A ⁿ ⁿ ' s ZONE

Expressions of Whirlwind Emotions, Thoughts, Life and Everything Possible and Impossible.

Christmas. Random Updates. Sick.

comments (0)

11 hours from now, we will celebrate Jesus birthday! It's almost Christmas! No snow here but feeling so cold. Weather forecast for the holidays Eastern section of Central Luzon, Southern Luzon and Visayas will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rain showers. Mindanao will have mostly cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms. The rest of the country will be partly cloudy to at times cloudy with isolated rain showers. Moderate to strong winds blowing from the Northeast will prevail over Luzon and Visayas and the coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough. Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate blowing from the Northeast with slight to moderate seas except during thunderstorms. I'm not sure if I will enjoy Christmas. I'm so sick. Had fever and I think still have now. My colds is driving me nuts! I have cough and I don't know what medicine to take because my doctor (I think) forgot to prescribe me one. I believe I will be absent again tomorrow for work. I've been 2 days absent and still I don't feel like going to work. I'm too tired and so sick. Not to mention my son is also sick. Nothing's change. But I'll be ok, just needed a little rest.


Updates. Since Bob won Survivor Gabon, I didn't get the time to post the photos for the last episode or the season finale of the show. I just can't find the photos and website is not yet updated. Also, Britney just got back from Japan. She is still beautiful.

Here's a Christmas Card for the fans from Britney, JJ & Preston:




And she will be spending New Year's eve with his boys! Exciting!

After being hospitalized last Friday, Backstreet Boys singer Brian Littrell's 6-year-old son has been diagnosed with atypical Kawasaki Disease, an inflammation of the arteries that typically afflicts children. A letter from Brian and Leighanne Littrell, Baylee Thomas Wylee Littrell was released from Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital in Atlanta on December 20, 2008.



Before being admitted Baylee had been treated for or thought to have had; strep throat, hand, foot, mouth disease and erythema multiforme. After receiving a biopsy, blood tests, an EKG and 2 echocardiograms, Baylee was finally diagnosed with A-Typical Kawasaki Disease. We would like to stress A-Typical because Baylee did not have text book symptoms of any of the viruses they thought he had.
Kawasaki Disease causes inflammation in the coronary arteries as well as the walls of the small and medium sized arteries throughout the body. Unfortunately Baylee’s coronary arteries were effected. He received an IVIG, which is a treatment to bring down the inflammation in his coronary arteries. Baylee will be closely monitor ed for the next 6-8 weeks by a Pediatric Cardiologist to see if the treatment was effective.
We want to thank every one who prayed for us as well as all of the emails and phone calls. Your love and support means so much to our family. The Hospital Staff were absolutely amazing. They made an extremely difficult time in our lives as comfortable as possible.
We are humbled by the love and compassion that people have for our son all over the world, thank you.
I was worried. But Baylee is a strong boy and a fighter like his dad.

I will post another entry later. I'm coughing really hard right now. My chest hurts.

Take care.

xoxo

SURGERY 101

comments (0)

Who among you are scared of surgery? Me? I'm not really sure. I gave birth. I was deadly nervous but I think I was not scared to face those sharp needles. It was an experience. Since then, never been admitted to the hospital. But this year I'm diagnosed with a rare hyperthyroid or goiter enlargement. I forgot what its called but with my doctors explaination, its 80% normal hyperthyroid enlargement but 20% cancerous. The word Cancerous is alarming. So per doctors adviced, I need to have a surgery to remove my right thyroid. I will not post an entry about goiter but about the procedure that I will soon experience. Surgery.

So according to Wikipedia Surgery (from the Greek: cheirourgike, via Latin: chirurgiae, meaning "hand work") is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, to help improve bodily function or appearance, or sometimes for some other reason. An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical procedure, operation, or simply surgery. In this context, the verb operating means performing surgery. The adjective surgical means pertaining to surgery; e.g. surgical instruments or surgical nurse. The patient or subject on which the surgery is performed can be a person or an animal. A surgeon is a person who performs operations on patients. Persons described as surgeons are commonly medical practitioners, but the term is also applied to podiatrists, dentists and veterinarians. Surgery can last from minutes to hours, but is typically not an ongoing or periodic type of treatment. The term surgery can also refer to the place where surgery is performed, or simply the office of a physician, dentist, or veterinarian.

DEFINITION: Surgery is a medical technology consisting of a physical intervention on tissues. As a general rule, a procedure is considered surgical when it involves cutting of a patient's tissues or closure of a previously sustained wound. Other procedures that do not necessarily fall under this rubric, such as angioplasty or endoscopy, may be considered surgery if they involve "common" surgical procedure or settings, such as use of a sterile environment, anesthesia, antiseptic conditions, typical surgical instruments, and suturing or stapling. All forms of surgery are considered invasive procedures; so-called "noninvasive surgery" usually refers to an excision that does not penetrate the structure being excised (e.g. laser ablation of the cornea) or to a radiosurgical procedure (e.g. irradiation of a tumor).

TYPES OF SURGERY

Surgical procedures are commonly categorized by urgency, type of procedure, body system involved, degree of invasiveness, and special instrumentation.Elective surgery is done to correct a non-life-threatening condition, and is carried out at the patient's request, subject to the surgeon's and the surgical facility's availability. Emergency surgery is surgery which must be done quickly to save life, limb, or functional capacity. Exploratory surgery is performed to aid or confirm a diagnosis.

Therapeutic surgery treats a previously diagnosed condition. Amputation involves cutting off a body part, usually a limb or digit. Replantation involves reattaching a severed body part. Reconstructive surgery involves reconstruction of an injured, mutilated, or deformed part of the body. Cosmetic surgery is done to improve the appearance of an otherwise normal structure. Excision is the cutting out of an organ, tissue, or other body part from the patient. Transplant surgery is the replacement of an organ or body part by insertion of another from different human (or animal) into the patient. Removing an organ or body part from a live human or animal for use in transplant is also a type of surgery.When surgery is performed on one organ system or structure, it may be classed by the organ, organ system or tissue involved. Examples include cardiac surgery (performed on the heart), gastrointestinal surgery (performed within the digestive tract and its accessory organs), and orthopedic surgery (performed on bones and/or muscles).Minimally invasive surgery involves smaller outer incision(s) to insert miniaturized instruments within a body cavity or structure, as in laparoscopic surgery or angioplasty. By contrast, an open surgical procedure requires a large incision to access the area of interest. Laser surgery involves use of a laser for cutting tissue instead of a scalpel or similar surgical instruments. Microsurgery involves the use of an operating microscope for the surgeon to see small structures. Robotic surgery makes use of a surgical robot, such as the Da Vinci or the Zeus surgical systems, to control the instrumentation under the direction of the surgeon.

HISTORY OF SURGERY:

