News: Students Not Allowed To Make Their Projects

MOST SHOCKING NEWS EVER

It was 7:50 and I was all ready for blogging last night and everyone else was ready to sleep when my 7-year-old nephew, the younger one - both annoyingly adorable and adorably annoying, suddenly was in panic. "Tita!!!!" *Tita, by the way, means aunt.*

"I forgot I have a project. It's here at my diary!" He yelled as if I have hearing defect.

"Look!!!" He showed it centimeters away from my face. As if I can still read it!

"Hey. Relax, okay? You only have to draw. You're good at it." I said encouragingly.

"But I can't!"

"Oh yes you can. Everyone knows how good you are at drawing. Can you relax please. When are you going to pass it?"

"Can't you read?!? Tomorrow!!!"

"WHAT?!? WHYDAHECKDIDYOUFORGETDAT?!?"

Our yaya went to buy illustration board while I got busy googling some images that might help. And when everything was ready, I showed some images to my Adorable nephew and made him choose which concept he likes. After some "No, no, no, not that one, no, that one! That one!" and my eardrum nearly damaged, he finally got an idea.

"Well, start drawing now." I said.

"No. You do it." He replied. And take note: With Conviction.

"No. That's your project. You. Do. It."

"NO!!!"

He looked at me angrily that if only stare could kill, I would've died at that very moment and wouldn't have the chance to write my last will and testament. And then he dropped the bomb - the MOST SHOCKING NEWS:

"TEACHER TOLD US OUR TITA SHOULD DO THE PROJECT!!!"

I didn't know whether to laugh or... laugh. LOL. But I had to keep it to myself and said "No" firmly and stood up to go to my bedroom. There I laughed. At 10:25 I found him sobbing and had not drawn a dot yet. His angry stare transformed into that of Puss in the Boots of Shrek. Aaww. He won. I explained that since the theme is about Nutrition, I'd have to draw a Food Pyramid. When I was almost done with the drawing, I have learned something about myself - I was able to draw everything except for BANANA!

I was still up at 5:00 AM finishing the project that "aunts should make" when both my nephews woke up.

"Wow." They both said in unison and yes, I was proud of my creation.

"But there's no banana in the fruit group!!!"

"Well, there's apple, orange, pineapple, kiwi, cantaloupe, watermelon.. that'd be enough."

"You were able to draw a... a calantope but you can't draw a banana???"

"It's cantaloupe."

I get it. Just because he had a hard time pronouncing it made him think it was complicated when in fact, it was just another pretty round thing. LOL

Topless Phoemela Barranda on Maxim Magazine

Phoemela Barranda

August 2008 Maxim Cover Girl

Wow. Just wow. Bamboo member Ira Cruz must be so proud of his girl. If they're still together that is. Not updated. Hehe. This isn't a suprise though for this model-turned-host to pose in men's magazine but I did not expect a topless cover of her!

Phoemela Barranda, a mainstay of TV Patrol, was a former co-host of Extra Challenge (reality show) in GMA but was terminated after found guilty of smoking marijuana during a taping in Sagada. However, it was something that Phoemela consistently denied and claimed that she was sleeping when the incident happened. She later came out in The Buzz, where she co-hosts at the present, and said that she was singled out by GMA News and Public Affairs. This was clarified by GMA through an official statement saying that there was no truth to the claims of Phoemela. Oh well, that's the past. Albeit I, too, agree with GMA's decision and their reason - that they do not tolerate use of illegal substance.

Anyway, this was like 3 or 4 years ago? So past is past. That is IF smoking pot is really a past to her now. Still, I think her cover is nothing but HOTNESS.

Krista Ranillo: August 2008 FHM Cover Girl

Krista Ranillo:

Good Girl Gone Wild?

A consistent Dean's Lister in Ateneo de Manila University now posing in one of the hottest men's magazines in the Philippines.

I dunno if it's a shame but I really didn't have an idea who this girl was albeit I am familiar with his actor dad, Matt Ranillo. She has been a frequent feature in the news recently due to the conflict she had with her dad regarding this bold move she made. I notice that everytime her dad gets interviewed, it's like he still hasn't absorbed the fact that her daughter accepted such daring offer. I guess it's pretty normal for him to react in such way and I admire him for still respecting Krista's decision. As if there's something he could do about it. LOL.

