Linggo ng Wika 2012

This year, Linggo ng Wika is twice as exciting as both my daughters performed in their Linggo ng Wika program. Dana and Darla's school, Kindergarten Camp Learning Center, celebrated Linggo ng Wika by giving tribute to the greatest OPM hits.



Aling Dana and Aling Darla sporting a Filipiniana look with their 300-peso patadyong bought online.

I was so proud of my little Darla because while most of her classmates are either crying or running crazy on the stage, she was paying attention to her teacher who were guiding them with the dance steps. Here's Darla's toddler class dancing to various Filipino nursery rhymes:



Dana, on the other hand, was as confident on the stage as ever. She really likes dancing. This is Dana's class, Kinder - Starlight section, dancing to Gary V's hit, Heto na Naman:

No matter how busy my schedule gets, I make sure that I attend Dana and Darla's school activities. Nothing beats watching my daughters bloom on stage, and I am bracing myself for more precious moments like this.

Dana Punchlines 16-20

Let me first thank my friends and relatives who are avid followers of the Dana Punchlines series. But I hope you read my other blog entries too. :-)

Dana Punchlines 16 - July 22, 2011

(Sa isang birthday party...)
Me: Dana, try mo itong fish, masarap, promise.
(Dana tries the fish)
Me: O, masarap, di ba?
(Dana nods)
Me: Try mo naman itong chicken, masarap din, promise!
(Dana tries the chicken)
Dana: Mommy, ayaw ko yan!
Me: Bakit? Masarap kaya!
Dana: Ayaw ko yan, mommy. Promise!

Dana Punchlines 17 - July 22, 2011

(Same birthday party as punchline 16, dinner time)
Dana: Nasaan na yung babaeng may hawak ng mic kanina?
(She was referring to the party host)
Me: Baka kumakain din, anak.
(Dana looked around)
Dana: Bakit di ko siya nakikita?
Me: Baka nagtatago.
Dana: Bakit siya nagtatago?
Me: Baka nahihiya.
Dana: Eh, bakit kanina hindi siya nahihiya?
(Di ko na alam ang isasagot ko at this point).

Dana Punchlines 18 - July 24, 2011

(While eating breakfast, lumapit sa akin si Dana)
Dana: Mommy, I want to eat.
Me: Wow! Ang galing mo na talaga mag-English anak! Ano ulit yun? Ulitin mo nga.
Dana: Mommy, I want to KAON!
(Ayun o, hinalo ang Bicol sa English! Biclish?)

Dana Punchlines 19 - August 7, 2011

(Sa isang birthday party na naman sa Jollibee)
Dana: Mommy, nauuhaw ako. Gusto ko ng Coke.
Me: May tubig ka diyan, wag na lang Coke. Bawal sa 'yo yan.
Dana: Eh, bakit pag pumupunta kami nina Mamita sa Jollibee, pinapainom nila ako ng Coke?
(Iniabot ko ang Coke)
Me: Konti lang ha?
Mental Note: Lagot sa akin si Mommy (Mamita ni Dana) pag-uwi!

Dana Punchlines 20 - October 18, 2011

Last Sunday, after exploring Eton Centris' playground, Dana wanted to ride the carousel:
Dana: Mommy, gusto ko sumakay doon.
Me: Sige, mamaya anak, kain muna tayo.
Dana: Ok, mommy.
Me: Bilisan mo kumain para makasakay ka agad dun.
Dana: Sa TSUBIBO?
(Classic ka anak, pati words mo classic. Ang tagal ko nang hindi naririnig ang word na tsubibo).

A Magical Night of Music

A few weeks back, I was asked to produce a promotional plug for the first solo concert of the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra entitled, The Magic of John Williams. I must admit I didn't know John Williams before this project. Apparently, he is a musical legend in Hollywood, who produced musical scores for movies like E.T., Harry Potter, Jaws, Superman, Star Wars, among others.

