Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
I was almost going to write this blog off as defunct, but as it turns out, it's proving to be harder to sever the umbilical cord than I had thought it would be (sorry about the squishy visual!)....I've got lots to report, but for now I just wanted to share what has got to be one of my more important self-discoveries: mussed-up morning after hair=good hair day!!!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
This might be of interest to some, an article I wrote on Fil-Can talent, Cherylyn Toca, which came out in the last issue of the FF:
“I’m so terribly sorry for not calling back” so Cherylyn Toca profusely apologized on a voicemail she had left me in reply for the Filipino Forum’s request for an interview. I couldn’t possibly hold this against her. The talented young lady’s only “wrong” if one wills, that of simply being a typical energetic, dynamic and gregarious 21-yr-old. Typical perhaps, but by no means ordinary. In fact, Ms. Toca is extraordinary.
Cherylyn certainly hasn’t rested on her laurels after winning the Fil-Can Idol singing competition back in 2006. She has since completed her secondary education at the Fine Arts Core Education (F.A.C.E) which as this school’s name denotes, offers a unique fine arts program that focuses on both instrumental and vocal music, visual arts and drama. Ms. Toca had also attended the Montreal School of Performing arts and had participated in acting workshops and boot camps at the Dynamic Theatre Factory. Furthermore, she studied under the tutelage of renowned American singer and songwriter, Barbara Lewis. All of this training has groomed her to become the performer she is today.
“I’m organizing a concert. You should come!” Cherylyn excitedly announces her new project and brainchild. And that was it, my curiosity and interest was piqued and held from that point of the interview on. “Just how does one go about planning such a feat?” I asked her. “Well, the most important detail is the menu, I mean venue! She laughingly corrected herself. “Once that’s chosen and booked, everything should just fall into place. I’ll put together a band; enlist the help of some of my musician friends. My pianist would have to be exceptionally good, though. As for publicity, it will be by word of mouth. I want to have a modest number in attendance, to keep it intimate and expect even less people, so if we actually have a larger turn out, we’ll be able to say that we’ve “sold out,” you know, marketing strategy!” She winked.
Possessing good business sense and flair, Ms. Toca is in her final year of undergraduate studies at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University. “I went into this particularly, because of the constant demand for professionals in this field. It’ll open different options for me. It’s like a safety net. I would love to work as a buyer for let’s say Walmart or Holts. And right away, I understood where she was going with this. “Clothes” I suggested, “Yes!” She beamed. “My parents – my dad especially- think I spend way too much on clothes” Cherylyn contritely reveals. Indeed, quite the fashionista, she arrived at the interview, clad in an ankle grazing maxi dress and simple flat sandals. A Louis Vuitton “Speedy” satchel slung over her forearm. She also sported a beautiful tan, having just come back from a trip to Florida which included visits to the Aventura Mall and an interesting celebrity sighting. “After getting the experience of working for a company, I would definitely, love to start my own business, launch a clothing line, maybe or open a retail store.”
However those plans might have to wait, as Cherylyn continued to explain, immediately after graduation she would like to go on a (well-deserved!) sabbatical of sorts from school and just devote herself to travelling and singing. “I seem to appeal to an older crowd – a more mature audience.” “Everyone says I have a Broadway-calibre voice. It’s funny because people tend to think that Broadway/musical popularized songs are harder to sing than your average pop song. I actually find that the opposite holds true, well, at least, I do! She lists Eva Cassidy, Lara Fabian and Barbara Streisand – all adult contemporary singers, as her favourites.
“So going back to the concert, have you come up with a theme?” I ask. “No, not yet, I would need to see the actually stage first, and then I’ll go with my gut. It won’t be so much, a theme – more a feeling- if you know what I mean! As for her repertoire, it would definitely include both English & French songs, some Italian, and of course, one in Tagalog.
Although, I am thoroughly convinced that she could definitely hold her own against current popular international artists, in fact, eclipse them even, I still asked Cherylyn whether she had ever thought of moving to the Philippines and giving the showbiz there a shot since it would seem like an easier industry to break into, relatively speaking. “Yes, I have considered it, and am not ruling out the idea altogether, not yet. But I’d really like to establish myself here” She replies. “This” she continues, gesturing to her immediate surroundings “is what I know.” Without a doubt, with her family, friends and fans rallying by her side, Cherylyn will be going places.
And all too soon, the interview concluded. She graciously thanked and bade us goodbye and I for myself, couldn’t help but marvel at how many talented individuals there are within the Filipino community that we can truly be proud of.
“I’m so terribly sorry for not calling back” so Cherylyn Toca profusely apologized on a voicemail she had left me in reply for the Filipino Forum’s request for an interview. I couldn’t possibly hold this against her. The talented young lady’s only “wrong” if one wills, that of simply being a typical energetic, dynamic and gregarious 21-yr-old. Typical perhaps, but by no means ordinary. In fact, Ms. Toca is extraordinary.
Cherylyn certainly hasn’t rested on her laurels after winning the Fil-Can Idol singing competition back in 2006. She has since completed her secondary education at the Fine Arts Core Education (F.A.C.E) which as this school’s name denotes, offers a unique fine arts program that focuses on both instrumental and vocal music, visual arts and drama. Ms. Toca had also attended the Montreal School of Performing arts and had participated in acting workshops and boot camps at the Dynamic Theatre Factory. Furthermore, she studied under the tutelage of renowned American singer and songwriter, Barbara Lewis. All of this training has groomed her to become the performer she is today.
“I’m organizing a concert. You should come!” Cherylyn excitedly announces her new project and brainchild. And that was it, my curiosity and interest was piqued and held from that point of the interview on. “Just how does one go about planning such a feat?” I asked her. “Well, the most important detail is the menu, I mean venue! She laughingly corrected herself. “Once that’s chosen and booked, everything should just fall into place. I’ll put together a band; enlist the help of some of my musician friends. My pianist would have to be exceptionally good, though. As for publicity, it will be by word of mouth. I want to have a modest number in attendance, to keep it intimate and expect even less people, so if we actually have a larger turn out, we’ll be able to say that we’ve “sold out,” you know, marketing strategy!” She winked.
Possessing good business sense and flair, Ms. Toca is in her final year of undergraduate studies at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University. “I went into this particularly, because of the constant demand for professionals in this field. It’ll open different options for me. It’s like a safety net. I would love to work as a buyer for let’s say Walmart or Holts. And right away, I understood where she was going with this. “Clothes” I suggested, “Yes!” She beamed. “My parents – my dad especially- think I spend way too much on clothes” Cherylyn contritely reveals. Indeed, quite the fashionista, she arrived at the interview, clad in an ankle grazing maxi dress and simple flat sandals. A Louis Vuitton “Speedy” satchel slung over her forearm. She also sported a beautiful tan, having just come back from a trip to Florida which included visits to the Aventura Mall and an interesting celebrity sighting. “After getting the experience of working for a company, I would definitely, love to start my own business, launch a clothing line, maybe or open a retail store.”
However those plans might have to wait, as Cherylyn continued to explain, immediately after graduation she would like to go on a (well-deserved!) sabbatical of sorts from school and just devote herself to travelling and singing. “I seem to appeal to an older crowd – a more mature audience.” “Everyone says I have a Broadway-calibre voice. It’s funny because people tend to think that Broadway/musical popularized songs are harder to sing than your average pop song. I actually find that the opposite holds true, well, at least, I do! She lists Eva Cassidy, Lara Fabian and Barbara Streisand – all adult contemporary singers, as her favourites.
“So going back to the concert, have you come up with a theme?” I ask. “No, not yet, I would need to see the actually stage first, and then I’ll go with my gut. It won’t be so much, a theme – more a feeling- if you know what I mean! As for her repertoire, it would definitely include both English & French songs, some Italian, and of course, one in Tagalog.
Although, I am thoroughly convinced that she could definitely hold her own against current popular international artists, in fact, eclipse them even, I still asked Cherylyn whether she had ever thought of moving to the Philippines and giving the showbiz there a shot since it would seem like an easier industry to break into, relatively speaking. “Yes, I have considered it, and am not ruling out the idea altogether, not yet. But I’d really like to establish myself here” She replies. “This” she continues, gesturing to her immediate surroundings “is what I know.” Without a doubt, with her family, friends and fans rallying by her side, Cherylyn will be going places.
And all too soon, the interview concluded. She graciously thanked and bade us goodbye and I for myself, couldn’t help but marvel at how many talented individuals there are within the Filipino community that we can truly be proud of.
