Happy Mother's Day!

The vagina is our doorway to the new world, unless you are born by other means. Yet we forget to thank our mothers enough for that. In fact, there are many things we forget to thank our mothers for. (Okay, I admit to playing with keyword here but the ladies might find something useful here.)

When I was a young boy, my mother used to fetch me home from the kindergarten. We would walk for 1-2 miles before reaching home. On my graduation day, I received a very authentic-looking Ultraman figurine and a big, red color toy sports car from the kindergarten. And I remember she was there too. I also remember my agonizing dental visits where my mother would get me Kamen Riders, Tiger Dragon Tiger Gate ( 龙虎门), Old Master Q (老夫子) and Doraemon comic books to help me forget about the painful experiences. When I was in lower primary school, my mother hand-made my favourite pair of shorts which was sky blue in color. It gave me a sense of pride every time I wore it. She taught me how to paint using water color for the first time. She must have taught me how to use crayons and magic pens too. She also taught me how to play Chinese Chess and I went on to beat her. She made sure I would never go hungry although sometimes I was stubborn at eating. I remember after work, she would buy 'yong tau foo' or stuffed beancurd and other varieties from her school canteen and quickly made a few simple dishes. As a young boy, I rarely asked for anything from my parents. I was thrilled and surprised when she agreed to buy me a toy set of construction vehicles that I saw at a sundry shop.

These are some of my recollections of my childhood years with my mother. She brought me into this world and made sure that I was loved and cared for.

It is said that you only know how difficult it is to bring up children when you have your own. This is so true. I can only wonder how my mother managed to do all of these and still have to deal with other issues. That must be a mother's love.

And I can only thank her by saying "I love you, Ma". Happy Mother's Day every day.

A touching article to remind us to spend time with mothers before it is too late - Being a mother

Enchanting Movie

Perhaps it is the pressure of the real world that drove my desire to go watch some movies. Perhaps it is boredom. Perhaps I just like Zoey to experience the movies. No matter what, I have to say - I enjoyed this movie. Enchanted - a Disney animation and live action movie which brings fairy tale fantasy into the real world.

The movie begins with cartoon animation in the Andalasia kingdom where Prince Edward rescues the damsel in distress, Princess Giselle.

Edward's wicked stepmother, Queen Narissa, throws Giselle into a well and she plunges deep into the land where there is no "happily ever after". And that turns out to be Time Square, NYC. Live action begins here.

She meets a charmingly flawed divorce lawyer, Robert, and his daughter, Morgan, as she desperately look for a way back. Later Giselle begins to like him. Meanwhile, Edward also arrives in NYC.

Giselle in real person is wonderfully played by Amy Adams. She can act and dance so well, so much like those Disney princess characters that you see in the cartoons e.g. Snow White.

I was laughing happily when she sang and dance to the "Happy Working Song". Her singing was so good that pigeons, rats and roaches joined in and helped her with cleaning the apartment.

Another wonderful scene was when Giselle and Robert were at the park. Robert mentioned his personal problems with his girlfriend. Giselle advised that he sing his love devotion to his girlfriend. She started singing the "That's How You Know" song. Everyone in the park, young and old, anyone imaginable, joined in the singing and dancing - the Disney fashion.

Gradually, her view about herself and her world changed as she learned to "think". Her cartoon-like innocence was gone. At the same time, she also started to fall in love with Robert.

They go to a ballroom dance. Morgan had earlier helped Giselle to buy new dresses. While everybody was wearing the medieval costumes, she wore a modern design. Anyway, the evil Queen Narissa appeared and poisoned Giselle with a bite on the apple.

Only a true love kiss can save Giselle now.

Warning: Spoiler next.......

So, who is her true love?

Don't read on if you don't want to know.....

Don't say I didn't warn you......

Is it Edward? The prince?

Is it Robert, the lawyer?

Okaylah, maybe I shouldn't say, hahahaha....

Anyways.......

Don't we all wish that real life is like a fairy tale fantasy? Where we meet our true love and live happily ever after? Some people say opposites attract. Yet others suggest better to have similar interest. Maybe they mean the same thing.

I think in the movie, Robert was probably a very different person before he became who he was when we first saw him - yes, he said that he changed after his wife left him. Giselle, I think, brought him fun and joy, and relighted the spark to get the fire in him going again.

Similarly, without that fire, a relationship will die in coldness. When you truly love one another, it is easier to maintain your relationship. When there is love, everything is alive - you trust each other, you respect one another, you support one another no matter what the tests are, you give unconditionally, you genuinely care, you deeply understand each other, you can forgive, you are willing to sacrifice your own needs or give up your old habits, you want to share your happiness, you make every day a special day, you will protect each other - the list is endless.

I used to remember a passage from the bible by heart. It is taken from the book of Corinthians, 13:4. Among other things, it says love is not jealous.

If there is no love, wow, it is like - how did that tree get there without a seed in the first place? No, I should say - love grows over time too. So complicated.....

So, perhaps we can learn something from the movie. Go watch it! Let yourself laugh heartily. You deserve it. You'll be enchanted.

(For more pictures, go to Yahoo movies.)

Winter Sonata

A good friend of mine once told me that to have not experienced love is like a tree without flowers or a world without colors. I wonder how many people have experience love before. What does it feel like? Does it make you feel happy? Or does it make you feel sad? Is it a very deep, intense feeling or a steady, okay feeling?

Some people are always chasing after love. For others, love just come to them. I have once asked somebody if it is better to love or to be loved. Her answer was to be loved. What do you think? I had thought before that it must be equally frustrating for someone to be unable to love. You know, that type of relationship where one party is always giving so much. It is as if you are being deprived of the experience to love in return. I guess you only start to miss the person and the relationship when it is no longer there. So elusive this thing called love, isn't it? Perhaps it is when you have experienced a colorless world or a flowerless tree that you begin to understand what love is. Perhaps only when you have felt hurt and lonely that you begin to know what love is and how to appreciate it even more.

There are some really good movies that make you weep to heart's content. Who can forget the movie 'Ghost' (the movie played by Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze - Dirty Dancing and comedic relief provided by Whoopi Goldberg) and that particular heart-wrenching scene with Molly longing for Sam as he makes his exit and the haunting 'Unchained Melody' playing in the background? Korean movie industry is also very good at churning out romantic love stories. I think many of you must have heard of the drama movie - Winter Sonata. It is a tale of two college sweethearts (Kang Joon Sang/Lee Min Hyung and Jung Yujin) who were separated and then reunited many years later in their working lives....not without overcoming many obstacles along the way. There is this other guy (Kim Sang Hyuk) who is also very interested in Yujin. Things got quite complicated when they find out that they could be related to each other. This movie has got great soundtracks like My Memory, Moment etc. and great cinematographies too. I found an essay on google which summarizes why this movie was so popular in Asia, which is an interesting read.

At Susu Kacang Cafe, you can share your views about love or simply enjoy your cup of susu kacang or soybean drink and listen to some good music. Perhaps love is very similar to susu kacang - pure, white and sweet, but if you leave it out for too long, it turns cold, sour and hard.

Enjoy.......