Author: Eugene Lee

  • Nodame Cantabile (のだめ　カンタービレ): An Unexpected Turn Of Endearment, Wackiness, And Destiny

    Nodame Cantabile (のだめ　カンタービレ): An Unexpected Turn Of Endearment, Wackiness, And Destiny

    A music perfectionist from the upper class, Chiaki (above right), meets his complete opposite in Nodame (above left), a disorganized but gifted middle-class musician, setting the stage for an unlikely dynamic.

    As late to the game as I am in watching this award winning mini drama series (11 episodes in total) – which was a 2006 live adaptation of the manga series by the same name – I can nonetheless safely conclude and console myself that my tardiness is all but negligible in that it being a classic case of “better late than never” and also – to my surprise – an unexpected occurrence of “never would I have thought”…

    You see, my initial impressions of the drama series – particularly the first two episodes – was not largely positive. Apart from a recognisable and handsome face in Hiroshi Tamaki, the rest of the characters – Masumi, Mine, Eto, Stresemann, and – yes even – Nodame (played brilliantly by Juri Ueno) – was for a lack of a better term, weird, in hairstyles (Mine’s ostentatious blond hair, Nodame’s bed hair, Masumi’s afro?!), fashion style (outlandish colour configurations), accessories (what’s up with Eto sensei’s paper fan?!), and not to mention, their over-the-top mannerisms [and to be fair, also Chiaki’s (Hiroshi’s) awkward and (in all honesty) amateurish conducting which is a far-cry from how talented conductors conduct (I trained and was once an aspiring conductor and was fortunate enough to be exposed to good conducting)]. This, coupled with the old-fashioned grainy display of old film technology most certainly did not do any favours to the show’s draw especially in this Netflix generation of razor sharp images.

    But as it was, I kept going, perhaps due to the environ of the plot which was based in a music college and its characters being student musicians with the addition of a rather frequent dose of classical music snippets peppered throughout the episodes – all these appealing to a musician and classical music lover – and so I watched on..

    I knew not exactly when but strangely as I progressed in the series, I begun to appreciate and even found myself being tickled by the characters’ over-the-top mannerisms and slap stick style. Also, what I found strange and off-putting in most of the characters (except Chiaki whom I thought was the most “normal”), I slowly loved (?!)…

    In retrospect, was it because of the skilful character development, gradually revealing their vulnerabilities, backstories and “soul”- expressed in acts of kindness and loyalty? Or their erratic-ness, childlike passion, and unabashed authenticity that artists often display and labelled as “crazy” and “weird” for it, which I actually identify and bear affinity with? Or could it be the ongoing ambivalence in the nature of the relationship between the protagonists, Chiaki and Nodame [which only later (the last episode) revealed] that left me, the viewer, in a state of guess work as to whether the odd couple would be together or not, other than it being the case of unrequited love (on poor Nodame’s part)? Yes, I would say that all of the above contributed in somehow striking a chord in me and pulling on my heartstrings…

    And consider this – related to the nature of beauty: can something or someone who might not be at face value attractive grow on the beholder and later become a subject of endearment as he/she/it is gradually revealed petal by petal leading to its full radiant bloom (beauty really, which, as St Thomas would define, the intersection of inner essence and outer radiance)? Well, it was certainly so in my relationship with the drama, and you could say, Chiaki too, with Nodame (?).

    Not to be a spoiler to those who have yet to watch it, but I must say that the drama concludes on a crescendo, on a “high” (the choice of the exuberant fourth movement of Beethoven’s Symphony 7 in the show’s conclusion is wholly fitting in my view) with both protagonists and other supporting characters finding renewed vigour and clarity on their life’s journey after graduation from the music college.

    Could they have landed themselves in such fortuitous unexpected states if not for their encounters with each other, dictating circumstances, and opportunities opening up? Absolutely not, but is it just mere “good luck” or – on the other extreme end – events caused by each individual’s sheer act of willpower and smarts? The latter, in my opinion delusional, and the former meaningless. So perhaps is it after all the mighty sweep of destiny divine working alongside (albeit paradoxically) our loves, passions, desires, and active choices that determine our future?

