This is too easy.

This is too difficult.

This is quite good. FYI, I have to play twice in the first round and twice in the third round to finally win.

This is cute and spunky and so exhillirating!

just some comments on things that I watched and I am not in the mood to write a witty headline (yeah, like I can :D)

Current book read: Surprise! Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix. a.k.a. Ow, I Think This is the One Hundreth Time that I Fell Asleep. - watched dvd: Will & Grace season 2 eps. 1-4

It is clear as daylight after watching the first season of Will & Grace, that the series should have been retitled to something else. No, ordinarius, it is not Jack & Karen, as 248 people have also been suggesting, but I think the show should have been called "Fighting and Making Up".

The show was Oh-Lord-drag-me-out-of-this-misery strenuous.. Everyone is yelling, screaming, pointing hands, animatedly moving hands, fingers, hairs, hips, legs, until they started to lose their energy doing all that. And then after that, there were this hugging, kissing, stroking, smiling, laughing, apologizing... All in each and every episodes! It is just so tiring.

The producers did a good job though in the following season by reminding us that the world revolves not only between Will and Grace.

Argh! I took it all back when I said that the marathon would have been fun. Everybody made mistakes.

-----

After witnessing a series of great fights on the arena also known as the Australian Open, I was shocked and hugely disappointed that Justine Henin-Hardenne had to quit during the final match where she was actually on her way of being demolished. She should know that Mauresmo has a habit of losing concentration on crucial moments. Ooops, that may happen once, perhaps. :)

I'm glad Federer takes home the title. I'm glad that it is again proven that he is as good as a tennis player as he is as a person. However, I felt a bit sorry because the last point of the second set had to be called out that dramatic. It really influenced Baghdatis' performance.

On the other hand, Baghdatis was awesome. I was expecting Federer to win straight sets, but hey, that lad can really swing his racket. Unlike that Andy what's-his-face.

After winning, Federer cried. Aww.. Even the strongest can cry.

-----

It was one of those nights. Tom Scavo was sitting in the kitchen. He was reading a newspaper, waiting for his beloved wife to come home from work. He waited for a good news he longed to hear all day: that he got the job in the same firm as his wife's, after a supposedly successful interview this afternoon.

Somewhere in his mind, he was thinking about the big picture of it. How this can be his wife's chance to save their marriage, because as he confessed that afternoon to his wife, there's a part of him who'd been always hating her for meddling with his promotion in his old job.

Lynette Scavo, the wife, entered the house with a simple, "Hey." Tom pitched a joke of what happened earlier today, and Lynette told the good news in a somber way. Her boss really wanted to hire him. She sat down in front of her dinner plate prepared by Tom and said, "On one condition. If you take this job, you are never allowed to bring out what happened before with your promotion."

Tom agreed, but Lynette needed an assurance by saying with a shaky voice, "I need a solemn vow that you'll never throw that in my face ever again." After Tom agreed, Lynette made her last point, "And what I want from you is to be forgiven." Tom told her in a classic phrase, "I already had." Hearing this, she ate, and a streak of light started to be reflected on her face as the light hit her tear that ran down her left eye.

The past will come back to haunt you, yes. But I never expected that it can be invited back by the people that you love and love you. If they can, what may people who don't love us do?

-----

Embrace the week in front of you lot.

Ow, almost forgot. Two things from SAG awards leftovers. (1) This is so gonna be Felicity Huffman's year. (2) Why wasn't I surprised that Brokeback Mountain won none? I really wondered if it really worth the hype. Not only because of this, but because of ... you know..

on birthdays

Current books read: Round That Useless Chapter Up to 28, Mate. - watched dvd: Will & Grace season 1 eps 9-19.

The confusement (read: kong-fyu-ze-mang) on when to say happy birthday to someone who was born, raised, had lived, and gathered some friends on the other part of the world (say, 6 to 12 hours apart) lingers on after two years. In order not to be confused on when to say it to me, let's settle things down.

