OMG!...So The Drama!...

Malo, friends and country men...This post will probably be a sleep-inducingly hum-drum entry...Not only because the pictures are similar to the ones from the last post (although, they're not the same...Just extras from Lotoasi Beach), but also because I'm not going to discuss some controversial, fascinating American Samoan issue...Mostly because I want this post to be short...I have a ton of stuff to do...And remember that book I've wanted time to start writing?...Hmph...It's not gettin' written'...(I have a feeling it won't be until next semester)...So, lets converse briefly tonight...



The image above is of the injury I recieved at Lotoasi...As I described in my most recent blog entry, the waves along this shoreline of the island were crazy big...I mean, it was astonishing to see the power of the ocean as it collapsed unto the rocks...When glimpsing from a cliff I could see the dark blue surf of the sea rise and fall, swelling, pulsating like a living, breathing heart...And then the cold, salty waters would explode along the ancient lava rocks...It was alive...I wish I could capture moments like that in a bottle and send them back to y'all...There's no real words to describe it...Even coming from a talented writer like myself ;-)



Anyways, the boys and I were sitting in a small pool of water near the shoreline...It was a lil' pond that would be rushed with waves sporadically...It was like our own spa/whirlpool...It was nice...We were just being goofy and relaxing when suddenly a huge, ginormously powerful tidal wave came crashing into our lil' pool...The cavity was flooded with rushing, wild, surging water and all of us started thrashing and screaming, terrified of drowning or being swept out to the killer South Pacific...I was definetly scared as I struggled to stay above the strong, spiraling water...But I was also frightened for the boys...Especially Holy, who isn't a very good swimmer...I looked back as I was violently pushed against the rocks and saw Holy sinking into the heaving blue...My heart dropped...But then I noticed the spiky,sharp, rough and rocky surface that I was being carried towards...My body, still being dragged by the intense wave, grated and scoured along the stony plane...I felt the rocks scratch and tear at my skin...Finally, the wave died and I lifted my body from the rocks...I stood up and realized that the boys were okay...In fact, many of them, including myself, were laughing...The wave came outta nowhere, and luckily no one was hurt...Otherwise, it probably wouldn't have been so amusing...As you can see from the picture at the top, my arms and legs were all bloodied and bruised up...Like a Spartan!...It ended up boosting my masculinity...Cause only a man could've survived a wave like that one!...

Oh, really quickly...We went to a local family's house after our adventure at this beach and had some dinner...The Samoan family told us the reason the wave attacked us was because we were being too loud...You see, it's a village legend that when people are loud and disrespectful on the beach, the ocean will punish them...This island is filled to the brim with ghost stories and superstitions like this one...Someday I'll devote an entry about them...

Okay, so I wanted to talk about something that happened recently during my production of the Tafuna High School musical...As you all know I'm the director of Cinderella and I chose my final cast last Friday...In other words, I had to pick out of many kids to fill the roles of my relatively tiny cast...Needless to say, some students were upset with my decisions...One of my choices brought a considerable sum of complaints...Lemme explain it to you and y'all can tell me if I did the right thing...

When we had our first day of try-outs for Cinderella (which consisted of the girls singing, acting, and dancing), I didn't find her...The actresses that auditioned were just not that good...I didn't even believe they really put that much heart or effort into their performances...There was one girl, Jayleen, who did do an alright job...She was kinda meek and quiet, but I totally thought I could mold her into a star...Our Cinderella...But only if I had to...My assistant directors, who are students that I interviewed and selected and were helping me judge and choose our cast, expressed their concerns...They said, "We don't think any of those girls are our Cinderella"..."We have so much better talent at our school"...Eventually, we decided to hold another audition for Cinderella...After we made this decision, my choreographer, Tino, said that she was thinking about trying out for Cinderella...She said, "If we don't find anyone better, I really think I will audition...I believe I could be our best Cinderella"...Well, at our next audition Tino did audition and she blew me away...She was a wonderful singer, a gorgeous dancer, a pretty good actress, and an excellently dedicated worker...In that moment I knew she was our Cinderella...Jayleen's second audition was better than the first but I still felt like she didn't put 100% into her performance...She was definetly trying her best, but her best just wasn't that good...(I know, that's cruel to confess but I have to be an honest, tough, asshole-ish director now)...On Friday I posted the cast list and Jayleen was pissed off...So were some of her friends...They were very angry with my decision...They felt, and I suppose reasonably so, that Tino was a judge for the auditions and it wasn't fair that she got the part...I told them that she auditioned like everybody else and wasn't involved in the judging process in regards to herself...But they still alleged that it was unjust that a choreographer and assistant director got the main role in the musical...No matter how many times I said "but she's our best Cinderella", they didn't agree...I gave them an excessive lecture on Friday after school...I told them that like any competition or any school sport, you may not be chosen to play...That's the chance you're taking in trying out...And like any sport, I need our most skilled actresses and actors...I also said, rather harshly, "the choices have been made and if you don't like them then you can leave the play...I only want people who will dedicate and devote themselves to putting on the best musical this island has seen...We cannot waste our time on people who want to quit or who only want an okay performace...I want the best performance!"...Man, y'all should've seen me...I was like Braveheart...Inspiring the masses with a powerfully uplifting speech...It seems like the kids are over it now...Although, Jayleen has quit the show and is still upset about my decision...I kinda think it was just teenage drama...I mean, I remember being in that drama crowd when I was in high school...I was usually in all of the Eisenhower High School productions and the drama kids love drama...They're dramatic...That's why they adore drama...I hope this was just a small speed bump in this endeavor I've decided to tackle...I've heard that this is the first high school musical the island has ever seen...This is gonna be more difficult and special than I thought...

What do y'all think?...Was I an unfair director?...Was I too harsh?...Should I be more of a caring, sensitive director and not focus so much on the end result?...Or should I be obsessed with putting on THE BEST performance?...Let me know what you guys think...

If you have time, watch this hilarious clip of a Samoan family on the gameshow Family Fued...I guess the boys think it's so funny...Especially a now classic answer the family gives..."Three Little Goose"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHuj2dTTT4U

Okay...I gotta go now...Sorry for the boring post...Leave a comment so I can feel all y'all's alofas...

Love ya and miss ya...

-JOE

"It is a hard way, the way of being a man. Sooner or later we all want a thing that is bad. To walk on all fours. To suck up drink from a stream. To jabber, instead of saying words. To go snuffling at the earth and to claw on the bark of trees. To eat flesh or fish. To make love to more than one and every which way. These are all bad things. These are not the things that men do. But we are men, are we not? We are men because the Father has made us men!"

-from The Island of Dr. Moreau