Need A Vacation

I am so glad this three day Labor Day weekend is here. It has been a hectic week, like always. Sometimes I wonder if I am doing too many things. I am not saying that I don’t have any quiet relax moments. However, I just feel that I am always out of time. It’s time to plan a very long vacation. I am seriously thinking that it’s time to go back to Europe or Japan for a vacation, even the exchange rate is still not very good. I have so many projects that I can never seem to get a chance to finish, although I think my main problem is not procrastination, but I am easily get distracted. When I am doing something, I already start something else. I should learn how to do one thing at a time, except in my kitchen, where it requires serious multithreading. I have realized that I should always have hearty breakfast. My hearty means content, delicious, and comforting. Not fatty bacon, sausage, and butter. Last weekend, I made some porridge and cooked some kimchi egg pancake. I dug out a salty egg yolk, and put the egg white on boiled bok choy, fermented tofu on cucumber, and a little sliced roasted pork. I felt like an emperor. After my caffeine fix and "hearty" breakfast, I headed to the Marin Headlands for my weekly dose indulgence of nature. It was cool and a little foggy. I chose a different route and went to a beach on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge. I found some cute smooth rocks that I have not seen before on other beaches. I picked a few to use as chopstick resters. I even picked up a piece of pretty stone and made a necklace. Then I walked back to the city across the bridge. The hiking always makes me happy and puts me in very good mood. I can forget about all the drama in life, just enjoy the moment with the ocean, the mountain, the trees, and the fog. After I got home, the fog really started to roll in and it became a little chilly. So a bowl of soup was perfect to finish the day, I also I made some meat pancake (肉饼) to go with the soup. That’s what I call a perfect day. It seems that I can only find peace when I am in the kitchen or in the wild. Last week, I was irritate at work almost the whole week because there are so many people on the floor, and they kept talking! Normally very few people in the office, but somehow last week they decided all came to the office. I had a hard time to concentrate. So I got up and look out the window to check out the guys washing exterior window. Oh boy! No matter how much they pay me, I am not gonna take this job! I will be scared to death! On Tuesday, perhaps my mind was not at peace to begin with, I couldn’t stand other’s talking in the office any more. At lunch hour, I got up and went to San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, as soon as I see this piece of art, I couldn’t stop giggling. I call it "love urinal," as in "love seat." This city never fails to amuse me, that’s why I love it so much. Yesterday, I was craving for spareribs. I went to a store bought some today, but the butcher refused to cut it into small pieces. Fine, I just cook the big piece! The spareribs came out perfectly tender and flavorful. I did manage to cut off the top part of the rib because that part is better in a soup, with some frozen tofu and bok choy. Of course, that’s not enough vegetables. I stir-fried woodear with bitter melon, with mixed rice. Now, that’s plenty for dinner. It’s absolutely lovely that the weekend just gets started. I am looking forward to hiking tomorrow again. Life is good. As for movies, I still have two more reviews to finish during this long weekend. But these are couple reviews I wrote recently. Extract From the creator of "Office Space" and popular TV shows like "King of the Hill" and "Beavis and Butt-Head," writer/director Mike Judge‘s new comedy "Extract" (USA 2009 | 91 min.) is a humorous and entertaining film on the expense of some people’s misfortunate. Joel (Jason Bateman) is a soft hearted guy who owns a small food extract (or any other product, because it is irrelevant) factory. He is frustrated with his wife Suzie’s (Kristen Wiig) lack of interest in sex. A freaking accident in the factory puts Joel’s business in jeopardy, and it also brings a beautiful criminal drifter Cindy (Mila Kunis) into Joel’s neck of the woods. To deal with his frisky mind toward Cindy, Joel takes on the advice (among other things) from his bartender friend Dean (Ben Affleck) and hires a gigolo Brad (Dustin Milligan) to seduce his wife. But, Joel’s misfortunate only seems getting worse. Writer/director Mike Judge has the ability to cleverly imbed humor into witty dialogues. He creates a group of colorful characters, and most of them have distinct and genuine personalities. The terrific performance by the ensemble cast makes these character to alive. Ben Affleck wears beard and long curly hair, like Jesus (is that how Jesus looks like?), provides all sorts of wacky ideas through smooth talking. Dustin Milligan brilliant plays the dumb gigolo and makes one giggle whenever he opens his mouth. However, the comedy does not exceed the level of a television drama. One has to keep an eye closed on some details and avoid asking hard (or easy) questions about Joel’s behaviors. Otherwise, the story might fall apart and the fun would be spoiled. One would miss the point of this film, because the film simply wants to have some light hearted fun, therefore, there is no need to get anything too serious. "Extract" opens Friday, September 4, 2009 at Bay Area theaters.   The Baader Meinhof Complex (Der Baader Meinhof Komplex) "If one person throw a stone, it’s an offense. If hundreds and thousands throw stones, it’s a protest." This statement remains to be true and relevant in today’s world, decades later after it’s written by Ulrike Meinhof, one of co-founders of Germany’s terrorist group Red Army Faction (RAF). Based on a book by Stefan Aust and nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, "The Baader Meinhof Complex" (Der Baader Meinhof Komplex | Germany 2008 | in German | 150 min.) is an epic recount of RAF’s activities in the ’70s. Through a grand production (123 speaking parts, 52 minor parts, 6300 extras, 140 filming locations) and without imposing judgment, director Uli Edel remarkably tells a compelling story about a group of fascinating historical figures and their radical actions In the late ’60s, many young people in Germany and throughout the Europe are actively involved in anti-imperialism, anti-capitalism, and anti-war (Vietnam) movements. A group of activists founds an organization called RAF to carry out serious of violence acts including bombing and assassinations. The brain of the group is a left-wing journalist Ulrike Meinhof who gives up prominent career and her children and fights for her ideology. Almost like a documentary, the film chronicles the major events through RAF’s history in the ’70s. It focuses on a few leaders of the RAF, including the title characters: Andreas Baader (Moritz Bleibtreu, "Run Lola Run") and Ulrike Meinhof (Martina Gedeck, "The Lives of Others"). It describes their resistance struggle to their imprisonment and trial. It is brutally violent, realistic, and thought provoking. RAF is recognized as a terrorist organization, but the RAF members think themselves as revolutionists for a greater cause. Isn’t it true that every political act has completely opposite views depending on which side it’s looked at? RAF’s history is not an isolate occurrence, and it’s one tragic episode that has been repeated many times in human history. This film is particularly interesting not only for its honest look at this important period of history, but also for its relevance to today’s war on terrorism. It is an extraordinary history lesson, on the big screen. "The Baader Meinhof Complex" opens on Friday, September 4, 2009 at Bay Area theaters.