idol bets

HA HA HA! so i'm leaving for tubbataha in less than 24 hours and while i'm so doped that i couldn't sleep, i'm not going to talk about it. I'm sure I'll be on it non-stop when I come back in 9 days. The dive trip is 7 days but we'll be exploring Puerto Princesa for 2 days before coming back, he he.

instead i'll be babbling about the american idol show. he he. i wasn't really a fan until now. i like watching singing competition but i just never had the patience to follow the series. i would rather wait for the whole season to be over and watch all the episodes in one go! though i never did. still talking about american idol show.

the difference with this season (9) is my sister. tokyo based pincky is home for a while and a HUGE fan of american idol. she had been following it since season 5. and she now infected all of us to stay home wed, thu, fri to catch the show (almost) live.

so going to be gone for over a week, i'll be missing tomorrow's vote result and the 3 episodes next week. when i come back, the top 12 (6 girls and 6 boys) will already be named.

last week i was so pissed that joe munoz was voted off instead of the untalented tim urban. i also think the judges were very harsh to john park. the opening of crystal's is way, way better than michael lynch's opening that got standing ovation from randy. simon "misunderestimated"?

this week, i decided to just pick my top 3 girls and 3 boys and don't care who gets voted off the next 2 weeks. and i'm going to name my bets and prediction. i hope none of my favorites will be voted off.


MY TOP 6 GIRLS (top 3 are favorites)

Publish Post

1. Lilly Scott - i love her voice and her performances. i'd put her songs in my ipod. ♡
2. Crystal Bowersox - fantastic vocal and so cool! ♡
3. Siobhan Magnus - great voice. mysterious and interesting. ♡
4. Didi Benami - nice adele(ish) sound. i like her.♥
5. Katelyn Epperly - good voice, kikay and very pretty. i like her.♥
6. Paige Miles - great voice but no stage presence.


MY TOP 6 BOYS (top 3 are favorites)



1. Alex Lambert - only noticed him this week. love his voice and he's so adorable. ♡
2. Andrew Garcia - my favorite since audition. ♡
3. Lee Dewyze - great rock star sound. ♡
4. Casey James - so HOT!!! ♥
5. Michael Lynche - not my favorite but i think he'll make it to top 6
6. Aaron Kelly - not my favorite but i think he'll make it to top 6

pre-tubba ramblings and a check list

Unbelievable. It's March!

I really wish time doesn't fly so fast but having said that, I also cannot wait for this Friday, March 5, 2010.  This is when we board our boat, Pacific Explorer 2, to Tubbataha for our much anticipated liveaboard diving trip!

It began when the wandersoles decided June last year on doing the trip this year. Confident that we have the network, we booked the whole boat and invited our friends. There were 24 slots and we filled it up in less than a month! It's going to be a really fun trip because while not everyone knows everyone, we were all connected by just 2 - 3 handshakes. We had our yahoo group set up even before the trip and already had dinner together. And not surprising that it was like old friends catching up.

Needless to say I'm extremely excited, and for several reasons. Let's take out the fact that this is Tubbataha, one of the world's most prolific dive site. Scuba divers all over the world come (or dream) to dive in this enchanted underwater world. I feel very lucky that it's just outside my doorstep.

This is a 6 dive days liveaboard trip, meaning, daily life here for a week will be: eat; dive; sleep; repeat. My longest streak was last year's 3 dive days in Dumaguete. I enjoyed the repetitive dive and got confident with drift diving, my greatest fear before. Now it's leaky masks. Well, their advert says "just add water". Didn't know it was literal.

While I'm not as addicted (diving) as some of my friends, who logged over 100 dives on their first year, I do already have 71 in 2 years. Yes, so far, all my dives are counted. And with 71 dives in the Philippines, I have never encountered shark! Not in Mainit during crazy current. Not even if the site is called Shark Avenue in Sumilon, Cebu. I'm beginning to believe that I have shark repellant. Truly. So this trip is sort of a challenge: Tubbataha shark habitat vs. wanderlass shark repellant. Stay tuned! ;-)

So this is the last weekend before Le Weekend.  Sometimes weekdays have the habit of creeping on me, so I thought I'll stay at home and pack. But all I accomplished today was coming up with a packing list. he he. Oh well.

Let me know what you think i missed!

LIVEABOARD DIVE TRIP CHECKLIST

1. Dive Equipments

• BCD
• Regulator + gauges
• Spare mouth piece
• Dive Computer
• Mask + spare mask
• Wetsuit
• Booties
• Fins
• Gloves
• Hood
• Camera + battery + charger + SD
• Underwater casing + silicon + desiccant 
• Light + backup light + extra batteries
• Knife
• Compass
• Balloon
• Logbook
• Scuba Certification Card
• Tank banger or whistle
• Slate
• Reef hook
• Dry bag

2. Non Diving Stuff

• Rash guards
• Swimwear
• Shorts
• Jacket/windbreaker
• T-Shirts 
• Hair tie (lots of them)
• Undies
• Towels
• Flip-flops
• Sunglasses
• Sun screen
• Toiletries
• Books
• Insect repellant
• Money 
• Secret food stash

3. Electronics (flashpacker alert)

• Cameras (dslr, uw, p&s)
• Macbook
• iPod touch
• Batteries
• Chargers
• SD cards

4. Medications

• Vitamin C
• Meclizine HCl (anti-vertigo)
• Paracetamol (analgesic)
• Phenylephrine HCl (decongestants)
• Ibuprofen (headache)
• Mefenamic acid (pain killer)

5. Travel documents

• Passport (if overseas trip)
• Plane tickets
• Travel insurance
• Diving insurance

Tubbataha Countdown!

Tubbataha Reef in Sulu Sea, Philippines is home of some of the world's most beautiful coral reef and richest marine life. It was declared Unesco World Heritage site and nominated as one of the 7 Wonders of Nature.

And to avid scuba divers like myself, this is the ultimate dream dive!  A protected marine sanctuary, Tubbataha Reef National Park only allows diving from March to June.  It is said that it was even more spectacular before the devastation in the 80's by greedy fishermen and dynamite fishing. Luckily, with the intervention of environmentalists and government (?), it's coming back to life.

Two years into diving and completing my gears, I felt it was time for me answer this calling. Together with my fellow dive addict friends and solemates, we booked a whole boat from Expedition Fleet for this year's open season. And it's happening very, very soon!