The Review - Au Revoir Taipei

Warning: the following movie review is probably utterly and completely biased.
Phew - just thought I should get that off my chest. You see, I LOVE this movie. And to be honest, it's kind of hard to tell if it's because A) it's a good movie or B) because it's set in Taipei, Taiwan, which holds a very special place in my heart.

I lived in Taipei for most of 2009, studying Chinese on a scholarship at the National Taiwan Normal University (I never really understood why it had "normal" in the title). Anyway, I look back on it as a really magical time, because of the wonderful friends I made as well as the food, the constant chaos, the language, the people, and the places. However, most specially of all, it was where Luke and I met, fell in love and got engaged. (1, 2, 3... nwahhhh).

So when I was flicking through the 2010 Melbourne Film Festival program and saw a movie called Au Revoir Taipei, I knew I just had to see it. I went with a Taiwanese friend of mine, Rebekkah Huang. The session was sold out, though the theatre sat about 300 people.

I had such a great time watching the movie, which brought back so many memories. For me this movie is Taipei, with the scooters, the emphasis on food, the night markets, Seven-Elevens, 24-hour book shops, old people dancing in the park: it is Taipei.

Plus, there was one moment when I practically wanted to scream: "Oh my goodness, I've totally waited in that dumpling stand line!" You see, part of the movie was filmed at Shi Da night market, about 100 metres from where I lived. Another part is set in Da An Park, where Luke proposed to me (1, 2, 3... nwahhh).

Anyway, perhaps you'll just have to see it for yourself and decide if it's actually good or if I'm totally biased. What I can say is that the humour is very Taiwanese. The film is cute, unpredictable and greatly entertaining.

Oh, and the basic storyline is as follows:
Kai's girlfriend leaves for France without him. Kai is sad. Kai goes to a 24-hour bookshop to study French (FYI Taiwanese people think bookshops and libraries are the same thing). Kai meets Susie. Kai wants to go to France so much he gets money from a loan shark. Craziness ensues, mostly involving real estate agents in orange suits.

PS: I do admit this movie is actually impossible to find. Luke and I had to order it from eBay just to get a copy. And when it arrived last week, I squealed and demanded we watch it right away.

PPS: I totally love how this movie mentions swing dancing. It's like it was made just for me! :)

Time for Photos!

And as per the recent tradition, please enjoy the trailer below. It's so cute I totally want to watch it all over again. Anyone want to join me?

Until next time :)

The Holiday - Art Deco Day 1

So I just had the most wonderful, glorious, vintage-esque, musical weekend ever! On Friday morning Luke, Carolyn and I jumped in a rental car and drove to Napier to participate in the annual Art Deco Weekend.
In case you were not aware, Napier is the Art Deco capital of the world. The town was destroyed in the 1931 earthquake and rebuilt almost entirely in Art Deco style. Even if you're not going for the actual Art Deco Weekend, it is well worth a look.

On the way there we stopped to admire the wind farms. Anna, we took these photos just for you.

Windfarms are something of a controversial subject in New Zealand and they tend to polarise people. However, there is one thing that everyone agrees on...

They're very, very big.

We stayed with Carolyn's aunt and uncle in a town just outside of Napier. They were such welcoming and hospitable hosts. Their house was just around the corner from the Mission Estate Winery, which we thought we'd go and look at:

As you can see, the building is absolutely gorgeous. I think I could quite happily live there.

The vineyards also look spectacular.

 

And here, ladies and gentlemen, is what we wore to our first evening at Art Deco. As you can see, I merely put on red lipstick and added a sailor hat to give myself a nautical theme. Carolyn is wearing my cream dress and a possum stole I have permanently borrowed from Bex (Luke: "You stole a stole", ha ha ha). Doesn't Carolyn look lovely? I hope you keep wearing your fringe like that Carolyn, it really suits you.

More posing. :)

Luke at his most dapper. He looks so handsome. I have to say that the vintage look really suits him (I'm not sure if that pun was intended).

The soundshell in Napier. Okay, I'd heard that Art Deco was big, but I have to admit I was quite shocked at the number of people. It looked so magical though. I love this photo.

Carolyn and I on the grass enjoying the music.

Carolyn was nice enough to snap some photos of Luke and I while we danced.

 

So there you have it folks: day one out of three (I thought I'd do it in parts rather than flood you with photos).

Still lots more vintage goodness to come.

Until next time :)

The Celebration - 18 Month Anniversary

So today Luke and I have been married 18 months. Sadly, it also coincides with the 1 year anniversary of the Christchurch earthquake. New Zealand is very much still recovering from this tragic disaster, which claimed 185 lives. However, it is also at this time that I reflect how much God has blessed us since we tied the knot a year and half ago. God has time and time again shown his faithfulness to us, through providing me with a good job, a place for us to live, a great church, friends and family. He blesses us so much, and I so often take it for granted, even forgetting to thank Him for the day-to-day things.

Things are kind of up in the air at the moment. Luke finished his thesis last week and is now looking for a job, which will dictate where we live, depending on where he finds one. It's nice to look back and remember how God cares for us and is sovereign over our whole lives, remembering that whatever comes our way, He will always be there for us.

Until next time :)

The Verse - Acts 17:24-25

God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things." Acts 17:24-25

As I previously mentioned, I am slowly (very slowly) making my way through the book of Acts. It is such an inspiring book, and I am in constant awe of the faithfulness and courage of Paul and the other apostles/disciples.

