The Week of Free Things

Well, that might be an overstatement, but there were two occasions where free things were bestowed this week, and they were pretty freakin' fantastic.

WEDNESDAY - "In the Heights" with Sarah!

As has been clearly stated in this blog, "In the Heights" is my current favorite thing. I had already seen the show twice, and the tour was having its final SoCal stop with a two week stay in Costa Mesa. Which is just a hop and a skip (no jump needed - it's pretty close) to my friend Sarah, who lives in the OC. So we texted about it, and she was interested in seeing it, so it was all a matter of what day would I drive up that would work out for both of us.

At first, there was no good evening. Our schedules and plans just weren't gelling, and we were about to call it a day and say it wasn't in the cards. Then on Wednesday, I found out that I could do Thursday night after all. She replied that so was hers, but also her Wednesday was free now too, if I wanted to drive up that same day/evening... and you know me, always down for things. 

I drove up after work and traffic wasn't that bad once you got past Carlsbad. And I've been in cautious-save-gas-by-driving-at-60mph mode for awhile now, but made it to Sarah's to pick her up and then get us to the theatre with 15 minutes to spare. The plan was to buy last-minute rush tickets, which are basically any open seats left (usually in the balcony) sold at half off, but you have to pay in cash.

I had no cash. And the ATM at the venue? Broken.

We walked to the box office, thinking things weren't looking good, but we were gonna try our luck and hope that maybe they'd accept a debit card? That's basically like cash, right? So we stand in line, hoping for the best, and then we get directed to the next available ticket window. As we make our way, a very kind lady (who I will describe as 50+ something who likely goes to theatre/art exhibits on a regular basis and probably drives a Mercedes-Benz) approached us.

LADY: Excuse me, were you two going to buy tickets?

ME: (unsure of where this was going) Yup.

LADY: Well here (hands us two tickets). They're yours.

(Sarah and I look puzzled.)

Apparently the very kind lady was there with a big group, and they ended up with a few extras, and rather than sell them, she told us to take them and enjoy the show. And mind you, she still had time to sell them. We looked at the tickets, and they were Orchestra Row M. Which is pretty damn awesome. (Sidenote: I think that should be the new reverse-abbreviation for PDA. 'Cause the other PDA? Just get a room, folks.) Sarah and I were floored, and so thankful for this kind lady's generosity. 

The seats were truly incredible. You could see the expressions on the actor's faces! The show already has good energy and fun as it is, but I think the great seats made for an even better first-experience for Sarah, who seemed to really enjoy it and later asked me for the soundtrack. 

When this show closes on Broadway, I'd love to be there! 

SATURDAY/SUNDAY - America's Finest City Half Marathon!

I woke up on Saturday morning to find a Facebook message from someone I didn't know. I opened it and she introduced herself as a friend of another friend of mine, and that she heard from the friend that I was a runner. Turns out she had a race bib for Sunday's AFC 1/2 Marathon, but was no longer able to run it, and she was trying to sell it, and thought I might be interested. I thought about it, but texted her back to say that I needed to save money, and so I wished her luck in selling it. 

Again, she still had time to go on craigslist and sell it. But a few hours later I got a text message from her, saying if I would run it, it was mine to have. Now this needed some thought. I haven't been running as much since the end of May - barely once a week, and 4 mile runs at that. I've been focusing more on strength training and weights. Also, I'd need to carbo load the rest of the day and sleep early, but had Chris' man-bath to attend still. I was really unsure... and then I figured, "go for it - it might take you three hours, but you've run up to 20 miles before - you can do this."

I replied that I'd be happy to run in her place, and thanked her for offering. Picked up the race bib in 4S Ranch where she works, and then started the prep: lots of water and carbs for the rest of the day, and going to bed before 9pm. Which I managed to do! Woke up at 4:30, got myself ready to go, drove to Balboa Park where we were then shuttled down to the Cabrillo Monument, and at 7:00, off we ran! 

