In my forty-plus somethin’ years of existence in this lonely planet, I have come to meet a lot of interesting people along the way who have made my life not so lonely. In fact, they have made my journey more colourful, more fascinating, more exciting. I have laughed, cried, had gone mad and crazy with them. Some of them have trekked nearby paths, some far and unreachable, while I have also traversed mine. But let it be known that they have all made me what I am now, for I have learned a trick or two from them. And so it sometimes crossed my mind, what’s up with them now?
I have asked my friends to answer a set of questions to update me with what’s going on in their present lives and what makes them tick nowadays. So starting tomorrow, TGIF is Wazzup, Wazzup Day.
Blab on, my friends. I’m all ears;-)
Note: I'm featuring one friend's answers starting tomorrow, and in the coming Fridays. In no particular order. Just according to whoever bothered to answer me first;-)
Okay, love birds. I admit. Any story which is even remotely similar to the legendary Cinderella never fails to get my attention. The only thing is, it has been used a tad too much. Her story seems to be every director and screen writer’s template, be it a telenovela tearjerker, or a romantic comedy--from a sweet, rich girl, to an underdog with a stepmother and wicked sister/s, to ending up with the most handsome boy in the land. But the formula actually works on us, the gullible celluloid fans.
Why do you think Mara Clara is still a hit, although it is on its nth rehash?
Movie Recall: Ever After (1998)
The Story: With the sudden death of her loving father, Danielle is made a servant by her new stepmother. She also has two new stepsisters, one quite kind but the other one really horrid. Still, Danielle grows up to be a happy and strong-willed young lady, and one day her path crosses that of handsome Prince Henry, who has troubles of his own at home. Luckily the nice Leonardo da Vinci is on hand to help all round.
My Review:
With the timeless tale of Cinderella as a reference story, what is there to not like? But there’s a twist. The young Drew Barrymore here plays the not your ordinary damsel-in-distress heroine because she gets to save the Prince this time. Awesome 20th century modern Cindy!
Trivia:
The glass slippers were made by Salvatore Ferragamo.
When Danielle is swimming in the lake, she is using the inverted breaststroke. It was popular in medieval and Renaissance Europe, and is still commonly taught as a survival stroke. In Australia, it is called the "Survival Backstroke."
The Mona Lisa was painted on wooden panel, so it would be impossible to roll it up into a tube.
At one point Queen Marie tells Prince Henry to choose a wife wisely, because "divorce is only something they do in England." This is obviously a reference to the infamous Henry VIII of England, who caused an immense scandal when he divorced Catherine of Aragon for Anne Boleyn in the early 16th century.
I just got an FB wall message from my sister that this week is National Best Sister Week. (I don’t know who sets these things!) And I ran a mental note of the names of my sisters (and my brother), and I was reminded again of why we were named this way.
My three sisters, only brother, and I were all named with a capital B. Benilda, Belinda, Bernadette, Benilyn, Bernard. Let me tell you my father’s rationale behind this absurdity (at least for us who were at the receiving end!). His siblings made a pact among themselves to name their children according to their corresponding birth order in the alphabet. So, my first uncle christened all his children A--Alice, Arlene, Amor, Alvin, Amparo, and Angelie. My third uncle named his kids ‘C’--Carlo, Cesar, Cecille, Celso, Corazon. My fourth uncle’s children are Donnabelle and Dante. And his last brother named his children Elma, Elsa, Eloisa, Efren, and Eric. You get the drift. So can you guess what order my father is in his band of brothers?
Brand B
Ba, be, bi, bo, bu!!!
Such was the power wielded by our parents over us the moment we were born. They either make or break our future by designating to us a moniker we would be carrying with us the rest of our lives. Some parents seem not to care if their whimsical decision could scar their child on the playground or on their job application. But some give a lot of thought, for they know that the name they give their child is like a brand that would stay with him forever.
I’m not saying here, though, that my parents misnamed all of us. Well, we have heard worse names on other people than ours. But couldn’t they just have scrapped their promise and named me Francesca instead?
