Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Never Again!!!
After the movie, we all decided to eat so we went to place called Zola which can be found on top of session road. It's the first restaurant there. After ordering, they first served our drinks. The dumbass waiter spilled a whole tall glass of Sprite on Darnell by accident. So Darnell was soaking wet and all of our cigarettes were drenched in sprite. But the waiter replaced the cigarettes.
After that, my order came which was Taal Rice. It tasted so bland that eating a cup of day old rice would have been better. Darnell ordered a sausage meal and specifically requested to have the eggs scrambled but when it came, the egg was barely cooked and the sausage and rice was swimming on the Yolk. He had it replaced which took what seemed like 10 years before the served it again.
Marge's order was Pesto Linguine. We all ordered at the same time, and after 30 minutes, a waiter came and said that the Pesto was not available. So pissed as she was, she tried to keep her cool and ordered Tomato Ragout on Linguine instead. There were 5 of us that night and 4 of us got all our orders and were almost done eating but Marge's Ragout was nowhere in sight.
When they finally served it, she said that she already canceled the order but did not remember which waiter she asked to have it canceled. The waitress who served the Ragout brought it back to the counter and then there was a commotion because the cancellation was not in their system.
The stupid waitress came back and asked Marge a lot of questions which started to irritate us all. I finally looked at the waitress and said, "How hard is it to get an order right? Does it need effort from all of you?" the waitress apologized for all the mishaps that night and Marge said, "Alright just serve the damn pasta if that will make you stop asking questions." So the waitress served it AFTER 10 MINUTES.
I tasted the Ragout and the moment my taste buds hit it, I said "What the fuck?! This isn't Ragout. I specialize in cooking pasta, this isn't Ragout. And the pasta isn't cooked. Jawbreakers are softer than this". I was really on the verge of loosing my temper but I tried to calm down.
So when the bill came, we were surprised because we were charged with the pesto. I called the same waiter who said earlier that it wasn't available and he asked me "Didn't you order Pesto sir?" thats when I snapped back at him and said, "weren't you the one who said that the pesto was not available?!" I think he remembered and apologized yet again. He brought the check back to the cashier to have it changed. This time it was the waitress who brought back the new check. I looked her in the eyes then took the check from her hand. She was about to go back to the counter but I told her to stay where she was.
We all brought our wallets out and payed but before giving it back to her, I told her to suggest to their manager a new wave of training or change the whole staff. She apologized again.
I know their doing their job but apologies are just words in cases like this. I would understand if they were understaffed or if the place was swimming with people that night but it wasn't. There were a lot of their staff just walking around and there were only a few people. Well I am telling you this I am never going back to Zola. The food is awful, the service is obscenely horrible, and the WiFi ir so slow that the GPRS on my phone is a lot faster.
So we all left without leaving a tip.
Here's a copy of the bill (click to enlarge):
Saturday, June 27, 2009
I ♥ OPERA MINI
I had to find a modded version of Opera Mini so it would be free, and thank God the internet is brimming with it.
Now that I can access the internet on my phone, blogging, twitter, facebook, myspace, and all other things have become totally easier for me.
I ♥ my Phone
I ♥ technology
I ♥ opera mini
Old Pics from Work
Natalie Weiss
Lately I've been listening to a lot of Natalie Weiss. I first encountered her in Scott Alan's CD, KEYS where she sang "The Distance You Have Come". I immediately fell in love with her voice. She sounds truly amazing and it seems effortless when she hits those high notes. I looked around YouTube and found dozens of videos of her including one where she sang an unbelievable rendition of Defying Gravity. I asked myself, why hasn't she played in Wicked so I used google and wikipedia to know more about her. That's where I found out that she did play Elphaba for the tour of Wicked. After that, I then asked myself why hasn't she played on broadway.
Dont get me wrong, I dont want to only see her on Wicked. I want to see her on Broadway. Well if she doesn't land any roles on broadway soon, I hope she at least records an album. I like her version of "Kiss the Air" and "Alto's Lament".
I'll be posting videos of her soon. They're all in *.flv so I'll have to convert them first so I can publish them here.
Mountain Dew
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen
After my class I went directly to the mall since I knew that it was the Opening day of Transformers 2. I was surprised by the line of people who wanted to watch the movie. It was a weekday and the middle of the day. You dont expect to see that many people.
