2 Days in Paris... or more

1995

2004

2007

First it was Before Sunrise

~ Can the greatest romance of your life last only one night? ~

*9 years later , it was Before Sunset

~ What if you had a second chance with the one that got away? ~

and now, it is 2 Days in Paris....

The lead actor may have changed from the ever so handsome Ethan Hawke (though I can't say much abt his adulterous behaviour) but I'm just glad Julie Delpy is still the lead actress.

Her natural girlie charm never fails to bring out the romance in her movies which are often set in Paris. It is no wonder that I dream of being there one day, walking the same lanes and going down the same Seine River.
But in all three movies, it's not the lovey dovey scenes that captivate me...(in fact, there were not many of those scenes) Rather, it's the intense and fast-paced conversations that make me love all three movies. I think it is a blessing to be able to find someone whom you can really talk to... to really share each other's opinions without any inhibitions and to engage each other's minds.

Before Sunrise

I remember the first time I watched Before Sunrise, I was thinking how impossible it was for two people from different parts of the world to meet and click, just like that. But in the movie, they did. Their chance encounter led to a powerful meeting of hearts and minds. Such great chemistry is hard to come by and yet, the guy left it to chance and fate by leaving without exchanging numbers. They just made a promise to meet at the train station a year later which they failed to because of some unforseen circumstances. So frustrating. How could Jesse (acted by Ethan Hawke)have left it to chance?

Before Sunset

Nevertheless, life went on. He got married and had a kid. And she's attached. After nine long years, they met by chance again but the chemistry never seemed to have faded. Jesse was given a second chance with the one that got away? What would he do? What could he do even? Nothing... but if he wanted to act according to his heart, it would be unforgivable too.... One can't help but feel the loss and think about the 'could have-s' and the 'what if-s'. But what is more frustrating, is the ending. There seems to be no closure. The plot is just left hanging. But like some things in life, there are no closures.

Senseless deaths of young people. Leaving without saying goodbye. Sudden change of hearts.

2 Days in Paris

And so, when 2 Days in Paris was screened, I knew I needed to watch it for some alternative closure of sorts, some kind of continuation, considering the reviews said that it is possible to draw parallels between Before Sunrise/Before Sunset and 2 Days in Paris. I'm glad the leading man has changed. This new character seemed to be more level headed, more committed and seemed to love Julie's character more by not leaving things to chance. And there was at least a closure at the end of the movie.... unlike the other two.

Having watched all the romantic movies set in Paris, I'm not foolish to think that it is really like that. I know enough to know that the City of Love is ironically not as romantic as it seems. I've been asking around lately about what's going on in Paris with the riots and strikes, asking 7 who have been there and 3 who live there. Here's what they told me:

1. Strikes are very common. Currently, transport may be a problem as transportation worker strikes may occur any time.
2. Rioting used to consist of youths throwing cobblestones/rocks but now, the youths are starting to use shotguns. Part of the reason for rioting is due to the poverty at the suburbs. And in the latest clash, two teenagers were killed.
3. Some men, either drunk or jobless would just hug you from behind in broad daylight. My friend had that experience and she had to struggle to free herself. She's abt 1.7m and abt twice my size..She said looking at my size, it'll be harder to break free. Haiz...
4. Men like to close in on tourists especially Asians girls and keep saying Konichiwa as if all Asians are Japanese.
5. Some would grope. Another friend's grandma's butt was groped even!!!
6. Pick-pocketing is common, done very blatantly and no one bothers to help. Pick-pockets target tourists on the Metro so one must be careful when riding a train alone.
7. Some people pee at the Metro stations platforms (MRT equivalent) so it really stinks at some stations.
8. Don't look like a tourist. Don't read maps publicly as people may offer help.. but usually to get close enough to do something bad.
9. Never believe people in plain clothes who claim that they are police and want to check your bag/passport. My sis' friends were stopped by such people and they innocently did as they were told. In the end, their stuff were stolen and no one came to help them.
10. Alarm doesn't work cos no one bothers to help. Pepper spray and stunt guns may work but you have to buy them in Amsterdam and you must learn to use them properly in case it backfires.
11. In crowded lifts, some pickpockets would use a knife to cut one's backpack and retrieve whatever they can. My friend had her stuff stolen in the lift going down the Eiffel Tower. And when she tried to stop that fella, he just ran out of the lift and nobody helped.
12. If you try to report the crime to the police, they may pretend that they don't understand English and call for a translator and just drag your time there at the station. At the end of it all, nothing is usually done but the aim is to just get the report in order to claim some amount from your insurance.
13. Stay off certain territories. Asians are not welcome at some pubs. One can forget abt gg to Cuban lanes. A friend who accidentally entered one cuban club were chased by 3 big burly men. They managed to stop a car to hitch a ride but the men kept on banging the car boot till the driver drove off. Scary.
14. Go to shops that have lock down grills.. One friend was shopping when the riots occured. The shops immediately activated the grill which lock down the shop letting no one in and no one out till it was calmer outside.
15. Stay in hotels that have security codes that changes everyday.
16. Don't carry you DSLR in your hand. Snatch theives are known to snatch and run away with the camera.
17. Forget about driving or jaywalking. Traffic is a killer.. and drivers are very rude.

Wow.. Se7enteen already!!!

A Parisian was saddened that I heard so many nasty stuff abt their city. She said it's not as bad as I've heard. Still, knowing all these should serve as a precaution. It should help anyone who wants to go to Paris to be more alert but not to the point of being paranoid. And it definitely shouldn't be a deterrence to visit Paris.