After my bout with Mr. Shingles, I’m a little afraid of doing some exercise again. I really don’t know if I had pushed myself too much.
Before I got sick, I did TRX on MWF, jogged after work with the Daughter on TThS, and danced aerobics in the mornings of SatSun. One of my students even jokingly asked me why I was punishing myself. Of course I was just doing the right thing for my health. Or so I thought.
Then the virus in me woke up.
F21 Checks
Promod Spaghetti
MNG Jeans
CMG Wedges
They said shingles happens if one’s immune system gets weak, or if one gets stressed out. So it got me thinking in my Shingles Prison, maybe I did overcalculate the boundaries of my body’s immuno-friendlies. Maybe I was in self-denial of my biological age. Sigh.
Now that I’m supposedly non-contagious, I’m still feeling some nerve pains on my hand every now or so. My weighing scale is groaning and crying out for me to go back to moving my booty, but my paranoid mind is saying I might not be ready to work out. Not just yet.
I’m in a state of lethargy and sloth. Please just let me be.
Nowadays we hear people openly claiming to be BFFs with one another. Don’t tell me no one has asserted this tag on you? With Facebook having over 700 million avid users (and rapidly multiplying!), suddenly, you are on a BFF status with a thousand and one people, swearing their true friendship to you. And just by using a mouse.
But I think BFF is a sacred word, and should not be given carelessly away. Old friends and BFFs are not necessarily one and the same. Yes, old friends may have stood the test of time, but true friends don’t need time to be considered as such. For me, BFFs may have appeared in my life since I learned my ABCs, or they may have appeared only a year ago. What matters most is that my heart knows.
MNG Over-all
Promod Spaghetti
Feud Maryjanes
Discovered among the many ‘situational’ friends that I have met are my real BFFs. So how do I sieve the grain from the chaff? First, they grow with me, and I grow with them. Whether it’s changing my job, or my kids growing, they have stuck with me through thick and thin. Second, they respect my private time, and I respect theirs. They don’t demand that we always go together, because they know we have our own lives to make, and not necessarily breathing on one another’s necks. They don’t demand anything from me. And I also don’t impose myself on them. And lastly, I can still connect emotionally to them no matter how much time and distance gap there might be between us. I know they are my BFFs if after two years, or twenty years, and the phone rings, or I accidentally meet them in the mall, I can talk to them like we have just been talking yesterday. No apprehensions. No façade. No fear of being misjudged. Such is the magic of BFFs for me.
My BFFs are life's gifts to me. I'm confident they know who they are.
All of us want our love stories to end in a typical fairy tale. So what happens if the ending goes against our preconceived fantasies, like in the case of the ill-fated lovers Romeo and Juliet?
Accept your heart's destiny, my dear. If it’s not meant to be, it will never be.
Movie Review: The West Side Story (1961)
The Story:
Westside story is the award winning 1960’s adaptation of the classic romantic tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. The two belong to two feuding gangs in New York City-the white Jets led by Riff, and the Puerto Rican Sharks, led by Bernardo. When Riff's best friend (and former Jet) Tony and Bernardo's younger sister Maria meet at a dance, no one can do anything to stop their love. Maria and Tony begin meeting in secret, planning to run away. Then the Sharks and Jets plan a rumble under the highway - whoever wins gains control of the streets. Maria sends Tony to stop it, hoping it can end the violence. It goes terribly wrong, and before the lovers know what has happened, tragedy strikes and doesn't stop until the climactic and heartbreaking ending.
My Review:
The music libretto of Bernstein and Sondheim was one of the finest ever created, with songs like Tonight, Maria, I Feel Pretty, and Somewhere becoming classics. I’m always overwhelmed whenever I watch this movie. Beside this is one of those moments when I’m glad my name is Maria, for I have never heard anyone saying, much less singing, my name as romantic and full of love as Tony did in the movie.
Swoon!
