Love Nest

Just received the wondeful news today that our application for the rental of our new home has been approved. John and I have been together for more than 3 years and our dream of living together has finally materialised.

The coming weeks will be filled with very exciting moments of decorating our new place and lots of housewarming parties. Rejoice! Rejoice! I love my life ...

A "politically-correct" love nest, maybe not ...

Le Petite Crème

Location: 118 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst

I was first introduced to Le Petit Crème more than 4 years ago by a French mate at university. Situtated at one of the hippest areas in Sydney, flanked by the infamous Kings Cross and Oxford St, Le Petit Creme is an authentic and unassuming little place serving delicious French breakfast and lunch. Over the years, like my French friends who have called it one of their favourites, I thought I might introduce this "in" place for all to enjoy.



When I first visited the cafe, I used to arrive around 11-12 pm, which made it very sensible to order the delicious chicken baguette (chicken breast and lots of tomatoes and lettuce) or the french steak sandwich (stewed beef slices with caramalised onions) served with frites, which is a "must have" on their menu. Frites are basically deep fried thinly sliced potatoes, resembling the potato chips you open from a bag, just fresher and much more delicious.

Recently, I have found myself going during the earlier hours of the weekend, and found it difficult to order anything other than their "weekend special", Eggs Benedict. I have to admit that I am not a big fan of thick sauces but this is absolutely divine. The way they make their poached eggs, which ooze at the slightest prick, a choice of ham or salmon and the sweet bread underneath ...



Lastly, Le Petit Crème gives you an option to have a bowl of coffee but they do not serve skim, which recalled an embarassing encounter the first time when I was denied. No skim or soya. Just the real thing ...

秋のIndication

We have had a good run with the Autumn weather, but it is starting to get colder, and the streets prettier with red, yellow and multicolored leaves. Coming from a Singapore which has only one season, Summer, all year round, I sometimes tend to forget how beautiful our surrounding world can be ...

Congratulations, Mariah!

Mariah's newest single, "We Belong Together", my favourite song from her new album and one of her best in recent years, will top the Billboard Singles Hot 100 Chart tomorrow. This is her 16th single to top the charts, and only two artistes, Elvis Presley (18 singles) and The Beatles (20 singles) hold an edge over her. With the amount of airplay and downloads, it makes it one of the biggest hits of Mariah's career.

Her new album "The Emancipation of Mimi" is also certified double platinum after 6 weeks, and is still No. 3 on the charts. I know that there are many people who do not like her but it is really good to see that she is making her way back after everyone has written her off as a "has been".

Tokyo Story (東京物語) Tokyo Monogatari (1953)

Time Magazine just released their newest edition of the Top 100 Movies of All Time, and there is slight controversy because they have omitted one of the most popular movies of all time "Gone With the Wind" (1928), which they have parodied "Frankly, they don't care a damn" and called it a faux epic.

It was a definitive list with many foreign movies on the list and a handful from Asia, the most popular being from Japan, with classics like Akira Kurosawa's "Ikiru" (1952) and Yasujiro Ozu's (小津安二郎) "Tokyo Story" (Tokyo Monogatari) (1953) included in the list. I did a count of the number of movies and arrived at a total of 26 movies, and my favourite of the list is "Tokyo Story" ("Ikiru" is close behind).

The director, Yasujiro Ozu, which has lately, become my favourite director of all time, deals with family oriented issues in his movies. I have omitted the word "drama" because even though his movies usually fall into that category, he avoids confrontations in his movies, leaving the conflict scenes out of the movies. He allows the viewer to see only the aftermath, and the effects of the conflicts have on his characters. His directorial style is very unique because he film with his camera on the ground. So, the viewer seems to be on "eye level" with the characters in the movie, since most Japanese sit or kneel down on tatami mats. Another enchanting characteristic of his style is that he rarely moves the camera, preferring to let the characters move around in the scenes.