Setting aside my empathy for her dad, I think it's pretty courageous of her. Besides, she's got the body. Why the hell not? She may not be as jaw-dropping as Ms. Earth 2004 Priscilla Meirelles but at least her cover on the mag isn't as lousy as that of Priscilla's in the premiere issue of Playboy mag. Hehe. IMO.

What's the difference?




Err, cleavage? LOL. *kiddin*

UST Scandal: My Humiliating Experience

UST Scandal:

My Humiliating Experience

Now I didn't have any idea about what happened that night and my sister was neither aware that she just actually downloaded a virus that would cause me humiliating experiences - one scary-turned-funny and the other put me in a compromising situation.

I was at the living room with our pet shih tzu and her 7 cuddly puppies when I opened the computer to initiate the transfer of files to my flash drive. Prior to that, a self-confessed addict of the cyber space, I couldn't help but check first my email, blog and even my YM. This is how it all started. I buzzed a friend of mine whom I haven't seen and talked to in years and stood up to get a glass of water. Then I went back and before I could sit, I found myself unable to do so. I was paralyzed with overwhelming fear when I saw the computer typing on its own. I know this is when I'm supposed to drop the glass of water caused by the shock. But fortunately, I was still in control and held it close. I took a step back and was scared to take a look around because I might see something that would just really make me drop the water I was holding and cause a commotion around the house. It was around 2:30 AM. I took a seat at the sofa and closed my eyes and must have said, "Oh sh*t" to the 20th power. Opening my eyes was the last thing on my mind. And while I was looking like who was in deep meditation with a litany of "Oh f*ck and Sh*t", the scary story of "the Caretaker" kept flashing back in my sooo friendly memory.

While I was sitting, I pretty much accustomed myself to the conviction to NEVER OPEN MY EYES. Until I felt a cold hand that touched me and said something like, "Are you asle...?" I opened my eyes and saw what exactly what my friendly memory was imagining - a Chinese kid like the one in Ju-on or The Grudge. Of course this had caused the expected reaction - a deafening scream that must have damaged my larynx. Unlike in the movies, the kid screamed with me. To aggravate the scandalous noise we were creating, our pet shi tzu joined us. No, she didn't scream. She did what a normal dog usually sounds. Hehe. We were all powerful that we could've resurrected the dead. It did wake up everyone in the house... and the black-belter karate instructor who lives next door. With him was a bat because he thought we were being intruded. LOL.

The most humiliating here is the explaining part I had to do. And much worse, everyone in the house looked at me and were all laughing. Not just by the pale and very much scared face I had but because my bottom PJ was all wet. They can't be thinking that I...?!? What the --.

My nephew and I suffered from hoarseness of voice the next day. And I was the joke to everyone. I did not pee! I spilled the water from the glass! You actually thought I did huh. And still believe so. Oh well. Life is really fun that way. Hehe.

Original Sin

Original Sin (2001)
a Michael Cristofer film
Antonio Banderas (Luis Vargas)
Angelina Jolie (Julia Russell)





"No this is not a love story, but it is a story about love. About those who give in to it, and the price they pay. And those who run away from it, because they are afraid, or because they do not believe they're worthy of it. She ran. He gave in."

This film was shown when I was in Sophomore and I guess it was a reason I could not rent a copy of this and watch at home because of its infamous sensual scenes. Last week, my girlfriends and I had a get-together - DVD marathon with lots of unhealthy edible high-caloric foods. A friend brought a copy of this with the knowledge that it was something we'd be giggling about. Raised by conservative families and studied in strict Catholic institutions, yes, we still felt like high school students. Oh well you know, skipping to the "scene" already and even make a rewind of it. LOL. *just kidding* But be real, you must have done it for once in your life. Don't be shy and never deny... If not, then for your sake, do it even just for once in your life! Hehe. Unless of course you're already watching a film full of it, like no story or anything. LOL. Now, that's the one I haven't tried watching yet. *promise! cross my heart* Let me omit the "dying thing" on that mantra. I'm too young to die! Seriously, this was not the usual naughty flick like American Pie or Euro Trip. This was far more serious and dramatic than we expected and instead of replacing it with another film, we decided to just watch it until the end.

