St. Peter's College Batch 1984 Dance Production
Strutting to the beat of 80's music is pure awesomeness...
What finale to my homecoming blog could be more fitting

Congratulations to Batch 84 and thanks everyone for celebrating our special day with us!
Until next year...


Many many thanks to Sheila Ygnacio for taking the video and to Fred for posting it.

Right after lunch/tsismisan at a nearby fastfood chain (we were too hungry to look for anything else, anywhere else, of course we had another session of "catching up"... translation: tsismisan pa rin!!! Techy savvy my friend in the background, she is updating her website thru her mobile! Me, I had to grab someone else' laptop (I will just be drooling over the RED Vivienne Tam HP mini note hehehe...or until someone comes down from heaven and sponsors me one!!! HAHAHA) to start my blog. ...behold... I had 2 cups of coffee...
So I thought the day would go by without much ado from my friend antihistamine. Afterall, I did get thru sitting on the stage for the first part of the mass (although I didnt trust myself that much actually, I kept reminding the boy behind me to nudge me a bit when my turn comes... was able to keep a straight voice and face while reading the Responsorial Psalm and take good photos during the rest of the mass.
Things got a bit whoozy though right after. I actually fell asleep a little while standing behind a post (in respect to the lecturer). Till I heard Fred clicking away with his camera at my expense!!! HAHAHAHA . Busted anyway!
Decided to sit down and listen to what was going on at the front.
And this happens.

Ahihihihi...
A "good samaritan" woke me up at the end of the lecture.

These are the reasons of the wonderful unpreparedness of a trip to my birth place Ormoc City. My 25th High School Homecoming!!! And when you belong to the Silver Jubilarian class it could only mean one thing... HAHAHAHA do the math! This is the weekend that we had been preparing for the past year. Our turn now. St. Peter's College graduates of 1984!!! Nobody expected me to be home, deciding only to make the trip the night before. What they knew was that I wasnt coming. Some friends they are!!! Texting and calling me the very week prior just to ask if I was really going to miss the whole shebang? Or have I picked out my cloths already? What trip was I taking? ...my soul couldnt rest till I had my ticket home in my hand that evening. When I saw the sincere glow of surprise in their eyes, the warmth in everyone's hugs and the shrill sound of their happy voices shouting my name I said to myself...
'this is why I came home. Them."
When you live in a small enough town, chances are your high school classmates are the very same ones you attended pre-school and elementary school with. We danced, swayed, moved our hands and bodies to the music of Prince's "When Doves Cry", Eurythmics' "Here Comes the Rain Again" and to the irrestible beat of Cyndi Lauper. We horded on anything Little Twin Stars, My Melody and Hello Kitty. Afternoons, particularly at 1pm, meant Chemistry or Spanish classes, either way, we couldnt escape Mrs. M!!! Fridays were cool...CAT (sort of military training thingy) drills and stuff...cool! Or not. HAHAHAHA. The pic with me in red and sunglasses, that was taken at Cambalading, our camping grounds where we had war games!!! Which gave me a reason (and the chance) to hit my enemy (--ies) or crush (who I would deliberately seek...) with water bombs!!! HAHAHAHAHA!



That means we had been friends since we were all 4 years old!!! With the case of most of us, our parents went to and graduated from the very same school. And for most of us, it was a conscious effort...or fate (?) that we kept in touch since getting our diplomas in March 1984. I wrote letters (yes, letters!!!) to several friends all throughout college. Putting photos in an envelope would be expensive, so I drew how I looked like so they wouldnt forget me. We held annual reunions most especially during Christmas (it was mandatory to go home for Christmas no matter where you are). With the birth of cellphones, my monthly bills would almost have the label "too much texting high school friends" on them! HAHAHAHA. My high school friends comprise 60% of my phone and email address book! Even if I was dreading the assignment of reading the Responsorial Psalm during the thanksgiving mass ( freaked me out --Im not a stage person hehe) I couldnt believe I almost (consciously) missed my own Silver Jubilee reunion.
25 years... and to this day I simply havent figured out yet why I was assigned to play the piano when we sang our graduation song! Hehehe that was confusing...why me? I was the best in dodging my piano lessons. I had the most number of absences!!! Hehehe...I hope nobody remembers when I hit the wrong (last) note during practice when I saw my crush walk into the gym!!! HAHAHAHA!!! Intramurals week was the best! I would always thank the stars above whenever I make it to the volleyball team (or any team for that matter) coz it meant I didnt have to wear any short skirt of the cheering squad! hehehe.... Wow. my first singing contest! HAHAHAHA!!! Who knew? Not me! One night of practicing "Dito Ba?" and beating a last minute replacement singer of the other faction (Ernest came down with fever) didnt exactly make me a famous pop star in the country, now did it?! HAHAHAHA!!!
They should also revise a rule:
The 11th Outstanding Student awardee SHOULD be given an award...or else she...ehem, or he just might get traumatized and scarred for life. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! (I believe I turned out pretty well actually. HAHAHAHA)

Thanks to my friend, Fred, I also have pictures! hehehe. You can see me and Fred during the mass up there. Someone took a shot at us. At 7 years old, Fred and I were snapped together as partners during our First Holy Communion. The girl Im hugging up there was my roommate during college!!! Congratulations to Batch 84!!! A job very very well done! The most blastest homecoming party and weekend ever!!! So many stories, as if I have not chatted and emailed most of them regularly. So many discoveries! So much fun! No, no no... way beyong FUN!!! The Superdome was amazing! I have never been inside there before. It was beautiful!!! I was hungry when I got there but was too excited to eat! Wonderful to be with them juniors, sophomores and freshies!!! Classmates from other countries came home.