Ozu's movies typically depict the generational changes after postwar Japan and always around the family unit. His biographer Donald Ritchie recounts that Ozu dislikes plot, which is why he leaves the "pivotal conflict scenes" out of the movie. He starts writing a screenplay through development of characters and then fills in the story in between. This unique style contributes to the longevity of his movies because ultimately, human character and personality do not change much through generations.

"Tokyo Story" is the first Ozu movie I watched and I have shared it with many friends, who have loved the movie as much as I did. One of the conversations we had recently after the movie made us aware that such issues as "non-communication" and hidden meanings (even when it comes from love) can still have repercussions today, even though this movie was released in 1953.

"Tokyo Story" is about an aging couple who come to Tokyo to visit their children and their grandchildren, only to find that their children no longer care for them. Only their widowed daughter-in-law takes the effort to spend time with them during their holiday. The children decide to send them away to a short hot spring getaway but when they do not enjoy it and come back, their children chide them for wasting their money. They go back to their hometown and the mother falls ill and dies ...

One of the classic lines in the movie is "Isn't life disappointing" and the sister in law says "Yes", reflecting on the reality of life. Ozu's films usually end with loneliness due to a death or the breakup of a family due to marriage, but they are not morbid. They are lifelike, and they represent little fragments of our lives that we can identify with. Under his careful direction and passion for his characters (even the less desirable ones), we get to know the characters in depth during the 2 hours through a window in their lives, and we are affected forever ...

"Not to have seen TOKYO STORY is not to have lived. . . . One of the most beautiful and compassionate films in history." ・Geoff Brown, The Times (London)

Films of Yasujiro Ozu




Rating: 9.5/10
Other Reviews: Amazon; Rotten Tomatoes

Review: The Gold Rush (1952)

Firstly, I would like to admit that I dislike slapstick. While my fellow mates were gushing about all the silly "Stephen Chow" (Hong Kong's equivalent of Adam Sandler) comedies, I was cringing at their every joke. After all, what's there to like about this silly, nonsensical sense of humour?

I love comedies sprayed with clever banter, with some of my favourites like "Adam's Rib"(1949), "Some Like It Hot" (1959), etc, and I have occasionally admire slightly slapstick ones (or screwball comedies), like "Bringing Up Baby" (1938) and "The Party" (1968). So armed with my previous prejudices, I had some reservations about how I would interpret this 1952 Charlie Chaplin classic, "Gold Rush". Especially, since he described it as his favourite, and "The one movie that he would most like to be remembered by".

I remember watching Charlie Chaplin movies when I was a little boy and finding them hilarious, but then I was young then, and maybe most things tickled me. Now, I find myself appreciating the fine art that Chaplin has brought to this world. This DVD has two versions, the original and the other with Chaplin's rendition and music added and I watched the latter, which I enjoyed tremendously.

One does not need to be an expert to see Chaplin's wonderful comic timing and his ability to make a fool out of himself but still keep the story relevant. This movie set after the World War, spoke of the trademark Little Tramp character on a gold hunt, and while in the harshest of conditions, still finds humour within, and a reason to live. It is humour and love that keeps the Little Tramp alive.

There are some classic scenes which have been relived on TV many times including the one that he cooked his boots due to the lack of food, and kept a straight face while attempting the almost impossible feat of making the boot palatable. It is a hilarious trip and it would be a regret to miss this just because it is a Black and White movie and it is mostly silent. Through Chaplin's expressive eyes, we experience every emotion and he is such a great actor because he makes it look so simple.

It is not difficult to see why Charles Chaplin was such a popular phenomenon. He brought fantasy onto people's life, and for a moment allowed people to forget their troubles for a moment and find joy in his movies. Through this, he has inspired me to always look on the bright side of things. Like one of his signature songs that he wrote (which not many people know), his aim is for everyone to smile ...

Rating: 8/10
Other Reviews: Amazon; Rotten Tomatoes

Birth Order and Destiny

One of the best things about dinner parties is the knowledge that we can pick up from conversations. One of our closest friends, Sophie, who is a psychologist, spoke about how our characteristics could be linked to our birth orders (the position that we are born in our family). After she explained what it was, we all exclaimed that we can see parallels in our lives, just like she has with hers, and I would like to share this interesting observations with you.