The movie was great. The story line was your typical Transformers plot. The special effects were amazing. The only comment I have is that there were too many Decepticons compared to the first movie so it was a little hard to keep track of them. Plus, the way that the PRIMES looked like reminded me a lot of the robots from the animated movie "Bionicle".
The way the movie ended suggests another sequel. Looking at how successful this movie is, another sequel isn't a bad idea.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
My day today
Diana DeGarmo singing I Believe
Monday, June 15, 2009
First Day of School
Today is my first day in school. The semester has officially started. I got up at 7:30 in the morning to prepare for my 8:30 class. I got to school at around 8:40. Yes I know, its quite normal for me to be late. So when I got to school, I went straight to my class but it wasn't MY class that was there, it was another subject. So I went around the whole school looking for my teacher/s. I went to the Dean's office and I found out that the schedule for 2 of my classes have been changed. Well, at least now I dont have an 8:30 class on Mondays though I do have one on Fridays.
Since my next class is at 11:30, I decided to blog and download stuff to kill time. Well, wish me luck on my first day.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Glee, a new TV series
Glee’s pilot episode promised its audience a lot. It took one of the most overused stories in the world – to follow your dream or passion no matter what. Let’s face it – that is very inspirational yet cheesy and so cliche. However, what the creator/director Ryan Murphy (Nip/Tuck, Popular) brought on the screen is a hodgepodge of genres that should have been chaotic and unfocused but created an exhilarating, unpredictable and still inspiring musical story.
The story revolves around the high school Spanish teacher Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison) who took on his shoulders the “Titanic” job of reviving the school’s glee club that went on to gather 6 talented, ambitious but quirky “New Directions” members. He is likable and always seems to be holding something back, a past and a passion. He is married with ambitious Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig) who always nags him to be an accountant instead of wasting his time being a teacher and sulking in his musical past.
The one who enlist with a golden star beside her name and the emerging leader of the club was Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), a product of two gay guys (I still have to fathom this) but a very talented, beautiful and self-promoting sophomore who tries hard to be accepted. She posted a video of herself singing “On My Own” from Les Miserables in her MySpace page but received a comment “get sterilized” from the mean cheerleaders. She knows she can sing and sings well but also thinks that everybody despises her. The glee club, however, posed a promise of breaking free from ridicule and to change other people’s perception about her.
Then the others who signed in: Kurt (Chris Colfer), a fashionista with a falsetto singing voice; Mercedes (Amber Riley) who thinks she’s Beyonce and will never sing backup; Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz), a punk Asian girl who stutters but has a powerful voice; and Artie (Kevin McHale), a geeky polio victim but strums the guitar like crazy.
Will, however, realized something’s lacking and went on to recruit from the jocks and cheerleaders, following the advice of the school’s germiphobic guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays) that the group needs popularity. In the process, he discovered Finn Hudson (Cory Monteith), the quarterback, who has a pop-rock voice and secret passion to perform the Journey. The character of Finn might easily be compared with Troy Bolton of HSM but its more grounded and real.
Another acting delight of the show is Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester, the mean cheerleading coach who treats members of the glee club as worthy of the school’s basement.
Glee also promises a well-crafted musical acting especially from the actor Matthew Morrison whose big break came when he did Hairspray as Link Larkin; who was nominated for his performance as Fabrizio Nacarelli in Adam Guettel’s The Light in the Piazza and starred in the South Pacific as Lt. Cable. He also appeared in the recent movie Taking Chance. Lea Michele, on the other hand, created the role of Wendla Bergman in the Tony-award winning hit musical Spring Awakening and played the role of Eponine in Hollywood Bowl’s Les Miserables. Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked, Pushing Daisies), another musical powerhouse, would also grace the show.
The musical numbers are big and quite a mishmash which made me realize that the show is to continue the frenzy over American Idol – there’s Broadway/showtunes, pop-rock, standards, R&B and even country that may be mashed up to create that Sister Act effect. One is the funny but brilliant choir performance of Amy Winehouse’s Rehab. Then there’s the show’s theme song Don’t Stop Believin’ of the Journey revised for a show-stopping choir and Broadway-ish version. The magnificent On My Own from Les Miserables sounds Spring Awakening (read: pop-rock) with Lea Michele singing.
-http://acanofcoke.wordpress.com/2009/05/25/glee-dont-stop-believin/Thursday, June 11, 2009
I finally have Stephanie J. Block's Album
Thank you for the greetings
- My Mom for giving me a laptop for my birthday and basically giving me everything I want.
