The Dogeaters

"Proximity to the arts is cleansing for the soul…"

Saw The Dogeaters last Saturday and I effing loved it. It wasn't a Shakespearean caliber, but the play was worth the price.

I was early for the show. Too early, actually. So I grabbed a drink at the nearest cafe. While I was sipping my coffee, a guy moved towards me and asked if I can provide him a light. I retorted, "I don't have a light, sorry." But at the back of my mind, I wanted to shout at him and say, "I don't have a light, but I can provide you that with the use of my flaming breath." I am an arsonist, so you know. I emit flame out of my nostrils.

After the guy-asking-for-a-light incident, I rushed back to the auditorium. I got in the lift, and saw an old chum. He will be watching the show as well, together with his friends. We had a little chit-chat outside the auditorium then bade farewell after.

So I went inside and was escorted by an usherette to my seat. I spotted a couple of celebrities and other figures as I proceeded down the aisle. The usherette delivered me to my seat and immediately turned away to assist other viewers. Few minutes after, I foresaw the arrival of a group of American yuppies donned in formal attire. I heard their crisp American accents from the auditorium entrance.

The ushers checked if everyone is already settled, then signaled a thumbs up. Lights off. Curtains up. Show time.

I don't want to discuss the whole play since there are a lot of stories going on, and I'll leave that task to you. See it for yourself, I mean. Tip: Pay attention to every second in the play. You won't get bored, I assure you that. Thank God Jon Santos and Andoy Ranay were around to zest up the show with their incredible gay stints. Their roles however are rather significant to the story. Gina Alajar was flawless, performing the role of a penitent. In a nutshell, everyone performed impeccably. The running time of the show was two hours and a half. Relatively long but nonetheless diverting.

Went home afterwards to study for Economics quiz. Bummer.

Why she wore lipstick in her mastectomy

I wanted to murder boredom, so I conspired with the cable channels. I arbitrarily browsed through practically all TV channels in search of a good show. And HBO did not fail in giving me one.

The film is called Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy and it was based from the book written by Nancey Silvers. Mastectomy, as defined by Wiki, is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts to eradicate a malignant tumor. In layman's term, it is done to terminate breast cancer. This shall give you a clue on how the story will flow.

Geralyn Lucas is the lead female character in the movie. She has recently graduated from journalism school and landed a dream job at a very young age. Her life revolves around her great husband and friends. It is practically the greatest epoch of her life. However, everything suddenly changes when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. You know how the C word destroys your system. Her weight dropped sharply, her crowning glory became sparse. It was some sort of a nemesis. Trying to compose and gather herself, while losing her vibrancy, Geralyn discovers self-acceptance by relying on her husband, friends, courage, humor and of course, her red lipstick. At the end of the day, everything falls in the right place. She had a child, became stronger and tougher. The story simply implies that if we believe in ourselves, everything will come into place.

Each one of us, I believe, has their own "red lipstick" in life. In everything Geralyn Lucas does, she has to have a stroke of her red lipstick. When she underwent mastectomy, when she graced in a magazine to share her struggle against cancer, she wore her red lipstick. It gives her the courage to go on with life, despite the tribulations that took place. I must note though that the use of red lipstick as a source of courage is interestingly weird. But whatever. If I may reiterate, it just shows that everyone of us has their own way of getting away from it all, no matter what kind of source it is.

From Kingdom of Lemuria to Atlantis

Last Friday, my amigos and I went to The Fort to, uhm, unwind. 

We weren't really planning of going to The Fort. Shang was our first plan, well it's our only plan actually. We were only thinking of suspending our buns at Starbucks and have coffee or whatnot. But on the spur of the moment, when we were on our way to Shang, I decided to change itinerary. Yes, I. Being the decisive person that I am, I was able to convince them to change plans. Thus, dragging us to The Fort.

We paid Crumpler a visit. I've seen Crumpler bags before(Power Mac Center has a shelf which houses Crumpler bags). But never this huge. Crumpler bags are literally all around me! I'm in heaven! Nyahahaha! I perused on the mailman bags, and picked up the brown one. Examined the whole bag, and decided to buy it on December. Nyahahaha! Nikole got envious and he began to search blue ones for him. Pfff you! Nyahaha!

Oh, I almost forgot. Book lovers, this is for all of you. Pay Fully Booked in High Street a visit. This should suffice your search for a nice, cozy bookstore. Fully Booked, Bonifacio High Street is literally the most ginormous bookstore in the whole area. It's a five-storey building that houses books of various genre. It also has a basement which contains stacks of comics and toys. Not just toys, but the "collector's item" type. It metaphorically is a heaven for book lovers and uh, collectors.

Our stomachs went growling after our Fully Booked trip. We decided to indulge our hunger to Krispy Kreme doughnuts. I have to give credit to Gam for treating us some ring-shaped friedcake. Thanks Gam! Hahahahahaha! Krispy Kreme had UAAP Final Four Doughnuts on their menu. That is to say, they have green, red, blue and yellow doughnuts. I think the doughnuts were glazed in hard sugar, then spattered with colored sprinkles. Yum!

Mishmash Volume 001

Boy, PETA made sure that the viewer's three hundred bucks will not go kaput. Saw PETA's Batang Rizal last Saturday. Before a cloud of confusion emerges, let me point out that the PETA I'm talking about here pertains to Philippine Educational Theater Association, not the animal rights organization which also goes with the same acronym. Talk about copyright. I believe the latter is more concerned with protecting the animal welfare.

Where was I? Oh yes, Batang Rizal. The play basically limns the childhood days of our national hero. But it was not discoursed in a way that only the lovers of history would understand. The production team of the play has considered the show's viewers, which ranged from grade school to college students, and their prior knowledge about the theme. I must confess, I have but limited knowledge about the life history of Rizal. However, after watching the play, I became more acquainted with him and I took everything that I learned about Pepe to the bank.

Over-all the play was great. It actually reminded me of the theatrical performances by Gantimpala Theater Foundation. The actors were phenomenal. They spoke fluently and the intensity of their voices was just enough for people at the back and at the balcony to hear. The props, however, were not that grand, but it was nonetheless not disturbing. This is why I love the theater arts. It never fails to fascinate me. I am actually planning of enrolling myself to a drama class. After all, I was born with a gift of mimicry. I can use it as my foundation to further my theatrical skills.

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I am a self-confessed JZ junkie! Yes, JZ! As in Jessica Zafra! I have been religiously reading her books for a year now. I love her sense of irony and how she employs it. If you can notice, she addresses the mankind as a "she". Total feminist!