everythingeverywhereallatonce

 Saw the movie, in 2 separate occasions.   I could not finished it the first time.  After I heard ML said its her favorite film which I guessed when I saw the movie the first time, I went and borrowed it from library.  I thought maybe when I watched the second time, it would be better.  Not really that much better...  

So now, I ask myself. why does it not appeal to me.  One of the most unappealing thing is I've already guessed the ending after 1/3 way.  And after I borrowed the movie the second go around, I was quite upset.  Why do I get upset about knowing the ending?  I liked King Kong w/ Naomi in it which I knew the ending.  

Let's get a few things out of the way.  I feel the movie is really funny at time.  That comical side really came from how weird the whole setup is.  It has a rawness that similar to many Asian movies.  Where the concept of taboo became unhinged.  And you can pretty much see fusion of styles, cultures, thoughts blended together, doesn't matter if it's seamlessly tailored.  It's a bravado display.  That wackiness is the source of the comedy.  And the action.  It was a very good blend of fighting and special effect.  Make the comedy come alive even more.  

I feel the movie is incredible in portraying an Asian family in US.  Incredible in a way that I feel somehow familiar, not because I experienced it.  But through many stories that I heard.  Maybe it's cliché, but the performance of MY and KHQ is so good.  I agree with theOscar.  when I saw KHQ's character's first transformation, I was immediately impressed!  For MY, my impression of her is always an action star.  Her acting in Crouching T and Hidden D was eye opening.  But here, I am very impressed.  

Additionally, I think the movie must've made under a cheap budget.  And I believe it's an incredible editing work that to propel the multiverse concept.  I am really amazed of how it worked out.  Just to think you can blend hot dog sex, raccoon chef, movie star, laundry owner, and a bagel together to make a multiverse, you have to appreciate the work they put into making this movie.  

 But for all these elements, I still don't like the movie.  I think it's must be because I don't like the ending.  A lesbian or gay Asian theme is so very much cliché.  The everything all worked out fine, another Asian cliché.  A parents and their descendants all understanding and love each other is another one.  It's just that there's a lot of noises and pictures, a great commotions, but the ending is just that.  I've always put a moved in my favorite list by the feeling it lingered afterwards.  I feel like I kept feeling cliché flattens my feeling for the movie.   

這頭好豬豬

 我昨天看完 The good good pig， 作者 SyMontgomery.   

最近剛看完幾本都是有關動物的書，不知怎地又想到 Sy 的書。  他的文筆十分流暢，很容易讀。  我用讀書館的 App，所以一下子借了三本他的書。   

我很喜歡這本書。  這是一本回憶錄。  不僅僅是回憶這頭叫做 Christopher Hogwood 的豬，也是作者對於自身的回憶。  他甚至對自己的父母，家族，丈夫，朋友都做了許多詳實的描述。  回顧我之前看了 HisforHawk 和 BookofEEL，我發現這本書也有異曲同工之處。  就是借了作者描寫深深眷戀的豬，他同一時間裡還抒發了自己對父母的的愛。  因為就在他開始養豬到這隻豬死去前不久，整個十四年的歲月裡， 他的父母也雙雙過世。  我之前看過這兩本作者的書， 這是我看過他發表最多個人生活和感想的書。  這本書有時候甚至偏鋒轉至他個人的感想和他的父母身上，久久不能離去。  他的友朋和鄰居更是在書裡搶了很多版面， 因為那在他來說也是他的家人。  這些並不阻礙他對這隻豬的感情的流露。  

這隻豬並不會甚麼特技，跳鋼圈走鋼索甚麼的。  但是，作者在描述的是一頭個性溫順，有點聰明懂事，有時善解人意，有時自有主張。  這隻豬活了十四年， 期間他幾乎可說是這個鎮餵飽了他一樣。  一方面作者和鎮上很多很多人是好朋友，另一方面，這隻豬太聰明，會偷偷到鎮上走走，他又不會傷人，很友善。  於是乎，整個鎮上的人都知道他， 大家也都把廚餘，甚至自己的食物留下來，集中起來，英文叫做 Slop， 存好後交給作者去餵豬。  這隻豬後來長到 750 英鎊。  作者自己也因為這隻豬和許多意想不到的人做了好朋友，他一輩子都沒有孩子， 但是因為小孩子喜歡這隻豬，而因此結識了許多小朋友。  他所描述的更多的是這隻豬的個性。  

我看到最後他的豬過世時，我是非常難過的。  非常非常難過的。  

A poem I saw today.

 When I Am Among the Trees

by Mary Oliver

When I am among the trees,

especially the willows and the honey locust,

equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,

they give off such hints of gladness.

I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself,

in which I have goodness, and discernment,

and never hurry through the world

but walk slowly, and bow often.

Around me the trees stir in their leaves

and call out, “Stay awhile.”

The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,

“and you too have come

into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled

with light, and to shine.”

movie afterthough

 watced liamNeeson's memory.  

disappointed, the first half was not bad, but the second half, too long in the tooth.  

And it's sad that memory was supposed to be an effective element, I was thrilled by anticipating how they are going to use memory.  Then they did not, completely forsake the idea.  Too many characters, too many angles, fail.  

string bean garlic

 my mom liked this way.  not greasy.  

drizzle of oil, very moderate.  

garlic finely chopped, the finer the better.  

low heat with oil in pan, until fragrant.  

toss in the string beans, don't over crowd the pan

medium heat, watch the garlic, when it sticks to the pan, add little water and stir

 until water evaporated, add water, or cooking wine, and stir, until string bean is done

during the previous steps, add salt and pepper or other flavor

the doneness is depended on people's preference.  

ate with the lamb rack, very good.

