isang kaibigan kahapon

Nagtataka ako dati, at natatawa na rin, kapag nababalitaan ko o nababasa na may batch reunion ang mga dating nag-aral sa Morong National High School (MNHS), na nuong mga panahon na ako ay nag-aaral duon ay mas kilala na sa pangalang Rizal Technological and Polytechnic Institute o RTPI. Nagtataka at natatawa, dahil iniisip ko na ang mga oldies na yun na magre-reunion ay hindi pa rin matanggap, o nais pa nilang kumapit sa isang kahapong lumipas na. Ang “kahapong” MNHS na ngayon ay RTPI na, naiisip ko nuon.

Fast forward to 17 years after (o sa panahong ngayon, skip to the next chapter dahil DVD era na), ang aking “RTPI” ay isa na ring kapahon dahil mas kilala na ito sa pangalang Rizal Polytechnic College (RPC). Binago ito nuong March 1, 1995, by virtue of Republic Act Number 7933. Di nagtagal, naging bahagi ito ng University of Rizal System dahil sa Republic Act Number 9157 (June 2001) which lapsed into law on August 11, 2001. The University of Rizal System (URS) was established by integrating the Rizal State College, Rizal Polytechnic College and Rizal Technological University Antipolo Annex

“Rizal Polytechnic College”… hindi ako sanay na bigkasin ang pangalang iyon. Isa siyang estranghero sa akin, bagama’t nasa dating lugar pa rin ang aking RTPI. Same place, same school, pero parang iba na sya kapag tatawagin kong RPC. Parang isang dating malapit na kaibigan na 17 taon mong di nakita at ngayon ay nakasamang muli, pero iba na ang kanyang pangalan. Nakakapanibago. Sya pa rin, pero iba na.

Ngayon ko lang din naunawan ang mga oldies na taga MNHS. Hindi nila pinipilit kumapit sa isang kahapon. Ayaw lamang nilang kalimutan ang isang kaibigang apat na taon nilang nakasama.

Rizal Polytechnic College na siya ngayon, pero para sa akin, RTPI pa rin ang kanyang pangalan. At kung taga RPC ka ngayon at binabasa mo ito, malamang ay magtaka ka din, o matawa, dahil sa nais ko pa ring tawagin itong RTPI. Maiintindihan mo din ako, kapag nagpalit muli ng pangalan ang RPC.

Pramis.

the narra shirt

Natatandaan mo 'to?

Ang t-shirt na ginamit natin nuong Seniors' Week. Contest pa nga ng pagandahan ng design pero sinawimpalad tayong matalo. Huwat! itong magandang design na ito? Natalo?

Di ko na matandaan kung kaninong concept at sinong nag-drawing ng design na ito pero natatandaan ko na kaya tayo natalo eh dahil back print ang t-shirt natin at malinaw na malinaw na nakasaad sa panuntunan na kailangan ay nasa harapan ang desenyo ng damit.

Eh shempre, portyir na tayo, mahahaba na ang mga sungay, matitigas na ang mga buto (at iniisip na ang pagpasok sa mga unibersidad sa Maynila), mas ginusto pa nating matalo basta back printed ang t-shirt natin na usong uso nuong mga panahong iyon (ngayon, yucky, back print, sooooo 90's). Pinag-usapan pa kung rubberized o embossed ang tatak (embossed shempre).

Pero we got the last laugh (nagtawa nga ba? ewan) nang ang design na ito ang ginawang cover ng batch 91 year book (more like year magazine) dahil shempre, we have the power to do so. Si Edge kasi ang editor-in-chief at sya din ang nagsulat ng mabulalas, mabulaklak at thought provoking explanation (written on the back cover of the year book ata) ng mga symbols na makikita sa design. Natatandaan ko pa na may sinabi siyang about "us" (yung taong walang skin na kita ang flesh) shaping our own destinies (un mukha na ini-spin nya). Yung parang bato dun eh supposed to be ay Stonehenge na nakapatong sa Egyptian hieroglyphics although hindi sila mukhang ganun. Basta yun na yun, kapag sinabi ni Edge na yun yun... errrr---

Naitago nyo pa ang t-shirt na ito? Hindi na? well, well, well...

Its auction time. Bidding starts at PhP 2,000.00

Any takers? Wala?

Sino nga ba yung english teacher natin nuong II-Rizal?

I think I can speak for the group and say she was one of our favorite highschool teacher. We won our first choral recitation and we proudly dedicated it to her, as she was equally proud of us winning that one. She was a nanay, a teacher and a friend to us. At least that’s what I think of her.

Natatandaan ko, pinagawa nya tayo nuon ng book report. Gagayahin natin ang book cover at isusulat natin sa loob ang summary ng napili nating istorya. Syempre, babasahin natin isa isa ang ginawang book report sa harap ng klase. Kung pangkaraniwang titser lang sya, ganun nga ang ipapagawa nya pero dahil ibang klaseng titser nga sya, hindi lang natin babasahin ang book report, kailangan ay naka-costume din tayo ng main character ng libro natin. Kapag hindi interesting ang pagkakabasa, papatigilin na nya ito at ang susunond naman ang magbabasa.

When it was my turn, dressed as the character of my story, I think I got to read two or three sentences before she cut me short, probably gave me a low grade and moved on to the next student. I remembered Rhoda (I think) picked a dramatic scene from her book report, read it in front of the class, and I swear I saw her eyes turned watery, ready to cry. If it was her way of making her book-report-reading interesting, or if she was ready to cry out of stage fright, I wouldn’t know for sure, but the teacher cut her report short, too. Too bad. But JJ was different. He read a few sentences and ended it with “let the games begin” and he, together with a few classmates he asked to participate in his book report, recreated a baseball scene out of his book report. Ayos!

