Singapore Vacay Day 1: A Night in Cebu

Has it been a week already since we went on our Singapore vacation? According to my student, 'flies time fast!' (hehehe!) It's like I haven't recovered from the miles of walking yet. Anyway, let me recall to you the week that was...

Day 1 Thursday:

And we’re off! We went to Cebu by car. Counting the stopovers and waiting time, it was almost a 6-hour trip—1 ½ hours land trip from Bacolod to San Carlos, then a two-hour boat ride to Toledo, Cebu, then another 1 ½ hours land trip through the mountains to Cebu City. (My good premz Claring and Melizza called during this time from the States and we were cut-off when we were already in the bondooks—sorry for that premyas!)

We went straight to the Basilica del Sto. Nino, where we visit everytime we go to Cebu. It has been said that the image of the Santo Niño is the oldest religious relic in the Philippines. This was the same image that Magellan gave as a gift during the baptism of King Humabon and his wife Queen Juana on April 14, 1521. We lined up to pray to the historical and miraculous Sto. Nino for a safe trip to Singapore. (It was also a Holy Thursday and all the malls were closed, so I couldn’t queue for the cash register—hehehe!).

We dropped by the Hubby’s aunt’s house to pay her a visit and give her our pasalubong from Bacolod, kamunsil. In return, the Daughter got another Korean telenovela disc, My Princess. Thanks, Lola Julie!

We checked into this small hotel in Mactan, the Gold Berry Suites. It’s new, but not pricey, and it’s very near the airport. Just what we were looking for. We slept early to brace ourselves for a long day ahead of us.

To be continued...

Shrek

We have exhaustingly read and re-read fairy tales in our bedtime, and we could predictably tell what would happen to them next in the story. But what comes to pass to our favorite characters when the ‘And they live happily ever after’ closes the story? Does Cinderella ban her stepmother and stepsisters from the kingdom (I think I would!). Does Sleeping Beauty still have long hours of nap (I wonder if she snores)? Does Little Red Riding Hood grow up to be afraid of the forest (or does she even have other colored hoodies in her closet)? These questions sometimes invaded our innocent minds, but somehow, we were always afraid to ask them. Everyone wants a happy ending, and no one wants to burst that fairy tale bubble in our heads.

Sensya na if I still have a hangover on seeing Shrek and the gang at the Universal Studios...

Movie Recall: Shrek (2001)

The Story: When a green ogre called Shrek discovers his swamp has been 'swamped' with all sorts of fairytale creatures by the scheming Lord Farquaad, Shrek sets out, with a very loud donkey by his side, to 'persuade' Farquaad to give his swamp back. Instead, a deal is made. Farquaad, who wants to become the King, sends Shrek to rescue Princess Fiona, who is waiting for her one true love. But once they head back with Fiona, it starts to become apparent that not only does Shrek like Fiona, but Fiona is keeping something secret.

My Review:

Isn’t it a dream come true to see familiar fairy tale characters in one movie? Shrek gave us that and more. It has also opened up to a main male character who is ugly and ill-mannered, and a princess who is not a damsel in distress. Everything about Shrek is fresh and funny. But like any other fairy tale stories, it also gives us a lesson to be learned.

Trivia:

Computer animation production started on the project on 31 October 1996 and took more than four and a half years to complete.

The principal actors never met each other. All read their parts separately, with a reader feeding them the lines. John Lithgow later admitted that, while he enjoyed playing Lord Farquaad, he was a little disappointed that he never actually worked directly with Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy. 

"Shrek" means "monster" in Yiddish, and is derived from the German word "Schreck", which means "terror" or "fright".

Cameron Diaz having undergone Kung Fu training during the making of Charlie’s Angels(2000), became very physical when recording her kung fu moves for Fiona's fight with Robin Hood and his Merry Men, and at times even broke out into Cantonese

Mike Myers recorded Shrek's voice in a natural accentless voice before the film was test-screened. After watching it, he decided that the voice didn't sound right and had all of his lines re-recorded with a Scottish accent, based on the voice his mother used when reading him bedtime stories as a child.

Princess Fiona rocks!

And the Bee-otch is Back!

MNG Muscle Blouse
UK2 Skirt
Celine Wedges



Not only have I just alighted from a happy and surreal (but definitely pocket-draining!) Singapore trip, this day also marks my rising from the Cuz-Premz-proclaimed hibernation from fashion blogging.

Yey, now I can breathe freely. Back to reality, my friends!







I Can't Bilibit!

Ohemgee! The hubby pulled another fast one on me! He surprised me and the Kiddos with a trip to Singapore--our belated anniversary gift cum Issa’s grad gift cum summer family bonding. Woohoo!!! As you are reading this, mga kapatid, I’m on my way to Cebu to embark on the economy class of Airphil to the great Lion City (mamimili pa ba ako ng class?).

I will update you with our adventures over there. Be back on the 26^th. Don’t miss me much!!!

Jesus Christ Superstar

There are many Filipino superstitious beliefs pertaining to Holy week. My mother forbid us to take a bath after 3:00 p.m. on Good Fridays because Jesus died at that time (up to now, I don't know the rationale behind that). Some say that because the Lord is dead, it is the time when bad spirits and the devils roam around. Hard core supernaturalists even believe that they can get anting-anting in the cemetery on the night of Good Fridays.

Believe them or not, we all look forward to the Holy Week because of the promise of a renewed faith. And yes, because of a promise of a long, relaxing four-day vacation.


                                Movie Recall:     Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)

The Story:

This rock opera film written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice tells the final six days in the life of Jesus Christ, through the eyes of Judas Iscariot. No dialogue was spoken, everything was sung.

