Now, THIS is a performance. Ten stars and an ovation.



Makes me long for the time when we spent lunch breaks and after office hours in the heat of rehearsals for competitions. I totally MISS choral singing.

After dinner last night I caught midway of Stars on Ice 1999 on the "Now" channel and got moved beyond words by the performance of Katya Gordeeva and Ilia Kulik.

Katya is a four-time world skating champion who skated with her husband Sergei Grinkov up until the latter's sudden death (from a heart attack, on the ice during practice) in 1995. "She is now making a new life as a solo skater," said the sportscaster as Katya danced solo, "and is now exploring new opportunities with other people," whence the lights turned on Ilia Kulik and together they made ice magic.

"What she does now is different than what she could have done with Sergei," the program host commented, "but it is just as special."

Katya and Ilia together were nothing short of mesmerizing -- they are technically splendid, graceful, elegant...almost perfect. But beyond the lifts, the swirls and the treacherous moves, it was the soul, the unspoken connection that made the program sad but beautiful at the same time. Together they beautifully, poignantly essayed the essence of Rosana's Si Tu No Estas Aqui and Ricky Martin's Casi Bolero), somehow telling of Katya's courageous struggle over grief, bravely moving on and finding hope from love anew. I went to bed close to tears and totally affected.

And then, to more pleasant surprise, I found the lyrics of the two songs which touched me just as strongly. The spanish melody is already romantic and moving (as most spanish ballads are), but the words are a beautiful poetry. Here are the lyrics and some translation for your appreciation..


SI TU NO ESTAS AQUI
(If you're not here)
performed by Rosana Arbelo


No quiero estar sin ti
I don't want to be without you
Si tu no estas aqui me sobra el aire
If you're not here, I don't need air
No quiero estar asi
I don't want to be this way
Si tu no estas la gente se hace nadie
If you're not there, people become nothing


Si tu no estas aqui no se
If you're not here, I don't know
Que diablos hago amandote
What in the devil's name I'm doing loving you
Si tu no estas aqui sabras
If you're not here, know
Que Dios no va a entender por que te vas
That God won't understand why you're leaving


No quiero estar sin ti
I don't want to be without you
Si tu no estas aqui me falta el sueño
If you're not here I can't sleep
No quiero andar asi
I don't want to be this way

Latiendo un corazon de amor sin dueño
A loving heart beating without an owner
Si tu no estas aqui no se...
If you're not here. I don't know...

Derramare mis sueños si algun dia no te tengo
I will cry away my dreams, If I don't have you some day
Lo mas grande se hara lo mas pequeño
The biggest thing will become the smallest thing
Paseare en un cielo sin estrellas esta vez
I will stroll in a sky without stars this time
Tratando de entender quien hizo un infierno el paraiso
Trying to understand who made a hell out of paradise
No te vayas nunca porque
Don't ever go because
No puedo estar sin ti
I can't be without you

Si tu no estas aqui me quema el aire
If you're not here the air burns me
Si tu no estas aqui no se...
If you're not here I don't know......
que Dios no va a entender por que te vas...
that God won't understand why you're leaving

Si tu no estas aqui...
If you're not here


CASI UN BOLERO
Almost a Ballad
performed by Ricky Martin

Suenan las campanas de mi mente
Ring the bells of my mind
que tristemente suenan por mi
that sadly sound for me
En esta casa sin gente
In this empty house
que me recuerda tanto, tanto a ti
that reminds me so much, so much of you

Esta maldita soledad
This damned loneliness
viene conmigo y conmigo va
Comes with me, and with me it goes
con tu foto sobre mi piel
With your photo against my skin
Suena en mi corazon
There rings in my heart
casi un bolero
almost a ballad

Y ojala estuvieras junto a mi esta vez, y muchas mas
And wishing you would be by me this time, and many more
Y ojala te viera junto a mi otra vez, y muchas mas
and wishing I would see you next to me again, and many more
La tristeza que te canto
The sadness I sing to you
se la va llevando el viento
Goes with the wind

Ahora que te busco me arrepiento
Now that I search for you I regret it
no se porque te deje marchar
I don't know why I let you go
nunca te dije te quiero
I never told you I loved you
no lo podias adivinar
couldn't you guess it

Con tu recuerdo siempre
Always with your memory
como un fantasma que no se va
like a ghost that does not leave
Pongo tu foto sobre mi piel
I put your photo against my skin
suena mi corazon
there rings in my heart
casi un bolero
almost a ballad

Y ojala estuvieras junto a mi
And wishing you would be by me
esta vez, y muchas mas
this time and many more
y ojala te viera junto a mi otra vez y muchas mas
and wishing I would see you next to me again, and many more

La tristeza que te canto
The sadness I sing to you
Se la va llevando el viento
Goes with the wind

Can't sleep. Blog-hopped. Helped myself to the links in Olive's page, and one of them led me to a page that led me to this:

Ganda no? I wish I could paint like that. It's Legacy, an oil on canvas painting by Amy Koslowski.

