today, i got together with my high school friends. i wasn't able to see them during the sembreak since i was stuck at the pilot food plant curing meat and such. the last time i saw these guys was probably before the start of the first sem classes. yes, it's been that long. since some of us are studying in metro manila, we only get to see each other during sembreaks, summer breaks or christmas breaks. however, most of us took to having summer classes so well, there you go.
this time around, we didn't proceed to city mall right away after meeting up at LNU, an act which we have invariably been doing ever since we started meeting up after our high school days. for a change, we went to quattro grill and restaurant, located beside the dagupan bus station in arellano. there were five of us who met up at school - ice, cookie, mafe, al and i. however, only four of us ended up going to quattro since al had a lunch outing with his family. it's been awhile since i saw this guy. ever the hardworking, success-driven marketing student (college does bring out the best in some people), i'm sure he'll soar to great heights when he graduates from college. although he tells me, he's planning to take up masteral studies first.
so there we were at quattro. when our orders arrived, ysa arrived. now, she's the only one among my high school batchmates whom i see in metro manila since the rest are studying in schools in manila while the both of us are studying in up diliman which is in qc. new hair. i liked it. i'd like to have a haircut which is not one of the usual layered or straight cuts i often get. anyhow, ice and i got sisig and nilasing ni hipon. the latter was quite interesting - ice even had a comment about the vinegar, something about it being stronger than usual. we also had bottomless tea. ysa didn't eat because she said she had a heavy breakfast. art arrived a little while later, having just come from comelec for the voter's registration. then jajo arrived sometime later. so there we were, we're complete.
we are the usual ones who meet up during these breaks. sometimes, some people would hang out with us like kris or al, but these two were not available this time. i'm not sure how we started to stick together, but we were good friends in high school. it's now after college that during get togethers, the seven of us would almost always be present.
so there at quattro, we had nice conversation, learning stuffs about ourselves and our other batchmates. the most surprising revelation of all was ice. i knew there was something when i asked her the question during a phone call i made this break. i didn't expect "it" to be that far along. but anyway, i was smiling (from ear to ear) the whole time i learned all about "it." i was really happy for her, and excited at the same time, since this friend of mine has finally got her own. anyway, she didn't let us in in many details, just a few good points. well, i'm intrigued, and i'm curious.
as for the rest of us, we're still in the same situations the last time we saw each other. art is still with lynn, for a whopping 1 year and 2 months already, mafe's still single, cookie's still a hit with the guys, ysa's had some things going, jajo's still on the lookout and on the action, and i'm still part of the nbsb club.
after this, cookie and mafe proceeded to zari-zari studio for pictures cookie had to get while the rest of them accompanied me to nepo mall because i had to return some vcds i borrowed at video city. then we went to the city mall - of course, where else would we end up? when we got there, we first proceeded to national bookstore. there we saw some ednasian batchmates: maricar, jennifer, glori anne, and i think the other one was named macris, a cousin of driggy's. then noel, my highschool thesis partner, came along and what a change. for one, well, he's nagkalaman and his face has gotten bigger. it's his birthday today.
we separated when the rest of us went to the worlds of fun to play some arcade games all the while waiting for mafe and cuks, while noel went to smoke with his cousin. well, that's the last we saw of him. to cap our stay at the worlds of fun, we rode the bump cars. unfortunately, i got on the car that was so slow so i didn't enjoy it that well. but sure, there were a lot of bumps as everyone made the most use of the bump cars. after that, we finally got to get some chairs for our group at the cafe near the internet shop. so we sat down to some chips, some more conversations, and picture-taking.
well, that ended the day. it was around 6pm and some of us had to leave already, so the group decided to leave altogether. after seeing cookie off, the rest of us rode a lingayen jeepney. ice and jajo got off at her place. the rest of us got off near the victory bus terminal. art's going home to caranglaan while mafe will be riding a bus to malasiqui. since m.h. del pilar st. was closed, ysa and i walked to jollibee to wait for a bonuan-bound jeep, this after she bought stuff at mercury drug and looking for a lotto betting station.
so there, the day ends. the next day we'll have like this will probably be in march already. by then, ice and art will have graduated from nursing school, and cookie from accounting school in st. scho. how fast time flies. in less than a week, i'll be back in up to face the rest of the semester, even though i'm not yet totally prepared to go back to school work, and the rest of the stuff that comes with staying in up. a number of my batchmates will be graduating by march 2007, this being our fourth years. they will then be facing the prospect of finding jobs in our country and eventually, abroad, that is, after passing their respective board or licensure exams. priorities, circle of friends, available time will change. it'll be a whole new experience.
the future is wide, full of the unexpected, just out there. but for now, we have the familiar faces we can go back to, and the memories we may hold on to for as long as we like, reminding us of where we have been and the people who have shaped us and been there for us, for our future selves.
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