Destiny's Child: An Album Review (2001)

Destiny’s Child defines what a real girl group is. From their song, to their individual personalities to their sense of style, its like a bag full of goodies. We all know how these girls dominate the airwaves and even our television screens during high school. They are Pop and R&B put together in one group. They are talented in many ways. A perfect role model for starters who wants to make it big in the music scene.

     
If you take a closer look into the career of this girl group, you will agree with me when I say that Beyonce pretty much dominate the vocals. Although this seems to be pretty obvious, this does not become a hindrance for me to love the girls equally. I believe that these girls are unique in their own little way. People who know little of this group are those who experienced unhappy childhood. I can support my statement because even people aged like my mom knows DC. Destiny's Child is the finest female group in the world, they come up with one catchy hit song after another. There are 4 #1 hits on their debut album alone. Their songs are irresistible and you just cant get enough of them. Although this group has gone their separate ways, their music lives on. I wouldn’t mind another reunion from this group in the near future.

Album Review: Survivor

     
Survivor is the second studio album from the trio Destiny’s Child. This album shows how the group evolve with their music and lyrics. The album give us powerful tracks and dance anthems that we still enjoy up to this very day.

     
The album started of with “Independent Woman”. It is a good song possessing a catchy lyrics and melody. “Survivor” is one of, if not the absolute, best on the album. Very catchy, infectious melody and lyrics. “Bootylicious” has a nice funky, sassy tune. A fun song to dance with. A confidence anthem for the ladies, basically. Some complain about the melody of “Nasty Girl”  which I suppose could be better, but I still think it's catchy. And yes, it is kind of ironic, because even before they wrote this song, DC had been known to wear skanky outfits themselves. “Happy Face” is a feel good song. If you’re sad and want to feel better, I recommend for you to listen to this song. "Emotion", is one of my all-time favourite Destiny's Child songs. Lyrically and vocally, it is simply exquisite and classy. The background music is beautiful as well. Another bonus is that Beyonce does not take over this song with all her ad-libs. Instead, she lets the other girls sing lead and the harmonies are stunning. "Dangerously In Love", on the contrary, is dominated by Beyonce. However, that does not entirely prevent it from being a beautiful, touching song about being in love. Lyrically, this is one of the better songs that Beyonce co- wrote. “Brown Eyes” is  incredibly touching, and Beyonce let one of the other girls, Michelle I believe, to sing lead. After that comes the heartbreaking "Story of Beauty" about a girl who was abused in several ways. Though the song is not a ballad, as most would expect, it gets the message across easily. 

     
Overall, "Survivor" is a great album that's destined to be a classic. This is sure to please many listeners for a long time. Such musical combination makes a great listening experience

                                      

98 Degrees: Album Review (2000)

   
 I can still remember how I sing along with their songs on MTV during the weekends. Those were the time that boy bands are hot and punk bands are not so close to that. I remember when I got hooked to their song “I Do”. I still consider this song as my wedding song if ever I get married in the future. Aside from the obvious fact that the group is composed of four hot guys, they all can sing and all are given enough spotlights compared to other boy bands who live to outshine each other members. Even though 98 degrees didn’t get the fame that BSB experienced, they still are known for giving people good music and songs that sweep you off your feet. I would love to see another 98 degrees reunion in the future.

   
 People who followed the career of this group would agree with me when I say that they are way better than NSYNC. They produced songs that are easy on the ears. Their music is timeless. If you want to fall in love or just get inspired with love, you definitely have to listen to these guys.

 Revelation

Revelation by 98 Degrees, is a fairly good CD from this vocal group. The songs are a mix of sugary ballads and fast tempo dance songs. The lyrics have an emphasis on love and romance. The latin infused pop smash hit "Una Noche" is sensual, fun. "Stay The Night" is a beautiful crooning pop love song classic. There's much more where that came from. Nick Lachey does a fantastic job on lead vocals. His distinctive sounding smooth as silk tenor voice gets strong when it needs to without losing its cooing softness, and his diction is great, allowing you to understand every lyric he sings. Up tempos like "The Way You Want Me To" can have you shake your booty to its catchy beats, perhaps reminiscent of the now popular "dirty pop" brand of up tempos. Other up tempos like "He'll Never Be What I Used To Be To You" and "You Should Be Mine" could get you to the dance floor in an instant with their catchy beats and pronounced lyrics.  "Yesterday's Letter" which in my opinion is the best song on the album, takes you to a moody scenario of a break up. Perhaps as melancholy as the group's previous hit "The Hardest Thing", "Yesterday's Letter" tugs at one's emotions with its soft piano keys and painfully sung lyrics.  "My Everything"  is time reminiscent of the group's hit, "I Do Cherish You", is a ballad that can double as a love song, as well as an inspirational/spiritual song. The album ends with "Never Giving Up" is an Earth Wind and Fire-sounding up tempo. It starts with soft piano keys and gradually infuses with dance beats.

