Pinoy Idol Top 12 Performance Night (Commentary)

Ayaw ko sanang laitin ang Pinoy Idol, but now it can be said: one major crippling factor of Pinoy Idol are its non credible judges. Take at look at that video and tell me if it's really that good. Watch that and tell me that the guy didn't have flats and sharps all over the place. I know the song well, so alam kong hindi sa "pagkukulot" ng boses iyon. He just really did not nail some notes: kung baga, hindi umaabot dun sa nota. Flat. It was a horrible performance, but all three seemed to like it. Jolina was on the right track when she said it was "shaky", sana pinanindigan niya na. Ang kaso, binawi niya in the end. Was it because many people clapped for Robby? Pati itong si Ogie, akala ko pa naman sasabihin niya na maraming alanganing nota, pero wala. I do recognize that the guy has had consistently good, solid performances in the past, and that he has a lot of fans, but for that day he did not do well at all. The judges are there to critique and not just pander. Nasaan na ang standards ng judges?

Then, there were Jolina Magdangal's comments for that night. She has to be more precise in critiquing. Hindi yung puro "winner" ang sinasabi niya. Hindi ko tuloy maiwasang ikumpara ang mga komento ng judges dito sa mga komento ng judges sa Pinoy Dream Academy. I have been an Idol viewer even since its ABC5 inception. I didn't even watch the first season of Pinoy Dream Academy because I had the impression that it was tacky. But, in all honesty, I just really got bored with Pinoy Idol this time around so I watched PDA. I was amazed with the perception of the judges there and the precise nature of their comments. (napuna nila yung mga gestures and little tics ng singer, mula hand gestures, down to finger tapping, pati paraan ng pagbitaw ng end notes ng performer napansin nila)

Sa hula ko, meron silang mga guide questions or at least guidelines in giving comments, kaya naging napaka precise ng pagkokomento nila. (Speculation ko lang- para kasing may sheets of paper sila sa harap nila. And for all we know, may mga keywords dun on what to look for in a performance). Whether aided with guide questions, keywords, or completely spontaneous: the fact remains that the PDA judges gave spot on, constructive and enlightening critiques. Baka dapat magkaroon din ng guidelines ang judges ng Idol para naman may masabi na silang matino at mas constructive- especially Jolina, and even sometimes Wyngard (his comments about the contestants' clothes and appearance are getting tired, repetitive, and annoying).

Isa pang annoying- yung mga mannerism ng performers habang ine-engganyo ni Raymond G na iboto sila. Yung isa nag-motion na parang nagtetext sabay mouthing off ng "Please vote me". Yung isa naman nagmotion na parang magdadasal tapos nagpakita ng pitiful face. Di ba nila alam na hindi sila nakakatuwa, instead nakaka turnoff pa? Maybe someone ought to tell them that. Don't these people have handlers.

As for the performers, we can't even judge how talented they are because they haven't been challenged enough by the show's format/themes. The themes are too general, that it allows the contestants to choose songs that are still in their comfort levels. No wonder the judges can't say anything new, because they can't see anything new. Pare pareho ang mga kinakanta ng contestants. Pati estilo nila hindi nagbabago, hindi gumaganda, hindi nag-e-evolve: stagnant. Many of them have not gone out of their comfort zones at all, they are just cruising along ang hoping to make it to the next performance night. No one stands out, no one feels like an idol!

Most of the top 12 performances sounded like band covers and bad bar/lounge acts. Iilan yung may sariling estilo. Tapos ni hindi pa binigyan ng magandang arrangement yung mga kanta. Basta nalang inihain duon, yung iba nagumpisa sa "peak" ng song, walang buildup so paano makikita ang dynamics ng boses ng performer? To top it off ang iksi ng time per contestant (only one minute to interpret a song?!! aba, bumubuwelo ka pa lang ay tapos ka na!), ano ito---for more commercials? Kahit sa American Idol mas mahaba yung time alloted for performances.

