I have bought a number of CDs recently. Most of them are jazz or easy listening. These types of songs are good as background music when you are struggling with students' answerscripts or assignments. It has been a while since last time I was touched by a piece of music. But among my latest acquisition, Ivana Wong (王菀之) 's songs do capture my heart.


The lyric says that the woman loves the man because the man is bad.


This time the woman expresses that she will not look back because she had already predicted such consequence in the relation and therefore she promises herself not to make the same mistake in the future.

I am not old enough to see Shanghai in the 30s. But I can feel the androcentric atmosphere of the world then. As in Eileen Chang's novels, the female characters seem so independent but in the ends they long for the company of the male characters. The only bravery they have is the courage to leave the men with regrets. What a world!

The director of this film is Roland Emmerich. What do you expect? It was this guy who directed "The Day After Tomorrow" and "10,000 B.C.". Of course, you expect sets with grandeur and CG with massively shocking visualisation. Right? Exactly! This is also why I feel the scenes in the film a kind of deja-vu. Sea level is raised to submerge a monastery on the top of a mountain? I must have seen it somewhere. Has Mr Emmerich recycled what he filmed before? Perhaps.

Now, the story. The story is rather too long. Some plots are redundant. Some plots do not have the necessary depth. When compared to "The Day After Tomorrow", this film is rather too many sidetracks. I have recognised one thing which has become quite common in recent Hollywood productions. There are gags of Hong Kong style in the film. Is this good or bad? In a Hong Kong movie, this may be good because the movie can completely be a comedy. But for a Hollywood sci-fi supposed-to-be international blockbuster, the gags can be disastrously awkward. Fortunately, I still have to say that filming of this movie is good. For certain scenes, there is a feeling that they are filmed by handheld digital camera. The effect is surprisingly good.

How about the actors? Well, let us concentrate on the sci-fi. This does not mean that they are not good actors. But you do not expect much on the actors in a sci-fi film. For ordinary layman like me, I just want to have fun, sensory ones, after a day of hard work. For this, the film is still great.

PS: China is really a world factory provided that the lack of money is not an issue.

A friend drove me home tonight.

My friend and his wife are separated unofficially. His wife has moved to Shanghai with his daughter. He stays in Hong Kong alone.

When the car stopped at the entrance of my apartment, he started talking to me.

"My wife says that traditional school does not suit my daughter. She would like to put the daughter in an international school."

"So, your daughter will come back to Hong Kong."

"I think so."

"Have you asked?"

"I've asked my wife and she said fine."

"No! Have you asked your daughter?"

"Nope. I dare not ask her. What if she says she likes Shanghai?"

"So what? Your choice or her choice?"

"I know my daughter likes her old buddies in her old school."

"Hey, listen! Have you asked your daughter all these?"

"Nope. It won't change anything."

I could not hold up any more. It seemed like that the lava was about to burst out of the volcano.

"Pal, listen! I am a teacher. I deal with children and parents all days. You know divorce is one of the option. Right? Perhaps you two can come back together. Who know? But your daughter understands what is deep down inside you and your wife behind the seemingly harmonious masks. You don't ask her directly. You don't put her choices on the table. Your daughter will find the way out somehow and that may not be what you and your wife wish. She may hurt herself physically. She may shift all her anger toward other people. You two may ruin your beloved daughter."

My friend would like to speak. But I stopped him right there. "Now, she guesses mother would like her to stay in Shanghai. Father would like her to go back to Hong Kong. But you two do not ask her. She becomes mute on the topic because she does not want to choose between you two. Why does she have to choose you or your wife? Put the question on the table. Let her understand that her choice is only a choice of place and school. Let her understand that she is NOT going to choose between you and your wife. You two may not completely satisfy her. It should be a series of negotiation. But at least she has some emotional release."

"Her original school in Hong Kong is very difficult to get into."

"This is not a point at all. Ask her. If she likes her original school with her old schoolmates, go back to the original school. If she has already been used to international school in Shanghai, let her get into an international school when she comes back. It is all about her. What does she want? You two have your own decisions for your daughter. But obviously your decisions are bipolar and put your daughter in a dilemma. Why don't you ask her directly?"

My friend became mute. I took a deep breath and carried on,"You can end your husband-wife relation with your daughter's mother. But you two are forever your daughter's father and mother. Bear in mind this!" I slammed the car door and walked away.

"Thank you!"

I turned around and saw my friend looking at me in the car. "Call me if you need a listener and a friend who dares slap you in the face."

I am so tired. I did not know that I still had to get involved in somebody's life even after office hour. But I know this is not my duty but in fact my destiny since I know once you are parents you are grounded for life for your whole life and you are not allowed to quit.