There is something quite delightful about Englishmen. It doesn’t matter what you look like, as long as you tell a joke, or have a laugh, foreign women will be charmed. How else would Hugh Grant be so popular? But what’s with the excessive apologising? And is this part of the charm?

The other day Pete and I met friends in Brick Lane. We were outside a cafe when we witnessed an attempted bike robbery. A skinny, unshaven man had stealthily picked up a bike and was about to ride off when the owner of the bike grabbed the handlebars and said, ‘Excuse me, I’m incredibly sorry but that’s my bike.’ The thief then replied with, ‘I’m sorry I was just mucking around.’ Everyone stared, knowing full well what was going on. This was Brick lane after all, a place notorious for selling stolen bikes. The two muttered a few more, ‘I beg your pardons’ and ‘I’m sorry’ until the thief walked away empty handed and the man strolled back to the cafe with his bike. My friend  and I looked at each other in utter bewilderment. What a cordial scene. Had that man just apologised to the thief for catching him stealing his bike? And had the thief then apologised to the man for being caught in the act? The answer to this was yes and yes. Welcome to England, the land of charming (but apologetic) Englishmen.

It reminded me of the scene in Bridget Jones’s Diary where Mr Darcy and Daniel Cleaver are in a fight. They smash through a restaurant window, wrestle on the tables and in between punches, excuse themselves to the diners around them. This fight scene is incredibly funny, but once you realise how close to home it is, it’s hilarious.

Parfois bien faits et hilarants, souvent désolants, les romans de chick lit ont ceci de décourageant qu’ils édifient un nouveau type de cliché sur la gent féminine: la célibataire urbaine branchée. Habituellement un mélange entre Bridget Jones et Carrie Bradshaw de Sex and the City, les deux principaux modèles du genre, on reconnaît la C.U.B. aux caractéristiques suivantes:

1- Non contente d’être célibataire, elle se morfond sur sa condition et met tout en oeuvre pour en sortir.

2- Le magasinage est sacré à ses yeux, et je ne parle pas du Village des Valeurs. Les designers sont ses prêtres, et en général, elle nourrit une obsession pour les souliers ou les sacs à main.

2- b) Évidemment, elle ne possède pas le budget pour étayer cette passion.

3- Elle est incroyablement gaffeuse, parle trop et en général pour dire des choses qui n’ont que peu d’intérêt ou qui devraient rester tues. Bien entendu, ces petits défauts ne font qu’ajouter à son charme.

4- Elle a une ou plusieurs de ces mauvaises habitudes: manger (et dès lors s’en fait continuellement pour son poids), fumer, boire à outrance.

5- Elle s’entoure d’un groupe d’amies (les gays sont acceptés) habituellement célibataires. Chacune de ses amies possède une personnalité distincte qui peut être résumée en un mot: féministe, déprimée, nymphomane, etc.

6- Elle occupe une job de merde et au milieu du bouquin, réussit à grimper les échelons, toujours dans le domaine de la communication: écriture, télévision, magazines, etc.

Ces personnages peuvent à l’occasion tirer profit de leur caractérisation et être divertissants. Bien entendu, ils offrent un exutoire à nous, pauvres filles harassées par la pression d’être parfaites en tout, belles, efficaces, en couple, riches, professionnelles, minces, etc. Mais COME ON!! On est tannées de lire la même chose. En fait, moi, je ne lis plus que des 4e de couvertures, maintenant. Je ne me rends même plus sous les couvertures du livre. Help me, auteures féminines! Sortez du placard!

Ecco, probabilmente all’età di 30 anni io sarò così:

Sarò cicciotta, ridicola, sbadata, troppo sognatrice, avrò un lavoro che non mi piace ma che mi servirà per mantenermi, avrò crisi di depressione in cui girerò per casa avvolta in una coperta mangiando gelato in estate e cioccolato in inverno, e sarò…disperatamente…SINGLE.

