Thursday, July 29, 2010

COMPILED: Fragrance Ads of Famous Celebs

Wanna peek through the fragrance ads of Hollywood's notable personalities? Check them out.


Halle Berry - "Halle"


Faith Hill - "Faith Hill"


Sarah Jessica Parker - "Covet"


Sean Diddy Combs - "Unforgiveable"


Mariah Carey - "M"


Britney Spears - "Hidden Fantasy"


Jennifer Lopez - "Glow"


David Beckham - "Instinct"


Paris Hilton - "Can Can"


Kate Moss - "Kate Moss"



Are you wearing one of them?

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Angelina Jolie stuns Japan at 'Salt' premiere

God bless this woman. Sashaying down the red carpet in a black Versace number, Angelina Jolie effortlessly stuns the Japanese crowd at the premiere of her new flick Salt with just two little details that captured the moment: the leg slit and the bare back.

Click on the photos to enlarge. Pictures from JustJared.com










Full story and more photos here.

How Movie Posters Recreate Magic

I must have spent the last hour reading, more like scanning through the pages Philippine Star's anniversary issue. Twenty-four years is the age of the major broadsheet, and very thick is what it is to me today. A very thick serving of news, famous people profiles, and of course, ads - fashion ads, travel ads, classified, lifestyle, and movie ads, among others.

So I'm thinking let's talk about movie ads. How do we know when a particular movie is upcoming or showing when we are strolling inside the mall for instance?

Yes, those movie posters! Since I'll be more inclined to talk about movies in this blog, here is an attempt to define a number of graphically appealing, enticing movie print teasers, at least de mon point de vue.



This movie poster of Alice in Wonderland very well communicates with its audience with the use of vibrant colors, and strangely captivating characters. The others in the cast may appear all too scary, but the way they invite the movie going public is incomparable, my son even likens it to The Chronicles of Narnia, which may be pertaining to a different world or realm.



The Bounty Hunter, meanwhile, projects an elementary pose: a man and woman, obviously the main characters in the flick, and the give-away tool is the handcuffs. It should be quite hinting of what the plot is all about, albeit no spoilers have been given. The story may be bordering between a mild War of the Roses, and a Bonnie and Clyde adventure. And then that big twist in the end happens, a good big twist.



From graphic soft hues comes the dark, rusty, abyss-like colors of the Clash of the Titans poster. "Release the Kraken!" And the picture does exactly that, to ignite a shrill and a thrill in your bone, to lure you into seeing and knowing what the underworld of Poseidon is like, and the story of that gorgeous demigod Perseus.



And then there's Iron Man. Tony Stark with the newly built, palladium, corrosion resistant heart. The movie poster is all about force, strength, and just as the movie tells of an iron-powered hero faced with a Russian challenger Ivan Vanko, he luckily receives the much needed help from his friend Rhodes. So it's all shiny red and silver suit, dark blue clouds, and loads of light.



Merely looking at this movie poster connotes everything oriental to me, land of the rising sun kind of thing. The mixture of japanese red and yellow absolutely defines a Jacky Chan movie.



If you talk about red, nothing beats the "Martin Scorsese" red. I got that line from "The Holiday" and it just got stuck in my head. Maybe it means really, bloody red that can say it's hardcore action. And Knight and Day is that! The names of Cruise and Diaz boldly and solidly written on top. What a perfectly good poster.



And as always, when it comes to romantic comedies, pastels and dainty things surround the movie poster. Not that it's trivial stuff, but because the themes of love, life, soul searching, journey, and happiness should be taken with a grain of salt. Nothing extra, just light like that.



This poster really is the simplest I've ever seen but full of wit and cuteness. Again, the man and woman pose, with a cute tagline that says it all.



Saving my best for last. Simple yet stylish. Aesthetically balanced, the sand dune and pale blue tones suggest the desert and sky making the real backdrop of the movie. Costume designer Patricia Field showcases her fashion genius once more as seen in SJP's sexy, beautiful ensemble.


What is your favorite movie poster?

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

The One With My Favorite Friends Moments

It's an understatement that I love (maybe beyond love, it's surreal) watching Friends. It doesn't take rocket science to dig these six characters and their quick wit. I laugh sick during the entire 21-minutes or so of every episode of the television sitcom. Here's a simple math: 10 seasons, 24 episodes each, 240 glorious shows in total. Told you, 'tis beyond love.

