From the Birthday Girl
Posted in Angel 24/7

Just wanted to say thank you for all the birthday messages, phone calls, email messages, surprise parties and never-ending dinners!

It was another year well-spent, lived out to the fullest, and savored without
regret.

Thank you, thank you to all of you!

=) Steph

HAIRSPRAY!!!
Posted in My OST

Bursting With Song
Posted in Angel 24/7

~~Two reasons why I loved Hairspray: One, I'm am and always will be a Travolta fan; and two, I'm a sucker for musicals as I am sappy love stories.

Here's Rational Magic's Review of Hairspray:

This musical is based on the cult movie of the same name.

Tracy Turnblad is a "large" (aka fat) teenager with a high hairdo and dreams of being a professional dancer, or at least a dancer on the Corny Collins TV show (which has a "Negro Day" once a month but is otherwise segregated). She and her friend Penny watch the show every day and drool over Link Larkin, "the show's resident dreamboat." The show will be hosting the Miss Ultra Clutch Hairspray contest; the award will go to the most popular dancer on the show. When the show auditions for a new dancer, Tracy and Penny apply (against their mothers' wishes), but are treated badly at the audition by the "Nicest Kids in Town," led by Amber Von Tussle (whose mother produces the show). At school, Tracy learns some dance moves from the black kids, lead by Seaweed, and at the Sophomore Hop she's noticed by both Corny Collins and Link. Bang, she's on the show, and Link is attracted to her, which infuriates Amber. She's also getting popular, which is even more infuriating to Amber and her mother.

Offers pour in. Tracy wants her mother to be her agent, but Edna, a very fat woman, is reluctant to even leave the house, so Tracy persuades her (with the help of some fabulous clothes from Mr. Pinky and his Hefty Hideaway). Later, Seaweed invites Penny, Link, and Tracy to a "platter party" at his mother's record shop. The integrated dance party is such a success that everyone schemes to integrate the TV show during Mother-Daughter day, but a riot breaks out when they attempt to do so, and all the female characters get carted off to jail. Everyone except Tracy eventually gets out, but Link manages to get in to see her and profess his love for her--he also frees her by cutting through the bars in her cell. Elsewhere, Penny has been tied up in her bedroom for "going to jail without permission," and Seaweed rescues her--they've fallen in love too, which won't sit well with Penny's bigoted mother.

Everyone ends up at Maybelle's, where they scheme to integrate the Miss Hairspray contest, which is surrounded by armed guards. As the contest kicks into high gear, Amber and Tracy are neck-and-neck, even though Tracy is not there. Amber is about to claim the prize when Tracy and the others burst in--as do the guards, who turn out to be Seaweed, Maybelle, and all the other kids from the "wrong side of the tracks." Tracy dances, and everyone joins in, even Amber and her mother, as the Corny Collins Show is officially integrated.

oh, to be loved like that...
Posted in Angel 24/7

FEATHERED FIDELITY
By Michael T. Smith

 

It's a sad reality.

All relationships start with love and promise, but all too often we see them weaken, crumble and finally fail. It's too bad all relationships don't go to the birds. I know that sounds strange, but read on.

Many years ago, when I was just a young boy, a small yellow bird hit our front door. When I looked outside, I saw its tiny, unmoving body on
our deck. I opened the door to see if it was just stunned, or worse, dead.

I was kneeling over it when my mom joined me.

"Michael, I think it may be dead. I heard the bang on the glass. It hit
pretty hard."

"Mom, should we bury it?"

"I'm not sure, Michael. When I first looked out I saw another bird land beside it. It looked like it was trying to pick this one up. I think we
should let nature take care of this. Let's put it on the roof of the car
and see what happens."

We placed the unmoving, little bird on the roof of my dad's car and went
back into the house.

From our living room window we watched as the bird's mate flew to its side, carefully grip the back of the dead bird's neck in its tiny beak, and with a strength only love and devotion could provide, lifted its mate in
the air.It carried the body from the car, across the street, over the meadow on the other side and into nearby trees. It flew only a few feet off the ground.

