Prex J.D.V. Ybasco's Blog, page 8

Reaction Journal: RuPaul’s Drag Race S1 Ep 6

Disclaimer: I don’t have a prior knowledge of the history of ‘drag’ and its culture and I’m only bringing in my limited knowledge of reality TV shows particularly America’s Next Top Model so apologies in advance. Timestamps for scenes and snippets of conversations have been included so if you want to read ahead, make sure you are also watching RuPaul’s Drag Race on Netflix.

Vogue-Off Mini Challenge

I’m all for Nina in this challenge and to be honest, once again, a bit surprised that Ru favors Rebecca in this round, only second to Nina. Nina and Shannel seem to be really good competitors in the Vogue-Off. But who am I to say who’s going to win or not. This is my first season after all.

Nina eventually wins the challenge and gets to pick the Absolut Vodka Fruit Flavor that she’s going to represent and assign the other flavors to the remaining contestants.

Main Challenge: 3 Looks Representing the Absolut Vodka Fruit Flavor

Uno, dos, uno, dos, I’m the biggest b**** in the world!

Charo

At this part of the competition, more time is spent on the drama going behind the scenes. Cuts and edits are peppered with scathing remarks about each other. Then again, as an audience, I also know that these lovely ladies have only responded to questions and their responses may have been edited, cut, restructured so they appear more hurtful to spice things up. Yes, editing videos surely is enlightening.

Runway

Executive Realness

I am surprised that Bebe has been allowed to wear the attire she was wearing in the first episode. Backtracking a little, I can hear an audio cut inserted in the portion where RuPaul explains the mechanics of the main challenge and it appears that it is in fact allowed. Nina’s dress looks stunning. Among the contestants, she is the only one who has gone for the CEO look.Shannel’s and Rebecca’s executive realness look similar to me. Perhaps the idea behind this main challenge is to make it appear like a pageant. The questions and the answers are so scripted I cringe just thinking about them. Whoever does the editing of this program has done Shannel dirty. It’s appears as if either she has not understood the question correctly or a big chunk of her response is cut.

Swimsuits

Bebe is giving me that #bodygoal, toned body, sculpted legs. She’s a marvel to see.I’m in awe of Nina’s creativity. When swimsuits nowadays are all about showing curves and skin, she adds a gossamer cape and makes the whole look ethereal, sophisticated, and classy.Shannel really has that gorgeous look of a confident woman. I love how uniform the overall look has been, from that oversized hat to the ribbons around her feet. That slurping, it doesn’t sit well with me, though.Rebecca looks like a darling on this one. She has transformed from that lady who didn’t know how to walk on a runway to this charming woman in an eye-catching one piece suit.

Evening Gown

The raspberry hair ornaments are nicely made but I don’t think they complement Bebe’s evening dress. Also, I’m not a fan of the satin lining of the armholes. It would have looked better bare. Also, the rose ornament does not go well with the entire look. It feels like the dress was meant to be simple but too many things were happening at the same time. But I’m not a seamstress nor a fashion designer so take my words with a grain of salt. Nina has managed to incorporate mango peels into her dress, the collar and the belt. By now, I’m used to Nina’s wide belts so It does not surprise me to see that one on her. Among the four, her looks have been pretty consistent to what she is trying to portray as a woman: classy and dignified.Every detail in Shannel’s evening gown screams “extravaganza.” Her puff sleeve that, as Merle says, can be like a pillow when she’s sleepy, the elegant cut, the little tassels (which her bathing suit also has) , the feather head dress, the silver shoes, the chandelier earrings and her expressions… Among the four, Rebecca has come out as an ethereal goddess with her yellow evening gown with the light hair ornaments -Are they butterflies? They look like butterflies- and the flowing satin skirt. I’m just not a fan of her bodice and the whole lemons she added.



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Verdict and My Reaction

I agree with all the judges’ comments on the each of the contestant’s strengths and weakness apart from their, particularly Santino’s, feedback on Shannel. The fact that a person appears strong and confident does not mean they aren’t authentic. This makes me pose one question: in reality TV shows, what character do they want to win? When judges often select a meek competitor because they want him or her to exude more confidence while putting another competitor down just because they can’t handle her confidence and they think it’s far from authenticity bothers me.

