"We Will Rock You" Musical ... Mig Ayesa Rocks

Helyeah!!!!!! "We Will Rock You" Musical surely rocked my world!!!! My blood was pumping to each lyrical beat ... my fist was high up in the air waving like a crazy groupie .. and could you believe??!! my head was banging like a rock star fanatic!!! I tell you, didnt see all these coming ... not even in my wildest dreams ... hahahhaha!

I am a no fan of rock music ... my family and my close friends know it ... I'm more of the blues, jazzy and pop kind of a girl .. but when Thomas invited me for a "date night" to share with the Queen i really didn't mind coz to me it was a "date night" pure and simple ... a gimmick with my dear husband sans the kids.

When I asked him who was in the musical, he couldn't really tell me ... he said the only thing he knew was that the music of Queen was playing and to him that's all that mattered. Fair enough I said, knowing that Thomas was a lover of the band's music. When I searched in the web, i found out that my half Ausi half Pinoy Mig Ayesa was playing the lead role of a Dreamer set in the year 2304 when creating (rock) music was banned. And that he had to find the last guitar treasure hidden in the rock world. That's when I really got interested knowing that Mig Ayesa was there. I've seen him belt it out during his try out as the lead singer of INXS and I must say I was really impressed. And of course the mere fact that he's a pinoy made me even more want to see how he'd do on stage.

Date night came, with my heels and girlie attire, off we went to Esplanade Concert Hall. In my head I was already planning what the after musical gimmick would be since I expected that the show would leave me wanting more for the night. Then the show started ... one beat, one loud magical beat ... I was lost! From the moment the lights went on and the first few notes came I was in a different world ... a world unknown to me and yet I was excited to see what was in store for me.

The bass was booming, the band was playing extremely loud (which in normal circumstance would give me a reason to b**ch around) and yet I was in a happy place ... grinning from ear to ear. The humor of the show made it even more dynamic to watch as the story developed. The cheorography was well defined. The actors were prima. And Mig Ayesa ... oh Mig Ayesa! was truly divine! He was belting it out but not to the point of excruciatingly shouting and was acting but not overly acting! This guy is a work of art! He can sing let alone act! From hereon I pledge my alliance to the Mig Ayesa rock n roll club!

During the intermission, Thomas and I shared our satisfying insights on the show over glasses of wine. We both agreed that it was one of the best musicals we've ever seeen. Glad I said yes when he asked me out!

After 20 minutes, we were back on our seats. Honestly I found the first 5 minutes of the 2nd part quite dragging ... not much was happening ... I thought my excitement was coming to an end ... and then the song "We Will Rock You" came! That was it! We were back in the Rock N Roll world again! Then came "We Are The Champions" ... before coming to the show I dreaded to hear this song coz I've always thought that it has become super commercialized esp when they play it in football stadia and in all kinds of ligas. But lo and behold I loved the song! Maybe because it was used not to celebrate a sporting victory but to celebrate music itself! (That's just me and my profound thinking ... asus!) . I just wish that the next time I accidentally (coz i will try hard to evade it from happening) hear We Are The Champions in a sports event I hope to go back to that happy place when I heard Mig Ayesa and the crew do their take of the song. Thanks to Freddie Mercury for creating such wonderful music!

If you ask me what was the highlight of the show? I would tell you right off that it was when they did the Bohemian Rhapsody - considered to be the Queen's magnum opus. As the curtains go down the audience as expected howled and screamed for more. Just then the screen electronically asked whether we still wanted more ... and to grant our wishes ... Mig Ayesa came into full view with a spotlight and started to sing "Mama (i) just killed a man ... " and the rest as they say is history. A history marked in my musical book.

Cable Car and Casino

Here in Singapore there are so many things to do to get entertained. You can spend a whole day just exploring the islang of Sentosa ... you can also make a trip to Orchard and go shopping ... you can also find amusement places offering water sports and activities in the East Coast or you can simply experience the Cable Car.

After 11 months of staying here in SG I've mustered the courage to get on the Cable Car and explore the city from the top. It was not as bad as I thought it would be ... considering I'm utterly scared of heights and can readily get nauseated in high altitudes. I took the trip with Thomas and Bianca. And Bianca even promised to hold my hand when we get in the car. And true enough she not only held my hand but she also cheered words of comfort and encouragement ... now that's what I call raising your parents! hahahahahhahaha!

