My Life As A Musical

Being a music lover, I always have a tune or two playing in my head. When I was in college and it's the -ber months already, I hum, either literally or just in my head, the Christmas carols we practice in our org's choir as I walk from one class to another, from one building to another. And whenever I have a severe case of the so-called last song syndrome (LSS) of whatever song, expect me to burst into a tune any moment.

When I was in college, my friends and I labeled Legally Blonde the Musical as the musical that put us through college. Almost all, if not all, the LBTM songs were applicable to whatever we were facing or feeling at the moment - whether we are stressed because of our never ending academic requirements, pissed at a certain professor, or nursing a broken heart because of unrequited love.

Until now, LBTM songs are still my songs. But since March, when I had the chance to watch the re-staging of Avenue Q, new songs were added to my list of songs that describe my life. The main character int he musical is an idealistic fresh graduate who brims with optimism as he faces life, and he lands on Avenue Q, where everyone's life "sucks." Being a recent college graduate working in her first job, I can't help but relate to the lyrics of the songs in the musical.

One such song is "I Wish I Could Go Back to College." All of us, I believe, have been in college, not just the university sense of the word but more so a phase in our lives when we were so sure of who we are and what we want to do in life. And when we step out into the real world, we find ourselves throwing out certain plans out the window because what's out there is not exactly what we imagined. I wish I could go back to college / In college you know who you are, so goes a couple of verses in the song.

I wish I could go back to college. No, I don't want a second round of my thesis and the exams I failed and the other things that caused me so much stress. :) But I wish I could relive the moments when my friends and I were so idealistic, hanging out at our building's parking lot, walking under the shade of the trees lining up the Academic Oval, being in my org's spot and exchanging jokes, singing, or simply having fun with my orgmates. Those were the days when I felt I'm ready to take on the world. That I'm prepared for everything. But when I graduated and started working, some things were just... different.

But don't get me wrong. I'm so thankful for where I am right now. I'm happy with what I'm experiencing. And I get to reflect on this almost everyday as I play Avenue Q's "For Now" in my cellphone. As the song goes, "Life may be scary / But it's only temporary." Sure. My life is just beginning. So much lies ahead. And I'm facing them with a big smile on my face. :D