Monthly Archives: April 2012

Reflections: Fate / Destiny vs Free Will

Sometimes I come off as overly logical using reasoning and analysis in my decision making. Once in a while I listen to the little voice inside that drives my intuition and gun instinct and make my decision about things that way. However, through it all… I’ve always believed that if things are meant to be then there will be a path set for them to happen.

I guess you can say that I believe in fate and destiny in a way. I look into tarot and astrology, store the knowledge garnered from these into that mental file cabinet and take the memories back out at leisure to analyse when something significant as come to pass. One thing I’ve always argued with myself it’s: how can you justify the notion of “free will” when you’re saying that everyone has a purpose, a fate, a destiny set before them.

The truth is, I can’t. It’s the same thing as faith, I can’t justify it, I can’t reason it, it just is. If someone is meant to be a part of your life, it would naturally happen, on its own time, when it is ready… try to push the situation and you are likely to force it away from you to the point of no return.

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Review: U.S. Tour of In the Heights – Chicago

In mid January, I took my Mexican friend to see In the Heights when they stopped in Chicago for obvious reasons, as in, with so much Spanish included in the book I wanted to bring someone that would understand and appreciate the Spanish… turns out I was right.

This production sparkled, there was chemistry in places that I didn’t believe there would be at first glance, the singing was spot on and emotional. The comedic moments shone through and the dancing was more than just amazing, the choreography was absolutely perfect, if not exceeded the first U.S. Tour when it went through Chicago a few years ago. The central character: Usnavi seemed a bit breath-y in a few of his bits… not the same silky smooth rhythm of Lin-Manuel Miranda, but he did a respectable job overall.

Nina was a bit younger looking than I expected her to be in comparison to the other “young” characters in the cast. Although this was at first was a distraction, eventually her singing won out as well as her chemistry with her romantic opposite.

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Reflection: Since my original top ten “bucket list” is done… Now what?

This has been bothering me for a few years, a few as in the past three or four years… why? Well, let me explain:

While I was in college, I created a “Top Ten” bucket list that I felt was semi-realistic and would be something that would keep me busy for decades to come… right… “decades”. More like “decade”… as in one, as in less than a decade. Granted anyone that knows me well, know what I really want out of life… but in the meantime a bucket of things to do in the meantime would always help… right? Right… little did I know.

I have always believed in the willingness of trying anything at least once, possibly twice just to make sure the first wasn’t a fluke. Then, if it turns out to be something I truly enjoy, then I’ll pursue the activity further in the future, possibly bring more people into coming with me. If in the end it just wasn’t my cup of tea, then at least I could say that I gave it a shot. I mean think about it… If everyone did as much as they could just once in their lives they would find hundreds, if not thousands of things they could be interested in and pursue… Instead of just staying in a small little circle.

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Elements of Song: Original Notes/General Summary

As promised, in regards to my fanfiction: Elements of Song, I am posting some (if not all) of my original notes that deals with the world I created. Please, enjoy.

Some of the notes below I wrote years ago when I needed an idea that would provide a very realistic crossover story between the popular boy bands of the time and Sailor Moon. The below is what I came up with.

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There was a prophecy, on the planet of Euphonia, that predicted the awakening of the heart of the planet that would mark the beginning of all things good and grandiose of the world. At the same time however the awakening of the final element of song: heart, marked the beginning of the end of Euphonia.

During the final battle everyone else was killed except for Bazyli, Arion and Greta. Bazyli and Arion did not know that Greta was captured by the attacker until they finally reached him/her. It was then when the attacked reveals his ace. This revelation only moved the two to fight even harder forcing the villain to realize that she/he would need to do something and quick, and as thus casted a spell that placed Greta into a frozen prison pushing Arion to the breaking point and Bazyli to fight even harder.

In the end Bazyli is mortally wounded which awakens Arion from his mourning and Arion fights the evil to the bitter end, killing her the moment she wounds him. His last few moments of life he talks to Bazyli and forgives him for his love of Greta and reaching Greta he dies by the crystal.

Little does he know, his enemy though now dead managed to find the foresight to seal a major portion of their being into Greta, and as thus the evil that everyone is fighting is really Greta when this evil takes control of her. Greta (the part that Arion and Bazyli both loved) still exists and was in full control when she meets JC and Brian, however, when she’s alone or asleep it is that evil side that awakens and takes hold to do the evil deeds necessary to destroy music once and for all.

The final battle would again include JC and Brian, but this time Sailor Moon would be the one that would be able to seal the demon away and leave behind the girl that brought so much life and inspiration to a little known thing called music. Except, in the end she wouldn’t remember a thing, the demon that brought her to this point taking much of those memories away, she’d never remember the love she ever had with the past nor the present… much to the disheartenment of all parties involved.

However, as Mamoru later points out, it is for the best for her to try to live her life as best as she can, and as thus ends up living with the Sailor Senshi in Japan. So when NSync or BSB goes to Japan for a tour, there they will find her happier and more in tune with herself and that will be when the love reawakens.

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– take the elements of music and intertwine them with each of the members of the court. Without one court member/spot filled all other elements would coalesce over time. Thus when the traitors are revealed there is an immediate need to find those that would take the places of the traitors of the court.

– the power of the prince also depends on the integrity of the court. Once one or more members of the court falter the prince also falters. If everyone of the court is gone the prince will die

– however there is one element that could save the prince should all of the court turn against him or no longer exist, heart. As long as ‘heart’ exists the prince is more likely to survive longer than when he has nothing. However once the prince finds ‘heart’, no matter what happens with the court (should they all be whole) once ‘heart’ is taken away the prince will only be living on borrowed time.

REVIEW: Theatre-on-the-Hill’s God of Carnage

As posted in the TribLocal, the following is my review of Theatre-on-the-Hill‘s production of God of Carnage written by Yasmina Reza.

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This past weekend, Bolingbrook’s Theatre-on-the-Hill introduced another amazing comedy to the suburbs, and didn’t disappoint. God of Carnage is an ambitious, hilarious and very difficult story about two affluent couples who come together because their sons got into a fight in school that resulted in one of the boys getting two teeth knocked out. What starts out as a very civil and reasonably open minded meeting unravels into an in-depth look at the human psyche and how these people are nowhere near as civil as they appear to be, finally asking the question: “What do we know, really?”

So what do we know, really? Well, the small and stellar cast is comprised of Theatre-on-the-Hill alums Bill Smith and Erika Enigk Grotto, who play the elitist Raleighs, as well as newcomers Leann Hoffrogge and Zachary Johnson-Dunlop as the more working class Novaks. Each performer brought to life a vibrancy to characters that are not only relatable as individuals, but as the show progresses, create the realization among audience members that a situation like this could very well happen (or already had) in their own lives.

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