Cinderella

I took my family to watch Cinderella movie last night. I left the theater with more than just a big smile on my face and warmth in my heart.

Cinderella is the first fairy tale I've come to know growing up. For years to come, it stayed at the top of the list as the best Disney Princess story for me (Sorry, Frozen). Until Beauty and The Beast animated movie with its iconic song came along. Then, I have two favorite Disney Princess stories. Imagine my excitement when I learned Beauty and The Beast is currently in production. 

Yeah. Cray excited!

Cinderella, being my first love, has always had that unbreakable magical effect on me. Watching the movie last night brought back so many happy, giddy, wonderous memories from my childhood. Watching my now 7-year-old daughter blown away with the story is an experience I would cherish til the end of time. In her, I relive my own magical moments when Cinderella met Prince Charming, when the mice helped sewing the dress, when the Fairy Godmother appeared for the first time. 

Disney has once again proved themselves to be the best creator of anything magic. 

The movie is beautiful. The acting is flawless. The message is modern without sacrificing its originality.

What set this Cinderella movie apart from its predecessors is the message it's sending to the audience. 
"Have courage and be kind."

I love that. 

I didn't remember it was there in my old version of Cinderella. Sure, it talked about dreams and hope and kindness, but in this new version, it pointedly reminds us that in life, magic or not magic, everything starts with you. You rule your own destiny, because at the end, it's not the Fairy Godmother's magic that wins Prince Kit's heart. It's not Fairy Godmother's magic that makes Cinderella beautiful because she is already beautiful by being herself, a simple country girl with a big heart.

"Have courage and be kind" as opposed to Cinderella's stepmother's "have jealousy and be bitter".

Many of you have asked me how good this Cinderella movie is. 

Here is my answer:
If it can make my 12-year-old brooding teenage boy said WOW at the of the movie, then it is THAT good.

Fifty Shades of Grey Valentine's Day

I'm in the middle of writing the sequel to my novel MY LEA, and because it's Valentine's week, and because I'm so enamored with this Fifty Shades movie phenomenon, I decided to make my fictional characters a part of this too. 

Here's what happened when Lea and Andrew meet Christian Grey :)

Andrew picked up the Fifty Shades book Lea had left on the coffee table. He turned it over and read the synopsis. Then he flipped the pages the way a guy would flip a Playboy magazine looking for pictures. 

Lea counted mentally. One, two, thr--

"How come a twenty something guy became a billionaire in such a short time?" he asked, raising his eyebrows mockingly at her as if she was the author of Fifty Shades of Grey. Yeah, she wished.

More flipping ensued. "Does this author know anything about business?" 

Lea shrugged. "She does know a lot about sex. Last time I checked, sex outsells business books."

There was a pause. 

Lea lifted her head. 

Andrew's shoulders shook with silent laughter. 

***

My friend: You really believe life is unfair?

Me: Of course I do. 

My friend: Give me an example.

Me: Fifty Shades of Grey. Average writing, bad prose, one-dimensional characters, no story plot, bestsellers.

My friend: You forgot hot sex.

Me: Yes. Hot sex. Lots of it.

My friend: Then it's fair. 

Moral of the conversation : hot sex = bestsellers = life is fair.

***

A rare Valentine's Day conversation I have with my husband this week :

Hubby: Wow. This Fifty Shades thing really kicks ass, huh? I mean... look at this.

(he shows me ads from Amazon and other medias) They offer a set of Fifty Shades handcuffs and flogger as a Valentine's gift as opposed to the usual flowers and chocolate.

Me: (impassive)

Hubby: It's a big deal, honey. Not many people has the ability to rewrite a (Valentine's Day) history.

***

THAT'S IT FOR TODAY, GUYS.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO YOU. 

XOXO,  mellyberry

Gone Girl Movie

Guys.
Meet my brand new, still wrapped in plastic, Gone Girl novel that I bought in... well.... 2012. Don't pay attention to the Darth Vader next to it. I need something to hold the book when I took its picture.

Anywaaaay.... I cheated. I chose to watch the movie first before I read the book. Shame, shame, I know.
So I watched it and -- whoa! My husband and I were glued like helpless dolls in our seat because whoa! WHOA HO HO!
It was freaking awesome. Creepy. Awesome. Creepy. And WHOA!!!

If you haven't read or watched Gone Girl, go run to bookstores or wherever now.

