My Grad Recital

Waaaaaaa tapos na! :) Hahahaha I can't believe it. The Lord is so great, He allowed everything to proceed smoothly. The margin for error was great, but thanks to Him, the bloopers were minor and the show a success.

Thank you so much to the wonderful cast and crew who helped me... salamat sa inyo at gragraduate ako! I am truly so blessed to have such generous friends. A million thanks to Kuya Jonaf del Fierro, for giving up so many profitable singing/ choir engagements to study the lead role... Kuya Paul Aquino, for helping me out despite his hectic 7-working-days-a-week schedule... Eric Ferrer, my "lover," for lending his golden tenor voice to the production... Keith Segura, for being the most dashing notary ever seen on stage... Kevin Rebato, for being the best all-around-guy (I'm sorry for hitting you with my fan too many times to count!!)... Ate Cel and Herald Medina, for helping smoothen things out backstage by double checking props and cueing entrances and exits, the show couldn't have proceeded without their invaluable help... Diane Catibog, for being the nicest, most hardworking director I've ever worked with... Kim Bogz Feliz, wow what can I say? We're so lucky to have you accompany us! Who needs an orchestra when you have Bogz' exquisite playing? Thank you also to Jerome Zulueta for helping us out with the page-turning, and to June Gonzaga our make up artist who worked her magic on us and turned me into a princess for one evening. I FELT like Norina after seeing my reflection in the mirror, haha! :)

Of course, there's my twin, Tata, who was our reliable PM and my "reflection," thank you for making the time to come to rehearsals despite your crazy sched.at work! And my brother Ogot, ASM, for being the dependable TD with the lights as well.

Thank you to my wonderful parents and Lola, for all their support and for taking care of feeding the guests.

Thank you also to all those who came to watch!

For those who weren't able to make it, we have a 2nd showing on April 4, Friday, 6 p.m. at the UP College of Engineering Theater (3rd floor). P350 a ticket. It's our NGO's fundraising activity. Absolutely ALL proceeds will go towards funding the education of poor but deserving UP students.

AD MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM!

OPERA FOR A CAUSE (Malapit na kaya colored na)

MALAPIT NA!!!!! (kaya colored na)

 

OPERA FOR A CAUSE!

WATCH OPERA, CHANGE LIVES!

HELP POOR BUT DESERVING STUDENTS GET AN EDUCATION!

 

See Donizetti’s opera “Don Pasquale” performed by talented students and alumni from the prestigious UP College of Music---and help send UP students to school!

 

 

 

Our NGO, Ex Libris Philippines, a nonstock, nonprofit, SEC-certified organization for book enthusiasts, is raising funds in order to help send UP students to school. Last March 7, 2007, our NGO held a special screening of the movie “300” in Rockwell Powerplant, and the funds from this movie screening sent two UP students (Gerico Punzalan of CAL and Hanna Garcia of Industrial Engineering) to school.

 

As this year’s fundraising activity for our NGO’s Scholarship Project, we are holding an opera production of “Don Pasquale”, with a cast of UP College of Music voice majors and UP alumni. All the funds to be raised from ticket sales will go to the Ex Libris Philippines Scholarship Fund and help send UP students to school.

 

For the price of 2 venti drinks at Starbucks, watch a great opera performed LIVE by fantastic performers AND help change lives! Please buy tickets and help us in our cause. With your help, we can send UP students to school. =)

 

 

 

EX LIBRIS PHILIPPINES

presents

an opera production of

 

Donizetti’s

"DON PASQUALE"

 

 

Featuring a cast and crew of UP College of Music students and UP Alumni

Gabriela Francisco. Jonaf del Fierro. Eric Ferrer. Paul Aquino. Keith Segura.

 

Accompanying Artist: Kim Feliz on piano

 

Directed by: Diane Catibog

For the benefit of the Ex Libris Philippines Scholarship Project.

 

 

 

6 p.m. 04 April 2008. Engineering Theater, Melchor Hall, University of the Philippines

Tickets at Php 350.00 each.

 

 

For ticket reservations please contact

Gabi  09209470835

Tata  09209470861

Or any Ex Libris Philippines member you know!

