Lent in the Philippines 2012

the Philippines is known for being the country with the most Catholics in South East Asia. aside from celebrating the world's longest Christmas, devotees of the Catholic church display the gesture of remembering the Passion of the Christ in the 40 days of lent. an obvious example is the array of images portraying the scenes of the Passion and the key characters that lived in the Gospel days.

in an exhibit at Sta. Lucia East Mall in Cainta, Rizal, life-size images are displayed in this fashion:

Scenes from The Way of the Cross

Christ

Mary

these wooden or ivory images are adorned with elegant clothes and accessories made of brass which are included in processions during the Holy Week.

you can find the other photos in my Facebook page but you can check them out for yourself at the exhibit at Sta. Lucia East Mall. the exhibit runs whole lent before Holy Week (April 1-8, 2012). you can write your petitions at the papers beside every image and donations are also accepted.

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3RD PYROMUSICAL COMPETITION: Great Britain - Spain

it's the greatest show in the skies of Manila every year. and i was thankful to my friend Ana who treated me to see 2 of the participants in this year's 3rd Pyromusical Competition happening every Saturday from February 11 to March 17, 2012. as 13 countries including the Philippines. and i got to see Great Britain and Spain compete for the championship title.

Great Britain entry

there were a lot of expectators, of course, that mobbed the SM Mall of Asia grounds. though there is an entrance fee, that didn't stop the people from coming in.

next is the entry from Spain which awed me a lot. the synchronization of the lights to the music accompaniment delighted everyone.

Spain entry

they also conduct voting for your favorite entry. just key in PYROMOA ILIKE GB (Great Britain) or ES (Spain) and send it to 3474. you might just win a trip to the country of the winning entry in the raffle. awesome right? you can view the other photos in my Facebook account.
Ticket Prices:
Patron (with dinner) - Php 1500
VIP - Php 500
Gold - Php 300
Silver - Php 100

Schedule:
February 11 - South Korea / Malta
February 18 - Great Britain / Spain
February 25 - Finland / Portugal
March 3 - China / The Netherlands
March 10 - Australia / Canada
March 17 - Italy / Philippines

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Repertory Philippines presents JEKYLL & HYDE

i was reading the sypnosis of Repertory Philippines' upcoming musical Jekyll & Hyde and i got to admit i need to see this on stage! and i'm so excited to see it first before it opens on March 16!

i was moving away from the words that i read. scenes are very graphic and violent depicting the 2 personalities that our lead character gives. from the very nice and good Dr. Jekyll, who helps the people, transforms to the evil Mr. Hyde who kills the people is something to anticipate. the love that he expresses to his fiance Emma to the lust as what Hyde reveals to Lucy. a lot of things may happen that will not just tell a story but hit our inner selves. to determine and make judgments of ourselves.

in this production, Michael Stuart Williams (Peter Pan) and Jett Pangan (Atlantis' Next to Normal) alternates as Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde. Emma is played by Cris Villongco (Leading Ladies) and another newcomer to the Repertory Philippines, Kalila Aguilos plays Lucy.

Cris Villongco, Jett Pangan, Michael Williams, Kalila Aguilos

a repertoire of amazing songs in the exchange of feelings of our characters will capture us all listening and looking at ourselves. i really liked the rendition of "Take Me as I Am" performed by Cris Villongco (Emma) and Michael Williams (Jekyll).
and for those who are not theater-goers, "This is the Moment" was part of this production and will be performed by The Dawn member, Jett Pangan, who plays Jekyll / Hyde and a new member of Repertory Philippines as well. he'd really be very thankful for RP for giving him such a beautiful project.
Jekyll & Hyde is one of the big productions of Repertory Philippines this 2012. alongside Next Fall, Leading Ladies, Camp Rock, and Wizard of Oz that would cater to all range of audiences. Jekyll & Hyde opens on March 16, 2012 at Onstage, Greenbelt 1, the official residence of Repetory Philippines. directed by Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo. featuring veteran Rep actor Junix Inocian as Gabriel John Utterson.

