So to start off the new year I am going to review every movie I watch at the theater (if I reviewed every movie I watched then that would take forever since I watch at least one a day). I was going to start a completely new blog for reviews but c'mon, movies are my life so they deserve to be in the blog with my life.
It is also time-consuming and almost pointless to start a new blog since I only have like 6 readers.
Ok, some stuff to get out of the way:
- I will not reveal any more than what you can see in the movie's trailer or anything that can be read in another review. However, trailers and review reveal a lot so don't get mad at me for "spoiling" the movie.
- I will very likely go off on a random monologue once in a while. I'm just saying.
- This is my opinion. You are free to go and pay $10, watch the movie yourself, and form your own opinion.
Let's begin.
First movie of the year is Blue Valentine starring Academy Award nominees Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson) and Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain). Now, I've learned a thing or two from a really good teacher that I've had for about three semesters now and one of the most important things is this: A story is about one person, everyone else is a supporting character. Or the antagonist. So Blue Valentine is not the story of a couple whose marriage is falling apart, it's about Dean and the realization that his marriage is falling apart.
Dean is a balding house painter with no ambition. His wife,Cindy, is a nurse who no longer loves him. That's a fact. Why doesn't she love him? Who knows. Maybe because he's going bald. Maybe because he paints houses for a living and starts drinking beer at eight in the morning. Maybe because he has no ambition.
Maybe because she's selfish? (Blame it on the woman)
So to save his marriage Dean checks them in to a hotel where the rooms all have a theme. They have a choice between Cupid's Cove and The Future Room. The fact that Cindy chooses The Future Room should be a big fat sign of what's about to happen. From here we go back and forth between the present depressing day and the past where love was fresh and new and people believed in love at first sight. We see that Dean was once a young, handsome and Caring guy (yeah, I mean that with a capital C). And we meet Cindy, studying to be a doctor and dating a douchebag wrestler. During one family dinner, as her father belittles her mother, she wonders if they were ever in love.
That's the setting and if I say more then I'll give away the film (which I promise to never do). But I love the contrast between how these people met, fell in love, and became a couple and how they are now. In terms of the film and how it's shot most of the camera either focuses on Williams or Gosling and I do mean focus. We are right in their face during arguments, trying to read their reactions and expressions. You can't do this with just any random actors. Nope, you have to have people that are good and Williams and Gosling are effing perfect. In fact, Williams is so damn good that if I had a vote I'd give it to her over Natalie Portman. And I'm a Portman fan! But I'm a true believer in less is more and while Portman went all out and worked her ass off for months to do ballet training and whatnot, Williams just delivers. I can't wait to see her as Marylin Monroe.
The movie as a whole is good and sad and sweet. Originally it received an NC-17 rating which going in I thought I'd catch a glimpse of little Ryan but no such luck. In fact, the movie's pretty tame compared to other films I've seen. I can't quite understand the reasoning behind it and neither could Harvey Weinstein. That's why he got a team of lawyers and threatened to sue if they didn't change it to an R, which they did. Just so that you are not surprised I think there are three or four "love scenes" in the film and one joke involving a child molester and a little boy.
If you're a pessimist in terms of love and marriage then, well, this is the movie for you. If you're an optimist, well, let me recommend ANOTHER movie for you: The Kids are All Right. It's with Annette Benning, Julianne Moore, and Mark Ruffalo. It's fun, funny, and all that stuff put together. There are also about three or four scenes in that one too. So no matter which one you pick you get to see some action.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Sunday, December 19, 2010
New Sheet of Paper
Okay kids it's time for New Year's Resolutions! (It's actually a little soon but I'm having the WORSE trouble finishing the previous blog and so you'll all just have to deal with it).
I must confess that despite the fact that 2010 was not the greatest year, I actually did all of the things I resolved to do. Which is pretty amazing and maybe there is some tructh to this "write things down" theory. Kudos to whomever thought it up.
Now, every year (every damn year) we all say the same thing "This year went by sooo fast." No it didn't. It was, always has been and always will be 365 days (okay, okay, except fot he leap year which is just an extra 24 hours that I use to catch up on my sleep).
So let's recap 2010 and see how fast this year really wasn't:
I was still working in January and we came back from spending Christmas and New Year's in Mexico. In February my brother went to Afghanistan. At the end of February and during March I stayed in LA to help out the fam, and thus ended up watching a lot of cable television. It was at this time that I developed a crush on Adam Richman from Man v. Food. Because he's a fat kid, just like me. And how great is it to travel the country and just eat? :-)
The end of March and most of April were kind of a blur and that's a good thing because judging from my previous posts during that time... they were not good times.
In May I traveled! Yep, highlight of the year was getting in my car and driving north. I hit San Fran, Portland, and Seattle. Good times all around!
June, July, August, September... basically the entire summer was ups and downs. Went back to Mexico, became a dual citizen (hooray for double taxes), had a series of bad things happen, lost 15 pounds, and came home.
October and November brought good prospects (financially at least). It turns out that, yes my life is unbalanced, but at least that gives me the privilege to find good work quickly. And so the circle of life continues, because we are back where we started last year. Literally, because I live in the same city and I work at the same company and nothing has changed.
Or has it?
Well, the answer to that question is... I am wiser. ALTHOUGH this newfound knowledge will probably not stop me from doing something completely stupid. Some mistakes you don't learn from the first time, or they're so good you're willing to fall flat on your face again.
Anyway! Resolutions:
1) Work hard and play hard. I said that I was back at my old job, which I'm seriously grateful for, but there's a twist involved and I'm going to have to prove myself. Of course with work comes cash and with cash comes fun. And I'm gonna have some fun this year.
2) Volunteer/Be Charitable. In the wise words of Cher (from Clueless, not the singer) "we should do something good for mankind or the planet for a couple of hours." Thus I will find time to volunteer.
3) Keep writing. Did I mention that I finish the certificate requirements next semester? Yeah baby! Three more classes and I get a piece of paper that says I'm at least qualified to write. If I write a little each week (so so so trying for that to be every day) then I might be qualified to be labeled as a good writer.
