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[patdes]

Today is December 9! Have you donated yet? Keep a refugee family warm this winter and win one of Danny Choo’s Smart Dolls! <3 

A Public Service Announcement from Star☆Danced:

KEEP SAFE SOMEONE SAFE AND WARM THIS WINTER.

SAFER WORLD: A DOLL RAFFLE FOR A CAUSE

Paris, France. November 2015. Shootings. Suicide Bombings. Death of 129, Injury of 415.  

Beirut, Lebanon. November 2015. Suicide Bombings. Death of 43, Injury of 200.

Baghdad, Iraq. November 2015. Suicide Bombings. Death of 19, Injury of 41.

More or Less, Give or Take. More or Less, Give or Take. More or Less, Give or Take.

Run a Google search on the distance between your country’s capital city to any of those listed above. A number will be shown to you. This number, small or big, is an indicator that someone, somewhere, on the very same earth that you live and breathe and read this text at leisure in, is suffering. Someone, through the severely misguided or profoundly wicked actions of another person, is suffering and in need of your help.

Hi. My name is Trisha Descallar. I’m a BJD owner from Manila, in the Philippines. I am 10,737 kilometers away from Paris, 8,695 kilometers away from Beirut, and 7,890 kilometers away from Baghdad. Does that matter, though? Isn’t distance simply a measure of how far love can travel? (I read that on one of those typography quote squares, by the way – you know, the kinds with fancy font combinations on a background of bokeh.)

In 2011, we raised USD 332.00 (PHP 14,445.00) for Simbahan Lingkod ng Bayan’s Tropical Storm Sendong relief operations. (To read more about that endeavor, please click here.)

In 2013, we raised USD 2,583.41 (PHP 114,051.67) for the Philippine Red Cross’ Typhoon Yolanda relief operations. (To read more about that endeavor, please click here.)

It’s 2015. What can we raise, aside from awareness, for the UNHCR?

UNHCR stands for (the Office of the) United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. It is also known as the UN Refugee Agency. (Click here to learn more about them.) As their name implies, this particular wing of the United Nations is in charge of giving refugees the protection and support they deserve as human beings.

“Refugee” has been somewhat of a buzzword as of late; all of the above attacks are linked or being linked to the refugee crisis, one way or another, with much fear-mongering fueling anti-refugee sentiment.

These refugees aren’t scary; they’re scared, just like everybody else. They are fleeing en masse to Europe in an attempt to save themselves from the very same acts of terrorism that most people are starting to blame them for.

According to the UNHCR, almost 800,000 people have managed to escape to Europe by land and sea. Another 15 million people are still on their way to Europe and the promise of safety it holds.  

Where does that place us?

Forgive the possibly misplaced Game of Thrones reference, but winter is coming  – literally. Aside from the lack of food, water, and shelter, millions of displaced people – people like you and me! – will soon have the unforgiving cold to contend with.

The UNHCR has launched a Winter Crisis Appeal. The UNHCR currently in need of donations  in order to continue their operation of stockpiling and distributing the necessary supplies to refugee families to keep them safe and warm throughout the winter ahead. I am writing this to now appeal to my fellow doll owners, hobbyists, and enthusiasts. If we can take a little out of our respective doll funds, wouldn’t that go a long way?

Your are one click and 20 USD away from providing refugees in need with winter clothes, thermal blankets, heating stoves, and tent insulation.

You are also one click and 20 USD away from bringing home a Smart Doll!

KEEP SOMEONE SAFE AND WARM THIS WINTER! DONATE 20 USD TO THE UNHCR AND GET A CHANCE TO WIN A SMART DOLL OF YOUR CHOICE!

The mechanics and other need-to-knows are below the cut, so keep reading!

Keep reading

[patdes]

A Public Service Announcement from Star☆Danced:

KEEP SAFE SOMEONE SAFE AND WARM THIS WINTER.

SAFER WORLD: A DOLL RAFFLE FOR A CAUSE

Paris, France. November 2015. Shootings. Suicide Bombings. Death of 129, Injury of 415.  

Beirut, Lebanon. November 2015. Suicide Bombings. Death of 43, Injury of 200.