When we were up there, we got to see how huge the Casino project is in Sentosa. Locals here are half half on the idea of introducing gambling in this magnitude. Yes they have been very much exposed to betting ... with horses, with the lotto ... but they say the Casino is for sure in a different level ... the stakes are higher. Apart from giving jobs to locals and to other nationalities from neighboring countries as well as fostering growth in tourism, the skeptics are still not convinced that this enterprise is good for the country. But it is happening ... so let's just see how all these effects unfold to the society and to the international scene.

Bianca's going on 4!

Time is fleeting! Seems like yesterday that I was holding Bianca for the first time in my arms. After 14 hours of labor, this precious girl has come to our lives full of vibrancy and life. Now she's turning four and the enormous happiness and contentment that she has given us is truly priceless.

My husband and I decided to have a low key yet fun birthday celebration for her 4th. Got the green light from her school director this morning that we can have the party in school. Now I just have to think what to bring for snacks.

Unlike the years before, she's very vocal on her opinion on what she'd like for her birthday. She readily expressed that she wanted to have the party with her friends in school ... now that's reading my mind right?! heheheeh ... Then my husband asked her what kind of cake she wanted. We both thought she'd request for a princess kinda cake since she has all these collections of girly girly stuff ... but no, she wanted a long neck dinasour cake! She also said that if she could not get the long neck then she'd settle for a rocket ship - the one that the Little Einstein kids ride on! We know that she has this facination with dinos and love the show from Playhouse Disney Little Einstein but we didnt expect that she'd be very passionate about having either a long lost animal or a zooming aircraft for a cake!

So with that I think we are bound to see more of the unexpected from Bianca with the years to come!

Happy Birthday Mausi! :)

2 Kids

I feel very blessed for the opportunity of having 2 kids ... some people resort to scientific means just to conceive ... some even go to the lengths of praying to all fertility idols in order to have that "bundle of joy" ....

There are so many things i wanted to say ... but right now i dont have time to put them all in writing ... so allow me to let our photos show you how much life and happiness our latest addition has given us :)

The Second Time Around! Yahoo!!!

I'm 6 and 1/2 months pregnant for the second time around and I'm loving it!!!

Before even deciding on having another baby I was thinking whether it is really possible to love another child ... I mean I've been used to having just Bianca with me all the time and having another one vying for my attention is something that is just challenging. Still I followed my instincts and plunged on being a mother for the 2nd time!

When I learned that we were pregnant again, my family and I were vacationing with my in-laws in Austria. It was after the Easter holidays that we shared with our families and friends the good news. As expected, everybody was just as excited as us. And of course speculations on whether the next one is an heir or another princess were inevitable.

During my first trimester we did a lot of moving. As in physically moving our residential address from India to Singapore. Apart from having to find our own home in Singapore when we arrived here, I also had to deal with finding a reliable and trusted Obgyn, school for Bianca, finding household help and what have yous. If those were not enough, as it turned out my first trimester was more difficult than when I was carrying my first one. The pressure was on!!!

Nonetheless I was very keen on enjoying every bit of what was coming my way. Thank goodness that here in Singapore everything seems to be systematic and well organized which definitely helped me in adjusting to our new life.

After finding my trusted doctor, settling Bianca in the school that she loves and with the arrival of our ever reliable Yaya Jackie on my side, things look pretty much stable. I definitely have more time enjoying the remaining months of my growing belly :)

*photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/suzyhomemaker/

Jaipur, India

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Last weekend we decided to get on the car and hit the road going to Jaipur, India's "Pink City", the capital of Rajasthan. We wanted to finally discover for ourselves what the buzz our friends are talking about. It was a five to six hours drive from Delhi. On the way we were accompanied by big trucks, which made it more challenging for our driver to manuever since most of the drivers here in India are known not to have road ethics.

We reached Sugan Niwas Palace, a heritage boutique hotel and our home for the night, just in time for lunch. After settling in, we had a taste of Rajasthani cuisine with lamb stew, vegetable biryani, dal makhni and chicken in sambal sauce. Surprisingly the food was not as spicy as I would have imagined, which was so much better for me and my tummy ... hehehehehe

We could only choose a couple of places to go for the afternoon due to limited time since tourist spots normally close at 5pm. We decided to visit Hawa Mahal and City Palace. These are two fascinating historical landmarks located at the center of the city.

