Cramp & grump

It's the time of the month and I've been bed-ridden most of the day. At work, I wasn't in my element but the show definitely went on. Been busy taking care of some business matters lately. Mind is preoccupied with lots of things. I'm a bit sensitive during the next few days so beware! LOL.

A job for the right girl

I'm currently helping an octogenarian friend to find the right girl who will work for him as a a personal assistant or companion. The girl will receive at least $1,000 nett a month. The main job is to accompany him anywhere, someone he can talk to and someone he can bring along with him when he travels. Since he's already old, he needs special care, but not to the extent of a caregiver's.
I'm looking for:
- must not be older than 35
- single
- at least 5'3"
- must be articulate, have good communication skills & fluent in English
- must be presentable & smart
- can carry herself well in any occasion
If you know somebody, please pass this on to her. Kindly please send photos and vital information (full name, age, height, weight, contact#) at mailme@saritac.com thanks!!!
NOTE: Photos are really important. Closeup & full body shot.

Happy Birthday Kuya Edil!

Our "tatay" or father-musician which we all call Kuya Edil of Peach Apple Tree (P.A.T.) band has celebrated his _1st birthday. Just guess the first digit! LOL. The celebration was held in the spa/massage place in Concorde which was filled with visitors. Some of the band's friends have helped him cook the dishes. Even the wife of our agent, Ate Cherie, cooked for him. Didn't really enjoyed the party as I was and still am a bit vocally incapable. Talking too much is a big no-no for me recently. Joining the band wagon is Chona of P.A.T. She wasn't able to sing a single song during their performance, just like myself couple of weeks back! I think this "hoarseness" is a viral thing, aside from persistent coughing. It has now spread to the Shang staff. And I think I also got it from them! LOL.
 
Anyway, before I talk non-sense, let me greet Tatay Edil a Happy Happy 5_st birthday!!! (now you know the first digit! LOL).

Voice mismanagement

I have to admit that since I lost my voice totally couple of weeks back, I've been having difficulty in singing. It's like there is this wall that hinders my voice to come out. Now my voice gets tired easily and always short of breath. As much as I want to enjoy dancing like I used to, I couldn't give out my 101% on each number because I'm always scared that the next song might need a vocal strength.
 
Wake up call. I'm not getting younger anymore and I'm thinking of retiring soon. Any bright ideas you can suggest me to do?

Time mismanagement

Since the year 2007 began, I noticed that I've been less productive. I haven't even update my site much. I haven't done most of the things that I need to do. I haven't replied to most of my mails and messages. I haven't uploaded the new pictures for January and most of February. I haven't made calls to people I need to speak to. I haven't finished reading the books I have started. And funny thing of it all, looking back, I wasn't really that busy. It was just a case of time mismanagement. I gotta get things done now! Hmmm... where do I begin??!?

Moved

I had a good night's sleep after tiring ourselves from moving rooms last night. We finished around 3AM. I'm going to JP's place in a few minutes to have a business discussion. What business? Most probably monkey business. LOL.

The 6th move

This is, so far by counts of packing our things, our 6th move since we came back to Kuala Lumpur last October. Actually, the hotel sent out a memo to us to tell us that we will have to move tomorrow. Ridiculous! We're currently staying at the "hidden" mock-up & back-up rooms and we were happy because we were sure that the management won't be asking us to move out again. But guess what? They are. So tonight, instead of relaxing on our off, I will have to pack our stuff and prepare for moving later after midnight. It's easier to move after midnight, than having to move in the afternoon tomorrow! So there you go. Oh should I say, there we go...

Britney Spears actually shaves

Her head, that is. Like shave it to be bald. You know, without any hair left. Only scalp and maybe some cuts from shaving. Or whatever!

I saw this fresh hot item on the internet. Britney Spears shaved her head completely bald. Is that a new trend she's setting? I'm speechless.
To my inaanak Britney Kuipers, love your tresses! Just be Britney, not be like Britney! LOL

Health update

I'm done with my medications, my throat seem to have improved although I still feel a bit "limitation" to my range. My voice gets tired easily and so I have to work its strength by vocalizing. But I'm so thankful that my voice came back though it was only until 90%.
 
Waking up with a hoarse voice is normal, but waking up without a voice is really scary. Lesson learned, I'm taking it as a wake-up call to take things easy. Anyway, Jan sings most of the belting songs, at least she's a big help. I took my health for granted and ignored my coughing for weeks. I'm still coughing right now, dry cough that is.
 
The weather in KL is bad. Too hot and humid but rains or drizzles most of the time. When will I ever fully recover from this?

Gong Xi! Gong Xi!

