Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Two years after the prom hype.
I can't believe it's been two years since my last prom! Don't you just miss the stressful preparations as the big day draws nearer, the shocks you get when your boyish friends turn into Gracie Harts, the surprise of having someone you've never really talked to ask you to dance, the sweetness of your most memorable slowdance, and simply just that dreamy feeling when you're on the dance floor?
Prom issues have come out and I definitely missed the hype of getting them as soon as they hit magazine stands. I couldn't wait to see the hottest looks (I wouldn't really be interested in the dresses anymore since the ever-excited me would have a design in mind months before!) and I would always imagine myself all made up just like that on prom night.
One weird thing is that I'm still on prom hangover. I'm this preoccupied with Psych 115 and a couple of insecurity issues about my sudden weight gain, but thinking of being in a pretty dress and glowing makeup and lovely hair--no curls this time--still manages to cheer me up. (I'm actually begging my brother to take me to his prom next year, haha!)
Ooh, remind me to snap out of it. I'm already a college sophomore for chrissakes! Mindy and I have been talking about having a Psych prom, though--maybe when we're Mandalans!
I could still remember how it felt the first prom. I was both excited and nervous since I didn't know what to expect. I remember how I took a deep breath before I stepped into the ballroom to greet my friends and my not-so-official date. I wore a baby pink balloon dress with hot pink ostrich feathers with four-inch high heels--very Elle Woods then, until Mulawin claimed all association rights to all things heavily feathered. I remember following a strict diet then so I could fit into my dress and unfortunately losing too much weight--I was pulling it up the whole time! I had a blast dancing with my friends, especially Joe who complimented the way I looked that night and then made me cry by thanking me for being such a good friend. I had my dad as my last dance.
Senior prom was definitely the more memorable one because I didn't really prepare for it. I was preparing for a national contest then plus I felt like a loser just because my ex didn't ask me to the prom and asked my best friend instead. A couple of guy friends were nice enough to ask me but I figured it would be nice to try going stag along with my dateless girlfriends. My guy best friend Alkaids gave me flowers while I bought him a bouttonaire but that didn't change the fact that I was wristsage-less in a sea of wrist-/corsaged girls. (My friends gave each other wristsages for fun, I wonder why I didn't join in.) I initially moped at the fact that I had no choice but to wait for someone to ask me to dance. Whenever fast music played, me and my barkada would head to the dance floor and form a big circle which always got bigger until almost the whole batch was in it! I also remember ranting to my girlfriends how it was taking too long for my crush to ask me to dance only to feel a tap on my back and to find his best friend doing the asking for him!
I was surprised also last week when Marla asked me to email her my prom experience and a few pictures. (Thanks Marla! :D) Turns out it was for this!
Come to think of it, it's really been such a long time. Every girl older than me used to say, "You can never go back to the prom so enjoy every second of it!"
But I do go back to the prom once in a while. I go back as the new me each time. I've grown so much stronger and wiser I was from that girl I was before who couldn't even survive a very high school breakup.
If I were to go back to that very prom again, I would definitely know a lot better. I wouldn't let the hairstylist get away with just doing my hair with a curling iron--he should put mousse first before setting it for a couple of hours. I would choose much comfier shoes so I could do more dancing, as if I didn't dance enough that night, so I wouldn't witness my toes cramping after. I would take more pictures with my friends so I could have more to look at when I get nostalgic and all. I would be more makulit so that my gown would come out exactly the way I wanted it. I walk straight to the middle of the circle and dance like crazy even without Joe leading me or Alkaids pushing me. If it's impossible to get them to do my makeup, I'd contact Jigs Mayuga, Leo Posadas, Tatin Yang, and of course, Ate Keng to ask for tips on what look would best suit me. I'd master prom tips from those magazines. I would ask good ol' Mr. Samson, my Physics teacher, to dance. And last but not the least, I definitely would not give Val the cold shoulder just because my ex asked her to the prom.
Thank goodness there's such thing as "growing up". But I'm still in denial I've left the prom phase, bleh.
So to all your first time prom girls out there, I'm telling you, never ever let anything get in your way of having fun. The prom is not about being chosen Prom Queen or having the most romantic night of your life, having a date at least, or being the center of attention. The prom is about, being yourself, appreciating others, bonding with your friends, getting to know your date better, dancing like crazy in a gorgeous dress, overcoming your shyness, and definitely growing into a fine young lady who knows how to have fun.
And to those who're prom graduates just like me, if you were to go back to the night of your prom, what exactly would you have done?
