Of Friends, Food & Macau (The Blog Entry) 3

...continued.

After the show, T & I went over to the Venetian Food Court and had some comfort food: Pho. And then after a tiramisu from the must-visit Florian bar and an attempt to win big bucks from the slot machine, we cabbed our way to Jojo & Belle's where the couple and Verna were waiting. A night of some drinking, some special video screening, some chit chat, and the best of all... some shots. Camera shots. Not tequila. We're too old for those.

The following morning, I was awaken by what sounded like a stage whisper from T. He was asking me to start making brekkie, in the softest voice possible so as not to wake our hosts up. But in less than three minutes, we heard Noel's voice and in an instant, the whole household was bustling with activity. I was preparing the bowls of fruit and cereal while Noel was preparing ham sandwiches. It was gonna be a light breakfast, since the main event for the day was lunch at Fernando's. Half an hour later, we were all done with breakfast, done with shower and was ready to race all the other brunchers to the doorstep of the famous resto.

Fernando's is a well-renowned Macau tourist attraction. They're open everyday except on the 1st of May, serving to hundreds and hundreds of pilgrims day in and day out. They open their doors at 12noon on the dot, and they don't take table reservations. First come, first serve. Survival of the fittest. So we made it a point to be there early. We were hoping to be able to place our orders in advance, sit in the waiting area and have a sangria, perhaps, while waiting for it to officially open for the day. We got there at 11:05, and we were surprised to see that even the waiting area in the compound was still inaccessible at that time. We decided to take a walk on the beach... Take some photos (What else does one expect? Duh!) and then be back just in time before all the other people start to arrive. Brilliant. So we did just that, and when we went back 10 minutes later, we found ourselves at the end of the 10-meter queue going in.

About forty minutes and a bottle of Heineken later, Fernando (not the real one) opened his portals to us, mortals, and each group was directed to its respective table. We were lucky to have made the cut, as they ran out of tables after two groups from us. Then finally, lunch. It was well worth the travel. Well worth the waking up early. Well worth the almost-one-hour wait.

We took the taxi back to Old Taipa immediately after lunch for some self-service frozen yogurt, a bit of sight-seeing, and what became Entry 113 of Jojo Mamangun's 365 Project.

http://amoonlitday.blogspot.com

After a bit of a caucus, we hiked (literally) to the Venetian to get Tiya Razel's Lord Stow Egg Tarts, and to have some ourselves. Then, it was time to ferry back to HK. But we changed our mind.

will be continued...

Of Friends, Food & Macau (The Blog Entry) 2

...continued.

We finished our sumptuous lunch of mussels, squid, lemon chicken, and two different dishes of prawns two hours later, and after someone declared that he has had a minor injury eating the mussels, T & I took a taxi to Old Taipa.

We got dropped off in a place we both had never seen before. After verbally admitting we were lost, we took a photo and called Nak for rescue.

In five minutes' time, Nak arrived and 5 more minutes later, we were by the doorstep of their flat. I was right all along: we were just two blocks away from their place. A tweet and a glass of water later, my just-recovered-from-near-death-by-alcohol body passed out on the couch. At around 3:30 in the afternoon, T gently woke me up so we could start getting ready to see The House Of Dancing Water. I got up, got dressed and then we marched out of the door. We passed by Cuppa Coffee on the way to the main street and I suggested a coffee pitstop to T & Nak. I strongly felt the need to give them some income after the mess that I had done in their loo in the morning. Cut to...

An hour later, after claiming the tickets that Nak had reserved for us from the ticket booth, T and I got in the Dancing Water Theatre at the City Of Dreams. The house was full and the stage was, well, filled with water. It promised to be a spectacular show. Definitely something I had never seen before.

The House Of Dancing Water was conceptualized, directed and maybe (I'm not sure) choreographed by Franco Dragone, who used to be one of the artistic pillars of Cirque Du Soleil. Sky-high expectations on the show were quite reasonable. And I think it delivered quite well. The aesthetics were awe-inspiring. The sets, costumes and makeup design weren't as edgy as the show in the other casino-- in fact, they were a bit simpler. But they worked. The design didn't upstage the central attraction of the show, which was the aquaeous performance space. The tutu-clad barefoot swans dancing contemporary choreography has been done numerous times over the world. In the Philippines alone, I have seen four of those. But done with the water element, it felt fresh and original. Even though it wasn't fresh nor original. The clever and calculated way they overlapped the subsiding of the water from the preceding scene to the entrance of the stunt motorbikes, emphasized the sense of danger exponentially. It spelled "SLIPPERY WHEN WET" in bold, italics, and all caps.

On the downside, I thought the music wasn't riveting enough. It was good, but considering the HK$800+ tag on the ticket, it could be better. Also, as my friend Belle pointed out, there were no clear borders between the acts and the transition. In effect, the climaxes seemed to plateau. My biggest turn-off: the narrative was weak, and felt contrived. But it still wasn't so bad. They promised a spectacular show, and it was a spectacle in every sense of the word.

After the show, T & I went over to the Venetian Food Court and had some comfort food: Pho. And then after a tiramisu from the must-visit Florian bar and an attempt to win big bucks from the slot machine, we cabbed our way to Jojo & Belle's where the couple and Verna were waiting. A night of some drinking, some special video screening, some chit chat, and the best of all... some shots. Camera shots. Not tequila. We're too old for those.

will be continued...

Fly by Mamangun

Fly
Originally uploaded by jojomamangun

My very good friend, Kris-belle Paclibar Mamangun-- one of the most awe-inspiring dancers I know-- as Zaia in Cirque Du Soleil's ZAIA at the Venetian in Macau.

Love and miss you both, newlyweds!

I am very, very proud.