Welcome, 2012!

A Time to Laugh

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; Ecclesiastes 3:4

At midnight last night, I was fast asleep in bed, with Alphonse curled at my side. We had gone to Christmas Eve dinner at my parents but we went home earlier than the rest of my siblings to keep Alphonse’s bedtime rituals and schedule. And so, when the clock struck twelve, Alphonse and I were already somewhere in dreamland.

A light tap on the shoulder woke me up. I heard a small whisper in my ear. “Merry Christmas, honey. Wake up.” As my eyes tried to adjust to the darkened room, A♥’s smiling face came to view. Then he handed me a box wrapped in- what else?- newspaper and a small gift card.

Dearest P.,

I figured you might want company by the Riverside. Merry Christmas!

I love you always,

A.

“Riverside? Company? What was he talking about?” I thought to myself.

I was carefully removing layers of tape and paper when it dawned on me that…hmmm… I did own a new house called Riverside Lodge. Did he mean to give me a new neighboring house? Was that what he meant by “company?” It could be, my mind reasoned out. The box was big, after all, almost as big as, if not bigger than, Willow Hall’s box. As my mind tried to unravel the mystery before me, the careful unwrapping gave way to an orgy of flying paper and tape. I beamed him a smile as I beheld Larchwood Lodge, coming all the way from BeHappy Malaysia. (Thank you, Popo and Kiki!)

I thanked A♥ profusely, hugging my box and kissing it with joy. Alphonse started fidgeting in his sleep so I had to reduce my giggling and gurgling noises. I stared at it for a loooong time, turned it every which way, and then, feeling the onset of yawns, set it down reluctantly. I thanked A♥ again and prepared to get back to bed when A♥ pulled a bigger box from somewhere in the darknesss. “Where did that come from?” I mouthed the words silently. He just smiled even more.

When he handed me another card, the one that said

Dearest P.,

Dreams do come true. I should know, because I have you. Merry Christmas!

I love you forever,

A.

I thought I knew. My heart was heaving inside my chest, thumping like I was running a marathon. Oh, you should have seen me dancing crazily, hopping and shaking with glee. It had to be. It could only be that.

The Sylvanian Families John Lewis Department Store. Oh. My.

Even as I fervently hoped that the gift was, indeed, my number one wish list item, a question nagged me: how could A♥ get it when John Lewis does not ship internationally? Maybe I was wrong, after all.

I grabbed a pair of shears to diminish the sound of paper violently ripping. Alphonse was fidgeting a lot more and I was afraid he would wake up any moment. But halfway through unwrapping the box, as the giant letters spelling JOHN LEWIS were revealed printed on the side of the shipper’s box, a small address sticker caught my eye. I knew right away whose that was, having received packages sent from that address before.

Panda! I gasped.

“You’re not playing nice,” I said to A♥. “You’ve been keeping secrets from me,” I said coyly, pretending to be hurt. When he launched into the full story of how he wrote Panda to ask for her help, I had to launch myself into his arms. A gift from my two bestest friends in the world- what could be cooler and nicer and more generous than that?

So thank you, my bestest, farthest away friend, Panda, for making this Christmas wonderfully memorable. Your willingness to help a friend from across the oceans is truly a gift! And thank you to my bestest, nearest, most faithful friend of 28 years, my A♥, for making all my dreams come true. I will always deeply, madly, truly love you.

A Time to Weep

AP Photo/Aaron Favila

Three more days before Christmas and there is still so much sorrow in our land. More than a thousand people lost their lives in the deadly rains that swept through the southern portion of the country Friday night, and many more are still missing. Even as we prepare for the festivities of the coming weekend, many families are in deep mourning, unable to see past beyond today when there is only death and grief in their lives.

Tragedy is always difficult to comprehend. That it should happen at what should be a time for joy makes it even harder to understand, much less accept. There may be no comfort or consolation in our words, but our actions and gestures may help ease a little of their suffering today.

Let’s think beyond ourselves, my friends. Reach out to our countrymen who need us most today.

Here’s how (from the Philippine Red Cross website): SMS

Text RED<space>AMOUNT to 2899 (Globe) or 4143 (Smart)

G-Cash Text DONATE<space>AMOUNT<space>4-digit M-IN<space>REDCROSS to 2882

You can donate the following denominations:

Globe: 5, 25, 100, 300, 500 or 1000

Smart: 10, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500 or 1000

Christmas In Our Hearts

Every year, for as long as I remember, I pretend to grumble and grouch over the tasks of the holidays. And every year, at the end of the season. I grouse and bellyache some more, those times reserved solely for missing the season and wishing it were upon us again.

Not this year.

There will be none of the tinsel-throwing I have gotten used to from the kids. None of the careful unwrapping of heirloom ornaments from their crumbly tissue paper. None of Alphonse’s sleight of hand tricks with his favorite ball ornaments. Even the Christmas lighting ceremony we are used to, with A♥ waving his hands in the air like the Sorcerer’s Apprentice conjuring magic, is now but a memory of Christmases past.