That's the phrase that I have repeatedly said on the Chinese New Year's Eve. Jan and I were in our lacey red cheongsams while Marl donned a Chinese traditional suit, or shirt. I did my hair Chun-Li style, same as my 'do last year. However, I wasn't so comfortable with the dress that we wore. Can't really move and the silk material lining sticks to my wet back. In fact, it's quite surprising that the dress was still in tact by the end of the night. I was thinking that it might rip off somewhere in the middle of the set while doing a rigorous number. Unfortunately, my prediction was wrong.
 
Though it was expectedly a bit quiet for a regular weekend, the audience still enjoyed themselves. Most of the locals are out of town because of the long holiday, and Chinese New Year's Eve is traditionally celebrated with a family reunion dinner so most of the Chinese must have been at home with their families.
 
After work, we went to JP's house to have a Chinese New Year's supper or should I say, first meal for the Chinese New Year. We stayed until 4AM and then met up with our friends in Concorde. Went back to the hotel at 5:30AM, did my stuff, and now, finally have the time to blog!

Public service: Missing person

I decided to do a bit of my help with this forwarded message I got about a missing person in Manila.
 
Name: Mary Anne
Missing since October 30, 2006. 14 years old, female. Autistic, tall, fair complexion. Last seen wearing blue sando with Makati Hope Christian School Logo and white and blue shorts.
 
If found, please contact: GLEN
27 G.Manalo St. Brgy. Marteros Pateros, Guadalupe, Metro Manila
Tel: (02) 8969031/ 8970277 / Cel: 09194734410 / 09062184774
 
Sorry I don't have her photo... that would have helped more...

Why Do Families (And The World) Lack So Much Love?

This article by Bo Sanchez was sent to me via mail. I just want to share with all your guys. Maybe we can learn a thing or two.

Why Do Families (And The World) Lack So Much Love?
Mostly, It's Because
Husbands Aren't Loving Enough

Two days ago, I had an ecumenical meeting with the President Gloria and various religious leaders in the country (even Muslim leaders). That was where I spoke to Bishop Ruben Abante, the head of the Alliance of Baptist Churches in the Philippines. We were talking about how to solve the problems of the world. Naks.

That was when Bishop Ruben gave me a word about families that blew my mind.

He said, "Brother Bo, the Bible says in Ephesians 5:25, 'Husbands, love your wives, and wives submit to your husbands.'  Have you ever wondered why the Bible doesn't say, 'Wives, love your husbands?'" "

Why?" I asked.

The Bishop explained to me that the responsibility to love the family rests on the husband's shoulder. The wife and the kids are only to respond to that love. In the same way that the Bible says in 1 John 4:9 (my life verse) "We love because He first loved us," we respond to God's love for us.

That was powerful. I began to reflect on all the broken families I've counselled through the past 28 years of my life. Most of them (not all) were broken because the father didn't love enough. And as I reflect on all the broken people I've counselled, I can see the same pattern. In most of these individuals (again, not all), I see the lack of a loving father in that person's life.

Fathers, you have a pivotal role in the life of your wife and children. You are to aggressively, assertively, deliberately love them-and they will respond.

But the good Bishop was not finished. He said, "Why didn't God say, 'Husbands, submit to your wife?'" "Why?" I asked again.

He said that once that love is there, submission is the natural response. He asked, "Why is there so much rebellion and disobedience among children today?" He explained that kids need to see their mother submit to their father as a model to follow. (We didn't have time to talk about situations where the man of the house doesn't love. Should the wife still submit? That difficult question I hope to answer it in another article.)

But let me share with you my experience.

I love my wife. I do it aggressively, assertively, and deliberately.

And she submits to my leadership. I have a vision for the family and I'm bringing my family to that vision-and she supports me. But what does that mean in daily life?

That I'm king and she's my slave?

Gosh, you should visit my home.

Because I love her, I want to serve her. And because she follows already my general direction, I realize that 90% of life's decisions are about the trivial stuff. Because I love her, it's my joy to say, "Yes" to her.

So in reality, I follow her 90% of the time! She isn't my slave. She is the queen I pamper.

That, my friends, is marital headship-submission in daily life.

It is with this note that I greet you a Happy Valentines Day.

May your families be filled with love.

Husbands, take responsibility in filling your family with love.

Wives, support and submit to your husband.

And together, we can fill the world with God's love.

I remain your friend,
Bo Sanchez

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to all! May your life be filled with so much love not only on this day but throughout the rest of your lives.

