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 UK and National Geographic Channel UK.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been wanting to live in Europe from the very moment I learnt I didn’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 UK 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: Huh?
Music: It Ends Tonight – The All American Rejects

ADDICTS-TURNED-MODELS -TURNED-MILLIONAIRES
After 10 seasons, finally, my favourite team wins The Amazing Race. Since the very first season of TAR, the team that I pick as my fave always loses. I know this post is a little late, but what the hell. Congrats Tyler Denk and James Branaman! Go Team Addict! *cough* Team Ex-Addict! You deserve it! (As if they’re gonna read this. Haha.) And oh James, uhm, I love you. Haha.

And because they won’t be a part of The Amazing Race 11: All Stars, I’m rooting for the Beauty Queens this time. Competitiveness to the next level, blondes! Go Dustin and Kandice! Break the stereotype!

~ *** ~

DREAMERS-TURNED-SCHOLARS-TURNED-SINGERS
Also, congratulations to Yeng Constantino for being Pinoy Dream Academy’s first Grand Star Dreamer. She’s been my favourite from the very start of the competiion. She and Jay-R Siaboc. So when only the two of them were left standing, I was happy. Heads or tails, I’d be content. Good luck, Yeng and Jay-R. Hope you last.

~ *** ~

TEEN STARS-TURNED-ACTORS
And now that The Amazing Race 10 and Pinoy Dream Academy are over, there’s only one TV addiction left for me and that’s Maging Sino Ka Man. I’ve never been this crazy over a local drama series since Kaytagal Kang Hinintay and Pangako Sa ‘Yo. Nice story. Perfect casting. Wonderful script. Excellent direction. Good job, ABS-CBN! I just hope it rates better. It’s performance as far as the figures are concerned are not that impressive. But who cares about numbers, right? Especially when you get real quality entertainment.

We all know that Bea and John Lloyd are really good actors, so it shouldn’t come to you as a surprise. But Anne Curtis is a real shocker here. I mean, I’ve seen her evolve from doing sexy-but-stupid roles before to Hiram’s Stephanie. I thought, that was all she could give. But Anne’s acting in this soap opera is a standout. Wow. She’s soo good I’ve cried several times in front of the television. She’s bound to be one of the most important actresses of her generation (of course, along with Bea Alonzo, Maja Salvador, and Angelica Panganiban).

Not to mention they’re all BEAUTIFUL in that series.

Status: At work
Music: Pangarap Lang – Yeng Constantino

It’s not a secret that I’m a big Pinoy Dream Academy fan. To be honest, before the show was launched, I was not that interested. I thought it would just be second-rate Philippine Idol. I was really excited about PI that time, and was refusing to watch a single episode of PDA. But when Philippine Idol started eliminating their good contestants one by one (not to mention that Ken and Miguel still manage to stay in the competition), I swore not to use the word excited and Philippine Idol in the same sentence again. (Oops, I guess I did it again.) Philippine idol becomes more and more disappointing as the show “progresses.” Disappointing is actually an understatement.

When I switched to Pinoy Dream Academy, I was satisfied. At least, in this contest, the weak ones get booted out. And I realised there are a lot of talented people here like Joan, Yeng, Ronnie, Irish and so on. Too bad Iya said goodbye so early.

I’m also a Peyups.com “resident,” although I seldom post comments. And one of the fastest growing threads there is the PDA thread. And right now, they’re just having fun, err… should I say, making fun of the PDA scholars. The topic: PDA scholars’ look-alikes. And here are some samples.

And I saved the best for last…

Thanks to all the people in the Peyups.com community. Sorry I didn’t have the chance to tell you that I would post your posts on this blog. And sorry to all RJ and Iya fans. I love them both but this is just for fun. Au revoir!