disney's beauty and the beast at the CCP manila

my friend kc and i almost didn't get to see the first eleven minutes of disney's "beauty and the beast." we had made it just in time, but the first few notes of the overture was already starting to play, and the usher wouldn't let us in. we were horrified. luckily, another usher told usher number one to just let us sit on the seats close to the door; we can move to the seats we paid for during the intermission.

it didn't matter where we sat, though, as the show was highly entertaining from start to finish. i actually enjoyed being high enough to see the orchestra. as the familiar story unfolded, i tried to keep myself from singing loudly along: "there goes the baker with his tray like always..."

the voice of belle was incredibly spot on, the timbre of her voice was enchanting. gaston was appropriately annoying. initially, i was put-off by the portrayal of the beast as a whiny teenager--his movements were less than regal, a far cry from the skulking, stalking beast of the movie. but as the show went on, i came to accept this version of the beast; i also realized it made sense for him to act this way--after all, he was quite young when he was cursed by the enchantress, and being stuck in a castle with living inanimate objects probably didn't contribute much to his maturity. (sige, i-justify pa natin.)

the production design was also impressive, especially the economy of the set. there were so many things and cast members pulling double duty without sacrificing the presentation. it was all so amazing to see how they made it work.

the whole show was such a treat, kc and i enjoyed it so much. one of the numbers i was so entertained by was the beer mug dance during the "gaston" song. i also got to hear "human again," which was cut from the original movie and replaced by "something there." the song fits very well into the live production.

the entire musical ran for almost two hours, but we hardly felt it, as it was such a wonderful show. for a thirty-two-year-old like myself, seeing lumiere, cogsworth, the wardrobe, mrs. potts, little ol' chip riding on a cart tray, and even the feisty babette in the flesh (but as inanimate objects), dancing and singing the songs etched in my mind from all the rewatches, was such a thrilling experience.

i'm certainly looking forward to the next disney production coming our way.

taking on the louvre

visiting the louvre is a must, and is probably on every traveler's list. while i certainly did not want to pass up the opportunity to see a fraction of the 35,000 things in its collection, i have to admit that i actually was not completely looking forward to my visit.

for one thing, the musee du louvre is HUGE. it occupies over 60,000 square meters of space. because of this, i took the advice of the well-traveled and told myself that i should not even attempt to take in all the masterpieces in its walls. another thing was that i have read very little about this museum (being too caught up with the orsay), so i didn't know what to expect, or who to expect (save for the mona lisa and venus de milo).

no line had formed yet when we arrived by metro. as it turns out, there's an exit in the metro that takes you to the carrousel du louvre, a shopping space under the museum's famous pyramid. here, another entrance to the museum can be found, with much less people than by the main entrance.

since the museum was not opening its doors until 10am (that's later than usual because there was an event they had to take care of), susie and i decided to explore the area right outside the museum. we ended up walking to the jardin de tuileries, where we were able to sit by the fountain and watch the other people in the park. the weather, however, decided to turn chilly, so we headed back to the carrousel du louvre entrance.

under the pyramids.
another entrance to the museum by the carrousel du louvre

i was shocked to find that an incredibly long line had already materialized in the few minutes that we were gone. so we quickly fell in line, and after a few minutes, the "gates" opened. this line was just to enter the cour carrée, a square that contains information booths, ticket booths, and the cloak room. good thing we already had our museum pass, so we didn't need to line up again for tickets. we decided to pass on the audio guides, so we just got a map of the museum, and dove headfirst into the throng of masterpieces.

we saw venus de milo, ramses II, winged victory. then came the paintings. i saw the card sharper by georges de la tour, a self-portrait of albrecht durer, une odalisque (la grande odalisque) by jean-auguste-dominique ingres, who became an instant favorite. my head was starting to spin with all the colors, the figures, the symbols. i may sound like an ingrate to you, but i didn't want any of these paintings to be forgotten, to be erased in my head. they were all beautiful, all important, and i wanted to allot precious brain GBs in my head for them. but thank god photography was allowed, and i can look at them so i can keep remembering.

