Tangalang Pilipino's SANDOSENANG SAPATOS: A Tearful Fantasy Tale

July 19, 2013

"Sandosenang Sapatos" opened July 13 and will run for two weekends up to July 21 only.  Being based on a children's book, I thought at first I'd pass on it.  However, with very good word of mouth raves on social media and sold-out shows, they had to add new performance times!  I knew we had to catch it.  When I saw that there was a 10 am show on July 19, I resolved that this show will be part of our wedding anniversary celebration today.

From the very first scene when we see a little girl on a wheelchair with no legs, I knew this was going to be one tearjerker of a play.  I was not mistaken.

Susie is a very sad little girl.  She knows her dear shoemaker father had dreamed for her to become a ballerina.  But she felt she could not make her dad happy since she had no legs and feet.  Instead she retreats into her own dream world, the only place she feels happy with her shoe friends, one for each year of her life.  She wishes that on her 12th birthday that the shoe fairy could grant her greatest wish. Can her father finally have the ballerina he dreams about, or does fate have other plans?

This is only a short play, a little more than an hour only, with no intermission.  Tanghalang Huseng Batute is small and intimate.  The stage is just  two circular platforms surrounded by a wooden figure-8 path. However, the powerful poignancy this musical projects transcends the simplicity of the stage or the material.

This is mainly because of the enchanting central performance of young Trixie Esteban as Susie. Her voice has the purity and innocence of a child so all her sad songs and impossible dreams hit us hard with so much dramatic impact.  She is on the stage during the entire play, and she pulled off the complicated script and emotional singing without a hitch.  Very very impressive for a girl of her tender age. A new theater star is born!

Jonathan Tadioan and May Bayot portray Susie's parents.  The power of their voices is well-known to me from previous musicals I have seen them perform in.  Tadioan's deep baritone sounded so good in contrast with Susie's sweet gentle voice.  Their father-daughter scenes together were moving even when there were no words spoken.

As for the shoe friends, I am very impressed with their rollerblading skills as they danced and frolicked on that narrow wooden pathway on stage. Their costumes were very colorful and their playful interaction with Susie gave the entire show its most vibrant moments.  It was too bad that some of their lyrics were barely understood because of poor enunciation, poor lapel mic alignment, or even out of tune singing for some of them.

Now for the key character of the Shoe Fairy.  According to the poster, this character was to be played by the ever-fabulous Ms. Tessa Prieto-Valdes.  It was not Ms. Tessa who played when we watched, but instead it was Raquel Pareno.  I would have understood if it was Ms. Tessa, because her flamboyant personality is more important than the singing voice.  But if it was not Ms. Tessa, I wish the singing voice of her alternate would have been better.  Instead, Ms.Pareno's singing was weak, and had no magical impact at all, and this was a pity.  

Overall though, this play was all about Susie and her dad, and everything else simply fades into the background.  The stellar portrayal of these characters by Esteban and Tadioan captivates and rivets us.  Their chemistry as father and daughter was very palpable, and we feel the emotion of the story all the more.  I cannot deny that my wife and I had tears in our eyes, and so with many other people in the audience, both adults and kids.

Congratulations to Tanghalang Pilipino for another successful production!  The last TP production I watched was also written by Layeta Bucoy, and was a far from this story as could possibly be, the violent political drama "Walang Kukurap" (MY REVIEW).  Looking forward to the next TP productions, especially Virgilio Almario's "San Andres B." in November, and Nick Joaquin's "Mga Ama, Mga Anak" next February 2014.


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UPDATE: November 26, 2023

"Sandosenang Sapatos" is being restaged at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez of the CCP from November 17 to December 2, 2023. This new incarnation of Dr. Luis Gatmaitan's children's story is being directed by Jonathan Tadioan, with set and costume design by Marco Viana and Paw Castillo, and choreography by Stephen Vinas. 

On the Saturday matinee I caught yesterday, the central role of Susie is being played by Wincess Jem Yana, a 13 year-old student from the Philippine High School for the Arts in her professional theater debut. Floyd Tena played her shoemaker father, with Tex Ordoñez-De Leon and Mica Fajardo as her mother and elder sister Karina. 

In Susie's fantasy world of shoes, the Shoe Fairy was played by Marynor Madamesila. The other shoes were played by Natasha Cabrera, Lance Soliman, MC Dela Cruz, Mark Grantos, Bea Remollo, Steven Hotchkiss, Patricia Rolda, Sarah Monay, Mark Lorenz, Lhorvie Nuevo-Tadioan, and Francis Gatmaytan. Paula Espinola danced as the Ballerina of Susie's dreams.

