Nostalgia
Some people are organizing a get-together of The Knight Publication members (past and present). I had my almost 5-year writing stint in this official publication of my alma mater, Colegio de San Juan de Letran - Calamba. The memories of working and writing with my co-Knights, "kabalikat" friends are
enshrined in my heart. We were young then, full of idealism...
Some things I remembered:
-beating the submission deadline (there were times when it's hard to write especially in my case, during my 4th~5th year, when I was busy juggling academics and writing for the Knight . There is a notion also that it is quite an "achievement" to come from the engineering department and still, be able to embrace the demands of being a student journalist/writer.
-trooping to the printing press in Roces Ave, QC
-attendance in Laguna-based rallies
-working with seminarian-members (and discover their being "maloko" din)
-attending College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) journalism seminars
-writing articles for the lampoon issue (I was trying to figure out my lampoon name that appears on the paper's masthead)
-the writings on the freedom wall
-spending overnights at the publication office (alongside famous ghost stories)
-cut short the supposed overnight, then I proceed home to my dorm (which is just near the campus), where I had to literally jump "over the bakod" for coming home way past the curfew
-being in the company of other Knights who were also my classmates in Eng'g (Bing & Dhay)
-attending evaluation nights (it's the time when we had to evaluate the paper and discuss the collective reactions gathered from the staff and the studentry about the overall statement of the publication. We usually schedule it on the date the publication was released to the Letran community, usually at night which is our "common" time, complete with food and side stories to celebrate)
-attending the vigil celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Manaoag
-our Christmas parties (then we proceed to Bucal chuch for the simbang gabi)
-and many more little funny things
-my thoughts and my idealism then....
Extras
Sometimes, I give out a discreet laugh when people say things as a product of an incoherent mind. Not because it surely was a laughingstock but because it happens to me also from time to time....One day I took a jeepney ride home from a friend's house and there I was, in the midst of "eksenang jeepney"...passengers coming in and as if struggling to fit in their seats to earn their money's worth for paying a 7.50 minimum fare. Seated opposite me are two ladies who are talking about their lives. I hear the excitement in their voices surely indicating that it was a chance encounter and so they talk and talk....then the time came for one of them to alight the jeep...."Mama babye po"...other passengers laugh...the driver "Sige ingat ka"...more laughters......
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
This statistics is very alarming (I heard this from an investigative TV report):
-3 out of 10 Filipino women suffer from breast cancer
-Philippines has the highest number of breast cancer cases in South East Asia
-1 out of 100 men suffer also from this type of cancer (very small stats compared to women). The TV report included a man, talking about his own experience battling with the disease
...it's something women should be aware of, something which concerns their bodies.
that's my Ira showing off her "kulit"
--batang NAN ha ha!
so what if Spongebob has remarkably bigger front teeth..
meron na din si Ira! huh!
Nowadays she makes "gigil", haay kawawa naman si mommy sa kagat!
It's not really my intention...but I met a guy (in the process I don't want to put in details) and we're currently texting. You see, all the fuss I experienced in texting during the past few days, made me still trust this menacing gadget? Anyway, he identified himself as Lukki. I noticed his discreet manner of asking some information about me. I told him the basic truth. I also asked some basic ID questions. He said he's from the province and he's here in Manila to take the bar exams. Thoughts came in to me...I don't know this person...it may be easy for someone to make up stories to exalt (or humble) themselves. So just to "check", I asked him what "unjust vexation" is. After about a minute, he texted "haba ng definition nun, but 4 a layman unjust vexation is any act directed 2 another w/c cause annoyance, irritation etc bt nt constituting physical injury".....Pasado (naniwala ako agad!). He's single so I mentioned something like "irereto kita sa friend ko"....( I was thinking Maru or Bing ? he he). Anyways, I found out later he's real name (something close to Lukki). He texts me once in a while. He asked me to pray for him to pass his "mind-boggling, nerve-wracking" series of exams.
Lukki, if you're reading this, I'm now saying my advance congratulations to you....next time I'll inquire on annulment procedures bwa ha ha.
I don't know, but sometimes it puzzles me when people begin to have a hint on what you're going through right now, even if you know that your interactions and communications with them would leave them really clueless. Is it the aura I exudes when I'm a bag of tears (ha ha so silly for me to think that it won't be obvious when you're in the verge of tears)?. Anyway, I'm lucky because it shows that some people/friends are sensitive enough to show even a little compassion.
OK I have problems...but I'm ok!! .....
