So finally, here's my annual year in review. Bear with me, as this will be a pretty long entry.
I
welcomed the year 2010 halfheartedly, as I had some doubts over certain
aspects in my life right from the start. But of course, pessimism will
get me nowhere, so I always have that ounce of optimism every once in a
while.
As I always say, every year is a blast no matter what, and
we can never avoid all the ups and downs. This year gave way to a lot
of changes, so despite all the pitfalls, it's still been one year I'll
never forget.
January
Little did I know that watching Footloose and hearing a particular bible verse could actually sum up what was to
come for the entire year. The famous Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 said:
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven;
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Early
into the year, I told myself that I should look more into the
relationships with the people I love, to see if they're still worth
investing in. Little did I know that one significant relationship would
disappear by then. At the end of the month, I broke up with my boyfriend
of 2 years. Not much explanation, but let's just say that he had his
reasons.
That month was also a reunion of sorts with some of my
cousins from the US. I haven't seen them since I was 7 years old, and
their visit was a perfect opportunity to bond with them both here in
Manila and during our 3-day trip to Palawan.
As an outlet, Para hindi mo ito maintindihan was born and performed this month, and it was a great way to bond with
Betty, Jenny and Opa, plus a way to explore certain emotions and
actions.
February
This
month marked the most emotional time I've had all year. I was so glad
that I was somehow kept busy because I was working for Rent's
front-of-house. I began the month full of hope due to a nice, clean
breakup, which eventually led to a breakdown. I was actually surprised
at myself for being so angry at someone to the extent of shouting at
that person over the phone. But despite that, I guess it was right to
have a reason to be angry in order to be able to move on. And near the
end of the month, Carmie and Jay got married, and I was so honored to be
a part and to help out on their special day. Their wedding made me feel
more optimistic about the future, making me believe in love all over
again.
March
I was so glad to have Avenue Q to keep me busy after Rent had closed, and I was also grateful for friends who keep constantly in
touch during this time, so the bad days grew farther apart. This month
also marked a significant get-together with my fellow Dashing Divas,
Lara and Dingdong. We trekked all the way up north to UP to watch a
thesis production of They're Playing Our Song,
and Lara and I both agreed that it was the right show to watch at the
right time for us. Another get-together this month was with BFFs Micah
and Dyown, both whom I haven't seen since we went to Bulacan for an
episode of Chef To Go. I also managed to watch a few shows in CCP despite some awkward circumstances, like TP's Tatlong Mariya, and the AC's voice, dance and acting recitals.
April
I
was invited by Lesley to join Make Believe this year and teach my own
class, and I was all up for it until we found out that because there
weren't enough students, the class got dissolved. Too bad. But I did
manage to help out a bit in Lara's class, and despite the fact that I
still had to endure the crazy service road, I still loved going there.
And while we're still talking about workshops, I also returned to TP's
Rehearsal and Performance Techniques workshop, considering the fact that
I didn't get to join last year. It felt like a brand new class, having
new teachers (Miss Tess and JK), new classmates (I was the only returnee
in the class), and a new attack on the class itself. I remember that we
were often reminded to challenge ourselves everyday, to "go for the
kill" and "get in trouble." This month also gave me the opportunity to
be in Sir Dennis' Cinemalaya film entry, and I had a blast hanging out
in between takes with Betty, Rayna, Dave and the infamous "Sir July,"
ahahaha.
May
Kicked off the month with our Rehearsal and Performance Techniques recital, R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots).
Quite a challenge playing not just one, but two masculine roles,
ahahaha. Anyway, I was grateful for the fact that I've been pretty busy
the month before, and decided to continue it this following month with
Lara's Make Believe class, as she had gotten me as a guest actor for her
class' recital of her own version of The Little Prince.