The following is an extract from "How Children Grow Up: Breaking the Cycle of Family Dysfunction" by Timothy J. Zwart, Ed.D. and also some additions from Sophie.

The children in the dysfunctional system typically assume one of four roles: the hero, the scapegoat, the forgotten child, and the mascot.

First Child: The Hero

The two identifying marks of the hero are over-achievement and caretaking. Hunger for love, recognition, and control motivate their behavior. Heroes often become the emotional caretaker of the family.

These "little adults" are at risk of never growing up emotionally. Adults who continue the hero role often develop a compulsive drive for perfection and control. They are prone to workaholic behavior and stress-related illnesses. They will likely find someone to "save"--recreating dysfunctional relationships. The intergenerational cycle continues as the child hero becomes the "adult" enabler.

Sophie: They hold the flag for the family, lead the way, break boundaries etc. The Hero is generally claimed by the father.

Second Child: The Scapegoat.

The scapegoat often displays delinquent, defiant, and underachieving behavior. This role serves an important function to the family since these behaviors remove the focus from the parental dysfunction. As adults, the scapegoat's pattern of irresponsibility, addictions, self-destructiveness, and impulsive behavior often continues. Scapegoats often find a hero to take care of them.

Sophie: The Scapegoat can't compete with the Hero position, so will often become the 'bad' one in order to gain attention. The Scapegoat is claimed by the mother, and quite often that relationship is either very enmeshed and overly close, or alternatively it can be highly conflictual.

Third Child: The Forgotten Child

To escape the tensions and confusion of the dysfunctional system, forgotten children remain shy and introverted. They prefer to stay alone and solitary. To compensate for their loneliness, they often develop a rich and active fantasy life. As adults, these individuals remain socially isolated and may seem peculiar.

Sophie: This child appears to have absented themselves from the family drama, and often spends a lot of time away from the family orreading or studying. Although the Lost Child appears to be disinterested in the family dynamics, it does in fact watch very, very carefully to keep an eye onwhat's happening.

Fourth Child: The Mascot

The last common role is the mascot. Mascots learn to use humor and pranks to get attention. The mascot represents a source of fun and levity in an otherwise tense environment. Unfortunately, many mascots never grow up. As adults, they remain quite immature and dependent, craving the limelight and unable to handle stress and disappointment.

Sophie: This child takes on the role of entertaining the family and distracting from the family drama. They may do this by being the family joker, or they may be very dramatic or troublesome or sick.

There is a marked contrast between these characteristics and rigid roles and the healthy family. In a healthier system, there are flexible roles and flexible rules which allow change and growth. For example, a healthy system will not scapegoat one member. And rules that might have been appropriate for a young child will be renegotiated as the child becomes a teenager.

Sophie: The roles then repeat with subsequent births and if any sibling steps out of their designated roles (e.g. the Hero decides to drop out of his successful job and being the family mediator) then another child willhave to step up into that role, whilst still needing to enact their rightful sibling position role too!! Also, miscarriages and abortions also need to beincluded when determining the sibling position.

This is fascinating to me because there is so much there about life and psychology that I would like to learn about and though there are some similarities in my family, no one fitted the model to a T, maybe because my family is not as dysfunctional as those that the research is based on. I wanted to share because this may offer some insights into your own life and it does say that you can control destiny ... but only if you are aware.

Dinner Parties

One of the best things about living by oneself is dinner parties, holding them and getting invited to them. Like Bree Van De Kemp says in "Desperate Housewives", "One of the things I missed most about not staying married is having dinner parties".

I can still vividly remember the first time I had a dinner party when I invited 3 other girls that I had known from University over for a weekend dinner. It was just a simple meal of tandoori chicken (my specialty), barbecued (char-siew) pork (cooked by myself) and a vegetarian dish, but it was pure joy that is not replicated by any other event.

Ever since, I have had many dinner parties, and though now, I usually hold "pot luck" parties, where everyone brings a dish along, the simple joys of gathering, eating and drinking is still something that I will relish forever.