This story was about Luis Vargas, a successful businessman, marrying Julia Russell and falling passionately in love with her. While she, on the other hand, was holding herself back from the possibility of reciprocating the same. With a wicked clandestine, she was driven to please Luis with her carnal prowess. His trust was betrayed when he found out that Julia was not the real Julia Russell after all. And worse, he discovered the hidden agenda - running away with nearly all his fortune with her.

"She never was here. You were married to a dream. A dream that stole your soul. God must have been angry with you the day he let you look in that woman's face."

Infuriated by the iniquitous deception, he collaborated with Walter, a detective, to find her and held with him an intention to kill her. But when he did find her, she told him the truth - that her real name is Bonny Castle and that she was working with Walter. Engulfed by his deep longing for her, he welcomed her back and even showed her a promising future with him.

"Whore! Liar! Thief! Don't you see? Don't you see that I cannot breathe without you? I cannot live without you? Don't you see that? Don't you see how much I love you?"

Albeit not driven as before and confused by her unacknowledged emotions, she still worked with Walter to pursue their plan because his control over her was too overwhelming. Luis later on discovered the infidelity of Julia and the vicious plan to poison him.

Luis: Laugh when I tell you that I still love you.
Julia: No, not me. You don't love me.
Luis: Oh yes. Oh yes. Yes, you. Not Julia Russell, not Bonny Castle. You. I love you as I know you. Because I know you. As you are. Good and bad. Better and worse. I told you this already, but you didn't believe me. Tonight you will. To us. A short life but an exciting life.
*drinks cup with poison*
Julia: Don't do that.
Luis: No other one. No other love but you. From first to last. Start to finish. Don't change, Julia. Don't ever change.

"And perhaps later on I will tell you the story of how we came to be here. It is an interesting tale. Some of it is even true. But for now, I can say that from the moment I saw her, I loved her. And no matter the price, you cannot walk away from love."

Registered Yummy Nurse

Certified Yummy Nurse

When PRC released the Nursing Board Exam Result today, it becomes more popular than Paris Hilton and more talked about than the movie The Dark Knight. Now I had gone to my facial center early this evening and my facialist wasn't there anymore. Ok I know there's not much connection but stick around for a little while. My last facial session was 3 months ago and because Nursing Board Exam was such a threat that everyone else seems to hibernate in their own planets filled with both communicable and non-communicable disorders of life, I felt I had to do the same or else I'd be uber abnormal. If there's such a thing.

When the facial was over, I realized I had a lot of missed calls and text messages on my mobile. So what now? What have I missed in just an hour of narcissism?!? They were all greetings of congratulations! I, Miss Elle, am now a Registered Yummy Nurse. Woohoo!


These are quite insignificant things I want to share that I have learned throughout that "Review Era":

• Don't force yourself to read when you're sleepy. Now not everyone knows that Nursing Books are my sleeping pills especially when it comes to Pharma. So when I start reading drugs and drug interactions, the rest is history. It convinces me that Valium, Lorazepam, Ativan and the likes are indeed potent sedatives - even just by reading them makes me sleep.
  
• Never study in bed. Now that's a no-brainer strategy. There's the word never so it must be some absolute rule - that books and bed combo is a no-no. Simple. So I didn't put them together. I had to sacrifice the books. Hellooo, I love my bed!
  
• Engage yourself in Group Study. I did and it was fun. Really. I've learned so much from the life of who and the latest what of another who. With tequila in our system, we did the question-and-answer thing. C'mon, we aren't that irresponsible. I went home filled with alcohol, gossip, and the fact that Necrophilia, Thanatophilia, and Necrolagnia are all the same - they all mean sexual attraction or arousal with corpses.
  
• Surround your room with papers with bullets of lessons in it. This really was an interesting idea. Finally, I can now unleash the Vincent Van Gogh in me. Hey, before you judge the hell of me, please. If I were to vandalize my room, it has to be one creative graffiti! I bought almost all different color pens available. I want my boring lessons to be stimulating and the time I finished it and had to post everything, it was 2 days before the exam. The next day, by the way, I caught my cute little 7-year-old nephew at my room with crayons at hand and I was like, "Waddaheckareyoudoing?!?" I now have a real graffiti on the wall.
  
