An Evening in December

Last night, my friends and I watched Nova Mancao-Ramirez in her benefit concert at the Almont Inland Resort. I, somehow, had a nice time - being with friends and picture-taking. Here are the uppers and downers:

UPPERS

• It is a benefit concert. Some people are still generous enough to share their talent for the sake of those streetchildren.
  
• The venue was okay. It was my first time to get into Almont Inland and I wasn't disappointed. The stage was simple but classy.
  
• The ticket looks good. Nova looks like Abegail Arenas there.
  
• Their male singers, especially the one who sang in "Miss Saigon," and "The Phantom of the Opera" medleys and "A Whole New World" deserve an applause - a roaring applause from the crowd. "Why God Why?" should have been sung with much intensity as it's the kind of emotion being warranted from the song.
  
• The dancer who had to do his own drama when putting up the set. He really ammused me.
  
• Marvin Gayramon is still Marvin Gayramon. No debate about it. And it's nice to hear that he's going back to school.
  
• Nova's dresses are nice.
  
• Butuan has artists! Wow!

DOWNERS

• The well-modulated voice-over person needs a thorough editing of his script. I know that he's a Pinoy and even a person in Butuan so why have the foreign twang when pronouncing those local names? And we're there to watch the concert and not listen to his frequent advertisement of those foods [sic] and drinks being sold at the counter.
  
• Though I love the repertoire since it contains mostly of Broadway songs, I was mad at how they interpreted the songs. Joanna and I couldn't help but look at each other with raised brows whenever she "murders" some of our favorite songs like in "Miss Saigon" and "The Phantom of the Opera."
  
• Nova often falls flat because she clenches her teeth. That also made her fail to enunciate the words properly making the long /a/ sound like long /e/.
  
• Her staccato part at the Phantom medley wasn't really neat. She should have cut that part out.
  
• That cute girl Nova had a duet with reminds me of Sharon's kids who have to go down of their normal comfortable pitch to make the frontline singer sing with ease.
  
• Marvin needs to be reminded that he's got a big head and that closed neck would emphasize his head. His pants and shirt would only work with tuxedo and boat tie with it, which were missing. He could have worn a different set of clothes.
  
• The slideshow. Shouldn't that be coordinated with the song as well? They were really fast that the show ended before the second song started. It could have been better that they would have shown Lea's pictures when she was a kid when those Little Miss Lea songs were sung, then a grown-up one during those songs when she was already grown up.
  
• Thanks to paying homage to those who have passed away. Aside from the fact that I don't know them, it's really creepy looking at those dead people's pictures being shown.
  
• Hasn't Christine Fernandez realized that she's not really a good singer? Come to think of it - she's been in voice classes for how many years, has joined Metropop Star Search, Star for a Night and Star in a Million, stars in a weekly variety show in Cebu where she could showcase her singing "talent(?)" but she's still off key.
  
• FSUU Choir has the voice. I would suppose that they are the college choir and not the high school one because I didn't see the class that our batchmates possess.
  
• What's something in common among Almont Chorale girls? Their bulging abdomens. Isn't empire cut designed to hide the tummy? Nice fabric, good concept of having their dresses different from each other, but the execution was poor.

So This is Christmas

Nakaraos din. I've been busy since I got here, attending my "kids'" Christmas Party, throwing a small dinner for my Mom's birthday, organizing my baby's anime-themed birthday bash, for their nanny, preparing the Noche Buena, seeing old friends and enduring the cold and cough. I haven't even practiced my song assignments nor have I vocalized. I know I'll be reprimanded once I'll get back.

I haven't received a call from my supervisor. I am aware that I've one NCNS (No Call No Show) because of my unapproved leaves. But being with my family is priceless. Spending the yuletide season with them is more precious than anything else.

I hope I won't be terminated.

Twilight

So the Twilight phenomenon is on. Where the plot is so shallow and the style is too simple. It's higher than Sweet Valley Twins but cornier than SV High. The romance between Isabella Swan and Edward Cullens is cheesier than the tuna omelette that I love to prepare. But still, I finished reading the first book and is in the middle of the second one and Janice and Joanna were able to convince me to watch the movie.

• As expected, the movie corrupted the book again. Things were so different from what I imagined - Swan and Cullen's houses, the supporting characters' faces, the ballet studio, the silver Volvo. Janice got irritated hearing me repeatedly saying that it's different from the book. What can I do? I haven't read and watched Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings?
  
• With the Cullen's faces, anybody born with the brain and curious mind would think that they are vampires. Unless people would think that they've been overdosed with Glutathione and color-stay lipstick or have it tattooed.
  
• Isabella's chin could stab my chest while Edward's eyebrows could slit my webbed fingers.
  
• Edward's lips remind of Gretchen Barreto saying "Am I pouting?! I'm not pouting!"
  
• I was glad when I heard "Libiamo" being played in the scene where the Cullens were preparing food while Janice exclaimed when she saw the Philippine flag along with the others being hung at ther cafeteria. It must have been there United Nations Month.
  
• I thought I've been already a stalker but Edward beat me. Ha ha! Isn't it scary knowing that somebody watches you while you sleep?
  
• Is that how a demi-god looks like - semi-dead looking? Edward looks and acts like a corpse.
  
• The actors haven't convinced me of their acting. I didn't feel the passion nor the rage.
  
• Whoever would fall in love with Edward and wouldn't agree with me is a typical girl.