SteveALepore

Saving Face, a Sony Pictures Classic, is now available on DVD for your viewing pleasure. The 2004 romantic comedy/drama was the project of first time director Alice Wu. It chronicles the complicated life of a promising young Chinese American surgeon, Wilhemina (played by the talented Michelle Krusiec), as she balances her career, her obligations to her conservative family, and the demands of a new relationship which she has come to value. The name of the movie comes from the Chinese social relation concept (often in the form of subtle power plays or selfless acts to keep someone else from embarrassment while preserving the status quo), which perfectly describes the heart of her problem; how to be true to herself as a professional and as a woman in the modern world, and remain a dutiful daughter in the traditional one.

???Saving Face??? introduces us to Wilhemina, a New Yorker who takes the #7 train weekly to visit her family, part of a tight-knit Chinese community located in Flushing, Queens. She is careful to keep her two worlds separated, but circumstances conspire against her when her widowed mother (played by Joan Chen) winds up on her doorstep pregnant and outcast (father unknown). Wil has to placate Ma while keeping her relationship with her beautiful dancer girlfriend (Lynn Chen) on the down low. Of course Ma is no fool; she is aware of her daughter???s tendencies, but the issue must be skirted because her daughter cannot be gay. Wil has tolerated her mother???s attempts to hook her up with proper Chinese boys at the Friday night socials for years, but to no avail. Ironically, it is Ma (who only speaks Mandarin and rarely steps outside of the confines of her social web) who has fallen from grace and must do the right thing to get back in good social standing.

The casting for Saving Face is brilliant. All the actors shine in their roles, creating contrast and chemistry that makes you laugh through the tears. The performances are heartfelt - never forced, and despite the fairy tale ending, quite believable. With the exception of Joan Chen, I was not familiar with any of the actors, but was pleasantly surprised at the caliber of the talent. Joan Chen played Ma to perfection and the other two leads were very strong, Krusiec playing the brilliant tomboy surgeon to Chen???s worldly elegance and street smarts. The introduction of a black neighbor as a regular character added a lot of comedy to the mix.

One billion Chinese people, two degrees of separation ??” Saving Face.

The director clearly put a lot of love into this project and it shows in every scene. Though there are some obvious stereotypes, the story gives you a real sense of Chinese culture across generations. And no matter how you feel about the lesbian relationship that is depicted, most people can easily relate to this drama regardless of race or sexual orientation. ???Saving Face??? presents the human condition just as it is in real life, complicated and messy, and at no time did I feel that the director had some kind of political agenda to force on the audience. ???Saving Face??? is one of the most intelligent and thoroughly entertaining movies I have seen in some time, keeping me completely enthralled from beginning to end.

???Saving Face??? is in English, however many scenes have Chinese dialogue, so I recommend that you be sure to have the subtitles on display while you watch or you will miss out on some hilarious one liners. Though tastefully done, there is a scene of sexuality, so viewer be warned.

???Saving Face??? was a favorite for many at the Sundance and Toronto Film Festivals. The movie has the high production values of a Hollywood film with a strong independent spirit. The film is a rare gem, one of those pleasant surprises that come around only so often, one that you will come to cherish. I give it my highest rating.

It is never too late to fall in love for the first time ??” Saving Face.

More Movie Reviews

Resources for Saving Face

http://www.sonyclassics.com/savingface/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saving_Face

There are literally many reasons why people take up bodybuilding. Many people use bodybuilding for building up there muscles, some people use bodybuilding for fitness, it really depends on the individual.

The great thing about bodybuilding is that you are training all the major muscle groups in the body and this really helps to keep your whole body fit and not just certain parts of it. Of course, when you are training, you are burning calories and lots of them. So this immediately starts the fat burning process. Balance this with a healthy diet and you???re well on your way to having that body you???ve always dreamed of.

Using bodybuilding for fitness is more than just going to the gym a couple of times a week. It should really be a lifestyle choice and affect all the things you do in your life. This doesn???t mean that you have to think about bodybuilding 24/7 but just that you should really think about what you are eating and drinking at all times. As this will greatly affect your results in your fitness.

