Romance at the call centre

I have a deadline to meet and I should really not blog BUT I have to tell you about Outsourced. It’s showing on HBO (in Msia) this month and it’s hilarious. I’ve watched this movie in three parts and each part has not failed to make me laugh.

It is pretty much established that India is THE place where customer services (for North American customers buying American products) are outsourced to. But we have little idea of how the workers are trained and the challenges faced during the process of training them.

(Photo courtesy of http://www.impawards.com)

To me, Outsourced is as much a crash course in India and its culture as it is about the business of outsourcing. I have no idea how much of it is based on reality and how much is pure fiction (especially the goings on at the call centre) but I have to say that I learned a lot from the movie.

I’m not sure how Indian nationals have reacted to the movie (some reviewers say it’s stereotypical etc) but based on my exposure to Malaysian Indian culture, what I see in the movie is not alien at all. I get all the “inside jokes” and I could identify with some of the characters and where they’re coming from although some of them have no English dialogues (i.e the family which invites Todd A for lunch — despite not speaking a word of English — for no real reason except out of the kindness of their hearts).

Having said that, I didn’t expect the “Holiday in Goa” bit AT ALL (although I should have seen it coming). I think those scenes are the only ones which are potentially controversial (you have to see the movie to get what I mean).

Most of us are somewhat familiar with the arranged marriage aspect of the society but I think most of us don’t have a realistic view of the practice, especially of how it affects the girls in question.

Having considered the situation, I guess I’m not surprised that Asha (the female lead) had her “Holiday in Goa”. I’m not saying it’s the right thing to do but I’m not surprised if many girls in Asha’s shoes (in real life) have had their “Holiday in Goas”. All I’m saying is I understand if they felt have the urge to have their “sexescapades”.

(Picture courtesy of movies.suleka.com)

I wouldn’t mind watching the movie again and I would really recommend you to watch it if you have some free time. Don’t be put off by the no-name cast as I was initially. Just sit back and enjoy the show because before long, you would identify with the characters and they will stick with you long after the end credits stopped rolling.

If it could make my short attention span husband take his eyes off the laptop screen to watch the movie, I think it should be worth your time watching it too 🙂

Yay, happy 2nd anniversary to me!

Two years ago today, today was a Saturday. On that hot Saturday morning, my husband and I were married.

So, yeah, happy 2nd anniversary to me and my husband!

We haven’t planned anything special tonight. Truth be told, I completely forgot the significance of today until I was keying something into my Outlook calender and saw the date. These days, I operate by days, not dates. I can tell you today is a Tuesday but don’t ask me what date it is. So yeah, that’s the story of my life.

Anyway, my husband incidentally got two tickets for the premier of Ironman tonight. So, we’re watching that as a way of celebrating our union. These days, I’m up for just about anything. Because it is normally the last minute plans that end up being the most enjoyable.

Since the cinema is near The Curve, we may just have dinner at Marche, where we normally go to treat ourselves. See how it goes.

I know anniversaries should be big deals but not to me. I’ve never been one to celebrate, not even my own birthday. So not surprisingly, I didn’t get any gifts for my husband and neither did he for me. We’re broke this month anyway.

If I have the money, I’ll probably surprise him with an Ipod or something. But we’re the type of couple who splurge on each other for no real reason. I would have made some effort if I weren’t so freakking busy this month.

Whatever it is, I’m glad that I’m able to get one story out of the way. It’s not mine but I’ve been tasked to rejig it. So rejig it I did. I can’t say I enjoyed it. How can you enjoy ripping apart someone else’s work and changing it beyond recognition. On second thought, it sounds like utter pleasure, esp if the story belongs to your enemy.

But I have no enemies (at least I’d like to think so), so I was doing the (re)jiggy like I was treading on eggshells. I hope I made a decent job.

Oklah. Tomorrow is American Idol day for me. Whatever Jason decides to sing, please, please, please make it so good that Simon says its BRILLIANT and ON THE MONEY, Paula starts bawling her eyes out and Randy gives a standing ovation and urges the audience to do the same. Coz I just want to see this boy in the Top Three. That’s not too much to ask, right?

Were there signs?

To say that I was shocked to read this news is an understatement. First I read that he had been admitted to the hospital. Now this? Who would have thought?

Owen Wilson doesn’t strike me as the suicidal type. He’s so funny in all his films, you’d think he doesn’t have a care in the world off screen. Ok, he is not the No 1 comedian but he’s not doing too badly either. What I’m trying to say is, to me, his career is not reason enough to slit his own wrists or take 20 tablets of sleeping pills or whatever is was that landed him in the hospital.

Of course, everyone has his off days. Sometimes when things get rough, it’s easier to wish that the world would just stop spinning than to deal with the issue. Leaving the worries of the world by “leaving” the world seems like a good idea when problems are too much to bare. But to have suicidal thoughts — like imagining yourself jumping off a tall building — and acting on those thoughts are two different things. My question is: what could be so overwhelming and great to have caused him to attempt to take his own life?

By coincidence, I am currently reading a novel about two teenage lovers who made a suicide pact. Something went wrong and one of them survived. At where I stopped reading, both sets of parents are trying to come to terms with what had just transpired, especially with the fact that they did not see it coming. As far as they are concerned, there were no signs.

In Wilson’s case, were there signs? Only he can tell.

Goodbye, boys!

I wrote a nice, long blog entry about Goodbye Boys but now it is gone.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I just found out that my hometown Tg Tualang is featured in a local movie called Goodbye Boys.

I caught just a few minutes of the movie on my way out yesterday afternoon. Since I haven’t seen the movie, it would not be fair for me to actually review it. But you can read all about it here. Kamm would be interested to know that the movie is supposedly about 5 boys who attended St Michael’s Institution in 1990. They were in Form Five then though. Kamm and I were still in primary school then 😛

Anywho, I would like to see that movie one of these days. If only to catch glimpses of my hometown Tg Tualang and Ipoh, where I lived for five years.

