Loving Yourself
loving yourself is not vanity. don’t be afraid of that. put a picture of yourself that you like somewhere prominent.
-gala darling.
-gala darling.
Picture from Valentina Kallias (Deviantart)
Let Them Know...
1.) each week, write a letter to at least one person you love. this letter can be to a friend, a relative, someone you admire, anyone. make sure you tell them your favorite things about them. why you love them so. tell about your favorite time with them.
2.) tell the people you love that you love them EVERY DAY. it may feel a bit trite after a while but tell them. even if you’re angry, & even if they may be on your nerves, take a second from your day to let them know you love them.
MAKE SURE THEY WILL KNOW HOW MUCH YOU TRULY LOVE THEM. you never know when they may be taken from you.
~Talachan
~Talachan
Falling in love
Falling in love is the ultimate act of revolution, of resistance to today’s tedious, socially restrictive, culturally constrictive, humanly meaningless world.
Love transforms the world. Where the lover formerly felt boredom, he now feels passion. Where she once was complacent, she now is excited and compelled to self-asserting action. The world which once seemed empty and tiresome becomes filled with meaning, filled with risks and rewards, with majesty and danger. Life for the lover is a gift, an adventure with the highest possible stakes; every moment is memorable, heartbreaking in its fleeting beauty. When he falls in love, a man who once felt disoriented, alienated, and confused will know exactly what he wants. Suddenly his existence will make sense to him; suddenly it becomes valuable, even glorious and noble, to him. Burning passion is an antidote that will cure the worst cases of despair and resigned obedience.
Love makes it possible for individuals to connect to others in a meaningful way—it impels them to leave their shells and risk being honest and spontaneous together, to come to know each other in profound ways. Thus love makes it possible for them to care about each other genuinely, rather than at the end of the gun of Christian doctrine. But at the same time, it plucks the lover out of the routines of everyday life and separates her from other human beings. She will feel a million miles away from the herd of humanity, living as she is in a world entirely different from theirs.
In this sense love is subversive, because it poses a threat to the established order of our modern lives. The boring rituals of workday productivity and socialized etiquette will no longer mean anything to a man who has fallen in love, for there are more important forces guiding him than mere inertia and deference to tradition. Marketing strategies that depend upon apathy or insecurity to sell the products that keep the economy running as it does will have no effect upon him. Entertainment designed for passive consumption, which depends upon exhaustion or cynicism in the viewer, will not interest him.
There is no place for the passionate, romantic lover in today’s world, business or private. For he can see that it might be more worthwhile to hitchhike to Alaska (or to sit in the park and watch the clouds sail by) with his sweetheart than to study for his calculus exam or sell real estate, and if he decides that it is, he will have the courage to do it rather than be tormented by unsatisfied longing. He knows that breaking into a cemetery and making love under the stars will make for a much more memorable night than watching television ever could. So love poses a threat to our consumer-driven economy, which depends upon consumption of (largely useless) products and the labor that this consumption necessitates to perpetuate itself.
Similarly, love poses a threat to our political system, for it is difficult to convince a man who has a lot to live for in his personal relationships to be willing to fight and die for an abstraction such as the state; for that matter, it may be difficult to convince him to even pay taxes. It poses a threat to cultures of all kinds, for when human beings are given wisdom and valor by true love they will not be held back by traditions or customs which are irrelevant to the feelings that guide them.
Love even poses a threat to our society itself. Passionate love is ignored and feared by the bourgeoisie, for it poses a great danger to the stability and pretense they covet. Love permits no lies, no falsehoods, not even any polite half-truths, but lays all emotions bare and reveals secrets which domesticated men and women cannot bear. You cannot lie with your emotional and sexual response; situations or ideas will excite or repel you whether you like it or not, whether it is polite or not, whether it is advisable or not. One cannot be a lover and a (dreadfully) responsible, (dreadfully) respectable member of today’s society at the same time; for love will impel you to do things which are not “responsible” or “respectable.” True love is irresponsible, irrepressible, rebellious, scornful of cowardice, dangerous to the lover and everyone around her, for it serves one master alone: the passion that makes the human heart beat faster. It disdains anything else, be it self-preservation, obedience, or shame. Love urges men and women to heroism, and to antiheroism—to indefensible acts that need no defense for the one who loves.
