The End...For Now...?

I joined 106.7 Dream-FM almost four years ago, back in February of 2007. Every time I think about that fact, it again brings me to the realization how quickly time passes by. It honestly doesn't feel like it's been nearly four years...! But it has. But a few months ago, I got a job as one of the DJs for Shakey's (yes, Shakey's.....they've recently started their own Live Radio thingamajig, heard via Shoutcast over the internet and broadcast at almost all their 500-plus restaurants). And since October, I'd been working almost 18 to 21 hours a day everyday! I'm a workaholic, what can I say? I actually managed to squeeze in my Shakey's gig along with my radio stint for Dream, my numerous dubbing projects, the occasional voiceover jobs, as well as hosting gigs. Whew! The thing is, working that hard for months on end, with hardly a day off (I've got work for Shakey's and sometimes have hosting and/or dubbing even on Fridays, my day off), can eventually take its toll on a person. And I've succumbed to the feeling of being burnt out.
At first, I thought I was just in one of my mood swings. I told a couple of people I know, about how I felt like I wanted to resign from my Dream-FM job, but one of my friends/colleagues told me I say that this time of the year every year (I do? I honestly don't remember). So then, I thought that it was probably just the Holidays kinda bringing me down. That I would get over this hump after awhile. But it never happened. One morning (yesterday, Monday, to be exact) I simply woke up feeling that I've had enough.
It wasn't that I was miserable at work. Even though we weren't exactly getting paid better, I didn't really have a problem working at Dream-FM (it was never about the money for me). It was a quiet place to work at, I didn't have a problem with any of my other co-DJs, there were hardly any intrigues or inter-office politics (I guess that's because we were only a small group). So what was the problem? First off, there was the daily commute. Novaliches (specifically, Quirino Highway) had a different breed of moronic drivers. Almost everyday, I would find myself playing chicken with douchebags on motorcycles, as well as jeepney and taxi drivers, etc. These bastards always love to overtake unnecessarily! Then there's the parking situation at the TV5 compound which has frustrated me to no end. In the beginning, the parking slots at the already-small compound was slowly disappearing due to the addition of a couple of new shows, Face To Face and Juicy. Fortunately, that was remedied. Until Willing Willie came along. With the addition of that show, everyone else who wasn't part of WW bid goodbye to getting decent parking (parking, period!). But then, SM Novaliches came along, and they saved the day by opening up their parking as early as 6am (lucky for those who have to do sign-on at Dream-FM almost everyday). Thank God. But then, Christmas came, SM started to offer up free parking AND opened their parking at 10am! So there goes (my) happy days again. There was no way in hell I was going to commute all the way from home to Novaliches and then to where the Shakey's head office was! That was going to be too much of a hassle for me. And let's not forget about the fact that I was working for nearly 21 hours a day everyday! So, lack of sleep being factored in as well, I had to make a decision. And that decision was one that was logistically sound.
Well, it's been fun, Dream-FM.
Au Revoir! Who knows? Maybe given some time, I'll find myself back there again. Next year perhaps? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

'Nuff said.

Videoke Night...

Normally, I would choose to stay home, watch some TV, or possibly sleep. I already work too much that I'm often tired and would rather rest when I'm not working. But, one of my New Year's resolutions was that I would make this year not simply about work, work and work. I told myself that I would gimmick/party as hard as I work (or, at least, as hard as I'd been working for, uhm, as long as I can remember), time and energy willing.
This was the first of what will be many more gimmicks or get-togethers with friends and such. I was actually touched that I was one of those who got invited by Karylle to join her and company for some videoke-ing (I know she didn't specifically ask me, but being asked just the same was good enough for me), and it was a fun evening. It's a rarety that I get to unwind and it was quite nice, never mind the fact that I was a bit tired (I had work yesterday morning at Dream-FM and then dubbing in the afternoon 'til the time I went to Centerstage in Makati).

I really didn't know what the reason was for the get-together. I thought that it was to celebrate the birthday of (sir) Jesmond (the current boss of Polyeast Records). But then, I found out that Centerstage (Makati) had opened a new, huge wing (the name escapes me), perfect for large, private functions or gatherings. The place was actually so big that even with the number of people who came that night, there was still so much more room!

Karylle wanted everyone to see the new "room" and give it a test run of sorts. It's a very nice function room and I probably would have wanted to "rent" out the place as well for whatever get-togethers I might have in the future. The problem? It's a little too expensive! For me anyway.

I probably should have kept my trap shut and be intimidated by the fact that I was with some professional singers there (Karylle, of course, as well Hale's vocalist Champ and, as I found out, this fella by the name of Nani - who was the entertainment of the night - and Zsa Zsa Padilla also came by), but that didn't really stop me from "belting" out a couple of tunes in front of everyone. I couldn't help it -- it had been awhile since I last went videoke-ing with my best friend and the usual cohorts we go with when we go out to a videoke joint, I wanted to sing! Besides, I also had hoped that with me showing that I wasn't afraid to make an idiot of myself, my other friends from Polyeast would also follow suit. Well, they did. But only very much earlier that evening, before anyone else had arrived.

I made sure to pick a song that was well within my reach, vocally, so as to not embarrass myself too much in front of everyone else (well, when more people had arrived): Beautiful In My Eyes by Joshua Kadison is always my first pick if I'm going to do any singing in front of people that I don't know (all that well or at all), because Kadison's voice or vocals, uh, "registers low", just like my own voice. I can't exactly do any ear-piercing singing, so I stick to songs that I can sing. Of course, in front of other people I'm comfortable with, that's another story.

I kinda wish though everyone from Polyeast Records had done their turn in front of the mic. Sure, most of them sang, but only when there were just a few of us at the time. Except for myself and Romy (the guy who sits at the desk at the lobby of the Polyeast office), nobody else really dared sing when there were more people. Which was kind of a shame. We were supposed to have fun (not that we didn't)!

If there was a Coolest Chick of The Night award, it should go to Zsa Zsa Padilla! First of all, she slimmed down from the last time I saw her (when I was hosting her mall shows last year), she looks great! Apparently, she'd been taking this asthma medicine that had steroids in it, which was what caused her weight gain. She changed medicines, and now she's thin(ner) and looks terrific! But what really impressed me was how she behaved, how she interacted with her daughters. She was dancing and singing along and even sang Evanescence's Bring Me To Life! Wow.

All in all, it was a great and fun evening. Truthfully, I'm wishing that I get to go out some time soon, just with my close friends from Polyeast, and go to a videoke bar, drink, sing and be merry!
But, damn, I look fat in these pics!
'Nuff said.

It's 2010, Baby...

