Next Stop Wonderland

Amazing Space

2008-02-26T19:13:00.000+08:00

I've always known I was a geek, but I recently discovered that I am the worst kind -- the sappy geek.

Rein and I decided to check out the SM Discovery Science Center at the Mall of Asia the other day, and stood first in line at the Planetarium. While I could hear my dear husband gently snoozing beside me during the 30-minute NASA production entitled "The Search For Life: Are We Alone?", I stared up at the 180-degree dome screen and allowed myself to get lost in the wondrous tale of the universe, with its trillion suns, stars, planets, and even the possibility of finding life in some galaxy nearby, or far, far away.

As the camera moved fluidly from the depths of the earth and up into the starry, infinite vastness of space, tears suddenly sprang from my eyes unbidden! Surrounded by noisy, fidgety grade-schoolers on a field trip, my silent little bubble of emotion was a bit embarrassing. But there you have it -- outer space (and all its hidden realms and secrets) simply amazes me and leaves me speechless and overwhelmed, even when it's just experienced in a dark, 158-seat theater. I'm a sappy geek, what can you do?

24-Hour Daycare in BF Homes, Parañaque!

2008-02-20T12:51:00.000+08:00

As they say, it takes a village to raise a child. When a community comes together to address its own concerns, good things are bound to happen. Rein and I recently got involved in a dynamic, non-stock, non-profit community-based organization that provides solutions to very real issues. This is one of them. I am not yet a parent, but if I were, this would be something I would wholeheartedly support. And I do.

LIFELINE Parental Assistance Programme 24-Hour Daycare Center

To busy working parents: have you ever dreamed someone like Mary Poppins or Nanny McFee would appear at your doorstep offering their heaven-sent child-rearing services?

With the impossible schedules most working parents face today (particularly those working in call centers), resorting to leaving children at home in the yaya's care is inevitable. But reliable help in the form of nannies who will genuinely and properly care for your child are rare finds nowadays.

As parents, we want our children to grow up being influenced by properly trained people in a healthy, stimulating environment. How sure are we that our children are well taken care of? What kind of conversations do they have, or what kind of TV shows do they watch while at home with yaya? Is your child being treated well while you are gone? Are they being educated and encouraged to learn at an age-appropriate pace? These are valid concerns that we understand.

On March 15, Lifeline Foundation will open its doors to all parents interested in enrolling their children aged 0-9 in our Lifeline Parental Assistance Programme 24-hour Daycare Centre. Daycare services are divided into 12-hour shifts in which your child can join in programs and activities that are right for their age.

The daycare is headed by mothers who fully understand the need for having a safe, reliable and accessible daycare where parents can be assured that their children are in the best hands whenever they're away at work. With its safety-centered approach, professionally trained staff of educators, nutritionists and nannies, LPAP will provide round-the-clock daycare and support. Sounds expensive? You might be pleasantly surprised!

The following are features of the Parental Assistance 24-Hour Daycare:

Child-proofed home environment
All materials are safety-tested and routinely disinfected
Professionally trained and English-speaking nannies
Regularly scheduled enrichment activities (art, music, English, etc)
Physical activities (movement, coordination, dance, games, etc)
Nanny cams throughout the whole place, with access through Yahoo! Messenger so parents can check in on their child while at work
2 healthy snacks per day
24-hour daycare facility with 12-hour blocks
Manager and Security Guards on-duty

Finally, good, reliable, and AFFORDABLE childcare is finally in the neighborhood! Interested? Give me a call (0921-3501579) or PM me for details. You can also visit the Lifeline website at http://www.ineedalifeline.org

*Text updated from the Lifeline Foundation brochure and blogsite.

Tubig ni Maria Clara

2008-01-29T19:58:00.000+08:00

My college buddies and I met up the other day -- the first of hopefully several get-togethers this year. Except for a couple of weddings, two kids, career turns, and a promotion or two over the years, things haven't changed much -- to my relief and delight. Everyone's as kooky as ever, with the same wry humor that first drew us to each other as freshmen at DLSU.

This particular lunch date was in celebration of a birthday (Me-an's), Christmas, New Year, and Valentine's Day all rolled into one. We unloaded gifts that had been in storage for goodness knows how long (it hasn't been easy getting together these days), and just generally caught up on each other's lives. Minus the mindless prattle about upper-classmen crushes (we're happily past all that!), the conversation was as scintillating as ever.

At the Greenbelt bridge pond:

Me-an: Oh look there!
Hail: Wow! Are those swans? (to David, Hail's 6-year old son) Look David, swans!
Annie: No, I think they're too small to be swans.
Me-an: Yeah, their necks are too short.
Hail: But they seem too big to be ducks.
Jennie: Oh maybe they're geese! They could be geese!
Annie: They're ducks.
Me-an: Yeah, they're ducks.
Hail: Ok then, they're ducks...(to David)...look David -- ducks!
Jennie: Well if they're ducks, they're certainly not pinoy ducks...

At Restaurante Pio y Damaso (Greenbelt 5):

Me-an: The Lengua sounds good.
Annie: Wow, Ostrich Beef! Let's try that.
Jennie: How about the Tapang Usa? The waiter said it's a bestseller.
Me-an: Please, let's not order anything that could be endangered.
Jennie: Why, what's "usa"?
Hail: Deer.
Jennie: Oh, yeah...I wouldn't want to eat Bambi.
Annie: Let's just order the ostrich.
Jennie: An ostrich attacked me once. In Subic. So yeah, let's order that.

Annie: What do we drink?
Me-an: I ordered a pitcher of Tubig ni Maria Clara.
Hail: What on earth is that?
Annie: Who cares?

Hail: Is there anything here a child can eat? I have to feed David.
Annie: Hmmm...what to feed David....
Jennie: Does he eat adobo?
Hail: Yeah, he can eat that.
Jennie: It says here that it's chicken, pork, and liver adobo.
Me-an: (to waiter) Can you serve that without the liver? I hate liver.
Jennie: Uh, Me-an...that's how they cook it, with the liver.
Annie: You don't have to eat the liver.
Jennie: And they just put that in for flavor. It's not the main ingredient.

The Adobo arrives in a small bowl that doesn't look like it can hold much...adobo.

Hail: There's still bringing in another bowl, right?
Annie: Uh, I think this is the only bowl.
Hail: What.
Jennie: Don't worry, David can have that one piece of chicken. I'll eat the liver.
Hail: Really? Thanks! At least the liver chunks are big.
Me-an: Ugh. Liver.
Annie: So where's the pork?

And so, except for the liver-filled adobo, we had a great time. We actually recommend the Ostrich Beef. But being who we are, we just couldn't leave without letting them know what we thought of our dining experience. Below is a note we wrote on the paper table mat addressed to Padre Damaso himself and signed by Peping and the three Gomburzas:

We ended the day with huge chocolately desserts at Max Brenner Chocolate Bar...

Hail: Wow, are all the waiters here really supposed to be bald?
Annie: Of course! That's because Max Brenner...is the brother of Yul.

Samira's Grand Entrance

2008-01-27T18:22:00.000+08:00

Hello world!

Here's our very first glimpse of beautiful Samira Gabrielle Kahn de la Peña! Isn't she perfect? I found myself staring in awe at this bundled-up beauty through the nursery window of St. Luke's hospital, with proud daddy Alvin beaming beside me and Rein.

New mommy Mitch -- exhausted, but strong and happy -- gave us a blow-by-blow account of the 12-hour journey that began when her water broke early last evening to the first time she laid eyes on her adorable daughter this morning.

I'm so proud of Mitch, who's been an amazing friend all these years. I can't count how many times we Trumpets girls imagined just such a moment, way back when we were single and had time on our hands between shows and rehearsals. And now that moment is here for her. What joy! And I'm really proud of Alvin, who has become everything we believed he could be and more. Sam-Sam is truly blessed to have such parents...and they are unbelievably blessed to have this lovely new gift from God in their lives.

CONGRATULATIONS to this fabulous new family!

So Long

2008-01-23T06:06:00.000+08:00

I turned my computer on this morning and the first news that greeted me was that actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his Manhattan apartment. He was 28. I'm not sure why -- I'm not a huge fan or anything -- but the news kind of hit me hard. I spent a few minutes waiting for it to sink in. I guess it's because in the five or so of his films that I've seen, he showed himself to be a notch above the average Hollywood star. He seemed anti-Hollywood even, in his diverse choice of roles. Or maybe it's just never easy whenever another promising light is snuffed out. The last time I felt like this was for River Phoenix. I don't know. It's just sad.

Lot of Livin' To Do

2008-01-08T21:27:00.000+08:00

A blast from the past! Picked up this clip from my former Playshop student Mae's site and I was transported to one musical summer 3 or 4 years ago. I taught a teen musical theater class and decided to do "Bye Bye Birdie" for our showcase. I loved the film and the cast album and couldn't wait to get all that fabulous (and difficult!) music (thank you from the bottom of my heart ManMan!) and book on stage. It was to be my directorial debut and so was relieved to get quite a talented group of teens. Mae, for one, struck me as the perfect Kim MacAfee from the moment she auditioned. The other kids were just as perfect in their roles as well. Wish I had more pictures and videos! It wasn't an easy summer but I was really proud of my class, and of our show. Here's a little bit of it, a small showstopper called "A Lot of Livin' To Do"...

From the archives: Lot of Livin'

Curtain Call

2008-01-04T18:13:00.000+08:00

2007 was tough, but it was also eventful. In the theater of my life, let me take a bow for surviving the year that was, as I bravely enter this new year. HELLO 2008!

Have a Groovy 2008!

2007-12-27T15:17:00.000+08:00

HAVE A GROOVY NEW YEAR Y'ALL!

Love, Rein & Jen

Don't send a lame Starring You! eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Meri Meri, Hapi Hapi!

2007-12-26T13:33:00.000+08:00

Wow, it's been a looong while since I did anything here on Multiply, and that's because it's been an amazingly busy last quarter of the year. I had the best time being part of Seussical, and just being part of the whole theater scene again (even if it was just a mall show) after a year-long hiatus. I was ill for the most part of that run, and had a list of respiratory complaints as long as my arm, but I guess there's nothing like a good show to heal one's tired spirit.

I hope y'all had a fantabulous Christmas season like I did...and see you in 2008!!! (Cue fireworks)

"Ask" by Alakpa

2007-10-28T06:15:00.000+08:00

Cool music video. Cool band. Cool song. Featuring my cool niece, Niña Nuyda Defensor.

Alternative rock band Alakpa was nominated for the "Best Music Video" category for this November's NU107 Rock Awards, for the song "Ask". You can vote for them by texting: nuvote(space)alakpa and send to 291071.

Text as many times as you can!

Meanwhile, check out the video here:
http://emersonreyes.multiply.com/video/item/6/music_videoAsk_by_ALAKPA_sa_wakas_natapos_ko_na..heheFIRST_CUT

Dear Keira

2007-09-27T23:03:00.000+08:00

Baby face, don't grow so fast
Make a special wish that will always last
Rub this magic lantern
It will make your dreams come true for you

Ride the rainbow to the other side
Catch a falling star and then take a ride
To the river that sings and the sunshine that
Brings blessings to you, it's all true

Pink elephants and lemonade, dear Keira
Hear the laughter running through the love parade
Candy kisses and a sunny day, dear Keira
See the roses raining on the love parade

If the land of make believe
Is inside your heart it will never leave
Theres a golden gate where the fairies all wait
And dancing moons, for you

Close your eyes and you'll be there
Where the mermaids sing as they comb their hair
Like a fountain of gold you can never grow old
Where dreams are made, your love parade

Pink elephants and lemonade, dear Keira
Hear the laughter running through the love parade
Candy kisses and a sunny day, dear Keira
See the roses running through the love parade

Your dreams are made inside the love parade...
Its a holiday inside the love parade...

On the merry-go-round of lovers and white turtle doves
Leprechauns floating by, this is your lullaby
Sugarplum fingertips kissing your honey lips
Close your eyes sleepy head, is it time for your bed
Never forget what I said...
Hang on youre already there!

Close your eyes and you'll be there
Where the mermaids sing as they comb their hair
Like a fountain of gold you can never grow old
Where dreams are made, your love parade

To my feisty, spunky, sweeter-than-light goddaughter Kirsten Soleil Marasigan, a.k.a. Keira....

As you turn a year old, I can only watch in amazement as you grow wiser and more adorable with each passing day. With a smile in my heart, I wish you candy-bright todays and sugar-sunny tomorrows. It's truly one of my joys to see you everyday and be a witness to your wonderful wonder years!

Happy happy happy 1st birthday!

To your parents, my dearest friends Peachy and Allan, thank you for sharing precious Keira moments with this smitten ninang. Be blessed always!

*Song (with tweaked lyrics) courtesy of a Madonna fave, "Dear Jessie"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUNNY!

2007-09-07T23:00:00.000+08:00

For you I wish all the amazingly happy things you can imagine...

I pray for God's protection, assurance and wisdom to follow you wherever you go...

I pray for prosperity of spirit, as well as body...

I pray that I can be a blessing to you every day...

I pray that you will find heaven's lovely gifts strewn all over the path you walk...

Happy Birthday to you, my amazing husband and best friend...REIN.

I You!

Happy 6th, MLH!

2007-08-06T12:07:00.000+08:00

Some Days

2007-07-14T08:13:00.001+08:00

Labor of Love

2007-07-01T19:22:00.000+08:00

The product of a lot of long days and short deadlines, this High School Musical souvenir magazine is literally a labor of love. For one, the companies behind this production, Stages and Playshop, are very close to my heart. Playshop is the magical door (ala Narnia) through which I was introduced to the world of Trumpets, my theater homebase; and Stages is like a second family in which my love for performing was nurtured and encouraged to grow. Secondly, many of the kids from this Manila staging were once students of mine at one point or another in my colorful history as a Playshop teacher. So you can imagine why this project was special!

I say "labor" because with the impossible deadlines we were given, it was nothing short of a miracle that we delivered 3,000 copies of the mag on time at all. And I say "love" because...well, how could I ever say no to a "family" project!

Every major endeavor or task leaves me a little changed, and this one certainly did. Weeks before crunch time -- the tough, final week before printing -- my spiritual encouragements were all focused on faith. Not just any kind of faith, but trusting faith. The concept was burned into my psyche for weeks. Little did I know how much I was going to need it in that crucial week before everything fell into place and came together. My faith was tested time and again, and my confidence in myself and my colleagues was constantly under attack.

Needless to say, we got through it alive -- not a little battered and bruised -- and came out still smiling and exhilarated. It was really enough that we delivered on time and had a product to be proud of in our hands. But God saw fit to reward us further. Stages loved the magazine, and even better---so did the Meralco audiences! Friends in the Stages staff say they've never looked forward to selling programs so much before. That's because, according to them, it was selling really well so far. The lines to the souvenir program table at intermission proved it.

And so, we hope that all of you who will be dropping by the Meralco Theater this month to watch High School Musical, will also get a chance to enjoy our little labor of love. Don't forget to pick up a copy the moment you get there!

Our House

2007-05-19T10:24:00.000+08:00

This is my favorite part of our house: The corner with the hurricane lamp and the picture window beside it, a photo of Rein and me on our honeymoon, and framed baby pictures of us on the wall above. Like a shrine, I find myself passing by this corner everyday before leaving for work. It's like facing both the past and the present all at once.

