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Monday, April 30, 2007

Singers and dear friends come up to sing. To be continued...

rhapsody [ 11:51 PM ] | 1 comments

A weekend of coincidences. Today, while getting a haircut and reading the latest issue of GQ, I came upon an article talking about the 5 vacations you must take. Not location-wise exactly, just types. like a sports break or a detox trip. The detox trip of course got me reading. Now this American writer decided to fly somewhere far to get the detox done. Where? Thailand. Where exactly? Kamalayan Spa. Which is on the island of Koh Samui. Coincidentally, I've been planning for a couple weeks now to fly there at the end of May for some r & r. It's a sign. I gotta check it out. It's gonna be a nice break, flying over with some friends for a weekend of sun and spa. Can't wait.

Then last night, I made plans to catch Floro, a musician friend of mine playing in a gig in downtown Wanchai. I was supposed to watch with Tom, but he backed out. So last minute I asked Shiela if she wanted to join me. So we met up at 9 and got to Coyote bar around 10 pm. I waved Hi to Floro who was in the middle of a set, then sat down and had a delicious dinner of steaks. During the break, Floro came over to say Hi and introduced us to his girlfriend, Meg. Within minutes, we learned that Meg worked in Berlitz Manila and turned out to be good friends with Shiela's sister who also works there. Wow. Which means she's also a friend of a friend of mine(Teenee! Meg says Hi). Meg and Floro also live in the building next to Shiela. Haha.. Small world I tell ya. Small world.

Fantasia's on Broadway in The Color Purple. Someone recorded her singing, no visual, but the soulful emotion in her voice and the uninhibited reaction of the audience says it all. I actually thought she might do badly compared to how I remember LaChanze soared with this song. But 3 snaps in z formation girl... as you can hear one audience lady say "Sing it Fantasia..." (do we break 4th wall?)

It's the ultimate triumph song I think. It helps to know the full story of what the Celie character goes through during the show that would lead her to belting out such a proclamation of independence, and so late in her life too. The physical abuse, the emotional torture, the loss of all things valuable, the loss of her faith. Then what brings her to accept that everything good and bad that has happened in her life is a blessing. Then you'll understand why the audience goes mad when she finally says "I'm beautiful..."

"I'm gonna take a deep breath, gonna hold my head up. Gonna put my shoulders back and look you straight in the eye. I'm gonna flirt with somebody when they walk by, I'm gonna
sing out... Sing out. I believe I have inside of me everything that I need to live a bountiful life, with all the love alive in me, I'll stand as tall as the tallest tree and I'm thankful for each day
that I'm given, both the easy and hard ones I'm livin. But most of all, I'm thankful for lovin' who I really am...

I'm beautiful, yes, I'm beautiful... And I'm here."

Or maybe you don't have to know her life... you just have to have lived one.

rhapsody [ 9:22 PM ] | 1 comments

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Last Saturday night (in the seeeteeeh) we hosted a party in Tomorrowland. And what was the theme of this party in this land of the future? Back to the eighties hosted by radio station CR903 and HKDL. Disney Attack. This had to be one of the more fun gigs to research for. Can't tell you how many times I went "... Telephone... awww..." or "... Laura Branigan... awww..." or "... First when there's nothin... aw..." The mood reminded me of New Year's Eve so I was all giddy. The party didn't start till 9, but as early as 8, hundreds of people were lining up to get into Tomorrowland. Huge rubix-cube-like boxes formed a stage and dancing ledges for our own 80's dancers. A DJ would keep the music going. The ball started rolling with Jump, Like A Virgin, and Physical. Then to the music of, what else, "Oh Mickey you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind hey Mickey" and "You put the boom boom into my heart...", Hong Kong celebrities were ushered into the party by our very own ushers...

And our very own 80's dancers took to the dance floor in flashy, undeniably 80's garb...

There was onstage entertainment as well from dancers and DJ's of the radio station.

