My sister bought us a concert ticket of Nickelback. I love Nickelback since way back when. I particularly like their “FarAway” song. It became my theme song to JLC when we were still separated – he was still in Florida. So when I learned that they bought us a ticket, I got really ecstatic. I didn’t care that it was just a minor concert as long as I can hear Nickelback sing live!
The time was 7 pm and the venue was at MGM Grand Arena, where Pacquiao-Hatton fight took place. We left the house at 6. We braved the traffic congestion. There were a lot of cars going to the humongous parking lot of MGM. I wondered why, perhaps these people were heading to the casino. It took us one hour to get a parking space.
When we got to the venue, there were thousands of people already. Waa! It wasn’t a minor concert then. We found our seats and we were so happy to find out that we were near the stage. I could imagine seeing and smelling the sweat (lolz) of the band members. Para maniwala kayo, tingnan niyo…
Di ba ang lapit namin? Haha. Seriously, it didn’t matter whether you were near the stage or not. MGM’s sound systems is sooo good, it felt like you were listening to your iPod but much more better. Lolz. Plus, you have the humongous screen where you can see the blackheads of the members of the band.
It was my first time to watch a live concert and I promise to myself that I will have to do it more often.
We also learned that there were three bands who were going to perform before Nickelback. We got a bit disappointed. But I believe these bands are already making a buzz in the music industry.
The first to perform was the band “Saving Abel”. The song that I recognized from them was “Addicted”. You don’t recognize the song? Maybe you do, I’ve always heard of it in the radio.
I took some videos of the concert but they were of poor quality plus I was too far away from the stage. So YouTube to the rescue! Fortunately, there were some videos of that Las Vegas concert which were posted in YouTube.
After Saving Abel, Papa Roach graced the stage. The audience were going wild upon hearing the band’s name. My JLC who was dragged to the show was like ” Sino yang mga yan?” Lolz. “Hindi mo alam yung song na Last Resort? Parang ginawang Bayang Magiliw este Lupang Hinirang nga yan ng mga bagetz sa atin eh. “, sabi ko. Hindi siya umimik, walang paki. “Scars” is also a nice song of theirs.
I tear my heart open, I sow myself shut
My weakness is that I care too much
My scars remind me that the past is real
I tear my heart open just to feel
A ban named Hinder was the next performer. I didn’t know them. I never heard of their name but when they sang “Lips of an Angel” which I am familiar, they certainly became popular to me. 
The video below was taken from my five-year old camera so pardon the quality. I can’t seem to find a video of Lips Of Angel from the concert in YouTube.
And finally, the most awaited band showed up the stage, after three hours of waiting. It was 10 pm when Nickelback started to perform and at this time, the arena was fully packed. The audience were ecstatic to see Nickelback. The show started with a “bang”, literally. There were fireworks. The stage was awesomely decorated with lights of all kinds. The band vocalist was a funny guy. He was like ” C’mon MGM, turn the AC on, we are paying the gawdamm bills!” He would ask for vodka,beer, whiskey and his staff would bring him hundreds of glasses of alcohol of any kind.
These are some of the favorite moments of their concert:
Whey the sang Photograph. Oh how I love that song.
When they sang of course my favorite, Far Away.
Gotta Be Somebody was just utterly awesome. I can’t even seem to find the right word to describe it. Ang ganda pala pag live.
Gotta Be Somebody – Nickelback
I really love the lyrics of this song…dedicated to all my single friends out there who are looking for that one special person. Char!
This time I wonder what it feels like
To find the one in this life
The one we all dream of
But dreams just aren’t enough
So I´ll be waiting for the real thing.
I’ll know it by the feeling.
The moment when we´re meeting
will play out like a scene straight off the silver screen
So I`ll be holdin’ my own breath
Right up to the end
Until that moment when
I find the one that I’ll spend forever with`Cause nobody wants to be the last one there.
‘Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares.