The album as a whole is a delightful mix of dirty pop and beautiful ballads. The group has strayed a little bit away from their Motown roots but has manages to introduce a new audience to its music with their pop tunes. This album give us R&B at its best. An amazing album. This album is a revelation.

Uplifting Lives of People With Disabilities

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of NMEDA. All opinions are 100% mine.

People with disabilities are like any normal people; they need freedom in everything that they do in terms of mobility. Making them comfortable and safe is important not only for those with disabilities but for their families as well. If you have a member in your family with disability, especially if you are directly involved in providing care for them; I am sure you understand what I am saying. A reliable or dependable mobility vehicle gives the user freedom to move around while lightening up the task for the caregiver, thus, an improved vehicle works for both parties involved – the caregiver and the person with disability.

To make sure you are providing them the best quality transportation services, only buy your mobility vehicles from dealers or manufacturers that are members of the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association or NMEDA. A non-profit trade association, NMEDA is composed of mobility equipment dealers and manufacturers, driver rehabilitation specialists, and other professionals committed to providing people with disabilities with the best options to improved transportation. This is what NMEDA is committed for – to provide people with disabilities more freedom through a safe, dependable and quality transportation. You can also get a vehicle customized to your individual needs. Members recognize the need for people with disabilities to be able to drive or be transported in safe and dependable vehicles modified with mobility equipment. Despite disabilities, freedom through improved transportation has been made possible through NMEDA.

NMEDA members agree to adhere to the safety guidelines set by NMEDA. The Quality Assurance Program (QAP), on the other hand, measures how much a member adheres to these set guidelines and practices on equipment installation and modifications. A member who wants to be accredited has to pass all the standard requirements in the program, which means the member has been certified as adhering to the highest guidelines in the industry. You can check the dealers closest to where you live by visiting the site and entering your zip code. I’m sure you can find at least one close to you. There are at least two closest to my house. How many did you find?

Ikabod

We have been so busy getting ready for the showing of Ikabod, the nusical play which will be held on Saturday, September 4th at the University iof Makati Main Theater.  This a play that everyone should see.  We worked so hard to make this play entertaining for everyone - kids and oldies alike.  Come, join us in this play!  Hope to see you all there!

laboratory tests are freaking me out!

It's been months since I was diagnosed with this very rare disease. There's no need for me to mention what it is because I've been mentioning it a lot on my recent posts. In line with my oral medication, I have to undergo some laboratory test almost every week which is painful not only in the body but in the pocket.

When you're about to get your blood sugar tested, you have to go through a 12-hour long fasting (no food, no water,no everything) before taking the test. It's a standard operating procedure for the result to be consistent. Imagine your body not taking any dose of water for 12 hours? Now that's what you call sacrifice! Aside from that, I also tried flourensic angiogram. This is probably the most painful laboratory test of all. It's a test wherein they will inject a fluid to your veins for them to see the back of your eye. This test is recommended by my doctor since I'm having a problem with my retina. I've exeperiened double pain because before that flourensic angiogram, I have to undergo this freaking skin test which is way worse than any vaccine. I also tried chest x-ray for them to see if my lungs are healthy and of course, I even tried two of the easiest lab tests which are the urinalysis and fecalysis. Just give them a sample of your urine and feces and wait for the result the following day. Imagine as I go through all of these things every week. Hard much?

You know what, taking care of your body is really hard. Knowing if you're really healthy is much, much harder. Imagine yourself going through all of these? Bottomline is, there is no harm in having an active lifestyle. Choosing the right meal plan is a must. If you don't want to experience these tests that i'm going through, try to listen to my advice. Do you want to  go through  numerous lab tests, sacrifice some cravings and some bills in the pocket? Think about it.

old school is better.

If I were to describe our group report on Broadcast Issues, I would say it's terrible! First, the projector that we requested from our college's office was not released. You know why? Simply because the one who is in-charge of the equipment left the office early. Talk about being irresponsible. Second, the files that are needed on our video presentation were not saved on the USB. Third, we couldn't render our presentation on a video format because the Adobe installer was having some problems. What made this scenario worst is that no one printed a copy of the script of the report. The script will be a big help because it can be our guide for us to discuss each topic to the class even if it's not supported with a video presentation.