Baghdad, Iraq. November 2015. Suicide Bombings. Death of 19, Injury of 41.

More or Less, Give or Take. More or Less, Give or Take. More or Less, Give or Take.

Run a Google search on the distance between your country’s capital city to any of those listed above. A number will be shown to you. This number, small or big, is an indicator that someone, somewhere, on the very same earth that you live and breathe and read this text at leisure in, is suffering. Someone, through the severely misguided or profoundly wicked actions of another person, is suffering and in need of your help.

Hi. My name is Trisha Descallar. I’m a BJD owner from Manila, in the Philippines. I am 10,737 kilometers away from Paris, 8,695 kilometers away from Beirut, and 7,890 kilometers away from Beirut. Does that matter, though? Isn’t distance simply a measure of how far love can travel? (I read that on one of those typography quote squares, by the way – you know, the kinds with fancy font combinations on a background of bokeh.)

In 2011, we raised USD 332.00 (PHP 14,445.00) for Simbahan Lingkod ng Bayan’s Tropical Storm Sendong relief operations. (To read more about that endeavor, please click here.)

In 2013, we raised USD 2,583.41 (PHP 114,051.67) for the Philippine Red Cross’ Typhoon Yolanda relief operations. (To read more about that endeavor, please click here.)

It’s 2015. What can we raise, aside from awareness, for the UNHCR?

UNHCR stands for (the Office of the) United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. It is also known as the UN Refugee Agency. (Click here to learn more about them.) As their name implies, this particular wing of the United Nations is in charge of giving refugees the protection and support they deserve as human beings.

“Refugee” has been somewhat of a buzzword as of late; all of the above attacks are linked or being linked to the refugee crisis, one way or another, with much fear-mongering fueling anti-refugee sentiment.

These refugees aren’t scary; they’re scared, just like everybody else. They are fleeing en masse to Europe in an attempt to save themselves from the very same acts of terrorism that most people are starting to blame them for.

According to the UNHCR, almost 800,000 people have managed to escape to Europe by land and sea. Another 15 million people are still on their way to Europe and the promise of safety it holds.  

Where does that place us?

Forgive the possibly misplaced Game of Thrones reference, but winter is coming  – literally. Aside from the lack of food, water, and shelter, millions of displaced people – people like you and me! – will soon have the unforgiving cold to contend with.

The UNHCR has launched a Winter Crisis Appeal. The UNHCR currently in need of donations  in order to continue their operation of stockpiling and distributing the necessary supplies to refugee families to keep them safe and warm throughout the winter ahead. I am writing this to now appeal to my fellow doll owners, hobbyists, and enthusiasts. If we can take a little out of our respective doll funds, wouldn’t that go a long way?

Your are one click and 20 USD away from providing refugees in need with winter clothes, thermal blankets, heating stoves, and tent insulation.

You are also one click and 20 USD away from bringing home a Smart Doll!

KEEP SOMEONE SAFE AND WARM THIS WINTER! DONATE 20 USD TO THE UNHCR AND GET A CHANCE TO TAKE WIN A SMART DOLL OF YOUR CHOICE!

The mechanics and other need-to-knows are below the cut, so keep reading!

Keep reading

[patdes]

[patdes]

Puffer fish will “puff up” as a defense mechanism if they are threatened. A shape that is more than double its original size, round, and sometimes covered in spines is much more difficult to bite... However, just as people should stretch before exercising to avoid injuring themselves, puffers need to stretch out their muscles as well... Inflating yourself full of water so that your skin is stretched tight can be very painful, especially if your muscles aren’t used to it… Puffing up often can be stressful for a puffer. So, it’s best if they do it only when they need to.

- Source

[patdes]

A fellow trekkie (in the philippines, who is also a bjd enthusiast/hobbist)! *oozing happiness*

star trek + dolls = friendship

[patdes]

THANK YOU FROM STAR☆DANCED!

The response to my recently concluded doll raffle has been nothing short of overwhelming. This fundraising endeavor wouldn’t have been successful and meaningful without your likes and shares on social media, monetary donations, and emails of encouragement. I am truly humbled by the outpouring of love and support from the members of the doll community the world over. 

