December 25, 2006 Archives

AKA "Killzone" in the US, which my father rent from mainstream video store. Is a HK flick of the 80s without popstars and a plot that goes out the window before the end of the first half of the movie, and basically a motivation for gratuitous gore. Will never be remembered for its cinematographic qualities, but Saat Po Lang succeeds in what it advertises itself to be: a cool action movie.

The fact that Sammo Hung played the role of a triad boss is absolutely worth the entrance price (or rental price), as he is most famously known for starring in those bon-enfant comedic kung fu flicks à la Dunken Master. It's like, only if Jackie Chan would play a triad boss would the universe shudder a little more due to the momentary incoherence.

Also, even if I have not been a big follower of the triad genre, I thought that the inclusion of wushu in the movie, a bit like if it were a classic 1970s wushu flick transposed to the late 1990s, was perhaps what made this movie a little less banal than it would otherwise be. Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung and Wu Jing probably looked as if they are ancient master fighters reincarnated in an era where noone else knows kung fu (whereas in classic films, any main character would know kung fu by default). I was very amused by the two ending fights, but at that point already, I would have been laughing my head off between fighting choreographies, if with friends to watch it - just like for Seven Swords (which is a bad if you watch it alone, and funny with other people). Please check out brain at entrance.

Well hey, I got a real introduction to the game tonight (after a one-game stint last week hanging out at Magic Idea), and it is really underlining the need to read other people's minds, play a deceptive game, and especially bluff at any suited moment. I can't think of anything better to say.

The dinner was grandiose as usual. We have 20-something guests at my grandma's house (which is really my uncle's, since grandma + grandpa are currently enjoying 30 degrees plus weather somewhere in South China), as the Christmas party this year reunited both my aunt's family (second-removed cousins by alliance from Toronto) and ours (a bunch of cousins, aunts/uncles too). I made baked pitas, with either a tomatoes/parsley/garlic/onions or a labneh dip; one of my aunts got the "usual" cantaloup/prosciutto and smoked salmon/capers doused with olive oil; my aunt's mother made a Chinese-style broth with, I think, shark's fin and swallow's nest (!) blended together; my aunt made a gigantic rosemary and celery powder flavoured turkey ("sandwiches for the week to come"), as well as meatballs; and my father did a water-based curry "lotte" (or burbot, says the French-English dicto) with curry powder from the Seychelles, which is super hot - texture, not taste, sort of reminiscent of what we may've had at Delices de l'Ile Maurice - I mean, the idea of stewed fish that doesn't just melt into a semi-solid paste.

Then, we had a variety of drinks, and when you have a full stomach, anything goes without affecting you too much. For me: red wine, and more red wine, some sort of whiskey, a brandy cream, and some of that Remy-something cognac.

Among Christmas gifts gotten (to tell the truth, I am a real shame as far as giving is concerned), two Canadiens-themed ones, like a tick in the Reds, and a home game jersey. Also, err, a couch (for lounging after work with laptop).

That's about it. After staying in the last three alive in the first of round of poker, I was the first or one of the first to be killed in the following games. There's the interesting aspect of caring about other people's reactions and behaviour that would do some good to my game. I mean, it is probably the single point of personality that is a parent of many of my character flaws which I can think of. Also, I don't think that being a big mouth (like my brother) suits me well, despite trying (with mixed success) to be one on certain (usually free-flowing) occasions. Whereas, being like my father, who is a respected man, but who rarely takes the initiative at family gatherings, is probably a better model to follow. Somehow, I've vented my year-head resolutions to a friend last week, and they vaguely still make sense.