 

For more information about Ex Libris Philippines and our Scholarship Project, please visit our NGO’s site: http://exlibrisphilippines.multiply.com 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's no place like home

Upon arriving home, I was seized by this intense desire to exercise... something I haven't had time to do for a month now (and yeees... I HAVE gained a considerable amount of weight. Sadly, grey brain matter action doesn't burn as much calories as physical activity).

I put on a t-shirt, jogging pants and my oh-so-sturdy black rubber shoes, swung my arnis sticks over my shoulder (just in case I got attacked by unfriendly rabies-carrying dogs), and jogged around our village at dusk.

It was my first time to set foot outside our house, to go around the neighborhood while not stuck inside a vehicle... it's actually weird, come to think of it, considering we've been living here practically my whole life.

My stomach, unaccustomed to such activity, felt extremely queasy after only twenty minutes or so of fastpaced jogging, so I slowed down to a brisk walk. And I'm glad I did! I got to look at the familiar-looking houses up close, and fully enjoy the cool night air caressing my overheated, sweaty skin.

Before tonight, I had no idea how clear the evening sky is above our village. 'Tis a rarety, to be sure, in polluted Manila. I could count the stars if I wished... the sky was THAT clear.

Before tonight, I had no idea how peaceful it could be as I meandered through the quiet streets on my own.

It felt nice to greet the neighbors "Good evening" as I encountered them, though they've never seen me before, I'm sure, as this was my first nocturnal venture.

I strolled to the village sari-sari store and bought mineral water. It seemed to me that cold agua never tasted so sweet, as I leisurely drank it on my way back to our little house.

Lesson learned: There is great beauty all around us... if we will only take the time to look. I needn't have gone all the way to Baguio to experience such communing with Nature, all I needed to do was step out of the house. :)

 "But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
       or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;

 or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
       or let the fish of the sea inform you.

 Which of all these does not know
       that the hand of the LORD has done this? "

Job 12: 7 -- 9

Long time no post

One of the books I finished whilst our family stayed in Baguio (just two nights, and one glorious day of sleeping and reading) was Ian McEwan's "On Chesil Beach", and I am beginning to wonder if he's written anything with a happy ending for a change. :) Sa bagay... it's just the second book of his that I've read, the other one being "Atonement."

(Insert story: Talk about being a loser, I'm the only one in the family who didn't watch the film. Like a good girl, I stayed in a coffee shop and reviewed for two exams scheduled the following day while they watched the film without me. *sniff* The things we students are forced to do...)

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD! Okay, you have been forewarned...

I wanted so badly for the novel to have a happy ending. You see, I identified with the female protagonist straightaway. She was around my age, and a classical musician to boot!

It tells of a young couple's honeymoon, and of the tragic events that followed... tragic in the sense that they could have had such joy, it was already within their grasp! But the man was lacking in trust and patience, and so he let the woman go that fateful night and proceeded to live a lonely, unremarkable life.

Here's an excerpt from the last couple of pages (when the man was reminiscing, near the end of his life):

"... Perhaps if he had stayed with her, he would have been more focused and ambitious about his own life... Now, of course, he saw that her self-effacing proposal was quite irrelevant. All she had needed was the certainty of his love, and his reassurance that there was no hurry when a lifetime lay ahead of them. Love and patience -- if only he had them both at once -- would surely have seen them both through. And then what unborn children might have had their chances, what young girl might have become his loved familiar? This is how the entire course of a life can be changed -- by doing nothing. On Chesil Beach he could have called out... the sound of his voice would have been a deliverance, and she would have turned back. Instead, he stood in cold and righteous silence..."

~ ~ ~

"This is how the entire course of a life can be changed -- by doing nothing..."

The young maiden thinks: "Yes, yes, how right! If I am to do nothing, happiness will not be mine! And so I need to do something drastic, something extraordinary that would reveal the intensity of my feelings for the man that I love!"

But there is another side...

"Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires." Song of Solomon 8:4

~ ~ ~

I got this from orgmate TJ. This looks fun!

Rules:
1. Answer the questions below.
2. Type each answer and type it into Google.
3. Take a picture from the first page of results and post.
4. You can’t copy the answers of the person who posted this before you.

Age you will be on your next birthday:

 

 

A place you'd like to travel to... (SCOTLAND!?!?!?!??!)

 

Favorite place

Favorite food...

