Sunday, February 26, 2006

Thoughts for the day: Philippine Politics and Lola's 80th Birthday

Yesterday my lola (grandma) Loring, aunt and niece from Iloilo arrived for my lola's 80th birthday party/ reunion. It was more convenient for them to fly here rather than other way around. This will also serve as a reunion for my mothers' side of the family, a reunion of all 8 children and a chance to meet all my cousins. So far the venue is still not settled, it's either here in Las Pinas or in Alabang, I'd actually prefer the party to be held here so that I won't have to leave Barry and Sophie at home and since Lola is staying with us.

I had to take some antihistamine tablet to calm down my sniffles, so by the time that they arrived here I was already in ZZzzZ Land. I instantly recognized lola's voice as she entered my room. "Tulog pala si Tin-tin (Tin-tins' sleeping)" she gently kissed my forehead and tucked me in my bed, that was a priceless moment for me, rather than waking up I choose to continue half-sleeping.

The moment I had was interrupted by the loud voice of my aunt barging in my room, as if I was not asleep. "Ano nangyari dyan?!? (What happened to her?!?) Yes, with an exclamation point! I wanted to talk as if I was disturbed and say "Isn't it obvious? natutulog ako?!?" ( Isn't it obvious, I'm trying to sleep here) also with an exclamation point. Keeping in mind that I still have a little respect for her I kept it hush-hush and just continued on half sleeping and listening to her blabbering away. The hi's and hello's turned into a healthy discussion about politics here in the Philippines. They bashed that Gloria Arroyo has to step down and that the announcement of "state of emergency" as a interlude of GMA announcement of a marshal law. I and my sister (with my influence of course) are the lone GMA supporters in my family. If I wasn't trying to act sleeping, they'll be hearing me out.

If you've been reading my previous posts I have freely expressed my support for GMA. I voted for her last 2004 elections, from the jueteng controversies, hello Garci scandals up to the present "kuhdeta threats"she still has my vote. She is the "best" option that we all have right now. I won't risk another take over by who? Noli de Castro? Legarda (though I voted her for VP)?, Lacson?, Honasan? Villanueva? Corry? or worst another Estrada? I don't think so! another revolution is not the solution to our countries' rollercoaster politics. I'm really hating ABS-CBN right now, their news is so bias and how some of their news anchor spill their personal comments on air. They manipulate the facts and stress certain words that would send an obvious message that things are getting worst and GMA should step down, I feel that their trying to entice the "masa" or the viewers. That is why I prefer watching CNN, GMA 7 and ANC. Just when the economy was starting to heat up, some ambitious people use pathetically EDSA's commemoration for rallies to emerge, blaming GMA for poverty, corruption, crime and declining economy. Even before GMA had a shot at presidency those problems I've mentioned are as old as the republic. Rallies, power grabbing selfish politicians and wannabees, destabilization plots, kudeta's are the reason that we are not progressing. There are no short-cuts to our countries' problem. We are all too busy scrutinizing and playing the blaming game, rather than contribute to our Pilipinas welfare.

My sister mentioned about an essay a korean boy wrote about the Philippines political crisis.He said that we lack genuine nationalism, I am also guilty of such and maybe we all deserve what is happening to us now.

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t-na @ 12:30 AM| 0 comments

Saturday, February 25, 2006

American Idol 5

They are down to twenty as two contestants from each group bid farewell to their idol dreams. The first to be eliminated, the sultry Becky O'Donhue who sang "Because the Night" garnered the lowest vote. She definitely has a pretty face, the x-factor and her recent elimination just opened more doors of opportunity, it's not the end for her. Bobby Bennett, garnered the lowest vote for the male group, he sang "Copacabana". As far as the judges were concerned Randy and Paula claimed that his performance was very entertaining, of course Mr. Cowell's reaction and I quote "Entertaining, horror movies entertain me" followed by another "Somewhere in Las Vegas there's a man screaming, It was a nightmare that have Barry Manilow screaming in horror". Simon Cowell is just priceless he should come up with a compilation of all his one-liner wonders.

I spoke too soon, just when I suggested the book of Simon's one-liner wonders look at what I found at Amazon "I Hate to be Rude, But... The Simon Cowell Book of Nasty Comments by Tony Cowell". It hasn't been released yet. If the reviews are good then I'll consider reading it, I could just imagine myself laughing with every turn of the page. Isn't it obvious that I'm one of the few who appreciates Simon, AI is less entertaining with out him.