    厳しくされてもされなくても、ダメになる奴はダメになるし、プロのピアニストになろうと思ってられるものじゃない。そういう世界ですから、成功するかどうかなんてわからない。俺もあいつも。でも、僕はあいつのピアノがすごく好きなんですよ。

    Even if you’re treated strictly — or not — the ones who fail will fail anyway. You can’t become a pro just because you want to. That’s the reality of this world. We can’t know for sure that we will succeed. Neither me nor her (Nodame). But, I love her piano. A lot.

    – Chiaki in Episode 11

    Alas, will destiny bring them together? Watch to find out.

    *Featured Image Source: Netflix

  • This Fluorite Tower

    This Fluorite Tower

    A walk in the shop – a chance encountering.
    Of crystals, apparel, and trinkets therein.
    “Unique”, I thought and was led to see.

    It soon became clear where my focus was drawn:
    To stones arrayed in sundry sizes and forms,
    But largely it was their colours that charmed.
    To ascribe them mere red, yellow, and blue
    – or the other basic colours –
    Would be a great disservice, a travesty.

    The blend, the mix, the textures, the shades,
    Result in a palette so rich as to alarm.
    For how can nature concoct
    Such art beyond words –
    In its intricacy, colour-symphony, and – dare I say –
    Its beauty –
    If it’s left to chance’s haphazard work?

    Is it no wonder that crystals are linked
    To the spiritual realm though they be just rocks?

    A walk in the shop – a chance encountering?
    I saw, I felt, but one caught my eye.
    The luminosity of it that transfixed me so.
    Its greenish flush that seems to radiate
    Is what you could call,
    Nature’s “glow-in-the-dark”.
    Aided by man’s handiwork,
    The form that results is unorthodox.
    Body cylindrical with pointed tip
    Appeals more to me than the x-sided tower.

    A sense of awe and mystery it brings,
    A translucent green from an encasement of “frost”.
    Who knows what history that this rock contains?
    Except that it is now part of my life.
    Grateful I am to encounter and have,
    This fluorite tower,
    Luminescing Joy, a delight to hold –

    *Images Source: My Own










  • The Green. Imperial. Pigeon I Saw 

    The Green. Imperial. Pigeon I Saw 

    As serendipity would have it, I encountered this mysterious bird up close the other day:

    • Green Imperial Pigeon

    To be clear, it was not the first time I have encountered it in where I live (Upper Changi) – I have spotted it before on the palm trees surrounding my condominium’s tennis court – but it is my first time beholding it within arm’s length while on my way to the bus stop.

    Certainly, I was thrilled and paused to observe, being careful to keep my movements gentle lest I startle her.

    “Majestic. Stately. Bright-eyed”, are adjectives that come to my mind when I looked. It was without a doubt a pigeon or a dove and had wing feathers resembling a peacock-green with its almost iridescent green which complementarily matched a light grey neck and pinkish feet. Her pupils are another sight to behold in its maroon-like tinge reflected in them. Intrigued by its presence, I felt an instinctual urge to wave at it, curious to see how she would respond, which to my relief – after a few shifts and turns – remained resolute in her position.

    “Hm, a brave bird I see… (and so unlike the Yellow-vented Bulbul) interesting!”

    This time keeping my hands close to myself, I discreetly took some pictures and continued to watch and lo, and behold! She began feasting on the fruits – no wonder she stayed!

    A sight to behold,
    A joy to watch,
    So trite a thing as some might mock,
    “A Bird? A Pigeon? 
    Haven’t you seen one in your life?” 

    But if you heed not
    Presumption’s take,
    To bypass familiarity, and to still the rush. 
    To pause.
    To look.
    To muse away – 

    And then you’ll see the magnificent fowl,
    Commonplace or rare,
    Our inhabitants of sky. 

    Each one unique, 
    In colours – the obvious –
    In calls – sometimes pleasant – 
    In temperament – the thrill! 

    So it is to witness the sight of one,
    The uncommon pigeon with the Greenish coat,
    Stout,
    Grey-neck, Red-eyes, 
    With a sense of pomp,
    Whose name is fitting
    To how it is:

    The Green. Imperial. Pigeon I saw 


    *Featured image: https://singaporebirds.com/species/green-imperial-pigeon/




  • The Esplanade Library – A Memory

    The Esplanade Library – A Memory

    I miss the Esplanade Library.

