Archive for March, 2010

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More on Ballet pictorials

Saturday, March 13th, 2010

In my last entry, I blogged about our recent ballet pictorial.  As my wife does the post production part of the shoot, we have been staring at all the student’s photos for quite a while now.  In so doing we noticed a few more items worth some attention.  First and foremost, would be the smiles.  As I stated in my previous entry, we had to constantly remind kids to smile.  It was not a surprise to see good shots getting archived because the kids were not smiling.  Second would be jewelry. Just because your kid has a pictorial, doesn’t mean that you have her wear all your loose diamonds.  You have to follow the artisitic direction of the producer.  Its funny if your kid has the role of a simple village girl and her ears sparkle.  Lastly, the weight! Please STOP your children from always going to McDonalds or eating  chips and chocolates.  If you don’t think their fat, look at their pictures. It even gets worse when they get on stage.  The worst thing that could happen is if they won’t fit in their costumes come recital time.  Give them real, nutricious, high quality food.

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Posted in DANCE, THEATRE, EDUCATION, PHOTOGRAPHY | 1 Comment »

What do you do in a Ballet pictorial?

Friday, March 12th, 2010

The weekend was quite busy for us.  It was the pictorial of ACTS Manila ballet schools.  While Saturday was not so bad as it only involved my wife, Sunday engaged all four of us.  We woke up very early to be at the pictorial site at 730am.  The shoot started around 830am, with my daughter’s ballet class. About an hour later, it was my son’s ballet class. At around 10:30am,  it was the turn of my students to be photographed.  The whole morning was practically a family affair.  After lunch, it was back to my wife’s monopoly of things to do.

Perhaps your kid is about to have look into that Canon camera in a ballet pictorial setting. Here are some practical tips:

  • 1.) Come early! – In a production pictorial setting, you have to put on a costume or wear special make up.  For this reason, call time is usually 1hr before the scheduled shoot.  By coming late, you run the risk of not wearing the costume properly or putting on the best make-up.   In some cases, you may even damage the costume.
  • 2.) Wear make-up before getting to the site. – If your circumstances permit and no special make-up is required, you should have your kid wear make-up before arriving at the photoshoot.  This way, you can focus on his/her costume.
  • 3.) Keep the kids busy. -  Do what you can to keep your kid preoccupied while sitting down.  Bring books or games that will keep him/her from running around and destroying his/her costume. Pictorials usually take long because of the number of kids to be shot, so you have to bring quite a number of books and games.
  • 4.) Bring food. – Because of the long wait time, bring along some snacks.  However, don’t let your kid eat brownies or other dark colored stuff unless you want his/her teeth to have stains.  You should also stay away from messy stuff like cream pies as they may spill on the costume.
  • 5.) Bring a good container for the costume. – Bring a container that keeps the costume from being damaged during transport or storage.
  • 6.) Practice your child’s smile. -  It’s interesting that we had to nag kids to smile. Have your child practice smiling the night before. It would even be better if you have a mock pictorial!

Hopefully this makes your pictorial experience more memorable in a positive way. Smile!

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Posted in DANCE, THEATRE, EDUCATION, PERSONAL, PHOTOGRAPHY | No Comments »

How to choose dance lessons for your child?

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

Its that time of the year, when school is about to end and parents are scrambling to get their kids into activities.    A lot of parents would try to get their kids into dance.  What style should they get into? Where do they train? The answers really depend on what your goals are for your kids.

When choosing a style for your child you should consider the what of the following aspects you want to develop:

1.) Musicality

2.) Acting/Character on Stage

3.) Expression and creativity

4.) Physical control/flexibility

5.) Physical strength

If you want musicality, then jazz, tap and hip-hop. The dependency of these styles on beats and syncopation makes them ideal for this goal.  For character and acting, the classical is the best.  It teaches you to carry yourself like a prince or princess.  If you want to foster creativity and expression, then nothing beats contemporary.

As far as physical training is concerned,  Classical Ballet and Contemporary develop great control over muscle groups.  Classical leg battements and port de bras define peripheral muscles.  Arabesques and pirouettes develop the back and abdominals.  Contemporary contractions and releases develop the core. Think about contemporary dancers rolling like on the floor like rugs.   Hip-hop is known for exposive moves.  Jazz is notable for pelvic and hip isolations.

Among the styles, contemporary appears to confuse some people.  A co-teacher of mine in ballet commented that contemporary is like jazz.  They are actually not.  To understand what contemporary, we go back to its roots.  In the early part of the 20th century,  dancers hated the “fairy tale” like quality of ballet so they developed a more realist, earthy style known as Modern Dance.  In this style, dancers would use the floor and contract their bodies.  In the 60′s some dancers emphasized that natural movement was dance.  Improvisation and natural movement marked what is known as post-modern dance. The combination of Modern and Post-Modern  is now called Contemporary.

