Built Champions, Discovered Friendship, Created a Family ♥

To my STC Champions,  CONGRATULATIONS and THANK YOU. My only regret in this experience is not having enough time to get to know each one of you personally. You are all such wonderful, beautiful persons and it's a great, great honor to have met you, and to have staged this event with you.

Wilma, we've known each other for 7 years and you never really cease to amaze me. Thank you for the trust & confidence, and for the neverending love & care. You know I'm always here come what may. Let's do more projects coz I'm really getting used to you driving me to work almost everday. Love you much!

Ruby, this was your show. You made it all happen. Thank you for being my alter ego, and for going the distance. You steered the ship safely through the storms, and I'm so proud to see you make it through the rain. Always and forever, I'm here if you need me, just a text away. More power and hope to do more projects with you soon! God bless you :)

Lorie, I so admire your amazing hardwork and dedication, and you don't only do things superbly, you also do it with great love & care. I hope we'll have the chance to do more projects soon. You're really amazing! God bless you :)

Nikka, Judalyn & the CSC, thank you for all your hardwork and dedication. Amazing jud kaayo mo to have staged something like this with oh-so limited time. Congratulations, and rest assured that you have my support and commitment for any projects that you'll have. God bless you :)

Bea, your talent, your leadership, your bright aura is very contagious. Thank you for making a positive difference in the lives of the performers, and everyone involved in the project. Stay as amazing as you are. God bless you :)

Trisha Rovin Gale, no, you don't have bad pictures and that is that! Haha. Bitaw, thank you for being you. You have touched my life without you knowing it. I will always and forever be here for you come what may. Yes, I mean that. God bless you :)

Malaya, is there anything that you can't do? Haha. You have it all, but more important than those skills and abilities is the passion that I see in you. May you continue to perform with that passion, and hope to share the stage with you soon. God bless you :)

Tara D., Chloe, and the rest of the 'Dream' dancers, the 'Challenges' dancers & the High School dancers, you are all such a joy to watch onstage. I've always believed that dance is a poem of which each movement is a word, and watching all of you - poetry in motion. My hats off to you. Continue sharing your talent to the world. God bless you :)

Cindee, so happy and proud to share the stage with you. You have so much to share to the world, don't hold it back. Thank you for the love, care, support and the really amazing pictures. God bless you :)

Tara M., the only thing that's more beautiful than your voice and face is your heart. You have touched my heart more than you know, and I am so much grateful to have shared the stage with you. Ato tong dayonon ang mga 'plans' because I'm very much excited to see your career and your life soar higher. God bless you :)

Maigi, I am so glad and proud to have shared the stage with you. I've seen how hard you've worked in perfecting your song, and it surely paid off. Hope that this will just be the start of your singing career. I'm a fan all the way. God bless you :)

Janiel & Bless, continue sharing your amazing talents to the world. It's really an honor to have shared the stage with you, and I hope and pray that I would be able to finally sing with you soon. God bless you :)

Nap & Audrey, you both have the confidence, and so much potential. Continue singing, but more importantly, open your ears and minds and absorb as much learnings as you can. As they say, the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. I look forward to hearing you both sing again soon. God bless you :) 

Trisha Nichole, Magill, Robin, Glee Club & the rest of the singers, continue singing not because you have to, but because you love to. Continue touching the lives of many people through your music. Sing from your heart. I hope to have the honor of singing with you soon. God bless you :) 

Buhilaman, I am so happy to know that there are still people in the new generation who are passionate with theatre as we are. I look forward to your productions, and I will always be here if you need me. Keep the faith, you guys.. er.. girls, ROCK! God bless you :)

Deneb, thank you for making my job so much easier. I don't easily entrust the controls of the sounds to just anyone, but you gained my trust right away. Haha. Looking forward to doing more projects with you. God bless you :)

Sister Rosie and Ms. Sol, thank you for the trust and confidence. You are so blessed to have all these amazing women doing all of these for the school. I am so proud to be in their presence, and I will continue to be here if I'm needed. God bless you :)

Kitchie, thank you for sharing your beautiful music. An honor standing on the same ground (stage) as you. More power and more lives to touch. God bless you :)

I'm sorry if I wasn't able to mention each one of you by name. As long as you were a part of that special event, apil mo sa akong pasalamat, and I really hope & pray to get to know each one of you jud, be it another project *ahem, CSC* or just to hang out and bond.

Not bad for a concert with just 2 weeks to prepare from scratch. I am so proud of EVERYONE because you did not only share your talents and time, more importantly, you gave your HEARTS and that made all the difference.

In the 2 weeks that we were together, we did not only build champions, we also discovered each other, built a friendship that became a family and created a bond that will hopefully last forever

Building Champions

I find it quite amusing that I am in mixed emotions as I'm doing sooo many things for so many people, yet I still consider my life boring. Makes sense?

I'll take about my disappointments next time because right now, with a lot of things to do in less than 4 days, I want to think that I don't have time to think sad thoughts. Yeah right. As if I have full command over my emotions.

Before I wander off, let me just promote the something big I mentioned in my last post. It's actually just a concert which I'm directing. It's Building Champions, a concert for a cause with the best and the brightest talents of Saint Theresa's College - Cebu. Special guest is Kitchie Nadal. Yes, it's THE Kitchie Nadal.