I do believe that birthday is celebrated when the date of your day when you were born comes. Say you were born at 11 pm. People don't have to wait until the clock strikes 11 to say happy birthday, right? But how about if you were born on February, 23rd in GMT +8 city. But now, due to most current circumstances, you live in a GMT -5 city. It's midnight at your hometown, but you haven't even had a decent lunch in your place.

Morphologically, birthday means birth day (cue the "Duh?"). So how about like this. Your birthday starts when midnight strikes Nuku'alofa and ends as midnight the next day comes to Apia. My reasoning for this? Globalization. Because you can live your life in Guam, and still watching Finnish television shows or having a best friend working in Tokyo.

This is just great. Or this is just a way to keep the birthday boys and girls having more fun on their birthdays and keeping them the center of the attention. Or this is a way of saying me, "Sorry if I'm late saying happy birthday.. after all, it is still your birthday in Honolulu."

Anyhoo, who still celebrates birthday anyway? Oops, is it just me?

Definitely not the least, look what's featured in Wikipedia today.



Fuckin' awesome.

potentially the most entertaining marathon ever

Current books read: The Book with Unnecessary Twenty Four Chapters, a.k.a. Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix - watched dvd: Will & Grace, eps 1-8 season 1

Hello, come in please.

Thank you for participating in this event whose chance just fell on my lap yesterday. Please register your name, age, address, sex (if it isn't obvious) and request to be waited or not. Drinks are all non-alcoholic, places are all non-smoking, and you are requested to wear a decent clothing items.

No shoes if you just stepped on piles of snow out there, socks can be worn if they are not that smelly, and I turned up the radiator to a maximum but it is negotiable. Pillows are for the host (that's me) to be hugged.

Make sure that your muscle cramp on the stomach that hurts like hell when you sneeze, laugh, or do another round of sit-ups, is fully cured. A mirror in hand may also come in handy in case a friend thinks that you look like one of the people that you are going to see, and you, mental, took that as a compliment.

Turn off the mobiles, please. The marathon starts today.


Now, please wave to a friend of mine, and a sort-of-friend of mine, who're (not whore, but who are!!) already 5 miles ahead of us all. *wave*

Oh, by the way, subtitle and german audio not included. If you don't laugh due to the non-slapstic jokes because you don't understand English, don't blame me. If you don't laugh because you don't understand any tie-in jokes, based on american culture or history or politics jokes, or new york-ish jokes, then we will get along just fine. *grin*

The marathon starts now.

Auf die Plätze.. Fertig.. Los!

on a recent American Idol

See? I knew it. I KNEW it. I just kept schtum because I thought everybody knew it. Come on, you really think that 18.385 people sang Lady Marmalade in the audition?

don't cry for me Stephanina..

Current books read: still Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, *yawn*

I can't believe it. I really really really can't believe it. It feels really surreal to me. Maybe I should put this as one of 2006 accomplishments. (My Gosh :-o)

Anyway, the story starts around three weeks ago when it was decided that Stephan Darnstaedt was one of the DSDS finalist, surprisingly. Two weeks ago, we witnessed his first "Motto-Shows" (translated as Themed Shows) performance. Not great. But what have I and my friend decided to do? We voted for him of course.

His reason behind this unreasonable move was just for the sport of it. MY reason was:

I wanted Stephan to suffer. I wanted him to be cruelly and brutally criticized by non-fans viewers, jury, and especially the media. And of course to make fun of him every single time he was out there.

I remember it so clearly how I laughed my ass off when his shaky voice was heard saying, "Jeder der mich ausgebuht hat, soll sich hier hin stellen und es tausend Mal besser machen als ich.", and jogged off the stage with a gotta-keep-smiling-because- I'm-almost-breakin-off-to-tears forced half-smile. Huahahahahahahahhaa..

