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If ballet is your cup of tea, why not indulge in Ballet Philippines' new season, aptly called "New Beginnings"?

Opening on Friday, October 17, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, "New Beginnings" is a wide-range program highlighted by the company premiere of Alvin Ailey's acclaimed "Night Creature." The program of Ballet Philippines' new season will also introduce Max Luna III's "Mga Awit" and "The Hurt We Embrace," and Alan Hineline's "Thresholds II."

Chocolate may be something a lot of people share a common fondness for, but did you know that the chocolate’s origin may be among the reasons you have a favorite kind of chocolate to begin with?

Benjie Pedro, resident chocolatier of Heavenly Chocolates in Roces Ave., near Tomas Morato, Quezon City, says that the origin of each type of chocolate is directly responsible for the particular qualities you love about them. Chocolate-planting countries have different temperatures, land quality, and ways of cultivating cocoa plant and harvesting cocoa beans, all of which result to different kinds of chocolate the world over.

While opera may seem too high-brow even for theatergoers, watching one can be quite an experience. Though the language barrier can be a problem, nothing compares to hearing a diva singing the sweetest arias live and without the aid of microphones.

I had my first (and somewhat informal) exposure to opera when I watched a rehearsal of the local production of La Boheme two days before it opens tonight at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. If you'd like to watch an opera for the first time, Puccini's widely known opera may be a good one to start with since it was the inspiration for the more familiar RENT by Jonathan Larson, which ended its 12-season run on Broadway just last month.