Pero hindi lahat ay happy ending. Natatandaan ko din, isang beses, nagalit sya sa buong klase. Galit na galit sya nuon, at takot na takot naman tayo. Di ko na matandaan papano nagsimula pero sinabihan nya tayo nuon na nagiging arogante na ang buong klase, at sinusukat natin lagi ang kakayahan ng mga guro natin. Pagalit nyang tinanong kung tama ba daw ang kanyang obserbasyon. Syempre, walang makasagot. Tinawag nya si Jameson (ata) na ang tanging naisagot ay “n-no c-comment, mam” na sinagot naman niya ng “I want you to comment!”

“Y-yes mam” was all Jameson could muster to say, which of course, only made matters worse. I couldn’t blame Jameson for answering that way, because I myself could’ve answered “yes mam” if she asked me if I’m the one who shot Ninoy. In response, or as punishment most probably, she made us write a gazillion word theme composition, typewritten, neatly bordered, with no wrong spelling or erasures whatsoever, may it be rubber or liquid eraser. That was before the advent of Bill Gate’s computers and word processing, mind you. I remembered laboring with our Jurassic typewriter back home, way into the wee hours of the morning, wasting probably four-trees-worth of typewriting papers, just to complete the no-erasures-composition.

Ikaw, anong naaalala mo?

Hopefully, her name.

300

Nope, hindi ito istorya ng mga Spartans.

Ilang araw na ang nakakalipas, hinatid ko sa kanilang opisina ang misis ko. Nang malapit na kami sa lobby ng gusali nila, nagkaroon kami ng isang pagtatalo tungkol sa isang bagay. Tumalikod sya sa akin na naiinis habang nakayuko akong lumakad palayo na masama ang loob. Ilang hakbang pa lamang, may namataan akong isang pamilyar na bagay, nakatiklop. Napabilis ang aking lakad at pasimpleng pinulot iyon. Tama nga, perang papel na nahulog siguro mula sa bulsa ng isang minamalas na tao. Katumbas ng mahigit 500 pesos ang nasa kamay ko nuon at dahil wala naman akong nakitang ibang taong naghahanap ng nawawala nilang pera, ibinulsa ko na lamang ang 300.

“Aba, okay pala ang nakayukong maglakad, nakakapulot ng 300” naibulong ko sa aking sarili dahil di ko gawing maglakad ng nakayuko.

Habang naging malikot ang aking mga mata sa paligid habang naglalakad sa pag-asang may kakambal pa ang napulot na papel, bigla kong naalala ang isang tula na nabasa ko nuong high school (yessss, haba ng intro).

Iyon ay nalathala nuon sa RTPI school paper, sa ilalim ay ang pangalan ng may-akda na si Patnubay, kapatid ni Milam. Ang tula ay may pamagat atang “Piso”, tungkol sa isang lalaki na isang araw ay nakapulot ng piso habang naglalakad ng nakayuko. Nasabi din ng lalaking iyon na mainam nga palang maglakad ng nakayuko dahil nakakapulot ng piso at simula nuon, nakayuko na siyang naglalakad.

Makalipas ng ilang linggo, iba’t ibang bagay ang kanyang napulot habang naglalakad ng nakayuko subalit ang katumbas niyon ay nawalan sya ng mga kaibigang hindi niya napapansin habang naglalakad.

The lesson of the story?

Kung wala ka din naming mga kaibigan sa kung saang lugar ka man nandun (kagaya ko ngayon), aba eh sige lang, maglakad kang nakayuko. Nakapulot na ako ng keychain, dice, lighter, tennis ball at isang 1-inch Men-In-Black action figure.

Nice.

konting basketball at prom

Natatandaan ko pa ang seksing basketball shorts na ito ng Narra. Pati itong T-shirt. Ginamit natin ito nuong Senior’s Week sports fest. Subalit hindi ko matandaan kung nakapaglaro ba ako nun. Malamang ay hindi dahil bano akong maglaro ng basketball. Mahilig, oo; marunong, hindi. Sayang lang ang pagde-day dreaming ko na kasing galing ako ni Dondon Ampalayo ng Ginebra habang nanunuod si Romina.

Sa practice games ng Narra, nakalaro ako nun. Syempre, practice lang naman pero natatandaan ko nun, sinisigawan ako ni Roehl na takbo lang daw ako ng takbo at walang ginagawang iba. Eh coach, gusto ko lang naman magpapawis hehe…

Natatandaan ko pa, nakasama ako ni Trebet at Edge na maglaro sa court malapit sa Morong church, sa tabi ng palayan malapit sa gate ng RTPI. Nung uwian na, tumuwad kami sa gitna ng palayan… este— tumawid pala at naglaro ng pustahan kalaban ang ilang taga-RTPI din na nandun na. Nanalo kami nun gawa ko… o ha.. my misis, hanga ka ba? Madami akong na-score nun dahil lagi lang akong napapasahan nila Trebet sa may side at swertehang napapa-board ko naman, sabay takbong-ULTRA papunta sa kabilang court para magdepensa. Isa ata ito sa tatlong highlight games ng aking basketball career. Pag-uwi, naiwan ko pa ang polong uniform ko. Pakers.

Sa RTPI ako unang nakakita at nakalaro sa isang basketball court na hardwood at fiberglass ang board. Ako’y hanga. Dito din sa gym tayo nag Senior’s Prom. Hindi rin ako marunong magsayaw kaya nanunuod lang ako. Pero bago matapos ang gabi, isinayaw ko ng isang slow dance si Meg.

Di ko alam kung papano tatapusin ang isinusulat kong ito, kung ganito na lang kaya...

