On my way home last night, a guy passenger sat beside me in the bus and he was engaging me in a conversation...
GUY: Buendia ka rin?
ME: Hindi ho.
GUY: Saan? Baclaran? Leveriza?
ME: DTI ho (Whut #1).
GUY: Ah. Nag-aaral ka pa?
ME: Oho.
GUY: Saan?
ME: UE ho (Whut #2).
GUY: Ah. Anong course mo?
ME: Accounting ho (Whut #3).
GUY: Ah. (Extends a hand.) Jeff nga pala.
ME: (Nods 'politely' and smiles 'serenely'.)
GUY: Ikaw?
ME: Mary (Whut #4).
Da moves ni Kuya eh. Di mo malaman kung flirt o maniac eh. Haha! Feeling maganda lang ako. Baka naman 'friendly' lang :)
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Sunday, August 24, 2014
PETA :D
This post is another delayed post. Sorry! And this is about the two plays I recently watched, both produced by PETA (Philippine Educational Theater Association) - Rak of Aegis and Batang Rizal.
So first, Rak of Aegis...
The moment I entered the theater, all I could think of was WOAH! The set is just so wonderful. Who would have thought that you can put flood and rain in a small place such as a theater? Thanks to the scenographer of Rak of Aegis, Mio Infante. However, the theater of PETA has a downside, since I only purchased a balcony ticket and PETA operates in a first come, first serve manner, it is not easy to secure a good seat (not unless you come extra early). And I think, finding a good seat is also hard even to those who are seated in the orchestra because there are only monoblock chairs and those are not elevated so it is hard to see if you are seated at the back part.
But despite the inconvenience of finding a good seat, the totality of the show was just superb. I was lucky enough to be able to witness Isay Alvarez, Robert Sena, and Kakay Bautista in the production. Them, together with the whole cast were just magnificent. They made me fall in love harder to theater, especially to Filipino made musical theater. Their voices were just AWESOME! They brought the songs of Aegis to a whole new level, making those songs transform from the usual videoke hits to something close to our hearts.
It was actually fun to see Isay and Robert act quite antagonistic with each other, given the fact that they are real life wedded couple. And I guess knowing the fact that they are spouses made their characters more kakilig.
I guess what really made Rak of Aegis patok to its audience is because of the reality shown in the play. It was like seeing the reality we are experiencing but not being part of it. The play showed how optimistic we Filipinos are, despite the calamities we are facing. The play also showed that despite the corruption present in our country, there are still other government officials who really care for the community they are representing. But most of all, Rak of Aegis showed the Filipinos' ability to love unconditionally.
My favorite part of the play were during Tolits and Aileen's duet with all those gigantic bubbles, of course the magnificent rain scene, and most of all, Isay and Robert's snide about each other.
Another remarkable person in Rak of Aegis who I think brought everything to life was the guy playing Jewel who also appears in Batang Rizal, which I am sharing next.
My friend Kat was the one who told our Stick-O tropa about Batang Rizal, and it was me, Kat, and another tropa of us, Florian who watched the show which was held at Star Theater at CCP Complex.
The story of Batang Rizal was about Pepe (the young Jose Rizal) time traveled with Pepito (a modern kid) to our present time. Pepito was the first to time travel to Pepe's time and Pepito brought Pepe to present.
Batang Rizal tackled more than the history of our national hero, the play also discussed the power of friendship and what makes bullying so wrong.
The play was very child friendly, fun to watch, and with wonderful set pieces, good songs, and a very good stage management. However, my friends and I were quite skeptic about Pepe's character. Instead of sounding like an innocent child, he sounded more of like Budoy and Nino. Sorry for this comment but I think if the production team of Batang Rizal reads this, they will be able to enhance Pepe's character and make him sound like a child and not like a special child.
But what made me like Batang Rizal despite my skepticism with Pepe's portrayal, was how the show taught me that performing, specifically theater acting, does not just exist for the purpose of entertainment - theater is there to educate people. It is created to teach people things that are not normally and usually discussed in the four walls of the classroom. The play made me realize the reason why I want to become a theater actor - because I want to perform and I also want to teach, and that teaching and performing are not different things.
