aipohaku's posterous

Top Ten Movies of 2011

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 17:40:18 -0800

1. Midnight in Paris
2. The Descendants
3. The Hedgehog
4. The Guard
5. The Ides of March
6. Norwegian Wood
7. Bullhead
8. Miss Bala
9. Young Adult
10. 50/50

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Movie Review: Declaration of War

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 17:26:00 -0800

Minutes into the movie when you find out the character has cancer: 30

2011 produced a few films with main characters under the age of 30 diagnosed with cancer. Mia Wasikowska is dying of a brain tumor in Restless. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a 27-year old who discovers he has a rare spinal tumor in 50/50.

France's submission for Oscar's Foreign Film category, also about a cancer journey, didn't make the final Oscar cut.

Declaration of War is written and portrayed by the real-life parents whose lives this movie is based. They're on a mission to save their two-year old son, Adam, after learning he has a brain tumor. The film opens with Adam as an older child going in with his mother to get a CT scan so you know he survives infancy.

I wanted to give this a higher mark but I didn't feel the "war" part of the story's title. There was a lot of love between the parents so I thought it might be a war on cancer and the doctors but there wasn't a main story in that either. I got that the writers wanted us to see what cancer does to families but the characters were too polite to each other. There wasn't enough friction for me to get emotionally involved. It's a French film. The soundtrack is nice. The acting by Valerie Donzelli and Jeremie Elkaim are great but it didn't fit this film. Their characters are named Romeo and Juliette. The tragedy for me was that there was no sense of urgency. I've panicked more when my dogs have thrown up. It's a good movie but the story lacked the desperation I was expecting to see from the parents' point of view. Adam's parents breaking out in song on a train ride was a bit over the top.

France

Directed by: Valerie Donzelli

Grade: C

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Romanian Holiday

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 17:13:00 -0800

Some things don't change. We arrived in Brasov on New Year's Eve, about a half hour drive from Bran Castle, also known as Dracula's Castle. Published in 1897, Bram Stoker's Dracula, opens with traveler Jonathan Harker writing in his journal, "I did not sleep well, though my bed was comfortable enough, for I had all sorts of queer dreams. There was a dog howling all night under my window, which may have had something to do with it; or it may have been the paprika, for I had to drink up all the water in my carafe, and was still thirsty."

Over one hundred years later and there are still so many stray dogs roaming the streets in Bucharest and also here on our street in Brasov. Paprika is, of course, a major ingredient used in Romanian and Hungarian dishes and I've gotten up a few times from sleep to drink water although it's most likely from the salty stuffed cabbage dishes I've been eating.

This is the coldest I've experienced in my life. A couple of the weather apps list this afternoon to be between seven and nine degrees but it feels like it's below zero. At dinner we were seated near the door and the chill that blew in was painful enough for me to cry. I practically kicked and screamed the entire walk back to our hostel. It was my fault for getting too comfortable sitting inside the warm cafe for over an hour.

We signed up for a free tour of Bucharest last night and covered a lot of orthodox churches and palaces, ending at Revolution Square where our guide, Mehigh, recounted the days leading up to the execution of President Ceausescu and the First Lady on Christmas Day in 1989. We stepped into a tiny church that didn't have any pews. Everyone just stood in the dimly lit space. I've seen closets bigger. We stayed at the back during mass, absorbing the peace and prayers.

We left Bucharest on New Year's Eve on the 7:10 am train and arrived exactly at 9:40 am in Brasov. It's so warm on the train.

We took another free tour in the old town of Brasov with our very informative guide, Rasnes (sounds like radish). At times he could be too informative. After each historic location he'd take out black and white vintage photos of what the place used to look like. Nice touch. With the ice barely melting on the roads, I walked sideways to avoid slipping. Wearing layers of clothing helped a lot walking in the cold weather.

It's New Year's Day and we just finished exploring Bran Castle, Vlad the Impaler's home. He was quite evil to his enemies, hence his nickname Drakul which means dragon or devil.

It's overrated as a tourist destination but I find walking up the secret staircase and perusing his library satisfying (photo by May).

We were supposed to take the 5 pm train back to Bucharest but we're all packed and ready to go earlier than expected so we'll hop on the 2:30 pm train. We should return to Bucharest shortly. I had read before that the train rides take longer than posted but actually they leave and arrive exactly on time. Our train, #1636 back to Bucharest, departs in a few minutes.