After choosing the style, you then consider the teacher.  Is the teacher really a dancer? How long did he/she dance? Where did he/she get the training? Is he/she part of a guild or network of teachers that oversees the quality of instruction? Are the rates reasonable? In my case, I danced for about 3 years before working in industry for 15 years.  After that I returned to ballet as a teacher.  I am part of the Christ centered  ACTS Manila consortium of teachers and ballet schools.  You can call me to compare my rates with other teachers in my area.

Only after considering the teacher should you consider the studio. I have taught ballet in small kindergarten classrooms.  A good teacher should be able to improvise teaching methods to meet the needs of the students.  I teach in 60 sq. m. church hall at Laguna Bel Air 2, Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Philippines.  You can call me at 09083020319 for a free ballet or contemporary class.

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Posted in DANCE, THEATRE, EDUCATION | No Comments »

BSA Towers – Greenbelt (condotel review)

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

If you are looking for a place to stay in Makati that’s priced reasonably, one of the options you might consider is staying at the BSA Towers along Legaspi St. right across Greenbelt 5. We’ve had the opportunity to stay there a couple of times and so far our experiences have been pleasant. I’ve read mixed reviews about the place so I’d like to add my 2 cents worth to help you decide whether you want to stay there or not.

CONVENIENT LOCATION

One of the major factors we took into consideration was convenience – mainly for my in-laws’ sake. They are senior citizens and not quite as mobile as before so having Greenbelt 5 directly across the condotel is a big plus. No need to get caught in traffic and wait for hours just to get to a mall.

This is the view from the balcony of Room 1208.

we can see Greenbelt 5 and beyond…

the entrance to Greenbelt 5…

PARKING

This factor might not be important if you are a business traveler flying in from a province or another country. However, if you live in and around NCR (National Capital Region) and you have your own vehicle, having your own parking slot is a big plus. Some condotels do not provide secure parking spaces, unlike BSA Towers, where we were alloted a parking slot within the building. If you are not ready to risk your car being “chop-chopped” or if you haven’t said yes to that auto insurance quote you’ve been offered, then you might want to consider staying at BSA.

STAFF PERFORMANCE

We had a problem with one of the bathroom faucets in Rm. 1208. There was just hot water coming out of the faucet and no cold water to mix it with. Having two kids with us, this was not safe at all. I called the front desk to have the Maintenance check it and shortly after, they sent someone to fix it. It turned out that the cleaning guys forgot to turn on the cold water valve under the sink. Problem fixed. I also called in a couple other requests which I’ve forgotten already but overall, the staff were courteous and polite.

Here’s how the bathroom looks like in the Master’s bedroom:

HOTEL CONDITION/CLEANLINESS

Generally, the building is old. The lobby is small and looks more like the hallway of an office building rather than the lobby of a hotel, so don’t expect something grand. The room we stayed in was decent. No broken furnitures etc.  I’m not quite sure about the other rooms, though. All I can say is, if you stay in Room 1208, then you’re good.  Housekeeping is daily and the sheets are changed everyday. Our room package did not include breakfast but I wouldn’t miss it anyway. Last time we stayed at BSA, they served breakfast in bento boxes. It was probably good while hot but mine was already cold when I woke up so I didn’t really enjoy it.

ROOMS/ACCOMODATIONS

There was nothing glaringly wrong with the room we stayed in. The living area was spacious. The kitchen was small but adequate. I did have to switch a few appliances around to make the work area more efficient but overall, it was ok. The dining table was a bit small for us because it could only accommodate 4 people. We ended up taking turns during our meals. The balcony doors were locked, for safety reasons probably. The beds were comfortable. Our room was a bit small and they had to configure the beds in such a way as to fit 2 twin beds, a cabinet and a mirror as well. The bottomline: the room met our needs and so we were quite satisfied with it. Again, I can only speak for us and our experiences in the room we stayed in.

Here’s the kitchen…

… the kitchen, one of the bedrooms and one of the bathrooms…

… our bedroom

VALUE FOR MONEY

I think if you’re not looking for a resort hotel, but something more practical, affordable, and accessible then, BSA Towers is worth the stay. It may not have the other amenities of the larger hotels like a pool, a gym etc. etc., but  it makes up for all that in many other ways.

