OUR PERFECT IMPERFECT WEDDING: PART 4 / JULY 15,2006

As Hubby Sweet and I took our place at the altar, we did a slight two-step, not really sure about who was supposed to stay on the right side and who was supposed to stay on the left. Fr. Gerry smiled at us after we finally figured our places out. "Game na. Wala nang urungan," he kidded, speaking away from the mike, talking only to us.

Fr. Gerry is my dad's cousin--or at least I grew up thinking that he is. He was not much older than us. I'm pretty sure we have less than 10 years between us. Growing up, he was Kuya Bandy to me and my cousins. They lived in the house in front of my paternal grandparents' home. Since Kuya Carlo and Kuya Eric (his brothers) were our playmates, we used to cross-over every so often between the two houses. We'd wreak havoc in my grandparents' yard first, climbing the guava and the macopa trees, and shaking the caimito until the fruits dropped (more like splatted, really) on the tin roof covering the pig pen that used to stand on one corner of my grandparents' lot. Once my lola starts waving the walis tingting, admonishing us to get down from the darn trees OR ELSE, we all knew it was time to get down as quickly as we could and run over to the house across the street where the lolos and lolas were...uh....for lack of a better description, more tolerant of our childhood capers. Hahaha. ;P



Kuya Bandy was the quiet one. I don't remember having had a real conversation with him, but he would always be smiling as we scampered all over their house, running up and down the stairs and all over their yard. It took me by surprise actually when my mom told me they were attending his ordination. I had known for quite some time that he was an accountant at SGV, but did not really hear of him entering the seminary. It was--apparently--his lifelong dream, but in a bargain with Lolo Pedro, he agreed to finish college and work "in the real world" first. "Just so you can be sure of what you really want," Lolo Pedro supposedly admonished him. Years later, Kuya Bandy knew that his heart was not in the corporate world, nor was it in the financial statements that he worked through every single day. His dream had remained unchanged. So, he entered the seminary and became a priest.


"In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...," the mass has officially begun.


I had always wondered how it would feel to read through the misalette during the actual wedding. Having exceeded our budget for the wedding invitations (understatement of the year, hahaha), we decided to just print the misalette ourselves. Simple enough, we thought, considering that my brother, my sister and my cousin actually did it themselves for their own weddings. This basically meant, however, that instead of just choosing the readings and having the printer type the readings into a "generic" misalette file, I had to do the actual typing and the actual lay-outing. Page by page. Line by line. I had to print, check for typos, revise and re-layout whenever necessary--over and over and over. I had proofread the darn thing to death before actually proceeding with mass production (all puns fully intended. ;P) that, at a certain point, I can actually recite the entire mass with my eyes closed. You can then understand why I had the heated discussion with the manangs prior to the mass. Pinaghirapan ko yun, 'no! I was not about to back down and use a generic, church-approved misalette, all church manangs and church-coordinators-from-hell be damned! Hmp.

Things were going smoothly enough, until we got to the first reading. Mao, my high school bestfriend stood up, looked at me and shrugged as he walked to the lectern. He must have seen it in my eyes, "Why are you getting up for the first reading?! You're supposed to be doing the Prayer of the Faithful!" but I realized he wasn't quite sure either as to why he was all of a sudden assigned to do something I did not tell him about. After more than 20 years, Mao knows how anal I can be about having everything happen as I planned them.

Hubby Sweet, quite surprised himself, whispered, "Ba't di si AAze?" referring to his cousin whom we personally chose for the part. I shrugged and offered a lame excuse, unsure of the real reason, "Baka 'kala nila late si AAze. She had to walk Jazer up the aisle eh." (Side note: her 1-year old son was our arrhae bearer. =))


My mind was working double-time though. If AAze had not been available, why wasn't Tiririt (my cousin) assigned to do the reading instead? We had picked our readers and our offerors based on affinity and the significance of the role we wanted them to play at our wedding. I had discussed this thoroughly with our church coordinator three days before the wedding. "We have assigned people," I told her as I handed her a copy of the misalette. "Please look for them. If for some strange reason, they are not there, please look for our 'back-ups'", I requested as I wrote down the names of our preferred alternates next to our first choices. It was much later that I found out (after one of my friends kidded me about being instant offerors for my wedding, and after all the kwentuhans with my cousins) that my darn church coordinators totally disregarded my directions! Instead of looking for the assigned people, they started asking anyone and everyone milling about by the church door if they wanted to do the reading, be an offeror, etc., etc., etc.! Ack! After all has been said and done, however, I realize that I didn't really mind that Mao got to do the first reading AND the Prayer of the Faithful, that Halbert & Joy (my college friend and his wife) ended up doing the floral offertories instead of Dooders and Jel (my cousin & my niece) or that Ko ended up bringing the wine offering to the altar. They were, after all, still quite special to me--except that, aside from really having reasons for deciding on our original choices, we actually informed our "first choices" about their roles days before the wedding. Their names were even printed on the misalettes! Much later, a lot of them told me it was quite surreal to see somebody else doing what has supposedly been assigned to them. Worse, my cousin made me kwento after the wedding that my church coordinators asked--no, begged!--my other nephew to stand in as arrhae bearer because Jazer's pants was not yet there. (It was supposed to have been in Kiko's parents' car, but since they arrived late....) My cousin initially begged off, telling the coordinators that they should probably wait because the arrhae bearer was there and he DID have a pair of "back-up" pants in case--in all the rush--Kiko's parents forgot his clothes. Probably panicking at that point, the coordinators insisted that my other nephew, Lincoln, line up--only to eventually yank him out of the line when they realized Jazer will be walking down the aisle using his back-up pants. Poor Lincoln just looked at his mom and said, "Gusto ko na lumakad. Bakit nila ko pinaalis, Mama?" Augh, augh, augh! Jahe to the max! Lech. Church coordinators MUST die. >:\


