a pahalic labstori

Walk Me Home

2005-05-11T23:59:00.002+08:00

"The time is right, your perfume fills my head
The stars get red, and all the night's so blue
And then I go and spoil it all, by saying something stupid
Like... AYLABYU!" ^_^
(Robbie Williams/Nicole Kidman)

And then, I freaked out... :D
Thanks to my stupid mouth, which kept uttering those stupid words after some stupid lag. Having been so caught up with that stupid "moment," it was for some stupid reaason that I stupidly blurted out some stupid answer to his stupid question, and was helplessly stuttering in all stupidity...
"UU......... UU..."

Uu, magkikinita la kita hini! =p I felt like the stupidest, most pathetic loser mankind has ever had, for stupidly telling HIM that I wanted to watch TV all night. Wahaha! (Ka-olats nala nim, nasayang lugud an moment. Hekhek!)
Silence filled the air, as both of us remained motionless, speechless, and (almost) breathless. Haay! Two totally buffoonish souls shared that once-in-a-lifetime sobriety between them. For once, nagin seryoso kunu an mga ungas!
And still, none of us had spoken up until ALL ABOUT EVE was finished.
And after eating more junk food, I left the room and went downstairs, still half-contemplating. (Anu ba?! Katatanga nala abaadaw! Pero kay... Sige nala, kay dalagang Pilipina man kunu ak. Sakto la adto. Hekhek! Nan usa pa, bangin pa lugud ak ma-tempt! Haay tukso, layuan mo aketch! Mwahahaha!! Enap, enap, enap! :D)

After a few minutes, HE came out and brought before my eyes the most charming outfit I'd ever seen HIM wear...
A medium-sized printed black shirt, which made his chest appear much cuter (as in cuter in size, haha) than what it was when HE was topless. Loose khaki-colored cargo shorts, which flaunted those thin curls of hair on those oh-so-fair legs of his. And an off-white pair of Islander slippers, which displayed his still-so-fair varicose-vein-free feet. :)
We left his place for our next stop: Krus na Ligas (which HE ridicules as "KRUS NA LAGAS." LoL. Ka-korni... :D)
As we arrived at my apartment, HE decided HE would stay for the night. (Awkai!)

Strike 1: (kahuman ko karigu)
ako: Uy, di ka pa mauli? Mag-tu-twelve na...
(but HE was busy, err, reading a For Him Mag, so wa ada bati)

Strike 2: (kahuman ko liwan)
ako: Uyyy... Mapiraw na balet, di ka pa mauli??
HIM: Di nak mauli...
(and with that, I panicked like hell. Nyay! Ngain ko man kunu it yana papahigdaun??)

Strike 3: (kahuman ko pag-kape)
ako: Dad-a nala ito naim ginbabasa... Hudma la anay. :)
HIM: Di nak mauli...
ako: Kayanu?? Makain ka man?
HIM: Gab-i na hin duru...
ako: May taxi pa man adi yana.
HIM: Tsk... Bangin ak ma-rape.
ako: Aw sige ayaw pag-uli. Ngain ka man makaturug?
HIM: Nganhi nala ak.
ako: Nganhi?? Ngada kat salug, gusto mo? =D

Strike 4:
ako: Uy, sige na lagi, mapiraw na... Mag-e-Excel pa ak.
HIM: Di na lagi ak mauli...
ako: Ngain ka man?? Waray kami guestroom nganhi... Hihi
HIM: Waray ka ngada bis la banig?
ako: Agee waray ak hiton...
(and so, I went upstairs. >D)
HIM: Uy, ay gad ak pagbaya-i ngadi...
ako: Makaturug na ak... Gudnaaayt! ^^,
HIM: Tsk tsk...
(so I went downstairs to try to convince HIM, again.)

Strike 5:
ako: Huuuuy........ Uli na... Please??/ :) Di ka naluluuy ha ak? Magho-homework pa ak, tas mag-s-study.
HIM: Di na lagi ak mauli.

Engk! Toinks! Ngyaa!
And so the case was closed. LoLz... For the next few minutes, there was minimal talk. I was tired of talking and thinking about where HE'd be sleeping that night. In the end, I went inside my room and left HIM to decide whether HE'd sleep on the other room, or on the FLOOR. (Kay makuri piritun it nadiri; it was pointless to argue with such a stubborn creature like HIM. Absolutely useless to even think of talking HIM into it. Awkai...)

"Ngayong gabi, ako ang sundalo MO
Habang IKA'y tulog, ako'y gising,
Nakabantay sa'yo...
E kasi mahal kita!" ^_^
(Bamboo)

Let's Stop The World and Melt With YOU

2005-05-11T21:00:00.002+08:00

"Take my hand, and gently close your eyes so YOU could understand
That there's no greater love tonight
Than what I've for YOU
So if YOU feel the same way for me, then let know
And we can journey to a gardern no one knows..." ^_^
(Rivermaya)

UP --> Quezon Memorial Circle --> McDo (Project 6) --> iya apartment

"Ey, adi na ak,hain kna? u"
"Oi kdali mo man! adi pa ak bly.. tmbay la anay ngada.. ahihi.. ;p"

"Sori.. 10 minutes.. ;p"

After a while...
"Ey 9 mins nla u"

After a little while more...
"5 mins.hehe u"

As usual, late na daman ak. =D
After 2 jeepney rides from UP, was Project 6 -- the ever-reliable apartment of Jandy, Jandy's pup, and err... HIM. :D

His senior citizen housemates and Jandy's pup (a.k.a. MR. ZARETH TINGSON) were all on travel, so HE was forced to stay home alone for the night. Initially the plan was for me to stay overnight. But of course, that was nearly impossible since my "Ate Jessa" (a.k.a. my one and only housemate) would not allow me to, so I just set myself a 9 o'clock curfew.

A few blocks from his place was McDo, so nag-order kami. ;p Pero take-out la, kay makarawud nak bangaw outfit.

Ha iya balay:
ako: Hala waray ngayan coke! Uy, palit... 1.5. :)

So HE went out to buy and came back with softdrinks and junk food.
HIM: Waray ka nala kaun.
ako: Ginhulat ko ikaw... (charut! :D)
HIM: Sus diba ginugutum ka na?
ako: Ageeh ka-feeling. Ginhulat ko gad an coke udug. Hihi

And then I received a text message from Ate Jessa.
"Ann, d me uwi ngaun, sa fersal me ma22log. . ."

Waah! And that meant only one thing: may naytlayp na naman hi ate! And with that, I'd have to spend the night alone again at our place.
But on the brighter side, I didn't have to be home by 9 anymore. And I could stay at his place for as long as I want. (nga pag-ayun! Dolor! Hekhek...)
But contrary to popular malicious belief, we just ate dinner and watched TV at his place, and nothing more. Aw something ngayan -- but just a bit -- MORE. Hekhek! :D

Ha iya wartu:
ako: Uy, nag-aanu ka? @_@
HIM: Makarigu ak... Upud ka? :D
ako: Haha... Sigi la, tapos na ak... Hihi

And after 20 minutes, HE came back fresh from his shower, with ONLY his shorts on. In short, HE (yes "HIM", "the one", "sha na!", tuud na ini! ahihihi...) was TOPLESS! =D (napa-shock ka man, manu! ;p) And thank goodness the lights were off, for if they weren't, I would have clearly seen the contours of his rib cage underneath that slender torso. (PASTEELAN AN MGA BUKUG INTAWUN! Hekhek... ;p)
After Darna was Encantadia. And after Encantadia was a commercial gap. While an ad was shown on TV, HE grabbed the remote control from my hand and turned the volume way down low. So that I could hear HIM whisper that stupid question...
"ANU, MAGKIKINITA LA KITA HINI??"

