On June 11, Liz, Bing and I went to the Mall of Asia concert grounds to see us some dolls: some Pussycat Dolls.
We had scored some discounted tickets c/o Clear shampoo, went on leaves from work, rocked sexy outfits (the ladies only hehe) and made our way, (the first time for me) to the Mall of Asia. We didn't have a hard time finding it at all, it's kind of hard to miss with that huge globe. Anyway, if you need directions, just leave a comment, I give OC directions. Haha.
Anyway, we arrived at around 5 in the afternoon, already a bit late from the 3pm we originally planned. Luckily, a lot of people also had the same idea as most of them arrived at 7pm!
Not to say that there weren't a lot of people already. There were several lines already beside the entrances, one for VIP, 1 for Gold, 2 lines for Silver and one major line for Bronze. I was actually beginning to get pissed because the lines were so disorganized and the guards and the bouncers were doing nothing to organize the lot. When we were about to enter, there was this one guard who was making us separate into a line for males and a line for females. I'm like, we'll we've lined up "mixed" and nobody was organizing so don't start organizing just when we're about to enter the gates! :p Good thing Liz was there to stop me from going ballistic on the poor dude.
Anyhow, I also didn't have time to do my litany because they were letting us in already, it was just before 6pm then. We got in, picked a good spot, then I went to get us some snacks, there was Itallianis, Fish & Co. and other stalls offering finger-snacks.
I forgot to mention that this concert was the first ever concert that I watched. Unfortunately, it kind of traumatized me enough to not want to watch another concert in the near future... here's why...
We got a good place to stand, right at the barricade for "Silver", a bit on the right side, but there were no chairs, so we were standing there the whole time, being squished by people from all sides.
QYORK and the Philippine All Stars were the front act (we thought it would be Lady Gaga). They were fine, except for that one guy singing the melody, or some sort of melody which I couldn't really understand. They were a bit boring. :p The Philippine Allstars, I was already a fan of, so I enjoyed their bit even though I couldn't really see any dance moves from that far away. It was then that I realized that I wasn't going to enjoy the concert at all. We were not the farthest from the stage, but we were far enough. The PCD would be just as big as grasshoppers (not ants hehe), and we won't be able to see their sexy dance moves. Damn it. :p
At around 9PM, the Pussycat Dolls went onstage (mind you, we've already been standing for over 3 hours by then!) and they were awesome. There was one missing Doll, red-haired Jessica was in the US because of a dancing injury, but the rest of them were there in high adrenaline and giving a great show.
They sang all their hits: Don't Cha, When I Grow Up, Stick Wit You, Buttons, Beep, and loads more. I was trying my best to enjoy the concert ('coz we did pay for it right?), I tried to move with the music but couldn't because I was being squished by everyone from all sides. I was behind Liz, and we were just swaying a little bit to what the space allowed us to sway.
But the worst part of it really for me was this girl who was right behind me, singing to every song... OUT OF TUNE. I mean, c'mon, it's great that you know all their songs, and it's okay to sing because it's fun, but SHOUTING in my ear is not fun for me at all. And this went on for the WHOLE duration of the concert. She did not miss one note, not one.
On the other end, the BEST part of the show for me was the part when part-Filipino, part-German, part-Hawaiian, American Nicole Scherzinger, lead Pussycat Doll, said in a sort of teary-eyed, i-feel-a-lump-in-my-throat way, "I'm really proud to be... to be... ... Filipina.." which of course elicited cheers from the throng. It was so dramatic it was kind of hard to watch. Haha! Nevertheless, we are proud of you Nicole! We really are!
Just makes you wonder though, does she also say that when she's in Germany? heh heh heh...
After all of that was over, we were so tired we didn't even stay to watch the fireworks display. We went straight to the hotdog stand, then to the toilet, then to the car and to bed. lol.
Might be a while before I go to watch another open air concert.
