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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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Friday, June 30, 2006
 It opens tonight. Or rather later. As my last blog mentioned, I got to see a run over the weekend. I really enjoyed it. A short "how did you get here from there" of the title song...There are many stages that the heart goes through. Just read the many pages that have led you to The one your heart belongs to and sings its songs to. But how did you get here from there? Stages of Love is a song I wrote for a really close friend of mine, Joshua. Many years ago, he owned a restaurant called Lemon Grass in QC and wanted to put up seasonal cabaret-type shows. Our Valentine's gig would be Stages of Love. It'd be medleys, solos, etc. And right off the bat, I said I'd write an opening number (I LOVE writing opening numbers for shows, I have several which the world will never hear... *gloom* Anyone need an opening number?) I presented the song to Joshua. He loved it. We settled on the key and adjusted the ending to give Joshua a high G belt (the finest note in his astonishing range). The song is about the often akward though rewarding journey of love. There are many stages that the heart goes through. And so it may take ages before he gets to you. But if it's just beginning, girl, just enjoy the ride And soon enough you'll reach the stage when he'll be by your side The next time the song popped up was when Chari needed an opening number for showcase. I figured, why not? It worked, and Stages had its second performance. For details, read Chari's blog. Later on, while rehearsing for some show, I sang "a song I wrote" for Jennie and Lana. I don't recall what rehearsal it was for, but I do remember it was the two of them. Luck would have it that Rockwell was in need of a show for Valentines. We brainstormed and came up with the idea of 2 couples and their stories of love. Their tales would be sung using medleys of different styles. OPM, Broadway, Pop. A bunch of meetings and rehearsals later, snap, crackle, and pop: Stages of Love, the Show, had its first real run with music arranged by yours truly. The cast, Noel, Roy, Lana, and Jennie. Back then, cause of time issues and budget, we added a 3rd couple last minute who was Chari (who was also the director) as the host Stage Zero and me (who was also the musical director) as "pianist." It was a fun show. There are many stages that the heart will pass So if this love, you say, just isn't gonnna last Don't you believe it, don't leave it, boy just enjoy the ride And soon enough you'll reach that stage when she will be your bride. Then there was the CCP theater festival. Jennie called us up, told us the for-the-love-of-theater budget and the show was in rehearsals again. Except with no host/director, it became puddles of poetry in between the medleys AND more songs to lengthen each couple's story. I also had more time to juice up the opening number by adding harmony and counterpoint (how could I not?). And finally, Bluerep's version. Though the medleys remained intact, it became separate 5 stories. 1 location (thanks Chari) And an incredibly talented cast of 10 with Andrei at the helm. Andrei and I spent many hours writing the script when he was here several weeks ago and it was a great experience seeing it performed for the first time. So to the cast and crew of Stages of Love: BREAK A LEG! To Bu: I LOVE YOU! IT'S GONNA BE GRRRRRREAT! To everybody else: Watch Stages of Love. It's a Latte-of fun! It all begins with Hi, Hello Then, love her, hate him, love them so First dance, first kiss, first call, you know It's all a part of The stages of love... (high G) rhapsody [
2:40 PM ]
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3 comments
 
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
I flew back in this morning. There was a crazy lady on the plane who had stripped down completely naked in the restroom and once she was dressed, she was in her seat screaming and talking nonsense. They had cleared the chairs surrounding her, leaving a big white guy (i presumed a sane partner) and the charming stewardess who had things under control, humoring the crazy lady. What was heartbreaking though was the 8 year old son of the crazy lady who got moved next to yours truly. You'd think I'd be better with kids. The stewardesses made sure he was okay and didn't see his mom in this strange state. They'd just check on him and say "You're mom is gonna be okay!" I tried to help by making sure he had his headphones on, watching Disney cartoons on the TV screen so he wouldn't hear his mom talking crazy. Then on top of that, a bit of turbulence which, since that awful flight 2 weeks ago, I have very little tolerance for. Other than that, it was a normal flight.So I flew in Thursday night, got picked up by my sister who had a surprise in the car... ANDREI! He had come along for the pick up ride when I thought I'd be meeting him much later. *sigh* I love it when he surprises me like that. Friday would be all about Bluerep and him. I dropped by rehearsals for Stages of Love, the Bluerep show Andrei's directing. I gave some notes on performing the medleys I had arranged YEARS ago. It was fun. Felt good to know that the show still breathed life (I wonder if Christmas in the Key of J will live on too) after so many years. Such a talented group. Thought it was perfectly cast... they were in pretty good shape. Andrei did well. Come watch! Details on Andrei's blog.  I was amused by this billboard near Ateneo...  After rehearsals, it was Andrei and Rony night. We got massages at the Spa in Podium and went VCD shopping. We transferred to Eastwood for Scary Movie 4 and dinner, but neither pushed through cause an emergency came up and we had to catch up with his family. His sister-in-law's father had died. Andrei didn't really know him but they had come together to support his sister-in-law. Weird moment of the evening came when amidst all this, Andrei's younger sister turns to me and says, "So how's Hong Kong?" I had to laugh a little. By 1130, they had sorted things out and Andrei and I could salvage what was left of our night by having dinner in Jay n J's Manukan near my house. Not exactly what we planned, but I was with him, so that's all that mattered. Like the red hair? At least he shaved...  The next day was all about Doubt, Chari's first straight play under Atlantis. It was intense. Cherie Gil, Cathy Azanza, Nicolo Manahan gave stunning performances, obviously well directed. This was my first time to see Cherie on stage, she is indeed iconic. No one plays the determind lady like she does. After the show, Chari had invited me to the cast party in Bravo. It was really good seeing old theater friends. I didn't get a picture with Cherie.. dang.. CONGRATULATIONS CHARI!  Sunday, after spending the afternoon with family in Rockwell, Andrei and I headed to Alabang to have dinner with an close theater friend, Jennie. Topper would be joining us too. The four of us ate a place called "Hula Hula, Seafoods and Steaks." Very nice exterior (and I couldn't help but notice the group ahead of us waiting for a table... their conversation went kind of like this "Hey, did you tell Jaoquin to go the parking lot and pick up Belinda... " Oh dear, you know you're in Alabang when... names like Jaoquin, Belinda, Inigo, Paco, Beatriz pop up... haha love it! ) Going back to "Hula Hula, Seafoods and Steaks" Jennie asked the waitress, "so what's your specials?" She replied "Seafoods and steaks ma'am." *silence* Hmmm... you don't say?!? *blinking sign* Anyhoo, dinner was great. The company was great. We reminisced about Honk, Galera, gigs... *sigh* Then as a plus, the waitresses started half-heartedly dancing, what else, but the hula. Oh dear. Don't put theater people like us in restaurants like this. We can be vicious...  We capped the evening in Bizu with coffee and desserts. I hadn't been in Alabang since leaving. And I've never hung out with Jennie, Topper, and Andrei all together here. It was cozy and sweet... like the desserts... and color-wise, we looked like desserts...  My final day was lunch with Andrei and since he had to go to rehearsals after, I did some shopping on my own, a haircut, and then a last hurrah dinner with Chari, Abi, and who else, best friend Topper (who came to see me 3 nights in a row, choosing me over gay pride weekend partying... awww... then there's dear Lana who I didn't get to see, but just texted me now asking when I'm leaving Manila... oh well) Cafe Bola... Yummy...  Abi offered to drive Topper and I home so we all would have more time to spend together. Line of the evening, "hindi ako bakla ha!" Said by yours truly. Chari almost fell over. I had just enough time to end the evening with Angel, Luis, Chloe, and Andrei. I got to spend a lot of time with Chloe on this trip actually. Isn't she lovely?  The best shot of the evening though was this... which I took and could SO look like an album cover should Chloe ever release an album at that age...  Very Alanis Morisette don't you think? And then one last memorable night with Andrei and the 4 days came to a close. *sigh* Always too quick. Don't know when my next trip will be, but I'm geared up with enough pictures and new memories to keep me going for a while (a month?). Andrei and I gotta be doing something right, 2 and a half years and 711 miles apart later. Nothing to it, right Bu? *smile* Ah Manila. I'll always wonder what would've happened if I stayed. If Hong Kong had not come along. It's so easy to see now how Manila doesn't work for me anymore. I'm happier here. Much. Everything I've ever wanted. But it doesn't mean I can't miss Manila the way I do and fantasize about calling it home again. So though Hong Kong is home now, I love that Manila will always be able to tweak this heart of mine the way it does. If just for 4 days. Manila, manila...
