Profile
Name: Rony Location: Hong Kong My life is a musical and I love applause... if even just from the both of you. Current Posts
Nowadays
street singersuccess out of reach... chasing pavements... Impossible We can be kind Jamming with the NOAH cast... the climb... All things just keep getting better... Letting things just happen
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Some People's Lives
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Tuesday, March 28, 2006
I'm all set...See ya in Manila or read me next week! rhapsody [
1:17 PM ]
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0 comments
 
Monday, March 27, 2006
An old friend was in town!I jump scene. I started the day early with a trip downtown to panel for the Hong Kong Disneyland musician auditions over at APA. I love watching talented people strut their stuff... and not-as-talented people strut their stuff too. I have to say, there is a lot of talent out there. It is too bad though that not knowing how to audition can close the door almost immediately. On Wednesday, I'll be in Manila for more auditions. I can't wait. Filipino talent is still something else. And to be back in the room where I too auditioned to get this job, it feels so long ago... But I jumped scene again. Back to tonight. ZANE IS IN TOWN! Her first out of town trip and it's here! Woohoo! Gerwin picked her up from the airport and we met up in Causeway Bay with Charlie. We decided to have dinner in a Mexican restaurant called "I Caramba" over at Lang Kwai Fong. We ordered nachos and this Tequila-flambeed, tamarind, shrimp pasta something. It looked great, and after Charlie divided it into four equal sections, we were intrigued by the taste. "Technically" there was no alcohol in the pasta, but I who have low tolerance tasted the tequila flavor immediately and found it weird... Zane took a while to taste it... hmmmm... We moved location so we could talk about, um, other things. Opinions flew. Laughs ricocheted back and forth. It was a chatty, enlightening evening. Who would've thought years after college, we'd find each other in a coffee shop in Hong Kong, chatting away. Fun...   I can finally say it... "technically," TOMORROW, I'll be in Manila! I'll be with BU! And it's a wonderful world all over again... *sigh* It feels like it's been SOOOO long though it's only been 2 and a half months... I've got two days of auditions, Friday with Chloe, then Saturday we fly off to Boracay with Angel and Luis, back Monday. Tuesday is another monthniv... another month of crazy love... back in Hong Kong on Thursday with memories to keep me going for a while...  it works... rhapsody [
1:14 AM ]
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2 comments
Friday, March 24, 2006
I woke up at 430 am this morning. There was an 8 am happening in the park so I had an early 645 am call time. Working backwards, it meant I had to take the 530 am bus out of Dbay to nearby Tung Chung making it to Disney at 630 am. Surprisingly, I didn't mind so much. I got out of bed, set up my one-cup coffee maker (thanks Chari), turned on the heater and TV (they were showing a childhood favorite of mine, Babes in Toyland) and opened my balcony curtains to let in, um, the darkness... A hot shower kicks the caffeine into fourth gear and with iPod Elphie blasting God is A DJ in my ear, I was outta there.Work. By 11 am, I could feel the caffeine giving up. Work. 2 pm, one last thing to check on. Work. 3 pm, I got an early start on my weekend and called it a day. Went straight home and straight to sleep. I've got one day off then back to work on Sunday. What keeps me going is I'll be in Manila by Tuesday night. Yowsah... *yawn* rhapsody [
10:23 PM ]
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3 comments
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
 HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHLOE! rhapsody [
10:48 AM ]
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4 comments
Sunday, March 19, 2006