This new production runs a little over one hour, with no intermission. Susie's reality (her bed, wheelchair and closet) is played on a smaller raised stage on one end of the performance area, with the rest of the floor representing her Dreamland.  One major difference from the 2013 production was that the Shoes were not wearing roller skates this time around.   

The Wolverine KINECT EXPERIENCE: Be His Claws!

July 16, 2013

Thanks to Ms. Stephanie Mayo, I was given an invitation by 20th Century Fox to attend an event that would give one the virtual experience of being the Wolverine himself!

The invitation goes ...

"To celebrate the release of this summer’s biggest international blockbuster THE WOLVERINE, 20thCentury Fox International are bringing Wolverine to life with BE THE WOLVERINE, a unique Kinect experience that allows users to take part in an out- of-home interactive adventure.

The experience allows fans the opportunity to ‘become’ one of the most iconic MARVEL characters, through simulated Wolverine fighting moves atop a speeding bullet train, whilst travelling through Tokyo. By slicing through obstacles and defending themselves from ninja attacks, fans will experience a virtual thrill ride, based on an exhilarating scene from the upcoming film, THE WOLVERINE.

BE THE WOLVERINE uses Kinect technology to register when fans walk by, scanning and activating a hologram to attract and invite interaction. On completing the experience, fans then have the opportunity to share a photo of them taking part via Facebook."

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This event was organized by Robinsons Moviewolrd in cooperation with 20th Century Fox, Pepsi, and Magic 89.9.  The lobby of the Robinsons Movie World in the Galleria had a cocktail set-up ready by 3:30 pm.  Promptly at 4 pm, the food tables were opened to the guests.  Since this Wolverine film was set in Japan, the food served was Japanese courtesy of Yoshinoya and Miso-Ten. There was even an open Sake bar at the other end.  

There was a model wearing a Wolverine costume who was very game in his snarling Wolverine poses with his claws.  There was another guy in a Silver Samurai costume, whose clogs were so high, he can't really move too much.

The program proper was emceed by DJ Pat, the early morning jock of Magic 89.9.  He began talking about the Wolverine movie and of course, the Kinect Wolverine game.  Moviegoers who decide to watch Wolverine in Robinsons MovieWorld theaters in Metro Manila in the next two weeks can also play this interactive game absolutely free. The schedule of when the game will be in which mall is as follows:

What is more exciting is that Robinsons Movie World is giving  fans a chance to win one of five XBox360g Kinect consoles!  All they need to do is to buy "The Wolverine" movie tickets with any 16 oz. Pepsi drink from the Cinema Snack Express.

Guests were then invited to try out and play the Kinect interactive game.  DJ Pat was hilarious trying to give play-by-play annotations of the fighting techniques of the various guests.  

I was reluctant at first, but since I did not know anybody at the event (or so I thought), I gave it a try too!  It was not that hard actually.  You just need to keep your arms clawing in front of you knocking down signboards and fighting villains.  The relentless clawing motion eventually took its toll on my upper arms.  It was exhausting!  Anyway, I reached a score of 1.6M+. Not bad.  I got an premium Wolverine bottle opener for my efforts.  My arms still feel sore up to now! 

Here is Wolverine himself doing his own Kinect game.  He got less than 1M points.

There was a bit of a disappointment for me at the end of the event when they announced who were the Top 5 scorers. When they announced that the Number 5 scorer only got a 1.3M+, I thought my score would be among the Top 5.  But then they seemed to have totally missed my score in the recording, so that was too bad.  Would have liked to have won that Wolverine movie poster for my kids.  Bummer.  But hey, that's life.  I was trying to be like Wolverine, but it seems I was the Invisible Man instead.  Haha!

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Actually there is an embarrassing epilogue to my Kinect experience today, about a video shown on the tv news tonight. Some texted me, and someone announced it on my FB wall!  All the while I thought I was anonymously doing my own thing there at the mall.  Now it seemed it had been broadcast on national TV. So it seems I was not Invisible Man after all.  Yikes!

Well, anyway, that is that.  I did not see it.  No one in my house saw it.  That's for the best.  That video would never be shown on TV again anyway. I naively hope.  Nah.

BONIFACIO: ISANG SARSUWELA (PhilStagers): The Supremo's Life and Death in Song

July 12, 2013

Today, I was fortunate enough to have been invited to see "Bonifacio:  Isang Sarsuwela", the latest original stage musical production by Phil Stagers Foundation.  Phil Stagers was also the company that brought us such historically significant theater such as "Cory sa EDSA" and "Joe: A Filipino Rockssical".  This time, Atty. Vince Tanada, the heart and soul of Phil Stagers, wrote, directed and brought to life a most controversial and misunderstood Filipino Hero, Andres Bonifacio.  

