I had so much fun during this event. I have always regarded BlueWater Day Spa as our family's go to place for rest and relaxation. My Mom and Sister are regulars in the branch near our place and I don't even blame them at all. The superb service plus the whole experience had them hooked the first time they tried it. It's already been beneficial, when there are aches and pains because of everyday work, this serves as a refuge for them and they always invite me along if I'm free. I'm glad they still think of their well being despite being busy at home and in the workplace. I don't usually have that luxury, but I indulge if I can if time permits.
BlueWater Day Spa is not holding back on improving what they offer. They now have different varieties of wellness and beauty services. The SLASHIE life they mention is how to maintine that time to relax, take a breather and recharge even if we all have an active lifestyle. They have different ambassadors for different services.
Good looking Ervic Vijandre and Benjamin Alves pushes for their favorites which are the ATHLETE's MASSAGE and the TRADITIONAL FILIPINO HILOT. They've vouched on how it could actually relax, soothe tense nerves and eliminate cold spots especially at the back area. Man of the World 2017 Winner Mustafa Galal Elezali on the other hand prefers to do REVITA SHAPE TREATMENT because of the way it tones and slims the body parts where it matters most aesthetically. David Licauco on the other hand wants you to experience the COMBO HERBAL MASSAGE with VOLCANIC STONE HERBAL PACK. It's heat treatments with Swedish and Shiatsu massage combined. I think I tried a similar treatment in their Tomas Morato branch a couple of months ago, but if they've improved that, this is exciting!
I was a bit surprised though that they also have treatment for kids. Imagine, this place has INFANT MASSAGE which is done by appointment only.Give them a call and see how you can promote health and growth of your young ones. It also helps digestion, increases blood flow and boosts their immune system. That's going to translate remarkable improvement on your kid's health if you ask me. During the program, I liked how the Mom and Fabio Ide got so crazy with the kids. They were a lot to handle! LOL!
Kim Chiu was so gracious and so approachable outside the venue. She obliged fans of selfies including me! :) She's promoting what is called MLD or Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage. It's fit for those who don't want to have skin problems, sagging skin, PMS, sleep disorders, cramps, neck pains and lower back pains. Kim even told us how she experiences these things while shooting shows she appears in on ABSCBN. She suggests you do this twice a month because she does it too. If you want to avail of this you should book their services now!
If you want to know more about prices, like them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bwdspa and message them there. Or if you prefer, they have hotlines for every branch like 8173126 for Makati, 7420426 for Ortigas, 9524829 for Capitol Hills, 9151247 for Eastwood City, 09351304250 for Cotabato City and soon in Banawe QC.
I've seen this happen last year and got so envious with the people who did it... when I received an email inviting me this year, let's just say I was giddy to actually be part of it. JACK TV, one of my favorite cable channels showing some of my favorite cartoons and programs has been doing these events for quite some time now. In partnership with San Miguel Oktoberfest, we've been tasked to do JACK TV Night Crawlers. It's a pub crawl of some sort but a tad different because we're going to scour the favorite watering holes in Bonifacio Global City. It was traffic, but I braved all that and found myself lost at BGC's Burgos Circle which was the only location indicated on the invite. It became doubly hard to find the starting point because as soon as I walked around that area, it started to rain like hell hath no fury. I came alone and arrived at BUGSY's near that circle and found myself in the midst of millennial bloggers and about a handful of their Facebook contest winners, so it was quite awkward to note that I was joining a bunch of guys and gals whom I didn't know. I guess, just like the other pub crawls where you would generally have to turn strangers into friends. :)
At BUGSY's we were treated by the JACK TV team with quick mind games, asking about their shows like our life depended on it. The other team racked in points, although some of my team mates also answered really tough ones so it was quite okay even if they took this round. I bet my team mates are going to have the next ones.
We transferred to RUE BOURBON and the rain didn't let out. We stopped here and waited a bit thinking that it would eventually stop, but did the necessary things a pub crawl should have... and that's beer. Out of the local beers in the market, my preferred bottle is an ice cold San Miguel Super Dry. Always have, always will be. Oh and Rue Bourbon had those fancy nacho chips in different colors, which were quite good actually especially for beer match.
Albeit a little drizzle was trying to stop us from enjoying the evening, we got to DWNTOWN HALDSTED next. That place was almost full to the brim when we got there. There were expats, treating themselves to really good bar chow. They've got real good cocktails also going on at the bar. We had take over the whole front and play some games again. Of course as expected, our team won this round. They have very good food there as I mentioned earlier, so what better way to celebrate but by having a small dinner there.
They had a pretty good spread. From well decorated NACHOS, the SALTED EGG CALAMARES (do I need to convince you? LOL), and the CRISPY PATA (fried pork trotters). Oh and there's more! To know who would win the pub crawl matches, we went to RELIK which was a couple blocks away from our last restaurant. We had to ride the JACK TV trucks to get there.
