Beijing: countdown to an anti-climax

In debates with friends, I am usually critical of China and their drive towards becoming a world economic powerhouse. My point of contention is usually the short-sightedness of the men in power. The 2008 Olympics in Beijing is meant to be the country's showcase of their potential. And yet, the lead up to the event has only served to confirm what critics have expected of China.

China was awarded the 2008 Olympics back in 2001. In the past seven years, the country has worked furiously to build state-of-the-art venues and update infrastructure in anticipation of the event. What they have failed to make much, if any, progress on is their environmental and human rights records, which now threaten to make one of the world's biggest public relations event moot.

With seven years of preparation, China has had the time to clean up the air pollution problem. Yet, the marathon world record holder, Haile Gebrselassie recently stated that he is unlikely to compete in the 42 km race at the 2008 Olympics. As a sufferer of asthma, Gebrselassie fears that the pollution in Beijing might permanently hurt his performance, reducing his chances of besting his own record in the future. One might dismiss Gebrselassie's fears as those of a diva, but they are shared by lesser known athletes in other endurance sports. Olympic chief, Jacques Rogge himself made an unusually strong comment about the air pollution in Beijing on the occasion of the one year countdown to the start of the 2008 Olympics.

Supporters could point to the economic detriment of shutting down the offending factories as the reason why China has delayed environmental action. The fact is that no country puts on an Olympic event because it is profitable. China has already invested much money and effort into showing themselves off in the best possible light; the pollution problem should have been at the top of their image rehabilitation list.

As well, the pollution problem is not unacknowledged by China. Factories have already been shut down while others have been moved out of the city. Clearly, China was willing to tackle the problem and take the economic hit. I'm not sure if the continuing poor air quality in Beijing is the result of underestimating the problem or a lack of proper planning.

Another point on which China has been criticized repeatedly is their human rights record. Tibet is the obvious killjoy at the party with the repeat call by Tibetans and their supporters to be free of China's oppression. It is an old story that may get easily swept aside in the spectacle of the Olympics. Yet China has stirred up a hornet's nest with their recent crackdown on dissidents. In a bid to circumvent possible political humilition during the Games, China has arrested online bloggers - 51, as of January 2008 - and placed other political activists under house arrest. These acts of prevention seem to do as much, if not more, damage to the image of China as any obscure, freedom loving blogger. China is playing the role of the villain exactly as detractors had predicted seven years ago.

Yet, in spite of the lacklustre environmental effort and the hyperactive vigilance over dissidents, the 2008 Olympics will proceed much as any other. Haile Gebrselassie has already stated that he will run in the 10,000 m event. Tibetan activists will find a way to picket the games. In the end, there will be no showdown; the sound and fury of both Beijing supporters and critics will come to nothing, and the 2008 Olympics will fade in memory into the usual flurry of flags and limbs.

Turned Japanese - Part 2

Looking over our most recent credit card bill, Joe and I were filled with remorse. We had anticipated heavy spending in Japan but the outstanding balance proved that we had exercised too much restaint. It is not that Joe and I possessed outstanding self control while shopping in Tokyo. Rather, we were overwhelmed by the abundance of choice.

Like Hong Kong, shopping is a hobby or even a sport in Tokyo. You have to do your research to figure out which product is right for you and then you do a lot of walking to find exactly what you want. Unlike Hong Kong, prices in Japan tend not be of the bargain variety so you have to be choosy otherwise you would go broke buying every variation of what you want.

Consumerism is so strong that whole buildings and malls service niche markets. 109 is a shopping mall eight stories high that caters to the fast and cheap fashions of teenage girls. More to my taste was Parco, another shopping mall that focused on moderately priced, current fashions for young women. Meanwhile, in Akihabara, manga enthusiasts could find six storey high buildings filled with nothing but manga and related paraphenilia (including life size mannequins of your favourite characters, seen above).

Unused to such a level of choice, Joe shut down and bought almost nothing for fear of succumbing to his need to possess every $200 robot and new notebook he saw. Drowning in Japanese fashion, I found myself seriously considering styles that I would not otherwise consider back home ("Do I want this cute maternity styled top? Think! Think!"). It was in Japan that we discovered that I have a far greater capacity for shopping than Joe, who uttered the words, "I'm tired of shopping for electronics" (!).