Mom knows me well.

Hundreds of miles away in Australia, she thoughtfully sends me three packs of Thai Sampaloc balls.

She must have known how, like when I was her little girl, I'd gleefully pop each ball into my mouth, loving the tug-o-war between the tang, sweetness, saltiness and spice.

Thai deli carts sells Thai sampaloc in malls, but it's the thoughtfulness and the attendant memories of a happy childhood that makes the three packs of Thai sampaloc from Mom a little piece of heaven. :)

ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO I was on YM with a friend who was egging me to summarize the Da Vinci Code for her as she didn't have time to read the book pa daw. I said I can't and I didn't want to, as doing so would be an injustice to Dan Brown, who in my opinion, did a superb STORYTELLING job, telling an engaging story by weaving historical facts, arguments, propositions seamlessly into a clean story replete with the elements of suspense, action, drama, even a love story.

The ESSENCE of the Da Vinci Code, for me is too complicated to be told second-hand or paraphrased. For one, if one sticks to telling the plot and leaving out important elements like the historical arguments/premises woven into the story (like the existence of a secret society called Prieure de Sion; the search for the Holy Grail, the role of Leonardo Da Vinci, etc.), the story becomes simplistic. Further, by sticking to but the plot, one leaves out the substantive context given by the book in weaving the historical roles played by Freemasonry, the Knights Templars, Paganism, Opus Dei, Holy Grail, etc. into the story. In both counts, the essence is lost, and you end up hearing about not the Da Vinci Code but just about any another story. So, what's my point? As beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, it is my belief that the essence of the Da Vinci Code can only be understood, and therefore, appreciated, solely by reading it. So sorry, I wouldn't summarize it. :) I have a copy I could lend out however. :)

Now, the second point... one for which I might draw some flak...

Some friends who I have encouraged to read the Code said they'd rather not, as they were told the "revelations" in the book are faith-shaking. While I respect that, this is my contention: if your faith gets shaken after reading the book, then it must've already been unfirm to start with. The book just highlighted the fact of your shaken faith. Philosophically, this is like saying "You shouldn't associate with prostitutes... you might find yourself wanting to be one.." If indeed you become a prostitute after association, you must have wanted all along to be one and just didn't know it. :D

You see, for me, faith is a lot like love. If you have faith in somebody or something, nothing you read, hear or see about that person or thing can change what you believe about that somebody or something. In the same manner, if you really love somebody, you love that person for no reason (other than the sake of being) and that love transcends time and all the things you will hear and know about that person. Nothing and no one from the outside can and should shake your faith or love. If your faith or love does change, then it probably wasn't faith or love in the first place.

Anyhow, I didn't want to sound philosophical (much less start an argument) on a Sunday morning at that. It's time to go to my kitchen now, time to start cooking and demonstrate my love for a good Sunday lunch. :)

May 21, 2005

Comments
Exactly my point, Anne!!! Making a summary of the story and telling it to a friend would do injustice to Brown and would eliminate the essence of reading and enjoying a very good book. And i totally agree with you on your second point. As much as I want to comment about this, I will just keep my mouth shut.
Nice blog site anne! Keep it up.
Posted by: Gay May 23, 2005 04:53 AM

Hi Gay! Glad to know we share mutual views about the book. Thanks too for dropping by and for reading my (rather long) blogs :) I'm further inspired to keep writing (and sharpening the saw).
Miss you!Anne :)
Posted by: Anneski May 25, 2005

For our 10th wedding anniversary (Feb. 24) Mike and I originally planned to spend a few nights in either Singapore, Bangkok, Xiamen or Shenzhen. Upon the (indirect) suggestion of my friendster, Jenn, (through "Christmas Hunnymoon") we went instead to The Farm at San Benito in Bgy. Tipakan, Lipa City, Batangas.