- My Dad who was the first person to greet me on my birthday.
- Lyve for being the second person to greet me. Thank you for the support and the warm conversations we have.
- Jackie my bestfriend for the 40-minute call just to greet me. Thank you for the 5 years. I love you and miss you Bes.
- Sheryl/Red for remembering my birthday even if we havent seen each other for 6 years. I was literally shocked when she texted me.
- Luke for giving me a copy of Stephanie J. Blocks album.
Again, thank you to all of my family and friends.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Happy Birthday To ME!!!
So even though Im not in Baguio to celebrate my birthday, Im gonna do what I do every year. Im gonna watch a movie and eat pizza. Its what I've been doing since I was 15.
I remember last year I celebrated my birthday with my friends from work. If I remember correctly I was with Fido, Marvin, Mare, Pinky, and Francis.
These are pictures from my birthday LAST YEAR:
*I treated them for breakfast or our version of dinner at 50's Dinner. I spent almost 2000php but it was worth it.
(L-R) Fido, Francis, Mare, Marvin, Pinky, Me, Paolo
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Bring back the Pirate Queen!!!
So when I got home, I searched the internet for a video of this and thank God there are so many bootlegs out there. When I finished watching it, I wondered why people didn't like this. Its a great musical and too bad it closed after 85 performances and 32 previews. C'mon this was written by Boublil and Schonberg. The gave us Miss Saigon and Les Miserables for petes sake. Its a good musical and I hope they revive it on Broadway or West End.
Why is it so hot?
After that I went home to rest and eat lunch. I left at around 2pm and went to my insurance company's office to pay my insurance bill. I pay annually so that I dont have to worry about it every month. It was a lot easier when I was working because it was automatically taken out of my salary, now that I dont work anymore I have to haul my ass to their office. My only complain about today is that it was so hot this afternoon that I hopped into the shower the moment I got home.
Im back in the house and I'll be playing MU for the next few hours.
2009 Tony Award Winners
Here are the winners of the 2009 American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards.
BEST MUSICAL: Billy Elliot, The Musical (accepted by Eric Fellner)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL: David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish, Billy Elliot, The Musical
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL: Alice Ripley, Next to Normal
BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL: Hair (accepted by producer Oskar Eustis)
SPECIAL TONY AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN THEATRE: Jerry Herman
BEST PLAY: God of Carnage (accepted by author Yasmina Reza and producer Robert Fox)
BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY: The Norman Conquests (accepted by producer Sonia Friedman)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTRESS IN A PLAY: Marcia Gay Harden, God of Carnage
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTOR IN A PLAY: Geoffrey Rush, Exit the King
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL: Karen Olivo, West Side Story
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL: Gregory Jbara, Billy Elliot, The Musical
BEST SPECIAL THEATRICAL EVENT: Liza’s at The Palace (accepted by producer John Scher)
BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL: Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot, The Musical
BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY: Matthew Warchus, God of Carnage
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE (MUSIC AND/OR LYRICS) WRITTEN FOR THE THEATRE: Music, Tom Kitt; Lyrics, Brian Yorkey
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY: Angela Lansbury, Blithe Spirit
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY: Roger Robinson, Joe Turner's Come and Gone
Announced before the telecast:
BOOK OF A MUSICAL: Lee Hall, Billy Elliot, The Musical
SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY: Derek McLane, 33 Variations
SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL: Ian MacNeil, Billy Elliot, The Musical
COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY: Anthony Ward, Mary Stuart
COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL: Tim Hatley, Shrek The Musical
LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY: Brian MacDevitt, Joe Turner's Come and Gone
LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL: Rick Fisher, Billy Elliot, The Musical
SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY: Gregory Clarke, Equus
SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL: Paul Arditti, Billy Elliot, The Musical
CHOREOGRAPHY: Peter Darling, Billy Elliot, The Musical
ORCHESTRATIONS: Martin Koch, Billy Elliot, The Musical; Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt, Next to Normal
Credit for the list goes to www.popwatch.ew.com
