i am woman, hear me rawr!

This years American Idol, for me, was kind of a letdown. It wasn’t as grand as previous seasons, which was sad since there were good singers in the batch plus the debut of Ellen DeGeneres. However, from the start of the season it was announced that Simon Cowell would no longer be renewing for Season 10.

Just yesterday, I read Ellen was also not renewing and today, I came across a Yahoo! trending topic that said “Kara DioGuardi” so I clicked and it said she too was no longer returning!

Ooooh…what a sad AI Season 10 this will be.

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I’m not really one who gets picked at raffles, but I want to believe that Gadgets and Tech’s contest will be one of those few times I actually win in a raffle!!! Keep your fingers crossed for me, okay?

They are giving away a Samsung mobile phone and a Php 2000 GC to PowerMac, which I desperately need

I know this is a last minute to entry to Gadgets And Tech’s 1st Annual Phone Raffle Contest but who knows

There are only 3 easy steps to join the contest. You have till 11:59 tomorrow night, July 31, to be included in the raffle. Head on over to Gadgets and Tech‘s site to join…NOW NA!

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I first read Elizabeth Gilbert’s book, Eat, Pray, Love in the midst of a deep depression I was going through, a dark night of the soul as I like to call it. Through her story, as she cried facedown on the bathroom floor, I was able to find bits and pieces of a puzzle that helped me understand my own experience better.

In her one year journey to the land of ‘I’s', I joined her and worked through my personal issues. Her realizations resounded loudly with me. By the end of her journey, I felt, too, that U had my own beads of strength, wisdom and  peace.

As I eagerly anticipate the opening of the film adaptation of the book, I got to dreaming about my own Eat, Pray, Love adventure. This comes at a quite the right time, especially since I’ve been feeling out of sorts lately. It’s kinda like have a grey cloud loom over, threatening to bring a storm over.

In that time of darkness when I read the book, I learned that one way to find my center is to throw some things in a bag, load up my car and drive off to the beach with Bubba. Right now I’m really hoping I can do that, but finances are quite tight so I can’t really just do that.

That’s what got me to dreaming about Elizabeth Gilbert’s trip. Yes, like her, I want to find something to marvel at. I wish I too was bestowed the gift of taking a year off to myself, with just Bubba and a spankin’ new MacBook Pro with matching iPad and iPhone (hint hint hint!), and be able to just write. I don’t know yet what I want to write, but I’ve always joked that I would probably have a novel out before I succeed in doing a thesis. I don’t invision going abroad like Elizabeth did, just around the Philippines would be great, particularly by the beach, as long as Bubba is welcome with me.

However, right now I know that’s kinda impossible so I’ll do the next best thing: I’m taking a weekend off to re-read her book while waiting for the movie to come out.

Photo Credit: “Day 23 – New Obsession” by Barb Watson, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved

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I am a self-confessed shopaholic.

Yup, I often find myself in deep trouble because I shop too impulsively and with little thought checking out better deals. If I see something I like, I would likely walk out of the store with it.

Enter Online Shopping. What I like about shopping online is that it is quite easy to compare prices and see which is the best deal for my money. Also, it allows me to check out similar products that may actually be better than the one I am looking at. In real life shopping, that would entail a lot of walking and time but online, it’s quick and easy. I am, however, still sometimes a bit cautious about where I shop online, especially if I have not tried ordering from these sites yet.

One of the sites I recently came across while trying to look at iPads (yes, I still want one, even if I know I don’t really need it!) is eBillme.com. I am still exploring the site and checking out how it works, so I have not personally tried to order yet but what appears to be a good selling point in my opinion is that 1.) it offers an iron-clad Buyer Protection Program and 2.) you get rebates through purchases and 3.) you can use coupons to get even more discounts. For example, in searching for the iPad, there are abt electronics coupons I can use to get a sweeter deal on my dream gadget. Given today’s economy, that’s great, right?

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Roman Polanski’s critically acclaimed thriller The Ghost Writer is set to open this August 4 exclusively at the Glorietta 4 and Greenbelt 3 cinemas.  Adapted from the Richard Harris’ novel The Ghost, the mystery thriller stars Ewan Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall and Olivia Williams. The film earned Polanski the Best Director prize at the 2010 Berlin Film Festival.

