#Ngor Her

[buffetlicious]

The Braised Pork Bellies are leftover from last night’s dinner. Mum added in new eggs to make a fresh batch of braised eggs, The Spicy Indian Threadfin (Leptomelanosoma indicum) or 午鱼 is a highly prized and expensive fish in Singapore. The meat is very fine and it is usually used to make fish porridge (for babies).

[gryficowa]

Boycott!

We live in a time where entertainment (Even that which finances a war criminal) is more important than the lives of civilians…

By the way, Tara Strong is a Zionist and attacked indie animators spreading propaganda that she was fired for being Jewish, not for her racist tweet towards Palestinians…

Let's not forget about the crime of this woman, and the creator of the podcast turned off the comments (Because there was a podcast, we know that Tara Strong was making a victim out of herself, a typical Zionist), because people reacted correctly to what she said

Yes, I had to remind her about her, although the post was supposed to refer to Disney and the Olympics, I have the impression that no one talks about Tara Strong's crime anymore, and she should be remembered for being a bigot, which led to bullying indie creators…

Now that I have your attention:

[iphyslitterator]

2022 Oscars Trivia (Post-Ceremony)

Everything Everywhere All at Once, with 7 wins, received the most awards since Gravity (2013, 7 wins) and the most awards for a Best Picture winner since Slumdog Millionaire (2008, 8 wins).

EEAAO is the third film to win 3 acting awards, after A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) and Network (1976), each of which only won 4 Oscars and neither of which won Best Picture. Like Streetcar, EEAAO only missed Best Actor. Unlike either film, EEAAO did not lose in its missing category, as it wasn't nominated for Best Actor and indeed had no one to nominate.

Michelle Yeoh is the second woman of color and the first Asian woman to win Best Actress. The first woman of color, Halle Berry (Monster's Ball, 2001), handed her the award -- not by accident, I'm sure!

Ke Huy Quan is the second Asian man to win Best Supporting Actor, after Haing S. Ngor (The Killing Fields, 1984).

This is the first time multiple actors of East Asian descent have won.

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert are the third pair to win Best Director, after Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise (West Side Story, 1961) and Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men, 2007).

Thanks to Daniel Kwan's win, the non-white-man Best Director streak continues. Of the past 11 years, only one had a sole win by a white male director: Damien Chazelle (La La Land, 2016), whose film Babylon was shut out this year.

Michelle Yeoh is the 8th woman to win Best Actress at age 60+, and this is the 11th such Best Actress win.

At age 64, Jamie Lee Curtis is the 9th-oldest woman to win Best Supporting Actress.

Sarah Polley is the second consecutive woman to win Best Adapted Screenplay (after Sian Heder for CODA). After a long drought, three consecutive years have included female screenplay winners (including Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman).

Daniels are the 7th/8th people to win Best Director at age 35 or younger, and this is the 8th such win.

Guillermo del Toro is the first Latin America-born Best Animated Feature winner (previous Latino/a winners Phil Lord and Yvett Merino were born and raised in the US).

Diane Warren continues to hold the record for most Original Song nominations without a win (14) and continues to be the woman with the most Oscar nominations without a win.

This is the second consecutive year that every winner in the Big 8 won their first award in the category, and the first time since 2014 that each of them was a first-time winner overall.

Five Best Picture nominees went home empty-handed: The Banshees of Inisherin, Elvis, The Fabelmans, Tár, and Triangle of Sadness. That's the most since 2013 (American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Nebraska, Philomena, The Wolf of Wall Street), i.e., the last time a movie won 7 Oscars.

This is the first time since 2017 (The Shape of Water) that the most-nominated film a) won Best Picture and b) won the most awards of the night.

"Naatu Naatu" is the first song from an Indian film to win.

All Quiet on the Western Front is the fourth Best Picture nominee in five years to win Best International Feature. It is Germany's first win since The Lives of Others (2006) and third overall (Nowhere in Africa, 2002).

Brendan Fraser is the first man to win an acting Oscar for a film directed by Darren Aronofsky, who previously directed Natalie Portman to a Best Actress win for Black Swan in 2010.

Dan Sudick continues to hold the record for most Visual Effects nominations without a win (13).

All Quiet on the Western Front is the fourth non-English-language film to win four Oscars (Fanny and Alexander, 1982; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, 2000; Parasite, 2019).

EEAAO is the first science fiction film to win Best Picture.

Ruth Carter is the first black woman to win multiple competitive Oscars. She was the only black winner this year, the fewest since 2015, which had no black winners.

Matthew Freud, co-winner of Best Animated Short, is Sigmund Freud's great-grandson, is divorced from Rupert Murdoch's daughter, and just generally has an interesting Wikipedia page.

The Elephant Whisperers is the first Indian film to win Best Documentary Short.

As Jamie Lee Curtis noted in her speech, both of her parents were nominated for Oscars but did not win: Tony Curtis for The Defiant Ones in 1958 and Janet Leigh for Psycho in 1960.

This is the second time all four acting winners have been over 50, following 1981: Henry Fonda (76), Katharine Hepburn (74), John Gielgud (77), Maureen Stapleton (56). With an average age of 57.25, this is the third-oldest acting quartet, after 1981 (avg. 70.75) and 2020 (avg. 62.75).

