The Male World: Men in my Life...or not in my life yet

(family not included)

KO: The Arrogant, Slutty Writer
To me, he stands as the reason behind my crazy, eccentric character and he usually puts sense into me. You see, i can be quite blonde sometimes and he keeps me, let's just say, a brunette which i really am. He is my platonic husband and we usually keep each other company while we are still single and looking hopelessly for love. He wants to be a writer someday and i think he will be...if he just puts his mind to it. Ko is a wonderful guy with great potential but he needs to find an unknown balance in his life. One sure thing about him is that he is an arrogant bastard but ironically, he is down to earth also. You love to hate him and you would hate to love him. But that he is, loveable. He and I share critical and sarcastic conversations about everything but we bring out the best in everything too. We share the same frustrations with family and love. I guess that's why we're drawn to each other. We're brought together to bring sarcasm and love to the world.

Oat: The Quiet, Thoughful and is in need of Tact Gay Friend
Oat is one of a kind. If he just had a vagina, he would be the perfect girl bestfriend. He and I share talks on guys, popstars and of the heart. He is truly a genuine person, in the sense that he would tell you exactly what he feels without restraint. Sometimes I think he lacks tact but I guess he has just kept his mouth shut too long to stop it now. He understands my "girl" drama and he and I fight about every little thing but we get over it in a flash. We just love to bitch out at each other for no particular reason but that's how we love each other. He gives me reason to be feminine and to embrace my femininity. I envy him for knowing what he wants and running after it whether it costs him his heart. I wish I was that brave. Oat is a very pure person and he is passionate about the things he want that he really treasures them and is not afraid of what otehr people think. If he had a motto it would be, "I am what I am, if you don't like it then...(slap, slap) Bitch." He is such a character that it's hard not to laugh when you're around him.

Angelo: The Hopeful Lost Cause
Well...what can i say that would not bring me any heartache when it comes to Angelo. Nothing! He is just the one guy that I would not be willing to give up. He is that guy you think you're so perfect and compatible with but you can never have. He broke my heart and he doesn't know it. He will think of me, until the end of his life, as a sister and that's that. I guess my feelings happened at the wrong time, wrong group of friends but at the right moment. Does that makes sense? I don't know if it will ever happen but i remain hopeful and in regret.

Gian: The Clueless (or not) Panda Man
I hang out at Starbucks whenever I have a chance to and that's a lot of times. At the same time, I love chubby guys; guys who has some junk on their trunk. So when those two things collide (Starbucks and chubby guys) you get Gian. The nice, adorable, Starbucks barista. I guess i was forced into stalker-hood by my friends. At first, i just liked looking at him but eventually information about him kept pouring in and I was a transformed into a Stalker. Thanks guys. But yeah, I think he's cute and cuddly and his head is just shiny.

Ruben: The Musician I just met a couple of hours ago
I was hanging out at Starbucks and this serenade played and he was playing it behind our seats by himself. So an epiphany happend and i just gathered the courage to talk to him and I did. He moved to sit at our table and he serenaded me for three minutes. I had to leave in a hurry because i needed to go to work. But yeah, it was a friendly flirtation and I wish I will see him again.

XOXO Yana

Thanksgiving, Thank You

On the Menu:

1. Ham with brandy and sugar drizzled on top

2. Meatloaf

3. Creamy Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

4. Spinach Salad

5. Corn Bread

6. Red Wine or Apple Cider

Yes, you read it right. We did not have turkey. Just thought that we would have cooked it dry and it would just be a waste. It turned out good. It was our official thanksgiving dinner and it was all perfectly imperfect. All was semi home made and spectacular.

XOXO Yana

Pop Culture Phenomenon: Twilight

My very first impression as I walked out of the cinema was that it was such a chick flick and I am definitely not complaining. Yes, the effects could have been more polished and the dialogue more fluid but it was very hard to not love it at the end of the day. The romance, to me, was innocent and pure for the most part with a few dirrrrty undertones. (see how I love torturing my single self by watching romantic movies?)

If guys, meaning manly men, are expecting to see action, you ain't getting much of it. There's also only a few cameos of "blood" which is ironic since this is a vampire movie. No Underworld here if that's what you're looking for. I would say that Twilight is a cross between a teen movie and a dark independent movie with a little spiderman thrown in.

Did I think it's good you may wonder? Yeah, I did not read the book prior to watching it so I may have a different opinion with other avid fans of this cult following.

What I did find very interesting and mysterious is the dynamics between the members of the Cullen family. I was deeply intrigued and mytstified and I wanted more but I just could not have it which leaves me wanting more, for the sequel, I mean (can i get any more redundant here?). Their intensity draws you and I wanted to know their history but sadly, it was untold. They were willing to do anything, not just for their family, but also their loved one's loved one. (?) They protected each other like a creature from the wild, very animalistic. (And I mean it in the best possible way) They are all also not bad to look at.

Of course I could not put an end to this and not talk about the love birds now could I? I did see the awkward and surprisingly sexy chemistry between Edward and Bella. It felt as real as any romance in movies can be. With another sequel, I think their romance might just explode. You see I love the maladroit beauty that Bella, or should I say Kristen, have. If you don't like those types of beauty then you would say that she looks plain but if you do, good for you, then you will say that she is achingly gorgeous. As for Edward, do I even need to defend his gorgeous-ism? He is fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnne. These two are well on their way to cult-following, vampire-loving, pop culture and top-whatever-number-list-of-newcomers/stars to look out for phenomenon.

Overall, the film lacks background and that high techy stuff they do in superhero movies but with a little patience, a better sequel perhaps, it is worth your while. I cannot wait fot the next one after this and rest assured that it will be better budgeted after the success of Twilight.

With this said I end it at this note, "And so the lion fell in love with the lamb. What a stupid lamb. What a sick, masochistic lion."

XOXO Yana

Rate it: B-

So I saw the movie "Flakes" starring Zooey Deschanel and Aaron Stanford. Set in the New Orleans, the movie is about a local cereal cafe where the townspeople normally hang out. This is until they have met a capitalist for competition across the road with the same name and concept. Miss Pussy Katz (Deschanel) took this advantage to squeeze out her boyfriend (Stanford) into actually making his own CD.

So here is what I think. I thought that the movie is a good kind of B movie. It was cute and adorable and it did not have any ridiculous or over the top nonesense. At first it seemed like a totally irrelevant movie but it actually showed a lot of issues concerning consumerism and capitalism underneath. Some scenes were dragging but I love Zooey Deschanel and she always pulls anything off. I am sounding a but biased but who can blame me? It is a quirky movie with likeable characters and yeah, it was kinda cheesy but it is very diffeent and fresh. At the end of the day, it still has that happy ending which is always nice to watch.

Overall, watch it if you're a fan of Zooey or if you are bored or a big indie fan.

XOXO Yana

My Only Politically-concerned Blog

I woke up this morning to a brand new era. Barack Obama is elected president. This is truly a morning to remember for the momentous "change" that people has been asking for is about to happen. Or has it already happened? But I do feel the change in the air and although I myself am not a big politics fan, I do feel a sense of unity as of listening to his heart-felt speech. It does seem like change is coming and his "yes we can" catch-phrase surrounds the white house. I hope it does happen. Not anytime soon but I hope it will.

Another thing that is plaguing the morning news is the issue concerning Proposition 8. It seems that people still oppose the same-sex marriage. Except in Virginia where as my mom would call it, the lesbian state. I do feel a little loss for those people who are already married and might be affected greatly by this defeat. Although I am not married, not even once, it still seems like a tragedy to not be considered married after getting married. It is a sad, sad thing but I do think that this is only the beginning of another war that will go on for years to come. I do feel that everything that has to do with human rights on this country pull through. It may not happen now or the next year but I do know this, the gay community will have their rights because this country is a land of hopes and dreams and justice.

XOXO Yana

Introducing: The Movie Addict

Hi my name is Yana and I am a movie-holic.

I make it a point to watch movies on a regular basis. It is my obssession. I tend to revolve my own life to those of the movies. It is in fact a hobby of mine but lately I have thought of it as a job. If it was up to me, I would have seen all the movies that has ever been shot. I can watch movies all day long. I imagine in my head the things I would like to write in a column for a review on a paper or magazine or a website. I study the characters and the places and the scenes. I find it disturbing actually...

