Any Reason to Celebrate is a Good One

Valentine's Day. This was our first together. Last year, we were in different time zones. Sixteen hours apart to be exact. This year, as though to make up for last year, we started celebrating early.

Wednesday, February 11th.

Review in The Seattle Times, February 16th. 2009

This first night was on me. I got the tickets. We had dinner at the nearby 'Cheesecake Factory' before heading to the Paramount theatre. I had watched the show when I was on a solo trip to London in 2005. The show was awesome! It was worth watching again. I could tell that Chad enjoyed the whole experience immensely.

Thursday, February 12th.
Chad's gift to us was a trip to the quaint town of Port Townsend.

We stayed at the Palace Hotel. Our first choice for a room was the Miss Rose room. Alas, it was not to be. Although Chad had called to make reservations weeks before, the Miss Rose room was already taken. Looking at the pictures below, it is easy to see why it's so popular. Just look at that brass ceiling and chandelier in that bathroom. We just have to make sure we come back and get this room because that bathroom is just a dream!

The Miss Rose Bathroom at the Palace Hotel

The Miss Rose Room at the Palace Hotel

As we headed out that evening, we saw that the local theatre was playing 'Rachel Getting Married'. We looked at our watches. 4.20 pm. "When does the show start?" 4.30 pm. We looked at each other and the ticketing lady smiled. This theatre consists of only two screens with seating for maybe 75 on the small screen (the Rosebud) and 150 on the original Rose. Our show was playing in the Rosebud.

I loved the experience of watching a movie in this theater. One, I had never been in such a tiny theater. Two, it seemed everybody who came to watch the movie knew each other. And the best thing and what caught me by surprise was when a lady , a Rose employee, came in before the show to explain a few fun tidbits about the making of the movie. Chad would probably say that the best part was the popcorn, which I would agree, was very good.

After the movie, we had a wonderful dinner at the Silverwater cafe. We both had fish and shared a chocolate hazelnut mousse. My review would read "Great service, wonderful ambience and yummilicious food".

Friday, February 13th.
After a splendid breakfast at the Salal Cafe the next morning, we visited the shops. Our favourites are always the book shop, the puzzle shop and the kitchen shops. Before we left, I even managed to get some great sushi to go for later.

Historic Downtown of Poulsbo

On the way back to take the ferry to Seattle, we stopped by Poulsbo, which is Washington's piece of Norway. We did a bit of exploring. We went into a chocolate shop, got one of this and one of that. As we walked along. I was trying to pull Chad away from the display window of a bakery called Sluys. An elderly couple came out of the bakery just then, with a big bounty of pastries in hand. The sweet old lady looked at Chad staring into the display window and then looked at me to say with a smile, "He's not going to be able to come out of here empty handed". She was right. The apple cinnamon bread alone is worth a trip back to Poulsbo!

Pastries displayed at Sluy's

We were then back on our way to visit the other shops. We stopped by a really wonderful book store. Chad seemed to want to stop by every bakery and cafe! As we looped back, we had to make a second visit to the chocolate shop. We had already eaten our favourites and wanted more! Oh well, I guess Valentine's is the best excuse anyone can have for such indulgences. My favourite is the ginger dark chocolate and Chad's is the mint dark chocolate. I only wish we had more time in Poulsbo. It's such a charming town and one I would definitely want to visit again.

After we had arrived home, Chad presented me with a bouquet of little daisies and roses.*smile*

Saturday, February 14th.
Chad prepared a big Valentine's day breakfast. Blueberry pancakes! Saturdays are Chad's Mondays, so he had to head to work, so I tucked a Valentine's Day card with the lunch I had put together for him.

Chad came home after midnight and gave me his funny valentine's day card which made me laugh.

It was a good day.

A week filled with wonderful experiences and great memories.

Shared Tears of Laughter

This morning, Chad was reading Roger Ebert's latest journal entry, "Blackie come home". When he came to a comment from a reader, Chad broke out into a laughter. He was laughing even as he read out loud to me. He laughed so hard, tears were streaming down his cheeks. It was infectious and started me laughing too. Soon, I had tears in my eyes. Thank-you, mirror neurons! It then became too much for Chad. He had stop. He'll continue reading as soon as he has had a chance to catch his breath.

Here's the excerpt of what Chad was reading that tickled us so.

The Dog's Diary
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Dinner! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

The Cat's Diary
Day 983 of my captivity.

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at theirfeet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Bastards!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that
my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs. I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe.

For now...

Chad was laughing so hard that he did not even make it past the first paragraph of the Cat' Diary. Thanks for sharing the laughter, Chad!

The Lion King

Last night (Wednesday), Karen took me to see "The Lion King" musical at the Paramount. She loves going to see musicals and this is the second one we've seen together now. It was a great show and I loved it! My favorite part was the character of the adult Simba singing about how he's got to grow up. He's all alone on stage, no special sets or anything. Also, I loved the effects of how they brought back the spirit of Mufasa. Now, "The Lion King" is one of my favorite Disney movies of all time and I'd heard that this show was spectacular. But, even I was surprised at how well it translated to the stage. I loved how the 'animals' walked down the aisles at the beginning of the show. It definitely startled some people! Karen loved it, too. She had seen it before in London and was curious about how it would be on the Paramount's stage. The two children who played the young Simba and Nala were very good and it looked like they were enjoying themselves in the roles. All the actors were good and the songs were well done.


