Dull Ice Flower

Damn the MDA peeps...when will they ever stop behaving like a silly old pain-in-the-ass granny?

As it is, our film classfication and censorship system is fucked up, yeah thats why you see more people getting slaughtered more than you see skin.

Dont allow R21 films out on dvd? Fine. I thought I could go to the Esplanade Library to catch this arty film which I've been wanting to do so since ages.

But...

NLB Staff: "Oh sorry ah, cannot borrow."

Me & Adrian: "Huh?? why? We're over 21 lei.."

NLB Staff:" Cannot, its only for research purpose. You must produce letter from school saying its for research.."

Me & Adrian: (Thinking WTF?!)

Me:"Isnt the whole point of coming to the library here is to watch films that we have difficulty accessing outside????"

NLB Staff: "Actually no...and because MDA dont allow this film to be loan..only for research...etc etc etc

Me: (Dont know to wring her neck or to do voodoo ritual on Ms Amy Chua - head of MDA)

So i left Adrian trying his luck further with the NLB Staff while I wander to find other films to watch on a lazy Sat afternoon. Damn, their collection pretty sucked.

Picked a few titles but wasnt too satisfied with it, PC sugggested "Isabella" while Sharry had no comments (think shes stoned - haa) , so all 4 of trooped into the screening room (quite comfy!) to watch.....ZZzzzzzzzzZZZzzzzz

Lenus came, and we were still ZZzzzzzzzzZZZzzzzz - ing (movie too slow and arty for us)

So we ask 大姐大 to select another one, and she came back with this

We were all blown away...can imagine our faces??

But she insisted it was a very very very good film and how she watched it when she was young and yadah yadah yadah, so we thot ok la - we were too lazy to move our asses to reselect another film.

After about 1hr 15 mins, me and ikan bilis had eyes brimming with tears..both of us actually cried lor..I actually cried twice...kaoz.

Film is about this young boy and his sister living on a tea-plantation with their dad and their oh-so-cute dog. Boy has talent in drawing but the dad doesnt think much of it, would rather boy spend time helping him harvest tea leaves like his sister. There's a young teacher whom Lenus thinks quite cute (for that era) who is the only one whom regards the boy as talented. Boy was passed over for another boy to enter an art competition he badly wanted to join. Young teacher got damn angry and disappointed and left. Boy got even more upset. After all the trials and tribulations, boy died due to sickness (inherited from dead mum). Then turns out young teacher had submitted 1 of his old drawings for worldwide competition and boy won.

But he was already dead. Sister gave a very emotional speech while receiving his award on his behalf. Dad threw award into fire as they burn boy offerings. It was particularly the scene where the dad hoarded up the boy's small wooden coffin himself...very heartbreaking. It was literally 4 pieces of ordinary wood (or rather 6 peices) and its done.

Makes me feel how we take things for granted and always regret at the end. Whether its the people around us, our feelings, our lives.

*SOB SOB*

(play song) "Ahhhhhhhahhhhhhahhhh.....ahhhhhhaahhhhhahhhhh"