Thankfully, I did not know about all that during the ceremony because it would just have ruined everything. I tried to push the queries out of my mind as Mao read from the lectern. "Who reads what, after all, is not as important as the content of the mass," I reasoned with myself--admittedly, not too successfully in the immediate aftermath of the first reading. "Focus, Eileen. Focus!" I told myself as Krishna (Kiko's cousin) stood up to do do the Responsorial Psalm. Everything seemed to proceed smoothly from there with G Genius (my brother-in-law, long story) doing the Second Reading flawlessly. "Bravo!" I thought inwardly as I smiled at GG who was beaming. Hahaha. 'P "Things are going to be all right from now on," I thought as I took a deep breath and resumed thinking happy thoughts.

I stayed seated after the second reading, expecting Ems (our lector & Kiko's HS barkada) to call our candle sponsors to the altar--as was written in the misalette--but was taken aback when the choir started singing the "Alleluia" chorus. As their angelic voices soared higher and higher with every line, I was thinking, "Darn, Mimi*! I told you not to sing the 'Alleluia' until after the candles have been lit!" (*Mimi was my contact person for the Ateneo Chamber Singers.) Kiko and I both looked at Ems who looked right back at us, looking perplexed and almost apologetic. "Something is up," I thought, not really believing that both Ems and Mimi would miss the fact that, in the misalette, the lighting of the candles should have been done before the Gospel. Setting aside all queries in my head as to whether we will get to do the candle ceremony at all, I decided to just learn to trust that people will remember to do the candle ceremony before we proceed with the veil and cord.


I had managed to calm myself down after repeatedly reminding myself that I did say that whatever happens I will just think happy thoughts. Then, I had one of those cartoon moments when a lightbulb just goes off in your head. Eureka! I finally figured it out. "Don't worry, hija. We'll just talk to your commentator na lang. Smile! After all, it is your wedding day," I remembered as a vision of the church manangs flashed in my mind. Darn it! It all of a sudden dawned on me that they changed the sequence of the mass and rearranged (!) the different portions of the mass to suit the church-approved sequence. Man! Revenge of the Church Manangs!!! Augh, augh, augh! And so it came to pass that Hubby Sweet and I spent our wedding mass flipping through the pages of the misalette, struggling to find the page being read by Ems and the other readers! It was easy enough for me. Having proofread the entire thing, I knew which came after what. Pity our poor guests who must have had quite a time trying to keep up, before finally deciding to just give up and set aside the misalette. And, man, super jahe when you really think about Fr. Gerry who took time to check, revise and approve our misalette, only to be superseded on the wedding day itself by over-zealous church manangs! Note to self: over-zealous church manangs MUST die too. Hmp. >:\


Thankfully enough, Fr. Gerry did not seem to mind that there have been drastic changes in the misalette sequence. At the very least, he did not seem surprised. I guess, the church manangs at least had the courtesy to let him know of the changes. Hay...even as I type this, I want to melt (matunaw ba sa kahihiyan...hay!). The mass proceeded; I have given up all hope that it will proceed as it was stated in the misalette.


"You are the light of the world, the city set on a hill....You are the salt of the earth....." We have finally reached the Gospel. When we cleared the misalette with him, Fr. Gerry was actually surprised that we chose that verse over other verses more commonly used for weddings. More than surprised, I remember him saying, he was actually pleased that we chose it, saying that it says a lot that we are committed to being role models for the Church. Uh.....yes. Hahaha. =) Everyone sat down for the homily.


"So, Francis, natikman mo na ba ang fruitcake ni Eileen?", Fr. Gerry asked, alluding, of course, to the theme of the wedding invitation. Na-tense ang ibang guests. Hahaha. =) For the record, Hubby Sweet and I quite innocently thought of no meaning to the question other than what he was referring to. (For those who did not get to see a copy of the invite, the first gift I ever gave Kiko was a fruitcake, in my vain attempt to feign nonchalance. Also read as, man, nagpapakipot pa ko nun kaya fruitcake lang ang binigay ko for Christmas! Hahaha. 'P) That said, Kiko and I quite innocently answered, "Hindi pa po. Hanggang ngayon po nandun pa. Di pa po nakakain kaya inaamag na." Needless to say, that lone exchange had all our guests (a combination of agency & marketing folks, sales people, family & friends, most of whom are green-minded) teetering on their seats, trying their darn best not to burst out laughing. Hahahahaha! Santa Barbara. 'P


Fast forward to the Marriage Rites. Everything went smoothly enough; everything was going as planned. Kiko and I did not fumble our vows (Yey!), saying our "I do's" and other vows with conviction and with the proper diction! Hahaha. =)






"Eileen, wear this ring as a sign of my love and loyalty. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," Hubby Sweet offered as he slipped the wedding band on my left ring finger. The thing with wedding ceremonies, I now realize, is that the person being wed (or maybe it's just me) is never really there with her full faculties intact. Normally rational and thorough, at that particular point in time, I could not even tell right from left .