It's the first day to the/a new year! It's 2010, baby!! Oh, how time flies. Honestly, I didn't even feel that another year has just passed us by. Which, I guess, can be or is a good thing. I want to forget a lot about the previous year. Truthfully, I don't remember most of what happened, or what I did during 2009. Some of the things I do remember? Michael Jackson and Brittany Murphy's deaths, the Ampatuan massacre, Ondoy, Tiger Woods and Manny Pacquiao's infidelities and a thief constantly breaking into my apartment. Of course, it's not all bad. But why is it, so far, I can only remember a few of (the) good things? And two of them are movies : Star Trek and Avatar. The other is the fact that I nearly caught the thief who broke into my pad (he was breaking into my place one Saturday morning, I woke up, chased him down, but he got away because I couldn't get past the gate of my apartment due to the fact that I was only in my underwear).
Before posting, I was contemplating on whether I should make another list of New Year's resolutions, and making this post about said list. But then, like every year, I know that I would just end up breaking most, if not all of them. What the heck....
One of the things I noticed about myself in regards to last year is that I've been prone to get agitated on the road more than ever when encountering stupid motorists (of both private and public utility vehicles). I'll be the first to admit, I have road rage. I've just been fortunate, thus far, not to have come across anyone whom I've actually had to get into a fist fight or war of (curse) words, or worse, get myself shot. Whew. But I can't expect to get lucky all the time. I really have to try and calm down and just ignore these morons on the road. My patience has been skating on thin ice a lot lately most likely because of exhaustion and lack of sleep. I remember having a breakdown in my car one morning on the way to work. Here's hoping that doesn't happen again or anytime soon this 2010.
As much as I would like to cut down on work this year, I can't. I have to keep working. I don't work, I starve. I also have a lot of bills to pay every month. Plus, I am a certified workaholic. But I will try and get as much sleep and rest as I can every chance I get. Not to say that I'm going to coop myself up at home every time I'm not working. I also want to try and spend time doing a lot of other stuff that is not work-related when I'm not working. Maybe go out with friends, drink and unwind, etc, just to make sure my life won't only be about work. But then again, that would entirely depend on the kind of schedule I'm going to have this year. Hopefully, time permitting, I'll be able to do other stuff that isn't only about hosting, dubbing and/or my radio and tv gigs.
I've spent a lot on comic books the previous year. And because of work, I haven't had much time to read every title that I've purchased that I've accumulated a big pile of unread comics. I've got to cram and read, read and read, just so I can finally also decide on what titles to cut down on. Because I've got to be honest, some of the comic books that I've been buying are a bit of a let-down (The Mighty Avengers, The New Avengers, to name a few). Even though it's too late and I've already fallen off the wagon so to speak and have gotten back into my comic-buying-addiction again, I don't necessarily want to go cold turkey and cut off comic books from my life (being a little dramatic there, I know). I love comics. Besides movies, it's another one of my means of "escapism". It makes me happy. I love the artwork and super heroes and super villains. But I know that when I get to spend over three thousand pesos every week, just for comic books, it's, well..... ridiculous! I've got to lessen the titles I purchase every week, stat!
I've been eating a lot the past few months. I've managed to lose weight at the start of '09 (or was it the year before that?), but eating food is too damn hard to resist, especially if the food you get to eat is delicious! I mean, eating is good, of course -- one has to eat. But gluttony is not exactly good either. And that's what I've been doing. Fortunately, I've managed not to look so fat in a lot of the pics that I've been in - in fact, I actually look quite good, shape-wise that is - but I know I've gained weight. And I don't like that. I can see it when I look at myself in the mirror. My face is rounder (not as round as it had gotten back in '08, thank God) and the tummy -- ! Oh, the horror...! The other night, I ran into a friend and he said I was "(so) fat"! Of course, we hadn't seen each other in years, and back then, I was a scrawny runt. I know that I'm not that fat. But, still, I feel fat. So, last night, I swore that I'd not have any rice for the next couple of months or so (please, please, let my will power be strong enough), try and cut down on soft drinks, and, more importantly, lessen the amount of food I eat!
I am also in terrible shape. Something that I've been meaning to do in, like....forever, is to go back to the gym and work out again! I don't really remember how long ago I made that plan, but it's been years. And, so far, it hasn't happened yet. This year? I'm going to cross my fingers and hope that my lazy ass manages to find its way back into the gym. Rock-hard abs, here I come?
This 2010, I want to post more stuff on my blog(s). I seem to recall me making that resolution last year as well. Besides being too busy, laziness is another reason why I never got to write more posts. Sometimes, I feel that some of the things I want to post about is just too short. Why do I even worry about that kind of thing? It's not like anyone really reads my blog (heck, I don't invite anyone to check out my blog), so why should I care? I guess it's mainly because I feel that if I were only going to write a post that is a short one, then I should just do it on Facebook and Twitter (two things I got into only last year). Blog posts are meant to be long, be more elaborate or perhaps more detailed, allowing the one writing to really let loose with whatever is on his/her mind.
As always, I've been tardy at work. In fact, I have been arriving so late almost every single day at Dream-FM, especially during my sign-on shift(s). And when I say late, I mean 30 minutes to an hour or even an hour and a half! Yes, I've been that tardy. Hopefully, I can keep it down to "just" five minutes. I know that I'm still going to be late anyway, so I won't even try and say that I'm going to change and not be late anymore this year.
Well, there we have it -- my New Year's Resolutions for 2010.
'Nuff said.

It's My Birthday, It's My Birthday...

Another year and I'm older again. There's a saying about one getting wiser as we get older. I just don't think that applies to me. The getting-wiser part that is.
So, how did I spend my birthday this year?
Well, working.
Monday, September 21 : I was dubbing as usual. And, as always, it took me 'til the wee hours of the next morning before I finally got home. Past 3 a.m. to be exact. At least the nice thing about spending your birthday working was that I was with people that I liked. And we did have lots of food, as well as two birthday cakes!
I didn't start my (birth)day on the right foot so to speak come Tuesday. I was stuck in traffic for an hour! Along this stretch of road that only takes ten minutes to get to my place of business. And this was at 5:30 in the damn morning!! So, I was late for my sign-on shift at Dream-FM for about thirty minutes. Damn.
After my radio stint, it was dubbing again as usual.
10:30 p.m. : I finally made up my mind and decided that I did not want to spend the last hour of my birthday working. So I cut short my dubbing and went to Makati to catch the last full show of "The Ugly Truth".
After the movie, it turned out that my birthday celebration wasn't over yet. I texted my dubbing supervisor and she and I, as well as several other dubbers, went out videoke-ing. Too bad we only had about an hour and a half to do our singing because the joint was going to close at 4 a.m. We managed to squeeze in a lot of songs in the amount of time we had and had a lot of alcohol as well. But because we (or rather, I) drank a little too quickly, I got hammered rather fast. Fortunately, though, I didn't look I was drunk (I wasn't slurring and I was still able to walk a straight line). Here's the "funny" thing -- after our videoke and drinking session, I went to (a) McDonald's (at the Shell station in Ortigas) to have breakfast (this was around past 5 in the morning) - I also distinctly remember calling my best friend as I was on the road (I don't exactly know what for, or what I was thinking, but, knowing me, it was probably nothing decent - hehe) - and, upon parking, my head was spinning so much that I could not help it -- I felt I was gonna hurl chunks! Thank Gawd I had a couple of plastic bags lying around in the car and within reach! Because I couldn't get up and get out of my car at that point. After throwing up, I felt drained and couldn't help myself that I decided I would take a nap. It turned out that nap would be a lot longer than I had anticipated, as I woke up almost 9:30 in the morning. Yikes. Man, I am so thankful that my Honda Civic is tinted. And even more grateful that no one tapped on my car's window and had my thrown outta there.
I did have breakfast afterwards. At McDonald's like I planned.
Happy birthday to me.
'Nuff said.

My New Ride...

I had contemplated about getting a new car for as long as I can remember. I've actually, currently, got myself a car - a 1989 Toyota Corolla XL - and i have no plans of getting rid of it, and so getting another car doesn't exactly cry "practical". But, Trinity (the name I gave my Corolla), as reliable as she's been over the years I've had 'er (10 years now?), is still an old car after all, and my daily trip from Pasig (home) to Novaliches (work : Dream-FM and Tv5) to Makati (dubbing at 20Plus), and the occasional hosting gigs on the weekends and/or weekdays (which can be anywhere from some place close by as Ortigas, to some place really far as Dasmarinas, Cavite), has been quite taxing on my Corolla, especially as of late. So I've always wanted a "pinch hitter" if you will for Trinity.
Searching through the local Car Finder had become pretty much a weekly habit for the past couple of years or so, since my intention of thinking about buying a car (a secondhand vehicle was what I was originally planning on getting) first cropped up. I buy a copy of said "magazine"(which comes out every week), in the hopes that I'll find myself a good-enough second-hand car that I could purchase. I actually wanted to buy a 1996 BMW 316i or 1989/1990 BMW 520, but, in the end, I realized that maintenance would really put a huge hole in my wallet. So then, I thought about getting a 1991 Mitsubishi Gallant GTI Super Saloon instead.
But about a couple of months ago, I saw a picture, in a techie magazine I buy every month, of the new 2009 Honda City. I've never been a huge of the old City models, but the new one was a total beauty! And it sparked my interest like no other car has, and revved up my desire again to buy a brand new car!










So, I did a little investigating and checked out the new City via Honda Philippines' website; checked out its specs, interior, price, etc. I was a little dismayed about the fact that the 1.5 E variant, the "fastest" of the City variants, only came in automatic (transmission), and I was never really a huge fan of AT vehicles (though I have driven cars and such that were "automatic trannies"). I'm more of a manual-transmission-kind-of-driver. So I decided to check out the 2009 Honda Civic (which, when it first came out, I SO wanted -- unfortunately, it was quite pricey), and my interest towards said car once again came to life. Plus, there was some good news : Honda was offering, only for this month of April, discounts of about 35 grand (on Civics, the Accord and CR-V)! Which made me curious even more. I (eventually) found out that the reason why Honda was offering discounts (specifically for the Civic) was because they were in the process of getting rid of or phasing out the current line (of Civics), as a new 2009 model (of the Civic, with very, very minor changes) was about to come out, and that they wouldn't release it to the public until they had gotten rid of every remaining vehicles of the current line. But, what the heck, right? 35 thousand is 35 thousand! And so, finally, last Saturday, I went to the Honda dealer in Libis, near Eastwood City, to test-drive a Civic, make inquiries, etc.
And, oh yeah -- the bank I've been going to for over ten years has also been bugging me to get a car loan from them and had assured me that I would get approved (which is the other reason why I was leaning towards buying a brand new car, as opposed to getting a secondhand vehicle).
Anyway, test-driving that baby (the Civic I mean) was, to quote a word often used in the movie "Dude, Where's My Car?", sweeet! Even though it was an AT that I drove, the '09 Civic still floored me with its smooth ride...! I also got to test-drive the new City, and that car was also great to drive! The 1.5 E variant was a five-speed automatic transmission car, with paddle-switches "within" the steering wheel (to shift gears) that gave you that "F1 feel" to it. But, of course, as terrific as it was to also drive the City, it was nothing compared to the Civic! Even before getting to test-drive the new City, I was already pretty much dead-set on getting the Civic. Even more so now after I got to drive the City.
The new Honda Jazz also looked terrific, by the way. I wanted to take it for a spin (as well as the Accord and CR-V), but, unfortunately, there was no longer any time left to do so.
After the whole test-driving thing was over and done with, I talked to Henry, the sales agent, made inquiries (about the monthly fee, down payment, etc), and paid a reservation fee of 5 thousand pesos, to get the "ball rolling". All I needed was to deal with Metrobank come Monday. Which proved to be a bit frustrating and quite a letdown. Like I mentioned above, they told and assured me that I would be approved for a car loan, hands down. Unfortunately, on the first round of procuring the car loan, I was encountering some red tape. Day two : it actually came to the point where I was on the verge of getting in-house financing through Honda instead. When I told them that, they scrambled to get my car loan approved!
So, after what seemed to be a torturous four days, I finally got my brand, spankin' new 2009 Honda Civic! I wanted a black one, but the remaining (it was, literally, the last car of the variant) 1.8 V (the "cheaper" one of the other variants, the 1.8 S and 2.0 SL) only came in bluish silver. But, what the heck -- I got a brand new car, babeee!!

'Nuff said.

Superman Will Return...But With A Different Cast And Direction...

I was just surfing the 'net and discovered that Warner Bros has confirmed that there will be no sequel to Bryan Singer's Superman Returns. Apparently, Singer's take on the Man of Steel didn't capture everyone's imaginations, as studio execs were disappointed by the movie's performance at the box-office; it earned somewhere around 215 million dollars, but it was still way short of even recuperating the money spent to make it which, reportedly, cost 300 million dollars! If it had done well at the box-office, then we would have seen a new Superman movie last December of '08 or some time this year.
Instead, Warner Bros will now be taking its cue from the recent Incredible Hulk (which I read also underperformed, raking in 'only' 112 or 115 million dollars; the movie cost $150 million to make), and the next Superman movie will be a "reboot" or "re-imagining" of the franchise, and will recast the role of the Last Son of Krypton with an actor who does not look anything like the late Christopher Reeve (awww, poor Brandon Routh). According to the studio, "Superman reboot" will serve to "(re-)introduce the character to a new generation".
I feel a little terrible about this bit of news, because I'm one of the few who actually did like Superman Returns. Although I do like the fact that Kate Bosworth will be replaced; I've always felt that she was miscast, that she didn't do the Lois Lane character justice. But, besides Routh not coming back, I also feel bad that Kevin Spacey will not be reprising his role as evil genius and Superman arch-enemy Lex Luthor; like Gene Hackman, Spacey was terrific as Luthor. Too bad.
Besides the perfect casting of Routh and Spacey, I loved how Bryan Singer remained faithful to the original 1978 Superman movie (starring Chris Reeve, Gene Hackman and Margot Kidder - it's probably the movie that everyone is mostly familiar with when it comes to the Man of Steel) -- and I don't just mean with the Routh casting, but also with the film's score, using the John Williams theme. Heck, even going as far as to having the whole Superman-flying-out-into-space-with-the-Earth-serving-as-background to extro the movie. You could also sense Singer's love for the Superman character and its mythology (e.g. cameos of the actors that played the original Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane, the scene that pays tribute to the cover of the comic book with Superman's first appearance), so it is such a shame that we won't get to see a continuation to the events or story set in motion by Singer in Superman Returns (maybe one that features a battle with Doomsday, resulting in a tragic and cliffhanger ending ala-X-Men 2, leading up to the next Superman movie).
Frankly, it's Warner Bros' fault for shelling out such a huge amount to make Superman Returns. Just imagine, if they had spent 150 million, then they would have made back their money and then some!
But here's the real kicker : after the success of The Dark Knight, Warner Bros says that the next Superman movie will also have a "darker tone" to it. I'm "iffy" about this plan. As much as I loved Christopher Nolan's dark treatment to Batman, not every super-hero movie should be grim/serious/gritty. It depends on the comic book character (that you're going to bring onto the big screen). Sure, make the movie more "adult", but not necessarily "dark" just because it worked on The Dark Knight. "Batman dark" is not Superman.
According to some reports, the studio says that the reason why Superman wasn't a "hit" was because the title character is too much of a boy scout, and is unrelatable to most people. Seriously, who can really relate to an alien from Krypton with superpowers? Hello! Superman is imaginary! I don't think that's the problem. It just takes a good story (which the movie had), care and respect to and love for the character(s) from the director (and Singer had that), and to not get carried away with the amount of money they'll spend to make the movie (which I'm sure Warner Bros has learned in regards to the Superman franchise); stick to a more "realistic" budget (with "realistic" being around 150 million dollars these days to make a special effects-laden movie like Superman).
Well, I certainly hope their plans for the next Superman movie works out.











And also...
Warner Bros will be following in the footsteps of rival company, Marvel Entertainment, and has shelved their plans to make Justice League of America for now. Thank God, because the idea of George Miller (known for the Mad Max movies) directing, didn't sit well with me. Instead, they will be concentrating on stand-alone movies of the DC comics characters (The Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, etc) that they own (the rights to), and possibly even have a "web of continuity" with their next batch of super-hero movies that are in the works, ala-Iron Man and Incredible Hulk, which they hope to build or lead up to a Justice League of America movie (which is what Marvel started with said two films, and is supposedly doing with their next batch of movies, beginning with Captain America : The First Avenger, and so on, which will lead up to the much-anticipated Avengers movie).

