O NEI!!!

Á silfur-á 

Lýsir allan heiminn og augun blá 

Skera stjörnuhiminn 

Ég óska mér og loka nú augunum 

Já gerðu það, nú rætist saga 

Ó nei!!! 

A silver river

lights up the whole world and our blue eyes

cut the sky full of stars

I make a wish and close my eyes

Yes, you do it too, the wish now come true

On no!!!

Where's My Fruitcake?

Mom wanted an American-made fruitcake for Christmas. She got it. I sent two bars which i think were much less flavorful compared to her own home-made fruitcake. She wrote me an e-mail: 

"Thanks for the fruitcake. I really enjoyed it. The first bar I cut into quarters and gave it to your siblings. The other I keep for myself."

Mom's such a nut when it comes to anything imported (which I understand). We aspire for things we cant usually have. Anything from the West is better. A notion we learned from childhood. I e-mailed her back:

"That's the best fruitcake i can get from here. And it's not even yummy close to the ones you made for every Christmas when I was there".

I was being truthful. Hers is the best for me. And her home-made ham as well. 

"I wasnt able to make Ham this Christmas. I was too busy.  Your dad bought a Fiesta Honey-baked Ham for our Noche Buena instead.  He was looking for some imported cheeses to go with it but they were all expensive". 

I thought of the 5 different kinds of European Cheese rotting in our fridge. Mama O is the only one who gobbles them. But she's not here. She's in the Philippines. (The Sunset Scavengers will be collecting these cheeses in a few more days). Mama O was my fruitcake bearer from here to Mom. Mom asked:

"___ is here. Will you be celebrating Christmas alone?"

I replied:

"Yeah. My other room-mate (Jezebel) is in Nashville with his cousin and _____ (Ekra) will be with his Mom and Bro in L.A. I will be working anyways, so there will be no celebration at all"

She replied:

"I am worried about you. You should have a wife and a family by now. You're getting old and getting old alone is difficult. Look at your Tita Marina, she longs for all your attention, her nephews and nieces' attention. But you guys still have us, your parents. She will always be second to her siblings. You dont wanna be like her, do you? You should marry. All I wish is for you to be happy".

Until now, I have no reply. I have nothing to say. I wonder, where is my fucking fruitcake?

LTE People Of The Year

This is LTE's 2008 People List. Presented without any explanation. Kayo na mag-isip kung bakit. Bahala na kayo. 

Papa Of The Year

James Franco

Runners-Up:

Justin Timberlake and Dave Annable

TV Cast of the Year

Brothers and Sisters

Runners-Up:

Project Runway 5 and Ugly Betty

Artist Of The Year:

Alexander McQueen

Runners-Up:

Meryl Streep and Guillermo Del Toro

Pinoy Of The Year:

Eugene Domingo

Runners-Up:

Rocky Salumbides and KC Concepcion

At eto na ang hinihintay ng lahat.....

LTE Blogger Of The Year

Ms. Mandaya Moore (Mandaya Moore)

Runners-Up:

Kiel (Life as A Write Up) and Jericho (Kape't Yosi)

I repeat, we dont need to explain our choices, do we? 

For Michelle

If you were her and these designers presented their sketches for your inaugural dress, which one will you pick? 

Michael Kors and Monique Lhullier

Reem Acra and Zac Posen

Christian Lacroix and Betsey Johnson

Marc Jacobs and Badgeley Mischka

Isaac Mizrahi and Oscar de la Renta

I chose this......

Diane Furstenberg

Winner ang Lola Diane for me! For you?

Photo Credit: WWD

The Return Of The Supermodels

The 2008 Campaign Ads say.... "The New Face is Vintage". The familiar faces are back. More than a decade after, the supermodels return. 

Claudia Schiffer for Chanel

Linda Evangelista for Prada

Naomi Campbell for YSL

Christy Turlington for Escada

And the winner is.......Linda! Mukhang old na si Christy, Kakainis ang pose ni Naomi at si Claudia, na stuck sa 80's. Hinhintayin na lang raw ni Mama O si Cindy. 

Ang tanong: Asan na kaya si Shalom Harlow? Tse!

The Oscar Race: NY, LA and DC

The critics have spoken. Penelope's still ahead in the Supporting Actress race while Sean takes over the lead for Actor from Clint. And guess what? We have a new surprising forefront for Best Actress. 