Moving on, the next to say goodbye was Stevie Scott. Being able to sing in four different languages and classically trained, I guess it's just not enough. I was looking forward to her performance, curious on how she will apply her unique background. She rendered her version of Josh Groban's "To Where You Are", I literally closed my eyes in embarrassment for her. It was definitely a wrong choice of song, and as her last hoorah she tried to sing with her normal voice proving once again that America's viewers made the right choice. The last contestant to bid goodbye was Patrick Hall with his rendition of "Come to My Window". I didn't expect Patrick in the bottom four, I was rootin for David to go.

Katharine McPhee, Taylor Hicks and Ayla Brown are my bet for the coveted American Idol Season 5. Katharine left an impression since the auditions, had a rocky Hollywood-hell week but proved that she belonged at the top when she sang "Since I Fell for You". Taylor took my breath away when he walked through the final top 24 selection while playing the harmonica, such passion. Although others might say that he is weird or is just another Ray Charles, I beg to differ his o' natural pure talent. Ayla surprised me with her rendition of Christina Aguilera's Reflection, she just have to be consistent and choose good songs, no doubt she could be in the finals.

For some reason I really don't like Ace Young, he is like a Constatine wannabe, especially when he did that eye thingy... Undeniably he has the look but whenever he performed he makes me think of "boyband".

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t-na @ 7:19 AM| 0 comments

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Are You Up for a Challenge: Join the Amazing Race Asia

I was checking my e-mail when somebody forwarded me this link. This will be really interesting. I hope a lot of Filipinos or at least there would be a Pinoy pair to join this race.

To my disappointment the cash prize is only US$100,000 vis-a-vis the US$1,000,000 in the international edition. Currently the Peso-Dollar exchange rate is around Php 51.88/Dollar that would be Php 5,188,000 a far cry for the Php 50 M but it's still a lot of money.
So for those avid viewers that always wanted to have a shot at Amazing Race, here's you're chance. Are you up to the challenge?Click the active link to know more about the upcoming Amazing Race Asia Edition.

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t-na @ 10:15 AM| 0 comments


JTOL: A Makeover

I've been brewing up two new layouts for my blog, it's between this and an Audrey Hepburn one. Yes another Audrey one, I just adore Ms. Hepburn. This is to make up for not regularly updating my blog, there were days when I chose to play Sims 2 instead of posting. I decided to post this layout just to keep it fresh. Well for those who are playing Sims 2 you can understand where I'm coming from, it's really addictive, so whenever I get the chance to use the desktop I'd always end up playing Sims. There is still a glich in this layout. If you noticed the comments area cannot be viewed unless you click the title in "previous posts" and then make a comment. I'd be fixing that but my Sims are calling me. Hehehe.

I've been reading posts from the fabulous bryan boy and in his recent post someone made a comment about BB not posting regarding the Leyte tragedy... Well dear I am too guilty of such but haven't you considered that it's our choice as the blogs owners/authors to post topics that we think/ feel that we need to post. I for one feel sorry for what happened but I chose to not express it in my blog, I don't want to open my blog and be literally reminded of what happened. It's too depressing. Plus the different politicians and wannabees riding on this tragedy. Especially that Dinky Soliman, the one with the fake colored clip on hair a member of the famous Hyatt ten. Now she deserves karma, She blames the government for what happened? She was a part of that government, why didn't she do anything when she was holding her post as the secretary of DSWD and now she points her finger? the nerve. Well she hasn't been closely watching the facts. Fact: They were warned and evacuated but they still chose to come back to the "landslide prone area" during the day and came back to the relocated site to spend the night. Too bad the landslide struck around 1o am, It was just bad luck. Instead of collecting different colored clips you should probably re-think of doing something productive rather than playing the his/her fault game.

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t-na @ 5:21 AM| 0 comments

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Desperate Addiction


I just recently bought Desperate Housewives: The Complete First Season. To be honest, when DH came out sometime last year I wasn't really a big fan. Everybody was talking about it, especially on how they could relate to the characters. Even Laura Bush cited the show in one of her interviews or speech (I'm quite unsure but she did mention it. jokingly). I thought that I would just get bored watching since I'm not married and quite a far cry from getting into one.

