I Blog, Therefore I Am.

I love bang-for-your-buck shopping. I fulfilled my two budget shopping wishes last night and I am so happy about it! Wasteland Wonderland, indeed!

UNIVERSAL RECORDS CD SALE
Our operations in Quezon City are just floors away from the Universal Records HQ. I noticed a few months ago some Big CD Weekend Sale announcement of Universal. I got curious because it says that they sell Buy One, Take Ones and some CDs are even 90% off. What a steal!

Fortunately, I had a meeting yesterday with some of our Call Center leads and it coincided with one these famous CD Sales. I made sure that all my meetings and commitments are done by 6:30pm so I can browse and buy to my heart's desire. The sale usually starts at 9:00 am and ends at 7:00 pm.



I was able to buy two Jazz compilations, one Hale album, and an OPM love song compilation (Yeah, I am all for cheesiness) for only P200! That's basically P50 per CD. The cheapest they have there are the P2 casette tapes and the P40 Country Music CDs. They also have P100 or P200 Buy One, Take One CDs. It's really a joy to go there if you're a music lover or collector.

Universal Records
Universal Towers, Quezon Ave., Quezon City
(Just above Smart Wireless Center)
Remaining Sale Dates: May 31, June 5, 6 & 7

~*oOo*~

SAIZEN (DAISO) JAPANESE STORE
I've been hearing and reading about the Saizen Store at Robinson's Galleria in the last couple of months. Saizen is a Japanese Discount Shop brought by the original Daiso All For 100 Yen Shop of Japan. It's a dry goods shop where you can buy everything for P85! The one you see all over the malls - Japan Home Depot or something - is a fake one. THIS is the real deal.


My Loot! Not much but I'll be back again!

I am a sucker for stores like this. I love the thrill of buying seemingly unnecessary things at a budget price. The stuff in the store are all made in Japan (obviously) and are usually specially made for the Daiso/Saizen stores. They have everything from Housewares, Cosmetics to Office Supplies.



I love the row of plastic containers and the Japanese bowls and plates are just perfect for my brother & sis-in-law who loves Japanses cooking. I initially bought them a rolling container to perfect their maki-making.



My favorite sections: Office Supplies & Notebooks! I was able to buy two File Folders (I love filing!) and will come back for the Colored Staple Wires and the Cushion Notepads.



They also have all kinds of CD/DVD racks and cases; and there was also a row for all types of laptop sleeves. I was able to buy a small blue one for our HP Mini Note.



I love the Saizen shop and I can't wait to go back. This is going to be an ideal Christmas Shopping store. There's truly something for everyone!

Saizen / Daiso Japanese Store
East Wing, Robinson's Galleria
Ortigas, Pasig

Like most people in my generation, we grew up listening and singing to the great music and raps of The Man From Manila, Francis Magalona. March 6, Friday, was indeed a lonely day for Filipinos when we all learned the demise of this great musician, rapper, and songwriter after battling with leukemia for 7 months.



I found a great line he wrote on one of his blogs that I would like to share with all of you. It's a testament of how he loved his craft and how he wanted to be remembered through his musical legacy.

"I still hear the voices of Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Tupac Shakur, Kurt Cobain, The Notorious B.I.G. and Frank Sinatra to name a few. And their voices rise from their graves.

I am lucky to have been a recording artist and one day when I leave this world, just like the names I mentioned, my voice will be heard. Always. At a touch of a button or switch, I am "alive" again."

- Francis M., Happybattle.net, November 15, 2008

You will be missed, Kiko! Thank you for the music!

The American Idol Tour will come to a close by September so the Idols of Season 7 are now booking left and right for their concerts, tours and albums. So it's no wonder that Filipina Idol, Ramiele Malubay, will be coming home in December for a Manila concert. Coming with her is one of her best buddies in the show, Danny Noriega.

Here's the interview where she mentioned the Philippine concert:



I don't know if I heard it right but she said that she might stay here for a long time. Is she going to be at the David Cook Manila Concert also? With David, Ramiele and Danny coming over, I wonder when we will see Carly Smithson, Jason Castro and Archey? Hopefully SOON!

I got a tag from Marj to make a post on 10 Random Things About Me. Unfortunately, I've already wrote about that one recently so I just decided to post a random thing about me that might surprise most of you.

