The greatest show on earth was cancelled

There has been so much hoopla over the World Pyrolympics since it first started in December 2005. I never really had any interest to watch because 1) there is sure to be LOTS of people watching, and 2) it’s held in the Mall of Asia. I’ve nothing against Henry Sy’s ginormous mall, but it’s just too far from where I live, and it involved two jeepney rides, one bus ride and one MRT ride. So I was surprised when I found myself accepting Eric‘s invitation to watch last Saturday, May 17.

All the signs were there — a full day schedule which meant no sleep for me, and a storm signal number 1 for Metro Manila meant rain. But my desire to take photos of colorful fireworks and to try out my Genki Umbrella was too strong, so I just dressed to the weather and hoped for the best.

I should’ve listened to my instincts and stayed at home — the Pyrolympics was cancelled for that night. The strong winds made the seas rough, and may even have adverse effect when the fireworks are fired into the sky. I couldn’t blame the coast guard and La Mancha for making that decision, but it was pretty disheartening. The show was re-scheduled for the following day, May 18th.

A deep 14-hour sleep was enough to recharge me, and I decided to give the Pyrolympics a second chance. The weather was getting better, and there were hardly any rain the whole day. The moment I stepped out of the house though, I had a feeling that it was going to be cancelled. The wind was blowing quite strong in Quezon City, what more in Manila Bay? Ever the optimist, I set out for MOA, knowing I’d kick myself if I don’t go and miss this chance.

True enough, as soon as I boarded the MOA-bound jeep at the Taft MRT station, Eric texts: the Pyrolympics was cancelled again. I might as well head to Mall of Asia, I thought, since I’m almost there. Over cups of coffee and tea, banana loaf and coffee buns, Eric and I lamented the unlucky streak of this year’s World Pyrolympics. First, it has been re-scheduled several times. The first pyrolympics was held in December 2005, the second in January 2007 (it was originally scheduled for December 2006). I have no idea why La Mancha Productions delayed the event for so long, but May isn’t really the best time to have an event that’s heavily dependent on the weather. It rained heavily during the first two shows, which delayed the program for an hour. This week, it was typhoon Cosme that completely cancelled the show. Italy and Venezuela, who were scheduled to perform last weekend has been re-scheduled to perform next Saturday (May 24) instead. To add to the Pyro Olympics’ misfortune, I heard that some countries have backed out and the Fellowship of Fire will be performed next week, instead of the 31st. Of course, due of this recent cancellation, the schedule will probably be moved back to its original schedule.

So the question now is, will I still go to the next two shows? I don’t know. I’ve been so disappointed with this two wasted trips to the Mall of Asia (using up time which I could’ve used to work on my huge backlog), that I find it hard to muster up any enthusiasm for the event. Maybe if it was suddenly re-scheduled to January or February (or even April), where the weather’s more predictable…