Someone to love with my life in their hands.
There`s gotta be somebody for me like that.`Cause nobody wants to do it on their own
And everyone wants to know they´re not alone.
There’s somebody else that feels the same somewhere.
There`s gotta be somebody for me out there.
Of course they sang their other popular songs such as Rockstar, If Everyone Cared, Hero, If Today Was Your Last Day etc.
If Everyone Cared – Nickelback
Wait, there’s more! You would think the highlight of the night was Nickelback. Think again! My JLC was paying attention to someone else. There was a private (well not so private) show right in front of us. It was unsolicited. Lolz. Mas natuwa ata siya dito keysa Nickelback.
Although this video is a little dark but you can still see that there’s a strip dancing going on right in front of us. You all know that Nickelback is a rock/alternative band and understandably, their songs are of fast beat/tempo. Ganito pala magsayaw pag rock yung tugtog? Waa! Pasensya na, lumalabas ang dugong Pinoy ko na ma-epal. Haha.
There are a lot of poll and strip dancing classes all over vegas, do you think I should enroll? Bwahaha. I don’t know how to dance like that, naingit ako! Haha. Kikita pa ako niyan. Lolz.
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We went to Vegas to visit my mom, my sister, my bro-in-law and my very cute nephew last weekend. It was actually for my Mom. She’s really homesick and we really want her to stay. She wants to go back to the Philippines. Namimiss na daw niya ang kanyang mga alagang baboy doon. Kung pwede lang, gagawan namin siya ng piggery sa bakuran ng bahay ng ate ko. We are hoping that she’s going to adapt the life here in the US na hindi ka pwedeng mangangapitbahay na basta na lang; na hindi mo kilala ang mga kapitbahay mo; na wala kang makikitang tambay sa kalye; na hindi ka puede maglakad para bumili ng suka keyna Aling Asing; na walang jeep or traysikil papuntang palengke (ni wala ngang palengke eh); at walang mga akyat-bahay gang dito kaya hindi ka dapat matakot kung mag-isa ka lang sa bahay.
We got there Friday midnight and was able to roam my Mom around Las Vegas the next two days, Saturday and Sunday. My mom is hard to please so you have to do aerobatic stuff to make her happy. Like my sister, she’s a shoe lover so I bought her a pair of hush puppies, her favorite brand. Natuwa naman siya kahit papano. Back home, she usually goes to ukay=ukay stores. Na-tour na ata niya ang lahat ng ukay-ukay sa Cebu. Wala namang ukay-ukay dito so we went to the popular thrift store, Buffalo Exchange. Natuwa ang mudra. I really like the place too. They have high-quality second-hand clothes. Ang JLC ko naman na ma-arte nasa sasakyan lang kasama ang aking cute nephew. Ito sya, natutulog. Sa awa ng Diyos, nagmana siya sa akin. Bwahaha!
May nadaanan kaming nagsoshooting. Hindi ko alam kung para saang movie yun. Wala naman kaming nakitang movie stars, ako lang.
Ang isang bagay na makakasaya sa isang Pinoy na nasa abroad ay ang makakita ng isang Filipino Restaurant. My sister took us to a Filipino Buffet somewhere and going there was like going to DisneyWorld. I was soo excited.
Ang mura ng pagkain nila at ang dami at ang masarap. Walang diet-diet dito! The name of the restaurant is Lola’s Kitchen.
Due to public demand (Maldito and Lovely), ito may picture na kaming dalawa ng JLC ko. Yes, tumataba kaming dalawa..wag mo ng sabihin pa..gets ko na. Lolz
We frequent Goldilucks every time we are in Vegas but not this time around. Nakakasawa din pala. Instead, we went to Chowking! I love their Taho and Mango Shake.
Araw-araw kaming pumupunta sa Seafood City, a Filipino grocery store where Chowking and Jollibee are space renters, para makakita ng madaming pinoy si Mama.
