WASTELAND WONDERLAND

I love bang-for-your-buck shopping. I fulfilled my two budget shopping wishes last night and I am so happy about it! Wasteland Wonderland, indeed!

UNIVERSAL RECORDS CD SALE
Our operations in Quezon City are just floors away from the Universal Records HQ. I noticed a few months ago some Big CD Weekend Sale announcement of Universal. I got curious because it says that they sell Buy One, Take Ones and some CDs are even 90% off. What a steal!

Fortunately, I had a meeting yesterday with some of our Call Center leads and it coincided with one these famous CD Sales. I made sure that all my meetings and commitments are done by 6:30pm so I can browse and buy to my heart's desire. The sale usually starts at 9:00 am and ends at 7:00 pm.



I was able to buy two Jazz compilations, one Hale album, and an OPM love song compilation (Yeah, I am all for cheesiness) for only P200! That's basically P50 per CD. The cheapest they have there are the P2 casette tapes and the P40 Country Music CDs. They also have P100 or P200 Buy One, Take One CDs. It's really a joy to go there if you're a music lover or collector.

Universal Records
Universal Towers, Quezon Ave., Quezon City
(Just above Smart Wireless Center)
Remaining Sale Dates: May 31, June 5, 6 & 7

~*oOo*~

SAIZEN (DAISO) JAPANESE STORE
I've been hearing and reading about the Saizen Store at Robinson's Galleria in the last couple of months. Saizen is a Japanese Discount Shop brought by the original Daiso All For 100 Yen Shop of Japan. It's a dry goods shop where you can buy everything for P85! The one you see all over the malls - Japan Home Depot or something - is a fake one. THIS is the real deal.


My Loot! Not much but I'll be back again!

I am a sucker for stores like this. I love the thrill of buying seemingly unnecessary things at a budget price. The stuff in the store are all made in Japan (obviously) and are usually specially made for the Daiso/Saizen stores. They have everything from Housewares, Cosmetics to Office Supplies.



I love the row of plastic containers and the Japanese bowls and plates are just perfect for my brother & sis-in-law who loves Japanses cooking. I initially bought them a rolling container to perfect their maki-making.



My favorite sections: Office Supplies & Notebooks! I was able to buy two File Folders (I love filing!) and will come back for the Colored Staple Wires and the Cushion Notepads.



They also have all kinds of CD/DVD racks and cases; and there was also a row for all types of laptop sleeves. I was able to buy a small blue one for our HP Mini Note.



I love the Saizen shop and I can't wait to go back. This is going to be an ideal Christmas Shopping store. There's truly something for everyone!

Saizen / Daiso Japanese Store
East Wing, Robinson's Galleria
Ortigas, Pasig

IT'S BORACAY NOT BORA!

I was fortunate to be in Boracay last Labor Day weekend for the Smart Buddy Hot Summer Samahan event. I was not really expecting the work trip and I only learned that I was going less than 24 hours before my actual departure. I went to the island to oversee one of the activities of Smart's premiere summer event.

It was only my third trip to the island and it was fun to learn and experience new things and visit different places which I haven't been. It's also nice to discover a different Boracay apart from the watersports and beaching that we all love. Read on!

1. I was "almost" and "mostly" solo on the trip and it was both good and bad. Good because I can do all the things I want and bad because I don't have anybody to share it with.

2. Labor Day weekend was the second busiest period of summer! I was early at the airport but I was still bumped off because PAL Express overbooked my flight due to four canceled Caticlan flights that day.



3. PAL Express transferred us to Seair and it was my first time to ride a 20-seater plane (I counted)! The plane was bare and I can't sleep. I was finally able to sleep 30 minutes after take-off but the repeated turbulence woke me up.

4. The upside of Seair? We were only 9,000 ft. high so I was able to take some overhead shots; and land and sea travel to Boracay were also free!





5. There were so many people in Boracay that weekend! It was so crowded! You have to line-up for almost everything. It was also raining on and off but the people were dedma about it.

6. I met and worked with colleagues from Boracay, Iloilo and Makati who helped me with agents stuff, booth supervision and reaching the target. :)

7. First lunch meal was at The Big Mouth in D'Mall with colleagues. I ordered a small bowl of Pesto Pasta and a glass of Coke. Damage? Php 200! Welcome to Boradise of Expensive Everything!



