Thanks, Air Asia!

Do you have personal horror stories of flight delays or airline mishaps? 

My experience with my daughter last June 19, 2016 may not be the worst, I must admit--if I would compare it to those of others' I have read on Facebook--but it was still an inconvenience just the same. Hey, the last thing you would want to do when you are travelling is to be stuck for more than 6 hours in the waiting area of ANY Philippine airport! Er, well, unless you revel on sugar-filling your blood with Cinnabon pastries, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Caramel Ice Blended Drinks, or Megamelt Ensaymada. 

This story is not all whining and complaining though. It has a happy ending. Don't believe it? Well, I feel incredulous about it myself. Anyway, I'm writing this for all of my friends out there who would find themselves in the same predicament.

Anyway, here's my story:

On June 19, our Air Asia flight from Manila to Cebu was at 3:00 p.m. At about 9:00 a.m., Air Asia texted and emailed me that our flight would be moved to 4:10 p.m. Okay, no harm done. At least when they sent their message, it was still early, and we were still at our condo in Katipunan. We even had time to go around BGC and had lunch there.

When we arrived at Terminal 4 an hour before our flight (we checked in online), it was announced that our departure was moved to 6:00 p.m. At this point, we groaned inwardly, but knowing how this is a normal occurrence to all Philippine flights, we just took it a matter-of-factly.

6:00 p.m. passed by...no boarding announcement. At 7:00 p.m., they announced that the passengers of Z2765 shall be given complimentary dinner. We knew that this would mean one thing--a longer delay. Was I thankful for the Jollibee chicken meal? Let's say that I would have rather flown home to Cebu than be eating Chicken Joy with plastic spoon and fork. But beggars couldn't be choosers, right? So I embarrassingly queued for my meal ration. 

At around 8:00 p.m., we were finally asked to board the plane. Tired of waiting for 5 hours, we were just relieved to be boarding. But.....15 minutes.....30 minutes.....an hour passed by. Some passengers had dozed off (my daughter and I included), only to have woken up and found out that we were still at the Manila tarmac and still hadn't taken off. At exactly 9:03, the captain apologetically announced that we had to deplane due to a reason I already forgot. Blame it on the Chicken Joy with rice, instead of spaghetti.

Before this announcement, the passengers were surprisingly quiet and tolerant (probably due to the bribed Jollibee dinner?). But all hell went loose when we were inside the waiting lounge again. Many passengers were angry. One smart-looking lady was shouting about the Philippines' Air Passengers Bill of Rights. That dinner was not enough. That the Airline should not only bring the passengers to the booked destination, but also should reimburse everyone the full amount of ticket. 

With my daughter crying beside me, (out of sheer frustration and exhaustion, no judgment please!), I tried to research online whether that lady passenger's pronouncement was true. 

And so there's really a law protecting passengers, eh? Note to myself: Complain to Air Asia the moment you reach home.

In the meantime, the Air Asia ground staff gave us another round of snacks. I surreptitiously peered at the others who were eager to get their freebies. This time, the staff gave away two packs of chocolate cream sandwiches and a bottle of water. I refused to line up anymore just for empty calorie snacks. No, sir/ma'am.

The minutes ticked like hours. Finally, 15 minutes before 11:00 p.m., we were asked to board again. We took off at 11:10 p.m. and arrived Cebu at around 1:30 a.m.

That was 8 hours of delay. Surely, that would merit a reimbursement or a compensation of some sort. So, I sent a private message to Air Asia through Faceboook. 

After just an hour of sending my message, Air Asia replied and instructed me to fill up a complaint form on their website, which I immediately did.

Today, July 30, 2016, after over a month of filing my complaint, I received an email from Air Asia:

I'm grinning ear to ear. I'm getting Php1,585.72 of credit! I could use this to book a flight within 90 days. I also noted that the actual travel date could be even after the 90-day expiration of the credit shell.

So it's true, folks. The airlines are obliged to give us compensation for a flight delay of at least 6 hours. Sadly, I don't think the other passengers on my flight knew about this. Maybe I was the only one who had the patience to complain. Oh, maybe that feisty lady at the airport also filed one too.

The Air Passengers Bill of Rights is not a myth. Let's fight for our rights, Pinoys!

The Les Miz Fatigue

Let me put this on record that for me, Les Miserables will always be my most favorite musical play of all time.

I was lucky to have watched this spectacular play in 1990 at Broadway in New York when I was with the University of the Philippines Concert Chorus World Tour. I had all the lyrics memorized in my head since the Les Miserables Medley was part of the repertoire we had to sing all over Europe and the United States. So for me to be able to marvel at the original Broadway cast singing right before my untrained eyes, together with my musical friends, was the most surreal feeling.

Hahahaha! 1990 vs. 2016. Spot the differences.

