janine... not janina

Last night, i watched the first few contestants of Binibining Pilipinas parading in their swimsuit in Channel 2 but when I saw GMA7 running Jose and Wally’s Araneta concert, ay sori na lang kayo ladies.  Certified EB dabarkads ako kaya bahala na kayong mag-rambol sa mga crowns na pinapamigay ni Madam Stella.

Good thing Velvet did a rerun of the pageant tonight.  At dahil walang ibang magandang palabas, i get to see the whole program and find out why i’ve seen a couple of violent reactions from people who seem to be in discord with the results. 

Dahil nga alam ko na ang winners at narinig ko na rin ang mga comments, I didn’t bother to make my choices.  Kaya nakapag-concentrate ako sa mga ibang aspects nong program. As usual, let me dissect this thing na paborito kong gawin being the frustrated all-around critic that I am.

Production Values:  I like the stage.  Classy and glossy.  Hindi man fresh yong idea but the huge LED showing the number and name of the contestants was a big plus.  Overall, the look and feel of the program was contemporary at hindi tulad nong dati na parang masyadong stiff and boring.

Hindi ko lang ma-gets kung bakit may DJ sa gitna nong stage habang pumaparada ang mga contestants in their bikinis.  Kung sana naka-tank top man lang yong DJ, I’d get the feeling of a beach front setting to justify the bikinis.  Tipong Bora lang.  But the formally-clad DJ? Hmm...

Gusto ko ang camera works making a sweeping, circular motion as the contestants parade in their gowns.  It gives a 360-degree view of the stage, the contestant and the crowd in the gallery.  Nice work direk!

And since nasa evening gown na rin lang tayo, let me say that i found a few gowns unflattering to some contestants.  Particularly the first 3 contestants na nagmukhang losyang/nanay sa mga gown na sinuot nila.  And a few more scattered within the 30 gowns na ngayon ay hindi na binabanggit kung sino ang designers.  Sayang ang kaseksihan nila.  

Baka naman hindi lang talaga ako marunong sa mga gown-gown na yan.  But I’d stand by what I saw.  May ilang nagmukhang malapad. Yong iba nagmukhang nanay. At yong iba, plain and simple, losyang. End of argument.

Performers:  Still in the evening gown segment, I found Arnel’s mellow rock pieces incongruous to the elegance of the moment.  Sana hindi na lang sya ang pinag-perform doon.  Bamboo was spot on with his jazzy/rnb songs at bagay na bagay sa pagrampa nong mga contestant.  But Arnel?  Really? 

Nakaka-awa din sya dahil ilang songs din yon na dire-diretsong sya lang ang kumakanta.  Puro mahihirap pa kaya by the time contestant no. 9 was about to exit the frame, halos sumabit na sya sa bridge nong kanta.  By the time the last two contestants were on stage, it was obvious he was already chasing his breath. 

Hosts:  Kung si Arnel ay naghahabol ng hininga, si  Xian naman ay punong-puno ng oxygen ang lungs kaya nag-boses kwan.  He sounded so excited and high strung.  Parang naka-singhot ng helium.  Tatlong babae pa naman ang co-hosts nya kaya importante sanang mag-provide sya ng cool, soothing baritone voice being the only male host.  Kaso nakipag-compete sya sa nasal at boses kwan na si Georgina na bukod sa mukhang overly painted mannequin ay halatang-halata rin ang pagiging kabado.

Venus was good although there are times na nadala nya yong mga tono nya sa kanyang morning show.  But with the quality of her voice, ilang polishing lang at mapapanindigan na nya ang kanyang college degree.

Izza proved she was trained well in GMA dahil sya ang pinaka-cool, composed at flavourful sa mga hosts.  Her performance was not flawless pero itabi mo ba naman si Georgina or si Xian sa kanya, she shines like a diamond standing beside two lifeless puka shells.  

Judges :  My biggest HUHHHH? Moment of the night was Phil Younghusband being the chairman of the board of judges.  Talaga lang ha?  I thought Azkals was overrated.  But this guy heading the panel of prestigious judges?  That is WAYYYYY OVERRATED! Hayaan nyo munang manalo man lang kahit sa Asian Cup yang mga yan bago nyo sambahin, pwede? Pag foreign blood ba, idol na agad? Hindi ba pwedeng reality check muna?  Aysowsss!!! 

