Sanjaya- The American Idol America hates to love

March 26, 2007

Sanjaya Malakar, 17 of American Idol is a guy of many fabulous hairstyles, an infectious smile and a wonderful personality; he is a doll! Judge Paula Abdul describes him as the “sweet, charming kid” and has used this to capture the hearts of millions of Americans.

In spite of his winning personality and all the other mushy mushy stuff, why is he the American Idol that America loves but hates to love? Many are of the opinion that he can’t sing!


There are those, for good reason who believe that charm is simply not enough to make it in a singing competition. There is building momentum even to speed up him being kicked to the curb. Fox News (yawn) last week reported that one person is even willing to risk starvation by going on a hunger strike until he is voted off!

So what’s keeping this brother from being voted off each week, basically taking him closer and closer to being crowned the next American Idol?

Fellow blogger KDixit credits “the call centers in South Asia for rerouting the calls in favor of Sanjaya” and of course, the American entrepreneurs who have their call centers there. Clever thinking isn’t it? Unnerving even, because it could actually be true!


Like him or not, Sanjaya, like Paris Benet of last season who added the charm factor to American Idol, will run out of steam eventually. To be charming just isn’t enough to sell records. Hopefully, sooner than later, America (and South Asia) would realize this and start voting for more worthy contestants.

* Watch Sanjaya perform here


Watch American Idol Tuesdays and Wednesdays on FOX. Remember: cool people watch American Idol!

My favorite contestants are Gina Glocksen, Lakisha Jones and Chris Richardson and Blake Lewis.

From my heart, to yours,
Akhenaton

Posted by acjeffers
Filed in Entertainment
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My train is crowded enough….isn’t it?!

March 25, 2007

I am a people person; I love people! I enjoy the company of family and friends. I love meeting new people!

An altruist in its truest sense; those who know me, know that I would stop at nothing to lend a listening ear or helping hand when needed.

My personality attracts many who are depressed, suicidal, insecure about life or going through marital or relationship problems or even seeking spiritual advice.

I am often amazed at how many times I would meet a complete stranger and after 5 minutes of us talking, they would spill everything about their past to me- from their insecurities to extramarital affairs.

Lately however, I am finding it difficult to balance answering e-mails, instant messages, my always-ringing phone and my ‘me time’.

The time I have for myself is becoming less and less and while I find great joy in helping others, I am finding it difficult to balance this with taking care of an incipient need for emotional rest. I am starting to become ‘peopled out’ more quickly and less patient with those I love and care for.

Does this happen to you also? Do you feel ‘peopled out’ at times? Does your train sometimes feel like it has too many people on it?

Human thinking is to start offloading at the very next train stop. A look at the bigger picture however, shows that all I need to do is balance my people time and my ‘me’ time. It is really as simple as hitting the power button on my phone and turning off my PC for a few hours every day.

Effective living requires balance, balance of my ‘me’ (personal) time and my people time.

Some common cliches that actually speak of balance…

  • Step out of traffic
  • Stop and smell the roses
  • Voicemail Stupid!
  • Let Go, let God…
From my heart, to yours,
Akhenaton
Posted by acjeffers
Filed in Faith, Faith Stuff, Life stuff
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How a "selfish" act changed my life forever

March 22, 2007

Nearly two years ago, a friend invited me to his church (admittedly) only because he wanted company…

Since attending, my life has changed:

  • I feel more at peace

  • I am closer to that place of contentment with my life

  • I am better equipped to deal with the demands of life

Things I have learnt that brought me to this point in my life:

  • God is REAL!- There was actually a time in my life that I doubted His existence

  • God’s love is UNCONDITIONAL!- I no longer accept that I am not worthy of His love.

  • Being a Christian is EASIER than I thought- It is not as hard as many people make it!

The reality is:

God’s love is amazing, it is unchanging! No matter if we are ‘good’ or ‘bad’, weak or strong, rich or poor, abused or the abuser, gay or straight, guilty or innocent, black or white, Christian or Muslim; His love is the SAME for us all! There is NOTHING that we can do that can separate us from His love. It is that principle, summarized by one word called ‘grace’ that changed my life forever.

