Filipino time. For those of you who don’t know anyFilipinos or aren’t one, it means we start things a littlelater than scheduled.

For example, Sinag-tala 2003, a Filipino Theatrical Revue, wasscheduled to start at 2:30 pm on Sunday, December 7. Instead, theystarted at 2:45. But wait, it wasn’t the theater’sfault. At 2:30, up until 2:45 there were still Filipinos arrivingin masses.

But that’s okay, paying the $7 was with it, and worth thewait for the 3 hour show, which ran from December 5-7.

Some of the music almost made me want to get up and dance.Toe-tapping and head bobbing my way through the musical buteducational show, it didn’t matter if I understood everythingthey were singing. It was still fun. That, and there were programsavailable with translations.

The show made me smile and laugh, as well as nearly make mecry.

A highlight of the show included the sad but educational WorldWar II battle (Noong Dakong Ikalawang Digmaan (During the SecondWar)), where a father unwillingly and sorrowfully leaves his wifeand daughter to fight in the war. I heard a couple people snifflingbehind me. That’s a pretty good sign, considering everyoneworking in and on the show were only volunteers.

Another great feature would be Mga Tinig Fil-Am (Fil-Am Voices),where young Filipino Americans express themselves through dance,music, singing, and spoken word.

A young teen narrates the piece and tells the audience howFilipino American teens express themselves. And how they aredifferent from their parents, who most likely grew up in thePhilippines and came to America to make a better life forthemselves and for their children.

The teenage group hip-hop danced, a teenage musician played theguitar and sang, while the narrator expressed her dialogue withpassion.

The singing was enjoyable. It never really seemed to me that Iwould enjoy songs that were sung in a language that Icouldn’t understand all too well. But enjoy it, I did.

I never knew I could learn about my heritage from watching atheatrical production performed by volunteers who gave up theirtime and showcased their talents on the stage in front of a wholecommunity of Filipinos and other races. It included kids in theirkindergarten ages all the way to men and women in their retirementyears. All enjoying their time in the spotlight.

For three days, the Sinag-tala Theatrical Revue 2003 sang anddanced at the Luthor Burbank High School Auditorium. Theyweren’t late the other two nights (I heard), but being lateisn’t always too bad. Especially when it’s worth theshort wait, as the show was. The company seemed like they performedas well as they could and did their best.

And as a lot of Filipinos are, I’m nearly always late, butI’m worth the wait. And so was the show. Fil-I-Am! And proudof it.