In contrast, the opening production number was too lengthy. Newsflash: This is not SOP! Buti sana kung grand finals na ito, pero Top 12 pa lang. Sana binigyan na lang nila kahit 30 seconds more each performer para mas nakilatis ang strengths and weaknesses per singer, instead of doing an overly long opening act. And what were all those dancers doing crowding the stage like that? Pangit tingnan, walang ka-class class. Pinagmukha nilang maliit yung stage ulit, sayang nagmukha na ngang mas grand nung si Raymond pa lang ang nakatayo.

Part of what makes Idol performances interesting is that the performers make songs their own, sing it in their style, and even with a special arrangement that suits this style. Nagtipid ba ang GMA sa arranger ng mga songs? wala ba silang vocal coaches, performance teachers para magpayo sa mga performers that they should showcase their vocal strengths and not just ape the original singers of the songs?

It was a generally lacklustre, disappointing night. Sana sa susunod mag-improve na ang themes, ang judges, at ang mga performers. Ipakita naman nilang Pinoy Idol ito at hindi pipitsuging contest sa tabi tabi.

(credits to mukamo.com for the video)

Caregiver

First, a preface. I'm not going to comment on cinematography and technical aspects of this film. Not even the acting. This review will be solely for the story and the character development in the film. (The "Caregiver" bootleg I found in one of the more obscure streaming sites was dark, grainy, with poor picture quality and the audio: tunog lata.) When this film is offered on pay-per-view at the ABSCBN website I will most likely view it again with my husband.

I had initially feared that given the subject matter, the movie might be a vehicle for Sharon Cuneta to showcase the full range of her thespian skills. To my relief, there were no hysterical scenes and long dramatic crying spells in this movie. No explosive fights either. There were many quiet moments rife with emotion and meaning, however. It was quite refreshing for a Filipino film to show rather than expound and explain through dialogue, what it wanted to convey. Other directors can learn a thing or two from Chito Rono about subtlety and trusting the audience to get the message without oversimplying or making it trite.

Sharon Cuneta plays the part of Sarah, an English teacher turned caregiver in London. John Estrada is Teddy, her husband who works as a health assistant in a hospital. They have a teenager whom they left in the Philippines, and whom they long to sponsor to London as well.

This family represents many similar families in our country who have already made the first move in starting anew elsewhere. They seemed to be living a middle class existence in the Philippines- they owned their home, she was a private school teacher, their son studied in a private school: yet they chose to leave this behind in the hope of finding a better life abroad. Teddy was running their family business in the province, but this eventually failed, and he resorted to migrating in the hopes of making a better life for the family. Being the man of the house, he expected Sarah to follow him in London, and this she did despite the pleading of their son for her to stay.

(Here in NZ, Pinoy families with similar middle class backgrounds abound. Young families with stable incomes in Manila and young children uproot themselves and move here, start from scratch and take the same risk that Teddy and Sarah did. Doctors, dentists, nurses, IT people, bankers, architects, engineers, professionals in Manila, Cebu--- they're here, many of them with kids in tow, starting anew.)

Sarah initially finds it difficult and almost unbearable to fulfill her role as caregiver. The two start out as a couple earnestly being very resolute in working hard for their family's future. But frustrations set in, and it is Teddy who finds it difficult to cope. It appears he hasn't left his machismo behind, and his mindset still needs drastic readjusting. He is tortured by being underemployed, feels trapped in his job by an iron-clad contract, and is plagued by the thought that his wife is bringing home (more of) the bacon instead of him. So instead of working harder or struggling to work through his work frustrations, he descends deeper into depression, takes to drinking, even quits going to work, and eventually entreats Sarah to go back to the Philippines. In the meantime, Sarah steels herself, sees her husband and her family's need, and is able to force herself to adjust to her role as a caregiver and is even able to distinguish herself in this profession.

Amongst all this are the little daily chores, tasks, squabbles, tiffs, and choices that also make up life abroad. Like doing laundry, cleaning up the house, cooking, and leisure time. We see the couple initially coping with the housework and the chores, even the crisscrossed work schedules. Then we see the differences in spending habits, priorities. Resentments build up, little fights ensue, a chill ensues between the couple, a wall is built.

