After all this time... Always.

The Phantom of the Opera: The Phangirl Experience

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 01:49:00 -0500

I posted this journal entry last Oct. 13, 2012 using FB notes. I just I might post it here as well.

One of the best (and also the worst) things about me is I get to be really dedicated (and obsessive) with my fandom. Or fandomsssss. One of them is the Phantom of the Opera. You cannot imagine how ecstatic I was when I heard that there will be a POTO world tour and that the Philippines is one of its stops.

I watched the production last September 30 but the hangover is still not over. It’s already October 13 on my calendar and I don’t think it will end soon.

I really planned to meet the cast at the stage door (or the artists’ entrance, as the CCP employees call it). They have been tweeting that fans (or PHANS) could meet them at the area. But I was with my father that time (nahiya naman ako) and my brother took the USTET on that day too and my father and I had to fetch him from UST.

But then I got really REALLY jealous when I saw some fans (or PHANS) posting pictures of them with the cast so I decided I was going to get my fangirl ass at the stage door to have my pictures taken with the cast and to get their oh-so-precious autographs.

Today, October 13, I convinced my dear friend, Sheena Sacdalan, to go with me to CCP just to meet some of the cast of POTO. No, we did not watch because the tickets were already sold-out (AT ANG MAHAL KAYA NG TICKETS, JUSKO). We just planned to see the cast upclose. But before proceeding to the stage door (or artists’ entrance) we went to the lobby of the Main Theater. It broke our hearts to hear their voices but we could not watch the performance. I HEARD JONATHAN’S (THE PHANTOM’S) VOICE ONCE AGAIN. MY HEART OH LORD. While listening, Sheena and I saw that the costumes used in the production were on display! They were displayed in Greenbelt weeks ago but I didn’t get the chance to see them so I was absolutely shocked and hap—no- OVERJOYED to catch them in CCP. Sheena and I took pictures of them. We took turns taking pictures of each other with those gorgeous costumes.

When the show was over, Sheena and I went to the stage door. OH OH OH! WE ALSO SAW SHAMAINE BUENCAMINO, ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL THEATER ACTORS IN THE PHILIPPINES! She is so kind! We even got her autograph and took some pictures with her. She was there because she was acting in a production played in one of the theaters of CCP. God, I love that woman. She said to Sheena and me, “Sabihin niyo naman sa friends niyo na manuod ng theater.” And Sheena and I were like, GUUUUUUUUUURL, WE DON’T NEED TO DO THAT.

Going back to my We saw Anthony Downing (Raoul) but didn’t get the chance to catch him and get his autograph. He was in a hurry, or something. Seeing him was enough for me, though. I’m not really a fan of Raoul. Next was Cat Lane who was Meg Giry in the play. GOSH SHE’S SOOOOO SMALL but really really cute. I got her to sign my playbill. Next was Jordan Pollard, who was a member of the male ensemble. For those of you who haven’t heard, he’s the one who got his iPad stolen from him. I really felt bad for him because if someone stole my iPad, I would track the bastard down and skin him alive. While getting his autograph, I told him, “I’m really sorry about your iPad.” He said, “Oh, that’s okay. These things happen.” At feeling ko mayaman naman siya so keri lang. He asked some of the fans if they enjoyed the show. One of them said, “YES THIS IS OUR THIRD TIME WATCHING!” Napaisip ako, “Shet. Ganun ba sila kayaman o ganun lang ako kahirap?” THREE TIMES??? THREEEEE????

The next cast member I met was Emilie Lynn who played Christine during the matinee. Emilie is very special to me. She played Christine last September 30 when Claire was supposed to play but she was sick. Emilie is an incredible performer and her voice is such an eargasm. I found her Twitter and tweeted her a few times and she was kind enough to reply. We even chatted for a few minutes on Twitter and she was very friendly to her fans. She knows me by the name Jam. That’s my name on Twitter. I told her that I would come to the stage door and meet her. She said, “See you! x”

So there I was, standing in front of the stage door and she was coming towards the fans to meet them. Inside I was jumping up and down like a kid. When she finally came to me, I asked, “Could I have your autograph?” She said, “Yes of course!” And I said, “By the way, I’m Jam.” And she said, “OH!!!” AND THE PRECIOUS WOMAN HUGGED. I WAS PLEASANTLY SUPRISED. I WAS SOOOOOOO HAPPY I ALMOST CRIED IN FRONT OF HER BUT I’M HOLDING BACK THE TEARS. Sheena took our photo and I took their photo. I gave her the gifts I bought for her and asked her to give my presents to Claire Lyon (actually she’s the main Christine and Emilie’s the Christine alternate) and Anthony since Claire wasn’t there and I missed Anthony. She said sure and I thanked her again for signing my playbill. GOD THAT WOMAN IS HEAVENLY. SHE IS SOOOOOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL. SHE MADE ME LOOK LIKE CRAP IN OUR PHOTO. HAHA.

