Event: The Jason Mraz Concert

Last March, I received the best news on my inbox–Jason Mraz was going back to the Philippines! And after a couple of failed attempts at purchasing a ticket over the phone (TicketNet said they weren’t available yet, when their own website and the newsletter Jason Mraz’s team sent out said it should already be), I finally finagled a couple of tickets on the TicketNet website.

It was around 500 pesos more expensive than the advertised price, and it wasn’t the best seat. Good thing this is Jason Mraz. All seats are good seats because he knows how to put on a show. And what a show it was.

Oh yeah– the concert was last night. And it was awesome. A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

Now, I have a pretty bad track record when it comes to Jason Mraz concerts, wherein I’m always coming from somewhere and cutting it close. This is the first time though, I think, that I didn’t even catch the front act. Not that I minded. I’m not a fan of Zendee Rose. No offense, her type of singing just doesn’t jive with me.

Fortunately, I was able to catch the Jason Mraz part of the concert.

Back in 2011, when he was last here, I was a little let down with the whole shebang. But that was coming from his 2006 intimate nights that were simply astounding. I enjoyed the both times I went, but there was something magical about the 2006 concert that the 2011 one didn’t have.

The magic is back though. Last night.

Yesterday is the first time I’ve seen Jason Mraz perform with a band, come to think of it. The first two of his concerts I’ve been to, it’s always just Toca Rivera with him. Awesome duo, but as I said, there was a certain lack of something in the second time.

The band definitely marks last night as an experience that can’t be compared to the first two.

But, really, the best part of it all is that Jason Mraz seems to be enjoying himself more nowadays. And the way he interacts with everyone is amazing. He has chemistry with the whole band, and their joy at performing is palpable–and contagious.

I don’t know about the other parts of the Coliseum, but our area was standing, stomping, clapping and singing along with the band. It was a exhilarating.

The mix of songs favored his most recent album release, but Jason clearly hasn’t forgotten the ones that really made an impact in the Philippines, singing The Remedy, You and I Both, Lucky, Make it Mine, interspersed with his more recent songs. And, of course, he had to have I’m Yours as his finale.

There was a medley somewhere during the concert too. A medley that transitioned organically from one song to the next, thanks to the great performances of the band.

I’m still on a high from last night.

And I can’t wait for the next time he comes back.

Happy New Year!

Hello to you, dear reader. Happy new year!

Don’t worry. You haven’t stumbled on to a wrong blog–unless, this is the wrong blog and you meant to go somewhere else. If so, might I interest you to stay? Take a peek into my other blog posts, it’s nice here. Just a person talking about books, and television shows, and movies, and recently, travels.

If you did mean to go here, welcome back. And yes, I’m actually doing a post that isn’t about books, or television shows, or movies, or theater, or travels. That’s a lot of ‘or’s. Orrr. Can you hear my r’s rolling? No? Sorry. Let’s get on to what I was going to say in the first place.

There will be a bit of tweaking here at Taking a Break. Number one is this. I’m going to blog here now. Well, not all the time, and I think I’ve moved on from posting long-winded rants about how unfair life is. It’s nearly a decade since I was a teenager, I think it’s time I’ve learned to live and deal with whatever life throws at me. So no–or, at least, I hope not–you won’t be reading any gripes or rants about my personal issues here.

I have decided to let go of my livejournal account though. So whenever something interesting happens in my life, you can expect me to write about it here. That might mean I’d have to change the blog’s name, but until my personal life starts taking over this blog, I think “Taking a Break” is still safe.

Next on the agenda; I’m going to start incorporating Filipino Fridays the whole year round–and not just when there’s an event we book bloggers have to promote. So every Friday, my scheduled post will be something Filipino–may it be a book, or a film, or a television show–it’s going to be a surprise for every week.

I’m also going to do my best to post two book reactions every week. A promise, not a resolution. There were times last year that I was able to do three to four book reactions a week, so I know I can do it. I’m just lessening the number of my promised post, so that I don’t feel pressured. This is, after all, my taking a break blog. It’s supposed to be for me to take a break in, not for me to take a break from.

I do have big plans for my blog this 2013. I’ve already done two book launch videos, and one interview for an independent film. I plan to do more of that, time permitting, for this new year.

