Still have dizzy spells... *eh*
I also just had an UNbelievable salad at Cosi. It was a cobb salad, to be exact. And I had their shanghai salad the other day. SO freaking good. Ahhh, my love for Cosi has been rekindled.
Today was just freakin' UNbelievable. I went to Jen & Nido's house today (they're my kumare/kumpare) for Ailani's 4th b-day (she's their lil girl; my inaanak), and was it a KIDFEST... and somewhat of a reunion. LOL! First of all, I got to see my Godsister Stacey. I haven't seen that beeyatch in AGES. Then I got to see one of my old dear friends from middle/high school, Juvale. I haven't seen that girl much after our first two years @ PGCC, and now she's a mother of two - Deja and Thea. VERY adorable lil' girls. I also got to see Raisa, whom I haven't seen in ages. And her daughter, Raina, is growing up to be tall and pretty just like her momma. Aris and Lorraine were there with their very cute lil' daughter. And then there's my other kumare/kumpare, Liza and Chris, with my inaanak - Kaila - and her lil' sister - Destiny. Kaila is a carbon-copy of Liza (which, surprisingly both li and chris don't see at all; HELLO, GUYS!!?)...and Destiny is just the cutest. She's like mean, brutish, and adorable all at the same time. I just wanna hug her until she cries, and bite her arms. She's so cute! AHAHAHA! It was just BABYFEST... oh yeah, and Jen/Nido's place is very nice. I like it... Oh yeah, and Nido made a BoMb salad. It was very Cosi-ish. LOL! I was just lovin' it at Jen's house today.
Afterwards, the UNbelievable-ness continued @ another party we went to. There I saw two more ol' elementary/middle/high school buddies, Ria and Dianne. They're both now happily married (although their husbands weren't there...), and both look amazing. Ahhh, I love Ria and Di. Still the same, those two. And Di's lil' sister, Gin, is now also a wife and momma. Her daughter, Mia, was there, too. And that girl is just TOO adorable. She's pretty like her momz. Very cute babies! There are too many of them. I can't wait to see them all grow up together... to see who will become close friends, to see who will become the over-achievers, to see who will be the underdogs, to see who will be who. SO can't wait.
But what's SADLY UBbelievable is that Li and Chris will be stationed in Maine come September. AWWWW! That means that my life will be Kaila/Destiny-less for the next few years! *sob* I'ma have to play with them a lot before then...
More UNbelievable news? Let's see... Friday night, I had an UNbelievable expereience at HOME. I so blacked-out/passed-out. What was weird was that I only had three drinks and two shots, and later on during the night I was all-of-a-sudden feeling clausterphobic, and I just passed-out TWICE! Some dude helped me up the first time. THEN the second time, two other guys like helped me to a couch... At that moment I lost my buzz, and I was ok. It was just weird, and I was embarrassed like shit. Abby and Carrie were like "feeding" me water, and I was just trying to remain calm. Oh well, I'm fine now - except I still have a few dizzy spells here and there. I'm kinda scared. Hope I'm not suffering from vertigo or anything. I guess I'll be staying home from HOME for a week or two. Gotta let the crowd forget about that one... LOL! MY GOODNESS.
So yeah... life has just been pretty UNbelievable these past few days... *sigh*
Other than that, yesterday was a good one. Besides the fact that I was busy as balls with work (in the office; hey, there's a 1st for everything), I got to read more chapters in my new John Grisham (more on that next time), I got a quick power nap in, I prayed my novena for day 6, I didn't eat like a freakin' cow, I made it to the gym for a decent cardio session, and CARMEN got voted off American Idol. SOMEone was truly watching over me last night. *bLuSh*
The weekend's almost here... countdown starts NOW.
Happy HUMP Day. *YaHoO* While this week isn't going by fast enough, I'm definitely hangin' in there. If it weren't for my music, forreal, I think I'd be balled-up in fetal-position in the corner of my room...crying, mumbling to myself: "Need to work-out, need to work-out, need to work-out." LOL! Yeah, I'm just a fat kid with a major eating disorder. AnYwAy... *rolls-eyes*
My play-list currently features:
(5) GET BUSY Sean Paul
(4) I KNOW WHAT YOU WANT Busta featuring Mariah Carey
(3) BEAUTIFUL Snoop Dogg
(2) IN DA CLUB (Beyonce Remix) 50 Cent featuring Beyonce Knowles
(1) THE JUMP OFF Lil Kim
So these are the songs that make my day go... They're also the songs that get me goin' when I'm in the club. Ahhh - to dance, to sing, with drink in one hand, and smoke in the other. What more can you ask for on a Friday night? LOL
OH yeah. I bought a new CD. Yes, folks, I jumped-off the deep end. I went out and got Kelly Clarkson's CD, Thankful. *EH* Call me a sucka or what have you, but that's the deal, yo. I got her CD... out of sheer curiosity, of course. It's aight... She has some pretty decent songs, and my gurl - Tamyra - is featured on one of her tracks, so it's all good. She has some nice ballads, as should be expected. So yeah... LAWD!
