Would you weep for a spider?

For so many reasons, I think Charlotte Web is a nice and relaxing movie. I am no big fan of story book and novel, as I don’t read Lord of the Rings or Harry Porter, and don’t intend to dwell on the anytime soon. I like movies, so thank God so many good books are turning into movies nowadays.


At first, I was attracted by the pig who ramp against the wooden fence. Then I notice that there are some other animal around, so it should be cute and funny. Later, I realize it was all about the spider, with the calm and serene voice (I didn’t realize that Charlotte is Julia Roberts).

It is almost destined that most farm animal will ended as food on our table, especially true for piggies. How to save a cute little big from turning into my favourite bacon? A spider need to learn to read (in fact, all animals know how, haha) and write (actually, she can weave the word out). It’s quite amazing seeing her swinging and sliding around to make the web (and words), accompanied nice camera angel, animation and music. What did she write? SOME PIG is TERRIFIC and HUMBLE, haha.

At the end, it is sad to see the spider somehow sacrifice her life to save the pig (she basically work to death). No sure I am in the emotional or sentimental stage, I did actually feel much like crying when I saw the spider dying. I haven’t have tears in my eye for quite a long while. I didn’t cry with all the shit holes surrounding my life, with the pressure from my change of career and thinking of long time survival plan. But crying for an animated spider? Nah, this is a good movie to watch.

Thinking of it, though the spring pig survived to see the first winter, but for how long? Everyone remember the big, but will the spider be forgotten? Such as in life, of happy ending and fairness.

The Shadow Dancer

The story started where the great writer Weldon Parish stop writing since his wife’s death, and Jeremy was sent by a book publisher to convince him to write again, after 20 years.


At a nice and beautiful village in Italy, where life seems perfect and beautiful in every sense. The dirty stone house, the perfect mountain village, the crystal clear oasis and the breathtaking scenery of the valley. Life seems to be alive there, start to makes me wonder why would we want to deteorate our lifestyle in the city. Why can’t we leave everything we have behind, and move to our perfect place and live our perfect life? What are we reluctant to leave behind?

Weldon stop writing due to heartache in the beginning, but later he was afraid. He is a talented and creative writer, and every creative person is supposed to behave slightly out of norm, lunatic so to say. He likes writing, and is he afraid of writing? He is afraid of failing, not being as great as he used to be. Because of fear for failure, he has to stop something which he likes so much, where is heart yearning to do it. Is the result all that important, that we actually stop doing the things that we like? He had much fear in him, and he is tearing his life apart. He needs an unsuspecting life savior, Jeremy.

There is the beautiful Isabella (daughter of Weldon, Jeremy's love interest), which eyes look like someone who had fallen in love at the first sight. I remember her eye and facial expression, but I just can’t recall from which movie. Yes (after some googling), Joe Black. The ever so demure and soft girl which would capture the heart of every guys she crosses path with. Dancing is still a fantastic thing to do. After dancing for so long, it makes me wonder did I dance with my heart, or with my brain and counting the steps. Perhaps there are differences in learning and the actual dancing, but I don’t do much actual dancing, do I?


What else if life about, besides fear and love? Sometimes in order to build something good, we need to break something old down which we already put in much time and effort into it. To rewrite a novel perhaps, after writing a pretty good 100 pages? Move to someplace we want to but don’t dare to do it, after building our career and life in another place for the past 20 years. Why can’t we do it, is the questions we have to ask ourselves if we have a good reason for it.

The Shadow Dancer is a nice movie, with good casts, amazing background, mind intriguing dialogue and a comforting feeling. It makes we wonder what is stopping me from moving closer to nature, and start a grapevine (or plantation), while writing a book (or developing a software). Why do we buy another brick block in the congested city, and try to make more money to secure our future against the ever rising cost of living? I guess we are all the rats trapped in the rat rice, where we can’t see beyond our race track.

To a better tomorrow, with less fear and more life.

"why do you want to be a writer?"
"because I can't think of anything else I would want to do."

Annual CNY Gathering

Last Saturday was pretty interesting, as I get meet with all the old friends from my ex-company in a pot luck cum BBQ cum CNY celebration. It is nice that we grew so close and still have this yearly event to meet up.

As the years goes by, people have change slightly due to changes of life, shift of focus and responsibility. Married people will have to be family centric, and go home early to take care of wife and children. There will be lots of kids running around, but none of them is crying or screaming. There will be people who no longer interested in gamble, some gamble less and some never gamble as usual, some continue gambling and some got addicted to it. Some remain pretty much the same, while some had move on, but most still have the same fundamental behavior intact.

The party is pretty alright, with people busy eating and chatting. Perhaps everyone is too busy, thus doesn’t quite have the chance for some in depth chit chatting (perhaps I was at the wrong section of the house, haha). Kinda sad everything ends so fast, and I have yet the chance to catch up with some people, or I also uncertain what to talk about. Just felt that time flies, so little is done.

Yek, Cham and Rock have pretty much turn into a good family man and dad. Mee Mee had become a caring mom and good wife. The not married bunch like me, Mei Ru, Tang, Chooi, Rathi, Weng, Kenny and Michelle still looks pretty much the same. Kok Wai still busy with golf and family, while Gilbert had tone down by the days. Joe is no longer as thin, and Chim is no longer “single” by this year. Khim and hubby looks good, and I think she is expecting. Karthik and wife still as energetic and optimistic. Everyone is slowing moving towards couple hood, marriage and children. And Yek, Cham, Rock and Tang is reunited under one company again.

CNY is pretty much over, so ends the holiday, celebration and expectation. May the year of Metal Pig (or Fire) be a prosperous one. Wish everyone I love and care for good health, be safe and happy always.

PS: I felt that I always have the tendency to write when I am most busy, perhaps more thoughts came out when I am under pressure, or when I am feeling pretty down.