Haven’t been blogging lately.  Been so busy with work and life.  Was browsing the net today and look what I found. I’ve finally hit pay dirt!

First on my list.  I’ve blogged about Miss South Carolina a few months back and this here is her Asian cousin.  OMG. Damn painful to watch.  And guess what? She won one of the major prices to boot. I hope they put her in one of those speed public speaking programs before they sic her on to the world. If that doesn’t work, get her an interpreter!!!!!

Oh and plus I’ve been getting tons of emails from my friends in Manila, begging me to go to this website where the blogger is an Oz who had a very bad (and I’m saying that lightly) experience rubbing elbows with Manila’s “it” crowd. 
Go take a look.     

Don’t know personally who these people are but they are getting a lot of attention albeit bad ones. Betcha this blog is giving some people sleepless nights. A classic case of when shit hits the fan, duck duck goose!

I died. Have good day wherever you are!    

 This was then….This is now…. 

Why it’s tailor-made to be great reality TV.  It’s not the nation’s top-rated reality show. (Tragically, “American Idol” is.) And it’s not the one that always bags the Emmys. (That would be “The Amazing Race.”)

But nothing in the vast and voyeuristic netherworld of reality TV can beat the sheer bitchiness, glamour and buzz of “Project Runway.”

Like French fries, lottery tickets and Helen Keller jokes, there’s just no resisting the show’s guilty-pleasure pull. Even those who’d rather find themselves arrested on “To Catch a Predator” than admit to watching a reality series, openly proclaim their love for this cherished brand.

The ardor shows no signs of abating as “Project Runway” pulls out the sewing needles for its fourth season.  

So, how does the show manage to tower over its competition like a pair of spike heels in a world of flats?

Let us count the ways:

1. Contestants actually have to do things that take – gasp! – talent.

True, a clutch of other reality programs also showcase skills, like those about hairdressers (“Sheer Genius”), foodies (“Top Chef”) and interior decorators (“Top Design”). But the hair and furniture shows haven’t caught on nearly so well, and don’t deserve to. While “Chef” has – and does – there’s a real credibility problem with its judging.

On “Chef,” viewers can’t actually taste the food. So we have to trust the experts that the bee-pollen-infused onion confit was a catastrophe. In “Runway,” not only do we have just as much exposure to the contestants’ work as do the judges, we often have more, having seen what led them to conceive a given schmatte or heard just how a particular contestant intends to reinvent the pump.

2. The challenges are creative – if sometimes sadistically so.

It’s not just that contestants have to do things like make a savvy little cocktail dress out of discarded syringes. They have to endure psychological warfare, too. Like the time they were forced to create outfits for their fellow contestants’ parents. Even the guards in Guantanamo Bay probably never thought of something as ingeniously cruel.

3. Everyone on the show is certifiable, but in an interesting, not repulsive way.

4. Yes, Tim Gunn is that charming.

Of course, even that wasn’t enough to save his ill-conceived spinoff. But within the context of “Project Runway” Gunn comes off as the perfect, caring, fairy Godfather.

5. The judges are every bit as obnoxious, and fickle, as we want them to be.

Admit it. We need Michael Kors, Nina Garcia and the rest to be petty, condescending and, at times, just plain wrong. Otherwise, what would we have to argue about afterward?

6. There is no dating involved in the show and no one gets a rose.

In other words, there’s nothing corny or even particularly sentimental about this program. It’s as hard-edged as life at its most ruthless.

7. Any slob, sitting in his/her sweats, can feel like Diana Vreeland for a day.

Without having to stitch a single hem, or have a clue as to what constitutes proper footwear at a cotillion, we can all make grand statements about fashion and style.

8. It’s just so incredibly gay.

In fact, there’s a deep connection between reality TV and gay identity, dating all the way back to the first program of this ilk. In 1972, “An American Family” chronicled a divorcing California couple who had a gay son (Lance Loud). When the genre was resurrected, in a profoundly bastardized form in the ’90s with MTV’s “The Real World,” it quickly became sport for viewers to figure out which participant was that season’s token gay person. “Project Runway” boldly reverses that trend. Here there are so many gay people, viewers get to play “spot the straight.”

