HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Here are 3 personal observations about my Thanksgiving:
1) For the last 3 years in a row during this exact time, I have always gotten into a car accident due to someone being careless busy talking on the cellphone. (Ughhhhh...)
2) Filipino families don't eat much turkey. The turkey is usually cooked just for show, but we go straight for the apple......stuck to the mouth of a suckling pig! Hehehehe (That one I owe to David James) Filipinos and Hawaiians luv their pork! Later the turkey is usually cooked "A la King"....with rice! Hehehehehe...
3) We usually start heavy for lunch, go see a movie and come back and finish off what's left for dinner.
In any case, be safe, don't drink and drive and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

One of 12 FINALIST

We just received word that out of over a 1000 entries, our daughter, Aria is one of the 12 finalist for the Washington Post Weekend Holiday Wrap Contest. Whoo-Hoo!

This isn't the first time for Aria. In fact, Aria has been entering this contest ever since she was eligible to do so. Her first eligible year, she was a finalist (Pictured left) and now she's a finalist on her final eligible year. Aria has a strong knack for paper cutting art. Both times she became a finalist, she used this technique using the same type of theme, "An Old Towne Holiday".

Please keep watch in Friday, December 19th Washington Post's Weekend section for Aria pictured with her design. Mom and Dad could not be prouder of our little girl, Aria

My Daughter, Aria is in Tantallon Player's Production of "Little Women" from December 5th to December 14th.
It will be at the John Addison Concert Hall in HARMONY HALL REGIONAL CENTER, 10701 Livingston Road, Ft. Washington, MD 20744
For Tickets call:301-203-6070

SOMEBODY's BEEN SMOKING...

Somebody's been smoking....And it ain't me!

Around a couple of weeks ago, Aria caught Beng smoking outside of the house. This made Aria very upset. And as for me, I was a bit surprised. Beng swore it was a "fly-by-night" thing and she wasn't smoking on a regular basis.

Now, I have noticed the dressing room of our house and the downstairs bathroom have been smelling like smoke. Just recently I found residue of cigarette ash on the toilet and I have addressed it. Hmmmmm....Is Beng still smoking behind our backs?

CHARMAINE CLAMOR

A friend of mine sent me a sample of Charmaine Clamor's music. She's a Filipina Jazz singer (now living in Los Angeles) and I really, really love her style. I have been a fan of only ONE Filipina Jazz-like singer and that was Ku Ledesma. Butafter hearing the sample of Charmaine Clamor's music, I went directly to Amazon.com and downloaded all of her albums. My favorite of her albums is "My Harana". She has taken standard Filipino songs and arranged them from a touchsong jazz ballad to a latin feel to even the complexity of fusion. http://www.npr.org/help/media.html Her most recent albums, "Flippin' Out" and "Searching for the Soul" are hitting mainstream in the US with her own invention of "Jazzipino Swing". I can't wait to hear more from her.

Follow-up on "ROLLING the R's"

I am usually a musical theatre/opera person, but this was my first experience in a staged reading and I highly enjoyed it. I've been to stage readings at Arena Stage and in college years, but this was my first time actually being in a stage reading.

At Source Theatre, "Rolling The R's" by R. Zamora Linmark (Pictured left)

was performed on Saturday, Nov. 15 with reception, followed by a short hula dance that we threw together the night before for our beloved playwright and a Q&A session with R, Zamora Linmark.

The performance was very, very well attended to standing room only (Strangely enough with a very, very mixed audience) and very well received with much laughter and applause.

I will admit, I had my doubts after only 4 stage reading rehearsals and not everyone on the same schedule, but it was smooth sailing and worked like clock-work.

Like I said before, It was a bit strange after thinking for years that I belonged to a small minority of asian-americans working in the DC theatre district, but very exciting to be sharing the stage and passion with these fellow asian performers.

Like Clint Eastwood says, "Performing theatre is much like a musician's jam session. When you have the right musicians that get-along (In this case, Performers),you make MUSIC. (In this case, 70's Disco)

FARRELL's REUNION

After over 20 years.....last night, a couple of old, old friends met for the first time for a "Farrell's Reunion".