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Lunalilo Elementary

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 06:31:00 -0800

Taken in Kindergarten. I'm standing in the third row, fourth kid from the right. Karen, who's wearing a green dress, is on the left while Tomayo, wearing a Jaws movie t-shirt, is on the right. Sadly I didn't know the Pledge of Allegiance by the time I had enrolled. How did all the other kids know it? I used to move my lips in time with everyone else's. My parents were always dropping me off late so one day I was called up to the front and I thought I was in trouble. Mrs. Leong wished me a "Happy Birthday" and presented me with a paper crown with a glittery number five on it. She made me wear it while the whole class sang. I was so relieved. Mom later invited a few of my classmates to Farrell's at Ala Moana to celebrate the big FIVE officially.

I left Lunalilo Elementary School after we moved to Liliha in the third grade. Fast-forward to college over ten years later on the mainland where I was approached by this guy in front of Carl's Jr who asked me questions only the FBI would know. Did you go to Lunalilo in Honolulu? Did you have Mrs. Young for second grade? Is your name Ai? I slowly took a few steps back and was about to make a run for it. "You don't remember me do you? I was in your class." He didn't look at all familiar. I told him he had a good memory. "You haven't changed. You still walk the same."

Some things don't change.

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Live Tweeting Open Heart Surgery

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:23:00 -0800

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Shoop Shoop

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:48:00 -0800

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When you've got friends to wish you well
You'll find a point when
You will exhale

LyricPlay on the Shazam app lets you sing along with Whitney. The lyrics appear in time with the music, moving down so you read from the bottom up. I'd consider this a Jetsons moment. Long ago I remember we'd write the lyrics out after playing the cassette tape and then stopping it every few seconds. Back in ancient times.

Currently singing along to my two favorite Whitney Houston songs: Shoop Shoop from the Exhale soundtrack and My Love is Your Love.

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Prayers

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:59:00 -0800

Thinking about friends who have died from adrenal cancer. Vince, Celia, Kim, Olga, Doreen and Howard. In 2002 I found Vince's site after he had died (he passed in 1999) but it was his journal that inspired me to start writing online. Also in 2002 at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, I met Richard who told me of the support group he had started. His wife, Celia, died the following year in 2003. Kim, who lived in Australia, named her tumor Fred. She and I talked about our mutual love of the ocean and Jack Johnson. We were in touch until she died in 2005 at age 24. I'm friends with her boyfriend and father on FB. Once, I met Olga for lunch at a Jewish restaurant in Los Angeles called Milk and Honey. When she died in 2007, at the age of 30, she left behind a young daughter and husband. Dr. Dee was a pediatrician and when she was recovering from surgery at Loma Linda we met for lunch. Some members in our online adrenal cancer support group were apprehensive of her because of her sharp tone but that was just her style. There was no one way to treat adrenal cancer so methods and medicines were always debated with frustration. Dr. Dee passed away in 2009. I met Howard in a Michigan waiting room in 2002 and we kept in touch through the years. He was a Grateful Dead fan. He died not too long ago in 2010 at age 47 leaving behind a young son and wife.

And there are friends like Margaret, Troy and Doug who are alive and well.

Thinking of you.

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God Willing

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:16:00 -0800

Today marks ten years of my being cancer-free. In this photo, I had been recovering at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for almost a month. By then I had lost my left kidney, left adrenal gland, a rib, a few lymph nodes, and 25% of my liver.

There have been times that I didn't quite understand why it was that I was still here. My cousin who is an oncologist even said that mets (metastasis or spread) to the liver is usually fatal because of all the liver's network of blood vessels. Tumors are kept alive thanks to these vessels, yet the good doctors at the Mayo Clinic were able to resect the part of the liver where my adrenal cancer (supposedly from 1998) had spread. My liver has grown back quite healthily as shown in yearly CT scans.

I thought I knew everything about faith when I was first diagnosed in 1998, that I had dealt with cancer and understood life and religion. But when it came back in 2002, I dropped to my knees again and came to realize that I was not even half-way to understanding what faith was really all about. Feeling a bit vulnerable so will zone back out and continue with this flashback to Minnesota in February of 2002.

Thanks to my sis who was with me in Minnesota to wheel me around in the snow. We discovered amazing underground passage ways and skyways between our hotel, the hospital, movie theater and bookstore without ever having to leave the buildings. Here we are playing in the snow outside of Barnes and Noble which was previously a movie theater before being converted into a bookstore.

Hoping someone newly diagnosed with adrenal cancer finds me instead of the searches that bring up "less than five years survival" types of statistics.

To your health and your faith.

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Istiklal Cadessi

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 06:39:00 -0800

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Also known as Independence Avenue, Istiklal Cadessi is lined with cafes, bookstores, music shops, theaters, dondurma ice cream carts, a church, a synagogue and a mosque or two. It's a great place to sample Turkish music, sweets and just plain people-watch. Although it was cold visiting Turkey in January we took time to end most days with a scoop of creamy Turkish ice cream (pictured).

