The Grinning Man

So I guess there is another Youtube Channel that I should follow and that is Bristol Old Vic. I just happened to revisit The Show Must Go On for any new offerings but it seems like they are no longer showing full musicals there. And Youtube recommendations are just so fantastic, they gave me BOV and at that time the dark musical The Grinning Man was on. This tragicomedy brought tears to my eyes. Imagine having experienced cruelty at such a a young age! And to think that cruelty will stay with you forever and will almost define your whole being!

Our show begins with Grinpayne, a puppeteer in a freak show, telling his own story using puppets. Part of the audience is a noble, Lord David. The puppet story shows a young boy who is refused admission to a ship because of his mutilated face, a face that is believed to bring ill luck on the sea. This is during a time when a tyrant king reigns. The child walks alone and encounters a baby girl with her dead mother. He ends up in Ursus' house and there grows up with Dea, the baby girl. 

The tyrant king dies and his daughter Angelica is chosen to be the next sovereign. She is set to just displace his father and continue the tyrannical rule her father started. Her sister Josiana and brother David have an incestuous relationship. So when David shares his experience at the freak show, Josiana and the court fool Barkilphedro join him to go to the freak show and there witness the face of Grinpayne, revealed to be forever in a smile, a smile so frightening because it is a smile made from violence which he got during his childhood, but he remembers almost nothing. The sight strikes something in David and Josiana and both claim to see the whole of humanity in Grinpayne's grinning pain.

So anyway blind Dea and Grinpayne fall in love with each other. However things get extra exciting when Josiana and Grinpayne begin to be intimate with each other and when Angelica saw the latter, she is so moved that she named him a Lord, replacing her own brother David whom she cast out to the streets. Barkilphedro becomes Grinpayne's servant much to his dismay as he has been eyeing the title of Lord for quite some time already. Barkilphedro visits Ursus and tortures him, thus the audience learns the truth of the past. Dea overhears the conversation and realizes that the "medicine" being given to Grinpayne is actually to make him forget his past. It turns out that Barkilphedro is actually the one who mutilated the young Grinpayne so as to save his life. Grinpayne is the son of an executed lord whose family was also to be killed but Grinpayne's mother pleaded with Barkilphedro to spare the child. In order for people to never recognize the young lord, he gave him the permanent scar. Ursus knows about it but is helpless to prevent it as his priority is his wife and infant daughter, the latter turning out to be Dea. 

As Grinpayne and Josiana are about to be married following the burning of the fair and with false news of Dea's death, David appears and challenge Grinpayne to a duel. At that time, Grinpayne collapses in pain for want of medicine and Dea arrives to tell him what the potion actually does. Grinpayne remembers Barkilphedro and is about to kill him when his dead mother appears to him and persuades him not to kill. All past secrets are made known and Grinpayne sails off with Dea away from it all.

The songs in this musical remind me a lot of Weber. There is even a line in one of the songs that says "and you'll love like you've never loved before" which seems to be a play on "and you'll live as you've never lived before" in The Phantom of the Opera. I also like the dark gothic feel  of the whole play, the props and costumes making this story very rich visually. And it appeals to one's sense of humanity in so many ways, like how under a dark reign, you will be very touched to find that there will be people who will still show kindness even though in different forms. What Barkilphedro did to Grinpayne is indeed horrible, but as the past unravels itself, we are led to discover that his intention is to save the boy and also himself lest he be branded as traitor for not following the king's orders. This  coincides with my concept of kindness, that most times it takes a cruel form. I explained that to Q one late afternoon during a jogging date in UP. Sensing that he could be a people-pleaser and someone who will not be honest because the truth might come out ugly, I told him that my concept of "good" is very different from other people's, that for me authenticity, integrity, honesty tops normal conceptions of goodness. In the end I was right that he's just one of the normal guys who prefer to preserve a "good boy" image. I have been right in my assessments and it's a good thing I have become better at detecting red flags so I didn't fall hard for him. That was still a good exercise and I am glad all my feelings are right. As I learned before, gut feel does not lie.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

I was supposed to watch only one play this weekend but I found an outdoors play by Rice University floating on Youtube and curious of how the do it outdoors, I ended up enjoying this play. I especially love that they used the surrounding trees as part of the forest setting. Since childhood, this is the only Shakespearean work that I have always wanted to see because of its promise of fantasy and magic.  Moreover, the moon is an important yet silent element in the play and Shakespeare borrows much from classical mythology. But then for the longest time I was under the impression that I might not be able to understand The Bard's language. Moreover, how apt that I watched exactly on Midsummer's Eve or the summer solstice, that night given to bacchanals.

Honestly I wasn't expecting much but I must say I am supremely awed at the production. I love the design of the settings and the costumes. I can only imagine being actually there and viewing the piece live. AMND tells multiple stories but over-all lunacy may very well be the dominant theme. In this comedy we meet interestingly crazy characters who act foolishly because of love, whether borne of magic or naturally arising from their bosoms. Like Ariel in The Tempest, the sprite Puck who serves the Fairy King Oberon plays with mortals and even the Fairy Queen Titania's heart. He is easily a lovable character for his mischief which gave us this funny narrative of mistaken identities and foolish love. We see the changing objects of affection of our two teenagers Lysander and Demetrius because of him. This might just be the very inspiration of K-Drama's love polygons. [I'm no fan of K-Drama but have watched some episodes of a few series so I am not altogether clueless.]

Titania: "What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?" [I died laughing.]

Aside from Puck, I find Bottom also of interest because of the funny role he plays which is intended as comic relief. In all of The Bard's plays so far, I find the funny characters the most interesting. Although not in the main spotlight, they wittily critique and/or provide no-nonsense insights on what is happening around them. Like Macbeth's Porter, Bottom's character is a surefire way to elicit laughter from the audience. For one, he is part of the bumbling team of craftsmen in the forest who are preparing to perform Pyramus and Thisbe for Theseus and Hippolyta's wedding. Secondly, he becomes the object of affection of the Fairy Queen herself after she is victimized by Puck with Oberon's love potion and even though Bottom's head is turned into a donkey by Puck.

[Shakespeare's Globe happens to also have AMND until June 28. The scene I was excited the most is when Titania falls in love with Bottom. Fortunately, this clip is available. Unfortunately, it does not show the next funny moments wherein Bottom couldn't believe Fairy Queen's proposal and he lowers his body in abjectly demure fashion which is both cute and funny. He then proceeds to reject the queen's advances in utter disbelief of what is going on.]

As in other pieces I have watched so far, the women in Shakespeare's plays are either the immoral controller (Macbeth, King John, Coriolanus) or in most cases, the controlled. Here we see the mortal women suffering because of fickle nature of men, although as audience we are privy to the fact that this is only due to supernatural elements intervening in the love polygon. We also see even a powerful fairy queen's feeling being toyed with by her own lover Oberon as punishment for her resistance to his wish of being given the Indian changeling as his page. But we see in Hermia as someone who will defy her father and her country's rules to be with her beloved Lysander. When Lysander is given the love potion meant for Demetrius and falls for Helena, Hermia fights for her love and will literally fight Helena.

As for Helena, well, she seems to be the exact opposite of her friend Hermia. Throughout the play, she wallows in self-pity that even when Lysander and the now-drugged Demetrius fight each other over her, she does not believe them and accuse them of mocking her. She also seems to subscribe to the idea that women are to be passive, although it is curious that she is willing to chase after Demetrius. Helena to her ex-lover Demetrius: "Ay, in the temple, in the town, the field. You do me mischief. Fie, Demetrius! Your wrongs do set a scandal on my sex. We cannot fight for love as men may do. We should be wooed and were not made to woo." 

In the end, Lysander is given an antidote to render the potion ineffective and he marries Hermia whereas Demetrius remains under the spell of the love potion and marries Helena. I might be too hasty in judging Shakespeare as misogynistic but in this play he seems to favor strong-willed, courageous girls who are not afraid to go after and fight for what she wants; the Bard gives her a good ending she deserves, one that is real and in the absence of external forces.