Eccicredo! Io non ce l’avrò un Mark Darcy! Cioè, non per dire, ma…secondo me uomini così non esistono più sul nostro pianeta! Purtroppo si sono estinti, lasciando il posto a numerosi Daniel Cleaver. E quelli probabilmente non li attizzerò neanche un po’.

Be, Bridget Jones sarà pure una specie di fallita, ma è stata uno dei motivi per cui ho iniziato a tenere seriamente un diario, e poi un blog.

E ho scoperto di avere, come lei, una qualità (una sola): riesco ad ironizzare su tutto. Scrivo cose da tagliarsi le vene certe volte, penso troppo, sono strana…ma anche tra le lacrime riesco sempre a ridere di questo mondo storto, della vita, di me stessa. Sembra una cosa molto cinica, grottesca quasi. Però alla fine devo riconoscere che un po’ mi aiuta.

…Ma adesso sto divagando.

After avoiding Dominic’s previous invite for boating, I ended up saying yes to meeting up last weekend. I don’t know why. I went to my 7th first birthday of the year on the Saturday and surrounded by new parents and smug married couples, I think I panicked and just decided to live for the moment and give him another chance. My favourite quote of the Saturday came from Nick – my friend Kate’s new husband – “Bloody hell Essie, you’re the last one in the group aren’t you? Any men in the pipeline? I mean, what’s your forecast for marriage for next year? I haven’t seen your quarterly’s for a while!”. Oh, ha ha. You jacked up prick. You weren’t funny when you were single, you weren’t funny when you grabbed my arse on your wedding day when I was one of your bridesmaids, and you aren’t funny now.
But back to the date. We met up at around 2pm in East London and walked around stopping at bars and pubs along the way. As the pub crawl continued and the glasses of wine slipped down, he became more entertaining and he let down his guard. I actually, had a good time – perish the thought. I ended up blind drunk, and he somehow managed to convince me to go home with him. Lovely house, but kids toys everywhere. Huge black and white prints of children. Everywhere. It was the next morning as I showered with Princess Ballerina glitter shower wash, borrowed a Barbie toothbrush, discovered my bra draped over a rocking horse and tottered around trying to find my coat with the hang-over of my life that I wondered whether it had been all together a good idea. Reality bites.And if you are a keen one for detail, you will note that this is on a MONDAY morning. But it doesn’t stop there. As I poured myself out of the house and stepped onto the street, trying desperately to work out where in God’s name I was and what the nearest train station was, I ran smack bang into an older, purse-lipped, mumsy looking woman. “WHO are you?”, she screeched. “Um. I’m Vanessa. Who are you and why do you care?” I responded thinking that my head ache was so severe I wasn’t sure I could cope with a crazy woman on the street. “My name is Melissa, and you’ve just stepped out of my house.” As Bridget Jones once wrote on our screens, fuuuuuuuuuuuck!!!!
I have never wished a natural disaster upon anyone in my life, but at the moment, I prayed to a God I don’t believe in for an earthquake. Nothing happened. And the longer I stared at her, the more horrified she looked. And I have the most inappropriate reactions to stress. I laugh. And as this was fairly stressful, I guffawed in her face. She started shaking with anger and I had to run down the street in fits of giggles. Horrific!
Since, Dominic has insisted they have separated because she had an affair and that she has moved out and is renting down the road until they sell and get a divorce. Whatever. I’m not even bothered about the truth. It was still one of the most cringe-worthy moments of my life! Oh well, another blonde adventure, brought to you by paramount Comedy. If there is a God up there, sometimes I think he put me down here just to give him a right good laugh on a regular basis.

Zumba is moeilijk, vermoeiend en zweterig. I love it! Al kan ik wel geen seconde naar mezelf in de spiegel kijken. Ik voelde me een zwetende walrus met blozende wangen. En dan zeker niet te vergeten die broek die niet omhoog bleef.

