profound bliss

It's raining hard while I'm typing this. I'm afraid for those living in the flood prone areas, especially those who experienced being flooded during the previous typhoons. It's almost bedtime when it rained hard where I'm at. What if the flood came when they're already sleeping? That's kinda hard to think of. Let's pray that the rain stops before it floods the metro again.

Shaun Rodriguez had been eliminated! Oh my. They wasted Mika 's Red Pearl. Sayang. Anyway Paolo Bediones stripped the Top 6 of their strategies, especially with the question of who they wanna share the top 2 with. Justine almost didn't answer. She's the one with the most effective strategy (I guess). But she answered Jef . Mika wanted Amanda with her if ever she'd be part of the top 2, and vise versa for Amanda. Jef, Shaun, Charles , and Jef all wanted Justine to be with them at the top 2 slots. Shaun's exit interview was a little calm. What got me was that he really wanted Justine to win; that it would be a fairy tale ending if Justine would win. I remember him telling Justine over ice cream before that the best ending would be Justine winning the top prize - the first one voted off hailed as the winner. And then SP: Palau would be subtitled The Justine Ferrer show. Heh! Just kidding. Shaun is no more, though. And the big question is: will Justine's ...

Who finds Gossip Girl's Rufus attractive? Raise your hands. I am raising my hand to Dan Humphrey's dad. He's hot despite his age, really. Anyway, OMG has found some nude pics of Matthew Settle (Rufus). See it here .

Cathy Remperas was chosen by Big Brother to go to Big Brother Finland for the Big Swap. The 22-year-old Nursing graduate will be swapped with another 22-year-old, Estonian-born Kattlin Laas . Bruce Quebral was the last swapped housemate. He was swapped with a housemate named Tina from Big Brother Slovenia. And it's in Slovenia where that Bruce Quebral video in the shower was taken. I hope nothing like that would happen to Cathy. But how I wish Pinoy Big Brother would show us Rob or Tom showering. That would be quite a treat, no? PS Who did Cathy's make-up in that photo above? Just wondering. pic via Facebook

I found this small video of Marvin and Suzuki of Survivor Palau. Wacky! And I didn't realize until I saw this that Marvin really is so young. Via Facebook , Echo Caceres Exclusive

Congratulations to Celebrity Duets hosts and real life sweethearts Ogie Alcasid and Regine Velasquez for winning the Male and Female Recording Artist of the Year respectively at the very first Star Awards for Music held last night (October 29, 2009) at the Skydome SM North EDSA. No questions asked. The two are deserving of those awards.

Pilipinas Got Talent was first rumored to be hosted by Kris Aquino . But now, news came out that Billy Crawford and Luis Manzano will be hosting the talent show. Pilipinas Got Talent is the local version of the Got Talent franchise, most famous for its British counterpart, Britain's Got Talent , hosted by Ant and Dec. I haven't heard word about the judges, though. And Wikipedia says it will premier 2010. They're still having auditions in some key cities across the country. - Lyceum of the Philippines in Batangas on Nov. 6, 7, and 8 - Cebu on Nov. 11, 12, and 13 - Baguio on Nov. 19, 20, 21 - Cagayan De Oro on Nov. 25, 26, and 27 - Davao on Nov 30, Dec. 1 and 2 - Manila on Dec 5, 6, 12, and 13

CNN hottie Anderson Cooper and friend, gay bar owner Benjamin Maisani , looks so sweet as they walk along the streets of India in matching shirts and bikes. Anderson is reportedly staying at the Rambagh Palace, on a $3,200-a-night room. But is the friend sharing the room? What do you think? Benjamin Maisani owns the East Village gay bar Eastern Bloc.

I know New Moon is coming near. But I don't think this Robert Pattinson underwear is a good way to promote the movie. LOL! But yeah, it's fan-made. via twitarded

Abercrombie & Fitch 's new web book is gorgeous... and classy. What with those quotes from famous personalities like Chesteron, Doyle, Marquis, etc.

