TOPAZ HORIZON

I cried. It's so good! And I miss #GoT.

Put your volume on full blast and take a listen.



My brother, Theodore, who is the cellist (and big boss) of Manila String Machine (the hottest string quartet in the country!!!), also have #GoT on their repertoire but they should totally do a video like this!

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Because this soundtrack is one of the very first (I think it actually may be the first) that I bought on cassette tape! I loved this movie so much!



I just don't know how Born-Again, 10-year-old me got to watch this movie, though. First, that title. Second, the abortion sub-plot. Third, Baby (Grey) was 16 in this movie. Does that make the love scene between her and Johnny (Swayze) statutory rape?!

Thank goodness I was just 10 when I saw this movie. I didn't have to overthink it!

Found out from HuffPost today that this iconic dance pose was done just one time because Jennifer Grey was too scared to do it. One take! So that's why her face was like all thrilled and happy after the lift. It wasn't acting anymore!

One thing HuffPost forgot to mention is how Grey and Swayze absolutely hated each other. Well, I'd never have thought that!

Ok, now I'm LSS-ing on "Time of My Life." I still love that song after all these years. And now more than ever, it applies to every aspect of my life!

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I will always remember World Cup 2014 fondly. For one thing, this was a really exciting World Cup. But I'll remember it most because in the sleepless, uncomfortable nights caused by the last few weeks of my pregnancy, the insomnia was made more bearable (even fantastic, depending on the game) with the World Cup. The speed of the players, the great coverage using drones, the funny shoes, the hotness of the players, the drama, the melodrama, the star players, the shock injuries, the humiliation of Brazil, the defeat of champions and the surprise triumph of underdogs, oh, and the fact that my team won! Hooray Germany!

Fashion brand HUGO BOSS sent me photos showing how they proudly outfitted the national football team of Germany in BOSS suits. Very dapper!


Grabe. Ang hot lang naman!

The players wore luxury, custom-made dark-blue BOSS suits to their official engagements. This super fine three-piece suit was paired with a denim shirt and a knit tie, for a modern edge. On their not-so official appearances (like flying and traveling), the team was still super sharp donning casual outfits of comfortable grey knitted cardigans and dark-blue trousers from BOSS. Everything they wore actually—from t-shirts and jackets to bags and luggage—was HUGO BOSS!


Germany's coach and managers Joachim Löw, Hansi Flick, Oliver Bierhoff and Andreas Köpke, meanwhile, also wore bespoke three-piece suits by BOSS MADE TO MEASURE to official engagements. The dark-blue suit was combined with a checked shirt, polka dot tie and a pocket square to match the shirt, which is also from the BOSS MADE TO MEASURE collection. A brown suede belt and shoes completed the look.
Actually, all of the Mannschaft team was outfitted in the designer label, not just the players and managers, but all 130 personnel, even staff! My goodness, is there an opening for duffel bag carrier in the Germany team? I will apply!


If you miss World Cup the way I do, here is an amazing video of it. Enjoy!




*photos courtesy of Hugo Boss and Visions & Expressions


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It's Thursday so I am hoping every Game of Thrones fan has seen the mind-blowing episode that was the "Red Viper vs The Mountain." At our home, our reaction was similar to this:



I'm still in shock.

Someone on Facebook shrieked on her status, "Will there be more shocking deaths this season?! I can't take it anymore!" Well, I'll say this: Tywin and Cersei made a huge mistake going against Tyrion.

As Jesus said in Matthew 12:25, "Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and no town or house divided against itself will stand."

While the OK! magazine staff have all gone our separate ways and are all the better for it, when something big happens in Hollywood (like a hook-up, a marriage, a divorce, a birth, a death), we all still discuss it like we're still making a living out of it! The current discussion was, of course, on the recently concluded Oscars red carpet fashion, and started, of course, by our former red carpet columnist, Jay Santiago, with this video.



I am oh so glad that my fashion idol, Hal Rubenstein of InStyle, finally said what I've been thinking all along: that the red carpet is oh so boring!