"Left po ba o right?" I whispered, looking at the church manong who was assisting Fr. Gerry as I reached for Hubby Sweet's hand.


"Yan," he said, referring to the hand I was already holding, so I took it, not knowing whether it's the left or the right, only trusting that it is the "right" hand.

"Francis, wear this ring....," I started as I slipped the wedding band onto his ring finger. Abrupt stop. For a split second, I think, the world froze for Fr. Gerry, church manong, Hubby Sweet and me. The ring was too small. It was so small, it wouldn't go past the second bone on Kiko's ring finger no matter how much I tried to push it.


"Sweetie, maliit!" I muttered away from the mike, trying hard to keep from panicking.


"Kasya yan," Kiko insisted, egging me on.


"Ayaw eh..." I muttered, still trying to get the ring in. Church Manong, probably realizing the emergency at hand, turned the mike away.


"Ngek! Ba't lumiit? Dahil tumaba ako?" Kiko asked, now trying to help me get the darn ring through.


"Baka...I don't know. Sa small finger ko na lang kaya ilagay?" I suggested.

"Tweet naman. Wag!" he protested. "Teka, ako na..." he said as he made one final effort, surprisingly managing to lodge the ring through.


"Ayan, kasya!" he said holding up his hand as he wiggled his fingers, probably to get the blood flowing. Have you ever seen a person with a 28-inch waste try to fit into a 24-inch pair of jeans? Visualize it. That's how his ring finger looked. I would have burst out laughing if I weren't so concerned.

"Di kaya maputol yan? Parang di nagf-flow yung blood," I asked, realizing that half of his ring finger was turning purplish while the other half was becoming increasingly pale.


"Tweet, OK lang yan," he reassured me, "OK lang ako."

"Sigurado ka?" I asked, not quite convinced.

"Yes...." he muttered, probably eager to just get things going. "Game na."


"Hokey....," I muttered, "If you say so...."

"Game!" I declared loudly into the mike before proceeding.
"Francis, wear this ring as a sign of my love and loyalty. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," I said, taking a deep breath, the entire time going through the motions of pretending to slip the ring through--for photo & video purposes. Years from now, we can at least pretend that everything went smoothly during this portion of the wedding mass. Hahaha. =)




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TO BE CONTINUED AGAIN.....PART 5 NEXT! =)

OUR PERFECT IMPERFECT WEDDING: PART 3 / JULY 15,2006

Back to the blast from the past! Part 3. Read on. =)

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There's something about having the veil pulled over your head that changes the way you see the world. For a moment, your vision is blurred. It's like looking out to the garden through a very flimsy curtain. You can see the shapes with reasonable certainty, yes, but you are perfectly aware that things could take on a different dimension once you step out to actually experience them. I always knew wearing the veil was symbolic, but I was not prepared for the deeper symbolism it would hold for me. As the heavy church doors slowly parted, the first thing that hit me was the darkness inside the church, broken only by the faint lights of the ancient chandeliers. It was in direct contrast to the brightness outside.

The Nuestra Senora de Gracia was built in the 1800's by Augustinian friars. It is actually quite a feat that this church remained well-preserved in its centuries-old glory right in the middle of cosmopolitan Makati. The only concession it gave to the modern times was the the improvement of the sound system and the addition of electric fans (but only on the side, perched unobtrusively on the church walls). Everything else has probably been there from the time the church was first built--from the unfinished stone walls to the unpolished brass chandeliers to the simple stained glass windows to the very solemn altar where a statue of Mama Mary, as opposed to Christ on the cross, held center stage.

On this particular rainy afternoon in July, I crossed the threshold. From the brightness of the church grounds into the relative darkness of the church itself. Such a perfect metaphor, I thought, for the fact that I was leaving the sureness of the single life (which I have already seemed to master) for the uncertainty of a whole new adventure. Some would think it absurd; I would not have had it any other way. =)

My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, guided by the light from the ancient chandeliers and the soft glow of the lights illuminating the statues at the altar. Ah, yes, the altar. I suppose it is only right that as soon as the church doors opened, the one person I wanted to see--the one person I deliberately looked for--was my groom, and there he was, standing by the altar, waiting for me. My heart did a silent dance. Almost instantaneously, the silence was broken as my other senses reawakened to the sound of the keyboards, playing the opening strain of the wedding march I have personally chosen. The words began to play in my head even before the choir could start to sing.

Ikaw lamang ang pangakong mahalin
Sa isang sumpang, sa Iyo magpakailan pa man.
Yakapin mo, bawat sandali,
Ang buhay kong sumpang sa 'Yo lamang alay
At mapapawi ang takot sa 'kin.
Pangakong walang hanggan...

I started to walk down the aisle, this time setting my sight on my parents who were waiting for me mid-way. Digital cameras clicked and flashed. I was having my very own papparazi moment. Probably the only one I will ever have in this lifetime so I thought, heck, I might as well bask! Hahaha! ;P I WAS being Julia Roberts, but trying desperately not to wave to the crowd who were smiling and waving at me. OK, OK, so the only ones actually waving were my lolos and lolas who were probably Relieved (yes, with a capital R) to finally see me walking down the aisle. "Funny," I thought, "that Ima is waving at me the same way she probably used to wave at me when I was still a baby strapped to my stroller." Hahaha. ;P As I walked down the red carpet, I could hear side-comments, "Ang ganda ni T&T...." and thought, "So this is how an artista feels like!" Again, OK, I will admit that the ones making those comments were mostly my lolos and lolas and a smattering of my aunts who were just as Relieved (again, with a capital R!) to see me finally getting married. ;P

Caught up in my own reverie, however, I belatedly realized that I was almost halfway down the aisle. Those who know me well know that I walk quite fast. When I realized that the choir has not even sung a single word, a warning clicked in my head.

