Spartan Week pt. II: The Fountain of Youth
WARNING! LONG!
With A Little Help From My Friends
What would you think if I sang out of tune
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song
And I'll try not to sing out of key!
...
I get high with a little help from my friends!
They say that when the heart can no longer contain a flood of emotions, the resulting overflow manifests itself through song.
Wouldn't it be absolutely awesome if, in times of overwhelming emotion, people would just suddenly break into song? Not just any kind of song, mind you, but a well-arranged, choreographed musical number, like something out of a RENT production. Imagine people so overcome with emotions that words are no longer enough to express them. Instead, orchestrated accompaniment blasts from an unknown source, compelling the people to join the chorus of overflowing emotion. Wouldn't it be absolutely awesome if overwhelming joy were expressed that way?
Impossible, I know. I guess that's why they invented KARAOKE! GAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
In the wake of an exhausting Spartan Week, I was a bubbling cauldron of emotions just waiting to explode. Mostly, I was exhausted, but I was also in great need of some form of enjoyment. I needed to not feel tired. I needed to feel something else.
It was in those moments that I began to reminisce about Sibol. In particular, those moments when my batch mates and I would just break into song, in solid, four-part, a capella harmony. Those moments were the ultimate stress-relief where the emotions were alive with every note. Exhaustion and fatigue would not overwhelm us because other, more positive emotions made their way to the surface. Those moments kept me young and alive. It was like a recharging rebirth everyday. Quite aptly, Dulaang Sibol was, according to Fr. Miguel Bernad, S.J., "A theater forever young." We had our very own Fountain of Youth, and it flowed endlessly as long as the songs and emotions remained.
Nowadays, I hardly ever get the chance to really sing anymore. Sure, I'd sing to myself, sing along to the songs in my iPod, but it didn't feel the same. I'd always be holding back, singing under my breath, restricting (and possibly damaging) my own voice. I had been doing that for so long that I was actually beginning to think I had forgotten how to sing. The thought was a little unnerving.
Having forgotten how to sing, how, then, would the mad, misunderstood torrents of my heart express themselves? Would they rot underneath feelings of exhaustion? As the environmental turbulence from Spartan Week died down, I needed something to release all the pent up emotions I had buried under the exhaustion lest the bubbling cauldron boils over. I needed a sip Fountain of Youth again.
Luckily, I had a couple of things going for me this week: (1) two non-working holidays and (2) a little help from my friends. :D With these in my arsenal, finding the Fountain of Youth was much easier!
While having dinner on the eve of Q.C. Day (Tuesday night), Pam, Chinky, Mondy, and I made plans for the next day since Jen and Melissa wanted to get together. While talking about learning musical instruments, Mondy brought up being tone-deaf. He related the story of our ARPT caroling days and how he was almost impossible to teach. It was then that Pam suggested having KARAOKE NIGHT. Save for Mondy's tiny hesitation, we mostly jumped at the idea, with Chinky suggesting a place. P350 per hour for a maximum of 10 people to a room. SWEET DEAL! With that, it was decided. Karaoke Night it is! I told Melissa to tell Jen, teasing her about her having to actually sing in front of people. GAHAHAHAHA! Excitement started to stir within me. Finally, a chance to dust off the old pipes!
The next day, I slept in almost all morning, from 4am up until around 11. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. Upon waking, I got to texting with Melissa. Both she and I wanted to watch UP, but didn't have anyone to go with, so we decided to meet up early to catch the 3pm screening before meeting up with the rest of the crew for karaoke. Since Pam would be coming from another engagement, Karaoke Night would have to start later, giving us enough time to catch the flick. We met up in EDSA Shang for the movie.
I don't exactly know how to go about talking about Up without spoiling anyone who hasn't seen it. Simply put, the damn thing is genius. A Disney-Pixar masterpiece. It portrayed a depth of emotion that no other Disney or Pixar film had ever produced, while still offering the fun and joy that comes with the Disney-Pixar label. It speaks truths about love and loss that cut to the very core of humanity and wrinkles the very fabric of our being and then makes us question our own capacities for love and generosity. At the same time, it features some of the funniest dialogue, most exciting adventure sequences, and most endearing, albeit annoying, characters. It reminds us that adventure need not be packaged in something so impossibly grand and unreachable, rather, it can be found even in the simplest and closest joys. No need to look too far "for happiness is anyone and anything at all that's loved by you" (Happiness from You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown).
