Rock of Ages! - Bringing back the 80's

WARNING! 

You will enjoy this blog a little bit better if you are a "children from the 80's"!!!

Can you find a movie that's equally AWESOME and AWFUL?  The answer is yes, and the name of the movie is "Rock of Ages".  Before you start attacking me about the "awful" part of my commentary, I want you to understand that I'm a "TRUE" fan and "CHILD" from the 80's.  

Let's be honest people, the movie script SUCKS!, like really bad!  I can totally see it being a success in Broadway but the adaptation didn't translate well, and that's what make this movie AWFUL!  Yes, silly AWFUL! The only way you can overcome this awfulness is if you are a true, die hard 80's fan.

The movie is around 2 hours long, and we started to watch it around 11pm.  Within the first 10 minutes, there were people singing already in a very weird setting... A BUS!  My husband and I looked at each other and were almost certain that we will fall asleep within the first 30 minutes of the movie.  Fortunately our movie experience changed when we found ourselves in a Karaoke movie!! woo hoo!!  We sang every freaking song in the movie, and had a blast!  

Rock of Ages takes one of the best artists from the 80's and used their hit songs as a music platform.  Journey, Foreigner, Def Leppard, Poison, Pat Bennatar, among few others.  Even the music arrangements and medleys were awesome, considering the actors were the ones singing.  Again, musically this movie was AWESOME!! 

Overall acting, considering the story line was ok.  Talented and not so talented actors were brought together, which is expected and ok.  I was pleasantly surprised with Mary J. Blige's acting.  I only like Russell Brand if he's acting like a nut, which doesn't translate well to the real life, but for the movie it was brilliant.  But who really, really, really, really (seriously really) surprised me was TOM CRUISE. Oh lord!  


I have never been a die hard fan of Tom Cruise.  I think he's a great actor, but never really care much about his career.  Fortunately for Tom and for all of us, he has been taking on very different roles lately, and I'm really enjoying watching him playing funny, crazy people on the screen.  In this movie, he plays a heavy metal rocker-star named Stacey Jaxx, and what I'm going to say now make me feel a little dirty... but it's honestly true!  HE WAS FREAKING HOT!!!!  He doesn't only looks sexy on the movie, he shocked me when he started to sing.  YES! he sang pretty darn good!!  I have to say that after seeing this movie I have a new found respect for Tom as an actor.  He can truly play anything. (loved his crazy role in Knight and Day!)  He's good with crazy... we kind of know why, right? ;)

At the end of the movie, my husband and I were browsing the internet for songs that we didn't remember well, buying some of them in iTunes and just commenting on it.  I had a blast singing the songs and watching my husband singing along with me.  After 7 years together, it was the first time I saw him singing like that.  

Rock of Ages movie sucks, but it's a total must see!! :)  

I WANT TO ROCK!!! ROCK!!!

SUPERFOOD - QUINOA

SUPERFOOD - QUINOA!

Quinoa originated in the Andean region of South America, where it has been an important food for over 6,000 years. (Impressive!)  Widely produced in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, Quinoa is becoming more and more popular in North America. 

This frequently overlooked grain-like crop, pronounced "keen-wah", is a true Superfood, providing a stunning array of minerals and vitamins for your overall health.  Quinoa is an excellent source of protein (yes, you hear that right...), which helps your muscles recover after a workout and can help fuel you throughout your day.  It also contains a healthy dose of dietary fiber, an important factor in slowing digestion that helps keep your waistline slim.  

This fascinating "pseudocereal" can provide improvement for those suffering from migraines,the magnesium found in quinoa seems to reduce the frequency of migraines headaches.  Magnesium has also been known to substantially lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes, and boost your overall heart health.  

Try eating quinoa in the evening - it's an easy-to-digest food, so it can encourage a good night's sleep. 

STAR NUTRIENTS

Iron, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, B2, B6, B9, Manganese, Potassium, Copper, Magnesium and Phosphorous. 

ENJOY IT!

In soups, stir-fry, pilaf, cooked like rice, cooked like oatmeal, or as a dessert. That's what I call a versatile food!!

FUN FACT

In ancient Incan society, quinoa was revered as the "mother grain" and considered sacred.  It was tradition that the Inca leader plant the first seed of every planting season using a golden shovel.

 

RECIPES

10 Quick Quinoa Recipes 

Quinoa with Sundried Tomatoes 

Clean Eating Banana Almond Quinoa 

 

MORE INFORMATION

Wikipedia - Quinoa Information 

WHFOODS: QUINOA 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My 42th Birthday... but I feel 28!

Little Princess - 4 years old

When I was younger, older people kept saying that age was relative to how you feel not how old you were.  It was an interesting concept that's difficult to understand unless you are the one getting old.  But it was true, as you get older, your brain kind of stays at certain age, in my opinion an age you felt comfortable with.  Guess that's the way your brain cope with the fact that you are getting old, and I think it's BRILLIANT! 

My family, I'm the little one!

Today, I'm celebrating my 42th birthday, but I truly feel like in my late 20's.  I was born 42 years ago in a small town in the north coast of Puerto Rico.  Arecibo is the name of my hometown. I spent there the first 20 years of my life.  Most of my family and good friends still live there and I try to go back as much as I can.  

As you get older, you learn to appreciate things in a different way.  Now when I go back to my hometown and spent time with my family and friends, I experience my time there differently.  I love the smell of the sea breeze early in the morning, my mom's coffee and that feeling of ownership because you belong there.
  

In my 20's, back in San Juan, during my college years.

It wasn't until my mid 30's that I moved permanently to the US, and with that move lots of changes.  Climate changes, professional changes, friends changes, family changes, everything was new.  And even though changes proved to be challenging and stressful at times, having that young woman who still lives in my brain help me cope with all.  

In my early 30's playing with my baby Doggie.

That girl in my brain is optimistic, positive, energetic, fair, compassionate, hard working, funny, audacious, resilient and playful.  I like her a lot.  She's the one who pushes me to be better, to conquer my fears and to see the glass half full all the time!  I'm lucky she stayed with me all these years and I truly hope to have her for many years to come.

In my early 40's, celebrating Halloween in Germany.

I'm incredibly content with my life.  I dont feel like I have to prove anything to anybody but myself.  I don't feel in a race to be better than anybody because I'm not.  I realized that the only way you can feel realized as a person, is learning to love yourself just the way you are. Getting older has many benefits, and for that I'm so grateful.

In my late 20's, with my family.

At my 42's I'm in the best shape of my life, surrounded by wonderful people and at peace with the person I became.  I know I have the potential and the skills to reach many new goals, and with time I will get there.  I'm not in a rush!  There is a time for everything and everything has a time.  
 

Celebrating my 42th birthday!

Today I want to Thank God, for a life full of blessings and love. I'm grateful for another year in this world, for my family and my friends all over the world. 


I'm lucky to have health, a loving husband, my crazy pets and that young girl in her late 20's still living in my brain.  That same girl that reminds me every single day to stay FOREVER YOUNG!

Happy Birthday to me!   And let's stay Forever Young!

I wanted to share this song, because it has one of the most beautiful lyrics I have heard in a long time.  Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I do.