Together, we were able to raise P114,051.67 (or $2,583.41 when converted) for the survivors of Typhoon Yolanda through the relief efforts of the Philippine Red Cross. Maraming salamat po. Thank you very much. ♡

AND NOW…

THE WINNER IS…

☆☆☆☆☆ ☆☆☆☆ ☆☆☆ ☆☆ ☆

☆ ENTRY 207! ERICK REYES FROM AUSTRALIA! CONGRATULATIONS! YOU JUST WON A LUTS TINY DELF ALICE! ☆

I drew the winner of the raffle in front of a couple of members of my local doll community, ManikaManila, and got it on video for transparency purposes. You can view the video here to see the moment of the draw. In the video, aside from drawing the winner, I say some thanks and talk a little bit about how the entries were tallied.

A short while later, after that first video was taken, we slowly realized that Erick Reyes is actually also our friend, Pao, a member  who moved to Australia a year ago. What a stroke of luck and coincidence that the winner was someone so surprisingly close to home!

Once we realized that Pao was the winner, we ditched the formalities and shot a more personalized video via webcam. Congrats, Pao! Watch us scream our delight at you here. If you’re currently wearing earphones, you might want to take them off or turn down the volume. XD

Again, a big, big thank you to everyone who participated in and supported this raffle! Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. Maraming, maraming salamat po! 

[patdes]

A Public Service Announcement from Star☆Danced

The response to the doll raffle I am hosting for the benefit of the Philippine Red Cross has been nothing short of outstanding. It’s been a little less than a week since I first posted about it here on Tumblr and on Facebook, and the number of entries I’ve received so far has already hit the triple digits. With a combination of PHP 250 per entry for local entries and USD 10 for international entries, you can just imagine the amount we’ve been able to raise in this short span of time. That raffle will be open until December 13 2013, Friday, 11:59PM, Philippine Standard Time, and I’m hoping that the fire of compassion and generosity will continue to blaze strongly from here on end.

Bearing witness to the outpouring of love and support for my countrymen in the Eastern Visayas region from private citizens all over the world who take out money from their personal pockets has given me so much hope, that one day, eventually and hopefully in the near future rather than much later, the victims of Typhoon Haiyan will once again be able to rebuild their lives.

I chose Red Cross Philippines to be the benefiting organization for my own raffle, but it is important to note that there are a good number of other organizations all working towards the same goal. This is what today’s public service announcement is about.

DONATE TO UNICEF PHILIPPINES AND GET THE CHANCE TO WIN AN IOS SEZZ HEAD WITH A PROPERTYOFTHEUCHIHA FACEUP!

I am organizing this second raffle, the prize of which is courtesy of my friend, Chin (@caravangirl on Tumblr). Chin is a member of my local doll community, ManikaManila, and she has so generously decided to donate the Immortality of Soul (IOS) Sezz head that she was planning on selling to this cause.

Chin’s charity of choice is UNICEF Philippines. UNICEF, or the United Nations Children’s Fund, is an organization that devotes its acts of humanitarian kindness to children in need. The local chapter of UNICEF is accepting monetary donations on behalf of the youngest victims of the Typhoon Haiyan, which the organization will use to provide the children with food, clean water, shelter, hygiene supplies, and a safe, loving environment in which the children can recover and heal. All the proceeds from this raffle go directly to the relief efforts of UNICEF Philippines. 

A donation of USD 5 to UNICEF Philippines is all you need to get started. If you want to help the children of the Philippines and possibly take home this handsome, brooding boy, please read the mechanics below.

Mechanics:

0. This raffle is open internationally. The mechanics in this post are for international users. Users based in the Philippines, please click here. 

1. Each donation of USD 5 (five American dollars) is the equivalent of one (1) raffle entry. There is no limit to the amount of raffle entries you can earn, so the more you give, the more chances you get of winning.

2. Make your donation directly to UNICEF Philippines via Paypal only.

2a. To make the donation, log into your Paypal and click Send Money. Set the currency to US dollars and input the amount you wish to donate. Select that you are paying for goods and services. Send the money to psfrmanila@unicef.org. These same instructions can be found on UNICEF Philippines’ Typhoon Yolanda Emergency Response Page.

