I have to admit I’m a bit of a movie snob.
I love watching the Academy Awards presentations and I try to make a point of watching as many nominated films I can before the winners are announced.
2018 Oscar nominations were announced this morning & I’ve wstched 5 out of 9 of the Best Picture nominees so far: The Shape Of Water, Get Out, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Lady Bird and Call Me By Your Name. Of the four I didn’t watch, The Post, Dunkirk, Phantom Thread and Darkest Hour, Dunkirk is the only one I have no intention in watching - I have never been a fan of war films. I have never been disappointed in any Tom Hanks or Daniel Day Lewis film so I’ll definitely try to watch The Post & Phantom Thread. Seeing that Gary Oldman is the front runner for Best Actor (by virtue of winning both the Golden Globe & SAG) I will also try to watch Darkest Hour.
Of the 5 films I did watch my two favourite are Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri & Get Out - which co-incidentally both have nominations for Best Director, Best Screenplay, as well as a handful of acting nods. If I were to bet, I’d put my money on Three Billboards Outside Ebbbng Missouri to take home the big prize. And it’s not just because it’s taken away Best Picture in almost all major awards up until now but because it truly is an entertaining film on multiple fronts.
I also enjoyed Lady Bird, particularly the acting of Saoirse Ronan & Laurie Metcalf. A story that even if you don’t share the same experiences, demographics, or cultural background, you will recognize the feeling of trying to find yourself and your purpose in life as a young adult, or the feeling of of hopes, dreams, disappointments, and love you have as a mother.
I found The Shape Of Water very fairy-tale like. A modern day Beauty & The Beast if you will. There were gruesome parts in the movie as well as deeply loving ones as well. I was drawn to the movie to see how it could work to have a human fall in love with a “monster” and in the fairy-tale sense it did work.
Call Me By Your Name was my least favourite one I watched. Putting aside the picturesque scenery, the premise of a young persons first true love, and the amazing performance of Timothée Chalamet, I just couldn’t get past the unease of a 17 year old and a late 20-something year old’s summer affair right in home of the teenager’s parents. I wonder how well received the movie would be if the older lover was a woman or if the teen had been a female instead of a male.
Now I think I’ll go watch The Post.
Y.C.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Friday, January 12, 2018
Waiting For My Turn
I’m at my weekly appointment now - waiting. I’ve spent a lot of time waiting over the last 4 years - I should be used to it by now.
I really dislike these weekly appointments - not that I’d like the appointments any better if it was less frequent. I think what I’m trying to say is that coming weekly doesn’t give me a chance to feel “normal”. When I was coming to the hospital every 3 or 4 weeks it was easier to “forget” I was sick. I’d go to my appointment and after resting for 3-4 days, I could then go about my routines/activities for at least a couple of weeks without too much difficulty.
When my appointments were 3 weeks a part, I did what most moms with 3 young children would do: plan meals, go shopping, cook & clean. I would take my kids to school & walk home with them. I would go shopping with them, go out for a movie, a special meal or treat once-in-awhile. I would go to their basketball games or track meets. Occasionally I would even meet up with my own friends for lunch & we’d sit and chat for 2-3 hours.
It’s difficult to do all that now. A week goes by so quickly & I barely have a chance to get my energy back before I start all over - waiting for my turn again.
Y.C.
Sunday, January 7, 2018
And That's a Wrap!
The Christmas break of 2017/2018 is over. I don't want to go back to school. Over the winter break I did many things and here's what they are:
Day #1 (Saturday December 23rd 2017)
I went to a fancy dinner with my cousins. The restaurant was called The School Fine Dining. For an appetizer, I had fried calamari and it was good. As a main course, I had sea bass. That was also very good and I also had some of my sister's pasta. They had many desserts to choose from, but I chose the lava cake. Throughout dinner, we all talked, not that we don't ever talk, but some of my cousins have been away at university, so they can't come to our family gatherings during the other months.
Day #2 (Sunday December 24th 2017)
I went with my family and a few of my cousins to watch the ILLUSIONIST!! One act was a guy named Colin Cloud and he reads minds. I really like him because he was on America's Got Talent and he was really good there. There was also a daredevil that did crazy stunts like hanging himself upside down in a strait jacket on FIRE! There were many other acts as well, but those two stood out to me because they were cool and crazy. For dinner, we went to my Mom's old high school friend's house. It was kinda weird because all the kids there spoke Chinese and me and M1 did not know what was going on half the time!
