Changed My Mind About Defying 40

I have changed my mind. I’m not throwing a concert-party when I turn forty, after all.

I posted twice about my grand plans for a showcase of talents here and my own playlist here. But since then, so many things have happened that have convinced me that I do not have the amount of energy for an event of such proportions that my wild imagination invented. It was easy to conceptualize when I was in Sydney; but being back in Manila, I had to face the reality of turning 40.

My friends are really busy. My health commands my attention. I can embrace the gift of life in solitude and in simplicity. There are things to do and I have to conserve resources for what are truly important in life.

I still want to defy 40, but I guess I’ll just limit it to not looking my age. I am grateful for my genes because this healthy, Asian skin is not prone to wrinkles. So I look maybe about 26. 🙂

Definitely, there will be some food, some drinks, my real friends, and my family. That should be enough.

All right, let’s do this, July!

 

Defying Forty: A Showcase of Talents

I launched an idea last weekend to some friends to see if they were in. I wanted to have a show where my friends and I could share the talents that God gave us, especially for those who had pursued different professions but were amazingly gifted. I wanted to defy aging and to show how talented every person is! I knew that those who would embark on this project with me would experience a greater connectedness with their own souls and find joy in expressing themselves through art.

In less than 24 hours, I got the following confirmed contributions:

• A poem
• Calligraphy for invites, souvenirs, etc.
• A glass painting
• Acrylic on canvas painting
• A song/video collaboration
• A standup comedy/ musical performance
• Help with script and hosting
• A dance number. Make that two dance numbers!
• A TED-inspired talk
• A piano solo

Others are still mulling about what to contribute to the project, and are warming up to the idea. Most of these friends need  just a little push to expose their hidden talents again.

I want to show that people in their 40s are cool and that they were not born grownups. This is me meeting my 40th birthday with a bang. Of course, friends have said that I was the only person they knew who could pull this off. I surely hope we pull it off!

I am still cooking up related ideas to this project, in terms of focus and purpose, but already I am excited and looking forward to working on it during my spare time. 😉

Watch this space.

A Piece of Sky

Last week, I watched an unforgettable concert with my parents entitled “The Legends & The Classics” featuring our favorite artists: prima ballerina Lisa Macuja, concert pianist Cecile Licad, and Broadway/Disney star Lea Salonga.  I suggest you read the reviews that I Googled for you, if you have time.

This was the second to the last song. I was really moved by the whole concert, but the last line “Papa, watch me fly” struck me, because just when Lea was hitting the highest note, Lisa Macuja flew on stage.

So I searched for the song and found the original version by Ms. Barbra Streisand from the movie Yentl. I realized just now how much that movie had in common with the Disney classic, “Mulan.” Watch it with me:

A Piece of Sky

I should write more about how I felt while watching the show, and what each of the artists meant to me, especially Ms. Cecile Licad, who had been my idol since childhood when I was still starting to play the piano.

Lea Salonga, well I have watched her in many concerts and I am a huge fan. Ironically, I wished the most to be Lisa Macuja while watching the show. Perhaps because that was the dream I had the least opportunity to pursue: to be a ballet dancer.

I am pursuing other dreams now for I am no longer content to watch a piece of sky. Watch me fly. (Enter spinning Lisa Macuja who then flies up in the air to touch the sky.)

U2 360º: One Elevating Concert

I never thought I would one day be watching a concert by that Irish rock band U2 in a stadium with a seating capacity of 80,000 people. But that’s what I found myself doing last Tuesday here in Sydney.

I learned that the U2 360º tour will land in Sydney around the same time that I will be vacationing here with my family. So months before my trip, I got in touch with some friends who would want to watch with me. My schedule matched with a very good friend from law school and we excitedly booked our tickets.

I grew up listening to U2 because of my brothers. Later on my nephews picked up the band’s songs, thus making them family favorites. So while I was inside ANZ stadium with tens of thousands of people, I wished my family could watch the concert too.

The stage was jaw-dropping. It was a space ship with giant claws and a riveting screen that could be seen all around the stadium. This screen  amazed me and my friend as it expanded and contracted, sending the most spectacular images to us. I watched on the second night, and I heard from a friend who was there on opening night that the band added more songs. I didn’t hear “Stuck In a Moment” but all my other favorites were there: Pride (In The Name of Love); Elevation; Sunday, Bloody Sunday; Where the Streets Have No Name; One; I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For; All I Want is You; New Year’s Day; and so much more.

I came to dance and sing, but somehow the people around me did not want to stand up for most of the show. They looked like they had all come from work and were generally reserved. Either that or they were too young to know the other songs. My friend and I, on the other hand, were stunned and mesmerized by the lights. We wanted to make the most of the concert by standing up to join the party! We should have bought tickets to the Red Zone but those cost thrice as much as what we paid for. I heard, however, that the organizers gave away unbought tickets at the last minute to fill up the stadium. And I met someone who got lucky enough to get an upgrade from the bleachers to the front seats. Oh, how I envied him.

In hindsight, I appreciated my vantage point because I could see the whole stage from where I was sitting. My beloved Lumix LX5 also was able to capture the moment in HD. I can’t upload the videos here because its format is not recognized by WordPress, but if you’re my Facebook friend, you can check my videos there.

For now, just enjoy the photos and imagine the energy, the music, and the magic of that night:

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Luigi the Rock Star

Luigi the Rock Star, originally uploaded by galadriella2007.

I just love this shot. When my 13-year old nephew played with his dad’s band, I was there with his mom and brother to witness the rising of a rock star.