Party of Love & Lust

Love begins with an image; lust with a sensation. ~Mason Cooley

The movie theme of March is love and lust, we watched 10 films in total, two films per week, five weeks in March. They are Fanny (1961), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), Unfaithful (2002), Sykt lykkelig (2010), Sakuran (2007), Q (2011), Lust Caution (2007), Diary of a Nymphomaniac (2008), In the Realm of Senses (1976), and Spread (2009). In addition, I also watched a few side movies recommended by Mr. Hung, Sisters Of The Gion (1936), Osaka Elegy (1936), A Man and A Woman (1966), Special Treatment (2010), and A Man's Job (2007).

In the last week of March, we watched one of the most controversial films and a must-see "In The Realm Of The Senses" (1976), produced by a French company, with the movie title "L'empire des sens", in Japanese "愛のコリーダ" (literally Bullfight of Love). It's a story of copulation, has nothing to do with reproduction in Homo sapiens!

Being a person interested in Japanese culture and language, I first knew the story of Abe Sada when I was an exchange student at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto in 2000. I saw the film of "Sada" (1998) directed by Nobuhiko Kobayashi on Satellite TV at home, maybe five or six years ago, I couldn't recall the exact date. I like much better the 1976 French-Japanese erotic art film directed by Nagisa Oshima who was charged with obscenity on publishing the screenplay, but was acquitted after a court case that dragged on for four years.

It's a true story in Tokyo in 1936, when Japanese were obsessed with the ambition to conquer the world. Sada Abe (Eiko Matsuda) was a former prostitute who now worked as a maid in a hotel. The hotel's owner, Kichizo Ishida (Tatsuya Fuji), molested her, and the two began an intense affair that consisted of sexual experiments, drinking, and various self-indulgences.

Ishida left his wife and family to pursue his affair with Abe. Abe became increasingly possessive and jealous of Ishida, and Ishida more eager to please her. Their mutual obsession escalated to the point where Ishida discovered he was most excited by being strangled during lovemaking, and he was killed in this fashion eventually. Abe then severd his penis and testicles and wrote, "Sada Kichi the two of us forever," in blood on his chest.

The fatal attraction between a decadent man of no trade Ishida and a young woman hunger for love Abe was inevitable. Their desire became a sexual obsession so strong, they forsook all, even life itself. During the movie, many viewers could hardly bear the graphic scenes of unsimulated sexual activities between the actors. I, on the contrary, felt less offended. Firstly, the movie was dubbed in French, except the traditional songs in Japanese. It was kind of awkward to hear the pillow talk of two Japanese in French. Secondly, I was curious about  the interpretation of love and lust by Director Nagisa Oshima and the adventurous souls seeking for escapes and abandonments in the secular world.

Many thanks to Wendy for a splendid idea about a spontaneous house picnic. She brought a loaf of bread to make tuna fish sandwiches. Judy brought a big plate of potato salad. Joy made a pot of stewed bean curds and sea weeds. What a serendipity it was that all three of them thought about the same thing! We even came to an conclusion to make the food and beverage--the theme of movies in June! Wendy also promised to bring a few bottles of wine for dinner to pursue more pleasure of food and beverage pairing with inspiring and sensational movies! Indeed, by nature we desire food and lust!

After the relaxing house picnic, the DVD player was broken at Joy's movie lounge all of a sudden. Even the repairman couldn't fix it. We had to move to Joy's bedroom to watch Spread (2009), a comedy-drama film starring Ashton Kutcher and Anne Heche, directed by David Mackenzie. Ashton was no doubt the leading man of choice. He played the role of a serial womanizer with his jilted lover. During the entire movie, I enjoyed imagining myself being Demi Moore, the famous and front-runner of modern cougar women.

Narcissistic gigolo Nikki (Ashton Kutcher) arrived in Los Angeles for his fortune. He's good-looking, passionate, and adept in the sack, moving from one wealthy woman of 35 or 40 to another, a kept boy-toy, drifting from one relationship to another without a steady job or even a place to live. He preyed on women who provided for him till he met a waitress who didn't fall for his charms. It transpired that she was the same as Nikki, scamming rich men for money in the same way he did with women. The movie ended with a mouse fed by Nikki devoured by an African Bullfrog. Very hilarious! After the movie, we had the pleasant discussion over the best creme cheese green tea cake in town brought by Judy.

In April, the movie theme is Destiny and Decision. We shall watch 8 films, The Butterfly Effect (2004), Run Lora Run (1998), Chance or Coincidence (1998), The Castle of Sand (1974), The Road Home (1999), Regarding Henry (1991), A Letter from an Unknown Woman (2004), and Youth Without Youth (2007).

