all the world's a stage!!!

This Is What I Wanna Do For The Rest Of My Life

10:10 PM, Friday, April 20, 2007 | Link to this post | 0 comments

Thanks to my mom for taking care of me during the weekend when I got sick. I feel very well now, actually since last Tuesday pa. Thanks to God for answering my prayers. I thought I won't make it to the workshop last Tuesday.

Yes! I was able to make it to Trumpets last Tuesday safe and sound. We started learning some songs from our musical. Teacher Jaime told us that by our next meeting, we should already have the cast for the musical but we haven't done any auditions yet. I was wondering what was going to happen. So we started learning the opening number (but I'm having a hard time because I still got colds) and everyone's just loving it. I was shocked when Teacher Jaime told us that he wants to hear each of us sing. So I was like "oh my gosh... patay..." It seems like my heart wants to leap out of my chest after hearing him say that. I was so scared at that moment. Though I know some of the songs, I'm still not confident enough. Kagagaling ko lang kasi sa sakit and my voice is not in it's normal state. So yun... Wala na 'kong nagawa. I just asked God to help and guide me.

He asked the guys one by one to sing "Eyes That Never Lie" with two guys singing at each round. The first part of the song is easier to sing than the second part. I was begging to the Lord to give me the first part. But no... Teacher Jaime gave me the second part. So I was singing like crazy. I'm having a hard time relaxing while singing and my body is trembling to the max. I did have a lot of flats and off keys. And the worst thing is that, I wasn't able to sing the last line properly because my voice cracked. Ayun... Teacher Jaime kinda gave me a disgruntled look after my lousy performance (you might even not call it a performance after all if you hear it). As in sobrang napahiya talaga ako. Haaay nako... I really want to "evaporate" at that very moment. My classmates gave a round of applause but it seems like they don't want to clap talaga. They just clapped just for the sake of clapping. You know... Haaayyy... Kainis talaga... Waaaahhhh... But the show must go on. We continue learning some songs. So it became like our auditions na. Though I really performed badly, it didn't stop me from singing my heart out. There are times that Teacher Jaime asks for volunteers to sing some songs. I say to myself: bahala na, mapahiya na kung mapapahiya. Basta I want to sing and give what I can give. So I tried to volunteer and found out that I can sing properly naman without the kaba. And believe it or not, I enjoyed doing it. So I volunteered for the second time and my performance became better. Parang nawala talaga yung kaba ko after realizing that I can sing properly. Grabe... It took a lot of guts on my part.

It was a great feeling telling them through singing that you can also do what they can. I got intimidated kasi after hearing each of them sing. Pero God was so good! I know that I won't be able get the role that I want anymore but I learned something. Singing also means letting go. Letting go of your fears, letting go of your worries, letting go of your insecurities, letting go of your feelings, letting go of your anxieties. You really won't be able to sing if you have these things in your heart. Singing is a way of telling people that this is who I am, this is what I want. I don't care whatever you will say but all I know is that I enjoy doing this. I simply enjoy singing!!! So Gian!!! Enough of your desire to be like the next 'Audie Gemora' or 'Robert Seña.' You can be just you. A person with a simple dream of singing for the Lord, 'til eternity.

- Gian

Eyes That Never Lie

2:40 PM, Sunday, April 15, 2007 | Link to this post | 0 comments

I got sick over the weekend... What can I do? I won't be able to make it to the Stillwaters Core Leaders' meeting at the Student Center. Today is a Sunday and it just means one thing: I should get ready to go back to QC. The two-week summer break is over. I will once again be entering the prestigious halls of the country's premier State University. Naks!!!! This is gonna be my third summer class in UP(and I hope that this is the last). I already packed my bags earlier this morning while my family is out for church. I wasn't still feeling well when I woke up. So my mom decided to leave me in the house na lang. Gosh... I have tonsillitis pala and it bothers me so much. Kanina, I tried singing a song (Eyes That Never Lie) from our musical and I can't sing it properly. Grabe... I feel so frustrated after that. I need to get well before Tuesday because Sir Jaime told us that we're gonna learn some songs from the musical on our next workshop day. I really need to get well soon or else...

- Gian

The Girl Who Was Plugged In

12:45 AM, Friday, April 13, 2007 | Link to this post | 0 comments

Enrollment kanina sa UP. Ayun... There's this 'newer' and 'better' procedure for enrollment this summer. What??? Ano naman ang pinagbago? Actually , wala!!!! Pipila ka pa rin ng napakahaba. Imagine, pipila ka sa computer center just to enlist/cancel your subjects then you're the one who's also gonna print it. Haaaayyyy.... Nothing better about this new scheme. There are still a lot out there who's dying just to get a slot in the course that they want to take. Eto pa, you can never access the online enlistment site outside DILNET, which means that you really need to make pila at the computer center. Grabe!!! Sobrang hassle!!!