Kerry Degman and Rianne ten Haken for Armani Exchange Holiday 2009 campaign. Don't you just love Kerry? Armani loves him. And I also do. Heh! I've read somewhere that modeling is just his stepping stone to acting. Hmm.. Ala Ashton Kutcher? Not bad. Kerry looks better, IMO. Let's just hope he could act =) Photos taken by Matthew Scrivens , VP Creative, AX.

The new girls of House A was given a chance to have another male housemate from the other house. The chance was given to them to even out gender distribution in their house. It can be noted that they're mostly girls in House A, and that is why Kuya was so keen on putting another male in House A. The thing was, the girls had to kiss the House B male housemate that they want on the forehead while he was sleeping. And of course he shouldn't see them or know what they were doing while they were putting on those 2 kissmarks. They're choice was Paul Jake, and based on the rating they gave the male housemates in the adjoining house, their least preferred male housemate in House B was Rob. It seemed that Paul Jake was a light sleeper, and the girls weren't able to put on him those kissmarks. As a result, they got their least preferred - Rob. The new House B, likewise, got to choose between Carol and Yhel because majority of House B were men. House B chose Carol! She ...

Immunity Challenge. The winner will also get the chance to talk to his/her loved ones here in the Philippines for 15 minutes. Shaun was very emotional when he got to see a video message from his wife. It also made him so determined to win the challenge. The castaways will stand on a raft with a pail of water on top of their heads. They could use both hands in holding the pail but after 30 minutes, only 1 hand would be allowed. Jef's pail fell off first. Justine was next to give up because she couldn't bear the pain on her head anymore. Third was Charles because his hand holding the pail became numb. In the end, Amanda and Shaun battled it out. But Shaun's knees wobbled, causing some water to spill out. Amanda was so happy with her first immunity win. She also immediately called her aunt, even requesting for a Graham when she returned. Amanda picked Mika to bring with her in calling her other loved ones using the Smart Pug & Talk. That meant Mika could also cal...

I love Madonna , but this video blog is so funny you won't hate Matt Siegel for bashing Madonna even if you're a die-hard fan. I wasn't really aware of the song Oh Father until this vid. I started liking Madonna from Vogue onwards (I'm not so sure if Oh Father came before Vogue, though). But from the title alone, I can see why Oh Father is a gay favorite.

The model's name is Arthur Sales . Is Butch expecting their sales to soar by hiring Arthur Sales ? Just kidding. Part 2 below.

Don't you just love Adam Lambert ? How about Kris Allen? Kris looks like someone from the old Batman series. While Adam looks like someone from a sci-fi movie. The big question is: whose album would do better in sales? We already know that Adam can hit high notes better and he has more vocal power. But hey, Kris was the one majority of Americans voted for.

Justine was both shocked and overwhelmed that Shaun chose her to share the reward with. It’s her first time to be on a helicopter, much more, a helicopter ride that would give her a tour of all of Palau. The two of them were taken to an island where they were treated to an ice cream feast. And of course, Shaun made the move to get Justine’s confidence. He even said that the nicest way to end the show is to have the first cast-off become the sole survivor. Flattery went a long way, too, because Justine seemed to become more convinced when Shaun said that if ever she won, she’d be the most beautiful sole survivor so far. It seemed though that Justine was just very good in putting up a front, because she’s still true to her alliances Jef and Charles. They wanted either Mika or Shaun out. If one of the two got the immunity, then they’d vote the other out, and vice versa. Jef and Charles, perceived to be two of the weakest from the very start, look like on top of the game now. ...

Brad Pitt doesn't seem like wanting to hide anything... even the skin imperfections that could be easily hid by airbrush. Proof of which is this picture on Cut .

The 23rd PMPC Star Awards for TV 2009 will be held on November 29th, 7 pm at the PAGCOR Grand Theater. The nominees are: Best Primetime TV Series Codename: Asero (GMA-7) Eva Fonda (ABS-CBN-2) Iisa Pa Lamang (ABS-CBN) Kahit Isang Saglit (ABS-CBN) Luna Mystika (GMA-7) May Bukas Pa (ABS-CBN-2) Tayong Dalawa (ABS-CBN)

Jake Cuenca on the runway of Bench Spring/Summer 2010 at the Philippine Fashion Week. I love the facial expression. Chuck Bass, is that you?