in the middle of our visit, an alarm started to go off. "haha, somebody must have touched a painting or something," susie said. then the alarm was followed by an announcement in french, spanish, and then english, of which we only caught "please leave the premises immediately." i looked around and saw that nobody was following these instructions, so i thought i should do the same. susie insisted we go out and see what happened, since there were terror threats at the time.

i was very resistant and reluctant to do that, because we had come so far into the museum, and i really didn't want to go back to the cour carrée, then pick up where we left off if things were fine. it's idiotic, i know, but that's how enormous this museum was. i was tired and hungry, and i wanted to just cover the other things we wanted to see and leave. but susie kept insisting, and it was the logical and safe thing to do, so we looked for the exit.

tired.
where can i get a massage around here?

when we finally reached the exit, the museum guards were just hanging out and talking like nothing happened, while the alarm was still going off inside. we asked them what the matter was. the response? something along the lines of "oh, nothing. false alarm. if we want you out, we'll get you out." i counted to ten, and walked back into the labyrinth.

after that, all the other things in the museum became a blur. all i was after was to see the mona lisa. we had entered one of the galleries, and saw a line of people trying to muscle their way into another gallery. and that's when i knew that i was only seconds away from meeting her. my exhaustion melted, my hunger vanished. i went straight for the crowd and used the singit skills that i've acquired through years of taking the MRT. in no time, i was near the front, elbowing my way to a wall covered with glass, to protect the precious little frame inside it.

my right hand lowered the camera. all around me, people were scrambling to get the perfect photo, but i couldn't take a snapshot--i was just staring. some people told me that when they saw her, they said, "that's it?!" because she was so tiny. but the words in my heard were, "THIS. IS. IT." it sounds too dramatic, but i nearly cried. for a friggin' painting. but being face to face with something so important was so incredibly overwhelming that i froze. i managed to get ahold of myself, and eventually snapped a photo, but i think that moment will stay with me for a while.

the superstar of the louvre.
the crowd trying to get closer to la gioconda

before that moment, i was being so cranky, i was being an ungrateful bruha because the louvre was exhausting the hell out of me. but when i got to that moment, and looking back at what i've seen, i would do it again, but next time, i will slap myself silly if i ever feel like complaining. because the things you see in the louvre are worth all the effin' trouble. the expensive admission fee, the long wait in the even longer line, the crowds, the indecipherable french descriptions, the starvation--they all seem so inconsequential when you think about what you take away from the louvre.

more photos of my visit to the louvre here.

museum information
musee du louvre
address: 75001 paris, france
opening hours: 9am-6pm (monday, thursday, saturday, sunday), 9am-10pm (wednesday & friday), closed on tuesdays
admission fee: EUR 10
metro: palais royal-musee du louvre
buses: 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, 95, or the paris tourist bus
batobus: louvre stop

centre pompidou

jetlag got the better of us after our trip to the musee d'orsay, so we decided to go back to the hotel and rest. we woke up at about 6pm. the only sights we could visit then was the centre pompidou, paris's museum of modern art, and the arc de triomphe, as they both stay open until late.

we got off our asses and took the metro to rambuteau, and were awed when we were faced with the mighty structure of the centre georges pompidou. the entire building have 7 "superstructure" levels, and occupies a land area of 2 hectares. it's mostly made of steel and glass, which makes it look modern despite the fact that it's been around since february 1977. i was intimidated from the sight of it alone.

we were there an hour and a half before closing time, so we didn't get to see everything on display. we did get to check out elles@centrepompidou, which is an exhibition of and about different kinds of art pieces by women. my favorite part of the museum is the fifth level, where i got to see modern works by picasso, matisse, miro, modigliani, gris, among others. it was a pleasant surprise, as i wasn't able to do a lot of research for this particular museum.

