Pilipinas Got Talent's auditions

The Philippines, the country of 7107 islands. A country with a very vibrant culture, with amazing people. The Filipinos are undeniably talented, especially in dancing and singing. To name some famous people: Lea Salonga, Charice, Apl.De.Ap from Black Eye Peas. See? :)

And they have no lack of reality-talent shows. It was the premiere of the 1st Pilipinas Got Talent last weekend, and boy, I had a good laugh, and of course, the amazing ones are equally entertaining.

Introducing to you the future singing sensations. Haha.





**Happy birthday to my godson, Ryzel! Maligayang kaarawan! :)**

Chinese New Year 2010

As I keep saying, if given a choice (and money), I would rather spend the Chinese New Year in some other country, away from the hype, the dong-dong-chiang music, and avoid being asked the same questions again and again.

Not that I'm ignoring the family. I give ang baos to the senior ones. But I guess I'm just slowly drifting away.

Because of my jetsetting habits last year and probably this year, I didn't get to go anywhere but to stay at home. It has be a long time since I get to sleep till 11+am. A luxury. Haa. And for the past few days, life has been tidbits-tv-movies-sleep. What a life.

Alas, holidays will still come to an end. Let's hope that I won't oversleep tomorrow for work, and I think I should go on caffeine-high to keep myself awake.

Piolo Pascual - Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Papa Piolo!!! :D

What a beautiful sunset, but that's not the point. Papa P throughout the entire video. Love it! :D

This song is part of his latest album Decades, featuring songs from the 50s, 60s and 70s. And yes, I've already gotten hold of the album during my trip back to the Philippines last December. A Christmas present from a friend. :)

You're just too good to be true.. Can't take my eyes off you~~ :)

May Bukas Pa

May Bukas Pa has finally come to an end.

The final episode was a star-studded one, many stars of ABS-CBN including those who have guested in the teleserye, came together to put up a grand finale. It left me in tears, from the beginning to the end. From tears of sorrow, to tears of joy.

May Bukas Pa (yuhui's translation: There's Still Tomorrow) has left a very deep impression in many Filipinos, since it started airing early last year. It is a story of a young boy named Santino, who befriends 'Bro' (Jesus Christ) and touches the lives of people who come along.



Never underestimate the 'power' of this miracle boy and the teleserye. Despite his young age (he's only 8!), Zaijan's expressive acting skills and his cute face would just melt your heart, and make you fall in love with him. :) Imagine, the show has gained so much popularity that it could last for a year! Not only that, the ABS-CBN's Christmas ID last year was themed as 'Bro, ikaw ang star ng Pasko' (yuhui's translation: Bro, You are the Star of Christmas).



For the past year, I've been watching every single episode, without fail. I love Santino, I love the fathers and brothers in the church, I love the entire cast. And now with the ending of the show, I feel sad. No more Santino, no more Bro, no more Father Jose and Father Anthony. No more.



Salamat, May Bukas Pa, for being with me for the past year. Let's hope for a Part 2. :)

Richard Poon - Kahit Di Mo Napapansin

This is one of my favourites of Richard Poon's - Kahit Di Mo Napapansin (yuhui's translation: Even If You Are Not Noticing).

This song is from his first album released in 2007, it may not be one of the major hits, but I still love it. :) Richard penned the song!

So happy that they decided to make a MTV for it, and it was officially released last Sunday. :)

Still hoping to get to see him in person. 'Bro, pwede ba?' :)

It's not a promotion

Clarification: I did not get a promotion, nor a pay raise. Just an increase in workload (and responsibility). Don't expect me any treats from me. Haha.

But the change has indeed brought about some stress. I haven't been sleeping well, hate the feeling of having to drag myself out of bed, and having to curb the urge to grab a cup of coffee.

Was reading the horoscope and zodiac forecast for the coming year. It's supposedly a good year for career. I think the bad start can only make it better in the coming year. Ha.

