You're special just the way you are...well, until you start to resemble Emperor Palpatine

“I’m like so fearful of getting wrinkles, so I’m buying all these…”, I heard the lady next to me say loud-enough-for-anyone-not-eavesdropping-to-hear-anyway on her cell phone, as she ogled the wide array of beauty potions at Walgreens. Meanwhile, I was there for dish washing detergent, as the store had a buy-one-get-one-free—nope, I refuse to fall prey to that let’s-cut-the-words-really-short-to-the-point-of-grunting-forget-succinctness-just-because-we-all seem-to-be-in-a-constant-mad-rush-in-this-hyper-information-and-hypo-attention-span-age “BOGO” term; this time, acronyms just won’t do for me—special (each came down to 79 cents, can you believe it?!#*!?...lower than the dollar store junk!#%*!), splenda (same case here, $2.99 for 100 packets and I had a $1.00 off coupon as well), facial tissue which the manager gave me a rain check for should the next shipment arrive sometime in 2025, and, yes, a tried-and-true, good-old’-fashioned, no-fuss St. Ive’s facial lotion just because my face felt so tight and cracked, like I needed lip-balm all over my face…well, that’s just it, I needed a face balm. Not that I don’t secretly detest old age when it comes, because I bet my still fresh rear that 50% of women on earth really want to keep their youthful appearance, some of which haven’t realized it yet as they are still very young and in their diapers, and the other 50% are in their graves with the worms, their bodies or bones sans skin rather, with their spirit elsewhere. My point is, “Lady, could you be a bit louder and more blunt when broadcasting your rhytiphobia and gerascophobia (fear of wrinkles and old age), because being subtle is simply out nowadays, especially when everything is in, like men who aren’t gay but dress like women anyway, and old women who think they can still parade their sexuality by the way they dress and act. Am I being sarcastic here? Am I? Am I? So, people, won't you please announce all your thoughts a little louder already? Tis the day of confessions and testimonies, remember? Forget about whom you’ll affect, such as children—especially yours…when they come, if you don’t have any yet, as you constantly remind them the joy of being yourself because they’re special just the way they are, but only while they’re still young and they must fight those damn wrinkles when they come, and better yet, help these kids be proactive now and get that nose, lip, or chest job while they’re still fresh. Take them to the doctor for a nice set of pouty lips like those of the Bratz dolls. We’re in the day and age when we’re just going to be real, so come clean already people! Say, I will fight old age until the day I join the worms in the dirt and eventually become dust myself. By the way, while others prefer the more natural olive oil, my mom prefers Oil of Olay for its fighting capabilities, battling the 7 signs of aging. I’ve yet to find out which is a better remedy for banishing wrinkles. Maybe, a really effective potion, even a magic wand, would be discovered years from now, to forever vanquish old age. I’ll be crossing my fingers for that one. For now, I rejoice in my St. Ive’s face balm. And just maybe, I’ll later join the fight against old age.

Free Movies at Twilight, or anytime at Hulu

You really don't need TV nowadays, though it has become finer as part of your entertainment experience and home decor. Why not? Well, Hulu. It's an on-line site that offers everything from TV shows to movies. I stumbled on it when I was comparing car insurance companies and banks and finally ending up at Dolans.com, which is a great site for money matters. There are other websites that offer free movies, but Hulu is a definitely well-designed and easy on the eye among the few that I looked at. I picked this video clip of Access Hollywood, just because of the movie Twilight. If there's one person that the vampire, Edward Cullen, or even Robert Pattinson himself didn't want to bite the neck of, it's this "Dish of Salt" lady who only succeeded in making the actors so uncomfortable in their own skin that they actually looked it...and that's saying a lot about actors who are supposed to be experts in concealing their true feelings. Well, maybe the Twilight cast isn't used to the limelight yet. Give them another twilight, perhaps a sequel. But the salt dish is really a bit annoying on this interview, especially when Kristen Stewart came up. Well, Kristen handled it well. Go see and play the video. Below it is the movie trailer for Twilight.

Maher and Morningstar, or Mike—the headless chicken,

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The answer is it only takes six weeks for them (chickens) to live, from the farm and onto your plate in whatever fashion—grilled, barbecued, or fried—according to Bill Maher in a recent interview featured in New Jersey Life Magazine. Meat consumption apparently tops factory and car emissions in heating up the earth; cows produce an incredible amount of methane. Also, it takes more land to raise animals for consumption than grow crops that can feed a greater number of people. In addition, the growth hormones that these animals are injected with for speedy growth pass on to us.

