Kissing Summer Goodbye

I know it will sound so cliché if I say that I had the best summer, ever. I know everyone else may feel the same way or even experienced the same way. But spending summer classes in Diliman is one experience that I will never forget. And spending almost every night with Anne and Qevz is something I won’t trade for anything else. And now that summer classes are over, I just find myself smiling whenever I look back to the experiences I had in Manila and mooning over when could I ever go back.

And before everything else turns into history, I would want to recall the details of this memorable summer vacation! I would want to make a vivid and lasting memory of the people that I met, the places I’ve been to, and the fun experience I had as a whole that made this summer, exactly the way I hoped it to be.

Happiness is the first day of summer, so they say. Yeah, that’s true – so true that it actually hurt…

The Subjects

My first week in Diliman was horrible! Since we were only cross-registrants, we really had the worst time in enlisting subjects for our summer classes. It was on the third day of the enrollment that Anne and I finally finished the enrollment process which took us almost two days to complete. But the super haggard enrolment was worth it because we were able to attend the best PI100 Class ever.

Since I was obliged to take 6 units this summer, I took up German10 together with PI 100. I was actually enrolled to PolSci11 but when I learned that the instructor has been the worst nightmare among PolSci students in Diliman, I rushed out from that class (believing I wasn’t confident enough) and immediately went to this seemingly super kind German10 teacher. Its not that I hate polsci, its just that i was too much lazy to actually study this summer!hehe… Reading piles and piles of polsci readings to compliment with PI100 is not my idea of a fun summer class.

Surprisingly, PI100 was one unforgettable subject, and I guess its one of the best classes I’ve attended as far as my three-year-college experience is concerned. I was enrolled to Ma’am Mary Jane Rodriquez-Tatel, this pretty “Pia Cayetano” look-alike, who I think is on her early 30’s. Since PI100, within the UP system, is known to be one of the most difficult subjects that all of us are forced to pursue, I already instructed myself of the not-so-fun things that are yet to happen. And I didn’t go wrong! Ma’am Tatel gave us the best reading assignments! Imagine reading tons of articles every night? But it was still fine, I never finished reading, afterall.hehe…

But what made PI100 unforgettable has been the people I was able to meet – the bright minds yet the most humble people I ever met. We had the best activities – the debates, the group reports, and the Mt. Banahaw fieldtrip! I was able to meet real nice people like Hilda, Mayette, Pido, Rizel, Christian, etc! And Anne and I were able to reunite with Keith, a Labschool schoolmate! We had the best class; the group projects we had made me know these people more. They were really smart people, the kind of people you can actually have a sensible talk with but are the humblest human beings I’ve ever known. They didn’t even mock me considering the fact that I’m only from UPBaguio. They were delighted of my company and they laughed at my jokes, can you believe that?hehe…

Where The Road Is Going

We had two fieldtrips in PI. First was in Intramuros and the next was in Mt. Banahaw. The Intra trip was fine but I enjoyed the Mt. Banahaw trip last May21 a lot more. It took us around 3hours before we reached Mt. Banahaw where the so-called Rizalistas dwell. The place was, as one of their religions imply, mystical.

We went to this Ciudad Mystica de Dios where a sect venerating Rizal lives. We met with their “Suprema”, an old woman who leads their pack and told us about their beliefs and traditions. Darn! They really treated Joe as their God! After that, we went to this famous swamp, which is believed to cure the sick. But before reaching the swamp, we survived this legendary 200+ steps that actually paralyzed my legs the morning after. It was really nice to swim there but too bad we were not able to bring extra clothes. So, Keith and I just settled with plunging our feet into this really soothing current of the water. Yeah, the feeling was actually therapeutic, so to speak.

Our last stop was the “Kalbaryo” cave that definitely goes with its name. It was a real kalbaryo entering and surviving through this cave. The cave has this unusually small passageway that you have to fit yourself into throughout. It was a really funny experience going through those tiny openings, so tiny that we have to get into the cave one by one. The whole class didn’t go through it since some of my classmates have been so withdrawn with the 200+ steps already. Since Anne wasn’t herself that day, she just waited at the exit of the cave together with my other classmates who didn’t feel like going through a real kalbaryo.hehe So what’s with the cave thingy? Nothing really…its just that people believed that if you acquire bruises during the struggle of getting out, that means you still have sins that you have to repent on. If you get even a scratch, you are a sinner. Guess what, I actually got bruises at my back… and I wouldn’t even ask what that means!hehe…

The activities ended at around 4:30 pm and at 5pm, we headed back to Manila. The trip was shorter than the usual and it was really funny to see some really tired classmates having a sound sleep. I was not able to sleep then because I was on the verge of seeing a beautiful sight! So beautiful I just cant take my eyes off that creature in front of me.haha… whatever that means. But when we were so near Diliman already, I suddenly realized that I’d be missing the class, better yet, the overall experience that Anne and I had in Manila. I wanted to cry right then and there but I knew it would be irrational.hehe… and I would look completely stupid if they see me teary-eyed, anyway.