We went to Wynn, a luxurious hotel casino, to lose some money. Lolz. I didn’t lose any actually for I didn’t gamble. Habang pinupusta ni Jay (my bro-in-law) and my JLC ang pang groceries namin, we went window shopping! Wee!
Hanggang pictures nalang… Juice ko day, ang mamahal ng mga bags.
Anong recession? Ba’t ang daming tao sa Louis Vuitton?
Naglakad-lakad kami at baka maubos ang aming milyones sa casino. Ambisyosa!
Pinapayuhan ng aking bayaw ang aking pamangkin..heart-to-heart talk kunbaga…father and son talk. Bakit?
Kasi ba naman, tingnan niyo… marunong ng manchicks! Eh paano kung makabuntis siya? Paano pag-aaral niya? Paano ang kinabukasan niya? Paano? Hahaha.
After all our efforts, after the nine-hr drive (ang mahal kasi mag-eroplano $800+ for JLC and I) , after nagtumbling-tumbling ako, my mom still wants to go back to Cebu. Huhuhu. Well, what can I do. I thought coming here makes her happy, hindi pala.
Ay teka lang, napahaba na ata ang kwento ko. Sa next post nalang ang Nickelback concert experience. The best concert ever! Yay!
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No, I am not talking about those prescription pills that people abused in order to feel bliss. I am talking about my friend’s blog “Happy Pills”. I have forced another one to join the blogosphere republic. ~Evil laugh~ She’s one of the very few people I know personally who know the existence of this blog. I guess there’s only six of them.
Please help me welcome my friend, Regina, to the crazy world of blogosphere. We were high school buddies. She was always my cheatmate seatmate. She’s very witty, I tell you. I admire her passion for writing. She was the editor-in-chief of our high school paper back then. It has been forever since I last saw her. She went to UP for college and I went to UC. Nevertheless, we keep in touch every now and then and the topic is always about love. She’s a great a advicer. She was there when I was heartbroken with my first love. It was during our last year in high school. Ang aga ko naglandi noh? Bwahaha. She told me ” Okay lang Res, you’re too pretty for him. ” Hahaha. Di ba bongga talaga siya mag advice?
We love the same guy. Yes, nagsabunotan kami one time for him. Achos! Haha. She also loves John Lloy Cruz. Haha. Too bad for her, he’s already mine. Bwahaha. Ambisyosa!
I am no writer but this girl is. Currently, she’s working at Cebu Daily News as a lifestyle writer.
And guys out there, this beautiful lady is very very single. (*wink)
Visit her blog Here.
Random:
(1) I am sorry if I cause a stir on my last post. Let me be clear, it wasn’t meant to malign anyone. That post was not for a specific person, it was general in nature. If I have a problem with someone, I would tell it straight to her/his face. Hindi ako marunong magparinig. I am also hoping that people would do the same if they are not happy with me. I appreciate Lio for confronting me right way…that I was able to clear things up immediately.
(2) On a lighter note, I am heading to Vegas tomorrow to see my mom. She’s been really homesick. She wants to go back to the Philippines. Well, what can I do. It’s a long weekend ahead! Yay! It’s Labor Day on Monday.
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As useless, late na naman ako. Haha
Day 2, 4th of July, we went to do my ever favorite sports which is shopping! We shopped for clothes for my mom.
Back home, hilig ni mama ang UK made clothes. Tatawag yan sa akin: ‘Day, penge pambili ng ukay-ukay.’ Ito lang ang mababaw na kaligayahan niya. Minsan yung binigay kong pambili ng ukay-ukay sa kanya ay ibibigay niya pa sa mga kapatid ko. Ganito talaga si mama kahit noon. Inuuna niya kaming mga anak niya bago ang kanyang sarili. Kaya pagnagka-anak ako ten years from now, tutularan ko siya. 
Nagutom ulit, at pumunta sa Goldilocks, my favorite Filipino Restaurant in Vegas.
