Loving Mama Mia (The Movie)

12:24 a.m. I just got home from watching Mama Mia on a Thursday night. I must work tomorrow, but it was worth staying 'til late to watch it 'cause I loved it. I bet I'm not the only one; many others in the movie theater walked out singing, laughing, just feeling happy... I did too. It filled me with a warm, nice feeling inside. It had been long since I felt that way at the movies.

Yes, the film was funny. I found myself choking with laughter when she fell from the roof in front of her three exes and they assured her that she sure knew how to make an entrance. But mama's two middle aged friends were super hilarious. They reminded me that I could and should stay in touch with my girlfriends forever. It's cute to see older women, not as skinny or flexible as they probably were, jumping around and singing like teenagers. The fat, short friend was super funny; especially when she sailed on the little raft to stop her friend's two admirers from coming to the wedding. She falls into the the water, then. The lesson I got from the movie is: keep a bond with your girlfriends through the years, it will keep you young and make you happy. It's the wise, healthy, self empowering and positive thing to do for all aspects of life. I knew all this, but it's always good to be reminded.

Yes, the film was wonderful but the company of my girlfriends made it more wonderful. I would say it's a movie that should be watched with girlfriends, but then I'm influenced by a neighbor we had at the theater, who kept on asking why did they keep on singing in the movie? Well, I think the scene in which the mother is helping her daughter get dress for the wedding it's infinitely touching. Meryl Streep is superb. One of the friends sitting next to me started crying. Her mom is in Cuba and I guess the scene superbly portrayed in the movie reminded her of that mother-daughter connection she didn't enjoy anymore, but missed often, as she later told me. Simultaneously, the mother-daughter relationship was, in my opinion, realistically portrayed when the daughter screams to her mother that she's not like her and is sorry to be disappointing her by getting married so young, but she's pretty much has a mind of her own now and her life is not the same as hers. So many of us, if not all, must remind our mothers we're our own individuals with dreams, ideas, beliefs and plans of our own, totally different from theirs.

My favorite part of the movie takes place before the wedding starts, when Streep is walking towards the chapel and her ex approaches her, asking to be allowed to walk his daughter into the chapel. This is how she answers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1egohTOlQk&feature=related

The Winner Takes It All

I dont wanna talk
I don't wanna talk
About things we've gone through
Though it's hurting me
Now it's history
I've played all my cards
And that's what you've done too
Nothing more to say
No more ace to play

The winner takes it all
The loser's standing small
Beside the victory
That's her destiny

I was in your arms
Thinking I belonged there
I figured it made sense
Building me a fence
Building me a home
Thinking I'd be strong there
But I was a fool
Playing by the rules

The gods may throw a dice
Their minds as cold as ice
And someone way down here
Loses someone dear
The winner takes it all
The loser has to fall
It's simple and it's plain
Why should I complain

But tell me does she kiss
Like I used to kiss you
Does it feel the same
When she calls your name
Somewhere deep inside
You must know I miss you
But what can I say
Rules must be obeyed

The judges will decide
The likes of me abide
Spectators of the show
Always staying low
The game is on again
A lover or a friend
A big thing or a small
The winner takes it all

I don't wanna talk
If it makes you feel sad
And I understand
You've come to shake my hand
I apologize
If it makes you feel bad
Seeing me so tense
No self-confidence
But you see
The winner takes it all
The winner takes it all

My friend's eyes watered in this part of the movie. She's going through something very similar to what the main character had to endure. Definitely, movies do reflect reality, but our relaties may be a collage of different movies, that's why each of us deserve a movie of our own.

I thank Mama Mia for reminding me how AMAZING ABBA's songs are!!!! I AM LOVING MAMA MIA!!!

Bayley me ha puesto a pensar en los amigos que perdi (nota biografica)

Ayer termine de leer un viejo libro del escritor y periodista peruano, Jaime Bayly. Lo llamo viejo aunque se publico hace apenas ocho anos, porque despues de este libro, Jaime ha publicado tantas novelas que Los amigos que perdi no aparece casi en las librerias. Los nuevos libros reemplazan los viejos en los estantes de las librerias; al menos en cuanto a ficcion contemporanea se refiere. Imagino sea parte del negocio. Poner nuevos libros a la entrada de las librerias es una estrategia de aumentar las ventas. Yo no compre este libro, lo saque de la biblioteca publica porque me llamo la atencion y un amigo peruano me lo habia recomendado.