And just as we reached Quezon Hall, we all exited the bus. And by then, the beautiful sight went farther and farther without even saying goodbye…

Three Is a Crowd?

Nah, not even close. Because through my five-week-stay in Manila, I’ve been with Qevz and Anne, the mere persons I couldn’t have survived summer classes without. Yeah, we had the best days in Manila together! I couldn’t possibly enumerate every single thing we did because that would fill up a huge part of this story. Plus, some of these things are not actually “legal” to write about. With the three of us around, eating out has been a given. We’ve been to different food houses that actually ate out most of my allowance.hehe. But our bills are actually nothing compared to the experience of eating with these two persons I could never, as in ever, live without. But among the places we’ve been, my favorite venue would have to be the Harbor View Square, which is so near Qevz’s place. I just loved the place because it was way way better than Baywalk. Harbor View is surprisingly less crowded and the cozy music surrounding the place made it more unforgettable and grand and, romantic. The view of the bay is a really delightful sight that actually made me fall inlove with the place. I can tell that Qevz, Anne and I really enjoyed the place because we went there twice already.

The three of us actually found love in walking.hehe.. because almost in every step of the way, we were walking. Its really nice to walk along the VitoCruz area at night with Qevz and Anne around, all of us speaking in English, while engulfing hot choco on a usual-mainit-night. Gosh, I already miss doing it!



The “Moments” (themes ng kwentuhan…)

Yeah, our lives for one month weren’t always about laughing and having fun and wasting money. There were also moments when we really talked things out. The themes of our conversations were endless because we talked on anything about everything with the Manila-night scene on our backdrop. At one night, we’d talk about our dreams. And we’d talk about love, hate, family on the other. And there were also nights when we look back to our elementary and high-school days and we eventually realized how time had become too furious; that we’ve been caught unaware on how our childhood experiences seemed so far away.

We have been innately dreamers. And we’d talk about our future dreams most of the time. Qevz and Anne promised that they’d be seeing each other in lawschool in Manila. And by then we’d talk about them becoming the coolest lawyers, co-owning a prominent law firm and becoming the most sought-after lawyers in town! Yeah, I know from the fact that these two persons would be able to achieve that dream because they are two of the smartest people I’ve ever met.

I’m really proud and happy that Qevz turned out to have this drive to pursue law and have actually laid future plans. I am a living witness on how he’d had too much fun in high school, how he played around and stuff. And now, he’s completely focused with finishing college and climbing up to lawschool, and as his friend, I’ve never been prouder. And with Anne, I believe in this girl so much. Having been her classmate in college has proven me that this friend of mine has a long way to go. And I guess, if she happens to be a lawyer, she would be the prettiest lawyer you’ll ever encounter. And as of me, well, as always, I wasn’t confident enough to actually plan for my own future. But, really, as far as my dreams are concerned, I told them that I’d really want to become a successful writer. I wanted to pursue a career in journalism or broadcasting. Yeah, atleast I still believe that dreams do come true.

On our night with love, which seemed to be one interesting yet tragic subject, we’d talk about relationships, sex, unrequited love, and everything in between. Anne shared her thoughts about love and on how her experiences with relationships made her grow...made her learn how to be the real boss!hehe... Too bad, Qevz wasn’t really open whenever we reach this subject but still he managed to share his views. I also told them about my really pathetic experience with love. They knew about every single thing I did for this tragic unrequited love that I’m still having. I’ve told them on how much I’ve been aware that there’s no future for this that I’ve been feeling but I can’t do a thing. I’ve been really honest with them as I retold how love resulted to this weak and negative-minded person inside of me. And with that they were always the nicest; they wished that someday I’d be able to find true love. Haha…

The family talk was also unforgettable, a getting-to-know-you-more experience on these two people that I actually thought I already knew. I won’t provide details to this topic because I do respect privacy, though it doesn’t always show that I do. Hehe. I really felt lucky to earn their trust with the things that were supposed to be private and untold. We really talked about our families, on how we’d do every single thing to make them proud and happy about us and on how lucky we’ve always been to have our families who took care of us and influenced us on how we are today.

