Firebird and other ballets at the CCP

Earlier today, I went to CCP with my mom to watch the Firebird and other ballets which kicks off the 47th season of Ballet Philippines. The program was broken down into two acts. The first act consisted of three parts. The first, Weighted Whispers, had the dancers wearing corset/harness costumes. The choreography smartly involved lifts using these harnesses and provided movements that would otherwise not be possible, making it incredible and breathtaking to watch. The second part, Moving Two, was a light and fun pas de deux performed to Pachelbel's Canon. The third part, Ne Neh Ledej, is performed to the captivating and enthralling music of the same name by Iva Bittova. It was a lively and powerful number.

The second act consisted of The Firebird, which is a ballet by Igor Stravinsky. The original ballet is 50 minutes long but it does have three shorter suites (I'm not sure which suite was used during out show.) This second act was mesmerizing to watch, not only for the amazing technique, skills, and stage performance of the company but also for the vibrant and dazzling costumes and set. Needless to say, the company and the crew got a massive ovation at the end of the show.

The cast featured some amazing artists, such as Rita Angela Winder, Garry Corpuz, Denise Parungao, Katrene San Miguel, Lester John Reguindin, and Cyril Aran Fallar, whose performance that night as Korschel the Immortal would be his last with Ballet Philippines (at least for now). He had his own curtain call moment and you could see how much Ballet Philippines means to him as he bade a fond farewell to everyone. (I wonder where he is going or what his plans are.)

Here's a video from Ballet Philippines with some pretty amazing snippets of the rehearsals:


video uploaded in youtube by balletph

Interesting moment: it turns out that Cherie Gil and Margie Moran were in the audience that night and my mom was able to have a photo taken with both of them separately. My mom even had a short conversation with Cherie during the intermission. I myself wanted to tell Cherie that I was utterly impressed with her performance in Master Class many years ago but there were so many people in line to have their photo taken with her that I wasn't able to say what I wanted to say.

This is the first time I had been to CCP since watching Beauty and the Beast there early last year because all the shows I watched after that were staged in the Theatre at Solaire. I'm really happy that I got to see Firebird and other ballets with my mom.

F2 Logistics: 2016 PSL All-Filipino conference champions!

Congratulations to F2 Logistics Cargo Movers for winning their first ever Philippine Superliga trophy! The La Salle-stacked team bested the previous champions Foton Tornadoes 2-1 in their best of three finals, winning their last match in four sets with a score of 18-25, 25-18, 25-21, 25-19.

Congrats to @F2CargoMovers 4winning #PSLAFC ! @SuperLigaPH @Abymarano @mikareyesss @VSGalang @KiannaDy @Dawnt_ask pic.twitter.com/pHNBuKx5ag

— winston baltasar (@foto_geek) August 17, 2016

The F2 Logistics Cargo Movers started the tournament as front-runners, winning all their preliminary matches. However, they lost in the second round to a rampaging Foton team that seemed to be peaking at the right time. However, with a team that features league and finals MVPs as well as players that had won multiple championships, F2 proved that they have the fighting spirit and winning mentality needed to claim the PSL trophy. In fact, similar to DLSU in the recently concluded UAAP Season 78, F2 were beatable but they didn't lose to the same team twice in a row. It didn't look like that though in the early goings of their do-or-die 3rd finals game, with Foton winning the first set and taking an early lead in the 2nd set. Nevertheless, F2 found their form and their confidence and with that, the next three sets were in the bag. (I'm also quite happy that Mika Reyes won the final point of the tournament with an ace. :) She and Ara Galang were also game MVPs.)

And that's it! The F2 Cargo Movers give Ramil de Jesus his first PSL crown! Congratulations! @FOXSports_PH pic.twitter.com/jycgSVREqq

— Benggadora (@Benggadora08) August 17, 2016

As if that wasn't enough, the Cargo Movers won most of the individual awards. Aby Marano was 1st best blocker, Ara Galang was 1st best outside spiker, Kim Fajardo was best setter, and Dawn Macandili was best libero. My favorite moment though was when Dawn Macandili was also awarded League MVP. Wow! This is a first time a libero was awarded league MVP in the Philippines. (It reminded me of Yuko Sano being awarded MVP at the 2014 FIVB World Grand Prix.) Way to go, Dawn! Very well deserved!

