四代同堂学麻将

15、37、65、90岁。这四个“大声喉”女人很会吵，打个麻将也吵个不停，阿福躲得远远的，留我一人做和事老。下面那个金发蓝眼14个月大的小朋友也凑一脚玩筹码。

Merry Xmas

阿福头上的鹿角有音乐的哦，他自己买来戴，还坚持要配红色的背心，真是搞笑。下面这些礼物只是我们准备的，全部家人到达后，礼物是堆得一整个客厅满满，可惜忘了拍照。

Ciccarelli家大团圆--吃饭啦！

一阵混乱中，抓了相机随便拍几张。人太多不便一一介绍，只要知道那个戴红帽的是阿福就行，哈。

拆礼物 啦

在众多礼物中，有至少10个是gift card， 3个massager，2个是葡萄酒。

Movie Review: The Holiday

Fun and Feel-Good
by Ralph

Just saw this movie. I have to give Cameron Diaz credit. She's more than just good looks. She was good in "In Her Shoes" and she's great in this, too. The movie is fun and reasonably plausible in its plot. Every character is really great, although Jack Black seems slightly out of place, but he's still good, and still a bit of the usual Jack Black is there, but with a softer edge. This is a great movie for the girlfriend or if you want a light fun feel-good movie. It's uncomplicated, but with some surprises and you'll get some good laughs and think about life and love, too.

Movie Review: The Pursuit of Happyness

A Little Slow but Worthy
by Ralph

I have a preference for real-life stories and this one is great. Everyone should take their kids to see this because of the lessons in character, courage and life. Will Smith does a great job. Let's face it, real life does not follow the plot of an action movie but this one is done very well. The movie is a little slow in parts but it still captivates because you never know how things will turn out. One of the main things that caught me was how much bad luck and bad timing the main character has to deal with. I love how he struggles alone with his son to overcome and succeed. I also really like the fact that there is a movie with blacks/african-americans that is NOT about the "hood", the entertainment industry or the usual stereotypical situations. This is a movie about a guy with guts, who believes in himself and perserveres. This story has a lesson for all of us. If you like movies that involve the human spirit and make you think about yourself and your life run to see this one.

Movie Review: Apocalypto

Obvioius Action, Subtle Messages
by Ralph

It's a bloody movie with lots of obvious action, obvious good and bad guys and a simple plot. However, there are lots of less obvious messages to ponder. This movie would make you think twice about multiculturalism and the equality of all cultures. At the end the Spaniards seem like a welcome relief to the bloody Mayan culture. I suspect this may be true to some degree. You have to judge a culture within its own time frame and in comparison to what else exists at the time. The Spanish Inquisition would seem like a mild annoyance compared to what you see in this movie. I'm not expert on the Mayans but I do think the Mayans and even Aztecs practiced routine human sacrifice, slavery, etc. As far as the movie goes, leave the kids home and then prepare for a ride in another more brutal time. You'll be glad to get back to your mundane middle class eurocentric life when you leave, LOL!