I was given a newfound appreciation of the verse above after hearing the testimony of a lady at church. It was a few months ago, but her testimony so encouraged me that I thought I'd share it with you.

This lady, let's call her Sue, grew up in East Asia and her parents had brought her up in the practice of idol worship, taking her to the temple to light incense and give offerings. She said that when she was a child, the temple and the idea of spirits and demons always frightened her. 


One day her aunt invited her to Church. There she learned about the the God of the Bible and Jesus. She said she found it interesting, but it wasn't until someone shared this verse with her that she had a real revelation. She finally understood that the true God, who created Heaven and Earth, doesn't live in temples and is not dependant on human service. I love that God uses a whole variety of Scriptures to speak to people, and the words that Paul spoke to the Epicureans around 60 A.D can bring someone else to faith in Asia 2000 years later, through the work of the Holy Spirit.

I think it's also important that we remember this too: God does not live in the church building. Although we may go to church to worship God and learn from the Bible, we don't have to wait until Sunday to draw close to God. We can do this whenever we make time. Just think about it - the God who created the entire universe is just waiting for us to give him some portion of our day. 


In addition, He doesn't need to be in a relationship with us. After all, as the verse above states, He doesn't need anything - paraodoxically, it's we who need Him. He gives us life and breath and everything else. Yet He loved us so much that he wanted to reconcile us to Himself through His Son, so that we might be able to have communion with Him. What an amazing God!

The Dress - O For the Love of Buttons

Note: Just so you know, I took these photos a while back, so it's not that my hair grows incredibly fast or that I have started wearing my old spectacles again. I hope you still enjoy them.
Things I love in clothing: bows, hearts, flowers, polka dots, and not to forget decorative buttons. You know - those buttons that have no other purpose than to look cute. So when I found this little number on sale in Melbourne in August, it was in a word... mine!

Dress: Revival

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately for our bank account), New Zealand doesn't have the store Dangerfield yet. Although I'm not wild about everything they stock, they do tend to focus quite a lot on vintage-inspired clothing. This dress by Revival is a prime example. Although I love op-shopping, I also like going into a store and knowing that they have the same dresses in several sizes. I have also just discovered that Dangerfield has an online shop; given what that shop could do to our bank balance, my oh-so-witty husband commented that it has quite an appropriate name. :)

Cardigan: Quick Brown Fox

Another purchase from my trip to Melbourne in August. I had been searching high and low for a red cropped cardigan, and actually gasped when I saw this one in QFB, another Australian brand. I miss Australian shops, sigh. Uh-oh - they also have an online shop. Oh no! Anyway, the cardigan was kind of over our budget, so my mum very kindly bought it for me, and it has been a staple of my wardrobe ever since. 

Don't you just love the buttons? So much fun. And the material of the dress is a kind of thick spandexy, raylon stuff, meaning it is very comfortable. 

Shoes: Mi Piaci
And most importantly of all: the shoes! There is a very good reason why I should never shop during my lunch break at work, namely because it ends up with me falling head over heels in love with a pair of shoes (pun intended). I had to suppress a squeal when I saw these. They were on sale, they were one of two pairs in the country, and with a little persuasion of my husband, they were mine! Aren't they the cutest shoes you've ever seen? *sigh* So in love.

Until next time :)

The Song - Poison & Wine

I have a problem. Well, two really. 1) I love good music. 2) It is WAY too easy to purchase music on iTunes. Well, really the first is fine, it's just the way these problems unite to negatively affect my bank balance.

One thing I do love about iTunes is that you can purchase only a few songs. However, quite often this results in me buying one or two songs by a particular artist and absolutely loving them to death, meaning that I purchase more of their songs, then maybe one or two more, when I realise that it would have been cheaper to purchase the whole album in the first place. Oh well, at least I'm supporting the music industry, I guess.

Anyway, about 10 months ago my friend Chloe introduced me to a duo called The Civil Wars after I introduced her to Basia Bulat (flicks through previously published "The Song" entries, and realises that shockingly I've never done an entry on Basia Bulat *gasp*). So I listened to a few songs, and it wasn't very long until I fell head over heels in love with their mellow and beautiful tones. I believe I have now downloaded about 6 of their songs.

The Civil Wars is made up of Joy Williams and John Paul White. Randomly enough, before Chloe told me about them I had already downloaded a few of Joy Williams' songs. They've recently shot to fame after releasing their first full-length album Barton Hollow, which has been nominated for a couple of awards. Their music is beautiful, soothing, soulful and wonderfully melodic.

Have a listen to their song Poison & Wine below and see if you agree.

PS: Yes, I totally have to agree with a commentator on Youtube who said that John Paul White looks like a cross between Sirius Black (from Harry Potter) and Johnny Depp.

Until next time :)

The Holiday - Montage Part 2

Time for the next montage of my trip to Australia. So we're heading south from Wangaratta, where I spent Christmas, back down to the Mornington Peninsula.

Here's a photo I snapped from the train.

I got to meet baby Arthur Adam Rickard for the first time. Just three weeks old and such a cutie.

We spent the afternoon and evening with some great friends of ours, Tess and Nick. After grabbing a bite to eat at a local cafe, we went down to the beach, where Theodore got completely drenched by a wave.

Look at those gorgeous eyes. Arthur was only 3-4 weeks old at the time, so I guess he's still trying to take it all in.

The evening was topped off with a game of Cataan. Seriously, Luke and I need to buy this game. It's fantastic.

Thanks for coming travelling with me!

Until next time :)