I found myself with a lump in my throat and on the verge of tears (there, I admit it!) many times during the movie (watch out for the Adventure Book!), but these moments wouldn't have meant as much without the film's first ten minutes. They may very well be the best first ten minutes of cinema ever made if not the best ten minutes in film history. The carefully picked-out scenes coupled with the beautifully bittersweet score made for a most touching and most moving exposition. If only for those ten minutes, one should definitely see this movie. I guarantee it's worth the price of admission twice over. And if you've ever been truly in love or have suffered the pain of loss, you may find the film doubly moving and doubly meaningful.
The only possible negative I see is that younger children, Disney's perennial target market, may not have the maturity to understand the beauty behind the story. They'll definitely enjoy the movie because really there's quite a lot to enjoy, but they might not be moved as much by it because they might have not experienced all the things that make the movie meaningful. But I can't seem to blame the filmmakers for this because, really, the movie can be enjoyed by younger children. It's just that they won't find it as meaningful as the older crowd. Not yet, at least. Case in point, while watching, I could hear a child behind us constantly asking questions about why a certain character was behaving in a certain way. I listened as the parents fumbled through their explanations, passing it on to one another. I kinda felt sorry for the kid, who would not be able to appreciate the movie as much as his parents would, but also for the parents, who appreciated the movie just fine, but had difficulty making their son understand why.
Strangely enough, after watching the movie, I felt as though I became years younger; as if the world was new once again. I guess it's because the movie reminded me how much of my adventure I still haven't experienced. It reminded me of how young I still am, of how much more there is for me to do. I am really only starting my own adventure. It got me excited. Even better, it got me excited AGAIN. :P
Paradoxically, it is mostly the older crowd that will understand and appreciate this insight into youth. It is mostly the older crowd that will find more meaning in the message. But then again, children don't need a movie to remind them. They still know it. Their eyes are still full of wonder and excitement. They're still looking forward to so many things and see life still as one big adventure. The older you get, the easier it becomes to forget. The more distracted you are by "matters of consequence" (see The Little Prince), the easier it is to lose sight of life's great adventure. I guess it's not so much the older crowd being more capable of appreciating this message, rather it is the older crowd needing more urgently to hear it.
GAH! What more can I say, really, other than Up reminds us that Disney's still got it! HAHAHAHA! They can still write beautiful stories. See it. Twice if you can. Allow yourself to be moved. Let your heart be filled to the brim with emotion. It's not everyday a movie like this comes around.
After the movie, Melissa made it known that she had caught me crying. HAHAHAHAHA! I denied it all night, saying she was the one who cried. :P Shit, I just had dust in my eye. The theater was filthy. GAHAHAHAHAHA! I'm a dickhead and I know it...
After the movie, Melissa and I went over to Secret Recipe to meet up with Jen and have dinner. Nice place. Comfy couches and good food. A little expensive, but not too bad considering what you're getting. We all ordered a set meal. For P300, I got a juicy chicken cordon bleu, with fries and rice, lemon iced tea, minestrone soup, and a slice of cake. Not so bad. And the cake was pretty good. Jen and Melissa got the lasagna meal for P200. Same deal except instead of rice and fries, they get a honey bun.
After dinner, we finally made our way to meet the others for Karaoke Night. The place Chinky suggested was called Chicago. It was right outside Metrowalk, among the row of clubs and eateries adjacent to Metrowalk's entrance. We reserved a room, but since no one was there yet, we decided to take a brief trip to Metrowalk, itself. Jen returned some defective DVDs. I tried to get either Jen or Melissa to ask for porn, just to see how the clerks would react, but neither of them wanted to do it. :P
Pretty soon, we made our way back. Mondy arrived shortly after and we decided to kick things off.
