yoshke.com

Status: Really Excited
Music: Trying to Get the Feeling Again - Christian Bautista

Hoorah! Finally, I’ll enjoy being a couch-potato again. My top 3 favourite reality shows are back! And there’s nothing that can get between my eyes and the television set or whoever stupid enough to do that will experience my wrath.

AMERICAN IDOL
Let’s start with the most popular of all, American Idol. I find it really, really strange that in their first studio episode, I found myself almost always agreeing with Simon Cowell. Gina Glocksen did not quite hit the highest note in her All By Myself performance — agreed. Melinda Doolittle is somebody with huge talent and very little arrogance — agreed. Lakisha Jones was in a different league — agreed. Blake Lewis’s performance was the first to sound so contemporary, and that’s a good thing. The first part of Phil Stacey’s performance was terrible, but the ending was, oh, great. I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing was way too big for Antonella Barba.

But of course there were things that I didn’t agree to. For example, when he said that AJ Tabaldo delivered a theme-park performance. That was sooo not true. I like AJ not because he’s a Filipino-American, but because he was one of the few guys who really did an amazing job that night.

I also like Chris Richardson but I really think that his being-a-Justin-Timberlake-clone will be a big, big problem. It’s not that it’s his fault, though. We can’t do anything about it if he really looks and sounds like Justin. We can’t blame him for being born, or having given a break, much later than the former NSync member. Anyway, I still like him.

I used to dislike Blake Lewis. I thought that all this guy could do was beatbox. But singing Somewhere Only We Know? Wow. Not that I just really like Keane, but I liked the simplicity of his performance, and kinda liked his voice, too. He’s now one of my favourites.

Among the girls, Jordin Sparks, Sabrina Sloan, Melinda Doolittle, and Lakisha Jones are my faves.

~~~

THE AMAZING RACE ALL-STARS
The Amazing Race is back. This time, it’s much more exciting as familiar faces begin to compete for one million dollars. Rob and Amber emerged triumphant in the pilot episode but will they sustain the momentum? Hmmm… I don’t hate Rob and Amber, but they’re not the ones I like either. My top two teams are Oswald and Danny, and Dustin and Kandice.

~~~

PINOY BIG BROTHER SEASON 2
I stayed up late last night just to catch the launch of Pinoy Big Brother Season 2. But heck, I was deeply disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the entire “military” idea, and the hosts, and the presentation. However, they only revealed six of 12 or 14 housemates! What’s up with that?!? They said the others will enter Big Brother’s house one by one sooner or later. So much for fair play! The first six contestants might already form a strong bond inside before the other housemates could even penetrate the circle. Hmmm. (Andre has just told me that they might be doing that for the ratings — so that viewers would still have something, some people, to look forward to. Hmmm. Makes perfect sense.)

Anyway, what do I think about the six housemates? I like the commercial chick — damn I forgot her name, hehe. She’s really beautiful. And who else inside the house is beautiful? You got it — the Aussie guy, Ezekiel. Yep, my sister who usually doesn’t express her hidden lustful thoughts gasped for air last night telling me he was hot. Whew. And he really is.

The Swiss guy will give us something to glue our eyes on the screen to/for. Not because he looks good (well, he does) but because he somehow makes us want to follow how he would interact with the other housemates given the fact that he cannot speak Tagalog or English. The poor guy only speaks and understands German. Now that’s interesting.

Anyway, let’s just see if they would capture our hearts while inside the famous house.

*Photos courtesy of celebs.real.guide.com and mikeylikey.com

Status: Annoyed
Music: Just so You Know - Jesse McCartney

More people die annually from eating sharks than being eaten by sharks.
- National Geographic Channel

The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference.
– Mrs. Bree Van De Kamp, Desperate Housewives
– (coincidentally, or maybe not) Isaiah Washington
of Grey’s Anatomy in an interview with Oprah.

Status: Annoyed
Music: Just so You Know - Jesse McCartney

Here’s the thing. Bumming around is not that good after all — especially when a certified couch potato like me gradually grows tired of staying in front of the television just because my freakin’ cable provider gives me a really weird channel selection. There are more trashy channels than the ones I find useful and entertaining. And they change channel assignments without giving us any notice at all. In the middle of the movie, say I’m watching HBO, the channels would switch, and I have to find that channel again.

