Cougar Generation

When an old man falls in love with a young woman, he is admiringly called lucky. When an aging woman falls in love with a younger man, she’s derogatorily branded as cougar. More often than not, people give a pat on the old man’s back thinking that the fortunate man still has what it takes, virility and all, never mind if he appears on their wedding day on a wheelchair. And the poor scarlet woman? She is forever viewed as a desperate cradle snatcher.

As I browsed through the latest entertainment rumor mill, I saw the Godfather legend Al Pacino sporting a black headband (to hide away a receding hairline) and his stunning, young Argentinian girlfriend beside him. The age gap is 40 years, but who’s complaining?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk

And of course, the DOM’s of all DOM’s, Hugh Hefner, 85, whose marriage to his 25-year old fiancée was cancelled days before the wedding. She was given her Bentley and the $90,000 engagement ring. How generous of the gramps!

No hard feelings. She kept the ring and the car, didn't she?

http://www.foxnews.com

I'm rooting for Ashton and Demi though. Here is an example of a love affair that any woman would be proud of. Why wouldn't you be if you have hooked the hottest hunk of the Y generation because you are still hot as coal yourself? Nowadays, women are not ashamed to be fabulous at thirty, forty, and fifty up. Take that, Bruce W!

So doesn’t age really matter? Honestly, I’m happy for 'old' people who are given a second shot at love pheromones. For who could fathom love’s mysterious ways? As they say, the affairs of the heart knows no age and reason. And wrinkles and arthritis for that matter.

Wazzup, Wazzup, Grace Tee

I first met Bing at…

I first met Bing at St. Mary's Academy, Pasay, we were never classmates kc first section sya lagi. But during Girl Scouting in school, nakasama at naka-bonding ko yan c Bing Alvarez. She's a clever person, very kind at approachable. Now, I love Bing more than yesterday!

I’m now based in…

Bacoor, Cavite where I have my own townhouse (bahay namin maliit lamang)


I’m busy with…

I'm busy playing Cityville and Garden of Time (pastime lang po). Actually, busy w/my profession as a dentist and active alumni officer.

Nes, ako ang dentist, hindi ikaw!

 
I can cook…

simple but delicious food like beef caldereta

My closet is full of…

colorful and printed T-shirts

My Honey Boney in my room

My most fave me-place is...

 my bedroom because it is where i am at peace   (not rest in peace ha?)

My obsession is…

buying comfortable slip-on shoes

Life is…

simple but full of surprises.

Ibubulsa ko kayo!!!

I don't mind having more…

wounds as long as they heal.

now, GRACE is…

medyo sincere na ako kung magmahal, maingat na rin sa mga sinasabi para hindi makasakit ng damdamin, in short older and wiser Grace na ako...meron direction ang buhay, planado ang bawat kilos...ang hindi lang nabago ay mapagbiro at masayahin pa rin katulad ng dati at higit sa lahat...Single and available...hehehe

Dear Bing… 

My paper weight friend, sino pa nga ba? walang iba kundi c Ms. Bing Alvarez...naging close tayo Bing before and after the reunion, nagkaroon ng chance na makilala natin ang isa't-isa, grabe ang bait mo pala talaga. Ang hindi ko makakalimutan sa iyo ay yung pinagplantsa mo ako ng long sleeves na polo ko na gagamitin ko sa MTV reunion natin kc sabi mo gusot na...grabe touched ako sa ginawa mo, so sweet of you. Thank you again for doing it for me...labyu sis! you're a great friend indeed!

The Fab 5 at the MTV '84 Reunion. O, di ba, Bing, plantsado ang polo ko?

The Godfather



Issa's baptism
with Ninang Maricon
and Ninang Chona

Godfathers and godmothers are supposedly our second parents, whenever something untoward (knock on wood!) happens to our real mom and dad. My children’s godparents are all of my sisters, a few of our relatives, and a few of our close friends. I am also a ninang to at least one of my sisters’ kids.

I’m just amazed at celebrities who have 50 pairs of godparents for their unica hijo or hija. Hmm..I wonder how much pakimkim and gifts the child receives every Christmas—may one hundred gifts na agad siya!!!

