COST OF AGING DISGRACEFULLY ...

AGING is a fact of life

no one remains young or in their twenties forever

everyday, every hour, every minute

every living creature grows OLD

no exception to this!

.

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Unfortunately, we think

14 to 16 is young talaga

17 to 19 mature ka na

when you reach 20 to 24 - old ka na

25 to 29 very old gurang ka na

30 to 35 dinosaur lola ka na

how about those above 35 ???

ewan macgregor?

.

.

Kaya we tend to lie about our age ...

but really, there is no shame in being old

those who are "young" now tend to look down on the older people

as if they remain young forever or own the fountain of youth

not knowing that they will soon be "old" too! diba?

(that's why I always respect older people, ha,ha,ha!)

..

it is a fool's pride making yourself better than older people

only because of your age (discrimination!)

when sooner, without you knowing it, you will be old too,

and what have you got to be proud of?

.

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yes, we are in a society that celebrates youth

and youthfulness (though this is starting to change!)

those who are older but wanted to be young forever

are in constant search for the

fountain of youth

to preserve

to maintain

to look how they look in their twenties or teens!

.

.

who wants to be old, wrinkly and saggy after all ...

not even Madonna

who "almost" got everything a

material girl can have

at 50!

but not her youth

no matter how hard she tries!

but still she is Madonna!

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and not even the best plastic surgeons and

the most advanced skin rejuvenation and

anti-aging formula and creams can fight the signs

and scars of living a life!

.

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Just like these famous legs

. . of elle mcpherson, known as the "the body",

at 45 still looks fabulous

but she can't hide the fact that she too is

really getting older.

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Her legs are showing a condition known as

"creeping" - (creepy no?) which is a condition of

the skin making it less taut and firm

prevalent on people who have little fat

on their bodies and spent much

of their lives on sunnier climate!

(I have seen these in really old people

who are in their 60's or 70's ... Now, I am thinking

it is good to be fat after all and I should

just stay in Melbourne instead of moving to Brisbane!)

.

but it does not matter really for she is still Elle Mcpherson, agree?

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.

.

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so how much more aging, we mere

mortals of

limited means are having.

As fast as the bullet I suppose !

.

.

.

So I decided to give my full attention this week on my skin regiments.

better late than never, choz!

.

First thing I did last week was to see a dermatologist who

did a VISIA Skin Photography/analysis on my face.

I am not surprised how much sun damage I have, despite

using daily anti aging and UVA - UVB protection,

for the past ten years, since before

i did not really bother about skin care -(I used

to clean my face with Eskinol - si Lola V kasih- ever since

I can remember - but this alcohol based toner is

actually bad for the skin).

.

And despite having a complexion that should thrive in

tropical and sunny conditions, I am already developing

some dark spots here and there.

And of course the expression wrinkles that are now prevalent

and deepening ...

.

.

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This was to me an eye opener and made me realize

the utmost importance of a mineral physical reflector of

UVA a+ UVB rays. So this explains why Nicole Kidman

is so afraid of the sun or getting exposed to it!

the analysis even counts the bacteria living in your face! . and so I have to spend more money on thermage (skin rejuvenation) and effective skin products that are more expensive than the one that you buy in the pharmacies. . . The one that was recommended was a daily exfoliating scrub and a tinted daywear SPF 30+ Invisible Zinc. . . And the face of this product is Elle herself, like me, maybe she used this type of product very late in life! Well, I have been using it and I love the fact that it is

a moisturizer, a foundation and a UV protector all in one!

How about you? What kind of products do you use aside

from invasive plastic surgery and botox?

ANTHONY MARKS ANTONIO : PRA TWINS

Time is just running so fast ...

It's season time again for Project Runway Oz

Remember MARK ANTONIO of Season 1

who was eliminated "way sooo early"?

.

He is back with a vengeance as the show's pr biatch,

and this time he is really into it - claws and teetch!

But surprise, surprise !