"The myth is that the Oscars is the biggest fashion show in the world. Not true. When we go to a fashion show, what we're looking for is innovation, fresh ideas, new concepts. The red carpet is about familiar garments, the glamour that we were brought up on in the movies. Do something odd, do something different, do something tilted, and the viewers get shocked."

I couldn't say that when I was still a Hollywood celebrity magazine editor haha. I mean, what kind of editor would say, "Oh hey, guys, it's red carpet season again and guess what? It's all so boring!"

Since the rise of the stylist, there is no personality on the red carpet anymore. Save for fashion-forward stars like Tilda Swinton, Kate Bosworth, Sarah Jessica Parker and my favorite Cate Blanchett, there's just glamour on the red carpet. Just glamour. Style is gone. Gone are the swans of Bjork, the men's shirts of Sharon Stone, the safety pins of Elizabeth Hurley, the threads of Rose McGowan, the homemade designs of Demi Moore.

Ok, these are not all from the Oscars red carpet but just wanted to point out that style can be crazy!

Everyone looks gorgeous and glamorous and divine. Well, that's what movie stars are supposed to look like! I'll just watch the Grammys then. You can always count on musicians to be authentic (Rihanna! JLo! Lady Gaga!) and to give us all a spectacular show!

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Till she went all ghetto!



Funny how the girls and trannies said Belle was a chocolate chaser, which apparently they looked down on. I wonder why! Love is love is love, right? Then I realized that in the Disney movie, Belle was in a relationship with a Beast. Er.

Hope you're enjoying your Wednesday, y'all!

Have you watched Frozen? We watched it last week and now the whole house is reverberating with the soundtrack with everyone singing, "For the first time in forever," "Love is an open door," and of course, "Let it go! Let it go!"

Between Queen Elsa and Princess Anna, I relate to Elsa more. Maybe because I'm the eldest sister, maybe because we also have a family secret, maybe because I ran away from home, too.

Yes, I ran away. But it didn't start with me. The situation at home was so bad that my parents were the first to abandon ship. One day, they just packed up their clothes and our 10-year-old sister and they left. They left me, my younger brother, and my older brother and his wife and three kids. Yes, my parents left first but that's okay since we were all adults. I can't explain how bad things were but if it scared off my parents from their own house, then you must believe me when I say it was bad. I actually wish they had stayed away. Maybe my mother would still be alive today if she hadn't come back.

Anyway, I was left to carry the burden of that household. My sister-in-law helped but she had four other mouths to feed. She left soon after, too, but while I understand why she left, I do not and will never agree with parents abandoning their young children, and that's all I'll say about that.

Vince saw how my soul was slowly being crushed and he told me repeatedly, "You have to leave that place," but I was scared. "What would people say? I have no money. How would I live? Don't bad things happen to girls living on their own? My parents always said good girls only leave home if they have a husband. I don't have a husband. What would people say?" But the situation at home was getting worse and finally, one dark and terrible day, I packed up and left, too.

It was so sudden. There was no plan, no place to move into, no nothing! I had no money when I left and I took just a bag of clothes, shoes and books. Funny how when you need to leave, you suddenly realize you only really need a few things. I had no money at all but I had a job that paid just P8,000 a month (and my rent was 4K!), friends who helped me look for a place to stay (and it was actually a really nice place, too!), and of course my lifesaver Vince.

I lived hand-to-mouth for a while, often the electricity was cut off, sometimes I relied on my friends to feed me, sometimes my roommate and I scraped the sauce from a tin of tuna and laughed at how poor we were, and sometimes (not all the time!) when Vince and I ate out, I stuffed all the tissue paper in my bag because I couldn't afford to buy toilet paper! Haha! But I was finally having the time of my life. There was no money but, wow, I was alive! No fear, no guilt, no shackles, no pretense. I was free, I was happy, I was finally me.

