it's super tempting but i'm resisting the urge - successfully, so far...
it's almost 4pm, here i am, in the office, trying my darnest best not to surf the net to find out who won american idol... i'm not surfing, period, lest i might come across some news item that mentions the winner - and spoil the suspense... sino kaya yung nanalo? bo or carrie? sana si bo, pero baka si carrie, hindi, dapat si bo ang manalo...
why am i doing this to myself? i don't know, masokista lang talaga ata ako...
4 more hours to go before i'll get to watch the finale... bakit ba kasi ang tagal mag-8pm!!!
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okay, murphy's law at work. with the idol telecast starting at 8pm, i planned to leave the office past 630pm. giving me enough time to commute, buy dinner and still catch the start of the show.
however, things didn't go as planned. i had to help the associate publisher finalize the presentation of his revenue projections for the board meeting tomorrow. it wasn't a complicated spreadsheet, though, he just couldn't get his head around explaining the logic behind the numbers he asked us to churn out for him. weird and frustrating, but that's our associate publisher, he panics and can't think well when under stress.
i finally left the office at 730pm and got home past 830pm. i missed the opening of the show, but got a treat seeing season 3 finalists doing some remote-hosting chores for the finale. matt rogers seems so natural and engaging as a host (i agree with simon that he can have a regular hosting stint on idol next season). la toya really seemed to be loaded with booze!
the main part of the finale formally opens with a clip of idol reject leandra jackson singing star-mangled, i mean, star-spangled banner. and she ended the song live onstage. that must have been an overwhelming experience for her.
bo and carrie (or as some fan sites call them, borrie) do a number together. these two really have great chemistry. they sounded well. to my surprise, carrie seemed relaxed and she sounded good!
then the producers took a swipe at abc and corey clark by spoofing the "fallen idol" expose. it was hilarious, yet blunt about abc's "bad judgement" - that's what the segment was called.
this year's finale's highlight, apart from the results, is the idol finalists with the all-star idols set. it was amazing. although i'm rooting for bo, carrie is starting to grow on me. her voice registered well and she just came through during her performance with the rascal flatts.
then, anwar, anthony, and, um, kenny g?! next was by the rock set with constantine, jessica and nadia - all personal favorites of mine. it was explosive! i was floored! then a lackluster performance from george benson, although nikko sounded great... oh, and scott was singing as well.
and magical baby v! i miss her perform! she really shines! some pitchy spots, but she successfully manages her shortcomings through showmanship.
lindsey and mikalah with babyface. at least fran drescher, i mean, mikalah, can really project. although she went overboard and seemed to be upstaging lindsey and even babyface. lindsey really has a lovely voice, but she still looked awkward.
and finally, bo, bo, bo, with lynrd skynrd and sweet home alabama. what else can i say? bo owned the stage!
and now the results... and the american idol is (*fingers crossed... bo, bo, bo*)... carrie.
felt bad bo lost, but he'll be ok. he doesn't even seem bothered and sad at all (flashback diana degarmo kaplastikan moment last year). even if bo didn't win, i think he will be a big star.
season 4 seems to be the greatest season idol has ever had. it had the most talented and deserving set of finalists (well personally save for mikalah and scott). it was a nice experience following it for the past 5 months. the finale was less pretentious and super fun. and i look forward to another great season next year.
idol
naive
can i just say? ...they say wisdom comes with age - but not for everyone. i still can't get my head around why someone at least 8 years older than i can still be so naive... or am i just more pragmatic, maybe more experienced (and jaded at the same time)?
go baby v!
she has a very slim chance of winning - considering how much the producers are trying to shove carrie down everyone's throats - but i'm dead hoping that some miracle will happen and see vonzell crowned american idol.
vonzell's versatile, she's sweet and adorable, and she can sing. she's got that destiny's-child-meets-gloria-gaynor vibe that makes me enjoy watching her perform. i echo the sentiments written in one american idol fan site (i forgot which one exactly) vonzell is the only finalist i'll pay to see in a concert.
on the flipside, carrie, though she has a good recording voice, looks absolutely mechanical and boring. and bo, he's good - but not versatile - besides, he's got nothing to lose anyway.
so come wednesday, i look forward to watching baby v deliver another stellar performance. and on thursday, i'll keep my fingers crossed and hope that she'll be through to the finals.
goodbye btefnet
it was good while it lasted. after two fabulous fall seasons and over 70gb worth of shows downloaded, i had to say goodbye to btefnet - permanently.
btefnet has shut down.
