The Reason I Watched AI this Year (or at least parts of it)

I have stopped following Idol after Season 8--the year Kris Allen won. Somehow after that, the contestants seem lackluster and the show just got worse when Simon Cowell left.

When this season started (is it the 10th already or even more than that?), I did not feel the usual excitement that I had come January when I know AI will start. However, I've been hearing about this half-Filipino/half-Mexican girl who was wowing the judges week after week. I did not have the chance to watch her until I saw her sing Whitney Houston's anthemic song, "I'll Always Love You". As I already saw Charice Pempengco sing that song, it did not impress me much but I acknowledged that she could sing. But when she sang the song below, it just mesmerized me and I realized that she could actually have a chance to win it.




I guess the producers or whatever powers-that-be in Idol realized how powerful the song was, they actually got the original singer, Grammy Winner, Jennifer Holliday, to sing a duet with her. And their duet birthed a dozen memes.

But before the memes, watch the video:



Here are a couple of them which I got at Trending.ph. It's in Filipino so unless you understand that language, it won't be as hilarious.




As we already all know, Jessica Sanchez lost but her duet with Jennifer Holliday will be one of the greatest duets in AI history.

Teenage Parenting

I was a bit bothered when I read about 4 teens killed in a car crash just this weekend. It made me think how I should parent my son when he grows up to be a teenager.

A part of me wants to keep him in a leash and never let him out of my sight. But I know that will just exist in my imagination and will have negative repercussions on him. If I want him to grow into a well-balanced individual, I have to ease up on the control and ensure that he's equipped with the proper skills to help him find his way through life. Whether I like it or not, driving is definitely defined as a life skill that one should really learn. Though commuting is always an option, knowing how to drive a car really makes a difference as it keeps you mobile especially in areas where the commute can be quite difficult.

I was pretty tame when I was a teenager in a sense that I only recently learned how to drive so there were no instances where I would sneak off the car for a joyride. I also don't like going to parties so I'm particularly stuck at home and I was ok with that.

I just hope that I can inculcate the right values to my son so by the time he grows up to be a teenager, he can make the right decisions for himself.

Bohol Part II

Summer vacation is almost over and in three weeks time, I'll be back in school teaching and molding young minds. Hopefully, I'll do a better job than what I did last term. I guess there's no way to go but up. I envision myself to be an effective teacher and hopefully, that will come to fruit.

 As a personal last hurrah for the vacation, my family and I together with a friend's family, will be going to Bohol. It will be our second time there but Basti's and my friend's first time. I really fell in love with that place when we went there two years ago and I posted about that here. I hope my companions will feel the same way.

 We will be staying at Bluewater Panglao Beach Resort and the pictures shown in their site are really awesome! I hope that it's not all pictures and the views are real. Will post more about our trip once we get back.

Paint Transfer

Last April 28, we were on our way to the grocery when our car was hit by another vehicle that was swerving into our lane. I still can't believe how calm both my husband and I were after the accident to think we were entitled to really freak out. Other than our car being barely a month old, Basti was seated at the back near to the side that was hit. Maybe we were just in shock but afterwards, I was thinking that I should have jumped out of the car with fists flying. Good thing nobody was hurt. My insurance had to cover everything though as the other vehicle (a company vehicle at that) does not have comprehensive insurance--just third-party liability--which absolutely sucks. At least they paid for our participation so we did not have to pay for anything. Nevertheless, everything is just one big hassle. The paint transfer looks awful and the mags were scratched too. Can't wait to get my car back.