Dawn Macandili an unexpected but worthy pick for PSL MVP, says F2 Logistics coach https://t.co/zoN5q5dvSW

— Philippine SuperLiga (@SuperLigaPH) August 17, 2016

The Foton Tornadoes took second place but it's a strong finish for them because they started the tournament with a handful of losses. The fact that they jumped from 4th to 2nd and were in strong contention for first should give them confidence going into the 2016 Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship where they will be representing the Philippines as champions of the 2015 PSL Grand Prix. Rounding out the podium finishers is RC Cola-Army who placed third. It's amazing to see how much volleyball talent there is in this photo that combines this season's top three teams:

And that concludes the #PSLAFC! pic.twitter.com/SZFdmYNvmc

— Sports5 (@Sports5PH) August 17, 2016

This really has been a great year for La Salle's star players. Kim Fajardo is best setter in both the UAAP and the PSL, Dawn Macandili has been awarded best receiver, best digger, best libero and tournament MVP, Kim Dy has a finals MVP award in the UAAP, Ara Galang is best outside spiker in the PSL, Majoy Baron is best blocker in the UAAP, Aby Marano is best blocker in the PSL, and Mika Reyes was named PSL Ambassador and she joins Kim Fajardo as part of the Magnificent 7 that will be competing against some of the world's best in the FIVB Women’s Club World Championship that will be held in Manila in October. Fantastic job, ladies! Congratulations F2 Logistics!

Filipino weightlifer Hidilyn Diaz wins Olympic silver at Rio!

Wow, this is great news! Filipino weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz won a silver medal at the Rio Olympics in the 53-kg category of Women's Weightlifting. This is so significant for many reasons. First, Hidilyn is the first female Filipino Olympian to win a medal in a non-demonstration sport. She also wins the first weightlifting medal for the Philippines and the first non-boxing medal since 1936 (80 years!). Finally, her silver ends the country's 20-year wait for Olympic glory, with Onyok Velasco being the last Filipino medalist after his silver in boxing in 1996. Amazing!

Congratulations Hidilyn! Thank you for bringing home the Silver to end our 20 year Olympic medal drought! #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/Svba5DHEkI

— Sports5 (@Sports5PH) August 8, 2016

Watch her win the silver in this video from Sports5:


video uploaded in youtube by Sports5

Congratulations, Hidilyn! The Philippines is very proud of your incredible achievement!

31% discount in Baskin Robbins

I had visited Baskin Robbins several times in the last year thanks to Metrodeal, which had vouchers that provided 50% discounts on a few select flavors. In one of those trips, I was told that every 31st of the month, all fresh packs (12oz, 24oz and 48oz) are sold at 31% off (Baskin Robbins is known for its "31 flavors" slogan even if it actually has significantly more flavors than that.) The person behind the counter explained that while the Metrodeal voucher does provide a higher discount, the 31% off discount can be better because it applies to all flavors and not just a select three to four that the voucher includes. I took a mental note of this and looked up which months had a 31st day that fell on a weekend. The first one I saw was July (31st was a Sunday) so I decided then that I would head to Baskin Robbins on the 31st to get some ice cream. And I did!

I didn't want to choose any of the flavors I had already tried before (although I really do love Baseball Nut, I wanted to try something else). I decided to get Jamoca Almond Fudge - Jamoca coffee ice cream with roasted almonds and a rich chocolate fudge ribbon. When I told the sales staff my choice, she told me that since I wanted to get the 48oz, I could actually get two flavors. Cool! I wanted to get something fruity so I ordered the Cherries Jubilee - cherry-flavored ice cream with pieces of dark sweet cherries and a hint of rum flavor.