Trivia:
Natalie Wood's singing was dubbed by Marni Nixon, and she was extemely disappointed about it. She thought she was not the best singer that time, but she was good enough to do the singing herself. The producers thought otherwise.
Robert Wise's original choice to play Tony was Elvis Presley.
Audrey Hepburn was offered the role of Maria, but she turned it down, because she was pregnant with Sean H. Ferrer at the time.
Throughout the movie, Natalie Wood wears a bracelet on her left wrist, not for any aesthetic reason, but because she had injured her wrist on in the scene of The Green Promise (1949) when she fell on the bridge that collapsed during the severe rainstorm, causing an unsightly bone protrusion on her wrist. She wore the bracelet to hide the injury. It became her trademark in all of her movies.
When filming "The Taunting Scene", Rita Moreno was reduced to tears when she was harassed and nearly raped by the Jets, as it brought back memories of when she was raped as a child. When she started crying, the Jets immediately stopped what they were doing and tried to comfort her, while pointing out that the audience was going to hate them for what they were doing.
Sorry, favorite songs overload!
Tonight, tonight there's only you tonight...
I feel pretty, oh so pretty...
Love, love, love this song!
One hand, one heart, even death won't part us now...
Who can’t relate to this song? Who wouldn’t want money pouring out of your wallet, and buying everything you could ever dream of? Who wouldn’t want to live in a castle? Who wouldn't want a closet overflowing with Prada, Gucci, Vuittons, Choos, and Manolos?
But as the saying goes, be careful what you wish for.
My student in my first class was late the other day because she had to talk to her friend in Korea who had a problem. Her friend is unhappy for so many reasons in her life. (1) She is the manager of her father’s company, and she is being ignored by their employees; (2) She broke up with her boyfriend of 7 years because her parents didn’t approve of their relationship. You know, the classic rich girl-poor boy case; (3) Her father has been having affairs, and so her parents are not in talking terms anymore. What’s even worse is that her mother has tried everything to win his father back, like having a boob job and lots of facial plastic surgery, but to no avail. Aaah, like your typical tearjerker soap operas, huh? But this is happening in real life to my student’s friend, and perhaps to a lot of poor little rich kids in the world. What struck me was that her friend said that her family was happier when they were not rich. She wished that her family went back to their old financial status. At one point, she was even thinking of ending her life. So sad.
Simply happy.
UK Black Dress
(worn as a blouse)
Zara jeans
Rusty Lopez Wedges
My Daughter also told me about some of her wealthy classmates whose parents were so busy that they didn't see their kids in the house. So her classmates smoked and drank and did drugs, and yes, brought boys to their place.
I myself am wary of being rich. There are too many what if’s and maybe’s in my mind. Maybe if we were too rich, the Hubby would be too overconfident and charm 20-year old something girls. Maybe the kids wouldn’t study hard anymore, and think of spending their money on drugs and booze. Maybe our house would be too big but would be empty of family members staying in it. Or maybe I would have a boy toy? Or the worst case scenario, I would be friends with Paris Hilton. OMG, what am I thinking.
As you may have known by now, there are things which make my heart palpitate when I’m in a big mall: clothes (especially dresses), shoes (especially wedges), cosmetics (especially lipstick), and hair products (especially conditioner). If you have ever seen the face of anyone falling in love for the first time, that’s how I always feel when I set foot at the Mall of Asia. What more if there’s a big SALE sign on Mango’s display window? Panic!
But there are also a few things which don’t make my heart skip. In other words, I can pass by these babies at the display window without much of a second glance. These are:
Fun trinkets are more of my thing
(1)Jewelry – I know that investing in gold and stones are way better than ‘investment dressing’ because of their re-saleability, (at pwede pang dalhin kay Tambunting or Lhuillier!). The problem is, it seems like I can’t hold on to my jewellery for a long time—I often lose them. There was one time that the Hubby bought a white gold loop earrings for me as my birthday gift. The first time that I wore it, after having lunch with him, I found only just one earring hooked to my ear—wala na ang isa. Kainez! So I do double take on buying them. Diamonds are not my best friend, I realized.
