my thoughts…exactly!

April 26, 2007

American Idol’s charity show "IDOL GIVES BACK" gave chills in my spine not only because of the realization of how many are in poverty all over the world (esp. in Africa and I can’t believe even in the United States) but also because of the duet done by Celine Dion and the "world’s idol" (according to host Ryan Seacrest) Elvis Presley. I was just so amazed how we can do these things digitally nowadays. He seemed so real. They did a really good job.

I hope those people who thought that Elvis Presley is just all jumpsuit, bell bottoms and ahu-ahumm. Think again. He is more than that and but I bet if he were alive he’d donate a lot.

Going back…They sung "If I Can Dream" This clip of Elvis was how he performed during the 1968 Comeback Special. Recall that my favorite Elliot Yamin (American Idol Season 5 finalist) sung this same song last year. He did a good rendition. Celine Dion is the perfect duet partner for this song. She did a very good second voice. Very powerful! I loved it.

My dad (a professional Elvis Presley impersonator) also does justice in singing this song. I kept on beggin’ him to include this song in one of his performances. I hope he will soon. (including "Margarita").

Anyway, I was just amazed. Yun lang. And Elvis Presley will always be the King.

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Check out the YouTube video in my profile and the lyrics here

There must be lights burning brighter somewhere
Got to be birds flying higher in a sky more blue
If I can dream of a better land
Where all my brothers walk hand in hand
Tell me why, oh why, oh why cant my dream come true

There must be peace and understanding sometime
Strong winds of promise that will blow away
All the doubt and fear
If I can dream of a warmer sun
Where hope keeps shining on everyone
Tell me why, oh why, oh why wont that sun appear

Were lost in a cloud
With too much rain
Were trapped in a world
Thats troubled with pain
But as long as a man
Has the strength to dream
He can redeem his soul and fly

Deep in my heart theres a trembling question
Still I am sure that the answer gonna come somehow
Out there in the dark, theres a beckoning candle
And while I can think, while I can talk
While I can stand, while I can walk
While I can dream, please let my dream
Come true, right now
Let it come true right now
Oh yeah

If you’re not in the know, there is another Fil-Am contender in American Idol Season 6, AJ TABALDO…let me rephrase that…there WAS another Fil-Am contender…coz he was just booted out last night. However, he impressed the judges Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell with his R&B type of voice and his stage presence.

The reviews:

Randy: "…you definitely got skills…it’s kinda nice"

Paula: "You have a real, real, real, real, real good voice and I love to see the change and you expanding to different areas, it’s really refreshing."

Simon: "That was actually nearly very good…you absolutely did the right thing when you came out and made yourself different, you made yourself stand out…I think for the first time we saw a bit of personality from you which is a good thing…"

Just to quote an article from Yahoo.com:

Another surprise: The early elimination of the talented Tabaldo, 22, who gave a rousing rendition of Nina Simone’s "Feeling Good."
Paula Abdul couldn’t hide her disappointment.

Tabaldo’s song choice could be bad luck for "Idol" contestants — after all, Hunt also performed "Feeling Good" this week. The 24-year-old Chicago resident told Ryan Seacrest she "had a feeling" she might be going home.

It was just so sad (at least for me) that AJ Tabaldo was voted off. Among the four Fil-Ams who joined American Idol, (Jasmine Trias, Camille Velasco and Sway Penala) AJ for me was the best. Best vocals, best vocal range and best vocal quality. His rendition of Micheal Buble’s "Feeling Good" was very, very good actually. Sayang talaga. Maybe his supporters didn’t vote enough to support him through the competition.

Let me tell you a little something about AJ (not that we are close..hehe) This is just what I read…AJ Tabaldo, 22, an American-Filipino-Portuguese (Mom pinay, Dad Portuguese) but he also has Spanish, Chinese, French and Italian blood in him. Surprisingly, with that kind of vocal quality, range and style, he doesn’t have a formal training in singing. He started singing at the age of five and looked up to his "idols" Brian McKnight, Justin Timberlake and Stevie Wonder. He also adored Christina Aguilera, Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Clarkson.

What I liked about AJ is that he is humble. When only AJ and Sanjaya were left to evaluate, knowing Sanjaya did not do a very good job with his performance, Ryan Seacrest asked AJ, were you suprised Sanjaya wasn’t the one voted off, he said "no, he (Sanjaya) is great".

to view A.J., click this link -> Feeling Good - Micheal Buble version

All I can say is someday, there will be a Fil-Am who will become the next American Idol. That will be the day!

nothing else to do, I also took the celebrity style match…need I say who?

