Sandara Park's Prominence in Korea

Who can forget the national 'krung-krung' of the Philippines? Who would have thought a native Korean girl in the person of Sandara Park, who relocated in the Philippines with her family for greener pasture, would become a star in Philippine showbiz? Every Filipino knows that she gained star status for her unusual appeal and mannerism, which are common among Koreans, aside from being a product of a talent search on the Philippines' largest TV network, ABS-CBN.

Sandara made her name in Philippine showbiz only in a span of three years and was loved by the Filipino showbiz fanatics. However, it was not her destiny to be forever as a star in a country that gave her the opportunity to get back the social status once her family had back in Korea. Unfortunately, her career did not last long despite the four box-office films she made within four years in the industry. She returned to Korea as her star had begun to fall like it would never shine again .

In August 2007, Sandy, as what she was called by her friends in the Philippines, began a new life with her mother and her siblings in her native land. Despite all odds, she never stopped from dreaming that one day her family would be as affluent again as what it was before. She pushed her luck in Korean showbiz and apparently there was a silver lining when she was a offered a contract by YG Entertainment.

The entertainment company became a stepping stone to Sandara's ambition. It launched her as a member of a girl band, 2NE1, in May 2009. The band instantly became a big hit with its debut "Fire"and has already four awards from Cyworld and SBS.

Sandara may not have successfully sustained her star status in a foreign land, but she has become a rising star in a land where she was born.

Sandara, together with her co-members, performing their debut "Fire."

The Death of the King of Pop

First of all, I would like to extend my personal condolences to the family of the King of Pop, Michael Joseph Jackson, who died after suffering from cardiac arrest at his Holmby Hills home in Los Angeles, California.

Everyone is in grief right now for his death and I'm one of those MJ fans who are greatly saddened by his shocking mysterious demise. In Yahoo! news it says that mystery surrounds the death of the 50-year-old music legend. A family attorney pointed out that the artist's use of prescription drugs for dancing-related injuries caused his death.

Aside from that mystery, there is another one that I have recalled since I came to know he died. This one might not have bombarded the majority of the population in the world, but I know that there's a few of us are familiar with it. It's about the speculation that Jackson has been dead before he was reported dead.

Last year, a Hollywood showbiz savvy friend of mine told me that the former child star, who went on to become one of the best-selling pop artists, was already dead. She was trying to imply that the appearing Mihcael Jackson was an impostor or one of his deadringers, who had undergone a series of plastic surgeries just to look exactly as the same as him. I don't know how reliable her source was and where the hell she got that info. I had not the audacity to ask her to share with me her source as I was inhibited in our conversation. She firmly believed that it was the truth.

Based on her source, my friend said that Michael's sister, La Toya (if my mind serves me right), even attested that the hypothesis was true because of the evidence their family had found. They began to suspect that the faker was not the original when they had observed the changes of his attitude and moods, which they never had seen in him before. They decided to get a strand of hair from the impostor's bed and had it analyzed for DNA. The results showed that it wasn't of their beloved Michael Jackson. Shocking!

Now, I can't say it was a hoax. I can say it was possible. Although, I am not trying to imply that the Michael Jackson that set off a media frenzy now because of his death is fake. It could be an insult to his fans and his family. However, I'm wondering why is none of his family is reacting to his death now. I've never seen any report that says "Janet Jackson is greatly in grief for the sudden death of his brother" or something like that. I hope that speculation was wrong. I'm still baffling over it.

My top three favorite Michale Jackson's songs are as follows:

1. Thriller
2. Black or White
3. Billie Jean

What's Really With the Checkpoint?

Cebu, June 19, 2009, Thursday- Just an hour ago, I passed through two freaking road checkpoints before I got home. I'm already sick of it! If my mind serves me right, checkpoints happen from Thursdays to Saturdays. I personally don't have problems with it, but two checkpoints in a row is f######ly annoying! And why the hell only men are being inspected?! Why don't the policemen include the female passengers? It makes no sense at all.

Going home, I was on board a public vehicle. When it reached the highway, a cop signaled to stop the Third World conveyance. He necessitated every male passenger to get off the vehicle for inspection and clearance. Okay. Because I have male genitalia, I had to cooperate.

After the peaceful inspection and everyone seated back to their respective seats, the vehicle took off. When we reached the end of the highway, another checkpoint operation was conducted. Again, every one with male genitalia on board had to get off for the same purpose. I was beginning to mutter "Why don't they check everyone's wang?"

