With my mom and my transparent umbrella, I merrily walked amidst the rain and the mud and people along Hidalgo Street in Quiapo one Sunday.. It was a rainy morning but I didn’t mind. Since the day I nearly swam the flood waters brought by Ondoy I am no longer scared of a pool of rain water. Hopping to avoid the deeper puddles, I remembered that not too long ago, the streets of Manila are dry and the air, warm and humid.
It was summer.
I always claim that this summer was my most productive. The joy of doing something (even if it is not “art-related”) filled my heart after several months of being a bum. The LRT-MRT rides, the text blasts, the never ending encoding job, the surprise tasks – though terribly exhausting, made the 6 weeks worthwhile.
The whole ordeal, somehow, changed my perspective about being in a community or in a NATION.
I no longer wear the red baller.I just kept it closer to the things important to me.
The summer also brought me closer to one of my loves – theater. If I was not mistaken, I expressed my desire to enroll in a summer theater workshop in the year 2004. The last time that I performed as a part of a theater group was during my last year in elementary school. I was one of the pioneer members of the theater guild and one of the chosen few who constantly have a part in the skits presented in some programs at school.
I signed up to be a member for the theater group in my High School. However, my animosity towards some of the group’s members and my insecurities pushed me away. After a year, I transfered to a school several regions away. I never got back to acting.
I felt like I forgot the feeling of being someone else. I never got that rush of feelings, the idea that you are no longer yourself. I missed the feeling of letting go and releasing emotions.
The walls of the blue room felt like home. My classmate are like my closest childhood friends, or better yet, siblings. I don’t easily make friends but in 18 days(plus 3 extra rehearsals) they have been family.
I still have the playbill for the musical theater class showcase tucked between the pages of my journal. My visit to Facebook has been longer. I have resurrected my formspring,me and twitter accounts.
I want to go back to that summer. But I can’t live by just looking at the past.
Live by the lessons learned.
Move forward.
More great things will come.
The Eclectic Miss 