8. I was supposed to stay at Patio Pacific (it was overbooked) or at the Fairways (it was so far) but I ended up at this simple, beachfront hotel at Station 1 called Casa Fiesta. It was right in front of our event venue and it was just less than a hundred feet from our Wireless Center. Perfect!

9. The lady who owns Casa Fiesta was very kind and accommodating. She did not ask for even a deposit or a down payment for my 4-day stay. She just asked me to fill-out some forms. The room was spacious and the bathroom was clean. It has a double bed, a TV, a ref, a/c and a veranda overlooking the beach.

10. Work on my first day was very stressful. The target was high and it was really stressful working in the beach. Unbelievable but true.



11. I took a break and a stroll along Station 1 mid-afternoon to check out the scenery. I was hoping for a Jonah's shake but it was jam-packed as usual.

12. I'll be fit as a fiddle if I live in Boracay with all the walking and strolling. I loved all the solitary walks I had.



13. I love great hotels so I took note of all the resorts and boutique hotels I want to stay in. Here are some of them: Zuzuni, Las Brisas, Residencia Boracay, Two Seasons, Bluewaves Beach House, Seawind (always been on my list since 2001), Boracay Regency and, of course, DS.



14. Since it was a work trip, we obviously had meetings! I had two on my first day.

15. I love the I-don't-care Boracay attitude that gave me the convenience of wearing anything I want. Shorts? Check! Floral overload? Check! Non-black stuff? Check! It was also the first time I wore white in years!

16. Our first day dinner was buffet at Seawind where I was able to taste one of the best pastas I've ever had = Oil & Garlic With Mushrooms and Hams. I am now hunting for a recipe!




17. There was also something in the Boracay air that makes one thirsty! So I ordered a glass of Bailey's on one of the beach bars near my hotel. I had the shock of my life when the bartender gave me two glasses. I apparently ordered one their "buy one, take one" drinks. Geez!



18. I was up bright and early on my 2nd day for our actual Summer Samahan event. I was happy and excited. I was up until 2:00 am devising a strategy that would "sell". It DID sell and we had a favorable outcome. Yey, me!

19. I was busy the entire day working non-stop. I only stopped for a well-deserved lunch at Tribraz along Station 2. Tribraz is a french bistro near Cafe Del Mar. I had Potato & Meat Casserole and Rice Pilaf. Yummy!

20. I had an EX moment across the miles. I can't believe it! *shakes head, roll eyes*

21. Speaking of #21, I learned that all my pasts and possible future are all Smart subscribers. Galeng!

22. The Summer Samahan event was so great! Bosses will be happy. I realized that I can also be an excellent frontliner and on-ground person. Chat will be proud!



23. I would like to thank Aqtiv 100 Plus Energy Drink (Hi, Jomar! Hello, Mark!) and Colgate for the support and sponsorship. Until next time!

24. I was so exhausted the whole day but it did not hinder me to peek at my Social Networking Sites and tweet.

25. Second night's dinner was another buffet at Le Soleil De Boracay at Station 2 with colleagues. It was just so so. Nothing spectacular.

26. I strolled along Station 2 and 3 after dinner. I discovered new restaurants, saw the new Mandarin Spa and took note of all the places I can take my family on our trip in June.



27. Looks like the best chill-out places in the island are (and still are) Guilly's, Bamboo Lounge and the new Obama's Grill at Statiton 1; and Bombom's, SummerPlace and Hey Jude at Station 2.


The new Obama Grill at Station 1

28. Spongecola is the best! 'Nuff said, love 'em. The Summer Samahan Event culminated with a concert of Spongecola, Rocksteddy and Bamboo. Rock on!

29. I caught a fever because of the on/off rain and the high temp of my room's AC. I spent the night on-line with my favorite fattening snack bought from D'Mall: Lays & Coke.

30. I am the biggest loser in Boracay because I spent the day in bed resting and nursing my colds on my 3rd day. I was awoken by cheers before lunch as a result of Pacman's greatest boxing battle against Hatton. I wasn't able to watch the match live but I learned from Twitter how the bloodshed happened.

31. I spent my final afternoon doing usual Boracay stuff like eating Chori Burger, strolling along Station 1 and sipping Jonah's Fruitshake. I tried the plain Mocha flavor and it was delicious.



32. There was, of course, the Sunset! It was not a magnificent summer sunset and it was very cloudy but it was great nonetheless.





33. I love the All Flip Flops By The Beach store at Station 1. Nice lighting, too!



34. My favorite Boracay activity is Massage By The Beach so I obviously did not leave the island without it. It was relaxing and refreshing as usual.