I was not a fan of philharmonic orchestra concerts since I always associate them with classical music. Though I am definitely a music-lover, I am not into classical music. But, learning about the genius of John Williams and the movies he wrote music for made me interested in seeing the concert. I also knew that my hubby would be thrilled to watch because he loves those movies. So, when I was offered a chance to see the concert for free, I simply couldn't say no.

September 2 was date night for hubby and I, and what a night it was!


The best things in life are free. Thanks to Sir Mickey Munoz for the free front row seat tickets!
I hope I can work on the promo plugs of your concerts to come.

We arrived at Meralco Theater an hour before the concert started. When we got there, we saw a lobby filled with people in costume, you would think you got lost in a Star Wars cosplay event! We took a few photos with the troops and went inside the theater. We saw Sir Mickey Munoz, the executive director of ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra, and thanked him for the tickets. He was saying sorry he couldn't get us better seats but when the ushers led us to our seats, we found out that we were seated at the front row! Surely, it couldn't get any better than that!

When the concert started, it was indeed magic. The orchestra opened the show with the 1984 Olympic Fanfare and Theme. It was the perfect piece to uplift the audience's spirit. After the opening came my favorite part of the concert, the Harry Potter Suite, the perfectly played pieces gave me goose bumps. It was followed by the Theme from Schindler's List and the song "If We Were In Love" from "Yes, Giorgio" interpreted by Nikki Gil and Jose Mari Chan.

The repertoire also included "The Mission", the theme from NBC News, some excerpts from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. and three songs from Superman, including the song "Can You Read my Mind", once again interpreted by Nikki Gil. Then, the much-awaited two-note score from Jaws was played followed by the theme from Jurassic Park.

Orchestral concert or cosplay event?

At the end of the theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark, the orchestra took a bow and Maestro Gerard Salonga left the stage. The crowd made a standing ovation. My husband went, "San na yung Star Wars? Bakit walang Star Wars?" (I thought he was going to cry, hehe). A few seconds later, Maestro Gerard went back up the stage and the orchestra started playing Star Wars theme for their encore set. Before the last song, Maestro Gerard took the mic and asked the people in costume to go up the stage. Once again, the crowd went wild seeing C-3PO, Darth Vader, Obi Wan Kenobi, etc. It was the perfect ending for a perfect night.

Watching this concert was much, much more exciting than I expected. The ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra changed the way I feel about orchestral music. After this night, I'll never look at orchestra concerts the same way again.




Smashed!

 

Utterly smashed... that's what I would describe myself since I finished watching the first season of the TV series, Smash. To say that I liked the series would be an understatement. Why wouldn't I love it? It has 3 elements that I adore: theater, songwriting and fellow Gemini, Marilyn Monroe.

For those who haven't seen the series, here's a summary:

Smash is about a group of people who are producing a musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe. Their road to broadway was filled with intrigues, competition, and frustrations as the characters' personal lives intertwined with the hurdles of their theater production.

The first season showcased rivalry between Ivy Lynn and Karen Cartwright on who's going to play the lead in "Bombshell", the musical about Marilyn Monroe. Ivy, played by Megan Hilty, is a Broadway veteran who's career seemed to be stuck in the chorus, or ensemble, to be politically correct. Karen, played by Katherine McPhee, is a stage newbie from Iowa who's resume is "light and green" but her singing is simply remarkable. At the end of the season, after a series of mishaps and intrigues, the role of Marilyn ends up on the hands of Karen, or at least for the entire run of Bombshell's pre-Broadway shows.

In a few weeks, the second season will start and as I have read from various web articles, the show made big changes, even as far as changing it's creator Theresa Rebeck with Josh Safran. This makes me a bit nervous about the outcome, mainly because I believe that the first season worked because Rebeck is actually IN the theater industry as a playwright. We'll see...