It must have been the romantic movies I've been watching recently. Being a sucker I am for these feel-good movies, and with the current situation I am in now, I just end up contemplating......and cursing....and.......aaah lecheng lalake :)
hmp..silly, never mind this post.
It's as if "kina-career", I enjoy playing badminton, and I promise to continue improving on this game.
Last night we spent again another 2 hours playing with my officemates (Arlene, Jay, Jhoan) and friends from Nippon Express, our in-house forwarder (Babes, Marjul, Oliver). My former officemate Jhoan also joined us. We enjoyed every minute of competitive (!) play and fun.
After the play, we rested for a while eating lanzones (from Jhoan). While munchin on it, I just realized that this fruit is sobrang "madagta" and my fingers are now in a mess.
Buti na lang pagkatapos ng laro kami kumain, kundi baka dumikit yong shuttlecock sa kamay ko he he.
Haay, sarap pagpawisan....
I have nothing else to do (or better, I have enough free time), so I created a group email to share with my classmates in college. Initially, listed on the mailing list are the classmates/friends who have active communication with me until now. Then I requested them to email me additional contacts. I even went to as far as searching Friendster account (now my silbi na ang friendster sa akin he he) just to know if their online, and to know their current email addresses.
I don't know if I'm the only one who has this need to reconnect with friends after a long long time....
I hope this one becomes successful.
In fact, I'm also subscribing to another group mail composed of high school classmates. Our group name is RTPI91-Narra : RTPI is Rizal Technological and Polytechnic Institute, batch 1991, and section name is Narra. It's really an interesting group mail which is home to countless emails (announcements, inquiries, photos, job opening announcements, debatable topics etc etc etc).
Talk about reunions and get together....love that!
(L-R: Daks, Leen, Bing, Tsel, me)It is always a practical and harmless vice to see friends, talk for hours. Talk about the past (for girls...always!)and hear the latest news. I always get excited whenever I get to see my "college friends"
(FYI: the collective term "college friends" was coined to us during one of the weddings we attended. The photographer announced "ok, college friends" when it was our time to join the bride and groom for the usual photo session right after the wedding. We would all laugh as we realized that our attendance is in good number and that we have remained friends, still active in our communication loop, and pretty interested to be part of our friends celebration of life)
The first get-together I had with my friends made us all felt "bitin", because first and foremost, it was imprumptu, and we're not complete because only Daks, Leen and Tsel were present. Bing was not able to join us because she's juggling work and her masteral studies and on that day she was in school. After the first meeting, we knew in our hearts that we will meet again and agin.
So the intention to set the "part 2" of this get-together was emailed by Bing and we all felt the need to see each other again. We decided to meet at Leen's place and to chip in some comfort food for the night. Daks brought her pork adobo and Tsel prepared hamonado. Since I came from office, I just bought Wendys' macaroni salad to matched our sumptuous dinner. Tsel and I arrived first at Leen's house. While waiting for the others to arrive, we curiously gazed at the calming moves of their flowerhorns and half-jokingly read the luck written on it. Then, Daks arrived and the house is all fun. You see, Daks is the person who's quite funny with her high-pitched voice that gets us all excited and laughing for no reason at all. Yet her unassuming ways will make you feel her warmth as a friend. And for now, she's actually famous for her well-liked Tagalog quotations which she speaks of from time to time in the midst of our "serious" conversations ( I had to say "serious" just to match the hilarious laugh we do once she utters her quotations).
As we're about to eat, Bing finally arrived, carrying a box of cake to complete our pick for dinner. She came from Alabang and greets us all in her usual thrilled air. We all sat down for dinner and at the same tell our stories (what a thrilling way to multi-task he he!). It was a casual talk over dinner, as we all realized that each one of us had been through each of our own "journey" whether as petty as being caught jaywalking in Alabang (which Bing experienced) or something which is full of twists and turns (subject: me! ). It's good to hear your friends advices (whether it's solicited or not) and talk about your life which relatively become their concern too. We felt that we have the responsibility in making each one of us realize some things to consider in dealing with life's problems. Tsel, mentioned how she realized the importance of family in her own dealings. Leen (judged by Daks as "parang lalaking mag-isip") is herself lucky to be all blissful and enjoying her preparations for the baby to come (talk about the brag book she prepared with husband Joel, with all the ultrasound pictures and pregnancy check-up results, cute!!). Bing, who has much things to do for now (work, school, immigrant application to Canada) shared the very foundation of her life, all for God's glory (Thanks Bing for the insights. I also believe that above all, we should be rich spiritually).
Over all, we call it a good night of letting our hair down.
To you guys, thank you and I hope not to burn bridges with you...Cheers to us!
