Remembering "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

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

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

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.

Concert Going Etiquette 101

Why let fear of embarrassing yourself get in the way of the music ? Here are some tips and guidelines that will usher you to your seat, ready to steep, with no worries.

1. Get to know the music. Do your homework before you go. Know the program for the evening: Look up the works, the composers, and the artists online. The main thing at the concert is the music; the richer your appreciation of it, the bigger the payoff, whether or not you flub in some minor point of concert going etiquette.

2. Wear your Sunday best. You do not need to match the Filipiniana elegance of Mme. Imelda Marcos, whom you may sight at a concert or two! The key is to dress respectfully. No ripped denim or exposed brassiere straps please. Office attire or casual chic is usually sufficient for smaller or amateur concerts; gala evenings or a night at the Cultural Center of the Philippines may warrant more formal wear—a dress or suit for ladies, suit and tie or barong for the gents. As the venue may be cold, come with a shawl or jacket; you don’t want to drown out the music with chattering teeth.

3. Arrive and be seated with ample time to spare. Make sure that you arrive at the venue at least 15-20 minutes before the show begins. This will give you enough time to acquire a souvenir program (the print matter which usually contains a list and description of the pieces that will be performed, as well as something about the artists), make a restroom stop, and look for your seat. It is ideal to be seated with about five minutes to spare; use the time to browse through the program. You may want to take note of the longer pieces with many movements, so that you will know when to clap. (More on this further down.) Finish whatever it is you are eating or drinking before you enter the hall; no eating or drinking is allowed during the concert.

4. Prepare to be quiet. Along this line…

• Do NOT forget to turn off your cellular phone or any other beeping device.
  
• There is nothing more maddening that the sound of someone’s cellphone going off in the middle of a performance; a sounding cellphone will guarantee your status as persona non gratato other members of the audience. It is absolutely unacceptable to take calls while the performance is ongoing. If you are expecting an urgent call, leave your phone on silent alert and step out of the hall before answering the call.
• 
  
• Put away the camera.
• Flash photography is the next most maddening and inconsiderate thing after an audible cell phone. The flash will distract both the artists and fellow members of the audience; the sounds of a camera, soft as you think they are, are also distracting.
• 
  
• Unwrap the candy beforehand.
• If you need to take lozenges for the tickle in your throat, unwrap the candy before the concert: Crackling plastic makes a louder sound than you think.
• 
  
• Take out everything you think you will need from your bag.
  
• Another bothersome noise is the sound of someone zipping and unzipping a bag and rummaging around for something. Do everyone a favor and keep your bag shut while the performance is ongoing.

5. What to expect as the concert begins. In orchestral concerts, you will see the musicians file onto the stage. Frequently, a musician (usually the oboist) will sound the note “A” , and the ensemble will tune their instruments to this note. After everyone has gotten settled, the conductor will enter; the audience will respond in applause. In concerts of fewer musicians (solo or chamber), you may applaud as soon as they appear onstage. The concert officially begins with the playing of the national anthem; it may be canned, but if it is performed live by the orchestra, do not not applaud at the end of it.

6. Be utterly silent during the performance. Everyone’s attention will now be riveted on the musicians. So as not to distract or irritate anyone, please refrain from speaking (even whispers can be heard). Do not hum along, sing, clap or dance, no matter how enjoyable the music may be.

• A word about applause:
  
• It is proper to applaud only after an entire work has finished. If a work has multiple movements, do not clap between the movements. If you are having trouble figuring out when to clap, take your cue from more experienced members of the audience around you.

7. Curtain calls and encores. At the end of a work, as the audience applauds, you will see the conductor or soloist leave the stage and return; this is a curtain call. It is customary for the performer(s) to come back for repeated curtain calls when the applause is enthusiastic or prolonged. This is also the proper time to express your enthusiasm for a performance. The word to use is “Bravo!” (if the artist is male), or “Brava!” (if the artist is female). You may also hear the word “Encore!”, which means “More!” The artist may respond to this appeal by once again taking his place at his instrument; this is a sign for the audience to quiet down. Usually, the artist will turn to the audience and identify what he will perform by way of an encore. (That’s what the artist is saying that the front rows can hear, but no one in the balcony can!)