Four actors we're also booted out and replaced with new characters as they battle it out with other theater musicals on Broadway. That should be exciting, I think. But what I am really wishing for is for Bombshell to become a real musical on Broadway. It deserves to be on Broadway. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the songs! My two faves on their OST would be Don't Forget Me and Second Hand White Baby Grand.

So, for this TV series, two thumbs up! If you love theater and music, you'd surely love this show. And, it's nice to see a more mature, musical TV series, a far cry from that high school musical Glee. Plus, IMO, the songs here are much, much better since most of them are originals.

I bet season 2 would be another, er, Smash!

Dana Punchlines 11-15

It's been a while since I posted here. A lot has happened since my last post and hopefully I'll be able to write about it soon. But for now, here's the third installment of Dana Punchlines:

Dana Punchlines 11 - April 17, 2011

Dana: Mommy, ikaw na lang magpaligo sa akin.
Me: Naku, anak, may sakit si mommy eh. Si yaya na lang.
(Dana nods.)
Me: O sige na, maligo ka na, maliligo na rin ako.
Dana: Eh, di ba may sakit ka?
Me: Sipon lang naman, anak.
Dana: Magpunas ka na lang!
(Sino ang nanay sa eksenang ito?)

Dana Punchlines 12 - April 23, 2011

(On choosing where to eat...)
Dana: Gusto ko sa McDo!
Me: Sawa na ako dun eh. Gusto ko mag-Kenny!
Dana: Huwag! Sasakit ang ngipin mo!
Daddy: Anak, Kenny, hindi KENDI!

Dana Punchlines 13 - May 7, 2011

While having breakfast...
Dana: Gusto kong tumaba, para magka-asawa ako.
Me: Bakit? Pag mataba ba, nagkaka-asawa?
Dana: Oo, ikaw nga meron eh!
(She did it again!)

Dana Punchlines 14 - July 2, 2011

Almost everyday after school, Dana would show me her arm marked with a star. The other day, she went home without a star, so I asked her:
Me: Dana, bakit wala kang star ngayon?
Dana: Ewan ko, baka naubos yung pang-tatak.
(Ayun o, may istorya agad. Bilhan ko kaya ng bagong pangtatak si teacher?)

Dana Punchlines 15 - July 22, 2011

(Sa kotse, pagkatapos madaanan ang isang branch ng McDo...)
Dana: Mommy, kain naman tayo sa McDo.
Me: Bukas na lang, anak. Lampas na tayo eh.
Dana: Eh, tinatawag ako ng McDo, mommy.
(Mental note: Sige, sasakyan ko ang trip nitong anak ko...)
Me: Talaga? Tinatawag ka ng McDo? Ano'ng sabi sa 'yo?
Dana: Sabi niya, "Dana, kain ka na..."
(Ngek! May sagot pa rin?)

Dana Punchlines 6-10

Here's the second installment:

Dana Punchlines 6 - October 19, 2010

While on our way to SM Taytay, we saw a newly-built Jollibee branch that hasn't been opened yet.
Dana: Mommy, Jollibee o! Punta tayo!
Me: Naku, anak, sarado pa eh.
Dana: Sarado? Sino nag-lock?

Dana Punchlines 7 - December 26, 2010

While inside the car, nakita kong pipikit-pikit si Dana. So, I asked...
Me: Dana, anak, inaantok ka na ba? Pikit ka nang pikit eh.
Dana: Hindi, mommy. Pumipikit ako para hindi matuyo ang mata ko!
(Shucks! Scientific ang explanation. Panay yata ang panonood ng Matanglawin!)

Dana Punchlines 8

I called the house this afternoon and Dana took the call...
Dana: Hello? Sino 'to?
Me: Dana, si mommy.
Dana: Si mommy? Nasa office!
Me: Ngek! Dana, si mommy na nga ito.
Dana: Mommy, 'di ba nasa office ka?
(Haaaayyy! Parang lasing lang kausap!)

