I remember mentioning in my last post that I'd update on Sunday. Except I forgot a teeny-tiny detail: I wouldn't be here on Sunday.

I just got back from a weekend trip to Manila (our country's capital) about an hour ago. And why was I there, dear Reader?

Because my parents sprung the most amazing twenty-first --- or twenteen-first, as my cousins like to say --- birthday present on me:










To quote the play, it was...

"A lovely night, a lovely night
A finer night you know you'll never see..."
A Lovely Night from Rodgers' and Hammerstein's Cinderella

The play was awesome. The effects, costumes, and backdrops were imaginative. The voices of the characters were perfect for their roles. I loved how the people onstage could act while they were singing: the Prince's voice breaking like he was going to cry while singing a sad song, Cinderella pretending to be happy while singing a hopeful song (and how you could see she was pretending to be happy), and other little things like that. There was also a lot of unexpected humor.

One of my favorites was when the stepmother / aspiring mother-in-law-of-the-Prince quipped "Let's pray the Prince is stupider than he looks" after her daughters' lack of ladylike qualities became clear. Then one of the deluded stepdaughters went down on her knees, and started to pray very fervently that the Lord would "please, please, PLEASE let the Prince be stupider than he looks!"

It was the most unexpected and perfect gift my parents could give me.

I guess it's because I don't see a lot of good musical stage plays. Broadway-style productions are a rarity in my country, and if ever they are done, they're usually hard to watch because I have to take a plane to the play's venue.


Thanks, Dad and Mom. And thanks to everyone who has greeted me! :D

I remember mentioning in my last post that I'd update on Sunday. Except I forgot a teeny-tiny detail: I wouldn't be here on Sunday.

I just got back from a weekend trip to Manila (our country's capital) about an hour ago. And why was I there, dear Reader?

Because my parents sprung the most amazing twenty-first --- or twenteen-first, as my cousins like to say --- birthday present on me:










To quote the play, it was...

"A lovely night, a lovely night
A finer night you know you'll never see..."
A Lovely Night from Rodgers' and Hammerstein's Cinderella

The play was awesome. The effects, costumes, and backdrops were imaginative. The voices of the characters were perfect for their roles. I loved how the people onstage could act while they were singing: the Prince's voice breaking like he was going to cry while singing a sad song, Cinderella pretending to be happy while singing a hopeful song (and how you could see she was pretending to be happy), and other little things like that. There was also a lot of unexpected humor.

One of my favorites was when the stepmother / aspiring mother-in-law-of-the-Prince quipped "Let's pray the Prince is stupider than he looks" after her daughters' lack of ladylike qualities became clear. Then one of the deluded stepdaughters went down on her knees, and started to pray very fervently that the Lord would "please, please, PLEASE let the Prince be stupider than he looks!"

It was the most unexpected and perfect gift my parents could give me.

I guess it's because I don't see a lot of good musical stage plays. Broadway-style productions are a rarity in my country, and if ever they are done, they're usually hard to watch because I have to take a plane to the play's venue.


Thanks, Dad and Mom. And thanks to everyone who has greeted me! :D