"Slow down," I mentally reprimanded myself, "Walk more slowly! Otherwise, you'd reach the altar before the choir could even sing a word of your bridal march."

"Waaaaaahhhhh!!! Onga, wait, wait.....Waaaaahhhhh!!! How?!" Not having been previously diagnosed with schizophrenic tendencies, I was actually quite amused that I was having all these conversations with....uh....myself. Hahaha. =)

"Heck, darn it. Don't panic!" I thought, as I struggled to remember all the cadence I learned in the past, "Step right. Meet left foot. Left foot forward. Lift right. Meet left foot....."

Now if you did not quite understand what it was I really wanted to do, that means you are currently just as confused as my feet were by all the conflicting instructions running through my head. Sure-fire recipe for disaster! Hahaha. ;P What happened next is, of course, as much due to the law of inertia as it was due to the confunded commands being given by my brain. Imagine it. Have you ever tried walking fast then stopping abruptly? Yes? Have you ever tried doing it while wearing 3-inch heels and a gigantic gown? Hahaha. Patay! =)

I struggled to reach my parents without toppling over, but found myself veering to the extreme right. I tried to correct myself, but only ended up veering to the extreme left. Going for one final attempt to get things right, I only ended up teetering dangerously before finally managing to stop. I looked up to see the smiles on the faces of Alex, Aby, Carol and the rest of my DMPI friends replaced with utter confusion and looks of mild concern. I thought it comical. Before I could stop myself, I candidly and quite irreverently blurted out, "Hehehe. Ba't para akong laseng?"

They all guffawed. I burst out laughing along with them. And so it came to pass that instead of smiling demurely and walking down the aisle teary-eyed like any typical bride, I giggled myself silly all the way to the altar. Santa Barbara! Hay... =)

I took my parent's arms, one on each side. As it was in life, they journeyed alone first until I came along. I was actually surprised that my dad was beaming. I did not expect him to be sour-faced (as my lolo had been when he gave my mom away), but I had expected his mood to be a bit more sober. He was, after all, giving away his "unofficial favorite", and for the first time, he would have to relinquish the role of being the most important man in my life--to someone he barely knows. I suppose in the past few months (or was it just weeks?) leading up to the wedding, he has come to terms with this new reality in my life. I don't know exactly when the turning point was, but I remember that my mom, my sister and I used to sit around amused at what we termed as a "power struggle" between Then-Boyfriend-Sweet-Pa-Lang and Father. Whenever he would ask for permission to take me to Boac (especially during long weekends), my dad would always say no, giving one excuse after another. All completely valid reasons, mind you. Not uncharacteristic of any dad, you might think. Probably, except that I have been all over the Philippines and some parts of Asia, Europe and North America--sometimes alone, more often with friends--and not once did my dad raise a peep! Oh, and did I mention that I have been living independently away from home for three whole years before Then-Boyfriend-Sweet entered my life? And yet, everytime he asked, Father would say no. (For the record, he said yes once. It took me by surprise until I found out he was going to be in Bacolod and would therefore not be home even if I went back home to Paranaque for my usual weekend visit. Hahaha.) I suppose everything can be blamed on a father's intuition. I suppose it's his way of hanging on to his baby for as long as he can because it has probably dawned on him that this one--finally--may actually be The One.

Still trying unsuccessfully to control my giggling, I walked down the rest of the aisle with my parents, nodding occasionally to acknowledge lolos, lolas, titos and titas who, for some strange reason, were calling out my name. I was thoroughly amused by it all, but would not deny that I was actually enjoying being the center of everything. I realize now that I sound like a nincompoop, making it appear that I only felt like some kind of superstar while walking down the aisle. There is, of course, another reason for me giggling uncontrollably and flashing a smile that was way TOO big. It is this: that walking down that aisle made me feel extremely blessed to have all these important people in my life gathered in one place, with every single one of them expressing extreme love and joy for me, be it through waving or crying or calling out my name. I am not the type to cry tears of joy. When I'm happy, I flash a smile big enough to light the Ayala Center during Christmas. I LAUGH. Otherwise, I would implode. =)

Before I reached the altar, I looked to the left and saw my sister crying. She wasn't teary eyed. She was CRYING, albeit alternately smiling and laughing through her tears. I laughed and smiled back at her. After more than 30+ years of being each other's unofficial best friend, we understood what that moment meant--both to me who seemed to have finally reached the end of a particular journey, and to her who saw me through everything.

As we neared the altar, Hubby S walked down to meet us. He took my dad's hands and put it to his forehead as he bowed. He took my mom's hands next and did the same thing. So like him. When I first introduced him to my parents, he almost gave my dad a heart attack. Being used to all the guy friends I have brought home over the years, my dad extended his hand, expecting it to be taken in a firm handshake. Instead, Hubby S bowed down and "made mano". Taken aback with surprise, that lone gesture left my dad with a puzzled look, and me doubled up in laughter. I think that was also the first time my mom decided she liked him.

As it was in life, my parents journeyed with Pusjing, Ige and me until it was time for us to move on to our own lifelong adventures. Finally, it was time to let me go. I hugged my mom first, then my dad. It was probably the tightest hug I had ever received from them. It was probably the tightest hug I ever gave. The hug, especially from my dad, seemed to take forever.

