RED has always been my favorite color. I first stumbled upon Product (RED) at GAP store here in the U.S. with a very unique and creative design of good quality T-shirt that has a number of meaningful words literally end with (RED). Since then, I became a fan of Product (RED) and support the concept and principle of the partner companies that try to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS problem in Africa and do something to solve the problem.
As December 1st is the World Aids Day, it is a good time to do something to help. That’s why I decided to update my blog post after a long absence. You may visit <http://www.joinred.com/> to find out more about Product (RED) and the way to help make a difference!
“The Cove” is a very interesting documentary film about the massive slaughter of dolphins in the town of Taiji in Japan. The film follows the special operation team led by Louis Psihoyos, the director of the film himself, who was inspired by Richard O’Barry, a former dolphin trainer who was a part of the famous TV series “Flipper”. O’Barry blamed himself of starting the dolphin mania across the globe and creating the “dolphin” related business that led to the massacre of the dolphin in “the cove”.
The film is well edited with footage from various sources, but the most important footage is the one at the climax of the film that shows the successful result of the special operation. A film description at Sundance Film Festival 2009, where the film won the Audience Award, web page perfectly summarized the film:
“Part environmental documentary, part horror film, part spy thriller, The Cove is as suspenseful as it is enlightening. The final result is a heart-wrenching, but inspirational, story that shows the true power of film in the hands of people who aren’t afraid to risk everything for a vital cause.”
I highly recommend the film to everyone. Please help spreading the word to stop the killings of the dolphins.
5 stars out of 5 – It’s the truth that has to be told.
It’s been such a long time since my last update which accounted for the winning of the American presidential race by Barack Obama. Well, I am so busy with my work lately that I don’t have time to write any new entry in this blog. Anyway, today marks a special day in American history as it’s the presidential inauguration ceremony of Barack Obama which reflected the time for hope and change. As my last entry was about Obama, it’s a good idea to write this entry in the day of his inauguration.
I visited Washington D.C. last month on my winter break and as I saw the Capitol Hill and the National Mall full with crowd, it is magnificent sight to see how excited people feel about the new administration. Hopefully, things will be better. Hope and change are what we wait for.
After a long and exciting presidential race that began more than 2 years ago, Barak Obama has been officially elected as the new President of the United States of America today. This election could be considered as a historic moment for American politics, as Obama is the first Afarican American to be elected as the President of the USA. He promises that he will bring changes to the Executive Office in Washinton, D.C. Overwhelmed with economical problems, changes and hopes are what most American needed. Hopefully, the end of Bush’s presidency and the beginning of Obama’s office will bring about real change and the better America.
Congratulations to the president-elect Barak Obama.
Lately, I haven’t had a chance to update my blog as often as I used to. I am not sure if there still be anyone following my post here anymore. Anyway, I decided to write a short journal of my recent trip to San Francisco Bay area here for the sake of memory.
From October 18 to October 22, 2008, I had a chance to visit San Francisco Bay area for the first time. My friend from Thailand came for a conference in Mountain View, California and he invited me to be his guest at the conference. It was a good chance for me to fly from Portland to San Francisco and traveled around the city and then met up with my friend for the conference. I spent the weekend in San Francisco, visiting various famous spots of the city including the Golden Gate Bridge, the famous Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39 (where you could watch tonnes of sea lions on the pier), Coit tower, Lombard street (the crookedest street in the world) and the Palace of Fine Arts. I also had a chance to visit Stanford University in Palo Alto and the NASA Ames Research center in Mountain View. All in all, it’s an enjoyable and memorable trip.
Below is the video I took at Pier 39. You may notice the noise of those sea lions.
I also included the gallery of photos of my trip here as well.
I have just had a chance to watch the new TV advertisement from Microsoft featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld. This ad campaign debuted in the U.S. on September 4, 2008 as an attempt to reconnect Microsoft with the customers around the globe. In fact, I couldn’t make any sense out of this commercial. Anyway, according to Microsoft PressPass, there will be more commercial and advertisement coming up and this first ad is intended to spark the conversation about Windows brand. Well, it might be effective in the sense that people will talk about this ad as I did here in my blog. At least, the advertisement served its purpose. We’ll have to wait and see what is next for Microsoft and its competitors.
You may check out the ad here.