Now it made us think why we rely so much on advanced technology. Good thing some of the sub-topics on our report was touched during the early semesters. Imagine discussing a report you barely even know for 3 hours. That's what you call psychological suicide! On the lighter note, we got through that very critical hours. We finished our report with no side comments from the class. A little advice to all of you: sometimes, old school style of reporting is preferable than the techie ones. Be prepared and don't rely on a computer because it can destroy your future! LOL!

The Wedding

 My niece got married to her long time boyfriend for 7 years. Everybody was excited including me of course, who was assigned to do the program flow and to host a little bit on the reception. We had a 3-hour trip to Sonya's garden Tagaytay where the special thing happened. As we arrived on the venue, I was really impressed with the place. The garden was extraordinary and everything looks perfect for the wedding. The reception hall look really fabulous! If I were to compare their wedding to some of the wedding I attended in to, I must say that this wedding has some edge among others. We arrived at 3pm so we have to rush some few polishings on the decorations since the wedding will start at 4pm. As expected, the wedding started late because we have to wait for the judge. ( I forgot to say it's just a civil wedding ) The ceremony was just 30 mins. long so the program was focused more on the reception. At the reception proper, we did some wedding rituals like the wedding toast, cutting of the cake, etc. My sister became the entertainer of the night. She sang 5songs for the couple. Everything was perfect. The food was great, people are happy and everything run smoothly. I can't wait for them to have a church wedding. For sure it will be double the fun!

cramming 2.0

I have a wedding program to organize tomorrow and too bad, my brain lipids are not working as usual. I have to come up with a cool program flow for the reception that the guests will enjoy. I'm not new on doing these things but I find it really difficult to organize a wedding specially when you don't even have much information about the wedding. What I did is to come up with the things-to-do in a wedding reception. Talk about the wedding toast, first dance, and all that stuffs. I also tried to come up with the list of wedding games that everybody will enjoy. I'm also in charge of the song list that the technical people will play on every part of the program.

APARADOR botique

 I had a very long day at market2x. I spent 4 hours in the mall looking for a white outfit that I will use this Saturday. Since white is never my thing, I find it really difficult to chose from the variety of clothes that the mall has to offer. Good thing  my sister reccomended a store at the Fashion Market called APARADOR. They offer variety of clothes, shoes and bags all of sizes. They offer plus sized fashionista clothes on a very reasonable price. I find the store really awesome and I would definitely visit them again when I have the money. Thanks to APARADOR, my problem has been solved. For sure, my relatives will envy the accessories and clothes that I will wear on Saturday. I'm super excited!

I'm a pirate for a day!

As usual, I spend every Tuesday of my life in the hospital. I have to attend this weekly check-up to see if my condition is getting better or the other way around. This morning, I had two eye tests to determine if my vision is improving. Good thing the oral medication is working! On the other hand, I was surprised to find out that there's still a little inflamattion at the center of my left eye. This caused a blurry effect on my vision. As a solution, they injected my left eye with a steroid that is painful and at the same time made my eyelids numb. Because of the injection, my doctor put an eye patch on my left eye. It made me look like a very ridiculous pirate! It's been three hours since they put this patch and I can't wait for it to be removed ! Hopefully, after all of this injections and tests, I will be better in the coming weeks.

Charter Mobile App For iPod, iPhone and Blackberry

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter. All opinions are 100% mine.


Every year, I am tasked to pick a nice present for dad on Father’s Day. I feel like I am running out of ideas. Most of the time, we just dine out together, buy him a nice shirt and a cake with a nice card. I want to give him something special for this year. I thought an iPod Touch would be cool because of the thousands of apps that I’m sure he would enjoy. Since I could not afford it, I asked my brother and sister if they are willing to help me get one. Without hesitation, they both agreed so we will be shelling out from our little savings to get dad a nice iPod Touch. But wait! I heard about Charter’s newest contest where they are giving away an iPod Touch to 100 lucky winners. Why not take our chances and join this contest first and if we don’t win, then that’s the time we buy him one. 

Charter has definitely gone a long way.  From the regularly held sweepstakes with big-time prizes to their great services, I guess nothing could beat Charter. It has definitely provided a new concept on home entertainment experience – giving its clients better TV, faster internet and unlimited calling services. So, what’s new with Charter? The good news is: you can now access Charter’s services and easily get updates on their latest offers from you iPhone, iPod or Blackberry by downloading the Charter mobile app. Everyone has the chance to enjoy the new Charter mobile app as they are giving away 100 units of an 8 GB iPod Touch. You don’t even have to buy anything to join the contest.

