Vocal rest, day 3. On old children's books.

I had opted to just stay home during my 3-day period of vocal rest. Any attempt to go out would tempt me to speak, so I chose to be a bum.

I was already bored out of my mind yesterday afternoon, when I remembered this dream I had a couple of nights ago, of my re-reading some of my old children's storybooks. I even remembered the story ("The Old Lady's Bedroom") that I was reading because of its distinct imagery.

Then I realized, I missed those pretty stories. I have huge imagination when it came to those stories that I've read before.

So on a whim, I went to our little library that housed our old collection of various encyclopedias (yes, we were nerds as kids), and picked out a few books from the Collier's Junior Classics. Hardbound books in different bright colors, each settling on a particular theme (kids' poetry, fantasy stories, stories based on holidays, mythology, American classic tales, etc.)

Favorites among the ones I read again yesterday were

Magic In The Air

• The Old Lady's Bedroom

In Your Own Backyard

• A Friend in Need
• The Yellow Shop
• The Hundred Dresses
• The Girl in Pink

Harvest of Holidays

• The Valentine Box
• The Country Bunny and The Little Gold Shoes
• The Blue-Nosed Witch
• The Water Nixie
• The Library Lady
• Rufus M
• Miss Flora McFlimsey's Christmas Eve

It was so great to visit these stories again. As a kid, every time I read them, part of me can somehow relate to one of the characters. Like Princess Irene in "The Old Lady's Bedroom" because of her curiosity towards little things and finding out what was behind strange doors. Or the girl in "The Valentine Box" because she was quite a wallflower. Plus the there's also the thrill the girls have about every trip to the library in "The Library Lady" because, believe it or not, I love going to the library (and was even in the Library Club for a year back in grade school).

I also loved the different illustrations for every story. Some of the stories had been illustrated with ink and pen, but my favorites were the watercolored ones (especially in "The Hundred Dresses" and in "Miss Flora McFlimsey's Christmas Eve"). Man, I suddenly miss painting in watercolor. I really should try getting back to that when I have free time.

It's such a delight to read these books again. I missed reading, and I love how it feels just curled up with a good book. Too many technology in the way these days.

In other news, I finally got a massage this afternoon. My mom had called in the lady who used to come in for home services, and Carmen did quite well on my once swollen foot before that it's high time to try out her full body massage. Besides, I know I have huge knots on my shoulders after lugging my huge laptop to rehearsals for over a week. And damn, the massage felt good. The huge knot on my left shoulder was pretty tough and painful, but Carmen worked wonders. It was totally worth it.

So this is my last day of vocal rest. I was actually thinking about taking a volunteer shift at the office tomorrow morning, but I don't want to push it just yet. Maybe I'll give my voice another day to rest. And yes, I guess that means I won't be auditioning for Cinemalaya tomorrow. But hey, it's the weekend, anyway.