Manila
Showing posts with label Manila. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manila. Show all posts

Afternoon fun at the National Museum

Spoliarium by Juan Luna from Hey, Haeja
Spoliarium by Juan Luna - oil on canvas, 1884

Last May 2015, National Museum declared that the admission was going to be free because it was the museum month. Despite my fever, I persuaded my family that a trip to the National Museum and see Vicente Manansala's paintings was a good reason to get out of my sick bed. That, and because my parents haven't been inside the National Museum yet! (Photos are unedited. Please do not grab my photos without permission or credit.)
Mother's Revenge by Jose Rizal from Hey, Haeja
Mother's Revenge by Jose Rizal - terra cotta, 1894
My sister has been to the museum for a school project, and I've been here with a friend a few years ago because I wanted to see the Spoliarium. It's one of my favorite paintings in the world, although standing before it a second time, I wondered if it was the original, or it was starting to fade. My parents, who have seen it when it was displayed in Malacanang Palace before, agreed. It looked a little washed out and faded compared to before.

It was fun going to National Museum with my family. My parents were clearly delighted, and looked like a young couple, with my dad frequently had his arm around mama. #relationshipgoals

I also remembered some tidbits from history in high school, like the fact that Jose Rizal also made some sculptures. Then I discovered some new-to-me artists and work I haven't seen before. I love art, and being in the National Museum filled with incredible paintings and info just made the geek in me thrilled to the bones.

Some of the artworks that stood out for me are:

National Artist Guillermo Tolentino's Diwata. This was the first time I've seen it, and I cannot help but take a picture. Look at the draping of the dress, at the fluidity of the folds at the bottom, contrasting the seeming rigidity of the wingspan. It speaks to me of both femininity and power, even as exhibits a slight vulnerability with her arms up.

Diwata by Guillermo Tolentino from Hey, Haeja
Diwata by Guillermo Tolentino - reinforced concrete, ca. 1950s

Vista de un Barrio, Guagua by Francisco de Paula Rodoreda. It was done in watercolor, and the details were so precise, and the painting so soothing that I just had to take a picture.

Vista de un Barrio, Guagua by Rodoreda from Hey, Haeja
Vista de un Barrio, Guagua by Rodoreda, watercolor, ca. 1890

Another painting is Antonio Luna's Portrait of a Lady. This was the first time I've seen this, and I love the soft rendering. She looks so soft, vulnerable, trapped, and just a little lost in her own thoughts. This also reminded me of Henry James' novel of the same name. A quick Google search implies that this painting was inspired by that book, although I'm not sure how true this is.

Portrait of a Lady by Antonio Luna, 1891 from Hey, Haeja
Portrait of a Lady by Antonio Luna, 1891

This particular painting fascinated me because this was done on board. I didn't know you can do paintings on board. I'm more used to canvasas. But I love the soft swirls and dreamy feeling given to such an ordinary, everyday scenario.

Carabaos in Pink by Romeo V. Tabuena from Hey, Haeja
Carabaos in Pink by Romeo V. Tabuena - oil on board, 1957

Aside from the paintings, there is also an interesting art-related object displayed, such as this "Palette of Masters" on hardwood, which has been passed down by Filipino artists. This was originally the palette of National Artist Botong Francisco, which he gave to National Artist Fernando Amorsolo, who then passed it on to Emilio Aguilar, then Sofronio Ylanan Mendoza, then finally to Romulo Galicano, who painted this scene in 1997 to commemorate its special provenance, and as a gift to his wife Christy.

Botong Francisco's original palette from Hey, Haeja
Botong Francisco's original palette
Then we reached Botong Francisco's painting, and I think my jaw dropped because 1) this was beautiful. My picture doesn't do it justice, and 2) because I only heard about it in grade 4 and saw it in black and white in our textbook. I tested my parents and asked them what this painting was and, without missing a beat, they said the name of the painting. Do you?

The First Mass in Limasawa by Botong Francisco from Hey, Haeja
The First Mass in Limasawa by Botong Francisco, 1965

According to the National Museum, The First Mass in Limasawa is a "mural depicts Fr. Pedro Valderrama officiating the mass in an improvised altar in the presence of Ferdinand Magellan, Pigafetta (chronicler of Magellan), Spanish soldiers, and the natives in awe.

"The artwork, which was commissioned by the national government, was created to commemorate the 400 years of Philippine Christianization which was held in Cebu in 1965."

I believe that The First Mass in Limasawa is a painting that deserves to be seen in the flesh.