Apart from shopping, our other main pursuit in Japan was going to shrines: Asakusa Kannon Temple (seen above), Toshogu Shrine, Meiji Shrine, and various shrines in Kamakura. We even took an impromptu 2km hike in Kamarkura to get from one shrine (Kencho-Ji Temple) to another (Daibutsu statue). We quit at the 1km mark when it became clear, after an hour spent scrambling on all fours, that we were unprepared for the steep and muddy terrain.

The shrines were all very beautiful, historical, and actually varied widely in style but by the time we went to Kyoto, we were all shrined out. Even as I chased geisha with my camera, I found myself thinking, "I wish I was shopping in Tokyo." My best capture was at Kiyomizu Temple, seen below.

To be continued...

Turned Japanese - Part 1

I recently returned from Japan and showed off all my photos on Facebook. However, some things need more explaining than a mere caption so here it comes. I will try not to turn this into a Robert Jordan-like story like my previous travelogue on London (Not to speak ill of the dead but Jordan was mentally and financially draining his fans).

The 14 hour flight to Tokyo was not too bad. When I first flew to Hong Kong as an 11 year old, an equally long haul, it was torture. Now, with less of an urge to run around, the flight has become a source of relaxation. As an adult, when else do I have the luxury to sit around for 14 hours, watching movies or reading a book, sleeping whenever I feel like it, and eating without having to cook? The only hitch came during landing when cabin pressure caused my head to feel like it was about to implode. My brain throbbed for days afterwards.

The Japanese food we consumed, for the most part, was cheap, convenient and carb-heavy. At our local convenience store, it was not unusual to find fresh set dinners, ready to be microwaved, for about $6CAD, featuring udon noodles with a side of soba noodles accompanied by a garnish of a bit of meat and pickled vegetables.

Our breakfast of choice was onigiri: balls of rice covered in seaweed with a little surprise in the middle. Well, for most Japanese consumers, it was no surprise since the ingredient was listed on the packaging. Joe and I relied on the calorie rating to guess what we might find. The highest caloric rating usually equalled salmon.

When we did splurge, the food was excellent. The sushi at Tsukiji Fish Market was so fresh that it melted in our mouths, and in one instance, moved. Our favourite, the fatty tuna, is featured in the photograph to the left.

Tokyo was everything you would expect: very busy at all times of the day but especially at night, very clean, and lit up with neon. What I did not expect was the level of courtesy everywhere. For such a bustling metropolis, the citizens are surprisingly polite and helpful. English is not widely spoken, even in Tokyo, and yet, the language barrier did not discourage strangers from going out of their way to assist us.

An especially touching experience of Japanese helpfulness was when Joe and I boarded the wrong bus to our onsen ryokan (hot spring hotel). We missed our stop and started getting worried. The bus driver spoke no English except to say, "Wait" everytime we tried to ask. In a panic, I tried to communicate with the other passengers. They talked amongst themselves until one of them came forward to ask in simple English where we wanted to go. They then converged on the bus driver to ask for an explanation. It was then relayed to us that the driver intended to drop Joe and me off at the correct stop on the drive back. We were relieved but probably looked a little pale. As the other passengers got off at their stop, they passed some pastries along to us and the bus driver - something to help us feel better, I suppose. We waved to eachother as the bus drove away.

If mere strangers can be so kind, you can only image what customer service is like in Japan. Local burger chain, Mos Burger, looks like a normal fast food joint but after ordering your food, you are given a number to place at your table where your food will be served to you. More shocking was the takeout service. An employee will carry your order to the door for you then bow (!) as you leave. At most retail outlets, including convenience stores, there were more employees than you would expect and all of them were eager to serve. The whole experience made me bitter on my first day back in Toronto, when I stood at an empty check out counter for more than 2 minutes, waiting for the cashier to notice me then waddle over.

To be continued...

Tilda before the big time

When Tilda Swinton reacted with disbelief upon hearing herself named 'Best Supporting Actress' for her role in Michael Clayton, she mirrored the reactions of many around the world, including mine. Having been a longtime fan of Tilda, I never would have imagined that such an outsider would be named the Hollywood equivalent of the prom queen.

