OL and NO. New York City Trip.

I have decided to start a blog site of my own. I don't know how it will go but this will be a good way for me to keep everyone and anyone who are interested to read my updates on-line other than e-mails. As you know with my e-mails... So I guess I will try to keep up as much as possible. So to commence this ceremonious occasion, here goes nothing.


So I have been here since Tuesday and I have been having a great time here in the city. The weather has been awesome, well until yesterday, but still it's been so warm that even it got very cold today I still enjoyed the fact that the good weather has gone this far.

Audition wise things are alright. I had one audition so far and I felt good about it. Even though they only heard me sing one. I stop trying to wonder why they only heard one selection in an audition. Before I worry myself silly to figure out their mind. It's not worth it. So I start to think to myself, hey I get to leave after singing one aria, that's great! I go in and get out. Quick and Easy.

Yesterday I decided to try out on something I have never done before. This might sound odd to some of you but I tried this thing that has been done amongst singers for a long time. It's called "crashing" an audition. Now, I don't know why I have never done this before. But as I found out it does not come so easily to do this "crashing" for me.

I heard from my management that certain opera company was in town doing auditions. Another singer from my management went to the location the day before yesterday and successfully "crashed" the audition. I, on the other hand, was at another audition in the afternoon so it was not plausible for me to "crash". So I decided to go and try to "crash" the audition the very next day.

By the time I arrive at the said location, there were many singers roaming around the floor which occupied the studios that hold auditions for different companies. Fortunately there is a blackboard that tells you where these companies are located. I looked, no sign of the said company I was looking for. I call my management to tell them that this company is no longer there. They tell me to find another one to "crash". So I go and ask the first studio I see with a check in person. Unfortunately, I found out that they are virtually full and will not be able to meet my request. Sadly, I gave up on that company. Yet, I kept my hope up and went on to another studio for another chance.

I found another company on the floor below where they were holding an audition. This one looked a little better so I decide to park myself at the hallway right by the studio. There were two different company auditioning on that floor so there were more singers than I expected, but quickly find out that most of the people were waiting for the company I was not going to "crash". So when I arrived at the location it was about 2:30pm. I heard that when you are waiting to "crash" an audition, you better be ready to go the distance. Unfortunately for me, I failed to eat anything before I left the house so I was STARVING!!! Yet, I was adamant to stay for the long haul. I sat myself on the bench that was adjacent to the door and waited. And waited... And waited even more. Now, it could be like half an hour since my wait, I start to see more and more distinguished looking singers(it just meant that they look older and have been around if you know what I mean...) file in for the audition I was going to "crash".

Another hour has gone by, things are not looking better. At this point, I had nothing better to do but wait to "crash" this audition. I wait... More singers... Still waiting... Oh, I also want to let you know that this place is quite live. Actually both studios(they are facing each other on the hallway) so we can really hear whoever is singing inside the studios. One side, the one I am NOT "crashing", lets just call that OL. They have younger singers singing in there. Some very good, some not so much. Well, on the other hand. The one I want to "crash", lets call that one NO. Well... This one definitely had many, I mean MANY great singers. Most of them are bringing in their big guns to their auditions. I start to feel ill to my stomach, perhaps from my starvation, no, no, it's definitely from listening to these totally advanced singers. I think to myself, "What the schwach am I doing here...?" But no, I am not giving up. These companies always want to hear fresh singers who are new. I am one of them so I should stay and stick it out till the end.

It's 5:00pm. I ask one of the singers waiting on the dock to sing, "how long are they going?" 6:00pm. I start to feel foolish, but then again, what do I got to lose? I see few friends of mine come and go through OL and NO auditions. I meet new people and start talking. Find out that there were two other people waiting to "crash" along with me. I feel better. Yes, we are all on the same boat. We are all gonna stick it out till the end. Yes, we are the brethren of "crashers".

Around 6:00pm, finally the OL audition close shop and takes off, one of my friend who was waiting to "crash" this one, lucky for her, got an audition. I told her, "That's great! Good luck." But secretly, I was thinking "lucky bitch..." I know, I know, not very nice, bad karma... Perhaps feeling ill-will towards another colleague(probably not) brought bad karma(Okay, I'm not that awful). I saw that there was one singer left. Perhaps there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and let me tell you this has been a very long tunnel. By the time the last person gets out(happens to be another friend of mine), we all go into see if they have some time left to perhaps hear us poor singers who've waited all afternoon for them.

Guess what the answer was?


NO


I guess they had to go somewhere 20 minutes ago. Unfortunately I can't get upset by the fact that I was not getting an audition. But I was pretty pissed off, probably because I was beyond starving by then... And trust me, I get really pissy when I'm hungry(ask my girlfriend, she will tell you).

My first attempt at "crashing" did not go so well. It actually "crashed" me. So, I hear from my friend during my stay of "crash"-tastic afternoon to get together for dinner. I call her back and to see where she was. At this point, all I wanted to do was to eat. So we start to head down to lower east side to meet up with another friends for dinner. To put the final touch to my day, as soon as we get off the train and start walking, guess what happens?


RAIN!


Not just any little rain. It starts to pour down like cats and dogs.

Great... What a day.

But no, there was a light at the end of this f'ing long tunnel.

We went to a Burmese restaurant. It was definitely a first for me. I was not excited of this choice but at this point I say to myself, "what the hell, can it get worse?" Thank God that it didn't. The food was AMAZING!!! So for those of you fortunate enough to track down a Burmese cuisine(is there a lot of these around?). DO IT! You will not regret it.
After all, food did save my long day of starvation and bad mood. Thank you food for being there for me.

And here, I will end my first blog. Which went longer than I expected...

Have a nice Sunday tomorrow y'all!