You see, we all use to work at the long gone, but famed "Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor & Restaurant" that was housed on the upper level of Springfield Mall next to the JC Pennies in Springfield, Virginia. Fat, balding, married, divorce, single, rich, poor. no matter what size and shape, it was really, really nice to met up with these old friends.

We all are meeting again in the spring.

If you have a special "Farrell's Memory" (As a customer or employee) that you would like to share, we ex-Farrell's employees of Springfield Mall would love to hear it at our next spring reunion.

TINA

Not the famed, Tina DeSimone! This is a song sung by Kristen Chenoweth about an intervention of a "meth abuser". But to all my friends in the theatre who know Tina DeSimone, think of it as a tribute to her.

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/aa15baae2b/intervention-with-kristin-chenoweth-from-kristin-chenoweth-and-drew

OFFICE or ART?

Do any of my performing friends ever feel guilty of rushing out of the office in time to have a decent dinner and make call for your show?

Do any of my performing friends feel tired due to a tech week or the show ending late and ending up skipping a day or two from work?


The reason I am bringing this up is because I have the situation of being promoted to a director in my day job, but my new boss suggest giving my 120% to the job and giving up the theatre.

I've been with this day job for 8 years plus and I feel I have showed my loyality and dedication by picking up the pieces when other employees quit.
With my past boss, I have taken much responsibility and abuse in this job. Heck! The employees and I went 4 years without payraises due to our past boss not working it in the budget. He was forced to resign last year immediately with the locks to our office changed the same day.

I have given my weekends coming in to tie loose ends and organize birthday and holiday parties to keep up office morale even from my hospital bed recovering from surgery. Not to mention during both of my hip surgeries, I was on by a phone 24/7 and working on my laptop at home while using my vacation leave for my recovery.

The promotion does mean a significant payraise, but I ain't sure if I will be happy giving up performing. Ughhhhhh....What should I do? My wife, Beng thinks it ain't worth to be promoted and be unhappy no matter what the payraise. YET...The extra money could help Beng, Aria and I work towards a new and bigger home.

ROLLING the R's at Source Theatre

Just recently, I was hired to perform some featured roles in a staged play reading called, "Rolling the R's" by R. Zamora Limark. Not a musical, but a play that has music.
70's music in fact in which we sing. Now, don't get confused. It's still a play, but sometimes the characters break into snipets of a 70's disco songs. It's kinda funny.
The staged play reading will be on Saturday, November 15th at Source Theatre (1835 14th Street NW, Wasahington, DC starting at 6pm. The Metro Stop is 14th and U Street. I think the tickets are like $5.00. It's only a staged reading.
The narrative play chapters around 3 Filipino-Hawaiian friends growing up in the age of Teen Beat, Charlie's Angels, Disco and other cultural elements from the 70's. It was originally a book by the same aurthor and turned it into a play.

The play is very, very Filipino-Hawaiian playfully about social injustices and racism outside AND within the Filipino-Hawaiian community in Hawai'i.

The cast is ALL Asian including the director, the producer and the stage management. FINALLY!!!!! Though, not everyone is from the DC area.

I've been around being the token "Asian guy" in the theatre so long, It's kinda strange, yet exciting for me.

Hawaiian Pidgin English and ALOT of Tag-lish is used throughout the play.

Unfortunately, the show does have sexual content and adult language and deals with subject matter such as gay youth, domestic abuse and molestation. (Another show my parents cannot come and see.)

Cirque du Soleil's KOOZA

Beng, Aria and I went to go see the opening night of Cirque du Soleil's KOOZA at National Harbor. It was truly amazing and should not be missed!

The experience was alot like the one's that they had at Tyson's Corner year's ago, but now it's in my backyard in National Harbor. I don't want to give anything away. It's an old fashion circus updated with a strong theatrical format with a bit of magic.

If you have never seen a Cirque du Soleil show, go see this one because it's a heck of alot cheaper than seeing a Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas and Downtown Disney in Orlando. Believe me! The experience will change your life!