This year, because Alphonse still does not seem to adapt well to change, we have decided not to put up the ten-foot tree and all its trimmings. We have not put up our blinking lights or the garlands that graced the stairs. Gone, too, are the wreaths and Christmas socks that bear the boys’ names. They are all in their boxes still, the first time in more than twenty years that they will not see light this time of the year.

I feel the loss as much and as deeply as I feel the loss of life as we knew it. In the last month of the year, almost twelve months since Alphonse got sick, we have only begun to resume the normal cycles of our home life. We live in a state of fragile peace and if sacrificing superficial trappings is all it took to save that peace, we are content to live with a bare, unadorned home.

Still, I sense a sadness in the people who live with me, a kind of grief and regret that often seem too trivial to talk about but are felt, nonetheless. In their unspoken sorrow, I realized that while Christmas will always be in our hearts, sometimes, you have to risk a little to remember that this is all about Him who risked and gave up His life for us.

So yesterday, when I woke up, I brought out a small box of decorations. The nannies were confused. I could hear them whispering among themselves. After a few minutes, when they saw what I did, even they broke out in large smiles.

“We’ll put the tree away when Alphonse is around, Ate,” one said.

“And I’m sure he won’t mind too much the ones on the mantle. They’re out of the way and out of his reach naman,” another said.

“If Alphonse throws them, they won’t break!” chimed another.

“The size of your gifts will be proportional to the size of our tree then,” I kidded and they all laughed.

And with that one single moment, amid the smiles and cheers, Christmas was back in our lives.

How The Three Little Kittens Found Their …

No, not mittens, silly. Mittens are too hot for this tropical country. This is a tale of the Three Little Kittens, and how they found their parents, and a new friend as well.

It began this November, when the Tuxedo Triplets, aka Charcoal Cat Babies, arrived on my doorstep. They were a lively bunch, a little too frisky and restless compared to the other babies I had, but I couldn’t blame them. They were missing their family! They cried constantly and mewled me to distraction! Meow Meow Meow Meow!Unfortunately, while these triplets still had a bad case of jet lag, having flown more than 8000 km to reach me, their family was nowhere to be found here in Manila. To search for them, the Three Little Kittens would have to fly 1,116 km to a secondary destination. It would be another long journey for them.

On a rainy Saturday morning, the Three Little Kittens packed up their meager belongings and boarded a plane. As they looked out the window, they whispered a silent prayer. “Please, Papa God, help us find our family. Amen.”

Inside the plane, the kittens were simply too excited and restless, getting into all sorts of mischief, trying on things, and even getting their paws into a full-sized snack!

Kittymama was napping, with her hair curlers on, when they woke her up for a picture. Who knew she traveled with her hair in curlers? (Shhh, let’s just keep that a secret for now.)

Once they found some inflight entertainment, the kittens calmed down a bit.

The Simpsons, however, had them in stitches and they almost fell off their perches on the tray table from laughing out loud. It was a good thing that before they could wake up a planeload of people with their mewling, the plane was ready to land. The Three Little Kittens were happy to find land!

They posed with Kittymama for souvenir pictures at the Hong Kong International Airport. Then, they all boarded the bus that would take them to the heart of the city.

As soon as they found their hotel, the Three Little Kittens wanted to begin their search in earnest. Kittymama had a list of possible places, but in each one, there was no sign of the triplets’ family.

Are you here, Mama, Papa?

Depressed, the kittens resigned themselves into orphanhood. Kittymama pressed them to go on with the search so they decided to go farther. The next day, they took a ferry boat to the nearby city of Macau. The waters were rough and choppy, but the triplets were determined to end their search that day.

Still, despite their long walk around the city and the stomach-contents-hurling driving techniques of the cab drivers, they found no sign of their parents.

No one seemed to know where to find them. No one has heard of them in a while, and some have claimed their last sightings were way back in October. The Three Little Kittens seemed to find one obstacle after another. Once again, they mewled helplessly.

Peppermint, for one, seemed almost ready to jump off the 233-meter high platform of the Macau Tower.

Suicide? No way! I just wanted to bungee jump!

By the end of their second day, the Three Little Kittens were no nearer to finding their family. As they gazed around the city, they repeated their silent prayers for guidance and direction. Surely, they must be out there, they said to themselves. They mewled softly all the way home.

By a fortuitous turn of events, however, Kittymama was set to meet a new Sylvanian friend, Ms. Karen, and her wonderful husband, Mr. German, the very next day. Ms. Karen is a long time collector of Sylvanian Families in Hong Kong. She and Kittymama met in 2009 in – hold your breath- Facebook! Since then, they’ve been corresponding over the social network and they promised to meet up the next time Kittymama visited.

