FL Recess

Holy week provided such a welcome respite. For the first time in a long while, I opted not to go anywhere. Now, I’m feeling quite smug for catching the city off guard in a rare moment of quietness. Watching the bare streets stretch to sleep in the fading twilight move my heart like no lover has yet.

I miss brooding. I miss the way a cup of coffee would taste like after some minutes of being ignored while the mind wanders. I miss the feel of a face unburdened by aching cheeks from smiling too much lately. I miss the stillness of the midnight hour. I miss that part of me that I know too well.

Is it because I feel myself changing? Or is it realizing that despite the change, some questions remain the same?

It’s been more than a month of catching and living the blur of the Fairyland train. I’ve done things I didn’t know I could, traveled to cities I thought I wouldn’t go back to for a while, and met and befriended people who assume characters in an alternate universe.

I must say that exploring this new world for a short while has made me see more things about me than I thought existed.

For one, working in a boys’ town led by Harry Potter, I didn’t now I could learn to appreciate the world of games and sports. I discovered it’s possible to spend a day rock climbing and rope sliding in Busay even after a series of sleepless days and nights. Or that it’s also possible to work hard the next day even with your butt aching and your skin smiling with bruises. You even realize that some things, like skydiving, are not so farfetched after all.

And I’ve discovered there is one more way to keep sane in a crazy town: Work hard by day then party harder by night. I’ve learned that sometimes, you need not think too hard. Spontaneity could lead to the best results. Most things are best done, not tomorrow, not next week, but now.

It’s been a really fast ride since working for Harry Potter. He’s not one to waste a moment. It’s fun and exhausting at the same time. You tend to forget about time and stops. But now that the holiday has paused the train, I can’t help but glance at the window once more … only to realize that the world outside is no longer the same for me.

I feel myself becoming a stranger to my own goals and destination. It scares me.

Where am I headed? Where do I want to go? Do I get off the train or heed Harry Potter’s call to continue and explore more of this new world?

Why is it that even after all those changes, all those places, and all those people who help reshape who you are… you find that you’re as clueless as ever? I’m haunted by the same old questions still.

Maybe it’s time to take a page out of Harry Potter’s book … to simply let go, flow and experience the moment. One more fun ride on the merry-go-round and maybe the world will shift as it’s meant to. And if I fall along the way, I just pray I’d still find the courage in me to believe, spread my wings, and fly.

Fairyland

Hi guys! Miss me? I miss you more.

My life’s been crazier than usual the past few weeks so forgive me if I’ve been dense, a snob, invisible, or whatever lately. And no, it’s not because of a man (at least not yet ;p) but something else entirely – FairyLand.

Yep, I am currently journeying into a whole new world (stop me before I sing) -- the land of the elves, dwarves and humans, where beastmasters charm, monsters kill, and pink snowmen help you find the way to…. hmmm, I’m not sure really, but let’s just say somewhere good. If you don’t believe me, just go to www.fairyland.com.ph and you’ll get a clearer picture of what I’m talking about.

I don’t know exactly how I landed here or why, but once upon a February day, an old friend just asked for my resume, and before I knew it, I was talking to Harry Potter about a two-month marketing project. Really, it was almost surreal. Okay, okay, so what if he may be 15 years older? The glasses and the accent are still a dead giveaway. Up to now, I’m still not convinced he’s not the real one.

I hated to say goodbye to my bumming days but I figured that after about 6 months, a job landing out of nowhere is the universe’s way of gently kicking my ass and telling me to start contributing to society once more. What’s two months anyway? Besides, a whole new world (aaagh, stop me again before I sing) is always an adventure.

So here I am, planning and executing wild and not-so-wild ideas with Harry Potter. I haven’t really marketed anything since The Little Prince, but I find that like most things, it’s all just a matter of having an open mind, plenty of imagination, a bit of strategy, and a driving passion to see you through.

Right now, we’re doing the Fairyland Fantasy Tour in Cebu, Dumaguete, Cagayan, Iloilo, Bacolod, Davao, and who knows where else Harry Potter’s mind takes us. Most of the time it’s a blast. But all these also make me so busy that sometimes I wonder if I’m going nuts. There are times when I think that if I visit one more net café or charm one more person or book another ticket or schedule one more event, I’d puke. But then, there are moments, during late nights, when I look up and find a full moon to remind me that some things remain beautiful no matter how crazy life gets. So I’ve learned to swallow the good things with the bad for I realize that it’s the fusion of both that makes the experience real.

I confess-- I’ve never been a fan of online games. And perhaps, the only computer games I know would make any respectable gamer fart. But hey, I’ve always been a sucker for the absurd and for the past few weeks, I’ve developed a certain fondness and wonder for Fairyland. After all, it won the recent Gamers’ Choice Award for Best MMOG. How cool is that?

And there’s more.

In Fairyland, I find that people are actually being paid to play.

Here, the job might be crazy, but at least I’m not required to wake up early.

Here, I’m being taught how to play and survive.

And, at the risk of sounding like one of our press releases, Fairyland is a great way to make friends. In fact we’re now in Friendster. If you have time, I invite all of you to kindly add friends@fairyland.com.ph to your friends’ list.

Here, I am surrounded by princes – some dwarves, some elves, and some irritatingly human… I’m fascinated by them all. I’m enchanted by one prince in particular. Much to my dismay, though, I discovered that like all the others, he’s also younger than I am. Sigh. What are the chances? Is there ever an end to this curse? Well, at least, he’s not 19.

Yeah, considering all things, I feel blessed and grateful that this is one detour in my life I didn’t miss. And if true love waits by the end of the road, now that would be – as the British would say – just lovely, isn’t it?

In Fairyland, anything could happen.