Vocal recovery

My voice has recovered 60%. Good. I was able to sing some songs tonight, but I wasn't pushing myself too much. If I couldn't hit the note, I never forced it. I talked in between songs. No alcohol
 
Anyway, I'm sedated by my medicines. I need to rest my eyes, I'm seeing things at a panoramic angle. Which means, my eyes will be closing soon. LOL. Goodnight everyone!

Ursula, give it back to me!

If you have watched the movie The Little Mermaid, you know that Ursula is the wicked Sea Witch who stole Little Mermaid Ariel's golden pure voice. And for the past 24 hours of battling with Ursula in my imagination, I'm gaining my voice back - slowly but surely.
 
Yesterday, I was so depressed the whole day couple with a frustration at night because I couldn't really sing. But as what I would always say, the show must definitely go on. So wearing a huge smile and beautifully made up curls on my tresses, I stood and dance onstage, occasionally doing backup when my voice allowed me to. Jan and Marl did most of the job but I made sure that I danced in all my gracious ways to make up for not singing at all. But honestly, for a singer, it was definitely a huge disaster to wake up losing his/her voice, not knowing if it's permanent or just for the time being. Taking Difflam lozenges and Tussidex Forte (for my dry cough) helped a little bit - at least.
 
After work, our friends Jeff (singer) and Edwin (guitarist) came to our room to have a chit-chat. Jeff knows how to massage especially points concerning whatever aches or ailments one might have, so I enjoyed a bit of painful massage as we were chit-chatting. We talked about religion and history which was really exciting and interesting for me.
 
Today, I woke up with a liiiiitle bit improvement. I could at least talk properly, but still exerting effort to do so. With my friend's help, I had an appointment with an ENT specialist in Petaling Jaya. He told me that my throat was inflamed and my vocal cords were swollen, which caused me to lose voice. He was confident that I will regain back my voice after I've finished taking my medications of antibiotic, antihistamine & anti-inflammatory.
 
By good fortune, it was our off today. I would have been another pleasant decoration onstage again if it wasn't. LOL. I hope that I will get better by tomorrow. If not, I'll have to resort to being a "wild flower" onstage tomorrow night! LOL.

Total loss of voice

It's been weeks since I had my flu. It's been more than a week since that itchy little jiggamathingy would cause me to cough. And today, I woke up not only with a hoarse voice with an aching sore throat, but totally voiceless!!! It's like Ariel from the movie The Little Mermaid. All I can do is whisper. The only difference is she's a little cuter than me when she does it. Huhuhu!
 
It's the first time that this ever happened to me. Usually I'd have hoarse voice especially when I'm sick, but I still could sing. Not now. I can't even talk without exerting effort. It's worrying me that this might be a different case of hoarseness.
 
Marl experienced this some years ago, without any premonitions. He gained back his voice after a month, and his normal singing voice after another month. And this worries me a lot.
 
I still am working tonight but I told Marl that if I cannot really sing, I wouldn't force it. I'll just be a dancer onstage.
 
I hope this isn't anything serious as severe laryngitis.

Looking for sponsor

My existing domains www.saritac.com & www.urbband.com are expiring soon. I am currently looking for somebody who will continue to sponsor these domains for me to continue this wonderful journey online.
 
I would have liked to register www.atiras.com too but it's already taken by somebody else. I might settle for www.sarita.ph or www.princessette.com.
 
I can still continue to host it under Freewebs but the rates have gone up a bit. I'm planning to host it under a webhosting company based in Malaysia, Capxion. I kinda like their packages at RM99/year but I'm aiming for the RM247/year for their triple package (with 3 domains & 3 webhosting plans) which will be the best thing for my websites.
 
So if you want to surprise me eventhough it's not my birthday, you can get me one of the above or maybe all. I promise, I will be surprised. Really. LOL.

Anna Nicole Smith has died

Anna Nicole Smith has certainly lived a real Hollywood life. She was a woman who followed in the footsteps of Marilyn Monroe. She was a blonde bombshell who combined sexuality with tragedy to become notorious. Recently, she has graced the tabloids and news with the legal fight over the estate of her late oil-tycoon husband J. Howard Marshall II, over the sudden death of her 20-year-old son, and recently the paternity test for her baby girl, among other things she became famous for. She was 39 years old.

"Anna Nicole Smith was transported to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Florida just after 2pm after she collapsed at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. She was found unresponsive in her hotel room and CPR was performed on her and a breathing apparatus was inserted into her throat. Local streets were closed off to rush her to the hospital and paramedics were seen pumping her chest as she was taken to the hospital."

You might say "So what?" or "I don't care", but for everyone's information, my highschool notebooks were covered with ripped-from-magazines Guess glossy pages with Anna Nicole on it. I'm just wondering if Elton John will sing "Candle In The Wind" on her funeral.

