Some Idol News

Oh my galoshes! Has Paula Abdul been drinking? When Seacrest asked for the judges' quick opinion about the first performance of the Top Five, Paula gave her feedback for Jason Castro's TWO songs. She said she liked the second song better. Hello? It was funny & awkward.

As for the performances, I thought Jason Castro gave the worst.

I didn't like both songs of our kid wonder, David Archuleta, either.

Brooke's second song, "I Am I Said", is way better than her first.

Cook's second song is my favorite although the title slipped my mind right now.

The Cesar Doggie

If you know the breed of this dog from the Cesar teevee commercial, please let me know. It's soooo cute! I thought it's a stuffed toy.

A Nice Upgrade

So thrilled to find this in my hotel room. Too bad, my MagicSing has seen better days already. It would've been fun to bring it here in South Carolina and bug the hell out of our neighbors ;oPWe tried Fuddruckers for dinner tonight. It's located just across the street. We braved the passing cars along Woodruff Road and got there safely. Whew!

I chose 1/3 lb of meat, Chipotle BBQ and requested to have it cooked medium well. I left my name, "Salvador" (Ogz used his real nick, "JR"). Your name will be called once your burger is cooked.They have a fresh produce section (it looks like the salad bar at Pizza Hut back home) where you can get as much lettuce, onions, tomatoes, pickles, etc. as you want. They have different sauces too: ketchup, mustard, hot cheese with jalapeno, etc. I told Ogz that whenever we need to cook sarciado or any type of "gisa", we can come here and get the onions & tomatoes ;oP (so Pinoy).

Songbird's Best of Me

The Songbird Regine opened up her tv special with a few lines from "The Best of Me", a David Foster composition. It's a slower version of the Olivia Newton-John classic. "No one will ever touch me more, And I only hope that in return, I might have saved the best of me for you". Not too sure if she's singing for her fans or for her Baba, Ogie Alcasid. George, her doggie, made an appearance in the intro too. The venue is Regine's new house in Quezon City. The first thing I noticed is how clear the voice recording is. Raul Mitra, as expected, is her musical director.The first upbeat song of the night is Kenny Loggins' "Conviction of the Heart". In case, you're wondering, Regine was born on the 22nd of April, which is commonly known as the Earth Day. The KL song is the unofficial anthem of the celeb.

Reg followed it up with one of my favorite songs from last year, "Bubbly". The Claire Marlo medley was next. If I'm not mistaken, she did this the last time in her concert, "Hush".Then a long musical introduction ensued. I immediately thought, that has got to be "Hotel California". A very unexpected song from Reg. Weird song choice.

The "Per Te" number was one of the most memorable moments in the show. Songbird is in her element here. Her fans know that she ain't scared of heights. She proved it once more when she sang on the edge of a very high point. The only thing that I didn't like is the subtitle that they included.GMA will release an animated film entitled "Urduja". Reg rendered her voice for the feisty heroine and she sang the theme song of the movie too. Joey de Leon did a good job as the lyricist. The movie is Mulan-ish.

When Kyla & Jay-R began their song with Reg, I was, like, "What the hell are they singing?" Then the line "This is it!" came and it dawned on me. This is another Kenny Loggins hit.

I noticed that Regine requested the roof structure of her house to resemble "R". Should it be "C" 'cause her real first name is Chona? =oP
"Hindi Na, Ayoko Na" is one of my favorites in her 1990 album. I'm super happy that she sang this again. She messed up the lyrics though. But anyhoo, the performance was really good. Excellent control of voice.We heard Mommy V in "Dance with Me" and we see Mang Gerry all the time roaming around the concert venues but it's the first that we hear the two together singing with their daughter. It's like listening to a videoke session at the Velasquezes.When "Footloose" came, I sensed a pattern. Hello? Who the hell gave a Kenny Loggins CD to Regine?!!!

The only duet of the night came from the lovers. Ogie & Reg did an Oscar-winning song called "Falling Slowly" from the movie, "Once". I like it.
When I heard "Got to be There", an MJ hit (pre-whiteness), I thought she'd do an MJ medley.

