Month: March 2012

Torpedo

(Ano po ang maipapayo natin sa letter sender?)

Hayaan niyo naman akong mag-share. At pasensya na sa lengwahe. Baka hindi niyo magustuhan, pero parang gusto ko lang makipag-usap sa isang kaibigan at ganito ako makipag-usap sa isang kaibigan.

Binuklat ko kasi ang lumang diary ko nu’ng nakaraang araw at muli ko na namang naalala ang isang bahagi ng aking buhay na pilit ko nang ibinaon sa aking kamalayan.

I really loved her so much and adored her. I had other girlfriends before pero wala sila compared to this person. Nu’ng high school e we would talk on the phone nang kay tagal. More than two hours, ganun. I would even record the conversations on cassette tape at papakinggan nang paulit-ulit kapag nami-miss ko siya.. Top student siya sa school nila at ganun din naman ako sa amin kaya nagkakasama kami sa mga interschool activities at competitions.

She was very simple and that was what I liked about her. Walang arte. At ang sarap niyang kausap. Talagang may connection kami.

Nu’ng nag-college kami pareho sa Manila, we went to different schools, siya sa UP Diliman, ako naman sa isang Catholic school. Bago kami mag-college e sabi ko bibisitahin ko siya sa UP. Sabi niya huwag, conservative kasi ang family niya at very religious, as in. At naintindihan ko naman na gusto niyang mag-focus sa pag-aaral. So I respected that. Nag-uusap naman kami paminsan-minsan sa landline sa dorm. And we would also write letters to each other by mail kasi hindi pa masyadong uso ang text noon. Kakatuwa nga e, kasi nasa Quezon City siya at sa Manila din lang naman ako pero by snail mail ang communication namin. Subalit iba talaga ang feeling kapag sariling penmanship niya ang binabasa mo. Parang sasabog ang puso ko sa galak tuwing bubuksan ko ang kanyang liham.

Basta, I respected yung sinabi niya na huwag akong dadalaw. Miss na miss ko siya palagi. Kapag sembreak at umuuwi kami dito sa Laoag ay mas mahaba ang usapan namin, we try to catch up.

There was one time na pinipilit ako ng bestfriend ko na puntahan namin siya sa dorm nila on my birthday pero either ako’y masunurin talaga sa minamahal ko o isa lang talagang dakilang torpe, hindi kami tumuloy.

Then second semester ng second year e may course requirement kami sa theology. Questionnaire for girls we were interested in. Gusto ko sanang ipasagot sa kanya pero nawawalan na ako ng pag-asa. Christmas break noon at hindi ko na siya tinawagan ni minsan dahil nga pinanghihinaan na ako ng loob.

Pero nung Dec. 31, at 10:00 p.m., tumawag siya sa bahay. Mag-ingat daw ako sa pagpapaputok. Sabi ko naman, “Who cares anyway? Sabi niya, “I care.” Sobrang kinilig ako. Kaya naman nagkalakas-loob ako na banggitin ‘yung tungkol sa theo project namin. Continue reading “Torpedo”

Admirable

I admire a top elective official of the Ilocos Norte provincial government for being so simple, down-to-earth, and jolly faced. He would go to the mall with no bodyguards and is sometimes only in his pambahay. You would think he is just an ordinary Joe, not one who belongs to one of the country’s top political clans. And, indeed, my sister-in-law Gina did not even recognize the official when we chanced at him at a pirated DVD store where he bought a couple of titles. The storekeeper says he is a constant customer.

Yes, he buys pirated DVDs, but I don’t care. Do you, dear karikna?

 

Bar none

What, dear karikna, was your childhood dream?

Did you want to become a doctor, lawyer, priest, artista, or president of the Philippines? What are you today? Have you become what you aspired for when you were innocent and courageous enough to wish for your star? Or did you have to settle for second choices?

Why you settled for second choices, if you did, could be because of various reasons: lack of money, parents who don’t understand, practicality, love, unexpected pregnancy, poor grades, health, or maybe even laziness. But is it ever too late to pursuit a dream?

As a child, I always wanted to be a journalist. For play time, I would sit in front of a cassette recorder and hold my own talk show or stage a radio drama. Inquisitive and analytical, I always searched for answers. At other times, I would gather my friends in our garage and teach them about just anything. In high school, as editor of the student paper, I was fearless. After writing against fraternities, I got my first stars, the type of stars that circle your head after a heavy beating. While my parents feared for me, I had no fear.

But I did not take up journalism, mass communication, or education in college. Instead, I enrolled in philosophy and human resource development. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and I found it exciting. My parents, who did not go to college, never interfered in my choices and supported me all the way. I did well inside the classroom and did even better outside its walls.

I should be today in the human resources department of a top corporation, and indeed my first job was at Citibank in Libis, but I really just had to teach and write, for these are my two loves, two things thankfully I now get paid enough for, two aspirations that, in my kiddy years, I was willing to do for free.

*****

Yes, childhood dreams do come true.

And this is true for Brian Jay Corpuz, an instructor at the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) College of Industrial Technology, who hurdled the 2011 Bar Examinations conducted in November last year.

Though Corpuz always wanted to be a lawyer, a dream he, as a young leader, started nurturing at Davila Elementary School and the Ilocos Norte Agricultural College where he finished high school, he took a different route before realizing his legal aspirations. Owing to financial difficulty, he grabbed a scholarship from the Department of Science and Technology for a three-year Diploma of Technology at MMSU. After graduating in 2001, he went on to take up Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology. Graduating magna cum laude, he was valedictorian of MMSU Class 2004.

Focused and well-driven, the 29-year old bar passer obtained his law degree from Northwestern University in 2010 and took review classes at the University of Sto. Tomas in Manila, where the bar examination was held. Continue reading “Bar none”

Official Smoking

A Laoag City executive was unabashed in smoking in full public view during grand parades in last month’s Pamulinawen Festival. While school boys and girls passed by to show respect for the VIPs, there he was at the middle of the stage, puffing no end, stick after stick. And he was even seated beside the Sangguniang Kabataan Federation chair, a minor.

Don’t get me wrong, I admire this public servant, as he has received prestigious awards, for him and for the city, for his outstanding leadership. His productivity even increased when, lately, he is said to have controlled his drinking problem, which is, or was, one of his very few waterloos. Given all his achievements, he has my respect.

However, I fervently hope our leaders really become more sensitive in this respect. Come on, smoking is not really something we could be proud of. I would not urge the city official to quit the vice as he has his own mind and we respect it. But, smoking in public is just so off, especially if you are a person looked up to by many. Presidents Aquino and Obama are known smokers, but they are never seen engaging in the vice. Indeed, gone are the days when senators were allowed to smoke during legislative sessions, and gone, too, are the advertisements that make us believe that cigarettes help one become better in sports or in hooking up with girls. Smoking, dear karikna, is just so out of fashion. Continue reading “Official Smoking”