There was a fashion show as well which had songs like The Glamorous Life, Sunglasses at Night, Sweet Dreams are Made of These, I Think We're Alone Now (... Tifanny... awww...) Most of the night was playing Name That Tune with Jen. From intros alone, and 80's music are full of them, we'd be able to guess the singer and song. The whole night felt like I was back in a middle school party. If at any point they played "Tonight I need your sweet caress, hold me in the darkness..." I would've cried. Uh.

This week, I decided to catch up on my TV shows. In this time of random sparks of homesickness, I need my sitcom life lessons to distract me and cheer me up. I'm on disc 3 of Scrubs, season 4. There was a very nice moment in this episode I saw last night. JD is amazed at how Elliot can stay so calm in light of emergencies that require major multi-tasking. Not only calm, she manages to do the fast-talking-emergency-room-doctor-talk. He starts to feel incompetent and finally asks her how she does it. She says something like, if you ever feel overwhelmed, just take a deep breath. It'll slow things down. I liked that answer. It seems so simple. But it's easy to forget sometimes. Forgetting to breathe. That's me. Something to work on I guess.

rhapsody [ 10:16 PM ] | 3 comments

Monday, April 23, 2007

If going home this last trip has done anything to me, it's made me truly realize what I gave up to move here. And it hit me as I faced a roomful of people I care about, people who were part of my everyday life just over 2 years ago, people who I now only see in rushed coffee chats or scheduled dinners. I'm not complaining. I don't mean to be ungrateful. I love my life here. My life now. Who I am. But it's come at a cost. Missing out on birthdays. Spur of the moment gimmicks. Kids growing up. Friends growing up. Missed moments with Andrei. And I visit often to ease that sting. To still stay in the loop. To still matter to people who matter to me. To make sure I don't become "that guy who went away." But I'm beginning to think that all these visits are keeping me from truly enjoying the experience it is to be living here. I mean, I don't want to think of Manila as a past which is holding me back. But for some reason, it's bumming me out right now and I've got to figure out how to remedy it. To figure out how to keep Manila near to my heart but not let it control my happiness here in Hong Kong. To conquer that fear that people will forget you. To accept the possibility of possibilities that come when you let go. It's a constant battle.

I also found this video of Marin singing. She's quite amazing. Now if I can only be as confident.

"Happiness, not in another place but this place…not for another hour, but this hour…"

— Walt Whitman

rhapsody [ 9:57 PM ] | 0 comments

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Like the new look? New decade, new look. Thanks Joy!!!

So Tuesday morning, less than ten hours from arriving at the Hong Kong airport the night before, I was back at immigration for another fast and furious trip. Tokyo. Ok, ok, so staying in Tokyo Disneyland 100% of the time doesn't really qualify as submerging myself in Japanese culture, but still. I did learn a lot about Japan. First was, it's f*cking freezing this time of year. After a bumpy 3 and a half hour flight, we boarded a bus to our hotel. A brisk check in and I was brought to my room. The bellboy said something and I didn't quite get it. He repeated it, yes it was English, then Russ clarifies what the bellboy was saying... "Would you like me to introduce you the room?" Hmm... I replied, "oh, no need, I can introduce myself." He left, I turned to face the room and said "Hi I'm Rony" and noticed that the room was spacious and short. The bed. The chairs. A can of coke. And for fun, I had to iron my shirts for the next two days...

On the hi-tech end, the bathroom had a funky toilet. It had its own remote control to do a handful of things like keeping the toilet seat warm. Just glad it didn't speak too, that would be akward. "Hi, I'm Rony"

That night, I met up with Maiga, an old friend from high school who was actually my younger sister's batch. She now lives in Tokyo cause of her husband's job. We had drinks and reminisced a little, spoke about common friends a little, and I learned about Japanese culture a little. It was short but so glad she came up to see me. And of course, we needed a shot in front of something that said where we were. And struck the all too familiar pose.

