Ginugunita Kita - A Marriage of Literature and Music; A Tribute to Maningning Miclat!

The beauty of giving tribute to someone is that it is simply celebrating life, regardless whether the recipient is dead or still living.  The musical tribute that I have witnessed was truly a wonder to watch because of the marriage of poetry, music and those who loved and still loves Maningning Miclat - a tri-lingual poet and painter.

Maningning Miclat, just to give you a brief background, is a published author, a tri-lingual poet, prize winning artist, an interpreter and an art teacher at the Far Eastern University.  She passed away at a young age of 28 but has left behind a legacy - a legacy of poems and paintings that speaks volume to people.

Thru the vision of Talent Factory, Inc., the production of a suiting tribute was created.  The creative mind of Roeder Camanag, director, helped weave the story that would showcase the marriage of works between the poet and multi-talented composer Jesse Lucas.  Along with fellow artist, Delphine Buencamino (dancer/choreographer), Al Gatmaitan (singer-actor), Nasser Lubay (new media artist) and Patrick Espanto (cellist), the production Ginugunita Kita was born!  To give life to the poems-set-into-music is no other than Maningning Miclat's sister, theater artist Banaue Miclat-Jansen.

My review:

The music placed by Jesse Lucas was a delight to hear!  It has the right elements to truly make one feel the underlying emotions in the poem of Maningning Miclat.  It wove a spell on its own by creating that bridge to connect the people to the writings of this poet.  The harmony that is carries was enough to be the stage of the words that Maningning wrote into paper 28 years ago.

The stage

The blocking set by Roeder Camanag is classic.  In dancing it would have been coded as Do-Si-Do, the basic triangular formation of key elements on stage.  The cellist spot on the upper left stage, the piano at the upper right stage and a solo seater and side table on a carpet at the center.  It left the downstage area open for movements to be given by Delphine during her interpretation of a piece and Al during their duet.  Giving the centerstage the spotlight it deserves with out the needed literal spotlight.

I would like to applaud Delphine Buencamino for her dance piece! From its base moves to something totally unplanned  . . . I LOVE IT!  (This is coming from a former dancer and stage performer.) 

Banaue Miclat-Jansen is a performer worth hearing!  Her voice is enough to give life to the married works of her sister and Lucas!  Her enunciation is clear to the last letter, her notes are right on the spot and her heart is where it should be.  She gave enough emotion to make the songs come to life without overwhelming  the audience.  As she sings, you can see her see her sister as a person, an artist and a person she loves dearly, something that she clearly expresses when she sang Verse #2.

The only mar in the event was the question thrown in by a fellow media attendee.  It was off and uncalled for.  To quote one of the guiding principle of the company where I used to be connected with: "Respect for the individual" .  Thankfully the people behind the production was graceful enough to answer it in style.  Enough of that moment.

The whole presentation was truly captivating in all its essence!  If given the chance to get a recorded copy of this production I will grab one - it is that good and beautiful! 

Photos:

(Photos used, except of poster image, were personally taken by me during the event)

The Stage:

Centerstage

The piano -upstage right

Cellist area - upstage left

  

The Performers/People Behind the production

Back row: Roeder Camanag, Alma Miclat (Mother), Jesse Lucas
Front Row:  Delphine Buencamino, Banaue Miclat-Jansen, Al Gatmaitan

Scenes from the program:

Gourmet Farms: Celebrating 28 years of Delivering Organic Produce and Great Coffee

I haven't made any set of article for a certain place for a year now (the first was last year for Qaldi Cafe) and here I am faced with a place that offered me multiple angles that it gave me a challenge to write everything in one seating.  This is the first of a set of articles that I have written about this wonderful place called Gourmet Farms.

                                               *                          *                        *

28 years ago, Mr.Escaller, owner and founder of Gourmet Farms, started the business with coffee bean trading.  With the desire to help the local farmers improve their crop and livelihood, he ventured into farming.  What initially started as a hit-and-miss thing is now a science for the people of Gourmet Farms.  From raising and roasting the perfect coffee bean, to harvesting herbs and vegetables produce organically grown and to serving dishes showcasing their farm produce, Gourmet Farms has indeed came a long way from where it was.

The Gourmet’s Café and Country Store

Their roadside all-day breakfast café serves various breakfast meals – from fresh-baked breads sprinkled with their herbs to Filipino favorites to healthy omelettes.  An express chiller is also made present for various salads and lettuce wraps are available to-go.  All Gourmet Farms product is made available in the roadside store.  From coffee beans to herbal teas, freshly picked lettuces and potted herbs, salad dressings and homemade vegetable chips; always available, all the time.  Freshly baked cakes and pastries are also served and you can pair it off their one of a kind chillers or coffee freshly brewed.