'Nuff said.

Here We Go Again...

Yeesh! Didn't American Idol just end?! Has it already been a year?! It's already time once again for AI -- time for season 8! There's been one big change thus far for the show (well, the one that I know of anyway), and that's the addition of a fourth judge,Kara DioGuardi.
But it's been a little over a couple of weeks now since the new season began and, in all honesty, I'm not feeling any excitement about the new season. Yet? Maybe. I've just been pre-program-recording American Idol since the season opener via my computer's TV Capture software and, except for the season opener, have yet to watch (what is it now? Five or six more episodes of) AI '09. So far, the only contestant whose audition caught my attention is the pink-haired gal who sang (the band) Heart's "Barracuda", Emily Hughes (heck, I couldn't even remember her name, I had to check the 'net...just goes to show how unexcited I am about this season of AI at the moment).Then again, I still have several recorded episodes of 'Idol to watch. Maybe I'll see something or someone that will get me revved up for season 8.
And since there really isn't much for me to say about American Idol '09, why not just blog about last season's AI instead?

From the moment season 7 started, it looked to be like the clear-cut winner would be wonder boy David Archuleta, and it was far from anyone's mind that former bartender David Cook would even get as far as the top ten, let alone win the competition. Not a lot of people were paying much attention to him (well, I sure wasn't). That was until he did an incredible arrangement of the Lionel Richie song "Hello". Re-arranging (popular) songs to fit him or his style became his signature on the show. Although, there were a couple of songs that he didn't exactly re-arrange - Eleanor Rigby and Billie Jean - which caused a bit of controversy and put him in hot water. I don't know whether he was told to keep mum about it by the show's producers, but kept quiet he did. Until some people called him out on it (I'm guessing fans of Doxology and Chris Cornell, who were the ones that originally arranged the versions of the songs Cook performed that I mentioned above). But he did redeem himself, after the whole "song-arrangement-controversy", by surprising everyone again with his superb reworking of the Mariah Carey song "Always Be My Baby" (heck, when I heard that he was going to sing said song, I was shocked and wondered how he'd be able to pull that one off -- but pulled it off he did).
Anyway...
After Hello, David Cook had a string of pretty strong performances, almost week after week if memory serves me right, and then suddenly, he became the so-called dark horse of the competition. Finally, there was really no one left but the two Davids as being the most formidable and most likely to compete in the finals.
Between the two Davids, it was, without a doubt, Cook who was more talented. He can write his own songs, had the way better voice, and was more versatile; Archuleta, as good as he was, was limited to only being able to do mellow songs or ballads (I mean he tried with several upbeat songs that just failed - Stevie Wonder's "Uptight", there was "You're The Voice", and his awkward performance of the Chris Brown hit "With You").
During the finals, Cook started off on a great note, with a terrific song chosen by Clive Davis (I have to give props to Davis, who chose the perfect songs for both Bid David and Li'l David), U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". But I noticed something -- Cook's performances, albeit all good vocals, just wasn't finale-worthy. DC's pick for the new songwriter song category was just so-so, and his final performance (his personal choice of Collective Soul's "The World I Know") wasn't also up to par (it wasn't terrible, it just didn't bring the house down so to speak).

David Archuleta, on the other hand, was flawless! He sang with more emotion, more heart. And besides Clive Davis' choice of song for him - Elton John's "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" - Archuleta also managed to pick the right songs for both the second and third round of the finale. When it was announced that he was singing "Imagine" again, I actually thought that it would be his downfall, considering that we'd already heard it before, and I assumed that there really wouldn't be any surprises to the way he's going to sing it. But he proved me wrong, because he had a different arrangement to the song! Which, I feel, is what Cook should have done; I mean, if he wasn't going to perform something that he already sang early on in the competition, he should have picked a song that was in the same vein as, say, "Always Be My Baby" (or, heck, "Hello"), and gave it the ol' David Cook twist to it, and that is what his rendition of "The World I Know" was lacking.
So did David Cook do good enough to win 'Idol last season? Of course, everybody knows the answer to that question.



And, as for the results show...


















My memory is never really reliable to begin with -- I honestly don't remember much of the past six seasons' results shows (well, five actually, since I never got to watch season 1 of AI) that preceded the one the following morning of season 7's finale (May '08), but I also don't recall having as much fun or being very excited about watching the AI finale like I did with season 7. Except for a humdrum performance from George Michael and the horrendous "I-Am-Your-Brother" Renaldo Lapuz (I kept hoping that the AI producers wouldn't bring him back after his audition, but wishing for it not to happen turned out to be futile, as he did make an appearance in the finale! I was honestly not amused and was ashamed to be a Filipino right there and then as he did his bit; no offense to the guy, cuz I'm sure he's a nice fellow, but still, Argh...), everything turned out pretty good.
And since season 7 is like that of a distant memory, the only other two things I can recall about the finale was Michael Johns and Carly Smithson's smokin' duet of "The Letter" and, of course, the always smokin' hot Carrie Underwood (in my mind, she's my future wife - hehe)!
So what's happened since then? Well, both Davids seem to be on a good start with their recording careers, with Archuleta upping one over Cook with his first single "Crush". David Cook's first single, "Light On", isn't terrible, but it takes awhile before it grows on you, unlike Archuleta's "Crush", which has a good melody and was an instant hit. The question now would be whose album and/or career would outlast the other?
I gotta start watching my recorded AI season 8 episodes. I'm way behind.

'Nuff said.

Happy New Year...or, I'm Back...

Woah.
That was my reaction after I decided to finally check my blog and discovered that it had been almost two years since I last posted anything here.
So what happened? Well, stuff that I would rather not get into anymore, so let me just say that a few other reasons as to why I've not been posting on my blog for the longest time is because of work (I was usually too busy), and I was often tired, and, I must admit, too lazy.
But it's a New Year now. Again. Sheesh! "Where does the time go?" is the question I always ask myself annually at the start of the new year, as well as every so often.
And come the new year, mostly everyone would like to accomplish a few goals via the "infamous" New Year's Resolution(s). And, for the most part, people never really get to see their plans into fruition. I happen to be one of those poor, pathetic souls who make a list of things-to-do-for-the-year and never accomplish a single task. Still, it doesn't stop me from making my New Year's Resolution(s) at the beginning of every new year. And here I go again...
Where to begin...?

