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.