Shen Yun 2013 in L.A.

The show takes part on the main stage and on the screen on the back.  It was kind of cool actually. I've never seen a screen used that way before. There is a lot of religious connotation and I found it absurd to watch how a cult (Falun Gong) religious group would depict Buddha in the form of their leader. The dancing was average and the opera singing was out of place. I liked  the cup dance (頂碗舞) and the spinning doilies dance but disliked the boring political-statement dances.

By the way, the setting in Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is terrible, a long isle without center cutoff. Plus the air circulation was so bad that two of us were almost suffocated for the whole two hours. No more next time.

失恋33天 （Love is not blind）(電影, 2011)

失戀何等重要，它絕對是人生大事，決定受挫後的未來人格。失戀才能看清蜜甜糖衣包裝的虛幻偏執，也是一劑識清自己的特效藥。畢竟人是談起了戀愛，就註定考驗雙方自我主義如何偏移，再從中理解自己的底線在哪裡。

愛情是盲目的，你用全力投入愛情時，對方優點無限放大，缺點也會自動改裝成優點。

這是一部喜劇，但是並不可笑。《失戀33天》的編劇是小說原作者鮑鯨鯨，其實這不是一個常規的做法。原小說的確是以33天來紀事的，而到了電影，由於篇幅原因，只在頭尾出現了天數，33天這個時間概念已經失去意義，甚至連失戀都成了噱頭。 在電影吃重的部分不是畫面和聲音，而是對白。 因為這裡的確有很多聽上去很有快感的台詞, 比如“情義千金，不如胸脯四兩”什麼的。海清那段的確非常精彩~~

Half day at L.A. Arboretum

The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden is a unique 127 acre historical museum and botanic garden which I haven't visited for over a long time. We saw the Arboretum’s famous peafowl everywhere. The Arboretum peafowl roaming the grounds are descendants of a pair imported  by Lucky” Baldwin from India in the 1880’s.  Males (peacocks) have a bright blue neck, but only during the mating season (Spring) do they display their long trains.  Both peacocks and the brown-colored peahens (females) can fly short distances, often roosting in trees at night.

CARNIVOROUS PLANTS GREENHOUSE. Commonly called pitcher plants, the Arboretum houses many different species. Although the often colorful pitcher may look like a flower, it is actually a leaf that has been modified into a pitfall trap. In general, the pitchers of these plants lure insects with the odor of nectar. Once inside, the insect cannot escape because of the smooth walls coated with a slippery wax. Eventually, the insect falls into the water and its struggles to escape stimulate the release an enzyme that will digest the insect. The plant is then able to absorb the nutrients and distribute them to other parts of the plant.

TROPICAL GREENHOUSE. As we entered the warm, humid Tropical Greenhouse we saw orchids and other tropical plants in a jungle-like setting. The orchid collection contains over 1,700 species making it one of the largest species collections of orchids in the world. If you look closely at one of the orchids and you will notice a colored or spotted "lip" which tells pollinators where to enter. We saw one vanilla orchid.  The fruit (vanilla bean) is an elongate, seed pod about 5-10 inches long. We were told about 8-9 months after flowering, the pod turns black and gives off a strong aroma. Do you know that the orange bird of paradise is the official flower of the city of Los Angeles? And don't be mixed up with the much taller giant bird of paradise (not a banana tree).

THE AUSTRALIAN SECTION.  As we entered the 19 acre Australian section is characteristic of Australian Chaparral,  This section is also home to many species of Eucalyptus bottlebrush. We strolled along The Rainbow Dream Snake path which is an interpretation of the Aboriginal creation story, and was designed to incorporate children’s mosaic tiles and art work.

THE MADAGASCAR SPINY FOREST. Eighty percent of the plants found in Madagascar are found nowhere else in the world. The plants in this section have special adaptations that allow them to live in a harsh, drought-prone environment. These adaptations include extended root systems that take in water from a wide area, trunks and branches that are able to store water, as well as spines to protect it from water-seeking animals, small leaves or no leaves, and waxy or hairy coverings that prevent water loss.

SOUTH AFRICAN SECTION. There is a large collection of Aloes and other succulents. There are over 250 species of Aloes in the world, mostly native to Africa. Although most Aloes have some medicinal or commercial value, the most commonly known is the Aloe barbadensis (Aloe vera). Aloe flower nectar is a favorite of hummingbirds!

TROPICAL FOREST. A few redwoods and cypresses are seen here. We also spotted the world’s fastest growing plant: bamboo. Even though bamboo grows very tall and may have a very hard stem, it is actually a grass and not a tree. By the Baldwin lake, we saw mallard ducks, coots, Canada geese, and living in the pond, carp, and several species of turtles.

THE TULE POND. Tule Pond was named for the tule (giant sedge) growing along its banks.  These were used by the Tonga people for construction of their thatched homes.

THE MEYBERG WATERFALL. Listen to the water tumbling over the rocks below.  Every hour 48,000 gallons of water cascade over the falls into the pool where it is recycled to the top of the falls. The steps to the right of the waterfall lead to Tallac Knoll. We were told from there you will find some of the most spectacular views of the Arboretum and the San Gabriel mountains. I'll definitely do it next time.