"Take care of her," he murmured as he gave Hubby S my hand.

As my parents stepped aside, Hubby S and I walked the last few steps to the altar, and together took our place before God and the ones we hold most dear.

There was no turning back now.

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TO BE CONTINUED.....

LIFE ON AVENUE Q! / SEPT. 15,2007

If you do not have tickets to Avenue Q in your possession at this very moment, drop everything and get one now! With word-of-mouth travelling at the speed of light, it would probably be a feat in itself to get one (let alone two if you're going to take a date =)).

The local adaptation is brought to us by the same group that staged the much-applauded RENT almost eight years ago, and may I say, Bobby Garcia is once again in top form as he draws out the best performances from his actors--real-life human beings and puppets alike. Haha!

I admittedly did not know much about Avenue Q, but I have--quite honestly--never met a musical I didn't like. Still, when Pao (my officemate) started peddling tickets at the office, I had to think hard about going. First off, the tickets are not exactly cheap at P1,250 a pop. Second, Hubby Sweet has yet to meet a musical that he liked! I suppose, he just did not see the point in people breaking out into song when they can just, heck, converse like normal people do! Hahaha. Still, the fact that it was awarded Best Musical @ the 2004 Tony Awards ought to count for something. It did not take much for me to decide to reserve tickets. I would, of course, want to see it with the Hubby, but if push comes to shove and he decided to just spend the night playing tennis instead of watching some puppet sing, I'm pretty sure I can goad some of my girlfriends (or even Sister Pusjing) to watch it with me. Thankfully, it only took two words to convince Hubby Sweet that the play may be worth watching.

Tony Awards? Nope.

Best Musical? Uh....no.

Rachel Alejandro. Yes! HAHAHA! =D

Thankfully, as soon as the play started, it stopped being about Rachel and it started being about the entire play. Avenue Q is a relatively simple story about the ups and downs of life and love. It's a deceptively simple story about the characters' search for meaning as they navigate through the choppy waters of life after they leave the relatively structured confines of "the university". For the first time in their lives, they have no schedule to follow, no particular direction they are required to take. For the first time in their lives, they are free to go where they want to go. The flipside of the coin, however, is that for the first time in their lives, they also realize that they do not know exactly where they want to go, and what exactly it is that they really want to do. All of us know this story. We have, after all, lived through it at a certain point in our lives. I suppose that's where the charm of Avenue Q lies. All of us, at one point or another, have lived on Avenue Q. To a certain extent, a lot of us, on certain occasions, still probably do.

Still, Avenue Q does not dwell on the dark side of such uncertain times. If any, as we are all wont to do, it takes a humorous look at the adventures and misadventures of the main characters as they experiment with life. I mean, I'm fairly sure the audience was gagging up with laughter not only because they thought the lines were witty and that the actors were hilarious. I'm fairly sure I speak not only for myself when I say every laughter I blurted out last Saturday was an offshoot of me seeing a little bit of myself and my friends in each of the characters. I laughed because I remembered going through what the characters are going through, and realized that although those years can undoubtedly be classified as the worst-of-times as far as life direction is concerned, they are also decidedly the best-of-times for cultivating lifelong friendships and exploring just how far in life one is willing to go.

Hubby Sweet's eyes lit up, shining like those of a kid in front of a Christmas tree, as soon as the ensemble launched into the opening track. I suppose no long reviews would be necessary if you heard him say, "Tweet, I'm glad I came. I was all set to sleep. I never thought I can actually enjoy a musical!" Hahaha! =)

That's because Avenue Q is not just a musical. It's great fun! The PR blurbs say "Rent meets Sesame Street". No description could have been more apt. Although the human actors lend their voices and their emotions, the puppets are the true stars of the show. Still, I can't help but applaud the performers. I've always liked Rachel Alejandro. Lending her voice to two characters, Kate Monster (a teacher's assistant with a sweet, sing-songy tone) and Lucy the Slut (think Asia Agcaoili as a puppet with a smoky, seductive voice), Rachel once again confirmed my belief that she has one of the best and most versatile voices in the industy (except that her voice is not as hyped up as...uh...the vocal screeching of Asia's songbird, hehe). Felix Rivera was a delight in another "dual" role as Princeton (the man-puppet caught in the middle of Kate and Lucy) and as Rod, the closet gay puppet who is in love with his straight best-bud, Nicky. Joel Trinidad was equally impressive as he navigates and stretches his vocal chords to voice out Nicky, Rod's straight roommate (shades of Bert and Ernie =)), Trekkie the Monster (think Cookie Monster hooked on internet porn) and the cutesy-seemingly-nice-but-cunning "Bad Idea Bears" who are out to derail any attempt by the lead characters to do anything meaningful and productive. (Princeton: "I have to go and look for my purpose..... " Bad Idea Bears: "That can wait! Have a beer. It ain't bad to celebrate! After all, you've earned the right to celebrate!" I'm paraphrasing of course, but at one point or another, I'm sure you've had a conversation with your own bad-idea-bears. Haha!)

