I've never attended a Trumpets Playshop tribute show in years, ever since I stopped taking their workshops. This year, I decided to check it out, even if it means trekking all the way to AFP like I did last year just to watch Marielle's showcase.

The first familiar faces I saw in the lobby were Lao and Tara. Hahaha, Lao was selling his accessories there, with Tara giving him a hand. Sometimes I bummed with them, sometimes I mingled with the crowd when I found familiar faces. Tita Luna was the next familiar face I saw, and it was great to see her. Seeing her made me miss Jamie too, but he was too lazy to brave the distance and crazy traffic.

Familiar faces... there were so many of them before. Now there were more strangers than friends and acquaintances.

When 6pm came, I went inside the theater, only to find that the concert wasn't starting for another hour. Instead, Playshop Groove was progressing, one of the kids division, and another for the teens. Hmmm... the kids were pretty fun to watch, but the teens were a different story. Yeah, there were a bunch that were pretty good, but in some of the groups, there were some girls that were more conscious about their appearance than their performance. Kind of reminds me of my former students, hahaha.

After announcing the winner of each division, there was a 15-minute break before the concert began. Found that Lao and Tara haven't left yet, as they had decided to stick around a little while longer before leaving.

The show began with some of the Playshop teachers doing the opening number of The Little Mermaid with Roden (as host) stopping it in mid-song and giving them new lyrics to sing. Leslie was also there, as she was one of the Playshop teachers this year, and the one who won in Hired's search for the next Playshop teacher.

In between video clips of Playshop's founders talking about how the workshops were born, there were song and dance numbers by the Playshop kids, former and current Playshoppers, and past and present teachers, including The Company. Hahaha, I just love their rendition of "My Humps." One of my favorite parts of the show was when the teachers came out and did "God I Hope I Get It" from A Chorus Line. I almost fell off my seat from laughing when I saw Chevy enter clad in pink short shorts with a matching top, HAHAHAHA! Then of course, there also the Broadway medley, since most of the Playshoppers are into musical theater. I'm such a sucker for these also.

After the show, I waited for Leslie in the lobby so I could congratulate her, and wish her good luck as well for her kids' upcoming showcase. Got to meet her friends Jamie and Israel, and ended up hitching a ride with them out of AFP. We sort of got lost for a good 20 minutes, but we managed to get back on track despite Leslie's crazy directions, hehe.

Leslie had decided to go out to dinner at Eastwood, and as I was killing time, I rode with them the whole way. Having commuted from that area before, I figured that I was just as easy to catch a ride from there. Hahaha, after we had parked the car and they had started to debate as to where to eat (no one could decide), we walked around aimlessly until I began to hear music. Loud music. Way familiar-sounding music. Then I saw a tent with a stage underneath and I saw a familiar setup.

Yep, the Akafellas were singing in Eastwood, and I had no idea, hahaha! It's been ages since I last heard them sing, even more since I last went to any of their gigs. Sure enough, I found myself walking toward the area. Leslie and I found a couple of familiar faces sitting at a table right up front and center. Hahaha, there was Reuben and Ikey (with girlfriend Joey). So we hung around and watched their set. It felt weird to see Reubs and Ikey sitting there while a couple of other new guys were singing in their place. But they still sounded pretty good.

After the set, Leslie and I went backstage to say hello to the boys. For old times sake, I entered their little dressing area with my old signature "Huwaw!" HAHAHA! It was great to see these boys again. Little changes around, but these guys are still the wacky ones I used to work with. Leslie did some photo ops, and even played photographer for one fan (mistaking a point-and-shoot digital camera for a DSLR as she was holding it like one, hehe). Then some started bidding their farewells. Thank goodness Paulo offered me a ride home, haha. For some reason, I didn't think I'd make it before my estimated time if I commuted. Hooray for southside people, hehe.

On our way to the parking area, Pau and I ran into a group of people that seemed familiar to me. A familiar blue boho skirt was the first thing that caught my eye. Sure enough, it was Kat. And there they were, Nicco, Martha, Olive and Arkel. Hahaha, I haven't seen them in quite a while as well. Wheeee! And it was high time I finally got to see the new couple in person. Happy for you, baby bro! You guys owe me a lot of kwento, hahaha!

The whole ride back, Pau and I just caught up on each other's happenings, with his photography stint and my frustrated efforts in, well, everything, hahaha.

And yes, I will not leave this out. When we got to our village, we started cracking up when he noticed this flower shop called

"... and flowers."

HAHAHAHA! Yep, that's it. That's what it's called.

"Parang may buwelo when you have to say the name." *brief pause* "... and flowers..."
"Cards, chocolates..." *brief pause* "... and flowers..."

Haha, ano buh. I wonder if he'll keep this going if ever we do that concert together. Now "...and flowers" is forever imprinted in my brain with Paulo's voice, hahaha.