Dancing with Shakira

What time do you wake up on weekends?

Every Saturday and Sunday morning, I wake up at 6:00 a.m. just like I do on my normal weekdays.  Now this is supposedly the perfect time for me to catch up on my sleep because of late night chatting or surfing or whatever.  But I choose to stir up early instead to do aerobics dancing in front of the Bacolod City New Government Center. At 6:30 on these days, a group of active and fun-loving women, calling themselves HATAW, congregate to exercise by dancing. Some of these women are well over their 50’s, but you will be surprised how flexible and graceful they still are. They hire a dance instructor to lead the participants in the dancing, and anybody who in is the vicinity for some fun and exercise can join. In return, those who participate are requested to drop a voluntary contribution of P20 for the DI’s honorarium. Not bad for the tons of sweat I excrete after an hour of chacha, latin/belly dancing, and some hiphop, huh?  

There was a funny incident that happened to me one aerobics day. One regular participant, an older man, approached me to ask if I had dance training. No, I don't have, I quipped. He said that he was looking for a dance partner to participate in a city-wide ballroom dancing contest, and he saw that I can qualify because I have natural talent (blush blush!).  He added that a new category has been introduced; and then he casually asked for my age. When I told him I’m 44, he said, “Oh, you’d be perfect. The new category is for Senior Citizens. We’d surely win!” A few moments of silence...then I smiled. Of course, after murmuring an excuse which I don't remember now, I respectfully declined the invitation. (Grrrr!!!)

Anyway, this weekly aerobics gives me the right amount of adrenalin boost to kickstart my manic Monday. It also gives me a little leeway to indulge (yes, yes, moderately) in some Muji Almonds chocolates, Magnolia Gold Label ice cream, and Ruffles Ridges cheese flavour once in a while. When a friend heard that I’m doing aerobics, he laughed and said ‘Why, that’s so 80’s!’ Maybe so. But I couldn’t care less. I wouldn’t want to miss Shakira every weekend encouraging me to ‘waka waka’ my hips because she croons that my hips never ever lie.

I am Sixteen, Going on Seventeen

Our wedding anniversary is tomorrow, April 16. It’s our 17^th, and I don’t know what to give, or rather, ask the Hubby. Usually, we give ourselves something for the household, like a new TV, or an oven, or a pressure cooker, anything useful to make our house, well, a home. I tried to trick him into giving me a bottle of perfume once (for His/Her scent naman ah!), but he was smart enough to look through the scam. Anyway, gift or no gift, I feel blessed that I have been married to him for 17 years.

Let me tell you a secret. When I was single, I prayed for him to come to my life. No, I just didn’t pray for the right man to come along. I prayed for a specific man. I made a list of all the characteristics I wanted in a hubby:

       (1) From the height (please, make him at least 5’10, because I don’t want my kids to be pygmies like me!)

       (2) to his looks (bad experience in too handsome guys--hmph! you know who you are!!),

       (3) to his skin color (preferably darker than my morena skin),

       (4) to his character (generous--mahilig sana sya mag-shopping; smart enough--at least having the same brainwaves as mine; communicative--won't tire of talking to me),

       (5) to his economic status (someone who has a stable and promising job; I never wanted to marry a rich guy, baka gawin pa akong helper sa mansion nila!)

...and so much more absurd items that I can't remember everything anymore. It was like ringing for a made-to-order husband because the details are up to the last stitches. I kept this list in a journal, and forgot all about it. It was only a year after I got married to him that I stumbled upon my list again and realized that my Isagani fit the picture perfectly (awww!). I guess “Ask and it shall be given” worked wonders for me!

Horsing around on a beach somewhere
 in Hinigaran, Negros Occidental

I’m not sure if he also prayed for someone like me. Never dared to ask (for what if he denied it?). What I’m sure is that we fit to a T. We can talk to each other for hours. We rarely have arguments. We never sleep over an unsettled issue. What more is there to ask for in a marriage? (what about more S, di ba Tet? ehek!)

Happy anniversary, Dad!! Here’s to more loving and blissful years together.  By the way, can I have a bottle of perfume this year?

Haberdey, Tet!