The Madness of George III

And so once again I find myself engaging in a work about madness. One month has not even passed since Riven Rock, and now I deal with another elite, the King of UK and Ireland no less, George III (played by Mark Gatiss) who is famous in history for his madness, for losing the American colonies., and for the longest reigning male British monarch. And his wife Queen Charlotte is one mighty woman who bore him 15 children! Now that is almost enough to build a small orchestra! His doctors back then diagnose him with porphyria because of his blue urine, but there seems to be a growing consensus that his madness is a result of the repression of his spontaneous nature while he was being groomed to be king. (Read about the misdiagnosis HERE.)

As pointed by Nottingham Playhouse Artistic Director Adam Penford, "Monarchy by its very nature is theatrical. The royals are giving a performance, it's all the trappings of a theatre, music, costumes, props, staging." (I really took the effort to learn more about the play because I enjoyed it immensely, even more than I had Frankenstein.)

Like in Riven Rock, the king is attended to by many doctors, each with his own specialization, but on modern standards, may be deemed as quacks for the kind of medication they offer which give more of a torturous than a healing effect. At this moment I feel pity for the king whom the world (during his time, the British empire still stands although suffering many blows) looks up to but we the audience become privy to his tormented state as portrayed in this masterpiece by the very talented Alan Bennett. (Ironically, despite his sufferings, history says that he is pro-slavery although his Prime Minister is against it.) As his madness continues, power struggles rise in the government, with the king's son, the Prince of Wales, coming back ready to act as regent. He is backed by those who see opportunity in the situation, on pretext of concern for real and effective government. This poses a threat to Prime Minister Pitt who fears being replaced.

As Prime Minister Pitt laments all the efforts he has done to eliminate waste and save money for the government, news of the king's return to health reaches him. The king is shown together with his queen his usual self. He questions about state affairs and even affairs of other European states, but mostly France. Shortly after he approaches Elizabeth and asks if something has happened between them while he was sick in mind and she answers in the negative to which the king feels a bit of regret. He then shares the bed with his queen and the two are cute in that they again call each other Mr. King and Mrs. King.

The King's pages are sacked, even though they are devoted to him in time of his sickness. Fitzroy enters and is addressed as Captain but he answers "Colonel Fitzroy. You didn't know that? It seems unfair, I agree. But a word of advice, to be kind does not commend you to kings. They see it, as they see any flow of feeling, as a liberty. A blind eye will serve you better. And you will travel further." (Handel's The King Shall Rejoice plays and as final line, George III declares, "The King is himself again.")

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Memorably witty lines:

King George III in his bed clothes: What is this? The King unattended. Up with you, Papendiek.

Fitzroy: What's the matter, sir?

King George: The matter, sir, is that it is morning. That is the matter. Morning is the matter. Not being attended to is the matter. And don't mutter. Or mutter will be the matter.

Court man: Will Your Majesty not sit down?

King George III: The King never sits when seeing his ministers. Sits, no. Shits, though, yes.

Court man: In your present frame of mind...

King George III: What do you know of my mind? Or its frame? (Grabs a framed mirror) Something is shaking the frame, shaking my mind out of its frame. (chuckles) I am not going out of my mind. My mind is going out of me.

When George III is being bound for medication: I was the verb, the noun and the verb. Verb rules, subject the King. I am not the subject now. Now I am the object, the King governed, the ruler ruled. I am the subordinate clause, the insubordinate George.

George III restrained: I am the King of England!

Court man: No, sir. You are the patient. (Handel's Zadok the Priest plays)

Coriolanus and Hamlet

I think I was around eight years old when I first heard about Hamlet. At that time, I had so many funny conceptions of words, like when I heard my brother asking for a thesaurus, I was wondering why he wanted a specific dinosaur and having Charlie Brown's Encyclopedia volume 3 as my favorite, I also wondered how come the Thesaurus was not included in the book. Around that time, as I was fond of reading my elder siblings' school books (mine are boring), I chanced upon Hamlet and in my mind, Hamlet is somewhat like a small version of Peppa Pig, a brave and courageous leader whose story I never would know until today.

Last week, I watched National Theatre's Coriolanus which had Tom Hiddleston of Marvel's Loki fame playing the Roman general whose tragic life invites both contempt and sympathy depending on perhaps the background of the reader/ audience. I greatly sympathize with his character, a victim of cunning but incompetent politicians who hold power to sway the people to to choose Barrabas over Jesus. Of course, Coriolanus is not your perfect main character, being himself clothed with pride, although I would say he possesses merit by single-handedly dealt with the Volscians of Corioli. When he gains power he withholds grain from those without military service, and we as reader/ audience can understand fully well where he is coming from. During the siege of Corioli, he is abandoned by cowards. And indeed it is always a timeless story of how competent people's virtues are overshadowed by what is to the average person "hubris" but for the competent one, fairness and justice. To say that the play was executed marvelously is an understatement. We see with our own eyes how the fit Tom Hiddleston perfectly plays the role of the proud general. The ending was a real WOW with him chained upside down as Aufidius kills him. What really stands out in this Shakespearean play is how powerful women, or in particular the mother, can be in influencing even the most skilled warrior that she makes her son quit the plan to ransack the city that exiled him. (We also remember how Macbeth himself was persuaded by his wife to carry out the king's murder...) 

This weekend, my first choice is Stratford Festival's Hamlet. It seems that by the end of this year I will have gained much familiarity with The Bard's works. This is the fifth Shakespearean work I engage in and its theme of betrayals and usurpation. Here we deal with the son of a king who seeks revenge. Hamlet's father as ghost in the play reveals to his son that he is killed by his own brother Claudius who now reigns as king. Claudius even marries Queen Gertrude shortly after, leading to Hamlet's anger at the indecency. In Hamlet, we find The Bard's versatility for his ability to weave comic scenarios in an over-all morbid and tragic story as when Hamlet, pretending to be mad, playfully mocks Polonius. 

For all the lengthy soliloquies and dialogues, there are many questions that are sure to arise in the minds of careful readers/ audience. For instance, how come Gertrude agreed to marry her brother-in-law? Why did Ophelia become mad? Now if we are to believe the Ghost (Hamlet's father) we can see that Gertrude is a lustful woman but who probably is unaware that the brother killed her husband. I remember something Q told me though, that a decade ago, his close friend (also my classmate) liked me and so as respect for their friendship that means he could not like me. I have heard of the same thing from my male friends and the Bro Code dictates that a friend's ex may not be your lover or something like that. What more siblings. And especially a brother who kills his own brother. To give Gertrude the benefit of the doubt, she does not seem to have any idea about her husband's killer. But then with Claudius claiming her for his wife speaks a lot about his nature. Which leads us to our second question. When Ophelia suddenly appears as a madwoman, she is sweet even to Gertrude but is seemingly cold to Claudius. Her lines are wrapped in ambiguity but it is not hard to extrapolate that she is a victim of sexual assault, most likely by Claudius himself. In a later scene when she gives out flowers to people around her, she gives the rue to Claudius: "There’s rue for you, and here’s some for me. We may call it “herb of grace” o' Sundays.—Oh, you must wear your rue with a difference." This insinuates that she knows of his crimes, most probably because she herself is a victim. 

I wish Q and I can watch something together. He's a very witty man and I would love to hear his thoughts on literary works. We both have short attention span but I think his condition is worse. (In retrospect, I think maybe that's the reason why he declined my invite to attend the Indian Film festival last year...) I at least was able to watch (although admittedly I fell asleep for some 15-20 minutes or so) Lav Diaz's five-hour film Norte Hangganan ng Kasaysayan and his nine-hour Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis thanks to UPFI, which I miss terribly. I hope UPFI also puts up a Youtube channel where they make Filipino films available for everyone.