Review: Bad Education: (La Mala Educación)

How does one review a movie like "Bad Education: (La Mala Educación)" without giving its plot away. I liked one review which read:

"A densely layered, darkly funny look at the lies people tell themselves and others in order to make their fantasies come true."-- Glenn Whipp, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS"

It is a movie about lies and fantasies and like everyone else, we tell white lies to make our fantasies come true. I have never been a big fan of Pedro Almodovar, but this is one of my favourites of his, made easier by one of the most exciting talents to emerge in recent years, the delicious Gael García Bernal.

It is so nice to see Gael taking risks with his acting career, jumpstarted by the wonderful "Y Tu Mama Tabien" followed by the amazing "Motorcycle Dairies" and now this. He plays two characters, one of which is a drag queen, and the other, an aspiring actor who struggles to get his first break. There are a few gay sex scenes and it is refreshing to see Gael play it all in good faith even though he is heterosexual. Just imagine a Hollywood actor playing this ... I guess not. It is a testament to his talents, confidence, and a desire to play interesting roles without being typecast, and he fulls it all of with smoldering sexuality.

The movie also exposes many stories we have heard about priests and child molestations and is apparently a semi-autobiographical story penned by Almodovar, and a fitting end to the trilogy starting from "All About My Mother", "Talk To Her" and now this. Almodovar showed in the former two movies that he is a lover of women, but he is after all, a gay man, and this is probably his fantasy come true.

Though it can be confusing at parts because of its complex storyline and flashblacks, Almodovar has presented himself as a master storyteller and I was thoroughly entertained.

Rating: 7.5/10
More Reviews: Amazon; Rotten Tomatoes

Review: Maria Full Of Grace (MARIA LLENA ERES DE GRACIA)

Not a film for the faint hearted, not because it is filled with bullet spraying and blood gushing scenes, but Maria Full Of Grace is filmed with such integrity, that it often resembles a full length documentary instead of a fictional movie.

The first half of the movie where Maria Alvarez (Catalina Sandino Moreno) feels trapped in her life with a boring job and a family to feed, represents a real slice of life that many people living in improverished countries like rural Columbia, where the movie is set, can identify with.

Like most teenagers, Maria has dreams that she wants to realize but feels trapped in the life that she have been given. When an offer comes to make lots of money and change her fate, she decides to trade in by smuggling drugs to New York by swallowing capsules of heroin.

The movie follows a significant transition in the life journey of brave Maria from Columbia to New York, and some very tense moments in the movie as she goes through customs, which reminded me of the intensity that I anticipate when I come back to Australia, even though the most "lethal" objects that I am carrying, is some food from home.

The most significant moral of the movie is where she learns that the most important thing in life is not money (as she initially thought), but the relationships that we have, and how we can hurt the people that we love through most foolish acts that we conjure.

In the face of the recent drug trafficking incidents, this movie was watched under rather uncomfortable conditions but it is worth watching because it allows us to see the impact our actions have on the people that we love and also for Catalina Sandino Moreno's realistic and well deserved Oscar nominated performance.

Rating: 7/10
More Reviews: Amazon; Rotten Tomatoes

Review: Les Chorites (The Chorus)

Nominated for 2 Academy Awards this year, including "Best Foreign Picture", "Les Chorites" is an inspirational French movie which reminded me of the joy I had as a little kid when I first watched "The Sound of Music", still one of my favourite movies of all time.

I think it has to do with the power of music that moves people. It has been compared to "Mr Holland's Opus" and "Music Of The Heart", but to me, it was a far more enjoyable film that the two. Set in 1949, the lead character, Monsieur Clément Mathieu, a loser in life, gets posted to a remote boys school with disciplinary problems. Faced with the autocratic style of the headmaster who believes that the only way to educate children in behaving is through tough discipline, Clément brings music in the form of a choral group to the boys, and not only earns their respect but also their love in the process.