The course wasn't flat - there were some uphills (both at the beginning and especially at the end) and downhills (at the beginning), but the course was even once we got to the 4 mile marker. We ran by the airport, Spanish Landing, along Harbor and through downtown, before heading uphill on 6th Avenue to get to Balboa Park. I kept a pretty good pace in the middle - it takes awhile for my body/legs to warm up, so I'm slower at the beginning, and then of course tired at the end. Could definitely feel the blister starting to erupt on my right foot. But I passed the 12 mile marker and got my game face on. A little before that point, my iPod Shuffle was playing "When You're Home", from "In the Heights", which has a part where they keep repeating the Spanish phrase, "No pare! Sigue, sigue!" Which translates into "don't stop, keep going, keep going!" I thought that was very appropriate and motivating to keep on charging towards the finish line. And once I could see the finish line in the distance, I changed up the song to play the last minute of "Finale" from the show, as it's very climactic and I wanted to finish my run with that happy ending music blasting through my headphones. 

Official final time -- 2:37:50! I really thought I'd finish in three hours, so I'm super stoked about my time. I have the 4 mile run with Pete, Ben, and perhaps a few other friends at the end of this month, and Ben and I are both registered for the Long Beach Marathon in mid-October. Now to seriously get my butt in gear for that one - 26.2 or bust! 

Me with my latest piece of racing "bling" - AFC Half Marathon 2010! 

Six on Saturday

1. Song of the Week: "Finale", from "In the Heights"

My raving about this show continues, as a new song from the soundtrack has grabbed my attention. (Sidenote - I find this to be a sign of a great CD, as "Spring Awakening" and Jimmy Eat World's "Clarity" both had this quality, where you keep listening to the CD because something new grabs you each time.) It really ends the show well, as Usnavi concludes his character's emotional arc and everyone comes together. The blending of the voices in the beginning, as each character sings their own line(s) at the same time really stands out. And I have a new favorite line, as he realizes where his home is - "but with patience and faith, we remain unafraid - I'm home!" I love Lin-Manuel Miranda. Between this show, seeing his freestyle rapping, fun videos on YouTube, and appearance on "House" last season, I wish we were g's. I think I can call him the male version of Lea Michele for me (but in a "bromance" way).

2. I get to see RENT at the Hollywood Bowl tonight! With an all-star cast directed by Neil Patrick Harris, I'm super stoked to see one of my favorite musicals. (If only they did an all-star Spring Awakening show.... with Lea and Jon reprising their roles, of course.)

3. I'm going back to school. Enrolled in two classes at Grossmont, and waitlisting another. I'll be studying anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology. Classes will run after work, but luckily I have a friend (Suzy) taking them with me. Though we do have a certain idea of where we'd like to go with these classes, this is just getting our feet wet and back into the swing of being in classes again... like I heard in a message at Mosaic SD recently, you may not know where Point B is or how to get there, but you can't just sit in the parking garage waiting for the complete set of directions... sometimes you need to take the initiative, start driving, and trust God to move you in the right direction and to correct any wrong turns you might make along the way.

4. I'm going to be an uncle!!!

What's this, you say? I'm an only child? ... Yeah, true story. But my five closest cousins (all siblings - one of whom is my roommate) are the closest thing I have to siblings, since we all grew up together... and the oldest just called me to let me know he's going to be a father. It's exciting, and I'm so happy for them. He even said over the phone that I'll be an uncle in 5 months... wow. It'll be very cool to have a little one around. And thankfully my own parents aren't in "we want to be grandparents!!!!" mode yet. I think the TGO wants me to have a kid more than my own parents do, actually... but "Operation: LFB" (Little Filipino Babies) is on hold until further notice.

5. I hate being lactose-intolerant. Especially when you're not aware a product is loaded with lactase...

6. Alcohol-Free August!

My buddy Pete and I both made a pact to remain alcohol free until the 29th, which is when we're doing the Fire Run (4 miles). I kinda mentioned I might do it, he said he was thinking about doing it too, and then we both decided that abstaining will help us reach our fitness goals a little better. Of course, I had to choose a month where there's two birthdays going down, and where one of them is having a pub crawl to celebrate... but we got this, we got this...

Please Don't Go

Hmmm, if I were to do a "Song of the Week" type of thing here... then this week's song would probably be Mike Posner's "Please Don't Go".

It makes me wanna hit the clubs.

But... I don't have clubbing friends. So that kinda sucks.

Guess I'll just have a dance party in my room then.

"No pare, sigue, sigue!"

In my previous blog post, I stated that I may have a new favorite musical: "In the Heights".