The Tempest

This weekend the free video on Stratford Festival's Youtube channel is The Tempest. I have started to follow this channel for its wonderful offerings of The Bard's plays. Alongside SF, I also follow The National Theatre, after being awed by its performance of Frankenstein. NT's free video this weekend is A Streetcar Named Desire, which I have often heard of, but at present, I would want to immerse myself in the classics. I have already found wonderful gems in Youtube, confining myself not only to England's Shakespeare, but also to other Western European countries whose history boasts of excellent theater pieces, notably Spain and France.

The Tempest features a powerful mage named Prospero who rules an island and lives together with her teenage daughter Miranda, the spirit Ariel, and an adopted monster Caliban whose mother Sycorax is killed by Prospero. In SF's version, Propero is a woman, by the way. Her backstory, told in between dialogues, is that she was the duchess of Milan but her brother Antonio usurped the dukedom and she is cast out to the sea together with her daughter twelve years before the current play timeline. It is only fortunate that Gonzalo packed among her things a book that bestowed upon her the magic she will find useful in ruling the island and in controlling an airy spirit and a monster. At the beginning of the play, she creates a tempest causing a shipwreck. On board the ship are King of Naples Alonso, his son Ferdinand and his brother Sebastian, Prospero's brother Antonio, the goood councilor Gonzalo, a jester Trinculo, a drunken butler Stephano, among others. Three groups are formed from this company, as willed by Prospero: Ferdinand is to meet Miranda, Trinculo and Stephano will eventually meet Caliban in a ridiculously comedic fashion, and the rest are to be with each other in a test of loyalty as Sebastian when everyone is put to sleep by Ariel save for him and Antonio who plot to kill King Alonso so Sebastian can become king. The murder plan is thwarted when Ariel intervenes and causes Gonzalo and King Alonso to wake up.

Meanwhile, Ferdinand and Miranda fall in love with each other and Ferdinand passes Propero's test. they are advised not to have sex prior to their official marriage lest the relationship turn sour and the marriage be cursed. A masque is organized by Prospero and the goddesses Juno, Ceres, and Iris grace the event. Propero suddenly remembers the plot against her life, a coup planned by Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo so they can rule the island after killing the mage. In his first time to taste wine which is given to him by Stephano, he offers to lick the latter's feet and boots, treating Stephano as his lord. This reminds me of how Hernan Cortes was welcomed by the Mayans and treated as a god, unknowingly bringing their own destruction. Propero lays a trap for the three conspirators and true enough as soon as Stephano and Trinculo see the line of beautiful clothes, they put them the clothes on, delaying their mission as Caliban helplessly reminds them that they should act swiftly. The three are chased away by hounds.

Propero reveals herself to group three and reclaims her dukedom. She forgives her brother and blackmails Antonio and Sebastian for plotting against the king's life. King Alonso and Ferdinand are only too happy to find the other alive and well, when each though the other dead. Stephano and Trinculo are sent away. Everbody leaves the island save for Caliban, and Ariel is set free. Naples and Milan are united with the marriage of Ferdinand and Miranda.

Macbeth

I notice that more and more Youtube channels are offering full theatrical performances for a limited period of time. It might just be the silver lining during this pandemic, but then it is so only for those with interest in the performance arts. The average person is more concerned with their livelihood since many are unemployed at the moment. I don't need to check the news to know that we are experiencing a great economic slump. I just feel a bit lucky that at the very least, I still earn money during this time. The pandemic lockdown has given me great discomforts, me being accustomed to staying away from my toxic family but now forced to stay in with them. It's a wonder I am still alive after two full months of fully living with them. My super self-centered father has constantly made my blood boil that nowadays the mere knowledge that he is at home is enough to cause me anxieties and high level of stress. He takes pleasure in being outside because he has been accustomed to parties with his friends, and comes home with a long litany of complaints and fears that he might be a Covid-19 carrier. I have lost count of the number of times I rolled my eyes since this lockdown occurred. As for my mother, she is being her usual self who will stupidly do whatever it takes to please the useless males in the household, even when it means causing us girls to bear the burden. So never blame me for not celebrating mother's day. I lost a mother when the Light passed away five years ago. The monkey is being his asshole self, on his computer 24/7, and setting the fans all to him, later complaining of coughs and being feverish, and surprises of surprises! He still have the audacity to eat my sister's chocolates! Stupid males who appear on this earth to only be walking hotdogs.

The lockdown has forced us all to live together but nobody dares to confront. Our highly dysfunctional family, owing to people unfit to become parents, is a big shame. I envy my friends who have great relationships with their family members. I have been struggling for as long as I can remember and the old hag is nowhere near to admitting her faults, it is her fault that we have unreliable males in the household for she tolerates it.

It is no wonder that I look forward to weekend freebies to somehow escape from this very bleak domestic life. Today after watching Cats, I made good with a promise I made to myself. I searched for full shows of Shakespeare's plays and found Stratford Festival's (SF) channel which has one of the Bard's famous plays---- Macbeth. The SF version is very dark, literally. The whole play from beginning to end reminds me of chiaroscuro paintings and it was quite a challenge for me to watch since I don't like darkly lit scenes where I see almost nothing. However, that very technique is apt to suit the story's very dark and sinister plot of murders arising from lust of power. I am also very thankful because the actors and actresses spoke audibly and well that I wasn't as lost as when I watched DUP's Measure for Measure because audio was bad and couple that with hard-to-grasp Shakespearean English, I cannot say that I enjoyed myself fully. 

Macbeth is a classic tale of a power-hungry man who will commit murders to become king and remain in power. Far from being realistic, this play incorporates magic as the Three Witches' prophecy is the reason for Macbeth's corruption. His wife, Lady Macbeth, is an accomplice but is also the serpent to encourages her husband to murder King Duncan. My favorite part in the play comes immediately after the king's death, wherein the porter has his own scene which for me is the coolest. The porter scene can very well be the origins of the Knock Knock jokes. I am not ashamed to say that I replayed the scene many times because I just found it so humorous and so witty. And needless to say, I needed that comic relief since the whole play is too dark. Another comic relief is the scene wherein Lady Macduff converses with her witty son before they were slaughtered by Macbeth's men, but it is so short and the murder is too quick to happen. Another favorite part is  Macbeth's madness during the feast because of Banquo and the late King Duncan's apparitions. I just love seeing criminals cowering in fear when their conscience starts to attack. But this only further plunges our anti-hero to a deeper madness that will eventually cause him his and his wife's lives.

My favorite lines in the play:

Macbeth: "Stars, hide your fires, Let not light see my black and deep desires"

(This is during the time when King Duncan and his company are discussing the punishment for the erstwhile Thane of Cawdor for his treason and Macbeth offers his loyalty to the throne and to the king, but the King pronounces his son Malcolm as Prince of Cumberland.)

Lady Macbeth: "You should look like an innocent flower, but be the serpent under it."

Macbeth: "False face must hide what the false heart doth know."

(This is during one of those scenes when Lady Macbeth chides her husband for being cowardly and for thinking of backing out from their evil plan.)

Lady MacDuff: "I have done no harm. But I remember now I am in this earthly world; where to do harm is often laudable, to do good sometime accounted dangerous folly: why then, alas, do I put up that womanly defense, To say I have done no harm?"

(This resonates with me because of my many complaints of how weird this world is, that good men are punished, and evil men are rewarded. This is Lady Macduff's reaction when she is tipped of her impending murder.)

Macduff: "Bleed, bleed, poor country! Great tyranny, lay thou thy basis sure, for goodness dare not check thee."

(This is during Macduff and Malcolm's lengthy conversation wherein the latter is being persuaded to rise up to take back what is rightfully his but then he hesitates and tests Macduff's loyalty by saying that he might be a worse king than Macbeth himself. And this is a timeless quote because in every age in history, mankind is met with oppression and the rule of evil has never ended.)

Macduff: "My voice is in my sword."

(Delivered during the final confrontation with Macbeth after Malcolm is injured from fighting against Macbeth. And curiously, Macbeth does not make sure he leaves Malcolm dead before fleeing.)

And so I wonder why I have always been afraid to engage in Shakespeare works when it seems they are not as bad as many say. I should really really believe in myself and remember my highschool self who was so enamored with proving and algebra and trigonometry while everyone around me hated these math topics. I look forward to watching The Tempest next week.