HERB GARDEN. The herb garden is laid out in many sections, including medicinal plants, plants for cooking, and dyes. By the way, we did find the fossil fish imbedded in the pavement.

Elias Jackson "Lucky" Baldwin (April 3, 1828 – March 1, 1909) was a prominent California businessman and investor. Having generated most of his wealth through both savvy and lucky mining investments (for which he received his nickname), Baldwin accumulated large landholdings of 63,000 acres in southern California, where the communities of Arcadia and Monrovia are now located.

QUEEN ANNE COTTAGE. Lucky Baldwin's Queen Anne Cottage was built in 1885-86 as a honeymoon gift for his fourth wife, 16-year-old Lillie Bennett. This marriage did not last and it was soon converted by Baldwin into a memorial to his third wife, Jennie Dexter, who had died in 1881.  Cooking, dining facilities, and Baldwin's personal quarters were located in a modernized eight-room version of the old adobe house found on the property at the time of purchase (1875).

TONGVA HOMES. The earliest known  residents of what is now The Arboretum were the Native American group known as the Tongva. The Tongva slept in brush shelters such as these, constructed of willow poles and thatched with layers of tule reeds.

HUGO REID ADOBE. Hugo Reid, a Scottish  adventurer and  naturalized Mexican citizen,  was the first private owner of the 13,319 acre Rancho  Santa Anita. Most of the cooking for the Reid family was done in the outdoor courtyard  at the adobe stove and  oven. Much  of what is known  today about the Tongva people is because of Hugo Reid’s writings. However, the adobe and its courtyard are currently undergoing renovation.

THE DEPOT. This train depot was originally located on today’s Colorado Blvd. near Baldwin Ave. (the site of the present 210 Freeway). It was moved to The Arboretum in 1968 in a “Save the Depot” effort spearheaded by the local Arcadia businesses and residents. The depot, built in 1890 to serve Rancho Santa Anita and the nearby community of Sierra Madre was an active passenger and freight depot for 50 years.


The depot, costing an estimated $5000 to build, was described by a local newspaper in 1890 as "an elaborate two-story depot built with one hundred thousand bricks from the nearby Lucky Baldwin brick yard".

THE CYCADS AND THE TYRANNASAURUS REX. Interestingly enough, cycads were some of the first plants to develop adaptations to protect themselves from large herbivores (dinosaurs). These defense mechanisms include tough spiny leaves and toxins within the body of the plant.

Today, these slow growing cycads persist looking much like they did when the dinosaurs roamed. Although cycads are protected by international law, many species are considered rare and endangered.

On the way back, we saw Chorisia (Floss Silk Tree) which should have pink or white flowers and the content inside the pods are like cotton, to be used by Tongva people for insulation purpose.

Thanks to the wonderful docent Melinda who gave two of us a very personal and informative tour around the whole garden. It's really worth the visit.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011, Movie)

A bad sequel. There really isn't much good to say about this at all. Big Disappointment!

Men in Black 3 (2012, Movie)

The plot isn't air-tight and there are some sloppy bits. This one is a charmer though. Josh Brolin was pretty decent as the young K. Too bad that the dialog simply detracts from the story. 

Fetih 1453 (Movie, 2012)

"Fetih" meaning "conquest".  It is rip-snorting entertainment on a grand scale, and from a perspective you're unlikely to see in a Hollywood movie: You'd be hard-put to get the average American to finance a movie in which the fall of Christian Constantinople to the Muslim Ottoman Empire is a good thing. When Sultan Mehmet Han  (Devrim Evin) comes to the throne beneath the shadow of his earlier disgrace; his own closest advisors have their doubts about his ability to lead, and several think Mehmet's determination to conquer Constantinople, which his own father tried and failed to do, is reckless at best and potentially ruinous madness at worst.

The city of Constantinople may still have the most awe-inspiring fortified walls of any city in the known world, Constantine needs help and makes overtures to the Vatican, even though he knows that accepting Rome's assistance will mean submitting to its authority.

All of this history unrolls behind the story of Mehmet's struggle to win the respect of his subjects. Mehmet engages the father-daughter team to build a cannon capable of shattering Constantinople's wall.

One can't deny the production of war scenes is an improvement for Turkish film industry, but unfortunately, that's all.

Life of Pi (2012, 3D Movie)

A stunningly made film, directed by Ang Lee, stars a host of unknown actors in a 3-D film rife with computer special effects. Here the animals are not real, but are computer generated images used in a powerful way to drive forward the drama and action. This movie tackles topics of God and faith with elegance and heart.

太極張三豐(Movie, 1993)

宦官弄權的明朝末年，張君寶（李連杰）則與一群仁人志士一起劫富濟貧。李連杰確有大師風範，每個動作都有節奏和韻律。 知道張三豐為什麼叫張三豐嗎？ 因為他一天瘋三次…他在水缸裡體悟到“以柔克剛”的道理，又從不倒翁的形態裡演化出了“借力打力”的武道。