For the lover speaks a different moral and emotional language than the typical bourgeois man does. The average bourgeois man has no overwhelming, smoldering desires. Sadly, all he knows is the silent despair that comes of spending his life pursuing goals set for him by his family, his educators, his employers, his nation, and his culture, without ever being able to even consider what needs and wants he might have of his own. Without the burning fire of desire to guide him, he has no criteria upon which to choose what is right and wrong for himself. Consequently he is forced to adopt some dogma or doctrine to direct him through his life. There are a wide variety of moralities to choose from in the marketplace of ideas, but which morality a man buys into is immaterial so long as he chooses one because he is at a loss otherwise as to what he should do with himself and his life. How many men and women, having never realized that they had the option to choose their own destinies, wander through life in a dull haze thinking and acting in accordance with the laws that have been taught to them, merely because they no longer have any other idea of what to do? But the lover needs no prefabricated principles to direct her; her desires identify what is right and wrong for her, for her heart guides her through life. She sees beauty and meaning in the world, because her desires paint the world in these colors. She has no need for dogmas, for moral systems, for commandments and imperatives, for she knows what to do without instructions.
Thus she does indeed pose quite a threat to our society. What if everyone decided right and wrong for themselves, without any regard for conventional morality? What if everyone did whatever they wanted to, with the courage to face any consequences? What if everyone feared loveless, lifeless monotony more than they fear taking risks, more than they fear being hungry or cold or in danger? What if everyone set down their “responsibilities” and “common sense,” and dared to pursue their wildest dreams, to set the stakes high and live each day as if it were the last? Think what a place the world would be! Certainly it would be different than it is now—and it is quite a truism that people from the “mainstream,” the simultaneous keepers and victims of the status quo, fear change.
And so, despite the stereotyped images used in the media to sell toothpaste and honeymoon suites, genuine passionate love is discouraged in our culture. Being “carried away by your emotions” is frowned upon; instead we are raised to always be on our guard lest our hearts lead us astray. Rather than being encouraged to have the courage to face the consequences of risks taken in pursuit of our hearts’ desires, we are counseled not to take risks at all, to be “responsible.” And love itself is regulated. Men must not fall in love with other men, nor women with other women, nor individuals from different ethnic backgrounds with each other, or else the usual bigots who form the front-line offensive in the assault of modern Western culture upon the individual will step in. Men and women who have already entered into a legal/religious contract with each other are not to fall in love with anyone else, even if they no longer feel any passion for their marital partner. Love as most of us know it today is a carefully prescribed and preordained ritual, something that happens on Friday nights in expensive movie theaters and restaurants, something that fills the pockets of the shareholders in the entertainment industries without preventing workers from showing up to the office on time and ready to reroute phone calls all day long. This regulated, commercial “love” is nothing like the passionate, burning love that consumes the genuine lover. These restrictions, expectations, and regulations smother true love; for love is a wild flower that can never grow within the confines prepared for it but only appears where it is least expected.
We must fight against these cultural restraints that would cripple and smother our desires. For it is love that gives meaning to life, desire that makes it possible for us to make sense of our existence and find purpose in our lives. Without these, there is no way for us to determine how to live our lives, except to submit to some authority, to some god, master or doctrine that will tell us what to do and how to do it without ever giving us the satisfaction that self-determination does. So fall in love today, with men, with women, with music, with ambition, with yourself. . . with life!
One might say that it is ridiculous to implore others to fall in love—one either falls in love or one does not, it is not a choice that can be made consciously. Emotions do not follow the instructions of the rational mind. But the environment in which we must live out our lives has a great influence on our emotions, and we can make rational decisions that will affect this environment. It should be possible to work to change an environment that is hostile to love into an environment that will encourage it. Our task must be to engineer our world so that it is a world in which people can and do fall in love, and thus to reconstitute human beings so that we will be ready for the “revolution” spoken of in these pages—so that we will be able to find meaning and happiness in our lives.