Stop.

sex, lives and someone's pda scandals

I can’t help but smile when I read about a classmate's supposed “PDA scandal” on the Narra yahoogroup thread, although admittedly, I don’t know the details of that tryst. It may not be as scandalous as what most of us wanted it to be (hell, from what I read, it might not have happened at all) but there’s a reason why a mischievous smile is on my face for that “mischievous act”.

Sino yun girl na katabi ni adonis? Si Rhoda ba yun tinitingnan ni Filoy? At bakit sila nagtitinginan? Nagtatanong lang naman hehe

The reason being I still can’t face the reality that my classmates are all grown-up, adult people doing adult stuff. Although I myself may (note the word “may”) have done stuff at par or worse (or better, depending on how one sees it) as what this someone allegedly did, I still can’t look at a classmate’s picture without asking questions I couldn’t/wouldn’t/shouldn’t ask them face to face.

Like what?

Well, like I wonder who among us was the first to lose one’s virginity. Hmmmnnn… sino nga kaya? Who among us was the first to reach “third base”. Who hit the homerun first? Who have done it in public, in a car, in a pool, in someone else’s bed? Who was the first to give and/or receive oral sex? Who are the married people who are having or have had affairs? I know these are questions I wouldn’t know the answer to but hey, they’re fun to think about, no?

But not to sound like my mind is preoccupied with sex, I also wonder who among us was the most successful in life, “successful” in all its definition, not just financially. Who have hit rock bottom? Who is the happiest? Who has the most regret in life? Who fulfilled the promise that they’ve showed back in high school? Who exceeded what is expected of them? Who became what most of us thought what they would be? Who became what they are now that most of us didn’t think they would be?

If those are hard questions, sort of like asking what the true meaning of life is, I also tend to think of trivial matters. Like who married first? Who are still single? And why? Who are now separated? Single parents? Multiple offspring from different partners?

I guess my point is we are all normal people who have done and still doing what normal people do, may they be something one can be proud of or things better left locked inside one’s closet, together with his/her other skeletons tucked away.

My memories of my classmates may be as innocent, naïve as a memory could ever be, but I know we ourselves won’t be like that, as we travel from point A to point B in our life journey, with a little detour here and there perhaps.

Here’s hoping I get to see anyone of you some time, somewhere, when I myself make a little pit stop in my journey. When I do, bet your closets I’m gonna ask you a question or two. What questions?

Read my mischievous lips :D

* photographs grabbed from the Narra Friendster account.

kras

May umamin na.

Subalit hindi naman nagpakilala. Crush nya daw si Monalisa. Malamang si Monalisa Dionisio na taga Cardona ang kanyang tinutukoy, our one time kaklase. Eh sino nga bang hindi may crush kay Mona? Malamang karamihan sa atin, during the time of our adolescence when we first learned to notice the opposite sex, about love, puppy love, about the birds and the bees.

Si Monalisa ang isa sa mga una kong napansin na gurlllll. Maganda sya, mahaba ang buhok, maputi. Instant crush ko sya nun. Subalit matatapos na ang school year, di ko man lang sya nakakausap kahit saglit. Isang araw, walang teacher, magulo sa room. Nakaupo ako sa bandang hulihan ng klase, nakatingin sa buhok ni Mona na nakaupo nun ilang silya ang layo sa akin sa harapan. Maingay sa room subalit halos hindi ko mapansin ang paligid dahil nakatingin lang ako nun sa kanya.

Parang slow mo, tumingin sya sa likuran. Nakatingin sya sa may direksyon ko, bumuka ang kanyang magandang mga labi.

“Jayson! Jayson!” tawag ni Mona.

Nakatingin ako sa kanya habang pinapakinggan ang pagtawag nya sa pangalan ni Jayson. Nagtataka naman ako kung bakit di sumasagot si Jayson, ganung kanina pa siya tinatawag. Kung ako ang tinatawag ni Monalisa, naiisip ko nung mga sandaling iyon, panigurado ay nasa tabi nya agad ako upang tanungin kung anong kailangan nya.

“Huy, Jayson!”

Ang ganda talaga niya. Nakatingin ako nun sa kanyang mukha, sa kanyang labi, sa kanyang mga mata…

…na nakatingin din sa akin!

“Jayson!!!”

“Uhhh… a-ako ba?” alanganin kong tanong.

“Oo, di mo ba ko naririnig?”

“H-hindi ako si Jayson…”

Toingks!

Shieeettt! Di pa pala nya ako kilala.

Epilogue : Yun ata ang una at huling pagkakataon kong nakausap si Monalisa. Di nagtagal, nag-migrate sila ng US (I think). Nagpunta pa nga tayo nun sa bahay nila bago sila umalis. Ilang taon din nuon ang lumipas na lagi akong napapatingin sa dati nilang bahay kapag napapadaan ako ng Cardona.

Asan na kaya siya ngayon? Ano na kayang nangyari sa kanya?