4) Travel. Is anyone surprised? 2011 is bringing quite a few travel prospects already. There is the open invitation I have to visit my peeps in Syracuse which will bring me one step closer to NYC. Then there's a wedding in Mexico being planned. I absolutely want to go to Comic-Con (it counts even if it's San Diego). And of course I must go to Harry Potter Land in Orlando, though this one seems like a slim chance I'm not ruling it out just yet.
5) Reverse the Curse! No, I'm not talking about the White Sox. I'm talking about the curse that has befallen the women in our family. The Curse of the Sipisapo :-o
Last year I did not make this one of my resolutions but obviously Fate is busy setting up the rest of the world and Cupid is so drunk that he manages to shoot his arrows JUST past me. So... (you read it here first) I am going to actively work to break the curse.
Let's see: work, play, volunteer, play... and hopefully play some more ;) Okay, so it looks like once again I've set myself up for a HUGE failure, which is just the way that I like it. What? I'm a Scorpio, that should say it all.
Bring on 2011!
I must confess that despite the fact that 2010 was not the greatest year, I actually did all of the things I resolved to do. Which is pretty amazing and maybe there is some tructh to this "write things down" theory. Kudos to whomever thought it up.
Now, every year (every damn year) we all say the same thing "This year went by sooo fast." No it didn't. It was, always has been and always will be 365 days (okay, okay, except fot he leap year which is just an extra 24 hours that I use to catch up on my sleep).
So let's recap 2010 and see how fast this year really wasn't:
I was still working in January and we came back from spending Christmas and New Year's in Mexico. In February my brother went to Afghanistan. At the end of February and during March I stayed in LA to help out the fam, and thus ended up watching a lot of cable television. It was at this time that I developed a crush on Adam Richman from Man v. Food. Because he's a fat kid, just like me. And how great is it to travel the country and just eat? :-)
The end of March and most of April were kind of a blur and that's a good thing because judging from my previous posts during that time... they were not good times.
In May I traveled! Yep, highlight of the year was getting in my car and driving north. I hit San Fran, Portland, and Seattle. Good times all around!
June, July, August, September... basically the entire summer was ups and downs. Went back to Mexico, became a dual citizen (hooray for double taxes), had a series of bad things happen, lost 15 pounds, and came home.
October and November brought good prospects (financially at least). It turns out that, yes my life is unbalanced, but at least that gives me the privilege to find good work quickly. And so the circle of life continues, because we are back where we started last year. Literally, because I live in the same city and I work at the same company and nothing has changed.
Or has it?
Well, the answer to that question is... I am wiser. ALTHOUGH this newfound knowledge will probably not stop me from doing something completely stupid. Some mistakes you don't learn from the first time, or they're so good you're willing to fall flat on your face again.
Anyway! Resolutions:
1) Work hard and play hard. I said that I was back at my old job, which I'm seriously grateful for, but there's a twist involved and I'm going to have to prove myself. Of course with work comes cash and with cash comes fun. And I'm gonna have some fun this year.
2) Volunteer/Be Charitable. In the wise words of Cher (from Clueless, not the singer) "we should do something good for mankind or the planet for a couple of hours." Thus I will find time to volunteer.
3) Keep writing. Did I mention that I finish the certificate requirements next semester? Yeah baby! Three more classes and I get a piece of paper that says I'm at least qualified to write. If I write a little each week (so so so trying for that to be every day) then I might be qualified to be labeled as a good writer.
4) Travel. Is anyone surprised? 2011 is bringing quite a few travel prospects already. There is the open invitation I have to visit my peeps in Syracuse which will bring me one step closer to NYC. Then there's a wedding in Mexico being planned. I absolutely want to go to Comic-Con (it counts even if it's San Diego). And of course I must go to Harry Potter Land in Orlando, though this one seems like a slim chance I'm not ruling it out just yet.
5) Reverse the Curse! No, I'm not talking about the White Sox. I'm talking about the curse that has befallen the women in our family. The Curse of the Sipisapo :-o
Last year I did not make this one of my resolutions but obviously Fate is busy setting up the rest of the world and Cupid is so drunk that he manages to shoot his arrows JUST past me. So... (you read it here first) I am going to actively work to break the curse.
Let's see: work, play, volunteer, play... and hopefully play some more ;) Okay, so it looks like once again I've set myself up for a HUGE failure, which is just the way that I like it. What? I'm a Scorpio, that should say it all.
Bring on 2011!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Remember, Remember, The Month of November
Methinks I have figured something out about me: I am afraid I might be suffering from nerves/anxiety. I think it started right before I moved to Mexico. Too much going on in the brain, too much going on in my life. So I went to Mexico to relax but the mind is a tricky thing. I got sick more than once and for unexplained reasons. The first month that I was here I was extremely nervous and shaky (so much that I went to the hospital, where they poked and prodded me and then sent me home without a single prescription).
But November, I am happy to report, has been a good month. If you think about it I've only been back for a couple of months so it will take sime time to recoup from whatever is ailing me. You see November is the month of my birth which means that the Sun and my star are probably well-aligned or something like that. I don't know. All I know about Scorpios is that we are passionate about everything (which probably explains the anxiety, if you think about it).
So thanks to my friends (No, really. I owe you guys some chocolate-chip cookies) and a lot of shopping, I've managed to at least put a name to my dilemma. I've been relatively calm these past four weeks.
First there was the Shakira concert (not exactly in November, but close enough), then my peeps came down from Prescott to hang out for my birthday and brave the late hours and freezing weather to catch the midnight show of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (and eat mountains of sushi), and finally Thanksgiving which brought with it food and shopping.
I am happy to report that the nerves have easened up. Now, before you all start freaking out (all six of you faithful readers) I have to say that it is not as bad as what I've read or seen. If I fall over Tony Soprano-style then I should probably see a professional (Hooray for health insurance! Imagine if we all had it). But for now it will be calmness, a bit of yoga, and probably an attempt to be more sociable.