It's hard putting into words what I feel about my life today. When it comes to marriage, some people gush and some people gripe. I do both from time to time, but on the whole, I wouldn't have it any other way. As always, I find myself looking to my favorite songs to express my thoughts and feelings. How do I feel about my life with Rein? Graham Nash says it best:

I'll light the fire
You place the flowers in the vase
That you bought today
Staring at the fire
For hours and hours
While I listen to you play your love songs
All night long for me
Only for me

Come to me now
And rest your head for just five minutes
Everything is done
Such a cozy room
The windows are illuminated
By the evening sunshine through them
Fiery gems for you
Only for you

Our house, is a very, very, very fine house
With two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy 'cause of you

La la la....

I'll light the fire
While you place the flowers in the vase
That you bought today

I Was Here

2007-04-23T21:21:00.000+08:00

My dear friend Rony celebrated a milestone recently, and chose to spend his big day among family and friends back home in Manila. I suppose I could describe the evening as musical, but it was really more magical than that. Theater music filled the air, and the voices of theatre angels took centerstage right alongside the music-maker himself. Nothing was rehearsed, as there was really no need. Anyone who has ever sung with Rony on the piano will know what I mean.

Taking my turn on the microphone brought back a flood of memories. Glittery evenings in hotel ballrooms, open air stages, nerve-wracking auditions, hilarious lounge gigs, intricately arranged melodies, forgotten lyrics, made-up new ones, voices soaring, voices blending in not one, not two, not three--but 5-part harmonies! Without a doubt, those moments made up some of the best years of my life. And Rony figured prominently in most of them.

Opening the show with a song he wrote himself, entitled "How Do You Open A Show?", Rony graciously gave the floor to his singing guests before ending the evening with a simple, but very touching rendition of a Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty showstopper called "I Was Here", from the musical The Glorious Ones. Check out Patti Lupone's version!

Take in the lyrics and see why theater people--who, in my opinion, are the greatest, most fabulous people on earth--do what they do. Why I do what I do.

I Was Here
by Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty

I've gone without bread. I've slept in the mud
I've given my best while they've screamed for my blood
I've begged and I've bullied for any small chance to perform
At nights I've awakened, my guts in a knot
Remembering how much I gave up and for what
Some paints and some costumes, a pitiful tent in a storm
A handful of coins, a trunk always packed
No family, no home, just this madness to act
Still I have a theory about this disease we contract
That most men are equally crazy as actors in fact

Why does a boy carve his name on a tree
Or the firstborn inherit the throne
What is a sculptor aspiring to be
When he spends half his life carving stone
Kings build their tombs for the ages
Poets and fools fill up their pages
What are we hoping for, what do we fear
I say we yearn to leave something that lasts
To be known for what little we've done
Men tell their children the tales of their pasts
And each man gives his name to his son
Something in song or in story
Something in blood, something of glory
Something that won't fade away in a year

Well, I will not flicker and die like an ember
Too many men flicker and die
I will leave something behind to remember
Somehow I must, don't ask me why
I have no wealth, at least none I can claim
And no patience for carving in stone
All that I have are my skill and my name
And this chance to make both of them known
This is my key to the portal
How I can leave something immortal
Something that time cannot make disappear
Something to say I was here!

Way to go, Rony! May I just congratulate Angel, Joshua, and all those who put the evening together for a spectacular job done, well. . . spectacularly! Here's to your 31st!

Sailing

2007-04-12T08:48:00.000+08:00

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

- Mark Twain

Summer

2007-04-10T08:37:00.000+08:00

Summertime is. . .when we hit the sunny beaches and occupy ourselves keeping the sun off our skin, the saltwater off our bodies, and the sand out of our belongings.

-Erma Bombeck paraphrased

A New Friend

2007-04-02T21:37:00.000+08:00

Photo courtesy of Keira's mom

Rein made a new friend today. Stopping by to pick me up after work, he found himself "hi-jacked" by this little charmer, Unicorn Child's 6-month old baby girl and my goddaughter, Keira. Look closely and you'll see who (or what) Keira would rather befriend! Like the cuddly magpie that she is, Rein's shiny silver watch is all she cares about for the moment.

As a staple of my daily My Left Hand diet (I see her everyday at work), Keira occupies a considerable chunk of my dinnertable conversations with Rein. He hears all about every new event in her life--her latest word-sounds, her sweet little outfits, her ongoing battle with solid food, her mood swings, and even the amount of muscle power it takes to carry her for more than 5 minutes! Today, he happily experienced some of that for himself. . .with the aching muscles to prove it! Today also marks a milestone of sorts as it is the first time Rein has agreed to hold Keira -- or any baby this small, for that matter -- in his arms. Like many uninitiated males, he always felt like he would drop them if he tried. But as this photo shows, Rein looks like he could ably take on fatherhood himself one of these days.

I can't wait.

Stage Left

2007-03-13T16:07:00.000+08:00

Our new website is finally up! We at My Left Hand have grown up a lot in the last 5 years and our new look shows it. So stop by for a visit--who knows? You may have need for one or two of our highly specialized services. Welcome! Just click the pic above!

The Midnight Cat

2007-02-28T13:59:00.000+08:00

Couldn't get a wink of sleep last night because our dog Trixie was barking up a storm outside our window. As a rule, there aren't many things that rile her up or get her attention. Noisy birds that swoop down to steal food from her doggy dish, the neighbor's tank cleaner making clanging noises in their empty tank, the occasional bug or mouse she'd try to smoke out of dark corners -- these are what usually cause her to sound the alarm from time to time. The other night it was a snake--yes, a snake--a foot-long firecracker that tried to look fierce and deadly under the threat of Trixie's bared teeth. In this case, we were very grateful to Trixie for her dogged determination (pardon the you-know-what) to get that thing out in the open, out from under a wooden plank, so that we could deal with it properly.

But last night, Trixie was on a desperate mission. A mission that was costing Rein and I some much needed rest (and probably annoying a few neighbors in the process as well). When we looked out the window, it took us a few minutes to see what was causing the commotion. A sleek, black cat with blazing green eyes had silently padded its way across the top of the wall to finally settle down right at the center, where it knew Trixie could get a good view of it. Trixie kept barking at it, trying to scare it away. She knew her job. Absolutely no intruders--human or otherwise! To my mind, that cat was deliberately taunting our poor pup and driving her to distraction. It knew Trixie wouldn't be able to jump that high up. And in the midst of all this relentless barking and howling, it just sat there, cool as you please, purring contentedly and basking in her moment of victory over an ancient foe, in behalf of all felines everywhere.

We walked up to the wall to try to shoo it away, to no avail. Finally, when it probably had its fill of gloating, it stood up and padded off to other unsuspecting roofs. After Trixie had calmed down, we went back to bed. The last thought in my mind before drifting off was that cats were not going to be welcome in our house after tonight.

Tom Augustus Twiddle-me-Whiskers jumped upon the tiles,

From chimney-pot to aerial he padded the slaty miles.
The stars moved on above him and the gardens dreamt below-
Tom Augustus Twiddle-me-Whiskers hunted for his foe.

Tom Augustus Twiddle-me-Whiskers' tail stood up on end,
He curved his back like a crescent moon, his honour to defend.
He called his foe by the secret name, he called it long and loud,
Till, clanking a chain, his foe awoke and-
BOW-WOW-WOW-WOW-WOWED!

Best Friends

2007-02-07T16:02:00.000+08:00

Very few "chain" emails are worth passing on. This one from my sister not only got my attention, it also struck a chord. I dedicate this to all my sistahs--by blood or otherwise...

When I was little,
I used to believe in the concept of one best friend,

and then I started to become a woman.

And then I found out that if you allow your heart to open up,
God would show you the best in many friends.

One friend is needed when you're going through things with your man.
Another friend is needed when you're going through things with your mom.
Another when you want to shop, share, heal, hurt, joke, or just be.
One friend will say, "Let's cry together,"
another, "Let's fight together,"
another, "Let's walk away together."

One friend will meet your spiritual need,
another your shoe fetish,
another your love for movies,
another will be with you in your season of confusion,
another will be your clarifier,
another the wind beneath your wings.

But whatever their assignment in your life,
on whatever the occasion,
on whatever the day,
or wherever you need them to meet you with their gym shoes on and hair pulled back,
or to hold you back from making a complete fool of yourself.
those are your best friends.

It may all be wrapped up in one woman,
but for many,
it's wrapped up in several...
one from 7th grade,
one from high school,
several from the college years,
a couple from old jobs,
on some days your mother,
on some days your neighbor,
on others, your sisters,
and on some days, your daughters.

So whether they've been your friend for 20 minutes or 20 years,
think of the women
that God has placed in your path to make your life special.
Each one is a gift, and each one is a miracle.
Each one reminds me just how blessed I am.

Ordinary Miracle

2007-02-03T23:48:00.000+08:00

On one of my "me" days this week, I watched "Charlotte's Web" all alone on its very first screening of the day. I bought a Taters hotdog sandwich with fries, a tumblerful of Pepsi and a great big bag of Holy Kettle Corn and settled into my seat at the very center of row F. There may have been two or three other people sprinkled around me somewhere, but as far as I was concerned, this was my very own private screening of a film I've longed to see for quite a while.

Based on E.B. White's classic children's tale of an extraordinary friendship between some (seemingly) ordinary farm denizens, this "quiet" film was to be a welcome change from all the noisy complexities of everyday life. When the lights went down, the national anthem began to play. With no one around to check my actions, I still found myself jumping to my feet--the lone patriot in a darkened theatre who was determined to start her day right.

One hour and 53 minutes later, the credits rolled and the lights went back up. I was no longer alone (the theatre had begun to fill up) but I didn't mind. By this time I was already lost inside my own little bubble of emotion. I was wiping away tears and daydreaming of buying my own farm (with a red barn full of pigs, horses, geese, sheep and cows named Bitsy and Betsy) somewhere in the rural Midwest. Needless to say, the film did not disappoint. I don't think even E.B. White could have found fault in this celluloid interpretation of his literary "magnum opus", as Charlotte herself would have put it.

I remained in my seat to follow the fascinating credits (the voice cast is unbelievable) and to soak in Sarah McLachlan's soothing melodies and poignant lyrics. Her words pretty much say it all. Let me share them with you:

It’s not that usual when everything is beautiful
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

The sky knows when its time to snow
You don’t need to teach a seed to grow
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

Life is like a gift they say
Wrapped up for you everyday
Open up and find a way
To give some of your own

Isn’t it remarkable?
Like every time a raindrop falls
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

Birds in winter have their fling
And always make it home by spring
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

When you wake up everyday
Please don’t throw your dreams away
Hold them close to your heart
'Cause we are all a part
Of the ordinary miracle

Do you want to see a miracle?

It seems so exceptional
Things just work out after all
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

The sun comes up and shines so bright
It disappears again at night
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

It’s just another ordinary miracle today

.........................

P.S. I have found my epitaph. Please remember to have the last two lines of the book (and the film) etched on my tombstone when the time comes. Just substitute "Charlotte" with my name.

Midnights and Cups of Coffee

2007-01-29T16:53:00.000+08:00

I was just remembering one of my favorite classes in college, INTPOET (Introduction to Poetry), taught by Palanca (the Philippine equivalent of the Pulitzer) awardee and hall of famer Cirilio F. Bautista. It was more than a course in appreciation. It was an immersion trip into the realm of words and allusion--a better understanding of the whys and wherefores of meter and rhyme, metaphors and similes, streams of consciousness, and the dizzying possibilites of free verse. I loved digging into both ancient and pop-cult references to unearth each poet's train of thought, eventually leading to lightbulb moments in my own literary explorations.

For my class recitation, I had to interpret Dylan Thomas' much quoted masterpiece, Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night. I had a field day with it. Little did I know that years later, I would have reason to tap into Thomas' poetic, if desperate, attempt to rouse his dying father's will to live.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

But few of the works we studied piqued my interest more than T.S. Eliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. With its countless allusions and metaphors, I probably spent weeks trying to decode each line. But it was worth it, as it had a profound effect on how I write today, particularly the line "I have measured out my life with coffee spoons". That one line says it all, doesn't it? Several noted songwriters apparently thought so too. Take the musical RENT's Jonathan Larson, for instance, in his song Seasons of Love ("How do you measure, measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee..."), or in the songs of the Canadian rock band The Crash Test Dummies ("Afternoons will be measured out in coffeespoons and T.S. Eliot..."). Artists like Tori Amos, Rush, Lloyd Cole and several others have infused their own lyrics with Prufrockian sentiments, not to mention many successful writers of film and television.

But let the work speak for itself. Here it is in its entirety:

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
by T.S. Eliot

S`io credesse che mia risposta fosse
A persona che mai tornasse al mondo,
Questa fiamma staria senza piu scosse.
Ma perciocche giammai di questo fondo
Non torno vivo alcun, s'i'odo il vero,
Senza tema d'infamia ti rispondo.

Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question...
Oh, do not ask, `` What is it? ''
Let us go and make our visit.

In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening.
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains.
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys.
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.

And indeed there will be time
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,
Rubbing its back upon the window-panes;
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
Time for you and time for me.
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
Before the taking of a toast and tea.

In the room the women come and go
Talking of Michelangelo.

And indeed there will be time
To wonder, ``Do I dare?'' and, ``Do I dare?''
Time to turn back and descend the stair,
With a bald spot in the middle of my hair--
[They will say: ``How his hair is growing thin!'']
My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin,
My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin--
[They will say: ``But how his arms and legs are thin!'']
Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.

For I have known them all already, known them all:
Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,
I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;
I know the voices dying with a dying fall
Beneath the music from a farther room.
So how should I presume?

And I have known the eyes already, known them all--
The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,
And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,
When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,
Then how should I begin
To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?
And how should I presume?

And I have known the arms already, known them all--
Arms that are braceleted and white and bare
[But in the lamplight, downed with light brown hair!]
Is it perfume from a dress
That makes me so digress?
Arms that lie along a table, or wrap about a shawl.
And should I then presume?
And how should I begin?
. . . . .
Shall I say, I have gone at dusk through narrow streets
And watched the smoke that rises from the pipes
Of lonely men in shirt-sleeves, leaning out of windows? . . .

I should have been a pair of ragged claws
Scuttling across the floors of silent seas.
. . . . .
And the afternoon, the evening, sleeps so peacefully!
Smoothed by long fingers,
Asleep. . . tired . . . or it malingers,
Stretched on the floor, here beside you and me.
Should I, after tea and cakes and ices,
Have the strength to force the moment to its crisis?
But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed,
Though I have seen my head [grown slightly bald] brought in upon a platter,
I am no prophet--and here's no great matter;
I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,
And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,
And in short, I was afraid.

And would it have been worth it, after all,
After the cups, the marmalade, the tea,
Among the porcelain, among some talk of you and me,
Would it have been worth while,
To have bitten off the matter with a smile,
To have squeezed the universe into a ball
To roll it toward some overwhelming question,
To say: `` I am Lazarus, come from the dead,
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all''--
If one, settling a pillow by her head,
Should say: ``That is not what I meant at all.
That is not it, at all.''

And would it have been worth it, after all,
Would it have been worth while,
After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets,
After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor--
And this, and so much more?--
It is impossible to say just what I mean!
But as if a magic lantern threw the nerves in patterns on a screen:
Would it have been worth while
If one, settling a pillow, or throwing off a shawl,
And turning toward the window, should say:
``That is not it at all,
That is not what I meant, at all.''
. . . . .
No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;
Am an attendant lord, one that will do
To swell a progress, start a scene or two,
Advise the prince; no doubt, an easy tool,
Deferential, glad to be of use,
Politic, cautious, and meticulous;
Full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse;
At times, indeed, almost ridiculous--
Almost, at times, the Fool.

I grow old . . . I grow old . . .
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.

Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.

I do not think that they will sing to me.

I have seen them riding seaward on the waves
Combing the white hair of the waves blown back
When the wind blows the water white and black.

