Apologize

One Republic has done a good job in their hit song entitled Apologize.



And I am loving their song!

Grey's Anatomy, House, Ugly Betty: Season Finales

They are the "things" my eyes feasted on last week. All enjoyable to watch I must say.

Season 4 of Grey's Anatomy ended with Derek and Meredith getting back together. Although that last part was kind of a cliffhanger. Derek asks Meredith to wait for him, so he can finish what he started with Nurse Rose. This gives us the packed excitement to watch them through the 5th season. I am so happy with old couples getting back together, Richard going home once more to Adele, and Alex, oh poor Alex, pleading for comfort from Izzie. They were a hot couple once anyway. Another hot couple perhaps would be Erica and Callie. Would you say that George has a thing for Lexie, or it is the other way around? The writers at Grey's always know when to make their episodes sappy and with lots of cheese. And mostly they know that they always have to do it in their season finale!

With House, the season 4 finale is one heartbreaking thing to see. The series is never known for making people cry, but this time they tried a new formula and it worked. Wilson's acting was excellent, what with losing Amber and being shattered by House's indifference. But in the way I saw the ending, it was actually House who saved his best friend. He risked his life to try to revive Amber, and I am sure this was the first time House was ever emotional with a medical case he handled, because he loves his best friend and will do anything his best friend asks him to do. The ending shots were representative of the fact that life goes on, and that tragic day in the lives of Wilson, Amber and House is just another mundane day at Princeton Plainsborough Hospital.

Ugly Betty is like the coffee beans in between sniffing perfumes. It is my neutralizer, that thing which puts me in the middle of watching cheesy-dramatic Grey's and intense-acerbic House. This fashion television series has reached the finale of their second season. What happened in their last episode resembled a tug-of-war for Betty Suarez as she was caught in between saying yes to marriage with Henry and going with Gio to their first date in Rome. Betty should answer her best in the third season!

David Cook, The Winner

I know I have been remiss in my blogging duties but there were so many things my eyes feasted on last week. Let's get the ball rolling on my overdue posts.


I told you so. David Cook indeed is the 7th American Idol. In the words of Simon Cowell, he was phenomenal. Undoubtedly from the beginning of the season, we knew he was going to be at the face-off round. The win was an astounding 12 million votes over David Archuleta. Very, very well done!

Last night the finalists all appeared on Larry King Live over at CNN. They are scheduled to go on tour this July in 50 cities.

Here are the shots I took while watching the interview.

Monday Mishmash

Head to Head
It will be a battle of the Davids. David Cook and David Archuleta face each other for the Season 7 finale of American Idol. Cook is the rock star of the house, while Archuleta is the resident crooner. Either one is deserving, so it will be a delightful thing to see this week.

Finally
Ellen Degeneres has announced in her show last week that she is getting married to Portia De Rossi of the Ally McBeal fame. According to the news, the California Supreme Court has granted rights to same gender marriages. And as I am a disciple of Team Ellen, I am very happy for the couple. Best wishes to the humdingers!

Season 4 Ends
Award-winning medical drama series Grey's Anatomy gears up this week for their two-hour finale entitled "Freedom". Technically, this will be the 16th and 17th episodes of the fourth season. Many cliffhangers deserve answers in the finale. What will Meredith and Derek arrive at, will Izzie and Alex rekindle their old flame, and what awaits Cristina, George, Lexie and the others? I'll surely lean on my television screen, as Shonda Rhimes says so.  For more scoop on the hit show, go to this site.

Pepper Lunch Now Open
Famous blogger and fashionista Chuvaness invites everyone to try out sumptuous do-it-yourself steak meals at Pepper Lunch over at Rockwell at the Concourse Lounge facing Rustan's Fresh. The prices of the meals are affordable: Beef or Chicken or Pork Pepper Rice served with Coke only at PhP235, Hamburger Steak with Fried Egg served with rice and Coke at PhP358, and Teriyaki Pepper Chicken served with rice and Coke at PhP330. Prices are inclusive of VAT and no service charge.

