I dont really watch American Idol. Normally itd be my kinda thing cuz I 'bah' with the best of them, but really honestly I dont follow this show. Loved it in the beginning- but like Survivor, Its kinda boring now. Funny enough, I heard word that there is a new Filipina girl on it so I decided to steer my way in that direction in youtube to check it out.
Jurys out though. Really I should be voting along group lines, represent for the Philippines. And I have a good history in this respect... Manny Pacquiao is my man, Enrique Iglesias is God. Batista is my fav. wrestler (well not really, but I dont hate him) Ernie Reyes Jr was my favorite kid actor in the mid 80s. And I dont even mind Rob Schneider at all. Its only La Bamba that I truly detest like a spider-snake hybrid.
This Ramiele though... Im trying hard to like her but I just cant. Theres just something about her, I dont know... its hard to explain but to me she sounds too Hong Kong Singapore Filipina hotel lounge act singer-ish. Great voice, but just not my style. She has cool hair though, Ill give her that... and she doesnt say her last name all 'Englishified' way, but proper harsh Pinoy way. Thats really cool, she earns brownie points there. Cuz I dont even do that (Ahhh BEE SHa), she shows me up in that respect.
Im thin slicing... and making the decision on gut feel. I dont feel her as a winner, and Id much rather support that blondie curly haired nanny, nice girl, she is much better. Im not a very good Filipino when it comes to American Idol.
And oh yeah, theres a post coming tomorrow because its leap year. I like leap years.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Boyz II Men
Like most days, actually ever day, I was on youtube randomly wandering the world of the video. I dont know how, like really you just stumble into most things on youtube, a thread or path thats never really duplicatable (another one of my words) the next day, youtubes's contribution to chaos theory. Its like rooting through a favorite quirky roadside market, you dont quite know what to expect but you go on with yourself, always with the knowledge that youll find at least a few bits and pieces that delight you to no end.
Today I walked the streets of motownphilly (and back again, doin a lil eastcoast swing). I was watching a video of a Amy Heckerling movie trailer, once it ended, I followed a new string from the post video pop up menu, and all of a sudden there they were again. Slim. The deep voice guy. The guy who sings with ticky head movements like he has tourettes. And then theres Cho, the guy with the glasses. (Cho, if youre reading this, you cant deny it for 16 years, he still and always will look like you; like its not a bad thing. Its like your other twin, Supersonics point guard Earl Watson). The thing is, up until today, I had selectively erased the memory of Boyz II Men. I dont know exactly why, maybe its because of the early 90s pop period I was later mildly embarrassed of, at a time when it starkly contrasted new alternative music I was being introduced to (Janes Addiction, Pearl Jam, Nirvana) or even the good HipHop at the time (Dre The Chronic, Snoop), all of which now are considered hall of fame classics. And to compare, Boyz II Men are an after thought these days, especially compared to those guys. So I kinda forgot about them. Their CDs dont show up on my CD rack anymore, and their songs are absent from my iTunes library. Its strange logic really, considering the person we are talking about is me, the same guy who has no shyness whatsever regarding my affinity for Backstreet Boys and NSync, or for that matter New Kids on the Block. Only thing I could think of in defense is that..... maybe.... its because they're black preppy..... like Carlton; whoever really like Carlton.
Still though its hard to fault them.. even if they over did it with the dated and now seemingly ridiculous midsong "talking to the girl in a sensitive deep voice" interlude technique. haha I still cringe at those. BUT... after reviewing their videos again on youtube, some of which I havent seen in over 10 years... I was warmly surprised that I knew all the words. I cant even say that about Bon Jovi (I know all the Bon Jovi important chorus bits though). I also forgot HOW MANY songs they had. End of the Road, Water Runs Dry, Bended Knee, (its so hard to say goodbye to) Yesterday, One Sweet Day (with skinny Mariah), let alone influencing a full on run of successful copy cats: All 4 One, Hi-Five, Color Me Bad, Jodeci, Shai, to name a few. You know your shit smells good when everyone starts copying you. Even the way you dressed. Remember now, in the early 90s, if you werent wearing plaid dirty jeans grunge... you were wearing dress shirt with tie and jeans and a formal jacket. Because that what Boyz II Men wore in their videos. Id also bet that they defined and dominated the Graduation Prom Theme Song for every high school in the whole early 90s, let alone provide every teenage boy in the early mid 90s some sweet makeout action music. I dare anyone prove me wrong.