If watching National Gerographic and Discovery channels is the top sign of being a geek, then wow, I am definitely one. There are a lot of shows that I really make an effort trying to catch. But I’m terribly pissed. For some reason I am yet to enquire about, my cable provider seems to be stationed in another continent. Why? Because what we have is Discovery Channel Europe and National Geographic Channel Europe.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been wanting to live in Europe from the very moment I learned I don’t. But for a person who grew up with these channels’ Asian counterparts, adjusting to the European versions is a really difficult thing. For starters, all Discovery Europe talks about are engineering, technology, industries, and forensics — stuff that their Asian counterpart also has. But Discovery Asia offers more. They also feature culture, ecology, and other topics that awaken human interest. I’m tired of learning about how incredible the Rotterdam port is, or how massive European ships are, or how speedy German cars can get, or their theories on how the primitive Brits built the Stonehenge. I used to be really amazed, but after a while, I might just want my cable provider to suddenly switch channels.

What infuriates me more is the time gap. Unlike Discovery Asia and NG Asia, the channels we have show European schedules. For example, I want to catch a certain show, I always need to add five or six hours more to the time they show on the screen, because, of course, they’re in Europe. And I never get used to it!

Moreover, their primetime shows (logically, their best shows) I can watch at around 2 or 3 in the morning. Damn.

I better stop complaining and call my cable provider now.

Status: In awe again.
Music: Making Love Out of Nothing at All - Sarah Geronimo

This was Sarah Geronimo’s breathtaking performance on ASAP ‘07 two weeks ago that received a standing ovation and gave me the longest series of goosebumps I’ve experienced since I watched the film The Devil Wears Prada. I never really liked Air Supply’s Making Love Out of Nothing at All until Sarah came up with this very powerful version. This clip has been very popular in cyberspace, causing people to compare this rendition to Carrie Underwood’s a couple of years back for American Idol Season 4. Anyway, I actually don’t care because I like their renditions, and I love them both. All I am sure of is, this performance is unforgettable.

Click here to see the video clip.

So… what do you think?

*Photo: sarahgeronimo.com and asap 07

Status: Excited
Music: Be Without You - Mary J. Blige

It’s awards season once again. And after the Grammy and the Golden Globe, here comes the Oscars. The Oscars remains to be my favourite award-giving body because the people and films that I want to win usually grab the major awards. For example, last year, when everyone was rooting for Brokeback Mountain, I was confident that it would be Crash which would bag the Best Picture award. (My next favourite last year was Munich.) And my bets for the Best Actress and Best Actor awards (especially these past years) usually go home smiling — Nicole Kidman, Adrien Brody, Cate Blanchett, Sean Penn, Reese Witherspoon, Charlize Theron, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellwegger, etc. Some major disappointments that I got from the Oscars are: when Chicago won over The Hours for Best Picture; Moulin Rouge losing to A Beautiful Mind; and Halle Berry stealing the Best Actress award from Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge) a few years ago. But you know, I easily move on.

This year, it’s harder to predict who would go home with the golden statuettes and who would go home with utter frustration. But here are some of the nominees, my faves, and my predictions:

Best Picture:
Babel
The Departed
Letters From Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen

What I want to win: Little Miss Sunshine
What might win: Little Miss Sunshine

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Blood Diamond”
Ryan Gosling, “Half Nelson”
Peter O’Toole, “Venus”
Will Smith, “The Pursuit of Happyness”
Forest Whitaker, “The Last King of Scotland”

Who I want to win: Ryan Gosling
Who might win: Forest Whitaker

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Penelope Cruz, “Volver”
Judi Dench, “Notes on a Scandal”
Helen Mirren, “The Queen”
Meryl Streep, “The Devil Wears Prada”
Kate Winslet, “Little Children”

Who I want to win: Meryl Streep
Who might win: Kate Winslet / Helen Mirren

Best Supporting Actor:
Alan Arkin, “Little Miss Sunshine”
Jackie Earle Haley, “Little Children”
Djimon Hounsou, “Blood Diamond”
Eddie Murphy, “Dreamgirls”
Mark Wahlberg, “The Departed”

Who I want to win: Alan Arkin
Who might win: Eddie Murphy

Best Supporting Actress:
Adriana Barraza, “Babel”
Cate Blanchett, “Notes on a Scandal”
Abigail Breslin, “Little Miss Sunshine”
Jennifer Hudson, “Dreamgirls”
Rinko Kikuchi, “Babel”

Who I want to win: Adriana Barraza / Rinko Kikuchi
Who might win: Jennifer Hudson

I really, really love Little Miss Sunshine and Babel and I know it’s going to be a tough battle between them. Babel has an edge now that they’ve just won the Golden Globe. (Not that it matters.) But I liked Little Miss Sunshine a little better than Babel. Besides, I want a comedy to win this time.

As for Meryl Streep, I’ve adored her since the beginning of time (hehe). Her performance for The Devil Wears Prada is definitely not her best but damn, it still deserves an Oscar nod.

I’ve never seen Dreamgirls yet so it’s somewhat unfair to Jennifer Hudson for me to root for the two Babel stars. But watching the film alone, I was deeply moved by these two actresses. I am 70% sure that Adriana Barraza will take home the statuette. I just hope my instict is right.

