got facebook yet?

Malamang meron na.

And thanks to Facebook (and other social networking sites except Friendster, corny kasi yun hehe), nakakapag-connect tayo sa mga old friends, classmates, crushes (emphasis on "old"?) and even people which we don't really like, especially now that we see on their photo albums that they have nicer cars, bigger house, successful careers (but we have bigger farms, on farmville of course, beehhh).

Recently, like last night, in Milam's FB, I saw Monalisa. Now we have an answer to my question regarding the whereabouts of one of our former classmates.

Here's Monalisa Dionisio Nelson now.

HS Crushes, Mean Girls, and Recreating Malen's Logbook

*sinulat ni reta para sa narra yahoogroup, re-posted here without permission (and with minor editing of the details that are for Narras' eyes only hehe)


By now, everyone here has pretty much enjoyed the "dirt" that went around one rainy afternoon in Tanay. I mean a 100 or so email would be proof, right? Sixteen souls met that day, not quite the Sixty(?) we were accustomed with some 18 years ago. Then again, 16 people can always talk about the other 44---good stuff mostly with a dash of backstabbing every now and then :)

Ive been out sick since Sunday so I'm taking time now to write some stuff about what happened. As always, I'm not equipped to write short stuff so if you lack patience or is annoyed with my writing style, you can always read the 100 (and counting) emails posted by everybody else (pretty much choose your poison:).

The woman of the hour was Gem. Support came from Rydel and Don. The questions revolve around one singular theme--- your HS crush.

Some people gave honest answers, named names even if that person is actually in the group---what the heck, its been 18 years---some preferred the safe route, giving out names from other batches (would you believe, there is this so called gwapo batch), while some gave out safe answers. Curiously enough, one safe answer was Malen (probably because once in a young Narranians life, he has had a Malen episode so it's common place :). Still some chose not to answer (hiding behind the "Host" cloak, hehehe).

Lesson Learned: love remains magical 18 years later. While the heart has gathered dust and profusely bleeds for someone else, the HS crush has somehow saved a miniscule space, ready to erupt once triggered by fleeting but lasting memory. I guess it's like losing your virginity, the first thrust is always the most painful that's why you never forget:). And while some chose to remain quiet and pretend to be oblivious to what's going on, everyone present was able to connect the dots and come to their own conclusions. Postscript: Rydel is the ultimate hunk. Forget the Jeje's, the Arvin's, and the Percival's of this world---Rydel is the real deal (just ask the classmates:)

Another hot topic was the inter-class romance and then there were the this and that relationship. Unfortunately, none of these relationship moved beyond the gf-bf stage. There were "accusations" hurled here and there but the mood was jovial so it appeared more as fun than vengeful statements. I guess romance does move beyond HS quarters.

Lesson Learned: Love hurts but love heals. some of these failed romances ended as good friendship (or at least some of them are in speaking terms). Oh, please make sure to at least plant one kiss before the relationship ends so that the ex can't use this as a bullet when firing her gun (I'm not sure though if that was accurate, i think our friend was able to plant even one, guess she was just chiding him :)

Now comes "The Mean Girls", a.k.a. the popular people. Year after year, this has been passed from one Narra generation to another. In 89, there was the Cheryl led mean girls. 1990 marked the reign of the Cecilia and Barbara version. Two years later, we passed it to the TWIKS. Ours was undeniably the best. These people are pretty, popular, and often times "te-arts" girls. You have the Cardona girls, the Morong girls, the Binangonan girls, the Tanay girls but there can only be one Mean Girls group.

Lesson Learned: Mean Girls is just another label we learned from watching all those growing up movies (apparently, Bagets was just a fashion statement). Seriously, social "factions" are a fact of life. Without you knowing it and if you will just allow your life to flow as it is, you will fall into one or several categories. Mean Girls, Geeks, Outcast, Hunks, Jocks etc. For me it's all cool, anyway, it's just a label. Shitty things only happen if you allow them to happen and there is no way in hell that labels have something to do with what you will be in the future.

The infamous logbook is dead according to the owner, completely converted to carbon dioxide and water (assuming complete combustion:) plus some ash. Every now and then, we see posts trying to recall the contents. There were poems, love messages and what-have-yous. We all speculate about what it contains but without the hardcopy, everything is so f'ing debatable. I mean just who the hell is someone # 1, #2, and #3 for crying out loud?

The damn book is dead. It can never be recreated. Part of our history died but I guess some of it were really meant to be forgotten. Time machines aren't in vogue yet so for now, let's just be satisfied with whatever memory we have of our entries (or entries about us written by other people).

Lesson Learned: The mystery (and fun) lies with what you don't know (or what you cant remember). The loss of the logbook will forever maintain the mysteries of our high school life and will continue to fuel many interesting topics in future gatherings. Maybe its all for the better.

As a final note, its always a happy event everytime we meet up. Doesn't really matter if its two or 60. And while we have come to grips with the fact that we can never be whole again (a near impossibility i suppose), i reckon that in our hearts, there's always a special place for Narra.

Till next year:)

your friend for a lifetime,
reta

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.