The "human actors" were equally impressive. Throughout the entire play, I actually looked forward to the scenes with Christmas Eve (the Japanese clinical psychiatrist who works in a Korean grocery store), hilariously played by Frenchie Dy. Now I've rooted for Frenchie during her Star-In-A-Million phase and knew that she CAN sing, but I didn't know she can be THAT funny. Man, talk about perfect comic timing! Hahaha. =) I can't remember who played her boyfriend or what his character's name was, but I hope I will be forgiven (not!). How can I not remember?! It was probably because I was rolling half the time anyone said his name. Hay! Still the biggest revelation for me was Aiza Seguerra who stepped into the shoes of Gary Coleman (yes, THE Gary Coleman of Different Strokes). I know Aiza from Eat Bulaga and from all the M-Zet B-Movies. I know Aiza as the acoustic singer. That was the first time I met Aiza, the stage actor. She was good! Really, really good! For a good 2-1/2 hours, you forget that she's Aiza, the childstar. (I actually forgot that she was really female!) For a good 2-1/2 hours, you do manage to believe that she is Gary Coleman (even if she was NOT made-up to look like him, even if she still looked like Aiza).

All told, life on Avenue Q is a blast! Get your hands on those tickets. NOW! =)


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ETC. - I was telling an officemate earlier about Avenue Q. Anchief found the creative melding of human actors and puppets interesting and asked, "Do you think it's something that my kids will enjoy?" YES! Hahaha! BUT I suggest you do NOT bring the kids along. As the poster rightfully warned, there IS full frontal puppet nudity. HAHAHA!!! I suppose it's the only way one can get away with a full sex scene on stage without being taken to task by the big-bad-censors. Hilarious! I still have tears in my eyes from laughing. HAHA! 'P

OUR PERFECT IMPERFECT WEDDING: PART 2 / JULY 15,2006

This is the second in the wedding flashback series. Read on.....=)

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4:00 turned to 4:05 which then turned to 4:08 which then turned to 4:10....Yes, apparently time is reduced into 2-3 minute intervals when you're waiting for something important to start. Worse, if you know that you only have a set time to get it done. "To give way to other church functions, each wedding is strictly allotted only 1 hour 30 minutes, inclusive of all photo sessions, blah-blah-blah....It would therefore be best to start the ceremony on time," the church guidelines stated. Manong Driver, probably sensing that I don't need the additional stress thankfully remained quiet. "Why haven't we started yet?" I thought, as I sat in the car, motionless and feeling totally out of control. It was then that I looked out to the left side of the church, and saw Then-Soon-To-Be-Husband-Sweet pacing in and out of the church's side door, talking to someone on his cell. His forehead was creased. He looked like he was about to cry. Almost instantly, I knew why. In the seeming rush as we all waited for 4:00 p.m.--with guests tapping on the window before moving on, with Marts joining me in the bridal car, with all the small talk with Manong D--it all of a sudden dawned on me that I have not yet seen his parents.

We haven't started yet because Mama E & Papa D were not yet there to walk him down the aisle.

In that particular moment, seeing my future husband looking both defiant and helpless (if that is at all possible), I all of a sudden did not care much for the ceremony and all its trappings. At that particular moment, the only thing I wanted to do was to rush out of the car to hug him and tell him that everything will be alright.

"Mam, may kotse pong kadarating lang," Manong D blurted out, interrupting my thoughts, thankfully allowing me enough time to breathe and release all the tension building up inside me. "Yun po ba yung hinihintay niyo?"

"Thank God," I remember whispering as I turned my head to watch the blue-green Sentra ease slowly into a parking space. I looked to the other side in time to see Arv U (Hubby S's brother-in-law) rushing out of the church to the parking car, followed by a bunch of Soon-To-Be-Hubby Sweet's cousins. All of them looked like they seemed ready to literally carry his parents bodily into the church.

Mama E & Papa D have finally arrived. It was the longest 15 minutes of my life.

Heaving a sigh of relief, I resumed my mantra for the day: think happy thoughts...think happy thoughts.....One very deep breath in. Blow it all out. I looked up the church steps and saw three of my cousins and one of my other cousin's boyfriend unfurling the canopy. It had started to drizzle again just as the march was about to start. From where they stood, Ko', Dooders and Zaldee all smiled at me. I think one of them even gave me a thumbs-up, although I don't remember now which one. True to form, Arn-Arn, my cousin Tur's boyfriend, gave me a funny face. Hahaha. All is right in the world again. =)

After a few minutes, all four started down the church steps. Manny (my lead coordinator for the reception) opened the car door. I was a bit surprised, but man, was I glad to see him! He smiled at me as he helped me out of the car, "I had to leave the reception venue for a while. I always make it a point to see the bride walk down the aisle. Don't worry, everything has been taken cared of at The Loft." Heaven-sent. =)

I walked up the church steps, trying carefully not to trip. It's not the easiest thing to do when you actually feel like a gigantic cupcake in 3-inch heels. To make things worse, I have to be extra-careful about stepping over puddles lest my bridal gown (which was champagne gold to begin with and not the traditionally blinding white) be muddied up before I even enter the church. Manny helped me with the hem and the veil, as my three+1 cousins held the canopy up, stopping everytime we stopped, side-stepping everytime Manny & I did so. Man! Parang Santacrusan ah. I stifled a giggle, but I was really laughing my heart out inside.

