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CHEERS TO HER MAJESTY
I am a self-confessed book addict and would read anything
to satisfy my craving for the written word. And this gluttony
for books and reading has developed me this strange fear
of picking up, unfortunately, Pinoy books in contemporary
Filipino (read: Taglish), especially on the love and romance
genre, on the shelves. I had a very upsetting first time
experience with a Pinoy love story that I swore not to
touch another Pinoy ala-Sweet Dreams novel in my entire
lifetime or the next. Instead of enjoying the story, I
ended up mentally editing the book. At the same time,
I was wondering if who I would blame - the author for
its poor command of the English language or the editor
for overlooking the mistakes. I was just so disappointed
that I did not give the other Filipino love stories a
chance to redeem their lost glory in my mind. Well, almost…!
 My
cousin lent me Abi Aquino's Drama Queen one fine day in
December of last year. She said it was maganda, but I
did not take her word for it. I did not want to touch
anything of that sort again, much more read it, right?
And, besides, she is the type of girl who does not read
as much as I do that I doubted her credibility. I mean,
for a girl who has probably read ten books, how would
she really know what is maganda and what is not, right?
But, I just took it with a smile for my cousin's sake
(I love her that much). It has been sitting on my desk
for over a week and gathering dust. I practically forgot
that it was there until boredom sunk in. With hesitation,
and believe me, I had lots of it, I picked up the book
and for starters, read the back cover. Not bad, I thought.
The front cover was also done with style. Not baduy or
jologs. And, if it is published by Summit, the publisher
of Cosmopolitan Philippines, recommended by its book club,
reviewed by Cosmopolitan as "a super satisfying,
sexy and hilarious read about the comedy and tragedy of
love and other entanglements," and written by a fellow
La Sallista, then probably it is worth giving a shot.
With fewer uncertainties now, I made the first flip of
page. And, I am glad that I did.
Katrina, or Kach (pronounced as "Catch"), is
the drama queen. At 26, she's a struggling theater actress,
and her biggest career break, which is to play Elena -
a boobs-flashing maid, not only makes the audiences' head
to spin, but hers as well.
Caught between the loves of two men, Jorge, her male best
friend and Sanchez, a James "Deanish" hunk that
co-starred with her in her latest play, Kach's very own
drama takes center stage on real life.
My cousin, though hard for me to admit, was right. Drama
Queen is certainly maganda. It is well written, but not
tough to grasp. No technical theater jargons, no highfaluting
terms, just your everyday talk with matching cusses. The
set-up is so ordinary that I am sure you will say once
in a while "Ay! Nangyari na sa akin ito." or
"Parang may kilala ako na ganyan." It so easy
to identify with the characters. And, if you cannot find
yourself in one of them, probably you will find them in
your friends'. And, it is one Pinoy book that you will
not be ashamed to flash around. It has sense and style
all rolled into one.
If Drama Queen was food, it would definitely be chop suey
served right off the stove. Like chop suey, which has
a multitude of ingredients, Drama Queen's recipe has it
all, too. It is not just about the pains and struggles
of love, but also its triumphs. It also has a teaspoon
of family ties and friendship. A cup of inspiration to
chase your dreams. And, a dash of intimacy. Now, is it
not enough to crave for?
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Article written by: Tintin G. Corpuz
Send your comments to: little_tin_star@yahoo.com
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