In this movie by Chen Kaige (Farewell my concubine), Xiao Chun is a 13 year old violin virtuoso from somewhere in the chinese countryside. He comes with his father to Beijing to find a teacher to help him develop his gift. It’s a tale of fatherly love and sacrifice in a China divided between the old and the new, a society in rapid change where good and bad is to be found on both sides of the development barrier. The language of this film is music which pervades every aspect of the story. The emotions conveyed by the masterful violin solos are incredibly strong and lend wings to the entire movie. I was moved by the film. And I ordered the soundtrack … š
P.S. The image is the french poster of the film where the title is translated as “L’enfant au violon“.Ā “Together“ is the english title and in chinese it is “Han ni zai yiki“.
Album of the past few months for me,Ā Lynyrd Skynyrd – All Time Greatest Hits is the ultimate classic rock album. The usual standardsĀ Sweet Home Alabama andĀ Freebird (in a great live version with the celebrated 5 minute guitar solo) are present but this is one of those rare cases where every song on the album is good giving you over one hour of non-stop pleasure. Often when I listen to this (and the same is true for Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Aaliyah who all died way too young), I wonder about all the great music we might have had if Ronnie Van Zant (lead singer and song writer) had not died in a tragic plane crash in 1977. It’s labeled southern rock and KKK music by some. Except for the confederate flag they have on their sets and albums, I found nothing controversial in their lyrics and from an instrumental point of view (guitars !!!), this is milestone stuff. In every style of music there are a few must-haves, this is one for Rock.
During my short stay on the Opal Coast, I went to see anĀ 
4 days ago, not having had my fill of surfing after Bali (note: I never have my fill of surfing š ) and having seen onĀ 
I started off my first day (thursday) atĀ 
OK. It’s been almost two weeks since I returned from Bali and I think I’m ready to write my conclusion. Bali is a great destination. The people are friendly, the island is beautiful, exotic but without the striking poverty which sometimes afflicts this kind of destination. The restaurants and hotels (specifically in the Oberoi district) are at the height of trendiness whilst offering an unbeatable value/price ratio. The shopping is fun and cheap though mainly oriented towards furniture, jewelry, decorative objects and surf wear. From a cultural point of view, there is some stuff to see but it would not justify all by itself going to Bali. For those of you who surf (and this is the reason I went to Bali), Bali is the ultimate destination. The water temperature (no wetsuit š ), the wave consistency and the beauty of the beaches (and sunsets) all make for incredible surfing. The beach break around Seminyak and Legian is good for all levels of surfers and I had a great time. One of the best vacations of my life… I will definitely return !!!
This week, I received my latest Macintosh computer : a dual processor 2Ghz Powermac + 23″ screen. I have been a Mac user since 1991 and have owned about 30 different Macs since then. I’m something of a fanatic (though show me a Mac user who isn’t). I buy high-end Macs and don’t keep them too long which gives me the possibility to stay abreast with technology. I always have one desktop and one notebook (and yes, I also have a PC….).