aside from the artworks, the 6th level also gives you a darned good view of paris. there's a cafe and restaurant there, but we decided to have dinner somewhere else.

check out the things i saw at the centre pompidou.

museum information
centre pompidou
metro stops: rambuteau, hôtel de ville, châtelet
RER stop: Châtelet - Les Halles
bus: 21, 29, 38, 47, 58, 69, 70, 72, 74, 75, 76, 81, 85, 96
notes: closed on tuesdays and may 1st
admission: EUR 12, EUR 3 for panorama ticket (access to the panoramic view at 6th floor only, no entry to museums and exhibitions)

first paris museum stop: the musee d'orsay

after paying our respects to sartre and de beauvoir, we walked along boulevard raspail to the musee d'orsay. being a big fan of the impressionist movement, i just HAD to see it. in fact, the musee d'orsay was the main reason i included paris in our itinerary in the first place. i had been ready to abandon the louvre, but nobody would have been able to convince me to skip the orsay.

it took us 45 minutes to walk from our hotel to the orsay. along the way, we chanced upon a small street market selling fresh produce, as well as cheese, sandwiches, and quiches. we each bought a quiche and had that for breakfast while walking to the seine.

the museum is on the left bank of the seine; the louvre faces it from the right bank. the orsay's impressive collection is housed in the beaux-arts structure of what was known as gare d'orsay, an old rail station where trains to southwestern france would depart from. however, the gare d'orsay's short platforms could not conform to the longer trains that were starting to be used, so in 1939, it had to be closed. it then became a mailing center during the second world war. in 1977, the french government decided to turn it into a museum, and started conversion works that spanned six years (1980 to 1986). the museum opened in 1 december 1986, under the government of president francois mitterand.

when we reached the museum, there was a line snaking from its revolving doors. it didn't take long for it to move, though, and before long, we were by the ticket counters. susie and i had agreed earlier to get the two-day museum pass. it's EUR32 for two days, and gives you access to a number of museums and sights in the french capital. it also lets you skip the long lines at the ticket booths, which is the reason we went for it. in paris, you not only line up just to enter, but the line at the ticket booths can take up a lot of your time. if you're staying for four days or more, you can also avail of the four-day paris museum pass. this is actually a lot better than the two-day one, since you can spread out your museum visits in four days, and have time to see the rest of the city. before you do get one, though, make a list of the museums that you want to visit, tally the admission costs, and see if you can get your money's worth. the museum pass is available in the establishments that it grants free access to, as well as airports and tourist centers.

after paying for our tickets, we made our way to the gate that leads to the main hall. i paused by the entrance for a bit to take it all in. this is it, i told myself. i'm in the orsay. i'm in paris. there were plenty of people milling around, but it wasn't noisy at all. the museum was undergoing repairs, so there were new signs to lead visitors to the different halls. i look to my right and saw IMPRESSIONISM and POST-IMPRESSIONISM, and made a beeline for them, with susie trailing behind. here, i saw works by degas, manet, renoir, toulouse-lautrec, pissarro, and other greats.

i had to request for a break once we were done with the halls on the right side of the museum. it's surprising how walking from one gallery to another, and looking at paintings, can be tiring. luckily, there was a cafe at the ground level of the orsay, so susie and i bought drinks and shared a ham and cheese sandwich to tide us over. after that, we tackled the halls on the left side of the museum. here, i saw works by honore daumier (sadly, "rue transnonain," the only daumier work that i'm familiar with, is not in the orsay), and paul gauguin's tahiti paintings. there was also a sala dedicated to van gogh, where i saw "the church at auvers" and "le docteur paul gachet" both painted the year he died.

after that, i scoured the rest of the museum for edgar degas's "young dancer." we went upstairs and sped through the art nouveau furniture collection, but took our time with the rodin sculptures. when i couldn't find degas, i decided to go to the information counter to ask. there was a man asking for the specific locations of every painting he wanted to see. he asked for "bal du moulin de la galette" by renoir, another painting i was looking for, i strained to hear the response: "sorry, that painting is on loan." when it was my turn at the counter, i asked about "young dancer," and received the same reply.

