Year 4 Week 25-27 and Spring Break Week 1: Feb.11-March 2; March 3-11, 2019

MOTHER COURAGE AND HER CHILDREN

The cast and stage management team of Mother Courage and Her Children!

So we finally wrapped up our production of Mother Courage and Her Children last February 24, 2019. I do admit that it's been a month since I have posted on my blog. However, I have been in extreme circumstances for the past month and I had to deal with multiple things all at once.

HEALTH SCARE
Sometime in the last week of December 2018, I felt a lump on my right breast. I had it checked at Juilliard's Office of Health Services in January 2019 and was recommended for an ultrasound. When I got to do an ultrasound (with a referral from Juilliard), they recommended that I do a "Guided Core Needle Biopsy." That really freaked me out especially since this was happening in the midst of rehearsals for Mother Courage and Her Children. I got a second opinion from a doctor at Weill Cornell Medical Center and in the end, the two women OB-GYN's that I consulted with recommended that I go forward with the biopsy. One of my closest friends accompanied me to the procedure on the week of the opening of Mother Courage. It was a successful procedure (no infections, etc.) and two days later I got the news that the results were "negative." So I'm okay!

APARTMENT TROUBLES
On top of all that, the lease-owner of the apartment I was currently staying in got a letter from the building's management company saying that they will not be renewing her lease at the end of February - which is right around the time Mother Courage closes. I had to look for apartments with some potential roommates during the show-week of Mother Courage. We must have seen 23 apartments in a span of a week. It was exhausting. In the end, our main 2 apartment options didn't work out and I am now temporarily staying in my uncle's friend's spare room in the lower east side for a month until I figure out my housing situation.

My mom and godmother flew in from Manila to see me in Mother Courage. They also kept me from having a major breakdown by helping me pack.

MOTHER COURAGE AND HER CHILDREN
I did get to complete the whole run of Mother Courage on top of everything else that was happening in my life. It was a humbling lesson. I worked very hard at the summer of 2018 to plan and prepare for my fourth year life (housing, health check-ups, etc.) so that everything was set health and housing-wise (and then some) for my fourth year and life after Juilliard. How ironic it was that right when I am playing one of the most demanding roles of the Western canon, that all of these challenges will come to me all at the same time? It just goes to show that I can plan my life carefully to a T - and yet there will be things that I won't have any control of.

Prologue: Mother Courage and Her Children. Photo by Fabian Obispo.

Many people who are very close to me might agree with me when I say that I can get quite intense. The thought, care and energy that I bring into my work and my process also applies to many areas in my life. When the universe does things like this that sort of jumbles everything, it can be very frustrating for me. I will protect and lay claim to what is important - I made sure that my work in Mother Courage took precedence. But when the universe continues to jumble things up after I have just carefully placed things in order, it can get me weary. Maybe I need to place a lighter hand on how I handle certain aspects of my life, knowing full well that nothing is forever.

FUTURE

Eye candy for me at the Lower East side

There are indeed some exciting things that are cooking for me but it's too early to post about them. It is good to know that there are good things I can hold onto in the midst of some inconveniences.

Also, if you are a reader in New York City and know someone who has an available room in April do let me know!