Being such a bold statement, I'm not making it official yet. I mean, I've seen "Spring Awakening" six times over the last two years, and plan on seeing it at least once when it returns to LA this spring. Perhaps twice, if I can score on-stage seats - which is a completely different and amazing experience. (And if you're Ashley, you were sooooo spoiled that your first time seeing SA was from on stage.)

But this post is about the wonderful show that is "In the Heights".

ITH is a present-day musical set in a Latino suburb of Manhattan, chronicling three days in the lives of a close community as they pursue their dreams and grapple with this idea of "home" and what it means to them. The contemporary score is infused with Latin, salsa, and hip-hop influences, and the choreography reflects this as well.

If you want to know more about the show, there's a PBS documentary on YouTube (in six parts) that does a really amazing job of showcasing the original cast members and their journey to get this show off the ground. I saw this before seeing the show itself, and it made me care about these people and I was able to appreciate their efforts even more. If you have 10 minutes, watch this clip below, and if you're sucked in (like I was), watch the next 50 online as well.

Two reasons why I love "ITH":

The Story

Everyone has different preferences when it comes to storytelling. Take two of my favorite shows, for example. I know some friends who adore "Rent" and others who are kinda turned off by the plot. Same goes for "Spring Awakening" - they'll say the music is great, but aren't particularly impressed by the story. To each their own, of course. But I love "ITH" and these characters.

In my previous post there was the song called "Breathe", and I was quickly drawn to the character of Nina and able to relate to her. What do you do when you have all these hopes and expectations placed on you by your family and community, but you find yourself struggling to meet them and things don't go according to plan? I've been there. Nina had to find her way through her particular situation (dropping out of Stanford), and I could relate to her journey (though my school was different and I didn't drop out).

The other story themes I relate to concern how to maintain your cultural heritage when you're removed from the homeland. The lead character's (Usnavi) parents immigrated from the Dominican Republic (but he was born in NYC); similarly, I was born in SoCal but my parents came from the Philippines. And while they have strong ties still and aren't going to forget their native country, I'm thinking now about what being Filipino means to me - since I never really did - and what parts of my heritage will I carry on with me when I eventually start a family.

Finally, "ITH" has a good deal of humor and fun to it, and I was very pleased with the ending... it's not big and schmaltzy (which is something I could see being said about "Wicked") nor is it dark and bittersweet ("Rent" / "SA").

The Music

"SA" was rocking out to a Duncan Sheik soundtrack - jumping up and down with youthful exuberance (fitting, as the characters are teens)... And "ITH" is grooving to a score that's more at home on a dance floor. And I can roll with both styles. :) Both have their "typical musical" numbers (i.e. slow and sweeping with some emotional climax), but as a whole, their soundtracks are distinctly different. I really dig the freestyling that goes on too - that style doesn't take over the soundtrack either. It's balanced really well, and Lin-Manuel Miranda seems like such an awesome fun talented guy. Here he is, doing a parody of a song from "High School Musical 2" that cracked me up - and if you watch it, you'll see a neat little cameo from "Jesse St. James"...

Anyways - every time I saw "SA", I picked up something new that made me appreciate that show even more. So we'll see what happens when I see "ITH" again this week. I'll go by myself, but hopefully get some friends/family to come out and see it.

Potential Blasphemy Ahead

Ready? Here it goes.

I think I might have a new favorite musical.

Yes, that means even more than "Spring Awakening"...

I KNOW, RIGHT?!

More thoughts on this later, as it's time to sleep. But needless to say, I'm super stoked that I got to see this in Hollywood earlier this evening.

New favorite song from the show: "Breathe". This clip features original Broadway cast member Mandy Gonzalez, whose voice is phenomenal. Favorite part: the stretch of video starting after the 2:00 minute mark...

These are a few of my favorite things...

And no, I'm not talking about raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens either.

In the Heights

So I've known about this show for awhile now... it won the Tony Award for "Best Musical" the year after Spring Awakening took home the same honor. But all I really knew about it was that it took place in the barrio and had a modern soundtrack with hip-hop/salsa/samba orchestrations. Took me two years to finally see a performance of it on TV, and it was last night on "Lopez Tonight". And I was blown away. Looks like such a fun show! I did more research and found more YouTube videos about the creation of the show, as well as watching their Tony Awards performance. I love seeing the passion and joy in the performers, and I really wish I'd been blessed with those talents of being a triple threat (sing/dance/act). If I did, boy, a career in musical theatre is what I'd want to pursue.

