ai fever 7th time around

american idol is back and this season boasts probably the strongest field ever. selle and i are music lovers hence, avid followers of the show and it is not surprising that wednesday and thursday nights (even friday nights prior to the top 12) are american idol nights on our tv set. 🙂

going into the top 24, one of our favorite contestants, josiah, failed to make it. he was young and he had that unique english rock sound going on. he also had an interesting background as he has been living in his car for months now. he had the talent and a story to boot but yet he didn’t make it to the top 24. bummer.

going into the top 12, a couple of strong contenders also didn’t make the cut. kady malloy, the britney spears impersonator, had such talent but poor song choices led to her being cut. alaina whitaker, on the other hand, had the voice (and an interesting personality too) but sadly she didn’t have enough fans to push her through.

so now we’re into the top 12.



actually, top 11 na lang sila kasi kaka-eliminate lang ni david hernandez this week. just goes to show how much the depth of talent there is this year with the first person being eliminated happens to be an incredibly talented singer. his rendition of papa was a rolling stone during the top 24 elimination rounds was, as randy jackson would say, doped. 🙂

anyway, with selle and i nailing last year’s top 2 (jordin and blake were our picks to get to the finals with jordin being our choice to win), we again have our favorites this year. needless to say, we obviously adore ramielle malubay. not only because she’s a filipina but because she’s got a powerful (yet sweet) voice packed inside that small frame of hers. plus she’s perky and stylish too. being rockers, we also love this year’s true rocker, david cook. he’s an awesome vocalist and an exceptional musician as well. just check out his rocked out version of the lionel richie pop song, hello. in our opinion, one of the best performances in idol history. then there’s carly smithson. selle likes her more than i do. i would’ve liked her too if she wasn’t too overly promoted by american idol as this year’s front runner. she is ultra-talented and would easily cruise into the top 3 and then we’ll see what happens from there.



then there’s the dark horses. very, very talented yet lies low under the radar. michael johns fits that bill. sobrang swabe kumanta. effortless ika-nga. the problem is he has almost the same target audience as david cook and david is eating up that audience right now. another dark horse is kristy lee cook. yah, most would say that she should’ve been gone by now. some would even say she shouldn’t have made it to the top 12. but she did and she’s still here. remember, american idol is not all about singing talent. marketability and overall appeal is a huge factor as well. kristy seems to excel on those areas that’s why she’s still in the competition. plus she does have a beautiful voice (hindi nga lang pang-biritan) and if she strings a few good performances in a row, she might turn those doubters into believers.



but all of these might not matter because david archuleta will most probably win it all this year. parang kahit anong gawin nya, his fans will just religiously vote for him all the way to the end. just look at what happened last week, nalimutan na nya ang lyrics (twice) at totally nagkalat sya and still he didn’t even get into the bottom 3. heck, even the judges were kind to him and didn’t verbally lambast his performance. parang inaalagaan sya ng show kasi alam nilang maraming fans. sabi nga ni simon, american idol has turned into a popularity contest more than a talent contest kaya most likely, david archuleta will be this season’s idol… but we still have our favorites. 😉



whatever happens, it’s really shaping up to be an awesome season this year. that’s why we’ll be glued to our tv sets every wednesday and thursday nights… bank on it. 😉

ps btw, do check out my friend’s website, dubbed as the ultimate american idol website. tons and tons of info there. great work, rickey. 😀

photos courtesy of tvguide.com and americanidol.com

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the culmination of an office romance (and how i saved a dramatic moment)

macoy was a former departmentmate of mine while lala has been a long-time subordinate of selle. their romance started out at samsung where the two would often work together as their jobs were somehow related. obviously smitten by lala and knowing that he had a number of competitors, macoy didn’t waste time and started courting lala right away. after touring malls all over the metro and an “i care” bear after, they officially became a couple. 🙂

fast forward to this past weekend at the san isidro labrador parish. minutes after we have just arrived, the whole entourage have walked down the aisle. the church door closes. the music changes. everybody stands up in anticipation of the bride.

to most, this is their favorite moment of a wedding, the grand entrance of the bride. the drama builds up as everyone awaits for the doors to open and reveal the radiant bride. but what if the church doors untimely swing open as the bride is still being prepped up outside the church? that would somehow ruin the moment, right? well that very incident happened during this past weekend’s wedding of macoy and lala. with the wind blowing hard and the church personnel leaving her post, one of the doors suddenly swung open. uh-oh. masisira ang suspense. buti na lang andun ako sa may pinto. i strategically positioned myself there to get a back shot of the bride as she walks down the aisle.



so bigla ko hininto ang pinto at bilisang sinara uli and i just stood there keeping it closed. some of my friends were even laughing at me habang pinipigilan ko bumukas ang pinto. 😆 ok lang, sayang naman yung moment kung hayaan ko lang bumukas uli yung pinto. sayang lang din and they didn’t snap a picture of me holding down the door. 😀

and that’s how i somewhat saved the moment. 🙂


the classic bride and the groom first look during the wedding.


one, two, three, four… angel must’ve used up all the matches lighting that candle as it was continuously being blown out by the church electric fans. talk about being persistent. 🙂



a couple of photo journalistic shots.




lomo series.
(from top) a) long-haired secondary sponsors
b) ring bearer chillin’ out 😀
c) we’re not the only ones taking pictures 🙂
d) top shot of the post-ceremony pictorials


girls getting giddy with flower petals… and then anxiously awaiting to throw them off


picturesque ayala greefields… made even better with my wife on it. 😉


the newlyweds grand entrance at the reception


girls getting physical. there was some pushing and shoving going on at this game and the newlyweds are loving it. 😀

congratulations, macoy and lala. enjoy every minute of this higher level state of your relationship. 🙂

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25 reasons

25 (obvious and not so obvious) reasons why i love my wife

1) she’s smart (like me) and she studies hard (unlike me 😀).


2) she’s a leader and points people at the right direction. 🙂


3) she’s pretty even when her hair’s not yet done…


…also when she’s wearing just a simple t-shirt.


4) she’s a rocker…


…and i mean it. 😀



5) she’s a dancer too…


…and she can make people dance. 😀



6) she once succesfully threw a surprise party for me. believe me, that is not easy… 😉


7) highly animated and enthusiastic. in short, masarap kausap.


8)she would laugh often and laugh loud. life is so much lighter with her around.



9) she can cook… and cook really well. click here, here and here for proof. 🙂

10) she’ll always be beside me in whatever decision i make… and wherever i would lead our life to.


11) she’s great with kids. perfect since i ain’t. 😆




12) she’s great with elders too.


13) she enjoys going out of town and experiencing the natural beauty of our country.


14) she’s as refreshing as a cold drink on a hot, sunny day.


15) she’s as sweet as a rack full of chocolates.


16) she can be a country girl.


17) extremely competitive… just like me. 😛


18) she makes mundane things enjoyable.


19) she can be one with the boys.


20) she has a a servant heart.


21) we tend to always look at the same direction.


22) she’s a curious cat and longs for new knowledge. 😉


23) peace lover. 🙂


24) she looks at the bigger picture.


25) she sleeps like a baby. 🙂


this post is actually 5 days late. i was supposed to post this on the night of my wife’s birthday as my final surprise for her that day but i wasn’t able to because i didn’t know that i have not completely transfered my personal files from my office pc to our home pc. kaya d ko ma-post kaagad kasi kulang-kulang pala photos ko dito. 😦 then the succeeding days we were extremely busy that we even had to continue our work here at home. i couldn’t sneak blogging without getting caught. 😛

belated happy birthday, favy. 🙂 i hope you enjoyed my gifts…. 😉

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