Rent 2010 Review

I first learned of what Rent was back in 2001 when I saw it with my sister at the GSIS Theater. After 9 years, comes the third run of Rent here in Manila.

I admit to not being impressed when I found out the casting lineup. I know of Gian Madrigal and OJ Mariano because I've seen them both on T.V. But the rest of the ensemble are mostly newcomers except for Carla Guevara-Laforteza.

Then again, I thought it'd be nice to watch it again and this time with Rai.

I wasn't able to warn him that he'd have to brace himself of scenes where everything seems to be happening all at once. But... it comes with the Rent experience and he was able to get accustomed to them sooner than I expected. He thought that the musical had its light moments even with the serious plot of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling despite of being afflicted with AIDS. It was also a welcome treat for him to see a familiar face, Johann dela Fuente, whom he liked as Leaf Coneybear in last year's 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. *Honest Living! Honest Living!* I guess the same goes when he later realized that the person playing Maureen was also a part of the Spelling Bee.


As for me, there's really not much to nitpick on except for the cast. I confess to missing JM Rodriguez and wondering whatever happened to him soon as Frederick Lo (as Mark Cohen) appeared on stage. I, then tried to enjoy the show with its 2010 cast and what can I say? These newcomers aren't so bad. OJ Mariano as Collins and Job Bautista as Angel were so convincing being the gay couple. I was even moved to tears as he was performing I'll Cover You at near end of the play. Fred Lo is a cutie and has potential (I'll be watching out for him from now). With Gian's performance as Roger... well, I still wasn't impressed even after I saw him. Much to my dismay. The same goes for Nicole Asensio being Mimi. They didn't have the chemistry, too, as they weren't as believable compared with Collins and Angel. Oh well. At least Carla as Maureen was truly remarkable. She doesn't appear early on and just about right because soon as she stood on stage to perform Over the Moon, she already stole the show.

With all I've said so far, would I still recommend this rock musical? Well yes. I'm pretty sure these actors/actresses are improving in every performance. Besides, it's still a joy to see/hear Seasons of Love (and my other favorites: I Should Tell You and Light My Candle) being performed on stage.

As PEP.ph quotes:

This year's Rent may or may not hold a candle to the previous productions, but it still has all the verve that this beloved musical is known for. In our time, the material seems dated, but it never fails to spark a love for bohemianism in audiences, whether they are familiar with the culture of the late '80s or not. More than anything, the new production reminds us that the musical remains an ode to love that never diminishes in the face of disease, discontent, and despair.

Playdates: February 12 to 14, 19 to 21, and 26 to 28
Venue: Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Ayala Ave. corner. Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Makati City
Ticket Prices: Orchestra Center - 1700, Orchestra Side - 1600, Loge Center - 1400, Loge Sides - 1100, Balcony - 800

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Muji in Manila

There used to be this store in Manila back in the days that sold stuff in just black or white called Anonymous. And then it poofed.


At that time, the word Muji was alien to me.  By the time I became an avid Chuvaness reader , I learned of what Muji is. Now it seemed like the Anonymous we once had was inspired by this store.

It has now been a habit for me to drop by the Muji store in Causeway Bay everytime I get sent to Hong Kong for business trips ^^. The good news is that according to Ms. C, Muji will be opening here in Manila by next year.

Something I'm really looking forward to now. :)

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Funds, Funds, Funds

That is what I really really need since I realized how much I have to have separate funds for travel, for food trips, for shopping, for personal care, and for shows I want to watch. Argh.



If this year, I was able to watch ZsaZsa Zaturnnah, Ze Muzikal, The Spelling Bee (both with Rai and office friends), The Fantasticks (with the girlfriends), and Pussycat Dolls: Doll Domination Concert at MOA (with Rai and one of the girlfriends)...

for 2010, as early as now, I know I want to watch Ne-yo's concert on January, Rent on February, Avenue Q on March, and CATS on July. Have to save up now!!

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CATS Musical in Manila

Lunchbox Theatrical Productions (a UK-based group), together with the Philippines' Concertus, Inc are set to stage Cats in Manila on July 2010. (Avatar's live action movie will also be shown on July next year *yey*).  Our very own Lea Salonga will play a prominent character in this musical production as Grizabella, the "glamour cat".  She will join an international cast that will more or less come from Australia and the United Kingdom.

