Castelar at the Movies: Transformers: Dark of the Moon

It has been awhile since the last Transformers sequel and rest assured that unlike Transformers 2, this sequel is not a bad movie. This sequel has a better storyline and many spectacular special effects that kept me entertained the entire time.

In this latest chapter of the Transformers saga, the Autobots have learned their old leader Sentinel Prime, which is voiced by Leonard Nimoy, had crash landed on the Moon and the American Government had known about his whereabouts the entire time. This leads Optimus Prime and his robotic troops to find their old friend and bring him to Earth.

Meanwhile Sam Witwicky, who is portrayed by Shia LaBeouf, is trying to find a job and he finds his way back into the danger zone as he has to face more mayhem and destruction which puts his life in danger once again. Eventually, Sam contacts Seymour Simmons, who is portrayed once again by John Turturro, and they both decide to figure out what their old enemies are up to.

During this time, the Decepticons along with their ruthless leader Megatron, have returned to defeat the Autobots using their cunning nature . This leads to many surprises throughout the film. These vicious robots are determined to defeat their old foes while causing an all out war against the human race. It is no secret that the Decepticons cannot be trusted because they seek power through intimidation and fear.

This time around anything goes as loyalties will be trusted and allies will turn into foes. Honestly, this sequel has so many thrilling and exhilarating moments that I am really glad that it wasn’t a bad Transformers movie. This is an epic science fiction action movie that doesn’t disappoint by creating memorable characters and putting them in some dangerous situations which are truly stunning to watch.

Castelar

Shop Till You Drop

I love the phrase shop till you drop. If you want to literally do this you must attend The Shop at Puerto Rico High Fashion Week. The Shop was created for designers to have a space where they can showcase and sell their collections. It's where the public can appreciate the wonders around the designer's designs and retailers can also meet personally with the designers and have direct contact with them.

Tirzha and Pitango, a ring designer from Israel at The Shop 2010

I was talking the other day to Tirzha Alcaide, she is the lovely lady who is in charge of The Shop. This lady has an amazing story. While being in charge of The Shop, she is also competing in a reality show named In Search of the New Diva Puerto Rico. You can be sure I will blog about her very soon to tell you all about the show and her experience.

PRHFW President Caridad Fernández visiting The Shop 2010

Tirzha was telling me they will have fashion shows, lot’s of great booths with beautiful merchandise and a bar area for the customers. They are expecting more than 12,000 people! It will be held at The Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan from September 28 to October 1, 2011.

Designer Reynaldo José with one of his creations

If you are in town be sure to check it out because if you love to shop till you drop, this is the place to go! Hope to see you there!

Entertainment at The Shop

Blessings to all,

Marta

Reynaldo José: Featured at Puerto Rico High Fashion Week

The life of a designer is intimately linked to tastes and sensibilities that change at a moment’s notice. He or she must be able to capitalize on or - even better - influence those opinions. Designers reflect society’s sensibilities through clothing design.

Puerto Rico High Fashion Week is just around the corner and I am going to blog about an amazing young designer from Puerto Rico. His name is Reynaldo José and he will be participating at this event that promises to be spectacular. I contacted him and asked him if I could blog about him. He was so nice and graciously accepted immediately.

Reynaldo José with one of his models

Reynaldo José was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, on December 15, 1986. His artistic inclinations started from a very young age. When he was just twelve years old, he won the award “Fashion Designers of the New Millennium”. I find this to be amazing! He received a scholarship to study at the renowned school of Lisa Thon and graduated in 2001 with high honors. With ten years of experience in the fashion industry, he has participated in numerous local and international events like Novel Design Group, Flashes of Fashion, Red Carpet Fashion International Convention, Miss Bahamas World, Plazarela, and the most important fashion event: Puerto Rico High Fashion Week.

Reynaldo José with one of his models

José has been honored with many awards throughout his career. Recently, he's been nominated to receive the Manuela Toro Morice Award, by the Chamber of Representatives of Puerto Rico, as a young distinguished person from the Municipality of Caguas.

He has a BA in Communications, with a concentration in Visual Arts, from the Sagrado Corazón University and he is pursuing his Master’s Degree in Communications. Among his immediate plans, he hopes to continue the fascinating world of fashion and communications.

