west end live

West End Live is an annual event showcasing the best entertainment West End has to offer. Because Leicester Square is currently undergoing a face-lift, this year it is being held in Trafalgar Square. I heard about this on the radio and since I'm not working today, I went. After all it's free! But it's not just about songs and dances because aside from musical performances, there are exhibits from The Science Museum, the London Film Museum, Ripley's Believe It or Not, the National Gallery and more.

A picture paints a thousand words, daw. Kaya, I'll just let these photos do the talking.

At least 10,000 people witnessed today's event.

Even Crazy Frog was there.

And Jack Sparrow.

Where's Waldo?

Apparently, Free Run has 15 Guiness World Records. Members of the group take on parkour, stunts and martial arts.

Defying Gravity at 1120.

Phantom 2.0

I wonder if this is as "bad" as the movie?

Billy Elliott

Lend Me a Tenor is a new Musical Comedy that opened just last week.

Betty Blue Eyes is about a pig with, you guess it, blue eyes. The musical is a Cameron Mackintosh production.

Velma and Roxie.

The cast literally rocked the crowd. I hope to see this show soon.

Dark clouds mean ...

Mother. . . Rain

Amazingly, everybody stayed where they were.

The Jersey Boys singing in the rain. Great performance.

The music of Abba.

Thriller Live is a show celebrating the career of the King of Pop - Michael Jackson.

Didn't enjoy this act so much. The American humor seemed lost.

Seriously?!? I really didn't get this.

Hope to see this one soon, too. A movie starring Tom Cruise is actually in the works.

The London production stars Shane Ward - winner of X-Factor.

Vintage Batmobile.

And if you needed reminding, the Olympics is coming to London real soon.

grenade

Personally, I much prefer music from the 60's and the 70's. I remember my Tatay playing his records on full blast to get me and my siblings up and out of bed for school. The Beach Boys, The Beatles, the Carpenters, Abba, Elvis and some of the artists of Motown served as our alarm clock each morning. Their incredible songs were a great start to my day. Eventually, I got acquainted to Johnny Cash, The Who, Billy Joel, Elton John and other amazing artists from that era.

Which is why I don't really know much about today's music. Most of the artists now, I don't get. I even asked Ketty, "Why is everyone gaga over Gaga?". But this is not a critique on contemporary sound. You see, I don't even have a radio in my flat. Never had one since I moved to the UK and I've stopped watching MTV for almost a decade now. Everything changed when I started my not-so-new-job in London. They play FM in the office. And now, I know the Top 40.

There's one particular song that caught my ear at the moment. The funny thing is, this tune ain't exactly new. I learned today it was released in November last year. Anyway, Grenade by Bruno Mars is one heck of a song. Full of melancholic melody and its lyrics brimming with angst and despondency, the song is brilliantly composed. And to make it even more hauntingly poignant, the half-Pinoy(!) kills it with stunning vocals.

i'm all over it

LQ in the time of 3G.

Hands down, one of the cleverest, cheekiest and most charming adverts on TV today.

f*** you

Although there's pain in my chest
I still wish you the best with a
F*** you!
Ooo, Ooo, Ooo

This is one of the best songs in the entire world.

choir of the world

They've done it again. The University of Santo Tomas Singers, won the Luciano Pavarotti trophy at the 2010 Llangollen International Music Festival in Wales. It is the oldest and one of the most prestigious singing competitions in the world. The UST Singers made history by being the first to win the Choir of the World honor twice.

I wanted to see their concert in London last week but I missed it because of work. Nevertheless, I am extremely proud of what they have achieved. Not only as Filipino but more importantly as a fellow Thomasian. This is a great gift to our alma mater as we celebrate our 400th year.

Watch their amazing performances here.

brill

Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, IMHO, is probably the hardest, if not one of the hardest songs to sing. Watch The University of Santo Tomas Singers as they kill it during the recently concluded Cork International Singing festival.

My alma mater's official singing ambassadors are currently touring Europe and winning first prizes in Ireland and Poland. Twice proclaimed as the “Best Choir in the World”, firstly at the 49th Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales, United Kingdom in 1995 and secondly, at the 2001 World Choral Festival in Puebla, Mexico; they are expected to win more prizes as they continue their concert tour and participate in other international choral competitions in key cities in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Spain and the United Kingdom.

how difficult is it to smile?

One of my favorite songs in the world. Did you know that the music was done by Charlie Chaplin?

It's funny that a song called Smile doesn't always bring joy to its listeners. I say that because everytime I hear the song, I can't help but get choked up a bit. It really is ironic that I find the song full of melancholy despite it being about finding comfort and happiness in life.

The simplicity of the song is stunning. And the truth that its words speak is beautiful. The song is haunting, poignant and all in all, wonderful. It tells us that life, from time to time, it bites, sucks ass and makes us feel blue but a simple act of smiling can turn it all around. And yet as simple as it is, sometimes we can't bring ourselves to do it.