• Pleasure yourself every once in a while. This is the best lesson I've learned. My most favorite actually. They say that you do something you enjoy and study for like 2-3 hours. So I stay up until 1:00AM watching DVD and spend the next 30 minutes flirting with my notes and another 30 minutes writing whatever in it (sign of me sailing away to dreamland) or when I'm in the mood, coloring it! The rest, like I said, is history. But I can justify this, my friends, as much as I want to bring my book with me in bed, I simply cannot (refer to number 2). And hello again, don't forget Number 1.
  

There are so many other tips that I've learned, some were the same and some were contradicting. Like a reviewer once said that you should have something to eat (preferably nuts) while reviewing and the book I've read, on the other hand, whispered (yeah, I'm high, euphoric, and in state of grandiosity. LOL) to me that I shouldn't munch anything. So which should I follow? I just go back to the last rule above. I take pleasure in eating. Yup, I'm orally fixated. LOL. Seriously, there were 2 tips I have not failed to instill in me - Positive thinking and Prayer. The two words "I can" are indeed powerful.

Fine. "I can sing like Whitney Houston. I can. I can. I can." Breathe in. Breathe out. Diaphragm, here we go. *I believe the children are our future..." And turning around there's my cute lil nephew standing and asked me, "Who are you talking to?"

10 Random Facts About Me - tagged

10 Random Facts about me... Well, thanks to KC for this. Hehe. Now he has given me a problem because really, the post that I had the most difficult time creating was actually my entry "10 THINGS ABOUT ME". However, let's stick on the brighter side - this is actually fun. Now I have more reasons to rant, rant, and rant. Just hoping this will turn out right - with me writing sensible facts here, which I am 99.9% certain soo unlikely. That wouldn't be a fact about me. LOL.

I'm tagging Paper Tilapia, Bloggista and Eugene by the way. Have to tag this early because I might forget later caused by too much babbling.

1. I don't know how to cook. On the second thought, I can - fry eggs, luncheon meat, and hotdogs.
2. I can live by noodles alone. I can only surmise renal failure won't make me live that long.
3. I like annoying people. I hate it though when somenoe annoys me.
   
4. I am sarcastic and cynical especially when it comes to what they call love. In fact, I am pretty skeptical to the saying "Within the body of every cynic beats the broken heart of a romantic." LOL
   
5. I love dogs. Despite the fact that I got bitten twice already.
   
6. I am a follower of justice. Talking about hypocrisy huh (kindly see number 3).
7. I make scrumptious Blueberry Cheesecake. However, for me to ingest what I have just made, I have to take off the blueberry top.
8. I am a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Nursing. And I guess a good candidate for Master of Arts in Nursing. Only that I haven't learned yet the art of loving it.
9. I have no problem doing simple household chores. But I have a HUGE problem when I'm told to do so. Pretty universal - I do things when I WANT to and not when I'm ASKED to.
10. I am a dreamer by day and blogger at night. I don't want to end this, really, but

What the Abused Says

The results of any traumatic exposure, such as abuse, can only be resolved by experiencing, articulating, and judging every facet of the original experience within a process of careful therapeutic disclosure. - Alice Miller

He hits her again. He, a tall young man, was walking towards the end of the hallway and dragging the young lady with him - her hair seized by his hands. I would've turned around quickly if only our cute and pretty shih tzu did not make a scene to actually run towards that direction. I caught up with her just in time for me to feel the outrage of the guy as he lands a punch on her stomach leaving her on the floor - trying to control her sobs. I saw this guy yesterday at the ground floor - unshaved, tired, didn't smell nice or just to sum it, he looked wasted. Honestly, I haven't seen him in a neat state. Now this pretty lady is studying at a prestigious Med school. She has the look that would make guys wish they were always sick just to be under her care. I often wonder what she saw in him. In the very same way I have often wondered then what my friends, who had been through such agony, saw with those abusive jerks they date for like forever.

