Nihon ni Ikimasu!* ^_^ - April 2010

After our mild winter, it wasn't a surprise when spring arrived early. By April, the snow was all gone, and the weather had gotten fairly mild. The only thing missing was precipitation. We'd gotten precious little of it in the way of snow, and as we moved into spring we went through weeks of bright, sunny days with little or no rain. That might seem like a good thing, but spring hasn't really begun until things start growing, and for that they need a good soaking. A week into April, they finally got it. I've never been so happy to see rain.

As usual, I've enjoyed watching the world turn green again, but this year is especially exciting for me, because we have a vegetable garden! Back in the winter, I read a book called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle about a family that move to the country and start growing their own food. Since being healthy and being environmentally responsible are both important to me, I found it quite inspiring, and I was allured to the idea of eating home-grown fruit and vegetables. At the end of March we were finally able to begin planting. We bought seeds for all kinds of things: peas and beans, carrots and onions, spinach and lettuce, squash and tomatoes. Now we have dozens of little green plants; I can't wait till we can start eating them!

Work has been quite slow of late. Although I still technically have a job, I have very few hours, and lots of free time. Under other circumstances, I'd be pounding the pavement looking for another job, but I'm not going to worry about that now because…

I'M GOING TO JAPAN!

A year and a half after sending in my first application, I've finally been accepted to the JET Programme. I'm ecstatic. Going to Japan has been a dream of mine for the last four years, and now it's finally coming true! I'm also nervous. I'll be spending a year alone in a foreign country surrounded by a strange language and a very different culture. It will be an exciting experience, but also a challenging one. The programme begins at the end of July, which means I still have several months to prepare. I imagine they're going to fly by.

I haven't been up much else this month. I had a nice Easter weekend although, given how little I've been working, it couldn't really be considered a holiday. A few weeks later I got roped into joining this year's Walk for Multiple Sclerosis. I didn't gather any pledges, but I figured it would be worth it to show up and give my support. I donated some money, and joined the procession for a nice spring stroll down the parkway.

In the news this month, the Polish president, Lech Kaczynski, was killed in a plane crash, along with his wife and much of the Polish leadership. It's a black, black time for Poland; I can't think when a comparable tragedy has hit a country. In other aviation news, air traffic in Europe was grounded for almost a week due to a cloud of ash emanating from an Icelandic volcano. The incident affected not only travel to and from Europe, but also all flights travelling through it. Some airlines may want to take a hint and start routing their flights through a different continent.

Movies I've seen this month:

Death Proof – Surprisingly good B-style action film by Quentin Tarantino. I was expecting relentless gore and violence, but the movie actually consists mostly of talking, punctuated by a couple of spectacular action sequences. It includes some interesting conversations, well-developed characters, and an entertaining degree of self-referentialism – essentially all the things I felt Inglourious Basterds was missing. The story may not be that strong, but I quite enjoyed watching it. (Two and a half stars)

Hot Fuzz – British parody cop film starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, also of Shaun of the Dead. It's funny when it's sending up crime movie clichés, but then it falls into a lot of those clichés, and gets really silly by the end. (Two and a half stars)

The Yeomen of the Guard – Made-for-T.V. production of a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. Basically a silly story with some mediocre musical numbers sung in an operatic style that makes the lyrics mostly incomprehensible. (Two stars)

Il Divo – Bio-pic about the last days in the rule of Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti. Never heard of him. Which is too bad, because the movie looks incredible, but suffers from the fact that I have no idea what's going on in it. Guess I should go brush up on my modern Italian history, and then come back to it. (Haven't a clue)

Chocolat – A cute dramatic comedy about a woman who comes to a small conservative French town and opens a chocolaterie. I got a bit annoyed at times with how religion kept getting made out as the bad guy (of all the times to open a chocolate shop, who picks the beginning of Lent?), but it all worked out in the end, and over all I think the film struck the right note. (Three and a half stars)

The Magic Mountain – Artsy and epic German film, based on a book by Thomas Mann. I didn't understand it, but it did remind me a bit of Lost Horizon – if Shangri-La was a mad-house. (Two stars)

T.V. shows I've seen this month:

Jeeves & Wooster (Season 2) – Despite the iconic stature of its characters, I've been rather disappointed in this show. Yes, it has the charm of a British period piece, but the stories are highly repetitive and essentially deal with shallow obnoxious characters doing stupid things in order to ingratiate themselves to, take revenge on, or avoid getting involved with other shallow obnoxious characters. In short, a kind of English, upper-class, interbellum equivalent of Seinfeld, minus the clever bits. It's almost worth it, though, for Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, who are, respectively, loveably bubble-headed as Bertie and wonderfully supercilious as Jeeves. And yes, that Hugh Laurie, and no, I would never have made that connection if left to my own devices.

