Adios Kiko

I shouldn't be affected by his death because I'm not really a big fan. Sure, I used to memorize the entire "Mga Kababayan" when I was still in grade school but I never had any moment where I really looked up to him. Fine, I couldn't help but be envious with his high-bridged, narrow-nostril nose and I even thought that he's been suffering from Peter Pan syndrome because he's getting younger. And hell yeah, he's too privileged to become an MTV VJ even if he was above 25 years old (the cut-off age for VJ hunt), or should I say it's MTV who's too lucky to have him. Darn. He he.

It's my luck to have met him personally during my "guesting" in Eat Bulaga where he was the one who asked me to sing a part of "Kami nga mga Butuanon" and gave me the question about my favorite fish - tuna.

Battling with cancer is surely a tough task to do and who are we to question God when everyone of us is only living our own borrowed lives? Sooner or later, everyone has to go. At least Kiko didn't have to struggle with the pain the Big C had to cause him.

God bless you Kiko!

What Now TMZ?

On the other episode of this TV show that I really hate because of its ugly host and contributors who don't deserve to star on a TV show (I think they're the American Christy and Jobert), they have shifted their attention to the kid stars of "Slumdog Millionaire" giving advice on how to act properly on the red carpet. Duh! Have they been invited ever to an awards ceremony in the first place to share a "helpful" advice? These are kids for Christ's sake and as far as I know, though it's obvious that they've been excited and overwhelmed to have walked on the red carpet and rub elbows with big Hollywood stars, they just behaved appropriately.

And as for their statement saying that these children have gotten in the US and toured in Disneyland but will be back as slumdogs once they're back in India, they deserve to be really slapped. One, though I'm not a child lover, it's not really nice to be hitting on these kids. Second, news say that they've already been given their new homes. So, what now?

Blog of the Month - Showbiz Predictions 2009

Kong Hei Fat Choi!

It's the year of the Ox and I've just learned from a Feung Shui expert in one of the Toastmaster meetings that I've attended that I will be lucky this year. Perhaps I just need to wait a little longer for me to get a better job.

Anyway, let me set this straight that this topic is totally not my idea. Ha ha! And I don't possess a single Watt of psychic power in my blood. This is just for fun so don't take me seriously.

• Another young actress will get impregnated due to premarital sex.
  
• Another actor will pass away.
  
• Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes will finally admit their relationship.
  
• Vicki Belo and Hayden Kho will be back in each others arms. Then they'll split. And get back together again. And the cycle goes round and round. Hayden will realize that his narcissism needs him to be worshiped by girls, old women and gay guys, thus, he will re-enter showbiz.
  
• Kapuso stars will jump over the fence and be a Kapamilya and the other way around. It's a career move.
  
• GMA and ABS-CBN's claim to be the number one network will still continue.
  
• Oh my God! Another sequel of Shake Rattle and Roll.
  
• Another non-singer will release his album.
  
• One more dance album.
  
• Lutuan issues on awards nights.
  
• Couples will get married. Married ones will separate.

Saan Darating ang Umaga

I was a preschooler when I first watched this movie and I must admit that it made me cry. It was my first time to hear the word "ampon" which made me think that I was an adopted child whenever my mom would punish me. He he. Anyway, like several movies that I loved, this flick has also been put into television which, again, made me feel mad about the idea. My rigid personality tells me that if the writers couldn't really stick to the same plot, make the title totally different and just specify in the credit "Adapted from the movie/book 'Blah Blah'."

• Maricel Soriano originally played the role of Shayne who is a bratinella, sosyal and Englishera sexy girl. Yasmien Kurdi reprised the role who looks like a maid in her clothes, doesn't possess elegance, jologs even when delivering those English lines (teraphy duh) and is fat.
  
• In the movie, Nestor de Villa and Nida Blanca played as Ruben and Lorie, respectively. It's undeniable that they have the chemistry. On TV, Joel Torre and Lani Mercado play the part of the couple. The former looks like the father of the latter.
  
• The cute Jaypee de Guzman played the orphaned boy, Joel, in the movie. He's charming, thin, and doesn't just cry but acted his part well, which, as far as I know, gave him several acting awards for this role. People could really feel for his being an underdog and all. In the TV version, it's Jacob Montes who gets the character - healthy, mestizo, still cute but doesn't look realistic enough for the role.
  
• The coño role of Raul landed to Raymund Lauchengco. Then there's Dion Ignacio in the TV version who couldn't pull the character off. Add it to his several scenes wherein he has to be shirtless showing his bulging tummy.
  
• A lot of characters to make the whole story as magulo as lugaw making the lead characters' life crazy as hell.

Surely, my life is as exciting as watching these kinds of trashes almost everyday, aside, of course, from doing my laundry or sleeping, or eating everything to my heart's content. I've even figured out that my stomach composes 90% of my body causing my very low IQ since it's not allowing my brain to get enough oxygenated blood.

Riddle

January 26, 2009 while watching the teaser of "My Dad is Better than Your Dad."

Paolo: Heto na si Kaka, bubuka-bukaka.

Thinkerthird: Unsa'y answer, zipper?

Jancieus: Pacman!

Ha ha! I've checked the answer and found out that it's "gunting" which was Janice's second answer anyway. Happy birthday Jan!

GMRC

Fairview-Cubao Jeepney, March 31, 2008

Bayad

Lagro-Delta Jeepney, January 14, 2009

Debede, Debede

DVD stall, Ever Commonwealth, January 10, 2009

Bisdak

Commonwealth Avenue, January 10, 2009

Nothing's for Free

Found along Quezon Avenue corner Banaue, June 7, 2008

"The Secret" Disciple

Found on the MRT, December 4, 2008

Madre Sandals

I hope this wouldn't be taken as a disrespect. I spent more than ten years of my life living across the convent of nuns. As a Catholic, I've had several encounters with nuns as well and as far as what my observation tells me, these are the kind of shoes that they wear.

I don't think four-inch stilettos are that expensive. In fact, these kinds of sandals shown in the picture are not cheap either so why not be fashionable while following their vow of poverty?

Sylvester Stallone

Photo studio, Makati City, January 16, 2009

Deceased

Marikina City, January 11, 2009

Pares Pares

Along Commonwealth Avenue, January 10, 2009

Parehas lang 'Ta Bai

Along Baan Highway, Butuan City

Welcome Indiana Jones

Taken at the Butuan City Airport

An Evening in December

Last night, my friends and I watched Nova Mancao-Ramirez in her benefit concert at the Almont Inland Resort. I, somehow, had a nice time - being with friends and picture-taking. Here are the uppers and downers:

UPPERS

• It is a benefit concert. Some people are still generous enough to share their talent for the sake of those streetchildren.
  
• The venue was okay. It was my first time to get into Almont Inland and I wasn't disappointed. The stage was simple but classy.
  
• The ticket looks good. Nova looks like Abegail Arenas there.
  
• Their male singers, especially the one who sang in "Miss Saigon," and "The Phantom of the Opera" medleys and "A Whole New World" deserve an applause - a roaring applause from the crowd. "Why God Why?" should have been sung with much intensity as it's the kind of emotion being warranted from the song.
  
• The dancer who had to do his own drama when putting up the set. He really ammused me.
  
• Marvin Gayramon is still Marvin Gayramon. No debate about it. And it's nice to hear that he's going back to school.
  
• Nova's dresses are nice.
  
• Butuan has artists! Wow!

DOWNERS

• The well-modulated voice-over person needs a thorough editing of his script. I know that he's a Pinoy and even a person in Butuan so why have the foreign twang when pronouncing those local names? And we're there to watch the concert and not listen to his frequent advertisement of those foods [sic] and drinks being sold at the counter.
  
