Play review - SOAR the Musical

“SOAR: The Musical” is a musical play presented by the Nursing Service Department in celebration of De La Salle University-Health Sciences Institute and DLSU Medical Center’s  25/35th Jubilee Year and in celebration of the Roman Catholic Church’s “Year of Faith”. The play was presented from June 20 and 21 at HSI’s Animo Center. I was able to watch it free thanks to one of the cast/staff members, a girl whom I’ll refer to as Miss Big Bun.

I arrived at the Animo Center early for the gala night as per instruction of Miss Big Bun; but I don’t have a complimentary ticket on hand. One of the staff saw me standing there like a schmuck and let me in when she found out I was Miss Big Bun’s guest. God bless her heart! I was led by a courteous usher to the reserved seats, just five rows from the front!

“SOAR” is a story of redemption reminiscent of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The protagonist of the story is a young girl named Mia, whose father, Tom, had to go abroad.  She then succumbs to youthful rebellion and temptation until she finds redemption in God’s grace.

The cast was composed wholly of DLSUMC’s staff nurses. This convinced me that it was possible for a bunch of nurses to produce a musical play than for a roomful of monkeys banging away at typewriters to write the script for Hamlet.

The set was simple and functional; the lights and sounds were topnotch because of the services of a professional light and sound company. Too bad I didn’t snap any pictures because the fear of God prevented me from doing so. (Maybe I’ll grab some off Miss Big Bun’s Facebook account.)

The performance of the cast was superb. Tom, his wife Lisa, his son Max, and Mia had to act, sing, and dance—not an easy thing to do in front of a live audience. But they managed and did very well! The chorus was very versatile, playing several roles in quick succession: people at a park, a hip-hop dance ensemble, a bunch of construction workers, partying teenagers, etc. Hats off to the chorus!

The music was also superb. I was told that all of the songs are original compositions, made just for the play. I wish that they’d sell soundtrack albums. Kudos to the musical composer!

Miss Big Bun warned me that there’s going to be some raunchy scenes in the play. Okay, it was necessary to show Mia’s slide into the Dark Side. I was just horrified of the thought that there were nuns sitting on the front row. I suddenly got self-conscious of the clergy collar I was wearing.

In the end, Mia got burned with her fast lifestyle and at her lowest, she was found by a youth group (apparently from church) which led her back to the light. (“The ‘New Evangelization’", Miss Big Bun explained to me.) I found it novel that the youth group was producing a musical within the musical. (“Yo, dawg! I heard you like musicals so I got a musical in your musical so you can watch a musical while watching a musical!”) She was then reunited with her mother, her brother (I think I missed the part why Max’s leg was in a cast and he had to be in a wheelchair). Then like a deus ex machina, the father, Tom, returns from abroad and they were reunited as a family.

I find the theology presented in the play most agreeable to the Wesleyan-Arminian theology I adhere to, namely the theology of grace. Mia did nothing to be redeemed. She was down and out until she was found by a bunch of young people; and that’s how she was redeemed by God’s saving grace.

After the play, I greeted Miss Big Bun for a job well done. She introduced me to her mother and her sister; and pictures were snapped. I left unbidden because I know she’ll be busy. It was their night after all, and everyone involved in the play—both onstage and behind—all deserve to SOAR.

* * *

UPDATE BOARD:
This morning (June 26), I had an unscheduled breakfast with some of the cast of SOAR. I was pleasantly surprised to see a copy of my review posted at the Nursing Service Department. (I was also informed that the nuns were not bothered by the "raunchy scenes" :))

Photo courtesy of Robert Santiago, RN.

Tech Review – Unboxing W21CU

Last April, my five year-old laptop, a Neo eXplore X2, finally gave up the ghost. One morning, I was in the middle of typing some important stuff when the monitor sudden flashed what every computer geek fears: the Blue Screen of Death. 

 

I tried to remedy the situation by the way I usually do: I flipped the computer over, removed a plastic panel on the bottom, and tried to tighten the connection between the motherboard and the hard disk. After several failed attempts, I have come to the inevitable conclusion: I must buy a new laptop. 

That afternoon, I went to SM City Dasmariñas. I was still hanging to the hope of having my laptop repaired. I tried to take my laptop to a couple of laptop repair shops but they said they do not have the flex that connects the hard disk to the motherboard. (A recent expedition to Gilmore Avenue revealed to me that that tiny flex is worth more than a thousand pesos!) Since my laptop couldn't be repaired at the moment, I decided to do something I have been delaying for a long time: Buy a new laptop. 

Again, being the tightwad that I am, I wanted a laptop in the Php 15,000 and below range (preferably, in the “below” range, hehe). I have been canvassing for laptops for some time and I didn't want can't shell out twenty thousand to thirty thousand pesos. Even if I look at the price tag before looking at the specs, I still wanted the best value for my money. 

While walking around SM Dasma's Cyberzone, I happened upon Octagon Computer Superstore and realized my prayers have been answered. On display was a ten-inch notebook computer. Just like my defunct computer, it was also a Neo. And the price was right: Just under Php 11,000(!!!). 

The specs were decent enough: It has 294 gigabytes of available hard disk space (a bit low considering that the current standard is double that; but it was HUGE compared to my old 40 GB hard drive!), 2 gigs of RAM, and a 1.60 GHz Intel Atom processor. It also comes with a licensed copy of the Windows 7 operating system. Good enough for me!

Unboxing:  

The Neo W21CU comes in a study cardboard box with a handle on top. The box was sealed with wide tapes emblazoned with “OCTAGON” upon the consummation of the purchase. The notebook comes with a free pouch and a laptop cooler (which was not available at that time). The pouch was taped on the box itself. 

 

The box opens on the top.

 

The packaging is very spartan: The computer is wrapped in plastic and cushioned by foam on either side. It comes with two CD's of installers, the power brick and power cord, and a NOT-so informative instructions sheet. (By contrast, my first laptop's instructions booklet had troubleshooting tips in it).

 

 

The package also comes with a soft lint-free cloth for cleaning the screen.

The back of the monitor is protected by a thin gray plastic sheet held in place by adhesive tapes.

 It took just a few minutes to unbox and the computer is up and running. 

 

I've had this notebook for three months and so far it has been serving me faithfully. Just like with my first laptop, I'll probably be able to write a full tech review when it retires. By that time, it is no longer a tech review. It'll be a tribute.