Shannel has decided to step down. The strongest possible competitor has stepped down. If I were the producer or scriptwriter, I’d absolutely go for Shannel, Nina, Bebe and throw Ongina as a dark horse to make the competition more edgy. But hey, this show has run for 12 seasons and even has an All Stars version so I guess this episode did well for other viewers. And who knows if Shannel stepping down was part of the script as well.

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Prex Reads: Loveless from Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core

Final Fantasy VII is one of those games that I have learned to love as it has a wonderfully developed storyline, well-rounded characters and strategically placed symbols.

For my second Youtube content, I read Loveless from Crisis Core. Let me know what you think about my interpretation.

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Prex reads Loveless from Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core

Final Fantasy VII is one of those games that I have learned to love as it has a wonderfully developed storyline, well-rounded characters and strategically placed symbols.

For my second Youtube content, I read Loveless from Crisis Core. Let me know what you think about my interpretation.

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Prex Reads: Invictus

Hi, this is Prex.

I have had several invitations to lend my voice for product presentations and commercials, thus the birth of this channel. Subscribe and click that notification bell for other content that I will be uploading in Youtube.

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Reaction Journal: RuPaul’s Drag Race S1 Ep 5

Disclaimer: I don’t have a prior knowledge of the history of ‘drag’ and its culture and I’m only bringing in my limited knowledge of reality TV shows particularly America’s Next Top Model so apologies in advance. Timestamps for scenes and snippets of conversations have been included so if you want to read ahead, make sure you are also watching RuPaul’s Drag Race on Netflix.

Workout Mini Challenge

Ru has introduced real women to the remaining contestants and all of them have to go through this workout routine. The women make it look easy and from my experience in bodycombat and marathon, to be honest, it does not look that hard. I attribute the contestants’ reaction to editing, of course.

I’m surprised that Nina does not win this round because she appears to have toned guns but Rebecca wins this challenge and is given the chance to choose her makeover partner whom she has to turn into her “female version.” This gives her the upper hand as she can easily determine who among the female fighters has her similar features.

Makeover Challenge

I have to agree with the ladies that Rebecca definitely has a motive in choosing their partners but, hey, it is a competition and they would have done the same thing in her place.

This episode shows how other people perceive the contestants-this is what I prefer to believe- more than their ability to make over a group of female fighters. Some of the lady fighters want to represent the drag queens very well and some… some just don’t take instructions just because their drag queens say so.

Runway

I think Shannel deserves to win this challenge as her partner, Swepee has the biggest transformation among the other contestants. Bebe has put her own cultural interpretation into the challenge but I do think, but her partner Michelle, has not changed much apart from the clothes. They both look gorgeous though. Personally, I’m not a fan of how Nina has transformed her lady fighter, Mia. It looks like a taller version of her, but I’m just not a fan of the style. As for Ongina and Jarrett, apologies to the Ongina fans out there, but Jarrett definitely outshines her on the runway.

Verdict

Rebecca wins today’s episode even though Shannel has done better. Ongina and Bebe have to battle it out in the lip synch challenge and eventually Ongina is sent home.

My Reaction

Ru has made a terrible choice giving Rebecca, again, the upper hand. The instructions have been to make over the lady fighters into a real life female version of the drag queens. In that case, wouldn’t Shannel have won instead? Even the flamboyant accessories speak for Shannel. Nina’s partner also looks like Nina as well to a certain degree. What Rebecca has managed to accomplish is to make her partner wear a wig and a dress that all of the contestants have done with their partners.

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Coming Soon. In 15 hours to be exact.

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Reaction Journal: RuPaul’s Drag Race S1 Ep 4

Disclaimer: I don’t have a prior knowledge of the history of ‘drag’ and its culture and I’m only bringing in my limited knowledge of reality TV shows particularly America’s Next Top Model so apologies in advance. Timestamps for scenes and snippets of conversations have been included so if you want to read ahead, make sure you are also watching RuPaul’s Drag Race on Netflix.

