Damien Rice Live in Singapore

Wow, I'm still in a state of disbelief. Last weekend, I got to watch one of my all-time favorite musical idols, Damien Rice, perform live in Singapore. To say that I am overjoyed that I saw this supremely talented Irish singer-songwriter in concert is a huge understatement.

It seems like I was really destined to see this show. A few months ago, I decided to travel to Singapore to meet up with friends whom I haven't seen in a while and also to buy new cameras (more on this later). After I finalized my travel plans and purchased my flight, I messaged one of my friends and asked him when he was free to meet up. He then told me that my trip coincided with Damien's concert - he was a fan and he knew I was too - and asked me if I was interested to watch. I immediately said yes. He helped sort out tickets for me and the rest is history.

This show was a fantastic treat for his fans as it showcased everything we love about him and his music. He played music from his studio albums O and 9 as well as from his latest album My Favourite Faded Fantasy. He even tossed in a song from his EP/compilation album B-sides. Check out his setlist here. His voice was raw and emotional and soft and powerful. It helps too that he has an incredible range and amazing control, and I think he sounds even better live than on the recordings. His guitar-playing was expressive, explosive, and exquisite, and it took the whole audience along a mesmerizing journey through heartbreak and hope.

I don't know what it is about sad music that I find so compelling but this is precisely why I am such a fan. Damien's songs are steeped in pain, melancholy, and anguish and hearing him perform them live just made me love them even more. Many times during the concert, he would slowly build a song up into a dizzying and impassioned crescendo - often accompanied by a dramatic light show - before suddenly snapping it back into a poignant stillness, making the storytelling just that much more effective. I'm a huge sucker for that and I loved every single minute of it.

What made this concert even more special was that he performed alone on stage. He did have light, sound, and equipment technicians and a crew that made sure things went along smoothly, but Damien was a one-man band that night. No other musicians, no back-up singers. To add volume and layers to his sound, he made use of a looper pedal, allowing him to back himself up. I had never been to a performance like this before and as my friend said after the show, it was a masterclass in solo performance.

Some of my favorite moments that evening: when Damien got the entire audience to sing in harmony and perform back-up for him during Volcano (I was in the section that sang "volcanoes melt you down..."), when he asked everyone to go to the front of the Star Theatre during the encore (I ended up being right up at the edge of the stage and Damien was standing practically within arms reach), and when he ended the evening with two of my favorite songs of his - Rootless Tree and The Blower's Daughter. Here is a video I took of him performing what is one of his most popular and beloved songs (the video is missing the first two lines of the song):

I was so blown away by the concert and the experience that I was practically speechless for several minutes afterwards and I couldn't wipe the big smile off my face. It was an intense and emotionally charged evening and even now, days later, I still feel ecstatic. Damien Rice is a truly amazing and immensely talented singer, songwriter, musician, and performing artist. I will surely keep an eye out for any concerts he may have in Southeast Asia in the near future because I absolutely want to see him perform live again.

La Cocina De Tita Moning closes its doors

Sad news. One of my favorite restaurants, La Cocina De Tita Moning, served its last meal to the public last May 31. I had been here many times before and it was always an enjoyable experience for me to dine here with my family or with my friends. When I found it was closing, I decided I wanted to visit at least one more time. There wasn't enough time to sort out a proper meal here - in fact, the place ended up being fully booked for its last few weeks of operation - so I instead decided to buy some take-out items. Naturally, I decided to get their sensational Bread and Butter pudding.

Bread and Butter Pudding from La Cocina De Tita Moning

I got the large one for my immediate family and I got the picnic size one for my grandmother. I also got a couple of bottles of their delicious Salsa Monja as well as one big jar of Quezo de Bola spread for my immediate family and one small jar of Quezo de Bola spread for my grandmother. I will truly miss this restaurant and its amazing food, great ambience, and fantastic service. Hopefully, their heirloom recipes will once again be available to the public in the future.

*****

It's unfortunate how many of the restaurants where my family and I celebrated important events together have now closed in the last two years: Adarna, Brasserie Cicou, Tin Hau in Mandarin, Prince Albert in Intercon, and now La Cocina De Tita Moning. At least my family did get to experience these places while they were still up and running.

What a French Open that was

Congratulations to Garbine Muguruza for winning the French Open title, beating Serena Williams in straight sets 7-5 6-4 to claim her first ever Grand Slam tournament trophy. This isn't the first time that Garbine beat the legendary Serena. In fact, I first learned about Muguruza when she upended Williams in the second round of the 2014 French Open (also in straight sets). 2 years later and she does it again, but this time, with larger stakes.

Serena herself was going for her 22nd Grand Slam title and her 4th French Open title. While I am certain she will eventually pass Steffi Graf's current Open Era record of 22 Grand Slam titles, since I am a Steffi fan, I am relieved that Graf's record will stay with her for just a while longer. This could have been a massive win for Serena since it would have allowed her to tie three of the most impressive Graf records: (1) Steffi has the Open Era record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles, (2) Steffi is the only player so far to have won each of the Grand Slam events at least four times, and (3) Steffi is the only player so far to have defended her title in each of the Grand Slam events at least once. Since I am certain that Williams will break Graf's 22 Slam haul record and she will also break Graf's women's record of 186 consecutive weeks at #1 (she is just 14 weeks away from achieving this and there is no one who seems capable of taking the #1 ranking any time soon), I am happy that Graf gets to keep a couple of her records for a bit longer.