on thursday, the mpaa waged war against tv show trading sites by suing six popular torrent sites that specialize on tv shows; and among them was btefnet.
my initial reaction was "f*#k!" this couldn't have happened at a more critical time - two most critical weeks of the tv season when the season finales of the shows i follow are airing. this is a disaster.
for one, i haven't finished downloading the finale of amazing race. and it'll be pathetic for me to have watched all season 7 episodes - and miss the finale! (but gladly, people are still seeding it so my client are scraping from them. 2 hours to go!)
gladly i've finished downloading the finale of scrubs. but then there's still the 1-hour finale of joey, which i managed to find a live torrent to download this morning; two more episodes of will and grace including the 1-hour finale next week; finally, the finales of the apprentice and america's next top model - all next week; and 24!!! which ends on the last week of may. i'm glad they're showing idol on star world so I haven't been downloading it this season.
but i think people will find a way to share these remaining popular episodes, so i'm trying to stay positive that i'll still get to locate downloads over the next few weeks. in any case, at least the apprentice 3, antm cycle 4 and 24 day 4 are starting to air on the local english channel.
but after the shock and frustration - and panic - i felt sad.
for the past one-and-a-half years or so, these downloads are what kept me preoccupied. it got me hooked on ai, amazing race, scrubs, antm and queer eye. it introduced me to the daily show and joey. i got to see the finale of friends and satc way ahead of everyone. (will and grace is a given).
without these downloads, life in hk would have been a big bore. the demise of tv show swapping sites would mean that i have to shift back to vcds or regular daytime fare on the local english channels - which doesn't really excite me. oh yes, there's abs-cbn now. but nothing compares to the tv series i follow.
i'm trying to stay optimistic. while btefnet and other popular tv-swapping sites have been shut down, other sites will surely rise - to the delight of tv fans like me.
playlist 5.29.2005
y_slaybelle and aurie slayer's reading lists "inspired" (ching!) me to post my own list. since i'm definitely not a bookworm, or a book lover at the very least, i'll post something about - what else? - but music. here's are the songs currently on my playlist.
album: something to be
artist: rob thomas
check out these tracks: 2-lonely no more, 3-ever the same, 5-when the heartache ends, 8-problem girl
album: rebirth
artist: jennifer lopez
check out these tracks: 1-get right , 3-hold you down, 11-can't believe this is me
album: lifehouse
artist: lifehouse
check out these tracks: 1-come back down , 2-you & me
album: counting down the days
artist: natalie imbruglia
check out these tracks: 2-shiver, 6-slow down, 11-when you're sleeping
album: the emancipation of mimi
artist: mariah carey
check out these tracks: 1-it's like that, 2-we belong together, 7-get your number, 9-circles
album: in between dreams
artist: jack johnson
check out these tracks: 2-never know, 3-banana pancakes, 6-sitting waiting wishing
album: waiting for the siren's call
artist: new order
check out these tracks: 8-jetstream lover, 10-turn
new mtr system map
on my way home this evening, i couldn't help but notice the new system map of the mtr. it seems that the map on the train carriages was changed sometime during the day, because i don't recall noticing the new map this morning.
anyways, the update was in preparation for the opening of new attractions that the government hopes will draw more visitors into hk.
on the left-hand side of the map, you'll notice some highlighted notes. these are for the new stations that will open towards the end of this year and early next year.
opening real soon is the sunny bay station. what used to be an in-the-middle-of-nowhere, non-operational platform (ala pnr train stations) is now a futuristic station. although, i wonder why they're opening it this early, given that it won't serve its purpose as an interchange station for the hk disneyland line until the resort opens late summer. plus, there's absolutely nothing around it - no residential or commercial area, just the lantau highway and, ummm, sunny bay.
to open in september, the victorian-themed disneyland resort station is obviously your link to hk's disneyland theme park, which will open on september 12th.
later this year, the asiaworld-expo station extends the existing airport express line beyond the airport. this stop is not exactly for tourists. asiaworld-expo is hk's brand-new exhibition center, which is threatening the dominance of the overbooked hkcec. this is new expo center is where my company will stage the hk leg of its annual sourcing fair staring spring next year.
lastly, early next year, what used to be an hour-long butt-numbing bus ride will now become a scenic cable car ride lasting only a few minutes. prior to ngong ping 360's opening, ocean park is the only place in hk where you can enjoy a cable car ride. ngong ping 360 is set to bring visitors from the tung chung town center to the world's largest, outdoor seated buddha. oh, and when you reach the buddha, you shouldn't miss the tasty vegetarian resto of the buddhist monastery at its foot.