tsk, tsk...

penguins...never had this problem with sea turtles, you know.

something wickedly good

wicked, the musical

last saturday, i went to see wicked with shellane and her mom at the Oriental Theater here in downtown Chicago. to those of you who are not familiar with it, this is the untold story of the witches and the wizard of Oz and all the other characters from that familiar story -- except the little girl from Kansas and her dog. it's a story about good and evil, expectedly, but it is also a story about true friendship and accepting how limitless you can be if you remain true to what you believe in.

i can't begin to describe how good this musical production is and how much i loved it. to me it was awesome, every aspect of it: the story, the costume and the set, most especially, the music. i loved almost every song and during the play i would often find myself clap at the end of a scene and even cry at times as well. for two hours, i was completely absorbed by it, amazed to say the least. when i got to the theater, i didn't know what to expect because i didn't read any reviews nor haven't read the book. although i have been hearing from everyone who has seen it that it was good, i didn't expect it to be THAT good. for two days now, i can't stop listening to the soundtrack which i immediately downloaded when i got home. i was also lucky to be able to download a full video of the play: someone was pasaway enough to capture it with a digital camera and upload it over the internet. the video is really big and i don't think i can share it here but i uploaded some of the songs which i loved so please feel free to listen:

I'm Not That Girl

(Elphaba singing)
Ev'ry so often we long to steal
To the land of what-might-have-been
But that doesn't soften the ache we feel
When reality sets back in

Because I Knew You

(Elphaba singing to Glinda)
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend

im always like that when i watch musicals, i get completely blown away and changed in some way, as if i had been taken on a magic ride in a broomstick or a balloon and sent upward to defy gravity and go to a happier place for just a little while. if you get the chance, go see it because i truly believe it's worth your money and your time, even if you don't particularly like theater. without exaggeration, i can say that, "Wicked" is truly and wickedly wonderful.

appear, disappear, appear!

...so medyo nahuli pa ako ng entrance...

"i would like to greet my nanay and my friends!!!"

tama ba na magsisisigaw kami sa likod ng reporter na ito?! ay, kebs! it was fun! click any of the images above and try to observe closely. if you recognize who the crazy people in the back are, you could find yourself laughing so hard! i used to be annoyed by people who do that lalo na if they frame their faces with their thumb and fore finger and especially if it was a live report on something that's supposed to be serious. kaya naman may hint ng hiya on my part to announce to people that i did the same. but at least, in our defense, this time what we were doing is somewhat appropriate naman 'di ba? and i really think, nakadagdag pa nga sa "celebrative" mood. hehe :)

video courtesy of CBS Chicago and was taken after the fireworks display at Grant Park near the Lake Shore during the eve of the Independence Day Celebration. the guy in yellow is vince and yung nasa kanan is pads, somewhere there makikita mo rin si ria. ako yung naka-white na naglakad from the right. obvious naman di ba dahil nilagyan ko na ng box ung sarili ko :) so what do you think about our tv appearance? fun 'di ba?

thanks ria for sending the link, this made my day and i now have something new to tell my relatives paguwi ko that will make them laugh so hard. hehe. anyway, enjoy viewing!

TGIF

its 5am and i havent slept nang mahusay... i just know something's missing in my life and im not quite alright. started talking to my friend from Manila and told him im sad. he tried to cheer me up by sending me an emoticon of a dancing rat. hehe. its silly but somehow made me smile. then while talking to him, i realized how much i miss being with people who knows me best, how much i miss being home, in our house with my parents especially my mom. i was watching tv kanina until 1am, and i recall watching late night tv shows with my mom and dad as the three of us try to fall asleep. tabi-tabi kami sa sala, we prefer to sleep there than in our rooms dahil mas presko ang hangin. usually, my mom would be in the middle tapos kami ng tatay ko sa gilid. we would turn on the sleep setting of the tv, para it will automatically shutdown when we're all finally asleep. usually, im the last to fall asleep, nauuna pa nga yung tv mag-shutdown and all channels would start signing-off.

