I am being lulled by the sound of waves swelling to and fro, the ground weightless and floating beneath me. I wait for my beloved, keeping the fire burning for him to see. In the distance, I am his lighthouse. . .the fire that will bring him home to me.



Forgive me, I am waxing poetic at the moment and writing the equivalent of literary gibberish. After spending a late evening waiting for Rein to come home from another long and difficult day at work, I couldn't help but be moved to tears by the song playing on my computer, Hero and Leander. It is a wondrous song, written and sung by Adam Guettel and inspired by the poignant story of mythical lovers Hero and Leander.

Guettel is musical theater royalty, the son of Mary Rogers and grandson of no less than Richard Rogers (best known as one half of the brilliant writing team Rogers and Hart, and eventually Rogers and Hammerstein). With DNA like that, how could he miss? Well he didn't, and he has already won a Tony for scoring "The Light in the Piazza".

He should have won something besides my heart for writing this. Here are the lyrics, but I wish you could hear what I'm hearing. A haunting melody, a plaintive piano solo, and orchestral swells meant to evoke the passionate crashing and ebbing of the tide, or the sighs of two lovers with an entire ocean between them. Ahhhh. . .I am transported to distant stars.


Could I be Leander?
On a wave am I borne?
Borne to a new home
Across this lonely sea.

Could you be my Hero,
Heart afire?
My lighthouse on the shoreline
Could you be that to me?

Oh, I need you
I need the rise and fall of your voice.
Oh, I love you
And now I have a love to rejoice.
Hero and Leander,
How your passion is brave,
Even if I drown here
Inside this wave.
My lighthouse on the shoreline
My passion on this lonely sea.
My loving you was meant to be.

Oh. . .

Oh now, could you be that to me?
Oh, I need you
I need the rise and fall of your voice.
Oh, I love you
And now I have a love to rejoice.
Hero and Leander,
How your passion is brave
Even I drown here
Inside this wave.
My lighthouse on the shoreline
My passion on this lonely sea.
My loving you was meant,
Was meant to be.

Received two tags the other day. After consuming an entire bag of Clover Chips, I actually feel like doing one of them. There's a moral in here somewhere. Hehe.

So here goes.

From a certain Gabrielle, to Unicorn Child, to me, here are the rules:

• You must answer all of the questions.
• They are this-or-that questions. “Or” means you can NOT choose both of the options.
• You have to choose only one option.
• Write the reason for your answer. If you blog it, link you post back to this entry and/or trackback it. And copy/paste these five rules, too.
• If you don't want to blog it, answer these questions in the comment
  
  
  A - America or England? Since Broadway can't hold a candle to the West End, then I have to say England. Besides, it's where my mother's family is from.
  
  B - Beauty or Personality? Definitely beauty. With the exception of Oprah, it's what will really get you places in this world. Hehe. And who says beautiful people don't have personalities, too? And I am not bitter. Hahahahahaha.
  
  C - Cats or Dogs? I don't really prefer dogs, but there really isn't much you can do with cats (unless they're still kittens and you have a ball of string). So I have to go with dogs.
  
  D - Dance or Sing? I get to dance in major musicals because there are kind people in theater. So I'm gonna have to go with sing.
  
  E - Extrovert or Introvert? Introvert. Home is my sanctuary. Anything beyond my iron gates is terrifying.
  
  F - Fiction or Non-fiction? Non-fiction. My most recent reads are a biography on Natalie Wood by her sister Lana; Mammoth (The Resurrection of an Ice Age Giant) by science writer Richard Stone; and A Brief History Of Time by out-of-this-world genius Stephen Hawking.
  
  G - Goofy or Pluto? Pluto. Goofy is too gangly and well, too. . .goofy. Pluto, on the other hand, doesn't speak. A most welcome attribute in any character, cartoon or otherwise.
  
  H - His/Hers or Yours? His/Hers. My husband loves getting matching things for us, like shirts and slippers or sandals.
  
  I - Irritated or Irritating? I'm not allowed to say both, which IS irritating! So at this moment, I have to say irritated.
  
  J - Juice or Yoghurt? If it's a fruit-flavored yoghurt, like strawberry, then I prefer that.
  
  K - KFC or McDonald’s? KFC's chicken tempura. And dragon go-gos.
  
  L - Love or Lust? Love! Because it lusts. . .er, I mean, it lasts.
  
  M - Money or Looks? Since I wouldn't want to go under the knife, even if I had the money, then I'd put my money on looks. One can make a tidy living just by looking good.
  
  N - Night or Day? Tough one. I'm sorry, I really love both. Sue me.
  
  O - Older or Younger? Older. Wisdom is sexy.
  
  P - Pale or Burnt? Better well-done than rare.
  
