Rereading Charles Dickens

I read Oliver Twist as a kid and admittedly I was shaken by the bleakness of the story, not knowing at that time that in a way, Charles Dickens was also describing conditions in a country, although thousands of miles away from his native Britain, that was also treating many of its children the way the characters of that groundbreaking book was being treated.  Our street children begging on the streets and the thousands of children here who have to work to feed their family - Charles Dickens' wrote about them hundreds of years ago - but his story can be as relevant today, as it was during that time. 

I am writing about this since I chanced upon an article in the Philippine Star today where Teddy Boy Locsin talked about his favorite Dickens' novels.  I'm planning to get a copy of Great Expectations soon.  It's time I reread Dickens again.  I kinda miss him!

Theatre Review: Maliw

The second play that I saw for the currently running Eyeball: New Visions in Philippine Theater series is "Maliw", which, like Isang Araw Sa Karnabal, also involves searching, or in this case, waiting for a loved one.  This time, it's their younger daughter who is now a desaparecido and the ones waiting are two folks in the twilight of their years.  It's quite a poignant play since it shows how people cope with losing loved ones, especially in this case where they never found her body.  Their resiliency is already a display of their courage.  In "Maliw" though, the daughter "returns" and has a final interaction with her mother.  Frankly, I could always see Jonas Burgos Mom being that mother on the stage and it's sad that the ones who took her son don't even care to tell her the truth!  Such cowardice!

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Theatre Review: Isang Araw Sa Karnabal

I caught two plays from the currently running Eyeball: New Visions in Philippine Theater at the Cultural Center of the Philippines last Sunday.  One of the plays was entitled "Isang Araw Sa Karnabal", written by Nicolas Pichay, a play which won the Palanca Award in the One Act Play category.


Sheenly Gener and Yul Servo served as the couple in this show that I caught and the play was quite interesting since it interposed a love story into a case of a daughter left by a desaparesido.  It was alternately funny and sad and there was never a dull moment as you slowly discover what this relationship is really about.  Sheenly's character has never found her father and because of that, she's now having issues about it, while Yul, plays her boyfriend, who, only appears to Sheenly now, after disappearing for a few months.  All these issues are discussed and acted out and you really feel that a denouement and a climax is reached in the end when both characters thresh those issues out.

It's a pity they had to play to a thin crowd.  More Filipinos should know about what the CCP is offering since their works are not only entertaining but thought-provoking too!

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Art Watch: Roberto Chabet's "To Be Continued"

This installation - the one with blue plywoods currently grace the lobby of the Cultural Center of the Philippines nowadays.  It's the work of Roberto Chabet, whose installations are in different parts of the CCP.   I am actually not very used to installations but his work is pretty interesting, especially the one near the Little Theater, which unfortunately, I was not able to get a picture of.  It had GI sheets with classroom deskboards in the middle.  Could've been his comment on the state of our country's educational system nowadays.

Methinks I Should Get Me One of Jil Sander's Sweaters This Season

The designers at Jil Sander have obviously gone animal bonkers as "animals" from whales to dinosaurs to fishes, have surfaced in their clothers for the men's fall 2012 collection.  I have always been a fan of Jil Sander's work and I have some pieces of her clothes.  Anyway, the last Jil Sander sweater I have is almost 6 years old now, so I think it's time to update it with maybe a piece or two from her latest collection.  The brown dinosaur sweater and the one with the light blue lapel on the back looks pretty interesting.  Problem is where to find them in XL since the Jil Sander shops in HK don't carry XL.  Crazy isn't it?

Touched by the Courage of Temple Grandin

While watching some tennis at the Australian Open today, I chanced upon the HBO movie Temple Grandin starring Clare Danes - who does a fantastic performance here!  I was really touched by the movie!  Imagine if Temple didn't have that courageous teacher of hers, played by David Strathairn, she would have completely missed on what she could offer the world!  There are many scenes in the movie that showed her courage and her determination to fulfill what she felt was her mission in this world.  Her life story is truly a source of inspiration whether you have an autistic child or not.  The truth is, even "normal" people would be hard put to achieve what she has done.  She truly is an inspiration!  Thanks Temple for giving us that!

Que doit le gouvernement Philippine prioriser en 2012?

Notre gouvernement Philippine doit prioriser le capabilite de vos gouvernements locaux a sauver et aider les victimes des disastres.  Chaque annee, plusieurs disastres se passent ici, donc c'est important que le gouvernement local peut concorder immediatement aux besoins de leur residents, sans en attendant pour le gouvernement national d'agir.

Ils devaient concentrer sur votre economie et inviter des hommes-affaires etrangeres d'investir ici.

Enfin, ils devaient fournir des travails a vos citoyens, surtout les jeunes!

Discovered the Tasty "All Beef Burger" of Taters in Eastwood

While I was waiting for my friend, Anne, to arrive, I decided to look for something to eat at the cinema lobby of Eastwood.  I decided to take a seat in Taters and mulled fora few minutes on what to eat. I tried most of their stuff before and sadly, they were all so-so, including the chicken and turkey burgers.  So, instead, I decided to try their All Beef Burger priced at 145 pesos.

I was pleasantly surprised as to how tasty it was!  I actually loved how they cooked it.  It was tender and juicy and not overcooked!  I guess maybe because I was the only customer that time (it was 10PM) that's why maybe the guy really took his time to put in all the proper stuff in it.  Anyway, I loved it and I will surely get another burger, this time at their Trinoma branch.  Let's see kung chamba lang yung nakain ko sa Eastwood!

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Would I Wear Neil Barrett?

