Struggling

Ever feel like you're stuck in Punxsutawney reliving the same day over and over again?

When I feel depressed, I like to watch movies. Groundhog Day is one of my favorites (and also one of the best movies of all time.)

Now if only I could progress from depression and feeling stuck to seeing my world from a more positive perspective. Take advantage of what seems like a hopeless situation, change negative thought patterns, learn and pursue interests to the fullest, and make my life more about others instead of about what I want. Stop being nostalgic. It's not living in the present. Be present, dammit!

Wong Kar Wai's films are being featured at the Museum of the Moving Image until August 24th. Still to show are my favorites In the Mood for Love and 2046. Can't wait to see his newest movie The Grandmaster which comes out tomorrow here in NYC.

On another note, did you go to google today and hit play? Love the romantic doodle inspired by Debussy's 151st birthday.

Melancholia

Catching up with my Netflix queue. This may be the first Lars von Trier movie I actually really liked... mostly because it was so gorgeous to watch. Visually stunning film accompanied by Wagner's music as the main theme-- I didn't even mind the hand-held camera movement!

Adoring Almodóvar

From Sony Pictures Classics

If you love Almodóvar as much as I do, you've probably already seen The Skin I Live In. Some reviews I've read have pointed out that it left people feeling cold and disconnected from the characters. But I disagree... I can't stop thinking about this film!

My Two Cents

I've always been a fan of Spike Lee movies. He explores themes that I think other film-makers shy away from or try to avoid-- like racial tension, hatred and violence, or stereotypes in America. But those are subjects I think are relevant and important, especially for cities like New York (most of his films are set in Brooklyn) where so many different cultures co-exist (or clash) together. 

So I can't tell you how happy I am about this photo. I don't want to make this about race or the fact that Jeremy Lin is Asian-American. But honestly, when was the last time anyone ever supported someone because they were Asian-American?? I don't particularly like basketball but since ESPN is continually on in my home year-round (and my husband has a monopoly over the television), I can't help but notice all the attention this story has gotten in the last couple of weeks. (And to think about how many other people who don't even like basketball are suddenly excited about Knicks games is kinda amazing.) I'd like to think that this is more about his skills than about his ethnicity, but then I also have to wonder why he was overlooked for so long. Kobe said after the game he lost to the Knicks last week that when someone plays that well, he doesn't just come out of nowhere.

I am always acutely aware of how others perceive me and extremely analytical when it comes to observing interactions among people, especially within New York City, so I am really happy to hear that people-- and not just Asians-- are rooting him on. As a young child, I never thought much about race because I really felt like an American (or Canadian). It's not until the last few years (out of sheltered schools and into the workforce) that I have noticed people really do treat each other differently based on how they look. Living in NYC the last 6 years, I have heard people yell out things like "ni hao!" or some other similar thing to me as I walk down the street. It's not like I'm from China and can't understand. I understand what people say-- or don't say-- loud and clear. Similarly, I've heard that when Lin played ball games when he was younger, people would yell out things like "wonton soup" while he was playing. I'm sure that was one of the nicer things people would yell out. Seriously, people say things to Asians (or people that look Asian) that they wouldn't dare say to people of other ethnicities. 

So maybe I've joined everyone else and made this post about Lin's ethnic background. It can't be ignored. But what I am really hoping is that people will recognize him simply as a really talented basketball player and focus on that instead. He is the first undrafted player to score over 20 points in each of his first five games in over 40 years! After all the hype dies down, I hope people will just appreciate the fact that he is a really good athlete-- and one who is an American who happens to be of Taiwanese descent.

Dude...

"The Lebowski Cycle" by artist Joe Forkan. Each painting references a masterpiece of western art as well as the film The Big Lebowski.

Drying apple mint; pullet eggs from the livestock people at the farm; malabar spinach and sungold tomatoes from my garden.

The Rural Route Film Festival has been going on this weekend at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens. The farmer in charge of livestock at the farm made a documentary about young farmers that's being featured in this festival. The Greenhorns is playing tonight at 6pm. Here's the trailer. 

Optimum Trajectory

“Your life is like a river. If you’re aiming for a goal that isn't your destiny, you will always be swimming against the current... Find out what your destiny is and the river will carry you."

-The Men Who Stare at Goats

A bit cheesy, I know. And the movie itself, not that great.

But that quote struck me.

Anyone that has known me these last few years knows how challenging working as a nurse, particularly in oncology, has been for me. I get that a lot of people don't like their jobs or find their jobs boring or stressful... but when it makes you cry all the time-- before work because of anxiety, during work because of an overwhelming sense of doom, and after work because of exhaustion-- it feels like swimming against the current, a constant struggle.

Working on a farm or garden has been something I have wanted to do since college, but never found enough time or had the opportunity to go away and live somewhere else for an entire season. Now that I have decided to try something completely different (or what people who are in my world and a part of my life right now consider to be unconventional) and made this change in my life, I'm not sure if I can go back. It feels right, even though I don't know where it will take me. But I'm content to continue floating along with this current.

