amnesia

Matagal ko nang alam na akoy makakalimutin. Nakakahiya nga lalo na kung may isang matagal ng kakilala na di ko matandaan ang kanyang pangalan.

Ilang beses na rin kasing may bumati sa akin at di ko maalala ang kanilang pangalan at kung minsan ay pati kanilang mukha.

Ilang taon na ang nakaraan ng pumasok ako sa embahada ng Pilipinas ditto sa Riyadh upang may interview-hin na opisyal ng pasuguan. Sa guardhouse ay may bumati. Sa embassy kasi ay hindi Pinoy ang guardya. Pero sa loob ng guardhouse ay may bumati sa akin.

Taga-Davao pala sya at ng napansin nyang di ko sya maalala at sinabi nya sa Bisaya, “Ganyan ka pala. Hindi mo na ako maalala pagkatapos ng lahat.”

Nakakahiya na di ko na maalala na minsan na pala kaming magkatabing natulog sa kama ko ng hubot hubad. Sya ang una’t huling lalaking nakita kong di nagsusuot ng briefs habang naka jeans. Masarap naman syang magtrabaho sa kama, pero ewan kung bakit di ko maalala ang name nya hanggang ngayon. Basta ang alam ko, kapatid sya ni Benjie.

Noong isang gabi, madaling araw na sa Kabacan, North Cotabato, may naka chat akong kaibigan. Actually, ang sister-in-law nya ay best friend ko, at nang makita ko na online sya sa Facebook ay binulaga ko ang best friend ko. Pero si Jick-jack pala ang naglalaro ng Farmville. Di raw sya makatulog kaya sya ang naghaharvest sa farm ng bestfriend ko.

Habang nagchachat kami, nabanggit ni Jick-jack na di nya malimutan ang isang insidente sa SM ilang taon na ang nakalipas.

Nadukotan pala noon si Jick-jack habang nag mo malling sila kasama nya ang panganay na anak ng aking best friend, si Pidirt.

Noong nasa elementary days pa, si Pidirt ay cute na talaga. Kayumangging bata na talaga sya noon pa. Matalino si Pidirt at marami syang mga kaibigan. Di ko sya nakikita agad kapag panahon na ng kainan dahil nasa labas pa naglalaro. Pero pag dumating na sya ay diretso syang naghuhugas ng kamay bago kumain. Bibo at marunong sumagot si Pidirt at nakikita ko na noon pa na ayaw nyang magpatalo sa isang diskusyon. Kaya nakikita kona noon pa na magiging mahusay ang buhay nya. Kahit astig siya, marunong si Pidirt tumawag ng tulong at magtanong kung di niya kaya.

Ang paghingi ng tulong upang ikabit ang kulambo upang di makagat ng lamok ang kanyang mga natutulog na kapatid ay di isa sa mga di ko malimutan kay Pidirt.

Naalala ko ito ng ipaalala ni Jick-jack na noong nadukotan sya ng pitaka sa loob ng SM, nakita at nakilala ako ni Pidirt.

Kitang kita ko ngayon ang isang nag aalalang mukha ni Pidirt na nagpapaliwanag sa sitwasyon nasadlakan niya kasama ang tita Jick-jack nya.

“Tito, wala po kaming pamasahe. Di kami makauwi kasi nadukot lahat ng pera ni Tita,” ang maalala ko na sabi nya sa akin.

Sabi ni Jick-Jack kagabi, binigyan ko raw sila ng pamasahe at pang merienda.

Di ko talaga maalala kung di nabanggit ni Jick-jack ang pangyayaring ito pero medyo naalala kona si Pidirt.

Nagbakasyon si Pidirt last December at January sa Kabacan from London kung saan sya nag ta trabaho ngayon kasama ang kanya asawa at dalawang anak.

Sabi ni Jick-jack, napagkwentohan daw nila ni Pidirt yung pangyayari ng tsansang nakita ako ni Pidirt sa SM pagkatapos nilang mawalan ng pera.

Jick-jack was a dental student noon. The first time I saw her was when she arrived for a summer vacation from Quezon City and Davao in Kabacan.

Few minutes after she arrived, she volunteered to do the laundry that day, a household chore that was so tasking it extended for two more days to complete. Of course, in an extended family of more than 10 including 5 children, di ko na rin matandaan kung ilang baretang sabon ang naubos ni Jick-jack noon.

kahapon

A look back at the gate of my university days makes me smile. Who would not when it brings back beautiful and fond memories of my true friends, romance, old flames and lost virginity inside that more than 10,000 hectares of vast agricultural state university.

Last night, thanks to Facebook, I chanced upon a name of an old flame..

Mashala! Parang timang akong nakangising asong tigang.

The photos of the university radio station surprised me. That facility among other things have been the bone of contention during our campus struggle almost three decades ago. The façade of the Engineering Building is now standing tall with a satellite dish while the tennis courts are all freshly painted.

There are also old buildings like the Cafeteria where an overcooked adobong string beans became an inspiration of protest songs inside the campus. Although aside from those songs, romance with my first ever love developed. There are the old College building where now a few quickies were done innocently.

It was in the men’s dormitory where I was once tagged as the queen.

But this blog is about a handsome boy who once lived at the back of the dorm. Actually there were three cutie guys that lived at the back of my dorm.

One, later became a shower buddy while the second guy slept with me once at my friend’s house.