We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.

Monique

2007-01-27T15:19:00.000+08:00

Today is the birthday of my friend Monique Villa, who passed away nearly 6 years ago at the age of 29. Realizing how long she's been gone makes me pause in disbelief sometimes. It really seems strange to me how we (her friends) have all come to accept the fact that her fiery, breathtaking presence has all but been snuffed out of this earth forever. She was just too...beautiful, too young and vibrant, to have ever become invisible, as her death has now deemed her to be.

Even after all this time, I can easily flick on a switch in my memory and hear her sweet soprano voice singing Tuptim's songs from the "King & I". I can see her dancing across the stage as Sleeping Beauty in those unbelievably tiny and delicate dancing slippers. I still sometimes drive through our old street (we lived a few houses away from each other) expecting to see her sitting beside me in the car looking straight ahead with those large, disney-princess eyes. We often drove to rehearsals together and shared many laughs and obscure theater songs on the long ride across South Super Highway. Monique probably weighed all of 90lbs and yet could scarf down platesful of rice in a single meal. We often asked her, where did all that food go? And with an impish grin, she would point to her head and declare, here!

Well, Monique, we all knew how much you loved to sing. And how much you wanted to learn and improve and become a great thespian. So much so that you fought for (and won) the role of a crochety, wrinkled old crone in the musical "Oliver!" just so people could finally see beyond your pretty face to the true artist within. You left this world still singing-- in a voice that we may not have been privileged to hear, but which I know God heard loud and clear. There is no doubt in my mind that you are singing your heart out now up in heaven, probably leading the choirs of angels themselves.

I just wanted you to know, in my own small way, that you will never be forgotten. Happy Birthday!

Zoom!

2007-01-26T13:54:00.000+08:00

Get a load of this piece of superzoom art! Keep zooming in and enter worlds within worlds. Exclusively for the bold, beautiful...and bored. Haha. Enjoy!

Buddies

2007-01-22T20:02:00.000+08:00

Had a rare get-together the other day with my best friends from college Me-an, Hail and Annie. A certain number of years ago (ahem!) we spent every day of 3 years together at De La Salle University on Taft Avenue. I'm sure there were some dark days in those 3 or so years (after the basic trimester, we ended up doing our own thing and graduated at different times), but to be honest, all I remember of my adventures with these gals was all fun and laughter. We looked normal, but boy were we so NOT. Haha. Where to begin? I'm not even going to try. The important thing is that we still laugh at the new developments in our lives as much as we did then. Greeting each other on the 5th floor of Shangrila Mall, it was like the lapsed months since we last saw each other had never happened. In Hail's case, it's been over a year!

Busy as we have become--Hail is a full-time wife and mom of two boys, Annie's living out her dream of running a hip magazine, Me-an is a rising banking executive, and I a desperate housewife (mwhahahaha)--we found an excellent excuse to meet up last weekend. Not only was Me-an's birthday coming up, we were celebrating her well-deserved promotion to AVP for global accounts at Citibank. Congrats my dear friend! And since the promotion comes with its share of perks, I am looking forward to taking a spin in that snazzy new car you're about to get!

After a scrumptious CPK meal of shrimp scampi pizza, 2 kinds of pasta, chicken caesar salad and egg rolls, we made the most of the afternoon walking around and shopping for a gift for Hail's youngest, who happens to be our godson (yes, all three of us!). We got him a cool Mace Windu lightsaber (because he specifically asked for a purple one). And since I didn't want this little boy to open a gift from practical strangers (we hadn't seen him since he was a wee thing), I quickly took a photo of us on my celfone and had it printed pronto on one of those digital kiosks. We then attached it onto the gift card that came with the wrapping. At least now there will be actual faces to go with his theoretical ninangs' names!

The afternoon flew by quickly. As usual, we parted ways rushing off to wherever it was that our grownup lives needed us to be. But we finally did it, after a year of trying. We made time to get together and that's what matters. Here's to the next one guys!

P.S. At CPK, we had a very strange server. Or a very honest one. He advised us not to order the raspberry iced tea because it tasted like cough syrup. So we all ordered the lemon-flavored one. It was a weird moment. Haha.

Mamo

2007-01-18T10:18:00.000+08:00

Happy Happy Happy Birthday. . .
Mamo!

Mamo, surrounded by las hijas Patty, Miren, and moi!

Thou art thy mother's glass, and she in thee
Calls back the lovely April of her prime.

-William Shakespeare

We Three Kings

2007-01-06T23:59:00.000+08:00

People kept greeting Rein and me "Happy Feast Day!" today. Geniuses that we are, we didn't catch on to the joke until much later on in the day. I had forgotten that today, the 6th of January, is the Feast of the Three Kings (or Magi) -- an odd holiday that is still apparently celebrated in certain regions of the world. Few people remember it here in our country. We nearly didn't. But now with my new surname attached to me forever, methinks I will never forget it again! Haha. To my foreign readers (all 2 million of you!), my Filipino married name just happens to translate exactly to "three kings" in English. Hence, all the fun and fuss I am enjoying this day.

In honor of this proud new tradition in my life, I searched high and low for interesting artworks that pay tribute to this resplendent and determined royal trio. I found quite a few. Enter my Three Kings gallery and let me share them with you.

Here's a sneak preview:

My personal favorite. . .so adorable!

This I absolutely love...isn't it beautiful?

Welcome 2007!

2006-12-31T15:01:00.000+08:00

The Best Christmas Gift at the Enchanted Kingdom

2006-12-29T12:44:00.000+08:00

More photos inside! Enter my enchanted album...

What Christmas Is All About

2006-12-25T09:02:00.000+08:00

To all my dearest family and friends, to anyone who has ever passed through my life, and to the whole wide world...HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS & A WONDROUS NEW YEAR!!! May God's immeasurable Love surround you today and all the days of your life!

Narnia Revisited

2006-12-17T12:12:00.000+08:00

Had an amazing time playing Jadis the White Witch in a special Christmas edition of the Trumpets musical based on the C.S. Lewis classic, "The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe". Directed by Audie Gemora, the show was performed for a blue-chip company's day-long family Christmas celebration at a tented, open air stage at the Island Cove grounds in Cavite. The fairgrounds were turned into one big Narnia-themed park with colorful tents and areas named after Narnian locations (the client must be a big Narnia fan!).

Here are some photos from the show taken by Maita Ponce:

Lucy entering Narnia through the wardrobe.

Prof. Diggory Kirke singing "Open Doors".

The Professor, Susan, Lucy and Peter

Lucy encounters Mr. Tumnus the Faun

Jadis, the White Witch makes her entrance on a sleigh pulled by a dwarf.

"I know your favorite..."

"...it's Turkish Delight!"

Mr. & Mrs. Beaver

Aslan!

"Look inside yourself, son of Adam!"

Lucy astride a Unicorn

Aslan at the hands of the Witch's minions

"The time has come to settle all scores, who are on my side and who are on yours..."
Listen to my rendition of Deep Magic here!

"Keep this truth inside your mind and heart..."

Father Christmas and the Witch take a moment to pose for pictures.

Beer, Anyone?

2006-11-18T22:02:00.000+08:00

Yes, beer can be funny...and how! Enjoy...

Big Ad for Carlton Draught

Carlton Draught - FLASHBEER!

TSOM Diary 3

2006-11-15T23:14:00.000+08:00

I am so very tired. But happy. Survived my first weekend as Baroness Schraeder and finished two event scripts while I was at it.

My opening show was last Saturday morning, followed immediately by the matinee. I consider both shows my first and only dress-techs. I tried to forget that the audience out in the theater had paid for their tickets this time. Everything before that day had been a rehearsal. Haha.

I felt good about the first show, which I managed to breeze through without any hitches. The matinee, however, was a totally different story. First, the elegant baroness tripped slightly on the front step of the Von Trapp mansion. Then, in another scene, she nearly didn't make it through a quick change (the dressers weren't at their posts at the time), and found herself running frantically to the "terrace", in a formal gown, as if ravenous wolves were snapping at her heels. In spite of her panic, she breathlessly managed to stop Franz the butler from announcing dinner just in time to convince the Captain to let the children sing goodnight to the guests. Whew. That was a close one. Had I not made it in time, I would probably have been the one singing "So Long, Farewell". . . to the show! Haha.

My last show for the week was Sunday evening. That one, on the other hand, was an out-of-body experience from beginning to end. I don't know who was performing out there, but it sure didn't seem like me! Haha. Just goes to show how exciting live theater truly is. No two performances are ever the same.

P.S. I was called in for a pick-up rehearsal yesterday to stand in for Tita Joy (Virata) in the role of Frau Schmidt, the housekeeper. Hmmm, from a diva to a domestic! Such range! Haha...apparently, I will be playing her on the one day that Tita Joy can't. Scary, but exciting to be trusted with a new role. Also, was asked in advance to do the Evil Stepmother in next year's "Cinderella". Sounds like it might be fun. But that's still a long way away, so we'll see what happens till then.

It's Thursday today. A new weekend in Austria beckons. See you at the theatre!

BPI@155

2006-10-31T10:43:00.000+08:00

A very late entry (I only got the pics now kasi, hehe) on our BPI@155 musical revue, with Christian Bautista, Bituin Escalante, Audie Gemora, Menchu Yulo, Shiela Francisco, the Lafortezas, and the boys--George, Felix and Johann. Lloyd Young and I hosted the show, as well as performed in it.

At the sitzprobe, Entertainment Arts Center.

George, Felix, Bito, Johann, Me, Mench after the show.

The cast (minus Audie and Menchu) after curtain call.
James, Shiela, Tito Freddie, Jojo Ocampo (Louie Ocampo's wife and BPI exec),
Christian, Me, George, Bito, Felix, Lloyd, Johann, Leizl

Thanks for the pics, Lloyd!

TSOM Diary 2

2006-10-30T09:04:00.000+08:00

Did my first full run-through for Tita Baby (Barredo) last night! It was fun. But the best part was that she was happy with my efforts, and so I can breathe a little easier now. Haha. Wasn't it just last Monday when I learned I was going to be in this production? And now I'm running as if I had always been part of it.

It's all good.

TSOM Diary 1

2006-10-26T01:13:00.000+08:00

Coming in midstream, I have a lot of catching up to do in rehearsals. I've been sitting through the run-throughs in an effort to absorb all I can, and to note my blockings.

I watched Cherie Gil play the Baroness today. I can't believe I'm this divine woman's alternate! She is a goddess, is all I can say. And sophisticated to the core. She wears that role like a second skin, so perfect is her interpretation. No acting required. Boy, do I have some preparing to do.

I'm being measured for my costumes next week. Oooh, I can't wait to look luxurious! Haha. A welcome change from all the plain, townsfolk garb I've had to don in recent productions. The only downside to all this is that for me to be happy about how I'll look onstage, I'll probably have to go on a crash diet. To approximate Cherie's svelte, sophisticated form. Otherwise, I might end up looking like a second rate, trying hard copycat! Haha.

Mesmerizing

2006-10-24T11:05:00.000+08:00

Say It Somehow
from Light In the Piazza

Jennie: Hon...what if I get a chance to play this scene one day?
Rein: (cold silence)

Hehe.

The Hills Are Alive

2006-10-24T07:45:00.000+08:00

Jeopardy question: A beloved Rogers & Hammerstein musical to be staged by Repertory Philippines in which I will be playing the Baroness Elsa Schraeder for certain performances.

Answer: What is. . . .

You got it!

I know I said no to full-length productions this year, so I'm just as surprised as you are. I didn't even consider auditioning for this one. What I did want to do was to watch it several times just to see how the three different casts would tackle their beloved roles. But fate had other plans, and I am now going to end the year in the hills of Salzburg, Austria after all. Haha.

But what a fun cast: Menchu Yulo, Monique Wilson and Leisl Batucan (Cathy Azanza suddenly took ill) as Maria; Audie Gemora and Michael Williams as Captain Von Trapp; Cherie Gil and Rina Reyes as the Baroness; Miguel Faustmann and Bonggoy Manahan as Max Dettweiler; Nicole Yulo, Vanessa Paolelli and Crisel Consunji as Liezl; JM Rodriguez and Topper Fabregas as Rolf; Pinky Marquez as Mother Abbess, and a slew of other familiar Rep faces.

This is going to be my second production of Sound of Music, the first having been with the Company of Players some 8 years ago, in the role of cranky Sister Berthe. I get to do a very different role this time around, which is exciting. I was thrilled to discover that the Baroness actually sings two songs in the stage version!

And so, here goes....Confitemini!

The Gangs of . . . South Boston

2006-10-17T22:39:00.000+08:00

Billy Costigan (Leo di Caprio) and Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson)
play a subtle game of cat-and-mouse in this intimate restaurant scene.

"A deranged sense of humor weaves its way through "The Departed," from outrageous opening scenes introducing the sulfurous crime boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) to its eye-roller of a final shot." ~ Washington Post

I was trying to find just the right words to describe this movie, and I found them in the Washington Post review quote above. What can I say -- if "The Departed" was a book, it would be a page-turner. My heart sank with every awful twist and turn the plot took (and there were plenty!), but I found myself peeling my hand off my eyes (actually Rein's hand, haha!) from time to time to see what the charismatic ensemble of murderous characters would do next.

I've seen films about the Sicilian Mafia, the Cosa Nostra, the Yakuza, and even the Chinese Triad, but I'd never quite heard of an Irish Mafia before. Particularly the kind that thrives and operates in conservative Massachusetts. That alone made it worth the three or so hours of sitting in the dark--twisting and turning in my seat from watching all that Irish ruthlessness! Haha. It was also worth it to see Martin Scorsese flex his darkly comic muscles (which we've never really seen before) without diluting any of his mean streets grit.

Try your very best to follow the labyrinthian plot, and watch out for equally Oscar-worthy performances from Leo and Matt; Jack's gleeful malice; and yes, that "eye-rolling" end shot.

The Bronze Age

2006-10-16T13:55:00.000+08:00

Happy 8th Wedding Anniversary
to
Allan & Peachy!

May your growing family continue to hold on tightly to one another in the years to come, and may blessings follow you wherever you go. . .

From a beautiful family of two. . .to three. . .

. . .to four!
Baby Keira and schoolboy Nicky are very blessed
to have such a cool couple for parents. Congrats, guys!

Your 8th Anniversary:
Traditional Symbol: BRONZE
Contemporary Symbols: LACE & LINEN
Gemstone: TOURMALINE
Flower: CLEMATIS

Some Days

2006-10-14T14:20:00.000+08:00

The Hormone Hostage

2006-10-11T18:32:00.000+08:00

Got this in an email from Unicorn Child...

The Hormone Hostage knows that there are days in the month when all a man has to do is open his mouth and he takes his life in his own hands! This is a handy guide that should be as common as a driver's license in the wallet of every husband, boyfriend, or significant other!

DANGEROUS:	SAFER:	SAFEST:	ULTRA SAFE:
Are you wearing that?	Wow, you sure look good in brown!	WOW! Look at you!	Here, have some chocolate
What are you so worked up about?	Could we be overreacting?	Here's my paycheck.	Here, have some chocolate.
Should you be eating that?	You know, there are a lot of apples left.	Can I get you a glass of wine with that?	Here, have some chocolate.
What did you DO all day?	I hope you didn't over-do it today.	I've always loved you in that robe!	Here, have some more chocolate.

