Moonlake’s Movie Discoveries

I figured I would do something differently in place of the usual reading related posts. As I’ve blogged about before, I’ve been binge watching Disney and other cartoon movies and I did buy a bunch of action DVDs in preparation of COVID lockdown about a year ago. So this post will be in the spirit of my book discoveries- less review as opposed to personal summary. The more favourable ones appear on the top and I’m not covering all of the children ones. I’ve watched all of the ones on www.princessmovies.io and am making my way through www.kidsmovies.co/ right now. The children section will be much larger, I still haven’t got through the whole movie collection with Mum given that we went back to watching mainland Chinese spy thriller TV dramas instead. 

Children/Animation 

Of the Disney princess series, I have very fond memories of Beauty and the Beast and I did reckon the live-action movie equivalent to be very true to the cartoon and I liked that as well. I also liked the Aladdin series, Brave, the first Mulan and the two Frozens. But to be honest, I actually preferred the old plain 2D cartoons as opposed to the newer ones which seemed to be heading toward 3D but using doll figures. Or that was the effect for me. 

As a grown up now, I actually prefer live-action movies now. The ones I liked besides B&B include the Enchanted, and the two Maleficient movies. The Enchanted was basically Snow White and Cinderella retold and rolled into one- it was just light-hearted, entertaining and quite amusing. I liked the Maleficients because it provided an alternative retelling of Sleeping Beauty that flipped it on its head and I always like that for freshness. I did not like either the live-action Aladdin or Mulan. The former was not really an improvement on the cartoon version at all and dragged the story out with the introduction of the female empowerment theme. I mean seriously, in Aladdin? Mulan was also problematic because I was not a fan of how it went across to the realm of fantasy almost with the introduction of qi and the other elements that brought me out of the story as an ethnic Chinese such as the General yielding control to Mulan (that’s never going to happen in real life and I do expect there to be more adherence to reality for a live-action Mulan somehow). 

I wasn’t expecting to like the Monster High series but I did. It spoke to the part of me that felt I was a little kinky and just the slightest anti-social. However, I was not keen on the newer movies somehow revamping the background of the school’s founding. It’s like finding an anachronism (something that doesn’t belong to a given era for those not familiar with the word) in a book or a TV drama/movie. The same went for the Swan Lake series- I could not believe they could turn the one fairytale into so many different movies, branching off it (granted, I think they borrowed from other tales for a number of them after they could not write further scripts involving Rothbart or Rothbart-equivalent’s come-back). I obviously liked the latter ones better, after the kids came along. 

Of the Barbie series, I tend to like the ones starring Barbie and her 3 sisters because it was more about family and that’s a theme I prefer to the standard prince/princess tales. I also liked the one starring Barbie as the fairy Mariposa. Found the most recent Barbie movie Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams to be so-so even if it’s from the sisters series but that’s because this one just stars Barbie herself and has nothing on the other sisters. 

The Smurfs trilogy held sentimental value for me because it was once my favourite cartoon. Then I liked the Croods duology about a caveman family and the New Grooves duology (Emperor’s New Groove and Kronk’s New Groove). 

The Madagascar trilogy was actually rather fun and took me by surprise because I’m not actually fond of animals in general. 

I was surprisingly moved to tears by the Trolls (caught me completely off guard) but I did not like Trolls: World Tour so much. I also had a similar experience with the Boss Baby: Back to Business. And on both occasions, that was driven by a song (not the same song). Perhaps just the right song at the right time. 

Adult 

Olympus has Fallen 

This is a fast-paced action movie and the premise is just exciting- the White House overtaken by terrorists and the president being taken hostage? You get the idea. Mum and me also bought the other two of the series because I was slack (I felt like I was going cross-eyed at the JB Hi-Fi DVD movie aisle trying to select movies, eventually Mum and I teamed up, she would pick out all the DVDs based on the cover and I would read the blurb). These other two were no good, especially the third in the series. And we actually watched the trilogy in exact reverse chronological order, something I only realised because later I got curious and checked rotten tomatoes (something I should have done arguably when I picked the DVDs, ah well.) 

The Commuter 

This is a good thriller that gets you gripped with tension as the story line progresses. So this is on par with Olympus has Fallen actually, just a different sort of tension. 

A Night in the Museum trilogy 

I watched part of the first when I was at my GP (or family doctor) and enjoyed it- I tend to enjoy family-themed movies as well as action blockbusters (and I do think action blockbusters are getting into the realm of inferior products for me). So I binge watched the 3 movies in one day and enjoyed all 3. It’s got excitement but also heartwarming moments that just makes this so much my cup of tea and a general recommendation if you are viewing them as a family with children. 

