Back Home

Finally, I am back home! The bright sunshine, the steep hills, and the sound of cable car. Now they are all so close to me. I have to change flight at the JFK airport in New York City. The aircraft to JFK is a small regional jet. My heart almost jumped out my chest during its landing at JFK — it was so bumpy and noisy that I felt like riding in one of those terrible looking Mexican trucks that collect cardboards outside Chinatown’s grocery stores. Now I can forget all about the frightening flight and get my life back to normal, and continue the Chinese New Year celebration in San Francisco. On Wednesday, I will go to City Hall for a celebration hosted by the Mayor. On Saturday, I attend the Chinese New Year Parade. What a difference! When I was in North Carolina, there was not a single sign of holiday even on Chinese New Year’s Day! On Chinese New Year’s Eve, I figured that I should get some steak since it’s the year of OX, so I went to the arguably the best steak house in the triangle area, The Angus Barn. It turns out to be a huge mistake. The food temperature was not hot enough. There was no fresh baked bread, only some salty crackers. When I asked for some bread, they toasted couple slides of white bread that they bought from a grocery store! This is supposed to be a high end steak house for crying out loud! The veggies were plain and tasteless. The crab cake had some crab shells in it and too much sauce on the plate. I asked my prime rib to be cooked medium rare, but it was totally bloody and very rare — I asked the waiter to take back to the kitchen and to get me a differnet piece. However, on Chinese New Year Day, I had a great time at ãn.. I asked Chef Michael to cook something to celebrate the Chinese New Year. He made me a whole red snapper! That’s totally not like what normally this dish is presented at the restaurant. I will have a prosperous year — 年年有余(鱼)! Now I am super tired and sleepy after working out in the gym, time for bed! And this is a review I wrote on the airplane today: Morris County Surely it’s a tough time right now for many when the gloomy economy gets worse and worse. However, no matter how tough it might be, it is probably less significant compared to what those characters in "Morris County" (USA 2008, 91 min.) have to deal with. If the film’s unsettling and sometimes heartbroken stories do not overwhelm the audiences, its disturbing images would. It is definitely not for the weak stomach, or any stomach. Director Matthew Garrett expands his 2006 short film "Ellie" into his feature debut "Morris County" by adding two more stories: "The Family Rubin" and "Elmer & Iris." All three stories are supposed to be happening in Morris County (NJ), which could be any suburbia town in America. In "Ellie," 17 years old girl Ellie sees no way out when she copes with her devastating secret. Her reckless acts only deepen her troubles instead of find her an escape. In "The Family Rubin," the husband and wife keep a secret from their young son and the outside world. When the secret is about to be exposed, the desperate husband takes an extreme measure. In "Elmer & Iris," a loving old lady Iris works as a secretary and treats her co-workers as her own family. After she is laid off, she returns to the only family left for her — her husband Elmer. Her daily life seems normal as usual by looking from outside of her house, the truth is anything but normal. All three stories share one common trait — seemingly normal lives in the suburbia America are filled with secrets and horror, and people are feeling hopeless and despair. The film offers not even a slight hint of hope or comfort. It is uncompromising and utterly depressing. The world premiere of "Morris County" will be on Feb. 6, Feb. 9 and Feb. 19 at the 11th San Francisco Independent Film Festival (where else?). The Eleventh Annual San Francisco Independent Film Festival (IndieFest), featuring more than 100 absolutely independent films and videos, runs February 5-20, 2009 at Bay Area theatres including the Roxie Cinemas and the Victoria Theater in San Francisco and the Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley.