Robyn with a Y

I went to return Outsourced this evening, and made sure that I thanked the girl at the store who helped me so much. I found out her name is Robyn, spelled with a Y. You know that someone is pretty imaginative when they replace the normal 'i' in their name for a 'y'.

Robyn, if you are reading this, the blog entry called "At the Rental Store" is the one you should check out. It's below the one called Outsourced (Dated August 30th).

Thanks again, not just for your help, but also for enjoying your job enough to make searching for a movie so fun for me too!

Outsourced

Okay, so the woman at the rental store was right (see last posting below). Outsourced was exactly what I needed last night- it's not too heavy but still has a good storyline and includes a little bit of humour and romance.

In this movie, the main character Todd gets outsourced from his job in Seattle and is sent to India. Though Todd does not want to go, he has worked for the company for so many years that he doesn't think there is another option. So, landing in Bombay, and then heading to Gara Puri(?), Todd sets out to train his replacement- Puro- and to teach Puro and the Indian workers at a call center about the U.S. "Basically, you need to learn more about America," he says at the outset of his presentation to the workers. He even goes so far as to attempt to change the Indian employees' accents. "Hold your nose when you say the word Chicaaago," he coaches them.

But after making what seem like inconsiderate comments towards the call center workers- for example, describing the process of branding cows (sacred to Indians) with hot irons- and not finding out what is actually important to the workers themselves, Todd is told by the sweet and smart Asha that he needs to learn more about India.

But how can he? The employees are not working up to par, Todd's phone gets pickpocketed many times over by a little Indian kid nearby, everyone mispronounces Todd's name and calls him Mr. Toad, and Todd can't seem to stomach the Indian food he is given. So when Todd sees an advertisement in the paper for McDonnell's, he pays for a ride all the way back to Bombay to get some real American food. But Todd is disappointed when the burger joint is nothing like the McDonald's he is familiar with. While he is there, however, another American man joins Todd for lunch and gives him some advice:

"I remember feeling like you do. I was resisting India, but once I gave in, I did much better."

Todd seems unaware of what this man means, until the day of Holi-"Celebration of colour, changing of seasons," explains Puro. Todd goes out into the streets wearing a clean shirt and dress pants unaware of what is in store for everyone that day. He gets covered in all kinds of coloured powder in a matter of minutes.

Though at first, he appears frustrated and ready to give up, he ends up throwing water bombs/balloons and balls of powder back at the Indians and joins in on the festivities. Soon, Todd is laughing and playing. And after, washing himself off in a lake, with many of the other Indians, Todd finally slows down to look around him. Despite the remnants of the red and blue powder all over his face and clothes, we finally see a smile and sense of peace radiating from Todd's face after he dips his head under the water and glides along the lake. Todd starts enjoying and appreciating his surroundings, rather than fighting against them.

And what beautiful surroundings they are. This movie created an even greater desire in me to go to India than I already thought I had. The rich, vibrant colours, the warm family values, the busy markets and stands, and the lively music and food- I felt like I could almost hear and smell them right near me. Or maybe I wanted to. The excitement of travel, of learning about a new culture, of sharing one's culture with another, kept me drawn to the movie.

And then of course, there is a little romance between the American white boy Todd, and the Indian Asha. And yes, it is a little cheesy the way the mango on Todd's face in the Kamasutra Hotel is what brings the two together in a kiss. But their cross cultural relationship, their openness to one another, and their ability to listen to one another, to learn from one another, is still sweet enough.

I think the relationship was just a way for both Todd and Asha to start fresh, to look at life from another perspective, and let go of the past that may have been holding them back. As Asha explains, Todd is like a bindhi, a third eye that helps you see more than you can when your two eyes are not enough. But Asha does the same or more for Todd as well.

Todd asks Asha why a particular Goddess, Kali hangs on Indian walls or adorns the dash boards of cars.

"Kali is the Goddess of Destruction," explains Asha. "Sometimes destruction can be good. She ends one cycle so that a new one can begin."

And Todd's experience in India destroys the past patterns of his life, and starts something anew for him- a new appreciation for the simple things in his life, and a new awareness of all the choices he actually has open to him.

And finally, Asha reminds Todd of the words he shared with her that changed her mindset: "Asha can do anything," he had said. And because of this, Asha finally truly believes it.

This movie, though predictable at times, is definitely an inspiring, fun and adventurous one. Thank you that helpful employee at the rental store for recommending it to me.

At the Rental Store

It is rare for me to walk into a movie rental store and find an employee of the shop who not only has seen many of the movies there, and is really helpful to customers like me (comes out from behind the counter to find me something to watch), but who also seems to have the same taste in movies as I do.

But tonight, I was that lucky. I tried to read the name tag on this super sales associate's shirt, but her long hair was covering it. I guess I could have simply asked, but I felt as if I had already asked so many questions.

But this girl really knew her movies. She was also really excited about sharing her knowledge with me, and she spent the time explaining short plot summaries, the cast, as well as the genre of movies she recommended, with pleasure. I was worried about the person behind me waiting in line, but the employee took charge, and showed me out towards the racks of movies, while her coworker took the till.

We perused the aisles of movies together and she took in the preferences that I gave her with care. She listened and took me over to the drama section which she advised was quite popular for the kind of movie I was looking for.

