| This is my Reality | Apr 26, ’07 3:01 AM for everyone |
This is My Reality
Pinoy Big Brother. American Idol. Amazing Race. The Apprentice. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock somewhere, chances are you have seen an episode or can even recite the names of the cast members of these shows. No question about it, from the moment Mark Burnett gave us the first season of Survivor, reality TV has taken us by storm and our viewing perspective will never be the same again.
Just recently, I had my own brush with it as a “hair model” in David’s Salon’s upcoming show, The Final Cut. Twelve aspiring hair specialists housed together with the winner receiving a huge cash incentive and a trip to one of the most prestigious hair shows in Europe. Sort of like The Apprentice and PBB with a Queer Eye flavor rolled into one.
As members of Team David’s All Women’s Multi Sport Team, I along with two other teammates were asked to volunteer as guests for one of the episodes. David Charlton designed the obstacles himself, and being a multi sport athlete too, he thought it would be a good idea to get the stylists out of their physical and psychological comfort zones by making them join boot camps, row boats, zipline, climb, run, etc., aside from the presumed activities of cutting, coloring, and styling hair.
One of the things that Louigie, the stylist assigned to me was instructed to do was cycle a pedicab with myself as passenger. Judging from his physique, he was obviously not accustomed to working out (understatement), and pedaling uphill with the added weight of an extra person proved to be a difficult task (understatement # 2). He couldn’t even handle his bike well enough to maneuver properly, and we literally crashed into the ditch four times. I was scared as hell. I had just recovered from an injury which took four long months to heal and I definitely didn’t want to get sidelined again—especially not this way! It didn’t do my nerves any good that Louigie kept screaming throughout the ordeal, crying out things like, “But I’m not an athlete, I’m a beautician!!!” or “I’m not a man…I’m a gay (sic)!!!” Oh dear Lord.
I assessed the situation and determined that it was time to for me to gain some control. The very instant he exclaimed again, “Im not an athlete!!!” I snapped back at him, “WELL YOU ARE TODAY, DA__IT!!! I egged him on and things decidedly became more manageable afterwards and he calmed down a bit. Maybe the fact that I held a tight grip on the handle bars, went down the pedicab, and pushed helped too…hey, can’t help but still be competitive, my stylist has gotta win you know!
In the end, he was finally able to seize the bull by the horns (or in this case, comb and scissors) and rise to the challenge. He overcame his fears—geez, at least one of us did—and was able to go very far into the game. Of course I can’t tell you if he won, but I can tell you that he did very well and I am very proud of him.
Sometimes it takes moments like these for me to fully appreciate that what I do without much thought will appear awfully daunting to a lot of people. But what is not plainly clear to most is that I do either swim, bike, or run training everyday only because I choose to. And chances are, if they made their minds up to do the same thing, they will get better at it too.
People like watching reality shows because they provide the illusion of ordinary people instantly transformed into something extraordinary. And they secretly wish that they can be as lucky as the winner too. People like Louigie aren’t “lucky.” He is a very skilled and serious hair expert (otherwise my bob would’ve looked like a mop, but I like my cut, thank you very much). He didn’t learn to become one overnight.
All of us have our own special goals, ambitions, and seemingly impossible aspirations. Are you going to sit down and wait for a genie to appear or will you take the crucial steps to achieve them? Your show.
Filipina Ironwoman 