TWO FILMS

音樂人生 (click on to view the video)

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We watched this film with iza 2 weeks ago. The conversations, sounds and images of the film are still so vivid in my mind. I'm not able to write about it until my heightened sentiments settled, my stirred heart rested.

It's a documentary of a highly talented boy who won the Best Pianist price at the age of 11 and went to Czech to perform with a professional orchestra. The director’s 6-year-conversations (from 11 to 17) with the boy reveal his passion and ideal on music, his feelings of out of place, his question on life ... it is not about the victory of a genius, but how he strikes to be a "human being". I'm overwhelmed by his pure heart and arrogance, naiveness and sophistication, charm and insanity ... he suffers. He is a real person.

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This documentary has won

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2009 Taipei Golden Horse Awards Best Documentary, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Effect
2009 Hong Kong International Film Festival
2009 Yun Nam Documentary Festival
2008 CNEX Documentary Festival

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More here.

Image via here.

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音樂人生 was the second independent film we watched with iza. Boses 聲.音 was the first one. We watched this in the summer of 2009. (All cartoons and big movies like Avatar do not fall into this category.)

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Boses is directed by Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil, Philippines. It's about a child, Onyok, he left mute after suffering traumatizing physical abuse by his father. He's then sent to a shelter where he meets friends and bullies who share his fate. Ariel, a musican who is grieving the death of her girlfriend, discovers Onyok's immense musical talent hidden behind a veneer of silence. Ariel teaches Onyok violin, in the process, their wounds begin to heal. The silent boy eventually overcomes a descensitized existence to find his voice in music.

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BOSES (click on to view the video)+

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Parents and child collaboration school project : Home

This iza ...

a familiar one.

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This iza ...

you will find traces of saliva on her violin after practices.

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This iza ...

will plaster her face with baby cream.

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Thanks Ms Poon for the top left picture.

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This blog is amazing!!! Though I cannot read a single word, I'm overwhelmed ... I'm moved ... I'm stunned ... my heart is warmed by all little movies ... such a joyful and highly imaginative family ... please DO stop by and click into every link under each post ...
I love to share this, extremely beautiful costumes ... my favorite is this, it reminds me of Bauhaus ... this one is fabulous ... I'm crazy in love with this ... and shouldn't miss this ... ah ... just don't miss any movies !!!!!!!!

Thanks to Residents of Zhuchkov for allowing me to use their image and
Kickcan & Conkers for sharing such a wonderful blog.
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iza with serena-jane ... her little bunny
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2009

REVIEW
from jan to dec

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The examinations are over ...

Thanks to Kenza, Evelyne, Yoli, Fei An, Maia, Jeanne-Ming, Claude, yanyan ... you are the most wonderful women I've met. In reviewing the year 2009, I'm so glad to come into encounter with all of you.

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WISHES

1

The start of the year is also the exam season, iza's ever first exam ... I wish we could have extra peace and patience ...

2

I wish I could safe guard the time for playing, or time for doing nothing, the time on her own for my child EVERYDAY.

3

I wish I could resist the urge to set parameters to my child and her environment, making her how I think she should be or do. I wish I could let go of control.

4

I wish we could find our rhythm which allows for imperfections, a rhythm which doesn't make us feel guilty.

I have spent the first 2 months, since iza has started her primary school life, on feeling shame on not fulfilling all tasks, including all instruments' practices ... the third month on learning to forgive ourselves ... the fourth month ( it's already Christmas time) to realize it's NOT possible to finish ALL dedicated tasks everyday ... Once I thought iza should learn to work efficiently ... now I think I need to help her learning what to skip and when to catch up, responding to different schedules on every weekday ... and I can see her imagination blooming again when she has nothing to do on the Holidays ... her sense of humor flourishing again when her mind is free ... my will in choosing this school is to allow her to own her time, her space, her learning ... but 9 hours school time plus at least 1 1/2 hours for homework, academic study overweights her daily life ... but what humiliates me is that two P1 students have withdrawn from iza's school after the Holiday because their parents are looking for more compact syllabus and advance learning materials ... lately, iza has compromised to give up her piano ... the decision is heart breaking and she is sad ...