My page is back. It's been kinda inaccessible for a couple days. FORBIDDEN TO VIEW or UNDER MAINTENANCE. Freaky. Thought maybe it got a virus or something and all my entries were deleted. Already wondered what I would do to rebuild it. Then on top of that, Chari lost all her Playshop files and my computer is so SLOW! But now my page is back, Chari got through her teacher training class, and my computer is still slow. 2 out of 3. Not bad.Went out tonight. Another filipina from Disney marketing invited me out to meet some of her charming friends for dinner over at the clubhouse (... paging run-on sentence...) It was so refreshing. Different and refreshing. First, since most of them were non-Disney, we didn't talk about work. I won't write about the topics covered, ahem, but they was different I tell ya. And what was kinda neat was that none of them knew me, so clean slate. Heck, the first thing I ordered was a gin tonic! I felt older, there were 3 married couples in this group. I think I was the youngest one there, which isn't unusual, I find I rarely hang around people my actual age. Usually younger or older. Going on, there were a lot of laughs, led by the very gay Noki (Bam, he says he knows you!) and one of them, a certain Moppet, knew some of my Manila theater friends. Small world. We sat in a round table where stories and opinions bounced all over. I felt like I was in a movie or sitcom. Like there should be a camera going around as we spoke. We spoke about things like Love or Money... the social culture of Hong Kong. I was intrigued. I realized I've been very isolated working at Disney and living in Dbay. I mean, every now and then, they spoke about someone I didn't know, but a lot of the time, they were topics open for discussion. It was an exercise in the art of conversation. Oh, and we somehow found space to talk about Gretchen Barretto. haha... Watched Transamerica last night. I think Felicity should've won the Oscar. Wow. And what a well made movie. You see this person go from "freak" to someone you really feel for. On her journey across America, she encounters such odd people. So odd, that she herself appears to be the most normal. Brilliant. In just over a week, I'll be flying to Manila again. 3 days work, 6 days vacation! Woohoo. I miss Andrei so much. Last time I saw him was that first weekend of January when I surprised him. It would've been only 2 and a half months, but still. That's too long. Not that distance has weakend the relationship. In fact, it's shown how strong it could be. Time and space. *sigh* I've touched base with my friend Leo in New York (Bam, another one who knows you! Que popular!) whose long distance relationship with his boyfriend in Manila is still "rock solid." They just watched Wicked when he came to visit Leo who is studying there. How inspiring. When it's right, it's right. No excuses. Right Anj and Jepoy? You'll be fine. Lately, my two dear friends Abi and Chari have been emailing me pictures from the past. Backstage at past shows. Trips to Tagaytay. Dinners out. I see myself and have to cringe. My life pre-Andrei, or as Chari put it BB - Before Bu. Ugh. I was a sad thing. Thin. Floopy hair. Insecure about almost everything. Lonely. Oh, did I mention thin? Once upon a time I guess. We all got that. Sometimes some things change. Thank God. Somehow everything fell into place. *sigh* Now if I can just get the weight I've gained to fall in the right place... ugh. oh and sometimes some things don't change...  Like friendships...
rhapsody [
12:27 AM ]
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7 comments
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Had a short but "aahhh... hmmm" conversation with a friend the other day. Sitcoms. How I used to love Seinfeld. As in, tummy-aching-laughing love Seinfeld. But watching the reruns now on Star, I'm kinda bored. Not only bored, I find his humor stupid. Not only stupid, it's based on ignorance. Like most comedians, his standup comedy is based on observations in life that, when put his way, don't make sense. And I guess back in the early 90's, I didn't know enough to find everything he put out there quite funny. But now I don't. Then there's Ellen Degeneres. I still love her. I watched Ellen on youtube.com. You can see in the video, it's an old special, but it's still cracks me up. Seinfeld, doesn't have that effect anymore. Now that I'm older, it's really now a show about nothing. Who cares? On the other end, a sitcom I used to not like, I now appreciate. Frasier. I finally get the humor I didn't understand when it was still running. Friends I have always loved, and still do... except maybe some subplots which I could never accept, which still in fact, annoy me (Chandler not being able to smile in pictures, who cares?) I'm liking King of Queens sometimes, and Still Standing. Hmmm... I'm growing up. Seeing things clearer now... About time.
