Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I(Harry Potter 7: Part I, 2010, Movie)

This Part 1 movie delivers no dramatic payoff, no resolution and not much fun. Every two minutes the action whooshes sideways to someone somewhere else. Boring and meandering.

一輪明月（弘一大師傳, 電影）

整部片在講的就是弘一法師的一生，從他四歲～圓寂所經歷的種種。中國話劇的開拓者之一。在音樂、書法、繪畫和戲劇方面，都頗有造詣。從日本留學歸國後，擔任過教師、編輯之職，後剃度為僧，法號弘一。生於舊封建體制社會與新民主潮流的矛盾衝突時期，胸懷憂國憂民的大志，怎奈壯志未酬，三十九歲隱入空門，令人唏噓！ 


這部片大體來說分成二個階段，一是他尚未出家，還以李叔同之名遊歷紅塵之時；一是出家後，以弘一之法號宣揚佛法之時。

影片最後，與開頭首尾呼應，整個場景彷彿回到弘一小時候一般，一樣叫三郎的小孩，一樣在打陀螺。

陀螺應是代表輪迴，人生就如同一個圓，不停的轉動、不停的改變...但卻也從沒改變。唯一不變的，就是變啊！

弘一法師傳奇的一生，便在此畫下句點。


這部影片，無論是對於啟發普通人深入思考事業與愛情、人生與生命的真諦，還是對於佛門修行人高度認識戒律價值、正確認識自度度人的關係等方面，都有很大意義。

True Grit (Movie, 2010)

It is based more on the book instead of remaking the 1969 John Wayne film. U.S Marshall Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) is hired by Mattie Ross ( a powerful performance by newcomer Halee Steinfeld) to find her father's killer. She is 14 but smart, determined and wants the man dead. She thinks she has it all together but the onslaught of killings are disturbing and will change her for life. The violence is sudden and brutal. The humor is often very dark. And the film looks and sounds amazing. This should easily take its place among the classics of the western genre.

What is 'pwned'?

A corruption of the word "Owned." This originated in an online game called Warcraft, where a map designer misspelled "owned." When the computer beat a player, it was supposed to say, so-and-so "has been owned."

Instead, it said, so-and-so "has been pwned."

It basically means "to own" or to be dominated by an opponent or situation, especially by some god-like or computer-like force.

"Man, I rock at my job, but I still got a bad evaluation. I was pwned."

OR

"That team totally pwned us."

The Fighter (2010, Movie)

This film about two boxing half brothers is so good because it is more about the relationship between the brothers and their dysfunctional family than about boxing. Chriatian Bale who played Dicky carried this movie.  It is a film that will make you cry and cheer at Micky's rise and Dicky's fall. 

Gymnastic Team Members reunion in Seattle

This get-together is Jade’s (林玉英) idea for our old-time Gymnastic Team members back in high school. The thought started in February with Jade, Judy (黃瓊瑛), Feng (周鳳子) and me in mind. The end result was all but Judy who got stuck with a major project at work. Not only three of us, we also included Louise (劉東光) and Sandy (甘錦露), both are my high school classmates, into the picture. Last but not least, I had a chance to visit my Tai-Chi friend Abbey (魏翠眉) at a peninsula Bremerton. All turned out to be perfect, if weather factor was not counted.

25 May 2011

LAX and SEA

B.A. dropped me off at LAX and Feng picked me up at SEA. What a comfort! Feng and I spent some time having dinner and chatting at the nearby Double Tree Hotel to wait for Jade’s arrival. Finally, we got to return to Feng’s sweet home at Bellvue. There we met her teenage daughter Adrienne who was a shy and intelligent young lady.

26 May 2011

Snoqualmie Casino

Having missed the exit to Snoqualmie Fall, Feng decided to take a detour to visit the Casino. It’s less than 3 years old. The buffet has a wide variety of dishes, a full Mongolian grill and good deserts. The best thing is they offer $5 discount for seniors. Yes, we qualify for ‘seniors’. By the way, this not a hotel, with only gaming space.

Issaquah Gilman Village

The weather didn’t help too much. A few showers off and on made it gloomy enough to cry. The economy has really taken a toll on this Issaquah treasure. Only a few stores were open. I purchased a unique Silicon Lid at Kitchen Cupboard, where the owner claimed this is the only store with such product. And a couple 3-D bookmarks at Frontier Treasure were a charm.

Issaquah Salmon Hatchery

The last half of September and first half of October is the best time to visit this amazing place, which we missed a whole lot fun. The Issaquah creek runs through the hatchery where visitors can watch the salmon migration.  Next time, maybe.

