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Is it March already?
It feels like it should be.
My December felt like three distinct months…each
out of a fairy tale.
Well, truth be
told, I am sneaking the last week of November in here…a week when we
were “R.O.C. Stars”! I like to call it:
THE WEEK WE HAD IT “MADE IN TAIWAN”!
A LIFE OF DEATH was
nominated for the Taipei
Golden Horse (which is the equivalent of the Chinese
“Oscar”), so off we went to Taipei on 11/24. The festival paid for our lavish room and
breakfast every
morning at the Grand
Hyatt, and every filmmaker in attendance got their own
translator/guide. Ours became our new bestfriend/confidant/diplomat/sister. Meet Vivian Uang. Vivian went to high school in NY State
and college at SUNY-Buffalo, so her English was PERFECT and understanding
of Americans sublime. So, despite
Bush’s determination to make us hated the world round (and Colin
Powell’s blunder in Taiwan just days before we left…),
Vivian taught us some Chinese and helped us spread the word that the two
Americans in town (we were the only Americans at the fest) weren’t
all bad. We also spent time with Michelle Hsieh, the
first cousin of our next-door neighbor, Bob Tong. Michelle took Bruce, Vivian and me to YangMing Mountain, The Grand Hotel (built by Mrs.
Chiang Kai Shek in the 1940s to boost tourism) an
unforgettable (and seemingly
unending) chicken
feast (here are the
ones we ate…sorry, Vegan Friends!), and to the gardens at Chiang
Kai Shek’s summer residence
which were so
vibrant, so “Disney-on-acid”,
that I kept asking Bruce and Viv, “Are you seeing
this, too…or did someone slip something
into my chicken soup?”
It wasn’t
all fun and games…I did have to do a press interview
(with the adorable
Kelly)…and then, I had to present the
film at two screenings at the Warner Village Cinemas
at the foot of Taipei
101…and I made myself speak my “new” Chinese. I tried to thank
everyone for coming out to my film, but I may have said my dog needed
walking, instead. (And, I don’t even have a dog…ahh! Such are the intricacies of Chinese…) At
least the review of the film and the article about me was positive! (Should
you want to know what the devil this means, write me,
and I’ll send you the translation Vivian graciously did for me. ;-))
Okay…now
back to the fun and games. Vivian
also took us to the National
Palace Museum, where all the treasures Chiang smuggled out of Mainland China are housed. I got so into the calligraphy exhibit
that I began thinking even “no parking”
signs and neon
subway crawls were works of art.
(At this point, Viv did begin to think
something had been slipped into my soup…) We also had an exciting, if claustrophobic,
visit to the ShihLin night market, where you can get carmelized tomatoes
on a stick, sugar
cane, extremely large
sausages, clothes by Abibas and Kugo Boos, or you can get really constructive things
done, like pay your electric bill, mail a package, pay a parking ticket,
etc. at 7-Eleven.
7-Eleven really is the “one-stop
shop” in Taiwan.
Vivian also made sure we saw the largest
ferris wheel in Asia at the new shopping
mall, Miramar, and the Japanese
shopping section of Taipei where they have blocks and blocks of photo booths (more on those
later from Danshui on the coast…). We also had “hot pots” in the
Japanese section…probably my favorite food experience
in a long time…and the only time in my life I’ve enjoyed so
much beer. (I still HATE beer, but now, with one exception: Taiwan
Beer. Campay!) “Hot pots” are
like Shabu-shabu, but with infinitely more creative ingredients
and spices.
Just around the
hotel, there was plenty to see, too. Like this giant chess set, chic condos, the Sun-Yat Sen Memorial, Taipei City Hall, The Presidential Offices,
and these GLORIOUS Xmas
lights.
We got almost
everywhere by metro. Vivian explained the protocol of no
eating, drinking, smoking, or even gum-chewing once in the station and how
one queues up in special areas under plasma screen TVs to
get on the cars. On the escalators, there are also strict rules about where
you stand to ride (on the right) or walk (on the left). Everyone (except stupid foreigners who
don’t have stellar guides like Viv) follows
the rules to the letter, and the result is a clean, safe, efficient metro. Imagine
THAT?
Taking a film
like A LIFE OF DEATH to Taipei, I wanted to make sure I visited the
2/28 Peace Park there. I was not disappointed. The traditional
and modern shrines to
the martyrs were spectacular. In the
modern shrine, you walk
up to a rushing
well in the center, with handprints on the rails
to represent all the sacrifices made and atrocities brought about by
humankind. We also found LungShan
Temple very moving. It’s
constantly jammed
with worshippers; burning
incense, candles
and making their offerings. I found out that I’m not quite
evolved enough yet to join them, however.
A man came right up to us as we entered and asked where we were from
and told us all about Buddha and how the most important thing to remember
is that the mind can change, but the heart is never-changing. I told him I
totally agreed and thought Buddhism was the best and most evolved of all
religions. “No! No competition,” he said firmly.
“Buddhism exists alongside all other religions. No number 1, number
2…no, no. No competition! Buddha always peace. No competition.”