Calla Lily Festival 2013

Regardless of the cloudy weather, nine Toastmasters and friends ventured to Yangmingshan National Park to enjoy the Calla Lily Festival 2013 at Zhuzihu (Bamboo Lake) Wednesday afternoon, March 27th. Joy, Linda, Jin-yeh, Evelyn rode in Lydia's car, Kate, Jean and I rode in James' car.

Sherry, Evelyn, Jin-yeh, Linda & Lydia

The annual Zhuzihu Calla Lily Festival takes place between March 22 and April 28, 2013. The theme of Calla Lily Festival 2013 is "Encountering Love at the Calla Lily Corner". Be it rainy and misty, the winding roads to Zhuzihu were jam packed with cars and tourists, even though most calla lilies were yet to bloom in most calla lilies farms. James was lucky to find a parking place along the road, Lydia had to park her car at a parking lot of the restaurant where we enjoyed fried bamboo shoots, fried vegetables, sliced chicken. We all have a bowl of sweet yam and ginger soup to warm our cold bodies.

On my way back to Taipei in James' car, I noticed that I left behind my flowery umbrella in a hurry at the restaurant. In stead of being worried, I'm kind of pleased with another chance to see calla lily at Yangmingshan National Park. I shall put on my purple kimono in a sunny day this time, enjoy a good cup of coffee latte in the Wisteria & Calla Lily Garden on April 17th.

Jim Hawking in Taipei

Red Room Radio Redux (RRRR, R4) presented two live performances of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson at the Learning Kitchen at 2:30PM and 7:30PM. A great number of Toastmasters came to support the shows, many of them were from Innovative Toastmasters Club.

Director Ruth Giodano requested me to dress in a painter's outfit as a noise maker. I put on a pharmacist's white top with a pair of white jeans and a white cotton cap. I also needed to involve the audience with the cue cards to make the sounds of seagull, wind, gunshot and cannon. It was fun to play with the voice actors and audience at the same time.

About Love

Love exists in many forms, Storge, Philia, Agape, and Eros. Eros in Ancient Greek refers to intimate love or romantic love; Storge to familial love; Philia to friendship; and Agape to selfless love, or charity. Among four forms of love, Eros is the most controversial one!

Eros is used in philosophy and psychology as an equivalent to "Life Energy". To me, I have doubt if there is Eros between a man and a woman without the lust in mind and the intimate body contact! I don't believe in Platonic love between a man and a woman, unless it's about Storge, Philia, and Agape. If I'm marooned to a remote desolate island, I probably would have sex with any male counterpart regardless his age, except he is family.

I was 30 minutes late to watch "Lust Caution" directed by Ang Lee at Joy's movie & dinner gathering, March 23rd. I first saw the movie at a movie theater in 2007, I was overwhelmed by the erotic and S&M scenes of a man and a woman in bed, it was very much like a porno, but more aesthetically. Comparing with Brokeback Mountain, Director Ang Lee used more obscene images to highlight the struggles of love and lust of a young and naive woman, Wang Jiazhi (Wei Tang) who got trapped in a dangerous game of emotional intrigue with a powerful political figure, Mr. Yee (Tony Leung).

Eros is natural between rich and powerful men and young and pretty women, to exchange the life energy, so to speak! Old and Shrewd Mr. Yee knew women. Jiazhi was one of his dolls. She betrayed her friends eventually and got herself executed for espionage for a Diamond ring she wore no more than 12 hours! "Diamond is a girl's best friend," knows Mr. Yee. Material is best lubricant of love and lust. Without bread, love and lust can't last long!

At  Joy's movie lounge, I was less embarrassed to watch the sex scenes in "Lust Caution". In stead, I was more attracted to the six carats pink diamond ring from Cartier. It reminded me of the day I walked in Cartier in Paris 15 years ago. My colleague and I stayed at a fancy hotel, Cartier was just across the street. Upon her request, I accompanied her to buy a leather belt at Cartier for her husband. In the end, I bought a big Topaz ring. I had to call the American Express to upgrade my credit allowance!

The small dinner gathering of seven movie fans was cheerful and blissful. I made a big pot of hot and spicy rice noodles with stinky bean curds. Mary boiled 20 dumplings. We had a rich array of desserts, including sweet yam soup, a log cake from Indonesia, and a home-made sponge cake.