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Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Fox's "Glee" will be a huge hit in the Philippines too
Nope, they haven't shown it here in the Philippines, but from the trailer I found on YouTube and the reviews I've read, I think "Glee", the new musical comedy series from Fox will be a big hit in the Philippines too.
Filipinos are very musical people, this is evident in the sheer number of choirs from universities, high schools, churches, companies, towns... anywhere where there's enough people, there's a choir. Haha! And here you have a series about a choir! A Glee Club! Haha. Actually, I'm excited that they're putting choirs back into the mainstream. A couple of years ago they did a series in the US called "Clash of the Choirs", I dunno how that ended up. But here's a series, on primetime TV, about a choir! (Why am I excited? I was a choir member for 6.5 years!)
Here's the trailer of the pilot episode of "Glee"...
Filipinos are very musical people, this is evident in the sheer number of choirs from universities, high schools, churches, companies, towns... anywhere where there's enough people, there's a choir. Haha! And here you have a series about a choir! A Glee Club! Haha. Actually, I'm excited that they're putting choirs back into the mainstream. A couple of years ago they did a series in the US called "Clash of the Choirs", I dunno how that ended up. But here's a series, on primetime TV, about a choir! (Why am I excited? I was a choir member for 6.5 years!)
Here's the trailer of the pilot episode of "Glee"...
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Swinging with "The Real Group" and "The Swingle Singers"
I've been absent from Theme Thursday for the past couple of weeks. But since this week's theme was my suggestion, then I will play! The theme for this week is: "SWING". I gave a few suggestions in the "Whoops" theme post and mentioned about possibly moving to "verbs" after taking on several "noun" themes. I think verbs can prove to give a broader spectrum, and hopefully get our creative juices flowing. I was really interested in themes that can be interpreted in a lot of different ways so that the posts will also be as varied! Anyhow, here's my take on this week's theme...
The Real Group
"It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!" I have been particularly interested in a song for quite a while but never really researched about it until now! I was introduced to it via this version by The Real Group, an amazing, amazing professional vocal group composed of 5 singers from Sweden. The group itself was formed about 25 years ago. Current members Emma Nilsdotter, Katarina Henryson, Anders Edenroth, Peder Karlsson, and Anders Jalkéus.
Here's a video of The Real Group singing "It Don't Mean a Thing (If it Ain't Got That Swing)".... It's LIVE!
The Swingle Singers
Now, the Swingle Singers is an 8-member, multi-Grammy Award winning, acapella singing group formed in 1962, but is still around today (with new singers of course!).
I was lucky enough to meet one of the Swingle Singers personally in 2000 during the Aberdeen International Youth Festival (AIYF) in Scotland: composer, arranger, choral conductor, teacher and singer Mr. Ben Parry was first Bass with the swingle singers from 1987 to 1992.
The Swingle Singers are now part of the music for the new Fox series "Glee", a musical comedy. It's not being shown here in the Philippines yet, but from news stories and the trailer, it sounds like it will be a huge hit here too. Here's why I think so!
The Real Group
"It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!" I have been particularly interested in a song for quite a while but never really researched about it until now! I was introduced to it via this version by The Real Group, an amazing, amazing professional vocal group composed of 5 singers from Sweden. The group itself was formed about 25 years ago. Current members Emma Nilsdotter, Katarina Henryson, Anders Edenroth, Peder Karlsson, and Anders Jalkéus.
Here's a video of The Real Group singing "It Don't Mean a Thing (If it Ain't Got That Swing)".... It's LIVE!
"It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" is a 1931 composition by Duke Ellington with lyrics by Irving Mills, now accepted as a jazz standard. The music was written and arranged by Ellington in August 1931 during intermissions at Chicago's Lincoln Tavern and was first recorded by Ellington and his orchestra for Brunswick Records (Br 6265) on February 2, 1932. - Wiki
The Swingle Singers
Now, the Swingle Singers is an 8-member, multi-Grammy Award winning, acapella singing group formed in 1962, but is still around today (with new singers of course!).
