Day 17: An Alternative Perspective to the Movie "Princesas"

I watched the movie Princesas last night, and I have a different perspective of the movie that I wanted to share and discuss. I would LOVE to hear your comments, feedback, and opinions about this movie!

Watch the movie again with the perspective that Zulema is Caye's mom, as a young woman, before she had Caye but after she had Caye's brother. This also means that in the movie, Zulema's son is actually Caye's brother. It's not exactly time travel... more like Caye and her mother being the same age at the same time.

Now, based on this theory, take a look at some of the impactful quotes in the movie from this new perspective.

Caye: "The worst thing isn't that there would be nothing after death. The worst thing would be if there was another life. Another life like this one. "

Another life like this one... Caye was reliving the life of her mother's, working as a prostitute. Something worse than death. Coincidentally, Zulema's presence was the pivotal point in Caye's life that speared her towards change and actions that turned her life around.

Caye: Can you feel nostalgic over something that hasn't happened yet? Because sometimes I do. I sometimes imagine how things will turn out, with boys, for example, or life in general. And I feel sad when I remember how nice they were going to be, because they were going to be beautiful, really beautiful. Then I get nostalgic when I remember. Because they were going to be so beautiful. And when I realize they haven't happened yet and that they might never happen, I get really sad. 

Can you feel nostalgic over something that hasn't happened yet... If Zulema is the younger version of Caye's mom, living in a parallel existence, then Zulema is building a friendship with her grown daughter, during a time in her life that her daughter doesn't yet exist. That's one way to feel nostalgic over something that hasn't happened yet!

1. 
   

1. Caye (to Zulema): We exist because someone thinks about us, not vice versa.

Caye's mom (to Caye): We exist because someone thinks about us, not vice versa. Someone said that. I don't remember who. Someone wise.

Caye says this to Zulema (keeping the perspective that Zulema is young Caye's mom) and as an older lady, Caye's mom says it to Caye and tells her that "someone wise" said it to her. That "someone wise" was Caye herself.

When talking about Zulema leaving...

Caye: She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't. She was a whore. and she couldn't take it anymore. And, she had some guy after her. Some asshole who had it in for her, so she left. She wanted to be with her family.

Did Caye's mom leave Caye's dad so that she and her children could have a better life? A life outside of abuse and prostitution? OR, is Zulema's abuser Caye's father. Perhaps Zulema got pregnant with Caye when she was attempting to infect her abuser (with what is presumably HIV).

Caye's Brother: How did you meet her (Zulema)?

Caye: Once I took her to the hospital. The guy had beat her up. Until today. Until today.

Did Caye take her mom to the hospital after her Dad beat up her mom?

Is Caye's mom finally released from the emotional torment of Caye's father? Is that why the flowers stopped coming to Caye's mom?

And speaking of flowers... Did her mom send flowers to herself in order to mask the pain of being a prostitute in her past? Just like Caye fantasized about the simple act of love of her man picking her up from work, perhaps Caye's mother always fantasized about receiving flowers. 

Regarding the ending of the movie, I have a LOT of questions!

Why does Caye tell her mom to answer the phone? And why is she crying when she tells her mom to answer it? Also, that long, dramatic gaze directly into the camera is emphasizing the importance of this call.

What IS the importance of this call??Is Caye done with prostitution? Was it Manuel calling?Is it because Caye's mom always said it was Caye's dad and it always really was?

Leave your opinions and interpretations in the comments below. I would love to hear them!!!

Day 15: Too Far?

I don't think I'm going to download the Highlight app. The thought of it kind of freaks me out. With more and more GPS-centric apps, I think it's just too much of a security risk to let the whole world know where you are at all times. When a stranger can approach you, know your name, and continue to follow your location from time-to-time.... it's just too much.

I remember when people were worried that "Big Brother is Watching You" might become a reality. Now, we're downloading apps that invite "Big Brother" into our lives freely. Better yet, each one of us is Big Brother now.

Day 14: Let's Talk About Pens

Pens... there are so many! Some are free. Some are colorful. But, most of us, whether we admit it (or even know it) or not, have a "favorite" pen. My favorite is the Sharpie Pen. You can read a great review about it here.

What's your favorite pen? Why?