The room wasn't so big. The area could be comparable to about two Psych Dept cubicles. Couches lined the walls and a large table was set in the center of the room. The room was dark, illuminated by a red and green laser light show and the huge screen on the wall across the couches. We were given two microphones, two song lists, and a remote to control the program. With everything set, we jumped right in.
At first we didn't even know how to work the damn thing, but we figured things out intuitively. The program was damn pretty cool. Not only was the collection of songs unbelievably huge, the variety was just amazing! They had numerous heavy metal songs from Metallica, Judas Priest, Whitesnake, and Iron Maiden. They had songs from SNL shorts like "Dick In A Box" and "Jizz In My Pants." They had Chinese and Korean songs, rap, R&B, OPM, and songs from every decade since the 70's. Hell, they even had songs from less mainstream metal bands such as Hammerfall, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius, and HIM (fuckin' badass). It was a damn fine selection! Not only that! One even had a choice of background videos to accompany the song. One could choose a nature theme (which, at one point, shows extremely phallic images of mushrooms growing), a random video theme (mostly Korean videos), MTV videos (that don't match the song choice), a video of dancing 3D characters, and last, but not least, the SEXY theme, which just showed hot Asian women flirting with the camera, wearing bikinis two sizes too small (just awesome). Jen and Melissa cringed at the SEXY theme, so we didn't use it...much. GAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
I started the show with an old favorite: "Boys Do Fall In Love." I would've liked to go straight into the metal, but seeing as no one else listened to that, it's just bore everyone in the room. It went pretty well for my first song, but I was still hesitant to challenge my range, so I got caught half-assed on the higher notes -- notes I knew I could reach if I had pushed it. Still, it was a whole lotta fun and I started to get more comfortable with singing full-blast. I was beginning to feel my voice reawakening; and with it, my youth.
That got the ball rolling. Everyone got a turn, even Melissa, who sang Oasis' "Champagne Supernova." She sounded good. I sang with her. We sounded good. BAHAHAHAHA! Jen sings really well. Cool voice. Mondy tried his best and what was good enough for me! At least he was game.
I picked a harder song on my next turn. Bon Jovi's "Always." With that song, I began to truly test the limits of my range so as to become fully comfortable with singing again. I switched between falsetto and belting during the sky-piercing notes. I was surprised I could handle them without falsetto! With that, my confidence was rebuilt and I was at an all-time high! I began to truly enjoy myself and allow my emotions to come out in the songs. It felt great!
Also notable was my duet with Mondy on "Jizz In My Pants." GAHAHAHAHA! I love it!
Soon, Pam and Chinky arrived with their boyfriends, Sarms and Pau respectively. It was time to party!
From then on, the singing become all-heart! Fuck talent, fuck technique, fuck singing in tune even! It didn't matter. What mattered was we were there trying to have a good time. And all apprehension went out the window. We just had fun with the songs. We'd sing song we only half knew. We'd pick difficult songs and just wing it. From time to time, we'd turn the background to the SEXY setting while the chicks were singing just to distract them. The nature setting wasn't any better because of all the dick-shaped mushrooms! HAHAHAHAHA! We were so into it that I had the audacity to sing Meatloaf's "I'd Do Anything For Love." NO FALSETTO. ALL BELTING. We were just having fun, letting our emotions out with the songs. Even when people would sing love songs, it was just fun. We just sang and laughed and teased Mondy with "Yiheeee, Mondy and T----!" (o ayan, I'm protecting those involved! GAHAHAHAHAHA!). Enjoy lang!
At one point, all the girls stepped out to go to the washroom do their business. Sarms called for "guy time." We switched the background to SEXY and sang "man songs." I sang Metallica's "Enter Sandman" and Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name" while Sarms sang Rage Against The Machine's "Bombtrack." Nothing was more satisfying than belting out heavy metal tunes!