Ik loop al jaren met dezelfde zwarte joggingsbroek uit de H&M rond om te ’sporten’ (lees: in de zetel te hangen, naar de bakker te fietsen en met de honden te wandelen), en blijkbaar is de losse elastiek (wat ik  normaal alleen maar toejuich, dat die los zit) iets te los voor de salsamoves van Zumba.

Ik kon er echt niks van. Wij krijgen hier les van Nicky Vernieuwe uit  ’So you think you can dance’ een dansprogramma dat nu elke zondag op VTM komt. En het was voor mij echt moeilijk, chachacha, mambo, pas de boerré (of hoe schrijf je dat). Maar ik deed ijverig mee en ik ben met rode wangen en bezweet buitengekomen. De nodige caloriën kwijt.

Ik ga volgende week zeker terug al is het maar om de les te verstoren door telkens de verkeerde kant op te draaien of te zwaaien. En dat ziet er dus echt zo uit als je nu denkt. Ik ben klaar om in een nieuwe Bridget Jones film te spelen. Maar dan wel één die over echt dikke vrouwen gaat. (Hebben jullie dat boek gelezen? Ik denk dat ze het heeft over 58 of 60 kilo. Dat meen ik mij te herinneren. Excuse me if I’m wrong. Maar dat is dus mager!)

I had to post about this because it is so closely related to my “Fictional Characters” series.  I really want to live in England because not only is it totally awesome, but they do fun things like take polls of the most romantic characters in literature!  Do we do fun stuff like that here and I just miss it?

So here are the results of the poll:

1. Edward Rochester of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre
2. Richard Sharpe of Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe series.
3. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
4. Heathcliff of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights
5. Rhett Butler of Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind
6. Mark Darcy, of Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’ Diary
7. Captain Corelli of Louis de Berniere’s Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
8. Henry DeTamble of Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife
9. Gabriel Oak of Thomas Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd
10. Rupert Campbell Black of Jilly Cooper’s The Rutshire Chronicle

Now as you know, I am a HUGE fan of Mr. Rochester………..but I am not sure if he could be described as “romantic.”  I found this poll on Entertainment Weekly, and I totally agree with Tina that there were times when Mr. Rochester was not all that nice to Jane and definitely not romantic.  I still adore him, but I don’t think he would be my #1 choice for this poll.

Mark Darcy

I think it is funny that Mr. Darcy is on here twice.  I would argue that Mr. Darcy of Bridget Jones fame is very romantic, and Fitzwilliam does do some pretty wonderful stuff for Elizabeth and her family, but is it romantic???  Also, I thought The Time Traveler’s Wife was an awful bore, so I would definitely strike him from the list.  And wasn’t that Sharpe guy a total womanizer???  I’ve only seen one of the movies, but that was the impression that I got.  And embarrassingly enough, I haven’t read any of the other books.  *hanging my head in shame*

Fitzwilliam Darcy

Here are some of the things I would add to the list.  I am not sure if my choices would be considered coming from “literature” but, well, tough.

I would put both Boris and Michael from The Princess Diaries series on the list.  I would also put Boris ABOVE Michael on the list.  WHAT?  I know that is a pretty blasphemous statement, but if you really think about it, Boris is kind of the ultimate romantic guy, which is why he ended up with the ultimate romance-seeking gal, Tina.  And he plays the violin, which, in my opinion, is the most romantic thing ever.  But don’t worry, I still love Michael the best.

Michael, Just Cuz I Can

I would also grudgingly put Mr. Edward Cullen on the list.  As emotionally manipulative and scarily possessive as he is, you gotta admit that he is a pretty romantic type of guy.  And, I have no doubt that if the poll was done in America he would come in first (at least with the 10-35 crowd, cuz that’s who seems to be reading it at the library).

I would also have to include Zach from Impossible by Nancy Werlin.  I adored this book and Zach really stuck with me.  He was a great romantic guy-next-door-friend-of-the-family character.  If only people like that actually did live next door the world would be a much better place.

