Sunday, August 26, 2007

ASAP

Start:     Sep 2, '07 12:00p
Location:     ABS-CBN
I'll be appearing on ASAP today, singing LAND OF THE LOVING, then receiving a Platinum Record award from Sony BMG for outstanding sales of Inspired. Coolness!

Friday, August 24, 2007

August 24, 2007

Respiration rate down...

Stress levels tapering off...

Sleep schedule regulated...

Pulse steady...

... and the smile plastered on my face is wide and permanent.

It's soooooooooooo wonderful to be home.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

August 22, 2007 - Manila, Manila

Yes, we're back! I think I've gotten over jetlag just enough to function and go about my usual day. Today, all I'm going to do is get my hair cut and colored, have dinner with my husband and watch a rock gig. I am officially on vacation, and it's time for Nic's yaya to get to work.

Two weeks... well, a week and a half left now, really.

That really isn't enough time for a stay in Manila, coming from New York. One truly requires two days to shake off the jetlag before getting in some fun time. No, I haven't really had much fun time since I arrived Monday night, but you can be sure that I will. At the very least, a couple of dinners out and lots of laughing.

I did visit my brand new nephew yesterday and he is one handsome little buggeroo, with a righteous cleft chin, big eyes and dark skin. He's going to break more than a few hearts once he starts dating, I'm sure.

This is all I can muster for today... my brain still needs to catch up to the rest of me. Perhaps a couple of beers will do the trick.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

August 19, 2007 - Not the best start to my weekend

I am a woman of almost infinite patience, except for matters of professional incompetency or indifference. In other words, I can't stand someone who just doesn't give a damn.

At yesterday's matinee, an oafish lumbering idiot of a backstage crew member flicked off the hat of one of the guys in the cast, letting it lay on the table on which said cast member was sitting, as our turntable was turning to reveal us. Later, this said hat was then taken by said oafish lumbering idiot and hidden.

Needless to say, I was livid.

You flicked off a costume, mother f*****. What part of that does your primitive, underdeveloped brain not understand?

I spoke to stage management about his antics, and it turns out this oafish lumbering idiot has already been complained about numerous times by other cast members and crew... but he's still working there backstage, because his father is our production manager (and ironically, a well-respected member of the theater community and a pretty nice guy too).

My pre-vacation matinee was thus turned into a hell for me. I was pissed off and frustrated. People like that shouldn't even be near a theater, much less work within its walls.

Yes, I complained... yes, I vented... yes, I let out as much of my ire as I could, as I didn't want to carry it around for the rest of the day. Thankfully by the evening's arrival, my temper had waned to minimal and I was ready to have a good time again. And yes, I steered clear of the oafish lumbering idiot. I didn't want to look at him... talk to him... have anything to do with him.

So... I have seven weeks left once I return from Manila. He'd better stay out of my way, lest I get postal on his sorry ass.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

August 15, 2007 - This is me.

I am 36 years old and a work in progress, but I've got a pretty good handle on who I am.

I speak with honesty and frankness, sometimes to someone else's consternation. I shoot from the hip and have no censors; you'll know exactly where I stand. I do try to phrase things delicately when facing a sensitive issue, but for the most part you'll get me unfiltered.

I've wined and dined in finer places, but am more comfortable with an ice cold beer in my hand and my fingers greased from beer food. I'm loud and happy when I'm intoxicated, and am never belligerent. I would much rather avoid confrontation than to launch an all-out war, but am not afraid if the latter is necessary and called for. I speak softly and respectfully, and I see no need to hurl expletives, especially with people I love (except when they're being total and complete jackasses).

I'm fiercely loyal to my loved ones, and would put them first over any business associate. My family comes first before all else, excepting God. I'm not above hearing juicy gossip, but I won't ever spread it around as I wouldn't want the same done to and about me.

When someone wrongs me, and I see that person in a public setting, you can bet that I will ignore rather than greet. If you don't like me, then leave me the hell alone. Chances are I don't like you either.

