"Bring him home" (Les Misérables 25th anniversary)

I recently got the DVD of the 25th anniversary of Les Misérables. I have always been a massive fan of its music so it was a no-brainer for me to get a copy of the DVD when it came out. Lea Salonga played Fantine and a lot of amazing artists were in the cast but it was Alfie Boe, who played Jean Valjean, who stood out for me and blew me away. Here he is singing "Bring him home":

video uploaded in youtube by ChrSuper

Colm Wilkinson, who originated the role, did an incredible job so Alfie had very big shoes to fill. But he pulled it off in amazing fashion. His range, power, control, and expressiveness are astounding. I could listen to this over and over again. And, well, I have. :)

Global Giving

Because of all the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) work I did for my company last year, I received a US$500 gift card in Global Giving. I used it last week, and it's amazing what US$500 can do. I decided to look for projects in the Philippines. Obviously, I couldn't support everything, so I ended up making the following donations:

• $50 for blood and other lab tests for one woman or child undergoing cancer treatment (Project: Cancer treatment for 20 children and 30 women)
• $40 to help 10 kids open their first savings account (Project: Teach 15,000 rural kids to save and invest)
• $40 to provide water for a month's supply of fresh vegetables to ten families (Projects: Provide to 435 Poor Filipinos)
• $50 to provide books for 10 schools and 6 children's hospitals (Project: Give Books to 3000 Children in the Philippines)
• $40 to provide meals for 1 street family for 1 week (Project: Initiative for the Street Families of Manila)
• $60 to provide disaster preparedness materials for three communities (Philippine Disaster Relief and Recovery)
• $100 to inject capital into a local business (Project: Microloans to 16 Entrepreneurs in the Philippines)
• $50 to help develop and maintain no-take zones that grow fish populations (Project: Reduce Overfishing in the Coral Triangle)
• $10 to provide organic seeds such as rice and vegetables for a Filipino farmer (Project: Ensure Food Security for 500 Poor Filipino Villages)
• $50 to provide medication for one surgery (Project: Free Cleft Surgery for 400 Filipino Children)
• $10 to provide 40 mangrove saplings to their reforestation site (Project: Talim Bay Coastal Resources Management Project)

I was so pleased that I was able to help out all these great projects. For two of these projects, I was actually the first donor. I hope it triggers more donations for them later on. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I get another GC this year. There are a lot more projects out there that need funding and I would love to be able to help out again.

Zendee Rose on Ellen

Another Filipino is featured on Ellen. Zendee Rose Tenerefe became famous after a stranger took a video of her singing "And I'm telling you" in a mall (check it out here). Since then, Zendee has become a bit of a celebrity. She has performed on Party Pilipinas, now has a recording contract, and to top it all off, she has now guested on Ellen! Check it out here:


 video uploaded in youtube by gilbert haw

It was great to see her genuinely overwhelmed by the amazing response from the crowd. I also loved her entrance. I think she dances Gangnam Style pretty darn well. :)

My first Shi Lin experience

I recently tried Shi Lin for the first time. I had a Deal Grocer voucher that was worth P600 so that meant I could go a bit crazy LOL. Naturally, I ordered Xiao Long Bao (P138 for 6 pieces):

I also got Shrimp and Pork Siomao (P165 for 6 pieces). Similar to Lugang Cafe, this version of siomai also has a bit of soup inside it.

Finally, I ordered Noodles with Braised Beef Soup (P248). This one was just okay.

I was initially thinking of trying their red bean dumplings for dessert but I was already stuffed by the time I polished  off everything. The menu of Shi Lin is not very extensive - they have a handful of choices each for dumplings, appetizers, main courses, and noodles, but the food  is pretty good and the price is reasonable. I'm certain to visit again soon, especially when I get a craving for Xiao Long Bao. :)

Djokovic to end the year #1

Roger Federer still stands atop the ATP rankings at the moment. However, because he skipped the Paris Masters this week, he will be dropping a lot of points on Monday. At which point Novak Djokovic takes back the top ranking. Federer won the World Championships last year so even if he wins that event again, he won't gain enough points to overtake Djokovic. This means that Novak will be ranked #1 at the end of 2012. It will be the second year in a row that he ends the year #1.

It's been a really interesting and competitive year in men's tennis. For the first time since 2003, we have different champions in the four Grand Slam tournaments. Nadal is expected to return to tennis in 2013 and he will certainly be hungry to win. With Andy Murray having multiple solid wins over both Novak and Roger this year, it will be interesting to see what happens next year.