We finally made it up the steps, took my place at the end of the line. I couldn't see anything. I deliberately practiced wearing 3-inch heels because T-S-T-B-Hubby-Sweet-Pa-Lang is a good foot taller than me and I didn't want to look like a midget beside him in all the pictures. ;P Even so, I was still smaller than most people who, BTW, also chose to wear heels on that day. Patay! =) I actually found it amusing that I felt like one of those people who need to keep jumping up & down in a throng just to be able to get a glimpse of what's going on. I could here the choir singing "Canticorum Lubilo" quite majestically and felt that I could literally hear angels singing from heaven. The Ateneo Chamber Singers. Good choice, I thought. Interspersed with the soaring choir notes, I could hear Ultra-Adorable Ray*-B cry. Or was it Pretty-Lily? I am no longer sure. My cute little flower girls seemed to be suffering from stage fright, all practice walks in the past few months completely forgotten. No worries. I'm sure Achi Patita can pull it off effortlessly. She has done it before and has actually looked forward to this day like it was Christmas.

Pusjing (my sister & maid-of-honor) soon stepped into the church. My parents followed soon after. Manny held me back. Just as my parents were taking their first step up the aisle, the church doors were closed.

All of a sudden, there was silence.

Manny stepped in front of me and gave me the bouquet. "Don't hold the bouquet too high, T&T. Hold it this way so all the colors of the flowers will show in the pictures," he advised as he placed the flowers in the right & exact position on my hands. He looked at me and beamed before pulling the veil over my head. "Wait for the doors to open. Don't forget to smile," he said as he stepped aside.

The entire thing must have taken no more than three minutes, but standing just a foot away in front of those closed doors seemed like forever to me. I couldn't even look back at my cousins (who were all still outside with me, holding the canopy), afraid that the door might all of a sudden pop open to reveal me "making chika" instead of waiting to walk down the aisle. Hahaha. ;P

"Last chance to escape," Dooders kidded.

I laughed.

"Ano, game na? Nasa 'kin yung susi ng kotse," Arn-Arn joined in.

"Tumahimik ka," I countered, "Di ba bukas na ang kasal mo?" It was an old joke between Arn-Arn, Hubby Sweet & me.

We all laughed. It was probably a sight to see, all four of us who grew up together, plus one ex-stranger who is now considered family, bantering outside an old church in our formals, the entire time facing a closed door instead of each other. I imagined Noni (my favorite lola) smiling as she looked down at us from heaven.

"Game na talaga?" they asked.

I took a deep breath.

"Game na," I said and smiled as the door finally began to open, it seemed, in extremely slow motion.

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TO BE CONTINUED....

P.S. - For those of you who actually noticed, I don't have a train because....uh....I left it in the hotel! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! 'D I've been soooo used to just trying on the gown without the train during the fittings, I completely forgot about it in all the rush from the hotel to the church. Man, I swear, I am sooooooooooooo clueless when it comes to clothes! Haha! 'p

OUR PERFECT IMPERFECT WEDDING: PART 1 / JULY 15,2006

Consider this as part of my flashback series. =) It was originally published in my friendster blogsite. Unfortunately, since I have a "free account" in friendster, it's currently shelved in the archive and cannot be easily read on a whim. That said, I thought I'd repost it here with a few changes specific to the coded names and a few builds on the pics. After all, what adventure could be bigger than me getting married! Haha! =D

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This is a MUCH DELAYED post. Sorry. People have actually been telling me to write about the wedding. I would've wanted to much earlier, but first we had to go on our honeymoon, go back to Manila to take around all our fantastic relatives who came home from the U.S., Canada and the Middle East just for the wedding, go to my Lola Lucy so she can meet Kiko (she sent my dad to school, but was unable to attend because of old age) , then finally go back to work to find 2-weeks worth of paper & e-mail backlogs. This weekend, we're going to go home to Boac to meet the rest of his relatives (who for one reason or another were also unable to go to Manila for the wedding). Hay. I suppose after reading through that whirlwind, I will be forgiven for not having written earlier. I also HOPE to be forgiven for not having written a single thank you note for the gifts YET! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! I will get to it eventually. =(

Anyway! On to the meat of this blog.

After being deluged with heavy rain three consecutive days prior to the wedding (thanks to Typhoon Florita), I started praying, "God, you know what, I've been praying for July 15 to be a perfect day all year, so even though it is only 3 days to the wedding, and it looks like I would have to ride an ark instead of a bridal car, I have great & unwavering faith that when I wake up on Saturday, the rain would have stopped and that the sun will be shining. I KNOW You will make it happen." To which God probably replied, "Oh, yeah? Then why did you call up one of your suppliers to have him make a canopy using umbrella cloth?" Touche. =) God apparently has a sense of humor. On July 15, Saturday, I woke up to feel the sun shining through the stained glass windows of The Legend Villa's Suite 103. I rushed out to verify, and there it was. The sun, THE GLORIOUS SUN, shining intensely--amidst a soft, gentle mist. "Yeh of little faith," He must have said while shaking His all-knowing head, "I promised you the sun and so there it is, but I might as well make it drizzle a bit so you can use your darn canopy as well!" Hahaha. Point taken, God. ;P

