NKOTB and BSB at the 2010 American Music Awards

Imagine my regret when I read a tweet from a friend that NKOTB (New Kids on the Block) and BSB (Backstreet Boys) co-performed during the 2010 American Music Awards. It slipped my mind that there was actually a live telecast of the show! So off I went to search YouTube for a good soul who might have uploaded the said performance.

Tadaaa! Can I just say… Jordan Knight is still hawt!

Thanks to THECookieNookie for the HD upload!

Thankful…

How can you not love an account who celebrates Thanksgiving? Yayyy, no work for me tonight! It’s the first time I actually get to enjoy the perks of the celebration ever since I started working for a BPO company. I was always the loser who had to work on holidays.

But there’s still a lot to be thankful for this 2010. I’ve had my own share of hits and misses but I choose to remember the blessings I’ve been given.

CAREER

My promotion came just when I needed it the most. It was not about the money; I was thisclose to giving up because of the working environment (incompetent boss, anyone?). Today I am in the company of the best in our field. My current boss is such an excellent mentor and I am learning a lot from her.

WORLD CUP 2010

Yes, I will never get tired of blabbing about it. It was one of those events that made this year so memorable for me. I’ll probably even include this in my “the year that was” post by December 31st. My love for La Furia Roja has grown since I first saw them play against Switzerland. Oh, and while we’re at it… happy 29th birthday to my boyfriend husband love of my life, Xabi Alonso!

HEALTH

Not a great year for me, health-wise. But I’m surviving. Maybe it’s the stress of the new workload, or I’m just getting older and my immune system is failing me. Haha! Here’s to a sick-free 2011!

And lastly, I’m thankful for my friends and family. We’ve been through a lot through thick and thin. Thank you for keeping me grounded. Your company keeps me sane and things are brought into the right perspective whenever I seek your advice. 

So what are you most thankful about?

Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

I am running on barely 5 hours of sleep as I write this entry. Yup, all for the love of Harry Potter! There was no way we were missing out on seeing the movie during its first day of showing. Not when it has been a tradition of ours eversince Sorcerer's Stone came out. So yes, I dragged myself to the mall together with my sister for the 12:40PM screening on November 18. And was it worth it?

Every. single. penny.

The film is almost 75% trio-centric and this is where I really appreciated their friendship the most. They only had each other to rely on. When one broke off (albeit temporarily), it deeply affected those who had chosen to remain. Next to Goblet of Fire, this was the only Potter movie that had me near tears when a character kicked the bucket.

So while we’re at it, allow me to share with you my thoughts regarding the movie. Be warned for spoilers behind the cut and in the comments.

4–0, seriously?!?

I am starting to sense a pattern here. Qualifiers, they win. Friendlies, they lose. It almost seems like they’re trying to lose on purpose just so they can save their strength for qualifying games. Still, it hurts that they lost to two countries who have huge egos concerning association football. Wake up, La Roja! I know you can do better.

William and Kate: Well it's about time!

I'm taking baby steps towards straightening my finances. Last Monday, I opened an ATM savings account with the intention of being a wise spender once I receive my 13th month pay. Easier said than done, huh? Truth be told, I'm excited to test the limits of my budgeting skills. This should translate to less foodtrips and sensible shopping investments (wardrobe, shoes, gadgets) without going overboard on the alloted budget for the month.

So while I channel my inner Becky Bloomwood, it is with great joy that I blog about Prince William and Kate Middleton's engagement. According to the news, the couple are to marry sometime next year. Yayyy! I love royal weddings. It's like a family reunion for Europe's royal families who are mostly descended from the late Queen Victoria of England.

Trivia: We had a tape of the Charles/Diana wedding on betamax. Everyone at home forgot about it until August of 1997 when the princess passed away in a car crash. Now, no one knows where it is again.

Good thing my teenage crush on Wills has long been over. Superficial as it may seem, he is no longer as dashing as before. I guess it's true that you tend to get more territorial over your celebrity crushes when you're in your teens. Once you get older, you simply couldn't care anymore. Now it's one royal bachelor down. At least Prince Harry's still available, right?