So far it looks like the goal that I've set out for myself in my 28th year is working. I did what I wanted to do and I spent a lot of money. And I totally felt better :)
Onward then towards 2011. I'll have a new job (sorta), new apartment (definitely), new... ??
But November, I am happy to report, has been a good month. If you think about it I've only been back for a couple of months so it will take sime time to recoup from whatever is ailing me. You see November is the month of my birth which means that the Sun and my star are probably well-aligned or something like that. I don't know. All I know about Scorpios is that we are passionate about everything (which probably explains the anxiety, if you think about it).
So thanks to my friends (No, really. I owe you guys some chocolate-chip cookies) and a lot of shopping, I've managed to at least put a name to my dilemma. I've been relatively calm these past four weeks.
First there was the Shakira concert (not exactly in November, but close enough), then my peeps came down from Prescott to hang out for my birthday and brave the late hours and freezing weather to catch the midnight show of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (and eat mountains of sushi), and finally Thanksgiving which brought with it food and shopping.
I am happy to report that the nerves have easened up. Now, before you all start freaking out (all six of you faithful readers) I have to say that it is not as bad as what I've read or seen. If I fall over Tony Soprano-style then I should probably see a professional (Hooray for health insurance! Imagine if we all had it). But for now it will be calmness, a bit of yoga, and probably an attempt to be more sociable.
So far it looks like the goal that I've set out for myself in my 28th year is working. I did what I wanted to do and I spent a lot of money. And I totally felt better :)
Onward then towards 2011. I'll have a new job (sorta), new apartment (definitely), new... ??
Friday, November 5, 2010
Get Ready for the Me Network
November has begun! Which means... it's my month! That's right, it's my birthday month and my favorite holiday month. Yes friends, in less than two weeks time I will be 28. Now, when I turned 27 I said that it was going to be a great year. I had me some good times and I, of course, did a lot of traveling. I also didn't work for about 8 months so that definitely goes in the "YAY" column. But there were things that went wrong too. First, I tried moving to Puerto Vallarta and it didn't work out for me. It was sad, yes, but a learning experience. Second? Well, let's just say that it was also a learning experience. What did I learn? That I don't care. In fact, I finished that lesson just recently.
So with that, I am enacting executive order number 123: The I don't give a f*** order.
My resolution for the next twelve months is plain and simple: I'm going to be selfish. I'm going to do what I want, when I want, and how I want.
Weren't you selfish before?
Um...no, but thanks for asking. Well, maybe I've always been a little selfish but I've always put others before myself. Well, you know what? That stops November 16th, at least for non-family members.
You seem a little upset.
That''s probably because I am! Don't get me wrong, I live a pretty privileged life and I have (knock on wood) my health. But that doesn't mean I don't have the right to be a little pissed especially since I've been a good person, I've followed all the rules, and was/is honest.
We are still going to have some good times. There will be travelling and I plan to spend an obscene amount of money. Some things are going to change for 2011, so hold on to your seats.
So with that, I am enacting executive order number 123: The I don't give a f*** order.
My resolution for the next twelve months is plain and simple: I'm going to be selfish. I'm going to do what I want, when I want, and how I want.
Weren't you selfish before?
Um...no, but thanks for asking. Well, maybe I've always been a little selfish but I've always put others before myself. Well, you know what? That stops November 16th, at least for non-family members.
You seem a little upset.
That''s probably because I am! Don't get me wrong, I live a pretty privileged life and I have (knock on wood) my health. But that doesn't mean I don't have the right to be a little pissed especially since I've been a good person, I've followed all the rules, and was/is honest.
We are still going to have some good times. There will be travelling and I plan to spend an obscene amount of money. Some things are going to change for 2011, so hold on to your seats.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Sing! Dance! Howl?
This weekend (because I've made Mondays part of the weekend now) I was in Anaheim for one of the best shows: Shakira en concierto!
I had to drive my ass to Anaheim because La Loca is boycotting Arizona. Therefore I have the following:
Dear Governor Brewer,
I am sending this note along with a copy of two gas receipts for my recent trip to and from Anaheim, CA. I am requesting reimbursement in the total amount of $63.45 from you due to the fact that, had you not signed law SB1070 I would have walked from my place of work over to the Shakira concert instead of driving five hours each way. Thank you for your attention on this matter. Go Suns!
Anyway...
I've been wanting to attend a Shakira concert for years. Among the people I want to see in concert before I die (or worse, before they die) are Madonna, U2, Vicente Fernandez (who is playing in Los Angeles around my birthday if anyone wants to get me a kick-ass gift), and Eminem.
The day of the concert was, as always, stressful. Homework, e-mails, check-in at work, have lunch with bro, visit the new baby. Adding to this I forgot the shirt I was planning on wearing and the camera. I had to borrow a shirt but the camera was sad because now I have to depend on someone else to take a good picture of me (not easy). THEN we leave late. So late that the line of cars to find parking was all the way around the block. Because we are fat kids we decided to pay $20 instead of walking a long way.
Big mistake.
It took us approximately 30 minutes to reach the two idiots manning the line, all so they could tell us that there was no more parking. Either we shell out another $10 for VIP or we save $10 and walk. I may be a fat kid, but I'm a cheap fat kid. So we walk. And walk. And walk. The parking was (no joke) on the other side of the freeway.
Thankfully, the concert had not started. In fact we arrived with time to spare.
From this moment on I don't want anybody to give me any bad news. In fact, I left the phone at the house. I spend all day willing the phone to ring, except for right now. I shelled out a pretty penny for this seat and damnit I'm gonna enjoy this! While I'm on this tiny subject can I just say how annoying it is to stand next to someone who is sitting down with a sour look on their face. The woman is doing a half-naked bellydance and the guy next to me acts like he's watching The English Patient (aka a boring movie). I'm pretty sure the only reason he finally got up was because he was tired of my big butt in his face.