Maldita Dress
Jill Sweater
Feud Shoes
Lacoste Bag
(2)Bags – I’m the kind of person who uses a bag until it’s worn out. I’m too lazy transferring my things to another bag every day. I don’t mind if my carry-over doesn’t match my shoes or clothes. For me, a bag is where I can conveniently carry my things around. Period. It’s not an accessory. I change my bag only if the Hubby buys me one. Mas expert siya on bag shopping, e.
This bag? I've been using this for five months na--straight!
Sharing a scent with the Daughter
Buy 1 take 1 pa!
(3)Perfume – Of course I want to smell heavenly. But buying a bottle of expensive perfume to only last for a month or two, I think, is a waste of money. I’d rather spritz myself with powder-smelling cologne (which is way cheaper!), than swathe myself with heavy scents.
But let it be known that I don’t say no to jewelry, bags, and perfume as gifts, of course not! I said I am not into buying them. Never said I hate them, did I? ;-)
Marriage proposals are a big deal to Americans. A groom-to-be cracks his head on how to make his public declaration of love the most creative and most romantic. He pools up half of his life savings on the engagement ring and thinks about the wedding expenses later. To him, the proposal is the ultimate way to shout to the world how much his fianceé means to him. At least before she becomes overweight, too nosy, and nags him to death.
Unlike the Americans, Filipinos don’t care for proposing that much. To us, pamamanhikan is given more importance than thinking of how to make the most memorable and dramatic proposal to one’s girlfriend. We still respect the traditional norm of including our family, especially when it comes to life-changing decisions such as marriage. In my case, no proposal ever happened. I think having a tiny Cacnio inside my tummy is enough reason for the Hubby to scramble to my parent’s doorstep to ask for my hand in marriage (blush blush!).
Anyway, here is an example of how Americans go out on a limb to concoct the most romantic proposal.
How sweet! Of course, here’s hoping that this will not amount to nothing if they end up in divorce (I’m such a B!)
Movie Review: Indecent Proposal (1993)
The Story:
A young couple after losing their life savings in a Vegas casino, was approached by a millionaire who offers them a million dollars for a night with the wife. Though the couple agrees that this is a way out of their financial dilemma, it threatens to destroy their relationship.
My Review:
This movie brought the quintessential question of love vs. money even to ordinary people like us: Would you exchange your love for money? I really didn’t like Woody Harrelson paired with Demi ‘the Goddess’ Moore, and I thought that his character didn’t deserve Diana after he gave up on her. I was wishing she would go with the dreamy Robert Redford instead. Now if I were in her shoes, I would….????
Trivia:
The role of Diana was first offered to Julia Roberts, who turned it down.
Originally designed as a star vehicle for Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, with Warren Beatty taking the part of the millionaire.
Director Adrian Lyne and star Demi Moore often fought on set over her character, with Woody Harrelson trying to be mediator between the two. Lyne had argued that he wanted Moore to show vulnerability, while the actress defended herself. It was later while Lyne was editing the film that he realized she was portraying what he wanted all along, which he soon apologized to the actress.
Woody Harrelson said in one interview that doing love scenes with Demi Moore was uncomfortable because he was good friends with Moore's then-husband, Bruce Willis.
Demi Moore's black cut-out Thierry Mugler-designed dress generated such immense interest after the movie's release, it was often copied by other designers.
Diana: I should go. John: I remember once when I was young, and I was coming back from some place, a movie or something. I was on the subway and there was a girl sitting across from me and she was wearing this dress that was bottoned queer up right to here, she was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. And I was shy then, so when she would look at me I would look away, then afterwards when I would look back she would look away. Then I got to where I was gonna get off, and got off, the doors closed, and as the train was pulling away she looked right at me and gave me the most incredible smile. It was awful, I wanted to tear the doors open. And I went back every night, same time, for two weeks, but she never showed up. That was 30 years ago and I don't think that theres a day that goes by that I don't think about her, I don't want that to happen again. Just one dance?