I was lucky enough to meet one of the Swingle Singers personally in 2000 during the Aberdeen International Youth Festival (AIYF) in Scotland: composer, arranger, choral conductor, teacher and singer Mr. Ben Parry was first Bass with the swingle singers from 1987 to 1992.
The Swingle Singers are now part of the music for the new Fox series "Glee", a musical comedy. It's not being shown here in the Philippines yet, but from news stories and the trailer, it sounds like it will be a huge hit here too. Here's why I think so!
A Theme Thursday post
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Pinay Scandal / Pinoy Scandal
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Welcome everyone! Go ahead and click, it's safe!
Better late than never! This post is in support of a project that began on Macuha.com way back in 2007. It was simply called "Pinay scandal". The goal was to steer Google searches away from websites containing Filipinas on "display" and direct them instead to these blog posts. Keyword "Pinay scandal" is one of the biggest all time keywords in the Philippines, and when I checked, apparently, "Pinoy scandal" is even bigger. Lol!
Welcome men, women, boys and girls. I apologize if this was not what you were looking for, but since you're here anyway, why don't you SUBSCRIBE?
[Post continues below]
Okay Okay, I don't want you to leave empty handed (ehem...) so here's something for all y'all.
For all of your who came here looking for something Asian, something exotic, something that you'll want over and over again... why not try some eel! ----->>>>
I had some EEL for the first (and only) time on a business trip to Singapore. It was quite delectable actually, the sauce was very good. The meat of the eel itself was surprisingly very much like fish, and not at all like how I expected it (I had initially thought it would be something like squid...)
Now that that's done, let's move on!
Here are some of the bloggers that participated in this exercise!
The Pinay scandal hit list:
Just leave a comment if you want to be added to this list! (which blatantly copied from Macuha's site, hehehe. Thanks dude!)
Welcome everyone! Go ahead and click, it's safe!
Better late than never! This post is in support of a project that began on Macuha.com way back in 2007. It was simply called "Pinay scandal". The goal was to steer Google searches away from websites containing Filipinas on "display" and direct them instead to these blog posts. Keyword "Pinay scandal" is one of the biggest all time keywords in the Philippines, and when I checked, apparently, "Pinoy scandal" is even bigger. Lol!
Welcome men, women, boys and girls. I apologize if this was not what you were looking for, but since you're here anyway, why don't you SUBSCRIBE?
[Post continues below]
Okay Okay, I don't want you to leave empty handed (ehem...) so here's something for all y'all.
For all of your who came here looking for something Asian, something exotic, something that you'll want over and over again... why not try some eel! ----->>>>
I had some EEL for the first (and only) time on a business trip to Singapore. It was quite delectable actually, the sauce was very good. The meat of the eel itself was surprisingly very much like fish, and not at all like how I expected it (I had initially thought it would be something like squid...)
Now that that's done, let's move on!
Here are some of the bloggers that participated in this exercise!