TARDINESS
This was really a big problem with me last year, especially at work (at Dream and for my dubbing sessions). I'd usually get to Dream-FM for my boardwork anywhere between ten to fifteen minutes late; and even worse, for my dubbing sessions at 20Plus in Makati, I'd get to the studio forty minutes, sometimes even an hour late! This year, I want to be able to arrive at work, at least five, maybe ten minutes, before I'm supposed to go on-air. The same goes for when I have to dub at 20Plus.
TEMPER
I'm pretty much a very patient guy. But when I'm on the road and I encounter stupid motorists, I truly have a short fuse; if you do something idiotic (with me being the recipient), all I see is red. So far, and thankfully, there's never been an incident similar to the one I had years ago wherein I chased down this guy driving a Pajero who cut me off in Ortigas. To cut it short, it ended with him going after me (after i gave him the finger) and pulling along side my car and pointing a gun at me (I was still running on adrenalin that, instead of being scared out of my wits, and thinking, I gave him the double finger -- what can I say? I'm nuts). Probably the worst "road rage incident" that I had last year was when this guy driving a public FX tried to run me off the road along Quirino on my way to work. My blood instantly boiled and I chased after him, drove on the wrong side of the road just to get to him, not caring about the oncoming vehicles, and rolling down my window in order to throw coins at him.
SPENDING SPREE
I accumulated a huge credit card debt last year, and this year, I want to try and lessen the amount of money that I spend for stuff that I buy; I want to lessen the usage of my credit card, period.
I have a friend who is what you'd call a "deprivation junky"; every year, he likes to set goals that deprive himself of certain things that he likes. A couple of years ago, he stopped himself from buying DVDs for a whole year, and last year, he got through the entire year without drinking Coke or any kind of soda. For 2009, he says that he will keep his spending for his "wants" (those include original and bootleg DVDs, books, clothes, shoes, bags and dolls [he's gay by the way, just in case you were wondering about the dolls] ) to not more than 5 thousand pesos a month.
I know that there's not a snowball's chance in hell that I'll be able to keep my own spending for my "wants" (and those are comic books, original and bootleg DVDs, CDs, and watching movies) to just, or even less, than 5k a month. There is just no way. For one thing, I already spend a little over two grand every week for my comics alone.
And so, in regards to my comic book addiction, what I'd like to try to do is to lessen the number of titles that I subscribe to every week, maybe opt to buy some of the comics that I like in Trade Paperback form instead of the regular comic; it may cost anywhere between one to two thousand pesos, but, at least, it usually takes awhile before a certain title gets collected in Trade Paperback, giving me some time or a gap where I won't have to buy a certain comic or comics when it comes out for the month.
As much as possible, I really should resort to the Internet now when it comes to getting my CDs and DVDs. If I can download a song and/or a movie (even TV shows), then that will be my so-called avenue for acquiring these particular "wants" of mine. Unless a song I download is terrible in quality, or perhaps I absolutely love the artist, the album, or the movie, then that should be the only time when I go and buy myself a CD or DVD. Of course, I have to upgrade from my prepaid, dial-up Internet and get a DSL Internet connection first (yes, I know, I still live in the "stone age"; I'm probably the only one left in the world who still uses dial-up to get connected to the web).
When it comes to watching movies (and I don't mean at home, watching a DVD), I absolutely have to watch it (usually) more than three times at the cinema. In fact, my friends and other people who know me know that I will go and see a movie over and over; ten times.... heck, even more than that if i love(d) the movie.
Some of the movies I'd seen more than ten times at the cineplex are the Lord of The Rings trilogy, Iron Man, The Matrix and The Dark Knight (almost or exactly 20 times each).And that's only a few examples that I came up with at the top of my head. The movie I'd seen in cinemas the most number of times? Speed. I don't remember the exact number (it was a long time ago), but I do believe it was more than 30 times. I know. Ridiculous. But back then (when I saw Speed that is), I had more time (to watch movies); my shift in radio (at Magic 89.9) was in the wee hours of the morning (2 to 6am), leaving me free the whole day to just bum around. Nowadays, I've got my radio DJ gig at Dream-FM, my TV-voice over gig at TV5 and my dubbing. Plus, I still have my hosting and voice over (for live events, commercials and AVPs) stints as well. I may be a lot busier now than I used to be (when I got to watch Speed those oh-too-many number of times years ago), but I always make time to watch movies; it's my only other means of relaxation other than watching TV.
Y'know, just thinking about it now, I suddenly realize that, if I watch a certain movie, say, ten times -- at a hundred fifty pesos per screening, multiply that by ten, then I normally spend fifteen frickin' thousand pesos every time I go see just the one movie. That amount didn't even include what I spend for my "pre-requisite grub" every time I go watch a movie. Plus, I try and watch every (new) movie that comes out every week...! And so.... yikes.
So this year, I want to try and change my movie-watching habits and see just the one movie... just the one time. Or maybe twice. But ten times or more? I'll certainly try not to do that.
LATE TO REPLY
Over the course of the year, I'd developed a bad habit of replying very late, and sometimes, not even (replying), to some people with regards to (usually) job offers (hostings, voice overs or dubbing). It often starts with me telling myself that I'll just text this certain individual "tomorrow". But then, that "tomorrow" becomes "several days later". And then, because so much time has already passed, I become embarrassed to respond, hence "several days later" becomes "several weeks later". Or sometimes, out of sheer embarrassment, I no longer reply to someone's text message. Sometimes I actually do (reply), even with so many weeks elapsing, but more often than not, I don't. That's gotta change this year. Or I'm going to stand losing extra income.
TALENT FEE
Speaking of income, I've also got to learn to not be embarrassed to give people who hire me a more "deserving" price for my services (deserving for me that is). For the longest time, I'd been charging some or most people a talent fee rate that I've had for,uhm, forever now. It's been years, everything else has gone up (prices for fuel, food, etc), except for my rate. I know I'm not a celebrity or even the best around, but I'm certainly more capable than most at what I do (particularly with hosting). When I do voice over gigs, I'd often see a lot of these model or semi-famous celebs who get paid way more than they should (simply because of who they are, rather than any talent), and they don't deserve it because, frankly speaking, they suck. One perfect example? Asia Agcaoili. Then again, I don't exactly have boobs and can't pull off wearing something that's close-to-naked when hosting. Hehe.
This year, I want to try and be more selective when it comes to picking gigs to accept. And to charge the correct talent fee rate for myself.
SHAPE UP
One of the resolutions that I've been making every year for as long as I can remember is to get back in the gym, and this year is no different. At the start of last year, I actually managed to condition myself into dieting, and succeeded; something I have to do again for the next couple of months or so, given that, during the Holidays, like everyone else, I ate a lot more than usual.
Will 2009 be the year that I finally get my lazy @$$ in shape? Probably not. But who knows? Maybe.

I'll probably go bust with these New Year's Resolutions that I've made, like every year, but I don't care. You gotta have a goal, even if it's pointless.

'Nuff said.

The week that was...

First off, the Colts are The Champs in the recently-concluded Superbowl 41. Frankly, it wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be, but my second-favorite team in the NFL finally got a much-deserved Vince Lombardi trophy, and so, yey!


I'm back, babeeee....

The biggest deal that happened to me this past week was that I survived my first week at my new job. As I mentioned in my previous post, a radio station recently hired me. It was humbling and flattering to know that I'm still of some value in the radio community, as it was said radio station that came to me for the job and not the other way around.
The radio station is 106.7 Dream-FM.
The first couple of days were a bit nerve-wracking, simply because it has been awhile (almost two years now that I think about it) since I last went on-air, and I was re-learning to work the console, deal with commercials, doing the news and ad libbing, and familiarizing myself with a play list that I wasn't that knowledgeable with. Fortunately, I was quick enough to adapt, more or less (still trying to get used to doing the news though).
Besides the play list, probably my bigger concern was the traffic going to Novaliches. I was worried that the "fastest" travel time that it would take me to work from my place would be an hour and half. But, surprisingly, the longest time it took me to get to the station was about an hour and ten minutes. Usually though, it only takes me about forty-five minutes. So I no longer consider the traffic to be a big problem. Not yet anyway, as I heard from one of the jocks that it does get pretty bad during special occasions (I'm guessing that's something like, say, Christmas). The distance isn't something I'm complaining about (yet?) either, as I'm fortunate to drive a car that is quite fuel-efficient.
The road leading to ABC 5 or Dream, which is Quirino Highway, is awful though. Poor (car) shocks is what I have to say...!
The salary would probably be an issue, but I('ve) never got(ten) into radio for the money (it sounds corny and maybe unbelievable, but it's true) -- it was for the love of it. But, of course, I know that everyone also needs to be practical. Even if I'm single and not supporting anyone, I still need to make a living that would keep me alive (after all, I live on my own). Fortunately, I'm (and have been) blessed to have a lot of gigs to earn extra mula. And even more fortunate that the higher-ups and Program Director of Dream were nice nice enough to give in to my request for a weekend sked that would be beneficial to me (it was one of my concerns before I accepted the job -- I was originally to have an afternoon shift, and that would have ruined my chances of accepting hosting or voice over gigs that I may have or get on a Saturday and/or Sunday, the weekends being the days when most events steadily happen).
The problem I had with ad libbing, or lack thereof, isn't actually as bad as I thought it would be. Even though I sometimes feel that there should be more, and that it's in a style that I'm not accustomed to (it's in a very low-key, meaning I'm almost whispering, and in short bursts), I still get to ad lib the way I('d) want to, and it's not confined to a monotonous or always-the-same-line spiel. So it's not exactly dumbifying (is there even a word like this?) as I had feared it would be.
And besides challenging (as I'm not familiar with a lot of of the songs the station's playing), I do love the play list/format. It's high-end (although, don't get me wrong, I love a cheesy song like the next person).
I volunteered for the graveyard shift, but since Dream isn't on 24-hour broadcast (they say they'll eventually go 24 hours, but I'm kind of doubtful), I was either going to get the 9pm sked, or become pinch-hitter. I chose the latter. So I have what i call an irregular-regular shift -- everyday it's different, but it's the same every week.
So I'm the pinch-hitter -- I fill in on days when a dj takes a day-off, and this is how my weekly sked looks like :