Being Erica (Season 1) – Wow! A Canadian T.V. show that actually doesn't suck! I didn't think it was possible! Okay, I don't want to oversell this series, which is often cheesy, predictable, and saccharine, but despite its shortcomings it's actually my favourite new show in a long time. A big part of the draw is the main character. Erica Strange is a young, single, working woman, coping with a variety of issues, from family to work to relationships. In other words, she's a bit like me – or at least like someone I might plausibly meet in real life, and how may T.V. heroines can you say that about? The show has a unique premise, quite unlike anything else to be found in this medium of cop shows, medical dramas, and sit-coms. It's Canadian, which may seem like a subtle thing, but there's a refreshing novelty to watching a show that doesn't take place in a foreign country. Although it can be corny, it also contains surprising moments of insight. And I enjoy the way Dr. Tom quotes everyone from Proust to Yoda!

Books I've read this month:

The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett – The second Discworld book. I expressed some disappointment with the first book of the series, but found this one considerably better. Its plot is much more unified and engaging, and the writing noticeably funnier. I especially appreciate the way Pratchett satirises tourism; he actually does a much better job of problematising the practice than any of the non-fantastic texts I've read on the topic.

Teacher Ram's Fascination with Fire, and Other Stories by Kennard Ramphal – Collection of short stories, mostly set in rural Guyana. The stories aren't particularly interesting, and are mostly about how quaint and backwards Guyanese people are. Not that I've ever been to Guyana, but I found them a bit difficult to buy.

Thank You, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse – Bertie, black with boot polish, bolts from a boat, burns his banjolele, begs for butter, and burgles his breakfast. (Hee! I had to do that!) Having been less than impressed with the T.V. show, I decided to have a go at the books – which so far are equally less-than-impressive. I'm probably coming to Wodehouse a bit late in life; if I'd read this when I was ten, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it immensely. It's inoffensive, fast-paced, and funny in places, particularly around the end. It's just all a bit light and inconsequential. Oh, and "inoffensive", except for the fact that it rather disconcertingly has the N- word in it. Don't know if that's more a reflection of when and where it was written (England, 1934), or a deliberate comment on the ditziness of the characters (it's worth noting that Jeeves says "negro").

* Japanese for, "I'm gong to Japan!"

Daylight Is My Enemy - March 2010

March this year coincided with Lent, the fast that lasts from Ash Wednesday to Easter. In previous years I've given up meat, animal products, dessert, snacking, or any or all of the above. This year I decided to do something different. Instead of giving up a kind of food, I've been eating anything I want – but only between the hours of sunset and sunrise. I got the idea when I was working in Vancouver last year. In September, my Saudi Arabian students were fasting for Ramadan, and one of my fellow teachers, in a show of solidarity, decided to do the same. Talking with her about it, I thought it sounded like an interesting discipline, and this Lenten season I decided to try it. My fast wasn't quite as hard-core as the traditional one in a couple of ways. Firstly, the Ramadan fast actually begins some time before sunrise and ends some time after sunset. Secondly, Muslims are forbidden to eat or drink anything, but I made an exception for water.

At first, it was easier than I thought it would be. The first day or two were hard, but I was surprised by how quickly my body adjusted to it. It was just a matter of skipping lunch, and, on the bright side, I found that dinner started tasting really good. Still, as the days grew longer so did the fasts, which meant, paradoxically, that increased daylight became a bad thing for me. The arrival of Daylight Savings meant I could sleep in a bit, but also that I had to wait so long for dinner that I got over-hungry and lost my appetite again. The fast also necessitated some unusual sleeping schedules. For example: 6:00 – get up, brush teeth, eat breakfast; 7:00 a.m. – go back to bed and sleep for two hours; 9:00 a.m. – shower, get dressed, go to church. Or: 5:45 a.m. – get up, brush teeth, eat breakfast; 6:45 a.m. – get dressed, watch an hour of T.V.; 8:00 a.m. – go to work; 1:00 p.m. – get home from work, take a two-hour nap. The most surprising thing was that even though I was starving at dinner time, I always ate a normal-sized meal, and didn't feel the need to stuff myself. There's probably a lesson in there about how we don't need as much food as we think we do, something I'm reminded of every year at Lent – and always forget shortly thereafter.

