A 2-week stint as an usher for the Christmas run of Atlantis' 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is finally over. Because I'm not able to attend the Atlantis Christmas party this very evening, my consolation was a couple of new pairs of shoes as a birthday gift for myself, hahaha. (Naman, pagbigyan niyo na ako. I hardly shop for shoes, as I practically live in my Chuck Taylors.)
What I enjoyed most about just being an usher instead of manning the entire front-of-house is that I'm not tied down at the table, handing out guests' complimentary tickets, and also selling tickets and other merchandise. At least I get to walk around and mingle with the guests while waiting for the celebrity guest spellers to arrive (though some celebrity spellers can stress you out because they're super late). I can be hyper when I want to, and kulang na lang is mag-tumbling ako all over the lobby whenever I'm on a sugar rush, hahaha (like that time Claire gave me the leftover cake that they had in the office). I love it when I see friends watching the show, especially those that you'd never expect.
Just last Friday, I was so thrilled to see Tricia and Dandan watching the same show. I haven't seen these two since the old forum days, and in my excitement to see them, I sent text messages to our common friends. Of course, every time I text Tita Sherbs about seeing our friends, she would always reply, asking for a reunion, hahahaha.
Speaking of reunions, I didn't get to attend DLSZ's alumni homecoming last Saturday because of Spelling Bee. But I don't think it's a big loss, really. I was actually uncertain about attending the homecoming, plus the upcoming 10-year reunion of our batch. And hey, Jericho Rosales was our celebrity speller along with Sarah Meier during the evening show that day, hahaha.
Other than that, Marnie also watched the Bee's Saturday evening show. Some of you may laugh, but I have to say that she was my first musical theater idol, as I've always looked up to her when I was a kid. I was actually starstruck by this Ang TV alumna every time we cross paths in school, and I was content enough that she knew me even as just one of the chorus kids in our school musical production, because the only things we have in common is that she's in the same class as my brother, and we're both into theater (though I hadn't realized it yet at that time).
So when I saw her in the lobby last Saturday, I was inches away from her yet I reverted back to my shy, 7th-grade self until she noticed me (and I was grateful that she still knows me) and we said hi to each other. Haha, ayun, natuwa naman ako when she gave me a hug and agreed to have a picture taken (after a bit of small talk about my brother who lives in Canada).
(Thanks to Lawyn for letting Ceejay and me use her camera to have pics taken with Sarah, Echo and Marnie, hahaha.)
By the way, I heard from Red that a restaging of Summer's Nights, Summer's Dreams might happen. Is this true?
i want another weekend!!!
ReplyDeleteSo do I! I have to admit that I hardly watch what's really going on. I liked watching the other actors more. Hahaha, I just love subtext. =)
ReplyDeleteexactly! even after watching the show for around 30 times, i still find something new to think about. like the development of chip and leaf's friendship as the bee progresses, how olive must have looked at the spelling of boanthropy during her song, among other things. the text also gets richer each time! we even analyzed the numbers of the spellers! chip is 21 because his growth in the show is more on the physical aspect, barfee got 13 because he's superstitious, logainne got 1 because it's simple in contrast to her tendency to overcomplicate things, etc. hahaha. analysis kung analysis!
ReplyDeletei remember towards the end of the 2nd run, i thought i've seen it too many times already. there were days when i'd observe just ONE character per show! it's fun!
Bitin ang run, hahaha! Hey, interesting... I actually thought of that boanthropy thing too! I also thought that Chip had quite a history with Vice Principal Panch from previous bees or from school because of how he reacted when Miss Peretti had introduced him as the pronouncer, ahehehe. Sabi naman ni Claire that Logainne would've possibly turned out to be lesbian when she grew up.
ReplyDeleteMore reruns sana! =)
hmmm... chip became champion during panch's hiatus. it was a 5-year hiatus, and chip is 12, so it happened when he was 7, perhaps his first bee. kaya lang, logainne's the youngest competitor and she's 10, so it's highly improbable that chip joined the bee at age 7.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Panch is/used to be from Chip's school? =)
ReplyDeleteMay picture ka with Papa Echo? IHATECHOO. TSE. Hahahaha! Sabi ko na nga ba dapat pumunta ako nung Saturday kasi friends ko yung showbuyers and they were telling me to go. Engot Mae. XD
ReplyDeleteNasa camera pa ni Lawyn eh. Haha, as in binantayan namin ni Ceejay bago sila umalis. Kainis, bakit ka kasi hindi pumunta, rawr.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry. I skipped this year's reunion. Everyone on my phonebook was a no show so no go. :)
ReplyDeleteI LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVED THE BEE!!! It was really great seeing you Hogi!!! :)
ReplyDeleteHaha, the people naman in my batch who attended the homecoming were part of the A-crowd (well, except for Pam), so it wasn't such a big loss or a big deal for me. =)
ReplyDeleteYou too! Haha, by the time I had returned to the lobby after escorting the celebrity spellers backstage, you were pretty far na, near the elevators na. But moments later, dun nag-appear si Dandan sa front-of-house, hahaha! =)
ReplyDeleteTinamad eh. Hehe.
ReplyDeleteWAAAAAH, ECHOOOO! hehehehe! :D
ReplyDeletewho were the other guest spellers for this run?
awww ang tv! :D those were the days. hehehe!
Hmmm... darn, off the top off my head, I can't seem to recall the other celebrity spellers. But I remember that Anna Capri and Toffee Calma were the spellers during Adult Night. Hay, que horror that show, hahaha!
ReplyDeleteGrabe, Ang TV. I remember na uso pa ang hirit na "4:30 na... Ang TV na!" Hahahaha!
i keep hearing "adult night" -- ano ba yon? :)
ReplyDeletehahaha yessss, and back then, i'd always make kulit my mom to go home na ng mga 4 or 4:15 kasi nga "4:30 na, ang tv naaaa!" hahaha! :D
Adult night is the show when they use R-rated words to spell. =)
ReplyDeleteHahaha, I always can't wait to go home din by 4:30 back then. Kainis lang when they changed the time slot to 2:30, so I only got to watch it when summer came around. =)