Heart Of The 80s

[I am so inspired today to just go ahead and begin a series of these blog entries I will call "A Day In Life". This series present the text from my journals that I kept between the ages of 14 and 17. I'll be adding new entries every now and then to share all my thoughts, ideas, events, experiences, memories, ideas I had during the eighties. It is for my continued amusement that I read and reread my old journals, even when there isn't much content, I still gain occasional insight how I'm still in the process of changing to maturity. Most of the names have been changed to protect the people I recently found on Facebook. A few are just partial entries, my bleeping and blinding exclamations have been removed and some entries have been modified to give way to my now correct spelling and grammar. Yet the mix of excitement, melodrama and pleasant memories from the eighties are still much felt :) I hope, as you read my old journal with me, you enjoy the same sentiments.]

WEDNESDAY Evening 10:30PM
February 3,1988  020388

Dear Diary,

This is some kind of a day. I'll start it from the very beginning...
This morning, Brendon( changed his name from RF to Brendon now) was not so late in coming to school. After checking our test papers in Filipino, he went to the faculty  room and volunteered to distribute the envelopes and of course, my envelope was there. But, Dan, our other classmate, offered to help him (OH!) and unfortunately, my envelope was given to me by Dan. (Aargh!) 

But then later, a campaign brochure from Baguio Colleges Foundation (now University of the Cordilleras) and the college courses offered were distributed. I was talking to my guy seatmate Daryl, just asking about the course descriptions. 
Me: "What is BSE?"
Daryl: "It's a course for teachers, of course!"
Me: "For highschool teachers?"
Daryl :"Yeah"
Me: "But what is this CMT and CAT? Can ladies enroll in this course? Maybe there are plenty of handsome guys here, eh?"
Daryl : (laughing) "Ha-ha. You're kidding, right?"
Me: " I had to ask!" More giggles.
Me: "Ok, now I know what course I'll take up. This is really it... BSE HISTORY MAJOR!"  [I loved history subjects because of all the hilarious stories by our effervescent history teachers.]
Daryl : (shrugs) "Sure you can..."
Me: " I'll be a teacher and would be teaching in this school. By then there would be plenty of handsome co-teachers too!" [Was only jesting for amusement] So that conversation lasted until I read more details to ask about.... Just then, Brendon came up beside   Daryl and held the same brochure that I was holding that time. Brendon and I both looked/gazed/stared (whatever) at each other for a few seconds, and I shivered. But oops,   Daryl said to Brendon: "Pare, this is Red's" So Brendon goes apologetically: "Okay.." Then went away. Aaargh! To  Daryl!

This afternoon, Brendon went in very late around 1:45PM. A visitor from the EARN computer school was  promoting their courses and encouraging us to study in their school. Around that time, Brendon came in but no one got distracted anyway. Later, our class took a scholarship exam for 30 minutes. A long time of silence. Then the proctor asked: "Is it difficult?" We all gave out a giggle. Brendon, who was seated at the far corner,said: "Chicken feed!".. haha, I said to Daryl: (who was seated just behind us - and copying my answers): "Hmm, we'll see!" Anyways, no time for that now.

Oh and much later, the wall between our room and the Aguinaldo section's room fell over the head of Sheila - Brendon's ex. I glanced quickly at Brendon seeing his expression if he will care for her. Nothing there. I think he sort of felt sorry for her but just smiled to himself. We all went back to our work. After the exam, Brendon went out to play basketball at the STHS court.

Other topic, I have something very very important to tell you, dear diary, and I fear it will happen. Matt, my 11-year-old nephew, is not so happy and said the world will end soon this March 18,1988 right after the eclipse. I'm praying that it won't happen. I hope God will not get angry at us here on earth, I'll try to be good already. Okay good night, dear diary.

[Now I think this was an awesome day :) All the people I mention here are every now and then in touch with me thanks to Facebook. Who's Brendon, you say? He's a former classmate for whom I've had a great silly crush- just like that. No, he never knew and only one or two close friends knew. Anyways, these were my best days so to speak]



Here was my next Entry

Find me on the 1st photo above, yes, that young girl in multi-color polka-dotted white shirt dancing at a wedding party. The rest of the people in the photo are folks in the baranggay and my cousins from the USA.

Let's get wordless here!

A happy Monday to everyone! I'm back joining Music Monday this week with one of my favorite songs by El Debarge, "Starlight Express". It's a song that became popular around the time our JS Prom was held in 1988. I still love it lots.Happy MM, all!

