Saturday, April 22, 2006

Crayons to Cravings

My, how they’ve grown. Looking at some old classmates and batchmates’ Friendster profiles, it’s easy to assume that no, they’re not the same people I met or spent time with at school back in the day. They’re strangers, more so now than they’ve ever been. People who purported to be friends back then have moved on to different interests and have more pressing priorities now. It seemed that half our lives ago, the most terrifying thing that could happen was failing a subject, or not graduating, or getting a low entrance examination score.

It’s also surreal to see my picture beside that of another person I considered really close all those years ago, but one that I’m not particularly interested in contacting any time soon, or ever again. Quite a number of people from high school were likewise barely recognizable in many ways; I’m not sure what the hell happened to them between the last time we all left the hallowed halls of the alma mater and the time they created their profiles. But yeah, okay, life happened to them. And I don’t doubt that the same people may be thinking the same thing about me. It’s seeing the changes beyond the cosmetic that’s really amusing, that shows them as more complex creatures with constantly changing appetites. And it’s interesting that they’ve found things that kept them busy, happy or made their presences felt outside the seemingly innocent confines of the school years after.

It’s in school that we first meet people we fancy, look up to, or despise, and while there are incidents and embarrassments throughout those years that are best forgotten, it’s undeniable that we’ve often learned after stumbling. But that’s generalizing it; I’ve heard that some acquaintances are now faring poorly. Others are surprisingly doing extremely well, though, and have begun raising families or have become mentors in their respective fields. But it’s intriguing for me, personally, that the information I know of them now maps a semblance of their lives all those years. Some have obviously gone through personal hells, found or lost God, or, have become the polar opposites of their past personalities. I’d like to know a few of them now, actually, just to see how radical the transformations have been.

Ah, school. I remember a priest who asked me if I masturbated, as part of a strange q & a during confession (I'm not sure if he asked all the guys, but he pleaded to God that I be forgiven for committing such an offense before assigning some penance prayers). I remember the awful CAT marching sessions, which somehow empowered some officers to be verbally abusive and demeaning to the cadets. And I remember a stupid craphead who copied off my test paper but wouldn’t bother saying hello when I ran into him—and greeted him—off-campus.

Sometimes I wonder about them, and the time spent molding us into people that adhered to the rules and mission statements of the schools we’ve spent so many hours of our lives in. If anything, it’s a training ground for encountering and interacting with the Breakfast Club, where we discover ourselves at our purest, most confused, most selfless, and perhaps, most passionate.

LNA Announcement:

For those who’ve been looking for copies of Lexy, Nance and Argus at Comic Quest stores (yes, there are still some of you, thanks!), the comic book won’t be available there, like other consigned items, for a couple of weeks. But do check out Druid’s Keep in Magallanes (landline # 8545332) and Pride Exchange in Malate (landline # 5229429) in the meantime. Try calling them first before visiting, just in case. It will be back in CQ eventually; will announce when that happens.

One With the Cosmos

I’m loving Peter David’s Captain Marvel. It’s heartbreaking that after over thirty issues of the title character Genis-Vell’s gradual development as a superhero, he had to go crazy. As in, cosmically powered, Spectre-judgmental-mental. I wish they’d meet up—Hal Jordan- or Jim Corrigan-Spectre and Genis-- in a nice crossover written by Mr. David one day, but that’s highly unlikely now that Hal’s a GL again and Corrigan and Genis are now in comics limbo. Still, that would make a nice, offbeat team-up/adventure with philosophical and socially relevant layers. And the cosmic characters are essentially symbiotically bonded to other characters; in Cap’s case, Rick Jones is his conscience.

Anyway, back to the book. It’s way awesome and funny. And I love how miss superior, Moondragon, was developed. Heather and Marlo! Woohoo! Nice.

7 comments:

markmomukhamo said...

Yup...except for a few people from high school who have remained good friends, I'd rather not be dealing with those people. Although the 'net has enable these peeps to track me down via those social-networking sites. Ugh.

It's amazing that despite the years between then and now, they still expect you to be the same person back in HS.

OLIVER said...

Hello Mark!
Yeah, I guess we tend to keep those whose company or presence we like the most (or can't outgrow) around us, even after all these years...

And yes, some people still expect us to act the same, for some reason. This applies to some relatives as well, in my case.

Eon!
Actually, Glenn falls under the "look up to" category. I remember him doing things on his own, but persistently back then. He's diligent and naturally motivated. Tama ba, Glenn? :) And it's good to reconnect with him again and to find out how he's grown as a person.

You're welcome, by the way. I hope all is well.

glenncruz said...

i was trying to recall it, real hard, and here it is: christian in principle, benedictine in orientation, filipino in character... haha

i also remember fr. bellarmine running through a list during that awful confession... face-to-face, no less! masturbation and lying, boy! i got a handful of hail mary's for that!

OLIVER said...

Oh, Ms. Tolentino made the mission statement a song! Hehe. I can still remember it. And a few weeks ago, I've been trying to remember the Saint Benedict feast day song, the one that goes, "Saint Benedict, to thee we turn, the secrets of God's grace to learn", or something... nice memories of our Katoliko upbringing. :D

Ah, my section had the confession/ interrogation with another priest. I wonder if the girls were asked the same things? Hee hee... doubt it.

chase said...

Hi Oliver!

It's been a long time now.

I've already changed my regrettable blog which is now: www.lyingbesidebishopsgate@blogspot.com.

Can you change the link to my name?

Thanks!

Btw, you still rock dude!!!

Ingat.

JaymsterBean said...

same here! i have no contact with any of my hs classmates / friends whatsoever. hehe. well, except for friendster. but it's not like we keep in touch. it's more like they're only a bunch of people who "invited" me just so to pad up their friendster list.

oh well...

for other people, hs really rocked but for me, college was when i had the best time.

anyhoo--take care always oliver! hope to bump into you one of these days :-)

OLIVER said...

Chase, sure, no problem. Thanks!

Jamie! College felt freer and was more enjoyable for me too. Hope to see you soon, din. Take care.