Visit Charter’s site so you can see what makes Charter’s services so popular. You can also get updates, fun extras, and facebook only deals on Charter’s Facebook page.  An added bonus is also given to those who buy any of their great bundles. Charter will give them up to $300 worth gift card to Home Depot or other retailers. So, what are you waiting for? Enter now to win an iPod Touch! Who knows you might be the next lucky winner!

deadlines = stressors

There's nothing more stressful than meeting deadlines. Even if you're used to cramming, i'm sure you will surely agree with me. I was given a day to formulate a master calendar from July 19 to Aug 15. The master calendar will serve as our guide/ to-do list since our show is like three weeks form now. What made this task harder is that you have to consider the things to be done in every department of a production. This means you have to formulate a rehearsal schedule, props,  repair schedule, music and lights requirements, etc. Good thing I have my stage managers to back me up. They are like angels sent by heaven. With their help, we formulated a very good calendar that will surely work for the production. Hopefully, with the help of the master calendar, everything will run smoothly as planned.

I Signed Up For SocialSpark

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

My mother has been bugging me for the longest time to get serious with my blogging. I have three blogs before but I only blog whenever I wanted to and those are mainly for personal use. To me, blogging is my way to express myself and share how I feel about certain things in life. My mom talked me into using my blogging to earn extra moola. She has been doing that for more than three years now. I just thought about it recently and thought why not try it?  Well, she successfully got me into it! I finally signed up with SocialSpark. I enjoy writing and I think getting paid for things you enjoy doing is a great thing. I’m sure it would inspire me more to write better and improve on my blogging skills.

If you have a blog that has been in existence for at least three months, of course with active posts, why not do the same? Sign up for SocialSpark and start earning money now. At SocialSpark, bloggers are free to choose what opportunities to write about and share their opinions about products or services.  Make sure you read the Code of Ethics so you know the rules. Signing up with SocialSpark is so easy. Once you have signed up and submitted your blog, SocialSpark will review your blog and once it gets approved, then you are ready to grab any opportunity available for you. So bloggers out there, come and join me in making money through blogging.

late night rehearsal

It's 8:00 in the evening and my day is far from over. I have to attend the late night rehearsal of our theater group in preparation of our upcoming production this August. I'm really excited because last night's rehearsal has been cancelled  due to heavy rains. There's a massive power interruption all over Metro Manila which ruined my day. Today, everything is back to normal. I attended my Rizal class this afternoon and now, Im getting ready for the rehearsal. Good thing I have my phone to keep me company. Wish me luck!

thank GOD it's Sunday

I feel like choosing Sunday as my favorite day in a week. As usual, I cooked breakfast and lunch for my family. Meat is not allowed in the menu so I decided to think of healthy but delicious recipes. Well, it's always been my dilemma in feeding my brother because  he's used in eating meat his entire life. I decided to cook sauteed bittermelon and fried fish for lunch. Good thing they enjoyed the food! After lunch, I uploaded some photos in my Facebook account. The pictures are mostly from our Friday night out and some are from our acting workshop. After 2 hours in my laptop, I went to the church wiith my brother. It feels so good to visit God once in a while. The joy of connecting with the creator still lingers through my veins. I just feel so alive and happy with the mass. After the mass, I ate dinner, had my last sip of water and watched some T.V. I am not allowed to eat after 8PM because the doctor advised me not to eat or drink anything for 12 hours in preparation for my laboratory test the following day. Since I can't have anything after 8PM, I decided to enjoy the rest of the night facing the laptop. It may look as a boring day but I can assure you that it's not. Im looking forward on more Sundays to come. Hopefully, Sundays will be as good as this one.

night of freedom version2.0

Last night was surely a night to remember. Since my dad attended a 3-day seminar, we planned some activities to do while he is still away. We started things off with a late night dinner at Libis. It's been a ritual of the family to visit SOMETHING'S FISHY at Eastwood because the restaurant never fails to meet our expectations! Talk about the food, the service, etc. Not to mention the buffet price which is really affordable. So basically, I picked foods that I missed eating. Let's just say I became connected with the inner pig in me again. (LOL) We enjoyed the buffet for 2 hours and we left the restaurant at 2AM.

Patty and co. decided to go home while Jasper, Joben and I decided to stay and continue the fun. Full much, it took us 30 minutes to decide on what bar to enter to enjoy the rest of the night. Looks like our brain lipids became inactive due to so much food in the belly! To cut the long story short, We enjoyed an hour at H20 BAR. We chill out, have some non-alcoholic drinks (i'm not allowed to drink beer because i'm under medication) and enjoyed the live band that the bar offers. At 4AM, the boys took me home and we all decided to get some rest. Never did I imagine that i'll enjoy the first night of freedom without some alcohol in my system. Now that's what you call harmless fun! Watch out for more versions of "NIGHT OF FREEDOM" in the coming months :).