Sometimes it would get up to six feet high and then the weight of its companion would pull it lower again. Its struggle was great, but the desire not to be parted from its mate was greater.

Thirty-five years later, I stepped out of my home on a warm summer morning. I looked toward my next door neighbor's -- we lived in attached
townhouses-- and noticed a single strand of a spider's web strung from the bush by the corner of their townhouse to the wheel of one of their cars. I thought it was strange for a spider to spin such a web, especially just one tiny strand.

I moved closer to investigate. When I reached down to break the web I
discovered it wasn't a web at all. It was a piece of fishing line. I gave it a tug and saw it was tangled in the bushes, and the other end was knotted under the car.

One of the boys was sitting on the front deck of the house.

I remarked, "Looks like someone booby-trapped your friend's car."

He came closer to see what I was talking about. I gave the line a
tug. It was tightly jammed under the wheel of the vehicle.

 

Angel's LSS: Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie
24/7 Reading List: Sugar Cookie Murder
Differential Diagnosis: depressed

Movie Marathon Hangover
Posted in Love and other Disasters, Angel 24/7

For those who did not get to find out about my "sleeping beauty" episode, i am thankful because  that would mean one sermon less from the queue of concerned friends and family. Two weeks ago, I fell into deep slumber and woke up 15 hours after.

Weird. Scary. Alarming.

So I vowed to take a real day off every so often, starting last weekend. Friday being a holiday, I got me a Meg Ryan dvd set and spent the day and a good part of the evening re-running my favorites: Sleepless in Seattle, IQ, You've Got Mail, Kate and Leopold...i never got to watch When Harry Met Sally from start to finish before, and when i did, I realized why it is considered a contemporary classic.

Main theme: It's impossible for a man and a woman to be just friends.  This has been the subject of one too many discussions between me and my coworkers, precisely because I have always argued that yes, it is possible.

Here I am several years older (yet none the wiser, unfortunately) conceding to the other side of the house.  Platonic relationships do exist, yes, but up to what degree is the relationship sincere and fair? Perhaps one is secretly wishing it wasn't; or one is taking advantage of knowing that the other has feelings for him or her, and the possibility of it leading to something else in the future is dangled like bait. (hence, waiting in vain would be a good musical score)

My favorite line: I am not your consolation prize, Harry!

Perhaps it's due to the movie marathon hang over that I feel exactly like that today.  Given all that has happened between Thursday and Monday, I do consider empathizing with a neatly wrapped and ribboned package. 

Yeah, certainly looks like a long, emotionally draining week ahead. Sigh.

Big Girls Don't Cry
Posted in My OST

Fergie, the Duchess

Da Da Da Da
The smell of your skin lingers on me now
Your probably on your flight back to your home town
I need some shelter of my own protection baby
To be with myself and center,clarity
Peace,Serenity


[CHORUS]

I hope you know,I hope you know
That this has nothing to do with you
It's personal,Myself and I
We've got some straightening out to do
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket
But Ive got to get a move on with my life
Its time to be a big girl now
And big girls don't cry
Don't cry
Don't cry
Don't cry


The path that I'm walking
I must go alone
I must take the baby steps 'til I'm full grown (full grown)
Fairytales don't always have a happy ending,do they
And I foresee the dark ahead if I stay


[CHORUS]

Like the little school mate in the school yard
We'll play jacks and uno cards
Ill be your best friend and you'll be mine
Valentine
Yes you can hold my hand if u want to
Cause I want to hold yours too
We'll be playmates and lovers and share our secret worlds
But its time for me to go home
Its getting late, dark outside
I need to be with myself and center, clarity
Peace, Serenity


[CHORUS]


La Da Da Da Da Da

Troubleshooting
Posted in Angel 24/7

 It's one of those days when I can't help but admire the genius of the personal  computer.