Together with her husband, Ms. Karen accompanied Kittymama and A♥ to different places to look for the Triplets’ family.

Kittymama, A♥, and the triplets simply loved Ms. Karen and her husband! They were two of the nicest people they’ve ever met. To spend one whole day with someone you hardly knew, to patiently guide them and bring them to different places, to treat them to a wonderful meal of authentic Chinese cuisine- these were all kindnesses that were totally unexpected but deeply appreciated. You really do find friends where you least expect them.

The Three Little Kittens held out hope and prayed that Ms. Karen would be able to help them. And true enough, it was Ms. Karen who saved the day!

Before they parted that night, Ms. Karen handed Kittymama a small bag. Ms. Karen had been keeping that bag since October, when she did Kittymama a big favor. When the box inside the bag was opened, you could not imagine the joyful and tearful mewls and meows that filled our room. It was so touching, really.

At the airport the next day, the reunited members of the family still could not believe their luck.

Angelica and Peppermint embraced their father tight, afraid to let go.

Midnight clambered on to Mama while sister looked on happily.

And Peppermint was hugged from all sides by her big sisters.

It was a joyful family reunion!

The Charcoal Family, complete at last!

Even Kittymama knew she had been lucky, extremely lucky. She was grateful that the kittens had found their famly, but she was even more grateful for the time she spent with her beloved A♥. Truly, there could be no greater adventure than the ones she shared with A♥!

Best of all, Kittymama was thankful for another precious Sylvanian friendship. The best part of collecting Sylvanian Families is always the new friends we find along the way.

Thus ended the story of how the Three Little Kittens found their parents and sisters. Of how Kittymama and A♥ had a grand adventure. Of how Kittymama made a new friend.

The End.

Crocs-aholic!

I got new Crocs on a recent trip and love them so much I thought I’d show them off.

The Crocs Cobbler ankle boot in black suede and a chunky two-inch heel is to die for! It runs a bit wide so it was perfect for me. Although it was cozily snug, it was also roomy near the toes that it allowed for a bit of air to circulate inside (so my feet don’t get deathly stinky, hehe). The heel was the absolute clincher in the deal as it provided height without the danger of toppling over. A♥ wasn’t convinced I needed this pair but after a few minutes of whimpering and begging, he finally gave in. This would be his Christmas gift for me, I added convincingly.

I like this shot. I look thin in it!

I think A♥ would’ve believed me if I hadn’t gotten the Crocband Hello Kitty winter boot, but alas, I had also begged for them earlier. Still, what is a Hello Kitty fanatic to do (and I thought I had been rehabilitated enough, heehee!) when faced with choices such as these? The Crocband Hello Kitty winter boot has a water-resistant nylon upper with puffy fill for warmth and comfort. Fortunately, the filling isn’t too thick that wearing it this season in a tropical climate is total foot suicide. The upper sole is a bit narrow but it does give a little with time.

It comes in two colors, white and black. While the white one is adorable, the black one seems a more logical choice when it comes to wearability. The white one just seems to ”wintery,” aside from the obvious fact that it will get dirty with use.

I am absolutely bowled over boots and if I could, I would wear them everyday! Fortunately, the brief periods of cool weather and sporadic rainshowers make this possible for now.  Oh, how I love, love, love Crocs boots!

Happily Ever After

(A review of Asia’s The Little Mermaid by Atlantis Productions)

originally published in BusinessWorld Weekender, December 2-4, 2011

THEATER REVIEW The Little Mermaid Presented by Atlantis Productions Until Dec. 11 Meralco Theater, Ortigas Ave., Pasig

When The Little Mermaid opened on Broadway in January of 2008 amid high expectations and fanfare, it was met by a surprisingly uneven mix of reviews from critics and viewers alike. Those who liked it praised it for its inventiveness and unique take on underwater settings; those who didn’t, well, let’s just say that “garish,” “plastic,” and “too busy” were some of the kinder words used.

No wonder then that while Beauty and the Beast ran for 5,464 performances between 1994 and 2007, making it the eighth-longest running production in Broadway, and The Lion King is still being played on Broadway and in many other parts of the world (eclipsing Beauty and the Beast to become seventh in Broadway’s list), The Little Mermaid has found very limited success among the Disney musicals on theater.

Atlantis Productions must be made of stern stuff to undertake a production with a spotty history, and even braver to mount it despite the limited finances we all know local theaters have. If Disney and the Broadway giants could not make the whole play work perfectly despite their reportedly USD15 million budget, then what could we Filipinos possibly come up with to avoid a shameful dud?

It seems that directors Bobby Garcia and Chari Arespacochaga have found their solution in simplicity. By stripping the play of its extraneous eye candy and concentrating heavily on good music and acting, they have resuscitated a once moribund play and given it fresh life. Then, too, by the ingenious use of puppetry and the creative play of light and shadows, they have taken the flying wire harnesses and pulleys out of the equation and notched up more points for creativity than mechanical stagecraft could have ever done.