After settling in at one of the huts at the Sulu Terrace, we went to the Waterfall Pool, in an enclave called the Secret Garden. Surrounded by vines, large plants and big trees, and tickled by the lilting sound of falling water, we felt like Tarzan and Jane enjoying a dip in a jungle pond! :)

After that one-hour dip we showered and walked to the Salus Per Aqua, where we were treated to relaxation massage. The aroma of the oils (Rose for me and Sandalwood for Mike), the meditative music playing subtly at the background, the calming lights and atmosphere in the room, and most of all, the gentle but firm stokes on our tired, massage-hungry bodies lulled us to semi-sleep. We got up from the 60-minute session secretly wishing we had 60 minutes more...

We had dinner at the 85/15, the one and only restaurant in The Farm, which serves only live food -- raw, organic, vegetarian food. At the front desk we were told that the restaurant does not serve fish, meat and dairy products, so we braced ourselves for bland, inexciting food. (Actually, basing on Jenn's account of the food on her blog, we thought we'd go hungry and so we brought along a loaf of wheat bread and a jar of portoguese sardines for just-in-case.)

We were then pleasantly surprised to be served gourmet-looking food (complete with garnishes and flourishes), family buffet style. The second surprise was that we found ourselves actually liking the food. (Food pics and more stories here.) Third suprise? We didn't get hungry and didn't need our just-in-case stash, even if we played a mean round of Scrabble when we got back to our room. ;)

The following morning we woke early and took a walk, admiring the breathtaking landscape. (If I get to bet on the lotto and win, I'd buy and make myself a sprawling landscape like this.) We took pictures. Lots of them.







Our eyes satiated, we headed for 85/15 for breakfast, which was equally gratifying as the dinner of the night before. We then spent the remaining hours of the morning swimming - a few minutes in the pool by the Spa and then later, in the sunny area of the Southpool. It being a Saturday however (pay day for our staff), we had to check out at noontime and head home to reality. We promised to come back with the boys, and hopefully with some friends and family... and for more pictures! :)

Sabi ni Gat Jose Rizal, "Ang di magmahal sa sariling wika'y higit pa sa hayop at malansang isda." Dahil kaarawan niya bukas, at dahil mahal ko ang ating wika, at dahil gusto ko ng kaunting pagbabago, susubukan kong magsulat sa Filipino, na matagal-tagal ko na ding di ginagawa. :)

Oo nga pala, hindi nyo nalalaman, bagama't ang Communication Arts sa UP ay itinuturo sa dalawang wika -- Ingles at Filipino -- pinili namin ng aking bestfriend na si Haidz na mag-enrol sa Kom1, Kom2 at Kom3. Sa Kom2 nanaliksik at nagsulat kami ng papel tungkol sa Sex Education (o, say n'yo?) samantalang nagsulat at nagbigay naman kami ng mga talumpati sa Kom3 ('wag kayong mag-alala, hindi na sex education ang paksa).

Isinali pa nga ako ng mga (walanghiya kong) kaklase sa isang mala-Balagtasan na proyekto nila Candy Pangilinan at Eugene Domingo (noon pa lang, showbiz na ako) sa isa nilang subject noon bilang Speech majors... si Eugene ang emcee, at si Candy naman ang nagbigay ng isang napaka-galing na monologue bilang intermission number. Kuntodo costume ako noon, suot ko ang dilaw na Terno ng lola ko. Pwera biro. Aba, sa tingin n'yo, sa kikay kong ito magkakaroon ako ng sarili kong terno? At nagbiyahe pa ang lola ko mula San Pedro papuntang Diliman para lang panoorin ako't magbigay ng moral support. Sa lahat ng contestants doon, ako lang ang may kamag-anak sa audience...lola pa ha. :) Lab na lab talaga ako ng lola ko. Buti naman at nanalo ako.

============

Kanina, habang pinapalamig ko ang mga niluto kong Spaghetti meat sauce at noodles (na babaunin namin sa picnic namin bukas sa Sunken Garden), natiyempuhan ko ang "The Adventures of Maverick and Ariel" sa Channel 5. Dahil sa mas madalas na nakatutok sa Nickelodeon at Disney Channel ang aming TV, at dahil kung manonood naman ako'y sa AXN ako pumupunta (para sa CSI), di ko alam na meron palang gano'ng palabas.

