Tony Award Winner and International Star Lea Salonga Makes Carnegie Hall Debut

NEW YORK -- Tony Award winning star of Miss Saigon Lea Salonga will make her debut at the prestigious Carnegie Hall's Isaac Stern Auditorium, the premier classical music performance space in the United States, in New York City on Monday, November 7th, 2005 at 7PM. Performing one night only, Salonga's concert will be an intimate show with a mix of show tunes, jazz standards and other popular favorites. Excited about her first solo concert at Carnegie Hall, she comments: "It has always been my dream to take my turn at the most respected concert hall in the world. As enormous as that is for me, I still plan on making it an intimate show, singing the songs I love to sing and making some good music with a band of musicians the good old fashioned way."

Salonga gained international acclaim for her award winning performance as Kim in the London and Broadway productions of Miss Saigon. In addition to winning the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award for creating the lead role in London in 1989, she also garnered the coveted Tony Award as well as the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for "Outstanding Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical" when the show opened on Broadway in 1991. Then, in 1993, she became the first Asian actor to play the widely popular role of Eponine in Les Miserables on Broadway and reprised the same role in London, Hawaii and the "all-star" tenth anniversary concert production at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Salonga recently completed the first leg of her first U.S. concert tour. The successful show has been filling impressive venues such as The Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles, CA and The Arie Crown Theater in Chicago, IL. She has performed in international concert halls in cities such as London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Phuket, Manila and recently, Munich, in a Leonard Bernstein Tribute as Maria in West Side Story. She returned to Broadway in the fall of 2002 when she starred in the hit "new" production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song. Among her vast array of theater credits on international stage include the lead roles of Catherine in David Auburn's Proof, The Witch in Into the Woods, Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, Sonia Walsk in They're Playing Our Song, Sandy Dumbrowski in Grease, the title role in Annie, and recently, Lizzie in Baby. On television, she was seen in an episode of the hit show, E.R., and re-created the role of Lien Hughes for CBS's As the World Turns. She is also the singing voice behind two Disney favorites: the heroine Mulan and Princess Jasmine in Aladdin. In Aladdin, she recorded the Academy Award winning song, A Whole New World, with Brad Kane.

Richard Jay-Alexander, best known for directing and producing Bernadette Peters's Carnegie Hall concerts Live at Carnegie Hall and Loves Rodgers and Hammerstein, and the concert tours of Bette Midler's Kiss My Brass and Barbra Streisand's Timeless Farewell, will direct Salonga's Carnegie Hall debut. He was associated with theater impresario Cameron Mackintosh for a long time, having served as Executive Director of Mackintosh's American company for ten years, running its day-to-day operations in North America. He was both Associate Director and Executive Producer of Mackintosh's original Broadway, touring and Canadian productions of Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon and Five Guys Named Moe. Jay-Alexander was the Executive Producer of Five Guys Named Moe's Grammy-nominated original cast recording. He also produced the Grammy-nominated recordings of Bernadette Peters's Live from Carnegie Hall and Loves Rodgers and Hammerstein.

A portion of the proceeds from the concert will benefit Diverse City Theater Company, an independent, not-for-profit theater organization based in New York City. Formed in 2003, Diverse City Theater promotes diversity in the theater arts by developing and producing original works that explore and examine diversity issues-social, cultural, gender and demographic-in our national culture. Its mission is to bring multicultural issues to theater audiences and advocate non-traditional casting of actors.

"Lea's artistic achievements and pioneering efforts paved way for many artists and producers today. She is proof that diversity in the theater works. We are grateful for her support and a proud partner in presenting her Carnegie Hall debut," said Victor Lirio, Artistic & Producing Director.

Tickets for her upcoming concert can be purchased by calling the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 212-247-7800 or online at www.carnegiehall.org. Ticket prices range from $45.00-$100.00. VIP Tickets can be purchased by calling Liz Casasola at 212-309-9018 or via e-mail at liz@diversecitytheater.org. Individual VIP tickets are $350 which includes a post-performance VIP reception. All tickets go on sale beginning Monday, August 22nd, 2005.

FOR ALL PRESS INQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT:

BWR Public Relations
Christina Papadopoulos
212-901-3939

Melissa Raubvogel
212-901-3933

Mi Casa

Parking lot of the beer store at the corner of our street.

Home sweet home in Toronto


On my way home one sunny, windy and a cold day in September.

Mornings at Liberty

Every morning at around 8 am at work, we go to this place called 'Liberty' to get something for breakfast.


Lucy & Magda feeding a house sparrow.



Squirrel munching an apple.



The Liberty building at 8 in the morning, fall of 2005.

Remote Unlocking Of Car Doors

i got this forwarded email from a friend. not really sure if it's true or not. just in case anyone of you tried this. let me know if it works....

If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call
someone on your cell phone.

Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have
the other person at your home press the unlock button of your key fob
(clicker), holding it near the phone on their end. Your car doors will
unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you.

Distance is no object you could be hundreds of miles away, and
if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can
unlock the doors (or the trunk)!

Editor's Note * It works fine! We tried it out, and it unlocked
our car over a cell phone!)

Mike's Note *

I locked the car had my youngest daughter call me while I was
far away from the car. I clicked open into th e phone and I could hear
the car doors unlock through her cell phone. My daughter confirmed that
sure enough the doors opened.

Banana Chocolate Muffin

twas chilly this morning when i was on my way to work. guess its a reminder that summer is gone and that i should stop wearing my cargo shorts to work. oh well, i was happy when i got to my workplace coz my co worker lucy got me a chocolate banana muffin from tim hortons. so sweet. it made my day!

Wednesday Night

its almost 6 pm and i just woke up from a nap smelling the aroma of my house mate's "nilagang baka" (beef veggie soup). i got home around 4 from work feeling i need a power nap. i actually fell asleep watching john bon jovi doing his charity works at "oprah". on my way home i was debating with myself if i will visit my friends shing & ging, they said they're gonna make an 'ilonggo' dinner. hmmm... that sounds really yummy but the temptation of staying at home after a nap is stronger, not to mention my house mate's preparing dinner. well, i might end up staying at home, check my notes for tomorrow's class in microbio and watch 'you think you can dance?'

this morning, i was glad that i got an early appointment with my endocrinologist for monday. i have a scheduled appointment with her this november for my regular thyroid check up. im kinda worried coz since last week im having 'difficulty in breathing'. i hope this is nothing serious, i am tired of this endless saga of my thyroid illness.

Internet Radio

hi guys! for those of you who are fond of listening to internet radio, here's one radio station that keeps me awake at work. Get Down Lounge radio plays your R&B and Hip hop music all day all night. What's more cool about this station is that you can view a playlist and request your favorite song. check it out and enjoy!

One Fine Day In Toronto

shade of trees at nathan philips square

boozeeeeeee!

waiting for the subway train

chips... ahoy!


davisville view

One Fine Day In Toronto

toronto eaton centre @ dundas and yonge st

food court at eaton centre

starbucks at eaton centre

checking lotto tickets

One Fine Day In Toronto

stalking berna & olive at queen street

king of the street, toronto street car

old toronto city hall

queen and university st

toronto city hall 40th anniversary

Korean Barbeque

located at queen street, downtown toronto. this eat all you can lunch/dinner for $15 is one of my fave resto. cooking your own food is fun too!

Great Weekend

it is indeed a fun and busy weekend. after i finished work yesterday i met my friends manny, berna and olive. we had dinner to celebrate olive's birthday (september 6). while having dinner at a korean barbeque in downtown toronto, manny's beeper beeped. poor guy, he's on call at st. mike's hospital as a cardio nurse. so he left while berna, olive & i are feasting in a korean buffet.. we junked the plan of watching a movie and decided to head to manny & berna's place at davisville to chill. berna prepared a tea, made lumpia (filipino spring rolls) and played a filipino-chinese movie "mano po 3". i got bored with the movie and instead i concentrate on the food, geez that magnolia ice cream (cheese with sweet corn flavor) made my night. around 9 pm, i need to leave to go to a co-worker's (vashtee) end of summer party.

today im supposed to go to costco with my friend jay, something came up and he couldn't make it. blessing in disguise coz my room mate misplaced her costco card and she couldn't find it. i guess that "balikbayan box" can wait. it's so beautiful outside that i wish summer will never end. good timing that i was chatting with my friend josh, he invited me to come over for lunch. so i left home and took my ass to king street and enjoyed a yummy vegetarian lunch.

Last Days of Summer

Last Days of Summer

there's no denying that summer is almost over. last weekend we had a family barbeque at my cousin's place in scarborough. bored. i goofed around and took some pics.

Bush Jokes

The prime Minister of China called President Bush to console him after the
attack on the pentagon:

"I'm sorry to hear about the attack. It is a very big tragedy. But in case
you are missing any documents from the Pentagon, we have copies of
everything."

===================================================================

Musharraf calls Bush on 11th sept:

Musharraf: Mr President, I would like to express my condolences to you. It
is a real tragedy. So many people, such great bldgs... I would like to
ensure that we had nothing in connection with that........
Bush: What buildings? What people??
Musharraf: Oh, and what time is it in America now?
Bush: It's eight in the morning.
Musharraf: Oops...Will call back in an hour!

=====================================================================

Vajpayee and Bush are sitting in a bar. A guy walks in and asks the barman,
"Isn't that Bush and Vajpayee?"

The barman says "Yep, that's them." So the guy walks over and says, "Hello,
what are you guys doing?"

