25 years and Counting

Exactly 3 days before the Grand Reunion of Batch '84, typhoon Emong inched its way to Philippine Area of Responsibility, targetting Northern and Central Luzon with gusty winds and torrential rains. Signal number 3 was hoisted over Tarlac, the venue for the BAGETS’ most anticipated reunion.

"This isn't happening," I calmly told myself. Of all days, why did it have to be in the week when all the logistics for the reunion are nearly completed? I readied myself for a cancellation because I thought many of our batchmates may not be able to come because of the typhoon. But then, miracles do happen. The typhoon made a landfall on Thursday evening, a few hours earlier than what PAGASA predicted, which was Friday morning. The rain poured hard but it wasn't catastrophic. "God is on the BAGETS' side," I thought thankfully.

Although it was a bit cloudy that morning of Saturday, it did not dampen the spirits of the BAGETS to go on with the celebration as planned. The reunion kicked off with a mass which was immediately followed by a motorcade. Vehicles were decorated with white and red balloons and posters announcing Batch ’84 Silver Jubilee. Every BAGETS came in their fiery red batch shirt.

Back at the Bulwagan ng mga Gobernador, Darwin, on behalf of Crispin, our class valedictorian, formally opened the program with his short welcome remarks. He was then followed by two of our teachers, Sir Lacsina and Madam Salisi, who graciously spoke kind words about our batch.

Perhaps one of the most touching moments in the program was when everybody stood up to sing, "THS alma dear, list to our song of cheer, echoing from the campus, loud and clear...." The song brought a lot of happy high school memories. Soon, tears welled up in the eyes of some of our batchmates. It was truly a very nostalgic moment.

Twenty-five years definitely ushered some changes in the way we remember people. (I’m talking about some memory lapses here people! Hahaha!) Often times, you remember the faces but not the names. No matter how hard you try, you just don’t seem to arrive at the exact combination of a face and a name. Good thing, everyone representing a particular section went in front to get formally recognized. Now, wasn’t this a good idea especially for us suffering from a temporary mental gap. Hahaha! Cameras flashed and videos kept rolling practically the whole time.

The dance medley by Paz, Jinky, Weng L., Weng A., Cris, Lina, and the other girls (I’m so desperate to recall names) together with Jojo, Jun, Nick, Beto, and the other boys (and again!) literally brought the house down. The groovin’ and shakin’ made the rest of us clamor for more dancing as the tunes caused everyone to travel down the memory lane once more.

Lunch was a breeze. The “bulwagan” was buzzing with BAGETS updating one another with what’s current with their lives while at the same time, old photographs were flashing on the large screen. Oh, how funny it was to see the “then” photos! Time has changed and so our looks… hey, we aged more gorgeously (both the ladies and gentlemen), no?!

The afternoon went by without a hitch with the BAGETS playing one game after another. We had a good doze of laughter as the boys tried their very best to win over the girls in our Reverse Charade game. As expected, the girls won! Yipee! There were gifts galore for all the game winners as well as raffle prizes for the rest of us. Also, our dependable organizers still managed to get each one a plate souvenir. Lovely…

While all these were taking place, our global BAGETS, Nhay, Lucy, Beng, Nards, and Dan were all tuned in via internet. They all defied the time difference. Nhay and Lucy were also in red shirts. Now, that’s what you call extreme cooperation. Thanks to all of you for staying up really really late. We owe you bigtime!

Tess reported to the BAGETS about the plans and programs our batch wish to accomplish while Sting thanked all those who helped in organizing. I particularly like what he said, “Twenty five years after graduation, all of us have matured one way or another. We should look at each other as one big solid batch ’84 and not as people belonging to a certain section.” Wow, this is so true!
Finally, it was time to bid goodbye to all of our friends. Singing the THS Farewell Song was a fitting end to a momentous day. A lot of us still lingered until it was already past our appointed time. No one wants to part ways. Maybe on our 30th year, the celebrations will extend until the next day.

I heard one saying that our Silver Jubilee was a SUCCESS! We owe this to the organizing committee headed by the ever dependable Cristina, Jojo, Pykes, Paz, Jinky, Wena M., Weng L., Ana, Lina and a lot of beautiful people who opened their homes to accommodate the weekly meetings. And, let us not forget our global BAGETS headed by Nhay (also the owner/creator of our Yahoo Group), Luz, Beng, Nena, Rachel, Jina (who flew in from Singapore just to celebrate with us, bongga!), Leah (our adopted BAGETS because she came from another school) Dan, Noel (McBu), Nards, and Tanay who went out of their way to send their contributions… A big THANKS to all of you! Also, my heart swells with gratitude to some of our local BAGETS (you know who you are) who did not hesitate to give more than what was asked of them… Your thoughtfulness is contagious… Hats off to you, guys!

JOB WELL DONE! CONGRATULATIONS, TO ALL BAGETS WHO IN SMALL OR BIG WAY HAVE EXTENDED A WARM HAND IN MAKING OUR SILVER JUBILEE A SUCCESS!

Let’s already plan for our Pearl Anniversary… Don’t get tired, please... And, hey, I’m so looking forward to seeing you all again soon. ♥♥♥

zip-zip-zip

our visit to Tagaytay last February was a blast.

we had loads of fun and laughter. our gang was composed of wacky people.

our tummies were filled with food and gas. oh, what a day it was!

with Jay, LAM, D, hubby, mrshomemaker, tita O, Jay, & Juno

hubby, D, & Juno waiting for their turn to get zipped!

take note of D's facial expression... totally freaked out,

a completely different reaction from hubby's naughty grin.