If something's amiss, there are a hundred and one ways to troubleshoot and have it running in tip top form. If there's a bug, run a virus scan; if it's slow and outdated, get an upgrade; if something isn't needed anymore, delete or uninstall, if it's stuck or unresponsive, reboot or reset. Reformat. De-fragment. etc etc.

Moreover, if you're lost, there are never-ending tutorials and wizards to help you step by step. But perhaps the most impressive thing about computers is that it has a pre-set compatibility configuration. Will run only on  so-and-so system; requires this much speed or memory. And you can't force it or trick it into running: NO CAN DO! I AIN'T BUDGING!

In any standoff between human and computer, it is man who begs and grovels for some mechanical intervention that will miraculously get the task done. So much unlike us people who are easily cajoled into giving in, one time too many until get a system meltdown.

*SIGH* wouldn't i love to be a white Mac for just a day!

It would probably feel great not to have my patience stretched and my emotions bent so far out of shape, just for a while, just for a little of bit time until the crybaby learns to become a big girl who doesn't cry.

Nothing. I'm just rambling. Still mulling on the sentiment  I blogged about yesterday. Try as I might, I have yet to shake off the feeling of being a consolation prize  some small-town beauty pageant. (Triggered by the Miss Sweetcorn scene in the recent Smallville episode)

*SIGH* It would be great to have an internal processor  that can actually figure things out for you.

LEX TO KARA: Are you a savior or a warning?

My sentiments exactly. 

Real
Posted in Angel 24/7

by Plumb

Look at me I'm twenty three
Beautiful a sight to see
Tonight

A little dress to draw the press
And I'll be leaving
All the rest behind

Well be pleased girl
If this is what you wanted
The whole world is watching you take the stage
What will you say

Aren't I lovely
And do you want me cause
I am hungry for something that will make me real
Can you see me and
Do you love me cause
I am desperately searching for something
Real

I close my eyes imagine time
Will not forget
My sacrifice

I numb the ache and decorate
My emptiness
Stand naked in the light

Well be pleased world
If this is what you wanted
This young girl is everything that you made
What will she say

Aren't I lovely
And do you want me cause
I am hungry for something that will make me real
Can you see me and
Do you love me cause
I am desperately searching for something
Real

The world goes home
The lights go down
My lipstick fades
Away

And do you want me cause
I am hungry for something that will make me real
Can you see me and
Do you love me cause
I am desperately searching for something
Real
(repeats)

Move over Mc Dreamy...
Posted in Angel 24/7

 

Nicholas D' Agosto

Fine. So he's a little young to be in the hunk and hottie league with Patrick Dempsey, but I swear this boy is sooo cute.  He plays West, the "unbreakable" cheerleader's love interest in the second season of Heroes.

I christened him "Peter Pan" because of his gravity-defying abilities and  because of his refreshingly boyish looks.  He does look like he can never grow old. *kilig*

So yes, I'm back in the blog-o-sphere and joyfully watching my favorite tv series. Upon Cigarette Girl's prompting, I scrounged for the latest episodes of Grey's Anatomy and sis, I so totally agree. I want a Mc Dreamy to take home too!

Somehow I think they stopped breeding men that sexy and sensitive to women's feelings and needs that the writer's of Grey's had to create a "dream man" --so there you go, everyone now wants a Mc Dreamy!

Friday and I'm up blogging.  Just a few more minutes til I call it night.  I had a relatively challenging week and I'm thankful for the colleagues and friends who supported me. 

Oh and congratulations to Tita Estela and Grace for passing the IELTS! Cheers!

RENDITION
Posted in Angel 24/7

Political Drama Plods and Manipulates by Scott Holleran

A single missed cellular telephone call causes a heap of trouble in Rendition, falsely advertised as a Reese Witherspoon vehicle (she's hardly in it). There is more to the story, including a major twist, which is really a trick. The circuitous plot is another one of those anti-mysteries; the riddle cannot be solved by observing depicted events.