Anyways what Im trying to say is that they were pretty good, and I forgot that. This is what happens when you spend too much time on youtube. You start remembering back in the day, when things didn't suck, even though they do now. LOL. Still wont add them to my iTunes library though.. some things belong on youtube.
Before I end this though... I want to post a personal favorite, again from youtube. Quite possibly the best commercial Ive ever seen in my entire life. Its been playing here in Ireland and the UK for 4-5 months, and I have no idea if it plays back in North America. But I love it, so good... enjoy. Notice the purple.
Today I walked the streets of motownphilly (and back again, doin a lil eastcoast swing). I was watching a video of a Amy Heckerling movie trailer, once it ended, I followed a new string from the post video pop up menu, and all of a sudden there they were again. Slim. The deep voice guy. The guy who sings with ticky head movements like he has tourettes. And then theres Cho, the guy with the glasses. (Cho, if youre reading this, you cant deny it for 16 years, he still and always will look like you; like its not a bad thing. Its like your other twin, Supersonics point guard Earl Watson). The thing is, up until today, I had selectively erased the memory of Boyz II Men. I dont know exactly why, maybe its because of the early 90s pop period I was later mildly embarrassed of, at a time when it starkly contrasted new alternative music I was being introduced to (Janes Addiction, Pearl Jam, Nirvana) or even the good HipHop at the time (Dre The Chronic, Snoop), all of which now are considered hall of fame classics. And to compare, Boyz II Men are an after thought these days, especially compared to those guys. So I kinda forgot about them. Their CDs dont show up on my CD rack anymore, and their songs are absent from my iTunes library. Its strange logic really, considering the person we are talking about is me, the same guy who has no shyness whatsever regarding my affinity for Backstreet Boys and NSync, or for that matter New Kids on the Block. Only thing I could think of in defense is that..... maybe.... its because they're black preppy..... like Carlton; whoever really like Carlton.
Still though its hard to fault them.. even if they over did it with the dated and now seemingly ridiculous midsong "talking to the girl in a sensitive deep voice" interlude technique. haha I still cringe at those. BUT... after reviewing their videos again on youtube, some of which I havent seen in over 10 years... I was warmly surprised that I knew all the words. I cant even say that about Bon Jovi (I know all the Bon Jovi important chorus bits though). I also forgot HOW MANY songs they had. End of the Road, Water Runs Dry, Bended Knee, (its so hard to say goodbye to) Yesterday, One Sweet Day (with skinny Mariah), let alone influencing a full on run of successful copy cats: All 4 One, Hi-Five, Color Me Bad, Jodeci, Shai, to name a few. You know your shit smells good when everyone starts copying you. Even the way you dressed. Remember now, in the early 90s, if you werent wearing plaid dirty jeans grunge... you were wearing dress shirt with tie and jeans and a formal jacket. Because that what Boyz II Men wore in their videos. Id also bet that they defined and dominated the Graduation Prom Theme Song for every high school in the whole early 90s, let alone provide every teenage boy in the early mid 90s some sweet makeout action music. I dare anyone prove me wrong.
Anyways what Im trying to say is that they were pretty good, and I forgot that. This is what happens when you spend too much time on youtube. You start remembering back in the day, when things didn't suck, even though they do now. LOL. Still wont add them to my iTunes library though.. some things belong on youtube.
Before I end this though... I want to post a personal favorite, again from youtube. Quite possibly the best commercial Ive ever seen in my entire life. Its been playing here in Ireland and the UK for 4-5 months, and I have no idea if it plays back in North America. But I love it, so good... enjoy. Notice the purple.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
More...
Filipinos. In the Philippines I met Filipinos. Well, actually I didn't really meet them personally, I didn't introduce myself, never bantered, or make any acquaintances or even go away with any names... but more observed. Im passive, things typically have to come to me... so naturally observing is more my thing. But what you watch is actually kinda sometimes better. Because these are types of Filipinos I've never met before. Some of which I never imagined I would. And by that, I mean not all together at the same time. Welcome to Boracay, the biggest mix of filipinos from every socio-cultural-economic background. Good times.