Rico, pasok.

may 31 GTG. morong rizal

*sinulat ni reta para sa narra yahoogroup, re-posted here without permission hehe

first off, let me just say "NAKNANGPOTA! !!"

i said that not because im angry but because i promised to say that in my first email after the GTG. no big deal so dont make a fuss out of it.

here's a long summary (conflicting words:) for your reference:

the GTG was not so grand if we talk about attendance, there were about 10 (myself, gemma, jude, lota, lisette, gladys, don, jayson, joan, jean) of us who went to paseo rizal, at various times if i may add. jude and I were the earliest to checkin at 4PM. i guess we were just excited since this is supposed to be the grandest of the grand. oh, we did see malen and jeje at kamalig later in the evening. so that makes it 12 (20%).

but just because the numbers didnt work for us, doesnt mean we didnt have a good time. i think everyone left paseo happy and satisfied.

here are some observations on the "newbies":

on gemma
- madaldal pala si gemma which prompted me to say i like her personality. didnt know that during highschool since we didnt talk to each other too much. i guess i was intimidated by her mestiza beauty back then so i wasnt able to muster a decent conversation. she gained some weight but she still looks fine. actually, the weight isnt bothersome at all. nadadaan na nya sa smart dressing.

on lisette
- still sexy.i guess her frame and height helps a lot. she's sporting a short do. medyo problematic sya because of health concerns sa parents nya and in fact she had to be in the hospital to watch over her folks. i guess nakatulong naman yung gtg kahit papaano para makalimutan nya yung problems nya. at least napasaya natin sya kahit saglit.

on lota
- she still looks the same, matangkad na slim. madaldal din pala si lota, dun ko din lang nalaman. at eto, mataray din pala etong kapatid natin. i guess she is not afraid to speak her mind. she's into tall, blue-eyed guys. i speculate this is because of her exposure to european culture (sana yung asawa ko pagbalik ay di maghanap ng tall and blue-eyed guy kasi bagsak ako sa tall at sa blue-eyed:). so philip (and the other singles out there), buy blue contacts and wear elevator shoes:)

on gladys
- gladys, gladys, gladys...well, i categorically denied that i had a crush on her when we were in highschool and i shamelessly said that right in front of her. ofcourse, i was just making her laugh, kasi we were discussing it openly later on. also, everybody knows thats not true and in fact, she even knows it. its an anecdote we can openly share. since past is past, napagusapan na din namin yung mga crush crush na yan pero i will not divulge anything else na napagusapan dun other than those involving myself. so i guess you have to be in the next one para malaman nyo. para din syang hindi tumanda, at yung frame nya ganun pa din. may nunal pa din sya:)

for those who were not able to attend, i have no ill feelings toward you guys. im disappointed, true, but not with you. like i always say, matatanda na tayo and madami na rin tayong responsibilities. ganyan talaga, shit happens. narra91 doesnt have to be first priority, or even 2nd or 3rd. live your life and make your decisions according to your rules. and guys, i find it crappy when we say that freakin cliche (kung ayaw may dahilan, kung gusto may paraan). life is not like that. lets not be jealous kung pinili nila na gawin yung ibang bagay. while "i love my wife and she is my best friend" sounds oh so cheezy, its also oh so true. sa totoo lang, narra91 is best positioned at the background, no more, no less. its a drop of spice, a jolt of energy---not something you live on everyday.

as for future GTGs, well here's hoping more of us will come. i find it hard to fathom seeing all 60 of us sharing the same table in the foreseeable future,but at least those who will come are guaranteed of having a grand time. di ko alam kung kelan uli mangyayari ang gtg pero sana more will happen, kahit once a year or twice a year or whatever.

so for narra91, i offer a toast. here's to 1991---a year when every girl graduated with curly hair (i still dont understand why kelangan magpakulot ang mga babae nung graduation)



sa uulitin,
reta


PS
salamat to jayson and jean for the text messages. yes, i got home safely.

more importantly, thanks to jude for his patience. pasensya na tol, ginawa kitang tsuper pero i really appreciate what you have done for me. salamat, salamat.

maganda sa RTPI kasi...

“Nyahahaha wala kasi kayong religion na subject kaya di mo alam” sabi sa akin ng misis ko habang pinagtatawanan ako sa aking kamangmangan tungkol sa mga santo.

“Eh kahit naman may religion kayong subject, mga asal ewan ang mga istudyante sa inyo nyuk-nyuk-nyuk” bawi ko habang umiilag sa mga pinggan at kutsarang binabato nya.

“Tsaka may laya naman kaming pumili ng mga subjects na gusto naming pag-aralan” pahabol ko pagkatapos alisin ang tinidor na tumusok sa aking tenga.

Totoo naman, isa sa mga nagustuhan ko sa RTPI ay ang mga practical arts at elective classes na ikaw mismo ang pipili. Hindi ko alam kung ilang high school sa buong lalawigan ng Rizal ang nagbibigay ng ganitong kalayaan sa kanilang mag-aaral.

Mahilig ako sa mga drawing-drawing kaya natural na para sa akin ang piliin ang drafting class bilang aking practical arts. Dun ako natuto ng mga perspective drawings, magkulay gamit ang poster at water color, gumamit ng ruler na may angle, at dun ko din nalaman na mas maganda ang Staedtler tech pen kesa sa Rotring.

Syempre, pagandahan kami ng pagkukulay sa mga perspective drawings namin. Kapag maganda ang plate mo, masasabit pa ito sa pader. Natural, laging nandun ang kay Reta. Nakaswerte na din naman akong makita ang ginawa kong plate dun. Kung water color na nasa tube ang karaniwan naming gamit, kakaiba naman si Roehl. Water color na tablet ang ginagamit nya, mas madali daw kasi sa kanyang pagpantayin ang kulay. To each his own. Ang drafting class na ito ay naging architectural drafting nung port yir, under sa instructor naming kamukha ni Benjie Paras. Nakagawa pa kami ng blue print ng design ng bahay. Kaso, binigay ko kay Glenda Calixto yun blue print ko. Glenda, naitago mo pa ba?

Ang galing kasi, fourth year high, nakagawa na kami ng simpleng design. Pero nung nakita ko ang mga ginawang transistor radio ng mga Baras boys na kumuha ng Electronics, parang nainggit ako. Kami papel-papel lang, sa kanila, tumutunog. Ako’y hanga aba.

