More Than Delighted by Giselle

Last Saturday, my dearest and I watched the ballet Giselle, performed at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) by Ballet Philippines (BP). This is the third BP performance that I've seen--the first two are Encantanda and Inamorata in 2011. Both are contemporary pieces.

My dearest and I were seated at the front row, and little did I know that I would be seated next to the lead dancer's family. Yep, that's right. I was seated next to the family of Katherine Trofeo, who played Giselle. Beside her father-in-law to be exact. He was recording the whole performance. At first, I thought he was tasked by the CCP to do that. Only during the 15-minute intermission did I learn that the group beside my was Katherine's family.

Her father-in-law might have noticed me clapping enthusiastically (along with the other members of the audience) at jaw-dropping moments during Act I. When the lights were turned on during the break, he asked me:

Father-in-law: How did you find it?
Me: The dancers were all so great and beautiful. And the last part was so.... awwww.... (gesturing to mean "heartbreaking". I was so stunned by the performance that I couldn't find the right words to describe how I felt at that moment!)
Father-in-law: This one is starred by my daughter-in-law.
Me (didn't quite understand at first but then, it dawned on me): Oooohhhh...

In Act II, Giselle was already dead and she was already with the Wilis, the spirits of women who have died with broken hearts. And boy, how they portrayed being the Wilis so well! They were really like spirits floating on stage; they freaked the audience out! My dearest kept whispering to me, "Nakakatakot..." (scary). How they danced on their toes, the graceful movement of their arms, and the flutter of their white dresses all worked to create a ghost-like effect on stage.

Giselle is all about love and forgiveness, and at the end of the show, I was able to see those. I was able to feel those, and I think that's the most important part. I felt every emotion that was felt by the characters, especially because I was seated in front and I could see all their expressions (but perhaps even if I was seated at the back, I would still be as moved as I was sitting in front). Despite the rainy weather last Saturday, Giselle was worth going to the CCP for.

After the show, I congratulated Katherine Trofeo's father-in-law. He and the rest of the family must be so proud of her. When the dancers went out to the lobby, I approached some of them (Katherine included!) and personally congratulated them. And of course, I turned my fangirl mode on, and had my dearest take photos of me together with some of the dancers.

     With Monica, one of those who
     played the Wilis                           

     With Emmanuel, one of those who         With Earl John, who played Hilarion, 

       played the peasants                               the peasant who is in love with Giselle

    And of course, with Katherine Trofeo, 

    who played Giselle, and her son

I just wasn't able to get hold of Jean Marc Cordero, who played Albrecht, the lead male role. Maybe next time, because I'll definitely watch BP's next show in September, and for sure, I'll approach them again to personally congratulate them for a fantastic performance. 

Saturday Project: Fix My Desk

It was a rainy Saturday afternoon, and I had nothing to do. So I decided to clean my room and fix my messy desk. My room is just small, but there are a lot of surfaces to wipe and dust off because of the open shelves. Plus, I also need to wipe my books clean before putting them back to the shelves.

My desk is probably the area in my room that is most prone to mess. It's right beside the door, so I have the tendency to just dump things on it when I enter. I also tend to just leave bills and other pieces of paper on it, despite the fact that I already assigned storage boxes for them. So what I did was keep all the bills, which have piled up on my desk, inside the storage box (it's actually a tin can from Kamiseta. The tin can is the packaging of the clothes or shoes bought from the store) and put the storage box on the shelf under my desk. I transferred a plastic storage box, which was originally on the shelf, on top of my cabinet (you just have to love that space between the cabinet and the ceiling) to make make way for the Kamiseta tin can. Other little storage boxes (full of letters, notes, and other causes of clutter) also went with the Kamiseta tin can.

I then placed a framed portrait of me, drawn by my dearest, on my desk, together with a few books and magazines, and my little Matryoshka doll collection. My laptop stayed on my desk along with pencils and other writing materials placed on a mug. Here is my desk:

It's still far from "Whoa!" levels, but at least it's orderly. I'll spruce it up soon, but I'll fix the other areas of my room first. Next project: my dresser. 

How about you? How did you spend your Saturday? 

Hats Off!

I have a thing for hats. I'm fascinated with them. It started with buying a bonnet when my cousins, my sister, and I were in Baguio five years ago. I don't have a photo of myself wearing that bonnet because the photo is in my Multiply account and as we all know, Multiply is already gone. Anyway, that bonnet is a knitted one and it has alternating rows of yellow green, pink, white, and blue on it. It looks so sweet, and the colors are girly-girl. It's best worn with a smile.

Fast forward a few years later, my fascination for hats has not diminished, yet I don't think it has progressed to the next level called love. Whenever I see hats piled on a shelf in a shop, I try one or two on, but most of the time, I don't end up buying. Maybe I just don't want to spend money, but I think it's because the style isn't something I would fall in love with. So even if I'm fascinated with hats, I own just three: one is the bonnet I talked about, one is a hat with a colorful fabric (a gift), and another one is a red hat with a rolled up brim, which is my favorite as of the moment.

Here it is:

That's an Instagram photo of me having fun at Hong Kong Disneyland with Chip n' Dale. And the red hat I'm wearing? I bought it specifically for this Hong Kong trip last February. I do think that the hat is stylish, and it goes with almost any outfit in my closet. It's quirky and girly without being overly sweet. And the best part? I bought it on sale! I forgot if it was 50% off or what, but I did save around 200 pesos more or less. 