rhapsody [
9:11 PM ]
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1 comments
Monday, March 13, 2006
It's freezing today. And apparently it's gonna be just as bad tomorrow. Brrrrrr....Be warned: heavy Broadway text coming up... I've been very lucky to find new musicals to be excited about lately. I guess all leading up to my trip. The Color Purple and See What I Wanna See. And just this morning, Bobby lent me Dessa Rose, the newer musical of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (Once On This Island and Ragtime). I haven't gotten past the opening number! This pair has this incredible gift of writing beautiful opening numbers, the best still being We Dance from Once. Flaherty and his catchy melodic hooks and Ahrens and her lyrical lyrics. Plus, it's LaChanze again. How can ya go wrong? *sigh* On top of that, Bobby also lent me a concert version of Passion with Michael Cerveris as Giorgio, Audra Macdonald as Clara, and the fabulous (you can't introduce her without an adjective) Patti LuPone as Fosca *cue entrance applause*. I have to say though, she's quite ugly as Fosca. Almost unbelievable that he falls for her in the end. Ick. Audra is diamond perfection. That luscious soprano of hers... And she's beautiful! She does most of the show in a white period dress which contrasts nicely against her ebony skin. *sigh* Still one of my favorite scenes from the show is Clara's Sunrise letter to the far away Giorgio... Giorgio, I stand here staring at the sunrise, Thinking how we've never seen a sunrise together Thinking that the sunrise only means another day without you, And thinking: Can our love survive so much separation? Keep itself alive, much less thrive? If only you were here, if I could feel your touch, I wouldn't have such fear. If only we had more than letters holding us together, If we just could hold each other now, the sunrise then could be A thing that I could see and merely think, "How beautiful ..." Giorgio, I now sit staring at the mirror You may not believe it But I swear as I stare, there it is, plain as day, a gray hair Of which I was unaware, which is more than I can bear, Which I'm ripping out right now and am sending on to you As a milestone of my age, as a turning of the page ... Perhaps when next we meet, I'll be a sorry sight, you won't know who I am My hair completely white, my face a mass of wrinkles. What will you feel then, my Giorgio? Time is now our enemy Sondheim, Sondheim, Sondheim... Damn. And no, I don't relate to it at all... my birthday's in a month... I turn 29... A mass of wrinkles? Aaaahh! *faint*. So I saw Brokeback. I have nothing to say about it. Loved it, loved it. Should be a musical! (can you imagine the tent scene put into a Passion-like song? All this happiness, merely from a glance at the ranch. So much happiness, so much love...) I was moved. A million blogs and reviews have said it, so I'll leave it at that. The only thing I can say, is I was really glad to watch it here, in a movie theater in Hong Kong. I can only imagine the annoyingly useless reactions a Manila audience would've given it. (eyw... yuck... giggling... etc). It was pleasing to not have to worry about that AT ALL! They knew they were going into a gay film and a gay film is what they got. In Manila, as I had mentioned before, what prevails is accepting the idea of homosexuality, not the reality of it. A gay man is acceptable. Fine. You're gay. The parlour gay. The slutty gay. The masculine gay. Fine. But beyond the appearance is the reality of being gay: love. Two gay men holding hands, unacceptable. Two guys kissing, shocking. But it's okay to be gay... yeah... That's what I loved about Brokeback. It was real. The kissing was real. The affection was real. The problems were real. The love story was real. It happens folks, gay people fall in love. And I mean, really fall in love... Okay, okay... so I almost have nothing to say about it. P.S. Break a leg at the elections Bu. Break the tie! I believe in you... and I'm here for you ok? Love you!