The Pinay scandal hit list:
- Wanna know the latest trend about Pinay Scandal? by Dexter of Tech At Hand
- Pinay Scandal… The Issue by Darang Sisa
- Pinay Scandal by Almer Viloria
- Google Suggested Pinay Scandal by Ada
- Pinay Scandal by Ada
- Pinay Scandal by Catzie
- Pinay Scandal by Mina
- Pinay Scandal by Jehzeel Laurente
- Pinay Scandals: Earning Big Bucks? by Nika
- Looking For Pinay Scandals?! by Eli
- Pinay Scandal by Eligio
- Pinay Scandal by Stentorized
- Pinay Scandal by Caryl
- Pinay Scandal o Iskandalosang Pinay by Kengkay
- Pinay Scandal by Hazel
- Pinay Scandal by Baby Face
- Pinay Scandal Story by Pinoy Ambisyoso
- Pinay Scandal by Kenneth
- Pinay Scandal by JoanJoyce
- Pinay Scandal, Anyone? by MyGlitch
- Pinay Scandal Here by Jojitah
- “Pinay Scandal” Idea by Neil
- Pinay Scandal… In The Mind Of Pinays by Marikenya
- The Pinay Scandal - Most Outrageous and Raw Scandal by Chuva
- Pinoy Scandal Survivor No. 1 Proud Filipina: Julie Borje by Marikenya
- Pinay Scandal by Chuvaness
- The Best of Pinay Scandals by Rhodilee
- Pinay Scandal by Che
- Pinay Scandal by JeanGrey
- Pinay Scandal Revealed! by Glitchline
- Pinay Scandal on the Web by Philippine Elections 2007
- Pinay Scandal, Let’s Play The Trend by Selaplana
- The Hottest Pinay Scandals by iRonnie
- Blog About Filipina, Pinay Scandal And Vedio by Allen
- Pinay Scandal Video by Ronald Mojica
- Pinay Scandal by Paulyn
- Pinay Scandal Videos by Mi
- Pinay Scandals by Rhyannefranz
- Pinay Scandal Revealed! by Mesothelioma Info
- Pinay Scandal or Pinay Sex Scandal SEO Project by Lestat
- Pinay Scandal Here by Ronald
- Sex And Pinay Scandal Videos Sell by Blogging Pinay
- Pinay Scandal / Pnay Scandal: 18 Above Only by Ceefive
- Pinay Scandal Me by Marlene
- Pinay Scandal in Baguio City by Reyna Elena
- Pinay Scandal, Performing In Bubbles by Kotsengkuba
- The Famous Pinay Scandal Keyword by Edward
- The Pinay Scandal Advocates by Lestat
- Pinay Scandal Free Download Available by Allen
- Pinay Sex Scandal by Culture Shiok
- Pinay Scandal Free Download by Derek
- Pinay Scandal by Pusa
- Pinay Scandal? Think Again by Babyface
- Pinay Scandals: The Wrong Turn by Lady Influence
- Pinay Scandal by Agloco Philippines
- Pinay Scandals Are Dominating The Web by Pinoy World
- Pinay Scandal Is A Hit by The Pinoy Blogger Reviews
- Rampant Pinay Scandal by Eduard
- Watch as the True Pinay Scandal Goes Down by Dark Knight
- Pinay Scandal by Pinoytek
- Pinay Scandal by Zigfred
- Pinay Scandal by Julia
- Exposing Pinay Scandals by Ruth
- Download Pinay Scandals 3gp for your Phone For Free by Jam
- Pinay Scandal (For Adults Only) by Apol
- Pinay Scandal In The Mountainsby Banco De Reyna
- Pinay Scandal sa Ombudsman by Manilenya
- Batangas Scandal by Batangueno.net
- Not Another Pinay Scandal by GoBuzzYourSelf
- Pinay Scandals by Nursing Crib
- I am Pinay and this is a Pinay Scandal by Agnes
- Pinay Scandal Anew by Seek No More
- Pinay Scandal OMG! by ExcEsc
- Pinay Scandal - Pinay Celebrity Scandal - 3gp Scandal Download by Pinay Celebrity Online
- Pinay Scandal (with Photo!) by Seven.Senses
- Best Pinay Scandal by The Filipino Web
- Pinay Scandal, Amateur Filipina Sex Videos Download by archondigital.com
- The Pinay Scandal SEO Saga by Snow
Just leave a comment if you want to be added to this list! (which blatantly copied from Macuha's site, hehehe. Thanks dude!)
Monday, June 08, 2009
#88 Balai Indang, a hideaway
Our overnight stay at Balai Indang or Balay Indang was thanks to the wedding of Kuya Dean and Ate Joy. Their wedding was in the morning of a Saturday up in Tagaytay (Caleruega, Nasugbu to be exact), so they had booked their whole entourage at the Balai Indang on Friday so that no one would be late! ;) (great idea ya?)
