Repertory's Sweeney Todd

i guess i expected too much from this musical. i mean, the cast in itself is reason enough for one to go gaga the moment it was announced to be staged.

sadly, this Sweeney Todd, if not for the awesome Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, fell short of what i was expecting.

Gibbs Cadiz couldn't have said it better in his blog

while Audie Gemora's vocal skills still remain impressive, he was overshadowed by the dear Mrs. Lovett. Franco Laurel's Anthony sounded whiney while the young lady who played Johanna ate her words most of the time. as for Judge Turpin, i could care less.

what was surprising was the lady who played Lucy/beggar, Liesl Batucan, who's voice was crisp and her acting was spot on. while i liked the movie version of Tobias, Marvin Ong's take on the lad was ok. especially on the last few scenes.

needless to say, Liesl and Menchu were my favorites as they both stole the show.

i almost fell asleep on some parts. sayang. not the money, but the production in itself. i mean, i love Rep but this one was a dud. sorry.

wake up call

just what i needed and it came right on time.

I must have done something good coz someone's still watching over me.

lab rat

for the last 3 days, i was at Makati Med where i was poked and pricked which made me feel like a lab rat.

i had what they call hypokalemia, a condition where the body's potassium level becomes sigificantly low that caused temporary paralysis on my lower extremities. yes, my legs just lost power.

they just needed to normalize my potassium level, i was told but they had to keep me as well to run some tests since my blood pressure became erratic.

what's in my lab menu you ask?:

several blood tests which meant they had to draw blood 6 different times from 6 different spots;

kidney and bladder ultrasound;

thyroid imaging;

saline loading;

and loads of pills

i am now at home where my staple diet includes one banana each meal.

buti na lang hindi mangga!!!

thanks to those who dropped by :)

my kind of movie

no mush.

real.

funny.

simple.

plus a real good soundtrack

i. loved. it.

and i quote... "Just because she likes the same bizzare crap you do doesn't mean she's your soul mate"

fruition

finally. Scary yet i welcome the challenge. I say bring it on but not without apprehension. Thank you.

halloween 2009

for miguel's first trick or treat, my sister made the perfect costume...

of course the whole family wouldn't miss it for the world...

ink

Chinese cherry blossom tattoo
my bday present for myself this year.
what it means
"For the Chinese the cherry blossom is a very significant symbol of power. Typically it represent a feminine beauty and sexuality and often holds an idea of power or feminine dominance. Within the language of herbs and herbal lore of the Chinese the cherry blossom is often the symbol of love."
i'm at 90% now.
yes, it's a tad bit juvenile and no, i don't care. the design is nice and feminine.
ok...91% and rising....
can't wait!

--- update January, 2011 ---
click on the link to see my first tattoo 

lust

Bacardi by an Australian label called Wittner

i.want.one.

and i will, thanks to deeaye who promised to buy me a pair while she's still in Melbourne.

salivating yet?

could he be my William Hayes?

i wonder.

after all these years, could he be that?

wishful thoughts perhaps. wishful thgoughts.

off to shanghai

where food is great and facebook is banned. which means that i will gain weight and not be able to tend to my farm, cafe and aquarium for the next two weeks.

bend like a pretzel

or at least i tried my darnest best! hahaha!

i barelysurvived my first Bikram Yoga class last night and i have to admit, sans the random nausea attacks on the first part, i loved it!

for a first timer who has no sense of balance and very limited flexibility, i lasted the whole 90 minutes class in an overly heated room. without fainting. ok, i almost fainted hahaha! but it was worth it. i sweated buckets. seriously! plus, the instructor was uber nice and the class was fun.

after my melbourne indulgence, a bucketful of sweat is what i need.

my muscles are in pain and i could barely walk down a flight of stairs but i will go to class again tonight with the hopes that one day, i too can bend like a pretzel or at least make my forehead touch my knees! hahaha!

funny conversation with papa

when i learned about yet another typhoon hitting the Philippines, i immediately called home.

here's how the phone call went:

me: there's a typhoon again. be safe all of you.

papa: yeah, i saw it in the news. tell your mama to stop cleaning!

me: hahaha! you tell her! i'm going home next week

papa: have you found a rich aussie boyfriend yet?

me: no eh.

papa: well you have one week!

you gotta love my dad! seriously, did you smell desperation? i did! hahaha!

guilt and irony

while i was watching the footy finals at the Federation Square. secretly having fun under the rain...

i wasn't aware that this was happening in Manila...

that's not right. that is so not right.

my heart goes out to those who were severely affected by typhoon Ondoy.

donations/volunteers can be coursed thru the ff:
Philippine National Red Cross - contact numbers: Pasay Chapter 8542748/4343751; Las Pinas Chapter 8734873/4689688; Pasig Chapter 6350922; Alabang Chapter 8097131/8506813; Bulacan Chapter 0446625388into NHQ Manila 5245787/5270864; Caritas Mnl 5639298; DSWD 9318101
Manor Typhoon Relief Drive

sources:
The Globe and Mail
more pictures from this blog

indulgence : coles quadruple chocolate chunk cookies

it is the best thing that ever happened to cookies i must say!
the packet says:


"Luxuriously decadent chocolate cookie laden with milk, dark and white chocolate chunks. Finished with a base smothered in creamy milk chocolate. Incredibly divine, so 
indulge yourself"
so i did.
and for someone who doesn't like sweets much, i couldn't stop.
i'm seriously thinking of filling my luggage with just these! hahaha!

fondness

it doesn't matter how long we've lost touch or how far we've fallen out.

i will always be fond of you. like i said, i was never away. i never left and will never leave.

i'm glad to see that you're ok. steady ok.

and yes, i miss you too.

maybe not always. but whenever we talk of how things were, a part of me aches. the nice kind of ache. the kind that reminds me of how beautiful things can be that it becomes a promise of more beautiful things to come.

you bring me hope and i thank you for that.

move over martha

so i've been cooking and i'm loving it!

steak with rosemary and buttered veggies buttered veggies pork schnitzel pork nilaga beef stir fry with asparagus in red wine reduction sauce fish escabeche adobong pusit

sleepless in melbourne

it's 5am now and i have not slept a wink.

since i got here, my body clock refused to adapt. i am still in manila time.

i know it's just two hours. but if your sleeping habits are anything close to mine, 2 hours is a lot. i sleep late in manila which means i sleep even later now that i am here WHICH MEANS i have to wake up earlier!

sleeping gods...can you be a bit nicer to me? plesae pretty please?

domestic diva

this little piggy went to Queen Victoria market
and then cooked adobong pusit!

i'm such a martha! my mom would be proud! hahaha!

haller from down under

i'm in melbourne. where its winter in spring and i don't have any winter clothes in my luggage. hahahhaa!

i'll be staying here for a month and if the rest of my stay here is anything close to how my first day went, i'm sure to have a blast.

in 2 weeks time, there'll be five other from manila who will come in but until then, it's just me and the fabulous aussies who seem to always have a smile on their face.

i love my job!

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