I checked the 2016 calendar and the next 31st that falls on a weekend is in December. I guess it's sort of good timing because it is right before New Year. I have to check if Baskin Robbins is open on that day and if their 31% off will still apply then. If it does, I think I will be paying them another visit at the end of the year to get another fresh pack (or two). :)

Rak of Aegis

I finally got to watch Rak of Aegis. This PETA show is now on its fifth run, and many of my friends who have seen it have had very good things to say about it. It's a fun and interesting concept: it's title is a play on Rock of Ages, a musical based on rock songs from a variety of bands. Similarly, Rak of Aegis is based on music of Filipino band Aegis.

Aegis songs, such as Halik, Luha, and Basang Basa sa Ulan, are not easy to sing, so you have to give props to cast. There are three to four people who alternate performing the lead roles. In the show I saw, the lead character Aileen was portrayed by Alisah Bonaobra who gained fame as a viral star with her performance of Let it go in a mall before finishing as a runner-up in The Voice Philippines. The role of Kiel was performed by OJ Mariano, a multi-awarded singer and stage performer who is also currently part of  The CompanY. Tolits was portrayed by Benj Manalo, who has been a member of the Bayanihan Dance Troupe and has competed in the Hip Hop International in Vegas with the group Unschooled. Vince Lim, a member of Kundirana and the Ryan Cayabyab Singers, performed the role of Kenny. Phi Palmos does an incredible job at scene-stealing in his portrayal of Jewel.

While the roles of Tolits and Jewel are surefire crowd-pleasers - you could tell by the number of people who were taking pictures with Benj Manalo and Phi Palmos after the show - I thought the best performers were the two mothers. Sweet Plantado-Tiongson as Mary Jane and Kakai Baustista as Mercy. Both of them had incredible voices and strong stage presence, and they both acted tremendously well.

Apart from the solid performances of the cast, I really loved the set. It's a multi-level stage with a "flood" running right smack in the middle. It even includes actual rainfall and a boat running up down the canal. Awesome!

 

(I will say though that parking is a challenge at the PETA theater. You can have your vehicle valet parked, but I think there is no building parking so vehicles are just parked on the street. I actually arrived just in time for the show and I missed the queue for the valet so the only place I could park was a fair distance from the theater.)

I also found the story to be very good and its themes to be very timely and relevant. It highlights the desire of many for instant wealth and fame, and how sometimes, people focus too much on instant gratification when they should instead be building towards a more sustainable future. Given this, I appreciate how story is resolved in the end.

With solid performances from a strong cast, an awesome set, great entertainment value, and smart writing, Rak of Aegis is truly worth watching. It is currently staged at the PETA Theater and shows will run until August 28. Tickets are available at Ticketworld. Catch it while you still can!

"She Used To Be Mine" by Sara Bareilles

I discovered this song about a week ago and I have been hooked ever since. It is written and sung so beautifully by the incredibly talented Sara Bareilles.


video uploaded by SaraBareillesVEVO

She wrote this song for the musical Waitress (for which she got a Tony nomination for Best Score and two Drama Desk nominations for Best Music and Best Lyrics). This version is taken from her album What's Inside: Songs from Waitress and I now intend to get a copy of this album.

The board game addiction continues :)

Board gaming (and tabletop gaming) now seems to have become my main hobby. I probably meet up with friends 3-4 times a month - sometimes more - to play games, both new ones that I had never played before and old ones that I am pretty familiar with.