This is the second consecutive year that all four acting winners have been first-time winners, and the first time since 2005 that all four acting winners have been first-time nominees (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Reese Witherspoon, George Clooney, Rachel Weisz).

This is the first time since 1955 that all acting and directing winners have been first-time nominees (Delbert Mann, Ernest Borgnine, Anna Magnani, Jack Lemmon, Jo Van Fleet).

This is the second consecutive year that only three films have won multiple awards.

The Black Panther movies are the first movie + sequel to win Best Costume Design, with both awards going to Ruth Carter.

EEAAO is the first film to win 6 of the Big 8 awards. A film can win a maximum of 7, since it can't be eligible in both screenplay categories, and EEAAO's only below-the-line win was Film Editing.

Navalny is the first CNN film to win an Oscar.

[visualtaehyun]

Love Senior's started airing!!

So here I am, once again, with my usual language observations. Note: I'm going off the YT subs and shall use whatever name romanizations they use there!

Disclaimer: not a native Thai speaker, still learning 🙏

Manaow's older brother Faung's nickname for her because Siblings™

Faung เฟือง /Feuuang/ is shortened from มะเฟือง /Ma Feuuang/ = star fruit

Manaow มะนาว /Ma Nao/ = lime

( ไอ้)หมาเน่า /(ai) maa nao/ = (You) rotten dog -> as you can see from my basic-ass pronunciation guide, it sounds close to her actual name -> หมาหัวเน่า /maa huaa nao/, lit. rotten-headed dog, is an idiomatic expression for an outcast, someone who's disliked and has no friends - lol thanks P'Faung!

Gyoza's red Vespa

it's called (เจ้า)หมูแดง /(jao) moo daaeng/

เจ้า /jao/ = used affectionately as a prefix by seniors for children or juniors, as well as by owners for pets

หมูแดง /moo daaeng/ = lit. red pork; grilled marinated pork dish of Chinese origin

What to call each other

จริง ๆ ตอนเราอยู่กันสองคน นาวไม่ต้องเรียกเกี๊ยวว่าพี่ก็ได้นะ /jing jing dtaawn rao yoo gan saawng khon, Nao mai dtawng riiak Giao waa Phi gor dai na/

Gyoza, who's been calling herself พี่ /Phi/ and who Manaow has been referring to as พี่เกี๊ยว /Phi Giao/ (because she's a senior a year ahead of her), suggests that when it's just the two of them, Nao doesn't have to call her พี่ /Phi/, and starts referring to herself just by name, เกี๊ยว /Giao/ (her full name Gyoza is เกี๊ยวซ่า /Giao Saa/).

Manaow: งั้นเกี๊ยวเกิดเดือนไรอ่ะ /ngan Giao geert deuuan rai a/

So Manaow drops the พี่ /Phi/ right away and starts calling her เกี๊ยว /Giao/.

And just for completeness's sake: Manaow also refers to herself by name (นาว /Nao/) and Gyoza does so reciprocally (mostly นาว /Nao/ and sometimes มะนาว /Ma Nao/). So no pronouns, just names!

จีบ /jeep/ = pursue, court, flirt with (Funnily enough, a homonym of เกี๊ยว /Giao/, which means dumpling, is เกี้ยว /giao/, which also means to flirt, woo, etc. - I'll be waiting for this pun in a future episode lol)

Gyoza's reasoning for asking is that Manaow seems ห้าว ๆ เกินหญิง /haao haao geern ying/ = bold/daring/fierce for a woman

Kudos to Lada shamelessly flirting with Alee and calling him หนู /noo/ (= lit. mouse)!!

เดี๋ยวพี่เลี้ยงหนูนะ /diao Phi liiang Noo na/

As a 2nd person pronoun it's usually used by someone much older to affectionately refer to a child or someone younger, implying that the person referred to is cute and smol like a mouse, basically. In the same vein it can sound patronizing too, though, especially coming from a stranger or someone who isn't much older.

They're the inverse of the shy younger girl and flirty pursuing older guy trope and I love that!

Sulking~

หายงอนแล้วใช่ไหม /haai ngaawn laaeo chai mai/ = You're not sulking anymore, right?

Just in case any potential reader has never seen a Thai series before this GL: 'Ngon' and 'Ngor', as they're often romanized, are a set of behaviors that are common in close relationships. That can be familial or between friends too but it's certainly most common in a romantic context and as a romance trope.

งอน /ngawn/ = sulking, pouting, acting displeased, huffy, slighted, petulant; can be playful or serious

ง้อ /ngaaw/ = reconcile, make up with; this can be lots of things tbh, i.e. hugging, apologizing, giving sth. to show care like Manaow does here, etc.

Flirty Puns, my beloved!

กินเกี๊ยวไหม /gin giao mai/ = Wanna eat the dumpling?

GIN GIAO MAI DJSDHSDJDSH okay now that that's out of my system- As we've established, Gyoza refers to herself as เกี๊ยว /Giao/, which means dumpling. And กิน /gin/ means consume, take, exploit, it's mostly used with food and drink though, hence it generally being translated as 'eat'. So:

กินเกี๊ยวไหม /gin Giao mai/ = Wanna eat me?