i felt disappointed, since i wanted to go to paris to go to the orsay, and wanted to go to the orsay to see those two things. but of course, when i look back on the paintings that i saw that day, i can't really say that the trip was a disappointment. the orsay wasn't just about those two works. i got to see an amazing collection of artworks in one of my favorite periods in art history. i actually stood in front of a picture that renoir painted many, many years ago. it's not every day that i get to meet these images, and i am very, very thankful for the opportunity to see all these masterpieces. as for "moulin de la galette" and "young dancer," they shall be the next excuse for me to visit paris again.

view more photos of the musee d'orsay.

more information
musee d'orsay
address: 62, rue de lille, 75343 paris
metro: solferino (line 12)
buses: 24, 63, 68, 69, 73, 83, 84, 94

paris museum pass
2 days for EUR 32
4 days for EUR 48
6 days for EUR 64

grave sightings in paris

on our first full day in paris, i decided to drag susie over to the montparnasse cemetery, which was a two-minute walk from our hotel. a lot of famous people are interred at various cemeteries all over paris, and montparnasse's most famous residents may probably be the people i went to see that day: the philosopher jean paul sartre and his lover, simone de beauvoir.

it was a nice sunny day in paris. the place was quiet, but not grim. right by the gate is a map that shows you the way to the graves of the cemetery's memorable residents. among them are writer samuel beckett, sculptor constantin brancusi, andré citroën (of the automobile brand), gustave coriolis (of the coriolis effect), the artist henri latour, author guy de maupassant (whose story, "the necklace," i read in high school), historian edgar quinet, and writer susan sontag.

sartre and de beauvoir's graves were just a few steps from the gate. from the map, all we needed to do was turn around and take a couple of steps, and there they were. the stone was adorned with kisses, the gravestone was also laden with gifts, such as a small, golden replica of the eiffel, plenty of roses, and even a lighter.

after that, susie and i walked around for a little bit, not looking for anyone in particular, but just looking at the stones and the graves, checking how long some had been staying there. we were pretty impressed at the variety and artistry in the tombstones. art in paris definitely permeates even its cemeteries.

some people would have said that starting the day by seeing the dead is a sad way to start any day, but i beg to differ. visiting one of the most influential personalities the world has ever known is one of the best ways to start any day for me. and it definitely fits what would become of our trip to paris--we ended up chasing personalities, both real and fictional, all over the french capital.

but that's getting ahead of the story. :)

list of cemeteries in paris:
montparnasse cemetery (Cimetière du Montparnasse)
3, boulevard Edouard Quinet 75014 Paris
Tel.: +33(0)1 44 10 86 50
Metro: Edgar Quinet or Raspail
Buses: 28 or 68

père-lachaise cemetery (Cimetière du Père-Lachaise)
16, rue du Repos
75020 Paris
Tel.: +33(0)1 55 25 82 10
Metro: Père Lachaise or Philippe Auguste
Buses: 61 or 69

montmartre cemetery (Cimetière Montmartre)
20, avenue Rachel
75018 Paris
Tel.: +33(0)1 53 42 36 30
Metro: Blanche or Place de Clichy
Buses: 95, 80, 74, 54 or 30

admission to these cemeteries is free.

view more photos of i gotta go's trip to cimetière du montparnasse

planetzips and brigada finale at b-side

despite the rain, brigada's 5th anniversary celebration at b-side was a success! :)

here's one of my favorite performances of the night,
featuring one of my good friends, des uy, dancing to brigada's beats:

intramuros with our mabuhay guide

our friend, bryan ocampo, is part of the mabuhay guides, a group of pinoys who have been trained intensively in the art of tour guiding in the philippines. he offered to take us on a free tour of intramuros last saturday, and what ensued was a fun and interesting morning filled with rizal trivia and other philippine historical info.

