Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Shocking Elimination on American Idol, Top 2 Revealed

Over 88 million votes came in and an upsetting elimination happened on American Idol results night and the Top 2 finalists were revealed.

Danny Gokey, Kris Allen and Adam Lambert starred in the last Ford music video which was based on the song Ain’t Nothin’ Gonna Break My Stride.

Alicia Keys then came on stage together with a Rwandan child named Noah who sang an English song “I’m the World’s Greatest” that he learned in one week. In this line, Alicia asked for donations to help prevent AIDS in Africa.

Ryan Seacrest called Danny Gokey on centerstage and talked about the song choices from last night. He told Danny to have a seat on the couch and he will get back to him in a few minutes. Ryan called Kris Allen afterwards and took the audience on his journey home this past week. To hold the suspense, Ryan sent back Kris to the sofa to sit with Danny.

American Idol Sixth season winner Jordin Sparks came out next and sang her hit single, Battle Field.

After Jordin Sparks sang, Ryan Seacrest called Adam Lambert on center stage. Just like with Danny and Kris, he showed Adam’s homecoming the past week. He also talked about Adam’s song choices and sent the rocker to the couch together with Kris and Danny.

Katy Perry came out and performed her latest song “Waking Up In Vegas.”

Ryan Seacrest then announced that the first person competing next week in the finale is Kris Allen. The second finalist is none other than Adam Lambert.

Everyone seemed shocked as Carrie Underwood’s farewell song played for Danny Gokey.

The American Idol Season 8 Top 2 finalists are Adam Lambert and Kris Allen!

Rate Chart of Mobile 3G Internet Providers

To better see which 3G internet provider is giving the best deals, see chart below to compare postpaid and prepaid mobile 3G plans of Globe, Smart and Sun Cellular.

The chart is short and simple — compare rates for prepaid mobile 3g surfing, postpaid plans as well as ongoing bundled promos.

Both Smart and Sun Cellular are running bucket offers — Smart has the Php50 per 5 hours and Php100 per 12 hours promo, while Sun Cellular is offering their SWB at Php100 per 6 hours and Php300 per 24 hours. Globe doesn’t have this kind of bucket plans.

For postpaid, both Globe and Smart offer 60 hours free internet for Php799 a month. However, Sun Cellular is offering unlimited internet for the same monthly rate.

That gives Sun Cellular the cheapest offering at Php1.1 per hour, followed by Smart at Php12.50 then Globe at Php13.30/hour.

Boys over Flowers (05/12/09)







Boys over Flowers (05/11/09)







Monday, May 11, 2009

10 Ways to Outwit Your Appetite

Feed it protein for breakfast. You'll be less hungry later on and end up eating 267 fewer calories during the day. At least that's what happened on days when St. Louis University researchers gave overweight women two scrambled eggs and two slices of jelly-topped toast for breakfast rather than about half that protein.

Make it climb a flight of stairs. At home, store the most tempting foods way out of reach. For instance, Cornell University food psychologist Brian Wansink, PhD, keeps his favorite soda in a basement fridge. "Half the time I'm too lazy to run down there to get it, so I drink the water in the kitchen."

Sleep on it. People who don't get their 8 hours of ZZZs experience hormonal fluctuations that increase appetite, report researchers. Sleep deprivation interferes with appetite-suppressing hormones, increases stress hormone levels, and decreases a person's glucose tolerance, all of which may contribute to weight gain. Another way sleep loss may help pile on the pounds: late-night munching. Go to bed and get up at the same time each day to help achieve sounder sleep.

Give it something else to think about. When scientists scanned the brains of people eating different foods, they found that the brain reacts to fat in the mouth in much the same way that it responds to a pleasant aroma. So if you feel a craving coming on, apply your favorite scent.

Never let it see a heaping plate. The more food that's in front of you, the more you'll eat. So at a restaurant, ask your waiter to pack up half of your meal before serving it to you, then eat the extras for lunch the next day.

Put it under the lights. You consume fewer calories at a well-lit restaurant table than you do dining in a dark corner. "In the light, you're more self-conscious and worry that other patrons are watching what you eat," explains Wansink.

Talk it down. Entertaining friends with a great story doesn't give you much time to eat up, so you'll probably still have food on your plate when they're done. Once they're finished, call it quits, too.