Monday - 12 to 3pm; Tuesday - 9am to 12pm; Wednesday - 9pm to 1am; Thursday - 9am to 12pm; Saturday - 9am to 12pm; Sunday - 6 to 9am. Friday - day off

Over the course of the week, I also discovered a terrific song. After watching the week's episode of Grey's Anatomy, there was this tune that appeared during a scene where Meredith (Grey) breaks down after a DNR (do-not-resuscitate) patient is put to rest. I checked the 'net, but I wasn't sure of the title, so I downloaded all the songs that appeared in said episode. It turned out to be Scratch by Kendall Payne. But, as great as that song was, it wasn't the one I was pertaining to above. It was actually The Simple Things by Jim Brickman, featuring Rebecca Lynn Howard on vocals. It kind of reminds me of Vanessa Carlton's A Thousand Miles, melody-wise. Take a listen to this if you're feeling down-and-out.


The Simple Things

Hey, Time won’t wait,
Life goes by,
Every day’s a brand new sky,
Every tear, comes to dry.

All that really matters,
In this crazy world,
Is you and I together,
Baby just remember.

Chorus 1:
The first leaves off the tree,
The way you look at me,
A thousand chiming church bells ring,
The simple things are free
The sun, the moon, the stars,
The beating of two hearts,
How I love the simple things,
The simple things just are.

So here we go,
Let’s just dance,
Teach my soul to take this chance,
Put my heart, in your hands.

Out of all the moments that,
We leave behind,
Turn around and tell me,
Baby we’ll remember.

Chorus 2:
The thunder and the rain,
The way you say my name,
After all the clouds go by,
The simple things remain,
The sun, the moon, the stars,
The beating of two hearts,
How I love the way the simple things,
The simple things just are

Chorus 3:
The ocean and the sky,
The way we feel tonight,
I know that it's the love,
That brings the simple things to life,
The sun, the moon, the stars,
The beating of two hearts,
I love the way the simple things,
The simple things just are.

I love the way the simple things,
The simple things just are.
Simple things just are.
Simple things just are.


I also found out that we play the song on Dream.

'Nuff said.

Let Me Entertain You

It all started with me simply wanting to do something one summer back when I was 14. Makati Cinema Square had a dj's booth where someone played music that was piped-in throughout the mall, and it also served as a place for paging people. I had a classmate who knew someone who worked at said dj's booth in MCS. So I asked him if I could get a job there. It didn't pay much, but at least it served to keep me amused. Who would have thought that "playing dj" would become more than a hobby? As corny as it may sound, I discovered that it was such a joy getting to entertain people (playing their requests, greeting them -- people from the shops inside the mall would often call me to ask for a song, greet them...). I found myself buying records with my own money for the purpose of keeping my playlist up-to-date or fresh, to keep my listeners happy (to play them a song or two that I may not have had when they called, etc).
Fast forward a few years later... I got my first job being an actual (radio) dj, for Magic 89.9. I believe I spent six years working for that radio station. After that, it was at 103.5 K-Lite that I spent another ten years in radioland. Along with the good, came the bad (and very bad). And things got so bad, particularly/especially during my last few years with the latter station that it finally came to the point where I woke up to the truth. I was an idealist -- I was naive to think that I'd be growing old with just the one radio station (which I thought was going to be Magic), that loyalty would count for something (and I was loyal like you wouldn't believe). Unfortunately, the network that owned both stations didn't share that way of thinking. So, even though I loved radio and loved what I did for a living, there was only so much I can do and so far I can go -- I was very unhappy, and so the inevitable happened : in April of 2005, I resigned.
After a little time off, I decided to try again. I applied at a few other radio stations. Unfortunately, it was slim pickings. There aren't many decent radio stations in this country, particularly those that value talent and a dj who actually loves (all or most forms of) music. Now I'm not saying that I'm very talented and/or the best dj there is, but radio has drastically changed. These days, radio stations overlook the important qualities of what makes a dj and hire on-air "talents" because they're either a model, a (wannabe-)celebrity, and because they're some Fil-Am, etc, people who have no place in radio. Unless they're radio savvy, which most of them aren't.
I honestly was beginning to think that there would no longer be a place for me in radio. That was until a dubber (voice actor) I knew (who apparently worked for a radio station) told me that she spoke to her boss about me, and that they were interested to hire me. I couldn't believe it and jumped at the chance to go to the station when I was told that the station manager wanted to talk to me. The interview went well, but after not hearing from them for several months, I thought that it was just my imagination. Then came the call several days ago. I was informed that they were hiring me!
Truth be told, the radio station that I'm now going to be working for is not exactly my first choice, and if there was some place I could go, I probably would. First of all, it's not a radio station that fosters adlibbing (their jocks usually only talk, and in short bursts, once an hour and when there's a tag or aob to announce and when there's a news report to be done). I'm afraid that I'm going to get, uh, stupefied since I won't get to hone my ad libbing skills, and inadvertently become a glorified spinner. It's also not really a "happening" radio station - meaning, they don't have many events - so there's the fear of monotony (not that I crave for wild parties every night -- I just want to be able to get the chance to host events... then again, I do have many other hosting gigs outside of the station that will be enough to keep me busy and occupied, so I really shouldn't complain). The travel time will also prove to be a bit of a challenge as the station is located in Novaliches, which will take me about an hour and a half or two from where I live.
But there a few good things about this radio station. The most important one being that the boss(es) and people there seem to be good and nice people, and that's always a good thing in my book. The format isn't exactly one that I'm familiar with, as they play a lot of jazz (nothing so deep, but jazz, though I appreciate it, is something I'm not very knowledgeable with) - as well as other light stuff (they play a little bit of everything -- r n' b, pop, bossa nova, Motown, etc, nothing heavy) - and I see this as a challenge, something to widen my taste, love and knowledge for music even more.
I actually thought that I wouldn't be working for them because of the schedule that they were offering me. I volunteered for the graveyard shift -- I wanted a shift that would leave me free and clear to accept work (hostings, voice overs and dubbings) outside of the station. They were supposed to go on 24-hour broadcast, but it hasn't happened (yet). So I was left with the choice of either the 9pm to 1am shift, or to be the Pinch-Hitter. The latter was more favorable for me. But I still had a problem with the weekend sked. Fortunately, they were nice enough to give me the weekend schedule that I wanted. So now, I'm ready and raring to go on-board. Sort of. I was originally slated to go on on Monday, but they asked me to come in a day early instead. So I've been nervously typing away the past couple of hours, watching tv, to distract me, as I'll be getting ready to go to work in a few minutes (after I'm done posting this, I'm off to Novaliches). Don't get me wrong, I'm excited, but I'm also nervous as hell, and kept looking at my clock, wishing that the time would slow down. Hehe. But the inevitable is here. Which means it's time for me to end this missive. Gulp.

