Allow Me to Digress

This blog entry of random thoughts is just in time for the All Saints’ Day break. Time to reflect about living and dying, and everything in between.

It has been said that at the last few moments of one’s life, he will see a flashback of his life.  I had this experience a while ago, but I guess not of that sort hehe.  A sense of nostalgia rushed to me as I was cleaning my room and went through a box of letters, cards, notes, handouts, journals, pictures, and all other stuff that have gathered dust. Some cards and letters even date back during my elementary years from people I’ve now lost touch with.  We were very close then.  Friends forever.  Forever friends.  Suddenly, I miss them all. And then there were some surprises too.  I’m surprised to see cards from some cousins, friends, and classmates.

A really funny card was a "Get Well Soon" card from my high school classmates when I had mumps.  The cover of the card is the picture above, and inside it says "You cured yet? Get well soon!"  My high school friends signed in the card too.  I’m quoting some…

"Hoy babae!  Kung kailan mainit ang panahon, eh, hindi ka papasok.  Kailangan namin ng mahangin dito…makitsismis ka na lang kay pusit para ma-up-to-date ka" (Pusit is my sister Lizette hehehe :)  Now I remember  I was being teased as mahangin then haha.. I wonder why

"How dare you get sick just a couple of weeks before our Chemistry report!  It is of utmost importance that you get well immediately.  Hurry up."

The card was not dated, but upon reading that part, I must had mumps when I was in 3rd year high school.

And this part is really funny because the person who was quoted here has not changed - she is still mataray (maybe of lesser degree now):

"P.S. Sabi ni ****** ***** (nung tinanong sya kung magsa-sign sya) "HUWAG NA! GAGALING DIN NAMAN YAN EH!"

I also found a funny poem from a college friend - (If you’re reading this, you might have forgotten you wrote this for me

Hay, naku, itong si Aileen

Kahit anong mangyari, naakatawa pa rin…

Ang sarap lokohin, kay sarap kaibiganin,

Ang swerte ko talaga’t nakilala kita

Este, mali, ang swerte mo’t nakilala mo ko,

Pero sa lahat ng tulang ginawa ko

It ang pinakacorny, especially para sa ‘yo.

Grabe! Para lang magkarhyme. Ang galing thanks for the effort. And my friend who wrote this in December 1998 - would you believe, won the first prize in the Awit Awards song writing competition years ago? Hahaha… Obviously, she has improved a lot through the years.

There are many others - too many to write about now.  (From classmates, relatives, friends in school, church and work… thanks a lot! :)  It was also a pleasant surprise to see a really nice journal which was a gift from my mom on my 16th birthday.  Too nice to be used.  I remember that I had already written on it years ago, but tore the pages off because I felt that what I wrote was not good enough for the journal.  Funny thing is that when I saw it just this morning, I was expecting it to still be empty but I’ve found one entry dated November 4, 2006.  The entry was about "26 Things I’m Most Thankful For,"  in time for my 26th birthday then.  So ok, I’m going to write about "27 Things That I’m Most Thankful For" next.  A grateful heart is really the best cure for depression.  Err that didn’t come out quite right.  Let me rephrase - I’ve proven that the best way to a happy heart is a thankful heart. Ok, so much better hehe

I should be thankful each day.  Count my blessings.  Live each day as if it were my last. I remember the illustration of one of my favorite teachers Mr. Manacsa (he was quoting a Jesuit professor whose name I forgot), that just like the toothpaste tube - empty, squeeze yourself until nothing comes out.  "Magpakaubos para sa Diyos."  I had displayed an empty Aquafresh toothpaste tube years ago because of this.

To complete this Halloween theme, I’m posting the epitaph written by Benjamin Franklin when he was 23 years old:

The Body of B. Franklin,

Printer;

Like the Cover of an old Book,

Its Contents torn out,

And Stript of its Lettering and Gilding,

Lies here, Food for Worms.

But the Work shall not be wholly lost;

For it will, as he believed, appear once more,

In a new and more perfect Edition,

Corrected and amended

By the Author.

He was born Jan. 6, 1706.

Died 17 -

Want to read more about Benjamin Franklin?  http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/

Halloween look - behind us are "tombstones" at Tokyo Disneyland. With my Jap Study Tour friends, 2001