Pinagsisihan ko kung bakit pa kami pumunta doon. Nakita ko nalang na nagniningning ang mata ng JLC ko.Nandon pala ang kanyang ex-girlfriend. Noh, hindi si Liz Uy.
Hindi mahilig magpapicture ang JLC ko pero look, ang mukong nagpapacute! Sabi pa niya sa akin, dali kunan mo ko! Hahaha
Susunod daw ang seksing si Toni Gonzaga pero ayaw kong mag-antay. Baka kasi mawala sa akin ng tuluyan ang JLC ko. Hahaha.
Ara Mina and Toni Gonzaga were in Las Vegas for a show. I opted not to watch it kahit inofferan ako ng ticket noong may-ari ng Goldilocks – magdedeyt daw kami- juice ko day! Sabi ko, magsuntokan muna kayo ng JLC ko. Pero walang paki ata ang be-ep ko, busy kay Ara Mina. I don’t think it was worth watching. Kumakanta ba si Ara Mina?
We continued to do our thing – shopping! Wehehe. And then I lost my uber precious sunglasses.:D Regalo pa naman ng ate ko. Huhuhu. Panawagan namn diyan, pag may nakita kayong Versace sunglasses ibigay niyo po sa akin. Maari rin po na bilhan niyo ako ng bago. Hahaha. Naiwan namin ata sa Goldilocks pero pagbalik namin don, wala na. Wala dawng nakakita. Feel ko, hinarbat ni Ara Mina. Haiz.
So we went to Seafood City – a grocery store own by a Filipino. Sa loob nito, may Jollibee at Chowking. Nag-grocery kami good for one month para dadalhin namin sa New Mexico. I forgot to take photos – kasi ala na ako sa mood – nawala ang iniingitan kong sundy. huhuhu.
Anyhoot, kinagabihan, we went to see the firework shows of the casinos in Vegas. Heto nag,aantay..
It was my mom’s firt time to see such amazing shows of fireworks. This was the show in Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.
I forgot to bring my tripod.
We went to the roof of the hotel for a better look.
Kinabukasan, we hit the road down to New Mexico. I have to let my mom see where I live for these past few years.
Ito yung Lake Mead, a man-made lake. The water is from Hoover Dam. This is really a huge lake.
Of course, dadaanan namin ang world’s biggest dam, Hoover Dam.
Dito naglaban ang Autobots at Decipticons in Transformers 1.
Yan, dapat may solo pic.
The drive to New Mexico was long – 8 hours ba naman.
Lamyierda sa Santa Fe, New Mexico ang next post naman, Folks.
Seeyah!
P.S. Sorry at hindi ako nakakabloghop lately. Busyness ang drama ko ngayon. But I will really find time to visit your blogs, pramis.
P.S.S. Please check out Mon’s contest here. Cool prizes are waiting. Join na!
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July 3rd.
Madami akong gustong gawin at ibigay sa aking ina. Gusto ko siyang ilibot dito sa tets. Gusto ko puntahan yung mga cities na nakikita lang niya sa movies. Gusto ko ibigay ang hilig niya – alahas. Waaaa! Mamumulubi ako nito!
So kwento ko nlng sa inyo with litraks ang Day 1 with Mom:
Of course, mauuna talaga ang kainan. We went to this new casino in Vegas called M. Kala niyo recession sa Las Vegas pero ang daming bagong casinos at ang daming tao!
We went to their buffet. It was cheaper than the very famous yet expensive buffet of Bellagio. Medyo mahaba ang linya. Pero hindi din katulad ng Bellagio na dalawang oras ka naka linya. Makakapagdiet yung mga bituka mo ng hindi oras. While waiting, hinarbat ko ang mama at dinala ko sa casino. Tinuruan ko magsugal! Bad influence na anak! Hahaha. Naloka si nanay. Takot pumindot sa slot machine. At noong nanalo na siya ng $40, ayaw ng umalis! Hahaha.