    It will forever remain as one of my favourite places in Singapore insofar as my memory stays in tact, and undesirably but ineluctably, accompanying that memory, lies a deep grievance that such a treasure of a place is now gone – targetted, enveloped and destroyed into bits (yet again, as I see it) by commercial interests and utilitarian intents:

    “Singapore’s only public library dedicated to the performing arts – library@esplanade – will close on June 30 (20231), and its collections and programmes will be moved to the National Library Building in the Bras Basah area… the move will allow it to centralise its arts resources in the heart of the Civic District, where they will be close to arts institutions and practitioners in the area…

    The premises currently occupied by library@esplanade will be converted by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay into arts and commercial spaces…” (Source: The Straits Times)

    – as if a library is no more than a mere transferrable storage warehouse for books and resources, and place-making all but non-existent – even despised? Well, on the one hand, this should not be surprising for such is the natural outcome of a society that knows the price of everything but the value of nothing, where all interests are essentially utilitarian and economically motivated, where places exists primarily for the sake of efficiency, productivity, and – who are we kidding – profitability. And so, all who get in utility’s way will be wallowed up, dissolved, and remade into its image.

    Is it no small wonder then that the National library (yes Singapore’s flagship library) looks and feels atrociously sterile resembling a laboratory (or if you prefer, a learning laboratory) for rats and machines for production purposes rather than a warm and inviting space for learners to find solace, delight, and inspiration to explore, connect, and create? Look at the comparison between the exterior of the old National Library and the current, and then the interior of the current National library against the then-Esplanade Library:

    The Rustic Charm of the Old National Library against the Sterile-looking “Learning-Laboratory” National Library of the present (Image sources: Roots and NLB)
    The ‘homeliness’ of the Esplanade Library of the past (left) against the laboratory-like tables of the present National Library (right) [Image source: Lemon8]

    As it is, as mentioned, on the one hand, it should not be surprising to witness the failures of our country’s conservation efforts and declining quality of buildings for they merely reflect our culture’s core beliefs but yet on the other hand, in spite of one’s preparedness, the shock and sadness that result in actually losing a beloved (be it a person or place or anything for that matter) must be squarely acknowledged…


    I know not when that I encountered the space,
    But pleasantly surprised was what I felt,
    “A library in the Esplanade?
    “Now that’s interesting.”

    In curiosity’s trial I treaded along,
    Up the escalator and around I turned,
    Greeted by art which adorned the side-walls,
    Admiring-walking…
    I encounter an impasse
    – Or so I thought.

    On the woody wall the engraving is there:
    “library@esplanade” to direct one’s path.
    And so I resumed walking along,
    an intriguing opening materialising before my eyes…

    The entrance.
    Spacious, warm, and inviting.
    Clearly distinct from its paquet flooring,
    Extending around
    To the performance stage.
    A hallowed ground?
    A defined entry?
    A crossroad I say
    To decide the next route.

    To the left three things stand out,
    two involving seats, and one an art display.
    On the latter,
    Many a time I have paused to look
    At the art encased in the column rows,
    Lining up toward the tables and chairs
    – the study area that is –
    That place I spent
    In hours galore
    To get work done
    Or simply to read.

    The other seats are one-of-a-kind.
    For those puffy red chairs are found in cinemas no more.
    They clang and cling when one uses them,
    But still it’s a joy to give them life.
    For their comfort?
    Not so much.
    But for their uniqueness and richness?
    Most absolutely yes!

    To the right from the entrance,
    Gives a different vibe.
    If the left wing is Yang,
    Then the right wing is Yin.
    Mellow, dark, and subdued in buzz,
    Yet not a cave but a haven light-shone,
    Where one can bask
    In the silence and sights…

    And if you’re lucky,
    From time to time,
    Sounds adorn the silence,
    Free and Raw,
    That refreshes and sparks,
    Of all attuned,
    The pleasures to have,
    When live music is heard.

    So why would you steal,
    This treasured place from us?
    Lessoning the count
    Of spaces adored
    – of places tried?

    If it’s progress you say that warrants such acts,
    Then why does it feel that the opposite is true?

    A sense of connection
    Eroding away,
    Giving way to function
    Disregarding form.
    Beauty bereft
    Efficiency King,
    Leave no room for structures
    That provide no price.

    And so it was
    For the 21 year old library,
    In what remains –
    A memory.