Ang pinagtataka ko, bakit wala atang kumuha sa amin ng Woodworking class? Mga goons daw kasi ang nasa woodworking, e mga lelembot-lembot ata karamihan sa amin. Nyeeeeeeeeee…

Pagdating sa mga elective subjects, magkakaiba din kaming magkaklase. Ang mga may utak, kumukuha ng Advance Mathematics, Statistics, Steno. Magagamit daw kasi iyon sa college. Duh! Sabi nga, I’ll “burn the bridge when I get there” hehe… Di kasi ako numerically-inclined, kaya dun ako sa walang numbers (ironically, nag-engineering ako nung college tas nag shift sa accounting. Go figure).

May kinuha akong elective class nun, yun tungkol sa current events (uhmmmm, ano nga ba yun?) Sabi kasi ni Edge, maganda daw kuhanin yun kasi magka-klase lang daw kapag may mga mahahalagang pangyayaring nagaganap. Huwaw! Sounds like my kind o’thing. And if it sounds too good to be true, malamang ay ganun na nga. Dahil nagkaklase pa rin naman, natural, kahit walang mga historical events na nagaganap. Okay lang, masaya naman. Kamukha pa ni Joey Ayala ang teacher namin.

Syempre, peborit ko ang Dev. Comm. Si Sir Sumikat Santiago ata ang coolest teacher sa RTPI. Parang colleague lang kung ituring kami, maliban na lang kapag nagagalit kasi namumula ang buong mukha pati ang mga mata. Lyn, peace tayo ha, wag mo ko sumbong hehe… Dahil din sa Dev Com, nakamit ko ang aking 15 minute of fame, which according to Andy Warhol, all of us will have in our lifetime. Shiet, nagamit ko na pala ang akin.

“Hoy, lumabas ka dyan! Di pa tayo tapos” sigaw sa akin ng misis ko habang pinipilit nyang buksan ang cabinet na aking pinagtataguan.

Sana pala, may self defense na subject kami sa RTPI.

The Brotherhood of the Hog

*written by the Edge

1991. Tacloban, Leyte was the farthest place we’d ever been. But there we were, Filoy, Allan and I for the National Secondary Schools Press Conference. Astray, we were awestruck by its people and history. While the place seemed great, the food sucked. But one nasty lunch unexpectedly etched our memories there (and friendship too) in stone.

After getting our fill with silent fury (we actually heard our esophagus cursing), we callously mixed what was left of our food, water and soda in one bowl (partly out of frustration over the scarcity of a decent meal and partly because of our failure to make a dent on the bounty of pretty delegates before us). Without a sound, our little culinary affair rolled like a wordless script (like a Chaplin act). We stirred our potent brew to a boil like cloaked warlocks on a spell. Only our eyes spoke, our thoughts scattered.

Unmindful of the world and the crowd milling about, one after the other we took a swig of the silly concoction with eyes closed like neophyte wine connoisseurs. With one gulp the world suddenly made no sense. Chaos thumped reason. Dumb and foolish, the mushy blend somehow established a distinct fraternity. Funny, but a pact was sealed. And it wasn’t with blood nor tears.

Andres and his buddies forged their pact by drinking their own blood. Let’s give it to them for being bold and fearless. But we have a stronger stomach to forge ours by chugging hog chow.


(Postscript: Deo was also a delegate but wasn’t with us during that fateful meal. However this writer shall consider him a brother pending his day with the hog bowl.)

a portrait of a lady

*written by a Gold for a Narra

The long eyelesahes of her gleaming eyes,
did give me my inspiration.
The mystic smile that she was blessed,
was the object of my devotion.
She is the girl I so dearly loved.
She is whom I have waited for.
Like an angel from up above,
in my despair, she calms my storm.
So many times I wish to tell thee about what I feel.
but in those times fear always beats me.
The reason my lips kept sealed.
To my sorrow i wrote this poem
about you i most adored.
My love for you is the emblem
of the emotion that hurt me more.

--oOo--

A song for marlon hehehe
ahhh... memories

sabayang recitation

First year high. Winners for RTPI’s choral recitation competition were being announced. We, students of I-Daffodil weren’t expected to win, being freshmen and all, and I guess we ourselves weren’t expecting to win either. And we didn’t. But we did our best, that’s okay for now. No big deal.

Second year, same competition. A whole year in RTPI under our belt, we went to the choral competition with more confidence, with more conviction to do better than the year before. After reciting “I Am A Filipino”, we were a bit giddy. Hey, we did real well; we might just pull an upset and win this one. “The winner is… II-Rizal”. We won! What could be more “Filipino” than for the Rizal section to win the competition? Against all odds, we did it.

Buoyed by the victory from the previous year, we know we have a very good chance to win back-to-back. Our confidence was strong as the Molave tree, but we didn’t take the competitions lightly. “Not yet, Rizal, not yet. Sleep not in peace: There are a thousand waters to be spanned; There are a thousand mountains to be crossed; There are a thousand crosses to be borne…” we thundered, loud and in unison inside the Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Tanghalang Sining (EARTS). And after all was said and done, we, III-gold, were back-to-back champions.

The final year. We can make history with a three-peat at the choral recitation competition. As the top section of the senior class, we were expected to win but the IV-Molave was also good, as with the top section of the junior and sophomore classes. The piece was the poem “Mactan-1521” and that’s what we were feeling, the whole Spanish armada out to get our title. But we won’t lose without a fight. And we didn’t lose.

IV-Nara, back-to-back-to-back, three-peat choral recitation champion!

Yeah, those were good memories. RTPI high school life wouldn’t be complete without talking about those choral competitions. Those were the times that the whole class becomes one. With one goal. But those wins didn’t come easy.

And Philip knows this all too well.

