What a Talent! (Cup One)

If you think you've got talent, think again.

....cause you are about to find out that saying "having a talent" is way far from this "REAL Talent" of Ukraine, Kseniya Simonova. Take a peek at this amazing artwork of Ukraine's got talent 2009 Grand Champion who took the world wide web by storm! The video of the other equally talented contender of Seminova will be posted here in CupAvenue soon.

Pinoy into the K-Pop Mania

While reading the first few pages of "Angela's Ashes" last Saturday evening, a documentary show on television took me aback. But it was not really the television show who took me aback actually, but that very familiar beat of a so-widely-popular Korean song "Nobody," by the Korean Wondergirls did. Yes Actually. That very danceable music of "Nobody" did.

And why not? And WHO would hate dancing to such a danceable beat?

It was as if ever since I heard that song and seen its video, my eyes have seen my neighbors, classmates, even office mates metamorphosing to becoming "Nobody" avid fans. And I have actually been a listener of the song too.

But I am not fan. In fact, I just can't be a fan. Seeing that documentary strongly reinforced my belief that becoming a fan of Korean pop (K-pop) could not do me well. More often than not, it gives some lurking adverse effects to us Filipinos and this, unfortunately, may have remained oblivious to many who are now slowly metamorphosing themselves into Korean music followers.

But I came to ask through the documentary i saw: Could there be more non-sense than lovingly singing a song you do not understand? When the lines "I want nobody, nobody but you," is the only line we understand?

What makes the whole thing absurd and saddening is when we see our own fellows turning into avid fans of these Koreans, to the extent of others wasting their pesos for trips to Korea (as seen on TV) only to see the Korean artists they've been madly, deeply in loved and crazy about. Ridiculous.

The more it becomes detrimental absurdity is when such dominance of Korean music drags our own Filipino pop culture away from the limelight. It loosens that once-tight pride we have to our Filipino music and to our Filipino Musicians, who, as we know, are one of the bests in the world.

Because I know there is something to proud of in our Filipino artistry and Music, and that shouldn't be disregarded amid the invasion of other culture's music to our archipelago. Filipino artists are one of the bests in the world, and we can push that further through our initiative of patronizing and avidly supporting our Filipino music, the first step.