And speaking of Lara, one highlight of this month was the Saturday that
we had planned to go up north after Make Believe to watch a couple of
recitals in MC under TP. Because of the crazy traffic along the service
road, we didn't make it to her Make Believe class in the morning and
opted to trek straight up north. My goodness, we were on the jeepney for
4 hours before we made it to Edsa. When we got to MC, we got to watch
Tad and Paolo's workshop class' recital (also a version of The Little Prince)
before we grabbed a bite at the newly opened MushroomBurger along
Katipunan. Lara also gave me a tour of the Ateneo campus through her
reminiscing eyes, and while doing that, we spotted a poster of TA's
production of La Ronde, which
was closing that very evening. It took a lot of effort for Lara to
convince me to watch, and we eventually did, after watching Riki's
workshop class' recital of La Casa de Bernarda Alba. Huwaw, it made the trek up north worth it, just having a 3-play marathon with my breast friend.
Another
significant event this month was that I had decided to grab a different
job opportunity, thanks to Anna's referral. I was actually surprised to
get the phone interview while hanging out with Lara and Nina in
Montessori.
June
This
month marked a significant shift of paths for this year. I just got
hired as a part-time agent for Convergys. The frustrating part of being
hired at this time was that a perfect avenue had just opened, and
because of the path I chose, it hindered me to take the avenue of
opportunity. But hey, I can always try it next year, right?
Gino
had asked me over lunch one day what I had gained since the last
relationship that I had lost. Off the top of my head, I had said that I
gained the chance to venture out into this opportunity that I used to
kept saying no to. Anyway, it was such a refreshing change, and it made
me welcome and acknowledge all the other changes that's been going on.
Alongside my first month training and being briefed on the floor at work, I also juggled ushering duties for Atlantis' Legally Blonde.
Because of late nights and early mornings, I found myself sleeping
during the mid-day instead of at night. But even with that, I even
managed to find time catching a few sets of Virgin Labfest at CCP.
I
could feel certain friends starting to drift apart as well. It's
frustrating, really. Plus I also learned the truth as to how one
relationship got strained. Now that I've learned the truth, I guess I
have to learn to deal with it. And it made me wonder if I should still
try to gain someone's trust after I've lost it unintentionally. Heck, of
course.
July
Basically the first half of the month was still juggling Legally Blonde and still being a newbie on the floor at work. And I still managed to watch a bunch of Labfest plays during the less busy days, as well as the preview of Rep's Equus. Immediately after Legally Blonde had closed, Jan and I found another window of opportunity as merchandisers for Cats in CCP. Gigo and I even got to be one of the first to meet the cast
(thanks to Sam) as soon as they emerged from the airport. Even after a
bit of minor disagreements about our work and fees, we resigned and got
rehired due to certain compromises.
Funny how finding myself
sitting alone in Starbucks one afternoon can lead to good pondering
moments. After all, that particular branch had been witness to a lot of
what had happened to me.
August
The
beginning of the month required certain pondering and thinking whether I
should take the script analysis class under TP. Even though it was
exclusive for AC scholars, apprentices and members, they had to decided
to open it for a few outsiders, so I took a lot of time thinking whether
I should take this class, considering certain "given circumstances" to
consider. Eventually, I decided to give it a go, thanks to the good
advice of certain friends. So aside from work for 4 mornings, I had
merchandising duties during Cats' weekday shows, plus I attend script analysis class every Friday afternoon.
I also got the opportunity to watch Cats one weekend, thanks to the people behind it. I was thrilled to sit at a
really good seat, so I had a pretty good view of everything. I was
totally in awe during the entire show, because of the talented
triple-threats, the set, and the technicals. It was such a treat.
Ended the month watching Banaag at Sikat by TP, Orosman at Zafira in UP, and taking a road trip with Rosa and Iam to Tagaytay.
September
Another month, another show. I had more ushering duties, this time for Atlantis' Xanadu.
For a while, I was not allowed in the roster of ushers, because someone
had blabbed a stupid lie to the biggies. Goes to show how much you
don't know me, whoever you are.
Ed visited again this month from Canada, and because I was busy during the weekends, we met up during a weekday.
Another
significant event this month was that Evan was born on the same day as
his daddy! I visited Carms, Jay and Evan the day after the birth.
Unfortunately, Evan was in the ICU, but I was so glad just to see him,
as well as his parents.
At the end of the month, I managed to watch more shows. There was TP's American Hwangap featuring Nicco, Information For Foreigners where Betty and Opa were involved in, and a twinbill of Alimuom and Walang Maliw featuring Tad and Kat.
