Thank you, 2012! You've been awesome.

They say life begins at 30. I'm not one to believe in cliches, but I guess that statement applied to me. My 30th year has been one of the most memorable years of my life (so far). It also gave way to a lot of big changes. A crux at this stage, perhaps?

Yes, my friends, welcome to my annual year-ender blog post, version 2012.

January

On the first month of the year, I was in the middle of rehearsing a couple of one-act plays under Tanghalang Pilipino. Instead of the usual one play, the company took 4 one-act plays (in sets of 2) from previous Virgin Labfest seasons, called it Eyeball, and used that for their season ender. I was assistant stage manager in Eyeball's set B, and we did Isang Araw sa Karnabal and Maliw (while set A had Doc Resureccion and Bakit Wala Nang Nagtatagpo sa Philcoa Oberpas). The plays opened at the beginning of the month without a hitch on our end. Eventually I somewhat accumulated a cough and lost my voice in the process. But hey, anything for the arts, right?

February

While I was in the middle of vocal rest, I got a text from Anna about a project under Hendri for Little Boy Productions. It was a touring show of Children's Letters To God, which was to be staged in Cebu and Dumaguete. Of course, one of my resolutions for the year was to travel, and with this opportunity, I get to do so and at the same time, get paid for doing something I love.

So while I was about to close Eyeball under TP during the weekend, I was also rehearsing for Children's Letters To God during the weekdays. I love the people in this crowd. The small cast and crew all had good vibes. We flew to Cebu one weekend for 3 shows, then flew to Dumaguete the next weekend for another round of shows. Wherever we went, we were well-fed and we had such a blast in each other's company. So many perks came with the show, as that's how much Hendri loves us, hahaha. We got to swim with the whale sharks, got complimentary foot spas and full-body massages in Cebu, and went around the entire city eating and drinking one night away in Dumaguete.

March

Nothing much happened this month, but one highlight was that I finally got to buy my own ladies' bicycle (which I hardly ride anymore). Plus after several years, I got together with Lexi (even if it's just for lunch hour). It's great to see friends that you haven't seen in a long time and you just talk all the time away to catch up. And as I type this, she's finally Mrs. Pantaleon, as she got married to her man just the other day in Bacolod. Best wishes, Lexi!

April

I got to visit Bacolod this month with Bianca, Jill, Ikey, Nicco, Nar, and Hendri. One of our objectives upon going there was to check out venues for a Bacolod run of Children's Letters To God, as Bianca's mom was interested to produce it there after watching one of our Dumaguete shows. And of course, while we were there, why not go around and tour the place, right? We pigged out on chicken inasal, visited the Ruins, checked out the Panaad festival, and went to Carbin Reef for beach (well, sandbar, really) time. I always have so much fun whenever I'm with these guys.

This month also marked the beginning of a big change in routine in my life. Dancing was introduced. First, I joined Tin (one of my close friends at work) during one of her Saturday morning trips to CCP for those "free" aerodance classes littered all over the grounds. Then I even attended a couple of Dingdong's Sh'bam classes in ATC. At first, I was thinking of doing it to prep my body for the summer. Then I saw an ad that my friend Anne posted on Facebook about a new dance studio in Makati, and they were offering ballroom classes. I considered it, because ballroom dancing has always been a frustration of mine for years, and to think I almost got into it 4 years ago, but couldn't find the right opportunity (and budget). Why not start now? I sent emails back and forth with the studio, and decided to check out one of their sampling classes.

After one sampling class with Ian at Big Shift Studios, I was pretty much set. I immediately enrolled and was taking classes 6 days a week. Even though I could use my class passport on any class, I spent all my units on ballroom. There were times that I was dancing with beginners, but most of the time I was dancing with Ian's advanced students, and heck, even the other teachers of Big Shift joined in. One of the most interesting parts of it all is that I decided to start using my given name in this world. At first it felt odd to hear being called Christine again, but now I'm getting used to it.

May

I was having so much fun in class, that I actually considered taking it seriously. At first, I thought it was a phase, but when I realized that I was keen on learning about the dances more than when I was studying acting in previous workshops, that's when I knew that this was it. I found what I love doing. I even said a couple of times that it was a blessing in disguise that TP didn't offer the Rehearsals and Performance Techniques workshop, so I could take this class instead.

Another realization during this month was the fact that it didn't bother me at all anymore that an old flame had a new object of affection. I was actually happy for him, and made me appreciate him more as a friend and as an ex-boyfriend, because I knew that his behavior towards the girl was how he was with me before, and he let the whole show how happy he was.