To eat or not to eat?—that is the question. Like most people, I’ve had a general idea of our dominance over animals in the food chain just swimming in my subconscious. But hearing it again—I was vegan for two years five years ago until my will yielded its power back to the irresistible baby shrimps in the scrumptious Chinese fried rice, then to the delectable baked salmon drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice, to the sweet bits of reddened, roasted pork in Chinese fried rice, to the tasty gyros, to the yummy McDonald’s chicken nuggets, egg mcmuffin, and Big Mac, and Burger King’s Tendercrisp chicken sandwich and Whopper, and Chinese sweet and sour chicken, and finally to the Chinese fried pork dumplings, which taste similar to Filipino Longaniza (sausage) in its sweetness and spices. Notice the progression? Blame it on the baby shrimps, then the fish…and so on and so forth. Meanwhile, the egg remains incognito in the delicious Chinese fried rice. Maybe it’s the tempting Chinese food’s fault. You get the picture. I rest my case—and hearing the details of the process and the consequences of meat consumption that not only adversely affect our bodies, but the health of our planet as well, makes me want to think twice about, and perhaps never think again of, eating meat.

I will consider this further over an egg muffin breakfast or chicken nugget lunch at McDonalds, if I’m not already mulling it over at BK with a Tendercrisp. Seriously, I’ve got to face my demons before I can power my will and say “Goodbye, you and I are kaput.” I probably have to brush up on my tofu burger, sauteed tofu, and tofu with pasta. Wonder if my son can stomach them…I’ll just feed him loads of McCain fries; they’re cooked with canola oil—yeay! One thing for sure, those vegan burgers, except for a few exceptions like Morningstar’s, should be banished from the health shelves/freezers since they taste no different from seasoned styrofoam, how I imagine it—the styrofoam—to taste like, anyway.

Life’s full of quandaries. But tofu accompanying it, instead of animal excretions turning our earth into a virtual oven to bake us and potentially harmful, artificial growth hormones to plague us, seems more inviting. My fruits, vegetables, hearty breads, potatoes, rice, pastas, olives, and a host of other flavorful foods shall keep me company...when I...if I...decide to...go vegan...again. At least, then, I’d be able to ruminate on “The chicken or the egg” philosophical question.

Vitamin

I love stories and poems about the unconditional love of a child. And for a parent like me, nothing can top this totally free and genuine love displayed in a child’s hug. A simple but genuine embrace demonstrating the unconditional love of the little person with the big heart sometimes even confounds the adult psyche, especially when you’re able to catch the moment it happens right before your eyes. This is an embrace apart from the guilt-driven ones from children who think they owe their parents unconditional love for raising them, regardless of their upbringing. It’s apart from the extra tight ones from children who are extremely excited and entranced with their presents. This embrace is easy, undemanding, uncomplicated, unfussy, sure, and true. It’s a simple hug that says I enjoy you…I like you...I love you. And it feels so good when given to you unexpectedly by your child. It’s the best vitamin any parent must take for sustenance by being completely cognizant when that moment occurs and your child comes your way and throws one right at you. Seize it. Feed off this vitamin and feed the nourishment right back to your child.

Zipping through happenings that zipped by

Zipping through life leaves me befuddled, aside from breathless. So, for my sake, as this blog is practically my journal—I record more of the thoughts my reeling mind churns out here and also on pieces of paper and napkins than in my actual, old-fashioned, hard bound journals—I need to log a few things that happened this summer, and maybe even events that took place in recent years, that they don’t just become random fragments floating in my already cluttered head and promoting further congestion. I need to unload them here.

First, The Hudson County Waterfront Clean-up. It was such a hot day in June at the park by the bay. But it was also such a pleasant thing to help clean a small part of Newark Bay with other responsible, earth-conscious individuals. My family's looking forward to participating again next year to help reduce the garbage defacing our earth, right here in our small part of the world, because every little effort, every little hand, and every little heart counts.

Next is Liberty State Park's 34th Annual Cultural Arts Festival, which The Hudson Artists of New Jersey participated in. Here’s the always delightful chairperson, Marge Colavito, who is a truly remarkable artist and also the association's chairperson. She holds painting classes for anyone interested at The Upstairs Art Gallery, where she also offers services such as framing and art concession. And here’s a glimpse of my hand-painted shirts for a sample sale. Of course, the event showcased many impressive works by other artists, one of who had his paintings printed on shirts, and I, being an artist who likes to support other artist/artisans who passionately put their hearts and souls into their handmade products, just had to buy a couple of those creative shirts, one for my husband and the other for my brother.

