"Kiss of the Dragon": Amazing what a needle can do!

I am not doing anything now, for all my cases are solved and there is no case on queue that needs any action. So I’ll just write something about the movie I watched last night.

I was able to connect my small laptop to my plasma TV, and believe me it was far more exciting now to watch all the downloaded videos I got from the net. Considering my subscription does not include any international cable channel, my only hope was to be patient enough to download videos from torrent websites, even if it always took like forever before I could completely get hold of them.

OK, back to the movie I watched last night… I tried to look for something unfamiliar and decided to check out KISS OF THE DRAGON starring Jet Li. It was shot mainly in Paris and thank God it was in English! Even the Chinese characters in the movie didn't speak in Mandarin, so that really made it less exhausting to understand. Hahahahaha. I think it’s the only movie I had seen Jet Li acting so cute even if it’s action film, and even if I found THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM funnier because he was with Jacky Chan. I think it’s one of the old movies stored in my disk I dared not to touch yet because it was unpopular, I never expected I would love it. Actually, I loved and “liked” it at the same time…

The movie had no boring scene, could not blink for a second, just trying not to miss any of the fight scenes and Jet Li’s inexpressive face. His slight gesture really affected the mood of each scene because we wouldn’t really often see him doing drama in any of his many films. In the movie, his calm moves when fighting really stressed his character as a pro and the best among the league of reinforcers of his generation. What more could I say than “Two thumbs up!”.

I long waited for the scene that would explain to me why it was titled KISS OF THE DRAGON. Guess why? I think you should have a little knowledge on acupuncture to be able to guess it without seeing the entire movie.

At this point, I am looking forward to seeing another Jet Li movie. Just the English version please!!!

what dreams are made of...

I walked my way to the supermarket yesterday afternoon with my favorite buddy, Purple. I asked him to accompany me because I would buy rice and detergent powder which I might hardly carry by myself. He suggested that we walk because it was almost the first day of Spring here in Xi'an. The air was fresh and wet, and the environment was like the Philippines' early July.

I started to miss home. I missed staring out the window and watching the dark clouds and wet road. I missed guessing if it would rain more or not. I missed watching TV at home because I chose not to go to work so I could spend some time with my kids. I just wanted the feeling of them being around...

Purple noticed I was so silent while reminiscing. There's no point sharing, he wouldn't understand. So he opened up about how he felt about his work, his plans to move back to Sichuan and find a job in Chengdu. He doubted that he would not be able to fulfill his dream here in Xi'an. When I asked him how he would see his life 10 years from now, he said: "I want to be a big boss!"

I explained to him the positive and negative side of being a "boss". But it didn't move him at all. He said when someone gets out of the small village where he was born, he never returns. He thought his village was so poor, it could not offer him any future. He said he wanted to be successful and he would never find that success in his little hometown.

Then he started to ask me about my dreams...

I searched my heart while staring at the skies, and later realized I did not know what I really wanted in my life. I had short-term goals, but I had no idea what I would become a few years from now. Life had not been very simple for me in the past few years, and it's very difficult to foresee anything about how things would go for me and my family. I just wanted to work and enjoy whatever opportunity that would come my way. I wanted to be busy and forget the hatred that I long kept in my heart.

I hope I will be able to write about my dream sooner than later.... Thanks for sharing, Purple...

Dinner with DCFS Managers and Spring program organizers

Last night, I was invited by my colleague Maple (Wang Junjie) to join them in a dinner party to acknowledge those who helped out organize the spring program last month. I was honored to be part of it considering I was not really part of the committee who worked on it, I was just one of their many guest performers...

I realized that managers here in DCFS are different from those I knew in the Philippines. There is no politics. Nothing fake. They are so accommodating and friendly. Even if we were seated in groups, everyone made sure that he had the chance to visit guests from other tables. Though I did not understand their humor, just seeing their happy faces made me smile the whole time.

I am glad I have seen this side of China. It makes me feel closer to home.