Several months ago, I made this entry in February...

While sitting on a couch yesterday at Starbucks with a bunch of other friends, we actually managed to think of a brand new play concept to write. It's a challenge, but it would be interesting. And it also takes place at a coffee shop.

It's funny how we manage to think a lot while in Starbucks.

It all started with how we were all trying to nab the couches in the coffee shop, and I insisted sitting on one particular couch because I like sitting by the window. Eventually, what I had simply said had become a whole new idea...

Kopihaus # 8.

Hahaha, and then it became a thesis film production by Nicco, Drei, Blonski, Alvin and Mervin. They started shooting last Thursday, and I got to taste the kopihaus experience this entire weekend.

(First shooting days...)

My hands are tired. I've been typing since yesterday. Plus I'm hungry. I'm out for now.

Yesterday was Nicco's 20th birthday...



HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NICCO !!!

Ahehehe, what's with the photo? I figured it was appropriate to put in that photo because almost exactly last year, just a couple of days before his birthday, we restaged Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

To quote a few lines from Rent...

I can't believe a year went by so fast
Time to see what we have time to see
Turn the projector on...

(Back on this day moments...)

Anyway, what else have I been up to?

Met up with Nikki and Remus yesterday evening at CCP so we can watch Il Postino at the Dream Theater, as part of the Italian Film Festival. Nikki and I had already seen one film, Le Fate Ignoranti (Those Ignorant Fairies), and had skipped the next one after that. I enjoyed that first film, and equally loved this one too. It showed the friendship of a postman and Pablo Neruda while the latter was in exile in Italy.

After the film, we went to Madison, because Nicco had sent me a text message earlier (while I was on the jeep to CCP) to come to the condo because he bought pizza. When we got there, there was this huge pile of pizza boxes outside. Drei was the only one around because Nicco and Miko went to Wendy's to buy dinner. As it turned out, there were a lot of people there while Nikki, Remus and I were watching Il Postino. When Miko and Nicco had returned, Nikki and Remus had to leave after a few minutes. So I spent the rest of the evening waiting for Miko to burn some CDs for Nicco before we went home. Miko, I swear, I love your entire music collection. When I have the time, I'll really bring my own CDs and burn all of them, hahaha.

Anyway, I'm out for now. I'm going to have dinner first to kill time. Thanks to Ate Shang, I got tickets to tonight's screening of Flight Plan at Glorietta 4. Thank you, cuz! Woohoo, ever since Rie had mentioned this movie, I've always wanted to see it.

Last April, I lent Maika's sisters my video camera with some footage as a birthday surprise for her debut. They haven't returned it yet because we couldn't seem to find the time to see each other. Finally, Maika and I had agreed to meet up at Robinson's Galleria last night so she and her older sister can return it.

I stayed in Gloria Jeans so I can grab my favorite white chocolate oreo chiller while waiting for them. My eyes started wandering about, watching the people inside the mall. Suddenly I saw two very familiar people approach the table next to where I was sitting. It was unmistakably Shaira and Cocoy. Apparently they had come because Shai had a meeting with the girl at the next table for an upcoming racket.

While Shai and the other girl got together to talk, Cocoy sat at my table and we finally got to talk. The last time I saw them, all we ever got from each other were hellos and goodbyes because they were at a gig and had to leave right away. And that was ages ago.

Anyway, it was fun getting to talk to Cocoy again. After disappearing for over a year, he still considered us barkada. He kept saying how things were totally different ever since our crowd had left, and how he missed hanging out with us. Hahaha, when he mentioned that, I remembered how 3 of us would meet at McDo Taft with Jill, Maika, Diane and even Memey and Dandan. I didn't really know how sincere he was, because I've become pretty wary ever since I heard the ever famous "I know a guilty face when I see one" line. Anyway, both of us were laughing at his comments with the people he ended up seeing when a bunch of us had decided to "lie low." He compared people's looks at first, which was a tad superficial, but flattering. Even more when he compared the relationship of the people around them. He kept saying they were different; they weren't the barkada, that they were just fans. It may be mean, but I've heard one of those comments before from someone else, but a milder version. I just paraphrased everything here. Cocoy, on the other hand, can be a bit tactless sometimes even if he's just joking around. And speaking of tactless, he took a step further when he and Shai were about to leave. "Ano sasabihin ko kay Jerome para sa iyo pag nakita ko siya?" Nyak. Two years ago, I would've been flustered if he said that. So with a smug smile and the same joking tone, I just quipped, "I have a life, hahahaha!"

Rain, I finally put that line to good use, ahehehe.