Bush says, "We're planning world war 3"

The guy says, "Really? What's going to happen?"

And Vajpayee says, "Well, we're going to kill 14 million Pakistanis and one
bicycle repairman."

And the guy exclaimed, "A bicycle repairman?!!!"

Vajpayee turns to Bush and says, "See, I told you no-one would worry about
the 14 million Pakistanis!"

iTunes 5 No Good?

this has been pissing me off for the past few days. itunes 5 seemed to be giving me a headache by constanly crashing after few hours of using it. i duno what's going on with this latest version but as far as i am concern, the update to this version is not really that significant. i mean, i just want it to work properly and i wish they have a plug in that integrates it to yahoo messenger just like with msn messenger. a lot of people also complain that it gives them problem with their ipod. i still have to try this as i synch my ipod shuffle with my mac at work. whew!

the latest i've heard is that apple acknowledge this bug and will release an update soon. so apple people... hurrrry up!

Bathroom Break for Bush

i duno how to react with this one.. "U.S. President George W. Bush writes a note to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a Security Council meeting at the 2005 World Summit and 60th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York September 14, 2005".

Hangin' On by Camile Velasco feat Pras

so as the poster says...hangin' on by camile velasco is out as a pre release single. i purchased mine at iTunes and its a great song. i like the beat! click here to listen to both the original and the remix.

Photos Of The Day

what do you think of this?

Dear Lie

I know you will never F%$#! read this blog but this song is heartedly dedicated to you. I hope this will stab your heart and bleed endlessly:

Dear lie
You suck
You said you could fix anything
Instead I’m fucked
You made things even worse for me
If I had balls I’d tell you get away from me
Guess I’m not smart
I let you unnerve me
I let you control me
Afraid the truth would hurt me
When it’s you that hurts me more

Chorus

Get outta my mouth
Get outta my head
Get outta my mind
Stop puttin’ words in my head
Get outta my mouth
You’re nothing but trouble
Get outta my life
Get out of me
Out of me out of me
Out of me
Out of me lie
Lie lie lie lie

Dear lie
You’re dumb
You think you’ve got the best of me
You think you won
Misread my vulnerability
I’ve got your walls
Now get the hell away from me
I’ve learned your art
Won’t let you unnerve me
Won’t let you control me
The truth will only free me
And your lies won’t hurt no
No more

Chorus

Lie lie
I’ve got
Your walls
Now get the hell away from me
I learned your art
Won’t let you unnerve me
Wont’ let you control me
The truth will only free me
And your lies won’t hurt no
No more

Chorus

Lie lie
Dear lie
Lie lie lie lie
Lie lie
Dear lie

Air Adventure

how could i say no to this invitation? dust, i bet you had a good time. but as you promised you guys gonna do it again so... the plane won't take off without me then. so that's niagara, bufallo area huh?
time to play 'dare devil'.

Message Board, Photos & Music

hi guys! thanks again for visiting my web log. recently i added some new features: message board - please feel free to tag a message whenever you drop by the site. of course you can leave a comment to any posted topics anytime. you don't need to register, anonymous sounds like a good name to me. i also added photos and music. have fun and see ya around!

Disneyland Hong Kong Opens!

UPDATE... PHOTOS FROM THE OPENING OF DISNEYLAND HONG KONG. CLICK HERE!

what?! another disneyland? yes guys, the 5th land of mickey opens this week in the former british colony. Disney HK will be the 2nd disneyland in asia after disneyland japan.

according to a japanese daily news, celebrity guests includes Jackie Chan, Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh , Julie Andrews & Lea Salonga (original singing voice of 'mulan' & jasmine in 'alladin').

i had a chance to visit disneyland california fall of 2002. my verdict... kids will enjoy it. i'd rather spend a day at universal studios.

Photo Blog Test

im just trying to test how this photo blog works.. hehe!
@ Golden Bridge, SF, California

French or Russian Resto?

Hey guys! Anyone knows a good French or Russian restaurant in Toronto? I have a friend from the states coming over this weekend...they want to go to a French or Russian resto, buffet is really awesome! Please post your comment here if you have an idea.. Thanks!

Wanted - Loving Home for 2 Cat Brother's

My friend sent me this email:

Wanted - Loving Home for 2 Cat Brother's Rusty and Harvey - 2 great cats - fixed - great personalities - 2 years old I have developed asthma and have found out I am allergic to cats so I need to give them up. Have cat littler box, toys, scratching posts, and whatever food, treats and litter to go with them. Am only looking for someone who could take them both as they are very close. Karen

If you are interested or know of anyone that is please post a comment here and leave your contact info.. Thanks!

My 1st Blog

honestly, this is not my 1st blog. i already have yahoo 360 and msn spaces. but im not so satisfied with those blog sites. hopefully i will be happy with the one here and will consider this my personal blog to share with close friends and family...