History of surgery and Prehistoric medicineAt least two prehistoric cultures had developed forms of surgery. The oldest for which there is evidence is trepanation,[1] in which a hole is drilled or scraped into the skull, thus exposing the dura mater in order to treat health problems related to intracranial pressure and other diseases. Evidence has been found in prehistoric human remains from Neolithic times, in cave paintings, and the procedure continued in use well into recorded history. Surprisingly, many prehistoric and premodern patients had signs of their skull structure healing; suggesting that many survived the operation. In ancient India, remains from the early Harappan periods of the Indus Valley Civilization (c. 3300 BC) show evidence of teeth having been drilled dating back 9,000 years.[2] A final candidate for prehistoric surgical techniques is Ancient Egypt, where a mandible dated to approximately 2650 BC shows two perforations just below the root of the first molar, indicating the draining of an abscessed tooth.The oldest known surgical texts date back to ancient Egypt about 3500 years ago. Surgeries were performed by priests, specialized in medical treatments similar to today. The procedures were documented on papyrus and were the first to describe patient case files; the Edwin Smith Papyrus (held in the New York Academy of Medicine) documents surgical procedures based on anatomy and physiology, while the Ebers Papyrus describes healing based on magic. Their medical expertise was later documented by Herodotus: "The practice of medicine is very specialized among them. Each physician treats just one disease. The country is full of physicians, some treat the eye, some the teeth, some of what belongs to the abdomen, and others internal diseases."[3]Other ancient cultures to have surgical knowledge include Ancient India, China and Greece.Sushruta (also spelled Susruta or Sushrutha) (c. 6th century BC) was a renowned surgeon of Ancient India, and the author of the book Sushruta Samhita. In his book, he described over 120 surgical instruments, 300 surgical procedures and classifies human surgery into 8 categories. Sushruta is also known as the father of plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery. He was a surgeon from the dhanvantari school of Ayurveda.The Hippocratic Oath was an innovation of the Greek physician Hippocrates. However ancient Greek culture traditionally considered the practice of opening the body to be repulsive and thus left known surgical practices such as lithotomy to such persons as practice [it]. In China, Hua Tuo was a famous Chinese physician during the Eastern Han and Three Kingdoms era. He was the first person to perform surgery with the aid of anesthesia, albeit a rudimentary and unsophisticated form.In the Middle Ages, surgery was developed to a high degree in the Islamic world. Abulcasis (Abu al-Qasim Khalaf ibn al-Abbas Al-Zahrawi), an Andalusian-Arab physician and scientist who practised in the Zahra suburb of Córdoba, wrote medical texts that shaped European surgical procedures up until the Renaissance. He is also often regarded as a Father of Surgery.[4]In Europe, the demand grew for surgeons to formally study for many years before practicing; universities such as Montpellier, Padua and Bologna were particularly renowned. By the fifteenth century at the latest, surgery had split away from physics as its own subject, of a lesser status than pure medicine, and initially took the form of a craft tradition until Rogerius Salernitanus composed his Chirurgia, laying the foundation for modern Western surgical manuals up to the modern time. Late in the nineteenth century, Bachelor of Surgery degrees (usually Ch.B.) began to be awarded with the (M.B.), and the mastership became a higher degree, usually abbreviated Ch.M. or M.S. in London, where the first degree was M.B.,B.S..Barber-surgeons generally had a bad reputation that was not to improve until the development of academic surgery as a specialty of medicine, rather than an accessory field.[5] Basic surgical principles for asepsis etc are known as Halsteads principles.


MODERN SURGERY:

Modern surgery developed rapidly with the scientific era. Ambroise Paré (sometimes spelled "Ambrose"[6]) pioneered the treatment of gunshot wounds, and the first modern surgeons were battlefield doctors in the Napoleonic Wars. Naval surgeons were often barber surgeons, who combined surgery with their main jobs as barbers. Three main developments permitted the transition to modern surgical approaches - control of bleeding, control of infection and control of pain (anaesthesia).

Bleeding

Before modern surgical developments, there was a very real threat that a patient would bleed to death before treatment, or during the operation. Cauterization (fusing a wound closed with extreme heat) was successful but limited - it was destructive, painful and in the long term had very poor outcomes. Ligatures, or material used to tie off severed blood vessels, are believed to have originated with Abulcasis[7] in the 10th century and improved by Ambroise Paré in the 16th century. Though this method was a significant improvement over the method of cauterization, it was still dangerous until infection risk was brought under control - at the time of its discovery, the concept of infection was not fully understood. Finally, early 20th century research into blood groups allowed the first effective blood transfusions.

Infection

The concept of infection was unknown until relatively modern times. The first progress in combating infection was made in 1847 by the Hungarian doctor Ignaz Semmelweis who noticed that medical students fresh from the dissecting room were causing excess maternal death compared to midwives. Semmelweis, despite ridicule and opposition, introduced compulsory handwashing for everyone entering the maternal wards and was rewarded with a plunge in maternal and fetal deaths, however the Royal Society in the UK still dismissed his advice. Significant progress came following the work of Pasteur, when the British surgeon Joseph Lister began experimenting with using phenol during surgery to prevent infections. Lister was able to quickly reduce infection rates, a reduction that was further helped by his subsequent introduction of techniques to sterilize equipment, have rigorous hand washing and a later implementation of rubber gloves. Lister published his work as a series of articles in The Lancet (March 1867) under the title Antiseptic Principle of the Practice of Surgery. The work was groundbreaking and laid the foundations for a rapid advance in infection control that saw modern aseptic operating theatres widely used within 50 years (Lister himself went on to make further strides in antisepsis and asepsis throughout his lifetime).

Pain

Modern pain control through anesthesia was discovered by two American dental surgeons, Horace Wells (1815-1848) and William Morton. Before the advent of anesthesia, surgery was a traumatically painful procedure and surgeons were encouraged to be as swift as possible to minimize patient suffering. This also meant that operations were largely restricted to amputations and external growth removals. Beginning in the 1840s, surgery began to change dramatically in character with the discovery of effective and practical anaesthetic chemicals such as ether and chloroform, later pioneered in Britain by John Snow. In addition to relieving patient suffering, anaesthesia allowed more intricate operations in the internal regions of the human body. In addition, the discovery of muscle relaxants such as curare allowed for safer applications.


DO YOU WHAT NEOPLASIA IS?

Neoplasia (new growth in Greek) is the abnormal proliferation of cells, resulting in a structure known as a neoplasm. The growth of this clone of cells exceeds, and is uncoordinated with, that of the normal tissues around it. It usually causes a lump or tumor. Neoplasms may be benign, pre-malignant or malignant. In modern medicine, the term tumor is synonymous with a neoplasm that has formed a lump. In the past, the term tumor was used differently. Some neoplasms do not cause a lump.

TYPES OF NEOPLASIA:

A NEOPLASM (that's what I have) can be benign, potentially malignant (pre-cancer), or malignant (cancer). [1]Benign neoplasms include uterine fibroids and melanocytic nevi (skin moles). They do not transform into cancer. Potentially malignant neoplasms include carcinoma in situ. They do not invade and destroy but, given enough time, will transform into a cancer. Malignant neoplasms are commonly called cancer. They invade and destroy the surrounding tissue, may form metastases and eventually kill the host. Because neoplasia includes very different diseases, it is difficult to find a definition that describes them all. [2] The definition of the British oncologist R.A. Willis is widely cited: A neoplasm is an abnormal mass of tissue, the growth of which exceeds and is uncoordinated with that of the normal tissues, and persists in the same excessive manner after cessation of the stimulus which evoked the change.[3]This definition is criticized because some neoplasms, such as nevi, are not progressive.

CLONALITY

Neoplastic tumors often contain more than one type of cell, but their initiation and continued growth is usually dependent on a single population of neoplastic cells. These cells are presumed to be clonal - that is, they are descended from a single progenitor cell.Sometimes, the neoplastic cells all carry the same genetic or epigenetic anomaly which becomes evidence for clonality. For lymphoid neoplasms, e.g. lymphoma and leukemia, clonality is proven by the amplification of a single rearrangement of their immunoglobulin gene (for B cell lesions) or T-cell receptor gene (for T cell lesions). The demonstration of clonality is now considered to be necessary to identify a lymphoid cell proliferation as neoplastic.[4]It is tempting to define neoplasms as clonal cellular proliferations but the demonstration of clonality is not always possible. Therefore, clonality is not required in the definition of neoplasia.

Neoplasia vs tumorTumor (Latin for swelling) originally meant all forms of swelling, neoplastic or not. In current English however, both common and Medical, tumor is now considered synonymous with Neoplasm. [5] Note that some neoplasms do not form a tumor. They include leukemia and most forms of carcinoma in situ.

The End for SURVIVOR: GABON: EARTH’S LAST EDEN

comments (0)

Survivor Gabon is already over! I didn't get the chance to watch it live because I was out. But I have to watch in the internet if I have the time. Anyway, the last days in Gabon was actually amazing! Yes! BOB won! I knew it since the show started. His 57 years old and he is an intelligent human being! Kenny is a funny guy. I so love the show. I hate Randy. Just want to mention. Sugar is so sweet! hahaha! I love her. She is a fighter and so beautiful. So here are recaps abour the show. I will be posting pictures probably next week because I'm si busy with work now.


Season 17: Episode 13: The Good Guys Should Win in the End

Matty storms back to camp after a close call at Tribal Council, where Corinne was voted out with only one more vote cast against her than Matty. Aware that his close ally, Ken, had a hand in the plot against him, Matty immediately confronts Ken for stabbing him in the back. Ken explains that his reasons for voting Matty were strategic: “I voted for him and that was strategically a move to gain me jury votes in the final three. I have been calling the shots since day one out here. I am the mastermind behind everything going on.” Matty picks up on Ken’s deceptive plans to oust him, which raises concerns from Crystal and Sugar, who believe that he is overreacting. Crystal sees Matty as a huge threat: “I am really regretting not writing Matty’s name down tonight which is probably the stupidest move that I have made in this game so far. Hopefully Matty doesn’t win immunity at the next challenge, and Matty needs to go.”


