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- soyoufound.me » wescrew dinner/pool party on wescrew dinner/pool party (The Video!)
- soyoufound.me » Weekly Gratefulness List (July 4 to 10, 2010) on wescrew dinner/pool party
- soyoufound.me » wescrew dinner/pool party (The Video!) on Weekly Gratefulness List (July 4 to 10, 2010)
- soyoufound.me » Weekly Gratefulness List (July 25 to 31, 2010) on It’s a go!
- joni on Review: Legally Blonde
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wescrew dinner/pool party (The Video!)
Posted By joni on August 1, 2010
Finally! The video that I promised here is up. (Accompanying pictures are here.) Enjoy!
Weekly Gratefulness List (July 25 to 31, 2010)
Posted By joni on July 31, 2010
It’s been a crazy busy week! I’m super grateful for:
– Get-together with Lit friends for lunch and coffee
– Cats!
– Mandarin classes
And super super super grateful for:
It’s a go!
Posted By joni on July 28, 2010
It seems like I’m going to be a real novelist soon.
I finally got word from the Academic Publications Office, informing me the result of the evaluation. Below are the recommendations from the two evaluators:
[Recommended for Publication without Revision] 1st Referee
I recommend for publication without revisions the novel “In My Mother’s House.” It is a fine story of a sensitive woman trying to find the meaning of her life complicated by personal and familial conflicts. The story is exceptionally written, showing the author’s control of material and narration. I think it will find many readers in our novel-starved literature.
[Recommended for Publication with the following Revision] 2nd Referee
I strongly recommend the novel for publication – with or without revisions. It is very well-written with a highly engrossing plot, powerful/relevant theme, memorable characters, and deft handling of time/place/local color/description to push the narrative forward and backwards. I could not put the manuscript down. I feel very confident the novel will have wide appeal, including non- Filipino readers. The only part I would hope the writer revisits is the Epilogue. This part was difficult reading for me after getting through the earlier chapters with relative ease. As a reader, 10 pages of internal monologue were a bit much, although they help inform about Nina’s state of mind, continue to unveil motives, and tie up loose ends. After page 138, I felt the rest was a bit anticlimactic. As readers we learn the inevitable direction of Nina’s inner life, but that focus may have left some unanswered questions about other characters, Le Bi and Oscar. Perhaps this was intended. And maybe as a reader I just wanted to see a bit more (in the Epilogue) of what the author does so well, skillful dialogue to shape character and the narrative.
Weekly Gratefulness List (July 18 to 24, 2010)
Posted By joni on July 26, 2010
It has been an uneventful week, which is something to be grateful for in itself. Also, I am thankful for:
– the time (uh, me having made the time) for my Mandarin lessons, both in and out of class.
– Plus! Yummy dinner care of generous classmates last Friday (beef and mushroom from Vince, crabs from Gladys, rice from Nino and Heidi).
– Sweet and smart 4th-graders at Pembo for HandsOn Manila’s Galing Mo Kid project
– Ukay shopping spree on Saturday night
Review: Legally Blonde
Posted By joni on July 21, 2010
Nikki Gil as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde
I have always liked Nikki Gil. Like the rest of the country’s population, I sat up and immediately took notice when she sauntered her way to our living room via the TV screen, Coke in hand, singing of love and hope in her strong clear voice some years ago. And because I stopped watching TV at some point in my life, I never really found any other reason to like her (oh except when I found out that she majored in Literature at AdMU! Lit majors tend to stick together.)… until I saw Legally Blonde.
I think what I was most worried about was that she’d come off as awkward and self-conscious as the kikay Elle Woods. After all, she seemed anything but kikay in the (I must admit the only other) character I saw her in. This of course did nothing but convinced me even more of her acting prowess.
And that’s just her acting. I haven’t even started on that voice yet! More than anything, it is Gil’s voice that enchants and beguiles. Effortless, she sings each note with such precision, each word with such clarity. It is hard for me to think of anyone among her contemporaries who possesses the same vocal ability. (But then again, my ignorance of TV personalities might make me the wrong person to ask.)
For some reason, I could not help but compare her to fellow Atenean Karylle who, despite possessing the virginal aura of Maria in Westside Story, did not quite own the character when she performed it at the same venue a few years back. And I do like Karylle too. (I think she’s very pretty and Dingdong Dantes is too stupid to even know how stupid he is.)