I expected Jonathan Roxmouth (the Phantom) to come out too like the rest of the cast but he could not because it’s difficult for him to remove his prosthetics and his heavy costume. I asked a female staff how I would be able to send my gift to him. She said, “I could give it to him, would that be alright?” I thought, “GUUUUUUURL OF COURSE NOT I WANT TO PERSONALLY GIVE IT TO HIM YOU’RE NOT THE ONE WHO SPENT HOURS TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT TO GIVE HIM YOU’RE NOT THE ONE WHO WROTE HIM A LETTER YOU’RE NOT THE ONE WHO’S DYING TO MEET HIM AND I HAVE A CRUSH ON THE GUY NOT YOU SO NO IT’ WOULDN’T BE ALRIGHT.” But I said, “Yes, please! Thank you!”

And the dream of meeting Jonathan Roxmouth just dissolved just like that.

I was still happy, though. I met Emilie, the sweetest actor I know so far. I was able to give her my gifts. I brought my ass at the stage door. I wouldn’t regret for the rest of my life that I wasn’t brave (and crazy) enough to meet them at the stage door.

I had dinner at my cousin’s house after my trip to the CCP. I asked if I could use their internet to check what’s happening in my online social life. And when I opened Twitter, LO AND BEHOLD, JONATHAN ROXMOUTH TWEETED ME. He said, “Thank you so much for the postcard and gifts Jamille.” Then EMILIE LYNN TWEETED ME AFTER A FEW MINUTES. Emilie and I chatted for a little while but THIS TIME I COULD HOLD BACK THE TEARS. Since I was in another person’s house, it would be very humiliating if I just burst out in tears. I went to their bathroom and gave my tears the release they deserved.

I LOVE THIS DAY. I DO. I LOVE THIS DAY SO MUCH. I know things can be made to improve this day (like you know, actually meeting Jonathan) but I’m really thankful for the opportunity of meeting some of the cast members. It’s truly a day that I won’t forget (or regret).

And lots of thanks and love to one of the most awesome people I know (and a phangirl as well!), Sheena Sacdalan! Teh alam mo na kung saan tayo pupunta kapag may productions ulet. Haha!

I asked the main cast of Phantom of the Opera Manila if they still get nervous before doing a show when they have been performing for a long time now.

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 22:24:50 -0400

These are their answers:

Oh Jonathan laksdjhlasjhdlashdasflkhdskj. /fangirling/

The State, the Church and the House Bill 6330

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 03:13:26 -0400

If you have been watching the news regularly for the past weeks, I’m sure you are at least familiar with the House bill 6330 or the “Religious Freedom in Government Offices Act.” This bill was proposed by Kabataan Partylist representative Raymond Palatino and it prohibits the religious ceremonies and the display of religious symbols or relics in government offices and/or public areas. This bill seeks to promote government’s neutrality towards every religion in this country. Also, as Palatino said, he wanted to remind everybody that, “public space is for everybody” regardless of what religious group one belongs to.

When I learned about this bill, knowing what kind of people live in this country, I said to myself, “Ah, this bill doesn’t stand a chance.” Just a few days after its proposal, it was already labeled as the “Ban God bill.”

We can’t deny that the majority of Filipinos are Catholic Christians. If you observe the Filipino lifestyles and traditions, you can deduce that Filipinos are strongly religious. But let’s face it, we are godly only on the outside. If we really live by the words of God, why are we considered one of the most corrupt countries in the world? If we follow the teachings of the Church, why are crimes and violence still hot news topics? And if these people who consider themselves the lambs of God, why do some of them get involved in cases of molestation and child abuse?

