F E L I N E R S

I'm taking a break from updating my travelogue. Here are some recommended books & DVDs from the Walden-Yew collection:

Sarah Polley, a canadian actress best known for The Sweet Hereafter and the remake of Dawn of the Dead, is twenty-eight. I mention her age because Polley makes a miraculous debut as director and screenwriter of Away From Her by telling the story of a fifty-year marriage attacked by an unseen enemy: Alzheimer's disease.

Fiona (the luminous, legendary Julie Christie) starts fading with small things, like putting a frying pan in the fridge. But when she forgets her way home, Fiona and her husband, Grant (the excellent Gordon Pinsent), decide on the Meadowlake nursing home. In adapting Alice Munro's short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain," Polley avoids any trace of TV-movie glibness or sentiment.

All the acting is first-rate - and Christie, a Sixties screen goddess in Darling and Doctor Zhivago, shows that her spirit and grace are eternal. She's a beauty. So is the movie.

Since I'm learning French, I've made it a point to actively seek out French movies like never before! As for Paris je t'aime, being in Paris is to be inside a work of art, and it is no surprise that in the charming collection of vignettes that make up "Paris je t'aime," the art is love. This is a Paris where Oscar Wilde can reappear beside his grave at Pere Lachaise to give squabbling lovers a sense of humor. A vampire may pounce on an unsuspecting backpacker in the Madeleine. A cowboy on horseback can bring a grieving mother back to her family. A paramedic may fall in love with her bleeding patient.

Love in all its weird and wonderful forms is the subject of 18 short films made by an assortment of international directors who bring individual vision to a collective love letter to the French capital. Most of the directors have written their own pieces, and they range from whimsical to romantic, to dramatic and tragic.

With many familiar faces including Juliette Binoche, Fanny Ardant, Natalie Portman, Nick Nolte, Steve Buscemi, Bob Hoskins and Gena Rowlands, the film is necessarily uneven but definitely has an overall winning charm! We love it! Mr Walden particularly like this bit, of course...

while I love the Eiffel Tower scene where two overweight American tourist are seen walking in their cowboy boots and their t-shirts with the words 'we are the world'. Having lived in this country, I am finally able to enjoy the European's snobby snicker of alot of things American.

Jesus Camp is a straightforward documentary, with no narrator or fancy cutting to present an opinion. The footage really does speak for itself. The film follows a group of children born into Evangelical Christian families as they prepare for and later attend the Becky Fischer 's "Kid's on Fire" camp in Devil's Lake (I'm not making this up), North Dakota. It isn't an easy one to watch, I have to warn everyone beforehand. In the camp, these kids who all seem to have already been indoctrinated in the ways of the born again are put through deeper, scarier, more emotionally threatening indoctrination.

It takes Ms. Fisher all of 10 minutes to send tears streaming down the faces of some of the kids with her opening spiel… "Let me say something about Harry Potter. Warlocks are enemies of God… Had it been in the Old Testament, Harry Potter would have been put to death! You don't make heroes out of warlocks!"

These kids as young as 6 years-old and are taught to become dedicated Christian soldiers in "God's army." Cut to the flickering images of children writhing in a spiritual trance on a chapel floor while being hectored about the glory of dying for Christ, and one knows exactly where the first Christian suicide bombers will come from. Enlightening and a wake-up call to America.

Tibet Cry of the Snow Lion is an extraordinary documentary about the near-destruction of an enlightened 1,700 year old culture, the incredible suffering of a violated people, and the spiritual survival of hope in the hearts of those who believe that one day they will be able to re- taste the joys of freedom. Director and cinematographer Tom Peosay spent ten years on this vast and substantive project shot on "the rooftop of the world." Interviews provide both historical and contemporary perspectives on the situation in Tibet, including commentaries by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Some remarkable scenes draw out our compassion for the Tibetan people and their ongoing ordeals under Chinese Communist oppression since the so-called "peaceful liberation" of the country in 1949.

China's latest method of stamping out Tibetan religion and culture is the construction of a railroad that will accelerate populating the area with ethnic Chinese. The documentary reveals how these new immigrants have already changed the face of Lhasa with large apartment complexes, brothels, and Western chain stores. The Chinese policy of colonization and assimilation looks very similar to what officials and politicians did to the Native Americans in the United States and the aboriginals in Australia. As this documentary points out, many Tibetans now live in poverty and are unemployed. With their religion and culture under attack, they have little to cling to except hope that one day they will be free to determine their own future.

This film is bound to stir your conscience, appeal to your yearning for justice, and inspire you to do all you can to advance the cause of the Tibetan people. Free Tibet!

