Tony Parker once told Mary Chong that if he snags the writer post at Wonderland, he would be more of a daredevil when it comes to fashion. Before, in the
It’s not like he wants to don a bright pink sweater in the middle of a sunny day just to catch attention. Tony just probably wants to take more risks this time in Wonderland. His fashion sense had always been on the safe side; always black or white.
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Tony knows that he can never really pull off being a fashionista. But he’s not aiming to be a fashionista. Fashionistas become fashionistas in lieu of setting trends and grabbing attention. Tony may want to grab some attention, yes. Pero wala sa
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Tony remembers back in grade school when he was awarded the prestigious Dux Leadership Award during the 6th grade graduation. It was a one in a thousand award handed to only one deserving student who has exemplified great leadership skills throughout the elementary years. Of course, Tony was very proud of it back then. “The medal was huge!” comments echoserang frog #2. It was as large as his fist! But now, Tony kind of wonders if he really has leadership skills.
Looking back, Tony thinks na binigay lang yun sa kanya dahil ang dami niyang sinalihan na clubs. As in like 9 out of 10! “Nawili!” cheers echoserang frog #3. Tony was super active back then. It’s funny because as he grew older, nag-decrease naman yung drive niya to be the bibo kid in campus (echoserang frogs laugh).
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Tony was batch Valedictorian in 6th grade. He then became just one of the many Second Honor-awardees in high school. And then in college, one of the many regular graduates na lang siya na umakyat ng stage, nagpa-picture at kumuha ng diploma.
Tony often attributes this “decrease in academic excellence” with his involvement in theater. He started his love affair with theater during his high school years. Their high school drama club had an audition for new members during his freshman year. When the results for those who passed were posted, Tony was number one. This somewhat came to him as a surprise as he was really more inclined to the academics (the sciences, language and all that stuff) as opposed to the arts when he was growing up. He could bravely say that the acting thing is something that is already innate with him. Tony Park surprised himself when he realized how easy being on stage or performing in front of people was for him. “As in, wala siyang hiya!” comments echoserang frog #1, who was present during the auditions. “Stage fright had never been a grave issue for
However, there was this one very unforgettable incident back in Tony’s grade school years. It was Buwan ng Wika (August) and he was chosen by his Filipino teacher to sing “Ako ay Pilipino” (in English, “I am a Filipino”) at the morning flag ceremony. He thought back then that it was a chance of a lifetime. His teacher, who we will hide under the codename “Ms. Nemo”, saw his talent for singing during the first week of her class when each student was asked to show a talent that he can be proud of (“He” really is the appropriate pronoun to be used here since they were all boys. That’s how it was in Tony’s school- all boys sections and all girls sections. Sigh…).
Tony remembers that ill-fated day when he sang in front of everybody. He was wearing the traditional camisa de chino tucked into red pants and he was barefoot. He remembers staying on the 6th floor of their building before going down to the school grounds. He was preparing for his “big singing debut” (“Yeah right!” remarks the echoserang frogs in chorus).
It was a couple of minutes to 7am, which was the usual time that their school’s flag ceremonies are held. He was at the 6th floor. He remembers looking down at the crowd of about a hundred- consist of all the elementary students from the first to the 6th grade. They were all lined up on the school grounds with their teachers. They were all waiting for the ceremony to start. Tony was upstairs. He was barefoot (Not so accurate factoid: As tradition dictates, wearing a camisa de chino with red pants look better with bare feet. Sleek chic at its best. Lol.).
It was right about 7am when he was called to already proceed downstairs since the ceremonies were already about to start. He was nervous. He kept repeating the song in his head, singing each line as he made his way down. Zooming into his brain, he thought he had it in the bag. He thought he was going to nail it. “Ang laki ng kumpyansa sa sarili!” comments one of the frogs- 1, 2 or 3, who cares at this point. They’re just a bunch of frogs.
Tony Parker remembers walking on the school grounds like as if he was walking to his death. Ironically, he only looked like he was walking to his death but truth be told, he knew he was going to do well. “Masyado akong confident sa sarili ko kaya kung gaano kataas ang lipad ng utak ko, ganoon din kalalim ang ibinabagsak ko.” he says in a recent interview.
He waited for his turn that morning- in his white camisa na labang-Mr. Clean, and his red pants. And once again, take note, he was barefoot. He was barefoot and it was cold. He kept repeating the lines of the song in his head while he stood waiting.
Minutes later…
“AY PUMIYOK!” exclaimed the crowd.
It was so tragic. End of story.
***
Tony Parker and the Echoserang Frogs is about the real and the ideal, as what life ought to be.
The real is the now. It is every breath you take. It is the present situation. It is the gush of the wind on your face. It’s the sound of the cars passing by. It’s the sight of the tall building on the corner of here and there. It’s the things you can’t deny. It’s the things that are there. They’re the things that are tangible. You know it’s there. And it is what it is. It’s how it looks, it’s how it sounds and it’s what it means. Other than all that, it’s already ideal.
The ideal is the dream. It’s what things ought to be. It’s what you may wish your reality is. It’s the sound of the traffic jam that’s turned into a gentle noise. It’s the sight of the tall building that becomes the part of your own mini-movie. It’s the feel of someone’s touch that shouldn’t mean anything, even if it does. It’s the things we think up in our heads. Imagination? Not quite. It’s a bit less limitless than that. The ideal is bound by our ultimate wants and needs. It’s what our reality ought to be.
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Currently, Tony Parker is enjoying the nature of his job as a writer in Wonderland. It’s very rewarding considering that the job is very output-oriented. It doesn’t feel very exhausting. “Time seems to fly so fast in the world of a writer…” he remarks, this time with dreamy eyes and a pen stuck to one of his nose holes.
Two full weeks have already passed since he started and he thinks that he’s already kinda getting the hang of it. Or so he says.
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