Cast: Christina Ricci (1), James McAvoy (2), Catherine O'Hara (3), Peter Dinklage (4), Reese Witherspoon (5), Russell Brand (6), and Simon Woods (7)
(Watch the trailer)
My favourite quotes - "I like myself the way I am.", "But I had my own changes to cope with. And while I miss the face that had caused so much trouble, the world had moved on. And I was determined to find my own way, and determined to always follow my own heart, and my conscience.", and "It's not the power of the curse, it's the power you give the curse."
I ushered in the New Year in Athens with the view of the Acropolis from the comforts of my home away from home there. And throughout my holiday in Greece I did a lot of walking, especially on New Year's Eve. That gave me time to do a lot of reflection about 2012 and what I want for 2013. And for some reason, the scene from Penelope when she yells "I like myself the way I am" kept flashing in my mind. Do I like myself the way I am?
My answer was no.
I'm on a holiday with a friend I've known since I was 18. He and I spent Christmas and New Year together in Greece. (Yes, we are JUST FRIENDS) And he told me that I haven't changed much, and that he agreed with the assessment of 2 of our mutual friends, that I don't finish what I start, or that what I say I want to do or want to achieve, I never do or take steps to achieve them. We also talked about what perception do we want others to have of ourselves and what kind of person we want to be or work towards being.
I think I have changed quite a bit. But hey, everyone's entitled to their opinion right. And if that is the perception people have of me, then no, I do not like myself the way I appear to be to others. And in all honesty, I don't like myself the way I am. Well, not entirely. Appearance wise, I would like to go back to being at a healthy weight and size. I want to be more presentable and when I look at the mirror, I want to be able to feel good about how I look. And I'd like people to perceive me as an intelligent, determined and sensible person, not ditzy, clumsy, and unworldly.
So seeing as this is the first day of 2013, I am going to aim for the following...
1) I am going to live a healthier lifestyle so that I can attain a healthy weight and size.
2) I am going to read at least 1 book a month.
3) I am going to write at least 10 entries a month in this blog or write 120 entries in 2013.
4) I am going to start saving up for retirement.
5) I am going to "like myself the way I am" by 2014.
Yes, I got this all from the quote "I like myself the way I am".
Now about the film Penelope, this is a film that I really love A LOT! Firstly, I love fairytales and the fact that the film has a magical and fairytale feel to it makes it a winner in my book. The story is about a girl named Penelope, who was born with a pig's nose and the only way to break the curse is if "one of (their) own kind claims this daughter as their own till death do they part". Now obviously there's a lot to learn from such a premise already. It's a film about seeing past the outside and loving a person for who he or she is. And this is evident in one of the early scenes in the film when Edward who has just seen Penelope's face runs off to the police to report her.
Edward: Are you going to arrest her or not?
Policeman: On what grounds? Ugly blind date? If being ugly were a crime I'd have to arrest half the people in the city.
It's sad isn't it, that some people cannot see past what's outside. However, we shouldn't forget the importance of looking presentable and I realise that how a person dresses and carries himself or herself is important especially since everyone is trying to get me to dress better. I know that while its more important to be a beautiful person on the inside, it doesn't hurt to take care of how you look on the outside because your outside is still a reflection of what kind of person you are on the inside.
Penelope: Are you a fan of George Rockham?
Max: Who?
Penelope: The book you've got in your jacket.
Max: Right. You caught that huh? Well, yeah. Yeah, it's a great book.
Penelope: So you've read it.
Max: Well yeah.
Penelope: Funny I thought that was the only surviving copy.
Max: Well, you know what, I meant to read it, but the library wasn't always out and er... I saw it was a first edition and I figured it might be worth something.
Penelope: So you were stealing it?
Max: Yeah. I was stealing it.
Penelope: So you're a fan of the money.
Max: I'm a big fan of the money. Although it doesn't much care for me.
Penelope: Well maybe you and the money weren't meant to be...
Max: Hey I wouldn't go that far. Jinx me.
Penelope: There are 326 first editions in that room, of those, 300 are worth over 50 thousand, a dozen or so are worth over 25 thousand and I'm afraid there's only one that's valued under a 100.
Max: Only one huh?
Penelope: A little novel, written by a little nobody, that never amounted to anything.
Max: You don't say... under a 100...
Penelope: I'm afraid so. And I'm afraid that means that it's time for...
Max: But your favourite just the same.
Penelope: What?
Max: I said your favourite just the same.
Penelope: I heard you... I...
Franklin: Sweetheart, what's wrong?
Penelope: I thought he just knew but it says it right here.
Franklin: Still he chose it. The 2000 books that aren't your favourite, he chose the one that is...
Now this whole exchange brings to mind the fact that some things are maybe meant to be. I don't know about you, but I am a believer of 'things always happen for a reason' and 'if it's meant to be, it's meant to be'. Call me a hopeless romantic, I don't care. So what if I am. This is who I am. But I mean, out of so many books, he picks the book that is worth so little in the monetary sense but worth so much in the eyes of the girl he ends up with. If that's not a sign, what is? (Another film that talks about signs can be found in another film that I really like titled He's Just Not That Into You.)
