First Impressions

Currently Listening To: Glee Cast - One Less Bell to Answer/A House is not a Home

It's time for Americaaaaaan Idol - again!
And yes even though I'm not that excited about this season, I'm still planning to blog about it. Why would I do that? Well, number 1: I'm bored. Number 2: It's fun to look back on old entries one year later so...yeah.

Anyway, the Hollywood rounds are over and the Top 24 has been decided. I thought they were going to change the format or something, but I guess not? It's still 12 guys and 12 girls. Alrighty, my first impressions of the contestants this year:


From Daemonstv.com

The Guys

Brett Loewenstern - Hmmm, his hair is really distracting. Not particularly fond of him but I guess he's all right...

Jovany Barreto - Agree with J.Lo, great upper range but other than that bleh.

Jacob Lusk - Oversinging much? Overemotional too.

Paul McDonald - TPTB didn't show much of him so...I don't know. He's interesting enough though.

Clint Jun Gamboa - Hate this guy. Jerk, and he's not that great anyway.

Robbie Rosen - David Archuleta 2.0. Not necessarily a bad thing. My favourite for now.

Stefano Langone - Well, he's decent enough. Nothing to shout about.

Jordan Dorsey - I don't see what's so great about him. Deandre Brackensick should have been in over him I think.

Tim Halperin - Another unknown interesting enough to catch a little of my attention.

James Durbin - Oh god. Adam Lambert wannabe for sure. Mr I'm-just-gonna-screamwailscreech-every-word-cos-it-worked-for-Adam! Can't stand the guy.

Casey Abrams - Interesting choices of instruments. A more polished Taylor Hicks perhaps? I do like him though.

Scotty McCreery - He made me hate the song he couldn't stop singing. No idea why he's still in the competition. His so called amazing deep voice is like Taylor Swift's - flat as hell.

The Girls

Naima Adedapo - I like this girl! No overpimping, and she has a nice voice.

Julie Zorilla - Omg this girl is awesome. Definitely one of my favourites!

Karen Rodriguez - Not bad either.

Lauren Turner - Two Laurens this year, and I prefer this Lauren.

Kendra Chantelle - Boring.

Ashthon Jones - Darn I missed the part where they showed her singing, so I have no idea.

Rachel Zevita - I guess she deserves a chance? Weird operatic chick.

Haley Reinhart - I don't get it. She doesn't deserve to make the Top 24. Just plain awful.

Thia Megia - Um. Well. She does have a good voice, but I think she's a little too unpolished for AI.

Lauren Alaina - This chick has issues with Steven Tyler. She just can't keep her hands off him! Seriously! He's 62 and she's 16 for heaven's sake. Good voice, but I don't like her at all.

Pia Toscano - ...who is she again? Sorry no clue who that is.

Tatynisa Wilson - This season's Lil Rounds perhaps.


Don't know them? Watch this.

21

Currently Listening To: Adele - Rumour Has It

I suppose Adele wrote this album two years ago?
Cos I'm turning 23 today, and we're the same age XD

So I'm not exactly a fan of Adele but I did like some of the songs from her previous album.I was all for Duffy when they were both nominated for the Grammy's a few years back, and was quite upset when Adele won but now I kinda sorta understand why she had won instead. Honestly, Adele's sophomore album is a lot better than Duffy's. Was completely and absolutely turned off by Duffy's nasally Well Well Well. It was so terrible I couldn't bring myself to listen to her new album. (I don't even know the name of the album!)

Anyway going back to Adele, I'm still not a big fan but 21 is a pretty good album. Mostly ballads with a few upbeat songs, such as Rolling in the Deep (the first single) and Rumour Has It (my personal favourite).



Tracklisting
1. Rolling in the Deep
2. Rumour Has It
3. Turning Tables
4. Don't You Remember
5. Set Fire to the Rain
6. He Won't Go
7. Take It All
8. I'll Be Waiting
9. One and Only
10. Love Song
11. Someone Like You

Overall: Pleasant album, not really my kind of music but still nice to listen to. 8/10.
Recommendations: Rolling in the Deep, Rumour Has It, Set Fire to the Rain, Someone Like You.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Currently Listening To: Brooke Waggoner - Go Easy Little Doves

I finally bought The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo bookset/The Millennium trilogy by Stieg Larsson for RM59.90 at Popular! They were having some special offer for the New Year celebrations and it was open to everyone and not just the members. The other bookstores are either selling them individually for about RM35.90 per book, or the bookset for RM79.90, so I'd say I got a pretty good deal.

I was interested in the trilogy because the American version of the movie will be out in December, and the books are like, quite famous?

So far I'm about halfway through the first book. Don't know what to make of it yet, the story is interesting but um, I don't think it's written very well. I mean, there are pages and pages of useless information and pointless descriptions of totally random stuff. It reads more like a report of the book, rather than the actual novel.

I know it's originally in Swedish and I'm actually reading someone else's translation of the book but still, the information is the same right? Note to self: don't ever write like that. It drags everything down.

Despite that, I'm still progressing fast, thanks to the intriguing plot and the interesting characters. Can't really tell what the story's about though. Based on the description on the back cover of the second book, it looks like the story's about human trafficking? I guess I'll find out soon.