Sidenote: this specific dumpling here is เกี๊ยวทอด /giao thaawt/ = fried wonton/dumpling

[hardynwa]

2 arrested over rape of 11 yr old girl in Imo

The Nigeria police command has arrested one Mr Chika Christopher Abalake,42 from umuokochi umueziawula,Ihiagwa in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State and Uchenna Jude from,25 from Umuakuntu in Ngor Local Government Area of the State for allegedly raping 11 year old girl,Anurika Onyemetu. Abalake and Uchenna who were said to be friends defloured the minor,miss Anurika onyemetu from umudagu ntu in Ngor okpala LGA. According sources from the suspects community,the young girl who has been living with her father on several ocassion is pounced on by the suspects constantly and have carnal knowledge of her without the knowledge of the father who is said to have gone to work. However, the father was said to have noticed what has been going on when the little girl complained of pain in her private part which led the father to report to the police. Confirming the incident in a statement, the State police spokesman, Henry Okoye said the command has commenced investigation following the Father’s report of the incident. According to the police spokesperson, “The duo suspects who were alleged of severally having unlawful carnal knowledge of the minor in her father’s house any time he went to work are cooling their heels at the Division’s custody where preliminary investigation is on going. “Subsequently, they will be transferred to SCIID Owerri for continuation of a discreet investigation. Meanwhile, he added that medical reports revealed that the victim has severe injury in her vulva as a result of defilement and the minor he also said has opened up to her father and the Police narrating how the duo suspects defiled her repeatedly. Read the full article

[whatisonthemoon]

Dallas Hosts Anti-Communist League (1985)

By Charles R. Babcock The Washington Post September 17, 1985

There were "freedom fighters" representing several armed insurgencies, wealthy Texans, representatives of Soldier of Fortune magazine and the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, and ultra-right politicians from Guatemala and Paraguay -- all rubbing shoulders in a new luxury hotel in north Dallas.

The occasion was last week's 18th annual conference of the World Anti-Communist League (WACL), which was founded by the governments of Taiwan and South Korea and has tried in recent years to rid itself of members who espoused anti-Semitic and fascist views.

The four-day conference ended with an "International Freedom Fighters Dinner" featuring greetings from President Reagan, "Freedom Fighter of the Year" medals for insurgents from Nicaragua and Afghanistan, a special citation for a Dallas woman who gave $65,000 toward a helicopter for the Nicaraguan contras, and the unveiling of a bust of Reagan made by a Cambodian who dreamed that "he would meet an old white man [Reagan] who would help" his country's resistance movement.

“I commend you all for your part in this noble cause," the Reagan letter read. "Our combined efforts are moving the tide of history toward world freedom." Representatives of eight anti-Marxist resistance movements attended, but most of the attention was focused on the Nicaraguans, led by political leader Adolfo Calero and military commander Enrique Bermudez. Also in the spotlight was the WACL chairman, retired Army major general John Singlaub, cashiered by President Jimmy Carter for criticizing the proposed withdrawal of U.S. troops from South Korea in the late 1970s. During the past year, Singlaub has been active in raising private funds to help the Nicaraguan opposition to the leftist Sandinista government. Ellen Garwood, who helped pay for the helicopter, said: "God in his mysterious way has put Gen. Singlaub in communism's way, and the general is saying, 'They shall not pass.'“

Participants at the conference could buy WACL "Freedom Fighter" T-shirts and FDN (Nicaraguan Democratic Force) shoulder patches, and pick up literature describing a planned Captive Nations Park in San Antonio, which is to fly flags at half staff and include a replica of the Statue of Liberty gagged, with a tear in her eye and her torch at her feet.

Bert Hurlbut, a key WACL financial supporter, said that his minister from Austin was on hand broadcasting the proceedings over "Straight Talk Radio." And participants were abuzz at the arrival of two other media personalities: Mike Wallace of CBS' "60 Minutes," and producer George Crile, both of Westmoreland libel trial fame.

The gathering featured moments of genuine emotion and impassioned rhetoric. A woman representing resistance forces in Mozambique said she was upset that Reagan is scheduled to meet and "shake the bloody hand" of Marxist Mozambican leader Samora Machel. An Afghan fighter, who had lost a hand to a Soviet mine, and the Nicaraguan, who had lost a leg and was awarded the medal at the dinner, told their stories many times.

Dr. Haing S. Ngor, who played the Cambodian reporter in the movie "The Killing Fields," said that the genocide of his people by the communists was too grisly to be portrayed on film "because no one could stand to watch it."

Assembled resistance leaders had many opportunities to make public relations points. Calero, for instance, said several times that his award winner, Hubert R. Rodriguez, known as Sierra Three, lost a leg only after a flesh wound became infected because the FDN had no medical-evacuation helicopters.

Congress has approved $27 million in humanitarian aid for the contras, but none is to be used for helicopters. So Singlaub said that he has agreed to try raising new private aid for trucks and helicopters for the Nicaraguan. There were undercurrents of controversy, as well, at the meeting. The representative of Angolan resistance leader Jonas Savimbi walked out, one participant said, because of the presence of Holden Roberto, head of a now-inactive Angolan opposition group.

Tom Posey, of Civilian Military Assistance, who said he was at the convention as an "observer," said that too many groups were trying to take credit for aiding the contras."We don't have to preach to the choir," he said of his Alabama group that has worked in jungle hospitals in Central America. "We're the infantry troops. We're the doers."

Dr. Woo Jae Seung, the WACL secretary general from South Korea, and Singlaub said they did not know that Mario Sandoval Alarcon of Guatemala had been invited to the conference. Sandoval is a presidential candidate of the National Liberation Movement, which has described itself as the "party of organized violence.”

The South American chapter in which Sandoval was active was expelled a few years ago because its members made anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi statements. Singlaub said he assumed the new chapter had cleared Sandoval to attend.

As the delegates wrapped up their work with a joint communique supporting anti-Marxist insurgencies worldwide, Singlaub said he hoped that individual chapters would work to raise money to help the insurgents. But he said he had not reviewed any regional "action plans."

Several representatives of the resistance groups said they appreciated the moral support, but need money to buy guns. As Mario Calero, an FDN official, told a French television team: "We need money without any strings attached, without any 'humanitarian' baloney.

[whoiswriter]

Stephanie Okereke Biography And Net Worth, Age, Family, Husband, Children, State, Marriage, House

Stephanie Okereke Biography And Net Worth, Age, Family, Husband, Children, State, Marriage, House

Stephanie Okereke was born in Imo State, in Ngor Okpala city, Nigeria. She is the sixth child of eight children born to Mary Okereke, her mother and Chima Okereke, her father. Wikipedia Profile & Background Real Name: Stephanie Onyekachi Okereke Other Name: Stephanie Linus Date of Birth: 2 October 1982 Age: 40 years old @ 2022 State of Origin: Imo State, Nigeria Place of Birth: Ngor…

[back-and-totheleft]

30th anniversary of 'Heaven & Earth' 

30 years ago, we were in Thailand making Oliver Stone's most poetic film. And I recently reunited with my movie family for a rescreening of "Heaven & Earth," part of his Vietnam War trilogy.

Thuan Le Elston   | USA TODAY

Oliver Stone's holding an open casting call for his third Vietnam War movie, this time from the perspective of the Vietnamese people.

I was a young reporter at the Los Angeles Times' Orange County bureau in the early 1990s, and part of my job was to monitor the Vietnamese-language press in Little Saigon, a major cultural and commercial community of refugees spread out over several cities. And one day, Oliver's announcement was on the front page of Nguoi Viet daily newspaper.

The article said the Academy Award-winning director and screenwriter of "Platoon," "Wall Street" and "Born on the Fourth of July" had already held open auditions in Asia and Europe and in other American cities, but the final casting call would be in Little Saigon. I knew I'd cover it for The Times, but the biggest question on my mind was: Did Oliver Stone already have a screenplay for this first ever Hollywood movie from the Vietnamese perspective? Because I wanted to help him write it.

Spoiler alert: I didn't help Oliver write "Heaven & Earth." But along with many other Vietnamese non-actors, I was cast for the movie. I had 15 minutes' worth of speaking scenes throughout the film, sharing lines with Debbie Reynolds and Tommy Lee Jones – and Joan Chen and Haing Ngor, who played my parents. I was Kim, a sister to the main character in this major motion picture that not only educated me about my past but also gained me a movie family for my future. 

30th anniversary of 'Heaven & Earth' 

It was three decades ago that we were all in Thailand making Oliver's most poetic film, one with the heart of a Buddhist feminist. (Communist Vietnam was still closed back then and objected to many things in the script.) And Sunday, we reunited in Los Angeles for a rescreening of "Heaven & Earth," which premiered on Christmas Day in 1993.

Oliver based his movie on "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places" and "Child of War, Woman of Peace" – the memoirs of Le Ly Hayslip. Le Ly was a child of Central Vietnam who, because her village was caught between communist North Vietnam and the Washington-backed South Vietnam, became a teenage Viet Cong guerilla, a reformed entrepreneur and then an immigrant to America.

Her journey is not for the faint of heart: She suffered rape by fellow VC guerillas, torture in a South Vietnamese military prison and then the suicide of her U.S. military veteran husband in Southern California.

Now a grandmother living in San Diego, Le Ly remains one of the strongest and most determined women I know. With no formal education, she has published two memoirs that were made into a Hollywood movie and founded the nonprofit Global Village Foundation. In fact, right before our movie reunion in L.A., she was back in Central Vietnam bringing aid and supplies to flood victims.        

So no, Oliver didn't need me to help write anything; he had Le Ly. But in Little Saigon in December 1991, I covered the open casting call and brought along my best friend, a budding model and actor. 

Mass therapy session on Vietnam War

The event drew thousands to a huge hall, where they started lining up outside at 7 a.m. Inside, mini film crews had set up cameras to screen test the Vietnamese Americans. No script was handed out. Instead, the war refugees were asked to improvise from their own experiences: You're a mother who has to send your son to war. You're a father trying to protect your daughter. Your family is divided over Ho Chi Minh. 

It turned out to be a massive therapy session for 12 hours. It's as if these Vietnamese Americans, so used to trying to bury the past to have a future, were all at once given permission to relive their nightmares, pains and secrets. Everyone just wanted to tell their stories. And cry. Everyone cried. The crews doing the screen tests sobbed behind cameras and had to take breaks between auditions.