And without even waiting for a darned "YES" or "NO" from me...
In a flash, IT happened.
That sudden magical feeling brought about by HIM, emanated from nowhere. In the weeny moment that followed... (READ: a "moment" is defined as an itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny portion of time; a mere fraction of a second; as in kadali la ba :p)
I could hear ONLY the steady pulsations of my heartbeat,
see ONLY the moon's pale light barely shining through the room,
and feel ONLY that sweet warm breath gently blowing upon my face.

For a weeny moment, his lips touched mine, and it was instant KURUG. Bwahahaha!!! =D
The stillness...
The darkness...
And the chuvaness...

Haaay... TRU LAB'S PERS KISS... (Charing! Charing! Charing! Walang kamatayang kacharingan!! Hekhek... ;p)

As lousy as it could have been, to me it just seemed...
PERFECT. :D (charing na naman!)

"Come a little closer, flicker and fly by
We'll have about an inch space but I'm here,
I can breathe in what YOU breathe out
Let me know if I'm doing this right
Let me know if my grip's too tight,
Let me know if I can stay all of my life..." ^_^
(Spongecola)

Between The Stars and Waves

2005-05-10T21:00:00.002+08:00

”I was alone in the city, searching for someone to find me...
Cold empty nights and a million strangers' eyes
Here in your arms I'm beginning
To leave behind all the loneliness I knew
Here in the land of the loving,
There is YOU..."
(Lea Salonga)

RAE JAN KRYSTLE PADAYAO (a.k.a. "reijan") texted to inform me that ‘The Calculus 7’ (TC7) was on sale at National Bookstore. And so we went there right after the movie. I haven't seen a TC7 before and I certainly didn't know how it looked like (ha winaray, ignorante ak :D), so HE looked through to find it for me. His search became futile, but despite that…

"Waray man, gin-uwat ka la… haha!"

Next stop was UP. On our way to Philcoa, we were seated at the centermost part of the FX, where practically everyone inside could hear what the two of us were saying. There were two passengers and the drayber on the front seats, somebody on his right and another on my left, and four more at the back, who took turns at being amazed by the Waray-Waray dialect that came from our ngalngagans. Suddenly, a joke was played on the radio…

"Kadyuut lang! Kadyuut lang! Kadyuut lang! Kookoorookookoo! Bakit kaya malakas ang agos ngayon?"

"Siguro kasi… First day niya! Hahahaha…"

And in all its corniness, HE was touched by the joke. HE even asked me about it…

HIM: Tuud ito?
ako: Ambot… Amu ma't yakan… :D

When we reached Philcoa, we took the "punuan" jeep for UP. As we arrived at the terminal, the konduktor announced that there were two more vacant seats for the passengers…

"Tamang tama, dal'wa kayo. Isa sa harap, isa sa likod." (pagbulagun ba! >p)

While on our way to UP, I received a text message from Jandy, who was then still enjoying his summer vacation in Tolosa…

jandy: Toi!
ako: Toi!! anu na? unlmtd knnman anu? ahihihi..;p
jandy: Uu… Hehehe… Musta na ngda? Hahahaha
ako: Sus kla, natxt kla kun unli.. ahuhuhu..:( balets.. uki man la, upud ko im **** yana.. ahihihi..;p
jandy: Weeee… anu na iu status? *** ko na ikw? wakokoko…
ako: Waaah.. kato! fwends la kmi.. ahihihi..;p
(etcetera etcetera)

Soon, we arrived at UP Vinzon's and I led HIM to UP's Shopping Center, where we ate supper in accordance with my "before 7" diet. I took HIM to that infamous UPean restaurant named "Rodic's". HE was kind enough to pay for everything (feeling galante!) But that was kinda unusual, so I asked…

ako: Anu, makauli ka pa?
HIM: Uu, magbabaktas na la ak. :D

As we exited the Shopping Center, we passed by the "Maroons" shop, which was then already closed…

ako: Uy, may UP shirts ngada, gusto mo?
HIM: Aw uu, nakakada na ada ak…
ako: Gusto mo? Papalitan… Anu tim size? Small?? ahihihi… (singgit!)
HIM: Medium.
ako: Anu na color?
HIM: Violet.
ako: Violet?? Anu balet?
HIM: Violet lagi… (eeee! jologs ;p)

We walked… And talked… (aww HE talked, I listened) HE joked, and I laughed…

HIM: Kayanu ka man nag-ateneo?
ako: Skolar man kunu ak…
HIM: Balet…?
ako: Di natuud… Ikaw, kayanu UP-Tac? Kayanu diri dinhi?
HIM: Ambot, tacloban ada adto nak first choice… Aw cebu ada, ambot kun anu adto…
ako: Aww… Kayanu man comsci? Di ba sisiw la ito na course? hihi (singgit!)

And talked and walked some more… Until we finally reached UP's Sunken Garden—football field and well-known lovers' tambayan.

It was just across Vinzon's Hall, where jeepney terminals were located. When we stopped walking, I thought HE'd lead me to the IKOT terminal and we'd part right then. But HE led me to the benches instead.

ako: Ayaw ngadto, damu't mag-joyabs.
HIM: Aw ngadi… (points at nearest bench)
ako: Ayaw ngada, kanan konduktor ito.
HIM: A liwat, waray man nakasurat…
ako: Basta… Iya ito. Pirmi hiya ngada nalingkod.
HIM: Diri ito, kana
ako: Bangit kita paiwasun
HIM: Diri ito
ako: Upaya

And so we settled for the "konduktor's bench", atop the gently sloping side of the oval. Below us I could see the field with a bunch of PDA-ers scattered all around; to our right was the waiting shed, where passengers waited for UP-Katips jeepneys; to our left was the lamppost, with its yellow light shining above our heads; and to our back was the road, with smoke-belchers passing by. Haaay! What a perfectly conducive place to talk. wakiki! :D

HIM: Aww ngadto ka ngayan ha Asian han una? Diba an uniform ngadto, an daster na kanan pan-burud? hehe
ako: Ano ba? Dress adto, diri daster… ahihi
HIM: Tapos an imu hayskul liwat, an bagan tablecloth na saya… hahaha
ako: Kato!
HIM: Uu! Gintamay ngani adto ni Ogie ngada han Bubble Gang… hahaha
ako: Balet gad?? Ginyakan niya nga tablecloth it uniform ha pisay??
HIM: Ambot, basta gintamay adto niya…
ako: Hoos! Imbento!