Some experts believe that it takes something like 43 muscles to frown and only 17 muscles to smile. But why is it that the simple things in life usually are the hardest to do?

the future is here

It's the last day of the first month of 2010. We are in the future. Except that it is actually known as the present. Can y'all believe it's been more than 10 years, a decade(!), since Y2K? It really was much ado about nothing!

If we were to believe some of the sci-fi movies from our not so distant past, our date with aliens are in the offing. We have, after all, sent them a message. The Beatles' "Across the Universe," for that matter. Who could argue with such a well-meaning, positive initiative?

Before y'all become overwhelmed by panic, fear not because I don't think they're that bad. As long as we remember not to do this, I think we all are going to be allright.

* a friendly reminder from the bunny suicides.

why do I love glee?

Let me count the ways. (Apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

1. A diverse cast of relatively unknowns but with,



2. as Randy Jackson would put it, mad talent. Pipes, check. Moves, check. Acrobatic skills, check, check, check.



3. Cool tunes. And an even more amazing musical score.



3. Brilliant dance sequences.



4. Inspired performances and production numbers. This is my favorite thus far!



5. Wicked sense of humour.



6. Great quotes and clever story.

7. The New York Times called it "blissfully unoriginal in a witty, imaginative way". Whilst the Entertainment Weekly gave the show an A, posing the question: "Has there ever been a TV show more aptly named than Glee? It both embodies and inspires exactly that quality."

8. It's freaks and geeks meets a Cameron Crowe movie set in High School Musical on crack. For the record, I've never seen the latter. And not planning to either. Seriously.

9. And even if it may be implausible at times, the show has enough reality to make it believable. Moments on the show that make one ask oneself, why don't I do that in real life? Inspire, I think, is the word.

Some people believe that the easiest way to change people's behaviour for the better is to find something mundane, like a really boring task, and make it fun to do. Everyone in glee seems to have fun. And as a viewer, the fun part kinda rubs on you.

10. "With my lost saints, --- I love glee with shallow breath,
dog smiles and crocodile tears, of all my life! --- and, if Fox choose,
I shall but love glee better after it is axed."

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If you can't follow it on tv, watch the episodes here.

don't stop believing

I am sucker for Cinderella stories. And the fact that this one's about someone from my of town makes it even more special.

Arnel Pineda and Journey, I am a fan.

amazing

I'm easily pleased. And it's not because I'm mababaw. I just know what I want. And when these things are achieved, I'm always impressed.

The great iconic music + the amazing voice and an ingenious production and musical arrangement; this video knocks my socks off. I can't believe that even after numerous views, I'm still blown away.

Enjoy.

the moon walker

He is the greatest performer, if not one of the greats. Michael Jackson is an absolute legend. He changed the music industry and was able to cut across the racial divide. MJ reached people of all age groups, races and nationalities. His life was marred by numerous controversies and for this we may have been unkind in judging him too harshly. He was misunderstood and a troubled man but he was an inspiration to millions too. Michael Jackson entertained and produced some of the best music ever. For this, the world will surely miss him.

His is sheer talent. Utterly genius. And despite all his scandals he is a superstar in every sense of the word. Goodbye, moon walker.

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I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of flak for doing this and I'll understand if you give me some lashing. But I just don't think there will ever come a time when it'll be appropriate, so my apologies for thesse offensive bits.

After it was confirmed that the King of Pop passed away I received text messages from my Brit friends. Most of the messages were about shock of the untimely demise and of great loss but there were a few that were definitely done in poor taste.

Here are the messages:

1. Reports of MJ's death are incorrect. He didn't have a heart attack at home as was previously believed. He was actually found in the Children's Ward after a fatal stroke.

2. Doctors at the hospital where MJ died were unsure of the cause of his death. Some blamed it on the sunshine, others on the moonlight. A few on the good times and there were those who blamed it on the boogie.

3. Due to the fact that Michael Jackson was 99% plastic, he will be melted down into Lego blocks so children can actually play with him for a change.

4. In memory of Michael Jackson's achievements, McDonalds has announcedit will be releasing the Jackson Burger- 50 year old meat between 10 year old buns.

Some people can be cruel.

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Ketty is pretty bummed out of his passing. She feels sorry that she'll never have the chance to watch him perform live. When MJ performed in Manila 13 years ago, she didn't have the money to buy the ticket being only a high school student then. I told her, I haven't seen him either. Although I did have money to buy the ticket (the cheapest one, if must know), it was impossible to get one. For weeks, I visited the Ticketnet outlets in National Bookstore only to be told time and time again that it was sold out.

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Top Five Favorite Michael Jackson songs are:

What are your favorites?

payong ni rihanna

We may never know who, where, when or what the inspiration was behind the monster hit Umbrella but at least now we know how many exactly were there.

susan's humble pie: recommended for everyone

Didn't expect that, did you? What a way to tell the skeptics (in all of us), up yours!

