tradisyon

Malapit na naman ang pagpasok ng bagong taon...

Ang mga kinagawian at kinagisnan kong mga paghahanda sa bisperas ng bagong taon ay ang pagkakaroon ng mga bilog na prutas sa bahay (pampasuwerte), paglagay ng pera at pagbubukas ng mga pitaka (para pumasok at lumago ang pera), at pagbukas ng lahat ng ilaw sa bahay (para maging maliwanag at makulay ang bagong taon). Ang mga itoý ipagpapatuloy ko nitong darating na bisperas.

Ang mga bagay na hindi ko na ginagawa ay ang pagtalon pagsapit ng hatinggabi (wala na akong itatangkad pa), pagsuot ng polka dot na damit (hindi bagay sa akin), at ang pagpapaputok (ayoko madisgrasya/aksidente). :-p
Siyempre, hindi dapat makalimutan magbalik-tanaw sa nakaraang taon, gumawa ng mga resolusyon, at gumawa ng mga panibagong plano para`sa bagong taon.

Ilang oras na lang... nawaý maging mapayapa at masagana ang 2008 para sa ating lahat! :-)

John & Yoko

My friends and I tried out and ate at johnandyoko in the newly opened Greenbelt 5 recently. The place and the ambiance is decidedly minimalist Japanese. The staff was quite helpful, understandably so because most of their customers are first timers.

Their botomless iced tea comes in three colors (blue, red, and green) that are interchangeable. We first had appetizers like California Maki, Crunchy Tuna Maki, and Agedashi Tofu. My main course was their Salmon Teriyaki and I also had their Wagyu Rice. I was able to taste their Mt. Fuji steak, Mushroom Bacon, All-meat Rice, and Rockerfeller Oysters which my friends ordered.

All in all, the food was sumptiously filling. The price is in the moderate to high range. I'd recommend people to try it and I'd probably eat there again given a chance.

...tedbits...

... celebrity sightings: Asia Agcaoili at Glorietta, V-League commentator and courtside reporter Ivy Remulla also at Glorietta, and V-League coutside reporter Rheena Villamor at EDSA Shang-rila.

... Adidas has a line of Ateneo jackets/jerseys/training tees in blue and white. Adidas is also the sponsor of Ateneo varsity uniforms/ shoes.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all the best this Christmas and always!
*<(:-{)}

Diane Elise

Diane Elise performed at SM Makati to promote her debut album "Now and Then". She is really pretty (I unfortunately didn't bring my camera) and sings quite well. She sang several Christmas songs as well as several cuts form her album. She sang her debut single last, her cover of You're the Inspiration. (Here's a link to her video.) I didn't actually know that she was performing and I was just passing by SM on my way to Glorietta, but I watched anyway since I had time to kill before going to a scheduled activity.

Civil War: Wolverine

Civil War: Wolverine collects Wolverine #42-48. This series is one of the better Civil War tie-ins and the artwork is also good. Read it as something to pass away the time while resting during late-minute Christmas shopping...

great music!

Today I had an opportunity to listen to great music, all for free! :-)

I came upon Ryan Cayabyab's RCS performing at SM Makati promoting their debut album...

I was not able to get their names, and this was their first ever mall show. They all auditioned for this new group that Mr. C formed, and from what I have heard of their singing they are all excellent solo performers in their own right. Together, though, they blended very well and also performed superbly. They sang some Christmas songs and several songs (originals as well as covers) from their album.

More exposure and experience will surely make this group something to watch out for.

Later in the evening, I was able to catch Glorietta Sounds at the Glorietta 4 park with the Philippine Madrigal Singers and Kyla.

The Madz performed several Christmas songs at first. They then did excellent renditions of classics of Yellow Bird, Only You, Bahay Kubo, Leron Leron Sinta, and Go The Distance. As usual, their singing gave me goosebumps! They voices were again unbelievably angelic, even the solo parts were sung well.

