connect, disconnect

during my debilitated state, i was reading, re-reading blogs about Filipino films, recalling all the great movies of the past.  there were loads of wonderful pinoy classics from the 50's to the 80's.  the output became quite so-so in the 90's until now.  that's just me being set in my old ways.  it's not entirely mediocre, it just depends on one's afiliation.  there are loads of showbusiness practitioners in Philippine cinema today, whether they have the acting chops or not is debatable.  will their stars continue to shine for decades?  who knows what the future brings?  it depends on career strategy,  will they make mistakes or the right decisions.

to continue the high school trend since Easy A, let's tackle the pinoy movie genre. of all the pinoy plots and melodramas set in a high school, after all these years, i only like one movie. 14 going steady (1984) was created to produce a new bunch of regal babies after maricel, snooky etc.  janice de belen was the highest-billed star in this flick, deservedly so because all others were newcomers.  janice was flordeluna and i was an avid viewer of flordeluna.  i was ten when i watched this on my own probably in Holiday theatre beside City Hall where my mom worked.

directed by  joey gosiengfiao, set in a private high school.  janice (maita) is rich. gretchen (lualhati) is poor. nadia (bobby) is middle-class and going through puberty. lualhati pretends to be rich and wants to be like maita. the film is about courtship, raging hormones, formation of an identity and all the stuff a typical teenager grapple and confound with in their daily interactions. i like the school paper angle.  can't wait to watch this again.  too bad i don't have cinema one.

high school rush to cinema

as promised (this is a good sign, i don't usually follow up the promises in this blog, i'll backread soon and excavate the abandoned covenants), here are my top three hollywood high school flicks.

in chronological order:

Pretty in Pink (1986) even when i was a teenager i watched this over and over, in betamax. Andie seems like a smart, hardworking, good girl who just happens to be poor in hollywood standards.  i reckoned if that was destitute, then i was living a super deprived life, not having a room of my own and who wouldn't want to go out with a guy like Blane (eeww, rich people with their names)?  that's a BMW he's driving?  Andrew McCarthy  is so cute, i wished he'd never aged.  goes to show that beauty is  truly skin deep. or only ugly people say that?

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)


two actors -- Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger.
it's a literal adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew set in the paradise of  the young and the good looking and katherina and petruchio (patrick verona) are feisty but lovable characters.

Mean Girls (2004)
written by Tina Fey
this makes me sad.  Rachel MacAdams and Amanda Seyfried are currently Hollywood It Girls. while Lindsay Lohan is reduced to posing for Playboy, the nadir of all has-beens and looks decades older than her chronological age of 25. and she can act. truly act. and even sing. but her voice may have been ruined by inhaling nicotine, tar, even nasty carcinogens.  i'm not sure if looks can be revitalized, once ageing occurs, it's there to stay.

this film tackles cliques, in high school.  there's also the constant need to be liked and become popular thus be with the in-crowd.

runners-up -- Bring It On (2000)
Clueless (1995)

to quote, to tweet

Easy A's  Mr. Griffith (Thomas Haden Church) has this to say about Facebook status updates.

“I don’t know what your generation’s fascination is with documenting your every thought, but I can assure you they’re not all diamonds. 'Roman is having an okay day and bought a Coke Zero at the gas station.’ Raise the roof!”  (ignore the blatant product placement)

 
it's not only the generation twenty years younger than me.  it's mostly people who are mostly younger than me. i agree it's not all diamonds.  it's mostly to attract attention, with metaphors for "love me, define me."

the hubby enlisted me with twitter this october.  i only follow a few people  and i'm far from a pseudo-sleb, so mine is not a busy exchange.  i very seldom tweet, i mostly read other people's random discourses and usual moans.  the news stream keeps me sane during low points during the day.  julia stiles doesn't like to tweet. it's difficult with slebs because of authenticity.  meanwhile i'll read stepehn fry's take on twitter anew.

seeking decongestant

feel absolutely horrible today. i can still touch type. means i'm still breathing. but hardly. my husband gave me the cold. he's fine now, played 5-a side football, gone to work. i've noticed he was not coughing. i cough even during trivial, banal days. i'm coughing painfully now. my nose and throat blocked. i was once told by a reliable source that Filipinos have weaker lungs than other species hence the increased number of respiratory cases. or it's the air pollution causing the lungs to falter? i'm breathing the same air as the bloke who gave me flowers. or was i exposed to a more sinister atmosphere?