Time to start gearing up for the fight. Hope that I can still keep my sanity. I hope the weekly cycling helps.

Changes in the office

The wave of changes within office has finally hit onto me (directly or indirectly). New challenges ahead. I hope the extra workload is going to be help me in my development. And my credentials. Haa.

Before reality strikes hard, I shall dream of my paradise once again.

'Good service'?

I'm not cut to be a service-oriented working individual.

Don't expect me to go all out to offer something called 'good service'. And I believe only rational and reasonable people deserve 'good service'.

Philippines Christmas 2009 and New Year 2010

Photos of my Filipino Christmas and New Year have already been uploaded to my Flickr (and Facebook).

Much delay to this post, due to me returning to work (too soon) and nursing my cold, cough and fever.



I love spending Christmas and New Year in the Philippines. It is so much more Christmas-y over there in the Philippines than anywhere else in the world. The scale of Christmas mass at the coliseum is enough to overwhelm you.



New Year had been a blast too, literally. People lighting up firecrackers, starting hours before the clock strikes twelve, till the next day. The 17-minute long of fireworks on the New Year's night was just awesome. I've never seen fireworks that close, right before my eyes. Simply breathtaking.



But most importantly, I was with my dear friends in Bago City. People always ask why do I keep going back to Bago City, and like what Ryan says, we are just like a family. Not only that I'm the adopted daughter of Papa Momoy, I have 2 godchildren there in Bago City (Ryzel and Iza), and perhaps one more on the way. Haha..

I've got to meet up with the Mondia family too, for a short while. Haven't been able to meet up with them for quite some time. But the passing of Lolo Samuel came as a shock. I saw him during my visit to their house, and the next day when I returned to Manila, he passed away. Grief as there is, we are still glad that he was able to spend Christmas and New Year with the family.



Joining the mayor for the gift-giving was rewarding, in some sense. It gave me opportunities to take nice pictures of the people and the scenery.





I was also able to share my blessings with the others as well.



And back to Bantayan, "our boulevard of broken dreams". Haha.



As usual, I'm always amazed by the kids. How they can get entertained so easily. Simple pleasures, I suppose. And I can confirm one thing: baby boys like to flirt with me. Except for my godchild Ryzel.

And I love to amaze people with my (little) command of Tagalog, and my unbelievable knowledge of the Pinoy's entertainment industry. Haha.. Go Papa Piolo and Richard Poon!

Yes, I'm already a half-Filipino, and I look forward to more Christmases and New Years spent in the Philippines. Mabuhay.

Welcoming 2010

Another 365 days have gone. Too fast.

I would wanna tell myself that the past 365 days have been good. Don't really want to look back too much, so that I won't remind myself of any bad memories or incidents, and also to leave less room for regrets. :)

Resolution for the coming new year - keep on travelling. :)

And to be back in my safe haven here in Bago City of course. :) Right now, fire crackers are blasting all over, non-stop. Welcoming the new year with (lots of) blasts.

May everybody's wishes for the new year come true. :)

Down with a sore throat

Just when I'm trying to enjoy myself to the max here in Bago City, I'm down with a sore throat that I didn't even want to eat anything, because swallowing is just too painful.

I hate it. I'm just praying that this is not a prelude to a fever.

Back in paradise

It's nice to be back in a place I call paradise - Bago City. :)

Manila was just a stop-over, for shopping. Haha. Was more or less rewarding, but I just hate the traffic.

I miss Bago City. It really feels good to be back 'home'. Everything looks so familiar, and everybody is doing well, if not better. Haven't get to meet up with everybody yet (it's only my first day back here), but I hope to see my friends during this Christmas period and New Year too. :)

This afternoon, I visited a child's home in Ma-ao Central. This child was adopted by one of the city government offices for a day, as part of their celebration of Christmas, sharing their blessings to the less fortunate.

I think a picture speaks a thousand words.



I donated 1500 pesos to buy rice for him and his grandfather. It costs around $150 to buy materials to rebuild a small nipah hut for his family. If you want to make contributions to change the life of another child just like him, please let me know.

Merry Christmas. :)

Last day

It's my last day today. How time flies.

For the past 12 months, life has somewhat been a rollercoaster ride.

Work has somewhat taken centre stage, workload was piling, and all I know was to rush to meet deadlines. Managing the publishing of 30 books of music scores is sure hell no mean feat. It was definitely a good training for my patience. I have banged the table and puked blood so many times, to the stage that I couldn't be bothered anymore. Ha.

Just when I was trying to catch some breaths after the scores have been published, I was once again caught up with the preparation of the 'annual event' a.k.a the exam. You would have thought that everything would be easier, since I've been through it twice. Ha, no. More problems cropped up, and I was exhausted by the time I overcame them.

But I live to travel. I love to see my passport getting stamped. Bago City, Macau, Hong Kong, Bydgoszcz, Warsaw, Krakow, Prague, Salzburg, Vienna, Manila.. woohoo~!

Life is full of challenges, and I've managed to conquer them, sort of. I completed the 40-km cycling challenge, survived in a sea of Filipino strangers watching Aiza Seguerra's concert (and taking photo with her!), handling a big group of grown-up kids on tour in Europe, dealt with nonsensical kids, and keeping myself sane. Haa.

Yes, how time flies. It's my last day. Here in reality, for the year. And off I go, to my paradise. :)

End of the 'event'

It's over. Sort of. Finally, two weeks of mad rush, storms and their aftermaths, lack of Starbucks, it's almost over.

The wrapping up of the 'event' is also another headache. Many things to finalise, little time to do so.

Again, for the past two weeks, I've seen a lot, I've heard a lot. How well I've fared, I don't know. Everything is a test of my capability, but I couldn't tell if I've accomplished anything.

I don't want to doubt myself, but that may not be what people see in me.

Oh well. Time for a break.

Wanna hack people up again

Once again, I feel like hacking people up. But I'm already exhausted.

I can't wait for my Christmas to come.

Arghh

I want to hack people up. I just want to.

Storm has approached

Just before the 'event of the year' kick off tomorrow, the storm approached and caused a massive destruction.

Perhaps I was right, I knew something would go wrong. Murphy's Law.

I'm now afraid of my phone ringing, messages buzzing. I couldn't sleep well, I lost my appetite.

Hearing Christmas tunes on the radio and on tv, I just hope that it's Christmas now. Nasaan ang Pasko ko?

Stressed

Stress level is building up, so is fatigue and exhaustion.

Very soon, it's the time for the 'event' of the year. Somehow, there's a tinge of uneasiness lingering around. The peace before the storm is very scary.

I need to ensure I have enough stock of my chocolates and coke. I wished for Starbucks delivery.

It's time.

Happy birthday to me

Thank you for all the wishes and greetings on Facebook, Friendster, through SMSes. I am thankful to have friends who are with me through the years, all the ups and downs. My goodness, I sounded old. Haha.. another year of wisdom!

But really, I didn't expect pleasant surprises to keep coming. Birthdays are just like any other normal days, it would be nice to just spend it peacefully. I love peace. :)

A birthday song from Juris of M.Y.M.P (live from the USA! :D), a pseudo-birthday cake, lollipop, a real birthday cake, pinoy's birthday song, and whistling sparkers. And of course, special company of friends from the Philippines. Thank you to all for making my day less peaceful, but definitely special.

Thank you, maraming salamat. :)

Time to pack the donation box!

It's the time of the year again, time to pack the donation box! :D

Donations of old stuff (clothes, toys and books) are welcome, and of course, if you wish to help sponsor the cost of the shipment (yes, it's always out from my pocket..), I'll be glad to know.

After years of doing this, I'm an expert in taping up the boxes. Haha.. And I guess it has become one of my unique ways of destressing. :)

Spread your love during this Christmas season, and bless others. 43 days to Christmas!