Kyla later joined them. Kyla was also very good, singing From A Distance, Ikaw, and O Holy Night ala-R&B. I'm not a fan of hers, but after hearing her sing I now understood why she really has a good fan base.


It was a good listening experience for me, all in all. The shows this year sure beat last year's ones.

tedbits...
... I saw a lot of people going home with 'bitbit'.. either paper bags or plastic bags or Christmas wrapper-covered boxes, probably filled with gifts after coming from their office Christmas parties.
... celebrity sighting: Francine Prieto at Glorietta! Tall and very sexy! :-)

Lantern Parade

UP Manila celebrates with it's own Lantern Parade every year. The lanterns may not be as glamorous as that of the Diliman campus, but the participants sure do make up for it with their atendance and enthusiasm. :-)

Here are some pics:
Festive atmosphere...

Dancing crayons of CAMP...

Ati-atihan dancers and a band started the parade...

UP students always have their say...

College of Medicine lantern...

College of Nursing lantern and beauties...

College of Pharmacy dancing letter blocks...

College of Public Health lantern...

Department of Medicine lantern...

Department of Surgery lantern...

Department of Pediatrics lantern, although they did not join the parade...


lots more pics at my Multiply... :-)

tedbits...
... Wendy's Mexican Melt is available as single, double, or big patty. It is like their Bacon Mushroom Melt, although instead of mushrooms it has lots of jalapeno. It is not too hot and it is something new to try at Wendy's.
... Taylor Hicks performed at Gloretta, Greenbelt and TriNoma malls recently, after his judging stint at Asian Idol. I was able to catch his performance at Greenbelt. It was "vintage" Hicks, soulful and animated. He still plays his harmonica during his performance. The show was well-attended and well-applauded.

Asian Idol

Reasons (I think) why Philippine Idol Mau Marcelo didn't win:
1. The voting system was flawed. Instead of simply voting for your favorite, you had to vote for two idols. Mau's voters therefore, also gave points to her opponents.
2. The show/ voting was not very aggresively and widely publicized in the Philippines, so there was probably a low turnout/ Philippine vote.
3. Mau's talent outshone everyone else, but then again the show is not really a talent competition. Fans of Mau's opponents would not want to vote for her because she would then be the winner.
4. Mau did not appeal to the show's dominant viewers, which are probably female teens/young adults (as evidenced by the audience during the show). They instead voted for the Singaporean guy.
5. Mau also did not probably appeal to male viewers when compared to her other female competitors, so she also lost votes there.

Madz and CompanY

The Philippine Madrigal Singers performed with The Company at the Glorietta 4 park as part of Glorietta Sounds. Among the compositions that they sang were: Diwa ng Pasko, Man in the Mirror, Cat's Meow, Payapang Daigdig and A Christmas Carol. It was another great and well-applauded performance by the Madz and they really showed why they are simply "the best choir in the world". Founded in 1963, the Madz has since gone on to win countless international competitions and recorded numerous albums. Resident artists of the CCP, the Madz have been known to sing anything and everything with authenticity, professionalism, and passion.

The CompanY meanwhile, is the country's longest running vocal harmony group. They started out as back-up vocals to other first-rate artists, but have since then recorded several albums and staged successful concerts on their own. They sang Dadalhin, Kumukutikutitap, Bulaklak and Soul Bossanova, all together with the Madz. The problem with their performance with the Madz is that their voices were masked by the louder and more numerous Madz (who had several mics in front of them), especially in their last two performances of The (Not So) Little Drummer Boy and Ang Huling El Bimbo. Nevertheless, it was still a superb musical night.

On Dec. 22, the Madz sing again at the same venue together with R&B princess Kyla...

Seussical

Seussical the Musical played at Glorietta Activity Center this December 12-14. It starred Nikki Gil/ Roxanne Barcelo/ Karylle as the lead cat in the hat. I was able to watch the 3pm show on Dec. 13 with Karylle playing the lead role.