You may say that I'm lazy. Go ahead, I welcome you. But I do find this sort of adventure through films. They comfort me, strangely enough. It is a journey to me; one that I cannot and will never experience for I, in my opinion, lead a very tedious life and this is my one outlet.

Come and join me in my world and the world of eccentric, deeply-flawed, vulnerable, exciting, and almost-real characters and their life called the "movies."

XOXO Yana

Life is a Single Skip for Joy

I have been working hard lately... yes! I have been working and if anyone thinks otherwise well, your opinion does not matter here. It was a surprise to me that I did not have to work yesterday and today. Thank God! I deserve it. What did I do? I caught up with some television shows I love and rented movies that I have been dying to watch and just got lazy. What?!?! I deserve it.

Moving on... I rented a movie called "Dedication." I saw its previews online and just by looking at it, it has my name attached to it. I love dry movies. They are simple yet full of content; straight-forward yet you get a feeling of mystery for all it's incomplexities.

First of, I love Mandy Moore. I have been a big fan since her A Walk to Remember days and although her movies lately has not given her much justice, I still remain her groupie. She did try more teen movies after and just left her on a plateau. (Chasing Liberty is an exception and that left me in a love trance) Later on, she went into this phase of weird, bizarre roles in movies that I was about to give up my interest. Then came her dumb romantic comedies which I thought were cute but lacks substance for her talent. Finally, Dedication, I felt, gave her that area which she could actually excel into. Let me just get this out of the way... I love this movie!!!

As for Billy Crudup, who plays opposite Mandy Moore, he did give a stellar performance in my opinion. I liked his movies such as Almost Famous (Cool movie, btw), Big Fish, Stage Beauty (love, love love!), and Trust the Man. I do feel that he is a good actor that deserves more credit than what is given to him from his movies and projects. He can dive into a character and embrace it without any reservations. He also ain't bad to look at.



Billy Crudup plays Henry Roth, a successful children's book writer who lives a dull life. The only person he does care about is his collaborator, Rudy, who recently died and left him to finish his next children's book. Henry needs to work with Lucy, Mandy Moore's character, who is an illustrator, to finish his next book.

Henry Roth is... let's just say, he is not good with the ladies. He pushes people away and just wants to be by himself in his dump of an apartment in solace. He is very rude towards Lucy and pushes her away at every opportunity he gets. He does this because he unknowingly is falling for her eccentricities and her balls to snap back at him. Henry has a problem with sleeping, riding in cars and asking help from friends and she helps him get over those fears. Lucy has a tough exterior but deep inside, she wants a man to woo her too. This happens through Henry's little gestures...

1. Gives her this tiny, unusual, unique rock. He throws the rock at a beach full of pebbles and later on finds it for her. (How sweet is that?!?!?)

2. Borrows a friend's beach house so that she can concentrate on her work.

3. Gives her a telescope that she has been wanting since childhood.

I cannot give the movie justice with my words... You just have to go see for yourself...

They have hilarious dialogues and sweet moments together that even with all that animosities, craziness and sarcasm thrown all together, you can't help but root for the two to end up. Let me just praise the writer, David Bromberg, for this movie. The dialogues are funny and sarcastic and just beautifully written. I was laughing the whole time. Brilliant!!!

Here are some quotes for you...

"The reason why people get together now because they think they're looking for similarly broken people."

"Life is nothing but the echo of joy disappearing into the great chasm of misery."

"Life is nothing but the occasional burst of laughter rising above the interminable wail of grief."

"Don't accuse me of not liking you."

"You're the goddamn thing!"

aww....sighs...another hit for Ms. Moore

P.S. THIS IS FOR ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO GAVE UP, IS GIVING UP, AND IS GOING TO GIVE UP ON LOVE. YOU ARE NOT AS HOPELESS AS YOU THINK. THERE ARE FAR MORE HOPELESS PEOPLE THAN YOU ARE. GET OVER IT. MWAHUGS!!!

XOXO Yana