Anyway. Again, please don't mind my mental wramblings here. It's just something I had to get off my chest. But Happy Easter anyway :P (ahahah...) I do wish ALL of you a most blessed Easter, and - for what it's worth - cherish the true meaning of the day... it's not all about getting all donned in your Sunday best, or looking forward to eating-it-up (after all the fasting's said and done), or even sitting around with family members and chit-chattin' over blah-blah-blah~ness. It's about Christ's victory over death and sin in which He so readily sacrificed His own life for the sake of ours.
I think today I will just chill. Now that I'm home, I'm feeling lazy. I don't feel like following mom and dad to the different Easter gatherings today. Shopping's out of the question, since lots of places are probably closed anyway. I already ate, and do NOT intend to eat again today. My friends have invited me to hang, but I'm even feeling lazy to do that. The day is gorgeous and all, but I just want more "ME" time. If anything, I'll go to the gym later this evening. Yeah, that's what I'll do. LOL!
Yesterday was a pretty funny day. I got up after a GREAT night's sleep!! (no insomnia for this fool... sorry marie/meesh! i know you guys have been having some insomnia issues as of late) But I woke-up yesterday, and went to the gym. Then I ran a few minor errands before meeting up with Elle @ Potomac Yards. Afterwards, we went to Springfield and met up with Jun (saw brandon and joyce working, too... and meesh in the parking lot). AFTERwards, and after several tries to get Jun to skip the meeting and go shopping instead - ahahaah, we went to our Unit Household meeting. It was actually not bad. A good discussion, actually. We didn't stay to fellowship since we all had plans. We left Jun @ his car, and then Elle and I went to Pentagon Row and had an AWESOME dinner at Lebanese Taverna (thanks, elle!). Then I finally headed home. I prayed my Day 2 of the Divine Mercy novena (awesome novena, btw), and then popped-in The Sweetest Thing AGAIN while I waited for Carrie to come over. Well, Carrie made it to the house, but we didn't make it to Steve's play as planned...will have to plan that out for next week. Sorry Steve! Instead we trucked over to G-town, and were TRYING to go to Sequoia for drinks and appetizers. But they closed the damn place for a private party. Then the Harbour Club was being closed for renovations...how could that be? The place is pretty new, and GORGEOUS inside... wth?! Instead, we end up at Sole' - which was GREAT! Nice place. I'd been meaning to try the place out, so it was good that Carrie and I made it there. We had drinks (and a free 2nd round from the bartender - KICKASS!!), and appetizers: calamari and mussels. OMG, their mussels? AMAZING! Jun, Katz, Heiz, and Jericho came by, after their dinner-date @ Sequoia, to say "hello..." So we chatted with them for a bit. Then Gina arrived. THEN Carrie saw James (Mararac) and Edsal (Edora) in the little DJ booth. So we made our drunken "hellos..." It was GREAT seeing them. Haven't seen them in the longest time!! And of all places, we see them at Sole'?!? WOW! Well, we close our tab, after the bartender hooks us up with some bread and some olive spread. AND then we fall into the car, and head out to HOME. I'm tellin' you. HOME is SO much better on Friday nights. Saturday night was WHACK. But we were phaded, so it didn't matter as much. Afterwards, we went to grab late-night eats at Harry's... an array of fat-food... ice cream, fries, chili, burgers, sandwiches... then we called it a night. FUN Saturday! I was having "Gina and Carrie" withdrawals since we didn't have our usual Friday night cameos @ HOME. LOL. So it ended up being a good weekend regardless...
In a few hours, it'll be bed time again... and on to another long-ass week. All good. Gotz lots of shit going on this week, so I'm gravy. Hope you're gravy this week, too... *wink*
The point of that? AHAHAH - I don't really know. But I felt like I was being "called" to make mention of it. Oh well. I did my job. Now on to a pressing matter...
AMERICAN IDOL. I haven't made any decent commentary on this show for a LONG time. In fact, I haven't made much decent commentary on any of my favorite shows (including Battle of the Sexes...), probably because I haven't been watching anything as "religiously" (no pun intended, ahaha) as usual. But I have to say something about AMERICAN IDOL. OK - a lot of those katz can sing. Really, they can. But LISTEN UP, AMERICA!! The purpose of having this damn contest is to find a POP STAR. Did you read that? Did you hear me? Did you not just get what I said? AI is looking for a POP STAR - ahem... Kelly Clarkson?! Enough said.
So this season you have a plethora of talents, but which - among them - have the ability to be actually marketed as a POP STAR?! Let me give you a piece of MY mind here...
CLAY OK, let's get something straight here. He is PROBABLY one of the BEST male voices on this show, if not THE best. But at the same time, let's get real about Clay Aiken. He has a great voice, but is it POP material? Personally, I think NOT. To be honest, Clay is more of an "easy listening" kinda crooner...much like how his AI season-mate, Rickey Smith, was. Clay is the "Somewhere Out There" kinda singer that you'll most likely only hear on easy listening stations. And if not that, his voice would work wonders for the STAGE. But for superstar status? I THINK NOT. Try putting him in leather pants, a muscle shirt, dancing some kick-ass routines while belting out "Dirty pop!" I THINK NOT, AMERICA. So let's face the facts: although Clay will most likely make it as one of the Top 2, he's NOT at all a POP STAR. His facial expressions are nothing less than DORKY. His image is too squeaky-clean that he'd be the perfect spokesperson for Christian pop. And he's just NERDY.