3. Send a screenshot of your Paypal transaction that shows the amount you sent to trisha.descallar@gmail.com, along with the following details:

Email Subject: UNICEF RAFFLE INTERNATIONAL - [LAST NAME, FIRST NAME]

Last Name: First Name: Facebook URL: (write N/A if not applicable) Tumblr URL: (write N/A if not applicable) Shipping Address: Telephone Number: (Home/Cellphone, please specify) Email Address: Paypal Address: Confirmation #: Total Donation in US Dollar:

This step is crucial for your entry to be acknowledged.

4. I will reply to your email to acknowledge your entry/ies, and assign you a raffle number. This number will be based on the chronological receipt of your message as it appears in my inbox. All entries will be replied to and acknowledged. If and only if you do not receive a response within forty-eight (48) hours, please resend your email.

5. The accepting of raffle entries will close on December 13 2013, Friday, 11:59pm. Any entries received after this time will not be counted for the raffle draw.

5a. The aforementioned time is based on the Philippine timezone. Please see here for details and do the necessary conversion. 

6. A winner will be selected via random.org. The winner will be posted here on this blog on or before December 15 2013, Sunday.

6a. The aforementioned time is based on the Philippine timezone. Please see here for details and do the necessary conversion. 

7. Once the winner is selected, I will coordinate with the winner in private about how the prize will be sent. I will post status updates here about how that process is going here on this blog as well.

The Prize:

1. The doll head is from Immortality of Soul (IOS) and the doll sculpt is Sezz.

2. This doll head was made in June 2009. It has a little yellowing. 

3. The doll head was purchased brand new directly from IOS, but arrived with some flaws. There is a slight gap between the head and the head cap, but this does not affect how the two are attached to one another. There is a very light stain in the front of the head cap, but it is not seen when the doll is wearing a wig. These flaws were present in the doll when it arrived from the company and are not a result of poor handling.

4. The prize is for the doll head only. The original box and papers will not be included.

5. The cost of shipping to the winner is included in this raffle. The winner will not have to pay any amount for shipping.

5a. Should the local post office of the winner place certain customs fees or taxes on the package upon its arrival to the winner’s country, the winner will cover for these fees. 

6. The faceup on this head was painted by Anj/@propertyoftheuchiha. You can view more of her work on Flickr or Den of Angels. 

7. More photos of the doll head can be viewed here.

The success of all these endeavors depends on how many people we can reach. Your word of mouth matters. Please reblog and spread the word. Thank you very, very much for your support. Maraming, maraming salamat po.

[patdes]

A Public Service Announcement from Star☆Danced

AN INTERNATIONAL DOLL RAFFLE FOR THE FILIPINO VICTIMS OF TYPHOON HAIYAN

Typhoon Haiyan, also known as Typhoon Yolanda, is the the world’s strongest tropical cyclone to ever hit land. It made landfall in the Philippines early last Friday, November 8 2013. The super typhoon with the international name Haiyan has left an unspeakable amount of devastation in its wake. The most recent news from the Department of Social Welfare and Development estimates a total of 9.5 million people affected by the typhoon, either by loss of property, livelihood, or loved ones, a number of the country’s poorest provinces ravaged directly by the typhoon.

My name is Trisha Descallar, and I am a BJD owner and enthusiast based in Manila, Philippines. My part of the country was not too terribly affected by the typhoon, but I am still, nonetheless, affected by the plight of my countrymen in the Eastern Visayas region.

In 2011, Typhoon Sendong hit my country, dumping one month’s worth of rain in just one night on Northern Mindanao. I was already very active in my local BJD community then, and decided to go out on a limb and combine my hobby and my desire to help in order to raise funds for relief operations. Utilizing the power of my friends and social media, that little endeavor of mine managed to raise $332 or P14,445, which was promptly turned over to Simbahan Lingkod ng Bayan, a Jesuit organization based in my school, the Ateneo de Manila University.

Now, it is 2013, and I would like to once again appeal to the generosity of my friends in the doll hobby.

DONATE TO TYPHOON YOLANDA RELIEF OPERATIONS AND GET THE CHANCE TO WIN EITHER A MYSTIC KIDS 1/4 BJD OR A LUTS TINY DELF OF YOUR CHOICE!!!