Filipinos need to realize that they are influenced by religion more than they are supposed to be. We need to be aware of the fact that most of our decisions and actions are based on our beliefs no matter how illogical they are. Political leaders even forget that the Church should not interfere with the State and vice versa. Some bills that are being proposed do not get approved due to the opposition of the Church leaders. Some of these politicians even become icons in the own religious groups. If they are doing it out of sincerity or they are just gathering support for their political career, we may never know.

I am an agnostic person and I have no intentions of contradicting any religion. I respect people with strong religious backgrounds and beliefs. However, they need to know where to put boundaries and stop pushing their beliefs down other people’s throats. In a larger scale, Filipinos in general should be aware of religious freedom, meaning they could choose a religion they want to practice or they can refuse to practice at all. Also, Filipinos need to stop labeling people a “demonic,” “anti-Christ” and other degrading names if they opt not to belong in any religion. For all we know, they could even be more morally right than those who pray the rosary and go to church every Sunday. Filipinos need to realize that being religious does not automatically guarantee righteousness. Most of the time we need to know when to think with freedom and logic.

If Raymond Palatino believes that this bill does not have ill intentions, he should have fought for its passage. However I have learned that he withdrew and even apologized for its proposal. If the leaders need to have an open mind for this bill, Palatino needs to have the balls to pass it.

I wish I was really good with imitating accents.

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 15:30:23 -0400

So I could shock people when they try to talk to me in my native language and pretend that I don’t understand them.

Or I could fool the fuck out of people when I’m answering the phone.

I really think that Mrs. Holmes is very creative when it comes to baby names.

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 23:55:55 -0400

I mean, what kind of mother would name her kids Sherlock and Mycroft?

Would you believe that this photo is unedited? Yes, no...

Thu, 17 May 2012 03:27:07 -0400

Would you believe that this photo is unedited? Yes, no alterations of any sort. This is a picture of a table light that I took during a family dinner. I thought that the light was really pretty so I took a picture with my phone. Gorgeous, right?

Loki: THAT’S ENOUGH! ENOOOOOUGH!!! I’M A GOD, DAMN IT, AND I WILL NOT BE...

Sat, 05 May 2012 06:18:00 -0400

Loki: THAT’S ENOUGH! ENOOOOOUGH!!! I’M A GOD, DAMN IT, AND I WILL NOT BE BULLIED—

Hulk: Bitch please.

Around a year ago, my friends and I went to this place called...

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 03:40:00 -0400

Around a year ago, my friends and I went to this place called Little Tokyo in Makati and filled our stomachs with Japanese goodness. These cold babies were our desserts.

In my chemistry class, we make rainbows. Loljk, those are...

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 03:48:35 -0400

In my chemistry class, we make rainbows.

Loljk, those are McIlave buffers. But, seriously, they are pretty.

Damn, that’s hot.

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 23:29:26 -0400

Damn, that’s hot.

Meryl StreepDevil Wears Prada, 2006

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 23:19:02 -0400

Meryl Streep
Devil Wears Prada, 2006

Filipino Unity: Missing

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:28:19 -0400

So my mom and I are watching this wonderful program called Kimchi Chronicles. Yes, as I am typing this post, we’re currently watching. ~~And it’s a wonderful show because it’s about Korean food. Anything about food is wonderful for me~~. Anyway, at the start of the program, they showed videos of South Korea today. And my mom said a while ago, “Ang ganda ng Korea, ano?” (“Korea is really beautiful, isn’t it?”) And I replied, “Oo nga eh. Samantalang mas mahirap pa sila sa Pilipinas dati.” (“I know. But they were even poorer than the Philippines before.”) My mom responded, “Eh anong nangyari sa atin?” (“Then what happened to us?”)

Yeah, Philippines, what happened to us?

I’m not a history major but I know I don’t have to be one to say that we Filipinos are not really united and we never have been. I’m not saying the kind of unity that we show when Manny Pacquiao has a fight or even that unity when we had the two EDSA Revolutions. What I’m talking about is the kind of unity that makes us identify ourselves as Filipinos, the kind of unity we never had the chance to develop in our history.

To make everything clear, let me use the Japanese as an example. There was once a time when they closed their country and prevented foreign influences from the rest of the world. During this time, they were able to make their own identity. They had the chance to develop their culture and establish unity as Japanese people. They opened their country again after a long period of time and eventually foreign cultures and ideas came to Japan but they did not really penetrate the minds of the Japanese.

