He really is the rightful “sexiest man alive”. I couldnt see past the title. From what i read about his career background, it is apparent that he has quite a diverse range of skills useful in his craft.

But, he is damn sexy. I hope all boys age like that. Its as if every movie he makes, every appearance he makes just seem to confirm his status. He really has arrived and is at the top of his game. I know there is still THE brad pitt and etc (george, tom, etc), but right now is HUGH TIME. And all the movies he makes, WOW, pure masculinity and that eyebrow thing,…

I didnt know how he would pull australia off considering that it was a baz luhrman film but, he just fit right into the movie and was more glorious than ever. Wolverine does not disappoint either. He is all leading man and did i mention DAMN SEXY?!?!?!?!?

O - M - G !!! I know this kind of expression sounds corny from a grown woman (and married and a mother to a 1year old child to boot) but there is no better way to describe how I felt the whole time I was watching Taken. This is one of the best films I have seen in the last six months and staying up late to watch this was worth it. WOW. I was taken by Taken.

The plot seems a bit “used” (no pun intended) but, the way Luc Besson and the other guy wrote it, made it stand out, fresh, entertaining. The issue of human trafficking has been tackled by BIG movies and INDIES alike. Some may have left us hanging on the “thinking” stuff while some were too political to be entertaining. Taken captured all the important aspects of the genre: the action sequences, the family angle, the drama, the reality of it and even the one liners to fully satisfy a wide range of audiences. The box office success of this movie proves that.

I read somewhere that this movie is characteristic of Luc Besson and that with Besson as producer, you were assured of this certain “feel” of the movie. Heck, yeah, this is right. You cant go wrong with a Besson movie (except for Taxi, if I may add). It’s like watching a John Woo film (one of my faves) and expecting great action sequences and a few pigeons flying in and out of the shot somewhere. When you watch a Besson movie, instinct will automatically tell you that you are in for one hell of a ride. In fact for this movie, I was glued to the monitor, on the edge of my seat, fists clenched and anxious how the movie would end.

I like Liam Neeson a lot as the English actor who gets all the good roles in period movies (and also, unfortunately, as the stepfather of a boy in Love Actually - hahah) and boy, is he a great actor. But, I bet none of us would have expected him to be this character. I just cannot picture him (again, that old guy in Love Actually) doing all those action sequences. I suppose it made me think how many stuntmen who looked and moved like him got hired to do all the action stuff. Famke Jansen may have also been effective in the movie. From the birthday sequence, I saw her as the wife of a military man who went off with a rich guy for the good life and yet caused all the bad things in the movie to happen (read: sending her daughter to Paris to follow U2). And frankly, the kiss and hug in the end when she got her daughter back does not erase the fact that she could have prevented this thing from happening. She should have suffered for this.

The fact that there was no singular bad guy that we could look forward to defeating made it all the more challenging. You couldn’t pinpoint anybody to blame for all this atrocity. It is like a lot of people had a hand in making these things happen. AND maybe this is true in real life. The construction site scene made me want to puke and not finish the movie. It makes me sad and angry at the thought that something like this is ACTUALLY happening somewhere in the world. But then again, like Jean Claude, we are too busy with our lives that we tend to tune out of what is happening outside of our proximate world. I should say something like “we should find time to stand up for this cause… blah… blah…blah….” but I know I can’t and shouldn’t (would cheapen somebody else’s crusade). Because I am also a Jean Claude.

Maybe I should stick to talking about the movie . . . I recommend that everybody watch Taken. It is very entertaining with the correct political undertone. Nothing too shocking but also not for the fainthearted.

I admit, there are some times when we are pigheaded about the way we feel about our very lives that we lose sight of what’s good. Kun mabati la hi mama, masering ito na “asya ito kay waray na nimo sirusimba” and I know this is tue. Sadly, this realization didnt come to me in my sleep or during a lucid interval but, again, sadly, out of a very ordinary situation at the office. Its not all good but its not so bad for me either. Thanks, Kates. (heheh)

I dont want to go into the details because my telling the sory would I think be cruel. To make the long sory short, I had an epiphany of the many things my life would NOT have been had I chosen another path from which I am on right now. Makes you realize that sometimes, there is an equalizer in life, just like the delayed and missed flights in the amazing race. If at one point, you feel that you are behind and have no chance of getting ahead (just like what i said previously), a replay or catch up marathon is shown to you so that you can see what can be done to change the rankings. Its like being hired by an equal opportunity employer… hahaha.

Anyways, I think, we all go through this phase. I dont know. Just yesterday, while we were having lunch, one of my colleagues said that oppportunity comes knocking only once. And that statement didnt feel right to me. I pointed out that we create our own opportunities. Sometimes, we have to fight for it, sometimes, we have to let go. But, we learn that sometimes we have to switch roadblocks and go with the harder ones to emerge better contenders than when we originally started. It’s all about character building.

