Perhaps it is true that I am blogging too much about Go, which of course is not a bad thing, but the fact is that for a Jack of All Trades like myself, there are other things that is happening that I would also like to talk about or update. My geeky friend (as I have called her since the first time I wrote on this blog) who is now in Hong Kong already complained that this blog of mine is becoming a blog exclusively about Go! Where did all the movies go? That is true.
Anyways, for a fact, I have not spent time exclusively on Go, which explains why I am still so bad at that game. Perhaps a short update on recent activities is due?
Non-Go related book that I am currently reading:
Gabriel Garcia Marquez: A Life by Gerald Martin.
I have been quite a fan of Gabo (as he is affectionately called) and I wonder who wouldn’t if they have spent some time reading such works as ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE and LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA.
On his last visit to Malaysia, my dear friend Dr. Sudah whom I refer to as the Sexy Doctor or the Mahler lookalike (here is his blog:The Physician Anthropologist), was reading the aforesaid book and I was intrigued. Luckily I found the book in MPH which was a surprise after looking high and low in Kinokuniya and Borders to no avail.
Gabo’s story is very inspiring, a rags to riches story and I am currently at almost half of the book and is enjoying it very much. The opening chapter on the family genealogy can be quite confusing but should not be something that anyone who has read ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE cannot handle. After the opening chapter, the rest is a breeze and an enjoyable read. At a certain point, I thought I really wanted to be an author like Gabo too.
Movies Watched:
Hayao Miyazaki’s PONYO ON THE CLIFF. Oh my goodness. I have been wanting to watch this for the longest time but alas! it was not shown in Malaysian cinemas. I managed to get a 2-DVD set while in Korea and have watched it. What an amazing piece of art this is. Ponyo is just so cute and adorable, the soundtrack is superb as usual and it is very uplifting. Both my wife and myself felt so much happier after watching this movie.
INGLORIOUS BASTERDS. I have also been waiting for this for the longest time and it did not disappoint. Typical Quentin Tarantino extravaganza of unforgettable scenes and dialog. I was quite worried about Brad Pitt before the movie but after watching it, I felt he is perfect for the role.
POKER KING. Despite being a fan of Texas Hold’em, I do not find this movie to be really good and I felt that the twist at the end of the movie rather lame. However, this is an enjoyable movie and quite entertaining. I like Wong You-nam very much in the movie. I cannot but compare it to ROUNDERS and I find ROUNDERS a better movie, although perhaps on the enjoyment level, POKER KING is at least at par. After the movie, I chatted with my geeky friend over the phone and she highlighted to me the subtleties in the movie, on the state of affairs in Macau and how the industry is wrecking havoc on the economy and such. Anyways, lovers of Hong Kong movie should not miss this movie though.
Well, that’s a few things that I am doing or have just recently done this week that is not Go related.
I am planning to start reading a novel but I can’t decide which one to read. Hmmmm……
Falling Stones are not Heavy 
Yesssss! You wrote a non-Go related blog post. And you watched — and loved — PONYO!!!!!!!! At last!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
(BTW, hope you watched PONYO with the original Japanese dub. The Japanese voice of Ponyo is sooooo kawaii!)
pon-yo! pon-yo! bye bye, bye bye!
i would recommend a recent film called “the message (风声)”:) it’s definitely the best spy movie mainland china has ever produced in 60 years
You need to blog with double the normal frequency.
I need Go-related post. Hehe …
hi ytsl ! yup, something non-go. haha. the ponyo is the original japanese dub. so cute!!!!!
papillion, i know who u r…… hahahahaha
hi ixiaolu! long time didn’t hear from you. hope u r well. thanks for the recommendation. i shall seek out the movie.
zaid waqi…. indeed….. i need to blog faster. there are a lot on go to blog in my head now… the recent gobango games and especially so a review of the book Go Consultant, the ultimate pair go book!!