What if everyone decided right and wrong for themselves, without any regard for conventional morality? What if everyone did whatever they wanted to, with the courage to face any consequences? What if everyone feared loveless, lifeless monotony more than they fear taking risks, more than they fear being hungry or cold or in danger? What if everyone set down their “responsibilities” and “common sense,” and dared to pursue their wildest dreams, to set the stakes high and live each day as if it were the last? Think what a place the world would be!
-taken from days of war, nights of love crimethInc.
-taken from days of war, nights of love crimethInc.
Our Deepest Fear
“ Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. … Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. ”
— Marianne Williamson
Tala-Chan's Blog Updates V.2
Today I decided to change my blog layout from the gloomy blue layout
to a simple but cute pink layout... (so kawaii! ^_^m)
So what are some changes in my blog?
- I grew tired of having a blog that looks gloomy (don't get me wrong, I really like the blog design but because of its color, dark themed blogs makes me feel down recently... well blue is still one of my favorite colors, the second one is pink)
- Font color for all the post is now in black (It's hard to edit ALL my post because of the font color)
- Since I changed the layout, I accidentally removed the blog list, and I have to retrieve links from the blog list section manually. Well some of the sites are still there but there are some that I couldn't remember at all (my apologies...)
- Changed the description of the blog
XOXO,
Tala-Chan
(PS: if you want to exchange links, leave a message in the comments section of this post, thanks!)
Ten ways to love people
Ten ways to love people (True and biblical)
Listen without interrupting.
He who answers before listening—
that is his folly and his shame. (Proverbs 18:13)
Speak without accusing.
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry... (James 1:19)
Give without sparing.
All day long he craves for more,
but the righteous give without sparing. (Proverbs 21:26)
Pray without ceasing.
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. (Colossians 1:9)
Answer without arguing.
Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
than a house full of feasting, with strife. (Proverbs 17:1)
Share without pretending.
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. (Ephesians 4:15)
Enjoy without complaint.
Do everything without complaining or arguing... (Philippians 2:14)
Trust without wavering.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:7)
Forgive without punishing.
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Colossians 3:13)
Promise without forgetting.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)
Listen without interrupting.
He who answers before listening—
that is his folly and his shame. (Proverbs 18:13)
Speak without accusing.
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry... (James 1:19)
Give without sparing.
All day long he craves for more,
but the righteous give without sparing. (Proverbs 21:26)
Pray without ceasing.
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. (Colossians 1:9)
Answer without arguing.
Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
than a house full of feasting, with strife. (Proverbs 17:1)
Share without pretending.
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. (Ephesians 4:15)
Enjoy without complaint.
Do everything without complaining or arguing... (Philippians 2:14)
Trust without wavering.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:7)
Forgive without punishing.
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Colossians 3:13)
Promise without forgetting.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)
David Cook and David Archuleta Live in Manila!
And it is now confirmed.
Mark your calendars everyone, David Cook and David Archuleta will be here in manila for the much-awaited concert on May 16, 2009 at SM Mall of Asia Open ground.
David Cook and David Archuleta made a video blog about the upcoming concert, and I'm sooo happy! check it out! :D
David Cook's announcement on Youtube:
David Archuleta's announcement on youtube:
To all David Cook and David Archuleta fans in Manila, see you all at the concert! :D
Mark your calendars everyone, David Cook and David Archuleta will be here in manila for the much-awaited concert on May 16, 2009 at SM Mall of Asia Open ground.
David Cook and David Archuleta made a video blog about the upcoming concert, and I'm sooo happy! check it out! :D
David Cook's announcement on Youtube:
David Archuleta's announcement on youtube:
To all David Cook and David Archuleta fans in Manila, see you all at the concert! :D
I wish you enough...
I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.
I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.
Love on Starbucks
We're all looking for that special someone. If only love can be customized as easily as your favorite drink, we'll easily find your match...
~Starbucks Coffee
~Starbucks CoffeeRemembering "The Man from Manila"
When I was still a little kid I remember receiving a letter for my older sister...
And it was a fan mail from the Man from Manila and the Master Rapper himself, Francis Magalona.
