♥ ♥ Memoirs of a Dreamer ♥ ♥: England Diaries: Day 51

Unimpressed by the winner, I have to say I was more disappointed by one of the semi-finalists who happened to be a Filipina who works as an entertainer here in Britain. I didn't see her auditions but when I saw the clip of it when they were in the process of selecting the Top 40, of which will go through to compete in the semi-finals, I immediately knew she's Filipina. There is no mistaking the accent! I was quite surprised that a non-Brit citizen is able to join the contest. Remember the fuss with that Irish contestant on American Idol? I knew Madonna Decena is not a citizen here since she said on her interview that she's only been here for 18 months, so I was quite proud to see her there. She sang Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" on the audition and made Amanda cry listening to her story about her family. I completely sympathise with her. She said she wants nothing in this world but to be with her two daughters and give them everything she possibly can, even as a single parent.

On her singing:

I wasn't impressed with her singing voice. As James has pointed out, it was probably because after hearing Charice Pempengco sing the same Whitney song, every thing fades in comparison by a long way. And if I were being honest, I'd say there were better singers in the whole competition. But nonetheless, I hoped she will get through the Finals. So, James and I made sure we didn't miss the last batch of the semi-finalist, on which two will be chosen to compete in the Finals.

On her sob story:

Every one in that contest have their own sob story to tell. Because almost all of them are passionate about what they do, and determined to follow their dreams. It was OK for Madonna to tell her sad story once in the auditions, but carrying through in the semi-finals was just downright annoying. She has the passion, the drive, the confidence and the talent, and in my unbiased opinion, she shouldn't have almost begged for sympathy votes. She said something which terribly made me cross: "Back in the Philippines, even if you have a college degree, you can't survive with only one job, it's really really hard back home". Let me, see... My sister has a college degree, and even though her husband stays home to look after the kids, they are surviving, and more. The two eldest kids are both in private schools, and the youngest is only 18 months old. My sister is only working one job. She works her ass off but she manages to give her family a life, that to her standard, they deserve, and it is quite high. She writes books on her spare time, but that isn't a 9-5 job, where you only have to come in and after the day, you get paid for your time. Writing takes a long time, and a lot of spare time, which she normally doesn't have so she writes mostly in the summer when Univ is not so busy, as she is a teacher. I'm really proud of her, by the way. My mum does not even have a college degree, and she worked one job and raised four children, raised three on her own. My brother almost got a college degree, but still, he is able to send his son to a private school, whilst his wife stays a home maker. My bestfriends Sarah and Karen are home makers as well, and their husbands only work one job and they are living a comfortable enough life. I am not saying that life in the Philippines is all that good, I am just saying that Madonna should have just kept her mouth shut except to sing. It would have been a lot better if she projected Filipinos as happy, talented and charming, like how we are usually known for. Think Reynaldo Lapuz or Jasmine Trias or Charice Pempengco. A happy spirit just proud to be blessed and proud to be Pinoys. People already know that the Philippines is a third-world country, and I just really am disappointed that Madonna chose the bad thing to tell Britain and the world. To mention is fine, but to stress it out repeatedly is not. I mean, Reynaldo Lapuz is a tricycle driver in the Philippines but you look at him, and he is just happy to be able to work abroad, and I am proud of him for bringing the Filipino fun-loving spirit to the world. Life in the Philippines may be hard, but life abroad is n't exactly an easy one, is it? The only difference is that you aren't able to book holidays in the Philippines if you are an average working class, a car is more of a luxury than a necessity back home, and even if you have a good job, you still can't afford one because the money you earn is only enough to keep you and your family. Back home, people earn just enough, and to some people just enough is not enough, so they try their luck abroad. Which I think is a really brave thing to do. It takes a lot of courage and love to leave your family behind to work in a strange land to provide them with a better life. And it is really touching when the OFWs are able to set aside the loneliness brought by missing home, and just for a moment be grateful for the chance she was given: a chance to work abroad and earn for her family, and a chance to show the world that Filipinos are damn amazing people. Madonna failed that more than she failed to be in Britain's Got Talent Finals.

Watch her Audition clip: