TOPAZ HORIZON

If you're a parent of young kids, you probably have seen the Minions movie by now. I mean, really, it's like the hottest thing in kidlandia these days. My kids, especially my second boy Iñigo, can actually speak Minionese.

How crazy is that!

Naturally, when Monde Mamon invited my family to watch a special screening at Greenbelt, we cleared our schedule and watched the Minions movie.

The movie was fun, more slapstick funny than smart funny the way the Despicable Me movies were. And we missed Gru. As a parent, I kinda worry about kiddie movies that glorify the bad guy: Wreck-It Ralph and Maleficent, for example, but they turned out to be heroes. Since Gru became a parent, he's really a good guy, which makes him a hero in my and my kids' eyes. With Minions, well, I won't spoil the ending, but because there was no real good guys here, there was no hero for my kids to look up to. I mean, sure, the Minions saved the day but they weren't heroes really. Still, the kids loved the movie, and they're too young to look for a moral (and, I'll be honest, I don't like movies with morals but that had to change when I gave birth to my own minions!) so watch Minions!
Anyway, we loved the Monde snack box we all got—a pretty white box with a chocolate chip muffin and two pieces of waffles. I wish I had gotten a picture but it was too dark in the theater by the time we opened our snack boxes. And we ate everything up immediately! Soooo good!

Then we brought home bags of Monde Mamon goodies and Minions lunch box and tumbler!

Their favorite part of the giveaways? Why, the Mamon-It-Yourself Minion kit, of course!

When I was growing up, my Mama always talked about the rapture. The Bible describes that event to be worldwide, with everyone alerted by a "loud trumpet call" announcing the return of Jesus Christ. Then in the "twinkling of an eye," those who love Christ will be transformed from flesh into glory and disappear from here, caught up in the clouds with Him and joining God in heaven.

Here are the verses that talk about the rapture:

"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." Matthew 24:30-36

"Two men will be working together in the field; one will be take, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. So you, too, must keep watch! For you don't know what day your Lord is coming." Matthew 24:40-42

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

As a Born Again Christian, I look forward to that day. To see God, to see Mama again. Oh, the joy! That also means I won't have to die. I'll just be "caught up" in the clouds! No suffering, no pain, no old age (if the rapture happens before I turn 50, that is!). At the same time, I feel fear and horror because I want everyone I love to be "caught up" with me, too. Because how can I be completely happy in heaven knowing that the ones I love are left behind?



This is what's always scared me about the rapture. The chaos that will happen. My faith tells me I won't be here for that but my faith also tells me that if I really cared, no one will be left behind. 

I wish for all my readers to be "caught up" in the air with Jesus, too! All He asks is for us to invite Him into our hearts and declare Him the Lord and Savior of our lives! I did that when I was 9 years old. I prayed, "Dear Jesus, please forgive me of my sins, come into my heart and be my Lord forever. Amen." I know someday I'll see my Lord. I hope you'll allow Jesus to be your Lord, too! God bless you!

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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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My novel for February is John Green's The Fault in Our Stars.

I only wanted to read it because the movie's coming out and I only wanted to watch the movie because of the guy playing the romantic lead. I first saw Ansel Elgort in the remake of Carrie, and though it had Julianne Moore and Chlöe Grace Moretz in it, it was Ansel who caught my eye. That kid can act!

So since I wanted to watch the movie, I had to first read the book. I read it just before Valentine's Day so I was feeling very loved up. The book, very easy to read (in fact, you can finish it in a few hours), is not intimidating at all. Intimidating? Yep. It's about teenagers dying of cancer, a story not everyone finds thrilling. But read it read it read it!

The story begins with a girl and a boy meeting at a cancer support group. Hazel Grace Lancaster has thyroid cancer and Augustus Waters has bone cancer. She didn't set out to fall in love. She just wanted to live the rest of her life in peace, not wanting to form any relationships because that means more people will get hurt by her eventual death. But Augustus broke down her walls with this:

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!

Loved the book. Loved the movie. Loved this promotional prank vid, too! Kinareer grabe!

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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???

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!

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'm doing this for a friend's friend. I don't know who Girrard is but he's 16 years old and he has leukemia. That's all I need to know. I have sons. Seeing sick children, especially our own--nothing breaks a mommy's heart more!

To help Girrard's fight against the monster in his body, his family and friends have started fundraisers. Today at 5:00 PM at Power Plant Mall, a special screening of The Bourne Legacy will be held for Girrard. A seat is P500. You get to watch the action movie shot here in Manila a few months ago, you get a special giveaway from the sponsors, and you get to help a young man live.

It's a win-win for all!