It turns out that the suffering reached its highest height, apparently. As of today, out there in the media, Stephan follows the footsteps of Marlea Stroman and Mario Vazquez of American Idol hopefuls, that is taking himself out of the competition.

Good luck, Stephan. I sincerely hope you will find back your sanity out there. Like the sanity that you needed the first place when you thought you can be Deutschlands Superstar, and went to audition for it. Thanks for sparking up the show and making me actually starting to like watching it.

And if you think that the media won't start picking on you, read this. On a totally unrelated note, now that is hillarious.

on the award that looks like bookends

Current books read: Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix, by JK Rowling. I had been warned that it was gonna be boring. I just don't realize that it would be this boring. OMG.

If you watch The Office Christmas Special DVD extra features, you'll know why the title is written like the title.

Anyway, after successfully almost fainted holding my sleepiness for 3 hours, you don't think that I will let the Globes slips not through my fingers like that, do you? Here's some short notes on it.

It turns out that I still squint my eyes everytime I hear the words that say: Golden Globe is a barometer or early prediction for Oscar. Well, that might be true.. in 1984, perhaps! Duh?

If Scarlett Johannson was a supporting actress, who's the leading actor/ress in Match Point? I honestly thought that that Elvis bloke and Scarlett Jo had more or less the same portion of a role in that movie. My logic was if Scarlett Jo is supporting, then Elvis is supporting. So, who's leading? [Before you jump in, I try to omit the fact that this may only be how the production house does the campaign.]

No comments on Jason Lee. Otherwise some people who really like to jump into conclusion will think the wrong way.

I still can't believe that some two hundred people were still successfully fooled by Hugh Laurie, including his producer for House. Didn't they watched extras for Friends - The Complete Fourth Season? Come to think of it, me neither. :p . I have only watched the VCDs in Indonesia. Potato, rice. But still, in it, it was clear as hell that Hugh Laurie is british. Or at least, he's an american who speaks in british accent during non-acting gig. If you insist.

The Globes did acknowledge music categories. Why aren't they recognizing best reality shows in the TV category?

On a longer note..

I'm glad that Mary-Louise Parker won one. Because I knew her first through Golden Globes. Back then, she nailed it for her performance in Angels in America (AIA). I hadn't watched it then, so I couldn't comment on her winning.

After I watched it, I think she did an OK job. Her character itself had been a complex one. So.. It's not her fault that I don't really like it though, it's the actor who played Belize's fault for overshadowing anyone else. Heheheh..

Anyway, that impression of Mary-Louise sitting, making her way to the stage, stays for years in my mind. When I watched AIA the first time, I was like, "I thought I knew her from somewhere." Stupid. The impression stayed so long until I watched her in The West Wing.

Her character in The West Wing, named Amy Gardner, is one of my most beloved character in TV series, simply because that she can gain control over Josh Lyman. Wohoo.. Amy-Josh develop quite a love/career story, that is really interesting. Second good impression.

So that night, when what-is-his-problem Chris Rock came out, before announcing her name (I wasn't paying attention to the nominee list, come on), I thought again.. "I thought I knew her from somewhere." Glad that she finally strolled up to the stage and made a speech and reminded me why I like Amy Gardner.

It's how she utters the words, that's why. Now, should I watch Weeds?

A million... boom!!

I think my ears or my head (I don't know which one's first) will explode if I hear another spin-off title from "A Million Little Pieces".

The explosion may be done voluntarily by myself though, since I am the one who insisted on giving away two hours or so of my time today to study about the so-called Freygate. Damn you, Larry King!

However, when people kept saying that James Frey is a rich frat boy, he reminds me a lot of Earl Hickey. Now Hickey will definitely blow my head off because of laughing to hard.

Before we hear another of those bad quips.. Let's sing one of Shayne's performance..

A miiiiiiiillll-lion love songs later..
Here I am trying to tell you, that I care..

(remember, you HAVE TO sing it in Irish accent to get that Shayne effect)

dream, dream, dream.. dre-ee-ee-ee-eam.. (please repeat as wished)

Hmm.. I wanna talk about my last night's dream. It went like this..

I was in a reunion of my bachelor department. The event was held in an over-the-beach house at night during high tide, so that the waves were splashing to the window. I spent most of the time seeing out the window, swooning over the waves, because I like them so much.

There was a stage and were performances. What I remember the most was one of that dude named Eka from Class of '98. And you know, eventhough I performed singing so many times (not solo, apparently..) I always ended up not-singing in events like this when they have Who-would-like-to-sing-a-song-? semi-voluntarily asked question. So I just sat watching the waves, and talked to best friends.

And then I went out of the building because I LOVE walking down the beach so much. All by myself. That is weird. And that walk ended up in the backstage area, where performers were getting ready. And surprisingly, the next performers performed angklung, performing Goodbye by Air Supply, with a terrible singer.

I woke up, a bit sweating like having been woken up from a nightmare, still had a clear intro of the song, and started to sing Goodbye.

I thought, I was having a nightmare because I would like starting to diss the singer, and the singer challengded me to have a sing-off of the song, and I lost it because my range is somewhere out there from the song. I started singing to prove that I still can sing that song humbly properly.

BUT! I just realized, after spending the whole day humming to that tune and wondered why I got so hooked to the dream, that the nightmarity was because of that Goodbye is a song that symbolizes the end of my childhood (!). I remember it clearly that one day I could sing it very similar to that Graham or Hitchcock dude, and the next day, I couldn't even reach the famous "You!" (in the "you would never ask me why" bit) properly. Yep, puberty got me.


And until this morning, I didn't realize that I still can sound that "You!" properly, in my own kinda style of singing, unlike that Graham or Hitchcock dude.

And Goodbye is a song that tells me literally to say goodbye to my childhood and that I should embrace the so-called adolescence.

No wonder it turned the dream to something nightmare-ish. *shudder*

Luscious Malfoy

Current books read: Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix, by JK Rowling - expected TV program: DSDS, 2. Motto-Shows, RTL, Saturday, 21:15 - watched movie: Match Point

Hah.. They should've called the movie Luscious and Luscious..

[Spoiler, highlight to read] - Wonder how the lips look like on the unborn child ..

shite!

Current books read: Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix, by JK Rowling

It ain't me. It's the eff-ing eff-ing (that's fuckin' freezin', by the way) winter; Project Runway 2; and a screaming/tempting/propagating label stating 50% off.

I think I'm gonna watch this year's Oscar because of the host. It will be fun seeing him open the show, and went to bed right after. :) But presumably, I wouldn't get the jokes anyway since I came to the darker side.

The decision was done right a day after I browsed through his clips on You Tube. Seriously!

By the way, you should watch this chap on Crossfire. Wow.

Project Runway 2 top 7 revealed?

Current books read: State of Fear by Michael Crichton. Finished! - study reading: State of Fear by Michael Crichton

This post should have been three weeks old, but I just watched this yesterday.

When Heidi Klum's voice saying, "This season on Project Runway.." was heard, I was alerted with one thing only: possible spoiler! And then suddenly, this shot appeared, and it may reveal the top 7 designers.

If you'd rather be spoiled, click here.

the breakdown (wanna break them legs, wanna keep them down)

OK. Ooooowwwww kkkkkeeeee.. I'll be supportive. I'd be dissapointedly supportive. I'm gonna break each and one DSDS "finalist", and pointed out why I hate them. And I'll be supportive .. supportive as an expensive bra.

Eventhough I still think that between the 10 finalists there are only 3 contestants who can sing, and those 3 won't even be in the finals if they were on American Idol, here they are in no particular order.

