Sanjaya's Swan Song

For some eccentric reason, I found myself on the verge of tearing up when Seacrest announced Sanjaya's departure from American Idol Wednesday night. Especially with that montage that seemed to have been extracted from this week's SNL. That kid was just... um, special? So special he merited a rare standing ovation from Simon Cowell! I repeat, from Simon Cowell!! I can only count with my five fingers how many contestants got that from him. Seriously. This kid's really something else! I mean, in all of six seasons that I've watched this show, no other popstar wannabe achieved the fame that was amassed by alternating hairstyles. Not discounting the teenage-factor and minority vote. 14-year-olds are crazy about him, proven here, which is somewhat confusing because I've always thought of the kid as a pending closet queen. Not to be sexist or anything, God knows how I LOVE gay people. But you know what I'm saying. Little girls can't be that dumb, worshiping a cute guy (in their eyes, and theirs alone) with exorbitant femininity. But he's gone, and shall never be back. Which caters the golden opportunity for the remaining contestants to play tug-of-war for the fame fondue Sanjaya left over. I mean, seriously. Besides Doolittle, Sanjaya was the only memorable thing from this season. Trust me. Our lives are forever scarred by him, his creepy little grin and that inescapable image of him hula dancing.

Movie Meme

Before I proceed, I just want to explain where the heck my header came from. It's simply a manifestation of my pop culture junkie-ness. A hodgepodge of some of my favorite movies and TV shows, from Santino Rice to Vincent Vega. I really, really wanted to add more but I had to stop myself from transforming it into a 3rd grader art homework. I actually thought I've overdone it, but heck, with all the misfortunes we experience in the world right now, I guess it's only fitting that we see colorful stuff around, including pathetic attempts in photoshop.

Snagged from Alternati. I'm a self-confessed movie buff, so in order to restrain myself by going too hyper about the survey, I'll limit myself to one answer per question. Although that's pain. :( But I won't put you through the spontaneous-blabbing-torture. Here we go...

1. Name a movie that you have seen more than 10 times.
Legally Blonde (2001) - This movie is a comedic display of false stereotypes in the society. When you're blonde, you're presumably dumb. Not in the case of Elle Woods, a perennial valley girl, who pursues Harvard Law School to prove something to her ex-boyfriend. Her mantra may have been far off from the general goal of law students, but ultimately, Elle proves that all Cosmo girls are much smarter than what people think of them. Am I right, ladies? ;)

2. Name a movie that you have seen multiple times in the theater.
Bring It On (2000) - A movie about cheerleading, with all its cattiness, isn't necessarily interesting, but I was a sophomore then, and I was with Michelle (my super girly-girl friend), and theatres in the Philippines allowed us to stay there the whole day. I watched it so many times that I've got the lines jampacked in my head. Until now. Seriously. Quiz me.

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie.
Leonardo DiCarpio. DUH?

4. Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie.
Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Jessica Simpson. Just stick to junk-exhibitionism, girls.

5. Name a movie that you can and do quote from.

"There's this passage I got memorized. Ezekiel 25:17. 'The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is The Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.' I been sayin' that shit for years. And if you heard it, that meant your ass." - Jules, Pulp Fiction, at the diner during robbery session.

6. Name a movie musical that you know all the lyrics to all of the songs.
I'm not a musical geek. I enjoyed Chicago and Dreamgirls, but that's about how far my interest goes. Does Music & Lyrics count though? "I said I wasn't gonna lose my head, but then POP goes my heart... *higher pitch* POP goes my heart..." There y'go.

7. Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with.
Err, I'll just go with A Walk To Remember. They loved Switchfoot there. Quite awesome.

8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone to see.
Unlike Alternati, I'm going to try to be nice. Watch Wild Hogs! It's freakin' genius!

9. Name a movie that you own.
I think we're stacked. But I have a special documentary film on VHS tape of the Backstreet Boys' world tour in the late 90s. Um, just thought I'd mention it. Potential eBay best-seller in the future.

