Back from Denver

My flight from Denver back to San Francisco was pretty smooth yesterday, except the two 30 something girls almost never shut up during the entire flight. I put my ear plugs in and worked on my computer. I simply cannot believe how they can keep talking non-stop like that. Before I left, I did go back to Sushi Sasa again when Wing was working there. I bought him a drink after my dinner. I hope he will find a chance to visit San Francisco sometimes. Besides Wing’s sushi, what I miss about Denver is the time I spent with Tylor. He is so much fun. His smile is quite intoxicative, with perfect lips surrounding his perfect teeth. I am glad that I can sleep on my own bed again. In fact, I left the gigantic suite and move to a room with a king size bed again. So during the five nights stay at Hyatt, I changed three rooms, not including the first room I walked in and then walked out right the way, because it had two beds in it. When I was about to leave, a new mob flocked in to the hotel and the Denver Convention Center. No, they are not for the 2008 Democratic National Convention because they look more geeky—the 66th World Science Fiction Convention. I observed that they are also much bigger, in terms of body size, that is. I wonder what the correlation between science fiction and obesity is. I am so excited to see my camera again after I got home. I begin to think that I might have an addiction for taking pictures. When I get in the office today, I noticed that my exterior window has been cleaned when I was in Denver. So, I took out my camera and took a picture. I felt the instant gratification when pressing down the shutter button. I am still in the middle of watching the spectacular Beijing Olympic ceremony. Although it’s kinda boring to see the athletes marching in country by country, the performance is nothing short of stunning. I must congratulate director Zhang Yimou (张艺谋) for his artistic creation and the fantastic job he and ten thousand performers have done. There is no doubt in my mind that it’s the best and most magnificent opening ceremony in Olympics history. http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf The Beijing Olympic Game indicates that one fifth of the humanity in this world are rising, to become stronger and better. I am extremely proud to be a Chinese. I am so lucky. Of course, I also love those guys’ long gown when they perform the drums. I think I will get one, the gown, not the drum. More to watch, so I leave this entry to "Boy A." Boy A Should a child who committed a crime be given a second chance? Answers might be quite different depending on whom we ask. Based on a novel, a British drama "Boy A" (UK 2007, 100 min.) does not intend to answer this question for the audience. The film focuses on "Boy A"—a name used by the media when reporting his crime. It tells a engrossing story about his struggle to live a second chance. It deals a tragic situation with strong characters, great performance, impressive cinematography, and a heavy heart. "Boy A" is given a new name Jack Burridge (Andrew Garfield) when he is released after fourteen years in prison for a terrible crime he committed when he was ten years old. With the help from a social worker Terry (Peter Mullan), Jack hopes that he can rebuild a new life. His progress seems promising, as long as he keeps his past a secret. Andrew Garfield‘s finely calibrated performance as Jack Burridge took this year’s British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Best Actor Award. His previous noticeable roles include a smart student of Robert Redford in "Lions for Lambs". In "Boy A," his performance is amazingly mature portraying a shy, troubled, genuine, confused, and gentle young man. The development of the story and the character of Jack are heavily relying on Mr. Garfield’s performance, because it is crucial for the audience to develop empathy toward this unfortunate young man. We are force to take a stand between forgiveness and crime punishment, just like many characters in the film have to do the same as well. In flashback, we learned that Mr. Garfield’s character Jack Burridge has a tough childhood to begin with. By the age of ten, he was put away for fourteen years. Without a normal growing up experience, now he is placed back to the society. He is scared, but he seems ready for a second chance. However, the victim’s family and the public might not think he deserves one. "Who decided who gets a second chance?"—"Boy A" poses this question to the audience, and I am not sure if I have the answer. "Boy A" opens today in theaters.