35. I had my first-ever Henna Tattoo! I was so happy about it so I had two. One on my right ankle and the other one on my right leg.



36. One of my best ever meal was at Aria. I had the Aglio, Olio, e Peperoncino pasta for my last lunch at the island. It was so delicious. All the raves about Aria are indeed true!



37. The flight back home was breeze. I took a PAL Express flight and I must say that it's the best ride I've ever had from Caticlan to Manila. It's not as "uncontrolled" like Cebu Pacific and Seair.



38. I arrived around 4:00 PM on a Monday and was both happy and sad about it. Sad because I just came back from one of best places in the world and happy because I am back in my beloved city with my family and friends on it.

I'll be going back to Boracay in June but this time with the family. We will be celebrating my brother's 27th birthday there. Hopefully, I'll be able to swim and do beach stuff and watersports by then.

THE AMERICAN IDOL "SAVE"

American Idol's Judges' Save was finally used this week...and I am NOT thrilled about it!

The favorite person to go home this week was Lil Rounds. I've never been fond of Lil and I've been waiting for her boot since last week. But there's a long-lived tradition in the American Idol World about "The Diva That Lives Forever" (case in point: Syesha Mercado) so it's not really a surprise that she is still there. Her vocals are great but she's been sucking with wrong song choices week after week thus the whole world is asking WHAT is she still doing at Idol. Her elimination became more evident last night when she persistently talked back to Simon after he gave her another bad critique for her Bette Midler cover.

And THAT, Ladies and Gentlemen, was one of the reasons why Matt Giraud was SAVED tonight from elimination!

Confused? It's actually very simple.

They said that the "save" was reserved and created for the "Three Anointed Ones" - Adam, Danny and Lil. Since the judges can only use the save once before the Top Five - and there's no doubt that Adam and Danny will be on the Top 5 - then the save looks like it will be put into use for Lil. Unfortunately, Lil proved last night that she's not worthy of the Top Five (more so the Finale).

With two weeks to go before the expiration of the "Judges' Save" they have no choice but give it to Matt who's probably the "next better" after Lil Rounds. They surely don't want to give it to Anoop - who will most likely get the cut next week together with Lil (or even Matt - depends if America is mad about the save tonight).

Kris and Allison are also shoo-ins for the Top Five EXCEPT if they will under-perform next week so the save is not really an option for them.

P.S.
I am not really pissed because Matt was saved (even if I don't like him) but I am pissed about the whole new ruling of the Judges' Save!

VIVA LA VIDA

Viva La Vida. Live The Life.


This came from my blip.fm player.
And "Anna Vida" is my full name - in case you don't know.

I survived February & March! These past weeks were definitely some of the most hectic ones I had in the last few years thus the non-post.

Work was a blast with all our new responsibilities and stuff to do BUT it also came with a lot of pressure and stress. Days were jampacked with meetings, overtime at the office, e-mails, work at home, number crunching and business trips. Though I am loving every bit of what I am doing, I am also missing some of the ME time that I had to give up to cover more work stuff. My group's functions and targets (even our KRAs) dramatically changed this year thus we also picked the pace and worked as if there's no tomorrow.

Everything is quite cool at the moment and we seem to be more in control of things now so I hope that April will not be as busy.

Thank God for the Lenten break. Catch you all later! Updates soon!

100 TRUTHS

Here's a meme entry just to let everyone know that I am still alive and kicking. I'm re-posting this from my Facebook as an answer tag to Rica.

Rules: Answer the 100 questions and tag people to do the same.

PERSONAL INFO:
1. What's your name → Anna Vida Theresa
2. Nicknames → Abbie, Abs
3. Relationship Status → Single But Happy
4. Zodiac sign → Leo
5. Male or female → Female
6. Elementary → Mary Help of Christian School
7. High School → Canossa School
8. College → Assumption College
9. Hair color → Black with natural brown mix
10. Long or short → Layered and NOT so long anymore
11. Height → 5'2"
12. Do you have a crush on someone? → Now? Not sure.
13. What do you like about yourself? → My bubbly personality
14. Piercings → Ears
15. Tattoos → None
16. Righty or lefty → Righty

LAST
17. Last beverage → Coke Regular
18. Last phone call → My mom asked me to join her at my aunt's place.
19. Last text message → Chika with Libay
20. Last song you listened to → "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz
21. Last time you cried → Can't remember. I'm not keeping tabs anymore. :)

FIRSTS:
22. First surgery → One of my right fingers had grafting.
23. First piercing → Ears
24. First sport you joined/played → Kick Ball in elementary
25. First pet → Dog named Giorgio
26. First vacation → Baguio
27. First concert → Eraserheads
28. First crush → Someone from Third Grade! He's on my FB friend list so I am not telling who.