10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops.
Ok, I'll diminish the one-answer-only rule on this one, because one spot isn't fair enough... First of all, Tina Fey is an expert at her craft but her acting was positively surprising. I really liked her character in -- not to mention, her masterpiece -- Mean Girls, where she played a newly-divorced Algebra professor. It's one of those unpredictable roles in a film that suddenly bursts as an important piece of the denouement. And yes, gotta love the habitual sarcasm. Secondly, Ludacris's acting in Crash was the most surprising. It was very natural, and so believable that I instantly forgot that he was that rapper second-voicing Usher's "Yeah." And lastly, (and I'm echoing Alternati on this one) Jennifer Hudson. She won an Oscar, duh?

11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what?
I would love to, but I don't think they still have those stuff in the metropolitan.

12. Ever made out inside a theater?

13. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven't gotten around to it.
For now, there's just one... Blades of Glory. Please come out on DVD already!! :P

14. Ever walked out of a movie?
Yeah. It was that one with Jennifer Lopez. No, not Gigli. The less apalling one. Um, yeah, I think it was Angel Eyes. I believe I walked out forcibly because my friend's boyfriend was already pooping in boredom on the pool table. But that doesn't mean I wanted to stay put either.

15. Name a movie that made you cry in a theater.
The Notebook? Err, so given. Um, United 93? Same thing. How about "Labs Kita, Ok Lang?" Dare tell me you don't know this. Gee, that movie was such a tear-jerker! I can still remember Royce's abrupt clutch to my arm when Jolina's character, Bugoy, was already confessing her feelings for Marvin's Ned on a cold Baguio night. Haaay. Sixth grade memories.

16. What's the last movie you saw in the theater.
Music and Lyrics. Man, I haven't seen a new movie in two months! This is war!

17. What's your favorite/preferred genre of movies.
Comedy, I guess. I dig serious stuff too, as long as they have wit all over them.

18. What's the first movie you remember seeing in the theater.
I was around 6-8 and it was in a movie theater in Cubao. I have vague memories of what exactly the movie was but I'm sure it had Ogie Alcasid and Michael V. in it. :))

19. What movie do you wish you had never seen.
American Dreamz and Wild Hogs.

20. What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed.
Lost In Translation (2003) - Watch this. It's so weird and hilarious, it's almost unforgettable.

21. What is the scariest movie you've seen?
The Eye, bar none. And The Descent was pretty good too.

22. What is the funniest movie you've seen?
I'm not the most sophisticated movie goer, so I'm definitely giving this to the satirical smarts of Borat.

DONE. Relaying this to anyone who have plans of bumming out over the weekend. Enjoy! :-D

Virginia Tech Tragedy

Taking a breather from the usual witty posts, I would like to collect some thoughts on the most recent newsmaker that disturbed the country, and the world.

I'm pretty sure many of you have been hearing about it. The worst shooting in American history to date, and hopefully, ever. Cho Seung-Hui, a 23 year old English major, shot 33 people -- countless times to death -- including himself. I, personally, don't know what to make out of it. One man, successfully accomplishing an obviously sadistic plan (with suspicious beliefs of his girlfriend supposedly cheating on him) is completely senseless, unfathomable, and heinous.

Event descriptions from different witnesses have been piling up since the massacre, effectively convincing that the suspect had methodically conceptualized this plan for a long time, which includes multiple bomb threats in the same community a couple of weeks ago. According to media reports, the killer may have had something to do with recent bomb threats, presumably testing the University's security system. On Monday morning, he supposedly returned to his dorm residence to reload his weapons after killing two students in the same vicinity. He then proceeded to Norris Hall, chained the doors by himself, and started the shooting spree.

