Saturday, June 30, 2012

Are you boycotting companies... or are you boycotting love?

Many different companies have been boycotted over the course of history for many different reasons: environmental concerns, ethical issues and disapproval of particular products they are selling to name a few. However, the most common reason for boycotting a company appears to be when that particular company expresses their support for the gay community.

The most recent company to realise this was Oreo, when they decided to post a picture of a ‘gay pride’ Oreo (an Oreo filled with rainbow cream as opposed to the normal cream that is usually found inside) on their face book page, causing a huge backlash. Some praised the company for this display of support, others threatened to boycott, stating that they would not be “brainwashed” by the company into believing that homosexual behaviour was acceptable. Another facebook user pointed out that they have been brainwashed by either their religion or their family and friends into believing that it was a bad thing in the first place, a comment that fell on deaf ears.

As aggravating as it is, homosexuality is still a big issue to some people, many of whom are religious, although some have just been brought up or have developed homophobic attitudes without much reason or logic as to why they oppose homosexuality.

The bible condemned homosexual behaviour, labelling it as an “abomination”.
Abomination:
1. something horrible: an object of intense disapproval or dislike 
2.  something shameful: something that is immoral, disgusting, or shameful 
3.  intense dislike: a feeling of intense dislike or disapproval toward somebody or something (literary) 
Love between a man and a woman is love.
Love between a man and a man is love.
Love between a woman and a woman is love.

They only variable here is gender. Love is love, regardless of gender… or anything else for that matter.

There is no way that love in its purest form can be labelled an abomination. Love is not horrible. It is not shameful, or immoral and it certainly isn’t disgusting, regardless of who is loving who. This description makes it seem as though love is a monster that should be slain, but love is the only thing truly worth living for. It’s the most precious thing on this planet, so who the hell cares if it’s between two men or two women?

Love is the intense connection between two souls. Not two bodies. Not two minds. Two souls. There are no distinguishing characteristics between either sex’s souls. They know no physical classifications nor socially expected behaviours to follow to set them apart. They only emit an androgynous stream of thought, feelings, desires and dreams… all of the things that people fall in love with another person for.

Love does not discriminate between genders… so why should we?

Friday, June 29, 2012

Bubble Tea in a Chinese Supermarket!


In Taiwan they are famous for their bubble tea which has suddenly become popular in London China Town. When I first tasted it in Hong Kong I think I had either a coffee or a tea version with these big pieces of jelly (tapioca pearls) and a big massive straw which is specially made for these drinks!
Well, as well as some café places in China Town which make them freshly for you, you can also get them in supermarkets!
I found these in Yang Guang Supermarket 阳光超市... Authentic bubble tea!! One vanilla and one that looked like coffee but was actually tea... There were only a few flavours available, but it also seems like they are trialling them out. They cost £2.80 each. A little bit expensive, but it's worth the try! ^_^
One vanilla and one tea
Heheheh, I've just noticed that's there's a spelling mistake in their lid above. They've put "puality" instead of "quality". ^.^
Big tapioca pearls!
 I actually almost choked trying to get those pearls up the straw!
Big straws for the pearls!
You can also get tea and coffee versions in cans, but they will have smaller tapioca pearls.

Update 21/07/2012

If you want a really fresh bubble tea, then go to this place Boba Jam on Shaftesbury Avenue. I have tried it before, and it's great!

Update 09/08/2012

Here's the can version...

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Spicy Curry Fish Balls 咖喱辣魚蛋

Ah, I've been craving for Hong Kong street food for a few weeks. Especially spicy curry fish balls!! In this type of situation, you either fly back to Hong Kong and eat as much as you like or... as in my situation - you make your own... O_o Ok, so I've never made this before. I looked on YouTube for some simple recipes - and most of them are the same!

This week I bought these ingredients for a simple geeky meal...

Chilli fried fish balls for £2.60 at my local Asian store:
Expensive fish balls!! 

Morrison's 23p curry sauce:
Cheap curry sauce

Single packet of udon noodles for 59p:
Udon noodles for 1 person 
And I had some chilli oil which I added in - free.

This is everything cooked all together. The udon noodles was cooked in some water first...
Udon and fishballs ^^
And this is the final dish... Although it doesn't look like the original stuff from Hong Kong, I still enjoyed it! (Although I think the curry sauce was a bit sour).
Sorry for the messy bowl! 
My geeky rating (for my own food!!): 4/5 (it was the curry sauce that was disappointing...)

So here's a short recipe for under £4!!!!

Ingredients:
Chilli fried fish balls
Curry sauce (or curry paste if you prefer)
Fresh Udon noodles (optional)
Chilli oil
Cooking oil
Water

How to cook (for one person):
1. Heat a frying pan and a teaspoon of cooking oil (olive or vegetable)... (You can boil them for a few minutes and drain if you prefer to be healthy!).
2. Lightly fry the fishballs for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add curry sauce - about half a jar if you are not adding noodles (be aware that it might splatter onto your clothes!!) and simmer for 3 minutes.
4. This part is optional: Whilst that is simmering, using a pot pan, boil some water (a cup) and heat the udon noodles. Heat for 2 minutes.
5. Drain noodles and add to the curry mixture.
6. Add chilli oil and mix well together.
7. Serve in a bowl.

