Madz et.al. Concert

November 23, 2012 - Philam Life Theater, United Nations Avenue, City of Manila.

Madz et.al is a concert of all the choirs, vocal ensembles, chorales of members of the Philippine Madrigal Singers (or the Madz as they are fondly called), whether past or present. They can be church choirs, corporate singing groups, high school chorales which are headed by Madz peeps.

(I've Had) The Time Of My Life

For the past couple of days, I've been listening to this song over and over again. I especially like the Glee version, although I downloaded the original one as well (sung by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes). I wonder what's with this song that got me hooked? It's not as if I've never heard the song before. Might as well just post the lyrics. Enjoy!

Paul van Dyk Live in Manila: October 19, 2011

This was his fifth time here in Manila. That's right, his fifth. This time, it is for his Evolution World Tour.

photo credit: http://www.paulvandyk.com/img/pvd.jpg

My dear friend Jane and I  decided to come out of party hibernation and show up at this event. It's a birthday celebration for us both as well, albeit a belated one.

When we got there, I first thought to myself, "I didn't miss out a lot after all." Everything looked strangely familiar to me - the set, the props, the lighting, and most of all, the people. That's right, there were a lot of familiar faces that night. I'm almost certain they just kept on partying, attending events since the last time I saw them. Case in point: a friend of mine, his cousin and their group of friends were there. Didn't get a chance to say hi to them, though. I figured, it was impossible for them NOT to see me. What, with the curly hair, big glasses, and my 6'1" frame? I don't think so. But since no one bothered to approach us, I didn't exchange pleasantries with them.

That aside, how was the event? I loved it. Progressive trance is really one of my favorite types of music, and PVD is one of the best at that. My heart seemed to go up and down along with his music. Jane had a great time too - she kept on dancing nonstop! I restrained myself a bit when it came to dancing to be honest. I am still a bit shy dancing in public. Besides, I feel that I have yet to find a signature move. Hahahaha! Which reminds me: I need to check out the dancing schools in our neighborhood. Who knows, I might have had it in me all along. :-)

Here is a pic taken from the event. This was just taken from my phone, so apologies in advance if it's not that good.  Nonetheless, hope you enjoy!

One of my favorite parts was when he played Home. It's one of his more recent tracks, and it became an instant classic the moment it was released. I was hoping he would play White Lies, another favorite of mine. Then again, we left until after 4 am, and I don't know until what time he played. He could've played it toward the end, which would be unfortunate for me.

I'll see if I can post a video which I shot from the event. This was when a videoclip was being shown explaining how evolution came to be, and how it fits in his whole show. I love the concept! Some might find it cheesy, but I'm biased. So sue me. Hehehe.

What a day

I am talking about the events that transpired starting Wednesday afternoon. I watched The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall at 5:00 PM. Kidding. It was in Greenbelt 3, although TPOTOATRAH was the title. It was over 3 hours long. They showed the history of the musical - how Andrew Lloyd Weber came up with the idea, the success it's gained all over the world, etc. Hard to believe it's been 25 years since its first show in London.

Then came the actual musical. Amazing. The company was fantastic! The Christine they got was beautiful, plus her voice was spot on. The Phantom was creepy. He's that good. Oh how I envy these musical actors and their God-given talents! :)

After the curtain call, Andrew Lloyd Weber came on stage to say a few words. Then the original cast came on stage. Sarah Brightman, ex-wife of ALW and the first Christine, sang The Phantom of the Opera with four of the past Phantoms. Michael Crawford, the first Phantom (who won both a Tony and an Olivier for this role) came on stage too, but he didn't sing. Later on I read in Wiki that he came from another show so he wasn't able to sing.

So that was the highlight of my day, I would say.

When I got to work, I got stuck in two meetings, which lasted for 2.5 hours in all. I already knew I wasn't feeling well - I have a terrible cough and I feel I have so much phlegm inside me that's very stubborn and refuse to come out. Plus, I had very little sleep. So I opted to take a sleeping lunch instead (a term we use when we wanna spend our lunch break sleeping). When I woke up, I grabbed a bite at our cafeteria. But I knew something was wrong still. So I went to the clinic and asked if I could use the nebulizer. The nurse set it up for me, and before I knew it I was out for three hours. Good thing I informed my boss and my senior staff that I was going to the clinic.

It ain't over yet. Let me tell you how I ended up all the way in Cavite. Laters.


Sent from my BlackBerry®

LSS: New York City

New York City - Paul van Dyk
(feat. Ashley Tomberlin)

I watch the sky turn black to blush
Head still spinning from the rush
Of all the things I did the night before

And looking down from my hotel
These dawn-lit streets begin to fill
With memories of you and I
On a New York City night

I shake my head to clear the sounds
The traffic horns, the growing crowd
The sun awaking over central park

But still it creeps beneath my skin
All of these heartbeats in the din
With concrete dreams stirring to life
On a New York City night

And I take it with me when I leave
The crowded skyline, the energy
The sleepless city always leaves its mark

Just close my eyes and I'm back again
The neon flush upon our skin
Still wrapped in thoughts of love and wine
On a New York City night

Photo credit: Kaldoon