The next day was all about auditions backstage and checking out the parks when I could. To explain, there's Tokyo Disneyland, which is like our park but much, MUCH bigger. And Tokyo Disneysea which is too marvelous for words. But first Disneyland. The shots in the previous entry are all Disneyland. Here's more... Toontown:

A splashy Stitch parade... which was a lot of fun.

Then we watched a show in Tomorrowland called "One Man's Dream 2" Apparently there was a one. It was a musical-type show with a lot of visual bits and dancing. Here are snippets...

I also got to ride Pirates of Caribbean, which the movie is based on. Surreal. You enter this small entrance and somehow you go through this ride which seems to occupy an infinite amount of space. The attention to detail. You have to see it to believe it.

Then there is Tokyo Disneysea. Also divided into lands, instead of a castle, you have an iconic volcano. When standing in what seems to be little Italy, the volcano overlooks a lagoon which hosts a show called Mythica with larger than life floats. Check it out... Silence.

Then floats come out and line up.

Then the eggs open to reveal... fairies.

Then more floats...

Unbelievable. Amazing. All in a day's work. More walking around brought me to Triton's kingdom...

The Tower of Terror, which was awesome and scary... so I've heard. A long, long cue and screams which echoed ALL OVER THE PARK, was a sign I think to make it a last priority. Perhaps when i'm 40.

A round trip later, I was back in Italy and out the gate.

I'm a huge planner. Everything needs to be set so I don't look back on wasted time. But I look at my life now and there's no way I could've pencil-ed this all in. I was talking to Maiga about it, if someone told me on the day I passed the accountancy board exam that my first week of being 30 would be in 3 different countries, I wouldn't have believed it. Who I am today wasn't at all in the plan. So my first new year's resolution is to cut back on planning. Be a little more spontaneous (don't laugh Bu...) Which doesn't mean going crazy. But it does mean less overthinking and more rolling along as the world rolls on. Taking more random trips. Less nights home. Cooking more. Reading more. (well..) Taking more chances.


"Here I go...."

rhapsody [ 9:47 AM ] | 1 comments

Friday, April 20, 2007

A week ago, I turned 30 and I've finally come down from cloud 9. There was my birthday at work, the highlight of which was the Dapper Dans surprising me at my desk with a song, a cake and the rest of the office behind them. I knew something was up that day cause no one was greeting me the whole morning. Last year, the same, except they brought in a marching band into the office. Only at Disney. Then there was Manila, a whirlwind weekend of music and friends, which I'll blog more about as soon as the pictures come in. Then there was Tokyo, which was truly, madly, deeply unbelievable. Then to top it all off, cause they oversold our flight last night, they bumped me up to business. The universe's "Happy Birthday" to me. Since I only got in late last night, I'm taking the morning off today. But I'm still a little too woozy to blog about everything, so here's a little fun. Tokyo Disneyland is in this Find Stitch mood, think you can find him?

rhapsody [ 9:57 AM ] | 0 comments

Friday, April 13, 2007

So it's 2 am on my first day as a 30 year old. Friends left an hour or so ago. Got the sweetest birthday message from Bu. A couple birthday texts from Bea, Raul, and Franco. A birthday call from Topper and Kyla. And I'm all packed. Don't know if I'll have time to blog today cause of work and my flight. So I thought I'd do this before sleeping. So let me tell you about my last day in my twenties...

We had a press launch for The Pirate Takeover of Hong Kong Disneyland. And as usual, nothing is small...

And what's a Disney event without the star, Pirate Mickey in mouse...

After which I raced home to get ready for a cozy dinner with friends in Wildfire. We had delicious pasta, pizza, chicken wings, and calamares. It was a relaxing evening capped with taboo, work debate, and of course, picture taking. This is my posse here. Without these people, I'd be a mess over here in Hong Kong town.

So thank you God... Here I am, a spanking new 30 year old. Ready to fly home and celebrate my first couple days of 30-ncy with friends and family. Thank you for every single person who has come through my life and stayed. For every song I've heard or tune I've played. For every moment of joy and sadness which has made me the person I am today. Your eye is on the sparrow, and I know, you're watching me... May the next decade be as magical, driven, dazzling, and blessed as the last. Amen.