I have always been a big (understatement, i know) movie person. Movies can cure me (of a broken heart), can excite me (to a fault), can revive me (from a work week rut), can bring me hope (has happened a few times), can sustain me (when I was far from family) and at the very least bring enjoyment. But, there are just some movies that make me think (oh, yes, i sometimes do that in my spare time) and they are very few and far in between. I dont even remember the last movie that made me feel this way, but I know that it was just recent.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button made me think. Forget that it was Brad Pitt who played the titular role. Forget that Cate Blanchett was amazingly suited for the role which she played and that Tilda Swinton is actually feminine in this movie (a first for me). The story was amazing. I dont know how far the screenplay is to the actual literary work by F. Scott Fitzgerald whom I remember as being mentioned by Kates when we were in college and I didnt know who in the world he was.

We all know that life is not what it seems and we could be surprised with what is in store in it for us… blah blah blah… We all know that, especialy us Filipinos, we grin and bear it. This is a revelation (I guess) for Americans and Europeans because they dont know what we have to face everyday in our lives, but we soldier on. This part was a given for me in this movie. I guess, everybody involved in the film wanted it to be an inspiration for America in crisis, to touch the hearts of people and initiate change.

Personally, when I watched this movie, I was faced with work-related stress and was opting to go for something light and enjoyable. I didnt want to have anything to do with Brad Pitt thinking that publicity may have gotten the best of the viewers and the movie didnt meet the standards I set for a Brad Pitt movie. Anyway, I was feeling sorry for my mediocre life (as I constantly feel, I guess, based on a previous blog entry which I failed to finish), thinking that I ought to do something with my life and all the things I cant do because of my life now, and all those things that might weigh a person down…blah blah blah. I was viewing profiles of friends and saw that they have made something of themselves while I was stuck here in the province, living in the same house, married to the same guy who was my boyfriend for the longest time, encountering the same financial problems, stuck in a job that doesnt actually become me and my personality and there is nothing I can do about it that wouldnt change a WHOLE lot. The only saving grace was that I had a healthy young daughter who, come to think of it, came out my tummy, not my vajayjay, who I wasnt able to breastfeed for many reasons, who spends most of her time with mama and prefers her papa more than her mama.

In the final parts of the movie, Brad Pitt’s character was leaving parting messages to his daughter saying that he hopes that she has a good life (I cant remember the exact words) and that if she doesnt, he hopes that she has the courage and the strength to change it. NICE. The final scene in the movie Benjamin Button says that some people are born to make buttons (his father), some are mothers (Queenie), some are meant to recite Shakespeare (his adoptive father) and some are dancers (Cate Blanchett).

Hmmm… This makes me ask what I am meant to become in life. These people were already those things even at the start of the movie. In my case, I wasnt someone you would call bright or talented. I am a wall flower, for crying out loud. I am not an honor student (just a few times), not the public speaker, not the sing and dance type, not the athlete, not the writer, not the artist and definitely not the beauty queen. I guess you could say I tried them all and didnt really excel in just one thing. I felt like the jack-of-all-trades-and-master-of-none person. I was great at being like that.

No wonder I felt so special when my grandmother gave me my 10th and 18th birthday parties. I wasnt (and still am) not used to being the center of attention. I have always been like that. I could make parties and affairs special for my family but just leave me out of the spotlight. I wouldnt go so far as to say that I crack under pressure because I have been under the spotlight a few times but if I can avoid it, well and good.

The one instant that easily comes to mind to exemplify this is one that my family hasnt forgotten and probably will never forget. We were supposed to record tapes (at that time, that was the IN thing if you had relatives abroad) for our grandmother and aunt in the States. We could say and do whatever we liked because according to our mama and papa, they listened to the tapes while they were in the car. We were all in grade school then and I was about 9 or 10. Since my younger sibs were the better singers, they went first and chose to sing contest pieces which they pulled off. I don’t know how it came to be chosen for me but I got “Ako’y Isang Pinoy” and for the life of me, I couldn’t sing the simplest melody and stammered and didn’t finish the song. I was near tears then and I knew that that wasn’t for me.

Now that I am older and have my own family, I still don’t know what I am supposed to be. When will this end? Wala lang. Just getting this out of my system. Decluttering this teeny weeny muscle I call a brain so that it can accommodate more stuff tomorrow at work.

PEOPLE, what do you think you were born to be?

