| NOSTALGIASM

6:32 AM |

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Look at how amazing it is to realize that I'd been actually recognizing the people who had made a great impact in my life every year since 2009. I only got this idea from my favorite, Bianca Gonzalez, while reading her blog 3 years ago. And with that, I got motivated to write my own as well. Even if this thing won't reach a lot of people's knowledge, at least, I will be able to share the best persons I had during each year. The only question now is, who are they? Were they still the same people? Who remained? Who left? And who entered into the picture?

But guys, please don't get me wrong. It doesn't mean that I never acknowledge persons who have made me happy other than this list of people that I'm going to boast. Of course, I do value my moments with others as well. It's just that, there are really some who would create a big mark on your heart and mind that even you can't believe how they things have gone so fast.

So ehem! Before I could make my introduction long (again), LET ME PROUDLY INTRODUCE TO YOU THE PEOPLE OF MY YEAR 2011!

BABYLYN SALAZAR (MAMA)

I could remember how freakin' scared I was when she went near to me for a hug when I was just about 3 years old. She came home from abroad with her very fair complexion and big dark eyes! Everyone was telling me not to be scared because she's not a "MUMU" like I'd been thinking of during that time. She's not a white lady according to them. But I wasn't convinced. I had this phobia of white women. I thought of them as the antagonists and ghosts. And yeah... I believed that Mama was one of them.

Mama and I didn't have the best memories together back when I was a child. I never actually gave her my full affection for I'd always thought that my only mother is "mommy" (my maternal granny who raised me since 1). Considering that I'm Mama's only daughter, that didn't make us closer back then.

But things changed after my younger brother was diagnosed to have a Rheumatic Heart Disease. I saw how Mama did her best to raise a fund for my brother's operation which cost about over 1Million! Mama worked hard and had eaten her pride to ask every person whom she think could give a donation for my bro's hospitalization. We were never the rich family, and this problem had made it more difficult for my parents to think about where on Earth will they get that big amount of money.

Anyway, before I could get over-dramatic, I put Mama on the list because I've seen how persevere and courageous she is on searching for a source of income. She registered herself into every networking business being introduced to her. She sells cosmetics, Tupperwares, clothes, shoes, herbal products, dishwashing soaps, name it! She has every brochure! And she doesn't mind if she does a house-to-house marketing if that's the only way to earn more money from the little commission she can get on every item sold. Then after a long day of doing business, when she comes home, her responsibility as a mother inside the house is not taken for granted. She cooks, irons clothes, cleans the house and wash clothes!

I know how tired she is on everything that she's doing. But still, she never fails to ask me if I need something. And even if I don't ask her anything, she would not mind getting me things from the products that she sells just for her to give me something. If that's her way of creating a rapport and tying the knots tighter between us, then she wins. She already got me. Whenever I hear thrash talks about her, I begin to feel bad and angry - which I never did before not because I didn't love her and I believed that she's like that, but it's because I just never cared. But now, if I could only lock my eardrums for awhile to avoid getting mad, I would. THANK GOD I INHERITED MAMA'S LEVEL OF PATIENCE.

I love the thought that even if she doesn't have money at times when I ask for it, she would rather borrow some from her collections and give it to me so I could still go to school. That's a lot of sacrifice from her and I appreciate it. I wish that someday I could also be expressive on how thankful I am for all the love and care that she gave me despite the distance and 20 years of not staying under the same roof for a long time.

I LOVE YOU MAMA! :)

MARIA ANGELA CARYL & MARIA ANGELA CLARICE TAN ( Ice & Waka)

First and foremost, they are not twins, aren't they? haha! Whoever is Caryl or Clarice there, that's for you to find out.

I remember how I described this two a year ago when I included them as people of my yer 2010. That's right! They retained the spot! They remained to be influential and to be one of the best friends I ever have during my college years.

As I've said a year ago, both of them are so caring. I'm like having another set of 2 moms! Haha! They're both sweet, fun to be with, and most of all, they're both kuripot. Haha! We maybe grown-ups to act like kids but that's how our bonding differentiate us from others. We laugh to death. Sing and dance in accordance to the beat of the current song. Eat while the class is going on. Play while the teacher's discussing. And WE DON'T CARE. We can be silly as much as we want ourselves to be!