Here is the archive from Microsoft Official Press Release:
Microsoft Kicks off Windows Campaign with Star Power Sept. 4, 2008
More than just a quirky ad about nothing, the newest Microsoft ad for Windows signals the beginning of a series of initiatives to improve consumers’ experience with Windows products – in retail, on the Web and working with manufacturers to make PCs faster and easier to use. > more
I always enjoy watching Olympics game as it shows achievement of human in sport. It gives an inspiration that you could win if you try hard enough and nothing is impossible. The Games of the XXIX Olympiad or the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics Game proves to be phenomenal as the records were shattered and the history has to be rewritten.
Halfway into the game, after the eye-popping grand opening on 08-08-2008 had been a talk of the town, Michael Phelps, the 23-year-old U.S. swimmer became the first man in the history to win 8 gold medals from 8 competitions that he competed in. More remarkable thing is the fact that he set up the new world records on all of his wins except one event (100 m Butterfly) which he set the Olympic record anyway. In fact, the event was exciting to watch as he won his opponents by a mere 0.01 second – the least margin possible. In whatever way we see, Michael Phelps’ achievement will be remembered and be an inspiration for the younger generation to challenge in the years to come.
It might be a coincident but number 8 is considered as a lucky number in Chinese language. Michael Phelps’ 8 attempts for 8 gold medals would definitely be a charm for the Beijing Olympics game.
This is a funny story that merged U.S. politics and pop-cultures together It all began when the presumptive Republican presidential candidate John McCain aired a TV campaign ad comparing his opponent, the presumptive Democrat presidential candidate Barak Obama, as a celebrity like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. It was an attempt to devalue Obama’s status. However, the ad seems to backfire as Paris Hilton responded to the ad with her “hot” policy. CNN and BBC repeatedly played with the story. Well, at least, it is enjoyable to see the light side of this presidential campaign. Who knows? Paris Hilton and Rihanna (???) her running-mate for Vice-president might get the post at the White house (even in the next Hollywood spoof films). We may even see some souvenirs or T-shirts bearing the sign “Paris for President!” in the near future. It’s very interesting to see the dynamics of politics and pop-cultures that go hand-in-hand.
The original McCain’s ad could be viewed below:
Paris’s response (exclusively from funnyordie.com) could be viewed below:
Six years after the TV series ended and ten years after the first feature-length film was released, the X-Files came back to the big screen with a lot of hypes and anticipations from the loyal fans. There are a couple of reasons why the series have become a successful franchise; one is the intriguing story of aliens, paranormal activities a nd government conspiracy, the other is the contrast yet balancing characteristic of the main characters of the show, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). The film, using the title the words on the familiar poster of the UFO featured in the series, created a hope to the fans that the story might relate to the aliens and UFO. However, there is nothing related to aliens in the film. Still, the title “I Want to Believe” was used in a meaningful way. It’s the clash of faith and science, of believing and skepticism. The story in the film took the format as a long stand-alone TV series episode with a mysterious case to be solved.
For the X-Files fans, watching this film is like reuniting with a long-lost friend. Seeing Mulder and Scully and their relationship after all these years with the mysterious story as a background is satisfying enough. However, for general viewers, the film might look like a stranger – nothing special, just a typical cliche.
4 stars out of 5 – To find the truth, you must believe.
I came across the name of 12 Angry Men several times from the list of “good” movies by various sources. However, I didn’t have a chance to watch the film until one of my professors mentioned and recommended this film during one of my graduate study class regarding communication and team-building. The film, as my professors made his point, reflected how the team dynamics would play and change in specific condition. After I watched the film, I apprecited the film’s message and understood why it was recommended by many sources. I couldn’t agree more. The film was a brilliant drama with clever script and sublime performances.
The film explores the jury system in the U.S. where 12 members of the jury have to reach unanimous verdict of a murder case. At the begining of the film, there is only one jury member who has a reasonably doubt and thinks that the defendant of the case is not guilty. During the course of the film, we see the arguments and the switch of the vote from guilty to not guilty of the rest of the jury members. The film takes place in the jury room with 12 members of the jury’s exchange of conversation and argument. It is a classic one-room and one-situation film with a fantastic message.
All in all, this 1957 black-and-white drama film is a wonderful movie. It shows that a good movie does not have to have a cool special effect or complicated plot as long as the script is carefully crafted and the performance is solid. This film is definitely one of my 5-star movies list.
Posted by Sunny 