Twenty six years later, I watched Les Miserables again last April 16 at the Solaire Resort and Casino in Manila to celebrate the 22nd wedding anniversary with the Hubby. I even cajoled him into checking in at the Sky Room of Solaire to keep us less focused on the Metro traffic, and more mentally prepared to watch the show.

However, I felt...let's see, how do I put it without being sacrilegious? Unsated? Unmoved? Short-changed? Horror of horrors, I think I even spaced out three times during the show!

I wanted it to work for me, of course, since I had hoped to rub my excitement to the Hubby whom I had to literally beg to come with me (and pay the tickets and the hotel accommodation too! hahaha! ) because he's not into this musical thing-a-ma-jigs. It would be the first musical play for the Hubby ever, and I had wanted him to feel the same near orgasmic explosive experience when I watched it for the first time in 1990.

I felt giddy taking pictures with young Cosette.

But I didn't feel the intensity myself. It fell flat even for me.

Now I wanted to rationalize this. There was something lacking. My heart didn't soar high. My eyes didn't shed a tear. Why? Oh, why?

It wasn't because the cast was bad. Overall, the cast did their parts well, technically.  Jean Valjean and Javert dueled. Marius and Cosette sang and kissed. Enjolras was fiery (although I must say his hips swayed a tad bit higher while marching, which distracted me).

Is it too late for me to audition? 

In fact, Rachel Ann Go as Fantine was a revelation for me. Her English diction was clear and her pitch was perfect. She has really come a long way in the international musical theater scene.

The Hubby was awed at the set. Being an engineer, he sees those things more than the music. The 1990 version I saw had a revolving barricade. Now, we can only see the barricaders' perspective. The other side was just a mix of voice over and lighting effects to show that there were enemies on the opposite side.

So what was it? Was it because I thought that Solaire's stage was smaller? Was it because Eponine seemed to be rushing through her death scene? Was it because Jean Valjean's red tattoo cross on his chest was bigger than his Prisoner No. 24601?

After much thought, I think that what ruined everything for me was the lack of surprise and novelty. In this day and age of the internet, when we can see a gazillion versions of Les Miserables (or any other play for that matter) on YouTube, On My Own and I Dream a Dream are now ordinary pop songs in the mainstream. At least one Lez Miz song get sung as an audition piece on Britain's Got Talent or the Voice Kids. The songs have been watered down as too trite and common.

But what really, really sealed the coffin, I think, was THE movie Les Miserables. Don't get me wrong. I loved what director Tom Hooper did to translate the play to the big screen. I have watched it four times, and it never failed to make me cry. Except for Rusell Crowe who was a miscast as Javert (note: I'll let go of Amanda Siegfied, Cosette was not my favorite character anyway), I thought the cast gave justice to make Les Miz appeal to the masses.

And so maybe this overfamiliarity has made it less special and less thought-provoking. Now, I don't listen to the lyrics, but listen to how this actor compares to that actor when Jean Valjean sings Bring Him Home. I nitpick how all the other Eponines pale in comparison to Lea Salonga's interpretation of On My Own and A Little Fall of Rain at its 10th Anniversary Concert. I don't laugh anymore at the supposedly hilarious antics of the Thenardiers when they sing Master of the House. I was a step ahead while watching the play this time. If I could call it something, I'd probable term it as the Les Miz Fatigue.

One of my UPCC friends gave me a piece of advice on how to enjoy a play---he said to never compare. He said I should free my mind from any expectations, that I shouldn't sing the songs in my head, but listen to them like I am hearing them for the first time. It makes sense, I guess. Yes, Wizard Lionel, I shall do that next time. I promise.

'Wicked' next, anyone?

UPCC Batch 1990 at 25: Day 1, Tito Chef and Villa Crisanta

To start our three-day 25th Anniversary Celebration, we needed an ice breaker, so to speak. Of course, we also needed a general rehearsal for our performances, especially for the Dinner Concert on December 28. We wanted a private place where we could sing and chat loudly, without other guests being disturbed.

So the name Villa Crisanta Garden Resort in Rosario, Batangas came up during the planning phase. It seemed the resort was the most suitable place for us to sleepover, unwind, and practice.

It was a blessing in disguise that Villa Crisanta is owned by the family of a former 1990 UPCC trainee, Virna Caringal-Divino. She has been Lionel Guico's voice student, and so we also invited her to join the group.

The assembly place going to Villa Crisanta was at Chef Menoy's restaurant at BF Homes, Paranaque, Tito Chef Restaurant and All Things Culinary. I arrived Manila from Cebu at around 8:30-ish. My father picked me up at the airport and brought me to Paranaque, where Tito Chef is located. I was initially worried because I thought I would be the first one there, since the assembly time was at 10:00 a.m. It was a good thing that my two best friends, Egay and Nu, were already there. Nu arrived from the Netherlands a few days before, while Egay arrived just on Christmas eve. Unfortunately, one of his baggage was left behind by the airlines at the LA Airport, so he had to go back to the airport early morning of the 26th to retrieve it. That's why they were at Tito Chef earlier than I was.