Congratulations to David Bosley for winning Mr. Gay World Philippines 2009. Did the judges watch "In My Life" and fell in love with John Lloyd Cruz's character? Seems like the result was a little bit influenced by the movie. LOL! Just kidding. But don't you think?

Ohgawd I want a Dieux du Stade 2010 calendar! Lol! I have no idea who that hunk on the left is. But look at that behind!

Shirley Bassey at the London's Roundhouse for the BBC Electric Proms, October 23, 2009. The second song - "Performance of My Life" written by the Pet Shop Boys - gave me goosebumps.

Things seem to be looking up for our favorite American Idol 7 contestant, Jason Castro . He is currently busy promoting his first album which will be released on November 17th. He released a single a couple of months ago, entitled "Let's Just Fall in Love Again" and he's singing that on the mall tours he's currently doing. The tour ends in Ontario on November 15th. To pre-order his album, visit his website by clicking here . Here's the official music video: It makes me nostalgic. Season 7 was my favorite Idol ever. Although most would raise their eyebrows for my favorites. LOL!   Anyway, Season 9 is coming near… with Ellen DeGeneres. Let’s see what happens to AI without Paula Abdul. Would it be better? Worse? We’ll soon find out.

Everyone missed Suzuki. Shaun even cried because his plans to bring Zuki up to the final two has failed. He even blamed Charles, although I don't see where that came from. Charles kept on telling him before they went to the Tribal Council that the girls were voting for Suzuki. But Shaun insisted on using the Hidden Immunity Bracelet. Jef and Charles were talking about who to vote out next. They're focusing on Shaun or Mika, but it would all depend on who would win the immunity. Jef said, though, that she thinks she wouldn't pass on the chance of Mika having the Red Pearl. And anyway, Shaun won Php100,000.00 in the Reward Challenge, and an adventure of his lifetime aboard a helicopter with no less than, our very own, Justine. Lovett!

I was able to buy a tv tuner at the CDR King in SM Bicutan last Saturday. I wasn't actually planning to buy on that day itself but I went to my ortho and my mother asked me to buy Pili Nuts for my aunt who was going back to the US Sunday (yesterday). Since I was already at SM (with Princess and my favorite alalay), I opted to buy one already. Knowing how hard it was to buy in CDR King due to long lines and baaad customer service, I sent my alalay to buy the Pili Nuts at the department store and some stuff at ACE Hardware and Watsons. I went straight to CDR King to line up. Number 3 was being served by the time I got in and there were only 2 customer assistants working. These assistants were also in charge of getting stocks from the stock room, receive payments from their customers, put warranty stickers on the merchandise, etc. I was number 15. Never mind. They have the cheapest stuff around. The software (MyTV) that came with the tuner was so bad. Crashes a lot. It only wo...

My Sundays are usually uneventful. I try to rest and pamper myself just to prep me up for another week. But yesterday wasn't the case. It started so early when I found myself staring at my old CPU that I haven't used for quite some time now. My eyes then wandered to a bunch of old video cards, a mobo, and some old hard disks. I'm a gamer and I've accumulated those through years of experimenting mostly on video cards. After cleaning the CPU with an air pump (for the airbed I used to have) outside the house (it was so full of dust, I'm telling you, especially the PSU), I tested the video cards. I put them one by one in the AGP slot (it's that old I know) to see if it would give some display on the monitor. I found an old FX 5500 still running. It's 512 MB so it would be just okay for some java websites. I was planning to give the CPU to my nephew so he could have an extra (he's also a gamer). All the hard disks were fine (they were 2 pcs 20 GB, 2 pcs...

I spent a good portion of my morning working around my dirty (look at the dust) printer. I needed to print something but my printer gave back a "paper jam" error message. There was no paper jam. And the printer was so noisy the cartridge kept sliding to and fro. I did everything from restarting my computer to unplugging the printer cables (power and usb) to no avail. I almost gave up. I was thinking of either having it repaired or buying a new one with CIS technology. I was browsing online for printer prices when I heard the familiar sound of an "okay" printer. That sound it makes when you've just plugged it in; like it was preparing itself for some good printing. I crouched under my desk (yes it's under, in an improvised shelf under the keyboard) to look at it. The light was not blinking anymore. Sheesh! Was I happy. And then I realized I haven't had breakfast yet. I started working with the printer 7:30 am. It repaired itself 10:45 am. Sigh. Any...