"Bonifacio: Isang Sarsuwela" is an epic stage production which covers a lot of historical ground.  It recreates onstage all the major events in the revolutionary life of Andres Bonifacio.  It starts with the establishment of the Katipunan, his marriage to Gregoria de Jesus, the bitter defeat of the Katipuneros at San Juan del Monte and their retreat to the mountains of Balara, the Magdalo vs. Magdiwang conflict in Cavite, the Tejeros Convention, his capture and kangaroo court trial, up to his tragic death in the mountains of Maragondon.

I do not think that you can show the life story of Bonifacio without showing Emilio Aguinaldo as well.  Their two lives are so intertwined yet their fortunes so different, and the play shows and contrasts this quite clearly.  The best scene was that where they were talking to their wives at either end of the stage, with parallel repeating dialogues, so well-written.  This play is also practically about Aguinaldo as well.  Of course, that persistent issue about Aguinaldo's role in the death of Bonifacio was inevitably shown as well, and quite painfully.  

We can see the focus of the play best when we see how the men around these two great men were portrayed.  We meet Bonifacio's loyal Katipunero colleagues, Emilio Jacinto and Macario Sakay, who were played as noble warriors.  We also meet the loyal men of Aguinaldo, Agapito Bonzón and José Ignacio Paua, who are played here as merciless laughing villains.  There was no doubt that this is Bonifacio's play.

As an actor,  Atty. Vince Tanada imbues Bonifacio with a lot of vulnerability we rarely see in previous portrayals of this hero.  We are not used to seeing Bonifacio cry before, but there is no doubt he was in a lot of pain especially toward the end of his life, both physically and emotionally.  His singing voice was no doubt the best in the whole cast.  It can solidly soar above the loud background music, which could drown other weaker voices. His modern (definitely un-Bonifacio-like) hairstyle is perhaps anachronistic on purpose, but that becomes a minor issue after a while.

Perfectly matched with Atty. Vince is the passionate PhilStagers muse, Ms. Cyndi Liper, as Gregoria de Jesus.  Her acting is top-notch as ever. And her clear soprano singing voice complemented Atty. Vince's high baritone during their beautiful duet numbers.  They really sound and look good together as the Supremo and the Lakambini.

Patrick Libao, who won raves, awards and fans (you can hear them in the crowd that night) playing Jose Rizal in "Joe," plays Emilio Jacinto in this play.  His Jacinto was portrayed to be at odds with his "tucayo" Aguinaldo from the very start.  He had a tendency to posture a lot which may be distracting, but maybe that was how he was instructed.  Despite his limited height, Libao also had a stage presence and solid singing voice that can rise above the company.

The main weakness I note about this show today was the nervous performance of Kevin Posadas as Emilio Aguinaldo.  For a major character, Posadas' stage presence was still weak and even awkward when it comes to acting and singing.  He flubbed a couple of key lines very obviously and sometimes would recite lines mechanically.  He still has to work on having chemistry with Adelle Ibarrientos, the actress who was playing Miong's wife Hilaria, and match her stellar soprano when they sing together.  It is just Day 1, so I hope he can eventually grow more confident into his vital role, so key to the success of this play.

The production is very much like"Joe" with the cast and chorus dancing modern dance moves interpreting the sarsuwela songs (by choreographer John San Antonio), ending in stirring tableaus.  This needs getting used to for people unfamiliar with the PhilStagers style.  I think this choreography is done more to appeal to college students who are the main audiences of their plays.  I admit hearing the lyrics "Pugad Lawin" with the singers flapping their arms like wings looked funny, though that may not be the intended reaction. I wish their flag poles were longer which may look better, but I guess those may be too exhausting for the actors to wave around.

I would sometimes feel that maybe "less could be more" in certain scenes where excessive interpretative dancing in the stage would distract somewhat from the dramatic songs being sung.  Case in point would be the "Mga Kababaihan ng Rebolusyon" song where I felt maybe just the four ladies singing and commanding the stage by themselves would have been more powerful than with all those back-up dancers cluttering up the background vying for attention.

The length of the show can be formidable as well, considering it lasts more than two hours without an intermission.  There are several scenes that may seem too long or repetitive, like those with extended dancing, be they chorus members, Katipuneros or Guardia Civil.  I thought there was a little too much time spent on scenes with side characters sometimes.  An example is that long scene showing how Tandang Sora was arrested and exiled to Guam, which did not really seem necessary in a play about Bonifacio.  