So first, Rak of Aegis...
The moment I entered the theater, all I could think of was WOAH! The set is just so wonderful. Who would have thought that you can put flood and rain in a small place such as a theater? Thanks to the scenographer of Rak of Aegis, Mio Infante. However, the theater of PETA has a downside, since I only purchased a balcony ticket and PETA operates in a first come, first serve manner, it is not easy to secure a good seat (not unless you come extra early). And I think, finding a good seat is also hard even to those who are seated in the orchestra because there are only monoblock chairs and those are not elevated so it is hard to see if you are seated at the back part.
But despite the inconvenience of finding a good seat, the totality of the show was just superb. I was lucky enough to be able to witness Isay Alvarez, Robert Sena, and Kakay Bautista in the production. Them, together with the whole cast were just magnificent. They made me fall in love harder to theater, especially to Filipino made musical theater. Their voices were just AWESOME! They brought the songs of Aegis to a whole new level, making those songs transform from the usual videoke hits to something close to our hearts.
It was actually fun to see Isay and Robert act quite antagonistic with each other, given the fact that they are real life wedded couple. And I guess knowing the fact that they are spouses made their characters more kakilig.
I guess what really made Rak of Aegis patok to its audience is because of the reality shown in the play. It was like seeing the reality we are experiencing but not being part of it. The play showed how optimistic we Filipinos are, despite the calamities we are facing. The play also showed that despite the corruption present in our country, there are still other government officials who really care for the community they are representing. But most of all, Rak of Aegis showed the Filipinos' ability to love unconditionally.
My favorite part of the play were during Tolits and Aileen's duet with all those gigantic bubbles, of course the magnificent rain scene, and most of all, Isay and Robert's snide about each other.
Another remarkable person in Rak of Aegis who I think brought everything to life was the guy playing Jewel who also appears in Batang Rizal, which I am sharing next.
My friend Kat was the one who told our Stick-O tropa about Batang Rizal, and it was me, Kat, and another tropa of us, Florian who watched the show which was held at Star Theater at CCP Complex.
The story of Batang Rizal was about Pepe (the young Jose Rizal) time traveled with Pepito (a modern kid) to our present time. Pepito was the first to time travel to Pepe's time and Pepito brought Pepe to present.
Batang Rizal tackled more than the history of our national hero, the play also discussed the power of friendship and what makes bullying so wrong.
The play was very child friendly, fun to watch, and with wonderful set pieces, good songs, and a very good stage management. However, my friends and I were quite skeptic about Pepe's character. Instead of sounding like an innocent child, he sounded more of like Budoy and Nino. Sorry for this comment but I think if the production team of Batang Rizal reads this, they will be able to enhance Pepe's character and make him sound like a child and not like a special child.
But what made me like Batang Rizal despite my skepticism with Pepe's portrayal, was how the show taught me that performing, specifically theater acting, does not just exist for the purpose of entertainment - theater is there to educate people. It is created to teach people things that are not normally and usually discussed in the four walls of the classroom. The play made me realize the reason why I want to become a theater actor - because I want to perform and I also want to teach, and that teaching and performing are not different things.
***
Rak of Aegis is still showing so do not miss your chance! Meet everyone from Barangay Venecia :D And coming this September 2014 is PETA's FnL Pinoy Speaks.
THEATER ROCKS!
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Goodbyes
This post is long over due. These events happened last August 6 and 7
but I was too busy to share what happened. But now, since there is no
classes (Ninoy Aquino Day) I will share two unfortunate events of my
life: my phone was snatched from my hands on my way home, and our family
pet cat had gone AWOL (but she's back now, thank God).
So on August 6, on my way home from I cannot remember where, I rode the jeepney from Baclaran. We were along Coastal Road, when the traffic lights turn red and we had to stop. I was reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ebook on my phone and the chapter I was in was Chapter 30: Pensieve, I was also listening through my earphones to a song of ABBA. In the ebook, something was about to happen to Harry when in reality, a hand suddenly came from outside the jeepney and took hold of my phone and snatched it away. I was not holding my phone tightly but I tried to tug it from the snatcher by pulling my earphones, of course the earphones just came out of the headset socket and the perpetrator managed to run away. All I could do was to shout "F*ck, yung phone ko (F*ck, my phone!)" Which was of course did not help. I did not dare run after him because (1) the snatcher was already ahead of me by five meters, (2) the snatcher knew what he was doing, and by the looks of it, he was already a pro in snatching, (3) I am a slow runner, and (4) the jeepney I was riding will surely leave me behind when the traffic lights turn green.
