At A Loss For Words

Saving General Yang

*Spoilers Alert*

Reader, if you have not watched the movie, please do not proceed to read this post. It isn't a review... I'd like to think of it as a general discussion of the aspects of this movie that I liked. Of course, if you are already familiar with the famous Yang family legends, I suppose there is nothing much I could spoil for you. 

So, there are many versions of the story, but the gist is that the Yang family, led by patriarch General Yang Ye were a brave and loyal clan who fought wars defending the Song dynasty. The antagonist invaders were the Liao dynasty army whereas the antagonist rival was a fellow Song general, Pan Renmei. General Yang died as a result of being betrayed by Pan Renmei and after most of his seven sons died in later battles, their womenfolk took up arms and continued fighting.

In this particular version, General Yang, after being betrayed, retreated with a handful of surviving warriors to Two Wolves Mountain, to which the Liao army immediately laid siege. It was revealed that this was a deliberate set-up by the leader of the Liao army, Yelu Yuan. The obvious reason - to lure his sons in so he could kill them all.

At home, the general's wife, Madam Yang, had a premonition and proceeded to consult a sage. He told her nothing, but gave her a slip of paper upon which a prediction was written. As the brothers put together a plan to rescue their trapped father, the prediction was revealed to the eldest son -

Translated literally, it says seven sons leave, six sons return. The implication is that one of them will die in the mission. Naturally, the eldest son promised his mother that he will sacrifice himself to ensure that his father and his younger brothers may return home safely.

The audience will be led the wonder which unfortunate brother will not make it.

The seven of them, with a small group of soldiers, went forth, clashed with the Liao soldiers and broke through a battalion of two hundred men. All reached the fort at Two Wolves Mountain unharmed, to General Yang. The pained countenance of the general upon beholding his sons was noteworthy. As he had anticipated, the Liao army soon launched a full-force attack. The Yangs, though battered and wounded, managed to escape.

It was just the beginning. Yelu Yuan, bent on killing them, pursued the family with a hundred of his men.

*Serious Spoilers Alert*

The audience continued to wonder which unfortunate brother will not make it.

The first death, when it came, to be honest, caught me by surprise, for it was far less heroic that I expected. Yes, it was emotional, but it was over almost before it's begun.

The second death, when it became imminent, caught me by surprise again, for I thought it wasn't supposed to happen. But it did. The eldest Yang son died fighting tens of Liao warriors in a bid to buy more time for his brothers to escape, as he promised his mother he would. He couldn't have known that he wasn't the first to fall, nor would he be the last.

The prophecy?

It was misinterpreted. The second part didn't mean that six will return. It meant the sixth.

The correct literal translation: seven sons leave, sixth son returns.

All, except one, will perish. The audience, now stupefied, continued in trepidation, wondering how each will meet his end. This, for me, is the most profoundly affective aspect of the entire film. Of course, in addition, I noted the rather well choreographed battle scenes and bloody aftermaths, good CGIs and the above average acting capabilities of the star-studded cast.

It probably will be mind-boggling to many, how much sacrifice was made by these men. Seven sons risked their lives to save their elderly father; the father, gravely injured, gave up his life to free his sons of the burden that was him; five brothers fighting to their deaths so that one of them could successfully bring the body of their father back home to their mother.

Mind-boggling... but that's how warriors were in ancient times - with such seemingly senseless acts of loyalty and piety.

I really enjoyed watching it. Hope you did too, Reader.

Laundry

It's the middle of the night and I just did a load of laundry. I told my bestfriend that when my laundry basket is more than half-full, I get this really, I mean really, uneasy feeling. And, I have to do something about it... she said that when their laundry basket gets more than half-full, her husband starts nagging and she will have to do something about it.

I know what the problem is - she is attracted to people who are OCD about clearing laundry (and a bunch of other crazy stuff)

Hey, I love you too! :X

My Journey to Competency

It wasn't hard... just extremely tedious, and so strenuous on the last day that at the end of it, I slept for 11 hours straight!

Or maybe I just like sleeping. *oink!*

I've never doubted my competency in lesson delivery and presentation - even when I first started teaching - but there are some things for which the world simply wants proof in black and white. The actual worth of paper qualifications is always something I can't quite make up my mind about. A certified person is not necessarily absolutely competent, and a non-certified professional may very well be more than adequately competent.