our first stop for the day was fort santiago, and while i've been there a number of times, that day was my first time to enter the rizal shrine. it's a museum that houses plenty of rizal artifacts, including photographs, paintings of rizal, and even rizal's vertebra (strange, right?). my favorite area was the staircase, which doubled as a gallery of paintings of rizal as portrayed by different artists.

san agustin church was closed for lunch, so bry took us on a tour of casa manila first. no photography allowed, and i wouldn't have been able to take anyway, because bry was sharing plenty of interesting details, including the placement of the rooms, the little details in each room, how the room you're entertained in by the head of the house signifies his relationship with you. having a guide with you really changes the entire experience. the displays take on a lot more meaning.

jose rizal's business card

after casa manila, we had lunch at barbara's, and went back to san agustin. we entered the church, and learned about the architecture. bry then took us to the different exhibitions in the museum, pausing to expound on an artifact or two. it's funny, i've been to the san agustin crypt a number of times, but if bry (and susie) hadn't pointed it out to me, i would never have known that THE juan luna's remains are in that crypt.

now, i didn't tell you what i learned exactly, because that would be giving it away. :) if you want to learn what i learned, the best way to do so is to go on a tour yourself. so why not contact bryan ocampo to find out more about our history?

see more photos of our intramuros tour.

ayala museum events this july

pardon my sporadic updates. i owe this blog so many stories already. i am hanging my head in shame as i type (yes, i don't need to look at the keyboard to type, so i CAN hang my head in shame as i type).

in the meantime, mark your calendars for some culture and history, brought to you by the ayala museum:

16 july, friday, 6pm
sunset dreamscape
music and entertainment, in cooperation with 106.7 dream fm, featuring a performance by louie cristi (erm, sorry, i don't know who that is).

16 july - 12 september
olivia d'aboville - chasm of fantasies
d'aboville recreates the wonders of the ocean using materials that we would normally throw away.

21 july, wednesday, 430pm
designtalks with ed calma
come and hear how this famed architect's works came to life.

24 july, saturday, 3pm
history comes alive! (the philippine american-war) with ambeth ocampo
the second of his lecture series on philippine history. will probably attend this one.

ongoing exhibit:
until 1 august
a vision of philippine art
the purita kalaw-ledesma collection

so much to keep us occupied this rainy month (and it's great, too, since going out of town is kind of discouraging in this climate). go and check 'em out! let's get some kalchuh!

Museum Information
The Ayala Museum
Greenbelt 5, Makati Avenue, Makati City
museum_inquiry@ayalamuseum.org
Museum hours: 9am-6pm from Tuesday to Friday, 10am-7pm on weekends, closed on Mondays.

ayala museum's historical dioramas

What's the best way to spend a holiday? Fly off somewhere, of course! But if you only have one free day, like tomorrow, June 30, you can do the next best thing--learn some history!

Haul your butt over to the Ayala Museum and check out their historical dioramas. It's a fun and cute way to learn about Philippine history. Because heaven knows we need to learn more about our country's past.

Museum Information
The Ayala Museum
Greenbelt 5, Makati Avenue, Makati City
museum_inquiry@ayalamuseum.org
Museum hours: 9am-6pm from Tuesday to Friday, 10am-7pm on weekends, closed on Mondays.

see: the legacy of teodulo protomartir

you don't get to see photos of old manila everyday, that's why i really want to make sure that i make it to this exhibit of photos taken by teodulo protomartir.

this exhibit at the silverlens gallery opened last june 9 and will close on july 3. i got this brief description of the exhibit from the website:

Considered as the Father of Philippine photography, Protomartir captured the city in ruins from the Second World War, its battle wounds and its restoration--scenes we thought only survived in memory. He captures post-war Manila's architecture and landscape, with Filipinos going about their daily business in familiar places such Intramuros, Luneta, Ermita and Quiapo as well as in buildings and bridges that are no longer, including the old Sto. Domingo Church, which is one of the six Churches that once stood in Spanish Intramuros...

Beyond historical evidence, the significance of Protomartir's images is meaningful. Protomartir hands to the Filipino people cultural treasures that should remain part of Filipino consciousness and memory. Sixty-four years later, we celebrate Protomartir because through him we were there too.

the photos were unearthed by direk uro dela cruz, whom i know as that guy who directs bubble gang. i just found out that he's a big photography nut, and through his explorations in camera shops, he discovered a box of negatives taken by protomartir. he digitized the images, and now, they're here for us to see. to know more about how protomartir's photos were discovered, read jessica zafra's photographs from the dead.

on july 1, carlos celdran will be there to hold a talk to put the photos in perspective. direk uro dela cruz will also be there to give an introduction of protomartir.

if you're as interested about this exhibit as i am, check out the event details posted below. :) to rsvp to the talk on july 1, use the phone number or email address provided.

event details
exhibit: being there 1946: the legacy of teodulo protomartir
where: silverlens gallery
address: warehouse 2, yupangco building, 2320 pasong tamo extension, makati
gallery hours: mondays to fridays, 10am to 7pm, saturdays, 1-6pm
phone number: (02) 816-0044
mobile number: +63905-2650873; +63917-5874011
email: manage@silverlensphoto.com

photo taken from the silverlens gallery website.

april events at instituto cervantes

more european films, a jeepney poetry tour, and a day of books and roses fill up the days of april, thanks to instituto cervantes! the best part is, all events are free!

cine chileno. before the regular screenings at 6pm every saturday, chilean films will be shown at 4pm as well as a gesture of solidarity with chile after the quake.

10 april, 4pm
la fiebre del loco (loco fever)
in spanish with english subtitles
director: andrés wood
duration: 94 minutes
cast: Tamara Acosta, Emilio Bardi, Loreto Moya, María Izquierdo, Luis Dubo, Julio Marcone, Luis Margani

One winter, the Chilean officials allowed for a short period the harvesting of the valuable and aphrodisiac shellfish "el loco" in the seaside village of Puerto Gala , where fishermen and prostitutes live and wanting to earn money. Greed and lust take hold. Greed is embodied by Carlos Maldonato, "El Canuto," who, after convincing his friend Jorge, the priest Luis and the whole community, bought all of the shellfish for a Japanese company. El Canuto also wrangles to get into good stead with an old flame, Sonia, who is now the proprietor of " La Pincoya ," a local restaurant. But "el loco" proves to be more effective and more damaging than anyone could have guessed because after the selling part, people disclose a secret with tragic consequences.


17 april, 4pm
taxi para tres (a cab for three)
in spanish with english subtitles
director: orlando lübbert
duration: 90 minutes
cast: Alejandro Trejo, Fernando Gómez-Rovira, Daniel Muñoz, Elsa Poblete

A poor taxi driver with a big family to support is given a difficult choice from 2 small time crooks: drive them around while they rob, or get locked up in the trunk.


24 april, 4pm
una casa de locos (the spanish apartment)
in spanish with english subtitles
director: cédric klapisch
duration: 120 minutes
cast: Romain Duris, Cécile de France, Judith Godrèche, Audrey Tautou, Kelly Reilly, Cristina Brondo, Federico D''Anna, Barnaby Metschurat, Christian Pagh, Xavier de Guillebon, Kevin Bishop, Olivier Raynal

Xavier is a 27-year-old Parisian who decides to go to Barcelona for the last year of his university studies in economic sciences. When he arrives in Barcelona he looks for a place to live and finally finds a flat in the centre which he shares with 6 people each from a different European country. All of them are in the same situation; all of them are studying in Barcelona through the European university exchange scheme (ERASMUS).


regular film line up. screened at the salon de actos, every saturday at 6pm:

10 april, 6pm
amor idiota (idiot love)
in spanish with english subtitles
director: ventura pons
duration: 105 minutes
cast: Santi Millán, Cayetana Guillén Cuervo, Marc Cartes, Mercè Pons, Jordi Dauder, Héctor Mas

Idiot Love begins as Pere-Lluc drowns his sorrow with alcohol after learning of the death of a close friend in Buenos Aires . Wandering home after his bender, he slams into a ladder being used by a young woman hanging banners on the street. When he attempts to wake up from his stupor, all he can see is the woman. Mesmerized, he claims he’s in love with her and sets out to win her affection— even though she’s married.


17 april, 6pm
lo que sé de lola (what i know of lola)
in spanish with english subtitles
director: javier rebollo
duration: 100 minutes
cast: Michaël Abiteboul, Lola Dueñas, Carmen Machi, Lucienne Deschamps

Leon, a lonesome man who watches the world as if it were a show, suddenly becomes fascinated by an ordinary woman, Lola, deciding from then on to devote himself exclusively to her... She never even knows he exists.


other events. instituto cervantes has cooked up a host of other events for us to enjoy.

17 april, 12nn-10pm
berso sa metro: poetry jeepney tour
filipino and spanish poets read along the streets of manila

An interesting way of spreading literature, this poetry reading tour comprises of three venues with Filipino and Spanish poets reciting some of the most relevant poems in each stop. With participants onboard an electrical jeepney, this tour is truly a unique way of reminding people of the beauty of words as they speed to their destinations. This is an extension of the promotional reading campaign through MRT and LRT, which received an Anvil Award of Merit for Educational Public Relations Program during the 45th Anvil Awards Competition.

24 april, 10am-6pm
rosas y libros, día del libro (books and roses, international day of the book)
book fair

As celebrated yearly, Instituto Cervantes de Manila, in collaboration with various bookstores and other institutions, will offer a Book Market during the Open House and Book Party on the 24th of April. From 10 am to 6pm, bibliophiles can get their hands on a wide selection of books: children and young adult titles, dictionaries, novels, and non-fiction titles, at the Día del Libro book fair. Available at even madder prices, brand new books go for as low as Php20.00. And to make the deal even sweeter, Instituto Cervantes gives a red rose with every purchase. Also, get a chance to mingle with your favourite authors as they grace this event, signing copies of their latest works. And to cap the day, a Book Party with a live band will entertain you until midnight.

get more info from the dia del libro facebook page.

24 april, 10am-6pm
pintas historias (color your world)
coloring activity for children

Instituto Cervantes, in collaboration with Faber-Castell, organizes anew a fun-filled activity for children ages 3 to 12 years old during the celebration of the International Book Day. Color Your World will start at 10AM until 4PM to make a whole day of painting and reading fun for the young artists.

24 april, 4pm
bersong europinoy
poetry reading

Instituto Cervantes in Manila will once again hold the "Bersong EuroPinoy" during the celebration of International Book Day. It will be a poetry chain of European and Filipino poems, a celebration highlighting the Spanish Presidency of the European Union.

24 april, 6pm
canciones de la revolucion filipina (songs of the philippine revolution)
a lecture-concert by Raúl Súnico, Musical arranger-pianist-composer
performers: coro tomasino

Among the many testaments to the close cultural ties between Spain and the Philippines is a little-known genre of songs of the revolution with Spanish and Filipino lyrics that emerged in different parts of the country.

Find out about Instituto Cervantes's Cultural Events and Programs at Cultura En Manila.

"deleted scenes" at the lopez museum

Deleted Scenes modestly explores omissions both in pictorial and literary accounts of national history as well as in purported narratives hinged on representation that a museum such as the Lopez hesitatingly but unavoidingly lays out.

quite an interesting premise--sort of like a behind-the-scenes look at history, a different take on making us think about what really happened.

check out the exhibit at the lopez museum before the exhibit closes on january 9. deleted scenes features works by lyle buencamino, dada docot, sari dalena, and al manrique.

museum information
lopez museum
g/f benpres building
exchange road corner meralco avenue,
ortigas center, pasig city
phone number: +632 6312417
email address: pezseum@skyinet.net
blog: lopez museum and library

CCP holiday events for 2009

there's something in the air this year. i can feel that christmas is going to be merry. reading about these performances at the CCP is making me more excited about the holidays!