'Nuff said.

Sporty Changes

I've never been a fan of soccer. When I try to watch a game, I can't stay glued for more than a minute or so. I get pretty frustrated because of how long it takes for someone to score a goal! Besides a usually slow-scoring game, soccer has also often been a low-scoring sport. For me, (watching) soccer is more exciting or interesting if I'm watching the highlight reels. Anyway, I found out yesterday that two big names in the world of soccer will no longer be playing for their ball club. Both players are (still/currently) with Real Madrid. The first one is Brazilian kicker Ronaldo, who is supposedly getting "transferred" to another team come end of January. But, according to Real Madrid's sporting director, they're not letting go of Ronaldo so easily and for free. The other Real Madrid player is midfielder and former England captain David Beckham who, without a doubt, is probably one if not the most popular player in soccer. Beckham has recently signed up with American soccer club L.A. Galaxy for a whopping 250 MILLION DOLLAR contract!...although, Pedrag Mijatovic (Real Madrid's sporting director) insisted that Beckahm must first finish his remaining six months of his contract (this follows reports that Beckham has requested an early release to join his new club).
Frankly speaking, I don't get what the big deal is with David Beckham. I guess I say that because I've never really seen him play. Sure, he was probably one of the main reasons as to why his former team Manchester United won a championship several years ago -- but I feel that he's one of those ridiculously over payed players. For me, he's mostly all hype. Incidentally, Real Madrid hasn't won a championship title since signing up Beckham four years ago. Coincidence?


More changes in the world of sports...

In the NBA, the most recent being Chris Webber becoming a free agent and signing up with the Detroit Pistons. I guess, at his age, he just wants to play for a ball club that might give him the NBA championship ring that he's been dreaming of for quite some time now.
Former Sixers teammate of Webber, Allen Iverson, has been traded as some of you (reading) probably know. When I think of the Philadelphia 76ers, I think of Iverson, and vice versa. So it's strange trying to imagine him in a different uniform (I haven't had the chance yet to watch a Nuggets game with Iverson on the 'tube), playing for a different team. But players getting traded is something that happens in the game of basket ball (or any other sport for that matter). And just like Webber, Iverson isn't exactly getting any younger and most likely wants to win that championship ring that's eluded him since his stint with the Sixers, who either perform poorly every season, or end up short in the playoffs (despite having a good start and/or playing well in the season). I just don't quite get why Iverson went to or chose the Denver Nuggets (no offense to the team or those who like them). Maybe he thought that he's got a (better) chance (now), what with the Nuggets having the league's leading scorer Carmelo Anthony in their team roster.

On the rumor mill : there are talks that Pau Gasol (of the Memphis Grizzlies) will request to be traded to another team. And that team may just be the Chicago Bulls. Even though there have been talks between the two organizations, Grizzlies team president Jerry West says that they're not giving up Gasol (despite reports that the Memphis organization has grown a bit dissatisfied with Gasol's performance as of late).

'Nuff said.

My Love for The Game

My love for (American) football only started about six years ago. It began accidentally when I went to check out a friend's pad in Makati (she was in the 'States and she had asked me to watch over her condo - water her plants, that sorta thing). I decided I'd check out what was showing on the boob tube while I was there, and, after doing a little channel-surfing, came upon ESPN. Apparently, it was Superbowl 36, and the two teams vying for the Vince Lombardi trophy that year were the New England Patriots and the St.Louis Rams. I wasn't familiar with either of the two teams, let alone the sport of football. Usually, I would root for the underdog -- but, in this case, because I didn't know either team, I picked the Patriots cuz I liked their name (it wasn't as if I could check their stats or something at that particular time). I don't remember exactly the details surrounding their Superbowl game, only that it was exciting. I was hooked. And the Pats won.





















...Pats QB Tom Brady...


Fast forward to 2007. I still don't exactly know everything about the game (such as the rules, etc). I'm actually not even familiar with most of the (foot)ball clubs in the league (NFL, or National Football League). Nor do I know what positions fill up a certain team, or what they do (except for the quarterback, who clearly runs the plays), who the players and coaches are (what respective teams they belong to). The only thing I'm certain about is that the New England Patriots is my favorite team in the NFL, and next would be the Indiana Colts (because the Pats and Colts currently have, in my book, the best quarterbacks in the league).

...the mighty Brady still manages to get off a shot...


It's not the first time that these two ball clubs have met in the playoffs. Watching the NFL the past few years has given me the impression that they are (or have become) arch rivals for the AFC championship(s). But the Pats have had more luck in reaching the Superbowl, as they had won 3 in the last six years. And, once again, New England faces off with Indiana. Clearly, the Patriots were the ones highly-favored to win. For one thing, their quarterback Tom Brady has had plenty of playoffs (and Superbowl) experience, as opposed to Colts QB Peyton Manning. And it did look that way, as the Patriots took a commanding lead in the first quarter and pretty much dominated the first half of the game. But towards the end of the second quarter, Manning and the Colts found their rhythm, and things turned around for them, as the momentum shifted in favor of Indiana. The Pats weren't doing so bad, but it was clear, particularly in the third quarter, that they lost some steam, and that Colts were the ones poised to win the game. The outcome became crystal clear by the fourth quarter as Indiana finally took the lead for the first time, with only about a minute remaining. New England refused to go out quietly into the night so to speak, and even though things really looked bleak at this point, Brady (who's gotten the reputation of being a comeback king, as he has, time and time again, against seemingly insurmountable odds, delivered heartbreaking losses to an opposing team) was going to try to do the impossible.
Unfortunately ...things were exactly that. Impossible. Tom Brady is still only human after all. The second pass he did during the last few seconds was intercepted and that pretty much spelled the end for New England's dream of winning another Superbowl and trying to create a sort-of NFL dynasty.
Superbowl 41 happens in a couple of weeks, and it will be (my) Indiana Colts going up against the Chicago Bears. Several NFL records were set this season as well. With their playoffs win over the Pats, the Colts have made NFL history by having the biggest comeback in a playoffs game (they were down by 18 points). And their coach, Tony Dungy, as well as the Chicago Bears' (coach), Lovie Smith, are the first African American coaches to ever reach the Superbowl. As for how many times both teams have gone to the big game, I believe that the Colts have never made the trip; while the Chicago Bears went to and won the Superbowl twenty years ago, against New England.
I'm looking forward to an historic and exciting Superbowl 41 come February.

...Colts QB Peyton Manning...

GO COLTS!

'Nuff said.

Still can't sleep, so I might as well...

The things you do when you're still awake and can't really do anything...(and it's most likely because I slept at 9am yesterday, and slept for thirteen frickin' hours)...

After I got done with posting a new entry on this blog a few hours ago, I was watching the Ellen DeGeneres Show (love 'er).
I actually hadn't eaten anything since yesterday, and so my tummy was rumbling and wishing that I fill it up with some grub. So I went to the 24-hour joint that I usually go to, which was Tapa King along Libis (near Eastwood actually). There are only two other places that I go to during the wee hours of the morning when I'm awake and hungry, which are also open 24 hours, and they're Chow King and/or Jollibee (at the Shell station at the corner of Ortigas Avenue). I had my usual of corned beef, scrambled egg, plain rice, a can of Pepsi (would've been a large iced tea, which I usually have, but they didn't have iced tea), extra plain rice and extra scrambled egg, and an extra Pepsi. Real healthy breakfast, huh? Hehe.
Sometimes if I want to really stuff myself silly with food, I go to Something Fishy, for their breakfast buffet (everyday from midnight 'til 10am).
There's also Tropical Hut in Pioneer. But that's the very last option for me.
Again, real healthy eating lifestyle, huh?