When my friend S started dating Dave, the rich kid but didn't have table manners, everything was perfect. Or so it seemed. With a happy facade and stories of their trips and happy moments, she convinced us that indeed, their relationship was all flowers and butterflies. After our midterms exam, we had the Girls Saturday Night Out to have some booze with the attempt to salvage shreds of neurons left in our brain. With S becoming more and more distant, I persistently appealed to her to join us. She had excuses that were so lousy and all. Not giving her the choice to stay in her room on a Saturday night, we stripped off her clothing and NORMALLY, this could've been outrageously fun. But not that night. Instead of us drooling again over flawless skin, we were all stunned to see bruises. One was on its healing stage. The others, I honestly couldn't tell. Denial was something I have expected. So when did the insanity stop? When one night I received a call from her telling me, with a terrified voice, she needs me badly and that she'll stay at my place. Standing on my doorsteps with a hand on the frontal lobe of her head, she looked at me blankly with her eyes red swimming in grief and misery. Seeing the mild concussion, I assumed, on her head, I instantly knew she badly needed help. Serious help that is. Not just from the ER. The wound Dave had caused is much deeper than that.

The most common reason they tell me or what their behavior exudes is this - Holding on to a hope that one day he will change. Almost often, that one day never comes.

• "He's just like that when he's fed up with his work. You know, he can't handle the stress." Displacing his anger at you is just a way of making sure you understand what he's trying to convey - that he's still dominant and you are within his control. Now if you feel pity that he's fed up with work, does it help to resolve his problem if you submit yourself as punching bag?
  
• "I don't want to waste the three years we had." Guess what honey? Wasting more years is much worse.
• "I can't just leave him. I will help him change." Helping someone change for good sounds noble. But aren't we supposed to love someone as he/she is. Yes, there is that hope. But my question here is, is it your responsibility to change him? How about being responsible enough to protect yourself from harm?
• "It was my fault." More often than not, you blame yourself for not being there the instant he texted you (when in fact you were at school). Why were you talking with that guy? *grips your shoulders so hard that later it might be a case of dislocation not giving you the chance to say he's your first-degree cousin and even if you do, he doesn't believe you anyway* It isn't your fault your boyfriend is a narrow-minded jerk.
  
• "I could never find someone like him." This is like suffering from glaucoma - having that tunnel vision. It's either you lose your peripheral vision or you just simply refuse to look. Of course, it isn't advisable to look for an immediate replacement because bad news is, you'll end up attracting and be attracted at the same sort of person if you do not allow yourself to heal properly in time. An abused person normally feels this way because she's already attached to the "fact" that the person she is with or is used to have around with is the best man she could ever have. It is an attachment or more like of a habit - hard to break. If you think you could never find someone like him. Think again. You SHOULD never find anyone like him.

But then, these are just thoughts I wish I could just easily tell a friend or someone who is abused. It's never that simple. We can't just easily convert their mind to such belief because they have been receptive to a pattern they are already used to. Without proper help and right suppor system, it's a vicious cycle that one can't easily break from.

No woman has to be a victim of physical abuse. Women have to feel like they are not alone. - Salma Hayek

The Undomestic Goddess

The Undomestic Goddess (2005)
401 pages

by: Sophie Kinsella

"If I've learned one lesson from all that's happened to me, it's that there is no such thing as the biggest mistake of your existence. There's no such thing as ruining your life. Life's a pretty resilient thing, it turns out."

Have just finished reading this book and I must say that this has been my dose of sunshine on this cloudy day. Full of hilarity and witty remarks, no one does it like Sophie Kinsella aka Madeleine Wickham (her real name). I SOO LURVE IT! lol.

The story is about a brilliant corporate lawyer, Samantha Sweeting, who seems to never have the time for anything else than her work. In fact she doesn't have a minute to clean her place and even tidy up her table. An intelligent woman whom you might envisage as someone independent but wait, she's not self-sufficient enough because she is practically naive in the art of household chores - can't cook, can't do the laundry, and cannot sew on a button! Her assiduousness and commitment paid off when she finally became a partner - the thing she ever wanted. Or is it? Or her mother's?

But then, as she vowed to begin cleaning up her table, she found a document that revealed something horrible - she discovered she made the most basic mistake of a lawyer. She then left the office, still at shock, leaving London via train and a bank with 50 million quid loss. Finding herself in the middle of nowhere, she then ended up in a huge house, whose owners mistakenly identified her as an interviewee as "Housekeeper".

Her adventure begins here - learning what matters most in life - as she finally realized what she wanted to do and to have. Samantha then realized the value of time after she met Nathaniel and unlike her uber busy ex-beau Jacob who would do the deed for just effin' six minutes due to their busy skeds, Nathaniel showed her the beauty of having time to relax, enjoy the surroundings and have good loving sex! But will he still love her despite the major lie - that the housekeeper he loves is actually a mathematical whiz who can incredibly solve high-number problems and an exceptional lawyer of a top-rank company? The ending though is very much predictable.