Whew! Funny how a Disney movie brought me back to more than a decade ago! I'd actually forgotten that I ran away from home! But when Queen Elsa unleashed her power finally, I was just transported to that 24-year-old me, afraid at first then getting stronger with each day of freedom!



Not a Demi Lovato fan but I think this song is perfect for her and vice versa. She also broke out of that "perfect girl" image and I think she's much much happier now. Like me! Go watch the movie and tell me who you are: Elsa? Anna? Neither? Both? Have fun at Frozen this weekend!

I was too focused on Paul Walker's sudden death yesterday that I totally missed local celebrity news. Alam niyo naman ako, Hollywood forever! But here's what happened:



Wow! Wala akong opinion on the matter. I've never done juice cleanses, I've never gotten drunk senseless, and I've never slapped anybody. However, nangyari na sa akin yung nasa banyo ako and then there was someone banging on the door. Let me tell you, nakaka-stress talaga siya! Hindi ako kumakampi kay Anne but... nakaka-stress talaga yung nakaupo ka sa toilet tapos may kumakatok nang wagas sa pinto!

So dahil wala akong opinion, tawa na lang tayo!

Katakot!

Great idea!

Oy, si KC, maldita!

*all memes from Facebook, screencaps from Twitter and Instagram 

I'm eagerly anticipating and simultaneously dreading the final episode of Breaking Bad next week.


I've also been thinking about what makes good people go bad. Or if we're really all evil anyway and it is when we choose moral choices that we are truly exercising free will. Philosophers and theologians since time immemorial have all been arguing about human nature, free will, and good and evil. I like best what Kant says about free will—that we are only really free when we choose to do good. That makes the most sense to me. Human nature is inherently evil so when evil things happen, we shouldn't be surprised. People think that free will is the power to choose between good and evil, but I think free will is the power to rise above our evil nature and do good. There's a difference. The former says we have a choice between two states, the latter says we already are actually in one state (evil) but that we strive to get out of it (be good).

That philosophy also makes the most sense to me as a Christian. In Romans 3:23, it says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." In Romans 3:10, it says, "There is none righteous, not even one." Basically, we are all doomed to sin from the moment we are born. That's why I don't understand parents who are shocked when their toddlers lie. "Who taught you that?!" Little kids don't need to be taught to do wrong. It is in our nature to be evil. So when we choose to do good, when we choose God, when we give our lives to the Lordship of Jesus, then we are saved from ourselves and become truly free!


But in Breaking Bad, it's about we're all good, safe, normal, middle-class people. And the question is how do good people become bad?

In Walter White's case, it was when he, a high school teacher, was diagnosed with lung cancer and he needed to make money for his treatment and to provide for his family. I confess: I thought there was nothing wrong with that. He's dying! His wife is pregnant! His son is disabled! He's just going to make crystal meth, y'all! It's not like he was going to steal, rape and kill. Right? Right? There's my evil nature for ya.

Of course, evil begets evil. Walt gets deeper and deeper into the drug business. Hordes of people die in his wake. And yet we still root for him because he insists that he's doing all of this for family.

It's all about family, every man in Breaking Bad says. When Walt falters in the meth business because his wife left him, Gus Fring says it is a man's job to provide for his family even if his family hates him for his job. The show is steeped in devotion to family—Tuco takes care of his wheelchair-bound, bell-ringing Uncle Hector, Todd respects his Uncle Jack, Walt begs for his brother-in-law Hank's life. As long as you're doing it for the greater good (your family!), then evil is okay.

Which brings me back to our own country. What about the Napoles family? What started it? I'm sure it started as a little deal. The same way our senators and congressmen maybe just started with a million or so. With us, it could be just bringing home office supplies because our kids need them for a school project, or lying about being stuck in traffic when you actually haven't left the house, or stealing a photo for a contest because you needed the prize money for your family.

When we give in to our human nature, even just a little bit, it's a slippery slope to hell.


Next week's final episode of Breaking Bad, we'll witness the complete hell that Mr. White plunges into. Or maybe his redemption, maybe even salvation. I know Walt needs to pay for his sins, but at the same time, I'm hoping he redeems himself. Because it's never too late to do what is right and be free from evil.

