WHO WATCHED THE OPENING?

John asked me to shoot the opening night since most of the members were still at work with opening night being a Friday. I didn't mind though since I was free and I wanted to watch the musical once again.

Rem Zamora and Ayam Barredo asked me to take photos of guests in front of a tarpaulin made and placed in the lobby of Greenbelt Cinema One. The funny thing was that I consider myself as someone who knows, not personally of course, the movers and shakers of the city. But when seen up close, I had a hard time pointing out who's who. Huh!?! So much for my perceived ability.

John and Boyet eventually showed up and were the ones who pointed out people to me! These guys are really "showbiz" people in their own right. John knows the movers in the upper echelons of Philippine society (the perk of being a bank manager) while Boyet has his connections with the "pangmasa" artistas (he claims most of them come from his home turf of Malabon). Now how can I compete with those two?

In the end, one person I didn't expect to see that night really made my job worthwhile. Just when the play was midway through the first act, a woman running towards the door and opens it arrives breathlessly and asks "Am I late?" As I looked up, I realized that Lea Salonga was actually talking to me! I then replied "Not that much, just by 15 minutes." She then greeted some Repertory staff and made her way inside the theater, seated among her ex-Repertory colleagues. I didn't even know she was in the country at that time! I may have failed to watch Lea in "Miss Saigon" and "Les Miserables" before but this incident trumps the past failures, ten fold!

REP AT THE ALTAR.....

The Club Members' Selected Shots.....






NAYON Group Photo With Repertory's Rem Zamora.....






The Souvenir Program.....






Presenting the Altar Boyz.....



























The Men and Women Of Repertory Philippines.....







For this summer's Repertory Philippines' show, they shall be performing a musical called "Altar Boyz". I was not familiar with this musical at all. But after watching the dress rehearsal as some club members took pictures for their souvenir program, I have grown to love the musical. The musical is all about a Christian boy band composed of five boys namely Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham trying to save the world, one screaming fan at a time. As a Christian boy band their mission is to reduce the number of troubled souls to zero. Problems arise when the group goes to New York and the boys succumb to their respective frailties. Will that dampen their faith in God?

I love the musical! With songs such as "Jesus Called Me On My Cell Phone", how can it go wrong? It also is fast paced and hilarious considering its theme. Those in the cast for this Philippine production of this award winning play are PJ Valerio, Red Concepcion, Reuben Uy, Chevy Mercado and Reb Atadero playing Matthew, Mark, Luke, Abraham and Juan respectively. The musical was written by Kevin Del Aguila and its composers were Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker. The local production was directed by Chari Arespacochaga.

ONE SUNNY DAY.....

Reflective Surface......






Manila Skyline In Black And White.....





Manila Sunset.....











Manila Yachts.....











Right after my photo club's monthly meeting for this month, we noticed the sunny weather outside. And the surprising thing was that the meeting finished on schedule which was 5:30 pm. Rarely does this happen to us since most meetings extend beyond that time. Enjoying the weather outside, some of us went to Harbor Square beside the CCP complex to shoot. Some of us were able to bring our cameras while most of us did not. My mate Bless even asked to have an OTS using camera phones! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Unlucky for her, I brought my camera with me so I was one of those who was able to take decent pictures during this sunny day.

As soon as the sun went down, we decided to have dinner in one of the restaurants in the square which had a second floor. Boyet had his laptop with him for the tabulation of scores during the club's monthly photo contest. But the highlight of the gathering was the video showing from him. What was the movie showing all about? Secret!!!!

WELCOME BACK ......

"Miss Ko 'To!.....Yummy!!!!!"





"Ninang Bea, I'm getting tired!"





Glad And Cousin Bea.....





"My New Anime Hairdo....."





My Grown Up Niece.....






It was great to see my brother and my niece once again. Time moved fast and before I knew it, two years have passed and it was time for them to come home for a vacation. It seems that my niece had a hand in their return as she repeatedly told her parents that she missed the Philippines and wanted to come home. Her parents then decided to schedule their vacation at the time her elder sister Germie graduated from college.

My brother seemed to have gained weight. And his first request to me was to take him to Jollibee (which started to open 24 hours) and buy him his favorite burger, The Champ! I could not refuse his request so we sneaked out of their house to the burger joint and ate burgers and fries. I just have to remind my brother to watch his weight and his health in general for the sake of my niece. I pray that he eventually heeds my call.