After a while, the other Chorus members started coming in. What a riot we made inside the resto. Good thing Menoy was THE Tito Chef! No one dared tell us to keep it down! Well, it also helped that it was still a little early for other lunch customers to come in.

These pictures can't capture the noise we made as we saw one another again after so many years of being separated.

If the food was an indication of how successful our event would be, I would say right there and then that everything was coming in full gear, with Chef Menoy ordering food for us. Ang sarap ng brunch!!!! I don't normally show pictures of food that I eat, but this was exceptional. Everything was PURR-fect! (Er, not to mention that the food was on the house courtesy of the great Chef!)

These radiant, smiling faces only mean their tummies are happy too!!!

We were already having a blast at Tito Chef's, I thought we would not go to Batangas anymore!

A big thanks, Chef Menoy! (Check out Tito Chef and All Things Culinary. President's Avenue, corner Adelfa Street, Paranaque City. 02-8425577)

Finally, after satisfying our gastronomic cravings and singing a little bit (of course, we need to earn our meal!), we set off to the South. Traffic was moderate, thank goodness, so we arrived in Rosario, Batangas at around 3-ish.

But first, we needed to stock up on pica pica and some food supplies. Manong Sam, could we pass by SM Hypermart Rosario, please?

What else to do but do a "groufie" Bibili lang pala ng shoktong si Menoy!

Yep, we bought all kinds of chichirya, some calamansi and honey for those who have colds, some red wine...at sa tatlong bags at isang kahong grocery na binili, nakalimutang bumili ng....kape!!! And what was Mother Lowell's excuse? "E, akala ko, may kapeng barako na sa resort, e!" Hehehe!



When we arrived at Villa Crisanta,  we felt at home at once.

We were warmly welcomed by the Caringals at their main mansion. This is where their family stays whenever they are vacationing in Batangas. We were all in awe of the beauty of the place.

Villa Crisanta is all seventeen hectares of pure feast to the eyes and soul. It's ideal for events like weddings, debuts, company team building, camping, and other occasions, especially if you wish an old worldly, close-to-nature ambience.

Who wouldn't fall in love with its raw beauty and quiet splendor?


We couldn't help ourselves but sing for our wonderful and gracious hosts.

And what was the best thing to do after two hours of travelling and thirty minutes of singing? Why, have a hearty afternoon snacks, of course! Virna and her Mom treated us with an indulgent snack organically made by the people of Rosario.

Maraming salamat po, Villa Crisanta and the Caringal Family! (For a relaxing vacay, try Villa Crisanta Garden Resort. Rosario, Batangas. 0906-2273710)

Naturally, a venue like this would not escape our camera lenses from capturing its beauty for posterity's sake. So while the others were busy eating, some of us just had to unleash the hidden models in us. (Itago na lang 'yan!)

When it was time for us to find our place to retire, we trekked a little bit to find the houses assigned to us. Some cheated and rode their cars, but I was glad I walked with the others. We found very charming nooks in the garden, which Virna said were orchestrated solely by her Mom.

So this was the main house where most of us slept. It had two big rooms with a bathroom in each room, a huge receiving area (where we were able to practice our choreography), and a kitchen. It even had a billiard table in front and a table tennis at the back. It was huge enough for all sixteen of us!

There was a swimming pool beside the main house where braver souls like Neysa and Menoy took a dip at once.

Two families, the Guicos and the Cabreras, each had their own casita since they brought their kids with them.

 Of course, dinner was served at the main house so everyone had a wonderful time eating and chatting and drinking and laughing and reminiscing our youthful days in the 90's.

We were ecstatic that Sally and Lito Jose drove to Batangas and joined the sleepover. It was a spontaneous decision on their part for them to stay with us for a night. Thanks, guys! Your presence made our first night extra fun!

O, busog na? Time to get serious and practice!!

But honestly, with all the junk food in the kitchen, I don't know how we were able to seriously practice without  choking on these chocolates, nuts and chicharon. (Again, why no coffee?)

Sara, kasalanan mo ito!!!

The idyllic setting channelled the romantic kundimans in these oldies:-)

And what is a sleepover if boys and girls can't get together in one room?

And for those members who didn't go with us in Batangas, sorry, but we were also given givenchy by peeps from abroad:-) Thanks, Egay, Nu, and Sara! (Hoy, I gave some givenchy too, ha!)

So, we literally had to shoo the boys out of our room. Time to retire for the night. It was going to be a big day ahead of us tomorrow, with two different audiences expecting a lot from a supposed world class group of performers. Call time was at 7:00 a.m. We all prayed we would be able to wake up and hit those high notes like we did in 1990. 

To be continued...