13 Things PMS Stands For:

1. Pass My Shotgun

2. Psychotic Mood Shift

3. Perpetual Munching Spree

4 Puffy Mid-Section

5. People Make me Sick

6. Provide Me with Sweets

7. Pardon My Sobbing

8. Pimples May Surface

9. Pass My Sweat pants

10. Pissy Mood Syndrome

11. Plainly; Men Suck

12. Pack My Stuff

13. Potential Murder Suspect

Lee Harvey Kitten

2006-10-05T11:01:00.000+08:00

I Yelled At My Dog Because That's How I Roll

2006-10-05T10:48:00.000+08:00

Ok, so its not a Sunday. But I've shamelessly swiped this from Ribbiticus anyway. Go ahead and have fun! Make this the title of your next blog entry. Hehe.

Pick the month you were born in:
January - I kicked
February - I loved
March - I did the macarena with
April - I played with
May - I choked on
June - I murdered
July - I sang to
August - I had lunch with
September - I danced with
October - I smoked
November - I yelled at
December - I ran over

Pick the day (number) you were born on:
1---a paperclip
2---a monster
3---a phone
4---a fork
5---a gangster
6---a Mexican
7---my cell phone
8---my dog
9---my best friend's boyfriend
10---my neighbor
11---an ipod
12---a banana
13---Chuck Norris
14---a stuffed animal
15---a goat
16---a pickle
17---your mom
18---a spoon
19---myself
20---a football player
21---a ninja
22---a fireman
23---a noodle
24---a squirrel
25---a baseball bat
26---my sister
27---my brother
28---my science teacher
29---a permanent marker
30---a llama
31---a homeless guy

Pick the color of shirt you are wearing:
White---Because I was high.
Black---Because that's how I roll.
Pink---Because I'm NOT weird.
Red---Because the voices told me to.
Blue---Because I'm sexy and do what I want.
Green---Because I hate myself.
Purple---Because I'm cool.
Gray---Because I was drunk
Yellow---Because someone offered me 1,000,000 dollars.
Orange---Because I hate my family.
Other---Because that's how I roll.
none---Because i can't control myself.

La Di Da

2006-10-03T11:35:00.000+08:00

The catchy, hummable melodies. The clever rhymes. The counterpoints. The assigned lines and character entrances. Segment numbers like "The King & (lower case) i", and "O-klahoma!". My lifelong love and appreciation of Broadway songs can be traced....to David, Bob, Susan, Gordon, Maria, Luis, Mr. Hooper, and all the furry inhabitants of everyone's favorite street!

What's The Name Of That Song?

At Last, At Last...

2006-10-03T00:07:00.000+08:00

God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.

Finally. After living in the Middle Ages for 5 days, I am now back in the 21st century. I am delirious with joy...and relief.

High Winds

2006-10-02T16:34:00.000+08:00

TRASH: All I know is that this not knowing hurts. I don't get where do you put the pain. Answer me that. Where do you put the pain? Cream, please.

-What Is This Everything?

An existential fairy tale
(by Patricia Scanlon from "Women Playwrights", 1993)

It is 5 days post-Typhoon Milenyo (internationl name: Xangsane). In my neighborhood, that simply means having survived the dark and the heat for the past 120 hours, with no regular water supply, and not a single reliable report as to when the power would come back on. I am actually writing this at an internet cafe at the mall. Good thing Alabang Town Center is already a second home!

In my sister Miren's words, it's been Hell Week. I've been valiantly trying to conserve the last 2 bars of my celfone for several days. We've had to clean out our dank, defrosted fridge and throw every bit of food out. With nothing substantially edible left in the house, we've had to eat out (if there was a food place open at all) or crash at our respective parents' houses. All ATMs have been down and so the last fifty or so pesos in our wallets are like gold to us.

Of course, I can't even begin to imagine what the families of those crushed by fallen billboards are going through. Or of those whose homes were ripped apart by Milenyo's killer winds. Or of those like this one client of ours whose brand new Jaguar and BMW were found completely submerged in murky rainwater. Alright--maybe that last one isn't exactly in the same calamitous league as the other two, but hey, it's still a bummer, right? No, I can't say I am suffering as those people are. But I am suffering, nonetheless, from my own little frustrations and discomforts. Of not being able to work, or enjoy the little day-to-day conveniences we so take for granted. Ok, so the most major clean-up effort Rein and I (ok, just Rein) had to do was to rake the heavy carpet of leaves off our front yard. But still, I had to wake up each morning knowing that as soon as Rein left for work, I'd have to face a day of. . .no music, no lights, no aircon, no celfone, no YM, no YouTube, and no America's Top Model!

Sigh.

But the storm and this inconvenient blackout did usher in some good things. For one thing, I got to read again! My sister Miren has recently been emailing us about how her hectic life as a homemaker, mom to 4 kids, and non-stop family duties had nearly put an end to her voracious appetite for reading. As you know, it is a sad, sad day whenever a Nuyda puts a good book down for other more important activities, great lovers as we are of the written word. It was almost the same way with me. I hadn't really been reading reading the last couple of years. Can't remember the last good book I read cover to cover. But since Milenyo hit, I have rediscovered my passion for reading. I am now into the third story in a collection of plays by women playwrights, one of whose characters is quoted above. 6 plays, by such a diverse range of subject matter and talent! Love it. And so goes the silver lining in the cloud.

And then, even greater news. . .the day Milenyo hit, my newest inaanak (godchild) was born. Good friends Peachy and Allan's second child, and first daughter--Kirsten Soleil Consing Marasigan, better known as "Keira"--was born 7lbs. 10oz. at 3:54am of September 28. Just as her entry into the world was hailed by such powerful, high winds, I believe that this beautiful, perfect little girl will grow up to be high-spirited, passionate, and endowed with gifts that have the power to move mountains (and even billboards!). Welcome Baby Keira! The world is a more wonderful place because you are now in it.

KEIRA!

Live from Blues Alley

2006-09-25T11:38:00.000+08:00

Broadway baby that I am, jazz has never been on my regular playlist. Well, maybe a bit of Ella now and then, but that would be it. A few years ago, however, Eva Cassidy changed all that. This amazing singer died much too young at age 33, strengthening my belief that it's not the number of days we live on earth that matters--but the number of people we touch and change for the better while we're here. I really can't explain it--how an artist's voice can be so pure that it can transport you to a place so deep inside, you probably didn't even know that such a place existed. I can only conclude that music's true artistry lies far beyond one's instrument. When you sing the blues, baby, you just gotta have soul...

You've Changed

What A Wonderful World

Lunch Date

2006-09-18T21:29:00.000+08:00

Lunch with Rony and Lana! Missed these two so much, you have no idea. I've accepted the fact that things will never be like they used to be--when rehearsing and doing shows together were fixtures in our lives, where pooling our barya together for food was a too common occurence (giving the term "starving artists" a whole new meaning!), where we had a blast simply jamming backstage, or hanging out at a mall or at one of our favorite hotel rooms. But its great to know we can always continue where we left off in these preciously few moments we do have together now. I love it that although we've pursued very different paths, music will always be there to bind us, the language of theater, and a host of shared stories (gossip is more like it!), memories and adventures. The saga will continue no matter what, guys!

At our fave resto. . .famous for its yummy Bibingka Souffle. . .
C2 Classic Filipino Cuisine.

Same trio up close!

6 Birthdays

2006-09-18T18:56:00.000+08:00

A postscript to Rein's birthday celebration, which he shared with FIVE other members of the Nuyda family! Yey, Rein is now truly a full-fledged Nuyda! Hehe. Just like last year, he enjoyed top billing once again on the dainty cake (hahaha, well, there are two girls in that group). Yes, my hubby is loved by my family, but the truth is, he gets top billing because he is the first of the bunch to have a birthday, which is on the 7th. Tatos is on the 10th, Kenny and Bianca on the 11th, Nikki on the 12th, and Juancho on the 20th!

The cake all lit up for six!

The candle-blowers:
Little Juancho squirming in his Ate Bianca's arms, Nikki (half hidden),
Ken, Tats and Rein!

My birthday boy opening his presents...

Another cake, this time just for him, from Peachy, Allan, Nicky and Keira!

Shameless Swipe Saturday

2006-09-16T17:29:00.000+08:00

This isn't my first Shameless Swipe entry, and it certainly won't be my last! Found this too funny not to share with all the poor souls in the blogging world who have never visited Pond Perspective. . . aww, you know who you are--the both of you! Hehe.

The Washington Post's Mensa Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are the winners:

1. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.
2. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
3. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
4. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.
5. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.
6. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
7. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
8. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.
9. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.
10. Osteopornosis: A degenerate's disease. (This one got extra credit.)
11. Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.
12. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
13. Glibido: All talk and no action.
14. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
15. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
16. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
17. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.
And the pick of the literature:
18. Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and is an asshole.

(Dunno about you, but # 7 has always been in my vocabulary! Hehe. Hey Peach, I'm guessing you're the one that sent in # 15...)

A Rein-y Day

2006-09-07T15:40:00.000+08:00

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY
BIRTHDAY
to my Hunny Bunny hubby,
REIN!

Hey, look at the sun

It's finally shining on my life

And it's all because of you. . .

I love you, hon. . .thanks for coming into my life. May God bless you today and grant you all the desires of your heart.

A Shower of Stars

2006-09-06T21:36:00.000+08:00

Surprise baby shower for best bud Peachy and soon-to-be-born Keira was a resounding success! Didn't think I'd be able to pull it off, as my preggy pal is not one to believe in flimsy stories of suspicious detours to friends' houses. But with the cooperation of the hubbies--Rein and Allan--we had her believe that she was part of a secret conspiracy in honor of Rein's birthday. Instead, she found herself entering a trap--a house covered in wall-to-wall baby shower decor of pink and yellow flowers and stars, a table laden with pastel-colored finger food and an elaborate "star baby" cake, a clothesline full of pink and yellow baby items, and finally, a roomful of well-wishers.

The second-time mom opens her gifts!

The expectant parents are all smiles.

Rein, Peachy and I under the clothesline.

Patty, Niña, Bianca, Me-an, Gigi, Peachy, Miren, and me!

The spectacular Star Baby cake!

If Only

2006-09-06T17:54:00.000+08:00

Rony posted this song on his blog, and I just fell in love with it. It's from the soundtrack album of the coming Little Mermaid musical. As if the 1988 animated Disney film wasn't captivating enough! Notice a few strains from Part of Your World weaved into the music. I'm posting the lyrics here as well, to show how earnestly our two protagonists' thoughts fly between them. We've all been there, haven't we? That hopefulness, in spite of the odds. That frustration, when we can't seem to get the words out. In Ariel's case, it's a little more difficult--as she's lost the voice that won the prince's heart, and now must win him back even without it. Prince Eric's words are in blue, and Ariel's are in orange (like her hair). . .

If Only (The Little Mermaid)

Are you feeling better now? You're sure...
You're not going to faint again, are you?
Maybe you have no idea what I'm talking about...
If only you could know
The things I long to say
There's a lot more to you than meets the eye,
isn't there?
If only I could tell you
What I wish I could convey
You know how sometimes you meet someone. . .
everything changes, just like that?
It's in my every glance
My heart's an open book
Suddenly the world comes together. . .
you know what you've been missing all your life. . .
You'd see it all at once if only you would look.
. . .that's happened to me. You see I met this girl and. . .
her voice was---

I'm sorry, I shouldn't be bothering you
with all this. . .

I really enjoyed our talk.

Sleep well. . .

If only you could glimpse
The feeling that I feel
If only you would notice
What I'm dying to reveal
The dreams I can't declare
The needs I can't deny
You'd understand them all
If only you would try

All my secrets, you would learn them
All my longings, you'd return them
All my shackles, they'd be broken
Not a word would need be spoken

What is it about her that's so wonderfully, impossibly familiar?
Why do I feel dizzy in a way I've only felt but once before?
How come when she looks at me, it seems like time stops moving?
Almost like the way it did that day upon the shore. . .
But that voice. . .but that voice. . .where's that voice. . .

If only it were true
If only for a while
If only you would notice
How I ache behind my smile
I guess you never will
I guess it doesn't show
But if I never find a way to tell you so
Oh, what I would give if only you could know. . .

Memories fade
Strange how they blur
But when she calls to me. . .
I'll know it's her.

If only. . .

The Dreamer Is Back!

2006-08-26T12:21:00.000+08:00

Disappointed by how your life is turning out? Anxious about the future? Thinking your dreams may never come true?

Have we got a story for you!

No matter how many times you've heard this story told, there's nothing like experiencing it from one of the most successful musicals in local musical theater history--Trumpets' "Joseph the Dreamer". Somehow, Webber and Rice's broadway hit "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", entertaining as it was, has never been able to capture the beloved story's true essence, nor did it ever inspire and change lives as this version continues to do.

NEWSFLASH!

If you've never been able to catch Trumpets' longest running hit, or just want to experience it all over again, here's some great news--an all-new, fired-up "Joseph the Dreamer" will run from September to November at the SM Megamall Cinema 4 stage.

This run features a fresh, young cast who will simply take your breath away with their youthful enthusiasm and energy. I'm sure the "old" cast (ahem, ahem) can still hop to the old groove, but you gotta see this bunch move! The familiar strains of "Praise His Name", "In Moments Like These", "One Song Is Not Enough", "Mae East", and "You're Everything I Need" have been given that extra punch audiences of ALL ages are simply going to take to heart and take with them wherever they go.

I have a special place in my heart for this musical as I have managed to slip into several of its key roles at one time or another in its very long run:

QUICK FLASHBACK:
Starting out as a member of the chorus in the first "Gary V." run,
I eventually moved up to the role of Asenath,
Joseph's Egyptian wife in a later Meralco Theater staging.

Another exciting update is that the show now boasts of two new Josephs--Franco Laurel (a Trumpets alumnus from the musical "Honk!") and Alvin dela Peña, our brand new company president. Alvin is an inevitable choice, as there seems to be an unspoken tradition in Trumpets where actors who play the title role of Joseph eventually get voted company president! Go figure! Recall how the very first Joseph, stalwart Audie Gemora, also became Trumpets' first president nearly two decades ago.

Here are some celfone snapshots from the recent press conference held at Uva Restaurant, one of the show's major sponsors...

The energetic new cast.

Alvin sings "In Moments Like These".

The only time both Josephs will ever share the stage.

Director Freddie Santos excitedly talking about the show's history...and its future.

Me and mah boys -- Rick Everley and Fernando Montejo,
good old buddies of mine but new to the cast.
I wasn't at this event as castmember this time around,
but as the souvenir programme editor and ever-loyal supporter of JTD.

We also have two new Benjamins (the role of Joseph's youngest brother
formerly played by Carlo Orosa) -- Johann dela Fuente and JC Gotinga.
This is JC doing his big solo, "It's Incredibe", with his chu-chu-wa boys.

The "cutest" Josephs ever! Franco and Alvin. Catch them both if you can!

CATCH THE SPECIAL TRUMPETS & PLAYSHOP REUNION SHOW OF "JOSEPH THE DREAMER" ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2006, AT 7PM. ALL PLAYSHOPPERS ARE ENTITLED TO A DISCOUNT! FOR DETAILS, PLS. CALL 636-2842. SEE YOU THERE!

2006-08-19T21:45:00.000+08:00

You Are Somewhat Machiavellian

You're not going to mow over everyone to get ahead...
But you're also powerful enough to make things happen for yourself.
You understand how the world works, even when it's an ugly place.
You just don't get ugly yourself - unless you have to!

How Machiavellian Are You?

You Are 50% Left Brained, 50% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning.
Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others.
If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic.
Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet.