Here's also a picture of HK street food from two years ago...
HK street food in Mong Kok 
I miss you Hong Kong street food!!!! ^_^


Update 29/07/2012

Wanted to share this cartoon of McDull and fishballs... Heheheheh... It's in Cantonese. McDull wants to eat fishballs and noodles but the waiter and McDull keep going round and round in circles as there's no fishballs or noodles. Heheh ^^


 
Update 17/01/2013


I made curry fishballs again the other day. This time I used curry paste and tom yum flavoured fishballs, which weren't spicy enough. So add chilli oil plus a bit of salt!!


1. Tom Yum flavoured fishballs - fry them for one or two minutes then add a cup of water


2. This curry paste is quite popular - use one heaped teaspoon and add to the mixture of fishballs and water 

3. Boil the fishballs for a good 10 minutes and stir occasionally until the sauce has thickened. Add salt and chilli oil


4. Serve in a bowl - Yummy curry fishballs!!! ^^


Note: no messy bowl!! ^^

Miniature Exchange 2012 - Wildchevy


On our local forum we are having a painting challenge and most of the Geek Garage threw their names into it. The challenge was a mini exchange, in which random members would get paired up and swap a mini to paint within the month time frame.
I was given a Rackham dwarf and free reigns on the painting scheme.
Here is the finished result.

Wildchevy

Facebook and Annoying Advertising

I've never been a massive Facebook fan but I did use it a convenient way of keeping track of a few friends and what they were up to, well over the last few days I've noticed that the advertising on Facebook has gotten even more obtursive and annoying which means I'll be using it far less than I did.

I'm sure this won't bother most people but if they keep up with the annoying advertising I hope at least a few people stop using Facebook as a result.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

What's the price of your future?

£1,285.


The cost of the first year of the HND course for Creative Industries: Television at Aberdeen college.


And the cost of my first taster of what I'm aspiring to do for my career. 


For that amount of money, I could buy a Fender stratocaster. I could afford a used ford focus. I could do several incredible things, like go on a trip to Africa to help lion conservation groups, or donate the lot to charity to make a serious impact on someone's life... 


But instead, I'm choosing to spend it on an education for a course that I'm in no way guaranteed a job at the end of. Which is a tough fact for me to hear, but I feel as though I need to remind myself of it every once in a while.


What's brought this post on? I got my letter of funding in from SAAS a week or so ago. SAAS is the agency that provides students in Scotland with money to pay for their higher education. Seeing how much my education really costs, written down on a piece of paper like that? It got me thinking. Mostly about the future. And also how fortunate I am.


Some little kids in other countries can barely afford to pay for primary education, and here I am, going to college to sit an HND, and hopefully on to do a degree in media following that. It just doesn't seem fair, that they get so little, and that I get so much, when something as trivial as geography could have ensured that we were both in the same boat. 


I don't know... that just doesn't seem fair to me.


I've been thinking about the future quite a lot recently (I've had a crazy amount of time to do so as well... jobless insomniac FTW), and I'm having extreme difficulty seeing myself in ten years time. I could be a director, or a writer, or a producer by that time. I could be a wife, or a lover, or even a mother by that time. How can we cross anything out? Ten years ago, I was this naive little kid who thought S Club 7 were the best band ever and that the place she lived in was the most beautiful place in the whole damn world. Ten years from now, who knows what will have changed about me... about the world? We could be driving around floating cars and I could be a completely heartless bitch. You just never know.


With my £1,285 education, I'm going to push myself to my limits. I'm going to create videos that make people emote: whether that emotions are sadness or joy, we can only guess. I'm going to meet new people and we're going to make a mark on each-others lives. I'm going learn new skills that are going to stay with me for a lifetime...


And, most importantly, I'm going make sure I enjoy every single minute of it, because to do anything else would be a slap in the face to all those less fortunate than I.

Lauren xxx

Nuts about Koh-Kae


Back to food again! Ever since I was a kid I liked eating peanuts. My mum used to buy these strange peanut snacks made by Koh-Kae which you couldn't find in an ordinary supermarket. The peanuts were coated in biscuit, and there were different flavours - original, coffee and something else that I can't remember! Well, as I got older, I only ate them once in a while... On a couple of recent trips to New Loon Fung Supermarket (新龍鳳行) in China Town, I came across these new flavours from the same company Koh-Kae...

Wasabi, Tom Yum and Barbeque flavour. Wow!
Ate half of the Tom Yum flavour already!
I haven't tasted the barbeque yet, but the best of two I have tasted so far is the Wasabi flavour... I seem to like anything made with wasabi!!

They cost about £1.30 for each tin. They are some awesome savoury snacks. I think pubs in the UK should consider serving these! ^_^

Monday, June 25, 2012

Origami Overload


Right. Time to stop posting about food for a tiny bit and onto something else!

I am a very bad person because I didn't do any origami for a month with my 2008 calendar... However I did manage to catch up (for a short while ¬_¬" - I'm a week behind now)!!


Here's just some of the latest pieces I have managed to fold... I'm afraid I did skip a few because some of the diagrams weren't helpful! I tried to look for videos, but they weren't that helpful too!!