That said, more records were made on the men's side. Novak Djokovic finally completed his Career Grand Slam by winning the only event that has eluded him, beating Andy Murray in four sets. As if that wasn't enough, Novak just achieved a non-calendar Grand Slam as he has just won the last four majors. He is now in a tie for 5th overall (with Roy Emerson) for the most Grand Slam titles - only Federer, Nadal, and Sampras have more but he is now only 2 behind Nadal and Sampras and he has a strong chance of surpassing that number.

Furthermore, he has now won the first two events this year, making him a contender for the Calendar Grand Slam, a feat only five other players - male and female - have achieved in history. And with this being an Olympic year, he also has a shot at matching Steffi Graf's legendary achievement in 1988 of a Golden Grand Slam.

Boy, this year is shaping up to be a very interesting one with so much at stake and many records at risk of being broken. Good luck to all the players.

Birthday at Pinac Heirloom Capampangan Cuisine

We recently celebrated the birthday of grandmother Nanay. Normally, I pick the place where we have lunch or dinner but this time, it was Nanay who suggested that we celebrate in Pinác Heirloom Capampangan Cuisine in UP Town Center. We had been there a couple of times before and we really enjoyed their food so Nanay decided she wanted to dine there again.

My aunt and my cousin got there firsts since everyone else was stuck in traffic so they decided to order for everyone to save time. Interestingly enough, a lot of what she ordered were some of our favorite dishes. One of my family's favorite salads here is the Ensaladong Pako with Fried Floss (P165).

The other is the Fried Kesong Puti Ensalada (P165). Both these salads are very good, with vibrant flavors and a great contrast in textures.

One of the most interesting items on the Pinac menu, and one of my personal favorites, is the Beef Caldereta Eggplant Parmigiano (P265), which puts a Spanish-Filipino spin on the classic Italian dish by filling the parmigiana with beef caldereta.

One new item we got to try in this recent visit was the Binagoongang Lechon Kawali (P345). The bagoong taste in this dish is actual quite subtle; it manages to elevate the flavor of the pork without overpowering it. The fact that it is served with vegetables adds great balance.

As there were a lot of us, we ordered many other dishes, including the Binukadkad na Tilapia (P255)...

...and the Inihaw na Liempo (P225).

One thing we didn't order this time but which we enjoyed in the past is the Lechon Kawali with Laing (P345). We had this on our previous trip and I remember the meat being very crispy yet tender - you could cut it up with a spoon - while the laing provided a wonderful contrast to the pork.

As we were getting ready to leave, we were pleasantly surprised when the waiters came out, singing "Happy Birthday" while bringing out a wonderfully and appropriately decorated dessert. I ended up leaving a larger than average tip to show my appreciation for this incredible gesture.

Pinac serves delicious, flavorful food and we have always found the service to be very good. The waiting time for our food is also pretty short, making every meal we've had here quite enjoyable. It surprises me that in almost all our visits, there are always a lot of available tables. I hope that more people eat here since it would be a shame if this place closes. Hopefully, my family can get to enjoy more meals and more celebrations here.

Pinác Heirloom Capampangan Cuisine
https://www.facebook.com/pinaccuisine/
U.P. Town Center, Katipunan, Quezon City
Telephone #: (02) 775 9450

Baler!

I recently got to visit another place in the Philippines for the first time - Baler. It started out as a conversation over drinks with my friends and we started planning for it and before we knew it, we were on our way!

Baler is known for being one of the most popular surfing destinations in the country, catering to both experienced surfers and to beginners. As luck would have it, I ended up visiting this beautiful capital of Aurora province without getting on a surfboard (all my other companions did).

My friends and I decided to just make the long drive from Manila to Baler and that meant I had to do driver duty. The problem was that the night before our trip, I couldn't sleep. I was in bed for a few hours trying to get some shut-eye with no success and before I knew it, it was almost time to get ready. I ended up making the 5 1/2 hour drive with no sleep at all. When we got there, everyone wanted to go surfing and I was just too tired.

In fact, I was so tired that I decided to skip the 5:30 AM assembly time to visit the Ditumabo Mother Falls one our second day. This, I heard, proved to be a great place to see as it turned out to be a very exciting outdoors activity. It involved a long trek before getting to the beautiful falls. Thankfully, after that, my friends went back to the place we were staying to pick me up, along with two other people who decided to sleep in that morning as well. First on the itinerary in the afternoon was a trip to Ermita Hill.

This hill has historic significance because in 1735, Baler was hit by a tsunami. Many of the families who lived on the coast survived the tsunami by going up the hill. Visitors can actually head up to the Healing Cross by climbing the 282 steps to the top, but since we were on a bit of a tight schedule, we decided to skip this.

Instead of surfing, the highlight of my Baler trip ended up being my visit to Diguisit Beach. Friends of mine went there before and they took some pretty interesting photos. When I got to the beach, I decided immediately that I wanted to go up the peak of one of the big rock formations (I think only one of them can be climbed). I asked our guide if people could go up and she said we could.

The challenge was that there was no clear path going up. And in parts, it felt like a rock climb without any safety equipment. I made it halfway up before I started to worry how I would get down so I stopped.

Thankfully, two of my more adventurous companions decided they wanted to go up as well. I still didn't know how I was going to get down but I figured if other people have done it before, then I should be able to figure out a way to do it as well. Thankfully, I pushed myself because getting to the top was very exhilarating!

My climb to the top of the rock formation left me a bit exhausted so I decided to skip the surfing afternoon again. However, when I think about it, I am still very happy that I joined because even if I didn't get to surf myself, I ended up being the unofficial photographer for my friends who went surfing. I actually got great photos of all my friends while they were up on their boards. My 20x zoom proved to be exceptionally useful. It did require a lot of patience since there were so many of them so I had to really be on the watch-out in case one of them would manage to get up on their board and ride the waves. The effort paid off and my friends were happy that each of them had at least one good picture.

