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| a little girl with a HUGE voice |
(Bad)News(Everday) and a Cup of Coffee:
I am the kind of person who gets up everyday yearning to watch news since that is the only
connection I have to what's happening to my country or to the world. I may not look like it
but yes, I care about my country and I care about the world. Unlike politicians who claim to
care about their country but steal taxes we pay, I prefer to care by watching
the news to see if I can somehow make a difference as a citizen and as a human being,
if not atleast I don't steal taxes. ('Boo..Boo...cut the crap Jackie!', OK OK!)
I don't have any access to the cable since I live on my own and I don't think I can afford to stay at home for a long period of time. See, to give you a short explanation, I arrive at home at exactly 12:10 in the morning everyday (that is if I don't have a late dinner with friends, or else I come home at 4am) and then I wake up at 10 am and over a cup of coffee, I log on to the computer to check if I have some email - so I check the news on the internet or watch it on TV, specifically 'Balitanghali' on QTV 11,a local channel. The sad thing is the news everyday seem 'to be the same, only with different people but same story and contexts; Murder, corruption, rape, economic crisis, political issues.. waaahhh....
is this the same news that will greet me when I wake-up everyday???
Curiousity and a Cup of (half-gone)coffee:
One rainy day, I woke up and turned on the television, just to find out that due to heavy rain, my antenna couldn't get any signal from QTV 11. So, I turned my computer on hoping and praying that the rain didn't affect my internet connection. Luckily SMART BRO was kind enough not to add up to my grumpy day. I went to a local site on the internet to know what the current news is and to see what's happening out there...
('yawn'..... wish the internet was faster)
Then as I scroll and search and surf and click, I see a news about this young girl who looked familiar, I know I have watched her somewhere on a contest on TV...Hmmm..let me see...hmmmm...but she is with Oprah...hmmmm. Naahh, it's not her, it couldn't be her...wait...Ohhh my GAAADDD! it is her!!!
Rewind....(2005)
It was a cool Saturday evening, and I was still so dizzy from sleeping for almost fifteen hours. With my puffy eyes and numb finger, I turned on the TV and since my sisters are ABS-CBN 2 (a local TV network) fans, it was already tuned in to channel 2...
Girl singing Whitney Houston Song: I wanna run to you...oooooh...I wanna run to you...oooohhh...
Jackie (with dropping jaw and puffy eyes, plus massaging numb hands): Oh, my GAAADS! Is she a kid???????? Yes, she is! This is LITTLE BIG STAR!!!!!! For kids!!!
FYI: Little Big Star is a singing contest aired every Saturday afternoon on ABS-CBN in the Philippines and internationally on The Filipino Channel. (source: ANSWERS.COM)
My God! She sounds like an older lady trapped in a girls body! (Oucchh my puffy eyes...)
I was so so amazed since it was like she was Lips synching Whitney's Voice. She was so amazing that I waited for her name to be called, and yes she was called...So, she was Charice Pempengco. Simple, not as pretty as other girls in that contest. She had brown skin, small body frame which nobody would realize that the girl has a huge. gigantic yet angelic voice...
It was actually the first time someone in a singing contest caught my attention. You see, here in the Philippines, it's true, there are thousands of singers, professional ones, old and young, with very very high voices. Yes, it is normal here in the Philippines so I don't really get that amazed. But CHARICE??? You just stop and drop everything when you hear her sing. She doesn't just sing the song, she explains it with her heart and soul. Now who cares if she is not the mestiza type most Filipino viewers or movie/music producers prefer? She is brighter than the sunlight when she is on stage and once you see her, you can see the real beauty of someone with a heart so pure.
The sad thing is she didn't win that contest...and the worst thing is:
I had a lot of things to do in my life and I had forgotten about that girl named
'CHARICE' singing Whitney Houston's song.
Present....(Now)...Good News and a Cup of (cold) Coffee:
And I was so surprise! It was really her...It was Charice Pempengco with Oprah...Yes, Oprah Winfrey, the most powerful woman in the world! (ehem) And so I continued to read on. I clicked a link to youtube and there were all her videos. I got addicted and addicted. I signed up for Charicemania.com, her fan blog to be updated with all the Charice news and everything about Charice. I watched more news about her. She sang with Celine Dion, with Andrea Bocelli and her pianist was no other than David Foster! And everytime she would be introduced by David Foster, he would say 'and from the Philippines, Charice!'
And I would feel so proud to be a Filipino.
Suddenly I feel glad to be Filipino!
She represents each and every Filipino whenever she performs...
She carries an invisible Flag of the Philippines!
And yes, there is GOOD NEWS after all!
Thanks to CHARICE..
Written in January 2009
-J.Perfinan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=7AtMtplJo0QWritten in January 2009
-J.Perfinan
:)