Children are extremely difficult to work with, so it was interesting that first time director Christophe Barratier chose this topic as his inspiration, and his love shines through. It is an extremely entertaining story sprinkled with beautiful music and an enchanting voice from young actor, Jean-Baptiste Maunier who did his own singing. The ending moved my partner John and myself to tears, because it was both sweet and touching. It reminded John of another French movie "Au revoir les enfants" (a.k.a. Goodbye, Children) directed by the late Louis Malle (which was also nominated for Oscars in Best Foreign Film and Best Original Screenplay. Unfortunately, I am unable to watch it yet because of its unavailability on DVD.

I can understand the apprehension at watching it because I had them and there have been so many of such stories and most of them are not very impressive. Maybe it is the French mystique that brings an elegance to this lovable story, which makes it sentimental but not saccharine. Not to be missed.

Rating: 8/10
More Reviews from Amazon

Cabaret ... A Dying Art

As long as I can remember, it is the first "true blue" cabaret performance I have been to, discounting the Divine Miss M's dazzling display a few weeks back. We went to El Rocco room in Bar Me at Kings Cross last Friday night, where we watched Tim Draxl perform his latest show "Back for Seconds".

It is set in a small dark bar underneath the restaurant, and you can choose to eat first before the performance (like a dinner show) or just watch the performance. We chose just to watch but there were friends that night who ate and said that it was a delightful experience too. The setting was dark and a little dinghy, which was very authentic except for the smoke filled rooms you used to see in movies. Word has it (or from Tim Draxl) that Frank Sinatra performed there as well, which was why Tim wanted to do it there.

He performed many jazz classics like Sinatra's "I've Got You Under My Skin", "Cry Me A River" (which he pointed out was not Justin Timberlake's version), and many other heart-renching love themes, that brought us to another place not found on Earth ... Neverland. His beautiful voice well beyond his young 23 years, carried us through many forgotten themes from "Mary Poppins" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang", and even dedicated a beautiful lullaby to his mother who was present that night.

One of the major highlights for me was a made to believe as an impromptu duet with Matt Newtown (Bert Newton's son), who was fantastic as well, in their uproaring rendition of the Frank Sinatra-Bing Crosby classic "Well, Did You Evah?" from "High Society".

It is indeed very interesting and weird as well to be drowning in love with his renditions one minute, and then head up for the bar during the interval and stand next to him with a drink. It is the intimacy of the place and the intensity of the stares that allow one to fantasize that he is singing just for you. It made me wonder if that is what Akina is trying to do this year with her more intimate sized concerts?

It is an experience to be had, and if there is anyone who is interested to experience cabaret, then this is a good choice, and it helps that he is very easy on the eyes too. Last Friday was meant to be the final weekend for his cabaret performance, but due to popular demand, which Tim himself teases about, it has been extended for another 3 weeks. So, who says that Cabaret is a dying art ... if there are good singers willing to perform, there will be queens willing to listen ...

April Sadness

Received some sad news yesterday morning on the 1st of May that the mother of a dear friend of ours (John and I) left this world yesterday afternoon (30th April).

It brought back many sad memories and I felt tears streaming down as I tried to convey my condolences. She was a very loving woman who my friend, Anne, has spoken so gracefully of, and we were lucky to have met up with her at the end of last year. Though she was in her late 80s or just turned 90, she was very open and loving even though she was a Catholic and knew us as a gay couple. It was so refreshing to know and be accepted just for who we are.

At this very moment, I am reading her memoirs, which chronicled her life all through World War 1 and 2. It is a very interesting read that allowed me to know her better as a person. She wrote it after one of her grandchildren wanted to know what her childhood was like, and she thought it was a great idea to write her memoris so that they (grandchildren and great grandchildren) will know what she was like.

I think this is a great idea because there are many times when I wanted to know about my mother's childhood and even my grandmother's, but most of that is all lost now because my grandmother is no longer around, except little fragments that my Mum would sprinkle once in a while. Delicious little stories that would brighten up my day. I aspire to write about my life one day as well, not so much so that I can publish it, but more so that people will know the life I led and the people who influenced it.

Mrs Mary Frances Egan's legacy lives on because she lives on in the lives of the people she has touched and inspired ... May she rest in heavenly peace ...