Now, the only thing I want to know is why the Paramount allows people to be sitted DURING the show? I figure 97% of the people were able to make it to the theatre in time. Why should we have to suffer to allow the other 3% who don't know how to tell time? About 10 minutes into the performance, the ushers showed four people to their seats in the row in front of us. That meant that during a dramatic scene, the people in front of us had to stand up to allow them to move to the seats. That blocked our view during the scene, plus those people had to take off their coats and get into their seats. Those people shouldn't be allowed to their seats until intermission. If they want to throw a hissy-fit about not being able to see the show, I don't care. If people weren't allowed to go to their seat during the performance, maybe they'd learn to get there in time. Karen tells me that in Singapore, people are constantly late for parties and social gatherings, but they are never late for shows because they know that they will not be seated until intermission.

Oh well. It was a great night and I can't wait to see another musical!

A Witness to Life

As we get closer to our church wedding in Singapore this April, I've been thinking about more than just the flowers, the guests, the songs and the food.

I happened along a quote from the movie "Shall We Dance?" (2004). This is the scene where Susan Sarandon's character, Beverly Clark, talks about why people get married.



"We need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet ... I mean, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things ... all of it, all of the time, every day. You're saying 'Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go un-witnessed because I will be your witness'."

Watch the clip "A Witness" here.

I think all of us have this need for our lives to be noticed. For our lives to be witnessed. In my opinion, being married is just one of the many ways to fill this need. Marriage, however, means having a witness to life for life. To have a good marriage, it is important to marry the right partner. It is equally as important to be the right partner.

A week before her wedding, Tawnya Schilt (a writer for the Marshfield News Herald) wrote:

"The quote [from Shall We Dance?] mentions nothing of ownership or power over someone else. It infers a sharing, a beneficial symbiosis between two people who have found each other and want to see how their journey will unfold together. Both equally independent, but with mutual dependence and reciprocal obligation."
Source: "Marriage means having a witness for life", October 21, 2007 (quoted from a movie review at Marriage.about.com)

This movie reminds us of the importance of communicating and not allowing a marriage to fall into a rut. The original Japanese version of this movie, "Shall We Dansu" (1996), in my opinion, is even more beautiful. Roger Ebert stated in the Chicago Sun Times that "I enjoyed the Japanese version so much I invited it to my Overlooked Film Festival a few years ago, but this (American) remake offers pleasures of its own."

American or Japanese, it's a great movie to enjoy alone, with friends or with your special someone. I want to watch one version or the other or both with Chad before (renewing) our vows in April.


This is the scene where Susan Sarandon's character, Beverly Clark, talks about why people get married.




This is another one of my favourite scenes in the movie.

Gone to the Movies

On Thursday morning, I woke up, got on the computer and went on to Roger Ebert's blog and read his latest piece. It was not the norm for me to be reading Ebert's journal but here I was, reading...

Ebert: I was watching Tony Scott on the Charlie Rose program, and he said, in connection with "The Reader," that he was getting tired of so many movies about the Holocaust. I didn't agree or disagree. What I thought was, "The Reader" isn't about the Holocaust. It's about not speaking when you know you should.

That really got me interested to read more. Like Ebert, I thought to myself, "This is something I'm guilty of". I continued reading Ebert's piece until I saw the words-"Spoilers will follow". You see, we were going to watch 'The Reader' that very afternoon. I must have paused just for a moment before reading on. It was such a thought-provoking piece!

Then Chad, Ebert's No. 1 fan and a loyal follower of his writing, woke up. I told him "Ebert has written a really great piece this morning but don't read it yet!"

If you have already watched, intend to watch or even plan to skip 'The Reader' altogether, go and read Roger Ebert's piece here. The insightful analysis of the movie really makes you think.

With 'The Reader', Chad and I had finally watched all the movies nominated for the Oscars 'Best Picture' award.

This is a definite FIRST for me. Never before have I managed to watch ALL the movies nominated for 'Best Picture' BEFORE the 'The Oscars' award ceremony.

Here they are-the nominees for Best Picture and my 2 cents on each of them.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Has a 'Forrest Gump' feel. Phenomenal cinematography. Great movie but I'm surprised by the 13 Oscar nominations especially since Clint Eastwood's 'Gran Torino' was completely overlooked.



Slumdog Millionaire
Here is where Chad's opinion and mine are at opposite poles. I thought the first half of the movie was the best part and Chad did not enjoy the movie until the second half. Go watch this!



Frost/Nixon
I liked the movie. Powerful perfomances but I'd be surprised if it won 'Best Picture'.



Milk
Sean Penn's performance is awe-inspiring. I liked the movie a lot.



The Reader
It's a wonderful movie,though I would not put my money on it for 'Best Picture'. I would like to invite you, once again, to watch the movie and then read Ebert's piece on it. Alternatively, you may want to read the piece first before you watch the movie. I was able to get so much more from this movie because of it. Reader comments are also well worth a read.

Have yourself some great days at the movies!

Dollars and Sense

I've been in U.S. for 5 months now and the most frequent question I'm asked by friends in Singapore must be "So how are you adjusting?". A quick trip to the grocery store today showed me that I still have a few things to get used to. At the checkout counter, it always seems to take me twice as long to identify the U.S. bills I need. Years of handling colour-coded Singapore notes has spoiled me.






Look at the colours of these notes. The monochromatic sameness of the U.S. bills definitely loses out in the aesthetic department!



U.S. Coins (L-R) : penny (1-cent), nickel (5-cents), dime (10-cents), quarter (25-cents), the rest seem to be limited in circulation

I'm not much better with the coins. When something costs US$5.30, for example, I would usually hand over $5.15.


If you look at the U.S. coins and compare them with the Singapore coins, you can see why I keep making this mistake. It's counter-intuitive to me for the dime(10 cents) to be physically smaller than the nickel(5 cents). The Singapore 10-cent coin and the nickel are almost identical in terms of size.

I have no problems with quarters(25 cents) though. They make so much sense (pun completely intended)! In fact, it would not surprise me if I find myself fumbling for that 25-cent coin when paying for something that costs, say $10.75, when I'm back visiting Singapore in April.