How do I love thee, Tet? Let me count the ways:

1.       You were the kindest captain ball in our HS volleyball team. You didn’t ban me forever in the court when I spiked the ball towards you in a crucial game.

2.       You are the only person I know who can laugh without a sound.

3.       You are an ‘S’ machine (sabi mo e!). And how were you able to jump from cup A to C without Dr. Belo’s help?

In fairness, napunta lang sa NZ,
marunong na mag-pose!!!

After all these years, you are still the same Cecilie I know—funny, corny, and still unshaved. That’s why you are still one of my best Premz! HBD, sister. Mwah!!

Fifty First Dates

Is the Filipino way of courting still practiced by the younger set? Does a guy still visit the house of the girl, bring some flowers or chocolates or what-have-you, ask for the permission of the girl’s father, so that he could talk to his daughter, etc, etc? I think this is too corny and cheesy to some, or it might even be already unheard of these days. Of course for us born in the decades almost not found in the choices of airlines ticket reservations, Filipino courtship was an art. Guys took courting seriously, lest they be shooed away by the elders. Being courted the traditional way made a young girl feel special; while for the young man, being answered by the girl being wooed after several ‘tests’ of patience made it all worthwhile. I had my share of those dalaw moments from suitors (Naku, ang yabang!). My sisters and I have even experienced being serenaded once by young men in my mother’s province, Majayjay, Laguna. And the feeling? Ay, ang haba ng buhok ng mga lola ninyo!

So to give us a refresher course on the art of paniningalang pugad, let us hear once again from my bery punny prend, Mikey Bustos. (What? He’s my twitter friend!)

                                       Movie Recall:       50 First Dates (2004)

The Story:

Henry Roth lives in a Hawaiian paradise with the company of endless women with no strings attached. This is until he meets Lucy Whitmore. Both Henry and Lucy enjoy each other's company and feels the start of a serious relationship occurring. Approaching Lucy the next day, Henry is confused when Lucy fails to recognize him. This is the moment Henry discovers that Lucy actually suffers from short term memory loss and can't remember each individual day. Henry won't let this stop him and is prepared to make her fall in love with him all over again, each and every day.

My Review:

Of all the preposterous love stories I’ve seen, this was the most romantic for me. For isn’t this the dream guy of every girl—that he strives to make her fall in love with him each day? And that every kiss would feel like her first? So sweet! There were so many hilarious moments, and my favourite is when Lucy beat the hell out of Ula, Henry’s friend, because she thought that the former was a robber. Major ‘awww’ scene at the end. I don't know with you, but this movie might have been tagged as a romantic comedy, but it has never failed to make me teary eyed!


Trivia:

Originally entitled "50 First Kisses" but changed to avoid confusion with Drew Barrymore's vehicle Never Been Kissed (1999).

The neurological condition that Lucy suffers from, Goldfield Syndrome, is entirely fictional. True anterograde amnesia affects either short-term memory, which can last minutes or seconds, or intermediate-term memory, which can last days or weeks. Falling asleep has nothing to do with the condition, and sleep actually intensifies many chemical effects which help memory.

Henry makes a video for Lucy to remind her of the events that have occurred since her accident. One of the items is "Red Sox wins the World Series..." followed by "... Just Kidding". During the year of the film's release, the Red Sox actually broke an 86-year drought and won the World Series.

                                           Love this version of Somewhere over the Rainbow!

Up Close with Bruno Mars--Not!

I was reminded again that my Kiddos are not babies anymore. Last Thursday, the three of them went alone to Cebu to watch Bruno Mars in concert. Of course they were fetched at the Mactan International Airport by their Dad, but they were on their own when they checked in at the Waterfront Hotel where the concert was held (The Hubby was busy with a convention on the same date).

For those of you who live under a rock (hey, no offense!), Bruno Mars is the next biggest thing to Filipinos’ pride after Lea Salonga and Charice. Born as Pete Gene Hernandez, he is an American-born singer-writer with a Filipino descent. He adopted his stage name from the nickname his father gave him (his fave wrestler was Bruno Sammartino), adding "Mars" at the end because "I felt like I didn't have [any] pizzazz, and a lot of girls say I’m out of this world, so I was like I guess I'm from Mars." He has topped the charts with hits like ‘Billionaire’, Nothin’ On You’, ‘Just the Way You Are’, and ‘Grenade’. According to Jon Caramanica of the New York Times, Mars is "one of the most versatile and accessible singers in pop.”

