Dulce sings You Light Up My Life

I was going through my old video files from my Nokia N73 phone which was stolen almost a year ago and I re-discovered the 2008 Gospel Jam videos. Here is Dulce's upbeat rendition of You Light Up My Life. Enjoy and be blessed.

Gospel Jam September 20, 2009

Mark Aranal opening the night with "How Beautiful"

Mark, Ehdd Arquiza, Isabella de Leon and Aba Lluch Dalena sang the Gospel Jam theme song. Anything goes in a live performance, I think this is the first time that Ehdd and Aba are singing the theme song on stage and it showed, but they did pretty well. Watch how Aba handles technical problems with the microphones. Isabella's talent, pretty face and youthful exuberance brings life to any performance.

Carol Bello accompanied by Aba and Marvin blessed us with three gospel songs.

The all all male group of F40 rendered 2 songs.

Angels wearing traditional Filipino Baro't Saya

Have you ever wondered what those angels on top of the Quezon City Memorial Circle monument look like up close? I have since I was a kid, and growing up in the area and passing by it almost every day, it’s a curiosity that never got an answer… until now.

This is the first time I saw an angel wearing a traditional Filipino baro’t saya. Cool di ba?

Take note also of the crumbling mortar. Attention Quezon City hall!

Document nightmare in the office

Here is an example of a disaster that can happen when one is multi-tasking and everything is rushed... and a little bit of katangahan. I was requested to scan a document, but i was doing something else so i placed the document in the automatic feeder of the scanner so i can go back to what i was currently doing. The problem was the front page of the document was printed on onion skin, the machine "ate" the document and when the technician was finally able to removed it, it was in pieces.

What a nightmare! With lots of patience and a whole lot of magic tape, it took me roughly two hours to put the document back into a semblance of its original form. That's a lesson learned the hard way!

note: both pics were altered to remove print to protect the identity of the document owner.

Red is the color of the day in the office

Apples from the Desert

Apples from the Desert is about an independent-minded daughter and her Jewish Orthodox parents and the conflict that arises as the young lady discovers and chooses love and life beyond the confines of her highly regimented life. A heartwarming dramatic comedy (with the comedy provided mostly by the antics of the irrepressible aunt) written by Savyon Liebrecht, one of Israel’s best selling and acclaimed writers. The one I saw with friends last September 12 was the Filipino version which was translated by Lisa Magtoto and directed by Tess Jamias. The play was presented by Tanghalang Pilipino at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino.

It was highly entertaining and full of insights on family relations. Except for some scenes between the father and daughter that I found lacking in conviction making it less effective in connecting with the audience, the play was well worth the travel of going all the way to Roxas Blvd from Quezon City and braving the vey unpredictable weather. The play is ideal for teens and parents and couch potatoes.

I brought my bulky camera thinking of possible fantastic photos of the CCP grounds after the play and breathtaking views along the bay while taking a leisurely walk but the darn weather did not cooperate so I had to settle with these: a modest but very tasty dinner, a shot of the CCP inside the cab, and a very cute stuff toy that seemed to mirror our sentiments of the weather.

Flower Power

Monday morning madness was making me miserable so I decided to take a break and buy bread in the nearby bakery. I saw this beautiful bloom and it brightened my day. Now that's what I call flower power.

Gospel Jam invitation for September 6, 2009

Join us this Sunday for an extra-ordinary musical treat as Gospel Jam presents “The Stage is Bare” with Papuri singer cum theater actress cum tv host, TRICIA AMPER-JIMENEZ in one of her rare guest appearances. Also featured are FRANKLIN BENITEZ & MUSICIANS ON FIRE, fresh from celebrating their sixth anniversary; visually-impaired musician, BOBBY DUCLAYAN; and professional jazz artist AISAKU YOKOGAWA. Plus, a special testimony by Mr. MATT ELSBERRY of Crown Financial Ministries, U.S.A. This evening will be hosted by Mark Aranal and Jeanne Velasco-Vicars. Come and be blessed! For those who cannot be there in person, you may watch, listen and chat with us online at www.livestream.com/gospeljamlive. Please check out www.gospeljam.multiply.com to know more about us. Thank you.