Other than that, it was great to see Maika again. My adopted cuz from Taft, hahaha. Next time, we gotta find more time to hang out. I missed you, Maix! Hahaha, I know this is too late, but I sure wish I could've seen your face when you saw what I had sent your sisters for your 18th birthday.

Oh well.

I can't wait for Thursday. Tricia and I are going to watch Peachy in LSGH Cue Drama Club's production of Aida. Break a leg, Peach! Of course, I have to fly from my office to the venue, but it's gonna be worth it, hahahaha.

I'm out for now.

I went to see LSGH Cue Drama Club's production of Aida last Thursday evening with Tricia and Teena.

I managed to get out of the office half an hour earlier because Peachy had said that the show starts at 6pm. I met up with Teena at Robinson's Galleria at around 5:30 and found Tricia near the gate of LSGH. When we reached the St. Joseph's Theater, we found that the show had already started, and it was only 15 minutes before 6. When we got inside, the chorus of boys were already performing "Another Pyramid." Darn, I really wanted to see how they did the opening number at the museum. When I asked Peachy about this later, she said that even she was surprised that they started early. She was still dressing up when they had already played the flag ceremony.

The show was pretty good for a high school production. You could hear some voices that were a tad off, but other than that, they were good. Peachy was spectacular as Aida, and I'm not being biased. Hahaha, I had forgotten that I was in an exclusive boys school, so during the scene of "My Strongest Suit," I could hear all the murmuring and whispering all over the audience because of what all the girls were wearing.

Hahaha, I loved AJ's sassy interpretation of Princess Amneris. She was perfect for the role.

There were a few glitches on the technical side, like the intelligent lights suddenly splashing the audience with open white, follow spots getting delayed, and of course, Peachy's mic that went out during her final song with Radames. Thank goodness the rest of the cast had the presence of mind to drag her to the boom mics. Next time, there should be a separate battery for Act 1 and Act 2.

Other than that, there was this one particular light change that I totally loved. Hahaha, there was this one outdoor scene between Aida and Radames, and after a swift light change, you could tell that Radames was suddenly indoors at the Egyptian palace with Amneris. Coolness!

Oh yeah, the set designer was still the same designer they had before. Yep, the very same Mang Boying that we hired for our thesis. The Aida set, which was set in Egypt, by the way, looked similar to the Egyptian set of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (both Cue's and ours).

Teehee, it was amusing during the scene when Mereb had died. You could hear the entire audience say "Awwww..." after he had uttered his last words.

CONGRATULATIONS, PEACHY!!!

After the show, we were dragged by Peachy everywhere backstage, hahaha. Every time she introduced Tricia, she would say "This is my twin." Alys was also backstage, uber thin as ever (way too thin, I have to say). And I'll never forget when Peachy let me smell a scent that she sprayed on her hands. Holy kamote, why did she have to let me smell that? It kept lingering around my nose until the next day.

When we finally managed to get out of the school, Teena and I had dinner with Peachy, EJ, Tita Yolly and Mae-C at this super cheap and uber-yummy place somewhere in Metrowalk.

Anyway, in other news...

I met up with Mish at Starbucks Taft last Friday. We spent the entire night inside and outside the coffee shop, just talking over coffee jelly and cinnamon swirls, hahaha. Caught up on each other's news, like that event she organized along with Dang and Jhoi, and her lovelife, hahaha. It's amusing how Mish can be quiet when we talk with a bigger crowd of more than 4 people, but when it's just the two of us, we never seem to run out of things to talk about. Hahaha, when my mom was already texting me to come home, we kept finding these extra minutes for bits and pieces of stories. What was that, Mish? "Ibalik ang kahapon?" WAHAHAHAHA! Oops, I wonder who else is reading this? Wehehehehe...

I saw Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire last night with Rosa, Aris, PJ, Ramon, Gonx, Josh and Mavic. Hehehe, we were supposed to watch it at ATC, but then they ran out of tickets, so Aris and Rosa went to Festival Mall to get tickets for all of us for the 7pm screening. The movie was pretty good. I could hear Rosa's commentaries and other comments all throughout the show because I hadn't read the book in ages, but it was pretty funny because I wasn't doing much of the comments for once, ahehehe.

Oh yeah, while we were waiting for 7pm to arrive (and after Rosa's little mishap that had us running to the department store), we had dinner at Almon Marina. I recommended the New York, New York sandwich for her, hehehehe. Yummy. Anyway, while we were sitting there, we finally came up with a name for the puppy that I was getting from Iam. Because Rosa had already decided on "Sushie" and "Makie" for her own pup and for her tito, we came up with "Terie", hahahahaha!

Anyway, dinner time for me. Ciao for now, y'all.