Water by the controversial film maker Deepa Mehta tells the tale of brow-beaten oppressed widows in early 1900’s India. Our eyes and ears are that of infant widow Chuihya as we follow the story from the death of her aged spouse, and her transfer to a widow’s commune at the tender age of eight.

Away from her family the newly appointed widow is indoctrinated into the severities of a celibate life, sorry - a widow’s life... Sleeping on concrete floors, only allowed to wear white linen cloth, disallowed sweets, meats or spices (flesh and condiments arouse passion, allegedly) and that’s a sin, as is any form of enjoyment.

This is a studied, tragic, and emotionally brutal film echoing the plight of millions of widows all over India. Though set in 1930’s social, political and religious upheaval, much of these diktats are still prevalent in rural India, with widows condemned to a life of celibacy and oppression. As has been highlighted in Water many are forced into prostitution, to beg for alms, or subject to a lesser existence.

Water highlights harsh ancient marital customs that forbade widows to lead normal lives after the death of their partners. Interlaced with mumblings of Gandhi and the freedom movement, it asks: Are women to lead their lives as prescribed by a religious text that was nearly two thousand years old? Water highlights whether these injustices are innate to the religion or a by-product of chauvinistic interpretation. Its’ controlled passion is what makes it work; it asks a lot of questions, but the answers are bare for all to see.

An immense movie, daunting at times yet unforgettably touching. And oh, beautiful cinematography.

A real shocker this one, although we already picked up on the ugly fact that race is such a big issue in America. Being an interracial couple, we ordered the DVD the moment they released it.

This film provides an innovative, in-depth look at how America views interracial relationships. Featuring candid, uncensored opinions and commentary from citizens across the nation, this film gives unprecedented access to the attitudes and perceptions of interracial couples, their family, children and friends, and casual observers. It is not pretty, especially when a lot of people are obsess with 'maintaining the purity of their race' here.

Coming from Australia and Malaysia, our perspectives on racial mixing, including interracial dating is extremely different from the general American. While in Malaysia I am often seen as a gold digger (all Caucasian expats are interpreted as more 'well-off' than Malaysian guys) and/or wanting to get access (in form of nationality/citizenship etc) to his home country, the case is very different here. Here in America people who are against interracial dating would see me as a traitor to my kind (Asian). The attitude here is that, if you're Asian, you're owned by the Asians. If you're a Caucasian female dating an African-American guy, you're 'stealing' one of their men. I find these kind of deep-seated need to maintain a particular race's superiority and 'groupie-ness' very disturbin. As country that pride itself in being such a melting pot, I'd go as far as saying America has a long way to catch up with say, Australia or even Malaysia when it comes to multi-ethnic social mixing.

Traveling out of America (the Caribbean doesn't count) may be a good idea to broaden horizons, meet more people of different culture...if they take that initiative maybe I won't have to keep answering mind-numbing questions like "Is Jessica your real name?" and "So, how is it that your English is so good?" among others. Ah well, welcome to America.

I bought this as a Christmas present for Peter.

In the 1980s, as China's population continued to rise at an alarming rate in a politically and economically precarious environment, the nation's leaders mandated a "one child policy," stipulating that married couples could only legally have a single offspring. In China, cultural and social traditions make boys more desirable than girls to most families, leading to a tragic phenomenon of thousands of female babies being either abandoned or put up for adoption by parents hoping for a male.

Hosted by Lisa Ling, National Geographic examines China's controversial policy, the nation's population crisis, and several American families who have traveled to China in hopes of adopting little girls in need.

Not as in depth as we would like it to be but still an interesting one to get if you're thinking of adopting or interested in China's adoption process in general. Pair it with

The Lost Daughters of China is an evocative memoir that will not only attract parents or would-be parents of Chinese baby girls but will touch the hearts of us all. Compelling and informative, journalist Karin Evans tells the story of adopting her daughter, Kelly, who was once one of the hundreds of thousands of infant girls who wait for parents in orphanages all over China. Weaving her personal account with extensive research, Evans investigates the conditions that have led to generations of abandoned Chinese girls and a legacy of lost women.

The book will appeal to anyone interested in China and in the emotional ties that connect people regardless of genes or culture. It is not only an evocative memoir on East-West adoption but also a bridge to East-West understanding of human rights in China.

Esther Perel says the kind of things that are so contrary to popular wisdom, they actually sound blasphemous - and yet, at precisely the same moment that you're being shocked by her, you're also acknowledging the validity of her ideas. Perel's ideas are like the chorus of a really good pop song- instantly familiar because they resonate deeply. It is all rather terrifying in its intuitiveness and pure rightness.