Reynaldo José with Oscar De La Renta

I am so proud to say he's from the beautiful Island of Puerto Rico. José is so talented and yet so humble and I can’t wait to meet him at PRHFW!! Reynaldo José, I wish you all the luck in the world, the sky is the limit!

Blessings to all,

Marta

Castelar at the Movies: Bad Teacher & Super 8

Bad Teacher

In this film, Cameron Diaz portrays a horrible teacher named Elizabeth Halsey. This character convincingly manner displays her hate for her job and she is looking for a rich guy to take care of her. Honestly I must admit, Diaz surprised me in this film as she believably portrays a vain and selfish educator who will do anything to get ahead in life. She is a woman who doesn’t care about anyone else except herself. Elizabeth doesn’t care about her students and their problems as she constantly avoids them as much as possible throughout the film. Elizabeth doesn’t want to get to know any of her colleagues as she avoids any sort of interaction with them as well.

The school’s gym teacher, Russell Gettis, is portrayed by Jason Segel. Gettis is interested in going out with Elizabeth as he wants to form a stable relationship with her. She turns him down every time, but throughout the film he becomes someone Elizabeth can relate to in various ways.

 Justin Timberlake portrays the new substitute teacher Scott Delacorte; Elizabeth wants to have all to herself because he comes from a wealthy family.

The biggest surprise of the film comes from Lucy Punch, who portrays Elizabeth’s nemesis Amy Squirrel. Amy is a teacher who cares about her students. Unfortunately, she is a very demanding person who expects a lot out of her colleagues and she doesn’t know how to address certain problems which Elizabeth causes to those who are in charge.

If you want to see a wild and uncaring teacher in a film which has many memorable moments then you should go and see this film.

Super 8

This movie is a tribute to all the great movie classics Steven Spielberg and other directors have made in an era where the story and the performances from the actors were the most important elements of the film.

  J.J. Abrams created a film that is a mixture of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Monster Squad and The Goonies. Surprisingly, the movie is anchored by strong and comedic performances from the entire cast. The best performances were by Joel Courtney who portrayed Joe Lamb and Elle Fanning who portrayed Joe's romantic interest, Alice Dainard.

Joe Lamb is a young boy who lost someone whom he deeply cherished in his life. With los,s his hope of having a normal family life has been shattered to a certain extent. Meanwhile, Alice Dainard lives with a drunken father who is miserable with his own existence. Together these two characters find solace in each other as they escape their own personal struggles by being around other kids.

Joe has a group of friends who are shooting a zombie film. He likes to be around the friends because it makes him forget about how miserable things are back home. His friends are a bunch of likeable characters that seem to play their roles with much joy and enthusiasm.

When they sneak at night to film some scenes of the movie, they witness a horrific train accident which nearly cost them their lives. They discover someone they know caused the accident. When the kids flee the scene, they agree to never speak of that incident again because they would get in trouble if anyone found out. Unfortunately, the U.S. Air Force arrives to do an investigation and strange things start to happen in their hometown. Afterwards, these kids decide to find out what is going on and what they find is something which is truly spectacular.

If you want to see a movie with great acting and with some truly unique special effects then go see this wild science fiction film that the whole family can enjoy.

Castelar

Puerto Rico High Fashion Week 2011

If you live just for fashion, navigating in the fashion world or rarely seen outside of it, where is the one place you would love to go? The Puerto Rico High Fashion Week of course!

 Puerto Rico High Fashion Week, founded in 2005, is the pinnacle event of the fashion of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. The event presents important fashion designers, including the most promising young talent and outstanding designers. It is estimated over 100,000 people have attended this world class event, in which 300 people work directly or indirectly. This event will inject about $2 million into Puerto Rico's economy.

Omar Hasbún, Custo Dalmau, Caridad Fernández (PRHFW President), Tita Hasbún and Billy Hasbún in Dominican Republic.

There has been a strategic alliance between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico in order to strengthen the fashion industry in the Caribbean. Puerto Rico High Fashion Week (PRHFW) is described by the Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association as the most important fashion event held on the island; it combines the best of local and international fashion, and it was just announced that its next edition comes with international air.

Isabel Toledo

PRHFW officially opens its second season of 2011 from September 28 to October 1 with the unique show of Isabel Toledo, the celebrated Cuban Fashion Designer based in the United States and who celebrates 27 years in the industry. Toledo achieved global recognition from Michelle Obama being elected to design the outfit she wore during the inauguration of her husband. This unique Fashion Show will benefit the Art Museum of Puerto Rico. I will be blogging about the designers and so many more things that PRHFW has to offer during my next blogs so stay tuned!