The moment I got home, it was back to watching more tv (but I am hoping that I get to fall asleep in a bit, because I've got a dubbing gig in a few hours).
Letterman was on, and he had, as guests, Tina Fey (former cast member of Saturday Night Live and currently starring in the NBC series 30 Rock - a funny gal, I like her) and the late Steve Irwin's wife (Terri) and daughter (Bindy). I have to say that Bindy is SO adorable. Her passion for animals rivals that of her late dad. If I ever get married and have a daughter, I sure hope she gets to be as lovable as Bindy.

While watching the 'tube, I decided to try creating a blog on my own. And I managed to do it (clap clap for me - hehe)! I know that this is probably not a big deal, but it is for me, considering that I'm an idiot when it comes to these things.
I started thinking of creating a blog where I could specifically rant and rave about movies that I've seen or will go see, because I thought I'd rather not have this blog be filled mostly with my (attempt at doing) "movie reviews".

I'm now glued to ESPN, watching the game between the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat.
I really hope I get to fall asleep in awhile...

'Nuff said.

The Return of American Idol

Week One for American Idol season six is done. Like every season, besides the talents they discover, the show is filled with the usual untalented and/or freakish people. And just when you think that the weird ones that (will) appear on the current season won’t top the ones from the previous year, you’re always surprised. And what always surprises me about these strange ones, as well as the untalented ones, is the fact that they think they’re normal, or talented. They come in dressed as, say, Apollo Creed (the character played by Carl Weathers in the Rocky movies), and they expect to be taken seriously by the judges. And about the untalented ones? What surprises me about them is when they’d brag about their “credentials” (e.g. that they’ve been singing in a choir or what not for so and so years, is a vocal coach, can hit several notes, etc), and when they “let loose”, you’d go “wooaah!” -- and you ask yourself “how the heck did YOU become a vocal coach?!”, or something. And most of them are real sore losers. When they’re not given the “golden ticket” to Hollywood by Simon and company, they’d be cursing and saying how the judges don’t know what they’re talking about blah blah blah. Then there are the ones who always make up excuses for their lack of talent -- that they need water, they’re sick, blah blah blah. Of course, when they’re given water or take a bathroom break (IN THE MIDDLE OF THEIR AUDITION), nothing changes -- they’re still untalented. But what does make me feel sorry is when the nice ones turn out to be untalented (e.g. this Asian stay-at-home mom who went to audition, even if her seems-like-a-dork-of-a-husband told her not to because she’s just wasting her time). It’s too early at this stage to tell as to who’ll be the next American Idol, but I just have to say that I was impressed by the attitude of this Indian kid who auditioned with his sister. His sister was pretty cocky and kept saying that she was the one who was more talented than her brother, which, honestly, did seem that way. Because, for one thing, her brother looked so sheepish and unhip and, frankly, didn’t look the least bit talented. Well, compared to his sister. So when she got in, I was worried. If he didn’t get in, man, THAT would have been awkward, especially given that their entire family was there. And I’m sure that he would never hear the end of it from his sister. So, to my delight, he DID get in. And what made me even happier about it was that, according to Simon, HE was even better than his sister (he didn’t exactly “jump out of his seat” when the sister sang and told her that there was nothing unique about her). But the best part? When Ryan (Seacrest) asked him who the judges thought was the better singer between him and his sister, he just politely smiled and said “I’d rather not say” (of course, his sister knew the answer to Ryan’s question, based on the look on her face when the camera quickly zoomed in on her for her reaction). Like I said – awkward…! That’s why I’ve always felt that siblings shouldn’t work together, shouldn’t have the same kind of profession, etc. Uh… but then again, this is just the way I feel, simply because my brother(s) and I can’t be in the same room together, have the same job, etc.
Something that my best friend Gwynnie pointed out about the show is how mean it can be sometimes, and that we (the viewers) are just as mean. That’s true. It’s human nature, whether we want to admit it or not -- we (or most of us) want or have the tendency to make fun of others. American Idol gives us “license” to do just that. Something we can’t do (or is ashamed to do) so blatantly out in public. It’s different when you’re at home, when nobody’s watching and nobody’s there to judge or criticize you. Of course, I’m not saying that we go out and make fun of other people, I’m just saying that AI also serves as a guilty pleasure if you will, in the sense that it satisfies the craving(?) to laugh at other people. Case in point : a guy named "Red" auditioned and he "sang" Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. Randy and Paula couldn't help themselves from breaking out in laughter (and I was laughing so damn hard myself). Like Simon said : "It was... inhuman".
On to Week Two…
‘Nuff said.

Movies

Besides tv, watching movies is also one of the things I’m into as a means of relaxation, and every year, at the start of the New Year, I usually try to get my movie-watching for the year started on a high or good note, so to speak. Unfortunately, this year, it would seem that I haven’t had much luck. When ’07 clocked in, when foreign movies finally opened, there really wasn’t anything interesting to see, so I waited for a little over a week before I finally went out to go watch a movie. Actually, I wanted to wait a little longer, but it had been a week, and I wanted to go see something. Anything. It was slim pickings.

ERAGON. It was my first movie for 2007. And I wish I’d seen something else. But then again, it was the best pick in the litter. I already knew that this wasn’t going to be good the moment I saw the trailer last year. Even the title for the movie -- blech. I mean, sure, it was the name of the lead character, but still…! Speaking of the title character, the actor who plays him, and, incidentally, makes his film debut -Edward Speelers- was so squeaky clean! While everyone around him were either so dirty or had SOME dirt on their face or clothing, he looked as if he was a member of some boy band. It also doesn’t help that he can't exactly act. I especially found this certain look (or reaction) he had at some scenes when he would react to something or someone (saying something), irritating. Actually, the movie wasn’t all THAT bad (it probably helped that the trailers already conditioned me into thinking that this was going to suck), but one helping of it was enough for me. The ending would suggest a sequel. But, considering how much money this movie made – NOT – I don’t think we’re going to see one. Then again, Underworld (starring my hot mama Kate Beckinsale) underperformed at the box-office, but it had been touted as a trilogy, and a second movie was still made (as I’m sure a third one will).

BLOOD DIAMOND. A bit long and tiring. Tiring because of the subject matter. I’m an idiot when it comes to a lot of things, so I didn’t realize just HOW serious the problem was with conflict diamonds, or what was going on at Sierra Leon, etc – and the message of just HOW serious things were was ingrained into the minds of the audience, as almost every scene was quite painfully portrayed. And it’s in that aspect that makes it pretty tiring to sit through this movie (the length also doesn’t help).

GRIFFIN AND PHOENIX. Another title that was hokey for me. But, after Blood Diamond, I wanted to see something more uplifting. Well, it was either this or some Jackie Chan movie called “Rob B Hood”. Duh. (Okay, so maybe I’ll still go see that movie just the same, if it was still showing in theaters and I have nothing else to watch) I’ve never seen the trailer to this one, so I checked out the poster and the movie apparently starred Dermot Mulroney and one of my favorite pretty gals, Amanda Peet. I assumed that this was a romantic comedy. If not a comedy, then it was a love story for sure. Well, I found out, a comedy it definitely was not. Neither was it uplifting. The premise? It was about two people who face a seemingly insurmountable obstacle that stand between them and a last chance at love. From the get-go, you already know how this is going to end, and so it makes it difficult to root for the leads, inspite of their otherwise very positive outlook on things. It does have its moments, but I honestly feel that the movie probably could have been much better at the hands of a more able director (it was helmed by first-time director Ed Stone). Maybe. At least the songs that appeared in the flick were pretty nice.

Like I said, still no luck. Fortunately, there are new movies out this week, including Déjà vu (starring Denzel Washington) and, I think, Night At The Museum (with Ben Stiller). Hopefully, I'll get to see my first good movie for the year this week.
‘Nuff said.