That Buddhist
spirit of “no competition” seemed to permeate the festival as
well. Of course, there was a competition…a BIG one…but none of
the other filmmakers seemed to want to talk about it, or even think about
it. “It’s just a prize
in itself to be nominated!” we all said. I have never been around
such a humble, sweet, and multi-national group. I really hope we’ll all keep in
touch. We really enjoyed: Steven Hoban (Canada, producer with the film
“Ryan”, which won the Audience
Award and is up for the U.S. Oscar), Christophe Stammler
(Germany, director of “Nogo”), Clemens Pichler
(Germany, director of “AnnaOttoAnna”),
Ming-Chieh
Sung (Taiwan, director of “Hey, Jimmy!”), Hendrick Dusollier
(France, director of “Obras”…for
me, a PERFECT film about the demolition of a neighborhood in Barcelona
which was like a metaphor for some things I’ve dealt with in
BCN…and indeed, to my delight, Hendrick won
the Special Jury Prize), Philippe Safir (France, director of “2+1”), Daniel Saul
(England, director of “The Nuclear Train”), Sejong
Park (Australia, director of “Birthday Boy”), Nicholas
Provost (Belgium, director of “Papillon
d’Amour”), Jann-Olivier Wicht
(Switzerland, director of “Small Insights”), Rich Ho Kok Tai (Singapore, director of “The Alien Invasion”),
Olivier Brugnoli (France, director of “Retropolis”), Anett Vietzke (Germany, director of
“Exit”)…
Besides the
great parties the festival arranged, some of us decided to hang out
independently as well…One night, Bruce, Viv,
Steven, Clemens, Hendrick and I went to Room
18, a swank bar owned by the Regis Philbin of
Taiwan…and one day, we ventured out to the coastal town of DanShui,
minus Hendrick, but plus Christophe and a Chinese filmmaker named Ling. We had a great
lunch at the Portuguese fort, Red Castle, which dates back
to 1899. Here, I got to know Donna,
Steven’s translator/guide, a little better. (Could anyone be
cuter?) After lunch, we strolled
on the “boardwalk”
of DanShui, listened to buskers,
bought treats,
were amazed by giant
centipedes, and had riotous fun in the photo booth. You jam in to get a photo
taken, and then, afterwards, anything goes with photoshop. We Westerners had never seen anything
like it, and for some reason, it made us really giddy. Soon, the sun was setting, and it was
time to leave to get back in time for the Filmmakers’
Banquet at a famous lobster restaurant.
There “we” were encouraged to drink a strange shot of
alcohol, and after I did my part, a great roar of laughter went up amongst
the Chinese-French
translators. “That was lobster urine liquer!”
they squealed. “You were not supposed to partake. Only for the men.
For their virility.” Another translator asked, “How
did you like it?” “Not strong enough,” I replied. (seriously…it was like water…) More gales of laughter. (Note: The next day at the Hyatt pool, I
started to feel the
effects. Maybe that lobster
urine should only be obtained through the local pharmacy!)
All too soon,
it was time to attend the awards gala
and say
goodbye to Taipei and all the wonderful, fabulous organizers,
translators and fellow filmmakers from the Taipei Golden Horse Film
Festival 2004. Keep in touch, Taipei…I’d
return to you in a minute. Your people are the most generous and gentle
we’ve ever met in all our travels, and the rest of the world could
learn A LOT from you as to etiquette and protocol. Tsieh-Tsieh!!! (But maybe you could ease up on ol’ Hugh Grant.
That night with Divine on Sunset Blvd. is ancient history here in
the States, but I guess you’ll never forget. The film is called “Bridget Jones”,
but you insist on calling it….click
here: (….).
) Just kidding, Taipei. ;-)
NEXT
STOP…MAUI! Need you ask, “Ka-uai”? (groan) ;-)
From Taipei, we flew to Seoul, and then to Maui for our 15th anniversary
celebration. (We decided on our
honeymoon that we’d try to go to Hawaii every 5 years that we stayed
together…) We checked into the
Hyatt at Kanaapali where we enjoyed a breathtaking
view, beach time, pool time, incredible sunsets,
and got verklempt (well, I did) over Tom
Brokaw’s last cast (Bruce and I did
meet at NBC Chicago, after all…).
We also had romantic dinners on the beach at Pacifico
and I’o and a great dinner in Lahaina at the Lahaina
Inn. We checked out the Thomas
Edison home movies of old Hawaii at the Wo
Hing Museum and also took a snorkel day-cruise to
Lanai. However, the trade winds
were so bad that we only got a short snorkel in. We had to turn back early,
holding on for dear life! I started doing pilates-lamaze
breathing as we rocked and banged and jumped over terrifying swells.
“King of the World, I am not!” I just kept repeating to
myself. At least I didn’t blow
chunks. (Many did…)
We were very
happy to fly next to Poipu Beach, Kauai…where we checked into another
Hyatt…probably the most spectacular in their chain. Besides the incredible
view, lovely
gardens, lagoon,
hot tubs, and stellar lobby,
they are situated on Shipwreck Beach
and just below some
cliffs where there are still petroglyphs and pre-historic caves
all within a very easy
hiking distance. One morning, a
monk seal (rare and
endangered) came up onto the beach to rest. We watched
him sleep
for a bit, and then, he suddenly woke up and headed back
to the water…letting the ocean slap his face with a
wave before he lumbered back in.
