My Favorite Things

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens; bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens; brown paper packages tied up with strings - these are a few of my favorite things...

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels, doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles, wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings - these are a few of my favorite things!!!

Wala lang!! I've been pondering on a new post for the past few days now, and as I was downloading the Sound of Music, I just thought of listing down a couple of my favorite things...

Favorite music

Operas:

1. Medea - L. Cherubini (The story is so dark and disturbing, but also very touching - and Cherubini's music perfectly matches the story of the scorned Sorceress.)

2. Norma - V. Bellini (Norma is a very touching, dramatic, and noble Gaellic Priestess, and one of my favorite operatic roles also.)

3. Il Trovatore - G. Verdi (Musically speaking, the closest pure opera can get to Broadway, I love the songs and the scenes and duets! hihihi!)

4. La Traviata - G. Verdi (Of course! The story of my life - a seemingly joyful courtesan, secretly wishing for love, and giving up this love once she has found it - sacrificing her happiness for her man.)

5. Turandot - G. Puccini (Another gorgeously written opera, great story, and a good contrast between the two lead sopranos: Liu and Turandot.)

6. Aida - G. Verdi (Verdi's most famous grand opera, written with parts for a ballet and several huge choral ensembles - but requires great singers, Callas is the only soprano I know who can do the part justice, well, her and Leontyne Price.)

Composers

1 . Guiseppe Verdi - great composer, with a lot of great Operas: Traviata, Aida, Don Carlos, Falstaff, Otello, MacBeth, among others. His flair for music is shown in how he associates each of his main characters with certain musical themes.

2. Giacomo Puccini - Italian verisimo - moving music, richly decorated and elaborately orchestrated: Turandot, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, La Boheme.

3. Vincenzo Bellini - Bel Canto at its finest - Norma, La Sonnambula, I Puritani. Bellini makes full use (to the point of abusing) of his singers, especially his coloratura soprano roles.

4. Richard Wagner - German opera composer, very rich and orchestration, he makes his singers' voices soar high above the orchestra, Tristan und Isolde, The Ring cycle.

5. Andrew Lloyd Webber - one of the most prolific musical composers: Evita, Sunset Boulevard, Cats, Phantom, Jesus Christ Superstar, Requiem.

Singers

Divas:

1. Anna Maria Cecilia Sophia Kalogeropolous aka. Maria Callas - need I say more? She singlehandedly revived bel canto after the 2nd World War.

2. Sarah Brightman - Great singer, able to match her voice with several different genres

3. Judy Kuhn - I love her as Cossette in Les Miz, also the singing voice of Pocahontas in the Disney movie, and Anastasia too, I think.

4. Barbra Streisand - You have to love her, just because she's Barbra!

5. Bette Midler - I love her!!! She has really fun songs, and her voice just sounds so... unique!

6. Hayley Westenra - Lovely voice, so pure and angelic, she puts Charlotte Church to shame - and I love Charlotte!

7. Charlotte Church, Tina Turner, Madonna, Celine Dion (because you can't love Barbra without loving Celine), and Joan Sutherland (the only true coloratura soprano after Callas), Marilyn Horne (GREAT mezzo voice, so rich and powerful)

Men:

1. Josh Groban - He's as gorgeous as he is talented.

2. Russel Watson - the only tenor I know who can also do Bon Jovi (in the same song!).

3. Placido Domingo - the only tenor I can really stand to listen to, aside from those mentioned in this list. I love how robust his voice is, but also how refined it sounds.

4. Franco Corelli - may he rest in peace. Lovely tenor voice, Callas' frequent (and most convincing) Norma partner.

Broadway Musicals

1. The Phantom of the Opera - partly because this is what got me into the opera, but mostly because it's Sarah Brightman's role.

2. Les Miserables - Lovely music, great ensembles, and songs... On my own pretending he's beside me... *iyak

3. Sunset Boulevard - And now Mr. de Mille, I'm ready for my close-up... I lover the role of the aging Hollywood has-been, and also the songs (Too Much in Love to Care, As if We Never Said Goodbye)

4. Evita - GO MADONNA!!!

5. Miss Saigon - haaay, drama, drama, drama... The Movie in My Mind...

6. The Sound of Music - ang cute e!

Songs/Arias/Duets/Ensembles

1. La Mamma Morta, Andrea Chenier - see previous posts. Basta I love this song!

2. Bella figlia del'amore, Rigoletto - A quartet lead by the Duke (tenor) as he seduces a new girl (mezzo-soprano), as Gilda (soprano) who loves him, and her father, Rigoletto (baritone), listen on..

