Metal Migrane -> Opera Italia
September 28, 2007I think I have to quit the metal stuff for a while.
I still love the music. However, I think my head is absorbing a little too much noise to handle.
I've been getting some bad headaches this week… migraines even… to the point that I'm not able to work anymore. Well, at least my guess is that it's the metal music, so I'm shifting away from it for the time being.
Actually, now is not a bad time at all to be shifting genres since there's this one particular style of music that has been tickling my fancy as of late: Opera.
Yeah, you read that right. Not just classical music, my friends: Opera. This is largely due to me having seen "No Reservations" a few nights ago. You know, that romantic comedy with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart and Abigail "Little Miss Sunshine" Breslin? That film.
Oh, and speaking of… Aaron Eckhart - I just recently learned - is gonna play Harvey "Two Face" Dent in the next installment in the Batman franchise: "The Dark Knight". This has gotta be good. I'm betting this is gonna be the darkest and most twisted Batman movie ever. Heath Ledger as The Joker… Aaron Eckhart as Two Face… and Christian Bale reprising his role as The Dark Knight. This has got to be good.
Don't Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart look a lot alike? I mean, hindi sila magkamukha, but they have similar features…
Anyway, I digress.
As I was saying, this sudden interest in Opera couldn't have come at a better time, since my head is telling me to take a break from the \m/. So I guess it was perfect timing to have seen "No Reservations" just a few nights ago. It's a so-so movie, but it has its moments and features beautiful music. Since Eckhart's character in the film is an opera fan, that music figures largely in the movie. I think the operas from the film were by Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini.
One of my officemates, upon learning of my new interest, immediately pimped Mozart's "The Magic Flute" to me; and yes, I'll be trying that one out as well as Mozart's two other famous operas: "Don Giovanni" and "The Marriage of Figaro".
Oh, and just right now, I came across this list! Mwahahaha! I guess this is gonna be my entry into the world of opera.
1. Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini
2. La bohème by Giacomo Puccini
3. La traviata by Giuseppe Verdi
4. Carmen by Georges Bizet
5. The Barber of Seville by Gioacchino Rossini
6. The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
7. Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
8. Tosca by Giacomo Puccini
9. Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi
10. The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
11. La Cenerentola by Gioacchino Rossini
12. Turandot by Giacomo Puccini
13. Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti
14. Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo
15. Così fan tutte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
16. Aida by Giuseppe Verdi
17. Il trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi
18. Faust by Charles Gounod
19. Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II
20. L'elisir d'amore by Gaetano Donizetti
Italian operas FTW! 
Although on a final note, the very first opera that I set my ears on (just recently) is a german opera (which I'm listening to right now, in fact). It's by Richard Wagner, and it's called "Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung)" and it's over 14 friggin hours long! If anyone's familiar with "Ride of the Valkyries" from the film "Apocalypse Now", this is the opera where that came from.
Oh, and this just added to my list of things to do: "Watch an opera… in Italy!"
One Big Fight!
If you think that this post will be a rave from start to finish about Ateneo's win of LaSalle yesterday, then you're only partially correct. For as much as I'd like to go on and on about how great things have been for Ateneo thus far in their 4 meetings with LaSalle, you have to give credit to the Archers. I mean, seriously, what a show these two teams have put on this season!
Their first meeting saw Ateneo being forced into overtime almost singlehandedly by Jayvee Casio, which the Eagles thankfully salvaged. Ateneo by 3.
The second game was one that literally came down to the final millisecond, and wasn't decided until after the game had ended. Ateneo by 2.
The third salvo was again a nailbiter, seeing both teams being separated by a solitary point; this time, Ateneo was the one that came up short. LaSalle by 1.
Yesterday's game, as a true testament to how evenly the Eagles and Archers are matched-up this season, was decided - again - by a single point. However, this time, it was decided on Ateneo captain Chris Tiu's endgame heroics as Ateneo blew away a 6-point Archer lead it under two minutes. 65-64. Ateneo by 1.
read Rick Olivares' ADMU-DLSU 4 recap here
Game 5, the final meeting of these two teams this season, is set on Sunday. For many, Sunday's game will be like the championship. For some reason - as long as this fifth and final matchup of the season will do justice to the intensity and excitement of their previous four matchups - I wouldn't be as heartbroken on Sunday even if the Eagles lose. Of course, everything will be much sweeter if we win, but OMG what a show these two teams have put on this season!
Oh, and don't forget that the Ateneo Blue Eaglets and Ateneo Lady Eagles are in their respective finals matchups. Theirs will be on saturday. 
What a season for Ateneo basketball!
