It was my 4th Mardi Gras Parade experience ... no longer a "virgin". I remember vividly the rigors and the routines that I put myself through the first time [and also the others ;-)], and also the exhilaration that was never matched by the next 2 consecutive rounds that I paraded. I wrote about the excitement and the love I felt, my 15 minutes of Fame, that propelled me to do it again in the next 2 years. The next 2 years seemed like a routine but I did remember that I psyched myself into make believing that it is the "first time" when I did the 3rd time and I found the same excitement, though at a different level of exhilaration. A realization that we could actually trick our minds, if we believe ...
That same year with a renewed perspective to life, waking up after a heartbreak, I met my partner, John, and decided to sit the next 2 years out. Since John was the organizer for the float for work this year, we decided to make another appearance together, as a couple. It was a totally different experience, not unlike one when we become part of a couple. Gone are the days of desperate hope that someone on the streets, in the pub, or anywhere could be "The One". Though nothing will stop the wandering eyes and the occasional linger, but there is a sense of serenity there, a knowing contentment. Please do not mistake that there is something wrong with being single though, because we all need our freedom to be ourselves, and sometimes, people function better by themselves, and can find inner satisfaction within. Well, I am lucky to be able to be myself and continue to explore untapped parts of me within this loving and supportive relationship.
Now, the angel wings were a much debated point because they didn't belong to me, and it is notorious that it rains on every Mardi Gras Parade because Reverend Fred Nile always prays for rain. It was a risky decision but I am forever grateful we took the bullet. Miraculously, it only drizzled in the afternoon and cooled the day down for a wonderful evening. As I stepped into the gathering grounds when all the participants of our float chatted while having little bites, I was suddenly rather self conscious of my appearance and how I would appear. It took a little while before I could ready myself. I guess it was the "Gollum" in me that sparked the doubt, but the gasps and the welcoming cheer as I stepped down the stairway, albeit a narrow one, gave me the confidence to stand up proud, while smiling sheepishly at the same time with the sudden attention that I had somehow anticipated.
I did walk out onto the streets eventually to run some errands, and quickly realized that if this was any other day, I would have jumped from tree to tree in embarassment, but somehow, on Mardi Gras Parade Day, it was normal. There were looks but I managed to keep my poise and pretended it was just another one of those days. After we were finally given identification strips and down at the actual starting point of the parade at 4.30 pm, the first hints of excitement sipped as pedestrians starting stopping and taking photos. It was like the paparazzi, though the "victims" happily posed for photos, some of whom flaunted themselves while the rest of us worked to get the float ready.
The theme for the float was "Party" since it was the 20th Anniversary of Ankali (which is a non-profit organization which trains volunteers to provide social and emotional support for people living with HIV and AIDS). It is a great program and I am so proud to be the other half of someone who inspires me with the work he does everyday and to be able to call some of the volunteers my friends. The float was a big 3 tier birthday cake decked with candles, silver and golden balloons, and tinsel. We would all dance around our float as we paraded down Oxford Street eventually.
Since there was ample time before the actual parade procession at 8.00 pm, I took the opportunity to walk around the other floats, examining the hard work the other participants have put in, over the past few months. We found some friends of ours who were dressed up as flight attendants performing flagging, a Fran Drescher "The Nanny" Float with plenty of Nanny impersonators - men and women in drag, the horse racing scene from the movie "My Fair Lady" with ladies and gentlemen having tea, decked in glory and parasols, skimpy lycra clad "IncredeGays" (spoof of the animated movie "The Incredibles"), the beautiful and elaborate costumes of the "Thai" contingent, which always reminds me of the Miss Brazil's national costume at every beauty contest, politically incorrect marriage of John Howard and George Bush, the perennial favourites "PFLAGs" (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and more skimpily dressed outfits, where the theme of "less is more" is always evident. A surprise "intruder" was the Irish comedian Jimeoin, who ran around in a small glitzy bottom and a sailor hat, with his camera crew, which we learnt later was the incorporated into his new yet to be titled movie.
