Moonlight Over Manila

I’m currently doing production work for Repertory Philippines’ Romeo and Bernadette, a very loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. In the show, Romeo Montague wakes up in 1960s Brooklyn and chases after one girl that bears a stunning resemblance to Juliet. The girl turns out to be the daughter of a mob boss, and all hell breaks loose as Romeo woos her and finds himself in the crossfire of two warring mafia families. Internet geeks will recognize this as glorified fanfiction. When I said this was Shakespeare, shaken and stirred, I wasn’t kidding.

The material is filled with little gems that tickle the lit geek in me. It’s a little bit meta, narrated by a Brooklyn Guy trying to score with his date, it has theatrical in-joke (a song about how excruciatingly long it takes for a character to die), jokes about Romeo’s diction (“Where’d you learn English from, a bible?!”), and a modern adaptation of classical arias. All this tailored around a clever retelling of Romeo and Juliet.

This being February, it serves as the perfect Valentines Day date. Forget the cliche movie date, you can make yourself all cultured and debonair by catching a play, and guys can pick up a few tips on how to be a regular Romeo.

Speaking as a nerd with a shot of cynicism, while the play is enjoyable, I see it as a cautionary tale about falling for patterns. If you’re lucky in love, you’ll find your Juliet–or Romeo. If you’re not so lucky, you’ll find yourself hitched to some guido that just wants to get under your skirt. But hey, that’s just me. If you read this far, that means you got past my cynic warning.

Catch Romeo and Bernadette at Onstage Theater, Greenbelt 1, Makati, every Friday at 8:00pm, Saturdays at 3:30pm and 8:00pm, and Sundays at 3:30pm this February! You can call Repertory Philippines‘ Box Office at 88-70-710 or log on to Ticketworld for ticket purchasing and information.

Pictures taken by GR Rodis. Used with permission.

[Writing Meme] Day 01: Your Favorite Song

Don’t Rain On My Parade by Barbra Streisand

I first caught ‘Funny Girl’ on the old classic movie channel when I was much younger, but I just viewed it as a Barbra Streisand vehicle. I have heard the Streisand jokes and the horror stories, but I still admired her for being able to produce-direct-write-sing-dance. I watched ‘Funny Girl’ again after my first college heartbreak as a form of emotional masochism. ‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’ was always this song that stuck out, and I ended up playing the clip over and over again.

In 2009, which friends declared to be one of the worst years of their lives, the song was revived in the popular musical dramedy, ‘Glee’.

That same year I survived the end of my longest relationship, a falling out with a good friend, the end of my first steady job, and the worst storm to hit the country in years. I wasn’t in great shape, but I could have been worse. There were also happier moments had over the year, like new friends and prospects, and I grew more accepting of myself. I wasn’t going to let the worst of 2009 take that away from me.

The finale of ‘Glee’, which featured the song, premiered the same week I was confined to home because I didn’t have any money. I was mulling over my own personal travesties and sang out, “At least I didn’t fake it, hat, sir”. It has been my anthem ever since.

Part of the 30 Day Meme. Next is Day 2: Your Favorite Movie.

Stream of Consciousness

J.D. Salinger Dies at 91. R.I.P.

I survived the miseries of high school by being schmartsy. It helped that my dark period in literacy (marked by Sweet Valley Kids, Twins, and Babysitter’s Club) hit me when I was 9. When I entered high school at 14, not wanting to call attention to myself, and finding most of my colleagues petty with their need for boyfriends, attention, what have you’s, I used intellectual snobbery to make up for my insecurities. I started reading “real” books as opposed to the romance novel drivel that my classmates preferred. Jessica Zafra was the main protein of my bitchery, and then there was Holden Caulfield in Catcher of the Rye. I found comfort in his criticism of “phonies”, it served as my prozac because I wasn’t psychologically damaged enough for medication.

Several years and a lit-related degree later, I figured that if ‘Catcher’ were published today, I would have dismissed it as another published blog. Still, it served its purpose, it was the one friend that I felt understood me when nobody else did. I know that other angsty, angry teenagers feel the same way.

Thanks J.D. Salinger, for being one of the few highlights of early high school. While my books and outlook on life have changed, that never will.

The Word of Mia: Wingmen vs. Kamikaze pilots

There are wingmen, and then there are kamikaze pilots. The wingmen make the opportunity happen like a good scene from a play. In tagalog layman terms, “May style”. In How I Met Your Mother, which popularized the term, a wingman opens with the classic, “Have you met ___”. The rest is up to you. It’s stylish, cool, and very sweet.