Our initial itinerary was supposed to include only one afternoon of surfing but since my friends decided to surf twice, it was agreed that we would skip the historic tour of Baler. I would have wanted to visit the Baler Church, the Museo de Baler (we got to see this only from the outside and have a photo op), and Dona Aurora Aragon Quezon's house, a replica of the house where the Manuel L. Quezon and his wife Dona Aurora lived. Nevertheless, before heading home, we did get to pass by the Balete Tree in Maria Aurora, which is supposedly the largest Balete tree in the whole of Asia.

Visitors can actually go through the tree, but I think you need to have a guide with you to do so.

I have to say, the guides here are pretty awesome and very experienced with camera using the vertical panoramic shot of the iPhone, which allows them to take photos of the tree from top to bottom. They also know a whole lot of tricks to do with these panoramic shots, and we ended up with a variety of really cool and fun shots.

Some final thoughts:

• We stayed at Baler Safe Haven, which is ideal for a big group of about a dozen people. The cool thing about this place is that the owner actually allows guests to enjoy alcoholic beverages and there's a really chill area where people can just lay back and hang out. It's also pretty cheap.
• Address: 618 Burgos Ext., Suklayin, Baler, Aurora
• Contact #: Smart – 09399207418, Globe – 09175401234
• Website: Balersafehavenbnb.simplesite.com
• Facebook: https://www:facebook.com/balerhomestay
• I got to ride on the back of a pick-up for the first time since I was a kid. My friend brought a pick-up and we used that to get around Baler once we were there. It was the best option since people who were wet could just sit at the back and not worry about getting the car seats drenched.
• I also go to drive along TPLEx (Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway) for the first time, albeit for only about one exit. We missed a left turn somewhere and for a while, even Waze got confused. Waze eventually recommended a route but it was telling us to go through TPLEx. Since none of us knew any better, we decided to follow that. :) Our drive home ended up being longer - it must have been 6 1/2 hours in total - but at least we got home safely.
• Based on our experience, two of the best places to eat in Baler are Yellow Fin Bar and Grill and Isa Virginia 2 (both serve great food and are pretty affordable).

Given that I missed out on surfing, the trip to the Ditumabo falls, and the historic tour, I would love to visit Baler again. But maybe this time, I will make it a bit longer so I don't have to worry about being too tired. :)

I Will Find You by Clannad

This song has been around for more than two decades - it was written in 1993 for the film The Last of the Mohicans - but I only discovered it recently when listening to one of my compilation CDs (Pure... Movies). Since then, I have been hooked. The vocals (both lead and harmony), the melody, and the instrumentation all combine to make this song mesmerizing, moving, and hauntingly beautiful.


video uploaded in youtube by ClannadOfficial

Clannad, the artists behind this song which features lyrics in English, Mohican, and Cherokee, was formed in 1970 and they are still around today. Talk about longevity.

Nadal pulls out of the French Open

Wow, this sucks. Rafael Nadal pulled out of the French Open with a wrist injury. I had relatively high hopes for Rafa. Not only did he have a solid showing during the claycourt season, winning Barcelona and Madrid, but he also won his first two matches pretty easily, showing the form that allowed him to win 9 trophies at Roland Garros. His most recent battle with Novak Djokovic was also the closest match the two have played against each other in a long time, and that had to have been good for Nadal's confidence.

Alas, the dream, at least for this year, has ended. Nadal announced that he was pulling out of the tournament. I wish him a speedy recovery and I hope he gets back to full health in time for Wimbledon and the Olympics.

Jaclyn Jose wins Best Actress in Cannes!

Wow, this is incredible news. Jaclyn Jose won Best Actress in the Cannes Film Festival for her performance in Brillante Ma Mendoza's film Ma' Rosa, making her the first Filipino to win this award.

#Cannes2016 Jaclyn Jose  wins best actress at Cannes for 'Ma' Rosa' I Photos @antotweettweet @ValeryHache #AFP pic.twitter.com/h15qGYWzQ8

— AFP Entertainment (@AFPceleb) May 22, 2016

Ma' Rosa is the 4th film by Director Brillante Mendoza to be featured in the Cannes Film Festival. I hope it gets shown in. Or better yet, I hope that it can be released on DVD.

Congratulations Jaclyn!

Hanging out

The last week has been tremendously busy but thankfully, I still managed to spend time with three different sets of friends.

On Saturday night, I met up with Zaza and Doms, both of whom I worked with very closely for many years as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility organization at work. We hadn't seen each other in a while and we all had a lot of stuff to share with each other so we decided it was time to meet up. We had dinner at Torch in Greenbelt - it was my first time to eat there and I thought the food was pretty good - before moving to Chateau 1771 for coffee and dessert. It was amazing to hear what each of us had been through since we last saw each other so there was a whole lot to catch up on. Apart from the amazing conversation, another memorable moment that night was that we saw a man propose to his now-fiancee. It was like what you see in the movies and everyone in the restaurant clapped when she said yes.

A few days later, I met up with my college friends for dinner at Uptown BGC. It was a bit random and it was actually the first time we met up without a special occasion but since we all had been chatting a lot with each other due to the recen; tly concluded Philippine elections, Jed suggested we meet up. Hes organized dinner and despite it being a working day, several of us were available. Uptown BGC is quite new so it isn't surprising that it was my first time there. I did find the parking a bit confusing since there were no exit signs. I guess there is still some work that needs to go in finishing this new mall.