"the nutcracker"
ballet philippines
when: december 3, 6, 12, and 13 at 10am and 3pm; december 4 and 5 at 3pm and 8pm
where: tanghalang nicanor abelardo (CCP main theater)
tickets: P300, P350, P450, P500, and P600. P1,100 for gala shows
check ticketworld for tickets to ballet philippines's "the nutcracker."

PPO season concert IV
philippine philharmonic orchestra
conductor: ruggero barbieri
featuring traditional christmas carols.
when: december 10, 8pm
where: tanghalang nicanor abelardo (CCP main theater)
tickets: P206, P360.50, P515, P686.67, P824, P858.34, and P1,030.
check ticketworld for tickets to PPO season concert IV.

"thankful"
the philippine madrigal singers
the philippine madrigal singers' thanksgiving concert for a fruitful year. christmas songs, carols, and other inspirational songs are in store.
when: december 15 and 16, 8pm
where: tanghalang nicanor abelardo (CCP main theater)
call these numbers to inquire about tickets: (02) 832- 1125 to 39, (02) 832-3667

let's soak up some culture at the ccp this holiday season!

película: the 8th spanish film festival

more films are set to come your way next week, as instituto cervantes unveils the biggest película spanish film festival yet.

this year, película pelikula will show films in three different venues:

greenbelt 3 cinemas play host to 21 recent and awarded spanish and latin american films. admission is P65. check the película screening schedule for greenbelt 3.

the CCP, meanwhile, will be showing 12 spanish and filipino documentaries. check the película screening schedules for CCP.

finally, the college of saint benilde-school of design and arts will have two different sets of screenings, the first being "cine en construccion," where viewers can watch 5 different indie films from latin american countries. the other set of films are dubbed "spanish cinema in 8 films," and features 8 classic films, perfect for students who want to see the progression of spanish cinema. admission is also free. check the película screening schedules for CSB school of design and arts.

there will also be exhibits, workshops, and performances, so just check the película website, which also features trailers of the films and event schedules.

cine europa '09 at shang cineplex

i can't believe it's time for cine europa again. :) i missed last year's screenings, but i'm hoping i can catch at least one film in this year's line-up, specifically the demons of st. petersburg.

this year's batch of films are an assortment of genres, running the gamut of family entertainment, horror/thriller, drama, romantic comedy, and war/action. it's a pretty promising line-up.

if you have nothing to do this weekend, troop over to shangri-la mall cineplex, queue up for your free ticket, and watch a film at cine europa. just click on the link below to access the schedules and synopsis:

cine europa '09 line-up and schedule.

a national museum tour in remembrance of cory aquino

less than a year ago, i got to go on a national museum tour conducted by its curator, john silva. now, he has another theme for the tour, and it's entitled "origins of her faith, courage, and love of country."

now, i'm not a big fan of cory as a president, but i do admire the kind of person that she is. and maybe, just maybe, knowing these origins might keep the flame of hope alive. it's so easy to extinguish it, but i do feel that people are starting to feel the need to change. and anything that can get people to keep wanting to do something about our problems is okay by me. :)

so if you have some spare time, do join the tour. the insights on the country's art and history are well worth it.




tour information:
tour of the national museum: origins of her faith, courage, and love of country
dates: aug. 8, 12, 15, 19, 22, 26, 29
sept. 2, 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30
time: 10am
venue: museum of the filipino people
fee: Php500 (18 years and below), Php 800 for adults
for reservations, please contact John Silva at 0926-7299029, 09174195928, or jsilva79@mac.com