Wow I'm so bored I decided to change the layout. Thanks to whoever made this theme. I don't like the little gray bar with "recent posts" on it but what the heck, it's the cleanest layout I could find at the moment. I totally missed out on Pinoy Big Brother Double Up. I dig Rob pa naman. And Patrick, and the one who was originally in House A who had a thing for Princess (or not?). And oh I miss Melai. I can only watch Uber on afternoons because I prefer Survivor Philippines at night. Perhaps I should buy a tv tuner so I can record PBB and watch it after I watch Survivor on tv. Hmmm... Perhaps tomorrow. I'm actually going to the ortho tomorrow afternoon and if I have time to spare I can drop by the mall and search for the cheapest tuner I can find. Right now I have just finished watching Gossip Girl (season 2 episode 11 - I'm so behind). Jenny's character makes the show interesting. And Vanessa's, too. Oh well, goodnight Upper East Siders. ...

I really want Mika out cuz she's one manipulating bitch. Yea, she's strong but her bitching doesn't amuse me. She's so dominant she doesn't know how to play it. She needs a lesson from our girl Blair. And Shaun is a puppet. Sheesh. When the first 3 members of the jury joined the Tribal Council, Amanda was made to stay in her seat while the rest of the castaways went out. It's an activity where the one on the hotseat will have to answer Paolo's questions while the others are out of earshot. Everyone went through it but the most haunting part for me was Suzuki's turn. I felt for the Jap. He knew he's going. If only he didn't give the effing bracelet to Shaun. Suzuki was so gullible. Nice policeman he'd make, don't you think? So Shaun decided to use the immunity bracelet and Charles had his immunity necklace (can I ask for an immunity belt or anklet?). Since Justine thought Shaun wouldn't use the bracelet, her group (Jef and Char...

Check out these shirtless photos (less 1) of Ricky Martin with his twins Matteo and Valentino.

Allan K and Jaya Ramsey say goodbye to their long-running karaoke game show, All Star K! as they had their last episode last Sunday. But no, the show was not really defunct as the two will be hosting, on the same day and timeslot, a new show that is a revised and much modern version of the old one. Sad to say but its format is much like ABS-CBN's "Singing Bee" but what can we say? We still have to watch the show to judge. Their pilot's gonna be aired this Sunday, October 25th. But come to think of it, I think I'd prefer Allan K and Jaya over Cesar Montano anytime. Heh!

So tell me, how do you busy yourself during idle times at work? Now, that's pretty productive, no?

It's funny how the girls talked about their plans when Shaun was just outside their little hut and could hear everything they say. Busted! Mika's plans seemed to have vanished but she still seemed to convince Shaun that she only said they should vote him out just so Justine wouldn't feel that she's really the one who they would vote out. Hmm... okay. I just hope that what happened would have a positive effect on Justine's standing in the game. It's quite obvious that the boys wanted to vote the transsexual castaway out and we know that Mika also wanted Justine out (just not at the moment) so our girl should really work it. Look at this pic (via survivor's facebook page ) Yeah Justine is pretty. But what caught my attention was Charles's contacts. Color coordination much?

I've been considering buying a domain. LOL! Yeah, writing about it makes me laugh at the idea myself. But I've been wanting to blog on wordpress.org for some time now. Their magazine themes make me drool. And I can't blog on wordpress without a domain and host. I also have a bunch of blogs. Working on a magazine-themed blog, I can put all my blogs together in one url. Well, not all because some would be absurd to put with the majority, but mostly all. I realized most domain names I like are already taken. But my name full name is still avaible, though, I wouldn't do that, of course. Unless I'm a very famous person like ate Vi. LOL! No, I mean unless I'm a celebrity. I only have four thousand something left on my credit card. Buying a domain and a host will cost me like 20 usd for this month, and something like 7 usd for the succeeding months. Gawd! I'm still looking for a great magazine wordpress theme. Something that's free. I told myself if I found...