The Dining Room

From the café, a white domed structure is seen. What seems like a plain structure is really a place of dining experience.  The menu is Mediterranean-inspired.  It also boasts of a salad bar that showcases the organic produce of the farm and generous Gourmet’s dressing.  The pizza and pasta selection also reflects the farm produce in the most innovative way possible.  Under the hands of Executive Chef Enrico Molera , the freshest proteins, organically grown greens and herbs and coffee are then blended perfectly!  Showing that healthy food can be tasty and filling too.

The Roasting Facility and Manufacturing Plant

Am to help the life of the local farmers, Gourmet Farms not only educate them but also hires them to be part of the team.  Even with the technology present, manual steps are still being made to ensure 100% quality in all their offerings.  From beans to greens packing to salad dressing bottling, safety and quality is highly observed in the whole facility.  With their present roasting facility, Gourmet Farms can give a business the coffee flavor that they desire and need, delivered not more than 3 days from roasting.  No roasted coffee bean is stored for too long in the plant in ensure freshness and flavor.  For the produce, once harvested, it goes straight into the cleaning line, then into packing, straight to your dining plate, making sure that it stays fresh from the day it was picked.  

The Sanctuary of St. Joseph

At the heart of the whole facility is a place where an individual or a small group may undergo reflection.  Believing that there is indeed a Higher Being guiding us all, The Sanctuary of St. Joseph is established to remind everyone of this fact - allowing them to detached from the busy life and reconnect with Him.  A trained personnel is there to guide them thru the place and serve as facilitator too.  Limited but spacious sleeping areas are available for those who would like to spend some time in this place.  The whole area is so tranquil that you would never think that you are in the middle of a farm with people working around you.

The Farm

Established and declared as an organic farm, Gourmet Farms follows both traditional and scientific farming practices.  Per land area is set to raise a specific type of green that is rotated per season to allow the soil to regenerate.  Plants meant to attract insects and pest are planted on strategic areas to protect the herbs and produce.  Green houses are also set in some areas to help grow herbs that need special condition to grow abundantly. 

With people truly understanding the need of their produce and that of the soil, it is no wonder that they are able to deliver tons of lettuces and culinary herbs on a monthly basis. And these are the same lettuces that find it way in several institutions – from hotels, to café, to restaurants.

Dr. Jason Penaranda (middle)

As an advocate to organic farming, they have their own decomposing site that makes use of night crawlers.  From here, fertilizers are then generated that is to be used in the farm.  The principle of from land to land; “What the land has given us; we are simply giving it back.  It gave life and we are giving life back to the soil by avoiding chemically created fertilizers.”, as stated by Dr. Jason Penaranda or most commonly called as Dr. J., resident doctor and Digital and Social Media Marketing Manager of Gourmet Farms.

·                                    *                                  *

With a team of individuals that believes in the advocacy of Mr. Escaller of bringing the freshest produce to the dining table and improving the farming methodology of the Philippines, Gourmet Farms which started out as a hobby by an individual is now a well established business delivering what they claim and promise to the people.

Ms. Ginny de Villa

From the best coffee blends to the freshest greens and herbs, Ms. Ginny de Villa – Head, Corporate Planning Director and Corporate Marketing & Sales states that, “Gourmet Farms shall always be true to what we say.  The Freshest produce, the Finest coffee and the First in organic farming! Add to that another first, the First in the market to deliver what you need”.

Why Eau Thermale Avène?

With too many skin products right now in the market, it is quite a challenge to know which shall we use and keep.   Skin care products needs to match our skin type and needs.  In this age of technology, it is sad to say that we have a higher percentage of people having sensitive skin.  

What is sensitive skin?

In order to conclude and understand the concern for people with sensitive skin, we would need to understand the definition of ‘SENSITIVE SKIN”. What is ‘sensitive skin exactly?  A skin is considered sensitive, when the skin easily reacts to a foreign agent and the result is an inflammatory reaction.

Many factors contribute to such reaction, but the common acknowledgment is on two deciding factors. Number one namely as the alteration of barrier function; when skin is daily aggressed, it will modify itself by bringing disorder to the cutaneous permeability that is associated with cutaneous microcirculation. Once the barrier function is modified, it becomes deficient and the result is that the cutaneous tissues will favor the penetration of irritating factors that provoke the release of inflammatory factors, and which results to itching, redness and even pain. The other factor is named to be neurogenic phenomenon:  the skin is prone to a particular foreign agent that when in contact will activate the release of neurotransmitters, in which the result is inflammation or pain sensation.

In general, sensitive skin is also known as hyper-reactive skin. These skins are characterized with low tolerance threshold to the usually tolerated external stimuli. These are also skins that react more rapidly and stronger to the external stimuli in comparison to the standard measurement.  When skin is now diagnosed for being “sensitive”, it is suggested that we pay more attention in taking care of it, and “medically –proven” skin care products are highly suggested.