Jennifer Aniston is your celebrity style match!

You’re fashionably linked to the easy, breezy Aniston, the definition of casual cool. Usually one to opt for attire that’s equal parts chic and comfortable, you and the trendsetting native Californian make sexy look like second nature, due in large part to the down-to-earth, approachable, and understated clothing you so stylishly wear.

wanna take the test? go to http://www.glam.com/app/site/tests/runQuiz.act?id=35805540&typeId=15

I took the glam.com IT bag quiz and guess which IT bag I am? What else? Hermes Birkin!

Here’s what it said:

You’re a Hermès Birkin bag.

Confident, graceful, and discerning, you are none other than the legendary Birkin bag. Like the pantheon of purses, you portray a portrait of supreme elegance and status. Not one to be on the wrong side of the red rope, your aura of exclusivity and privilege makes people crave having you by their side.

Want to take the quiz? Go to http://www.glam.com/g/p/3000999/50846788/5/50846788/15/92175724/?lType=runTest

Sometime in 2004, I was watching Sex & the City…the episode when Miranda met this chubby guy in a resto (or where they already together?)…anyway, they were both on a diet…they got tempted to eat Krispy Kreme donut…feeling guilty for indulging after a workout, they ended up sharing only a piece coz they couldn’t resist it…they enjoyed eating it and they had this satisfied look after finishing…so I thought…"is it really that tempting?"

Anyway, I got curious.So when I went to the US in the same year, I requested my Tita Emma to buy me some. Oh, it was so divine. Now I could relate to that scene.

I had another trip to Krispy Kreme when hubby and I went to visit my in-laws in California. Hubby even bought me a coffee tumbler (much like what they sell in Starbucks). That was my last Krispy Kreme ever. I said to myself, if I want to taste it again, I have to go back to the States.

So I was so happy when Gonuts Donuts opened in Manila. It’s not the same but their glazed donuts pretty much tastes like Krispy Kreme…

I was even happier to learn that Krispy Kreme opened a branch here in Manila. First branch was at Fort Bonifacio and I heard there is a new branch at MegaMall.

Anyway, when the Fort Boni branch opened, hubby bought me half a dozen which we shared for less than a week. Every now and then, he passes by and buys for us. It was only last night when I first went there myself…with hubby of course

When we got there, I got dismayed at the long queue. However, I was amused at how we can view the way they make their donuts while in line…I was more delighted to learn that they give out a free piece per person in line. It was worth the wait ;D

I was never into Starbucks. Not even their most coveted Starbucks planner would entice me into getting hooked with their coffee. I prefer Seattle’s Best because it tastes sweeter.

Everything changed when hubby was getting hooked just because of their new 2007 planner. I got curious. When I saw it, I thought "hmmm, come to think of it, it looks cooler than the 2006 planner. It has a leather case, pads and a pen."

All you need to do is buy 21 cups of coffee and you’ll get 21 stickers then the planner is yours. I have just learned that when you participate into getting a planner, you also donate a portion to SPARK HOPE. What really interested me is the fact that it is a win-win situation, get a planner, help children. Since it will benefit children, i got hooked. Ahem.  (excuses,excuses…)

I am not happy about the fact that i could get heart palpitations drinking 21 cups of coffee…and because I am not fond of Starbucks, each day is like dragging my foot to the store. Anyway, in order to get 21 stickers, all I think about is "this will benefit children…you’re helping kids."

One time while waiting for hubby at Shangri-La, I decided to "tambay" na lang at Starbucks. I was in deep thought that I just need 4 more stickers and I’m good to go. As I was in line, my former boss Mike Blanch tapped me and gave me his receipt coz he already got his planner. When I got his receipt, I didnt know it was equivalent to 3 stickers so I was quite surprised when the order taker told me, "you want to get your planner now ma’am?" Whoah! My eyes lit! No more dragging myself to starbucks…nyahoo! Thanks Mike! I got to get my planner coz of your help!

I’m sure we gave some children a spark of hope.

Happy Holidays!

Dec 23, 2006

Time flies so fast. It felt just like yesterday…I never noticed 6 years passed me by. Of course, there were ups and downs during the marriage…who ever said marriage was a bed of roses? A lot of married couple wouldn’t even last this long nowadays…especially couples like us, you know…without a child yet…but what kept us strong is our "third wheel"…GOD. Hubby and I both know that we are healthy and capable of having kids (science can back us up) but we do not question God and His reasons. Whatever they are…everything is up to Him.