You might also notice that press releases will start to trickle in. I haven’t sold out, and I’m not turning this place into a portal for press releases. All I’m doing is promoting television programs (or books, or films) that I myself would want to see (or read, as the case may be). So when you do see a press release here on Taking a Break, rest assured, it’s something that I do believe is worth seeing (or reading).

I was thinking about scheduling days for particular posts, but I don’t think I can live up to it for a month–what more a whole year. So instead, I’m leaving a promise: that I will not disappear for months at a time again. Not after the two long dry spells of last year.

Here’s to 2013. May it be prosperous for all of us.

Oh, and if you’re wondering about the picture above–that’s me at the Matamata Tourism Center, trying to look lost.

Abroad: New Zealand

I’m sure no one really noticed, but really late last month, I went on a trip out of the country. It was mostly for a wedding, but because of the steep airfare, I decided to go and have a vacation as well. So here goes my story of how I took the ultimate break to New Zealand.

Day 1. A friend and I took an eight-hour flight to Sydney that took ten hours–because of time zone changes. At Sydney, we passed the time (mostly) by talking, but we also browsed the shops. The really expensive shops. No plans on buying anything yet–not with our budget, and with our trip just starting.

From Sydney, we had another three-hour flight to Wellington, our destination, that took four hours–more or less. And the first order of business? Visit Gollum of course! (If you clicked on the link, yes I did cheat–that’s a photo of Gollum when I was leaving New Zealand. I haven’t uploaded the one from when I arrived yet.)

But wait, there’s more. On the day of our arrival, something big was happening at Wellington. A red carpet premiere. Of epic proportions! It’s for The Hobbit! (Okay, so the picture isn’t off the titular hobbit. But again, forgive me for I am lazy with the uploading, and that was the only I have of the red carpet premiere that’s already up somewhere).

We didn’t really get to do much more during our first day. We arrived some time around three in the afternoon, and we headed straight to the premiere. We stood there for hours (until seven, I think), but I didn’t really notice that it was already evening because–surprise–the sun doesn’t set until nine. Seriously.

Our Kiwi friends took us to their homes, fed us, and then it was time to turn in for the night.

Funny thing I learned on my first day in Wellington? Kiwis don’t believe in ghosts. Or the ones I met, anyway.

Day 2. Wait. Can I give you the option of choosing to read the rest of this entry? Let me figure that out for a bit–

Oh, here we go!

Movie: I Do Bidoo Bidoo (Heto nAPO Sila!)

I couldn’t find a synopsis of the movie online, so just watch the trailer first:

Watched it? Did you like it? Or were you, at least, intrigued by the story–or even just the concept? I was.

I love APO, which is short for Apo Hiking Society, songs. I am familiar with writer-director Chris Martinez’s work, and so far I haven’t been disappointed with any of his films. And the film is co-produced by Unitel–which produced one of my favorite Filipino films–Crying Ladies. And I do I still need to mention that I like musicals?

So imagine my horror when midway through the movie, I realized that I wasn’t liking the film. At all. A couple more scenes later, and I was ready to walk out. (And, apparently, I wasn’t the only one who had the thought, as a couple did walk out in the middle of the movie.) The only thing that made me stay was the fact that it was made my Unitel. I was really hoping for an 11 o’clock save that would salvage the whole film. But nothing came. And the train wreck that was I Do Bidoo Bidoo sputtered to its end. It didn’t even crash and burn.

I think I’ve mentioned before that I measure how good a movie is by how much popcorn I consume. At the end of the movie, when the bucket is still full, that means I was so engrossed in the movie that I completely forgot about eating. A half-full bucket means I enjoyed it, but not enough to warrant my full attention. An empty bucket means the movie failed to hold my interest. So what does it say that twenty minutes into this film, and I’ve already consumed the entire bucket of popcorn I had with me.

During a lover’s quarrel, I found myself answering back to the screen in annoyance.

Somewhere after the middle of the film, I was already restructuring the movie in my mind. How could this have been better?

The sad thing is, I think they did pick the write songs for this jukebox musical. Unfortunately, they didn’t pick the right story. Nor did they get the right cast.

Well, save for Eugene Domingo.

