Hola Mexico Film Festival: Australia

Hello Everyone, A quick mention of the Hola Mexican Film Festival this year in Australia, which is supporting Misión México - which is the orphanage in Mexico that one of our previous Success Story women, Pamela Skuse, so selflessly runs with her husband, Alan.

Opening night in Australia is Wednesday 18 November in Sydney at Dendy Opera Quays. To find out the tour dates for other Australian cities and to see the program, please click here.

Bits and Pieces

Hi Everyone, I hope you enjoyed your weekend. Here are some interesting bits and pieces that have crossed my desk lately:

(1) Blog sub-title that I loved on Grace's An American Mom In London: "Temporarily or indefinitely? Depends on the kind of day I've had". Can any expats relate to this? ;-)

(3) An interesting article, Centered Leadership: How Talented Women Thrive, in the McKinsey Quarterly, sent to me by Lindsey Jones at ACDI/VOCA.

(4) A range of HR (Human Resources) Summits coming up in 08/09 in the Australia-Asia region, listed on the Key Media site.

(5) EuRA Relocation conference for anyone involved in the relocation industry: Vienna, 22 - 24 April 2009.

(6) Expat and Relocation Conference, Oman, Al Buston Palace, 17-18 January, 2009. More details will come later on Jo Parfitt's blog.

(6) Film: 600 - by James Z. Feng. The film is based on the loneliness of longer-term expats living in China, and that sense of "I still haven't found what I'm looking for" (aka U2's song). The film was shot in Shanghai in 2007 and has recently been accepted into some major US and international film festivals, after some awards at a successful China festival 2007 showing. Synopsis:

"After coming to Shanghai on a college-graduation trip with two college buddies, Terrence decides to stay. All the partying, beautiful girls, and good food convinced Terrence this was the place to be. Supporting himself through odd jobs and teaching English, Terrence is having the time of his life.

We fast-forward seven years and Terrence is still an English teacher in Shanghai without much of a career. At the crossroads of his life, Terrence is having a midlife crisis and debating future options about returning home or staying in Shanghai. He questions the purpose of life and starts soul searching with the help of alcohol and delusional fantasies while wandering around town looking for the answer to his dilemma."

You can watch the trailer here. (Warning: If you are offended by language such as f***, this trailer is not for you.)

(7) Finally, an unusual but interesting news story, in terms of what is possible with technology these days: Google Mail Goggles Prevent Drunken Emails. It's targeted at those who send emails that they shouldn't and later regret it.

Thanks and have a wonderful week, Andrea.

Kick Like A Girl: The Movie

Thanks to an anonymous comment on this blog, I learnt today about the Kick Like A Girl movie.

"Kick Like A Girl is the story of what happens when “The Mighty Cheetahs”, an undefeated third grade girls soccer team competes in the boys division. With humor and honesty this documentary reveals the reality of the boy-girl issues and what "Kick Like A Girl" really means on and off the playing field. The film is narrated by 8 year old Lizzie, a self-described soccer girl, who doesn't let juvenile diabetes, elbow blocks or grass stains interfere with her desire to compete. Refreshing and triumphant, Kick Like A Girl reminds us all of the lessons learned in competitive athletics and how sports has been one of the most effective instruments of social change in our lifetime."

The online trailer for this movie is very inspirational. After watching the trailer several times and reading every word on their website, I contacted the director of the film, Jenny Mackenzie to find out more.

Jenny advised that the film is currently playing at International Film Festivals and they will have a broadcast premiere on HBO in early 2009. DVDs will be for sale shortly after the premiere. In the meantime, if you are interested in putting your name on their notification list, just drop them a line. Or, if you are interested in Jenny's touring and speaking engagements, email Jenny here.

Thanks Everyone - and enjoy the two-minute-trailer. Andrea :-)