Those moments when we talk about serious things is my most divine experience whenever we’re together because, through it, I’ve really proven that we are actually thinking individuals!haha.. that aside from laughing to death and being “barubal”, we also exercise our sensible sides, the side that made us vulnerable as human beings.



The Pickup Lines
Qevz and Anne, something to ponder upon.. hope you like it.haha..

For Cza:
“I love it that it takes you an hour and a half to order Pansit Malabon/Mcfloat…
I didn’t come here tonight because it’s crowded in the lagoon…
I came here tonight because when you realize that you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want to spend the rest of your life as soon as possible…”
“Saan nga ung kitaan?” (jake2 naman oh…)
“Kuya Eric…” (tang ina! Asar!!hehe)
“Pwedeng makipag-phonepall?”
(Nung nawawala sa intra…) Cza: Manong pedicab, magkanong papunta sa post office? Manong: trenta! Cza:*naisip ang sinabi ni Qevz na bente lang kahit gaano kalayo basta pedicab* Trenta? Wag na!! *sabay walkout sa maling direksyon, actually..*
Qevz and Anne: So, how’s you textlife with _ _ _ _y?hehe. Dalawang dekada na ito!ehehe

For Anne:
Cza: Anne, di mo na kailangan mag-6units noh… actually nag-overload ka na nga when you hooked up with Marky. 21 units ka ngayong summer, auntie!hehe
Qevz: Why don’t you guys (Anne and Marky) plunge into the breakwater and catch some Siringan and alaloo.. and rest at the PULISYA yacht after?(hahaha…)
“Nathan…”
“I hope ha… I just hope!”
*cellphone: you’ve got one message* anne: nyeta!!!! After a few mins *cellphone: you’ve got one message* *bigla naman nang ngingiti, out of nowhere..* (hayyy! Ang pag-ibig nga naman, neh?hehe)

For Qevzy:
Cza: ju-juy..
Anne: juy-juy
Cza and Anne: We’re so home, honey!
Anne: Iba kase talaga pag-Ilustrado. Iba yung kulay ng skin, rosy ba!
“Glaiza…”
“Cza: Naku, qevz… paano na lang pag wala ka, di talaga namin kakayanin dito sa Manila. Qevz: Hala, may ganung drama pa kayo, doh!!!”
Anne: Qevz, bonding tayo nian sa lawschool ha? UP or Arellano, here we come!
Cza: Ui ha, pag lawyers na kayo, bigyan niyo ko ng trabaho neh? Pag hindi, patay kayo sa akin!hehe.. kahit assistant nio lang, ok na! =)
A friend is sweet, but cannot eat… (hahaha…natutunan sa paniqui south!)
Sabi nila jokes are half-meant daw… joke,joke,joke!
The things that you fear the most are the ones worthwhile. (seryoso ito, auntie!)


Feeling-Singers!

There were also times that we developed this perchance for singing, and we’d go as far as 3am in Providence just to satisfy this unlikely urge.hehe… Since Anne and I we’re never singers, we never failed to be mesmerized by Qevz’s really good voice. (no kidding!) I swear I’d really miss those times when we actually sang our hearts out …

The solo artists
I remember this time when we had our own identities, and made ourselves as versions of singers. Though, we never really entertained the idea. *La lang, trip lang… iba kase kapag feeling wasted. Hehe*

“Underneath your clothes, there’s an endless story…”
Anne/Shakira, ikaw bay an?

“Cuz Im Bluer Than Blue, sadder than sad…”
Cza/sabi na ngang Regine eh, hindi Cacai!

“Cuz Im fallin, fallin in love with you, and I don’t, I don't know what don’t know what to do…” Qevz/Can you believe that? I’m actually sitting next to Janno Gibbs!



OSTs (the hindi-pa-kami-laos kinds of songs…)
Sharing The Night Together by (no idea...)
“Looking kinda lonely girl, would you like someone new to talk to. Ah, yeah… alright. Im feeling kinda lonely too, if you don’t mind, can I sit down here beside you? If I seem to come on too strong, I hope that you would understand. I say these things because I’d like to know if you’re as lonely, as I am. And if you’d mind, sharing the night together? Woh…yeah…”
>>>>I just love this song. And it has been our favorite as well. One of our official soundtracks that actually retold about our almost sleepless nights together… those staying up all night moment making “gala” and “making kwentuhan” as if “wala nang bukas”.hahaha…


Always by (no idea din pero for sure asa videoke ito!hehe)
Girl you are to me, all that a woman should be and I would love you for always…
>>>>If ever/by twist of fate/through cosmic disproportion, I get married someday… I wanna hear this song on my wedding day, talaga.hahaha… (If ever lang naman eh… pagbigyan niyo na. Moment ko ito, noh…haha) I mean, the song is just so romantic and every other girl will eventually fall for its lyrics.