Strangely enough, I would also put The Count of Monte Cristo on this list.  He is not really a romantic guy per se, but the whole time I was reading the book his character just had this mysterious confident aura that I find very, very sexy.  Wait, is sexy the same as romantic?  Did I just totally contradict what I wrote earlier??  Oh well, I don’t care, The Count of Monte Cristo has a romantic feel to me so I say it would make the list.

I almost forgot to add Peeta!!!!  Peeta from The Hunger Games is soooooooo romantic!  He manages to say and do the most romantic things in the most terrible of situations.  Can you imagine how sweet he would be if you were able to live a normal life with him???

So, what do you think?  Can you believe that Rochester beat out both Darcys??  This poll did give me some nice titles to add to my to be read list.

Jen

P.S.  In the EW post, she mentions that one of her co-workers suggested Logan from the Baby-Sitters Club.  Heehee!  But didn’t he actually join the club, which is a pretty romantic thing for a high school boy to do.

Beyaz perdede büyük ilgi gören serisi ‘Bridget Jones’un Günlüğü’nün üçüncü filmi için yakında çekimlere başlayacak olan Renee Zellweger, şu sıralar sıkıntılı günler geçiriyor. Her iki filmde de rolü için bir hayli kilo alan ünlü yıldız, üçüncü film için eskisi gibi kilo almaya yanaşmıyor.

Kendisini şişman gösteren kıyafetlerle işi yürütmeyi planlayan Zellweger’e yapımcılar, “Sadece kıyafetler yetmez, kilo almalısın” deyince işler karıştı. Geçtiğimiz günlerde nişanlandığı ünlü aktör Bradley Cooper’la çok mutlu olan Zellweger, kilo alıp formunu kaybetmek istemiyor. Her iki filmde de 10 kilo alan Zellweger’in yakın çevresine, “Bu zayıf halime kavuşmak hiç kolay olmadı. Tekrar kilo alıp vermek istemiyorum, vücudum çok yoruluyor ve moralim bozuluyor. Üstelik Bradley beni bu halimle beğendi. Balıketli vücudum hoşuna gitmeyebilir ve benden soğuyabilir” dediği söyleniyor. Cooper’ın adının daha önce incecik olan Jennifer Aniston ve Cameron Diaz’la anılması da Zellweger’i daha çok ürkütüyor.

Şişmanken yalnızdı

2000
Ünlü aktör Jim Carrey’le birlikte olduğu dönemde çok zayıftı.

2001
‘Bridget Jones’un Günlüğü’ serisinin ilk filmini çevirdiğinde 10 kilo aldı ve Jim Carrey ile ayrıldı.

2003
Ünlü aktris filmin çekimleri bittikten hemen sonra sıkı bir diyete girdi ve müzisyen Jack White ile yeni bir aşka yelken açtı…

2004
‘Bridget Jones 2′ için yeniden 10 kilo alması gereken ünlü aktris, bu filmi çektiği dönemde de yine yalnız bir kadındı.

2005
İkinci filmden sonra kilo veren ünlü yıldız, şarkıcı Kenny Chesney ile evlendi.

I can hardly believe it thanks to the way my year started, but I almost think I have a shot at this 52 Books in 52 Weeks goal.  I’ve gotten behind on reviews here, since a lot of books I’ve been reviewing for Tales From the Hollow Tree anyhow, and my life has gotten sadly chaotic lately—not that that’s much of an excuse, life has a tendency to do that every time we turn around, doesn’t it?

