MasterChef Australia

The first MasterChef show I watched was  Junior MasterChef Australia. Then I watched all five seasons of MasterChef (U.S. version) and MasterChef Junior (U.S. version). Now I am following MasterChef Australia.

I find this food show very interesting. Not only do I learn some techniques to cook, I also expand my food vocabulary and my understanding of the cultures of different countries.

Most of the contestants have a day job but they all share one thing in common: the passion for food. Some of them entered the competition so that they could move to the food industry. Moreover, there were occasions where distinguished cooks take eliminated contestants under their wings. I find this very inspiring. It is such a nurturing environment for the contestants to learn and grow and become something. I believe people can have more than one passion and skill sets. You can be a lawyer but also a good cook. You can be a tax accountant but also a good artist. I don't understand why it is so hard for the people in Hong Kong to accept any career change.

To career-changers: may the force be with you!

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Trailer

This is a touching story about a boy, Oskar, who loses his father in 9-11. He wants to trace the lock to which the key he finds in his father's closet as a means to extend his memory of his father.

This movie talks about how one handles the loss of loved ones. And it's also about personal growth.

The five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Oskar is very upset that they buried an empty coffin. His mum explaines, "I know it's an empty box...I did it for me and I did it for you so we can at least try and say goodbye to him."

Oskar mourns his father in his secret corner at the top of the cabinet and he excludes his mum in the secret mission. It is later revealed that Oskar did not pick up the last call of his father and he is very sorry for that. And it hurts his relationship with his mum.

The first half of the story is very lose. It's not clear of the momentum of this story until the point which the renter joins his quest to look for the lock.

It is said that Oskar is a very bright kid. But i think that he's not very sociable and that is why his father sends him out for excusions so that he can meet and talk to different people. 

Sandra Bullock's mum character at first is very weak. It is later revealed that she is very helpful in Oskar's mission as she finds out Oskar's plan and meets all the people before Oskar even meets them.

It is very odd to see how Oskar communicates with his grandmother. He likes to wake his grandmother up in the middle of the night with a walkie-talkie and "spy" on her (across the street). And grandmother did not explain why the renter stays in her house.

Oskar's mum says, "I don't know why my husband is dead, but no matter how hard you try...it's never going to make any sense, because it doesn't..." I think it's the absurdity and meaninglessness of life. Tragic happens and we don't know why it happens. Each of us cope with it differently: some will cry, some will become alcoholics, some move on, some will learn through pain and sorrow. How can we make the most out of life?

Still Alice (2014)

Still Alice Trailer

***Spoilers alert***

Alice is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's Disease. She knows that her conditions will deteriorate and she doesn't want to be a burden to her family. So she shoots herself a video with instructions watch it when she can no longer answers the questions she sets for herself. The video is actually an instruction to commit suicide.

This movie reminds me of Momento. When you know that you are going to lose your memory, you will prepare notes and even tatoos (LOL) to remind yourself of important things. How are we going to do it systematically? Or we will end up avenging the same revenge like the protagonist of Momento?

But setting instructions to future self to commit suicide is sad. Luckily, someone interrupts Alice and she forgots about the suicide instructions.