    • A favourite spot of mine in the right wing (Image Source: TimeOut)
    • The “Impasse” (Image Source: Wikipedia)
    • The Entrance (Image Source: Shaun Chng)
    • The Entrance (Image Source: The Straits Times)
    • The performance stage (image source: Shaun Chng)
    • The art display (Image Source: Shaun Chng)
    • The “puffy red” chairs in the left wing (Image Source: Shuan Chng)
    • Part of the right wing (Image Source: TimeOut)
    • Part of the right wing overlooking Marina Bay (Image Source: Shuan Chng)
    • Dance book section in the right wing (Image Source: TickiKIDS)

    *Featured Image Source: The Straits Times

    1. It officially opened on the 12th September 2002. ↩︎
  • Kinto Water Bottle: Fluid Pottery

    Kinto Water Bottle: Fluid Pottery

    Doesn’t Beauty, although “useless”, nevertheless hold a mysterious grip among its enraptured beholders? Oscar Wilde once remarked that to put usefulness first, we lose it. But to place beauty first, what we do will be useful forever. And part of the reason that beautiful everyday objects will be “useful forever” is that it is conserved and cherished by the user by virtue of the object being beautiful – and that is exactly what I experienced with my Kinto Water Bottle (as with the case, in a larger scale, of historical buildings being conserved and not destroyed due to their beauty – watch “Why Beauty Matters” at the 17:20 mark).

    My Kinto water bottle is the first water bottle that I actually cherish. Here are three actions that I wouldn’t do for any other water bottle:

    1. Not bring it to the tennis court (I play tennis) and place it on the dirty floor.

    2. Leave it to dry when not in use so as to prevent algae growth.

    3. Look at it repeatedly and think to myself, “what a lovely water bottle this is.”

    Indeed no other water bottle has caught my attention as the Kinto water bottle for its curved shapeliness that is, first of all, unique to say the least but also creating a seamless form from bottom to top analogous to a pottery piece deserving of display. Its plastic (made from recycled material) is sturdy and perspicuous like glass – that also comes in five colours (clear, amber, smoke, blue, green) and three sizes (300ml, 500ml, 950ml) – which paired up with its soft curves amplifies the pleasure of looking at the water contained within as if the water is at one with the bottle.  

    Kinto Water Bottles in five colours and three sizes
    Kinto Water Bottles in five colours and three sizes (Image Source: Shopee)


    Drinking water from the bottle also feels great due to its “practical size sprout” which apart from being designed for easy refilling and washing also enables one to drink comfortably, and exceptionally so I must say – no awkward contortion of lips to get a sip as we do for some water bottles! Also, the lid opens with just a few twists which – to my surprise – does aid in the ease of the drinking-water experience as does the handle moulded to the lid contributes greatly to the portability department in enabling one to pick up the bottle and to make carrying it around a breeze.

    Ought “form follows function” or “function follows form” in the creation of everyday objects? I say, both are essential but the best marry both in perfect unity and harmony as in the case with this Kinto Water Bottle – as I would term it: Fluid Pottery.

    *Featured Image Source: My Own

    If you like click and purchase the Kinto Water Bottle here: https://amzn.to/43WuTN9. I may earn a small commission if you do so but at no additional costs to you. Thanks for your support, Cheers! 

  • Dear Givers

    Dear Givers

    It is to you I write and to nobody else.

    Generous. Thoughtful. Sincere and Cheerful –
    Those traits you have
    In common across.

    You give, you give
    In season and out –
    Birthdays, Christmas, Festivities –
    But the ordinary day?…
    Now, that’s a surprise
    – with pleasantness, of course!

    I won’t pretend that I cherish you,
    Your gifts and all,
    A hundred percent.
    For truth be told:
    My attitude falls short
    Of Your steadfast acts.

    It is easy, you see,
    To overlook
    The familiar and constant,
    Where contempt is bred.

    Yet in moments of silence
    I muse and I see,
    That it’s no small matter,
    To receive and receive.

    For what have I got
    To warrant such grace?
    Flaws? Quirks? I have in galore –
    You know, you know –
    And still give away.

    What more can I be then
    But thankful I am:
    So thank you and thank you
    For warming my heart –
    And if that’s not all,
    – you enrich my world!

    Yes, through your gifts
    – as I would otherwise not have –
    I see, touch, smell,
    Hear and taste
    Anew and afresh
    Of the world’s good things.