rhapsody [
11:08 PM ]
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6 comments
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Right now I'm in the "Premium Plaza Lounge" here in the airport. A lounge which offers free food, drink, and internet while waiting for my flight. One of the perks that comes with my brand new Hong Kong-based Citibank credit card (cue trumpet fanfare) So I thought I'd try it. Yup. I finally have a credit card. A Hong Kong credit card that is. 2 things: I feel all grown up AND I feel like a Hong Kong native (well...) Yup! Whenever I've had to charge things in the past, I've had to use the supplementary one given by my sister. Which isn't bad. It's just that wherever I am, I get charged in Philippine pesos so it comes out huge (cost of living here is VERY different). Now I can charge my HK expenses in the currency it costs. ANYHOO. And if there's anything all this travelling for work or pleasure has done, it's increased my awareness of frequent-something cards. I now have Asia Miles (general flight mileage thingy), Marco Polo Club (Cathay Pacific mileage), and Golden Circle (Shang hotel card). My credit card is Cathay Pacific tied so I accumulate miles by spending everyday. Pretty funky. With Asia Miles, I'm right now worth a one-way flight to Taipei (eh?) I know, not bad for one year's worth of travelling. With enough miles on my Marco Polo Club card, I'll work my way to entrance into the Cathay Pacific lounge here (which I'm sure is stunning) and everywhere (cue trumpet fanfare). Another year of trips should do it. Hehe. Plus I get to cut the check-in line all the time, which is GREAT! Golden Circle is tied to the Shang hotel. And seeing that i'll only really stay there for work, it'll be a long time till I get a free upgrade. Although now I'll always get a king-size bed and 50% off breakfast for my companion. Fun. I love travelling. This should by my last trip for a while. At one year here, I've decided to take saving a little more seriously. And with work about to get hectic in just over a month or so, I could really use this trip now. Some friends are planning a trip to Ankor Wat in July... Hmmm... And I can't wait to see Doubt, Chari's first professional play. I made sure I was free this weekend to fly in and catch it. So that's my Saturday night. My Saturday afternoon is over with Andrei to watch a rehearsal of Stages of Love. It's his directorial debut for Bluerep, so I'm quite excited for him. And I love these Blue reppers and always enjoy seeing them on visits. Chloe is in the picture of course. Oh she makes my heart melt. And very soon, there's gonna be another one! Yeah! Incidentally, the music here is AWFUL! I have no idea who's singing, but it's classic hits sung by mediocre singers. Oh dear... Now it's Smoke Gets In Your Eyes... This lounge needs a musical director. Doesn't anyone appreciate Barbra anymore? Oh, Barbra is doing another tour. How exciting. What is this? Her 3rd farewell concert is it? Then again, Babs in Babs. I hope to see her live someday. I'm gonna try to sleep the flight through. I love Cathay flights. They have the best inflight entertainment. Cathay and Singapore Airlines. Oh well, I'm out of ideas and I feel I should eat more para sulit. (very pinoy). I can't wait to Spa in Manila. Andrei and I have decided to make Friday evening ALL about us. I love it. I miss it. I miss him. This weekend though, it'll be great. Short but sweet... rhapsody [
8:28 PM ]
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Monday, June 19, 2006
So Andrei dyed his hair. Red. Which is cool, I guess. I found out when I called him one day last week and he said he was in the parlour getting his hair done. I presumed haircut. Until I called him a couple hours later and he was still there. Then he told me... oh... Of course he didn't tell me before he did it. Smart move. He knew I'd raise an eyebrow. I had major objections to the idea of the tongue ring (which he had once upon a time). Nothing wrong with red hair, I guess. When I first met him back in 2003. he had red hair. Yup. Red hair. I've seen one picture of him already. He promised me he'd at least shave... hehe. At least he don't look like this... Yeah, I love my baby, no matter what hair color he got on. Maybe I need a change in hair color. He he. See you in a few Bu!
rhapsody [
11:40 PM ]
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3 comments
Sunday, June 18, 2006
wait, wait, wait...*exhale* yeah... I'm inspired. Oh, exhausted, but inspired. Life is good. So much to look forward to. So much to do. There's no feeling quite like that fuzziness you feel inside when the view getting clearer. And that's what happened today. I'm smiling. I'm lucky. I'm going to sleep. *tweet*tweet* rhapsody [
1:52 AM ]
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Thursday, June 15, 2006
As we stumble along on life's funny journeyAs we stumble along into the blue We look here and we look there Seeking answers anywhere Never sure of where to turn or what to do Still we fumble our way through life's crazy labyrinth Barely knowing left from right nor right from wrong And the best that we can do is hope a bluebird will sing his song As we stumble along... Words of direction-less wisdom from the Drowsy Chaperone. The video is amazing, a showstopper almost like Show Off. Beth Leavel won best featured actress recently at the Tonys. I got to see the show last April and she was indeedy amazing as the not-quite-sober Chaperone. Why I begin with this quote... it's one of those days. You think you look fine and you're in control. Then someone asks you "Hey, are things still really busy? It looks like you haven't been getting much sleep..." (a question which is along the lines of "are you pregnant?" good luck if she ain't!) I am busy, yes. But I can take busy. I can't take emotional buttons. My equilibrium gets rocked. And sometimes it takes one small moment in the day to turn the rest of the day into a blur. And I wish I had my own drowsy chaperone in my living room to give me irrelevant advice and belt E flats. *sigh* I'm just in a mood I guess. Days like this, I wish I drank. Not enough to get drunk, but like you see in movies. Where you get home, open the wine cabinet, pour yourself a little happy, and look out the window. Dang, I work at Disney. Where's that bluebird? Barely knowing right from right or left from wrong But as long we can hear that little blue bird, there'll be a song as we stumble along As we stumble, bumble, fumble.... *pause* PLUMBLE... ALONG! rhapsody [