"Six minutes isn't sex. Six minutes is a boiled egg."

21

21 (2008)

a Robert Luketic film
Kevin Spacey (Mickey Rosa)
Kate Bosworth (Jill Taylor)
Jim Sturgess (Ben Campbell)

"You need discipline to stick to the system through thick and thin, and honesty with yourself to recognize if you're not playing well." - John Chang

The movie was entertaining. But it wasn't what I expected. This movie stimulated my curiosity regarding card counting, how it's done and if it is illegal. My curiosity heightened when I discovered that this was based on a "true story" (sorry I never had an idea). That, however, disappointed me more after knowing that the movie did not exhibit the True details. I guess it really entails artistic mind to put some mild exaggeration.

These were additional scenes that made the movie juicier but not an actual resemblance of reality:

• scholarship interview
• romance between Ben and Jill
• cellphone conversations (this happened in the early '90s)
• the beating up
• drinking and going to strip clubs after every winning
• hiding the money in the ceiling
• everyone attending MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
• Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey)
  

What I found interesting in the movie was the codes they used to represent the count. And more interestingly, it is true! And the real people who are the inspiration of the characters in the movie:

• Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) - Jeff Ma
• Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth) - Jane Willis
• Kianna (Liza Lapira) - Laurie Tsao
  
• Jimmy Fisher (Jacob Pitts) - Mike Aponte
• Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey) - a combination of 3 people: Bill Kaplan, J.P. Masser, and John Chang
  

Jeff Ma or the real Ben Campbell appeared in the movie as a dealer. John Chang, on the other hand, still refuses to reveal himself that when interviewed by Fox Business analyst Neil Cavuto, he appeared on cam but in a disguise. By the way, he still plays.

"The cards do not know whether you are angry, ecstatic, upset, laughing, or crying. As long as you're making mathematically correct decisions, your emotional state is irrelevant. Now, if you get upset, you may be less likely to make correct decisions, so it makes some sense." - John Chang

Manny Pacquaio for Congressman in 2010?

Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, who recently dethroned David "Dangerous" Diaz, had confirmed in an interview that yes, he will run AGAIN for Congress in 2010.

I confess. That I used to despise this guy due to the pompous aura that he exudes, especially when he talks. Prior to the David Diaz fight, I watched one of his numerous interviews wherein he mentioned that the fight would be dedicated to the victims of typhoon Frank (or Fengshen). Hhmm, do I smell politics here? I thought to myself. I dunno what the heck happened but there was this change of heart. Hehe. I told myself, "Why not like him? Just for now." So I tried and even placed a bet for the Pambansang Kamao. Needless to mention but yes, I earned money. Sorry, I'm not setting a good example here but c'mon, I earned some moolah - to the 3rd effin' power! LOL.

So when I heard that he actually went to Iloilo, with his wife, to distribute some relief goods and fulfill his promise to donate P1.5 million, I was very much impressed with the munificent act. Now I guess I'll continue to be his fan.

However, if he does pursue his plan to run in 2010, there's a big probability that I'm going back to "Manny-haters Club". LOL. Ok, now I may be an evil to some here because this is like loathing a hero - the Filipino pride. Not that my support really matters especially that I'm not a resident of Gen. San. Hehe. But my admiration for him would I guess remain on that sense - of him being a boxer who makes the whole nation proud. His "benevolent" intention to help the people, particularly the underprivileged, sounds pleasing but look at him now - extending his generosity without the Congressman labeled before his name. Albeit a customary reason like "I want to help more" is considerable (but with a minimum effect for me), take it from the cliche that there are some things not for you. I am not undermining his abilities to lead... fine, I may sound discriminating but I guess it would be safe to say that it's better left in the hands of someone who's much better or actually might be the best one for the position.

If he fights again inside the boxing ring, yes I'll be on his side. But if he runs for Congress, then hell no. Ok ok. I'm not a Gen. San. resident. Hehe. Still, I abhor, detest, despise, loathe that idea. IMO.

