Foreign Language Films

Yikes, my last post on here was almost 3 month ago………  time flies!

Anyways! I have always been fascinated with movies. The very first movie I saw in my entire life was Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, a movie which terrified me to no end. That was the beginning of my love affair with the movies, and my tastes have evolved ever since.

For many years, I was so hooked on Hollywood-made movies that I at one time thought that it is the only existing film industry in the world. That, of course, is very wrong. While Hollywood is the world’s best-known film industry, it is far from being the best. More often than not, movies made in Hollywood are topped in terms of plot, characterization and overall quality by movies from various Asian, European and South American countries.

This is exactly the reason why I’m thinking about organizing a film club among my friends, who are just like me a few years ago in the sense that all they ever see are Hollywood movies. I know that most of them will react with disdain towards non-English language movies. Like most Americans, they hate having to sit through a subtitled movie. I can only hope that they can see beyond all that and appreciate those foreign language films for what they are.

 

What a blessing!

The first hectic weeks before the opening reception were an interesting and experience building time. The night walks, the looks at the sky filled with stars, but also the interesting conversations during the nights there was like a starting point to it all. Especially on a personal level things cleared and I remember one moment standing down at the beach listening to the ways coming in. A moment that liberated me beyond anything. After a great learning curve spiced up with meetings with a diversity of people to be finished off by an amazing last month.

ugh, its hot!!!!!!

Summer here is not pretty, HOT cannot describe exactly how difficult it is. Fans, and AC are great, but doesn’t do much against the humidity.

I love summer, but I also hate summer………

The Joys of Being a Husband and a Father

Ten years ago, I never would have thought that I would have my own family today. Back then, I had no plans of getting married whatsoever. After watching my parents and other siblings get divorced, I actually intended to become a bachelor for the rest of my life. After all, why should I give up a life of endless partying and dating any woman that shows an interest in me without the slightest hint of commitment for a life of domestication and kids? That mindset, however, went to the dogs the moment I met my future wife. Long story short, I got hit by that “lightning” countless poets have written about, and the rest is history. My wife is my best friend, and she totally makes me happy.

What’s totally surprising for me is the fact that I now have three children. I have two sons and a daughter, which for me is a totally unimaginable situation to be in a decade ago. In fact, I sort of hated kids. Now that I have my own, one of which looks exactly like my clone, I now totally understand why people often had their breaths taken away by cute kids. They are absolutely breathtaking, and every move they make seems to be the only things that matters in the world.

Sure, all this will change when they reach their teenage years. If the behavior of today’s generation of children is any indication, they might even become the rebellious type and give us headaches. But while they are still this sweet and lovely bunch of kids, I intend to make the most out of it. I will spend whatever time I have with them. If I can afford it, I will take them to vacations that they will certainly remember for the rest of their lives. When they want something, I will do my best to give it, but only to the point where they wouldn’t turn out to be such spoiled brats. If there are things that I missed out on when I was kid, I will make doubly sure they will not miss them. Best of all, I will love them no matter what, even when they become your stereotypical teenage monsters. This is what being a dad is all about, and I’m only too grateful to be given this chance.

Summer Kayaking With My Family

Tags

nature, outdoors, travel, vacation

Summer is my favorite season of the year, and its not close. Kids are out of school, and the weather is getting warm, just a great time to bond with you kids. I believe I am not alone with this feeling. Practically everyone is now gearing up to rush to the beach and do the things that people on the beach do. Most will be there for the swimming. Then there are those who go to the beach for the chance to soak up the sun and get a good tan in the process. Some head off to the beach to ride the waves. Many others, on the other hand, will be there for their favorite beach activity, and it is babe-watching. With all those babes in bikinis on the beach during this time of the year, they are in for a great time the entire summer.

As for me, I go to the beach for one thing: kayaking. Ever since a friend showed me the wonders of kayaking a few summers ago, I have found myself hooked on the activity. Now I go kayaking every chance I get. This summer is one of my biggest chances, and I get to do it with my family this time, using the inflatable kayak that I just bought recently.

Since I have been doing this with my family for quite some time now, I already have an idea what to do to ensure that I and my family will be safe as we go kayaking. If you are doing this with your family for the first time there are a number of things that you need to keep in mind.

First off, make sure that you and your family wear personal flotation devices, which we often refer to as life jackets, all the time. Do not think that these life jackets are only for those who cannot swim. These life jackets are there to protect you in case of any accident that might render your above average swimming skills useless, like falling unconscious. First timers also need to kayak in calmer waters for safety reasons.  It also pays to be aware of tides and currents in order to prevent any untoward incidents. Do this and a host of other safety precautions and you will have a grand time kayaking with your whole family.

The Dream Starts Today

Always been wanting a blog, this is a fresh new start