Hawa Mahal or the Palace of Wind was built for the wives, courtesans and attendants of poet-maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in the 18th Century. Its purpose was to enable these women to observe city life and processions while remaining unseen. The edifice of the building is only room deep and has no solid back wall.

The City Palace on the other hand was home to the Royal Family of Jaipur. The palace features textile artifacts displaying the finest royal outfits in silk, muslin and cotton embroidered intricately. There are also collections of daggers, swords and body armours in ivory, jade, silver and gold. All collections are dated as early as the 17th Century. We were also introduced to the biggest single silver piece ever made in the whole world - and it came as a big silver vessel.

That night we headed off to Chokni Dhani - the Indians night carnival. What I liked in this trip was that we were dancing our booties with the Rajasthanis to the tune of traditional drums and flutes. The kids who were performing were really captivating. You feel their energy while twirling and turning to the rythm. There were also elephant, cow, and camel rides but opted not to take them since Bianca wasnt up for it. For dinner we went to Rambagh Palace, a heritage hotel that was owned by the Royal Family and is now owned by the Taj Hotel Group of companies. Food was also good ... Thomas stuck with his Indian food adventure: dal makhni and biryani, while I stuffed myself with the safest choice of spotted grouper and steamed vegetables.

The next morning we bid goodbye to our new friends in Sugan Niwas and started our way back to Delhi. Side trips on our way back were Amber Fort Palace and the Neemrana Fort Hotel. In Amber Fort, which is considered one of the most majestic hilltop forts in Rajasthan, we took an elephant ride going up. It was more of an ordeal for me since I am super scared of heights. I wasnt able to back out with this one since I told Bianca a big story about how we'll take the elephant ride going to the castle and how much fun it'll be ... yeah, me and my big mouth! hahahahhaha. When we reached the top we were catered to the view of the old town sorrounding the fort. It was such a treat since the town below was not as commercialized as the cities in the state. Here we also saw how luxurious the walls were designed to the effect that they were made from pure silver.

Half way to Delhi, we stopped in Neemrana Fort Hotel. It is located in a small hillock in the Delhi-Jaipur highway. This fort is the oldest heritage hotel in India. Nothing to say much, just that we took lots of souvenier photos ... hehehehehe ...

So, those are most of the highlights of our trip ... and hopefully we get to see another state again :)

Dentist and John Legend

So this is the truth: I'm freakishly terrified of the dentist!

I dont know why! I keep on rattling my brain whether i had a traumatic experience with the dentist when i was a kid ... but nada! Cant think of anything that would relate to my fear. Anyways, i guess that's just the way it is for now, until i unearth any reason from my box of memories ...

Last August, i went to the dentist to have my routine cleaning. Aside from that, i have finally decided, after so much pleading from my husband, to get that "attractive" metal thing that you attach to your teeth so they wont divorce and go in all directions of your mouth ... The Braces. Have to wear them for one to one and a half years! So much for those Kodak moments ...

Wednesday, Jan 3: Went to the clinic to have a composite filling done. On the way to the dentist, i was psyching myself for the procedure. Had to call Thomas on the mobile for 3 times just to hear that reassurance that everything will turn out fine. As soon as i was in the clinic, i was ushered straight out to the patient's seat. There was not any second to back out let alone scream for help. The doctor asked me if i wanted anesthesia. I readily said yes! As doctor was doing the procedure, i felt the pain with the insertion of the needle in my gums. I was just about to jerk when i shifted my concentration to the voice that was whispering in my ear - Mr. John Legend.

All the while i had my ipod on and it was John who was with me during that trying time. When the medicine was slowly injected in my gums I could only think of how soothing John sounded. When the doctor was grinding my teeth it did not bother me, as I would have anticipated, since John took me in the heavens So High ... when the doctor was putting the filling, John was saying Dont You Worry 'Bout A Thing ... and when it was time for the doctor to polish those fillings, John was cheering me up with Each Day Gets Better.

Thank heavens for John ... now I see my dentist saga a little bit better.