Movie Review:   The Godfather Trilogy

I can’t help but feature all the three Godfather films here because whenever I decide to watch one Godfather, I end up being immersed and embroiled emotionally in the Corleone family. For how could you not be addicted to the continuing saga of their lives? The clockwork precision of how the mafia clans operate, how loyalty in family and friends are put at the highest importance, and how they have to sacrifice personal happiness and beliefs for the sake of the family reputation make the Godfather Trilogy worth spending my whole rainy Saturday in front of my DVD.

The Godfather  (1972)

The story begins as "Don" Vito Corleone, the head of a New York Mafia "family", oversees his daughter's wedding. His beloved son Michael has just come home from the war, but does not intend to become part of his father's business. Through Michael's life the nature of the family business becomes clear. The business of the family is just like the head of the family, kind and benevolent to those who give respect, but given to ruthless violence whenever anything stands against the good of the family. Don Vito lives his life in the way of the old country, but times are changing and some don't want to follow the old ways and look out for community and "family". An up and coming rival of the Corleone family wants to start selling drugs in New York, and needs the Don's influence to further his plan. The clash of the Don's fading old world values and the new ways will demand a terrible price, especially from Michael, all for the sake of the family.

My Review:

The movie opens the clandestine Mafia world that no outsider has ever penetrated. I was intrigued by how everything is operated by word of honor, by impressions, by gut feelings. And I, as a viewer, am welcomed to ponder on how much of this is translated in real life.

Trivia:

Paramount senior management, dissatisfied with the early rushes, considered replacing Francis Ford Coppola with Elia Kazan with the hope that Kazan would be able to work with the notoriously difficult Marlon Brando. Brando announced that he would quit the film if Coppola was fired and the studio backed down.

Marlon Brando wanted to make Don Corleone "look "like a bulldog," so he stuffed his cheeks with cotton wool for the audition. For actual filming, he wore a mouthpiece made by a dentist; this appliance is on display in the American Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, New York.

Marlon Brando did not memorize most of his lines and read from cue cards during most of the film.

Though Coppola wanted to portray Italians authentically, he cast many actors in the Corleone family who were not Italian: Marlon Brando is of Dutch ancestry, James Caan is German and Jewish, and Abe Vigoda is Russian-Jewish. Nevertheless, he wanted someone with Sicilian looks to play Michael, which is why he fought for Al Pacino, despite a strong desire on Paramount's part to cast a "name" like Ryan O'Neal or Robert Redford - and Coppola's own concession that many Italians are blonde-haired and blue eyes, like Redford and O'Neal.

The presence of oranges in the Godfather trilogy indicates that a death-related event will soon occur (even though production designer Dean Tavoularis claimed the oranges were simply used to brighten up the darkly shot film).

The Godfather II (1974)

The continuing saga of the Corleone crime family tells the story of a young Vito Corleone growing up in Sicily and in 1910s New York; and follows Michael Corleone in the 1950s as he attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.

My Review:

The best of the Trilogy, in my opinion. Here, two stories were narrated seamlessly. The movie reveals the psychological rationale of how people can be changed from a quiet grocery clerk into a ruthless mafia don. If we are wondering why Michael did what he did, this movie provides the eye openener we need to understand the characters.

Trivia:

To prepare for his role, Robert De Niro lived in Sicily.

Filming was delayed for a month after Al Pacino developed pneumonia on location in Santo Domingo.

Francis Ford Coppola considered bringing Marlon Brando back to play Vito Corleone as a young man, convinced that he could play at any age. As he worked on the script, though, he remembered Robert De Niro's exceptional audition for The Godfather (1972) and cast him without offering the part to Brando.

The Godfather III (1990)

In the final instalment of the Godfather Trilogy, an aging Don Michael Corleone seeks to legitimize his crime family's interests and remove himself from the violent underworld but is kept back by the ambitions of the young. While he attempts to link the Corleone's finances with the Vatican, Michael must deal with the machinations of a hungrier gangster seeking to upset the existing Mafioso order and a young protoge's love affair with his daughter.

My Review:

I think this was the weakest Godfather movie of all since this was really not part of the original book. After a long wait of more than 15 years, Godfather III paled in comparison to the twists and plot of its two predecessors. Al Pacino was still superb, especially at his daughter's dying scene. Tom Hagen was sorely missed as the family lawyer.

