Tessa Prieto-Valdez wins first ever Celebrity Duets Philippine Edition Saturday, October 20, 2007

Aired last August 11, the Philippine version of Celebrity Duets came to a close earlier tonight with Tessa Prieto-Valdez declared as the first-ever champion of the said show.

A fashion icon, columnist, and socialite, Tessa easily won my heart and about a million other Filipinos with her charisma, outrageous costumes, and her tremendous effort in singing. Admitted to not having been bestowed with a singing voice, Tessa managed to make each and every performance every Saturday night on GMA Network very fun and enjoyable, with Buboy Garovillo, one of the judges commenting that Tessa's performances were the highlight of the show.

I can't forget the look on Tessa's face the Saturday prior to this one, when she and Dr. Manny Calayan were the "bottom two" and one of them was bound to be eliminated. She looked so sad, as if she knew she had already lost and was trying really hard to stop herself from sobbing uncontrollably.

For my mom in law and I, Tessa was already a winner, and we're more than glad to have followed her efforts and her performances from week 1 up to tonight's finals. Yehey Tessa!

From what I know, Celebrity Duets will be replaced by Kakasa ka ba sa Grade 5? I hope it'll be as fun as Celebrity Duets, I've already added this show to the numerous tv shows I watch regularly.

Dreams in Belize Monday, October 15, 2007

"We're here!"

Henry took off my blindfold and I rubbed my eyes. On our fourth anniversary, he promised an adventure vacation I wouldn't forget (and regret, since our last anniversary almost left me crying at the amusement park we went to).

He surprised me this time around with a trip to Belize, a country that I've always wanted to go to. I know that Belize is the only English speaking country in the entire Central America, and I knew it's history and geography like the back of my hand.

"What was the blindfold for? I wanted to see the San Ignacio Town. Did you know that..." he stopped me before I could say another word.

"That's precisely what the blindfold was for. I didn't want a tour guide during the drive," he grinned.

"Hahaha," I replied sarcastically. My sarcasm was instantly replaced by awe when my eyes took in the sight in front of us. "This place is awesome!" The resort we were at was like heaven on Earth. The Chaa Creek Resort was huge, inviting, and had an easy and relaxing atmosphere.

"Well, don't just stand there. Let's see our cottage. I got us in for an adventure package with all meals included, plus we get to..." I could have sworn Henry's voice was literally fading into the background as I absorbed our cottage. Beautifully decorated with fine fabrics, unobtrusive furnishings, plus a sundeck - all the things I wanted to do were running through my head.

I decided to stretch on our bed with a wonderful reddish-orange sheet. The lights were wonderful - they gave an instant romantic atmosphere in addition to the palm-thatched ceiling I was currently staring at.

"The first thing I want to do is paddle along the Macal River," I stated. To my surprise, Henry was already dressed and ready - and so was I! "Are we taking a guide with us?"

"You know how I critique guides, we'd be better off alone. Besides, you probably know the river more than anyone I know." Being a tour guide himself, I knew what he meant. He's sure to comment on the slightest twinge of our guide, plus the fact that he doesn't like being told what to do.

"Okay then, let's go. Why don't we go bird-watching tomorrow on horseback? That'll be fun."

"Whatever you want," was his only reply. We got to where our boats were docked, got our life vests, and started paddling away.

We were paddling for about an hour or so when it suddenly started to rain - and it rained hard. "We ought to head back to shore!" My husband shouted amidst the sound of heavy raindrops and thunder.

"How do you turn this thing around?" I screamed. I was beginning to panic, our legs were already soaked in water and I didn't think our raft was going to make it. I couldn't see the shore either - the rain was so hard I could barely keep my eyes open.

"Just paddle!" He shouted back. My heart was thumping and the only thing I could hear was angry thunder as the sky was filled with streaks of lightning. "No, I paddle, you take water out of the raft!" He shouted again. Our raft was seriously getting filled with water as we tried to navigate back to shore against gushing winds, heavy rain, and strong currents.

I took the pail I found from underneath where I was sitting and started to drain water out of our raft. No matter how fast I went, rain kept filling our raft back up with even more water. Exhausted and wet, my arms were shaking from emptying the raft with water plus all our earlier paddling.

"I think I see the shore!" I shouted as I stood up pointing to what I thought was the shore - which was also the biggest mistake I made.

Our raft overturned due to my sudden movement and I was swarmed by cold water all over. I tried as hard as I could to push myself back up, but the current was stronger than me. Worst, I didn't even know how to swim - at all. I tried to shout for help but water came rushing in my mouth. I was terrified; I couldn't see anything and water filled my throat. My hands tried to find anything I could hold on to to keep me from going down, until another pair of hands caught mine and gave it a shake.