D shouted at the top of his lungs while doing the ZIP!

to hubby's delight, finally, D enjoyed the ride! it was definitely the highlight of our day!

Lam and I at the Bag of Beans to get our cinammon fix.

Just like D, maybe on our next visit,

i'll carry enough guts to get whisked from end to end of the ZIP.

and, maybe it will just be a breeze... hahaha! ;]

May the force of the higher heavens fly with me.

L-♥-V-E

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

No one falls in love by choice,

it is by CHANCE.

No one stays in love by chance,

it is by WORK.

and,

No one falls out of love by chance,

it is by CHOICE.

♥♥ ♥♥ ♥♥

--anonymous--

D's candlelight dinner

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

it was raining hard that afternoon of March 27... the torrential rains flooded the streets so quickly that I worried that the candlelight dinner for D's graduating class might be cancelled.. oh, it will break D's heart, for sure. I think the children bombarded God with all sorts of prayer requests so the rain will stop pouring... God yielded sooner than I expected because the rain stopped and soon the streets were free of water again. What a relief it must be for the children! God is certainly good.

the candlelight dinner is a school event done to give honor and thanksgiving to the parents of the graduating class. it is sponsored by the school and it's a strictly formal affair.

the children were all agog with the night's activity because D's cellphone didn't stop from beeping practically the whole day... clasmmates texting: the attire to wear, the time to be at the chosen venue, etc. etc.. it was understandable though, even I was excited on how will the night start and end.

true enough, families came in full their full regalia... the boys all looked dapper and polished while the girls were styled to perfection... what a glorious sight to behold!... i was keeping back my tears (only because i don't want my black mascara to trickle down my lovely face! hahaha =>)... but seriously, these children literally grew in front of me... from chubby little tots to handsome and lovely tweens...

the night started with a program... all the children, one by one, went up the stage, to personally give thanks to their parents... each speech was so moving... i shed a tear inside my heart... then, a hearty dinner was served... the evening's repast left everybody filled and satified... teachers of the children gave precious advices... we were serenaded by alina's mom and dad with their beautiful rendition of lea salonga's "What A Journey It Has Been" .... then, ella's dad offered a toast to the graduates... and it was soon followed by bro J, pop of JM, who gave a speech on behalf of the parents... and then, the highlight of the evening - lighting of the candle - afterwhich, both parents and children read a commitment piece...

every moment was so worthy to capture and every move was so compelling... if only we can freeze time...

the night ended with more cameras chronicling every poses and smiles... check out our pics ;)

running is fun

Yes, it was the first Saturday of March when we gathered at UP Diliman Oval to participate in the first TLT Family Fun Run.. The weather cooperated with our mission. The sun was out but it wasn't that hot. Families came in their full sporty apparel.

T.Joey, who was celebrating his birthday on that day, urged everybody to join in the warm-up exercises... So there, a little bending here and two small jumping jacks there got us all going.

After praying for a safe run, we all positioned ourselves on the starting line. As soon as T. Joey said, "GO!," off we went.. All were ready to conquer the 3K run.

The family that runs together, finishes LAST together... whew! that was hard... gatorade, vit H2O, iced mocca.... please... ;)

My super-friend Che A. crossed the finish line with just a little sweat... I'm proud of you, girl!

Running is healthy, so,

run, run, run... it's fun! ;)

drama queen

It was a rollercoaster of emotions for the month of March. I was in a retrospection mode awhile ago and it hit me. I was truly, deeply, madly emotional last month.. Hahaha... I didn't know that I was capable of becoming a drama queen... and i think, i have a future in the tears production department. But on second thoughts, I'd rather be assigned to the make-me-laugh department because I find it easy to laugh than to cry.

Maybe you are wondering why i was in a drama. Sorry, I am not telling. Only two people were fortunate enough to know the real score. I literally shed buckets of tears and I spent four crazy nights forcing the blackout curtains to let the outside light pass through them. Crazy, ludicrous, absurd, whatever you wish to call it, but hey, I was feeling the feelings that time so I allowed myself to wallow in hopelessness.

Looking back now, I say... yes, it was a rare episode of complete and utter foolishness. But, why do we subject ourselves to such silliness? Why do we adversely react to a situation when we don't know the whole story? Well, in my recent experience, I didn't have the time to process events, people, and things. I was so engrossed with things that I forgot to become rational. Unfounded worries got the best of me. So, there, I succumb to the pressure of the situation. I cried day and night...

I later learned that my hypotheses were all without basis. I was so blinded to believe that the fate of one is basically the same as the next person beside him. I did not trust completely. I was consumed with all the negative things hanging inside my head. All the what ifs and buts filled my body and soul. I did not put my trust on The One who is in control of everything. Wrong perspective, I belatedly admitted.

I do not wish this to happen to anyone... but then again, I may wish to go through the same experience, if only to gain a heart of wisdom...

Cry your heart out if the moment calls for it, and laugh out loud while you still can. Life is short, enjoy it. ;)

the force of the blogging universe

I always hear myself saying, "you should blog this, you should blog that," yet I can't even drag myself to open my PC... The earlier I should admit that my brain also took a summer break, may probably lessen the guilt I always feel whenever I remember special events that happened recently.

Yes, D has already graduated. He has celebrated with his friends and teachers. He has attended the school retreat. He is already enrolled to his chosen high school. And, he is done with his summer basketball clinic... while, me.. I'm still stuck with second week of March and April is already ending...

Ya, I know, I have a lot of catching up to do... I just wish that the force of the blogging universe is stronger than the utterly irresistible call of my 6 pillows... Apparently, I always give in to the latter.

See you.... ZzzzzzZzZzzz =)