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Bad Moms: Not just another dumb movie

August 3, 2016Ana Maria Popa Leave a Comment

I must admit that the trailer helped me get the idea that Bad Moms is just another cliché and stupid movie, perfect for watching only when you’ve got nothing better to do.

I got to watch it pushed by a friend. We found ourselves in the mood for a movie and we had to choose between Legend of Tarzan and Bad Moms. So the guy wanted this one, thinking it’s gonna be really funny and dumb and we’re gonna laugh our hats off. But we both got surprised and concluded it’s a pretty good movie that’s more than meets the eye. It really deserves to be watched and felt.

From here on: spoiler alert! Well, the action goes around the war between moms at a school – who is perfect, who does what good, who is trying to dictate trends and events, etc. Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn go against the perfect moms at their kids’s school, so they start this game of power and proving wrong to the team of Christina Applegate, Jada Pinkett Smith and Annie Mumolo. And here the trailer paints it best – they start to drink and go out, spend time in town and put their kids on second place.

They give up on cooking for their kids and make them do their own homework, they go to the school baking event with stuff they weren’t allowed to bring so they get into a fight with the perfect moms that start to search revenge by messing with the kids. It all gets real when children have to suffer for their mothers’s war and they start to blame their mothers for the egotism they reveal.

Then, Mila Kunis thinks she will beat the perfect mom’s boss – Christina Applegate – at her own game so she gets ready to run for parents committee presidency. Although the end of the movie is a happy one, it brings balance to every situation. Yeah, I know, I know – no catfight, you’re disappointed. But Mila Kunis wins the elections thanks to a speech where she admits she is a woman and a human being, in addition to the mother status. The kids learn to cook for themselves and manage their own homework. Aaand the fight with the supreme-perfect-mom ends when this one stops being rude and shows off her human side, by crying after she lost the elections and admitting her life wasn’t perfect at all, that all she enjoyed in her life was that parents committee activity.

Aside from the fast-forwarded image I painted above, the movie has really got some funny moments that will make you laugh. But what gets you the most is the message and the feeling you get. And that is – mothers are not perfect, no matter how much we got that idea during childhood. I know we were taught that they are supreme gods and they’ve got all the answers. And however extreme some things in the movie get, the idea is that they are still human beings just like anybody else and not even they know everything all the time, what to do in every situation of their life. They also need rest and peace, they need their own time and they don’t get it right every time, they don’t get their kids and they do make mistakes, even if it’s out of love.

One of the things I appreciated in Mila Kunis’s speech was – ‘When I think I got my kid and I know what he wants, he grows up and and I have to start all over again, to adapt to him so we can get along and don’t fight anymore.’ 🙂

The movies has got literally nothing stupid or dumb in it, it just paints the day-to-day image. And even if moms don’t practice what the actresses in the movie did, that doesn’t mean they haven’t thought about it at least once. Understanding that they too are people and make mistakes will make everything better in the end.

But the cherry on top was the personal note that closed the movie – the main actresses and their moms got together and shared stories about their own childhoods and the struggles they had in their mother-daughter relationship. It was made to feel it and I haven’t seen not one person that would not leave the cinema without a smile on their faces.

All I can wish to you is to enjoy it 🙂 And I bet it will really make you wanna call your mom afterwards.

Photos: IMDB și one more.

How come I didn’t cry watching Me Before You

July 6, 2016Ana Maria Popa Leave a Comment

The answer that probably everyone’s waiting for is that I am an insensitive human being or that I am ashamed of crying in public. But it’s not about either of that, nope, sorry to disappoint you.

I went last weekend to watch the movie ‘Me Before You‘. And somehow, despite all the emotional reviews and the warning about crying your heart out, I was safe. And it’s me that we’re talking about – I cry at animation movies. ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’, ‘Up’, ‘Inside Out’, ‘Despicable Me’, ‘Bolt’, etc., they all made me cry. Oh, and ‘Little Prince’, also.

So, if you don’t like spoilers and you haven’t seen Me Before You, then don’t read any further. But if you’re okay with it and you’ve seen it, then go ahead and read and make me feel like I’m the heartless one.

The movie is about love (well, duh!), and more specifically, about a standing girl and guy in a wheelchair (almost completely paralyzed) and they meet and fall in love and spend some time together. She finds out by accident that he’s scheduled to die – because he couldn’t live in a wheelchair when he was a really active person before – and she decides to show him that life is worth living, no matter what. So she makes him get out of the house and takes him on vacation and they do all sort of sweet things together.