.

someone cloned him

a twin sisterrette ??

ohh, so closely resembling MARK

both of Filipino origins (of course!)

wearing weird hairdos

and freak as freak outfits

is this year's

one of twelve designers

.

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and his name:

ANTHONY CAPON

(very synonymous to MARK ANTONIO?

are they related??? I've gathered that this twin

was adopted from the Philippines when

he was only eight... proudly REMARKABLE indeed!)

He's fiercer ... skinnier than Mark, no?

Just look at those lips...

.

he can even mowdel his clothes!

comes in complete package: TALENT, CHARACTER and ATTITUDE!

.

.

So who's gonna be the greatest

BITCH in designing

sewing

stitching ???

.

(But take note ... there is another MARK in the competition ..

and in fact he is the true MARKOVA of designs....

and his designs are really re-MARK-able in fact

he won in the Episode 1. here)

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So far, ANTHONY has shown

passable designs and

hopefully he won't get

eliminated as early as MARK before.

.

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Hmmm ... he is the new MARKova, ANTHONY MARK my world!

O divah.... ??? (pasok sa banga ang lolah natin with this

Cate B inspired look ... in the first episode)

Work it out Gurl .... show us your muscles... Obviously, he has some MADONNA fetish!

Oh.... Laban ka jan ....

If he doesn't MARK it to the top, at least he

already made some MARK just with his hairdo man lang!

But I really wanna see him with MARKOVA at least in the top three!

MARK my WORLD !!!

JAPAYUKI: IS MS UNIVERSE A PAGEANT FOR SLUTS?

Miss Japan in her controversial national costume.

I think there is a big difference between the words

SEXY and SLUTTY

.

and you don't have to be SLUTTY in

order to be CUTTING EDGE or FORWARD-LOOKING

unless you want some attention like Lady Gaga

Divah?

MANANALO BIANCA MANALO ???

so much has been said about Bianca

that she is (was) a little bit of the chubby side of things

but in this photo (shopped?)

she is definitely skinny no?

to shed off that Filipina pa-sweet image

To be fierce ... like this? ... madonna?

FOR MISS UNIVERSE ???

or MISS PHILIPPINE AIRLINES with that first class mabuhay smiles... ? and shines and flies higher and arrives on time? We will know in August.

By the way, it is good to hear Richard Gomez's point of view,

being one of the judges of BB Pilipinas. He even shared his

tabulation scores :) - here

HOMEWARD BOUND

(Mother and Son, my favorite painting of Amorsolo)

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On July 2, 1999, I arrived in Oz on a permanent migrant skilled visa, ending my more than six year career as an OFW in the middle east. Two years after that I applied for naturalization, changing my passport and my citizenship. . . As with thousands and millions more Filipinos all over the world, I fought and sold my body and soul for a better life, prostituting my body and mind (and whatever's left of it) to foreign lands and economies, and sending back home majority of my earnings. . As it was ten years ago, this OFW syndrome will continue to happen in the next decade and maybe further into the next millennium for the next generation of Filipinos. . We must- have to leave and work in far away countries. We will enslave ourselves willingly amidst silent pains of loneliness, of homesickness. Even get raped and violated by our masters. Trampled like doormats. We will always be the subject of discrimination and ridicule by people who were lucky because they were born in richer countries, and thus become masters of us ... We dance naked and smile while our tears are falling ... and thinking only of the remittances we could make the following day. We would be left for dead like zombies ... and then again, rise the following day to work - as we are bound by love and responsibility. We will carry on. Must carry on .... although our hands stink from wiping the asses of people not related to us. . . Why? Because we are born in a place and time when we have no choice but to leave and migrate somewhere and anywhere in order to make better of ourselves and to others who are left behind. We are accidental tourists perhaps, and accidental martyrs.

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I am one in a million of lost souls that are scattered around the world, perpetually longing to be home, to be where you are most ALIVE, to swim in the waters of your umbilical cord, to laugh and be carefree with your kins, to sleep like prince and princess every night in the land of your birth on the cold bamboo floor and blows the candle goodnight ... for a new and beautiful day!