Offer it a seat. If you sit down to snack -- and use utensils and a plate -- you'll eat fewer calories at subsequent meals.

Satisfy it with soup. Start lunch with about 130 calories worth of vegetable soup and you'll eat 20% fewer calories overall during lunch, say Penn State experts.

Give it little choice. Packages that contain assorted varieties of cookies, candy, dips, cheese, etc., make you want to try all the flavors. The effect is so powerful, says Wansink, that when people are given 10 colors of M&Ms to munch on, not 7, they eat 30% more!

Chew More, Weigh Less?

Next time you grab a handful of nuts to snack on, count to 40.

A recent study revealed that when people ate a small serving of almonds, 40 chews quelled hunger better than 10 or even 25 crunches of the same amount of nuts.


The Magic Number

Not only did the extra chews help curb hunger best, but also the feelings of fullness lasted longest when people gave the nuts the extra chews. And the practice may work with other foods, too, because researchers suspect it may simply be the mere act of chewing that switches on your brain’s satiety center.


Try These Tummy Tamers, Too


You could crush that 3 p.m. cookie craving just by chewing a little of this: gum.
That's right. A study found that chewing gum can really put the kibosh on your afternoon appetite in a big way.

How does chomping gum suppress hunger? It's simple. When you eat, your taste buds are stimulated by the food. But the cool thing is that exposure to the tastes and smells of food also lessens how good it tastes. That, in turn, is one of the cues that signal your brain that you're full, so cravings go away. Chewing gum may have this same effect -- but without all the calories!


Sunday, May 10, 2009

The Katrina Halili - Hayden Kho Video Scandal


The issue may be dying. News about the reconciliation of Dra. Vicky Belo and Hayden Kho (who cares anymore!) is spreading like L.A. wildfire. And Katrina Halili is now romantically linked to JC Tiuseco…but the video that a lot of showbiz watchers are dying to see is still garnering tons of hits on the internet. See one of them below:


When You Want to Increase Metabolism

Green Tea
Catechins, the powerful antioxidants found in green tea, are known to increase metabolism. A study by Japanese researchers found that participants who consumed 690 milligrams of catechins from green tea daily had significantly lower body mass indexes and smaller waist measurements than those in a control group.

LG KM900 Arena: A touch of class

One of the most exciting handsets this season - the LG KM900 Arena - returns and this time it is going to stay a bit longer. In these tough economic times no company can afford of too many blunders so it better live up to those high expectations.
LG KM900 Arena LG KM900 Arena LG KM900 Arena LG KM900 Arena

Key features:
  • 3" 16M-color capacitive TFT touchscreen of WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels)
  • S-Class Touch UI
  • Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
  • 3G with HSDPA (7.2 Mbps)
  • Wi-Fi and GPS receiver with A-GPS
  • 5 megapixel autofocus camera with Schneider-Kreuznach optics, LED flash, geotagging
  • D1 (720x480 pixels)@30fps, VGA@30fps, QVGA fast-motion video and QVGA slo-mo video
  • 8GB built-in storage
  • Hot-swappable microSD card slot
  • Standard 3.5mm audio jack and TV out
  • USB Mass Storage
  • Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP
  • Accelerometer for screen auto rotate
  • Multi-touch input
  • 3D hardware accelerator
  • DivX and XviD support
  • Dolby for Mobile audio enhancement
  • FM radio with FM transmitter
  • Office document viewer
  • Smart dialing

Main disadvantages:

  • Poor sunlight legibility
  • Inadequate flash performance
  • No voice-guided GPS navigation software available
  • No standard USB port
  • Records video in 3GP file format
  • Maximum email attachment size is 1MB only (both ways)
  • Limited DivX/XviD video support
Mainly because the LG KM900 Arena has none of the (absurd) limitations of the original iPhone - no proper Bluetooth functionality, no FM radio, lack of file manager and so on. Instead the Arena comes as a exceptionally well equipped phone with almost every feature in the book included. From 3G with HSDPA, through Wi-Fi and GPS to FM transmitter - the LG KM900 has it all.

LG KM900 Arena LG KM900 Arena LG KM900 Arena LG KM900 Arena

LG KM900 Arena LG KM900 Arena LG KM900 Arena LG KM900 Arena

The four homescreens - Shortcuts, Widgets, Contacts and Multimedia

No matter which homescreen you choose, the UI never skimps on eye candy - smooth animations, reflections, 3D spatial effects, motion blurring - it's all there for your viewing pleasure. And better still - the 3" WVGA screen ensures that the image quality is exceptional.