A BIG DEAL

Later in the night, Ken panics and attacks Bob for deceiving him with a second fake immunity idol. “I trusted you and Corinne and you lied to me, and now my game is messed up,” he complains. “I risked everything to try to save you and Corinne and this is what I get for being a nice guy.” Bob becomes ridden with guilt and offers Ken the deal of a lifetime: he agrees that if he wins the next immunity challenge, he will give the immunity necklace over to Ken. Bob assures Ken of his intentions of honoring his word because he feels horrible for lying to him the way he did. “I wanna be a man of my word,” Bob pledges.


REWARD CHALLENGE: SWAMP MONKEYS

The Nobag Tribe arrives on their mat as host Jeff Probst explains the rules. They will race out into the swamp through a series of obstacles, and retrieve a ball. They will then race back to the start and toss the ball into a net, and then head back out to retrieve the next ball. The first person to get three balls in their net wins a trip via helicopter to Loango National Park’s gorilla sanctuary, sponsored by Africa’s Eden. They will receive a nice meal, a good night’s sleep and a shower, returning to camp the next morning. In addition, the winner will choose one person to go to Exile Island.
As the challenge gets underway, the survivors bolt out into the swamp, making their way through nets, across planks, and to a station from which they each retrieve a ball. Bob, Matty and Ken manage to toss their balls into the net, while the women struggle to make their first basket. The men keep the lead as they race across the swamp to retrieve their second ball. All three men are dead even after sinking their second ball into their baskets. Meanwhile, Sugar, Susie and Crystal still struggle with their first ball. Matty gains an advantage as he makes his way back with his third and final ball. His efforts consistently fall short as Ken and Bob catch up. Ken, Matty and Bob race to sink their final ball. In the end, Bob wins the reward, and is given the opportunity to choose someone to join him. He selects Crystal, and is then asked to choose a second person to join him in the reward. Bob immediately chooses Ken without hesitation. He sends Susie to Exile Island, and is off in a helicopter to his reward.


THE GORILLA SANCTUARY

Ken, Bob and Crystal take in the breathtaking view of Gabon from above as they glide through the air on a helicopter ride. Upon arriving at the sanctuary, the three are given an assortment of meats, fruits, and tropical drinks. After a brief feast, the trio gets down to business. Ken and Crystal put Matty on the chopping block, asking Bob to jump on board with them. Bob agrees, hoping that they can persuade Sugar to join them. Ken carefully reminds Bob of his promise to hand immunity over to him if Bob were to win it at the next challenge. Bob again assures Ken he has nothing to worry about because Bob is a man of his word and has every intention to honor their deal. He then revises the plan, telling Ken that if during Tribal Council Ken feels that he is in danger, he should signal Bob to give him the immunity necklace. Ken accepts this offer, and the dealing is done.
Crystal and the others become invigorated after taking a shower for the first time in thirty-four days. They are then visited by representatives of Africa’s Eden, who take them out to see the gorillas. Ken, Crystal and Bob watch in awe as gorillas ranging from small babies to giant silverbacks stand a few feet from them. Bob comments on the spiritual connection he felt while observing these amazing creatures. “I’m not usually spiritual, but it was a feeling like there was a connection between these great apes and myself how they were looking at us, and we were looking at them. It sort of rocked my soul.”


COMFORT ZONE

On Exile Island, Susie chooses comfort over clue and enjoys the great abundance of fruit in the gazebo. “The one great thing about being at Exile is that it takes you away from the game. You can just step away and say ‘I don’t have to think about anything right now.”
LIKE BROTHER AND SISTERBack at the Nobag camp, Matty complains to Sugar about not being able to enjoy the reward, and resents Ken and Crystal for being chosen. Sugar defends Bob’s decision and argues that they hadn’t had the chance to enjoy a reward until now. She then warns Matty that he is on the chopping block. Matty criticizes Sugar for aligning with Ken, and tells her that Ken is lying to her because Ken’s greatest ally is Crystal. Upon reflecting on the situation, Sugar admits that she is in a predicament. “I’m sure Kenny is probably lying to me but Matty is the stronger physical threat. I don’t know who to believe, I don’t know who to turn to.” The two continue to quarrel over the situation and, in the end, Matty comes to the conclusion that he got himself in a bad position.

THE RETURN

A helicopter drops off Ken, Bob and Crystal back at the Nobag camp. Matty is openly hostile about Ken and Crystal being chosen to go on the reward with Bob. Ken calls Matty out for making camp tense, which ultimately leads to another argument between the two regarding Ken flipping on him at the previous Tribal Council. “Matty’s super paranoid ever since his name was written down,” says Ken. “It was a strategic move on my part, but this is a game. People write down names.” Crystal fumes at Matty for lying to her when he denied being aligned with Susie, and continues to threaten to vote him out if he tries to go against her alliance with Ken. Sugar watches in dismay as Matty is chewed out by Crystal. “Matty doesn’t deserve to be yelled at,” she whimpers. “Kenny acts like he’s this weak little meager guy and he spins all these lies and Crystal is just a big bully.” Sugar pulls Matty aside and takes him over to the dock. “I believe you now,” she cries. Sugar then assures Matty that she will make sure that Matty does not get voted out, targeting Crystal instead. “If Sugar really is telling me the truth, then I have hope,” says Matty. “I’m just praying that I can find the strength to finish.”


IMMUNITY CHALLENGE: MASK MATCH

The Nobag Tribe arrives on their mat as Susie returns from Exile Island. Host Jeff Probst explains the rules. Each person will be blindfolded. They will study the features of a Gabonese mask and then grab a bag of mask pieces and make their way through a series of obstacles in their own roped-off lanes to a station where they will find a second blank mask. They will use the pieces to fill in the missing features. The first person to collect all three bags and successfully recreate the mask wins immunity.
The challenge is on, and the survivors begin studying their mask’s features. They are then off through the course and begin retrieving their mask pieces one by one. Crystal has difficulty staying on the course, and spends most of her time trying to find her lane. While the others attempt to solve each mask piece one at a time, Matty’s strategy is to gather all of his mask pieces first before attempting to solve the puzzle. Crystal finally makes it to her station with her first bag of mask pieces. Bob rapidly moves through the course and is the first to assemble his mask. Bob is wrong, and heads back to the start to check his mask. Ken thinks he has it and is also wrong. Susie is completely off of the course and struggles to find her way back. Bob races back and assembles his mask. Jeff checks his mask and determines that Bob is right. Bob wins immunity, guaranteeing him a spot in the final five.

THE REAL MASTERMIND

As soon as the tribe returns to camp, they scatter and proceed to strategize. Ken meets Crystal in the jungle and decides to get Bob to give him his immunity necklace as planned, then blindside him. The two realize that they made the mistake of not getting rid of Bob early on and are now paying the price since he has become an immunity threat after winning four straight immunity challenges in a row. Ken plays the game by acting scared in front of Bob in hopes of manipulating him into handing over his immunity necklace, fulfilling their deal. Bob becomes suspicious of Ken’s actions and asks that they first find out who is voting for whom. Ken reports back to Sugar, Crystal, Matty and Susie that, in order to convince Bob to hand over immunity to him, they must all play along with the idea that Ken is on the chopping block. Unbeknownst to Ken, Sugar has other plans. She comes clean with Bob about Ken’s plan to blindside him and suggests voting for Crystal. “I really have a big place in my heart for you,” she confesses to Bob. Sugar returns to camp and tells them that she talked to Bob and he is on board to give Ken the immunity necklace. She brings Matty into the loop, telling him to vote for Crystal and asking him to just let her do the thinking. “Just as long as Matty listens to me and Bob knows to trust me, everything’s gonna be fine,” Sugar comments.