3. O rimembranza... Ah, non tremare, Norma - Trio: (soprano) Norma reminisces about her past forbidden love, as Adalgisa (soprano/mezzo) confesses her sins (about being in love with an enemy of Gaul) to her. Norma then finds out that Adalgisa is now in love with Pollione (tenor), who used to be Norma's lover and the father of her two boys. Norma warns Adalgisa about Pollione, as she threatens him with the lives of both her children and Adalgisa as well. Pollione tries to convice the confused Adalgisa that he truly loves her, and asks her to run away with him, back to Rome. The trio ends in a crescendo, most Normas ending with a top D - except Callas, who only did the top D a couple of times.

4. Wishing You Were Somehow Here again - the soprano Aria from The Phantom of the Opera.

5. If I loved You (Carousel) - great song, great version by Charlotte Church.

6. Liebestod - Tristan und Isolde (R. Wagner) Perfectly written, immensely powerful and incredibly difficult to sing!

7. Der Holle Rache - Die Zauberflote (W. Mozart) A coloratura showpiece, also very difficult to pull off.

Pop Culture stuff

Tv Shows

1. Desperate Housewives - I love Bree van de Kamp!!! I sooooo want to be her! hihihi!

2. House, M.D. - I just love how the characters interact with each other, and how House is always right! ^_^

3. Charmed - although I haven't seen the new season yet

4. Buffy - too bad they cancelled it... *iyak

5. CSI - the original, I love the cast, what can I say?

6. Oprah - I love her show! Although sometimes, I can't really relate, but it's still Oprah!

7. Ally McBeal - I LOVE HER!!! She's so clueless and funny! But some seasons weren't half as good as the first few ones.

8. The Nanny - I sound like Fran Drescher... hahaha!

Movies

1. The Joy Luck Club - great movie, I haven't read the book yet though. I love how all the stories are connected.

2. The First Wives Club - Bette Midler, Dianne Keaton, and Goldy Hawn!? Who wound't love this?

3. Chicago - I LOVE THE SCENES!!! And the choreography, makes me want to dance...!

4. The Harry Potter Movies - Goblet of Fire & Azkaban... ^_^ I LOVE DANIEL!!!

5. Love Actually - great feel-good Movie.

6. A Walk to Remember - extremely cheesy, but I can' t help myself. Having Shane West in it helps a lot, though.

Actresses

1. Julia Roberts - she's really great, she looks so great on screen.

2. Meryl Streep - I love how she disappears completely behind her roles..

3. Halley Berry - WEEE!!!

Actors

1. Robin Williams - he seems genuinely makulit!

2. hmm... wala na ko maisip e!

Boylets

1. Dan Radcliffe, of couse - he's perfect! What can I say?

2. Richard Gutierrez - haayyyy... he's completely adorable.... and he's hot!

3. William Moseley and Skandar Keynes (Peter and Edmund) - What? Edmund may be a little too young, but he's gorgeous! And Peter's cute!

4. Prince William - no boylet list is complete without His Royal Highness...

5. Prince Harry - he used to look really weird, but now, he's even better looking than William!

6. Jesse McCartney - completely adorable, not that much of a singer though, but he's nice to look at.

7. Aaron Carter - cute and hot, pero he sorta looks mabaho... hahaha!

8. Max Pirkis - Octavian in HBO's Rome series, beautiful boy - but a little too young!

9. Orlando Bloom - Legolas!!! WEEEEEEE!!!!

10. Hayden Christensen - defile me, Darth Vader!!!

11. Prince Andrea Casiraghi - cutie!!! But a little icky, as well...

Miscellaneous Stuff

Colours: Lilac, Purple, Blue, Light Blue and Dark Blue, Red...

Drug: ADVIL!!! WEEEE!!! No more headaches!!!

Time of Day: Twilight, the time in between sunset and moon rise

Place on earth - My ROOM!!! WEEE!!! I can move back into my room! My aircon's been busted for the past few months so I've had to set up camp in my brother's unused room. But now, Mom's had my airconditioning (unit) fixed, so weeee!!!

Boylet from High School: GJ, hihihi! *blush

Breed of Dog: Pugs

Cat Breeds: White Angora, Persians

Websites: http://www.danradcliffe.com and http://www.mugglenet.com

Christmas Food: Puto Bumbong!

Snacks: Oreos with Milk, Boy Bawang - hahaha!

Topic of conversation: Me! hahaha!!! ^_^