Origami Butterfly
Origami Tote Bag ^_^

This one is in three parts... The divider was the hardest to make!
Origami Matsu box, divider and lid
Origami Picture Frame
Origami Owl
Origami Horse, I couldn't fold the rider  - it was too hard! :( 
Origami Russian Cicada
Origami Boomerang Airplane - I thought this didn't work at
the beginning, but it actually worked in the end!
Origami Vase
If you want to try out, and you don't mind being 6 months behind for 2012, you can still buy the calendar from Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0761162968/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&seller=

'Shame' analysis

Very rarely do I get excited about watching a film. I could probably count on one hand the amount of times I've said "I need to see that film" in the past year. 'Shame' was one of the ones that I've been desperate to see since I first managed to catch a glimpse of it's trailer. Of course, being only seventeen at the time of it's release in cinema, so the excitement I had before the film came out only manifested. I then had to wait for it to come out on DVD. Of course, by this time, I was worried that my expectations couldn't possibly be met, terrified even.

But I'm delighted to say that I was wrong, the movie is absolutely fantastic.

I was looking about the internet, trying to find some analysis on the movie, but I couldn't find any because the viewer's were desperate not to spoil the plot (ending in particular) for their fellow movie geeks. 

That being said, I'd like to point out the obvious and suggest that if you haven't seen the film, don't read this analysis. I really don't want to spoil it for you!

I'll cut the analysis into the different chapters of the DVD, so you can skip ahead to the particular scene you want to read up on. I'll also do some general analysis of the character's or the film as a whole, we'll see how it goes!

NOTE: It's taking ages to write this analysis, so I'll post it in parts. Check back later on for more!
Chapter one

From the very first scene, McQueen is highlighting the character's apathetic reaction to sex. Brandon lying in bed, emotionless expression on his face, barely moving. The viewer would be forgiven for thinking that their screen froze. It's evident that this scene takes place first thing in the morning, yet, from the sound of movement off-screen and the position that Brandon is lying in bed, it's clear that he's already had some form of sex. Be it prostitute or a person that he met and charmed into bed, there's no relationship between them. Brandon waits until he can hear no more movement before getting out of bed and opening the shutters, exposing his sins in bright light. The character has a near crippling addiction to sex, but no longer finds much joy in it. It has become something he needs, rather than something he merely desires. 

It's quite a striking opening shot, although the symbolic nature of it can often be overlooked. The colour of his sheets can be viewed as symbolic - with the colour blue representing masculinity and depression, both central aspects to his character. He uses his masculinity to pick up women, he then has sex with them only to forget the intimacies that have just occurred in a state of depression, seen in the lingering seconds that open the film. Blue also evokes the image of the Virgin Mary, an ironic comparison I'm sure you'll agree.

Then you have the montage of Brandon's day to day life and, unsurprisingly, it is full of sex. But again, none of it is pleasure-filled. It's a monotony. We see Brandon looking very intensely at a girl that he has never met before, instantly realising that he is seducing her with nothing more than his eyeballs. The sounds of non-diagetic sexual moans enforce the character's carnal intentions. The girl is married, but nonetheless melts under Brandon's charms, before realising the lustful looks that they are giving one another and looking away in guilt. 

Another thing that strikes the viewer is the blandness of Brandon's apartment. Bar the prostitute's clothing (red - symbolic for lust) the whole appartment is bathed in white and light blues, Brandon's clothing matching his bed sheets. The whiteness of his walls are reminiscent of mental asylums, hinting at the mental unrest that the character's addiction to sex is causing him. 

We hear several phone-calls from Brandon's sister Sissy during this opening montage, although first-time viewers will not realise that she is his sister at this point. They are quite playful, although the growing agitation of Brandon's refusal to talk to her is becoming apparent. She is disrupting his routine already; 'talking' to him whilst he is watching porn, whilst he is urinating... before her character even makes an appearance on screen, she is already disrupting the flow of his everyday life. Brandon attempts to stop these disruptions by physically closing the bathroom door on her, even if it is just her voice-mail.

The next shot directly after the scene where Brandon is masturbating in the shower, his figure is shown, out of focus, sitting on a train. His addiction is literally beginning to dehumanise him, even this early on in the film.

Chapter 2
DAVID: I find you disgusting. I find you inconsolable. I find you invasive...
Brandon looks up, surprised, as if he were addressing him. The audience can't help but think that these first few lines of David's speech reflects Brandon's personal opinions of himself. Even we think that his boss is addressing him until the shot changes from one purely focusing on Brandon's face to that of several business colleagues. 

We see Brandon's work computer getting taken away, due to a virus that was apparently on it. Due to the frustration of having this computer taken away from him (the same computer that is later revealed to have a "filthy" amount of porn on it, he heads to the restrooms to masturbate, but not before compulsively cleaning the toilet seat. It's an odd thing for someone who is not even sitting down on the toilet to do, and could hint towards the already troubled Brandon having an obsessive compulsive disorder, further reflected by the spotless nature of his apartment and his work desk. 

Despite all his troubles, McQueen took special care to emphasise the character's kind nature. Little acts of kindness such as holding a door open for a woman and her pram make sure that the viewer doesn't become lost in Brandon's addictions and woes, he is still very much a nice guy. We also get an insight into Brandon's musical tastes - classical, a very cultured choice, juxtaposed in the next scene by the crude nature of the porn he is watching and the unhealthy choice of beer and take-out for his meal. Sissy's phone-call interrupts his 'viewing', and causes Brandon to become visually agitated. He cuts his sister off before she finishes off her sentence that she is dying of cancer of the vulva. This excuse for talking to him highlights both her increasing desperation to find things to say that will grab her brother's attention and the pair's ability to talk about things related to sex with each-other. Brandon seemed briefly amused by her comment before becoming once more fixed to the computer screen.