(Here in NZ, some stories sound like this too. The husband, unable to cope with the demands of living abroad, freezes up and refuses to help out, deeming some jobs and some chores as "beneath his stature". Pity the wife that has to put up with such attitude. Other true-to-life stories here are families unable to prioritize spending and living credit card to credit card. They avoid bankruptcy by paying the minimum due on their credit cards per month. They've been here for years and have been unable to save, but their apartments have consumer goods they might have done without.)

Back to the movie. Around Teddy and Sarah, other Filipinos facing roughly the same struggle in different forms. A doctor turned nurse mouths off and is dismissed from work for insubordination. In real terms, he did save a patient's life, but he undermined the attending doctor in front of the residents which is a no-no. In another household, a teenaged boy's parents are too busy to care for him, and he ends up walking the streets picking fights, or outside Sarah's apartment hoping to get invited in for a homecooked meal. This is life abroad too, for some households where both parents need to work and no help can be found. Some kids end up raising themselves, with the parents just earnestly wanting to earn money for the family's future.

I will not say anymore about the movie, except to say that the above plots aren't even the whole story yet.

Give this film some time. It's not a sobfest, it won't make you squirm in your seat from the melodrama. Watch it with someone. You'll want to discuss it after you see it.

My Other Blog

This site hasn't been updated for a few months now. That's because I've kind of moved to multiply.com - it is just more integrated for me. I find it easier to add pictures, music, it's easier to categorize my entries (is it a blog, a review, more of a photo collection, etc---all with separate sections). so please click the title as it is linked to my multiply blog. for some entries, you might need to be my contact to be able to access them.

Yuletide 2007

Please allow our family to convey our warmest thoughts to you properly through THIS site. Seasons Greetings, everyone. Hope this makes you smile.

You haven't done Rotorua if you haven't tried the Spa

At least, it seems like it. Rotorua is a geothermal area with hot springs, mineral and mud pools, and of course sulphurous gas rising from the earth. The most natural thing to do is to try their hot springs. After getting acquainted with the city streets and visiting their i-site, the first thing we did was try the Lake Spa retreat at Polynesian Spa. This spa has thrice been voted as one of the world's top ten medical and thermal spas by Conde Nast readers. This was the perfect thing to end the day with, as the warm to hot water pools were very soothing after 7 hours on the road.


This is the view from the lake spa. Yes, it was really this beautiful. (Image from this site)

We enjoyed the Polynesian Spa so much that we promptly went back the next afternoon as well, this time to the Family Spa which had a kiddie pool area, a slide, and two hot mineral pools for the adults. Raya loved both the swimming pool and the 36degree hot pool. My husband preferred the 40degree pool. Same hot mineral pools for a fraction of the Lake Spa price, except without the view and the ambiance.



I couldn't leave Rotorua without also trying a mud bath. The best one might have been to go to Hell's Gate Spa- located at Hell's Gate geothermal reserve. Unfortunately, we didn't have any more time to do that (and we were afraid that Raya would eat the mud, just like she drank from the sulphur pool at Polynesian). Instead, I booked a mud bath at QE Health Spa. QE Health is right in the heart of Rotorua City, behind the Government Gardens. It's perfect for those who don't want to go far for a mud bath (we could walk to there from our lodge), and their price was reasonable ($45nzd for a 30minute mud bath).


This image came from the QE website, but the room and the tub where I had my mud bath was much nicer, with lighting, soothing music, and fluffy towels. You could even lie down in a private room for a while after your mud bath, as the heat from the bath can be draining. Other treatments at the QE Health spa: the Rachel pool (hot mineral pool), mud packs, massage, steam bath, wax baths, physiotherapy, swiss ball and relaxation classes. Raya and my husband were at the lakefront playground (which was right behind QE health) while I did my mud bath.

Prelude to Rotorua

Spent two nights in Rotorua.

Must stay at least three nights if it's your first time there. This was my conclusion on our second day of the trip. There's too much to investigate and do, and if you're from Wellington like we are, the drive's too long to only stay two nights. We left 6am, got to Rotorua 1pm. Over half the day over, just getting there.

