Travel Light

Now, that’s tricky. Who is it going to be? Is it Mr Cook or teen Archuleta?

I never had an accurate American Idol prediction all my life. I had my heart powdered to dust when Constantine lost in Season 4, Chris Daughtry in Season 5 and Melinda Doolittle in Season 6. But this year I got it all right(!). Two Davids ended up sharing the stage. Whoever wins the heart of America gets to wear the crown. Should I say “gosh”?

Whatever happens, both guys already have their sterling careers mapped out for them. Cook and Archuleta have carved their names in the history. Networks of fans rally behind them like HDMI switches routing differences towards a single direction. No one is going to lose. The only thing that would separate them is the title. It’s nothing but just a ticket to get started. Chris Daughtry never had it but look where the journey took him.

I’m rooting for David Cook but I really do think it’s going to be David Archuleta.

The thousand-mile dash from Ortigas to Makati started off in a series of unfortunate events: inconsiderate taxi drivers, busted MRT trains, early evening rains, cramped seats in a bus scented by roasted peanuts and marathon walks around Makati on pointy shoes. We arrived an hour late at the exhibit venue tired and hungry.

Avid fan. Photo published with permission. No one was coerced nor hurt during the shoot.

In all of these, no matter how ugly things had become, I remained thankful and happy to see old friends and eat pancit with them. And besides walking proved to be more effective in losing a couple of pounds than taking in Phentermine without a prescription. It’s just that my feet hurt.

My most favorite photo of all. The mystic river in Siquijor.

By the way, Living By Water photo exhibit is open from Tuesday to Saturday until the 24th of May.

A friend and I have been talking for weeks about Charice Pempengco’s guesting in Oprah and getting free tickets to Madonna’s Manila concert. Madonna isn’t here yet but Charice has been on the news yesterday making headlines around the world. This young 16-year-old talent from Cabuyao, Laguna sang an old Whitney Houston hit at Oprah Winfrey’s show and held everyone captive with that super amazing voice. If my memory serves me right, she has been previously introduced at the Ellen De Generes show late last year.

If you’re a PPP blogger and advertiser, you would have probably encountered their latest addition to the network called SocialSpark. SocialSpark is a new community created by IZEA fashioned after PPP and the usual social networking sites with one striking difference: you earn.

Each blogger who signs up to SocialSpark is required to create a public profile that can be browsed by community members. You can submit a number of blogs as long as SocialSpark approves them. There are certain codes that you should embed in your website to claim your blog and get approved by Customer Love. Nothing complicated as long as you know where to locate the body of your website.

You can also create your own network of blogger friends, exchange links, ideas and props with them. SocialSparks also provide web traffic analysis using IZEA Real Rank. It is 100% audit-able in-post disclosure, transparency, real opinions and search engine friendly.

From time to time, a list of writing opportunities is being posted for you to take or reserve. Once the opportunity is open, the website’s support sends an email notice and you are given 12 hours to write the blog post. Sign-up is free of charge. All you have to do is to simply grab the opportunity by the tail and start earning in dollars. You should also have an active paypal account to receive your payments.

This is an exciting new concept for those who want to pursue their writing hobby and earn at the same time. Reserve your seats while it is still fresh and new.

Here’s good news. I don’t think July’s bad weather would stop you from trooping down to Eastwood City in Libis, QC. Not even a transport strike can hold you off at bay. Ladies and gents,  Chris Daughtry is coming!

Eastwood City sets the stage for American Idol Season 5 finalist Chris Daughtry. On July 29, this multi-platinum hitmaker will perform live before hundreds of screaming fans and Eastwood dwellers who’d do more than just peep out of their office blinds. They might just consider climbing the trees. If you have always felt strong about not being able to rescue him from getting the ax during his Idol days, now it’s time to show him your love.

Daughtry will also perform in Malaysia (July 25), Indonesia (July 26) and Singapore (July 27) before coming to Manila.

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Note: I would like to correct the “free admission” announcement. The concert is not free. You can buy your tickets from Ticketnet. Here are the prices:

SUPER VIP (1ST 4 FRONT ROWS) (Reserved Seating) 5775
VIP CENTER (Reserved Seating) 4515
VIP RIGHT/LEFT (1ST 3 ROWS) (Reserved Seating) 4515
VIP RIGHT/LEFT (Reserved Seating) 4190
LOWER PATRON (Reserved Seating) 3413
UPPER PATRON (Reserved Seating) 2625
General (Eastwood City Box Office only) (Reserved Seating) 1550
General (Eastwood City Box Office only) (Free Seating) 650