Wicked on Broadway

in the world of musical theater, i have one that has been at the top of my list since it started in 1989 - Miss Saigon. to me, that is the epitome of a good musical : beautiful songs coupled with amazing actors/singers and a storyline that captures the hearts of the audience long after they have left the theaters. Miss Saigon had it. 

and then came Wicked which had everything Miss Saigon had and more.

i know it isn't fair to compare these two as they are as vastly different as day is to night but i can't NOT compare as i love both. Miss Saigon was romantic and sad and tragic while Wicked is light and comedic with a dash of seriousness here and there.  a difference, which i think gave Wicked a slight advantage  is the entertainment value and how each individual line was written with humor and wit. even when Glinda and Elphaba were saying goodbye for the last time, they still managed to inject a little bit of humor in the end. 

that moment when you see or hear something and then your goosebumps suddenly get out of control? i had that in Defying Gravity. literally. i had to physically shush my goossies to go away coz they just won't! 

Wicked is current and relatable. the audience left the theaters not in tears nor with heavy hearts but with smiles on their faces happily humming "Defying Gravity" and being sentimental over "For Good" and "I'm not that Girl" or trying to recall Ginda's one liners. i know i was! i remember eric and i doing Glinda's toss toss as we left the Gershwin Theater. 

it was that good. it's been days and i still can't get over it. i've seen some videos on Youtube with the original cast and all i can say is the cast last saturday was as just as talented and maybe a bit funnier?  it's like watching Glinda on crack! really hilarious! and Miss Elphaba gave me the awww moment of the night.

best musical ever. sorry Lea. Miss Saigon will always have a soft spot in my heart but for now, it's Elphaba and Glinda's turn. 

waiting for the show to start...yes, my eyes were twinkling in anticipation!

cocktails served in cool Wicked tumbler/sippy cup souvenirs is an ingenious marketing strategy! i had the glozmopolitan (cranberry vodka) and eric had the ozmopolitan (apple vodka)

thanks Eric for another Wickedly fun night

quite simply, it's the best money i've spent EVER and i wouldn't mind watching it again. 

time to meet the witches of OZ

this saturday,
at the Gerswhin Theater in New York

something will change within me

i will finally get to watch Wicked

here's to hoping i don't pee in my pants. seriously.

weekend in Washington

The White House 

                           W (Washington Hotel)                        US Department of Treasury               

            Washington Monument                             Lincoln Statue

Lincoln Memorial 

                Korea War Veterans Memorial                Martin Luther King Memorial 

Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial 

(surrounded by Cherry Blossom Trees which is a site to behold in spring time)

 Commercial planes hover the Lincoln Memorial grounds

World War II Memorial

encircling the memorial are columns/pillars each representing a country or state affected by WWII

crossing the brooklyn bridge

two things i said i wanted to do in new york : watch Wicked and cross the Brooklyn Bridge. 

Brooklyn Bridge

last saturday, i met up with Eric and Shai, both friends from manila who now live in Brooklyn and they gave me the brooklyn bridge experience (we first took the subway going to Brooklyn and then crossed the bridge on foot going back to Manhattan.)

and what heck of an experience it was! the Brooklyn Bridge has the best view of Manhattan on one side and of Brooklyn on the other; love locks lined the walls and railings and hinges of the bridge, left there by lovers/couples to express a promise love and loyalty; artists with their sketch pads lay on the path as they drew/sketched;  locals and tourists, camera on hand take pictures as they thread the walkway along with a number of cyclists (be careful as they might run you over if you're on their side of the walkway.)

 

                            love locks                                           more love locks

                            my designated tour guides :)                halfway thru the bridge

   

crossed the bridge on foot...all 1.8miles in 38degree weather. 

others may call it it crazy. i call it badass!!

every inch of the bridge is picture worthy with an awesome backdrop on all sides - Brooklyn, Manhattan skyline, Manhattan Bridge and a very small view of the Statue of Liberty can be seen on that vantage point. add to that the ferries crossing the the  East River down below. 

                            view of Manhattan Bridge                Manhattan Skyline

Brooklyn Bridge Landmark

one item on my New York Bucketlist, checked! i have crossed the Brooklyn Bridge. the same bridge where Miranda and Steve met and reconciled. awwww!

tomorrow, i'm of to DC to visit the presidents! woot woot!

mid-day ramblings at work

i'm here in the US for a project...however, the materials we need for us to proceed are still somewhere in Kenya and Uganda making their way to New Jersey.

so now i'm a lull. don't get me wrong, i don't usually mind not doing anything at work. i mean, back in manila, this NEVER HAPPENS.

however, an idle mind can make you go antok or crazy. the antok i can handle. a cup of coffee or a puff of dunhill does the trick. it's the crazies that's drives me..well, crazy. it's times like this when you reminisce and think of the past. it wouldn't be a problem if all were good memories. but that's not the case. it's the bad ones that always pop up and when they do, it becomes an explosion of pandora's box.

maybe karma got lost?

i was reading bunny's entry on karma yesterday and you guessed it, i empathized. it got me thinking about my own karma. i mean, i'm grateful to have been blessed by a wonderful and loving family and i'm fortunate to have always been surrounded by awesome friends. i have a great job that allows me to do what i want and lets me travel to places i can only dream of going.

now come the BUT.

my lovelife has been on a losing streak. while it's true that one can't have everything, it sucks that i haven't had a decent relationship in a long time. and by a long time i meant the last real relationship i had. it's been 7 friggin years. sure i've gone out and had "relationships" after that but all were either fleeting or the what-was-i-thinking-kinda-stupid.

going back to karma, what is it that i've done that karma's been messing with my heart for the last decade? and if karma is indeed a bitch, how come the ones who did me wrong had their happily ever after?

naliligo naman ako ah.

4th of July

as the saying goes, when in Rome do what the Romans do. so we did.

since most of the people i know went on a weeklong vacation (one which i can't afford to do), my officemates and i celebrated our version of the 4th of July...

cooked a feast for 3

  

domestic diva indeed!

capped the night watching Macy's fireworks display from the hotel's parking lot

and somewhere between lunch and the fireworks, we went shopping. a lot. 

so there, our 4th of July was a happy day both for our tummy and our luggages. the wallet will just have to deal with it.

Happy Birthday America! You are one kickass country.

ps. i love all your holiday sales!

a city called Atlantic



The Boardwalk @4am

 where people are always happy, full and drunk!

now i know why a friend of mine calls casinos "disney" as it is indeed the happiest place on earth! at least for those who like to gamble.

i, for one, am a newbie. i've only set foot in a casino twice in my life. once i played the slots, where i won and the other was just to watch some friends play.



Atlantic City is New Jersey's version of Las Vegas. a very small version of Vegas the size of which has nothing to do with the quality of fun and entertainment one can experience.

to cut the story short, i played. not the slots but on the tables, a far cry from what i intended to do which was to party and dance the night away.  i was hoping i still had beginners luck since i have yet to play on the tables. turned out, that luck expired. i blew $100 on black jack at the Showboat. but all is good. it was the best loss ever (i'm a glass half full kinda girl) because i had the best time! i was with my good friends from college, i had a couple of cocktails and corona, the band and the dj played awesome songs and the people around are all oh so pleasant. it was indeed an experience.

so yes, i may have lost, but in the end, i had fun. and it's all that matters. best part is, we're doin it again before i go back to Manila. woot woot!!!!