Wazzup, Wazzup Noel Driz

I first met Bing at…

                the U.P. College of Music, on October 28, 1988, the first UPCC rehearsal after its 1988 tour. This was way back when we were young and of very basic means, and far, far from the glamour(!) pusses we are now. Imagine: Bing and I used to go home together by bus from our UPCC rehearsals. Egay, en route to his Bayaya house, would drop us off at EDSA Quezon Ave. from where we took the JB bus (Bing's preferred bus as it went all the way through to Baclaran church) which took me to Evangelista (otherwise known as Magallanes Village), and Bing, to Baclaran from whence she took a jeepney to their house in Las Piñas. It might be hard to imagine now, but back then, only Bing's face had any shade of Mestiza (care of Ly-na)— Bing's face and neck were uncoordinated shades of brown and white back then. May I just remind you all that this was pre-glutathione, way back when the only air conditioned buses plying the route were the Love buses, which did not go beyond Ayala-Buendia, and which I was almost always too poor to be able to afford .

I remember Bing…

                 When we first met, Bing may or may not have been sporting gynormous bangs, otherwise known as a 'tsunami' and she may or may not have been wearing enormous baggy pants topped by a tight floral shirt, but that is how I picture her at our first meeting. It was just getting dark when rehearsals started at Abelardo Hall, in a second floor room atop the college library, and, as I remember, Bing was somewhere to my right. We pretended to sight-read songs from the '88 tour repertoire from music sheets to the tut-tutting of the old members. I think what initially brought us together was the fact that she went to Saint Mary's Academy (SMA) —the local sossy-ish school of the Pasay area, and I was from Southeastern College Pasay City, Philippines (the undeniably bakya school). Far apart in lifestyles (breeding???), but bound together by past geographies, and the burgeoning UPCC experience, and yes, a raw brand of humor, Bing and I kindled a friendship of a lifetime. I know Bing as a no-nonsense kind of person: she learned her parts well (I don't recall her getting into trouble for not knowing her alto parts), sang & danced wonderfully and with gusto, but made sure she didn't stick out (so as to keep out of the vizier of old members' wrath). Together, we were UPCC librarians, which meant we took care of the copying, distribution, lending (and the occasional stealing!) of music sheets. We were supposed to know how many scores there were, and made sure that all choir sections had equal/equitable share of it. We were a good team because we made sure that we almost always had enough copies for rehearsals and small-group performances, and were quick to blame clandestine thievery as the short of shortages. As our UPCC experience continued, the acme of which was our 9-month tour of Europe and North America, our friendship deepened and Bing and I, together with Egay, Paul, Meh-Ann & Adrian, became the closest of friends. Bing and I haven't seen each other for decades, but I am sure that when we do, it would be as if we've never been apart.

I’m now based in…
        Leiden, The Netherlands, with my husband, Remy, and our son, Datu. We live in a three-storey, 18th-century house on the banks of a tributary of the Rhein. We are not rich, but we live a very comfortable life, very different from the poverty which dominated my youth. 

 I came here in 1996 as part of the Dutch cast of Miss Saigon, a fact, I'm sure, surprised my friends, as it did me. Sure, I dabbled in some theater when I was in U.P., but I was not what one might call a stage enthusiast; sure I could dance a bit, but my dance training was strictly limited to the passes we had to learn for UPCC concerts and the social dance I learned in college, but it was far too deficient from the dancing that a broadway musical required. That I could sing was a given, I've been doing that for years, but I was a choir boy, so broadway show stoppers had always been in the periphery. Back then, belting was frowned upon in choral circles, and that was exactly what was required in the auditions. One thing is for sure though, my UPCC training got me through the Miss Saigon auditions hurdles. My old members trained me well: adjust, concentrate, energy to the fingertips! I'm sure if Bing did the auditions with me, she would have done the same, and, I'm also sure, she would have landed a better part. And that's the story behind my present home base. 

I’m busy with…

             getting my teaching groove back after a year-long hiatus. I am an English teacher here, but my husband and I decided that it would be best if someone stayed at home to make our son's first year here in Holland go smoothly, with him feeling really at home. I took last year off , but am back in the classroom now and loving it. I've always wanted to be a teacher (a university professor, actually, but that's yet to come), a choice that used to earn me questioning looks from my friends. They used to dissuade me from my education course, but since that had always been my calling, I persevered. Now, most of my friends are teachers.

I can cook…

            anything and everything, but I cannot bake except quick-bake brownies. I can do all the basic Pinoy fare with some flourish. I am very good at whipping up something delish out of whatever there is in the fridge and pantry. But I also own a Great Larousse Gastronomique, which I think is the greatest compendium of French recipes, so I can also cook traditional European dishes. I do my very best in cooking something out of it every once in a while to widen my range.

My closet is full of…
           skeletons, and old clothes that I hope someday to wear again. The chances of my ever getting into my snakeskin pants and favorite cowboy shirts are slim, but I am known to be a conqueror of impossible odds. I'm a polo shirt kind of guy, so a great majority of my shirts are polos. I was hip-hop for a while, and a skater for much longer. There also was a time when we only bought clothes that needed to be dry cleaned after use, but that's over now. A major clothes shopping concern now is if I can run after a 4-year old in said clothes, or if said clothes are able to camouflage lumps of fat. As for the skeletons....

Snake skin pants!

My most fave me-place is...