Since there weren't many people then, I managed to attract some attention with the huge beautiful wings I had on. A funny direct comment loudly overheard was "You're not really an angel are you?" I turned back, shrugged, gave a devilish smile, and replied "No, not really ...". There were more posing later with strangers who were so excited to be there, as we waited for the Parade to begin. The skies have opened up and there was a great buzz going on. People were doing their last minutes practices and before we knew it, it began ...
The "march" was longer than I remembered, maybe because this time I had to walk and dance instead of trying to balance on a boat the last 3 times, but it was still a blur because of the euphoria. The crowds were wild and about 5 rows deep. Faces to faces, bodies to bodies, we danced to the music and stopped occasionally for a hug or a kiss. It didn't matter if we knew them or not, there was love all around. It was a great feeling because there was acceptance and maybe we are detached in that "showbiz" kind of a way that we were celebrated, but I hope that the fun and love we generated would help them to understand that we represent these wonderful attributes, and learn to accept us for who we are, regardless of the costumes we don.
The most exciting part for me was dancing for a friendly face that we could recognise in the crowd. When we could extend our arms to hold their hands or kiss them, we would, but most of our friends were looking down from their apartment, so we stopped, waved, and I did a special twirl for them, grinning from ear to ear. The most memorable part of me was dancing and walking down the Parade, hand in hand with John. He is always the first to let go of my hand when we walk on the streets, but somehow he kept coming back tonight. It was a wonderful feeling though feelings of insecurity could have crept because I was hugging and sometimes, being kissed by strangers. A moment's affair with a stranger ...
It came as it went ... the exhilaration was overwhelming, and once the adrenaline died, so did our bodies, screaming for our attention once again. It is an event that one has to "sacrifice" (the fear of being recognised) to experience and I would encourage anyone who has never done it to do it at least once. Like the reporter who asked me, "Why are you doing this again?", "Because it is one of the most fun one can ever have.", and I will likely be there again next year.
For my photos of the Event, please click here
That same year with a renewed perspective to life, waking up after a heartbreak, I met my partner, John, and decided to sit the next 2 years out. Since John was the organizer for the float for work this year, we decided to make another appearance together, as a couple. It was a totally different experience, not unlike one when we become part of a couple. Gone are the days of desperate hope that someone on the streets, in the pub, or anywhere could be "The One". Though nothing will stop the wandering eyes and the occasional linger, but there is a sense of serenity there, a knowing contentment. Please do not mistake that there is something wrong with being single though, because we all need our freedom to be ourselves, and sometimes, people function better by themselves, and can find inner satisfaction within. Well, I am lucky to be able to be myself and continue to explore untapped parts of me within this loving and supportive relationship.
Now, the angel wings were a much debated point because they didn't belong to me, and it is notorious that it rains on every Mardi Gras Parade because Reverend Fred Nile always prays for rain. It was a risky decision but I am forever grateful we took the bullet. Miraculously, it only drizzled in the afternoon and cooled the day down for a wonderful evening. As I stepped into the gathering grounds when all the participants of our float chatted while having little bites, I was suddenly rather self conscious of my appearance and how I would appear. It took a little while before I could ready myself. I guess it was the "Gollum" in me that sparked the doubt, but the gasps and the welcoming cheer as I stepped down the stairway, albeit a narrow one, gave me the confidence to stand up proud, while smiling sheepishly at the same time with the sudden attention that I had somehow anticipated.
I did walk out onto the streets eventually to run some errands, and quickly realized that if this was any other day, I would have jumped from tree to tree in embarassment, but somehow, on Mardi Gras Parade Day, it was normal. There were looks but I managed to keep my poise and pretended it was just another one of those days. After we were finally given identification strips and down at the actual starting point of the parade at 4.30 pm, the first hints of excitement sipped as pedestrians starting stopping and taking photos. It was like the paparazzi, though the "victims" happily posed for photos, some of whom flaunted themselves while the rest of us worked to get the float ready.