In general, most skin is sensitive in some degree. The degree of the sensitiveness lies within genetically. Almost everyone has some factors that contributes to their skin allergic reaction, and is almost unavoidable. However; in extreme case, if one is considered “naturally sensitive”, the person is predisposed to develop vulnerable skin pattern. The outcome is tight and tingly skin that can be easily burned and sometimes red or itchy. The ‘naturally sensitive” skin also tends to react to the slightest upset in environmental changes. Unfortunately, the degree of sensitivity is very difficult to judge from external examination, so it is easily neglected. A skin might look perfectly normal from visual examination, but in fact under the apparent surface, there are light inflammations and a little scaly. The one test to determine if one is “Naturally sensitive” is the “stinging test”. The test uses diluted acid solution around the nostrils of the patients, and the feedback of the stinginess from the patient is used to determine if one’s skin is being considered as “naturally sensitive”, or not.

There is also another form of “sensitive skin” that differs from that of the “naturally sensitive”, in which we named as “sensitive in reaction”.  The skin that are “sensitive in reaction” refer to skin that became sensitive due to the influence of aggravating external factors. Factors from climatic aggression (sun, snow, dry climate, etc.), cosmetic aggressions (cosmetic product with harsh or irritating surfactant) to dermatological aggression (laser, peeling and other dermatological procedure.), all contributes to decrease in skin’s capability in functioning as the natural barrier for one’s body. The result is the penetration of irritating agents that induce itching, tingling, stinging and tightness.

Why Eau Thermale Avène

Eau Thermale Avene originates from Avene; a small town in southern France, it is famous for its thermal spring water with healing capability. For the past three hundred years, this thermal spring water has been used to provide treatment to various skin conditions that includes wounds from burns during the great Chicago fire in 1871. This thermal spring water, or now known as Eau Thermale Avène continue its advocacy in the skin treatment by establishing a hydrotherapy center that caters to 8000 patients a year.

Today, by using Eau Thermale Avène as the active ingredient, Eau Thermale Avene has now evolved from a single thermal spring water to become a whole range of skin care products that are widely used and prescribed by the dermatologists around the world. From a simple aero canned thermal spring water to cleansers, moisturizers and toners, to sunblock, Eau Thermale Avène has something designed to help you have better skin condition. 

So, Why Eau Thermale Avène? 

Harry Tsai

“Because this is the brand that is known and has been proven to be effective for reducing or clearing the symptoms of skin sensitivity for the past 300 years.”, as stated by Harry Tsai, General Manager of Karihome – a member of Orient EuroPharma Group.

For me, this is one product that works!  I am not just saying this because I was  asked to but because I personally saw the effects of this wonderful mist.  What they claim is simply true! Because of the healing properties of the water, any inflammation that you may experience due to allergic reaction may then be controlled once sprayed with this product.  Which is why dermatologist recommends the usage of this product because of its healing properties.  Properties that aids in the quick healing of your skin.

Their sun care line is also good.  True that it is only SPF 50 when compared to other sunblock lotions, but it is enough for daily sun protection, something that we need.  It not only protects your skin but moisturizes too.  It also comes in 3 tints that matches your skin color.

I personally am using their mist and sunblock the whole summer season and it is good!  It may be a bit expensive when compared to other products in the market but it sure is worth it!  I am 40 and love the way my skin looks! 

Eau Thermale Avène is available in selected Watsons and Mercury Drug outlets in major malls.

Theater Review: KPANLL, A Musical That Has A Lesson In and About Life

After witnessing the teaser during the press launch, the press preview and two shows thereafter,   I could now say an honest-to-goodness review about this daring staging of Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady by Dalanghita Production.

I call it daring because, for a new stage producing team, a musical is not and never is an easy piece to mount.  With no hit productions yet under their belt, Perterean Brinas, Ansis  Sy and Claudia Fernandez took everything in a stride and started all the needed steps to make an original  one-act piece into a musical wonder.  A musical would always call for good and sellable set of performers to make people go for it.  A musical also needs a good creative team to create that music and world that the performers will give life to.  If staging a straight play is a challenge at time, then simply magnify those challenges ten folds or even more when you are staging a musical; and this is no standard musical for it is an original piece.  It is a make or break endeavor.

Ansis Sy, Claudia Fernandez and Perterean Brinas

Such challenges were simply taken into stride by Dalanghita Production when they decided to stage this piece.  Together with the same creative people behind the hit Zsazsa Zaturnnah ze Muzikal, they started the journey mid of 2014 with an audition that took months for the results to come out.  Not because they were all busy but because of the thorough screening that they did to all cast members.  And it paid off!  They have a powerful cast that is talented and known in the theater and music industry.  They were also able to pull in other individuals, all talented, known and respected in their own field – lights, production design, choreography and music.

All is set.

Part of the Cast (Press Launch)

When they had the press launch a month back, the team already showed promise in terms of a worthwhile stage production.  The voices were great.  The songs presented then were catchy enough to make retention in your mind.  The energy of those involved were that palpable that you get a feel of more to come.

Come the press preview night.

KayumangGilas

Despite the tension, technical glitches and other minor things not common to happen on a press night; they have a show, as stated also by their director, Chris Martinez.  As of that time, writing about the experience was a challenge.  There were some things that I fell short for me and I need to see the alternates (Yes I know. It is bad to compare but that is something one has to expect when there is a point of comparison, or in this case – an alternate cast that is also talented and powerful.).

Days after the press preview, I took the time and opportunity to watch it for the 2^nd and 3^rd time and boy was there development!  The running was tighter now.  The actors were able to develop more their characters – in the vernacular “hinog na”, and it manifested with the additional movements that they applied in certain scenes.  The throwing of lines was more spontaneous and has a more normal conversational appeal.  Some of the props and effects were made present after the press preview.  Not that it affected the press preview in the negative way but their presence in the succeeding shows truly improved each scenes.  After watching it for 3x and hearing the alternates do their role, this explains the reason as to why the results of the audition took so long to be released.  Visually, you would see the difference of the alternates but voice wise, they sound the same!  They have the same sound quality that when you hear one, you will hear the same with the other.  I have a hunch that this was so after watching it for the second time around and confirmed things after the third viewing.  This fact was not shown during the press launch but became evident during the actual show.

Bituin Escalante as Mely

Frenchie Dy as Mely

The music was great!  Composed by Vincent De Jesus, his creation has a strong retention and with lyrics that are catchy.  He simply created songs that showed the voice of all the singers/performers and hi-lighted their skills as a performer.  It was playful, it was touching, it was simply a masterpiece to say the least.  

The production design, done by Tuxqs Rutaquio, was interesting enough to pull things off and truly create a world where super powered individuals really live.  His costume designs were inspired by some comic designs, thus making that connection with comic readers.  I love the costume of Madre De Dios!  It is so Magdalene inspired!  The lights were designed by no other than the infamous John Batalla!  If you truly want a light show on stage, then you have to get John Batalla.  His interpretation was great that he was able to do a visual show throughout the musical.

The script was a blast!  Written by Carlo Vergara  and assisted by Perterean Brinas, the lines were both hilarious and perfect in the cross setting that the world of Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady is set. Cross setting because they have a mid-level family in a world where super powered individuals live also; it demand lines that are simple but with a punch.  Aided with songs that are also lyrically balanced, the conversation created is something that captures the viewers.

The actors were a delight, from press launch till now!  Bituin Escalante and Frenchie Dy, alternating as Mely, were both fantastic!  Their interpretation may differ but the way they sound is so scarringly  the same.  Bituin's interpretation is someone who has stopped believing in love due to past experience and present need in life.  She is someone you could classify as jaded.  Frenchie's take on her character is someone who has felt loss in life but still believes that love is true and real.  Two different attacks but  has the same emotional punch when they sang Kasalanan Ko, the aria made for their character Mely.  Same can be said with Markki Stroem and Hans Eckstein, alternating as Leading Man.  Markki takes the cake when it comes to visual appeal, while Hans has the "Prince Charming" voice.  Markki sounds good, don't take me wrong but it is Hans who has that rich timbre that would truly captivates you and imagine him as Prince Charming in any fairy tale you can think of.

The actors playing the part of Fuwerza Filipinas and KayumangGilas were a delight also!  I have my favorites on the roles of Senyor Blangko and Jeryc Sans Rival - not because of humor but the way they brought their characters to life (it pays to be a dancer/mover)!  I just felt a slight mismatch during the fight scene between the two groups (it could have been a director prerogative but for a comic lover point of view, you match a hero to a villain based on their skills - see Marvel vs DC storyline.)

Fuwerza Filipinas

Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady is truly a work that is all original in terms of music, dialogues and setting.  It has a concept that we have played in our minds at some time in our life. Despite the representation that the characters may show, something that may disturb some and the reason as to why I didn’t wrote this experience after the press launch, the true lesson this musical has was delivered at the end between Mely and Viva : “Ano Viva, handa ka na bang maging Leading Lady?” – something that we ask ourselves when placed at a decision point.  After failing, moving forward and finding our ourselves back at the same decision point, are we ready to do it the second time around armed with the lessons in life and do things right?  Are you ready to take the spotlight?

Watch this wonderfully created world of Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady at the PETA Theater Center and see if the hero/leading man/ leading lady in you is ready to come out and take the centerstage in your life. 

Photos:

(all photos posted were personally taken by me all though out the events mentioned - Press Launch, Press Preview, Actual Show)

Press Launch:

Press Preview:

Scenes: