Saturday, August 10, 2013
Happy Birthday, Alexa.
Who would have thought that a quiet little Alexa would be this much of a good friend to me? But I never really knew what to expect then... Time had its own way of working its own magic upon so many lives...
You had given me a blessing of being a friend. It's hard for me to express these things in words, but you know that I am grateful that I can tell you my stories, that I can run to you with problems, and you'd help me sort things out.
Thank you for being such a great friend.
You're twenty as of today, and so, I wish you a very happy birthday!
P.S. Hold on for just a little bit. Pretty soon, we'll be drinking old cheap bottles of wine... Sit, talking, up all night... Saying things we haven't for a while... :) We'll have you back here, soon. :)
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Through Joys and Tears
Sixteen years ago...
It was June in the year 1997. He had taken one big step into what seemed a big black gate which was labelled "Prep Area." He never wanted to leave the side of his father who had accompanied a late student (and son) to his first class in Ateneo.
Lerma, Justin Nicolas A. P-7 (Mapagmahal). Class number 25. Ateneo de Manila Grade School.
He says he remembers crying, but he never knew what to feel, just that he was scared. He was scared of what might happen, and at the time, he was only thinking, in a six-year-old brain, that he was too shy to make friends, he wanted to stay home and play on his computer, or draw on pieces of bond paper on his father's office with pencils and crayons. And from the first day of school, he didn't really remember anything else.
Eight years later...
In March, 2005, he was standing with hundreds of other people on the blue-colored floor of the Blue Eagle Gym. With a blue handkerchief in his pocket and a pin on the collar of his shirt, he knew he was prepared. He had to sing, and though he never could, it was a moment he was willing to sing for, alongside the hundreds of others who were willing to sing along. Ateneo Grade School, Batch 50. It was a special graduation for the entire batch, and a milestone for Ateneo Grade School.
June, 2005, he was sick. Unsure if it was because of fright (again) or just really a virus. He remembers sitting in the front of the small Dulaang Sibol. He remembers a pounding in his head every time the bass drum was hit right in front of him. He remembers the conyo song: "shit. conyo. pare. wow. ang labo naman." He remembers getting picked up early, and not attending class for the rest of the week. He remembers the 1-I classroom on his first day, bringing just a notebook and a pen, having left the notebook in the classroom before leaving for home.
Four years later...
March, 2009. He was crying. He'd been hearing for four years that Ateneo High School was where you'd spend the best four years of your life. At the time, the statement was correct for him. He had been living for 18 years already, and without too much experience. Years 15-18 may have been the best at the time. He had to say goodbye to a family he's grown into. He has to say goodbye to a lot.
June, 2009. The official beginning of classes were delayed, but he was walking around campus, trying to see things for the first time, trying to understand where he needed to go, and where he needed to be. He was trying to give himself a tour of where his next home would be. He was meeting people who could be (or not. but she was.) special for the coming years in his life.
Four years later...
March 2013. He was scared of not being able to finish, failing to accomplish things he needed to do and making the cut. Eventually, he did, and the memories all suddenly came back, from that day in a garden where, as he remembers, a pair of brightly-colored Chuck Taylors hung a few inches off the ground. He remembers the beautiful smile of a girl who he sat across in Chemistry Lab. He remembers that one deciding day, where a pair of Chuck Taylors entered a second floor room in one of the buildings (Berchmans 209), and he knew then that, that pair of sneakers would haunt him for the next couple of years.
He remembers b**** professors that ended up being loved for bringing a whole bunch of people so much closer together. He remembers saying goodbye early to one his mentors. He remembers almost failing a course in his freshman year, but being saved by the final exam. He remembers missing a concert by a band he really loved, on his birthday, to take a make-up exam because he was applying for scholarship during the actual date. He remembers taking that class picture, with the camera resting on a stack of books and a laptop sleeve for the camera to be high enough to capture everyone.
He remembers running from the weights gym to class because there was no time to fix himself up. He remembers sitting beside his clique in most of his major classes. He remembers crying to a status message that broke his heart. He remembers filing for a change in concentration, going through all the processes of writing a letter and an interview. He remembers seeing the change in his student information and getting congratulated by friends as he stepped up closer. He remembers meeting someone special (again) and ending up in a disagreement with someone else, but special as well.