Finally, I met up with some of my best friends from high school and college. I realized recently that every time that they would schedule a get-together, I had a conflict. That meant that I would arrive very late, I would have to leave early, or as was the case a few weeks ago, I would miss it altogether. As such, I identified a day when I was fully free and asked if any of them very available. As it turned out, everyone based in Manila was free that day. The plan was for us to meet up at Mitch's place in mid-afternoon before going to Estancia Mall for dinner but when we were all there, we felt so comfortable already that Mitch suggested we just have food delivered. So we did. After our Thunderbird out-of-town trip, Mitch got a Splendor game for her family so she suggested that we play it while we were there. It has been months since I last played Splendor but I still did quite well. We ended the night saying that we should all meet up again soon.

X-Men: Apocalypse

X-Men: Apocalypse is the first movie since Star Wars: The Force Awakens that I got to watch in its first few days of release. In fact, I got to see it on its second day. (Normally, I only get to see a movie towards the end of its cinematic run in Manila.) My friend Joyce invited me to watch a special screening organized by her sister's class. As it turns out, I was on leave on that day so I agreed to accompany her.

photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-Men:_Apocalypse

SPOILER ALERT: stop reading now if you don't want to be know anything about the movie.

I gotta say, I really enjoyed X-Men: Apocalypse. From the pulsating opening sequence to assembly of the Four Horsemen to the incredible fight scenes, this movie was fast-paced, suspense-filled and action-packed. Which is why I am tremendously shocked to see that it has only a 51% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes. Everyone I know who has seen it enjoyed it. Probably one of the reasons I enjoyed this movie as much as I did was that the characters all showcased their powers very well. It was extremely exciting and entertaining to see the mutants go head-to-head against each other and watching all the X-Men battle Apocalypse together. Despite the mediocre critical response, I personally highly recommend this movie.

Celebration time

In the last couple of months, I attended a few milestone celebrations. First of these was the wedding of my friends Kent and Sheila. The church ceremony was held in Paco Park Church. My friends asked me if I could be one of the readers and I naturally said yes. The reception was held at Sampaguita Gardens (my first time to visit this place). What made this reception a unique experience for me was that it was the first Japanese-style wedding reception I attended.

This made sense because Kent is part-Japanese. While their wedding still featured many of the traditions that we are generally familiar, the reception featured a few activities that are inspired by Japanese culture. This included the San San Kudo, or the ritualized drinking of sake by the couple. One of the wedding games also involved participants playing with a Kendama.

The wedding emcee also mentioned that at the back of the reception venue was a wall that had one thousand paper cranes, all of which were made by Sheila. That was pretty awesome!

The second milestone event I attended was Raych's golden birthday celebration. I got there quite late but thankfully, the program hadn't started yet. The highlight of the evening, apart from getting to catch up with our set of friends whom I hadn't seen in several months, was watching Raych and her siblings perform a dance number to a medley of music taken from different decades. The celebration was held in SOLAIR or the School of Labor and Industrial Relations in UP. That was actually the first time I had set foot in SOLAIR.

The third and most recent celebration was the wedding of my colleague Robbie and his now-wife Sheena. Their wedding was held in Palazzo Verde, which was previously known as Fernbrook Gardens.

The ceremony started in the late afternoon. It was supposed to start in the mid-afternoon but because this was a garden wedding, the couple decided to start later because it was tremendously hot under the scorching summer sun.

Despite the heat, the guests still showed their support and sat outdoors during the ceremony. Many people got some refuge from parasols which I think were provided by Palazzo Verde.

The reception started in the early evening. Finger food was served to the guests while we waited outside the ballroom and Robbie and Sheena had a Starbucks stall set-up where guests could enjoy a Frappuccino. (I decided to wait until dessert to have mine. :))

It was really cool hearing how Robbie and Sheena became a couple and how their love story unfolded over the years. The coolest thing during the reception was when some people from the entourage joined the couple onstage to perform a song number that was written by one of Sheena's closest friends I think (or maybe it was her sister). As if that wasn't enough, both Robbie and Sheena actually joined the band and played guitar (or was it a bass guitar?) and keyboards respectively. That was just such a special moment. (Oh and the food we had for dinner was also very good.)

I am really happy that I was able to celebrate these important milestones with my friends. My best wishes go out to Kent and Sheila, Raych, and Robbie and Sheena and I hope their lives continue to be enriched.

Hodgepodge again

I have quite a few clothes that I haven't been able to fit into over the last few years now but they have stubbornly stayed in my closet, probably because I was still hoping that I would one day be able to wear them again. :) However, my nephews had recently gotten a lot taller and we are now all about the same height. Rather than having them buy new clothes, I decided to give them many of my shirts that don't fit me anymore, all of which were still in pretty good condition.

This meant that I now needed a bit of a wardrobe update. My new rule when trying on clothes is to sit down while trying them on and make sure I am not subconsciously pulling my stomach in. :) I found two button-down shirts that fit me quite comfortably - one from Aeropostale which was on sale and the other from American Eagle. I also realized that of the collared shirts I own, only one of them is not a solid color. I decided I needed more prints so I also got one new collared shirt from Springfield and four new ones from Nautica (all of which were on sale too). Most of the relatively new brands tend to be slimmer so I was really happy that Nautica was on sale because their shirts are not as slim. :) (Springfield is a more affordable brand than Nautica but only one shirt there fit me decently LOL.)