I may not be one of his biggest fans and certainly not a fan of rap music, but I do like his songs, I personally like "Mga kababayan ko" and "Kaleidoscope world" because the message of the song about being a Filipino and being proud of it.
For me, he's not just an ordinary Man from Manila, he's an true artist, icon and a legend to the Filipino music industry. His love for the country is heard and expressed in his music. And as for me being a music lover, I really appreciate and love the music that he shared to the Filipinos and to the world.
Mar. 6, came as a shock as I heard that Francis M passed away... It really came as a shock. I know that he's diagnosed with Leukemia but I didn't see it coming... It really is a sad sad day... :(
Now that Francis M has already joined our Creator, may his music and legacy lives on forever...
F-ilipino
R-apper
A-nd
N-ational
C-omposer
I-n
S-ociety of
M-usic
Thank you Francis M for sharing your music. We'll gonna miss you.
So many faces, so many races
Different voices, different choices
Some are mad, while others laugh
Some live alone with no better half
Others grieve while others curse
And others mourn behind a big black hearse
Some are pure and some half-bred
Some are sober and some are wasted
Some are rich because of fate and
Some are poor with no food on their plate
Some stand out while others blend
Some are fat and stout while some are thin
Some are friends and some are foes
Some have some while some have most
Every color and every hue
Is represented by me and you
Take a slide in the slope
Take a look in the kaleidoscope
Spinnin' round, make it twirl
In this kaleidoscope world
Some are great and some are few
Others lie while some tell the truth
Some say poems and some do sing
Others sing through their guitar strings
Some know it all while some act dumb
Let the bassline strum to the bang of the drum
Some can swim while some will sink
And some will find their minds and think
Others walk while others run
You can't talk peace and have a gun
Some are hurt and start to cry
Don't ask me how don't ask me why
Some are friends and some are foes
Some have some while some have most
Every color and every hue
Is represented by me and you
Take a slide in the slope
Take a look in the kaleidoscope
Spinnin' round, make it twirl
In this kaleidoscope world
And it was a fan mail from the Man from Manila and the Master Rapper himself, Francis Magalona.
I may not be one of his biggest fans and certainly not a fan of rap music, but I do like his songs, I personally like "Mga kababayan ko" and "Kaleidoscope world" because the message of the song about being a Filipino and being proud of it.
For me, he's not just an ordinary Man from Manila, he's an true artist, icon and a legend to the Filipino music industry. His love for the country is heard and expressed in his music. And as for me being a music lover, I really appreciate and love the music that he shared to the Filipinos and to the world.
Mar. 6, came as a shock as I heard that Francis M passed away... It really came as a shock. I know that he's diagnosed with Leukemia but I didn't see it coming... It really is a sad sad day... :(
Now that Francis M has already joined our Creator, may his music and legacy lives on forever...
F-ilipino
R-apper
A-nd
N-ational
C-omposer
I-n
S-ociety of
M-usic
Thank you Francis M for sharing your music. We'll gonna miss you.
So many faces, so many races
Different voices, different choices
Some are mad, while others laugh
Some live alone with no better half
Others grieve while others curse
And others mourn behind a big black hearse
Some are pure and some half-bred
Some are sober and some are wasted
Some are rich because of fate and
Some are poor with no food on their plate
Some stand out while others blend
Some are fat and stout while some are thin
Some are friends and some are foes
Some have some while some have most
Every color and every hue
Is represented by me and you
Take a slide in the slope
Take a look in the kaleidoscope
Spinnin' round, make it twirl
In this kaleidoscope world
Some are great and some are few
Others lie while some tell the truth
Some say poems and some do sing
Others sing through their guitar strings
Some know it all while some act dumb
Let the bassline strum to the bang of the drum
Some can swim while some will sink
And some will find their minds and think
Others walk while others run
You can't talk peace and have a gun
Some are hurt and start to cry
Don't ask me how don't ask me why
Some are friends and some are foes
Some have some while some have most
Every color and every hue
Is represented by me and you
Take a slide in the slope
Take a look in the kaleidoscope
Spinnin' round, make it twirl
In this kaleidoscope world
Presenting: American Idol Season 8 finalist
Mar. 6. 09 - The slots has been filled. The judges already announced the finalist of the latest season of American Idol.