Check out my JLC’s t-shirt. Ito yung pasalubong ng ate ko sa kanya.
Nakapasok din kami at long last. Kainan na! Ang daming pagkain akala mo ay fiesta ng buong bayan. Sangkatutak din ang tao. At ang sarap ng mga pagkain. Sana hindi ako kumain the other night. Hahaha
Busog na!
They had the best desserts ever! Kinuha ko lahat ng klaseng dessert nila! Haha. Forget about diet.
Desserts pa lang, worth it na ang binayad namin. Gusto kong tumambay dito the whole day.
Pagkatapos namin lapastanganin ang pagkain sa loob, eto ang linya na nakita namin sa labas para sa buffet. Madaming gutom!
The hotel has this really awesome and humungous pool too. They also built a stage in front of the pool. They have pool party nightly ata.
So the be-ep of mine asked me to take some photos of hot chicas! Masunorin kasi akong ge-ep kaya ito na:
Goofing around sa lobby na walang katao-tao kasi lahat andon sa casino.
Pagkatapos kumain, kami ay nagshopping. Sosyal ang mama ko, hilig niya ang Victoria Secrets. Feeling young. Hahaha. Gusto din ng nephew ko ang VS.
Kapagod mag-shop kahit walang nabili!
We went to this mall called One Mile Mall ata. They have this cool show called rain storm. Umuulan at bumabagyo sa loob ng mall nila! Tuwang tuwa ang mga tao. Ang mga ito, hindi pa ata naka experience ng storm. It was a simulation of storm, thunder, lightning and rain.
Ito posing kaagad… Yes, ang malaking bag na yan ay may lamang food from the buffet! Hahaha
Ang sirena nga nahub-san.. ( Iwan ko ano sa tagalog ang nahubsan. Hehe) Gusto kong i-shop si Mama sa Bikini Bay. Ayaw naman niya.
Kapagod ang magshopping ng hindi naman bumibili pala. Ang mamahal! Juice ko day! Kaya sabi ko kay Mama, sa Ross or TJ Maxx nlng tayo. Doon mura pa ang mga damit!
Kinagabihan…
Kainan na naman! Haha! We went to this Korean BBQ Restaurant in Chinatown. Yes, may Chinatown dito. Meron ding Filipino restaurants around the area. I haven’t been to a Korean restaurant before so I forced them to eat there. We were not disappointed. The barbecue, especially the beef, was darn good. I just didn’t like the thousands of sides that they gave us.
Pumunta kami sa Fremont St where the spectacular light and sound show is. To know more about this show, I posted an entry in the Barrio. Click HERE.
Ito yung light and sound show. Yung buong street ay nilagyan ng atip at ginawang screen. Ang laki! Punta kayo sa barrio, may pinost ako doong video clip ng show.
Casinos are all over the area. Dito mo matatagpuan ang mga sinaunang casinos sa Las Vegas. Nanalo ng isang milyon ang be-ep ko ng hindi man lang pumusta. Look!
Ganito pala kadami ang isang milyong dolyares. Tinanong ko ang Filipina na nagbabantay dito kung totoo bang one milyon itech! Sabi niya, totoo daw!! Anyone can take pictures with this one million dollar for free.
Para panghatak ng tao, eto ang pakulo nila. I am sure gora kaagad dito si Lio at Maldito at isama mo na din si Bff Epfi! Makikisali din daw si Monding.
You would play poker or whatever they call it at sa table mo na may babaeng sumasayaw. I am sure din, willing magpatalo ang tatlong itlog para lang dito.
Hindi tinatawag na Sin City ang Las Vegas for no reason.
This is everywhere.
Makatulog na nga. Bukas na naman ang lamiyerda. Baka mananalo pa ako ng totoong one million sa panaginip ko.
Next post: 4th of July, Fireworks Show, Ara Mina.
Have a great weekend, peeps!
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