The episode starts with dramatic disappearance of the lounge’s mirrors. In the first challenge, they have to pair up and put makeup on each other. Nina and Jade are partners so I know they’ll do well so it isn’t surprising to know Jade is the winner for this mini-challenge.

Since Akashia is out of the picture, a new drama has to be brewed to make the series more fun to watch and this time it’s Rebecca against Bebe and Nina. It’s a competition after all and if I wanted rainbows and butterflies, I would have chosen a good old princess-meets-prince movies.

Viva Glam Challenge

The challenge in today’s episode is to create a commercial for MAC’s VIVA Glam Campaign. Here are my thoughts on the challenge:

Nina has done well in her Glam shot. Language is not her strongest asset but she communicates better with her confidence, facial expressions and body language.

By now, many people have gotten over this season’s episode already but I have to give my take on Rebecca’s screen test: I don’t buy that story and those tears, babe.

Jade has become more confident in her challenges and it seems she has a lot of ideas on how she wants the campaign to turn out.

Bebe also appears like a strong competitor now. I already noticed her creativity in the first episode but this episode highlights another one of her facets. She goes to the screen test looking like a queen, acting like a queen, and killing like a queen.

Ongina grew up in the Philippines? That’s surprising! It’s nice to know she has thrived in a more encouraging place though and it has helped mold this optimistic persona she exudes. Personally, I think she has done so well with her screen test. Her posture needs to be improved though but by the time this post is published she will have been able to improve that.

It surprising to know Shannel’s real name is Bryan. That might have been given in the first episode but I think I have already established that I’m bad with names. She has a different take on this screen test and has delivered a documentary instead of a commercial. The fact that she easily admits to her mistake is probably one of the things has endeared her more to me.

Runway

If I like what I see, it doesn’t matter what anybody else what to say… because I feel good about myself, because I love what I see.

– Nina Flowers

That, my dear readers, is what we ought to teach the next generation: be confident in our own skin.

My top 3 certainly are: Bebe and Nina for the looks, and Shannel for the performance.

Verdict

Ongina wins the top spot which she definitely deserves and Jade is sent home after losing the lip sync battle against Rebecca.

My Reaction

I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again. I don’t like the lip sync battle. Perhaps, it is an element in drag and yes, it adds up to the spice of a program. However, this gives a perfect excuse for a contestant to simply perfect the lip sync and not do well in challenges.

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Top 10 things I don’t buy anymore

I was watching Jessica Braun on Youtube as she talked about “10 Beauty Things I No Longer Buy” and I thought that it would be a good blog topic. Before I got lazy and let the opportunity-this fleeting idea-pass by, I sat myself down, faced the computer and attacked the keyboard so here we are.

Like any of my lists, this doesn’t have a particular order.

Pens



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I know. It’s a miracle. How come I don’t buy pens anymore? I know that my friend Tina is probably rolling her eyes at me, or my blog for that matter, but with the accessibility of posting articles using an app or keeping drafts on my phone, I rarely do reach for the old writing instrument. It takes years for me to finish a pen now as I only use it for writing journals –which I hardly ever do, sorry my 366 Days planner. Besides, I have already found my best pens for every occasion like signing documents, jotting notes, practicing Kanji.

Notebooks and papers



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The same reason I don’t buy pens is basically why I don’t buy notebooks any longer. I also have a number of spare given by friends and colleagues who didn’t know each other but had apparently had the same observation that I like to write–or probably giving notebooks have become ubiquitous.

Concealer

With quarantine and all, I barely have the reason to conceal the imperfections on my face. However, even before that, I had not purchased any concealer. Paying attention to my skin care has become more important to me than masking my skin condition so I invest my money in sheet masks, facial washes and eyeshadows.

Chunky High-Heels

Staying at home has given me the best excuse not to purchase footwear in general but I have stopped buying and even wearing high heels for five years, give or take. I did not even wear them on my wedding. Although I still chunky high-heels and believe I –my feet I mean– look good in them, I won’t trade my boots and sneakers for one expensive pair of heels.