We could still enumerate how the class roll call sounded..."Pajaron, Palacio, Patanao, Paylado, Penserga, Pepito..." HAHAHAHA!

25 years...and I know exactly where those years went. Each one have their stories. Sad and happy. I took the time to talk and hold the hand of those I had not been very close to in school, look into their eyes and ask how they were. Some, as destiny had it, were not as fortunate like most. But they have managed to come, celebrate and be with one another. But there was no need to shed tears for them because they are happy. In simple and sometimes trying ways, they are happy. And it makes me happy. I found joy in talking with a girl who belonged in another class. We did not share common memories. We moved in different circles 25 years ago. That was the most amazing thing about it coz she told me a hundred things she did in high school which were new to me. I never knew she was this, she was that, she went to this, she saw that. She offered me another view of life in high school. I spent more than 7 years in the same school with her and yet everything she told me was totally new!!! I felt sucked into a beautiful and happy time warp. Just me and her talking about the past. How she saw me move in my own 'circle' (that is such a politically incorrect term hehe). She made me see my life in high school like never before. Everything makes more sense now.

May I suggest to those who have yet to celebrate their 25th: that year would probably the one time you would attend a reunion especially if you live in another country. When you come home... seek those outside your circle of friends from high school. Say hi to those from the other sections. Say hi to your most hated. Dont just stick with your old "barkada". Say hi to the parents of your classmates! Know the children of your teachers. Look for the old janitor or the auxiliary worker. Sit in the canteen. Take the time to stand in the quadrangle, look up and hear the cheers of the many Intramurals that were. And if you still remember how the big bell sounded each morning 25 years ago, you can be assured that guy pulling the rope is Rev. Dennis Soon, of Batch 1984.

See everyone again in 25 years?
See everyone NEXT YEAR is more like it!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHA

Thank you Boss for making the weekend the greatest success in history! Hehehehe...

Photo credits to Charisse, Imelda, Clyde, Gay, Fred and Tatit.

Alarm goes off at 4.30am. And so Alyssa travels to Ormoc in her pajamas so she wouldnt have to go thru the motions of changing at 5 in the morning. Carried her to the car and off we go.... New schedule says first trip leaves at 5.45am. It was dark. But we are at the port so the skies have began to show hints of sunrise...lovely colors of the clouds and the sky. Here we go. Off to Ormoc for the weekend. Alyssa's gonna miss school today. Terminal was not even half full. Who would want to be travelling at 5.45 in the morning anyway..? Me, apparently. I figured I'd still be able to catch some sleep before the series of events get going.



Business class was almost empty. Good, peace and quiet. Boat left before 6am. The sky is a beautiful hue of blue now. Passing the bridge. HAHAHA... there's another story there. I stay awake the whole 2hours and 45minute-trip white Alyssa goes back to sleep, only waking up when the snacks were given, but she didnt touch them anyway. Here we go. Not everyone knows Im coming. Im not going to regret this trip. It's gonna be fun. Take care of this trip Boss. It's be great to see old friends, old school. I dont even have anything to wear. Old shoes. I like this feeling of unpreparedness. So not me. But Im starting to like it. At least right now I am. Hehehehe. It's gonna be good. Fun! I have absolutely no clue what to do and where to go. And Im cool with that. I am looking forward to unpreparedness! Hehehehe

Off to somewhere again. Hehehe. My trusty green luggage will be chogaling along yet another terminal. Just got my ticket this afternoon. My travel wallet has not been cleaned out yet. There's still foreign currency in there somewhere. Wow, look at my bag. What a mess. I have never been so disorganized like that! Hahaha! Travelling is always been a big production for me, especially with the kids' stuff. But not today. Although this trip had been planned since last year. Had been excited about it actually. But things got kinda crazy (fun crazy) the past months and I completely took this trip for granted. Only told about 4 friends that Im cancelling. And these four friends...they never stopped bombarding me with messages like..."you're not really going?" .."what trip will you be taking?"..."you have something to wear now?"..."why on earth are you NOT going?" ...hahaha! Some friends you are! HAHAHAHA!!! With those kind of messages, how could I not go now??? Huhuhu. As of 6am this morning I had been adamanant that there is absolutely and definitely no way I was going on this trip.
I can just hear Joel laughing at me now.
HAHAHAHAHA!
But the hands of destiny had another idea. Schedule got cleared. Alyssa will have to miss a P.E. class tomorrow (Im taking her along). Checked schedules of those so-called friends from out of town. Have not thought of what to wear. What to do. But Im packed. Did it in 10 minutes, tops. Without a checklist, mind you. So if Ive somehow forgotten to put a pair of pants in there, good luck to me then. Hehehe...
I still have a deadline to meet tonight. Another one tomorrow. Hmmm... this is so not me. I will be staring at the computer tomorrow while we will have our meeting and dinner. Now, that is so me.
I need to be organized. I always need to move systematically. Di ba Marie? Hehehe ...but maybe this would be good for me. Unpreparedness. Since when did being unprepared become a good thing? I'll found out this weekend. HAHAHAHA!!!
.
Keep it simple, right? Take them as they come. A good kind of unpreparedness. Happy.
Whose grand idea was it to move the first trip to 5:45 in the morning anyway? Huhuhu! It only means either Alyssa will be travelling in her pajamas tomorrow or she would have to sleep in travelling cloths tonight.

Hey...Im going. I know...
This is a good idea.
Grab the moment right? It's one weekend that's never gonna come back.
Thanks Boss.
You've probably been hearing prayers from right and left that I will go during the past days, huh? hehehehe...
Things always come clearer when YOU speak.
Thanks.