Crash!

When I was in grade school, I would look up at the sky. Sometimes, I'd see airplanes flying over our roof. I'd think that some were too low and then I would conclude that they were going to crash. I'd wait the next day for news of a plane crash.

Wala naman.

See You Again

I've had 2 last days at work in my entire career. On both times, I wasn't able to say goodbye to the people that mattered.

On my first last day, my teammates were at a meeting. On my second last day, I was at a meeting that lasted longer than expected, and had my friends leaving before I was able to get out of it.

Oh well, I'm thinking if it makes me sad now. Yes, I'm a bit affected. But fortunately, I'm just around -- a get-together is not that hard to organize and to come to. So on both last days, goodbyes aren't actually necessary.

I'm always around anyway. So just -- "See you again!"

Lunchout - Finally!

I had lunch with former officemates last Wednesday. This had been planned a month ago and twice postponed because of the typhoons.

We had some really good laughs - as in tawang makulit dahil sa mababaw na dahilan. What can I say? I have to admit that I miss them so much.


Ian now wears glasses. And he wears his long-sleeves really neatly. But he still combs his patilya with his fingers. He skips while going down the stairs. So he is still the same guy I know - the very down-to-earth person with tolerable vanity. Haha!

Julie now wears a hair band - though I don't think it does a lot to her hair. Wehehe! And they've put up a business too which keeps her busy on weekends. But she still forgets some details of what we've talked about and laughs even without knowing why. So I know she's still the friend I know - the fun-loving person who knows when to get serious. Naks!

There's also Mike and Jason. Poor them, they'd have to ride along our sense of humor. But they did last! And they were just as good sources of stories to laugh about.

So that's the reason why I still arrange these lunchouts - even though sometimes it could get difficult to synch our schedules. The time spent with them is worth it.

Insomniac and Missing A Lot

Ever since I came back from my list trip (which I still have to blog about, by the way), I've had a hard time sleeping. And when I do get to sleep (at around 3 or 4am), I wake up at the slightest movement and sound around me.

As I can't get to sleep right away, my mind wanders... I've been missing a lot of things.

I miss:

• riding my bike; going back and forth along Escort St.
• Saturday dentist visits in Cubao, then going to 3M pizza and order their Combination Pizza
• the salad bar of Pizza Hut
• struggling on learning to play the guitar using a big one readily available at home
• waking up at 4am for school, and sleeping before 9pm at night
• volunteering on going first on speeches and oral tests
• playing jackstones during recess and lunch
• carrying chairs to the multi-purpose hall for singing practice
• the loooooonnnnnggggg recess after school mass

• asking permission to sleep over at a friend's house
• being invited to YFC and Christian summer camps (and never attending one)
• playing the organ / guitar / tambourine for the church choir
• learning to commute
• being exempted from taking quarterly exams
• studying with the barkada at the back of the library during 1-hour breaks on QT days
• Science investigatory projects, Geometry projects, class plays, Ecology week
• receiving letters from busmates who never spoke a word to me
• listing weird words with Chrissy
• hanging out along the highschool corridors
• having my turn at sharing my reflection on the Gospel during morning prayer
• having perfect attendance
• palanca letters on recollections and retreats
  
• COCs march practice after school, COC summer training
• visits to the Guidance Office to patch things up with friends
• lining up by heights, in equal distances from each other, before entering the classroom after recess and lunch

• hangouts at the lagoon, playing patintero with blockmates
• sem-ender and Christmas parties at Jen's
• block G-27's logbook
• watching the Lantern parade
• lining up outside classrooms as early as 5am during enrollment
• org activities almost every school weekend
• visits to orphanages, rehabs, daycares, etc.
• walking from UPS tambayan to the Katipunan terminal
• God-cell-a: my cell group at UP Student Catholic Action
• interviewing applicants of UPS
• playing billiards during breaks or after school
• sleepovers at Ailene's
• summer classes

• ordering siomai and iced tea at Hen Lin every other day
• tutoring 3 students every other day
• having lunch at GMA 7's cafeteria
• John Mayer's album being played by my boss the whole day, every day
• playing Higher or Lower at DOST-ASTI's library
• the tambayan at our Cainta house; falling asleep at the sofa bed
  

• 7am - 4pm work schedule
• Decadence, Bahay Kubo and Secret Spices
• 10am breaks
• sneaking to view non-work related sites during office hours
• composing email whenever a sosyalite is celebrating his/her birthday
• copying pictures from events
• overtimes that got me closer to friends
• playing my playlist enough for my teammates to hear
  
• Peak 2, Mt. Makiling which we never reached
• Christmas get-together at Tagaytay
• the nightly chat conferences with former officemates after I resigned
• coming up with code names and our own sosyal! names
• always sitting near Tesalette in the foodcourt of Megamall

• gradeschool bestfriends and the exchange of letters whenever we want to say something to each other
• highschool batchmates who stuck together; always stood up for what we believed in
• close friends who are not from my barkada; sharing stories over long talks on the phone
• OOC Wacked Homies and our barkada logbook; how we'd figure in almost all batch and school events; and just how we grew up together
• UP Sandigan Batch '98-B and how 21 of us made it all the way
• Friends Beyond Forever Club (FBFC); our get-togethers playing billiards, bowling, spending time at Ailene's
• Sosyal!ites - our picture-taking, mascots, color days, declarations, horoscope reading, word of the day, and how we developed friendship with trust in less than a year
  
• Triangle / Inseparables (we don't actually have a name), how we're seated together then separated by some forced sitting arrangement, how we'd sing in 3 voices, our cryptic conversations, our emails and netsends, and how we still make sure that we spend time together now that we're with different employers
• my Far-Away Best Friend (FBF), and our almost daily chats then, how we became FBFs, expressing ourselves through email, the promise of sharing more and the hope of spending more time together
• my Best Friend Beyond Forever (BF squared) even though we kinda bug each other everyday. I don't know what I'd do without her.

• Survivor, Ally McBeal, Friends series (need to find a new series to watch)
• reading the Book of Life (gave mine to a cousin; need to get a new one)
• playing the guitar (need to get a new one too)
• having passion for something (need to get a new one as well)

My Utmost For The Most High

It has been ten years since I and 97 others graduated from highschool. The batch's motto was "My Utmost For The Most High". This was actually derived from a daily devotional book with the title "My Utmost For His Highest". But the nuns at our school had grammatical issues with it, and so we changed it appropriately.

I was part of the committee incharge of creating the batch song. I don't actually remember if I did contribute at least a line or two and a few notes and chords. But full credit is given to Pia and Chinggay for the music and lyrics. I did play the guitar while the batch sang our song on graduation day, though.

Here's the song:

Lord, look upon me
Embrace me with Your love
Grant that people see
That You are in me, beside me

Lord, I am Your handmaid
Your words are in my heart
You have called me by my name
How can I turn away, turn away

Chorus:
So I offer You my life
All the treasured things my heart can hold
I hand to You
So guide me through Your way
Let me walk the path that leads to You
Leaving all behind
My gift to You will be the very best of me
My days will be a witness to Your love
My utmost for the Father who uplifts me
My everything I give for the Most High

Take my thanksgiving
For all that You have been
My strength, my light, my friend
From life's wounds, You've healed me

I fear not what will be
As I bid farewell to friends
As I travel my own road
Knowing I have You with me

I remember while I was playing the guitar, midway through the song, I was already crying. I can't seem to imagine that I'd be parting with people I spent 11 years with, with friends I practically grew up with.

As I look at my life now, I still would like to believe that I have been living my life the way I dreamt of living it, the way 98 of us sang it - that is, being a witness to God's love - though I know that my life is not as perfect as His love for me is.

For those who know me and what I went through, this was how I learned to live again. And this is what I live for now.

And while I'm on reminiscing still, here are some pictures from highschool.





Left to Right:
Picture 1 - First year, summer with Mia, Donna, and Chermaine (not in picture) at Aling Pining's in Sikatuna, Quezon City
Picture 2 - Third year, manning our booth with Katre, Mia, and Donna during our School Fair
Picture 3 - Third year, breaktime during our last Retreat in Antipolo
Picture 4 - Fourth year, highschool barkada after CAT