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Update (23 May 2020)
After watching SF's The Tempest, I found Shakespeare's Globe's version of Macbeth. The characters wear contemporary clothes, and the porter scene, which is the one thing I greatly anticipate, is remarkably made shorter, but the porter did deliver a cool knock-knock joke with the audience who after asking "who's there?" got porter's response "Toby". The crowd asks "Toby who?" And witty porter answers, "To be or not to be, that is the question." LOL. Now I wonder how other performances recreates this comedic part.

Cats the Musical

So once again, thanks to the Youtube Channel The Shows Must Go On, I am now able to watch the popular Cats, a musical based on the poetry of T.S. Eliot. I first encountered the poet via his nightmarish epic poem The Waste Land, a critique of modernity.  The cool thing about the poem is how Eliot used different languages in some lines, which I am a bit unhappy about because somebod beat me to it. But then, given the richness of cultures and languages in Asia and Africa, for certain many obscure poets have done it before, too.

Cats had a movie version in 2019 and was shown in Philippine cinemas early this year. The day before my brother's wedding, I was locked up in our hotel room, trying to watch a highschool play version but I ended up just sleeping the afternoon away, seeing that there is little plot. One also does not expect much from the production but then again, considering that it a HS play, it's already achieved quite a lot in terms of aesthetics.

Cats is about cats of different types and different personalities. Old Grizzabella who is shunned by the other cats. There's this other old cat whose name is Deuteronomy, who selects a cat who will be sent to Heaviside Layer. The cats gather is a Jellicle ball and that is where the selection will take place. For the most part in the beginning, I was rather bored because of the many dances and songs with very little progress in story-telling. The dance choreography are good, but then for someone not into dancing, it's not something I am super interested in.

If there is some merit to this musical, it's got some of the best catchy songs. My favorite aside from Memory, is Mr. Mistoffelees, performed by John Partridge as the curious cat Rum Tum Tugger. (Yes, I really searched for the actor's name because he is so damn good!) The singer-actor playing this character is super awesome. I also enjoyed his namesake's song in Act 1. It's something that you'd definitely want to sing along to, or to have some buddy to sing along with. And of course, who doesn't love a black magical cat, like the famed Luna from the massively popular shoujo series Sailormoon? Without this very important character, the selection will never happen; it was Mr. Mistoffelees who brings back Old Deuteronomy after the latter was abducted by the mischievous and mysterious Macavity. And then just as quickly he himself disappears! If there is any motivation for me to see this musical performed live, it is to see for myself how they make Mr. Mistoffelees suddenly disappear after bringing back the old cat leader.

And so, the old glamour cat Grizzabella is chosen to be reborn. Before that, she sings another round of Memory. And while she sings, our favorite magic cat can be seen at the back. He must have found it worthwhile to stay for the Jellicle Choice! In the end, she is seen together with Old Deuteronomy on a rising tire, old D delivering her to the golden stairs as the other cats look on.

It seems that after this, "Jellicles can and Jellicles do" will probably play nonstop inside my head for at least a week. 

Oh! Well I never! Was there ever a play so clever as magical Cats the Musical!

Ang Huling El Bimbo, The Hit Musical (Youtube)

My fifth musical this lockdown is AHEB which I wanted to watch since it was first shown in Resorts World two years ago. I never did, and even failed to catch the 2019 remake because the venue is just so far from us. It's just lucky that it was picked to be available online in ABS-CBN Entertainment's Youtube channel as part of its fund-raising program Pantawid ng Pag-ibig. Donations will go to families whose livelihood is affected by the Covid-19 lockdown. Just a few days ago, the local TV giant said its farewell after its franchise was not renewed, thereby putting around 11,000 employees in further jeopardy. I wonder if a portion of the PnP will go to employees who need financial assistance. 

The people behind AHEB are familiar names: Floy Quintos and Dexter Santos are credited for most acclaimed DUP productions, my most favorite being Collections. I have great expectations especially since it was the rave and because of the hype created around it years back. Story-wise, it does not disappoint. The message is so powerful, a reflection of reality that bites. As for the incorporation of the iconic band Eraserhead's songs, I feel like most are unnecessary and that the songs awkwardly fail to connect to the scenes. Of course, it's a different story with the song "Ang Huling El Bimbo" as the musical successfully mirrored the bliss of innocence and the subsequent tragedy. 

But it's not just all romance, the play's strength derives from its accurate portrayal, despite common stereotypes, of personalities in the Philippine society. For instance, there are the three UP students, iskos who are so idealistic and who are full of talk about patriotism and changing the world. On that tragic night when their friend Joy was raped, they prove to be mere cowards, who for all their supposed brilliance being able to enter and exit UP successfully and for having achieved their career objectives, are shown to be apathetic and lacking in human compassion. Act 2 is so heart-breaking, seeing Joy struggle for herself as she is forced into prostitution and drug-dealing by her "protector" Banlaoi who in turn, became a councilor and used that power to further drive poor Joy's life to hell, figuratively and literally. What makes it even more sad is seeing her still believing in her friends who abandoned her after the rape. The three men are all cowards for doing so, for refusing to report to the police, for leaving Joy at a time when she is most in need of support. She even attended their graduation rites with flowers for each of them but they all excused themselves and acted like they do not know her. This, even though Joy helped them through a lot, provided moral support and uplifted their spirits when they were down and doubting themselves. 

Despite her namesake, Joy is a victim of a duplicitous society, one that takes advantage of the poor and became pawn without full agency. Feminists will be enraged to find her unable to unchain herself from her circumstances. In many instances, she expressly pins her hopes for the future upon others, willingly believing her three friends when they all promise her reunions and never-ending friendship. But the ugly thing is, people will always get caught up in the tangled web of modern life wherein relationships hold value insofar as it helps propel one's career. Real, authentic relationships are but a part of the nostalgic past. It would have been okay if both parties move on with the same feeling to abandon friendship but in life, there are those who never grow up and who clings to ideals of friendship and relationships that they are left hanging.

On another note, the theater piece is full of political overtones, especially an explicit critique of Duterte's war on drugs, especially in the character of the corrupt Banlaoi who achieves high office and whose campaign money comes from drug-trafficking. But it likewise criticizes the liberals who lead these tirades against Duterte's drug war, the liberals who are privileged who cannot be bothered to really help the poor and the oppressed, these liberals who are only talk and do nothing. Joy is always shown with the color yellow (yellow top, and later on, yellow bag), perhaps as allusion to her bright and cheerful personality, and at the same time, politically connected to the Liberal Party. Thus the musical sends the message also of how the Liberal Party has promoted all these liberal ideas that, while pleasant to the ears, have done little to alleviate poverty. Joy's character is testament to how believing in the promises of liberalism will end in tragedy.  

National Theatre's Frankenstein

Again, thanks to a friend's Facebook post, I came to know about a theatre play version of my fave story Frankenstein. I've always been a fan of the novel and even love the gargoyle-based film I, Frankenstein. It is one of the first classic novels I read alongside Mark Twain and Charles Dickens' works and I remember being overly pensive afterwards, feeling profound pity for a creature that never asked to be born into this world and yet abandoned and maltreated by humans. Or maybe I found myself relating to Frankenstein's Monster, me being hated and maltreated for being different. Tonight I can very well relate to the lines delivered by the Monster.

Dialogue between Viktor and the Monster.

Viktor: I am your master, you should show respect.

Monster: Master has duties. You left me to die. I am not a slave, I am free!

The dialogue above is reminiscent of Confucian values and the prescribed relationship between father and son wherein the first cares for the latter and the latter obeys and respects the first, in order to establish a harmonious relationship. However, the Monster was abandoned at the time when he was revived as an experiment of Viktor. Viktor toyed with the idea of playing God, and never mind his brilliant mind as he is sadly lacking in emotional intelligence. I know someone very well who acts like God and treats others including his own wife and children as slaves. And of course, I can very well relate to the Monster who justifies his anger because his creator is a useless egocentric person with no care for others. 

Other memorable lines in the play:

Monster talking to Elizabeth: I did not ask to be born, but once born, I will fight to live. All life is precious, even mine.

Monster to Viktor: What is the matter? Are you cold? Do you feel forsaken? (...) You wanted power. Look at you. Immortality, look at you.

Monster: I am different. I know I am different. I have tried to be the same, but I am different. Why can I not be who I am?

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I watched the one wherein Benedict Cumberbatch of Dr. Strange fame played the role of the Monster. At the start of the play, we see him writhing and rolling helplessly on the ground after being given life. I was like, wow, he's super awesome to be able to move like that. I can pretty much imagine how difficult it must have been to move like an oversized baby learning how to walk. Such an impressive actor. I also love how there are funny moments and witty retorts all throughout which certainly gave lighthearted moments to this otherwise dark and depressing story. As always, I sympathize with the Monster rather than the proud Viktor. Never liked people who are too full of themselves when they cannot even function normally without others. But oh well, defense mechanism of weak people. As always, I believe that the truly strong are those who are kind (but not pushover/ doormat kind), just, compassionate, and courageous.

Special thanks to National Theatre for making this gem available online. 

Rama, Hari (Ballet Philippines on Youtube)

Earlier this week, I chanced upon a Facebook post announcing that Rama, Hari will be on Youtube live today at 3PM. I watched the 2PM show in 2012, but for some reason, I was not able to blog about it. I remember falling in love with the music, especially the drums, not caring much for ballet although the performers were all really good. Stage props were not given much effort but I loved the costumes.

This afternoon, I was trying to focus on studying Business Mandarin but the sweltering heat is too much that I fell asleep, waking up shortly to check out FB and found that Rama, Hari had already started. Good thing I saw that post, or I would have totally forgotten about this free Youtube offering.

I chose to watch on my laptop and was disappointed that the video is not on HD, the sounds were equally bad. I wonder why CCP did not opt to make this more worth it for viewers at this time of Covid-19 lockdown. No wonder the performance arts in the Philippines are not popular and the average Filipino will choose low quality entertainment which does not enrich one's intellectual experience. While I am grateful to CCP for relieving memories of this excellent collaboration among our five National Artists, I will have to say that there is much work to be done to promote the arts among the people. I envy my parents' time when everybody seems cultured (yet maybe in the wrong way because they are too flooded with American stuff) that my parents at least know musicals. In my generation, I have few friends who are into theater. In our family as always, I am the only one among us siblings who is into these kinds of things.

I cannot help but compare this to UK's The Show Must Go On! Youtube channel. Weeks prior, they made The Phantom of the Opera and its sequel Love Never Dies available for everyone for 48 hours in order to gather donations for The Actors Fund. So HD version is uploaded and memories of utter awe came back to me. I wonder if Filipino performance artists are also being cared for in the same manner. But I guess they are left to fend for themselves. This country has been made poor by corrupt government officials especially by political dynasties for so many decades now and nothing has changed. Truth be told, although I worry about people having financial issues during this time, I cannot bring myself to donate to organizations because the money will eventually be controlled by politicians who will just pocket most of it, leaving very little to those truly in need. 

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On another note, I remember the paper I wrote together with other Southeast Asian students on Ramayana. Last year I chanced upon a Mashable article on the Ramayana versions in SEA which is like an article version of our group's paper. I don't know who the writer is, but it does not even acknowledge its source which I suspect is our paper because that exactly is our paper topic. I suspect that it being a group paper and it being submitted to the program organizers, the paper must have fallen into the hands of an intellectually deficient academician-wannabe in search of an easy paper to write. Of course I find it insulting because I headed that group paper and contributed the most to it, spending sleepless night poring over sources and revising the paper to make it coherent and consistent given that there were six or seven of us with our own assigned parts, each with his/ her own writing style. 

So anyway, since I remember our paper, I will share a bit of information about Ramayana and the Philippines. The Maranao people have their own version and the title is Maharadia Lawana. Curiously, the title name focuses on Lawana, the indigenized version of Ravana. And watching Rama, Hari now makes me wonder how come CCP or Ballet Philippines do not use this material instead for the performances to inform the audience that we receive many Indian influences which the average Filipino does not even know of. As always, it is the elites who keep these things to themselves and those "intellectuals" who reside in their ivory towers.

The Horse and His Boy

Last November 15, I found myself eager to watch another play. Trumpets was having "The Horse and His Boy" in Meralco Theater so I asked the friendly Archaeo guy to watch with me, just because he happened to PM me on Facebook at the very moment I was looking for interesting shows to watch.

We met up at Robinsons Galleria way too early because I didn't want to risk being stuck in bad traffic. Since we have more than an hour to go, we dropped the the Japanese stores there to buy wasabi and wasabi-flavored chips. Then we walked to the theater. I'm frustrated at how the metro is being modelled to be rich men's playground, darn it, they blocked the path to the theater!!! So if you're just a normal poorita with no car of her own, you jump over that stupid blockade.

"The Horse and His Boy" is based on C.S. Lewis' book about a young boy named Shasta who fled his land with a talking horse named Bree. Along the way they met Aravis, a princess in search of freedom, and her talking horse Hwin. Both Hwin and Bree are originally from Narnia and both aim to return to their homeland.

What makes the play stand out from the other plays I've watched is effort exerted to make the horses come out alive. Most times manned by two people, each of the magical horse adopts another person when it's time for either Sasha or Aravis to mount. And the way the horses act! It's amusing to see them. Except there's a part at the beginning where I laughed out loud because Bree was hopping instead of galloping and I thought maybe the two men behind Bree were already confused. 

As for the ending, I am rather disappointed that Bree and Hwin did not end up together. But maybe their personalities do not jive much because Bree is too full of himself whereas Hwin is always cheerful and kindhearted.

Over-all it's a wonderful play. We bought the cheapest ticket, at P800. I could have sat on the most expensive rows as I am wont to do when I am alone but I had to consider my companion. Next time, I'm definitely watching alone so I can pick out the best seats.

September 2015 Part 1

September almost always is my busiest month but nowadays it's changing because I had to offload some activities temporarily to give way to new ones which I believe will help enrich my life. One of the things that have to go for now is traveling because not only does it eat up much of my time and keep me away from my family, I have also identified it as my biggest expense-incurring activity, which is bad because since the start of the year I have had very little savings.

So the first week of September I was elated to have spent less than P600. Would you believe that I was even able to buy groceries that week? But I promised myself never to buy lunch for one whole week but it was a success that spilled over to the second week and which I am hoping will continue this week until payday comes hopefully.

Except that this last week I overspent because of certain activities. I received a meeting invite in SM Megamall which was a bad idea scheduling it on that day. It rained hard and I bore witness to the floods in Ortigas and the slow-as-snail pace of vehicles. The other party was late because of this and so I had to buy snacks for myself lest I end up grumpy because of hunger. It was a fruitful meeting and I hope that my pet projects and one big project will push through.

For someone who did not experience having an org in college, being with one right now is not only a blessing but a privilege. Here I learned the importance of passionate volunteerism. Based on observations, people would sign up for just about anything but fail to deliver outputs. This presents a problem for the project organizers and for the org which provides the funding. Can't people be serious and treat volunteer work as something at par with salaried work? Okay people will argue that you don't get paid being a volunteer. My point is, then don't volunteer if you can't deliver. Simple as that. Problem is people are so good at biting more than what they can chew. (Which, forgive me for the digression, is also a big issue in the Philippines because people do not care about wasting food. Just go to any restaurant or food court and you will be indignant at how so much food is wasted while a lot of people are starving. Makes me really angry!!!)

Anyway, I'm learning a lot in the org. Phase 2 of the project is even more exciting because I already volunteered to be part of the measures and documentation team. LOL. Okaaay no more travels until end of the year and I hope that translates to savings. That is, if I succeed in keeping myself away from theaters...

Speaking of theaters, I watched DUP's season opener "#R</3J", a modern retelling of The Bard's classic Romeo and Juliet. I was disappointed with the play, over-all. However, it must be pointed out that the kinesthetics of this pay is well played out, leaving me awed. It's the first time that I left the theater feeling like I was cheated of my P200, to think that I came in late, NO THANKS to the heavy traffic in EDSA and the extra long queue at the jeepney terminal in SM North. I really really really miss having my early morning shift. #cries

After the play, S and I walked all the way to Maginhawa, our food haven because of the many food offerings there. And we promised to meet up more frequently to be able to experience each of the restos there, before they close up without notice. This seems to be the prevailing pattern in the area but I am happy to see that favorites are still there: Ate Fe's Kitchenette, Friuli, Crazy Katsu, Coffee Way... Sigh! Now I am saving up money for more food trips (and possibly explore Marikina's Lilac Street more. YUM!!!) Our choice for the night was IndonYaki and we shared an order of their fried lumpia and pancit canton. Simple but filling, delicious, and affordable!

Just yesterday, I went out to see Heneral Luna with an archaeo boy who's always been nice to me. Anyway, this is the third time we hang out together. The first time was when he was a new student and I had just finished my first year. The second time was some two month ago or so when we both agreed to dine at Likha Diwa and it was funny because there was no electricity but so determined we were to eat there that we didn't mind.

And boy did I enjoy the film despite the gore and violence. You see, Antonio Luna is my favorite hero in Philippine History, that on my first ever solo trip which happened in his province, I made sure to drop by the Luna house in Badoc. His infamous fiery temper must have added some charm to his extraordinary wit, military excellence, courage, and bravery. It's such a shame though that he was to fall in the hands of Filipinos. Shame on traitors and cowards, they don't know the meaning of true independence. Of course not much is known about Luna compared to Rizal which is double shame because for me, Antonio Luna is the best polymath. Would Rizal be involved in war? Let's not forget that he aimed for reformation and not complete independence. We cannot dismiss the fact that revolutionaries were inspired to act for Philippine independence after Rizal's death though.

But but but, did you know that Antonio Luna is not only a god of war incarnate, but also gifted with intellectual prowess? He was a licensed doctor and he won prizes for his research on tropical diseases. He was also an accomplished writer , having contributed to La Solidarid as Taga-Ilog, and later on founding La Independencia. What's more, he's gifted with foresight, like many of us from the moon! It is because of his near-perfect characteristics that he was to meet his demise at the hands of lowly creatures who could not bear to see his brilliance. Highly principled and a strict disciplinarian, he did what he could to set the first Philippine military right earning the ire of high ranking officials whose interests lie elsewhere. It is no wonder that Aguinaldo and his men would rather have him dead than to have the Philippines liberated from the Americans under Luna's military command. Oh the shame, this social disease is still as prevalent in modern times. Just why can't people just focus on the ultimate goal and cooperate???

Antonio Luna is one rare gem, alongside Gerogorio del Pilar. You know what the bonus in the film is? There is a VERY BIG chance that they're creating a movie centered on Gregorio del Pilar!!! Why am I excited? Because Gregorio del Pilar is my second most favorite hero in Philippine history! I never get tired of reading about these two. :)

After the movie, C and I had early dinner at Shi Lin in Trinoma. I had high expectations because I enjoyed my experience at Lucky Chinatown branch but these were not met in this branch, unfortunately. The photos in the menu are misleading when it comes to size and portions. My face fell when I saw the Japanese tofu being served. The congee and noodles were okay but I could have ordered the same someplace and not spend a fortune. the xiaolongbao is still heavenly though so maybe I'll just drop by this place when I have cravings again. As for noodles, there's always Lanzhou Ramen and Shanghai Ramen.

Prinsipe Munti @CCP

The first time I heard about Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's novella "The Little Prince", I was already in college. It was always the book being read by French language majors and whenever a French prof asks what our favorite book is, at least one will say "Le petit prince". Because of its enormous popularity, I was a bit hesitant to read t until I saw a Spanish version in my favorite bookstore. At that time, I would buy every Spanish book I could get hold of, mainly to practice my Spanish. Then eventually I would find it in original French. No more hesitations, I was quick to make the purchase!

I did read both versions and I was amazed at how simple the story is but how it carries deep truths about the way we lead our lives. It bashes the superiority of adults and raises the innocence and the sense of wonder of children to great heights. It disarms us and leads us to ponder on important issues like relationships, more than glory, fame, and fortune.

So when I heard that a play based on the novella will be staged in Tanghalang Pilipino in CCP, I of course wanted to see it. Because of Typhoon Ruby, a falls trek was cancelled so I was free to go to the last day the play will be shown in theater.

The play is a mix of shadow play and musical so it was fun to watch. I have to admit that I cried from start to finish, but it was not because I was blown by the performance itself. There's something lacking in the whole play that I couldn't quite point out. I cried more so because of sudden insights into love and relationships, on relationships, basically. At this point in life, I still feel the pain of being let go of far too easily, the pain of loving and giving too much of myself that it was too late when I realized I left very little love for myself, that despite having given up a lot for a person's sake, you are left behind, forgotten and abandoned. On that note, I can very well relate with the Rosas as well as with Munti.

Whenever Munti sings, my heart constricts and memories of happy days gone bad fill my mind. Thoughts of fair-weathered friends, of friendly users, of liars who say one thing and mean the other, arise. I have, time and again, told myself to always open my heart, to always keep the hope up that one day I will find my real family, a group which can truly understand me and help me grow as a person. It's just so hard to navigate through life with so many unnecessary relationships which suck the life out of one so innocent and so trusting and so naive.

I am touched by how Munti does everything for Rose, how despite Rose's inability to understand him he still does his best to show how much he loves her. Those scenes remind me of how I can be Munti, someone who gives his all for a beloved and at the same time, like Rosas, someone who demands a lot of proof of one's love. I cried when Munti no longer understands Rosas and decides to leave her.

I loved how Munti learns from Alamid, how Alamid would tell him that what is important cannot be seen by the eyes, among other lessons on relationships. 

It was painful, that scene wherein Munti realizes that there are many roses in Planet Earth which are very much like his Rosas back at home. But Alamid's words on how investing time and effort in a beloved makes that beloved special and unique. This is not just love but also a responsibility as the Alamid would always tell him that he must be responsible for the things he tames. Taming after all, is the act of establishing meaningful ties and this take time. The other characters who are so engrossed in their own little world cannot see beyond themselves and are too self-centered to give attention to Munti. (This reminds me of how superficial friendship has become especially in today's digital world where people are just SO BUSY they don't have time to catch up with you.)

Realizing that he left his beloved alone in his planet, Munti wants to go back and is tricked by a serpent who promises to send him home with one bite. The fatal bite renders him lifeless as the pilot whom he befriends in the desert mourns for his demise. 

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Clearly I have no intention of writing about this play, but the emotions they provoked in me were so strong and I know I can only be restless if I don't do something about it. Pardon the crappy writeup filled with rants. :(

Measure for Measure (DUP) 09062014

To make the truth appear where it seems hid, and hide the false seems true.

-Isabella

Saturday found me going to UP Diliman for the first time in a very long time, to watch a play with a very dear friend. Long before theatrical plays were given their much-deserved attention, she has always been a companion when it comes to theater though we very rarely have an in-depth discussion of what we watch. We watched Phantom of the Opera in 2012, The Addams Family the Musical in 2013, and several DUP productions, having been fans of our alma mater's own theater company (mainly because tickets are way cheaper and yet the quality is at par, if not better than those in bigger theaters).

This time, we watched Measure for Measure. She was with a suitor (or boyfriend???). They spared me the details but I do get the feeling that their relationship is bearing fruits and I just can't wait for the BIG news. This would serve as an inspiration for me to also find my partner. (Though those who know me would berate me yet again for my high standards. WHAT STANDARDS???) Anyway, we three initially were to be seated very far apart from each other because when the tickets were bought, there were very few seats left. Before the doors closed though, my friend approached me and told me to transfer near her. Lucky us because her "seatmates" were no shows so we all had a very nice view of the stage. Initially I sat at the farthest right facing the stage.

Measure for Measure is a Shakespearean play. We watched the English version and at the onset I think my nose would bleed because they employed Shakespearean English. Inside me I was like, come on guys, at least make Shakespeare more accessible!!! While I love reading, I don't read plays, preferring to watch performances instead. Even in college I had a hard time joining discussions when it comes to literary theater because of my stubbornness. What can I do? I get bored reading dialogue lines! 

As expected I couldn't understand half of the lines being delivered. Something to do with the pronunciation but I also have my faults because I didn't get myself acquainted with The Bard's plays though they are deemed a MUST for lovers of literature. I did get the story though, a narrative of pretensions, hypocrisy, and moral corruptions.

Set in Vienna, where sex is rampant, the Duke goes away for a while and puts Angelo in his authority's place. A certain Claudio is held in prison and is to be executed for causing his lover Juliet's pregnancy. For this, his sister Isabella pleads to Angelo for mercy but is surprised when the latter, known for his peerless justice and incorruptible character, asks for her body. Isabella chooses her virginity over her brother's life but with the help of the Duke who disguised as a friar, all ends well with his machinations and awesome play behind the scenes. 

I especially love the part when things got heated up and the friar was amongst them and yet they need to have the Duke. When Lucio, Claudio's friend, accuses the friar of the bad words he say about the Duke, the friar who is in truth the Duke, declares to the audience who know what's going on, "I protest I love the Duke as I love MYSELF!" 

What made the play super special for me was the effort and thought put into the props and costumes. I must say that DUP sets have improved a lot! I was utterly impressed with Collection, an early 2013 production. But in Measure, the audience is treated to a wickedly brilliant merging of European fashion and local materials like abaca! Of course it was hard to see at first but as my eyes adjusted, I was totally awed first at the exaggerated headworks where I first glimpsed the familiar abaca and then my eyes ran to the elaborate gowns to find more abaca. A quick online research yielded information that the designer is Gino Gonzales. For the first time I really took the effort to get the name of the costume designer!

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We were supposed to go to Maginhawa afterwards for early dinner but my father asked me to go with him to a wedding reception. My ex-minor crush, son of my father's friend, was getting married finally. He already had a girlfriend when I met him this the status of minor crush. The only reason why I liked him was because he was ever so sweet and caring to his younger sister, the exact opposite of my brothers.

At the reception, I was in the washroom when I suddenly heard Pachelbel's Canon being played I immediately rushed out and ran to the hall but when the moment I entered, the music had just ended. BOO! Turns out they only played but a small part of the piece.

Maginhawa can wait...

March

I may not have traveled a lot in March but I did eat out a lot. My only trip was in Caliraya, Laguna.

My lunch mates and I had lunch at Tonkatsu by Terazawa in Greenbelt 2 for an office friend's despedida; she is now in Singapore. I had the oyster and chicken katsu set consisting of two pieces breaded oyster, and chicken katsu. The set includes unlimited rice (nothing beats Ginza Bairin's unlimited Jasmine rice but rice here has nice texture), unlimited miso soup (which I LOVE, the best miso soup I've had), unlimited shredded cabbage, and corn. As in Ginza Bairin, I like my shredded cabbage with roasted sesame dressing. The fried oyster and chicken are wonderfully executed but because they're fried, there's the umay factor. Probably the reason why I had three bowls of miso soup.

Because my archaeo friends and I had a movie date at Gateway to watch 300: Rise of an Empire, we had dinner again at Taco Bell. If it's not KFC it's Taco Bell. Oh well, this little girl needs her dose of junk food from time to time, too. Our 3D movie ticket  (P300) comes with free popcorn and soda. As expected from the makers of 300, the sequel is violent with lots of blood spurting and splashing everywhere. While my first reason for watching it on 3D was Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), it all changed when Artemisia (Eva Green) appeared. I just LOVE her, despite her dark back story. I found myself squealing everytime Artemisia appears with her varied costumes. And one of my friends, who is a big Lena Heady fan, naturally rooted for Queen Gorgo. So imagine how noisy we were as the movie was ending. When the lights came on, many people us angry looks for being so noisy. So I am taking this opportunity to apologize to the strangers who were put off by our childish behavior.

Other college friends invited me to my second bar experience at Cowboy Grill in Quezon City. To show my support for my friend's org's event College Collision Reactivate, I said yes. The event is an inter-college band contest. It's also our moment to bond, though the place doesn't seem to be apt because we couldn't hear each other. We were served cold food--- pancit canton, rice, pork BBQ, and iced tea. Nothing special, all regular normal food but I guess one shouldn't complain because the ticket costs only P200. Come to think of it, I was also with this set of friends on my first bar experience. And now we're planning to go to other bars.

My sister and I had a date again at Kokoro Ramenya in Fisher Mall. These days we don't get to hang out a lot because she's always working overtime whereas I've been busy doing a lot of things. Though I can drop anything I'm doing if she's the one to invite me because I know I'll be in for a treat. We shared a bowl of tantanmen. Not that QQ and the soup is too creamy. My sister found it too salty. I, on the other hand, wished for more sesame oil. They should have placed a bottle of sesame oil on each table. On the upside, we like the dumplings which were seared on one side. I love the way the texture plays in my mouth, it's like eating crispy pizza crust. But the price is too expensive, P155 for just 4 pieces. Will we go back? No. Better restaurants abound.

For our team's March celebrants, we had lunch at Seryna in Little Tokyo. I've been meaning to eat there and already have plans with a friend and her friends but it's already been a year and nothing's happening. So finally, authentic Japanese food! I had Kaisen Gozen (P380). I love everything in my bento except for the thin slices of ginger. Unfortunately, their miso soup is not unlimited. So considering I ate a lot, the price is just right.

Kaisen Gozen at Seryna

One Sunday, I visited UP since I've been missing school a lot these days. I had lunch at Mashitta in UP Shopping Center. I was initially tempted to go to UP Town Center but I guess it's better if I have a friend with me. My order of spicy squid with rice (P95) and miso soup (P35) was satisfying. The squid is cooked just right and I love the spiciness of the dish. 

That same day, off I went to RCBC Theater in Makati to watch the one-woman play "Full Gallop" starring the highly talented Cherie Gil who plays Diana Vreeland, a bitchy fashion editor with a grand sense of entitlement to everything fine and beautiful. I think Cherie Gil fully captured the essence of the role. I can never think of any actress best-suited to play Vreeland. However, the play is really very elitist in that non-socialites will have a hard time relating as Vreeland's opinions on just about everything is largely based on her own experiences as someone who came from a privileged family. 

So going back to restaurants, my quest this month ended in the Filling Station and Mey Lin Bistro.

And I think I'll be all the busier in the coming months with my acquisition of a tablet. Yay! At present Bulu Monsters keep me occupied.

December

The last month of the year 2013 was spent without any travel to far away place. My officemates and I had planned to spend Christmas eve in Pangasinan but it did not push through. And we had planned to spend our first Christmas eve away from our families and in an island where we would camp and cook our own food.

December is one month I dread the most. I always get depressed on the last few days of November which usually lasts until the early part of January. I dread my birthday. I dread Christmas. I dread New Year's Eve. Maybe it's because my mind always withdraws back to the past, waxing nostalgic about my childhood, my highschool life (which I considered the happiest phase of my life because of my innocence and naiveté), my fall-after-enlightenment in college, my turbulent post-college years... The last days of November would always urge me to open my diaries, where I recorded most of my teenage years. It's both amazing and weird at the same time how I was able to write that much back then and how I even had the time to record SMS to me by people who mattered a lot then. And I am thankful that the younger me was that addicted to keep memories for posterity's sake so it's easier to see where I went wrong in some aspects of my life.