Dresses

I’m just not a dress person. Most of the dresses I have in my closet are from friends and relatives and even when they are gifted, I hardly wear them. When I go to the mall, I wear shirts and jeans. When I go on a date, I also wear shirts and jeans. When I have to attend a special occasion, I wear a blazer on top of my shirt and jeans. So unless I really have to, say, attend a wedding or any event that has a specific dress code, I won’t buy a dress. Particularly when it’s pink.

Physical Books



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Shocking? Working in a publishing company has taught me many things and that includes paper spoilage. Also, I have taught myself to be mindful of my purchases that if I can’t use an object for several times in a year, I don’t have to buy it and this includes books. If I don’t see myself reading the book over and over again, I can probably use the space it would potentially occupy in my room for other stuff. I will probably have to address this in a different blog post: Transitioning from Physical Books to eBooks but you’ll have to wait for that as I gather my thoughts and make the post more meaningful.

Physical Albums

The last CD I bought was ONE OK ROCK’s 3xxxv5 and I have not opened it to this day since I also bought their digital album. With Spotify and Youtube music, I don’t see myself buying physical albums unless it’s from an artist I really like .

Combs and hair brushes

Combs and brushes are the enemy of my wavy hair. I simply towel dry my hair and tie it in a braid, bun or ponytail to get the strands out of my face. Apart from that, I found a conditioner that makes my hair so soft that I only use my fingers to detangle.

Phone Cases



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There was a time in my life that I just want to buy phone cases per month– that may be an exaggeration as I don’t have 48 phone cases for disposal. Now, I’m only stuck with one and joined the rest of the world’s population that thinks this is normal.

Keyrings

I’m a firm believer of the idea that people only need three keyrings: the first one to hold all of our keys, the second, to hold our partners’ keys when it’s time for us to leap unto the next phase of the relationship, and the last one to hold the spare keys for those days when we accuse the ones we own for suddenly disappearing.

I may come up with an updated version of this in the future or another version, perhaps The Top 10 Things I Spend My Money On. What do you think?

I’m tagging everyone who has read this blog entry to try and make their own list of ten things they don’t buy anymore so don’t hesitate to make yours and just leave your link in the comment section so I can read them as well. Ciao.

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Reaction Journal: RuPaul’s Drag Race S1 Ep 3

Disclaimer: I don’t have a prior knowledge of the history of ‘drag’ and its culture and I’m only bringing in my limited knowledge of reality TV shows particularly America’s Next Top Model so apologies in advance. Timestamps for scenes and snippets of conversations have been included so if you want to read ahead, make sure you are also watching RuPaul’s Drag Race on Netflix.

The challenge for this episode is to embody Oprah Winfrey.

Obviously since this is a competition, a reality TV show, cattiness is one key ingredient.

Two of my top three contestants are showing distress: Nina for not knowing who Oprah Winfrey is, and Jade for not understanding the whole concept of the challenge.

Rebecca on the other hand is showing immense potential this time as opposed to the first two episodes.

Teleprompter reading

I have caught myself wondering why some contestants can’t pronounce English words since I use English as my second, not first, language, and find the words easy to pronounce. But hey, the show’s RuPaul’s Drag Race and not RuPaul’s English Class so I need to throw these thoughts away.

The segment is funny from how the remaining contestants pronounce words and foreign names to Ongina’s “This is Connie Chung” to Nina’s “This is Your Name.”

Product Pitch or My Favorite Product

Once again, Nina blows my mind away. “Just plug it in and blow. Whooosh!” Jade has just been relatively ok from her cuts. I am surprised to see Shannel struggling because I thought she completely has the upper hand for knowing Oprah very well.

Interview with Special Guests

19:02 We’re having another “Akashia is a problem contestant” part. I think they have already established that she’s rude so I don’t need to point that out in my succeeding reactions… or do I? I’m happy that Tori and Dean find Nina’s confidence attractive so I’m pretty sure she’s safe this week. Shannel is having a hard time pleasing her guests though very opposite to how Tori and Dean love their interview with Ongina.