The new Jumanji duo

I was quite fond of the old one and I was not enthused about the new premise when I first learnt about it so I did not watch either at the movie theater. But now that I’ve watched both at kidsmovies, they are actually quite all right. Not as good for families with young kids as the original but perfectly good for families with teens or above. 

Gemini Man

I picked up the DVD for Will Smith. It was okay but I was not expecting the sci-fi-ish twist to the plot and did not like it. Had some action in it but nothing memorable that I could latch onto. It’s sort of on my indifferent rating, sliding towards meh but not yet meh. 

Mile 22

Mostly a film of just mindless action and gun fights, flimsiest plot that does NOT support the big twist right at the end. 

Chinese Lore- A Selection of Mythical Flora (6)

Bai Gao

Physical Description:

A tree that looks like paper mulberry but has red patterns.

Special Properties:

Its sap looks like paint but tastes sweet. Those who eat it will feel full in the stomach and have their tiredness relieved. It can also be used to dye stones and jades.

Jia Fruit

Physical Description:

A tree which bears peach-like fruits, has leaves similar in look to jujube trees, yellow flowers with a red hull.

Special Properties:

Consuming its fruits can completely take away tiredness, making you never tired again.

You Tree

Physical Description:

A tree with red patterns and leaves shaped like quinoa.

Special Properties:

Eating its leaves or making a herbal tea with the leaves can cure jealousy.

Sha Tang

Physical Description:

A tree that resembles the Chinese cherry-apple tree in shape, bears yellow flower and red fruits that taste like plums but without the hard pit inside.

Special Properties:

The tree itself is resistant to water damage. Consuming its fruit means that you will never drown.

When I was a child…

The prompt comes from Everything needs fixing by Karla Cordero. I had no idea what the piece is about when I was writing it and after I re-read it for the first time, I still think it’s just a collection of random jumbled recollections about my childhood. But now that I’ve come to see my Wild Writing pieces as collages, I think perhaps this is what this piece is: a collage of my childhood. 

When I was a child I didn’t really know what it means to be sad. Life was always good to me. I was always lucky. 

When I was a child I had never seen a rainbow in real life. I only knew they were supposed to come out after the rain. But I never saw one with my eyes. 

When I was a child I had no trouble sleeping. In fact, I could not really not sleep, even if I vowed to. One year I learned about the Chinese custom of staying up all night for Chinese New Year’s Eve I think it was? I somehow decided I would try my hand at it. I stayed up watching cartoons. But then I think I crashed at around 2 am or 3 am.

When I was a child I lived in Hong Kong. Such a different world there. All noise. All fast pace. We had subway there. Each station had multiple exits labelled A, B, C up to F. Sometimes there were less, not sure if there were more. I could find my way better there, using buildings as landmarks. I’m a city girl, that’s how I navigate, using buildings. And tall buildings, that’s a mark of Hong Kong, or was. Now it’s the norm of all modern big cities, especially in Asia. When I was a child I took piano lessons for a while, in a bid to increase my music score. In Hong Kong, every subject counts, except for Bible Study. I went to a Lutheran primary school. It was called Sharon’s. I found out only after I graduated, when I looked closely at the school emblem. Before I only knew it by its Chinese name. 

P.S. the photo isn’t me, this is just a freestock photo of a Chinese girl child.

Moonlake’s Book Discoveries- March 2022

Fantasy: 

The Liveship Traders Trilogy by Robin Hobb

In terms of characters, I think I can easily feel for Wintrow. Althea at the start was a bit too headstrong for me except when she faced off with Kyle in book 1 and when she showed her determination for her cause. Same with Malta who started off being so selfish that I was annoyed. Out of the Vestrit women, I prefer Ronica even though she did screw up and get everything started. I like Brash and am really really annoyed by Kyle. At the end of it, I’m much more on board with everyone. 

I also like the interweaving of the liveships and dragons into this otherwise tale of the plight of the Vestrit family and mostly its women. I was never into dragons that much despite an avid fantasy reader but I think Robin Hobb breathes some new life into the concept that I appreciate. 

The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers

I just wanted to read something standalone and fantasy in between a potential future foray into Robin Hobb’s Rain Wilds Chronicles and Guy Gavriel Kay’s Fionavar Tapestry via audiobooks. The story was engaging up to a certain point but then I feel like the personal urgency for the main character just slacked off. Perhaps I’m the wrong audience for this book since this is supposed to be a supernatural take on historical figures but I had no idea who most of the poets were. 