What about the Philippines? The Spanish invaded us and ruled us for more than 300 years, from 1500s to late 1800s. This period of time was critical to establish our identity as Filipinos. But the Spanish culture mixed with Filipino culture instead. The Spanish intimidated the Filipinos and divided them according to their religious beliefs. Americans came after. If the Spanish used religion to conquer, Americans used education. And it’s super effective. The Japanese came afterwards and blah blah blah, the Philippines tasted the sweetness of freedom for the very first time.

As we can see, this national identity is the key for national unity. But we see that we did not have the chance to strongly build anything that identifies us as Filipinos. Koreans know who they are and no matter where they go, they always go back to their own country. They use their work force and knowledge to lead their fellow men to the top. That’s why they are so prosperous and successful. That’s why they now belong in the first world. But us Filipinos? We thirst for a life abroad. Jobs in other countries pay better. That’s why parents encourage their children to go to other countries so that they’ll have bigger salary. That’s why we are blind to the fact that the Philippines needs us.

We keep on thinking that it’s never too late for us to unite. But if we don’t act soon, it will be. We can never change the past but we have the present to start new history.

Looking Through the Slice of Life

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 09:09:00 -0500

The weekend of the start of our Christmas vacation, my family and I paid a visit to one of the most popular exhibits in the world, the Myth of the Human Body. The exhibit originated in South Korea but the technique of preserving bodies, called plastination, was developed by Gunther von Hagens, a German anatomist. The entrance fee costed Php 350.00 but it seems that we got more than what we paid for.

The exhibit is divided into 8 sections, each section shows a different human body system and is represented by a god in Roman mythology. Each section shows specific preserved body parts and the needed explanations are given as notes placed near the specimen. Also, there are video presentations for further information. The tour usually lasts an hour if there is a tour guide but it seems that it took us longer to view the exhibit.

The word “amazing” could not summarize the experience while touring the exhibit. It seems that no word is worthy enough to describe it. From the stories of my friends who went there before me, I already knew that the exhibit would be worth the visit but once you are there yourself, you would be speechless. The Myth of the Human Body is a proof that we have advanced technology and expert knowledge and skills that some people were able to preserve human bodies and body parts in an unusual but unbelievable way. They were able to cut those bodies very carefully that the body parts still remained in place in after slicing those men and women several times.

The exhibit that probably amazed me the most was the Red Man. It is simple yet astonishing. At the first glance it seems like it is just like the other specimen but if you think about it, it must be really difficult to get all the blood vessels from a human body without destroying it. My favorite exhibit, however, is the last one, the part where they showed the growth and development of a baby from conception to birth. It makes me wonder until now how they were able to get their specimen especially those fetus who were just months old. And, of course, the grand finale of the whole exhibit is a great show off of the skills of the people behind the Myth of the Human Body for it was truly breathtaking. It was a woman in her early 20’s, sliced crosswise in God-knows-how-many pieces from head to toe. Each slice was hanged separately in order to show the whole structure of the human body. It is, without any exaggeration, awesomely jaw-dropping.

Some people would probably be shocked by the exhibit. I understand them because who would have thought that someone would actually do something like this to human bodies? But I advise those who would like to see the exhibit to have an open mind. After all, the people behind the exhibit have no bad intention. All that they have done was for the sake of science and for better understanding of bodies. They even preserved organs with different diseases to help us think about our health habits and lifestyle. And also, those bodies were donated by their relatives and it is their decision to help the exhibit.

After visiting, I somehow pitied those deceased people. Imagine, they are able to travel around the world. They probably visited so many countries right now. But they did not even enjoy their tour because they are, well, dead.

To the people behind the wonderful Myth of the Human Body exhibit, kudos to each and every one of you. You have done a really wonderful job. To the relatives of the bodies, thank you for your sacrifice and understanding. Your decision has brought a better understanding of us. And to the souls bodies that were used in the exhibit, may your souls rest in peace. I hope you had a good life.

NOTE: The images are NOT mine. It’s from a photographer named Richard Romano. Images were obtained from this website: http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/awesome/2011/02/myth-of-the-human-body-a-review.html

''I think I'd most like to spend a day with Harry. I'd take him out for a meal and apologize for everything I put him through.'' - JK Rowling

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 01:59:56 -0400

But Ms. Rowling, with all due respect, what about Severus Snape?