TRIBAL COUNCIL

At Tribal Council, Bob’s winning streak is brought to light as being a significant threat. Matty expresses gratitude regarding Bob’s dominance because he thinks that Bob deserves to stay in the game. Ken divulges the details of his deal with Bob to everyone in an attempt to guilt Bob into giving him immunity. Bob admits that he and Ken have since renegotiated the deal so that if Bob feels that Ken is going home, he will give him the necklace. With Sugar wearing the hidden immunity idol necklace, Jeff reminds everyone that this is the last time that it can be played. He then gives Bob the option of keeping or giving up the immunity necklace that he won, but Bob decides that Ken is not in any danger and keeps the necklace for himself. In the end, Sugar gives her hidden immunity idol to Matty, voiding all votes that were cast against him. With the remaining three votes cast against her, Crystal is blindsided and voted out of the game. Crystal Cox, the 29 year-old Olympic Champion from Durham, North Carolina, became the thirteenth person voted out and the fifth member of the jury of SURVIVOR: GABON: EARTH’S LAST EDEN.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Season 17: Episode 14: Say Goodbye to Gabon

The final five return to camp after blindsiding Crystal at the last Tribal Council. Sugar boasts to her tribemates about how she intelligently used her immunity idol to protect Matty and oust Crystal. Ken, on the other hand, had no idea what was in store. “I was out of the loop tonight and I do feel a little bit betrayed,” he says. Ken made a pact with Bob dictating that if he felt that he was in danger of being voted out, Bob would hand over immunity to him. Feeling like Bob did not keep his word, Ken tries to guilt trip Bob by asking him to give him immunity at the next Tribal Council. “Why don’t you get your own idol,” Bob responds. “By announcing this little deal in front of everybody, I think he was sort of trying to embarrass me if I didn’t stand by my word. For me, it’s a little bit on the annoying side. That means all promises are off.”


FINAL THREE PACT

The next morning, Sugar whispers to Bob about taking him to the final three with herself and Matty. The next two people that she would like to vote out are Susie and then Ken. Her new plan is to make Ken feel safe so that nothing gets in the way of her plans. She then takes Ken for a walk and assures him that if Bob loses immunity, Bob goes home. Ken concurs, and the two suggest that if Bob wins, they’ll vote Susie out. “Last night, I felt like I got blindsided and I felt a little betrayal from Sugar,” Ken reveals. “I feel comfortable now. I feel that Sugar has no alliance to Susie, so I feel that Sugar really wants to take me to the final three with her.” Ken then reads treemail to the tribe and reveals that everyone will paint their faces and dress themselves to look like traditional Gabonese warriors before heading to the next immunity challenge.


IMMUNITY CHALLENGE: A-MAZING GABON

The Nobag Tribe arrives on their mat dressed as Gabonese warriors. Host Jeff Probst comments on Bob’s attire, which resembles something closer to “The Village People” than a Gabonese warrior. Jeff then explains the rules of the challenge. Each person will dig under a wall and make their way across a series of planks which will lead into a maze filled with Gabonese huts. Inside three of the huts are bags of puzzle pieces. Each time someone finds a bag, they must make their way through the maze to the finish platform, drop the bag, and then head out to find another one. Once they’ve collected all three bags of puzzle pieces they will use those pieces to build a replica of a Gabonese hut. The first person to build it correctly wins immunity.


The castaways begin the challenge, digging a hole underneath a wall. Susie is the first one to dig a hole large enough to wriggle through, and her tribemates are not far behind. They then carefully tip toe across the series of planks in an effort to make their way through a raised maze. Matty falls off and has to go all the way back to the start. Everyone else makes it through as Matty begins the maze again. Sugar, Bob, Ken and Susie navigate through the final maze as Matty finally completes the first maze. Everyone is now dead even as they find their bags of puzzle pieces one at a time. Sugar and Bob are the first two to find all of their puzzle pieces and start solving the puzzle first as Ken and Matty struggle to keep up. Susie cannot find her third and final bag of puzzle pieces. The race is on between Sugar and Bob as both build their puzzles at a furious pace. Bob solves his puzzle just moments ahead of Sugar, winning immunity and guaranteeing him a spot in the final four.
WHO TO TRUSTWith Tribal Council looming, Ken admits that he feels secure in his new pact with Sugar, and that it is safe to say that Susie is going home. Matty confirms Ken’s suspicions that Susie is the next to go, but tells Ken not to tell her until the last minute that she is going to be voted out. Susie confronts Matty in a paranoid state, asking him to tell her if she is on the chopping block. Matty tries to ease her fears and tells her to go with her gut feeling. Matty meets Sugar in the hut and frantically drives home that it is him, Sugar and Bob until the end no matter what. Sugar, however, is still on the fence. “To get rid of Susie would be great because I have no allegiance with Susie and I don’t trust her. I would vote for Kenny because he is a liar and he could manipulate Bob or Matty, so I just have to think really hard about what should be done.”


TRIBAL COUNCIL

At Tribal Council, Jeff points out that Bob’s fifth consecutive win ties him for most consecutive wins in the history of Survivor. Bob admits that he is a major target and must continue his winning streak in order to stay alive. Susie confesses that she is not strategically making moves to stay in the game which makes her an outsider. Ken whines about Bob backing out on his deal to hand over immunity to him, and Bob immediately counters his attacks by making everyone aware that it was Ken who backed out on their deal by organizing an assassination on him if Bob were to give up immunity. Ken still tries to persuade his tribe that Bob agreed to sacrifice his spot in the game in order to uphold their deal, to which everyone’s response, including the jury, is laughter. In the end, Bob decides to once again keep the immunity necklace for himself and, with three of the five votes cast against him, Ken is voted out of the game. Ken Hoang, the 22 year-old professional gamer from Westminster, California, became the fourteenth person voted out and sixth member of the jury of SURVIVOR: GABON: EARTH’S LAST EDEN.


RITES OF PASSAGE

The next morning, Sugar, Matty, Bob and Susie face their final immunity challenge as Matty reads treemail, which tells them that they will be paying their respects to the castaways that are no longer in the game. They head to Exile Island and grab the torches of their fallen tribemates. “To be able to pay my respects to the fourteen that went before me is huge for me,” says Matty. “They’re all quality human beings, quality competitors. They definitely deserve respect and I’m just honored to be a part of it.” They each pay tribute to each of their former tribesmen and women, then make their way to the top of the savannah. The final four burn a memorial bonfire as Gabonese warriors chant in a celebratory dance.


IMMUNITY CHALLENGE: HOUSE OF CARDS

The final four arrive on their mat at their final immunity challenge. Host Jeff Probst explains the rules. They will each have 200 wooden tiles. When Jeff yells, “Go!” they will use those tiles to build a house of cards. The first person to build a house of cards ten feet tall or the person to build the highest tower in the thirty minute time limit will win immunity.


Each castaway takes their own unique approach to building their house of cards. Bob spends most of his time forming a large base, while Sugar proceeds precariously stacking the cards one on top of the other. After nine minutes, everyone’s house of cards collapses, forcing everyone to start over from scratch. Sugar and Susie make it past the five foot mark, but Sugar loses everything. Susie’s cards collapse shortly after. Sugar regains her lead once again, surpassing six feet with Susie right behind. With only five minutes left, Susie and Sugar are neck and neck. Bob and Matty are not even close, still toiling with the bases of their towers. At slightly over eight feet and in the lead, Susie decides to stop building and ride out the clock. Sugar gains on Susie but, with only seconds left, her house of cards collapses. Susie wins final immunity, guaranteeing her a spot in the final Tribal Council.

ONE LAST HOPE

With Tribal Council looming, Bob accepts the fact that he will be the final person voted out. Sugar, Matty and Susie hug him and congratulate him on a game well-played. Sugar becomes emotional as she tearfully admits that Bob is going home because no one can win against him in the final Tribal Council. Susie becomes overly excited that she is in the final three and drives it home with Bob to the point of agony. Susie then asks Bob if he would like to go up against her in the final three. “We don’t need to talk about this, you know the score, we don’t have to keep repeating it,” Bob snaps. Sugar tries to explain to Susie that Bob knows he is going home and doesn’t need to be reminded constantly of Susie’s victory and his own failure at the immunity challenge. “I really really pictured Bob up there in the final three,” Sugar cries. In order to give Bob and Matty a fair chance, Sugar contemplates causing a tie at Tribal Council. She hints to Bob that she might do this, which would cause him and Matty to compete in a tiebreaker challenge that could include fire-making. Bob sneaks off into the jungle and practices making fire in a final attempt to keep himself in the game.