Neil Barrett has one of the more masculine silhouettes among the male designers I know, which, actually, does not appeal to me much because I want my clothes to be a little more colorful and daring but these three ensembles above would be something I would want to be in.  They just straddle the right amount of masculinity and quirkiness that I want my look to be. 

Of course, the reality is, his clothes are far too expensive for an ordinary bloke like me, but we can all dream, can't we?

Tilda Swinton and "We Need to Talk About Kevin"

Tilda Swinton is one of my favorite actresses and her latest movie, We Need To Talk About Kevin should get her another Oscar nomination. Anyway, I've read that she has an interesting romantic set-up, very akin to a menage-a-trois! Such a modern woman! If you want to know more about how adventurous she is, just search for Sandro Kopp and her name and of course, the dad of her twins, John Byrne - and I'm sure you'd be scandalized at how this beautiful woman has it all! I'm envious! hahaha! Back to her movie, I do wish it would be shown here in the Philippines!

In Football Heaven with the Azkals and CF Internacional Madrid

God, I'm so fat in this picture!  However, Phil was so gracious even if he was soooo tired already!

 

 

 

 

If heaven had angels who looked like this, I won't be afraid to die anytime!

The very gracious James Younghusband. He actually looks much better in person and methinks, is more handsome than Phil, well, just my opinion, but both boys are uber-gracious!

Con mis amigos hispanohablantes Patricia y Paolo!

Ito ang isang lakad na walang plano. Basta sabi lang ng classmate ko na si Paolo na the Azkals would be at the Casino Espanol that evening, for dinner!! Well, our Spanish school, Instituto Cervantes was just beside that place! Medyo nag-alanganin pa me at first kasi nga naman, I don't really follow football but when I realized that it was going to be just a small private party with the Azkals, and that 31 Spanish men would be there, I realized, sayang naman, at least we'd have all the gorgeous boys to ourselves - or at least those who know where this hoity-toity place is!!

We arrived just in time to get some quick photos with the guys before we all sat down for dinner! Medyo nabusog kasi nga naman paella ang sinerve and leche flan! So ayun, goodbye diet ulit!!

Anyway, mas mabubusog pa pala kami sa mangyayari next!! I actually don't really follow the Azkals kasi nga naman di siya tennis noh, but kung may mga guapo, ok na rin!! James is really cuter than Phil but all I can say is that their Mom really raised them well (God bless her soul.). I know Pagoda Cold Wave Lotion na iyong mga beauty nila pero they really took time for the photo requests - and there were a lot ha, and they were polite and they did not hurry people up, and they were incredibly incredibly patient!! No airs at all!! And they lost pa raw so anyway, to put on a brave and smiling face after losing, not really easy.....And Phil has nice soft hands, talagang hinipo pa habang naghahandshake!!

Sadly, since almost zero IQ nga ako sa Azkals, di ko masyado ma-identify who was the player and who was just the fan since many guys wore the Azkals shirt. I guess some did not go maybe because they lost kasi. Neil and Jason were not there. Oh well, maybe in their next fellowship dinner.

Anyway, we had more eye candy coming for us since the football team from Madrid was also game for all the endless photo requests we asked!! Take note, two photos each yan ha, per player hahaha!

Anyway, our secret weapon tonight was the very sexy and beautiful (inside and out) Patricia!! Take note, when she asked the guys , in Spanish, por supuesto, for a photo, all twelve guys in the table stood in unison!! And two tables of gorgeous Spanish players yun ha!! Panalo ka gurl!! And we have to thank Sofia for that killer dress!! Belle of the ball ka tonight dear!!

And take note, mabilis din ang mata ng gurl - kasi I think we picked the three or four cutest among the group!! Nagpapicture ng isa-isa!! As I've always said, if the angels in heaven were this cute, kahit 25 commandments pa ang ipasunod ni Lord, susundin ko lahat!!

In reality, everything happened quickly and i was just really happy that we were in the right places at the right time!! And that Patricia and Paolo were quick too!!

After this, I really have to research about the Azkals and seriously blog about them!! Kakahiya, I don't even know much about the team members, if I meet them on the streets di ko sila makikilala beyond the Younghusbands!

Well, this weekend is a good start for 2012!! First weekend pa lang, sarap agad magpaputok!!

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Care Divas Tops the 1st MyFABE Theater Awards

The musical comedy-drama Care Divas topped the 1st MyFABE Theater awards winning five awards - Best Musical, Best Director - Musical for Maribel Legarda, Best Actor Musical for Melvin Lee, Best Supporting Actor Musical for Ricci Chan and Best Songbook for Vincent de Jesus.

This year's Best Play, Bawal Tumawid Nakamamatay won four awards - including Best Director for Joey Paras who also won Best Script, and Best Actress in a Play for Kiki Baento.

The surprise of the night was the four awards for 39 Steps.  They got two acting awards for Liza Infante (Best Supporting Actress in a Play) and for Juliene Mendoza (Best Supporting Actor in a Play).  They also grabbed two technical awards - Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.

The queen of local theater, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, won Best Actress in a Musical for her turn as a woman sinking into madness in Next to Normal. Veteran actor Siegfried Sepulveda won the Best Actor in a Play award for his turn as a retiree in The Valley Mission Care while veteran actress Pinky Amador snatched the Best Supporting Actress in a Musical award for Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah.

Mga Lobo Tulad ng Buwan won for Best Lighting while Sweet Charity got the Best Choreography award.

Only plays and musicals that I watched this year are qualified to be nominated in the said categories.  Winners are basically the personal choice of moi, the blogger!

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