STRIPPER STRIPPED

Sadly, it's the end of the road for one of my favorites. This week, Danny Hernandez leaves American Idol. The stripper scandal might have had an effect on the result. I guess the scandal with the New York governor being involved in a prostitution ring is too much to handle by the Americans that's why they voted off the former stripper from the show. I'm just kidding.

Honestly, performance-wise, my bets didn't do well with their performances except for Carly and Michael. Ramiele's performance was so-so; David A. forgot some of his lines; Syesha's performance was also mediocre; and, David H overdid his.

Anyway, I really think Brooke's performance was also boring.

By the way, they keep on saying that this season, it's all about the youth. Then how come they make the contestants sing songs from the Lennon-McCartney songbook. I mean, that's way too old for the youth. Don't tell me it's classic. Some of the contestants are below 20 years old. They don't even know that the Beatles proclaimed themselves as more popular that Jesus. You might be thinking ... how come they were able to sing songs from the 60's and 70's? Oh come on, simple math. There are more songs in the 60's/70's songbook compared to the Lennon-McCartney's.

Anyway, I'm just glad that the rest of my bets will be given a chance to redeem themselves.

FULL CIRCLE

Why full circle? Because as of this week, we now have this season's Top 12 hopefuls for that coveted spot as the next American Idol. This is the reason why they even started this search - to come to this point; to find out who is the best.

I'm very happy to know that my bets are still included in the list. This week we say adios to Luke Menard, Danny Noriega, Asia'h Epperson, and Kady Malloy. I was somewhat disappointed that Noriega and Epperson got voted off. They're not great singers but they sure are better than the others who should have been voted off. Anyway, it's also a popularity contest aside from being a singing contest (take Sanjaya as evidence)

Here's the list of those who made it to the Top 12:
*Amanda Overmyer
* Brooke White
* Carly Smithson
* Chikezie Eze
* David Archuleta
* David Cook
* Danny Hernandez
* Jason Castro
* Kristy Lee Cook
* Michael Johns
* Ramiele Malubay
* Syesha Mercado

So there you have it. It's time to move on to the bigger stage at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. If you're from the US and you are reading this, please, please, I beg of you ... please vote for my favorites: Ramiele Malubay, David Archuleta, Carly Smithson, Michael Johns, Syesha Mercado, and Danny Hernandez. Thanks!

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Full circle because Celine is already dead. It's a very sad ending to the Celine-JB love story I'm not a big fan of Maging Sino Ka Man (roughly translated as Whoever you are) but that episode was a real tear-jerker.

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There are so many things to blog about but I guess since I'm in my parents' place, my blogging time would be limited. I'm only sharing with my dad's PC. If he needs it, I have to go.

I also wouldn't be able to play online games. It's Lenten season, no online games installed on my dad's pc, so I guess my ass can rest hahaha.

Oh yeah, by the way, I have a new PC. Thanks to my sis and bro for the help picking the peripherals needed, we were able to build a cool PC in PC Corner. Argh. I'm far from my new PC. I won't be able to use it again for about 2 weeks I guess.

I have to sacrifice buying a PSP for that new PC :( I went to my cousin's place today, he has a PSP and he has Naruto installed! Dang it's Naruto!. NA-R-U-T-O. I guess I can buy a PSP when I already have a job. If my CRT did not die on me, I might have been able to buy a PSP, Oh well... i'm tired ... till next time. Ciao!

STAYING ALIVE

Being in a vehicle still gives me the creeps. Especially when it's going more than 60Kph. Not many people know this (my family included) that I was in car crash before. Seated beside my classmate who was driving his sister's car, everything went by really, really fast. We didn't have any seatbelt on. I think we were going more than 80kph that time. I didn't dare take a picture of the wrecked car because I was really freaked out that time. We were en route to our duty in Bulacan (Brgy. Sapang Palay, San Jose del Monte) when the accident happened.

The impact was so hard that the rear view mirror was removed from its hinge and hit me on the head. I'm really thankful that I was holding on to the hand bar that time. I'm also thankful that we did not fly through the glass. The door locks were jammed, the left front wheel was removed from its sockets, the hood was a total mess. Nobody died and we only sustained minor injuries.

I'm not a goodlooking person but I could never forgive myself if I died that time. I don't want to die ugly hahaha. "Vain - I bet you think this song is about you ..." Just kidding ...

SWEET SIXTEEN, BITTER FOUR

This week, we say goodbye to Alexandréa Lushington, Alaina Whitaker, Jason Yeager, and Robbie Carrico. I can't say much about these people because mainly they're not bad singers. They can sing but I guess it all boils down to the right choice of song to perform.

It's been two weeks and from what I can see, it's not important if you love the song. What's important is that you should impress the judges and the people. A lot of them would say, "I really love that song and I'm glad I was able to sing it here," only to find out that their performance would suffer and the judges would just call it mediocre.

What the judge are looking for are performances wherein the contestants can showcase their talent. If they can belt, they should choose songs with high notes. If they're good with blues, they should use that as an advantage. It's good to take risks but make sure that you can make it. I say Asiah did a very big risk by singing a Celine Dion classic (All By Myself). She almost didn't make it. That's what I'm talking about. You can take risks but make sure you're better than the original.

American Idol Top 24 Photo Widget

AND THEN THERE WERE 20

It's the end of the road for American Idol Season 7 hopefuls Garrett Haley, Amy Davis, Joanne Borgella, and Colton Berry.

I wasn't really impressed as well with their performances. Garrett, who, if you have read my previous blogs did not have any video of his previous audition performances, sounded like a violin. Amy, who sang Where The Boys Are, didn't put too much emotion on her performance. It was like she and the song were two different entities. Colton, who Simon didn't want to be included in the top 24, did a performance that looked like it was really exaggerated. Joanne, was a real disappointment. Bad choice of song I guess although she could have easily nailed I Say A Little for You. Hmmm, she might have caught the flu that time. She was really great in her auditions, really dunno what happened to her Top 24 performance.

So now we only have 20 contestants left. Yipee for my favorites who are still on the list. Randy, Paula, and Simon simply adored the performances of David Archuleta and Ramiele Malubay. Ramiele, being a big fan of Lani Misalucha, did her own rendition of the Lani revival of You Don't Have to Say You Love Me. She did great performance. David A. was really into the song when he did his performance. Being a pro at performing, he did not find it hard to be confident on stage.

This coming Tue (Wed, Phils time), I hope to see more great performances from my favorites. Keep voting for my favorites please. Thanks!

AMERICAN IDOL TOP 24 -- NOW IT'S OFFICIAL

Now it's official -- no more rumors, even though the rumors were correct :) Hollywood week of the American Idol season 7 has finally ended and we now have the top 24. Hollywood week this season was completely different from previous seasons. For one, there is no more group performances, which I think is a real pain in the "B." Hollywood week was all about solo performances. A first in Idol history, during the first round of elimination, the hopefuls were allowed to use instruments during their performances. Some used the keyboards, one used drums, several others used guitars, and still others just relied on their voices. During the first round, if the judges think their performance was good enough, they will automatically advance to the third round, which would be the elimination for the top 50. However, if the judges think that you didn't do well, you can still have a chance by advancing to the second round, wherein they would have to sing in a capellla. The second round is a do-or-die round. If you're not good enough, it's the end of the road. If the judges think you have what it takes, they will let you advance.

Ok now, the third round ... on this round, the contestants would have to sing a song out of a list of 200. They have to choose one. Another Idol first, is that a full band, complete with three background singers would accompany the contestant during his/her performance -- pretty much like the setup for the Top 24 elimination. This is also a do-or-die round. If you do well, you'll advance to the Top 50. This is where it gets hard for the judges. Out of the chosen 50, they have to deliberate as to who will have the chance to be included in the Top 24 and advance to the live performances next week.