The viewer is then introduced to the idea of Marianne being Brandon's love interest for the film. We see his fantasy about his colleague, a delicate shot of her naked back, slowly coming into focus and panning up towards her lips. It's quite an intimate shot, and is the first sign of Brandon longing for some sort of intimacy instead of adventurous sex.

We are then introduced to the character of David, a cringe-worthy character who is married, but chooses not to act like it. He tries to chat up a woman named Elizabeth, claiming that he is observant but is not able to tell the colour of Elizabeth's eyes upon being challenged. Brandon comes over and immediately tells two of the women's eye colours. David drags Elizabeth up to dance, the other girls offer Brandon to join them, but he refuses, looking at the group having fun, distancing himself from them both emotionally and physically. He's not great with relationships.

Brandon hails David a taxi before going home. David attempts to fix his scarf, but Brandon moves away disapprovingly. It's a friendly gesture, but also one of dominance. He hugs Brandon before getting in the taxi. Brandon accepts the hug quickly before gently shoving him into the taxi. On his way home, he meets Elizabeth and the two end up having sex outside, against a rooftop/wall. You can see 'fuck' scrawled across the wall behind them in graffiti, highlighting the impersonal surroundings the two lovers are in.


Chapter 3

In this chapter, the audience are introduced to Brandon's sister, Sissy. The phone-calls that she has been leaving him haven't allowed her to get in contact with him, leading to her barging into Brandon's apartment using a key that he left her. By Brandon's defensive reaction of storming into the bathroom wielding a baseball bat and screaming "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!", it seems as though he was unaware that she would be coming to visit. His weapon of choice is a baseball bat, an interesting juxtaposition of the adult violence that he is intending using it for and the childhood games that it is associated with. The conflicting themes of adulthood versus childhood are often present during scenes between the two siblings. 

Sissy is taking a shower when Brandon bursts in. She doesn't make an attempt to cover herself up, standing there completely naked in front of her brother. Brandon is clearly flustered by her bare body and hands her a towel to cover herself up with. Instead, Sissy merely covers her face. Brandon looks as if he is going to ask her why she isn't covering up, but gives up on the idea. Carey Mulligan suggests that this is Sissy's attempt to make her brother feel uncomfortable. She discusses at 2.06 that it's a deliberate action to make him feel something towards her, whether it be frustration or something else, in an attempt to "forge some sort of relationship".

More observant members of the audience may realise that Sissy is wearing what seems to be a hospital tag on her wrist. This is never brought up in the film, so viewers can only speculate whether or not this was irrelevant or something more serious. It's clear that Sissy has some-sort of underline mental health disorder, most likely borderline personality disorder. There are a couple of hints of Sissy's suicidal tendencies throughout the film, so it isn't crazy for us to believe that she has just newly been released from hospital due to a recent suicide attempt. 

The viewers don't get to see Sissy head on, instead watching her through a mirror. Mirrors represent reflection, which could emphasise how Sissy causes Brandon to reflect on the terrible childhood experiences that they both went through, explaining his attempts to avoid seeing her. Most of the scenes that these characters share happen in the bathroom. It could be said that this room represents two different things for these characters: physical relievement for Brandon in the form of urination, masturbation or quiet escapism from his sister and the washing away of sins and her past for Sissy, shown by her showering and her eventual suicide attempt.

Sissy's choice in music in this scene is very telling. She puts Chic's 1978 hit 'I Want Your Love'.
"I'll share my dreams
And make you see 
How really bad your love I need
I want your love, I need your love"
It's an upbeat song with a certain desperation to its lyrics. Sissy needs to be loved. She has a significant fear of being left alone, shown by her upsetting conversation in the next scene. She looks to Brandon for protection and a sense of family love that neither of them have with the parents and other close relatives that neither of them discuss in the film. Due to Brandon's addiction, he cannot provide Sissy with this. She continues trying to earn Brandon's love, but looks for it in other places to, primarily with her supposed boyfriend/sexual partner who she is talking to on the phone in this scene. Brandon listens to this conversation, seemingly heartbroken, with a sort of resigned look in his face.

The next morning, Sissy and Brandon have breakfast together. He hands her a carton of juice, which she drinks as if she was a baby drinking from it's bottle. Brandon reminds her that she is an adult and should behave like one by asking her to use a glass. It's almost as if she is the child and he is the parent. She tells him that he is going gray before asking him if he thinks that she looks fat. She clearly cares about her brother's opinions of her, but can't concentrate on one conversation for very long, jumping from topic to topic in an attempt to get some sort of response from Brandon.

He doesn't believe that she's going to do a couple of gigs, sarcastically interjecting "Yeah, sure" when she brings the topic up. He ignores her when she asks him if she can stay, but she continues asking him. Sissy sneaks a hug by going up to her brother and putting her arms around him whilst he is clearing up. He pauses, waiting for her to stop the embrace, but she hangs on for too long. He pushes her arms off of him, but she literally jumps back onto him when he agrees to let her stay. It's this constant fight between physical and emotional closeness and personal space that causes most of the conflicts between the two siblings in the first place.

Sissy eats the breakfast that her brother has prepared for her, complimenting him by shouting "Mmm, so good!" after him. He slams the door shut. Her happiness lapses into sadness immediately, looking at the exit with a face abandon.