rhapsody [
9:22 PM ]
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1 comments
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Tell you what... truth is, sometimes I miss you so bad I can hardly stand it... I'm speechless. Floored. And speechless. *sigh* rhapsody [
4:49 PM ]
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5 comments
Saturday, March 11, 2006
I take very quiet days off. This is the view from my balcony as I start this entry. Calm. Peaceful. Chilly.  After what was a rather draining 5 weeks of seemingly endless rehearsals, I can take it relatively easy for the next month and a half. It felt good to start by doing almost nothing today. This morning, I woke up early to make a trip to the bank in nearby Tsing Yi mall. The mall is next to a river where one can sit on a bench and soak in an overwhelming view of city, sky, and water. I hadn't sat by the river for quite some time. Today, I felt I deserved it. So at an early 10 am, there I was, just sitting. Breathing. Arms stretched out on the backrest of the park bench. Thinking about nothing but how good it feels to have the sun subtly warming my skin while the breeze cools it in waves. *sigh* I went home, had a lunch of dinner left overs from my night out with some friends, and went back to sleep. In and out of the bed, I'm here at the computer. Fish is thawing. I've some friends coming over for dinner tomorrow night. Till then it's gonna be a quiet weekend. My mind is already in Manila. In a cab on Edsa. In my old room. On the beach. Chatting with Chloe. Catching up with friends. Walking with Andrei. Two more weeks... Did the 12 year old really land in the top 12? I can see it now... Kelly, Ruben, Fantasia, Carrie, and... Kevin. I mean really. My votes: Mandisa or Elliot. Interesting if the 5th Idol is black. That's 3 out of 5. It's time for a white man American Idol don't you think? On the topic of performers, I must say, I have incredible respect for the talented performer who is humble enough to admit they can get better. Some performers are just so full of themselves, and I mean really full of themselves, it's nauseating. Talented arrogant clowns, these are the idiots who won't last. Talent is something to be generous with and something that grows. Unfortunately, sometimes it's wasted on people who don't deserve it. That's the sad truth. Then again, with that attitude, they also plateau and get boring. Their loss. At the end of the day, I'd rather be respected than popular. Time to cook dinner... rhapsody [
6:33 PM ]
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Thursday, March 09, 2006
I see what I wanna seeI know what I wanna know I don't need you to tell me what's true If you don't like it baby baby baby bup-bup baby you can blow! Oh my gosh! I'm excited about another musical. It's no longer showing, but the soundtrack is on iTunes for just 10 dollars... no, 9.99 dollars... and as soon as Joy gives me permission to charge it on her card, I'm buying it. Or, she's buying it. Watch the video clip. Idina is flawless. And you gotta love those lyrics... it's an anthem for anyone. *big smile* I want to compose! Or more accurately, I want to compose for Idina! hahaha! *cue thunder* Anyhoo, it's been a really long week. Late night rehearsals everyday. Luckily we cancelled tomorrow's but I still got morning lip synch rehearsals with parade dancers. I have to say, I enjoy my very few sessions with them. They're the group of performers I work with the least but I see them all over the park and they're always very warm with their hello's. It's fun. Really. And today, I brought in my cousin Jing!  I look bad in that shot. Ooh, one of my drummers was coming down the Disneyland MTR escalator. I was already downstairs. He said when he saw me from up there, he thought I was a college kid waving at him. Hahaha... Was surprised when he realized who I was. Haha... "You got good DNA" hihi... I'll take the compliment. Haha... It's the haircut. I can still pull off 20! hahaha *cue thunder and lightning* And to the young lovers dear to my heart soon to enter a long distance relationship, have faith. If you want it to work, you can make it work. Keep the commitment real and truthful. No excuses. No ridiculous rules. Believe in the love and you'll find out just how strong your love is. Trust me, I know... I've been in love mmmmm. rhapsody [
12:49 AM ]
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7 comments
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
And my April vacation is all set! I have my ticket to San Francisco, to New York, back to San Francisco, then back to Hong Kong in a nice 2 week package. I've made living arrangements in both locations. All I need are my show tickets! I named my first trip to the States several years ago Rony's Rainbow Tour, cause I was fresh out of college and determined to come out to all my old high school friends who lived in the States. Not to mention check out the gay life there. This trip shall be Rony's Rainbow Tour Act II. The perfect way to kick off my 30th year of life. Visiting the gay and theater capitals is gonna be sooooooo much fun. It would've been perfection if Andrei was with me. But we've got Bora at the end of the month and perhaps he'll visit me in May. Glad we're keeping things strong and real...