To cap the night, Reg sang "The Best of Me" in full, this time. And for her last song, she delivered "In the Name of Love".And yep, she jumped into the pool. Gown and all. What an exit!
Lastly, thanks to 1inheart for uploading the vids to YouTube.

New Apple Store @ Fair Oaks Mall

Ogz and I are now here at the new Apple store in Fair Oaks. Unforch, we didn't get the free t-shirt that they gave away for the first 1000 visitors. Bummer!

I looked around and found a Belkin USB Hub. My MacBook Air only has 1 USB (which kinda sucks) so I needed a hub. That way, I could recharge the battery of me iPod while still connected to the network in the office. I could also upload the photos in my SD card easily. When I was ready to pay, I looked for their payment counters but found none. An associate told me that I could approach anyone in a Mac shirt and they could help me. Otay. That's good for the customers 'cause you don't need to wait in line anymore. You just approach the Mac peeps and pay. Although we noticed that some were just talking amongst themselves when nobody was asking them for anything. Teehee...

Oh, before we left the shop, I changed one of the wallpapers of one MacBook Air and featured one of the photos above ;oP

Some TV News

I'm so happy that my ABC shows are back.

I so miss hearing the songs that they feature in "Grey's Anatomy". "Chasing Cars" is my ultimate favorite from their soundtrack.

There are many episodes that made me cry throughout the entire 4 seasons, usually involving someone dying like Denny Duquette and O'Malley's dad. Last night's episode ain't a tearjerker though.

Oh my galoshes! Addison is coming back to Seattle Grace Hospital next week. Can't wait to see her. Wait, does that mean her other show, "Private Practice", has been canned?

As for "Lost", last night's episode explained how in the world Sayyid became Ben's BFF.

Now we know that the black smoke can be summoned and controlled by Ben or was it Jacob who did it?

For a while there, I thought Claire was already a goner. And there's the oh-my-god moment when Ben sacrified his only daughter.

The Music of the Night

I wasn't able to watch "American Idol" last Tuesday but super thanks to YouTube, here's my favorite performance of the night from Mr. David Cook.Gave me goosebumps. I just love that song from "Phantom of the Opera". I want him and David Archuleta to battle it out in the finals!

Of course, I don't need to tell you about what happened to Brooke White's performance.

I also enjoyed Syesha's take on "One Rock n' Roll Too Many", from "Starlight Express". She could deffo follow in the footsteps of Fantasia, Tamyra Gray, and Lakesha Jones.

Happy Birthday, Joyish!

To my evil twin sister, happy birthday! I miss you so much. Hopefully, I'll see you in Chicago soon!

Uhm, did you get my voice message?

Say it with Candles

I've never attended a candle party before. When Vicky invited Ogz & I for one, I was, like, count me in. Actually, this is a business of our friend, Sandy. Vicky offered to host the PartyLite event.

When we reached Vicky's house, Sandy was already there preparing her candles. I saw a cute giraffe, elephant figurines, gecko and several pretty candle holders. Angelina, a girl who works at PetSmart, was also a guest. Vicky was taking care of the food. Mmmm....
While waiting for the other guests, I played with Remy, who greeted us by barking at us for, like, 2 minoots.Then it's time to taste the food. I got some meatballs & chicken wings and got some punch that Vicky made.When everyone was done with their food (Remy got some ice cream and the occasional food scraps), Sandy gave a short presentation. She also handed out catalogs.

These candles really create a character out of any room. Personally, I love candles in my bathroom. I light 'em up and then I soak myself in the bathtub while listening to soothing music.Different scented candles were passed around so we would know which ones tickle our fancy. My favorites are the "Teakwood & Cardamom", "Seaside Mist" and the "Herbal Mint" that smells like soap. Sandy's ultimate favorite is "Honeydew" while Vicky got her eye (or nose) on "Bird of Paradise" which, I must say, ain't a crowd favorite.

As for the candle holders, I think I'm gonna get the Buddha candle holder.

Around 8ish, Jyoti arrived with her daughter too. She started crying when Remy barked at them but she stopped immediately ;oP

Normally, guests would fill out forms for the door prize raffle. Since Sandy brought a lot of them, we all got one party giveaway. Sweet! I got the chocolate scented one. Thanks, Sandy. Also, thanks, Vicky, for hosting this party.

