I AM not easily amused and it takes talent to make me laugh.
Call it a curse but it is what it is.
A friend was aghast when I admitted I was not a fan of the hit series "Friends," he looked at me like I was a freak and attested it was funny.
I retorted, I was not amused. So began his life mission to get me hooked on the series, sending me seasons of the sitcom every now and then to this day.
I am still not amused.
So there goes my life peppered with occasional laughing sprees with friends. Far and in between instances of giddiness which are remembered when things get overly lonely.
So imagine my amazement when people try to amuse me or my dismay when they fail miserably.
Let me tell you a story about my city which tried to amuse its people.
There seemed to be a clamor to please in the city's seat of power with leaders scrambling to amuse citizens.
A tear jerking explanation that the city needs a carnival for locals to enjoy. For the children to savor and for old timers to remince the days of old.
Aldermen said it can be recalled the glory days of yore had a carnival where locals converged and enjoyed.
So the seemingly unanimous decision coupled with the chief executives green light opened the doors to Belazar Ola's carnival.
He is not Hugh Jackman and definitely the farce is a far cry from the greatest showman.
There are no freaks to amuse locals with their oddities. No shows to rib locals in laughter but there are freak rides which will bring out the daredevil in you. Spinning in speeds that will defy gravity.
No one was amused.
Baguio city boasts to being a UNESCO creative hub where artists thrive and where muses abound for inspiration.
But we content ourselves with a carnival fit for the barrios.
Children gamble in a park meant to be a refuge for fun and leisure while the wise reprimand and say it is not what it is but instead offer that is what all carnivals do...all over the world.
It’s sad.
I am still not amused.