Tuesday, March 10, 2009

more colorful than the rainbow

october. one of the months most young people in the philippines await for. after all, it is octoberfest a.k.a beer fest. everywhere you go where there are bars, beers would be overflowing. beers would be cheap.

one fortunate day in this blessed month a few years back, there was this bar opening in libis and i was invited and given 5 extra tickets. what do you do with so many tickets? naturally you give it to friends. so there we were at the bar co-owned by one of the well-known actors in the country. it was fun. but there could only be so much you can take of the celebrity crowd. there's only so much worshipping you can do. and i believe that THAT you can't do all night. so what else was there left? bar-hopping. we started bar hopping. hoping to find that crowd of mere mortals but the fun ones. in our quest of that particular place, we were able to go to 3 more bars before we ended up in the bar we most frequent because of its band and dance floor.

THAT was fate's doing i guess. because you know what? that decision, to go where the familiar is, was how we met. so there we were, a group of femme fatales (don't react. you wouldn't notice us if we weren't) walking inside the bar with so much confidence in their god-given attraction that they didn't even notice the mere mortals gawking. aahhh...now you caught me. the reason why we didnt want to stay in the celebrity world was because in there, we would be the mortals gawking but in here with the mere mortals, we were the celebrity being gawked at. isn't the world nice?

and so my friends and i were dancing and just having a good time. then this pesky little man kept dancing in front of me and no matter where i turn, there he would be, attempting to dance and sneering. what an a*$! And suddenly, you, my knight in shining armour (well, not really shining, was it?) appeared by my side and asked me ever so politely if i was okay. And of course, independent woman that i was, answered 'i can take care of myself' ever so rudely. not even thinking twice of how much courage it took for you to even be there asking me in that concerned voice. i turned my back on you and danced away. but, you, my persistent knight never did once gave up. after a few songs and beers, i was tipsy. when i came out of the washroom and the dance floor was so crowded that i couldn't even reach my table without stepping on all those mortals faces, you caught up with me and told me to have a seat at your table first. i so wanted to just lie down and sleep right then and there. i never did thank you for that, did i? but just because i was tipsy, didn't mean i'd stop dancing altogether. so after a moment's rest, i got up and went back to dancing with my friends. and i don't know how it happened but your friends and mine ended up dancing with each other. i can't remember dancing with you though but then again, i was slightly drunk. you guys were like high school students on the pretense of being college students. i didn't believe you were of age because all of you looked so young. or maybe i just thought that because of your heights. you guys were shorter than us. one of your friends who was overconfident hooked up with one of my friends and you ended up sitting with us.

i didn't give you much notice when you gallantly asked me if i was okay at the dance floor but when you sat on our table and you looked so shy and so out of place and so weird out? that right then was when you started worming your way into me. it was so endearing to watch that despite you being uncomfortable you still stuck with your friend who was flirting relentlessly with mine. you never once left your friend's side. my friends and i just watched you and observed you and pardon me, at times laughed at you. we weren't undermining you or anything, you were just so... delightful to watch.

so when the night almost ended and you guys said your goodbyes, i felt a pang of emotion i couldn't quite place. it was as if, watching you playfully wasn't enough. but as i was one of the liberal-looking-yet-inside-quite-conservative girl, i would have never in a million years made the first move. it was a good thing that before you went out the door, you stopped by my side and again ever so politely asked if you could have my number. normally i don't give out my real number but for that night something told me to make you an exception. a decision made that to this day i am thankful for.

the next day onwards we sent messages to each other. we sent emails to each other. and if our phone credits permit, made calls to each other. we met almost everyday. got to know each other. laughed at each other. laughed with each other. danced together. went to places together. learned about each other. liked each other. hated each other. fought with each other. fought together against others. doubted each other. believed in each other. push each other away. encouraged each other. prayed together. prayed for each other. talked about everything. lied about some things. forgave each other. created wonderful memories together. lived together. lived apart. loved each other.

this was the beginning of our intricately made love story. and up til now, we are still continuing our journey. our journey to discover things about each other and about the world. our journey together in love. our life together.

my life which has always been colorful but it has been made more colorful the moment you entered it.

king and queen of hearts

"ang guapo niya!!!"

yan ang tili ko tuwing nakikita kita dati. ikaw na kasi kumbaga ang epitome ng guapo. tall, dark and handsome. ikaw na ikaw yan. at makapal pa ang kilay mo tila danny d (guest ng grey's anatomy) pero hindi mo lang doon nakuha ang loob ko. isa sa pamatay mong katangian ay yung pagiging tahimik mong tao. misteryoso kumbaga. you thrive in deep waters. kaso noon, gusto man kitang sisirin natakot ako na baka malunod ako at walang sumagip.

kapag ang mga orgmates nating lalaki eh nghaharutan, ikaw tahimik lang na ngmamasid. ngingiti paminsan minsan. hihirit paminsan minsan. hanggang ganun ka lang. well, yun ang pagkakilala ko sayo kasi ganun ka parati tuwing andun ako. tahimik. ngmamasid lang. titingin. ngingiti ng konti.

andaming beses mo na nga akong tinignan. minsan nahuhuli kita na tumitingin pero yuyuko ka o titingin sa iba. hindi mo ever hinawakan din ng tingin ang tingin ko. so hindi ko alam kung may gusto ka din o ngfeefeeling lang ako. kung dati naging uso na ang mga babaeng nanliligaw ng lalaki, baka niligawan na kita. kung hindi ka lang mas bata sa akin ng isang taon baka niligawan na kita. kung hindi lang ako ngpapaniwala na dapat ang babae mas bata sa lalaki, niligawan na siguro kita. kung bakit kasi di mo ginawang ligawan na lang ako. sasagutin naman kita agad eh.


