adventures in neverland

(let me channel oprah with this post.) somehow we know when something is about to end.  be it a relationship, a career, a great time, a luvly vacation.  we dread it for sure. who wants to end something that is good, fun and luvly in the first place? but such is the cycle of life. we get rid of something old to make room for something new. (oh please, i know i sound like a hall mark card.) i always believe that if something is not working anymore, then no matter how much it hurts, just let it go. sometimes, letting go does not mean saying goodbye.  rather, it's just the start of something else.  it will hurt at first, yes, but we learn to live with it. life, after all, is nothing but a series of goodbyes, of letting go. of getting hurt. having said this -- i am setting  you free. now you can stop pretending. ...........thank you for the memories.  *my apologies to julian barnes

(please click here for my previous post about the film and one of its gorgeous young actors.) even after watching a number of his movies (notably volver and talk to her), i still found myself speechless, mesmerized and hyptonized by pedro almodovar's latest offering: the skin i live in. the twists and turns were simply amazing, like magic. unbelievable and yet so real (at least in the realm of almodovar's films). truly, almodovar is one of today's best storytellers like japanese novelist haruki murakami. just suspend your disbelief, never mind the critics who don't like the movie, and enjoy the ride. almodovar will take you to places in the human heart that no one has ever been, not even himself i think. (no psycho analysis intended for this one..haha) antonio banderas, who used to be almodovar's favorite and starred in a number of his movies when the then young actor was still spain's hottest property, was perfect for his role as the doctor (plast...

friday, i was in a panic mode. i woke up at three in the morning and could no longer sleep. just when i thought i needed a good night sleep. i had several things to do that day, a hectic one, and at night, i had to go to my best friend's wedding. kidding. his birthday dinner.  so i need all the rest to prepare for what looked like a loooong day ahead. sadly, i had an insomnia attack. the worst one. instead of making a big fuss out of it, i decided to watch teevee (cnn) and then read a book. sleep remained elusive. at six, looking like a zombie, i had breakfast, my first in a long long while. i am not a breakfast person, by the way. i would rather sleep some more than eat. that's why i gained so much weight. sad! at ten, i answered a phone call. then emails. another phone call. then at one thirty, i ran to tower one to meet up a friend. famished, i ordered seafood linguine and iced tea while waiting for him. at four, i went to the nearest mall to check emails aga...

i have a lot of favorite romantic movies like breakfast at tiffany's and two for the road (both starring audrey hepburn),  before sunrise and its sequel before sunset . but nothing beats the english patien t, anthony mighella's brilliant adaptation of the novel by michael ondaatje (a slim paperback but not an easy read mind you. it took me a month to finish it). with ralph fiennes and kristin scott thomas playing the ill-fated lovers, the movie was even more poignant given the intensity of their performances. the movie deserved all its oscar trophies, including best picture, best director and best supporting actress for french actress juliette binoche, who played hana, the nurse who took care of the badly burnt count after the war. my favorite scene was towards the end, when the dying katherine (scott thomas) was writing a letter to count de almasy (fiennes), who left her inside a cave to seek help. here is her letter: " my darling, i'm waiting for you. ...

in between job hunting online; job interviews thru skype or over the phone or face-to-face; bouts of insomnia, self-doubt and depression; meeting friends over coffee or beer or jollibee chicken joy; watching movies; updating my wardrobe; and, cruising in the river styx -- i find the time to read books, i mean novels. a lot. i have never read this much for as long as i can remember. so far i have finished these (oh please, no bragging rights intended): this book is unputdownable. a page turner despite its volume (900 plus pages), out-of-this-world characters and twists, and an ambitious scope. murakami is a master of suspenseful writing. it's like watching a telenovela. there is always a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter that will keep you awake until you reach the last page.  (will write a separate post on this one...not a review, mind you, but sort of a note..i don't think i can ever muster the courage or even attempt to write  a review on this one. i si...