I’ve worked myself up to having read 4o books this year, though, just a dozen books shy of my ultimate goal—with that exact number of weeks left, as a matter of fact, so you see, I really do have a chance here, especially since I’m well on my way through a few books at this very moment.  I’ll let you wander over to the Hollow Tree if you want to read about YA Fantasy books, but these are a few of the other things I’ve been finishing off lately:

Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery

Still really enjoying browsing slowly through the Anne books.  This was about the point where my attention would wander when I was younger—Gilbert wasn’t in it at all, and in my first, single-track-mind reading of this series, that was all I wanted to pay attention to.  It amazes me how many kinds and types of people L.M. Montgomery was able to write, though.  The latter part of this book, especially, feels like little more than a sampling of every-day humanity, though, and I think that’s why Montgomery’s books are as lasting as they are, because people don’t really change all that much, and Anne’s view of the sweet to the absurd is such a clear, kind way.  It’s like what I heard the actor who played Kirk (the town oddity) on Gilmore Girls say once about the creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, that she loved each one of the characters, even the odd ones, and that’s what made the characters so great.  I think the same is true for Montgomery.  She and Anne both love the range of humanity they’re presented with, and it shows.

A Book of Luminous Things edited by Czeslaw Milosz 

I’ve been trying my best to get back into reading poetry this year. In fact, the only New Year’s Resolution that I can actually remember, was to read a poem a day.  I failed pretty miserably in this, considering  Milosz’ book is the same one I cracked open on January 1st and it took me until mid-September to finish reading through it.  I’m glad I finally did, though.  This book was given to me in high school as a Christmas present from a good friend of mine, and every once in a while I’d open it up and read a poem or two, but I’d never have the forethought to actually read the thing through, which is a shame, because it is organized beautifully.  This was, quite honestly, the first collection of poems I’ve read straight through that wasn’t from a single author, but Milosz has it divided into segments, or “chapters” with introductions, that make it a truly enjoyable read.  I admit, too, that part of my love for it has to do with the fact that so many of the poets included are California poets, and there’s a certain flavor to Californian poetry that simply doesn’t  come from anywhere else, just like there’s a flavor to Russian novels or Italian opera.  It just is.  And that little taste of California is something that I always have, and always will love.

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

I had to give in to this one, once I saw the commercials for the movie start to show. The idea was to read it in time to see the film, and while I did that, I haven’t seen the movie yet.  That’s okay with me, though, I’m sure I will in time.  This book… hm.  I can understand completely why so many people recommended it so highly to me, because it’s a beautiful read.  I enjoyed just about every moment of it, because it swallows you up and keeps you in Clare and Henry’s world pretty fully, and Niffenegger’s handle of language and even more so of the timelines involved in the story—an impressive feat in and of itself.  I have to confess myself a little disappointed by the ending, though—I can’t tell you exactly what disappointed me, as it’s a big-time spoiler, but let’s just say I would have hoped more for Clare.  Really a gorgeous book, though, all in all, and definitely worth the read.

Austenland by Shannon Hale

This was one of those books that I was dying to read when I first heard about it… but then I kept passing it up at the bookstore for other things.  Or maybe I’m the only one who ever does that.  I admit, being broke and book-loving does not always mix supremely well together, so sometimes I run into conundrums like this.  The minute I saw this at the library, though, I snapped it up as quickly as I could.  I was due for some Austen-spin-offy fiction, having just read through the gamut of the master herself, and this fit the job nicely.  It was a bit odd that the focus was so much on Colin Firth as Darcy, rather on Darcy as Darcy, (like the outtake from Bridget Jones’ Diary where Bridget interviews Colin Firth as Colin Firth—if you haven’t watched it, I highly recommend) but maybe I only feel that way because I think Mr. Firth is much more like Darcy in the book in… well, almost every P&P-ish adaptation movie I’ve seen him in, than he is in the actual BBC production.  But that’s just my own personal thing. I can’t get too excited about Dracy jumping into a lake—I thought that scene was actually pretty silly.

Really, though, this was a fun book, all about a girl who treats every relationship (even the passing, childhood ones) as if they’re going to end up at the alter, and the Darcy-esque fellow she snags by the end is a perfect combination of stuffy and sweet.

Now I’m going to duck and hide as all the BBC Pride and Prejudice fans throw old vegetation at me.  Ah well, I stand by my words.  Colin Firth continues to get better and better, that’s all I’m saying.