TRIBAL COUNCIL

At Tribal Council, Susie gleams with the knowledge that she is guaranteed a spot in the final three to plead her case for one million dollars. Bob admits that he has never been more vulnerable and scared at any Tribal Council thus far. He does not have immunity for once and has a pretty big target on his back for being a jury threat since he is well-liked. Sugar sobs as she confesses being in a predicament since Matty is like a brother to her and Bob is like a father. Bob chokes up when he says that he is flattered that Sugar views him in this light because he is a father already, and had a great example from his own father. With this, the final four cast their votes, which ends in a tie: two votes Matty, two votes Bob. The two then face off in a fire-making challenge. Bob and Matty must build a fire high enough to burn through a rope using a flint and husk. Bob is the first to get fire, but it is short-lived. As Matty rapidly hits his flint, Bob attempts to revive his fire. He successfully brings it back and nurtures it until it reaches the rope. Bob’s fire burns through the rope, guaranteeing him a spot at the final Tribal Council and sending Matty to the jury. Matty Whitmore, the 29 year-old personal trainer from Los Angeles, California became the fifteenth person voted out and seventh member of the jury of SURVIVOR: GABON: EARTH’S LAST EDEN.


THE LAST DAY IN GABON

Bob marks off a notch in the tree branch for Day 39, and the final three Nobag members count off the days almost in disbelief. “I’m here on Day 39! Is that crazy? It’s insane!” Susie exclaims. The trio finds a surprise at treemail: a feast consisting of pancake batter, eggs, and mimosas. After devouring their brunch, Bob sets off to make his final invention: a fiery goodbye to the Garden of Eden. The 57 year-old self-proclaimed pyromaniac prepares to set the hut ablaze, signifying the end of the game. “I still got one more major thing to do in Gabon and that is convince the jury that my behavior, my work, my participation in this game is worth winning a million dollars over Susie and over Sugar,” says Bob. The final three watch the hut burn as they walk out to their final Tribal Council.


FINAL TRIBAL COUNCIL

The final three make their opening statements to convince the jury they are worthy of the million dollar prize. Susie’s defense is that she was not confident on Day 1, but went against incredible odds and became very confident on Day 39. Bob tells the jury that he did not outwit or outplay anybody, he simply outlasted them. He cordially thanks everyone for making the game one of the most exciting adventures of his lifetime. Sugar admits to having to lie and sacrifice some innocents, but points out that she was a free agent, having been on Exile five times in a row and on different tribes throughout the game. Jeff then directs the jury to ask their questions to the final three. They unleash harsh criticism and name-calling to the final three, which comes to a head when Corinne expresses her hatred for Sugar’s mentions of her recently deceased father. Randy attacks Sugar for laughing at him when he played the fake immunity idol. Bob apologizes for his actions, but Sugar refuses to budge on the matter. With that, the jury casts their votes, and with four out of the seven votes, Bob Crowley, the 58 year-old physics teacher from Portland, Maine becomes the Sole Survivor, winning the million dollar prize of SURVIVOR: GABON: EARTH’S LAST EDEN.


QUICK Info about the Sole Survivor Gabon, BOB:


Robert Crowley: Hometown: Portland, MaineOccupation: Physics Teacher

Robert Crowley considers himself a hybrid of Indiana Jones and Robinson Crusoe. He loves the outdoors and is always ready for his next adventure.
Robert is a high school physics teacher in Gorham, Maine and holds both Associate and Bachelor degrees in forestry from the University of Maine - Orono and a Masters of Education degree from the University of Southern Maine. However, after the school bell rings, Robert becomes an entrepreneur. His wide range of jobs span from being a first mate on a research boat for the Smithsonian Institution in Canada to an entomologist for the USDA, to a skunk relocater, as well as President, Vice President and Chief Negotiator for his local Teacher's Union.
When not on an adventure, Robert interests include journal writing, story telling, photography, bone collecting, archeology and camping.
This tree climbing scientist, who describes himself as honest, adventurous, resourceful and witty, built his truly "green" summer cabin back when green was only referred to as the color. His "green" cabin was completely built with recycled material and requires a fraction of the energy of the average U.S. home. He's built numerous structures from recycled material including wharfs, saunas, a chicken house and a hunting cabin.
Robert strategy is to be a provider and to fly under the radar on SURVIVOR. He's out to prove that nice guys can make it to the end of the game.
Robert and his wife Peggy reside in Portland, Maine. They have two sons, David and John, one daughter, Page, and a high maintenance cat named William. Robert's birth date is February 25, 1951.

CONGRATULATIONS Bob! Cheers!

xoxo

Season 17: Episode 12: Survivor Gabon

comments (0)