The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility.
Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way.
If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art.
Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

Rocker Chic

2006-08-13T01:10:00.000+08:00

Just concluded an exhausting gig as both writer and performer for a telecom giant this week. Hope these photos don't show the strain, because I was just about ready to drop by the time I got to the venue at around 7am. . .after getting home past midnight the previous evening! Good thing my good friend and long-time co-performer Johann (dela Fuente) brought his iBook backstage. The entire ballroom was wi-fi capable and we chatted with friends online while the show was going on. Strange, but fun. The pics below are a bit dark and grainy. Johann's Photo Booth program still did a great job, though, in capturing the rock 'n roll madness backstage inspite of the darkness. Ah, yes--rock 'n roll. That was the event's theme, and we tried our best to look the part!

With the incomparable Jon Santos, here as Tita
Midz, a.k.a. Armida Siguion-Macareyna. He had
us, and the WHOLE ballroom, in painful stitches
during his entire act. Not a single green joke, just pure
wit and excellent material. Even Rex Navarette can't
hold a candle to this master of laughs.

With fellow "rockers" Butch, Johann, George, and Pam.

With sexy host Regine Tolentino...

Goofing around...

A bunch of people in love with Photo Booth...

Strike a pose!

Streaks courtesy of Johann...

Makeup by Pam...

Musings: On Friendship

2006-08-05T21:04:00.000+08:00

All my life I’ve had a penchant for striking the oddest friendships with the oddest people. Odd, not because they’re weird in any way, but because they have something that makes them stand lightyears apart from ordinary folk.

Two, in particular, come to mind: J and F. Both are difficult, overbearing, outspoken and irreverent men. Both are stylish and outlandishly witty, with a wry sense of humor. Both have a formidable command of the written and spoken word. Both are absolutely brilliant (and I do not use this adjective lightly!) in their respective fields--and boy do they know it! And most telling of all, both can hold my attention for hours on end. These two have never met (and would most probably hate each other on sight if that day ever comes), but I have had the rare privilege of enjoying a unique friendship with each of them for a good many years.

Strangely enough, they seem to enjoy my company, too. A case of opposites attracting, I suppose. There’s no other explanation for it. I am certainly not idiosyncratic and overbearing (not in public anyway!), nor am I brilliant or even wry. My writing is adequate and competent at best. And I usually have the attention span of a flea. So whatever it was, it clicked, and here we are—still in touch somehow.

I guess the true test of friendship is how it stands against the odds. Take those two. One is constant but often strained, the other quietly fading away. And there is the small matter of me--the much younger and more impressionable party--outgrowing them both as I approach the age they were in when I first met them.

Both started out as complete enigmas to me (and thus the initial attraction), but that impression is now little more than a poignant memory. I finally saw through some of the shadows. I know how to be a friend to them now.

I do still admit, however, to a stubborn attachment to the one I haven’t seen in 14 years. J and I practically spent every day together for nearly 2 years before he left the country for good. I disagreed with half the things he said, but I was drawn to every word nonetheless. Manila had become too predictable and limited for his rich, tortured spirit, which was just aching to break free of its shackles. And so he followed his heart all the way to New York City, and has not looked back since. His leaving all those years ago affected me deeply. You could even say it broke my heart. It isn’t everyday you find a truly kindred spirit who can change your perspective of the world by just being his own, uncompromised self. Sure I was wide-eyed and naïve, and he was much too worldly and maybe even a bit too lost to have been a worthy influence. But he did allow me a tiny glimpse into his shadowed soul, and that was enough to leave a mark on me forever. Even in those uncertain years, he saw something in me that I wouldn’t see myself until much later. We wrote each other literally everyday for many years after he left. Age and distance may have now left a few cracks in my trusty ole’ rose-colored glasses, but my eyes still light up whenever the mailman comes a-knocking. In the age of email, no one else would send me letters in this personal way.

Several years later, F came into my world. Stormed would be a better word. My professional theater life had just begun, a turbulent chapter to say the least, and he was right there in the middle of it. Anchoring it, some might even say. Right or wrong, I listened to this man and began to look at things as if through Alice’s looking glass. Everything suddenly seemed upside down and inside out. It was an uncomfortable perspective, but one that taught me how to be a better theater artist and writer. I’ve disappointed myself more times than I would care to count, but F continues to believe I have something worthwhile to offer the world. Such affirmation has helped shape who I am today.

And so goes my brief reflection on a region of my life I rarely visit. It all just came to me yesterday when J emailed me this self-portrait, one of two photos he sent...

It is very him. Funny though, he used to hate to have his picture taken and avoided it like the plague. There's a new tattoo in there somewhere that he designed himself, he tells me. My friend is still revealing himself in shadows, I see. He says the photos are his flimsy and futile way of painfully getting over a shattered heart.

To me, this photo says that maybe we’re not drifting apart after all. Maybe we’re merely moving on to another plane of friendship. I'm just happy to know that inspite of the broken heart, he is out there, healthy and thriving and living life the way he could never live it here. The letters are few and far between these days, which makes them even more precious. Even so, that’s still more than a lot of friendships have.

Photo credits:

suit: Giorgio Armani
shirt: Christian Dior Homme
tie: Hermes
belt: Dolce & Gabbana
shoes: Ermenegildo Zegna Couture
dogtag: Dolce & Gabbana
jeans: Alexander McQueen
wrist cuff: DSquared
sandals: Tom Ford for Gucci
ink rendering: Byron
photography: J Moran

Haze

2006-08-02T00:03:00.000+08:00

Words
Twisted
Compromised

Brow
Furrowed
Aged

Words
Rushed
Distant

Fingers
Gnarled
Numb

Words
Stunted
Dead

Mind
Racing
Sterile

Words
Trickling
Lost

Logophobia

2006-07-26T10:29:00.000+08:00

Comfort ‘zona’ of words
KRIPOTKIN By Alfred A. Yuson
The Philippine STAR
07/24/2006

It’s only… uhh, buzzwords. And buzzwords are all I have… to take your love away. Sorry, BeeGees.

"Even as we speak at this point in time, at the end of the day, what you see is what you get. We need a new paradigm and a tipping point out of the box. Let us establish a template for the parameters of our comfort zone."

Gobbledygook? Nope. Psychobabble? More like it. Yes, there’s more like it, in deference to zeitgeist or the spirit of the times.

Like so:

"The bottom line is that we have a proactive solution. We must walk the walk and talk the talk. As stakeholders, we should push the envelope 24/7, or else we don’t acquire a full plate or any bandwidth.

"This will impact our recyclables, rendering it mission-critical for us to maximize synergies and apply a net-net, win-win-solution. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that the game plan ought to be tried on a level playing field, so that we can leverage our knowledge base into a value-added entity."

Comprehension-challenged? Can’t blame you. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it must be a cliché. So do we take our issues off-line?

Today, the 24th of July, X marks the spot at the Batasang Pambansa, where cynosure of national attention (now, really? Really, now…) would be the First Gentleman’s Lady, or FGL, better known as PGMA. She’ll walk the walk and talk the talk (let’s not even get into ducks). And very likely we’ll hear, uttered before the rostrum, something like a stereotypical (both Houses present? Or have we gone uni-cameo?), archetypal, universal presentation of a vision/mission statement.

"Let us declare war on drugs, poverty, child abuse, terrorism and billboards. Let us preserve our heritage, our living treasures, bounty from the deep. Let us abide by God, country and motherhood. Do not do unto others what we can do for today. Sa madaling salita, mag-ingat sa beware."

Wait, speaka da English, lady. Our call centers are as much at stake as our multinational stakeholders. For this SONA, let us rise from the Sounds Of Not-Applicable. Not just state-of-the-art but a cutting-edge level is expected of this peroration, this epic network of soundbites. Thus the need for plain language.

"Let us change the Constitution. Let us improve our constitution. Let us change the way we briskly take our daily constitutional, to allow ourselves to become less constipated and more functional.

"Let us … oh, let it be. Let’s just say that your call is important to me."

Will we hear such drivel? Naah, albeit critics will say it was all trash talk, nonetheless. Even as outside the Batasan, away from the coiffeured crowd, an impassioned language of jeers and hoots, flaming effigies and invectives in the tough vernacular, meets that of truncheons and shields, water cannons and teargas.

A day of passions unleashed! Even when those Kewpie lips forego liposuction. Astig! versus apathy. One Voice against Sigaw ng Bayan! Are we on alert level for evacuation? Is it a state of emergency, or calamity? Ah, cacophony.

What we may need is a moment of silence. And yet more moments of silence. Better yet, make that a season of silence.

Not of conspiratorial mode; neither that of the lambs, nor of the grave.

But blessed silence, that is golden.

And yet, hearing the best of us speak can invite intriguing appreciation. As when contending panels locked over a bi-racial rape case render contrapuntal interpretations of the alleged victim’s state of mind.

"Selective memory," snorts the defense. Not so, huffs the prosecution, but "fragmented recall." Why, this is brilliant debate, er, extraordinary polemics. Who says we should kill all lawyers because of their English?

At the US Embassy, waiting for the all-too-crucial interview for a visa, one is digitally deluged by red letters on a black electronic screen, crawling, right to left:

"Applicants numbers… (so and so) …please proceed to the interviewing area…" Etc. Blah blah blah.

The "interviewing area"? The area actually does interviews? Or should it be, simply, "interview area"? Well, who are we to teach Mayflower descendants proper English?

I am reminded of Pete Lacaba’s protestations over "accident-prone area," which we all see in alarum signs on the roadside, scattered all over our native landscape.

Pete says there must be a better phrase. Can an area be prone to accidents? By itself? Well, actually, yes. But does it have to be a compound modifier ushering in the noun?

Let’s leave that argument and proceed on an amusing note. Such as listing down what we hear most often, in our multi-lingual environment.

Setting aside curses and epithets, here’s a bilingual double-list: Our Top Ten Buzz Phrases, or most frequently heard lines:

"Ano ang ibig mong sabihin?" Heard only when one watches Tagalog movies, 99 out of 100 of which will have this curious, buzzing question. In reality, it’ll be: "Ano? Hah? Rewind nga!"

"Kumain ka na?" Uttered as a greeting, even to a fat guy seated and having just propped up one leg on a bench, is scratching at his bare belly, and making all these lip-smacking and teeth-sucking sounds while a toothpick conducts a metronome act in his mouth.

"Huwag kang matakot. Akong bahala." Also a favorite movie line, but with echoes in reality, most often heard inside motel rooms.

"Mabuhay si Manny!" Speaks for itself.

"Testing, mike, testing." That’s a lower-case "mike," okay? Looks totally un-vernacular, yes, but only heard here, right?

"Ang bango-bango naman ni Misis." Usually spoken when the kids are in school or blissfully asleep.

"Chit nga, boss." Often accompanied by a two-finger gesture composing a rectangle.

"Sa malamig, sa malamig!" Down from No. 2, that is, from that dim, throat-dry era of the ’90s or ’80s. Or was it the ’70s and ’60s?

"Saan ho kayo?" Standard line from "jaguars" or robotic security guards, even when any smart-ass entering a building or gated village can truthfully respond: "Sa loob (Inside)."

"Trafik, eh." Said by everyone who comes very late for a rendezvous, meeting, assignation.

Now, since the new Education Secretary has just declared that’s it back to the foster-father tongue for full-fledged instruction, here’s what we can expect to hear most often in less than schwa-schwa, wersh-wersh land.

"Ma’m, may I go out?" Recycling generations.

"For a while." Muttered quickly on the phone by secretaries. Or in classrooms, by teachers.

"Praise the Lord!" Pa rin.

"I would like to thank…" Blah blah blah, from beauty pageants to singing contests, FAMAS awards nights to PBA MVP presentations.

"… And so, without further ado…" Whenever school principals intro a guest speaker.

"Last twooooo mi-niiiittts!" Pa rin.

"Sorry, guys. Traffic, eh." The tardy man’s excuse. Okay, excusable.

"Ma’m, let’s declare war on something"" Usual "suggest-ment" when it’s back to the drawing board in some Palace.

"Yes, your honor." Proof that we’ve become a litigious society.

"The network is busy now. Try your call again later." This may be issued whether or not the NPAs have just struck a big blow for their ideological cause by burning down a cell site.

Tied with that for 10th place is: "For the longest time." What the present generation has invented, to mean … well, exactly that.

(Blogger's note: My personal favorite, and one I actually use, is: "48 years!" ...to mean the same as #10. Haha.)

Wings of Love

2006-06-29T10:48:00.000+08:00

As a little kid, I remember regularly attending our loud, colorful family gatherings held at whoever had the biggest house at the time. One thing our clan needed a lot of was space. There was no actual headcount to speak of at these parties and so woe to the host, whoever it was that volunteered or was appointed for a particular gathering. There were aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, brothers, sisters, grandparents galore. There was always someone's new girlfriend, boyfriend, wife, husband, or baby to get to know. And then there were the cousins. Ah, cousins, cousins, and more cousins! Not to mention the yayas. We never forgot the yayas and helpers who were most likely to have had already been around to change the previous generation's diapers, and so were considered family as well.

We'd have all-out costume parties and musical programs where an entire family would perform ala the Jackson 5, or the Osmonds. Haha. I remember a gigantic Christmas tree occupying a large corner of the main living area which looked nothing like a typical, triangular pine, and--even more astounding--was made, leaf by leaf, by hand by one of my brilliantly creative cousins.

Then there was the food. The Nuydas are insatiable omnivores--the operative word here being omni, of course. I sincerely can't think of anything a Nuyda won't eat. Haha.

And then there were the loud, boisterous voices, each one trying to top the other in rapid-fire Bicolano, the clan dialect. I may still not be able to speak a single coherent sentence in Bicolano, but I can sure listen in on a conversation and tell you what's being discussed.

Well, my dad's generation of Nuydas has all but gone (except for one brother, my Uncle Jeck, who stood as one of my ninongs at our wedding), and I deeply miss the old gatherings and hearing those reassuringly booming voices; the full-bodied, rough intonations you'll only hear from someone raised in Kamalig, Albay; older, more weathered faces reflected in the younger generations; the amazingly tight and warm hugs from aunts and uncles who were truly like second parents in their love and concern; the mahjong and poker games; the rare-butterfly swaps; the exclusively male fishing expeditions that brought the freshest lapu-lapus, barracudas, and yes, even baby sharks, to our tables; the roadtrips and mountain treks; and just the joyful sight of a family growing larger and larger with each passing year.

Yet, with every new happy arrival added to the clan, another sad passing or departure would threaten to change the old family dynamic. The cousins are now the parents, the aunts and uncles, and even the grandparents. They are the white-haired generation now, and many of the younger ones have left and settled abroad, making the prospect of a complete family reunion more and more remote.

And so it is with gratitude and pride that I make note here of my relatives in the States, who took precious time off in their busy lives to fly in from different parts of the country to gather in L.A. for a special 8-day reunion aptly themed "Wings of Love", and featuring the iridiscent-blue Morpho butterfly as the event's logo. My branch of the family couldn't attend for various reasons, but the American Nuydas kept us in the loop with their regular email threads and updates. Reading their letters and looking at the pictures, it feels like we were there, too. It gives me hope that we can all one day recapture the way it was three decades ago and have glorious reunions where everyone who has iridescent-blue Nuyda blood in them can be present.

Allow me to share my cousins' emails to the whole family after the historic 8-day festivities were over. This one is from Carlyn Nuyda-Calloway, my best friend growing up and who could out-perform Janet Jackson herself on any dancefloor, and who is now a happy wife and mom to 2 1/2 year old Eloise:

Hello all,

It has been a whirlwind of a week indeed! I am sure everyone is still recuperating from all the fun and festivities. (Weh!) We all definitely put a new meaning to the word "Party!"