So many people were waiting in line, the casting directors asked my childhood friend Tran Tran and I to help audition our fellow refugees. I played a daughter, a mother, a sister to anyone who needed me. I didn't have any nightmares to relive: I was only 8 when my family escaped the fall of Saigon in 1975; the pains and secrets belonged to my parents. But those survivors auditioning for the movie were so real, their memories so alive, it was easy to help improvise their scenes. 

At the end of that emotionally exhausting day, Tran got her screen test for the main role, Le Ly. I played the bitter older sister who threw her out of my house. 

One thing we learned later was that Warner Bros. didn't want to make a film with subtitles, which three decades ago was still a big no for American audiences. The actors Oliver chose had to be able to be understood in English. Tran and I, both born in Vietnam but grew up in Phoenix, were confident of our American sides.

Surprise: The casting directors called me back but not my friend, who, yes, remains my friend (and in fact came with me to the movie reunion last weekend, as you'll see in clicking through the photo gallery below). 

Oscar winner for screenwriting

At one of my audition callbacks, I was finally given Oliver's screenplay – and was blown away by what a lyrical writer he is and understood why he won an Oscar for writing "Midnight Express." 

Reading "Heaven & Earth" made me cry. At a time when Asians in general, let alone Vietnamese Americans, almost never saw our true selves represented on the Hollywood screen, Oliver was amplifying the story of a small village girl who should have remained invisible to history. But Le Ly refused to stay invisible, and Oliver recognized that kindred spirit.  

In the summer of 1992, the call finally came: My last audition was my first meeting with Oliver at his office, where he had me read lines with him for Kim, one of Le Ly's older sisters who grew from rice farmer to bar girl to San Diego housewife.

Whatever I did worked. Oliver smiled and told me I got the part: "You're my Kim."

We hugged, shook hands, maybe – I was so excited I really don't remember what happened after hearing those words. 

By early October, I was on a jet to Thailand, where I worked on the movie until Christmas break.  

Reliving terror of war, bonding as movie family

As I later wrote for The Times in an essay headlined "Scenes From Another Lifetime":  

On leave from The Times, I spent 2 1/2 months in Thailand, where not only did I and the other non-actors in the movie learn acting on the job, but I also saw close up the realities of a conflict I never knew personally. In character, we stood knee deep in the mud of rice paddies and cowered while American helicopters barking bullets interrupted our work; ran to a neighbor’s house to witness his killing by the Viet Cong; and argued with each other about how to deal with the violence. ...  All of this played havoc on my psyche. Day and night, I moved between the past and the present, war and peace, old enemies and new friends. No longer could I separate myself from the people and events I had known only intellectually.

As strangers who met only because we're supposed to portray a family on screen, you can't go through long, harrowing days on set without bonding. And we filmed in rural southwestern Thailand  – Phang Nga, a 90-minute drive outside the touristy Phuket Island. Every night, the cast shared trauma and entertained each other over family meals. On the rare days we had off together, we played tourists. 

A vivid memory for me is an afternoon by the hotel pool: Our movie father Haing Ngor, who had won a best supporting actor Oscar for "The Killing Fields" in 1985, also had written a memoir about his escape from the communist Khmer Rouge, who forced the gynecologist and obstetrician underground, where he worked as a doctor at the risk of his own life. As he and other cast members chatted and relaxed, I read "Haing Ngor: A Cambodian Odyssey" and asked, "How are you still alive?" 

We learned from one another yet also got bored together. Our movie mother Joan Chen, star of "The Last Emperor" and "Twin Peaks" and now a director herself, admitted once to being scared of ghosts. As easygoing as Joan was, I'm not sure she ever forgave my prank of making spirit noises outside her door with my movie brother Dustin Nguyen, who had starred in "21 Jump Street" and who now acts in and directs episodes of "Warrior."

Reunion of 'Heaven & Earth' family

Last weekend was about the fifth time the "Heaven & Earth" family reunited after three decades. Tragically, our reunions have drawn fewer of us over time because of distance and death:

Haing survived Cambodia's Khmer Rouge only to die in a senseless shooting outside his Los Angeles home in 1996.

Costume designer Ha Nguyen, nominated for an Oscar for "The Mask," died of cancer in 2012. 

Hiep Le, our leading actress who starred as Le Ly, passed away in 2017 from complications of stomach cancer. 

Watching "Heaven & Earth" again on the big screen Sunday in Los Angeles with both my Hollywood family and my real family, I remembered how generous my movie idols were in their interactions with us non-actors: Tommy Lee Jones, playing my movie sister's husband, made sure I was comfortable in our one-on-one scene. Debbie Reynolds shared her insecurities over her Hollywood career. 

But watching scenes with my movie father Haing Ngor and my movie baby sister Hiep Le, I had to close my eyes. It hurt too much. I missed them so much. No amount of wishing could bring them back. 

What comforted me and stuck with me still is how our movie family feels like a real family after all these years. We've suffered together. We've survived together. We've partied together. 

And just like in the beginning, Le Ly and Oliver have been there at each reunion. They're both our heaven and earth. 

