When I got an sms if I wanted to watch the premiere showing of Star Cinema’s latest movie, Miss You Like Crazy starring John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo, I said “YES”.

I was not sure hubby would say yes to me though, I just had to take a chance at that

It has been years since I watched a Filipino-made movie on the big screen. Except for a preview of this movie that I watched a few days before Miss You Like Crazy, I admit, my movie preferences are a bit different.

So, going to a movie premiere is fun, albeit crowd can be high energy and bit rowdy especially when the stars arrive: screaming fans, a bustle here and a bit of a jostle there plus a lot of small talk. Good thing we were asked to go inside the theaters before they arrived.

I deliberately did not read any reviews on the movie because I didn’t want mine to be influenced even for a bit by what others wrote. This is my take on the movie Miss You Like Crazy:

I have not watched the trailer in full before I went to the premiere. I was prepared to see an engagement ring filled with diamonds, travels to exotic places, mushy romantic scenes that will melt my heart, and scenes  that will move me to tears. The movie did nothing of the sort.

Here’s why.

continue reading this entry »

Below was one of the photos I took on January 1st when I decided to do a daily 2010 project 365. Yes the blog posts may not updated but the photos are

It is fun taking photos because each photo has a story to tell, hence my blog name, Photo Stories.

Though the inspiration to capture what one sees as a good image may make one lose interest and get bored, for me, taking photos, albeit what I think for me are good enough , is better than reading about insurance quotes and waiting for the paint to dry.

Others may not consider my work as masterpieces. I don’t really mind at all, as long as I am happy and still able to take photos I find interesting. After all, photos are captured moments that can be enjoyed without sweating the tech stuff.

Have fun Photo Hunting, remember, taking photos is one of the many ways we have stopped time

photohunt

When I got the chance to watch a preview of THE RED SHOES  (A Love Story) last Friday night, I grabbed it and watched with my friends iMom and SassyMom.

Honestly, I was surprised when it was announced that the writer, director and some cast were present. “How could that be?” I thought, because movie is a foreign film. Turned out I was wrong.

The Red Shoes (A Love Story) is produced by Unitel Productions. Yes the same one who gave us Inang Yaya and Crying Ladies.

No, I did not get to watch both films. Truth is the last locally-produced movie I watched was that of a real-life sweethearts’ movie. Sadly, its leading man has passed away.

Anyway, The Red Shoes (A Love Story) is a love story of Lucas and Bettina that spanned several years. It is also the love story of the parents of Lucas.

Watch a teaser of The Red Shoes (A Love Story) here and here.

I will not dwell on the plot and spoil the fun for you. I will just give emphasis to the symbols that I feel are important in the story:

Shoes: For me, this is the focal point of the story: Imelda Marcos’ pair of red shoes that Lucas got from malacanang Palace. He gave the right shoe to his mother and the left shoe for his loved one, Bettina. Every character in the movie has a favorite kind of shoe to wear. Lucas’ mom, Chat, always gets a new pair of shoes for her birthday. In real life, we all wear different kinds of shoes, depending on what we hope to do, where we are going and what we hope to accomplish.

Bridges. Bettina loves bridges because her father used to build bridges. In the story, a certain bridge provided the setting for the highlight of the love story as well as the end of it. Bridges connect us with people much as it separate us from one another.

Spirista. When all else fails, we go to the spiritista, the one who will “talk” to our loved ones who passed away without telling us their last wish. Don’t we just wish this is easily done for our peace of mind, at least?

Home Altar. For  a predominantly Catholic country, home altars are common. Alongside these however are traditional Chinese thingamajigs like frogs or Buddha figurines. When a loved one died, it is also customary to “offer” food (called atang) to seek the favor of the one who died to intercede and ask help from the saints for a favor being asked. This is my opinion on this matter, by the way.

Moving on. Chat had difficulty moving on after her husband’s death more than two decades ago. This tackles how people deal with grief on their own terms. Or maybe because her intuition tells her otherwise that’s why she won’t stop until she gets a “message” from her dead husband. Moving on is one of the hardest things to do, especially after a sudden and/or tragic death of a loved one.