I abhor unprofessional behavior and any violation of this business's spoken and unspoken ethics. No one has the right to behave like a diva. I demand excellence from everyone I work with, but want everyone to have a good time too. I'm a great partner, and will never steal a scene from someone else, as I'd rather make him or her look good. Although I'm great fun to work with, I do my job with the utmost seriousness. I will get things done. I take pride in my work and strive for nothing short of perfection with each attempt.

This is me.

August 14, 2007 - The nature of love

Before I continue, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!! We ladies went out for lunch at one of her favorite restaurants in the city. Now we're home again... Nic's napping, I'm blogging and my mom's talking to her sister that lives in Texas, who called to wish her a happy birthday.

Anyway...

Love is a strange and wonderful thing. It manifests itself in many different forms, showing itself in different levels and intensities. However, I believe that one truly loves unconditionally when a person is able to forgo, rise above and move past another person's imperfections and occasional misdeeds. It's the kind of love God has for each and every one of us.

In other words, it's forgiveness.

It's sifting through anger... it's letting go of a foible... it's loving despite everything. It's not easy, by any means, and anyone touched by the grace of forgiveness is truly blessed. I've been on both sides of that fence, and am fortunate to have the friends I have.

I land in Manila on August 20... I can't wait to get home to see the friends I've left behind there, to reconnect and catch up on what I've missed. And I know that I've missed a lot in the last 6 months.

Friday, August 10, 2007

The Official Website of Lea Salonga

http://www.leasalonga.com
It's up! Yeah, it isn't a graphics-heavy site just yet, but we're working on it. Blogs are still here though.

August 10, 2007 - Did I read that correctly?


That's right, 254 salacious seletions!

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Due to technical difficulties...

More like "in spite of".

Our barricades didn't work last night... well, they eventually did.  After On My Own was done, the barricades didn't connect and join like the two perfectly fitting puzzle pieces they normally are.  Our lights were also acting strange, putting us in dramatic lighting instead of the bright yellow-orange light we had grown accustomed to.  I thought, "wow, a little romantic lighting for the barricades tonight... ohhhhhhhkay."  I then noticed that no one was climbing the stage left barricades... upon closer examination, it was majorly slanted.  It wasn't fitting right with the stage right one, which was just fine and being climbed as normal.  So, for a large chunk of the scene, those who would normally be clambering up were on the floor.  Whilst the scene was going, the barricade driver backed his unit up a bit, fixed the incline, and parked again.  Once we got clearance from the stage manager that it was safe, then we started up and down it again.

Live theatre... how I love thee.

(Yes, I'm still up... besides that I'm normally still awake very, very late into the night, my little girl woke up.)

Nic at brunch again




Nic at brunch




Drinking from a straw




She did this for the first time at Sarabeth's!!! Yay, Nic!

Brunch at Sarabeth's (Aug. 5, 2007)




We headed to the Upper West Side for brunch with my older sister LuAnne. She suggested Sarabeth's, a very in-demand breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant. I highly recommend it!!! It's located on Amsterdam Ave. between West 80th and 81st. Arrive ready to wait, and hungry!

Sorry about the photo quality, I forgot my camera so I had to use my phone.

Monday, August 6, 2007

August 06, 2007 - Taking things in stride

Amazing... sometimes, you just happen to hear about things when you need to. That's right... right when you need to.

I was in the car with Les Miz's chief publicist on the way to a telethon taping when he told me about one of our mutual friends, an actor that I had worked with on numerous occasions. Apparently, said actor took the closing of his last Broadway show very hard, in the wake of lukewarm reviews and poor ticket sales. He slammed the critics on his blog blaming their reception of the show for its failure, and this of course reached enough public media that he was perceived as a sore loser and a crybaby.