I had been planning to get Castles of Burgundy for a while now because it is ranked #9 on boardgamegeek. As it turns out, one of my friends has this game so I got to play it. It's very complicated but once you get the hang of it, it becomes really interesting. It does make use of dice but somehow, strategy still plays a huge part, reducing the impact of luck of the dice roll. Shockingly, despite playing Castles of Burgundy for the first time, I ended up winning. Wow!

photo from www.amazon.com

That same day, a couple of new friends introduced The Castles of Mad King Ludwig (what an interesting and long name for a game). This game is interesting because aside from figuring out what kind of rooms to build to maximize the points they earn, players also gets to sell their services to build rooms for the other players. You have to find the right balance between selling your services at too high a cost that prevents other players from buying rooms while making sure no one takes the rooms you want to build for yourself. I really enjoyed this game too and I was tremendously surprised that I also won this game. All four players were playing The Castles of Mad King Ludwig for the first time and the board game owner actually said that we had very good scores for first-timers.

photo from www.amazon.com

Another game I played for the first time this this month and won was Tokaido. This is a relatively quick and easy game and while it still requires strategy to maximize points, it isn't as intense as other games. I played it for the first time using the regular board in Ludo Cafe but when I met up with my board gaming friends, one of them actually had the Collector's Edition (kickstarter version) with its uber-cool pre-painted minis, larger board, metallic coins, and awesome cards. The Kickstarter edition kind of spoils you because after playing it, you almost don't want to play with the normal version anymore. :)

photo from boardgamegeek.com

Other games I got play for the first time were Puerto Rico, La Granja, and Above and Below. I actually placed third in all these games, but I think I forgot to claim my extra point in one round of Puerto Rico that could have given me second place. :) When I played La Granja, I was playing it for the first time with people who had all played it just days before and my score was apparently higher than the score of the winner of that first game. I guess that makes my third place finish not so bad. I also played the very popular Exploding Kittens (I won one game and lost the second game badly because I kept drawing the exploding kitten card LOL). I also got to play Concordia again. While I had played it once, we played with the wrong rules so I guess you can say I was playing it properly for the first time.

I also got to play many other games that I had played before: 7 Wonders, Istanbul, Splendor, Stone Age, and Bruges. It now seems that because I play board and tabletop games so often, I have gotten a lot better at strategizing and getting solid scores. I just did a count and it seems I won 13 of the last 25 games I played. Wow! I am pretty sure I won't be able to maintain this very high winning percentage but it's good to know that my board gaming skills have improved.

Congratulations, Mika Reyes!

Mika Reyes was just named as the 7th and last Filipino player to join the Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Star team that will compete in the FIVB Women’s Club World Championship that will be held in Manila in October. Way to go, Mika!

Mika Reyes gets the last Golden Ticket! @SuperLigaPH | @JoeySVillar pic.twitter.com/Hb0HhbAFPi

— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) July 28, 2016

This really does seem to be Mika Reyes' year. She was key in helping DLSU win the UAAP Women's Volleyball tournament a couple of months ago, giving her a third UAAP Women's Volleyball championship. This led to a series of TV and even radio appearances: ASAP, Gandang Gabi Vice, Tonight with Boy Abunda, Showtime and MOR. A few weeks ago, she was named as the Philippine Superliga Ambassador. And now, she joins Rachel Daquis, Jovelyn Gonzaga, Kim Fajardo, Jaja Santiago, Jen Reyes, and Frances Molina as the Filipino contingent that will compete with some incredibly strong volleyball clubs from all over the world (they will be joined by seven imports). Whatever happens in that tournament, I am sure it will be a truly amazing experience for all these seven ladies).

@mikareyesss receives the last golden ticket to the FIVB Women's Club World Championship @abscbnsports pic.twitter.com/ViMYdPKNpI

— Mark Escarlote (@fromtheriles) July 28, 2016

The cool thing too is that Mika's team in the PSL, the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers, remain undefeated so far, having beaten extremely strong teams like RC Cola-Army and Petron twice already. While a championship trophy is definitely not guaranteed, they do have a fighting chance. If Mika's good fortune continues this year, she may end up with a PSL trophy as well. (I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.) Congratulations, Mika!