Jose Rizal snippet about slippers: Jose Rizal lost a slipper on a lake. What he did was throw the other slipper away so that whoever might find both would get to use the pair. There was something about this in the story and it moved me to tears.

Removing shoes/slippers when entering a big house. This used to be customary, as a sign of respect, especially if the one entering the big house is from a lower economic strata. This is a kind of demarcation line between the haves and the have-nots.

There are still a lot more to be discussed and I know this has gone too long.

Please go and watch the movie and I am sure you are going to love it.

The Red Shoes (A Love Story) will be shown in theaters on March 10, 2010.

There is no doubt that among local bloggers there are a few who stand out not because they are “popular enough” to get invited to events because they write prolifically, figuratively, poetically and will move you to tears after which or at the same will make you guffaw. There is one blogger who makes me feel that way Who is she? None other than Annamanila who writes at Ode2Old.

She is among all other things, a creative writer who weaves creative thoughts and reality seamlessly.

On retirement she writes:

“What I am trying to say is one still has to fill one’s days with a balanced fare — enjoyable and dutiful ; fluffy and solid; physical and cerebral. What I call the three Ps: Poetry, Purpose and Play. And, not to forget — Passion!”

She loves Anne Tyler:

When a book hits me hard, as a Tyler almost always does, I virtually go down on my knees at its end, kissing the book, blessing the author, and wishing her “Long Live!” that she may forever write and never stop filling and refilling the treasure trove of her works.

We come across a writer of this caliber once in a while and there is no doubt her works should be in print.

And it is now. The book is entitled “In Another Dress”

Annamanila’s daughter, Alina wrote about the book and the author. Momblogger friends iMom and Ann Khaye also wrote about the book in their blogs.

Here we are during her book launching, with a scanned article from the Philippine Daily Inquirer:

Annamanila with iMom, Wenchie and Rachel and me.

Thanks to Rachel and my bro for uploading this in Fezbuk.

I could not have seen this without this scanned page since I do not have the newspaper itself AND a scanning software.

There is a certain stage in a child’s life when the once bubbly, perky and chatterbox child starts to withdraw and talk less.

What has happened to your child you once looked lovingly at you and “worshiped the ground” you walk on? The child became a teenager. Or a tween for those who radically changed overnight.

Yes, they still talk at length especially when they need that new pair of shoes, or they want to try an acne treatment gel a friend is using or maybe just to ask for more spending money.

• You try to reach out, they just look at you.

• You try to talk to them their words seem vague.

• You ask them questions, you get grunts and/or monosyllables. Sometimes you just get a strange look.

So, how can parents communicate with their teenagers?

• Try to “listen” not just with the few words that are being said but especially the words left unsaid.
• Maintain eye contact with them when you talk.
• Be positive and try not to dig up “dirt” and past mistakes. The child is still learning, help her/him recognize life’s lessons and not dwell on the negative effects.
• Get your message straight to the point.
• You were once a teenager so you might say you are a Been-There-Done-That (BTDT) which means you know something about what your child is going through.
• Learn to meet halfway, to compromise.

Remember, teenagers will push you to your limit so it is best to prepare yourself and know how to handle whatever situation will arise.

I read this article entitled How Social Gaming is Improving Education.

I agree with most of the points raised in the article. Learning about difficult concepts through interactive means is one of my “tools of the trade” when it comes to homeschooling my two younger children.

We have watched videos of blooming flowers, a spacecraft lifting off, looked at the photos of the different planets and learned about different historical places to visit in the country, among others.

Not only that, my youngest daughter learned to draw difficult figures otherwise not (normally) possible for children her age. Oh, she can now play difficult songs using her recorder whereas a few weeks ago, she was learning three-note songs

Thanks YouTube for having drawing and music teachers who are oh-so-patient.

The son, on the other hand is becoming more savvy with money matters, budgeting and calculating how much he will earn through his Cafe World. We have incorporated budgeting and mentally calculating how much we will pay when we check out items at the supermarket. He loves statistics which is a key factor with some of the game he loves playing with.

Despite these electronically-attached and internet-based learning, they still managed to play with things that are unplugged. Once a week ( i know, this should be more frequent) we de-stress by running.

And yes, we read books too, especially since they are required to do oral book report for the English subject.

Yes, we are running out of books to read as of the moment.