When the girls returned, they retaliated by singing girly/"gay" songs like Madonna's "Like A Virgin" and Freestyle's "So Slow." It was so gay that even us guys got into the act, singing gay songs like "Ocean Deep" and "Hello." Loads of fun! We even made Mondy sing "Endless Love" with Pam to help him practice his duet with T----. GAHAHAHAHAHA! Sadly, she wasn't able to make it. :( No matter! There would be a next time... Right Mondy? Hihihihihi!
More memorable performances, at least for me, were our rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" (laugh trip, puta!), catching our breath while trying to keep up with Eminem's "Lose Yourself" (ang galing talaga ni Eminem), and our final song, where we scored a perfect 100, Earth, Wind, & Fire's "September" (what a finale!).
By the end of the night, we had spent four and a half hours in the room singing our lungs out. And though I had a splitting headache and my voice was definitely at its limit, I felt reinvigorated. I felt young again. It couldn't have come at a better time. Immediately following my Spartan Week, this was just what the doctor ordered. All the exhaustion and fatigue of the last week lost their weight. I was recharged and ready to go, ready to face another adventure (pronounced "Grad PAASCU"). HAHAHAHAHA!
So it seems I haven't really forgotten how to sing. I'm pretty relieved. I guess it also means I haven't forgotten what it was like yesterday, when we were young. :)
I'll admit it wasn't Sibol. There was no harmonizing, no arranged songs, no Batch '04 to share it with. But I definitely saw it. I definitely got a sip. The Fountain of Youth was definitely there. The choir songs may have been replaced with pop, rap, and rock; the solemn Sibol stage may have been replaced by a dark, noisy room in a karaoke club; my Sibol batch mates may have been replaced by grad school classmates, but the essence of joy stayed the same.
These are the things that keep you young. Simple things, whether it be watching a great movie or hanging out with friends at a karaoke club. As long as you throw yourself into it and just be in the moment and enjoy it, just like any adventure, the simple could become awesome. And those awesome moments are the secret to staying forever young. They are the drops from the Fountain of Youth.
I would never have found them without a little help from my friends.
Thanks guys! Here's to staying forever young!
So many adventures couldn't happen today
So many songs we forgot to play
So many dreams are swinging out of the blue
We let them come true...
♥
Click to viewWith A Little Help From My Friends
What would you think if I sang out of tune
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song
And I'll try not to sing out of key!
...
I get high with a little help from my friends!
They say that when the heart can no longer contain a flood of emotions, the resulting overflow manifests itself through song.
Wouldn't it be absolutely awesome if, in times of overwhelming emotion, people would just suddenly break into song? Not just any kind of song, mind you, but a well-arranged, choreographed musical number, like something out of a RENT production. Imagine people so overcome with emotions that words are no longer enough to express them. Instead, orchestrated accompaniment blasts from an unknown source, compelling the people to join the chorus of overflowing emotion. Wouldn't it be absolutely awesome if overwhelming joy were expressed that way?
Impossible, I know. I guess that's why they invented KARAOKE! GAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
In the wake of an exhausting Spartan Week, I was a bubbling cauldron of emotions just waiting to explode. Mostly, I was exhausted, but I was also in great need of some form of enjoyment. I needed to not feel tired. I needed to feel something else.
It was in those moments that I began to reminisce about Sibol. In particular, those moments when my batch mates and I would just break into song, in solid, four-part, a capella harmony. Those moments were the ultimate stress-relief where the emotions were alive with every note. Exhaustion and fatigue would not overwhelm us because other, more positive emotions made their way to the surface. Those moments kept me young and alive. It was like a recharging rebirth everyday. Quite aptly, Dulaang Sibol was, according to Fr. Miguel Bernad, S.J., "A theater forever young." We had our very own Fountain of Youth, and it flowed endlessly as long as the songs and emotions remained.
Nowadays, I hardly ever get the chance to really sing anymore. Sure, I'd sing to myself, sing along to the songs in my iPod, but it didn't feel the same. I'd always be holding back, singing under my breath, restricting (and possibly damaging) my own voice. I had been doing that for so long that I was actually beginning to think I had forgotten how to sing. The thought was a little unnerving.