Trivia:

Robert Duvall wanted $5 million to reprise his role as Tom Hagen. The studio turned him down and the part was recast and altered for George Hamilton to play the new character, lawyer B.J. Harrison. A line of dialogue was inserted that explained Hagen had died years before.

Al Pacino was offered $5 million but wanted $7 million plus profits from gross to reprise his role as Michael. Coppola refused, and threatened to rewrite the script by starting off with Michael's funeral sequence instead of the film's introduction. Pacino agreed to the $5-million offer.

Francis Ford Coppola said that in the final sequence, Michael's outcry was almost completely cut out due to its agonizing sound.

A Corleone brother dies in every 'Godfather' movie. Sonny is assassinated in The Godfather (1972), Fredo is murdered in The Godfather: Part II (1974), and Michael dies at the end of The Godfather: Part III (1990).
(www.imbd.com)

KTV

Last Saturday, I met with some co-workers for a ‘supposed’ despedida for our dear secretary. It turned out it was just an excuse to go out and have a few drinks. Haha! Anyway, I haven’t night-crawled out of my house for the longest time so I admit I’m an old newbie to gimmicks. I have discovered a lot of things:

1.       That if you walk into a restaurant in Goldenfield full of drinking buddies, one of them would most likely ‘psst’ you, and invite you to sit beside them. No, thanks! “Kit, nasaan na ba kayo?”

Hayan, kasi late ka e!!!

2.      That P1,464.00 divided by 12 equals P98.00. Ang galing ni Aiza mag-compute!!!

I hate this part--hatiian sa bill!

3.      That you wouldn’t get drunk with Tanduay Ice. But I drank iced tea, just the same. Malalasing ka lang sa saya!!!

Nag iced tea lang ang lola. Hayun , OP sa mesa!

4.      That most of the songs my young companions knew were unfamiliar to me. Why am I hearing these melodies for the first time? And when I requested a song for one of them to duet with me, he also hasn’t heard of it. Ano ba, Emi Rald, hindi mo alam ang “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?” Teka, hindi na ba sikat yun?

Ano bang kinakanta nitong si Marie? Hmp, makahanap nga ng mula sa century ko!

Hay, salamat, nakahanap din ng common song! E bakit naiiyak si Cyrus?

5.      That fun is fun, no matter how old you are!!!

Parang di sila napagod!

My first time ever in MO2 was fun. Maybe it was mostly because of the people I was with;-)

Emi Rald, Angel, Ron, Chill, Joana, Amy, Cyrus, Irene, Monica, Kit, Me, and Aiza

So, whose is the next despedida?

My 10-Step Routine Before Facing the World

Manic Monday again!
 

Now I was not born beautiful and flawless. So if you please, I need at least 20 minutes (ok, make that 30!) in the morning to make myself up and confidently face the world. Monday or no Monday.

So what are my favorite basic beauty products and power tools? Let me count the ways.

1. Sunscreen. Four years ago, one Korean student asked me if I used sunscreen and she was aghast that I didn’t. I thought that sunblock lotions were just for the beach, I said. She wondered why Filipinas don’t make it a habit to apply sunscreen when in fact we need it more since our country is hot and humid. I realized the truth in what she said, and have started putting on SPF 45+ ever since. The fight against our UV ray-plagued country should be taken seriously by all of us.

Some of these were gifts from my Korean students.
I guess they don't want a wrinkled teacher in front of them!

2. Concealer. For those days when I wake up with dark circles around my eyes due to late night blogging and skyping with my sister (o, nanisi pa!), which is almost practically every night, my Faceshop concealer saves the day for me. It’s creamy and easy to apply. I just don’t put too much though--lest I end up looking like a tired, wide-eyed raccoon.

The Faceshop Real Secret Perfect Contour Kit,
The Faceshop Premier Essence in Magic Cover

3. Foundation. If I had a genie and were given three wishes, I would first wish for a perfect, flawless, smooth, fair skin. (Second wish is a bottomless bank account; third is world peace!). But since genies in bottles have eluded me, I’d have to make do with foundations in pancake, liquid, or cream form. For special occasions, MAC is my second skin. But for my everyday mask, I have settled for EB (go figure!) since Max Factor practically abandoned me.

