Low tech
Am jealous of my friends' blogs -- they are all so much more alive than mine :( I'm happy with the whole minimalist thing I've got going (white background and black font which I occasionally change) but I'd like to at least have links to other blogs on one side and have my picture up! Naya, are you there? Are you reading my blog?
I am a lonely blogger. Waaah.
(Note to self: get someone to teach me how to use all the bells and whistles Blogger has to offer).
The wisdom of Virginia Woolf
"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." - Virginia Woolf
I wasn't planning on blogging tonight -- I just meant to skim through my RSS feed then get ready for bed. It so happened though, that I found the above quote on "The Accidental Hedonist"(it's the first blog in my feed list). Kate Hopkins is actually starting to grow on me, even though I admire the culinary arts from afar. I'm rather a "frustrated foodie," so this blog allows me to experience culinary delights vicariously.
Anyway, Virginia Woolf expressed so eloquently that which I always inarticulately whine about: that hunger leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering..." Hehe. Seriously though, I become masungit when I am hungry. Well, either masungit or just downright iyakin.
My favorite story to illustrate this is my twentyfifth birthday. I was rushing to meet a deadline, feeling an immense amount of pressure, and worst of all, running on an empty stomach! Save for the fact that I had a wonderful lunch at Cafe Bola (penne with chorizos and parmesan cream... my favorite!) with my bestfriend, it didn't really feel like it was my birthday. By late afternoon (still far from finishing at that point), I was drained, stressed out, and starving -- but it was nothing the Hersheys bar Jane gave me couldn't fix. So imagine my brokenheartedness at learning that some of my officemates had eaten my only chocolate bar. It was an honest mistake -- they thought I had given it to them -- but it was just too much for my empty stomach and broken spirit to take. And so there I stood, at the reception area of Ayala Museum, a 25 year old professional... crying like a little girl. The happy part is that one of my dear, sweet colleagues rushed to The Coffee Bean to get me a slice of chocolate cake. I said that wasn't necessary, but I guess I looked so kawawa that he insisted.
There ends my little story. Haha. The moral is... don't let Gloria get hungry or else she will cry. And you can bet I won't be able to think well, love well, or sleep well on an empty stomach.
Ooooo... I think my next entry will be about food. I've been missing Makati a lot lately, largely because of my friends who still work there, and partly because I miss eating out. Next up: Missing Makati: The Food Special.
Coming Soon!
I'm so excited! One of my all-time favorite books has FINALLY been made into a movie! I passed by the A Different Bookstore in Cubao yesterday to pick up a copy of Story Philippines and wound up buying Time's November 21 issue as well. As soon as I saw the cover I just knew I had to get it (only later did it occur to me that I could've just looked it up on the Net, but oh well).
Richard Corliss, if I'm not mistaken, is very stingy about giving good reviews. He loved Geisha though, which is probably a good sign. But even if he hadn't given it the thumbs-up, I'd still be one of the first people to see it when it comes out here. It's been a while since I was last this excited about a single film.
When I first found out that Hollywood was coming up with a Geisha movie (Steven Spielberg was still on board as director then), I felt that it had to be done in Japanese with English subtitles. It just seemed wrong to have all the dialogue in a movie so steeped in Japanese culture delivered in English. However, the dirth of "top" Japanese actresses (one wonders what they mean by "top" -- I'm guessing it's "commercially viable") made it impossible to have an all-Japanese cast. Instead, director Rob Marshall has Ziyi Zhang (Nitta Sayuri), Li Gong (Hatsumomo), and Michelle Yeoh (Mameha) -- all Chinese actresses (though technically, Michelle Yeoh is Malaysian) -- saying all their lines in English but with Japanese accents. It's just as well, I suppose, as having to read subtitles the whole time will draw my attention away from the costumes.
Ahhh, yes, the costumes. All those exquisite kimonos! Half the fun of reading the book was imagining each beautiful dress as well as the ornate hairdo and accessories that went with it. I wonder if this will start an obi revival?
Anyway, this is one Christmas movie I'll be sure to see... oh shyeettt... AFTER the Metro Manila Filmfest pa pala!!! Argh!!! *bangs head on desk* The local film industry had better come up with really good movies this year :( 'til the opening, I'll have to content myself with watching the trailer once in a while..
