echoes of the rainbow

A film review...

'Echoes of the Rainbow' (歲月神偷) is a film about a family in Hong Kong in the 1960s. The storyline is strikingly simple. The father in the movie is a shoemaker, who together with is wife struggle to maintain their family against a backdrop of social upheaval and an ailing economy. Their eldest son, a teenager, is a first class student, athletic champion and has a talent for the guitar and songwriting. The youngest son who is 8 years old is not the model student his older brother is, but dreams of being an astronaut and walks around with a fish bowl over his head in show of this.

We hear the story narrated by the 8 year old son and share in his family's warm moments, but also in their struggles against poverty and sickness. As the film is ultimately a tribute to the director's older brother, it is no surprise that the film has its poignant moments. The child is aptly appointed as the narrator as we see the uncomplex, yet touching story unfold through the innocent eyes of an 8 year old. The choice of storyteller is a great contributor to the film's success in conveying a simple story that has a powerful impact on the audience's emotions and thoughts.

The strong depiction of Hong Kong in the 1960s brings back memories for many, and introduces others to the life and times of those that lived at that point in history. The costumes and decor transport the audience from their 21st century lives to different times where the neighbourhood had dinner in a rather communal fashion outdoors, telephones were a rarity and songs of The Monkees played on the radio. Against this setting, the audience becomes deeply moved by the love between the parents, the parents and their children and between the two brothers. The scenes where the family members interrelate are crafted in such an effortless and direct manner that it is impossible not to have your heart strings tugged as you watch this film.

the snow egg

For a blog that is named after food, it's probably strange that none of my posts have been about food or cooking, as one would expect. Well, I finally had a 'petit fours moment' over lunch, where I had that little burst of happiness over a certain dessert.

Those that watched the Master Chef final, would be familiar with The Snow Egg- signature dessert of Quay, a restaurant in Sydney. I had made a reservation at Quay about a month prior to the Snow Egg being featured on Master Chef, as part of my plan to take my sister out for lunch whilst she was visiting me from overseas. So that Friday after the Master Chef final, my sister and I were blessed enough to have a table at Quay to try The Snow Egg (as well as their beautiful entrees and mains).

The moment we spooned that dessert into our mouths, we could feel all the textures coming together to create this harmonious combination of what was smooth, creamy, crunchy and cold. The taste was fresh and light and had us blissfully anticipating the next spoonful of The Snow Egg. After polishing off our respective Snow Eggs, my sister wanted to order another. We didn't try, but would be interested to know if they allow that at Quay...

And of course I have to show you the petit fours!

woody & buzz

One lunch time, I was happily chatting away with a friend about Toy Story 3. Having seen the movie on different occasions, we were both recalling the funny scenes. My favourites were Barbie disguised as Ken in the astronaut suit and the scene at the daycare centre where Mr Potato Head had to put all his facial features into the pita bread.

My friend also recalled that we had seen Toy Story 1 together when we were in high school. This sounds cliched, but it doesn't even seem like that long ago. And some things don't change. Seeing Toy Story is still a fun experience for me and I still find it amusing. I guess I'm a child at heart. This is probably proven by the fact that I was just as excited as my nephew about his box of Toy Story themed Lego. Not being a fan of 'Lego Men', Woody and Buzz were thrown aside and my nephew turned to focus on playing with the car made of Lego pieces. Feeling rather sorry for Woody and Buzz (they are the main characters after all), I thought it would be nice for them to feature on my blog. So here they are. The Lego versions of Woody and Buzz.

photo shoot

Recently, I organised a photography trip for myself and a couple of other friends so we could learn from 'the master' (a friend that has recently started his own photography business). He mentioned that he was doing a pre-wedding shoot and I politely invited myself along. As a result, my friend hired himself an assistant for the afternoon (for free) and the unsuspecting couple had an extra person taking photos of them on the shoot.

Having never been on one of these shoots, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Even though I was not obliged to hand over any of my photos, I was still a little nervous. The couple were really nice and I had fun. I also didn't realise how tiring it could be. We were only out for a few hours, but I was losing concentration by the end.

As for the photos...I ended up with a small handful of shots I thought were ok. Not quite the quality I was hoping for, but I think I've just got high expectations for someone who is very much a beginner. I did hand over some of my shots as 'homework' to my friend the Sensei. Let me chase him up to see what mark I got.

hairdresser

I'm not sure how many people have experienced the disappointment of finding out that your hairdresser had left the salon you had been going to. It's also annoying when you have no idea where they went to. I was in this situation not too long ago. The good news is I managed to find out which salon she now works at. I'm so pleased that my hairdresser can continue looking after my hair and........ she maintains a small collection of Japanese magazines for her clients! Not only can I have my hair styled by a hairdresser I like, but I can also update myself on the latest in Japanese fashion via the magazines!

knitting

My Mum is a huge fan of knitting. When she found out that one of the knitting and needlecraft stores was having a sale, she sent me in search of certain types of wool she wanted to buy. Whilst standing in the store and looking completely lost in all the varieties of wool, I came across a couple of patterns for beanies.

Which one should I ask my Mum to knit for me?

gumboots

 

I remember when I was kid I owned a pair of yellow gumboots with blue soles. Sadly, my feet grew so quickly that I only had the chance to wear them once before the gumboots became too small. Having never owned another pair of gumboots since, the rainy weather in the past week or so has made me want to buy a pair.

However, this pair makes me think that gumboots only look cool on kids.

Perhaps if Bob the Builder wasn't so obvious, I'd consider getting these?

Finding the right pair is going to be tough. Making gumboots look cool, without looking like a five year old is the first challenge. Trying not to appear like having gone straight from the fishing trawler to the cosmopolitan world will be the other. Maybe appearing as if I had returned from a weekend at the farm and was unfussed about having left my gumboots on would work?

I will continue my search for a pair of gumboots, suitable for city life.