Well, once they got closer, he tells her what he had planned. She replies saying she knew and all that she did was to prove him that life is still beautiful and worth living and that she hoped he would change his mind after the time they spent together. He told her nicely that he cannot live a life in a wheelchair, especially after he traveled the world back and forth and experienced amazing things, practiced extreme sports and so on. He also explained to her that he cannot be with her like that, sitting in a wheelchair and not do to her all the things he wants to, not touch, not caress her because he can’t move his hands. Etc, etc. And then she just starts crying and preach him about ambition and will and the worst part was when she said she regrets getting attached to him. That was where I lost interest.

Maybe I’m the type of person that’s all in when she watches a movie, maybe I feel it too much, but we’re talking about a person in a wheelchair that wasn’t having a nice time in this life and all she can do is take things personally. Like that man isn’t tormented enough, she has to act like a spoiled child that loses her toy. This is the way I see it – if it’s love and if you care about the other person, you would think of what makes him happy. Not you. Let’s give up the ego for a bit. Set an example for real life also, just saying.

She got mad, ignored him and didn’t talk to him, left home and didn’t accompany him on that journey. Well, at first. Cause it’s a movie and she changed her mind afterwards, goes after him and catches him right in his last moments, enough to kiss him and lay her head on this chest.

I actually really enjoyed the ending. After he died, he left her a certain bank account with a certain amount of money that she can use to build a path, to travel a bit and experience moments and find her own place and purpose in this life. Even more, I loved the way he put it – ‘There is enough money here to make a life, but not enough that you don’t have to work anymore in your life’. Well, that’s love for sure – helping someone in the way they want it, they need it, just give them a start but not make them get lazy *the-aww-factor* 🙂 It’s the idea that you better teach someone how to fish and they’ll have food for a lifetime than you fishing for them and they’ll have just one meal.

Anyways, over all, Me Before You is a nice movie, makes your feelings go crazy for someone who thinks of love that way. The girl – Emilia Clarke, was extremely cute and funny. I think she’s a very good and expressive actress, one thing you don’t see everyday. Him – Sam Claflin, played his part extremely well and he’s got my appreciation even more because of the static part. I mean, being happy and energetic is easy, but playing a part where you have to control your reflexes, calm them down and act immobilized is a whole other story.

As for me, I just discovered I’ve also got the book that the movie is based on, written by Jojo Moyes. Apparently, I bought it some time ago in London. 3 years later and I still didn’t get a chance to read it. But now I’m really curious, cause usually they say the book is better than the movie. I will find out soon 🙂

Photos: IMDB și Youtube.

Double Standards and Je Suis Istanbul

July 1, 2016Ana Maria Popa 2 Comments

We like Turkey. We love to spend our holidays there, the people are nice and friendly. They’ve got yummy food and amazing weather.

Oh, did an attack happen and lots of people died? Yeah well, we are sorry but we will write a status on it on Facebook and we’ll be over it by tomorrow. It’s enough for a night to pass and we are back to out normal day-to-day life. Changed profile pictures and hashtag support were only for Paris and Brussels, you can’t compare the two. Why would we? It’s not like we haven’t got double standards.

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Photo: world wide web, found on Twitter (I think).

Ataturk attack was a few days ago and the count is at more than 40 dead and around 250 injured. ISIS confirms it’s their attack the one that had 3 people shoot others and then blow themselves up. And the fact that it’s Europe’s third most important airport only provided them the right opportunity. Even with the high security from what I’ve seen when being there, that wasn’t enough.

I read that night with the horrible attack – I think it was on Twitter – that turks didn’t find the security too high and they were complaining about how there is no control for what you’ve got inside your car. And, on the contrary, I thought that was one of the most secured airport, since you weren’t allowed to enter through the doors free and you had to be searched right there at the entrance, no matter the fact that you’re just dropping someone and you’re not actually traveling. And still, with all this, one of the terrorists managed to get past the security with a gun and start shooting people in the departures area.

After Brussels, Paris had the Eiffel Tower turn into the colors of the Belgian flag – that meant their support and mourning for what Brussels what going through. Same thing happened with the Fontana di Trevi in Rome and The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Same actions of solidarity. And so you see and feel the difference. Anybody can see it and only those involved one way or another, can feel it. People died there, people like you and me, people like our families, like the French and Belgian people and their families. But this didn’t bring any sign of solidarity and no landmark was colored in Turkey’s flag. And it will never actually happen, no matter how many attacks Turkey will suffer and no matter how many people will die.