Me, A Shophag
Yesterday Ron and I took Uno to Greenhills for some bonding time. The little one enjoyed shopping for his toy and a pair of rubber shoes at Converse. It's our early gift for his 3rd birthday anyway! Of course, I picked the style and color of his Chuck Taylor kickers.  From Greenhills, we hied off to Glorietta for my turn to be a baghag once again!  Luckily, I scored a glossy blackish bag from Figliarina accented by silver chain link handles.  Thanks hubby, my dear benefactor.

New Scents from The Body Shop
Body Shop is currently on sale and you can enjoy discounts of up to 70% from all of their products. I bought a 30 ml. EDT Apple Blossom, their limited edition offer, which has a striking resemblance to D&G Light Blue, if my olfactory sense serves me right. Also available is a new scent called Aqua Lily available in EDT, body spray, shower gel and perfume oil.

War, Inc.

War, Inc. is the latest offering of John Cusack as actor, co-writer, and co-producer. It is actually an absurd political satire set in an imaginary place called Turaqistan. A former vice president of the United States (Dan Aykroyd) hires Brand Hauser (John Cusack) as a mercenary or a hit man for a war profiteering company. Moreover, the film is futuristic in nature and the main characters tend to carry as much acerbic wit as possible in the scenes.

It felt strange watching the entire film and this may not be the typical politics-oriented film you can expect. As usual but prolific as ever, John Cusack portrayed his intelligence and knack for some action scenes without stuntmen.

The movie also stars Ben Kingsley as Walken, Joan Cusack as Hauser's assistant Marsha Dillon, Marisa Tomei as the reporter Natalie Hegalhuzen, and Hilary Duff as the interesting Yonica Babyyeah who turns out to be Hauser's long lost child.

Political satire at its finest, I think War, Inc. deserves to be in the league of the experimental films which can either surprise or bore an ordinary audience. My take on this film is simple as I was fortunately trained under the liberal arts.  It is a strange movie to me but it does bring out the main platform of the story.

War, Inc. is rated R for violence, language, and brief sexual material.

Fly Like A Bird

Inspired by Mariah Carey's own composition, Fly Like A Bird, I sat down and decided I would make my own interpretation of how I see the world today. The global issues we are tackling now are extremely pressing concerns and that only a single word answers this: LOVE. Our love for God first and foremost, and our love for peace and humanity.

Natural disasters have all come and go around the world, such as the tempestuous tsunamis in Asia, the Katrina hurricane in New Orleans in America, the recent cyclone in Myanmar and earthquake in China. The increasing effects of global warming are slowly dragging us into the darker future pit, unless we unite together and do something to combat this phenomenon.

Meanwhile, man-made conflicts, are as as destructive as force majeur. The bombing of the World Trade Center is just one of the most painful tragedies we have ever gone through. The current wars in the middle east speak of even more futility amidst peace talks happening all over the world. The rising prices of food, water, electricity, and other necessities are pulling families down into the economic drain day by day. More than what the United Nations and World Wide Fund for Nature, since time immemorial, have been established for, I believe that the love for our own people must really begin with us now. And there is no time to wait anymore. Attaining world peace is truly paramount of all our priorities as children of God. The absence of poverty, malnutrition, danger zones, illiteracy, among others, is what we should all pray for. In the same manner we should be thankful for our blessings, whether big or minute, and be grateful for the presence of little happy moments in our lives.

Having said that, and as a Catholic, we should keep our faith in the Lord and that whatever may happen to us His children, we are safe in His love. I chose this song to direct the photos I picked because flying like a bird connotes peace and independence from harm. We are all birds in the Lord's paradise, so to speak, and we are able to face our fears because we are lifted by our faith in Him, so much so we pray that He carries us higher in His unconditional love for us.

This morning I compiled the most striking photos I could find. And this is the only way I could best put it out as my way of expressing the grief and hope we all carry within us today. The words of this song are powerful and I have included them for clarity and reference.



Da da da da da da
da da da da da da da da dooo
[Priest]
Weeping may endure for a night,
but joy comes in the morning
Trust him.