Favorite animal...

Favorite color...

Significant other...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The town you live in...

Your nickname/ screen name...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your first job...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A bad habit you have...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Worst fear...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Along with...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Haha. I've missed blogging. :)

Have a blessed Easter Sunday tomorrow!

Short Summary of Don Pasquale

As requested, here's a short summary of the opera. Sorry, I didn't have time to type up my own. This one's from this site, and was written by Bryce Westervelt.

The Main Characters in the opera Don Pasquale

• Don Pasquale, an old bachelor (bass) ---> Jonaf del Fiero
• Ernesto, nephew of Don Pasquale (tenor)  ---> Eric Ferrer
• Norina, young widow (soprano)  ----> c'est moi!
• Dr. Malatesta, a friend of Don Pasquale (baritone) ---> Paul Aquino

(And then there's Keith Segura as the Notary, and Kevin Rebato as the Majordomo)

Act I

Don Pasquale is a wealthy, and lonely, old man who wants a bride. Don Pasquale wishes to disinherit his nephew, Ernesto, who is in love with the widow Norina. Pasquale goes to his friend, Malatesta, to help him find a wife so that he can leave his inheritance to his own children rather than his nephew. Malatesta, believing Don Pasquale is quite foolish, (and also being friends with Ernesto) offers to introduce him to his sister “Sofrinia.” (who happens to be Norina in disguise)

Act II

“Sofrinia” meets Don Pasquale, and he immediately falls in love with this quiet and shy bride. They sign the marriage contract, which leaves half of his possessions to his bride. As soon as the contract is signed, she becomes noisy, obnoxious, and demanding toward Pasquale (everything she was not before they were married) annoying Don Pasquale. Malatesta informs Ernesto of the scheme. Don Pasquale fears that he has made an awful mistake.

Act III

“Sofrinia” has gone to the theater (with Ernesto) without Don Pasquale, which angers him. He confronts her, and she slaps Don Pasquale, telling him that it is time to end the marriage. Norina drops a note from Ernesto. Don Pasquale enlists Malatesta to help him catch “Sofrinia” in the act of adultery by setting a trap. Ernesto is serenading Norina when Pasquale arrives to prove that “Sofrinia” was an adulteress. When Don Pasquale sees that “Sofrinia” is in love with his hated nephew, he blesses their marriage, happy to be free of the woman. “Sofrinia” is revealed to be Norina and Don Pasquale realizes that he has been duped.

Opera For A Cause

EXPERIENCE OPERA FOR A CAUSE!

 

See Donizetti’s opera “Don Pasquale” performed by talented voice/ conducting majors from the UP College of Music---and help send UP students to school!

 

 Our NGO, Ex Libris Philippines, a nonstock, nonprofit, SEC-certified organization for book enthusiasts, is raising funds in order to help send UP students to school. Last March 7, 2007, our NGO held a special screening of the movie “300” in Rockwell Powerplant, and the funds from this movie screening sent two UP students (Gerico Punzalan of CAL and Hanna Garcia of Industrial Engineering) to school.

 

As this year’s fundraising activity for our NGO’s Scholarship Project, we are holding an opera production of “Don Pasquale”, with a cast of UP College of Music voice majors and UP alumni. All the funds to be raised from ticket sales will go to the Ex Libris Philippines Scholarship Fund and help send UP students to school.

 

For the price of 2 venti drinks at Starbucks, watch a great opera performed LIVE by fantastic performers AND help change lives! Please buy tickets and help us in our cause. With your help, we can send UP students to school. =)

 

 

 

EX LIBRIS PHILIPPINES

presents

an opera production of

 

Donizetti’s

"DON PASQUALE"

 

 

Featuring a cast and crew of UP College of Music Students and UP Alumni

 

 

For the benefit of the Ex Libris Philippines Scholarship Project.

6 p.m. 04 April 2008. Engineering Theater, Melchor Hall, University of the Philippines

 

Tickets at P 350.00 each.

 

                                     For ticket reservations please contact

Gabi  09209470835

Tata  09209470861

Or any Ex Libris Philippines member you know!