Over all it was a good discipline, and I tip my proverbial hat to all the Muslims who every year forego not only food but also water for their holy month. I don't think I could do that, but I might do a similar fast again if Lent is a bit earlier, or if I'm living at a more southerly latitude. I might also try something less-extreme, like fasting between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., or something. Oh, and in case you're wondering, no, I did not lose a noticeable amount of weight over this.

At the beginning of March I went with a group of international students to visit a sugar bush. I'd done the sugar bush field trip in elementary school, of course, but it was nice to go again, and to help introduce the foreigners to this very Canadian tradition. It was an excellent day for the trip. The weather had just started to get warm, so the sap was running and the temperature was mild, but there was still lots of snow on the ground. I did the tour and the sleigh ride and then got all wet because I forgot how a see-saw works. (See, this is why I don't go in for sports!) I didn't do myself any permanent damage, though.

I mentioned that I joined my church choir in January. The songs weren't great, but it was nice to be back into singing, and I was really starting to enjoy it. Unfortunately, due to some problems (which I won't get into), the choir has taken a break, so I'm not able to do that any more. I don't know at this point when it might reconvene.

I guess the Oscars must have gotten pushed back by the Olympics, because they were at the beginning of March this year. They broke with tradition by nominating ten films for Best Picture, instead of the usual five, but I'd still only seen a few of them. Of the films I had seen, Avatar won only technical awards, and Star Trek picked up Best Makeup. I was surprised that Sandra Bullock got the Best Actress award. I hadn't seen any of the other nominees, but I didn't think her performance in The Blind Side was that great. Still, it was impossible to hold the win against her, because she accepted it with so much grace, praising her co-nominees and thanking "the moms that take care of the babies and the children, no matter where they come from." The show itself was okay; my only complaint was that they omitted the live performances of the nominated songs – usually my favourite part. In Memoriam: It was a quiet year. We lost Patrick Swayze, Carl Malden, and Ron Silver (that last one came as a surprise to me). Oh, and Michael Jackson, of course, although he's not remembered as a film personality.

In the news, a woman was kicked out of a French language class in Québec for refusing to remove her niqab. Both the niqab and the burqa creep me out: I disagree with a mentality that says women should hide their faces, and I think it would be deeply disconcerting to talk to someone whose face you couldn't see. However, I also believe in freedom of expression, and I don't think the government has the right to tell people what they can and can't wear. I agree that there should be standards as to what government employees wear while interacting with the public, and that people who seek government services should need to show their faces for identification purposes, but in most circumstances they should be able to wear whatever they want. As an E.S.L. teacher, I can definitely see how wearing a niqab could be an impediment to language learning – but not as big an impediment as getting kicked out of a language class!

In related news – or at least similar news – U.S. pundit Ann Coulter came to speak at the University of Ottawa and was booed off campus by protesting students. I found the story especially interesting because I had been at the university a few days before, and I saw a poster up that said, effectively, "Support free speech," and below that, "Stop Ann Coulter from speaking." Apparently, they don't teach irony at university these days. I don't know much about Ann Coulter (except that she provides occasional fodder for Jon Stewart), but as I've already said, I'm a big fan of free speech, and short of inciting violence, I believe people have the right to express their opinions. I'm reminded of a similar incident in 2002, when students kept Benjamin Netanyahu from speaking at the University of Concordia. In both cases students seem to have shown a disturbing lack of respect for our Charter rights, not to mention an un-Canadian lack of good manners. Perversely, the more recent fiasco has also had the effect of turning Ann Coulter into a martyr. Way to go, U. of O. students!

Movies I've seen this month:

The Road – A fairly faithful adaptation of the novel. Unusually, I worried that having the book so fresh in my mind might have made the movie seem better than it otherwise would have, but the person I saw it with confirmed that the film also works in its own right, and I'll take her word for it. It certainly seemed to capture all the important elements of the story. And, yes, I cried at least once. (Three and a half stars)

World's Best Commercials of 2009 – Many of the ads were entertaining, but none was great. There was an ad with Ozzy Osbourne and some Hulu ads that were fun. My favourites, though were some ads from an eastern European country for local sports. (Two and a half stars)

Oscar-Nominated Short Films (Animated) – The five Oscar nominees plus three other shorts. My favourite was probably the Wallace & Gromit one, although I also enjoyed one called "The Lady and the Reaper", and I thought the animation style on the Polish film was quite interesting. I was quite disappointed in the winning film, which had a clever premise, but wasn't particularly well-done, and seemed unnecessarily crude. The only one I liked less was the Canadian film. (Three stars)