Although we already made a long trip last year to Palmerston North, I was still amazed at the beauty of the NZ countryside- North Island. It's such a huge change from the countryside in our provinces in Luzon. Of course it's not a fair comparison to make, since the Philippines is a group of 7107 islands, and NZ is just two islands- thus, more land and more greens.

Check out these pictures from the road:
Notice how the trees are the same height. Cool.

Cows instead of Carabaos.


Also seen: various types of sheep, horses, and deer.


The thick wall of trees reminded me of the LOTR scenes where the Urukhai chase the hobbits.

Gorgeous Coastline.



Even saw some snowcapped mountains in the distance.


And passed thru barren land.

Seven hours later, we finally got there. Walked and drove around aimlessly for the afternoon---got acquainted with the city, checked into our backpacker lodge, cruised some interesting sites and restaurants, did the Polynesian Spa, dinner then snooze time.

We booked rather late, thus I had to be creative and find us a nice but reasonably priced place to stay. All the hotels I wanted initially were gone, only the higher priced rooms remained. Same for the motels. That's what happens when you want to make sure that the weather will be good when you get to Rotorua. I booked exactly 10 days before our trip--- metservice.co.nz does 10-day weather forecasts, and they forecasted sunny weather for our trip. That was my go signal.

Anyway, that's how we ended up with TREKS BACKPACKERS lodge. For the very reasonable sum of $74nzd/night, I was able to book a double ensuite room. (The hotel we originally wanted to stay in would have cost us $120/night) Linens, towels, full shower and toilet facilities, queen bed. Not bad at all. And the common areas were great. Very modern, sleek, and the huge kitchen made us want to cook.

Sawasdee Johnsonville.

Ordered :
Srping Rolls - ordinary, nothing special
Chicken and cashew - more chinese style cooking rather than Thai; boring and not very tasty
Pad Thai - this was the worst one of all, the worst pad thai I ever had. I can't even call this pad thai. It tasted quite salty, for one. And the first thing you could taste in the sauce was the soy sauce.
I will not be coming back to this place.

My husband still keeps mocking me by saying "sawasdee" everytime we see a Thai restaurant.

Rokka-like

The Original: Cyma's Rokka.


Thanks to my chef friend Blanche, I got an idea for replicating the Greek Vinaigrette that Cyma uses in their Rokka Salata. Muscovado Sugar.



Fancy lettuce: at least, that's what they call these here. One's violet, the other's green. Must be arugula in Manila. If they had romaine or cosberg lettuce in the supermarket, that's okay too.



Sundried Tomatoes - The ones I found came in a jar, marinated in some vinegar and sugar.
Candied Walnuts - I did a shortcut version: drizzled honey over walnuts then sprinkled them with muscovado, then popped them in the oven toaster at 150Degrees for 4-5 minutes. This makes them a little toasted and melts the sugar/honey over them.
Parmesan Cheese block- Shave these over all the ingredients when you assemble the salad

For the dressing:
I did a shortcut one, I just bought ETA Brand Balsamic Vinegar dressing, then added lots (teaspoons full) of Muscovado sugar to the dressing. It became darker, thicker, and imbibed the rich taste and sweetness of cane sugar. (I chose this particular brand because they didn't scrimp and used soya oil and olive oil on their dressing.) If you want to be absolutely sure of the ingredients and make the dressing from scratch, there are plenty of traditional greek salad dressing recipes to choose from. Most of them use these basic ingredients: olive oil, salt, pepper, and red wine vinegar. Spices vary according to who's making the recipe. Sample here, here and here.

To assemble the salad:
Tear up the lettuce leaves.
Add on slivers of sundried tomatoes.
Sprinkle on a tablespoon or two of candied walnuts.
Pour on dressing and give it a toss.
Top with large shaved parmesan cheese.
Enjoy.

Reunion

So here we are, back in Welly. My husband is so obviously thrilled, and so is Raya. Although she also misses everyone we left behind. I know, because she sometimes looks for them.
We spent the past two days catching up on sleep and recovering from our colds. (Raya caught the cold first, and I got it from her.)