My sister’s been treating me to all sorts of things, and it’s been wonderful. Read more on our foray into the world of Philippine ballet (The Nutcracker) and into mainstream cinema (Mockingjay Part 1). [Though lbr, it’s been a couple of weeks. This is officially a Late Post.]

The Nutcracker

The Experience

The week before the gala performance, my sister invited me to come watch The Nutcracker with her. Being the faux cultured and sophisticated person that I am, I immediately said yes and made arrangements to make it happen. I wore a dress, cut my hair, ate some food and finally found myself in CCP. And then these things happened:

With us in the parterre (which is cool, and probably not a seat I’ll buy for myself until I get a filthy rich partner) were two of my sister’s friends.

The experience of watching ballet is unforgettable…… though not in the way you’d think. I discovered that I am not a big fan of ballet, and that my capacity to appreciate it is limited to maybe 3 minutes of YouTube vids. I think the lack of dialog or a clearly discernible flow of story was a barrier to my full enjoyment. Our fellow audience members were certainly enjoying the show though. There were copious amounts of clapping and shouting of “Bravo!” all around.

The Performance

This being my first ever ballet-watching stint, I have neither the experience nor expertise to compare Philippine Ballet Theater’s execution of the widely known classic. I’ve only got three things to say:

1. Tights. Going into this industry professionally requires a lot of confidence and probably even more exercise…… that is to say, I saw several male butts of shapely countenance.
2. Technicals. There were some mishaps with regards to lighting, sounds as well as mechanical effects throughout the show. This contributed a lot to my overall indifferent impression of the ballet.
3. Talent. I cannot deny that the performers were talented. There were a lot of turns and jumps and flexible bodies lying about, which. Awesome.

Mockingjay Part 1

The Experience

The sisterly bonding time during the opening Saturday was born out of circumstances. My mother had to go out and visit someone with her own friends, and she required what was basically a chaffeur or valet service. Sister and I spent the time inbetween drop and pick-up wisely in Glorietta. At this point, I would just like to express my sincerest thanks to my sister for spending both time and money for me, particularly because I only agreed to watch the latest Hunger Games installment if she paid for my ticket.

The Film

It was a good film, with strong acting, wonderful production design and a very nice soundtrack. There were some parts I didn’t appreciate, like the ill-directed scene cuts and transitions, and parts of the questionable plot. I think it’s a movie you can afford to miss in the cinemas. If you’re epileptic or especially sensitive to flashes of light, then I recommend you close your eyes at some portions of the movie.

The awesome soundtrack! *Slight spoiler.

xxx

Life Update

By the time this post goes online, I’ll be scribbling answers onto my nth exam this week (I’ve got 8 of them).