the irony of it all

Have you ever liked somebody so much you just wanna lock yourself in your room, turn on sad music and cry?

Something about the words sound familiar as I write them on my journal. Slightly hesitant to claim it as mine, I looked it up and found out that it was a quote from Glee. I was channeling Rachel Berry. I've always identified myself with Lea Michele's character so I wouldn't put it past me to actually believe that I conceived that line.

While I don't possess a resounding voice like hers, Rachel and I share a lot of similarities. At the age of five, I was already learning how to read sheet music. I had a vocal coach by six but that didn't work out well. I was already playing the piano by seven. I would've learned how to dance but the art was frowned upon in our household. My folks believe that it's too gay. Right.

Anyway, more than that, Rachel and I think that we're both great. We're really driven, strong and resilient. You can't imagine the lengths we'll go to get what we want. We want to shine brighter than the others. While she has her gold star after her name, I have my unicorn because stars are so commonplace, especially for someone like me. And if it's not yet obvious at this point, we're both melodramatic.

So I was surprised when a friend sent me a message back in early August telling me:

Mark, Kurt of Glee so reminds me of you! :) Not the gender-gender ha... the clothes, loyalty to friends, passion to excel. :)

Her message made me laugh. Immediately, I tried to recollect what's Kurt like. The character's a bit on the loud and colorful side, which I'm not. While I know how to dress well, I'm not particular with the latest fashion trends. A friend's mother once told me that I'm regal and not because I sit with my legs crossed; she said that I move with such refinement and confidence. I brought her cupcakes the following day. I'm neither superficial nor arrogant. I don't think I'm better than anyone else. I just know that when a situation calls for it, I can hold my own. However, like Kurt, I can be the most caring and loving person you'll meet. Modesty aside, my friends are lucky to have me but only because I'm luckier and more blessed to have them around.

Real people are much harder and too complex to be boxed in to a single character. I may see myself as Rachel, or others may perceive me as Sue. For a point or two, my friend may be right that I'm like Kurt but she totally missed out mentioning that Mr. Cellophane is getting a boyfriend next season. Apparently, his name is Sam.