    Blessed is receiving
    But more blessed to give?
    What was the Rabbi thinking
    When he said it like that?

    To give is to die,
    A sacrifice of sorts.
    But if dying is not living,
    Then how can you be
    Happy in pro-choice,
    ‘Dying’ away?

    Love perhaps –
    As sacrifice no doubt –
    Might provide the clue
    To the answer we seek –

    Or still perhaps,
    O Givers across –
    Teachers, Lovers, Family and Friends –
    That you can tell us:

    What gains you get when giving abounds?

    *Image Source: My Own



  • Nepia Nose Celebrity Pocket Tissue (鼻セレブ): A Revelation in Softness

    Nepia Nose Celebrity Pocket Tissue (鼻セレブ): A Revelation in Softness

    As strange as it might be, all that I am about to describe is absolutely honest:

    Never had a tissue paper elicited in me such delight and astonishment as to pause with wide-eyes and exclaim (to my giver), “Wow! What is this? It is so unbelievably soft!” I take a second look, exchanged glances with my (now chuckling) interlocutor, and stared again – at the wrinkled tissue which had just served its purpose in removing the food stains from my mouth, but more:

    I utterly could not believe how a tissue could feel and be that way – it glides instead of scrubs (which was what I was accustomed to in “normal” tissues all my life hitherto), pampering flesh with its gentle touch. “This tissue is different”, and hurried my giver to show me the packaging where it came from.

    This is how it looks:

    Nepia Nose Celebrity Pocket Tissue (鼻セレブ)

    “Ah.. Japanese I see… 可愛い!”

    Apart from the Ringed Seal, pictures of other cute white-fur animals (like the White Rabbit, see video below) adorn and blend well into the matte semi-opaque sleeve to exude a cute, sleek and premium look which – must be said – also feels great to touch!

    The tissues themselves are scentless, 2-ply, and made from 100% fresh pulp (with no fluorescent dyes) which are ideal for delicate skin, leaving its users worry-free about chafing and reddening skin (think: red chapped noses). As to the secret to its otherworldly softness? According to Nepia, special “triple moisturising” ingredient and “plant-delivered squalane” contained in the tissue are key in making it moist and soft by absorbing moisture from the air (a sponge tissue? – amazing).

    So, do the qualities of Nepia’s pocket tissue warrant her name, 鼻セレブ (“Nose Celebrity”)?

    Well it does seem like a relatively popular choice for tissue buyers as evidenced from its rank of 7th in Amazon’s best-seller list of pocket tissues at this time of writing. And as far as I’m concerned, a product worthy is a product worth celebrating, and so it is for Nepia’s 鼻セレブ – highly recommended!

    *Images and Video Source: My Own

    If you like, click and purchase Nepia 鼻セレブ pocket tissues here: https://amzn.to/3Hx2CDU. I may earn a small commission if you do so but at no additional costs to you. Thanks for your support, Cheers! 


  • A Look at Eyes

    A Look at Eyes

    At life’s inception,
    I opened them –
    A fuzz, a blur, a searing blaze…
    Blinking-wriggling,
    The need to progress,
    Blinking-wriggling,
    Shades of grey,
    Blinking-wriggling,
    On light’s first meet.

    Shapes, Colours,
    Are next I saw – and movement,
    Yes, movement, here and there –
    From side to side,
    Front and back,
    Sometimes high,
    Sometimes low.
    A strange world materialising
    Before my eyes –
    Endlessly fascinating it must have been,
    But left me drained to heed sleep’s call.

    Eyes, it’s said,
    Are windows to the soul.
    To encounter another is in no way slight.
    Look eye-to-eye and you might see…

    Those haughty eyes who look down upon;
    Those cunning eyes who dart, wink, plot;
    Those seductive eyes who capture and charm,
    Eating away those unawares
    Their flesh and bones,
    All life unspared…

    Shivers. Cold. A Nightmare.

    Awake, Awake,
    Into the light!
    Expectantly look
    Into lovers’ eyes…

    “Your eyes are doves.”

    “With a glance, you ravished my heart.”

    “Avert them away, for they – your eyes – overwhelm me so!”

    –

    An abundance of love
    Expressed and felt
    In the softness of eyes
    With compassion aglow
    Assures the anxiety-laden
    Reinvigorates the weak.