Well I think I'm more blessed. Got the chance to get the subject that I want through CRS. Wooohooo!!! Praise God!! All I need to do is to have my registration materials checked by the college and then have it assessed by the department secretary tapos ayun... tapos na! I think we really have no chance of getting ME 154 this summer. No one would teach us kasi. It's a good thing for me though. If our petition for ME 154 was approved by the department, I have no choice but cancel one of my enlisted subjects ('eto yung part na pipila ka sa computer center... Waaaahhhh!!!) and substitute ME 154. And I don't want that to happen. I really don't feel taking ME 154 this summer because it might spoil everything. Ayun... Vermont just texted me asking how many GE subjects are we required to take. Maybe he's gonna enlist a GE course na lang instead of ME 154. So wala na talagang ME 154. Astig!!! Praise God! Pero Jepoy's asking if Sir Ibañez can handle the ME 154 class this summer, kahit 5:30-7:00pm daw. Whaaaat??? I mean is that a joke? Who would want to take that class at that time huh huh huh? And I won't be able to attend that class because I have TRUMPETS at 5:30pm. Hay nako... Sana lang talaga 'di na ma-approve. And I think some of my classmates will take the summer internship instead.

We already have our script for the first part of our showcase in TRUMPETS. We read it with the musical numbers during our class. The title is THE GIRL WHO WAS PLUGGED IN. I still don't know what's the title of the second part. So parang we'll have two musicals in one. Astig!!! Before that, we have this workshop activity in which we were given 3 words and we'll use it to tell a story. Kevin, Cristine, and I were groupmates and our words are steam roller, intestine, and whale. Kevin's got all the idea. Basically, I just did the acting. So the story is that I'm swimming on a vast ocean then I saw a whale and it ate me. Then inside the whale, I realized that I'm in the intestines then I have this cellphone (waterproof maybe) in my pocket. I called for help and asked for a steam roller to come for me to be saved from the whale. Then I was saved. Yeah!!! We did those things using only our bodies and the 3 words we were given. Mind you, the whole class and Sir Jaime liked it so much. Haha!!! Praise God!!

God bless you!!!

- Gian

The Longest Two Weeks Of My Life

9:50 PM, Wednesday, April 11, 2007 | Link to this post | 0 comments

So yun… It’s like I’ve been out of reality for a while. Second sem didn’t end very well. Hay nako.. eto na naman ako… Medyo hindi maganda ang start ng summer break dahil sa ME 186. Pero keri lang.. Kaya yan… So how did I spend my two-week break? Know what? During the first day, I feel like I’m gonna get sick dito sa Laguna. I really miss UP and the people there. I keep on texting people saying I miss them so much. There’s nothing much to do here talaga. In UP kasi, you can walk around the campus, jog along the acad oval, lie down on the sunken garden, feel the fresh air, or just do nothing. Basically, you can do anything that your good heart wants to.

Here’s my daily routine here in our house: wake-up at 8am; eat breakfast ‘til 9am; go online ‘til probably 12nn; take a bath then lunch ‘til 1pm; watch LOST or any other movie ‘til 4pm; go online ulit ‘til 7pm; dinner ‘til 8pm; go online ‘til 11pm; take a shower then do quiet time (probably); then sleep at 12mn.

Ayun.. Boring ‘di ba? Haaay.. Well, I got used to it na rin after 3 or 4 days. I feel like I’m not a student anymore. I tried not to think of acads muna as it may spoil the summer break. Besides, I’ll be off to UP again in two weeks time. Well, I kinda enjoy what I’m doing here in our house since I don’t need to think of acads. And my niece is going to live here for a while. So we have a baby in our house. I enjoy playing with her and carrying her inside the house. She’s so cute… My heart melts whenever I see her smile. One thing’s for sure, I’m gonna miss my little niece so much pagbalik ko sa UP. Haaayyy… So yun… Parang andami nang nangyari after 5 days.

Tapos I have this Musical Theatre Workshop (again) at TRUMPETS. Ayun… Yesterday is our second workshop day. Mind you, it’s better than the first. Wohoooo!!! I think this is the largest musical theatre class I’ve ever attended in my entire ‘theater life.’ We are 27 all in all!!! Whoa!!! Imagine that. I enjoyed the workshop activities so much especially when we do it by pairs. We can have the chance to know our classmates better if we do it that way kasi. So our efforts paid off. I mean naging ice breaker yung mga activities na ginawa namin yesterday. Haha! And I would like to commend Kevin for good focus during the workshop. Haha!!! Got the chance to pair up with him twice. Haha!!! Kulit!!! We also read The Nativity and watched it on DVD. But before that, we have a little discussion about Shakespeare and some of his works. Grabe… Literature nanaman ‘to… Waaaahhhhh!!!! Anyway, we read an excerpt (Prologue) from Sir Jaime’s favorite Shakespearean play, Henry V. He managed to explain the story behind that excerpt. So nosebleed nanaman ‘to??? Waaaaahhhhhh!!!! Tapos ‘yun… We had a group activity in which we are to represent some parts/lines from that excerpt in 2 or 3 tableaus. Haha!!! We enjoyed doing our tableau and Sir Jaime shouted VERY GOOD!! after our presentation. Whoa!!! Astig!!! Imagine those two words coming from one of the musical theatre giants here in the country. Haha!!! Praises to God pa rin syempre!!!