*all images from the Facebook page of Breaking Bad.

I've met Marian Rivera several times and she's super mataray but super maganda talaga. Hindi naman ako galit sa kanya kasi kung ganun ako kaganda and ang daming nakatitig sa akin 24/7, siguro maiirita rin ako nang wagas.

I used to watch her show, yung waitress siya, Tweets for my Sweet ba yun? Anyway, she's really super funny! She has that rare gift of comedic timing. Madali lang mag-drama; mahirap mag comedy. Plus, she's one of those even rarer Pinoy celebs who support charities and help the less fortunate. So kahit na natatarayan ako kay Marian, sobrang respect naman ako sa ganda, compassion and talent niya.

So when I saw this trailer on my Facebook feed, I decided I wanted to watch this!



Marian's sooo pretty! Pati si Ai Ai delas Alas actually, maganda here. And their chemistry is perfect. I haven't watched a Pinoy movie in a long time (lack of time and interest) but Kung Fu Divas promises to be a hit! Who's watching???

Plus, I feel bad for the Mother. She has one season to make everyone fall in love with her. And it wasn't love at first sight for any of us last season.

image source

Good luck, Mother! I love Ted Mosby. Please make me believe you deserve him!

Everybody suddenly has a crush on Henry Cavill. Get in line, girls. I've had a crush on him since 2007!

I saw him on The Tudors. Boy, that show was something. If you want to see Henry Cavill doing the deed over and over again, make sure you watch this show! He was so young and sexy (and almost always naked!), he nearly overshadowed Jonathan Rhys Meyers!

Apparently, I've seen him before. But he never made an impression. Despite his always-handsome looks. Strange! Maybe I don't like young boys haha.

2002. Here he is as Albert (silent T), the son of the Count of Monte Cristo. I loved the book, I loved the movie.

2007. Here he is as Humphrey, the fiancé of Sienna Miller's character in Stardust. Loved the book. Loved the movie!

2011. As Theseus in the awful Immortals.

Can't wait to watch Henry as the new Superman this weekend! I hope it's good! I had the biggest crush on Christopher Reeve. He was my first crush ever. I remember being 6 or 7 years old and feeling very strange after watching Superman on TV. Infatuation na pala yun. I was so disappointed when Brandon Routh took on the role. Brandon, while incredibly handsome, was so flat and boring. Let's hope Henry is worthy of the red cloak!


*images from But When a Young Lady is to be a Heroine, Fanpop, Just Jared, Geekshizzle, Perez Hilton

If you ever read the magazine I used to edit, you'd know I am a HUGE fan of Gwyneth Paltrow. Sure, she annoys a ton of people but that's because she says whatever she wants to say, even if it puts her in trouble. I've said this before: Most really big stars create this shiny image, this big wall around them and they say nice things, wear nice clothes, and basically be safe so that they don't land in hot water. Gwyneth has remained so authentic and so herself. I find it so refreshing!

This week, my favorite star was picked as the world's most beautiful person by People magazine. I was thrilled to bits! I can't wait to get my copy!

Then, for the movie premiere of Iron Man 3, which I have yet to see, she showed up wearing this:


For more photos, please go to Just Jared (click! click!) where I grabbed these pics. Anyway, the general reaction was loathing. It is rather risqué. And in this country where everyone is supposedly conservative, it's a horrible dress (I'm basing this on my Facebook feed haha). Oh, but I absolutely loved her Antonio Berardi dress! Look, if I had perfectly toned legs and buttocks, I'd be showing them off, too. This was a very couture way of showing off. Very brave. Not trashy. I love the teal, the kimono sleeves, the sheer side panels, the bold white. I'm sooo in love with her dress! I just don't like her white shoes.

Here's Gwyneth on Ellen's show talking about her wardrobe malfunction.


