Heart Of The 80s

High school memories.... aargh! It was my luck to be seated next to these guys: Marty on my right, Daryl just behind me and Jessie just a little bit far from our aisle who frequently stays by. We were all seated at the back of the class - where most of the mischief in class started.
Common characteristics of these guys... they are smart, with winsome personalities, good family background ( I didn't know that then) and transferees from other private schools. Their pics here were posted as such, to protect their identity. Sayang naman if they will run for public office in the future or if they will take the bar exam.
Though we've made peace after graduation - and 8 months after graduation, I just want to write about this. Subtitled: "The crybaby me"




I'm not sure what I was back then or how my classmates saw me. But definitely I had low morale. Not just because of my own twisted thinking but also because of the embarrassing criticisms and name-calling I got when we were in III year. Some said I was smart - but I thought I was stupid;  some said I was pretty - but I thought I was bland and uninteresting; I had no talent- just good in my English subjects and just striving to please our teachers, ... Some female schoolmates hated me and female teachers too (yes, the ladies mostly) Pero I did not do anything against anybody. I simply stayed out of anybody-who-dislikes-me's way.
Why was I being treated that way? My theory - I was always praised for being "white" or "tisay" but behind that reputation my classmates thought I was just a GI baby (l.c. from a foreigner and a pinay) But no.... my parents were decent folks, even myself didn't know it because I did not listen to the stories about them ( hang on to my blog and you'll know more about that soon)
Yet the lowest point of my day would be when I would answer in class discussions this way : Click here minus the wrong grammar. I get a horrific mental block when a teacher calls on me during recitations. Yes, of course,I'm always prepared for graded recitations when announced, otherwise... it's a dizazter.


Marty is a funny guy, always alert (hyper?), top of the class and actively participating in class discussions. His bff and chatmate was Daryl. Both of them were always nasty to me. Sometimes I was their "friend" when they need something hehe, sometimes I was their "enemy" and sometimes they just ignore me..... one of my most horrifying moments with Marty is that in every major exam we took he would try to answer his test paper on his own, leaving out the difficult ones (enumeration, essay type) then 15 minutes to the time, he would KICK my chair and ask for my answers. And I would "share" it in my lowest voice possible. Daryl would follow or would ask me to raise my test paper within his view.
Eh one time, our adviser - a good-natured lady nearing her retirement year - just warned " No murmuring, or else" I had respect for her hence, I kept quiet and went about doing my own business. But as usual, Marty had to ask. So I gave my answers as quietly as possible - I said:"Manchuria" .. It was History exam that time... Marty: "What?" .... Me:"Manchuria" ...... Marty: "Can't hear you, speak louder...." Me:"Ahem, Manchuria." .... Marty: "HA?" .... Me: (yelling)"MANCHURIA! I think I'll use a microphone to share my answers to the whole class?!" I was annoyed for his pestering. ha! okay. But after class exam, same old story. PEACE, Marty, ha!


Daryl- Ah, two unforgettable incidents. I often found him before holding a butterfly knife(balisong), sometimes playing with it. So that thought stuck in my mind. One time, as I vaguely recall, he pressed the pointed object on my back, just for practice. Well, just pretended to be scared. But there was this one time he pressed a sharp object on my back again while saying, give me your day's allowance (or whatever) I got really scared, we were in class that moment, I did not move for fear that the sharp edge would pierce my back or hurt me. I said okay and was about to hand over what he asked for. Then he laughed and showed me what "sharp" object he used - it was just the sharp edge of a ballpen cover!!! I got so angry and cried.

Next, in our religion class, we were having an unannounced recitation. It was my turn so I stood up. As always, I had difficulty answering the question because my mind went blank even if I knew the answer. I was still not satisfied with my answer and was disturbed over it. So I sat down for a while when --HORRORS! my butt landed on the floor! The whole class laughed, so it seemed, most of the guys - maybe even my "crush" laughed out loud! I was so embarrassed then, just imagine I was wearing a skirt uniform and I landed on the floor like a klutz! Whatever happened after that was no comfort to my wounded reputation. Our teacher reprimanded Daryl and he answered back respectfully but still snickering at me - he wasn't the argumentative type, bless him.

Personally, and the fact that I know this Rel.Ed. teacher, she should've done something more... fellow bloggers, what do you think? .... Me, don't ask me what went through my mind at that time. It's unthinkable.
And adding insult to injury (that time)- he said "sorry". That was a right thing to do, but I don't accept apologies at the "crime scene" and not infront of an audience. I needed much more comforting than that. What was ideal that time, could've been...
"Sorry, Christine, I'm so sorry, I'm truly sorry... and I won't do it ever again" Just not that simple sorry, hehehe.

But it's no worries now because Marty and Daryl are okay with mealready, and they are still so funny always saying sorry for everything... kaya heto I'm posting this tuloy just to let them know everything is okay. Actually, I should be the guilty party kase may mga utang pa ako kay Daryl... lagot. PEACE Daryl, you're tops! Mai-advertise nga ang kabutihan nito... ah, yes truly he's a law-abiding citizen and works for somebody important. that's enough, too much clues here!


Jessie naman, I could hardly recall him bullying me. He was so quiet and decent but when we were in III year he was always calling me names ( that were really below-the-belt and so untrue). In fairness, he seemed mild-mannered. But just this recent STHS reunion, wow, he admitted he made so many "booby traps". He even asked me if I still remember the day when I was just entered our classroom and as I opened the door a shoe fell on my head. Says he was the mastermind. He knew I was coming through and lodged the shoe by the door ( hmm, like Tom and Jerry cartoons eh?) Oh, well, I've got selective amnesia,I guess, so when he told me that, I was clueless. But since he admitted doing so.... ahem, he's included in my book Peace Jessie!

Every highschool reunion I meet most of my classmates that I sorely miss. And I've had fun reminiscing what happened in our 80's high school... such bittersweet memories... the funny,the sad (we made our adviser cry), the horrendous, the jokes, the exams that wracked our brains, the teachers who were patient with us, all the fun we had.


Narrated by yours truly....... ;)