Happy birthday to me...

rhapsody [ 2:13 AM ] | 4 comments

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Had a nice entry. I lost it upon posting. So instead, I'm posting this video... since I should be sleeping...

I LOVE how she does that last phrase... "and I've got a million more, toooooooo go!"

rhapsody [ 12:51 AM ] | 0 comments

Monday, April 09, 2007

Funny story. Last week, at a group dinner over at Wildfire, I was asked by a new friend Carla if I had plans for Easter Sunday. I said No. So she invited me over to a get-together she was setting up in her place. Somehow, I don't recall how exactly, by dessert, I was hosting said dinner at my place. Haha... I didn't mind at all of course, it'd mean no need to travel home after. So I was game. AND I knew there'd be some jamming involved, which I haven't done since Lana visited late last year. The jamming was a lot of fun. It felt like a rehearsal for the bigger one coming up. It began of course with Shiela noticing that my keyboard was dusty, so she started to clean it. After which, Godfrey got the ball rolling with With You from Pippin. We had three Saigoners in the house so I got to hear a bit of Miss Saigon in English, German, and Dutch, which sounded quite pretty actually. As always, someone tried the Defying Gravity. Carla, who had played Sapphire in Trumpet's The Little Mermaid sang The Gift and later, He Brought Me To You with Noel, who had also played Prince Christian in the show. Lots of music. Lots of laughs. Lots of FOOD. For kicks, we even jammed Seasons of Love, which with no rehearsal, easily sounds pretty. And of course, there was picture taking...

4 days to go!

rhapsody [ 1:06 AM ] | 0 comments

Sunday, April 08, 2007

It's my last week in my twenties! So tonight I began the 2 week long celebration by GOING OUT! Though it's Holy week here, I've had to go to work on Thursday and Friday cause we're in the middle of training a "new" act for the park. So I haven't really felt the "break". Today was my usual day off, so I started it by finishing the first 7 episodes of Scrubs, season 4. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy that show. It works the same way Desperate Housewives does... it ends with a down to earth theme to tie in all the loony business that goes on during the show. So far it's not as good as earlier seasons, but it's still quite funny. Also found time to chat with Andrei via Skype. Always nice being able to see him, and he got a new boy-ish haircut. Cute. He's bored. Then, this evening it was off to a casual dinner with friends in management combined with a screening of Waiting For Guffman, a hilarious mockumentary about a small town in the USA putting up a community theater play. Good stuff. If you enjoy theater, you'll enjoy the movie. Seriously. Lots of crazy people out there. Seriously. After the movie and older people chat, I joined my younger friends in Lan Kwai Fong to cap the night at Balaylaka, a Russian bar. Fancy. These two singing minstrels came around and gave instruments to everyone at the table, except me, so I took the picture...

I even had a drink! And everyone knows how quickly I turn red... A ferry ride later, I'm home. It's gonna be an exciting week. Tomorrow, Easter sunday dinner here, hosted by yours truly. Then Jigs is flying in for a couple days. And in a sneeze, I'll be flying back home to Manila to spend my 30th birthday weekend with friends, younger, my age, and older. And the week after that... Tokyo. Yahoo!!

rhapsody [ 1:50 AM ] | 0 comments

Friday, April 06, 2007

rhapsody [ 12:59 AM ] | 0 comments

Monday, April 02, 2007

Just so it's clear. We love her. Divine. Someone loaded clips of 4 time Tony award-winner (selfish bitch!) Audra Mcdonald from her Lincoln Center New Year's Eve concert. Here she is doing a song from a personal favorite movie, Yentl. And I love how she introduces it, "... I wanna do one song from that musical. Not that song. I'm not gonna do that one. My father can hear me just fine, he's in California watching..." (if you don't get the joke, seriously, skip the video...)

*tick tock* Getting close...

rhapsody [ 10:47 PM ] | 0 comments