Every day we experience stress. It is part of life. It could would be work related, it could be school related and it could be something else.
Handling all these concerns may depend on one’s mental health and resiliency. Having a positive mental health would mean one would know how to manage these issues. Knowing your stressors would be a good way to manage them. Some would say eating can make them feel better. Oftentimes, many people’s stress relievers are their family. Family time is one the best moments in one’s life.
Recently, I had the chance to spend time with my family. Since our parents died, my siblings and I make sure that we celebrate their birthdays with a blast. Mom’s birthday was last March and we were able to commemorate it this April. She had been a champion for the arts especially stage musical shows. Last year, we watched our all-time favorite show, the Sound of Music, and this year, we had the chance to watch Miss Saigon.
Miss Saigon is a stage musical by Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr., with additional lyrics by Michael Mahlet. The plot is about Kim, an Asian woman (Vietnamese) who fell in love with Chris, an American soldier, during the Vietnam war, who later abandoned her (but not by choice). She has not given up on her soldier and was hoping for a reunion. I was able to watch this in New York Broadway years ago but watching it recently still had the same impact.
Miss Saigon was opened in the Philippines in March and will close on May 12 at the Theatre at Solaire. The production is directed by Laurence Connor with musical staging by Bob Avian and additional choreography by Geoffrey Garratt.
Leading the cast are Filipino-Australians, Abigail Adriano as Kim and Seann Miley Moore as the Engineer. Other actors include Nigel Hickle as Chris and local actress and singer Kiara Dario as Gigi. All of them were magnificent. The stage was amazing… but the story was really heavy. I laughed and I cried. I encourage everyone to watch it. There are also videos available in YouTube.
My family truly enjoyed it. My nephews had the chance to meet the cast and until now, they are still listening to the songs. We are still talking about it.
Our main bonding was to watch Miss Saigon but we also had the chance to spend time at Doulos Hope, the international floating bookfair. It can be recalled that Doulos was here years ago in Bacolod and many book lovers availed of the discounted books and also the ice cream and popcorn they sold. We had the same experience. Although, there were not as plenty books as years before. But we were able to buy a number of books. We enjoyed eating ice cream and popcorn, too.
Another bonding event was watching the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 volleyball games at the Mall of Asia Arena. We watch both men and women games of University of Sto. Tomas (UST) vs University of the Philippines (UP) and National University (NU) vs. Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU). It was an exciting experience. We had close contacts with the players and the game. We even had to catch the balls at some point to prevent from hitting our heads. I enjoyed watching and now, that I am back in Bacolod, I watched the games live online.
Of course, we enjoyed meals together. We went to our favorites restaurants that are not here in Bacolod.
There are many ways to celebrate, it may not be just traveling, it could just be a gathering at home or attending a church service. Some prefer going to the beach or camping.
It is recommended to do something to prevent stress. Each person knows what will make him happy.
Do it.
Do what makes you happy. Just remember that doing so will not harm yourself or others.*