Mystery:

The Ninth grave by Stefan Ahnhem

I did like the book overall. It is fast paced, has many twists and turns. I am slightly confused sometimes when the scene shifts between one of the victims and police officers in Denmark and Sweden but everything does tie together in the end. 

I actually started this book because I was interestested in the Fabian Risk novel later down the track. I read one chapter of the next book that this is prelude to and I’m not sure I’m actually that attracted to the premise. I guess I will leave it to my whim. 

Blackout by David Rosenfelt

It’s a solidly written cop mystery. There is not a lot of twists but there is one.

Black and Blue by David Rosenfelt

I got onto this book from Blackout because there was a sneak peek of this at the end of Blackout. I did guess the major gist of the book even though as per usual, I was fooled by the author’s misdirection. Nevertheless, I found the premise of this book more engaging than book 1 and I enjoyed the read.

Literary Fiction:

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

My book study group proposed this novel for us. It’s a solidly written book. I’m pleasantly surprised by the author’s smooth prose and the ending even though it’s not really my genre and cup of tea.

Moonlake’s Writing Updates- March 2022

I’ve actually finished draft 0.82 of the WIP and I’m taking a rest for it for a while as per usual. That was in fact finished in February. I might need a little structural analysis time on it in April but I will cross that bridge when I come to it. 

Currently I’m working on my next tentative project which is an entirely different trilogy. And sometime in between when I last talked about it and this post, I’ve managed to find a tentative title for book 1. It’s either going to be titled The Grace to Fall or Grace in Falling. For this project, I’ve decided to break away from the focus on historical events informed by my research and considered substituting for events that my protagonist would be more active in. I think that is a very right direction for me to but I just need to steep in this protagonist for a bit more so I’ve actually turned to free writing on her now. 

And that’s all for now. Until next time. 

This is a memory worth keeping…

The line is from a poem titled Poems by Nikki Grimes. 

This is a memory worth keeping:

  1. The tug-of wars using blankets Mum and I used to play when I was a child
  2. The craft book she bought me and one of the arts was titled “Piggy Mum making rice cakes” and how I jokingly said it made me think of her because in Cantonese her first name sounds like Pig. 
  3. The karaoke I used to sing with my best friend, me to read out the lyrics right besides her in case she didn’t know how to pronounce some words. She’s got a fear of not pronouncing things properly. Once she shoved the mic right at me for a radio show we were making for History oral about Gandhi and there was this Indian name she could not pronounce. 
  4. How she used to say the sky is grey and I would have answered back the sky is blue. Once she said that and I made my reflexive reply and she said “No, look, it’s raining.” That was funny. 
  5. Not an actual memory but when I realised that I wanted to be a writer and could actually be one. A writer is just someone who writes. Knowing that was liberating. Perhaps the most liberating thing I had ever known. 
  6. My first ever memory. I was up on a rooftop or somewhere. I had steamed egg stew- not steamed eggs, eggs crashed into a bowl and you use chopsticks to whip it so that the yolks and the white will mix together. And then you steam the well-mixed egg liquid until it solidifies. 

Chinese Lore- A Selection of Mythical Fauna (5)

Ao (pronounced ou as in ouch) 

Physical Description:

A massive turtle 

Special Properties:

None  

Lore:

When Nu Wa mended the hole in the sky, she was said to have broken off the four legs of an Ao to mark the furthest point in the four directions. There are also a legend of there being three mountains where the divine dwell in that are borne on the back of an Ao. 

In the main room of the Imperial Palace in the periods stretching from the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, there are stone sculptures of a Dragon and an Ao place on the central stone block that acts as a step up to the throne. All scholars who passed the test to become an official of the Court will line up in a queue under this stone block. Only the one who passed the Court Official test with the highest score had the honour of standing in the position facing the head of the Ao figurine. From this, the Chines idiom (one of the special 4 Character phrases) for describing the champion in any endeavour “Be in the sole view of the Ao’s Head” is born. 

Spin turtle

Physical Description:

A turtle with the head of a bird, the beak of an eagle and the tail of a snake

Special Properties:

Its call is akin to wood being split open. Holding onto it can improve hearing in water and facilitate travel to watery depths. 

Lore:

Fabled animal local to a strange body of water 

Translation Quirk:

Besides the bit about its call being akin to wood being split open, the entire section of Special Properties could be mis-interpretation on my behalf. While I’m confident about some linkage between holding onto it (or wearing if I’m translating the text in a literal sense) and improved hearing (the literal translation would be “make one not deaf”), I’m not at all sure about the travelling in watery depth bit. 