It immediately cuts to a shot of Sissy standing on the edge of a subway platform. This could be a subtle hint at Sissy's fragile emotional state during that breakfast alone, or to her character's past. The tracks hypnotically move beneath her feet, hinting at her fascination with the idea of death. Brandon notices this and quickly runs to grab her, warning her to "stop fucking around". He stays uncomfortably close to her following this, perhaps fearful of what will happen if he doesn't.

The two sibling's differing personalities become very obvious here, with Sissy's loud, "vintage" style standing out greatly next to Brandon's earthy tones. He moves away when Sissy attempts to get a bit of fluff off of his shoulder. She looks a little bit confused as to why Brandon won't allow him to touch her, with many viewers deciding that this is because of Brandon's repressed sexual desires for his sister.

Again, the childish theme comes into play here. Sissy has a certain childlike wonder to her laugh here, with even her comments about money being said in a sarcastic tone that mimics childhood naivety. She only becomes serious again when asking her brother if he'd come to her play. Brandon tells her that he will, which she replies to with ""I will?" Like "Yeah, I will" like last time?". They pause, staring at each-other. He once again tries to avoid the question by changing the topic back to her hat, but she asks him once more. He gives in and agrees to come and see her perform, causing her to stamp her feet excitedly. Once again, she's regressed back to a childlike form, which seems to get her what she wants: opportunities to forge a relationship with her brother.

Sex is a major part of Brandon's life, so it should come to no surprise that he uses it as a topic when attempting to socialise:
CO-WORKER: Look who's decided to grace us with his presence. Don't tell me... no cabs?
BRANDON: No, your wife wouldn't let me leave this morning.
Some may deem it crude, but it's really just a piece of harmless banter between colleagues. It also hints at the general male dominance of the business world.

David doesn't believe Brandon's explanation of what happened the previous night, telling us that the pair have been out several times previously. He realises that ladies love Brandon for his charm and good-looks, thus making him the perfect wing-man. His enthusiasm to go out with Brandon again tells us that the character of David is almost like a parasite, hanging onto Brandon in order to live, in an attempt to get attention from women other than his wife. Brandon tells David that they could go to see Sissy perform, informing him that she's a musician, before quickly changing his mind and relegating her to a mere singer. This could be because he doesn't fully believe in his sister's skills or an attempt to deter David from saying yes into going. If it was the latter, it didn't work, as David told him that they would go and see her perform, leaving Brandon with the realisation that there was no way that he could get out of not going to see her perform now. This realisation caused him some amount of stress, causing him to turn to his coping mechanism of masturbation to relieve himself of it.

Chapter 4

The posh nature of the Boom Boom Room is established immediately. The beautiful view of the New York skyline outside, the gorgeous women that work there and the jazzy background music all hints to a very expensive place to socialise. David ignores all of this and comments first on the elevator music (described as a "bad acid trip") and the waitress' ass ("I'd follow that forever"). He eventually does appreciate the stunning view, but only after he 'appreciates' the staff. He attempts to chat up their waitress, to Brandon's amusement. He shakes his head and smiles at his boss' persistence with women. Brandon orders a drink to try getting David to stop talking, but he carries on trying until she walks away to get their drinks. For a married man, David seems particularly desperate for female attention.

Sissy's cover of 'New York, New York' is hopeless and intoxicating. Brandon is clearly deeply moved by it. As soon as Sissy starts to sing, you can see that the way his sister is singing this song is reminding him of something, probably their past. His sister is up on stage, giving an emotionally vulnerable performance, transforming a song of optimism and anticipating life's challenges into a haunting story of escaping your old life in an attempt to make a better one for yourself in New York. It's stunning how the cast and crew of the film managed to take such an iconic song and completely change the story that it tells the listener.

"If I can make it there
I'll make it anywhere,
It's up to you..."
The close-up shot of Sissy changes to Brandon at this moment, suggesting to the viewer that Sissy's fate lies in her brother's hands. It's up to him to start treating her like his family, it's up to him to help her overcome the past and it's up to him to give her the support she needs to get her life sorted out in the present. Brandon realises this, and therefore begins to cry. Although Sissy's performance is to an entire room of people, McQueen's chosen shots makes it seem as though this is purely between Sissy and Brandon. The claustrophobic nature of the close-ups suggesting that for the duration of the song, there is no escape from the truth and the past, as there is no escape from each-other. Brandon drinks his martini directly after he wipes away his tears and as Sissy ended her song, alcohol being used as a form of escapism from the emotional vulnerability of the scene before him.

