4 posts from 2008

Is Nevernever land an injection away through HGH?

They say age is only a number, but those who take HGH seem to not believe this

A recent topic on Anderson Cooper’s show on CNN featured how the Human Growth Hormone (HGH) has affected the modern view on being youthful looking. HGH has made appearing youthful via an injection shot.

HGH is actually a performance enhancing drug that was put into quite a bad light when Barry Bonds was proven to have used them during his glorious baseball career.  Stars such as Suzanne Summers and Sylvester Stallone have publicly made known that they use HGH.  The results?  Stallone is playing Rambo at the tender age of 61.  

I don’t see anything wrong in wanting to stay  strong and fit even if we get to the age that we have grandchildren already or we’re fit for senior a citizen’s card.  But the difference lies in the ways we achieve this goal.  Research has shown that HGH should only be prescribed to those who have growth hormone deficiencies.  Side effects include possible diabetes and cancer.  

What would be the sense if you look 10 years younger but your body is deteriorating inside?

So, if we take HGH, will we be like Peter Pan who never aged even though Wendy had grandchildren already?

I daresay nothing beats having a happy outlook in life and peace of mind to looking young.  And no matter how we evade aging, we will have to close our eyes permanently one day.  But you know, dying wrinkle-free isn’t a bad thing either.  But then, we’ll still end up decayed six feet under when our time is up.

Loving means sharing.. EVERYTHING.

Or is it really? Are there still lines that should remain uncrossed? The bathroom door, perhaps?

My bff, Erin, spends the night in my apartment whenever she and her husband have fights. I’m used to seeing her at my door either crying or swearing about her husband.  But her latest unsolicited sleep over a month ago gave me the shocker of my life. They fought over their bathroom.

She said that she had the last straw when her husband left the bathroom in a colossal mess.  The toilet seat was like a mummy wrapped in tissue paper, the soap was floating in the tub, the shampoo caps and toothpastes were all unsealed, the hole was full of hairs, and cigarette butts were all over the bathroom tiles.  She said that this has been going since the day they got back from their honeymoon two years ago. In her rant and stress, she actually thought of leaving him.

She came back in my place just this past weekend and was beaming happily when she told me that they have built two bathrooms in their house.  She ecstatically told me a mixture of zen-like insights and practical benefits on how having separate bathrooms brought back the romance in their marriage.

1. There is an increased respect for one’s sense of space

We all know that besides love, respect is essential in sustaining relationships.  A sense that you still have something you can actually call your own even becauseyou know that if you ever get a divorce he’ll get half of what’s yours, unless you have a pre-nup.

2. Your own bathroom gives the perfect avenue for emotional release.

Aside from the obvious "releasing" we all do in this area of the house, having your own bathroom from your partner can provide healing activity with privacy.

3. The sense of separation gives an air of mystery and excitement.

There’s a tingling feeling when you visualize what’s behind the other room where your partner is usually half naked or totally naked besides your bed.  

4. You don’t have to be stressed over your partner’s mess.

With your own bathroom, you don’t have to experience migraines over what you’ll see after your partner goes out of it every morning. You don’t have to wake up earlier than your partner just to get into the bathroom first.

5. Your bathing hours need not to be cut short.

If you’re one of those who spends at least an hour taking a bath just like me and Erin, then having a separate bathroom is the most ideal for you.  

I’m still living alone so I don’t have a problem with sharing. But then again, it all depends on the couples. Some can share and eventually compromise and make changes to each other’s bathroom habits. In the end, either you stuck to one bathroom or built another one, if you really love each other, you’ll meet halfway.  The bathroom really made Erin mature. Believe me, she can be really shallow at times.  By the way, Erin and her husband are now carrying a gift from the stork.

What’s next when the glitz and sparks of a proposal are over?  The wedding you hope would sweep you off your feet.

If our weddings can get as sweet as those in the following movies, then maybe we’d dream of walking down the aisle over and over again. These movies were compiled by HBO as Hollywood’s top wedding movies.

Movies about wedding tend to bring us to tears and laughter and sometimes annoyance, I know, I felt all those emotions when I watched wedding flicks.  But then again, no matter what they make us feel, we keep on watching them like it’s the first time that we have heard of these movies.

Now I'm listing them from 10 to 1, following the tv shows' lead.

10. Runaway bride (1999)

This was a reunion movie for Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. The part where Julia’s character crawled at window was definitely comedic and you’ll feel pity for the boy holding the rear of Julia’s wedding gown who got dragged literally by Julia away from the altar.  

9. The Marrying Man (1991)

This romantic-comedy set the real life romance for Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger.  What was so adorable in this movie was though their first meeting was quick ( I meant that in every sense) and bitter sweet, it makes one want to believe in meant-to-be scenarios. Their characters met over and over again through years, marrying and splitting up , and then finally getting thing right. As sweet as the movie’s ending and their real life vows were, we all know that they are currently at each other’s throats for the custody of their daughter, Ireland. So sorry..was only able to post the poster. The trailer's practically not available.