Second to Ms. CECILLE ZABALA-TINGSON (a.k.a. "jandy's mum"), HE (yes "HIM", "the one", "sha na!', tuud na ini! ahihihi…) was the most loquacious (ha winaray, "madawdaw", "mayawit", "mayakan", "turaban") person I've ever known. HE was "THE" storyteller, born with the talent of narrating every bit of anecdote that comes to his mind. In fact, his stories would range from faint memories of his pre-elem days to detailed encounters with his college professors.

But amongst the many things HE talked about, it was the story of his pseudo-relationship with someone that struck me the most. I was thinking that maybe this "thing" HE had was life-changing on his part, that HE had to narrate to me about it. And so, I listened intently to every word HE said, only to find out that there was a "hirit" behind it. Tsk!

As HE went on with his monologues, a sudden interruption came when HE gazed towards the sky, looking above my head with his eyes glittering in amazement. I followed his stare, and soon joined HIM in watching the almost three-minute fireworks display. (kayanu daw la may pabutu?? di pa man new year… O.o haha!) I didn't know what the fireworks were for, but it certainly made that three-minute moment with HIM special. (baduuy!)

ako: Di ka pa mauli?
HIM: Niyan na… Pagpipinakaunun na liwat ak pag-uli ko. hehe
ako: Aww maupay ito. ahihi!
HIM: Tsk… Busug pa ak
ako: Kay para ka ba tumambuk… haha (singgit!)

And more talk until 9 o'clock. (haaay! what a wholesome "date"…)

"It's not the pale moon that excites me,
That thrills and delights me
Oh no, it's just the nearness of YOU
I need no soft lights to enchant me
But if YOU’ll only grant me
The right to hold YOU ever so tight
And to feel in the night
The nearness of YOU…"
(Norah Jones)

Temporary Madness

2005-05-10T15:00:00.001+08:00

”I used to have a wish:
One day I'd feel like this.
Now I know lab exists,
'Cause YOU're standing right next to me...”

2 p.m. SM North:

ako: Oi, adi na ak.. hain ka?;p
HIM: nbs nliwat,hehe ü

At National Bookstore…

ako: Psst!
HIM: Uy!

Engk! Out of all the shirts we possibly could wear, it was the color ORANGE we chose to wear today. (yeah right, bagat big deal ;p) But it was CUTE, despite the kakosa-from-Munti outfits that we had. (yess! mga presong lagalag sa mall, what a perfect match! ;p) And if HE'd only worn shorts, our fashion statements would have spelled "uniform".

HIM: Maupay na la waray'k nag-shorts.
ako: Kayanu ka nag-orange??
HIM: Di man ini orange. (uu, kay light orange. shonga! ;p)

By the Greenwich counter…

ako: Anu't im? Libre ko.
HIM: Ayaw la balet, KKB la kita.
ako: Ayaw na… anu imu?
HIM: Ikaw la… (ako la kunu. diri ak pagkaun noh! =D)
ako: Mm, pizza…

As I finished eating…

ako: Tara…
HIM: Niyan gad, nakaun pa ak.
ako: Dalii kay tak tiyan, hihi
HIM: Niyan na, gusto ko mag-iniha nganhi.
ako: Agi tak buy-ay
HIM: Natuud ka hito?
ako: Uu.
HIM: Aww… hira (iya berks kunu) kay kahuman kaun, nagliliningkod liwat. Kay nangangadi kunu ha ubus (ha toot!)
(tawa liwat ak)

After more of his fables…

ako: Tara na!
HIM: Mayda pa…
ako: Kaiiha. Ako na daw la maubus hiton
HIM: Niyan, kahulog hito (points at ice on my glass)

And so we waited for the piece of ice (cylindrical ice with a hollow center whose hole I inserted through my straw and placed on top of my glass's rim, barbecue style) to fall off before leaving the place.

And we went straight to the cinemas, where I was made to choose which movie to watch. It was ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ for the most obvious reason: Orlando Bloom. (aheee! =D)

ako: Iton?
HIM: Ikaw…
ako: Maupay ito?
HIM: Okey la…
ako: Sige, ito na. Nakilala ka ba kan Justin Timberlake?
HIM: Baga, kay?
ako: Kanawung niya hi Orlando Bloom, di ba?
HIM: Huh? Balet…? Sige na la, uu…

And so we went in. It was dimly lit inside (shempre kay sinehan), but our shirts glowed in the dark, in all their orange-ness. As we walked through the aisle of the place, and as HE looked for seats… (shempre hiya la namiling kay buta ak. wakokok! ;p)

"Di ka anu nakita?"

A sudden uneasiness came upon me when I felt the gentlest pat of his hand on my shoulder. (aheeee!;p) Perhaps for HIM it was just a friendly pat, a friendly "akbay", simply a gesture of concern for the handicapped (i.e. buta!). But for me (sus ako pa!) and my malicious-minded self, it was more than that. (wakokoko! ;D) And so…

"Tugudug! Tugudug! Tugudug!"

Like never before, my heart was throbbing at an abnormally high rate (4 beats per second!) And I've never felt so jittery my whole life! Tsk tsk tsk… Soon after that, weird wriggling sensations went on within my stomach. (ito ngani nga "tiny butterflies" nga bagat naglulupad-lupad ha sakob tim tiyan, pero bagat mga wati! wakeke! ;p) My fingers began to tremble just like how it always does when I'm about to do ignitions in the lab. My body temp had risen to a blazing 40 degrees Celsius (exagg! :D) and my knees grew weak that I wanted so much to be seated. OMG! Was I ovulating??!!

Geez! With just a touch, HE (yes "HIM", "the one", "sha na!", tuud na ini! ahihihi…) could do so much! If all these are symptoms to being "torete", then I'm absolutely positive of being infected. TORETE na ak! haha! ;p

"Ngadi…"

And finally we were seated…

ako: Uy, palit.
HIM: Alagad ka, pagkakaun mo pa la
ako: Kay waray kit hihimuun (besides magkita ba) Sige na… =)
HIM: Anu?? Puydi man may kita himuun… (eeekz!)
ako: Kato. Sige na, popcorn ngan coke.

And as HE went, I was left there, all feverish and cold, trying to keep myself from shivering. Ageeh whatever it was that I felt, diri na adto normal! wakoko! =D

HE was unusually quiet the whole time—no jowk's, no singgit's, no anything. The only times that HE spoke were when I demanded of something…

Reklamo #1: Popcorn

ako: Maparat man!
HIM: Anu??
ako: Maparat.
HIM: Anu ito?
ako: Maparat? Di ka maaram? Meaning hito SALTY…
HIM: Aw amu ngayan ito?
ako: Uu.
HIM: Aw nadamu ko ada an asin, hehe

Reklamo #2: Buta-ness

ako: Agi di ak nakita…
HIM: Whaaat??!! Kadako na hito.
ako: Buta ak
HIM: Sul-uta gad. (glasses kunu)
ako: Diri ak.
HIM: Kayanu?
ako: Di ak naangay.
HIM: Hehe. Anu man balhin kita?
ako: Yaw na. (lipong! ;p)

Reklamo #3: Aircon

ako: Ayaw ngadto, mahagkut.
HIM: Ngain man?
ako: Ha diri mahagkut. (shonga!;p)

And probably desperate to shut my mouth up, HE just hastily grabbed my hand and led the way to our new seats. And although his palm was as rough as sandpaper, it still sent electrifying shivers through my bones. (pasteelan, kuryente gayud! :p) And eventually, HE left me speechless, distracted, and unable to comprehend what I was watching. Haay shut up na la ak, uu na la… ahihi! ^^,

"Magkahawak ang ating kamay
At walang kamalay-malay
Na tinuruan mo ang puso ko
Na umibig nang tunay…"
(Eraserheads)

How Wonderful Life Is While YOU're in The World

2005-05-05T19:00:00.002+08:00

“What a feeling in my soul
Love burns brighter than sunshine
Let the rain fall, I don't care
I'm yours and suddenly YOU're mine
And it's brighter than sunshine…”
(Aqualung)

ako: Malabad ka!
HIM: (tawa)
ako: Kabagtik, diri nareply!
HIM: Kay… yakan mo kumita ka na ha ak…
ako: Bisan. Kay nawara ka. maykato!

We exited Natio and I led HIM straight to the Food Court.

"Mas hataas man ngayan ak ha im."

And just when I was on the verge of indignation, HE'd somehow (although indirectly) found a way to make that frown of mine disappear. By boasting of himself and his towering "one-inch-taller-than-me" (i.e. 5'2" nga) height. wakoko! =p

HIM: Anu?
ako: Magutum… Nangungurug na ak!
HIM: Hehe
ako: Kumaun ka na?
HIM: Uu.
ako: Ngain? Food Court?
HIM: Uu.

That's it, now I'm totally pissed off! First, HE made me roam around the mall to look for HIM. Second, HE was so "bagtik" to not text back. Third, HE indirectly caused the deduction of five pesos from my prepaid load. And now, HE ate lunch without me! That's a total of four wrongful acts in one day. Was that fair retribution to my being late?? Tsk tsk tsk…

It was almost 4 p.m. and I was still about to eat lunch. It was a "waray karagyakan/waray karag-agda/waray poise-poise" quick lunch. HE probably noticed that I was already starving to death and the best HE could do was to not disturb me (or else hiya tak kakaunun!), and so it was only after I finished eating that HE spoke…

HIM: Anu, busug?
ako: Hehe. Tara!
HIM: Ngain ka?
ako: Basta… Tara na kay madako tak tiyan…
HIM: Natuud ka hito??
ako: Uu.
HIM: Sus kay magkakasakit ka lugud… (agee concerned! =p)
ako: Diri ito. Tara!

And then… Because we weren't baduuy (uu kay jologs la. haha!), we watched "Can This Be Love", starring Hero Angeles and Sandara Park. (wooh! IDOL!! =D)

It was almost the second half of the movie that was shown when we arrived…

"May bayad iton kun utruhun nat pagkita?" (tawa liwat ak)

As we had taken our seats, I asked HIM to buy food…

ako: Uy, palit…
HIM: Pagkakaun mo pa la…
ako: Sige la. (siba!)

(after 5 seconds…)

HIM: Anu't im?
ako: Popcorn. Tas coke.
HIM: Okey boss!

And as HE returned…

HIM: Waray coke, madam.
ako: Anu la?
HIM: Iced tea man kunu.

And then…

"Uy, okey la? Usa la tat straw…"

And so we had to share. (eekz! ;p)

The entire movie was filled with laughter. Not because it was very funny, but because HE made fun of it—every bit of it!

"It mga koreana anu waray boobs?" (lurz!)

Printed on the popcorn bag and on the iced tea tumbler were posters of "Can This Be Love", with Hero and Sandara's faces on them. I wanted to keep the bag as remembrance to our "date" (baduuy!) and so, after eating about a third of the popcorn, I asked HIM to eat what was left…

ako: Oi, ubusa ito ha
HIM: Ha? Kayanu? Di ka na?
ako: Di na ak. Ubusa kay dadad-un ko't surudlan.
HIM: Ha? Kayanu? o.O
ako: Basta… souvenir… haha
HIM: Aww ako gihap. (and holds out the tumbler) Puydi ini dad-un?
ako: Hala. Sige bis ka pagtinawaan.

As we exited the cinema, HE uttered for the second time his corny joke, but this time on a slightly different version…

"Oi, bangin kita papagbayarun kay nag-utru kit pagkita." (tawa liwat ak)

I asked HIM where the restroom was and HE pointed to the other side, the right entrance door of the cinema. When we were about to pass by the nearest restroom, HE pointed to it and said…

"Puydi gihap ngadi."

I could have been fooled into entering that CR, when I saw a guy going into the room. Only then did I realize that it was the men's room HE was pointing at. (buta!)

I went into the ladies' room, and after five minutes, as I went out, I saw the most adorable sight my eyes had ever seen…

Right leg bent and leaned onto the wall, head bowed, and right hand holding onto the "souvenir" tumbler, HE (yes "HIM", "the one", "sha na!", tuud na ini! ahihihi…) was standing there, right across the door, waiting for me to come out. *awe* I paused to look at HIM from across, and after a few seconds, HE held his head up and saw me. Immediately I flashed a "bungisngis" smile—the smile that spelled "sori maiha ak ü"—and walked over to where HE was.

And soon, after thirty minutes, we were already walking (as in "super baktas to the max"!) around UP, following the only path I knew: the IKOT way. Just as we had that ceaseless stroll, HE also talked and talked nonstop, as I was left there with nothing to say but "Aaah… Oooh… Awww… Balet gad?"

"Nakakada na ak… ngada kami hadto… ngadto gihap… pati ngadi…blahblahblahblah

The only pause we had was when an old man stopped to ask about the "mall"…

old man: Pwedeng magtanong? San yung mall dito?
ako (to HIM): Anu nga mall? Waray mall nganhi.
HIM (to old man): Ahhh… Wala ho yatang mall dito…
old man: Yung mall ng UP, san yun?
ako (to HIM): Mall?? Bangin shopping center… Yakni bangin shopping center iya biling
HIM (to ako): Ikaw gad yakan, ikaw it maaram
ako (to HIM): Ikaw la, di ak maaram mag-Tagalog. hihi

HE then talked to the old man, and their conversation I already did not hear. After a while, HE called me…

"Uy!"

And then the old man asked again…

"San banda yung mall?"

Engk! And so I said to HIM…

"Ageeh hingan waray mall. shopping center lagi!"

But to end all that, I faced the old man and just gave him directions to UP's Shopping Center.

At about 7 p.m. we reached KNL's "arko", the kanto that led to my apartment…

ako: Maaram ka na tiuli?
HIM: Pinapauli mo na ak? Kadto anay kita iyu…
ako: Haha! Uli na, binibiling ka na tim tatay. Idudul-ung ha sakayan…
HIM: Ayaw na, makabaro na la'k hito.
ako: Bangin ka mawara…
HIM: Sige la balet

I escorted HIM to Vinzon's, where the jeepney terminals were.

"Sige babay, text na la ak kun mawara ka ha… ahihi!"

"YOU give your hand to me, and then YOU say hello
And I could hardly speak, my heart was beating so
And anyone can tell, YOU think YOU know me well
But YOU don’t know me
No, YOU don’t know the one who dreams of YOU at night
And longs to kiss your lips, and longs to hold YOU tight
To YOU I’m just a friend, that’s all I’ve ever been
But YOU don’t know me…"

The Long and Winding Road

2005-05-05T16:00:00.002+08:00

"If I could fall into the sky,
Do YOU think time would pass me by?
'Cause YOU know I'd walk a thousand miles,
If I could just see YOU tonight…"
(Vanessa Carlton)

The eight-day "panguwat exchange" was carried out with a lot of help from the best of his assets: the never-ending, incessantly flowing, and eternally touching JOWK's! After three awful postponements, finally came the much-awaited day that triggered a thousand jitters, and the moment of all moments… our FIRST "DATE". (yiheee!! :D)

0730 --> left the house
0800 --> arrived in school
0815 --> crammed for Post-lab (deadline was 12 noon!)
0930 --> studied for Chem long test
1030 --> took the long test (and flunked it!)

Thursday meant "no LAB" in the afternoon, and thus, it was a perfectly right time for lakwacha. At 12 noon, HE asked about (aww announced!) the occurrence of our "date". I was to attend the 12 o'clock mass, so I was already guaranteed 30 minutes of being late.

Today, just like in all other "no LAB" days, where I wasn't required to wear shoes to school, I was dressed in my pambalay outfit: shirt, shorts, and slippers. I was still in bangaw mode, so I had to go back home and change. With all disrespect, I texted while hearing mass…

ako: Oi, bngin ak maiha.. mauli pa ak.. ahihihi..;p
HIM: Agi ay na h2 pgpnahusay.hehe bl8 cge mghulat nla ak ngdi.dungan nla kta pglunch ü

Another unforeseen event took place (and thus became another cause of delay). Ate Jessa, my one and only dakilang housemate, texted to tell me to buy food for lunch, and so right after the mass, I still had to go to Jollibee-Katips and do the exhausting "saka-lusad-lakat" through the overpass before reaching the said establishment.

1230-1235 --> Arrneow chapel to Gate 2.5
1235-1237 --> overpass to Jollibee
1237-1242 --> waited for the order
1242-1244 --> overpass back to Gate 2.5

And that was yet another 14 minutes added to the delay. Plus 5 minutes more to that, spent waiting for a couple more passengers at the Katips-UP "siyaman-punuan" jeepney before departure. Hence, 30 + 14 + 5 = 49 minutes late!

Still, another ill-fated event took place on my way home: TRAFFIC! It was by far the worst traffic jam I've ever been into my whole life (from Katips to UP, that is). For almost an hour of being stuck on that jeepney, all sorts of nuisance had tormented me: endless clamor of honkers, smoke-belchers, and the excruciating heat ("El Niño ba 'to??" "No pare, this is hell!"), fostering ounces of sweat round my armpits.

It was almost 2 o'clock when I arrived at UP Vinzon's.

1350-1400 --> UP to KNL (ha balay)
1400-1430 --> took a shower, changed clothes
1430-1440 --> trike for Philcoa
1440-1500 --> Philcoa to SM North

Finally, at 3 p.m. I arrived at SM North, approximately 3 hours late for the lunch date.

"Manu, adi na ak.. hain ka? ahihihi..;p"

At that point, LUNCH was all that was on my mind. I was starving like hell and it would have helped very much if HE texted back. But HE didn't! >( And so even if it was against my will (shempre load gud ito, hihi ;p) and for the sake of being able to eat in the soonest time possible…

"09213735025 5" (sent to 808)

And finally, after 30 minutes…

"Ey kalma la madam.adi ak cnemas 1-4"

Since HE (yes "HIM", "the one", "sha na!", tuud na ini! ahihihi…) didn't know who HE was meeting with, it was I who carried the burden of finding HIM. I looked for HIM in every corner, every step, every shop, every cinema, but after a couple more minutes, the search turned out to be a failure, thanks to my super unhealthy eyesight. (buta!)

ako: Manu, hain dpit??
HIM: Adi ak nbs,ngdi nla ak mghulat

And so, despite all the fatigue the search had caused me, I still struggled to look for HIM in National Bookstore. And it was only after two rounds of "libot-libot" that I finally found what I was looking for…

Wearing a dark blue shirt and loose maong pants, I saw HIM from a back view, with his knees bent, and almost kneeling, intently engrossed on that certain sci-fi novel whose synopsis HE was reading on.

Right there and then, I felt the slightest tinge of hesitation (to date or not to date. wahaha! ;D) when I saw that HE wasn't wearing white (the SIGN!! tsk tsk…) and when I moved to his right, pretended to read a novel, and saw his ultraelectromagnetic cute face! :D

Of course HE didn't recognize me, so I just took advantage of the moment to stare at HIM from the side. I then went to the adjacent section and texted…

"Oi, nkit-an ko na ikw! hahahaha..;p"

I went back to the sci-fi section, where I first saw HIM, but much to my surprise, HE was gone! Immediately, I looked for HIM again, hoping HE still had not gone far. But then after two more rounds of roving, I was not able to find HIM. I went out and looked for some place to sit in. My stomach was already growling in hunger, and I wanted so much to eat! But since we were supposed to have lunch together, I waited… again!

I sat on the stairs in between the two escalators near Cinemas 1 to 4, and looked for his face from the dozens of people that passed by the vicinity.

ako: oist! adi ak ha stairs tkad2 cnemas 1-4.. pkadi na dw, tipatay na ak ngadi!!

And after a few minutes…

"Miss, bawal hong umupo dyan…"

Just when the security guard, noticing my excellent portrayal of "babaeng ininjan ng ka-date", came to me, I saw HIM (yes "HIM", "the one", "sha na!", tuud na ini! ahihihi…), riding the escalator down towards the ground floor. Without a word of apology to the guard, I quickly followed HIM as HE entered National Bookstore (na naman!). HE stopped to check out some novel on the "ON SALE" section, and then I stopped and moved towards his front, stared at HIM for a while, wanting to burst in laughter for some absurd reason, and called HIM…

"PSST!!"

HE held his head up and looked at me…

"UY!!"

Haaay! Finally, our first personal dialogue… hahaha!

“I was alone on this journey
YOU came along to comfort me
Everything I want in life is right here…”
(MYMP)

More Than Words

2005-04-27T22:00:00.003+08:00

"Everytime I see YOU fallin', I
Get down on my knees and pray
I'm waiting for that final moment
YOU'd say the words that I can't say
Everytime I see YOU fallin', I…"
(New Order)

Definition of terms:
(1) panguwat --> bola, bilog-ulo, approaching chicks "da jandy way"; severe case of flattery, often done to project a positive impression to another person; may come in the form of praises, profound words, or other modes of sweet talk.
(2) singgit --> sunlug, tamay, pan-asar

Without any trace of shilly-shallying on my mind, immediately I pushed through with the first step towards the pursuit of my foolish stealth. In short, gin-text ko HIYA!! (yes "HIM", "the one", "sha na!", tuud na ini! ahihihi…)

ako: *******?;p (iya ngaran)
HIM: Yah, *******, y? hus ds?

