Summer stripes

Hope you all had a good memorial day weekend!

Hubby started the Memorial day weekend by renting the "Green Zone", claiming it is a "chick" movie because it's got Matt Daemon in it.  I told him he should know that I don't even think Matt Daemon is very handsome.  Did I mention Hubby is a fan of war movie and had watched "Saving Private Ryan" and "Schindler's List" multiple times?  I on the other hand, cannot stand any movie base on reality, especially of wars or disasters or suffering that is cause by human stupidity and greed. It stresses me out big time! Needlessly to say I bail out of the movie half way.

I guess by tradition, this weekend is the official start of the summer.  It doesn't feel summer though. Highest in 70 and that is not till the mid day.  This is a half day outfit over the weekend because the other half I changed to Pajamas tot take a nap mid day. Yay! Then I change to  jeans and oversize sweat shirt to work in the garden.  My husband actually felt it very refreshing to see me in those old jeans and sweat shirts because I don't wear that kind of cloth very often any more and it kind of remind him college years when we first met.

Thanks to Jen who eased my embarrassment wearing Junior items.  So here is the debut for the Trixxi Eyelet stripe dress.   I would probably only wear it on the weekend even though my company don't really have a dress code.  My current manager already teased me about needing a curfew last time I got purple highlight, which I return the favor by asking when will he get his social security benefits.  I wasn't his direct report back then.  Things have changed,  I felt I lost a friend when I was told I would report to him because my previous manager wants to be an engineer again.

(Dress: Trixxi Eyelet stripe dress at Nordstrom, Sweater: Anthro 2010, Legging: Zala Denim legging, Belt: Gap)

As for the gardening story, let me tell you, California soil is no joke.  The clay soil dry up like cement and the raining season is barely over.  I dig and dig and dig and couldn't even make much of a dent.  I finally have to call hubby to rescue and he told me not to buy anything over 1 gallon next time :-(

night and day - OOTD

Happy Friday!  I am glad weekend is almost here.  With the cough keeping me up at night, I sure can use the weekend to sleep in. Unfortunately this weekend's weather forecast is not very good.  Especially it shows raining on Sunday.  That much more reason for kicking myself for getting sick last weekend when it was perfect sunshine outside.   There is still hope, weather men is never that accurate in the bay area.  Microclimate is difficult to predict.  

The reason I named today's outfit night and day is because of the Anthropologie Painted night skirt got a sister, painted morning skirt, which is the yellow color like my top. My guess is that the fit would be very similar. While it would be too greedy to get a second color, I do like the painted morning skirt. It is a cheerful yellow.


Here is what I wore:

Top: JCREW Tissue silk posie shell in golden topaz

Bottom: Anthropologie Painted night skirt  

Sweater  Dulphine bling-button cardigan in dark raisin 

Shoes: Stuart Weitzman Tipband

Since it is Friday, How can I not recommend a movie especially the outfit calls it.  You guess it, it is Knight and Day.  This is a junk-food movie, entertaining and no brainer.  June (staring Cameron Diaz), a ordinary girl who has been no where finds herself tangled with a secret agent Roy starting Tom Cruise.    This is more of a comedy than an action movie and is very light hearted.  There is a lot of noise and a lot of bang but not a lot of blood.   Jokes are kept light.  Cruise and Diaz are both eye candies to look at.   If you are looking for Oscar performance, you will be disappointed.  But if you just look for something brainless and entertaining, this is the movie to go for.

Glowing Leaf -- OOTD

Is that interesting that some company will give you MLK day off while the other ones do the President's day? I haven't heard any private company give both day off, however. I guess that is what the floating holiday is for.

Our nanny was able to help us out on MLK day so we sneak out for a few hours to watch a movie.  Believe me, after you have kids, it become a true luxury to watch movie in the theater especially if you don't have extended families in the area.  I wish I had chosen some other movie.  This movie is a bit serious and a bit heavy.  I admit it is a good movie,  granted that Jeff Bridge's performance impeccable, 

and Hailee Steinfeld as young Mattie Ross is so charming, but I don't like the movie,  much like the way that I don't like Hemingway's books.  I also felt the ending of the movie unnecessary.  Another problem?  The heavy accent in the dialogue, although adds the details a classic movie has,  is very difficult to understand for a non-native speaker like me. Overall, not my cup of tea.   I guess it is Oscar season, brainless movie usually come out in the summer.

