Tubig at Langis (SM and Ajeet)
Met up with Ajeet this afternoon at SM Bicutan (yep, that's right. Ajeet. SM. Wahaha.). He borrowed my tape recorder; he's going to make a demo tape because (drumroll) he's auditioning for a DJ job at NU. Woohoo! Go Ajeet. Basta greet mo ko on air 'pag DJ ka na.;)
While I was waiting for him I went to BioResearch and watched the store crew brush the puppies. They are ADORABLE. The puppies, I mean. I wanted to hug them all! I stood there saying "aaawwww" in my head the entire time, hehe. In an alternate universe, I think I'd find myself working at a pet store. Seriously.
Then I went to the department store and bought Meiji Black, one of the best dark chocolate brands I've tasted. Yum.
I walked around thinking of what else I could buy with my remaining 50 bucks. Normally I would walk to the nearest ATM and then make myself happy with a nice blouse, book, cd or whatever, but I just wiped out practically my entire bank account on my birrthday party (yes I paid for everything), so I'm trying to be a bit stingy. I think this will work for about a week.
Ajeet finally arrived, saving me. Poor Ajeet, he looked like a fish out of water in SM.
I gave him the recorder and we went out immediately. Wanted to get home na rin coz I was starting to get hungry and was fighting every inch of my body that wanted to walk to Wendy's and order baked potato and bacon mushroom melt. Augh. Austerity measures.
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3 Words: Palabra de Honor
I was on my way home from SM when I got a call from Eug. He said he was mad at me 'coz I got a 97 in our final exam (I didn't even know this) when I explicitly told him that I didn't study. Wahaha! I was laughing so hard inside the tricycle, the driver must have thought I was nuts. Eug said he will never believe anything I say anymore. Wala raw talaga ako palabra de honor, at yari daw ako sa mga groupmates namin, blah blah blah.
But I really didn't study! Ok, granted, I transferred the contents of our handouts to my notebook. But I don't even remember what I wrote! What I remember was that I was texting several people the morning before our exam because it was my birthday and friends were texting and calling to greet me. And believe me, I'd rather do that than study. I distinctly remember talking about siomai and men with Shiva at 3 in the morning (Men are chinese food. I am a pyrex dish. I deserve the best siomai in the world.), with unopened books and notes scattered around me.
But, oh well, I'll let Eug have his way, for now.:) Good thing I didn't make a bet with him about his exam. Otherwise, I'm dead.
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I Partied Like It Was My Birthday!
Speaking of birthdays, I had fun this year with mine. Words can't even begin to describe. I treated my friends to dinner and drinks at Gerry's Grill. It was fantabulous! My high school barkada was there (nice to be called Supermodel Goddess Lara again after so many years, hehe!), Kule peeps [Mark! All the way from Pampanga baby, yeah. And Ajeet! After so many years of knowing each other, this is the first time he went to my party (his sis and I share the same birthday)], college blockmates (almost all of my Area Stud blockmates were there. Grabe, na-miss ko sila!), former officemates, grad school classmates, family. I'm so glad they were able to come.
Two important people were missing--KL and Shiva--but they more than made up for it with a video presentation that they made with Ivan (I have the best brother in the entire world). Imagine my surprise when I saw Ivan setting up the LCD projector right in the middle of Gerry's. And then the faces of my friends, family (Nanay Tanda!)...ah, it was the greatest birthday gift ever. I'll never forget it. And I saw Groo on the video! I wanted to invite her and Jo and the rest of Block 3 (my old Biology block), but I wasn't sure it would be possible. I heard Jo and Groo are not on speaking terms. That's sad because the three of us were very close back in college. We had this notebook we used to write on (which nobody else in my Bio barkada knew about, sorry, hehe). Everytime I would write on it or read their entries, I felt more complete. Even though I no longer saw them that much (because I shifted courses already), it still felt like they were there the whole time. Somewhere out there I had these two wonderful friends who were sharing their lives with me. Haay, I miss Jo and Groo.
On the whole, the party was all good. I'm so thankful to have seen them all. It's the greatest feeling in the world, to see the people you love get together and talk and eat and drink and just have fun. Even though I wasn't able to sit down with each of them longer than I wanted to, just looking at them made me really happy. That's what life is all about. People. Connection. Friendships. Love. It's just...beautiful. Beautiful.
After Gerry's I went to Greenbelt with Kule peeps. That's where the crazy fun began. My lips are sealed.;)
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Bohemian Rhapsody
Papa just texted. Look him up daw sa society page ng Philippine Star. My dad in the society page?! As in Oh No It's Johnny? Wahaha! I wonder why. Anyway, Mama's going to meet him and Cristy (Fermin) at Greenbelt for dinner later. Mama and Cristy Fermin? Weird. And my friend texted the other day, Cristy greeted my dad daw on tv *scratch head*. I know Cristy idolized Papa way back in college--Mama said she used to follow him around school--but why the sudden rekindling of old ties? Why would she be having dinner with him now?
When I think about it, the lives my parents are living now are so far-removed from the kind of life they had 20 years ago. When my mom was my age, she worked for one of the most prominent public relations company 'round these parts. She dealt with the big people. She was interviewing national artists, famous actors, ambassadors. She was writing for newspapers, directing plays, staging exhibits at Remedios Circle, living the ultimate bohemian life. Gary V was a nobody, and Lea Salonga was just a kid singing Tomorrow to my mom over the phone. I had my little finger dipped in that life, too. I remember when I was 3, I was hanging out at my mom's office. They were assessing the prospects of a budding actress, and they thought she needed to spice up her name to make it more catchy. My mom's boss approached me, gave me 20 pesos and asked if I could loan my name to the wannabe actress. So I did. That's how Lara Melissa de Leon got her screen name.
And now...everything's different. I doubt if FPJ or Nora Aunor or Laurice Guillen still remembers Mama. But her stories remain, and they're funny and quaint--not to mention a world away. Like pages from a forgotten era. Like the painting Johnny Delgado made for her, which now hangs above the computer--a silent tribute to my parents' colorful past.
I wonder what would have happened if she stuck to that kind of life. Where would I be?
Sometimes Mama worries about me because I'm so carefree. I don't give shit even if I have no money left, I don't save as much as I should, I always say that I will never get rich because I don't really care and I believe there's something greater than that. I push for things that are ideal, lofty and not at all practical. Truth, beauty, freedom, love (shoutout to Moulin Rouge).
I don't think she realizes that I got that trait from her--or the person that she was before, when she was still young and crazy. Today, Mama and I are as different as night and day. But you know what, I have a strange feeling that we're so much more alike than even I would like to admit.
I wish Mama of 20 years ago would come out a bit more. I wonder if dinner with Cristy Fermin could help her with that. Hmm, doubtful.
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