This time last year

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing this time last year? How was your life like? Was it better or worse?

What changes have you made since last year? What have you accomplished? Will 2010 be a memorable year for you or will it be a period of your life you'd rather forget?

This is the time when most people start making their resolutions for the new year, but how many actually achieve their goals?

If I learned anything in 2010 (and I learned a lot) is that if you want to change something in your life, you better start now. I used to think that changes happen, but they take time, that you shouldn't expect to change overnight. And that's true, change does takes time, but they never really happen if you just keep waiting, if you keep giving yourself time to change.

You want to quit an addiction, you have to start doing something about that now. You want to get new skills, don't wait for the right time, the right time is right now! Do you want to be organized, more mature, excel at school or at work? Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to become a better person all around? Don't wait! If you do, life will just pass you by and when you finally realize it, it will be too late.

So, how will your life be like this time next year? You decide...

A movie kind of love

'If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes have not changed, but one word from you will silence me forever. If, however, your feelings have changed, I will have to tell you: you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on.'

Oh my! I gotta say that when I first heard these lines from the movie Pride and Prejudice, I simply melted!! I thought it was so beautiful, so touching, so romantic.

I used to wonder how it would feel like to be loved that much, to be showered with beautiful words and see in his eyes the love he had kept for me only. But isn't that how many girls also think?

You could just picture yourself being approached by that extremely handsome guy, who you've always liked. He comes to you and says he needs to talk to you urgently and before you can make sense of what is happening or what he wants to talk to you about, he starts saying how much he loves you...

Now, wouldn't that be something?

Well, this is what happens when we watch romantic movies, they show that a relationship between two people is perfect, magical, full of romance, beautiful words, being happy, falling in love, loving the person of your dreams and have him love you back. Love that lasts forever, that distance cannot separate and time can never kill... that no matter what happens, you will be together in the end. If you are meant for one another, then you will overcome all obstacles.

And although all that sounds wonderful, I must tell you that it's not how it really works.

The love we see in movies is just a dream-like version of a love that is completed centered on the self, in this case on the person who is watching it. Most girls usually like romantic movies because they would like to have that same kind of love and devotion, they would like to be loved with that same intensity.

Basically you want to receive, you want to experience it, you want somebody to love you, to care for you, to make you happy. You, you, you...

How many girls feel sad, frustrated and just plain desperate to find someone right after watching a romantic movie? And why is that? Because they are thinking about themselves, they are thinking about their needs, their dreams, their expectations. They just want to find someone who will give them all that.

But how can that be true love? How can love be about one person only? How could it be so selfish?

It can't! It isn't! Love is not about taking advantage of the other person, it's not about what he has to offer you, it's about what you can add to that person's life. It's about whether you have what it takes to make the other person happy or not. It's not about you!

If you want to experience what real love is, don't go by what you see in movies or read in books. That is a very unfair expectation on the other person. He will not be perfect, the same way you are not perfect.

So, by all means, watch romantic movies if you like, but don't base your future expectations on them. If you do... all I can say is that I feel sorry for your boyfriend! And I fell sorry for you too...

P.S.: I can already see some girls using this post as an excuse to accept any loser that comes their way, to use it to justify keeping someone in their lives who is harmful to them and then say, 'well, he is not great, but it's not about what I get, but what I give '. Distort my words however you want, but that's not what this post is about and you know it!

Tron: Legacy

I know, I know... I put on my sidebar that I want to watch Narnia, but here I am talking about Tron. Sorry! The plan was to watch Narnia first and then Tron, but the circumstances changed, so here we go...

The first time I watched the trailer, I have to admit, I was impressed. Like I said, I am very much into the action stuff, so when I saw the effects, the motorcycles and the music, I thought 'This movie will be fantastic!'

So, last Monday, there I go to the cinemas with my husband and a couple of friends from the YPG. We were very excited, especially because we were going to watch Tron on IMAX. Big screen, incredible sound system... this was going to be a good experience!

The excitement died a little bit when we got to the auditorium. It was packed and we had to sit on the right hand side of the second row. As soon as the trailers started we were all crossed eyed because of the 3D glasses and simply because we were too close to big screen.

Anyway, the movie started and my immediate impression is that the movie was going to be awesome, the first scenes are very good! However, 30 minutes later I began to wonder, 'where is the story going? Where is the plot? Ok, is there anything else? Is anything else going to happen here?'

The answer is NO! The movie had no plot whatsoever, no story, no sense, no point! What the guy does at the end, he could have done in the very beginning!! He didn't change anything, didn't accomplish anything really. Up to now, I don't know where they wanted to go with the story... Was Sam supposed to reconcile with his father? Was he supposed to find himself? Find a purpose for his life?

Who knows??!

The whole movie seems like a video game, the dramatic music is good, the effects are impressive, but that's it. There is nothing more to it really.

So, my advice to those who are planning to watch Tron: Legacy is this:

Don't waste your time or money! Go watch Narnia instead.

If the first two are any indication, this third one is sure to be an incredible movie. That's the next review I'll be posting here, so make sure to watch this space next week!

The Puppeteer

Last Sunday I attended a YPG event called The Puppeteer. This is a play first created and performed by the VYG in London (you guys rock by the way!) and it shows clearly how young people are manipulated by the many strings in today's society.

There are the friends who influence them to do all sorts of stuff, many times wrong and harmful, like drugs, addictions, crime. There's music who influence the way they think, behave and even dress. Then there is the love life that can many times mess them up.

But the people who are being manipulated by those things will usually say 'I am my own person, I don't follow anybody, I do whatever I decide'.

Oh really?!

How come then we see so many young people speaking, dressing and behaving the same way? Why, when you look at a group of teenagers, they look like they are following the same ideas?

Well, these youths at the Puppeteer event decided to think for themselves and live their lives regardless of how others do, they decided to stand out instead of trying to fit in and I'm really proud of them because of that. If more people did that, things wouldn't be so crazy nowadays.

And one other thing that really amazed me about this performance, is that some of those guys can't dance at all! They were so determined to inspire other youths, that they decided to LEARN all the moves. They rehearsed over and over again until they got it and get they did because their performance was impressive!

There goes another example of what you can accomplish when you put your mind to it!

Congratulations guys!!!

P.S.: The Puppeteer will be performed again on January 14th. Check here for more info.

Movies, Love and other things

I've had quite a few people ask me when I was going to start a blog. The answer was always the same: There are enough blogs out there. So, I would just recommend some of the blogs I follow, which in my opinion really add to our day-to-day life and are worth our time.

But to create my own? Not really. But the idea would always be there...

If you know me then it's no news to you that I really enjoy watching movies, all kinds of movies really (except horror, I think there is no point in watching them). I like the super hero stuff, the action, the fights, the comedy and of course, the romance.

Then a thought came to my mind: 'Why not have a blog just to share reviews about the movies that are out now in theaters? Perhaps I could even give some tips on old movies I've enjoyed watching. And while I'm at it, I could also talk about love, since it's such an important thing in everybody's lives, and seem to always be present in movies. I could also throw some other things in there...' (can you feel my excitement building?)

So, after much thinking and putting some ideas together, here we are.

Welcome to my blog!

It will be a pleasure writing here every week and sharing my thoughts with you. I hope you enjoy coming here just as much, be it because of Movies, because of Love or Other things...