So. Legally Blonde. It was fun, as chick lits are supposed to be fun. The songs are cute and catchy (and I might in fact download them when I find the time). Excellent cast. Geneva Cruz is still as sexy as ever. Cris Villongco (though I did not recognize at all) was good, as expected. The boyfriend, whose name I did not catch, was also quite good. Nyoy was just ok, as with Jett Pangan. And so overall, the play made me happy, happy, happy. Lalala!
Weekly Gratefulness List (July 11 to 17, 2010)
Posted By joni on July 19, 2010
This week’s list is going to seem like an update of sorts. Oh well.
– Chinese lessons
I’ve had two sessions of my Mandarin lessons. The lessons are light enough to not be overwhelming. At the same time it provides me with enough new words to make things a bit more exciting. Plus, the lessons give me a definite time to devote solely on (re)learning the language because otherwise, I probably would just bump it off again as I do my myriad other projects.
– American Lit: I’m finally done with the Puritans
Thankfully! I should read a little more tonight before I go off to bed.
– Legally Blonde (a review soon)
Fun and free!
American Lit 1
Posted By joni on July 14, 2010
So I have started tackling my reading list by familiarizing myself with major works in the American Lit canon. The high school textbook I am basing my readings on provides both the historical and cultural contexts of the text, making it easier for me to appreciate older texts. It’s all Puritan writings for now but I do expect it to get better soon. One of the things I like about Literature is its interconnectedness with other disciplines including history, social sciences, philosophy, etc. Needless to say, I am immensely enjoying this new project of mine.
What I’ve covered so far are excerpts from the following:
- William Bradford (1590-1657) Of Plymouth Plantation
- Mary Rowlandson (c. 1636-1678) A Narrative of the Captivity
- William Byrd (1674-1744) The History of the Dividing Line
- Olaudah Equiano (c. 1745-1797) The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano
- Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672) The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung up in America
AD: CATS Now and Forever
Posted By joni on July 13, 2010
CATS Now and Forever
With Lea Salonga as Grizabella
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Based on “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” by T. S. Eliot
Performances starting July 24
For a strictly limited season
Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo, CCP
Ticket Prices:
Matinee
SAT (3:00pm)
SUN (2:30pm)
PhP7000 PhP5000 PhP3500 PhP2000 PhP1000
Evenings
TUE, WED, THU (8:00pm)
SUN (7:30pm)
PhP6000 PhP4500 PhP3000 PhP1500 PhP750
Evenings
FRI, SAT (8:00pm)
PhP7000 PhP5000 PhP3500 PhP2000 Php1000
Ticket Prices are exclusive of Ticketworld fees.
SHOW DATES (as of April 2010)
SAT July 24 Matinee
SAT July 24 Evening
SUN July 25 Matinee
SUN July 25 Evening
TUE July 27 Evening
WED July 28 Evening
THU July 29 Evening
FRI July 30 Evening
SAT July 31 Matinee
SAT July 31 Evening
SUN August 1 Matinee
SUN August 1 Evening
TUE August 3 Evening
WED August 4 Evening
THU August 5 Evening
FRI August 6 Evening
SAT August 7 Matinee
SAT August 7 Evening
SUN August 8 Matinee
SUN August 8 Evening
TUE August 10 Evening
WED August 11 Evening
THU August 12 Evening
FRI August 13 Evening
SAT August 14 Matinee
SAT August 14 Evening
SUN August 15 Matinee
SUN August 15 Evening
Become a fan on Facebook! (http://facebook.com/catsinmanila)
wescrew dinner/pool party
Posted By joni on July 12, 2010
It was a triple birthday celebration for Artie, Daniel, and Jing. (Crazy video here!)
the food!
the celebrators with the food
the giants
party people doing various things
demure party ladies
ack!!
oooh...
swimming party people
Weekly Gratefulness List (July 4 to 10, 2010)
Posted By joni on July 11, 2010
Super thankful for:
– getting the email message informing me that my story “The Body” will be included in the anthology of flash fiction edited by Dr. Jerry Torres
– dinner and catching up with Kate and Bevz
– pool party with wescrew people (pictures here and a video here)
– yoga after about four months without!