It's not every day that we come across a handset which consistently meets our expectations for a high-end phone. The LG Arena is a wonderful multimedia device that has taken great strides in many areas - interface, touch technology, music and entertainment. If you take into account all this great stuff, add the novelty factor, the price tag of 350 euro (around 450 US dollars) seems reasonable.

We're sure the Apple iPhone is lingering in the back of many people's minds. Both sport the full range of connectivity options, huge internal memory and big screens with multi-touch support. The Arena has greater screen resolution, a microSD slot and a far superior camera with excellent video recording options and even a removable battery.

The LG S-class interface is sometimes better than the iPhone Mac OS, sometimes not, sometimes slower, sometimes not. The iPhone advantage is the smartphone capabilities. However, the already available features on the Arena leave little to be desired (even copy/paste functionality). Its competitive price is going to get even sweeter in near future once the dust of the grand market release settles.

To sum it up, we were impressed by almost all aspects of the LG Arena. If you are on the hunt for a touch-based multimedia device at a reasonable price, the Arena is definitely a handset to consider and the S-class UI by LG without a doubt will be a trend setter throughout the year.

Best and Worst Brain Foods

If you want to make the right decisions in confusing times—Time to refinance? Explore a different career? Your grocery list can help with your to-do list. That’s because the right foods are a kind of clean-burning fuel for your body’s biggest energy hog: Your brain.


FOR SHORT-TERM MEMORY
Drink This!: COFFEE
Fresh-brewed joe is the ultimate brain fuel. Caffeine has been shown to retard the aging process and enhance short-term memory performance. In one study, British researchers found that just one cup of coffee helps improve attention and problem-solving skills.

Not That!: ENERGY DRINKS/TOO MUCH COFFEE
Ever heard of the concept “too much of a good thing”? If you OD on caffeine—too many cups, a jolt of caf from the late afternoon onward, a Red Bull cocktail—it can mess with your shuteye schedule. Sleep is reboot time for your mental computer, and you don’t want to mess with it.

FOR LONG-TERM MEMORY
Eat This!: BLUEBERRIES
Antioxidants in blueberries help protect the brain from free-radical damage and cut your risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. They can also improve cognitive processing (translation: thinking). Wild blueberries, if you can find them, have even more brain-boosting antioxidants than the cultivated variety, so book that vacation in Maine now. The berries will ripen in July.
Not That!: THE UNRIPE AND UNREADY
Here’s a cool tip: if your favorite berries are out of season, buy them frozen. The freezer locks in peak flavor and nutrients, so the berries’ antioxidant capacity is maxed out. Those pale, tough, and expensive off-season berries usually ripen on a truck, rather than on the bush, so they’re nutritional imposters compared to the real thing.

TO THINK FASTER
Eat This!: SALMON OR MACKEREL
If the Internal Revenue Service picks you for some up-close-and-personal auditing, you’ll want to be on your toes when they vet your deductions list. So put salmon or mackerel on the grocery list. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fishes are a primary building block of brain tissue, so they’ll amp up your thinking power. Salmon is also rich in niacin, which can help ward off Alzheimer’s disease and slow the rate of cognitive decline.

Not That!: FULL-FAT ICE CREAM
Not all fats are created equal: Beware foods high in saturated fats, which can clog blood vessels and prevent the flow of nutrients and blood to the brain. Ice cream is not a brain-health food.

TO ENERGIZE:
Eat This!: HIGH-PROTEIN SALAD WITH VINAIGRETTE
The oil in the dressing will help slow down digestion of protein and carbs in the salad, stabilizing blood-sugar levels and keeping energy levels high. Build your salad on a bed of romaine and spinach for an added boost in riboflavin, and add chicken and a hard-boiled egg for more energizing protein.

Not That!: PANCAKES OR BAGELS
MIT researchers analyzed blood samples from a group of people who had eaten either a high-protein or a high-carbohydrate breakfast. Two hours after eating, the carb eaters had tryptophan levels four times higher than those of the people who had eaten protein. The tryptophan in turkey is one of the reasons you crawl off for an afternoon nap after Thanksgiving dinner. So watch what you gobble.