My niece has really grown! She added a few inches to her height and is now reaching my shoulder. She is fast becoming a young adult and with her height, she can be mistaken as one. And the most amazing thing is her diction when speaking in English. She sound like my Fil-Am nieces and nephews! My brother has asked me to speak to her in Pilipino while she's here, reasoning that he does not want her to forget how to speak our native language. But there are moments where I fail to do so, since I want to hear a glimpse of her ability. I used to be her teacher when it came to her schoolwork particularly in her English subject. Hearing her now does instill a sense of pride in me considering her enormous improvement. God Bless You, Glad and Ading.

FINALLY, IT'S OVER!!!!!

"Gusto Mo?".....






A Decent Table Spread.....






Me And My Family.....






With Mama And Glad.....






My Best Friend......








My step niece celebrated a milestone when she graduated from college with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the Perpetual Help College Delta System. What is more important is that her mom, her step father (my brother) and her half sister who are now living in Edinburgh, Scotland came over to share in her achievement as my step niece happens to be the eldest daughter of her mom.

I guess the real test shall be the Nursing Board Examination. It is the one that really matters the most as passing the test gives the candidate a license to practice one's profession. The brouhaha though of years past involving allegations of cheating by some review schools which involved a modus operandi of actually giving the actual test papers to their reviewers in the guise of a final test underlies just how difficult it is to past the test. And each time around, a check of the percentage of those who failed to pass seems to get higher and higher than those who passed.

I hope she does well when the time comes, for her sake and her future as well. Congratulations to you Germie.

RUNNING CANVASES OF ART.....

Ray of Light.....







Pop Art.....







Three Dimension.....







Wild Horse.....







Who Is Harley And David?






A Play Of Lines And Shadows.....






A Jeep's Interior.....






Speeding Streaks.....






If you think about it, I am always amazed with how our kababayans can be so gifted in the arts. Too bad though that only a handful of these gifted people realize their dream of pursuing it with passion, reasoning (whether rightly or wrongly) that there is no money in art; that art won't be able to put food on the table everyday. But there are those who find opportunities with art. What separates them is their choice of canvas. And nothing catches the eyes more than seeing these "running canvases of art", the jeepneys!

Ever since the American troops began to leave the country after WW II was over, the Filipino's ingenuity transformed the American vehicle to a Filipino transportation icon. The story goes that a man named Leonardo Sarao actually found a way to escape poverty by transforming the military jeep left behind by the troops to a transport vehicle that we now know. The built of the jeep then was a little bit crude, so to hide the blemishes, he hired a painter, Anastacio Francisco (who later on quit to put up his own company, Francisco Motors and became Sarao's direct competitor) to paint the external and internal portions of the vehicle with art.

Today, foreigners never leave the country without taking that jeepney joyride. I wished though that I had the foresight to take a photo of the jeepney years ago, to show its evolution. And may these photos of the jeepney today be my own homage to this unique Philippine icon.

CAMPUS SEARCH.....

The Men's Finalists In Their Formal Wear.....




Some of the Female Contestants.....




Strike A Pose!.....








At Last The Production Dance Number Is Over.....




These Guys Are Getting A Workout.....






The Opening Act was More of a Production Number....




Don't They Really Deserve Their Title?




Presenting The Major Winners.....




The Zany Shot.....





One of my fellow photographers from the NAYON Photographers' Club asked us to shoot a sort of beauty pageant that will involve college students of Metro Manila schools as contestants. Sad to hear though that the shoot will be Pro Bono, an exchange deal with the club being considered as one of the sponsors and will therefore be acknowledged throughout the shoot in exchange for our services of shooting the event for free. Oh John, the things that you do in exchange for folio photos! c",)

The event was the Mr. and Ms. Philippine Youth 2008. This campus search has produced the present crop of stars of Philippine cinema at present. Past winners include Dingdong Dantes and Jolina Magdangal. A few more names were mentioned but these two were the prominent ones.

In an age when an instant claim to fame can ensure someone of a better future in the entertainment industry, it does not come as a surprise to me that a lot of young people cast their lot in such contests. My fellow photog and close friend Buboy even recognized some of the contestants who joined in other contests of this nature before. I guess these kids really prefer to be in the limelight rather than finishing up college and having a good solid foundation. Different strokes for different folks!