Anyways - here's the video of their "Lopez Tonight" performance:

STELLLLAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

So, about two weeks ago, I traded in my trusted old Toyota Tundra truck for a new Hyundai Sonata SE. The truck wasn't dying on me quite yet, but was always having a new expensive issue whenever I brought it in for an oil change, had a lot of miles (130K) and was a killer on the MPGs. I started doing my research on 4 door sedans that had great MPG ratings and that had a good combo of price/features/looks... and I found it all in the car you see below. That's my sleek sexy Stella. :) Happy birthday to me!

The Week That Was

After a particularly good week, I feel it appropriate to write about it... so that in a year or two or three, I can stumble across this blog randomly and remember the good times that were had.

THE AGENDA

Sometime last Sunday (6/20), I took a look at the prospective week ahead and wrote it down on the white board above my desk, so that I'd be motivated to do those things and so I wouldn't forget... allowing myself a day off on Monday to be at rest, it seemed that a busy week (outside of work) lay ahead.

Sunday

Sunday started off with going to Mosaic, which I'm really enjoying. Two of my growth group brothers go, and everyone else is super friendly, and the messages and worship are both well-done and in ways that speak to me. Had an early dinner with the parents for father's day, and then went back to Flood, again meeting up with some of the guys. I've always heard that there's a joy that comes in being able to experience church within community, and I'm definitely starting to feel that. And it's so great to tangibly experience God's love and grace through others, especially when those are things that He calls us to do, and to know that my brothers are living those qualities out and to consider them friends, it makes me feel blessed.

Monday

I rested. I ran. :)

Tuesday: The Casbah

My friend Gayle Skidmore is a local musician in San Diego, and she was playing at The Casbah as the first opening act. When I got her Facebook invite to go, I thought "sure, I'm down for the cause." I went down there by myself and was so impressed with her sound. I've seen her before, and known she's such a talented girl, but I definitely think she's grown as an artist and musician. She rocked that joint, and even though she was the opener, the audience called for an encore and got it. Many props to her and the band, and I can't wait for her CD release show - I'm sure she'll blow the roof off!

Wednesday: Flood worship

One of the things Flood does extremely well is worship... our church is so blessed to have not just one amazing regular house band, but two. And on Wednesday, Pat Little led us in a time of acoustic worship while a guest pastor came in and led us in prayer for the ministry opportunities coming up and in giving thanks to God for what He's done in our lives. My coworker Vicki came along too, since I'd mentioned it at work, and we joined the guys. (And Vicki, if you read this, Kyle told me that he so appreciated the Bible passage in Matthew that you recommended.)

Thursday: Comedy night

Cho, one of my brothers from the growth group, invited me out to join some peeps at The Comedy Palace over in Clairemont Mesa. I met up with them and while the humor contained stuff that some friends would find offensive/uncomfortable, it was a pretty fun time. You can't take things so super seriously, and as Cho pointed out, God invented humor and laughter, and when we get to heaven He'll be able to tell us jokes that will have us laughing our asses off.

Friday: Goo Goo Dolls

I've always wanted to see them, but never have, so when Ashley proposed that we go see them in concert, I thought "deal!" I picked up her and her friend Ali and drove us out to Alpine, as they were actually playing in a theatre at Viejas Casino. And for a group of "old" rockers, they were fantastic. They played their hits and had us rocking out to the songs we didn't know. We did have an issue with this eccentric older lady, who was there by herself, quite obviously a little more than tipsy and wearing this large fur boa. Those of us in the audience around her called her "Squirrel Girl". Poor Ashley and Ali could only take so much! I just gave terse smiles and nodded along when she tried talking to me... so we eventually moved away from her, as she made new friends (to annoy). But as for the band, the highlight was definitely "Iris". I was able to record most of it too, thanks to my new phone's video capabilities, and the whole audience was singing along... good times.

Saturday: Pasadena

And now we're at the end of the week, with my day trip to the LA area.

I'm back home at midnight, and wanting to write about it, so that definitely means I enjoyed today immensely.

Last week, Cho mentioned wanting to get a group together to visit the Pasadena International House of Prayer (PIHOP). You might be thinking what I thought too, when I first heard of it...

"Jigga wha?"