And this is where we show our double standards. Somehow, a life or many lives taken in Turkey value much less than the ones in Eastern Europe. Even if terrorism is the same, same reasons, same attacker – ISIS, but the media gets over it much easier. The only problem is that people don’t.

That night, I received a text from a Turkish friend who lives in Istanbul. It was right after the attack and at first, I didn’t think of the amplitude of the happening. Then I spoke to him and he told me what was there as he was living close to the airport. Ambulances, helicopters, news crews, people screaming and shouting. Apparently, they had already found one of the recording tapes with the exact moment when the guy in the departures blew himself up. Of course, he shouted about Allah before doing that and my friend says to me, both in Turkish and English: ‘How can that motherf*cker talk about Allah and use his name in some thing like, when murdering people?!’.

Istanbul-noIstanbul, we are talking about people, no matter where in this world. People that’ve got feelings and emotions. The event was already too much so I didn’t go any further, but my friend’s last words got me thinking. He is supposed to fly today from Ataturk, no matter if the flight’s gonna be delayed or not. So I told him I am worried about this situation and I pray for his safety, but his answer came quickly: ‘I am more worried about my nephews and all the children in this world. I don’t know what we can do…’.

And my mind went like: ‘I don’t know either…’

Later Edit: Apparently, the Germans did show the same support and solidarity towards Turkey like they did to Belgium, so they colored the Brandenburg Gate again 🙂 The impressive images – here.

Life’s plans for you…

April 19, 2016Ana Maria Popa Leave a Comment

There are times when what you plan doesn’t work out your way.

How many times did you had it happen to you, when you believed in something, even in someone, and you planned either the near or far future, only to have something happen afterwards and without knowing it, everything fell apart?…

Oh yeah, I had it happen also, and not just once. Last time, I was writing here that my plans revolved around the idea of moving out of my country in order to change the continent, having found a career opportunity that made me very happy. But oh well, in the meantime, something changed, something that I’ve got no idea about, but something that made me not act on that anymore. So I quit that idea, I unpacked everything and now I’m gonna start search again for challenges in this area.

On Wednesday at lunchtime I was supposed to embark on a one-way ticket to Asia. On that very morning, it was all cancelled.

But, even in this kind of situations, there is something that comes along. So I created Plan B – 12.37PM: ‘I miss the sea. Let’s go!’

That’s the story of how I got on the highway, destination: Mamaia Beach of Romania. Around 2 hours and 2 butts plus 4 asleep feet later, I was on the beach.

Pause. Peace and quiet. Sun and soft sand.

I take my shoes off, I feel it and this feeling of happiness overwhelms me, that I was there before all the people.

Oh, my! What a feeling of being present in the moment, with my feet in the warm sand, and my head in the clouds.

‘Can we stay in this moment forever?’, I asked my partner in crime. He said ‘yes’, and so I smiled.

The moment is gone now, but the pictures are still here. And, Oh-Ma-God, such pics! Oh yes, short videos also.

So yeah, my plan on leaving the country and changing the continent is gone, but I like to think that everything happens for a reason. I don’t know it yet, haven’t found it out, but maybe at some point… Still, I managed to get out of Bucharest for a bit and I visited her. The rest of the story will be written, when the right time comes for me to leave. 🙂

April’s Joy!

April 6, 2016Ana Maria Popa 1 Comment

Ever since I’ve known myself, the month of April was my joy. It has brought me so much happiness, even more than my birth month – December. And that is not just because of Spring, but also because of the events that happened.

April to me is Happiness and Love. Eight years ago, April would bring me the beginning of a beautiful relationship that lasted for 4 years. My partner then was a great human being who’s helped me grow and develop so much that I still feel happy and lucky for having him by my side. One year ago, I went along with the idea of sharing a life with someone, one person with whom I would’ve shared everything.

Present time now and all of the above are part of the past, good or bad. Time has passed and in 2016, April finds me in a new position and brings me a new chance to another kind of happiness.

Well, my luggage is done and my house is 3/4 packed. It is time for a new episode: moving to another continent and a new professional challenge outside Romania. After three months in Austria, the story goes on.

The novelty of all this, together with my passion for the topic, have made me release the news sooner than I originally planned to – but oh well, you can understand my excitement! Now, I’m not gonna give all the details (and those who know about this, please don’t be a spoiler), but I do promise that I will be back as soon as possible, sharing stories, situations and pictures, here on my blog and on Facebook also.

So, keep in touch! 😀

Shall We? Let’s!