HAVE YOU EVER:
29. Dated someone twice → Not just twice but thrice! It was a vicious cycle.
30. Been cheated on? → Yes
31. Kissed someone & regretted it? → Yes
32. Lost someone special? → Yes
33. Been depressed? → Yes
34. Been drunk and threw up? → Yes but only twice in my whole life! Both happened in San Fernando in two different occasions.

LIST FOUR FAVORITE COLORS:
35. Blue, Plum/Violet, Black, Red

HAVE YOU:
36. Made new friends → Yes
37. Fallen out of love → Yes
38. Laughed until you cried → Oh yeah!
39. Met someone who changed you → Yes
40. Found out who your true friends were → Yes! Yes! Yes!
41. Found out someone was talking about you → Yes and I "heard it" literally. How's that?
42. Kissed anyone on your FB friend list → Ummm...yes.
43. How many people on your FB friend list do you know in real life → Almost everyone.
44. How many kids do you want to have → Two or four
45. Do you have any pets → We have lots of cats but they are definitely not mine.
46. Do you want to change your name → Nope
47. What did you do for your last birthday → I went to Boracay with my friends. Yey!
48. What time did you wake up today → 1:30 PM! So tired from yesterday's SMART EK Day.
49. What were you doing at midnight last night? → Internet
50. Name something you CANNOT wait for → Planned travels
51. Last time you saw your father → 30 seconds ago
52. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life → What else?
53. What are you listening to right now → "Lucky" by Jason Mraz feat. Colbie Caillat
54. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom → Yep. Met a random Tom before.
55. What's getting on your nerves right now? → A couple of "Batirol" incidents last week. Heh!
56. Most visited web page → Twitter, Facebook, abbieunreal.blogspot.com, Multiply

RIGHT NOW:
57. Eating → I had Jollibee Chicken Joy an hour ago
58. Drinking → Coke
59. I'm about to → Resize and upload photos
60. Listening to → Jason Mraz's "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things" album
61. Waiting for → .............................

YOUR FUTURE:
62. Want kids? – Yes
63. Want to get married? → Yes
64. Careers in mind? → I am fairly satisfied with what I am doing now.

WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX?
65. Lips or eyes → Eyes
66. Hugs or kisses → Hugs
67. Older or Younger – Older
68. Nice stomach or nice arms → Nice arms
69. Sensitive or loud → A little of both
70. Hook-up or relationship → Relationship, of course!
71. Trouble maker or hesitant → Hesitant

HAVE YOU EVER:
72. Kissed a stranger → No
73. Drank hard liquor → Only once or twice in my life
74. Lost glasses/contacts → I lost my first and only pair of prescription glasses! Then I learned from my 2nd Opto that I don't need them after all. :)
75. Sex on first date → No
76. Broken someone's heart → I think so. Once, twice or thrice.
77. Had your own heart broken → Yes
78. Been arrested → No
79. Turned someone down → Yes
80. Cried when someone died → I was the loudest "wailer" at my lola's funeral 11 years ago.
81. Liked a friend that is a girl? → No

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
82. Yourself → Yes
83. Miracles → Yes, I do!
84. Love at first sight → Love? No. Like? Maybe.
85. Heaven → Yes
86. Santa Claus → I wish!
87. Kiss on the first date → No. Cheeks? Not even. Conservative? Yes.
88. Angels → Yes
89. Love → Yes
90. Sex after marriage → Ideal

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
91. Is there one person you want to be with right now? → I'm not so sure. I am still thinking and contemplating. Please give me time. :)
92. Had more than one boyfriend at one time? → No. Loyalty & faithfulness are my strongest traits.
93. Are you in love right now? → Nope.
94. Longest you got over an ex? → Two freakin' years!
95. Are you happy? → People may not believe it...but I am actually very happy & contented.
96. Posting this as 100 Truths? → Yes

*There were only 96 questions so I guess that the favorite color part equals to four.

FINAL THIRTEEN

If you haven’t been watching American Idol in the past two months then it’s now time to tune in. The finals of American Idol begins on Tuesday with a Michael Jackson theme which will hopefully give great performances from the 13 people that were voted and selected. With some new twist in the semi-finals we ended with thirteen finalists instead of the usual twelve. The new format with the wild card round also gave us a gender imbalance that sent 8 boys and 5 girls in the finals.



A lot of my early favorites like Stevie, Ann Marie and Felicia did make it even on the Wild Card round. But a handful of my other favorites made it straight to the Top 13 like Danny, Michael, Adam and Jorge. The hard part of assessing and choosing bets with the new format was we only heard and seen most of them with one song and performance. But, anyway, here's my attempt in giving light to these new entertainers who will grace Primetime TV starting next week until May.

Megan Joy Corkrey
Megan will probably be my Carly Smithson of this batch. Megan has always been one of Simon's favorites ever since her first audition in Utah. I like her and her unique vocals. It’s very different from the usual diva voices of the competition. I don't know if America is ready for out-of-the-box voices like Megan's but I hope that she will go a long way in the competition. I even love her weird quirky “Corkrey” dance!


Allison Iraheta
Allison, 17 years old (as Randy kept on repeating), is someone we should all watch out for. Her vocals are unbelievable! So many past Idols sang Heart’s Alone and hers was one of the best I’ve heard. The judges were right when they said that she’s not even putting effort to her singing (altogether now: “raw natural talent”). I just hope that she will not turn into another Amanda Overmayer who became predictable and boring in the long run. Allison’s advantage? Celebrity support like Miley’s.


Alexis Grace
Alexis is a cute little thing who “dirtied” and styled herself just for the competition (Thanks to DioGuardi’s suggestion). Her voice is refreshing just like Allison’s. She got spunk and I am sure that a lot of people will love her and her great personality. I am just worried that she and Allison will use the same styles and sing the same stuff. Unfortunately for Alexis - Allison is the better singer by at least two notches.


Lil Rounds
Lil’s one of the most pimped contestants this year since the early auditions. She seemed nice but I am not buying her whole big voice stuff. It’s very usual, mainstream and it’s dime a dozen. She will surely go a long way (as high as Top 3 maybe) but I am truly not a fan. Her sob story rivals the one of Gokey's so it's fun to see who will get more emo air time between the two pimped finalists.


Jasmine Murray
Jasmine is definitely my Kristy Lee "what are you still doing here?" Cook for this year. I still can’t forgive her for bombing Sarah Barailles' "Love Song" and for wearing wrong eye make-up week after week that makes her look alien-y. Hope she gets the first boot! Her spot should have been Ricky Braddy's or Jesse Langseth's (or even Ju'not's. Felicia's or Mishavonna's). Case in point: there are way better singers than her in the Top 36.


Anoop Desai
Anoop’s journey to the Top 13 was special, suspense-laden and dramatic that made everyone asked "Gokey, who?". It was such a sweet victory for this "Dogg" and I cannot help but be happy for him. He may not be the best singer of the group but he's definitely one of the most likable. He may not give us the best performance each week but he will surely give us entertainment. I can't wait to see more of Anoop! Remember: American Idol is not just a talent show...it's foremost a TV show!


Adam Lambert
I heart Adam and his gayness! His YouTube vids are certified VoteForTheWorst material; but I'm hoping against hope that he will be careful and just stick to what he got now. He’s also capable of pulling a Tatiana so let's watch out for lapses like that. Adam’s vocals are just to die for. He’s really talented and I will not be surprised if he is the next American Idol. He got the chops! He’s also fierce and doesn’t give a crap on what people think. Proof? He’s still googling himself! He doesn't give an F on those leaked kissing pictures.


Danny Gokey
I have this thing for unique voices this year so one of my obvious picks is Danny (and not because of his sob story). This Robert Downey, Jr. Jr. dude can really go places with his ala David Cook last-big-note voice. Definitely one of the people to watch out for – dead wife or not, over-pimped or not, front-runner or not. Another thing to look forward to? Danny's American Idol glam-up make-over! Can't wait!


Jorge Nunez
Jorge is the male Latino version of Brooke White. I noticed him as early as his audition in Puerto Rico. I really love this guy and his voice (accent or no accent). The cry-fest at the end of his semi-final song made a lot of moms swoon (but I think he’s gay). Puerto Rico is so proud and leading the pack of supporters are J Lo and Marc Anthony who even SMSd Jorge their encouragement through Ryan. He’s definitely their saving face for all the drama that Tatiana created.


Kris Allen
Kris is the underdog of the Top 13. He himself was surprised that he was able to sneak in from favored contenders like Matt & Megan in Round 2. He have to really wow America to keep him from being voted early on. But he's cute and is dubbed as this year's heartthrob so he might go places. Do we see another Castro in the making? Seriously, his version of "Man In The Mirror" is way better than Giraud's "Viva La Vida". I wonder why people were so surprised he is in the Top 13.


Michael Sarver
Oil rigger Michael actually has a great voice but it was overshadowed by his genuinely nice personality. He suffered an Internet backlash just recently from Anoop’s 20,000 vote difference in round 2. I will not be surprised if he will not be included in the 10-man Idol Tour this summer (read: Top 11/12 at the most). There are definitely better performers in the Top 13 than Michael. With Anoop now holding the "best personality" card, I wonder where that will leave Mr. Sarver.


Matt Giraud
The gazillion fans and DioGuardi are the two main reasons why Matt was given another chance even after tanking the Grammy award winning song of Coldplay. I am not too solved on him and I prefer Ricky Braddy who got an almost identical style (but a lousier persona) over him. He will definitely give us soul, blues and pianos week after week but he also threatened mentioned that he might try pop. He’s also a bit smug (but so is David Cook so I rest my case).


Scott MacIntyre
He’s out of tune most of the time but Scott deserves the spot to compensate for all the shitty things that happened to him. I also understand the power of the sympathy vote. Need I say more? Mr. Inspiration is definitely the hardest person to boot out from this competition. Let's see how this will be played out.



My Favorites: Adam, Anoop, Jorge, Danny, Megan, Allison
My "I Don't Want To See You": Jasmine
My "should have been" in the Top 13: Ricky, Jesse, Ju'not, Felicia
Who will go home this week: Jasmine / Michael
Who MIGHT be the next American Idol: Adam

Credits to American Idol for the photos.

THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC!

Like most people in my generation, we grew up listening and singing to the great music and raps of The Man From Manila, Francis Magalona. March 6, Friday, was indeed a lonely day for Filipinos when we all learned the demise of this great musician, rapper, and songwriter after battling with leukemia for 7 months.



I found a great line he wrote on one of his blogs that I would like to share with all of you. It's a testament of how he loved his craft and how he wanted to be remembered through his musical legacy.

"I still hear the voices of Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Tupac Shakur, Kurt Cobain, The Notorious B.I.G. and Frank Sinatra to name a few. And their voices rise from their graves.

I am lucky to have been a recording artist and one day when I leave this world, just like the names I mentioned, my voice will be heard. Always. At a touch of a button or switch, I am "alive" again."

- Francis M., Happybattle.net, November 15, 2008

You will be missed, Kiko! Thank you for the music!

AMERICAN IDOL WILD CARD PICKS

Just a quick post while I take a break in between pow-wows. American Idol announced the judges' picks for the Wild Card Round tomorrow! Each of the judges were allowed to choose two semi-finalists to advance for the last three spots in the Top 12.

Most of the Wild Cards came from the first and second groups. It was only Von Smith who was from the third group. The top three vote getters for this round were Lil Rounds, Scott MacIntyre and Jorge Nunez. No surprises here! They automatically got the 7th, 8th and 9th spot in the Top 12.

Here are the Wild Cards:

Von Smith (Randy's Pick)
Jasmine Murray (Kara's Pick)
Ricky Braddy (Paula's Pick)
Megan Corkrey (Simon's Pick)
Tatiana Del Torro (Randy's Pick)
Matt Giraud (Kara's Pick)
Jesse Langseth (Paula's Pick)
Anoop Desai (Simon's Pick)

Looks like THIS was decided even before they sang their tunes last week. Looks like it was pretty much decided who will advance whether they bombed their semi-final rounds or not (Come on! Jasmine Murray? Von Smith?). At least Tatiana sang well! YEAH, TATIANA IS COMING BACK! She is definitely Fox's pick for the drama of it all! The more drama, the higher the ratings. Go, girl!

I am happy that Ricky, Megan, Jesse and Anoop got in! I am wondering what happened to my other favorites like Ann Marie and Felicia. They were pretty strong with their performances.

Most likely to land in the Top 12? Anoop, Megan & Matt (or Ricky might sneak in!). They have always been judges' favorites since their early auditions. No voting will be allowed tomorrow so it will be entirely up to Randy, Kara, Paula and Simon who goes in!