Anyhow, I know I am competent in teaching / training, but now I also have (or will have, depending on how long shipping takes) the paper to prove it.

I should go back to bed.... *oink!*

Shoes

The last thing I heard was the conversation between the doctor and the nurse on how nasty the throat-numbing spray tastes. I saw the nurse lubricating the scope that was to make a trip to my stomach and duodenum. I felt the dull pain and pressure at the back of my hand where the sedative was going into my vein...

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. It was in my bag, tucked neatly right beside my chest. It stopped before I could get to it. I was lying on my side, as I was before I lost consciousness, and had an extra blanket plus my jacket over me. I tried to remember what happened. I couldn't. I shifted my body and tried to get up but failed. I felt so weak and gosh, my hand with the IV needle still in it really hurt. All I could manage was turning my head to take a look around the ward. I caught a glimpse of my water tumbler on a nearby desk. I wondered where my shoes were. I rummaged through my bag and found my phone. Three missed calls and an SMS. My eyelids were heavy, they were closing and I fell back asleep.

Again, I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. This time, I managed to answer it. No, I don't even remember what the conversation was about... most probably like - how are you, I'm OK, how did the procedure go, I don't know I was knocked completely out, etc. I garnered enough strength to turn in the bed and looked at the floor. My shoes weren't there.

A nurse noticed that I've woke and came to check on me. She asked if I would like some food, as I'd been fasting for what must've been about 14 hours then. I said yes, and I tried to sit up. She gently stopped me and told me she would serve me. I didn't have time to tell her that I wasn't getting up to get food - I just wanted to look for my shoes. She returned in a few minutes with a steaming hot drink and sandwiches. I thanked her, and shamelessly wailed that I can't find my shoes.

"They here, they're here..." she assured me, pointing to a little compartment under the bed. They've been placed nicely in it, out of my view. Ahhh, I was happy again.

Now, in retrospect, I feel like an idiot - I awoke from a diagnostic procedure not wanting to know how it went, or when I would know the result, or where my doctor was and when I could speak with him, or how soon I could go home... but where my shoes were.

That is what's wrong with me.

Chalk

(source)

Is this what I smear all over my hands? Cute! =P

Crazy Cakes

There are certain recipes, even if the end products are really good, I will not attempt a second time. Even if the first time was near-perfect. Even if the challenges weren't too challenging for me. Even if I get to play with my candy thermometer for the separate preparation of a fancy buttercream filling.

The reason is simple.

Oh, but I need to bore you with some background stories first. *Ahem* These little things that look like cupcakes are called Osaka Cakes. Think chiffon cakes in cute individual liners, the middle of each filled with whipped cream of sorts (I used Swiss meringue buttercream instead). They're super fine, soft and fluffy... one can easily gobble down three or four in a breath and then ask for more.

My mother was introduced to these cakes by one of her friends who made them for sale. Out of curiosity, she ordered half a dozen and sure, they tasted heavenly. Thinking they're too pricey to buy all the time, and that I am not a total idiot in the kitchen, she asked the seller to share the recipe. Turns out, her friend used a pre-mix easily available from any bakery supply stores, with on-pack directions for preparation.

She went out within the week and bought a pack.

Now, the main story begins.

It wasn't that the directions given were insufficient... well, they were insufficient, like all pre-mix directions are, but with the amount of cooking / baking we do at home, that wasn't even remotely an issue. My issue? This - do you, Reader, have any idea how many eggs it takes to get 370g of yolk? We buy regular-sized eggs and the yolk averages between 18 to 19 grams. Do the math.

Fine, I'll do the math for you - about 20 eggs. Twenty!

The yield was about 50 little cakes. That's almost half an egg for each. Plus a lot of leftover egg whites (the reason for the meringue buttercream instead of whipped cream) because the required 450g of whites can be obtained from just slightly more than half the amount of eggs cracked.

I don't generally object to consuming eggs, but I do object to consuming so much of it, especially for dessert. It is frivolous. Totally unnecessary.

See these not-so-pretty-but-still-adorable little buns baking in the oven?

Just 2 eggs for the entire batch. Plus I got half an hour of intense arms workout kneading the dough.

Yea, so, crazy cakes... no more.