He is gone.. He is in peace.. He live a great life..

My dad is a fighter every since he was young. Being the eldest in his family, he was task to take care of his own family when his dad died while he was still young. I still remember the stories of how he started working right after high school - foregoing basketball (and he was good at it) and college - and just work so that his siblings where able to go and pursue a better education and live a good life. 

My dad wasn't rich but he just had enough to give my mom, and us a good and decent life. We didn't have fancy clothes, cars or house but he was able to provide us with a happy life. My dad was hard on us but he was so that we could grow up to become stronger person especially me. I still remember playing a game of hoops against his team. I went for a layup and next thing I know, I was on the floor on my back and the first thing he said... Get Up, Its Your Fault!. I never fully understand why he didn't ask me if I was alright or whether I was hurt. And I was hurt for the fact that he thought it was my fault. But I think I know why he was that, he wanted me to be tougher and stronger. To fight when I need to and stop being too shy and timid.

Even though he was tough, he always had that softer and gentler side of him. I still have fond memories of the whole family sitting at the dinner table and just laughing while we all share a common meal. Or the family time on Sundays where we would just go to a restaurant, preferably a buffet, and just eat and eat and eat for hours that I think the place would close down because of us or head to the province to relax, swim and drown ourselves in seafood (btw, my dad was a seafood connoisseurs.)

Now he is gone, he didn't get a chance to see how I have become. I know he would have been proud of me.

He is gone.. He is in peace.. He live a great life..

Rest In Peace Pops!

Cirque Du Soleil - O

"O," a Cirque du Soleil production is the third Cirque show I have seen. The theatrical production was breathtaking with various acrobat acts and aquatic tapestry. The production resides at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. 

Directed by Franco Dragone and conceived in 1998, O uses one of nature elements in their production - water. The stage is a 25 feet deep pool with lifts that allow performers to do their various acts whether it be in water or on land as the stage transforms into a pool or a dry conventional stage. O follows Guifa who's adventure transports him into another realm where all his dreams comes true where he meets Eugen, the guardian of the theatre, Le Travesti, the Masked Thief, L'Allume, The Zebras, the Comets and Aurora.  The L'Allume is man who seems like he does not care that he is on fire.  Reading through the Cirque guide, Mr. Ray Wold, who portrays the fire starter has been in all 'O' production since Day 1. 

The show is filled with acts from synchronized swimmers to world-class acrobats. Some of the acts include the Aerial Hoops where performers are suspended in air only using circular hoops to do their acrobatic acts over the pool.  Then there was the barge with eight gymnast performing acts that included balancing on each others body parts - I remembered one part of the act where three performers balance each other on each other but in such a way that you thing it was unreal. Then there is the Bateau or an aerial ship that was used for aerial cradle and parallel bars where the performers fly and catch each other. 

Since the production does require time to change stages, O has two clowns who are friends. They started showing up right before the show starts acting out different skits throughout the theater such as pretending its raining and opening an umbrella with a hole. They surely had a comedic act to the show especially when they are floating around in a submerged home. 

Another act that I truly admire was the contortionists and the duo trapeze. But I think the breathtaking act was the High Dive act - jumping as high as the theater down to the pool in precise areas that got the crowd stuck on their seats. 

So if you happen to be in Las Vegas, go and check out Cirque's O and you surely will not be disappointed. 

Cirque du Soleil site

O site

Bellagio Hotel site

Las Vegas

Vegas Baby!!