He'd visited this place a few months ago, and felt incredibly blessed by their ministry. Basically, you visit this church, people pray outloud for you but you haven't told them a thing about yourself (prophetic prayer), and then you go home and within a week you receive an mp3 email with their prayer for you (because they record).

That little blurb doesn't do it justice. Because when I heard the Cliffs Notes description, I was still skeptical. Having people listen to what God is telling them and letting them prayer over you is not something I've experienced or heard much about. But Cho felt extremely blessed by it, and talked about how God spoke through those who administered the prayers and that he would listen to the recording weeks later and still see how God was working.

I decided to go and to keep an open mind, and so we met at Cho's place and he drove our group of 8 in a minivan. Included in this group was another one of my growth group brothers, Dan, as well as Liberty, who is another friend of Cho's that I just met a few days prior. The drive to LA included traffic of course, but we had some fun conversation and games.

A few random highlights of the drive:

I now know why a guy would kill his friend over a bowl of albatross soup.

I learned what can and cannot pass through the green glass doors.

The car learned that I think it'll be at least 60 years before we see an Asian president.

Elliot (Cho's cousin) really can't relate to Disney's "Beauty and the Beast".

Our first stop was at this "all-you-can-eat" Korean BBQ place in the Koreatown part of LA. And it was only $10 a person. And it was the bomb. I've been to one other KBBQ place and that was down here in SD, and it cannot compare to the awesomeness of this place. The meat just kept on coming! The side items were good too, and we got to enjoy it all while watching the US lose to Ghana in the World Cup... despite the loss, it was a good time.

We hung around LA a bit, walking along the shops on Melrose Ave before killing some time at The Grove (hella nice outdoor shopping center). Then we took off for Pasadena to PIHOP. After we arrived at 6pm and signed up, we had more time to kill, so we played frisbee on the sidewalk. Like right by the busy street. And we learned that the girls could kick the boys butts.

So at 7pm is when things start at PIHOP. How it worked was you signed up on a list, and they would take about five people at a time into another part of the building, and each person would meet up with a smaller group of PIHOP prayer leaders. In the meantime, there's worship being led by an acoustic guitarist and a drummer in a waiting area. And there was a good # of people waiting, so while you wait to be brought to the back, you get to sit and worship.

I don't think I was brought over for prayer until around 8:15, so I was sitting around awhile, but the worship never stopped. It was continuous, and it was a good way to set our hearts ready. Once I was in the back, I first sat down with one group. They welcome you, they start the recording (a handheld minitape device), and then you kinda wait... and really, they're just praying silently first and listening to what the Holy Spirit moves them to say, and they pray it out loud as it comes. And they're not saying anything weird or making predictions about what you'll be doing in the future, or telling us to do things either. But it ends up being offering prayers of encouragement that happen to be specifically for me. And like I mentioned, they know nothing about you, except for your name. You sit with one prayer group for a few minutes, and then you move to another set of prayer leaders who follow the same. I can't wait to get the email of the recording so I can re-listen, because some things don't make sense right away, and I especially need to think things through and process it. But when I was finished and returned to the worship/waiting area, I took out my phone and jotted down these quick thoughts that the second group gave me:

You are like Timothy. Though you may have felt disappointment and let down by others, including people you've looked up to, and not just father figures but mentor figures, God wants you to know that not only will He not let you down, but He will provide others in your life to walk with. Much like Timothy had Paul as his mentor, God is preparing you for a similar relationship as well. And in all this, the Lord seeks to raise you up, calling you to bask in His grace so that you can find healing and become the warrior that He's designed you to be.

It's a paraphrase (which is why I can't wait for the recording), but that whole time with the second group, I felt something. I can't remember everything now, but the things they were led to say are things that I needed to hear. When we all got back together in the van, everyone else recounted their own unique experience too, so it wasn't like the different prayer leaders just said the same things to different people. Some even received metaphors that perfectly fit their life circumstance. And the first group sensed that I had just moved to a new place, and that this time with my roommate would be a time of building a stronger bond. Like I said, everything they lifted up to God was just words of encouragement that they felt led by the Holy Spirit to say.

Anyways - if you read all this, cool. I'm tired now. I'm up past 1am writing this and I'm doing it for me, because I don't want to forget and because this whole week but today especially has been a blessing. And I'm so thankful for the ways that the Lord is working and moving, not just in my life, but in those new friends that I was able to spend some time with this week.