En el libro Jaime le dice a sus amigos a traves de cartas las verdades que nunca antes les revelo en persona. La carta a su primera novia, Melanie, me hizo reflexionar sobre los amigos que yo tambien he perdido.

El numero uno en mi lista seria Carlos, mi primer novio, cuyos incomparables detalles no correspondi, ni agradeci lo suficiente. Si le pudiese decir a Carlos lo que nunca le dije y presiento nunca tendre el valor de decirle en persona, le daria mil gracias por TODO. Le aclararia tambien que no se ama en vano, por lo que sus sentimientos hacia mi no fueron valdios, aunque al final su cara de despreciado y derrotado dijera lo contrario. Aunque presiento que al final, cuando intentaste volver y yo te rechace, estabas tan herido que comenzaste a odiarme. Hiciste bien, Carlos. No te reprocho nada. Te entiendo mas de lo que puedas imaginarte. Ahora que creo haber amado tanto como tu demostraste amarme y me han herido, con menos misericordia de la que yo creo haberte tenido, te aseguro que el acto de amar nos engrandece, e inspira a ser mejores de lo que somos, nos eleva del piso y ayuda a escapar de la realidad por un rato. Aunque acabemos heridos vale la pena cien por ciento. Tambien me gustaria decirte, Carlos, que a medida que ha pasado el tiempo, he visto, escuchado y aprendido mas. La acumulacion de experiencias me ha servido para darme cuenta de lo inverosilmente paciente y amoroso que fuiste conmigo. Deseo que no te sigas arrepintiendo de haberme querido, como parecias haberlo hecho. Despues de todo enamorarse no es algo que a menudo nos ocurra. Cuando lo sentimos debemos aprovecharlo. Amar nos enriquece y engrandece; incluso cuando quedamos adoloridos tras el valeroso riesgo.

Mi segunda amiga perdida seria Ketty. La amiga mas divertida que he tenido. La persona con la que mas recuerdo haberme reido. Mi abuela decia que Ketty parecia haber pisado la hierba buena, porque siempre andaba riendose. La primera separacion vino cuando Ketty se mudo de Colon para La Habana. La despedida fue triste. Siempre nos extranamos ,pero ya no fue lo mismo, nos empezamos a ver con poca frecuencia. La segunda despedida fue definitiva. Yo sali de Cuba. Ketty se quedo. Fue a la escuela de arte, cantaba en el coro nacional y aprendio a tocar el harpa. Con el tiempo se caso con un portugues y tambien escapo la isla, pero se mudo a Portugal. No hemos vuelto a coincidir. Ketty, te extrano, me pregunto cuando y en que circunstancias volveremos a vernos? Todavia conservo la foto de tus quince, con ese precioso vestido rojo que tan bien te asentaba. Nunca te he olvidado. Mas a menudo de lo que desearia me encuentro abrumada con la vida monotona y extenuante de la adultez y anhelo poder transportarme a aquellos tiempos en que caminabamos por Colon, comprando durofrios, aprendiendo a bailar cha cha cha en La Casa de la Cultura, dandole vueltas al parque de Colon, preparando fiestas y riendonos de todo y todos.

Me pregunto si a medida que pasen los anos continuare perdiendo amigos? Y si algunos de mis amigos actuales valen la pena conservar?