That '70s vibe. I just had to laugh at that. If you don't know what '70s vibe means, well, that means you're way too young! Oh, Gwyneth, I want to be just like you when I grow up!

Updated to add this: the awarding ceremony for World's Most Beautiful!


P.S. Speaking of revealing too much, I'm doing something I've never ever done on my blogs and social media ever before: I'm going to post photos of myself in a bathing suit! It's summer! And I ain't Gwyneth—no diet, no work outs—so please be kind. Haha, promise, no Photoshop!

Love musicals? Love comedy? Love naked men? I love all three! Well, okay, maybe just the naked husband (yum!). Anyway, if you do love songs and laughter and strippers, then you're in for a treat—The Full Monty is here!

My friend, Ianne Evangelista, and her friends bought one night and are selling tickets to promote local theater. I do love theater, I just haven't watched a play or a musical since getting pregnant in 2009! How horrible, right? Especially since my own sister is a theater actress!!!

Must really support the local theater industry. Our actors, musicians, writers, directors, producers, dancers, etc etc are all so talented and deserve our patronage. So let's all go and watch a show, shall we?

Contrary to what some people think, I actually like Jennifer Lawrence. I don't love her (I didn't like her Hunger Games performance so much) but when I watched Silver Linings Playbook and saw the crazy-eyes scene in the diner and the scene where she mouthed off on Robert de Niro (you don't slap down de Niro and get away with it!), my thought bubble was, "Oh dear heavens. Best actress in the bag!"

image from agittated

Look at that face! Clearly someone who knows how to dig deep within her soul! I am not making fun of her! I'm kinda referring to someone else, more celebrated than Jennifer, a much bigger star but with only one facial expression—like she smelled something bad.



Even her speech was cute! She was dazed, totally having an out-of-body experience. Kinda reminded me of Gwyneth Paltrow, but cuter. Unlike, say, Anne Hathaway, who obviously expected to win because her speech rolled off her tongue so easily.


Excited to see more of Jennifer Lawrence's work! I hope she doesn't lose her authenticity. Many actors, as they get bigger, protect themselves by building a wall around them—a gleaming, smiling facade. I hope we allow Jennifer to be herself. I mean, she does this:

image from Mashable

She's so real, my heart aches! Love. Her!



Congratulations! You so deserve this!

I have to confess this. Our November cover gives me the heebie jeebies. Those three kids look really scary. I'm not a fan of the Twilight movies (though I swooned when I read the first book) but it's the mega-franchise of the decade. It's a force of nature! It's... insane.

Our Twilight Saga special issue really does have fantastic stories. Even I was drawn in when I was editing it. I laughed at the "Epic!" and "Fail!" comments of my staff about the franchise. I loved the fashion transformation photo essay of Kristen. I was amazed at all the juicy gossip and secrets of the stars that I've totally forgotten about.

Check out this teaser trailer where the vampires teach the new vampire Bella how to act human.


Was this in the book? I don't really remember. But it just occurred to me now, while watching that trailer, that it's a strange scene. Bella was, prior to this transformation, a human being. She couldn't have had forgotten what it's like to be human so quickly. I understand that she's enjoying her new powers and abilities but if there's anyone who needed lessons in being human, it would be the other vampires in the room. They've been undead for such a long time. And I know they need reminding because, as the books and movies showed, real humans find them strange, unsettling, even frightening.

Okay, I'm overthinking it. Why am I doing that?!

If you're not a fan of these movies, grab the November issue for the money stories! We reveal superstar salaries and outrageous splurges. Plus, I love the best fashion and beauty products that you should invest in. Yep, they cost a lot but are worth every centavo! I always enjoy our money issue! For example, finding out that Rihanna spends a million dollars a year on her hair just made me go WTF because her hair's been awful for a good loooong while! Thank goodness she went back to her pixie crop!

Now, if you don't like Twilight and you don't like frivolous splurges, then I still think you'll like the November issue of OK! because our free magazine, OK! Glam, features the best budget finds for your makeup kit and closet. They may be inexpensive but they will make you look rich!!! All that and more in the fabulous November issue of OK! Grab a copy today!

