Episode XVII: Big Screen and Small Football

(06/02/2007)

First weekend of February brought me lots of wonderful experiences. Good old tried system says: work on the weekdays, have fun on the weekend. More or less, that is what I practice here in Kaohsiung.

I have paid a visit to Hong Kong at the end of the year 2006. Then I have become amateur of that place. Famous from Hong Kong is cinema, and I personally found it fascinating and brilliant. After coming back to Taiwan I am trying to follow some directors and actors that I became fond of.

According to that plan, with the company of my good Taiwanese friend, lately I have seen two wonderful films that will stay in my mind for a longer while. I simply love how do Hong Kong filmmakers show their city, with all its lights, immensity and ambiguity.

What I truly enjoy in Kaohsiung about going to cinema, is a variety of venues to choose. To make it clear, there are first-round cinemas and second-round cinemas. Maybe it is obvious, but in Poland we do not distinguish cinemas in such a way. Coming back to Taiwan, so-called first-round shows newest premiers and asks for pretty big ransom for it. Usually free drink is served or some wee souvenir given. It is quality.

Yet what I prefer are second-round cinemas. The reason could be, in my home-country there is no choice like that. Here, price is usually three or at least two times cheaper than the first-round. Films arrive few months after their original premier, but I do not mind waiting three months. What difference does it make?

There are some disadvantages like rubbish all around the place, people talking on their cell-phones or sometimes even lack of sharpness on the screen, but frankly speaking I do not care. It gives the place an atmosphere and that counts.

My favourite venue is, famous around the city, He-Chuen cinema, located in the neighbourhood of 2nd Dashun Road. This one is a bargain, offering two different titles for something like 60 NT dollars, which is better than cheap. Calculation is easy for me.

Apart from having fantastic time, being entertained by great films, I also have found another occasion to spend some spare time, which is playing football, better known in Taiwan as soccer. Fact is, far more popular here are baseball and basketball, so to practice football I had to meet some foreigners.

Opportunity came all of a sudden and I just found myself running around after the ball, on the school pitch near to Boai Road, accompanied by folks from England, Ireland, Canada, United States, South Africa and Salvador. It was amazing and I am absolutely looking forward to having more regular chances like that.

Working in office environment is pretty easy to end with the sedentary life style, which definitely I do not want to be familiar with and I think none of us should be. It is time to move!