-Thuan Le Elston, "'You're my Kim': How I landed a Hollywood movie and a scene with Tommy Lee Jones," USA Today, Nov 18 2022 [x]

[colorcod3d]

— BASICS

STAGE NAME :: Ruby : 루비

BIRTH NAME :: Seynabou Khady Ndiaye

ENGLISH NAME :: Katy Ndiaye

KOREAN NAME :: Kim Siyeon : 김시연

BIRTHDAY :: November 17th, 1995

ZODIAC :: Scorpio

BIRTH PLACE :: Ngor, Dakar, Senegal 

HOMETOWN :: Marseille, France

ETHNICITY :: Senegalese 

NATIONALITY :: French

— CAREER

PROFESSION :: Idol

YEARS TRAINED :: 4 years

YEARS ACTIVE :: 2018 - Present

LABEL :: ANGELICO ENTERTAINMENT

GROUP :: COLORCODED

GROUP POSITION :: Main Dancer, Lead Rapper, Vocalist

COLOR :: Red

— PHYSICAL

FACECLAIM :: Samba Fatou Diouf

HEIGHT :: 179cm | 5′10.5″

BLOOD TYPE :: O+

— FUN FACTS

she was the second member of colorcoded to be revealed to the public and received a lot of mixed reactions. some people were excited to have more diversity in kpop while others cursed her out for not being asian

despite living in korea for almost 7 years as of 2021, she says she still faces a lot of microaggressions and racism from the general public

she was born in senegal but moved to france at the age of 10. her parents originally just took her on a vacation to france but ended up deciding on moving there by the end of that year

she is fluent in wolof, french, english, korean, and german. wolof, french, and english are her native languages, while she learned german in high school and korean when she became a trainee

she admitted that she had always dreamed of being a kpop idol after watching a snsd performance back when she was 13 

training was extremely difficult for her and if it wasn’t for her parents’ belief in her that she would debut and become big one day, she would have quit after only a year

a lot of fans believe that ruby should have been the leader and often refer to her as such

due to being one of the first confirmed members, the company gave her the option to choose what color she wanted and she instantly picked red

she shares a room with miss purple and miss pink

[eternal-bauhinian]

Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor Give You Up (林鄭月娥 give you up) Translated

Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is the Chinese name of Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive. She is often addressed by her surnames (both married and maiden) colloquially - Lam Cheng, which will be what I will be referring her as when the Chinese equivalent is used in the parody.

English lyrics are given in the description of the original video, but I would prefer to put a personal spin on the translation and explain a few things the original translation didn't mention.

CONTENT WARNING: Cantonese profanity, sexual slang and… spoiler alert, this is a Rickroll parody. So I would prefer to call this a Lamroll. Lamb roll? Sounds tasty to me!

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0:19-0:34

Verse #1

林鄭有惡犬護~航

無情毒氣 亂鳩咁放

平時就派謝振中 作大話

閒時鬧你暴徒 無貢獻經濟

Lam Cheng is escorted by vicious hounds*

Merciless poison gas**, [they] fucking release at random/irresponsibly

Usually she sends Tse Chun-chung*** to make up lies

In her spare time, she calls you a rioter who doesn't contribute to the economy

0:35-0:43

Pre-chorus #1

大 眾想你答應五點訴求

餘下四項 咪走數

The public wants you to agree to five demands

The remaining four**** [Demands], don't chicken out of them

0:43-1:00

Chorus #1

林鄭月娥 give you up

林鄭月娥 let you down

林鄭月娥 run around and desert you

林鄭月娥 make you cry

林鄭月娥 say goodbye

林鄭月娥 tell a lie and hurt you

1:01-1:17

Verse #2

這八十數天 太漫長

為何二百萬人 聲音你都不聽

對市民濫捕濫打 武力治民

何時問責下台 走啦屌～你

These eighty-something days***** have felt like such a long time

Why do you still disregard two million people's voices?******

[You send cops to] abuse their power and hit civilians, and use violence to rule over your people

When [will you] be held accountable [for your actions] and step down, get the fuck outta here

1:17-1:25

Pre-chorus #2

用 送中惡法氹張曉～明

祈求令阿爺變高興

Use the extradite-to-China evil law to appease Zhang Xiaoming*******

Pray to make Grandpa [Xi] happy

1:26-1:42

Chorus #2

林鄭被全港抽插

林鄭被黃天擊殺

林鄭月娥 正一賤人 賣港賊

林鄭月娥 死仆街

林鄭月娥 死柒怪

林鄭月娥 快啲下台 唔該曬

Lam Cheng gets fucked up by all of Hong Kong

Lam Cheng gets smote by the heavens

Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is a straight-up bitch, a traitor to HK

Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is a damn asshole

Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is a damn dickheaded monster

Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, hurry up and step down, please (and thank you)!

1:43-1:59

Chorus #2 repeated

2:01-2:15

Intermission

(Ooh, 七七七)

(Ooh, fuck you up)

淋病冇藥醫 淋病冇藥醫

(Ooh, 七七七)

淋病冇藥醫 淋病冇藥醫

(Fuck you up)

(Ooh, fuck, fuck, fuck.)********

(Ooh, fuck you up)

You're ill but there's no medical cure ×2

(Ooh, fuck, fuck, fuck.

You're ill but there's no medical cure ×2

(Fuck you up)

2:16-2:34

Verse #2 repeated

2:34-2:41

Pre-chorus #2 repeated

2:41-2:57

Chorus #1 repeated

2:59-3:14

Chorus #2 repeated

3:15-3:25

Chorus #2 repeated as the MV fades out.

