Film Review: Bella

I'm going to be very bold and say that I think Tammy Blanchard has the same "it" factor as Anne Baxter and Norma Shearer. I became enamored with her in middle school when I first saw her on the soap opera Guiding Light. I remember thinking, "What an actress!!" I can't believe she isn't famous and hasn't won at least one Oscar. I don't know where she is or what she's doing but I hope she puts herself out there more and does more movies. Her kind of talent is rare.

Released in 2006, Bella is a story about kindness and generosity. Nina (played by Tammy Blanchard pictured above and right) and Jose (played by Eduardo Verástegui pictured above and left) are co-workers in a New York City restaurant. Nina is a waitress and Jose is a cook; she arrives late the second day in a row and Jose's brother who owns the restaurant fires her on the spot. Jose feels bad and follows her outside where she tells him that she's pregnant and she doesn't know what she's going to do. She reveals that she is thinking of abortion because she doesn't think she's ready to have the child.

The majority of the movie takes place within 12 hours which is interesting as most movies cover a span of days and weeks. Jose takes her to his parents' home and he makes her comfortable and shows her the warmth of his family. She has dinner with his family and she later discovers that Manny (her former boss and Jose's brother) is adopted. She has a new found respect for Jose's parents and they extend their generosity to her inviting her to stay with them whenever the need arises. As the day progresses, Jose opens up and tells her that years ago while he was driving he accidentally hit and killed a little girl. He served four years in prison. When he was released he tried to contact the little girl's family but was unsuccessful; not having the opportunity for closure hurt him deeply. His disclosure encourages her to disclose to him her past. She tells him about her father's death which emotionally destroyed her family. She is the only child and has taken cared of her emotionally distraught mother over the years. She compliments him on his beautiful and loving family and you see in her eyes the longing for a family like the one Jose possesses. The next day they go about their lives and she asks him to go with her to the abortion clinic. They meet up several years later and what is uncovered will have you gasp, tear, and smile uncontrollably! Definitely pick this treasure up! .-_-

Unisex Fashion!

This is one of my favorite videos of Chriselle. Plus my hair BFF, Daven, is in this video and he is too funny! I love the idea of incorporating masculine pieces into my wardrobe! .-_-

Aldo Shoes

I always look forward to Chriselle Lim's videos on youtube. She's so clever and a huge fashion inspiration. After watching this particular video, I'm so playing this game when I get the chance! .-_-

Flames of Desire- Korean Drama

I just got finished watching probably one of the best Korean dramas I've ever seen. It's called Flames of Desire and it is FULL of drama. 

Flames of Desire first aired fall of 2010 so it's fairly recent. The music is amazing as it is very eclectic ranging from classical music to rock music and to acoustic music. Flames of Desire is about a chaebol family fighting for wealth and power; Yun Na-Young (played by Shin Eun-Kyun pictured above in red) was fortunate enough to marry into this family despite her poor background. She marries Kim Young-Min (played by Jo Min-Gi pictured above left) and pushes him to be the CEO of his father's company even though he'd rather be a painter. She failed to tell him that she was pregnant before he met her. After she gave birth, her sister told her the baby died but the baby didn't die and her sister took the infant to an orphanage.

Coincidentally, Kim Young-Min had a girlfriend before he met Yun Na-Young and she got pregnant as well. When Yun Na-Young finds out, she decides to pay the girlfriend to raise the child as her own since she fears that after her troublesome birth, she may not be able to have kids anymore. The girlfriend agrees and Yun Na-Young and Kim Young-Min raise Kim Min-Jae (played by Yoo Seung-Ho pictured above third to the left). Eventually Yun Na-Young's sister adopts her niece from the orphanage and raises her as her daughter. She runs away as a preteen and her aunt who has raised her as her daughter grieves the loss and assumes she's dead.

Twenty years later she has managed to be a famous actress and changes her name to Baek In-Gi (played by Seo Woo pictured above and right). By chance she meets Kim Min-Jae and they fall in love. Though not blood related, they are brother and sister by law. When the truth is revealed will they continue in their love or abandon their love? What would happen if Yun Na-Young discovers the baby that died never did die? What will she do? Watch this drama to find out! .-_-

Check out the trailer below. To watch this show free online, click here. 

Naturally Cure an Ear Infection

Photo by David Castillo Dominici

I woke up to both of my ears aching intensely. It was an ear infection and the pain was unbearable. I had already heard of this natural remedy but didn't have a chance to try it until now. It WORKS!!! My ear infection was gone in three days. Below you will find the instructions! .-_-

Photo by Grant Cochrane

You will need:

Two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Two cloves of garlic
Plastic spoon
Glass jar
Strainer
Small plastic tupperware
Small pot of boiling water.

Photo by Idea go

Instructions:

1. Bring water in a small pot to a boil
2. While the water is warming up, slice the cloves of garlic in quarters
3. Add the garlic to the olive oil in the plastic tupperware
4. Seal the tupperware and place in the small pot of boiling water. (You could warm it up in the microwave but I wanted to avoid any kind of radiation) Let it sit for about 5 minutes or until the garlic is soft.
5. Remove the tupperware and be careful not to burn yourself. Let it cool until it's room temperature.
6. Strain the olive oil into the CLEAN glass jar

7. Using the plastic spoon, scoop only a little bit and place three drops in each ear. Repeat twice a day until symptoms subside. The mixture will last for about a week.