A play like this must have been a technical nightmare with all those lapel microphones and costume changes among so many actors.  However, there was only one major lapel mike glitch last night which involved Tandang Sora, who also had a near wardrobe malfunction, but Jerie Sanchez, the actress who played her, was a real trooper!  Some of the gun battle scenes still looked disorganized and haphazard, but then again this is only the first day of the soft opening so some adjustments in blocking can be made.  

Today is the very first time they are showing this show in public.  They are staged this show an incredible four times today (8 am, 11 am, 2 pm) and I am watching the final show of the day, at 6 pm.  They will have the same grueling schedule tomorrow and the succeeding weekends.  I commend the dedication and stamina of the cast considering the very intense dialog and songs the actors have to deliver in very highly emotionally-charged scenes.  

I could not say kudos enough to Atty. Vince Tanada and the whole cast and crew of "Bonifacio: Isang Sarsuela".  What I saw today is ready to fly with just a few more minor fine-tuning adjustments before its grand premiere on July 19, 2013.  I am sure the important patriotic message Atty. Vince Tanada had so deeply ingrained in his script will reach the youth for whom he has written and staged this show.  

Bravo to Phil Stagers once again and break a leg for a good long run!

Viva Atlantis "TARZAN": The Jungle Comes to Life!

June 22, 2013

"Tarzan" is, for me and my kids, one of the less memorable Disney animated features.  So when there was announcement that there will be a stage musical version this year, my kids were not really interested to go for some reason. Unlike the other Disney films, I only know one song by heart from the original movie, which was the Phil Collins hit song, "You'll Be in My Heart."  As luck may have it, I won a chance to watch tonight with my daughter so we grabbed it.  Now, I am so glad that we got to watch this show!  It was so, so much better than what I imagined it to be.

The story is already familiar with us.  A couple survives a shipwreck with their baby, but were eventually killed by a leopard.  Their baby was adopted by an ape Kala, whose own baby had been killed by the same leopard.  Kala calls this human baby Tarzan, but it was difficult for Kala's husband Kerchak to accept him.  Years later, Tarzan now an adult, kills the leopard, and reconciles with Kerchak.  At that time, a father-daughter team of naturalists from England, the Porters, venture into Tarzan's jungle.  Tarzan and Jane meet and fall in love with each other, overcoming the communication gap.  Tarzan now has to choose whether he is ape or human.

The stage was awash with green color signifying the jungle setting.  The best feature of the stage was the dramatic lighting design, which really brought out the emotion is several scenes.  The best example of this exemplary lighting was during the song, "I  Need to Know" when the child Tarzan contemplates his real nature.  In the song "Waiting for this Moment" by Jane Porter, the set of strange plants and creatures was bursting in luminescent color as black lights bathed the stage.  To add another dimension to the stage, they make liberal use of harnesses to make actors "fly".  From the first time we see the harness subtly with the first leopard attack to the grand curtain call of Tarzan and Jane, I think this show had the most elaborate harness work I have seen on a local stage production.  The use of the Igorot "bahag" as the loin cloths for Tarzan and the apes was a remarkable costume decision.

The songs are written by Phil Collins, with a book by David Henry Hwang, based on the story by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The song "You'll Be in My Heart" remains to be the best song in the show.  In the first act, it was sung by Kala to the infant Tarzan, as it was in the film.  In the second act, this song was reprised by the adult Tarzan singing it back to Kala.  This song has beautiful lyrical content, and really catchy hook, which makes it memorable.   Unfortunately the other Collins' songs, while pleasant enough, had nothing much really that sticks to mind.  I felt that the best new song written for the show is the beautiful "For the First Time," a love duet between Jane and Tarzan.

Atlantis can really make those innovative casting decisions which make their productions very attractive to the public.  This time it was hiring Broadway actor Dan Domenech to be Tarzan.  Dan has the height, body build and moves to stand-out from the rest and be a credible Tarzan.  From the moment he made that visually-impressive swinging entrance up to his final signature Tarzan yell, Dan dominated the stage.  His singing was quite good too, best in his duets with Jane ("For the First Time") and Kala ("You'll Be in My Heart" Reprise).  He had that right combination of naivete, curiosity, strength and dignity that the role requires.

Rachelle Ann Go again impressed me with her delightful portrayal of plucky naturalist Jane Porter.  Of course, the role does not require as much character development as her award-winning stage debut as Ariel in "The Little Mermaid", but Rachel Ann has the deportment and accent of her role down pat.  Her mere presence on stage made even the plainest of scenes cute and amusing.  Her singing was absolutely transcendent on songs like "Strangers Like Me" and "For the First Time".