  

lamb rack roasting

 inside temperature:  145F.  

pan searing is so that extra fat can be squeezed.  but this time, I just broil in high after roasting until the inside temperature reaches 145F.  I broiled for 3 min, a bit too much.  

marinate sauce: garlic, rosemary, parsley, red pepper flakes, cumin, salt and pepper, combined with oil

no need to marinate over night, I just pat the rack dry, cut in diamond shape, and marinate while waiting for the oven to preheat.  

oven temp, 375F.  30 min. test the temperature for 145F  

after roasting, gotta wait a little, about 10 to 15 min., before serving

ate with string bean, very good

Book oEels by PatrikSvensson 讀後感

我剛看完 Book of Eels 這本書。  這書在圖書館架子上已經一兩年了。  我總是注意到它，但是總是沒有借閱。  我有點不瞭解， 鰻魚有啥好知道的。  當然另一方面， 除了日本鰻魚飯和中國傳統市場，我對鰻魚一點也不熟悉。  直到我看到幾部老肉介紹鰻魚的 youtube 影片。  我才知道鰻魚快絕種了！  因此終於我借了這本書。  

我看完一本書後喜歡上網讀讀別人的讀後感或者評論。  我在 goodreads 網站上看到的第一個評論讓我哈哈大笑。  這位讀者寫了一篇很長很長的評論。  基本上是說這書不怎麼樣，而且應該改書名，改成 【和爸爸釣鰻魚】。  我有點同意他說的這一點。  這位讀者是一位素食者， 他對釣魚這一活動很反感， 所以當書裡提到鰻魚業者說只有繼續保持歐洲傳統鰻魚業的存在， 人類才會持續對鰻魚這物種感興趣，這句話使這讀者感覺作嘔。  他用他自己做例子， 當他看到題目的時候就很感興趣， 因為他本身對鰻魚也是一點都不了解。  而這， 不過是證明鰻魚業者的話站不住腳。  我記得當我讀到那句話時，我也有點怪怪的。  我覺得那鰻魚業者提到的就是經濟價值， 使人真正去和他周遭的環境交流，是一句實在話。  但是也很可悲， 因為當我們為了其他目的(ulterior motive)來做一件事， 而不是為了事情本身， 總是令我難過。  譬如說， 我們養豬是為了吃， 而不是因為喜歡豬，這個生物，這個個體。  

我也同意另一人說這和 H is for Hawk 有相似的地方。   就像 H is for Hawk 是藉著馴蒼鷹的過程使自己從父喪的哀痛中走出來, 這本書的作者是藉著鰻魚來闡述他對父親過世後的懷念。  他從小和父親在一條家旁的小河釣鰻魚，從這裡開始，作者夾敘夾議，介紹了鰻魚從雅里士多德到現代的研究過程。  我每每驚嘆於歐美作者在敘述科學的書本裡，那種娓娓道來，可以把一長河的歷史，從涓滴細流到滾滾大江式的描繪出來。  雖說他們文章裡也總有一個很巨大的斷層， 就是 中世紀(medieval period)， 有點像現在大陸學者的論述裡也總會有一個斷崖式的論述，尤其是文革。 

我有幾段文字我印象特別深刻。  Aristotle， Johannes Schmidt， Rachel Carson， 他和他爸爸憶起釣魚的經過也有不少。  這書其實滿薄的，但是作者寫出的句子和其堆砌出來的文章都簡潔清楚，充滿感情。  尤其是結尾，雖說我在大致上三分之二時，就一直在腦袋裡浮現了 Big Fish 的結局。  但是這並不減少結尾所留下的熨帖。 

我很喜歡他寫 Rachel Carson 的那一段，因為我不只一次的嘗試看 Under the sea wind, 都不成功。   可是現在經他描述後， 我要再來試試看。  

我看老肉或科普的影片或文章， 感覺很可憐的事情就是幾乎所有的資料來源都是西洋的或著是東洋的。  中國人呢？  我的印象裡總是有經濟因素才會有實驗研究。  就像老肉說， 很多日本研究也都是為了經濟。  當我想到， Johannes Schmidt 花了十八年的時間， 用了很多私人的捐贈來做這些鰻魚的調查研究， 期間還因為一次世界大戰而停了四五年， 這種事情是為了甚麼？  再想到 Johannes Schmidt 在找到 Sargasso sea 後兩年就過世了。 他的經濟效益是啥？   他的目的是啥？  書裡問到這問題， 也許他有經濟目的， 因為為什麼會有人捐助這個計畫， 但書中沒有提到。  

書中提到鰻魚快絕種的原因除了竭澤而漁外， 還有疾病的問題。  書裡說歐洲鰻魚目前面對的疾病都是從日本來的。  這也讓我想到全球貿易所造成的禍害吧。  

我的腦袋裡也一直浮現金賽博士。  我對金賽博士的印象全來自 尼爾孫的電影。  會和這本書聯想起來是因為，我一直在想，誰會想了解鰻魚呢？  金賽博士研究一種昆蟲寫了一本厚厚的書， 卻發現完全是浪費時間。  最後他去研究人類的性。  不過我還是要說， 這本書幫助我對鰻魚發生一點興趣。  我還滿高興的， 因為能對這世界多一點認識都是好的。