In the wake of Randy’s blindside at Tribal Council, things heat up as the Nobag Tribe returns to camp. Bob immediately becomes agitated with Sugar for immaturely laughing hysterically at Randy after he played the fake immunity idol. He expresses his sorrow for lying to Randy, but scolds Sugar for taking things too far by humiliating him in front of everyone. Corinne joins the argument, calling Sugar a hypocrite for judging her when it is Sugar that should be judged. Sugar retaliates by stating that Corrine is guilty of constantly talking about people behind their back. The two erupt in an aggressive shouting match until Corinne bites her tongue. “I am now in a camp of mutants, none of whom I like,” she says. “So it is very difficult for me to pretend to be nice to them. That’s not something I’m used to and that’s done.” CATCH OF THE DAY The next morning, as Bob teaches Ken how to fish, the two pull up a giant catfish out of the net. They proudly bring it back to camp and show it off to their tribemates. Ken boasts on his latest catch of the day. Sugar points out how creative Bob can be as he hammers away at metal can to flatten out into a baking dish. Ken describes his feelings on Bob’s strategy: “Well Bob doesn’t look out for himself. He doesn’t know how to play this game at all. He’s just here to build things, and that’s stupid, you know? You know he’s taught me a lot out here, but as far as playing the game, he’s not very good at it, so I don’t mind getting rid of Bob.” REWARD CHALLENGE: NOW OR NEVER The Nobag Tribe members arrive on their mats as host Jeff Probst explains the rules of the challenge. The tribe will divide into two teams of three. The teams will then race out into the swamp, tethered together, to retrieve sprocket-shaped puzzle pieces. Once they’ve collected all seven pieces, they must then arrange the pieces so they work together allowing them to raise a flag. The first team of three to raise their flag moves on to the final round where they will square off against each other to solve a slide puzzle. The first person to solve the slide puzzle wins reward. Before the competition commences, Jeff brings everyone to tears when he passes around a Samsung Instinct phone by Sprint that includes video messages from their loved ones. After everyone has seen their heartfelt messages, Jeff reveals that the winner of the challenge will receive pizza, beer, brownies and the opportunity to watch their loved ones’ message in its entirety. Everyone draws stones for team captains and Crystal and Susie are the winners. Crystal picks Sugar and Bob, and Susie picks Matty and Ken. To her disappointment, Corinne is not chosen, and must sit out of the challenge. Both teams dash out into the swamp, making their way to the puzzle pieces. Crystal, Sugar and Bob are the first to make it, with Matty, Susie and Ken right behind. Both teams head out to retrieve their second set of sprocket pieces. Ken, Susie and Matty make it first, with Crystal, Sugar and Bob lagging behind. Ken, Susie and Matty extend their lead, and are the first ones to make it back to their final station. Crystal, Sugar and Bob finally grab their second set of sprocket pieces and make it to their final station. Matty, Susie, and Ken struggle to put together their sprocket pieces, and are defeated by Crystal, Sugar and Bob, who were quickly able to assemble their sprocket pieces and raise their flag. In the final round, Crystal, Sugar and Bob race to solve the slide puzzle. Bob solves the puzzle almost immediately, winning the reward. BOB’S REWARD In a remote picnic area, Bob sits on a bench and views the entire video phone message from his wife, Peggy. In the message, Peggy tells Bob that she wants to show him something and steps away off camera. Bob stares intently at the phone, pondering what she wanted to show him, as Peggy herself sneaks up behind Bob and surprises him. The two lovebirds embrace and erupt in uncontrollable laughter. Peggy comments on the food Bob won, and he jokingly offers her termites to eat. “I was completely convinced, as was everybody else, that the loved ones sent a video,” Bob admits. A SPECIAL VISIT The Nobag Tribe screams in shock as Bob and his wife, Peggy, stroll into camp. Bob introduces everyone to Peggy, and then whistles loudly. Suddenly, everyone else’s family members appear from around the corner and greet their fellow castaways. Soon everyone is weeping as they embrace with their loved ones. Corinne reflects on how she felt when her brother, Chad, arrived at camp. “Seeing my brother and seeing somebody who loves me and who knows me and who gets my sense of humor and who knows how mean I am and loves it was such a cool…like, I was overcome with emotion.” After the initial greeting, the castaways and their loved ones scatter. Ken spills the beans with his sister, Jenny, telling her that he is the mastermind in the game, and boasts about orchestrating five recent blindsides. At the dock, Sugar and her sister, Rena, scatter some of their Dad’s ashes across the lake as Sugar pays her respects. “I didn’t speak at his funeral because I was a big mess, so it felt good to say a few words because I really needed him here and I feel like he’s, I already felt like he was here but, I feel like, um, I brought him to Africa and he got to stay.” Matty escorts his girlfriend, Jamie, down to the dock, where they hold each other and take in the beautiful scenery of Gabon. Matty gets down on one knee and asks Jamie to marry him, and gives her a necklace that he made for her while at camp. She immediately shouts, “Yes!” and the two tearfully confess their love for each other. At the end of the day, the loved ones say their goodbyes and depart from camp. THE DEVIOUS INVENTOR STRIKES BACK The next day, Corinne and Bob separate from the others as they get treemail. Bob suggests that this would be the perfect time to blindside Matty if he were to lose at the next immunity challenge. Back at camp, Sugar instills confidence in her fivesome alliance by stating the obvious fact that either Bob or Corinne should be voted out next. In the meantime, at treemail, Bob tells Corinne that during the tribe switch feast, when Marcus and Randy threw the immunity idol into the ocean, Marcus actually kept the idol for himself and hid it around camp and showed Bob where it was. Bob then holds out something wrapped in cloth, and Corinne asks if it is a legit idol. Bob laughs and tells her that it is not, but uses that story as his pitch to improve their positions in the game by fooling the fivesome alliance. Bob’s plan is to instill fear into the others so that they will think twice before voting either of them out. Corinne points out that in order for the plan to work, one of them must win immunity at the upcoming challenge. IMMUNITY CHALLENGE: Q&A, BOMBS AWAY The Nobag Tribe arrives on their mat as host Jeff Probst explains the challenge. He will ask questions about Gabon. Each tribe member will receive one ball for each correct answer. They will then takes turns throwing their balls over a cliff toward a target divided by zones. The person who lands their ball closest to the center wins immunity. Jeff asks four questions about Gabon, and the castaways each take their best shot at answering them using their answer cubes. In the end, Sugar winds up leading with four balls, followed by Bob and Corinne, each with three balls, Ken and Matty with two balls, and Susie and Crystal with only one ball each. In the ball-throwing half of the challenge, Ken sets the first mark to beat, sixth zone from the center. Matty beats that by getting his ball into the fourth zone from the center. Sugar, Susie, and Corinne attempt to beat Matty’s mark, but are unsuccessful. With his first toss, Bob beats Matty by getting into the third zone from the center. Crystal, Ken, Matty, Sugar and Corinne are unable to beat Bob’s mark. Bob is up again, and is able to improve his mark by rolling his ball into the zone adjacent to the center. Corinne, Bob and Sugar all make attempts to beat the new high score. In the end, Sugar is the only one to come close, but fails at setting a higher mark. Bob wins immunity, thereby executing the first crucial step to his devious plan for keeping himself and Corinne in the game. THE IDOL CONSPIRACY After winning the immunity challenge, Bob brings Corinne into the jungle to work out the logistics of their plan to fool the other five Nobag members into thinking that they are in possession of a legitimate immunity idol. Corinne proposes that Bob puts out hints around camp that Corinne will use this idol at Tribal Council so that after hearing this, the other tribe members will not cast any votes against her. Their ultimate goal is to blindside Matty. Corinne executes her plan by manipulating Ken into thinking she has the idol that Marcus supposedly threw into the ocean. Ken buys it, and discusses taking out Matty. Bob asks Ken to bring Crystal into their alliance, and soon things are in motion. Bob gets to work constructing his second fake immunity idol. He then shows this idol to Crystal, who is shocked by Bob’s story about the idol. Ken conspires with Crystal to vote for Corinne in order to flush out the idol, and use their other three votes from Ken, Bob and Corinne to vote for Matty. Ken’s hope is that when Corinne uses the idol, it will flush it out and send Matty home. TRIBAL COUNCIL At Tribal Council, paranoia sets in for Corinne and Bob as they admit to being on the outs. When asked if she is paranoid, Sugar smugly claims that her only hope is that her alliance does not get duped by believing lies. Ken reveals that the vote tonight is very important, and that several people are going to be shocked, asking who voted for whom. In the end, Corinne does not play the fake idol as Ken expected, sending Corinne home instead of Matty.


With four out of the seven votes cast against her, Corinne Kaplan, the 29 year-old sales rep from Los Angeles, California, became the twelfth person voted out and fourth member of the jury of SURVIVOR: GABON: EARTH’S LAST EDEN.


PS: Samsung Instinct by Sprint was featured. Cool. Congratulations Bob.

Changing my template..

comments (0)

Yeah. I know. I don't want to change my template but every time I view my blog I can't breath! hahaha! Edward is just staring! Hungry! Am I scared? No. I want him to bite me like he did to Bella & Tyra Banks! hahaha! The fact that Twilight fever won't ever stop. There's no way. Well, its a new month & I guess a new template for my blog. There's nothing wrong about it. What's the big deal? lol

I'm just talking weird & lousy here. Just talking.

xoxo

The Top 25 Teen Idols Of All-Time

comments (0)

With both Taylor Swift and Britney Spears releasing new albums, it's time we thought about teen idols, doncha think? Who doesn't love a teen idol? After all, they're so young! And as we age and slowly become decrepit, we look back at our youth and wonder at the innocence of it all. For the most part, I tried to stick with performers who were actual teenagers when they inspired their peers. However, Davy Jones was clearly a bit older when he swooned Marcia Brady's heart and he is the very definition of a teen idol, as was David Cassidy. These days, we're much better at making sure our teen idols are teenagers. Or at least were teenagers. Funny thing is they eventually grow up--like Britney. And develop into fine, fine citizens of the world. Or not. Anyhow ranking them seems a little silly. I know from past experience that many of you dear readers will complain about someone's position on the list. I sympathize. If I woke up tomorrow to do this ranking system it would come out differently. There are no hard, fast rules here. Just me typing a name out and thinking that it looks nice in that spot. Or someone's got to be cut from this list. And since most of the people appearing on this list didn't get back to me about some "bonus" issues, well, we'll just let karma and fate and my accountant settle things once and for all. No matter how you feel about these people, please remember to brush your teeth at least twice a day and stay away from those sugary snacks. Wheat Thins are in! And careful with that cellphone. Who knows if it really causes brain cancer? I'd hate to be on the wrong side of that argument. Which is why I prefer the U.S. Mail. Write a letter to your friends instead.

25) 98 Degrees: I remember when a friend of mine was telling me about these guys. His daughters were really into them. But he kept calling them 38 Degrees and I kept wondering what was the significance of being six degrees above freezing.


24) Tiffany: We just featured Tiff in our "Where Are They Now?" column and she's still out there remaking herself as a danceclub diva. But back in the 1980s she was the girl next door singing at the mall, raking in the money and making you wonder why your band couldn't get that gig. After all, you didn't need Tommy James covers, you'd written an entire concept album called The Mind Of Walter.

23) Brandy: I went looking to find out more about this wonderful singer and came across this information: "She is the sister of singer and actor William Raymond Norwood and a cousin of blues singer Bo Diddley and rapper Snoop Dogg." Is this true? If so, is everyone in the music business related? I've heard we're each other's brother and sister, but this is taking things too far.



22) New Kids On The Block: These kids were huge in their day and these days they can't even get a reality TV show, can they? I'm told they released a new album this year. Did anyone notice? I'm told the album debuted at #1 on the charts and has gone Gold. But who bought it? Teens? Fully grown adults who remember them back when? Who are these people?

21) Frankie Lymon: His life was tragic. "Why Do Fools Fall In Love?" guaranteed him success and then his voice changed and the people who managed him weren't very good to him and he was introduced to heroin and he died of an overdose at 25. Sometimes success isn't exactly success. Hey, Artie Lange, keep an eye on yourself (we went to high school together, this is true!)

20) Shaun Cassidy: His amazing version of "Da Doo Ron Ron" remains one of pop music's all-time classics and certainly everyone should own a copy. If you don't, do not pass Go, do not collect $200 and go directly to jail!

