Exit: Chris Belison on The X Factor Philippines (ABS-CBN)

Pulled a Mac Arthur during my exit interview for The X Factor Philippines and I got bombarded with tweets, wall posts and messages about it. I guess it's about time I write about the amazing time I had during my TXF journey. Photo dump coming right up! Pardon the not-so-good quality of some of 'em.

First screening. December 8, 2011 in SM City San Pablo Activity Center.  Quede up at 7:00AM, got to sing at 1:00PM.

Performed "Breakeven" by The Script for the first screening aka the pre-audition. Watch/listen to my studio version of the song here.

Got called back for the Producers' Auditon on April 20, 2012 and I performed "Look At Me Now" and "One and Only". Click on the links to watch/listen to the studio versions of the songs.

Blessed to be called back again for the LIVE AUDITION in front of the celebrity judges (Sir Martin Nievera, Sir Gary Valenciano, Ma'am Pilita Corales and Charice) which was held in PAGCOR Grand Theatre last May 31, 2012.

Registration jitters. Ha ha!

Live audition pieces. British pop and a lil soul/RnB. Watch/listen to my studio versions of "Glad You Came" and "I'm Going Down".

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Was able to perform after more than 12 hours of waiting.

Performed "Glad You Came" by The Wanted and I can honestly say that that was one of the fun 2 minutes of my life! :)

Received very good feedback from the audience and most importantly from the judges. 4 YESes and it's all because of God and the talent He lent me! :) I, along with 171 acts from all over the Philippines went straight to BOOT CAMP!

Checked in at Remington Hotel for BOOT CAMP.

BOOT CAMP stage! 

Some of the talented boys I was with during BOOT CAMP.

Our category (Boys under the age 25) was assigned to perform the Basil Valdez classic "Tuwing Umuulan" a capella. Received a "Great job!" from Sir Martin Nievera for this one :)

Unfortunately, I was one of the 106 acts which got sent home the first day. Of course, I was devastated at first but the amount of things I've learned, the friends I've gained, and just the ultimate blessing of being one of the TOP 35 BOYS or one of the 172 ACTS OUT OF THE 20,000 who auditioned made me feel happy again. The announcement that I was eliminated broke me, but once I got my thoughts back in place, I began rebuilding myself and I'm now in the process of working even harder just to achieve what I want. It's like I finally know what I want to do for the rest of my life. Those few minutes I've spent on that stage, in front of the camera, in front of thousands of people, in front of the 4 judges, were just "previews" of what I could be doing if I work hard enough and if I'll be given the right break/opportunities. 

I know this entry's quite long already but I'd like to take this chance to express my gratitude to everyone who supported me with my The X Factor Philippines adventure! Thank you all especially for your prayers! Special thanks to my family, especially my MUM, for letting me do this. For sacrificing money and time for the screenings and for the live auditions. To all my friends and organizations (BLD Youth Ministry, UPLB Street Jazz Dance Co., UP Entrepreneurs' Club, UP ECOSS) in UPLB, thank you all for your unwavering support! Wouldn't have done this without all the things I've learned from the times I've spent with y'all. 

Last but definitely not the least, I'd like to thank the Lord God, Almighty for this wonderful experience. For the talents and skills you've lent me. For making my family change their minds about this thing. For always guiding me. For always being my inspiration. For always keeping my hopes up but still keeping my feet on the ground. For Your never ending affirmations. Most especially, thank You for Your love. Lord, I'm not really the best servant or follower and yet You still bless me with these amazing things. For that, I'm really grateful. I love You, Lord. And I'm always praying that in everything that I do, may YOU always be GLORIFIED.

My TXF journey might have ended already, but this is just the start of my journey towards the realization and actual fulfillment of my dream. You'll see me around :)

"Basta, babalik ako. Babalik ako."

CHRIS BELISON's exit interview for The X Factor Philippines.

Don't forget to LIKE my Facebook page! Click here! :)

Two Weeks.

Been swamped with a lot of things these past few weeks I had to take a break from blogging. Not in my writing mood still, but here are a few photos from events I went to these past couple of weeks.

 February 2, 2012

Moonleaf Tea Shop with Dream Team after BASAGAN Auditions (taken with Instagram)

Headed straight to Java Ave right after for UP Photos' TALENTADOS 2012 (taken with Instagram)

Clockwise from left to right: Abie, Tin, Bea, Chris, Riji, Red, Yona, Krist and TJ

February 3-5, 2012

YE 1 SPSD Youth Facilitators with the Sponsoring Class, Couple Coordinators and Father Thor

Spent last weekend serving as a facilitator for the first Youth Encounter weekend under the San Pablo South District of the Bukas-Loob sa Diyos Covenant Community. It was fun and spiritually fulfilling! Never mind the physical stress and what nots! Praise God for a very successful YE weekend! See more photos here.

February 9-10, 2012

Went to UP Junior Executives' Society's REVERIE in IC's and danced the night away with some friends from UPLB Street Jazz Dance Co. and UP Entrepreneurs' Club. Congratulations, UPJES for the party! Left the party around 3:30AM and we decided to grab something to eat in Bugel's. "Unexpected" libre from me because I had no change left for jeepney fare! Ha ha!

With Abie, Yron, Fortune, TJ, Ades and RN (Taken with Instagram)

Just include lab work and classes and long training hours in between those events posted and there you have the past two weeks of yours truly. I'm pretty sure this coming week will be more eventful! UPLB Feb Fair 2012 is this week! See y'all there!

Sarap Sabado.

