[chinese blood, irish heart] - DEFUNCT

For the past hour, this lovable mutt has been terrorising my home!
It's scratching the doors, windows, gate and barkin' like there's no tommorow. It even managed to find its away into my garden.
I went outside and it just wouldn't leave me alone, even after feeding 10 hot dogs!
So I jogged outside with it under the full moon for a while.

Thinking I lost it in Beverly Park, I quickly made a dash home for it only to find it waiting back at my door!! What did it possibly want??
But then my neighbour came out in his PJ's and decided to drive the poor thing to a pound.

What a strange night.

What a film that was.. truly one of the best world war two films to date.

There hasn't been a lot of German made films about this era, the other noticable film was Das Boot by Wolfgang Peterson. Downfall chronicles the cataclysmic events of 1945 and the destruction of Nazi Germany. Focusing primarly of course on Adolph Hitler played superbly by Bruno Ganz, we witness a man's descent into insanity and genuine human loss. His performance is breathtaking and what a role to act. I couldn't imagine his audition process!

It is really refreshing to see a world war two film from the German perspective. All too often WW2 films portray the Germans as cold inhumane killers, but they're human too, they're just like other soldiers. I felt tremendous compassion for the German soldiers defending their homeland against the Russian onslaught (there were no Americans or British). Despite the gigantic odds stacked against the German defenders, we imagine a scenario where someone comes to the rescue and repels the invaders, such as the case in many war films. But we know this'll not happen and there's not going to be a happy ending. I cringed during the end sequences, wishing it'll all stop but such was the fate of Hitler and his empire.

Even if you don't have any remote interest in World War 2 or Hitler, this film will still blow you away. In all fairness, the fall of Nazi Germany is a pinnacle event in 20th Century history and it has to be seen: no other film has portrayed these series of events better, be it from the streets of shattered Berlin or from the cold sterile depths of Hitler's bunker. A must see.

Sino-Japanese relations hit rock bottom, literally to the bottom of the sea.

Tokyo and Beijing have been feuding over gas drilling rights in contested waters of the East China sea. Recently, Japanese firms have begun their own drilling operations despite heavy flak from the Chinese government. Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang calls their decision a 'serious provocation to the rights of China and the norm of international relations,' and stated that China will retaliate.

Adding more fuel to the fire, the argument over Japan's whitewashing of World War 2 history continues to sink Sino-Japanese (and Korean) relations.

Fushosha, a self-confessed right wing private Japanese publishing company has been granted rights to publish their history books in schools throughout Japan. However it has been criticised by Chinese & Korean (and other Asian nations) due to its distorted, white-washed version of Japan's military operations in World War 2. It describes Japan's agression as an attempt to halt Western dominance in Asia. Even worse, the Nanjing Massacre of 1936 in which Japanese soldiers killed and raped 300,000 civilians was described in books as a mere 'incident'. Many fear that this whitewashing of history will plague the minds of Japanese youngsters (as if those Harajuku kids aren't 'plagued' enough) and lead to a revival of neo-nationalist movements.

Two years ago, anger spilled out involving 380 Japanese male tourists' orgy with 500 Chinese prostitutes. A wave of anti-japanese sentiments occured, convinced that this was an insult deliberately timed on the anniversary of Japan's occupation of China in 1931.

The Yasuktuni shrine is where dozens of Japanese war heroes are honoured, the worrying fact is that they are in fact first-class war criminals. Japanese PM Kozumi visits there annually to honour the fallen Imperial soldiers, irrespective of their military misdeeds. This has infuriated Asian nations. Protests and boycotts against Japan & Japanese products are happening in some major Chinese cities. Funnily enough, the Japanese government is complaining that Chinese authorities are not doing their best to provide security for Japanese businesses & interests. I recently watched news footage from China's 'CCTV' showing two scrawny policemen fending off an entire mob from a Japanese department store. And they did a bang up job!

Japanese Ambassador Koreshige Anami defended the publishing of Fushosha's and other right wing books as a testament to Japan's 'freedom of speech,' which is entirely hypocritcal. There have been many government censorships of left wing comics like Manga and TV programmes that criticise the Royal family.

Japan is also vying for a seat on the UN's permanent security council. China will strongly disagree of course due to past experiences and Japan's inadequate apologies and compensations for its past military aggression (there is still no formal peace treaty between Japan and Russia). America however will be more lenient, for Japan is one of its closest allies and acts as a convienient buffer against the regional dominance of China in Asia, whch serves American interests, naturally.

What's also unsettling is that the hatred between both nations seems to be whipping up hardcore nationalist feelings aswell. And we all know where that can lead. So move over Taiwan, there's a bigger problem now.

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Article also published on Indymedia

That venerable tree outside my bedroom window has been bare since October. But now it's starting to grow leaves again. Spring time means new beginnings and shedding past grievances.

These last few months will mark a beginning of the end of my student life. Once again, close friends of mine will be departing on their own seperate ways. Although we will try every effort to stay in touch, no matter the distance, things just won't be the same. I will sorely miss those that I've been there for, and of those who've been there for me. I know we all must move on and stop clinging to the past. But the past has left so many holes and they must be filled before moving on.

When college ends in June, I'll be kicked out into the big bad world of careers, mortgages, insurances and other mundane stuff. I'll miss being a student and all its benefits!

I've already had my big share of 'what are your plans after college?' etc. I wow them with my plan to travel around Europe, Russia and Asia this summer but it's just all talk. I have yet to draft a good plan and more importantly the funds that I'll need. Why? I can't even figure myself out much less trying to plan this gigantic trip. I really do envy those that have it all sorted out.

Travelling's my passion and I do it alone mostly so I can do some inner soul searching. But no matter how many times I seem to find myself, things change back very quickly. It just seems that i'm trying to escape something that's inescapable. Maybe it's not me that i've been trying so hard to search for, it's that someone else.

The best is yet to come

'Someone like you' by Van Morrison.

On this holy Sunday, no doubt there will be millions mourning over the death of the Pope, the leader of the largest religious group on the planet.

As well as being the third longest serving pontiff, he has created 477 saints and beatified (a public religious honor) a further 1,318 including Mother Theresa.

He has also travelled more, spoken more and published more than any of his predecessors.

He died in the Vatican on April 2nd, 8.37pm GMT, aged 84.