Ima Castro is a very talented singer with mad soaring vocals, but can seem miscast in many of her stage appearances, notably in the title role of "Aida" or as Saragghina in "Nine".  However in this show, she played Tarzan's devoted ape mother Kala to perfection.  Her quiet moments with Tarzan, and her husband Kerchak were very moving.  Her spotlight song is of course "You'll Be in My Heart" and she gives this familiar song her own surreally special vocal touch.

Calvin Millado is another very talented singer/actor that has some problem fitting well into the various roles given him in the past, such as the German magnate Hertz in "Rock of Ages" or as sexy UPS guy Kyle in "Legally Blonde" (see what I mean?).  But this time, I think Calvin has just portrayed his best role ever as Kerchak, the alpha ape tribe leader and Tarzan's reluctant adoptive father.  His solo featured song "No Other Way" was so masterfully and authoritatively sung with his deep baritone.

It is good to see some showbiz veterans back on stage in this show.  It is too bad that Eugene Villaluz was onstage very few times as Prof. Porter, Jane's eccentric scientist father.  He was so good!   He actually matches the delightfulness level of Rachelle Ann's.  He only has one featured song number, "Like No Man I've Ever Seen" and his much-missed singing voice is still very much there.  

Ex-Smokey Mountain member Jeffrey Hidalgo is also back as Tarzan's ape friend Terk.  He also has one featured number, the upbeat song the opens the second act, "Trashin' the Camp," where he sang, danced and sung with so much energy.   I hope to see them in more stage productions in the future.  

I have to commend also the talented kid Carlos Dala, who gave it his all as young Tarzan.  His singing in his dramatic solo "I Need to Know" is strong and effective.  (His alternate in this role is Warren Saga.)  Young Terk is played tonight by JM Urquico, who matched the energy of Dala. (His alternate in this role is his twin brother JC.)  I don't think I have seen Arnel Carrion (who played the greedy brutish villain Clayton) before, but he had very strong stage presence in this show.

Overall, director Chari Arespacochaga has delivered another colorful and entertaining Disney show, infused with beautiful stage images and moments.  The material may seem too familiar, or the songs too unfamiliar, but the immense talents of the hardworking actors make this jungle tale come to sparkling life.  Kids and adults alike will enjoy this show.  (They should have staged this back in May during the summer break so more kids could watch!)  In any case, kudos to the entire cast and crew for the enjoyable show!

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The Viva Atlantis Theatricals production of "Tarzan" runs at the Meralco Theater for one more weekend, up to June 29, 2013.  For tickets, call 687-5853, local 661, or Ticketworld.

My Personal Candy Crush Saga

June 12, 2013

I completed Level 350 of Candy Crush Saga last week.  And since then, I have not played anymore.  Now, who is calling me an addict?  Haha!   I have looked back at this game, and why it was so hard to resist.

Who are these characters anyway?  Never cared to know their names...

Sometime in March this year, my kids downloaded this new game on the iPad called Candy Crush, that was supposed to be very popular.  It looked like "Bejeweled," but with yellow, red, purple, blue and green candy pieces, with that hypnotic music playing (which I dislike, so I always play on silent mode).  When I checked it out and tried the game myself, it turns out it was not really that new anymore.  Because this game was connected to Facebook, I was very surprised to see a LOT of my FB friends already right in the thick of their Candy Crush adventures. Seeing your own progress vis a vis your friends gives this game an additional challenge.

If you do not want to part with any money, which includes me, you need to connect with FB to progress as starting from level 30, there are points where you need to obtain tickets from your FB friends in order to board a train or a plane to get to the next levels.  

I reached Level 350 without having to spend a single cent on lives, on special powers, or what.  Nor did I have to turn back the clock of my tablet (as many true CC addicts do) to fool the app to giving me a fresh set of five lives.  I just play with lives that CC provide for free and the lives that my friends send to me.  

The first few levels were pretty easy.  Just form those trios, fours and fives in a row, and get points.  At first, it was just clearing the jellies.  Later on, these jellies got thicker and thicker, they needed to be hit so four to five times before they get cleared.  We get to have other challenges, like bringing down the ingredients, namely cherries and acorns.  Make sure they are in a column with an arrow at the bottom, and do not trap them in shoulders.  

Striped candy is formed when you align four in a row.  It can have horizontal or vertical stripes depending on how the direction of the last candy to complete the four.  The direction of the stripes determine the direction of the sweeping power of this candy.  If you complete a letter L or T with same color candy, this forms a Wrapped candy.  When these explode, they clear a nine square area around it.  combine five candies in a row and it forms those multi-colored chocolate balls, which we in the family, called "Buchi" (because they looked like one).  When you switch a Buchi with a regular candy, all the candy of that color on the board are cleared.