Here's my other hat: 

That hat is a gift from Wilmer and Thor of the furniture store Space Encounters. The gave it to me for Christmas I think three years ago. I love the colors and I think it's good to wear during summer. In fact, in the photo, I was wearing it last May (a summer month) on a trip to Tagaytay with my boyfriend and his family. The sun was so high I had to wear a hat and sunglasses. The only negative thing I can say about this hat is that I should wear plain shirts with it, or those with minimal prints. The hat itself already attracts enough attention, and unless I want myself to become a walking hodgepodge of patterns, it's better to keep things balanced. 

I want to learn how to rock a hat. But before I can do that, I must first find hats that I would fall in love with---stylish hats that are also reasonably priced. Until I can find them, I'll be happy with the hats I have, and when I do find ones that I would add to my little collection, feel free to call me the girl who wears many hats. 

Real Living's 10th Anniversary Issue is out!

Words cannot express how joyful I am to share our magazine's July issue with you. It's out 10th Anniversary issue, and with this milestone comes a new look that I hope everyone will love:

I can say it's a packed issue; each section is filled with tips and ideas on how you can spruce up your home, whether you're getting professional help or not. Plus, the photos are to-die-for. Flipping each page will surely be a visual feast. 

So what are you waiting for? Head to the nearest bookstore, newsstand, or supermarket and grab a copy. It's definitely worth reading and keeping. :) 

Planning to Invest

Today's trip to the mall led me to buy these from Fully Booked:

I was originally planning to buy just Eats, Shoots & Leaves, but after getting it from the shelf, I browsed through the other shelves and Kiyosaki's Rich Dad's Guide to Investing caught my eye. I'm familiar with Rich Dad, Poor Dad's success even if I've never read it, and a lot of people say it's a good book to guide you in money matters. I should probably read it, too. Haha. Anyway, Rich Dad's Guide to Investing caught my eye because I've been wanting to have a source of passive income, and investing is one way to do it. Sure, I have savings and I can say I'm saving pretty well, but I know it's not enough to just have savings. Money that's just kept in a bank won't last. 

I don't know a thing about investing. The word alone makes me picture graphs, charts, percentage signs, money, numbers, and everything Math-related in my head, and the universe knows how much I hate Math and how much Math hates me! When I hear people say how it works, I can't understand it, but I know I need to understand it because I need to invest. I'm turning 25 this year, and my dad always tells me that it's best to invest while one is young because once one starts a family, priorities change, and family, especially the kids, will always come first. 

I'm turning 25 this year, yes, but time flies so fast. Before I know it, I'll be 50, and it won't do me good if all I have are a few pesos saved in the bank. I've started reading Rich Dad's Guide to Investing while waiting for my mom, sister, and nieces at the mall, and so far, I like it. I like how the book explains how investing will help. In the next chapters, I'm hoping to learn how to invest regardless of how much money you have, and by the time I finish the book, I hope I know how and what to invest on. 

How about you? Are you keen on investing? Do you have sources of passive income? Would you mind sharing how you're doing it? :)

Voting

It's just noon but I think my day has been eventful already. Today is elections, so it's a non-working holiday. My parents and I planned to go to the polling precinct early, but we ended up leaving our house at 10 a.m (well, I woke up at 9.15 am haha!). But despite our being late, there was no queue at our assigned polling precinct, so it only took us about 15 minutes to finish voting. That's good for us, but I can't say the same for the other polling precincts. Others have voters queuing up for hours under the heat of the sun. Not to mention election-related violence, cheating, missing election paraphernalia, and other problems which I hope and pray wouldn't happen (even if that's shooting for the moon).

Some people do not vote because they're already jaded with the system. They say nothing will change anyway, or that the same trapos (traditional politicians) will just end up getting elected. While there is a lot of truth to these, I don't believe these are excuses not to vote and to just set aside this right and civic duty. Yes, nothing might change, but all the more nothing will happen if we will not vote.

My vote has been cast, and I believe along with my accomplished ballot is my contribution to change this nation. And every election day, we are given that power--the power to help make a difference. To overhaul this system and create a new one that would benefit the poor, the marginalized, and everyone, not just the rich and the powerful. We may be miles away from achieving the Philippines we envision as ideal, but with every intelligent vote we cast, we get closer and closer to that.

Pixie Cut

Because I've grown fond of my short hair, I decided to go for a shorter hairstyle. Yesterday, I went to the salon to have my layered bob made into a pixie cut.

My New Hair

I love it. I never knew I could rock short hair, and ever since I had my hair cut short, I don't think I'll ever go back to having long locks. Short hair is easier to maintain. All I need to do is to have it dried in front of the electric fan (using the hairdryer is fine too, but the heat makes my head ache) before going out and apply some hair product (Vitress works for me!) to control the frizz. On a bad hair day, I just have to put on a headband and I'm good to go. Plus, Manila's heat and humidity aren't hair-friendly, and I neither have the time nor the money to have regular hair treatments. I only go to the salon for a haircut. 

As I've said earlier, I love my pixie cut, and I plan to keep this for quite a long time. Or if I get tired of it, I'll probably go back to my layered bob. But definitely not the long hair that I used to have. How about you? Have you found the right hairstyle for you?