Claudine Barretto vs. Angel Locsin

Claudine Barretto and Angel Locsin

I know I'm a bit late with this news and in fact, I don't want to write this one. But after hearing and reading a lot of opinions regarding this "confrontation" that happened between them, I guess it won't hurt to convey my say on this. Not that it matters. LOL

What really happened? Only the people inside the room could tell - the hairstylists, the staff there, and of course, them. Many stories have come into surface - stories that I guess circulated by the fans themselves just to save their respective heroine from the villain. Because really, no one has talked who is who of those two.

"Angel was already there with her sister when Claudine arrived and approached her for "beso-beso". Everyone's eyes were really on them because obviously, they are stars who were formerly on a competition for TV ratings due to the clashing of two leading TV networks. They seem to be fine, which everyone had noticed. Their conversation was barely audible to the rest but they could hear names mentioned by both celebs. It was when Claudine asked if it's true that Malou Santos, a top executive of ABS, would now manage her and replace her current manager, Becky Aguila, that things went sour. Angel did not answer and pretended to be busy with her mobile. Claudine then went outside to smoke and was followed momentarily by Angel but quickly returned. She then kept naming stars of ABS who doesn't like her, which was overheard by Clau. This now caused the scandalous "pangangaral" of Claudine - causing her to yell, "Don't make a scene here. There must be something wrong with you dahil ikaw na mismo ang nagsasabing maraming may ayaw sayo sa network." and telling her things about "pakikisama" while Angel was crying."

This was never featured in the news or even in Showbiz Talk Shows. Why? Because that's what ABS-CBN is good at - covering things up. In fact, not everyone is aware of this issue due to the news blackout implemented by the network. Angel and her manager was supposed to release a statement but were ceased by the execs. This issue could have hushed down earlier if only Gretchen did not make statements that are soo "headliners". LOL. But also, that's what she's good at - making the headlines and be a scene stealer. When asked what she'll say if she encounters Angel, "Ayoko baka api-apihin nya ko at sigaw-sigawan" was her answer. She really is something.

What's my say? Nothing really. LOL. Because it really doesn't matter. As much as I want to know what really happened there like everyone else and as much as I hate ABS for not being generous enough to allow the juicy details to come out, I still think the network is doing the right thing. Business is still business. You can't take such risk considering the timing - this happened when Lobo was on its near end while Claudine's soap opera was on its height of promotion. So then I guess I would do the same - keep them mum, choose a talent, make an issue about him/her (gay if it's him and pregnant if it's her or breakup if it's him and her. LOL) until the Claudine-Angel thing dies, then voila! Time to give the "chosen" talent a chance to clean his/her name. ABS is good at that dba. I guess Pres. GMA got that ploy from them. LOL.

A Moment To Remember

A Moment To Remember (2004)
a John H. Lee film
Choi Chol-Soo (Jung Woo-Sung)
Kim Su Jin (Son Ye-Jin)

"Being able to forget easily is a gift."

That was the sensible response of Kim Su Jin's father after she asked him why he forgives her easily despite the numerous times she disappointed them. Attempting to abscond with a married man was an absolute faux pas that could've put her family's name in disgrace and yet they still welcomed her with open arms - a prodigal daughter that she is.

She later fell in love with the manly and volatile Choi Chol-Soo who happened to be the foreman of her father's construction business. Without enough income and good family backfround to tell were enough reasons for her father's disapproval of the relationship.

With no father, Choi Chol-Soo was abandoned by his mother when still an infant. His brusque attitude and stern look was caused by too much hatred and angst in his heart. He was filled with resentment towards his mother and of the unkind world - of his ill and unjust fate.

"There's an eraser in my head."

It was one of Su Jin's funny remarks. The "eraser" here was the progressive degenerative brain disease, which is Alzheimer's. Her condition began to worsen - getting lost, looking for Choi Chol-Soo inside the refrigerator, leaves the gloves inside and tried looking outside forgetting that he was just actually sitting on the sofa behind her. The most tearjerker part here, I guess, was when the only memory she could hold on to was her love affair with her married ex-boyfriend, which left her husband, Choi Chol-Soo, devastated and perplexed. It was a battle that he had to endure despite the uncertainty of whom she truly loved.

It tells a story of a young couple very much in love and filled with contentment having each other but later challenged with the trial of fighting the gradual inevitable loss of Su Jin's memory caused by dementia.