As if new shirts weren't enough, I also ended up getting a new pair of shoes. I actually didn't intend to and I only had a mild need for new athletic shoes. I was just looking around at Nike and just randomly trying on shoes when the salesman suggested Metcon 2. He said it was very highly rated. I thought he was just trying to make a sale but when I tried them on, they were a perfect fit for me. I had enough self-control not to buy them right then and there but I did research and apparently, these shoes have really good reviews. I ended up getting them the week after. They are quite expensive but I will say that they feel very comfortable. And they look good too. :)

Of course, life wasn't all about shopping. I also recently got to meet up with some friends. Raych was in town to celebrate a milestone birthday and since there wasn't enough time to catch up during her actual celebration (I will write more about this later), she wanted our set of friends to meet up for dinner. As luck would have it, I ended up having to deal with a couple of major issues at work that day so I ended up being very late but I still managed to catch up. We had dinner at Dong Juan and we were having such a good time that we didn't realize the place was already closed. In our defense, we were on the second floor and none of the waiters told us that they were already cleaning up.

I also caught up with some of my other friends at DyceNDyne. Denise was first to arrive in the early afternoon so I taught her how to play Splendor. We went through a few rounds of this game until Katco arrived. We then switched to Fresco. I had played this game only once before so I needed the help of the owner of DyceNDyne to teach my friends how to play this game. Mike arrived midway through the game but he said he could only stay until early evening and as we were wrapping up Fresco, Melody arrived. Mike then taught us how to play Camel Up and it was actually quite interesting and fun. Once we were done, everyone but Melody had to leave so I played a couple of rounds of Splendor with Melody before we moved on to Imperial Settlers. We played a couple of rounds of this before calling it a night. I realized that Imperial Settlers is not a very balanced game; in my opinion, the Barbarians tend to win quite easily over the Romans.

That wasn't the only game day/night I had. I also met up with a few friends and met a couple of new ones to play three different games: Viticulture, Politricks (a local card game), and Concordia. Of these three games, I found Viticulture to be the most interesting. In the first round, I was in the middle of the pack and in the second game, I started out tremendously behind everyone. But a key move I made prevented someone from finishing the game early and I managed to rack up several points in a row to finish a close second. That was a very satisfying come-from-behind second place. :) Politricks is a fun card game and we played one round of it while setting up Concordia. I won that game, but more by luck than through strategy LOL. We started playing Concordia after midnight, we realized very late in the game that we made a mistake in interpreting one of the rules that caused our game play to be extended. People were tired so we made a call to end it prematurely, which sucked for me because I wasn't able to optimize the engine I built over many rounds to help me start racking up points. I am hoping we can play this game again soon - this time the right way - so that I can redeem myself from my not-so-good result. :)

Movie-watching 2016 part 2

Captain America: Civil War

photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_America:_Civil_War

I made sure to watch Captain America: Civil War this week since I was started to get exposed to a lot of people talking about it and I didn't want to be spoiled. Civil War has been getting a lot of very positive feedback from its early viewers so I was expecting a lot from it. Now that I have seen, I will say that from a personal standpoint, it didn't quite live up to the hype. Not to say that it's not good (it definitely is) but I guess this was one of those instances where the movie didn't quite live up to my very high expectations. Still, it's a good movie and it is interesting how succeeding Marvel films will play out given how this one ended. Note that there are two bonus scenes - one early in the credits and one at the very end.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_v_Superman:_Dawn_of_Justice

While Civil War has been getting tremendously strong feedback from critics and viewers, the opposite is true for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I watched it as its theatrical release in Manila was ending. In this case, I don't know if it was because my expectations were so low but I actually really enjoyed this movie. I loved Wonder Woman's introduction (the theme is kick-ass) and naturally, I also love the part where Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman worked together to face off against Doomsday. Maybe it's because I grew up watching these three superheroes so seeing them in the same movie was really exciting for me. I am actually looking forward to next installment.

Jungle Book

photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jungle_Book_%282016_film%29

I initially wasn't that interested to see Jungle Book until I saw the reviews - on Rotten Tomatoes, it is rated 95% by critics and 92% by audiences. As such, I felt I should go see it. As I watched it, I realized my initial instinct was correct. The imagery is just absolutely stunning - this should be a contender for best special effects and it might actually be a great film to watch in 3D - but apart from the amazing CGI, I found it to be slightly underwhelming and I thought the story flowed a bit too slowly. Apart from the visuals, what I found equally impressive was that Neel Sethi who played Mowgli was the only live actor in movie. For a 12-year old to be by himself throughout the entire movie and act as if he was talking to animals while moving around in a jungle landscape shows incredible maturity and creativity.

*****

The weird thing here is that among these three movies, I enjoyed the lowest-rated one the most and the highest-rated one the least. Go figure. :)

Congratulations, DLSU Lady Spikers! S78 Champions!