When we got married, a lot of our relatives told us not to have kids yet and wait for one or two years so we can get to know each other better before bringing in another life. Everyone was saying, no matter how well we know each other, there is always something new to discover about our spouse. Then when we decided to have kids already, we got too busy with our careers, it is so hard when you’re stressed out…so now, we just have to wait. A child is a gift and you don’t brat around asking for one, right? So in the meantime,we’ll just enjoy each other

Anyway, how did we spend our 6th wedding anniversary? Hubby surprised me. He booked us a room at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

We stayed at 1106 and here’s a pic of our room…

We went there a bit after lunch, checked in and rested for awhile…had late lunch at Mangan (coz we were still stuffed before we left the house) and then we did a little bit of shopping. Afterwhich, we took some rest, got ready for dinner and went to eat at Fab (formerly Raphael).

(here is a view of Fab)

We were supposed to eat dinner at the Seven Corners but we figured since we’re gonna eat breakfast there the next day, we should eat somewhere else.

So anyway, here is what we ate at the buffet at Fab…

Here’s my appetizer…yum!

Here’s hubby’s appetizer

Now the main course is the only thing not offered at the buffet…here’s what we ate

hubby had the rib eye with peppercorn sauce and i had the grilled prawns with butter-lemon sauce

and for dessert…

icecream, fruits and cheesecakes…my goodness, no wonder I gained 5 lbs.

Here’s a shot of us at the resto (Fab)

and here’s a pic at Bar One where we had a few drinks…

This is the band who played that night. They were funny. We had fun watching them. Too bad we didn’t get to know their band name.

When we got back to the room, we cuddled a bit in bed, telling stories when I rolled over yet another surprise…a card and hubby’s sweet note. Now, I’m not Ronald Reagan so whatever was written there is just for me

Happy Anniversary, Dad!

Don’t you just hate it when you made a post and it wasn’t saved??? Well, it "was saved" but it never showed up. Do you see the empty post before this entitled "The Grand Finale"? Well, it was like this…last November 18, after watching Manny Pacquia’s bout against Erik Morales, I decided to make a review about it. I quoted some of the commentator’s views and did a bit of reaction of my own…after that, I showed it to hubby and he liked it. So, I saved it and there was a message that said my blog was saved but when I clicked view blog to check, the post was missing. Thinking that Friendster saved it anyway, I was confident that it would return after a day or two. There are times my Friendster pics or even testimonials get lost every now and then but that’s just how Friendster is so I was still hoping to view my post after a few days. Hello? It’s December 10 already and it still didn’t show up so I guess that’s it! My post will be gone forever! GRRRR #@%$*&*@!!!

After every workout at Fitness First Greenhills, the temptation to eat is always there. Of course, I wouldn’t want to waste my workout so I just eat something lite. I frequent KFC and Jollibee because of their Asian salads. The thing is, since they don’t have a drive-thru near FF GH, it’s too tedious for me to look for a parking, park the car again, get down from it and buy food esp when I’m too tired…and don’t even get me started on paying parking fees again. Too bad, McDonald’s is my best bet coz it’s just beside the gym and it has a drive-thru.

One time, after a very tiring hiphop grind class, i got lazy to visit either KFC or Jollibee…I just want to stay in my car and drive thru McDonald’s. I was convincing myself that  McNuggets without fries or rice is the best option…feeling ko light na yun than burgers or whatever they are offering. I was hoping they have salads so I don’t have to go very far. So anyway, while waiting in line, right in front of me is the NEW McDonald’s Super Salad poster. I couldn’t believe my wish just came true. (As if I was the one who made it possible HAHA)

It’s a bit pricey at Php99 compared to the salads of Jollibee and KFC (Php65) but when I tasted it…Oh my! Ang sarap!!! Especially the Creamy Asian sauce. Kinda reminds me of Italiannis Sicilian salad. Well, Php99 is fine by me. It has lettuce, romaine lettuce, cherry tomato, corn, a bit of mango!, croutons and the best part, grilled chicken! Yep, grilled not the hotshots kinda chicken that KFC and Jollibee put in their salad.

Well, for me, i love the Asian salad sauce of KFC better than that of Jollibee’s. But I love the fact the Jollibee includes boiled eggs in their salads, but the best for me so far, I have to say is McDo Super Salad in Creamy Asian. Yummy! c”,)