Friday, June 24, 2011
X-Men: First Class: Compelling!
Faced with a couple of film choices to see at the theater last night, I found myself drawing the conclusion that you know that a man's *whipped* when he's coerced by his girlfriend/wife to watch Bridesmaids. I could never subject my husband to such torture. I honestly believe that an important key to keeping the romance alive in a relationship is to constantly offer choices e.g.Sushi or Steak, Cuba or Mexico, grey or beige, uh, top or bottom - which may require a great deal of compromise, downright relinquishment of personal preference/ forfeiture of rights, concessions, sacrifices but give rise to interesting decisions like "Chinese," "Greige," etc. With Hangover 2 being another movie option and after hearing that its writers relied too heavily on the mass appeal of tasteless, what we will just call, "kinky" "monkey jokes" that they forgot to actually write, to see X-men First class was a no-brainer (and a mutually acceptable choice!)
As it is the case for any movie for that matter, but especially so for prequels of hugely successful sagas and virtual "institutions" such as X-men, Batman or Star Wars, the challenge is to create something compelling. I think X-men was veeerrryy compelling. The incorporation of the mutants' own reality into humankind's true atrocious past and pop culture is seamless and is not just incidental. It's a fine tapestry of fiction "gold."
The casting was impeccable with James McAvoy as mutant adoptive patriarch Xavier whose bluest limpid pools for eyes I had never resurfaced from since The Last King of Scotland! Kevin Bacon as the antagonist Shaw whose smirk you've been wanting to effectively wipe off with a sledgehammer since Riverwild, January Jones as Emma Frost who is the *real* motivation for Kumee's Madmen marathons besides its male cast's classy skinny-tied fashion, of course. German actor Michael Fassbender as the emotionally scarred Magneto, who made my husband feel threatened when I asked him "who's that"??? Academy award nominee Jennifer Lawrence as the young Mystique to whom I give the credit for recalibrating and lifting ideal body image for girls and women back to normal proportions - literally - when she said that she'd rather appear "chubby onscreen than look like a scarecrow in real life" and the rest of her youthful up and coming peers who play other mutant proteges that officially lauched me into midlife crisis....but then again, you kinda know you're pushing mid-thirties and up when you find yourself absolutely giddy with excitement, as I was, as everything came together and I began to understand the inception of the X-men "Freshmen," if you will.
As it is the case for any movie for that matter, but especially so for prequels of hugely successful sagas and virtual "institutions" such as X-men, Batman or Star Wars, the challenge is to create something compelling. I think X-men was veeerrryy compelling. The incorporation of the mutants' own reality into humankind's true atrocious past and pop culture is seamless and is not just incidental. It's a fine tapestry of fiction "gold."
The casting was impeccable with James McAvoy as mutant adoptive patriarch Xavier whose bluest limpid pools for eyes I had never resurfaced from since The Last King of Scotland! Kevin Bacon as the antagonist Shaw whose smirk you've been wanting to effectively wipe off with a sledgehammer since Riverwild, January Jones as Emma Frost who is the *real* motivation for Kumee's Madmen marathons besides its male cast's classy skinny-tied fashion, of course. German actor Michael Fassbender as the emotionally scarred Magneto, who made my husband feel threatened when I asked him "who's that"??? Academy award nominee Jennifer Lawrence as the young Mystique to whom I give the credit for recalibrating and lifting ideal body image for girls and women back to normal proportions - literally - when she said that she'd rather appear "chubby onscreen than look like a scarecrow in real life" and the rest of her youthful up and coming peers who play other mutant proteges that officially lauched me into midlife crisis....but then again, you kinda know you're pushing mid-thirties and up when you find yourself absolutely giddy with excitement, as I was, as everything came together and I began to understand the inception of the X-men "Freshmen," if you will.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
A tip I've gotten to improve one's writing is to actually read more than you write...i've been slacking off in this regard. I've so much reading to catch up on, and by reading I don't mean fb gossip fodder! I think this fact is becoming sorely evident in my posts in their increasing lameness...(and parentheticals!). I think I might just go back one day, to what this blog was all about originally, that of handing out one-liners: ok, so what do you call a green Birkin??? A gherkin!!!! Hahahaha (howling with laughter). 'See what I mean????