June

This month was the first time I had to perform in front of an audience as a dancer, not as an actor. Yep, it was my first dance recital. Well, the event was technically a recital, but labeled as a "dance showdown party," showcasing all the Big Shift students in their dance genres. I performed a chachacha routine with Ian, Ate Helen, Abby, Bernard and Bon. I was pretty nervous before we had to do it in front of everyone, because I couldn't make the choreo stick, and my technique was visibly poorer than the other 2 ladies (heck, they were advanced students). But I have to admit, once the music started for our segment, I forgot how nervous I was and just went with it. And I had fun.

Considering taking ballroom dancing classes was a big change for me, I made a big leap during this month. I was supposed to be involved in 2 productions under TP this season, and because I suddenly decided to focus on ballroom more, I resigned from both projects. I knew it was a big risk considering I was getting paid to work in theater (don't get me wrong, I still love theater), and I was passing off these work opportunities to spend more money on ballroom classes, I knew I need to do something for myself.

July

From 6 days a week, my ballroom classes got reduced to 3 days a week when the new season started. It was still not bad, so I had more time for myself. So I got to watch all 5 sets of this year's Virgin Labfest. The last time I watched all Labfest sets were back when I was still an SM for one of the plays, and that was about 4 years ago.

I also got exposed to the world of dancesport this month, as I got to watch the DSCPI Midyear Ranking and Competition at the Ultra. Ian and Ate Helen were competing then, as well as Bon and his own partner. I can't believe I was there from morning until the evening, and managed to sit through all the Latin and standard events. I was amazed at all the participants. And I got to hang out with them after the entire event was over, so I got some words of advice from each of them, from the most mundane to the most blunt ones.

August

Like the month before, I got to watch a whole bunch of Cinemalaya films during this month. Yep, I loved having so much time and spending it for myself this year. I noticed how freer I was this year compared to last year's hectic schedule, juggling 2 jobs in different fields.

For another season, I got introduced to another ballroom teacher that Big Shift had hired. When I attended his sampling class, Julius had a different and distinct teaching style, and I got pretty curious when he mentioned syllabus and exams, because I never knew that those applied to ballroom when I was under Ian. As I had learned later, there's a difference between open classes and syllabus classes.

September

Most of the time, I was usually the only student in Ian's class for this month. He kept introducing me to more and more advanced techniques, and I just had to keep up with all of them. I once attended Julius' class (the only one before it got dissolved), and during that one class, he mostly focused on my basic technique, saying that he'll leave the advanced stuff to Ian.

Other than that, I got to have a pseudo-performance this month. I got to dance with Ian at a joint birthday party of Big Shift's big bosses. We recreated our entire chachacha routine from the summer recital, and modified the last part, ending it with me in a low dip. I was even more stressed about this performance than the recital, probably because it was just me and Ian, instead of a whole group. And to add to it, Ian was more hard on me so I can push myself to be better. But it kind of worked in the end, because Ian did notice I was more confident in the performance compared to my first recital.

I reconnected with my theater roots by watching more plays this month. I got to see Walang Sugat, The Phantom of The Opera, and Potted Potter, then helped out in 9Works' auditions for their upcoming productions.

And of course, there was also the Bacolod run of Children's Letters To God! 3 shows in Bacolod in just one day. It was just a short trip, but each tour of this production always gives me a happy heart.

October

New month, new exposure. I tried out a beginner's pole class at Polecats Manila, and realized that pole dancing is no joke. So much body strength is required, and you have to live with all the bruises that you end up getting. The experience was fun and interesting, and I was grateful for the opportunity, but I never got to come back for a second class as I felt safer dancing with my feet planted on the floor.

I watched another DSCPI competition this month, this time at the Ninoy Aquino stadium. Of course, I was there again to support Ian, Ate Helen and Bon, but I also wanted to go because I wanted to watch all the great dancers again. They even had a new event, the Latin Wheelchair competition, and they danced as awesomely as those who can dance with both feet.

I ran into Julius after the whole event, and he invited me to join a class at Makati Cinema Square. Because ballroom wasn't being offered at Big Shift anymore, I decided to give it a shot. That was when I was introduced to the world of Le Bran and met Brando and Val, and I found out about the syllabus classes at Dancing Queen studio (under Le Bran Fitness Experts). Aside from Le Bran, I took a few one-on-one classes with Julius for the Bronze medal class, so I could catch up with the Bronze bar medal class the following month.