Tomorrow is the start of the summer enrollment in UP. Jepoy took a survey through SMS asking us who we want to have as professor in ME 154 this summer. Haaayyy.. I really don’t want to take ME 154 muna this summer because it might spoil everything. I haven’t got the chance to talk to my classmates regarding this matter (and I really don’t wanna talk about it). So I’m gonna be back to UP on Monday for the first day of classes. Woohoooo!!!! Pero syempre, I’ll miss my stay here in Laguna. I’m gonna miss my family the most. Haaayyy… Enjoy the rest of the break!!! God Bless!!!!

- Gian

Good Friday ('We're all about Broadway!')

6:20 PM, Friday, April 06, 2007 | Link to this post | 0 comments

I stand to be corrected... Our teacher in MT-G is Mr. Jaime del Mundo, (not Ms. Sweet Plantado-Tiongson) the man who brought you Little Mermaid, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and Pendragon.

Last Tuesday, I was surprised when I entered the workshop room at The Podium. Seeing Mr. del Mundo distributing the ID's and my classmates who seem like they've known each other for so long send chills to my bones. I haven't been in an intermediate musical theatre class before and I feel like I'm the only one left out. I mean most of them have been in workshops together for 2 or 3 years. I know 1 person in that room. She was my classmate in Playshop 2005.

But that fact still didn't make me comfortable enough to talk to them. I said to myself that I'm gonna have a hard time relating with them. 'Oh no!!! It's gonna be bad class for me!!!'

But you know what? I did have fun with these people though I haven't talked to most of them much. (It's the first day of the workshop, what do you expect?) Hearing their stories about their Playshop experience made me feel that I'm welcome. 'This is where I belong!' Thanks to those people (Kevin, Athena, and Jiggs) who first approached me and introduce themselves. I remember Athena and Kevin so well because I saw them perform in Wicked last year. I've got the chance to talk with Jiggs. Thanks to Kevin for breaking the ice between us. It's not a bad class after all!

We had a little discussion about the history of musical theatre and we also watched a documentary and some live Broadway performances. Sir Jaime told us in the end that we're all about Broadway and we have to let the things that we've learned that day to sink deep within us. We haven't done any workshops yet but I can sense that this is gonna be a great Playshop experience for me!!!

- Gian

Holy Monday

4:23 PM, Monday, April 02, 2007 | Link to this post | 0 comments

PRAISE GOD!!! I passed ME 153!!! Hahaha!!!!

TRUMPETS will start tomorrow. Kinda nervous because I haven't prepared well for my song talaga. And mind you, I heard that my teacher is going to be Sweet Plantado-Tiongson of The Company. She's also one of the teachers in Pinoy Dream Academy. Nakakakaba!!!! Please do pray for me guys! And by the way, I'm gonna sing Stars from Les Miserables.

I'm missing my friends so much. Waaaahhhhh.... Still need to endure two weeks of boredom here in our Laguna house. Haaaaayyyy.... Miss ko na sila Dwight, Laila, Kuya Ju, Rai, Eki, Ate Flo, Melvin, Kuya Dennis, Emman, Celso, Paulo, Ken, Joseph, Benj, JM, Revin, Lester, Kuya Oey, Bestfriend Neil, Leah, Imay, Kalay TA, Stillwaters people, CCC people, PSME people, and Enggsoc people. Basically, I'm missing everyone. :-(

Hope to see you soon guys!!!!

Have a blessed Holy Week!!!

- Gian

I'm A Superhero!

4:00 PM, | Link to this post | 0 comments

Your results:
You are Venom

Venom		72%
Apocalypse		66%
Mystique		64%
Magneto		62%
Riddler		61%
Mr. Freeze		60%
The Joker		49%
Dark Phoenix		47%
Catwoman		47%
Dr. Doom		46%
Poison Ivy		42%
Two-Face		40%
Lex Luthor		36%
Green Goblin		32%
Juggernaut		28%
Kingpin		21%

Strength, disguise and adrenaline are your greatest weapons.

Click here to take the "Which Super Villain are you?" quiz...

- Gian