Ok, to make the long story short, remember the rumored top 24 from my previous post? Well, they are indeed the official top 24. I would just like to make a correction regarding my last post, since we were all in a blur, the photos of the supposedly top 24 taken by some paparazzi(?) were in fact photos of the top 50 on their way to the elimination for the top 24. So anyway, here are the top 24 contestants for American Idol Season 7:



Now if you want to see clips of the top 24 contestants during the Hollywood week, you can view them on the following videos (some contestants didn't have any performance videos, sorry you can only see them on one video) plus you can also click on their names to see their bio on americanidol.com:

* Garrett Haley, Kady Malloy, Chikezie Eze, Amy Jean Davis, Alaina Whitaker, Jason Yeager

* Jason Castro, Luke Menard, Alexandréa Lushington



* Danny Norriega





* David Cook





* David Hernandez





* Michael Johns





* Robbie Carrico





* Colton Berry





* David Archuleta





* Kristy Lee Cook





* Amanda Overmyer






* Joanne Borgella



* Brooke White





* Syesha Mercado





* Asia'h Epperson





* Carly Smithson





... and finally, a FILIPINA on the Idols season 7 ... presenting ...

* Ramiele Malubay





Well, there you go ... the official Top 24 for the American Idol Season 7. Please, please, if you're from the US and are reading this, please support my favorites on my behalf. Please support Ramiele Malubay, David Archuleta, Carly Smithson, Michael Johns, David Hernandez, and Syesha Mercado -- in order of preference. Although I have not listened to the other contestants yet, these would be my favorites so far.

IF EVER YOU'RE IN MY ARMS AGAIN

The upcoming post-valentine romantic movie event from Star Cinema is another surefire hit. It stars Sam Milby and Toni Gonzaga on their third team-up on the big screen. I hope My Big Love would be as entertaining and heartwarming as their previous feel-good movie, You Are The One (I cannot comment on You Got Me because I was not able to watch that flick).

The song above is the theme song of the movie. I cannot find a good video of Sam and Toni with their duet of the song so I just took Peabo's song from Imeem. This song brings back old memories. Hope you like the song as well.

AMERICAN IDOL S7 TOP 24 (or so they say)

I've never been a big AI fan but I guess it kinda grows on you especially when you're living with people who love to watch the show (my sis and my bro-in-law, and yeah even my niece's yaya). I must say, it's really amusing. Anyway, so the audition for Hollywood part of the show has just ended and so by next week, they will start to air the search for the Top 50 and then Top 24. Humors are already spreading as to who made it to the Top 24. So far, based on speculations and photos (yes photos, click here if you don't believe me), here are the people who THEY say are included in the list:

Top 12 Girls

• Asiah Epperson
  

• Alaina Whitaker

• Alexandrea Lushington

• Amanda Overmyer

• Amy Davis

• Brooke White

• Carly Hennessy Smithson

• Joanne Borgella

• Kady Malloy

• Kristy Lee Cook

• Ramiele Malubay

• Syesha Mercado

Top 12 Guys

• Chikezie Eze

• Colton Berry

NO VIDEO (SEE PHOTO)

• Danny Noriega

• David Archuleta

• David Cook

• David Hernandez

NO VIDEO (SEE PHOTO)

• Garrett Haley

NO VIDEO (SEE PHOTO)

• Jason Castro

NO VIDEO (SEE PHOTO)

• Jason Yeager

NO VIDEO (SEE PHOTO)

• Luke Menard

NO VIDEO (SEE PHOTO)

• Michael Lee Johns

• Robbie Carrico

There you go. Sorry I can't find any videos for the other male hopefuls but you can click on the link to see a photo of that contestant.

I think I'd stop at that for now coz I'm really getting a headache with my PC crashing and Firefox quitting on me. Hope I can get a new PC :(

TRICKSTER ONLINE

Trickster Online is another MMORPG that is free to play and is brought to you by Ntreev, Inc USA. It is pretty much like Ragnarok if you are familiar with that. However, since I'm not a hardcore player of RO, I can't differentiate one from the other.

This is a cool game because there are tons of freebies and events that are being offered to players. Aside from that, the gameplay is also nice, not to mention the graphics. It's not full 3D but it's a nice 2D scrollable game.

You can choose amongst 8 different characters with 4 different major growth stats or types. The characters are composed of the Power-types: Bunnys and Buffalos; the Magic-types: the Sheeps and the Dragons; the Sense-Types: Raccoons and Lions; the Charm-types: Cats and Foxes.

My major character in-game is a Dragon that I am training to be a Dark Magician. I really enjoy playing it because you get to meet people from different parts of the world. In our guild, there are people from the US and from Canada, some are from Europe and there are also players from the Philippines. In the game, there are also people from other countries like Brazil (which we don't understand because they don't speak English, and even if they do, you'd have a hard time understanding their point) and Spain.