This Christmas was the first one I spent away from my own family and with my in-laws. It was a whole new experience in that we all just slept all through the clock striking midnight until the morning. Pre-marriage discussions revolved around the idea that since Christmas was my birthday, we get to spend it with my family and that New Year’s at my husband’s family. But, since we will be busy preparing for Alexa’s first birthday celebration on Jan 2, we need to spend some time at my place on the 1st.

Christmas at our place is always made special by our parents. It seemed that no matter how hard the days the whole year round seemed, we always looked forward to Christmas with all the food, the presents and the bonding. On some Christmases the food seemed not-so-special and other times, there were no more gifts (especially when we were already older), but there was just something that made it special. It may have been our bonding moments, we talked about almost anything, we took pictures (when we were able to borrow a camera), we sang songs or watched movies together. We even dress well for Christmas . . . “bangaw-chic” is how I would describe it: we wore so-so pants or shorts but in good t-shirts. We spend the whole afternoon of the 24th preparing our Christmas supper, we all pitch in to do the work and no matter how tiring and frustrating things seem in the afternoon, we always find time to chill out, relax and bond right before the clock strikes midnight. Our parents always made it a point to wake us all up and gather as a family at midnight to wish each other a Merry Christmas, hugs and kisses are exchanged. After which, we go to sleep and plan to go to church the next day.

I dont know, maybe I didnt expect my husband’s Christmas traditions to be SOOOOO different from mine. I always thought that everybody spends Christmas the way that we do (a very hasty generalization). I dont really understand what happened (or what didnt happen) and maybe I was expecting that we would do something special or something special would happen. When I asked Leobert about it, he told me that that was how they did it and that they focused more on the New Year rather Christmas. Hmmmm….

It is at this time that I really appreciate how my parents gave us the value of tradition. I read on an online community for mothers that tradition in the family, especially with children at young ages, should be set up early. This not only makes sure that children enjoy holidays but also that bonding moments be established. I totally agree with this. From what I recall when I was younger, my parents always went out of their way to make sure Christmas was special (bangin nangutang pa). No matter how crappy their relationship was at any time, they put so much effort to making all that seem irrelevant come Christmas day. Kudos to you, mama & papa!

That is why as a mom to a growing child, I vow to make the Christmas tradition of our family something special. I will see to it that I live up to what my parents did and are still doing today. I hope I can convince my  husband of the importance of Christmas (not just because it is my birthday) and we make it special for our family.

While watching the HBO 24/7 special on Pacquioa and Dela Hoya, a new ad came on with a girl in bikini walking by a pool (which happens to be Riza of PBB) and a few men “admiring” the girl’s body. I thought wow, Rizza, at last, has a commercial after her PBB stint. Then, the camera pans to a guy who comments that she should have worn something me colorfu and all of a sudden, a big bottle drops on him, crushing him and then the tag line comes on.

This was okay, if he were a REAL man, he wouldnt have commented on the swimsuit but scrutinized the girl’s assets because THATS WHAT REAL MEN DO. Understandable, this is one of the true tests of MANhood, as they say.

Little did I know that the second ad in the series will be cause for more reaction. It shows a group of guys in a pad watching sports on TV, cheering and really rowdy. A second later, one of the guys receives a phone call and answers it outside of the room. In that phone conversation he says, Hi sweetie (automatically means he is talking to the gf) then he sneaks glances at the other guys he left in the room. He whispers I miss you and instantly a big bottle of beers drops on him crushing him, with the tagline appearing.

I wanted to cry FOUL at that time. Men and women’s magazines have taken a big part of the average worker’s income and they, month after month, have stressed the need for men to be more sensitive (which is frankly, the only thing lacking to make MAN a better being) still, we get ads like these. I can see that point that the ad people were trying to convey, especially with the increasing popularity of their closest competitor. But, this series has crossed the line that Cosmo has established over the years, in terms of man’s progress as a being, as a person. I hope nobody buys their beer…its not as good as red horse anyways,….

This movie (for lack of a better word) sucks. There was too much hype from all the commercials and trailers that one would believe that this is one entertaining movie. Well, it is entertaining, featuring stuff which has not been detailed in a full length movie before but this one didnt quite make it.

This movie is the follow up, solo movie of Hayden Christensen after playing Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars trilogy so, yeah, I was epecting it to be great. He has some acting talent and is very appealing onscreen but the movie didnt do well for his portfolio. Here, he seemed weak, undecisive and yet courageous and as he says in the movie “different from the others”. In other words, there was no definite characterization, he was the small town boy who could jump through time and space, who just couldnt get his high school sweetheart out of his mind.

Rachel Bilson of the OC seemed like a bimbo in this movie. Its like her whole existence depended on Christensen’s character - David. She has no personality, no past, no direction, no nothing. It just so happened that she was one of the pretty girls in the same high school who happened to catch his attention.