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Ironically, when you are back home, you'd take the next plane out of the country. To be back again and again in a strange land where you (might really try assimilating and living into) but still be forever a worker, a stranger, a perpetual visitor of your own choice. You can change the color of your hair, the twang of your tongue, the clothes that you wear, - but there are things that are permanently tatooed in your body and cannot be erased or undone - like the color of your skin and the beating of your heart. Like the type of food that you will now and again crave for. Like your childhood memories that will forever haunt you in your dreams and will ultimately bring you home.

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So no matter how clean, advanced, beautiful and comfortable life could be somewhere - you may even consider it a paradise on earth - but it will be an empty place! It is like watching a movie.... You won't hear bells ringing and children playing on the streets. You won't see old toothless people dancing and smiling at you. You won't hear Sisas in the streets looking for Basilio and Crispin ... and your heart and soul is lost.

.

There is no other place like HOME even if it is really HELL out there!

HOW TO BE HAPPY AND GAY ...

GET UP ... AND PUT ON YOUR

BEST DRAG MAKEUP !!!

PLAY BOWLING

OR ANY BALL SPORTS

WITH YOUR FRIENDS ...

JOIN A STREET PARADE OR A BEAUTY CONTEST ...

AND

SMILE AND SING

YOUR FAVORITE SONGS !!!

COLD NIGHTS

TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE

"As recommended by a friend, I found this true to life story very relevant. A synthesis of what is really important, and what makes you truly happy! It made me call my parents in an instant, and somehow re-affirm my love and concern for all of them ... still there are people and friends that I have to make peace with in due course ... and so with all these realisation and reminders, I pinned to this book"

.

FOUR PURPLE RIBBONS

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MEMORY KEEPER'S DAUGHTER

"I was totally engrossed with this book and could feel the intensity of the characters ... how one is truly a product of their past and though how successful one may become in life - can still be a prisoner of their past, perceived notions - and unfounded fear. Very poignant and cinematic. Although I was a bit disappointed with the end, this is a beautiful book that deserves my precious time and so for this book I made ...

.

FIVE ORANGE RIBBONS

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A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS

"As with the Kite Runner, I found this book sometimes unbelievable and playing so much with the emotions and unfounded sentimentality ... the characterisation are somehow distorted or inconsistent particularly with the young Mariam (like how would she have thought of these and these when presumably she would have no previous knowledge or experience on such things ) ... For westerners these are quite exotic and new world, and could easily be bought in - but I doubt it is being grounded on reality - having experienced poverty and being from a third world country myself. I just hope I would have a thousand splendid tears or smile when I finished reading this ... at the moment I probably would just give it

THREE BLACK RIBBONS

---

HARRY FATTER

Basta, I'm gonna watch Harry Potter

tonight and eat the following:

Hmmm...

ANNA WINTER DRAG SUMMER

It is WORLD DRAG DAY TODAY!

and I am not even in Drag, ha,ha,ha!

So I flicked through my photo album

to find something really Draggy!

O yan!

HAPPY DRAG DAY TO ALL!

Miss ko tuloy ang mga kumareng Drag Addicts...

Wherever you are, GO OUT and be SEEN !

When is the next pageant ba?

TSENILAS NG BUHAY KO ...

I've never really really liked Regine Velasquez .... But yesterday since the weather was really cold and windy, I sat at the kitchen and channeled on TFC's old movie, rediscovering some of these things.

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I decided to watch this very long movie "Ikaw Lamang Hanggang Ngayon (2002)", habang nag-gagansilyo at nag-mamanicure ang lolah nyo!

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Remember ko tuloy yung mga lazy Sunday afternoons sa bahay years ago, when I was still very young, innocent and virgin, and we were eating "binignit", while we were doing almirol and ironing and doing all these gurly stuff ... hmmp! Miss ko talaga those gud old days ....

.

