30.9.03

[vancouver]
quick summary #2
before i forget, here is a quick summary of last weekend's san francisco events.

thursday
got to the airport super early, to be sure not to be hassled by customs, and i'm talking almost four hours early. however, it was good to get there so that i could relax once i got through customs, which was almost 40 minutes! i guess it is for good reasons. the flight was good, and fun considering there were 23 of us including babies. i was amazed how good emily and lauryn were on the flight -- almost no crying at all! we were picked up some of the LIKHA peeps, and were welcomed with open arms. we went to the casa de rondalla house, or club chateau (where Herna, Bryan and Ernie live), and the rest of likha greeted us. it was great to meet all the new people and see all the old faces. as usual, there were a lot of pictures taken (thanks gary). oj and tin were kind enough to drop me off at fides, were as usual we chatted like old times and exchanged our ideas about dance and culture.

friday
woke up pretty early, and had breakfast with fides and raf. we proceeded to drop raf at the fort mason centre he was at last night (he works for a ritzy event planner), and then me and fides had a nice long job along crissy field, marina and then to fort point which is right under the golden gate bridge. afterwards, we went back to fides house, and got ready for a wonderful lunch at catch in the castro, where our friend sam met us as well. a bottle of wine later, we proceeded to continue the lunch at le zinc, a french bistro in the noe valley neigbourhood. it was a great afternoon...afterwards, fides took me to USF where we had our first rehearsal! boy was i nervous, and so was KP. turns out it did show in our rehearsal, so there was definitely a lot of work to do for the next day.

saturday
woke up early, but really couldn't sleep as i was wired and worried from the night before. we had a 9 am call at st. bonaventure church in concord, where we had our rehearsal, which was about an hour away from san francisco where i was staying. rudi was kind enough to pick me up, and of course, we had a great conversation along the way. what a hectic day...we went through the second half, cleaned up our dances, whose counts were basically cut in half. after some post rehearsal comments, we packed up and were invited to one of the dancer's homes for some dinner. of course, filipinos are all about food and hospitality, so there was a wonderful bbq spread plus everything else, wine, drinks, etc, etc. since we didn't have an official ice breaker the day before, we ended up playing the hot seat, where new people would sit at the table and then everyone basically would go around and grilling them. it was hilarious, and maybe even uncomfortable for some. being pooped, we all headed home early. that night, i stayed at paulino's house, aka "the house of sin", where i had a chance to shoot the sh#t regarding dance, etc.

sunday
with a 7 am call, we didn't have a chance to have very much sleep. headed to the palace of fine arts for the big show. not so much time to do a full stage blocking and run through, but managed to do parts of the show. with no real time for the anxious waiting, the show started at 3 pm. i am very proud of kp, for the new ones who remained composed, and the old ones for adding that extra umph. likha of course, was dazzling and brought that extra something special that they have to the stage. it was good feeling to build the show slowly and end off with a bang. after a group picture backstage, we all proceeded to the lobby to meet our friends and family, where there was a great reception. saw many old friends, including former dancers such as milette and kim which was really cool. more pictures, more food, we then packed up the theatre and headed out. i managed to get a hold of george, and he met us at paulino's place. of course, it was good to see him as always. george, ike, wil, sam and i ended up at this pub, the lion's den which was a super cool room playing some sexy house. chatted, conversed, laughed etc, etc -- it was a great way to cap off the weekend. having too many drinks later, ike, paulino wil and i ended up literarlly at "the end up", a bar somewhere in san francisco. great music, but boy was i tired.

monday
woke up pretty early, as i can't sleep in when i've been drinking. packed my things and then paulino and ike drove me marc and wil to the airport. ever since 1995, i've been back to san francisco every year, except in 2001. and usually everytime i leave san francisco, i feel sad, but i am never sure exactly why. but i finally realized that it is because not only does san francisco feel like home, it is home

25.9.03

[vancouver]
...leaving on a jet plane.
and so i'm off. whew hew! this tour combined with increased responsibilites at work, it's been a hectic few weeks (actually months) in preparation for this show. now i can sort of sit back and relax....and enjoy the experience.

don't know if i'll post when i'm done in san fran, so stay tuned for a recap next week!

20.9.03

[vancouver]
bay area bound.
i've never had many dreams in my life, things that i really needed to do or see before i left this place, but there is actually no other place in the world that has inspired my imagination than one of my favourite cities, the city by the bay, san francisco. next week, i travel there with my dance group to perform at one of the most beautiful venues, the palace of fine arts theatre, with the likha-pilipino folk ensemble, whose members and its director have remained a strong source of both inspiration and encouragement. i was first in san francisco as a small child, but only passing through to disneyland, but who would have known that since 1995, i've been back almost every year, and sometimes even twice.

i don't know what it is about that place -- maybe it is its similarity to vancouver, with its gorgeous location, its wonderful restaurants, the california lifestyle, but in a northern sense. it's people, i will dare to say are more friendly and welcoming (than vancouver), its nightlife is unreal, and its beatnik jack kerouac feel is complimented an outlook that is cosmopolitan, multicultural and modern.

maybe i've romanticized it somewhat, but i think i might be wrong -- i love san francisco, and it has and always continues to draw me to it. as hokey as it sounds, my heart leaps at the thought of what it seems to represent for me, which to sum it up is the promise and optimisim of a new frontier, a new chapter to of my adventure to embark on. i've always said to myself, i'm going to live in that city at least once in my life.

until then, i'll keep dreaming.

17.9.03

[vancouver]
Itnersetnig
...i know this has been going around the internet, but i couldn't resist...

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

15.9.03

[vancouver]
we're in a commercial.
check out the commercial for our upcoming show in san francisco, as special guest artists of likha! if you are in s.f., hope to see you in the audience on the 28th!

14.9.03

[vancouver]
ed and tina
...along with everything (work, KP, life), i have been working on ed and tina's wedding website. i've realized that i really do enjoy doing web work, especially when i feel inspired and creative. i hope they like it.

9.9.03

[vancouver]
pamana
begin shameless plug...
QUOTE

As you may or may not know, I am the Artistic Director/Choreographer for one of the local Philippine Dance companies here in Vancouver, Kababayang Pilipino of British Columbia. I have been dancing my native folk dances from a very young age, and have been involved with this company since its inception since 1993. On November 9th, we will be having our tenth anniversary concert at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre at 7pm, in a show entitled "Pamana", which is a Tagalog word meaning legacy, and will feature some of our best loved pieces from our repertoire, as well as new work making their Canadian stage premiere.

Tickets are $15 (a steal), and are available through ticketmaster, through me, or at any of the Lower Mainland Manila Express outlets.

Check out our promotional poster here (courtesy of Ryan).

END QUOTE

[vancouver]
"watchless"
...i've been 'FTP'-less for the last week, and it kind of feels like when i've left the house and discover later that i don't have a watch on. i'm glad grant's back (the gracious host of this blog and many other sites of which i'm a webmaster of), and of course because chez frank's is not the same without the proprietor.

3.9.03

[vancouver]
i'm still here
...i'm still here, just super busy. things with preparing for our show are moving along brisk, and looking forward to our show in san francisco at the end of the month. trying to enjoy the last bits of summer.

i can't believe it, but it's almost fall. i have to admit, i'm pretty happy because fall is indeed my favourite season.