rhapsody [
12:16 AM ]
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12 comments
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Some incredible finds on youtube.com...From the musical Side Show, about two siamese twins who love belting everytime they sing. Who Will Love Me As I Am, Leave Me Alone, and I Will Never Leave You From the strange but memorable musical Chess, here's Anthem sung by Josh Groban (his voice just soars like an eagle doesn't it?). and the piez de resistanze... (did I spell that right?) The fabulous, one and only Jennifer Holiday, many many many pounds ago, in Dreamgirls singing And I Am Telling You. Phenomenal. (and for those of you who know Loretta Divine from Boston Public fame, check out how thin she was playing Lorell. deleted the rest of my entry... change in mood. I'm done. rhapsody [
8:53 PM ]
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4 comments
Thursday, March 02, 2006
The other day, I was in the rehearsal hall during a break and some people were jamming. A guy on the piano, a singer, and a tiny audience of dancers waiting for the rehearsal to begin. She was singing "In His Eyes" amazingly. The pianist was getting some of the chords wrong and I wanted to take over the piano so bad. I miss that. Me on the piano. And I don't mean just sitting down on the piano playing. I mean, sitting down on the piano and really making music with a singer! I mean Rony the accompanist. The accompanist fond of counterpoints and endless modulations. The accompanist who hid singer's mistakes by jumping pages or changing keys. The accompanist who hates a spotlight AND not being acknowledged at the end of a show. The accompanist who became a true friend to many of the singers he would play for. I miss that. That feeling of meeting someone for the first time to do a show then finding a moment where you connect and think "hey, you're kinda cool, let's be friends when this show is done." It's different now. I'm different. I'm all corporate. And don't get me wrong, I loooove it. But what I love even more is that every now and then, I can go back to Manila and be just me again. Un-official me. The me who used to do things like this. (thanks for uploading it Jepoy! Wow, has it already been a year? My Campus Idol grand slam. haha! Miss you guys! That was one helluva memorable night.)++++ Watched a bit of Oprah today while getting ready for work. Heard her quote someone on the topic of forgiving. She had heard someone define it as "giving up the hope that the past will be any different." Wow. How interesting is that statement? It puts forgiving in a perspective that actually makes it harder to do (if there's anything you don't want to give up, it's hope) but it gives you more direction should you choose to take those steps (you start by accepting that you're holding on to a hope that is false). Hmm... ++++ Just thought I'd quote a book I've been re-reading. "So risk. Risk being vulnerable. Risk falling in love first. Risk saying yes even if you are terrified the other person will turn away. Risk being you when your fears tell you to be anything but. Risk putting boundaries in place and saying no. Risk being worth someone's effort. Risk asking for love. Risk anything that stands between you and your ability to be the loving presence you are when fear is running the show. Love may be rusty, but don't let that stop you. It's like riding a bike. Accept the risk. Get on and start pedaling. It will all come back- it always does." Rhonda Britten ++++ I know some friends who are going through some rocky times. Hang in there. ++++ How boring was the women's American Idol this week? I mean really Zzzzzzz... The men however, phenomenal. Chris Daughtry *drool... Ace who?*. Elliot Yamin *a face that isn't quite, but a voice that is perfection in music!*. Gedeon McKinney *the weirdo who just rocks!* Who I'd vote out? hmmm... Jose Penala and Bucky Covington. Among the girls... Brenna Gethers *the arrogant cow* and Kinnik Sky *LaToya she is not*. Things are picking up. ++++ This entry has no streamlined theme. Ooh more Kristin on youtube.com. And this is before the cowboy hooplah now... hehe. ++++ CONGRATS TO THE CAST OF SWEET CHARITY on what I heard was a wonderful opening night. Here's to a successful weekend. Really wish I was there to catch it. ++++ to my old friends who continue to keep me a part of your lives, thank you. And to the Bu who never lets a day pass without saying he loves me, I love you. See you real soon baby. rhapsody [
8:50 PM ]
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18 comments
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Got this from my sister...Mental Help Line... voice says: If you are obsessive compulsive, Press 1 repeatedly If you are co-dependant, ask someone to press 2 for you If you have multiple personalities, press 3,4,5 & 6 If you are paranoid, we know who you are and where you are, stay on the line and we’ll trace the call If you’re delusional, press 7 and your call will be transferred to the mother ship If you’re schizophrenic, listen closely and a small voice will tell you which number to press If your depressive, it doesn’t matter which number you press no one will answer you If your dyslexic, press 69696969 If you have a nervous disorder, please fidget with the hash key till you hear the beep, after the beep please wait for the beep If you have short term memory loss, please try your call again later And if you have low self esteem, please hang up as all our operators are too busy to talk to you. ++++++++++ Had a good day at work today. Problem solving. Yup. I've nothing else to say today but... it's cold. Really, really cold. Saw my own breath this morning while waiting at the bus stop. I can't wait for sunny Manila... or can I? I can't. I can. I can't. ...3,4,5, & 6. | |||||||||||||