by J. Raymond

Grace Kelly

As December 2012 hits, I’ve been contemplating on how I should start the new year right. Part of it is to be a real mature woman and leave some things behind that had given me traces of slight opposes to responsibilities.

This post of mine is a tribute to one of my inspiration. Epitome of elegance, class and sophistication. For me, she’s a woman with a beauty and charm I can’t compare to others.

Grace Kelly

Born in Philadelphia in 1929, raised Catholic, Grace Kelly became a popular actress in the 1950’s starring in movies such as Dial M for Murder, To Catch a Thief and The Swan. After marrying Prince Rainier III of Monaco on April 19, 1956, in a very public and ornate ceremony, at this point Kelly was one of the highest paid and most respected actresses in the world. Kelly abandoned her acting career in order to become Princess Consort of Monaco. She became very involved in many cultural and charitable organizations over the course of her life. http://www.biography.com/

Due to my slight fascination in classic movies, the first time I saw her is on her movie To Catch A Thief (1955)

with actor Cary Grant

wearing the famous "To Catch A Thief" famous blue dress

that had inspired this Grace Kelly barbie. (Oh i want to have this!)

My one favorite movie of her is Rear Window (1954) because of its interesting thrilling story.

with James Stewart

the famous black and white dress she wore in this movie

that had inspired this Rear Window Kelly Barbie

And the last movie she made before she became a princess High Society (1956). On where i could say she really had shown her own definition of class.

with Frank Sinatra

with Bing Crosby

I adore the set of clothes she wore in High Society, I mean these are from 50's, and you're still in style if you wear it now. Knowing it's not that easy to buy it in boutiques nowadays.

swimsuit

gown

white dress

casual

 

I wasn't just captivated by her classic beauty and timeless taste, but mostly of her undisputed poise, impeccable social manners and the charitable nature is what i admire about her the most.

maybe it wasn’t yet obvious that I’m inspired by her. But I REALLY AM, you’ll see. =)

if i were a boy

I pride myself having a keen eye for beauty. A classic beauty never fades, it isn't necessary to keep up with trends.

 Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Biography and Movie List

Kate Beckinsale

Biography and Movie List

Grace Kelly

Biography and Movie List

Five Key Elements to Happiness

1. Good physical and mental health
2. Good personal and intimate relationships, such as those of marriage, the family, and friendships.
3. The faculty for perceiving beauty in art and nature.
4. Reasonable standards of living and satisfactory work.
5. Philosophic or religious point of view capable of coping successfully with the vicissitudes of life.

-- Carl Jung

The mainstream not less than 50 yrs ago

I neglected my blog lately, but that doesn’t mean I abandoned it. I’m not actually busy when 2012 commenced compared to the last quarters of 2011.

For some reasons, I found myself intensely hooked in watching movies.

Okay, who hasn’t?

But mine is different.
These are classic movies that are popular for a “little” long time ago; that I’m sure the majority of my co-generation peeps won’t even recognize. These were just some of my favorites:

snapshot on my laptop

Daddy Long Legs (1955)
Stars:
Fred Astaire, Leslie Caron 

A classic musical that includes ballet,  this one isn't a cartoon.

Gone with the Wind (1939)
Stars:
Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh

My favorite! V.L (Scarlett O'Hara) as the most manipulative woman you'll ever know. I actually found it funny, i love this movie because of her. and also, this movie lasted for almost 4hrs! (but I guarantee to those who love classic movies,  it's really entertaining)FYI this movie won 10 academy awards (There's a reason behind it, right?). Definitey, historical.

Ocean's Eleven (1960)

Stars:
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr.

If you thought that All-star Ocean's 11-13 during the year of 2000's is original, better think twice. The George Clooney here is Frank Sinatra. These 11 men robbed not just 3 Vegas casinos, but 5 - not yet having the advancement of technology ofcourse. 

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938)
Stars:
Tommy Kelly, Jackie Moran and Ann Gillis 

What can i say? The character of this witty young men caught me at an early age. I've watched its cartoon during the 90's (which is funnier when dubbed in Filipino) and I've read its book.