19) Debbie Gibson: Deborah to us now. And recently featured in my "Where Are They Now?" column. She was the cleanest, most wholesome of the lot and then she poses in Playboy to shatter our image of her and to promote an album called Naked. You expect certain folks to do these things, but not our Little Debbie! (Great snack food, too.)



18) Ricky Nelson: From The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet to more than 50 Top 100 Hits to "Garden Party" to siring two sons who would go on to ‘80s rock fame as Nelson, Ricky had done it all. He set the standard for others and yet never quite got the respect that many other less successful artists received. He should've filed a petition!

17) ‘N Sync: I guess any band with Justin Timberlake and Lance Bass should be considered a "Supergroup" of sorts. I mean, even I've heard of them and I wouldn't know these guys from Backstreet Boys, who I'm ranking higher because they have a better name, or 98 Degrees, who I ranked lower because of their lamer name. It's not an exact science, folks.



16) LeAnn Rimes: It's a shame she grew up because she made a great teenager. But we all knew it was bound to happen. We saw it happen with Alyssa Milano. So there was previous proof. She's currently 26! And she continues to have success--proving she wasn't just some teen flash-in-the-pan, but a force of a nature.

15) Silverchair: I've already been taken to task for not realizing that these guys still had a career going after their first initial success. Damn. I should've known something was up when I saw they worked with Van Dyke Parks. That's not someone you call upon when you want a hit. That's who you call when you want prestige and to sell no records whatsoever. Unless you're the Beach Boys, then you call him because you want to get weird--and annoy Mike Love.

14) Hanson: Who didn't think these guys were the best? They always looked uncomfortable and awkward and you figured the little drummer boy in the back would eventually become a terror. They had to know that "MmmBop" wasn't going to help them be taken seriously. Catchy tune. Big hit. But it's kind of like farting on your first date. Everyone remembers, but not everyone is impressed.

13) Backstreet Boys: Given the 13th position strictly because I like their name. They've sold over 120 million albums but not one of them to me or anyone I know and I assume that most of those albums--CDs?--are now sitting in a landfill somewhere alongside my old computer and my Atari 2600. Damn, I miss that thing.





12) Jonas Brothers: I've been to Wyckoff, New Jersey, so there's a chance that I once ran into these guys when they were little tykes probably trying to run me over with their tricycles. These days, they could buy and sell me. I just hope these talented young men are putting away their money into smart, retirement plans because even though right now the horrors of old age may seem to be in the distant future it will come sooner than they think. But, hey, for now, let's celebrate!

11) Taylor Swift: Maybe Joe Jonas can dump her in 27 seconds on the phone, but just for that we're putting her one spot ahead of those guys--to teach them a lesson! We here at List Of The Day will not stand for guys breaking up with girls over the phone. That's what the mail is for!

10) Menudo: What I liked about this group was how you got kicked out after you got too old. It didn't matter what you had contributed, it was time to move on. Imagine if we could do that to all those old, senile high school teachers who keep reading from the same yellowed notes year after year. Or to the mail delivery person who no longer can remember which box is which and keeps giving my mail to the neighbors. Forced retirement at age 17 might seem a bit extreme, but reality burns sometimes.

9) Donny And Marie: She was a little bit country and he was a little bit rock n' roll, and we do mean a little bit. These two had their own variety show that if I remember correctly was on Friday nights, which served as a reminder that you were HOME on a Friday night. They had so many teeth there should've been a dental inquiry.

8) Lulu: I'm including her because of her name. It's a great one. And she was a teen star. And I'm figuring about 3 per cent of my reading public remember her. And the rest will just ignore this entry and move on to the one about Michael Jackson or maybe Avril. Our attention spans are like that.

7) Tanya Tucker: These days young ones are so much more commonplace but back in the 1970s, it was always as if they had "blue laws" stopping youth from happening. Tanya took over the country world with "Delta Dawn" at 13 and "Would You Lay With Me (In A Field Of Stone)" was among her hits that caused people to raise their eyebrows and wonder where the world was headed. They would've shuddered to learn about Gangsta Rap, that's for sure.

6) Michael Jackson: Michael wasn't even a teen when he started his career. He had so much of a head start on everyone else it practically wasn't fair. That it turned out he had actual talent must've been a surprise to everyone. I mean, when a kid is nine, you can't map out what he'll be doing at 20 or 30. Weathermen can't even figure out what's going to happen in three days!

5) David Cassidy: Another one of these guys who was a little old by today's standards. But he had that show--The Partridge Family--and maybe he wasn't always crazy about performing on the show but I'm pretty sure Willie Aames would've killed for the opportunity to perform regularly, as his band only got to perform once on Eight Is Enough, which was a show that starred Dick Van Patten, an absolutely legend here at Y! Music.

4) Avril LaVigne: She made skater kids go mainstream and took the punk she found at the mall and went for it. I don't imagine she'll ever be teaming up with the guys from Fear or Black Flag, but then who knows? Weirder things have happened. And often do--if you live long enough.

3) Miley Cyrus: I can't get over how much more teenager is left in this girl. It seems like she's been popular forever. I can barely remember a world where she wasn't dominating the lunch box market. But then I can barely remember where I put my shoes.

2) Britney Spears: Her songs have always been catchy. Which when you're performing pop music really helps. And she's been controversial, which when you're performing pop music really helps. And she likes attention, which when you're performing pop music really helps. And we here at Y! Music really like her too, which when you're performing pop music really helps.

1) Davy Jones: This is where my own bias has to show. It's impossible to really determine a #1. So, considering his A-1 performance of "Girl" on The Brady Bunch and his agreement to attend the prom with Marcia, well, what a swell guy. He did attend the prom with her, didn't he?




Number 13, not bad. That's my birth number, birthdate, its my number! Way to go Boys!

MANNY PACQUIAO Conquered the world of Boxing!

comments (0)

LAS VEGAS, Nevada—If there are still doubts whether Manny Pacquiao deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as boxing’s greatest heroes, they were obliterated on Saturday night (Sunday in Manila).

Flaunting tremendous punching power and blinding hand speed, Pacquiao pummeled Oscar De La Hoya to submission, hammering out an eighth-round TKO victory at the MGM Grand’s Garden Arena here to notch the biggest victory of his career.

De La Hoya, his left eye closed shut as he sat on his stool, offered no complaints when his corner decided he had had enough. He got up and walked to the center of the ring to congratulate the victor.

“You’re still my idol,” Pacquiao told him.

“No, you’re my idol,” De La Hoya said.

Pacquiao earned his biggest purse ever, a guaranteed $11 million, while De La Hoya was expected to make at least twice that by the time all the pay-per-view revenues were totaled up.

“I was connecting with everything, he was connecting with nothing,” Pacquiao later said after a crushing, dominating performance at a higher weight level that left a battered fallen legend in its wake.

As sweeping as that statement may seem, his smashing performance on top of the ring in front of more than 16,000 fight fans and a worldwide television audience made it sound like an understatement.

Unloading volume power punches at a blurry pace, Pacquiao clobbered De La Hoya relentlessly until the corner of boxing’s longtime poster boy could take no more, asking referee Tony Weeks to stop the fight before the ninth-round bell.

‘He was the better man’

“He was the better man,” a humbled De La Hoya admitted after the fight. “He’s a great fighter. He deserves everything.”

“Manny fought the fight we were supposed to fight,” trainer Freddie Roach said.

The 29-year-old Pacman hiked his record to 48-3-2 and his knockout count to 36. De La Hoya slipped to 29-6 (30 KOs).

More notable is the fact that of those six losses, the Golden Boy had only been stopped once before—by Bernard Hopkins—and while he was counted out after a shot to the body, he didn’t receive the kind of sustained beating he took on Saturday night.

It was so severe that the 35-year-old former Olympic champion had to be rushed to the hospital after the bout as a safety precaution. But where De La Hoya goes from there became the match’s lingering afterthought.

“My heart still wants to fight,” De La Hoya said on questions about whether this effectively signals the end of his decorated boxing career. “My heart still wants to fight. I love the sport, but physically … we’ll see what comes after this fight.”

2-1 underdog

Pacquiao, the reigning WBC lightweight king, climbed the ring a 2-1 underdog mainly because he was moving two divisions up and fighting a taller, bigger and former 10-time world champion more popularly known as the Golden Boy.