Okay! The concert was awesome. First, because Shakira came out from the tunnel where we were standing. That's right, we got to see her from super-close. She was wearing this huge pink ensemble a la Lady Gaga and walked slowly from the tunnel to the stage, saying hello and stopping to greet her fans. Then, it's time to dance bitches! At least for most of us because my neighbor had to keep both hands on his lady's purse.
I think if I look at my iPod I can tell all of the songs that she sang. But I'm not going to do that. So just trust me that there were about 3 or 4 from every album except "Piez Descalzos" which is a great album :(
During the second set the music calmed down and we got a great rendition of Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" acoustic-style. Plus, some Flamenco dancing that was pretty intense. My complaint, because I must have one, is the lack of Spanish spoken and sung. If there was a version of a song in English, then she sang it in English and all of her comments were in English.
It's not really fair but consider this: The other day a letter was sent to the Arizona Republic complaining about the ballots being in English and in Spanish. The writer asked why this was necessary if people should pass an English test to become citizens.
That's what you call the other side of the coin. In my opinion Shakira should have made a bigger effort to make her show more bilingual.
But back to singing and dancing.
We howled to the moon with She-Wolf, rocked out to Whenever, Wherever, and danced to Loca. The best part was during Ojos Asi (sung, surprisingly, in Spanish). She walked to the center of the stage and did a bellydance that left the crowd with their jaws hanging and some men with saliva on their chin. I'm going to go on the record and say that I suspect Shakira is double-jointed.
Now you might think that I perhaps envy her beauty, talent, and ridiculous ability to move her hips, but I don't. It's not about what Shakira can do and I can't, it's about what I can and she can't. Such as eat an avocado-bacon-cheeseburger with onion rings on the side; I'm also a good two inches taller so I can reach things she can't; and... let's be honest, I'm a better translator. Take note boys, take note.
The show ended with a shower of confetti and all of us singing that summer tune Waka Waka. At least it was the summer tune for the World Cup watchers, don't know what the rest of the world was doing.
We came out of the Honda Center feeling very content and apparently we were also hungry. I didn't notice it until the delicious smell of hot dogs wrapped in bacon (I wonder if Shakira can eat these? If she can't then add one more thing to the list). We got to one of the vendors and asked the price. Four dollars.
Okay, here's the thing. I thought the price was insane but almost a week later I realize that it's actually not a bad price. Consider that we were at an event, I had just shelled out $10 for parking and $25 for a souvenir. $4 was actually not that bad.
But wait! There's another lady selling hot dogs. Without asking for a price I requested a dog and handed over a $5 bill. I'd like to mention that my good luck began and ended with the concert, because this particular hot dog cost, not $4, but $5. Yep, I sure as hell felt like an idiot asking for my ONE DOLLAR change. Cuz I wasn't getting it, lol.
We headed home, feet sore, our ears pounding with the ghost of the songs we'd just heard, our cheeks hurting from smiling. It was a great night :)
I had to drive my ass to Anaheim because La Loca is boycotting Arizona. Therefore I have the following:
Dear Governor Brewer,
I am sending this note along with a copy of two gas receipts for my recent trip to and from Anaheim, CA. I am requesting reimbursement in the total amount of $63.45 from you due to the fact that, had you not signed law SB1070 I would have walked from my place of work over to the Shakira concert instead of driving five hours each way. Thank you for your attention on this matter. Go Suns!
Anyway...
I've been wanting to attend a Shakira concert for years. Among the people I want to see in concert before I die (or worse, before they die) are Madonna, U2, Vicente Fernandez (who is playing in Los Angeles around my birthday if anyone wants to get me a kick-ass gift), and Eminem.
The day of the concert was, as always, stressful. Homework, e-mails, check-in at work, have lunch with bro, visit the new baby. Adding to this I forgot the shirt I was planning on wearing and the camera. I had to borrow a shirt but the camera was sad because now I have to depend on someone else to take a good picture of me (not easy). THEN we leave late. So late that the line of cars to find parking was all the way around the block. Because we are fat kids we decided to pay $20 instead of walking a long way.
Big mistake.
It took us approximately 30 minutes to reach the two idiots manning the line, all so they could tell us that there was no more parking. Either we shell out another $10 for VIP or we save $10 and walk. I may be a fat kid, but I'm a cheap fat kid. So we walk. And walk. And walk. The parking was (no joke) on the other side of the freeway.
Thankfully, the concert had not started. In fact we arrived with time to spare.
From this moment on I don't want anybody to give me any bad news. In fact, I left the phone at the house. I spend all day willing the phone to ring, except for right now. I shelled out a pretty penny for this seat and damnit I'm gonna enjoy this! While I'm on this tiny subject can I just say how annoying it is to stand next to someone who is sitting down with a sour look on their face. The woman is doing a half-naked bellydance and the guy next to me acts like he's watching The English Patient (aka a boring movie). I'm pretty sure the only reason he finally got up was because he was tired of my big butt in his face.
Okay! The concert was awesome. First, because Shakira came out from the tunnel where we were standing. That's right, we got to see her from super-close. She was wearing this huge pink ensemble a la Lady Gaga and walked slowly from the tunnel to the stage, saying hello and stopping to greet her fans. Then, it's time to dance bitches! At least for most of us because my neighbor had to keep both hands on his lady's purse.
I think if I look at my iPod I can tell all of the songs that she sang. But I'm not going to do that. So just trust me that there were about 3 or 4 from every album except "Piez Descalzos" which is a great album :(
During the second set the music calmed down and we got a great rendition of Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" acoustic-style. Plus, some Flamenco dancing that was pretty intense. My complaint, because I must have one, is the lack of Spanish spoken and sung. If there was a version of a song in English, then she sang it in English and all of her comments were in English.
It's not really fair but consider this: The other day a letter was sent to the Arizona Republic complaining about the ballots being in English and in Spanish. The writer asked why this was necessary if people should pass an English test to become citizens.
That's what you call the other side of the coin. In my opinion Shakira should have made a bigger effort to make her show more bilingual.
But back to singing and dancing.
