Romantic Fix: The Back-Up Plan (Movie Review)

I watched The Back-Up Plan with a fellow single mom late this afternoon. It was one of the best feel-good movies of our age group I've seen in the longest time.

It's tagline, " 1. Fall in love. 2. Get married. 2. Have a Baby. Not necessarily in that order." is a total riot!

Starring the bodacious Jennifer Lopez (still a hot mama at 41) as Zoe and Alex O'Loughlin (who's turning 34 in August) as Stan, The Back-Up Plan is a movie about "hyper-speed romance" between the happily independent single woman who wants a baby and a charming goat farmer/student who accidentally meet in a cab.

Funny and endearing, The Back-Up Plan has swept us off our single moms' feet!

Set in New York, Zoe's neighborhood is reminiscent of the unforgettable scenes from Breakfast At Tiffany's and The West Side Story.

The movie is replete with "signs" (which romance fanatics love putting in their pockets), quirky characters and hilarious scenes and a stellar soundtrack to match; not to mention the heart-melting romantic scenes which make the movie a deserving blockbuster.

Photo from www.smartcine.com

"You Look Good Wearing My Future"

I sat in front of the TV as I was ironing out my huge batch of laundry and took a trip down memory lane to the land of John Hughes.

I went back to the seamless worlds of Pretty in Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful and watched these childhood favorites through my adult eyes and I saw gold.

The movies are even more brilliant than they were when I just watched them with paradoxical passion and passivity some twenty plus years ago. The late great John Hughes is still a master storyteller.

In Pretty in Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful he struck right to the heart of teenagers. It's no wonder these movies are cult favorites. In the commentary of Some Kind of Wonderful, one of the hosts cut right into the essence of John Hughes films saying how the producer actually respects teenagers and translates this respect into movies. John Hughes' greatness is in how he translates each and every teenager's desire to be free to be and express his authenticity. And he has woven stories that send the message that it can be done... He invites the romantics to be idealists through the medium of cuss-loaded, heavy kissing, bad hair and funky fashioned now cult favorite movies.

All the hormones, rebellion, the funky fashion, the music, the script, the transition of scenes and even more make both movies worlds unto themselves where personally as was then, I am still able to enter and relate.

Pretty in Pink was eye candy with its authentic and classic '80's atmosphere, and literally music to the ears with its New Wave soundtrack. The scene sequences and the dialogue were all electric and it helped greatly that Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy had that intoxicating chemistry between them.

In Some Kind of Wonderful on the other hand, John Hughes and Howard Deutche created a rich and multifaceted world that is so realistic, idealistic, romantic and subliminally beautiful all in one movie. Great soundtrack, dialogue and scene sequences too.

I guess I would be doing myself a favor if I cut out on the comparison because I love both movies for all their merits. Pretty in Pink was sweet as Some Kind of Wonderful was deep, nuff said.

As Iona said in Pretty in Pink, "Why can't we start old and grow young?"

Thank you, Watts, Andie, Blane and Keith. I liked growing up on you. And great company while I finished my loads of ironing too. :)

Hana Yori Dango, Meteor Garden, Boys Over Flowers Visited

Jerry Yan is texting me through his Sony Ericsson cellphone. Tonight, he's saying, "Miss U".

Fantasies are for free!

Jerry Yan has been the leading man of my dreams since I went crazy over Meteor Garden back in 2003.

Before Meteor Garden, I've always been a snob in my viewing preferences; always rationalizing my choices of shows and leisure time activities etc., and mostly, if not always patronizing Western shows and literature.

It irritated me when the buzz at work was all about Dau Ming Sz and Sancai. Who the hell were they? Finally, I decided to watch an episode to see what the frenzy was all about.

Before I knew it, I was hooked to the max. After work, I would cozy up at the couch in front of the TV and cross the threshold between reality and paradise.

After the show ended, many months later, I ordered the VCD set online and would use MG as my background noise while doing paper work.

***

I think I have viewed the two seasons of Meteor Garden five times over and still get that giddy feeling while watching and even after.

***

Last year, a friend of mine introduced me to Itazura Na Kiss, an anime series, and I was sucked into the colorful world of Irie-kun and Kotoko. The same friend recommended Hana Yori Dango the anime series.

After 6 years of Meteor Garden, I found myself entrenched in Yoko Kamio's drama.

So much so that one of my bestfriends sent me the first four books of the original manga (which are part of my prized possessions).

***

And now, the same co-workers who were crazy over Meteor Garden are busy updating on Gu Jun Pyo, Geum Jan Di and Ji Hoo...