Movies that she recommended:
Simply Irresistible (which was unfortunately out tonight), Freedom Writers (Have I seen that? Well, I should because its title is made up of two things that are of great importance to me-Freedom and Writing), Marley and Me, and Havoc. I asked her about The Boy With the Striped Pygamas. She said it was good, but she cried in it. And I appreciated how considerate she was of my request to find me something that would not be too serious, too heavy, and most importantly would not put me in tears. And that's a hard request to satisfy since I seem to cry easily in sad, sentimental, inspirational, happy and sometimes even funny movies!

So, I picked Outsourced which I was told was a light comedy whic included a little romance in India- an all around feel good movie.
Yes, that's what I was looking for.

And of course, I had to grab a pack of those almond M&M's that Michelle got me addicted to. I can't watch a movie without them now. The girl who helped with the movies informed me of the deal on the candies at the moment- any 2 packs for $5.00. She's good! Because of her great service (that's my excuse) I had to take a second pack of the new dark chocolate M&M's to finish my purchase (Hey. I read an article today about the benefits of dark chocolate).

So I'm off to watch the movie right now.
I'll let you know how it goes.

17 Again

This is a great rental that I probably wouldn't have chosen myself, but I'm so glad that Renee and Steve invited me over to watch it last night. We laughed a lot, especially in any of the scenes that Thomas Lennon was in because Lennon really made the movie. He was absolutely hilarious as the character Ned, the best friend of Matthew Perry's (and Zac Efron's) character.

Sounds confusing? Well, Perry and Efron play the same character- Mike O'Donell- but at different stages in his life. Afterall, this is a movie about a man, Mike, who complains so much about the opportunities he lost in his teenage years, that when he makes a wish to be seventeen again, it actually gets granted.

So Mike is given another chance to possibly be scouted out for college basketball, to realize the dreams he thinks he has lost. But through his journey, there are other factors he is given glimpses into, different than in his teenage years: his son's struggle to fit in at school, and his daughter's being introduced to dating, sexuality and broken hearts. Plus, though the seventeen year old Mike is running around classes in highschool and playing ball, the reality is that this same Mike is a husband in the midst of divorcing his high school sweetheart Scarlet.

What Mike learns along the way changes everyone's decisions and lives.

If you are looking for a cute movie, with laughs, hopes and wisdom, I say rent 17 Again. It was a good pick that I didn't even know I wanted to see until my friends and I were curled up on the couch, smiling throughout.

Julie and Julia

Do you ever feel like you're not sure what you want to do in your life? -That you need some sort of inspiration, some direction and some courage to pick up a new hobby, explore other sides or talents within yourself? Or maybe you want to leave what you're comfortable with entirely, and find the motivation to let go and pursue your dreams? This is what Julie and Julia is about, and what makes it more fascinating is that it's a true story- actually, it's based on two true stories- one about young Julie Powell, who, living in Queens, New York, with her husband, is looking for a pass time to make her life more meaningful. The other story is about the enchanting and charismatic Julia Child. Both with a love of food and cooking, their stories run separately throughout the movie. But the connection that Julie creates with Julia Child becomes very influential in her life. Child's cooking and creativity inspires the young Julie without even knowing it. And Julie Powell portrays Julia Child as a perfect woman, her savior, in her own mind and in the hearts and minds of her readers.

Julie starts blogging her cooking adventures, after realizing that she needs something more valuable in her life, something that gives her purpose, a sense of accomplishment, something she can for once, actually complete. She sets a deadline of a year to cook up all of the recipes in Julia Child's cookbook, and bases her blog on this project.

How does she do? Julie cries on the kitchen floor when her dishes turn into disasters, she screams in terror as she tries to boil live crabs and the lid of the pot flies open, and she burns her great beef borgignon dish because she is so exhausted and sleeps past its cooking time. But all the while, she creates an environment she is excited to come home to, a challenge that keeps her learning, an art that gives her a sense of purpose. And most importantly, Julie perseveres despite the setbacks.

Meanwhile, Julia Child's story also seems full of hurdles and disappointments. She goes through similar emotions as Julie, even though Julia spends much of her time in Paris, with her husband, surrounded by lavish clothes, furniture and the training of the Cordon Bleu cooking school.

The energy and passion that both women put into their work, the faith they muster up from within themselves, and the fears they admit to but still face head on, and fight through is inspiring. Julie goes from being a cubicle girl at work, who hates her job and doesn't have any "power", to a woman who begins cooking up a storm, refusing to give up on her project, even when her own mother tries to convince her it is a waste of time.

This is a great movie about how even people who we don't know personally can motivate and inspire us, can change our lives9- how art and artists, even from a distance, can create an energy within us that drives us to astonishing feats. Julia Child's will and tenacity creates a strength in Julie that allows her to go for what she wants, despite her fears of not knowing what would come of her project, of her blog.

Thanks for sharing your story, Julie Powell (this movie is based on her book), and for giving us an example of true courage, honesty and a journey to finding yourself. If we could all find that thing that drives us, that makes us feel alive, that gets us excited to wake up every morning, we would be so lucky. Actually, I think we all have it, we just need to be more open to letting it in, and believing that it will grow and form if we allow it to.

This movie makes me want to blog and write, and write and blog, and never ever ever give up on my dreams. What did I learn?

• Maybe hard work really does pay off.
• A husband CAN be supportive about his wife's creative endeavours.
• Living in Queens is not so bad.
• Cooking CAN be fun.
• And people might actually be reading my blog, even if they don't make any comments on it.