November

Bronze bar classes for Latin under Brando began this month. I learned that in the syllabus class, everyone is in the same level, unlike in the open class Ian had at Big Shift. I also realized that even though I know the basic footwork, especially in the chachacha, I still had a lot to learn in terms of technique, which was discussed in detail at every session. And I actually liked how it was taught to us. So yes, like I had picked up before in theater, I had to learn, unlearn, and re-learn.

I also got to watch a syllabus competition this month, under PDTA. It was their first syllabus competition, actually, and it was very educational for me. Compared to the DSCPI competitions, it was comforting for me that there were familiar faces to say hello to, as the scholars I knew from Le Bran were participating in the competition. Because it was PDTA's first syllabus competition, they bagged award after award, as there weren't a lot of participants yet.

December

This month marked my first medals exam experience. At first, I wasn't really required to take it yet, but because of my eagerness and how I sort wanted it to happen, I was told to take the exam for the Bronze level anyway, along with the other examinees in the class. So I ended up practicing with my assigned dance partner, Alvin, outside our class hours, just so I can prep up for the exam. I took every note to heart, from my footwork, to my hip movements, to the connection with the partner, to presenting myself from beginning until the end. I was a whole bunch of nerves before the exam, right on until the last few minutes before I stepped on the floor. But once I first stepped onto that dance floor, I gave a 100 percent performance level, and never collapsed until after I had made my exit. I got some pretty good notes when Brando had talked to me the day after the exam, and I'm somewhat looking forward to my report card because of that.

I turned 31 this month, and celebrated it by having lunch with a few good friends (plus a friend-zoned one at that, haha! Love ya, Choobie!) then watching Camp Rock with them immediately after. Then I capped the night by attending the CAS Christmas party, and I was glad I managed to catch up because I didn't realize that I bagged a lot awards at work for this year. Not bad for someone who once had lousy monitoring scores on her birthday a couple of years ago, hahaha!

I also started taking the standard ballroom class (Bronze) under Belinda (Brando's sister) this month, upon Val's encouragement. And I'm actually having more fun learning it than I had expected.

I also got to experience what social dancing was really like, when I had attended the studio's Christmas party last week. Those scholars we always dance with in class didn't stop offering us to dance the whole time, which I didn't mind really, as it was also a sneaky way of reviewing the dances that we had learned in class, so I had a blast.


As usual, Lara did a card reading for me for the year.

NINE OF PENTACLES

Accomplishment, refinement, independence, self-reliance, being resourceful, knowing you are in control of the situation, financial or material security, enjoying the finer pleasures of life, an inner sense of security, acting on your own, self discipline.

A mission has been accomplished. You are ready to enjoy yourself, indulge in your success and know that your way is the right way. As a result of your recent efforts in work or in your love life, you have a greater sense of self reliance and independence. You feel secure in yourself. You can control your feelings and demonstrate that you are not ruled by your unconscious doubts and fears. You are free to do as you please as long as you are down to earth and take responsibility for your actions.

Lara, I still don't know how you do it. Not to rationalize or anything, but this is the most accurate reading that you had ever done. I took a big risk in resigning from my projects in theater to pursue something else that I've always wanted to do that I couldn't afford to do in the past. And even it was impulsive in the very beginning, I'm glad I made this choice for myself. Even though I was tempted to consult certain people, they let me decide on my own. Heck, the one who knew me best already knew I didn't have to ask for his opinion and I could decide what was best for me, and he did admit that he's happy I found something I'm really passionate about. There are some (well, OK, a lot of) people who were actually surprised about what I decided to get myself into, because they had never thought that I had it in me to suddenly shift gears and take a different road.

Yogi Berra of the NY Yankees once said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." This crazy quote is actually a joke, one of the baseball player's stupid but witty sayings, but if you think about it one more time, it's somewhat a metaphor for trying to recognize an opportunity when faced with a pivotal life decision. Well played, Yogi Berra.

So despite that big leap to change career paths, I'm glad I took it. I'm happier at what I do now, and it amuses me that people do notice that I am enjoying what I'm doing.

I end this with another quote, this time from a musical that made its mark in me this year. In the song "Thirteen," sung by character Brett Williams in Children's Letters to God, he said, "So many changes in one year... Wonder what next year will bring."

2012, you've been nothing but awesome to me. Here's to looking forward to 2013. Have a happy new year, everyone!