But all that changed as early as the second round, when the 29-year-old Filipino boxing icon uncorked a series of combinations, including one capped by a vicious uppercut that told De La Hoya that the Pacman had carried with him his power when he climbed to the ranks of the welterweights.

In the seventh round, Pacquiao chased De La Hoya from one corner to the other with a barrage of blows so unrelenting, even those who were watching the fight found it hard to keep pace.

The first Asian to win title in four divisions rocked De La Hoya in one corner and at one point, during a series of combinations, had the Golden Boy sitting on the ropes.

When the eighth round came, Pacquiao again took the fight to De La Hoya, who couldn’t jab his way out of trouble anymore. He tried to turn things around with a combination to the body and then later mixing it up with head shots, but he lost grip of the round again when Pacquiao caught him with a stunning four-punch combination.

And with each blow that found its mark, a layer of greatness was stripped off the American boxing great, leaving trainer Nacho Beristain with no choice but to put an end to the beating.

“I did not want to leave his greatness in the ring,” Beristain said.

And almost instantly, Pacquiao’s own legend was cemented amid a sudden explosion of cheers and flashbulbs.

Pacquiao entered the ring with his only hope resting on the wing of a prayer whispered by a nation an entire ocean away, one that again ground to a halt the moment introductions were made.

“I thank all my countrymen for their support, I hope I have given you a reason to walk with your help up high, proud that you are Filipino.”

“Let’s not forget that Oscar De La Hoya had a hell of a career,” said Hopkins.

“He is a 10-time world champion and some guys don’t even get to have one.”

Hopkins had earlier said that Pacquiao did not stand a chance against the taller De La Hoya, and he wasn’t the only one who had that view.

Several people had even feared for Pacquiao’s safety, with the media going to town calling it the greatest mismatch ever forged.

“The press was never wrong,” Top Rank chief Bob Arum, who co-promoted the fight with Golden Boy Promotions, said during the press conference. “They said it was a mismatch and it was a mismatch.”

Mismatch

It was, indeed, a mismatch the other way around. Even the numbers crunched out by CompuBox backed that view.

The stats showed that Pacquiao threw more punches, 585-402, and connected on more of them, 224-83.

The stats on the power punches were even more telling.

Pacquiao threw 333 punches and rocked De La Hoya with 195 of them for a 59-percent clip. De La Hoya, on the other hand, unloaded 164 power punches and connected on 51 for a paltry 31 percent.

Over the last three rounds, Pacquiao connected 97 times there against just 21 by De La Hoya, who didn’t have much of a target to work with as Pacquiao moved in and out and kept on weaving from side to side all night.

Judges scored it for Manny

The judges also scored it overwhelmingly in favor of Pacquiao.

Stanley Christodoulou had it 79-72, while both Adalaide Byrd and Dave Morreti scored 80-71, all in favor of the Filipino boxing superstar. And to accentuate the Pacman’s domination of the bout, all three of them scored the big seventh round 10-8 despite no knockdowns scored there.

The Inquirer also had it at 79-72.

“I think Oscar De La Hoya gave everything he had,” said legendary trainer Angelo Dundee. “Oscar was ready to win. He had all the answers (to Pacquiao’s power) but even the best laid plans of mice and men go bye-bye.”

“Pacquiao was the better man tonight,” Dundee added. “I really thought Oscar will win. You brag about it and you hope you’re right. (But) I was wrong.”

Next potential blockbuster

The smashing victory virtually sets up Pacquiao for another potential blockbuster.

He is now on a collision course with junior welterweight champ Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton and their paths may just cross at London’s 100,000-capacity Wembley Stadium.

“That’s a great fight because you have two action fighters right there,” said Roach, who wants his ward to rest for six months before fighting Hatton.

Floyd Mayweather, who also defeated De La Hoya last year before retiring, is also being eyed as a possible foe in what could be a classic battle for boxing’s mythical pound-for-pound throne.

“If it were up to me,” Roach said, “I’d like Manny to fight just two more fights and retire as the greatest fighter ever.”

That may not be that far off. As Bob Arum celebrated on the ring, hugging trainer after trainer and pumping fists at the general direction of press row, the one thing that zoomed through his mind was that this was the second greatest match he had ever promoted.

“(This ranks) next to the night when George Foreman won the heavyweight championship of the world by knocking out Michael Moorer,” Arum said, referring to the fight that made Foreman, at 45, the oldest heavyweight world champion in history.

De La Hoya climbed the ring at 147, just two pounds gained from Friday’s weigh-in.

“Oscar looked like he prepared to make the weight,” Roach said. “We prepared to fight.”

Pacquiao definitely looked the stronger fighter Saturday night. After finding his range in the second round, he peppered De La Hoya with crisp jabs and combinations until the Golden Boy’s left eye started puffing up.

In the seventh round, De La Hoya started losing his legs and it became clear that the night was headed for a shocking ending, even if De La Hoya himself acknowledged the writing on the wall.

“I wasn’t shocked,” De La Hoya said. “It was almost expected. I trained hard in the gym but I told everyone that it’s a different story once you’re in the ring. Manny works on his toes. He waits for me to make a mistake.”

And that was what Pacquiao did, taking advantage every time De La Hoya left him with an opening to work with.

“I was too fast for him,” Pacquiao said. “Speed was the key of this fight.”

“Freddie, you’re right,” De La Hoya later told Roach, who trained him for the Mayweather fight. “I just don’t have it anymore.”

Credits to: Francis Ochoa
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:32:00 12/08/2008

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IN ADDITION: ‘Golden Boy’ taken to hospital

LAS VEGAS, Nevada—He was neither here nor there and the underdog was perfectly swift.

After a busted Oscar “Golden Boy” De La Hoya was rushed to a nearby hospital Sunday night, they could no longer pin down the single biggest weapon Manny Pacquiao had used in his ultimate ascent to greatness.

Speed and footwork, a fresh and visibly fulfilled Pacquiao confirmed after wriggling from another pack of interviewers.

Counter-punch and body shots, mumbled trainer Freddie Roach.

Solid team effort, assured Buboy Fernandez, Pacquiao’s beloved deputy trainer and lifetime friend.

There were many winning tools.

The stormy demolition of the great De La Hoya was also totally unexpected.

In fact, there were ungodly stretches when, according to Pacquiao, he could not help but momentarily stall in his offensive.

He said he could not help but take pity on the helpless future Hall of Famer, winner of 10 world crowns in six weight classifications.

“Nakakaawa nga, pero kailangan ko rin ituloy dahil trabaho ko ’yun (I took pity on him, but it was also my job to beat him),” Pacquiao, in a charcoal gray suit, explained.

Actually, Roach said the forced stoppage of the highly favored De La Hoya came at least a round too late.

They should have quit in the seventh, said Roach, who had predicted a ninth-round stoppage by his prized ward.

It’s no secret how Pacquiao had trained long and hard.

In fact, there had been fears of the Filipino boxing superhero getting overloaded and thus failing to utilize all the weapons he had tried to perfect.

“What we did in the gym, all of this, we were able to bring into the ring,” Roach explained in complete triumph.

Perfect execution

For his part, Fernandez bared that the secret behind the perfect execution was solid teamwork and selflessness.

He said they took extra pains and saw to it that Pacquiao would never, never lower or drop his right hand, the best ploy against De La Hoya’s left hook.

They also made sure to take away De La Hoya’s famous jab.

Roach confirmed that Pacquiao managed to surpass himself with a solid defense by making swift shifts to the right whenever under siege.

So how much has Pacquiao improved in defense?

“A hundred and 10 percent, no a hundred and 20,” Roach confirmed.

It’s odd how what had at first loomed an epic challenge to scale a personal Everest ended up as trouble free as uprooting a rusty monument.

Sure-fire talisman

No single weapon to credit for the Pacquiao prizefight masterpiece, the greatest by anybody from the Orient.

But without being asked to, Pacquiao inevitably bared a solemn secret, one sure-fire talisman that has guided him all these years.

“I got you there,” he told boxing man Hermie Rivera, who initially had misgivings about the wisdom of Pacquiao taking on the bigger, more experienced De La Hoya. “Huwag kang magdududa kailanman sa kakayahan ng Panginoong Diyos (Don’t ever doubt the might of our Dear Lord.)”

Credits to: Recah Trinidad
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:18:00 12/08/2008

CONGRATULATIONS MANNY! FILIPINOS ARE SO PROUD OF YOU! YOU ARE THE MAN!

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)