Wow, what an amazing result. After two years of heartbreak, the DLSU Lady Spikers reclaimed the UAAP Women's Volleyball crown in the winner-take-all game 3 of the finals against chief rivals Ateneo Lady Eagles. Congratulations!

photo taken by Ryan Ong of Go Archers

This was an epic season for the Lady Spikers. They became a frontrunner after beating Ateneo decisively in round 1, their first win against the Lady Eagles since Game 2 of Season 76 (a streak of 6 straight losses). However, losses to NU and UST and then later on to Ateneo in the 2nd round meant they had to face off against FEU in the final four. When FEU came back from 0-2 to beat DLSU in their first semifinal game, nullifying DLSU's twice-to-beat advantage, I was worried that the Lady Spikers would suffer a lapse in confidence. My concerns were all for naught as they managed to steady themselves and beat FEU to meet Ateneo again in the finals for the fifth year in a row. They won the first game in straight sets and it looked like they were going to thrash the Lady Eagles after taking a 2 sets to love lead in game 2. Unfortunately for the ladies in green, the legendary phenom Alyssa Valdez shifted gears and the Lady Spikers couldn't keep up, causing them to lose another 5-set match after leading 2-0. When Ateneo won the first game set of the final game, I got worried since it was the first time that DLSU lost the first set against Ateneo this season. Maybe it was their experience playing FEU that helped them remain steady and focused, but after they took the 2nd set, it was Ateneo who looked out of sorts as the Great Wall of Taft proved quite impregnable. While the DLSU Lady Spikers have looked shaky in parts this season, their true strength has been their ability to find ways to beat teams that had beaten them. They never lost two games in a row against the same team this season. Talk about intensity and competitiveness.


Quite possibly my favorite clip from the final. Look at the ferocity from Cyd Demecillo and especially Mika Reyes. Even Doc Ian Laurel was impressed. 

The great thing about this win is that it allows them to give an amazing send off to their senior players: Mika Reyes, Ara Galang, Cyd Demecillo, Mika Esperanza, and Carol Cerveza. I am happy that all these women started out as champions and ended their UAAP careers as champions. It's also sort of a great comeback for Ara Galang who suffered a horrific knee injury towards the end of last season, resulting in her not being able to play in the finals. The tough thing for DLSU now is that they are losing more players this year than any other UAAP volleyball team. On a positive note, the squad that plays next year will still include this year's best blocker (Mary Joy Baron), the best digger and best receiver (Dawn Macandili), the finals MVP (Kim Dy) and possibly the best setter (Kim Fajardo, who I think hasn't made up her mind yet whether she wants to play on her 5th playing year). Still, I will miss seeing the graduating players of DLSU, most especially Mika Reyes and Ara Galang who, along with Kim Fajardo, formed the Taft Trio.

THE TAFT TRIO (WAFS) !!! 💚🏹🏆👑 pic.twitter.com/SFKs3yAY0C

— ➳GREEN BEASTS➳ (@GREENBEASTS) May 1, 2016

I will say though that as happy as I am for DLSU, I feel bad for Alyssa Valdez. Quite possibly the greatest female player the Philippines has produced so far (3 MVPs, 1 Finals MVP, 4 scoring titles, 3 best server awards, and 2 championships, you can't argue with those stats), Alyssa was also playing in her last season. I'm sure she and many of her fans would have wanted her to end her UAAP career with a win, but DLSU just played stronger as a team, with all attackers scoring at least 9 points each in that last game and even setter Kim Fajardo getting 6 points of her own. I think there's an online clamor for Ateneo to retire Alyssa's jersey and I completely support that.

Respect. 😊💚💙 pic.twitter.com/cMQHfp4dYz

— Benggadora (@Benggadora08) May 1, 2016

A couple of my favorite moments this season:

Reyes... to Fajardo! (In a classic case of role reversal, Mika Reyes sets to Kim Fajardo who scores a spiking point from a set play.)


Dawn Macandili's legendary kick save


Congratulations once again to the DLSU Lady Spikers! To the graduating players, good luck in all your future endeavors.

100 Voices of Gospel on BGT

This is one of the most uplifting, spiritual performances I've ever seen on TV talent show. Check out the full video here (click here if you want to skip the interview and go straight to the performance). As soon as I saw it, I was immediately thinking Golden Buzzer and true enough, they got it.


video uploaded by Anthony Ying

Nadal wins Barcelona title #9

Wow what a result! Rafa Nadal won his 9th Barcelona Open title, beating Kei Nishikori in straight sets. This marks his 49th clay court title, tying the record of Guillermo Vilas for most clay court titles. If he wins just one more, he will have the record all to himself.

Barcelona is also the third event that Rafa has won 9 times (the other two being the French Open and Monte Carlo). No other male player in the Open era has won an event 9 times and Nadal has now done it in three different events. That is just a staggering achievement!

Nadal is inching his way back to his King of Clay form. He is just about 500 points behind #4 Stan Wawrinka. Hopefully, he continues along his current path and breaks the top 4 again soon.

Farewell, Prince

This is very sad news. Musical icon Prince passed away last Thursday. He was found unconscious in an elevator in his studios in Minnesota but attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. He was 57 at the time of his death, just way too young.

photo courtesy of cnn.com

Prince is one of my all-time idols for so many reasons. His songs such as When Doves Cry, Kiss, Cream, and 1999 showcased his tremendous versatility and the variety of influences he had in his writing. His music has a unique, irresistible funk, sexiness and passion. In 1984, Prince simultaneously had the #1 album (Purple Rain), #1 movie (Purple Rain), and #1 song (When Doves Cry, also from Purple Rain). I think this album might actually be my all-time favorite. Check out this stunningly electrifying live performance of Purple Rain during the 1985 American Music Awards (oh, to have been part of the crowd! They were on their feet!)


video uploaded in youtube by Moodownn

It was this kind of stage presence that also made me an absolute fan. Prince just had so much energy when he was performing and his unparalleled passion and love for music seemed to ooze out of every pore of his body. He can captivate an audience and get them going with a guitar in hand like he did during the Superbowl half-time show in 2007 and he can also accomplish that with just a mic stand and some awesome moves like he did when he promoted his new album on American Idol in 2006. When he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he didn't sing but he performed an incredible guitar solo in "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", sharing the stage with Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, and Jeff Lynne.

