Don't worry; I'm not going to turn all mushy and maudlin and begin extolling the many virtues of love and being in love. Au contraire, my bloggy title pertains to an encore song performed by Filipino singer Lea Salonga during her solo concert in Singapore at the Esplanade Concert Hall recently.
(*the following is a Lea Salonga tribute -- if you don't know who she is, read at own risk~!)
Never heard of her?? Well, I don't blame you if you haven't because the only mainstream commercial work she had ever done were animated voice-overs in Disney's Aladdin and Mulan (where she was the singing voice on "A Whole New World" and "Reflection" respectively). Other than that, Lea is more well-known in the theater industry as the original Kim from Miss Saigon (at the tender age of 17!) and winning numerous accolades and awards for her performance. Seventeen years has passed since her international debut, and Lea is not only a superstar in her home country, she is also a respected thespian in her own right and a bonafide Broadway star.
From my circle-2 backrow seat last Sunday, Lea was merely a thumbnail-sized figure onstage but like everyone else in the hall (comprising of mainly Pinoys and Caucasian expats), I was enthralled by the exquisite and dulcet tone of her voice. It seemed that every number was punctuated by an uproar of cheers and applause, and at the end of her concert, there was even a thunderous standing ovation amid cries for an encore. The last time I witnessed such a rapturous audience reaction during a semi-formal performance was when Les Miserables (the musical) was showing in Singapore -- and THAT was like dunno-how-many-donkey years ago!
I caught a glimpse of Lea in the foyer during her autograph session but sadly, I didn't bring along my camera. What a waste~! A friend of mine, however, managed to meet her up close and personal because he bought her limited edition Cd which was (funnily enough) the only item allowed to be autographed. He commented that she's as pretty and petite as a malay "minah"~!! Talk about peculiar analogies...
I Still Believe In Love
After all the tears I've cried,
You'd think I would give up on love,
Get off this line;
But maybe I might get it right this time.
I was there as passion turned to pain,
Sunshine turned to rainy days,
Yet here I am
Ready to begin once again.
All my life I've been a dreamer;
Dreamin' dreams that always broke in two.
But I still believe in love
And I love believing --
Maybe you can make my dreams come true.
Here content with who I am,
I'm reachin' out my hand to him once again --
At least I know I've made myself a friend.
All my life I've been a dreamer;
Dreamin' dreams that never quite came true.
But I still believe in love
And I love believing,
I'll keep on dreaming
Because I still believe in love..
I still believe in love,
And me
And you --
I still believe in love...
