Memoirs of a Geisha in theaters now

Memoirs of a Geisha is in theaters now. After a long battle of who will be directing, to who will play Sayuri, to why is the cast mostly chinesse? the movie has been finished, edited and is now ready for criticism.

I read the book couple of years back, then last year I listed to it, hoping that the movie would be made soon. Then finally last year Rob Marshall (director of chicago) was signed as the director for the movie.

I have been dying to go see the movie; my sisters and I had planned to go see it December 9th, then a week before the studio announced that the movie was only being released in New York and LA December 9th. Everywhere else until december 23rd. Then we couldn't see it, last minute christmas shopping took over our lives.

There is a big debate about the actors nationalities. Most believe that the chinesse cast should all have been Japanesse, (Geisha are from Japan). Others are just happy and excited that this is the first all asian cast with a really big budget movie. Where do I stand? Well, i'm not sure. I love Ken Watanabbe as the chairman and Ziyi Zhang as Sayuri. But when I think about it I do get really angry when Holliwood replaces latino characters with gringos exagerating an accent.

I am also a little bit worried about the transition from book to movie. I've had bad experiences with books to movies. Like the notebook, a wonderful book; a totally different movie. Cold Mountain, good book; very violent movie.

My new best friend

In my old life as a single woman I worked with teenagers, we did projects in going to college, participating in the community, doing volunteer service. Most of the time I was able to see positive results, which is the thing that motivated me, and them, to keep working.

Now, what I do is not showing many results, and I’m alone most of the day. Husband doesn’t get home until after 5:30 and after dinner the only thing he is in the mood for is television, which is starting to suck my brain out cell by cell. At night I can’t sleep, all those colorful images and weird sounds come back to my brain and play games with my head all night. For example, we just finished watching the whole series of Angel, the vampire with a soul. Very interesting TV show, one of the best I’ve seen; but when I went to bead after watching it I would dream of monsters and demons. When they ended the show with a “to be continued…” I would dream of what could happen and that really scared me.

Anyway, I’ve never been good at making friends. I always had so many sisters that I didn’t have to worry about making friends, I had people to talk to all the time. But now in a new town, with new people, so far from my family it’s kinna lonely.

Then I discovered baking. Wow ! did you know you can make your own cookies? Last year, I thought people who baked were just plain crazy and didn’t have anything better to do… and I didn’t like sitting in a kitchen for so long. Now my best friend is my oven. I can make wonderful things in it and everybody likes them. YES, acceptance from other people has always been a big problem for me.

Now, I started by making shortbread, then awful horrible muffins, that my in-laws ate and told me they were good, but if you ask me they were discussing. Then came shortbread cookies, I didn’t like them, my husband did, then mexican surprise cakes, with were a hit on the christmas party. Peanut butter blossoms, sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, more sugar cookies, chocolate marshmallow cookies, and peanut butter chocolate swirls.

Now that I have made at least 10 dozens of all kinds of things, and my favorite aisle in the grocery store is the baking aisle. I used to not have a favorite aisle. I now have baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, cinamon, cream of tartar, sprinkles, baking cocoa, baking chocolate chips, vanilla extract, baking chocolate. When I was single i didn't know what half of those were.

As much fun as I’m having it still makes me feel sad that my best friend is the oven, and that the thing I want the most is more butter and a hand held mixer.

Chirstmas check list

Elements needed for a perfect chirstmas ....

____ A fully decorated Christmas tree, or should i call it Holiday tree?

____ A nice home cooked meal that includes Tamales, pozole, chips and coke.

____ Tons of gifts for perfect nose sister, beautiful sister, baby sister, monkey boy #1, monkey boy #2, mom, dad and of course man monkey husband.

____ At least 10 fruit baskets for friends of the family, (all built on chrismas eve morning, delivered right before dinner.)
____ One tired grumpy dad, who is turning one year older on Christmas eve night, and who, of course, didn't buy gifts for anybody.

____ Very loud music playing from 3 different radios. (Cumbia, Christmas music and Rock)

____ 4 people running around buying last minute gifts.

____ One Angry mom, (because nobody has been much help in the kitchen) who is also in a rush to get the baskets out to people.

____ Monkey boy # 1 and Monkey boy #2 watching tv, wrapping their last gifts.

____ 4 sisters fighting for the bathroom, 30 minutes before dinner.

____ One big family at the dinner table.



It looks like we are ready for another christmas !! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everybody!!

NYC here I come

It seems to me that i have married the most amazing guy in the whole state!!! well, in my opinion anyway. We are going away for our honeymoon, finally, and we are going to New York city. It's going to be short, only 2 days but it's going to be amazing.
We are staying in a Hotel right on times square! I am so excited. We are spending some serious money here, but we are going to have a great time.
So far the plans include, rockafaller plaza (where the Today show is taped, I have a little crush on Matt Lauer), time square, of course; china town, maybe a play on broadway and possibly the statue of liberty.
Love ya!!

Holidays in Mexico

December is here, time to think about starting a new year, time to think about accomplishments from this year, time for being with the family and enjoying the holidays.

I love christmas, the celebration of our savior being born again. When i lived in Mexico the whole month was a celebration.

First came the novena for La Virgen de Guadalupe, which in my town started on December 3. Nine days of praying for the waiting of La virgen, my town hosted a community festival every year. They would close down one of the streets, local vendors would set up street shops around the church that hosted the image of La Virgen de Guadalupe. Then December 12th there was a big celebration, everybody from the town would come and visit the church, buy food from the vendors and stay for the fireworks.

4 days later, December 16th, the Posadas started. A recreation of the way tha Jose and Maria asked for a place to stay for the birth of Jesus. At this celebrations, somebody hostest the posada each of the 9 nights, this person will provide an "Aguinaldos" or a dinner. Aguinaldo was just a bag with candy inside, sometimes with an orange or a tangerine. I never liked the dinners... and then also on Posadas was when pinatas were the most popular, I read somewhere that they were so colorful and shiny because they were like temptations (or the devil) and you hit them because you are supposed to break bad temptations.

Our biggest celebration always happened on December 24th, cooking the dinner, spending time with the loved ones, eating, staying up until midnight to celebrate the birth of Baby Jesus.... and the fireworks and the parade.

On December 25th, we would just eat left overs and go to church to view the Nacimientos. (Nativities) The church on my street had a real people nacimiento, except for the baby.

In my hometown in Mexico December 27th was the beggining of the Town festival. My baby sister loved that, we always took her there for her birthday. The festival was hosted for one week and a half, it took up the whole center of the town with mechanical rides, food vendors, and toy vendors. it went for about 5 to 6 blocks and the whole bus station.

Since I moved here, 8 years ago, christmas has not felt the same and even thought i get a lot of gifts and a couple of days off, it is as if christmas didn't happen.