He remembers being part of a small in-school family that felt like home for a couple of weeks a year. He remembers the confession, and his first kiss. He remembers, not being able to take it any more seriously than he did because while he wanted her, he knew that she was something else. He remembers putting a lot of effort into a surprise that could have changed a lot, but instead, getting shot down (and this happened more than once). He remembers that sometimes, he would go out of his way to help someone or just see them smile. He remembers that professor that changed his life. He remembers the group mates he never trusted after an incident; he remembers the people that he always will.
He remembers a final year to make things right. He remembers that he was elected to an org office, without him knowing it. He remembers being part of another family that is around the whole year round. He remembers what it feels like to represent your Alma Mater. He remembers looking like a fool around school just because it's fun. He remembers reconnecting with friends, reconnecting with family. He remembers the nights when they'd just go out with a tank of gas, and some coin in a purse, just to eat, drink, chill. He remembers that the truth had gotten out, and that the truth was never fair. He remembers making promises that he knew for a fact he would keep. He remembers waiting around for one night to find out if a rose was worth it to give.
He remembers the lights, his last Song for Mary. He remembers camera flash, a blank, rolled-up piece of US Legal paper. He remembers hearing, "congratulations," and saying, "thank you, Father." He remembers taking a bow, walking back to his seat, starting to goff around with his seat mates and fooling around with a couple of friends. And just like that, everything that used to be in the present turned into memories. And all those memories will be immortalized in a blue tube and a piece of paper, where his name will be forever written. It will forever be immortalized in his heart and in his mind...
On March, 2013.
Lerma, Justin Nicolas Asuncion. Bachelor of Science in Management, Major in Communications Technology Management. ID No. 092099. John Gokongwei School of Management, Ateneo de Manila University.
"Down from the hill, down to the world go I... Remembering still, how the bright Blue Eagles fly."
Sunday, February 17, 2013
The First Love
Dear Janine,
It's been a long time since September 1, 2009. Do you remember that date? Do you remember that day?
I'm not sure if you do, but I will never forget it. It just so happened that I never forgot how I felt that day. It just so happens that I realized the other night that I never will. I even remember the exact words I spoke to you, "Janine... I like you. Gets?"
That was almost four years ago. Since then, we've had our own ups and downs (whether with each other or not) and so, I want to tell you first, that everything that has happened since then has been some lame excuse for me to fail at everything else I do. I know that a life without you (or at least a life where-in I never tried) is a life I do not want to live. I know that we both went in opposite directions and that you may think we are never going to go anywhere, but I want you to know that I still believe in something...
It may be crazy to believe so, but I do... Just because I'm crazy about you. I don't see any reason for you to even give a thought to this, but at least allow me to get it off my chest. Just so I can say that I've tried... more than once. And if you still feel the same way after four years, then I guess we were never meant to be. But meaning is something you can give. If you mean for something to happen, then, something will.
I was out last Saturday night... I was at a party... I had a couple of drinks, and I was spending my time at a Valentine's party alone. I knew Veron was going to be there, and thinking about my feeling for her (and everyone else I knew I liked) gave me a realization I knew was true, a realization that I did not want to accept. On February 14, 2013, I gave Veron a rose, thinking that I really liked her. It was the first Valentine's day that I gave a person a rose out of pure intention that I did like her; or so I thought. On February 15, someone told Veron that I used to have feelings for her, when in fact, I only thought I did.
My realization pointed me to the truth, I only liked so many other girls to try and distract myself from thinking of you, realizing that maybe unconsciously, I was too scared to do anything because you were still around, and when sometimes I feel like the feeling died, it rose from the ashes. Feelings are tricky things to have. Once you have them, truthfully and purely, especially the first time around... they don't go away. Feelings get the better of people a lot of times, but they are also the best things for people to have.
And I know that now, we're almost done, just a couple of weeks to go, many things could happen to us. I could see you again after graduation, but then there is a chance that I won't. I've been making promises to do this for the longest time, but I kept failing because you, yourself said that you don't want to get involved in a relationship until after you graduate. You've held up your end of the bargain. However, if you recall, I made a declaration on the evening of September 1, 2009. I told you that I will try again, and you said, "maybe." While some people say that maybe is not a good sign, the recently optimistic Justin sees a maybe as, "try, you have nothing to lose."
Tradition says that, in Ateneo, the Blue Rose should be given to your first love. And rightfully so, blue roses are improbable due to genetic limitation. I hope I am making myself clear with these intentions. I'm not trying to win you over. I am not trying to ask you out. I'm not trying to say you should be my girlfriend, I am not even asking you to give me a chance. Although, I am hoping you would.
I am just sharing to you my realization, that I love you. I have been for the past few years, and somehow, it didn't take too much to relive how I felt and take me back to the better person that I wanted to be. It's hard to live through these feelings, it's a trouble for me to do this. It took me a while to realize this and this may be too late (or too early). I don't want you to feel any pressure. I know it's too soon because we just finished college, and we haven't even graduated yet... But just so you know... All I have to say is, "I love you."
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Happily Ever After
Friday, October 19, 2012
Twenty-Five
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Recipient
It's not as if I have options... the people that have changed my life the most have either graduated, or are far from graduating. It's not like I can bring back old options... But let us contemplate on each one...
1. First-year girl...
I know who this is... Do you? Well, it doesn't matter since I'm not putting any names here. Just ask me about this, if you dare do so. For the first half of AdMU-LS life, she was the best friend I could run to. I used to talk to her about anything. Everything changed soon after. And conflict with asungot might have contributed to that change. I don't entirely blame her... girls stick together. Would it hurt to at least hear me out before judging me and sending my life into a downward spiral?
2. Anyone in my first block...
There are thirty-eight others here... My relationships with these guys have been strange. There are some I get along with, some, I don't. Most, I don't, actually... I have been called names behind my back. I have my sources. I know that I am disliked, and it doesn't matter to me. I don't give a fuck whether they love me or not. Talking about block unity back in first year. WHAT BULLSHIT! What happened to unity? What part of unity is leaving someone out? What happened to me? I never felt like I was a part of that damned block unity we were talking so much about. I never felt it.
3. My second block...
This is a no-brainer... I'm not entirely close with these people. There are some, however, who I know I can grow to love... Mara, perhaps. Pat... maybe. Paoi and the others are pretty great guys too, however... We're not the best of friends. Too bad I didn't get to know them so much. Being with them might have changed my spiraling life a little bit better. What if I had just gotten to know them a little bit more? Would my life be different.... Maybe it would turn out significantly different.
4. My third block...
Easily a "no" as well. See number 1. The core of these guys that were really my friends took her side. I know we're all okay, but the judging has begun... and I am sick and tired of the innocent and omnipotent acts the front. If they knew who I was, what my history before college was, they would stop giving me their damn bullshit. I know they don't like me. I know that. I know that perhaps, if they knew anything at all about me, we wouldn't have even begun to be friends.
5. My neighbor...
No names yet again... He's a sort of neighbor. It would be gay to give the rose to a guy... But other than that, he tried to keep me from doing something I love... that did it. Maybe, I've been patient too long, maybe I just got tired of his condescending attitude at times. I'm tired of his disrespect towards my in-school brothers and sisters. Reciprocity of help and care is all we show for each other, but it's never been anything else. The bond feels like it is hung by tape, and will fall soon. But I hope it won't. Seems feasible.
6. Nica?
Changed me? Check. For the better? I wish I could say that. Everything I did not want to become, I became with her, and my personality has changed so much that I barely even know myself anymore. I am not the guy who I wanted to be, but I'm happy being me. So, what's wrong? Where's the me I used to know? What happened to the me I wanted to be? There's such a little part left, and I feel like this blood-sucking bitch took him away from me. So, I guess not...
7. The Frozen Bananas Family
In 2011, I became a TnT, a group of hyper bastards that run, jump and dance around the covered courts to welcome the freshmen each year. This is where (number 6) and I met. This family, though not being the reason, was when my life had changed a whole lot. I had met an amazing 100++ individuals, willing to be a family for a reason. Though I never really got along with everyone, I could say that I loved being a part of the family, though I don't share the same sentiments with each person. Of course, as individuals, you have to express a different liking for each of them. You can't like each one of them for the same reasons, and it's improbable to like one person as much as the other. Arjo had been a great friend in this introduction to the family. Geeroh, all the more. Jayvee, Drew, Jeje, and all the others I will not mention anymore for the sake of shortening the post have all been brothers and sisters to me. But then I only have one rose, and I can't give one to one hundred plus.
8. The First Batch of Babies
It has been more than one year since I left them. They have survived on their own for so long... and I'm a proud father of three (TnT terminologies). I am really proud of who they have become. They have been the better halves of me, and it's an amazing experience to TnT alongside that lot. I hope that one John Oliver joins their ranks next year. I will be a proud father of four by then. I wish to see them when I come back to visit, once I have moved on from that life.