Perfect quote for this week (and last week’s–because I couldn’t come up with a movie at the time, :-/)’s movie of the week:

Yes.  I went there.  Bridget Jones has been one of my favourite girly movies for the longest time now–probably since ‘05.  It has Colin Firth–can you honestly blame me???  I’ve been calling myself a “Bridget Jones” because, hey, I can sadly relate in a way, haha.  The idiot who no one takes seriously–who has an intelligence all her own (that pretty much no one can understand but herself and her closest friends), has crazy-ass parents she can’t help but love, and a pathetic history with guys, haha.  But hey–everything works out in the end.  That’s what everyone says, don’t they?  (And in some cases, that’s actually true, XP.)

But overall, this movie is dorky and ridiculously appealing–and as far as romantic-comedies go, it’s one of the Top Five.   Somewhat stereotypical, yes… but charmingly entertaining, nonetheless.  (Isn’t that how life is, anyway?  Haha.)

On the upside, I will never chase after a guy down the street in the freezing cold of winter–in my knickers.  I can assure that to everyone.  (I’d like to think I have a BIT more sense than that, XP.)  The title of this entry couldn’t be more appropriate, ;P…

“It’s only a diary…”
<3[RAE]<3

3 hours in the dental seat.

3 cavities filled with amalgam fillings.

Dental hygiene performed on my lower row of teeth because there was simply too much of tea stains & sediments.

I woke up at 6.20am and ate no breakfast. At 11am I have left the dentist (my awesome friend, still a student but she is VERY good), by 11.30am I was in the bookstore and by 12.30pm I was home.
I haven’t eaten yet! @_# I AM DYING OF HUNGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In the bookstore I bought the follwing books:

{miamichaela.wordpress.com}

From left to right…

• “Graduate from the Society Studies!”…because if I wanna pass the entrance exams to Nursing, then I need to check this out again. I have graduated from this already (got C but I deserved B….you, you ^$$#&**&%#@!# grrrrr), but I don’t remember a thing anymore. xD
• Katrin Koelle – “The Acids & Bases in Balance”…because I have heard a lot about living healthy by EATING healthy and keeping the pH of your body in balance. I’d like to learn more about it & try it on myself; I think if it will work, I will see it…or to be precise, *feel* it.
• Helen Fielding – “Bridget Jones’s Diary”…needs no comment, right? At first I thought I will buy the SATC book but then…I feel more Bridget. This is probably the 5th EVER chick-lit I’ve read so I am hoping it will be GREAT. The chick-lit I read before (A. Potter – Me & Mr. Darcy) was the biggest & stupidest crap the literature has ever produced so I usually proceed with caution when buying this genre.

1pm! OMFG!!! I AM GOING TO EAT KTHXBAI OM NOM NOM NOM NOM!!!!

Everyone has something in life that they turn to in times of need. Some people drown their sorrows with a bottle of wine in the hope that, after three or four glasses, things won’t seem quite so dreadful, and actually now would be a great time to dance your troubles away. Some people seek answers out in religion; after all, if you’re someone who believes that there is some kind of higher being who created us all, it’s only fair to expect this guy to have the answers when you find yourself in an undesirable predicament. Personally, I consult the diaries of Bridget Jones. Some might argue that turning to a fictional character in my hour of need will get me nowhere – to those people, I (somewhat controversially) refer you to the concept of organised religion.

I remember when I was first introduced to Bridget. It was late in 2000, and I was accompanying my mother to a book signing for Barbara Windsor at our local Waterstones. We had been there for a while, and I didn’t have the faintest inclination or care about meeting this Windsor woman. It is in my blood to be nosy and find out what’s happening with other people’s lives, so when I saw a book pertaining to be someone’s diary on the shelf next to us, I had to read it. From that moment on, my life changed. There was no ticker tape parade, or fireworks, so the significance of the moment could have been missed, but thankfully the fact that I could not put this book down served as fact enough. My mother actually branded the whole evening as a “complete and utter waste of time” (Barbara Windsor spelled her name wrong after two hours of waiting), but I was quietly confident that it hadn’t been a complete waste.