Then, one evening, Shipwreck Beach was illuminated by an unforgettable Goya-esque sunset. No, that’s not hot lava, just a
reflection of the sun in a pooling wave.
In Kauai, the snorkeling
was much better. We spent two days at the placid Salt
Pond Beach where we saw about 20 varieties of fish, pink and black sea
urchins, sea cucumbers and even eels!
We also took full advantage of the Hyatt’s kayaking program in the lagoon, swam with tile turtles,
and took self-portraits
on the water
slide. (Yes, we stood in line with the
five-year-olds, I’m proud to report…) We also got serious about our Xmas-card writing…and
did a swell impersonation of what it would look like if Brigitte
Nielson married Tatoo (from “Fantasy
Island”).
We also had
unbelievable meals on Kauai, including flan in papaya
at Gaylord’s
Kilohana Plantation (where even a little rain
didn’t dampen the Xmas
spirit…), at the Lemongrass sushi bar in Kapa’a,
and at Tide Pools, we celebrated the Best Film and Best Actress Awards that
THE
PAWN won at the Home Film Festival in NYC on 11/30. (I had just found out via email that
day…) Our final night, we had
Japanese-Italian (the combo works!) at Degli Amici Ristorante.
It
was very hard to say goodbye to Kauai
on Dec. 9th, but more fun awaited at
home…
MY FOLKS ARE
HERE! MY FOLKS ARE HERE!
My parents came for
their yearly two-week visit, and I managed to introduce them to a new
experience in LA…being stuck in an elevator! Yes, we were stuck for
90 minutes in an elevator at the Beverly Center Shopping Mall. Fortunately, it was just us three and an
adorable Sri Lankan-American physical therapist/classical Indian dancer who
was a wonderful conversationalist, and who had a working cell phone (mine
was jammed). We were put on hold by
911, and the mall security people manning the elevator’s emergency
phone also seemed unconcerned by our plight, but a call to Bruce on the
outside got the fire dept. roaring over, and the sirens did seem to be the
kick in the pants needed to get the Bev
Center’s security to take us seriously. Their delightful Keystone Kaper continued when after we were safe and sound and
driving home, they called to inform me that my mother was currently stuck in an elevator!
“REALLY?” I screamed. “Guess what?! I am, TOOOOO!”,
and after a few more choice words about their brilliance, I hung up. Let
them scratch their heads over that one. HA!
When we
weren’t in the elevator, we managed to have a great time…with
our traditional field-trip to Gladstone’s for fish and beach time (and then,
a hilarious tutorial in photoshop back at home), tea at Pentimento
at LACMA before the impressionism exhibit, a walk through
the LA County
Botanical Gardens in Arcadia, with all its great
photo-ops, peacocks
strutting back
and forth, and Lucky Baldwin’s candy cane house
and stables. We had candlelit dinners at home,
dinners out (this is at the Japanese-French “Noe” in downtown LA where the food is as
progressive as the lighting
design), dances
to Benny Goodman by the fire, a trip to the Body Worlds Exhibit at the California Science
Center, a walk down Rodeo Dr. and into the new Prada
store (so uber-cool, it doesn’t have a
sign, and the mannequins are under the floor),
lunch with Di & Greg, and a Clippers game
(they lost…so, no pictures…it was a sad day in Mudville)…Oh! And, we watched all 532 minutes of
Michael Apted’s “7-Up
Series”…one of my Xmas presents to Bruce. Speaking of…Yes! Presents! There
were presents! (The biggest being
that Bruce was able to join us on Xmas Day.
He usually works, but this year, the holiday fell on a Saturday!
Praise Jesus! ;-)) Here, Dad
models his new suede jacket from Mom.
Mom models her new aboriginal Taiwanese
hat from us. Bruce looks forward
to realizing his dream
of becoming a vintner. And, I wear my Tiffany
heart on my sleeve over receiving a Barak Obama Wheaton, IL Rally DVD! (In case you were wondering, Red Staters, this particular item was #1 on the
Subversive’s Holiday List this year. #2 was the Janet
Jackson Uncensored Boob Video. Watch
your backs! This nation is going to…Well,
I’ll let you do the blaspheming.)
My folks left
on 29th. They are still
party animals, and our idea of a good New Year’s is being in bed
before NYC even celebrates (Bruce always works Jan. 1st…starting
around 6am, you see…). So, I had my friend Christine Dias
over for the last lunch of 2004…and then, we took in the last
Clippers game of the year with Di Giorgiutti and Gregory
Johnson. (Don’t ask if we
won.) ;-(
On a more
serious note, I’d like to close by hoping that there can be some
miracle of relief and hope for all those affected around the world by the
horrible tsunami…and that here in the U.S., we can learn to get along
with each other and the rest of the world by embracing truths, instead of
clinging to crutches of fear, ignorance and intolerance.
FADE TO JANUARY
2005...
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