And there I sat, shocked with what just happened and stared at my co-passengers dazedly. I heard them murmuring, "Marami talagang magnanakaw dito sa lugar na 'to (There are really many snatchers in this area), "Grabe, bata pa yun oh (Woah, the snatcher was still young!)" and sadly, there is nothing I can do about it. I asked the passenger on my left if I could text my mother with her phone and she let me (and ironically, my mother did not receive my text).
The rest is history, my My| Phone Rio Fun is no longer my phone. The Smurfs' Village I was playing (and had undergone reset thrice already) is gone forever. And the photos I had with celebrities were lost as well, thank goodness to Instagram I still have an Instasize copy.
The next day, our family cat (Jerbie) escaped. I was watching the preview of The Last 5 Years at CPR Auditorium in RCBC (try to get your tickets, it is a wonderful show) when my mother texted me "Wala na si Gerbie, nakatakas siya. Hindi ko makita (Gerbie's gone. She escaped and I cannot find her.)" I cannot focus on the show anymore, I was restless. I wanted to teleport home right then and there and look for her. When the production called for a break, I went home. I searched in the darkness to find her. I called out Jerbie's name while crying. The people in the neighborhood came looking for our cat as well. I looked for her for more than 30 minutes but to no avail. An old man even told me to go home and he will look for her in the morning. I grudgingly walked home.
The next day, before my 7:30AM class (which was Cinema), I could not help but sob. My friends and classmates were shocked and surrounded me asking what is wrong, consoling me, patting my back, and stuff. I could not bare the people surrounded me so I shouted "Layuan mo ako, Bryan! F*ck (Bryan, leave me alone! F*ck!)" Unfortunately, my professor was just right outside the door and heard my outburst.
The rest of the day, I was dazed. I could not easily laugh. I was even silent than usual. And I did not even joke around with my friends. At home, my mother was also morose. Every time I pass by Jerbie's cage, I could not help but feel a pang of sadness and I would feel the urge to cry.
The next day (a Saturday), I ushered for a debut. Compared to the previous day, I was more lively, but not as lively as I usually am. The debut lasted probably until two in the morning but I went home around 12 midnight. I rode a cab with my co-debut workers Kuya Marcel and Teacher Howie but I got off at Heritage Hotel to ride a jeepney.
I was sleeping during the ride but when the jeepney passed Talaba, I woke up and got off the jeepney. I got off quite a distance from the terminal so I have to walk. As I was walking, I realized that I rode the jeepney going directly to another terminal. Having no choice, I rode another jeepney passing a different route but still would lead me home. Amazingly, I was awake during the second jeepney ride. I was actually wondering why since I wasn't conscious during my first jeepney ride. Since I was awake, I stared out the window to look for signs of Jerbie. I passed this school near where I live, with its doorway lit and a black and white cat sitting. At first, I thought it was Jerbie but I noticed that the cat was bigger than ours so I ignored it. I got off the jeepney and was about to walk home when I had a second thought, maybe I should check it out, after all it was just a distance away. So instead of walking home, I walked the opposite way and headed for the school.
As I passed a wooden cart, I looked down and saw... JERBIE! She was sitting there, looking lost. I crouched in front of her and took hold of her. She squirmed at first but probably upon realizing who I was, she relaxed in my arms. She and I rode the tricycle home. I was screaming "Ma! Nakuha ko na si Jerbie (Ma! I got Jerbie!)" when I got home, waking the whole house. And well, we are living happily ever after :D.