So try to have a well balanced diet of carbs, proteins and fats. Add to these essential vitamins and make sure you are staying hydrated by drinking at least 1-2 litres of water each day. 30 minutes of exercise each day, whether it is weight training or simply aerobic exercise is recommended too.

Your diet will really depend on what you want to achieve, how fit you are and how much you weigh at present etc. A fitness instructor who will guide you through what you should and shouldn???t be consuming should really look this at. If you want to really bulk up and build your muscles, then you will increase your carb intake. If on the other hand, toning is what you want, then decrease your carbs and increase your protein.

If you???re using bodybuilding for fitness then you should see results fairly quickly as long as you balance your diet and exercise as recommended by your instructor or by the bodybuilding routine you have set yourself. So start today and don???t put it off any longer!

For more information on Bodybuilding For Fitness Just visit - http://www.bodybuildingworkout.net

When considering tooth whitening products, it’s always wise to count the tooth whitening cost involved. In fact, for many people, the issue of the tooth whitening cost is one of the most influential factors when it comes to deciding which tooth whitening method or product they will invest in.

Professional tooth whitening is rarely cheap but the expertise and experience that comes with a dentist is worth paying for, if you can afford it. For those who are on tight budgets or wish to have more control over the tooth whitening process, home tooth whitening products are available and in most cases are just as effective.

It’s all a matter of tooth whitening cost and flexibility. The following is a review of tooth whitening products, their processes, and the necessary tooth whitening cost for each method.

Counting The Tooth Whitening Cost - Professional Laser treatment Laser treatment is a fairly quick procedure that involves two things. First, a translucent tooth whitening gel is carefully applied to your teeth. A laser light is then used to activate the crystals in the gel to absorb heat from the light and heighten the whitening process. How long the treatment lasts depends on how badly discolored your teeth are.

Laser treatment is effective and immediate. The cost for laser tooth whitening depends on where you live but typically comes in at around $1000.

Counting The Tooth Whitening Cost - In-Office Bleaching Bleaching methods employed by dentists generate a similar result to laser treatment in that the effects are immediate. Instead of using a laser light to expedite the process, however, dentists will rely solely on a peroxide-based bleaching solution to do the whitening work.

While there is no question that solutions like carbamide peroxide work, there is something to be said about the instant whitening effect - it might not be as significant as you think. Sometimes, teeth can become dehydrated during the bleaching process and are temporarily lightened as a natural result. Once they come into contact with saliva again, they become re-hydrated and the lightening effect wears off. This is why some dentists require patients to follow up their in-office treatment with a home-based whitener. Treatment sessions vary, depending on how discolored your teeth are. It may take between 2-6 visits to your dentist to acquire decent results. A tooth whitening cost can range from between $600-$2000 per treatment (not including any extra at-home whiteners).

Counting The Tooth Whitening Cost - ZOOM And Other Home-Based Whitening Trays A tooth whitening tray makes for a popular home-based tooth whitening tool. It works by being filled with a special bleaching solution (which varies with each brand) then placed over one’s set of teeth, either overnight or during the day.

One popular tooth whitening solution made for trays is called ZOOM, so-called because of a patent-pending whitening gel technology that is said to whiten teeth an “average of six shades in three nights.” The cost of a dual syringe ZOOM tooth whitening kit is just under $50.00. The zoom tooth whitening cost doesn’t include the trays, though; you must be responsible for purchasing or having your own trays made. Other companies offer custom-made trays complete with bleaching solutions that will last up to many months. The tooth whitening cost of a kit comes in at between $300-$500.

Counting The Tooth Whitening Cost - Bonding And Porcelain Veneers Bonding is a tooth whitening system employed by dentists to modify the color and shape of your dentures through the use of a composite resin that they mold over your teeth. The resin, however, is said to stain and even chip in the long run. Bonding will set you back between $300-$700.

Porcelain veneers are like resin molds in that they are molded and bonded onto stained teeth. They can be shaped in such a way so as to lengthen as well as lighten the appearance of teeth. It usually takes two trips to the dentist to have veneers fully installed on your teeth. The tooth whitening cost is high too ??” a porcelain veneer averages $700-$1200 per tooth.