What's a girl to do? I joined the band wagon, and am hooked.

***

The Real Star of the show I must say is Yoko Kamio. She has retold the Cinderella and Little Mermaid stories in the modern day Asian setting. Who could resist a fairy tale?

It is every girl's dream. Unabashedly, it is mine.

And of course, in a jaded, heartbroken era, happy endings are best sellers. If it eludes us in the ground we tread, we get the vicarious victory through the TV screen for that moment in time.

Sayonara for now, xie xie ni... Jaa Ne! Till my next musing...

Beautiful Grace

Bella Grace was introduced by my fantastic and prolific-blogger friend, Mommy Dharlz.

Bella Grace is an aptly named beautiful 9 month old baby who is currently suffering from hernia, a protrusion of an organ through the cavity that normally contains it. Surgery, which entails expenses, is the only recourse to this medical condition. I could only imagine the pain baby Bella is going through and the strength her parents are summoning to face this trial.

Amazingly though, a pool of blogger moms and generous online friends have come up with an online-fund raising activity through a "Blog Review for a Cause". This can be done by buying a blog review for $10. Just email pehcats@gmail.com and paste the URL of the blog you wish to be reviewed.

If you prefer to donate (without buying a blog review), you can send donations through ricafs.gr@gmail.com with "Bella's Surgery Fund" as the subject.

Bella Grace is indeed a Beautiful Grace. Through her this blogger can visualize a little girl who has successfully undergone surgery because of God's grace which is "a pattern of highly improbable events with a beneficial outcome," (to quote M. Scott Peck).

The improbable events are the random readers of this post who will share their time, resources and prayers for the success of baby Bella's operation. This is an opportunity for all of us to benefit from the Beautiful Grace and share God's blessings to those in need.

Baby Bella, I have not seen you (yet), but I am praying for you right now. Get well soon, sweetie. And look how you've drawn the goodness from everyone who's lives you've touched.

*The reader of this blog may also blog about this to spread the news.

Detox 1: Mindset

I've been reading about detoxifying tonight and from what I've gathered, the first two things are body and mind awareness and creating a mindset.

When one seeks out to detoxify, there is an awareness for the need. The need seeks to be met. How to meet it is another matter. It entails focus and discipline.

From Jane Alexander's "The Weekend Healer" she suggests tips on creating a holistic detox mindset:

"DETOX YOUR LIFE

This evening, write down how you could detox your life - rather than just your body. What is toxic in your life? Any people? Your work? Your home or the place where you live? What changes would ease your toxic load?"

To detox one needs to be willing and to prepare. Visualization of the steps to take is important.

1. Why detox?
2. When is the best time to start?
3. Baby steps or cold turkey?
4. What are the things you need to get (from the grocery, market, cabinet)?
5. What are the realistic and specific ways you can achieve the goal of detox?

It is well to remember that while gearing towards a healthy lifestyle is ideal, the possibility of backslide (binging on junk food or slacking off on the exercise) is real. Should this happen, it is better to be gentle on oneself (minimize self-criticism) while breathing in the life of discipline and perseverance, knowing even relapse is part of the journey.

First Things First: Sweet Thank You, Sweets!

Thank you, Mommy Dharlz, for installing my blog template! In less than five minutes, you did what my computer refused to do. Apparently my computer couldn't unzip the file.

So now, I'm here with a cute template (from www.giselejaquenod.com.ar) and ready to join Mommy Dharlz's One and Thirty Four Double Celebration Contest (click to join). Mommy Dharlz cooked up this contest to celebrate her birthday and the first anniversary of her blog. Prizes are mouth-watering goodies from Cagayan de Oro's top food hubs. How time flies, Mommy Dharlz, and what a wonderful way to celebrate your life and work! Three cheers to you!!!

*Mommy Dharlz shares tips on blogging, updates on current events, lifestyle and spreads smiles and friendship over the blogsphere. Thank you, thank you, Mommy Dharlz and happy blog birthday!!!

Hot Shot - Taiwanese Series

Oh yeah!!! I have recently bought the DVD of Hot Shot, the Taiwanese series, starring none other but Jerry Yan. It took me awhile to buy another Jerry Yan series (I am/was fixated to Meteor Garden), and when I was about to launch into another MG marathon, I decided, enough!

So, I got a copy of Hot Shot and my son and I are enjoying the first two episodes so far. The director has done a great job so far (episodes 1 & 2), very watchable. Also, I love the comic relief of the movie.

Well, I have to admit, that though I am a Barbie Xu as Shan Cai fan, the girls in Hot Shot nice looking too. Oh, well, this is it for now.