We howled to the moon with She-Wolf, rocked out to Whenever, Wherever, and danced to Loca. The best part was during Ojos Asi (sung, surprisingly, in Spanish). She walked to the center of the stage and did a bellydance that left the crowd with their jaws hanging and some men with saliva on their chin. I'm going to go on the record and say that I suspect Shakira is double-jointed.
Now you might think that I perhaps envy her beauty, talent, and ridiculous ability to move her hips, but I don't. It's not about what Shakira can do and I can't, it's about what I can and she can't. Such as eat an avocado-bacon-cheeseburger with onion rings on the side; I'm also a good two inches taller so I can reach things she can't; and... let's be honest, I'm a better translator. Take note boys, take note.
The show ended with a shower of confetti and all of us singing that summer tune Waka Waka. At least it was the summer tune for the World Cup watchers, don't know what the rest of the world was doing.
We came out of the Honda Center feeling very content and apparently we were also hungry. I didn't notice it until the delicious smell of hot dogs wrapped in bacon (I wonder if Shakira can eat these? If she can't then add one more thing to the list). We got to one of the vendors and asked the price. Four dollars.
Okay, here's the thing. I thought the price was insane but almost a week later I realize that it's actually not a bad price. Consider that we were at an event, I had just shelled out $10 for parking and $25 for a souvenir. $4 was actually not that bad.
But wait! There's another lady selling hot dogs. Without asking for a price I requested a dog and handed over a $5 bill. I'd like to mention that my good luck began and ended with the concert, because this particular hot dog cost, not $4, but $5. Yep, I sure as hell felt like an idiot asking for my ONE DOLLAR change. Cuz I wasn't getting it, lol.
We headed home, feet sore, our ears pounding with the ghost of the songs we'd just heard, our cheeks hurting from smiling. It was a great night :)
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Tip #5 Para Sentirte Mejor: Baila con Shakira
Mi primer concierto fue ir a las fiestas de Mayo en Vallarta a ver a Ricky Martin. Historia verdadera. En aquel entonces el usaba su pelo largo y unos aretotes redondos. Me pasaron al mero en frente y canto "Susanaaaa, Susanaaa, me muero por tu amor..."
Ayer, mis primas y yo fuimos a ver a la artista Latina mas grande del mundo: nuestra amiguis la Shaquis (o sea Shakira para ustedes que no son del circulo de confianza).
Pero antes de que les cuente como nos fue, regresemonos un poco, porque Shakira sera la artista Latina mas grande del mundo pero este blog se trata de mi.
El dia del concierto todas nos despertamos con mucha anticipacion. Pero yo tambien traia cansancio y estres. Tenia muchisisisisima tarea que terminar, un e-mail importante que mandar, y, como siempre, tenia que tener un ojo abierto para los muchachos solteros. Despues de dos horas sentada en Starbucks fui a comer con mi hermano un burrito gigante a Chipotle :) Media dormida y con la barriga de tres meses de gestacion, nos regresamos a la casa pero como no habia nada en la tele me fui a visitar al nuevo miembro de la familia. El pequeno Jacob se desperto por aproximadamente diez minutos y decidio que no hay nada interesante en este nuevo mundo y se volvio a dormir. Nos fuimos a la casa a arreglarnos y fue cuando me di cuenta que la blusa que me iba a poner estaba a 300 millas de distancia.
Tambien se me olvido la camara y mi nueva chamarra :(
Pero al menos no se me olvido el boleto (Gracias a mi mama).
Como suele suceder en nuestra familia, ya ibamos tarde. Llegamos a la salida del freeway y vimos un anuncio que decia "Parking $5".
"Pero tenemos que caminar un chingo! Mejor pagamos los $20. Que al cabo entre todas no es mucho."
Pues vamonos. Duramos mas de media hora en una linea eterna de carros administrada por dos individuos que no conocen otra velocidad mas que la lentitud. Cuando por fin llegamos se nos informa que tenemos dos opciones: Pagar $10 mas y estacionarnos donde estamos o pagar $10 menos y caminar varias cuadras.
Decidimos caminar. Que tan lejos puede estar este otro estacionamiento?
Nos dijeron que encontraramos al muchacho con la lampara y cuando lo encontramos tuvimos que gritarle "Hey, where is the $10 parking!"
"Oh, take a left until you see another guy."
Pues toma tu "left". Tuvimos que pasar por debajo del freeway para encontrar al otro individuo.
La hora es 8:45! Una de dos: Shakira va a empezar el show tarde (cruzen los dedos) o ya nos perdimos una buena parte del show. Por suerte los conciertos nunca empiezan a la hora. Llegamos todavia con tiempo de sobra. Si, nos dolian los piezitos porque corrimos como media milla, pero llegamos a tiempo.
Y empieza el show. Primero, vimos a varios trabajadores salir justamente del tunel donde estaban nuestros asientos. Se juntaron las manos y un camarografo se puso en pose.
OMG Shakira va a salir de aqui!!!
Bajan las luces y sale del tunel vestida de rosa fosforesente cantando "Pienso en Ti". Mientras que llega al escenario saluda a su publico y hasta se para a que le tomen fotos y a dar la mano. Desde ese primer momento se creo una conexion entre la artista y su publico y no se solto. Hubo varios sets, desde el Rock, al Flamenco, al Club Mix (o pues lo que se llame cuando uno baila en los clubs), al baile Arabe, y finalmente el Waka Waka.
Mis partes favoritas fueron, primero, cuando se calmo el ritmo y se juntaron Shakira y sus musicos a tocar "Nothing Else Matters" de Metallica en forma acustica. Despues de eso se puso a bailar al son del tambor como esas culebras que se mueven al tono de la flauta. Mi unica queja (porque nadie es perfecto) es que cancion que tenia su version en Ingles fue cantada en Ingles. Incluyendo "Gitana" que es la cancion que considero personalmente mia (quien mas puede puede decir "aprovechame hoy que si llegue ayer me puedo ir manana"?). Mi teoria es que se hizo asi para los fans que no hablan nuestro bello idioma. Si estuviera viendo esto en Mexico o Colombia me imagino que todas las canciones serian en Espanol (o al menos espero que asi sea). Cualquiera que sea la razon, no entiendo ni papas cuando oigo las canciones en Ingles.
La segunda mejor parte del show, fue durante "Ojos Asi". Si se ponen a pensar esta es la cancion que cambio todo el ritmo de Shakira. La diferencia entre el album Donde Estan Los Ladrones y Laundry Service es que 1) se cambia el pelo de negro a guero y 2) hay mas baile y menos ropa. Pero en fin. Durante la cancion Shakira se pasa en medio del escenario y baila en ritmo arabe, ahora las culebras hipnotizadas somos nosotros. No creo que haiga habido alguien que no quedo con la boca abierta. Si en ese momento hubiera llegado el tan esperado Gran Terremoto de California, a todos nos hubiera costado un momento reaccionar. Cuando termino la cancion todos los hombres pensaron tristemente lo mismo: Mi novia no puede hacer eso. Y todas las mujeres pensaron tristemente: Yo no puedo hacer eso.
Pero yo pense alegremente: Yo no puedo hacer eso, pero si pudiera estaria hecha de puros huesos y, como dice mi mama, las gorditas estamos de moda ahorita.
El show culmino con todo mundo bailando el Waka Waka (en Ingles) y con confetti lloviendo del techo. Shakira nunca perdio la sonrisa ni la increible energia que carga. Hubiera querido oir mas de las viejas canciones de cuando traia el pelo negro y cargaba su guitarra (en vez de ciertas canciones), pero no se puede tener todo.
Al salir del show, como siempre, no faltan las personas con ingenio para sacar un dolar. Estaban los vendedores de camisetas que antes del show costaban $10 pero despues del show estaban a mitad de precio. Y tambien llegaron los vendedores de comida, especificamente de hot dogs. De esos que estan envueltos en tocino y tienen cebollita y jitomate dorado. Si, esos.
Pues nos llego el olor y nos fuimos directamente al vendedor mas cercano.
"Cuanto?"
"Cuatro dolares."
"Que?! Eso es un robo!"
Me fui a otro vendedor que tambien me dio el mismo precio y para esto ya mi estomago estaba pidiendo que le mandara algo de comida. Como dure mucho en decidirme el muchacho atendio a otros, entonces me di la vuelta y encontre a una mujer que apenas estaba llegando.
"Deme uno"
Me avento mi hot dog, le di un billete de $5, y siguio a atender a mi prima que tambien le pago con un billete de $5. Cuando volteo conmigo le pregunte "Y mi dolar?"
Y ella me contesto "Cuestan $5"
La leccion: Pregunten cuanto cuesta algo antes de pedirlo.
Nos fuimos bien contentas con nuestro hot dog de $5 y chupandonos los dedos porque parece que las servilletas tambien estaban en venta. Pero no le hace, terminamos la noche contentas, roncas de cantar, cansadas de bailar, y muertas de la risa.
Nota: Esta es la primera vez, y tal vez la ultima, que escribo un blog en Espanol. La razon numero uno por la que nunca lo he hecho es que es mas dificil para mi. A pesar de que este es mi primer idioma y lo hablo todos los dias, me cuesta trabajo sacar mis ideas. Desafortunadamente tengo que pensarlas en Ingles y despues traducirlas. Esto es porque la mayor parte de mis estudios han sido en Ingles, y aprendi a pensar en este idioma. Increible como funciona el cerebro humano. Creo que por eso no me gustan las canciones de Shakira cuando son en Ingles, porque no creo que es posible que las escriba con la misma emocion que en Espanol.
La otra razon es que no encuentro como poner la enye y no soporto que algo este mal escrito.
Ayer, mis primas y yo fuimos a ver a la artista Latina mas grande del mundo: nuestra amiguis la Shaquis (o sea Shakira para ustedes que no son del circulo de confianza).
Pero antes de que les cuente como nos fue, regresemonos un poco, porque Shakira sera la artista Latina mas grande del mundo pero este blog se trata de mi.
El dia del concierto todas nos despertamos con mucha anticipacion. Pero yo tambien traia cansancio y estres. Tenia muchisisisisima tarea que terminar, un e-mail importante que mandar, y, como siempre, tenia que tener un ojo abierto para los muchachos solteros. Despues de dos horas sentada en Starbucks fui a comer con mi hermano un burrito gigante a Chipotle :) Media dormida y con la barriga de tres meses de gestacion, nos regresamos a la casa pero como no habia nada en la tele me fui a visitar al nuevo miembro de la familia. El pequeno Jacob se desperto por aproximadamente diez minutos y decidio que no hay nada interesante en este nuevo mundo y se volvio a dormir. Nos fuimos a la casa a arreglarnos y fue cuando me di cuenta que la blusa que me iba a poner estaba a 300 millas de distancia.
Tambien se me olvido la camara y mi nueva chamarra :(
Pero al menos no se me olvido el boleto (Gracias a mi mama).
Como suele suceder en nuestra familia, ya ibamos tarde. Llegamos a la salida del freeway y vimos un anuncio que decia "Parking $5".
"Pero tenemos que caminar un chingo! Mejor pagamos los $20. Que al cabo entre todas no es mucho."
Pues vamonos. Duramos mas de media hora en una linea eterna de carros administrada por dos individuos que no conocen otra velocidad mas que la lentitud. Cuando por fin llegamos se nos informa que tenemos dos opciones: Pagar $10 mas y estacionarnos donde estamos o pagar $10 menos y caminar varias cuadras.
Decidimos caminar. Que tan lejos puede estar este otro estacionamiento?
Nos dijeron que encontraramos al muchacho con la lampara y cuando lo encontramos tuvimos que gritarle "Hey, where is the $10 parking!"
"Oh, take a left until you see another guy."
Pues toma tu "left". Tuvimos que pasar por debajo del freeway para encontrar al otro individuo.
La hora es 8:45! Una de dos: Shakira va a empezar el show tarde (cruzen los dedos) o ya nos perdimos una buena parte del show. Por suerte los conciertos nunca empiezan a la hora. Llegamos todavia con tiempo de sobra. Si, nos dolian los piezitos porque corrimos como media milla, pero llegamos a tiempo.
Y empieza el show. Primero, vimos a varios trabajadores salir justamente del tunel donde estaban nuestros asientos. Se juntaron las manos y un camarografo se puso en pose.
OMG Shakira va a salir de aqui!!!
Bajan las luces y sale del tunel vestida de rosa fosforesente cantando "Pienso en Ti". Mientras que llega al escenario saluda a su publico y hasta se para a que le tomen fotos y a dar la mano. Desde ese primer momento se creo una conexion entre la artista y su publico y no se solto. Hubo varios sets, desde el Rock, al Flamenco, al Club Mix (o pues lo que se llame cuando uno baila en los clubs), al baile Arabe, y finalmente el Waka Waka.
Mis partes favoritas fueron, primero, cuando se calmo el ritmo y se juntaron Shakira y sus musicos a tocar "Nothing Else Matters" de Metallica en forma acustica. Despues de eso se puso a bailar al son del tambor como esas culebras que se mueven al tono de la flauta. Mi unica queja (porque nadie es perfecto) es que cancion que tenia su version en Ingles fue cantada en Ingles. Incluyendo "Gitana" que es la cancion que considero personalmente mia (quien mas puede puede decir "aprovechame hoy que si llegue ayer me puedo ir manana"?). Mi teoria es que se hizo asi para los fans que no hablan nuestro bello idioma. Si estuviera viendo esto en Mexico o Colombia me imagino que todas las canciones serian en Espanol (o al menos espero que asi sea). Cualquiera que sea la razon, no entiendo ni papas cuando oigo las canciones en Ingles.
La segunda mejor parte del show, fue durante "Ojos Asi". Si se ponen a pensar esta es la cancion que cambio todo el ritmo de Shakira. La diferencia entre el album Donde Estan Los Ladrones y Laundry Service es que 1) se cambia el pelo de negro a guero y 2) hay mas baile y menos ropa. Pero en fin. Durante la cancion Shakira se pasa en medio del escenario y baila en ritmo arabe, ahora las culebras hipnotizadas somos nosotros. No creo que haiga habido alguien que no quedo con la boca abierta. Si en ese momento hubiera llegado el tan esperado Gran Terremoto de California, a todos nos hubiera costado un momento reaccionar. Cuando termino la cancion todos los hombres pensaron tristemente lo mismo: Mi novia no puede hacer eso. Y todas las mujeres pensaron tristemente: Yo no puedo hacer eso.
Pero yo pense alegremente: Yo no puedo hacer eso, pero si pudiera estaria hecha de puros huesos y, como dice mi mama, las gorditas estamos de moda ahorita.
El show culmino con todo mundo bailando el Waka Waka (en Ingles) y con confetti lloviendo del techo. Shakira nunca perdio la sonrisa ni la increible energia que carga. Hubiera querido oir mas de las viejas canciones de cuando traia el pelo negro y cargaba su guitarra (en vez de ciertas canciones), pero no se puede tener todo.
Al salir del show, como siempre, no faltan las personas con ingenio para sacar un dolar. Estaban los vendedores de camisetas que antes del show costaban $10 pero despues del show estaban a mitad de precio. Y tambien llegaron los vendedores de comida, especificamente de hot dogs. De esos que estan envueltos en tocino y tienen cebollita y jitomate dorado. Si, esos.
Pues nos llego el olor y nos fuimos directamente al vendedor mas cercano.
"Cuanto?"
"Cuatro dolares."
"Que?! Eso es un robo!"
Me fui a otro vendedor que tambien me dio el mismo precio y para esto ya mi estomago estaba pidiendo que le mandara algo de comida. Como dure mucho en decidirme el muchacho atendio a otros, entonces me di la vuelta y encontre a una mujer que apenas estaba llegando.
"Deme uno"
Me avento mi hot dog, le di un billete de $5, y siguio a atender a mi prima que tambien le pago con un billete de $5. Cuando volteo conmigo le pregunte "Y mi dolar?"
Y ella me contesto "Cuestan $5"
La leccion: Pregunten cuanto cuesta algo antes de pedirlo.
Nos fuimos bien contentas con nuestro hot dog de $5 y chupandonos los dedos porque parece que las servilletas tambien estaban en venta. Pero no le hace, terminamos la noche contentas, roncas de cantar, cansadas de bailar, y muertas de la risa.
Nota: Esta es la primera vez, y tal vez la ultima, que escribo un blog en Espanol. La razon numero uno por la que nunca lo he hecho es que es mas dificil para mi. A pesar de que este es mi primer idioma y lo hablo todos los dias, me cuesta trabajo sacar mis ideas. Desafortunadamente tengo que pensarlas en Ingles y despues traducirlas. Esto es porque la mayor parte de mis estudios han sido en Ingles, y aprendi a pensar en este idioma. Increible como funciona el cerebro humano. Creo que por eso no me gustan las canciones de Shakira cuando son en Ingles, porque no creo que es posible que las escriba con la misma emocion que en Espanol.
La otra razon es que no encuentro como poner la enye y no soporto que algo este mal escrito.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Fear Factor
I've heard that the thing that people fear the most is speaking in public. Frankly, that's never bothered me. I don't even have to pretend that they're in their underwear. Public speaking - not a problem. Job interviews - piece of cake, I've never failed one job interview.
But talking to one person, one on one. Yeah, that chills my bones. What the hell am I supposed to say to a total stranger? "What do think of this weather?"
See speaking in public and interviews are easy because I already know my audience. I know what my future employer wants to hear from me, I know the attitude they're looking for. But a person that comes up to you let's say at the grocery store? I have no idea what they want to hear or why they're even approaching me.
This is what happens in my mind when someone says hello: "Oh God, what does this person want? Why are they talking to me?" That is followed quickly by "Do I want to talk to this person?" The answer is usually "no".
But let's say that the conversation is about more than the weather. Let's say that said person says "Want to get a cup of coffee?" (For those of you that haven't seen Sleepless in Seattle you should. The rule is you invite a person for a drink, not dinner because you could realize half-way through dinner that you want to run away very very quickly.)
Coffee.
Now what? Here are a few pieces of advice:
- Ladies: Offer to pay. Men: Do not let the girl pay. There are exceptions to this rule but I've never much paid attention to them.
I'm kidding! Have a sense of humor. Both of you should offer to pay, only one of you should win and the "battle" shouldn't take half an hour.
- Never, ever, and I do mean ever talk about politics or religion. I'm serious people. The person sitting in front of you could be a totally nice and lovable human being. Do you really want to find out on your first cup of coffee that he/she thinks Obama is a foreign-born Muslim? No!
Disclaimer: Eventually, you will have to talk about these things. But don't do it when you are trying to make the first impression. Save it for later, when you realize that you can deal with certain differences. Because, if you think about it, politicians are temporary, love is forever.
- Do not start any sentence with "I hate". It just makes you seem like a negative person. Instead switch the words around and instead of saying "I hate the Lakers and Kobe Bryant" say "I would love for the Suns to beat the Lakers in the playoffs this year." See that?
- Don't lie! Because you WILL get caught and after you get caught the person you told the lie to will always remember that you lied. They may not even remember what you lied about, but you will be labeled a liar FOR-E-VER. Just tell the truth, always. FYI: We all live with our parents.
- Men: I don't care how much cleavage I'm showing, they don't talk. So eyes up.
- Ladies: Keep the cleavage to a minimum if you want someone to pay attention to what you're saying.
- Don't pick your nose. Don't scratch your private parts. Don't burp.
- Yes, you are allowed to eat.
- Yes, you are allowed to touch the other person. But just know that even the slightest grace means volumes, so plan accordingly.
- If all you can think of to talk about is Who Played Batman Better? then that's ok. (It was Keaton, btw).
- Before you start showing your really really weird/funny side make sure this person gets the joke. Otherwise they might think you have some kind of mental disability and that's why you keep yelling PENIS in between the conversation.
- If there is more than five seconds of silence then you are not interested in this person and they are not interested in you. Run away as fast as you can.
- Save the dirty talk for another night or for a more appropriate venue.
- The part where you say goodbye is the most awkward part of the entire evening (unless one of you actually yelled PENIS, and even then it's kind of a tie). But remember, it's not a business meeting, don't shake hands and say "We'll be in touch".
Once you get past the initial extremely scary, and possibly unnecessary social ritual then things should go smoothly.
Actually, things should go smoothly after the initial "Hello", but the trick is to get over our fears and say it back.
But talking to one person, one on one. Yeah, that chills my bones. What the hell am I supposed to say to a total stranger? "What do think of this weather?"
See speaking in public and interviews are easy because I already know my audience. I know what my future employer wants to hear from me, I know the attitude they're looking for. But a person that comes up to you let's say at the grocery store? I have no idea what they want to hear or why they're even approaching me.
This is what happens in my mind when someone says hello: "Oh God, what does this person want? Why are they talking to me?" That is followed quickly by "Do I want to talk to this person?" The answer is usually "no".
But let's say that the conversation is about more than the weather. Let's say that said person says "Want to get a cup of coffee?" (For those of you that haven't seen Sleepless in Seattle you should. The rule is you invite a person for a drink, not dinner because you could realize half-way through dinner that you want to run away very very quickly.)
Coffee.
Now what? Here are a few pieces of advice:
- Ladies: Offer to pay. Men: Do not let the girl pay. There are exceptions to this rule but I've never much paid attention to them.
I'm kidding! Have a sense of humor. Both of you should offer to pay, only one of you should win and the "battle" shouldn't take half an hour.
- Never, ever, and I do mean ever talk about politics or religion. I'm serious people. The person sitting in front of you could be a totally nice and lovable human being. Do you really want to find out on your first cup of coffee that he/she thinks Obama is a foreign-born Muslim? No!
Disclaimer: Eventually, you will have to talk about these things. But don't do it when you are trying to make the first impression. Save it for later, when you realize that you can deal with certain differences. Because, if you think about it, politicians are temporary, love is forever.
- Do not start any sentence with "I hate". It just makes you seem like a negative person. Instead switch the words around and instead of saying "I hate the Lakers and Kobe Bryant" say "I would love for the Suns to beat the Lakers in the playoffs this year." See that?
- Don't lie! Because you WILL get caught and after you get caught the person you told the lie to will always remember that you lied. They may not even remember what you lied about, but you will be labeled a liar FOR-E-VER. Just tell the truth, always. FYI: We all live with our parents.
- Men: I don't care how much cleavage I'm showing, they don't talk. So eyes up.
- Ladies: Keep the cleavage to a minimum if you want someone to pay attention to what you're saying.
- Don't pick your nose. Don't scratch your private parts. Don't burp.
- Yes, you are allowed to eat.
- Yes, you are allowed to touch the other person. But just know that even the slightest grace means volumes, so plan accordingly.
- If all you can think of to talk about is Who Played Batman Better? then that's ok. (It was Keaton, btw).
- Before you start showing your really really weird/funny side make sure this person gets the joke. Otherwise they might think you have some kind of mental disability and that's why you keep yelling PENIS in between the conversation.
- If there is more than five seconds of silence then you are not interested in this person and they are not interested in you. Run away as fast as you can.
- Save the dirty talk for another night or for a more appropriate venue.
- The part where you say goodbye is the most awkward part of the entire evening (unless one of you actually yelled PENIS, and even then it's kind of a tie). But remember, it's not a business meeting, don't shake hands and say "We'll be in touch".
Once you get past the initial extremely scary, and possibly unnecessary social ritual then things should go smoothly.
Actually, things should go smoothly after the initial "Hello", but the trick is to get over our fears and say it back.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)