If you want to experience a nice game like this, just click on the image above to open the website so that you can register and download the gamne client. Just make sure you have a graphics card.

KUNG HEI FAT CHOI

Happy Chinese New Year to everybody!!! This is a video I took of a fireworks display near our place in QC. The quality isn't that good because I just took it with my N5330 phone. Enjoy! Kung Hei Fat Choi!

DoMyStuff.com - Outsource your life:

This is a cool website. Imagine people doing your task. If you want someone to have your toilet bowl cleaned, post it as a task, and wait for people to bid on that task so they can do it for you. This is only available in the US. I once saw on TV someone who was totally clueless as to how he was going to setup his TiVo. What he did, because basically the only techy thing he could do is use his PC and surf the net, he posted his problem as a task on this website and viola! Somebody who is an expert in TiVo installation came to the rescue.

Here are some tasks posted by random members:
* Clean up yard
* Cut tree branch
* Pet sitting
* Refinish antique desk & chair
* Lighting fixture & pot rack installation
* Handyman services
among many others.

How I wish we have that here in the Philippines ... well, guess not. We're not that dumb and busy

The New 7 Wonders of the World

The New7Wonders organization is happy to announce that the following 7 candidates have been elected by more than 100 million votes to represent global heritage throughout history. The listing is in random order, as announced at the Declaration Ceremony on 07.07.07. All the New 7 Wonders are equal and are presented as a group without any ranking.

Official New 7 Wonders of the World status is subject to a final validation process, and will be confirmed during a forthcoming New7Wonders Inauguration Tour.
~I really think it's high time they did this. I personally am not familiar with the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (Pyramid of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Colossus of Rhodes, Pharos of Alexandria) -- well, not really, I am familiar with the pyramids but the rest are a total blur to me. Out of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, only the pyramids remain standing. Kudos to the Egyptians! In fact, the pyramids were finalists in the selection of the new 7 wonders but sadly it was not chosen. Anyway, here are the New 7 Wonders of the World (not in any order because as they say, they are equal in popularity and prestige)

The Pyramid at Chichén Itzá (before 800 A.D.) Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Chichén Itzá, the most famous Mayan temple city, served as the political and economic center of the Mayan civilization. Its various structures - the pyram id of Kukulkan, the Temple of Chac Moo l, the Hall of the Thousand Pillars, and the Playing Field of the Prisoners – can still be seen tod ay and are demonstrative of an extraordinary commi tment to architectural space and composition. The pyramid itself was the last, and arguably the greatest, of all Mayan temples.
~ According to The Discovery Channel, this pyramid is a perfect one. every summer solstice, an image of a snake would be seen beside the steps of this pyramid (or something to that effect I can't really remember). There are other structures around the pyramid and they are equally as impressive.

Christ Redeemer (1931) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This statue of Jesus stands some 38 meters tall, atop the Corcovado mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro. Designed by Brazilian Heitor da Silva Costa and created by French sculptor Paul Landowski, it is one of the world’s best-known monuments. The statue took five years to construct and was inaugurated on October 12, 1931. It has become a symbol of the city and of the warmth of th e Brazilian people, who receive visitors with open arms.
~ I have friends in Brazil and they tell me the Christ Redeemer statue is real ly awesome. However, did you know that this is not the tallest Christ statue in the world? The tallest would be, I think, is the one in Bolivia. It's called Cristo de la Concordia.

The Roman Colosseum (70 - 82 A.D.) Rome, Italy

This great amphitheater in the centre of Rome was built to give favors to successful legionnaires and to celebrate the glory of the Roman Empire. Its design concept still stands to this very day, and virtually every modern sports stadium some 2,000 years later still bears the irresistible imprint of the Colosseum's original design. Today, through films and history books, we are eve n more aware of the cruel fights and games that took place in this arena, all for the joy of the spectators.
~ Too bad we are glorifying this place. A lot of people died within the walls of this massive arena. It's virtually a slaughter house. I'm more sadden by the fact that it beat the Parthenon by being one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. Anyway, it was a glorio us structure when it was constructed. Well, yeah, it still is.