David and the rest of the room applaud Sissy, but Brandon only joins in half-heartedly in an attempt not to draw attention to him. The first thing that she asks him upon sitting down at the table is "What did you think?", once again suggesting that she cares about her brother's opinion of her. She leans in close, even her body language suggests that this is true. Brandon says as little as he can about the performance, the emotional vulnerability that he felt merely a few minutes previously has vanished beneath a shield of ambiguity and silence. David reveals that her performance made him cry. Sissy looks surprised, but pleased, that she managed to do that to him. Brandon merely looks uncomfortable and makes an excuse to leave the table. David seizes his opportunity to speak to Sissy:
DAVID: So you guys grew up in Jersey?
SISSY: Yeah.
DAVID: Do you still live there?
SISSY: God no.
Sissy's willingness to stress that she no longer lives in their home town backs up many viewer's idea that something terrible happened to Brandon and Sissy in their childhood, sexual abuse being the most likely cause of their current problems as adults and the stressed relationship that Sissy and Brandon share. They continue to small talk, and as Brandon returns to the table, David grabs Sissy's arm. Both Brandon and Sissy's faces drop as David discovers the scars of self-harm on her wrists.
DAVID: What happened to your arm here?
SISSY: Oh, *quickly pulls sleeve over wrist* it was uh... it was when I was a kid, I was bored.
DAVID: You must have been really bored.
SISSY: I was.
Brandon, who was shoving in his chair upon David's discovery, literally stopped what he was doing to stare at his sister's arm. Sissy's smile momentarily disappears as she watches David stroke her scars. As soon as she explains that it was a 'result of boredom', Brandon regains the ability to move and Sissy's smile returns. It's as if it this tiny little reminder of the past literally immobilises both siblings, reflecting just how much of an effect that their pasts have on them, even now as adults.

David is forward with Sissy, telling her that he wants to see her again. Sissy seems flattered to have his attention, but Brandon shoots a death-stare at Sissy, probably hoping that she doesn't get close to his adulterous boss, for both their sanity's. She doesn't notice this stare however. Both Sissy and David shout for champagne, but Brandon doesn't seem to be in a celebratory mood, only saying "champagne" in a hushed manner to avoid any awkwardness or questions about why he isn't wanting to join in on the fun. He looks away from the table as soon as he says it, suggesting that he wants to distance himself both emotionally and physically from his company.

Chapter 5

The alcohol of the previous scene has led to this insanely awkward situation. Brandon is looking out the window, trying to distract himself from the passionate way in which his sister and boss are kissing each-other just inches away from him. The reflections of the neon signs New York has become renowned for speed by as the taxi makes it way towards Brandon's apartment. Sissy and David bundle out of the back-seat, David wears Sissy's hat and throws the young woman over his shoulder playfully. They both seem to be having fun in each-other's company. Brandon looks annoyed as he climbs out of the taxi, alone.

Cut to Brandon hesitating in the hall-way, trying to determine whether he should go upstairs to his apartment or stay out of Sissy and David's business. The elevator doors open, he pauses, then sits down, wringing his hands together in uncomfortable frustration.

He finally decides to retreat to his apartment, noticeably irritated. Some think it's because Brandon cannot stand the idea of anyone else other than him being intimate with his sister, others think that the frustration stems from Brandon being alone (i.e. without a sexual partner or the isolation and space he needs to masturbate) and not being able to get his fix.  He struggles to cope as soon as he walks into his apartment, but becomes more and more desperate as his sister's flirtatious comments turn into moans. There is an ambiguous moment where he begins to strip off, making it seem as though he's going to ignore the fact that two of the most important people in his life, his sister and his boss/friend, are just in the other room and find a way to get his fix. Instead, he gets on some jogging gear and goes out to exercise in an attempt to release the sexual tension.

Brandon gets home to discover that Sissy and Brandon have used his bed to sleep together in. He stares at it for a moment before stripping off all of the sheets. He sleeps on top of the mattress and bare duvet, both white and virginal, ironic due to the levels of lust it had seen only hours before. Brandon is seen in bed later on that night. The crack of his bedroom door opens slightly and Sissy tip-toes into the room and climbs into bed. She cuddles up to her brother, in a vulnerable manner, mimicking a child crawling into bed with his parents after suffering a nightmare. Brandon lies awake, visibly irritated.
BRANDON: I have to be up by half past seven.
SISSY: *childlike* It's cold.
BRANDON: Sissy, get out of my room.
She ignores him. He can't stand it anymore.
BRANDON: *jerking up suddenly, shouting* GET THE FUCK OUT. GET OUT.
Sissy leaps out of bed, storms out of the room and slams the door shut. Whether she's upset because she wanted to be intimate with her brother or because she constantly gets rejected by him when all she wants is some form of emotional connection with him is up to the individual viewer to decide.

Chapter 6

The camera angle used makes it seem as though Brandon's work environment is symmetrical, when in reality, it's just getting reflected on glass. This highlights the controlled, neat environment that Brandon wants to be surrounded by. However, soon after he appears in frame, the camera moves and wrecks this illusion. One of his work-mates refers to him as a "slacker" upon walking past him, suggesting that Brandon has, once again, turned up late to work. It is assumed that this is because of his addiction to sex, with one of the symptoms of the addiction being that it interferes with the individual's work and social life.

David calls Brandon into his office. He is skyping with his son, drawing the audience's attention to the man's infidelity; cheating on his family by having sex with his employee's emotionally vulnerable sister. It's safe to say that the audience's opinion of him at this point isn't very high. After his son runs off to ask David's wife something , he turns to Brandon  and asks him where he was this morning, indicating that the protagonist bunked off the entire morning to feed his addiction. He lies and says that he was getting a root-canal. David then tells him that his hard-drive is filthy, Brandon looks on with a poker-face, before David accuses his intern of looking at the porn that infected his hard-drive. Brandon remains silent. He doesn't get disciplined, gets his computer back and keeps his job. The poor intern that is being used as a scape-goat? He might not be as lucky. David's son then comes on screen again and tells him that he came to a compromise with his Mum.
DAVID: Best of both worlds, you've got everything you want. You happy?
Although David said this to his son, this line would have been appropriate if it was directed at Brandon. The look Brandon gave before skulking out of the room indicated that, although it seems as though Brandon has everything he wants, he's far from being happy.