I did however get to watch a really funny Indi movie call "Outsourced" on netflix this weekend and the title summarize the story plot fairly well.  It is very light hearted.  I wonder if someone from India would think it is funny. Unfortunately none of my Indian co-worker had watched it.

Top: JCREW cashmere sweater

Bottom: Anthropologie Glowing Leaf Skirt

Coat: JCREW stadium coat

Boots: UGG
Purse: Marc By Marc Jacobs Classic Q  baby  Groovee

When the brainless action become art - weekend DVD recommendation

Happy Friday! If you are like me, tied in with the kids,  or just want to get cozy staying at home, here are some recommendations for some brainless action movies to check out.

District 13 and District 13 Ultimatum

I honestly couldn't decide which one of those two leads are cuter.  Leito is the escape artist.  If you think the beginning of the Quantum Menace's escape sequence is fancy, wait till you check out those sequence pulled by Leito. He is as nimble as Jackie Chan when Jackie Chan is young.   Some of the stuns are almost too funny.  For instance when Daimen gets in a robbed car when he escapes from jail,  he jumped so high with both feet closed together and no knee bend, sticking into the front door of the car like someone throw a piece of wood log.  Hard to visualize that, I know, that is why you have to see the movie yourself.


Equilibrium

This is a relatively old movie. The reason I checked it out is because Christian Bale's voice dubbing at Howel's moving castle had completely transform Howell's wimpy character into a charming gentlemen.  It turns out to be a very entertaining movie.  The setting of the movie reminds me of Orwell's book 1984.  In this movie, the society polices and suppress any human desires and feeling as the root of war.  The idea is not entirely novel, but still interesting and philosophical enough.  The fighting scene resembles the style of Jet Li in First of Legend, which is also one to many in close combat.

Finally, this is the outfit I was going to submit to Cat for her weekly anthro at work, but right after I upload the pictures from my card, I notice she has already post the anthro at work for this week.  Maybe she can take it for next week?

It is the first time I wore the Acting out skirt since I bought it in July with my birthday discount card.  I rarely pay full price on Anthro items.  This one is an exception.  I felt it kind of matches every top I tried in the fitting room so it can be very versatile.  Pencil skirt is usually not very forgiving if you have a tummy to hide like me and this one somehow works.

Top: Anthro Flowing Tiers Tank
Cardigan: JCREW long V-neck Cardi
Skirt: Anthro Acting out skirt
Necklace: Ann Taylor ($20, Yay!)

Howel's moving castle - random comment

First time I watched Howl's moving castle, it is in Japanese original voice with Chinese subtitle.   This time, with my daughter, we switch to English dub.  I generally dislike voice dub for Japanese Animes.  Japanese, as the language, sounds very cute, which match the big eye, perfect doll like characters very well.  The sound are often short and bursty and very "Kawaii".  However, this time, I am falling in love with the voice dubbing of Howl.  His voice is low and slightly coarse.  To be honest, Miyazaki version of Howl is a bit too soft wimpy and feminine to be liked. The English dub give Howl a more mature charm and transform the character completely. He suddenly became so much more attractive that had inspire my desire to learn more details about the character from the book.

However the book and the movie are very different.  Although much of the setting and plot and characters remained the same, because the way character are portraited, the characters in the book are much more complex and all around therefore more real life like.   In the movie, Sophie, the heroine,  are stamped with Miyazaki's signature.  In all Miyazaki's work, the heroines are more or less the same: strong minded and determined with a somewhat fragile and delicate look and love for the nature.  They all show great courage under the special circumstance and are all very noble, almost too noble and kind for my liking.  The book version of Sophie is more normal, in such way that she react to the scarecrow the same way a normal girl would. Who wouldn't creep out from a one foot scarecrow stalking you?  She also shows more jealousy and can get mean from time to time.  Where in the movie, Sophie is more accepting and kind and despite of all the wrong that has been done to her, remain gentle and kind.

In the movie, Howl's love for Sophie is also more obvious and Sophie's admiration is written on her face from scene one.  With the book, because of the point of view is limited from Sophie's angle, the chemistry between the two are much more subtle.  You literally have to read between the lines to feel the attraction between the two who fights on daily basis.  Both characters are flawed but somehow they complemented each other in a strange way and was always there when needed help most.

And most importantly, the movie has a great deal of anti-war theme,  and that just parted the movie and book their separate ways.