Eversince living here in the United States, I have openly expected a lot more from the governance, considering that the place I came from lacked a whole lot of synchronization. I was not disappointed. Malls are clean, public high schools and community colleges are impressively convenient, Airports and flights are friendly, and driving situations are far less hazardous. But one thing that could possibly prevent brutal attacks like this is an intense security system. I'm not saying that VT security's approach to the situation was any less. It might have been on some others' opinions, but I'm sure they've done their part in the best way they knew how. But on the other hand, I think colleges and universities in this country are very driven to ensue independence on students that liberated security is often tolerated. Just like my college which has its own police station (much like all colleges in this country), but we rarely see officers around campus, not even after the morning traffic. I happen to have spent my first high school years in Lorenzo Ruiz De Manila School, where security is as strict as it gets. There's an armed guard in every building, and IDs are firmly required for everyone who enters and leaves the campus, including transportations. I know, it's a high school, a reasonable proximity to monitor. But we all agree that there's absolutely nothing wrong in being a little bit too cautious, right? Especially in a country that leniently sells guns, and has been attacked by terrorism in the past.

One more thing that seemed absurdly funny to me was the method of communication during that very morning. The warning has been sent through email. Yes, Yahoo!, Google, Hotmail. Through EMAIL. I was shocked, totally perplexed at how dumb some people can get under pressure. My friend Brittany said it best, "Who in the hell checks out their emails at 7:30 in the morning?" and really, what person that practically resides inside the university doesn't have a mobile phone? Is this generation really that idiotic to use email as their form of addressing alarm, instead of an instant phone call, or even text message??

Speaking of text messaging. This may sound ridiculous, but I really think that it's about time 9-1-1 gets the hype of this commodity. A phone call is deeply necessary, but text messaging can be really helpful than it sounds. For instance, there was this girl who survived the second shooting by playing dead. While obviously restraining her nerves by not dialing 9-1-1 during the ordeal, she would have had an easier contact if text messaging was another way of asking help. This is me being humorless, folks. I sincerely think the rescue hotline must consider the text messaging system. Seriously.

What's really uncanny about the chain of events was the fact that the suspect even had enough time to keep himself alive after the first shooting, and with no one calling to the rescue, let alone the police -- who admittedly have heard the gun shots -- ignoring the incident in belief that it was just another one of those domestic fulminations. I, myself, have had enough debates and discussions (especially in my HDEV class) regarding this whole story. A lot of what ifs, could-have-beens, and should-have-beens. But instead of concentrating, and dwelling on what really could have happened, I suggest that the society gradually move on, and on the way, perform drastic changes in our systems to be able to protect ourselves in the future. If America didn't learn enough from the University of Texas massacre in 1966, I think now is the right time to learn something from the Virginia Tech tragedy.

My heart goes out to all the victims, the families affected, and the entire community of Blacksburg.

Rodeo Roadtrip

Pardon my recurring absence, I certainly don't mean it. In fact, I intended to blog a couple of days ago, but my gang was in a hurry, I had to shut down all machines in my room before leaving. On a random Wednesday evening, my mother suddenly decides she'll call sick and evade to Houston with my dad for his high school reunion. If she'd be eating cookies alone in her hotel room, then I might as well go and provide her some entertainment. So I went straight back home after my HDEV exam, and called in sick myself for my math. Packed, rather excitedly, while I watched Idol's results show (Sanjaya's staying power is something else, man) and headed out not before 3.


Houston wasn't exactly as engaging as I thought it would be. Well, the tough schedule, that prevented us from delving the city, was partly to blame for it. The rest would probably be consisted of their sick freeways, stupid street signs, and perilous construction sites. The city might have lacked appeal to me, but its outskirts were definitely, um, interesting.

It was time to exchange driving duties for the boys, as I volunteered to get us some blizzards and onion rings. DQ was easily spotted from the freeway, in the midst of a town seemingly composed of people severely alienated from the colored world. The old lady looked stunned when I opened my mouth and sounded as if I've been living here as long as she has. She was subtlety hostile. Never smiled, even when she did that wacky thing with the blizzards. She obviously wasn't colorblind. But I quickly disposed the nuisance after enjoying my treat. Thank God she wasn't racist enough to poison us.

So, we checked in, dove in our beds, and watched basketball to sleep. It was such an exhausting trip that we weren't even worried about going elsewhere the following day. But my dad had plans of going to San Antonio the next morning, and we just couldn't resist to convoy. It was yet another road trip. Literally. I probably spent more time sitting on my ass than my entire sojourn down there. I wouldn't complain if the view was anything close to my LA-to-Vegas escapade, but it's remotely not! Especially when I would see a house clad with black and white posters saying "Go Spurs! Go!" every once in two minutes.


