Lost in Beijing, lost in translation..

It's Thursday evening and i've got nothing to do, and nowhere to go. After two hours on the net, i finally got tired. So i went to the sala to watch DVD movies.

Already, my two Indonesian housemates were watching a very unusual movie, titled "Lost in Beijing"... This DVD was brought over from Jakarta since last year by another colleague. I thought this was about the Beijing Olympics, so I never attempted to watch it.

Since my two housemates were so engrossed with the movie, i decided to 'sit-in' with them.

To my dismay, the movie was in Chinese.... And the subtitle was in Bahasa Indonesia.

I was just trying to figure ou the story and asking my housemate, once in awhile, what is going n in the screen.

Though i can understand only a few Bahasa words and phrases, i was able to finish the movie with them.

I thought is was an "indie" movie. Shot with a single camera, 8mm i guess. Shots were crude and in some instances, blurry. The fnny thing is the obvious one-camera use with the frequent panning between two actors talking, without a break in the shot.

Anyway, i have to go to my friend Wiki to get an understanding what what was the whole story about:

Liu Pingguo (Fan Bingbing) and her husband, An Kun (Tong Dawei) are a young migrant couple from the northeast of China who have moved to Beijing for a better life. Pingguo and An Kun live in a dilapidated apartment eking out their existence working menial jobs. An Kun works as a window washer, while his wife works in the Golden Basin Massage Parlor as a foot masseuse. Golden Basin is owned and operated by Lin Dong (Tony Leung Ka Fai), an unabashed womanizer, and himself from Guangdong Province. His wife, Wang Mei (Elaine Jin) practices Chinese medicine. Very soon, the two couples find themselves headed for a
collision course.

When Pingguo's best friend, Xiao Mei (Zeng Meihuizi), assaults a customer, she is quickly fired by Lin Dong. Pingguo, wishing to commiserate, takes her friend out and promptly becomes drunk on bai jiu. Returning to the Golden Basin, she passes out in an empty office. Lin Dong, seeing the vulnerable Pingguo attempts to make a pass, which quickly turns into rape, a rape witnessed by the window washer, An Kun. Furious at the sight, An Kun begins a campaign of harassment against Lin Dong, defacing his Mercedes Benz, and attempting to blackmail him for ¥20,000. When Lin Dong ignores the furious husband, An Kun goes directly to Wang Mei, who rather than acquiescing, seduces the naive window washer.

Soon, it is discovered that Liu Pingguo is pregnant, though neither An Kun nor Lin Dong can be certain of who is the father. Lin Dong, however, sees in Pingguo an opportunity to make things right with his barren wife as well as to settle things with Pingguo and her husband once and for all. Soon, the two husbands have concocted a scheme wherein An Kun initially receives ¥20,000 for his mental suffering. If the child has Lin Dong's bloodtype, he will go home with the massage-parlor owner and An Kun will receive ¥100,000. If however, the baby is An Kun's, no money is exchanged, but Pingguo and An Kun keep the baby.

Moreover, if Lin Dong again sleeps with Pingguo, half of his assets will go to Wang Mei in a divorce proceeding. During these negotiations, Pingguo remains conspicuously silent.

As the baby is carried to term, Lin Dong becomes more and more attached to the idea that he will at last be a father. When the baby is born however, An Kun discovers that it is indeed his child. Unable to turn down the money, he manages to convince Lin Dong that it is his son, allowing him to collect the ¥120,000. Although, seeing how happy Lin Dong is with the baby, An Kun grows increasingly jealous, at last resorting to a clumsy and ultimately doomed kidnapping.

After being released (presumably by Wang Mei, who has decided to divorce her husband), An Kun attempts to "repurchase" his child, to which Lin Dong promptly refuses. Pingguo, who had moved into Lin Dong's home after the birth as a nursemaid, at last has had enough. Quietly, she gathers the money that An Kun had returned, and taking her child, walks out the door. The film then ends as the two men, Lin Dong and An Kun, attempt to search for her, only to have their car break down on a busy Beijing highway...