Michelle Obama wearing Isabel Toledo dress

Blessings to all,

Marta

Ladies...To The Clearance Racks!

Right now is the BEST time to save money in the fashion world. End of the season clothes are moving to the clearance racks! Start early and create a new wardrobe for next spring/summer for the whole family.

 Getting one size bigger for kids is a smart way to go since they're still growing. Ladies swimwear is expensive, you already know you going to the pool or beach next summer, so stock up on a few suits.

Shopping online you can save more, but I like going into the store and checking out deals. This is a great way to shop for future events, gifts for birthdays, graduations, mother/father days, or planning a family trip.

Online stores with killer clearance deals:

Torrid

Lane Bryant

Yours Clothing UK

Fashion to Figure

Domino Dollhouse

SWAK Designs

Happy Shopping!!

Takia

A Strong Person Gets Help

This weekend has been an unbelievable weekend for myself and my family. I don't want to go into any details just yet (it's still a touchy topic), but I learned a lot about someone close to me and how strong this person can be.

As women, we carry everything on our shoulders and wear our hearts on our sleeves. Some of us our prideful creatures and we're afraid to ask for help; and asking for mental health help sometimes is seen as a sign of weakness. Don't carry more than you can handle and ALWAYS ASK FOR HELP.

Don't hurt yourself or the people around you any longer! I just wanted to just touch on this a little. Maybe it will help someone in their time of need.

For more information on mental health look on these websites:

National Institute for Mental Health

Mental Health America

For Indianapolis: Mental Health America

For Puerto Rico: Inspira Mental Health

Janelle

Help Purge Your Soul Musically

Some bands, much like a phoenix, burn down to ashes and then emerge stronger than ever. One of those bands is The Purge Effect. The Purge Effect is a side project by Dossis Synfuse frontman E. David Nazario and Dossis drummer Ricardo Mercado both from Puerto Rico. I had the chance to see these two talented musicians perform at Hard Rock Café quite a while back in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They were playing in a band called Dossis and I really liked them. They gave an electrifying performance that left me wanting more.

E. David Nazario & Ricardo Mercado

Nazario has an aura about him and Ricardo Mercado, in my opinion, is one of the best drummers on the Island. Sadly enough the members of the band Dossis parted ways and each member went to work on different projects. E. David Nazario relocated to Baltimore, MD to finish his studies. While in Charm City, he auditioned for local cover band Synfuse and started playing shows all over the Baltimore and South MD area while gaining respect among his peers for his mesmerizing performance and dynamic delivery. E. David is a sound engineer by trade but a musician by choice.

 Nazario had a lot of unreleased songs and they didn’t fit within his other two bands, nor in style or substance. The songs dealt with darker issues yet retained a strong sense of melody and hook. At his home studio he tackled all strings and vocals by himself, as well as handling mixing board duties to achieve a powerful sound.

E. David Nazario & Ricardo Mercado

Nazario and Mercado had great chemistry together both on stage and in the studio, this is why Nazario recruited Mercado for this project. The duo just completed their debut EP, and it will be released very soon. I wish them all the luck in the world in their new venture. They are very talented and they love what they do. They put their heart and soul into this project; this is going to be the key to their success.

Blessings to all,

Marta

Castelar at the Movies: Green Lantern & X-Men First Class

The Green Lantern

(taken from Life & Play)

During the course of the year, there have been two great comic book films, Thor and X-Men: First Class, which gave moviegoers a thrilling ride. It was worth the wait. Unfortunately, the latest comic book film adaptation of the beloved comic book character Green Lantern is not an enjoyable experience. This film is marred with some horrible dialogue and simplistic jokes that are more annoying than funny. Furthermore, this film contains some of the worst special effects I,ve seen in a superhero film as many of the characters look fake and it is a shame that so much money was spent on this movie.

Ryan Reynolds portrays Hal Jordan, who is a cocky bold pilot who is struggling with his inner demons as he lost his father in a tragic accident. However, Reynolds performance in this film is not an admirable one. At first, I thought he could pull it off after seeing him in the film "Buried" where he created a sympathetic character moviegoers care about. However in this movie, he doesn’t have the necessary charisma to portray Hal Jordan. Fortunately, both Blake Lively and Mark Strong give good performances. Lively portrays Carol Ferris, Hal’s boss and love interest while Strong portrays Sinestro,  one of the leaders of the Green Lanterns. The rest of the characters are not interesting enough to warrant your attention. If you want my advice skip this film at the theater and rent it once it arrives on video.

X-Men: First Class 

This film depicts the origins of some of the most famous heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe. The film starts off by showing us the events that shaped the lives of two different men who would become two of the most powerful mutants that ever lived. These two mutants are Charles Xavier and Eric Lensherr who are polar opposites of each other, but they have a mutual respect for one another.

 First of all, we have Charles Xavier portrayed by James McAvoy who possesses a calm and collected demeanor which he uses to help others like him. Xavier wants to show to the rest of the mutant population that mutants and humans can coexist in a peaceful manner. On the other hand, Eric is a mutant who seeks to avenge someone who was very close to him. His humanity and his compassion were crippled by the suffering which he endured for many years as his heart is guided by bitterness and hatred. Michael Fassbender portrays Eric with a sadistic demeanor and every time that he appears in the film. He is a force to be reckoned with; he has a sadistic edge and a natural charisma that few actors have. In other words, this character is a vindictive maelstrom of destruction whose wrath consumes everyone that gets in his way.

Both of these men share a common enemy and his name is Sebastian Shaw. Shaw is a malicious mutant who wants to eliminate the human race so that mutants can take over the world. In this film, Shaw is portrayed marvelously by Kevin Bacon. Bacon creates a malevolent villain who is dangerous and charming at the same time. This man has gathered some of the most dangerous mutants to serve as his personal band of destruction such as Azazel, Riptide and Emma Frost. Frost is a very powerful telepath who protects Shaw from any harm that might come to him. All of these mutants unite to eradicate those people who may reject them. Eventually, the government finds out about Shaw's plans while learning that mutants really exist and they decide to find someone who can neutralize this dangerous threat. Overall, Shaw, Xavier and Eric are natural born leaders, but they have different ideologies on what mutants should do and how to face the human population.

While most humans either fear or hate the possible threat of the mutant population, there's one human being who befriends Xavier and his team. Moira MacTaggert is a smart, strong and sexy CIA agent who believes the mutant population should be seen as allies instead of enemies. Rose Byrne gives Moira the necessary attributers to create a believable character who fights for what's right. This woman joins Xavier and his team in order to stop Shaw and to prevent a war that will cause an infinite amount of damage. Unlike most humans, Moira decides to embrace reasoning over ignorance in order to work together with the young team of mutants who are willing to help the government. This film has many spectacular special effects along with some astounding action sequences that are a joy to watch. Furthermore, there is a special cameo in this movie which is truly surprising. One of the best parts of this film is the ending because it shows how one character embraces the darkness that dwells in his soul and what he is willing to do to fight for what he believes in.

Nobody Leaves This Stage Without Singing the Blues

I had to put that as a title...Adventures in Babysitting is one of my FAVORITE films!!

Yesterday, I got my stuff I bought from Lane Bryant. I was so surprised I got it overnight...that was FAST. I'm ecstatic...I'm down a dress size. I'd like to say a dress size and a half...teetering between a 20-22. BOOM! I'm very happy about the shoes. I have to take them back though. They're too big.

I will have to say, I only bought these shoes because they were on sale. The retail price for them was $69.95. I'm sorry LB, but your shoes are NOT worth 70 bucks! But I got them for $24, so I'll stop complaining.

Also...starting to make some more changes in my diet. I'm trying to transition from a meat based diet to a plant based diet. I will probably NEVER be a vegetarian, maybe like a 80% vegetarian. Baby steps. I did make these zucchini boats last night. Delicious!!! Zucchini, red bell peppers, mushrooms, jack and parmesan cheeses...MMMMM. Brought some for lunch today. I hope they reheat well.



Oh well...going to edit and post the movie reviews later today! You guys have a GREAT weekend!!!

Janelle

Ruby Leonne's Closet

It's almost time for me to clean out my closet again! This time I'm going to do something a little different. I have a few items I've never worn or worn only once. (The size is wrong, didn't like the color, couldn't return it cause I bought it on clearance...etc) I'm going to sell these items online. Don't worry they'll be super cheap and shipping will be next to nothing. Just to get rid of somethings and make a few extra bucks.

Ruby Leonne's Closet will be open throughout the next few months. So if you have something you want to sell an item on our site (for a small fee), just contact us by email at RubyLeonne@gmail.com for more information. The site should be up in a couple of weeks.

Janelle

My town: Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico

Hi everyone! Glad to blog for you again! Today I am going to blog about a beautiful little town in Puerto Rico. It is called Aguas Buenas and YES this is my hometown. I have lived here for more than 40 years and wouldn't change it for any other place I've visited in the world. It's a very small town. I feel like I live in Mayberry with Andy, Aunt Bee and Opie! So funny...but so true!



Aguas Buenas' Town Square



One of Aguas Buenas' rivers

A beautiful view of Aguas Buenas

Who would be the one person you would like to meet in town; well the mayor of course. I have the privilege of knowing our mayor his name is Luis Arroyo Chiques. I felt I had to blog about him because he did something so wonderful a couple of months ago and I wanted to share it with you.

Luis Arroyo Chiques, the mayor with a heart of gold!

 Luis was born on December 5. He studied in private and public primary schools and went on to study Political Science and Marketing at the University. His passion is politics. His uncle Angel T, Arroyo Garcia was one of our mayors, so politics runs through his veins.

Since he's been in our town, it's had a lot of progress. Imagine this, we never had a Burger King until he came along. God bless him for that! Luis has a heart of gold!

They were collecting money for cancer patients in our town. Luis said if a certain amount of money was collected, he would go to the middle of Town Square and shave his head. They collected the money and our mayor kept his promise and shaved his head! Isn’t that amazing?

Shaved at the Town Square

He opens his office on Fridays to all of the residents and treats them like family! Luis, I am proud for having you as a mayor. May God bless you always giving you health and wisdom to keep on doing such  a great job!

Blessings to all,

Marta

Lane Bryant's Online Discounts

Lane Bryant has been very generous lately. They've been shelling out discounts and codes left and right and today they're having a killer sale right now...ONLINE ONLY! I've really had my eye on their Denim Moto jacket. Buying it!!!

Lane Bryant's Denim Moto Jacket (retail $69.95)

It's A Small World: Vacation Photos

So happy I'm back from vacation...not happy to get back to my 8-5 job (BOOOO HISSSS), but happy to get back to Aesthetic Design Style House and blogging. I have a real sense of renewal and I think I'm back on track. I really needed to time off to just relax, relate and release (hahaha to the Cosby Show reference).

I was just getting bogged down with things that didn't lift me up and help what I'm trying to do. Now I'm streamlining and getting rid of some projects and people in my life!

I went to Disney and Universal Studios with Jay, my sister, niece, my BFF Angiee and her son Donovan. It was a trip filled with ups and downs, but for the most part it was great to spend time with people you love AND Ms. Kay won all of her national dance competitions she participated in. I'm a proud auntie.

Here are some of my favorite photos from my trip. Okay...so I'm not at my divaest (is that a word?) because we were walking and hot and wet and ugh...Florida weather!

Jay & Kay at the airport. It was Kay's first time on a plane. She had a blast!

My sister, Jay & Kay

It was all made from Legos!!

Kay with two of her three trophies.

They are best buds..."People let me tell you bout my best friend..."

Donovan, Tigger & Kay

Pooh took his sweet time getting to our table.

The Tea Cups!!!

The gang's all here!

Squirrels in my Pants!

Now the sign said you couldn't be taller than 3'6 to slide down. He was too lazy to walk down the stairs! Weirdo!

Wonderful superheros at Universal!

Those are just a few. I took over 300 pictures! Maybe I will leak some out on Facebook later on!

Janelle

Dream Opportunity

What an awesome opportunity to be pampered by celebrity MUA and stylist, Tina Sanchez & Rosie Mercado!!! This is something you definitely don't want to miss! Make sure you sign up for this golden chance!!!

Woes of a Fat Girl

(taken from DenimBlog)

HELP!! So it's that time again to buy new jeans. Why? Some are them are getting too big. (WHOOP WHOOP losing weight WHOOP WHOOP) But most of them are fallen denim soldiers holding my big booty in....they are casualites in the war of rubbing thighs.

Oh why oh why do my thighs rub when I walk...shredding my jeans like an office shredder?!?! Anyone else have this issue? What do you do to prevent this craziness?

Janelle