Cory the Musical

Now, there is something you should know before proceeding. I am in no way an expert when it comes to theatre arts. I am just a mere fan, doing my part to support it, especially here in Manila with the hope that one day, the scene will be as thriving as it is in Broadway or West End.

Anyway, I caught the matinee showing of this re-run yesterday in AFP Theatre in Camp Aguinaldo. I was seated a few inches from Ex-president Fidel Ramos. The audience were mostly composed of people from the Catholic Church (nuns, mostly) and from political circles (wives of senators, congressmen, etc.). Brought about by her death, I decided I should watch this musical, if only to know Corazon Aquino a bit more, which in fact, I did.

Over-all, I think the show was around two and a half hours, which I thought was too long. There were parts which were a bit dragging for me. I am not sure if it was because I could not appreciate these parts due to the fact that I didn't experience them myself (like the scene where Ninoy was in prison and when Martial Law was about to be announced). It could also be because the songs made for this musical weren't really of the genre that I usually listen to.

Despite that, I liked the fact that they injected a little bit of humor through a line or two, in many different scenes. I think that made the musical a little bit lighter because talking about injustice and Martial Law aren’t exactly easy to take.

I have to commend the actors in this musical as the roles were represented beautifully. From the costumes to the mannerisms, everything was superb. Isay Alvarez's portrayal of Cory was really amazing. She mastered how the late president spoke and moved. Not to mention of course her wonderful voice that really stood out. Sherwin Sozon’s portrayal of Ninoy was also great. He acted and sang really well. I wouldn’t know because I haven’t watched a lot of clips of Ferdinand Marcos giving a speech but when I asked my mom whether Robert Seña was speaking the same way as Marcos was, she completely agreed. I didn’t know Marcos seemed like he lost his voice in the middle of his sentences. Pinky Marquez’s timing was impeccable as Imelda Marcos. She delivered a few comedic lines here and there and it was really funny. Lastly, I liked the child actors (sorry, I didn’t get the names) who played the children of Cory and Ninoy, as well as those who played (if they are different people) little angels at the beginning of the musical. Those voices are really something to watch out for in the future. They are truly great.

I have to give props to the stylist as the make-up, hair, clothes and accessories were just right on. There were a few technical glitches which were unavoidable but nothing major that disrupted the show.

In the end, I left the show thinking about two (very different) things: First, how amazing it is for someone in recent time (talking about the 70's - 80's here) to have so much love for the nation that he was willing to sacrifice his life. Something as relatively easy as giving up a job is already a hard thing to do, but for someone who had everything, to just give it all up for the country, now that is an entirely different kind of courage. Second, how writing letters should be immortalized =P. I miss the times when people didn't send SMS to each other but actually wrote letters (or notes). I've had my share of writing those excruciatingly long, pour-your-soul kind of letters before. It would be nice if people bring it back to the present time, even just once in a while (pardon, I like letters, must be the old soul in me, hihi).

On a different but related note, I am excited that the following shows will be staged in a few months’ time: Sweeney Todd and Spring Awakening. Click on the thumbnails below to find out information about the prices, schedules and plots. Anyone out there wants to come with me and watch? :)

National Bookstore - Annual Sale

You would think that me being sick would prevent me from lusting over a lot of books since I don't even have the strength to drag myself out of bed. Na-ah, think again. Amazon has become my friend since a year ago. Anyway, that isn't even the point. I was checking out the availability of a book that I want to buy for so long when I saw in their website that their annual sale is finally here! As far as I remember, they used to be selling books up to 80% off. Now, it's down to 75%. Oh well, I'm not complaining. Click on the picture to check out the website.

Run to the branch nearest you. Enjoy!

La Tienda

I don't know how my parents never heard of this Spanish restaurant before, that's why, it was only a few weeks ago that I got to dine here.

Anyway, I love the place. It seems to be an expats' hang-out place actually because there were a lot of them in there. Also, the presence of the musicians wasn't helping in concealing that. I was (half) smiling as I went inside the restaurant because I could hear people speaking in Spanish (ah... the dream, felt right at home, kidding.). The place has very cozy furniture. And even if it was the middle of the week, there were a lot of customers having dinner there.

Now for some food review:

Paella Mixta de la Tienda (Php 645) - paella with chicken, pork, Spanish sausage and seafood. One of the best paellas I've had (and can be in fact compared to what I had in Barcelona a few years back). The rice was perfectly cooked. It wasn't dry, in fact, it was moist enough, not making the consistency the same as that of a porridge. I had a bit of hesitation towards the taste of the Spanish sausage. I just think it was a little bit overcooked. Other than that, everything tasted amazing.

Gambas (Php 295) - garlic flavoured shrimp in olive oil. There were a total of 8 pieces of (small) shrimps in it. It actually tasted great as it was cooked just right and I love everything that has garlic in it. I would have appreciated it though if they took off the spines of the shrimps (which should always be the case in serving them).

Salpicado (Php 255) - tenderloin tips. We thought we ordered the main course serving of this dish however we were served with the tapas portion. It was fine since we wouldn't have finished it anyway. The meat was a bit hard to chew, I wish it could've been more tender. The taste is good though.

I especially loved the service in this restaurant. The waiters were pretty attentive and fast in serving what we ordered although you have to order the paella ahead of time as it takes them 45 minutes to prepare. I will drag my family here some other time.

La Tienda
43 Polaris St., Bel Air
Makati City, Metro Manila
890-4123; 895-1651

Kuretake

This Japanese restaurant has been on my list since I don't know when. Even if I am always in Makati area, this restaurant always slips out of my mind to try. Finally, I was able dine here a few days ago.

Kuretake has nothing of those fancy interiors. I know it is Japanese, and it is supposed to be minimalist-zen type but theirs, I think, lacked a bit of that Japanese sophistication you often find in the Metro. Nonetheless, I like that the environment is conducive for having decent conversations without yelling.

We came there for the food, so here is a bit of a review.

Browsing the menu was overwhelming, there were just too many pages. They offer a really wide array of Japanese dishes. I am not sure if that is a good thing because I read a lot of stuff that I had trouble selecting what I wanted to try. We got into choosing anyway.

Here are what we ordered:

Salmon sashimi (Php 350) - one word, nine letters. DELICIOUS. Those salmon were one of the freshest sashimi(s) I've had. It is clean and neat tasting which I really love.

Sukiyaki (Php 360) - theirs was a version that went with either udon or soba, not with sotanghon which I found to be quite odd. Despite that, all is goo-ood. It didn't taste too sweet and the beef tasted fine. Serving was good for 3-4 people.

Ebi tempura (Php 450)- theirs was not so different from other ordinary Japanese restaurants here in Manila. It was made of shrimps in decent size wrapped in crunchy batter. You can actually skip this because it was very normal.

Mixed fried rice (Php 120) - I didn't like this one. It tasted more like a Chinese restaurant's concoction gone bad. There were herbs and spices that were domineering which made the rice overwhelming in taste. The combinations didn't work well.

Assortment on sticks (Php 335) - all things breaded. Fish, squid, chicken, pork, eggplants, kani, shrimps were all on that platter. It came with their version of barbecue sauce (tonkatsu sauce?!) which went pretty well I think.

Fruits as dessert - this was on the house. They have the sweetest melons I've tasted. The watermelon was sweet as well, too sweet that I wonder if they were dipped in sugar. I hope not though I am not complaining. :-)

House tea - when I am in a restaurant that serves Asian cuisine, I always ask for their house tea. Kuretake's was fine. Easy on the tongue and I loved the fact that it was served in a huge tea(mug)cup.

Overall, the place is recommended especially if you are craving for some sushi(s)/sashimi(s). Theirs I think is one of the best in the Metro.

Kuretake
Power Plant Mall, Ground Level
Rockwell Drive cor. Estrella St., Makati
Telephone # 898-0509

travel is passion

I had a realization. This is the reason why I love to travel. It is always like a new beginning, a fresh start. It is being able to escape your reality and living a different life even for just a short while. It always is going back to childhood and suddenly being able to wonder again.

“
But that’s the glory of foreign travel, as far as I am concerned.