These special candies can also be switched with each other.  A Stripe-Stripe combo sweeps in cross directions.  A Stripe-Wrapped combo sweeps three layers in an up and down cross.  A wrapped to wrapped combo, now that is spectacular, as it produces a 9x9 square big explosion.  A Buchi-Wrapped combo makes all the candy of that color into wrapped and explodes accordingly.  A Buchi-Stripe combo is very useful since all candy of that color become stripes, then sweeps in many directions.  Of course, a Buchi-Buchi combination is the most special because it can clear out ALL the candy of all colors on the board.

In the much higher levels, there is another special candy shaped like fish.  When you clear such, it releases three fish that  eat isolated jelly squares.  If you are lucky, these would be the jellies you left at the corners.

The notorious Level 65.

It would be easier to fulfill these tasks if there were no pesky obstacles, but what game does not have them? 

A relatively easy obstacle are those black coils.  They can be switched with anything, and seems innocent at first.  You can see this and feel their effect in higher levels when entire columns of black coils block the sweeping powers of striped candies.

When you go beyond level 50, you will meet and HATE chocolate!  These things multiply so quickly and stay that way unless you can clear candy beside them.  Later you will see that if you clear all the chocolate, they are cleared for good.  Well, that is until those higher levels when there would be chocolate churning machines.

Even more irritating than the chocolate are those bombs!  These bombs indicate numbers on them, sometimes as high as 20, but many times as low as 3.  This number counts down every move you make, and you should clear the bomb with a same color combo before it reaches zero.  Or else, the bomb explodes, and the game ends right there and then.  Like chocolate, there would also be bomb churning machines in certain levels.  You would waste many moves just trying to clear the bombs, and not fulfilling your orders; not to mention you can still have plenty of lives left at that point.

There are many levels which you can clear in a single try.  Yes, even beyond 200 or 300.  Mostly though, you waste a life or two to figure out what this level is trying to make you do.  But then again there are those terror levels which stymies even the most serious of addicts.  It is true what they say, this game is purely out of luck, luck of what the next candies it will give you.  Yet, the sense of achievement after passing each level, especially the hard ones, is so indescribably satisfying.  Many times, you cannot help but elatedly shout "Sugar Crush!" when you see that phrase flash on the screen after a particularly challenging level.

My personal nemesis Level 147

The level where I spent the most time was that darned Level 147.  I spent a whopping 3 weeks before I conquered that monster which was supposed to be a simple "clear the jelly" type, but the combos that would make you destroy the thick multi-layer jellies at the bottom just would not materialize.  I also had a hard time at Level 165, 167, and 305, spending about a week each in those levels before passing.  There are surely others, but these are the stumpers I remember the most.  

I sometimes feel that the game knows when you are already frustrated and planning to quit.  Because just when you least expect it, you will get your elusive Sugar Crush, and you continue!  Especially if you see a friend gaining on you or passing your level!

The first level most people have difficulty with is Level 65.  I do not really remember that it was memorably bad for me, but a LOT of my friends have been stuck there for so long, such that this was the level where Candy Crush drove them crazy enough to quit.  I have helped a couple of FB friends out in completing this challenging level.

And then, there is the super easy Level 252, where you simply need to get 30,000 in 30 seconds.  However, they give us a lot of "+5" candies which give you a 5 second extension in time. I got a whopping 1.2 MILLION points.  My son was more patient than me, played the level again for me, and got an even more whopping 3.1 MILLION points!

OK, so now I am at Level 351 and have not been playing anymore for five days today.  There are only two FB friends ahead of me, and they are doctors, one dermatologist and one pediatrician.  You draw your own conclusion from that.  Another doctor is trapped back at 350 after two weeks, but maybe he has passed it by now, I haven't checked.  Let's just see. I am not closing my book completely on this saga.  Who knows, when I see many friends gaining on me at Level 350, I may again have interest to continue the game.  But for now, I have decided to simply stop.

Recapping "Game of Thrones" Season 3 (Part 4, Episodes 9-10)

June 11, 2013

My recap of Season 1 was posted HERE.

My recaps for Season 2 Episodes 1-3 were posted HERE; Episodes 4-6 posted HERE; and Episodes 7-10 posted HERE.

My recaps for Season 3 Episodes 1-3 were posted HERE; Episodes 4-6 posted HERE; 
Episodes 7-8 posted HERE.

Episode 9: "The Rains of Castamere"

The title refers to a song which describes the power dominance of the Lannister family. You do not see a single Lannister in this episode, yet it may mean that their hand is behind the what could be the most unthinkable scenes in GoT history (matched only by the final scene of S01E09, and you all know what a big shocker that was).