9. The Second Bath of Babies
I don't want to admit this to anyone, but in general, I like this batch more. I have learned not to expect from promises, however, I have hope. So far, SKR, Jasmine, Hanna D., and Gabriel have all said they would be TnT's plus, two SecMobs in Thomas and Wayne, as I have heard. I hope for more, but they will never get to experience the OrSems I did for no OrSem is the same. They won't be able to handle a block like the block they showed me they could be. It makes me proud to see the only legacy that I have left for them. I have no concrete gift for them, nothing they could keep to remember me by. In the future, I will be just a fragment of their freshman memory. I won't be in existence to them anymore. In the future, they will be on their own. In the future, as much as I don't want to think about it, they won't be a block. They will be their own individuals, striving for their individual futures. The legacy that Juancho, Erika, Asia and myself will be nothing but memories in their hearts and in their minds. But we did our best, let's hope that the best was good enough.
I don't have so many options, but I have months to decide. I don't have so much time to think because of all the bullshit schoolwork. Then again, I might run into someone worth giving it to, or I may have missed someone. But thinking about this made me realize that I have, but is she the right one? I've always been running to her for a lot of the things in life. I could depend on her to be a friend, to be a bro, a sis, to be a part of a bigger family; to be a bigger part of my life. Maybe the recipient is who I expect it to be. The recipient could not be on the list. Maybe I'm intentionally forgetting to put her for the surprise, or maybe I want one of the ten options to be the one (see above). But there are only nine now, there's room for maybe, one more.
Monday, February 20, 2012
To Janine: A Sad Story
So, it was Valentine's day, 2012. As usual, Justin was excited to make things happen. As he performed the usual routine of bringing his sister school, he bought three flowers for three special friends, Mon, Nica and RJ. He got the school, awaited all his classes to end and immediately retrieved the flowers and rushed to where special friend number one was.
As all of his friends would have expected, it was Nica. With her was RJ. Justin was ready to give the flowers, and so he did. Nica was waiting for him, and RJ was busy writing all the Valentine's letters she was about to give. As RJ was finishing that, Justin stepped out with Nica by his side. Justin was eager to ask Nica out on Friday, despite the work they were going to do.
So he asked her out. Thinking that their relationship was supposed to at least guarantee that she'd be at least willing to share whatever surprise Justin and his friends have planned.
"Please, I could kind of use the money," Nica said.
"But this is something special," Justin had replied. "It would mean so much to me if I could share this moment with you."
Nica replied, "please, I could use the money. Please please please please..."
Nica kept going on and on about it. And even after Justin's explanation, she wouldn't listen.
Eventually, it came to the point where it had just hurt more than the rejection. Nica stopped saying please, and said, "ditcher," instead. It had hurt Justin deeply, until all the hurt turned into anger.
"I'll be right back," Justin said as he got his last rose, and stormed out.
Justin met up with his dear friend, Mon near the Sec-B staircase, where he gave the rose to her, and asked her out for Friday instead. Mon was unsure and had informed Justin of her case.
After they had bid each other farewell, Justin was headed back to retrieve his stuff from where he once was. He got a text from Nica, asking him to buy bluebooks for her class. Already past the store, he went back to obtain the items needed.
He went back gave the books, grabbed his bag, and then left almost immediately. Justin went to other friends hanging around nearby. It was killing him how Nica wouldn't accept. It broke his heart.
Only days later, Justin was test-flying the sky lanterns they had bought for the surprise, and it pained him to watch the lanterns fly away with his buddy, Miguel. He won't show it, but he was already crying on the inside. When he and Miguel ran out of things to do, Justin got in his car and drove back home in tears. He couldn't really sleep and was unsettled for quite a number of days.
Finally, the day had come for the actual surprise. Justin was there alone, with his couple-buddies, Miguel, Alexa, Michaela and Joma. He was watching the lanterns fly away, disheartened that the unreachable lanterns, instead of being an offering of a great relationship to the heavens, symbolized the unreachable love he could never find with the girl he thought he loved so much.
The end.
PS. I hope you liked it. Actually, no, I don't... It's never nice to like a sad story, especially if it's a true story.
