the importance of plan B's

ironic. it's like rain on your wedding day, according to alanis.

no, i didn't get married yet. but it rained on an event that i considered important. mala-bagyong ulan pa 'kamo.

i had my first public speaking engagement last sunday. by public, i mean, pre-school kids, parents, teachers, and other mirons in the audience. (kunwari valid english word ang miron.)

i have always been afflicted with stage fright, pero during that time, ewan ko, pero i was so relaxed. kung pinagpapawisan man ako, it was not because i was nervous, but because nakahiyaan ko nang hubarin yung coat na suot ko kesehodang ma-dehydrate ako sa dami ng pawis na iluluwa ng sweat glands ko.

the moving-up ceremony started an hour late (which was still earlier than i expected). then came the usual portions. invocation. national anthem. opening remarks. welcome speech. song number. again, wala akong kanerbyos-nerbyos na naramdaman. (unless in denial ako.)

then came the introduction. (wow, ang ganda ng pagkaka-build up sa kin dun sa intro. as in, if i were a picture, baka isa na akong billboard.) and then everybody stood as i approached the podium, welcoming me with a round of applause.

anakngtokwa. hindi pa ako nagiinit na nakatayo dun, and i was barely through with my "thank you for that wonderful introduction" plastikan portion (in fairness, totoo yun sa akin. na-touched talaga ako sa intro, pramis.), ayun at isa-isa nang nagtatayuan yung mga magulang para kuhanin ang mga bagets. yun pala umaambon na. so the school principal approached me if she could interrupt, to which i obliged.

since the venue is not covered, it was time to activate plan B. the principal announced that we had to transfer to the church hall which was just a few steps away from the quadrangle. sure, it bought me additional time to polish my speech.

some 15 minutes after, i was delivering my message already at the church hall. i would like to think that somehow, i was able to get the audience's attention for the next 20 minutes or so. i even managed to inject some interactive portions with the kids at some parts.

when it was time to award medals to the kid achievers, the lights went off. which was coupled by heavy rains and strong winds. i told the principal who was sitting next to me, "bakit ganon? wala naman akong balat ah." which made her smile. apparently, it was the first time that it rained on their graduation day.

plan B again: generator. thank goodness for technology. the ceremonies went on with the support of the school's generator, until around 9pm.

i enjoyed the night nonetheless. speaking in public was quite an experience already, how much more if it was coupled with unforeseen events like rain and brownouts. at least, i didn't need a plan B to impact my audience, it seemed. because before the night ended, some teachers approached me that i delivered a nice message.

what rodel needs...

taking from joey's post. the instruction was to google [your name] followed by needs and enclosing the phrase with quotes. this is fun.

1. rodel needs to put their money where their mouth is (parang bastos. syempre where my mouth is, nandun din yung dila ko. i don't think my tongue would notice the money, as it might be quite busy.)

2. rodel needs your support (yeah. in cash please. please text me for the account number.)

3. what rodel needs now. I want to meet people who wants to do business and exporters of products from China and People willing to invest in China and anywhere (wow, sabi ko na nga ba i have a career waiting for me in the government. ZTE, is that you?)

4. rodel needs to improve his articulation, looks like dun sa guy sa mulangaw na mulawin (i am so agree to this. i am need to improve my articulation, especially tagalog languages. i am find it hard so much to speak tagalog, unlike english wherein i is very much fluency. so far, so good. so far.)

5. rodel needs a manager who will love him beyond the 30 percent cut (oo nga naman. it should be 50 percent, not 30.)

6. rodel needs a napkin (i do! i really do! sariwa pa rin kase yung tuli ko!)

7. rodel needs to play poker with someone else besides the computer (decoding instruction: play poker = get laid)

8. rodel needs to take home some money, not for the traditional feast, but to buy medicines for his kid brother (this is my melodramatic side. hindi lang pansit ang kailangan kong iuwi. kailangan din ni rudy, my imaginary kid brother, ng gamot. he is so sick with terminal dyspepsia.)

9. rodel needs the care and assistance only ALA is capable of giving (nyetah! andami namang rodel na lovesick! kainis! tama nang ako lang!)

10. rodel needs less than a second to make 9 laps (hihi. this is an embarassing admission. oo, i'm a premature ejaculator. )

naiinggit lang ako kay joey kase wala akong ibang name. antipid kaseng magbigay ng pangalan ng tatay ko e.