  Q - Questioned or Answered? Few people survived the Inquisition.
  
  R - Red or Blue? Blue. Aqua, in particular. It's so fluid and vivid. Red tries too hard, I think.
  
  S - Stay or Go? I want to see the world.
  
  T - Take or Give? To be honest, I'm a taker. But only so I would have something to give. Blessings, for example.
  
  U - Usage or Style? Usage. Function over form. Practical doesn't have to be boring.
  
  V - Vain or Plain? That would be plain, I'm afraid. I commit style crimes everyday. I walk around with my hair in a ponytail all day long (even my husband's complaining!), and wear the same ratty capri jeans and t-shirts to the mall. I'm a perfect candidate for an ambush makeover. Except I wouldn't be gasping at the results too much. I already get glammed up for my shows all the time anyway. Been there, been that. Hehe. So that wouldn't be much fun for the makeover team, now would it? Check out this before and after look, below. . .
  
  

W - West or East? God is funny sometimes. He gave me the mind and heart of a westerner, and then let me be grow up and live. . .not just in the east, but in the far east.

X - Xena or Wonderwoman? Linda Carter was strong and feminine. Lucy Lawless was just strong. And that invisible jet is awesome!

Y - Yes or Maybe? Maybe. I'm not too big on risks.

Z - Zip or Unzip? Zip. I don't like being too exposed.

I'm not tagging anybody. But it's a good filler for your blog when there's not much else to talk about. Hehe.

Instructions: Just read the sentence straight through without really thinking about it.

Acocdrnig to an elgnsih unviesitry sutdy the oredr of letetrs in awrod dosen't mttaer, the olny thnig thta's iopmrantt is that the frsit and lsat ltteer of eevry word is in the crcreot ptoision. The rset canbe jmbueld and one is stlil able to raed the txet wiohtut dclftfuiiy.

I've known some pretty amazing women in my life, and it should come as no surprise that most of them happen to be mothers. Today I pay tribute, not just to the mothers in these women, but to the women in these mothers.

So to my mother, Doris Gaskell-Nuyda, my mother-in-law Evelyn Escalante-Tatlonghari, my sisters and sisters-in-law, my dearest and closest friends (and their mothers!)--HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!



Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Maya Angelou

I also want to make a very special, quiet tribute to another phenomenal woman...dancer, businesswoman, mother of two amazing children and loving wife to good friend and fellow actor Jim Paolelli...to Joy Paolelli, who passed away suddenly two days ago. Your spirit will live on forever, Joy. We were blessed in this world to have known you.

I was in a culinary mood yesterday, and wanted to surprise the hubby with a dinner meal that wasn't fried or grilled for a change. Called up Peachy for a quick pasta recipe, and she texted in a deceptively simple, 15-minute Carbonara variation. For those who may not know it, I am of that breed of homemaker that lives by the earth-shaking words: If you can read, you can cook. Well, tiny as my fone's screen is, I could certainly still read her instructions. I just kept piling all the ingredients into the pan as she directed, without knowing what this thing was supposed to look or taste like. I had my doubts at first. Why so much bell pepper? And did I really have to fry real bacon? Wouldn't bacon bits do? And does half a cup mean half of a teacup, or a coffee mug? (As you can see, my stint at Le Cordon Bleu was but a dream sequence in my life, hehe.) Well, suffice it to say, the 15-minute dish was accomplished in...less than two hours, was served and pronounced a delightful success by my tired, but appreciative husband. (Thanks, Peach!) I am actually excited to finish off the portion I set aside for my lunch today.

Coincidentally, I picked up a book from my shelf (I read two, three books at a time -- don't ask me why) today and opened to this page. See what you come up with with this recipe. Haha.

Round about the cauldron go;
In the poisoned entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty-one
Sweltered venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the charmed pot

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and owlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble

Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
Witches' mummy, maw and gulf
Of the ravined salt-sea shark,
Root of hemlock digged in' the dark,
Liver of blaspheming Jew,
Gall of goat, and slips of yew
Silvered in the moon's eclipse,
Nose of Turk and Tartar's lips,
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-delivered by a drab,
Make the gruel thick and slab:
Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
For the ingredients of our cauldron.

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good. (see, al dente!)

MACBETH, Shakespeare - Act 4, Scene 1

You Are 64% Happy

You are a very happy person. Generally, you feel content and that all is right with the world. Occasionally, you have a down day - but you have the ability to pick yourself right back up.

I am glad there's so much more room for happiness in my life. With just 5 months of married life behind me, I have an entire lifetime with my husband to learn all about how passion and affection grow into the kind of love that lasts. No sense in waking up and smelling all the roses and coffee beans in one go. Keep it simple, travel light. Take it one day at a time. That's how I intend to travel this road.