PPS. It's a very sad ending to something I thought would be great. I'm through with heartbreak, and it's really killing me deep inside to find people I can love, but would not return the love I give up so easily.
Being in-love is easy for me. It's not easy to get back up, but taking the fall for someone else comes naturally. I just want someone to take the fall for me, too. But no one's willing to... Right now, I really don't want to care about anyone except myself, but no matter how much I want that, it's not natural for me. Looks like 2012 is not at all better than 2011. It's turning out even worse, and life isn't a climb; it's a cliff, nowhere else to go but down. Sad, isn't it?
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Feeling Needed

I don't know if I do have the right to get mad or anything, but this girl has been calling favors out from me. And yes, I do love her, so I try my best to do what she asks. If I can, then I will, if I can't, I'll try to help. It's been taking up a lot of time and sacrifice, but all of it's been killing me to the point that I feel like I'm just a need in her life.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Forever (not quite) Alone (not quite).
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Run Away
I know... it’s college. I’m supposed to do all the stupid stuff now. Why do I feel like I’m not? Life’s such a drag these days, and the worst part is, I have no one to talk to about it. Nica’s being non-responsive, and the others, I can’t even seem to tell. I want to get away from life as soon as possible. Maybe it would just be best for me to just disappear already, maybe for good. I don’t know where to go, though. It’s not a good idea, but it’s certainly better than staying here, where I am now. I could really use someone to talk to, but with all the bullshit that’s been happening, I am feeling so alone. I don’t really know what the best decision is right now, so I'll think it through. I'll find my ways.
I really wish I had someone to talk to, but right now, I feel like this is all I've got, some random blog that will help me at least make how I feel into something tangible, at least a collection of words, telling me how I really feel, and a way to go back to it. Right now, I want to hide, and just forget everything, all the bullshit that's been happening in my life. I want to run away, and not be found, maybe ever.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Happy New Year (Oops)
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Happy New Year
Now that I am in the dark, it is safe for me to say a lot. I won’t name names, just in case.
There was nothing else for me to be happy about with everything the way things turned out by the middle of the year 2011. Everything that I knew I should have been happy about turned out terribly wrong. It really is that hard to give everything for someone who wouldn’t return the favor. It has happened so many times, but I never seem to learn from it. I had become closer to the friends I have now, mostly in the KD groups, we had something to do, I had a part in it. I feel important, special and wanted there. That’s really the only thing I ever wanted, to feel loved. Something I rarely felt at all last year, especially with everything that has happened. I started to stop trusting certain people. I started not to care, I started becoming someone that I wasn’t (but then again, I think I was).
It all started with being in love, getting my hopes up. Her actions spoke for themselves. The actions were really no one could look over. It was entirely different from what she had said to begin with. Then, suddenly, one day, it was all gone. Everything we had just disappeared. Then, she ends up going back to normal, but suddenly in the arms of another. Did I really mean absolutely nothing to her? Or was she just too damn selfish to care about how I felt, and only care about how everything benefited her? I don’t really care now.
Then came along the second of all people who can get my hopes up; except, this time, it was a whole lot worse. This time, she had actually admitted that she had feelings for me. And she knew what happened. What happened with us, though? Nothing, absolutely nothing. I’m not even sure if we’re still friends after all we’ve been through. Talk about being led on… It’s much worse, but it wasn’t selfish. She was just confused, and it was crazy.
Third thing is the bitch, who I am convinced, ruined my already horrible life. I am certain that she is, indeed, selfish. She is a terrible liar, who manipulates people so she could get what she wants. But she has brought everyone else together against her. It’s been crazy, and I kind of feel like she did what she did in order to ruin another person’s image in my head (or to ruin my image in another person’s head). Either way, I don’t really think that she was ever my friend. Maybe, she was just passing it off to get someone on her side, perhaps to feel sorry for her when everyone would start to turn their backs on her. Too bad, I did, too.
These three people have nothing in common (except for the fact, that somehow, they managed to make 2011 a little bit more horrible). This started the decline, and I’m starting to feel a whole lot worse than how I ended in 2010. And 2010, was a whole lot better, even if it wasn’t spectacular.
But I have my friends, I have two couples, who I know would accept me for who and what I am. Along with a few other people, people who I consider like my brothers and sisters now.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Special
Saturday, July 16, 2011
This is... What is This?
Friday, July 15, 2011
Preparty
Nica's issue with Drew. //WRIST