One thing I have to say about this month is that friends with benefits really do exist.
October
Not
much occurred during this month, I realized, but looking back on my
blog entries, there were still quite a few significant events, like a
rare get-together with Nikki and Nicco at the beginning of the month. We
ended up sitting around, talking about certain issues and updates, and
joking and laughing about certain things that had happened between us in
the past.
Sometime in the middle of the month, I remember
pondering about things that had transpired, and I eventually started
searching for the crux, that vital point where a decision has to be or
has been made, and after that, everything that follows is irreversible.
Once I found that crux, there was a time that I sometimes wished I could
go back to that, and just freeze time where things were fine and
peachy.
At the end of the month, more ushering duties came in the form of 9 Works Theatrical's Wedding Singer.
I was in charge of a team of crazy ushers, but despite their craziness
and quirks, I was grateful having them on my team, instead of dealing
with different ushers every show.
November
I
was surprised that I was told that I was being prepped up to be a
primary agent at work, but I guess I wasn't that prepared, plus the fact
that I was having a lousy cough that never went away for quite a long
time, so I sort of flubbed for a while.
I discovered a new place
to eat up north, The Real Thing Diner, thanks to Noelle and Lara. It was
a great opportunity to finally hang out with Noelle, then Lara and I
got to hang out with Nina in Makati afterwards.
Speaking of more
get-togethers, I had a mini-reunion with a bunch of high school friends
from the track and field team. It was great to see some of them again,
considering the last time I had seen some of them were after high school
graduation.
After closing Wedding Singer, I managed to catch the preview show of Spotlight's Magsimula Ka,
and sitting inside Music Museum made me remember all those few times
that I was there for a couple of memorable projects several years ago.
Other
than that musical, I got to watch a set of laboratory plays by FEU's
theater guild, as one of the plays was directed by Tad. Wahahaha, and to
think that the play that he directed was sort of a remake of Labfest 2's Palanca In My Mind. Even though with all the similarities, he did manage to add a little flavor into it.
December
This
was the only time that I realized how fast the months flew by. Six
months of working part-time in an industry I first thought I wouldn't be
caught dead in, and I was grateful for the work and the people I've met
because of it. This was the year I had more ushering/front-of-house
duties than I had expected, and I managed to survive the year without
having a significant other, plus I managed to stay friends (even though
it took a while) with my last one.
I celebrated my birthday
quietly and on my own, and it opened up a brand new perspective for me.
But I managed to make up for it by celebrating one of my 2 best friend's
birthday two days after.
I never expected 2010 to be an awesome
year, but it was never a crummy year as well despite all those pitfalls.
Things aren't all they're cracked up to be, but even with your
expectations, you still accept both the good and the bad. Whenever
something hinders your path, you'll surprise yourself by eventually
finding a way (sometimes an ever better way) around it.
I'm glad
for all the hurdles I went through in 2010. I wouldn't be where I am
today if it weren't for them, and the people who helped me get through
them.
Lara sent me a Facebook message at the end of 2009:
I drew out a card for you. QUEEN OF WANDS.
Either you are this person or you will encounter someone who has these traits and will influence you.
Someone who is magnetic, attractive, believes in woman power, optimistic, self-assured, and upbeat.
You
are dedicated to a task, friendly, easy going and wholeheartedly
involved in everything you do. You are charismatic, creative, and knows
where you're going. You are sexually accomplished. Hehe. You brighted
up the atmosphere and are undaunted by challenges.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I
look back and started looking for that person, and I realized that it
was me. Well, in a way, hahaha. I realized I kept myself optimistic even
when dark clouds started looming over me. I had to make all efforts
work no matter what I did this year, and I do hope I can carry it on in
2011 and the years to come.
2010 was one heck of a roller coaster
ride. As I'm afraid of literal roller coasters, so was I of this
metaphorical roller coaster of a year. It was exciting, boring,
daunting, and enlightening. People came and left for different reasons.
I've lost and gained certain things. Thank you to those who have been
there with me during the ride. With this, I look forward to 2011.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!