No to Naps

Took a nap yesterday from 5 till like 8 pm. Unforch, that wasn't a smart thing to do because I couldn't sleep anymore when I went back to bed around midnight. My work would have me wake up at 5:30 am to catch an 8-am flight to Greenville. I need as much sleep as I could on a Sunday. Won't do it again.

Tomorrow is Earth Day. I'm guilty of not doing my part 'cept driving a Hybrid that makes few emissions. That's all. No more contribution to the environment. A few months ago, Ogz bought a grocery bag which would lessen our plastic bag consumption. Although sometimes we forget to use it ;oP

Two other things happening tomorrow: it's the Songbird's birthday. I heard she's having a concert here in Vegas next month. I dunno if I'll watch it. I have this dreadful feeling she'll just sing her hits like "Kailangan Ko'y Ikaw", "Pangarap Kong Ibigin Ka", and "Dadalhin". Am so sick of hearing those songs already. Not worth the trip.

Then there's the candle party with Vicky & Sandy. Am excited.

Happy Birthday, Kendz!

Happy Birthday, gurl! How was your celebration? Did you get your iPod? Kwento naman! 

Old Town, Alexandria

Going to Alexandria is fairly easy. From Ashburn, you take route 7 all the way there. It takes about an hour, give or take.

Ogz & I took a detour to Tysons Corner to have our late lunch. Panda Express was the choice today. I got some orange chicken and Beijing beef. After eating, we checked out Ruehl and Banana Republic. We also bumped into a co-worker named Daejuan.

After finding a free parking space, we first went to my favorite cafe called Uptowner Cafe. Last year, the three of us (including Tomas) went inside this shop for a quick restroom break and some photo op. I love this cafe because they have books or magazines you can read while eating some snacks or having coffee. If I live near Alexandria, I'd probably make this as my official "tambayan" (hangout).While walking along King st., I was surprised to see this horse again. I guess this is one of the attractions of the town ;oPWe discovered this shop that sells European furniture, decors & stuff. I fell in love with this painting so I requested Ogz to take this photo. I wish I can visit a European country someday.While looking for more interesting shops, we decided to take a break by a big fountain. Ogz brought some Clover Chips so we ate that while watching these 5 B-Boys. We also had fun judging who our top B-Boy is.At the Visitor's Center, Ogz asked where the Urban Outfitters is located. The lady there didn't know where it was. Ogz informed her that we went there just the year before. The lady thought maybe the store closed already. She suggested to check out other malls in DC.Inside this shop, we found standups of Obama, McCain and Hillary. This is as close as we can get to the Presidential candidates. We also bought some towels with a White House embroidery.Then we reached the Waterfront. This is the busiest area in Old Town. Many things to do here. You can sit on the bench and just watch peeps passing by. Enjoy your ice cream while watching yachts. Pet doggies (my favorite thing to do). Join in the fun with this street magician who seem to love pink so much. Feed the ducks. Play frisbee. Sit on the grass and get intimate with your loved one. Or take a nap (which Ogz & I did).Around 7, we decided to walk back and find a place to eat. We've tried so many different types of food already and we thought of trying out Greek food tonight. On our way to the Greek resto, we found this candy store. We didn't buy anything though =oPThe place is called "Taverna Cretekou". A lot of peeps were eating here so that's a good sign. We wanted a garden table but there wasn't any available.Dressed in black with gold accessories, the owner's wife, Denise Papaloizou, asked for our orders and suggested some too. After a few minoots, we were given some appetizer samplers. You have some red caviar there, eggplant, spinach, feta cheese, etc. They taste different but quite good.As for our main meals, Ogz got the Moussaka (ground sirloin with eggplant) and I got the Dolmades Avgolemono (ground sirloin, rice, mint in grape leaves). Denise informed me that if I wanna see some plate smashing, she invited me to come on a Thursday where they have live music and some dancing too.Before we left the place, I told Ogz that the Urban Outfitters that he's been trying to find is located not in Alexandria but in Georgetown. He got confused ;oP