Caryl, being the hopeless romantic, shares things about her love life in which I appreciate because I take it as a compliment. For me, it means that she trusts me. And so do I. What I love about her is how she values friendship. How she values her friends. She wouldn't mind waking up early just to make a sandwich and bring it to any of her friends. What a motherly attitude right? haha! But I adore her for that. She's the sweetest friend ever! And FYI, she's also my accomplice on some meany-eenie-don't-tell-our-moms situations.

Clarice, on the other hand, is my partner in "yabagan" sing alongs. If you want rain, just tell us. And it will be our pleasure to sing for you! You don't need to pay. Letting us sing is already something that would boost our confidence. haha! One thing that I love about Waka, she doesn't care if others would think that she's a lesbian or what. That's what makes her whole personality. So what? Who cares what they think? She doesn't GIVE A DAMN!!!! haha...I maybe just being sarcastic, but I'm 75% certain that Waka also thinks that way.
We may not see and be with each other as often as before, but I wanna tell them how I value our friendship and how I love them as my friends.

I LOVE YOU MUCH ICE AND WAKA! :)

MARIA ANGELA VILLAREAL ( The Hardheaded Creature)

This is the day that she'd been waiting for! You have no idea how she complained and questioned me about not making her a part of my 2010 People of the Year list! haha! Well, the reason is that, we were not too close a year ago. So I thought, if things between our friendship would continue to go well, she we would definitely be included in my 2011 People of the Year. And that's it! Since January, she's been a good company during Mcdonald's food trips. Like Jane, she's also a certified BLABBER. BUT I THINK SHE'S WORST. haha! This folk is DEFINITELY A GENIUS. SPONTANEOUS. WITTY. CLEVER. HAPPY-GO-LUCKY.

She's one of the persons who has the ability to shift one topic to another in as fast as a millionth seconds! You'll only go crazy chasing her thoughts. If you won't listen for few seconds, you'll find yourself lost with what she's currently talking about! It's a good thing that talking to her doesn't require a lot of energy. JUST LET HER DO ALL THE TALKING AND YOU WILL STILL HAVE FUN.

Honestly, others think that she's annoying and noisy. AND THEY'RE RIGHT! haha! But that's what I love about her. Your mood will absolutely be influenced by her presence. If you'll see her silent and not laughing, you would think that something's wrong with her. That's why, you have no choice but to just want her blurting out the words in her mind than seeing her kill the crowd with silence.

I actually miss this noisy creature. I remember how she helped me forget about my unfortunate experiences. The office got a little boring without her. I thank her for all the calls that she gave me. It made me feel important and special. Naks! THERE'S NO WAY THAT YOU CAN'T HELP YOURSELF FROM LAUGHING WHEN YOU TALK TO HER. I WISH OUR MOMENTS WOULD STILL HAVE NEXT TIMES.

I LOVE YOU NA LANG A! HAHA KIDDING!

I LOVE YOU JUD BITAW! ;P

MEOWRKS ( Dana Dy, Vergie Lara & Kaye Peratero)

Meet Kaye (the second person from the left), the most modest and most Maria Clara girl I’d ever met. If you’ll talk to her, you will feel serenity and peace of mind. Her calm mood and presence would soothe the agony that you are currently feeling. Ask her for advices; she will give them to you with open arms. There’s this one time when I didn’t know what to do and I didn’t had any courage to tell what I’m going through with any of my close friends until I saw Kaye. I shared to her my problem and after our conversation, I suddenly felt the assurance that everything will be alright. She never failed me when she said that she’s gonna help me. From then on, I realize how blessed I am to have a friend like her. One piece of advice my friends, if you think you can’t handle it anymore, find a person like Kaye whom you can talk to and who will be ready to listen to you.

That's Vergie, - the first girl from the left - the least person whom I thought could jive with my crazy imaginations! I never expected her to be a fun-to-be-with person. She’s the “suplada” type according to my first impression of her. But when I get to be with her more often, I found out how amazing this girl could be (like me! haha)… she’s outspoken, God-fearing like every one of us, and crazy. I think she’s also the kind of person whom you can be comfortable sharing your feelings and problems. Well, uhh... I'm on the process of finding that our. She’s a descendant of Kaye when it comes to these things. And hey, here’s one talent of Vergie which I discovered just few days ago, ask her to talk to you like Shuvaker (Indian accent) and you will be stunned when you hear her starting to showcase her special talent. LOL!