Having forgotten how to sing, how, then, would the mad, misunderstood torrents of my heart express themselves? Would they rot underneath feelings of exhaustion? As the environmental turbulence from Spartan Week died down, I needed something to release all the pent up emotions I had buried under the exhaustion lest the bubbling cauldron boils over. I needed a sip Fountain of Youth again.
Luckily, I had a couple of things going for me this week: (1) two non-working holidays and (2) a little help from my friends. :D With these in my arsenal, finding the Fountain of Youth was much easier!
While having dinner on the eve of Q.C. Day (Tuesday night), Pam, Chinky, Mondy, and I made plans for the next day since Jen and Melissa wanted to get together. While talking about learning musical instruments, Mondy brought up being tone-deaf. He related the story of our ARPT caroling days and how he was almost impossible to teach. It was then that Pam suggested having KARAOKE NIGHT. Save for Mondy's tiny hesitation, we mostly jumped at the idea, with Chinky suggesting a place. P350 per hour for a maximum of 10 people to a room. SWEET DEAL! With that, it was decided. Karaoke Night it is! I told Melissa to tell Jen, teasing her about her having to actually sing in front of people. GAHAHAHAHA! Excitement started to stir within me. Finally, a chance to dust off the old pipes!
The next day, I slept in almost all morning, from 4am up until around 11. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. Upon waking, I got to texting with Melissa. Both she and I wanted to watch UP, but didn't have anyone to go with, so we decided to meet up early to catch the 3pm screening before meeting up with the rest of the crew for karaoke. Since Pam would be coming from another engagement, Karaoke Night would have to start later, giving us enough time to catch the flick. We met up in EDSA Shang for the movie.
I don't exactly know how to go about talking about Up without spoiling anyone who hasn't seen it. Simply put, the damn thing is genius. A Disney-Pixar masterpiece. It portrayed a depth of emotion that no other Disney or Pixar film had ever produced, while still offering the fun and joy that comes with the Disney-Pixar label. It speaks truths about love and loss that cut to the very core of humanity and wrinkles the very fabric of our being and then makes us question our own capacities for love and generosity. At the same time, it features some of the funniest dialogue, most exciting adventure sequences, and most endearing, albeit annoying, characters. It reminds us that adventure need not be packaged in something so impossibly grand and unreachable, rather, it can be found even in the simplest and closest joys. No need to look too far "for happiness is anyone and anything at all that's loved by you" (Happiness from You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown).
I found myself with a lump in my throat and on the verge of tears (there, I admit it!) many times during the movie (watch out for the Adventure Book!), but these moments wouldn't have meant as much without the film's first ten minutes. They may very well be the best first ten minutes of cinema ever made if not the best ten minutes in film history. The carefully picked-out scenes coupled with the beautifully bittersweet score made for a most touching and most moving exposition. If only for those ten minutes, one should definitely see this movie. I guarantee it's worth the price of admission twice over. And if you've ever been truly in love or have suffered the pain of loss, you may find the film doubly moving and doubly meaningful.
The only possible negative I see is that younger children, Disney's perennial target market, may not have the maturity to understand the beauty behind the story. They'll definitely enjoy the movie because really there's quite a lot to enjoy, but they might not be moved as much by it because they might have not experienced all the things that make the movie meaningful. But I can't seem to blame the filmmakers for this because, really, the movie can be enjoyed by younger children. It's just that they won't find it as meaningful as the older crowd. Not yet, at least. Case in point, while watching, I could hear a child behind us constantly asking questions about why a certain character was behaving in a certain way. I listened as the parents fumbled through their explanations, passing it on to one another. I kinda felt sorry for the kid, who would not be able to appreciate the movie as much as his parents would, but also for the parents, who appreciated the movie just fine, but had difficulty making their son understand why.
