Mind Journeys via Netflix: Japan

Let me just say up front that I am not a critical reviewer. Though I can be critical. But I tend to think of myself as an average person with an opinion, and I try to breakdown my opinions and provide some analysis.

Which is not to say that my reviews or opinions are objectively correct. Or even objective.

I may have mentioned that the purpose of these "reviews" (such as they are) is to study good, and bad writing or story-telling. And perhaps influence my writing.

That said, I also watch these series for personal interests, and because, this was late 2020 and early 2021, when the world was in lockdown, and there was no much travel between countries. And we have been travelling to Australia and Japan for holidays every year. So 2020 was a "lost" year.

And the only way to visit Japan, was via these shows.

I did not set out to find Japanese shows to assuage my unfulfilled need to travel. It just happened. And then these shows reminded me of times we were in Japan, and how much I miss travelling in Japan now.

Fireworks

Fire-painted sky at night
Colours jostling brief and bright
Purple, blue and red and green
And other colours in between

Opinion: Entertainment Recently

[First written in Jan 2020. Then left in draft. Then Covid19 (which has nothing to do with this, but let's blame everything bad on it). ]

Why Captain Marvel is bad. Why MIB International was sad. Why Charlie's Angels (2019) was pointless. Why the latest Dr Who (lady!) was a disappointment.

There are lots of opinions on YouTube for all the above.

2019 had some fantastic shows.

Avengers: Endgame was a huge hit, and wrapped up 22 movies very nicely, entertainingly, emotionally satisfyingly, and commercially successfully.

But while that was a big hit, there were also disappointingly bad films and TV shows.

Future Imperfect, Present Tense, Past Perfect

[First "published" in 2006.]

(Or Future Perfect, Present Tense and Past Imperfect)

Life is only as complicated as we think it is

The only important thing to know is this

Eat when you’re hungry, sleep when you’re weary

Laugh when you’re happy, sigh when you’re teary

2 mothers in a hdb playground

[just a place to hold this poem. From Mar 2015.]

by Arthur Yap

ah beng is so smart,
already he can watch tv and know the whole story
your kim cheong is also quite smart,
what boy is he in the exam?
this playground is not too bad, but I'm always
so worried, car here and car there.
at exam time, it's worse
because you know why?
kim cheong eats so little.
give him some complan. my ah beng was like that,
now he's different, if you give him anything
he's sure to finish it all up.
sure, sure, cheong's father buys him
vitamins but he keeps it inside his mouth
& later gives it to the cat.
i scold like mad but what for?
if I don't see it, how can I scold?
on saturday, tv showed a new type,
special for children , why don't you call
his father buy some? maybe they are better.
money's no problem, it's not that
we want to save, if we buy it
& he doesn't eat it, throwing money
into the jamban is the same.
ah beng's father spends so much,
takes out the mosaic floor & wants
to make terrazzo floor or what.
we also go new furniture, bought from diethelm
the sofa is so soft, I dare not sit, they all
sit like don't want to get up, so expensive.
nearly two thousand dollars, sure must be good.
that you can't say, my toa-soh
bought an expensive sewing machine,
after 6 months,it is already spoilt,
she took it back but.....beng,
come here, come, don't play the fool.
your tuition teacher is coming,
wah, kim cheong, now you're quite big.
come cheong, quick go home and bathe.
ah pah wants to take you chya-hong in a new motor-car

from down the line (1980)