NO PE class, more PRODUCTION!

When I was diagnosed with VKH, my doctor told me to make arrangements with my PE professor. I am allowed to do 1 physical activity per day. I have to limit my activities so that it won't cause any trauma to my eyes. When I had y medical certificate in hand, I had a meeting with my PE professor and the head of the PE Department. They allowed me not to do activities such as swimming and arnis but I have to exert extra effort on the upcoming projects of the PE Department this coming August. Im really happy with the arrangements because I'm assigned to do a task that sprung my interest.

F.Y.I, I've been in the stage management scene for two years now and I can say that I pretty much know the ropes inside a production. Good thing my professor as well as his boss is considerate enough with my condition. I'm looking forward to more productions ahead of me this semester. I wouldn't miss this for the world!

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A night of freedom

Last friday, my dad attended a teambuilding seminar at Mt. Makiling. Since it's a 3-day seminar, I was left at home with my siblings. Of course, we planned some things to do for us to enjoy that 3 days without dad! Can you imagine living 3 days of your life without a parent/s? Such a breathe of fresh air.. LOL! What we did was that we started our first night with a late dinner @ Libis. We dined at our favorite resto called "SOMETHIN'S FISHY". I'm sure some of you have heard of the place since it's like the only resto in the Metro that offers a late night buffet meal for like 130.00. It comes with a bottomless drink for only 55.00. Now that's what you call affordable :D!

So after that sumptuous dinner, we decided to have fun @ Malate. Now ladies, if you're in for some fun, try to visit the bars along Orosa-Nakpil St. My favorite bar there is Che-lu. The entrance fee is very affordble and it comes with 2 beers plus the food is excellent! I'm sure couple of gays out there will agree with what i've said. :) Around 3am, we decided to leave the bar and we headed to the grocery shop nearby. We went home at 5:30 AM and slept at 6AM. Due to exhaustion, we woke up at 4pm. We even forgot to have lunch! Oh well, we didn't have the same plan for the following day. We just enjoyed our free day inside the house. You know, the typical movie night/slumber party.

I really did enjoy the moments while my dad was away. That sure brought a feelin of happiness all over my bod! So much better than vanilla ice cream with hot fudge :) Im so looking forward to the seminars that my dad will attend to in the coming months. I am sure, the next time my dad is away, riot will surely take place in the house. It's gonna be fun!

GOD is the answer ...

Last month, something bad happened to me. I was diagnosed with a rare disease that may took months/ years to be treated. Have you ever heard of VKH syndrome? Based on what my doctor said, it's a disease without a sure cause. You can say that the ratio of people who have VKH is like 1 in a million. This disease attacks the pigments in your body, meaning every part of your body that has something to do with pigments can be affected. Talk about the skin, hair, eyes, etc. Unlucky for me, it targeted the eyes first.

In short, my left eye got blind and my right eye (which is a good eye) is starting to get blurry. When i heard about the doctor's prognosis, i felt like my world fell apart. My doctor required me to have my check-up at least once a week and aside from that, minimize the activities that i usually do per day. Now here's the thing: Im a graduating student, dealing with lots of deadlines. Put yourself into my shoes. One physical activity per day won't work for me. I don't even remember what my doctor told me after that. I eventually burst into tears eventhough lots of patients are watching me. Right at that very moment, i realized some important things in life. I realized how important every part of my body is. I also realized how important it is to finish college and help my parents in the future.

At that point in my life, I decided to talk to GOD. At some point, i felt guilty. To be honest, im not the typical catholic who goes to church every Sunday and pray the rosary. I pray only when needed or whenever I feel like doing it. So you see, I talked to him. I asked forgiveness on my wrongdoings. I thanked him for the blessings that he showered me for the past 18 years of my life. Lastly, I talked with him about my disease. It's in a form of a conversation between a parent and a child. After talking with him, I realized another important thing in life: GOD answers our prayers and He will never let you down.

After two weeks of treatment, I found out that my eyes reacted well on the medicine and there's a big improvement in my vision. If this will continue, shorter treatment will be required for me to recover from this disease.

You see, GOD find ways for us to connect with Him. I look at my disease differently than before. I look at my disease as GOD's way of connecting with me. I can say that now, things have changed for the better. I became closer not just to Him, but to the people that I love. I became more contented and happy with what I have. It feels so good to be back in GOD's arms. I know this is a good start for self improvement. Im very confident that with GOD by my side, nothing is impossible.