The Reader – Oscar-winning film about a teenaged boy's affair with an older woman who has a dark secret – or two. It raises some interesting points about guilt and responsibility in the Holocaust, but they aren't dealt with in as much depth as I would have liked, and I don't understand how that element of the plot is supposed to interact with the other themes. (Three stars)

O' Horten – Incredibly low-key Norwegian film about a retired train engineer. The situational comedy is mildly amusing at times, but never laugh-out-loud hilarious. (Two stars)

Inglourious Basterds – (Sic) Quentin Tarantino is back in form; this is definitely one of the better films I've seen by him. In contrast to Kill Bill, which I found overly long and overly gory, this one is much more thoughtful and atmospheric, and is full of wonderful little Tarantino-esque touches. I did feel that something was missing, though, and I didn't realise until later what it was. Compared to other Tarantino films, it spends fairly little time developing its characters. A couple of them are fairly engaging, but only a few are sympathetic, and most assume a purely functional role. That's especially sad for the characters played by Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz, who are both brilliant but feel a tad under-used. (Three stars)

The Hurt Locker – A relatively well-made movie, but not at all as good as I was expecting from a Best Picture Oscar-winner. I'm especially surprised that it won Best Original Screenplay, considering the occasional corniness of the dialogue. (Three stars)

Departures – Oscar-winning Japanese movie about a cellist who loses his job in an orchestra and begins working at a funeral home. The premise is good, the main actor is loveable, and the film looks stunning, but it is weighed down by a rather predictable and cliché-ridden plot. (Three stars)

The Cove – Documentary about dolphin fishing in Japan. Definitely not an objective account, it casts the Japanese as villains and the filmmakers as valiant truth-seekers. Whether you buy it or not probably depends a lot on whether you accept its implicit premise that killing dolphins is inherently wrong. I must admit, I haven't given much thought to the issue, and I don't usually have an objection to using animals for food. Still, I tend to think of cetaceans, like apes, as being a class above other animals, and I probably wouldn't feel comfortable eating one. (Two stars)

The Legend of Drunken Master – Jackie Chan kung-fu action film. The plot is silly and the acting style is ridiculous, but I enjoyed the action sequences, and the cheesiness adds to the fun. (Two stars)

Twin Dragons – Another Jackie Chan film. Not as good as the first one. The story is sillier, and the action sequences not as good, except for the final showdown which is quite decent. (One and a half stars)

T.V. shows I've seen this month:

Mad Men (Season 1) – Okay, I gave this series a fair shot. And I have to say, I don't get it. What is so great about this show? Allowing for the literal '60s setting (as opposed to just being stuck-in-the-'60s), and the lack of violence, explicit sex, or nudity, it feels exactly like it's trying to be The Sopranos, with many of the same themes, all of the cynicism – and none of the humanity. Everything about this show feels shiny, polished, and lifeless, from the sets, which look like they belong in a museum, to the characters, who are unrelentingly two-dimensional. I mean, I get it already: the '60s were repressive. But did they literally produce nothing but people who were emotionally stunted and devoid of personality? The show does have its moments. (The second last episode is close to awesome; why can't they all be like that?) And it does provide an interesting reference point when learning about modern American history or listening to "The Age of Persuasion". I don't think I'll go back for Season 2, though.

Books I've read this month:

Farmer Giles of Ham by J. R. R. Tolkien – One of Tolkien's less-known works. It tells an amusing tale of a medieval English farmer pitted against a dragon.

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett – The first of the Discworld books. So far I'm not that impressed with the series. I've heard it compared to the work of Douglas Adams, but I didn't find it that funny. The Discworld seems like a pretty interesting place, though, and I'd be willing to try another book or two.

Ayn Rand and the World She Made by Anne C. Heller – Biography of Ayn Rand, the famous novelist and libertarian philosopher. She sounds to have been a fascinating thinker, but rather a lousy human being. I've never read any of her books, but I'd definitely like to give them a go some time.

*Not* the Best Olympics Ever - February 2010

A year and a half ago, I sat down to watch the Beijing Summer Olympic Games. At the time, I had just returned to Canada after ten months in Hong Kong, where the games were a big topic of conversation. It's a mark of how long I've been back in my home country that this month I sat down to watch the Winter Olympic Games, held in Vancouver. Once again, during my time in Vancouver, the Olympics dominated the news, the landscape, and people's conversations. Attitudes towards them tended to be conflicted, to say the least, and some were downright hostile. As a result, my feelings as the games approached were somewhat ambivalent. On the one hand, I know there are a lot of arguments against the way the Vancouver Olympics were handled. Vancouverites felt they didn't have enough say in how their city was being run. Many thought it frivolous to spend so much money on a sporting event when hundreds of people are without housing. And, of course, we all remember how long it took Montréal to pay off its Olympic debt.

