An Ode to My Old Friends

Last night on my way home, as Mother Nature showers her roots, faces of my friends back in highschool and college came to my mind. Right then our "history" again unfolded so fast that I felt dizzy for a while.

I am writing this piece as my homage to my closest girl friends whom, in their own little way, adds up to what I am today and where I am now. We may have parted ways but I know in our hearts, our friendship's flame still has its glow.

My highschool life, as Sharon Cuneta puts it in her song "how exciting kay saya!"

Rhea - The statuesque beauty, with an appealing smile. I heard you are in Dubai with your family. I always remember how you always give us warm accomodation in your home, especially during that "cinematic" scene involving me, our friend's ex, Amor and Bruce.

Laila - our math wizard. For me, your ample cheeks, bedimpled smile and beautiful eyes always make us look like "alalay" coz you're like a Mexican. Pero pag nagsalita ka na, lumalabas ang pagiging jologs .. which never cease to brighten our days.

Jocelyn - ang aming drama princess! .. I can still remember how Viv's always tease you about your lovelife and Ali. Sa bandang huli, kayo pa rin ang nagkatuluyan. I miss your kwento.

Vivian - the comedian, pero cute! Kung lumabas siguro si Ethel Booba nung time natin, pwede mo syang panisin sa pagiging kikay at prangka! Your laughter can always bring the house down!

Jack - our rocker, the fashionista! I love the way you wear your clothes, be it our school uniform or your old faded jeans. You've always been a fighter - of love, of friends, of family. Nice to see you in Friendster.

Then we all graduated. Muntik pa ngang hindi tayo maka-akyat ng stage because of that incident involving our male friends. Pero dahil sa inyo, the word "friendship" has its different meaning.

Tapos, college na. I was in a group called "Teenhearts". Baduy no? Pero hindi nung time namin. We're group of six females, and our codes were thirTEEN - nineTEEN, thus came the name. We used to sing on school programs. One male friend of ours, Emerson, calls us "Fixing A Broken Heart" girls, for it seem to be our national anthem back then. What made us six click is our love for love! I can vividly remember that during our 2nd to 4th year in college, we used to have our private afternoon sessions when we drown ourselves with Cali and cried a lot over the love of our lives. Funny, that as we progress with our studies, some of us successfully "graduated" from being head-over-heels with our boy toy.

Unsurprisingly, what I recall is that when we finished college, there were only two of us who still keep our hearts open to the same person we have loved since time immemorial. That was me and Medy. I knew though, that even if at that time some of us have learned to move on, their love for that person is still there.

Let me roll the names then ...

Herlyn - We call her Mommy-Hon. And her boyfriend Daddy-Hon. She's been our "mom" in school, with her soothing voice and calm demeanor.

Riza - our gorgeous mother superiora. She's our "manang". Not that she looks like one but because she always pray. If the prayers were for J or for our exams, only she could tell.

Anne - our sexy, chinky-eyed Ate. Next to Herlyn, she's our disciplinarian. We have been an extended family for her since we also spend many afternoons in their house. And her family had always been so gracious and accomodating. Right now, pareho na tayong mommy .. pareho pa pangalan ng baby natin!

Dalia - our fragile baby doll. She may not be the youngest pero we treat her as such. Sobra ding ma-inlove. Pang MMK ang buhay. Pero Dalz, saan ka man dinala ng tadhana mo (at sana mabasa mo to), miss na miss ka na namin! Next din to ke Riza sa pagiging madasalin. Sobrang bait!


Thet - ang aming bunso. Sa edad, si Thet ang bunso. Yung bahay nila sa Luzon, parang bahay na rin namin. Sobrang kikay pero mahiyain. Napaka-pasensyosa.

Gusto ko lang isama sa listahan si Kuya Ed. Kuya, nakaka-miss tumambay sa boarding house nyo. Sino na ba nakatuluyan mo? Nami-miss na rin kita. Kung alam ko lang na yun ang ang huling sem na i-stay mo sa EA, sana mas nag-spend pa kami na time with you.


Tapos na ang high school, tapos na rin sa college .. Yung iba nakapagtapos, nagta-trabaho. Yung iba, masaya na sa pagiging housewife. Pero ano mang buhay ang tinatahak namin, isa lang ang gusto kong sabihin "HINDING-HINDI KO KAYO MAKAKALIMUTAN."

Pero hindi pa to and ending .. me isa pa kong hindi nababanggit - si Grace.

Grace is the person anybody would want to be their bestfriend. Kahit napakalayo namin sa isa't-isa at madalang kaming mag-usap, sa puso ko, sya pa rin ang bestfriend ko. At kahit na ilang taon pa kaming hindi magkita, once nagtagpo ang aming landas, nandun pa rin ang pagiging magkaibigan namin. Marami na tayong pinagdaanan Gara. Alam ko, hanggang ngayon, sinusubok pa tayo ng panahon, lalo ka na. Pero you've been a survivor. KAYA MO YAN!

Minsan, magkikita ulit tayo. Magkakakwentuhan ng matagal. Sasariwain natin ang highschool, ang buhay pagkatapos nun, at ang buhay natin ngayon.

Sa inyong lahat na nabanggit ko, sana mabasa nyo to. At kung hindi man, sana dalhin ng hangin at makarating sa inyo.