December 2013's important highlights:
1. Lots of food trips but the ones I enjoyed most were the ones with my highschool friends and the one with my ex-officemates. I'm glad to be reconnecting with those people. It's very seldom when I meet people whom I truly care for. (Being nice to everyone doesn't mean I truly care for everyone.)

2. I won a scholarship to a learning institution and might be studying again anytime soon but there are no definite plans yet.

3. Attended Handel's "Messiah": A Christmas Concert at UP Theater and was treated to a night full of wonderful music. I especially loved the UP Madrigal Singers for their extraordinary skills in mimicking animal sounds. Really wow! (On the downside, I was reminded of how I was discouraged to continue my music lessons... I could have been a musician... Boo!)

4. Shopped for clothes. The last time I did so was in December of 2012. I very rarely shop unless needed. My wardrobe looks pitiful compared to my sisters'. Also, that day was another sisterly date. I just love eating out with my sisters (coz they're always the ones to foot the bill...)

5. First time to interact with the Heritage Conservation Society-Youth (HCS-Y). I found the people really knowledgeable and very friendly. I might consider volunteering more. The project was to tour students from UP Visayas who are currently staying in UP Diliman following the disasters in the region. We visited Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral, San Agustin, Manila Collectibles, Casa Manila, and National Museum Art Gallery.

6. Disposed a lot of useless things from the shelves in our bedroom. Less trash, more useful space, which means, I can finally have space for my books. (Don't tell my sisters!!!)

September

I almost forgot to write about how I spent my September and so here goes.

Since I couldn't get over how Backyard Burgers' offering taste so good, I went back for a Truffle Burger and a Cheeseburger. Seeing Hot Hombre Burger (this one's got jalapeño) which cost only P155 on the menu, I bought one, too. Their burgers are just the juiciest burgers I've ever tasted, and this second time, I got to notice just how soft and how fresh the buns were.

cross section of Backyard Burgers cheeseburger

Experiencing something bad at the office did not prevent me from having fun. I don't wanna delve into the details but it sure did help to take some time off to be with myself and to enjoy my own company. The 16th Cine Europa was just the very thing I needed since it's been a long time since my last movie theater visit. Movies, accompanied by my other love--- FOOD! So I tried Secret Recipe's Japanese soba (P225) which is mildly flavored by Japanese soy sauce. I love the mushroom and the crisp cabbage lettuce. A serving is good enough for two so I had to take out what I couldn't finish. Also tried Pho Hoa's grilled chicken banh mi (P175) which I found very aromatic. The grilled chicken can send anyone instantly to paradise. Yummy! I still think the french bread in Vietnam better though.

More on food... My sister and I had a date at Nomama Artisanal Ramen where I had Thai green curry ramen with 2 chicken cutlets. The soup has coconut milk and it's got just the right spiciness, not too spicy like most Thai foods. My sister had Tantanmen and it's okay. We shared an order of mushroom gyoza which I found to be expensive at P140 for just 5 pieces, but it's got mushroom slices inside. To cap our dinner, we had Japanese croquettes stuffed with white cheese and with aioli sauce which was very sour. Fusion cuisine works here effectively but prices are expensive. Our bill showed almost P1,000! We also brought home some sylvannas, bought from a store across Nomama. Not too sweet and very nice. I will miss those treats.

A friend of mine met up near Ayala Museum on a Friday and I brought her to Mercato Central near Glorietta. It's a weekend food market like the one I went to in UP-Ayala Technohub last year and in BGC earlier this year. This time I brought a cup of fried crablets and a cup of small fried shrimps (2 X P50= P100) and shawarma rice (P100). For dessert I had a cup of Merry Moo's Sea Salt Caramel (P70). Also that day at lunch, an officemate and I went to Mitsuyado Sei-men in Jupiter St.. I had Yuzu Tsukemen and Japanese fried rice with 3 pcs gyoza. The tsukemen reminds me of breezy summer evenings, probably because of the citrusy taste (probably lime) and the cold tsukemen were QQ. (I'd LOVE to go back there to try other tsukemen.) For my snack the following day, I brought a matcha cronut at Yamato bakeshop. It's too expensive and while it's not sweet at all, it feels like eating bicho with green tea cream.

I'm happiest when I get to enjoy a play. This month, a friend and I went to see DUP's "The Duchess of Malfi". Lots of anachronistic elements and I was even shocked by a brief nudity, but the play as a whole was effective in its goal to portray how far man's greed can go. The ending was a tragedy but in between were witty and comedic lines bound to make the audience laugh out loud.

Giselle @CCP/ The Octopus 08172013

Last Saturday I woke up to a gloomy day so I continued reading "The Octopus" by Frank Norris. The book is surprisingly a good read. I first had an impression that it would bore me to death when I saw it in Booksale but I bought it anyway. It's about the resistance put up by farmers in California against the monopolistic land-grabbing Railroad and thrown in the narrative are human tendencies for violence, corruption, and oppression.  It's a good read during these times with the issues revolving around the pork barrel.

Just to share a passage from the book, taken from Presley's speech:

"They own us, these task-masters of ours; they own our homes, they own our legislatures. We cannot escape from them. There is no redress. We are told we can defeat them by the allot-box. They own the ballot-box. We are told that we must look to the courts for redress; they own the courts. We know them for what they are, --- ruffians in politics, ruffians in finance, ruffians in law, ruffians in trade, bribers, swindlers, and tricksters. No outrage too great to daunt them, no petty larceny too small to shame them; despoiling a government treasury of a million dollars; yet picking the pockets of a farm hand of the price of a loaf of bread.

"They swindle a nation of a hundred million and call it Financiering; they levy a blackmail and call it Commerce; they corrupt a legislature and call it Politics;they bribe a judge and call it Law; they hire blacklegs to carry out their plans and call it Organisation; they prostitute the honor of a State and call it Competition.

"(...) We talk of liberty--- oh, the farce of it, oh, the folly of it! We tell ourselves and teach our children that we have achieved liberty, that we no longer need to fight for it. Why, the fight is just beginning and so long as our conception of liberty remains as it is to-day, it will continue.

"(...) Liberty is not a crowned goddess, beautiful, in spotless garments, victorious, supreme. Liberty is the Man In the Street, a terrible figure, rushing through powder smoke, fouled with the mud and ordure of the gutter, bloody, rampant, brutal, yelling curses, in one hand a smoking rifle, in the other, a blazing torch.

"Freedom is not given free to any who ask; Liberty is not born of the gods. She is a child of the People, born in the very height and heat of battle, born from death, stained with blood, grimed with powder. And she grows to be not a goddess, but a Fury, a fearful figure, slaying friend and foe alike, raging, insatiable, merciless, the Red Terror." (pp.551-552)

I didn't get to finish the book (and as of writing I'm still a few pages shy from finishing but I'm busy with work, you see). Anyway, I committed one blooper perhaps because I was so engrossed with "The Octopus". I forgot that the ballet performance was at 2pm and not at 3pm. It was already 1:15PM so I ran out of the house and took the LRT. It was raining but who cares? I bought my ticket and I'm not gonna miss it despite the rain. Once I stepped out of the train, I ran down to Vito Cruz and ran all the way to CCP never minding the rain on my face. I was 15 minutes late but I still got to have a seat. Whew!

So I did get to watch the tragic story of Giselle who fell in love with a man who turns out to be a duke already engaged. She dies of too much heartbreak when she learned the truth after a brief period of bliss with her beloved.

But the beautiful choreography was highlighted in Act 2 where, even without words, the duke sought forgiveness and one could see with every step and every dance move the intensity of this scene. Giselle, despite everything, forgives him and even protects him form the harsh punishment due him by the Wilis, jilted lovers who seek vengeance.

One thing that disappoints is that live music was not used. I was expecting to witness again the magnificence of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra but the audience of the 2pm show was denied this. I wonder if the 7pm performance was treated to PPO's presence?

I was reminded of the ballet musical show Rama Hari last 2012. The Manila Symphonic Orchestra played live then and one member of the orchestra stood out: the one who played the drums.

Pardon my crappy phone pics...