9. Heidi Klum’s ridiculous accent

Somehow, it wouldn’t be the same if Heidi didn’t order people off the show with that Germanic bark: “You’re ooouuut!“

10. And last: Who are we kidding? Can there ever really be a full explanation for love?

On a side note.  I love Christian Siriano.  The pocket gay boy genius is so gay he makes Austen Scarlett of Season 1 seem like Rock Hudson.  Oh wait, I mean Tom Cruise.  Oh, that doesn’t work either….Christian is so gay he makes Austen Scarlett seem like Rupert Everett!  Shit.  

Ok, how about George Michael?  Sean Patrick Harris?

Man, is anyone straight?

Christian is only 21 and the baby of Season 4.  He’s incredibly talented and has ‘tude for days.

I was thrilled when he won the avant-garde competition in collaboration with Chris March.  I was so charmed by his work that I didn’t mind when he proclaimed in the workroom, “If I were a diva, my name would be FEROSH!” — yes, as in ferocious.  Sigh.  The avant-garde look that he and Chris designed was on a whole other level than anything any of the other designers had conceived.  It was sophisticated and directional and creative and artistic and beautifully constructed.  Michael Kors was rendered speechless for once, which is just about the highest compliment you can get on this show.  I agree with Tim Gunn (note to self:  always agree with Tim Gunn) that their rtw look was sorta cheap-looking but could be excused for the awesomeness of the other dress.   Team Fierce for the motherfuckin’ win.  

   

All photos courtesy of google images    

So it’s the NY Giants against the much vaunted New England Patriots for the Super Bowl.  If you  have been reading my blog in the past, you know I like soccer.  But there is something about the Super Bowl that gets me all excited.  Is it the ads?  Maybe.  Is it the half-time show?  Could be.    But what I do know is I’m rooting for the Giants.  Why?  I’m a sucker for the underdogs.  I’ve always rooted for the underdog which by the look of things, if not entirely obvious is the NY Giants.   

Why do people root for the underdogs?  Why do we find them appealing?  If you ask what my reasons are, well,  I like anomalies, the things in life that do not fit, the assumptions that can be overturned. That is why I often root for the underdog in sports.  We seek to understand why people are drawn to the Rocky Balboas and the Davids (versus Goliaths) of the world.  Some would say that those who are viewed as disadvantaged arouse people’s sense of fairness and justice — important principles to most people.  Research also found that people tend to believe that underdogs put forth more effort than top-dogs, but that favorable evaluation disappears when the underdog status no longer applies, such as when people are expected to lose but have a lot of available resources.  

Let’s talk about the great American party  - Super Bowl Sunday. Why is Super Bowl Sunday one of the most celebrated day of the year?  It is because the Super Bowl is the quintessential American holiday.   In all of its gluttonous, lazy glory.  It isn’t a Super Bowl party without pizza, wings or chili, and no one is going to complain, “Isn’t this what we had last year?”  The ambiance pretty much amounts to having the largest quantity of television with the biggest screens possible, so as to make sure no one misses a play — or at least doesn’t miss any of the commercials. Super Bowl Sunday is also a fun respite from the long cold winter months.

P.S.

God asks Peyton Manning first: “What do you believe?” Peyton thinks long and hard, looks God in the eye, and says, “I believe in hard work, and in staying true to family and friends. I believe in giving. I was lucky, but I always tried to do right by my fans.” God can’t help but see the essential goodness of Peyton, and offers him a seat to his left.

Then God turns to Eli Manning and says, “What do you believe?” Eli says, “I believe passion, discipline, courage and honor are the fundamentals of life. I, too, have been lucky, but win or lose, I’ve always tried to be a true sportsman, both on and off the playing fields.” God is greatly moved by Eli’s sincere eloquence, and he offers him a seat to his right.

Finally, God turns to Tom Brady: “And you, Tom, what do you believe?” Tom replies, “I believe you’re in my seat.”

Teehee.

Brace yourselves folks, Super Bowl fever starts now. Although one of my favoritest NFL players is Randy Moss. Remember him mooning the livid crown in Lambeau Field 2 seasons ago? Priceless. Sorry Randy but I’m rooting for the Giants. NY Giants for the motherfuckin’ win!!!!

PLEASE LISTEN – Author Unknown

When I ask you to listen to me and you start giving me advice,
you have not done what I asked.
When I ask you to listen to me and you begin to tell me why I shouldn’t feel that way,
you are trampling on my feelings.
When I ask you to listen to me and you feel you have to do something to solve my problem,
you have failed me.  

