Rocking da decks

Yo! in a previous article I wrote about an unfortunate experience during the recent Kadayawan Festival wherein I got cheated out of a large portion of my talent fee. Over 70% of it, actually.

Those of you who read the article are probably wondering why I didn't file a letter of complaint to the beverage company that hired me. Believe me- all my friends were pushing me to. One even offered to help-out as he knows the head honcho of said company personally.

I decided to charge the matter to experience for two reasons. One, I didn't have a contract stating how much my rate is per gig and how much I'm entitled to after the 6-day event. Second, I guess you could say I actually had fun- hehe!

This was the first Kadayawan where I really felt the spirit of the festival. Being a bit lazy and cynical when it came to celebrations, I would always spend the daytime of the festival week hung-over in bed- the effect of drinking on the job the previous night (I earned a living as a club DJ). This was the first time I got immersed in the Kadayawan events and crowd as I was hired to DJ at various locations both day and night. I thought it was going to be boring and tiring. And it would have been- if the fervor and festive enthusiasm of the Davawenyos around didn't rub-off on me.

This was also the first time I actually experienced the parade from a participant's point of view rather than from the sidewalk or TV. I was tasked to spin music on a mobile dj booth of sorts which had the capacity to play music at extreme decibels. Yeah, it was hot and I had to mix music and watch-out for low-hanging cables and streamers at the same time, but the experience was surprisingly exhilarating. That was the time that I felt the full impact of the Kadayawan spirit- being the first and only DJ mixing on a booming sound system on wheels in the Parade.

Yeah- I may have been cheated out of a large chunk of my talent fee, but the experience may have been well worth it.

"One man has enthusiasm for 30 minutes, another for 30 days, but it is the man who has it for 30 years who makes a success of his life."
-Edward B. Butler