Day 13: Viral Videos

Most businesses, and some people that just like a challenge, try to reach millions of viewers with a video so entertaining, that it is spread by the social media’s version of word of mouth - by “going viral.” Companies may spend thousands of dollars on research about how to make a video go viral to reach a mass number of their target audience. But, I recently discovered a “How to Guide” for making a viral video while watching cartoons with my son. One of his favorite cartoons, “Regular Show” featured an episode during Season 2 (called “Go Viral”) in which the main characters, Mordecai and Rigby, try to create a viral internet video that involves a trampoline, refrigerator, and an elderly gentleman. In their quest for the most viral video ever, they test and discover what works and doesn’t work. And, their results seem to remain true to most research: record something that’s funny and/or stupid, add a pinch of outrageous, and post it online.
However, as Mordecai and Rigby discovered, there must be passion and meaning behind the message in a video that’s intended to become viral, or it will become stagnant. In other words, there must be a psychological reason for the viewer to share the video. This reason is usually an extreme emotion felt by the viewer, most commonly humor. But, wait! There’s more.
Humor is not the end all be all, because other emotions can be just as powerful for the success of a viral video. Ray Wilson created a viral video that helped him to find and bring home his teenage daughter, Haley, after she ran away from home. In this situation, the extreme emotion was empathy for a father in search of his missing daughter, and people shared the video in hopes of being part of the efforts to bring Haley home safely, which is exactly what happened.
Which brings me to my next point: a successful viral video will make the viewer feel included in a worldwide community. The magic is created when, by simply watching the video, the viewer feels like they are part of something, triggering a response to share it and keep their contacts in the know. By sharing a video, the viewer shouldn’t just feel like they are changing the world. They should actually be changing the world, whether that change is reuniting a father with his daughter, making a friend smile, or forever changing the perception of the Honey Badger.
Basically, when it comes down to it, a viral video is easy to make: record something that causes the viewer to feel an extreme emotion and feel connected with the rest of the world while watching it. This will drive them to include their friends and family in our worldwide community with the click of a “share” button and create the next viral video.

Day 12: Rhodia takes the cake!

The talented and inspiring singer, Erykah Badu, has a lyric describing herself as, "Analog girl in a digital world." Now, that was back in late 1990's, but how prophetic a statement it was of how I would feel from then and well into the second decade after I first heard it. In my new life, at my dream job, I have been experimenting with the best organizational tools in all the land. In addition to my iPhone that syncs to my Google mail and calendar, I have a little moleskine-esque notebook... a Rhodia web book... that is PERFECT for daily notes and to-do's for work and during training, so I can quickly go back and reference what I need with a quick flip of the page. I'm using it in chronological order to record my training and ideas I have for accounts I'd like to suggest, once I get deeper into my job duties and responsibilities. As I've blogged about before, the Rhodia web book has a cover that is amazing to the touch! Two years later, I'm equally as enthralled with the texture of this notebook cover as I was when I first got it.

The Rhodia Meeting Book is larger and has a different format. It is perfect for when I meet with clients. I can write down who attended the meeting at the top of the page, to help me remember names, notes from the meeting on the bottom, and the action steps side bar for what our team promises to deliver and what the client has said they would provide (ideas, data, etc.). These two books are create a balance and professional harmony that I need to stay on my A game! My iPhone calendar and my work (Google) calendar sync up, so that entire aspect is covered electronically, which is good, because they send me automated reminders. But, I still need that emotional connection that I have with paper and more importantly, putting ink on paper. And, if you are writing notes into your iPhone during a meeting, there is still a perception that you're "texting" or "uninterested." So, writing down notes is timeless and still relevant for meetings in today's professional culture.

To report "from the field," I will tell you that nearly every single person here - from the Creative Director who designs websites and Facebook pages to the CEO, have notebooks they use in meetings to jot down reminders. But, they all have smart phones too, because well... it's a mobile media company - they BETTER all have smart phones! It's really cool to see the combination of digital vs non-digital tools that creative and professional people use!

I wonder if Erykah Badu has an iPhone...

Day 11: Sick with a sick kid

I'm sick... and my son is sick. Rolling out of bed with a sore throat and congestion isn't half as hard as rolling out of bed to take care of someone else that is sick too. Consoling when you want to be consoled, getting up and cooking when you wish you could have breakfast in bed, and getting up in the middle of the night to check for a fever when you, yourself have the chills and need rest... it's exhausting. But, no matter how sick I feel, I never lose that maternal instinct. Somehow, strength is conjured up when I feel my weakest, and I'm able to take care of him, because I know deep down that he is completely dependent upon me to get through the illness. I believe the strength comes from my love for him, proving once again that love conquers all.

Day 10: One Less Thing to Remember

One Less Thing to Remember
Here’s another reason why my iPhone is my Valentine: the reminder feature associated with my To Do list. I rely heavily on my iPhone as a source to dump all those loose ends into my To Do list, but I also depend on it to tell me WHEN to do all those loose ends. By setting up GPS locations associated with my job, my house, or anywhere else I want, I can set my To Do list to remind me of a task as I’m leaving a specific location or when I arrive at a specific location. For example, today after I leave work, I need to stop by the store and pick up cupcakes for my son’s Valentine’s Day party they’re having at his daycare. But, knowing me, my brain will go onto auto-pilot as soon as I get into the car, and about the time I am pulling up to the daycare today, I’ll think to myself, “Dang it! I meant to stop and get cupcakes first!” Guess what? That’s NOT going to happen today, because when I set up the To Do item of “pick up cupcakes,” I went into the Remind Me tab, selected “ At a Location,” entered into the location (my current location/my job), and then selected “When I Leave.” So now, as I’m driving away from my job, my phone will remind me to go pick up cupcakes! Ok, here’s the other cool side of that. If I want to remember to call my sister as soon as I get home, I can type “Call Sis” in my To Do list, select “At a Location,” make the location my house, and then select “When I Arrive.” So, when I pull into my garage, my phone will remind me to call my sister! Does this freak you out or make you feel relieved that once you set it up, you would have one less thing to remember?