Chong Ming Bird 

Physical Description:

A bird that looks like a chicken but it has two pupils in each eye.  

Special Properties:

Its call is like that of a Phoenix and it has strength. It can fight with large beasts like tigers and wolves. 

Translation Quirks: 

This bird is probably named for having two pupils to each eye. Chong in Chinese means repeat or double. Ming means bright. 

Yin Yuan 

Physical Description:

A duck-sized bird with a bee-like shape 

Special Properties:

Its sting will kill other birds and beasts as well as withering plants.   

Remarkable Women in Ancient China (12)- Zhongli Chun (Zhong Wu Yan)

Who is she:

  • One of the Four Greatest Uglies 
  • Wife to the Lord of the Kingdom of Qi in the period of the Warring States 
  • The actual historical figure’s name is Zhongli Chun but in dramas and movies she more often go by the name of the Zhong Wu Yan

Notable Life Events:

  • Still unmarried at the age of 40
  • Requested an audience with the lord of Qi and convinced him of the four dangers the kingdom of Qi faced and this gesture touched the Lord so much that he made her his wife so that she could act as a mirror for him 

Why is she remarkable:

  • There was an extensive description of her ugliness but I was not convinced that it was not made up because her story had been adapted for Chinese opera: apparently she was almost bald, with dark skin, has an abnormally large head, a sunken forehead, sunken eyes, large nostrils, a lump in her throat that is larger than an adam’s apple and a belly as large as a pregnant woman (though she was a virgin). 
  • Although female repression started much later in Chinese history and her era was before there was such a thing as an Emperor in ancient China, I still think it was remarkable that she was able to request an audience with the Lord of her state and then convince him of her views

Moonlake’s thoughts on her: 

Hard to really see into her personality but just based on what she did, she sounded like a woman of initiative. 

English Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhongli_Chun

Most memorable Aunts/Female Mentors

Relative to the male mage/mentor figure which always often comes with a vice in the realm of smoking or being a womaniser I prefer aunts/female mentors, most of them stern but also tender (sometimes all at once but most of the time underneath). And somehow I’ve had aunt figures pop up in my own fiction twice now (one for that Genghis Khan story that’s RIPed and again now for the WIP). So in this post, I’m going to nominate my own personal favourite aunts/female mentors, not in any order as per usual:

  • Polgara or Aunt Pol (Belgariad/Mallorean by David Eddings)- she might be the first I encountered and I think her physical description does stand out, having a single streak of white hair among otherwise black(?) hair. I know she has dark hair but can’t remember whether it’s actually black. 
  • Rosethorn (the Circle Universe by Tamora Pierce)- I like her by herself but also her dynamics with Briar, the street urchin turned mage.  
  • Sephrenia (Elenium/Tamuli by David Eddings)- I remember her to be much like Aunt Pol, the same sort of sharp tongue but I guess less of a mentor than someone to be consulted. I almost forgot about her until I started writing up this post and then suddenly I couldn’t remember so many aunts as I thought there were. I did like her when I was reading the series. 

If you have your own favourite aunt/female mentor to nominate, let me know in comments.

I want to say I was here…

The jump-off line is from I want to say by Natalie Goldberg. I got bored half way and started recording what actually happened (the paragraph about the runny nose). But I really like the ending sections of this piece that came after that. 

I want to say I was here. Here or there, it doesn’t matter. Not to me. I’m not much interested with surroundings, with the external world. Rather, I turn inwards. It is always what’s inside that holds my attention. I’m self absorbed in that way. Though I never thought of describing myself as self absorbed before. But come to think of it, it might be apt. It might be. 

I want to say I was here. Here and now. Time is probably more important to me. Or maybe it isn’t. Part of being a routine person is that often as not, one day blends into the next and the next after that. I started recording five things for every day that passed in my life, as a self love thing or just self acknowledgment. Not like a diary which I could never stick to. But five things- thoughts or observations- I could capture, especially with my timesheet that I use to account for how I spend my waking hours, down to half hour slots. In truth, I cheat a little sometimes by only spending 15 minutes on a writing related task and the rest of the half hour on FB games and online novels. But it turned out to be a good prompt for 5 F 2day. That’s what this daily note taking is called. 5 for today, for yourself. 

I want to say I was here. I’ve been having a runny nose as I write, now. Hay Fever. 

I want to say I was here. Here on Earth. Suspended in the galaxy, within the solar system. 

I want to say I was here. A speck of dust in history, across its span that stretches back from darkness, from nothingness into the light, into eternity. A speck of dust but I’ve been here. Now.