Now, before you say I’m biased, take into account that I’ve seen Kimmy Dora 2. I am not riding from a Eugene Domingo high. In fact, whatever goodwill I had for her previous roles dissipated after seeing that movie. So I didn’t choose to watch this film because of Eugene. But after seeing the movie, I found myself saying that it was a good thing Miss Domingo was there, as she was the only saving grace the film had. The way she portrayed her character, and sung her songs, connected to the story at hand. She didn’t feel out of place in this musical world that Chris Martinez was trying to create.

I can’t say the same for the rest of the cast who looked like they were either making a music video, or performing on a concert stage.

Speaking of which, I absolutely disliked how the film chose to transition to songs. Especially the scene where Eugene’s character was being comforted by her friends. The scene started with them comforting her. Then cuts to a shot of the pots and pans. And then it pans down to Eugene and her two friends, in almost the same position, breaking out into a production number.

What? What the heck was the shot of the pots and pans for? Seriously?

And on the subject of useless set-ups;

What was the point of showing Zsazsa Padilla swimming with rose petals? Was there really a need to show Neil Coleta enjoying a night out on a bar full of Sam Concepcions? And why did the film have to set the opening at a traffic jam that only served to show Eugene at her cattiest? She’s catty for 90% of the film, it doesn’t really need establishing.

And I get symbolism. But Eugene’s character isn’t the one who is stuck in a predicament she has no control over.

I could go on and on about how much I disliked this film, but I don’t want to be the guy to tell people not to watch something–especially since this is a Filipino film, and I really want film studios to take more chances at making out of the box movies…

But, this movie was a terrible waste of my time. It was a messy mix of story lines thought up to connect beloved APO songs.

And, I really need to get this out of my chest: whichever graphic artist/special effects editor thought that a gigantic moon, not proportionate to its distance to Earth, would not go unnoticed should get fired. Stat.

Television: Doctor Who and the Asylum of the Daleks

“Kidnapped by his oldest foe, the Doctor is forced on an impossible mission – to a place even the Daleks are too terrified to enter… the Asylum. A planetary prison confining the most terrifying and insane of their kind, the Doctor and the Ponds must find an escape route. But with Amy and Rory’s relationship in meltdown, and an army of mad Daleks closing in, it is up to the Doctor to save their lives, as well as the Pond’s marriage.“

Doctor Who is back! And, of course, I cannot not blog about it. Because it’s Doctor Who!

So, let’s get down to it, shall we?

I’m a big fan of the series opener. Huge fan. Maybe because I wasn’t completely happy with the previous series, and my nonchalance about the whole show kind of grew with repeat viewings of some of Series 6′s episodes. Bottom line is, my expectations for Series 7′s opener, with all its promises of grandeur and everything, was very low.

But it’s Doctor Who. A show I just started loving… What? Two years ago? I wasn’t about to give it up, regardless of how disappointed I was previously. Heck, I stuck with Smallville until its third season–and that was, well, worse. Series 6 had highlights, great highlights, and it has two of my most favorite episodes. (To those curious, that’s The Doctor’s Wife and The Girl Who Waited.) So it was a no-brainer that I would tune in for the Series 7 opener–

And I am glad.

Asylum of the Daleks is massive fun. With a great opening surprise for Doctor Who fans who have been following the new developments on the show, after the announcement that the Ponds are leaving the show. Which I will not spoil. Because, I’m going off-tangent here, I love how everyone who have seen the episode had refused to spoil said surprise–and it completely blew me away watching it. And that’s probably already saying too much about it, so I’m going back on topic.

Let’s see, where was I?

Yeah, massive fun. Explosive. Literally and figuratively. And for the first time since Forest of the Dead, I was properly scared for the Doctor’s life. Hang on, that can’t be right… That’s a Series 4 episode. With a different Doctor even. Same writer, sure, but… Wait, I’m gonna go and check again–

Okay, so I loved a lot of Series 5 episodes, and a couple of Series 6 episodes–but all the stories that actually did its job scaring me all came from the Russel T. Davies era. Oddly enough, the episodes that did do its job scaring me were all written by current show runner, Steven Moffatt.

And I’ve realized I haven’t done much talking about the episode this post was supposed to be about. And this is already quite long. So let me just sum it up in one sentence:

Asylum of the Daleks will knock your socks off–and it seems to be setting up a very action-packed Series 7.