Bridget Jones is a fantastic woman. The only woman I adore as much as her is a little known singer who goes by the name of Britney Spears. She’s going to be big, you heard it here first. My love for these two women stems from the fact that they make mistakes. They aren’t perfect. I can identify with them. Of course, Bridget and I have similar lifestyles – we’re both guilty of drinking too much at office parties, we both have fashion disasters, we both fail hopelessly with men. Britney and I have a little less in common. I’m yet to greet a 20,000 strong Mancunian crowd with the words “Hello London!”. Rest assured that the moment I do, I shall rewrite this entire paragraph.

My only problem with Bridget is not one that she can really be scolded for. Her diaries were written during the nineties, and a lot has changed since then. Bridge goes into great detail about things which were incredibly innovative at the time – ‘1471’, for example – and sadly these musings are really rather redundant these days. So I am taking it upon myself to write about my own life in an attempt to create a kind of literary lifestyle time capsule for someone to stumble over in years to come, and laugh about the ‘good old days when they only had BlackBerrys, and had to use aeroplanes to travel around the world’. And if all else fails, this will be a great alternative to the expensive diary I buy every January with great abandon, only to lose it two weeks later.

I am not at all a big fan of Renee Zellweger but as Bridget Jones she did a good job in the past. For the new Bridget Jones movie though she does not wanna gain weight again like she did the other 2 times. She will be wearing a fat suit, how lame!!!. As a reason her publicist says that losing the weight was hard the second time and it’s bad for the body. Well, at least she already has a bloated puffy face so that makes it easier to believe. 

Kirk Cameron, aka Mike Seaver from “Growing Pains” used to melt many girls and guys’ hearts during his sitcom days. My boyfriend actually had a big crush on him back in the day. As cute as he was then, now everything that comes out of his mouth is a lot less hot. I knew he was a christian fanatic but the things he said the past week where just ridiculous. First he wants to go and  crusade at schools that teach evolution because it’s wrong and he calls Darwin a vagina-hater and a racist. He also says Hitler’s actions were inspired by Darwin. Somebody sure looks a lot better with his mouth closed.

Apparently the Sex and the City set is not all fun and games. According to reports Sarah Jessica Parker(Carrie) and Kim Cattrall(Samantha) still dislike each other and so much that they refuse to talk to each other on the set leaving everyone uncomfortable. Both are really stressed, SJP because of her young son and baby twins at home. It’s always hard to believe that people playing best friends in a show hate each other that much.

Ha impiegato un po’ più di tempo per smaltire i chili accumulati per entrare – a tutti gli effetti – nei panni di Bridget Jones, per questa ragione l’attrice Renée Zellweger, che per Natale è attesa sul set del terzo e – se Dio vuole – ultimo episodio della saga della sfigata brit, non metterà su chili. Piuttosto, come ha fatto qualcuno prima di lei, la Zellweger indosserà dei costumi che la assimileranno alla rotonda protagonista del libro e del film. Secondo il magazine Reveal l’attrice si sarebbe consultata, tra l’altro, con uno specialista che le ha sconsigliato di giocare troppo con i dimagrimenti repentini che influenzerebbero il suo stato di salute a lungo termine.

Cigarettes : 26

Poids: 56 kilos euh 58 après la montagne de tapas que je venais de m’enfiler

Unités d’alcool: 4 mojitos ( oui mais je venais de me faire sacjacker pour ceux qui n’ont pas suivi …)

Do Vírgula:

“A atriz Renée Zellweger pretende não engordar novamente para encarnar a simpática personagem Bridget Jones. Segundo a imprensa especializada, já está confirmado: a loira vai usar uma roupa acolchoada durante as filmagens de Bridget Jones 3(…)”

_____

Só pra variar…

AQUI VOCÊ VÊ PRIMEIRO!!!