My Review of The Kite Runner

I bought The Kite Runner at the Harvard bookstore on my trip to Boston. I wanted to bring a souvenir from my vacation and decided to go for it. I also wanted to buy something at Harvard; if I must say the truth, so I picked the book I saw people reading at parks and libraries. I made a good choice; I read it in two days and loved it. I must confess I skipped through some pages, because they seemed too strong and graphic for me, but that was just me, I wouldn’t rate it triple XXX, either. I still think it’s a great book and have highly recommended it to all my friends. If you love learning about history through literature, like I do, this novel will give you a glimpse of how Afghanistan was before and after the Taliban invasion. The story, as told through the eyes of an exile Afghan in the U.S., narrates his childhood memories of the country and has the power to easily bring tears to your eyes. It sure did to mine. It was fun to meet Amir’s Dad, an Arab who drank alcohol and smoked cigars. He broke my parameters of what an Arab would sound and act like. His character showed me that just like Catholics, not all Muslims follow their religion’s rules, neither they’re strict and obsessed about it. Amir’s Dad tells his son not to believe in the long bearded men who are praying all the time, ‘cause they’re not really doing any good to and for the people. He's different. He believes that people should be measure by their actions, not their religions, or principles. At the end, their actions will reveal more about them than any political, or theological ideology. I loved the book. I learned from it. At least now I know more of Kabul. To me learning from a good read is what matters.

Lo que aprendí del agua para trabajar en noticias

“Se puede cargar hasta agua en un colador si se tiene paciencia para esperar a que ésta se convierta en hielo.”



Ese fue el consejo que me dio mi padre. Cada vez que me impaciento, cosa que ocurre a menudo, pienso en sus palabras. No sé si la impaciencia se deba a mi edad y el afán de hacer más cosas y lograr muchas metas. Me arrebato por trabajar y lograr mis planes como si el tiempo se me fuese a terminar, sin darme oportunidad de hacer lo que soñé ser.

Ser paciente se me hace difícil cuando veo a otros que con menos preparación que yo en todos los sentidos, logran el trabajo de mis sueños y tribulaciones. He conocido gente que no sabía lo que quería estudiar, u otras que estudiaron conmigo periodismo y sin terminar sus carreras consiguieron un buen trabajo. No me mal interpreten. A mí me alegra la buena bienaventuranza de otros. Mas, me parece irónico que teniendo más experiencia en los medios de prensa, siendo una graduada y estando bien preparada, la plaza a la que aspiro se le de a otra persona. He visto que en mi profesión los reporteros escalan porque están en el lugar correcto a la hora adecuada y no se trata tanto de profesionalismo, ni talento como sería lo justo.

En mi carrera como reportera de televisión, la mayoría de los colegas que he conocido y visto con mis propios ojos, prefieren lucir bien en cámara a dar la información exacta. He estado cubriendo una noticia y he oído a un reportero de otro canal dando la información opuesta a la escrita en los claves, e incompleta, es decir, he sido testigo de la desinformación de los oyentes a manos de los periodistas. El último evento memorable que cubrí fue la visita de Bill Clinton a la conferencia anual de alcaldes estadounidenses en Miami. Tan pronto el ex presidente culminó su discurso corrí con mi camarógrafo a intentar entrevistarlo. Me sorprendió ver a un periodista que no sólo tiene muchos más televidentes que yo y por ende, más responsabilidades (creo yo), irse del salón de conferencia. El ya tenía lo que necesitaba para hacer su reportaje. No le pasó por su mente el que él es la voz de los que quieren y no pueden hacerle sus preguntas a Clinton y como periodista tiene el compromiso de ir por más información, de indagar, preguntar, saber y aprender más. Mi colega se fue.

Esa noche pensé en mi emoción por conocer de cerca a un ex presidente del país que me ha adoptado y concluí que esa oportunidad de ejercer mi derecho ha hablar y formular mi propia pregunta, ejerciendo la democracia, probaba lo maravillosa que era esta nación con todos, e incluso inmigrantes como yo. Correría yo la misma suerte en otro país de América Latina y Europa si no fuese nativa? También pensé en mi colega, un amigo afable y cansado de hacer noticias. “Aburrido” fue otra palabra que usó en referencia a su trabajo; yo no quería repetirla. No puedo entender cómo alguien se puede aburrir de algo tan cambiante y entretenido como informar y reportar las noticias. Las noticias son en sí volátiles, cambiantes, emocionantes. Si no me lo hubiese dicho yo me habría dado cuenta de igual modo. No quiero juzgarlo. He pensado que a mí me puede pasar lo mismo. Cuando haya cubierto muchas campañas presidenciales, tal vez el trayecto del candidato presidencial, John McCain, por los Everglades me deje de parecer una increíble aventura.