Speaking of winning, let me offer you a chance to win these tickets!

To support Girrard's chemo, I bought 2 tickets to The Bourne Legacy screening later. But since I'm a breastfeeding mommy, I can't watch movies yet. So I'm giving them away!!!

Just email me at frances@topazhorizon.com. Subject of email is: "My legacy is to help Girrard!" Email me your full name and phone number. That's it! Your phone number is important so I can contact you right away. Remember: the screening is tonight!

I'll text/call the winner at 3 PM! Yes, so you have until 2:55pm today to email me!!!

Or you can just show up at Power Plant with your girlfriend, boyfriend, parents, friends, etc etc, buy tickets and watch the movie! Help Girrard in his fight! To know more, click here.

UPDATE: I changed the deadline kasi raw to announce at 3pm doesn't give the winner and his/her date enough time to prepare to go out. Oo nga naman! So I'll text the winner at 12 noon! Thanks to all those who joined!

Nope, I'm not watching the new Spidey movie. I don't think the moviegoers will appreciate me sneaking a 7-week-old infant in the theater. Yep, my baby boy breastfeeds like crazy and so we're semi-permanently attached.

I wanted to watch it not because of the story (seriously, did it really need a retelling?) but because of Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. Here's why:

Patty and I like our men long and lean!

Oh well. Anyway, I just distracted myself with this fantabulous magazine:

To the amazing and super talented staff, you did one hell of a great job with this issue! Your gorgeous editor-in-chief (who, FYI to the mag's readers, was on maternity leave when this issue was produced) is very proud.

Hmm. I'm kinda feeling like I want Emma's hair here. But I'm 35 so maybe I'm too old for that look haha

I hope you guys grab a copy of the July issue of OK! magazine. You'll love it just as much as I did!

I haven't watched Hunger Games yet but it is definitely the movie to watch this weekend. So since I haven't watched it, I'm not doing a movie review. I'll just tell you why Vince thinks there's no contest between Gale and Peeta (guy in black shirt). Yes, my husband read the book!

Seems like everyone's taking sides on which boy Katniss should pick. Vince says Gale never had a chance. And his reason is simple: If the girl you cared for was picked to go to the Hunger Games, you'd volunteer to take her place. That's what Katniss did for her sister. Vince said, "That's what I'd do for you." He added that he'd make sure he'd win, too, so that he can come back to me, with all the lifetime winnings of a champion, and take care of me!

*Insert kilig moment here*

Well, it's always been obvious to me that Peeta wins hands down but my reason is silly. Peeta had me at "She came here with me." There could be no other guy after that! Enjoy your weekend!

I don't watch Pinoy movies in theaters because my job is spent watching Hollywood movies. I don't even have enough time to watch Hollywood movies so obviously I have zero time for local films. But sometimes, when it's very late at night, I switch on Cinema One and watch old Pinoy movies. My favorite discovery is 1984's May Lamok sa Loob ng Kulambo starring incredibly sexy and super funny stars Eddie Garcia, Gloria Diaz and Amy Austria. You have to watch it!

So anyway the other day, I saw the trailer for a new movie called No Other Woman. I looked up the full trailer because I wanted to see if Anne's makeup was really that bad. Yes. It is. Such a shame. She's such a pretty girl! Nasapawan siya ni Cristine! (Syempre, Team Wife ako!)



"Anong mas mahirap na kalaban: ang putang mahirap o ang putang mayaman?"
"Pareho-parehong puta lang yon!"

Winnur!

And so very true. Naagawan na ako ng boyfriend dati. Mga ilang beses din. Alam mo, masakit lang talaga siya sa pride. Noong una, I thought it was heartbreak I was feeling but upon further investigation and finding out who the girl is and what she's like, I realized that no self-respecting woman would take another woman's man. In Pinoy movie parlance, puta lang yon and do you really want to go down to her level? It's really just as simple as that. Once you realize that, it's pity you feel for her.

As for your man, well, no real man would cheat on his girl. A real man keeps his word. So if your guy cheats on you, iwanan ang gago. You deserve better! Happy weekend!

I love this!

Took me back to 2001. I was 24 years old, living in a one-bedroom unit along Shaw Blvd. Vince and I watched Moulin Rouge! at Megamall, the last full show. We walked out of the mall at half past midnight, the streets were deserted and a big bright full moon was high up in the sky, making the streets and buildings glow. We walked hand-in-hand down ADB Ave, then Vince twirled me about on San Miguel Ave, while we sang, "How wonderful life is now you're in the world!"

Life is wonderful indeed.