***BSA TOWERS is managed by Quantum Hotels and Resorts

One little note, I just want to commend the security guards of Greenbelt 5 for helping out with the wheelchair. When my in-laws go to a mall, I usually get a wheelchair for my father-in-law to use around the mall. Some malls allow you to use and keep the wheelchair while you are there. Greenbelt 5 has a different procedure. They don’t allow you to keep the wheelchair with you. Instead, they bring you to your destination and you can just inform the guards to let them know you need to go somewhere else. What was really nice about them is that when we were done malling and called security for the wheelchair, they even brought my father-in-law right up to the doorstep of the BSA Towers. Kudos, to you!!!!

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Posted in TRAVEL | 2 Comments »

Decoding Divisoria Part 2 (with pics)

Monday, March 1st, 2010

I survived! I took another trip to Divisoria a few days ago and I can now say to myself I won’t get lost anymore in this jungle of a marketplace. This time I even have pictures to boot! I planned to get to Divisoria early but unfortunately, I got too excited planning my trip the night before and ended up leaving late the next day. I left the house around 9am and expected to arrive at around 10:30am but I got caught in a monstrous traffic jam. I ended up in Divi past 12 noon. Tsk tsk! BUT all things work together for good so I guess it was all for a reason.

My entry route to Divisoria was through Binondo where the you see the famous Chinatown arch landmark after passing the Jones Bridge and the original Savory restaurant. The next landmark you will find is the rotonda where you will see the Binondo Church. Traffic was so bad, I got off at Starbucks and began my hunt in Juan Luna St. Take a look at where I got off.

This is where Juan Luna St. starts coming from Binondo.

**JUAN LUNA STREET

WHAT YOU WILL FIND: t-shirts (wholesale), t-shirt printing, commercial paper, printing and binding supplies, office equipment and supplies and a lot of banks in

Juan Luna Bridge – On the left side of the bridge, you will find  Ilaya and Tabora, New Divisoria Mall, M. de Santos etc.. On the right, you will find Juan Luna Plaza, Meisic Mall and 168 Mall. If you go straight up, you’ll end up on C.M. Recto Ave. where you will find Tutuban Mall.

** I turned left 2 streets after the bridge and bought 2 packs of jewelry foam from this lady who didn’t mind my taking a picture of her.

**COMMONER’S COMMERCIAL

This is how Commoner’s Commercial looks like. These guys were sport enough to “candidly” pose for me. Ü

WHAT YOU WILL FIND: acrylic boxes (be sure to bring a sample of the item you want to box so you can choose your size), plastic bags, sando bags, plastic bags with adhesive, kraft paper bags, round magnets, french fries boxes, plastic containers, cups and boxes for food or baked stuff, acrylic sheets, bubble wrap, cling wrap, colored wire, jewelry tags, paper and other packaging stuff.

** MORNING GLORY

Not quite sure if this is Morning Glory or Good Morning but nevertheless they’re both on the same street and both of these store sell sewing stuff.

WHAT YOU WILL FIND: all kinds of beads, thread, glitter, ric rac, lace, fabric flowers, sequins, buttons, ribbons and all kinds of jewelry and sewing stuff that you can imagine.

**WELLMANSON SEWING NOTIONS

I don’t have a picture of the store, but yes, there is a Wellmanson store in Divisoria.

WHAT YOU WILL FIND: jewelry making materials, findings, beads, jewelry tools, glitter, feathers, ric rac, lace, swarovski crystals, little wire tie twisties,

**TUTUBAN MALL COMPLEX

I just discovered that Tutuban Mall was divided into three buildings – am not quite sure if this is how they’re called : 1) Prime (where National bookstore is)  2) Block (the building with the escalator 3) and Cluster (the one parallel to Recto)

99 Slice and Dice Steak resto – So far this is where we always eat when we are in Divisoria.  We usually have the beef salpicao and kangkong. Affordable and tasty.

I discovered that there were other interesting places to eat just outside Tutuban Prime, near the parking lot. Maybe we’ll try them next time:

This is where we parked. This is directly behind Tutuban Prime.

I asked the security guard to pose for me (feeling John L. hahaha) Ü

Finally, this is what happens when the malls close. NIGHT MARKET!!!!!!! Pardon the blur. I was trying to shoot while in a moving car. Ü I just wanted to show how the shopping is still relentless even at night.

If you’ll notice, my pictures start out bright under the heat of the summer sun and end with  street lights and headlights galore. That’s how long it took us in Divisoria. I think I’ve walked my feet to death. It felt like walking on a treadmill that you can’t get off from. aaaaack.

Overall, despite all the hassles and difficulties of shopping here, Divisoria is still the mother of all markets hands down.

Check out the first post I did on Divisoria here—> http://teystirol.com/2009/11/17/decoding-divisoria/

Hope this post helps someone. HAPPY SHOPPING EVERYONE!!!!!

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Posted in HOME, FAMILY & FAITH, PERSONAL, TRAVEL | 7 Comments »

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