I personally think that kind of operation really does not make any sense at all. If they are doing it for security purpose then they should check every passenger, be it male or female or draggish or boyish or gay. Inspecting only the men (heteros or homos) is not a sound operation. Why? That is not a savvy move coz everyone could be an instrument of diabolic elements at night. Even the drivers or the condcutors, we don't know some of them might be instruments of those elements as well. That's the problem. If the cops' reason for excluding the female passengers is because they are women and it could be awkward for male cops to ransack their bodies is stupid. Why don't they allow participation of female cops to do the task of inspecting the female passengers? That would be an applaudable operation, but unfortunately it isn't happening.

Checkpoint has never been a sight before, but it's everywhere now. It makes me think that whoever implemented it must have overlooked the several aspects of it or it is just the cops who are lazy to inspect the female passengers or they just inspect public vehicles randomly.

If they do inspect the passengers on public vehicles why not the drivers and the passengers on private cars as well? Do bad elements in the society take a ride only in public modes of transportation or don't they have their own cars? Take it into consideration. Terrorists, mobsters, robbers, kidnappers or any kind of bad asses could be those people driving the 2009 Porsche 911 CARRERA passing by the checkpoint snootily with a sinister grin on their faces. I've never seen someone driving such luxury car here in Cebu though.

What I am trying to imply in this article is that officials (if there are) who spearhead that kind of operation should converge and brainstorm about ideas that would ameliorate the checkpoint process.

Most Mind-Blowing Question

There is one beauty pageant question that I find too difficult to answer. In Femina Miss India 2000 pageant, the five finalists were asked with the question "If ignorance is bliss why do we seek knowledge." One of the finalists screwed up her chances of winning the opportunity to represent her country to the Miss Universe pageant that would be held in Cyprus. If I was one of those finalists, I would probably perspire a glass of sweat and be choked of being dumbfounded. I would probably start a sentence with "uhm..."

The Fierce and The Electrifying Should Have Won

Adam Lambert, American Idol Season 8 1st Runner-Up

I took it into consideration before I decided to sit at my PC to blog all my disappointment regarding the results of the two American reality talent searches, "American Idol" and "America's Next Top Model." I am a big fan of these shows. In previous editions, my bets won. This time around, they lost but at least placed second.

The day of the finale, I was in the office and somebody reported to my seatmate Adam Lambert lost to the undeserved Kris Allen. The moment I heard the news, I knew that something had gone wrong. Something fishy occurred before the finale. With all due respect for the AI's producer, Kris Allen's victory is the worst of AI's history.

A few days ago, because news have wings, rumor spread like a disease. Adam Lambert was robbed! AT&T is alleged for aiding Allen's triumph. Now it's called bias as AT&T is one of the biggest sponsors of "American Idol."

As stated in the "New York Times" the phone company provided Allen fans with cell phones with free text messaging and instructed them how to cast an avalanche of votes at two parites in the singer's native state, Arkansas.

If the rumor is true then AI is a homo slur for allowing AT&T conduct its diabolic push for Allen's undeserved, butt-of-the-joke victory. Adam is the first ever come-out gay to have made that far as first runner-up for American Idol. Clay Aiken fans or himself might be begging to disagree when they or he reads this. Let me clarify that he didn't come out during her stay on AI.

I'm still disheartened with Adam's fate even if I know fame lies ahead for him. I can't remember that he had any single AI performance that sucked. Every single performance of him was bizarre but in a very stunning way. As Paula, one of the judges, said that Adam was immaculate. She was right. Adam was always at his best from the very beginning of the show. His craft in performing without any jitteriness always gave surprise to the studio audiences and TV viewers week by week. All in all, he was electrifying that brought the audiences to their feet while enjoying his infectious performance.

Allison Harvard, America's Next Top Model Cycle 12 1st Runner-Up

Before the AI finale took place, I already had a feeling of dissatisfaction. My bet Allison Harvard almost brought home the bacon. She lost to the black contestant Teyona, the woman whose shoulders always hunch over. Teyona won in a landslide victory.

I honestly say that Allison did not get my support during the first to thrid episodes, if my mind serves me right, of ANTM Cycle 12. In one of those episodes, the 64 contestants dressed in a Greek Goddess design and were challenged to showcase their walk on an outdoor runway. The moment Allison took her turn, I could say nothing but she was horrible. I said there was no way she was gonna make it to the next cut, which was the top 13. That moment, I was not expecting she would go on towards the finale. When the girls were narrowed down to 13 and Allison was still standing sturdy along with other stunning finalists, I already had the idea why Tyra kept her.

As far as I know, models are not necessiraly beautiful. Well, I'm not saying Allison isn't pretty. In fact, I find her pretty at all with all those versatility she showed during Cycle 12. Tyra says something like "A model should look better in her picture than she does in person." I think she is right coz in the modeling world it's all about how you sell yourself to the client. So being prettier in pictures than in person is always important for a model since it is her job to attract the client with her campaign ad for a particular product like make-up. Allison applied the modeling dogma to her photo shoots.