What we got: the overseas rich Filipino, the super yaman (rich) local Filipino, the poor local Filipino (throw a rock and you can hit one 99% of the time), the middle class local filipino, the balikbayan filipino (like my parents... ones that moved away and live abroad), Fil-Am and Fil-Can twenty thirty somethings from all over the US and some Canada who cant speak tagalog (ones like me, my brothers and sisters), the spoiled kid versions for Fil-Am / Fil-Can, the gorgeous halfers ( soft spot for the female variety of this group), the not so gorgeous halfers (like what the? how? 90% of mixes are good looking... never really considered the 10% that arent), the rich young Manila super maarte Filipinos speaking in a wierd Manila-style English, the middle class young Manila even more maarte Filipinos speaking in an even worse Manila-style English, the filipino women with old white husbands (throw a rock and you can hit on 99.999% of the time), the filipino men with blonde girlfriends (my brother... and thats pretty much it) and of course the French Filipinos going to the International school in Manila, of which one Manny said he thought looked like Jessica Biel, but happen to suck in Volleyball. Those ones were disorienting, because there was like a big group of them, they all looked part Filipino, but they like had French accents? And swore by saying yelling 'Merde'? But told us that the out of bounds lines was by the tsinelas? Who are these people...
As gorgeous as Boracay by itself is, one of the truly most beautiful places I have ever been, this mix dynamic was probably the most interesting aspect of it. To me anyways. It blew me away that there were all these Flips from around the world that you could probably relate to so easily, only if I pipped up and talked to them more than I did. Oh well. More photos coming soon.
Glossary:
Maarte (tagalog)- Overacting / Overly Dramatic.
Tsinelas ( tagalog) - Flipflops
Merde (french) - Shit
What we got: the overseas rich Filipino, the super yaman (rich) local Filipino, the poor local Filipino (throw a rock and you can hit one 99% of the time), the middle class local filipino, the balikbayan filipino (like my parents... ones that moved away and live abroad), Fil-Am and Fil-Can twenty thirty somethings from all over the US and some Canada who cant speak tagalog (ones like me, my brothers and sisters), the spoiled kid versions for Fil-Am / Fil-Can, the gorgeous halfers ( soft spot for the female variety of this group), the not so gorgeous halfers (like what the? how? 90% of mixes are good looking... never really considered the 10% that arent), the rich young Manila super maarte Filipinos speaking in a wierd Manila-style English, the middle class young Manila even more maarte Filipinos speaking in an even worse Manila-style English, the filipino women with old white husbands (throw a rock and you can hit on 99.999% of the time), the filipino men with blonde girlfriends (my brother... and thats pretty much it) and of course the French Filipinos going to the International school in Manila, of which one Manny said he thought looked like Jessica Biel, but happen to suck in Volleyball. Those ones were disorienting, because there was like a big group of them, they all looked part Filipino, but they like had French accents? And swore by saying yelling 'Merde'? But told us that the out of bounds lines was by the tsinelas? Who are these people...
As gorgeous as Boracay by itself is, one of the truly most beautiful places I have ever been, this mix dynamic was probably the most interesting aspect of it. To me anyways. It blew me away that there were all these Flips from around the world that you could probably relate to so easily, only if I pipped up and talked to them more than I did. Oh well. More photos coming soon.
Glossary:
Maarte (tagalog)- Overacting / Overly Dramatic.
Tsinelas ( tagalog) - Flipflops
Merde (french) - Shit
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Too late..
The Ultimate signs of blogger sloth:
1) Not posting. Like hardly ever.
2) Making excuses for not posting.
3) Using Videos and Pictures instead of writing.
By that count I have struck out this month. A big Bo Jackson type whiffff, the kind where you swing so hard and and miss with such velocity and power that the bat breaks on your overly muscled back on the follow thru. At the very least I give good analogies.
So wheres the Videos and Pics then? Below. The Pics I can take credit for, but the videos I cant. Manny did those, and did a full-stop bang up sweet tits job, he managed to create something really spectacular, seriously its something fierce. (Good job Manny)
Pictures are below the videos are Boracay. Tomorrow, hopefully there should be more pics from the other places of the philippines along with stories this time. Until then...