It comes from within

The new Spanish NT jersey makes its debut…

How hot are my La Roja boys in this commercial? I can let the skin peeling pass. It's Xabi Alonso, people! Whether he is shirtless or in a suit, the man can do no wrong in my eyes.

The new jersey they're modelling debuts on November 17 when La Furia Roja reunites for a friendly against Portugal. Pretty exciting, eh? I hope they win. The match should generate enough interest in their bid to co-host Euro 2016 with the same country.

Some little fangirl posts…

Why, oh why, Bonnie Wright?!? I'd say never wear black to premieres again! It's nice to dress down sometimes but please not during Harry Potter events. You deserve an outfit that will highlight your best assets. In this case, a little black dress simply won't do the trick. It is unfair though how you're always getting the short end of the stick when compared to Emma Watson. You ladies are both pretty, end of story. There shouldn't be any competition at all.

Now that we’re into films, one of the movies I'm actually looking forward to next year is Country Strong. It stars Tim McGraw, Leighton Meester, Garret Hedlund and Gwyneth Paltrow in a story about a fallen country star and a rising young singer-songwriter she takes under her wings as they try to resurrect her career. Hedlund is reason enough for me to watch this. I've adored the guy since Four Brothers and he was the only saving grace in Eragon. Pretty scruffy, but definitely a great actor.

Gossip Girl fans, on the other hand, would surely watch this for Leighton Meester. She's such a darling as Chiles Stanton, the beauty queen turned singer, whose good-hearted innocence reminds me of Carrie Underwood when she first started in American Idol.

I’m back!

My 3 day training ended yesterday and it was a relief when we finally took the assessment afterwards. Guess what? I PASSED! What's even more surprising was that my score was in the 90s. (to date, the highest known score from all who finished the sessions is at 98) I couldn't be more happier. HPMT (High Performance Management Techniques) nearly drained the life out of me. It was information overload at its finest. 

But I'd like to tip my hats off to the trainers. It's never easy training people who are no longer used to classroom sessions. Oftentimes some were on the brink of dozing off. But we survived! And for that, I am truly grateful. I felt like it was such an achievement on my end considering I was never a good student back in the days.

This month also marks the return of the Harry Potter movies, specifically the first part of the finale, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I'm so excited. My VL for the 19th was already approved when I learned that the movie will actually open here on the 18th. Oh well... good thing I have a flexi schedule.

So who among you are watching Deathly Hallows on its opening day too?

My Grown-Up Christmas Wishlist

I'd be a hypocrite to say I don't crave for material things. I do. In fact, every December we've made it as a project to save up for a certain gadget or appliance that we fancy. Everything is paid in cash. The credit card is considered an evil entity in this household as long as spending patterns aren't normalized. And because I have bills to worry about, wishlists are the only way I'm motivated to work even harder for the things I really want. Allow me to share to you ten things I really want to receive (or buy) this holiday season, or hopefully by 2011.

A Canon 1000D camera - Not for me, per se, but rather for my sister. She has an eye for taking great pictures and I want to encourage that talent. Besides, we need a new camera if we are to push through with that summer trip to Tandag next year. Who knows, this might translate to better profile photos on Facebook right?

A Xabi Alonso soccer jersey - An imitation would be fine, but an original (branded) one would be even better. Those who know me are aware of how much I adore this guy. Who wouldn't love the name Xabi, eh? My World Cup 2010 memories bring me nothing but pure joy because of him and the rest of La Roja. If only the guy can be cloned.

An all-expenses paid trip (one week) to any provincial destination of my choice - I say this time and time again... I am in need of a long-overdue one week vacation. Working in a BPO environment can be very toxic. Once in a while, you need to de-stress yourself to relieve the pressures of the job. If someone offers me a (free) tour of Vigan or Iloilo for that matter, I'd haggle for leave credits from my boss and gladly go on that trip without batting an eyelash.