And the last but not the least, meet Dana (who was seated next to me) – the kikay and sassy girl of the group. I describe her as the rock rebelle kind. Melancholic yet she knows what she wants and what she’s not. That’s what I like about her. She’s not afraid to explore and learn from her mistakes. She’s certain of her decisions and not afraid of facing the consequences of her own actions. She’s bold, fun-seeker and a reliable friend. Talk to her when she’s drunk, and you’ll find out how deep she is, how hopeless romantic and how strong she could be. Really she is the baby of the group who still needs some guidance. But hey, SHE’S TOUGH. J

CRISTY JANE CORPUZ (The Angry Bird)

If you don't know her that much, you'll probably be intimidated of her strong and frank personality notwithstanding her genuinely-inspired topics that even I, can't most of the time, ride on. Her facial expressions will always make you think that she's mad or that the world has fallen apart for her. Uhmm... Just bare with her... that's just her DEFAULT LOOK. If you'll see her wrinkling her eyebrows to the extent that those two becomes one, don't worry. She, maybe, is just thinking about our accounting quiz or of her sole mistake in our last quiz. Trust me, she's not mad at you nor at anyone. LOL!

My impression of this girl was that we can never get along. Her personality is kind'a strong and quite opposite to my low-profile attitude. But my perception had changed when we became seatmates last summer. At first, all I could say were "ah...", "bitaw noh", "as in?" to her stories. I didn't expect her to be that bubbly. But you know what? That's when our closeness began. I should thank her blabbiness for it attached a string between the two of us not only during the summer days but until now.

Some may ask why did she become a person of my year despite the fact that she loves being the antagonist or the villain of almost everything I say (in a philosophical way). Well, that's the reason. I will never forget that once in my life, I encountered a specie like her. hahah! Even if sometimes I find it irritating, I'm happy having a person like her. Frank. Doesn't care what people say. Outrageous. Obnoxious. haha! Kidding! hmmm... She's actually one of the motivating factors why I study. I don't want her to feel sorry if I get too low scores. Pride isn't it? haha... I know she wouldn't be. I think of her as my role model when it comes to studying.

She is, maybe, childish sometimes, but there's a part of her that makes me think that she's older than me. THAT'S WHY I LOOK UP TO HER. ;)

I LOVE YOU GIRLS!!!!!

VERWIN JOHN PACIS
(Ang Gwapong Stalker "kuno")
October 07, 2011 - the first time I got "ehem" at Pyesta. I'd thrown up, got wasted and blurted out the words unconsciously... and take note, I was able to converse in straight English! Lucky me though that I didn't put more shame on myself in that crowded place! Thanks to my savior, Verwin! Because of him, I was able to leave the area before I get too nauseated! haha! Shame on me.
Well I didn't expect him to do that. Oh right! I texted him using the name of Gladys. How pathetic was that? haha! That text was actually for him and Karlo. Maybe because I was no more sober during that night, I just suddenly thought of declaring a dare for my two best friends. I wondered if they really cared enough for me and I'd like to see if who's ready enough to fetch me at that time of the night. But oops! My message to Karlo had failed and wasn't sent! Poor me. And so the text was only received by Verwin, who replied after an hour! Waaah! (Ssssh! Another reason why I texted him because he has a car! haha Kidding!)

You wanna know a trivia? Verwin and I might be best friends since Grade-2 but there's still this little barrier between us that disables us from sharing personal stuffs to each other. Well, I'm not comparing him to Karlo, but my bond with this guy is different. It's still vague to me why and how did we became best friends, actually! Maybe that's the exciting part about it... a mystery that binds us together until now. Verwin and I have somehow leveled-up our friendship this year. We had shared our love, life and angst stories. If last year was the hopeless one for the three of us, I guess, things had turned to be opposite this year. I just hope that this would continue. After all, we still stick around despite our differences and busy schedules. (yeah... busy)

If there's something I love about Verwin, it's the fact that you will see him becoming a shoulder to cry on at the least moment you expect him to be. You know our friendship started with that cool attitude of him. Look at us until now. :)

I LOVE YOU NA LANG RIN VERWIN! HAHA

JOKE ULIT. I LOVE YOU BITAW WALAY JOKE!

GLADYS MENDOZA (Crime Partner)

ONE OF THE CRAZIEST PERSONS I'D EVER MET ASIDE FROM MYSELF AND A!

At the first month of last semester, all I did was to listen to Jane's kwento of how Gladys became her friend and how Gladys becomes everyone's BEST FRIEND. And I was just like "really?" "wow!" "naks!" to all the beautiful things Jane were saying about her. I even thought that she's having a crush on her! (wahaha! Peace!)