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Rob Reiner

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:03:00 -0800

I finally got a copy of a photo taken at the screening of Stand By Me at The Egyptian Theater two summers ago. Pictured are the movie's director, Rob Reiner, and my nieces (#3 and #4). It's a little blurry.

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Ali Wentworth on Bombing Cambodia

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:06:00 -0800

Ali Wentworth seen here promoting her new book on Piers Morgan Tonight.

On the topic of her parents' friendship with Henry Kissinger during the Nixon Era she reminisced, "Henry Kissinger would come and use our pool and I would hold on to his neck and he would take me. You know...we'd do laps turtle-style. Unbeknownst to me he was bombing Cambodia."

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4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:49:00 -0800

I've been fascinated with Romanian movies lately. Coincidentally I was just in Romania on New Year's Day but I've been wanting to get into Romanian movies since watching Katalin Varga at the LA Film Festival a couple of years ago.

I don't think anyone could have seen where 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days was headed: two college roommates in the 1980's prior to the Revolution when abortion was illegal.

Anamaria Marinca plays the roommate, Otilia. The problem with this actress is that she's so good that you're going to want to look her up to catch up with her other movies.

Otilia's roommate Gabita, played by the equally noteworthy Laura Vasiliu, wants an abortion but has to do it secretively. She asks Otilia to check this guy out who supposedly has experience performing abortions. To go further would give it away so stop reading now.

SPOILER. Most of the movie takes place in a hotel room. Their friendship is tested. Although it leaves you heavy-hearted, this is a great film and the performances should not be missed.

Romania

Directed by Cristian Mungui

Grade: A

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Inland Empire

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:00:00 -0800

View from the parking lot at the mall. I like that there are horse trails in my town and the sounds of roosters and cows some mornings. There are even cowboys on horses alongside wandering llamas and goats on a road leading to a couple of chicken farms just down the street with drive-thru windows for fresh eggs. Although the larger dairy farms have re-located to Texas, there are still small farms, nearby, like this one.

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Dancing with Don

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:48:00 -0800

Don Cornelius dancing with Mary Wilson in the Soul Train line (2:45)

The Deele

New Edition

Pebbles

Back in high school Saturday mornings would be all about Soul Train, checking to see who would be performing and wishing I could be dancing down the Soul Train line.

As Don Cornelius would say in that distinctive voice of his, "Love, Peace and SOUL!"

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Townes Van Zandt

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:10:00 -0800

I love this song.

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The Be Good Tanyas

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:56:00 -0800

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Movie Review: The Way I Spent the End of the World (2006)

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:32:00 -0800

Seven-year old Lilu plots to save his family and country from Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. Lilu's 17-year old sister, Eva, is expelled from school for accidentally knocking down a bust of President Ceausescu. Because his family and neighbors are constantly searched and arrested for no reason, Lilu thinks that the President is the cause of a lot of his family's problems so he decides to come up with a plan to get rid of Ceausescu. He is chosen to sing at an event where Ceausescu will be honored and decides he will bring his slingshot to kill the President.

It wasn't so long ago in 1989 that a lot of communist countries, including Romania, revolted against their governments. President Ceausescu and his wife were executed on Christmas Day that year, starting with the riots on December 17.

As violent as the events were, the movie has a comedic tone. Seven-year old Lilu is seen on tv, waving to the camera, as the crowds are starting to protest that fateful day. It's because of his slingshot that he fires toward Ceausescu that, Lilu believes, ends the President's dictatorship.

Memorable performances by Doroteea Petre (Eva) and Timotei Duma (Lilu).

Romania

Directed by Catalin Mitulescu

Grade: A

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Lola

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:42:00 -0800

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Happy birthday to my Lola Marcela. My grandmother was only 57 years old when she died of pancreatic cancer in 1972. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister and elementary school teacher (pictured in her classroom). I came across her journal a few years ago and put it online to share her thoughts about the year my mom was born. In it she wrote about poetry, songs and even movie reviews. How I wish I could have gotten to know her. Although I was only one-year old when she died, I feel that we share a special bond with our cancer experiences. I always give thanks to my grandmother and somehow feel that she’s still watching over me. I visited her grave site in Manila back in 2007 (photo). Thinking of you, Lola.

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Sunset Crossing

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 07:57:43 -0800

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Firenze

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:00:00 -0800

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I loved watching people in this Florence cafe come in for a quick espresso. My sister and I would be the only ones sitting at the table enjoying the coffee bar scenery as the patrons would stand at the bar drinking coffee. I ordered whatever this signora was having which turned out to be a shot of espresso topped with whipped cream. A cafe con panna. They didn't linger but instead drank their coffee coolly and wished the barista a good day.

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