Anyway, I'm glued to YouTube tonight so let me share with you just some my most favorite moments in Friends (there are a whole lot), humor courtesy of the funny, geeky, paleontologist Ross Geller; the obsessive compulsive chef Monica Geller; sexy, charming Rachel Green; the flaky, spontaneous Phoebe Buffay; the sarcastic, lovable Chandler Bing; and the dorky, funny Joey Tribianni.

Sit back, relax, watch, and ROTFL (roll on the floor laughing)!


The One with Ross' Tan




The One With The Prom Video




The One With The Quiz




The One Where Ross Can't Flirt




And the very romantic scene, if you ask me:




A shoutout to American producers: Please make a Friends movie, por favor!

Random Thoughts

Okay, over a late lunch comprising Fillet O' Fish, cholesterol-laden fries, and Coke, here I write my random thoughts.

* My most favorite French word is accoutrement. (ə-ˈ-trə-mənt)

* In an old and small hole-in-the-wall book sale store near my office, I always find some really good library stash. At lunch today I saw an interesting book by Emily Giffin and got it. The other book I saw that's still quite new and selling big in mall bookstores is by Janet Evanovich.

* I think am really developing a crazy carpal tunnel syndrome. The backache is another story. Talk about ergonomics.

* I miss playing Bejeweled Blitz over at Facebook and I can't wait to cyberslack again!

* I've been spinning D'Sound's album since yesterday. "Talkin' talk is not just talk, bein' there is half the walk..." It's acid jazz explosion!

* I want to finish reading Eat, Pray, Love very soon. Before the movie gets shown here.

* I'll remind myself that I stopped at season 1 reruns for Friends, and season 1 episode 5 of Cougartown! Later.

* It's Chicken Pork Adobo when I get home for dinner.

* I miss my son and I know he'll be wearing that Batman costume again to sleep.

* I should rest my eyes for a bit. It's nauseating.


All these and more on a looney, crazy Tuesday afternoon.

2.0

Whoah. I never realized it's been a year. In about two weeks, am turning another year older. God bless me. But before we speak of aging (gracefully, hopefully), I just wanted to have a mental walk through of what transpired during the past twelve months, since my last entry.

Recap! Oh there was that catastrophic "Ondoy" in September. More rains, thunderstorms, and cold weather in October. I went to see Singapore in November (my first time there). Then I spent a crazy, fun-filled month of bonding with family and friends in the not-so-chilly December. It was back to work in January and it started to warm up. Visited my aunt in Hanoi back in February and saw, no, not saw, but experienced a majestic wonder that is Ha Long Bay (would like to go back if possible because it's just awesome like that). We tackled the Lenten season during March and April, those summer months that gave the city sweltering, sickening heat. We started to have this and that, or rain and sun, in May and June. And now it is July. We have a new President (who has just delivered his state of the nation address twenty-three hours ago). Which brings me back to counting down the days to my birthday.

Whenever I would encounter "2.0" anywhere, I always think it's something greater than the first version, or 1.0. Let's stick with that mode of thinking then. This 2.0 version of my blog is something that is yet to be bigger, bolder if you may. Let's make it happen.

I am currently reading Eat, Pray, Love written by Elizabeth Gilbert, now a major motion picture. Somewhere in the first chapters of the book, the author confesses her most favorite word of the Italian language. Borrowing that word and the essence of why we are revisiting this blog are one and the same. "Let's cross over."

"Attraversiamo."

Friday, August 28, 2009

Let Go, Let Flow

Today I went home with a certain sadness. It’s been a long time since I last wrote a personal poem or essay or just simply my story. I write when I am greatly inspired and at this particular moment, I reckon my law could apply, and the timing could not be more perfect. I confess that I am greatly inspired by a force stronger than anyone or anything I have ever come across in my existence. And for this, I am stunned and speechless. Writing another chapter in my life could be a difficult road to tread, but like they always say, life experiences are the best teachers, and I continue to welcome them with open arms. I know God always has a purpose for teaching us life’s eternal lessons.

