A. D. T.

ADT stands for "Advanced Diva Training," which the homegirls and me attended Saturday night at the Hollywood Bowl, conducted by Ms. Diva Supreme, Diana Ross. It was a fun night of music, memories and laughter.

First off, I've got to say that shows at the Bowl are one of the true "LA Experiences." Earlier this year I caught Jigga and Mary J, as well as the Playboy Jazz Festival, which closed out with Herbie Hancock. Fabulous. Folks skew a little bougie, but there is a spectrum of folks that come out, bringing their wine, gourmet Trader Joe's or Whole Foods picnic fare... some even try to get romantic with it by laying a blanket out on the concrete with a battery operated candle stick. uh, yeah we were like, umm.... ok... i THINK that's cute....

The girls and I were checking out the latest in picnic basket and portable cooler styles, particularly impressed by the slim cooler:

Easy to carry, and fits easily under one's seat. I am however still trying to get my brother to get me this, from his work:


...because a diva should be efficient and stylish in her picnic gear - NOT carrying around beat up plastic bags, or heavy-ass coolers that take forever to put on the ramp and annoying everyone trying to get up to their seats. And then where are you going to put it when you sit down? Block the aisle? In large venues, be respectful of shared space. It's a pet peeve of mine when people don't get that.

Anyways, I digress. On with the program.

Let's start off on a quick definition of a "diva." We can go on forever discussing this topic, but we won't, because this time around it's not that serious. Like I said, the girls and I had fun last night!

The word "diva" is derived from the Italian "dea," or "goddess." It is also the term used for female opera singers, and over time has come to describe women of strong presence. Whether it be sexuality, sensuality, speaking her mind or breaking social mores, there are both negative and positive connotations to what "strong presence" may convey. In present society and culture, by merely having a strong presence, women go against the role that this male-dominated society attempts to chain us with - subservience, meekness, demonization even...

In books and articles I've read, back in ancient times, women were honored and revered, as the bearers of life, as intellectuals, as leaders. I wonder where those times have gone, though I can't wonder too much or else I get left behind, buried... constantly feeling like I have to prove myself to get the respect that men automatically get. And then, add on to that, being a woman of color? ...ok. I'll save that for another post.

Diva. Some women shirk from the thought of being called one, because of those stereotypical negative connotations - obnoxious, entitled, bitchy, bossy... it can make life more difficult to get through as a woman. But hey, guys are like that all the time!

For me, those icons referred to as divas, usually fascinate me. Sometimes I feel sad because they seem like they are just a slave to their own fabricated image. However, many of them have taken charge of their image, not caring what other think, have built their own enterprises, and don't depend on a man to take care of them. Complex as it is, there is a sense of empowerment there.

So let's take, case and point, self-professed diva, Diana Ross.
"It takes a long time to get to be a diva. I mean, you gotta work at it." -Diana Ross

Some notable "diva" moves - One of the top singers of all time, she has 18 #1 songs (tied with the Beatles), led the legendary Supremes and has garnered numerous awards; did not show up to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction for the Supremes; went on a short-lived Supremes reunion tour without the original members.

So, we got the chance to enjoy an evening with the diva herself. An evening of lightheated, unbridled diva fun. Some notes we took from Lady Supreme:

Diva Lesson #1: RED is the diva color.

So Gerlie, Anna and I tried to guess what color dress she will come out with. Gerlie said yellow and orange, I said black, and Anna said purple and gold (go Lakers!). We unanimously agreed that she will have a minimum of three wardrobe changes. We were all wrong.

I think we all secretly wanted to guess red, but that would be too predictable. But hey, I guess there is no way around it. Come out big and bold. Opening song? You guessed it. "I'm Coming Out"

Also to note in the photo above - we termed this pose, "Diva Pose #1" - arms outstretched as if she is embracing her audience. Also a little... messianic. That part's kinds weird.

Diva Lesson #2: Let the people know why you are the Diva that you are.

All divas have their claim to fame. For Ms Ross, it's her string of hit songs that you don't even realize you know the lyrics to. She rolled them out - Baby Love, Where Did Our Love Go, You Can't Hurry Love, and of course...

....yes indeed! She continued on with Love Hangover, Do You Know Where You're Going To, Endless Love solo - she did both parts of the duet. This song brings back memories of me and my mom singing it together when I was like six years old. She ended the night with the original independent women's anthem, "I Will Survive."

Diva Lesson #3: You don't have to do an encore if you don't want to.

Maybe it was the Bowl's rule that she end at the time, but even with a standing ovation and cheers from the crowd, she called it a night after the last song. But hey that's cool. Rather that then her singing some "song from her new album." Let's face it, it's about her past work, not her latest album.

Diva Lesson #4: Bell sleeves rock!

(wardrobe change #2)

I couldn't find a photo of her doing diva pose #1 with the bell sleeves, but it just looked hot. Classic, majestic even.