Danaerys finally sacks her first city. Jon Snow shows his true Crow colors. Bran Stark shows off his mind control powers over man and dire wolf. However important these may be, everything else that happened in this episode is secondary only to that shock of a heart-breaking, spirit-rending ending. 

What was supposed to have been a happy union between Edmure Tully (a picture of dread turned relief) and the unexpectedly pretty and nubile Roslin Frey, turned out to be the worst bloodbath ever seen on this show as the band played "The Rains of Castamere", involving the most unexpected characters. I am in deep shock and speechless for several minutes after watching this. I am still out of breath as I write this summary now as this whole sequence simply knocked the wind out of me.

Episode 10: "Mhysa"

This is the season 3 finale. The whole season peaked last week at the shocking Red Wedding. The purpose of this rather quiet thoughtful season finale episode is to show us the aftermath of last week's major event, and to set up the stories (cliffhangers of sorts) to be picked up in the next season. 

Arya sees Robb's head replaced by the head of his Direwolf. This drives her to commit her first killing in the name of revenge.

Theon Greyjoy's twisted tormentor turned out to be Ramsay Snow, the bastard son of Roose Bolton, the very same guy who drove the knife into Robb's chest in the name of the Lannisters. 

Ramsay sent Theon's "favorite toy" to Balon Greyjoy as a threat. His sister Yara defies her father and sets sail to save her brother.

King Joffrey dared to accuse his grandfather Tywin Lannister that he was a coward. Tywin tersely sends Joffrey back to his room. Tyrion tells Tywin that he intends to name Roose Bolton the Warden of the North, until a son of Tyrion and Sansa comes of age.

Shae was offered a monetary gift from Varys to leave Tyrion, as she is a "complication," but she rejects it.  We learn in this scene that Varys thinks that Tyrion is the only hope to save the Seven Kingdoms from Joffrey's tyranny.

Samwell and Gilly met Bran and his group at the Nightfort. Sam shares with them the dragonglass blades that can kill the White Walkers, but they later part ways. Bran and company wanted to continue going North of the Wall. Samwell wanted to get to Castle Black.  It was by Sam's testimony that the Night Guard sends out ravens all over to warn against the coming Army of the Undead.

Jon Snow gets one last sendoff of arrows from Ygritte. (She actually looked good in this scene.)  But he still manages to reach Castle Black alive to reunite with his fellow Crows.

Talking about homecomings, Jamie Lannister also makes it to Kings Landing, appearing before Cersei in a wordless scene that is full with meaning.

Despite the fact that Ser Davos helped Gendry escape, Melisandre surprisingly supports him when he explained to Stannis why he deserved to live, given the warnings about the coming clash with the White Walkers.

And finally, we come to the scene that gave this episode its name. "Mhysa" is the name Danaerys was called by the people she rescued from the city of Yunkai, and it means "mother." She was carried in adoration by her new people, as her three dragons fly around above them.


*************


And so that is it. This Season 3 seemed to come and gone so fast. I liked this Season 3 better than Season 2, though Season 1 is still unbeatable in my opinion because of its shocking novelty at that time. The subsequent season have been following the set pattern where Episode 9 holds the surprising climax. We have another long year of waiting ahead of us. Spring of 2014 cannot come too soon.

"INFERNO" by Dan Brown: Relating Dante to Overpopulation

May 27, 2013

Ever since Dan Brown hit big time in 2003 with his controversial book "The Da Vinci Code", all his subsequent books have become publishing events.  That novel, set in Paris, was not only a big best-seller in book stores (up to $250M in sales income), but also a box office hit with its movie version (despite poor reviews).  His controversial interpretation of Mary Magdalene as the Holy Grail of the Last Supper had the Catholic Church up in arms, further raising the book's popularity and notoriety.  The central character Robert Langdon was a Harvard professor of Symbology, hence the story involved very interesting discourses on symbols in history, art, architecture, and literature intertwined with a complicated crime mystery story.

Brown's first book with Langdon "Angels and Demons," released in year 2000, was set in Rome and Vatican City, dealing with the Illuminati.  Its sales skyrocketed after the success of DVC, and it also got a movie version as well.  Brown's other previous books without Langdon, "Digital Fortress" (1998) and "The Deception Point" (2001) also made it to best-seller lists.  After DVC, Brown's next novel was released in 2009 called "The Lost Symbol," (MY REVIEW) which had Langdon running all over Washington, DC monuments hounded by a deranged Freemason.  On May 14, 2013, Dan Brown released his latest work, called "Inferno."

