Jacqui Thomas » Film Festival

Mao’s Last Dancer

Jacqui — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:15:27 +0000

A great movie! So refreshing to see an original storyline – probably because it is true. It brought back fond memories of my travels off the beaten track in Asia, and also reminded me how precious our freedom is, and how lucky I am to be born in a country where we simply take this for granted.

A moving true account of the life so far of Li Cunxin – a Chinese born ballet dancer of international acclaim, currently living in Australia. This movie managed to make me laugh AND cry – the measuring stick of a good movie in my book.

4 Quick Questions for the Best Decision Every Time

Jacqui — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:37:45 +0000

Are you having trouble making an important decision? Maybe you’ve tried weighing up the pros and cons, but still can’t decide?

Here’s a strategy that I find very helpful for tough choices. It’s a simple process involving four questions. They are known as the Cartesian Questions and were developed by a famous metaphysician called Rene Descartes. You’ll need some paper to keep track of your answers.

The questions are:

* What will happen if you do?

* What will happen if you don’t?

* What won’t happen if you do?

* What won’t happen if you don’t?

If you like you can divide your piece of paper into 4 quadrants:

* WILL / DO

* WILL / DON’T

* WON’T / DO

* WON’T / DON’T

You’ll find this really gets you thinking about the pros and cons at a deeper level, helping you make the best decision for you. When you see the answers you’ve jotted down for each question, the decision becomes very clear.

Whalerider

Jacqui — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:48:29 +0000

I absolutely adored this movie when it came out on the big screen in 2003, and continue to love it today. I bought the dvd over the holidays and have taken great delight in sharing this movie with overseas visitors and now my own daughter. It is the favourite dvd at our place at the moment for both of us. I’ve probably seen it at least 20 times now and it still brings tears to my eyes. A very special movie and thoroughly deserving of the international acclaim it received at various film festivals around the world.