Precious Lara Quigaman, sitting as one of the judges on the merit of her being a previous winner, should have presented herself just that - a beauty queen.  Not the ‘matronic’ beauty I saw tonight.  Mas mukha pang beauty queen si Rep Risa Hontiveros sa kanya eh.  

And I like what Ms. Hontiveros did - encourage the contestant to answer in the language she is more comfortable with.  Wag nang mag-ingles kung hindi kaya.  Besides, makapag-ingles ka man, pipintasan pa rin ang grammar mo.  Lalo ang diction mo dahil hahanapan ka ng accent na hinding-hindi mo makukuha unless you stayed for sometime in a foreign country like the US.

And speaking of US, Ambassador Thomas sitting in the panel leaves some bad taste in my mouth.  After what he said about the sex tourism in the Phils, I wonder what he's thinking as half-naked Pinays parade right in front of him.  Still pondering on that controversial statement, Ambassador?   

Beauty: Let me start by saying that collectively, this year’s contestants are far better than previous years.  Mas marami ang magaganda at talagang pang-beauty pageant.  Unlike before na parang pinulot lang kung saan-saan ang mga kasali.  

Brains.  Marami rin ang matatalino.  The Q&A portion revealed most of the 12 semi-finalists having something between their ears.  Hindi tulad nong dati na may mango tree, banana tree, coconut tree pang nalalaman ang contestant! Natatawa talaga ako up until now pag naaalala ko yon. 

And yes, Janine man yong nanalo pero walang Janina San Miguel moment.  Although I found No 26 a bit obnoxious dahil ang haba na ng sinabi at halos nag-speech na eh hindi pa nabibigay ang question nya. Over excited?  Maybe.  But if that was a job interview, i'd tell her to shut the hell up, give back her cv and kick  her out of the door.  Intrimitida.

Among the final 12, pinaka-ridiculous ang sagot ng contestants 15 and 29. Ang nakakatawa, nag-place pa sila as 1^st and 2^nd runner up!  Hmm... ito siguro yong pino-protesta ng mga nabasa ko.

Yes, I’d agree with a few comments i read in FB na sayang si No. 9 dahil hindi pumwesto.  But the top 3 winners, if only based on their answers, deserve their titles.  

No 13 gave a sensible answer flavoured with an American twang she brandished so confidently.  Maganda rin ang sagot ni No 18 although hindi maganda ang ginawa nyang pagtalikod sa judge/audience immediately after she finished her answer.  Naitawid man nya ang sagot sa tanong but what she did is still screaming NERVES to the highest level. No. 8 gave the most impressive answer although I would credit that to her being a veteran dahil dati na syang sumasali dyan.

At mukha ngang night of the veterans yong contest dahil si 18 pala ay nag-first runner up kay Shamcey last year.  And maybe that’s where the uproar was coming from.  Oo nga naman, bakit pa kayo nagpa-contest kung ang kokoronahan nyo rin lang ay yong next in line last year.  Eh di gawin na lang succession!

The Challenge.  Ok.  So the pomp and pageantry is over.  Now the real work starts for these winners.  And by the way our representatives performed last year, napakalaking challenge ang haharapin ng mga contestant na ito.  No. 18 specifically dahil Shamcey’s tsunami walk and 3^rd runner up finish in Miss Universe is gonna be hard to top.  

Ano kayang kailangang gawin ni Miss Tugonon?  If I were to ask my friend Jay, siguradong ang sasabihin nya, “unahin nya munang pagsabayin ang mga mata nya, naghihiwalay kasi!” hahahaha... that's a bit harsh from someone who's always nice and sweet!!!

erratum

even back in ksa, i've always watched BBC's  Fast Track coz it shows places around the world that i, for financial reasons of course, can only dream of visiting.  yesterday, i chanced upon the latest episode while snacking on some tasty peanut and coke.  

the episode mentioned the new 7 wonders of the world but i heard something that made me go 'huh???'.  who wouldn't if you hear this line 'and indonesia's puerto princesa underground river'!

i immediately went online and searched their facebook page.  i was thinking of palawan's mr. hagedorn campaigning so hard for ppur to win and tagging it incorrectly is one great injustice to him,  our kababayans in palawan and the filipino as a whole (i ain't over reacting here, am i? hehe). 

seriously, i sent several text votes for ppur to win and i can't let one wrong report put that to waste.