The Ghost Writer revolves around a ghostwriter, known as the Ghost, who agrees to write the memoirs or a former British Prime Minister. Thinking that this is the opportunity of a lifetime, he takes it on but from the get-go, the project is beset by controversy. At the end, the Ghost discovers more than he bargained for.

This seems to be one of those films up my alley Will try to catch it and let you know how it goes!

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While I am very happy living where I am right now (with my grandmother, that is) I still dream every now and then of owning my very own home. One that I can decorate and furnish to my own liking, where everything is really up to me. My top dream location is definitely by the beach, but if I were to pick a place in the city, I would choose the Fort or Bonifacio Global City area.

There are many great high-rises around that area, one of which is the Avida Towers, which was recently formally launched with a grand celebration. The event was graced by Ayala Land Inc.’s very own Antonio Aquino and Bobby Dy, as well as Avida Land’s Leo Montenegro and Cris Maglanoc.

The night was filled with music, laughter and lots of great treats, made even more memorable by top-ranking performances by the Philippines’ premiere vocal group, The Company. Singers Aries Sales and Princess Velasco likewise graced the event with their musical numbers.

This latest launch is indeed another milestone by one of the country’s most sought after real estate developers. During the launch, guests were able to get a glimpse of the Avida Towers Global City lifestyle. The highlight of the event was the grand visual presentation that showed exactly what exactly future residents of Avida Towers will love about their new home and community.

If you are interested in viewing model units of this latest Ayala Land project, do drop by at the Avida Towers Global City sales office at the 2nd floor of Market! Market!  For more information, call (02) 848-5200 or visit www.avidaland.com.

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Yup, it’s that time of the year again when the weather shifts and the long , hot summer days bid farewell. While I may not be a big fan of the rain, I do love the bed-weather it brings! I love how the nights are now cool and that snuggling in bed is such a pleasurable waste of time, although this kind of weather can trigger my asthma. Nonetheless, rainy days bring a whole lot of fond memories as well. Here’s naming a few:

1. Cooking hot chocolate over the stove  using real chocolate tableas
2. Playing in the rain with nothing but my undies
3. Curling up by the bay window with a good book and a steaming hot mug of coffee
4. Free days when classes are suspended!!!
5. Champorado with Tuyo or Tapa! (Chocolate Rice Porridge with Dried Fish or cured meat)
6. Floating paper boats in the street
7. Doing nothing at all!!!!

Don’t ya love it!!! Since the rains are starting up again, of course some preparations are necessary so as early as now, I’m stocking up my car (as well as my home) with some lazy day goodies and essentials, such as quick snacks, flashlights, and extra clothes should I need it. I also threw in a couple of those promotional umbrellas from the bank and pharma companies to keep me dry as I shuttle back and forth from my jobs.

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Angelina Jolie delivers another explosive performance as CIA Operative, Evelyn Salt in the Columbia Pictures release, Salt. Accused of betraying her country, she is called out by a Russian defector as an undercover Russian agent infiltrating one of America’s most valued agencies. Is she a sleeper agent or a falsely accused hero? These are the questions to be answered throughout the adrenaline-driven flick. From the opening scene all the way to the end, the film is so intense and captivating that I found myself holding my breath.

I truly enjoyed the movie mainly because I love action thrillers like these. I loved the twists and turns in the story and as always, Angelina wowed me with her action prowess. Her high powered stunts reminded my of her role in Mr and Mrs Smith, although without the comic relief that film had.  Her role in Salt also reminded my of Sydney Bristow in Alias and I loved that series a lot!!!

Salt is one of the films I’ve been waiting for, as I said in my previous post about the movie, and I’m so glad I finally got to watch it. The movie is relatively short, running only for about 100 minutes (according to Wikipedia!) but it’s so action-packed and intense, extending it may not have been to the films best interest.

Do watch out for Salt’s secret weapon (harhar!)…and more so, watch out for her escape scenes right after that!!!

Salt also stars Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Daniel Olbrychski, and Andre Braugher and is directed by Phillip Noyce. Salt opens on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 in Philippine theaters.

Special thanks to Columbia Pictures for the invitation to the advanced screening of Salt this evening at SM Megamall’s Cinema 2

Photos courtesy of Columbia Pictures.

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