Strangely enough, after watching the movie, I felt as though I became years younger; as if the world was new once again. I guess it's because the movie reminded me how much of my adventure I still haven't experienced. It reminded me of how young I still am, of how much more there is for me to do. I am really only starting my own adventure. It got me excited. Even better, it got me excited AGAIN. :P
Paradoxically, it is mostly the older crowd that will understand and appreciate this insight into youth. It is mostly the older crowd that will find more meaning in the message. But then again, children don't need a movie to remind them. They still know it. Their eyes are still full of wonder and excitement. They're still looking forward to so many things and see life still as one big adventure. The older you get, the easier it becomes to forget. The more distracted you are by "matters of consequence" (see The Little Prince), the easier it is to lose sight of life's great adventure. I guess it's not so much the older crowd being more capable of appreciating this message, rather it is the older crowd needing more urgently to hear it.
GAH! What more can I say, really, other than Up reminds us that Disney's still got it! HAHAHAHA! They can still write beautiful stories. See it. Twice if you can. Allow yourself to be moved. Let your heart be filled to the brim with emotion. It's not everyday a movie like this comes around.
After the movie, Melissa made it known that she had caught me crying. HAHAHAHAHA! I denied it all night, saying she was the one who cried. :P Shit, I just had dust in my eye. The theater was filthy. GAHAHAHAHAHA! I'm a dickhead and I know it...
After the movie, Melissa and I went over to Secret Recipe to meet up with Jen and have dinner. Nice place. Comfy couches and good food. A little expensive, but not too bad considering what you're getting. We all ordered a set meal. For P300, I got a juicy chicken cordon bleu, with fries and rice, lemon iced tea, minestrone soup, and a slice of cake. Not so bad. And the cake was pretty good. Jen and Melissa got the lasagna meal for P200. Same deal except instead of rice and fries, they get a honey bun.
After dinner, we finally made our way to meet the others for Karaoke Night. The place Chinky suggested was called Chicago. It was right outside Metrowalk, among the row of clubs and eateries adjacent to Metrowalk's entrance. We reserved a room, but since no one was there yet, we decided to take a brief trip to Metrowalk, itself. Jen returned some defective DVDs. I tried to get either Jen or Melissa to ask for porn, just to see how the clerks would react, but neither of them wanted to do it. :P
Pretty soon, we made our way back. Mondy arrived shortly after and we decided to kick things off.
The room wasn't so big. The area could be comparable to about two Psych Dept cubicles. Couches lined the walls and a large table was set in the center of the room. The room was dark, illuminated by a red and green laser light show and the huge screen on the wall across the couches. We were given two microphones, two song lists, and a remote to control the program. With everything set, we jumped right in.
At first we didn't even know how to work the damn thing, but we figured things out intuitively. The program was damn pretty cool. Not only was the collection of songs unbelievably huge, the variety was just amazing! They had numerous heavy metal songs from Metallica, Judas Priest, Whitesnake, and Iron Maiden. They had songs from SNL shorts like "Dick In A Box" and "Jizz In My Pants." They had Chinese and Korean songs, rap, R&B, OPM, and songs from every decade since the 70's. Hell, they even had songs from less mainstream metal bands such as Hammerfall, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius, and HIM (fuckin' badass). It was a damn fine selection! Not only that! One even had a choice of background videos to accompany the song. One could choose a nature theme (which, at one point, shows extremely phallic images of mushrooms growing), a random video theme (mostly Korean videos), MTV videos (that don't match the song choice), a video of dancing 3D characters, and last, but not least, the SEXY theme, which just showed hot Asian women flirting with the camera, wearing bikinis two sizes too small (just awesome). Jen and Melissa cringed at the SEXY theme, so we didn't use it...much. GAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
I started the show with an old favorite: "Boys Do Fall In Love." I would've liked to go straight into the metal, but seeing as no one else listened to that, it's just bore everyone in the room. It went pretty well for my first song, but I was still hesitant to challenge my range, so I got caught half-assed on the higher notes -- notes I knew I could reach if I had pushed it. Still, it was a whole lotta fun and I started to get more comfortable with singing full-blast. I was beginning to feel my voice reawakening; and with it, my youth.
That got the ball rolling. Everyone got a turn, even Melissa, who sang Oasis' "Champagne Supernova." She sounded good. I sang with her. We sounded good. BAHAHAHAHA! Jen sings really well. Cool voice. Mondy tried his best and what was good enough for me! At least he was game.