BBC promised to issue an erratum. 

one patriotic duty accomplished!

11.11.11

11th hour this 11th day of the 11th month of the 11th year of the second millenium... nothing extraordinary happening to my life so far and most likely it's gonna be this way the whole day coz i'm just holed up in my crib....

ds turns 4!!!

despite the many days of laziness and a few uninspired posts, DS is still much around and yes, we're on our 4th year!!!

let me grab this chance to say i wasn't too happy when i shifted to this new blogger format.  it may look hip and cool and very much updated but i lost quite a few features from the old theme like the site counter. blog links and most specially the followers widget. 

so to you my friends who are following this site, my apologies if i lost you on the sidebar.  blame it on the blogger team. and oh yeah, to me of course coz i didn't save my old theme before switching to this one. darn!

anyhooo... many thanks to those who still visit this page even just to snoop around.  or to those passers by who might be looking for something else but was drawn by something they saw and fancied.  huge thanks of course to the followers despite the posts that are sometimes as scarce as the rain in the mojave desert.

thanks guys.  hope you'll stick around as long as DS is around. 

lightning bakasyon

kararating ko lang ng bahay galing sa lightning bakasyon sa baguio.  3 days/2 nights trip which is mostly spent on the bus because of the arduous and butt-burning 7 hour trip each way.  pero sulit na sulit dahil for the first time (hehehe kahiya mang aminin!) eh nakarating din ako ng baguio sa wakas.  and fell in love with it.

in fact i'm suffering right now from LSS.  hindi last song syndrome - last scenery syndrome. habang bumibyahe kasi kami pabalik, pumipikit ako and the first picture that comes to my mind are the mountain tops littered with houses precariously clinging for dear life.  or yong mga eksenang titingin ka sa labas ng sasakyan at ang bubulaga sa yo ay ang pagkalalim-lalim na bangin na siguradong hindi ka bubuhayin in case na magwelga ang preno ng sasakyan mo. 

but more than the overwhelming beautiful views, the invigorating pine-scented clean air and the refreshing chilling temperature, it's the general warmth, honesty and friendliness of people in baguio that charmed me the most.  cab drivers were courteous and honest, even the policemen were nice.  isama ko na yong sa hotel na tinuluyan namin although alam naman nating standard na sa hospitality business ang ganon.  but people you meet in the streets, magtanong ka kahit kanino and you'll get honest answer and assistance. sana lahat ng cities sa pinas ganito. 

here's a pictography of the super fast bakasyon na kung tutuusin eh 1 1/2 day lang ang nagamit namin sa pamamasyal and yet naikot namin halos lahat ng major spots sa baguio!  talk about fast-paced sight-seeing!



according to i'ts site, casa vallejo is one of the oldest establishments in baguio.  it's a cozy small hotel strategically located at upper session hill.  ang maganda, it's right accross sm baguio (bakod ng sm yang nasa kabilang kalsada). what's bad though is that it doesn't have facilities modern hotels offer.  wi-fi naman ang kwarto pero walang business center.  being an old structure na ni-renovate lang lately, may mga kwento sa internet na may ghosts daw dito.  wala naman akong naramdaman although on our second night, i woke up to the sound of a guy screaming na parang tino-torture.  nong nakiramdam na ako, wala naman. so sa mga matatakutin, never choose an old house like this.  para naman sa akin, the real hassle is the fact that it sits right beside a busy street.  dinig na dinig sa room ang usapan ng mga naglalakad sa kalye. lalo ang mga humaharurot na sasakyan. at sabi ng mga nakausap naming taga-baguio talaga, mahal daw dito. medyo nga.  wala nang facilities, maliit pa ang room for 48$ per night.  buti na lang malinis naman ang rooms at friendly ang staff

 

but i didn't come to baguio for the hotel.  it's burnham park i wanted to see.  kaya yon ang first stop namin.  kaya lang pagod na ako sa 7-hour trip kaya hindi ko pinangarap mag-boating...

at habang nakaupo at nanonood ng mga tao, naisipang magpa-henna tattoo...  trip lang! hahahaa!!!