tattle

high school. the dimension of our youth that defies comprehension. a dry run for the rest of our lives, according to the writers who conceptualised Sue Sylvester.

 do high school movies set in golden America, the cornerstone of existence? that's another blog topic.  what are high school flicks and fluffs that left specific imprint in my adult life? another blog topic.

let's talk Easy A. Emma Stone is marvellous. i like her in Superbad, radiant and cool amid the insecure dudes.  i got a glimpse of The House Bunny,  where i tried to recall where i've seen her. oh yeah, Superbad. by the time Zombieland came out, i was like, oh yes Emma Stone.

three years after Superbad where she was a high school senior, here is miss Stone in another high school environment, breathing life and soul to a likeable teenage character, Olive Penderghast, enunciating witty one-liners full of big words for an adolescent. she not only triumphed over adversity via a webcast, we were hooked by her kindness to the bullied and the downtrodden.  her act could have spun more out of control.  but there's the handy internet to clear her name. very modern.

throat hurts

Parisian Steps

i'm feverish yet again. i was walking along the avenue this morning, feeling like hell's punishment in the cold. even in the comforts of a roof and walls, i can't seem to lower down my body heat. i feel weak. i wanna be well by tomorrow.

gridiron

maybe third's time a charm.
i've been trying to publish this post since yesterday and my blog press isn't working.

we had a few hours to spare with the NFL on Sunday. the game is quite different live than on telly. i rather like it on the small screen, the clock stoppages seem less annoying in the comfort of home. i particularly miss being entertained by the lively commentary as opposed to trying to decipher the cheerleaders from the nosebleed section.

awaiting pre-game

bears vs buccaneers
wembley stadium

checking twice

i couldn't wait for the Christmas holidays to be over. i was just making my list for cards and presents and heaving a sigh for the sheer number of people to greet and remember during the joyous season. i keep coming up with names as i touch type this post.

but as i recall seven years ago, cards were distributed at work and were just ignored. this time we are wiser and more discriminating with our choices.

do visit tita wan's etsy site

my very talented tita wan is having a big sale on her etsy site.

do visit her blog on dailyartwalk.blogspot.com
and click the link for her etsy site.

the love for good art is priceless.

analgesic

a bench park --tuileries and carousel gardens (paris october 2011)

been having this headache the whole day. probably due to a 2200 viewing of Easy A without my glasses the previous night. my eyes hurt so badly, all i can do is lie in bed and close my eyes the whole day.

now kitchen chores at close to midnight. let me have the energy.

color, colour masskara

the masskara festival is a month of party and fun in Bacolod during October. there are kiosks selling beer at the plaza, a sort of adventure land at the reclamation area, charter day parade with floats in competition, dance parade contests (as I remember there were two levels -- baranggay and Open categories), a Miss Bacolod beauty pageant and several other offshoot pageants. plus a lot more shows, promotional activities and parties for the sake of party. it's super enjoyable if you have the money. but hold on to your bags and purses in big crowds. it's always tough times in the Philippines. don't get too drunk.

anyways, i borrowed the photo above from my lovely friend elnora. she blogs. she owns this fantastic cafe along Lacson Street. she's very smart, top honors throughout school and life. charming and alluring.

to be friends

I had this conversation with Ofie a few years ago that lasted like five seconds.

O: are we friends?
Me: yes
O: but not close friends.

Maybe not even five seconds.

But it's still at the forefront of my queries. Do we really need to classify friendship? How did we get relegated to the periphery? You know, the poor soul that is not invited to the wedding or the surprise birthday party organised by the loving spouse.

Maybe it's because one did not text, or join the group for a cup of joe or visit them at the hospital when they're having babies or drop by their houses during maternity leave.

I can understand the high school and college clique. They've known each other since they were kids. It's the hardest throng to penetrate.

But after all said and done, you just know when you're friends, you jut know.

miracles do happen

this is sweet.

D2 kid's play

the films from the nineties still appear fresh on tv screens.  it's my old age talking.  the nineties, a decade to youngins like Bo is ancient history and isn't particularly my favorite decade. while  the noughties were more challenging to my emotional equipoise.  the 2010's might turn out to be my lucky charm.

from the noughties, one movie i've replayed over and over on HBO Asia and VHS was D2: The Mighty Ducks or The Mighty Ducks 2.  recently it was shown on Sky and brings back some sort of memories.  this is more schmaltzy than the other two flicks in the series.  joshua jackson as a child actor?  better check out the first movie.  he grew too tall for the third one.  take a peek at a teenage kenan thompson. i've spent a lot of downtime with Nickelodeon during my twenties, good god.  there was no cable at home when i was a teenager.  no internet.  even a typewriter.  there were books though.

the kids in the film and how they've transformed into adulthood had been a captivating research.  others climbed even greater heights. and are always on the radar. some switched careers and quit showbusiness. i watched this confection for the bubble gum and marshmallows.

whatever happened to ryden malby?