Better get back to work. Ciao people!

Oh Shea you’re so fine.. you’re so fine you blow my mind..

I just finished watching Disturbia on dvd and I cannot be more in crush with Shea LeBouf that I already am. *Earlier, at about 1am today, I saw Transformers again*. He’s so cute and I cannot believe he is only 21.

He was really funny in Transformers and in Disturbia, I am seeing another layer of his acting skills. He’s still hilarious when the scene requires him to be but the conviction on his face when he was kicking the serial killer’s ass to save his mom is so believable. And I loved the way his chin quivered with so much rage when the serial killer described how he would slit his mom’s throat and put the blame on Kale, his character in the movie. The emotion was kind of hard to be conveyed because his whole mouth area was covered with duct tape. So, yes, Shea is not just a comedian, he can do serious drama too.

I cannot wait to see him as the young Indiana Jones next.

Rat-a-tat-tat (oo-ee!)

I confess: I didn’t want to go and see Ratatouille with my sister. If I had it my way, I’d go and see Disturbia, The Invisible or The Simpsons which are more my cup of tea. Why, I was even tempted to go and watch Transformers for the second time. What can I say…I have a crush on Shea Lebouf!

But since my sister had asked me out to watch Ratatouille (pronounced rat-a-too-ee) with her yesterday, I thought, “what the heck”.

And know what? I love it. Absolutely! It’s not as cute as Monsters Inc [speaking of which, a little girl in the movie theatre laughed just like Boo] but it’s hilarious, I can tell you that. The idea of a rat in the kitchen, what more a rat cooking in the kitchen, is gross. But you will love Remy the rat and aspiring chef for pursuing his passion. Well, if you have the gift for it, why not eh?

I’m not sure what the real message the filmmakers want to send to the audience. I’m guessing that it’s “don’t let other people stop you from doing what you’ve been born to do”. But if you are rat, a rodent, a pest, a health hazard – isn’t it dangerous for you to be preparing food? So, it’s okay to hurt people in the process of reaching for the stars?

I know it’s just an animated movie but you have to agree with me that it’s a very weird choice of character to send a positive message across. it’s like choosing a praying-mantis-thin actress to talk about healthy eating. Okay, this is a really bad analogy but you get the message.

Having said all that, I enjoyed the movie immensely because it made me laugh so hard. If you need a pick me up, this is the movie that will do the trick.

P/S: My sister gave me a matte pencil lipstick and pencil eyeliner from Mary Kay which she got for free from one of her wellness programmes for bcps (that’s breast cancer patients, not a new all-girl singing group!) I shall put them on for work tomorrow.

I’m happy, as long as I have my toys with me

What is it with boys and their toys?

My husband is watching Jam3s B0nd: Tomorrow Never Dies – the scene where B0nd is saving J1nx from drowning – like he’s watching soccer. Tak berkelip! Siap ternganga ok!

Speaking of movies, my sister (the one with cancer) and I saw Happy Feet yesterday night. She was the one who wanted to catch a movie after her Thursday class for recovering breast cancer patients at U*M*M*C. Her idea was to watch C1nta but the bloody movie sold out pulak… wtf, right?

So, we ended up watching Happy Feet. It was hilarious. A little wacky – hello?penguins doing choreographed dancing? – but a whole lotta fun.

I was so curious to see what my favourite actor El1jah W00d would be like. He didn’t disappoint me. I was amazed how Mumbles is so much like El1jah. His eyes, the way they move wildly from left to right, as if searching for something. The way he breaths, how his chest heaves up and down… sebijik macam Fr0d0 ok!

I thought N1cole K1dman as N0rma J3an was funny. If you don’t already know, N0rma J3an is Marilyn Monroe’s real name. N1cole sounded just like her. Hugh J@ckman was funny too. The Elvis accent? Hilarious. They’re such good actors… And of course, who can forget Robin Williams as lovelace/small latino penguin.

I don’t know how much of Happy Feet I can trust but I thought I learnt a lot about penguins from watching the movie. It beats your typical documentary alright. It was a brilliant idea to make the other penguin – not the Emperor type – as Latin Americans. To me, it gave them more attitude, fun and energy.

If you haven’t seen Happy Feet, go! Now!

Not for any amount of haute couture

I finally saw The Dev!l Wears Pr@da. I don’t know about getting Andrea’s job but I’d kill for her clothes 🙂

I now know why the movie is such a hit in the cinemas. It’s so hilarious! Having said that, I think it’s such a sad and touching movie as well.

I cried when Andie tearily apologised to M!randa about not being able to get her a flight to NYC from Miami. I shifted uneasily as Andie was given a lecture for “not caring” about her job. I felt her dejection when her boyfriend refused to talk to her for missing his birthday party. Throughout the entire 3 hours – yeah, it was THAT long – I WAS Andrea!

Jokes aside, TDWP made me question a lot about my values. How far would I go to chase after my dreams? Would I have lasted long enough under (an impossibly) demanding boss like M!randa? Would I have worked my butt off just to prove her wrong? Would I have said yes to a business trip to Paris even if it meant losing a friend? And would I actually wear that hideous green Ch@nel outfit (or any of the outfits Andy wore) if I knew I had to take the train to work?

I think I would never have lasted a week as “the new Emily”. It’s probably because I’m not ambitious enough. I’d quit even before M!randa could fire me. I’d love to go Paris but not at the expense of someone else, especially not a friend. Nope, not for any amount of haute couture.

Anyway, it’s late and I have to make some very important decisions for tomorrow.

So what will it be? Skirt or pants? What would Andy Sachs choose? *wink*