So there. On February 25, will I be satisfied or will I be right? Hmmm…

*pictures courtesy of pbs.org, hispanicbusiness.com, and apple.com.

Status: Delighted
Music: Always Be My Baby - Mariah Carey

Dohna, Peter, and Asta in Matabungkay, Batangas 

If there were only one thing that I would never forget about the six-week English camp, that would be the friendship I had with Peter. Peter, or Lee Jeong-Hoon was the brightest kid in that camp. He was consistently the top student. And he was incredibly close to me both physically and emotionally. And right now, of all the students we had in that camp, Peter, definitely, is the one I miss the most.

So I was really delighted when I received this e-mail from him a day after they went back to Korea (this morning, actually):

Hello, Teacher. This is Peter. I’m back home. I’m very happy to meet my family again. Thank you for your kindness when I was in the Philippines. I miss you so much. I wish we will see each other again.
                                                           - Peter

I was really thrilled. I’ve had a number of Korean friends before. But Peter is different because he is a kid. I’m not really fond of children, but for some reason, I got really close to him. He is such a sweet kid that I really want to adopt him. I swear.

And it kind of made me laugh. No matter how many times Peter had told me that I was his most hated teacher, or his least favourite, not once that I believed him. I knew he was bluffing everytime. How could I buy something like that when all he was writing about for his Writing Class was me. Nyahaha. The night before they left for Seoul, he told me he would NEVER miss me and that he would NEVER want to see me again. And I told him he did not mean what he was saying because I could feel I was his favourite teacher. *evil laugh* Now, Peter, wherever you are, you’re telling me you miss me so much?! *evil laugh again*

I will soon post my Matabungkay Camp Chronicles when I’m ready to. Meanwhile, bear with me. Hehe. 

Status: Berserk
Music: Be Without You - Mary J. Blige

I’ve just arrived from the six-week camp I joined since January 3. It was so fun, yes. But to tell you the truth, it was oh-so-painful, too. After loving and being loved by the kids we were with, parting time was something I dreaded. Until now, it pains me. I really have some attachment problem that I really need to do something about. Anyway, I would love to write about that camp but I just can’t right now. Not that laziness got the better of me. It’s just that I can’t. But I will do it soon — complete with pictures.

Meanwhile, I’m going to write about the recent Grammy Awards. I was disappointed. I am a Dixie Chicks fan. Not a big fan, though. Just a fan. And I love the song Not Ready to Make Nice. It really deserves the Song of the Year Award. But I really, really believe that the Record of the Year Award should’ve been given to Mary J. Blige for Be Without You.

Damn. I miss the kids so much.

Waaaah! I’m losing focus because I’m preoccupied with the thought that I may not be able to see those kids again. It’s sooo sad.

Anyway, to Jordan, Daniel, and Chun, I know you’ll be visiting this website, I just want to say, “Hello.” Haha.

Waaaaaaah! I miss the kids! THE KIDS!!! THE KIDS!!! Especially Peter.

I’ve gone berserk! God knows what I might do to this damn keyboard. Hahaha.

Status: Freezing and Starving.
Music: Irreplaceable - Beyonce

Yeeha! I’m back to the civilised world at last! I terribly missed the polluted air, the congested streets, the irritating noise, and the violent jolt of cosmopolitan Manila. Whew. I’m back! But not for long. Tomorrow morning, off to Matabungkay Beach Resort in Batangas again. In case you didn’t know, I didn’t spend my entire January at a resort just to have fun. It’s work, baby. Work.

Damn. I missed Manila so much. Sooo much. And of course, what did I do the moment I arrived? I met up with my college friends. Gosh! Some people just don’t change. Hehe. And then, I went online, and geeked out. Do you know how awful it felt when I hadn’t touched a mouse for a month? Awful. Awful! Last night, we went to Sidebar Cafe and had a few rounds of booze. Damn. Zombie tasted really good! In Matabungkay, I only had beer every other night. It was nice to drink every other night but I needed to taste something else. And God knows how that glass of zombie quenched that thirst last night. Uhmmm. I just got home from an afternoon of shopping and coffee drinking, and watching a film. It was also my first time to enter a movie theatre in a month. I watched Babel. I like it but I really think that 21 Grams is way, way better than this. I will publish a decent review later.

I missed Manila. But it’s funny that I want to go back to Matabungkay asap, because believe it or not, I miss that place now. I miss the free meals, billiards, tennis, the beach, the sunsets, and my hotel room. And I miss the kids.

I’ll be back on the 16th to take care of the documents I would be needing for the Foreign Service Exam. And I will not work until June.

See you guys, soon.