Sunday, June 7, 2009
My TV Tuner
David Burnham's Album
Track list:
1. Moon River
2. Someone To Fall Back On
3. As Long As You're Mine
4. Gypsy In My Soul
5. Muddy Water
6. Flight
7. Love To Me
8. Maria
9. I Wish I Were In Love Again
10. When You WIsh Upon A Star/A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes
11. Close Every Door
12. The Prayer
13. Smile
Taylor The Latte Boy's Response + Lyrics
Credit for the video and lyrics go to www.docgorio.multiply.com
Taylor The Latte Boy's Response Lyrics
There's a girl who comes to Starbucks
and i think she has a crush on me
I can tell she has a crush on me
thats too big to ignore
she comes in here every morning
at exactly 8:11
when the clock says 8:11
she comes walking through the door
then one fateful monday morning
as she made her usual entrance
i could tell that she was nervous and she has something to say
and i smoothly flipped the lever
to prepare her double latte
and she said her name was Carol
and i came back with "hey"
and i said my name was Taylor
and here's a little extra foam
as she left i cleaned her table
and i found a folded napkin with this poem:
Taylor the Latte Boy
bring me Java bring me joy
oh, Taylor the latte boy
i love him
i love him
i love him
so i should have got my nerve up
and just said i wasn't interested
but since she was clearly interested
it all got out of hand
cause before i found her poem
we had had this coversation
i had told i was playin
in the village with my band
when i walked in friday evening
to our gig in Arthurs basement
i saw carol in the front row
and i heard her scream my name
then my friend said man she's crazy
she's been here since 7:30
and she told me she's your girlfriend
and she's really glad she came
and then when our gig was over she followed me the whole way home
as I ran to try and lose her
i composed another version of her poem
Carol The Stalker Chick
your a psycho and you are sick
oh, carol the stalker chick
you scare me
you scare me
you scare me
I used to be the kind of guy
who never was rude or doubting
but now i've got this lunatic freak in my life
every night now at my window she's shouting
Taylor! the latte boy!
go away im not your toy!
Taylor the latte boy
is calling
is calling
the police
many a girl has let me court her
but i've never needed a restraining order
Carol! come find me now
i'm tranferring to a new starbucks
there's 20 on each block
so gooooooooooood luck!
Taylor The Latte Boy by Kristin Chenoweth + Lyrics
Taylor The Latte Boy Lyrics
There's a boy who works at Starbucks
Who is very inspirational.
He is very inspirational because of many things.
I come in at 8:11, and he smiles and says, "How are you?"
When he smiles and says, "How are you?"
I could swear my heart grows wings!
So today at 8:11
I decided I should meet him
I decided I should meet him
In a proper formal way.
So today at 8:11 when he smiled and said "How are you?"
I said "Fine, and my name’s Kristin"
And he softly answered, "Hey."
And I said "My name is Kristen, and thank you for the extra foam…"
And he said his name was Taylor,
Which provides the inspiration for this poem:
Taylor the latte boy,
Bring me java, bring me joy!
Oh Taylor the latte boy,
I love him, I love him, I love him…
So I’d like to get my nerve up
To recite my poem musical.
He would like the fact it’s musical
Because he plays guitar.
So today at 8:11, Taylor told me he was playing
In a band down in the village in the basement of a bar.
And he smoothly flipped the lever to prepare my double latte,
But for me he made it triple! And he didn’t think I knew
But I saw him flip the lever, and for me he made it triple,
And I knew that triple latte meant that Taylor loved me too!
I said, "What time are you playing? And thank you for the extra skim…"
He said, "Keep the $3.55," because this triple latte was on him.
Taylor the latte boy,
Bring me java, bring me joy!
Oh Taylor the latte boy,
I love him, I love him, I love him…
I used to be the kind of girl who'd run when love rushed toward her.
But finally a voice whispered "Love can be yours, if you step up to the counter, and order."
Taylor, the latte boy
Bring me java, bring me joy
Oh Taylor the latte boy
I love him, I love him, I love him.
So many years my heart has waited,
Who’d have thought that love could be so caffeinated?
Taylor, the latte boy,
I love him, I love him, I love him.
I love him, I love him, I love him.
Sunday for me
I'll be setting up my mom's computer in a bit. Its actually my old computer but she upgraded it and bought a flat-screen monitor for it. She also bought me an All-In-One Canon Pixma MP198 printer. Its a great printer but its really bulky so Im still trying to figure out how to bring it to Baguio.
Me and my mom are certified Canon users. From Cameras (my point & shoot and my DSLR and every digital camera she's ever had) to printers. When my mom first bought a PC over 9 years ago, our printer then was Canon BJC-265sp and even though its been 9 years we still keep the old thing. Even my mom's printer is Canon but i dont remember the model, she bought it a few months ago.
My new printer: