Proud Corazon from Coco

This is my favorite song from Coco, one of my all-time favorite animated films. While Remember Me won an Oscar for Best Original Song, I am more moved by Proud Corazon. It is sung at the triumphant end of the movie and when I heard it, my heart just soared. This song was written by Germaine Franco and Adrian Molina and is sung by Anthony Gonzalez, who voices the lead character Miguel. You can listen to this beautiful song here:


video uploaded in youtube by DisneyMusicVEVO

Here are the lyrics (along with the English translation of the Spanish words):

Say that I'm crazy or call me a fool
But last night it seemed that I dreamed about you
When I opened my mouth what came out was a song
And you knew every word and we all sang along

To a melody played on the strings of our souls
And a rhythm that rattled us down to the bone
Our love for each other will live on forever
In every beat of my proud corazón (heart)
Our love for each other will live on forever
In every beat of my proud corazón (heart)

Ay mi familia, oiga mi gente (Oh my family, hear my people)
Canten al coro (Sing to the choir), let it be known
Our love for each other will live on forever
In every beat of my proud corazón (heart)
Ay mi familia, oiga mi gente (Oh my family, hear my people)
Canten al coro (Sing to the choir), let it be known
Our love for each other will live on forever
In every beat of my proud corazón (heart)

To quote Behon, a commenter on this youtube video, "How can a song sound so happy yet be so tear jerking at the same time?" To this day, I listen to this song a lot and I think it would be a very good song to play at a funeral: it is a celebration of life and love, it is hopeful, it is appropriately upbeat, and yet it tugs powerfully at the heart strings.

Movie Watching 2019 Part 1

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Train_Your_Dragon:_The_Hidden_World

This is the last How to Train Your Dragon film so I made sure I got to see it (although I actually watched it on its last week of showing in Manila; thankfully, I still caught it.) It's a really good movie although the first film remains to be my favorite of the series. SPOILER ALERT: stop reading now if you don't want to know more about the film. It was really nice to see the continued growth and evolution of the characters - both human and dragon - and I especially love that we finally get to see another Night Fury (or a Light Fury, as she was called). The film did leave me with a couple of questions though. If all the dragons came from this hidden world and they all go there at the end of the film to stay hidden and ensure their safety, then what prompted them to leave the safety of this hidden world in the first place? Also, why didn't they go back when they started getting killed and captured by humans? I guess maybe some or most dragons didn't know where the hidden world was but there were some dragons that did and I reckon those dragons should have just led the rest home. In any case, I did find this film to be really good and very moving, especially the last few scenes stretching from the climax to the epilogue, making it a solid ending to the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy.

Captain Marvel

photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Marvel_(film)

This latest film from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) got a lot of mixed reviews. Some of my friends say it's good while some say it wasn't. I watched this movie mainly because I needed to see it before I watch Avengers End Game. That said, I have to say that I actually thought it was good and enjoyable. SPOILER ALERT: stop reading now if you don't want to know more about the film. It was the first time Captain Marvel was being properly introduced (I'm not counting the end credits scene of Infinity War LOL). I like how her origin was revealed and how the story unfolded, making the audience experience the same level of confusion that Carol Danvers was experiencing when her messed-up memory left her unsure as to which of her memories were real and which were not. I thought the movie had a solid cast who should be given props for making the characters very relatable and sympathetic, including Talos, Maria Rambeau, and her daughter. There are two end-credits scenes in this film, as is the case in most MCU films, but while I liked the first end-credits scene, I could've skipped the last one.

First wedding of 2019

This is a late post but the first wedding I attended this year was that of my former colleague Bryan and his now-wife Nadine. What made their special day a unique experience for me was that it was held in a Christian church. All other Christian weddings I attended over the years were held in secular venues, often in a garden, so this was a first for me.

The reception was held in Century Park Hotel. There was a bit of a break between the church ceremony and the reception but many of us who attended the ceremony were worried we wouldn't get decent parking so we decided to head straight from the church to Century Park. Thankfully, we did, because some of my friends and I were the last few people who were still able to park on hotel grounds. (Many others who came after us had to park in a nearby parking lot.)

Many of my ex-teammates were invited to the wedding so we all got together at the nearby J.Co to have coffee and donuts while waiting for the ceremony to start. I hadn't seen many of them since our Christmas reunion and even then, it was impossible to talk to everyone so this was a great chance for me to catch up with people I don't get to see very often anymore.

The reception started at around 7pm. The venue was very elegantly decorated and we were served a bountiful Chinese lauriat. Needless to say, we weren't able to consume everything that we got served. My ex-boss Jay joined us for the reception, as did another ex-colleague, Choy, whom I hadn't seen and had conversation with in years.