The third is tukayo. We once hit it inside a rest room of a resto bar just outside the university and we never met again until I bumped on him in Riyadh a decade ago. Obviously, a more interesting and outrageous event occurred on my bed.

Tukayo is now back in Mindanao who is eagerly sharing me his life through FB. He now has two cute sons who are now in college.

Hay buhay.

buryong

It’s my week-end and probably my last one in Riyadh for a while.

While my favorite blogger is feeling guilty after escaping work for a day, am also contemplating of rushing to Manila and Davao to run away from the rigors of work.

I suddenly felt burning out. I wanna run out of the office before I scream on the face of my superiors. Yesterday, I argue and almost lost my cool against my office-mates.

Although bebeh wants me to go home on mid May, I really have to take a break.

All I need now is to get my boss final approval next week and find a cheap round trip air ticket back home.

I had my work lined up for the whole week including orienting my officemate of my daily and monthly tasks. I just hope I could finish the February payroll by then.

Also, I still need to pack the things I have to ship and bring home. Whew.

I urgently need that good hard body massage.

tya inez

Mainit ang ulo ko. Naiinis ako. Di ko alam kung bakit.

Sa ngayon, asar-talo ako sa FB ko. Ka chat ko sya, sabi nya nag-iinit daw sya sa mga messages ko pero ang tagal nyang mag reply. Obvious na may ka chat na iba.

Sinubukan ko na kausapin ng tagalog, nag rereply sya.

“Mahal kita,” sabi ko.

“Mahal na mahal kita,” sagot nya.

Ma itot ta,” send ko sa kanya.

“malala na kati mo,” sagot nya.

Doon tumaas ang presyon ko sa selos. paano nya masagot ng ganon na di naman sya pinoy?

Kausap ng fuck-buddy kong cute ang girlfriend nyang taga Ilo-ilo. Ang bweset kasing domestic helper, naagaw ang taga Far East kong sex-mate.

Bi kasi sya. Nawili sa tsimeaa na nakilala nya sa supermarket. Ayon, di ko na halos mahagilap ang bata kong hagip. Di pa naman nya na jerjer, am sure. thorjack na thorjack na ang FB ko pero wala naman silang pwesto. Kaya siguro gusto rin ako pagparausan ng FB ko.

Pero naiinis ako. Sabi kasi nya, di nya raw uubusin ang time nya sa girl nyang Ilongga.

Pero kahapon, tinanong ako ni FB, “How can I get a visa to the Philippines,”

Yun na, Tya Inez. Kainis.

kaibigan

Thanks to Facebook. The networking site has given me a shot in the arm after I saw a birthday message for my youngest brother a name so familiar. Princess Katrina is my longest friend’s daughter back in my college days.

Princess was like four or five years old then and her siblings are so dear to me. As in love na love ko lahat ng anak ng kaibigan kong ito.

Orpha is such a lovely lady. Very practical, a very good cook and a lovely singer. She is a trooper. I don’t drive motorbikes but she does.

The last time we were together, she dropped me at the NAIA for my Riyadh flight. But I felt guilty after arriving in the Kingdom. I made a big blunder that made my friend in trouble. She was okay. She got off the hook but that incident made me hide in my cave for years.

Now, with one click I am reconnected with my friend of around a quarter of century ago.

Last week, my friend dropped her eldest son to NAIA again. I know she would miss Neil.

Neil is the eldest of the siblings. Wafu na talaga si Didik noon pa and he is very loving sa mga kapatid nya kahit puro pasaway sila.

Neil is now happily married with two kids. He works in U.K. and was only on vacation for two months.

The second is Laurence who is now, of all places, working in Iraq. What can I say. Laurence is the cutest among the siblings. Pretty face. Kamukha sya ng pinsan ni Orpha na si Joel, who now works in Laos as an education consultant of Asian Development Bank.

Then it’s Princess, now a dentist. Nagkakilala pala sila ng bunso kong kapatid sa nursing school. Classmate sila. Princess quit the nursing school and attended her clinic in Davao City. Also in that clinic is a small travel agency owned and managed by Princess’s boyfriend.

Sa clinic, naka chat ko kanina si Princess na katabi pala ang friend ko na mama nya. Bongga talaga.

Then si Moymoy. Malambing si Moymoy. Mabait, ngayon ang laki-laki na nya. Ang ganda rin ng girlfriend nya. Police na sa GenSan si Moymoy.

Then ang pinaka baby ni Orphs ay si Matu. Nakakatuwa si Matu kasi pagnagtatampo sa friend ko noon ay lumalayo at umaakyat sa sako-sakong mais o palay na nakasalansan noon sa tindahan. Pero after ng saglit na tampo ay magkaka-bati na sila ng mommy at super sweet na naman ang dalawa na napakasarap tingnan ng mag-ina.

Ngayon, may anak na pala si Matu na kamukhang-kamukha niya, si Gabriel.

Noong minsan nag chat kami ni Princess, kalaro ng friend ko si Matu.

Nagbalik lahat ang ala-ala ko sa bahay ng kaibigan ko, 25 years ago.

Halos lahat ng kapatid ng asawa ni Orpha ay kaibigan ko rin, lalo la si Erwin na super crush ko noon pa. Si Benjie naman ang friendly rin pero si Onet ay napangasawa rin nya ang isa ko pang friend na teacher ko sa Theater Arts. Andami kong masyang ala-ala sa buhay ng friend ko.

I miss you all, Yambao family.