The theme for the float was "Party" since it was the 20th Anniversary of Ankali (which is a non-profit organization which trains volunteers to provide social and emotional support for people living with HIV and AIDS). It is a great program and I am so proud to be the other half of someone who inspires me with the work he does everyday and to be able to call some of the volunteers my friends. The float was a big 3 tier birthday cake decked with candles, silver and golden balloons, and tinsel. We would all dance around our float as we paraded down Oxford Street eventually.
Since there was ample time before the actual parade procession at 8.00 pm, I took the opportunity to walk around the other floats, examining the hard work the other participants have put in, over the past few months. We found some friends of ours who were dressed up as flight attendants performing flagging, a Fran Drescher "The Nanny" Float with plenty of Nanny impersonators - men and women in drag, the horse racing scene from the movie "My Fair Lady" with ladies and gentlemen having tea, decked in glory and parasols, skimpy lycra clad "IncredeGays" (spoof of the animated movie "The Incredibles"), the beautiful and elaborate costumes of the "Thai" contingent, which always reminds me of the Miss Brazil's national costume at every beauty contest, politically incorrect marriage of John Howard and George Bush, the perennial favourites "PFLAGs" (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and more skimpily dressed outfits, where the theme of "less is more" is always evident. A surprise "intruder" was the Irish comedian Jimeoin, who ran around in a small glitzy bottom and a sailor hat, with his camera crew, which we learnt later was the incorporated into his new yet to be titled movie.
Since there weren't many people then, I managed to attract some attention with the huge beautiful wings I had on. A funny direct comment loudly overheard was "You're not really an angel are you?" I turned back, shrugged, gave a devilish smile, and replied "No, not really ...". There were more posing later with strangers who were so excited to be there, as we waited for the Parade to begin. The skies have opened up and there was a great buzz going on. People were doing their last minutes practices and before we knew it, it began ...
The "march" was longer than I remembered, maybe because this time I had to walk and dance instead of trying to balance on a boat the last 3 times, but it was still a blur because of the euphoria. The crowds were wild and about 5 rows deep. Faces to faces, bodies to bodies, we danced to the music and stopped occasionally for a hug or a kiss. It didn't matter if we knew them or not, there was love all around. It was a great feeling because there was acceptance and maybe we are detached in that "showbiz" kind of a way that we were celebrated, but I hope that the fun and love we generated would help them to understand that we represent these wonderful attributes, and learn to accept us for who we are, regardless of the costumes we don.
The most exciting part for me was dancing for a friendly face that we could recognise in the crowd. When we could extend our arms to hold their hands or kiss them, we would, but most of our friends were looking down from their apartment, so we stopped, waved, and I did a special twirl for them, grinning from ear to ear. The most memorable part of me was dancing and walking down the Parade, hand in hand with John. He is always the first to let go of my hand when we walk on the streets, but somehow he kept coming back tonight. It was a wonderful feeling though feelings of insecurity could have crept because I was hugging and sometimes, being kissed by strangers. A moment's affair with a stranger ...
It came as it went ... the exhilaration was overwhelming, and once the adrenaline died, so did our bodies, screaming for our attention once again. It is an event that one has to "sacrifice" (the fear of being recognised) to experience and I would encourage anyone who has never done it to do it at least once. Like the reporter who asked me, "Why are you doing this again?", "Because it is one of the most fun one can ever have.", and I will likely be there again next year.
For my photos of the Event, please click here
1 comment:
Hi Sergius,
Thank you for your comments. I'm sorry I took so long to reply because I didn't seem to receive this notice.
Anyway, I hope you had a great time and am still finding life exciting every day. If you do see me someday, hope that you will come up and say Hi because I don't know what you look like. Take Care too.
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