"Cold Red Wine is a Crime" or The Barefoot Baklesa's 2008 Year in Review

This being The Barefoot Baklesa's 2008 Year in Review or "Cold Red Wine is a Crime" [due to a cold glass of red wine in my hand now...]

Before I begin, allow me to invoke the divinities of the Theater.

Dionysus, ancient greek god of the theatre, wine, and revelry...
Saints Genesius and Vitus, roman catholic martyrs and patron saints of the theater...
Idianale, ancient filipino goddess arts, crafts, love, and good deeds...
As we look back at the year that has been, bless the year that is to be.
Set ablaze the spark of inspiration,
Fuel the creativity and passion of your artists that we may look forward to another year on the boards.
We carry with us this Hope, so be it.

What a year this has been...
In that expanse, For the most part, I have experienced the fulfillment one's soul receives in living the dream. But on the other hand, it was not without those moments that need much to be desired.

In one year [counting the good and the bad], I have survived opening two children's musicals on the same weekend with some unwanted consequences, I have made more trips to Divisoria than ever, I associated myself -with much regret- with some artists of questionable talent [if you could call it that], I survived performing a Shakespeare show with the worst fever and cough combined, I have taken more crap than I should from some vampires, I have met some fierce and true friends, I have been chastised for attempting to do my job well one time,I have survived the "niki de los reyes-torres carroza challenge", I have seen some people's true colors, I have been called one of the worst designers at some diss-list, I was offered the opportunity of a lifetime and I turned it down because I felt I had to stay, I have been the subject of internet slander and character assassination, I have rediscovered Love in a movie, and I have begun writing scripts again... Amidst all of this, it seems strange that I still said, "Life couldn't get any better" in one of my other social networking sites.

However, some things that have transpired, been said, and done have already left their mark. And truth be told, I am spent... And for that, I have considered to put my theater career [ whatever is left of that dead horse ] on hold indefinitely, after I fulfill certain obligations I have already signed for this 2009. It's not as if that's a big loss the way I am at present, right? For no one is indispensable in this industry, they say. Someone else, in a minute, can take anyone's place and can do better. So the quest now, is to be able to develop skills to do better.

For next year, I want to rediscover those things that I have put aside for some time now, I want to get treatment for the few things the skin doctors still have to figure out, I want to do something that actually makes a difference in more people's lives, and I want to be found...

"It's New Year's Eve,
And hopes are high.
Dance one year in,
Kiss one goodbye.
Another chance,
Another start,
So many dreams to tease the heart...
We don't need a crowded ballroom,
Everything we want is here.
If you're with me,
Next year will be,
The perfect year."
~Sunset Bouleveard