Naturally I was a bit unsatisfied after reading the book, as my original purpose of reading the book, was to search more details about the character Howl.  But because the book and movie are so different, that goal is not accomplished. I honestly cannot say I like one or another better just because they seem to be complete different story to me, much like two historic novel base on the same historical figures if you know what i mean.

I went further search for the voice actor for the dub, and find out it is actually by a profession actor, unlike some of the cheaper production of dubbing.  It is Christian Bale.   All of the sudden, I love batman that much more and hope he come out with more movie soon.

Inception: Are you an optimist?

The first attempt of seeing the movie Inception failed miserably at the opening night.  This time 3:00 in the afternoon 2 weeks after opening, space is ample.

Although there are multiple level of dreams, the movie is very easy to follow.  The scenes are so different that there is no mistake in figuring it out where you are.  Occationally, you will have that question of "Wait, Who's subconscious are we going through exactly?"  But it doesn't bother you because you can still follow the plot just fine without knowing the answer.  None of the long boring nonsense talk at the end of Matrix movie happens in this movie.  The movie introduces the concepts of the inception  cleverly as a teacher to a student will.  Just give one little bit of infomation at a time,  with reviews of the previous concepts through different character reiterating them in a seamlessly natural conversation.


After seeing the bad acting of the Last Air Bender, all the characters in this movie win their charm.  Some actor, because of their memorable roles before, still feel weird at first, such as Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who plays Tommy, in third rock from the Sun.  However, in the gradual development of the character, he starts to lose the shadow of Tommy, and start to become the calm, somewhat serious, but still humorous Arthur,  who apparently is as skilled in his profession as his partner, Cobb, starting Leonardo DiCaprio.

While I am never a fan of DiCaprio in his Titanic years,  he really has done many good serious movies over the years.  I am really surprised he hasn't win any Oscar yet.  Through out the movie, there is this desperation and constant pain written in his face, reflecting the turmoil inside.  Unlike other characters in the movie, Cobb, has a real motivation.  Others are just along for the ride.

 The movie does not fell short of special effects either.  There are plenty of explosion, building collapse and fighting, if you feel that is what gets your money worth to go see a movie in the theatre. I felt the visuals, however,  are more intellectual than thrilling, especially after you start to mess with gravity and dimension and visual illusion.  The movie, not only comes with a 3D Imax version, but also in some selected theater, there are D-Box seats that would let you experience the same falling as the characters taking the plunge.  I opt out on both due to the time constraint.  Children's are waiting at home for dinner.

However, this movie is more psychological .  The greatest danger facing the dream manipulator, whether they are doing inception or extraction, comes from the difficulty of losing itself in the dream.  What is reality and what is a dream.  This ever asking question dated back as early as 286 BC when the Great Chinese Philosopher Zhuang zi ask "I dreamed I was a butterfly, flitting around in the sky; then I awoke. Now I wonder: Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man? " （原文：《庄子.蝶梦》:“昔者庄周梦为蝴蝶,栩栩然蝴蝶也,自喻适志与,不知周也。俄然觉,则戚戚然周也。不知周之梦为蝴蝶与,蝴蝶之梦为周与。） It hasn't been solve for 2000 some years, I doubt anyone can answer that now.

-------------------  Spoiler -----------------------

So what is keeping our hero sane? His guilt.  The guilt of his wife's suicide might be from the idea that he plant inside her.  When he was able to finally confront his guilt and let it go,  is he saved and swim back to his reality, or did he lose his final defense and sunk into an even deeper dream that can never be woken.  Is the mission accomplished, or is it that part of the dream, or is the whole mission is some part of dream. When he finally say to the projection of his diseased wife "I have to let you go", did he instead let go of his final chance back to reality?   I could not help wonder if the entire premise of the story is from a coma patient in his dream with his wife's every failing attempts to revive him.  After all, having the father-in-law bring the children to him even though he was wanted for his wife murder is a much easier solution than taking up a whole dangerous mission to dive to people's subconscious, not to mention the whole team of talented people went along with him without a compelling motivation. There is simply no "elegant solution for keeping track of reality" when the director doesn't want to show you the totem.

It all depends on what you believe.  Are you optimistic enough to believe that everything is fine at the end?

I am not an optimist, as much as I wish for a good ending,  I felt unsettled and anxious at the end.   The uneasy feeling lingers long after the movie ends and I couldn't stop from searching back to my memory for the details that might give me some clue.