This is the first scene/song:

The four main characters of the story:

Ending scene/song:

The performers were quite good, and the set was simple but functional. The shows were free and very well-attended. The story was okay, although I'm admittedly not that fond of Dr. Seuss. :-p

... Mishka Adams is in the Philippines promoting her new album Space, already available at record stores. I was able to watch her perform at the Greenbelt 3 park area and she looks/dresses/acts more matured, which is appropriate for her singing style and choice of songs. The venue was not that conducive to listening though (too hot/humid and noisy), and I was not able to stay that long.

Fallen Son

Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America was written by Jeph Loeb and compiles 5 comic issues that deal with what happened after Cap died. The issues are from Wolverine, Avengers, Captain America, Spider-Man, and Iron-Man (in that order). It was written in such a way as to parallel the stages one goes through after loss: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, then finally, acceptance. Cap's friends/teammates go through the stages and everything ultimately concludes at Cap's funeral. The art is overall superbly done, with contributions from several renowned artists. The book closes simply with the phrase: Captain America 1941-2007.

tedbits...
... celebrity sighting: Bubbles Paraiso at Greenbelt 3, tall and sexy morena beauty.
... Barbecue Beef McDo tastes just like the breakfast longganisa except that it has BBQ sauce. I don't quite like it and it is not very filling, but functions well as a different option to McDo's usual fare.

Titans East

Teen Titans: Titans East features Teen Titans past and present in an all out fight against Deathstroke and his converted allies. Written by Geoff Johns/Adam Beechen and drawn by Tony Daniel, it makes for interesting reading and is actually the 7th installment/compilation of the present Teen Titans series. Deathstroke, the recurrent Teen Titans' villain, is already getting quite boring as it seems that the Titans never seem to get the upper hand on him after all these years.

tedbits...
... UAAP Volleyball Season 70 has already started and the venue is at the Ateneo's Blue Eagle Gym. The defending champions are the UST-WVT. 2 seasons ago, DLSU was the defending champion until they got suspended last season (because of the basketball fiasco). They are making a comeback this season and hopefully will be able to reach the championship again.
... Unlike previous years, I went about my Christmas shopping quite late this season. You can really notice the increase in crowds as well as traffic at/near the malls. I was not able to follow my own previous advice because I've been kind of busy.

wish list

I got 3/10 of the items in my previous list (birthday). 5/10 of the items I outgrew the need for. This is my wish list for this holiday season, things that I don't exactly or absolutely need, but would be cool to have... :-)
1. Batman (logo) shirt (black) --> already have this
2. 1gb H-type Olympus XD card --> already have this
3. 2gb flash disk --> already have this
4. guitar (classical)
5. Dwayne Wade Miami Heat jersey --> already have this
6. new business cards
7. sauna belt! hahahahaha!
8. U.P. maroon jacket
9. small magnifying glass --> already have this
10. cash!!! :-)

Noelle Cassandra

Walking around Robinson's Place Ermita, I found out that there were two mini-concerts scheduled that day. Martin Nievera had a show at 5PM, while Noelle Cassandra was scheduled to perform at 6PM but at different area (Midtown). Martin Nievera was very very late and Noelle Cassandra's show started on time, which was the one that I watched.

Noelle Cassandra , I found out, is a Fil-Chinese originally from Canada. She is a trained classical harpist, singer, and composer. She is promoting her self-titled debut album which was originally released late last year. She hosted her own show and got the audience involved by asking them questions (and giving them prizes for correct answers), as well as by asking them to sing. She has a nice-enough fresh voice, and her songs are quite good but not that catchy. I guess she's venturing into pop, but I think she would have been more successful if she stuck to classical. Her personality suits a pop image though, what with all her other activities like playing badminton and doing outreach work. She would be an artist to watch out for in the future, as she hopefully better develops her talent as she gets to perform more.