Bonda Magazine Article - Meet the Manmums

New Zealand Going to the Football World Cup 2010

Rarely have I been inspired by a sports story recently as I have this week following NZ's qualification for the most popular sporting event in the world.

A home and away tie against the 5th placed Asia qualifier, Bahrain, was always going to be far more achieveable then the previous route for the Oceania zone winner of playing the 5th placed South American team, and I have heard plenty of comment trying to downgrade the All WHites achievement. But this team proved they deserve to be there. After all, it is a WORLD Cup.

To see a NZ stadium crowd so emotional is an unusual sight. Atmosphere has never been the reason for attending live sport back home. But the people at the Wellington stadium were in delerium and it was great to see.

For a country of 4 million to be represented on such a stage, in a sport which sits well down in the national popularity stakes is extraordinary. In Malaysia, soccer is the national sport but they were recently beaten 5-0 by United Arab Emirates. They can only dream of being so successful.

I was 10 years old during Espana 82 when NZ made it's first appearance. The games were televised live in the morning and our school allowed everyone to be late on NZ game days so that we could watch at home. Sports memories are always the best when they are from your childhood and this is one of my favourite. Sport was far more important to me then as unfortunately I have become an all-to-cynical sports follower as I age.

So another generation of kiwi kids will be storing some unforgettable sporting memories during South Africa 2010. Lets hope they don't have to wait another 27 years for a repeat.

Film Review: (500) Days of Summer

Unknown to my acquaintances, my wife excepted, I am a romantic movie enthusiast. ‘Before Sunset’ in 2004 and its predecessor, ‘Before Sunrise’, 9 years previously, are my go-to examples of post-modern romance at its best. Both starred Ethan Hawke and Julie Delphy, and were essentially talking heads pieces, with a cast of 2, musing on the happenings in their world as they wander, seemingly aimlessly, through an exotic European city.

(500) Days of Summer, delves into perhaps one of the most difficult movie genres to pull off; the romantic comedy. ‘When Harry Met Sally’ is, sadly, one of the few examples during the last 25 years of it working. But that was a long time ago. I have not seen it for some time and I imagine Meg Ryan’s 80’s hair may now preclude me from classing this as romantic comedy genius.

Quite frankly, so burned have I been by recent romance DVD choices, that I have steered well clear of them unless presented with documentary evidence of a minimum 4 star review in a respected publication. To show how wrong a romantic comedy can go, I recommend for pure cringe value, ‘I Hate Valentine’s Day’. This film had promising pedigree, being the creation of Nia Vardolos, who you will remember from the acceptable ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’. Valentine’s Day, without question wins my film turkey of the year award. With a couple of months left in the year I remain confident it will not be surpassed in complete cinematic incompetence and absence of quality in all senses of the word. Truly, truly appalling.

So finally to the primary subject of this review, (500) Days of Summer. There is much to like about this film. It’s quirky but not too clever, with excellent performances, particularly Zooey Deschanel, as the vagueish, mysterious, yet very likeable (and loveable) woman who commands the male protagonist’s (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) attention so completely. Classic in look and mood, this film hints occasionally of an old fashioned romance, but unobtrusively so. Despite the old world feel however, it is unmistakeably contemporary.

Romantic comedies will never be Oscar winners. But equally, there is no excuse for the formulaic schmaltz we are all too often served by movies of this type. Uncommonly, but thankfully, (500) Days of Summer delivers the opposite; in spades.

Family Day at My Montessori

On Saturday morning we visited Titiwangsa park as part of Isaac's kindy family day. The activities included horse riding and a picnic and we enjoyed it despite the weather turning.

We have made some good friends with the fellow parents at My Montessori and Isaac is very happy there.

Isaac and Mei Mei


A natural

On the bike that he received for his 3rd birthday recently

The gentleman next to me is Greg Thistlethwaite

Isaac plays it cool

Swimming Class and Pork Intestine Congee - Curious?; Read On

On Sunday, Lina and I teach a 6 year old boy how to swim. It has been a few weeks since his last lesson and this time the lesson was conducted at the Northpoint pool where we live. Unlike the previous pool, this is deep water and Chris is unable to touch the bottom. A potential stumbling block as he has a fear of deep water. Despite this, within 45 minutes he was bravely swimming 20 metres unassisted – a massive improvement. Isaac was in the pool also and the two boys were egging each other on. A bit of peer encouragement will usually work with the boys so they say and this was certainly the case this time. Well done Chris, and Lina’s instruction was first class.

pork intestine congee

After the lesson we lunched with Chris’s parents, Joe and Hunsa at a Hong Kongese restaurant in the The Gardens, Mid Valley, across the road from our apartment. Joe is a lover of all things porcine and the dishes ordered were heavily themed towards this. Char siew, roast pork, and the roast duck were delicious. Several fish dishes and a couple of bowls of pork intestine congee topped the meal off. And even better, Isaac, who tends towards his father’s child-fussy eater tendencies, had a few spoonfuls of the intestine congee.

Book Review - Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi by Geoff Dyer

The travel fiction genre is much maligned by elements of the literary establishment. It is a shame though as despite there being many poor novels that tap into this potentially lucrative market, case in point Eat, Pray, Love by Elisabeth Gordon (I did’nt get past Rome I’m afraid), there is some good travel fiction around. Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi is one of them.

Dyer’s style is unmistakably old school English, dry wit. As sharp as a bloody sharp thing and always readable, this is 2 separate stories juxtaposed together. The first, a very funny and entertaining erotic love tale set in that romantic city. The second is set in India’s most spiritual city. A less than subtle dig at those privileged Europeans seeking some devout awakening in a town situated next to a dirty river?; perhaps. Having been one of those visiting privileged Europeans, I did not find such inspiration (not that I was particularly looking), nevertheless, his description of the surreal images part of everyday life in Varanasi, is wonderfully vivid.

The first stanza is definitely my favourite however as Jeff, (the authors alter ego?) finds the woman of his dreams, and revels in the perfection that is the primary stage of 'boy meets girl'. But don’t mistake this for a wet romance. Well, it is wet in places, and as mentioned, there is gripping erotica. Hmmm, best move on.

Dyer has been described the by The Daily Telegraph, as the greatest living British writer. Lofty accolades indeed, which suggests I should try some of his other stuff, see here for the list of works.

http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth233

Latin American Film Festival

It is rare that a foreign film festival appears in Kuala Lumpur, particularly Spanish speaking films, so last weekend we took the opportunity and headed across the road to the Mid Valley cinema.

We saw 2 movies, Miranda Returns, the story of the revolutionary Venezuelan of the 19th century, and Cronicas, from Ecuador, about journalists entwined in a murder case. The Venezuelan film was over-everythinged – except budget, and was ultimately forgettable. Cronicas on the other hand was a very thoughtful and intelligent drama that explores the role of the media and how muddied journalistic ethics can become in the search for a story. This movie has a great pedigree, being produced by Guillermo Del Toro, director of the outstanding Pan’s Labyrinth and Alfonso Cuaron who made Y Tu Mama Tambien. Predictably, it’s classy work.

Incidentally, for lovers of the Tolkien movies, I heard that Del Toro has been chosen by Peter Jackson to direct the Hobbit. A very astute choice, any watchers of Pan’s Labyrinth would agree.