A domain of my own (http://iamnofangirl.com) - Pretty far-fetched for now since I have no credit card. But who knows? Right now I'm enjoying my renewed interest in blogging. It's always nice to read through your past entries and realize how much you've grown emotionally (and physically!) since you wrote it.

DVDs (original ones) of my favorite TV series – Ugly Betty, Modern Family, Criminal Minds. Any of those three would be fine. Ugly Betty keeps me grounded and focused with my attitude at work. Modern Family provides me the necessary humor I need in my stress-filled life. Criminal Minds is my form of escapism on what it would be like if profiling was my current job.

I might add more but these are the immediate answers that came to my mind when coming up with this year’s wishlist. I never did one for my birthday so I think this should be aptly called, “my birthday-slash-christmas wishlist for 2010”.

The One where I’m alone for the weekend

First off, yeah… it's an obligatory Harry/Ginny photo from Deathly Hallows. Can you believe it? Thirteen days more to go! Vacation leave has been approved for the 19th so I'm all set. It's the beginning of the end... of my teenage years. Joke! Truth be told, I started reading Harry Potter back in 2001. I was already a senior in college. (Trivia: Chamber of Secrets was the first book that I finished) I always knew OBHWF was end game back then. Felt relieved that JKR had the same thing in mind by the time she released the final book. 

On the other hand, my sister's friends are currently in Cebu for a short vacation. I envy them. I can't stop blabbing about vacays since I haven't had any out-of-town trips for quite sometime now. Loser, right? I know! But work demands so much of my time. I am slowly turning into a workaholic who has no time for fun. Huhuhu! They brought us durian jams from Davao though. Nothing is stopping me from making mango-durian float over the weekend. Tastes like heaven, I tell you.

I am glad Sheila (my sis) finally gets the chance to enjoy a day-out with them since they all live in different cities. Reunions like this happen once in a blue moon. Like my college besties, their friendship has withstood the test of time (them being friends since high school). Take a wild guess where they’re spending the weekend? 

BANTAYAN ISLAND!

Can I just die of jealousy now?

Dearly beloved brother...

Is it too much too ask that you live within your means? Every month, this never fails to be an issue in this household. You are earning your own keep. Learn to budget. Stop with investments that you can't even afford. Better yet, learn how to say no. Remember that you are only human. You cannot solve every problem that your friends have. Now that we're at it, can you also be honest with us? It's not all the time we can clean up after your mess, you know?

Love,

Your disappointed sisters

The Next Big Thing: Mara Clara’s teens

These kids are just too cute for words. Not to encourage love teams or anything, but I think they are part of the reason why Mara Clara is rating well despite it being a revived soap opera. The story is formulaic; switched-at-birth kids, an evil family member and a long-kept secret that could destroy both families once revealed. But keeping the characters up-to-date with modern times has made viewers sympathetic with Clara, captivated by Mara’s positivity in life and seething with rage at Kiray Desiree’s mean girl antics. Let’s face it. Kiray is such a scene-stealer in this show, eh?

My sister, who is known to abhor tween pairings, actually looks forward to the show every night. These teens can actually give those kids from the other network (*cough*Tween Hearts*cough*) a run for their money given the proper projects and workshops to hone their craft. I never even thought introducing Christian this early would work for the plot. His scenes with Mara are starting to grow on me lately. Makes me miss high school life. Haha!

Is a week-long vacation in the works?

This is the thing when you're given the chance to go on PTO. The day you're supposed to go back to work? You don't want to drag your ass off to the office anymore. But reality bites. This is what I get for being such a workaholic. I try to be the best at everything I do but there are just some things where I fall short of. Isn't this what they call real-life? You learn from things that you experience one day at a time.

Speaking of which, I made the most out of my first paid time-off in more than 12 months. Me and my sister dropped by at Cempark to pay our respects to my grandmother and uncle. After which we went malling and I got myself some new flats to spruce up my sneaker-dominated footwear. I worry about my spending habits though. I'm not addicted to shopping... I'm more into food trips. See how unconventional I am?