5pm na pero sumugod pa rin kami ng camp john hay.  wala na rin akong masyadong energy na magpo-pose so i just took shots of mauie (who by the way was the reason why this trip finally took place.  birthday nya kasi kaya after so many times na plinano at hindi natuloy, eto natuloy na rin ang baguio!)

the following morning, walang masyadong fog kaya i took this shot from the resto where we're having breakfast.  at sa mga tulad kong baguhan sa baguio, wag na kayong ma-shock kung walang aircon ang karamihan ng establishments dito. our hotel room only has ceiling fan pero nagtatalukbong pa rin ako ng comforter dahil malamiggggg!!!  and this resto even leave the windows open.  dahil mas masarap nga naman ang natural lamig ng hangin. 

and this is the yummy breakfast i had on our second day - langgonisang baguio, fried egg, pickled cucumber, brewed coffee and the star of the morning meal - mountain rice! ang sarap pala nya. ito kaya yong mga kinakain ng mga diwata at dwende? kasi the color is something magical! hahahaha

taken at the igorot stairs fronting the barrio fiesta restaurant which happens to be next door to our hotel.  nakikipag-chikahan lang ako sa aking mga manang. kaya lang yong katabi ko mukhang busy sa pagkukuto! hahahah

okey, i'm just pretending to but i didn't actually touch it! baka magalit sa akin yan eh walang sinabi si machete sa laki nya noh!

first stop after friday breakfast was mine's view park.  at ito ang bumungad sa amin - ang pagkalaki-laking st bernard na ito named boomer.  who can refuse such charm!  talagang naaliw ako dahil sanay na sanay mag-posing ang boomer!

hindi ko rin palalagpasin ito - at least nakapag-costume party ng march! hahahaaa

teka lang sisibatin ko yong makulit na langaw!!! hahaha

un segundo paneros, mi visita mi hacienda... bwahahhaa! 

okey here's the real stuff - the breath-taking view of mine's view park.  medyo nagtagal kami dito just sitting and soaking up the view.  nakaka-relax. at maganda sanang mag-emote ng mga soul-searching ekalavu kaya lang maraming maiingay na tourists.  kaya nag-rent na lang ako ng binoculars and had a grand time na mamboso ng mga tuktok ng mga bahay sa tuktok ng bundok. i'm really amazed how they can build such huge houses at that height!

next stop - the mansion house. di naman pwedeng pumasok sa mansion mismo kaya dito muna ang posing

at i-zoom ang digicam to get this shot

at pagbigyan ang request ni mister psg na bumili ng souvenirs tulong na lang daw sa kanilang coop.  hindi naman ako mahirap kausapin sa mga ganyan.  i have so much respect for our men in uniform kaya buy talaga ako ng items from him. at syempre hoping na maka-lusot at makalapit sa mansion! kaso hindi talaga pwede! hahaha...

kaya tumawid na lang kami and took more pictures sa wright park. 

diretso sa botanical garden

and final stop for the morning ang philippine military academy na napasok at naikot namin in less than 10 minutes! super bilisan talaga dahil kailangan nang mag-lunch!

after lunch, umakyat kami sa 3rd level ng sm to have this picture taken.  yup, it's sm.  kung sanay ka sa mga uniform na itsura ng sm everywhere, baguio is obviously an exception.  it took advantage of it's position, possibly one of the highest points in baguio city kaya nilagyan nila ng viewing decks ang 2nd and 3rd level.  and from here, you can have a 360 deg view of the whole city and the mountains beyond.  kudos to sm for doing this!

konting pahinga lang then we're off to the lourdes grotto.  bad move dahil nawala ang kinain ko kalahati pa lang ng aakyatin!  sakit ng hita at binti ko but i did it - conquered all 252 steps up (with several stops in between kasama ang sandamukal na hingal) and down (na sumakit na talaga ang mga tuhod ko) hahahhaa!