Somehow I know that
There's a place up above
With no more hurt and struggling
Free of all atrocities and suffering
Because I feel the unconditional love
From one who cares enough for me
To erase all my burdens
And let me be free to

[chorus]
Fly like a bird
Take to the sky
I need you now Lord
Carry me high
Don't let the world break me tonight
I need the strength of you by my side
Sometimes this life can be so cold
I pray you'll come and carry me home

Can we recover
Will the world ever be
A place of peace and harmony
With no war and with no brutality
If we loved each other
We would find victory
But in this harsh reality
Sometimes I'm so despondent
That I feel the need to

[chorus]
Fly like a bird
Take to the sky
I need You now Lord
Carry me high
Don't let the world break me tonight
I need the strength of You by my side
Sometimes this life can be so cold
I pray You'll come and carry me home

Da da da da da da
da da da da da da da da dooo

[Priest]
He says he will never forsake you
Or leave you alone
Trust him

I need You right here right now Lord
I need You right here by my side
Keep your head to the sky
With God's love you'll survive

Fly like a bird
Take to the sky
I need you now Lord
Carry me high
Don't let the world break me tonight
I need the strength of You by my side

Sometimes this life can be so cold
I pray You'll come and carry me home
Carry me higher, higher, higher
Carry me higher, higher, higher
Carry me home
Higher Jesus
Carry me higher Lord

I need my silver shoes

Next month, two dear friends of mine are marching down the aisle.

I just need to blurt it now that I need silver shoes for the weddings!
Everything else is ready except a pair of shiny, sparkly kickers.

You like this one?

Or this?

Or this one?

The simplest but sexiest I found was this.


Photos courtesy of Nine West Online

Skin Health: On Vitamins ACE and Aging

I have started taking in a new multivitamin + mineral capsule called Conzace. My sister's dermatologist prescribed this vitamin to her but I decided to take it too and note any changes if ever. It is a green, soft gel capsule that should be taken with food.

The components of Conzace are 5,000 IU of Retinol Palmitate or Vitamin A, 100 IU of dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate or Vitamin E, 500 mg of Ascorbic Acid, and 25 mg of Zinc (as Sulfate Monohydrate). IU stands for international unit, used to measure vitamins A, D and E. Vitamins A, C, E are antioxidants essential for boosting the immune system and limiting the harm done by free radicals, thus making skin healthy and glowing. At least, that's what we all hope our skin would turn out to be even when our necks begin to sag.

Now if you are ever wondering what type of products to use according to your age, here are some pointers I gathered:

If you are in your 20s, you should prevent fine lines and wrinkles early. Using a sunscreen with SPF 15 is a good start. Smoking is also one factor that can clog the pores of the skin, so quit if possible.

If you are in your 30s, using a facial moisturizer, sunscreen, and firming lotion is necessary.

If you are in your 40s and over, it is important to use an anti-aging cream that targets specific problems like fine lines, wrinkles, age spots, and freckles.

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock. Do we want the time to run out of us? Off we go to salvage our skin then. After all, we might be chuffed to bits, as the Brits would say, as we look youthful and rosy.

Part One: Bride of the Year

I first met her during my orientation at the Pavilion. She wore black-rimmed glasses, as preppy as Winona Ryder can be. And as we would later tease her, she looked like Ashley Judd with her wavy bob and warm, friendly grin. But neither Ashley nor Winona could ever resemble the person within.

In all her single years, she waited, unbroken, resilient, and hopeful. She was always the helpful sister, that caring shoulder, the pillow catching my brimful of tears.

And now that special time has come. She has truly found her true love's kiss. Her forever, her hope.


This is a prelude of my tribute to our bride of the year.

Our best wishes, Yazzie. c",)

Inexpensive Thrills

I was asked about the cheaper forms of entertainment nowadays. My comment appeared in Inquirer last Saturday.


More than the Magic Sing though, I treat myself by watching a big movie that is showing, and by big I mean good stars, good director, good story, and of course the appeal it draws from the masses measured by their excitement to see the movie on its first day.

My other secondary suggestions would have been what the others have already answered: surfing the net, catching cool videos on YouTube, staying at home and experimenting in the kitchen, and relaxing to the songs in my music player.

However, nothing beats being entertained by the toddler in the house. And that's always, sky's the limit.