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* Once again, the “cops are dogs” analogy.

** Tear gas is poisonous, and especially when it is expired. Guess what the cops use on protesters.

*** John Tse, a high-ranking police representative.

**** Out of the Five Demands, Carrie Lam has only fulfilled the first - to withdraw the extradition law. Then again, with the National “Security” Law in place, that law is basically back with a vengeance now.

***** The video was first livestreamed on 28 September 2019, the fifth anniversary to the start of the Umbrella Movement. As of the time of posting, we have been 375 days into the war if we count 12 June 2019 (the first tear gas firing) as the start date, and 378 days in if we count 9 June 2019 (first super mass rally) as the start, or even more if we push the limits.

****** The two-million-plus-one march of 16 June 2019, explained in a previous post.

******* Former director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office. He was demoted in February 2020, months after the release of the MV.

******** 七 (seven) is a euphemism for 柒 (which in itself is a euphemism) for a profane word which roughly translates to “dick”. I chose a different translation because it sounds better imho.

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Original video (age-restricted): https://youtu.be/_kf_fnRgvfE

[buffetlicious]

The dishes shown here are from our current favourite Fu Lee Seafood (富俐海鮮). From the tze char (煮炒) stall came these crispy Home Made Wu Xiang Prawn Rolls (自制五香虾枣) at S$10 for a small portion. These Hei Zho (虾枣) is very similiar to Ngor Hiang except that it contains more prawn than meat and it is usually tie up into segments, resembling a chain of beads, whereas Ngoh Hiang resembles sausage. Sis also packed a small portion (S$4) of the Yang Zhou Fried Rice (扬州炒饭) for herself.

Rather than ordering more separate dishes, she packed individual portion set meals (at S$5 per box) for us. Mum got her Sweet & Sour Pork Rice (咕噜肉饭) and I got the creamy sweet and tangy Thai Style Pork Chop Rice (泰式猪扒饭). Both meal boxes included a fried egg each.

[lostprofile]

Thangka of the Amitabha Buddha, 11th or early 12th c., with donor portraits at bottom.

TIBETAN THANGKA PAINTINGS

Thangka painting originated in Nepal in the 7th century, but the genre was perfected and codified in Tibet.

Tibetan thangka paintings depict either a Hindu diety inducted into Buddhism; the Buddha himself; bodhisattvas; and/or venerable teachers of the dharma. These major figures are accompanied by hosts of smaller figures, who either represent the history or lineage of the central figure or aspects of his divinity. These figures are hieratically-scaled and conceptually united in quasi-diagrammatic compositions. These schematized groupings are often set against a vaguely-defied background of clouds or landscape elements.

Thangka of Guhyasamaja in union with his consort Sparshavajrā, 17th century, Rubin Museum of Art.

Classical Tibetan thangka painting derived its figural style from Indian art and, in the 14th through 18th centuries, absorbed many of the major developments of Chinese art, particularly the construction of landscapes.

The majority of thangkas are painted on linen and then mounted on sik brocade. Luxury embroidered thangkas were also produced in Nepal and Tibet. Fifteenth-century examples embroidered with gold and silk theads, have attained record high prices at auction recently.

above: Embroidered Silk Thangka depicting Ekadasamukha Avalokiteshvara, Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period.

In Tibet, lamas, monks, teachers and lay people commissioned thangkas for a variety of religious purposes, including the accumulation of merit; instruction in Buddhism; and as an aid to meditation. The religious merit that accrued to the commissioner of a thangka honoring a particular deity or teacher could be used to ward off misfortune, to resolve a problem or cure an ailment. Merit could also be transferred to a deceased loved one in hopes of securing more favorable reincarnation.

To paraphrase Ann Shaftel, thangkas are intended to serve as a record of, and guide for contemplative experience, although this aspect of thangkas has been over-emphasized in the west. When used in meditation, the meditator focuses on the deity or teacher depicted as a means of identifying with him/her and thereby assuming the deity’s powers to combat the appropriate adversity. For example, one might be instructed by a lama to imagine oneself as a specific figure in a specific setting. One could use a thangka as a reference for the details of posture, attitude, colour, clothing. etc. A text of the same meditation would supply similar details in written descriptive form.

To be effective as religious paintings, thangkas must be created in strict accordance with established iconographic and iconometric conventions. Thangka painters learn these formulae and templates as part of a lengthy training period, which includes religious instruction concerning the deities and concepts depicted in thangkas. Thangka painters must therefore be religious themselves in order for their work to be considered valid.

While certain aspects of the genre, such as the backgrounds, are left to the artist’s discretion, thangkas are not viewed as expressions of the artist’s creativity and for this reason, they are usually not signed. In Tibet, thangka painters were valued as skilled artisans who perpetuate received truths. Traditionally, the patron is more likely to be credited with the creation of a thangka than the painter.