Thank God for making Mark Zuckerberg a nerd. Else, the world wouldn’t have had Facebook. Else, I would have gone crazy in shingles isolation. Sure, we already had YM, Google, Skype, and that-other-social-network-thingy before, but FB has significantly made the world a little bit smaller.
When the Daughter graduated last March, I thought there would be a lot of crying and drama and ‘I’m gonna miss you’ flying all around. There was none. After all, they knew they were all but just a text or a PM away. Circa ’84, tears flooded in my high school graduation because we had no idea whether we would still see each other or not (no cell phones, landlines are for a limited few, no internet). True enough, most of my friends had become just a tinge in my memory. Until twenty-five years later. Until there was Facebook.
MNG Blouse Maldita Skirt Parisian Wedges
So friendships are renewed. Old jokes are revived. New friends are discovered. Sure, some of us have grown…um…(older? balder? heavier?)..more matured, but the same youthful twinkle in our eyes are still there. Same old friends with just a few poundage and grey hair and wrinkles added here and there. But my old friends just the same.
There’s even a big bonus. We have eliminated dusty photo albums. With just a click, our lives are exposed for all the world to see. Most of us are secret stalkers and peeping toms or frustrated models anyway, so FB has transformed these hidden desires in us into legit reality.
If only I could lay some flowers at the feet of Mark Z.
Pardon the extra cheesiness. When one of my old friends found me on FB again, she came up with a theme song, Larawang Kupas. LOL corny to the max! Don't worry, she's now officially banned from my FB due to her extreme kabaduyan!
Free but still hand-wrapped
Maldita Dress
Bass Loafers
I went to the dermatologist yesterday, and I’m happy to report to all my friends that I was given a clean bill of health. So to those who will be seeing me again, don’t look at me like I’m still some contagious leper, okay?
So far, I have finished two seasons of The Big Bang Theory, three seasons of Gossip Girl, Tangled, and two re-runs of there’s ‘Something About Mary’ on Star Movies. I almost fell into the trap of watching Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 and Home Along da Riles, but I had to draw the line there.
I’m free from my Shingles Prison! No wonder they call June 12 as Independence Day;-)
Recently, all of tinseltown was abuzzed with Arnold S (how difficult can spelling be?!) and Maria Shriver’s shocking end of their 25-year old marriage. Or in Hollywood and politics, was it really that shocking?. Apparently, the aging Terminator-turned-California governor admitted to philandering and having a love child, with their own nanny, to boot. Ouchie! Never mind if Maria is not only a Kennedy, but a gazillion times way more gorgeous and elegant than the said housekeeper. Well, we have heard a lot of celebrities who fell in the same trap, right? Tiger, Kobe, Brad...and the list goes on. No matter how beautiful and perfect their partners are, they seem to turn a roving eye to someone else. If these gorgeous women don’t stand a chance in holding on to their man, what luck do we ordinary mortals have?
Lord, spare him from the
Hollywood syndrome?
UK Hollywood shirt
Maldita leggings
Celine Wedges
But I don’t get any of this to my head. Although the Hubby and I are living far away from each other, I’m not in any way worried. Jealousy is not my cup of tea. I found out from many relationships that it can only strangle a person’s sense of freedom and that it would only poison your mind. Sorry, but I’m not the kind of wife who checks the wallet, or cell phone, or collars for evidences of infidelity. For really, I would be insulted if the Hubby left obvious traces like those. Lipstick and perfume on the clothes? Pffft!!!
So trust is the only thing that’s keeping us sane, not to mention the almost ten-minute-interval calls I get from him at night (I kid you not!). With an open communication like this, there’s no room for me to turn into a green eyed monster. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have recruited the Daughter as my spy;-)
P.S. Day 10 in Shingles Prison...I caught myself talking alone. Uh-oh..not a good sign!!!