Counting The Tooth Whitening Cost - Whitening Toothpastes And Strips Whitening toothpastes help keep teeth clean but there is ample evidence to prove they are not as effective at keeping teeth white. There simply isn’t enough time for the whitening chemicals present in tooth whitening toothpastes to remain in contact with teeth to whiten them.

As for tooth whitening strips, many manufacturers swear by their effectiveness. However, it must be noted that strips don’t actually cover the teeth as extensively as they should. They are designed to cover the front of the teeth but no attempt has been made to design them to reach the nooks and crannies of individual teeth. The result is called “striping” where whitening takes place but only on the areas directly in contact with the strips. This can be highly embarrassing to users.

The tooth whitening cost for whitening toothpaste can be between $3-$7. Strips range between $25-$35 per pack.

So there you have it, the most popular whitening methods and their costs. For a closing tooth whitening tip, it’s worth remembering that there really in no “best tooth whitening product” - many of them are equally effective. And as previously mentioned, a lot of the time it’s all about what best suits your budget. Simply weigh the professional tooth whitening cost with the tooth whitening cost if you pursue a home-based method and let your pockets decide for you.

Belinda Sinclair empowers men and women to increase their Wow Factor through personal development and image makeovers. Find out how to save money with Home Tooth Whitening at http://www.hometoothwhitening.novawhite.com/?source=ea5

In Pennsylvania, which is a large state with lots of rural land, it can be difficult to find a good obedience school where you can get your furry companion cared for and trained the way you want. Instead of driving hours to have strangers teach your dog, perhaps you should consider being your own dog training service PA. By following a few simple tips, you can be on your way to getting your dog obedience trained from the comfort of your own home.

Being the Alpha Dog

If the dog you are looking to train is a puppy, the first thing you need to do is establish yourself as the alpha dog in the pack. Once the puppy knows that you are the leader, the obedience training becomes much easier than it was before. This, in fact, is a great reason not to drop your little one off at a dog training PA school where they will be the alpha dogs, not you.

If you have a grown dog, teaching him or her that you are the leader is still imperative, though it may not be as easy. At least early on, make sure you are the one feeding and caring for the dogs. Once they see that you are providing for the pack, you will quickly become the alpha dog and the training gets easier right away.

Nothing is Free

A concept taught in most dog training PA services is the idea that nothing is free. You can use this same idea in your home as you teach your dog obedience. Reward with treats, but never give them for just any reason. When you allow the dog to understand that treats, and nothing else for that matter, are not free then he will always be looking to please you. This method is as close to universal as anything in dog obedience training.

Be Consistent

If you are going to be your own dog training PA facility, then you need to adhere to the consistency such places will give your canine companion. Be sure that you do your activities at similar times each day. In addition, do not accept behaviors that are not acceptable and do not reward when a reward is not due. The consistency will help your training as well as your activities go much more smoothly overall.

Training your dog at home can really save you on travel, especially in a state like Pennsylvania where many of the facilities are so far away. In addition, you will save on money and time. However, perhaps the most important part of training your dog at home is that you get to bond with your pet.

Dean Iggo is the webmaster of http://www.dogtrainingadvisor.com providing tips and advice on dog training schools obedience, potty training and more.

Once you have chosen and registered a domain name, all you have to do now is design your webpages, starting with your home page. That is always the index page, so will likely have the index.html or index.php file name in your domain directory. The secret of rapidly building up pages on your site is to get your home page right. Plan the rest of your pages on paper, as far as you can, then put the links to them on your home page.

You can use that as a template for all your other web pages, saving you having to manually type all the links onto each page. Simply delete those that you do not want on specific pages. You should have at least 10 pages on your site before you submit it to the search engines, and there are a few tricks in doing that so that you can get quick listing. You will also have to learn a bit about search engine optimization (SEO) if you want your website listed in a decent position on the major search engines.

And that is basically how to start a website. There is an initial steep learning curve, and you will learn most in the first few months. After that you will continue to learn at a slower rate, and nobody on the planet knows all there is to know about search engines and websites because the internet is fluid, and constantly changing. Search engines and website design change with it.