i don’t want to see anybody crying at my funeral. nor talking only good things about me, the great deeds that i have done, as if i were a saint. i was not. like my favourite artiste, who passed away recently, i knew i was no good. my mother, the frustrated dramatic actress, would probably shed a tear or two. she might even faint. let her be. i have seen it during the wake of her husband and then of her oldest son (so i heard. i wasn’t there). she cried hysterically in both funerals, like a mad woman. but i love her, so i gave her the license to showcase her flair for the dramatics that would put even her idol, nora aunor, to shame. it’s hypocrisy to the highest degree to cry in someone’s funeral when all you did was treat him badly when he was still alive. my older sister was like that. when my older brother died, she acted like the martyr, urging everyone to fly to another city to attend his funeral. even if this would mean spending a lot of money to go there. after ...

i am still, so to speak, at the airport lounge. waiting for my plane to arrive. i haven't picked the destination yet. i let fate decide all that. though i won't mind if it doesn't arrive at all. i could stay here for good. after all, this is my home. or is it? yes, in the past few months, i have been in transit. my things are still unpacked. most of my clothes, shoes and bags are still inside suitcases. i am not even buying anything yet because a.) i might run out of money while waiting for my train/bus/plane; b.) i don't have a room for anything else in my tiny tiny temporary flat in an old building where the lobby reeks of body odor, cigarette smoke and alcohol. where even the snobbish cockroaches and rats won't dare tread; c.) i simply don't have the appetite to buy anything. it's as if all my material desires have been extinguished. like totally. i am not complaining though. it's nice to be out of one's comfort zone once in a while....

f abulously wealthy and gorgeous in every way, armie hammer is hollywood's latest hottest actor. everyone wants a piece of him, even superstar leonardo de caprio. leo got to kiss armie in the clint eastwood-directed film about the life of former fbi head j. edgar hoover. armie plays his right hand and rumoured luver clyde tolson. of course every writer, every fan wants to know how he felt when he locked lips with lothario leonardo, who has dated some of the most coveted women in the world. in fact, every article about him and the film always had the kissing scene peg as the major selling point. as if! “it just felt like kissing,”  armie was quoted by new york magazine in an interview.  “i also had to shoot a machine gun in the movie, but nobody asks about that.”  (click here for the new york magazine article on armie hammer:  http://nymag.com/movies/features/armie-hammer-2011-11/ ) i won't be surprised if armie, who will next star opposite julia ...

no, it's not someone as voluptuous and as pouty as penelope cruz (who starred in a number of his films notably broken embraces and volver). rather it's a twenty nine -year old former model whose handsome physique has landed him in several ads, movies and teevee shows in his home country in spain. that's right, fairies, bitches, witches and princesses, just like antonio banderas (when he was young and soo yummy) before him,  jan corne t is pedro almodovar's latest muse and is in his newest obra titled  the skin i live in . some critics say the movie, also starring the charming antonio banderas, pays homage to hitchcock (don't you just luv his name? sounds like that of a porn stud, don't you think?) and other old masters of film making. unlike other young reluctant stars, the gorgeous jan already knows right from the start that he wants to be an actor and live different lives in front of the camera. "i was truly interested in the kin...

i can't believe i ditched a movie date with my best woman friend for this one. we were in the middle of a dinner when suddenly he complained loudly that the food tasted awful, the grilled salmon was not fresh at all and that the steamed rice was no longer hot when they served it on our table. other diners looked at us, alarmed, while the head waiter approached us quickly. calmly. "what's the problem sir?" "the fish is no longer fresh. it's also too salty," he said, glaring at the waiter who looked smart in a white long sleeve shirt, tie, dark pants and neatly combed hair. in contrast, he was in a round-neck blue shirt with a big heart printed on it, tight-fitting black jeans and white converse. his hair was messy, as if a mouse and a cat had played on top of his head. "i am sorry for that sir," the head waiter said in a whisper. "we will replace it for you." "no need," i said sympathetically. "just giv...