Weird.  Weird. Weird.  The review of this movie got lost.  Did I click the delete button?  Or my account is hacked?  Let's hope it's the former.  It would be quite scary if it's the latter.

I totally forgot what I wrote yesterday.  Or was it yesterday?

 I bought the dvd of Post Grad, the candy-coated froth from Hollywood starring Alexis Bledel about a college graduate having difficulties finding her niche in publishing.  She moved back with her parents.  Blah, blah, blah.  Her hottie best friend is in love with her.  She got that call from publishing firm.  But the movie didn't turn out the way I envisioned.  I was disappointed.

This is an apt film for every bad economy which is most financial markets in the Western world.  For us in RP, Post Grad is quite a basic story for every graduate.

7

it's dark outside, at a few minutes past seven in the morning. that is what creepy about winter, the prolonged dusk is not good for personalities with mood pendulums. makes them bitchy. i bitch. a lot.

i've also lost messages in the phone update process. my network says i'm almost over my bandwidth limit. damn my predilections.

haven't gotten over the lost photographs especially a few of that nice view in Greece. i blame my phone's software. i also know i was daft. i should have backed up my work.

there's probably light outside. got to start on those chores.

a beach in my favorite island

the island of negros.
i may have posted this photo a few times.
but what the heck, this is gorgeous.

five years

Milan 2011

we're celebrating five years of marriage the whole week from tomorrow, eight years total.  time is of the essence. aagh, cliche.  time zooms faster than light. let's go straight to the jugular vein.  i hate questions about babies and pregnancies.  we try. we try. we try.  the two intrauterine deaths or stillbirths still hurt.  the eight-week miscarriage is even more excruciating. the undue, prolonged bleeding -- petrifying.  but as i said, we can still try.  

we're too poor for IVF.  other than childcare aches, we're on the edge of fascinating, no less exciting, not so sublunary. we discuss a whole lot of  topics.  we read the papers.  we read books.  now we travel together. we watch sports. he accompanies me to experience the sheer torture of watching straight plays.

he cooks. i cook sometimes. we go to nando's. he knows his way around anywhere in the world.  i get lost in bloody london bridge station.  there are screams, definitely.  and loud music.  i have a lunacy against loud music, rants and  gripes about the social noises.  but lessons are learned.

the hugs and kisses are great!

it's not math but maths

Americanisms. English English. What is the choice? Since my husband is English (just for emphasis, he doesn't like the word British, unless it's during the Olympics or Andy Murray wins the Grand Slam), do I prefer the English terms rather than my childhood Americanisms?  The subject of English as a language was discussed here and here.  It's a heated debate with a lot of bad blood.  The opinions depend on the country of affiliation.  The Philippines is into American pop-culture like it's the 52nd state in the Union.  We were a colony.  We are taught to breathe American air, spelling, grammar, intonation. But then Shakespeare rules  ( that only refers to me). The greatest writer in the English language is English.  Not American.

From my porch, all these jingoistic language debates don't really matter.  It's competition between two G8 nations.  It's Math in the Philippines (courtesy of our Hollywood connection).  It's Maths over here.  It's just the letter S.  Color.  Colour.  It's bewildering.  It's exasperating.  I like long words. 

cry, just cry

it came to pass that the hubby updated my phone for that ios crap or whatever.  i just didn't lose my music, i lost photos maybe from august this year that were not backed up.  i'm terribly rubbish in backing up stuff, i know that.  i don't own a proper laptop.  i'm such a phone person and i shouldn't be, i blog with the phone, i google with the phone. i just don't plug my phone to the pc to charge.

so with my emotions in tatters, the list hurts -- a video from ryan's wedding gone (wasn't able to upload it on you tube or save anywhere), photos of inanimate objects from ryan's wedding gone,  a gorgeous view of thessaloniki, greece gone, one of my favorite couple (hubby and i) photo together (amidst the backdrop of radiant thessaloniki weather) gone, photos from the weird indian summer during early october vanished into nothingness.  technology be damned? i don't want to be like carrie bradshaw during her sad Mac issues with Aidan. but how far technology has come since the fourth season of SATC the tv series?