For he was the sculptor who molded the class’ different strong personalities to move in one direction. He was the conductor who weaved his Fantasia-baton that made this orchestra a three-time champion. Yes, he was also the dictator who terrorized us whenever we’re not producing the results he expected of us.

First year, during our practice, out of frustration, he threw a flower vase. Deo was unfortunate enough to be at the wrong place and at the wrong time. He got wet.

Second year, Philip yelled and angrily threw an adobe brick which landed in front of the-still-unfortunate Deo.

Third year, again, out of frustration, Philip hurled a broken chair during a practice at the school rooftop. After a near miss of last year, this time, the chair hit Deo. The projectile wasn’t aimed at Deo and he knew that, it was just that unfortunate for him to be at those exact places.

Fourth year, a pattern was developing. Every year, Philip would get angry with the class and would throw something, anything. And Deo was always in the way of the thrown object. Having this in mind, Deo was then very alert during practices. But Philip, surprisingly, didn’t throw anything that year.

It was hard to be in Philip’s shoes in those times. It was hard to come up with an idea for a winning performance and it was much harder to lead this class in those practices. But he did it.

I don’t know if we, as a class, expressed our gratitude to Philip back then. I don’t know if Philip knew how much we appreciated all his efforts. But then again, it wouldn’t be too late to say thank you now, is it?

Thanks Philip.

---oOo---

Kung may choral recitation sa English, may Sabayang Pagbigkas competition din tuwing Linggo ng Wika.

Unang taon, mga baguhan pa tayo nun, mga virgin pagdating sa mga kompetisyong ganun. Hindi tayo nanalo. Okay lang. May susunod pang taon.

Sekendyir, alam nating kaya nating manalo dahil nagawa natin ito sa choral recitation. Kaya nating mangarap na manalo at talunin ang mga mas matatanda sa atin. Pero, subalit, datapwat, hindi tayo nanalo/ Okay lang yun, we can’t win them all. Give chance to others muna.

Ikatlong taon, ito na ang taon na mananalo tayo sa Sabayang Pagbigkas, sabi natin sa ating mga sarili nun. Nag-ensayo tayong mabuti. Inaabot pa ng gabi sa praktis. No sacrifices, no glory. Yan ang motto natin. At ang nagwagi! Ewan ko, basta hindi tayo. Olats. Shiet! Nadaya tayo! May favoritism. Yan ang mga alibis natin. Maghanda kayong lahat next year.

Fourth year, IV-Narra, the proud, the mighty. Imposibleng mabokya tayo sa Sabayang Pagbigkas. Ibubuhos na ang lahat ng makakayanan. There is no tomorrow dahil huling taon na natin sa RTPI. It’s now or never! And the winner… (drum roll) …

Umuwi tayong talunan nun. Pakers. “Who cares about Sabayang Pagbigkas? Mas prestigious ata ang choral recitation, no? Bleah! La wenta” we silently, bitterly said to ourselves as we bid RTPI goodbye.

a walk to remember

The RTPI cafeteria doesn’t remind me of food. Maybe because the food there, at least during our time, was bland at best. The cafeteria reminds me of Ricky Dionisio and his glasses of water. Every afternoon, before going home to Cardona, Ricky would go to the cafeteria and drink water. Eight full glasses. Straight.

Besides, I don’t eat lunch in the cafeteria. I always eat out. Sa gilid ng school nyuk nyuk nyuk… Tatlo lang ang mahahalagang kainan sa gilid ng school.

If you’re a guy, you almost always eat at 3-Js, near the school gate. Paksiw na lechon ang fave ko dun. Kainan daw ng mga tunay na lalaki ang 3-Js probably because only guys eat there. I dunno why girls don’t eat at 3-Js. When eating there though, you should always be aware of your surroundings. You might become an eatery-thief and you didn’t even know it. Like yung isang kaklase natin na nakalimutan ko na. When he opened his bag after having lunch at 3-Js, he saw spoon, pork, and a plastic cup inside, amoy 3-Js, courtesy of a few classmates. The best was when someone put in a patis bottle in some poor guy’s bag. What a poor guy. Eh kasi naman, di ko naman alam na may nilagay sila sa bag ko…

A few steps away from 3-Js was this other eatery (X1). I forgot its name. It’s situated at the back of this particular house. Two things that reminds me of this place: Russian Radio and saba-con-yelo. They have this jukebox and those damn Narra people knows only one song, Russian Radio. And the saba-con-yelo? Nothin’ special about it, and I don’t know why that desert reminds me of that place. Girls also eat here, and those guys who no longer have vacant seats at 3-Js. I always walk slowly to 3-Js so I wouldn’t have a seat and I’ll be “forced” to eat there and be with some pretty girls from the other classes. Este--- from our class pala hehehe errr….

Then the third eatery (X2), a few steps away from X1. I forgot its name also (was that “Guevara’s”?), but for all I know, it might as well be called Heaven’s Eatery because mga anak lang ng diyos ang kumakain dun. The beautiful people. Only the pretty ones. The chosen few, the elite. It’s almost an exclusive girls’ place. But I remember, I had mirienda there with Ethel once, one lucky afternoon for me.

But if you’ll ask me what do those three eateries at the side of the school reminds me of?

It reminds me of this walk I had one time, with one of our classmate I had a huge hard-on, I mean… crush on. I wouldnt name names, she will remain anonymous to protect her integrity hehe... Anyway, we were on our way home then. It was starting to rain. Instead of riding on a tricycle or a jeepney waiting near the gate, we decided to walk all the way to the jeepney terminal at the town center, sharing one umbrella. Under one umbrella, ella, ella, ey, ey…

Errrr... where was I? Oh yeah...