I'm a Harry Potter fan. Been reading those books for as long as I've been loving Vince. I read the first Harry Potter book the year I met Vince, in 1999.

I lined up early to get the next books first. I always read the books straight (six to eight hours each upon release) in one sitting, resulting to massive migraines. I dragged Vince all over London, chasing night buses and figuring out British coins and looking for Platform 9 3/4. I cried for two days when Dumbledore died. I watched all the movies. While waiting for the next book or the next movie, I read magazines and websites and enjoyed behind-the-scenes photos. I felt like an era ended when I finished the last book. And now, again, it's time to say good-bye.



For the magic, thanks, Harry Potter. Good-bye!

Was browsing through web pages last night for sales and discounts (you'd be surprised at all the stuff you can find, from discount codes on shoes to abt electronics coupons!) and I stumbled upon these instead... Tron: Legacy merchandise.


Frakkin' cool! Those shoes are mind-blowing. And yet so nerdy at the same time. I can't get over it! Making such sexy gear for such a geeky film (and making the merchandise really expensive) definitely adds a cool element to the Tron franchise. Well, those and Olivia Wilde, of course.

Olivia in real life. Yes, that's what she looks like in real life!

Now, for those of you kiddies who were too young to watch this classic sci-fi flick, Tron is a 1982 flick that dealt with theft, intrigue and conspiracy in the world of video games and software development. Did that make you fall asleep? Well, the fun part is the sci-fi part, when the lead character Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) zaps himself with a laser so he can go into the computer mainframe. Yes, like, literally. Now that he's literally inside the computer he battles programs to... Okay, okay, I won't bore you with the details.

Anyway, it's great fun but only to nerds, I think. Like Chuck Bartowski, who has a Tron poster on his bedroom wall...
...and a really hot girlfriend who happens to be a spy, too. See? Nerds do get the girl! The Third World Nerd (who got himself a hot girl, too!) and I certainly enjoyed watching it again a few months ago. We're definitely looking forward to Tron: Legacy, which hits local theaters this December, just before the awful MMFF season dominates our screens.

Last night, OK! managing editor Lana Chan and I attended the Sex and The City 2 premiere at Power Plant Mall. It was thrown by Solar Entertainment and I had a lovely time seeing old friends.

You see, unless my job requires me to go out (for example, to an advertiser's event), I haven't really been socializing since I got pregnant. Three reasons: I'm terribly sleepy, I had really bad acne in the first trimester, and I'm more susceptible to infections and diseases. When I got pneumonia, for example, that happened a week after I attended an advertiser's event. So I'm pretty much cloistered lately.

So last night was fun. There was a plethora of style--I had fun checking out dresses, bags, jewelry, heels, boots, hairstyles. Really, I think I've been cooped up too long! Thank goodness for Facebook (and this blog!), people I haven't seen in months (some, years) were not shocked to see me pregnant. We were all pretty much up to date with each other's lives!

I didn't go in the theater to watch the movie, however. I always seem to get sick when I'm in a crowded enclosed space! So I bid my friends buh-bye and went off to Sango to buy my yummy husband his dinner. 
Vince and I have always loved Sango's burgers, but after two pregnancy-induced nausea fits, we haven't had any. Thankfully, last night, my nose was cooperative! When I got home, Vince just also arrived from work (and he was soooo happy to see me! So cute!) and we had a grand time munching away happily.

So that was my night! How was yours?

Air pumps used to mean nothing to me as they usually meant car tires, balls and basketball shoes. Then I spied these on a shop shelf.My new forest green Cole Haan pumps. With Nike Air technology! I feel like I'm wearing sneakers! Cole Haan is on a huge sale this month--these babies were 75% off. Yes. Originally at Php19,000! Great deal!!!

They're a sensible style and since my style isn't so sensible, I got it in not-so-sensible forest green! Except that when I tried them on with my all-black ensemble (Bench tank, Kate Moss for Topshop pants), they also looked black. So now I just ended up looking like a career bitch... in high heeled sneakers! Now I'm thinking fondly of that scene from Stepford Wives when Matthew Broderick's character tells Nicole Kidman's character about their new life:

Walter: First of all, we're in the country now,
so no more black.
Joanna: No more black? Are you insane?
Walter: You heard me. Only high-powered, neurotic,
castrating, Manhattan career bitches wear black.
Is that what you wanna be?
Joanna: Ever since I was a little girl.

Oh! I've also always dreamed of being a career woman when I was a little girl! Whenever my Papa would start saying things like, "One day, you'll be married..." or "When you have kids..." I would tell him very loudly, "I'm going to be a working woman!" and Papa would shake his head in disapproval. So it's very strange now that he's actually proud of me!