Do you want to learn about article marketing? Download a free guide today: Secrets of Article Marketing

Do you want to learn how to build a massive list fast? Click here: Email List Building

Want to learn more about driving traffic? Download a free traffic guide here: Traffic Generation

Choosing a restaurant for your date is somewhat like going on a treasure hunt. With some forethought and careful planning you could find the perfect restaurant and strike gold!

When choosing a restaurant for your date, remember you are looking for romance, excitement and passion! Look for a restaurant that has a romantic ambience and offers you a delightful mix of fine dining, low lighting and some smooth jazz to spice things up a bit.

Specialty restaurants that have unique dishes they are well-known for are a great choice, provided of course you know your date???s special likes and dislikes. Avoid a potential dating snafu by asking about preferences upfront. Taking a sushi-hater to a Japanese restaurant could be an unmitigated disaster. On the other hand if you found out that your date loves sushi, booking a cozy table at a specialty Japanese restaurant could win you huge, ummm??? sushi points. It shows you care and have gone out of your way to please your date. Avoid going to restaurants that are famous for their lobster or rib dishes. Struggling with your food is decidedly unromantic.

You are definitely not looking for comfort on your date so avoid taking your date to your regular hang-out. You may feel at ease among familiar surroundings and familiar faces, but it???s kind of hard to be romantic with so many eyes looking over at your table trying to catch your attention. Besides your date cannot but help wondering how many previous dates you???ve brought here before.

Lighting can do a lot to detract from or add to the romantic ambience of the restaurant. Low strategic lighting boosted by a candle placed on each table is a huge plus point. Gazing into each other???s eyes over candle-light is tres romantic.

Live music is great for upping the romantic atmosphere. Look for a restaurant that has a live band that plays soft music, classy tunes and romantic melodies. Avoid restaurants that play loud, blaring music. You???ll never get a chance to whisper sweet nothings in your date???s ears with all that noise around you. Also steer clear of wandering violin serenaders and mariachi bands that pop up at your table at the most inopportune moments.

Find raleigh restaurants at our raleigh restaurant site.

As leaders in our professions we must recognize what it takes to achieve our greatness. It is imperative to keep an open mind while continually growing, learning, moving forward and staying focused. Top professionals know that the secret to success is greatly tied to developing their personal power.

I spend a lot of time dealing with the topic of professional excellence, however I realize that there is no such thing as professional excellence without personal excellence. I will argue (diplomatically of course) that if we do not have our lives in order outside of work, it is very difficult to bring our “A” game to our careers and maintain professional leadership.

How can we be well organized and diligent at work, if we do not hold these same standards to the other facets of our lives? How can we build great relationships with our clients, if we haven’t mastered building great relationships with the people that mean the most to us outside of work? Even though “they” (whoever they are) say a best practice is to leave home at home and work at work. That’s impossible. Everywhere you go, there you are.

So now what? How do we focus on personal excellence so that our professional excellence falls neatly into place? Whenever I conduct a workshop or seminar, regardless of the topic, I lead with the concept of developing one’s personal power. That’s the only place to start. Here are a few pointers:

Write a personal mission statement that incorporates ALL the key elements in your life (physical environment, money, career, friends/family, romantic relationships, personal growth, health/exercise, fun/recreation). Ask yourself, what do I want within these areas of my life? Keep your goals balanced throughout all areas.

In addition to writing your goals, speak, visualize and review them DAILY.

Eliminate any negative self talk and replace it only with positive talk. What you say to yourself is critical. Your conscious and subconscious are always listening. Stop saying how tired you are? No complaining. What’s the point anyway?

Develop yourself mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Surround yourself with inspiration messages. Sometimes we forget who we want to be. Motivational and inspirational messages are great ways to keep us plugged in. I like to call this positive mental food.

Create your like-minded community of people that support you and add to your life in a positive way. Surrounding yourself with successful people is also key. Birds of a feather flock together.

Commit to positive health habits. Start your day with breakfast. Exercise. Health is wealth.

