2009年的第一齣好電影

很高興在新的一年開始便看了一齣這麼出色的電影，而且更是一齣華語電影 – 【非誠勿擾】。

沒有動盪的歷史背景，也沒有刺激的警匪槍戰，更沒有可歌可泣的愛情故事。雖然欠了所有近年賣座或”揚威國際”的華語電影的元素，卻成就了一套細膩，貼近人心和充滿幽默感的小品。從來對小品都有一種偏愛，因為我總認為出色的小品電影都是導演和編劇對生活的體驗和對人和事細微的觀察的結晶。因此亦只有小品電影最能引起觀眾的共鳴，因為我們都曾經有過相同的體驗，我們都經歷過同樣的快樂，同樣的傷痛。【非誠勿擾】就是這樣一齣會讓你跟戲中人物一同笑，一同哭的電影。Bonus是戲中精警惹笑的對白(當然大部分都出自主角葛優口中)，單是開場秦奮的徵婚告示以至炒股女徵婚者的擇偶哲學已讓人拍案叫絕!更欣賞的是其實整個故事本來都是不開心的，但正因為這些惹笑的對白讓我們暫時忘卻了主角生活上的不如意。這不正正就像現實生活嗎?我們每天都是靠一些可以令自己歡笑的人和事去應付惱人的現實生活。

【非誠勿擾】的成功當然亦歸功於選角和眾演員的演繹。出色的小品電影裡，縱使所有演員都長一副明星臉，動靜神態都像日常生活中你我身邊都會出現的人。葛優、舒淇、秦奮在北海道的好朋友、各個徵婚者以至客串的徐若瑄都演活了戲中的角色。

另外兩個比較個人的偏好元素就是場景和秦奮北京腔。每個秦奮跟徵婚者第一次約會的地點，不論是北京的餐廳或是杭州的茶館，都充滿情調、裝潢特美的 (Haha, totally in love with the “特”好看、”特”煩人、”特”喜歡!!)。怎麼我到北京的時候都沒有看到這樣吸引的館子? 當然北海道的火車站、燈塔、面對大海的酒店、野外的溪澗都令人巴不得立即就到北海道旅遊。特喜歡那借”熊”發揮的一冪!

Presidential Debate II

I find it amusing when Senator McCain started answering the question of “What’s the best way, the fastest way to help Americans suffering from economic crisis?” by saying “I have a plan to fix the problem, and that’s gotta do with energy independence. We have to stop sending $700bn a year to countries who don’t like us very much.”

Two issues I have with his answer.

#1. Since when is it decided that the financial turmoil stemmed from energy dependence?”

#2. Fixing the economy has nothing to do with identifying which countries do not like America very much. It serious annoys me when the Conservative ticket spends some much of time thinking who likes America and who doesn’t! And I hate how they are instilling this idea to the audience by saying this all the time, no matter the question is about the economy or foreign policy. McCain claims he knows diplomacy and foreign relations, yet I just don’t think he and Palin have the right vision and attributes to become successful diplomats. It echoes so much to what I’ve been reading in “The Best Intentions”, that the US seemed (esp. since the Bush administration) to believe that only the US has the power and legitimacy to pursue its national interest and all other countries, and the UN should be aligned with their national interest.    

Currently Reading The Best Intentions: Kofi Annan and the UN in the Era of American World Power By James Traub see related

phew....glad I can still write, crap or not!

We often find ourselves picky about food. There are certain food you find yourself absolutely fond of and some you can’t bear putting into your mouth. On a similar note, I find myself quite picky in learning. Sometimes so much so that I suspect it’s more about the receptiveness of my cells than subjective preferences.

I’ve been reading “The Best Intentions: Kofi Annan and the UN in the era of American world power” and I find myself so intrigued by all the events that had happened in the international political arena for the past decade. I am thoroughly intrigued by what Kofi Annan and his aides did in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, etcetc. Even what they didn’t do and the constraints they faced that prevented them intrigue me. I crave for more details and I want to know more about many of the trusted envoys/specialists/speech-writers that worked with Annan. I spent time looking up Wikipedia for Lakhdar Brahimi, Sergio Vieira de Mello and Resolution 3379 declaring Zionism as racism. All these things that doesn’t relate a tad bit to my work at all. I can’t help but wonder (again!) if I am in the right industry.

I have always believed in the idea that if one has to be good at his/her job, he/she has to push him/herself to be an expert in the area. To be very honest to myself, after two years in the banking industry, I’ve never found any passion in me to dig behind the numbers I see at work every day. I read about the economy only because I am interested in the wider political economy meaning. I am way more interested in the political/public policy implications behind decisions by the Fed or the Treasury than how it is gonna impact the stock market. I am interested in how the PRC government makes and executes tax policy in the sense that how the PRC government views economic development and how laissez faire and transparency are still quite lacking in formation of public policy.      

I am forcing myself to take CFA exam cause I thought I ought to know more about what I am selling and understand what’s behind the numbers on the balance sheets that I am being presented every day. Because they are everywhere in my job and I can’t possibly perform without these knowledge. Am I steering in the right direction? Or am I taking myself further away from the right direction?

I am certainly taking some precious insights from these two years of banking experience. (Btw, I hate the IB ppl for sniffing at retail/commercial banking and thought we can’t call our experience “banking experience”. Hello, we’ve been operating as banks since the turn of the century!) For better or for worse, I’ve grown to understand a lot more about how businesses work and people, esp. customers, has pulled me closer to the reality, to actually see the consequences and tactics the real world deploys to deal with the highs and lows of the economic cycle. However, I’m just not sure how long should one stays in a reality that one couldn’t fit into although one knows this is where security is and there still is something to learn.

Talking about right direction, I am probably the last person to justifiably complain about myself not steering to one. Purely because I still haven’t figured out what the right direction is. But sometimes, I am just so terrified that I would stay in this complacency and lose the momentum to find and then follow where my passion takes me.       

I am making more than enough people worrying more than enough about me. That's enough.

Lost - Michael Bubble

I can't believe it's over
I watched the whole thing fall
And I never saw the writing that was on the wall
If I'd only knew
The days were slipping past
That the good things never last
That you were crying

Summer turned to winter
And the snow it turned to rain
And the rain turned into tears upon your face
I hardly recognized the girl you are today
And god I hope it's not too late
It's not too late
'Cause you are not alone
I'm always there with you
And we'll get lost together
Till the light comes pouring through
'Cause when you feel like you're done
And the darkness has won
Babe, you're not lost
When your worlds crashing down
And you can't bear the thought
I said, babe, you're not lost

Life can show no mercy
It can tear your soul apart
It can make you feel like you've gone crazy
But you're not
Things have seem to changed
There's one thing that's still the same
In my heart you have remained
And we can fly fly fly away

'Cause you are not alone
And I am there with you
And we'll get lost together
Till the light comes pouring through
'Cause when you feel like you're done
And the darkness has won
Babe, you're not lost
When the worlds crashing down
And you can not bear to crawl
I said, baby, you're not lost
I said, baby, you're not lost
I said, baby, you're not lost
I said, baby, you're not lost