How @SamuelLarsen won the Glee Project & why @DamianMcGintyCT was chosen as well.

The first time I actually took time to sit down and watch The Glee Project was when they were down to the final six. I didn't exactly fell into the Glee project bandwagon until they were finally down to the final four.

From left to right: (Top: Alex Newell and Damian McGinty;  Bottom: Samuel Larsen and Lindsay Pearce, photos from the net)

I guess some people keep forgetting that the reason behind Glee Project was to get another inspiration for another character. They weren't looking for another Lea Michele, they want something fresh and real. Because majority of the Glee fanatics were the real-life underdogs at some point in their lives that's why the show was able to touch may points and issues not only within US but also all over the world.

I personally think the reason Samuel won was, besides the fact that he was the only one in the top four who's a total performer (who can play instruments as well) he was able to get and figure out what the director, Ryan Murphy wanted. He wanted a character who is in some sort of personal discourse of becoming a star while struggling with the expectations of his as a Christian, and the real reason why Damian McGinty won, is because he is the real underdog among the three in the final four.

I have never seen a show come up with two winners and these two deserves to be proclaimed winners. Not so bad for Lindsay and Alex who get to appear in two episodes as well.

Can't wait for Glee's season 3!

The Supermarket is the best place to change your mind

Supermarkets are usually filled with shoppers. I used to do my own grocery shopping when I was still living alone and I usually do it on a Monday morning because I don't like falling in line for such a long time.  For the likes of Carrie Bradshaw, Shopping is their cardio. But for the all around super moms that I know, not only shopping at the Supermarket is also their cardio, it is also their mind gym.

The data gathering for this post only took like 10 minutes, because I was amused at how many fickle minded women (& men na rin!) change minds about the stuff that they want to buy... and the interesting places they put back the products. (Read: Not back to their original product racks)

I know it's prohibited to take photos inside the supermarket, but I'm sorry I just couldn't help it. So pardon my low res shots.

A underarm and foot deodorant together with hotcake syrups and baking flavor stuff

Milk and Breading together with freebie bags

Powdered juice on top of toothbrush rack

Speaking of toothbrush, I found these kyooot mag-jowa tooth brush ( Oi, para sa mga naglilive-in jan... Chos!) 

Loaf of bread, pasta,  and Mosquito Repellant lotion on top of breath fresheners

Supermarkets are the best place to change your mind. Grocery shoppers' mind (especially those without a grocery list) tend to run twice as fast trying to remember what they don't have and what they should be getting. In Supermarkets you have all the freedom to swerve lanes, make a U turn (sometimes without proper warning) and traffic lanes are completely understandable (especially during rainy season and holidays).

Most of the "Changing of mind" happens when they reach the few steps from the cashier. The mind immediately runs a mental checklist of making sure that everything that needs to be bought is already in the cart. Some supermarkets like SM Supermarket already dedicated a unlabeled box/portion just beside the cashier's counter where shoppers can put their products that they won't be getting just so they won't just leave it where they happen to be, or as they please.

But still not every supermarket in the country have a separate box for the items that the customers won't be getting. Even SM doesn't have a label for their dedicated box for random products.

Can you imagine how tiring it is for the crew to put the products back to their original place? 

Whew!

Happy rainy Sunday everyone! I hope you had a good one. :) 

I'm meant to find good books this week

I've been looking out for another chick lit author to follow when this happened.

My first hours in my old city last weekend started out real good because I got the chance to check the Booksale at a mall and got this book for only Php40.00!

The first novel by Plum Sykes

Php 40.00, in super mint condition and hard cover! 

I really, really love a good find. I know I can easily find a good chick literature book from National Bookstore, Fullybooked and Powerbooks, but as my friend Faye said, it's better if you can find your book in Booksales because it really feels like treasure hunting.

I think I am meant to find books this week. I get really disappointed when I have the money but there's nothing good to buy at a book sale so when I see one, I just knew that it's meant to be.

Yesterday while Faye and I were waiting for her something she ordered, I just had an impulsive thought to kill time at a Book Sale right across the street. Then within less than 10 minutes inside the shop, I went home with three hardcover books:

1) Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger  - Php55.00
2) Two floral arrangements for my sister - P80.00

Sorry for the low res shot. These last two photos were taken from my camera phone.

Egggzzoited!!! 

Yay for good finds! :) God Bless book sales!

I just find that Kindle's not Eye-Kind

I share the same book sentiment with Regina. I, too, don't like Kindle. I don't  like ebooks period. Because:

1) They hurt my eyes, I tend to be sooo into the screen.
2) I have poor eyesight now.
3) Nothing beats the smell of books. Especially the old ones.

I have a library of old books at home from the Sweet Valley Twins and Friends to my Chick Literature addiction. Yes, they are all very much intact. Some are in hardbound some are in paperback, but majority if not all of them are covered in plastic cover through the years. I can't wait for the next bunch of chick literature books that my Kuya Stew will be bringing to me when he comes here in PI from UK this November.

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What is a Kindle? I used to describe it as " it's just like an ipod for books..." but I found a newbie-friendly definition of the kindle:

The Kindle is an electronic device for downloading, storing, and reading electronic books, known as e-books. It was developed by a company called Lab 126 which is a subsidiary of Amazon. The Kindle has instant wireless access to Amazon.com and their huge number of e-books (over 115,000 and growing). You can read newspapers, subscribe to magazines and blogs, and even play audio files such as MP3’s or audio books. The Kindle is compact and lightweight so it is easy to handle. Just think of it as a conveniently portable television for your books.

This is how it works:

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Nothing beats the feeling of holding a good old book. I like the way it smells, the brown color that the pages turn into when it ages, I like how as time goes by, the pages tend to be "crunchy" and fragile and I like how my fingers touch the tip of the page and turn over to the next one until reaches the end.

I've been reading too many pdf (portable document format) files uploaded in the internet and I tend to print almost any possible related literature to my research because my eyes hurt from staring too much at the screen. I can't even work my way around with adjusting the screen lighting settings.

So there, I guess there's no "Save Paper, Save trees" for me as of the moment. I can't go all environmental now. Not this graduate school season. 

Head Candies

I wanted to get these skullcandy headphones four years ago when I was still a Quality Assurance Specialist years ago. It would be so much fun listening to calls wearing this head gear.

I love the caption on the website describing this headphones:

Narcissus was so in love with himself, that he drowned in a pond while trying to embrace his own reflection. The reflection is rumored to have been wearing a pair of Skullcandy Ti headphones.

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 Okay fine. I know the fur is too much considering that we live in a Summer country, so I'd be willing to settle for their low-riders.

They have cool descriptions in selling their head gears. Like this one:

You always say, "...when we cross that bridge..." Are you referring metaphorically to consumption, the bridge between creation and destruction? If so, you should buy a dozen colors of Lowrider headphones right away. Your wardrobe needs candy paint to match all those sneakers. Don't be slippin'.

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And this would look so cool on my sister since yellow is her favorite color.

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But unfortunately, these models have already been discontinued. The one on the Skull Candy website no longer attract my fancy.

But it's a good thing I heard and read about the Hed Kandi headphones:

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Best thing about this is Hed Kandi is more affordable compared to Skull Candy. 

For specs info, visit the website of Skull Candy and Hed Kandi. 

Hangover Cure

When Saab Magalona said in her TV Commercial:

Don't just have a weekend, have an awesome weekend! 

I did! 

I attended an event and I was not expecting that I would party really hard and pay for it with the worst hangover that I've ever had.

I thought it's going to be just some cocktail drinks, I was not expecting we'd be given an entire bottle of vodka to consume and I admittedly am not prepared for it because I'm more into Tequila than Vodka, but what the heck? It's party time and it's free!

I vaguely remember the details of the night but I do remember meeting interesting and fun people and ended having more than just a good time. But the next thing I knew, I was barfing all the way home and inside the car. 

I got scared because: 1) I am not the barfing type when drunk. I'm always asleep. 2) My lungs hurt from barfing from 4 in the morning until Sunday noon. I thought it'll all be over when I barfed once then fell asleep, but after 4 hours, I started barfing again and started to not feel well.

It's a good thing I was staying at my friend's (and doctor) whose boyfriend came home with a medication for me for my really bad hangover:

Today I learned that:

... calms nerves and is a very effective cure to major and bad hangover. Plus it's totally safe! I took two tablets, passed out on the couch and woke up chitty chatty again!

[ERRATUM]: I took this med because I was too weak to stand and spent half of the day just lying on the couch. The vitamins literally made me get back on my feet. But for severe headaches, you still need to take your pain reliever of choice.

Up until now, I cannot believe that I got wasted so bad ( I'm not even new to drinking sessions and hard alcohol's always been my thing over beers)   that I kept on analyzing what could've caused my major hangover.  My friend's beau said that it might be because emotionally I am prepared to party but my body wasn't ( I came from a 3 hour class in the morning and a baby shower prior to coming to the event), and I didn't have a big dinner before going to event, which makes it clear that I've been barfing til I don't have anything else left to barf.

Eeewwwness.

The next day I checked my digicam and was surprised at some pictures that I no longer remember from the night. Talk about a very Hangover movie peg!

I had such an awesome weekend that even if  the hangover kicked my ass the following day, it's still worth it! Plus the stories and adventure we girls had was just too good for words.  But for now, I will be taking a break from anything alcoholic. I got scared to the point that I am scared of taking soda for drinks so I'll make water my current stomach bff for now.

What are the other ways to cure a really bad hangover?

One Absolut Event by Androgyny Productions

When the idea of studying the LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) Movement for my Master's thesis hit me, I kind of got nervous about my respondents. I really do not know how can I get respondents from the actual movement or members in the group.

I spent an entire Monday, browsing my phone book for possible people who might know LGBT allies and advocates. I was not expecting that they were so organized that in just a few minutes, I got referred to some people and got invited to an LGBT event!

Now, I'm in the process of doing some networking for my MS Thesis on LGBT Movement and I really want to meet passionate people in LGBT for interview so I'm super happy when my college friend Cyra of Androgyny Productions gave me exclusive invites and let me take two of my girlfriends to this private event.

Art of Kissing...Literally

We've heard, read and watched truly remarkable artists create paintings and other works of art using their toes and some using their elbows but I've never heard, read nor watched an Artist who paints portraits by kissing.

Until I came across an article about Natalie Irish. Now who exactly is Natalie Irish?

There are rumors that she has been creating works of art since in utero.  Following her birth, Natalie Irish quickly began to shock and amaze every entity with her astonishing artwork of all conceivable mediums and dominate all competitions of the arts. Formally her achievements began with Best in District at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Art Competition at the tender age of 5. She would go on to rank among the top contestants of the prestigious competition every year thereafter all the way through high school.  She would then add to her long list of accolades several awards from the Galveston Arts Alliance before venturing off to the University of North Texas to study metalsmithing and ceramics.  But we are getting ahead of ourselves.  To say the least, young Natalie was a child prodigy. Her wizardry in drawing, painting, and sculpture truly showed no bounds.  Her transcendent intellect, flowing blonde hair and angelic face simply added to her magnetism as a young artist. Her charm and philanthropic ways were indeed just the icing on the cake.  Alas, it would later be cake itself that would one day try to destroy the promising girl wonder.  One fateful October night Miss Irish was stricken with a debilitating and misunderstood disease that hospitalized her for weeks.  It ultimately left her completely dependent on a machine that was to be attached to her body 24/7 in order for her to sustain life. When many would have given up all hope, Natalie Irish did not waiver.  No, Miss Irish gained a miraculous sense of determination and resolve in her new life as a CYBORG...

Here are some of her artworks:

Jimi Hendrix (Photo by: Chris O'Malley)

Photo by Chris O'Malley

Photo by Dennis Bateman

Natalie makes use of her thumbs too! The portraits below shows her artwork in thumb prints! 

The Beatles in thumbs (Photo by Dennis Bateman)

Elvis in thumbprint (photo by Dennis Bateman)

Roy Rogers gets the thumbs up! ( Photo by: Dennis Bateman)

Here's a video of Natalie Irish painting with her lips.

For those interested in buying Natalie Irish's Art, you can find them here.

Now that's a good kisser!

Starbucks' Secret Menu

The last time I had my Starbucks coffee was last... June 2011. I have not had any strong coffee since I discovered that I have started palpitating. Call it stress, call it too much coffee in the past, but I call it - Thesis season!


I tend to order the safest things at the restaurant unless highly recommended by a friend (read: Faye Sta.Maria's food/coffee/pastry/beverage/cocktail reliable review).  So when I go to Starbucks, I usually order their selection of fraps (sometimes with mint, especially during Christmas season, oh I love the red cups!) or get a hot coffee when situation calls for it. 


I came across this article and I find this interesting. Below are some of Starbucks' Secret Menu.

Green Eye

A Red Eye or Black Eye, sure — that's one and two extra shots of espresso in a regular drip, respectively. But those that go for green get a sure-to-jack-you-up three shots of espresso boost to their cup of coffee.

Photo by: Credit: © Flickr/Marco Arment

 More coffee brewing after the jump! 

That sexy Beckhams pictorial

This would've really been a really cool pre-nup pictorial peg for my favorite couple.

They were both sexy, crazy, never camera shy and always on their A game. 

 

August 2007

I've seen this pictorial before on TV back when my local news is still "The Insider". God bless the internet and archives that we can still view these photos from the past.

As I've started this entry, this would've really been a really cool pre-nup pictorial peg for my favorite couple. 

They were both sexy, crazy and game. 

Problem is, they broke up.

Think Before You Click Advocacy

Some kind of a Book Phase

The phase that I am in has something to do with the books that I buy. Like when I was having fun making mistakes and adventures in my early twenties, I bought Straight Talking book by Jane Green and got hooked on Chick Lit for as long as I can remember.


When I was thinking about my career, I bought the book 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene. When I was contemplating about my promotion, switching companies and dealing with office politics, I bought Nice Girls don't get the corner office by Lois Frankel.


When I finally took a break from whatever single hood phase that stressed me, I bought Bridget Jones' Diary and the BJ Edge of Reason and felt what it was like in her shoes...


Now I don't know what phase I am in. I am pretty much have healed from the quarter life crisis and looking forward to something new. I am taking my time making things right, baby steps as it may seem, but I still get stressed thinking about the second half of the year- next year!


Today I was once again in a book sale and bought the following books:

I have a strong feeling that Hypocrite in a pouffy white dress was meant to be found by me. I was reading the reviews and raves and it seems like a hilarious book. Just exactly what I wanted.


I was actually reading a review from the net:

This book is easily the funniest I have read in the past five years.Whether she's describing an encounter with a Maharishi who looks like "a lawn troll in drag," or her teen obsession with Mick Jagger ("Where were the magazines for 15 year old girls in love with British bi-sexual coke-heads, thank you?"), Gilman's delightfully warped perspective abounds. An unapologetic sexual hedonist ("Being told to `wait until marriage' was like being ordered to hold our breath for twelve years") she weaves hilarious tales of a youth misspent "staggering around bars in lace stockings and leather jackets, then coming home with toilet paper stuck to our shoes" as well as working in a series of dead-end jobs ("like terminal illnesses") that make you wince with recognition. Ultimately, however, it is Gilman's razor-sharp intelligence and smart-mouth feminism that leave you thinking well after the laughter fades.

 The second book, Symphony X, was just bought out of a whim. I remember buying the raunchy Belle de Jour: Diary of a London Call Girl when I was bored. I remembered my cousin Chimayne telling me she likes naughty novels as well, so I bough the book.


Here's  a review of Symphony X from the net:

Reader beware and girder your loins - there is some hot and heavy porn style sex in this book so I wouldn't recommend lending it to your mother.... or reading it anywhere someone can look over your shoulder and catch on to what you're reading! Apart from all the rampant sex with strangers is otherwise somewhat average book...

What the heck? These two only costs me Php160.00, I still got a pretty good deal. I can't wait for more chick literature books from my cousin Stew when he comes home for my birthday.

What if Mr.&Mrs. Smith had kids?

Have you ever wondered what if the character of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Mr.&Mrs.Smith, had kids?

I've always wondered how it would be like after watching the film back in 2005.

This pictorial from WMagazine was taken back in 2005 by Steven Klein, and this was believed to be the pictorial that "started it all".

Read more for more photos:

Kirsten Stewart for WMagazine September 2011 Cover

Kirsten Stewart started out as Bella Swan at the age of 17 now she's 21 and all grown up! This lady deserves to be WMagazine's September 2011 cover!

Photographs by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott

Styled by Edward Enninful

 

Excerpt from the interview:

In Breaking Dawn, Bella and Edward, her beloved vampire, get married. What was the wedding like?

Awesome. This was my first wedding. It was insane. And odd. The wedding dress experience was a huge deal. I tried on one version of the dress, and it was like tweak and tweak and alter and tweak and change, and then it’s done. BFD dress. Huge deal.

How was the actual wedding?

It was major. The last Twilight book is filled with BFDs, things that people have been waiting for for so long. For me, it was ridiculously dramatic: I get married, give birth, the baby has an incredibly accelerated growth rate we’re all very concerned about, and I say goodbye to my dad for the last time ever. It was all big—I could never go, Whew, I’m losing this character.

Now I'm really excited for Twilight Saga's Breaking Dawn!

P.S. Kuya Stew--- you are coming with me. Yes, I will be literally dragging you to this flick.