It will be on November 26, 2011 (this coming Saturday, actually) at the STC Auditorium. Your Php 150 (per ticket) will go a long way to help the STC foundation Program and STC Community Involvement Program in support of their scholarship programs granted to our fellow theresians and to our partner communities. 

Under the spell of ‘Little Mermaid’

by Lea Salonga

Philippine Daily Inquirer

I brought Nicole out for a mommy-daughter date to the theater last Friday, the opening night of Atlantis Productions’ mounting of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” at the Meralco Theater.

All of us in the family have seen the Disney film on which the stage version was based. But we haven’t seen the stage production, so I jumped at this opportunity.

From the moment the music played (under the excellent musical direction of Ceejay Javier), we were magically transported to this kingdom under the sea.

The plot is similar to that of the movie, besides moments that would have been impossible to stage (there is no shark chase here, nor is there a gigantic Ursula).

New songs by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Glenn Slater (the same team behind “Tangled and Sister Act: The Musical”) were added, which seemed to blend seamlessly enough with the original tunes from the film.

This stage version stars Rachelle Ann Go as Ariel, Erik Santos as Prince Eric, Jinky Llamanzares as Ursula, OJ Mariano as Sebastian, Calvin Millado as King Triton, Ikey Canoy as Scuttle, Felix Rivera as Flotsam, Jamie Barcelon as Jetsam and Raymond Concepcion as Grimsby.

Add to that a mix of Atlantis, Repertory Philippines and Trumpets/Stages regulars with a few fresh faces, and you have a very strong, principal-player quality ensemble.

The way the show was orchestrated, I swore you heard far more than the number of players who were actually in the pit. The sound was rich, bright and full. Kudos, too, for the sound design team. There was only one crackle the entire night, and even then it wasn’t disturbing.

Inventive

The sets and costumes were beautiful and inventive. I loved the “Kiss the Girl” scene—where fireflies, frogs and large birds came alive, creating a colorful and romantic atmosphere. “Under the Sea” was one big calypso party, with neon creatures and sea plants. The silhouette puppetry deserved praise as well.

I couldn’t ask for anything more from the performers. From ensemble to principal, each one was completely committed to creating this beautiful world. But of course I have my standouts.

Llamanzares rocked my world with her mind-blowing vocal skills as Ursula. Each time she opened her mouth to sing, I got so gigil at just how amazing she was, not to mention the bigness in her personality to actually make those humongous and unwieldy costumes come to life. Ang sarap kayang hagisan ng sapatos sa sobrang galing.

Millado was more than sufficiently regal as the ruler of the seas; Rivera and Barcelon were a lovely electric eel team (they were so clear that even my 5-year-old knew what kind of creatures they were supposed to be); Canoy was a really funny and endearing Scuttle (he was also great in “The Kitchen Musical,” now showing on Studio 23 and AXN); and Concepcion was a very dignified Grimsby.

Mariano was fantastic as Sebastian, although his Caribbean accent found itself in Ireland and Scotland once in a while. Kudos to the six princesses, too, each for being so unique whether they were on land, or in the ocean. To the male ensemble, you were all muy macho.

Improved diction

Now, for the two artists making their musical theater debuts. Santos has vastly improved in his English diction. It is clear that for “Mermaid,” he put in a lot of hard work, which was beautifully on display here, especially when he sang. There is still room for improvement, but he has made great strides in the right direction. And yes, he actually can act, too!

As for Go, I don’t know that the superlatives in my vocabulary could cover just how wonderful I thought she was. Bundles of charm oozed from her, as well as an easy sense of humor and adventure. Her voice was also a great mix of that clean and pristine Disney sound, plus a deep pop sensibility that made this score (and her Ariel) accessible to everyone.

She was a perfect Ariel, and her portrayal will only continue to deepen and improve. She blew me away on opening night. Whatever management outfit, studio or record label is currently handling her needs to realize, if they haven’t already, just how big a treasure they have on their hands. Go is incredibly talented.

So run, drive, and yes, swim to “The Little Mermaid.” They have three more weekends at the Meralco Theater. If the standing ovation on opening night is any indication, they are in for a stellar run. Congratulations to the entire cast and crew, including co-directors Bobby Garcia and Chari Arespacochaga and choreographer Cecile Martinez. Break fins until December 11!

Source: http://entertainment.inquirer.net/22015/under-the-spell-of-%E2%80%98little-mermaid%E2%80%99

As I start my 31st year..

What can one say to a dream come true?

What can one say to have sung for you?

All these years have been a blessing to me,

all of you included, not to mention my family.

And to the people whose faith took me to higher places,

too many names, but I will always remember the faces.

You are all in my heart, in my soul you belong

Wherever God puts me, you're in every song.

Chasing time is what I'm all about

"Time, don't chase me" is my prayer, my shout.

I thank you all for the 30 awesome years

Songs, smiles, laughters and tears.

I will make a promise for you all today

I will sing for you forever, can't stop me, no way.

I'm chasing time! Catch me if you can..

Will I make it or not? It's all up to the MAN!