Now, Allison was the most unique in the bunch because of her distinct huge blue eyes. In one of the cycle's episodes, Tyra and she mentioned that people were always commenting on her eyes because of their pronounced hugeness. That time, Allison still didn't impress me, but I feel pity for her since many of the finalists talked about her eyes that was scary and all that offensiveness.

During the top 13's first photo shoot, in which the theme was innonce of children, Allison made a big surprise, especially to the panel of judges. Her first photo was the most highly appreciated one by the judges and was ranked 1st of all the 13 finalists. Her photo really evoked innoncence of a child, but she still managed to demonstrate the expected modelly posture and look, which the panel had noticed. Because of that, Allison instantly became my bet. She proved me wrong that she couldn't pull off a great photo.

She transformed into a woman with the face of a fictitious mermaid after Tyra gave her a long blonde weave.

As the process of selecting America's Next Top Model winner went on by eliminating the contestant with the weakest performance or photo week by week, my support for Allison grew bigger and bigger. There were few weeks she was in the bottom two, but in most of the weeks she ranked high. Allison made a record as the first contestant to have the most first call-outs or number one rankings in the history of ANTM. To be exact, she got four call-outs breaking the record of the contestant with three call-outs from a previous cycle.

Allison, though, still had the worst walk in the bunch, she managed to survive every elimination. She had grown and took pictures fiercer and fiercer every photo shoot. I could see in her face she was having a blast in every shot. She would always come up with a great result.

In the day before the finale in Brazil, Allison transformed into a "Cover Girl" material. Among the three left standing, her photo was chosen by the judges as the most likely to be a cover girl for a cosmetic brand. In the finale, the blue-eyed Allison showed a different Allison on the runway. Her walk was better and I could see she walked on one straight line, which a model always does on the runway. Because of her impressive last performance, I had the gut feeling she was gonna win but I was wrong. Teyona was crowned ANTM Cycle 12. I believe Allison should have won.

Many say that Tyra can not allow white women win in two consecutive editions. In cycle 11, a white contestant was elected. Untimely, Allison was competing in the succeeding cylce. So she lost for being white herself. Maybe, the rumor is true but I cannot attest.

What relieves my disappointment with the results of the two reality shows is the fact that Adam will go on to become a superstar to record bankable albums while Allison has already been offered with a modeling contract and will be seen more on the runway.

2 Ghosts Out of 200 People You See

It's too early to speak of scary things for now. Halloween is yet five months away.

The text message I received from my young sister gave me goosebumps. It says "Of all 200 people you meet everyday, two of them are ghosts." My hair instantly stood on end as I read it. I couldn't believe. However, it's possible. We don't know that people surrounding us like in the mall or any places, two of them are deceased. I don't know how true it is. The text message is cited from Reader's Digest.

The next day, as seated in the back seat of a public bus awaiting more passengers, I rolled my eyeballs over the sight of people outside the window. I was trying my self at identifying if any of those people I saw around was a ghost. None of them I think was. I saw no traces of a ghost in any of them. Desperate to identify one, I suddenly realized in that moment I am not a spiritualist or any thing like that. So there was no reason for me to give it a hard try.

I am a timorous person so I won't try intense otherworldliness even for once in my life. That stupid try on the bus was just out of my curiosity with the quote "Of all 200 people you meet everyday, two of them are ghosts."

Summer Itinerary

I think I'm havin' a two-month long itinerary despite my finances are in deplorable state. It keeps on loading and loading.

First up, I got my butt off to Bohol last Holy Week.

I went to Medellin a week later.

I checked in Porto Fino Beach Resort in Mactan Island overnight.

I filed a leave for a visit to my grandma's steep hometown, Aloguinsan.

I headed to the south of Cebu- Alcoy.

And tomorrow (April 9, 2009), I'll be spending my time back to the south but in another municipality, Boljoon.

I really am devouring the summer, except for the heat of the sun. As some of my friends looking forward for an out-of-town jaunt, I think my itinerary could load more.

With all that summer time spending, I have acquired a suntan. My friends are commenting on my skin getting darker. I'm not a tanning junkie that's why I hate my skin getting tanned. Unwanted suntan during summer is quite inevitable. That's the reality.

So I think I gotta purchase a stash of SkinWhite POWERWHITENING TRIPOWER Whitening Bar Soap and SkinWhite POWERWHITENING TRIPOWER Whitening Lotion. They're proven effective for my skin.

I'm not promoting the product. Don't get me wrong.