To my surprise, watching disc one alone changed my entire perspective about the show. The cast is impeccable and the elements of the show (such as storyline, the setting, music etc.) were like pieces of a puzzle, just a perfect fit. When you just thought that it can't get any better, it just does episode per episode. When things just happen impossible? maybe, but definitely plausible. Watching their desperations and dark secrets unfold, twisted as it may sound, is very entertaining. The four main stars of the show are Teri Hatcher (Susan Mayer), Marcia Cross (Bree Van De Kamp), Felicity Huffman (Lynette Scarvo) and Eva Longoria (Gabrielle Solis). My favorite among the wives, torn between Bree and Lynette. Just can't wait for the 2nd season.

My unexpected purchase of this series is a result of birthday, christmas money + record store = uncontrollable shopping spree. I've purchased tons of DVD's and CD's that I've deprived myself for sometime, it really feels good to buy things you like. I'd be posting a couple of reviews of the items that I bought as soon as I watch or listen to them.

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t-na @ 11:59 PM| 0 comments

Monday, February 13, 2006

Just a Random Thing: Hand Writing Analysis


The results of your analysis say:

  • You plan ahead, and are interested in beauty, design, outward appearance, and symmetry.
  • You are a shy, idealistic person who does not find it easy to have relationships, especially intimate ones.
  • You are diplomatic, objective, and live in the present.
  • You are a talkative person, maybe even a busybody!
  • You are self-confident and like to bring attention to yourself.

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t-na @ 10:25 AM| 0 comments

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Reality-TV Marathon

Reality-TV aficionados are now feasting on new TV shows/series such as American Idol 5, Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity edition and Survivor: Panama - Exile Island.


American Idol 5 premiered last 19th of January (I'm quite uncertain of this date). It starts with the auditions, my favorite part of the show, from 7 key cities namely Chicago, Denver, Greensboro, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Austin and Boston. Unlike the last season in the auditions alone I already had favorites namely Anwar and Lindsay. They had me at Hello, blown away with their cool and melodic voice during their auditions. There are already some contestants who have established a fan base. There's Katherine McPhee, Kellie Pickler, Paris Bennet, Lisa Tucker, Taylor Hicks, Jason Horn, just click the links to view their auditions. So far no one in the auditions had an impact on me but McPhee, Tucker and Bennet are promising talents. Hell week or rather Hollywood week would start this afternoon. There were "spoilers" posted on forums regarding the top 24. Some were surprised that their bets were not in the list but we all have just to wait in the following days and see if the spoiler/ rumors are true.

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Due to the Wowowee Tragedy the network decided to postpone the Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity edition premiere to a later date, supposedly 4th of January to the 5th. The 14 celebrity housemates were revealed in a grand production held at the Baywalk, Roxas Blvd. Manila. This also gave way to the unveiling of the new theme song Sikat ang Pinoy, performed by Toni Gonzaga and Sam Milby. The PBB celebrity edition will only last for 51 days, unlike the first Pinoy Big Brother, which lasted for 111 days.

Day one: The theme was back to basics. They entered the house expecting it to be fully furnished, fresh stock of food and amenities, ready to face Big Brothers tasks and challenges. An empty house greeted the celebrities. The first challenge was to arrange the furniture of the living and dinning area. Since the theme was "back to basics" furniture were made from native materials such as bamboo and rattan. In line with the theme, their toiletries provided were also hmm... indigenous in nature. They had tawas for deodorant, asin and abo (salt and ashes) for toothpaste, tangkay ng bayabas for toothbrushes gugo and aloe vera leaves for shampoo and conditioner, calamansi for facial wash/scrub. They would have to sleep in banigs (for men) and native beds (for women). To top all of that only 7 out of the fourteen will have the chance to claim their luggage. Watching them you could tell that some of them were not comfortable with the set-up. The PBB Celebrities pilot episode definitely toppled the first PBB pilot. There was also an interesting mix of personalities, celebrities in their own fields. Here are the names of the housemates and a brief background on each of them.