My niece's sem break officially started today. During these times, I make her do errands I don't wanna do myself. Like paying taxes. Tomorrow is the due date for the last quarter of my business permit. I hate long lines so I asked her over breakfast to go to the city hall to pay for my taxes. Obedient as she is, she agreed. I was preparing the documents when I couldn't find the third quarter receipt. Nor the little 3rd quarter sticker in the business plate. OMG! So I had to pay for two quarters today. Plus the penalty for the late 3rd quarter payment. It sucks. I hate penalties. As if paying for business permits here in Taguig isn't penalty enough! Grrrr! And then tomorrow is for BIR's Percentage Monthly. Sigh.

Happy 35th birthday Hello Kitty! Lady Gaga was photographed wearing custom Hello Kitty attires and she's just one of the more than 80 artists who contributed for the HK fest which starts in LA next week. How cool. I wish the exhibit will reach our shores. But I guess the opening of Sanrio Luxe in Greenbelt 5 is their way of making Filipinos feel HK's 35th birthday. And it's enough for us. LOL! I still hope they bring the exhibit here. photos via vglmen.blogspot.com and philstar.com

This is actually for the gaming shop. I'm in the process of replacing old units. I still have 2 more to replace (plus one monitor). This is an Intel C2D e7400 on ECS mother board. No matter what others say, I really prefer ECS mobos. I bought an Intel mobo 2 months ago, I seem to be having a little problem with it.   I know I promised myself not to spend a lot. But this has been on the timetable and is for the shop. And the shop is one of my sources of income. ... but I still feel a little guilty.

Did you watch the Pinoy Big Brother Double Up premiere? If so, did you see the eye candies that I saw? Hmm ABS-CBN primetime looks promising. I hope at least one of the cute ones is like Ragnar of Big Brother Finland who isn't shy to show what he has: The last twins they presented are cute. JM and JP, both are 29 years old and have kid(s). JP is taller than JM but I find JM cuter. This one's also cute: Tom, 22 years old from Samar. I also find the Negosyo Prince ng Cebu handsome. But he has some angles na chaka. Sana may exhibitionist he-he. If there is, I will buy 24/7 card to watch the live feed. LOL!

I can't help but feel paranoid everytime it rains, to think that the recent flood didn't even affect me or my loved ones in any way. How much more paranoid could the flood victims get whenever the rain falls? We had a very sunny morning today. Although the wind was a little cool but it's always like that during the "ber" months. Many of us thought, and mostly hoped, that the rain is over. But the rain has just started. Again. Please stop. Perhaps even just until the soil has dried up?

If typhoon Ondoy didn't bring so much devastation to the country, I'm sure everyone would already be talking about Christmas. After all, it's less than three months away. But instead of shopping for the holidays, as we always do as soon as the "ber-months" start, we now shop for either relief goods (for those who have money to share) or extra groceries for the pantry to prepare for the worse that could happen. As far as I can remember before Ondoy reached us, news about electricity crisis was the thing that bothered me and my mom. Brownouts are so bad for the business it would really affect our family's income. But our fears are now diverted to the flood. We now don't fear brownouts anymore. At least for now. But with all that the people in the flooded area has lost, what's a little brownout a day for us, 'di ba? I hope the flood will subside soon and that no more typhoon gives us flood anymore this year. Malapit n...

I always feel a lump in my throat everytime I see a picture of a dog in the flood . I'm really, really thankful that my 3 dogs didn't experience the tragedies brought about by typhoon Ondoy. Thank God for PAWS (Philippine Animal Welfare Society). They're out there to rescue the poor pets that have all of a sudden become homeless. Let's also donate for the animals. Something from one of the blogs I read daily . PAWS My dogs are all safe, dry and comfy under the sheets but a lot of pets are not as lucky. If you love animals as much as I do, please don’t forget about the other victims of this calamity. You can also help by donating dog/cat food and cages/shelters with roofs. The shelter is located in Katipunan. Call 475-1688. photos via jujiin.com

I'm a self-confessed Survivor Philippines fanatic. This season, I haven't let an episode go unwatched. Especially that there is a real good eye candy to watch. I found this on YouTube, Slimmers World International 2008 where he was the champion. Watch the video below to see how sexy he (macho) dances.