半島餐廳

Now it’s time to get acquainted! Feng was introduced to Louise and Sandy. Since Louise was from Volleyball and Sandy Track and Field Team, it took no time to heat up. Back then in high school era, sport team members mingled quite a lot, on the campus or outside competing for medals. The seafood was fresh and the taste was very Chinese style. 

  

27 May 2011

Salty’s Restaurant on Alki Beach

The atmosphere and the views we experienced walking in are very nice. Since Sandy made reservation ahead, we had a classy view just sitting by the window. Beautiful view of the Seattle skyline and food was absolutely exquisite. I got to try the first batch of Copper River Chinook Salmon, so I was told. The meat was very tender and tasty, not according to my memory of the dried salmon. Thanks to Sandy’s recommendation!

Crowley Maritime

Stopped by where Sandy works and toured the amazing working environment. What a heaven to work there! They are so spoiled.

Jack Block Terminal 5 Park

Jack Block Park provided yet another view of Seattle and let us get up close and personal with the port with its location at terminal 5 on Harbor Ave SW. The walkway snakes around and takes us out to a dock with a wide angle view of the city and the bay.  

Crossroad Stage at Bellvue

Feng took Jade and me to enjoy live music at Crossroad Shopping Center Market Stage in the evening. Crossroads Shopping Center is the heart of East Bellevue's diverse community. We listened to the soul music from 1920 to 1960.

28 May 2011

Pike Place Market

Jade’s daughter 亭亭 joined us for a quick tour of Pike Place Market and Space Needle. Pike Place has everything we could hope for--fresh seafood, beautiful handmade jewelry, crafts, flowers that dazzle the eyes, incredible food, and plenty of street entertainment! Boy, you couldn’t believe the crowd due to the long holiday weekend. And our lovely driver Feng did a great job of finding the perfect parking spot right across the oldest Starbucks.

Tokyo Japanese Restaurant, Bellvue

We ordered a dragon roll and a ramen for a quick lunch. I had bad experience because my credit card was misused after it was swiped there.  

Dinner at Louise’s House at Sammamish

Louise prepared tons of food, including Copper River sockeye salmon, lamb, rice stick, seaweed, cucumber, and chocolate fondue. Boy, there was a learning curve of doing the fondue stuff. We dipped all kinds of fruit, i.e., strawberry, pineapple, papaya, melon, etc. I liked pineapple best. Afterward, karaoke was the fun part. Feng was a loud and good singer. Too bad Louise didn’t join the singing part while doing dishes! I had a great time.

29 May 2011

Snoqualmie Fall
We didn't know about the closing hiking trails until coming there and seeing tractors on one end and we were left just at one spot taking photos of the falls and not being able to hike. The falls are very impressive and are actually taller than Niagara Falls. We were surprised to feel the spray coming up from the falls even while standing in the Salish Lodge parking lot. 

Salish Lodge and the Attic Restaurant

It was wonderfully located above the falls with amazing views. We tried a simple lunch and shared food at their restaurant. It was not bad at all.

Arboretum, University of Washington

Free. We went to the arboretum on a nice day with a short schedule.  It has several walking paths of varying degree. Rhododendrons were in half bloom, the last of the cherry tree blossoms were falling into the wind, and benches are everywhere for your resting pleasure. We strolled along the Azalea Way and dazzled by the beautiful flower beds.

Dinner at Sandy’s House at Sammamish

Another party time gathering! Sandy showed off her chef’s skills with broiled sea bass, taro with spareribs, mixed vegetables, a few specialty stir fries, and best of all, Albert’s red bean soup. The best part after dinner was the video show of our high school memories. Sandy did a great job of digitalizing and compiling them into an album. It’s the most precious gem for us.

30 May 2011

Bremerton

Last stop was to visit Abbey’s house, as we agreed upon in Los Angeles. She and her husband Tony took us on an Oyster trip in Kitsap Memorial State Park, where we could dig oysters along the rocky beach. We took our accomplishments to a Chinese restaurant and requested them to be deep fried on the spot. Wow, it was delicious!.

Clearwater Casino on Bainbridge Island

It's actually not on Bainbridge, it's just over the Agate Pass Bridge from there. This was the second casino I visited on this trip. Abbey treated me at the buffet since there was a 2 for 1 deal. The food was OK and the place was super crowded. I met Abbey’s regular friends and everyone looked happy.

31 May 2011

Finally I returned home after a whole week vacation. I felt exhausted and slept over 10 hours tonight. It was a fantastic trip in terms of friendship and scenery. Weather wise, I couldn’t agree too much. Seattle is a beautiful place to visit. I definitely will come back to it.