I guess, in the end, life really hasn't killed the dream she dreamed. Gobsmacked, I am. Watch it here.

gitara

I come from a musical family. All of us can sing. And by sing I don't mean just carry a tune. Our house is never quiet when we are home. Songs belted out occur sporadically. And the tunes range from Burt Bacarach to Britney Spears, Mariah Carey to April Boy Regino, and The Beach Boys to The APO. I enjoyed music so much, I even dreamed of playing an instrument.

My parents bought me two guitars. Once when I was 14 and the last time just before High School graduation. Both guitars ended up broken without me even learning how to play a single chord.

Whilst in Cebu, Ketty and I visited a guitar factory in Mactan Island. The name of which seemed to escape my memory. And with a camera in my hand, I started clicking away. By the way, I learned from one of the makers that they air dry the wood for 5 years before they use it to make a good product. I didn't think the process is painstaking and ardous at all.

Activate magazine mode.

potpourri sa juice

As mentioned in my previous entry, Ketty and I, together with some friends, visited Birmingham recently. It is widely considered as UK's second city, after London. The city has a population of 1,006,500 or roughly the number of people in Manila's University Belt at lunchtime.

One of the major attractions of the city is the Bullring. A commercial area where people traded goods since the Middle Ages. One of the UK's largest shopping centres, and the busiest, can be found on site. Oh, the missus had a grand time!

The mall consists of two buildings. One of which is probably the most dramatic that I've seen. And photogenic too. Selfridges, currently occupies this building which is clad in 15,000 shiny aluminium discs and was inspired by a Paco Rabanne sequinned dress. When we visited the place, Ginger Spice was promoting her book. Ketty and I didn't see her but two of our friends even had photos with her.

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Arguably the world's most popular pizza place is undergoing a major makeover. In my neighborhood, Pizza Hut is now Pasta Hut.

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The missus is in Cambridge today with her colleagues from work. She told me she went punting when I rang her this afternoon. It was her second time there. I was with her back in March during St. Patrick's weekend but we didn't go punting then. It was raining and chilly too. We didn't think it was a good idea. So we hopped on the red double decker bus instead, which is probably the easiest (and laziest) way to explore a place. The tour lasted about an hour and covered pretty much the whole of the city centre. We even went to the American Cemetery.

I took this picture outside Clare Hall. I was was going to use it on an entry heralding Spring. Funny, I'm only posting it now in the Fall.

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UST reprezent! My alma mater, together with 3 other Philippine institutions, is one of the world's top universities. Sweet!

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Some people climb buildings without safety nets, others jump out of the tallest waterfalls, there are those who eat fire and then there's the Filipinos who do this. To everyone, please do not try this at home.

burst the bubble

Ako ay may lobo,
Lumipad sa langit.
'Di ko na nakita
Pumutok na pala.
Sayang ang pera ko
Pambili ng lobo;
Kung pagkain sana'y
Nabusog pa ako.

ken lee

Not related to Bruce Lee, Tommy Lee or Lady Lee.

date movie with ketty (11.02.08)

Watching Juno is like waking up in the morning beside the person you love and seeing her smile.



I like this movie to bits! A quirky comedy with a cool soundtrack too.

ny list

The only times I made a list of New Year's resolutions were in school. And it only took me a few days to break them all. If not for the extra points in English class, I wouldn't have bothered.

This year, I 've decided to make a list, not for myself but for other people instead. Here goes:

1. When inside the cinema, theatre, places of worship, etc., remember to turn that bloody cellphone off! Or if you don't want to, put it in silent mode, at least. It is rude to interrupt one's viewing experience by the blaring sound caused by your mobile phone.

2. Read a book. And if you like it, buy me a copy.

3. Pull those trousers up, nobody wants to see your butt crack.

4. Quit smoking. You know it's a bad habit.

5. Do us a favor by keeping the volume of your Ipod low. If you want to break your eardrums, suit yourself. But for world peace, spare us My Humps.

6. If you can, walk. By doing so, you're hitting two birds with one stone. Not only is it friendly to the environment, it also helps keep the body fit.

7. It's bad enough that you don't shower when you come to work, but could you at least put some deodorant on. And brushing your teeth is not a bad idea, either.

8. Conserve water. Shower with a friend. If you haven't one, a pet. And if you're that lucky, with your friend who is also your pet.

9. It's 2008, open your mind to new ideas. Your beliefs shouldn't put you back in the middle ages. Reading in dim lights doesn't damage your eyes.

10. Sometime this year, pack your bags and travel to some place nice. I personally invite you (if you're not Filipino) to visit the Philippines. Despite its flaws, it's still a wonderful place to visit. And to my kababayans, re-discover our 7,107 islands. Pandan Island in Mindoro Occidental is one place to start.

Seize all the fantastic opportunities that the new year will bring. And may all of us be good. Your Merry Christmas may depend on what others do for you, but your Happy New Year depends on what you do for others.