Filipino Daisy Valenzuela in The Voice of Ireland

Another great Pinoy talent is making waves at the Voice of Ireland Series 3. Daisy Valenzuela sang Katy Perry's Teenage Dream and was chosen by mentor Jamelia to be part of her team.

The 28 year old Valenzuela, originally from Manila, moved to Lucan, Co. Dublin and works as a health care assistant 4 days a week  and as a singer in a Thai restaurant  3 evenings a week . A typical hardworking OFW!

You may support her by following her Twitter account @dHeYzMaKu   and her Instagram account dHeYzMaKu

To view her complete profile, click the Voice of Ireland official website here.

Enjoy Daisy Valenzuela's rendition of Teenage Dream.

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American Idol 2014 Top 31 : Spoiler Alert

We are down to around 200 American Idol hopefuls in our Hollywood week. And as we near the live show starting Feb 19, we get to know more about the contestants. By now I am assuming you have your early favorites.

I found my early bets. I am paying more attention to the following contenders. Kenzie Hall, Malaya Watson, Austine Wolfe and CJ Harris. But of course, I am expecting to change the list as I would see more of the performances. As in previous seasons, there were late bloomers who would pick up the pace and learn from the critique of mentors and judges.

For now, let me share with you the top 31 I recently discovered from the Idol Pad website. Check if the Idol you are rooting for is in the list.

For more Idol updates, stay tuned or better yet subscribe so you won't miss anything.

Top 15 Girls

1. Marrialle Sellars

2. Briana Oakley

3. Jena Irene Asciutto

4. Kristen O'Connor

5. Andrina Brogden

6. Emily Piriz

7. Kenzie Hall

8. Bria Anai Johnson

9. Brandy Neelly

10. Majesty Rose

11. Austin Wolfe

12. Jessica Meuse

13. Malaya Watson

14. Emkay Nobilette

15. Jill Jensen

Top 16 Guys

1. Casey Thrasher

2. Caleb Johnson

3. Maurice Townsend

4. Malcolm Allen

5. Dexter Roberts

6. Ethan Harris

7. Spencer Lloyd

8. Jordan Brisbane

9. C.J. Harris

10. Sam Woolf

11. George Lovett

12. Ben Briley

13. Neco Starr

14. Briston Maroney

15. Emmanuel Zidor

16. Alex Preston

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Ren Ri, Common Man's Birthday on 7th Day of Chinese New Year

I'm surprised to be greeted Happy Birthday today because it's not really my birthday.  Tradition has it that the seventh day of the Chinese New Year is the day human beings were created. "Ren Ri" or the Date of Man is celebrated as everyone's birthday or common man's birthday.

This is the best day to do Lo Hei ( Yusheng ) or Prosperity Toss. People get together to mix and toss as high as possible ( more abundance ) all the ingredients.

I have tried this a few times and I enjoyed doing it. While mixing and tossing, you have to say all the good things. When we did it the other day, I was amused to hear my Manager said "good bonus this year", "obedient children". While eating I told my French colleague, the Lo Hei ingredients have similarities to that of Western salad. There are vegetables, sauce, crackers that is equivalent to croutons. The taste is completely different, though.

Wikipedia article says:

Yusheng, yee sang or yuu sahng (Chinese: 鱼生; pinyin: yúshēng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hî-seⁿ or hû-siⁿ), or Prosperity Toss, also known as lo hei (Cantonese for 撈起 or 捞起) is a Teochew-style rawfish salad. It usually consists of strips of raw fish (most commonly salmon), mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients. Yusheng literally means "raw fish" but since "fish (鱼)" is commonly conflated with its homophone "abundance (余)", Yúshēng (鱼生) is interpreted as a homophone for Yúshēng (余升) meaning an increase in abundance. Therefore, yusheng is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor.

While versions of it are thought to have existed in China, the contemporary version is created and popularised^{[citation needed]} in the 1960s amongst the ethnic Chinese community and its consumption has been associated with Chinese New Year festivities in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Happy Birthday everyone!!!

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Bruno Mars Beats Beyonce and Madonna in Super Bowl Viewers

The acclaimed Super Bowl Half Time performance of Bruno Mars and Red Hot Chilli Peppers' attracted a whopping 115.3 million viewers, the largest audience in Super Bowl history. It surpassed Madonna's record of 114 million views two years ago and Beyonce's 110.8 million last year.

I personally enjoyed the excellent rendition of the "Hooligans" as they sing some of their hits especially Just The Way You Are.

Happy watching!

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A look back At Facebook's 10th Anniversary

This is unbelievable! It has been 10 years that Facebook has controlled our social life. An interesting 10 years of prying on the "dramatic" lives of our friends, co workers and former classmates. Social media has never been the same since.

In celebration of Facebook's 10th year anniversary, a special feature "A look back" is introduced to relive your digital history with Facebook. It's a sentimental clip, at least for me, that  shows photos, videos, and activities you have made in the social network. Take a look at your own history here.



Let me share also interesting facts made by Mashable, an illustrated history of Facebook, the biggest social network.

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Mang Gerry, "Leader of The Band", Father of Regine Velasquez Passed Away

Mang Gerry, 76, the father of Asia's song bird Regine Velasquez passed away today due to heart failure.  The singer-actress confirmed the news through Twitter " The leader of the band, Mang Gerry, joined his creator at 1:39pm. Thank you for praying for him during all this time that he has been fighting for his life. God bless you all".

The all supportive father who is always seen present at her concerts could no longer attend Regine's concert, "Voices of Love" this Valentine's Day. "We are hoping he'd be strong enough to watch."

Celebrities posted messages of condolences in social media. Miss Saigon star Lea Salonga said on Facebook " Rest in peace, Mang Gerry. I will always remember you as a fixture by Reg's side at gigs from when we were young ones in the biz. Always present, forever supportive. I don't think of Reg without thinking of you.

There is no Regine Velasques without Mang Gerry. He trained the power belter during her youth by submerging her neck-deep in the sea. He exposed her to various singing competitions while she was young.

Our condolence to the family.


Watch Regine's heartfelt performance, as a tribute to his father, Gerardo Velasquez. The Dan Fogelberg's Leader of the Band is his favorite song.


 

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