March 28, 2016Ana Maria Popa Leave a Comment

These past few months have taught me new things and changed a lot of how I pictured life till 24. One of them is also about the online and about being there. Some logistical issues like not having internet connection led to not writing on the blog anymore. And when that happens, sometimes you miss it. Other times, you worry you might have forgotten how to even do it. But there are moments when you come up with new ideas! So this is it now, I’m back here and there’s a catch 😀 From now on, you’ll be able to find business articles as well as the personal ones.

The new category, The Communicator, aims to share information and details about PR, Social Media, Marketing, Blogging, Communication, Storytelling, Networking, Social Relations, so that they can be understood and practiced by anyone who needs them or is passionate about them. It’s important to mention that the articles and info here are what I find valuable and believe they make a change by being shared – situations that I have encountered in my own activity and experience in these last 4 years of being in the field. In case of needing further info or examples or just for asking complimentary questions, the communication remains open after the articles are being published, so we can keep in touch whether by commenting on the article or by private message, through the contact page.

On the other hand, The Human category will represent, as before, the side of personal experiences and lessons, events in everyday life. It is my pleasure to share with you stories that have taught me different things, that helped me grow. Because, at the end of the day, we are not alone in this world and we do have so much that we can help each other with, right? 🙂

While The Human will be available for reading in Romanian and English, The Communicator is gonna show articles in English exclusively.

Now, this being out in the open, I just gotta write and find no excuses for it! There’s internet connection, there’s a new laptop on my desk, I am excited as a dog seeing its owner, so I’m gonna go for it!

We’re starting with a first picture about what a PR Specialist is and what does he/she do… Enjoy!

I just vanished… Poof!

February 3, 2016Ana Maria Popa Leave a Comment

Yep, exactly like that.

2 months ago (where did that go?!) I moved from Bucharest, Romania. To Austria, the mountain side, Tirol. I am at the end of the world, in a village of max 1000 inhabitants. I tend to believe that’s the number of tourists over a whole year.

Let’s just put it this way – there is just one sidewalk, one way. Nope, no 2 sidewalks, one on each way of the road. Basically, because even if it was, I’m not really sure there would be enough people to use it and walk on it.

So yeah, I’m here in a place that’s got nothing. No coffee shop, no doctor’s office, no pharmacy, no supermarket to buy stuff. And no internet connection. I’m lucky when traveling cause I enjoy other people’s internet. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, not anymore. I was, at the beginning. Oh, I was really annoyed! But then, I looked at is as a challenge. You know, I am a Social Media & Online person, and now I have to deal with no internet connection. But it helped me see things differently.

First of all, I started paying more attention to the people around me. I started enjoying more having a real conversation and I am more into stories. I laugh like I really mean it, finally! I am peaceful with my phone not having to vibrate all the time – messages, phone calls, emails! I enjoy this mountain air and the white view with lots of snow! I feel like I’ve discovered things in me I didn’t even know I had.

My friends here make fun of me, a ‘princess’, a big city girl moving to a village. And the thing is that it wasn’t even that bad. I mean yeah, I miss the comfort of craving for french fries in the middle of the night and just hop in the car and go to McDrive. Now, if I wanna meet someone or buy basic stuff, I need to hop on the bus for half an hour and go in the next town and shop there. At least, there’s something there, like 2 mini-malls with some stores and coffee shops and supermarkets.

All of this helps me live really basic. Me, the people around me, nature, emotions and moments.

Life here is so unmaterialistic (if that’s even a word) that a few days ago I had this happened to me – my phone died. It just died. It shut down by itself and I couldn’t turn it on again… I wasn’t even panicked. I was just thinking that I’ll have to live without my phone on top of the internet thing. I was just trying to think of ways to let my people know so they won’t get worried. I left it alone, and after some time, my phone recovered by itself and started working again. I wasn’t even feeling relieved… It was just a thing, an object and I wasn’t gonna be mad cause of that.

One of my Bucharest people asked me at some point if I miss home. It didn’t take long to say I don’t. To me, home is a feeling, not a place. As long as I am happy and peaceful, home is where I am. Yes, I do miss my people, I admit it. But that is easy to work out when they’re the right ones. They know I think of them and I miss them, even if we don’t talk everyday.

I truly believe that we got used too much to all this comfort the technology gives us. It is helpful, not gonna deny it, but somehow we let it replace life. Because when that is not in the picture anymore, it’s still us, humans. Us, with our thoughts, emotions, feeling and all that surrounds us. I found out this way that we forgot how to live… And I speak for myself also, my past self.

This same time last year, I couldn’t even picture my everyday life without internet, my phone, my laptop. And somehow, I feel that like this I exist more than ever. 🙂