After dinner, we watched Diary of a Nymphomaniac (2008) directed by Christian Molina. It's a Spanish erotic drama about a woman's sexual adventures. Valére (Belén Fabra) is a young, middle-class French woman in Barcelona. Val is a sex addict, obsessed with sex, with a strong and insatiable desire for sex. Val was attached to her grandmother Marie Tasso (Geraldine Chaplin). Marie told Val to jot down her life experience and Val decided to keep a diary. She documented her promiscuous love life and her lovers since her first sexual experience at age of 15, her then fall into prostitution, and her ultimate redemption. Despite many love scenes in the movie, I like the intimate dialogues between Val and her grandmother! Life is to cherish! Seize the moment and enjoy love & lust!

Pirates Invade Taiwan

Red Room Radio Redux (RRRR) will present a staged radio-theater-style production of TREASURE ISLAND, the Robert Louis Stevenson classic story of buccaneers and buried treasure, for two performances on Sunday, March 24, at 14:30 and 19:30.

Treasure Island is the tale of young Jim Hawkins, who sets sail as a cabin boy on the Hispaniola, on a voyage in search of treasure hidden on a faraway island. In the course of his adventures, he comes across a motley assortment of devious seaman, including that most famous pirate of all, the one-legged Long John Silver.

The RRRR performance of Treasure Island will be in English, in an adaptation that draws extensively on the original language of the story. It will be presented as a radio-style staged reading in which the actors use voice, characterization and gesture, as well as live sound effects and music, to recreate the story in the minds of the audience. RRRR is dedicated to this unique style of performance, a type of “theater of the imagination,” as a means for sharing great works of literature and to promote a culture of live storytelling and creative listening. 

Performances will be at the Learning Kitchen, home of a monthly gathering known as Stage Time & Wine @ the Red Room. The Learning Kitchen is located at No. 117, 2nd Fl, Da An Road, Sec. 1 (above the Aveda store).

RRRR also produces voice dramas on the radio in partnership with The International Radio Taipei (ICRT). The prerecorded radio-version of Treasure Island will be broadcast in the next two weeks, Sunday April 7, 12 noon, and Thursday April 11, 9pm. Keep tuned to ICRT for more information on the radio broadcast.

Women in Love

Women are built differently from men, both physically and psychologically. Women are evolved with love to take care of the offsprings. Men are evolved with lust to leave behind the offsprings.

In two movies Women in Love we watched Saturday, March 16th, Sakuran (2006) directed by Ninagawa Mika and Q (2011) directed by Laurent Bouhnik, both leading female protagonists knew how to use their bodies to control men, and found their true love in the end.

Sakuran is a Geisha story, the growth of a poor little girl into an Oiran. Anna Tsuchiya is stunning in the role of Kiyoha. The movie has very beautiful vibrant colors, beautiful geisha, on top of that Shiina Ringo's music highlights the matching scenes in the movie.

As a natori of traditional Japanese dance, I enjoy all geisha movies. I can watch the graceful movements of geisha and appreciate the colorful and luxurious kimonos and accessories. I can hear the dialogue of geisha in Kyoto accent, peek into the life and the interior design of Okiya--Geisha House. Last but not least, I can see the most spectacular cherry blossom in Japan.

In-between movies, the dinner gathering was a treat. Wendy bought fried meat bums, I made honey pumpkin, Mary made fried vegetables, Joy provided dumplings. For desserts, we had cheesecake, green tea cake, strawberries, and oranges!

After dinner, we watched Q (2011). To be honest, at the first 30 minutes, I thought the film was nothing but a pornography. I saw a bunch of young women nude in a shower, a lot of chitchatting and many scenes of Cécile (Déborah Révy) making fun of men, young and old.

Being a French-speaking person with many visits to France, I can imagine the social context deteriorated by a countrywide economic crisis. After the interpretation of movie critic Mr. Hung and background information of unemployment and a shipyard strike, I took another look at the movie. I understand better the life of people being turned upside down after they meet Cecile, a character who symbolizes desire.

The director never shows anything above the waist of the nude women in the shower chattering away about sex and men. All characters are missing each other needs and hence at odds and frustrated. Everyone is somehow self-absorbed. In the beginning, the movie starts with a message that love is possible. At the end, Cecile finds her true love.

After watching Q, we all agreed that the movie was soothing in a way. Cecile demonstrated the lines between love and lust. She helped people around her find their true love and she found hers in the end. Somehow, I feel Cecile must be a sexually abused kid. She used he body as a tool to let go and to get rid of her nightmares eventually!