One of the amusing aspect of this movie is its depiction of sex and nudity. Reports said that Chinese censors ordered 15 cuts to the film before being shown domestically. But it seems that our copy is a sort of "Director's Cut" copy.

I almost choked (i was eating 'suya' barbecue while watching) watching the rape scene between Lin Dong and Pingguo, and the sex scene between the young couple. Also, the bed scene between An kun and Wang Mei (Lin Dong's wife). I thought for awhile i was watching a soft porn movie.

One might see it was a "risque" indie film, and very rare for a Chinese-made movie.

While the camera works (cinematography) is erratic and blurry, but the story was kind of tightl woven. Also, to kill time, there's plenty of skyline or horizon shots which served as 'fillers'...

Overall, even if I didn't understand the conversation, i surely understood the storyline.

Ah, to be young and ignorant in the city. And to be taken advantage...

Sounds very familiar. Specially to our female OFWs to Arab countries....

The 90/10 Principle

Author: Stephen Covey


What is this Principle?

10% of life is made up of what happens to you.

…90% of life is decided by how you react…

π

What does this mean?

We really have NO control over 10% of what happens to us.

We cannot stop the car from breaking down.
The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off.
A driver may cut us off in the traffic.

π

We have NO control over this 10%.

The other 90% is different.
You determine the other 90%.

How?... By your reaction.

π

You cannot control a red light.
However, you can control your reaction.

Do not let people fool you.
YOU can control how you react.

Let us use an example…

You are having breakfast with your family.
Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee
Onto your business shirt.

π

You have no control over what has just happened.

What happens next will be determined by how you react.

π

You curse.
You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over.
She breaks down in tears.

After scolding her, you turn to your wife
and you criticize her for placing the cup
too close to the edge of the table.
A short verbal battle follows.

You storm upstairs and change your shirt.
Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish her breakfast and getting ready to go to school.
She misses the bus.

π

Your spouse must leave immediately for work.
You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school.

Because you are late, you drive 40 miles per hour in a 30 mph speed limit zone.

π

After a 15-minute delay and throwing
$60.00 traffic fine away, you arrive at school.
Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye.

After arriving at the office 20 minute late,
You realize you forgot your briefcase.

π

Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse.
You look forward to coming home.

π

When you arrive home, you find a small wedge in your relationship with your wife and daughter.

π

Why?
Because of how you reacted in the morning.

Why did you have a bad day?

π

A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?

The answer is “D”

π

You had no control over what happened with the coffee.
How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day.

π

Here is what could have and should have happened.

π
Coffe splashes over you.
Your daughter is about to cry.

You gently say:
“It’s okay, honey, you just need to be
More careful next time.”

Grabbing a towel you go upstairs and change your shirt.

You grab your briefcase, and you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus.
She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early a cheerfully greet the staff.
Notice the difference?

π

Two different scenarios.
Both started the same.
Both ended different.

Why?

Because of how you reacted.
π

You really have no control over 10%
of what happens in your life.

π

The other 90% was determined by your reaction.

π

Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 Principle.

If someone says something negative about you, do not be a sponge.
Let the attack roll off like water on glass.
You do not have to let the negative comments affect you.

React properly and it will not ruin your day.
A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, or getting stressed out.

How do you react if someone cuts you off in the traffic?

Do you lose your temper?
Pound on the steering wheel? (a friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off),
Do you curse? Does your blood pressure skyrocket?
Who cares if you arrive 10 seconds later at work?
Why let the cars ruin your drive?

π

Remember the 90/10 Principle and don’t worry about it.

You are told you lost your job.
Why lose sleep and get irritated?
It will work out.

Use your worrying energy and time to find a new job.
π

The plane is late. It is going to mangle your schedule for the day.

Why take out your frustration on the flight attendant?
She has no control over what is going on.

Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger, why stress out?
It will just make things worse.

π

Now you know the 90/10 Principle.
Apply it and you will be amazed at the results.
You will lose nothing if you try it.

The 90/10 Principle is incredible.
Very few know and apply this Principle.

The result?

You will see it by yourself!
π

Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and headaches.

We all must understand and apply the 90/10 Principle.
It can change your life!

π

It only takes willpower to give ourselves permission to make the experience.