West End : Rock of Ages

I love music.  Lately, I've been listening a lot to old songs, mostly remake from Glee, and the 80s.  Since we knew we'd be going to London, Jo and I planned to watch a play - I recommended Rock of Ages on the day of our arrival. Rock of Ages features many songs from the 80s. AlsO, we didn't have much choices, not many plays were showing on a Sunday night.

RoA was a cheesy love story, pretty funny and high-energy,  it was quite entertaining (though I had to bear the bad words and the very suggestive dancing). The love story between Drew and Sherrie made me feel romantic. The acting was good, and everyone in the cast had a beautiful, powerful voice, especially the Stacey Jaax character. (I would not say the same thing about Mamma Mia which we also watched. Really.)

It was off to a slow start, I didn't feel connected right away, until Sherrie sang More Than Words.  Set in Sunset Strip, the story revolved around Drew and Sherrie, young lads pursuing their dreams in the big city -he to be a rock star and her to be an actress.  None of those dreams materialized, but they found love in each other - I Wanna Know What Love Is, Waiting for a Girl Like You, The Search Is Over, you get the picture of the level of cheesiness.  

(A parallel story is how a father-son property developer planned to tear down Sunset Strip, convincing the mayor to abandon the sex, drugs, rock lifestyle. There were protests against it,  hence the singing of We Built This City, another '80s favorite.  In the end, Sunset Strip remained.) 

Lonny Barnett, the narrator, ended the play saying that on The Strip, sometimes the dreams with which you enter are not always the dreams with which you leave, but they still rock.  A quotable quote, dont you think?  The Don't Stop Believin' finale brought the house down! 

For those who loved the songs from the 80s,  I recommend the play.

A Grand Start to My London Trip

It's my first trip to the UK and, as always, I'm giddy with excitement. 

London is bustling, modern yet still had that old world chic, it's interestingly diverse, very cosmopolitan.  Rome was charming but it felt old and decaying inspite of the grandeur;  it's definitely past its heyday.  Barcelona has that modern vibe and old world charm as well,  but London just felt more sophisticated and urbane.  I love it.

Everytime I go to a new city,  I love to simply walk around and feel the place as soon as I arrive.  We landed at 6am, with barely a wink during the long, uncomfortable flight;  my colleagues and I just dropped off our bags at the hotel, then hit the road.  Breakfast would be at Hyde Park, at 350 acres one of the largest parks in London and one of the four Royal Parks.  It is a 20-minute walk from the hotel.  I was told the cafe will be along the Serpentine lake.  How cool is that?!!

Equestrienne in Hyde Park

On the way, I started soaking in the sights around me -- the posh apartments with flowers on the window sill, the beautiful architecture of the Museum of Natural History, the Royal Albert Hall.  Hyde Park is indeed big;  it  the very green park teeming with joggers, bikers and even elegantly-dressed  equestrienne.  In true English fashion, the weather was fickle with the sun and a light drizzle alternating while we walked,  it was also quite cold.  It felt strange - summer but we were all bundled up, for me summer means shorts and halter tops!



Lido cafe

After what seemed like a circuitous route inside the park,  we reached Lido cafe.  What a lovely place!  My spirits quickly soared.  We chose to sit outside, where we could watch the ducks on the lake.  (There was ongoing construction across the lake, most likely related to the upcoming Olympics. The triathlon will be held in Hyde Park.)  As we chatted and shared food,  the clouds parted and the sun shone. 


Serpentine lake behind me

What a grand start to my London trip. 



Music Makes Me Happy

You must sing well!

One of the usual remarks I get when people come to know I'm Filipino.  I don't sing well.  I can carry a tune, but not well enough for people to want to hear me sing again.

I love music. I grew up with music. As a child, I listened to all the 70s music that my older siblings, then teenagers, would play on the radio and the cassette player.  I remember liking songs from Saturday Night Fever.  My older cousins who lived across the street would also play music quite loudly on their hi-fi stereo. The stereos then were as big as a today's TV cabinets, with a long player to boot. What fond memories I have of those years.