Carmen in Manila

Last weekend, I caught my fourth opera this year (and I'm not counting "Phantom of the Opera" hehe). I learned about "Carmen" from my friends Jane and Martin so I asked my mom if she wanted to watch and she said she did.

photo from www.carmenmanila.com

"Carmen" was presented by Lyric Opera of the Philippines and directed by Laurice Guillen. It was staged at St. Cecilia's Hall in St. Scholastica Manila (the acoustics here were incredible), making it the first opera I saw outside CCP. It's also the first opera I watched where the entire cast was composed of local talent (the three other operas I watched this year featured international artists from Korea, Japan, and Italy). The cast was really good. The standout performance in my opinion came from Randy Gilongo who took on the role of Don Jose. Of everyone in the cast, he best combined good acting and exceptional vocals. Ana Guillen Feleo, the daughter of Laurice, was believable as Carmen and Kay Balajadia Liggayu received strong applause as well for her performance of Micaela. On top of the great talent, the show also had pretty good production value, from the lights to the sets to the costumes.

curtain call

This four-act opera was created by French composer George Bizet based on a novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. It tells the story of Carmen, a fiery gypsy who catches the fancy of many men, including Don Jose. She and Don Jose become involved but, free spirit that she is, she eventually leaves him for the toreador Escamillo. Consumed by jealousy and not wanting to lose Carmen to any other man, Don Jose kills her in the end. A few of the songs in this opera are quite popular and even non-opera fans will be familiar with them. Among these are the overture, the Toreador song, and of course Habanera: L'amour est un oiseau rebelle. Most people who watched Sesame Street in the 70s and early 80s will know this song because of that scene where an orange sings this song LOL. Here is a brilliant rendition of this song by legendary opera singer Maria Callas:


video uploaded in youtube by Th Paw 

It's amazing that in a year where so many current and very popular international artists like Lady Gaga and Maroon 5 had shows in the country, I somehow find myself watching operas instead. :) Every show I saw, including Carmen, had a pretty good sized audience so I hope it means that more operas get staged in Manila.

All Saint's Day

While most of the Philippines headed to the cemeteries today, I decided to stay at home and get some rest. I told my family that we should just 'visit' my grandfather "Tatay" tomorrow. That way, we get to avoid the traffic and the massive crowds.

My grandmother "Nanay" and I actually go to the cemetery almost every Sunday where we say a prayer for Tatay and our other relatives who have been laid to rest in the same area. There was a beautiful sunset there a couple of weekends ago:

Hopefully, it will be a good and quiet day in the cemetery tomorrow.

Celebrating with my family

To celebrate my birthday with my family, I used another discount voucher to book a two-bedroom suite at the Holiday Inn in Ortigas. We arrived at the hotel in the early evening, but for some reason, our room was still not ready. To compensate for this delay, the hotel gave us free wifi and a late check-out. Since we couldn't go into our room yet, we decided to go to Galleria. I promised my nephew Ciera I would take him to watch "Hotel Transylvania" so we quickly look at the movie schedules - there was a 9pm showing - so I got us a couple of tickets and we headed to TGI Friday's for dinner. Our room was ready by the time we were done with dinner so while my mom, my grandma 'Nanay', and my other nephew CJ (he wasn't interested in watching the movie) stayed in the room, Ciera and I went back to the mall. Hotel Transylvania was a fun movie, although I have to say it really caters more to kids than to adults.

Nanay's students back in the day had organized a reunion in Resorts World, and they invited Nanay to join them for lunch on Sunday. My mom was also attending a birthday party for the grandkid of one of her friends at 3pm that same day. The initial plan was that we would bring Nanay to Resorts World and then go back to the hotel since we were given a 4pm check-out but I felt it would be a better use of our time for us to just check out at noon. We leave the hotel at 12pm and I drop Nanay off at Resorts World. While waiting for Nanay, we go to Old Swiss Inn for a late lunch. Since CJ wasn't with us when we tried the Fondue Bourguignonne (prime beef tenderloin cubes dipped in hot oil, with a carousel of sauces and served french fries) during Ciera's birthday, we order it again using my second fondue voucher.

 

Fondue Bourguignonne

We dip these tenderloin cubes into the hot oil to cook them.

On top of that, I also order the Walliser Fondue (made with Swiss wine, Gruyere, Emmental, and Raclette cheeses, and fresh tomatoes and served with vegetables and crunchy bread). It's an acquired taste but I quite enjoyed it; it was especially good with the vegetables.

 Walliser Fondue

After our lunch (we ordered a couple of other items), we head back to Resorts World to pick Nanay up before dropping my mom off at her party. We knew she would be there for a couple of hours so I decide to go to Greenbelt and wait there. I thought this would be a good time for me to try J. Co Donuts. The line here is always tremendously long but we didn't really have anything to do. It took me almost an hour to be served but thankfully, we got a table where my family could sit and my nephews had their PSPs with them to keep them entertained the entire time. It didn't make sense to fall in line for an hour just for a couple of donuts so I got two dozen assorted donuts.

The long and winding queue at J. Co Donuts

Once I got the donuts, we head to Time Zone because I promised my nephews I'd take them there. We left Nanay at the Figaro right beside it - I ordered an iced tea for her and she got one of the donuts - and we headed straight to the arcade. We were all tremendously lucky in the ball drop game but when we discovered the pinball machine, we spent most of our time there. We wrapped up when my mom arrived and we then headed home.

As soon as we got home, everyone started trying the J. Co Donuts and well they were an instant hit. These donuts definitely lived up to the hype. They are light and not too sweet and it's so easy to eat a couple in just one go. Nanay mentioned that the donut with hazelnut cream she ate was really good so we gave her the other hazelnut donut as well as a couple other ones for her to try. By the end of the night, we had consumed a little more than a dozen donuts already!

The first box of 12 was wiped out by the end of the day!

It was a full birthday weekend with my family, so much so that even my nephew said by the end of Sunday that we did a lot that day. Hope that's a good sign for the coming year. :)

"Photobooking"

Several months back, I bought several photobook vouchers from Ensogo. They were all expiring in end-October so I figured I had more than enough time to create all my photobooks in time. Wrong! Crammer that I am, I only started in September. I should still have had more than enough time to get them done but my October was incredibly hectic. With 4 days left before the vouchers would expire, I still had 6 unused vouchers. Crap! (Yes, I bought a whole lot of vouchers. :))

I managed to complete and order three photobooks but with less than 48 hours left, I still had three to go. Of those three, I had finished the lay out of two of them but both were still missing captions. The last one, I hadn't even started yet. Thankfully, my friend Joh, who bought vouchers at the same time I did and whose vouchers were also expiring, texted me saying that she managed to get her expiry dates extended by two weeks. So I called Photobook Philippines about 13 hours before my vouchers expire and ask for an extension, which they very generously give me. Whew! If not for that, I would have had to submit my two photobooks with ugly captions and I may have been unable to use the last one.

Thankfully, we have two consecutive long weekends. I decided to rest a bit this last one but I should be done with all three remaining books by the time the Nov 1-4 weekend hits. I'm really pleased with the ones that have already been shipped to me so I definitely can't wait to see the remaining books. :)

Celebrity Chef Special in Bellissimo

I finally met up with Jette, Chari, and Anna (her Manila trip was timed perfectly) for my joint birthday celebration with Chari. We normally celebrate with Bett but she is currently out of the country until mid-November (Chari leaves the country for a few months in a few weeks so since she and Bett wouldn't be in Manila at the same time, we decided to meet up once now while Chari is still here then we'd meet up again once Bett is back). Ric was also supposed to join us but he unfortunately got stuck at work until the very late at night.

I picked Bellissimo as our dinner venue because Jette requested that we get together in the QC area. I had eaten in this Italian restaurant a couple of times before and I enjoyed the food and ambience. However, I didn't realize until I got there that location had changed! I last ate there about two years and it was still on Scout Castor street at the time. When I arrived at their previous location, I couldn't see it anymore. I had to ask a security guard where Bellissimo was and thankfully he knew that the resto moved to Scout Rallos extension. I quickly call and text everyone else to inform them of the location change and give them directions.

When we were all finally gathered together, it was a lot of good and fun conversation. The last time I saw Jette was a year ago during my birthday celebration while Chari I last saw in December. We ordered two pastas and two pizzas, including one that was called 'Sunshine Pizza', which is most likely named after Sunshine Cruz (Bellissimo is owned by Cesar Montano). I decided to order one more pasta - Aglio Olio - and it was Sunshine Cruz herself who served it to us. As she placed our order on the table, she told us all that she cooked it herself. Cool! I can't believe I have now eaten a dish cooked by a celebrity. And it tasted really good too!

The main drawback of this place now is that their menu is quite limited. They don't have antipasti (although they have sausages and a few appetizers) and the only dessert they carry is panna cotta. However, they do have an extensive pizza and pasta selection, some of which are quite interesting and unique, and the food is really good. If you are comfortable just eating pasta and pizza, Bellissimo is definitely worth a visit.

Sunshine talked to us a bit as we were all getting ready to leave and we told her that we really enjoyed our night there. Chari even said that she would return with her husband. Anna and Jette asked if we could have our picture taken with her and she very nicely obliged us. It was a unique experience being served by a celebrity who even cooked our food. :)

Catch-up night

I hadn't seen Jane and Martin in ages so I got in touch with both of them recently to schedule a catch-up night. We were supposed to meet in Resorts World but Jane told us there was a major event going on there so we changed venues and opted instead for Nuvo in Greenbelt 2. Martin arrived first and got us a table on the second floor. I had been to Nuvo several times before but I somehow never realized it had a second floor. It was a bit of a weird set-up though, with a live band playing on the ground floor and a DJ playing party music on the second floor. Since there wasn't a lot of soundproofing, however, we could hear the live music on top of the party music. Nevertheless, we didn't really pay much attention to the music as we talked about a lot of stuff. After all, there was a whole lot to catch up on.

I ended up getting a pizza and a bottle of wine. Later in the night, we ended up talking about Patron and how there apparently is a coffee variation of this drink. Martin got us each a shot but he suggested that instead of drinking it like a regular shot, we could just sip it. Which we did. It was actually quite good!

We were the last three people to leave Nuvo - I'm surprised they didn't kick us out haha. We decided that we shouldn't wait too long 'til our next get-together.

David Archuleta sings OPM!

When David Archuleta came out with his "Forevermore" CD that featured covers of a lot of amazing OPM (Original Pilipino Music) songs, I knew I had to get it. Instead of purchasing it myself, though, I added it to my birthday wishlist, so my friends ended up getting it for me. The verdict? I absolutely love this album! While his rendition of "Nandito ako" is particularly noteworthy as he has to learn how to sing in Filipino (and despite his slight twang, he does a very good job of it), I think my current favorite is his rendition of the Neocolours classic, "Hold on". Check it out:

uploaded in youtube by ArchieBR

I say that this is my current favorite because it could very easily change to something else. He does justice to every song in this album, and his voice is perfectly suited to these Pinoy ballads. If you don't have it yet, I suggest you get a copy. I think it's great that David Archuleta released this album, because it also allows the entire world to hear some truly beautiful music from our country.

Vettel makes it two in a row

Fresh off his win in Singapore, Sebastian Vettel continues his success in Asia as he wins the Japan Grand Prix. With Fernando Alonso losing control just as the race started after making contact with Kimi Raikkonen, Vettel's twenty-five points in this race now moves him extremely close to the overall drivers' championship this year. Alonso still leads with 194 points, but Vettel's 190 points puts him in good stead as the season winds down.

Felipe Massa takes second place while Kamui Kobayashi makes his home country proud as he places third, finishing 0.56 seconds ahead of Jenson Button. After a disappointing year, Button seems to finding his form once again as he placed second in Singapore and fourth here. Hopefully he can continue to drive well in the remaining five races of the year and improve his overall standing.

A good way to end the week

A lot of people from our corporate social responsibility initiative at work had already left the company. From a situation where we talk to each other and see each other regularly to barely seeing and hearing from each other was a big change. So while talking to one of the folks recently, we decided it was high time we all got together for a reunion.

Somehow, I ended up organizing it hahaha. I suggested three places and the gang ended up choosing Kitchen's Best in BGC; I figured this would be an easy place to get to during Friday traffic, the parking would be easy, and the food was good. It was also an easy place to have conversation, which was actually an important factor as we all haven't been together as a group in ages.

As expected, it was a fun night. Thankfully, almost all of us were able to make it: Doms, Denise, Zaza, Mon, Deryk, Leianne, Enrique, Kat, Kristel, and myself. The thing about having great friends is that even if you haven't seen each other in a long time, you just easily pick up where you left off. Lots of changes in people's lives but a lot of things still remain the same, too.

It was a few hours of updates and stories and laughs over good food and dessert. Kitchen's Best closes at around 10 or 1030pm but somehow we stayed there 'til way past their closing time. We all decided we would meet up again in December. Of course, I made sure someone else was assigned to organize that. :)

UP: UAAP Cheerdance Stunt Competition champions

Since I posted the winning cheerdance routine, I thought it was only fair to post the winning stunts competition routine as well.


video uploaded in youtube by iamthemanansala 

UP Fight! :)

Conti's Strawberry Shortcake

Conti's is known for its good desserts. While most people rave about the Mango Bravo, I do think my favorite is their Mango Tart. However, second honors for me go to their Strawberry Shortcake. It's light and fluffy, making it very easy to eat even after a heavy meal.

This cake is P395 and is about 6" in diameter and 4" tall. Its size makes it perfect for small groups of people and its price makes it quite affordable. I ended up getting a whole cake for myself LOL. A friend of mine told me that I am the only one he knows who buys a full cake just for himself (of course I eat it over the course of a few days). But when you think about it, cake slices tend to cost close to P100 so getting a full cake (which translates to about 8 slices) means you save a lot more. It also means I end up eating a lot of sugar over the course of a week. But hey, I don't do it very often. :)

Pet peeve

Am I the only one who gets annoyed whenever I am asked if I want a float and twister fries with my McDonald's Value Meal? I know that they want increase their sales and asking if customers want to upgrade increases the chances that someone will actually upsize, but it really irritates me when I get into the following conversation:

Me: I'd like to order meal #2
McDonald's: would you like twister fries and a float with that?
Me: No
... pause ...
McDonald's: so what is your order sir?

I figured that if I say 'no' to an upgrade, they would realize that I just want the regular one. But then again I realized that each value meal doesn't default to the regular size anymore; the menu says there is a medium and a small version of each meal. I guess I will now change my ordering pattern and say "I'd like to order a Small Value Meal #2". (Of course, even then I am sure I will still be asked if I want an upsize. Oh well...)

Filipino Cris “Kesz” Valdez wins International Children's Peace Prize

This is amazing news! 13-year old Filipino, Cris "Kesz" Valdez was awarded this year's International Children's Peace Prize in The Hague last September 19. This award is given annually to a child whose "remarkable acts have made a difference in countering problems which affect children around the world." (Read more about the International Children's Peace Prize here.)

photo from http://globalnation.inquirer.net

Kesz is proof that even just one person can make a massive difference. What's truly incredible about this story is that Kesz himself experienced extreme poverty, scavenging dumpsites since and even being physically abused. Somehow, despite these challenges that often cripple most people in similar circumstances, he achieved at age 7 something that is beyond what most people accomplish in their lives: he founded a charity called "Championing Community Children" that raises funds to provide basic necessities to street kids. That he has sustained this foundation over the years, helping out more than 10,000 other kids, makes his efforts even more impressive and awe-inspiring. Clearly, he is truly deserving of this award.

Making this win even move significant is that Kesz Valdez receives $130,000. Different articles I've read online seem to indicate that most of this money will be going into either his charity and others like it. That's a whole lot of money that can be used to help out a lot of people. If Kesz was able to help thousands of street kids before, imagine what kind of impact he can have through his charity now. I don't know what his personal situation is currently, but I do hope he has a comfortable life now and that he is given the opportunity to live his dreams.

Congrats, Kesz Valdez! You are a true inspiration to people all over the world and I wish that you continue to reach out to people in need of help.

My 800th post!

Can't believe I have now posted on my blog 800 times. It's been about 7 1/2 years now since I started this and somehow, I'm still at it. I did a bit of math and apparently, I am now averaging one blog post every 3 1/2 days. That's not bad. How I have the time to do this, I don't know. :)

Best part of this blog is that I've been able to share some travel information with other people. A few friends have found my blog posts about Iceland, Batanes, Korea, and Brunei useful. Hopefully more of my friends (and maybe even the rare, random stranger) can continue to benefit somehow from the stuff I post. :)

Most liked video on Youtube

Congratulations to "Gangnam Style" for being declared the most liked video on Youtube by the Guinness World Records!


uploaded in youtube by officialpsy

The wildly popular K-Pop song by PSY has now been liked 2,732,011 times (and counting). The next most liked video after "Gangnam Style"? "Party Rock Anthem" by LFMAO with 1,581,285 likes. That's just a little more than half the number of liked of Gangnam Style. Amazing!