Dana Punchlines 9 - March 9, 2011

Dana: Mommy, gusto ko nito. (referring to the Dutch Mill yogurt drink inside the ref)
Me: O, sige, kunin mo na yan.
Yaya: Ay, ate, nakainom na siya niyan kanina.
Me: Hayaan mo para tumaba.
Dana: Oo nga. Gusto kong tumaba, parang si mommy!
Only a daughter can idolize and insult her mother in one breath.

Dana Punchlines 10 - April 4, 2011

Sharing her rubber ducky with Darla...
Dana: Mommy, binigay ko na kay Chingching yung laluan ko!
Me: Ano'ng LALUAN?
Dana: Binigay ko na kay Chingching yung raruan ko.
Me: Ano'ng RARUAN? Ayusin mo!
Dana: Mommy, binigay ko na kay Chingching yung duck!
(Ayun naman pala!!!)

Dana Punchlines 1-5

Since September of 2010, I have been posting conversations with Dana on my Facebook wall. I have collected a few and I have gained some followers of my "Dana Punchlines". So, I am re-posting them here at the request of my friend Velvet. According to her, these make her smile and she sometimes goes back to these posts to make her day a little brighter. Here's the first installment:

Dana Punchlines 1 (Sept. 16, 2010)

Dana: Mommy, punta tayo sa parlor, papagupit ako ng buhok eh.
Me: O, sige, pero isama natin si Darla.
Dana: Wag na!
Me: Bakit wag na?
Dana: Kalbo naman siya eh!

Dana Punchlines 2 (Sept. 16, 2010)

Dana: Mommy, umiiyak ka?
Me: Hindi, anak. Masakit lang ang ngipin ko.
Dana: Ayan kasi, wag ka na kumain ng Nips!
(Note: Hindi ako kumakain ng Nips. Si Dana ang lagi kong sinasabihan na wag kumain ng Nips para hindi sumakit ang ngipin niya.)

Dana Punchlines 3 (Sept. 17, 2010)

Daddy: Dana, anak, ang taba mo na. Ang laki na ng tiyan mo o!
Dana: (Turns to me and looks at my tummy)... Si mommy din o!
(Haaaaayyy! Nadamay pa ako)

Dana Punchlines 4 (Sept, 29, 2010)

On the Phone...
Me: Yaya, tanong mo nga kay Dana kung gusto niya akong makausap.
Yaya: Dana, gusto mo daw ba makausap si mommy?
Dana: (Heard sa background) Ayaw!
Me: Sabihin mo, pag di niya ako kinausap, wala siyang waffle mamaya.
Yaya: Wala ka daw waffle mamaya pag di mo kinausap si mommy.
Dana: Kumain na ako ng waffle eh!

Dana Punchlines 5 (October 10, 2010)

Before bathing, nilalagyan ko ng VCO si Dana all over her body (para di ma-dry and to avoid rashes sa skin niya. She has atopic dermatitis kasi.) So, that's what I did this morning and here's what happened:
Daddy: (Nang-aasar) Ayan, ipi-prito na si Dana!
Dana: Daddy, hindi ako ulam!

More Dana Punchlines to come... Abangan!

Dana, my Ballerina

I made 2 promises before I had daughters. The first one is that no daughter of mine will wear pink. I abhor the color and I would not want to see it on my daughters. Well, if you've seen baby pictures of my daughters, you'll know that that promise didn't work out.

The second one was, no daughter of mine will dance ballet. Well, that one didn't work as well.

It was late last year, we were having breakfast when Dana exclaimed, "Mommy, gusto ko mag-ballet!" I was a bit shocked and, at the same time, curious where she got that idea. I tried to ignore her hoping that she will forget about it. Well, she didn't. She bugged me for days and insisted that I enroll her in a ballet class.

So, I searched online for ballet schools near Antipolo. I found one that's very near our home and Dana started ballet in November 2011. Since then, she had two recitals and she's getting more passionate about ballet every day.

