A Love Story

Have you ever fallen in love? If so, listen to this… well…not so extraordinary story. This is for all those who are in love, those who are broken-hearted, and those who haven’t experienced love yet. So I guess, this is applicable to all. For all those reading my blog right now…enjoy!

There was a girl who looked at love with scorn. She thought that love is a feeling that has to be shared only with the family. She never wanted to fall in love or have a boyfriend. She thought holding hands, hugging, kissing, or looking in the eyes of a lover is yucky. No, she vowed never to fall in love. Her love was solely for the family and her books.
However, fate had a different plan. One day a new boy was introduced in class. At first, she didn’t show much interest on the boy. She treated him just like the way he treated her other classmates. The boy however, constantly caught her attention. He was funny, but in an arrogant way, always wearing a smug–snob expression on his face. She avoided talking to the boy because his expression always irritated her. Then she learned he is quite a playboy.
This boy loved to play the piano. He made girls fall for him by playing to them beautiful pieces. He always played with feelings so that any girl listening to him could fall in love with him.
That was exactly how the girl noticed the boy. She heard him play the piano at the school’s music room and it fascinated her. From then on, she would sneak up to the music room to listen to the boy play the piano, seeing to it that the boy would never see her. She felt strange because she never had this feeling before. Is this a good sign or a bad sign?
Her crush for the boy came at its peak when their class went on a field trip. The boy was sweet and kind to her throughout the trip. He always smiled at her and she found herself smiling back. The boy always held her hand whenever he got the chance. Sometimes he even placed his hands over her shoulders and held her close. All this attention really brought the girl into seventh heaven in happiness. Her inner self kept asking, “What does this mean? Does he like me?” Another part of her is saying, “How about you? What do you feel for him?” The answer came as a shock – I really like him.
But in love (even in puppy love), there will always be heartaches and pain. One time while watching a concert, she saw the boy of her dreams with a girl and they were acting… um…sweet. With tears in her eyes, the girl went outside the auditorium and promised not to fall in love again. Maybe he was just flirting with her and never really liked her.
Well that was in her elementary years. Now she is in high school in another school. She transferred because she wanted to forget the boy. She was not surprised when the boy never sought her when she transferred.
Many years had passed and she has already forgotten the pain the boy had caused her. However, she never forgot about the boy. She still remembers his birthday. For his birthday this year, she decided to write a letter greeting him and wishing him good health. Without warning, writing the letter brought painful memories but she still went on. She thinks that writing this letter will bring closure to everything in the past.
Surprisingly, he answered the letter and it goes like this:

Dear Hi! How are you? What’s keeping you busy nowadays? You may not believe me but I really miss you. If ever I remember the days we were still classmates and how we got close to each other, I cannot help but feel sad. I’m now fifteen years old. Yeah, I’ve grown older but have not grown less handsome (he he)! I have always remembered you, your mannerisms, and your face… As I play the piano, I remember you – how you loved to listen to me play. I keep saying, I’ll practice more so that whenever we see each other again, I can play a lot of beautiful pieces for you! Thanks for not forgetting… I love you friend! Lovingly yours, John

After reading the letter, there were tears in her eyes. Oh how stupid of her for loving him! How stupid of her for thinking that he cheated her. Even though it hurts, now she knows that he just considered them as friends. Well, it is not yet too late to mend their friendship. Who knows what will happen in the future…

Did you like the story? Oh well, it is only a story about a girl who fell in love with a boy named John and thought that he loves her too. Ultimately finding out that she was just a friend to him. Well, that’s life. Time heals everything and can make life easier for everyone in the future. Oki? Moral lesson of the story: When it comes to love, never assume! Ask and be sure before it spoils your friendship. Time may be not on your side always…