I also discovered this painting by Joya, who is an artist I have never heard of. However, this painting, of which I don't know the name, definitely made me stand up straighter and take notice. And I just had to have my picture taken with it. #artappreciation

Black and white abstract by Jose Joya from Hey, Haeja
Abstract by Joya
Date places in Manila
Parents dating like they were teenagers
The National Museum is pretty big, so we were pretty thankful that they had benches in select places. Some where inside galleries and some where along the corridors.

I remember something that happened while we were visiting that day. I didn't realize that a lot of Filipinos liked the National Museum, and it was pretty filled with families and quite a few young couples. I think a few eyebrows were raised when a slim, tall girl entered with short shorts, cropped sleeveless top, and sandals, with her hand on the arm of handsome and laidback-looking cute foreigner. I admit I was mildly surprised, not because of where we were, but because I hardly saw people wearing such a getup in Manila. Although I do silently cheered her on because May 2015 was undeniably and unbearably scorching hot.

But a woman in front of me, who said she was from UP, was outraged. She started complaining to a staff from the National Museum that the girl was being disrespectful of the art displayed. I couldn't see her point, but I didn't say anything. Everyone's entitled to their opinion.

But while walking through one of the galleries, I came across the couple, who were, at that time, seriously discussing the art technique used in that particular painting. Goes to show that we shouldn't judge people by what they wear!

After resting for a while, we went to the other galleries and saw this gem. I've read about it and it is one of the paintings I've been dying to see in real life, but I didn't know it was in the National Museum!

Parisian Life by Juan Luna, 1892 from Hey, Haeja
Parisian Life by Juan Luna, 1892
The Parisian Life by the controversial Juan Luna is one of the most fascinating pieces of artwork I've seen. I think it was in one of Ambeth Ocampo's books that I first read about this, but I'm not sure because that was a long time ago. The three men in the painting are actually Juan Luna, Rizal, and their friend Dr. Ariston Bautista Lin. I like this painting because it is serene with a hint of playfulness, and is the imagery of what I think Parisian life was like in the 1800s.

Finally, we came to the room where our/my reason for visiting: Vicente Manansala's two mural-sized paintings. My reason for wanting to see these is because this is the first time they have been displayed to the public. They used to only grace the cafeteria and dining rooms of IRRI, Laguna -- perhaps because IRRI was the one who asked to have these paintings done.

Vicente Manansala is a cubist painter. I've never heard of a Filipino cubist artist before, but I took one look at the paintings and knew it was cubism. (Also, his profile in the National Museum confirmed his art style). If you don't know what cubism is, it's the art style created by Picasso and George Braque.

Painting by Vicente Manansala at the National Museum from Hey, Haeja
My sister, who was suffering from a migraine at that time, couldn't help but walk up to and admire Manansala's work as well.
Painting by Vicente Manansala at the National Museum from Hey, Haeja
So happy to see the Manansala paintings in real life!
And good news! These two were just declared National Treasures. They definitely deserve the title.

Here are other examples of National Artist Manansala's work:

Planting of the First Cross by Manansala from Hey, Haeja
Planting of the First Cross by Vicente Silva Manansala - oil on canvas, 1965
Manansala at the National Museum from Hey, Haeja
A gallery of Manansala's paintings, showing Manansala's cubist style

Vicente Manansala and Hilda Diaz from Hey, Haeja
The National Artist with his wife, Hilda Diaz
The National Museum was filled with romantic pieces. Some really took my breath away, and some I could look at for hours. Some portraits had interesting captions, but I think the best one was the caption for the photo on the right.

It says: "Manansala with his wife and muse Hilda Diaz."

And look how he still had his arms around her at that age. #relationshipgoals

Since we were there for a good three hours already, and we were all getting pretty tired, we decided on our last top--and what a view it was!

This is actually one of my favorite artworks. I love National Artist Guillermo Tolentino's classical depiction of Venus (which also brings to mind Botticelli's The Birth of Venus.)

Venus by Guillermo Tolentino from Hey, Haeja
Venus by Guillermo Tolentino - plaster of Paris, 1951
I love Tolentino's Venus, with her arms up, in her utter nakedness. I love how she is looking far away, confidence and thoughtfulness gleaming in her eyes. She definitely looks like a goddess surveying her kingdom with satisfaction, as the wind breezed through her hair.

Fun facts about Guillermo Tolentino, based on his profile in the National Museum:
  1. He created the curriculum for sculpture at the School of Fine Arts of UP
  2. In his spare time, he developed his expertise in baybayin and translated Philippine literature in Spanish into Tagalog and afterwards into the pre-colonial syllabary (including Rizal's Mi Ultimo Adios).
  3. He played the guitar and piano with equal mastery.
  4. He's the sculptor of the Oblation (or 'Oble' as it is fondly called) in UP Diliman.
Hats off to you, sir!