"Inferno" has Robert Langdon following the clues left by a mysterious man in a modified painting of Sandro Botticelli's "La Mappa dell'Inferno", which in turn was a tribute to an earlier, more celebrated piece of literature, Dante's "Inferno."  This time, his adventures have him travelling to several European cities, from Florence and Venice in Italy, to Istanbul in Turkey.  Like all his other Langdon books, there were so many trivial details about this work of art and this complex literary classic, as well as many of the major museums, cathedrals and mosques found in these cities.  Like his other books, there was an attractive young lady going along his adventures with Langdon, in this book it was former child prodigy, now Doctor Sienna Brooke.

I have been to all three of these main cities where this story had been set, but unlike Paris, Rome and Washington in the previous books, my memory of the three cities in "Inferno" is already quite vague.  There were places mentioned like Boboli Gardens and Pitti Palace in Florence which I do not recall at all.  Fortunately, the Baptistry and Palazzo Vecchio though were more familiar.  In Venice, he described St. Mark's Basilica and The Doge's Palace, which are of course familiar.  I wished I could recall seeing the Bridge of Sighs and the Horses of St. Mark's, but I can't.  In Istanbul, of course I remember the Hagia Sophia, as well as the Blue Mosque, but not the Cistern.

If I had just remembered more details about these cities, reading this book would have been more exciting. I remember how I enjoyed reading "Angels & Demons" so much because I recalled Rome very vividly.  Reading about these places now certainly made me want to revisit these grand cities and see these landmarks in a different light.  Another thing, I have not read Dante's "Inferno" yet, so many times, it was hard to follow the discussions about that epic as well, and I just had to accept Brown's interpretation as true.  It would have been better if you are already familiar with Dante yourself so you can pit your ideas with Brown's.

Of course, the most familiar city mentioned in this book is Manila. The Chairman of the Metro Manila Authority apparently wrote a letter to Dan Brown to complain why Manila was called "the gates of hell" in the book.  I was really looking forward to reading this part of the book, imagining how Langdon would be going around the churches and museums of Manila too.  But alas, that is not to be.  In fact the mention of Manila was only in one singular chapter, 79.  It could have been any other third world city, honestly.  The city was unfortunately chosen to be the venue of a ugly, traumatic, life-changing event for a major character in the book, and it is NOT Langdon.  Brown cited Manila supposedly to be the most densely populated city in the world that is why it was chosen for this part of the story.  I have difficulty believing this "fact" since there are cities in India or South America which would certainly as dense (if not denser) in population than Manila also living in the described squalor.

Without spoiling the plot, it would suffice to say that the main topic of the novel involves the very serious topic of human overpopulation.  How Brown related  Dante's "Inferno" to the World Health Organization, that you simply have to read for yourself. As in his other novels, there were parts where Brown was obviously stretching the book by adding so much detailed research summaries on several topics, unrelated as they may be, as well as sprinkling the text with confusing red herrings.   In this book, certain passages are mentioned more than once.  The beginning of a chilling video was described multiple times as it gets seen by different people.  That one got really irritatingly repetitive.  The description of a certain romantic interlude was repeated verbatim in two different chapters with different contexts.  But I thought that one was a humorous "gotcha" moment while reading.

Overall, this novel is easy to read and understand, despite the seemingly complicated web of interlocking stories.  Everything in this novel practically happened in a single day only.  The action sequences described are so unbelievable unless middle-aged professor Langdon and young doctor Brooke were super-ninjas who can outrun bullets and evade police blockades.  Well, I have to admit that the narrow escapes here were at least more realistic than the fantastic way Langdon survived a parachute-less fall out of a helicopter in flight in "Angels & Demons".  (That scene was so impossible it was not even shown in the film version of A&D.)

There were so many sudden bright ideas and coincidences which conveniently make Langdon progress so fast in his investigation, despite the most nebulous of clues.  Of course that both Langdon and Sienna have eidetic memories made things a lot easier for them. There were also many unabashedly sentimental scenes, written so cheesily it felt embarrassing to read.  The scene in Manila was one of them.  After the climax, the falling action parts I wish they had been written better. Those last few chapters seemed to have been written in a rush just to wrap things up neatly, without a clear idea on how to end things more satisfactorily.

But for me, being the history, travel and culture buff  that I am, it was those historical, art and literature mini-discourses which I find most fascinating in Dan Brown's Langdon books, with the story just secondary.  I enjoyed reading "Inferno" as it was fast-paced and interesting, hard to put down despite the occasional cheesy interludes.  While "Angels & Demons" still remains to be my favorite Langdon book, this one is as good as the rest of the series, better than "The Lost Symbol".  I will still be looking forward to Dan Brown's next book and Langdon's next adventure.  Maybe an Asian adventure next time?