Mechanics:

0. This raffle is open internationally. The mechanics in this post are for international users. Users from the Philippines, please click here.

1. Each donation of USD 10 (ten American dollars) is the equivalent of one (1) raffle entry. There is no limit to the amount of raffle entries you can earn, so the more you give, the more chances you get of winning.

2. Make your donation directly to the Philippine Red Cross via Paypal only. Their Paypal donation page can be found here.

3. Send a screenshot of your Paypal donation receipt along with the confirmation number to trisha.descallar@yahoo.com, along with the following details:

Email Subject: DOLL RAFFLE DONATION INTERNATIONAL - [LAST NAME, FIRST NAME]

Full Name:  Facebook URL: (write N/A if not applicable) Tumblr URL: (write N/A if not applicable) Shipping Address: Cellphone Number:  Email Address: Paypal Address: Confirmation #: (for Paypal donations only) Doll of Choice:

This step is crucial for your entry to be acknowledged.

4. I will reply to your email to acknowledge your entry/ies, and assign you a raffle number. This number will be based on the chronological receipt of your message as it appears in my inbox. All entries will be replied to and acknowledged.

5. The accepting of raffle entries will close on December 13 2013, Friday, 11:59pm. Any entries received after this time will not be counted for the raffle draw.

5a. The aforementioned time is based on the Philippine timezone. Please see here for details and do the necessary conversion. 

6. A winner will be selected via random.org. The winner will be posted here on this blog on or before December 15 2013, Sunday.

6a. The aforementioned time is based on the Philippine timezone. Please see here for details and do the necessary conversion. 

7. I will coordinate with the winner in private about how the prize will be ordered and received. I will post status updates here about how that process is going here on this blog as well.

The Prize:

1. The winner of the raffle can choose either one (1) Mystic Kids 1/4 or one (1) Luts Tiny Delf. Only one (1) winner will be chosen and only one (1) doll will be won.

2. The Mystic Kids 1/4 will be ordered from Alice’s Collections and the Luts Tiny Delf will be ordered from Luts.

3. The choices available for the Mystic Kids 1/4 are as follows: Victor, Caroline, Evelyn, Francis, Gene, Illy, Lillian, Natalia, and Sean. If the winner wants a Mystic Kids 1/4, these are the only choices available for the prize.

3a. The resin colors available for the Mystic Kids 1/4 are as follows: Normal Pink, Normal Yellow, White. If the winner wants a Mystic Kids 1/4, these are the only choices available for the prize.

4. The choices available for the Luts Tiny Delf are as follows: Hansel, Gretel, Louis, Alice, Peter, and Dorothy. If a winner wants a Luts Tiny Delf, these are the only choices available for the prize.

4a. The resin colors available for the Luts Tiny Delf are as follows: Real Skin Normal, Real Skin White, Real Skin Brown. If a winner wants a Luts Tiny Delf, these are the only choices available for the prize.

5. The raffle prize is only valid for the dolls mentioned in #3 and #4. The raffle prize is non-transferable and is not convertible to cash.

6. The raffle prize is absolutely only for the blank head and doll body. This does not include any options such as faceups, body blushing, clothes, special resin colors, and the like.

6a. The winner, however, can choose to add the difference for these extra options. This will be discussed with the winner once the winner is chosen.

7. The raffle prize does not include the cost of international shipping. The winner will shoulder the cost of shipping from the doll company to the winner. 

7a. The raffle prize also does not include the customs fee or taxes that the postal system of the winner’s country will impose on that package. The winner will shoulder whatever taxes or fees that the package may entail.

Please help me spread the word by reblogging this post or sharing about it on Facebook. More entries means more money raised for the relief operations of the Philippine Red Cross, which will make both me and you very happy, a more entries means more chances for you to win a doll of your choice for a fraction of the cost, which will make you very happy. Everybody wins! 

[patdes]

Where did you buy your Ben Nye makeup?

I got my Ben Nye from The Style Quarter. :D

[patdes]

hey miss, youre cosplays are awesome and you are fantastic

no anon ur osm and fantastic (aka thank you!!!!)

[patdes]

This isn't cuddle weather.

