The Niki de los Reyes-Torres Carroza Challenge 2009 [part 3 of something]

Looking at the Barefoot Baklesa’s Updated Toolbox

For the longest time, I have been placing my tools and art supplies inside a box that used to contain a jade [more like nephrite] dragon boat sculpture we got from Hong-Kong some years ago. It’s a wooden box that was wrapped in red imitation silk which I fondly called the “Mano Po Box” -in reference to the many movies of the ‘Mano Po’ franchise of movies about the Filipino-Chinese played by non-Chinese actors. So, the “Mano Po Box” has made it to many a panic-stricken set-ups and late-night prop and costume constructions. I had decided to retire it when I got myself a great tool belt to fulfill my carpenter porn character fantasy -WAIT!!!- what I meant was to place my tools in.

But as the jobs got more complicated, I had decided to purchase myself a tool box big enough to put all my tools and some useful supplies that I could bring [more like, my assistants could carry] when we went to do production design jobs. It was a big Black & Decker Tool Box with a second level tray and two detachable boxes with really useful compartments for knick-knacks and whatever. As per the tool belt, I still wore for the love of it… I know, right?

Since I don't really sleep at night, I decided to clean out my tool box and update the contents specifically for this year’s Carroza Challenge. At around 1:00am, I went out back to where I stored my supplies and went through the pearls, beads, rhinestones, and assorted trims to pick out what I needed. I never knew there was that much stuff back there; and to think I had cleaned that place up just last September.

After sorting through what I thought I might need and what I could bring, I went ahead and cleaned the tool box and organized it for the present need. My friend Brian, mentioned in the first Carroza challenge blog for this year, couldn’t sleep as well; and sent out a generic text message to see if anyone’s still awake. I was exchanging text messages with him while fixing up the tool box. He wanted to know if I could make it to his birthday slash graduation party this weekend. I told him I’d try, that’s going to be a pretty busy weekend with two set-ups at two venues with the flight to Ilo-Ilo as my only time of rest.

When I brought that tool box with me for last year’s Carroza Challenge, it had more tools than it does now. Casualties of production, I guess. I have been thinking of buying another one just for the Carroza Challenge to be left at the ancestral house so I won’t have to bring this one back and forth. But you know what, I love the thought of bringing this tool box this time of year; it’s starting to turn into some kind of a ritual for me…

More next time…

Thus spake the Barefoot Baklesa