films recently which i mentioned before, so i'll give a quick review:

Brokeback Mountain: I don't have a clue why ppl, both str8 and gay, found it the most romantic film of recent years, i mean don't kill me people..cos i know many ppl loved it, but i personally hated it...i found it so disgusting and revolting that i even became alittle homophobic after seeing this film!! But then again, i get like that with Western gay films....the only other one i saw was this one i rented from video rental and i had to like stop watching 1/3 of the way through the film bcos I felt it was just so disgusting...

I mean the sex scene b/w Jake and Heath was sooo rough and violent it wasn't romantic in the least bit..i was actually traumatised as i wasn't expecting them to bonk each other in the freezing cold and after they had eaten all that greasy meat which isn't very hygienic for anal sex if u ask me and it happened all so fast and so violently that i was taken abck...then the way they treated their wive's was just appalling my god! I cannot feel for gay romance if it comes at the expense of women...i mean am I the only one whom felt such great pity for the wives?? I mean the only story out of Brokeback which really got to me was their wive's suffering.. and then Heath has to butt-fuc his wife when she clearly isn't liking it..ew...anyways, although i personally disliked Brokeback, I am glad at all the positive goodwill it generated towards gay people...


TransAmerica: This film by Felicity Huffman was fantastic!!! I loved it...i mean i really felt that her performance as a transgendered person in 'stealth' was very credible and believable...i think it was just great...people should all go out to see this film..it really makes people think twice about any prejudices they may have against transgendered people..


Other American films with a gay theme since Brokeback Mountain: Capote, another Capote film with Sandra Bullock the name of which i can't remember, Little Miss Sunshine (the gay suicidal brother), Friends with Money (they made a huge bit on whether one of the husbands was gay)...actually some of the gay jokes in them were so funny i would like to share with those whom haven't seen them yet:

There was Friends with Money, when one of the friend couple of Jennifer Aniston were discussing why their son doesn't play with balls...

'Honey, Have you noticed that Adam doesn't play with balls and other masculine toys?'

'Well, maybe he plays with the other boys who don't play with balls..' .

'.....*pause*...yah. the gay boys' ( i was laughing out hard with this comment, it was so funny)

' Actually would you care if our son was gay'

' No, i just want him to be happy' ' but i don't want him to experience pain'

' oh but we all experience pain in life'

' i mean 'gay pain' '

'oh....'

This was like the single most funny moment of the film...i loved it...

On to Asian films i saw:

Eternal Summer: I was so looking forward to this film and i wanted so much to love it...i really did..i mean it had a perfect cast, two cute hunkies, a girl in it ( i like gay films with a female character central in it) and looked extremely promising judging by the trailer i watched BUT alas, the story really spoilt the entire movie. I mean it just didn't make any sense to me!! They were so pandering to gay interest and gay men's fantasy that it was really far-fetched and unbelievable..i mean if the girl knows very well one of them is gay and likes his best friend, how can she possibly go out with the gay guy's secret crush? And also the crush best friend thinks that the girl is the gay guy's ex gf but still dates her, how can you go out with your mates girl?!!! And then there is the 'revealing' of whether the crush is really straight or gay at the end...i mean the things he did to keep the friendship is soooo unbelievable it is something that should only be restricted exclusively to gay porn storylines and not mainstream serious films...watch the film, you'll know what i am talking about....PS: Many people, like the Brokeback Mountain fans, loved this film by the way, although most complained about the ambiguous ending which i disliked as well....so i have different taste i guess...

No Regrets: I liked this film...the story was great and the ending witty and funny, one of those 'moment's you would really only ever find in a Korean film...it provided me with a rare insight into the gay scene in South Korea and especially the 'gay host' scene (gay equivalent of clubgirls)...i mean i was taken aback and my heart was pounding at all the frank and daring sex scenes...i was like this '50s housewife' seeing all this for the first time..haha..the things the hosts would do was like WOAWWWW...if this is what they do in Korea, a place not well known for its openness towards gay culture and people, then imagine what they do in places like China and Japan? Anyways, i would recommend this film only to people whom are not homophobic and can keep an open mind towards male-on-male sex cos there are a few daring scenes (no full frontal though if i remember correctly)...

Oh yeah, and then i noticed that in the Chinese New Year Special show in 2007 which all the major stations in Taiwan hold during the lunar new year, on one of them, i was very surprised they did this little skit whereby a prince is supposed to choose a wife and then its a comedy with all the weird women coming in and finally he is revealed to be gay and wants the butler!! I was surprised for two reasons: Firstly, the fact that they would include this gay marriage twist in a CNY show which is traditionally watched by the entire family and must be 'family-friendly' was incredible and further, they not only included the gay ending of the prince marrying the butler but the host repeated twice how times have changed and parents must change their thinking too and how we should all embrace a new 'happily ever after' (indicating not the prince and the princess but the prince and the prince lives happily ever after as is usual in fairytales)...i mean this single fact indicated to me how much society has changed in coming to accept gay people into the mainstream that they could overtly display and even encourage people to accept gay marriages on a Chinese New Year program..(this would be akin to a Christmas or Easter Sunday program)..
Anyways, with the cheongsam, Japan and WW2 ,as well as the gay issue all coming to the limelight in the past decade and going in the right direction, times have truly changed and I'm lucky to be born and to have come of age at this time:)

Admitted!!! Finally:) ...終于是律師了... やっと弁護士になる...

I've finally been admitted to practice in Australia!!!!!!!!! This is the highlight of my study life and the final end product of all my years of studying. Basically, my FIVE years of Law School+THREE months of Grad. Dip in Legal Practice+OVER THREE months of formal legal work experience=Admission as a Solicitor of New South Wales, Australia...yes!!!!!

The Admissions Ceremony was held on July 6th 2007. I was informed of my approval in late June and i attended the ceremony which are on fixed dates each yr at the Supreme Court of NSW. I've been there a couple of times before already on errands during my legal clerkship days (being a lawyer/law clerk means u get so used to going to courts and govt departments that it really isn't exciting as it may be with the average person) so i knew how to get there as well as the usual security procedures..in fact nowadays, i'm pretty quick at getting thru the security checks, u just get used it:)

It was a very formal ceremony with suits and ties,etc and the judges came in to admit us newbies and we had to stand and nod to them when our names were called out...it was pretty cool...one thing that did surprise me was that out of the three student attendants they had (the attendants basically open the doors and push the chairs for the judges) two of them were Chinese!! I was like wow...and most of the newly admitted Asian lawyers were also Chinese (by their names) with Indians coming next...as a note, the Chinese male attendant was pretty cute (he had a very model-type face but so-so body)...after we all went to sign our names on the roll and got our Official Certificate of Admission to Practice Law in New South Wales.

So i am happy!!! I mean its what i've been working towards achieving my whole studying life and there are not many professions where you actually attend such a formal ceremony to recognise your occupation right? Certainly not accountants, business majors, architects, engineers, or even doctors for that matter! In fact, i think only the legal profession requires such an elaborate ceremony with the others either having no ceremonies(just official exams) or a minor private ceremony...

Anyways, i still don't know whether i want to practice law or take up a legal career as a job as believe me, its so dull and boring in real life...NOTHING like the american tv shows you see...even criminal law is so boring, if u've ever attended a court hearing on murder or rape, u'd know what i'm talking about...the legal career seems glamorous and all ( i mean almost the first reaction anyone gives me when i tell them i study law is that 'wahhh...you must be so smart, law must be soooo hard' kind of look) and don't get me wrong i love the prestige and respectability associated with having been in law school and being a qualified solicitor....but seriously, the average lawyers life, for me at least, seems sooo dull and monotanous.....hhhmmm...
Let's see how it goes!

Do congratulate me:)

July 7th , 1937- July 7th, 2007: 70th Anniversary of Start of Sino-Japanese War and WW2:

On another note, today is the 70th anniversary of the Marco Polo Bridge incident (盧溝橋 事件)that sparked the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War and WW2 and the start of Japan's full-scale invasion of China( 抗日戰爭 ) to last till the end of WW2. This date holds significance for the Chinese and is similar to the date Sept 1, 1939 in significance to the Europeans. For the western world, WW2 may have started in September and in 1939 (history being essentially still quite euro-centric which really pisses an Asian historian like me off Real bad...but anyways, for the Chinese, WW2 will ALWAYS start on July 7, 1937 (and Japanese aggression in China starting in 1931 with the annexation of Northeast China). So u won't find me EVER saying WW2 starts in 1939 cos thats just an 'America/Europe historical view' as far as i'm concerned.

WW2 starts in 1937. Started on July 7, 1937 and ended on August 15, 1945.

This date is commemorated every July 7th with this yr being a special yr in it being the 70th anniversary of both the start of Japanese invasion as well as the Nanking Massacre. It was notably low-key this yr with only one official event, being a new exhibition of the Sino-Japanese War and accompanying photo exhibition of warcrimes committed by Japan at the Marco Polo Bridge and no official speeches from Chinese government officials. It is clear the Chinese government didn't want any commemorations to harm Sino-Japanese relations which are just getting better since a change of PM last year.
A new completely American made and funded Sundance documentary on the Nanking Massacre 'Nanking' with Ted Leonsis, vice-President of AOL coming up and funding the project was also released in China on July 7th. I'll post more on this documentary as well as other forthcoming films dealing with the Nanking massacre later in August with what has become my annual ritual post commemorating the end of WW2.
links to Marco Polo Bridge Incident (Start of WW2) 70th Anniv.: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070708a4.html
http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1026/5959212.html

The Dalai Lama in Oz '07...07年 達賴喇嘛澳洲行...ダーライーラマ豪州トリップ07年...

