TOPAZ HORIZON

The theater culture in London is astonishing. There must have been more than a dozen theaters in the city, each featuring a play or a musical, with performances every day, twice a day. Here in Manila, which I believe is a bigger city, how many plays do we stage in a day? Please, let’s support our theater culture!!!


So there we were on our last night in the city and Vince and I decided to spend our money on a musical. I wanted to watch Lion King, always have, always will. But the husband is not a fan of the Disney movie so he was positively sure he won’t like the musical. We both liked Les Miserables but the ticket lady said, “Look, it’s your last night in London. You’ve had fun so don’t watch something that is sad and heavy, okay? Here, watch We Will Rock You. Everybody says it is the best. I got good seats and for you, I’ll give them for only GBP 35 instead of GBP 55.” So, since Vince and I love a good bargain and since Vince has been bugging me about watching We Will Rock You, we watched that.

The ticket lady wasn’t kidding. We did indeed get very good seats (near the stage, center!) and the theater was filled to the rafters with an excited buzz. In all my theater experiences here in Manila, I have never felt the electricity of anticipation that filled a theater like that. The audience was so eager to watch the play, it was disconcerting, and their excitement really rubbed off on Vince and me. This musical must be good!



And it was!

We Will Rock You is a rock musical written by Queen and Ben Elton. Honestly, the story line was a bit thin; it felt like they just needed something to string along Queen’s songs. But since the music was really really fantastic and the actors were really really good singers, it was so worth the GBP 70! The audience sang along, we danced, we clapped, we screamed and shouted, we gave them a standing ovation.

Next time we go to London, I’m just watching the theater. It was truly magnificent!



*continue reading… Contest ahead!

I'm a big fan of this book series, which is, by the way, very very British. Being in London made me understand and appreciate the book way better--the night bus, wizarding money, kids sent off to boarding school, etc. Anyway, about this time last year, I was looking forward to and dreading the arrival of the very last book in this series. When I finally got to the last page, I felt bereft. No more adventures from this wizard I've grown to love for the past seven or so years.

So when I was booking our hotel a couple of months ago, I was so giddy when I found out that our hotel sat right beside Kings Cross station. And if you’re a fan of this book, you know that a special kind of train sits waiting there for its special kind of students!

Kings Cross is a huge train station but I dragged Vince there anyway, looking for Platform 9 and ¾. I just had to have a picture! Then I can pretend that I’m on my way to Hogwarts! Vince thought I was being silly. After two attempts and getting lost in the process, we finally found it. I really squealed like a kid when I found Platform 9 and ¾. I ran up to the wall, took hold of the luggage trolley and very excitedly (and stupidly) pushed and pushed that trolley into the wall. I mean, it was already halfway in! Alas, there must be no magic in me whatsoever because the wall refused to let my Muggle self through

Nevertheless, Muggle or not, our London honeymoon was pure magic. We had so much fun (yep, despite the cold, the bland food and getting left behind by our plane because the train got into trouble and we were stuck underground for 2 hours and 50 minutes). Though Vince and I had known each other for 9 years, this week-long honeymoon made us discover more about ourselves and that it’s possible to fall even more in love with each other. London was wonderful because we are in love and nothing can be more magical than that!

So let me share that fun by holding my second blog contest! Just answer this unbelievably easy question:

What famous book series about a boy wizard and his adventures prominently featured Platform 9 and ¾ of Kings Cross station?

Two readers who will leave a comment on this post with the correct answer will win a Body Shop Sun Lustre Bronzer, which will add an enchanting glow to your skin that’s sure to bewitch all the men out there! I have two kinds: the Bronze Gleam (for morena) and the Radiant Blush (for maputi), each worth $25 or Php1,135. So tell me which one you want!

*How to win: 

1. Winner will be randomly picked by me. Please don't contest the results. I have different qualifications depending on my mood!

2. Winner must have a Philippine address since shipping outside the country is expensive. 3. Please comment in this format: your answer, the bronzer variant you want (just one!), your first name, city where you're from, and email address. 4. Please do not put your full name and delivery address in the comment box since this blog is not secure. If you put your personal info, I will not be responsible for any identity theft and other problems that may arise from your actions. 5. I will announce the winner in a blog entry on July 15. I will also publish all entries then. So join lang nang join, mga friends! Baka manalo ka na!



*product photo from Body Shop website.

So Vince declared, "I need a real vacation! I'll make you a beach lover yet. We'll go to Boracay and do nothing but eat and swim and lie in the sun. Now that's a vacation!"

So I'll lie low for a while. Recover from jet lag, recover from it all. And, to be honest, I need to focus on work since I was gone so long!

Though I sound whiny, we did have tons of fun. Tons! London is very very exciting. We did all the tourist stuff, oh we're so corny! Museums, parks, bus tours, monuments--we practically visited every famous spot in London. But we enjoyed them all!

I'll post my stories on the London holiday as soon as I feel like myself again. There's lots to tell!