Influenced by western conceptions of artistic fame, originality and creativity, contemporary thangka painters, working primarily in India and Nepal, have set aside centuries of tradition by signing their work and seeking gallery representation in a quest for personal renown and reward.

above: Two Sakya Lineage Holders, Central Tibet, Ngor Monastery, 18th Century. Right: Pälden Chökyong ,34th abbot of Ngor Monastery in Central Tibet. Left: Ngorchen Künga Zangpo (ngor chen kun dga’ bzang po) (1382–1456) founder of Ngor Evam Chöden Monastery. The donor inscription reads: “This magnificent thangka painting [sku thang] along with the canopy in the communal house of Minyak at Evam [Chöden Monastery] were donated by the one born in Tibet, Lama Rinchen Lhündrup, for granting good fortune in this life and the next. May this be auspicious!”

above: Yama Thangka, Tibet or southern China, 18thc. London, British Museum. Yama is the Indian god of death, who in Tibetan Buddhism was conquered by Manjushri and made a protector of the Buddhist dharma.

above: The Dhyani Buddha Akshobhya', late 13th century, Honolulu Museum of Art. The background consists of multiple images of the Five Dhyani Buddhas.

[omokoshaban]

Former Director-General of IBC stabs wife to death

Former Director-General of IBC stabs wife to death

Sir TC Okere, the former Director-General of Imo Broadcasting Corporation is on the run after he allegedly stabbed his wife to death. The sad incident took place this morning in Imerenwe in Ngor-Okpala council area of Imo State.

Till her demise, the late wife of the former Director-General was a retiree of the Imo State Polytechnic Umuagwo. We’re still unsure of the circumstances surrounding her…

[savinghongkong]

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam reveals she is ‘facing a lot of pressure’ to rein in journalists as protests rock city

- Chief executive admits government’s handling of extradition bill was a political failure, but says she has learned a lesson from it - Lam says she has to uphold Hong Kong’s core values, including the rule of law and press freedom " Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has disclosed to an audience of global business and political chiefs that she has faced pressure to tighten control of the press and journalists in light of the ongoing social unrest. Lam also admitted her government’s handling of the now-withdrawn extradition bill, which sparked the months-long protests, was a political failure but blamed it partly on “world-class propaganda” against her administration. But the chief executive, who was in Davos, Switzerland, for the annual World Economic Forum, said she would remain in her post to “practise what she has learned” from her administration’s mistakes." “For the government to provide a political response that the protesters or the rioters want to see … will not be a very prudent way of ensuring Hong Kong’s future and public interest,” she said, when asked if she would fulfil the protesters’ demands, including an amnesty for those arrested. “I face a lot of pressure, not only from the protesters, but also from the anti-protest camp that I should control the journalists. I should make sure that they come to my office or police for identification documents before they can go down to the site to report,” Lam said. Credit to the source

[hardynwa]

Imo Police arrest women for 'ritual' child trafficking

Operatives of the Imo State Police Command have apprehended two women, Eke Chinyere and Glory Okon for selling children into child labour and ritual purposes. Our correspondent gathered that Eke Chinyere, 48 years from Umuhie in Ngor/Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State runs a baby factory at Umuguma in Owerri West Local Government Area of the state. The spokesman of the police in the state, Supol Henry Okoye said Chinyere camouflaged her baby factory as a motherless home to conceal and deceive unsuspecting members of the public. Okoye revealed that the command’s tactical team acted on an actionable intelligence before bursting the crime. He said Chinyere, upon arrest, led operatives to arrest Glory Okon, a native of Akwa Ibom State and member of the criminal syndicate. He added that on interrogation, the duo confessed to being members of syndicate that specializes in stealing children from their parents in Akwa Ibom and other parts of the country and selling them to buyers who use the children either for child labour or ritual purposes. Okoye further disclosed that Chinyere led the police operatives to her baby factory where seven stolen children and four pregnant teenagers were rescued. Read the full article

[randomidiocyncrazies]

This is the press conference held by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-Ngor. (my incoherent livetweets here)

Through the press con, she has never once apologized for the violence and excessive force used by the police, including shooting at unarmed protesters in the head without warning (which is against regulations) and firing at least 150 rounds of tear gas, 20 beanbag rounds (tiny lead balls that is capable of massive damage despite police insistence that it’s a “low level weapon”) and “unknown” rounds of rubber bullets into the crowd. 

In fact, Carrie Lam praised their efforts and defended their violent actions as “justified”—even when a CBS journalist said he was there on the site at the protests and cited that the police were the ones who started using violence, she chastised the reporter, saying he should consider the whole picture “from what you can see on the TV (protesters throwing bricks etc)” when the guy just told her he was literally there, with a 1st hand account. She also compared police using excessive force on unarmed protesters and even the press with “well, did you know that my staff was, was sort of detained?”

Oh how unfortunate, your staff was inconvenienced when the police literally shot at the heads of protesters and fired tear gas indiscriminately. Boo hoo.

Join the rally tomorrow on June 16! The bill may be postponed, but we will not accept anything other than the following:

Withdrawal of the bill: no postponing, no suspending. We want it gone.

No prosecution of protesters: especially not with the “riot” charge when the police are the ones who incited violence.

Retraction of ‘riot’ designation: the protesters were calm and peaceful. the Police were the ones who used excessive force and violence against unarmed citizens.

Investigation of shootings: the police members responsible for shooting at people’s heads—attempted murder—as well as those who instigated the violence and continued to use excessive force must have sufficient punishment. 

Carrie Lam’s resignation: she has proven that she has no legitimacy and capability to govern Hong Kong. Pack your bags and vacate the CE seat.

＃不撤回不撤退　＃反送中　#NoChinaExtradition