Tori and Dean have been amazing guests.

Runway Looks



Shannel – She has gone for a dramatic effect with her ‘Shannel Couture’ and it is fabulous.Ongina – Her overall appearance has not appealed to me. She is pretty and cute but for runway, I have certain expectations.Rebecca – She’s one classy beauty queen.Nina – There’s a reason why I like her. She transforms every single time.Jade – Her outfit definitely is one of my faves so far as it gives a good contrast between her covered arms and her bare legs.Bebe – From the voluminous hair, to her furry coat to her leopard print body suit, she has killed it.Akashia – That slip and the way she has handled it? Great.



Deliberation, Elimination, Verdict

Ru shares my thoughts on Nina so way to go for me. Bebe has won this episode’s challenge and I completely agree.

39:50 I have paused the video at this point because I’m not in favor of this last minute-save yourself from grace-lip sync battle. It gives a perfect excuse for the other contestants to mess up in the challenges and just nail this part of the competition.

I’m glad Shannel has made it even with a minor problem. She has made the falling of her headdress a part of her performance and that has earned her much respect from the judges.

My Reaction

Finally, we get to say good bye to Akashia.

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Reaction Journal: RuPaul’s Drag Race S1 Ep 2

Disclaimer: I don’t have a prior knowledge of the history of ‘drag’ and its culture and I’m only bringing in my limited knowledge of reality TV shows particularly America’s Next Top Model so apologies in advance. Timestamps for scenes and snippets of conversations have been included so if you want to read ahead, make sure you are also watching RuPaul’s Drag Race on Netflix.

Hi. Welcome to another journal entry about RuPaul’s Drag Race, this time for the 2nd episode of the first season.

The selfie game is not as fun as it was conceptualized. I think the pacing has been too fast for that one.

Challenge: Girl Group Performance

From the onset, I already know there’s going to be a lot of drama as in any reality TV show but today’s episode centers so much on Akashia and how she projects to be a tough B. For winning the selfie challenge, she has been picked as the leader of her girl group competing against Ongina’s and from the episode edits–or script perhaps? lol- they exhibit different leadership styles.

09:10 The episode is building on Ongina’s leadership and her team’s cooperation so much, it’s making me expect that their performance will be a lot better than the other group. Meanwhile, Akashia keeps on this bossy facade with quips like “I don’t know how to do this so you do this” which reminds me of someone I know lol. But hey, it’s too early to reach a conclusion which team may have a better music video.

10:38 Too bad that Shannel and Nina have gotten on the wrong foot. Clearly I care more about them as opposed to Tammie and Akashia who have just been shown biting each other’s heads.

14:11 Jade, dear, I’m not sure if I can laud your idea of not outshining your team. Great for teamwork, but terrible for individual score. Particularly when you have a group leader who clearly wants to outshine everyone.

20:38 “Michelle, can you handle this?” and Michelle Williamas goes, “I don’t know.” That’s awkward. Oh, they manage to do it right this time. LOL

29:00 Say My Name with Ongina’s group, Serving Fish. I love Shannel’s performance in this one. She really has that stage presence. I feel a bit sorry for Nina. I know she’s fierce, talented and creative but I do agree she needs to work on her choreography. I just wish she showed that fiery personality she has.

30:25 Independent with Akashia’s group, 3D. Jade has been spectacular. She really is beautiful. I also love her stage presence and though it shows that her dancing skills are way out of her teammates leagues, she doesn’t completely leave them behind.

34:32 I can only nod with the judges reaction to Serving Fish. They have been so amazing. Rebecca just needs to bring the same kind of energy as with her group members. As for 3D, the internal problem of the group affected their performance and the judges have seen that. “If you can bring it, you can be the biggest b**** in the world,” and I have to say ‘amen’ to that.

Verdict:

I really thought it was over for Akashia after the judge’s comments but Tammie seems to have left her desire to win the competition backstage so I’m not sad to let her go.

My reaction:

I’m recognizing the girls bit by bit, seeing their differences and talents and yes, I already have my top 3: Nina, Shannel and Jade.

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