JOSH See... he's a country singer. C-O-U-N-T-R-Y singer. NOT a pop star. Again, there's a lot of that cross-over shit going on with Leeann Rimes and the Dixie Chicks, but c'mon now. The poor guy already said that he's COMFORTABLE with his country style. SO to country music he MUST go! He is SO not pop enough. In fact, you look at him (at his HAIR moreso...), and you already see "I'm-a-baby-daddy-who-fights-for-this-nation-with-my-wife-by-my-side." NOPE, he does NOT scream "JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE." ENOUGH SAID.
CARMEN This poor girl. SIMON did a major injustice to this girl for choosing her. Simon is mean, callous, and cruel for even choosing her as his wild card. What the hell? Did he know that he was purposely bringing poor Carmen onto this show to be ridiculed by AMERICA? Cause that's what's happening here. She may be staying SAFE through it all, but c'mon NOW!! The girl cannot SING well. She can sing in her own way, but it's no where near anything remotely POP. She's a cute girl, and would probably be marketable because of her looks...but keeping her on this show is like beating a dead horse over and over again. Seriously, America. COME TO YOUR DAMN SENSES ALREADY. Vote the poor girl OFF. Simon should've, and could've, chosen someone else. Just goes to show how much Simon's views are NOT as cut-throat as he comes off being. He SO does not speak for the MAJORITY of the pop music scene. Just look at the UK's own Pop Idol - gosh he SUCKS!
And now... the trio of TRENYCE, KIMBERLY LOCKE, & RUBEN It's OBVIOUS that these three have the vocal abilities to work the R&B market more than anything. POP? I do NOT think so. R&B, yes. So let's see here...
TRENYCE Alright... so the girl kinda looks scary - with her big eyes and big mouth... BUT she can sing. If you put her in a duet with Tamyra Gray, they could BOTH hold their own. Although, she has the same performance style as Tamyra. ANYWAY. People say that she sings too sharp or too flat. OK, let's stop the bullshit. Cause we all KNOW that she doesn't sing too sharp or too flat. Maybe once or twice she's had a tad bit of trouble hitting certain notes, but in general, the girl has got control. Did you not hear her sing "I Have Nothing" by Whitney? I was blown-away. But I have to admit, her most SATISFYING performance was during the wild card show where she sang "Let's Stay Together." Now she did that song JUSTICE. Even Marvin Gaye was like, "OH DAMN!!" The girl can sing. People don't think so ONLY cause she looks a lil DIFFERENT. So let's get it straight, America. Stop jonin' on her singing style, when you KNOW it's her LOOK that puts you on the fence. She's one of the best female voices this season, and you KNOW it. (her mug shot, as lushundra, isn't as becoming... but MY has the girl CHANGED...) I have no worries for Trenyce either way. Many of my friends feel that she'll be the "Tamyra" of this season, and I'm sure it's true. She'll get knocked off, but she'll get offers.
KIMBERLY LOCKE So, Miss Thang here has a powerful voice. She also has great control. But at the same time, she's pretty much another Etta James in the making. She's cute, but not overly so. She's kinda big, too. But again, not so much of an issue. But to be honest, he vocal range seems fit for jazz, R&B, or adult contemporary. She has the chops of Tonya Blount, Anita Baker, and the like... I can't see her being marketed as a pop star AT ALL. To be honest, I think she should stick with her law studies... get her degree/JD... and then she should definitely get hit-up my some R&B moguls. POP will not take this talent very far AT ALL.
RUBEN SAME AS THE ABOVE. Ruben also belongs to R&B. And his singing style and song choices of late have dubbed him as becoming "predictable." He has yet to do something that'll totally knock the socks off everyone with a BIG surprise. (Clay, too, needs to work this route...) BUT, I personally think Ruben has the best voice, control, versatility, and ability among the guys. But again, as a pop star...he won't get very far. RUBEN = LUTHER. Enough said.
WITH ALL THAT being said... I'm sad to announce that their only HOPE would've been KIMBERLY CALDWELL. Unfortunately, Kim didn't pick the best songs during her stay in this competition. Her best performance to-date was her very first audition where she sang "Come to My Window." Other than that, she hasn't been all too impressive. BUT she's got the looks, she's got the style, she's got the charisma, and she's got the marketability to be a decent POP diva a la X-tina Aguilera, Britney Spears, and - Miss Kelly Clarkson. But AMERICA was stupid, and decided to keep that monstrosity, which is CARMEN, on the damn show. I fold. I f*cking fold. I won't even mention the past Idols who've already been kicked-off. They were kicked-off for a REASON.
So there you go, America. I have spoken... that is where I stand in all this AMERICAN IDOL madness. Simon and company are searching for a pop star, but the British a--hole needs to know that POP is NOT a conundrum of R&B, lite rock, jazz, alternative, country... POP is POP. No derivatives, please. This is NOT geomoetry, people. This is SINGING. This is the search for a POP star.