Brrrrr...
Today's probably the coldest day in Manila since summer snuck up on us last March. I checked the thermometer downstairs at mid-afternoon and the temperature was down to 80F/27C. As of this writing, it's probably in the 70s already.
Earlier unaware of the coming typhoon, I attributed the refreshingly cool climate to the upcoming holidays. As the song goes ,"it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!" :)
I haven't really given much thought to what's going to happen next month... it's not like I have a big company Christmas party to host again, so I'll be pretty low-key this December. Off the top of my head though, on this cold November night, here's a list of things to look forward to:
1. Finding gifts for the kids. I have three inaanaks (all little boys!) to shop for, plus one very fat, very adorable little niece who's celebrating her first Christmas! Then there are all my other pamangkins and the kids of my friends. Since most of them are below reading age and I'm a big fan of educational toys and games, I might stick to the latter for now.
2. Caroling! This will be my fourth Christmas with my choir but only the second time we'll be doing some serious fundraising through caroling. I've been caroling with choirs since I was fourteen and it really is such a wonderful experience. It's nice to have strangers welcome you so warmly into their homes and to be able to share the season's spirit with them.
3. Getting together with my highschool and college barkadas. We don't get to do this very often during the year and even when we do, kulang palagi because some of our friends are abroad. So, Christmas always equals reunions.
That's all for now. I'm sure the list will grow as the big day draws even nearer...
Ilang tulog na lang? Malapit na! Malapit na!
Ilang tulog na lang ang Paskong masaya?
Ilang tulog na lang darating na...
Usok ng putobumbong, nalalanghap ko na!
;)
FILM: The Phantom of the Opera
I finally got around to watching the The Phantom of the Opera double-DVD that Tita Aggie gave me earlier this year. Silly me, just because I had heard some bad reviews when it came out, I lost interest in seeing it myself. Being spineless can make you miss out on a lot. ;P
I've known the music since I was in highschool. Mrs. Puno, my voice teacher, gave me Think of Me and Wishing You were Somehow Here Again as pieces... I think I even sang them at my recitals. Although I'd have liked to see the musical performed on stage first, it may be quite a while before that happens, so I popped the DVD in after watching SNL (feat. Lindsay Lohan!).
Shet ha... maganda siya!!! Haha! Now how's THAT for a review?! *lol* Seriously, it exceeded all my expectations. Joel Schumacher did a brillilant job directing, the production design was breathtaking, and the MUSIC.... OHHHH THE MUSIC!!! Now you could say it'd be just as good as a theatrical performance but that wouldn't be accurate -- Andrew Lloyd Weber had a more than 100 piece orchestra and 90 person chorus recording the film score, which is virtually impossible to do for the stage. The music was as ALW had envisioned it and it was, ohmigod, exquisite.
In my humble opinion though, they could've chosen a Phantom who could sing better. Sure Gerard Butler is adorable and a strong performer... but his voice isn't that great. Somehow the role of "Angel of Music" didn't suit him all that well :( Hindi lang talaga ako fan ng straight tones, plus his voice was shaky pa in some parts. Tuloy, I didn't really enjoy Music of the Night, which is sad because it's such a beautiful song. His "rockstar-quality" tenor did work in songs where he was angry (like The Point of No Return), but that's about it. It lacked the tenderness, the finesse to pull off the softer, more romantic songs.
That having been said though, Butler broke my heart in the end... I was literally sobbing when he let Christine and Raoul leave. It got even worse when she came back to return his ring. It was so frikking sad... I can't imagine how anyone could not have been moved by it.
I'm still trying to not be bothered by the love triangle though... Parang incestuous kasi ang dating ng Christine-Phantom dynamic because for most of her life, she had seen him as a father-figure... then she's all kissing him in the end. Ewan! In a non-musical, I would've criticized the underdeveloped lovestory between Christine and Raoul, but because of All I Ask of You (which, also had me in tears), I'm all right with it. :)
Andrew Lloyd Weber is a genius! Now I'm more determined to catch New Voice Company's production of Aspects of Love. In the meantime though... hehe... kakain muna ako. Laters! :D