Hoy, yo respeto mi profesión, la ejerzo con la seriedad y empeño que creo ésta amerita. En más de una ocasión me he visto recordando las palabras de Oriana Fallaci, mi inspiración, diciendo que el periodismo era la mejor carrera del mundo. Es una pena que tantas personas que no lo creen así, o lo ejercen por el protagonismo de salir ante un lente de televisión, estén fungiendo como periodistas. Mi alma, por ahora y lucharé porque así sea siempre, está intacta. Yo no tomo el camino más cómodo, grabo lo que ocurre y me voy a mi casa, a descansar, o escribir en una computadora desde una oficina tranquila, con aire acondicionado. Yo investigo. Me intereso por informarle a mis televidentes todos los ángulos de la noticia, sin ocultarles ni darles la información a medias.

Tengo fe y estoy trabajando en mi aumento de paciencia, para ser la buena reportera de noticias que quiero ser y ser reconocida como tal.

Gracias por tu consejo, papá. Creo que si lo llevo a la practica lograré mis metas.

My Review of Into the Wild

“Happiness is not real unless shared.”

From the movie Into the Wild

A twenty- three year old college graduate decides to leave the comforts of his family and big home to live life on his own terms. He gives his savings to a charity and eventually, sets on fire the little money he had kept for his voyage, as he likes to refer to his own trip. He sails the Colorado River, meets hippies, makes friends, works in the corn fields, sings with a girl who falls in love with him and goes on his adventures, like a wave that can’t possibly be stopped by anything, or anybody. His goal is to reach Alaska.
He’s smart. He reads and writes all the time. By citing all the authors he reads he intellectualizes things in a way that leaves other people out of words as if to explain him other truths, besides his own. At least, that’s the way I viewed him. His idea of quitting the life his parents and society expected him to step into after college has probably appealed to most people at least once in their lives. He gives up the car his father bought him as a graduation gift. And doesn’t do what’s expected, or wanted from him. Who hasn’t wanted to escape what others expect from he/she, break free from the norms, break the rules? Who hasn’t craved skipping school, the adults’ compromises, the eight hours’ work shifts, the mindless bosses, the company’s policies and etc? Who had never thought about getting away for a while, alone and faraway?
Not many people actually do it. I remember my boss at the library planning for years his permanent getaway to a cottage in North Carolina. He loved the water springs, the flowers and the tranquility of the state so much that he wanted to permanently move over there. I know one day he’ll do it; he’s probably one of the few people who will actually do it, but hasn’t done it, yet. The protagonist from the movie, who actually existed and looked a lot like the actor who played his character, goes into the wild.

In my opinion, he does it for the wrong reasons. It seemed to me, he was too filled with hatred towards his parents and society in general. You can’t escape your feelings. He moved from one place to another, but took his emotions and pains with him. It was difficult for him to get close to people and even harder, to develop emotional ties to them. The scene, in which the old man asks him if he would allow him to adopt him as a son, broke my heart. The fact that he couldn’t give his old friend an answer showed me his inability to connect with people. Even if he didn’t want to, why couldn’t he do it to make the other person happy? In the movie, he never does anything for someone. Everything is about him. He’s selfish. And also likes to adopt certain positions, in the same tone that he lectured the young girl, who’s in love with him, he tells Franz what he should do with his life. He always talks and acts as if he didn’t need other people. At the end, he’s proven otherwise. The movie was sad and at times, even depressing, but his final realization made it worth it. Some of us have reached the same conclusion, through different paths but it's always good to be reminded that:

“Happiness is not real unless shared.”

Feliz por la liberacióm de Ingrid Betancourt

Hoy, 2 de julio de 2008, las Fuerzas Militares de Colombia rescataron a Ingrid Betancourt, los tres americanos secuestrados desde el 2003 y otras once personas. He sentido ganas de llorar, de reír, de todo... Esta es una de las mejores noticias que he precensiado en toda mi vida. Esta historia implica, sino el fin de las FARC, un fuerte golpe para la guerrilla. Han perdido la que llamasen "la joya de la corona" y "la última secuestrada que dejaremos libre". Hoy, admiro aún más a Uribe y recobro fe en muchas cosas, porque nunca imaginé el día en que se realizace esta liberación. Pensé que no llegaría.

Qué Dios bendiga a todos los liberados!