This is not to say, however, that The Little Mermaid has gone completely minimalist and done away with the traditional (and almost required) Disney WOW factor. On the contrary, Asia’s The Little Mermaid has simply learned to use it more sparingly, on scenes that really count, and as such, when done right, the effect is masterful.

In contrast, the costumes are fabulously far from simple. Mr. Eric Pineda, the company’s costume designer, has come up with highly inspired designs that channel Asian influences and yet make them universal in appeal. Thus, Ariel, the Little Mermaid, sports Imeldific butterfly sleeves made to look like shells and King Triton chucks his white locks, manly beard, and Nordic looks in favor of a Balinese king’s regal bearing. Sebastian, the hermit crab who serves as Ariel’s reluctant guardian, no longer looks like a red version of Jiminy Cricket but a proper decapod crustacean decked in a Thai “chada.” The sea witch, Ursula, who is part woman and part octopus (what is known as a cecaelia) sports a most intricate costume that not only lights up in the dark but can open and expand like the tentacles of a real octopus. Add the costumes for Flotsam and Jetsam- painted spandex suits that incorporate eel puppet heads and lighting- and you get a visual display that focuses the eye on the actors themselves and not on their environment.

All these aside, you get to the meat of the bone. And what a juicy, succulent feast is served for the theater lover! If anyone has ever questioned the choices for the two lead roles, then the performances themselves are proof that neither was picked on the basis of their popularity in mainstream show business. Rachelle Ann Go, as Ariel, is a total revelation.

Far from the raw talent that she was when she won Star For The Night in 2004, Ms. Go has evolved into a class of her own. Her singing style has completely changed, her crystal clear voice coming from a wellspring of emotion, unlike common belters of today whose voices are hitched in their nether regions. Her diction is clear and crisp, her enunciation perfect, and she is a real delight as feisty, bullheaded, but naive Ariel. Everything about her makes perfect sense as the Little Mermaid.

If Ms. Go is a natural on stage, Mr. Erik Santos has a little bit of nerves to conquer. His voice, strong, clean, and melodious when he sings, sometimes fumbles when he speaks; it is either too loud or too soft at times. Still, Mr. Santos fits the bill of a handsome young prince and with time, he will learn to wear his princely persona like second skin.

Mr. Calvin Millado makes a great and regal Triton, no doubt about it. Fresh from Atlantis Productions’ In The Heights, where Mr. Millado also deftly played the role of a father to a teenager, his warm, deep voice emanates fatherly concern. The sea witch would have been a tricky person to cast, but Atlantis found the right mix of delicious evil, malicious humor, and crassness in Ms. Jinky Llamanzares’ Ursula. Flotsam (Jaime Barcelon) and Jetsam (Felix Rivera) are a memorable duo with their slithering malevolence.

OJ Mariano, last seen as Vittorio Vidal in 9works Theatrical’s Sweet Charity, has become a perfect professional in just less than year of theater work. He moves with grace, drops his punch lines with ease, and sings like there is no tomorrow. He loses his Jamaican accent sometimes, but manages to pick it up again without seemingly missing a beat. The rest of the cast- Ms. Lee Viloria as Flounder, Ikey Canoy as Scuttle, Raymond Concepcion as Grimsby, Japs Treopaldo as Carlotta, Juliene Mendoza as Chef Louise, as well as the entire ensemble (many of them topbillers in theater)- outdo themselves with their various role changes. While the original Broadway production had a heavy ensemble in its cast, Atlantis’ version relies on only these few talented individuals to tell Ariel’s tale. They fill the stage with the heft and gravitas of an impressive ensemble.

This being a Disney musical, many of the play’s memorable highlights are those that come directly from the 1989 animated film. “Part of Your World,” “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl” are iconic themes that need no introduction to the audience. In these songs, Atlantis pulls out all the stops, filling the stage with memorable set pieces and, in the case of the latter two songs, with wonderful costumed animals in the most intricate masks and puppet parts reminiscent of those used in The Lion King‘s animal parade.

And despite critics’ initial aversion to the ten new songs by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, songs that built up the original musical repertoire created by Mr. Menken and the late Howard Ashman, these have finally taken root with audiences, giving them a fleshed out, three-dimensional musical view of The Little Mermaid. “If Only,” a quartet sung by Ariel, the Prince, Sebastian, and King Triton, easily received the loudest cheers from the crowd, many of them wiping a tear or two at the end of the song.

In the final analysis, Atlantis Productions has proven that it doesn’t take just big bucks to make a stage musical work (though that couldn’t hurt). With a lot of ingenuity and real talent, even The Little Mermaid seems to have found its own happily ever after.