Auditions for Hongkong Disneyland Performers on July 16 and 17

I received this note in my email twice, so now I feel compelled to blog about it. Hahaha!

Around 5 years ago, I would have auditioned, if just for the heck of it. I did for Miss Saigon Korea, and actually got a callback. :p I sang "Why, God, Why?" I did well enough, I guess, but couldn't impress the panel for the dance auditions. Hehehe...

Now, the first time I auditioned for a play outside of UP and of the UPCC was for Repertory Philippines' "The Secret Garden." I sang "Lily's Eyes," a duet. For that, I also got a callback and a semi-compliment from the late Bibot Amador (on my way out of the theater she asked me if I was going to the "callback", and I said yes). Too bad I did poorly at the callbacks, forgot the words both times I sang it. :p Haha!

Even if I never fulfilled my dream to be a professional thespian (see Profile: "...frustrated thespian") I had tremendous fun auditioning for these plays, and now remember fondly how nervous and excited I was during the auditions and how great it was to get a thumbs up afterwards. At the end of the day though, I knew that it wasn't for me, I am happier being a nerd than a rockstar. :p So as it turned out, not being hired was perfect for me! Hehe!

But for the rest of you out there who "dream the dream", get your dancing shoes and vocal chops ready! Mickey wants you in his Kingdom!

Here are the details of the Hongkong Disneyland Auditions:

In partnership with The Music School of Ryan Cayabyab,

representatives from Walt Disney Entertainment Talent Casting will be holding auditions in Manila searching for Vocalists and Dancers to perform at Hong Kong Disneyland.

Professional performers at least 18 years old who possess both excellent musicianship and showmanship are being sought in auditions that will be held on the following dates:

VOCALIST AUDITIONS

Vocalists should bring sheet music of two contrasting songs.
Pre-recorded accompaniments in any format and a cappella are not allowed.
10:00 a.m., July 16, 2009 (Thursday)
The Music School of Ryan Cayabyab, Robinsons Galleria

DANCER AUDITIONS

Dancers will be taught a dance combination. Wear appropriate dance attire.
9:00 a.m., July 17, 2009 (Friday)
Halili-Cruz School of Ballet, 1227 Quezon Avenue


Pre-registration is now going on!!!

Please bring one non-returnable recent 2" x 2" colour photo and resume to:

The Music School of Ryan Cayabyab
Park Avenue, Robinsons Galleria, Ortigas Ave. cor. EDSA, 1100 Quezon City
Telephone: 637-9840 and 914-5055 / E-mail: auditionsmanila@gmail.com

For more information concerning Hong Kong Disneyland, please visit: http://www.hongkongdisneyland.co/

ps. this is not a paid advertisement!

Subscribe in a reader

Tali Beach, Nasugbu, Batangas

_____________________________________________

If you have inquiries about the Tali Beach private resort featured here, text or call the owners at 361-7091 or 0917-8828760 or email them at talibeach[at]gmail.com - Tell them you got their contact info from Reyjr.com! :D
*************************

It was Liz's department outing, and I was one of the designated drivers! Hehehe. The tradeoff: 2 days on a private resort on Tali Beach, Nasugbu, Batangas, with hotelier people who have great taste, great skills in the kitchen, and a ton of hilarious hotel stories. The 2 hour drive up was worth it. :D

Squeezing in some Tali Beach time

It was my first time in Tali Beach, and actually also my first time on a beach resort in Nasugbu. I know Nasugbu only for the wedding chapels, haha; a whole lot of my colleagues have gotten married in Caleruega, Chapel on the Hill and thereabouts, so I was pretty familiar with the place. :p

We were there on June 12 and 13. A sliver of one of the shortest summers I've ever experienced. During our stay, the sun was tucked away for the most part, although we did get to swim for about an hour or so. Liz's colleagues prepared several games for the group. I am always amused at how game everyone is in their team and I like it that they create the fun for themselves and for everybody. I think it's an important lesson, that even in a corporate setting, with hierarchies of positions and office politics, that it shouldn't prevent you from enjoying yourself and participating in a few games. Besides, everyone needs a bit of fun!

Tali Beach Resort - Holding Hands While Walking

At dusk, we walked around the short beach and "visited" the neighbors. We found the whole beach actually had a row of vacation houses, most probably for rent. It was a nice enough place, although if you're after sand, there's not a lot of that. It's not comparable to the white sand beaches of Boracay or Puerto Galera in the vicinity of the place we stayed at, but rather I would describe the beach as private and relaxing, very well suited for big families that are not much on swimming, but more on spending quality time together, in a getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Tali Beach Resort - Non Stop Eating! 

True to form, the food was always exquisite, although I probably gained over 10 pounds in those 2 days, with nothing to do but sit, eat, drink, relax, talk, and sleep. Hehe. Well, I'm not complaining. I had a great relaxing time.Before we left, we bought ourselves some lobsters straight from the fisherman's net. It was quite pricey at Ph600 per lobster, but I figured it would probably cost a lot more at the Market in Manila.

On the way down, we stopped by Tagaytay for lunch then stopped again at Ming's garden for some Yellow Bells and some hanging plants.


Click on the photos to view full sized.