'My Religion is Very Simple, My Religion is Kindness' (The Dalai Lama)-
Official Merchandise Bag

Volunteer at the Dalai Lama Australia Tour 2007

The Dalai Lama Australia Tour 2007-Sydney


The Dalai Lama Australia Tour 2007-Sydney

I attended the Dalai Lama Australia Tour 2007 at The Domain in June last month...It was sooooo cold that day and the rain was pouring with the strong wind sweeping through the open space that we were in...what made it extremely cold was actually the strong wind rather than the weather itself and i was just freezing!! Despite that, many people turned out for the Dalai Lama to hear his speech...it was good but you couldn't really see him as there were too many people with unbrellas since it was raining and the umbrellas basically blocked the view. Anyways, the talk was pretty good and the Dalai Lama is a pretty humourous man. He is very simple and down to earth and gets his message across quite well, often with a touch of humour.

I bought a bag from the official merchandise store as well as a T'Shirt for my brother with some meaningful words printed across the front. All sales goes towards funding for his Australia Tour 07. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and i am glad i attended despite the freezing cold that day.

On another note, res 121 was passed by the US House Committee on Foreign Relations and it now awaits being passed by the full House in Congress...this resolution is unprecendented in that it is the first time that the American Congress has brought up the issue of Comfort Women (Asian women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during WW2). It calls for an official and unambiguous apology by the Japanese government on the comfort women issue although it does not ask for financial compensation and if passed is not binding. However, it will send a strong message to Japan as well as other countries that wartime violence against women is not acceptable and will not be allowed to be swept under the carpet even 50 and 60 years on.

More info:

http://www.support121.org/

http://chinesechic.blogspot.com/2007/03/international-womens-daycomfort-women.html

http://www.abc.net.au/austory/specials/uncomfortabletruth/default.htm- ABC 'Australian Story' program on only publicly known former Dutch-Australian comfort woman Jan Ruff-O'Herne. Full program available online(on broadband) by clicking link in index.

I am an active member of 'Friends of Comfort Women Australia', the main body in Australia campaigning on behalf of the comfort women issue as well as assisting the only Australian survivor to come out in public, Jan Ruff-O'Herne, in her media campaigns. All media wanting to contact Jan Ruff-O'Herne go through our head coordinator such as an upcoming Korean as well as CCTV Chinese documentary on Jan Ruff-O'Herne. We are now seeking interested parties in Australia to either donate money or actually becoming an active member and help us with our campaigns. If you live in Australia and particularly if you live in Sydney, Melbourne or Canberra and would like to help out, please do contact me by leaving your email address in the comment section and i'll get in touch with you. We need all the help we can get!!!

Oh yeah, I am attending a two-day conference on Buddhism next week which would be informative as it covers an introduction to Buddhism as well as meditation,etc. I think it'll be great to get in touch with my zen side and all that post-modern stuff and i've never had an opportunity to get to know Buddhism more although i'm a non-religious person but i do lean towards Buddhism more than Christianity or Islam. I know too much about Christianity already given that its still pretty strong, esp amongst young Chinese Asians, and i do know some stuff about Islam coming from Malaysia, an Islamic country (note its a secular,not an Islamic state though) and reading this book about Islam and Middle Eastern women. So i'm lookin forward to the conference/workshop and i'll let you all know about it once i attend it:)

Sorry for jumping all over the place....just wanted to write about different stuff so i thought i would put it all in one post..haha:)

Top: Durian Ice-cream Right Above: This cute guy whom i saw some weeks bck at a cafe. Notice the shirt 'Ah-Ha' if i didn't know i would have thought he was Malaysian/Singaporean Chinese or HK Chinese but i recognised that name is a Korean restaurant nearby and so he's Korean!!! As usual, gods telling me i fall for the Koreans..he was kinda cute..this isn't the first time i found a korean guy cute without realising at first he was korean (so u can't say i'm just biased in favour of koreans cos a few times i didnt even know they were koreans) ...there was the time last yr when i saw this really cute korean guy and as we were waiting for our takeaway i chatted him up (hehehe) and i had thought he was one of those rare Chinese guys that i find extremely attractive ( i usually only find korean guys extremely attractive at 1st sight) but i found out he was korean to my enormous surprise cos he completely didn't look korean and he was also a med student at Melbourne uni..wow smart and cute too!!...

Comfort Women issue makes front page in 'The Australian' paper earlier this yr during Australian PM Howard's trip to Japan.

'Comic Book Day' at Kinokuniya, Sydney

'Love '07' written on frosting on the window...i 'made' the frost....anyone wanna guess how i managed to do that?

Korean 'pancake' takeaway at home...