Paalam Na by Babin and Bebe
Nakita kitang may ibang kasama, wala na yatang… pag-asang muling magkabalikan tayo.. kahit na anong gawin, kahit anong pilit ko. Nagsawa ka na.. ako’y nilisan na. ako’y pinabayaan mo…
>>>>This song was actually the sountrack of “Kahon” one among the nine movies of last semester’s 2nd upb indie film fest. And it was really nice that Qevzy began to like it and so did Anne. And from then, we never failed to sing it together. (lalo na pag nagmomoment tungkol sa past loves…one stanza per person pa yan!hehe…) I mean, the message is really sad and tragic, but I just love it.

The End

To make this portion a little different and a little less nose-bleeding for me, let’s try Tagalog. Naman noh…

Dear Charo ba ito?
…kung gagawan ng titulo ang buhay namin ng isang buwan gaya ng ginagawa sa maalaala mo kaya, malamang electricfan yun, kase un ung huli naming recollection sa isa’t isa.. nung sinoli namin from Sampaguita Dorm to Vito Cruz Towers ang hiniram naming electric fan ni Qevzy. Grabe, kakaiyak kaya yun tska nakakapagod, sobra.hehe Buti nalang wala si Qevzy…kase maiiyak nalang talaga ako pag nagkita-kita ulit kami sa manila, sa huling pagkakataon.hehe… Nagkulang nga lang kame sa pictures! Di man lang kami nakapag-project sa mga places na napuntahan! Shet, sayang! Grabe, naalala ko nung last night namin magkakasama... lahat na ata ng kamalasan nangyari! Nakakatawa talaga, tipong pwede namang di na mangyari pero, ayun, minalas pa rin kami nung magu-umaga na.. Lalo tuloy naging "memorable" sa akin ang lahat. Pero masaya pa rin naman ang ending namin kahit simot ang allowance namin, muntik nawala yung simcard ni qevz, tinopak yung fone ko! Hayy, ang saya talaga! Hehe.


Mga Mamimiss ko:

* hot choco sa 711 kina Qevz (kahit mainit, go lang!)
* kumanta sa providence (oo kaya…)
* choco frap sa Starbucks (na lagi akong nililibre.. doh!)
* magwithdraw sa atm sa tabi ng Benilde (gastusan blues…)
* mag-fx papuntang vito cruz (trenta from philcoa)
* mango shake at sisig sa Casaa (kasarap kaya!)
* pansit malabon sa Katag. (1st food kong natikman sa dil)
* ung german10 teacher ko (kabait, pinasa ako!)
* ung PI100-X5A class under ma’am Tatel (bayani ng bayan o eroe ng nacion?naks!)
* si jake2! Huhu.. (See you sa next life. When we are both cats and dogs.=)
* sina hildie, mayette, at rizel (friendly din pala ako!hehe..)
* maglakad sa lagoon tska sunken (makakita ba naman ng lampungan at 10am!)
* magbasa ng readings sa PI100 (quibuyen, constantino, kayo ba yan?)
* maligo sa Sampa dorm (dun sa nag-iisang cubicle na may shower)
* magbyahe papuntang t.sora (uncle ani: pag asa mcdo ka na b4 smnorth, tawid ka
papunta sa may gilid ng veterans tapos sakay kang nia- npc. buti nalang di ako nawala,
in fairness!)
* tawagan si Qevz gamit ang payphone sa Sampa (makipag-phonepall, doh!)
* mag-english-englishan with Anne and Qevzy! (nose bleed ito!)
* magpalaundry sa philcoa (kamahal sobra!)
* yung summer flingy ni Anne (haha, nangingialam)
* kumain ng fishballs sa SC
* yung buko juice na literal na ‘iced’ (ang mga pinoy talaga, tokis! Exage!hehe)
* magklase sa APMC (nag-iisang room sa upd na me aircon!hehe)
* manood ng concert ng hale (asan na ang picture namin ni champ?asan?huhu…)
* mag-yo. Huhuhu. (Umayos ka na, Czarina!)
* yung captions na ginagawa namin sa mga taong dumadaan (welding: “umaapoy ako!”)
* yung pagiging accountant ni Anne (iba na ang may talent sa math, doh!)
* yung pambabarubal ni Qevz sa pagkatao ko (lang ya naman oh…)
* ung kwentuhan until 3-4am. (fuck, nakakaiyak naman)