As cued by Mark Cuban's past criticisms, I expected The Riverwalk to be similar to the bad area of Manila Bay. You know, that part where entrepreneurs gutted restaurants and grills infront of, while there were vacationing used diapers on the shores, and the water smelling like shit. But to Cuban's rare inaccuracy, Riverwalk wasn't anything like it. Although the water wasn't exactly appealing, at least the smell wasn't puke-worthy enough to drive us out of our Texas-sized appetites.

Apparently, you also have to check out The Alamo if you're a virginal tourist in that part of the state. I wasn't necessarily interested because I think, I've already had enough of stories about Magellan and Lapu-Lapu, that these they-saved-our-nation museums and apologue don't juice anymore interest from me. But it was refreshing to go in there. It was so hot in San Antonio that I wouldn't overlook any chances of getting into cemented buildings. Even if it means locking myself in a room of smelly armpits. Yes, it was that hot.


Some random camwhorage with mother. At the River, and after shopping for fridge magnets.
Then we went home that same day. (Sorry Laureen, I passed by New Braunfels, squealed even "I have a friend living right there," finger pointed at that lone freeway that probably leads to your location, but I didn't have enough time to see you. I'll be back though, and I swear, I'll leave you my number the next time.) We then went to this parochial community headed by my dad's high school professor. It's one of those crowded get-togethers, where there's Wowowee on TV, some dried fish's odor sprinting up your nostrils, and a variety of Filipino dialects in every corner of the place. It was social nightmare to the nth degree!! If it weren't just for my dad, I would totally act like those girls from Sweet 16. Seriously. Who wants to get trapped inside a bungalow, congested by eyebrow-raising Filipinos, all asking you the exact same thing, as if griping you to admit that you're a probinsyana just like they once were. "Do you still speak Te-geh-leg?" I'm so sorry, but that question irritates the fuck out of me. Especially when I came in to that very door greeting everyone in sight with a polite (and required) mano to my forehead (even with no clue wherever that hand may have been!) and "Magandang Gabi Po." And they dare ask me if I still spoke Te-geh-leg? If the function wasn't just facilitated by priests, I would have smacked back with a, "Tangek, Manila girl ako!"

So anyway, that's about it. It still boggles me how updating this blog now takes a lot from my time. Maybe because the semester's drawing to an end (translation: more work than usual), or maybe because the playoffs are here and Rafa's hopefully on his way to another unbeaten clay court season. Hay, there's so much going on that I can't even find time to shave my mustache. Ok, that was a joke. But hey, I hope you guys had a terrific week yourselves. Thanks for still dropping by despite my recent lag in your respective comment boxes. I promise to see you around soon. :)

Comfort while chaperoning, ya dig?

I hopped inside the car after a meeting with school stuff last week when my brother said mother rang and asked us to go straight to the mall. She has been shopping. My brother, who had no plans of going elsewhere, was only in his pang-bahay hoodie and denim shorts, while I was dressed quite accordingly. He didn't mind driving me all the way downtown Irving, but he was obviously bored and pissy, pacing around the women's area of Macy's. So he dragged my dad to the Food center (as usual) and waited and waited and waited until he finally pulled out his car keys and decided to leave. Which was completely understandable anyway, he wasn't there to buy anything, not even lunch, and was stuck with women who even seem to have not cared as long as they're grabbing stuff with sale tags.


He'll bite me if he sees this. But that's the best father, AND husband in the world.
So I've been thinking... I really think there should be a coffee shop, or a little burger bar inside the shopping stores, and scattered couches everywhere. For one, a lot of women can't brave the freeways of this big city (and many others), that certainly, the men of their lives would have to stick around during discount days. And like they had a choice, right? (I mean, just look at my dad! Poor him.) Secondly, boys will have nothing else to do at home to begin with. Instead of just eating and watching sports all their days off, the little burger bar can even help hone their social skills by chatting it up with other husbands, boyfriends or brothers while waiting. And lastly, for those loyal ones who choose to tag along the women, (carrying the bags, of course) the couches can only make them feel comfortable whenever they may be lead. Again, look at my dad right there. He customized his own little waiting area while my mom's trying out stuff in the fitting room! I really think my ideas are worth some consideration. Like seriously. Shall I pitch 'em? :P

Coldfront tantrums.