1. Carolina Escolano

+ : Attitude, showman, unique voice
- : Her attitude came across as cocky; every performance she tried to be sexy, the fact is she aint; her voice sounds like there's a filter that screens the voice, so that only 50% of them comes out, what the...???; crybaby

Suggestion:
Quit the cocky attitude, you were through not because viewers like or sympathize (how one writes this word?) you, but because your their votes are divided among the better singers.

Your voice. Oh, lord.. Have you ever taken a voice lesson? If not, no wonder.. If yes, you're not a good student are you? Project your voice from your diaphragm to the back of your mouth, don't produce it from your neck and then trying to be sultry, and whispering every syllable. That's why I ask you to tone down the dancing a bit. Have a good control of your voice first, and then do the other things.

Stop singing upbeat songs, please. You are not sexy. Yes you can flick your hip to left and right, but that doesn't mean that you please me everytime you do it. So tone it down a bit.

Pick a much better song that will suit your voice. I know that you like being bouncy, but IMHO, either your voice suits better to groovy kind of songs, or you suck in singing upbeat songs. So to compromise, pick a groovy bouncy songs. Like "Shoop, Shoop", for example. But if you're having difficulties to tackle Whitney, then you're in trouble.

2. Nevio Passaro

+ : great hairdo; different singing style; adorable (for teen-chicks) attitude.
- : weak voice; cocky; undeserving (with-guitar audition).

Suggestion:
To be honest, I think you are currently the best in the worst group. In the first week, you succeeded being a Ronan Keating impersonator. If that style of singing is truly yours, then maybe you can be one of my favorite. Because Ronan Keating, Shane Filan, Gary Barlow, JC Chasez, despite what people say about their group, they are good singers.

It turns out, that you are nowhere near Ronan Keating. You sound like Ronan because you sang a Ronan song. Second week, whoa! It was off. Thank God you arranged the "Yesterday" to be jazzy, so that your pitchy spots are somewhat masked. But it was pitchy.

I do think that you won't suck if you keep singing ballads. But I'm not so sure that you would be great in singing rather than ballads. That's what Motto Show is for, right? Either to find out whether you're versatile or not, or to give twists to songs to make it your own.

But please, if the song is a very well known pop, don't play your jazz card once again.

So far, I got so disturbed by your thin thin thin voice, so my advice to Caro on voice production would be suitable to be applied to you as well. And I still don't get what are you doing with your left hand while your singing.. You usually played the piano while singing, right? I don't thing that cupping is one of left hand routines on the piano. Hmmm.. But I may be wrong.

As much as I don't like you at all, I'm still gonna say this: You are the most potential candidates to go home with the Superstar title.

3. Stephan Darnstaedt
+ : voice
- : annoying voice, no stage presence at all, drama queen, crybaby, no style.

Suggestion:
Listen to your image consultant. If you don't have one, read (or look in) more teen mags. Try to put on different styles that you find there. Your style is dead boring and it doesn't suit your performance.

As for performing, it's clear that you really like melancholy songs because it fits your personality (crybaby) and voice. But don't be trapped on them. You should find a more powerful song that will showcase your voice.

My concrete suggestion is pick a backstreet boys song, but (again, I tell you) don't sing a melancholy one. If not, find other boyband's songs, as they usually aren't difficult songs. And stop looking so sad. Be strong, man.. strong, strong, strong!

I put these three just to show that I got annoyed both between the best and worst. So you understand now why I called the show worthless, right?

Have fun on Saturday night. I know I will.

it went down without a list

So. 2005 is over. This year I didn't intend to post a list for the new year. I was just keeping myself busy with other people's list, and not even worrying about any resolutions.

There is one thing in my mind that I really want to be or do in 2006, though. And it was somewhat explained in Melly's blog. Believe it or not, focus is the only thing that I thought about for 2006. The fact that most of the time that I lacked, or simply just didn't have it.

But I won't keep it as resolution. As I failed keeping one or two resolutions along the years.. :)

Regardless... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!