Monday 030386
Morning

Last night, I really can't sleep. I just listened to the latest sounds on the radio but I still can't sleep. Only when I turned on "Menudo Reachin' Out" tape did I calm down. I imagined I was in a place far away .. maybe Tuguegarao..

The day Lara and I listened to this Menudo album.. the afternoon when I first met Ralph... the day we searched for Ralph at BFD and PLDT (the places his team used to practice basketball)

Sunday
030286
Evening

Hello... it's just like any boring tearjerking day once again coz PX won't be here by my side until Wednesday. [boo-hoo, haha]

Lanie and I went to YBTTC/ Plaza and we also looked for the canteen/beerhouse. Oh yes, I forgot writing an entry last night.. that Lanie and I have a mission to find out who this Evangeline of Cynthia's canteen in YBTTC is. [Cynthia or Evangeline, sounds the same to me then.. ah the jealousy of imaginary rivals] Evangeline is PX' ex-gf's name but he never mentioned it to me, only to Lanie and Betty. Their talk was about how PX has a PMA college ring and he said it was his father's, and that it's a good thing he got it back from his ex-girlfriend when they broke up.

Ate Baybee says bad guys go to the kind of canteen/beerhouse we are looking for and that we shouldn't go. There are pretty ladies there who serve as waitresses, plenty of men go there mostly DOM or looking for relationship (In my 80's mind then!). Eeks, How disgusting.[I realize now the canteen we were all referring to then was the most popular restaurant in town, no drunks there or DOMs, but hey nowadays there are plenty of the dreaded bars here]

But then there we were at YBTTC this afternoon. It was a beerhouse but it wasn't Cynthia's Canteen, but that's where PX pointed at says Lanie. We were lost there, YBTTC is a small town to look around for someone. Will we still get to pretend we are mature people and order beer? Ha-ha!

Oh yeah, Bacon and I were at the store in Bucarillo Road [Binoboran Road, is the right term now]. We were ordering softdrinks that time but they ran out of stock so to speak, so we got beer instead! Really! I was very dizzy because of it, and real drunk too! Even wanted to buy cigarettes again for the four of us. Ha-ha! I'M GOING CRAZY WITHOUT PX AROUND!

And, this evening Uncle Joe (father of Lara) arrived. Wows, I got another letter from her but it's short and nothing much. Mentioned Ralph a little as getting cuter. Well, it's old news.. old style.  Anyways, by Holy Week Uncle will go back here in town and take my mom to Tuguegarao, then after two weeks I'll be next. ... am not so excited anymore, I really don't care. But PX is the problem.. on summer vacation he will be in Laguna for a summer job.. poor me.  hmp, he's going to leave me this summer and I think I'll be going to summer school this April ( I hope not)  I wish PX will still be here!

Dear God,
Please bless PX, Ralph, Lara, Dong,PJ,etc Please help me in my biology report tomorrow.

love,
Red

Hello, there it goes.. the news gets out little by little. First of all, Joey has met the super-PX I've been telling her about for long time. Next, an elderly lady- neighbor gossip saw us both while we were taking the commute back to the town proper. PX and I got off from the PUJ as soon as we were at YOU BELONG TO THE CITY [that's the name I labelled our town in my diary]. We just went strolling by the plaza, then we went to the booth of Betty and Ate Tita and Ate Merly. They said he's okay and down-to-earth kind of guy. Funny Ate Tita/Merly and PX have the same last name, just a coincidence :)

Much later when it was close to 5pm, we went to the local Catholic church. Almost closing time (do they ever close, I wonder) ... we knelt down by the pews and we prayed silently. I prayed of course, that the Lord would bless us both. I also had thoughts about Ralph and I prayed about that too (coz whenever I go to church I always pray for him). Then, we just sat there thinking our own thoughts, while the people working for the church were readying something for an event possibly for the next day. Then it got quiet when the church workers left, then he teased, "Think we are going to get married here someday? Answer me..."  I was usually quiet again, but I smiled. My heart beat so fast I could hear it. Aww, shucks!

I really admire him for being prayerful, I could tell he's a real church-goer.. but of course, coz he's from the town where thousands of pilgrims visit to offer their prayers. In contrast, I'm not a regular church attendee.. thanks to Ate Baybee's influence, I have not paid attention to sermons. [ funny I wrote this, it brings light to many things I often think about. For the record, I'm no longer a Catholic but a born-again Christian]

Well, this is all for now.. will write again tomorrow!

Read next entry here