Depends on my mood. Clockwise: EB Pancake, MAC Studio Tech,
Skin Food BB Cream, Etude House Moistful Collagen Balm, L'Oreal True Match

Oh, I have discovered that BB creams (Blemish Based), which the Koreans originally concocted, are good for light cover-ups. I insisted that my Daughter use one (now that she’s in college I handed down my Faceshop BB cream to her) since it also doubles as a sunscreen.

4. Eyebrow Pencil. If I only had 5 minutes to do my face, after the foundation, this is my next choice. I think my face isn’t complete if I don’t fill in the gaps in my eyebrows. I found this cheap eyebrow pencil in the department store, and I was hooked to it. It’s the right brown color, it has a brush at the end, and it’s only Php55.00!

Kleopatra Eyebrow pencil--perfect!
MAC Fluidliner for the winged eye look

5. Eye shadow/Eyeliner. That MAC Fluidliner thingy up there (which I bought in Singapore) is now my holy grail to achieve my cat eye look. It doesn’t smear, and it doesn’t dry up in its jar.

My collection of eyeshadow is seldom touched. I only put color on my lids when there’s a special event I’m attending. And in Bacolod, I don’t have an active social life to attend events! Oh, boohoo me!

My eye color stash: MAC, Ever Bilena, Clinique, The Faceshop

So on ordinary days, depending on my mood (and the dominant color of my clothes for the day), I use colored pencils to give life to my drab peepers. 

Nichido, The Faceshop, Maybelline pencils

Wishlist: I've always dreamed of a colored pencil set, much like the 12-piece colored pencil sets used by school children. To my surprise, I saw one set like this on the Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Collection set being sold by an FB online site French Macaroons Online Boutique  https://www.facebook.com/frenchmacaroonsonlineboutique
Check it out: (pardon the drool!)

Now why do they have to be this pretty...and pricey? (Php5K+)
Picture from French Macaroons Online Boutique

Unlike other beauty buffs, I'm not into mascara. It feels heavy. It smears.  It clumps. It's hard to remove at night. But that's just me.

 

6. Blush. I admit I’m not so much of a blush-on momma. But again, if I feel like it, I sweep a touch of color on the apple of my cheeks. My favourite used to be NARS Cream blush because it looked naturally blushing when applied. But since it’s a luxury for me to buy it again, my cheaper alternative is Maybelline Dream Mousse in Soft Plum. It blends creamily, but doesn't look oily. The idea is to make it look like I'm blushing like a school girl (Asa pa!Hehehe!).

Maybelline Dream Mousse in Soft Plum, MAC Powder Blush in Fleur Power ,
Fashion 21, Ever Bilena in Shy

7. Lipstick. My 3^rd must-put-on. Almost all my lipstick colors are in the nude shade. I have thick lips and I don’t want to emphasize them by putting red on them. I think by putting on nude colors, I can get away with having lipstick on even in the morning. Note: I don’t particulary like putting on lip glosses. It feels gooey and sticky, and it tends to clump on my lips after an hour.

L-R: Faux, Twig, Siss, Viva Glam II, Blankety, Viva Glam Lady Gaga

Dear Hubby,
Look, my MAC Faux is on its red alert for quite some time now. Please grab me one in Manila? (Update: Yey, he got me one last week!)

8. Pressed Powder. Big pores are my curse. After two hours (or even less), they start producing sebum and it’s gross! So to control these babies a little longer, I dab on some pressed powder with my Kabuki brush (Beauty experts say this is a better alternative).

I wish for a pressed powder to last me my matte look for 8 hours. But as my fairy god mother always denies me this, I still have to retouch every now and then.

Maybelline Angelfit in Beige Ochre, Etude House, Nichido Kabuki Brush
In2It in Beige Blush, Max Factor Facefinity in Porcelain

9. Hair Straightener/Hairspray. If I have the luxury of time, I either heat up the straightener or the curling iron to style my already over-processed hair. But if I am in a tight squeeze, I just do fisherman’s braid to my hair. The hairspray is just for the bangs (Old habits never die!). Then I spray a serum for a simulated (in other words, fake) shine.