For me, Tilda Swinton was the only good thing about The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. She was chillingly memorable as the villain in an otherwise bland piece of Christian propaganda. Without a doubt, this role prompted Hollywood to sit up and take notice when she went on to play a role in Michael Clayton.

I first noticed Tilda when she starred in the 1992 film, Orlando. I had read a review of the movie in Eye Weekly and, at the time, I was crazy for the Quebecois actor, Lothaire Bluteau. He had a small part in the film so I invited a longtime friend to make the trek downtown to the one artsy cinema that was actually screening the movie in Toronto. My anticipation for the film was so high that when a car in front of our bus burst into flames, instead of marvelling at my front row seats to a spectacular explosion, I worried that we would not be able to make it in time for the screening. (To put this in context: the car was empty and parked on the side of the road, and missing the screening time meant not seeing the film at all since my friend and I both had curfews and we couldn't come downtown very often.)

We actually arrived and settled into our seats just as Orlando started. Orlando encapsulated everything I was into at the time: Lothaire Bluteau, strong visuals in art house films and androgyny. Tilda Swinton transformed from a male to a female effortlessly and looked great doing it. After the film, I was completely exhilarated and expected the same reaction from my best friend since Grade 3. "It was okay," she said, "When Orlando spoke directly to the camera, it was annoying." Our friendship was never the same afterwards.

This being a time before the dominance of the internet, I had to feed my obsession for Tilda Swinton and Orlando the hard way. I collected as many newspapers and magazines with reviews and photos of the movie as I could. What I could not acquire, I stole from the public library - for instance, a beautiful photo spread featuring Tilda Swinton wearing the Orlando costumes in an issue of Vogue that was no longer on the stands.

Unfortunately, Tilda Swinton drifted in and out of my consciousness afterwards. She appeared in films like The War Zone, The Beach and Young Adam - none of which I have seen because she looked so grimy in all of them. I did not see Tilda on film again until 2005, which turned into a breakout year: the Keanu Reeves vehicle, Constantine, in which she once again played a male character, the archangel Gabriel; a brief role in Bill Murray's Broken Flowers; then came The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

I have not yet seen Michael Clayton but fully intend to. I'll admit that I had forgotten about Tilda Swinton and Orlando until Tilda's Oscar nomination and then, her surprising win. Who would have thought that popular approval would bring back memories of being an outsider in love with a celluloid one.

Pouting in the trenches

Since Toshiba threw in the towel in their battle against Sony for High Definition DVD supremacy, I suddenly understand how it must have felt to be a Confederate/Nazi/Maple Leaf fan. You invest all your hopes and dreams into one side of a war (HD DVD) and then the leaders of your camp throw up the white flag while you're still engaged in battle (at the cash register).

A less offensive comparison to the HD DVD vs Blu-ray Disc (BD) format war would be the Beta vs VHS showdown of the 1980s. VHS won out in the end as the people's choice due to its longer tape time. A lesser known fact is that VHS's win was helped by the support of the porn industry and its legions of fans; Beta's creator, Sony chose a strict anti-porn stance. Several years after Beta sales became flaccid, Sony abandoned Beta and joined the VHS bandwagon.

Yet, I'm going to return to my previous 'soldier betrayed by the officers' analogy because it is more accurate. Sales have not dictated the winner in the HD DVD vs BD battle since consumers have pretty much waited on the sidelines. It was the slow sales of both formats that prompted companies like Warner Bros., Wal-Mart and Best Buy to make the choice for consumers. And unfortunately for consumers, they chose the format that will probably cost more down the line because it is more expensive to produce.

Having chosen the HD DVD side during the most recent Boxing Day frenzy, I feel resentful that my choice, or any buyer's choice, has factored so little in the final result. Adding salt to the wound is how quickly Toshiba has chosen to surrender rather than support their market.

As Toshiba shares rise in the aftermath of their seppuku display, we'll be burning and pillaging our way through HD DVD fire sales that have already begun.

Gone Facebooking

It has been almost half a year since my last post and the simple reason is that I have become obsessed with Facebook.

Blogging has been less than rewarding at times because it frequently feels like I'm talking to a wall. Some of my friends occasionally leave encouraging comments out of pity, but usually, it's just me ranting to myself.