On the other hand, I'm a die-hard Olympic fans. It's they only sporting event I watch, and a highlight of my bi-annum. I have fond childhood memories from Olympics gone by of the opening and closing ceremonies, the skating, the gymnastics, and other favourite events. And did I mention that Chariots of Fire is my favourite movie? On a less puerile note, I genuinely believe that the games are a valuable international institution. There's a lot of rhetoric about the nations of the world setting aside their differences and coming together peacefully for the glory of sport, and a lot of it is hype, but there is some truth to it, too. I'm one of the most sedentary people around, but I do appreciate the health benefits of athletics, and I especially appreciate the ability of sport to transcend linguistic and cultural barriers. Being an E.S.L. teacher, I've found it depressing to note how few common cultural reference points students from different countries have. Generally, you can count on everyone being familiar with U.S. film, music, and television, but knowing precious little about each other's cultures. Along with the World Cup, the Olympic Games provide a rare cultural event that is truly international, and can be celebrated by people all over the world.

Anyway, that lengthy disclaimer is all by way of saying that, yes, I watched the games, and, yes, I enjoyed them. They had a lot of problems this year, especially at the beginning. First, there were the angry Vancouverites protesting the games and trying to stop them. (To which I can only say, dudes, let it go. That ship has sailed. They money's been spent, the roads have been built, and the games are happening, whether you like it or not. Get over it! You're not going to get your money back; the most you're going to do is send the message to the world that Vancouverites are unfriendly. Which is pretty much cutting off your nose to spite your face.) Then there was the Luge Track of Death (literally), which killed a Georgian luger just before the opening ceremonies, and delivered some nasty knocks to several other athletes. The opening ceremonies were rather dull, and they ended badly when one of the arms of the Olympic cauldron refused to rise, leaving torch-bearer Catriona Le May Doan at a loss. That was followed by another fiasco of sorts when Wayne Gretzky was loaded onto the back of a pick-up truck so he could take the flame from the stadium to the waterfront, and light the second cauldron. The games themselves were plagued with Vancouver weather, which is to say spring in mid-February. They fixed the cauldron malfunction for the closing ceremonies, and Catriona Le May Doan finally got to light the torch. We were then subjected to my least-favourite Canadian, William Shatner, an annoying speech on Canadianness by Catherine O'Hara, and a parade of Canadian stereotypes. (I hope our international viewers got a kick out of that, because I just found it embarrassing.) Oh, and I didn't mention my biggest complaint: CTV, which seemed to think that audiences would prefer hearing Brian Williams talk for hours at a time to watching any of the actual sporting events, and whose reporters went around asking our athletes inane questions like, "How disappointing was it for you not to win gold?" ('cause winning silver is such a dismal failure), or "What were you singing during the playing of 'O Canada'?" (gee, I'm going to guess something by Queen…). Note to the I.O.C.: never ever let them cover an Olympic event again!

In spite of all those shortcomings, the actual games were quite enjoyable. On the first Saturday we won silver in the women's moguls. The next day, at the men's moguls, we won our first gold medal of the games, also our first ever gold medal on home soil. I was pleased, of course, that we no longer held the dubious distinction of being the only country to host the games without winning a gold medal at them, but I was also relieved that now we could stop whining and complaining and harassing our athletes to perform better, and just enjoy the games, already. As it turns out, we won a lot more golds, including in women's speed-skating, hockey, and bobsleigh. We won gold in men's curling against the Norwegians (who had awesome pants, by the way), and gold in the pairs ice dance competition (an enchanting performance). Of course, the men's hockey game was the most intense. I don't go in for team sports, but I listened to final game and it was pretty exciting. All told, we won fourteen gold medals, a Winter Olympic record, which, I think, makes the failure of our (rather arrogant) "own the podium" bid a mere technicality.

There's no question that we succeeded as Olympic participants. In fact, I'm almost inclined to wonder if we didn't over-achieve a bit. After all, we pumped a lot of money into our athletes, more than most countries can afford to, and we seemed at times so obsessed with winning that we'd forgotten how to enjoy ourselves and be good sportsmen. As Olympic hosts, I think we had a bigger responsibility than just winning a lot of medals: we had to host the world and put on a good show. I sincerely hope that the world felt welcomed and entertained.

After the controversy surrounding the Beijing and Vancouver Olympics, I'm looking forward to 2012, when the games will be neither in my home country nor in a Communist dictatorship. Hopefully, with the games in London, England, I can un-mute my enthusiasm and enjoy them guilt-free. After all, superimposing the biggest sporting event in the world on one of the most populous, crowded, and expensive cities in the world… should be a breeze!

In mid-February I got my first ever Family Day holiday. Ontario Family Day was only introduced a year or two ago, when I was living elsewhere. The long weekend also brought us Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year, and the Olympic opening ceremonies. I spent the weekend with family in Mississauga. It was nice; I got to see some cousins I hadn't seen in years.

Since coming back from Hong Kong, I'd had it in mind to host a Chinese New Year party. Early in February, I went to a C.N.Y. party for international students, and I decided I should have one at my place. I put up my Chinese decorations, and made my guests do Chinese calligraphy on red paper and hang them on the walls. I served jasmine tea, and candied lotus seeds, lotus roots, and coconut for snacks. For dinner we made pot-stickers, which sound fancy but are actually remarkably easy to make. I bought the dumpling wrappers ready-made, made some fillings, and had my guests help with the stuffing (by far the most labour-intensive part of the whole process). For dessert I bought a Chinese year cake, the kind you need to fry. My guests were a little bemused, but liked it better than expected, as did I. We also had mochi, and one of my guests was thoughtful enough to bring chocolate coins. After dinner we sat around playing Chinese checkers and watching the Games. At the end of the evening one of my friends gave everyone red packets of lucky money. I don't know how much like a traditional Chinese New Year party it was, but it was certainly a cultural experience for all concerned, and I think everyone enjoyed it.

I was selected for a JET interview again this year. I tried to draw on my experience from last year and to go in super-prepared. One piece of good advice I got before the interview was that often interviewers will ask unexpected questions just to see how the interviewee deals with them. Bearing that in mind, I made a point of answering each question promptly. Fortunately, they didn't ask me any really strange questions. In fact, I think the interview went quite well. I really hope they accept me this time. I don't think I've got the heart to try again if they don't. As always, prayers are appreciated.

I meant to do some skating practice this Winterlude, but I actually only ended up going once. Unfortunately, once Winterlude ended, the weather got warm, and the canal was closed, so it looks like I'm done with skating for another year. I did make it out to the park to see the ice sculptures.

Movies I've seen this month:

Synecdoche, New York – I would probably benefit from watching this movie again. It took me about half an hour just to figure out that it wasn't following a traditional narrative structure, during which time I probably missed a lot of symbolism. Even if I understood it, though, I suspect that I might not actually like it. It reminds me a bit of 8 1/2, and I didn't much care for 8 1/2, either. (Two and a half stars)

Encounters at the End of the World – Documentary about Antarctica by Werner Herzog. Narrated by Werner Herzog! And if that doesn't sell you, I don't know what will. I appreciated the title's dual connotations, the cinematography, the characters, and the philosophy. Most of all, though, I appreciated Werner Herzog, who may just have the most entertaining voice in all of cinema! (Three and a half stars)

My Night At Maude's – Cute, harmless French film. Except that it's unusual to hear characters seriously discussing religion in a movie, I can't say that it really has anything to distinguish itself. (Two and a half stars)

The Blind Side – Sweet, inoffensive movie about a white woman who adopts a black teenager into her family. I'd say the plot was wildly implausible, but apparently it's based on a true story. (Three stars)

La Notte – Another Antonioni film. This one at least makes sense, but I still didn't like it that much. (Two and a half stars)

Topaz – Lesser Hitchcock film about Cold War espionage. The storyline is meandering and rather dull. (Two stars)

The Waiting Time – Unremarkable British mystery thriller. (Two and a half stars)

Books I've read this month:

The Road by Cormack McCarthy – Stark, post-apocalyptic novel by the author of No Country for Old Men. I really appreciated the bleakness of the story, and the uncompromising hopelessness of the world in which the main characters find themselves. What really impressed me, though, was the tenderness of the relationship between the father and son. It was one of the most moving portrayals of parental love I've ever seen in a work of fiction. The one jarring note for me was the ending. Ironically, I actually found it unnecessarily depressing.

Shakedown by Ezra Levant – Book about the Canadian Human Rights Commissions, and how they seem to be responsible for violating as many human rights as they protect. The language of the book is rather hysterical in places, but much of what it says is pretty scary.

The Tribes of Britain by David Miles – The ethnic history of the British Isles. While the premise is fascinating, the focus seems to drift at times onto straight British history. That's still fascinating, of course, but I would have liked to hear more, for example, about how the Acts of Union affected national demographics.