Now, I planned a perfect wedding. The major difference between a DMPI Sales Conference and our wedding, I realized, is that in a DMPI salescon, I am working "behind-the-scenes" to make sure everything is perfect. During our wedding, at several points (mostly during the mass), it took EVERYTHING in me NOT to get up to tell my coordinators, "Teka, alam mo di ganyan ang pinag-usapan natin! Tabi dyan. Ako na." The Day Coordinators we hired divided themselves into two teams. While I LOVE to death the team who handled the reception, I want to kill all those belonging to the team who handled the requirements at the church. Brief background: before finalizing the wedding misalette, I TRIED to submit it to the church for final clearance. The church secretary told me that since we were going to bring our own priest, we would need to have the misalette cleared with our priest instead. So we did. Two weeks before the wedding, we actually gave the church a copy of the misalette (because they need the list of ninongs, etc. daw so they will know how many special places to set up for). "Done. One more thing to cross off my 'To Do List'", I remember thinking after submitting the missalette to the church secretary. On the day of the wedding, the manangs at the church apparently kept harassing the coordinators that the misalette was not cleared with the church, etc., etc. My wengweng coordinators, instead of resolving the issue, actually ended up letting the manangs harass me instead! Santa Barbara. Hay! =( So there I was in the bridal car arguing with the manangs that, first, the misalette has been cleared with our own priest as THEIR secretary had directed me, and second, a copy was actually given to the church 2 weeks ago. If they had a problem with it, why couldn't they have contacted me then?! Man, those who have ever gone into an argument with me know that they will not win as long as I know that I did nothing wrong. Apparently, Manang #1 realized that and calmly told me, "It's OK, hija. Sige, let me just talk to your commentator na lang. Smile! It is, after all, your wedding day." "Duh," I wanted to actually blurt out, "that's exactly what I was doing until you came along!" Lech. Then again, before I left the hotel, I already conditioned myself that whatever happens, I will not let it ruin my day. "This is a happy, happy day! Must think happy thoughts, must think happy thoughts...." I repeated over and over and over.

So there I was, happily sitting in the bridal car, thinking, "So this is how a fish in an aquarium feels like." Hahaha. =) People were tapping at the window, waving, smiling, mouthing words I could barely understand before moving on to chat with the other guests who were waiting outside the church. My final time of quiet solitude was only broken by short intermissions of small talk with Manong Driver--at least, until it was so rudely interrupted by the sight of Marts, one of my bridesmaids, rushing up the church steps fully made-up, BUT wearing only jeans and a blue, checkered polo.

"HOOOOOOOOYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!" I shouted as I rolled down the window, waving for her to approach the car. She turned, a mild look of horror crossed her face at about the same time a very loud, "Putang-ina!" escaped from her lips. Then, as it usually is with Marts and me, we both burst out laughing. "Leche ka, nagtatago ako sa'yo 'no!" she exclaimed as she climbed onto the front passenger seat.

"Leche ka rin," I retorted, "Bakit ka naka-jeans???!!!!"

"Eh nagpa-make-up ako sa Makati thinking I will have enough time to go back home (side note: to Kamias!). Eh, naubusan ng time. Di bale, dadalin naman ni Bij yung damit ko."

"Pano kung di siya dumating on time?!"

"Eh, di...eh, di.....ganun," she shrugged.

"Ganun?!" I countered, one eyebrow raised.

"Ganun," she smiled sheepishly before we both burst out laughing again.

MAN! I REALLY NEED NEW FRIENDS!!! Eternal joke between Marts and me. 'Am actually quite happy to have spent the last few minutes of my singlehood laughing my head off with her instead of just sitting demurely in the car. Bij (her husband) eventually came rushing up the church steps, gown in hand. "Ayan na si Bij! San ang CR dito? Sya, sya! Good luck. Babay!" Marts waved as she rushed out of the car to meet Bij. Take note, "BABAY!" Hahaha. She is so going to kill me. =)

Finding myself alone in the car with Manong again, we resumed the small talk. Surveying the scene of family and friends milling about outside the church, I told him, "Alam mo, Manong, sa lahat ng ginastos namin sa kasal na 'to, na-realize ko ngayon, ang kailangan lang talaga naman namin ako, yung pakakasalan ko, yung pari chaka yung mga pamilya at kaibigan namin. Solb na! Yung iba bonus na lang. Yung mga damit. Yung mga bulaklak. Yung ibang ek-ek...."

"Mam," he interrupted, "pwede na kayo magpakasal."

"Di pa, Manong. Wala pang pari."

"Meron na, Mam. Ayun o," he said as he pointed to an AUV, "Nagsusutana."

"Onga, no!" I exclaimed. Having seen Then-Soon-To-Be-Hubby-Sweet-Pa-Lang earlier with his best fried Ehd, I was ecstatic at the idea that everything seemed to be already in place.

"Game na, Mam. Pwede na," Manong Driver smiled as he took a sideways glance at me.

"Onga, Manong. Game na! Anong oras na po?"

"Alas kwatro na po," he said as he turned to me, tapping his watch, a quizzical look on his face. "Di po ba alas kwatro ang kasal niyo?"

"Alas kwatro na? Sigurado kayo, Manong?"

"Opo. Pero sa relo ko lang po ha. Baka naman advance relo ko."

I rolled down the window and waved to one of my coordinator's assistants who ambled to the car ever so slowly, clipboard in hand.

"Dear, anong time na?"

"Four p.m. po."

"Bat di pa nags-start?" I asked calmly, trying to keep my composure (think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts...) as my almost anal need for punctuality started to bubble up inside me.

"Di ko po alam. May inaayos po yata sa entourage....Yata....Yun po yung alam ko....Pero di ko po talaga alam....Uh....time out lang po, check ko" she said tentatively before rushing off. I knew she was not coming back. Odd, I thought. She seemed eager to put as much distance between her and me.

"Must think happy thoughts....Must think happy thoughts...." I said to myself over and over, even as I made a mental note to kill all my church coordinators as soon as the mass is over. Hahaha. =)

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TO BE CONTINUED....I have to work first. ;P