During the 80s and the 90s, I was glued to the radio.  From heavy metal to punk rock, new wave, pop and light jazz.  I loved the 80s, the era of big hair and shoulder pads, and of synthesizers. My high school friends and I argued on who was better,  Duran Duran vs Spandau Ballet,  Tears for Fears vs Depeche Mode, etc.  I had posters of these bands in my room, bought Jingle songbooks when my allowance allowed, watched as much music videos as I can. And, for the love of music, I learned playing the guitar on my own.

For a time, my interest waned, replaced with household and work matters. Now with the kids growing up, I'm attuned with the latest once again.  I've found a whole new pleasure again in music. I put on my earplugs at every opportunity.  From Christian music on my way to work in the morning, I listen to whichever music suits my fancy during the day. From Earl Klugh & David Benoit, new wave hits  (just now, I'm playing Howard Jones' "What Is Love" and When In Rome's "The Promise" and love the synths), the boy bands, Sting and Bryan Adams (my favorites), the more recent hits from Linkin Park to Rihanna and Bruno Mars, and Glee, of course! Loud songs are reserved to lunch hours and after-office hours, when I'm by myself in the office. Yesterday,  my daughter was so surprised that I know Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe",  and even more surprised when I showed her the A&F video full of fab bods! 

Listening to my favorite songs gives me energy, makes me feel younger; old faves brings back pleasant memories. Studies show that music helps people relax and release stress. It can alter the mood - the effect depends on the music one listens to, of course.  I agree. 

It really doesn't take much to make me happy.

Leaving Home

Where is home?

School has just ended.  The kids are happy to rest and relax, no pressures on homework and projects for the next couple of months.  It also means saying goodbye to some friends whose families are moving out of Vietnam.  Soon, it will be our turn.

At age 11, I left home for the first time. I stayed in a boarding house in the city during my high school years, and went home every weekend.  At university, I stayed in a campus dorm and went home every month.  The kids had their first stay of "leaving" when we moved to KL.  After a while, we settled down and KL felt like home.  We met good people who patiently helped us find our way - where the wet market was, what to do when we got a parking ticket - helped us move to a new apartment, and with whom we spent holidays and had barbecue parties with.  After a few years, we left home. To go back home.

The world seems smaller now, more people are moving, and moving again.  A sense of adventure, discovery and desire for growth had taken hold of the younger generation especially. Connectivity in this digital world made being apart more manageable.  As people move, settle down, move again, where really is home?

Home, to us, is where our loved ones are, where we feel comfortable to be and accepted for who we are.  My daughter H has been to 5 schools.  Yes, the adjustment has not been easy but when I asked her if all the moving has been hard?  She said "not really as long as we're all together". 

And when one has to leave home,  here's a quote from Donald Miller  :

“Everybody has to leave, everybody has to leave their home and come back so they can love it again for all new reasons.” 

Through Painted Deserts: Light, God, and Beauty on the Open Road

My BEST Brownies

Brownies. True comfort food for me.  Over the past month, my daytimes have been  filled with meetings, even during lunchbreaks!  I get to check and respond to emails, make presentations and all that stuff, only in the evenings.

Feeling stressed,  and guilty as well (the kids just started summer holiday and I've been working mostly),  I decided to bake brownies. It could lighten my guilty conscience. 

Maybe the feelings of love and good intentions that were poured into it helped make those brownies truly terrific – moist, fudgy  and super chocolatey. Not far from the brownies I buy in Voelker or L'uisine (and friendlier to my wallet!).

My kids tell me they're "awesome" and "yummy".  Their actions speak louder than words - they've been devouring it.

What I used and did :
Berry Crocker’s Ready Mix Brownies - Dark Chocolate

-  mixed per pack directions (with ½ cup melted butter, ¼ cup water and 2 eggs)

Plus 3 tbsp of Van Houten unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 egg (for more fudgy, cake-like brownies)

I made 3 trays 

      1st tray - plain

      2nd tray - I added chopped Lindt dark-chocolate-mint

      3rd tray - I topped with chopped toasted cashew nuts

I baked the brownies at 170 degrees Centigrade. After 20 minutes, I turned off the oven.  (I actually forgot to take them out as I was checking emails. Felt so relieved the brownies still turned out great.)

The kids and I have been playing a game (similar to taboo) this morning,  munching on them continuously,  especially the younger boys.  Guilty conscience now officially relieved.