The Taj Mahal (1630 A.D.) Agra, India

This immense mausoleum was built on the orders of Shah Jahan, the fifth Muslim Mogul emperor, to honor the memory of his beloved late wife. Built out of white marble and standing in formally laid-out walled gardens, the Taj Mahal is regarded as the most perfect jewel of Muslim art in India. The emperor was consequently jailed and, it is said, could then only see the Taj Mahal out of his small cell window.
~ One of the most symmetrical structures in the world, made of premium grade white marble, a monument of true love, need I say more? Finally something from Asia. This is really a majestic piece of art. Glad to know that this was included as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.

The Great Wall of China (220 B.C and 1368 - 1644 A.D.) China

The Great Wall of China was built to link existing for tifications into a unite d defense system and better keep invading Mongol tribes out of China. It is the largest man-made monument ever to have been built and it is disputed that it is the only one visible from space. Many thousands of people must have given their lives to build this colossal construction.
~ Hurrah! Strike two for the Asians. The only man-made structure visible from space. I so want to visit this place and just admire it. I also want to bring my family to this place but I don't think my parents could endure the long walk hehehe

Petra (9 B.C. - 40 A.D.), Jordan

On the edge of the Arabian Desert, Petra was the glittering capital of the Nabataean empire of King Aretas IV (9 B.C. to 40 A.D.). Masters of water technology, the Nabataeans provided their city with great tunnel constructions and water chambers. A theater, modelled on Greek-Roman prototypes, had space for an audience of 4,000. Today, the Palace Tombs of Petra, with the 42-meter-high Hellenistic temple facade on the El-Deir Monastery, are impressive examples of Middle Eastern culture.
~ Three-in-a-row! Another Asian wonder. The Petra is one of the most impressive stone sculptures/structures in the world. I believe this was also used as one of the backdrops for the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It is still as wonderful as ever.

Machu Picchu (1460-1470), Peru

In the 15th century, the Incan Emperor Pachacútec built a city in t he clouds on the mountain known as Machu Picchu ("old mountain"). This extraordinary settlement lies halfway up the Andes Plateau, deep in the Amazon jungle and above the Urubamba River. It was probably abandoned by the Incas because of a smallpox outbreak and, after the Spanish defeated the Incan Empire, the city remained 'lost' for over three centuries. It was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911.
~ One of the most majestic ancient structures man has ever discovered. It must have taken a great deal of hardship to build this "city in the sky". We actually have a jigsaw puzzle of this place. It must have been really something to have lived in this place. However, it must have been really, really cold hehehe

Well, there you have it. The New 7 Wonders of the World. If you want to know more about these Wonders, you can go and visit the website. Just >>>click here<<<. You can also go to that website to vote for the next big thing! The New 7 Wonders of Nature. Please vote for the Tubbataha Reef in the Philippines as well.

* All post written in italics are from me, the rest, I took from the website.

for sale! nikon F90x with Nikkor af 24-120mm and Tokina af 80-400mm

Link

I've always wanted to have a nice camera. this looks like a nice offer but I really can't afford it right now :(

WELCOME BACK

Well, yeah, it's official. I'm back from my very long hiatus. Just like what I said on my last post, alot has happened, but before anything else, I have a good news:

I have just received an update regarding my final pay from eTelecare (which has been long overdue). I just hope there would not be any problems with that. Finally they can release my final pay.

Okay, let's move on ... I'm blogging right now because I'm waiting for my download to finish and I can't do anything else while I'm doing that ... well, except for blogging. And yeah, I NEED (emphasis on need) to blog because it's a prerequisite before I can qualify for the PayPerPost website. They said my registration has been rejected because, and I quote: "as per our terms of service, we do not accept blogs with a non-writing period of 30+ days in the past 90 days." I surely don't qualify hehehe. I'll make sure I blog almost everyday so I can qualify and earn some money.

Since there have been loads of things that happened since my last real post, I'll dedicate individual posts for them. I'll try to write about my experiences for the past two years. yes, TWO long years hahaha. Anyway, here goes . . .

Whoa . . .

I can't believe it's been two years since I last posted a blog on my blogger. Two long years this coming Feb 18. A lot has happened. A lot has changed.