Speaking of my brother, he is also an artist, and is quite exceptional as well, especially for someone who just recently graduated with a Fine Arts degree and hasn’t had any professional experience. Here’s a glimpse of his work in sculpture and the eagle in the Senior Art Exhibit 2008 poster pictured below. He had already bequeathed three of his original pieces to me—the eagle done in graphite (shown in the picture), a pelican in pastel, and another bird in acrylic are all perched in my hallway. They look so realistic that I could almost hear the birds sing. Well…

Anyway, here's a video of him painting with his class at the University of Guam. (I envy their al fresco ambiance; which painter wouldn't be inspired to paint the colors of nature? Surely, the bright and boundless nature can always spark something magical to transpire. You just have to keep your eyes open...and you'll see the guy, with a white shirt and a full head—thick hair—standing while he paints; that's my brother :)

Finally, Fourth of July was nice and relaxing this year, just like last year, and unlike in 2005, when we camped at Liberty State Park and trekked back to the light rail station when the fireworks were over, which was quite grueling with all our packs burdening our backs as we guided our son through the exodus in the dark. There was one consolation. Yoda communed with us...

This time, we just sat by our town’s Waterfront Park while the fireworks fascinated us. See…

On my next posting: trip to Salem last year, coffee shops, Strands Bookstore, Gray’s Papaya Hotdogs, summer at the Washington Square Park in the village and Ocean Grove beach, this year’s Halloween, and a few other happenings yet to be mentioned...I hope...

On twits who mind your flabs

The comment below was supposed to have been for Urban Recluse's July article, "Getting Through Saturday", but the site had a glitch when I tried posting and I eventually forgot about it until recently. It's been a while since that event took place, so I'm not even posting this comment on the original article. However, it is a relevant issue which many of you can probably relate to. So, I'm posting the comment here instead, for those who has experienced the same tragic torment by people, supposedly your kin or even friends who casually throw remarks about your physical appearance, especially involving your weight, when they see you again in a social setting, especially in a social setting.

And I thought that only my culture (Filipino's) is notorious for this social blunder or just a clear case of tactlessness, bordering on rudeness, of bringing up someone else's weight, or anyother flaw on one's physical appearance. If I were to attend that party in your place, I'd tweak your mom's finesse and flavor it a bit with George Carlin's bluntness spiced with sarcasm.

For example:

(Uncouth) Godmother: Darling, you’re living a fine life, aren’t you, as I can see that you've been eating rather well.

(Refined and Feisty) You: Why, thank you. It’s nice of you to notice (with an exaggerated smile and full eye-contact). It's always a delight to see you. How are you? Well, you don't seem to be having any difficulty yourself. You look rather lively and well-fed as well. Now I hate to cut this short, but you'll have to excuse me, as I just can't resist another round of those mouth-watering hors d'oeuvres.

Or:

U.Godmother: Honey, either my vision's oddly increased the size of the things I see or you've swelled six sizes since the last time I saw you (with gaping mouth).

R.F.Y: Oh, (Ill-bred) Godmother, it's always a delight to see you. How are you? You look healthy! Do be careful leaving your mouth hanging as the bugs are out at this time of the year. And oh, by the way, have you seen the international news headline at all? Well, apparently, someone was severely punished in Singapore for casually making a rude remark at a social function. The person was made to sit on the buffet table like a pig, bare-naked with an apple on her head as the high official's daughter aimed knives at it—the apple. As it turned out the high official's mother was the one who had thrown the party and the pig on the buffet table who had "unintentionally" thrown an insult to the host's daughter was the godmother. Anyway, I thought I'd update you on that current event, since it's been the talk of town. Now, I must leave you for those irresistible hors d’oeuvres (with full eye-contact, an affable facial expression, and intensity in recounting the fabricated story to discourage any interruptions in the form of your disturbed godmother's responses). You get the point.

I commiserate. I experienced similar situations, from both shallow friends and annoying relatives with peas for brains. Other friends of mine, even one who is of another culture, also had tragic experiences like that, enough to not only humiliate but dumbfound one in a social scene. Show up with dignity and enjoy your little time there with your mom and the food and the wine and the rest of the company; it can't possibly be that every guest turns out to be a pig. Then leave when you wish. Allow yourself that fleeting peace by tuning out those nasty memories and letting yourself go. It gets easier after the first few minutes. Anyway, you might just have a different experience this time and end up having a good time. Also, it will pass, as with everything else.

Apparently, the event did turn out fine for Urban Recluse. Still, it never hurts to be armed with smart, yes even sarcastic, retorts to twits who temporarily lose their wits whenever they see you.

Dirt on Marital Equality on Housework

by amica paige



Peg (on spouse, Ted):

He leaves everything for me to do here. So, you know what I do? I make him do half the work half the time and I ask him to do the other half 40% the time, which leaves me with everything else the rest of the time. I do everything here, it’s unbelievable!