From my heart, to yours,

Akhenaton

Posted by acjeffers
Filed in Faith, Faith Stuff, Life stuff
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Top 10 things that make me grumpy….

March 20, 2007

10. Bad Attitudes

9. When I don’t get what I want (right now)

8. Having to get up in the middle of the night to pee

7. Nagging

6. Being ignored

5. Wet (bathroom) doorknobs

4. Cigarette Smoke

3. Shopping

2. Being wrong

1. Closed-mindedness

Posted by acjeffers
Filed in Contemporary issues, Life stuff
2 Comments »

Another day at the doctor…

March 19, 2007

Posted by acjeffers
Filed in Contemporary issues, Life stuff
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So long, farewell. Yoshi- Off to fish heaven

March 15, 2007

One of the first things I do every morning (though sometimes I forget) is feed Yoshi, my pet beta fish.

It was different this morning however when I did the usual and dropped a few Beta Bite pellets in his tank. Typically, he’d dash to the surface of the water to get his food. This time however, there was no movement.

I tapped on the glass, no movement, put my finger in the water, no movement (male beta fish are very territorial).

When I turned on the light in his tank, there he was, to the bottom, not in his usual red-orange fabulous frilly outfit; he was wearing brown and orange- definitely NOT matching!

Typically, I’d summon the fashion police pronto, but I figured they couldn’t help…It was too late; Yoshi was dead!

Some thoughts on the day of Yoshi’s passing…

  • He had a long, nice life! 2 Years! Most people didn’t think he’d survive a week in my care
  • Is it wrong to flush him down the toilet?
  • It’s a good thing I did not get the $69 Water Filtration and Auto-feed system at PETCO the day before!
  • Did I kill him?! I changed his water two days ago
  • It must stink in fish heaven!

Rest in peace my dear Yoshi.

From my heart, to yours,

Akhenaton

Posted by acjeffers
Filed in Family
1 Comment »

2 a.m. Delimmas

March 10, 2007

  • My Starbucks Delimma: I drank a Chai Latte from Starbucks at 11:30pm and I have to get up at 8:30 in the moning! It’s 2am and I am still bouncing off the walls! Help! I need to sleep!

  • My P2K Delimma: Palm sent me an e-mail tonight telling me that the software on my Treo700p needs to be updated so that it will not go beserk when Daylight Savings Time starts three weeks earlier than usual this year. My data cable is at work!
Posted by acjeffers
Filed in Life stuff
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The authenticity of relationships…revealed in adversity

March 4, 2007

I have been taught from an early age that true character is revealed over a period of time; principally, in a time of adversity.
It is at the boiling point the dynamics of platonic or romantic relationships are tested and in consequence, they are either dissolved or solidified.
Two different events over the past week revealed a lot about my friends. While on one hand, I was stomped, kicked and spat upon (figuratively speaking), I was lifted up, encouraged, prayed for and unconditionally embraced on the other hand.
Instinctively, my champions of positive reinforcement developed a greater sense of appreciation within me, while the circumstances surrounding the other situation tested my want to unconditionally love and respect that other person whom I held in high esteem.
The question lingers, how can I forgive that which has happened and restore my confidence in that person and by extension, that friendship or should I even bother?
From my heart, to yours,
Akhenaton
Posted by acjeffers
Filed in Life stuff, Love Stuff
1 Comment »

Does it matter if Jesus was married?

March 1, 2007

The Discovery Channel on March 4th will be airing the documentary The Lost Tomb of Jesus which in part discusses that Jesus was married and had children.

Like the The DaVinci Code, the Lost Tomb of Jesus is receiving blanket criticism from most Christians who have long held the view that Jesus lived His life on earth as a single man.

Personally, and as a Christian myself, I do not care if Jesus was married. If He was married, good for Him! Marriage after all, is honorable.

The question to be considered is: does He being married change that His is the most glaring example of how we should live today? The answer is No!

Love, joy, peace, gentleness, meekness, faith and temperance describes the persona of this wonderful man throughout His life on earth.

Married or not, and despite any purported findings about Him, His Character yet remains flawless. His character overshadows all reason for doubt.

From my heart, to yours,
Akhenaton
Posted by acjeffers
Filed in Contemporary issues, Faith
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