The musical Cats has been known as one of the longest-running in West End and Broadway history having played for 21 years and 18 years respectively.  Cats features songs composed by musical theater master Andrew Lloyd Webber (also responsible for the other musical hits such as The Phantom of the Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar)  based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot. One popular song from this musical is "Memory", originally performed by Elaine Paige, a theater veteran.

Tickets are exclusively available to Citibank card holders from November 3, 2009 to December 6, 2009 (prices as follows).  

It means from December 6 onwards, non-Citibank holders can buy their tickets.  Also for Citibank card holders, a 10% discount can be availed until December 31, 2009.  See more details here.

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Pacquiao vs Cotto Fight In A Few Hours

Later today, it would not come as a surprise if roads will be clear around town. No traffic since almost every Filipino will be inside their houses or stuck in some place to watch and support our own boxing champion, Manny Pacquiao, in his match against the Puerto Rican champion Miguel Cotto.

The fight which is called:  Firepower: Pacquiao vs. Cotto will be shown here in the Philippines at around 9 in the morning.  But in this time and age, fans need not settle on local TV stations to witness this fight (it means, there's no need to be tortured seeing TVC's over and over again every 5 minutes).  Different establishments provide pay per view option as seen in this list.  If you don't have the budget for this, another list of venues is available wherein viewers can watch for free.  If in case you still prefer to watch this highly anticipated WBO Welterweight championship, you can catch it on GMA-7 at around 11a.m. (fyi: this is a delayed telecast). In which case, no matter where you catch this match, I'm sure you'll just be one with everyone rooting for Pacman.

I am no boxing expert. I would not even pass for a boxing fan as well.  All I know is that here's a Filipino bringing pride to our country who deserves our prayers so that he hopefully wins this fight.

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7 Days, 2 Cards, and 15 Stickers

My "wish" for a Starbucks 2010 Planner...


... came true early this morning.



Snow and Ken inspecting the planner's coupons inside pages

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Red Is In

... in Starbucks coffee branches, that is.


It's that time of the year when everywhere you look, you see red (i.e. from tumblers to mugs to paper cups to (overhead) menus to barista shirts). I'm not too keen with this year's paper cups design and I can't help but miss last year's design. But I digress. This also means that the promo cards to be used to collect stickers for the Starbucks Limited Edition Planner are out. This year, one has to purchase 9 featured holiday beverages and 8 other beverages of your choice. The three featured holiday drinks (Dark Cherry Mocha, Toffee Nut Latte, and Peppermint Mocha) aren't really new and are just making a comeback.

As for the planner... We've had a look and feel of the planner and have come to say this: I like it that I cannot decide which cover design to choose. If last year, we were given 3 colors (red, blue, and black) to choose from. This year, we are given 3 cover designs (coffee bean plant, coffee beans roasting, and an espresso shot) to decide on. In addition, each cover has it's own texture as well (rough, knotted surface for the coffee beans roasting shot, sanded leather-like for the coffee bean shot, and velvety sking for the espresso shot). The planner comes with coupons (6 of these), very much like that of 2006's. It's light and handy, so there's no problem with me carrying it around. Checking the insides, it looks as if it's based on a business-type planner. It's not a good thing for me because I like a journal-type since I like listing down my things-to-do and writing down thoughts here and there. Other than that, I'd say this planner passes my taste.

Red... Peppermint Mocha... Planner closeup look. Hmm.. Could be why I am on a high today?

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A Couple of Years After

See this item here?

It's one of my bag must-haves - along with my wallet, keys, mobile phone, kikay kit, and planner. If you haven't figured out what it is, it's my 2 years and 4 months old Nintendo DS Lite. Since it is it's 2nd year, I'm giving you two reasons why this here is special to me: (1) it was given to me by Rai as a birthday gift and (2) the cover artwork is me (back when I was still sporting a semi-curly hair), drawn and colored by none other than Rai (yep, he draws and is good at it :) now that's a Rai trivia for you).

