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honestly speaking, i was a fan of parades back in my elementary days. woo-hoo! it meant civilian day (which was a chance for me to showoff my new shirt and rubbershoes in school) and half-day of classes. the thought of being in a parade along the town highway with people watching us was a plus (although i haven't really figured out the common folks' fascination over an endless procession of kids walking down the road, waving to no one in particular).
i especially cherished my fourth grade parade in which i was on board a float for winning as the First Princess (ulk.) in a beauty*slash*money contest. allow me to contend that though it was mainly a money contest, beauty was a factor on picking those who could join the contest. not that i saw myself as little ms.pretty back then, i was all for the thrill and extra allowance ('cos i got to pocket a portion of my solicitation, yeah).
thinking about it now makes me sick silly.
however, there was this parade that was stuck in my poor memory due to a traumatic and life-changing event. i tried to charm my way into being a majorette in our school's marching band knowing this much-coveted title would make me stand out in a different light. i was popularly known to my classmates as the girl with steady supply of gummy bears and Panda Panda choco-filled biscuits.
it was one of my biggest downfalls when our music teacher/ drum&lyre coach ignored me and appointed my Amerasian classmate as the star majorette. this left an indelible impression on my young mind that only fair-skinned, long-legged girls are privileged to be majorettes. i acted being extremely contented on playing the lyre which was dang heavy.i try to console myself by thinking that at least there was a time in my life when i played a musical instrument! cheers!
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going back to the parade, i thought i'd miss the shuttle again because our jeepney was stuck and manong driver was too busy ogling at the Ms. *private school* candidates to notice my tsk-tski-ing. I didn't get a good look at their faces but it struck me odd noticing that they were wearing medium-sized t-shirts which were twisted up to their waistline and tied at the back to make it fit and reveal a portion of their torso. i was never a fan of this style. if you intend to flash some tummy in the first place, why go through this hideous process instead of wearing a sexy top right away?
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and and and i've seen what these highschool beauty contestants wear on the competition proper. gosh! did they have to be that revealing? they are just highschool for crying out loud! it's like the skimpier, the better. beauty pageant supporters would say that it's not all about beauty and being sexy. contestants should be able to show that they've got the smarts and skills to go with their looks.
watch me roll my eyes to high heavens.
i should have known back in highschool that my chances were zilch when i was "forced" to enter the Bb. Agham (or something) contest. i had no plans of joining but i needed the extra credit because i was failing physics at that time. desperate moves for desperate times. it was a last minute decision so i ended up wearing a sleeveless turtleneck and a knee-length shorts (shorts pa ba yun?) with barely-there make-up. i used to hate make-up 'cos it triggered my skin allergy. or i just used to hate a lot of things back then. i couldn't do the catwalk (how can i when i can barely manage to walk casually without slouching) and the only pose i could strike was the hand-on-my-waist thingy with a painful smile on my face.
however, my hopes went up when i heard that 30% of the criteria for judging depended on the Q&A portion. qualifying for the semi-finals meant extra grade credits. i dreaded being in front of an audience but i said i was desperate. the question i got was something like what i would do if i won one million pesos. hah. easy! i told them i would give half of it to charity, seriously and sincerely mainly because i hero-worshipped Princess Diana. in my own partial judgment, i aced the Q&A portion and was sure that i 'outstaged' some of my fellow candidates. but i never wanted the title, i'm just in it for the credit.
i didn't make it to the semi-finals though. i even doubted if the judges took me seriously.so much for hoping that brains and substance would have bearing in a beauty pageant.
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after 10 torturous minutes of waiting, we finally saw the last line of students wave by. i saw some of the young looking dead bored and even annoyed that they had to endure such thing. i feel for them and their suffering.
i have nothing againts parade in general but i am hoping that the teachers or organizers would have the sense to realize that scheduling a parade during the morning rush hour traffic is highly infuriating to the working population of the society. can't they do it earlier? say around 6:30am call time? that way, the students won't have to suffer under the late morning sunshine. i'd like to believe that i am making perfect sense which is the exact opposite of this entire entry.
funny how ten minutes of being stuck inside the jeepney could lead to sudden flow of thoughts and recall of burried childhood memoirs.
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