Still my favorite Spike Lee joint

Gotta love the intro with Rosie Perez.

I stumbled across Tomboy Style.

According to the blog, here are some of the essentials and idols:

GEAR: Bean boots; Patagonia

ICON: Joan Baez; Sofia Coppola

CONTEMPORARY: Audrey Tatou; Alexa Chung

Now I realize I am not so original after all and merely just a tomboy, haha.

;)

I really do like Sofia Coppola though, and here's her interview with Terry Gross in which she talks about her latest film "Somewhere." I've read it has many similarities to "Lost in Translation," which is one of my favorite movies. However, I'm realizing I should stop reading reviews in general until after I actually see a film, as it sometimes skews my own view... but I haven't gone to the movies lately! 

Yet another film to look forward to-- The Illusionist by French animator Sylvain Chomet. I don't know if you saw The Triplets of Belville but I had never seen anything like it before, a beautiful hand-drawn animated movie capable of bringing out so many emotions. It has been eight years and I can't even imagine how many millions of hours has gone into making the The Illusionist, but I am going to have to find some way to persuade my grandfather to see this with me (though we'll have to wait until we're back in NY.)

Now, meditate on beautiful music.

This is my favorite time of the year to go to the movies. There are so many good options as it nears the Oscars. We watched "The Fighter" last night and although I've still got a list of movies to see before the year ends, this is going to be a hard one to beat. You need to see it too!

Regression

When I start asking my grandfather for a cigarette and, this may sound really strange but, when my sister starts re-watching Bollywood movies late at night... we know that things are starting to fall apart again.

I don't know what it is exactly... perhaps it's the snow and the cold weather, or that this time of year inevitably reminds us of the losses we've experienced... or maybe it's simply because we are shopping at the Walmart every other day! But the holidays are always a weird time for us.

But hey, at least there's always one movie that can cheer us up! 

I saw "Diner" the other day during my flight and I wondered why I hadn't ever gotten around to seeing this sooner. It came out the year I was born! If you've never seen it before, it's about 6 friends whose favorite hangout is the diner. Not much really happens-- you just see various moments of their lives-- but it's these scenes that reveal so much about their characters. Yea, it's old and some parts seem cheesy now, but there are also some really great moments. Plus, you get to see Mickey Rourke in his prime!

Enjoyed the last of three days off in a row, went to Shake Shack for lunch and walked around the city. Tonight, just finished watching Blood Simple on Netflix, which is a great movie to see before going to sleep, haha. Actually, I couldn't stop laughing at the end. But anyways, Frances McDormand looks so young and pretty-- it was after all her first film. Now I want to re-watch all her other Coen brothers movies she did throughout the years. And I'm also curious to see Zhang Yimou's remake of the film, A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop, which is now playing at the Landmark. Too bad I'm going back to work tomorrow night, and for the entire long weekend!!

Recent Trip to Toronto

Following my sister around downtown.

Finally got to see I am Love last night.

Spring Forward!!!

I would have worked tonight, if I had remembered we were going to lose an hour today-- I was one of the suckers who worked an extra hour for free back in the fall!

But I'm also glad I got to enjoy a nice Saturday night out, even if it was raining. A nice dinner at Golden Palace in Flushing (which leftovers I am now eating!) followed by Green Zone.

Speaking of movies, I've seen quite a few lately. Last week, Petek came to visit us from Pennsylvania for a couple of days. We've only been able to hang out together a handful of times since we met as roommates in Beijing in 2004. She has lived in a different country every year since then-- and now speaks better Mandarin than me! But neither of us could understand a single word of the Northern Chinese dialect spoken by the characters in Walking on the Wild Side, one of the 7 films currently featured at the Asia Society. The series, called China's Past, Present, Future on Film is going on through April.

From Asia Society

Missing Montana

My first movie of the year, Sweetgrass, a documentary about sheepherders in Montana. We went to see it at the Film Forum after reading great reviews and although I enjoyed the film (it's set in Montana after all!) my sister and husband did not share the same enthusiasm. Shobes had to keep herself from falling asleep and Neil's sole response was to mimic the noise we heard for the majority of the film... "Baaahh."

I can't wait to see Broken Embraces. I'm waiting for you, Shobes, unless you already have someone who equally loves Almodóvar to watch it with. It's a beautiful morning, and I had a good night's rest... but now I have to wean myself back to sleep again within the next couple of hours to prepare for work tonight. Bah.

I can't remember the last horror movie I saw, but I would have watched 100 horror films if it meant I would never have to see Old Boy, a movie I watched tonight at home in Toronto with my sister and Eddie (who is Korean by the way... how dare he not warn me!) Since I am now very disturbed, the only remedy I can think of is to watch this:

As usual, my sis and I are now the only 2 people awake at 4 in the morning, unable to sleep. Boo. But at least I'm not Oh Dae-Su.