Still on my favourite topic (books books books!), I'm totally loving this blog right now:
jennysbooks.wordpress.com

The blogger's a huge Diana Wynne Jones fan, and she even hosted a DWJ event on her blog a few months back! Her first ever author's week event in fact, to encourage other DWJ fans to review her books and to spread the DWJ love. It's so rare to find DWJ fans, so I'm like in DWJ heaven right now. I even learnt new things from the blog - for example, I can't believe that I actually missed out one of her books, A Sudden, Wild Magic. Never knew it existed until I came across it in that blog.

Anyway it's getting late, and I should totally get started on watching the 13th episode of Glee Season 2 =P (and it's 1.40am!)

P.S: OMG I'm almost done with Persona 3! I guess I better finish off the final bosses of P3 AND P4 before classes start.

American Idol Returns!

Currently Listening To: Evanescence - The Only One

I never thought that I'd be blogging about this but...you know what, I am actually impressed with the first episode of American Idol Season 10.

New judges, new contestants...all off to a promising start, surprisingly!
Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez are pretty decent, with Tyler being totally amusing and J.Lo actually being helpful (unlike the other three women who had graced the judging panel).

As for the contestants, well, they are finally focusing more on the good auditions rather than the outrageous ones. Or maybe America finally ran out of crazy people...? Japan seems to have invaded the AI stage though, I think that Japanese dude singing Miley Cyrus was the worst audition for today.

So...it is still way too early to tell whether the season will be good or bad, but a promising start is better than a dull one right?

BSC (Remember what it stands for?)

Currently Listening To: Glee Cast - Valerie

Does anyone remember the Baby Sitters Club books?
I recently found a blog revisiting (and ridiculing) the books, and now I'm inspired to reread them!
So I rummaged around my boxes of books, and discovered that I only have 4 volumes of BSC left.
Only four!
How many did I have in the first place?
I think I gave the rest to Becky. Or perhaps my mum donated them to some organisation or something...
If I remember correctly, I only had like maybe 10 volumes? Borrowed most of it from Trix, she had like a ton of them. (I wonder if she still has them now...?)

Even though I was a bigger fan of the BSC, I seem to have more Sweet Valley books - maybe about 25 volumes? Or probably more.
So far I've only re-read Stacey and the Mystery at the Mall.
13 years later...I have no idea why I was so obsessed with the books.
I mean, the idea of a baby sitters club is not exactly...cool, so why were addicted to them when we were younger? Probably because it described the lives of American teenagers...

Anyway, I remember liking the characters for silly reasons.
I wasn't a fan of the Kristy-narrated books but I had liked Kristy because her middle name's Amanda.
My favourites were Stacey and Claudia though, Stacey because she's blonde and Claudia for being Asian lol.
Thinking back, I guess I was being kinda shallow? Like I said, silly reasons for liking the characters =P
Seriously, if there is anyone out there still reading my blog, lend me your BSC books if you still have them!

Also, I found blogs for the Sweet Valley books, and the Goosebumps and Fear Street series by R.L. Stine (I'm done with the Goose\bumps one actually), so I guess I'll be spending the next few weeks reading them all XD

And maybe it'll give me something to blog about.

Here are the links to the blogs, if anyone is interested (or too bored):

BSC
BSC 2
Goosebumps
Fear Street
Random YA books
Random 2
Sweet Valley

P.S: Somebody help my obsession with Top Chef! I'm addicted.

It's only a few days into 2011...

...but life is just too unexpected sometimes.

Today, a classmate of mine was involved in a fatal accident. I don't know the details, but I really hope that it wasn't a...painful affair.

And to think that we were suppose to celebrate our friends' graduation this Sunday...unbelievable. It seems so unreal you know?

We read and hear about road accidents every day but you won't know what it's like until it actually affects you in some way.

I may not know you very well but I do know that you'll be missed by all of us.

May you rest in peace Mun Tatt.

Introducing...

Currently Listening To: Laura Marling - Ghosts

Another relatively unknown singer I've been listening to lately: Laura Marling

December in Brief

Currently Listening To: Evanescence - My Immortal

It's the end of the year again, and I guess everyone has mostly abandoned their blogs (including me!).

So what have I been doing this whole month? Well it's holidays and...

• I had dinner at Kampachi, the super fancy (and pricey) Japanese restaurant @ The Equatorial Penang for the first time in my life. Celebrated the parents' 29th anniversary there two days ago. 6 pieces of Sushi for RM36! Seriously man.
  
• This is the second year in a row I have not been working during holidays. Sent some resumes out but no reply yet so far (probably cos I'm too last minute bwahahaha...)
  
• I've been playing Persona 4! What a fascinating game. Seriously. That game seriously has everything that's usually taboo in society. Anyone who likes RPG games should definitely play Persona 4.
  
• More house renovations, thanks to the bloody termites. Ate away the kitchen doors so now they have to be replaced.
  
• Glee's on a break! =( Although the second season is not that great, I still love the show and I hate it when they're on hiatus or something. Thankfully it'll be back in February, and Pretty Little Liars in January!
  
• It's a little over two months since Adam Lambert's Glamnation Concert in Malaysia =( Yes I'm still suffering from Post-Glamnation-Syndrome! At least I'm no longer a concert virgin!
  

I guess that's about it? Some holiday I'm having.