January 26, 2008
chinese food, five at a time
file under:
travel
tags: china
, food
rather than post all of my food photos from China at once, i decided to take a more piecemeal approach (har). i'll be uploading five pics a day to my flickr stream. they'll be in chronological order, starting with Beijing, moving through Shanghai, Huangshan, Shexian, Nanxiang, and then ending in Shanghai (yes, we went there twice).
in summary, i'd have to say that during the 12 days we were in China, i probably ate better, and more continuously, than i have at any other point in my life. each meal (most of which were orchestrated by my father-in law Eric) was an adventure, filled with surprises and delights at every mouthful. from banquets in imperial palaces, to hot pot at a college student hangout, it was all amazing...this culinary journey was just as much a part of our adventure as the places we visited.
Posted: 01.26.08 at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
January 21, 2008
China 2007 :: She Xian
file under: travel
Revolutionary Wall II
On our way back from Huang Shan, we stopped and visited an ancient walled city called She Xian. while much of the city is modern (relatively speaking), a lot of it has been preserved as it has been for hundreds of years. A truly authentic cultural experience, not one that most tourists would get, and one we certainly wouldn't have had without Eric and Debbie as our tour guides.
Posted: 01.21.08 at 5:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
January 20, 2008
sunshine
file under: movies
after a tragicomic series of mishaps, elaine and i finally managed to see Sunshine, the latest effort by director Danny Boyle (Millions, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later). i was a huge fan of both Trainspotting and 28 Days Later, and so have been very eager to experience Boyle's take on the sci-fi genre.
and so, after all our trials and tribulations with seeing this film, was the wait worth it?
...
yes. mostly.
the film is a visual spectacle, with gorgeous cinematography and composition, eye-popping space visuals worthy of the best NASA CG animations, and some nuanced, compelling performances. it's just a feast to watch, and for the first hour plus, we were all riveted in our seats. cillian murphy turns in another fantastic performance, and the cast that supports are equally top-notch. the writing is where things go south with this film, sadly, even with the experienced hands of Alex Garland at the helm.
the film is clearly intended to be thinking-person's sci-fi, with ruminations on god, sun as giver and taker of life, death, and basic human frailty. the sun becomes a metaphor for god, and the film does a pretty good job of exploring this territory. at the same time, on a more literal level, it does a great job of exploring some of the real challenges (both physical and mental) associated with long-term space travel. pacing, acting, script – they all work in lock-step for the first hour of the film, gradually building a sense of foreboding and tension.
sadly, somewhere near the last half hour, the film pretty much jumps the shark, as things descend into a space-based horror flick a la Event Horizon (which i hated with a vibrant, mouth-frothing passion).
why did Boyle and Garland take this route, is my big question? to make it more palatable to an action-oriented crowd? clearly, that didn't work, since the film only grossed about $3.5MM (much of which i attribute to horrendous marketing). more intellectual fare like Soderbergh's Solaris was less well-received critically speaking, yet still managed to make $15MM at the box office.
so, i wound up with mixed feelings about the film. i loved many aspects of it, and will watch it again, but hated the facile and ham-fisted way they chose to end it. danny and alex: i expected more from you.
Posted: 01.20.08 at 4:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
China 2007 :: summer palace
file under:
travel
tags: china
Sentinels
during our stay in Beijing, we visited the spectactular Summer Palace, playground for the emperors. it's a massive complex, with more than 200 buildings, scattered around several man-made lakes.
Posted: 01.20.08 at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
January 19, 2008
China 2007 :: shanghai
file under:
travel
tags: china
Sunrise over Pudong
five days in Shanghai wasn't nearly enough to sample this huge metropolis, but it was enough to get a sense of things. we had an absolutely fantastic time here, ending our trip with a stay in the Grand Hyatt Pudong.
Posted: 01.19.08 at 5:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
January 14, 2008
China 2007 :: huang shan
file under:
travel
tags: china
Fall colors
of all the segments of our trip to China, i have to say that our visit to the mountain region known as Huang Shan was the most memorable. Elaine, Bernie, Eric, Debbie and I spend a total of three fantastic days in this indescribable place. i hope these photos can help convey what we experienced.
Posted: 01.14.08 at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
January 1, 2008
What's New Year's without helium?
file under: my life
What's New Year's without helium?
We had a terrific New Year's Eve with Joe, Betty, Trevor, Pam, Tony, and Roberto. Cocktails led to dinner led to cocktails led to celebration led to more cocktails led to hangover. Dinner was at Citron in Berkeley, and cocktail hour(s) were held at Joe and Betty's in the Oakland hills. of course, photos of the festivities are available.
Happy New Year's wishes from us to everyone else out there!! we hope you have a fantastic 2008. We're looking forward to lots of fun and adventure ourselves.
Posted: 01.01.08 at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