Naaliw ako, una dahil maganda ang underwater shots (nag-snorkeling si Maverick at Ariel.. kung saan kukuha sana si Ariel ng starfish na pampasalubong sa mommy niya pero ipinabalik sa kanya ng guide ang starfish), pero ang talagang ikina-aliw ko (tawa ako ng tawa, para akong baliw) ay yung usapan ni Ariel at ng nanay niya. May mga eksena din si Maverick at ang nanay niya, pero comedy talaga ang nanay ni Ariel. Matanda na ang nanay, mukhang kagalang-galang, kaya hindi ko akalaing... makikipag-sabayan siya sa kabaliwan ng anak niya at humahataw din sa hirit. Ang kulit ng matanda! :) Heto. Pipilitin kong maikuwento ang usapan nila:

(Dahil naipangako ni Ariel na dadalhan niya ng starfish ang mommy nya, pero di sya pinayagan ng guide, iba ang binigay niya: ref magnets na starfish.)

Ariel : O, mommy, di ba promise ko sa yo na dadalhan kita ng starfish...

Mommy : Oo, asan na?

Ariel : Eto.. (iniabot ang plastic na may lamang 3 ref magnets na starfish.. isang blue, isang red at isang green)

Mommy: Hindi ito... alam ko ang starfish! (nakasimangot na nakatingin kay Ariel, parang gustong sabihin, 'Ano'ng akala mo sa akin, tanga?') Yung totoong starfish pag pinindot mo may lalabas pa na tubig!

Ariel : Sino'ng maysabi sa 'yo no'n, si Yamashita? Panahon pa ng hapon ang alam mo Mommy. Alam mo kasi, iba na ang Science ngayon, ang lahat ng bagay ng e-evolve. Gaya mo, dati matsing ka, ngayon, ganyan ka na...

(Samantalang nakikinig naman ang mommy, walang reaksyon. Si Ariel naman, pa-mwestra-mwestra ang kamay habang nagpapalusot...)

Ariel: May mga cross-breed-cross-breed sa Science, mommy. May mga animals na nako-cross breed sa plants, may mga plants, sa animals. Gano'n mommy.. gaya nyan... (itinuturo ang ref magnet na starfish na hawak ng mommy)

Sabay hirit ng mommy: "Eto, nag-cross breed sa PLASTIC? Plastic tong starfish na ito e!"

Hahahahahahaha.

(Nag-usap pa sila. Sinabi ni Ariel na aalis na sila ni Maverick papuntang Malaysia, para sumubok doon.)

ARIEL : Greener pastures, Mommy. Malay mo, makilala kami doon ni Maverick at sumikat kami. Mababasa mo na kami sa diyaryo!

MOMMY : Saan.. sa Tiktik?! (hahahahaha... malupet si Mommy!)

ARIEL: Kaya ayaw kong naglala-labas ka diyan sa kalye e. Kung anu-anong words ang natututunan mo!

Gusto ko gano'n din ako pagtanda ko... ayaw kong maging jologs na matanda kahit kailan. Ang lola ko, kikay pa din kahit matanda na. Ako, gusto ko, kikay na, magaling pang humirit.:)

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Alas-dose na... June 19 na..birthday na ng isa sa mga bestfriends ko (oo, mali kung tutuusin, kasi kaya nga best, nag-iisa...pero ano'ng magagawa ko kung marami silang best para sa akin?)... si Haidz (Mrs. Angeles na siya ngayon at mommy ni Galen).

Noong hindi pa ganito ka-komplikado ang mga buhay namin (bagama't noon ang akala namin wala nang kapantay sa pagiging masalimuot ang mga buhay namin) kami ni Haidz ang magkasama sa hirap at ginhawa...eternal blockmates...lunchmates... magkasama sa mga magdamagang pag-aaral sa Wendy's Quezon Ave... si Haidz ang aking takbuhan, hingahan, kasama sa pagsa-shopping ng isusuot sa date, taga-analyze ng mga nararamdaman at iniisip ko at number one fan ko, lalo na kung ang contest ay tungkol sa "sino ang mas maganda -- ang dating girlfriend, o ang ipinalit?" :) Ako naman ang takbuhan at hingahan nya tungkol kay Ayasib, taguan kapag nandiyan si Astroboy at ang kung sino-sino pang mga manliligaw na di pumasa sa panlasa niya. :)

Ang tagal na naming di nagkikita ni Haidz.. ang huli ay noong ikakasal pa lang siya kay Fred at ako ang nag-design ng invitation nila -- dahil nga sa komplikado na ang aming mga buhay (pareho kaming asawa, nanay, estudyante sa grad. school, guro, anak, kapatid, etc.) bukod sa naka-base na siya uli sa Batangas. Pero sa palagay ko, pag nagkita kami uli, bagamat ang dami naming pagkukuwentuhan, parang walang nangyari, parang nagkita lang kami kahapon at itutuloy lang namin ang kuwento kung saan kami natapos.