The National Museum is definitely worth a visit. It's open from Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 5pm. The entrance fees aren't so bad! And it's a worthy date place, especially if your partner is into the arts. But if you're low on funds, go on a Sunday, when admission is free!

Notes:

 1) All guests are required to sign in. You have to fall in line. If you're a group, just one person is required to sign in everyone in the group.

 2) Firearms, food, bottled water, and ballpens are not allowed. You have to leave your bag in the baggage counter, and can only bring your phone and wallet.

 3) Picture taking is allowed for souvenir purposes only. DSLR cameras need special permit. The use of flash photography is strictly prohibited.

There is also a Museum of the Filipino People on the side of the National Museum, which is part of the fee, I think, but we didn't drop by this time because we were all tired. But I've been there before, and it's also a good museum to visit!

Follow the National Museum on Facebook or Twitter to be constantly updated. :)

National Museum of the Philippines
Padre Burgos Drive, City of Manila, Philippines
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The Legends and The Classics Encore


Seeing them so happy in the box, and I know the cost was worth it. :)
One day, I suddenly had the urge to watch Cecile Licad perform. I don't know why she suddenly popped into my mind. All I know is that one minute I was thinking about her, and the next minute I was searching online if 1) She's actually in the Philippines, and 2) If she's going to perform anywhere any time soon. I soon stumbled into Ticketworld about her upcoming concert, The Legends and The Classics Encore, with fellow multi-awarded, internationally recognized Filipina performers, Lea Salonga and Lisa Macuja.

I know my parents also want to watch them perform, so I started begging them to watch the show with me. Since the show is scheduled for 8PM, I needed a safe ride to and fro CCP. Luckily, my parents and sister agreed to watch it with me. I was so excited, especially since I've never seen Lisa Macuja perform as well, and she's retiring this year already! It was my last chance.

Due to the death of my uncle last week, my dad flew to Davao, so we had one extra ticket. With some time management, we managed to get my eldest sister, ate Apple, to free up her schedule and watch with us for free.

Since watching The Phantom of the Opera from the balcony seats (it was one thing I sorely regret until now), I have decided that I will watch future shows somewhere closer to the stage. Because the tickets were a bit pricey, my parents and ate Mako only wanted to get the lower balcony seats, which cost P2000. I then offered to upgrade our seats to Upper Box seats instead, which was my hitting two birds with one stone moment: ate Mako and I once pledged that we will watch a show in the Upper Box seats, and I'm now nearer to the stage. Hurrah! My mom said that instead of paying P6000 for my ticket and their upgrades, I should just purchase the P6k orchestra seat for myself, but I thought, where's the fun in that?

I'm glad I chose to upgrade their seats instead. It was truly a night to remember!

First, because having our own box was just fun. There are six seats per box but the two seats remained vacant throughout the whole 2.5-hour continuous performance. My mom had quite a jolly time switching from seat to seat as she tried to find the seat that would enable her to see the stage the most (we're all pretty fun-sized).

Second, it was incredible seeing all three spectacular stars in one show! Us four were just in awe the whole time, listening to Lea's amazing voice, and we were entranced by Cecile's total performance on the piano, and Lisa Macuja's emotion-inducing performances.

I've seen Lea before in Miss Saigon (we won orchestra F6 seats!), so I already know that she's an incredible performer. But it was such a treat to see Cecile Licad, oh I can't even describe how much! I recalled my music teacher in college once told us that if we ever have the chance to watch Cecile Licad's performance, we should do so because she's truly something. Cecile Licad just intrigued me. She looked like this awkward, beautiful, soft woman (and sometimes, she seemed unsure if she should join the two other ladies at the center of the stage), but as soon as she sits down, by golly, she transforms into something else. As she played, her fingers racing across the keys of the piano, she would look at Gerard with huge eyes, as if daring him to battle with her. You can see her (well, I was aided by binoculars the whole time) say "pam pam pam pam" as she pressed on the keys. And no matter how she hard or scary she looked like while performing, the notes sounded so melodious. And after the performance, it seemed like all that confidence would just drain away and she'd be this awkward woman once more. She seemed so shy, but put her in front of the piano and you cannot find a more confident pianist. There were times when I would just sit back, relax, close my eyes, and simply listen to the music. At that moment, while listening to Cecile Licad perform, I truly felt that music is one of the greatest blessings in life.

