"BEYOND THE CURTAIN CALL"

(A Christmas Party with my batchmates from the In-URGE-Y Acting Workshop)

Not just a simple party; it was a celebration of friendships.

I arrived at the venue 20 minutes late. As I stepped in the elevator and pushed the button, a surge of excitement rushed inside of me. After seven months of not seeing my classmates from Batch 6, finally, we will see each other again. I stepped out as the door opened and tried to look for those familiar faces. As our eyes met, the room was immediately filled with an overwhelming sense of happiness. We hugged, smiled as wide as we could, and I just felt once again the genuine friendship that I had experienced last May when we had the workshop with Ms. Malou de Guzman. The way we bonded in that short amount of time felt like we were simply continuing the conversations we had yesterday, even though it had been months since we last saw one another. Nothing has changed. They’re still the same people whom I knew in the four days we had that acting workshop.

Teamwork and competitiveness are evident. Each one of us showed our best, and even though there’s no prize on the line, we still gave our all.

We caught up on what we'd been up to over the last seven months and what's keeping us occupied these days. We laughed, ate, and swapped stories. After a while, the event begins with a prayer followed by Ms. Malou's opening remarks. As I listened to her, I still couldn't believe I was privileged to be taught by such a well-known actress. She did more than teaching me the principles of acting; she taught me valuable life lessons that I'm still able to apply today.

After that, we got to introduce the people from other batches. It was a pleasure to meet them, and they are extremely welcoming as well. I didn't feel the need to be "formal" with them because, like my Batch 6 colleagues, they're also fun to be with. We didn't know them much, yet somehow, we all clicked.

Then the games started, and It seemed like we were doing our workshops all over again! I'd never had as much fun at a Christmas party as I did that night. Everyone contributed to make the scenes more effective. Teamwork and competitiveness are very evident. Each one of us showed our best, and even though there’s no prizes on the line, we still gave our all. We end that night with our souls feeling refreshed, spirits reignited with passion, and new friendships formed.

As someone who tends to take time to step back to cherish and reflect to any given situation, I took the opportunity to just appreciate the scenario in front of me and be grateful that I had the chance to meet these wonderful people. We may have come from diverse backgrounds and joined the workshop for various reasons, but somehow, I never felt any less when I’m with them. There are people in the room who have achieved more than I when it comes to their acting career; others are established doctors and lawyers, while some were already earning six-digit income, but never did they made me feel that there’s any distinction between us.

I promise that I’ll be their number one supporter through and through and will always cheer them from afar.

I was sitting beside my fellow batchmates, and for some reason, there's this urge to just tell them how thrilled I was to see them again. My heart was overflowing with joy that night, and as tears started to form at the side of my eyes, I simply expressed how proud I am of each of their accomplishments. Whenever I saw my batchmates working toward their goals, whether it was going to auditions to actively pursue acting, traveling to different places, attending various shows, or simply enjoying life, I never felt envious or jealous, just pure pride and prayers that they'd be able to fulfill their dreams, because since day one, I already believe in what they can do and I know that they can do it. We may not spend as much time together, and I may not know them deep enough, but I promise that I’ll be their number one supporter through and through and will always cheer them from afar.

To my batchmates, I know you've heard this from me multiple times, but I'll never stop saying how much you made 2024 my best year ever! It was really an honor meeting all of you. Hoping to see you again very soon!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 🎄🎅❤️📽