I was holding the umbrella, she was holding the umbrella and we were practically holding hands and pretending not to notice it. There were a few students walking too, ahead of us. When we reached 3-Js, this big drunken student-goon walked towards a girl in front of us but she was walking fast and the goon shifted his attention to us. But fortunately (for the goon), his friends pulled him away (or I would have beaten the living shit out if him hah!) and apologized to me in behalf of his drunk friend. Whew! Swerte.

When we reached X1, a guy coming out of that place pulled out his umbrella. It was those type that when you pushed a button at the handle, it would automatically open. But the wind was starting to howl then, and it blew his umbrella away, leaving only the handle in is hand. He run after his loose umbrella all the way to X2. My crush and I had a good laugh, while not letting go of our umbrella of course. And oh yeah, she gave me her hankerchief with her embroidered name on it, to wipe the rain (and the stupid smile) off my face.

Now I’m asking you, is this story about those eateries or just my shameless way of reminiscing lost high-school romance?

Don’t answer it…

*UPDATE
X1 - Jing said X1 is called "Fun Nook"

bagne's the name

Bagne! Bagne! Bagne!

One of the coolest nicknames I've ever heard. There can only be one “Bagne” so you know you’ll be unique if your name’s Bagne. I assume it will be pronounced as Bag’en when he’s somewhere in Europe.

Of course, we all know Bagne is Jonathan Flores but probably, what most of us doesn’t know is how he came to be called “Bagne”. Papano nga ba?

Another name that I won’t forget is Jose Lover Trinidad. Wouldn’t it be cool if you’re tagged as a “lover” ever since you’re a little toddler? Hell, a priest gave him permission to use that name when he was baptized. Uhmmm, teka. Nabinyagan ka na Lover, no?

“Reta” is a cool nickname. Alvin Retamar is a cool guy, especially when he’s working his magic with his pencil and watercolor. I assume Edgar changed his name to “Edge” to have a… ummmm— edge. Roehl is called “Ogie the pogi” because, well, he is pogi… or maybe because he looks like Ogie Alcasid?

If I’m a girl, I would love to have Milambini’s name. If I’m not mistaken, her brother’s name is Pat, short for Patnubay and their little sister’s name is Bathalani. Daddy Tiamson is one hell of an imaginative guy when it comes to his children’s names.

But the best of them all?

“Diablo”

That’s Mr. Dennis Javillo to you. If my memory serves me right, one of our teachers mispronounced Dennis’ surname as “Diablo”. We all had a good laugh back then and I guess the name stuck.

Bow down to Diablo you insolent, little creatures.

high school life / batch 91

*sinulat ito ni Gil, ninakaw ko sa friendster nya hehe

Hay naku kakamiss talaga high school life..more than 10 years na pala nakakalipas.

Pero kahit matagal na panahon na mga nagdaan di ko pa rin malilimutan ang mga pinagsamahan mga adventures and misadventures ng Batch 91.

Sino ba makakalimot sa rivalry ng III-Gold at III- Silver / IV-Narra at IV- Molave? Hindi paawat sa mga oral declamation, Florante At Laura, gaya gaya puto maya contests at kung ano ano pang contests. Buti na lang nananalo kami kahit papano, galing kasing umarte ni Lissete Tica kasama na ang mga Katipuneros sa background. At swerte din kami sa mga dancers namin sa Elvis and James presentation ng III-Gold. Nadala ng sleeveless blouse at may spraynet na buhok..

Naalala ko pa mga grupo at kabarkada kong BRat Boys, notorious sa panonood ng Triple x na betamax pagkatapos magpiknik at uminom ng fanta sa bahay nila Dennis. Nandyan din ang JR GEMS, barkadahan ng Cardona Girls at Binangonan Boys. At syempre ang RAGE compose of Roehl, Alejandro (anak ni mayor), Gil and Eric. With matching RAGE t-shirts at L.A. gear na sapatos pa yan ha habang naglalakad magkasabay sa Mateo Hall.

Namimiss ko din kumain sa Guevarras. Sampung piso pa lang ata ang ulam noon at di pa uso ang fasfood sa Morong, dahil ang pinakamalapit na Jollibee ay sa Edsa Crossing pa.

Wala pang Gloria Resign noon pero may Valdriz Resign naman. Di pa uso cellfone o pager non, kasi kahit PLDT phone bihira kang makakita maliban lang sa bahay nila Giselle Gonzales. Wala pang playstation non pero at least may atari sila Deo Aterado. Wala ding FX non pero may Blue Thunder naman, ang paboritong jeep ng mga estudyante. Wala pang Creepwalk non, pero may Roger Rabbit at Running man na tinuro pa sa kin si Oliver (alagang alaga namin si Puti..)bago mag concert ang NeoColors. Sikat na si Gary Valenciano noon, sikat pa rin hanggang ngayon.

Naalala ko din ang mga girls na pinangarap ko maging kabiyak ng aking buhay, kaso torpe talaga ako non..Crush ko talaga ang mala-anghel na kagandahan ng Vidanes sisters..(Angelica and Gemma, in alphabetical order yan) ..si Gladys Ignacio a.k.a. Goldie,na beauty and brains..at si Maricel Santos ang black beauty ng Teresa na naging ka close ko lang after graduation sa dahil sa isang overnight swimming namin.

Takot ako dati sa mga Officers kasi kailangan ko pang mag side step pag nakakasalubong ko sila. Minsan kahit officer-officeran nagsisidestep din ako. Takot din ako sa grupo nila Stalin, kasi ang lalaki ng kanilang katawan. Kung pwede ngang mag side step din ako sa kanila gagawin ko.