10:39 PM ]
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3 comments
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
What a cool week I've just had. Tuesday to Tuesday that is. Last Tuesday, left Hong Kong for an audition trip to Manila. After dinner with the family and bonding with the incomparable Chloe, Andrei and I hung out in the lobby of the Shangrila Makati, my home for my the 3 day stay. We watched the lounge singer and I told Andrei about my brief stint as a "lounge" pianist, having played only Discovery and Linden Suites only. Once upon a time. We requested 3 songs, 2 of which the nice lady sang. The next 2 days were auditions for vocalists and dancers. I was drained. So I capped Thursday night with coffee and a few friends, which suddenly erupted to representatives from all aspects of my life coincidentally showing up in Coffee Bean Greenbelt. Note to self: Find a new coffee place... Not that I minded really. I was just way too low batt from the past 2 days to take in seeing so many people in one sitting. *sigh* But it was good in the end. Friday was hellish. First we got to the airport at 11 for our 1230 flight. Due to heavy rains here in Hong Kong, our airplane couldn't leave HK to get to Manila. And so our flight got pushed from 1230 to 130 to 330 to 545 to no time. We ended up leaving at 745. Thank God for the Cathay business lounge we were in with free food and drinks. To make matters trickier, I had friends waiting for me to arrive in HK cause I'd be playing host over the weekend. If I had left at 1230 as planned, I would've made it with 5 hours to clean up house and meet them at the airport in the evening. Thanks to the delay, they got here 2 hours before I did. Though I had given them keys and directions (I bumped into them at the airport) they had ended up just waiting for me. Yay! So all's good. Oh wait, no. THE FLIGHT FROM HELL! Due to the rains, the plane went here and there and on 2 beats of the already disturbing turbulence, the plane did that dip thing which makes your tummy feel light. But think 3-4 second dips!! I really thought the plane was going to crash! People were screaming, I was praying. AWFUL. AWFUL. My friend thinks we were hit by lightning (did I mention stupid people had their window screens open so you could see the lightning flashing and rain outside... AAAAAAHHH). I cringe just remembering it. Then the landing... was perfect. Nothing wrong with it. Thank God. Really, thank God. *moment of silence* So, my friends. DJ and Miko. DJ is an old friend from DLSU, a sopranini with a smile of pure sunshine. Miko is her fiance. First thing on the agenda of course is, take a guess..  Then Sunday, a trip to Macau where I conquered the glass floor of the Macau tower. Well sort of... and we checked out the fascinating art that makes Macau, Macau.      Then yesterday, I had to work so they Ocean Park-ed and I got to see great video of fish. Hehe... They left just this morning! And the apartment is quiet again. *sigh* Am sleepy... The Tony Awards. My baby La Chanze won the best actress in a musical. Easily I think. She was FABULOUS in it. AMAZING! Happy! And unless you're leaving for New Yorkin July and might see The Drowsy Chaperone live, watch this clip from the Tony Awards. The soundtracks are out. Wedding Singer. Drowsy Chaperone... Oh monkey, monkey, monkey, you broke my heart in two. But i'll always save that pedestal for you... come my little monkey, come my little monkey-do. I love it! Sleepy, I leave you with this thought...  I don't know either...
rhapsody [
12:02 AM ]
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0 comments
Friday, June 09, 2006
Manila was a pocket tornado in a bottle. Auditions flew by. The few friends I got to see was quick though fun. It was fast... And what was supposed to be an 1230 plane out has been delayed, due to bad weather in Hong Kong, to 330... no wait, they changed that half an hour ago. I'm here till 545... until the next announcement that is. The problem is, the plane we're supposed to take TO Hong Kong can't leave Hong Kong cause of Black rain and Thunderstorms. Fear. To complicate matters a bit, some friends are visiting and staying with me over the weekend. I was supposed to arrive in HK at 230, go home then back to the airport at 7 to pick them up. Now they'll be getting there ahead of me. Possibly, way ahead of me. Which means I might have to tell them how to get to my apartment and give them my key... Oh well. How annoying... The weather that is, not the friends visiting me. rhapsody [
2:54 PM ]
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3 comments
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Well, in a couple hours, I'll be heading to Manila for an audition trip... Zipadeedoodah...
rhapsody [
11:50 AM ]
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1 comments
Monday, June 05, 2006
I'm too tired for real blogging... For the next two weeks... BUSY, BUSY, BUSY... AAAAH!! Thank God Manila is in the picture...And on the topic of pictures, maybe just one for today... 2 years and 5 months Bu!  | |||||||||||||