Was watching the bootleg of Wicked again this morning.

Oooh, I wonder who could play Galinda/Glinda if in a Manila production?

My golly, I'm long overdue for an update. Well, there's nothing much that has been happening this past week anyway.

Despite this lousy week, I still looked forward to last Tuesday's coffee session with Mish. As usual, we spent the first part of the evening inside Starbucks talking over our coffee jelly frappuccinos, then we moved outside so she can smoke to her heart's content and still keep our conversation going. I sure wish I could find more people like that, people I can easily talk to about anything.

Later that night we found ourselves holed up in Madison once again with Miko, Nicco and Drei, watching Sky High, hahaha. I didn't get to finish the movie though, because I had to get home partly because my mom was already looking for me, but also because my eyes were ready to cave in.

Early last week, Lyn had texted me saying that she was in Manila! But darn, because our schedules kept conflicting, I didn't get to see her at all. I sure hope that we get to finally see each other the next time she comes to visit, because I have yet to meet little Caitlyn. I miss the girl who once screamed for Ice MoOoOnsterrrr, hahaha.

Jun had asked me to come with him to UST to check out the venue for his upcoming recital (which will be this Friday, December 2nd). I was supposed to help him out, like dressing the stage, and other production work, but I suddenly had other commitments. He also mentioned a recording, and he let me tag along to that as well. Because of the lousy traffic, we moved our visit to UST to the evening and went straight to the Fort to have a late lunch at Pancake House while we killed time for the recording. Then when we had our fill, off we went to Jupiter street.

As it turned out, the recording was for this videoke thing. He was referred by a friend, and was asked to sing 3 songs by Christian Bautista ("The Way You Look at Me," "Say That You Love Me," and "Colour Everywhere"). Hahaha, I forgot how cold it can get in the studio (I could still remember Tita Sherbet reminding me to bring a jacket to Greenhills Sound 2 years ago when they were recording this certain acoustic album). So by the middle of "Say That You Love Me," I was already curling up on the couch, sending various text messages to keep my fingers from freezing, wahahaha.

Tita Sherbs, you were right, it didn't really take that long, just a little over an hour for those 3 songs. Anyway, when they had wrapped up, Mylene (the one who did the recording) asked if we knew anyone else who can sing, because they had a bunch of MYMP songs to record. She also specified someone with a youthful voice, so we immediately agreed to call on Kathy for those songs.

When we got to UST, we went straight to the Education building where the Music department also was. When I saw the rehearsal/recital hall where the show was gonna be held, it was disappointing. It looked like just a classroom with a platform in front to serve as a stage. Oh well. Good luck.

Yesterday, I went to CSB to catch Rian, Arman and Rizza's thesis, Weder-Weder. I could still remember Rian talking about it since last year, because he wrote it himself. The cast included Rian, Miko, Nicco, Drei, Henry, Rie, Drew, Cris, Cathy and even Lye and Ann were there as extras. From Rian's first entrance up to his last song, his guitar-strummer narrator persona reminded me of some other character. I couldn't tell what yet, but I know I've seen that type of character at least once before. But I love his lines. I found myself nodding slightly in agreement. And I have to admit, when he got choked up in the middle of one of his solos, it was highly contagious.

The vignettes were cleverly written, yeah, but some of the technicals didn't cooperate, like some mics were off, and light cues were messed up because they didn't know whether there would be a blackout or not. (Oh yeah, Krys, check it out. Nathan was the lighting designer and boardman.) Because of the lights that they managed to get, I could hear the loud *click click click* of the switches. Anyway, there were performers that stood out due to their singing voices, and some due to their overall acting. I loved how some of them managed to flesh out their characters. Sometimes the scenes seemed to look like they were music videos that were adapted for the stage.

Congrats to RIAN, ARMAN and RIZZA!!!
Congrats to the Weder-Weder cast and crew!!!

I got a text from Iam late this morning, about news of her Japanese spitz puppies. Tita Beng, this is for you.


Photo courtesy of Iam Pugeda.

Meet Terrie/Johnny. This little bundle of joy going to be the newest addition in our family in about a couple of weeks, thanks to Iam, Rosa, Snowie and Debbie. Isn't he adorable? Hmmm... should I keep the blue ribbon? Hahaha! And to think it's my favorite color. Anyway, according to Iam, instead of waiting a little more before they're to be given away, her dad said that it's about time. I think it's probably because their backyard's becoming a "land mine," ahehehe.

Oooh, in case I won't be able to log in tomorrow...

Advanced Happy Birthday to Tita Sherbet!!!
Miss you, Mami Sherbs!

I'm out for now. Till the next update, whenever that will be.