There was a whole lot of family bonding going on. This experience was very valuable to me, Nate and Eloise. We will never forget all that went on...cousins getting to know each other, laughing, hugging, playing, and being silly. Eloise has not stopped re-telling stories about her best pals, cousin Sabrina and baby "Masantha" (meaning Samantha) & their adventures in Disneyland, her favorite guy in the world Kuya Niko, her pretty cousin Maria, funny guy Jonathan, and the fun she had with cousins Paul, Matthew, Francis, Katana and the rest of the little Nuyda crew. Add too, the teenage Nuydas whom Eloise enjoyed being with just as much: Ate Camille, Ate Nisha, Kuyas Peter, Chad, Pipo and DJ. All of whom were very sweet and patient to her very inquisitive and curious questions, and sometimes not-so fun antics. Thanks to all for giving her your love and attention. It was so wonderful to see Eloise with all of her cousins finally and although she is only 2 1/2 years old, she will certainly remember this experience with fondness in the months, even years to follow. I am putting together her very own "Nuyda scrapbook" with pictures and stories detailing all of the fun she had with her family.

Nate shared with me his thoughts: That we have a lovely family. Uncles Sean, Todd and Chip are "stand up guys" whom he would love to get together with again in the very near future. Aunts Debbie and Leanne are awesome ladies, Uncles Jazzy and Phillip are "superb" and cousin Paul left an indelible mark in his heart and mind. For a man of such young age, "he's got it together." We will never forget the VIP treatment we received from Paul at Disneyland, he really went out of his way.

And for the rest of our family, I say "what a great bunch of people you all are", each with a special gift to give, whether it's Tita Tess' great singing and cooking, Steve's golfing prowess, Uncle Jazzy's humor, Tita Merry's nurturing ways, Tita Mimsy's vigor and positive attitude, Tita Eileen's sweetness (especially with the kids), Tito Chito's great energy, Malinda's thoughtfulness and sense of organization and foresight (like bringing sunblock & juice and snacks for the kids on beach day), Marc's helpfulness and readiness to assist in any way, and on and on and on...I could go on forever really.

I would like to make special mention of Uncle Sean. Okay, I think we can all agree he is Uncle DJ all over again. We all agree he is the coolest Uncle, ever! After you left, we sat there in the living room talking about you for hours. There is a very nurturing way about you that reminds us so much of Uncle DJ. Thanks for touching our lives. Aunt Debbie, we love you very much too. You are sweet, kind, and ever so tolerant of our wacky ways!

Then there is Uncle Chippeh. Well, I don't think there is enough room to describe ALL the great things about you we have come to find out. Thank you so much for brightening up our lives with your sense of humor, your young-at-heart ways and your wit. The Petunia poster is still up by the way. I think Mom intends to keep it up for awhile, a sort of homage to you...(hehehehe!)

Uncle Todd, let's see. Good-looking, Mr. Superman and all-American great guy. Like Uncles Sean and Chip, you have touched our lives in a most special way with your sense of adventure, fun attitude and love for family togetherness. Aunt Leanne, we wish we had more time to spend with you. We enjoyed your company very much, and singing Karaoke with you was a ton of fun too!

Trig, Bobbit, Clinton, Christine, you know how I feel about you. And mom, we love you to no ends. You are the one that keeps it all together.

For the rest of the family, I want you guys to know how much we all enjoyed getting together with you again. Like Mom said, when all else fails, when times get tough, when things don't go as planned, all you have is each other and that is something to feel good about. At the same time, let us all not forget that in all of our craziness, fun and good times, we were all blessed by the grace of God, whose watchful eyes looked over us all, keeping us safe, well and happy as we celebrated, laughed and let go.

DJ and Nerissa's wedding is coming up soon. Between now and then, let's all keep in touch and keep it going--not just for us, but for generations to follow.

Much love,
Carlyn Nuyda-Calloway

Mixed Nuydas

Sean

The New Generation

Day 8: Mardi Gras Night

Chio, matriarch and reunion mastermind

And here's a blow-by-blow account of the 8-day event from my other cousin Jazzy, who used to be one of the "younger cousins" but is now set to be a father-of-the-groom-to-be in February! My, how time does fly...

Day 1: "The eagles have landed." Chip, Sean, Todd and family all came together and showed up in full force at my doorstep. As I opened the door, the excitement built up - greetings and introductions were made and before long, the stories began. For a moment there, we all forgot that we had to go to Carlyn's for dinner. The rest of the California Nuydas were waiting for us. So, off we went.

At Carlyn's, the reunion fever got hotter. Carlyn's home was filled with laughter and lots of stories. But let's not forget the delicious spaghetti with meatballs and Italian sausage, garlic bread and salad. Oh, the booze...there were lots of them. Beer - different kinds, wine - red and white, brandy, whiskey, and many more. The time flew unnoticed. We could have stayed longer but had to call it a night - the beach at Malibu was waiting for us the following day.

Day 2. We left at around 8:00am to be at Leo Carillo beach early and reserve a spot for the entire family. It was a cool and cloudy day - not really ideal for a day at the beach. But by midday, it got warm but still cloudy. We started securing the tables and the BBQ pits. Then, off we went to the ocean. The water was cold - around 60 degrees (this is actually warm considering that it usually is 50 degrees). The waves got strong and the boys went boogie boarding. They had so much fun.

The food was yummy and there was just too much. We had bbq on a stick, lamb chops, ribs and tri-tip. Eileen also baked delicious macaroni pasta. And of course, the Americanos went ga-ga over Tess' bicol express and laing.

We left at around 3:00 in order to get back to the valley for the 5:30 mass. Everyone proceeded to my house for a quick shower and change of clothes. The men and boys were at the backyard, hose in one hand and soap on the other. After mass, we all got back to my house for dinner - more bbq, laing and left-over food.

Day 3: Chio's clan went to Disneyland and they were treated by Paul. Everyone got in for free. Way to go, Paul! The East Coast Nuydas played golf in the morning and watched the Jay Leno show in the afternoon. I on the other hand had to go to work. The OC group (Mims, Merry, Philip & family) also had to go to work and could not join us for dinner. Tess and I hosted the Monday night dinner - pork rib sinigang, my famous baked salmon and pancit bihon. After dinner, the cousins bonded in the patio while the wives (Tess, LeAnne and Debbie) had karaoke night along with Triggy. Everything was going well until Chip and Todd joined the croaking, ooops, I meant singing. And of course, the singing will not be complete without Chip's robot dance.

Day 4: Golf day - Chip, Sean, Todd, Philip, Bobbit, Chad (Chip's son), Peter (Sean's son), Steve (Christine's hubby) and myself went to Rustic Canyon Golf Course for a 6am tee-time. It was foggy and we couldn't see the fairway on the first 5 holes. But we managed to shoot decent scores. Steve, a golf pro in Hawaii, gave us a live demo on how golf is supposed to be played. Even though he was still on Hawaii time (it was 3am), he still managed to scramble a 4-over par 76.

In the afternoon, the group proceeded to the "The Grove", a shopping center in Beverly Hills. According to Todd, they had a "snack" at the Farmer's market. When asked what kind of snack they had, he named at least 6 different kinds of food including steak from the Brazilian fast food. So, can you imagine what a real meal is?

Day 5: City Tour. The East Coast Nuydas went to Universal Studios accompanied by some West Coast Nuydas. The rest of the West Coast Nuydas went back to work. We met them for dinner at the Universal Buca di Beppo, an Italian restaurant known for its big servings. Even though everyone "pigged out", we still had so much left-over.

Day 6: The women were treated by Mimsie to a trip to Santa Barbara and Solvang, a Danish community. This freed up the men. So what do you expect them to do? GOLF! This time around, we played skins. Sean won 2 skins, Pipo 5, Peter 6 while I also won 5 skins. Chip, Todd and Chad donated the money along with a few sleeves of balls to mother nature (ha ha ha).

Dinner was hosted by Bobbit and Malinda. We had burgers, hotdogs and salad. We also had poker night. Peter wiped us all out! But in the end, he treated his cousins to the movie. Way to go, Peter! That was very generous of you. You just showed your cousins the true meaning of "family". Meanwhile, the girls, with Carlyn and Tess on the lead, sang to their hearts delight. It was a pleasure to listen to their melodic voices until, the boys including myself joined them. I must say, that Sean is an exception. He's the only guy who can carry a tune. The rest of us are wannabe's. The kids - Maria, Jonathan, Paul, Nico and Matthew also joined the singing. It was a fun night.

Day 7: The East Coast Nuydas had a city tour and got to taste L.A. traffic during rush hour while the West Coast Nuydas went back to work. We then met up at 6:30pm and proceeded to Hollywood Park to watch the Hall of Fame awards night. There were performances by a pianist who played a Rachmaninoff concerto, the Blue Man group and Santana. We brought lots of food - empanada, siopao, fried chicken, and lumpiang shanghai (eggrolls). Of course, it will not be complete without the booze - white and red wine.

Day 8: Mardi Gras Night. Chad (Chip's son) also had to go back home so Chip and I took him to the airport at 4:30am. Then we went back to sleep. Todd and LeAnne went to the Ronald Reagan library while Sean and Debbie went to Camarillo Shopping Outlet. We met up to watch Jonathan's basketball game. He was so nervous to play in front of all his uncles and cousins, but managed to show his skills. After a quick bite, the girls (Tess, Debbie and LeAnne) went to the Swap Meet for more shopping. We went to the 5:30 mass then, it was time for Mardi Gras.

Chio hosted the party and I must admit that it was THE PARTY! Her house was fully decorated with Mardi Gras motiff. She even provided each one with beads and masks. And the food - it was delicous to the nth degree. We started with Chef Clinton's appetizers - stuffed mushrooms (crab meat) and baked clams (tahong). We were like piranhas - the appetizers didn't last more than 1 minute. They were "to die for".

There was music - New Orleans Jazz! And lots of dancing....

Then it was time for the main course. We lined up for gumbo, courtesy of Carlyn, borrowing her mother-in-law's recipe. I was very fortunate to be the very first in line because it was the best gumbo I've ever tasted - loaded with crab legs, chicken and plenty of spices, over rice. As Renee Zelwigger said to Tom Cruise in the movie, "You had me at hello", similarly I said, "you had me at gumbo". We were all satisfied with the gumbo but that was just the beginning. The southern chicken (Auntie Billie's recipe) was awesome, along with the cajun shrimp and the green collards.

Did I mention that while eating, we were being graced by live music. Chio hired a pianist and a singer. The first song was my favorite - The Way You Look Tonight, followed by old time favorites. As Sean said, "this is classy." It set the mood that night.

Let the paaahty begin!!! The dance music started playing and the dance floor was filled - even the children were on the dance floor! Then it was showtime. First to present were the West Coast Nuydas. One by one, the pretty ladies modeled to the tune of the Beach Boys' California Girls. The fashion show culminated with the 2 most beautiful women in the family - Jasnine and Big Bertha!!! They grabbed Todd, the tall, dark and handsome muscleman from Dallas Texas, sat him on a chair and gave him a lap dance. It was a good thing that they were cousins because he almost divorced his lovely wife LeAnne in exchange for the "well-endowed" California girls. (ha ha ha) It so happened that they California girls were no other than myself and Bobbit, dressed in drag. Oh boy, I saw the picture and we were ugly!!!

The East Coast Nuydas came in well prepared. They were dressed in barong Tagalog with accompanying mustache. They were the Nuyda Quartet - Sean, Chip, Todd and Him (Peter). They wrote their own song, memorized the lyrics and sang in tune. When I watched the video, I noticed that Sean had the microphone to himself and didn't share it with Chip. Peter also was closer to the mike instead of Todd. Well, this explains why they were in tune. (Sorry guys....)

And the winner - of course, the East Coast Nuydas!!!! They were well prepared and very deserving! But then again, how can they lose? They mentioned Chio's name followed by a compliment at least 10 times in the song. ha ha ha

After the talent shows, Nisha rendered us a song. And just like Blossom, she was good! Clint also played his guitar and sang his own composition. Carlyn entertained us with her angelic voice. She was also very creative, making her own lyrics as she went along mentioning the names of the 1st generation Nuydas, from Auntie Eding to Auntie Goy in a song.

The clocked ticked and then we realized that it was past midnight. We had to call it a night. And as usual, it took us an hour to say goodbye starting at the backyard, in the living room, in the driveway, then finally in our cars. This was our last night together, so we wanted to extend it for as long as we could.

Day 9: Time to say farewell. The East Coast Nuydas came as a group but left one by one. First to go was Chip who had a 10:30 flight to Indiana, followed by Todd who caught a 12:00 flight to Dallas then by Sean who had an 11:30 flight to Milwaukee.

It was a sad day. Tears rolled down our eyes, we hugged and said goodbye. Matthew, my 6 year old son, grabbed Maria's legs and wouldn't let go. He cried and said that he will miss Maria. They just met and were together for 8 days but a strong bond already developed.

As they all left, Tess and I stood outside a moment longer reflecting on the week that just passed. Hosting a big group may have been very challenging but it was all worth it. It was a hectic week but we enjoyed every minute of it. This will surely be included in the memories that will be cherished. And more importantly, a bond developed amongst our children. At the end of the day, this is what "family" is about.

This reunion produced great results - love, bonding, unity and wonderful memories that we will share. Isn't this what Jesus is about? Praise the Lord for allowing this reunion to happen! Praise the Lord for planting this thought in Carlyn and Chio's hearts and minds! As Chi explained, it all started with a thought. Then it became a reality! Thank you, Chi for saying "yes" to Jesus and for spearheading this reunion.

Until the next reunion - DJ and Nerissa's wedding on February 24, 2007.

Anthem

2006-06-10T21:13:00.000+08:00

In honor of June 12: Philippine Independence Day. . .

No man, no madness
Though their sad power may prevail
Can possess, conquer, my country's heart
They rise to fail

She is eternal
Long before nations' lines were drawn
When no flags flew, when no armies stood
My land was born.

And you ask me why I love her
Through wars, death and despair.
She is the constant, we who don't care
And you wonder will I leave her -- but how?
I cross over borders but I'm still there now.

How can I leave her?
Where would I start?
Let man's petty nations tear themselves apart...
My land's only borders lie around my heart.

"Anthem" from the musical Chess

Hero and Leander

2006-05-26T09:37:00.000+08:00

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.

A - I'm Adorable

2006-05-22T09:44:00.000+08:00

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.

Dyslexia Revisited

2006-05-19T10:04:00.000+08:00

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.

Phenomenal Woman

2006-05-14T01:46:00.000+08:00

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.

Al Dente!

2006-05-04T11:08:00.000+08:00

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

The Write Thing

2006-05-04T10:14:00.000+08:00

You Should Be a Song Writer

You have the ability to evoke emotion, tell a story, and hook someone...
In a very small amount of words, perhaps with some deft rhyming.
Even if you can't write music, you can sure write compelling lyrics.
Lyrics so good, people will have them stuck in their heads!

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

Tuning Fork

2006-05-04T09:52:00.000+08:00

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.

How Happy Are You?

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.

No Habla Ingles

2006-04-29T11:35:00.000+08:00

Love this email my brother Rocky sent me. So up my alley.

Can you read these right the first time?

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let's face it - English is a crazy language.

There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.

English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France.

Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?

If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth?

One goose, 2 geese.

So one moose, 2 meese?

One index, 2 indices?

Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend?

If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.

In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

PS. - Why doesn't "Buick" rhyme with "quick"?

***And we haven't even gotten around to pronouncing them yet. Hehe.

Lend Me Your Ears

2006-04-29T00:40:00.000+08:00

"God gave you two ears and one mouth, and if you use them in that proportion, you're going to be better off."