Grand TMC's Spring Wine Party

Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

~Leo Tolstoy (1828 – 1910)

Since joining Grand Toastmasters Club in 1986, I have made many good friends in the big family. Every year I look forward to three or four extracurricular activities in Grand in addition to two major speech contests at D67 Spring and Fall Conferences. Grand's Spring Wine Party is the most important event to me to join members and guests to welcome the new year. Many thanks to President May Hwang and IPP Gina Cheng for hosting the auspicious event at Gina's place Saturday, March 9th.

Gina was excited to announce the spring wine party after she bought the famous foie gras from Yi-lan during the Chinese New Year holidays. Toastmaster Jimmy Cheng immediately seconded that he would bring along two bottles of red wine from Germany. I joined the crowd by offering another bottle of one-year-old star fruit wine I made at home in the countryside. Helen brought her lovely twin daughters and her caring mother, with a bag of wax apples (aka bell fruits). Sharon donated a box of almond cookies. Toastmaster Kevin just joined Grand two months ago, served as the photographer.

It was a blissful party with a big vegetarian hotpot prepared by May, plus all kinds of appetizers made by Gina and me. While we savored delicious foie gras with the perfect red wine, the full house of laugher filled Gina's living room and kitchen. Seven of us drank three and half bottles of wine, with Jimmy and I did most of the drinking. After a good round Earl Grey tea with sweets, I rushed to the weekly movie gathering at Joy's place to see two great movies "Unfaithful 2002" and "Sykt lykkelig 2010".

On a windy day in New York city, Connie Sumner (Diane Lane) fell on the sidewalk trying to hail a taxi. A handsome young French book dealer Paul Martel (Olivier Martinez) offered his hand in time. An affair started. It was no one's mistake, but the destiny! Nobody wants to be unfaithful, till he or she came to the crossroads.

When Ed Sumner (Richard Gere) found a souvenir of Christmas snowball he gave his wife on their wedding anniversary on the bedside table of Martel, he went crazy, killed Martel with the Christmas snowball by accident. After Ed took care of the dead body, he went home with the snowball. To Connie's surprise, she saw the snowball and opened the bottom to find a family picture for the first time. At the back of the picture, it reads, "to my beautiful wife, the best part of every day"! The movie ends with the couple inside the car in front of the police station. What to do, or what not to do, is the question!

With the help of Joy's Filipina maid, I made a quick dinner for a group of 15 people while Mr. Hung led the discussion about the director, actors and the storyline of "Unfaithful". I like the performance of Diane Lane in the movie, her struggles between love and lust, her facial expressions and her body language.

After dinner, 8 young people left to support the baseball gathering featuring Taiwan VS Cuba in the second round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) at the Tokyo Dome. Seven of us remained to watch Happy, Happy (Norwegian: Sykt lykkelig) a 2010 Norwegian comedy directed by Anne Sewitsky.

Happy Happy is about two failing marriages in an isolated area in Norway in winter. A sophisticated urban couple brought their adopted African son to a remote village to start their new lives after the wife's infidelity. Their neighbors are a rural couple with a young boy. The husband is a repressed homosexual, and his wife is a happy-go-lucky school teacher with low self-esteem. Dramatic affairs entwined the two lonely families. Love and lust made the matters turn for the worse or better for both couples and their kids.

It was 8PM when we finished the movie. Mr. Hung led another discussion about the life of love and lust in northern Europe and the impact of cold climate on the emotions of people. We then talked about the possible movie theme for coming April, either "destiny & decision" or "the clash of civilization".

On Women’s Day

Let us become smart women!
三養→修養、涵養、保養; 三麗→美麗、能力、魅力; 三獨→思想獨立、能力獨立、經濟獨立

National Taiwan University (NTU) is famous for Azalea blossom in Spring. NTU Azalea Festival 2013 starts from the 1st and ends on the 31st of March.

On Women's Day, four golden ladies took a stroll on NTU campus, including Toastmaster Joy Chyr and her friends Wednesday morning. The azalea bushes were in full bloom, Red, pink, white, and a mixture of pink and white. In addition to beautiful and colorful azalea blossom, Bengal almond is a must see in Spring. Sitting under the shade of Bengal almond trees, we saw big red leaves kept on falling on the grass lawn. We picked up some as fans. Spring is coming!

Upon Joy's suggestion, we had lunch at Yumu Kitchen, a newly opened cafe' in the alleys of Hsin-sheng South Road. Yumu is owned by two poets, a Chinese Lady Long-ching from Hu-bei and a Taiwanese man from Hsin-chu. I liked the cozy cafe' with a mission to support performing artists to showcase their recent works. Before we left, Lady Long-ching gave us a book of poems of hers--"When the Snow blusters (有雪肆掠)" as a token of appreciation.

