New Circle of Crazies

Presenting to you the 2017 Year 1 students of Intercultural Theater Institute.

These are my batchmates. I will be working with these creative beings in the next 2 years and 10 months. I'll introduce them to you one by one from left to right (or, basta follow lang).

That guy in blue to my right is Ted Nudgent Fernandez Tac-an (full name para intense). He's a Filipino actor/dance artist, educator, and cultural worker from Ozamis City, Misamis Occidental. He is an alumnus of La Salle University Teatro Guindegan. What's interesting is that we never bumped into each other before we auditioned for ITI. We only heard of each other from common friends within the arts community in VisMin, yet it turned out that we were actually born in the same city and graduated from the same high school (MONHS alma mater dear). I guess most of you have seen him already in my previous vlogs because he's my roommate here in SG.

Next to him in black shirt is Regina Toon who is a brilliant poet/writer and also a singer. She shared to me that she used to be a licensed busker around SG. She recently launched a book (a compilation of her poems, I guess) and she'll give me a copy soon in exchange also of a copy of my album. That was the deal.

Below Regina, in red and in an anime pose, is Yiseong (pronounced as e-song). She's one of the ate's in the batch and she's a little older than me. By the way, she's not Korean. She just chose to be called Yiseong (not her real name) because of her fascination with Korean arts and culture.

Behind Yiseong is the baby of our batch, Akanksha (also known as Akku). This stunning beauty from India may only be 19 years old, but despite her young age she had enough experience in performance. She studied Kathak dance back in India, and she's really good in movement.

That guy that Akku is leaning onto (in light blue shirt) is Jalal from Syria. I know, he looks like Borat. He gets that a lot. haha! What's interesting about this guy is... uhm... so many things. I guess we all have seen/read the news about what's going on in Syria right now. All his stories gave me a new perspective about his country.

Beside Jalal (right, wearing shades) is Jin Chen from China. Before coming to ITI, she finished her MA in Creative Practices and Directions at University of Surrey - Guildford in London, UK.

Behind Jalal and Jin is Theresa. She's Chinese Singaporean, but not totally. That is because she has Spanish-Filipino blood. It's funny when she does an impression of her lola talking in Filipino. She's also a singer/musician (go figure). I wish to listen to her songs soon.

At her back, raising his arms, is Thasil Backer from India. This big guy looks very tough and intimidating but the sweetest in person. He's also a budding theater actor from his region. If I'm not mistaken, he's from Hyderabad City.
*Update: So, yeah, I was mistaken. haha! He did his 3-year post grad course in Hyderabad Central University, Master of Performing Arts (with Acting as field of specialization), but he was born and raised in Kerala.

The last guy to the right looking so calm is Vignesh Singh. He's Indian-Singaporean and also a local singer-songwriter. To listen to his works, click this link to his soundcloud. He just recently posted some new demos so go check it out. By the way, he likes Up Dharma Down. hehehe.

Farthest to the right beside Vignesh is Wendy, the mommy of the class because of her caring and sensitive nature. She was one of the first people in school that I got to hang out with. Besides being a theater student, she is also in the local film industry. Perhaps one of the reasons why we easily clicked is the fact that she is also a Playback Theater performer.

Lastly, squatting on the ground is Tysha Khan. This Malay-Singaporean girl has been to Davao City as a volunteer for Gawad Kalinga. So, she knows some things about the Philippines, and as a matter of fact, her favorite pinoy fruit is... uhm... mansanitas. hahaha!

So I'm gonna be stuck with this bunch of talented and unique personalities in that school on top of the hill. This will surely be a fun climb everyday.

Climbing Up Emily Hill (a status update)

It's been more than a month since my last blog post. I'm sorry about it. I decided not to write anything the past few weeks because I wanted things to sink in and just start flowing into my system. You know what I mean? I also realized that people DO follow what I write in my blog and others can be very critical. For example, I was criticized for claiming to be a "cultural worker" by someone who thinks I'm actually not. I can write more about this, but then again I don't owe anyone an explanation so let them think what they want to think. I am aware and very reflective of the things that I do and what I want to do, and I'm trying to figure out how to do things better (I guess, that's why I'm in a school called "Intercultural Theater Institute"). Hence, that blog description shall STAY! :-) Suck it up! Haha!

I consider all these as part of my journey. Climbing up that hill will never be easy.

(This is Emily Hill, and our school is located on top of it. I guess they strategically situated the school on the hilltop as part of the challenge for the students. Imagine, we climb it everyday for 3 years.)

Everytime I climb Emily Hill I think about how long this journey is going to be. For someone who gained knowledge through numerous workshops and seminars that normally run only for days or weeks, a 3-year study feels like forever. Not to mention the change of lifestyle and the adjustment to the culture of Singapore and many other cultures since, you know, I am in an "intercultural" school.

If you know my lifestyle in Dumaguete, it would really be difficult for you to imagine how I'm doing this. I now wake up as early as 5:30AM to cook our packed lunch and read some articles and books at the same time. 

(My "balunan". Ted cooks the rice and boils the egg, while I cook the dish. It actually feels good to cook again, although it's not so nice when the smell of onions and garlic stays in my fingers)

There's one week every month that we are assigned to clean the school. As in mop the studios, clean the kitchen, etc. This means we have to wake up even earlier because cleaning time is 7:30AM and our first subject starts at 8AM.

Usually, our first subject is Movement which is around 3-4 hours everyday except Wednesdays. So, yeah, after cleaning the school we need to MOVE! How haggard is that? Haha!

(Example of what we do in Movement class. We play with boxes and sticks, mop the floor in different positions for 45 minutes, etc. Core... it's all about the CORE)

My other subjects this semester include Taiji, Acting, Humanities, Tech,  Intercultural Exchange where we get to share to each other a piece of our culture, and Noh Theater, which is a Japanese traditional theater form.

(Our Noh Theater gear. My Tabi, a Japanese traditional socks, and Ougi, Japanese fan)

As I said, this journey will never be easy. But with all your support and by God's grace I shall endure and finish this. My eyes are on the finish line, or should I say, on the hilltop. I am a work in progress, and forever will be. Work work work work work, as Rihanna would sing. Coz one big truth about life: no work, no pay. 

UNSA DAW???