Watching Lisa Macuja was like a dream come true. I've always been interested in her, more so since I watched Giselle, and I just kept imagining how it would be like to watch her perform. She seemed so lithe and she made it look so easy, spinning on her toes and doing all those leaps like she weighed nothing. It was enjoyable to see her end each of her performances with a proud and strong lift of her arms like the letter V. The most surprising treat was when she danced the swan song from Swan Lake, one of her most famous performances. I wanted to cry when I realized I will never see our very own (and sole) prima ballerina take to the stage as the black swan (or even the white, cause she's awesome like that).

Lea, Lisa, and Cecile only performed together a few times, to a few popular Filipino songs (at least popular to the older generation). As I mentioned, it was a continuous 2.5-hour performance. I didn't time them but each star had her time to shine without overshadowing the other. I didn't feel like I wanted to see more or less of one of them, which speaks for the good management of the show's director.

It was so energizing to see all three of them on stage. Lea, despite just standing by the corner most of the time, could certainly hold her own and project a presence even without moving much. I enjoyed hearing her lilting voice. My mom was very happy when Lea sang one of her favorite songs, Memories, from the Cats musicale. Lea performed songs from her various Broadway roles, and I was so happy that even if I never got to see her perform in all her shows, I was still able to hear her sing her pieces.

It was also my first time to hear the Philharmonic Orchestra (choirmaster: Gerard Salonga) perform live. They were the main musical background of the three ladies, except for the times when Cecila Licad would do her solos. One of the violinists, Tito Rodel, is my sister's ex-choirmaster, and he was surprised to see us there. It felt nice to surprise him, too :)

I'm so grateful that I received so many blessings this year - and getting to watch The Legends and the Classics Encore is definitely one of the best so far.
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Trying out French Baker's Angus Beef Burger


I love trying out different burgers, as long as they're affordable, so when we went to French Baker, I decided to try out their Angus Beef Burger. I thought I ordered the whole plate with the potatoes and salad on the side (P295), but the cashier just entered the burger itself. The burger costs P215.


When the Angus Beef Burger was served, the server handed me two plastics with the French Baker logo. One was clearly a wet wipe towelette. I thought the other one was just mistakenly handed to me, but I opened it anyway and was really glad to discover that they provided me with plastic gloves! Now, I don't really require gloves to eat a burger, but I already had so many experiences of eating burgers with the sauce dripping down, leaving my fingers smelling afterwards, so the gloves were a nice touch. The gloves were a bit big for me, so I know it will fit bigger hands. I hope they have other sizes, though, for really big hands.

The Angus Beef Burger up close.
We saw the angus beef burger patty grilled, with flames really shooting up high. The bread was toasted but tasted a little dry. Aside from the patty, the Angus Beef Burger also had onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and mustard sauce. The patty itself was thick and tasty. The burger isn't too thick so it wasn't hard to bite into it, unlike other burgers that I had to slice the patty in the middle and separate the buns just so I can eat.

Flipped burger.
The buns were firm when the dish was served, but the juices and the mustard sauce smeared on the patty soaked through the bottom bun and it became a little soggy. I flipped the burger over, which made it easier to hold as the bottom bun was breaking apart. The top bun held its consistency and didn't break. The burger didn't fall to pieces on my plate like the other burgers I've tried. I don't know why there are holes in the top bun, maybe for decoration?

All in all, it was a good and tasty patty, but the burger as a whole didn't leave me wanting for more of it. It was definitely filling, but it's not in my list of favorite burgers.

What's your new discovery?
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My first ballet show: Giselle


My sister asked me to watch the ballet Giselle in CCP with her, as part of the "cultural enrichment" thing we are both doing this year. Of course I agreed because I like ballet, although I've never seen a performance before (I did a year of ballet 18 years ago, and I still reminisce about it until today!). I did a bit of negotiating with her, since she just wanted to buy the cheapest ticket, P400, for the 2PM show. Since that was where we sat when we watched The Phantom of the Opera (and I regretted it since we all had poor eyesight), I argued that we would be better able to watch if we sat a little bit closer. After a few more days, she finally relented to sit in the orchestra section, costing P1000, although we paid a total of P2110, since we bought via Ticketworld's online portal and they had a 3% service charge (P60) and a P50 pick-up fee in CCP.

Note: If you're using someone else's card (your mom/dad's, etc), you have to bring the card you used to purchase the tickets along with the online ticket confirmation letter Ticketworld sent to your email, an authorization letter from the card owner, the card owner's two valid IDs, and your own valid ID.