The Graduate (1967)
Stars:
Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft and Katharine Ross

You might have heard this movie first on Joseph Gordon-Levitt(as Tom - 500 days of summer), and had misinterpret it. You might have also heard about "Mrs. Robinson" on quite few lyrics and some scripts of movies nowadays. Well, This is the root of it all. This movie is really quite epic. I recommend this controversial movie to all young men. Who knows? maybe you can relate to it! :)

To Catch a Thief (1955)
Stars:
Cary Grant, Grace Kelly and Jessie Royce Landis

I'm definitely inlove with Grace Kelly's classic beauty, I'll choose her over Hepburn. Even Mattel made a rare Barbie (W/c is I am dying to have) inspired by her; wearing a Sky Blue gown that she's wearing in this movie. FYI Grace Kelly is a Monaco Princess in real life.

Casablanca (1942)

Stars:
Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman

Ingrid Bergman is a Beauty!

Roman Holiday (1953)
Stars:
Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn and Eddie Albert 

Last but not the least, the newer generations favorite, Audrey Hepburn. Aside from Breakfast at Tiffany's, Hepburn was just too good in girl next door roles. Not just because of her extraordinary style, talent and accent (which I dig!)the reason has always been her natural charm.

No matter how unpredictable I am (I don't care, it depends on how you perceive it), the truth is there has always been a classic heart within me.

i'll watch every movie and videos of this two

I don't mind watching them over and over again =)

James McAvoy

Alex Band

really

Some of my favorite lines from the works of my favorite writers.


Paulo Coelho

"What is the real I? It's what you are, not what others make of you."

"A man has to choose. This is where lies his strength: in the power of his decisions."

"Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience."

"You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen."

"When there is no turning back, then we should concern ourselves only with the best way of going forward."

"An awareness of death encourages us to live more intensely."

“When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny.”

“A warrior of light who trusts too much in his intelligence will end up underestimating the power of his opponent.”


Mitch Albom

"Learn to detach. Don't cling to things, because everything is impermanent. But detachment doesn't mean you don't let the experience penetrate you. On the contrary, you let it penetrate fully. That's how you are able to leave it. Take any emotion--love for a woman, or grief for a loved one, or what I'm going through, fear and pain from a deadly illness. If you hold back on the emotions--if you don't allow yourself to go all the way through them--you can never get to being detached, you're too busy being afraid. You're afraid of the pain, you're afraid of the grief. You're afraid of the vulnerability that love entails. But by throwing yourself into these emotions, by allowing yourself to dive in, all the way, over your head even, you experience them fully and completely. You know what pain is. You know what love is. You know what grief is. And only then can you say, 'All right, I have experienced that emotion. I recognize that emotion. Now I need to detach from that emotion for a moment."

"But all endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time."

“You have to work at creating your own culture.”

“People are only mean when they're threatened, and that's what our culture does. That's what our economy does.”

"As you grow old, you learn more. If you stayed at twenty-two, you'd always be as ignorant as you were at twenty-two. Aging is not just decay, you know. It's growth. It's more than the negative that you're going to die, its also the positive that you understand you're going to die, and that you live a better life because of it."


Dan Brown

"Our minds sometimes see what our hearts wish were true."

"Each of us knows all. We need only open our minds to hear our own wisdom."

"Smart people don't have the luxury of playing stupid."

"Everything is possible. The impossible just takes longer."

"Religion is like language or dress. We gravitate toward the practices with which we were raised. In the end, though, we are all proclaiming the same thing. That life has meaning. That we are grateful for the power that created us."

"Science and religion are not at odds. Science is simply too young to understand."

“That is the definition of faith -- acceptance of that which we imagine to be true, that which we cannot prove.”

“Metaphors are a way to help our minds process the unprocessible. The problem arise when we begin to believe literally in our own metaphors. Those who truly understand their faiths understand the stories are metaphorical.”