I don’t want to know what people are talking about. I can’t think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything.

Suddenly you are five years old again. You can’t read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can’t even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses.
”
- Bill Bryson

Toodles ;-)

Jet Blue's All You Can Jet Pass

Jet Blue is having this fly-all-you-can promo for a month in the States for $599 excluding taxes for international flights. I am not sure as how they compute profits in the airline industry because frankly, those zero fare flights of Cebu Pacific still confuse me. But do you think this would work if other airlines in our region follow this? I wonder.

From their website:
Choose from 57 cities and more than 600 daily flights!
Enjoy unlimited travel with our All-You-Can-Jet Pass! For just $599* you can take JetBlue anywhere you like, as often as you like, from September 8 to October 8, 2009. Use your All-You-Can-Jet Pass for business, for pleasure, to visit your favorite cities or to meet with a client. You might as well just do it all! With more than 50 cities to choose from, and for just $599, it's a deal you can't pass up.

About the Pass
* $599 for a month of unlimited travel, any available seat
o Domestic taxes and fees included
o International and Puerto Rico taxes and fees not included
* On sale through Friday, August 21, 2009, or while supplies last
* Travel Dates: Tuesday, September 8, 2009 through Thursday, October 8, 2009
* Each flight must be booked no later than 11:59 p.m. MDT three days prior to the flight's scheduled departure.
* Nonrefundable/nontransferable/no name changes permitted
* Customers who already have a flight booked during the pass travel period can pay the difference to upgrade to the pass by calling 1-800-JETBLUE (538-2583), prompt 4.
* Each All-You-Can-Jet Pass is eligible for 35 TrueBlue points. Flights booked on the pass are not available for additional TrueBlue points.

For complete information, click here.

As if I don't love New York City enough...

From the makers of Paris Je T'aime, here is another wonderful film. This time around, it is focused on New York City.

Little stories all combined in one film about life in NYC. It stars a lot of actors such as Blake Lively, Hayden Christensen, Christina Ricci, Natalie Portman, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson, Ethan Hawke and a lot more.

Check out the trailer. I am so excited. :)

New York, I Love You

I hope they do something like this for Manila. Also, may I suggest a movie about Madrid as well? :D

Malcolm's Deli

I've heard about this restaurant around last year, when my colleague pointed it out to me in Salcedo. When I brought my family one Sunday evening, they didn't get ecstatic about eating there because there was just one table occupied.

A few days ago, I finally got to try this restaurant, only this was in Fort. We were served with an appetizer, chips with what seemed to me to be a ranch dip. It was alright but nothing to rave about.

Ordered the following:
Shrimp Aglio Olio - pasta with olive oil, garlic slivers, chili and shrimp
I like how they cook their pasta, al dente in fact. I also like the fact that the pasta didn't seem to be swimming in olive oil. It is spicy enough to make its presence felt in your taste buds but not too much that it would hurt when you swallow. I can't remember exactly how much this was but it was not over Php 400 I believe. The serving was good for two if you ordered something else that will go with it.

Wagyu Cheesesteak - thinly sliced Wagyu with grilled onions, bell peppers, mozzarella and cheddar cheese
This sandwich also came with a side of salad (with vinaigrette and cherry tomatoes) and fries. The Wagyu beef was bland. Its saving grace was that it was really tender. The bread was okay. I found the cheeses bland as well, though the mozzarella doesn't really have a particularly strong taste, the cheddar should have had something in it. I liked the dressing of the salad though. But that was just it. It was also priced below Php 400. The serving was good for one but I knew that I wouldn't be able to finish it, so these pictures were just the half of it.

The Fort branch is a cozy place to hang. A very small intimate space inside that could accommodate a maximum of around 15 guests. The free WiFi and free parking are a plus.

If you do drop by, don't forget to check out their Wagyu beef and sausages. Don't miss the cheeses and wines as well. They are just a sight to see. In case you get the chance to order these, don't forget to send me a feedback. Thanks! :)

Malcolm's Deli
G/F Fairways Tower, 5th Ave.
Fort Bonifacio Taguig City
556-3186
10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.