Tomorrow night, more than 200 Filipino bloggers from across the country are expected to converge at the RCBC Theater for the awarding ceremonies of the Philippine Blog Awards. I won’t be there, not for lack of desire nor nomination, but simply because my son, Nathan, is still without nanny and I cannot in good conscience choose this wanton blogging bacchanalia over my son’s well-being. It’s not like my eight-month-pregnant wife...

  For this week’s Thursday Thirteen (Fridays in Manila), I write down 13 reasons why American Idol finalist Melinda Doolittle should not win American Idol. I love Melinda, and every week she comes out and does her thang better than most of the other finalists, but here are some reasons why she shouldn’t (and probably won’t) win. 1. You know the Simons (Fuller and Cowell) are going to piss in their pants if they get...

Elliott Yamin debuts at #3 on the Billboard 200! Our boy did it! American Idol 2006 third-place finisher Elliott Yamin’s self-titled independent debut sold 90,000 copies to debut at No. 3 this week on the Billboard 200. Yamin’s Hickory Records release makes him the fifth finalist from last year’s show to reach The Billboard 200, joining winner Taylor Hicks, runner-up Katharine McPhee, sixth placer Kellie Pickler and...

Last night, Nathan said something to his Mom that took both of us by surprise. We have no idea where he learned it, but you can bet both of us were taken aback. A lot of prayer was offered that night for our three-year-old. How often have we said something that we knew wouldn’t be received well, or done something that we just needed to do, even if we knew it wouldn’t necessarily be good for us? Me, quite often. My life is littered...

I have impressive bulges, but they’re in all the wrong places. Instead of situating themselves on my arms, pecs, calves, and Y-fronts, they’re lumped on my stomach and butt. At the moment, I look like a Michelin Man, but without the vapid smile and bloodless complexion. It’s been two days since my first “workout.” After 15 minutes of cardio warmup that pretty much had my legs feeling like jelly, I did more legs,...