    So from eye to eye,
    As with torch to torch,
    Inflame one another
    Till the brim of light!

    –

    Light is sweet,
    And to see is a gift.
    But remember also
    Of the day to come:

    When grey shades return,
    And visions go blur…

    Blinking-breathing,
    The will to survive.
    Blinking-gasping,
    Fading light.
    Shut.
    Sleep.
    At the close –

    Of light’s first meet –

    *Featured Image: My own












  • BiC Japan Clic Gold Ballpoint Pen: Ordinary, not!

    BiC Japan Clic Gold Ballpoint Pen: Ordinary, not!

    I have to admit that my first reception of these pens were like “oh, another hotel pen” – you know those black ballpoint pens (yes, I first received the black version) available on the reception desk often with a cable or string attached for visitors to use (before wide-spread digitalisation) or those found in hotel rooms with a notepad.

    To which my giver retorted, “No, they are not! They are special and made-in-Japan.”

    So I gave it a second look, and concluded still, “nah, it is ordinary”, until I started using it…

    [Admittedly, this is not the first time that seemingly ordinary-looking objects “grew on me” (see The Bag My Friend Gave), and I wonder if there is always an element of hiddenness in the truly beautiful which requires time for the beholder to uncover and see.]

    “The grip and feel of the pen actually feels great” was what I found myself thinking after a couple of days of usage. The smooth veneer of the pen is pleasurable to touch, glide – and swirl (if you’re into it too) – and the grip is comfortable to hold with fingers fitting nicely at the pen’s narrower tip. Clicking the pen also felt good in its firmness and slight pushback, and the tip leaves a fine (it has a 0.5mm ball diameter) unique greyish-black trace that does not smudge easily (which is a plus-point I like).

    In the looks-department, adjectives such as “elegant”, “sleek”, and “classy” begin to replace “ordinary” in my mind’s judgement of the pen, and with it also a realisation of the increased frequency and duration of my glances, admiring its shapeliness and base colour against the gold trimmings and platings. And so it was in the midst of my enjoyment, that it had to happen:

    I lost it.

    Not in misplacing it but (this is rather embarrassing:) in swirling my (only) black “Clic Gold” pen out from my hands into the inaccessible recesses of the underside of immovable furniture, to oblivion. A sure case of tough luck, that is.

    But – yes, but – as luck providence would have it, I needed to wait just a couple more months before receiving more “Clic Gold” pens from my empathetic and generous friend (who came to know of my dismay), and this time receiving back not only the black variation but also obtaining another colour variant: shocking pink (see below)!

    BiC Clic Gold Ballpoint Pen Pink

    Image Source: My Own

    As I surmised and later discovered, the “Clic Gold” range does indeed contain a melange of colours which you can even mix-and-match with (visit here to experiment and see my video below)!

    Image Source: Amazon

    In all, the BiC Clic Gold pens are ballpoint pens suited for everyday usage with an affordable price but more: they remain one of my favourite (if not my favourite) ballpoint pens for its casing-feel, elegant-look, colour-variety, and reliable ink-trace. I highly commend them for personal use and/or gifts! And if anybody ever comments that they’re ordinary “hotel pens”, you can consider responding as such:

    “No, they are not! They are special and made-in-Japan.”

    *Featured Image Source: My Own


    If you like, click and purchase the pens here: https://amzn.to/4jcuWIR. I may earn a small commission if you do so but at no additional costs to you. Thanks for your support, Cheers!






  • Ip Man 2: The Prevails of Mercy and Respect

    Ip Man 2: The Prevails of Mercy and Respect

    In this film inspired by a true story, Wing Chun martial arts master Ip Man (Donnie Yen) and his family are moving from Foshan, China, to Hong Kong, where Ip aspires to create a school so that he may teach his fighting techniques to a new generation. However, he finds resistance from an asthmatic Hung Ga master named Hong Zhen Nan (Sammo Hung). Soon, Ip is drawn into a treacherous world of corruption as well as a fateful showdown with a merciless boxer known as the Twister (Darren Shahlavi).

    (Source: Rotten Tomatoes)

    Thanks to Netflix streaming services, I am able to revisit old films and “Ip Man 2” (2010) has been a delight to watch again – and now to write about. At this point of writing, the “Ip Man” series has been concluded and although I have yet to watch the final series in the franchise (i.e. “Ip Man 4”), I would say hitherto “Ip Man 2” is my favourite (with it also amassing 6 wins and 10 nominations in film awards).