P.S. Want a super sulit beauty box? Check out my BDJBox giveaway!

So it's almost mid-October, dear blog readers. Have you grabbed this month's issue of OK! magazine?

No? Dear heavens! I specifically begged you to grab a copy a few weeks ago! I knoooow you love me (that's why you read this blog, right?) so love me more by getting an issue. It's our fabulous TV special.

First, the October issue of OK! has a really fun big feature on Gossip Girl. It's the sixth and final season! So yes, we talk about what will happen in this season (Will Blair win Chuck's love again? Will Chuck get his empire back? Will we finally find out who Gossip Girl is???) and we take a look back on TV's most stylish show. Yes, we have the best clothes of the cast ever! And the worst haha. Fun stuff like that so grab a copy if you're a fan!

I've never actually followed Gossip Girl. But in the early months of Vito's life and he'd keep me awake, I'd turn the TV on and watch reruns in the early mornings. I had to keep the volume very low so Vito can sleep but I found that I didn't mind not hearing the characters talk. Their fashion alone spoke volumes. Loud volumes!

Second, OK! was able to get amazing interviews with the cast of The Vampire Diaries. Yes, Ian, Nina and Paul! They talk about the next season, which premieres next week. They talk about Elena's new state of being a—gasp!—vampire.

All that and more in OK!'s super fantabulous October issue! Grab a copy as soon as possible!


Gossip Girl Season 6 premieres Oct. 11, Thursday at 8pm. The Vampire Diaries Season 4 premieres Oct. 16, Tuesday at 8pm. Both delicious shows are on ETC. Like ETC on Facebook or follow ETC on Twitter for more updates.

Sigh. I had wanted to watch Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block when they were here. But I had just given birth.



Now, I just found out that Sting and Elton John will be here in December. J.Lo's coming, too, but I'm not a fan. Vince is a huge fan of Sting. I'm a huge fan of Elton. But, with the high cost of concert tickets, it's either we watch both concerts OR buy Christmas gifts. It can't be both.

So... dear families and friends, if you find out that Vince and I watched the concerts of Sting and Elton John, that only means one thing: You get Christmas cards and a hug!


*images from Philippine Concerts

I had lunch with Jericho Rosales last week. He's the new face of Collezione C2 and I'll talk more about that on Beauty For A Living. Meanwhile, let me confess: I've had a crush on Echo since he and Kristine Hermosa were a love team. When was that? More than a decade ago? Basta Pangako Sa 'Yo years. Since then, after immersing myself in work and marriage and motherhood, I've stopped following his career.

So I was so surprised at how thrilled I was when he kissed my cheek and joined us for lunch. He sat a mere two seats away!

He's polite, charming, smart, articulate. Oh, and soooo gwapo! And I like that he said, "I'm 33," just like that. Some stars, heck, a lot of people never confess their age. I find that I don't like people who are ashamed of/lie about their age haha.

But the reason I liked Echo even more was his passion for his cause: bringing awareness and putting an end to human trafficking. He said that humans that are trafficked are a commodity that never loses its value—that's why it's a billion-dollar business. A baby may be sold to childless couples. Kids can be used for labor, for begging and stealing, and even for sex. Teens are used the same way. Adults for cheap labor and sex slavery, and old people are for begging. It's horrible.

Echo produced a movie that will highlight the problem. Yep, human trafficking is huge here in the Philippines. I only found that out when I visited UNICEF recently. So I am so happy that a celebrity is using his clout and doing something about it.


And to think Echo used to be like this:


Aminin! Natawa kayo! He's definitely come a long way. A lot of us, I'm sure, hardly ever make an impression on others. Maybe it's because we're not pretty enough, smart enough, rich enough, tall enough, skinny enough, old enough. We don't have the right background, the right connections, the right clothes, the right accent. But that doesn't mean we can't ever make a difference. Just look at that silly young man in that video. He sure proved himself alright. He sure did.