I will definitely read the book even when I've already known the ending.
I can't imagine how powerful it would be, seeing the scenes through words 😍

The Side Effect of John Green

Many of you know how mad I fangirl TFIOS. (It's super mad. It's mad, mad, and mad). But I bet a few of you know why I adore John Green like mad. Is it because he’s a great author, close to being a superauthor? Well, yes. In writing TFIOS, he is a superauthor. But sadly, I don’t dig his other books.

There’s more to it to me than him being a superauthor. It‘s his other quality, the one that makes him a superman, the one that lands him in TIME 100, the one that earns him a worldwide reputation as the most lovable author, the rock god in literary world.
He connects with young people, teens, and adolescents. He inspires them, motivates them to do good, to do creative, to live fully to their talents. He unites them under nerdfighter and dftba and other stuff.

Yes, there are many great authors out there, even greater than one John Green, but did any of those move people, young people especially, as positively, as fiercely as John and Hank? I doubt it. This is what set him apart from the other celebrities. He’s doing this, with his own hands. Not just talking or hiring somebody to do it for him. He does it himself.

Just like what Shailene wrote in his Time 100 dedication.
“But he doesn’t just listen to young adults. He treats every human he meets as their own planet, rather than simply one of his moons. He sees people with curiosity, compassion, grace and excitement.”


If you think this quality is nonworthy, just think for minute. You think influencing and motivating and talking to teens are easy? That understanding them is piece of cake? I can’t even manage one teen who lives under the same roof as me, let alone millions of them worldwide. Regardless of other quality or misquality that John Green might possess, we must admit that he’s a good influence to young people. And in the midst of uncertainties and other negativity in the world we live in, some good no matter how small, is still good.
And that’s why I adore John Green.
This, my friends, is the force of John Green. TFIOS is just the side effect of John Green.


My husband wonders if my obsession with John Green would ever die down. I don’t know. Guess we need to find out.

Happy TFIOS day, everyone!


June 6, 2014

Determination

Talented ordinary women with extraordinary determination
(inspired by Julie & Julia the movie)

I watched this movie a tad too late compare to my other friends. I only watched it once and immediately fell in love with the characters. Two women - in different life and in different time – bound to fill their own sense of purpose through the art of cooking. One started just to fill in her spare time while serving as a diplomat’s wife in the early years. The other one- in much more modern time – was trying to escape her constant feeling of failure and her inability to finish anything in her life.

Both women met challenges in their ordinary lives, but the way they pursue their goals was extraordinary. I once again learn that some dreams don’t take shape in our early lives. We go search them only to go home empty handed before they finally come knocking our front door, usually in a time when we least expect it. Rejections and prejudice always bring our hope and dreams down, but to define and to keep the dream is the art of determination.

I am much interested in the Julie character in this movie. She was a lost puppy surrounded by a pack of friends whom all had accomplished something great in their lives. She was the unhappy-under pressure loser. She once had a dream of being a writer, but never had the willingness to finish her novel. In one of her most frustrated moment, she decided to start something small, something that combines both of her talents – cooking and writing. So there came the Julie&Julia blog – a blog with a simple goal, which is to write her own experience in cooking all of the 514 recipes in Julia Child’s cooking book in exactly 365 days. She determined to finish her project. Along the way, she was alive. She found her happiness and her sense of purpose.
There were downs, many downs, in both of these women’s stories. There were disappointments, tears, and anger. But there was also determination. A determination so strong that it made them keeps going. Not only that, they had a marvelous time in the process too.

What I think about "The Blind Side" movie

“What’s the buzz?” I thought. I flipped the box and read “based on the extraordinary true story.” I was skeptical. I always believe that Hollywood’s true story has different definition than the rest-of-the-world’s true story.
So, with a sniff of cynicism, I watched the movie alone in one clear afternoon. No other people, no distraction. Uninterrupted.

I ended up watching the movie 3 times.

This movie talked about many things. Love, hard work and commitment. Also chance, trust, and open mindedness.
Not everyone could do what Leigh Ann did. Not everyone could do what Michael Oher did.

What would you do when a chance presents itself in front of you? Would you grab it? Or would you ignore it?
Grabbing it is like accepting a box of present. The Blind Side told a story about what happened next after you intercepted a chance. After you accepted the gift. Chance needs a lot of work, commitment, and sacrifices. Anyone who thinks that a chance itself will work its magic without any hard work, is fooling himself/herself. Taking the chance without the will to work on it is like accepting the gift and storing your unwrapped present in the storage.
It’s a give and take situation. The family gave the boy a chance. The boy took that chance, and then together they worked on it to bring it to the next level. They walked through obstacles, they chased miracles, and they came out understanding each other better.