Ifa relationship went sour, wouldn’t anyone want to totally erase it from one’s memory? The hurting words that were exchanged, the upset and the embarrassment that went along with being dumped—these are the moments that one prays to forget easily. And as they say, time is the best healer. Yes, maybe the flashes of memories can still be recalled, but at least the pain will almost always be a thing of the past.
As for me, old relationships will always be treasured because they have given me a reason to learn, to forgive, and to move on to better things.
Movie Review: The Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind(2004)
The Story:
A man, Joel Barish, heartbroken that his girlfriend Clementine underwent a procedure to erase him from her memory, decides to do the same. However, as he watches his memories of her fade away, he realizes that he still loves her, and may be too late to correct his mistake.
My Review:
What a sweet, sweet love story. It reminds me how memories of love should never be taken for granted. The movie is not your typical romantic narrative where a boy-meets-girl, they fall in love, have problems, overcome them, live happily ever after. What I got instead was challenging pieces of puzzles strewn around in no order, which I had to collect in my mind, to form a love story. In the end, it’s a boy-meets-girl again. Confused? Watch it!!!
Trivia:
The title is quoted from the poem "Eloisa to Abelard" by Alexander Pope (1688-1744). This poem was used in Charlie Kaufman's earlier project Being John Malkovich (1999). The movie is based on the following quote from an Alexander Pope poem, "How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! The world forgetting, by the world forgot. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd."
Before Jim Carrey expressed interest in playing Joel, Nicolas Cage was considered for the role.
The scene where Joel and Clementine watch the circus go through the streets was made up on the spot, as the film crew and cast happened to be working nearby and Michel Gondry decided it could work well in the film. The part where Clementine disappears suddenly is one of Gondry's favorite moments of the film, as Jim Carrey didn't know Kate Winslet was going to disappear and Gondry likes it because Carrey's face appears so saddened. When the sound blanks out in the final film, Carrey is actually saying "Kate?"
Despite the fact that Charlie Kaufman's script and Michel Gondry's visual concepts were closely followed, the actors were allowed many chances to improvise. Elijah Wood and Mark Ruffalo improvised extensively, and much of the dialog between Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet resulted from videotaped rehearsal sessions during which the two actors became close by sharing tales of their real life relationships and heartbreaks.
Is erasing memories possible in the future? Scary!
C:This is it Joel. It'll be gone soon.
J: I know.
C: What do we do?
J: Enjoy it.
P.S. Day 9 in Shingles Prison....Scabs, scabs everywhere... Oh, no...can impending 'peklat' be far behind?
I remember watching a movie a long, long time ago where the little kids were asking their recently divorced mother, “Why did the loving stop, Mom?” I think that’s the fear of all couples, whether you’re in a relationship for just a few weeks, or you’ve been there for a long time--what if the loving stopped? And when will love’s ember start to ebb?
I’m sure everybody has heard of the seven-year itch syndrome, wherein statistics says that couples start to get bored with each other and stray their eyes (and arms!) a hundred and eighty degrees after seven years of being together. Well, bad news, commitment-phobes, this has now been shortened from seven to a three-year old glitch. That is, if you were to believe a Reuters London article and survey*. It says that small harmless annoying habits can lead to major passion-killers in a relationship, after 36 months. And what are they?
Off to my 'thousandth' date
Guess Vest
F21 Dress
Celine Wedges
Now, if you are guilty of even one of these warning signs, then it’s time to tweak your habits. Unless, of course, you deliberately want to lose your partner. But I think it's not about being thin and putting on make-up which are the real issues here, it's more about still caring enough to put your best foot forward, as if you are always on your first date.
Thank God the Hubby and I are past that 3-year and 7-year curses. But I’m still heading first to Marks & Spencer Lingerie section when I go to Cebu next time. Just to be sure;-)
Day 8 in Singles Prison...The rashes are on their way to dry land..woohoo! And I learned how to use the mouse using my left hand. Kaya n'yo yun?