Show your gratitude for everything. Count your blessings. Having an attitude of gratitude brings other great things to your life.

Do something each day that you are passionate about.

Do something each day that is a challenge —this is what moves you forward.

Focus and take action-this is the most important step.

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.

Robin Allen is an expert in the fields of personal and professional development. She is a keynote speaker, workshop presenter and trainer that conduct programs and speeches on topics such as life balance, self-esteem, weight loss, management/leadership and sales.

Robin, runs De-Ivy Management and can be reached at http://www.robinallendirect.com

Forgive what may seem like a bit of a theoretical argument today. Sometimes you have to step back and get a sense of the biggest picture in order to understand how all the simple, practical parts relate.

Small business is often held together with sweat, creativity and a heavy use of duct tape. (In case you ever wondered where I came up with the term Duct Tape Marketing.) That’s the outer reality of small business. The inner reality, the part that most don’t see and even the owner of the business might not understand, is more like a living breathing ecosystem.

I didn’t really excel in science in school, but to me the parallel is obvious. In an ecosystem, the many parts are dependent upon each other for success. In a small business, this is equally true and just as hard to measure and control.

There are lots of small businesses out there that appear healthy and happy on the outside but are being held back by some component of the overall system. The very first thing you must do is acknowledge this idea of dependant parts. If one isn’t thriving, isn’t even noticed, others will suffer.

It’s very hard to have a healthy business if the employees don’t feel appreciated. It’s very hard to have a healthy business if clients don’t know how your business is unique. It’s very hard to have a healthy business if your referral partners don’t know who makes an ideal client for your business.

There are countless examples of growing businesses that ignore what I’m suggesting, but I wonder if they are fun places to work and do business with?

Thinking strategically about your own small business ecosystem requires understanding who all the players are, the experience you want them to have with your business, and the tools you need to employ to make this integration happen.

First let’s take a look at the major players in the small business ecosystem.

You may have some combination of:

Suspects - folks you’ve identified that might need what you do

Prospects - those who have responded to your lead activities

Clients- someone who has purchased something

Advocates - purchases lots and tells others

Associates - your staff

Vendors - companies you might purchase from

Partners - companies that might help you produce a product or co-create services and clients

You can define what each of these is in your business, but the strongest businesses understand that they need to embrace, feed and sell each - sometimes in order for one to thrive. For instance, your clients will become stronger advocates or referral sources the more they feel connected to your community of clients, associates and partners.

One of the ways to create these connections among all of the members of your ecosystem is to have and communicate in no uncertain terms your firm’s unique core message. That message should contain a clear statement about your brand and how it’s unique and who should care. The goal then becomes finding ways for your clients, advocates, partners, and associates to connect to this brand in a way that feeds them.

Technology and a host of new media tools have made the important task of feeding and integrating all of the parties in a small business world much easier.

Let’s cover a few examples:

Blogs allow you to produce frequently changing content and interact with clients and prospects

Websites allow you to give access to a great deal of educational content

Web apps like Basecamp allow you to collaborate with clients and partners in real time

Online meeting tools like WebEx give you the ability to hold instant virtual sales presentations and peer-to-peer client conversations

Podcasting can open up doors to new media and give a true voice to the people in your firm

RSS technology allows you to create dynamic content that can be personalized to the individual

CRM systems give you the ability to track a prospect’s education process and know when they need more

Social software can give your clients the ability to generate marketing content for you and about you in an environment of trust

Autoresponders can provide education and training whenever it’s requested

Intranet styled offerings and even chat platforms make remote and virtual communication with your suppliers and associates simple and seamless

Content management systems can give your firm’s employees and clients access to your entire searchable library of documented knowledge

Streaming video and video screen capture makes providing simple help and training a snap

I suspect you get the point from the list above, but, of course, technology itself isn’t the answer. It is the beautiful way in which you tap the power it possesses to help meet and exceed your client’s expectations, build a thriving community of partners, associates, and advocates around your business, and generate and close more deals, more profitably.

To do this you must embrace new tools, new media, and new technology and figure out how to bend them to serve the goals of feeding your unique small business ecosystem.