Prorogued No More - January 2010

I spent my first two and a half months in Ottawa searching, unsuccessfully, for a job. In fact, my job search began back in Vancouver when I e-mailed a résumé to a language school. At the time, they wrote back saying, "We'll call you if we have an opening." And we all know what that means. So you can imagine my surprise at the end of December when, lo and behold, they called me! I went in for an interview at the beginning of January, and started work the following week. This new job is different from previous teaching jobs I've had. Rather than international students, the school caters to francophone Canadians who need English for work. Also, instead of teaching classes, I'm tutoring students one-on-one. That means that the teaching style tends to be less hectic but more intensive, and there tends to be more emphasis on learning than on fun. Over all, I'm quite enjoying it. I miss getting to know many students from different countries, but I like being able to spend more time with individual students. And, of course, it's nice to feel that my life is back on track after being on hold for three months.

Since the beginning of the year, I've also been trying to get involved in other activities. Some people at my church are involved in E.S.L. projects, and have invited me to participate. I've also decided to join my church choir. I was part of my school choir all through elementary and high school, but since then I haven't had much opportunity to sing, and I miss it. At first, I found it really difficult, but I'm beginning to get the hang of it.

After my two winters away, I was treated to a really nice December in Ottawa. It snowed right at the beginning of the month, and, unusually, the snow stuck around right through to the new year, giving us a beautiful white Christmas. Although the temperatures have mostly stayed below 0 ºC, it's also been an unusually mild January. Not until the end of the month did we start to see some of the –30 ºC wind-chills that characterise Ottawa winters.

In the news, Stephen Harper has prorogued parliament for a second time. Unlike last time, he doesn't seem to have had much justification for it, and I think most Canadians, myself included, are beginning to see this as a bad habit. In international news, Haiti has been hit with a monstrous earthquake that has flattened the capital and killed thousands. The good news is that the international community is pulling together to help, but what I really hope is that Haiti can get the kind of aid that will allow it not merely to recover, but to emerge stronger than it was before.

Movies I've seen this month:

Summer Hours – Low-key French film about a family dealing with the disposal of their mother's estate. (Two and a half stars)

l'Avventura – Strange and fairly incomprehensible Italian film by Michelangelo Antonioni. (Two stars)

T.V. shows I've seen this month:

Heimat – Artsy German mini-series about changing life in a small town during the twentieth century. The parts dealing with the inter-war and World War II periods are fairly interesting, but the later episodes aren't very good.

Hibernation - Fall 2009

I've been debating whether to continue this blog, now that I'm no longer travelling. On the one hand, my life hasn't been very exciting recently, and since I can see my friends in person, I don't need a blog to keep up with them. On the other hand, I still know lots of people in other parts of the world, and I figure this blog is a good habit I should keep up. So I'm going to keep posting entries - albeit short ones.

My first priority when I returned to Ottawa was re-applying to the JET Programme. Having already been through the process once, I found it less stressful this time, but I'm still nervous about it. My other priority, obviously, was finding a job. I've applied for several positions, most of them entry-level office jobs. I've also discovered that there are in fact language schools in Ottawa, and although teaching English as a second language doesn't seem to be as big an industry here as in Vancouver, I've submitted several résumés. After two-and-a-half months, though, I still haven't been successful in finding anything. I have to admit, I've been getting pretty discouraged.

Still, being unemployed does have its up-side. I successfully applied for E.I. again, so money isn't an immediate problem. I used some of my free time to take a C.P.R. course, and if I'm thinking of doing the instructor programme too. For Hallowe'en I once again took my inspiration from a recent movie, and dressed up as a Starfleet officer. A friend also decided to have a pumpkin-carving party at her house, which was fun, despite (or because of) the fact that she only had melons and various kinds of squash to carve.

Other than that, I've been filling my time with books, movies, and television, reconnecting with friends, getting back into swing dancing, writing ideas in my notebook, and wondering if I'll ever be a published author.

I split my Christmas between Ottawa, London, and my first ever visit to Hamilton (it wasn't very exciting).