New York 

Best Actor: Sean Penn (Milk), Best Actress: Sally Hawkins (Happy Go Lucky), Best Supporting Actor: Josh Brolin (Milk), Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz (Vicky Christina Barcelona)

And their Best Picture is...... 

-----O-----

Los Angeles

Best Actor: Sean Penn (Milk), Best Actress: Sally Hawkins (Happy Go Lucky), Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (Dark Knight), Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz (Vicky Christina Barcelona)

And their Best Picture is...... 

-----O-----

Washington DC

Best Actor: Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler), Best Actress: Meryl Streep (Doubt), Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (Dark Knight), Best Supporting Actress: Rosemary Dewitt (Rachel Getting Married)

And their Best Picture is...... 

-----O-----

Now, Am doubting Meryl's Doubt. But Heath in Knight was, for me, far better than Josh in Milk. I feel sorry for Anne Hathaway. She's being eclipsed by an unknown. What happened to Kate Winslet (The Reader, Revolutionary Road)? Did she lost the love? Run lola Kate run!

Absolute Reality

You may be rich, You may be poor
You may have nothing in this world at all
You may be black, you maybe white
You may be a prisoner in your own times
You may be lost. You may be found
You may have been beaten up and knocked to the ground
You may have belief, suffer from deceit
Or you just might be blind. Oh no no

You may affect the truth
You may be seen as false
You may be a king or a vagabond
You may be up, you may be down
You may sit in judgement with the rest of the clowns
You may have love. You may have hate
You may be the president of the United States
But even you, you cant sit and hide
While the world resources die

This is absolute reality reality reality
We are all the cause,
The solution too, reality.

You may be in control
You may be controlled
You may sit down till you do as youre told
You may work hard
You may never work at all
You may be accused but you dont know what for
You may be innocent or partly to blame
You may just be afraid in this power mad age
But theres one thing we all must find
Some peace in our time

This is absolute reality reality reality
If I may speak of truth this is absolute reality
The absolute time, the absolute place
The absolute now for the absolute solution
Its absolute reality now
Now now now

-The Alarm, 1985

----O----

Ano to? Ka-etchosan ng New Wave 80's? 

Nanood kasi ang Lyka and her Step-sisters ng Milk. Maliban sa ka-gwapuhan ni James Franco, na-apektuhan ang mga bakla, big time. Di lang sa kagalingan umarte ni Sean Penn pero sa significance ng kwento mismo. Sabi ng Ekra after watching: "I need a drink". At di umi-inom ang Ekra ha. Ganon katindi ang epekto ng pelikula ni Gus.

Ang Mama O, tahimik. Ang Jezebel, di nag joke habang ako nagda-drive pauwi. Ang tugtug.... Absolute Reality. Habang nakikinig, napag-isipan ko... ang kanta ng The Alarm ay tugma sa laban ng mga bading. "It's the Absolute Now for the Absolute Solution". Tinago ko lang yun sa sarili ko. Baka maco-cornyhan ang mga sisters.

Nang dumating na sa bahay. Di ko namalayan na nagbukas na pala ng bote ng champagne ang Mama O. Apat na champagne glasses ready na sa mesa. Distributed to each of us at ang Mama O ay nag-offer ng toast.... "For Harvey Milk!". Napa-toast ang lahat... "Yes, for Harvey" Corny na kung corny pero tunay ang toast ko for Milk that night. And I can see sa mga mata ng mga sisters, seryoso din sila. 

Napatanong ang Ekra: "Tapos na ba ang laban ni Harvey Milk?" 

Tapos na nga ba? The absolute reality is......

The Oscar Race: NBR

The Oscar Race starts. The National Board of Review pulled the trigger. And who did get a good start? Let's see.........

Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino) for Best Actor; Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) for Best Actress; Josh Brolin (Milk) for Supporting Actor; and Penelope Cruz (Vicky Christina Barcelona) for Supporting Actress. 

And for their Best Picture.......

Slumdog Millionaire!!! Yahoooo! 

(What? No Doubt?)

-----O----

Halfway across the globe, in Johannesburg, another race has started. I hope our very own Miss Philippines makes it. 

This is the first for a very long time that I feel positive for a Pinay candidate. But Julia's judging process sickens me. Now, I doubt Dani's chances of winning. Stella should have sent her to Vietnam. She has this Miss Universe aura. Good Luck to her!