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We (Liz and I) went via Tagaytay from Batangas where we left at around 5:30 in the afternoon. Unfortunately for us, May is the season for fiestas in Batangas, and with fiestas come bumper-to-bumper-traffic-causing processions. :)
About half an hour from when we first got stuck, I was already ranting about how they should make laws preventing processions from completely taking away half of the road and effectively freezing traffic! Calling governor V? :p
When we arrived, we were quite hungry. Good thing there was a program for "getting-to-know-each-other-in-the-entourage" before dinner, so there was still a lot of food when we arrived. At dinner, we got to sit with Dean's high school teacher, and she kept us entertained with Dean's childhood stories while we ate dinner...
The food, (which I cannot describe in detail anymore because I don't remember!) was good, Liz particularly enjoyed the fish something (hehe) and I particularly enjoyed the dessert (of course!) which was (and this one I remember!) Graham crackers that they made into little graham balls (little Graham Bells?) and rolled in coconut bits. Awesome! :D
After dinner, Dean (haha, yes the groom himself) escorted us to our rooms. The set-up was very homey, the lamps and the curtains were very Filipino. There were about 3 rooms per house, and each room was big enough for at least 6 adults: 2 queen sized beds on the first floor and 2 single beds up on the loft.
I especially liked the bathrooms: the shower area was a piece of flat stone surrounded by pebbles, the sink area was a mix of modern and traditional elements, the wooden counters and the ceramics mix well. There were some problems with the door to the toilet area, which was a sliding door and was a bit difficult to close. (heh heh)
Because we arrived late and needed to be up early, we did not really have much time to walk around and enjoy the rest of Balai Indang. I was told there was a swimming pool and a fishing area, and I found a mini-trail with a sign saying "Barefoot walk". There was also a bar with a billiard table. The brochure actually was promoting the place as a family getaway, or a venue for corporate team building activities.
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About half an hour from when we first got stuck, I was already ranting about how they should make laws preventing processions from completely taking away half of the road and effectively freezing traffic! Calling governor V? :p
Driving to Balai Indang
This procession, along the main highway through Bauan, Batangas, held us prisoners for a little more than an hour. The 1.5 hour trip to Tagaytay was extended to almost 3 hours! Good thing Balai Indang was not difficult to find, save for the initial it's-dark-and-are-we-going-in-the-right-direction/is-this-a-horror-movie feeling.
The trick was just to keep an eye out for a large #88 painted on a wall on the left side of the street (coming from Tagaytay!). It's big enough for the near sighted to see. ;)
The trick was just to keep an eye out for a large #88 painted on a wall on the left side of the street (coming from Tagaytay!). It's big enough for the near sighted to see. ;)
When we arrived, we were quite hungry. Good thing there was a program for "getting-to-know-each-other-in-the-entourage" before dinner, so there was still a lot of food when we arrived. At dinner, we got to sit with Dean's high school teacher, and she kept us entertained with Dean's childhood stories while we ate dinner...
Great Food and Graham Crackers
The food, (which I cannot describe in detail anymore because I don't remember!) was good, Liz particularly enjoyed the fish something (hehe) and I particularly enjoyed the dessert (of course!) which was (and this one I remember!) Graham crackers that they made into little graham balls (little Graham Bells?) and rolled in coconut bits. Awesome! :D
After dinner, Dean (haha, yes the groom himself) escorted us to our rooms. The set-up was very homey, the lamps and the curtains were very Filipino. There were about 3 rooms per house, and each room was big enough for at least 6 adults: 2 queen sized beds on the first floor and 2 single beds up on the loft.
I especially liked the bathrooms: the shower area was a piece of flat stone surrounded by pebbles, the sink area was a mix of modern and traditional elements, the wooden counters and the ceramics mix well. There were some problems with the door to the toilet area, which was a sliding door and was a bit difficult to close. (heh heh)
Because we arrived late and needed to be up early, we did not really have much time to walk around and enjoy the rest of Balai Indang. I was told there was a swimming pool and a fishing area, and I found a mini-trail with a sign saying "Barefoot walk". There was also a bar with a billiard table. The brochure actually was promoting the place as a family getaway, or a venue for corporate team building activities.