I can't honestly blame him for taking it personally... I was in the lead of a Broadway show that could be seen as a flop (it ran for 5 1/2 months to small audiences, and other shows made fun of us for having no one in our audience). My name was above the title, so I felt I had to the fall. I tried not to take it too personally, as there were things beyond my control that could have contributed to the show closing early. Besides, I had far more important things to take care of... my fiancé (now my husband) needed me in Los Angeles.

Sure, I could look at the show and find everything wrong with it, but I choose not to. I made some incredible friends there, many of whom I've kept in touch with since it closed. I learned about not taking things too personally, how not to let my pride get hit by a failure and how to find the positive in less than ideal situations.

To paraphrase one friend on a mailing list I subscribe to, "You learn more from losing." He's right. What's the point in crying over spilt milk? Just wipe it up, move on and be ready with more paper towels, as there will be more milk (or juice, or beer) to wipe later on.

Friday, August 3, 2007

Showbizzzzzzz............

“I don't think anyone has the right to intrude in your life, but they do. I would like people to separate the actress and the woman.” -- Ingrid Bergman

Obviously the late Ms. Bergman has never seen the likes of Philippine showbusiness... how colorful, intrigue-laden and downright ridiculous it can be.

I've been in this business for nearly 30 years, if you can believe that.  I started as a wee little girl in the ensemble of a musical and it kept going from there.  My world was theater and the adults I emulated were those from the theater.  I was not much of a movie fan, and wasn't really into what was happening in that world.  But, I did enter the more mainstream areas of the business, including film, TV, and music.  And... and... well...

I know that things that happen in our world get blown up and multiplied many times over, simply because we're in the public eye, and thus are open to public scrutiny and criticism.  It's human nature for people on the outside to want to peer into our fishbowl and watch us swim.  I've grown used to it by now, although I must admit, when I'm having a bad day, it takes a while for a smile to come to my face.

As a person from showbusiness, I accept that the public at large will be curious and want to know about what happens in private.  But what I don't appreciate is when people from showbusiness inflict their private lives upon the rest of the world.  Their scandals... their dirty laundry... the things in their worlds that no one else has the right to know.  It's one thing when you're found out; it's another thing altogether when there's an onslaught of way too much information from an actor or a singer or a TV host.  Heck, I feel violated when bombarded with stuff I didn't want to hear or see.

Yeah, showbiz is a place that the faint of heart must steer clear from.  It isn't for the onion-skinned or the garden variety crybaby.  But I'd like to think that it isn't for those who are so starved for attention that every single family fight, every affair gone bad, every shabu pipe counted is plunked on our collective lap.  Hopefully, it's for those who want the attention based on the quality of their work and not on the darker, shadier sides of their private lives.  I'm a showbiz fan too, and I really don't care to hear about a colleague's dirty laundry.  It's none of my business, and I like keeping it that way.

Am I being an idealist?  I do know that tawdry news sells magazines and makes the rounds of the gossip shows faster than a speeding bullet.  But still.

But still.

And that is my rambling for the night.  It's late, so my thoughts aren't exactly that well-organized.


Wednesday, August 1, 2007

August 01, 2007 - How do you say I love you?

Those three simple, beautiful, packed-with-a-wallop words shouldn't be too easy to say. (And no, the "I love you's" shouted at concerts and gigs don't count, although no less sincere.)

I've never really been one to just throw those words around. It kinda cheapens things when they're reduced to something perfunctory. I've actually had people tell me that they love me or that they miss me, only to not have me say the same in return (oops). It makes me feel... for lack of a better word... icky. Positively icky, like I just swallowed a bottle of high fructose corn syrup.

For me, I love those "I love you's" that are heartfelt... the ones that make my insides feel warm, like I just drank a mug of hot chocolate... the kind that wraps me like a blanket and makes me feel safe... the kind that lets me know that I'm being looked out for.

So I don't bother saying the words unless I know, deep in my heart, that I really mean it, and I'd rather not hear them if it doesn't feel right. I much prefer the one wallop packed than a million uttered insincerities.