hay, grabe...i just want to be home kahit sandali lang... kahit one hour lang. im wishing tuloy, sana i have sabrina's magical power to transport herself to different places. ill take myself back to that old familiar place with both the two people i love most in life.

naiinis ako when i think about it...feeling ko kasi we should be allowed to fly back home kahit once lang. my friends say that its in the policies, pero i am not granted that privilege due to budget concerns. kaso ang masakit, my managers here are going to Manila for two weeks this month... maiiwan ako... naiinis ako, pero what can i do... even if i ask, hindi naman iga-grant for sure. dapat hindi ko na lang isipin, di ba... sasama lang loob ko if i think about it. isipin ko na lang na at least pwede akong makapagpadala ng stuff sa kanila... pero kahit na, kapos pa rin... ahhck.

so tonight, or today, because it's 530am... ang theme song ng buhay ko ay:

somewhere out there

beneath the pale moon light

someone's thinking of me

and loving me tonight

hehe...korni no? anyway, ganon talaga. accept the things we cannot change and focus on what blessings we have. at least i know nam-miss rin ako ng nanay at tatay ko back home and that we are looking at the same set of skies and stars, im just seeing them from the other side of the world. kaya for now, i should be content and try to get back to bed and get some good rest. napuyat na ako ng husto. oa. buti na lang friday na.

a greeting from godzilla

ana, tito roger, and godzilla

07/04/2006

surprise! happy birthday, tito :) wala naman akong masabi masyado kundi happy, happy birthday! im praying that all your wishes for the year -- for your family, your career, tita violy, your friends and co-workers -- come true. praying for more blessings and more smiles to come your way kasi you truly deserve that and so much more :) thank you for welcoming all of us to your home and to your life, salamat for all the kwento, the pabaon, for cooking delicious food for us -- i love your laing and sinigang and pot roast, for teaching us how to cook (pasado ba?), for showing us your old photos (hehe!), for driving us to the Outlet Malls and CostCo to buy clothes, groceries, and pasalubong, for the genuine friendship and the countless other ways you make us smile :) thank you for being the coolest and cutest tito in town! my stay this time here in Chicago is certainly several times more memorable and more enjoyable than the first because i came to know you and your family.

God bless! May you truly enjoy this day!

the one with tony danza

Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
you had a busy day today

by elton john

this song has been playing in my head and my media player for two days now. heard it on FOX channel while watching "Friends". it was funny because Phoebe replaced "tiny dancer" with "tony danza" and was insisting that hers was the correct version :) i have been so addicted to this song kaya i managed to download the different remakes of it. so far i have the version from almost famous, the one by ben folds five and also the one by red hot chili peppers. all good. haven't downloaded the one by elton john though :) because of this song, i kept picturing myself dancing all night long and being lost in the music. kaya naman i was SO glad to be invited by a friend to go out with him and his friends tonight to this place called "howl at the moon", which has a live band (composed of 3 pianists, a drummer and a violinist) and a floor for dancing -- i got his call as i was writing this post! and you know what, the band played "tiny dancer" later on that night. haha! my friend and i was so happy and kept shouting "tony danza" rather than "tiny dancer" during chorus :)

last time i went out with friends to go dancing was mid-march at this place called Transit, i was lucky enough to be invited to layla's birthday celebration who offered to pay for our entrance and drinks. it was the first time i met layla who is lianne's friend and it was the first time i went clubbing in the US. clubbing. hope im using the right term :) we got there pretty early and left at almost 3am. sinulit talaga namin. hehe. here are some photos from that night:

me, lianne and amy

me, che, jaye, allan and ana at the dance floor

suddenly i am reminded of my closest friends from Manila, whom i had shared a room with in Makati for a year or so and whom i miss....i think they would be happy to go clubbing or dancing with me tonight if they can, just like what we had planned on doing several years back but never pushed through... sayang... maybe one day when i return, just let me know because that would really make me happy and im sure it would really be fabulous :)