The ensemble cast was good from all the previous movies they starred in but in this one, they simply didnt matter. Other people could have taken the roles of Samuel Jackson, Diane Lane, the actor who played his father and the “other jumper guy” and the results would have been the same. They might have been able to save on production cost if they did.

The biggest issue was that there were a lot of loose ends that needed to have been discussed in the movie: (1) If Lane was a Paladdin (not sure bout the spelling) and Hayden was a jumper, how in the hell did they become mother and son? It didnt seem like he got his “jumper” gene from his father who seemed like a normal guy. The movie didnt explain a lot regarding the connection of mother and son. (2) the Paladdins (according to th explanation of the other jumper guy were religious fanatics who were against the jumpers playing gods. Jackson’s character didnt exude religiousity or fanaticism. The only thing that proved the premise to be true was when he said to the other jumper that he killed that only god has the power to do those things which seemed a very shallow character and seemed like he just wanted to kill those people. He should have been killed off in the movie. (3) How does one become a jumper or a Paladdin? Whats their relationship dynamincs? Who established this war?

Over all, the movie was so-so. Visual effects were ok considering the story that they were trying to portray. But the story was weak and so were the characters.  I dont know how the movie fared in box office scales but personally, this movie left more questions hanging rather than the answers it offered. This is generally good when it comes to movies that actually stimulate your mind but for a “pop” movie like jumper, it just doesnt work.

For one, both Daniel Craig and Christian Bale play the characters which have been played by other people before them and all those previous movies have been such big hits. But, this time, they have played the characters in a whole, new light…. they have become HUMAN and thats something that’s refreshing.

In addition, I felt that maybe the producers of the first movies wanted to make sure that the franchise would be a hit and would last forever that they did those well. The effects, the girls, the chases, actions sequences (both seem very athletic) and the storylines. It seemed like everybody would be awaiting the next installment in the franchise (like me.)

Overall, with the planning, production, promotional stuff and the great acting of Bale and Craig, there would be little doubt that these two have worn the “batsuit” and owned the number with great success. I just hope the third movies are the charm….

I’m so scared i could pee in my pants right now. for months now, leobert and i have been trying to come up with ways to supplement our family income. We have tried to get a xerox machine for use in their brgy. but somebody beat us to that project. we knew that we had to invest in high-quality equipment which we didn’t have the money for. so, having “competition” in that market didn’t sit well with us. we wanted a sure shot (as if there is something called “sure-shot” in business). we had to forgo that idea and look for a new one.

i could take on another job, maybe part time, go back to sya and maybe they would take me back, as i already had experience. then, the opportunity to work with (or is it “for”?!?!?) previous colleagues came about. i wold have loved to teach again but the schedule just didn’t seem to meet my requirements for a part-time job. i would be spending most, if not all, of my waking hours working, away from my family that’s just starting. this would be an even bigger problem than the original problem of having very little spending money.

then, i had this bright idea that maybe, since i had attended the seminar kates gave out as a fundraiser for dyn2, then maybe i too can be an online writer,  a creative one (i hope) at that. heheh. that maybe, if i had the right tools: a computer and speedy internet connection, i could also use my meager writing skills to earn extra income.

i acquired the PC and the internet connection. i am able to surf the net with no limits on time and cost. now i am scared senseless. this is the first time ever that i have been scared to apply for online writing jobs or whatever online job. i don’t know why. and to think i don’t even have to dress up and face the employers in person.

it all boils down to confidence, i guess. i have always known from way back elementary days that i could speak english fairly. spoken english wasn’t a problem for me, just as long as there was something to talk about. but, i have never really been a storyteller, i guess. i have had diaries since i was grade 6 (which i usually kept away from the eyes of “judges” in the family ) and writing like this is easy, it just flows right out of me.

but, will other people be able to understand and appreciate what i have here? will employers be able to relate with what i have to write? will i EARN ONLINE?? will this “bright” idea work? or will it be anti-climactic and be a total waste of hard-earned resources? hahaha…questions which will never be answered if i just keep writing like this and never search for ads and apply for jobs, i know. whatever will happen next??? (tang-dan-dan….)

The latest craze in Koreanovelas has sparked interest in the family… in the household. Everybody in the family, from the panganay… to the bunso…. looks forward to the newest episode every night at approximately 11 in the evening (after an onslaught of traditional pinoy telenovelas). No matter how sleepy everybody is, we all manage to stay awake up until the last commercial signaling the start of the evening news.

We are just so engrossed in the story that even if we were able to watch the DVD version of the whole telenovela, we still want to watch the tagalized and non-subtitle version of the telenovela…GRABEEEHHHh… more pictures pa…


i cant contain my excitement talaga… i even describe it as the highlight of my day… aheheheheh … thanks to the koreans for this relief….