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Tuesday, August 21, 2007

THE REVENGE OF THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY
Part 2

Music class, 15-16 years ago, Belgium: I was about 9 years old and all I wanted is to become a singer like Luis Miguel, play the piano and fly an airplane. The class was given musical instruments to play and for some reason, Mr. Van Riemsdijk insists that I get the drum although he knew I play the piano!

The drum was ok but I’m the only one with it. My classmates either get a flute, a violin, or a guitar. Mr. Van Riemsdijk even gave the piano to a boy with 2 left hands! I didn’t know what he was thinking! *grrrr*

“Hit the drum on MY cue.” he would say…and one nod from him, I go: “BOOM!” When he nods twice, I go: “BOOM! BOOM!” And it doesn’t stop there! I have to take his cue to hit the goddam drum “soft”, “hard” or “real hard”! – I was just 9 for f*ck sake!!! I wanna hit the drum as many times I want!... OH! 3 nods!!! I go: “BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!” And I was like: “Waaaahhhhh! Get me outta here!”


On some days we get voice lessons from Mr. Van Riemsdijk...he would yell “YOU!” (it means me, because he never calls me by name but sometimes he calls me “Gypsy”).

“Stand up here and sing with your drum.” he said -- always in Dutch. Although he knew half of the class DON’T speak Dutch. *and who sings with a drum? Honestly? Pffft!*

Then I go: [BOOM] “Des yeux qui font baisser les miens...[BOOM BOOM]...Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche [BOOM!]...Voila le por..."

”NEXT!” he yelled so hard that the elephants as far as Laos would die of a heart attack! “I haven’t finished my first line yet.” I said quietly. He always does that to me…But when other kids sing…he let ‘em finish. *sigh, darn!*


One day, the boy on the piano didn’t come to class. I thought it was my chance! Imagine a 9-year-old boy raising his hands so eager to get the part -- “ME! ME! ME!”.... And you know what he did?... he picked another boy who can ONLY play “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”!!! -- with one hand!!! HOLY GUACAMOLE! I can play Rachmaninoff at that age, thank you very much!

The horror of a half-breed little boy, living in boarding school with people like Mr. Van Riemsdijk to terrorize me for 2 years is just too traumatic to bear. I never become a singer, I lost interest playing the piano and never flew an airplane. If Mr. Van Riemsdijk did all those things on purpose to destroy my dreams, he really did succeed.


After 15 years, I am again face to face with my tyrant -
– in Bangkok! Of all places! -- V is for vendetta. Ha!




TO BE CONTINUED...last part tomorrow.

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6 Comments:

Misterhubs said...

Let me guess what happened next: you beat Mr. Van Riemsdijk with a drum stick?

travelphilippines said...

no he will kill mr van riemsdijk.

Qtheconqueror said...

Hmmm... You beat him with you're drumstick!

Oh wait. That's just gross. So I guess you shower him with kindness and send him back to Belgium.

Pisanu for BISEAN said...

@ Misterhubs and Travel...did I really made an impression that I'm a trigger-happy-violent-sonovabitch? LOL. Nah. But of course the thought occured to be. :-)

@ Q...did you see the last part already? God you hit the jackpot!

Anonymous said...

Is that song "La Vie en Rose"?

Anonymous said...

Maybe he called you Gypsy cos u looked like a Romani to him? It's just a thought, no offense

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