there are days that just turn increasingly worse no matter how much you try to convince yourself otherwise. today, i’ve had one of those.

i can’t quite put my finger on it. nothing spectacularly nightmarish happened actually. it was just a series of events that piled up, each one as crushing and as gloomy as the next.

it started out while i was on my way to work. a couple of things that i had hoped for didn’t work out as planned. and even at the office, my concentration was off and my pace was agonizingly slow (too many problems with my file). to top it all, i began to notice several discouraging details around me that bothered me and dampened my mood as the day wore on.

and no it didn’t end there. even on my way home, another incident smothered what little fighting spirit i had left (that driver… grrrrh!). frankly i couldn’t wait till i was back at my place so i could burrow deep into my bed and brood over my day.

i was all set on moping until… i opened the fridge. ta-da! without pausing a beat, i scarfed down a couple of those cheesy mini-ensaymadas and downed a can of Coke zero, then followed it up with a bag of chips. somehow that perked me up. so, now instead of fretting myself to sleep i am posting these thoughts on my blog, hoping that in a few days something nice and perky would come up, and then i’ll be able to appreciate the difference.

 

at age 35 (and mother of two kids), red carpet hottie gwyneth paltrow looks just as gorgeous as ever. although she hasn’t been that active in the celebrity circuit lately, it looks like time has been especially kind to ms. paltrow.

if anything she looks even better this time, because she has acquired more interesting curves and angles (i guess, given a powerful incentive, motherhood does have its positive effect on a woman’s physique).

oh man, those legs…

gwyneth paltrow is currently promoting her new movie, Iron Man, which topbills Robert Downey Jr. in the title role. the cast has been attending gala premieres in several European cities as well as in Sydney, Australia, early this month and many entertainment watchers, photographers and bloggers have been taking due notice.

the oscar-winning actress, who is married to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, also described her hubby’s latest project (an album is currently in the works for this British band) as “brilliant.” 

Iron Man, which also stars Jeff Bridges and Terrence Howard, is set to appear in theaters wolrdwide on May 2, 2008. The comic book-based (Marvel) film is directed by John Favreau.

the 2008 Beijing Olympics is still months away (aug. 8-24) but many sports watchers are already anticipating Michael Phelps to put on a nothing-less-than-dazzling performance in swimming events.

phelps, who may be considered as the most versatile swimmer to hit the pool ever, has given due notice ever since he exploded into the international scene in the 2004 Athens Olympics, where he handily bagged six golds and two bronzes. while this performance did not prove to be the record-breaking — or even a record-matching feat (think Mark Spitz, who inscribed his name in history books by winning 7 golds in the 1972 Munich Olympics) — that he had hoped to achieve, he has given ample proof that he is easily within striking distance of doing so in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. and many people, especially his would-be competitors, are taking notice.

the close scrutiny on the 6′4″ 23-year-old athlete has considerably intensified when michael phelps dominated the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne.

he won 7 gold medals in a staggering fashion — which inludes 4 record-breaking finishes (and setting another world record as part of the US relay team) that have left commentators scrambling for adjectives to crown his growing stature.

the only reason why he hadn’t snagged that record 8th gold last year was that an overenthusiastic teammate miscued during the final 4 x 100 m race, which many people have already tipped the US team to win, leading the judges to disqualify the US relay quartet.

winning in record fashion isn’t new to phelps. but if you have seen how lopsided and how dominant he was in some of those races (swimming ahead of the red line which represents the world record mark), you’d understand why many pundits are already expecting him to torch Beijing’s pools this year.

i’ve been watching this guy since 2004, even during his low periods. here’s hoping he doesn’t choke big time (*fingers crossed*).

as a follow-up to my last post, i’m adding a few more snippets about my more famous namesakes (i’m hoping that by riding on their coattails i’ll be able to bask in the reflected glory).

it turns out that the name onyx is very popular in the gaming/comic/anime/manga community. i guess it’s a good thing i added that extra “x” or else i could get lynched for entertaining grandiose illusions.

• as pointed out by alia, Onyx (more popularly known as Onix) is part of Pokemon’s sprawling cast of characters, a useful subterranean creature that eventually evolves into a Steelix.
• Onyx Adams is also a DC comic figure who figures a bit more prominently in the Batman universe; she is the only independent vigilante figure that Batman allows to operate freely in Gotham City. (i think this is what eks was referring to earlier.)
• Onyx also happens to be tha name of the planet where evil elements frequently gather in the Power Rangers series.

for related info, there is also a Queens, NY-based hardcore rap group called Onyx, and a UK-based kit car manufacturer of Onyxx Sports Cars. more commonly, onyx is a cryptocrystalline form of quartz.