Here are pics of Dana's last ballet recital. They did 3 numbers: Pinoy Summer, Happy Talk and Swan Lake.

If I had it my way, I would love for my daughters to study music, maybe learn to play instruments or take up voice lessons. But Dana wanted to dance. So (for) now, I am a certified ballet mom.

Anyway, I still have another daughter. Maybe she'll be my singer, or pianist, or songwriter. Who knows?

I promised myself that I would support my children's passions. I always tell them they can do whatever it is that they wanted to do, as long as they strive to be the best at it.

Conversations with Dana: Reality (TV) Becomes Me

The other night, our family was watching the show X-Factor Philippines. I was singing along with the contestants and Dana was watching me.

DANA: Mommy, dapat sumali ka sa X-Factor!

My heart leaped. My daughter thinks I can sing! But then, humility took over...

ME: Talaga? Naku, hindi naman yata ako pwede diyan, anak. Baka sa Biggest Loser ako dapat sumali.

DANA: O, di sige, sa Biggest Loser ka na lang sumali!

LESSON: Never use false humility to a 4-year old child.

Darla Bernice

What's in a name?

DARLA - little darling
BERNICE - bringer of victory

My baby girl, Darla Bernice, like what her name means, is truly a little darling. I have yet to discover a lot of things about her as she grows and I can't wait to write more about the great things I will discover.

What I love about her:

1. She can lull herself to sleep and she really loves sleeping.
2. She loves books and can spend a long time looking at them.
3. She looks like me. (Her dad firmly believes that she does)
4. She has the cutest smile. I can't help but smile too when she flashes her dimples (all four of them!).
5. She's very low maintenance -- you can leave her alone while playing, she doesn't require much attention. She doesn't use up much of your energy when you take care of her.
6. She's very appreciative. Even the simplest pasalubong can make her shout out, "wow!"
7. She's very sweet -- truly a little darling.
8. She loves going to school.
9. Though she's often annoyed with her big sister's antics, I can see that she really adores her ate.
10. She loves singing (err, humming, since she doesn't talk much yet) and she can really carry a tune!

Dana Beatrice

What's in a name?

DANA - bright as day
BEATRICE - bringer of joy

My first born, Dana Beatrice... well, there are so many things I can say about her that I honestly don't know how to start. But I guess her name just about sums it up.

What I love about her:

1. She looks like her dad but she is like me in soooo many ways. If you knew me as a child, you'd remember how I was if you talk to her.
2. She can irritate you to bits with her so many questions, but her punchlines are to watch for.
3. She's very confident and does not get embarassed easily. When she does something wrong, she says sorry and bounces right back.
4. She's a cool kid! I'm practically shouting at her because she refuses to do as she's told, but she replies with a very cool, "that's ok mommy".
5. At four years old, she found passion in dancing. She's in her 2nd year of ballet and so far, she's really doing well.
6. She's not the best student in her class (yet), but she loves learning new things. That, for me is more important.
7. She adores my parents.
8. She's a good big sister.
9. She has great taste in shoes and clothes.
10. She's unbelievably pretty, but she knows how to handle it. :-)

The Mom and her Family

I have long wanted to start a blog about being a mom and a wife, about my daughters and about various things that interest me. I am not much of a blogger but I would like to be more into it since I think this is a good way to document my family life. I want to blog so that my daughters can have something to look back to.

So let me start this blog by writing about my family -- the best thing that ever happened to me. I have been married since 2004 and blessed with 2 daughters named Dana and Darla. They are pure sunshine and they have made my life so much more meaningful. More than anything, I am proud to be called a mom.

These photos were taken in April, Darla's birthday pictorial. Darla's 2nd birthday fell on a Maundy Thursday, so instead of having a party, we had a post-birthday pictorial complete with cake and balloons. Photos taken by our favorite, Ging Lorenzo.

So, let this be the beginning or more blogs to come, as I share life of being a mom and more.