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Yeah, so finding the perfect of shoes: priceless, well, maybe not exactly *price-less*! *Found* myself at Aldo's at lunch today, due to an emergency situation that arose this morning involving my Guess sandals which, when I come to think of it, I had only worn for like the mere third time this season, I mean, talk about shoddy craftmanship, pretty to look at but fall apart just like that, well, I might have subjected the right foot to too much strain by buckling the strap on the first hole so that, not only was it chaffing my ghastly still pale (from underexposure!) ankle raw, but they were impeding my braking and accelerating capabilities. Ok, so I managed not to inadvertently commit suicide or accidently manslay fellow motorists/pedestrians. But at the office, to refresh my eyes from my computer screen, I glanced at my feet to admire my own sandals lol how vain! And upon closer scrutiny and to my horror, I noticed how the strap had ripped within an inch or more accurately, a millimeter of it's life. And so yes, that's how I found myself at Aldo's to rectify my little situation. Well, I know that every self-respecting female keeps a back-up pair at the office, "Because you just never know, right? Contingency plans, they're called, but what you don't understand is that I had my favorite tan belt that I got from H&M for ten bucks a few years back if I may add, to cinch around a pink Zara button down shirt worn over my five bucks forever 21 tights lol, so I specifically needed a tawny tan pair of shoes. The intent really, was for me to get me some cheap ballerina flats, but unfortunately, the size seven's were too snug and the eight's were just humongous...So I just picked up the beckoning slingbacks with a platform sole at the ball and a nice stilletto heel perched on the shelf at my eye-level. Ahhhh, Cinderella moments, got to love them!!! I had been chatting with the dropdead gorgeous salesclerk the whole time, and we got talking about commissions and I had mentioned about kumee's working in retail himself. "We said 70$, eh" I asked her. "Well, I could give you a 10% percent discount" she replied "it's reserved for special customers." I'm telling ya, there seems to be this tacit solidarity between retail folk, in a mall coppy kinda way, and yes, so I scored a small discount by virtue of being kumee's wife lol.
I was skeptical about the inexhaustibility of things you could blog about man-purses, but I was proven wrong, now how much less is running
the risk of reaching the saturation point when it comes to shoes??? My friend Farah has a blog wittingly called "Will Sing for Shoes" cute,
definitely and realistic, too! Really, what lengths would you go to for a pair of shoes???
I was skeptical about the inexhaustibility of things you could blog about man-purses, but I was proven wrong, now how much less is running
the risk of reaching the saturation point when it comes to shoes??? My friend Farah has a blog wittingly called "Will Sing for Shoes" cute,
definitely and realistic, too! Really, what lengths would you go to for a pair of shoes???
Thursday, May 26, 2011
On Ice Cream Cakes....
So maya coined the portmanteau for a cross between an elephant and a dolphin: a delephin, lol! Speaking of elephants, did I ever mention that Maya has a memory of that of an elephant, I'm not sure whether my analogy is correct, I figure, as the adage goes "they never forget" - I'm not sure either whether this makes her unique among her peers or if sharp memories are characteristic of and common to all kids anyways. Maya's a tad precocious but I don't think that necessarily elevates her to child-prodigy-ish levels lol. Ok, so she never forgot our promise we made that we would buy her an ice cream cake on our next trip to DQ just to appease her after denying the poor child some two weeks ago. And sure enough, after Kumee and I had finished sharing a Banana Royale Blizzard and the kids had polished their sundaes, we headed home with Maya's molded ice cream cake listing around in the trunk of our car as we negotiated Henri Bourassa...(it was intact when we got home, in restrospect, I'm not too sure why I didn't just carry it on my lap!)
And this is the problem with kids, the cake was just visually appealing like eye-candy to them, as it turned out, ice-cream in cake form isn't their cup of tea after all...so what do you do with 14/16th's of a DQ Ice cream cake? Well, you assume another incidental and yet veeerrryy important parental role - that of kid's leftovers finisher-designate!
And this is the problem with kids, the cake was just visually appealing like eye-candy to them, as it turned out, ice-cream in cake form isn't their cup of tea after all...so what do you do with 14/16th's of a DQ Ice cream cake? Well, you assume another incidental and yet veeerrryy important parental role - that of kid's leftovers finisher-designate!
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