and you thought we've had enough?  hindi pa!  dumiretso pa kami dito sa tam-awan village not knowing na katakot-takot na akyatan na naman ang bubunuin namin. 

kaya ayan, hindi na maka-pose ng matino lawit pa ang dila sa kakahingal! wahahahha

sabi ng napagtanungan namin, malapit na lang daw from tam-awan village ang strawberry farm.  kaya sugod naman kami.  on our way back, saka lang namin nalaman na hindi na pala part ng baguio city ang lugar na ito.  mantakin mong nasa la trinidad benguet na pala kami hindi namin alam! hahahah

saturday morning na ito, on our way pauwi.  i can't help but take pictures from the moving bus.  buti na lang mabilis din ang shutter ng aking libreng digicam courtesy of tasnee.

pasensya na kayo but i'm just so amazed with the view

our dear farmers harvesting rice along the highway somewhere in la union

i wish i can do one more trip to this wonderful city.  i'll just make sure na pwedeng mag-stay ng mas matagal para mas maka-ikot ng matagal at ma-appreciate ang lugar.  coz now i know why baguio is one favorite destination among tourists.  it's one awesome city i'd like to explore more. 





makabati lang

hindi po ako naglakwatsa sa manama, hindi rin gumimik kahit saan.  just stayed safe, silent and sober in my room.  tinatamad na naman ako kaya kahit posting dito di ko magawa.  we had a party the other night pero saka na lang ang kwento.  besides, wala pa sa akin ang mga pics. 

for now, let me greet you via this vid clip from you tube. masabi lang na nabati ko kayo this day.  then i'll head back to my warm, cozy bed. ahhhh... sarap matulog kasi malamig na!  

MERRY 2010 CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

be dazzled

if you want a glittering, sparkling and truly dazzling christmas, head out to the emirates palace hotel in abu dhabi where they have a 13-m high christmas tree decorated with diamonds!  real diamonds worth 11 million US dollars! doubting what i've just said?  ok, then watch this...

(ps: it's not just diamonds. the 11million dollars total includes pearls and other precious stones like rubies and sapphires. it's loaned from a gallery who was the one responsible for decorating the tree with the hope of gaining an entry to the guiness book. emirates palace hotel had to get this straightened out after some sectors reacted to the overly lavish decoration.)

december bdays

isang official adik at isang anak ng adik ang mga celebrant this month.  syempre DS won't be complete without greeting these important persons in their happy day.

Ricky celebrated his bday kahapon (dec 5th) at nagpa-subway sya sa mga adiks though i wasn't able to attend dahil i wasn't feeling well.  the very same reason why ngayon ko lang ito na-post.  eniweys, belated man pero happy bday pa rin Ricky boy! Na-miss ko ang subway treat pero pwede tayo bumalik anytime! hahaha!
!!!HAPPY BDAY RICKY!!!

Alec, Maccoy and Pops' baby, is celebrating his 13th bday today (Dec 6th).  He is now officially a teener and growing up to be a handsome dude... mana sa daddy? hehehe.  Ang kaibahan lang, may makapal syang buhok na hapit na hapit sa gel! hahaha!  peace po maccoy!

HAPPY 13th ALEC!!!

john's bday

taking advantage of the already cooling temperature, the group headed out to fanateer corniche last night where our friend john chose to celebrate his ??th bday.  chance na rin para makasagap ng fresh air from the fanateer beach kaya nag-latag lang kami sa damuhan doon at nilantakan ang masarap na mga food na luto ni john at ega. 

as usual, the park suddenly turned alive dahil sa ingay namin, kwentuhan at tawanang umaatikabo while sofie practiced on two things:  her bike (with the help of daddy ricky) and of course yong kanyang miss congeniality skills dahil laging nawawala at nakikipag-chikahan sa ibang family na nandon sa picnic grounds.  sabi nga ni jun, 'sofie sabihin mo sa kanila fi fuloos?'... takbo naman ang bata pabalik don sa mga ka-chika nya! hahaha...

enjoy the pics from ega's camera na ang humawak ay syempre ang master photog ng grupo... si matt.  thanks sa lichauco family at naka-join namin sa picnic na ito even if it means they have to travel all the way to and from khobar (teka lang, bakit ako ang nagte-tenchu, di naman ako ang may pa-party! hahaha).  na-miss naman namin ang cariaga family pati si ariel at tserman na busy pag thursday night.

