Moviejournal: inside out

It's getting harder and harder to put aside reading and write as life moves on. I'm now writing this at the thick of the winter night due to insomnia caused by workplace harassment, but enough about the frivolity of mundane work life already. 

With fingers heavily crossed, in a few years I'll have the great privilege to enjoy the few things only modern parents could have the luxury to indulge in with their kids: watch and appreciate a Pixar film together. There are few things so purely enjoyable and childish as watching a good Pixar film. Inside out is one of those you wish you could watch with your primary school or adolescent kids without them being distracted by their selfies. 

An alarmingly honest and earnest portrayal of joy and sadness and their intertwined growing up together, we humans need to experience bit of everything to help us grow. Pixar just so vividly wrote a animation story around that. 

Is it as great as ratatouille for me? No not really. Not at spirited away or howls moving castle level either, but up there with toy story. 

Moviejournal: Jurassic world

So I was ready to criticise this summer flick and reduce it to the level of Godzilla , but every other user review on imdb reminded me that it's off the point. People wants the effects to dazzle them and it's not about the nuanced story. Fair enough!

Bookjournal: dear leader

North Korea would one day, if they play their cards right, be an awesome nation state communist theme park if they bothered to preserve the artefacts. Coming from an inside North Korea perspective, the author reminds us Chinese of the giant leap we took since we shook off the last bit of communism off our tails in early 80s and the overall improvements it has brought. The difference can not be starker. We must seem to North Koreans what America must seem to Chinese 30 years ago with all that glitter. 

A touching and adventurous journey also. He is genuinely lucky for surviving the way he did after crossing such a large part of North east China without getting caught or starve or frozen to death. 

Also cunning way Kim Jong il got onto power is kinda surprising to know. He did have to fight for it through strategy instead of inheriting the whole country. It's going to change after he's done at the very least though.