Images supplied by my Weather Channel Desktop. And yes, that's 41 degrees in a Texas spring afternoon.
This is insane. It's April 7th and normally by this time, the pool is already utilized due to burning heat. But instead, we're forced to dig into the deepest corners of our closets to bring out (again!) the supposed-to-be-retired sweaters because it's been freezing the past couple of days. The weather had been consistently lingering around the 60s, 70s and 80s the past couple of weeks, and now we're back to the 50s? Even worse, high today is at 38°F, and guess what, even a possibility of snow later in the afternoon! SNOW! In April?? I know, totally weird. Would make sense if we're in the skinny state of Colorado, but we're just right above Mexico, and we're getting snow in April?? I'd be jumping like a kid right now if it's Christmas season. But it's not. And my brother's driving tonight. It CAN'T snow!!!

American Doolittle

I just found out that I haven't talked about American Idol yet since the first few episodes. That's um, surprising. I would normally talk about it every week, make my silly predictions of who should go home or who would have the worst hairdo (this year, it's a no-brainer, obviously), but since my life has gone back to the colorful side, the blogs on reality TV has been apparently limited. But don't worry, my Miss Page Six persona is back to make a furious plea to Sanjaya's voting demographic... PLEASE, take that *insert offensive term here, I can't curse, it's Holy week* off that show!!! It's excruciating!!! ...err, not really. I'm not bothered anymore by Sanjaya's existence. As long as he doesn't stay longer than my favorites, I could care less.


Who cares if she looks like Shrek?? Pssh. Mean. Pokes head.
There's my girl! Melinda Doolittle, the obvious favorite to win the whole thing (once Sanjaya gets off the show, of course). Big voice, big head (literally speaking), and big boobs. Ok, that sounded lesbian-ish. But heck, what's not to love? She's freakin' awesome!! And hey... do you want to win some dolares? I thought I'd throw in a trivia question for those of you, broke pricks like me. Prize money courtesy of leftover aguinaldo... If you can only tell me the name of this Filipino guy my mother instantly thought of upon seeing Melinda for the first time. Clue. They look alike. Duh?

Normally, the boring days...

With no disrespect, I tend to have found the Holy days of Holy week to be the most boring days of my summer childhood. We were not allowed to come out and play patintero, due to our usual clamour that would disturb the neighborhood vigils, eating meat was also, and still is, a big no-no, and cable TV in our area was not yet in existence, that we had to stomach all the Nora Aunor films Channel 2 could possibly air.

But those days are gone. Capped by the annual marathons of Seventh Heaven on Studio 23 (do they still do that?). Don't get me wrong, the Holy week means a lot to me, my family, and the Roman Catholic tradition. Believe it or not, I have my fair share of prayers, repentance, and mass attendance. But I'm not one of those devotees who sorrowfully commemorate the events that actually led to Christ's sacrifice for mankind. I understand, it's their form of recognizing the holidays, but... Ok, ok, I'm not gonna go on and on about this anymore, since it's pretty sensitive for funky me to discuss (and I don't want bitchfights this time of the year).

And just so you know, I have been penitently observing the no-meat-during-Fridays rule, settling on egg sandwiches (who cares about calories? It's Holy week, magtika kayo!), tuna subs from Subway (now, that's "healthy") and dinaing na bangus (marinated milkfish) from the Asian market... with rice, of course, and vinegar dip with crushed garlic. Ugh, I know, it's a sin to be gluttonous, especially this time of the year. But trust me, the bangus just fits the one-meal-a-day penitence. Promise!

In case I get raped again, let me be early and shove you a Happy Easter greeting. Enjoy :)