ABECIA CHRISTMAS 2007
ABECIA NEW YEARS 2008
VACATION CLOSING 2008
1) Not posting. Like hardly ever.
2) Making excuses for not posting.
3) Using Videos and Pictures instead of writing.
By that count I have struck out this month. A big Bo Jackson type whiffff, the kind where you swing so hard and and miss with such velocity and power that the bat breaks on your overly muscled back on the follow thru. At the very least I give good analogies.
So wheres the Videos and Pics then? Below. The Pics I can take credit for, but the videos I cant. Manny did those, and did a full-stop bang up sweet tits job, he managed to create something really spectacular, seriously its something fierce. (Good job Manny)
Pictures are below the videos are Boracay. Tomorrow, hopefully there should be more pics from the other places of the philippines along with stories this time. Until then...
ABECIA CHRISTMAS 2007
ABECIA NEW YEARS 2008
VACATION CLOSING 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Crossing the line
Um... Im doing something questionable and maybe unethical. Im posting while in a meeting at work, a product workshop where account managers and senior engineers from the US and Canada come all the way here to Ireland for a 2 day session on strategy for 2008. And heres me blogging, arent I sooo awesome. This is the brilliance of WIFI. People actually think Im doing work or taking notes.
Something I always wanted to try.. and I shoulnt press my luck any further than this. I should cut this short, and not expand anywhere close to 200 words. So not so badass of me... only a 2 minute distraction. Back to the business at hand soon.
Ill write again soon to satisfy Mike and update on the Philippines trip. I promise, loads to talk about cuz it was good (even though that promise is probably not worth the html code I write on)
Be back soon. Happy New Year.
Something I always wanted to try.. and I shoulnt press my luck any further than this. I should cut this short, and not expand anywhere close to 200 words. So not so badass of me... only a 2 minute distraction. Back to the business at hand soon.
Ill write again soon to satisfy Mike and update on the Philippines trip. I promise, loads to talk about cuz it was good (even though that promise is probably not worth the html code I write on)
Be back soon. Happy New Year.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
British Airways Terraces Lounge, Heathrow, Terminal 1
Yep. Heathrow still sucks mightily, and I wont let it go. They suck because I have a full open bar in the BA Executive Terraces lounge, stocked to the rafters, and I cant drink because Im on Anti-biotics (I have to blame something so). I also have a bad feeling my luggage is going to be lost again... there has just been too terrible of a win streak with this airport this 2007 year (My last ditch attempts at the reverse jinx).
So anyways, Im glad for one thing so far... only 2 of the 4 Heathrow personel I dealt with today were nice to me, and not rude. Mathmatically, thats technically *infinitely* better than the '0 for' batting average I usually get out of this sorry excuse for a world class international transportation hub.
And this is from a completely objective observer such as myself. Not tainted at all, no maam. (To be fair, Dublin Airport sucks too. From the outside, it looks like an airport that belongs in Kinshasa)
On the list of things to do today: One last proper burger that doesnt have sugar as an ingredient - check, one last time wearing a hoodie / heavy warm jacket - check, one last time paying 1.50 euro for a coke - check, one last time being a minority - check.
Still a little sad Im not flying to Vancouver this year, though. But its safe to say Vancouver in December doesnt quite have bleached white beaches with sand like fine baby powder. Thats a big win. Decent availability of passable toilets however... ummm not so much.
So anyways, Im glad for one thing so far... only 2 of the 4 Heathrow personel I dealt with today were nice to me, and not rude. Mathmatically, thats technically *infinitely* better than the '0 for' batting average I usually get out of this sorry excuse for a world class international transportation hub.
And this is from a completely objective observer such as myself. Not tainted at all, no maam. (To be fair, Dublin Airport sucks too. From the outside, it looks like an airport that belongs in Kinshasa)
On the list of things to do today: One last proper burger that doesnt have sugar as an ingredient - check, one last time wearing a hoodie / heavy warm jacket - check, one last time paying 1.50 euro for a coke - check, one last time being a minority - check.
Still a little sad Im not flying to Vancouver this year, though. But its safe to say Vancouver in December doesnt quite have bleached white beaches with sand like fine baby powder. Thats a big win. Decent availability of passable toilets however... ummm not so much.
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