It was a wonderful afternoon and evening and a great first wedding for me to attend in 2019. Not only did I witness one of the most important days in the life of my friend Bryan, I also got to spend time and catch up with my ex-colleagues and friends.

33rd Sampung Mga Daliri Atbp by the UST Conservatory of Music

Last Sunday night, my family and I went to CCP to watch the 33rd Sampung Mga Daliri Atbp., a show presented by the UST Conservatory of Music. This was an orchestra performance featuring the many different performance arts groups of UST, such as the UST Symphony Orchestra and UST Symphonic Band among many others. Performers in the show included students, alumni, and faculty.

photo from University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music

The theme of the show this year was Laru-Laro and the program included a very varied selection of music. It featured classical pieces such as Beethoven's 5th Symphony, modern orchestral pieces from popular TV shows and films such as Game of Thrones and Hunger Games, a jazz number performed by the UST Jazz Band, and music that kids and kids-at-heart would enjoy such as songs from High School Musical and from popular video games like Super Mario. I have to say, I had always wanted to hear Beethoven's 5th symphony performed by a live orchestra so I was really pleased that it was part of program. The Champions medley finale included Call of the Champions (I believe this was composed by John Williams), Nessun Dorma from Puccini's opera Turnadot, and Queen's We are the Champions.

shot of the stage before the show started

Towards the end of the show, the Dean of the UST Conservatory of Music told the audience that the music was carefully selected so that it would serve as a good introduction for the general public into orchestral music. I've actually watched live orchestras a few times before but I believe this was the first time for my family. We were watching because my nephew was part of the choral group. I thought it was incredibly cool that my nephew has now performed in CCP. I told my mom that it was pretty amazing that my nephew was part of the choral group that sang back-up to Nessun Dorma, one of the most famous operatic arias.

a zoomed-in shot of the choral group (I took this photo during curtain call)

I hadn't watched a show in CCP in almost three years (the last show I saw there was Firebird and other ballets in 2016) since virtually all of the theatrical performances I've seen in the last few years has been at the Theatre at Solaire. Watching the 33rd Sampung Mga Daliri Atbp show here made me interested in watching more local shows and support local talent.

2019 Hodgepodge

So almost three months have passed since the new year started and I haven't really blogged as much as I have in previous years. This is because I had a bit of a health scare earlier this year and my doctor told me I should take it easy. As such, I've declined a few invites for social gatherings in the last few months already and when I get home after work, I normally just chill and watch TV.

That said, I've still had more than my fair share of meet-ups and gatherings with family and friends. Most of these are reunions or birthday celebrations. First, I had dinner with one of my closest friends in high school, Ed, along with Joyce and Mitch. I last saw Ed around 9 years ago and I told Mitch on our way home that the wonderful thing about great friends is that even if you don't see each other for a while, when you do finally catch up, you pick up from where you left off. It's too bad that Ed had to leave soon after that because our other very close friend, Eugene, came to Manila a couple of weeks after he did. It would have been awesome if all three of us got to catch up. More recently, we had a family reunion when my cousins Charmaine, Joy, Jessyca, and Onel all came home at the same time. Onel left the country only about a year and a half ago but the last time I saw his sisters was almost five years ago so it was a wonderful family reunion over dinner at Romulo Cafe. Most of my immediate family were also able to join, making the evening even more special.

Then of course there were the birthday gatherings. Anna celebrated her birthday in Manam in Podium followed by coffee in Starbucks Reserve. Raffa celebrated his birthday in Chino in One Bonifacio High Street (it was my first time to eat there) followed by coffee and dessert in M Bakery. Gary celebrated his birthday in Akira in Shangri-La mall followed by coffee and dessert in Cafe Lyon (formerly Dome Cafe). What made Gary's birthday extra special was that it served as a reunion with Mike and Rona as well. It must have been years since I last hung out with Mike. Rona on the other hand I probably last saw when we were both still in college. Finally, Ginia celebrated her birthday in Dillinger's.What made this celebration extra special to me was that I saw Rene, the manager of Ponti where my band used to play. He asked me to jam with the band - Norby and Kiko - and I sang Live's Lightning Crashes for the first time in maybe a decade. (I saw a short recording of that performance and I am clearly very rusty when it comes to performing that song LOL.)

Finally, I had my first summer outing with my ex-teammates in Pansol. While overnight stays in Pansol often include a lot of drinking, my doctor told me not to have any alcohol so I couldn't drink with my friends. That didn't stop the enjoyment though and my friends still invited me to participate in King's Cup. Since I couldn't drink alcohol, someone volunteered to take the shots I was meant to drink just so that I could still join. I can't recall now who ended up having to drink the disgusting concoction that was prepared throughout the game but it was a truly hilarious and rowdy drinking game, even for those of us who weren't drinking.