    Certainly, it has lived out to its expectation of an action-martial arts movie with not just believable fight scenes set in an array of settings (from the rooftop to a fish market to a boxing ring) but also choreography that is creative, fresh but also true to the varied Chinese martial art forms (the table duel scene between Ip and the other kung fu masters comes especially to mind here). In short, the quality and quantity of kung fu action in this film will undoubtedly satisfy – at least – lovers of kung fu cinema, but if you are not one, there remains still another reason to watch and that is its heart.

    “Ip Man 2” remains one of the few movies that inspires me to be a better person, and it achieves that through – no surprise here – Ip, the protagonist, as a model of mercy and respect (among other virtues of admiration such as his simplicity, modesty, prudence, and sincerity).

    “To say that a person is merciful, is like saying that he is sorrowful at heart (miserum cor), that is, he is afflicted with sorrow by the misery of another as though it were his own.”

    – Thomas Aquinas

    How was Ip portrayed as merciful? There are quite many examples in the film ranging from the trite – in his aiding of the ailing laundry lady to hang out laundry; in his concession to his disciples’ demands to postpone paying their fees due to financial strain – to the unexpected, particularly in his lenient dealings with his retaliatory disciples who ended up costing Ip his martial arts studio place.

    I must admit that I was taken aback as to how Ip dealt with his blameworthy disciples after the ruckus. Most of anyone (as I would expect) under Ip’s shoes would have reacted angrily, lashed out, and possibly evicted his disciples for causing an important part of his livelihood to be lost – not least, for their foolish acts. But instead Ip, sensing his disciples’ regret, gently dealt with them, only requiring them to transport his fighting equipment from the studio to his house.

    Is that merciful act of Ip rather ‘foolish’ and was it even effective? Was he being too merciful to the extent of being soft and thus open to being taken advantage of?

    Well, surely Ip or anybody could be taken advantage of for his mercy but also consider this: mercy shown-sown could also win, soften and mould the hardest of hearts (as with the case of Shun Leong, Ip’s charismatic but troublesome lead disciple), enoble, and also in turn merit mercy for ourselves (“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” teaches Jesus of Nazareth).

    Shun Leong apologising to Ip Man in a scene (Photo capture)

    But what of respect?

    “Respect for the human person proceeds by way of respect for the principle that everyone should look upon his neighbor (without any exception) as another self, above all bearing in mind his life and the means necessary for living it with dignity.”

    – Catechism of the Catholic Church (no. 1931)

    Two scenes in particular stood out for me in the exemplification of respect in Ip.

    The first is the Ip-masters duel where the dignity of the competitors are upheld through bows (with the martial salute), formal addresses (“___ shi fu”, “Qing”), and deferential behaviour (“Thank you for letting me win”; not displaying excessive joy upon victory). The etiquette evinced in the Ip-masters duel is beautiful to witness no matter of it possibly being labelled as “old fashioned” or “overly formal” – no, courtesy and formality has its place and function in promoting respect that is both beautiful and needful (consider that rules not only prevent disorder but also shape character). Incidentally, the scene also led me to think of other such analogous display of respect present in other sports such as Sumo Wrestling, and tennis (Roger Federer‘s restrained behaviour in the Wimbledon locker room with Andy Roddick in sight come to mind here) which are pleasing to behold and hear about.

    The other scene has to be the closing fight-and-speech sequence of Ip’s battle with Twister where respect (and also mercy) was beautifully expressed in deed (not annihilating Twister as the now-defeated boxer had previously done to master Hong) and in word:

    Ip making his speech after the win against Twister (Image Source: IMDb)

    “By fighting this match, I’m not trying to prove that Chinese martial arts is better than Western boxing. What I really want to say is though people may have different status in life, everybody’s dignity is the same. I hope that from this moment on, we can start to respect each other.”

    Mercy and Respect,
    Though “soft” as they look,
    More than muscles and brawn,
    Are stronger yet still.

    To break hard hearts,
    And to offer respite,
    To enoble others,
    And to keep the peace,
    Are all up for grabs,
    To all and at once.

    Will you thus join,
    in the prevails of both,
    Simple yet strong,
    Mercy,
    Respect.

    *Featured Image Source: blu-ray.com