Writings on Sand

Dear Husband,

Last Saturday, as I was aboard a ferry going to the beach, I saw an elderly couple sitting by the front deck with arms around each other. The woman caught my attention because we both had the same digital camera. Then suddenly, I saw the man holding a DSLR camera taking photographs of the woman. It reminded me of us. Of how we love going places and taking photographs together. Of how we love taking photos of each other. Of how we love just being near each other and making each other laugh. For the most part of the ride, they just sat together and enjoyed the view. The husband wrapped his arms around his wife, while the wife leaned on her husband's shoulders. From time to time, they would talk and laugh.

While watching them I asked myself "Will we be like them when we grow old?", "Will we still enjoy each other's company?", "Will we still look at each other tenderly even if we're old and tired?"

I sure hope so. My heart believes so.

Yours always,

Wifey :)

Manly Beach!!!!

This was a first time for me!!!!! Finally, I was able to go to Manly Beach after almost two years of being here in Australia.

After only 4 hours of sleep (Hilda and I slept at 1:30am) I woke up at 5:30am just so I could meet up with my Tita Bess and cousins Rachel and Patrick in the City.

I wasn't prepared to go to the beach on Saturday morning. Friday morning inside the train going to work, my tita told me that we were going to Manly beach. I said "What? I didn't bring clothes with me." Yeah, I planned to go home in work clothes again the following morning coz I was just going home anyway. So Friday after work, I stopped by a shop and bought a cheap shirt. I also borrowed a pair of sunnies from Hilda and then Rachel just brought my Havaianas with her.

At 6am, I was out and about. Arrived in the city at 7am. The city looked like a ghost town on a Saturday morning.

At 8am, we were off to Manly Beach via the ferry. Weee!!!! I was such a very excited child getting on a ferry, arriving at Manly, seeing new things---i love it! Ang saya-saya ko, grabe!

Oh I love Manly!!!! If I ever become rich I'd buy a house and live there. For the first time since I've lived here, meron na akong "dream place to live in Sydney."

Manly reminds me of The O.C. (you know the US TV series?) Ganung-ganun sya. It has a beach, it has shops around the beach and at the same time it's a residential area so it's a conducive place for settling down and having a family.

From 8:30-10am, we hung out by the beach area, playing with water and sand while enjoying the fresh air. It was cloudy at first but at around 9am, the sun finally shone.

After that we hung out at the shops and the markets. There was a Quicksilver shop that I really liked because of their interiors: they have walk-in closets where you can try your clothes on, a waiting area with cool sofas and lounge chairs and an aquarium.

We ate lunch at Ivanhoe where you can find the best $10 steak in Manly.

After lunch, we went back to the city and had dessert at Max Brenner at David Jones. We were a bit tired already by this time but before going home, we still window shopped at Myer because it is very seldom that we go to the city.

When I got home, I had this massive headache due to stress and not much sleep but nevertheless, I was so happy I was able to go somewhere I haven't been to today, plus I was able to spend time with my relatives. Happy :)

For more photos, please click here: Manly Beach Photos

The Heat Is On In Sydney!

This was the reason why Friday (5 Oct) was a special day for me:

Hilda and I watched Miss Saigon again!!!!!

Why again? Because we watched Miss Saigon in Manila a few years back already. We were with Teng, and we were all neophytes in the 'real world' (read: we only started our careers back then) with not much money so the only tickets we can afford that time was the cheapest and we were seated in the upper most area of the theater, I felt like we were watching "The Bug's Life" because the stage was so small from where we sat, the actors looked like ants.

But this time, it's different, we were able to afford good seats!!!! I'm glad that I watched this with Hilda, there's no other person I would like to watch this with (other than my husband) than her. We really enjoyed it and from where we were seated, we were more moved while watching the play. For the price we paid, it was all worth it.

The Story, The Songs, The Production
The story itself will move you. I finally realized that I will never get tired of watching this play, the story was just too good. The songs were very powerful it will make you cry with Kim (I'd Give My Life For You), and you will laugh at the Engineer's antics (The American Dream), and of course, it will make you fall inlove too with Kim and Chris' duets (Sun and Moon and The Last Night of the World).

The production is not as extravagant and they incorporated virtual imaging already. I won't tell which part, just see it for yourself.

One of the things we have noticed as to the Orchestra, compared to the Phils', the one here has not much impact as I've expected. Maybe because the theatre is not that big, i don't know...but in terms of that sound blaring all over the venue, mas nagustuhan ko yung sa Phils.

The Actors
My palms were a bit sore from all that clapping that night. Leo Valdez played The Engineer; Jennifer Trijo as Kim; David Harris as Chris; Juan Jackson as John; RJ Rosales as Thuy and Amanda Harrison as Ellen. That's three Filipinos in six main characters, not bad huh?

Leo Valdez was superb!!!! Ang galing galing galing nya! He has definitely come a long way from being one of the country's balladeers. Jennifer as Kim has a very powerful voice. RJ as Thuy did well except that Thuy's songs weren't as dramatic as Kim's or The Engineer's so he didn't make that much of an impact but nevertheless, he is still good. I was so proud to be Pinoy that night!

The Venue, Ticket Prices and Souvenirs

Miss Saigon is running at the Lyric Theatre in Star City for 12 weeks (til December). There are 4 sections you can choose from:

Stalls - $102.90

Dress Circle - $92.90

Grand Circle - $70.90

Restricted View Area - $39.90

The best seats are in the Stalls and Dress Circle. The worst seats are in the Restricted View Area (restricted talaga kasi kalahati lang ng stage ang makikita mo, may libre ka pang stiff neck pagkatapos).

You may buy tickets via Ticketmaster.com.au or you may go to Star City or any ticketmaster outlets.

When we arrived at the venue, they decorated the lobby with red lanterns for a more Asian ambiance.

And of course they have a stall for the souvenirs where you can buy Miss Saigon CD with the complete recording of the songs ($40.00), Miss Saigon mug ($18.00), shirts ($40.00), souvenir program/playbill ($20.00). Hilda bought a Miss Saigon shirt while I bought a souvenir playbill and a Miss Saigon CD so that I can listent to the experience Miss Saigon while at home.

For more details, you may visit the Miss Saigon Australia Website.

The Aftermath
I ended up sleeping over Hilda's place because we left the Lyric Theatre at around 11:30 p.m. We were hungry again by the time we arrived home (we had dinner at 6pm) so we decided to have breakfast at 12:30 a.m. Hilda cooked eggs and chicken sausage which we ate with rice, sarap!!!! A great way to end the night!

Friday's Feast #9

A Healthy Fruit Platter

Appetizer

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being highest, how much do you look forward to your birthday?

10!!!! I love celebrating birthdays, especially mine. I don't mind getting old :)

Soup

What is one word you don't like the sound, spelling or meaning of?

Rape. Enough said.

Salad

Do you wear your sunglasses when you're outside? If so, what does your current pair look like?

Most of the time I do wear sunnies when I'm outside. My current favorite pair is the big ones that make me look like a bug :)

Main Course

If you were to write a book, to whom would you dedicate it?

To my parents for raising me well and to my husband for supporting my dreams.

Dessert

Name a beverage that you enjoy.

Coffee, coffee, coffee. Soothes me, calms me, satisfies me.