Just how legendary is/was Prince's musical talent? In his debut album "For you", not only did he sing and write all the songs (he did had a co-writer in one of them), he also did all the backing vocals and played all TWENTY-SEVEN (27) musical instruments. Wow!

screenshot of the For You wikipedia page

Many people don't know that he wrote a lot of songs for other artists, including Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U", Chaka Khan's "I Feel For You", The Bangles' "Manic Monday", Martika's "Love... Thy Will Be Done", and Alicia Keys' "How come you don't you call me". He also wrote songs for Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Stevie Nicks, Tom Jones, and many others. Talk about being prolific. And generous.

Given his enormous contributions to the music industry, it isn't any surprise that his demise has been mourned by countless celebrities. Stevie Wonder was clearly heartbroken in an interview conducted by Anderson Cooper shortly after Prince passed away. Justin Timberlake shared how huge of an influence Prince had on him and his music. Judith Hill, ex-contestant of The Voice, was mentored by Prince and he even worked with her on her album. She has openly spoken about her heartbreak and twitter and she shared this incredible picture of many different landmarks around the world "turning purple" in memory of Prince.

pic.twitter.com/HjpzlOXMdg

— Judith Hill (@Judith_Hill) April 23, 2016

R.I.P. Prince. Thank you very much for sharing your immeasurable talent and amazing music to the world.

#PrayForEcuador #PrayForJapan

Very tragic news from opposite sides of the world. :(

A massive, magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Ecuador on Saturday evening. As of this writing, CNBC reports that the death toll has risen to 350 and CNN reports that more than 2,500 people have been injured. Damage has been extensive throughout the country, and it is estimated that billions of dollars will be needed to rebuild the nation. Ecuador is now in a state of emergency as a lot of rescue workers are still trying to find survivors.

CNN provides a few ways that we can help Ecuador earthquake relief efforts:

• The Ecuador Red Cross has teams on the ground providing first aid and searching for survivors.
• UNICEF has delivered 20,000 water purification tables to the area worst affected by the quake. UNICEF is also assessing the needs of children in the earthquake zone.
• World Vision has deployed an emergency response staff to assist with aid distributions and is setting up shelters.
• Samaritan's Purse personnel are on the ground to help coordinate with churches and community officials. The groups says field hospital and medical staff will be arriving later this week.

On the other side of the world, Japan was hit by two earthquakes in less than 48 hours. The first one, a 6.5 magnitude earthquake, struck the region of Kumamoto on Thursday. As if that was not enough, a stronger magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck again at around 1:30 AM on Saturday. BBC reports that 250,000 people have been told to leave their homes due to fears of further aftershocks and possibly even more damage. As of this writing, Bloomberg reports that the death toll has risen to 42, with more than a thousand others injured.

You can donate to Japan relief through GlobalGiving. Bustle.com provides a few ways to help Japan earthquake relief efforts.

• The Association for Aid and Relief, Japan, which was founded in 1979 in Japan, works with countries around the globe in disaster relief. Now, it's all coming back home. When you donate, you can enter "Kumamoto earthquake" in the text field if you'd like your funds to go directly to those victims and relief efforts.
• Peace Winds America is a disaster preparedness and response organization that focuses on the Asia Pacific. Although they don't have a specific field set up for the Kumamoto earthquake, you have the option to give "where it is needed most."
• Save The Children, which focuses on the needs of kids in disaster relief, posted this emergency alert: "Save the Children stands ready to help survivors of the 2016 Japan Earthquake. In the early chaotic times after immediately after disaster strikes, we don’t know always know what help will be needed, but we do stand ready to respond to the unmet needs of children. You can help. Your donation today to the Children’s Emergency Fund will be dedicated for the earthquake should a response needed. Otherwise, your gift will help us prepare and respond to other urgent crises."

My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of the Ecuador and Japan Earthquakes. If you can, please help out. #PrayForEcuador #PrayForJapan

Nadal wins Monte Carlo #9

Congratulations to Rafael Nadal for winning the Monte Carlo Masters yesterday, beating Gael Monfils in three sets. Nadal has now won two different tournaments 9 times (he also has 9 French Open titles) and this win allows him to tie Djokovic with the most Masters 1000 titles at 28.

photo courtesy of https://rafaelnadalfans.com/

This is Nadal's first trophy since winning the German Open last August. This was also his first final appearance since January when he lost to Djokovic at the Qatar Open. Novak's shocking loss early in the tournament opened the doors for Rafa because mentally and physically, he still has major trouble against the current world #1. While Nadal is nowhere near his peak for, I hope this tournament win gives him the confidence he needs to start even winning titles again and put up stronger fights when he faces Novak. I am still hoping that Rafa has enough left in him to win at least one more French Open title. Winning the first big clay title of the year is a step in the right direction.

Jessica Sanchez shines in AI season/series finale

The American Idol Season 15 finale was a solid series farewell as it brought back all the past idols and many very memorable contestants who made their mark even if they didn't win. One of my favorite performances during the finale was that of Jessica Sanchez, who was the last person to sing during the acoustic medley. She more than held her own in her rendition of "The Prayer" and in fact she had significantly more airtime in this segment than the other performers. Check it out here:


video uploaded by American Idol

UAAP Streetdance Competition 2016: UP Threepeat!

Congratulations to the UP Streetdance Club for winning the UAAP Streetdance Competition for the third year in a row! Check out their championship-winning performance here:


video uploaded in youtube by ABS-CBN Sports And Action

Rounding out the top 3 are DLSU in 2nd place and UST in 3rd place.