Diva Pose #2:

(wardrobe change #3)

ok so it's more like DP #1.5, but it's about shoulders back, chest out, and one leg in front of the other, for the mermaid effect

diva pose #3: play with your hair a little bit


diva pose #4, the finale: diva pose #1 with a kiss and wave

(final wardrobe change)

Indeed a fun time. (read: don't take this too seriously. Sequins and tulle are NOT my thing) G, Anna, Evie and Daisy - thank you for the food, spirits and laughter!

Funny How Time Flies...

...when you're working!

I'm suuuper excited about my two labors of love. Here is a photo that captures them together:

(photo credit: Ernie Pena)

September is going to fun!!! Just letting y'all know ahead of time... =)

SAVE THE DATES!

SEPTEMBER 6-7, 2008 - the 17th Annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture - Pt. Fermin Park, CA

SEPTEMBER 2008 - EXACT CHANGE - BAMBU'S THIRD SOLO ALBUM and West Coast Tour

Will have more details as they come along! and TELL YOUR FRIENDS!

it's not all bad. just be careful.

Mercury retrograde

May 26 - June 19, 2008

Here we go again... Mercury goes retrograde once again. It happens 3 times a year and it lasts for about 3 weeks. This time is from May 27 to June 19, 2008. Then from September 24 to October 15, 2008 and then from January 11, 2009 to February 1, 2009.

This is an important period, and we should be aware of the effects associated with this astrological influence. Since it is so often, we must learn what it means and how to take advantage of it.

Astronomical background

There is no real backwards movement of Mercury; it's just that we see it this way from Earth, because of the combined movement of the Earth and Mercury around the Sun. However, astrologically this is very relevant.

General influence of Mercury retrograde

Mercury rules over the mind's processes, studying, communication, businesses, travels and the like. When Mercury reverses its direction, all these areas are affected as well.

The mind turns naturally inwards and people tend to analyze more the own thoughts and follow the common thinking patterns, rather then be curious and eager of new intellectual experiences or challenges. This helps the meditation or the thorough lonely long-term study of a specific matter, but it affects the study of new subjects, the communication with the others, the attention oriented outwards.

Businesses, travels and communications tend to experience delays and different problems. Computers and other processes that work with information may experience crashes, unexpected failures.

Don't enroll to courses, don't buy expensive Mercurian items (books, cars, mobile phones etc.), don't sign important contracts and do not marry.

What is this Mercury retrograde period good for?

It is definitely a very good period for some actions. No time is completely bad for anything, there is a reason in everything happens.

The key is the reversed direction of movement: take any known Mercurian action, reverse its flow, consider the keywords "re-doing something", "double-checking", "finish the old projects" and there you are, you've found the good side of Mercury retrograde.

For instance, you may want to read again a book you particularly liked, a subject you studied before, meet and discuss with old friends you haven't met for a long time, travel to places you've already been to before.

This is an excellent time to work on old projects that never got to be finished. So, think about the things you started and never finalized.

Next, you might wish to prevent any bad things to happen to you: so double-check your agenda, call your business partners to confirm that everything goes as planned, have everything ready before the deadline and leave some extra time for unexpected events. Make copies of your important files and documents, save your work more often.

The other solution is to go on vacation or at least slow down the pace of your projects. You will find that going slowly during the Mercury retrograde period will spare you many efforts of redoing the same action that wasn't performed right the first time.

Above all, be generous and compassionate: you are already aware about the influence of this period, but the others aren't aware of it or there may be uncontrollable events. That's why you should have more diligence with the others and give them some more time. It'll be your mental health that you'll be sparing actually.

- astrologyweekly.com

Move & Shake It, Girl!

...with her SMARTS and HARD WORK, that is! =)

One of my good friends and colleagues, Rona Mercado, was just featured on sohh.com.

click on pic to read

Entertainment can be a sharky biz. So stand-up folks like Ro are true gems. Constantly on-the-grind as well as spiritually grounded, she ROCKS!

Happy Hump Day

May 7, 2008
Fulfilling Energetic Investments
Focusing Our Energy

As modern life makes a wealth of information and opportunities available to us, we may find ourselves torn between a wide variety of interests and projects. Our excitement may entice us to try all of them at once, but doing so only diffuses our energy, leaving us unable to fully experience any of them. Like an electrical socket with too many things plugged into it, we may be in danger of overheating and burning out. But if we can choose one thing at a time to focus all of our attention upon, we can make the most of our life-force energy, engaging ourselves fully in the moment so that it can nurture us in return.

Our attention can be pulled in many directions, not only in our own lives, but by advertising, media, and the hustle and bustle of our surroundings. But when we take the time to listen to our inner guidance and focus our thoughts on the goals that resonate the most strongly within us, the rest of the world will fade away. This may mean focusing the spotlight of our attention upon developing one aspect of our work, one course of study, or one hobby to pursue in our free time, but it doesn’t mean that we have to stay focused on only one thing forever. We may never know which of our interests is best suited to our abilities and heart’s desires unless we give it a proper chance. By being fully present with all that we are and all that we have, we can experience each choice fully and make the most fulfilling choices for our energetic investments.