But this time, instead of the usual 12 finalist, they came up with 13.
Here are the list of the finalist:
GROUP 1 (Feb. 18-19, 2008)
Alexis Grace - 21 years old (born June 9, 1987), from Memphis, Tennessee – a stay-at-home mom who auditioned in Louisville, Kentucky. Has a young daughter and is engaged to marry the child's father. After her Top 36 performance, Cowell compared her to Kelly Clarkson.
Danny Gokey - 28 years old (born April 24, 1980) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin – a praise and worship music director who auditioned in Kansas City, Missouri along with best friend Jamar Rogers. Both made it to the Hollywood rounds, but Rogers was eliminated at week's end. Four weeks before the audition, Gokey's wife, Sophia, diagnosed with a congenital heart disease, passed away. His wife had motivated him to try out before she died. He is a judge favorite.
Michael Sarver - 28 years old (born February 9, 1981), from Jasper, Texas – an oil rig roughneck worker who auditioned in Phoenix, Arizona. Is married, and has two children.
GROUP 2 (Feb 26-27, 2008)
Adam Lambert - 27 years old (born January 29, 1982) from Hollywood, California – a stage actor who auditioned in San Francisco, California. Before auditioning for American Idol, he was in the touring and Los Angeles casts of Wicked. His renditions of "Some Kind of Wonderful" and "Believe" made him a judge favorite.
Kris Allen - 23 years old (born June 21, 1985) from Conway, Arkansas – a college student who auditioned in Louisville, Kentucky. He's best known for his group performance of "I Want You Back" by The Jackson 5 during Hollywood week with a group called White Chocolate.
Allison Iraheta - 16 years old (born April 27, 1992) from Los Angeles, California – a high school student who auditioned in San Francisco, California. In 2006, she won $50,000 and a recording contract after competing in a Telemundo reality show, Quinceañera. After her top 36 performance, Cowell declared Iraheta as "one to watch in this competition".
GROUP 3 (March 4-5, 2008)
Lil Rounds - 24 years old (born November 14, 1984) from Memphis, Tennessee – a stay-at-home mom who auditioned in Kansas City, Missouri. Her house in Memphis was previously destroyed by a tornado on February 5, 2008. Since her audition, Rounds has been a judge favorite.
Scott McIntyre - 23 years old (born June 22, 1985) from Scottsdale, Arizona – a visually impaired pianist who auditioned in Phoenix, Arizona. MacIntyre plays several instruments including the piano. Classically trained, he has been internationally profiled on various TV affiliates such as CNN, national and local news, radio, and print media as pianist, vocalist, and songwriter.
Jorge Nunez - 20 years old (born May 12, 1988) from Cidra, Puerto Rico – a college student who auditioned in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is fluent in English, French, and Spanish, and is the first Puerto Rican finalist in American Idol history. His idols are Luis Fonsi and Marc Anthony.
WILDCARD Round (March 6, 2008)
Megan Corkey - 23 years old (born August 5, 1985) from Sandy, Utah – a font designer/single mom who auditioned in Salt Lake City, Utah with the song "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man." Cowell has expressed numerous times that Corkrey is one of his favorites.
Anoop Desai - 22 years old (born December 20, 1986) from Chapel Hill, North Carolina – a college student who auditioned in Kansas City, Missouri. He impressed the judges when he auditioned in Kansas City. While at school he was one of the lead singers of the UNC Clef Hangers, an a cappella vocal group that covered multiple genres of music. Desai was announced as the 13th finalist after the judges increased the finals into a Top 13.
Matt Giraud - 23 years old (born May 11, 1985) from Kalamazoo, Michigan – a dueling pianist who auditioned in Louisville, Kentucky. For his audition, he sang "I Don't Want to Be" by Gavin Degraw. His rendition of "Georgia on My Mind" in Hollywood made him a judge favorite.