Love in the Time of Cholera

Love in the Time of Cholera (1988)
(El amor en los tiempos del colera, 1985)
434 pages

by: Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Nobel Prize for Literature (1982)

"He allowed himself to be swayed by his conviction that human beings are not born once and for all on the day their mothers gave birth to them, but that life obliges them over and over again to give birth to themselves."

I highly recommend this book to those who are enthusiasts of the concept of unrequited love. Some find it boring but it wasn't for me. Probably one would find it as too detailed. It is indeed filled with vivid descriptions, which is likely of GGM. I wasn't surprised that it became a bestseller in NBS and Powerbooks last March. I can't help but be moved by this dramatical and lyrical masterpiece.

This is about lovers, Fermina and Florentino, who fell in love at young age. However, young Fermina had to marry a well-off doctor. It might seem common but the lines were so touching. Florentino here is romantic that after the husband of Fermina died, after 622 affairs and at the age when death could loom anytime, he declared his love for her once again - a love he knew had always been there and meant to last forever.

My favorite part, however, was not about them. I was moved more by Florention's last love affair with America, a young girl who loved him with all of her heart and soul - love that was innocent and genuine. Unaware of the truth that the man she loved could never reciprocate the feeling, she served him sincerely and leaving the old Florentino guilty. When America died while Florentino was in a cruise with the love of his life, Fermina, he ignored the news of her death because he knew that was the only way to keep him alive. It was when they were about to go back that he remembered the dreadful death of America and he locked himself up in the bathroom and cried - it was then he realized how much he loved her.

*This is the book featured in the movie Serendipity - the way Jonathan (John Cusack) could retrieve Sara's (Kate Beckinsale) number.*

"Together they had overcome the daily incomprehension, the instantaneous hatred, the reciprocal hastiness, and fabulous flashes of glory in the conjugal conspiracy. It was time when they both loved each other best, without hurry or excess, when both were most conscious of and grateful for their incredible victories over adversity."

About Me

10 Things About Me

• I am a Virgin Blogger. And that's why I'm having an effin' hard time starting this one. But I got this quite unique idea that to start one, I should begin by posting my first entry. Inspirational thought isn't it. LOL
• I love to read a lot. From John Grisham and Barbara Kozier to Nutritional Facts of every junk food and soda I ingest.
• I am not a writer. More of a wannabe. It shows.
  
• I hate numbers. Just like oil and water, we can't mix. Well, I can do the basics. Like counting. Haha. But when x to the nth power comes into the picture, a dose of Ergotamine Tartrate must be at reach. However, there is an exception with this abhorrence towards numbers - when expressed in monetary unit, no problem.
  
• I come from the pauper class, the poor us, of the society. My not-so-happy piggybank is not as prolific as bacteria or in other words, not in TNTC or Too Numerous Too Count status.
  
• I love music. But then I am Mumble. Well, I can sing. Everybody can. But let's put it this way, I'd give away my legs and have a tail instead just to be able to get the first note right. the moment I start to "sing", mom would be like, "Poor child..."

Take note: Mothers are supposed to say positive things to and about you. So, this is how worse I am. For a more vivid picture - a nightingale with laryngeal cancer.

• My current weight as of now (July 15, 2008 9:34 AM Manila Time) is:

*gets the weighing scale and asks our yaya to read it for me* --- 86 lbs!

• I don't have an eating disorder. Not anorexic and definitely not bulimic. And please don't envision the wrong image of me being an ectomorph because I am chubby and also wondering - why is my weight low? The secret --- my irreplaceable dysfunctional weighing scale! Lol.
  
• I have pretty (they say. *wink wink*) bilateral myopic eyes. That's why I had to ask our yaya to read it for me (see above. lol). I wear red spectacles Not All The Time - the etiology of wrong choice of guys Most Of The Time.
• I am now in the process of learning to become more unafraid of failure.

Why Samar Duchess?

I come from the province of Samar in the Philippines. I would've wanted the name Samar Girl, however, I've tried searching it over Google and was surprised with the top entry on the first page. "Samar Girls" exist and such domain contains pictures of girls from Samar longing to meet, I guess, their Mr. Right. Well, it is indicated in their description. Hehe. Samar woman doesn't sound good to me. Duchess. It just popped into my head - like a bulb. Hehe. I dunno. I guess princess or queen are overrated. LOL. *just kiddin*

SAMAR - "Night Talk" in Arabic