Scent of a Woman.

Al Pacino is one of Holywoods' most versatile actors.  I've seen some of his best movies such as The Godfather, The Devil's Advocate, Scarface, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Frankie and Johnny, and of course, Scent of a Woman, among others.

I especially like Dog Day Afternoon and Scent of a Woman which won Pacino an Oscar award.

In the Sea of Love, Al Pacino is paired with another great actor, Ellen Barkin.  Both actors, while not really in the mold of screen gods and goddesses, can be thrown any role and they'd deliver a remarkable performance.

The famous tango dance scene in Scent of a Woman.

Scent of a Woman is a tale of a proud retired soldier, Frank, who became blind, lonely and suicidal.  He hired student Charlie Simm (Chris O'Donnell) to accompany him to New York on a weekend, and ended up being saved by the boy from a suicide attempt, and him, saving the boy from being ousted from a prep school. Both came out as survivors and changed men.

The most striking scene in Scent of a Woman is the restaurant scene wherein Al Pacino invited a woman waiting for his date to a dance of tango. Being blind, he asked Charlie the size and shape of the dance floor.

As a blind person, the most acute sense he had was his sense of smell, and this propelled him to dance with passion as he was guided and piqued by the scent of the woman.

As Michael Corleone in the Godfather

We smell all sorts of scents daily. We smell coffee in the morning, the flowers as we work in the yard, or as we take a walk, the newly laundered clothes as we walk past the lines and out of the gate, the engine oil as we tinker the car, or even the dog's breath as we give him water.

Mary of Magdala is famous for her bottle of perfume which she used in washing Jesus' feet.

A lot of times,  our memories are jogged into remembering the past through the smell or odors of things around us. A specific scent may remind us of a special event like our first dance, or a first relationship, a nice vacation or place, our  first apartment or house, where we first worked or where we met our spouse.

Joe and Jane.

We felt old.  Like when folks start addressing us as Sir, or Tito, or Manong.

Last night we were at the San Andres Apostol Parish fundraising concert which featured Bamboo and the Bloomfields.

But we didn't know who Bamboo was. We didn't even know if Bamboo was the name of the lead singer or the name of the band. 

It was our first time to see Bloomfields, too,  and liked what we saw and heard. Their selection was mostly revivals and danceable.  They had tunes from the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's which radio disk jockeys would call the "oldies."

Bloomfields started off with a hit from the Moonstrucks, a band of the 60's and ended with My Sharona, a hit of the 80's but was recorded in 1979. The group also sang Beatles (Hey Jude) and Elvis Presley songs (House Jail Rock).

Then Bamboo came.  Unfortunately, we didn't know any of their songs which made the youngish among the crowd roared.

But to be forgiven is in order; we'd been away from the local scene for ages. When we left Manila, the airwaves were playing " Wake me up before you go go." Yes, that long ago.

When we came back for a long visit, we found out that the local soap stars are singers, too.  They sing and dance every Sunday at two noontime shows, ASAP and Party Pilipinas.

Then there are rock bands of varying hues. Pepe Smith of the Juan de la Cruz band is still around.

Ever durable Pepe Smith of the Juan de la Cruz Band

Then there are foreign acts that dominate the Manila hotel and casino entertainment venues.  Jennifer Lopez just finished her performance last November and Elton John performed at the Araneta last Dec. 8th.

No wonder local acts are howling foul. They're losing the audience and the business.

Fortunately, more and more local acts are discovering gold mine by bringing their show overseas, in cities in Canada, USA, Australia, in Milan and Abu Dhabi, where thousands of OFWs can afford to buy the tickets which are usually pegged from $45 to $90.

In Toronto couple of years ago, we paid $90 to see Lani Misalucha, and $45 for Side A band.

Last night was proof that oldies and newbies can be gathered in one concert after all.

We remember seeing the show Jersey Boys in Toronto a couple of years ago; the jukebox show re-introduced to the young the music of the highly successful 60's rock n' roll band, The Four Seasons.

Songs of yesterday can kick the youth back into our lives. And the new tunes can add a kick into our dance steps like what gangnam did.

Being called just Joe and for females, Jane, without those unnecessary tags, can give us back our real age.

Unfriend friend.

Social networkers amass friends on networking sites to show off to friends the numbers. A lot of times people just point and click without really thinking if someone is worth befriending.

To find and make someone a friend is easy because of the global reach of the social sites.

Getting a friend and kicking out a friend are easy does it.

But what do you do when a friend starts shouting vitriolic attacks against you, posting, as if in blind items usually done by showbiz columnists?

One, you can also deliver punches and blows on line.  Two, you can keep silent. Three, you can send and then exchange private message. Four and if the attacks get worse, you can bring the person to court. 

Friends who prowl and attack on line are cyber bullies. Friends who choose to send private messages to point out issues are prim and proper cyber netizens.

People who get hurt because you didn't buy into their financial woes, or those who dip into existing trivial spats, or those who harass out of ignorance, envy, spite, malice, and pure evilness do not deserve your attention and time, anyway. Unfriending these viles is your best and sane option.

Like Count Dracula, cyber bullies will suck you dry.

Pasko Na Naman.

The morning breeze is cooler; the night is longer. The lights are dizzylingly dancing by the windows.

It's December again. 

Yesterday was the feast day of San Andres de Apostol, and the birthday of a Philippine national hero, Andres Bonifacio.

Saint Andrew was the first to be called upon by Jesus to be his apostle; he was the brother of Saint Peter.

Andres Bonifacio was a poor bookkeeper who turned revolutionary and led the the Philippine Katipunan to rise up against the Spaniards who ruled the Philippines for over 300 years.

It's December and Christmas is here once more.

At the gas station the other day, an attendant reminded me that I no longer needed a receipt to purchase those cool sports car toys, obviously popular gifts for kids; at the church courtyard last night, Christmas wrappers were selling like hotcakes.

It's been highlighted in the news lately that the Philippine economy grew by an unprecented 7 percent.  Expect shoppers and spenders to rush to the malls and restaurants.

It should be a Merry Christmas for all.