Strange as that may seem.
Listen!  All I ask is that you listen.
Don’t talk or do – just hear me.
Advice is cheap; and I can do for myself;
I am not helpless. Maybe discouraged and flittering, but not helpless.
When you do something forme that I can  and need to do for myself,
you contribute to my fear and inadequacy.
But when you accept as a simple fact that I feel what I feel,
no matter how irrational, then I can stop trying to convince you to get about
this business of understanding what’s behind this irrational feeling.
And when that’s clear, the answers are obviousand I don’t need advice.
Irrational feelings make sense when we understand what’s behind them.
Perhaps that’s why prayer works, sometimes, for some people
- because God is mute, and he doesn’t give advice or try to fix things.
God just listens and lets you work it out for yourself.

So please listen, and just hear me. And if you want to talk,
wait a minute for your turn – and I will listen to you.

P.S.Nicki – you sent this to me a long time ago.  Isn’t it odd how some things
are timelessand still relevant years from when it was first read?

I’m back from my trek half-way around the world.  And as always,  whenever I come from Asia, I am hit with a very bad cold.  Here are some pictures taken during Christmas lunch with my ex-coworkers. Here’s wishing everybody a prosperous 2008! 

Photo courtesy of google images 

It is good to be back in my old stomping grounds.  For those who don’t know, I’ve lived and work here in HongKong for 3 years before I moved to ol’ US of A.  This place brings back so many good memories.  Family lives here so that makes it easier to come back and stay for a couple of days (yeah, free board and lodging, tons of thanks to Sam).   The last time I was here was back in 2004.  If you asked most people who’ve lived here before what they missed the most, the unanimous answer will be: the FOOD.  And I absolutely agree.  I’m not a shopaholic so shopping for me takes a backseat.   Hong Kong is an amazing city.  I absolutely love it.  For a first time visitor, check out the view from Victoria Peak.  Best time would be sunset and luckier still if its a clear day but circumstances like that are notoriously rare. 

With the current “I Love Hong Kong” campaign in full swing, I pondered what I like about this place.  Here, in no particular order, are some of the reasons why I love Hong Kong: 

1.  Weather  - grumble all you want about Hong Kong’s hot, humid summers, but I prefer warm weather over long cold winters any day.   Winters are cool enough to make a pleasant contrast from Summer, and this place usually get a few days’ chilly weather each year to remind residents what they’re missing.

2.  Convenience – buses, trams, minibuses, ferries, subway, taxi … it is such an easy place to get around.  Pretty much anything you could want to buy is available, and shops are open late into the evening.   On a recent trip to Sydney,  we were disappointed to find that all the city center shops are closed by 6pm on Saturday afternoon. 

3.  Safety – given that this is such a large city, it is amazing how safe it is to be out and about, even late at night.  When I first came here, I was surprised to see children out on the street at 10 or 11pm, being sent down to the nearest 7 – 11 or corner store to buy something for the family.  There are many complaints about the poor quality of life in Hong Kong, but the feeling of personal safety is a huge plus for me. 

4.  Food – I’ve entertained business guests from overseas who, after a couple of days here, ask pleadingly “Isn’t there anywhere that serves real Chinese foold like we have back home?”.  If you prefer Chinese food without a sugary, glow-in-the-dark orange sauce, you are going to be one happy camper here.  And when you need a break from good chinese food, all the other Asian cuisines are well represented too.  I’m still waiting to find a good Greek restaurant though. 

5.  Tax – HK tax return is four sides of paper, and usually you’ll only need to fill in one and a half of those.  And after filling it in, the maximum tax is just 15% of your salary. 

6. Outlying Islands – you probably have a mental image of skyscrapers and crowded streets.  But because the buildings and people are all squashed into a small area, it means that most of Hong Kong’s area is in the outlying islands.  If you’re willing to spend a little more time travelling out of the city, you can really unwind in the country parks and beaches.

7.  Diversity – living in a foreign country means that even simple things can seem strange and interesting.  I also feel a little bit more different than if I was living at home in the US. 

8.  Vitasoy – cold, on my cornflakes for breakfast.   Enough said.   Hong Kong for the motherfuckin’ win.