Two years ago, I was still bent on purchasing a PSP. I remember chatting with him about this when he suggested NDS Lite instead. He thought it matched my personality better. I had to research and check out the difference between those two as well as the games available for each one. I later found out that some people think that DS is for kids while the other is not. If that's what Ken meant when he suggested DS for me, I can only guess. :p

Honestly, I'm not much of a gamer. As a kid, I didn't spend much time playing family computer or what-have-you's and was more into reading. The end result is that now, I can't relate to most people when they discuss 80's games. Being a late bloomer that I am, I am discovering some classic and/or famous games because of this handheld game console.

In two years, this handy gadget became a reminder of some sort of how Rai has influenced me to nurture that kid in me. It kept me company during long MRT rides. It had been a tool to inculcate fun bonding moments with our close office-friends. I'd say it has served its purpose... and still continues to do so. :)

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Red Cups in About 3 Days

Only a few more days before we see those red cups (for hot drinks) and taste those featured holiday drinks once again. Also, I hear there will be new food offerings starting November 4, too.

Most importantly, it's only a matter of 3 days before we see Starbucks' 2010 Planner. (By the way, that, there on the image above is one of the covers we will be seeing for this coming year's planner. It seems it's going to be a notebook-type the 3rd time around. *yey for me*).

So while I wait, let me enjoy some of what are available for now... :)

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That Starbucks Christmas Tradition

By now, most people are probably waiting for Starbucks to officially introduce the holiday drinks as well as release the promo cards needed to get that much coveted 2010 Starbucks Planner. Based from the barista I asked, it will be on November 4. So, 10 days from now, people will start scrambling to drink the featured drinks just to have the planner. At the same time, it's also this time when some people would smirk and think what a capitalist ploy this is. Yes, it only applies here in the Philippines (apparently, Starbucks in other countries do not have this kind of promo).

You can actually put me in the group that's trying to complete whatever number of stickers are needed to have the planner as a 'reward'. I started December 2005 and got the 2006 Starbucks planner as my first.
Truth be told, I really don't think I'm wasting money on something that can be bought cheaper if it's another brand because I'm a Starbucks patron after all - either me and my friend/officemates have our break there or i spend time alone at a nearby branch.

I actually enjoy comparing and using the planners every year. Among the planners I got, I still like 2006's the most. It's not bulky. It's not heavy. And it's more of like a notebook. Add to that, it had coupons with it. Planner for 2007 was what I didn't like the most because although it looked more chic, it takes a toll to carry it all the time (required me to carry a durable bag as well). 2008's planner is slimmer and lighter but I have complaints regarding the paper since it's not thick and I can't use my colored gel pens to write on it. I kinda like this year's planner as it kind of resembles 2006's, just that I didn't like the colors that much (the black one looked like a Bible and the blue one looked like a record book that's why I chose the red).

I'm hoping the planner for next year will be easy to lug around as I bring mine everyday and everywhere. Cute designs plus quality paper would be ideal, too. Anyone from Starbucks who can read this? :)

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Scribblenauts - Write Anything. Solve Everything

This is one of the best games ever made, and by best I mean intuitive, clever and original. In this age where everybody relies on graphics, gameplay and originality are usually compromised. Unsuspectingly 5th Cell, the makers of Scribblenauts for NDS, was able to pull out from their magic hat a never before seen trick.



Retrieve the starite

With Scribblenauts you can virtually write any object to help you solve each level. You can use the freehand notepad or the keyboard to conjure almost limitless possibilities.

With over a hundred levels, each rated by a four star difficulty, your objective as Maxwell is to complete each scenario and acquire the starite. Earn ollars as you progress to purchase new levels. After completing each level it will turn to a star icon to represent your completion, reentering the level will trigger advance mode where you are to complete the level 3 times in a row with the added challenge that any item used during the attempt cannot be used again for the duration of the challenge.

There are two types of levels: puzzle and action. Puzzles are levels where you are faced with a situation that you need to solve like producing an item that fits the requirement, whereas action usually deals with trap doors, switches and may require some dexterity. Of course, this game is not without flaw and the main problem would usually be the tendency of action levels becoming repetitive, but one would argue that it depends on the limitations of one's imagination.



