Monday, October 29, 2007

 

I Love You, Lucky!

"When did you realize that you've got talent?" 'Yan ang text-in question sa isang radio station the other night. At du'n ko muling na-realize that more than the moment that gives you that realization, I've got tons of times when I feel that I'm really, really lucky. Blessed, if you may say.

Sabi nga ni Gloria Diaz, the reason why she won Miss Universe was because she was the luckiest there. She wouldn't say that she's the prettiest or the shapeliest or the smartest even, at that pageant in 1969, but she was indeed the luckiest.

Tanong naman ni Boy Abunda rati (sa Startalk pa'to nu'n, ine-establish pa lang niya ang sarili niya as one of Philippine television's best interviewers): "They say luck is the residue of design. In your success, how much is luck, how much is design?"

I've got a couple of bronze medals in triathlon and everytime I look at them, I'm reminded not of my physical prowess but of how lucky I am. You see those few times that I won them, the strongest players in my age-group did not compete. So all I had to do was train sufficiently enough to finish the race. So ayun, nagkamedalya.

Sa trabaho ganu'n din naman ako. Ang dami kong nakikita d'yan na napakagaling pero ewan, agad tinotopak tapos basta na lang aalis. O mga tao na kung saan-saan muna napapadpad bago finally magse-settle sa GMA. Buti ako ilang buwan lang talagang naghanap ng work after graduation tapos napunta agad sa GMA at ngayon, seven years after, andito pa rin.

Ang problema ko nga lang, kapag minsan nakakakuha ako ng lukcy break, hindi ko mapagkatiwalaan. Ang laki-laki ng self-doubt ko. Like ang tagal bago akong naging comfortable na tawagin ko ang sarili ko na writer. Feeling ko kasi napakadaling dumapo sa'kin tapos writer na agad ako? Ganu'n din sa pagiging atleta. Parang sino ako? Ngek! Kung athlete ako bakit 'di mawala-wala ang bilbil ko?

Nu'ng isang araw I was invited by this guy to watch him perform sa CCP. He is apparently one of the best baritones in the country at binigyan niya ako ng complimentary tickets. Formal daw. Nataranta naman ako kasi wala naman akong pang-formal so agad akong nag-shopping with the help of Haydee and Chino ng bagong slacks, jacket, belt at shoes. Nagpaganda at lumarga papuntang CCP. Tapos kung kelang malapit na'ko ng CCP saka ako biglang magdududa na, "Totoo bang may show sa CCP?" Nag-text ako sa kaibigan kong madalas du'n, at rumaraket ding usher du'n. Hindi nagre-reply. Tinawagan ko. Deadma siya. Tinext ko ngayon 'yung guy. Hindi rin sumasagot. Tapos bigla akong nagka-mental image ng isang baklang nagpakahirap pumunta ng CCP na pagkalayu-layo, suot ang mga bagong-biling damit tapos wala namang show - umasa lang na meron ngang isang guy na magbibigay sa'kin ng Orchestra tickets sa CCP Main Theater para panoorin siyang mag-perform sa isang Filipino Opera.

Meron ngang tickets (not one, but three! so sa'kin ang tatlong upuan, wala akong katabi) at meron ngang baritone. Pero hindi ko siya masyado type so wala ring nangyari. But it was a great experience nonetheless. First time kong nanood sa CCP Main, for one.

For someone so lucky, so blessed, napakatindi pa rin ng insecurity ko na I literally cannot believe my luck. Kapag may magandang dumarating, hindi ko siya maikuwento agad kasi iniisip ko babawiin siya o niloloko lang ako. Niloloko lang ako. 'Yan ang pinaka-fear ko, so minsan ako na lang minsan ang bumibitaw, tapos iko-convince ko na tama ang desisyon ko kasi hindi naman totoo 'yun, eh: "Pinapaniwala lang ako. Pinapaasa lang ako. Tapos kung kelang hindi ka na makawala, saka lang sasabog ang lahat. So ngayon, wala na siya kasi hindi naman siya totoo, eh. Sabi nga if it's too good to be true it probably is."

Hindi siya totoo. Hindi siya totoo. Lucky me.

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