And so my story goes. Before that, a simple question. Do you believe that love is always the greatest and surest path to happiness? My answer is just as simple: naturally, without a doubt. Albeit heartbroken and rejected, through the years I have remained steadfast in my personal belief that all we really need is love. It is our human desire to be liked and understood, acknowledged and praised, touched and hugged and kissed, and thought of and cared for. Wow, those may all account for our being so demanding when it comes to love. But isn’t it all we dream of and cherish, for instance, from someone we like or have a tremendous fondness for? We dream that someday, that special someone may likewise feel the feeling we have for him. Over centuries, psychologists have all attempted to analyse Mars from Venus, or Adam from Eve. But no exact explanations to several hypotheses were ever born. Men and women were altogether left existing, breathing, doing their mundane activities, but harboring a sudden magical and surreal feeling at the same time, putting that exclamation mark and breaking the monotony in our lives.

Lest we talk in circles, my real case in point is actually a strategy to alleviate the melancholy that seems to linger inside of me for quite sometime now. I reassess my life and in the course of doing it, I discover a feeling that I can evade or escape from if I wanted to, but I know I could not get away from, unless I let go of it, to let it flow and take its natural course. Sometimes I guess letting my guard down just a little is one way, I think. As I hit this paragraph, an old Jimmy Durante song is playing on my iPhone, and it’s true what the song says, “Where’s the real stuff in life to cling to? Love is the answer, someone to love is the answer. Make someone happy, make just one, someone happy, and you will be happy too.” I am letting my guard down on this force and I am confident that as I let go of how I feel, fate wouldn’t be too harsh on me and it will all flow just as water runs freely. After all, I know I have nothing to lose and no timing is more perfect than the present time one has on his hands. Otherwise, the moment might just pass us by and we find out we have not gotten even the faintest chance.


This may be the reason one day I instantly had the brio to come to work, for now my purpose in life is revealed to me in high definition full color and a greater motivation sprung out of it to encourage and inspire me. That force is dynamic and bright, and is starting to empower me to be the best I can be now. In the beginning the force must have seen me in grayscale, but now I am determined to let it go, to let it flow. But wait, this story has already been to the moon and back, and yet all we ever talked about is the force. What is this force anyway? All I know right now is whether the force is here or on the other side of the world, it has captured me immensely to love, to dream, to wish, and to know that whatever happens, one day, I’ll decide to face it and tell the naked truth…..in my dreams, of course! Kidding aside (I always like to kid myself), I am more than thankful for the fond memories, great laughs over pizza, those seven days in sunny June of 2009, the commanding presence, and that horsepower of sophistication.

True to form, the force knocks me off my feet and I am not afraid to blurt that. As long as I am cautioned and guarded enough with wisdom and lessons from the past, I know I am in a freaky but safe place. This is my comfort zone that allows me to do my best (although sweat like a pig whenever the force is proximate), to open my awareness to new things or challenges that I know the force would be glad about. I think this brings me to say I am made much happier with my work now, and as long as I could, I shall stay on until the force is here. Three to four times a year is fine by me, every minute is totally worth it anyway, minus the racing heartbeats and butterflies in the tummy, that is! The force is gone tomorrow, and it’s back to square one the day after that. I couldn’t care less to wait in vain. Let go, let flow.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Chupsies do the Irish dance!

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Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Uno The Explorer

Timezone is simply paradise for Uno. He explores and shows real interest in these rides.










But this one I think is becoming his favorite now. Watch.

I Was There For Tony Blair

I came, I waited, I saw, and I listened to him. The Special Envoy Quartet on the Middle East. A man of faith, and a man of peace.



Tony Blair donning the La Salle green jacket after being conferred the Signum Meriti award led by Bro. Armin Luistro, F.S.C.




He is indeed a walking book of anecdotes and I was simply dazzled by his wisdom. Here are parts of his speech that were most relevant to me:

"If you want to change the world, you have to understand the world as it is, and not as you would like it to be, especially that we live in a fast changing world, in an era of low predictability, and where the shift of power is to the east."

"People don't like change. They like change in general, but not in particular. In this modern world, there is no room for complacency."

"There are no enemies, just human beings with different perspectives."

"Change is also for personal development. One should always be in perpetual revolution."

"Don't lead for the sake of leading. Lead for a cause you believe in."

"What is forgivable is to fail. What is unforgivable is not to try at all."

"Countries have to find their place in the modern world. They have to define themselves."