A funny thing happened on the way to Sweeney Todd

I was going on a movie date! It was a spur of the moment thing. (Which if you know me, a self-confessed creature of habit, is an achievement in itself.)

It wasn't in my schedule. I went to my Mom's house to pick up my sister-in-law Dana. We were supposed to go to Fr. Honti's wake. But she was tired. And her husband, my brother Paolo, was also too tamad to go.

And so I suddenly had four hours to spare before my next scheduled appointment: another wake this time in Araneta Ave. at 10:30 pm.

Dana suggested we go see Sweeney Todd.

And I agreed immediately. (Which surprised even me! I didn't even bother to first consult my schedule on my PDA!)

I love musicals! Ever since my Dad started to play Rogers and Hammerstein's classics on Sunday afternoons when we were kids. Sound of Music, Carousel, West Side Story ... And I'm a great fan of today's classics as well. Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim, Shonberg, Boubil and Mackintosh.

And I love movies! In fact, not too long ago, when I was still single, I would regularly go on movie dates with certified movie addicts, Kit and Elisa, Bert and Michelle, Gel and Ria, Rich and Kathy, Peter and Geli, and before they left for the States, Gonz and Sandra.

(Okay, I may not be as well-versed in comparative movie analysis like Kit, Gonz, Peter, Gel, Bert and Rich. I prefer to stay with the girls, making snide remarks like the Muppet Show hecklers and swooning at how guapo this or that actor is. But hey, I love going to movies. And the popcorn too!)

Anyways ...

And because my nephew Gio was a Stephen Sondheim fan like Paolo, Dana and me, we decided to take him along as well, and with my niece Therese in tow.

Fun! A group movie date! Like the Tweedle Bugs of Sesame Street fame, we all excitedly trooped to nearby Galleria to catch the 7:30 pm show.

Let's take the car to the zoo!, was my silent refrain as Gio and Dana began to hum the movie soundtrack.

My first mistake was not checking the movie rating beforehand. :(

To our horror, the movie was rated R-18. (And justifiably so, Dana later on confirmed. Disturbing, she said... Buti nga sa 'yo!)

It was 7:20. The movie was to begin in 10 minutes. So I made another spur of the moment decision. (The second in less than an hour! I must have been running a fever.)

"You and Dana go see the movie," wise Robbi quipped. "I shall take care of the kids!", he said with a wave of his hand.

So off they went to see the demon barber.

"So what do you want to do, There and Gio? Want to see another movie?"

Mistake number 2.

"Yes, Ninong Robbi! Let's go watch Alvin and the Chipmunks!"

So it was.

Well, the bright side is I did get to watch a movie. And it was a musical too.

And I got to spend time with my two eldest pamangkins.

And I did get a good hour's sleep before my next appointment.