So on August 6, on my way home from I cannot remember where, I rode the jeepney from Baclaran. We were along Coastal Road, when the traffic lights turn red and we had to stop. I was reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ebook on my phone and the chapter I was in was Chapter 30: Pensieve, I was also listening through my earphones to a song of ABBA. In the ebook, something was about to happen to Harry when in reality, a hand suddenly came from outside the jeepney and took hold of my phone and snatched it away. I was not holding my phone tightly but I tried to tug it from the snatcher by pulling my earphones, of course the earphones just came out of the headset socket and the perpetrator managed to run away. All I could do was to shout "F*ck, yung phone ko (F*ck, my phone!)" Which was of course did not help. I did not dare run after him because (1) the snatcher was already ahead of me by five meters, (2) the snatcher knew what he was doing, and by the looks of it, he was already a pro in snatching, (3) I am a slow runner, and (4) the jeepney I was riding will surely leave me behind when the traffic lights turn green.
And there I sat, shocked with what just happened and stared at my co-passengers dazedly. I heard them murmuring, "Marami talagang magnanakaw dito sa lugar na 'to (There are really many snatchers in this area), "Grabe, bata pa yun oh (Woah, the snatcher was still young!)" and sadly, there is nothing I can do about it. I asked the passenger on my left if I could text my mother with her phone and she let me (and ironically, my mother did not receive my text).
The rest is history, my My| Phone Rio Fun is no longer my phone. The Smurfs' Village I was playing (and had undergone reset thrice already) is gone forever. And the photos I had with celebrities were lost as well, thank goodness to Instagram I still have an Instasize copy.
The next day, our family cat (Jerbie) escaped. I was watching the preview of The Last 5 Years at CPR Auditorium in RCBC (try to get your tickets, it is a wonderful show) when my mother texted me "Wala na si Gerbie, nakatakas siya. Hindi ko makita (Gerbie's gone. She escaped and I cannot find her.)" I cannot focus on the show anymore, I was restless. I wanted to teleport home right then and there and look for her. When the production called for a break, I went home. I searched in the darkness to find her. I called out Jerbie's name while crying. The people in the neighborhood came looking for our cat as well. I looked for her for more than 30 minutes but to no avail. An old man even told me to go home and he will look for her in the morning. I grudgingly walked home.
The next day, before my 7:30AM class (which was Cinema), I could not help but sob. My friends and classmates were shocked and surrounded me asking what is wrong, consoling me, patting my back, and stuff. I could not bare the people surrounded me so I shouted "Layuan mo ako, Bryan! F*ck (Bryan, leave me alone! F*ck!)" Unfortunately, my professor was just right outside the door and heard my outburst.
The rest of the day, I was dazed. I could not easily laugh. I was even silent than usual. And I did not even joke around with my friends. At home, my mother was also morose. Every time I pass by Jerbie's cage, I could not help but feel a pang of sadness and I would feel the urge to cry.
The next day (a Saturday), I ushered for a debut. Compared to the previous day, I was more lively, but not as lively as I usually am. The debut lasted probably until two in the morning but I went home around 12 midnight. I rode a cab with my co-debut workers Kuya Marcel and Teacher Howie but I got off at Heritage Hotel to ride a jeepney.
I was sleeping during the ride but when the jeepney passed Talaba, I woke up and got off the jeepney. I got off quite a distance from the terminal so I have to walk. As I was walking, I realized that I rode the jeepney going directly to another terminal. Having no choice, I rode another jeepney passing a different route but still would lead me home. Amazingly, I was awake during the second jeepney ride. I was actually wondering why since I wasn't conscious during my first jeepney ride. Since I was awake, I stared out the window to look for signs of Jerbie. I passed this school near where I live, with its doorway lit and a black and white cat sitting. At first, I thought it was Jerbie but I noticed that the cat was bigger than ours so I ignored it. I got off the jeepney and was about to walk home when I had a second thought, maybe I should check it out, after all it was just a distance away. So instead of walking home, I walked the opposite way and headed for the school.
As I passed a wooden cart, I looked down and saw... JERBIE! She was sitting there, looking lost. I crouched in front of her and took hold of her. She squirmed at first but probably upon realizing who I was, she relaxed in my arms. She and I rode the tricycle home. I was screaming "Ma! Nakuha ko na si Jerbie (Ma! I got Jerbie!)" when I got home, waking the whole house. And well, we are living happily ever after :D.
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