The kids were ecstatic, especially the Daughter. Not only was it their first time to stay in a hotel alone, it was also their first time to see a concert. So the worrywart Hubby was a little anxious about their safety in a crowded setting, but they were able to pull it through, thank God.

 Bruno Mars! Bruno Mars!

And my daughter fell in love for the first time...

(Extra story: The day before the concert, the Hubby was with the same flight as him from Manila to Cebu. He said Bruno looked like your average man you meet on the street. Too ordinary, in fact, that he said Mars looked like a trisikad driver (Sobra ka naman, Dad!), if not for the burly body guards he was with at the airport. But I think that's precisely where his charm lies. His talent is what has taken him to the top. No fancy clothes. No long, blonde bangs. No extraordinary good looks. Just pure musical genius and, okay, a fedora hat.)

I wish I had been with the Kiddos. Everytime I see these three having fun together, my heart soars to the highest heavens. But I guess I also have to let them have fun alone. Oh well, maybe next time, when the ‘Air Supply’ visits Bacolod again? Whadyasay, kids? (Kiddos in chorus: "Eeeewww, Mom!!!")

A Requiem to Max Factor

Since my UPCC days, I have always used Max Factor pancake foundation. In True Beige. It has been in my beauty arsenal which I vowed never, ever to change. Until it was phased out last year. Panic mode! I searched all the malls in Bacolod (hehehe, parang tatatlo lang naman kaya!), but I ended up more frustrated as I went home empty-handed. When I went to Cebu, that was my first priority—to find the missing MF. No dice. When I visited my son in Iloilo, I rushed at once to SM’s cosmetics section, hoping they still have old stocks at hand. Umuwi akong luhaan. I skyped my sister Ben and asked her if she knew that Max Factor has been buried to the grave for good, and she too panicked. I finally gave up my search when I read in their website that it WAS phased out. RIP.

I know, I know, pancake foundations are for Lolas and 20 years is too long to be loyal to a certain makeup. I should have moved on with the newer makeup inventions. Let me tell you a secret though--nothing beats its consistency, its coverage, and its reasonable price. After searching for the MF to no avail, I grudgingly tried other kinds of foundation—BB cream, powder, liquid. But my hands still instinctively reach out for an MF pancake. Calling the powers-that-be of Max Factor, would you grant the wish of a loyal customer and produce this  baby once more? If it had been the choice of movie stars like you advertised, then what in the world is Hollywood using now?

Bought MAC Cream Foundation in SM Mall of Asia yesterday (MAHALia sya ha, compared to the great MF). Threw in the shopping bag one lipstick for good luck. Let's see how this one fares;-)

La Casa de Alvarez

Last week, the Daughter phoned my mom (the kids call her Mama O) to tell her she has graduated from high school (or to ask for a gift? Hint! Hint!) Anyway, my Fourth Wicked Sister and her family are there in Las Pinas for their annual summer vacation. Mama O told Issa that “all the three sisters are bonding in my house, and the only one missing is your mom.” If you know Mama O, she can beat Juday for cueing tears faster than you could say lights, camera, action. My heart skipped a bit and suddenly missed my ancestral home and the people I grew up with. So I immediately booked a ticket to Manila for April 8 (okay, after asking permission from the Hubby first) to bond with them for the weekend. Nobody there knows about this trip, except my father (someone has to pick me up from the airport!) I want to pull a surprise on them this time.

Here I come, Casa Alvarez! This was taken the last time I went there two years ago.
L-R Ben (4th), Mama O, Papa, Midette (3rd), Mylene (2nd), and Me (1st)

So I’m off to Manila now. And my kids? Well they are in Cebu to bond with the Hubby. (I’m confused with this family already!) It just feels good to be spontaneous...and single(wink, wink!) once in a while.