This is stare wide-eyed at the ceiling, brow furrowed in a paralyzing panic, inwardly distraught, while contemplating the value of your existence and hopelessly brooding over the plain and simple fact that you, little you, have the blessed privilege of staring wide-eyed at a ceiling instead of the bottom-side of a bridge or the currently merciless open sky, and you think to yourself, "How did I end up in here instead of out there? Why am I the victim of these fortunate circumstances? Who am I, that I have the absolute luxury of languishing in the question of my being instead of being fraught with worry over things like safety and survival and everything else that would be of immediate concern had I been born in a different place, at a different time, to a different set of parents? What is my purpose here in this world? Why me?" weather. 

[patdes]

I Remember You.

I remember you from when I was in kindergarten. You, unfailingly, picked me up each Thursday, and we and Lola always went to Megamall. I rode on your shoulders as you walked us to this kiddie play land I really enjoyed going to. You waited for me patiently as I spent the rest of the afternoon frolicking in and out of plastic castles and ball pits, and laughed with the same enthusiasm as I did whenever I showed you inanities that I only a child can find wondrous.

I remember you from all those Fridays or Saturdays long gone. You came home from the clinic after seeing to the day's patients, toting your little black medical bag that's obviously seen much better days. You accepted a lot of charity cases, and never really did earn as much as a doctor supposedly does, but you were content because it gave you enough to give me and my sister P500 each. Pangkain man lang, you said, because you were of the impression that we weren't getting enough to feed ourselves properly.

I remember you from just a few days ago. I sat beside your La-Z-Boy as you hunched over your iPad, beads of sweat forming on your furrowed brow as you trudged on level after level of Candy Crush Saga. You asked me how to purchase extra moves and other bonuses, kasi konti na lang, ubos na ang jelly. Obviously, I dissuaded you from such a notion. I offered you moral support, since that was the only kind of support you were willing to accept. Once enough levels have been satisfactorily conquered, you acceded to taking lunch and a nap, since you needed to wait for your lives to recharge anyway.  

I'll always remember you, Lolo. Thank you for the little things.

[patdes]

Fluttershy (June 13 2013)

Fluttershy: Me (Trisha Descallar) Date: June 13 2013 Location: Pacific Grove, Tagaytay Photographer: Alecx Descallar Post-Processing: Me (Trisha Descallar) Post-Processing Resource: lieveheersbeestje on deviantART

Dress: Custom-Made Headdress: Made by Me Wig: Gothic Lolita Wigs (Spiral in Pinkie) Circle Lenses: Alice & Rabbit (Crystal Max in Green) More: Facebook and deviantART 

[patdes]

THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHARLEY AND DARREN CRISS NEWS, FOR CLEARING THAT UP. 

Love, the other girl in the picture. ♡

….

#no we are not photoshopped   #and of course it’s old   #he came to manila in dec 2010

[patdes]

Mangyari lamang ay tumayo ang mga nagmahal nang makita ng lahat ang mukha ng pag- ibig. Ipamalas ang tamis ng malalim na pagkakaunawaan sa mga malabo ang paningin. Mangyari lamang ay tumayo rin ang mga nagmahal at nasawi nang makita ng lahat ang mga sugat ng isang bayani. Ipadama ang pait ng kabiguan habang ipinagbubunyi ang walang katulad na kagitingan ng isang nagtaya. Mangyari lamang ay tumayo ang mga nangangambang magmahal nang makita ng lahat ang kilos ng isang bata. Ipamalas ang katapatan ng damdamin na pilit ikinukubli ng pusong lumaki sa mga engkanto at diwata. Mangyari lamang ay tumayo ang mga nagmahal, minahal at iniwan ngunit handa pa ring magmahal nang makita ng lahat ang yaman ng karanasan. Ipamalas ang katotohanang nasaksihan nang maging makahulugan ang mga paghagulgol sa dilim. At sa mga nananatiling nakaupo mangyari lamang ay dahan-dahang tumalilis papalabas sa nakangangang pinto. Umuwi na kayo at sumbatan ang mga magulang na nagpalaki ng isang halimaw! At sa lahat ng naiwang nakatayo mangyari lamang ay hagkan ang isa’t isa at yakapin ang mga sugatan. Mabuhay tayong lahat na nagsisikap na makabalik sa ating pinagmulan! Manatiling masaya at higit sa lahat magpatuloy sa pagmamahal.