The Kamikaze Pilot on the other hand, finds out your crush, hijacks your cellphone while you’re talking to Crush, and says, “She likes you. What are you going to do about it?” The Kamikaze Pilot takes one for the team, and yeah, risks taking you down with him.

If the Wingmen play a board game approach to dating that includes making your monopolies for you, the Kamikaze Pilot plays the extreme sports doubles edition.

With thanks to Pepper Laforteza and Denice de Guzman for inspiring me to come up with these terms.

What are you thankful for this 2009?

For the most part, I’m thankful for surviving. I made pretty difficult decisions in the past several months, and while I’ve had to suffer socially and financially for these changes, it could have been worse.

I am thankful for very new experiences. This has been a “Yes I can!” year for me – I’ve taken on bigger responsibilities that I would’ve shunned last year.

I am very, very thankful for new friends that made my world a bigger, brighter place.

Now, I hope to get a moleskin planner to say thanks for.

Justice for the Maguindanao Massacre

By TheGreatest

For those who haven’t been following the news – Maguindanao Death Toll Climbs to 57. There is never an excuse for violence. Never. Those war lords must be brought down and justice must be served.

Also, while reading this headline, I recalled a quote from the TV movie, Nuremburg, “Lack of conviction is the root of all evil.”

This entry from PCIJ best sums up my sentiments on the entire issue.

I solemnly swear…

This is an attempt to update more often

My biggest problem with treating this blog as my professional portfolio is that I overthink it. Overthinking this means I have abandoned this, and locked myself away with a more diarrheal blog and indulged my already horrible masturbatory tendencies. I solemnly swear that I will at least attempt to update this once a week.

In the last month: Curly Hair and Weddings, oh my!

Let’s do this in pictures for a change.

Look, curly hair!

Styling done by Mahar Mangahas Hair done by Louis Philip Kee Salon, One McKinley Place, The Fort

I have commitment issues, but Philip Kee is one of the few men I remain loyal to. I actually feel guilty when I entertain the thought of getting my hair done elsewhere. In the case of the curls, it was either that or I just get a boring old maintenance cut to my dull, fine hair. While my best friends and very critical styling advisers insisted against it, it was Philip who took the chance. I have no regrets. My hair actually has character now!

Photo by HG Studios

The curls were done in honor of the wedding of one of my other close friend’s, which I somehow agreed to plan for. It was an exhilarating experience, to say the least. Weddings in the Philippines are more about the families involved than the couple, and that formula makes for a double-edged sword. At the end of the day however, it’s all about the union between two people who have found each other. Best wishes, Joy Alano and Honey Chua!

Yes, I can do weddings. If you, or you know of anyone who would like an excellent team of wedding planners and stylists, I can round them up for you. Feel free to email me at myachi at gmail dot com.

In the meantime though, I recover. I also left my more regular job teaching Europeans over the phone, so am in the strange lull at the end of the year. I am on the lookout for new rakets and am slowly organizing my tutorial services to market properly, so here’s hoping that picks up.

On the writing front, I also also been blogging at the Materia Girl tumblr account for less serious, fandom-based musings while twittering haikus. I also have a few articles up at Vibal Publications’ Philippine Online Chronicles. Since I left my more regular job, I’m hoping to focus more on the writing. Let’s see how that turns out.

For the meantime, this is a start.

In the Doorway to Paradise

Picture taken from Transition Culture

Last week, My Mom’s friend was found dead in her hotel room in Tibet. When Mom immediately relayed the news to me, I asked, “You’re kidding, right?”

“Why would I joke about that?!” Mom shrieked.

“Well since Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, a lot of death hoaxes are going around.”

Mom’s friend finally made it to Tibet after months of planning. She’s texted Mom regularly since her arrival and has complained of breathlessness, mouth sores, and dizziness. She was also a chain smoker, which probably didn’t help her up in the high altitudes. As the story goes, she was preparing for a tour one day and rang up the front desk at 5am to remind them to set her breakfast early. The hours ticked by, the tour guide arrived, and she didn’t go downstairs. They rang her room and no one picked up. The front desk got concerned and went up to her room. After a few knocks, no one answered, so they broke the door open. They found Mom’s friend dead on her bed.

“Rockstar.” I remarked.