Now that I've written this, I realize I haven't been taking it easy as much as I thought LOL. That said, I continue to be thankful for having so many wonderful people in my life and for having the opportunity to spend quality time with them.

Speaking of singing, I've also been to karaoke twice this year already, both times in Rockstar in SM Aura. First was with Marie, Eliza, and Meg. We sang about a dozen Queen songs and also ran through the playlists of Ed Sheeran, The Corrs, and Meghan Trainor although the song  of the night was Tina Paner's Tamis ng Unang Halik. :) Then more recently I went again with Doms, Zaza, Eric, and Yuan (Lou joined us for dinner at Providore but he had to leave early). This time around, the song of the night was Brother Louie by Modern Talking. When the title of the song came up, Doms and Zaza said, "what song is that?" and I just told them that they knew what it was. As soon as the music started playing, they did know it and when we hit the chorus, everyone was singing along. :)

The Phantom of the Opera returns to Manila

The Phantom of the Opera returned to Manila last month, more than 6 years after it was staged in Manila in late 2012. My nephews hadn't seen it yet and I know at least one of them has become a lot more interested in musicals as he got older so I asked them if they wanted to watch it and said they did. As such, I took them to see it and I also got a ticket for my mom who watched it in 2012 and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was very happy to learn that Jonathan Roxmouth reprised his role as the phantom. It truly is such a pleasure to listen his magnificent voice. The rest of the cast were also tremendous. The production continues to be such a visual feast and the boat scene remains one of the most iconic and magical scenes and sets in a musical (the candles rising from the floor never fails to impress me). We were closer to the stage this time so we could see the acting a bit more, making our experience even more amazing. The entire cast and the production got a well-deserved standing ovation in the end, with Jonathan Roxmouth getting the biggest cheers during curtain call.

There were also a lot of really cool photo opportunities outside the theatre. Set of mirrors, sparkling phantom mask, and the boat scene. Thankfully we arrived about an hour early so we were able to take photos when the lines weren't too long yet. (We also managed to enjoy some coffee and cake before the show started.)

We also bought a few souvenirs. We got a souvenir program during the intermission so that we could read more about the cast. After the show, we passed by the souvenir shop. My mom purchased a t-shirt and we got a fridge magnet. There was also a teddy bear in a phantom costume that I wanted to buy but we didn't really have space at home for it so I didn't get it. It does look really cute, though.

I have now seen Phantom three times and I'm happy that I was able to take my nephews to see it. I'm also happy that my mom has now gotten to see it twice. The show has been extended until April 6 in The Theatre at Solaire so there are lots more opportunities to see it if you haven't yet (or if you just want to see it again). You can buy your tickets at Ticketworld,com.

A Star Wars is Born

This video was shared by a friend of mine. I'm a huge Star Wars fan and I love the song Shallow from A Star is Born so I really enjoyed this parody video.


video uploaded in youtube by Nerdist

The singers - Freddy Scott and Myah Marie - are really good and the production is awesome, from the costumes to the sets and props that really look like those from the latest films. The way they fit the Star Wars lyrics into the song is also pretty clever.

Coffee Project

My mom needed to attend an event in the Katipunan area and I volunteered to drive her so that she wouldn't have to take public transportation. While waiting for her, I decided to just chill somewhere nearby. I noticed a Coffee Project along Katipunan and I had never been there before so I thought it would be a good time to try it.

The main entrance is brightly lit but the rest of the cafe has low light. If you wanna do some reading or work on your laptop while you are here, you may want to sit in the front area of the cafe.

The rest of the place with its dim lighting is quite cozy and charming and an ideal place to enjoy coffee and food while catching up with friends. I like the design, with accent pieces - the union jack loveseat is really cool! - and a lot of plants providing the interior with a really interesting vibe.

It was a holiday when I was there so there weren't a lot of people, giving me a chance to go around and take photos. I didn't get to see the second floor but even on the ground floor, there are a lot of really cozy nooks and seating areas.

I only had brewed coffee because I had just eaten before I got there. I had also been eating too much sugar so I didn't want to get a cake or pastry to go with my coffee. There does seem to be a pretty good selection of food you can order (including pizza, which is not something you can usually find in a cafe. :))

I really enjoyed my afternoon in Coffee Project. The ambience was great and so is the coffee. I would definitely like to visit this place again.

Coffee Project
http://coffeeproject.com.ph/
Branch Directory: http://coffeeproject.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/CP-Directory.pdf
Mobile: +639453296199
Email: info@coffeeproject.com.ph
Instagram: @coffeeprojectofficial