8. Wedding Singer ( 1998 )

Now, was the airplane scene the sweetest part of this movie? And the song, Grow old with  you, says it all.  Drew Barrymore looked so dainty and Adam Sandler really rocked the songs.  

7. The Wedding Planner ( 2001)

The part where Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey danced in a park and Jennifer’s character was amazed that he can dance was truly jaw-dropping, in a sweet way, of course. At that moment, she jokingly asked if he was gay, and the way he answered that he was gay, made us believe that he definitely was a straight man.

6. Muriel’s Wedding (1994)

The scene where Toni Colette’s character had almost made out with her boyfriend was definitely hilarious with her laughter so contagious it will laughing as well.  Social issues like low-self esteem and diseases affecting women were highlighted in this movie.  Why the title, Muriel's Wedding?,
Muriel (Toni Colette) had frequent daydreams of her dream wedding.  

5. Father of the bride (1991)

A classic tale of a father’s rollercoaster emotions when his only girl is about to get married. The basketball the backyard was truly filled with warmth.

4. My big, fat Greek wedding (2002)

This movie emphasizes love beyond race. They definitely took the whole Greek translation to a hilarious level.  

3. My bestfriend’s wedding ( 1997)

Again, Julia Roberts proved she is the marring type, both in movies and in real life.  Her speech at the reception makes us weep all over again.

2. The Graduate ( 1967

Now, this is the sole movie on the list of the top wedding movies that doesn’t contain any word associated with weddings whatsoever.  Dustin Hoffman’s character had an affair with the mother of the girl he fell in love with.  This movie took home an Oscar. The confrontation scene when Dustin was shaving was so sweet.

1. Four weddings and a funeral  (1994)

This movie made Hugh Grant an overnight household name not only in Britain but around the world as well.  The flick made box office records as one of the highest grossing movies in Britain.  Rowan Atkinson aka Mr. Bean playing as a priest? That should definitely get things funny yet witty. The wedding speech scene was adorable.

Drawn from real life
Watching these wedding movies makes us think that the characters do really look good together in real life. Or that we will meet someone like the characters the next day.  Either we will get married or not, these movies will definitely make us hopeful of a life full of cakes and champagne, in a figurative sense.  

Couples who can’t stand each other even for just one day have the courtesy to put a very understated reason on the divorce papers, irreconcilable differences.

Currently not in a relationship right now, or married for that matter, but I had my  unfair share of heartaches through my years on this life.  Maybe there are people who are cut off for a “coupled” life, while some are destined to love solitude for all time. Enough about me.

Let’s admit it, even how painful and soul-wrenching a split up is, at the end of the day, a single nerve in our brain transmits a message that it was all for best, that you had to be apart from that person and that you are a little relieved and one day, we’ll wake up with bouncing smiles.   But then again, regret is something we’ll all feel along the way because the happy ever part is over, at least with that person.

So, what drives couples to breaking up madness?  But before you go on, I have a disclaimer, I’m talking about men and women in general, so, it doesn’t mean that if you’re a man that you’re guilty of these things, same goes for women.  Well, if you are guilty, then, that’s your story.

1. Men don’t apologize while women can’t let go

Generally, this is the case why relationships falter. Men tend to talk little and just keep quiet and don’t want talks that last more than at least five minutes.  On the other hand, women tend to hold on to a lot of stuff. All of us can shut up for a while but when something triggers the emotions, we burst in a way that men can’t stand the tension anymore.  Maybe both can just make way for each other, you know, men can say sorry not only with gifts but with a little apologetic speech as well, while women can let little things go as long as they have been resolved.

2. Couples tend to focus on the negative

We are all guilty of this.  Unfortunately, there comes a time that we unconsciously turn a blind eye to the good things and concentrate on the bad for it is better to cite the bad ones, to some extent.  Maybe we can all go back to the dating  days when appreciate the little yet sweetest thing our partners do for us.

3. Bad timing

This is something that is inevitable.  It’s like we’re busy all the time and can’t be disturbed. Maybe we can be more intimate by hugging each other more. Hugging increases oxytoxin, the happy hormone. That way, timing won’t be a problem anymore. I mean, there’s really no good timing. A bad news will always be bad news, same goes for the good ones.

4. Partners either talk too much or too little

Looks like there’s never balance, isn’t it?  But then again, we can never talk moderately right? Maybe the key is to solve this is to let each other talk first instead of talking simultaneously like there’s no tomorrow.

Eye openers

Ah, maybe stones will be thrown instead of bread. When all these things happen, breaking up isn’t that hard to do and the easiest road to travel.  It all depends to the situation. Have posted the reasons not to point blame but to open realizations and learn from them. In the end, let's all love one another to achieve world peace.