I hope one day, I'll be able to walk down the places I saw in Before Sunset, Before Sunrise and experience at least 2 Days in Paris, fulfilling a desire that I had some 4 years ago.

Footnote:

*9 years later : For those who have been asking why 7 years later, the answer is simple. It started with Before Sunset's synopsis which stated 9 years later. It bore the symbolism of fate and hope and so I started using it. It later became 7 years later because of another movie (ALLL) which also stated 7 years later in the synopsis. So eversince, I decided to just stay with 7 years later cos it was my favourite number anyway. Lame but at least the 'mystery' is solved!

Hey There.....

"Hey there Delilah" by Plain White T

Hey there Delilah
What's it like in New York City?
I'm a thousand miles away
But girl, tonight you look so pretty
Yes you do
Times Square can't shine as bright as you
I swear it's true

Hey there Delilah
Don't you worry about the distance
I'm right there if you get lonely
Give this song another listen
Close your eyes
Listen to my voice, it's my disguise
I'm by your side

Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
What you do to me

Hey there Delilah
I know times are getting hard
But just believe me, girl
Someday I'll pay the bills with this guitar
We'll have it good
We'll have the life we knew we would
My word is good

Hey there Delilah
I've got so much left to say
If every simple song I wrote to you
Would take your breath away
I'd write it all
Even more in love with me you'd fall
We'd have it all

Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me

A thousand miles seems pretty far
But they've got planes and trains and cars
I'd walk to you if I had no other way
Our friends would all make fun of us
and we'll just laugh along because we know
That none of them have felt this way
Delilah I can promise you
That by the time we get through
The world will never ever be the same
And you're to blame

Hey there Delilah
You be good and don't you miss me
Two more years and you'll be done with school
And I'll be making history like I do
You'll know it's all because of you
We can do whatever we want to
Hey there Delilah here's to you
This one's for you

Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
What you do to me

Emotions in Motion

Just came back from one of my dancers' wedding dinner. Beautiful. My junior, Peiru and one of our coaches, Peter, actually did a couple dance for the Bride & Groom, before their march-in. Being at a table full of ex-ajcian dancers + coach, we really reminisced non-stop. As expected, we talked abt the thing that binds us... DANCE. In the course of the discussion, I found out that I was not the only one who was absolutely in love with Emotions in Motion (affectionally known as the "balloon dance") which we performed at the 20th Anniversary AJC Concert. Silly Nicole and Chien Ning told me that they cried watching their own performance because it was so touching... I simply couldn't comprehend.... but just now when I saw the uploaded video, I understood why.

Personally, it was by far the most techinically challenging piece and the most flesh-revealing piece. It was also the one which had the most interferring props (balloons & chairs) , the one that gave me the most bruises due to the hard knocks on the chair and floor and the one with the most 感人的 music. Embeded in that dance was also the notion that a person carries many emotions- controlled at times, haphazard at times - ups and downs. I'll always remember that performance because it was my most flawless piece. I was so worried abt one step which involved doing a cartwheel on a chair.. but when it was executed properly, in sync with the rest, I was totally exhilarated.

Perhaps, it was because I was only doing one dance for that concert which allowed me the time to concentrate and to polish the steps. And so, for the upcoming concert, I'm wondering if I should back out from one of the dances. I already have too many things on my plate and training for 2 dance items seems quite impossible. I have to make the decision fast before Silva starts to do her choreography and positioning. Arrghhh...

Sometimes I wish I could perform certain dances from the past again, simply because it was so beautifully choreographed and simply because I need not learn from scratch. My batch of dancers still remembers the key steps of our SYF piece which was performed back in '97. GOSH! But then, I'm constantly reminded by situations and people around me that I have to move on. There will be more dances to come, more concerts to perform for ( I hope.. I think they are gg to kick me out fr the Alumni for staying in there too long) and greater challenges ahead as age catches up with me. But I will move on and perform the new pieces.

Yeah... am I 'on the move'?! Not too sure about that. But one thing for sure, my emotions are now in motion.... depressed, yearning, hopeful, excited, worried, cheerful, scared.....

For You A Thousand Times Over....

I'll never forget this quote fr The Kite Runner.........

"FOR YOU A THOUSAND TIMES OVER"

I bought the book some time at the beginning of this year.. But it just sat there on my desk... patiently waiting for me to finish my other work, read finish my other books... patiently waiting for me to pick it up.

After 7 mths, I finally did. And what it gave me was a touching and unique story...a page-turner with narrative techniques that inspire me to use them to teach .....a story that left me crying twice and I'm not even half-way through..

I finally found my cure to FB (or at least somewhat)... It's this story.

A story of betrayal and redemption.... something so familar... even as the story is set in the final days of Afghanistan’s monarchy to the days of the Taliban reign.

This story tells of how the friendship between the two boys becomes changed forever. It is a story where the antagonist pushes away his friend by being mean. The friend who said the above quote to him as a sign of his loyalty and the very person whom he had ruined. The redeeming part which I've yet to read, would be the antagonist's attempts to break his silence and guilt by his returning and by his redemption.

It got me so hooked that I missed my train stop by two stations. Yet, I'm struggling to find the time to finish this book. I'm only at chapter 11 out of 25. And I'm hesitant to read the ending after Lady28 gave me a 'preview' to it.... I'm still hopeful that things will eventually work out..

Perhaps, it's a timely thing to read it after many months since the purchase of the book...I found out recently that the story was made into a movie... Even though I know movies are usually less intense than the books, I'm still glad that the movie is coming out soon... As I was watching the trailer, my goosebumps just rose along with my emotions... I tell myself that I have to read finish the book before the release date.. slated for 14 Dec. Hopefully, it's out in the theatres in Europe by then...