I FEEL THE SAME WAY. I THINK EVERY POTTERHEAD DOES. BUT THIS GUY...

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 01:51:05 -0400

I FEEL THE SAME WAY. I THINK EVERY POTTERHEAD DOES. BUT THIS GUY IS HAS THE COURAGE (AND THE SENSE OF HUMOR) TO SAY IT ALL ON CAMERA AND UPLOAD IT ON YOUTUBE.

IT’S BEEN WEEKS SINCE THE RELEASE OF HP7 BUT MOTHER OF GAH I CAN’T MOVE ON. I’VE BEEN DEPRESSED FOR WEEKS NOW. I’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT HARRY POTTER IN SCHOOL, AT HOME EVERYWHERE. I CAN’T FOCUS ON MY STUDIES BECAUSE OF HP7 BUT I DON’T CARE. I… I NEED PROFESSIONAL HELP.

OH GOD YOU GUYS… :’(

"GUYS ANNOUNCEMENT!!! CLASSES ARE SUSPENDED!!!"

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:16:00 -0400

And everybody in class is like:

“Sweet mother of God, thaaaaaaank yoooooouuuuu!!!”

And there will be cheers from every classroom in the building like our country won a fucking game in the Olympics:

AND THE PARTY BEGINS

But then you realize you have shitloads of homeworks/reports/other shit for tomorrow

CHEd is a waste of government agency

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 22:43:00 -0400

I’m a college student in Philippines where when it rains, it really pours. The peak of the typhoon season is usually in July to August but due to fucked up climate nowadays, we’ve been experiencing typhoons as early as June. Right after our summer vacation. So imagine a scourging hot day and then it suddenly rains like there’s no tomorrow.

My university is located somewhere in Manila and I tell you, the streets surrounding my school become oceans of ASDFGHJKL when it rains. They flood in a few minutes of rainfall. (And no, I’m not from UST. I believe they have a worse situation over there.) And Manila, well, is not exactly clean and— OKAY I’M GOING TO BE STAIGHTFORWARD. MANILA IS MOTHERFUCKING DIRTY. IT’S THE WORST PLACE WHEN FLOODED. IT’S THE WORST PLACE EVER. I DON’T WANT TO INSULT THE CITY BUT YES IT’S MOTHERFUCKING AWFUL OVER THERE. IMAGING SWIMMING COCKROACHES ON THE FLOODED STREETS OH MY LORD.

And I live in another city and it really takes a lot of effort for me to go to school everyday.

Moving on, we have two government agencies for education, DepEd (Department of Education) and CHEd (Commission on Higher Education). The difference is that DepEd governs lower education levels (elementary and high school) and CHEd is responsible for high education levels (college). One of their responsibilities is to announce the suspension of classes when needed.

DepEd announces suspension once they see that there are strong rains. And they usually announce it early like the night before or very early in the morning.

But CHEd… CHEd is a real bitch.

They won’t even announce anything even though our school is going to be Atlantis the next day. They said that they don’t have the authority to suspend classes because it’s the school leaders that have the right to do so.

NO AUTHORITY? NO AUTHORITY CHED ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? THEN WHAT’S THE POINT OF HAVING YOU AROUND THEN??? AREN’T YOU SUPPOSED TO MAKE DECISIONS FOR UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES REGARDING THIS MATTER??? IF YOU KEEP ON PASSING THE RESPONSIBILITY TO THE UNIVERSITY/ COLLEGE CHANCELLOR/DEAN/WHATEVER-THEY-CALL-THEIR-HEAD, THEN WE CAN SAY THAT WE DON’T NEED YOU AROUND. WE BETTER DECIDE FOR OURSELVES, ASSHOLES.

Stupid people…

IF I DON'T GET INTO POTTERMORE EARLY, I WILL SKIN PEOPLE ALIVE.

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 04:19:55 -0400

Or cry.

No Death Eater could produce a patronus, even Draco. Severus Snape was the only Death Eater to be able to do it.

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 04:16:00 -0400

from: http://twitter.com/#!/TheHPFacts

Crying Snape >>>>>>>> Crying Baby Harry

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 06:43:00 -0400

I just realized that I completely ignored little Harry because Snape demanded all of my attention… and tears.