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YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN review

little kids that talk like adults and big adults who act like kids bring the fun in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown happening February 11 to March 3 2012 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City. from 9 Works Theatrical, a musical set into a lighter mood and tone that can be appreciated by the kids.

i haven't read much of the Peanuts comics by Charles Schulz that's why i was very entertained by the lines and songs of our lovable characters Charlie Brown (Robbie Guevarra), Schroeder (Tonipet Gaba), Lucy (Carla Laforteza), Sally (Sweet Plantado), Linus (Franco Laurel) and Snoopy (Lawrence Martinez) who brought back memories of childhood and also helped us realize some facts of life in a very funny way.

the 5 kids are resemblances of people around us. Lucy, for example, uses her loud voice to give orders to have things her way. Carla Laforteza gave it a good shot being Lucy. and Snoopy, though maybe a dog, almost left behind, had some thinking that may be out of this world. and Lawrence Martinez gave it a powerful portrayal. different profiles are shown in this very wonderful musical.

they had a very nice set too. the very colorful and comic-y set transforms our casts into the very characters of the Charles Schultz hit.

indeed, happiness is present in all simple things. just learn to appreciate what you have in instances and live with it. having a pencil or maybe a brother that will take your worries away and bring you comfort.

watch the video below to give you something that you can watch out for:

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what to see at the 17th Philippine Hot Air Balloon Fiesta?

seeing it before the big day is a great experience to anticipate on what's happening at the 17th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. this event runs from February 9 - 12 2012 at the Clark Freeport Zone in Angeles, Pampanga. this is often tagged as the "Weekend of Everything that Flies!" true enough, preparations are coming in one by one and i bet there's a lot to see. below is the schedule of the event:

i didn't see any hot air balloons yet but i had a glimpse of what will be available throughout the 4 fun-filled days. at the hangar, i saw two jets, a wall climbing facility by ROX, a mini-gas station by co-presentor CALTEX, and a lot of bazaars. sorry I have to do my photo-op as early as today.

CALTEX mini-gas stationthere are also some play areas for the kids like this booth from Lil Hands Crayons:

earlier on, we also had the chance to see the skydiving activity from the Philippine Air Force.

now i am excited to go back to Clark to see the new hot air balloons that will make their appearance at the 17th Philippine Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. come early because the balloons go up around 6AM. but you can enjoy the whole day with other activities and wait for the balloons to come back around 5PM. take your family and friends to see the weekend of everything that flies!

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CHRONICLE movie review

three high school friends gained super powers after making an incredible discovery. but soon as they develop these skills, they lose control of these powers and made them to embrace their darker side. Andrew, Mark and Steve had "documented" these events and now we call it Chronicle.

shot in "footage found" format like The Blairwitch Project, Cloverfield, Paranormal Activity and others, this footage movie is cleaner than the rest. maybe because of the camera that Andrew is using. story-wise, the movie is about self-control and realizing that there will be people concerned with you. Andrew became very obsessed of his footages and didn't leave it even to the private moments. same as his cousin, Matt.

but coolest captures include flying. being able to go to places and controlling things. but sometimes things go wrong and Andrew gets out of control using his powers against people.

on the downside, though this was supposed to be "footage found" format, editing is very obvious.

catch CHRONICLE soon in Philippine theaters.

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JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND movie review

we're up to a new adventure in an unknown location in Warner Bros. Pictures' Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. bringing back the all grown-up Josh Hutcherson as Sean, who's about to solve a new Vernian (Jules Verne) mystery. he's joined by Dwayne Johnson (Hank) who plays his stepfather struggling to get his trust and attention, Vanessa Hudgens (Kailani) and Luis Guzman (Gabato) who were the tour companions to the mysterious island.

after losing him for a long time, Sean has accidentally received a coded message from his grandfather (Michael Caine) who testifies that a mysterious island authored by Jules Verne is true. with the help of Hank's marine and navigation skils, he solves this bonding them together as a father and child. Dwayne Johnson gets too good in this movie shredding off his wrestler image. and solving this mystery, be surprised that the so-called mysterious island is found just near the Philippines, Palau.

in Palau, they'll meet unimaginable combination of father and daughter, Gabato and Kailani due to their physical attributes. as Gabato wants a better future for his daughter, he agrees to take a risky decision of joining Sean and Hank into the dangerous trip.

getting in the island is no easy task. the dangerous part of the Pacific Ocean pushes out everyone who dares for it. but the rewards of getting there is fulfilling. Jules Verne had a lot of good imagination. there they'll find unusual things and opposites of things in the normal setting. so dangerous, but you may want to stay there. giant lizards, tiny elephants, volcanic gold and the lost City of Atlantis are what's in store for us.

seeing this is better in 3D because you'll have a view of the magical place. though it seems that some scenes appear very artificial, take your kids and share the adventure. it'll make you want to read the real thing.

see JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND starting February 2 2012 at all Philippine theaters. available in IMAX 3D and 2D formats, brought to us by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Entertainment Company.

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