Movie-watching 2016 part 3

Star Trek Beyond

photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_Beyond

Of all the Star Trek reboots that have come out, I think the first one is still my favorite. That said, I did find this latest installment entertaining even amidst the many strange cracks in the story. SPOILER ALERT: please stop reading now if you don't want to read more about Star Trek Beyond. I guess I just found it a bit unbelievable that a ship that was in ruins for ages and a motorcycle that hadn't been used in centuries would be made to work, and work extremely well. I also found it strange and unbelievable how easy it was to destroy Krall's uber-cool space fleet. As fun as that scene was, I thought the loud music was just going to throw the ships out of whack; I didn't think the ships would start exploding. I can still get past all these things though because I like the cast and I'm a sucker for sci-fi action films set in outer space.

Finding Dory

photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finding_Dory

This is the first movie I watched on 3D in a long time, but that was because the 3D screening had the best schedule when I took my nephew to see it. Finding Dory is entertaining but definitely not as good as Finding Nemo. In fact, it's a bit of a step-down from other Pixar films like Up, Inside Out, Wall-E and the Toy Story series. This comment would sound like scathing criticism except that Pixar has just set an incredibly high bar with its previous films, most of which have won the Oscar Best Animation award and are among the best movies in the last 20 years. Finding Dory is still a really good animated film and beats out a lot of other non-Pixar, non-Disney movies. The animation is superb and the characters are quirky, interesting, and funny. My gripe though is that I feel that Dory was made into some kind of wonderfish in that she could achieve whatever it is she wanted to achieve, and that somehow made the character and story development feel a bit lazy. It was almost like they could write whatever crazy, impossible situation and Dory would somehow figure out how to resolve things. Nevertheless, it was still good fun.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles:_Out_of_the_Shadows

My nephew really wanted to watch this so I took him. It's really for kids and teens. The story isn't that sophisticated but as someone who grew up watching TMNT on TV back in the 90s, it was pretty cool and a bit nostalgic to see Bebop and Rocksteady. And the Turtle Van. This movie is full of fun action sequences and cool effects. It was interesting to realize later on in the movie why it is entitled as such. I am guessing there will be another installment to this movie series.

July hodgepodge

The highlight of the month was catching up with two of my closest and dearest friends, Amy and Duncan, along with their kids. I last saw Amy 2 years ago while I last saw Duncan a couple of years before that. I hadn't seen the two of them at the same time since maybe the mid-2000s. They were staying in the Ortigas area and since I didn't want them to brave Manila traffic, I volunteered to meet them there. We meet up in Podium and Amy decided that we would have dinner in Bonifacio because it served Filipino food. The great thing about great friends is that even if you don't see each other in years, when you finally do, you just pick up so easily and comfortably from where you left off.

We got to spend a couple of hours together over dinner before they had to call it a night. Before heading home, I decided to get some food from places I don't normally get to visit. I got a cronut and a carrot cake from Wildflour (the cronut wasn't as good as I remember the Wildflour cronut being, while the carrot cake was decent although a bit on the sweet side), the stuffed chicken pasta from Gino's Brick Oven Pizza (the price went up since I was here last), and brewed coffee from Figaro (it's been a while since I enjoyed their locally grown coffee).

I also purchased a new shoe cabinet. My previous one had been broken for a while now but I didn't feel the need to replace it. That is, until I visited SM Our Home recently and found this shoe cabinet that had a mirror on its sliding door. It was on the expensive side but it was the only one I had seen in the last few years that I was interested in getting so after thinking about it for a couple of weeks, I finally made my purchase. Good timing too because SM was on sale so I got it at 10% discount. Cool!

My recent spending (including my Singapore shopping spree) must have been noticed by my credit card provider because when I went online to check my outstanding balance, I noticed that my credit limit had increased by almost 70%. Whoa! While high credit limits aren't always the best thing for people who can't control their spending, I am generally pretty good when it comes to managing my expenses. A higher credit limit also comes in pretty handy when you need to make big purchases.

Oh and I am pretty excited that the latest season of Suits already started. This is the first time in a long time that I have been eagerly anticipating a TV series. The first two episodes have been really interesting so far, and the big twist in the first episode has me really curious how this season is going to unfold and what will happen to Mike, Harvey, and the rest of the characters.