Jasmine Murray - 16 years old (born March 14, 1992) from Starkville, Mississippi – a high school student who auditioned in Jacksonville, Florida with the song "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie. She was Miss Mississippi's Outstanding Teen 2007.
Some personal notes:
---I really like Scott, Megan, Kris, Allison, Michael and Danny. Scott is talented, Megan is quirky, Kris has a nice voice, Allison is edgy, Michael has this "teddy bear" appeal on me (he's my crush btw...lol!) and Danny has this soulful vibe that i really like...
---I was sad that Von Smith didn't make it to the Top 13, and I believe that he really deserves to be in the top 13 instead of Matt Giraud. Same goes to Jesse Langseth. Like Von, I think she also deserves the spot more than Jasmine Murray does...
---Also, I think Tatiana Del Toro has the voice, but her attitude really sucks!
So who among them will win this season's American Idol? Let's wait and see... :D
But this time, instead of the usual 12 finalist, they came up with 13.
Here are the list of the finalist:
GROUP 1 (Feb. 18-19, 2008)
Alexis Grace - 21 years old (born June 9, 1987), from Memphis, Tennessee – a stay-at-home mom who auditioned in Louisville, Kentucky. Has a young daughter and is engaged to marry the child's father. After her Top 36 performance, Cowell compared her to Kelly Clarkson.
Danny Gokey - 28 years old (born April 24, 1980) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin – a praise and worship music director who auditioned in Kansas City, Missouri along with best friend Jamar Rogers. Both made it to the Hollywood rounds, but Rogers was eliminated at week's end. Four weeks before the audition, Gokey's wife, Sophia, diagnosed with a congenital heart disease, passed away. His wife had motivated him to try out before she died. He is a judge favorite.
Michael Sarver - 28 years old (born February 9, 1981), from Jasper, Texas – an oil rig roughneck worker who auditioned in Phoenix, Arizona. Is married, and has two children.
GROUP 2 (Feb 26-27, 2008)
Adam Lambert - 27 years old (born January 29, 1982) from Hollywood, California – a stage actor who auditioned in San Francisco, California. Before auditioning for American Idol, he was in the touring and Los Angeles casts of Wicked. His renditions of "Some Kind of Wonderful" and "Believe" made him a judge favorite.
Kris Allen - 23 years old (born June 21, 1985) from Conway, Arkansas – a college student who auditioned in Louisville, Kentucky. He's best known for his group performance of "I Want You Back" by The Jackson 5 during Hollywood week with a group called White Chocolate.
Allison Iraheta - 16 years old (born April 27, 1992) from Los Angeles, California – a high school student who auditioned in San Francisco, California. In 2006, she won $50,000 and a recording contract after competing in a Telemundo reality show, Quinceañera. After her top 36 performance, Cowell declared Iraheta as "one to watch in this competition".
GROUP 3 (March 4-5, 2008)
Lil Rounds - 24 years old (born November 14, 1984) from Memphis, Tennessee – a stay-at-home mom who auditioned in Kansas City, Missouri. Her house in Memphis was previously destroyed by a tornado on February 5, 2008. Since her audition, Rounds has been a judge favorite.
Scott McIntyre - 23 years old (born June 22, 1985) from Scottsdale, Arizona – a visually impaired pianist who auditioned in Phoenix, Arizona. MacIntyre plays several instruments including the piano. Classically trained, he has been internationally profiled on various TV affiliates such as CNN, national and local news, radio, and print media as pianist, vocalist, and songwriter.
Jorge Nunez - 20 years old (born May 12, 1988) from Cidra, Puerto Rico – a college student who auditioned in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He is fluent in English, French, and Spanish, and is the first Puerto Rican finalist in American Idol history. His idols are Luis Fonsi and Marc Anthony.
WILDCARD Round (March 6, 2008)
Megan Corkey - 23 years old (born August 5, 1985) from Sandy, Utah – a font designer/single mom who auditioned in Salt Lake City, Utah with the song "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man." Cowell has expressed numerous times that Corkrey is one of his favorites.