A expressão COLCHÃO AMARRADO NO MEIO ganha todo um sentido!

Anyone seen the Renee Zellweger-starrer “Bridget Jones’s Diary”?

Some may easily dismiss this as just another chick flick. But what I found fascinating in this film is the pressure shown imposed by society on single women to find a life-partner, forcing them to actively seek that “right man” which oftentimes leads to bad choices.

Why should it be society’s business when a person marries and unfairly treat that person when he/she continues to be single?!

In Maranao society, women experience the same pressure but not as much as men. Maranao women would have to wait to be proposed to or die a spinster. Otherwise, it is taboo for Maranao women to actively seek a husband.

Thus, it is Maranao men who are put on the same situation as Bridget Jones – dealing with parents who continuously parade possible girls for their son’s consideration, and to some extent parents of girls discreetly offering their daughters to parents of guys who are deemed worthy to be their son-in-law.

What is even more frustrating is that a single, well-accomplished Maranao man doesn’t get as much respect as a married, well-accomplished Maranao man from peers, especially from elders.

It’s hard to explain. There’s something about the way other Maranaos, specifically the older generation, look and interact with singletons as compared to their married counterparts. They don’t see you as a “real, mature adult” if you’re still single by the time you graduate and have a career already. If graduating in college and having a promising career are not enough, then having a trophy wife on your side will definitely seal the deal.

Believe it or not, there are innocent Maranao children whose impending marriage has been an utmost concern by their parents even before they are born. It would constitute such memorable comedic moments recalling all those efforts by certain parents to get their son a bride.

One of these moments is set in what I call the “meat market.” This is a common event where Maranaos of marrying age will want to see and be seen — Maranao weddings. While a Maranao bride and groom are having their union solemnized, someone among the guests is on his/her way to getting his/her marriage solemnized soon if “negotiations” don’t fall through. Parents would drag their unsuspecting son/daughter to these events with the flimsy excuse that the relatives would want to see their much-missed nephew/niece. If only these hapless singletons knew the true nature of these events, I swear they would avoid these weddings at all costs!

Another occasion to watch out for is elections in Lanao. This is one of the rare times when relatives from all corners of the Philippines get together to support another relative running in the polls and a chance to scout for a possible bride. A tragic mistake one can commit is to foolishly believe that going to the province for the elections is just to take part in an impromptu family reunion. As the fate of the candidates in the polls is being decided, some innocent single Maranao guy’s fate is also being sealed in a different way.

It’s not really about staying single for a long, long time until you die all alone, shriveled, and lonely. It’s about finding the right person at the right time. These are things that are not easily forced. Finding a wife is not as easy as going to a grocery or department store to find the purchase you like.

“Hmmm? I like this girl. I guess I’ll take her. Btw, is there a ‘no return, no exchange’ policy?”

 “Nope,” says the salesclerk

“Whaaaaat?! I’ll be stuck with her for the rest of my life if it doesn’t work out?”

“Yes, sir. Although we have this divorce policy. Once you avail of this, you’ll have exclusive membership to the D Club. Prominent members include Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston and our Hall of Famers include Jennifer Lopez and Elizabeth Taylor. But payment for membership would be through the millions of pesos worth of dowry that you won’t be getting back from your soon-to-be ex-wife.”

As the closing credits roll, either the song “All by Myself” or “Mag-asawa’y di biro” (not really sure if there is such a song or I’m mistaking it for “Magtanim ay di biro”) is played.

And they lived (un)happily ever after…pangaroma ka ke!

Renée Zellweger veut pas prendre de poids pour jouer dans le 3e film de Bridget Jones. En 2004, elle avait pris 30lbs pour pouvoir incarner le rôle de Bridget Jones, mais cette fois-ci elle a décidé de garder sa shape. Apparemment elle a pris cette décision parce qu’elle avait mis trop de temps à perdre le poids la dernière fois (no shit!).

Peu importe, ça changera jamais sa face de “Je viens de mordre direct dans un citron”.

Source