Lucky Noodles and family time at Solaire

Apart from the incredible experience of seeing Les Miserables, I also loved the fact that my family and I got to enjoy a meal in Lucky Noodles prior to the show. My mom and I had been to Solaire twice - to watch Chicago and Singin' in the Rain - but both times, we didn't really get to see much of the Solaire complex. (We were actually late for Chicago and for Singin' in the Rain, we just decided to have a meal at the Theatre Cafe since we arrived around 45 minutes before the start of the show.) This time around, we arrived with almost two hours to spare, and that gave us enough time to walk to the far end of the casino to have lunch before watching Les Mis.

Of all the restaurants we passed by in Solaire, Lucky Noodles seemed to be the most casual and inviting. (the other places felt a bit too formal and felt more appropriate for a more proper dinner rather than an eat-and-run scenario). It is also probably the least expensive, although we probably averaged around P500 per person (we were in a casino so I guess on some level it is expected that the restaurants would all be on the pricey side). Nevertheless, I really like the ambience and the vibe of this place. The wait staff was also very friendly and accommodating. The service is also pretty fast as we get our food quite quickly. The next time I visit Solaire, I wouldn't mind eating here again.

We finished our meal about 45 minutes before the show and this gave us time to take photos with the huge ceiling to floor murals of Les Mis. (Actually, we just took photos of our mom.) Thankfully, we did this before the show because after the show, a whole lot more people wanted photo ops. We then had coffee at the Theatre Cafe before stepping into the Theatre. Gotta say, I'm quite happy that we decided to go to Solaire early as it allowed us to enjoy some food and coffee together and see more of the resort and casino complex. (It really does look posh;

Les Miserables in Manila!

The long wait is over! I have now seen Les Miserables!  I had seen my fair share of popular musicals before, but prior to this last weekend, Les Mis wasn't one of them. To say I was excited was a huge understatement, and the raves that many of my friends have been lavishing upon the show on social media further heightened my eager anticipation. Despite all that hype, the show actually significantly exceeded the very lofty expectations I already had. I don't think I have enough superlatives to heap upon this spectacular musical.

So why did I find Les Mis scintillating? First, I didn't realize that watching this live would move me as much as it did. I actually had goosebumps practically the entire time I was watching. The thing is, I am very familiar with this musical. I have the original London cast recording, a DVD of the 25th anniversary performance, and my high school groupmates and I even made a feeble and pathetic attempt to perform some of the songs from Les Mis for our English class project. (Don't ask. :)) Because of my extreme familiarity with Les Mis and its music, I thought that my experience would primarily be about listening to amazing voices and watching unparalleled talent perform on stage. Boy was I wrong. Hearing the songs performed live by people who were fully committed to their roles just gave life to the powerful emotions that each character was feeling. Even if I knew who would die and when, I still found all of the death scenes heart-rending. From Gavroche's demise to the fall of the people at the barricade (this scene was so well staged), watching each person passing away just left me with a lump in my throat. I previously didn't really feel a connection to "A little fall of rain" but seeing this performed by Eponine and Marius as she was dying in his arms completely changed my mind about this song and this scene.

Another thing I didn't expect as well was how elaborate the sets were. I probably got used to the set-up where the performers stand up for the most part and perform songs in place, which is how both the 10th anniversary and the 25th anniversary shows were staged. Seeing how many set changes there were, including a massive and intricately designed barricade, was just jaw-dropping. They also matched it with modern visual effects. One of the most notable scenes for its effects was Javert's suicide. I think everyone thought he would just act like he was jumping off a bridge into his death, but they had some pretty cool effects for this, making it look like he was really falling.

Also, I love that practically every song is a highlight. (I do think that Les Mis has the best collection of songs and the best music overall.) Do you hear the people sing, I dreamed a dream, On my own, Who am I, Empty chairs and empty tables, and One day more all got great applause from the crowd.

Then of course there are the conflicts. Amidst all the many characters going through misery, anguish, and pain, the storytelling primarily revolves around the two leads, Jean Valjean and Javert, and their conflict not only with each other but also internally within themselves. I also love how duality plays a part: Valjean's Soliloquy at the start and Javert's soliloquy towards the end have the same music and they both articulate some pretty life-changing internal conflicts that both characters have.

And finally, the talent. I love watching these musicals because they are a showcase of some of the best and most hardworking talents in the world. The entire cast was great, but my favorites were Simon Gleeson who played Valjean and Earl Carpenter who played Javert. Their solos were all superb and always got tremendous applause. And while both characters are locked in an eternal conflict (to quote Javert, "it is either Valjean or Javert"), you can't help but feel for both of them. Bring him home is an incredibly difficult song to sing (or rather, sing well), and Simon Gleeson sang it so effortlessly. It was a spiritual experience sitting there listening to him perform. (Oh and I was also very impressed that he actually lifted Paul Wilkins, who plays Marius, twice using a one-person lift then with a fireman's lift in the Dog eat dog scene at the sewers.) Check out Simon's performance of this song in Sydney (and honestly, as good as he sounds in this video, he was even better live):


video uploaded in youtube by StageWhispersTV

Needless to say, at the end of the performance, the cast and the production got a massive standing ovation from the crowd. Even just recalling my experience watching is giving me goosebumps. I was so blown away by the show that I immediately convinced many of my friends to watch. Because of my encouragement, five of them have now purchased tickets and a sixth is trying to get it sorted out. Les Miserables has been extended until May 1 (it won't be extended beyond then) and tickets are still available, especially in the last week. If you haven't seen it yet, I strongly suggest you do so. It is so worth it.