10. Scent. Like I said in my previous post, I can live without a scent. But if it’s available and lovingly given, who am I to reject them? Tip to my generous sponsors, I'm partial to light, baby powder scents;-)

Gendarme, Versace Baby Rose Jeans, Victoria's Secret Peony Freesia

                        Before:                                                                            After:                                                               

Piece o' cake!

Working out with KOR

Tony Sparks had one on his desk. The Beckhams carry them around. Oprah endorses them.

They’re called KOR bottles.

I chanced upon these water bottles from Gwyneth’s Goop blog (close kami e!). She highlighted the importance of using re-usable water bottles which will help the environment lessen its waste problems. And it makes sense that one searches for a safe water bottle to re-use every day. And don’t forget stylish too. One of those that fit to these requirements is the KOR bottles.

Mommy KOR and Baby KOR

So I searched where I could purchase locally. I stumbled on purpletag.com which distributes these bottles online. They have various kinds of bottles offered, depending on the design, the price ranges from P600 to P1,700. As kuripot as I am, I ordered the less pricier ones. (Yeah, yeah, these are not the ones the Hollywood stars carry around—but I’m on the same league!) I ordered from the site (one for me and one for the Daughter), paid through BDO, and after three days, I received my package. The bottles really look very ordinary at first glance. But upon closer inspection, I was impressed with the simplicity and functionality of its design. Its sleek and tapered diameter is just the right size for gripping. It also has what it calls Perfect Spout, wherein you don’t drink from the tread, because it has a mouthpiece shaped for your lips. What more, it’s BPA-free. (Bisphenol A is a man-made estrogen-like chemical used to make hard plastic bottles, and is now known to be an endrocrine disruptor).

Swak sa lips!

After a month-long hiatus from exercise due to my shingles bout, I’ve started with my workout regimen again. The KOR bottle makes me more motivated to move since it’s very pretty to hold and look at (and pink at that!). Its clear as crystal body makes you feel confident that you are drinking clean and safe water. And true, the spout is really a perfect fit for my lips. You know how you feel good going on your first day of school because all your stuffs are new and shiny and pretty? That’s how I feel too about my KOR bottle. Go figure.

I’m not a holier-than-thou preacher of going green to the high heavens, but it’s good to start from here. After all, Ironman can’t be wrong, can he?

Maybe if I became a Supehero, I would get my hands on the KOR Delta next time.

Wazzup, Wazzup, Paul (Sa Cheol Jeong)

I first met Maria (Bing) at…

            Vision English Learning Center in Bacolod City when I was there to study English during my sabbatical year in 2009. I searched there for the best English teachers. Undoubtedly, she was one of them. I learned English from her. So if there are some grammatical errors in this writings, it's not my fault. It's Maria's. :)

I remember Maria…

teaching English very well. So she was a very popular English teacher in the academy where I studied. Smart, kind, fashionable, leading...anyway, my family and I still really miss her even though two years have passed since I came back to korea.

I’m now based in…

I'm now based in Daegu, Korea. Daegu city is famous for fashion, dyeing industry, Buddhism, apple, herbal medicine, and PAUL. (kk~~Sorry~^^) I have been living in this city for more than 20 years.

I’m busy with…

carrying out my mission, leading ESF (Evangelical Student Fellowship). Especially I have to make preparations for national ESF conference. But now, I’m busy writing contribution to Maria’ blog. :)

With some ESF members

I can cook…

an omelet. It’s very special menu for my wife and me. I ordered it when I proposed her in the western restaurant. She left almost all of it on her dish because of great joy and tension. How cute she was.

My closet is full of…

paper-books, postcards, materials, maps, receipts, and so on. From time to time it is filled with my wife’s sigh. Because I’m not skilled in arrangement. Sorry Jini.

My most fave me-place is...

 here where I’m standing now. It does not belong to the past and the future as well. It’s the present place.

My obsession is…

keeping my waist size. I have never loosened my belt for decade. Love handle? I don’t know.^^

Life is…

Latent Itinerary For Eden

I don't mind having more…

phone charges. The higher phone charges, the deeper human relationships.

Now, Paul is…

A pastor, an ESF staff, a general manager of ESF in university students part, an author, a father, a husband, a lecturer, a person who really likes the Philippines, and so on... But right now, above all, Paul is a rookie who is making his debut as a writer on Maria’s blog.^^

With my kids Euna and Eugene