Creating a Charmed Life

I highlighted some of the good points from the book I'm reading now-- Creating a Charmed Life by Victoria Moran. These are good mantra if I'm feeling down or it's my motivation if I want to weave my inner words in a creative way. :) Here they are:

·         I wanted to walk on the sand and leave no trace, yet I wanted to build a sandcastle and make my mark.

·         Everybody needs some time to shine. . . Nobody’s in the spotlight nonstop. Accept that you will shine, step back, and then shine again. The moon has phases from dark to full. So do we.

·         A charmed life is an exuberant life. You get one by loosening up, lightening up, and inviting in stimulating events and people.

·         When you are discreet, you protect yourself. You preserve your honor. You conserve your power. You become, in the words of actress Jacquee Gafford, “less a satellite and more a sun.”

·         Enjoy your eccentricities. These often include some of your brightest traits. They make us gifted and unique. They make us women to be reckoned with. Concentrate on the person you want to be when you were 6 years old, the kind of woman you want to become. Within that vision is the core of your uniqueness. Find it, and find a place for it in the world you inhabit now.

·         Whether you unearth the whimsical wonders inside you through this exercise or have been aware of your eccentricities all along respect them today a little more than usual. Be grateful for them. Enjoy your eccentricities and those of other people. Neutrals have a place, but not as dominant colors of your life.

·         An unhurried woman is willing to include some emptiness in her day. That way, when you ask if she’s got time for you, she almost always does.

·         Decide that you’re beautiful already.

·         Dance with your shadow. Dancing is a delightful way to get to know someone.

·         Love lavishly. Love your family, your friends, your work, your life. You know about being in love. This is living in love.

·         Redefine “Lady.”

Kudos to the author! =)

--30--

Brave: Movie review

Brave's theatrical poster

Have you seen the movie Braveheart which is taken at Scotland? 

Be amazed as Disney Pixar’s latest masterpiece, Brave revives your senses never in such a magical and virtual way. 

In the film, set in the Highlands of Scotland, a skilled archer named Merida defies an age-old custom, causing chaos in her kingdom. After consulting a witch for help, her family becomes cursed and Merida is forced to undo the spell herself before it is too late. In the world where women nowadays love to color their hair with brown or its different shades, her thick burgundy curly hair outstands. Alike with her identical triplets’ hair: Hamish, Hubert and Harris. Their brunt characters are remarkable about this movie.

Families and kids of all ages flocked to watch this, earning it the top spot at the box office, with a $ 469,266,000.00. 

Based on the strength of the movie – little girls and likely their moms will want to watch this very original Disney Princess Merida again and again – Brave is an instant classic. And it marks the 13th straight number one movie opening for Pixar Animation Studio.

This is also the first movie from Pixar wherein the protagonist is woman—the strength of the movie is that men let the women speak their mind. Along the conversation between King Fergus and his wife, Queen Elinor, there’s a sense of understanding and compromise. Meanwhile as Merida is growing up the tension and misunderstanding involving her and her mom increases too. The heartfelt mother-daughter tale pushes the envelope of computer animation, while sticking with an original story that turns the classic Disney faerie tale inside out.

One the famous lines from the movie:

Princess Merida: I want my freedom!
Queen Elinor: But are you willing to pay the price your freedom will cost?

The music under and country songs insert exquisiteness of the Highlands of Scotland, and Pixar hired real Scottish actors like Craig Ferguson (Lord Macintosh) and Kelly Macdonald (Merida). 

When it comes to special effects, the will-o'-the-wisp (moving light that appears and disappears immediately) adds flavor to the movie setting. As it leads Merida to meet the witch and requested her to make a potion for her mother to change, but the spell made her mother turned into a bear. The twist in this film was heartfelt as the development of each character grows and fortifies.

The film is about changing your fate—Merida, Queen Elinor, king Fergus, the triplets slowly change as the movie ends. 

Another, happy-ever-after film from Disney minus Merida's Prince charming. 

Originally, Brave's title is The bow and the bear

 One of the film's main setting

A tale of a Sanguine woman about Habagat

Amidst the recent deluge, Habagat that swamped Metro Manila and its neighboring provinces, we saw the intrinsic humor of Filipino people. This humor, coupled with an en0rmous amount of faith, proved to be the Pinoy’s floater in the swim of life. Happiness is found in the heroism displayed by those who did not think twice to rescue the helpless. In times of trouble, and despite their many differences, Filipinos hold hands and watch each other’s back and display the utmost act of kindness. In moments of need they become one. Every act of kindness automatically brings happiness to the soul.

My tale starts when a continuous heavy rain marsh our house. I came from office and walked along the flooded street of Pandacan. I saw how the flood slowly overflow our bungalow house, starting from the dining area going to our….opppss not there, please--bedroom. I heard the flood saying, no time to listen to your plea. Since, we’re all women in our house (me, my mom and my sister)—adrenaline rush, panic and alarm rolled into one arises our weak selves. So, imagine us rolling our sleeves up like a Macho man ready to put our stuff in a safer place. Good thing, my sister who’s the strongest among all of us, was so determined to save everything to the extent of huddling the water from the floor and putting it in three basins. Actually for almost two days that’s what we’re doing. But last Wednesday, no amount of strong arms can cease the flood’s overflow, even though we’re like practicing for a Dragon boat racing, Nadah-- so we let the flood flow. We compare the struggles that we experience from Ondoy to that night, and I think we’re more prepared and geared up.

I’m just glad that we’re born crazy and happy. We still see humor on our situation. We laugh at our folly while looking at some of the little garbage that we had. We continued watching the news and receive some updates from PAG-ASA. Yes, some of things were wrecked. We slept together frightened if we’d wake up floating in the flood. But hey, by God’s provision we literally woke, still with the flood, in which we could use for washing our face. But with faith, that we’re still alive. Yes, we’ve got bruised, traumatized and exhausted but it didn’t end us living angry with the situation—it made us more alert, braver and more grateful.

Because we’re also flooded with our relatives, friends, LOJ family, Media Ministry friends, officemates’ concerns, prayers and assistance. I know as I’m writing this, some of are brothers and sisters whose situation is worse than us. But I believe that in moments of defeat, like a phoenix rising from its ashes, God’s people will held their head high as they remain magnanimous. They’ll slowly restore what they lost 7 times fold. They’ll be more blessed.