Her book Mating in Captivity grapples with the obstacles and anxieties that arise when our quest for secure love conflicts with our pursuit of passion. She invites us to explore the paradoxical union of domesticity and sexual desire, and explains what it takes to bring lust home.

In this explosively original book, Perel explains that our cultural penchant for equality, togetherness, and absolute candor is antithetical to erotic desire for both men and women. Sexual excitement doesn't always play by the rules of good citizenship. It is politically incorrect. It thrives on power plays, unfair advantages, and the space between self and other. More exciting, playful, even poetic sex is possible, but first we must kick egalitarian ideals and emotional housekeeping out of our bedrooms.

Perel supports her nicely accessible work with case studies of couples both heterosexual and gay, spanning all ages, with kids and without, in an attempt to cure what ails their sex life. Some of the proposals Perel recommends for rekindling eroticism involve cultivating separateness (e.g., autonomy) in a relationship rather than closeness (entrapment); exploring dynamics of power and control (i.e., submission); and learning to surrender to a "sexual ruthlessness" that liberates us from shame and guilt.

Edgy? Yes. Make sense? Yes. Cringy self-improvement book? No.

A lot of her ideas affirm and validate my own. With such high divorce and separation rates, people should take on a different approach by reinventing relationships as oppose to sticking by age-old ways.


Yes I am a fan of Angelina Jolie, irregardless of what Hollywood or everyone else think about her "weird ways of being addicted to adopting impoverished kids". She is living proof of the power we all have - every one of us -to make a difference. She gives at least a third of what she erans to humanitarian aids.

The book is not a formally written account of her travels but rather a collection of her writings in a personal journal written while on U.N. missions to Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Pakistan, Cambodia, and Ecuador. It documents her awakening as a humanitarian activist - her writing is casual, personal, and it is very raw and honest, obviously from the heart. Having traveled a little myself to one or two similar countries, I am able to relate to to the experiences, impressions, observations, and her own reactions to what she saw on those trips.

An easy and soulful read for a better understanding of compassion. All proceed goes to a refugee agency.

Like the Flowing River is an intimate collection of Paulo Coelho's reflections and short stories, written from 1998 to 2005. These are powerful tales of living and dying, of destiny and choice, of love lost and found. Sometimes humorous, sometimes serious, but always profound, this book, like all of his other work, explores what it means to be truly alive. I picked up a used copy whilst travelling in Thailand and it is one of those really great book to read on a holiday. I then gave it to Peter as his birthday present =)

The Happiness Hypothesis is an interesting collection of great ideas, teachings and psychological studies Jonathan Haidt analyzes for positive connections to happiness within out personal, social, and cultural experiences.

Do people become happier pursuing their self-interests, material wealth, power, and position or will people find more happiness workign with a set of implicit, virtous rules that require more consensus, active cooperation, and reciprocity with others? Are there ways to voluntarily flow between and balance out liberal and conservative positions, human rights issues, moral responsibilities, and improved settings for human kind?

Haidt has served up a hearty dish of conventional wisdom, accompanied by a selection of psychological science of excellent vintage. Most of us want to follow the good life as we have been taught by parents, religion and school, but often have difficulty doing so. This book not only offers practical suggestions to help us succeed in these efforts, but also discusses why we should reexamine much of what we have been taught in the light of new psychological knowledge.
One of the best book I've read on Cambodia; insightful and immensely touching, Karen Coates writes beautifully. A freelance journalist based in Thailand, Coates has lived in Cambodia and this book is an account of contemporary Cambodia; giving us a glimpse into how hard life really is in a country traumatized by war.

Cambodia Now delves into many issues that Cambodia is facing today, leaving the reader with a greater knowledge of the country through individual stories of regular Cambodian people in Cambodian society, including the ancient Angkor legacy, relations with neighboring countries (particularly the strained ones with the Vietnamese), emerging democracy, psychology, violence, health, family, poverty, the environment, and the nation’s future.

This book is a must read for anyone seeking to delve below the flimsy veil of idyllic Cambodian life that most of the tourist hordes see and believe is the real Cambodia. They have little idea of what lies just below the surface. Fantastic read especially if you're an Indochina buff like me.

Marriage is a topic that everybody has an opinion on. Part of what makes this book so interesting is that even if you don't agree with the conclusions, the historical facts are impeccably researched and documented. The wide array of cultural perspectives on marriage help sheld light on the debates surrounding marriage and family. This book lifts the veil on how the marriage institution has evolved, from primitive societies to the present. I find it to be a really fascinating read.