Mangyari lamang ay tumayo ang mga nagmahal ni Rico Abelardo 

[patdes]

Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Do not go gentle into that good night by Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) 

[patdes]

Farce in Flight: Repertory Philippines' Boeing Boeing

Repertory Philippines opens its 2013 season with Boeing Boeing, a comedy set in the 1960s about an American playboy juggling an "international harem" of three fiancées all at the same time. How does he accomplish such a feat? With some very exact planning and a whole lot of gall. 

Bernard Whitford (David Bianco) is a Paris-based American architect based who transforms his bachelor pad into a love nest whenever one of his fiancées is in town. Depending on the day and time, he could be entertaining either Gloria from the USA (Jen Bianco), Gretchen from Germany (Carla Dunareanu), or Gabriella from Italy (Giannina Ocampo).

Each girl is an air hostess from a different airline with her own flight schedule. With the invaluable assistance of Bertha (Baby Barredo, with Joy Virata as alternate), his long-suffering housekeeper slash love life air traffic controller, and Robert (Topper Fabregas), his wet-behind-the-ears best friend, Bernard succeeds in maintaining a happy household thrice over with each girl none the wiser about the other.

All is well until the introduction of the new Boeing jet, which revolutionizes air travel by making flights so much faster. This innovation throws Bernard's careful plans out the window and into chaos, hilarious, ridiculous chaos.

David Bianco makes an absolutely dapper playboy, the perfect balance of suave and sleazy. He is charming and, as his timetables go awry, is even able to elicit a little bit sympathy from an audience who thought he had it coming all along.

Bernard's three fiancées are all one-dimensional racial stereotypes of their country of origin, and that's a large part of what makes the play so funny. The three actresses all take their roles with no holds barred, and their committed performances contribute greatly to the success of the production.

Jen Bianco was engaging and lovable as the saucy Southern belle that takes no prisoners. She lays it on thick, like the molasses her character pours on her pancakes, and she wins the audiences' heart when she turns some tables in the end.

Carla Dunareanu practically stole the show as the overly dramatic German. Her accent was spot on and her unpredictable swings from quiet to crazy were natural and believable. Every minute she was on stage was a treat.

Giannina Ocampo fit her part as the sweet yet sexy Italian girl with domestic dreams really well. She gave a charming rendition of the role, though her accent could have been more pronounced and her gestures, particularly her hand gestures, as to be more indicative of a stereotypical Italian background. Of the three, she was the tamest.

Baby Barredo brings a lot of sass and spunk to her portrayal of Bertha, making her less like a French maid and more like a Filipino mayordomo. She's outspoken and irreverent, and her snide remarks and biting one-liners are a great source of laughs. Truly, yaya is boss.

Topper Fabregas puts the "aww" in aww-dorable as Robert. He is absolutely endearing as a lost little boy overwhelmed by the bright lights -- and beautiful girls -- of the big European city.

Miguel Faustmann is the man behind the Boeing Boeing's stage direction and set design, the seamlessness of which is made manifest as the play progresses. The story unfolds in the main living room/receiving area of Bernard's apartment, with exits and entrances happening through seven doors arranged in a semi-circle around the stage. Careful comedic timing ensures that the doors open and close on cue, with seconds or less separating one door from the next. The unexpected entrances and the speedy door slamming is a source of laughter and suspense, especially towards the climax of the play when an early landing, a delayed take-off, and bad weather lead all the characters to converge in one place.

Fasten your seat belts and suspend your disbelief, Boeing Boeing is an enjoyable romp that starts Repertory Philippines' 76th theater season on a sky-high note.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Boeing Boeing opens tomorrow, January 25 2013, Friday, and runs until February 17 2013, Sunday, at OnStage Greenbelt 1. Tickets are available at P1000 (Orchestra Center), P800 (Orchestra Side), and P500 (Balcony). Call 571-6926 or 571-4941, email info@repertory.ph, or log on to http://www.repertory.ph. Tickets are also available through Ticketworld. Call 891-9999 or visit http://www.ticketworld.com.ph.