The next day, we were up bright and early, and we got a good look at the lush greens and lovely flowers at Balai Indang. Breakfast was lovely and light while we watched the members of the entourage getting their hair and make-up done (some of them were up at 4AM!) We enjoyed the ambiance of the house, the details in the decorations were exquisite. Liz liked the sink in the ladies room, the ceramic vase with intricate painting detail, and even took a camera in the toilet. ;)
Finally we were off to Caleruega for Kuya Dean and Ate Joy's wedding, where I was set to sing at the ceremony. Thank you to the couple for our relaxing, albeit brief stay at Balai Indang!
Click on the photos to view full size. Photos by Liz and Rey using Canon Digital Ixus 90IS.
Filipiniana Wedding
Click on the photos to view full size. Photos by Liz and Rey using Canon Digital Ixus 90IS.
Friday, June 05, 2009
June 5 is World Environment Day, How did we fare?
Today, June 5 is World Environment Day (WED), according to the UNEP Homepage, it is the day when the United Nations stimulate people and governments to push for action on environmental issues. The theme for WED 2009 is 'Your Planet Needs You-UNite to Combat Climate Change'.
Climate Change has been in the forefront of environment related discussions for the past few decades, and numerous promotions have been made to try to address the issue. There is a particularly wonderful page on the UNEP Homepage about how to: "Easily Green your daily Routine" (and it rhymes too!) which details small adjustments to your lifestyle that will help in big ways. Things like "wear jeans more than once" or "usa a washable mug for your morning coffee" are very easily doable.
My question though is have we gone far enough to effect a slowdown of this inevitable future of climate change? How have we in our yearly Environmental Day celebrations been able to effect change and curb climate change? Or has June 5 become just another celebration we do, but not really affecting anything?
As an improvement, I think it would be good to know how we have as individuals uniting together have been able to make a difference. Or if we haven't, how we should do more. From my work I have learned that we can't improve on something we don't measure. So, so far, how have we fared? How far have we come? And what do we need to do more?
Although wonderfully clever to break down environmental friendly contributions to a doable daily task list, it's still difficult to imagine how my putting my printer on default "print on both sides" mode will effect the cutting down of trees in the thousands per day. So, my challenge to UN is... to help me imagine it better. :D If I see how I have been able to help, then maybe I will be inspired to help some more, and maybe other people will be inspired as well.
This is our world, we, the human race, are the biggest stakeholders in this worldwide project. And even if you do not care if I or any other person in the world will survive, even if your intentions are purely selfish, I don't care. As long as you do your bit to help.
Oh, and please plant a tree. :D
Climate Change has been in the forefront of environment related discussions for the past few decades, and numerous promotions have been made to try to address the issue. There is a particularly wonderful page on the UNEP Homepage about how to: "Easily Green your daily Routine" (and it rhymes too!) which details small adjustments to your lifestyle that will help in big ways. Things like "wear jeans more than once" or "usa a washable mug for your morning coffee" are very easily doable.
My question though is have we gone far enough to effect a slowdown of this inevitable future of climate change? How have we in our yearly Environmental Day celebrations been able to effect change and curb climate change? Or has June 5 become just another celebration we do, but not really affecting anything?
As an improvement, I think it would be good to know how we have as individuals uniting together have been able to make a difference. Or if we haven't, how we should do more. From my work I have learned that we can't improve on something we don't measure. So, so far, how have we fared? How far have we come? And what do we need to do more?
Although wonderfully clever to break down environmental friendly contributions to a doable daily task list, it's still difficult to imagine how my putting my printer on default "print on both sides" mode will effect the cutting down of trees in the thousands per day. So, my challenge to UN is... to help me imagine it better. :D If I see how I have been able to help, then maybe I will be inspired to help some more, and maybe other people will be inspired as well.
This is our world, we, the human race, are the biggest stakeholders in this worldwide project. And even if you do not care if I or any other person in the world will survive, even if your intentions are purely selfish, I don't care. As long as you do your bit to help.
Oh, and please plant a tree. :D
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