Day #3 (Monday December 25th 2017 a.k.a. CHRISTMAS!)
I woke up early to helped my Mom with preparing food. As soon as everyone woke up, we opened up gifts. I got a stickbot animation toy, a gymnast game, chocolate, puzzle books, and an Illusionist shirt! After all that, all of my cousins came over to my house and we ate lots of delicious food like pancakes, cookies, and many more! Then, we all gathered around and did our annual gift exchange. I got a rubiks cube magic set and MUJI pens!! At night, I went to my grandma's condo to swim and eat dinner.
Day #4 (Tuesday December 26th 2017)
I was supposed to go skiing with my cousins, but it was way too cold to go. Instead, we just stayed at home and went out for dinner.
Day #5 (Wednesday December 27th 2017)
We drove down to visit D and A. We helped them build a food truck toy, which was a lot of work. We ate dinner together and them opened presents. From my Cow Mo, I got a very pretty notebook and from my Cow Fu, I got a CRACK calendar! At night, we watched Rogue One and slept over.
Day #6 (Thursday December 28th 2017)
D and A didn't wake us up early! I even woke up before them and it was 9:00am! When we left we stopped at the movie theatre and watched Jumanji!! It was really good and very funny.
Day #7 (Friday December 29th 2017)
We went to C and N's house to play. We played lots of games like Monopoly Deal, Sushi Go, Sardines and Foosball.
Day #8 (Saturday December 30th 2017)
We had our annual Christmas party! S arranged teams and games for everyone and the theme was YouTube challenges! First, we had to make a team name and a chant/theme song to go with it. Then, we played a games called Excuse Me, Do I Know You? What you had to do was see how much you know about you parent/kid/brother/sister etc. The last game we did was an eating contest. You had to lick the middle out of 3 oreos, dip them in milk , eat them all and then drink all the milk. Then, you had to high five your teammate and they would have to eat 4 crackers and then whistle.
After that, we all ate dinner together and chilled. At night we all played games together like foosball, hockey and Mafia.
Day #9 (Sunday December 31st 2017)
We were supposed to go out for dim sum, but it was way too cold. I went to the movie theatre to watch Pitch Perfect 3 with my cousins and it was pretty good. When we got back, we all ate Burmese noodles together. Later on, I went to my Auntie H's house to have second dinner. There was lots of really good food there, my favourite was the crepes that she made with a special crepe maker and tools. We stayed at their house for the countdown to 2018.
Day #10 (Monday January 1st 2018)
I went to my friends house to work on a group drama presentation that we are performing the first day back to school! We finished about 10 minutes early, so we chiller out and played Bop It and Q-Bits.
Day #11 (Tuesday January 2nd 2018)
My Mom bought us our OWN crepe maker that is just like Auntie H's crepe maker!! So, we made crepes for breakfast, which were very delicious. In the afternoon, I went out with M1, M3 and my mom to watch Ferdinand. It was a good movie and funny.
Day #12 (Wednesday January 3rd 2018)
We stayed at home and chilled out. We watched Fuller House and did a horse jigsaw puzzle.
Day #13 (Thursday January 4th 2018)
We basically did the same as Wednesday except, instead of a horse puzzle, we did a candy puzzle.
Day #14 (Friday January 5th 2018)
It was another stay at home day. Me and M1 and M3 all played board games like Trouble and Pictionary.
Day #15 (Saturday January 6th 2018)
I went to the bank to get my own bank account thingie, but my card expired, so I have to wait for it to come in the mail. After that, M1, Big Oh and I went to Subway to eat lunch and dropped off M1 at a birthday party.
Day #16 (Sunday January 7th 2018)
In the morning, we just stayed at home and then in the afternoon, me, Big Oh and M3 went skating. It was very fun because I haven't skated in a long time.
Although I did MANY very fun and exciting things this break, I am very sad that the winter break is over because now I have to go back to school. I have to be prepared for a lot because my teacher said to us that we can't slack because we are going to have a bunch for assignments and tests.
Anyways, I am already looking forward to March Break so I can relax.