Silent Sunday

2006-04-23T16:21:00.000+08:00

I've never been into the whole Wordless Wednesday scene -- maybe since I usually do have something to say on Wednesdays. But today I found this image on a site called Lady Mac's Musings and for once, no words are required. But, then again, its a Sunday and I'm probably just too lazy to talk about anything. And so, here it is. . .my day, if I were to draw a picture of it:

Unmasked

2006-04-23T16:00:00.000+08:00

Goodness, how could I have missed this? Me-an's image tag of me is absolute perfection. A harlequin mask with a stylized butterfly design on one side of its face. No explanation or interpreter needed! That's TWO windows to my soul, as seen by a true friend who's known the best (and worst) of me all these years. Just had to post it here for my own viewing pleasure.

Image Search

2006-04-23T00:31:00.000+08:00

Peachy very kindly answered my last tag and I owe it to her to do the same...two weeks too late! Ah, but better late than never. I agree that this tag is notches above the usual. For one, it made me think a bit, and work a bit. And although these images fail to paint a full and accurate portrait of these individuals, they do provide a tiny window into what makes them special and unique.

So here goes:

1. Choose a search engine.
2. Pick 5 random blogfriends.
3. Think of a word or phrase that describes each friend.
4. Do an image search of that word or phrase.
5. Pick an image to represent your friend - share it.

PEACHY

RONY
ME-AN

JOHANN

ELI

Grateful

2006-04-14T22:37:00.000+08:00

Twice tagged by Rony and Chari.

Name ten of life's simple pleasures that you like most, then pick ten people to do the same. Try to be original and creative and not to use things that someone else has already used.

In no particular order:

1. Seeing yellow smileys beside certain people’s names on my YM messenger list.

2. Gliding effortlessly over that once impossible barrier of a bridge between my chest and head tones (after years learning how to master it!).

3. Hearing Rein’s recorded voice alerting me of a new text message.

4. Reading that message which says, "On my way home, hon."

5. Rummaging through tons of books at a booksale and finding a 40-peso copy of Woody Allen’s hilarious “Side Effects”.

6. Psalm 23.

7. Being knee-deep in beloved old photos, letters and scripts.

8. Waking up at 7:30am to a day with no deadlines!

9. Doodling.

10. A good hair day.

Peachy, Me-an, Joel (yes, I know you hate tags...hehe), Issa, Johann, Oliver, Mayen, Topper, Hogi, Leah. Go for it!

Decoding Dan

2006-04-14T01:44:00.000+08:00

The Da Vinci Code copyright infringement case is old news, but its controversial legal proceedings did force the author to reveal his writing secrets--and that is what is of interest to me, in light of his fascinating (if labyrinthian) writing style.

And here let me share part of an article I read recently on the famous Mr. Brown's pulp fiction formula for cracking his own writing code:

"Brown has done a lot of thinking about what makes a successful Dan Brown thriller. He has found that it requires a few essential elements: some kind of shadowy force, like a secret society or government agency; a "big idea" that contains a moral "grey area"; and a treasure. The treasures in Brown's four novels have been a meteorite, anti-matter, a gold ring, and the Holy Grail. The shadowy forces have included the Priory of Sion, Opus Dei, and the National Security Agency. The big idea, if I'm reading him correctly, goes something like this: Is the Vatican good … or is it evil? Is the National Security Agency for us … or is it against us? When all of Brown's elements come together, doled out over cliffhanging chapters, with characters that exist to "move the plot along," it is like mixing the ingredients to make a cake. For example, Deception Point, Brown's third novel, is "a thriller about a meteorite discovered in the Arctic—a discovery that turns out to have profound political ramifications for an impending presidential election."

"Another author might have sneered when asked to lay bare his methodology. Brown, on the other hand, appears eager to reveal every one of the secrets of the pulp novelist: "All my novels are set in 24 hours"; "All of my novels use the concept of a simple hero pulled out of his familiar world"; "I intend to make Robert Langdon my primary character for years to come." My favorite secret is Brown's notion of the "thriller as academic lecture." The trick is to make your characters experts—in Brown's world, they are symbologists, cryptographers, and so forth. Then you pair them with an expert of a different discipline, making it convenient for the experts to essay to one another at some length, in the process spilling all the research you have done for your novel. (The Da Vinci Code contains dozens of loosely connected academic lectures.)

"I was also curious about how Brown named his protagonists. He has heroes ranging from Vittoria Vetra to Susan Fletcher—names that, in the glorious tradition of pulp writing, are either ostentatiously foreign or ridiculously dull. "I named the protagonist Robert Langdon," Brown writes of his Da Vinci and Angels & Demons hero. "I thought it was a fantastic name. It sounds very 'New England' and I like last names with two syllables …"

"One can't help but feel good about Brown's portrayal here. He is his own most fully formed character—the only one not rushing off to foil some dark international conspiracy or another; the only one who is allowed to emerge in a rush of small details. For instance, we learn that Brown's writing day begins at 4 a.m. He writes seven days a week. He keeps an hourglass on his desk and, on the hour, puts aside his manuscript to perform push-ups, sit-ups, and stretches. He does not like to write in the margins of books, but his wife doesn't feel that way. He is invariably delighted by anagrams. (He was extremely delighted to discover that Heide Lange, his literary agent, had a last name could be rearranged to spell "angel.") For a while, Brown sold books out of the back of his car. Some of his recent vacation destinations have included Tahiti, Rome, and the Mayan pyramids at Chichén Itzá. He is not a pack rat. He has thrown away most of the documents from his younger days, especially from his failed songwriting career, because they were "painful reminders of years spent for naught." He wrote the outline for The Da Vinci Code in a laundry room, himself planted in a lawn chair and his manuscript balanced on an ironing board."

(by Bryan Curtis, Slate Magazine, March 22, 2006)

Ok, imagining this phenomenal bestseller being outlined against the humming of its author's spin cycle takes away from the book's mystique somewhat. I admit, I am a bit disillusioned. It was damn good fiction while it lasted.

April Fulls

2006-04-13T23:46:00.000+08:00

Oh happy day! Three special people in my life are celebrating their birthdays today. My big sister Patty, my college bud Annie, and of course, the one and only Sofronia!

My sister looks beautiful in blue here...

One of many happy photos of this bunch. Rony and me together with two of our oft-absent best buddies. Yes, WHERE ARE YOU, LANA???

And I am still rummaging around for a nice pic of Annie.

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY GUYS! LOVE YOU ALL!

Search Me!

2006-04-11T22:47:00.000+08:00

My own search engine! Look familiar? Hehe. Picked this site up from a couple of friends' blogs. Don't you just love these sites that are totally designed to do nothing but boost your ego? This page is the first sight I see the moment I turn my browser on. Love it.

A Zong In My Heart

2006-04-07T09:47:00.000+08:00

Ca-RONY-ah...Ca-RONY-ah...

Dunno why I am humming this jingle from that cheesy old nail polish ad. Maybe because I just spent an evening with jetsetting pal Rony and he's looking more and more polished these days. Hehe, cheap pun. No, am just happy to see him again. I've been angsting about how to spend his birthday dinner with him this year (I've never missed a single one of his birthday dinners since that first year we met -- to Bennigan's and beyond!), and was actually contemplating hopping on the first plane to HK just so I wouldn't break the old tradition! But happily, Rony came home himself for a pre-birthday week vacation, and so I had nothing to worry about. We had a great Chinese dinner at Zong at the Fort.

My dear friend looks fat and happy and content, and I couldn't wish for more for him. Although your real birthday is still on the 13th, let me wish you happy tidings in advance! Barry Manilow rocks!

And yes, Rein and I did have some form of noodles during dinner to symbolically partake in your prosperity. Haha.

Mench and me...(ninang! hehe)

Rony's bevy of beauties...

Have a safe flight home, Rony! Mwa!

Moments

2006-04-05T10:21:00.000+08:00

Checked out my celfone's photo gallery and realized how a moment, no matter how trivial, can be really quite significant to the one who captured it. I'm ready to delete this batch of pics and free up some precious memory space, but I thought I'd first pay tribute to a few captured moments that are significant to perhaps no one but me...

13-year old Cheska Ortega and I clock in some serious bonding time during rehearsals for the Johnson & Johnson's 50th anniversary event. We play mom and daughter. Believable naman, diba? Haha.

My mom-in-law getting some help blowing her birthday candles from granddaughters JanJan and Jayjay at the Pro-Assist office in Makati.

Love this easygoing shot of hubby Rein at our favorite hangout, Charbroiled Burgers, where we spend most of our lazy-to-cook mealtimes.

My favorite flowerpot, which I water every morning. A gluttonous caterpillar recently took up residence in it and literally ate itself out of house and home.

Unfortunately, I grew fond of this caterpillar and started to look forward to the day he would metamorphose into a fabulous butterfly. But he kept eating and eating -- this is what my beloved plant eventually looked like -- until he got too big and fat to hide under the few, remaining leaves. One morning I woke up to find him gone. I suspect my malevolent Maya bird spied him from afar and decided to have a juicy breakfast. The early bird, you know....sigh. (I actually wept and mourned my loss, and am glad I was able to take a picture of it before it went on to that great food plant in the sky. Here he is, circled in red.)

On to happier things. This is adorable Gabo, my friend Sweet Tiongson's baby boy. The next generation of Trumpets is here.

Good friends and great voices -- with fellow sopraninis Elai and Mitch taking a break from our Sound of Trumpets gospel concert at the Shang.

Applause! Applause! But not for us -- all praise and honor and glory go to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Here's to the next Sound of Trumpets concert! I love these guys, I swear!

Extreme Landings

2006-03-26T16:33:00.000+08:00

Drat. Would you just believe it. At exactly 12:45pm today, right in the middle of a glorious moment of grandstanding, a malevolent Maya bird out on a Top Gun mission decided to drop a missile directly onto the top of my head...and. did. not. miss. It happened on church grounds right after my praise & worship training session. I was talking to a churchmate and fellow trainee about my vast knowledge of vocal technique (which I would happily share with her, of course!) when plop!...it was bombs away over Hiroshima all over again.

Ok, GOD--You can stop laughing now. I can take a hint.

'Nuff Sed

2006-03-24T10:59:00.000+08:00

Scribbler

2006-03-23T21:38:00.000+08:00

My new look! Like it? Broken pencils + crazy doodles = writer's block. Story of my life.

Gone Fishin'

2006-03-10T11:19:00.000+08:00

Atty. Glenn Avecilla Nuyda

1925 - 2002

It's been four years and four days since my Papa left us. I remember that day very well. I passed by Papa's room the night before to say hello and saw, to my shock, a shrunken and emaciated old man on the bed where my energetic, vibrant father used to be. The physical transformation had happened almost overnight, even as his condition had been deteriorating for weeks. I choked on my hello, knowing in an instant that he wouldn't be with us much longer. I ran to my room weeping and praying very hard to God, asking Him to embrace my father very tightly in his last hours.

It was very hard to see him like that, looking small and defeated by those ravenous cancer cells. My Papa had lived BIG. He climbed mountains and sailed the deep seas--as much in pursuit of elusive dreams as he did barracudas and butterflies. He loved family, and revelled in the fact that he had produced 6 children and 12 grandchildren (now 14 and counting). He loved food, and cooked better than anyone in his household. Fresh lapu-lapu, bilaos filled with giant prawns baked in chili sauce, salted ham and lechon karaha (the saltier, the better!) were his ultimate favorites. By no means a gourmet, he nevertheless knew a good plate of laing when he saw one. And how he loved knowledge! Perhaps the most intelligent man I had ever known, my Papa knew world history like the back of his hand. A bar top-notcher, he could stand in front of any audience and speak with poetry and eloquence--just from the top of his head! He had a loud, booming voice that never really needed the aid of a microphone. My love of drama and music came from him. I appreciate great minds and talent--from Ayn Rand to Bing Crosby--because of his influence.

Which was why the sight of him wasting away before my very eyes was very difficult for me--the youngest and most sheltered daughter--at the time. But my sadness was very cerebral, and no one could have guessed how much I had already been grieving even before his actual passing.

Anyway, I had an errand the next morning, a trip to the supermarket to buy supplies for a photo shoot Peachy and I had to supervise the next day. At around 9am, I said a quick goodbye to Papa, who barely looked at me--I'd like to think he was just too deep in conversation with his heavenly guides by then to take notice of anything around him--then I jumped into my car and drove off. As disturbed as I was by his appearance, I still didn't think that that would be the goodbye. So unceremonial was it, so off-handed. I had still fully expected to see Papa when I got back after an hour.

In the supermarket, as we were piling loaves of bread into our cart, my cellphone suddenly slipped from my hand and fell crashing to the floor. I remember thinking, how did that happen? I had a pretty good grip on my phone. I bent down to pick it up and saw that the cover had broken apart.

Later on, at the parking lot, Peachy and I said our goodbyes as we both drove off in separate cars. I had just pulled out of the lot when my phone buzzed. A message had just come in. I didn't want to read it at first. I felt that it might be the message I had been dreading for weeks. And it was. It was from my brother Jojo, and all it said was: Papa's gone.

The ten or so minutes of that drive home were very surreal. It was as if all my nerve endings had been suspended in mid-air and there was only silence around me. . .and numbness. I said one last goodbye to Papa there in the car and drove on, staring at the morning sky all the way home.

Fab Find

2006-03-06T19:38:00.000+08:00

One of my not-so-secret guilty pleasures is pigging out on chips and soda in front of the TV watching old movie musicals like my all-time fave, "Singin' In The Rain". A joy to watch from beginning to end, this 50s classic stars Gene Kelly (as silent movie star Don Lockwood), Donald O'Conner (as Cosmo Brown, Don's buddy and dynamite dancing sidekick! Look out for the fabulous "Moses Supposes" number), Debbie Reynolds (as Don's love interest Cathy Selden) and, my personal favorite-- Jean Hagen (as Lina Lamont, the other half of the Lockwood-and-Lamont superstar screen loveteam).

Set in the 20s, towards the end of the silent movie era, Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont were the loveteam to beat. Until the pioneering film "The Jazz Singer" blew the silent era to smithereens, that is. With the advent of "talkies", the world of movie-making was changed forever. Now the stars had to talk! Worse, they had to sing, too. While this didn't pose a problem for Don Lockwood, who had a tolerable voice, Lina Lamont was a different story altogether. So they bring in singer Cathy Selden to dub Lina's absolutely horrendous voice, with hilarious results. A very funny movie, with fabulous song and dance sequences (take special note of the Broadway Melody ballet with the timeless Cyd Charisse and her endless legs), I can literally watch this movie over and over again, and I have.

Cut to two nights ago, when I chanced upon a Chinese release of the DVD at a tiangge. An original copy and a real find--except for this side-splitting synopsis at the back, which went:

Lamen and Loke are silent movie actress. Audiences think they are a very good silver screen lovers. Along with the talking film rise, He sink intoed the enormous predicament. Although she owns a beautiful face and round body, she says like miaowing. While taking talkie, she is very embarassed. Loke introduces Cathy to join the film producer troops. She becomes Lamen's dub the actor. In the process of get along withing, Loke has loved Cathy. Because his right and wrong is often proud, people didn't like him. Cathy become a star who is liked by people. She get married Loke.

Ah...enormous predicament, indeed! Couldn't have said it better myself! Of course, in all my years of watching this film, I don't recall any Norse gods or people making feline sounds, but hey--now I love this movie even more. Haha. Bring out the chips!

Word Cloud

2006-03-03T19:56:00.000+08:00

Got this idea from Ribbiticus. She found this great site that creates word clouds out of random words from your blog, and can even print it out on a t-shirt for you. This is what my word cloud picked up. Pretty accurate portrait, don't you think? Would love to have the shirt now!