The commute:
It was a rainy Saturday, and I was still recovering from a upper respiratory tract infection, so my dad drove us to Sucat via West Service Road. From there, we crossed through the bridge and rode a UV Express FX bound for Lawton via SM Moa. We paid P40 and asked the driver to drop us off at CCP.

If you will ride from Sucat to CCP, you will be dropped off across CCP, and you can either just cross the road and walk to CCP, or ride the orange jeep that goes around CCP. The jeepney costs P8. We rode the jeepney because it was raining cats and dogs, and we don't want to risk crossing the avenue with all the speeding vehicles.

For the way home, we just walked to the corner of the CCP block and hailed a passing FX bound for Sucat. We paid P45.

The show:
 
While waiting for Giselle to start.

Since it was my first time to watch ballet, I didn't really have any other show to compare it to. Watching ballet, I learned, is vastly different from watching other shows. You really have to understand the different movements of the ballerinas to know and appreciate the story. Thankfully, one of the heads of Ballet Philippines gave a speech prior to the show and taught us the different ballerina motions for you, me, I promise, dance and death/die.

I admit I fell asleep right at the crux of the story in the first scene! I'm not used to watching plays without dialogues or singing, so I didn't know what happened. I thought a battle between the two suitors of Giselle, has occurred and that the one she loves was dying, that's why Giselle committed suicide. I didn't read the story beforehand because I wanted to see if I will understand the story based on the ballet dancing itself. My sister, who stayed awake throughout the play, corrected my story. From what she understands, the show is this:

Giselle is a peasant girl who is in love with this rich guy who seems to be a prince. But there is a hunter, who is also pursuing Giselle. Giselle's mother prefers hunter guy (HG) and dislikes rich guy (RG), but Giselle and RG are in love. They keep dancing and dancing, since they both love to dance. HG discovers that RG is actually a royal and shows a sword to Giselle, but Giselle doesn't believe him. Then a princess arrives in the scene, and confirms that RGs is indeed betrothed to her.

Giselle goes mad with grief and betrayal and dies of a broken heart.

In the second act (which I stayed awake for throughout!) HG visits Giselle's grave. The queen of the dead arrives and tells him to dance. HG dances until he dies. RG then visits Giselle's grave, and the Queen of the Dead also tells him to dance to his death. Giselle, who has loved him and forgiven him even after death, dances and supports him and saves him, until dawn breaks, and the power of the Queen of the Dead is broken. RG is then saved and Giselle goes back to her grave.

I had to Google the real story and found out that my sister's interpretation isn't entirely accurate. Visit the page for Giselle in the Ballet Philippine's website to read the full story.

Denise Parungao as Giselle.
The ballerina for Giselle's part in the 2PM show was Denise Parungao. She danced beautifully and was very light on her feet. She was very graceful and gave justice to the part. Watching her, I remembered my late schoolmate, Mary Saludares, who was also a ballerina but she died a few years ago, much too young, in a tragic accident right on the brink of her career. I also regretted that I never watched Lisa Macuja's ballet performances.

The photo on the left is Denyse walking towards a guy who was holding out a bouquet for her. He kissed her on the forehead and the crowd went wild with hoots! I don't know if he is her boyfriend though. Maybe?

The other dancers were also very graceful, although for the chorus dances, they weren't moving in synch with each other at all times. Some lifted their hands a second earlier than the others, or lifted their legs, etc. Still, the performance was beautiful.

After the performance, I just walked around the foyer. I found myself standing beside a group of girls who were talking about Denise, and how excited they were to see her. I realized I was standing beside a cordoned off area, and saw a table with pens. I realized that the dancers were going to do a signing of the program booklets, and I was right in front of their table! Prime spot to take a photos and see them up close.

The whole ensemble of the 2PM show of Giselle slowly walked down the stairs. Wait, did I mention Bembol Roco is part of the cast? I didn't even recognize him, but he is not visible from this photo.

The Giselle ensemble.
Sitting on the table, from L-R: Marvin Arizo as Hilarion (Hunter Guy), Earl John Arisola as Albrecht (Rich Guy), Denise Parungao as Giselle, and Ma. Celina Dofitas as Myrtha (Queen of the Wilis).

They all danced beautifully. I initially thought Celina Dofitas was one of the other Giselles in the other shows because she wsas so lithe and graceful.

Left to right: Hilarion, Albrecht, Giselle, and Myrtha.
I'm glad we bought the orchestra seats. It was a really nice experience to watch ballet, and I am grateful to the 2PM ensemble of Giselle for the wonderful performance and making us feel the money and the rain and flood-drenched clothes were all worth it.

Till my next adventure,
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