M2
Day #1 (Saturday December 23rd 2017)
I went to a fancy dinner with my cousins. The restaurant was called The School Fine Dining. For an appetizer, I had fried calamari and it was good. As a main course, I had sea bass. That was also very good and I also had some of my sister's pasta. They had many desserts to choose from, but I chose the lava cake. Throughout dinner, we all talked, not that we don't ever talk, but some of my cousins have been away at university, so they can't come to our family gatherings during the other months.
Day #2 (Sunday December 24th 2017)
I went with my family and a few of my cousins to watch the ILLUSIONIST!! One act was a guy named Colin Cloud and he reads minds. I really like him because he was on America's Got Talent and he was really good there. There was also a daredevil that did crazy stunts like hanging himself upside down in a strait jacket on FIRE! There were many other acts as well, but those two stood out to me because they were cool and crazy. For dinner, we went to my Mom's old high school friend's house. It was kinda weird because all the kids there spoke Chinese and me and M1 did not know what was going on half the time!
Day #3 (Monday December 25th 2017 a.k.a. CHRISTMAS!)
I woke up early to helped my Mom with preparing food. As soon as everyone woke up, we opened up gifts. I got a stickbot animation toy, a gymnast game, chocolate, puzzle books, and an Illusionist shirt! After all that, all of my cousins came over to my house and we ate lots of delicious food like pancakes, cookies, and many more! Then, we all gathered around and did our annual gift exchange. I got a rubiks cube magic set and MUJI pens!! At night, I went to my grandma's condo to swim and eat dinner.
Day #4 (Tuesday December 26th 2017)
I was supposed to go skiing with my cousins, but it was way too cold to go. Instead, we just stayed at home and went out for dinner.
Day #5 (Wednesday December 27th 2017)
We drove down to visit D and A. We helped them build a food truck toy, which was a lot of work. We ate dinner together and them opened presents. From my Cow Mo, I got a very pretty notebook and from my Cow Fu, I got a CRACK calendar! At night, we watched Rogue One and slept over.
Day #6 (Thursday December 28th 2017)
D and A didn't wake us up early! I even woke up before them and it was 9:00am! When we left we stopped at the movie theatre and watched Jumanji!! It was really good and very funny.
Day #7 (Friday December 29th 2017)
We went to C and N's house to play. We played lots of games like Monopoly Deal, Sushi Go, Sardines and Foosball.
Day #8 (Saturday December 30th 2017)
We had our annual Christmas party! S arranged teams and games for everyone and the theme was YouTube challenges! First, we had to make a team name and a chant/theme song to go with it. Then, we played a games called Excuse Me, Do I Know You? What you had to do was see how much you know about you parent/kid/brother/sister etc. The last game we did was an eating contest. You had to lick the middle out of 3 oreos, dip them in milk , eat them all and then drink all the milk. Then, you had to high five your teammate and they would have to eat 4 crackers and then whistle.
After that, we all ate dinner together and chilled. At night we all played games together like foosball, hockey and Mafia.
Day #9 (Sunday December 31st 2017)
We were supposed to go out for dim sum, but it was way too cold. I went to the movie theatre to watch Pitch Perfect 3 with my cousins and it was pretty good. When we got back, we all ate Burmese noodles together. Later on, I went to my Auntie H's house to have second dinner. There was lots of really good food there, my favourite was the crepes that she made with a special crepe maker and tools. We stayed at their house for the countdown to 2018.
Day #10 (Monday January 1st 2018)
I went to my friends house to work on a group drama presentation that we are performing the first day back to school! We finished about 10 minutes early, so we chiller out and played Bop It and Q-Bits.
Day #11 (Tuesday January 2nd 2018)
My Mom bought us our OWN crepe maker that is just like Auntie H's crepe maker!! So, we made crepes for breakfast, which were very delicious. In the afternoon, I went out with M1, M3 and my mom to watch Ferdinand. It was a good movie and funny.
Day #12 (Wednesday January 3rd 2018)
We stayed at home and chilled out. We watched Fuller House and did a horse jigsaw puzzle.
Day #13 (Thursday January 4th 2018)
We basically did the same as Wednesday except, instead of a horse puzzle, we did a candy puzzle.
Day #14 (Friday January 5th 2018)
It was another stay at home day. Me and M1 and M3 all played board games like Trouble and Pictionary.
Day #15 (Saturday January 6th 2018)
I went to the bank to get my own bank account thingie, but my card expired, so I have to wait for it to come in the mail. After that, M1, Big Oh and I went to Subway to eat lunch and dropped off M1 at a birthday party.
Day #16 (Sunday January 7th 2018)
In the morning, we just stayed at home and then in the afternoon, me, Big Oh and M3 went skating. It was very fun because I haven't skated in a long time.
Although I did MANY very fun and exciting things this break, I am very sad that the winter break is over because now I have to go back to school. I have to be prepared for a lot because my teacher said to us that we can't slack because we are going to have a bunch for assignments and tests.
Anyways, I am already looking forward to March Break so I can relax.
M2
Saturday, January 6, 2018
Big Oh's Almost Top Ten List of 2017
9) Family Trip to Florida
8) M1 makes the basketball team and badminton team
7) Watching my daughters dance; M3 can remember her choreography now and I was a prop dad - we're all improving
6) Our family attends a Blue Jays game live for the first time (Jays won)
5) M3 learns to play the piano
4) M2 makes the finals of the Markham Star Search competition
3) Our family Staycation in downtown Toronto - showing my daughters where we used to hang out in Chinatown; fancy dinner at the top of the CN Tower, and the screaming chicken
2) My three daughters - you bring us so much happiness, joy, and purpose
1) My beautiful wife - courageous, inspirational, and so much love
Big Oh
8) M1 makes the basketball team and badminton team
7) Watching my daughters dance; M3 can remember her choreography now and I was a prop dad - we're all improving
6) Our family attends a Blue Jays game live for the first time (Jays won)
5) M3 learns to play the piano
4) M2 makes the finals of the Markham Star Search competition
3) Our family Staycation in downtown Toronto - showing my daughters where we used to hang out in Chinatown; fancy dinner at the top of the CN Tower, and the screaming chicken
2) My three daughters - you bring us so much happiness, joy, and purpose
1) My beautiful wife - courageous, inspirational, and so much love
Big Oh
Monday, January 1, 2018
Almost Top 10 List Of 2017
Alright, I said I was going to make 2018 start off right. And the only way to do that is with my annual Top 10 List where I reflect on the many blessings that I have this past year.
9) Old friends coming back into my life with thoughtful messages, coffee/breakfast/lunch dates, and encouraging words
8) A lot of family weddings this year, as well as new babies & baby announcements - reminds me what a blessing it is to have such a large extended family to share in life’s happiest moments
7) Watching my oldest nieces and nephews finishing their school careers and start their work careers & yet still being close with my kids and being amazing role models for them.
6) This summer we took our girls to visit some of the places where we grew up. During our “staycation” we taught the kids that you don't need to spend a lot of money or go far away to try new things & create amazing family memories
5) Spending time with my family - a winter get-away in February to Florida
4) Watching M1 get out of her comfort zone and excel in different activities - basketball & badminton teams, poetry contests, music, just to name a few
3) M2 a finalist in Markham’s Got Talent
2) We’ve had some breakthrus with issues M3 was having over the last couple of years & seeing her try new things like piano lessons, art classes, sports, have been amazing
1) Big Oh - so much has changed but one thing remains constant is your love & support.
Y.C.
9) Old friends coming back into my life with thoughtful messages, coffee/breakfast/lunch dates, and encouraging words
8) A lot of family weddings this year, as well as new babies & baby announcements - reminds me what a blessing it is to have such a large extended family to share in life’s happiest moments
7) Watching my oldest nieces and nephews finishing their school careers and start their work careers & yet still being close with my kids and being amazing role models for them.
6) This summer we took our girls to visit some of the places where we grew up. During our “staycation” we taught the kids that you don't need to spend a lot of money or go far away to try new things & create amazing family memories
5) Spending time with my family - a winter get-away in February to Florida
4) Watching M1 get out of her comfort zone and excel in different activities - basketball & badminton teams, poetry contests, music, just to name a few
3) M2 a finalist in Markham’s Got Talent
2) We’ve had some breakthrus with issues M3 was having over the last couple of years & seeing her try new things like piano lessons, art classes, sports, have been amazing
1) Big Oh - so much has changed but one thing remains constant is your love & support.
Y.C.
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