Laughing Out Loud

Jessica Soho:  “Idescribe nyo nga ho ang feeling...humahagalpak ang mga tao dahil sa jokes nyo.”

Dolphy: “Ah ibang klase ang feeling.”

-Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, November 2010

Last Saturday night, as Sir Gerry and I were on our way back to the hotel after attending WFMA’s White Party at the beach front, a woman (one of the convention delegates) stopped us.

“Ang galing nyo, teka, ipapakilala ko (sa inyo) mga anak ko. Idol nila kayo.”

We thanked her and her daughters and as we continued walking, I shared with Sir Gerry how I am thankful for this particular God’s gift – making people laugh. And how I consider it a blessing – hearing them laugh.  Ang sarap ng feeling, and there’s no way to describe it. And for young people to look up to us and admire us, it’s simply incredible. It gives you a different kind of high, it is even addictive. And when people come up to you and tell you they love what you do, feeling celebrity ka.  

Not a few have asked me where I got it - my sense of humor and timing. It’s in the genes. My late father was a comedian. Friends couldn’t get enough of him. When he wasn’t around, people would ask for him. As soon as he would arrive, they would flock to him and laughter would be in the air. My siblings are all good hosts, singers, performers, and yes, comedians. Humor is in our blood. I grew up in laughter. There were times that were so difficult for the family but we would just take turns making each other laugh. Until now, when we reminisce about the good old days, tawa lang kami ng tawang magkakapatid.  My mom, pa-simpleng bumanat. When all of us are together, hindi pwedeng walang babanat. At hindi pwedeng wala kang baon. Pag may binato sa iyo, dapat mabilis ka pumick-up. Dapat, lagi kang may punch line. Otherwise, olats ka.

Hosting has always been a favorite task of mine. I have been doing it for Insular Life for almost 20 years. Yes, even on my first year on the job, I was already tapped to host company events. I also accept other hosting stints. Sometimes, I get tokens / honoraria. But most of the times, it’s just a labor of love. A simple thank you would be enough. When you love what you do, it doesn’t seem like working. Modesty aside, I can do it even with my eyes closed. Just give me the program flow, I can handle it, with or without a script. Never mind if people don’t believe that I’m really an introvert in real life. True, I am a shy person. And I do have my quiet and down times. But I shine when I am on stage. I still do get jitters every time. And I always say a prayer before I start. Sabi nila, pag hindi ka na kinakabahan, dun ka na kabahan.

But hosting is one thing. Eliciting laughter from your audience is another. They do not usually go hand in hand. It’s a bonus if you can do both. Most actors say it’s easier to make people cry, than to make them laugh.

According to psychologists, “We don’t laugh when we only hear something funny but in addition we laugh because we experience some kind of happiness that results from the other psychological factors involved in the joke.” I once read that laughter is both fundamentally social, and rooted deep within our brains, part and parcel of ancient brain structures. We laugh because we feel like it, because our brains make us, and because we want to fit in socially. It is difficult to laugh on demand, the same way that it is hard to suppress it.

Laughing is, and will always be, the best therapy. And as Charles Dickens said, “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.” And “the most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” That, folks, came from e.e.cummings.

Live. Love. Laugh. In any order you prefer. But don't - never - forget to laugh.

(My warmest thanks to my WFMA Family, and to Insular Life's Business Development Unit, for allowing me to share this gift.)

~TheGoodGirl