So, Facebook was a refreshing change. I collected 'Friends', left messages that were returned, and shared hilarious videos and photos. I got response and recognition.

But the problem with Facebook is that it's like a cocktail party. No one really wants to discuss anything of importance when they have the option of Superpoking you. And I am too much of a coward to air my views without a degree of anonymity.

So, I'm back to blogging even if it means talking to myself again.

Random Thoughts: Coming Attractions

I recently checked out some coming attractions on the Quicktime movie webpage and found a lot to get excited about - enough to start a new entry in my blog.

Two different takes on vengeance
The story lines are very similar: protagonist loses a loved one to random thug violence. The system fails to right wrongs and the protagonist is left to turn to vigilante justice to regain power. However, Death Sentence stars Kevin Bacon and is directed by the guy who did Saw. The Brave One stars Jodie foster and is directed by the guy behind The Crying Game. Can you guess which one approaches the topic of revenge like an raging orgy of violence and which one focuses on the uneasy transition from victim to vigilante?
Clue: In the trailer, Kevin Bacon changes from mild-mannered suit into a crazed skinhead. Jodie Foster sports hair reminiscent of her character in The Accused. Think about it.

Another very special little boy
Being the cash cow that it was, The Lord of the Rings movies have spawned a lot of crappy clones: Eragon, The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (protest all you want but the best thing about that movie was Tilda Swinton as the Witch), and now, The Seeker: The Dark is Rising. Once again, we have a seemingly ordinary boy who turns out to be the saviour of the world. This one, played by Alexander Ludwig, appears to have the charisma of particle board.
Do we really need another story about a special little boy? At least with the upcoming release of The Golden Compass, I can look forward to the story of a very special little girl. That's different!

Miscellaneous crap

The trailer for The Kingdom appears very 'us vs them' about the Middle East, which I found very strange in this day and age. That kind of black and white cinematic depiction was harmless fun back in the 80s but it hits too close to home in the post 9/11 world. Of course, a promotional behind-the-scenes feature about the movie shows the gung-ho Americans (Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner) cooperating with a helpful Arab cop. However, the overwhelming story arc in the trailer is of an "elite FBI team" entering "a hostile country" to investigate the bombing of a wholesome game of softball (!) in an American compound in Saudi Arabia. Then one of their team members is taken hostage and this throws everyone into a tizzy. If the only way this movie feels that it can compel its audience to care is to put American characters in danger then I know that The Kingdom is as bad as any boneheaded anti-Arab action movie of the past.

Things We Lost in the Fire - Harlequin romance in the guise of a deep drama. Woman loses husband unexpectedly, husband's no good friend moves into the house to "help", woman ends up becoming attracted to friend, everyone gets angsty and guilty. My favourite scene from the trailer: Halle Berry convinces Benicio Del Toro, the no good friend of her husband, to climb into bed with her so that she can hold onto some male flesh and thereby, overcome her insomnia. Second favourite scene: Halle Berry frolicking in a bikini. Berry muses, "I don't know if I'll ever feel happy again" but is there ever any doubt when Benicio is lurking in the background?

Into the Wild - you suspect that this movie is pretentious because it lists 10 actors' names before the title even shows up. Then you know it will fart in your general direction because it is written and directed by Sean Penn. The movie is about a well-to-do hippie kid who decides to literally burn his money and become an adventurer headed for Alaska. This is the kind of movie that is supposed to make you regret scratching your ass while sitting in the movie theatre. Yet, I find myself wishing Sean Penn had filmed himself burning his millions in a bonfire then treking through the wilderness of America without any hair pomade. Not going to happen.

A glimmer of hope
Not everything is crap. 2 Days in Paris looks hilarious. Who knew that Julie Delpy, the director, writer and lead for the movie, was such a brain in addition to being a looker? Julie Delpy and Adam Goldberg play a New York couple on hoiday in Paris during which they encounter Julie's stereotypically French parents and numerous overly friendly ex-boyfriends. The film features the winning line spouted by Delpy's real-life mom: "Sex fun! Everyone with everyone." to which Adam Goldberg mutters, "The mother's a slut, too."