Haay sarap talagang maalala mga nakaraan. Nakakamiss. Lalo na ang mga taong nakasama at naging kaibigan mo. Miss ko na Class President ko, si Janet Alfonso huli kong nakita sa Mcdo Crossing way back 1995 pa ata. Miss ko din mga barkada ko, sila Peggy, Sir Dennis Inocencio, Edzel, and Francis Mangulabnan. Miss ko mga taga Cardona, si Matet, si Rica the crying Lady, si Estacio, si Glad na perslab ko...

Yung ibang kabatchmates ko nakikita ko rin, minsan sa Mrt, minsan sa megamall, minsan sa Karaoke, minsan sa bilihan ng pirated cd, kaso dyahe mag approach kasi nakapustura sila samantalang ako dami dalang gamit. Mga pasalubong sa Lola ko sa Binangonan. Minsan na rin kasi ako umuwi, wala na kasing byaheng bus na San Ildefonso Lines. Mura kasi don.

Musta na lang kila Julian Joseph, future Congressman 1st District of Rizal, sa aking ex si Lyn Santiago,hehehe. Next tym ingat sa paglalakad baka madapa ka. Sa Guy and Pip ng Batch 91 Lia Santiago and Ruel Balbuena, ang mga entreprenuers na Minnie and Eric, at sa mga kabatch ko na taga Baras, Cardona, Teresa, Tanay, Pililla, Morong at Binangonan, hinding hindi ko kayo nakakalimutan, lalong lalo na kung anong petsa ng Piyesta sa inyo!!!! Mag-imbita naman kayo! hehehehe

maalala ko kaya?

*this was posted in a blog i used to keep a few years ago

Sino bang tao ang hindi gustong makipag-sex?

May napanood akong dokyu nung isang araw. Sabi dun, ang mga experiences daw natin na may malaking epekto sa buhay natin ay parang isang malambot na gelatin sa loob ng ating utak na habang tumatagal ay titigas ito at mananatili sa ating memorya (related reading HERE). Ito raw ang eksplanasyon kung bakit may mga karanasan at pangyayari sa ating buhay na di natin makalimutan. Ang mga di mahahalagang bagay gaya ng anibersaryo, kapanganakan, bilin at sariling kasalanan ay madali nating nakakalimutan, ayon yun sa akin.

First year highschool, second floor ang classroom namin, malapit ako sa bintana na tanaw ang kwarto ng mga elementary students. Nasa mga unang linggo ng klase nun. Di ko na matandaan ang topic at kung anong subject nun pero ang natatandaan ko, nagtaas ng kamay ang kaklase kong si Julian Joseph na napag-alaman kong valedictorian nung grade 6 nila dito sa paaralang ito. Sumagot siya sa isang katanungan ng titser namin na di ko na matandaan. Basta ang sabi niya, kapag daw magsha-shampoo ng ulo, wag daw gagamitin ang kuko sa pagkuskos ng bunbunan dahil masusugutan daw ang balat. Dapat daw ay ang dulo ng mga daliri ang gagamitin.

Hindi si Ricky Reyes ang titser namin nun at hindi hair dressing ang klase. Wag nyo ng itanong kung ano dahil di ko na nga matandaan, ang kulit nyo ha. Ang pinagtataka ko lang ay kung bakit di ko makalimutan ang sinabing iyon ni Julian Joseph. Hindi naman yun mahalaga sa akin. Sa katanuyan ay di ko nga sinusunod ang ganung pamamaraan ng pagsha-shampoo. Di ko ba yun makalimutan dahil balang araw eh magagamit ko yun sa isang life or death situation? O baka naman may mahalagang wisdom sa sinabing iyon ni Julian Joseph na di ko na at di pa mapagtanto?

Nuong nag writing workshop naman kami nung highschool, isang sikat na writer ng isang broadsheet newspaper ang guest speaker namin. Sa sobrang kasikatan niya, nakalimutan ko na ang pangalan. Eniwey, sinabi nya na sa pagsusulat daw ng isang feature article, dapat ay makuha mo na agad ang atensyon ng mambabasa sa unang paragraph pa lamang. At kailangang mong tapusin ang isinulat mo sa isang magandang pamamaraan.

Katulad ng sinabi ni Julian Joseph nuon, ang sinabing ito ng guest speaker ay di ko magawang sundin.

* UPDATE
Jude said JJ's shampoo scene was in Mrs. Gonazalvo's PE/Health class

"sikat ka ba nung highschool?"

That was my wife asking me about my high-school days. We didn’t go to the same school, so she wouldn’t know how I am back then.

“Oo naman, sikat ako nun…” I said with a nod, then a quick flashback during my RTPI days. “Errrrr--- nope, I’m just one of the guys. Yun tipong okay lang kahit wala sa class gimiks” (although the word “gimik” isn’t in our vocabularies back then). “Pero okay lang, masaya naman ang high-school ko.”

Then my wife and I would go on our “my-high-school-is-better-than-yours” routine. Of course, I always let her win, that’s how she came to be my wife (nyuk-nyuk-nyuk). Whenever we’re doing that thing, and looking at the pictures of my high-school classmates in some of our batch reunions (which I haven’t attended even a single one), lots of memories would flow “out like endless rain into a paper cup, they slither while they pass, they slip away across the universe…”

Yeah, one day, all those memories will slip away. Due to old age most probably, as I saw old people in those batch reunion pictures (ewwwww, ang tatanda nyo na haha), people who I still remember in their high-school faces, most of them I last saw during our graduation day.

Then, it hits me. Why not put those memories into words to have a written record of those good old days? Not just for me, or for my classmates who, one day, might stumble upon this blog, but more for my wife, so she will realize that my high school is better than her school.

Bulok naman talaga kasi school nila wahihihi...

(sana di nya mabasa to errr---)