 

For more information about Ex Libris Philippines and our Scholarship Project, please visit our NGO’s site: http://exlibrisphilippines.multiply.com

 

 

Some Thoughts on Books

Despite my best efforts, I got bored after leafing through pages of scientific jargon about the Thermohaline Circulation and its effects on climate change. My mind travelled, and I daydreamed about reading, in general...

Just how many books does one need to have read in order to become well-read? 100? 500?

How many volumes do you need to own in order to qualify as a member of that prestigious circle of the intelletual elite, the intelligentsia?

And wouldn't it be a poor thing if the only reason one read was to "belong" to this particular social circle? I've met a couple, and I don't think I'd jive with such an exclusive group. Some tend to spend so much of their time with their heads stuck in books, living in the abstract... and forget to apply the noble virtues they read about in real life. What's the point in reading, then?

~ ~ ~

I used to love reading, and have recently discovered anew the joys of losing myself in a book after taking a seven year hiatus or so from my book worm status. Sadly... no matter how quickly I try to speed through books or how many I try to finish given limited free time, nothing will ever bring back those seven years of lost time. I mourn for all the knowledge and wisdom I could have gotten from those tomes that I let slip past.

~ ~ ~

Why read? Here's an interesting article.

I used to read for pleasure. Now, I still do. But I try to do it with discernment. After all, it's more of a personal crusade for self-improvement now, but not only for my sake. From a Christian viewpoint, we are all called to improve our minds, to further be of service to Him. :)

~ ~ ~

Came across this interesting poem by Australian poet Zora Bernice May Cross (1890-1964). Makes for an interesting epitaph, no?

And oh. It's aptly entitled BOOKS.

"Oh! Bury me in books when I am dead,
Fair quarto leaves of ivory and gold,
And silk octavos, bound in brown and red,
That tales of love and chivalry unfold.
Heap me in volumes of fine vellum wrought,
Creamed with the close content of silent speech;
Wrap me in sapphire tapestries of thought
From some old epic out of common reach.
I would my shroud were verse-embroidered too---
Your verse for preference—in starry stitch,
And powdered o’er with rhymes that poets woo,
Breathing dream-lyrics in moon-measures rich.
Night holds me with a horror of the grave
That knows not poetry, nor song, nor you;
Nor leaves of love that down the ages weave
Romance and fire in burnished cloths of blue.
Oh, bury me in books, and I’ll not mind
The cold, slow worms that coil around my head;
Since my lone soul may turn the page and find
The lines you wrote to me, when I am dead."

~ ~ ~

I'm looking forward to the end of the sem... when I can have a few days of doing nothing but leaf through my pile of books, while munching on Toblerone and sipping coffee mixed with generous spoonfuls of Hazelnut Coffeemate. :)

The End Is Near

I'm so tired nowadays.

If it weren't for my 3 bottles of calamansi juice and 2 vitamin C tablets a day, I'd have gotten pneumonia half a dozen times already with all this stress and puyat.

Haha. Good thing I love what I do. :) And that I'm blessed to be working with wonderful people, who go out of their way to help me with my recital. I really can't thank them enough.

Currently reading: INTRODUCTION TO CLIMATOLOGY FOR THE TROPICS.

On the count of three, say it with me! "1...2...3... Nosebleed."

This is a desperate attempt to review for what will probably be yet another crap exam in a certain Science G.E. on Friday (the kind you don't study for as much as you pray for... since most of the questions will probably be on topics that weren't even discussed in class anyway... plus it's right minus wrong...)... try as I might, I really can't comprehend the pedagogical reasoning behind these kinds of tests.

Oh yeah! And I have a Math exam to cram for as well.

Not to mention my Major exam (our equivalent of a thesis defense is a performance in front of a panel).

And one last peer teaching routine (Orff, this time around).

And one exam in EDCO.

And three posters to make for music ed. workshops to be held in April.

And my recital.

And various other extracurricular activities.

What an incoherent post. It's more of a to-do list, hehe.

But hey! Life is beautiful, no matter how stressful it may be at the moment. :)

Meet my alter ego

                                        

Moi as Norina in Donizetti's DON PASQUALE:

Accomplished flirt & sultry vixen... able to twiddle men around her thumbs at will

Haha! Teaser pic! If you want more, watch DON PASQUALE on the 28th. ;)

Must. Internalize. Character. *deep breath*

Note: Many thanks to Justin De Leon for the photos