  • Rudy Fernandez a multi-awarded Filipino para-athlete, who was once recognized as the fastest Filipino runner during the '70s. Dubbed as the "Iron Man of Asia," Mang Rudy is the oldest among the 14 housemates.
  • Bianca Gonzalez is a model and former host on "Magandang Umaga Pilipinas" of ABS-CBN, Studio 23’s youth-oriented show "Breakfast Surpersized" and "Y Speak!"
  • Angela Calina a single parent and TV personality. Dubbed as the "Wild Flower of Cebu".
  • John Prats a former child actor turned teen heartthrob, recently turned to a master of the dance floor, dubbed as the "Dance Floor Dynamite".
  • Rico Robles is another certified heartthrob with a cool sounding voice A former DJ of the FM radio station RX 93.1. ( I actually thought that Chico was the one entering)
  • Roxane Barcelo is "Divang Kolehiya". Roxy has appeared in several teen and drama shows when she was still young. She had a short stint on RX 93.1 in "Radio One" as a student DJ. Roxy was also a finalist in ABC 5's "Hollywood Dream" but she didn't make the final 2. If I'm not mistaken she released an album last year. She hopes to make a comeback in showbiz.

  • Christian Vasquez is a single parent to his two children dubbed as the "Hunk Daddy" housemate. He made his debut on PLDT's 2002 TV commercial which eventually led him to show business.
  • Budoy Maraviles dubbed as the "M16 of Samar". Budoy is the vocalist of the band JR Kilat.
  • Mich Dulce is the multi-awarded young fashion designer dbbed as "La Fashionista" and she has a very unique personality. The flamboyant Mich said her advocacy is to empower women with curly hair. She owns a fashion boutique, "Store for All Seasons." She is also the vocalist for the all girl bands "Death by Tampon" and "If Disco is a Crime." (So far she is my favorite among the twelve. She is spunky and definitely has talent and brains)
  • Zanjoe Marudo is Bench's underwear fashion model. This 22 year-old is dubbed as the "Cover boy of Batangas" he joined the show to prove that he has more to show aside from his handsome face and sexy body.
  • Gretchen Malalad is the three-time SEA games gold medalist, a black belter in karatedo. She is known as the "Karate Chick" housemate.
  • Aleck Bovick is the controversial sexy star. Dubbed as the "Bombshell in Distress" got involved in a lot of showbiz scandals. Before entering Big brothe's house she posted a bail for a complaint filled by her former manager.
  • Keanna Reeves has not only rocked the showbiz world but also the world of politics. I was able to catch "Kontrobersyals" episode "Escort Girls" on Keanna which followed her controversial appearance in a Senate hearing last year to expose her little black book. She earned her the title "Kilabot ng Senado."
  • Rustom Padilla dubbed as the "Prodigal Son of Showbiz". He came from a famous showbiz family of the Padillas. In the 1990's, he was as one of the most popular leading men in local movies then later on left the country to pursue studies in filmmaking. He is hoping for a comeback but would prefer to be "behind the scenes". His sexuality still puzzles me... hmmm just curious.

I don't know if they will release a PBB Celebrity edition soundtrack (like the 1st one). Momentarily, you can download the Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity edition theme song by clicking the active link below:

Sikat ang Pinoy - Toni Gonzaga and Sam Milby
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Last February 3 Studio 23 aired the live satellite broadcast of the season premiere of Survivor season 12, Survivor Panama: Exile Island. Another set of 16 castaways with a startling new set of rules. In the show at least one castaway will be banished to a separate island miles away from the camp. Being separated from the tribe the castaways will learn that there is a hidden Immunity Idol somewhere on Exile Island. If the idol is found he or she could save an individual from being voted out at a future Tribal Council.

Castaways include a retired astronaut, an author who has appeared on teen soap "One Tree Hill", A logging sports promoted and performer who has been featured in magazines such as Sports Illustrated, a retired Navy fighter pilot, a registered nurse, a yoga instructor, a performance artist, a singer, a social worker and a high school art teacher.

I rarely watch this program... so I can't give any insights but the new twist would probably give me the motivation to watch an episode or two.

If I'm not mistaken Amazing Race 9 will have its premiere on the first week of March. The last race, family edition, wasn’t that enticing as the other races. The concept was interesting but they mainly stayed in one location hence it became dragging at the end. I hope they make up for it.

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t-na @ 4:35 AM| 0 comments