Here's a list of interesting/useful objects I often use during gameplay.
Note: I'll be updating the list from time to time whenever I find something worthy ;)

Combining objects

• Glue
  
• Paste
  
• Tape

Connecting objects

• Cable
  
• Chain
  
• Rope
  
• Vine

Digging

• Jackhammer
  
• Shovel
  
• Spade
  

Flight Small scale (short flight but useful in tight spaces)

• Jetpack
  
• Magic broom
  
• Magic carpet
  
• Wings

Medium scale (permanent flight but limited power to tow)

• Pegasus
  
• Pterodactyl (faster)
  
• Sphinx
  

Big scale (bulky but more powerful) Needs runway

• Plane (all variations)

Omni-directional and floats in air

• Balloon (hot air balloon)
  
• Bomber (stealth bomber and can drop bombs)
  
• Rocketship
  
• Space shuttle (same as rocketship)
  
• UFO (the tractor beam below can lift objects but can also be troublesome)

Hooking

• Fishing rod
  
• Grappling hook

Platforms

• Bridge ladder
  
• Drawbridge

Friendly super powered beings

• God
  
• Superhero
  
• Zeus - see God

Interesting Villains

• Gorgon - turns people into stone, upon defeat, the head can be used once.
  
• Medussa - see Gorgon
  
• Vampire - turns people into ghouls
  
• Witch - uses a wand to turn people into frogs and eats them (ugh)

Unclassified but quite useful

• Blackhole - destroy almost everything in radius before dissipating
  
• Electricity - electrocutes (SPOILER: works wonders on switches)
  
• Garlic - kills a vampire upon contact
  
• Ghost - for scaring unarmed people, does not kill unless provoke
  
• Lightning - see electricity
  
• Magnet - easily attaches with glue, attracts metal
  
• Mech - mobile and shoots bullets!
  
• Poison - very useful for taming beasts such as T-Rex.
  
• Metal spike - very very destructive on contact
  
• Sun - lights a dark area and kills vampires
  
• Thunder - see electricity
  
• Toxicwaste (solid) - make animals sick on contact, turns humans to mutants
  
• Tractor beam - pulls anything in range
  
• Wormhole (destructive) - works exactly like blackhole
  
• Wormhole (intergalactic) - pulls from space a random intergalactic hostile being

Establishments These things don't have much use but usually spawn something

• Heaven - God
  
• Hell - devil
  
• Tomb - spawn limitless zombies (limited to a few onscreen)

Just Interesting

• Edy - summons a T-Rex with bandanna and cannot be tamed
  
• Maxwell - evil look alike that steals items
  
• Meteor - if dropped from sky, destroys everything including Maxwell
  
• Nuke - once activated, destroys everything including Maxwell
  
• Starite
  
• Teleporter
  
• Tsunami - destroys everything including Maxwell
  
• Time machine
  
• Win - gives you a useless starite

You are free to contribute by sending me PMs or post it in the comments below ;)

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2016 Olympics Host Country Finally Announced

The long wait is over.

The decision on the Olympic Venue for 2016 has been made.

Which city do you think won? Chicago, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, or Madrid?

Find out after the skip.

The votes are in. After Chicago being voted off first and Tokyo the next. It was down to Rio de Janeiro and Madrid.

The 2016 Olympics host city is... Rio de Janeiro!

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Cup Noodle Talk for the Rainy Weather

One trivia about Rai is that he is a self-confessed ramen boy. *laughs out loud* No, seriously he is. In fact, his Hong Kong trips would never be complete without him not searching for that one good ramen place.

But since he can't afford to go to every ramen house in town, he has instant noodles as alternative. I feel as if he is partial to Japanese instant noodles... maybe because (what can I say?) they're better compared with the others he has tried. *agrees with him on this*

And if there's one instant noodle that we both love (my sister and another friend are also huge fans), it's this Cup Noodle Seafood Flavor by Nissin. This cup noodle doesn't come in cheap (especially if you're to buy the original) as they range from Php70 to Php100+ in our local supermarkets. Rai might be the better person to comment on how the local version fares with the Japanese version, so I'll leave it to him to do that. :p

Honestly, all that talk is just so I can introduce to you this amusing video I saw earlier. It's a commercial for the new Curry flavor of Nissin's cup noodle that stars Takuya Kimura (also known by many as Kimutaku), a famous Japanese actor and member of a singing group called SMAP.