Home Improvement

2006-03-01T14:18:00.000+08:00

To my thousands of loyal readers, I deeply apologize. Been a while since my last blog. I haven't been lazy. On the contrary, I have been flexing my non-existent muscles for a month now--sorting, gathering, packing, folding, lifting, pushing, pulling, shoving, cleaning, scrubbing, and then unpacking, unfolding, hanging, and then cleaning, scrubbing, gathering and sorting some more--as I finally bid goodbye to that tiny shoebox I called home for the past two years to move into Rein's and my new home in BF Homes, Parañaque.

It's been a herculean task, to be sure--a major development in our lives which, I hope, will prepare, teach and hone us further in our new lives as husband and wife. It hasn't been easy. We've had more tiffs and rows in this new house than I would care to count. But since we have claimed and declared that wonderful things will come from living here, I am confident that our best days are yet to come.

My entire focus this past month has been settling in and adjusting to our new environment and new schedules. Aside from keeping house and planning meals, I still have to accomplish writing jobs and attend rehearsals and do shows. Everything else has had to take a back seat. Gimmicks with friends, badminton games and other leisurely pursuits will have to wait for now. Rein has his high-pressure job and I am mostly just exhausted at the end of each day, which makes weekends sacred to us. Except for church meetings, Saturdays and Sundays are devoted to catching up, and sharing errands and housework. Oh, and the occasional dinner and movie "date", of course. Musn't neglect that part! As a result, I have missed important gatherings and even declined my very first nomination into the Trumpets board. And since I couldn't attend any of the Trumpets general assemblies, I lost my right to vote my for chosen candidates! Very, very frustrating turn of events, indeed.

But, at the end of the day, I am extremely grateful to Papa God for giving us this new home. There's nothing like waking up each morning knowing that you are the mistress of your own castle, and that every fork and chair and can of sardines is your very own; that the floor you sweep and the garbage you segregate are your own piles of dust and trash; that the plants you're watering were bought and arranged by your own two hands. I even toss and turn each night, wonderfully irritated by the noise being made by my own creaking door! Haha. The wind makes that door creak every ten seconds, and even makes it sound as if someone from outside is trying to get in--and it freaks me out like you can't imagine--but hey, at least its my own crazy door and my own nightly cause of insomnia!

I am grateful to be learning new things everday--things that I know are meant to teach us how to do this marriage-thing right. I'm pretty sure that once we've passed certain heavenly tests, we will be allowed to move on to the next level: parenthood!

It's all good.

Three Times A Lady

2006-02-08T23:29:00.000+08:00

Tagged! by Ribbiticus

3 Names You Answer To
-Jen
-Nini
-Nuyds
(there's more, but i'm sadly limited to three...)

3 Parts Of Your Heritage
-Spanish (Pajares, Avecilla)
-British (Gaskell)
-Goodness knows what (Nuyda)

3 Things That Scare You
-a roach's antennae peeking from behind furniture, pillows, etc.
-looking forward to a root canal
-the unknown

3 Everyday Essentials
-a good morning hug and kiss from my hubby
-texting
-checking my YM list to see who's online

3 Really Essential Everyday Essentials
-breathing
-praying
-eating

3 Things You're Wearing
-a wedding ring
-white cotton undies
-a smile

3 Favorite Songs
-Lost Horizon - Burt Bacharach
-Colors of the Wind) - Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz
-The Little Prince title song - Lerner & Loewe

3 Things About The Opposite Sex That Appeals To You
-humour
-compassion
-athletic ability
(Aahhh...who am I kidding? CAR-acter, PESO-nality and a pair of good shoulders will do it for me every time! Hehe)

3 Things You Want In A Relationship
-chemistry
-mutual respect
-a bright future

3 Favorite Hobbies
-digging through piles of books at a book sale
-discovering rare oddities
-playing Klondike on my celfone

3 Things To Do Before You Die
-travel extensively all over Europe
-write that dang musical
-establish a sizeable inheritance for my children

3 Ways You're Stereotypically Female (or Male)
-i pore over home decorating magazines
-i love skirts (gee. . .who knew?)
-i like to sew (surprise! surprise!)

2 Truths & 1 Lie (in no particular order)
-i love dark chocolate
-i own a pair of Manolos
-i drive a car i named Brego

3 People You're Tagging
-Issa
-Maita
-Joel

The Fountain of Youth

2006-01-31T10:41:00.000+08:00

Youth is not entirely a time of life; it is a state of mind. It is not wholly a matter of ripe cheeks, red lips or supple knees. It is a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions, a freshness of the springs of life.

Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul. Worry, doubt, self-distrust, fear and despair -- these are the long, long years that bow the head and turn the growing spirit back to dust.

You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair. In the central place of your heart, there is a recording chamber; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer and courage, so long are you young.

When the wires are all down and your heart is covered with the snow of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then - and then only - are you grown old.

From "The Intangibles" by Senator Jovito Salonga

A Wicked Tag

2006-01-24T19:45:00.000+08:00

Tagged by Unicorn Child. Yeah, I guess a tag-break is in order. Here goes...

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what did you think?
Except for the half moons under my eyes, not so bad.

2. How much cash do you have on you?
In my wallet, P320 (about $6); in my drawer, P1000 (about $19); scattered all around my room, oh, I'd say...P25 (about 51 cents) in coins! Wait, the pizza man's here. Make that $2.50 in my wallet! Sigh.

3. What's a word that rhymes with "TEST"?
JEST! Which I love to do. And while we're at it, NEST! Because my hubby and I are trying to put one of our very own together at the moment.

4. Favorite planet?
Still dear ole' Mother Earth. I am not terribly fond of cold, gaseous, lifeless entities---planets or otherwise.

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
My good friend Mayen Cadd, nee Bustamante. She was trying to put together a surprise party for a friend of ours at the time.

6. What is your favorite ring on your phone?
"Penny Lane" by the Beatles.

7. What shirt are you wearing?
A midnight-blue spaghetti-strap vintage blouse with tiny white flower prints and a tiny white ribbon in front. The label says "BESS".

8. Do you "label" yourself?
Aside from "BESS", you mean? Hehe. Yeah sure, I call myself a "gypsy". A "freelance everything". A "theater person". A "nerd".

9. Name the brand of shoes you're currently wearing now:
I'm afraid I don't buy branded house slippers.

10. Bright or Dark Room?:
Lamplit.

11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?
Tops.

12. What were you doing at midnight last night?
Frolicking in dreamland.

13. What did your last text message you received on your cell say?
"Ok will ask around". I had asked my godfather Tito Freddie if he knew anyone who could donate type O+ blood for a friend in need.

14. Where is your nearest 7-11?
The main road outside our village.

15. What's a saying(s) that you say a lot?
Gadzookas! Er, I mean, Godbless us...

16.Who told you they loved you last?
The love of my life...a.k.a., my husband

17. Last furry thing you touched?
Hmmm...I don't remember. I just threw away an old stuffed toy. Maybe that.

18. How many days of school did you miss this week?
In the School of Life...NONE. I'm never absent.

19. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?:
One. I actually still own an instamatic camera, unlike SOME people. Harumph.

20. Favorite age you have been so far?: 26

21. Your worst enemy? Time

22. What is your current desktop picture:
A candid wedding photo

23. What was the last thing you said to someone?:
Thanks! (to the pizza delivery man)

24. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly, which would you choose?: The ability to fly! I've fantasized about being able to zip about like Peter Pan since I was a little kid. Besides, I'd use it to make a heck of a lot more than a million bucks!

25. Do you like someone?
Oh i like a lot of people. But if you mean, do I "like" someone...weheeell, Ah shore dew! I sorta "liked" him enough to marry him!

26. The last song you listened to?
See Her Smile, from Jonathan Larson's "Tick...Tick...Boom"

27. Carmen Electra or Pam Anderson?:
Carmen Elektra...she's just easier to look at.

Lemme see...who to tag...well, ok, in case you drop in--YOU're tagged: Rony, Andrei, Johann, Topper and Maita.

By the way, I made a new friend during my very recent corporate show. 20-year old Maita Ponce, who was my castmate and fellow-Ozian in our "Wicked" journey to Emerald City (see photos below). Although she is all sweetness and light (the genuine article!), Maita is nonetheless a feisty and extremely talented young lady. A budding visual artist, I am already very impressed with her work, a sample of which you can check out in her BLOG . A few tidbits about her: she's a consistent honor student, an art and theater aficionado, a very fast learner (she knew the choreography better than anybody during rehearsals), is a cheese lover, and can even play the piano by ear. Is there nothing this pretty young thing can't do?

Meanwhile, here's what we looked like that day--

Performed a song-and-dance number called "Ease On Down The Road" (which is not part of "Wicked" but comes from a very related show called "The Wiz") to open the show. Costumes are obviously less Ozian, but still very green...here are Caisa Borromeo, Maita, and their Ate Jennie! (My castmates are getting younger every year, oh dear.)

Having lunch at North Park (read: the north parking lot at the Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel) with the "Wicked" gang...

Goofing around at our Executive Suite before our makeup call...

Me in full Ozian regalia...

Maita in an Ozian pose...

Elphaba (Sweet Tiongson) and Glinda (Mayen Cadd)...

Ze Wizard (Audie Gemora)...

Ozian folks bidding everyone bye-di-bye...

Once On This Island

2006-01-13T12:43:00.000+08:00

Finally! Just a few of our honeymoon pics in and around Puerta Princesa in Palawan. . .i don't think I've ever smiled such huge smiles in my life! Haha. . .ahhhh. . .God bless the givers of this overwhelming gift! My brother-in-law Tiny Defensor and his wife, my sister Patty. And God bless my 6630 camera fone!

Before anything else, let me just post this photo of an amazingly blessèd omen I saw in the sky before we left for Palawan. A rainbow---or as Peachy so aptly called it, "God's smile"---appeared for just a second, long enough for me to capture it on film, before it disappeared just as instantly as it came. It really felt as if God gave us a glimpse of his smile!

Off we go! Plane ride to paradise. . .

Upon arrival, Rein and I didn't realize we were considered "guests of the city", personal guests of the Mayor of Puerta Princesa, Edward S. Hagedorn, and so were duly astounded to be welcomed with shell leis bearing the city's insignia!

Our homey hotel, The Asturias, where we ordered room service till their pantry ran dry. . .

Settling into Room 108. . .

Touring the city's delights. . .if you like ferocious crocs, that is!

Found a personal little world of my own in the Butterfly Farm. As you can see from these pics, I never wanted to leave there! We walked through wall-to-wall foliage a-flutter with hundreds of my beautiful winged babies. Guests aren't allowed to touch the butterflies, but hey--they came to me!

Oh, couldn't resist taking a shot of this sign at the entrance. First of all, they were asking us to pay full price because they thought we were foreigners! Or maybe they just wanted to make an extra buck, haha. Take note of the thoughtful consideration they give to fellow Pinoys. . .

Ah, a husband after my own heart. Here's Rein studying butterfly eggs through a magnifying glass. Reminds me of my dad. . .

Hey, you don't get to pick up a branch full of butterfly cocoons everyday! These babies will hatch incredible winged beings any day now. And to think they were once odd-looking caterpillars.

Rein was having just as much fun as I was. Took this shot just as a beautiful red one alighted on his hand. As soon as I clicked, it was gone. But at least Rein's still there. Hehe.

Do I look happy here, or do I look happy?

We really couldn't stay at the butterfly farm forever, so we went to Kalui's instead. Oh, what a place to have dinner! You leave your shoes at the foyer and walk barefoot on the cleanest bamboo floors I've ever felt under my feet towards the table of your choice. Well, naturally I chose a low table where we sat on pillows on the floor! The seafood was amazing, by the way.

The next few days were action-filled, to say the least. After more than 2 hours travelling on land, here were are finally on our way across the sea to an island cove where the famous Underground River is situated. Ahhh, it was all that it's touted to be and more.

Landing on the shores of the island. . .move over McArthur!

At the mouth of the subterranean cave. Inside, we made friends with thousands of bats and stalactite and stalagmite formations. Sorry, was too stunned to take any pictures. . .

Meet our lunchtime friend. He kept coming to our table hoping for a few scraps from our island feast.

Our benefactor, the honorable Mayor Edward Hagedorn. Paid him a visit the next day at his office at the brand new Coliseum he had built. He took us to lunch at a great seafront restaurant.

Over lunch, he ordered his chief of police to arrange for us to go on a day tour of the famed Dos Palmas the next day. And here we are on our way to another island treat. . .

Welcome drinks at Dos Palmas! Did some snorkeling, played billiards and pingpong and just left the world behind for a while. . .

As if the spectacular lunch buffet wasn't enough, they even had our table especially reserved!

More Dos Palmas moments. . .

Spent our last day at home at the Asturias pool. Not a bad way to spend a honeymoon holiday!

Recapturing Old Times

2006-01-09T20:16:00.000+08:00

Haven't managed to scan and post our honeymoon pics yet, but promise to do so as soon as I can. Meanwhile, just had a surprise visit from my jet-setting buddy Rony Fortich this weekend, and promptly made a date to meet up together with another long-lost musical pal of mine, Lana Jalosjos, for lunch at Shang today. Our favorite Filipino culinary spot on the 5th floor, C2, was the logical choice, although we skipped the requisite Bibingka Souffle today on account of the fact that erstwhile dessert-fiend Lana needs to fast for 3 days. Yes, fast. Sigh. But dessert or no dessert, we still had a blast, nevertheless (did I actually just say that, Lans?)--just picking up from where we left off, as always. Such is the blessing of true friends. Stories, gossip, sharing of photos, past disappointments, hopeful dreams and wonderful memories over steaming Pinoy food--what more could one ask of a perfect Monday afternoon?

Here we are all over the 5th floor of Shang Mall, trying to find sufficient lighting for my struggling 1.3 megapixels, and finding it near the Dimsum & Dumplings cart, as well as in the spankingly new Debenhams store on the 3rd floor.....priceless moments indeed.

One Fine Day

2006-01-02T16:04:00.000+08:00

My totally handsome groom...green grass...a lovely, breezy day...the dearest faces in the world...images from a truly fine day...

Bells Are Ringing

2005-12-29T07:35:00.000+08:00

The only photos of my wedding in existence, thus far. Haha. Many thanks to unofficial photographers (and bridal co-stars) Peachy and Allan Marasigan and their trusty cam. Stay tuned for the official pics when they finally arrive....sometime in this century, I hope!

10 Lords a-Leaping

2005-12-10T16:58:00.000+08:00

Golly gee whiz. Exactly 48 hours till the bells start to chime on my last day as Jennifer Gaskell Nuyda. Strangely enough, I am not a barbed wire of nerves. Well, not counting my little flare up with Rein on the phone this morning, over coordinator (or the lack of) issues. The sky is heavy with the grayest rain clouds I ever did see, but I'm not tearing my hair out over it. I am still holding out for a miraculously sunshine-y day on Monday. But if the heavens decide to bless us with holy water, then so be it. The success of a marriage isn't based on the weather after all. See you all there--rain or shine, let's all just have a good time!

Three French Hens

2005-12-03T08:42:00.000+08:00

Nuff said...

Two Turtle Doves

2005-12-02T09:26:00.000+08:00

On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me......

Waaaaaaaaaaa. Starting from yesterday, the first day of December, Rein and I have been singing this Christmas ditty--one line at a time. I've never before been so nerve-wracked and excited at the same time to sing it. For obvious reasons, of course. By the time we get to the end of the song, it will be.....D Day!!!!! (clang! clang! bing! bong!)

So, sing it with me now! It's December 2 today, so........

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, a partridge in a pear tree.
On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree........