Summer of 2005

I don't know about everybody else but in my book (or in this case my blog) Summer 2005 could be the hottest summer of my life. I'm not talking about anything else here but I am talking about the mercury readings.

It is during this summer that I spent most of my time in the comfort of my airconditioned room. Or if I get to the office in the morning, I usually stay there until the sun has set and the heat absorbed by the cement and land has dissipated.

Last year, my friends could still drag me to go to a nearby mall or cinema but this year, I'd rather stay in my bedroom, coccooned from the scorching heat of this summer. As a result, I've been paying my electric bills twice the amount of what I usually pay in non-summer months.

It is also during this summer that I probably have drank the most number of glasses of iced tea in my life. Thank goodness for the bottomless iced tea in most restaurants, I need not worry about spending more on drinks than on the actual food.

I have to tell you that where I'm at in Bulacan, the heat is so intense that even after sunset, the furniture inside the house remain warm. For the last few weeks, I stopped using our water heater because the water in the shower feels as warm as the one coming from the heater even at 4:30 in the morning. Even more amazing is the fact that after toweling off, I would begin to sweat as I step out of the bathroom.

Many Filipinos are wondering when this summer heat will end. I wanted it to end NOW! Why? Because, I am experiencing something that I haven't had for years now. It is hot and itchy and I scratch it until it is painful.

It's called bungang araw... prickly heat.

Scott Savol: The American Idol

from www.idolonfox.com

I know I should have written this long ago but the events this morning compelled me to write something about my American Idol.

He is probably one of the most controversial AI candidate this season or ever and also the most villified, but the first time I saw him during his audition in Cleveland, Ohio, I knew I am already a fan.

His name is Scott Savol. He has the body of Winnie-the-Pooh and the voice of an angel. During the auditions, he told the world that his father once told him that he will not accomplish anything. In the Hollywood rounds, he appeared to refuse to participate with his group song. And during the heat of the finals, an article came out on his past run in with the law.

Yet I remained firm to be his number one Pinoy fan. Hey, I didn't care spending thousands of pesos on telephone calls just to call relatives and friends in the US to vote for him. If I were there, I would have spent entire two hours every week voting for this guy.

He amazed the world with his rendition of beautiful ballads like "You are My Lady", "Against all Odds" among others. He also made us dance with such bouncy tunes as "Everlasting Love", "Ain't too Proud to Beg" and "I Can't Help Myself".

Every week he surprised even his most ardent detractors by hanging on and staying in the competition. His staying power even prompted Simon to say that he has more escapes than Harry Houdini had.

But this morning, I got the bad news that he has been voted out of the competition. End of the the American Idol dream for my idol. Funny, even though I haven't met the guy, I still felt sad for his departure from the show. I am not even an American for that matter!!!

So this is a kind of tribute to the man who sort of represented the average man in that competition. Here's hoping that this wouldn't be the last that I will hear about this great guy, Scott Savol.