Because we are multi-faceted beings, we are perpetually involved in many aspects of life in every moment. Our work in the world is necessary to attend to our physical needs, and our relationships are important for our emotional needs, but when we engage our spirit as well, we can choose the area that will nurture body, mind and soul. Staying focused in each moment allows us move with the rhythmic flow of the universe and harmonize all aspects of our being into balanced whole.

dailyom

weekend wrap-up - "thank you and you're welcome"

ok, i'm still waking up. it was so dang hot last night! made it difficult to sleep. had to apologize to my sweetie in the morning for being a brat.

so i thought i'd go into allll this great detail and make my weekend sound realll interesting... but i'll just cut straight to the point - it was a great weekend. i coulda and shoulda took photos to post up, but hey, life is what's happening when you're too dang busy, or into it, to think about documenting it.

that's why i love my writer homies, my filmmaker homies, my documentarian homies... how the hell do y'all do that so well??

landed in vegas and was swooped up by the homies pab and 'nilo, and treated to some cupcakes and red mango frozen dessert. much to their dismay, i prefer red mango over pinkberry. then we met up with the rest of their homies, they checked into their party hotel of choice, the hard rock. nice poolside view i'm sure they enjoyed the rest of the weekend =)

then over to my party hotel of choice, the red rock. super sexy. i'm definitely staying there again! let's just say, i applaud the architects and interior desginers of the hotel, particularly the rooms, for making it ergonomically correct for ... debaucherous fun and games!

the homies made their way into the show... i needed to catch my breath, eat something, and settle into the evening. so i did all that, and it ended up being perfect timing, because my partner-in-crime for the weekend arrived, and we strolled into the show.

i didn't catch lupe and nerd. it's ok, i've seen them twice before, and if i didn't relax and settle in i would have been one bitchy feline for the rest of the night. i was even nice when a drunk white girl fell on my dude, "ohmygosh you are sooo lucky he's tall and handsome and strong... " insisting she didn't need her boyfriend's help who was somewhere over there to get around. lol. aaaanyways...

kanye was amazing and entertaining. he was like a hip hop lukeskywalker/outer space loner trying to make sense of the world as someone who is supposed to save something. (ok someone was trying to tell me what the whole premise/theme of the show was... but i don't remember. i'll look it up later and add it in when i have time. or if you know, please post a comment. thank you (and you're welcome)

the stage set up was the inside of the control station of a spaceship, and it talked back to him, kinda like how Jem (of Jem and the Holograms) had Synergy. there were these large video panels that had pretty dope graphics, the landscapes and the skyscapes were my favorite.

oh and yeah - he's the only one on stage. no DJ, no band, no backup singers, no hype man. just kanye. which, i do applaud him for - he carried it on HIS OWN. no one to foil and make him look sexier or shinier. but at least a DJ woulda been nice to see. the sound was amazing. oh and the stage had an angle/slant to it, so i could see him from where i was standing! see, a short person like me usually just accepts that, at a SRO show, i will only hear the music and see the stage via the video. good lookin out for the (literal) shorties!

he started with "good morning," which i love. i do play that in the morning because well, it captures morning time energy very well. lol it's easy to enjoy his show because his songs are so catchy and you sing and dance along and it's just a good time.

i don't remember the order of the songs. was in the moment. and, pleasantly inebriated. totally present in the moment, i didnt bother remembering such details so diligently. i remember, in no particular order... jesus walks, all falls down, through the fire, can't tell me nothing, good life! flashing lights, stronger ... and more. ended with touch the sky =)

but dang i wish i brought my camera! they didnt even frisk me! oh well. it let me enjoy just being there, and not think about what i should blog about.

i wonder if the kanye troopers scour the net to remove photos of the show, because i didn't find any. but then again, maybe i'm not looking hard enough. oh well.

we just sang along and drank along happily. it was a great time.

friday stumbled into saturday, and it was just pleasant. i wish the r&r could have lasted a little longer, but it was just right.

i got home, and switched right to community member mode. SIPA anniversary banquet, which always has it's fun points.

ok this is already long. i'll continue it later....

the LVD in LV!

(sorry for the failed attempt at a witty title. this time we'll settle for corny.)



I'll be heading to vegas to check out kanye west at the red rock in vegas! woo hoo! Fortunately some rooms opened up so need to deal with traffic and the brouhaha of the Strip. aahh it was meant to be... lol

this is where you'll find me

I am a big fan of Kanye's. A few of my hip hop homies lightweight hate on him because he's "obnoxious" and that turns them off. But you know what... he's one talented dude. And I can't wait to watch him put on a show.

Also looking forward to NERD - the group led by by husband and cousin (i'm pulling the "all filipinos are related" card here).

Big thanks to my homie Pab for hookin' it up!!! See ya and the homies soon man.

ttyl. have a good weekend!