I opened my eyes only to find myself still lying on our reddish-orange bed, and Henry busy unpacking our stuff. "Are you going to help me unpack or what?" he grumpily said.

"Yeah, sure." "It was only a dream," I said to myself. I've never been more happier to see myself in dry clothes which I've worn for more than 17 hours. I reached for my suitcase and started to open it just when Henry said:

"The first thing I want to do is paddle along the Macal River."

Upgrading Techniques in Ran Online Part 1 Wednesday, October 10, 2007

The original contents of this post has been deleted due to unscrupulous people posting its contents into forums and such without due credit.

Smashing Pumpkins - the band just won't be the same Wednesday, October 10, 2007

I fell in love with this band decades ago.

With the original members Billy Corgan, D'Arcy, James Iha and Jimmi Chamberlin, they literally rocked my teenage life with their hits Perfect and Bullet with Butterfly Wings. The best song they ever wrote (in my humble opinion of course) has to be Stand Inside Your Love, with an equally beautiful music video.

As the saying goes, not all good things are meant to last. The band I loved split and some went into ventures of their own. I remember watching Zwan's video with Billy Corgan actually "smiling" and I swear it sent shivers down my spine. Not that I don't want to see his face happy for a change, it was something I wasn't used to seeing, and I felt that somehow, it just wasn't him.

Since last year, word about Billy Corgan reuniting the Smashing Pumpkins went out, but as an avid fan, I can't help but feel that the band just isn't the same without the original members. Change is inevitable, yet I feel that some changes are for the worst, especially for bands I listen to. Oh well, that's just me. Just watch the video and you'll see what I mean.

I am NOT Watching Desperate Housewives Ever Again!!! Friday, October 05, 2007

Grrrr...I saw a clip from an episode of Desperate Housewives and boy, am I upset. To think of how many Filipino medical professionals are in the US and a show just racially discriminates them? Arrrgh! When I saw the episode, I swear I wanted to rip Teri Hatcher's head off, and which Filipino wouldn't? Our local news had stated that they've already apologized and the scene from he episode deleted, but the damage is done. Once a glass has a crack, there's no way to fix it. I am not watching Desperate Housewives ever again! This is one good Filipino viewer that their ratings are going to miss. Grrr..... Watch the video and you'll see why thousands of Filipinos are upset. Just in how many countries is this show aired on? I think they should have been more responsible, and to shrug it off as a joke is a low blow. Jokes are always half-meant, isn't it?

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month Wednesday, October 03, 2007

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and I thought of doing something good by spreading awareness about it. I've had 2 aunts diagnosed with breast cancer and last year, I had quite a scare myself.

I found a lump in my breast and we instantly had it checked through a biopsy which turned out benign. I chose not to have it removed with the full knowledge that having lumps is not normal in any part of the body. My doctor had informed me that if at any time, should the lump change in shape or size I should see him immediately. Of course I'll do as he says.

Knowledge about any disease or sickness is really our best defense against it.

A Watch for my Mom in Law Tuesday, October 02, 2007

My mom in law's birthday is coming up, and I was stumped on what to get her. Keisha gave me a really great idea earlier today. I was fixing her toys and I asked her, "What do you think we should get grams for her birthday?" She hurriedly left the room and came back with her grandma's Guess watch, all faded and old and non-functional.

"Here, let's get her one of these," Keisha excitedly said. I hadn't seen that watch in a really long time, in fact, I think the only time I saw it was when I wasn't married to her son yet (lol).

Since I normally just stay at home myself, I decided to surf the Internet for watches I could get her for her birthday, and I even asked Keisha to point some of them that she liked. We were lucky to have stumbled upon a shopping website called Shopping.com that offered a lot of different styles and brands of watches to choose from.

Brands like Timex, Bulova, Fossil, Perry Ellis, and a lot of other brands were available. You could even choose watches based on styles, for example, if you'd be wearing it with a dress, for outdoor activities, or just for casual wear. Watches that look really hip and tech savvy are also available, and watches for that "prestige" look are also available. If on a budget, watches are also classified according to price range so you can pick the best looking watch that suits you best and still fits your budget.

My daughter and I decided on getting her grandma a Fossil Womens Casual Metal Watch Cuff Shabby Silver ES 1787 for her upcoming birthday. We both liked it instantly when we saw it; it could double as a watch and a cuff, very stylish and hip with onyx stones. The only thing I need to do now is to get Keisha to keep everything a secret until her grandma's birthday.