Phish Food!

My S&R membership has finally paid off! I posted before that I got S&R membership because I found out from a friend that they carried Ben & Jerry's Phish Food, one of my all-time favorite ice cream flavors. It wasn't in stock during my first shopping trip there but it was available when I returned last weekend. Awesome!

I can't remember the last time that I had Phish Food. There was a time - maybe a decade ago? - that Rustan's Supermarket carried it along with other Ben and Jerry's ice cream flavors. It must not have been popular with the grocers - maybe its weird name made people stay away - because while Rustan's still sells Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Phish Food is no longer available there. After years of pining for Phish Food, I ended up getting three pints at S&R. I gotta say that after making my purchase, I suddenly had a slight concern that maybe my memory was amiss and that I would end up not enjoying this ice cream as much as I thought I did. That doubt disappeared after my first spoonful. This chocolate ice cream with gooey marshmallow, caramel swirls and fish-shaped chocolate chunks is really very good.

Tina Turner and the Ikettes

I discovered this video a while back and even after watching it many times, it still puts me in a good mood. The choreography is not as complex as many routines we see nowadays but Tina Turner and the Ikettes just look like they are having so much fun and joy while performing that their energy becomes infectious. It helps too that the music is just so upbeat. It's a perfect way to open a show and get everyone excited.


video uploaded in youtube by TrelleStar

Tina Turner is truly a legend and one of the best stage performers of all time.

Congratulations, Andy and Serena!

Every tennis Grand Slam event now seems to be an opportunity for an important milestone to be set. The recently-concluded Wimbledon tournament was no exception. On the men's side, Andy Murray won his second Wimbledon and third major title. As a tennis fan, I can't help but wonder how many more Grand Slam titles he could have won if he he didn't have to face Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, all of whom have won an astounding 43 of the last 53 Grand Slam events and together have had a stranglehold on the world #1 ranking since 2004. While Andy may be a far fourth among the Big Four, his continued hold over the #2 ranking and his appearance in the finals of all Grand Slam events this year prove that he is clearly a cut above everyone else. I'm just happy that Andy's win-loss record in major finals has now slightly improved. He has played in 11 Grand Slam finals but has lost 8 times - all of them to the tennis big three - and won only 3 (including his latest Wimbledon trophy). If anyone needed and deserved a trophy after getting close to many times, it's Andy.

Two worthy champions...#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/QosmSqu1PK

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2016

On the women's side, Serena Williams just tied Steffi Graf's open era record by winning Wimbledon and claiming her 22nd Grand Slam singles title. After succumbing to immense pressure in the last three major events, she finally shook off the nerves and the lofty expectations and achieved history. When she won her 17th Grand Slam singles title, making her one short of the number that the legendary players Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert had, it took her four tries to tie their record but she she went on to win four in a row right after that, bringing her total to 21. Now that she has tied Steffi's record, again on her fourth attempt, she may just win another succession of Grand Slam titles and break the all-time record of 24 held by Margaret Court. Serena is now also only 8 weeks away from breaking another Steffi record of consecutive weeks at #1 (on the women's tour). I still don't see anyone in women's tennis capable of taking over the reins from Williams so who knows what other records she will have when she finally retires.

*****

As a Steffi Graf fan, I am a bit sad that her records are now being broken one after the other but at least she will always have the Golden Slam - all four major titles + Olympic Gold, all in the same year! - which to date has not been matched by anyone else. Last year, Serena was close to a calendar Grand Slam last year but stumbled at the final hurdle, so close to the finish line. This year, Novak Djokovic had a chance to win a calendar Grand Slam by winning the first two. It is also an Olympic year, so he had a shot at Golden Slam glory. Alas, it was not meant to be as he was stunned in the third round by Sam Querrey. What's interesting to note is that Serena won 4 in a row and Novak also won 4 in a row before they both lost, eliminating their chances to win a calendar Grand Slam. I have written about this in the past, but four in a row doesn't carry the same degree of difficulty or psychologically pressure as a calendar Grand Slam. Either, or even both, of them, can still achieve it, but based on what we've seen, it definitely won't be easy.

A day in BGC

Last weekend, I needed to run a mid-morning errand in BGC. Since I had to be there anyway, I decided to do a few things in the area that I had been wanting to do for a while. First up was to have brunch at Kuppa. I hadn't been to Kuppa for a while and I enjoy the food and the coffee here. The cool thing was that the dish I wanted, The Englishman (sausages, bacon, eggs, potatoes, beans, mushrooms and toast) is part of the weekend all-day breakfast selection and as such, it comes with free coffee. No need for me to shell out more money for my caffeine fix. Awesome!

I then walked a couple of blocks to MC Home Depot to look for shops that did custom countertop cabinets. There seems to be only one shop there that does these. I showed them the design I came up with years ago and they said that I could just scan my design and send it to them so they can send me a quote. This plan of mine has been several years in the making so I hope I can finally get my cabinet sorted out.

At this point, it was right smack in the middle of the afternoon and the sun was blazing so I figured out I would look for a place to enjoy a cool dessert. I somehow ended up finding my way to Bonifacio Stopover where I spotted Hobing Korean Dessert Cafe on the 3rd floor. I ordered their regular Milk Redbean Bingsu (P175) and I really enjoyed it.

To close out my afternoon, I decided to go to S&R and apply for membership. There was one primary reason for this: I had heard from friends that they sometimes have Ben & Jerry's Phish Food Ice Cream here, and that is one of my absolute favorite ice cream flavors. Unfortunately, when I was there, this particular flavor was not in stock. Nevertheless, I still bought a few bags worth of stuff. The cool thing was that their apple pie was on a buy one, take one promo, and P299.95 for both pies was a deal I just couldn't refuse. Hopefully, they stock up soon on Phish Food since I have been wanting to have that ice cream again in a really long time.

Astonishing dance duet by Guangdong Acrobatic Troupe

Wow, this just absolutely takes my breath away. We've seen something like this in Asia's Got Talent with Gao and Liu but because this particular performance of the Guangdong Acrobatic Troupe isn't constrained by time, they are able to slowly build towards and extend some jaw-dropping and mind-blowing sequences. Particularly impressive is that en pointe turn that the woman does on the man's head! Or check out the mind-blowing balancing act she does at 6:03, still on his head! This is a truly stunning display of balance, control, flexibility, strength, musicality, and elegance. IMO, there just aren't enough superlatives to describe this magnificent dance duet.


video uploaded in youtube by Patrick Sébastien

June hodgepodge

The last month or so has been filled with a lot of tabletop and board gaming. Most of the time, it involved playing games at someone's place but I also did get to visit DyceNDyne once. I got to play many games for the first time. Quadropolis, a city-building game, was quite interesting and I am happy that I ended up in second place while playing with a group of people who had played it before. Dixit is a bit of a strange game which involves being on the same wavelength as other people in the group. Sheriff of Nottingham is like a bluffing game but also depends quite heavily on the cards you end up getting so I didn't quite enjoy it. Princess Bride is a card game that I didn't quite enjoy because it depends quite heavily on the cards you have and it's quite easy to get majorly screwed by someone else but it makes for interesting interactions I guess. :) Bruges is another game that requires you to amass the most points by building houses and canals and having the most powerful and influential people and in the two times that I played this game, I ended up a close second and a big winner. Cool!

Of course, I also got to play games that I have played in the past like Viticulture, Rococo, Orleans, 7 Wonders Leaders, and Istanbul. What I have noticed is that no matter which group of people I play with, I have a good record of placing second or even first place, at least in the games that require you to rack up and win the most points. In fact, I'm on a bit of a winning streak as I have won the last 2 games I played (Istanbul and Bruges). I also won 4 of the last 6 games I played (I also won 7 Wonders Leaders and Orleans) and ended up in second place in one (Quadropolis). Princess Bride was the only game I lost (so maybe that's why I don't like it so much haha).