TO CALM DOWN
Eat This!: LOW-FAT YOGURT OR MIXED NUTS
Scientists in Slovakia gave people 3 grams each of two amino acids—lysine and arginine—or a placebo, and asked them to deliver a speech. Blood measurements of stress hormones revealed that the amino acid-fortified guys were half as anxious during and after the speech as those who took the placebo. Yogurt is one of the best food sources of lysine; nuts pack loads of arginine.

Not That!: SODA
A study from the American Journal of Public Health found that people who drink 2½ cans of soda daily are three times more likely to be depressed and anxious, compared with those who drink fewer. So Mountain Dew is a Mental Don’t.

TO CONCENTRATE
Eat This!: PEPPERMINT TEA
The scent of peppermint helps you focus and boosts performance, according to researchers. Need to reach Chicago before nightfall, and you’re stuck in traffic around Cleveland? One study found that peppermint makes drivers more alert and less anxious.

Not That!: CANDY
Sugary foods incite sudden surges of glucose that, in the long term, cause sugar highs and lows, leading to a fuzzy state of mind.

FOR GOOD MOODS AND GRINS
Eat This! ARUGULA OR SPINACH SALAD
Leafy greens—arugula, chard, spinach—are rich sources of B vitamins, which are key components on the assembly line that manufactures feel-good hormones such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. According to a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, a lack of B6 can cause nervousness, irritability, and even depression.

Not That!: WHITE CHOCOLATE
White chocolate isn’t chocolate at all, since it contains no cocoa solids. So it won’t stimulate the euphoria-inducing mood boosters like serotonin, as real chocolate does. Grab the real thing, the darker the better. More cacao means more happy chemicals and less sugar, which will eventually pull you down.

FOR SHARPER SENSES
Eat This!: 1 TBSP OF GROUND FLAXSEED DAILY
Flax is the best source of alphalinoleic, or ALA—a healthy fat that improves the workings of the cerebral cortex, the area of the brain that processes sensory information, including that of pleasure. To meet your quota, sprinkle it on salads or mix it into a smoothie or shake.

Not That!: ALCOHOL
This one’s obvious, but worth mentioning anyway. A drink or two can increase arousal signals, but more than that will actually depress your nervous system. This makes you sloppy, not sharp.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Final Trailer


Check out the final trailer for the highly-anticipated film “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort’s defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn’t counted on Romilda Vane’s chocolates! And then there’s Hermione, simmering with jealousy but determined not to show her feelings. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

Video Link: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Final Trailer HD

Allison Iraheta is Eliminated on American Idol 2009


American Idol (previously titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar in first season) is a reality competition to find new solo musical talent, created by Simon Fuller. It debuted in June 11, 2002 and has since become one of the most popular shows on American television.

Last week, the last female standing, Allison Iraheta, is going home tonight. Danny, Adam and Kris are the all-male Top 3!

Ryan Seacrest kicks off the American Idol Top 4 results show by announcing that a whopping 64 million votes came in. After some opening remarks and a little chat with the judges, the Top 4 Ford music video played.

Ryan had a little chat with the Top 4 who are now seated on the stage. Danny says that Wednesday nights are the most tiring on Idol. Kris says he never expected to make it this far. Simon Cowell slams him saying they don't want humble anymore!

Ryan asks Danny about his final note the night before. Danny says he watched the playback and laughed the whole night. Even his own aunt muted the television!

Afterwards, Paula Abdul performs her latest single "I'm Just Here for the Music" followed by No Doubt with Gwen Stefani singing "I'm Just A Girl".

Ryan shows 3 silver stools for the Top 3 while the Top 4 line up the stage. He starts the deliberation with Allison first, then with Danny, then with Adam and lastly with Kris. he sends Kris Allen to the first silver stool.

Quintuple platinum awardee Daughtry performs their new song "No Surprise". Ryan then reminds the people that Chris Daughtry was shockingly eliminated in Season 5 ending in 4th place just like the contestant leaving tonight. He presents Chris Daughtry with a plaque commemorating 5 million albums sold.

Ryan is now ready to fill the two remaining stools. The second person who made it into the Top 3 is - Adam Lambert. After Adam occupied the second stool, Ryan starts with "After the record-setting vote...... Danny Gokey is SAFE! Allison is going home tonight.

Allison Iraheta, wipes her tears to sing one last song on the Idol stage.