Minority

In high school, pop music ruled the airwaves. I seriously couldn't find anybody who shared my growing enthusiasm for classical music and what people call 'standards', you know, the Broadway kind.

And then one time, a hastily-prepared program required somebody to sing without prior notice, right then and there. One girl I knew who was taking voice lessons with her aunt, came up on stage and sang in a capella, "Amor, amor, amor."

It seemed like, except for the older teachers, nobody had ever heard of her piece, which was in Spanish. Weaned on Jose Mari Chan, Francis Magalona, New Kids on the Block and Tiffany, the audience didn't know what to make of her performance. It was as if E.T. had just been found in the middle of the plaza.

When she finished singing, nobody clapped. (I'm not kidding).