My "Pakners" In Crime

Qevzy,

I dunno where to start.haha… its just that Anne and I know from the fact that our summer class wouldn’t be this unforgettable without you. We owe you a lot, really. So much na nga eh. We’ve been really “pabigat” sometimes and we are just so happy on how accommodating you are in every step of the way.hehe.. Thank you for making our stay in Manila really fun, dramatic, and extraordinary…all at the same time. I know words are insufficient for me to thank you but I hope they work. =)

Yeah, I know I sound so melodramatic and all, but really, thank you… Thank you for bringing us to places that Anne and I haven’t been before. Thanks for your free foods, your treats, and everything else that I know money just can’t repay.haha. Thank you for always keeping us company. Thank you for the sleepless nights, the almost “walang tulugan moments”, and the “literal na lakaran” moments, among other things. Thank you for the laughs…the jokes… the pickup lines… that are always genuinely ”you”. I will surely miss those.

May I just say that Anne and I really appreciated every single thing you did. We so much appreciated you when you helped us out during our “supposed” enrollment. You were supposed to be so home in Paniqui but still you took the effort to be with us in Manila. We so much appreciated you whenever you offered help in any way you could. We will never forget that, promise. =)

As my friend, thank you talaga. Because through this unforgettable summer, I was able to know you even more and through my five-week stay in Manila, I’ve proven, for the nth time, how warm your friendship is. I thought I’ve known you all my life but my stay with you made me realize that there are still things about you that I am yet to discover, some unsaid things that I was able to understand just now. Even though sometimes, you deliberately piss me off, especially when you browse through my phone and read about my pathetic txtlyf, you’re still the best!hehe…

So, what do we have here…Summer’s over and we’re back to our normal lives again. It’s really sad to realize that the things that we had are memories already, converted into experiences that are always bittersweet to look back to. If only I could make summer classes a little longer, so that we could have a little more time to be together. We had the time of our lives last summer… so good that it hurt. But I have to face the world again… Go back to Baguio and feel this recurrent homesickness that I never really experienced during the summer.

So I guess, this is it. I have to say goodbye for now. Time and again, may I just say that this whole thingy I have right here is just an outlet for me to tell you the things that I can’t say to you in person. I will surely miss you. Yeah. If the fates will go on my way, we’ll still be seeing each other when I work there in Manila. As Anne said, “I hope ha… I just hope!” hehe. Love yah…


Anne,

Yeah, I know… this is pure melodrama and it is really out-of-character for me to say these mushy things and all that… But I know I have to work things out and thank you before anything else. So, please bear with me..=)

I wanna thank you for being the best summer friend, ever. The experiences I had with you has been really overwhelming… imagine us being together 24/7? Sharing the same room, going to exactly the same places and attending the same PI class?!hehe. And with that, may I just commend you for keeping up with this pathetic girl whose mind is too paranoid to function. And can I just say that summer classes wouldn’t have been this unforgettable without you…

I know summer has been my chance of knowing you more. We’ve been friends in Baguio but there were things about you that I was only able to understand this summer. And believe it or not, you taught me so much things through those five weeks that we’re together. Among other things, you taught me not to complicate things, to avoid being paranoid, and just have fun!haha... I remember those moments when I worried about almost all things about summer and Qevz and you were there to bring me back to earth and taught me to stop worrying. I mean, I couldn’t have survived those moments without you. I swear.

Also, you made this summer unforgettable because you were able to find those “sparks of love” in Manila.haha… I am a living witness on how you get pissed off at one moment and get completely amused on the other when this guy texts you. Those moments made me believe that love actually flickers in the air. Haha. Through you, I may have learned things about love, you are the fittest person to cling to with love problems because you’ve been through it all. =) Speaking of love, I also wanna thank you for listening to my “love” problems and for telling me things I ought to know. Thank you for making me believe that all is fair in love and that, hope springs… Yeah, whatever. Haha. =)

And also, thank you for always being “generous”. So much na nga din eh. Yeah, I remember when you treated us to Crustacia, this really pricey resto… Qevz and I we’re caught completely dumbfounded when you paid for the whole thing. I mean, that was really really so nice of you because I know from the fact that that would be my first and last experience with that resto!hehe…

I know its cliché to say it but words aren’t really enough to express how much thankful I am in everything that you did and gave. Sorry if ever I did anything wrong or caused you some things. I hope you enjoyed my company as much as I did. =)

And with all the melodramatic things that I said, as if this is my final chance to say them, the funny side is that, it all boils down to one thing – See you in Baguio! Yey! Hahaha…