Pero magaling pala talaga ang Regina! Vote ko naa shaaa! And wiz ko ever realize na before her kasikatan galore, she was dyslexic and duling pa ang lolah nyo, ini-airbrush lang sa fotos .... wow! Talking about "personal development" and rising up to the top! ... Pang slumdog millionaire ang story ng gagah!

. Back to to mowvie... And kahit na overused na ang mga love story na toh and very standard pinoys ang characters and script, i found some of the lines and eksena (scenes) very original and meaningful kahit na corny or baduy, like when she was writing on the wooden seat using tinidor the words -"Malungkot ang Buhay Ko" .... and then later on Richard found it and answered back - "BAKIT?".... that was really delivered right to the core of my being, hu,hu,hu .... The Tsenilas parody - comparing a wife to the lowly tsinelas that you wear always as pambahay since they are sooo comfy - made me smile ... Candy Pangilinan is really mataray, hate ko sha talagah huh!

.

But Regina can really act - maybe because of her very rich experience growin up in Leyte and the provinces. The down-to-earthness that we can all relate to - even the way she uses her eyes. There are clips in youtube but cannot be embedded ... sayang, but you can go and check if ever di nyo pa napanuod itoh!

. As your lolah ingrata said above "Sometime YOU HAVE TO BE CORNY ... TO BE TRUE!" True talagah! . . .

MIRACLES IN THE PARK

So I decided to have a WALK

with Raffy and Skippy

in our favorite park

last Saturday ...

... beautiful morning in a sea of winter daze

clear blue skies ... the sun was up

and so it was perfect day to explore the wilderness ...

"partly" made by man.

Opps ... I forgot to bring my camera

so I used my mobile phone

which surprisingly captured

these amazing photos

in the natural light and mood

There were only very few walkers

And so the park was

owned by us for the day ready to be explored

and be re-discovered.

First, we were attracted by these

little urchins in bright red, yellow and orange ensemble

I don't know what they are called

but they surely greeted us with their warmth ...

standing tall as guards

Under a big elm tree we found these thriving succulent plants with green fruits

yielded by their flowers

probably in summer

or earlier

as they are

sprouting for blooms now

and showing their colors again for

spring ...

i like these petals

when they are yet closed

not yet ripe for their orange blooms ..

and I thought - not even the most fabulous costume of

Priscilla could match the beauty

and uniqueness of these

and of these candle like creatures..

Neither could they be replicated ...

at all ... but they would only be in this state for days and even weeks... and they change, bloom further and then fade away...

in order to to give way to the next generation of flowers This cyclic beauty exists even without us knowing it

being aware of it ! And there are worlds of magic and splendour that we seldom appreciate that we take for granted or we don't see or notice at all ...

as they are irrelevant in our daily lives ...

What are these flowers, trees and plants for?

Are they not at all important to us?

and why do they possess such beauty ? and why is my heart touched ... enlivened refreshed

everytime i see them ?

being reminded

of the power of nature and the mystery of life

and death ? and the promise of hope and reincarnation

when we see only ourselves

in the dark ...

and wild imaginings

oblivious to the existence of these

life

crawling for light ...

in order to be be remembered

one day ...

do they only exist

to balance flora and fauna, breathing those

carbon dioxide that we emit ?

Or are they there

for a grand plan ...

to complete the picture

of a paradise

lost in earth ?

More paradise photos...

No matter what ...

I found them as what they are

as how they appear

and how they make a difference

in the lonely pond

of life

where

a single black

swan

could live

for

eternity

in one day ..

or two

and die and

being reborn again

maybe

as a plant

with

the bluest of blue flower

or maybe green

Ohhh... yes

sometimes we forget ... that

We all are

pilgrims

tourists

travellers

guests

of the park

we call earth ...

And one day

we go home

and say goodbye

to these ...

knowing in our hearts and minds

that although we do not understand these

and maybe we don't need to understand ...

Once we were an audience

participant ...

that we saw in our very own eyes

the magic and beauty of life

as this unfolding of life and light

is showing ...

the end