In the afternoon, I joined the Hsin-tien Women Chorus. We learned Mother O' Mine for the coming concert on Mother's Day in May! I found two poems as follows, one is written by Rudyard Kipling, the other is by Bill Parkinson. Both of them are simply touching!

Mother of Mine by Rudyard Kipling

If I were hanged on the highest hill, Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!
I know whose love would follow me still, Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!

If I were drowned in the deepest sea, Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!
I know whose tears would come down to me, Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!

If I were damned of body and soul, Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!  

I know whose prayers would make me whole, Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!

Mother Of Mine composed by Bill Parkinson

Mother Of Mine, You Gave To Me, All Of My Life To Do As I Please,
I Owe Everything I Have To You, Mother, Sweet Mother Of Mine.

Mother Of Mine, When I Was Young, You Showed Me The Right Way Things Had To Be Done,
Without Your Love, Where Would I Be? Mother, Sweet Mother Of Mine.

Mother, You Gave Me Happiness, Much More Than Words Can Say,
I Pray The Lord That He May Bless You, Every Night And Every Day.

Mother Of Mine, Now I Am Grown, and I Can walk straight All On My Own,
I'd Like To Give You What You Gave To Me, Mother Sweet Mother Of Mine.

In the evening, Toastmaster Linda Chu, Kate Hsu and I joined the Friday evening concert at Grace Baptist Church. We listened to many popular songs by many famous composers, including George Gershwin, Puccini, Rossini, Mozart and Schubert. It was a great day of memories on Women's Day 2013.

Love & Lust in March

Winter was finally drawing to an end! Branches with new green leaves and flower spikes of Bengal almond (Terminalia catappa) can be seen at Daan Forest Park in Taipei. Hooray! Spring is approaching! Everything comes to life, cherry blossom, caterpillars, bugs, birds! Very soon, butterflies will burst out of the cocoons and fly among the flowers!

The weekly movie and dinner gathering resumed Saturday, March 2nd. The movie theme of the month is Love and Lust. Eight movies are suggested by Instructor and Movie Critic Mr. Hung Guang-yuan. Fanny was the first in the line. Mr. Hung was thrilled to share with the precious DVD in his collection. With the daring theme, we attracted a full house of people, mainly young women!

Fanny (1961) directed Joshua Logan was adapted from Marseilles Trilogy by Marcel Pagnol, the original six-hour French-language trilogy—Marius (1931), Fanny (1932) and Cesar (1936). Logan's Fanny earned Oscar nominations for best picture, actor (Charles Boyer), cinematography and music in 1961.

The movie is full of positive energy. All characters speak English with French accents. They are sweet to wish the best for others. When Fanny found her pregnancy with Marius the night before he sailed to the sea. Fanny married Panisse, a wealthy merchant who had never been able to have children and was happy to have a "seven-month baby."

How can we blame a young man with a dream, to long for the sea, to see the world? Between an exciting life at sea, and a boring life with the childhood sweetheart he loves, Marius (Horst Buchholz) was torn on the Marseilles waterfront. Likewise, Fanny (Leslie Caron) must choose between keeping the man she loves, and letting him live the life he seems to want in a small and conservative town of Catholic tradition.

I like the movie comment written by John Hartl. Did Fanny do the right thing by helping Marius chase his dream? Knowing how driven he is, was she being selfless or selfish — or a little bit of both? We make so many crucial, life-altering decisions when we're young. Pagnol leaves us with the feeling that there is no "correct" answer to Fanny's dilemma. Marius is so caught up in his romanticized vision of exploring "the isles beneath the winds," yet in the end he finds only "volcanic ash." How could she deny him that discovery?

Fanny 1961 was actually filmed in a harbor town in Rome. It reminded me of  the beautiful beach in Fiumicino when I lived in Rome in June 2013. I ventured to the beach with my landlady. It was a noisy gathering with many Italian families under colorful umbrellas on the white sand. The warm ocean water and the sea breeze made the trip unforgettable!

Talking about Marseilles, I could think of bouillabaisse at first! When I lived in Cannes in June 1995, I ventured to Marseilles several times just for a good bowl of the traditional seafood stew. Then, of course, the Song of Marseilles, the national anthem of France, the French National Convention adopted it as the Republic's anthem in 1795.

PS: It was the first time in my life to see a movie with one third of the translation missing, if not half. There were many lines in "Fanny" lost in translation. On top of that, some lines were mistakenly translated! It reminds me of a lecture equipped with a simultaneous translation. The speaker said one thing, the interpreter said another. It was a total crime, in my opinion, if the interpreter made up the story when he or she missed the gist!