Saturday, June 23, 2012

'Cosmopolis' review

There are no rules in filmmaking. Only sins. And the cardinal sin is dullness. - Frank Capra

One of the greatest things about the human race is our vastly different set of tastes and opinions. One viewer may hail a film as a modern masterpiece, whilst another may consider it to be the epitome of dullness. 'Cosmopolis' is one of the latest films that splits audiences into having extreme opinions on it: some find that it is a refreshingly intellectual change to the usual predictable plots that we are so often faced with, others deem it to be a pretentious and incoherent film that had no right gaining funding. 

Sadly, I'm agreeing more with the second statement than I am the first.

A billionaire named Eric Packer (Robert Pattinson) rides around the streets of Manhattan in his limo, attempting to get a hair-cut. This proves difficult due to a presidential visit and rat-wielding protestors. 

I'm not sure if much happened after that, from reading others reviews, I'm guessing not an awful lot. Some love 'Cosmopolis', but both my friend and I deemed it unwatchable. The script was a relentless blast of pretentious monologue after pretentious monologue. The character's complex thoughts on life, death and money could have been interesting if there was a pause in between each of these speeches, but as they were disguised as dialogue, the viewers weren't given any time to digest these thoughts. It was 100% of your concentration or nothing. 

There was very little action to draw away from this dialogue-laden script. Actually, the most exciting it got in the hour that we endured was when a protester threw a rat in a diner. Or possibly when Packer got his prostate checked. The rest? Packer having conversations with other characters. 

Of course, this means that Eric Packer is in literally every scene. So how does the lead Robert Pattinson cope with the role? Surprisingly well. The character have him nearly nothing to work with, seeing as he was completely one-dimensional and approached the outside world with almost absolute apathy. 

Cronenberg's directing was intriguing, even the most mundane of conversations being shot in an unconventional way, making the film visually interesting. There's nothing else interesting about it sadly, but, hey, at least there's something.

I wouldn't consider myself to be an idiot, but I felt unbelievably stupid whilst watching this film. The dialogue flatly came out of the cast's mouth like some sort of modern-day Shakespearean monologue. It felt like a play, that was being acted out on the big-screen. I literally couldn't take another second of it... neither could the other three of the four member strong audience, with us all swiftly exiting the cinema before the film was half over with.

If the only cardinal sin of cinema is being dull, then the cast and crew better get down on their knees and pray for forgiveness.

West Coast Grill and Bar - London Surrey Quays


Miss Pinky just moved into the Rotherhithe area in South East London and if you have followed me on Twitter we went to see Rock of Ages the film at the Surrey Quays Odeon. But before that both of us were very hungry!!! We had three choices of restaurants - Pizza Hut, Frank and Benny's or West Coast Grill and Bar. At first we decided Frank and Benny's because Miss Pinky thought West Coast was closed down... She thought wrong! It was open and  we decided to go in their instead. 
West Coast Grill and Bar - Surrey Quays Branch
It was quiet for a Saturday afternoon (well it was about 4pm) but we seated ourselves near one of the windows. Since it's an American style restaurant I was craving for steak! And I wanted starters too ^_^...
Inside and outside the Grill and Bar
The menu
First I ordered the garlic bread and mushrooms... They were so tasty and buttery. I can still taste them in my mouth (mouth watering!).
Extremely tasty mushrooms and garlic bread ^_^ 
Miss Pinky ordered the bourbon chicken wings, but after she tasted mine she wanted swap... uh no way! 
Yummy chicken wings... they tasted good!
We both ordered a steak. I ordered the 10oz rib eye which already comes with chips, onions rings, fried onions and tomatoes and some salad.
My 10oz steak... So big!
Miss Pinky ordered the 7oz bavette (she has a smaller appetite) and came with all the sides as me. She ordered the steak rare, but it came out medium!
A still sizzling 7oz steak
Both of us were astonished at the size of our meal. It was MASSIVE! I'm afraid we were both defeated and didn't finish all of it :( ... If I was given another half an hour, I think I could've but we had to catch a film!
What a waste... But I did almost finish my chips (my plate is the one on the left) 

I wish I could've had a dessert, but I was too full and the film was about to start! All together it cost around £53 for 2 people plus 4 drinks... So it was all worth it!!

My geeking rating:
 5/5 (friendly service and big portioned sized meals... plus it was quiet at the time we went)


Good points: 

  • Friendly service
  • Food served was very hot and tasty!
  • Big portions
  • Next to the cinema ^_^
Bad points:
None that I can think of!

Geeky information:

Address: Mast Leisure Park, Surrey, Southwark SE16 1LL
Telephone: 0207 231 4888

Website: www.westcoastgrillandbar.com



View Larger Map

Friday, June 22, 2012

Randomness with Siri

I love telling Siri what to do.  She schedules appointments, sends texts and make phone calls.  But sadly it pretty much ends there since she cannot open or use apps. I hear there have been some improvements with the new iOS however while I wait I wanted to see if there are some other options I should be taking advantage of with Siri. So I decided to do some research and well it seems most people are just having fun with her.  I'll admit I did too.