I picked a harder song on my next turn. Bon Jovi's "Always." With that song, I began to truly test the limits of my range so as to become fully comfortable with singing again. I switched between falsetto and belting during the sky-piercing notes. I was surprised I could handle them without falsetto! With that, my confidence was rebuilt and I was at an all-time high! I began to truly enjoy myself and allow my emotions to come out in the songs. It felt great!
Also notable was my duet with Mondy on "Jizz In My Pants." GAHAHAHAHA! I love it!
Soon, Pam and Chinky arrived with their boyfriends, Sarms and Pau respectively. It was time to party!
From then on, the singing become all-heart! Fuck talent, fuck technique, fuck singing in tune even! It didn't matter. What mattered was we were there trying to have a good time. And all apprehension went out the window. We just had fun with the songs. We'd sing song we only half knew. We'd pick difficult songs and just wing it. From time to time, we'd turn the background to the SEXY setting while the chicks were singing just to distract them. The nature setting wasn't any better because of all the dick-shaped mushrooms! HAHAHAHAHA! We were so into it that I had the audacity to sing Meatloaf's "I'd Do Anything For Love." NO FALSETTO. ALL BELTING. We were just having fun, letting our emotions out with the songs. Even when people would sing love songs, it was just fun. We just sang and laughed and teased Mondy with "Yiheeee, Mondy and T----!" (o ayan, I'm protecting those involved! GAHAHAHAHAHA!). Enjoy lang!
At one point, all the girls stepped out to go to the washroom do their business. Sarms called for "guy time." We switched the background to SEXY and sang "man songs." I sang Metallica's "Enter Sandman" and Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name" while Sarms sang Rage Against The Machine's "Bombtrack." Nothing was more satisfying than belting out heavy metal tunes!
When the girls returned, they retaliated by singing girly/"gay" songs like Madonna's "Like A Virgin" and Freestyle's "So Slow." It was so gay that even us guys got into the act, singing gay songs like "Ocean Deep" and "Hello." Loads of fun! We even made Mondy sing "Endless Love" with Pam to help him practice his duet with T----. GAHAHAHAHAHA! Sadly, she wasn't able to make it. :( No matter! There would be a next time... Right Mondy? Hihihihihi!
More memorable performances, at least for me, were our rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" (laugh trip, puta!), catching our breath while trying to keep up with Eminem's "Lose Yourself" (ang galing talaga ni Eminem), and our final song, where we scored a perfect 100, Earth, Wind, & Fire's "September" (what a finale!).
By the end of the night, we had spent four and a half hours in the room singing our lungs out. And though I had a splitting headache and my voice was definitely at its limit, I felt reinvigorated. I felt young again. It couldn't have come at a better time. Immediately following my Spartan Week, this was just what the doctor ordered. All the exhaustion and fatigue of the last week lost their weight. I was recharged and ready to go, ready to face another adventure (pronounced "Grad PAASCU"). HAHAHAHAHA!
So it seems I haven't really forgotten how to sing. I'm pretty relieved. I guess it also means I haven't forgotten what it was like yesterday, when we were young. :)
I'll admit it wasn't Sibol. There was no harmonizing, no arranged songs, no Batch '04 to share it with. But I definitely saw it. I definitely got a sip. The Fountain of Youth was definitely there. The choir songs may have been replaced with pop, rap, and rock; the solemn Sibol stage may have been replaced by a dark, noisy room in a karaoke club; my Sibol batch mates may have been replaced by grad school classmates, but the essence of joy stayed the same.
These are the things that keep you young. Simple things, whether it be watching a great movie or hanging out with friends at a karaoke club. As long as you throw yourself into it and just be in the moment and enjoy it, just like any adventure, the simple could become awesome. And those awesome moments are the secret to staying forever young. They are the drops from the Fountain of Youth.
I would never have found them without a little help from my friends.
Thanks guys! Here's to staying forever young!
So many adventures couldn't happen today
So many songs we forgot to play
So many dreams are swinging out of the blue
We let them come true...
♥