To win in the final game, we had to use a contraption that had a ring on it. We had to drink a mug of draft beer first though which made us a little woozy. I'm so glad I listened to my team mates Brent, his Dad and his family. I mean who would have known that the ones who won the Facebook contest were actually relatives, that's how far I got to the conversation. It was nice to actually nice to know how they were enjoying the whole thing, I loved how I connected with them quite well because it was like they were cool with anything. They had interesting stories in between bottles, and now they're my Facebook friends. :) This was the part where I enjoyed it most. RELIK Restaurant and Bar played music during my heydays and the people on my table were all singing the same tune. We were like kindred spirits... we were a little drunk but hey, we WON! It was just the right place and right time to have CHICKEN SKIN and BUFFALO WINGS! It was so good we had to have seconds. Thank you so much to ZOMATO and JACK TV for having us in this JACK TV Night Crawl!
Thanks to you I now have new friends, I had had so much fun too that evening. I hope I get invited in the next ones because I heard they are planning a lot of events in the future! Thanks again JACK TV!
If you want to experience the same things I did, head on over to the JACK TV Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/solar.jacktv/ and their official website www.jacktv.ph.
I am so happy that Roald Dahl's MATILDA The Musical is having it's Manila staging at the Meralco Theater this November 10. We've got very talented kids and I'm sure it was a breeze to actually see talent in the country fit for a Broadway musical. I love the movie so much that up to this day I still look forward to the HBO reruns for the movie version. It would be quite interesting to see how they would be able to translate that and tell the story through music.
This book by Dennis Kelly has gone and taught a lot of kids around the world about being good, about hope, friendship and love and for sure Tim Minchin already proved how his music and lyrics would encompass age as this will also be entertaining for adults. It will run from November 10 to December 10 and if you haven't planned anything to do this Christmas, wouldn't it be a good thing to have an early gift for a change?
Esang, Uma and Kyle will be alternating in Matilda's role. The kids uttered:
"Yes actually I've watched the broadway musical, this is a dream role for me. It teaches us to never give up if we have our dreams!"
"I've watched the movie and also adore the book. I am dreaming because this just feels surreal for us. Even if you're little you can do a lot. I have always wished to become someone like Lea Salonga."
"If you want something, you can do it and never give up!"
It's one of the most exciting musicals this year and Atlantis Theatrical Productions have done a really great job choosing the kids and the rest of the cast. We talked to them right after a short press conference at Marco Polo this evening.
We sat down with Joaquin Valdez who's playing the character of Harry Wormwood who is the father of Matilda. He says "It was a character that was completely out of our personal image so in a way it's a bit difficult. I play an escapologist, Matilda likes books and I go between that and a fantasy story, like a dual role of a slimy abusive father and that perfect one she wishes for. It's an interesting take because it's not done in the broadway version, a personal touch of Direk Bobby. Matilda can move things, because her mind is that strong. He sent me a message a couple of months back and this was really a stretch, I just jumped in. People who know me were really surprised.
This is the first time I'm playing this character and I think it's a test, it's a nice dynamic. We get to discover a lot of new things especially with the kids. I started out in theater when I was 11 and when puberty hit, I couldn't play roles. I signed up with a pop vocal group, I studied film making, but I still go back to theater. Until recently I made a decision to do this full time. I went into advertising, but this was really something that I looked for. You'll really go back to theater. I am more comfortable with English, it's nice to do an original but my training has been really there."
Jamie Wilson (whom I loved in Kinky Boots by the way) plays Agatha Trunchbull the evil head mistress. In broadway and west end, they require to actually have the man play the part because of the physical requirements they have to have like throwing kids and stuff around. He says "I play the principal of the school, the antagonist, I get to scream at kids, provide horror. It's a female character which initially I didn't know was actually commonly played by men in different stagings. I'm going to be in an outfit. It may have been played by a female one in the movie but there's a lot of magic on stage that happens, she's an olympic hammer throw champion. I was shocked initially because they made me learn Ms. Trunchbull's part. I may or may not have a harness, but there's a lot of theater tricks because it's really exciting. It's a matter of building trust, of safety, of guidance, even if it's repetitive, it's a nice opportunity for professionals. They're like midgets, like adults in small bodies.
My whole family has been in theater, and I have been doing this for 37 years. My father is Johnny Wilson but he discouraged us, I was one of the first MTV VJ's, even before Donita Rose. I did a few movies, but the process of theater was just so good. I was really bit by the theater bug. We had 2 months of rehearsals, you've seen Atlantis do productions and they invest in this heavily because they have international standards. Theater has been here quite long, but it never became as big as this. Now you have shows every week, people can choose, from Shakespear, to activist shows. Internet made it easy to market everything. They are attracted to something live, to sing big songs, the risks, the tensions and it's not practiced. So you'll see a lot of that in this project."
Mrs. Zinnia Wormwood is played by Carla Guevara Laforteza, a star magic artist. She says "She's a neglectful mother, always with her DI and only wanted money from her husband. She had hate for Matilda, but these kids are so much of my babies. These children, they are like the future of international theater but they are such naturals. They can teach get the international actresses a run for their money. I'm not a dancer but I had to study for this one. I have three children at home, but here it's a gazillion. They run crazy, but I always go early so I can prepare myself. I have been in the industry for about 25 years. I've worked with children before but not this many. I did Hansel and Gretel, I played a Nun, but this was a real mother to child thing.
They are very disciplined when they passed the auditions, they briefed them and had child wranglers while we are at work. They are kept busy, sometimes have too much fun but they are controlled. I watched the movie, I watch adaptations but I watch it because I want to make sure I don't duplicate them and just bring out a personality that is natural or similar to me so I can play it like my own interpretation. If you watch it here, it's got more heart. It's not mechanical, that's the difference. It has more heart and that's what make it special. In this one, it's going to be a woman that doesn't care what her husband does, but I'll try to be more lovable. That's what I was trying to do in this case."
Ms. Emeline Celis Guinid plays Ms. Phelps the librarian. She's on one of the most pivotal scenes because she's the librarian who's going to make Matilda's mind soar high. She says "This musical is much like a gold mine, if you see the kids perform, dance, even if I don't have songs I have to interact with her storytelling. I have to listen to it all. Esang can pick up lines easily, I think that's what is good with the kids because they can absorb fast. They might be three kids, but they have their own strengths and they really tell the story legibly. You naturally just pay attention. I did one day of audition for this and waited for their call. This is a great experience all in all!"
The soft spoken and pushover Ms. Honey will be played by Cris Villonco. She utters "Oh my god, having 20 kids around, I'm not really used to that. It's a lot of fun watching them focus, and enjoy the music and choreography like it's not work for them. They sang the songs with so much gusto, so much energy. They knew what exactly what to do, even know the script better than me at times. They were singing, I was crying at times because in my time it wasn't like this. Their parents must be really proud. It was hard to keep them quiet at times, but man, they get all the choreography without dumbing it down. They had 4 hours to do it and it wasn't a challenge for them at all. You'll see the songs come alive, I hope even in Meralco you get to see their heart in the show. I think the adults learned more from them, we get to teach them accents but they know their music and lines. I come in one day and they even know OUR parts. They are good, even if they are tired from school takes discipline to do a show. Their grades are monitored too, I applaud the parents for trusting the handlers because these kids are so good.
This play isn't about us, it's about them. Every child is different, they could learn a thing or two about them not being alone. It was Matilda who pushes Ms. Honey to have more courage. Kids handle bullies, adults handle bullies, all in live theater. Whether mistakes are made, you'll love the magic and I hope children see this in schools. I hope they enjoy it as much as we do. I auditioned when I was 9 for Les Miserables, but I wasn't as talented as compared to these children. It's simply overwhelming seeing them dance, sing and you wonder where it comes from. They do it with love. I guess the exposure to different talent shows, to Youtube, they're learning a lot and knowing there are talented kids around the world too. The Philippines should be recognize as a hub for talent. There's no talk about that yet in putting them in international staging, but some of the boys in the cast are already part of Lion King. My character is more pushed around in this show, some little stunts will happen. Let's see when we do technical rehearsals because we are moving there on Sunday for the first time. It will be magical, I promise you that!"
Oh and for a great parting shot, let me share with you this performance earlier. If you're impressed, remember to buy a ticket eh?
Again, MATILDA The Musical will start on November 10 until December 10, 2017. If you're interested in making your kids watch the show, make sure they are around 7 and up as we don't want to make kids bother other theater watchers okay? It's a great way to bond with your family over a great story, great songs and show. You may purchase tickets at Ticketworld.com.ph or call 8919999. I'm watching too, hopefully on the actual opening date!
When she plays music, they all come. Ashley Rivera loves this game. She's been around the world and donnes her social media accounts, but she's always in the best clubs and music festivals. She isn't just playing pretty, she's walking the talk. This is why Vivo Philippines believe in her, she made her part of Vivo Philippines' endorsers.
She also mans her blog and on her recent social media posts, she wanted you to see how she's taking advantage of the Vivo V7+. She's also enjoying the V7+’s AK4376A Hi-Fidelity audio chip which makes the experience of listening to music be brought to a whole different level. The V7+ also has a 5.99” display so she watches videos and movies non stop when it's her off day. With the 84.4% screen to body ratio it won't be an ordinary game and visual experience if you are fond of it. She hopes it would entertain her hundred thousand followers on Instagram. Because as she tried the Vivo V7+, the 24MP clearer selfie just stands out. It's why she's got crisp and natural looking photos these days.
Ashley will also be joining the rest of the Vivo endorsers in mall tours around the country. This would last until the last quarter so make sure you follow their social media channels and visit their website to know more. It's at www.vivo.com/ph and their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/VivoPhil. You can also follow them on Instagram @vivophil and @vivo_phil on Twitter.
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