isang beses, may event ang dorm namin. inimbita kita at ang iba pa nating orgmates. pumunta naman kayo. at dahil alam ng room mates ko na crush nga kita, parati nila tayong iniiwan dalawa para magusap. valentines ata noon kasi puro love songs ang tugtog ng dj eh. tapos nabigla ako. andaming paroparo sa tiyan ko. para akong umikot sa track oval ng limang beses sa kabog ng dibdib ko. gusto kong himatayin, sa takot, sa kaba, sa tuwa. gusto kong lumundag sa sobrang saya. kasi ba naman inaya mo akong sumayaw. alala ko pa nga ang tugtog...two become one ng spice girls. sobrang nasa cloud nine ako nun. diko mawari ang nararamdaman ko. nanlamig ang mga kamay ko. alam mo malamang yun kasi hinawakan mo kamay ko habang papunta sa dance floor. tapos sabay hawak ka sa beywang ko...haaay...sabi nga pede na akong mamatay nun. ang malupit jan, hindi ka nakontento sa isang sayaw. nang matapos ang kanta ng spice girls at bumitaw na ako sayo kasi pabalik na ako sa upuan, pinigilan mo ako sabay sabing "isa pa". paksyet! music to my ears! shempre, sino ba naman ako para humindi diba? so ayun, sinayaw natin ang king and queen of hearts. feeling ko tuloy nun, ikaw ang hari, ako ang reyna. grabe! that was one of those moments na ang kilig di ko malilimutan. at habang sumasayaw tayo, uncomfortable ako. pano, nakatitig ka lang. as in nakatitig ka lang talaga sa akin. ang sarap ng feeling na diko mawari. ayoko na ngang matapos ang gabi kaso imposible naman yun. nang matapos ang gabi, nung ngpaalam ka hindi mo ako hinalikan. nanlumo ako. na-sad ng sobra. akala ko score nako. di pa rin pala.

ayun, pagdating ko sa kwarto imbes na masaya pa rin, muntik ako matabunan ng self-doubt. na kesyo kaya mo lang ako sinayaw dahil alam mong crush kita. pano ba naman kasi alam yata ng lahat ka org natin na sobrang crush kita. so malamang alam mo din. so feeling ko pinagbigyan mo lang ako. pity dance kumbaga yung ginawa natin.

pero yung mga hakahakang yun di naging sapat para mawala ang pagtingin ko sayo. tuwing pumupunta ako sa tambayan, ikaw pa rin agad ang hanap ng aking mga mata. nililingon agad ang inyong kwarto. nagbabakasakaling may proyekto ka na ginagawa at pwede kitang tulungan. maraming pagkakataon noon na pwede kitang kausapin ng matagal kaso hindi ko lubos maisip kung bakit tuwing nagsisimula na akong makipagkwentuhan sayo, nauutal na ako. nawawala na ang train of thought ko. tuloy, feeling ko ngmukha talaga akong tanga sa paningin mo hindi lang isang beses.

pero sobrang bait mo din eh. ni minsan hindi mo ginamit ang tingin kong awareness mo sa paghanga ko sayo. hindi ka ngtake advantage. minsan tuloy dinadasal ko na di ka mashadong gentleman. hahaha...pero ayun, yung isa sa close friends mo, naging close friend ko din. sabi niya, sobrang torpe ka lang daw talaga. na may pagtingin ka din daw sa akin. na dapat ako na ang gumawa ng paraan. tingin ko tama sha. kasi tuwing may kukuha ng pictures malapit ka sa akin parati. o di kaya, ilalapit mo yung mukha mo sa mukha ko. pero hangang dun ka lang. hangang dun lang tayo. kung siguro sinunod ko yung kaibigan mo, baka sakaling ngkaron ng pangalawang yugto ang "king and queen of hearts", yun ay kung maicoconsiderang unang yugto yung mga tantyahan natin (or more specifically, tantyahan sa parte ko)

matapos ang isang taon, ngresign ako sa org kasi nagkaroon na akong madaming commitments na iba. mas lumawak na ang mundo ko. mas madami na akong nakilala. at napagtanto ko, kung may gusto ka nga sa akin at torpe ka lang talaga, wala din mangyayari sa atin kasi di talaga ako gagawa ng unang hakbang. torpe din kasi ako.

hanggang nabalitaan ko nalang after dalawang taon na finally may syota ka na, at ang syota mo ang nanligaw sayo. yun na ang naging huling balita ko sayo. nghiwalay na ang ating landas. ngtapos ako, ngtapos k na din. pero 3 yrs ago, ngkita tayo, sa AS steps. galing ka din sa panonood ng dula na pinanood ko. ayun, guapo ka pa din. pero may kasintahan na ako. meron ka din. pinakilala mo pa nga sa akin eh. mukha namang mabait. nung malayo na ako, lumingon ako, nakita kitang nakatingin.

ingat ka na lang parati. sana maging masaya ka sa buhay mo. at salamat sa presensya mo sa maikling parte ng buhay ko dahil yung gabing yun at yung iba pang mga pagkakataon na ngkasama at ngkausap tayo sa tambayan ay kasama sa mga kilig moments ng buhay ko na hinding hindi ko makakalimutan.