Mom’s friend didn’t lead a happy life. She was lonely most of the time, for as long as I could remembered she was depressed and not very easy to get along with. As another friend mused, “This might be a blessing.”

The family traveled to Tibet to claim the body. They wanted an autopsy but was put off by the amount of required paperwork. They decided to cremate the body and scatter her ashes there. They bought a turquoise urn to keep the ashes in. For lack of Christian or Catholic priests in the area, they decided to have her final rites in a Tibetan tradition. They would head out to a lake two hours from Lhasa, where some of her ashes would rest. The rest of her, they’d take back home, where friends and family could properly see her off.

May she finally find peace in the heavens above.

A Brand New Day

Say hello to my little friend…

I have been reconnecting with an old, dear friend on AOL, who referred me to Madi Ju’s photography and her “e-famous” Love Diary. I was so moved by the honesty and intimacy of the diary, I got inspired to start my own. To start, I got myself a new digital camera, the Nikon L10 you see above. I committed myself to the 365 Days project, except I’m not big on self-portraiture. You can see my “drabbles” in photography over at Kapilas at Tula (translated: Image and Poetry).

Also, a plug for my photography friend, the lovely Didang Alvarez, if you have any debuts or occasions that you’d like captured on camera, she’s your girl.

Life of the Party, or not

JM writes about having his wallet snatched at the recent Fete de la Musique.

Sorry to hear about your wallet, JM. I feel your pain.

I’ve been lucky not to have my wallet snatched in the last several years. Since the last time I got picked in high school, I haven’t put much personal possessions in my wallet. It feels sparse and dull, but it’s those trinkets that hurt the most in the event of loss. Among the trinkets floating somewhere out there is the only group picture of #pinoy_otaku, a letter from Sammi, old but rare Sailormoon trading cards I got from my best friend, and my Red Cross ID card.

While the Fete is one of the biggest musical events in the country, I wasn’t especially itching to go out that evening. Last time I went to fete was a few years ago when it was a real festival with one day for every musical genre. My BlueRep friends I went to Rocker Day, where a wave of sweaty rakistas catcalled and bowed before me as I passed. I am not exagerrating, Ren can vouch for this.

So last Saturday instead of Fete, I attended a quiet little gathering for the birthday of one my ye olde college roommates, followed by drinks with Lauren and Marco. Maybe it’s my age, or my growing hermitage, but I enjoyed those more and didn’t feel like I missed out on much from Fete.

What’s Up, Coconut?

Summer raket season is over. The Worlds and Words class of Pocketful of Kids ended with a bang. Congratulations to the class of Summer 2009! I’m very proud of you!

My article on XBX Katipunan is out on the latest issue of Playground Magazine, pick that up at your nearest bookstore!

Harana wrapped a successful run in Manila and Amsterdam. Congratulations!

As term ends for a bulk of my ESL classes, I’m looking and praying for more paying projects. Some short projects have come up, I should stop procrastinating and start working on them.

Uso pa ba ang Harana – are serenades still in style?

Yes they are, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

I’ve hinted at a very busy week coming up, and no kidding. This is one of the things I’ve been occupied with, aside from my teaching jobs. My hands are very full but I am thankful for the work, especially for something I’m very passionate about.

Don’t let the ad fool you into thinking this is going to be just another cultural event. The songs showcased in ‘Harana’ might have been done over a thousand times over, but Philippine Opera Company, in their thrust to take opera to the next level, gives it a whole new spin. Fans and familiars of Filipino music old and new will find something to hum along to, be it the tribal or folk songs, or the contemporary classics. As someone who is familiar with more than a song or two in their program, trust me when I say this is one of the best arrangements I’ve heard of them. I especially love the Muslim suite and their covers of Freddie Aguilar’s ‘Anak’ and Basil Valdez’s ‘Nais Ko’.

No blog entry can do them justice, they really have to been seen and heard to be believed.

For those wondering what part I have in all this, I’m their tech baby, pushing the usual buttons and/or chasing their lapels. It’s how I always (and very gladly) spend my summer vacation.

So for those in the Philippines, help support the local arts scene! Watch ‘Harana’! For those outside of the Philippines, you can catch them in Amsterdam from June 8-15.

HARANA runs from MAY 28-30, 2009, 8pm at the Carlos P. Romulo Theater in RCBC Tower, Makati. Ring up for tickets at 8928786 or Ticketworld at 8919999.

Pictures taken by Jojit Lorenzo, borrowed from Ana Feleo.