Remembering "The Man from Manila"
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
Sunday, March 8, 2009 | Blurbed by Me at Sunday, March 08, 2009 0 shouts
Labels: filipino rap music, francis m, francis magalona, kaleidoscope world, man from manila, master rapper, music legend, mussic icon, personal moments, tala chan
Presenting: American Idol Season 8 finalist
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
Friday, March 6, 2009 | Blurbed by Me at Friday, March 06, 2009 0 shouts
Labels: american idol, american idol season 8, finalist, top 13
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
Thursday, March 5, 2009 | Blurbed by Me at Thursday, March 05, 2009 1 shouts
Labels: blog updates, hiatus, 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.
Saturday, January 3, 2009 | Blurbed by Me at Saturday, January 03, 2009 1 shouts
Labels: Forgiveness, Reconciliation, tala chan