Anoop Desai - 22 years old (born December 20, 1986) from Chapel Hill, North Carolina – a college student who auditioned in Kansas City, Missouri. He impressed the judges when he auditioned in Kansas City. While at school he was one of the lead singers of the UNC Clef Hangers, an a cappella vocal group that covered multiple genres of music. Desai was announced as the 13th finalist after the judges increased the finals into a Top 13.
Matt Giraud - 23 years old (born May 11, 1985) from Kalamazoo, Michigan – a dueling pianist who auditioned in Louisville, Kentucky. For his audition, he sang "I Don't Want to Be" by Gavin Degraw. His rendition of "Georgia on My Mind" in Hollywood made him a judge favorite.
Jasmine Murray - 16 years old (born March 14, 1992) from Starkville, Mississippi – a high school student who auditioned in Jacksonville, Florida with the song "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie. She was Miss Mississippi's Outstanding Teen 2007.
Some personal notes:
---I really like Scott, Megan, Kris, Allison, Michael and Danny. Scott is talented, Megan is quirky, Kris has a nice voice, Allison is edgy, Michael has this "teddy bear" appeal on me (he's my crush btw...lol!) and Danny has this soulful vibe that i really like...
---I was sad that Von Smith didn't make it to the Top 13, and I believe that he really deserves to be in the top 13 instead of Matt Giraud. Same goes to Jesse Langseth. Like Von, I think she also deserves the spot more than Jasmine Murray does...
---Also, I think Tatiana Del Toro has the voice, but her attitude really sucks!
So who among them will win this season's American Idol? Let's wait and see... :D
Dear blogger friends...
Hello there!
Sorry for the long hiatus, I've been very busy with my work lately... :(
I'll be updating the site in the soonest time... Now that I have an internet connection at home, I have more time updating some of my social media accounts (i.e. friendster, facebook, plurk, deviantart and multiply) and also, updating three of my blog sites.
So expect more blurbs from me (and a better blog design too!) soon.
Thanks for stopping by!
xoxo,
Tala-chan
Forgiveness and Reconciliation
One of the numerous adages on forgiveness is ‘to forgive and to forget’. While many of these are true, some are impossible of application unless there is a full understanding of the cliché. Before there can be forgiveness and conciliation with another, it cannot be truly effective unless we initially forgive oneself.
I believe that like any other feelings of hate and love forgiveness should commence personally. But one might argue that, why should I forgive myself when it is him or her who wronged me? By analogy, forgiving someone is like a doctor healing a patient. You must be well first before you can cure another. How can you effectively cure someone when you yourself are sick?
Studies have shown that when something goes wrong people unconsciously blame themselves in one way or the other. When a relationship goes wrong, one of the parties who are not at fault may think that it was because of his/her shortcomings why the other prompted to act that way. When a marriage breaks up, the child might think that it was his/her fault why his/her parents argue all the time. How can a mother forgive the violator of her son when she can’t stop thinking that maybe it would not have happened if she did not permitted him to go to that party.
Forgiveness may be a unilateral act. We can forgive someone even if that someone did not make amends to correct his act. I believe that this is a higher form of forgiveness because it requires ones personal volition of forgiving without the other saying sorry or making restitution. This is an admirable act but it always make someone feel good when he can muster coming into terms with himself and with the other, only then he can have peace from within.
Reconciliation on the other hand comes after forgiveness. When forgiving someone after he wronged you there comes amendment or mending of relationship that will lead to conciliation. Unlike forgiveness, conciliation is a bilateral act, meaning it requires mutual consensus from the parties before it can happen. When someone says sorry and the other has forgiven, conciliation follows and the relationship is back to the way it used to be.
This is not normally the case under other circumstances. They say that a relationship is like a glass that once broken it can never be returned to its previous state. I am of the opposite opinion. There can be no appropriate parallelism between a glass and a relationship. For one, a glass is a thing and a relationship is the dealing of one person with another. Second, a glass is breakable and can be thrown away and replaced. A relationship must be pliable or flexible; it’s a shame to break it and can never be replaced since each relationship is unique on its own.
This might be thought provoking but often-neglected facts. But the act of forgiveness and conciliation will lead to hollow truism if we don’t understand the true meaning of it and learn on how to effectively put it into practice.
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