Looking at Gladys before, I could say that I didn't see why Jane is so fond of her. We even live in the same subdivision since forever, and I hate it when I can't even remember a single memory of her when I was a kid. I used to pass by their house whenever I go to our rock-like Japanese base. I can't remember any! IKR! MY MEMORY SUCKS. But she said she knows me ever since. She even teased me to his kapitbahay - who happened to be my classmate - without me knowing.

So from there... this girl and I became groupmates in a graveyard shift and in a very torturing project, the Feasibility Study. We hanged out more often. And there I discovered the truth about everything Jane had said. There's something about this crazy girl that attracts everyone to get close to her without her giving so much effort. Her jolly personality gives you a hint of why you can be comfortable sharing things to her. Can you believe that even one of my best friends confide to her when in fact they just met two months ago?! And my mom would now allow me to go out and would not scold me anymore if I come home late only if they know that she's my companion. AMAZING RIGHT?! That's what we are talking about.

The thing is, you can be comfortable to tell her your story because one, she will listen... two, she won't ABSOLUTELY judge you even if what you did is wrong... and third, you're confident that what you share is safe with her. Well, I barely share my misfortunes in life. But with her, it seems just too easy to tell my drawbacks and experiences without worrying about any negative reactions from her. Maybe Gladys has hypnotism powers?! haha...

What I love about Gladys Mendoza is that we can enjoy each other's company without sticking to a specific topic. Or without saying a lot of words if possible. We just sing and be silly. WE LAUGH AT EACH OTHER'S EMBARRASSMENT (Yes! That's how brutal we are). We just make eye contacts and boom! Good luck to our VICTIM. HAHA! Honestly, she's more of an ate to me although she doesn't look and act like one. I only get too close to girls who are older than me or those who are of my age. And maybe that's why she and I are in good vibes.

Brutal as she can be, we are thankful that we have a friend like her. ;)

I LOVE YOU GLADZ! :)

JUN KARLO BORRERO
(MY BEST FRIEND / YAYO/ CHAPERON / FOOD SPONSOR - NAME IT)

Karlo has one of the qualities that I look for in a guy. That is, making me laugh to death! haha! But don't get me wrong again. That's just one of the hundreds of reasons why he became my best friend. My relationship with him is opposite of what I and Verwin had. We are like the "PINAGBIAK NA ARINOLA". We always stick to each other which some people would think that we're a couple or that something special is going on between us. But we ain't and if ever there's something special between us, that's our FRIENDSHIP. ;)

Like a year ago, we barely see each other. I thought that our bonding will just stay in high school and remain inside the grounds of our Alma Mater. But then, things eventually changed this year! The good news is, because of our common interest, we return in each other's company. We now often go out. No idea how things went back to best times just like the old times. I'm so grateful that I am able to laugh with this guy again. Ok, I admit, I miss him.

Karlo is also a very outspoken type person. What you see is what you get. But when it comes to real emotions, you still have to squeeze him so he would admit that he's hiding something. His personality is a "feeling close" type. You can easily jive with him even if you just met him 5 minutes ago. He has a wide array of connections ergo it's not difficult for him start a conversation with some stranger. I assume that's a talent.

I love how Karlo cares for me. Even if he won't admit and tell it straight to my face. Tell him you need him, and he'll be there. Tell him that you'll treat him over lunch and he'll be there 100x faster! haha joke! We don't say that we like each other's attitude wholly. When I'm mad at him, I express it. Others would say that HE'S GAY, BUT HERE'S I CAN ASSURE YOU, HE'S NOT. I'm saying that not because of what he told me, but because I have faith on him.

I'M PRAYING THAT WE'LL BE BEST FRIENDS FOREVER AND EVER!

I LOVE YOU KARLO!

So that's it! I'm done with introducing the best people I encountered during this year! You have no idea how thankful I am to meet such beautiful, handsome and loving friends and of course, a self-sacrificial Mama. I'm so blessed having these people in my life! I also thank God for giving me my other friends (who may not have been mentioned here) who didn't fail to show me their love and to bring out the best in me in everything that I do. This year has been good to me no matter how I perceived it as a SUCKING YEAR.

AM LOOKING FORWARD TO A MORE EXCITING AND MORE LIFE LESSONS NEXT YEAR!

SUPER THANK YOU AND I LOVE YOU LORD! :)