Patrick and I spend yesterday (October 12th) in New York City. We were planning to get there before noon to spend lunch with Chita and Titin but it was raining and there was major construction on some roads so we were delayed and we didnt get to our destination until past 1pm. We then walked from Hotel Metro on 35th street to 51st street in the pouring rain. We had parked the car near the hotel and we were suppose to take a cab but because of the weather, it was so hard to find one. We arrived at the Gershwin Theater just in time to be seated a few minutes before the show starts.

Wicked is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz based on the book by Winnie Holzman. Music is by Stephen Schwartz. Synopsis: Wicked tells ths story of how two school roommates from Oz , Elphaba who grows up to become the Wicked Witch of the West, and of her school roommate Glinda, who grows up to become the Good Witch. Its a story about friendship between two very different people who end up being best friends.

The musical blew me away! The production design was spectacular, the music and lyrics was engaging and highly entertaining, it will definitely be a broadway classic. Everything was just wickedly brilliant! The voices of the lead characters Galinda and Elphaba played by Megan Hilty and Shoshana Bean is just unbelievable. They have such impressive singing voice that you cant help but feel drawn into their characters. The show has its goofy charm and riotous humor and I cant help but get totally hooked on both their talent and music. Im DEFINITELY buying its soundtrack.

Im happy that Wicked impressed both Patrick and myself. It was really more than what we expected and worth every penny. The show was a sold out performance and the audience gave the cast a standing ovation! Despite the heavy rains and the gusty winds, everyone in the theater seem to be having a wickedly wonderful time listening to the bouncy songs and heart touching music and dialogue.

After the show, we (Patrick and I, Chita and Titin) went to a small cafe called Seattle Cafe for some coffee and late lunch. After that we walked to the Borders Bookstore several blocks away. Patrick found the CD of the Handel's Messiah version that he really liked but could not find in many bookstores.

We then had a nice dinner at a cozy French restaurant called Le Madeleine. After dinner, we took a cab back to Hotel Metro to say our goodbyes and end our visit to New York City. We left NYC at around 10pm and got home about 2am because of the rainy weather, construction and a detour, it took us much longer to get home.

Anyway, it was such a pleasant visit overall-- watching a wonderful musical and having good company of nice friends.

For lack of a better title for this post, Im using Octoberfest since it is after all the month of October except that I wont be engaging in drinking and I wont be hanging out with kegs of beer! Anyway, it will be a very busy month ahead of us. This week, Patrick and I heading to New York to meet up with friends and watch a Broadway play which I would be doing every week if I could but NY city is a 3 hour drive one way from where we live so thats 6 hours of driving for a trip to the Big Apple.

Patrick would be in a week long conference/exhibit in Florida next week. I am busy preparing the (balikbayan) boxes for the holiday season. I was told that if I want the boxes to get to the Philippines before Christmas, I have to ship them before October 25th so Ive been shopping, packing and checking my list twice, er, thrice! Ive been signing Christmas cards practically every night for the past few days to make sure that I have thoughtfully written the message in the card. Thats how I usually do it, I think of the person Im writing the card for and I think of how I can make the card send warmth and affection to the person receiving it.

Anyway, it looks like Id be the only one doing the writing in this household! Patrick would be the first to admit that his penmanship isnt nice. Sometimes, he doesnt even understand his own handwriting! hahaha!

So it should be hectic but fun! Christmas is my favorite time of the year so I dont really mind getting Christmasey this early. Its also getting cold now but its been raining a lot too. I suppose the farmers in the area are happy because its good for the crops.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Joel B, Kathy, Mother Lily, Manoj and Chita!