Subscribe in a reader

Vote for me on MTV Blogger Contest

Sure, we want the best of both worlds: we want lots of money and musical independence. But can you have both?

Being an indie band offers freedom to decide what musical direction to take, which songs to release, how and where to promote your music. The advent of internet sites like iTunes, MySpace and YouTube have also allowed more indie artists to "earn from their living rooms" than ever before. So as an indie artist, you should first as yourself, do you really need to be under a major label..


Read the full post on the MTV.com site by clicking here: Indie artists: Pragmatism in the face of adversity!

and please VOTE for me by clicking the THUMBS UP symbol on there. Hehehe!

Thanks in advance! :D


Subscribe in a reader

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Funk" and other funky movies

A Theme Thursday post

We used to play this hilarious game where we replaced words in movie titles with the word "itlog" or "egg" in English. Now, let's try it for the word "funk", replacing words in the worldwide top grossing movies of all time (as of end June 2009!)

#1 (1997) "Titanic Funk" - hm.. it's one word!
#2 (2003) "The Lord of the Rings: Return Funk of the King" - hahahaha!
#3 (2006) "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Funk" - he's dead already!
#4 (2008) "The Dark Knight Funk" - why is it dark? on second thought, I don't want to know...
#5 (2001) "Harry Funk Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" - can you imagine if J.K. Rowling named the lead character Funk instead of Harry?
#6 (2007) "Pirates Funks of the Caribbean: At World's End" - or Punks. hahaha, maybe the writer had a bad case of "P & F syndrome".
#7 (2007) "Harry Potter and the Order of the Funk" - yah man @ Harry.
#8 (2002) "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Funky Towers" - I wonder what funky towers look like? Maybe there's a huge photo of James Brown on the facade!
#9 (1999) "Star Wars Ep. I: The Phantom Menace Funk" - it goes together right? Phantom Phunk! cool..
#10 (1993) "Jurassic Funk Park" - OK, i can't think of anything witty (and wholesome) for this one...

Other notable titles:
#12 "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Funk" - erm... eherm... this is a wholesome blog!
#38 "Kung Fu Panda Funk" - and the protagonist fights using funky dance moves lol!
#57 "WALL FUNK-E" - yeah! funky baby!
#150 "My Big Fat Greek Wedding Funk"
#176 "The Curious Case Funk of Benjamin Button"
#190 "As Good Funk as it Gets"

What's your favorite movie? Replace one word with "Funk" and see what you come up with! Share it in the comments box below!

Interested to see the full list of highest grossing movies worldwide? They're monitored by The Numbers! Check 'em out.

Subscribe in a reader

Short Signatures for your BlackBerry emails

I was inspired by a quick rhyming snippet from a friend's email signature sent via BlackBerry, she wrote:

"Apologies for the brevity - this was sent on a BlackBerry"

So c'mon! Do away with the boring "Sent via BlackBerry" generic signature, and make a new signature today! Hehe. So here are few of my own suggestions for use as your Black Berry email signature. I don't have a BlackBerry myself, but am welcome to receiving one as a gift. Here goes...

1. The same message above in Haiku form:

"My apologies
for the brevity, 'tis sent

via BlackBerry!"

2. For the people on the go: "In my office, I am not. From my BlackBerry this was shot."
3. This one's a bit long.. but what the heck. If you're into Shakespear maybe?

"I shall never dare be late, answering thine mail, post haste!
So from mine fine BlackBerry, I have sent this note to thee!"

4. If you don't like work emails to follow you: "Since I got this BlackBerry, emails keep on following me!"

5. If you like hip-hop: "Sent ya this 'mail foo! From mah BB, cool!"

6. If you're a sweet little farmgirl: "Short and sweet from my BlackBerry, Lots of love from my cow, Bessy!"

7. If you're Pinoy: "Galing sa Maitim-na-Ubas, sagot ko'y maikli man ngunit makatas." wahaha! (Direct translation: "Coming from my BlackBerry, my answer is brief but juicy")

Come up with your own and post it in the comments section below! Haha!

Photo from here.
Subscribe in a reader

"I miss those lovely days of..."

A Theme Thursday post

"Good day sunlight, I'd like to say how truly bright you are..."

Summer ended early in the Philippines this year. Too early! It was only the beginning of May when the first typhoon arrived and a storm warning signal was declared over parts of the Philippines. Now as I type this post, typhoon Feria (local name) is raging outside my window...

Next week it will be July. That means hoping for a bright sun shiny day is over, summer has lost to rain. This battle is now over. Soon the rains will completely take over: the skies will be dark for most of the day, the stars at night hidden by the dark clouds.

"You don't know me, but I know you, see, you're my favorite star..."

I miss the summer, when the sun is out and up. I miss the beach at summertime, when the sand and the water is warm and the nights a cool respite. I miss having ice cream and halo-halo to cool off. I miss not needing to bring an umbrella every time I leave the house (I keep losing it :p). I miss not having muddy floors to wipe. I miss jogging at sunset.

"..who needs shelter from the sun? Nothing, no, not anyone..."

What do you miss most about the summer?


Quotations are lyrics from "Who Needs Shelter" by Jason Mraz. If you like Jason Mraz, here's his blog, "Freshness Factor Five Thousand"