• Though I love the repertoire since it contains mostly of Broadway songs, I was mad at how they interpreted the songs. Joanna and I couldn't help but look at each other with raised brows whenever she "murders" some of our favorite songs like in "Miss Saigon" and "The Phantom of the Opera."
  
• Nova often falls flat because she clenches her teeth. That also made her fail to enunciate the words properly making the long /a/ sound like long /e/.
  
• Her staccato part at the Phantom medley wasn't really neat. She should have cut that part out.
  
• That cute girl Nova had a duet with reminds me of Sharon's kids who have to go down of their normal comfortable pitch to make the frontline singer sing with ease.
  
• Marvin needs to be reminded that he's got a big head and that closed neck would emphasize his head. His pants and shirt would only work with tuxedo and boat tie with it, which were missing. He could have worn a different set of clothes.
  
• The slideshow. Shouldn't that be coordinated with the song as well? They were really fast that the show ended before the second song started. It could have been better that they would have shown Lea's pictures when she was a kid when those Little Miss Lea songs were sung, then a grown-up one during those songs when she was already grown up.
  
• Thanks to paying homage to those who have passed away. Aside from the fact that I don't know them, it's really creepy looking at those dead people's pictures being shown.
  
• Hasn't Christine Fernandez realized that she's not really a good singer? Come to think of it - she's been in voice classes for how many years, has joined Metropop Star Search, Star for a Night and Star in a Million, stars in a weekly variety show in Cebu where she could showcase her singing "talent(?)" but she's still off key.
  
• FSUU Choir has the voice. I would suppose that they are the college choir and not the high school one because I didn't see the class that our batchmates possess.
  
• What's something in common among Almont Chorale girls? Their bulging abdomens. Isn't empire cut designed to hide the tummy? Nice fabric, good concept of having their dresses different from each other, but the execution was poor.

So This is Christmas

Nakaraos din. I've been busy since I got here, attending my "kids'" Christmas Party, throwing a small dinner for my Mom's birthday, organizing my baby's anime-themed birthday bash, for their nanny, preparing the Noche Buena, seeing old friends and enduring the cold and cough. I haven't even practiced my song assignments nor have I vocalized. I know I'll be reprimanded once I'll get back.

I haven't received a call from my supervisor. I am aware that I've one NCNS (No Call No Show) because of my unapproved leaves. But being with my family is priceless. Spending the yuletide season with them is more precious than anything else.

I hope I won't be terminated.

Twilight

So the Twilight phenomenon is on. Where the plot is so shallow and the style is too simple. It's higher than Sweet Valley Twins but cornier than SV High. The romance between Isabella Swan and Edward Cullens is cheesier than the tuna omelette that I love to prepare. But still, I finished reading the first book and is in the middle of the second one and Janice and Joanna were able to convince me to watch the movie.

• As expected, the movie corrupted the book again. Things were so different from what I imagined - Swan and Cullen's houses, the supporting characters' faces, the ballet studio, the silver Volvo. Janice got irritated hearing me repeatedly saying that it's different from the book. What can I do? I haven't read and watched Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings?
  
• With the Cullen's faces, anybody born with the brain and curious mind would think that they are vampires. Unless people would think that they've been overdosed with Glutathione and color-stay lipstick or have it tattooed.
  
• Isabella's chin could stab my chest while Edward's eyebrows could slit my webbed fingers.
  
• Edward's lips remind of Gretchen Barreto saying "Am I pouting?! I'm not pouting!"
  
• I was glad when I heard "Libiamo" being played in the scene where the Cullens were preparing food while Janice exclaimed when she saw the Philippine flag along with the others being hung at ther cafeteria. It must have been there United Nations Month.
  
• I thought I've been already a stalker but Edward beat me. Ha ha! Isn't it scary knowing that somebody watches you while you sleep?
  
• Is that how a demi-god looks like - semi-dead looking? Edward looks and acts like a corpse.
  
• The actors haven't convinced me of their acting. I didn't feel the passion nor the rage.
  
• Whoever would fall in love with Edward and wouldn't agree with me is a typical girl.