John Jantsch is a veteran marketing coach, award winning blogger and author of Duct Tape Marketing: The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide. You can find more information by visiting http://www.ducttapemarketing.com

Your customer service policy can attract loyal customers who remain for a lifetime. Here is a policy tried and tested for more than 25 years. The truth is customers want three things.

Employ Nice People

The head of Nordstrums once said you can train nice people to be good sales assistants but you cant train good sales assistants to be nice. Nice people are born not trained to be so. Getting customers who are loyal for life begins with hiring nice staff. You should try hiring baby boomers. They have great customer service skills.

Go The Extra Mile

With all customers work extra hard to win them as a “Lifetimer” by giving them extra service wherever possible. Stay commited to overdelivering both product and service. The smallest things make the biggest impact.

Stay Connected to Them and Keep Them Happy

The best time to put your customer service policy to work is when customers complain. See the complaint process as way to prove two things. Firstly, you’ll do what it takes to change their complaint to a compliment. Second, you want to prove to them that they’re special and highly valued customers. Through this process make sure to stay connected. By phone and especially in person.

You now have a workable customer service policy. You will get customers who return loyally for a lifetime by centering your policy on giving them what they want, Nice People on your sales team, The Extra Mile of service, and for you to Keep Them Happy.

Copyright 2005 Kenneth Little

Kenneth Little is a writer, teacher, public speaker and the publisher of a re-released classic - in a revealing ebook- that will show you how to get the best of health and wealth out of all your future years.

True success will be yours no matter what your age. Amazing “How I Became Young at Sixty” brings renewed strength to your body, hope to your mind and increased prosperity to your lifestyle==> http://www.Young-at-Sixty.com

eBay Stores come with a very powerful feature: store newsletters. When buyers add your store to their favourites, you can offer them the chance to join your mailing list. You can then send highly targeted emails to people who you know were at least interested enough in your products to add the store to their favourites.

How Do I Send Them?

First, you need to get some people to sign up for your newsletter ??” this will happen with time, as people buy from you and browse your store.

Once you???ve got a few subscribers, it???s worth sending out a newsletter. To send store newsletters, go to My eBay, click ???Manage My Store???, and then click ???Email Marketing???. Once you???ve done that, click the ???Create Email??? button, and you???re away.

All you need to do now is write an email subject and a message, choose any items you want to include in the email, and specify who you want to receive it. The subject and message can be something relatively generic, like ???here are my latest deals??? ??” it???s the targeting that???s important, and eBay???s is powerful. You can choose to only send an email to people who???ve bought from you in the past, or only to people who???ve opened your email before.

It is important to note, though, that you can only send one email per week to a mailing list.

The Ups and Downs.

The downside of store newsletters is this: they???re expensive. A basic, $15.95 per month store only comes with 100 emails, while $49.95 comes with 1000. Even the $499.95 anchor store only comes with 4000! Extra emails for all stores cost 1 cent each. That???s $1 per hundred extra emails. If your mailing list has a significant number of people on it, then that???ll get really expensive, really fast.

Surprisingly, though, it can often be worth it, despite the cost. It???s very rare to send out a newsletter to a mailing list of a hundred and not get at least one sale, and you???ll often get three or four, even to small lists.

Measure Your Success.

Each time you send an email, eBay produces a report telling you how well that email did. You can view these reports on the ???Email Marketing??? page by clicking the subject line of an email you sent.

This report will show how many people received your email, how many opened it, the number of clicks it generated on your items and your store, and the number of bids and Buy it Now purchases that resulted from the email. Some of the numbers might be too low, though, as many people use email software that displays email in plain text format and so stops eBay from collecting statistics. Also, you will notice that you???ll have more success if you send out emails regularly, as people will start to expect them, and react in a more open way ??” don???t expect the Earth from your first email.

By now, you???re probably getting pretty good at selling on eBay ??” isn???t it nice to have all those satisfied customers? Not to mention the money??? However well you???re doing, though, there???s always room for improvement.

Neil Harvey is the webmaster of http://www.justebooks.net/ offering ebooks and a free newsletter with hints and tips to help succeed online.