Here is some randomness with Siri:
  • call me _____ (ok from now on I will call you _____)
  • Tell me a joke (two iPhones walk into a bar. i forget the rest)
  • Talk dirty to me (the floor needs vacuuming.)
  • Knock Knock. (knock knock. who's there? I do not do knock knock jokes)
  • Who is on first? (correct)
  • Where can I hide a dead body? (what kind of place are you looking for? - funeral services, mortuaries, cremation services, dumps or metal foundries.--map to places )
  • I'm drunk. (i hope you're not driving-- call taxi)
  • I'm bleeding. (i hope you're OK -- map to nearby hospitals)
  • what do you look like? (in the cloud, no one cares what you look like)
  • will you marry me? (my end user licensing agreement does not cover marriage. My apologies.)
  • I love you. (all you need is love. and your iphone)
  • Should I buy a PC or a mac?  (there are __ Apples stores near you)
  • Thank you.   (i aim to please)
What are some of your favorites?


Appalled at the bus strikes


Today 17 or 18 London bus companies decided to go on strike today, just because the drivers want an extra £500 bonus for the extra services they'll be running during the Olympics. Fair enough. But if it disrupts other people and the people who pay for their bus fares (like me - who thinks London fares compared to international countries is freaking expensive) and also trying to earn a living, then it is extremely not fair. Fine, there is the tube and the trains, but that means paying extra.

To me buses are the cheapest mode of transport to get around London - as long as you plan enough time to get to your destination and have a bus pass. Singles fares are expensive! I hate the tube because it's smelly and stuffy, and trains are just so-so. Buses are my mode of transport!


When I got this email last night from TfL (Transport for London), I thought well you guys and girls are definitely going on strike whether you have a court injunction or not! That's not going to stop them completely...

My email of disappointment
Oh and so where's my compensation for walking to work today - I've paid a big lump sum for these people's salaries! Or at least they should give the public compensation for today's disruptions i.e. free travel for the weekend! (Although I have a bus pass)... 

I wonder if the tube strikes are going to go ahead next week and in July too??? 

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Secondary Namenode - What it really do?

Secondary Namenode is one of the poorly named component in Hadoop. By its name, it gives a sense that its a backup for the Namenode.But in reality its not. Lot of beginners in Hadoop get confused about what exactly SecondaryNamenode does and why its present in HDFS.So in this blog post I try to explain the role of secondary namenode in HDFS.

By its name, you may assume that it has something to do with Namenode and you are right. So before we dig into Secondary Namenode lets see what exactly Namenode does.

Namenode

Namenode holds the meta data for the HDFS like Namespace information, block information etc. When in use, all this information is stored in main memory. But these information also stored in disk for persistence storage.




The above image shows how Name Node stores information in disk. Two different files are

  1. fsimage - Its the snapshot of the filesystem when namenode started
  2. Edit logs - Its the sequence of changes made to the filesystem after namenode started

Only in the restart of namenode , edit logs are applied to fsimage to get the latest snapshot of the file system. But namenode restart are rare in production clusters which means edit logs can grow very large for the clusters where namenode runs for a long period of time. The following issues we will encounter in this situation

  1. Editlog become very large , which will be challenging to manage it
  2. Namenode restart takes long time because lot of changes has to be merged
  3. In the case of crash, we will lost huge amount of metadata since fsimage is very old

So to overcome this issues we need a mechanism which will help us  reduce the edit log size which is manageable and have up to date fsimage ,so that load on namenode reduces . It's very similar to Windows Restore point, which will allow us to take snapshot of the OS so that if something goes wrong , we can fallback to the last restore point.

So now we understood NameNode functionality and challenges to keep the meta data up to date.So what is this all have to with Seconadary Namenode?

Secondary Namenode

Secondary Namenode helps to overcome the above issues by taking over responsibility of merging editlogs with fsimage from the namenode.


The above figure shows the working of Secondary Namenode

  1. It gets the edit logs from the namenode in regular intervals and applies to fsimage
  2. Once it has new fsimage, it copies back to namenode
  3. Namenode will use this fsimage for the next restart,which will reduce the startup time

Secondary Namenode whole purpose is to have a checkpoint in HDFS. Its just a helper node for namenode.That’s why it also known as checkpoint node inside the community.

So we now understood all Secondary Namenode does puts a checkpoint in filesystem which will help Namenode to function better. Its not the replacement or backup for the Namenode. So from now on make a habit of calling it as a checkpoint node.

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker




It's been a very lazy not to mention wet and cold day today so I also watched Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker on Blu-ray, I bought this because it's a two disc set that also includes the uncut version, I was disappointed to see the uncut version is on DVD only but the Blu-ray disc looked much better than I expected it to and it's still a great story, I'd love to see a live action version of Batman Beyond one day.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Yeo's Soya Drinks


A few weeks ago when I went to China Town, I came across these drinks in New Loong Fung Supermarket 新龍鳳行 (san lung fung hong). They are soya bean drinks from Yeo's, which I have never tasted before... And by the way I spell soya with an "a", the word just doesn't look right without an "a"... ^_^
Green bean and Black bean soy drinks
Have you ever tasted a black bean flavoured soya drink before?... Yes I have, but it was Korean, very tasty and alcoholic! The green bean soya didn't taste that special (as I'm not a green bean fan anyway). 

I definitely recommend the black bean soya drink... I can't remember the cost. But give it a go!


Update 23/06/2012 - they cost 39p per carton! There's also a red bean one, but the supermarket ran out :(