My Review:

Since there were no form of entertainment for us during the Holy Week, and our mom didn’t allow us to play out nor listen to our favourite popular songs, Jesus Christ Superstar movie was the only one I got interested in watching. The performances of the actors were entertainingly dramatic and at the same time comical verging to OA (kasi nga it was written for stage too). But I just loved the artistic musical interpretation of the last days of Jesus. A lot of conservative Catholics may not have been too accepting of this movie interpretation, but to the hippie crowd of the 70's, it was napapanahon.The songs were memorable and brilliantly written and sung. It was (and still is) my perfect excuse to sing out loud on Good Friday.

Trivia:

One young actor who auditioned for the role of Jesus was a young 17 year-old actor from New Jersey. That actor was none other than John Travolta and even though he didn't get the part, producer Robert Stigwood kept the young actor in mind for any future productions. Three years later Stigwood would cast Travolta for the lead in the film that would make Travolta a star, Saturday Night Fever (1977).

The "39 Lashes" scene in Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) was so realistic that Ted Neeley's mother walked out on it. Mrs. Neeley had never laid a hand on young Ted in an anything but affectionate manner, and could not bear the sight of her son being whipped and tortured by anyone else, even though she knew it was just acting.

Tragedy almost struck for real while the Crucifixion was being filmed. The Roman soldier we see nailing Christ to the cross is an Israeli actor who spoke very limited English; consequently, he thought Ted Neeley was actually supposed to have nails hammered through his hands! Just in time, director Norman Jewison saw what was happening and screamed, "NO! NOT IN THE HAND!"

Norman Jewison managed only two takes of "The Temple". Thanks to Ted Neeley's more thorough than expected ransacking of the set, they ran out of unbroken props after only those two takes.

 ( http://www.imdb.com/)

My Favorite PartS:

An entertaining look at King Herod's trial

The Last Supper, rock version

How many times have we wished to start again?

P.S. Have a Holy and reflectful Thursday and Friday everyone.

A Passion Forgotten

My Lola taught me
how to chant the Pasyon

My lola’s tradition of the Pabasa is dead.

For the information of those who were born in the age of Britney Spears, the pasyon is a verse narrative about the life and sufferings of Jesus Christ. The verses are structured in five-line stanzas, with each line containing eight syllables, and chanted alternatively by two groups of singers. The reading of the pasyon is a traditional religious practice in the Philippines and is seen by many of its practitioners as a vow or panata.

In the modern world of rap, pop, and rock music, the monotonous, at times, melancholic tunes of reading the life of Jesus is now an obscure practice, verging on what others may call a cultish tradition. But in my youth, this was a natural thing for us to do. My Holy Monday started with us reading the Pasyon in the chapel, with the public speaker reverberating loudly for all the parishioners to hear. Salabat and pan de sal overflowed in supply, for at the end of a few chapters, we would be thirsty and famished, and sometimes hoarse. Young people in my village in 2^nd Reyville came to participate, maybe because of the free bread, or their crushes were also there, or for the lack of better things to do (we had no cable or internet in the days of Caesar, you know!). All fast food chains were closed (hear ye, McDonald’s and Jollibee!), and no TV or radio programs could be seen or heard. Panata talaga!

Now, Lent is a time for a long vacay for many. And the Pabasa? I can say that it is now a forgotten tradition, and sadly, it can never be resurrected from the dead.


P.S.
My UPCC batchmate Melanie Dujunco, FB'd me this site about the pabasa that is happening now: http://www.mmda.gov.ph/news.html#apr182011

I stand corrected then. Some of us don't want the Pabasa buried. Salamat po sa kanila;-)

Dancing with Shakira

What time do you wake up on weekends?

Every Saturday and Sunday morning, I wake up at 6:00 a.m. just like I do on my normal weekdays.  Now this is supposedly the perfect time for me to catch up on my sleep because of late night chatting or surfing or whatever.  But I choose to stir up early instead to do aerobics dancing in front of the Bacolod City New Government Center. At 6:30 on these days, a group of active and fun-loving women, calling themselves HATAW, congregate to exercise by dancing. Some of these women are well over their 50’s, but you will be surprised how flexible and graceful they still are. They hire a dance instructor to lead the participants in the dancing, and anybody who in is the vicinity for some fun and exercise can join. In return, those who participate are requested to drop a voluntary contribution of P20 for the DI’s honorarium. Not bad for the tons of sweat I excrete after an hour of chacha, latin/belly dancing, and some hiphop, huh?  

There was a funny incident that happened to me one aerobics day. One regular participant, an older man, approached me to ask if I had dance training. No, I don't have, I quipped. He said that he was looking for a dance partner to participate in a city-wide ballroom dancing contest, and he saw that I can qualify because I have natural talent (blush blush!).  He added that a new category has been introduced; and then he casually asked for my age. When I told him I’m 44, he said, “Oh, you’d be perfect. The new category is for Senior Citizens. We’d surely win!” A few moments of silence...then I smiled. Of course, after murmuring an excuse which I don't remember now, I respectfully declined the invitation. (Grrrr!!!)

Anyway, this weekly aerobics gives me the right amount of adrenalin boost to kickstart my manic Monday. It also gives me a little leeway to indulge (yes, yes, moderately) in some Muji Almonds chocolates, Magnolia Gold Label ice cream, and Ruffles Ridges cheese flavour once in a while. When a friend heard that I’m doing aerobics, he laughed and said ‘Why, that’s so 80’s!’ Maybe so. But I couldn’t care less. I wouldn’t want to miss Shakira every weekend encouraging me to ‘waka waka’ my hips because she croons that my hips never ever lie.