Movies I've seen this season:

Freedom Writers – Sappy inspirational film about a teacher who empowers her low-SES students by teaching them about the Holocaust. In the same mould as To Sir With Love and Dangerous Minds. (Three stars)

Divided We Fall – Czech comedy-drama about a couple hiding a Jewish man in their cellar during the Second World War. (Three stars)

After the Wedding – Danish family drama. Kind of like Secrets and Lies, but not as good, and too unrelentingly melodramatic. (Three stars)

The Counterfeiters – One of the more interesting Holocaust films I've seen. This one focuses on prisoners being forced to produce counterfeit British and American money. (Three and a half stars)

The Naked City – Old American crime film. The story's not bad, but a lot of the acting is hammy and the voice-over narration gets really annoying. (Three stars)

The Glass Menagerie (1973) – Made-for-T.V. movie of a Tennessee Williams play. It was nice, for a change, to see a really dialogue-based film, and it reminded me why I like old movies. Aside from the overly bleak ending, I liked the characters and their story a lot. The fact that I knew most of the actors probably helped, although it was also a bit distracting at times. I was especially impressed with Sam Waterston; this is the first time I've genuinely liked him in something! (Three and a half stars)

Juno – Really sweet movie. Not wildly hilarious, but still cute and entertaining. (Four stars)

The Glass Menagerie (1987) – It was interesting to compare this movie with the 1973 version. The pacing was better but the tone was a bit too sombre. I preferred the actresses in this version but missed the actors from the other one. (Three stars)

The Informant – Comedy based on a true story about a corporate executive who turns F.B.I. informant. Not nearly as good as I thought it was going to be. (Two stars)

Adam's Rib – Romantic comedy about two married lawyers trying opposite sides of the same case. A cute idea for a movie, but not that well executed. (Two and a half stars)

Before The Rain – Artsy Macedonian film. I didn't really get it, although I found the structure slightly intriguing. (Two stars)

Valkyrie – A film about the plot to assassinate Hitler. Worked as a historical dramatisation, but not as a thriller. (Three stars)

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas – Yet another World War II film, this one depicting the Holocaust as seen through the eyes of an eight-year-old boy. Interesting premise, but still only a mediocre film. (Two and a half stars)

October Sky – Really nice feel-good movie about a group of young boys trying to make a rocket for a science project. Based on a true story. (Three stars)

The Gods Must Be Crazy – I'd heard a lot of good things about this film, but it turned out to be really bad – or, at best, so bad it was mildly amusing. (One star)

A Star Is Born (1954) – Basically the plot of the 1937 version, padded with a lot of tedious and perfunctory musical numbers. (Two stars)

Avatar – Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest meets Dances With Wolves IN SPACE! If you think of it as the former, it makes for an entertaining fable. If you think of it as the latter, it starts to seem trite and insulting. Either way, it didn't thrill me, but I enjoyed it. (Three and a half stars)

T.V. shows I've seen this season:

Firefly – Forgettable failed sci-fi T.V. show from the creator of Buffy and Angel. Similar in quality to Angel, with a more original premise, but less-likeable characters.

Defying Gravity – Near-future sci-fi soap-opera. Likeable enough, but not great. I'm not surprised it got cancelled.

Holocaust – T.V. mini-series about a Jewish family living through World War II. As a drama it's surprisingly mediocre, considering that the cast includes Meryl Streep and James Woods. Still, as a history of the Holocaust I found it somewhat interesting and informative.

Books I've read this month:

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell – Another highly readable book by the author of The Tipping Point and Blink. This one has the dual premise that success is the product not merely of talent, but also of hard work and plain dumb luck.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver – The true story of an American family that moves to a farm and spends a year eating only home- and locally-grown food. It got me thinking a lot more about eating responsibly, and especially about eating seasonally. It's something I want to start doing more of, although there won't be a lot of fresh, local produce available now until spring time.

A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams – It's not that I don't understand the point of the story, which seems to be, "Men are pigs; women are doormats." I just don't find it very compelling, and I don't understand why it's the most famous of Williams' plays.

The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams – Bleak family melodrama about a mother and her two adult children living in Depression-era St. Louis. Having seen two film adaptations, I decided to read the original. It really is a beautiful play, with a very accessible story. I still find the downer ending a bit jarring, though.

Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie – I'd read this book a long time ago, and I'd forgotten how brilliant and wonderful it was. By far my favourite of the Rushdie books I've read.

The Pillars Of The Earth by Ken Follett – Historical fiction based mostly around the building of a cathedral in twelfth century England. Quite entertaining, over all, although I got the impression that the author got bored while writing the last third of it.

Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint – A collection of short stories sharing a common setting and many common characters. Most of them aren't very good, but I did like a couple of them.

Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon – True story of a year in the life of the Baltimore police department. Inspired the T.V. show of the same name, and written by the man who created The Wire. I haven't watched either show, but I did enjoy noting the similarities and differences to Law & Order. Incredibly well-written and extremely readable.