To know more about the story, CLICK HERE.

Becoming business-minded

I know I won't be singing forever. In fact, in a couple of years, I just want to make singing a hobby.
 
But at this moment, this is my bread and butter.
 
WIth singing, Marl and I were able to buy a nice house in Talisay, Cebu and still paying up for a cozy condominium unit in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila and everything I want. Using my talent, I am able to support my family and help a lot of other people. And with my skills, I am able to travel to see new places, meet different kinds of people and experience different cultures and traditions.
 
But as I said, I won't be singing forever, although the passion will be surely there till I die. If given a good opportunity, I want to have a business, be it big or small. As for now, I'll just be in search of better opportunities for a long-term goal.

Ah, tequila!

I've had numerous happy-turned-bad experiences with drinking. I only drink to socialize with friends. Besides, I don't drink when Marl is not around. I only drink and get drunk because I know he will take care of me. But sometimes it gets out of hand. Just like what happened yesterday.
 
We went to Concorde to meet up with friends. I had my supper and just ordered my fave tequila sunrise without ice. Sipped it slowly as I enjoyed the music of the bands. But we saw some friends who we haven't seen for a long time, then more friends came. And so, a bottle of Tequila was just right for long lost friends. Then another bottle was ordered. And I remember doing shot after shot. And I was okay. Until I got up then total mental blackout. I couldn't remember a thing. The next thing I knew was waking up and still wearing the dress I wore last night. And Marl was sleeping on the other bed and was really angry at me.
 
He has all the right reasons to be angry. Because long before I got drunk, he was telling me to take it easy. But I didn't listen to him. In the end, he dragged me back to the hotel. I vomitted quite a few times and he took care of me. He was so worried at one point when I couldn't breathe anymore that he wanted to bring me to the hospital. Because he was so worried, he wasn't able to sleep at all. And I felt so bad for him because I know it's my fault. And I was really sorry for what happened.
 
Ah, tequila! Lots of experiences with it. More traumatic than good I must say. Like last night. I've learned my lesson well and maybe, I will not touch a bottle of Tequila in a long time. Hmmm... I remember I said this before.
 
Deja vu?

With old friends

My friend Akkila is in town. He has been a very good friend of the band all through these years. Last night, I introduced to him couple of my friends from the Beat Culture band who's playing at Saujana's RP. My friend is a music lover and has been friends with most bands he has encountered whenever he travels. Immediately, he booked a room to spend a night there, and left Shangri-La. After work tonight, U.R.B. took a fast cab to Saujana to meet up with him and my old friends. We had a great time. Afterwards, we had a festive supper at AsiaCity in Subang Jaya. Festive because our tables weren't enough to accomodate the food we ordered. There were a lot of food, some were just wasted. But we had great fun with my old friends.
 
But still have this stupid itchy thing on my throat! $hit! LOL

The thing I can't do without

A wristwatch.
 
I know some people who hate wearing watches because they don't like looking at the time and what's left of it. Me, I wear watches not to check on time or curfews. I wear watches because I'm used to wearing it. I get uneasy when I forget to wear my watch.
 
Some people remove their watches before they go to sleep, along with jewelries or other things that they can take off. But not me. I still wear my watch even when I go to sleep. Sometimes when I forget my watch and wake up in a middle of a sleep and realize it, I would really get up and wear my watch! LOL
 
The only thing I don't like wearing watches is when I have pictorials or when I perform. It bothers me especially when I dance. But still, I have my FolliFollie ringwatch for disguise. If I'm not wearing it on the 1st set, I will surely go back to my room to get it. That's how addicted I am with watches.

Bird flu? Not for vegetarians!

Now on the final leg of recovery from flu. There's just a very tiny itch on my throat that makes me cough every now and then. But apart from that, I'm all good.
 
Met some ENT doctors from the Philippines who are here in KL for a convention. My ENT doctor from Manila Doctors Hospital, Dr. Pontejos, is also part of the convention. They joked that I might have gotten the bird flu. I replied back, "How can that be? I'm a vegetarian!". LOL.
 
After work last night, we went to Concorde with our good friend Akkila from Abu Dhabi. My friends Dang & Arman (of Beat Culture) with their local friends joined us as well. As usual, we jammed with the bands there, had a good supper and went back to the hotel at 5AM.

Having Mee Mamak

I'm at Concorde's Melting Pot and enjoying my favorite Mee Mamak w/ Marl, Jan, Papa Jamal & Mama Siah. I'm so full. Nothing to do now except surf net thru my Ipaq. Had I brought along my laptop, it would have been a different surfing experience. But hell yeah, I'm NOT complaining! LOL.