Barcelona. Why? Because I'm quite tall there, the weather is almost always great, the place breathes culture, the food is excellent, and you can just lose yourself wandering around the city. I associate Barcelona to carefree times, times of living dangerously, being beautiful and shopping. Life is now far from carefree for me as a parent, my beauty is now purely inward and shopping now means hours in a toy store, but Barcelona is still a comfort to the weary soul. It's not at all out of place to reminisce of times past in Barcelona, being there almost requires you to do so.

My obsession is…

literature. It consumes me, but also intimidates me. First of all, there's too much of it, every culture has its own canon, and every language has its own peculiarities. Being a teacher and student of literature can be daunting, the reading lists alone can demoralize the faint of heart. Multiply that to the three languages I read them in, and you have an idea of the enormity of the task; teaching of it is much, much more paralyzing. Secondly, literature is everywhere, so there's a big chance that whilst watching some lame film, or playing a computer game that I, purely by habit, will analyze the story line of said lame film or computer game, which will lead to me comparing it to other story lines etc., ... as I've said, I'm obsessed. Lastly, both the appeal and analyses of literature are subjective, meaning my opinion is not always valid, nor will it be important to people who are not students of mine.

Life is…

             what you make of it. I make it a point to enjoy whatever I have, wherever I am for however long something lasts. Why should I sulk when there are other things that can make me happy? If I'm not totally happy happy somewhere and I'm unhappy, it's up to me to Poor and happy is as good as rich and happy, whether it be the slums or the finest ski resort— as Tolstoy said "happy families are all alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." There are a million things that can make you upset, but why be disgruntled by things beyond your control? I always strive for more and better, but I never forget to celebrate what I already have.

Saas-Grund, Switzerland

I don't mind having more…

Money. Not that I am greedy or anything. I just want to have enough not to have to work for money so that I can do what I really want without having to feel guilty. I know money can't buy happiness, but neither does poverty.

Now, Nu is…

             Who is NU now? Bing and I met when I was just 17, and back then, all except my family called me Noel Driz. My family and near-family called me Nu. Noel, for me sounds formal, and represents the Nu of the past: insecure, mean, impatient. Noel Driz was a notorious character to some people, or so I've heard. But the fact that I became friends with Bing is proof that I wasn't all evil. I wouldn't have made it into Bing's circle of friends if I had no redeeming value. I am first to admit that back then, I wasn't the meek, enlightened person I am now , so there is some truth behind my notoriety. The only explanation to my behavior was that I was a closet case. It is a known fact that a choir is one big closet, and as is with things that want to remain hidden, I was very protective of my cover, and that sometimes outs itself in mean behavior. Luckily for me, I saw the light! Since my escape from the closet, a new Nu was born. So who is Nu now? Nu is a father and a husband, and a teacher. Nu has accepted who he is, but also knows who he can be. Also, he has made peace with his past. Nu has always been a "can do" person, but one who needs some pushing and pulling every now and then. He is now comfortable in his own skin: that he now goes by Nu shows that. Nu is easy to remember, and it encapsulates all the various traits and qualities I have. The new me, I know for sure, is a much better person than the notorious Noel Driz. I am sure there are quite a few who cannot forgive nor forget the old me, well, perhaps with good cause− I can still bring out the bitch if need be. But as I’ve said before, I have seen the light. In fact, my new friends, those who have only known me as Nu, cannot believe it when I tell them of my evil past. It took me 27 years to find the good NU, but I guess it was just the right time when I did.

Dear Bing…

              Before anything else, I would like to strangle you for giving me a set of questions that limits the gossip I can share, and thus forcing me to make singit stories about our glorious, colorful, poverty-stricken, cringe-worthy past in strange sections of my answers to your questionnaire. I didn't even get the chance to tell your readers about that time in Cantonigrós (or was it Aberdeen?) when, after a performance, we pigged out on shrimps, when afterwards, the conductor, which you & Meh-Ann were crushing on went to you and kissed your hand with its sugpo aroma and all. Admittedly, my memory is not that good, and a lot of what I claim to know comes from overheard, whispered, purely eye-contact transmitted info, mostly from Egay, but still, I would have wanted to open the Pandora’s box which is our past. But okay, thanks for asking me to dip my pen in your inkwell (parang bastos yata yun!).

                 As I've told you before, I am jealous of the fact that you are writing. Your blog makes me green with envy. I have desires of someday writing a book, hand-out, flyer or even a grocery list etc., but don't have the time or self-control to actually publish anything. Reading your blog makes me happy for you and admire you for the good job you do, and the voice you write your blog in. Congratulations on both.

                 Lastly, Bing, it’s been forever− we haven’t seen each other in decades! A real, honest to goodness reunion is really due. And while I became fat, then thin, then macho, then fat, then fatter still, you only seem to become more and more beautiful, more and more glamorous. I want to see the new Bing in person, most preferably with the complete Yellow Car Group, or better still at the 50th anniversary of the UPCC. But I know that even with oceans and continents between us, our friendship remains as strong as ever. I love you, Bing.

Labia majora,

Noel “Nu” Driz

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Nu, nu, nu...You made me laugh and cry at the same time with your witty and memory-juggling answers, my friend (with Ly-na being resurrected from the dead!). If we hadn't had met at UPCC, I'm pretty sure we would have still been friends somewhere along the road--not only because of your inner beauty and smarts, but also because you have always been true to me. Someday, we will meet again, with Egay, Paul, and Meh-Ann, and let me warn you that I'd be hugging you for an hour! And as for that book/grocery list, I'll surely be the first to order it from Amazon...

Labiaminora, Bing

P.S. OMG, thanks for this grad pic. I lost all my copies of this. Binuhay mong muli ang katawang kolehiyala ko!