Japanese as dancing Indians... Indian melody with Japanese lyrics... If that isn't amusing to you, I don't know what is. *lol*

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Post-MIBF 2009

I've recently been flooding this blog of event posts mainly because these are events I, myself want (or wanted) to be a part of. Unluckily for me (in as much as there are people willing to accompany me), it was just impossible to catch a Cine Europa movie because of time constraint. We did try, we just failed. *cries* And since I am currently swamped with work-related stuff, I didn't try to ask anyone anymore if they wanted to catch one of those Korean film fest entries with me. That's two missed film fest opportunities.

Nonetheless, as a consolation, I was able to go to that Manila International Book Fair (held at SMX Convention Hall of SM Mall of Asia) last Saturday. The good thing here is that I dragged not just Rai but also some of our college friends to the said fair. Coincidentally, Kulit was also inside the convention hall that time we were there, thus, making the whole accidental meetup seem like a mini-reunion of some sort.

*someone's semi-sleeping on the first pic LOL*

As for the real reason I was there... Yes, the book fair did not disappoint. There were good deals and there were good deals all around. For Php20 as an entrance fee, you get to devour books to your heart's content or buy discounted books and even get some of these signed by their authors.

I only had an hour though to check out the all the booths and honestly, I wasn't able to do just that. Instead, I went straight to those that I was really raring to visit and spent the rest of my time to see the other booths.

[The following 4 images were taken using a camera phone]


From where I got my purchases

How was my loot, you might ask? Well. I didn't get to bring home as much as I wanted to (aside from having limited time, I also had limited funds) but...

It's all good. In fact, this early, I can't wait for next year's! :)

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Korean Film Festival 2009 at Shangri-la

Cine Europa ended its run at the Shangri-la Plaza Mall last Sunday, September 20. For those who get a kick watching international movies, you will be happy to know that there will be a new film festival starting tomorrow. The Embassy of the Republic of Korea presents the 2009 Koren Film Festival from September 23 to 29, 2009 at Shangri-la Cineplex Cinema 3. Admission is still free.

To see the schedule and movie synopses, check out these images

As a tip from someone who was raring to see at least one Cine Europa entry but ended up seeing none (*boohoo*), I suggest anyone planning to catch this Korean film festival to line up really early for the tickets. The first time we tried our luck, we got to the venue 15 minutes before the 7:30 movie. Ticket staff told us that they give out tickets 30 minutes before the actual screening time (last I heard, they were giving it out 1 hour prior to the movie). I guess this is how it is when a movie is shown for free. No doubt about it though, it's not like one can not get hold of a copy of the said movies and be able to watch it in the comfort of your own home. Then again, sometimes nothing beats the experience of watching a movie inside a cinema (unless you have your own movie room in your house), right?

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Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) 2009

Book lovers are in for a treat as the 30th Manila International Book Fair is just around the corner. The fair will be open from September 16-20, 2009 (10:00am - 8:00pm) at Exhibit Halls 1-4 SMX Convention Center in Mall of Asia Complex.

Founded 30 years ago, the said fair not only provides a venue for people to "celebrate their love for books". It also provides a venue for publishers "to promote new titles and authors", as what the official MIBF website states.

Events such as forums, book launching, live performances, storytelling sessions, and even cosplay competitions are to be expected. There will be fees charged for the forums at affordable prices.

Interested individuals can even get FREE admission tickets. Click here.

From movies to books... I'd say this month is made for people who are into these like me. :)

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12th Cine Europa at Shangri-la

The 12th European Film Festival will run from September 11 to 20 at the Premier Theater of Shangri-la Plaza Mall. The festival then moves in Octopber to Cebu City and Cagayan de Oro City. A total of 18 box-office hits and award winning films from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom will be shown in their original language. Since the purpose of Cine Europa is to expose local movie enthusiasts to not only the film tradition in Europe but also the European culture, admission is free but on a first-come, first served basis.

The schedule is as follows:

Synopses can be found in this Facebook page.

As for me, I hope I get to watch these:

(1) The Last Summer for a coming-of-age fix, (2) The Blind Flyers for something youth-oriented same with (3) Rascals on the Road, (4) The Duchess for some period drama, and (5) Love is All for an early Christmas treat.

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