I told him that I knew HE was in QC, and with that came his first singgit…

"Tsismosa kman day! bl8 oo, mdyo"

HIM: Aw up ka ngyan? gasi ko ateneo. ig-tour dw ak ngda,pwd?
ako: ehehe.. UP ak nastay pero admu ak naskul.. d ak duru nsabot ngad2, bngin ktz mgkawara.. uki la i2? ahihihi..;p

And with that came his first panguwat…

"Oo ok la i2,bsta kw tak upod,bsan pa dw d na kta mgpakauli,mpa salamat pa ak,ikw gud tak upud hehe ü"

Peekatt!!

"YOU've already won me over, inspite of me
Don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet
And don't be surprised if I lab YOU for all that YOU are
I couldn't help it; it's all your fault!"
(Alanis Morissette)

Waiting in Vain

2005-04-27T14:00:00.002+08:00

"I don't wanna wait for our lives to be over
I want to know right now, what will it be??
I don't wanna wait for our lives to be over
Will it be ‘yes’? Or will it be ‘sorry’?"
(Paula Cole)

About a week ago, the second week of classes, I had a really strange dream—one that I'll never forget for the rest of my life…

I was walking past Kostka Extension of Arrneow and was looking through the posters and announcements on the promo boards when I felt somebody's hand from my back, touching my left shoulder. The walk was so dark and quiet that I thought there was nobody there but me (tikawat ada ak hadto hin Bamboo nga poster. hihi!), and so I was shocked when this happened. I turned my back to see who it was and poof! The eligible bachelor SIR ELDY CAANG was there, flashing his "kita-pati-it-gums" smile! And then we began to talk, just like one of those ordinary days…

ako: Sir!! napakalas ka man!
eldy: Anu na? Nagpa-validate ka na nim ID? (with the usual makaharangit nga tono)
ako: Waray pa, sir…
eldy: Kana, uupdan…

(and then we walked towards Xavier Hall, tas nautud nak inup)

Nyekz! That was so weird. Sir Caang was acting so concerned, with the image of a "super-class-adviser-to-the-rescue" (which was soooo not-like him! haha! ;p). The thought of that dream had been bothering me so much that I decided it was finally about time I had my ID validated…

(by ADSA…)

ADSA girl: Yes, ma'am?
ako: Umm, ID validation…
ADSA girl: (grins) Ba't ngayon lang? Di ba may 2 weeks na sked for that? Sa 2 weeks na yun wala kang time?
ako: (just smiled the plastik smile)
ADSA girl: Hindi, tinatanong ko lang…
ako: Busy po ako nun…
ADSA girl: Ah okey. Paki-antay na lang po dun… (points at waiting area)

I waited for almost ten minutes before I was finally called for picture-taking. With those ten minutes of boredom, I was left with a cellular phone and an Analytical Chem textbook. (alang naman mag-study ak, so…) The idea of placing missed calls to every person on my phonebook crossed my mind. When I reached ELMER ROMERO's name, I was called by the ADSA officer.

Then, when I was done with the picture-taking, I checked my phone, and chadaa!!

1
missed
call

-------------------

Missed 1:

Crush (",)

-------------------

Crush (",) was his name (yes "HIM, "the one", "sha na!", tuud na ini! ahihihi…) on my phonebook.

Yikes! Buhi hiya!! =D

"Ilang isaw pa ba ang kakainin, o giliw ko?
Ilang tansan pa ba ang iipunin, o giliw ko??
Gagawin ko ang lahat, pati ang thesis MO
Wag MO lang ipagkait ang hinahanap ko
Sagutin MO lang ako, aking sinta'y
Walang humpay na ligaya!"
(Eraserheads)

Lab Moobs in Mysterious Ways

2005-04-24T21:00:00.003+08:00

"Who'd have thought this is how the pieces fit?
YOU and I shouldn't even try making sense of it
I forgot how we ever came this far
I believe we had reasons,
But I don't know what they are
So blame it on my heart…"
(Nina)

One fine night…

TOO-TOOT! TOO-TOOT!

--------------------

Business
card
received

--------------------

****

09213735025

--------------------

Engk! Lailah!!

(texting session…)

ako: dai, salamat pwo wa ak balak hmu0n hya na txtm8.. ahihihi..;p
lailah: errr.. ykan ni janD ada dw hya yna h mnla.. may OJT.. ü
ako: huwaat??!! aadi hya? OMG!! destiny! ahihihi..;p hain dw dpit?
lailah: batasan, qc man dw ky ad2 ira amay.. wehehe! >",<

At that point, I was so filled with wonder, amazed at what had happened. It was OPPORTUNITY on my part (ahee! duru la, haha!) and SERENDIPITY for HIM (yeah right! hahaha). For HE (yes "HIM", "the one", "sha na!", tuud na ini! ahihihi…) was totally unaware of what the circumstances of his being here has in store for HIM. (waray hiya salabutan makikit-an na niya it iya soulmate! wakeke…)

"Nobody knows just why we're here
Could it be fate or random circumstance?
At the right place, at the right time,
Two roads intertwine
And if the universe conspired
To meld our lives to make us fuel and fire,
Then know wherever YOU will be,
So too shall I be…"
(Rivermaya)

Out of Reach

2005-04-21T21:00:00.003+08:00

"YOU used to captivate me by your resonating light
And now I’m bound by the lab YOU left behind
Your face, it haunts my once pleasant dreams
Your voice, it chased away all the sanity in me…"
(Evanescence)

Summer classes had begun and I'd been quite busy pulling my grades up (yeah right! haha! ;p) and spending sleepless afternoons pondering on my purpose-driven life and on the never-ending question of whether or not I had taken up the right course!

Life in the metropolis (bumalik na kunu ak ha QC) is soooo boring, especially during Tuesdays and Thursdays, when there are no classes in the afternoon, and I'm left with just two choices for spending half the day: either (1) to go straight back home and spend the rest of the day bonding with my one and only housemate in some movie marathon, and with body-bulging meriendas to match; or (2) to stay in school and spend the rest of the day enjoying free internet access, and playing Super Text Twist till the Com Lab closes. (wooh! RSF to the max. adis! ;D)

Until I met this girl named DELAILAH REYNELSA PAREDES (a.k.a. "lailah"), who became the sole root and instigator to this life-changing moment of mine. A few days ago, this lady—who, as we all know, is Jandy's joyabs/asawa-to-be/lab ob his layp—texted me and voila! We became friends. And tonight, while having our texting session…

ako: kyanu hya? d man ad2 wafu! kyut, pd na.. wahahaha.. JOWK! ia **** wafu, duru la! wakekeke…;p
lailah: huwaat??!! hi **** ******* ****** *******?? bgan ewan man ad2 pwo cge nla.. ahihi!

Haaay! At long last, I finally got his name.

J*** ******* **B*L* ***G***
******** **** M** V*** M*Ñ**

4 + 4 = 8 --> L

(FLAMES! Haha! ASA… =D)

"Kailan MO ako hahagkan?
Matagal na akong naghihintay!!
Nakadungaw sa bintana, mga dahon lang ang kumakaway
Kailan ko mararamdaman pagdampi ng iyong labi??
Tinatanong ko ang mga bituin,
Mga luha'ng humahalik sa'king pisngi…"
(Eraserheads)

Every Little Thing HE Does is Magic

2005-03-29T18:00:00.005+08:00

"Mapapansin kaya, sa dami ng ‘yong ginagawa?
Kung kaagaw ko ang lahat,
May pag-asa bang makilala ka?"
(Kamikazee)

Strike 1
At about 9 a.m. the following day I saw HIM (yes "HIM", "the one", "sha na!", tuud na ini! ahihihi…) lying on the sofa, remote control in hand, and watching MYX Daily Top Ten on television. Occasionally, HE switched channels, but eventually it landed on MYX, where a 'Nina Live!' video ('Lab Moobs' ada adto) was being shown.

I wasn’t sure if HE was trying to deliver a joke, or if HE just wanted to sing, because right after Nina's face flashed on TV, came his usual "piyok" voice, singing…

"Don't call me!!…"

And then…

"Aww sayup… hehe…"

Apparently, HE realized HE was singing the wrong song (‘I Don't Wanna Be Your Friend’ instead of ‘Lab Moobs’), or that was just part of his attention-getting scheme. Yet still, benta sa 'kin! ahihi! ;p

Strike 2
At about 11 a.m., after Jandy and I were done with a "chikay ta!" session, and after I discovered that HE used to study in Pisay-Dil (which was really quite impressive! ^^,), we went to the living room, and from there, I saw HIM again, seated by the dining table, chopping pieces of vegetables and meat, while watching ‘Game KNB?’ on TV. Then suddenly…

"CURREKT!"

This time taking on a different voice—one either brought about by his merely being entertained by the game show, or one that tried really hard to ridicule that of Kris Aquino's voice—his one-step modus operandi took the art of comedy into the cheapest level: one that could best be described as KORNI! :D

The tiresomely uncomplicated one-liner that seemed to have his "kokak-ala-marvin-dela-cruz" (in short, GAYISH!) voice as punchline, had once again served to captivate my ever-so-babaw self. That voice, which was the extreme opposite of his delicately refined disposition, as heard by myself on the phone, made me recall my most recent telephone conversation disaster, with HIM as my victim.

It happened the other day, when I was in Pisay, where the pahals were supposed to meet…

(I was dialing 5275503, and the phone rings)

HIM: Hello?
ako: Toi!! Anu na? Maiha pa?!
HIM: Hin-u ini?
ako: Hi ako!! Pakadi na daw, sige na!
HIM: Hin-u anay ini…
ako: Ageeh ginlulurung ak. Pakadi na, baga nak hin tae ngadi!!
HIM: Hehe… Hin-u ngayan ini? Hin-u tim tuyu?
ako: JANDY!! Uwata pa, sige! Niyan ka la…
HIM: Aww… Hi jandy?? Anay la ha…

And I could swear their voices were identical! Ageeh karawud… tsk!

Strike 3
At about 12 noon, when lunch was all ready, "an tutulo na mga mayor!" had to eat, and so HE had the sala all to himself. ‘Eat Bulaga’ was shown on TV, and a certain segment featured female celebrity models who played a "who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-sort-of-game" (in short, pabaltukay ba nga mulay), where they vied to win as much as 1 million pesos. Unfortunately, the jigs didn't have enough brainpower to answer questions as easy as "What is the capital of Japan?" or "Who is the 13th president of the Philippines?", so the elimination round turned out to be a hilarious one, with HIM occasionally mocking the players…

"Sooos! Kay sige la't pa-kyut. hehehe…"

And sadly, that was the last hirit I heard HIM deliver before I finally departed from their place. I left without even knowing what his name was! Tsk…

"Every little thing HE does is magic
Every thing HE does just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic,
Now I know my lab for HIM goes on…"
(Sting)

Swept Away

2005-03-28T22:00:00.003+08:00

"And I can't get YOU out of my mind
Now I know that YOU're the dangerous kind
And your smile is tattooed on my mind
And I can't get YOU out of my dreams…"
(D'Sound)

HE came… HE joked… And HE went… Without even letting me know who HE was! (Duh, as if! feeling liwat ak. haha! ;p)

And so I hypothesized…

There were only three possibilities as to who this 'creature who came from nowhere' could be: first, HE could be Jandy's pup; second, HE could be Jandy's bro; and third, HE could be Jandy's (and their entire family's) houseboy.

My first hypothesis was quite probable since: first, HE was vertically challenged, and if HE ever was Jandy's father, perhaps it was HIM who contributed those "height genes" to Jandy and his siblings (peace jands! ^_^); and second, HE looked mature (actually "old" is the more appropriate term. ahihi!) and with that, HE could pass for a fatherly image.

My second hypothesis, however, was quite unlikely since HE (yes "HIM", "the one", "sha na!", tuud na ini! ahihihi…) had an oval-shaped head whose mandible assumed an elongated structure, in contrast to Jandy and his sister #1's somewhat heart-shaped (?) face, and one which barely resembled that of Jandy's gorgeous visage. (ehermmms!!)

And lastly, my third hypothesis was rather the most probable that the moment I thought of it, I almost already convinced myself that HE was what I thought HE was—a houseboy! (bwahahahaha! =D) And to support my claim, here are some of my theories:

First, the JOWK—shallow, vulgar, boorish, indecent. Clearly one of lowly uneducated origin, probably one HE acquired from senseless conversations of buguys by their kanto, one which peasants and commoners (like me!) can relate to, and one which un-intellectual persons (like me again!) tend to like and enjoy the most.

Second, the BODY—slender, skinny, slim. In other words, bagat MALNOURISHED! (wakokoko! =D) HE's got the type of figure I'd been dying to have! And whether HE underwent several dietary programs, or played basketball everyday (or "dakup-dakupay" kay hurun man ha ira. wahaha! peace jands! ^_^) to maintain his flawless ladylike figure, I couldn't care less.

And third, the VOICE—not stiff, not firm, not "tough", and so unmanly. Much like those of the Mangyans who cry their rituals and ethnic dances out. Much like what Madel Hidalgo's "Agbala doooo… Agbala kwenuuuu…" voice should be like. (peace madel! ^_^) And very (as in verrry!) much like that of CHRIS ROCK!

Now who the h*ck was HE?!! I would have given anything just to know his name! I would have asked Jandy about this, but I figured it really wasn't a good idea. (sowss! kay pagtitinawaan la ak hadto. tsk tsk…)

But anyway, if I'm meant to know it, then I would know. And I'm seeing fat chances! hihihi ;p

"I don't want another pretty face
I don't want just anyone to hold
I don't want my lab to go to waste
I want YOU and your beautiful soul
YOU're the one I wanna chase, YOU're the one I wanna hold
I won't let another minute go to waste
I want YOU and your beautiful soul…"
(Jesse McCartney)

Till There Was YOU

2005-03-28T21:00:00.005+08:00

"Lintik na pag-ibig, parang kidlat
Puso kong tahimik na naghihintay,
Bigla mong ginulat!"
(Brownman Revival)

As soon as we got back after the sweat-inducing and quadriceps-enlarging walk, supper had welcomed the three of us—i.e. an tutulo na mga "mayor"! It was a delightful meal, which I appreciated with all my heart, though not much by its quality, but by the irksome demand that recurred within my ascaris-thriven tummy. (bitukun udug! ;p)

Just a few meters from where we were seated was the living room, where the television set was; and from there, we could watch TV while enjoying our meals. It was tuned in to ABS-CBN, where a soap opera theme was being played…

"Deeebaaah??? Ako'y tao lang na najajarang at nachuchukso rin……"

This signaled the beginning of the drama series starring Kris Aquino and Heart Evangelista, and so everyone in the sala settled themselves down and waited for the show to start.

As I contemplated on the song's lyrics, and as I tried to recall the recent episodes of the said show, a sudden push on the screen door was heard from where I was at, disturbing my seemingly serious mood during that particular moment…

"OI, HIRAM NA!" :D (Note: HE read HIRAM with stress on the first syllable)

With his high-pitched voice that sounded like a teenage boy who'd undergone that "piyok" stage of puberty, HE (yes "HIM", "the one", "sha na!", tuud na ini! ahihihi…) came in amok, uttering that 'green' joke in a somewhat frivolous mood, with his majestic voice boomingly resounding in the entire living room, and perhaps in the entire house.

"Hehe, hiram na…" Marlou, who was seated beside me by the dining table, and Jandy's mum, who was looking for her celfone by the refrigerator top, said the same remark in chorus, as Jandy and I grinned at it, while our mouths were still busied with food intake.

With that dramatic scenario, my mind seemed to transport itself back to Mana Zosie's dormitory (ha KNL, QC ba), where a guy named 'Majin Boo' speaks to me aloud and without a care to the dormers that surrounded us that night.

Majin Boo was there, only a lot slimmer and shorter and lighter in complexion, and was delivering that "May parada it mga bungul yana ha Plaza Miranda…" joke once again, revisiting my senses for the nth time, where n>1000, teleporting himself to Tolosa, only in the more monstrous form of an ogre that was HIM. (yes "HIM", "the one", "sha na!", tuud na ini! ahihihi…)

Majin Boo's wordplay on the term "bungul", which he used to refer to me in behalf of my abnormally-functioning auditory nerves, was plain wholesome and sunlug-driven. But HE (yes "HIM", "the one", "sha na!", tuud na ini! ahihihi…), on the other hand, vulgarly puns on that sexually-related Waray-Waray word that's HIRAM, which meant the act of lasciviously caressing a private part of the body. (in Tagalog, "panghihipo"! =D)

But I still enjoyed the jowk, despite all its profanity. It had truly been a while since I'd sincerely appreciated a joke that much, up to that point where I tried so hard not to let others see how much pleasure I gained from it, that my belly almost bursted from too much abdominal contraction brought about by the hagikhiks that I tried to hide. It had been a while since I'd smiled that wide, I'd truly "laughed", and I'd truly been "pahal". Majin Boo must have been intensely causing aqueous salts to drip down my eye-bagged eyes, that I'd almost forgotten how it feels like to be "happy". T_T

But enough already of those pathetic thoughts!

For when I saw HIM (yes "HIM", "the one", "sha na!", tuud na ini! ahihihi…), all thoughts of Majin Boo were erased from my mind, making me forget how crazily obsessed I was over that porkie-pork-slash-oink-oink-slash-babuuy named Majin Boo…

"And I lab HIM with all that I am
And my voice shakes along with my hands
‘Cause HE’s all that I see, and HE’s all that I need
And I’m out of my league once again …"
(Stephen Speaks)

Prologue

2005-03-28T20:00:00.007+08:00

"There's a somebody I'm longing to see
I hope that HE turns out to be
Someone who'll watch over me
I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood
I know I could always be good
To one who'll watch over me…" ^_^
(Rod Stewart)

It was on that warm summer’s day, in a little town somewhere down the rural fields of Leyte, when I first laid my eyes on HIM (yes “HIM”, “the one”, “sha na!”, tuud na ini! ahihihi…)

After almost five years of being acquainted, my cutest pal named JANDY CHRISTIAN TINGSON (a.k.a. “jhay”) had finally invited me over to their place for our long-time anticipated ‘Pahal Night-out’ for the night.

It was the first time I’d gone back to Leyte after spending one whole academic year in Quezon City and I had not seen the Pahal Gang for almost a year already, so I was very excited to see their adorable faces once again (si-a! =p) And as much thrilled to spend the "pangarigo-slash-tagay-tagay-slash-bis-la-anu-basta-wholesome" (pero kunuhay la :D) jamming session with them.

Sadly, despite the wasted time and precious prepaid cards, our efforts (i.e. an mga binalhasan nam ni Jandy!) for reaching out to these people during the inevitable bagtik stages of their lives, had not been very much appreciated. Tsk tsk tsk...

JERICHO LACBAYEN (a.k.a. "echo") was nowhere to be found, probably still scratching eggs in San Miguel (peace jiriko! hira adto nagyakan! ;p)

OLIVER RAE SALAR (a.k.a. "OR") gave me the "waray-nak-salamoy-di-nak-makauli" alibi.

And RYAN BALLES (a.k.a. "babs") told me he was still to bring his fat self to some family affair.

Hence, what would have been 6 had become 3: Jandy, ako, and the "flashing" HOTTIE (heeyayy!!) named MARLOU REDOVANTE (a.k.a. "maloy"), and his eternally lustrous forehead fronting his (what for me was new) "Antonio Banderas wet look" (nga iya ginpipinaawa ha ak kada pagsasagka niya ha dagat). :D

Three of us as a crowd wasn't that bad (yeah right, for it was worse!). Because we had incredibly creative minds, not a single moment was wasted on doing nothing. For before I knew it, every inch of boredom was already replaced with their favorite pastime (next to satisfying their sexual cravings, of course ;p), doing one thing they were always good at: scapegoating! Jandy and Marlou endlessly showered my poor self with all the faults they could think of, with what seemed like a whole hour of the same lines repeated over and over again:

"Sus ka la… Kay ikaw udug… Imu ito sala… blahblahblahblah……"

The faulfinding ended with those three pathetic words: "Balet, uwat la…" and soon everything went back to equilibrium, with the two asses acting as if nothing happened. And as soon as the commotion died down, there we were, out on the streets of their hurun, roaming around their barangay, in search of potential chicks and boylets to trip on, and eventually tiring my legs out, feeling fiery sweat drip down my armpits, only to find out that there weren't jigs and wafs during that time of day, only barangay tanods on the side of the roads instead.

Nevertheless, fate had miraculously been kind to me that night. For HE (yes "HIM", "the one", "sha na!", tuud na ini! ahihihi…) would in a few moments be shattering my entire system the very second HE walks in that door…

"Ngunit lahat ng ito ay walang kahulugan
Kung di rin lang IKAW ang matagpuan
Ang pag-ibig ko ay walang saysay
Kung di rin lang IKAW ang dahilan…"
(Barbie Almalbis)