In other words, it's a bait and switch, teasing toward a presumed progression, then going in a completely different direction. Once revealed, it is more annoying than clever. Setting up three separate and distinct story tracks—Witherspoon as a pregnant wife and mother, Jake Gyllenhaal as a novice spook and young Moslem lovers—the Arab terrorist-themed picture starts with the requisite suicide bombing.

The blast disrupts Gyllenhaal's North African business and puts him in charge of the cryptic investigation. After the explosion, in which a pro-Western Arab honcho (Igal Naor) is targeted, Witherspoon's Arab chemical engineer husband (Omar Metwally) is secretly detained under Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) authority while traveling back to the United States, prompting her to enlist a college pal (Peter Sarsgaard), who works for a U.S. senator (Alan Arkin, sharp as ever). The beautiful young Moslem lovers also play an important role.

Flaws include numerous half-baked notions. Witherspoon's wimpy wife accepts a parent's ability to coach soccer as proof of patriotism and she waddles around Capitol Hill trusting the life of her missing spouse to a politician's aide. Her Egyptian husband never became a U.S. citizen, despite being here for 20 years, making $200,000 a year and being married to an American and he once tested explosives—yet he's shocked to discover that he isn't above reproach post-September 11. Rendition makes a point about due process and the limits of torture as an intelligence tool—but it's a point, not a strongly developed and integrated dramatic theme.

The plot crawls. Key events occur offscreen. Mystical chants drone during the entire movie, as if we need to be reminded of religious fundamentalist culture. To the picture's credit, the religious radical call to arms—"God is great!"— the 9/11/01 attackers' battle cry as they hijacked the planes, is used to signify an impending attack.

Scenes of torture by American and allied agents echo the movie's hazy theme that poverty and brutality cause acts of Islamic jihadism, sidestepping the role of faith. In several ways, Rendition is designed to ignore its subject's essentials, limiting Witherspoon's screen time, not developing the husband character prior to his seizure and letting Sarsgaard's politico ludicrously jump from a traveling discrepancy to a CIA conspiracy.

Thought-provoking topical drama lacks in this slow, manipulative exercise, which also features Meryl Streep as a variation of her corrupt politician in The Manchurian Candidate and resembles the dreary Babel in subject, structure and theme.

Gone fishing...
Posted in Angel 24/7

Sunday afternoon sending email blasts, hmmm...OC? Not really.  For one, it's an easy task that can be done in less than three shakes. Besides, I'm not teaching at the Central today, so it's an honest-to-goodness loong weekend treat which started on a great note last night.

Went out with Rudolph, Sarah, Marlenie, and the Globe Health bosses to Greenhills for dinner, coffee, and a movie.  We dined at Kamay Kainan and I was suprised that I enjoyed dessert-- the not so sweet ginatang halo halo. It's something I don't get to eat often in Manila. Therefore, I really must spend more time home. Hehe.

We hit starbucks to pass time since the movie, which Tito Raul insisted we see, didn't start until 10.30...I had cold latte with a double shot of espresso to relax my system. Yeah, funny I know, since that's normally morning fare for most people.  In my case, however, coffee at night calms me down...sort of closes the day.

Anyhow, we headed out to the Promenade to watch RENDITION. I would rate it as a disturbing and thought-provoking movie. 

In this day and age when terrorism is considered by great nations as a clear and present danger, it isn't impossible for security-obsessed people like Corinne (Merryl Streep) to become a tad too paranoid.  I also found the sub-plot about Fatima and Rashid touching, because it just shows that even in the most chaotic and hate-filled situations, love always finds a way to blossom. Although, in most cases, it does end in tragedy. (yes Rudolph, it reeks of Romeo and Juliet!)

I give two thumbs and two toes for this movie. Terrorism is real. It's out there. Bombs explode and scores of people perish. For what? Go watch it please, and think about the people who live and die so all of us can sleep soundly at night.

Question is: where do you draw the line between an investigation and a fishing expedition? Help me out on this one, send me a comment with your reactions or opinions.

Have a blessed Sunday, ya all!