!!! HAPPY BDAY JOHN !!!

the net: friend or foe?

Actually this is a very much delayed reaction about the Twitter fiasco of PNoy’s speechwriter Miss Mislang (parang pangit pakinggan, puro mis). Laman sya ng mga headlines for a few days at marami ang nakisawsaw sa issue. Ako na siguro ang pinaka-huli. Masabi ko lang ang gusto kong sabihin kasi di ba, huli man daw at magaling, huli pa rin! Hehehe… Hindi lang ako masyadong agree sa mga nabasa ko dati.

Sabi kasi, elitista raw ang atake ni Mislang sa mga twit nya. Porke daw UP grad, cum laude (magna pa yata) at cabinet member ni PNoy. But I didn’t agree.

Sa akin kasi hindi elitista yon. Coz the real elite don’t even have to utter senseless words. Ang talagang elitist, nakangiti lang, tahimik lang pero talo pa ang nagbitaw ng mga panglalait na binitawan ni Miss Mislang. It’s in their silent, smug looks that you will feel their being condescending. Or, they can heap you praises pero alam na alam mong pina-plastik ka. Yon ang elitist. Ang ginawa ni Miss Mislang, arrogance. And lack of basic courtesy.

To make matters worse, Malacanang condoned the culprit at nagpalusot. Kaso ang palusot, sablay dahil ang ginawang rason eh ‘bata pa sya’. Dito ako napabunghalit ng tawa! Pordyos! Bata? WTF! Anybody who has finished college na tatawaging bata under any other circumstances should feel insulted. And Miss Mislang should realize na sa ginawa ng Malacanang, hindi sya na-save. In fact nainsulto lang sya ng walang kalaban-laban. Well, she’s not really in a position to object kaya siguro tumahimik na nga lang.

Wala nang balita kung nasan na si Miss MIslang pero sabi ng Malacanang dati, hindi raw sya aalisin sa puwesto. Well, that’s arrogance on the part of Malacanang too. Somebody has given the country unwanted and totally unnecessary embarrassment tapos ipipilit pa rin nila ang gusto nila. Bakit hindi nila tanggaping their choice of people to support PNoy is palpak? Na ang mga taong ganito, dapat palitan nila ng taong makakatulong, instead na makasira sa Pangulo na nagkukumahog magsilbi sa bayan? You’re not a government in training, sabi nga ni Joker.

Pero bago ako lumayo at mapunta sa pulitika, let me just say that Miss Mislang’s Twitter nightmare should have opened a lot of minds among the netizens, lalo yong mga talagang ‘bata’ pa. Sana marami ang naka-kita ng lesson na dala-dala nong nangyari. Isang-isa lang at simpleng-simple: Be responsible.

Dapat ma-realize natin na kahit nakaupo tayo sa isang chair inside the comforts of our home, once we get into the net, we’re exposing ourselves to the world. That whatever we say or do, literally ay nakikita ng buong mundo. Kaya dapat maging maingat tayo.

And realize that if the net, especially social networking facilities, can make us happy by gathering our friends in a click of a mouse, it can also make them disappear and win us thousands of haters in no time. Kaya depende sa atin kung paano natin gagamitin ito. If you use it wisely, it can be your best friend. If you use it carelessly, then it can make your life miserable.

Sa kaso ni Miss Mislang, I’m sure she was only doing the tweets for her close friends. Gusto lang nyang i-tsismis ang mga nakita nya sa Vietnam as a private person. Parang nag-get together lang sila ng mga amiga nya sa kanyang living room at bumangka sya ng husto. Ang malaking pagkakamali nya, pagpasok nya ng Twitter, nakalimutan nyang hindi yon literal na sala ng bahay nya. At marami sa ating mga nag-iinternet ang nakakalimot just like she did. Cum Laude or not. Malacanang staff or not.