A fun-filled Saturday after a semi-stressful week. Attended the BLD Youth Ministry's weekly worship service and got my spirit recharged! So much to be thankful for! Went out with some friends and checked out Chubby Habbi's new chairs which are so comfy! Makes dining in Chubby Habbi's more enjoyable! The Chubby Habbi's x Moonleaf Tea Shop "combo" is beginning to be a weekly thing for us. Not complaining, though :)

Anyway, here are some photos that me and Nica took earlier. 

Chubby Habbi's Cushioned Chairs!

Neil, Ten, Mirmo, Nica and Charz

One of Moonleaf Tea Shop's NEW flavors! Banana Milk Tea, FTW!

Excited to spend the whole day tomorrow with the family. I think mum and the cousin got a couple of DVDs for us to watch. Enjoy the rest of the weekend, guys! God bless!

Mi Bonitos Lunch With Magulo Friends. LOL

Please don't mind the title, especially the "Magulo Friends". No chance I'll elaborate on that here. Ha ha!

We decided to grab lunch in Mi Bonitos earlier today. See, Mi Bonitos has been around since 2004 and I (together with my family) have been coming back ever since. This has always been on my top 3 go-to places in Los Baños and you can take my word for it, the prices of their offerings are really worth it. Really getting the bang for the buck, if I may say so. 

Pardon the photos since I was too lazy too lugg around my camera. These were taken with Ning's and my iPhone 4.

The Menu

Nachos

Buffalo Wings

Ning and Bryan

Aisa and Ten-ten

"Hey, what's up? This is Chris." LOL

Blueberry Pancake ala Mode

Banana Split

Nothing bad can really be said about Mi Bonitos' food, really. Even the place is really good. I believe having the entire place enclosed and "air-conditioned" gives the customers a more comfortable venue for enjoying their food and their company. Oh, and they also have free WiFi! 

Do check out Mi Bonitos' Facebook page for more information and y'all can follow them on this Twitter handle.

Mi Bonitos Restaurant
Oregano St. cor Lopez Avenue, Demarses Subdivision
4030 Los Baños, Laguna
Operating Hours: 10:00AM - 10:00PM Monday to Sunday

Pinagpala.

Some people, myself included, want a ton of material things whenever Christmas season comes. These kids? Sure, they want toys and new clothes and new books. But one thing I know they'd really want is to spend Christmas whilst being with family. And I'm pretty sure God arranged all of this because we became their family, even just for a day :)

I'm smiling from ear to ear and fighting back tears while typing this entry. The Bukas-Loob sa Diyos Youth Ministry San Pablo South District spent the whole afternoon with the kids from Pinagpala Children's Home. Pinagpala, as it is often called, was originally situated in Pila, Laguna but was recently moved to Calauan, Laguna. It houses broken families, unwed mothers and orphans and has been home for quite a few kids since it opened.

There were around 30 kids who attended which was actually a very good number since there were also around 30 members of the Youth Ministry who came. Instant Kuyas and Ates for the kids! :)

While waiting for the program to start :)

We prepared a simple program with a little bit of dancing and singing plus a ton of games which all of us enjoyed! We were in awe of the amount of prizes and loot bags that we were given and we're all just grateful to each and every individual and family that provided these gifts for the children! More photos from the party up ahead! 

Surprise, Surprise!

We participated in the Gaudium Mundo: The 1st Inter-Organization Choral Festival of St. Therese of the Child Jesus Parish, UPLB, which was organized by the Liseux Music Ministry and guess what? We got 3rd place! Ha ha! Only five (5) organizations joined and we were blessed enough to be included in the top three spots.

The process/practice was a bit gruesome hard because around 80% of us didn't have any background in chorale singing (re: SATB and all that jazz) but God sent us Ate Kris Reyes and she did an amazing job handling us! Thank you, Ate Kris! Next year, we'll be more prepared :)

Here are some photos from the event :)

Team Choral Fest

Ate Kris Reyes :)

Where's Ivan?

Carol of the Bells

Pasko Na, Sinta Ko

3rd Place, baby!

I think it's safe to say that you'll be seeing and hearing more from our group in future choral festivals in STCJP :)


Thank You, Lord! Lakas Niyo lang eh :)


Congratulations to St. Therese Choir for placing 2nd and to Singles For Christ for winning 1st place!




Oh, and thanks to Glee for the outfit-inspiration :)

HA HA!

Catch all five choral groups who joined this coming December 15, 2011, at the 8:00PM Eucharistic Celebration in St. Therese of the Child Jesus Parish! We'll all be singing together and SFC will perform their winning piece! See you all there!

Youth Encounter Mulanay.

I was blessed to be called as one of the facilitators for the Youth Encounter in Mulanay, Quezon just this past weekend. This was my fourth time to go on a mission, but only my second time as a certified facilitator. Here are some photos from the past weekend.

Welcome to the Family

No folding beds this time. I was excited to sleep on one pa man din.

Graduates of Youth Encounter Mulanay (November 2011)

Team Mulanay aka Team Someone Like You

Mum asked me if I don't get tired of doing out of town trips (i.e Mulanay is a good 5-6 hour drive from Los Baños) as a faci, and the answer's quite simple, really. Physically, yes, it's quite tiring especially since we often have little to no time for preparations because of school and other responsibilities, but being included in a mission team is really a worthwhile experience. I get to serve God in another way; I get to somehow share my knowledge with other kids, and I get to do this with some of the best people I know. Being on a mission is fulfilling and charges me Spiritually. Being on a mission makes me learn more about God, about others, and of course, about my self.

Youth Encounter # 1 San Pablo South District is coming up! Let's do this, BLD Youth!