Experiences in the Country

Have you ever gone to the countryside for a vacation? The country – with its green fields, trees, colorful flowers, chirping birds, cows and carabaos in the pasture, flowing creeks and rivers, simple folks, and FRESH AIR, is very enticing during the hot, summer months. Imagine yourself living in a place having only the bare essentials – meaning there’s only a radio and a television set for entertainment, no telephone lines (therefore no internet), no malls, and no cinemas. Having a cellphone is useless because there is no signal. It’s not so bad. In fact I always look forward to summer when I can go to the country for a vacation. Here’s one of my country experiences.
Last summer, I was beginning to get bored because I had nothing to do at home. I was jealous with my brothers because they have summer art classes, while I was left at home. There I was, watching television, eating and sleeping, doing a little household chore, reading and rereading my pocketbooks. I was beginning to die with boredom.
Fortunately (or maybe it was destiny), my uncle from the province visited us. When it was time for him to leave the next day, he asked me if I would like to go back with him to the province. I never hesitated to say yes. Of course I asked the permission of my parents and surprisingly they agreed. I think they also wanted to show me that they trust me (a little). I cannot recall much about the trip because I was asleep most of the time. When we arrived, I went right away to my grandparents’ house where I was welcomed by my Lolo and Lola (my father’s parents). My cousins from Cagayan de Oro who were there on vacation, also welcomed me. They came to the province right after the end of classes. I was so excited to see all of them.
One of the things I could not forget was the food – no hotdogs or hamburgers or pizza! Instead, there’s always native chicken cooked in many different ways (tinola, fried, with sauce). For merienda, there’s banana cue, suman, bibingka and the very famous Argao “torta”. All of these with matching hot chocolate (from real “tabliya”). My cousins and I were also fascinated with Lolo’s carabao and its balsa. We watched Lolo feed the carabao with napier grass and noticed the funny way the carabao chewed. We also saw Lolo’s scythe (“sanggot”) and how different it looked from his bolo (“sundang”). It was quite an experience for us watching Lola cook food, not using a stove with LPG but instead, using firewood in the dirty kitchen. I cannot forget how we enjoyed watching Lolo and Lola “harvest” bananas and corn from their farm.
In the country (or province), you feel like everyone is a relative and that everyone knows everybody else. You have to acknowledge every person you meet lest they get offended. I was surprised how news about Nemesio’s and Asuncion’s grandchildren was easily passed on by word of mouth. I felt I became part of a very close-knit community.
My cousins and I sometimes help in the household chores. We helped fetch water from a nearby well (“tabay”). We noticed how people help each other during important occasions. We had the chance to help in the food preparation during the fiesta (during the month of May). There were always people to turn to in times of crisis as I had noticed while attending a wake of a relative. I never thought attending a wake could be enjoyable. People stayed overnight, playing “mahjong” or cards while younger people tell scary stories. However, gatherings like these caused a little embarrassment for my cousins and I because people tend to treat us differently – like we’re very important people. Yaiks! I was never used to this kind of treatment. We were also invited to every occasion or celebration in the homes of our relatives (close or distant).
Everything felt really nice in the country – the hospitality of the people, the beauty of nature. We thought we have everything in the city. After my experiences in the country, I felt like what we really need are just the bare necessities – the rest are just decorations and trimmings. Why don’t you try the country once in a while? It will surely be a good place for a city guy or gal to unwind.

What About Cujo?

I love to read books (most books anyway). Detective stories, horror, adventure and classics – no love stories and fantasy stories please. Mystery and suspense books such as Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons; horror stories such as Goosebumps, Frighttime, Stephen King books, Dracula; adventure stories such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Treasure Island, Animorphs; and classics such as Silas Marner, A Tale of Two Cities, The Little Prince, A Christmas Carol, The Chimes and the Cricket of the Hearth. One book really fascinated and scared me – Stephen King’s Cujo.
It is a story of a five-year old Saint Bernard that got rabies through a bat bite and went about killing three people. It was so scary that whenever I read it, I look out the window to see if our dog is also foaming in the mouth, has red eyes and is ready to eat us alive. The dog Cujo, first killed its longtime companion, his master, then his master’s friend, and finally a baby who came over to the house with his mom. A woman and her baby came over to the house of Cujo’s master, who was a mechanic, to have their car repaired. Unfortunately, only the rabid Cujo was around to meet them. When the woman noticed that the dog was not well and meant to kill them, she immediately went back inside the car and locked it. They were locked in the car for days because Cujo stayed outside the car. The baby died of dehydration but his mother lived. It was really ghastly especially the part when the book described how Cujo killed his master and his master’s friend.
There were other side stories. The boy who got scared every night because he though he saw a monster inside his closet. He told his parents about this, but they brushed his fears aside (this is what parents usually do). Then it turned out that the parents were very wrong, a once serial killer cop has taken the form of a monster and is now staying at the boy’s closet, waiting for a chance to come near the boy and kill him. Then the boy’s parents’ marriage fell apart. A new man came to the mother’s life and brought them pain and misery.
It was really a nice book (the scarier, the better!). It scared me and brought thrilling imaginations to my head. Stephen King really knows how to tickle the minds of his avid readers. He creates a story that will surely make you wide-awake in the middle of the night, wondering when this monster or that scary thing will attack. So, when you read a book like this, make sure your lights are on, your windows and doors locked, and you’re safely tucked in bed. Lastly, pray before you sleep because this book is a real shocker, an absolute thriller!

BEstFrienD

To have a best friend is what every person wants. Sometimes your best friend can be your “enemy” when it comes to the choice of hairstyle, nail color, designer bags, dresses and jeans, etc. Oftentimes though, you feel closer to him or her than your brother or sister. Sometimes also having a best friend is to sacrifice your emotions such as feelings you have for a guy. For example, you like this guy, the guy likes you, but unfortunately your best friend likes him too. Then you know the story… You give up your feelings for this guy so that your best friend is free to love him… blah… blah… blah. I just hope I will never experience this type of “love triangle”. I met my best friend and learned all about her, in an awkward kind of way.
I was in Grade 1 then. It was a week after the start of classes. We were in the middle of a class when all of a sudden there was a rap on the door. When our teacher opened it, I saw two boys and two girls. The girl standing at the corner caught my attention. She was a short, petite girl that had sharp eyes and one eyebrow up (taray!!). The teacher told us that they were our new classmates. I learned that the girl’s name was Leah Rose, aka YangYang. She came from Canduman Elementary School in Mandaue City. Later on I learned that we both like to draw and paint but her works were always better than mine. In fact she always get the “Best in Visual Arts” award during recognition rites at the end of the school year. I didn’t mind because I think that’s really her talent. As for me, drawing and painting are just diversions whenever I get bored. So, how did we become best of friends?

Right now, we still keep in touch with each other. Keeping in touch is not so difficult these days – with all the technology available (i.e. telephone, cellphone, e-mail). We often send letters to each other through my two younger brothers who go to the same school with her in the Mandaue City School for the Arts. She told me in her most recent letter that she qualified to join the National Schools Press Conference, Editorial Cartooning Category in Baguio City this coming February. Break a leg, Leah! Ooops, I think I strayed from the topic so lets go back. Where were we? Oh yes, how we became best friends and her love for the visual arts.
Leah loves to sketch more than anything else in the world. She sketches fashion dresses, girls with sexy outfits and matching handbags. When we were in Grade 1, we were always fighting with each other because I thought she was just a showoff, and I never failed to tell her so then. When we meet, she would always snub me (with a matching raised eyebrow). We never imagined ourselves being close to each other.
Everything changed in Grade 2. I cannot remember exactly how it started. Before we knew it, we were always together. I think our common love for the visual arts led to this special bonding. We both love to draw and paint. We attended our visual arts class together, ate lunch together, did our homework together, and made projects together. Both of us were also chosen to join the choir who would later on represent Region 7 to the NAMCYA. I was part of Soprano 2 group while she was part of the Alto group. Although we considered ourselves in the “best friend” category already, we still had fights, so that even my classmates were not convinced that we are best friends. I think that fighting is but part of every friendship. Our friendship went on and it went on strong. No one and nothing could break it.
Suddenly things changed on graduation day, when she knew I decided to transfer to UP High. She sent me a letter after our graduation, and it was a bitter one. She asked me why I never told her of my plan to transfer. She thought she and I will go through high school together still as best friends. She expressed her disappointment in me. Through a letter, I explained to her everything. I did not tell her of my plan to transfer because my final decision to transfer was made the day before graduation only. Besides, one person knowing about my plan to transfer would be enough for everybody else in school to know about it.
We are okay now. As I’ve mentioned earlier, we write each other letters every now and then. We don’t text; we just call each other on the telephone. Our friendship grew stronger even though we are apart. So as they say, the strength of a friendship is measured not on how many times you are together, but how you can keep a friendship strong even though you are apart.=)