I Googled my name earlier and found some "incriminating evidence" about me that might cost me my fantabulous job at TEH ONE. Is it a sex scandal video? Nah, too Paris Hilton. Is it a blog entry where I posted some juicy corporate news? Nope, too geeky for me. Think again.

It actually involved a contest where I became an accidental winner.

Note that this happened in November 2003 when I was still a staffer at Honda and far, far far away from where I am now. It was a time when I was still learning how to blog amidst my quarter-life crisis. Just want to point out that one in case my bosses read this. :)

Here's the article which I found here. Read on.



Funny, right?

Yep, I won some concert tickets and scored a meet & greet with Mariah from Globe on her Charmbracelet World Tour in 2003. How weird is that? I was actually just an "accidental winner" because I did not intentionally joined the contest. It was really the F4 songs I downloaded (can this post be more cheesy?) which made me a winner via Globe's electronic raffle. Should DTI be warned and involved on the screwed mechanics? Hah!

There's more.

Since I was not really a Mariah fan and not so into concerts, I gave my two (2) Gold tickets to my brother and sis-in-law. They watched and enjoyed the concert while I went to Shangri-La to meet and greet the diva.

I also remembered being interviewed but I cannot remember saying that Mariah's "a true vision of love" like what the article above said. I know myself well and I don't say stuff like that. I was misquoted by Globe for their PR cr*p! They did not even send our lone picture with Mariah like they promised! I only learned about it when it came out in the papers two months after the concert and friends SMSd me. One friend even sent me a scanned copy of the paper which I cannot find as of the moment.

I don't want this blog to be known as another fan-worship fan site of David Cook BUT I just can't help but blog about him and his fantabulous music!



Here's my li'l gift to all Cookies who supported David!

"The Time of My Life", otherwise known as David Cook's first single, is current #1 over-all song at iTunes followed by his other Finale Songs.

For those who can, please, please BUY Cookie's songs from iTunes and let us continue to support our David! :)



THE TIME OF MY LIFE
David Cook

I’ve been waiting for my dreams
To turn into something
I could believe in
And looking for that
Magic rainbow
On the horizon
I couldn’t see it
Until I let go
Gave into love and watched all the bitterness burn
Now I’m coming alive
Body and soul
And feelin’ my world start to turn

And I’ll taste every moment
And live it out loud
I know this is the time,
This is the time
To be more than a name
Or a face in the crowd
I know this is the time
This is the time of my life
Time of my life

Holding onto things that vanished
Into the air
Left me in pieces
But now I’m rising from the ashes
Finding my wings
And all that I needed
Was there all along
Within my reach
As close as the beat of my heart

So I’ll taste every moment
And live it out loud
I know this is the time,
This is the time to be
More than a name
Or a face in the crowd
I know this is the time
This is the time of my life
Time of my life

And I’m out on the edge of forever
Ready to run
I’m keeping my feet on the ground
My arms open wide
My face to the sun

I’ll taste every moment
And live it out loud
I know this is the time,
This is the time to be
More than a name
Or a face in the crowd
I know this is the time
This is the time of my life
Time of my life
More than a name
Or a face in the crowd
This is the time
This is the time of my life.
This is the time of my life.

This is a delayed post. I was supposed to post this after watching the Mariah Carey night of American Idol last Tuesday (Wednesday evening re-run here in the Philippines) but stuff for work came first. I am really really happy that KLC finally got the boot. I was in a meeting when I got the news from Jang via SMS. Finally!

Anyway, here's my take on the Mariah Carey Week and the Top 7's performances. This was written evening of April 16, Manila Time.



I am supposed to be working on some proposals and communication plans for work but here I am blogging. I am actually multi-tasking. I am working, surfing the Internet and watching American Idol all at the same time.

I’ve been excitedly waiting for the Mariah Carey Week for days so I might as well blog about my thoughts on the actual outcome of the show and my take on it.

On Mariah
I am not really a fan of Mariah but I have some of her songs in my iPod. I like some of her songs and I hate some of them. But I am really looking forward for tonight's show since I am familiar with most of her music. Mariah was actually a good mentor for the Idols unlike Dolly Parton who complimented all performers and never said a bad thing on anyone. Mariah actually suggested some stuff to them on how they can perform better. I am actually impressed by Mariah’s “achievement” which I did not know until now. I am surprised to learn that she surpassed Elvis Presley in having the most #1 hits in the charts.

On The Outfit & The Styling
The girls all looked nice! It’s nice to see them all dolled up for a Diva’s night. Everyone's in dress and had good styling! Kristy Lee Cook was uber-beautiful and she can already start appearing in cover pages of magazines because of her stunning good looks.

On The Idols
I think that they all did well but of course the performance that stood-out was David Cook’s version of “Always Be My Baby”. I got a lot of SMS from my friends and family all gushing on his original rendition and arrangement of one of my favorite Mariah songs. The tears at the end of his performance and the back story on his brother’s AI visit will surely convince America that he’s truly destined to be on the top.

David Archuleta’s performance of “If I Believe” was also good but I’ve expected an "emo ballad" from him so no surprises here. His Archy Angels will make sure that he will be saved week after week until the finals. His child-like charms and his great vocals (whatever his song choice may be) is a guarantee of making it. I am not a big fan though.

I bet it's going to be David vs. David in the finals...and my money is on Cook. Archy is one-dimensional while Cookie is exciting!

Jason’s all good this week. Not too great but not too blah. It’s not as good as his “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” last week. He’s one of the underdogs but I hope that he would be able to pull through until Top 4 or 5.

The girls’ performances were quite forgettable. I really don’t like Brooke’s unplugged version of “Hero”, which I believe is one of Mariah’s hard-hitting-high-notes signature songs. It was a real letdown compared to the Carey original. But Brooke has always been the nice and genuine girl of the show so her personality might save her. I cannot forget the look on her face when Simon told her his “hamburger and bun” analogy on her performance. Priceless!

Syesha was good but she’s not a very popular Idol (ever since!) so it might be “stool time” again for her despite the glowing remarks of the judges of her "Vanishing" rendition.

Kristy Lee Cook was actually good *groan* (she sang "Forever") but I still don’t like her singing and I want her to go home! She’s getting better lately but I don’t think that she deserves where she is now. She’s better suited in the movies, modelling or something. Hah! To quote my friend Jang: “KLC got nine lives!.”

I am really really really afraid for Carly for she might be sent home tomorrow. Her performance was okay but she could have done better. Simon and the others really have high expectations and they think that she’s not delivering too much. I was actually surprised that “Without You” was sang/covered by Mariah. I am more familiar with the original male version of the song.

Who I want to be at the bottom three: Kristy, Syesha, Brooke
Who I think will be at the bottom three: Syesha, Brooke, Carly

Who I want to go: Syesha or Kristy
Who I think will go: Syesha or Carly

Carly is one of my favorites on this season of American Idol. I see her going until Top 3 or 4. She's definitely the best female performer on this batch! Now...if she can only pull a thing or two on those two awesome and unbeatable Davids, then she can actually be this year's Idol.



Here are three of my favorite Carly songs. All are studio recordings! Just click on the links below (from Jamglue) OR be re-directed to my Carly Multiply page.

Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton Week / Top 9
Blackbird - Beatles Week / Top 11
Total Eclipse of The Heart - Birth Year Week / Top 10

EDIT: I've added two (2) of Carly's other tracks in her Top 12 stint. The second on the list got an actual praise from Simon BUT I personally hate it. It sounds like a TV advertisement.

The Show Must Go On - Inspirational (IGB Week) / Top 8
Come Together - Lennon-McCartney Songbook / Top 12

SPOILER: Carly will be singing "Without You" for Mariah Carey week. The song was suggested by none other than Simon Cowell in a TV interview. Simon also expects Carly to outshine everyone on this week's contest. Talk about pressure! More on this at Rickey.org.

~*oOo*~

I am still disappointed over Michael Johns elimination last Thursday (what is America thinking?!) so here's my current AI ranking: 1/2 David C. or David A., 3 - Carly, 4 - Brooke, 5 - Jason, 6 - Syesha and 7 - Kristy.

Let's give KLC her much needed rest in the upcoming Mariah Carey Week (please!).

I was so surprised when I learned that Carly Smithson was one of the bottom three in the Top 11 Beatles Night at American Idol last night. She sang "Blackbird" soooo beautifully and I cannot believe that she was one of the Idols who got the lowest votes (America, there's still Chikizee & his harmonica! What are you thinking?).

Good thing she was not the one who was booted out. That honor was reserved for Amanda Overmyer...who's "back in the USSR" (finally!).

Here's the Beatles' Blackbird rendition of Carly. What do you think? What an injustice for her after this beautiful performance! She's such an amazing singer and you've gotta love that accent! Go, Carly!

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.

Blackbird fly Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free.

Blackbird fly Blackbird fly

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free.

Blackbird fly Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Of course I want Ramiele Malubay to win this season's American Idol but I think that this will be the order for the Top 10: David A., Brooke, Carly, Michael, David C., Ramiele, Jason, Chikizee, Syesha and Kristy.

Okay...I am definitely a convert.

I noticed David Archuleta in the auditions but I was not exactly one of his gazillion fans. BUT his Tuesday's performance of John Lennon's "Imagine" was one of the best I've seen. He's definitely a force to reckoned with.

I am a 70's fan but I got bored with the song selections of the Top 10 Male in AI last night. I only like David's song and Danny Noriega's version of "Superstar" by the Carpenters. I was also a bit disappointed by Michael Johns' performance but happy with David Hernandez's.

Here's a recap of David's version of Lennon's "Imagine":

My bet remains on David Archuleta, David Hernandez, Michael Johns, Danny Noriega (his surname is so Filipino like Malubay's but it's not the reason why I love him), Ramiele Malubay and Carly Smithson.

"I'll give my soul to hold you once again..."

Oh, Josh Groban! Truly Fantastique!

I will never forgive myself if I will not blog about my Josh Groban experience. I was one of the fortunate few who was able to watch Josh live at his Gala Night Concert at the PICC Plenary Hall last October 17. Josh Groban's first ever live performance here in Manila is part of his World Tour 2007 to promote his third and latest album, Awake.

Josh truly did not disappoint the crowd (which majority is from Manila's creme de la creme) with his great baritone voice, entertaining spiels between songs, and hunky-handsome looks. He's such a multi-talented darling who is so engaging and articulate.

When I learned a couple of months ago that Josh Groban will be performing live here in Manila, I was so excited and eager to get tickets to his concert. I fell in love with him ever since I heard Broken Vow years back. Good thing that Smart Infinity was the presentor of the event so I was able to score some awesome priced limited tickets. What I paid for is a real steal compared to the premiere P20,000 ($455) tickets that were sold.



I felt the excitement of the night as soon as my date and I arrived at the steps of PICC to join Manila's fashionable society to queue to the entrance hall. The show was about to start when we arrived so we hurriedly went to our seats so as not to miss a single note from Josh. The stage was very simple and with no fuss. There were two drum sets, a piano, guitars, several violinists, a couple of cellists and a grand piano in the middle for Josh. The show promptly started at 8:30 pm with no front acts (but of course!). Josh's first song was "You are Loved (Don't Give Up)" which I think is very appropriate as an opening number. It's a "PopOpera" and is also the second single on his Awake album.



One of the most memorable and unforgettable performances of the night was the duet of Josh with our very own Lani Misalucha of "The Prayer". Lani was a special request of Josh and she flew from Las Vegas just for the two-day concert. One of the other songs which received many cheers was "To Where You Are" which Josh described as an obscure little song which is very important to him. For Grobanites and McBeal fans, you will remember that this was one of the songs he sang when he guested at Ally McBeal years ago. Josh played Malcolm, the student-client of Ally, who asked her to his prom. He also first sang there one of my favorites, "You're Still You" (which he did not sing at the Manila concert, much to my disappointment).





Josh had three encores and was truly overwhelmed by the reception he got. He said that he was expecting a stiff and conservative audience based on the profile of the crowd but was so surprised when people continuously cheered for him with blue light sticks. The encores were also delightful! He sang old favorites like "Broken Vow", "You Raised Me Up" and Michael Jackson's "He's Out of My Life". Since he's totally enamored by Manila, he promised that he will definitely come back for a benefit concert! Yey!

Josh Groban's is truly the best concert I've been to. He was really and truly magnificent!

Click here for more of Josh's wonderful music.