Saturday Surprise

Went to school on Saturday, and was supposed to ask where my trophy could be claimed.

But instead of me looking for the trophy, it was the trophy who came to me. Delivered by my students from both last semester and this semester.

It was such a pleasant surprise! And it came with a cake, too.

It just gets better and better.

One of the best surprises

It began with a message from Vanie. She asked if I've been told about my nomination as Best Lecturer in the school's institutional awards for faculty. My reply was" "No, this is the first time I'm hearing this."

Cut to the next day. This happened.

Apparently, I'm the Best Lecturer! This is such a cool and awesome surprise!

Too bad I wasn't able to receive the award since there was a work meeting at that same time.

Actually, teaching and interacting with students, school faculty and our school administration is reward enough. So this award is icing on the cake.

Yeoh! Yeoh! Yeoh!

Truly, glass ceilings were broken and history was made.

Michelle Yeoh is named Best Actress at the 2023 Oscars!

One of the most memorable parts of her speech was: "And Ladies, don't let anybody tell you you're ever past your prime."

Congratulations, Michelle Yeoh! Well-deserved!

Yeoh go girl!

Although this happened a few weeks ago, it's still worth mentioning and bannering.

Michelle Yeoh wins her 1st Golden Globes!

It's the first time a Malaysian Actress won this award. And the fact that she won it at 60 years old breaks so, so, SO many glass ceilings.

Certainly, this is just the 1st of many awards for her.

Two C is to believe

Lately, I've been binge watching "The Kennedy Center Honors" on youtube. It's such a wonderful sight to watch all these American Icons being recognized for their work in the arts.

One of the most all-time favouritest moments from the many awards shows was the 2018 version. 

This was the year when 2 iconic "Cs" - both my all-time faves - shared one stage.

It was the year when Cher was honoured, and one of the performers who sang her a tribute is the 80s pop-rock icon, Cyndi Lauper!

The interaction of Cher and Cyndi was adorable. Especially the part when Cher shouted at Cyndi: "You said you were in LA!"

Believe me, I've watched this dozens of times already. And I don't have any intentions of stopping.

Five Stars!

While watching videos on youtube, one of the suggested videos was the awarding of the Best Performance by an Actress in the 2009 Oscars.

I had to click it because I remember this is - hands down - one of my favorite Oscar Awards yet. When they assembled all the previous winners of a category to award that year's winner, that was a stroke of genius that left me in awe. And it's unmatched until today.

When the 5 former winners of Best Actress appeared on stage: Halle Berry, Marion Cottiliard, Nicole Kidman, Sofia Loren, and Meryl Streep - I swear, it took my breath away.



And when Sophia Loren said, in her beautiful Italian accent, - Meryl Streep - that just did it for me.

Of course, Kate Winslet winning for "The Reader" was cherry on top of the ice cream. I watched that film several times, and was simply entranced by her performance each time. It was an expected, and much deserved win.

I wonder when the Oscars will be able to do something this stellar again?

I do believe in Idina!

Still on a "Wicked" high, one of my favorite awards show moments is when Idina Menzel won the Tony's in 2004.



Her speech was so pure and heartfelt, and every word radiated with sincerity and joy.

As Idina herself said, "the green girl has a heart." And she gave that to her, beautifully.

Janney come lately

I've always been a big fan of Allison Janney. From the first movie I saw her in - The Ice Storm - to her broad and beautiful body of work, she always had a way of disappearing into her character and engaging us in every role she brings to life.

Primary Colors, The Object of My Affection, American Beauty, 10 Things I Hate About You, Hairspray, Juno, The Help - I could go on and on. Her body of work shows how versatile she is.

That said, I've always thought that she was an underrated actress, and not recognized enough for her work. But I think that'll change with this year's "I, Tonya."

She already brought home an award for this role at the recent BAFTAs.

And I reckon this is just the first of many, many, many awards that she'll bring home.

Twin Peaks part deux

Wasn't I just talking about Mary Kate and Ashley a day ago?

Yesterday, they were named CFDA Designers of the Year for Women's wear. Their line, The Row, first received this award in 2012. So, this accolade is their second.

The twins are really at their peak!

Pretty Happy Woman

Among the many Oscar speeches that I've seen and heard throughout the years, one of the most earnest, most honest, funniest and most inspiring has to be Julia Roberts' speech when she won for "Erin Brockovich" in 2001.



Listening to her speech was like riding a rollercoaster. It was one emotion after the other, but ending up with a feeling of gratification and exhilaration.

She was so good in this, she should win another one again.

Two times the pride

Seeing your former students succeed and receive accolades is one of the proudest moments for any educator. That's why I was doubly proud when two of my students - Meg and Anj - was chosen to be part of the CinePambata. They made a short film with the help of Mike, and it was shortlisted as one of the films to be viewed in Megamall. 

And today, I found out that they were one of the top 5, and won special jury prize!

Even way back in their sophomore year, these 2 girls were the brightest in my class. That's why it comes as no surprise that they got this award.

Congratulations, Meg and Anj!

That smile!

While watching the SAG Awards on-line, there were a lot of funny, heartwarming and touching highlights. But if there's one thing that I'll remember most about the program, it's Julia Roberts' smile.

A few years back, Julia appeared in a film entitled "Mona Lisa Smile." Heck, they should've just changed the title to "Julia Roberts Smile." Her smile alone can be a movie in itself!

I hope that she wins the Oscars for Best Supporting Actress come March. It would be awesome to see that smile light up the Oscar stage again.

Monique's a winner!

Toni Collette won an Emmy! And she received her award wearing a Monique Lhuillier! How fitting for these two amazing women to share the stage together.



The gown she chose had Monique written all over it. The workmanship and details, the fresh color - it was subtlety and flash rolled into one. If it were made with white fabric, it could be a tres chic wedding gown.

But then again, this is a Monique, so it's not far fetched that a wedding gown version of this will hit the runways soon.