The Two Cents Nobody Asked for

Matilda was a constant companion during my childhood, both book and movie. She was the girl that was like me: a bookworm but without the unloving home and terrifying school (total opposite on both fronts for me). Roald Dahl's book was read multiple times and the movie watched anytime it was shown on TV (this was before the invention of VCDs, yes I'm that old). I had only learned about the musical recently and jumped at the opportunity to watch it a the London West End production visits the Philippines for its International Tour. PLOT: I won't get into much detail since Matilda is beloved children's book and movie. Basically the story revolves around Matilda, a very intelligent little girl who is born into a family that pretty much do not care for her existence one bit. She finally reaches the age that will be heading to school, which for Matilda, seems like freedom. School presents salvation in the form of Matilda's teacher Miss Honey, and terror in ...

It's that time of the year again and the Philippines once again welcomes the wolf with the many books. Yup, the biggest book sale in the world is in Manila once more -- Big Bad Wolf Books. VIP day was last Feb. 13 and the sale officially opened its doors last Valentine's Day. Looks like BBW has learned from its rough patch from last year's faulty system. The main complaint from last year's sale was the slow check-out time. Last year saw the sale be disabled by their computer system, every item scanned took a minute or two before being read by the computers making the time at check-out last to a half-hour per customer. Seeing as it was a big sale, one customer could have about 20 or so books -- imagine how long that would take. By the time this entry has been posted, the #BBWManila2020 has been in the country for four days and I've visited the sales three of those four days. The faulty system has been resolved and the three times I've been on the sal...

Back in 2012, I watched Phantom in the Opera while working on my undergraduate thesis with a mentor that worked at CCP. My groupmates and I would head over to CCP and hear them rehearse. There was even a time that we were eating at the nearby Harbour Square and three of the cast were also eating at the same place. Fast forward to last year when I was jumping with utter joy when Jonathan Roxmouth announced on his Twitter and Facebook pages that he was returning to Manila, playing the talented and yet terrifying Phantom. Last February 23, I got my second chance of watching this incredible music come alive. Like my spotlight on Mamma Mia, I won't go into the details of the plot. [There is the movie and the book if you want a more in depth look into the story.] I'll be going straight to my thoughts on this tour. THOUGHTS I need to get this out first, the Phantom I watched was Ian Jon Bourg and HE WAS AMAZING! Yes, most people would watch this expecting the main cast but...

I started this blog late last year so the first BBW had already come and gone. This year I was lucky enough to get my hands on VIP tickets a second time and indulged my bookworm heart last February 21. I'm sure by now, everyone is aware of what BBW is. The basic is this, one huge sale of books from children's board books to books on knitting and airplanes to crossword puzzles. As a frequent visitor of Fully Booked and Book Sale, I just had to look around and it did not disappoint. On the VIP day (basically a preview day), I ended up with 17 books, a mix lot of Fiction, Young Adult, Children's Reference, Travel and History books. [Addendum: I've been to BBW three times. The 21st, 24th and 28th. All in all I've bought 27 books, roughly 220 each book.] The lines were smooth then but mainly because it was the preview day and not much people were going. Last Sunday was a whole different story. The problem is the system BBW had with payment needs tweaking. Wha...

We all know the story of Sophie and her quest to have the perfect wedding by having her father walk her down the aisle. But not everything in life is easy and Sophie learns that the hard way when she, who had initially thought she'll know who her father is once she sees him, doesn't know who between Sam, Bill or Harry who is the man of the hour--comes the story of Mamma Mia! Unlike my other spotlight entries on this blog, I won't go into the details of the plot anymore. [Come on people, there's a movie and a sequel already. Get to watching!] I'll be going straight to my thoughts on this International Tour. THOUGHTS: Firstly, this entry might be a tad bit bias because it's ABBA. Who doesn't get the urge to sing and dance whenever an ABBA song is playing? Timeless classics like Dancing Queen, the title song Mamma Mia, Super Trouper and many others will get your foot tapping and have you mouthing the words with the cast. Perfect segue to bring ...

The Musical You Did Not Expect Ang Huling El Bimbo is the new production showing in Resorts World Manila. An original Filipino musical using the songs of the prominent 90s band Eraserheads, the musical is full of 90s nostalgia which will have many humming the timely classics that served as the theme song of our adolescents but at the same time have you relating to the emotional story of friendships formed and lost. PLOT: Ang Huling El Bimbo tells the story of three college dorm mates Hector, Emman and Anthony. They all come from different backgrounds. Emman is a scholar who came to study in Manila from Lipa. Emman comes from a rich family who is told to get his act together or else he'll be shipped to the States. Lastly, Anthony a rule abiding young man whose father is a strict military officer. The three meet Joy who works for her aunt's canteen, the usual hangout spot of the boys. A year younger than the trio, Joy is easily accepted as part of their g...

In Celebration of Original Pilipino Music We were driving to a relative's birthday party when my father mentioned that he read in the newspaper that there was a musical currently ongoing that featured the songs of the APO Hiking Society. My father and I are both music lovers and musicians. He is practically the biggest musical influence I have. I immediately got my phone out and searched. True enough, ETO NA! Musikal nAPO! was currently having it's run from August 3 to the 26th. I immediately booked tickets for us. [That sparked a debate because I was a theatre geek and I really wanted to sit up front but my dad preferred a higher vantage point.] Last August 17, a week before the show was to close. My father and I finally got the chance to see it. Here's the rundown! PLOT: ETO NA! Musikal nAPO! is a story of a college barkada who during the tough times of their youth and the current government, stumbles upon a song writing competition. Given their musical t...