and speaking of lost, the original copy of the photo above irrevocably disappeared as well. i just select photos randomly plus i read a lot about wallis simpson and sometimes the rest of the windsors.

the mosaic moment

in the mosaic peek for dynamic views lay-out. my photo above doesn't count. Blogger is owned by Google and i'm typing this on my phone, which is a registered trademark of Apple. two computer operating software giants don't become compatible right away.

my favourite app is the Google app on my phone followed by Blogger, then maybe Facebook. I search a lot of names, whatever takes my fancy. There was an instance I looked up Ava Gardner which lead me to Frank Sinatra and his children to Lauren Bacall and her liberal leanings.

if I have more money, I'll probably have a Mac. but since a PC is all I can afford, a PC it is, such is our fate. for all the Mac people I know; Joy, Irvs, JZ, Victoria, JP -- how I wish. my envy is irrepressible.

and my phone, which i use all the time, would continue to fly high and innovate even sans the genius of steve jobs.

it's not bland

was at nando's this early evening. I don't think it's uncouth at all.

the bubble

as a person who grew up in slightly above the poverty line, reading a stylist article about indulgence and consumption, jolted my perspectives into a tumble. so life is all about keeping up with the Kardashians and our Facebook friends? a reality show family as a metaphor? indeed, life is very much different amongst the middle classes in the western world.

as i read along the lines of acquiring material objects to make our lives better, i reflected during the times i've gone hungry as a child. but then i was never hungry as a nipper, my parents, despite their weaknesses in some areas of their traits provided for us, their kids, the basic food groups. what i lacked was a dollhouse and top of the line toys and barbie dolls but those were merely stuff, very superficial.

back to the present and the article; eating out three times a week, coating ourselves in designer, up-market brands, competing with Facebook friend JJ who just checked into Fortnum and Mason, pushing ourselves to counter-act, are hardly a necessity for in-depth fulfilment and happiness. of course, there are other areas of Facebook one-upmanship; career, the spouse, the number of children, the width, length, design of the house, travels, status updates. all bollocks.

pushing more pens

there would always be time to write for bloggers.

after the first scene in the film the social network, the main protagonist/ antagonist mr. zuckerberg wrote a scorching blog about his ex-girlfriend, delineating her bra size and the origin of her family name. if you're in the ex-girlfriend's shoes, it wasn't the least amusing to be ridiculed in the internet, for all the world to read.

despite not using real names, there would always be a hint of the person, the subject of the piece. the individual who did us harm, the object of biting remarks, is usually described in every engaging detail. she/he could burn or get buried alive in 140 characters through twitter and Facebook status or turn into dust after the smoke has settled down through paragraphs after paragraphs in a blog platform.

is it worth it to maim someone in writing? most probably not. in my case, they deserved every word of repugnance. but it's easier for healing. anger shouldn't be sheltered without words, sometimes we need to set it free.

why couldn't everybody blog?

pins, needles

watching the north London derby was such a disaster for my eyesight. probably it was the high definition tv being so near that I've been nursing these headaches ever since. the pain as usual is debilitating. i don't know what's next. maybe i'll hide under the covers for a while, for comfort.

return text

it's common topic in this blog that I like people who reply to missed calls, texts and e-mails. even hanging Facebook comments, blog comments and the likes. but what is tragic is that I'm also guilty of not responding right away. if there ever any messages I've failed to answer from amongst friends and family, my heartfelt apologies. i do my best in some cases. in others, I'm too occupied toiling or maybe staring at the ceiling.

the sun hurts

i was walking towards the tube station on this very sunny October and felt the pain and suffering of this kind of boiling hot temperatures. i'm all for good weather, maybe my sleepiness is due to tiredness. so i drifted off to sleep.

but oh dear, i've got to keep awake for the north London derby. its perplexing to encounter gooners in my circle. can we go through life knowing that they're gooners we simply stay away? avoid conversations, even eye contact or keeping them as Facebook friends? very possible. talk only when it's an utmost necessity. otherwise, better cool it. life would be more genial without those annoying comments.

mixed media paintings

visited my tita wan's site this morning. great art.

i can't draw a straight line.
so here i am blogging.

so how is your Sunday morning?

for connoisseurs of lovely strokes and colours. do visit at www.alphashanahan.com.

scent

advert.

clear page

miss watermarking.
how are you doing hot October?