Apart from enjoying playing these games, it's great that I got to do with many different sets of friends. I played with my (ex)co-leads of our CSR organization at work, my travel buddies, and my gaming friends. In fact, I now have even more gaming friends because I got introduced to a new set of them last weekend. That means there will be a whole lot more tabletop and board game playing in the near future.

Of course, it wasn't all about games. :) It also involved dinners and drinking. I met up with Joh and Raffa for dinner in Brera Delicatessen in Savemore Acacia Estates and after dinner, Mike joined us for coffee and dessert at Brewhilde. As if that wasn't enough, we decided to organize dinner again, this time in XO 46 Heritage Bistro at SM Aura, this time with Alvin as well. I also got to hang out with my friends Jim, Rose and Lawrence for drinks at Skinny Mike's. It was the first time I got to hang out with them since we went to Baler so it was great to catch up (and plan the next trip).

I also realized recently that I just used my 500th voucher. (Actually, I am now up to 501.) The unfortunate bit is that I missed using one voucher. I thought I had used up all of what I had but I realized there was one voucher print-out that was stuck in the middle of a lot of other documents. Too bad. Of the 531 vouchers that I have purchased over the years, I missed using only 30 of them. That's not a bad percentage. In any case, I have no purchased a dozen more vouchers that are valid until the end of the year so hopefully my percent usage goes up over the next few months.

Singapore shopping trip

Earlier this year, I figured I needed a new point-and-shoot camera when a dark smudge started appearing on the upper left corner of the photos I took while in Boracay. (I have now realized that may actually be due to my habit of slotting my cameras into my pocket which may end up causing damage to the lens.) I also realized that the camera I got for my mom to replace the one that was broken doesn't take good indoor photos. So I ended up using the need for new cameras (again) as an excuse to travel to Singapore to visit my friends there.

After figuring out what features I wanted and doing a lot of research and I ended up getting the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ110. While its focal length is a bit higher than what I wanted (25mm instead of 24mm), it has 10x optical zoom and a 1" sensor, making it good for low-light shots. For my mom, I decided to stick to Canon (since she is used to it) and got her the Canon Powershot SX710 HS with its impressive 30x zoom. Cool! I got the Canon at Best Denki in Takashimaya because it was the only shop that still carried this camera model (it had a pretty big discount) but I got my Lumix at Funan, which apparently is closing at the end of the month. I also ended up getting a couple of power banks and a card reader.

Of course, I ended up hanging out with a lot of my friends while I was there. I joined Anna and Majel for dinner at Kog and Ina's house and Kog and Ina very generously prepared roast chicken and paella. I met up with Gi for coffee at Cedele before we joined with the rest of the gang - Pau, Pia, Hannah, Anna, Che, Tim, and Steph - for dinner in L'Entrecote. I had brunch with Denise and Kleng at Common Man Coffee Roasters. I met up with Tim in Marina Bay Financial Center for some coffee before we walked over to the Fullerton Bay Hotel so Tim could meet up with some of his friends there. (It was my first time in the hotel and it is really beautiful).

I joined Jenn and her friends for dinner at a Bak Kut Teh near Clarke Quay MRT before heading to 28 Hong Kong Street for drinks. I met up with Sarah and Dawid and their family. The bonus was that Sarah's sister Iz who is also my friend was there at the same time and she joined us for lunch. I hadn't seen or hung out with her in years so it was awesome to see her along with Sarah and Dawid. And of course, how could I not mention watching Damien Rice in concert at the Star Theatre. Cool!

Another highlight of this trip was the fact that I flew Singapore Airlines. I managed to get a big discount which meant that my flight ended up costing about the same as one I would get from a budget airline. I also finally managed to watch Deadpool (I felt it didn't live up to the hype) and London Has Fallen (despite the bad reviews of this movie, I actually quite enjoyed it.) This was the first international trip I took in since 2013 and I am really glad it turned out to be an amazing one.

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.