[Yes, I'm back! And just like this February 20,1988 entry below I've been offline for ages. Sorry dear friends and readers, I was extremely busy assisting my aunt and her hubby from California during their month-long stay here in the Philippines. So the 1988 string of diary entries continues...]
Saturday
Afternoon
February 20, 1988
Oh no, it's been a week since, isn't it? And I have not reported the latest events in here but anyway, I'll tell you what events sound significant to me...
Last Sunday (February 14, 1988) I had a boring celebration of Valentine's Day, I mean - my heart felt so bored, because I've got no love to give and no love to receive :) What we did here, together with my cousin Ate Edith and her sister-in-law Ate Mimie, was to shop and window-shop at Harrison Plaza and also to buy tickets for Pops Fernandez and Martin Nievera's POPS AND MARTIN's concert "Twosome"(1988) at the Folk Arts Theater.
(that's how Harrison Plaza looked like during the 80's)
Much later we watched a movie "Misis Mo, Misis Ko" starring Jackielou Blanco and Ricky Davao. Then that evening, we watched POPS AND MARTIN's concert. Oh, did I say while we were stuck in traffic going to the Folk Arts Theater, that the teen star Isabel Granada's car was just next to the taxi we took? Oh yes, she's so pretty ( with long curly lashes and light brown hair) and charming and even nice to us fans! She smiled and waved back to us! Her mom is a charmer too. [Isabel Granada is really my personal favorite over the years, I've watched a few of her movies from Seiko Films, and her presence oftentimes I see in my dreams that I wondered if I would have a pretty daughter like her someday]
(yes, this is Isabel)
So the next day, Monday (February 15, 1988) Ate Mimie and I went to the Deutsche Botschaft then on the Bank Of America along Paseo De Roxas in Makati. After that we went to SM Shoemart Makati but still nothing worth exciting. Except for Ate Mimie's wonderful stories of life here in Manila and how she wantsto go back to our province when she gives birth to their eldest. We went home by noon.
Then by 3PM, we went to St. Scholastica's College - St.Scho - to get an entrance exam form. I saw some "sosyal" [that means bourgeoisie] ladies and I'm now beginning to dread that school. It would be so boring for me! [why I said that, is because I felt the ladies were way too high class or maybe I didn't like their uniform which was then cut like an SM saleslady's uniform] So we hopped on next to St. Paul College Manila (SPCM) It's another exclusive school for girls like St. Scho. I loved the ladies uniforms, they look very professional. But uh-oh I felt bad again coz a lady there stared at me so I stared back, and frowned at her. "Who's she?" I mumbled myself. Ate Mimie said what attitude these ladies are showing are all pretense.
Oh what a day to go around Manila and to see most people being snobbish! Hmmp!
The following day, Tuesday (February16,1988) I went back to Pangasinan with Ate Mimie's cousin Melissa. We took the Pantranco Bus early at dawn and arrived home at exactly 12:00 noon. I didn't have the strength to go to school that afternoon so I just stayed home.
Wednesday (February 17, 1988) I went back to school. I'm beginning to hate Brendon. Why? Coz he's beginning to talk with Sheila again and I think they're getting back to each other again. (SO???) Oh, and about my friend in school, Gigi according to Dess, she attempted to commit suicide by slicing her pulse [yes, that was my term] but just then her old rich man suitor visited and her problems were eased. [Gigi was my one of my bestfriends at STHS. She resembled Janice De Belen- one of the beautiful teen actresses during the 80's. Gigi was still my good friend until she passed away in 1993. She, her sister and her mom were my spiritual friends who shared their faith in Christ with me]
On Thursday (February 18, 1988), our class had a very memorable religious recollection at the MAZM in Mangaldan and the event really stabbed my heart [oh please] I began to realize I was mistaken for some things and that I should think things over in the coming days. That afternoon, we all went back to submit out "DEAR JESUS" letter. Whom have I seen? oh , yes... Brendon (ehek!) and Sheila seated beside each other, still writing their letters to submit. Now I don't want him no more.
Yesterday (February 19,1988) - Nothing so special happened except the JS Prom. Let's just get straight to the JS Prom topic, ok? [Truth is, I have much to say about how I painstakingly prepared for the JS Prom. Thinking in my mind that this will be the best night so far. I fussed much about my hair and make-up. My JS 80s prom dress looked alright. I chose this 80s prom dress because it looked like the dress Brooke Shields wore at the party scene in the 80s movie "Endless Love" I thought then the dress was so hip! haha. But then I think I overdid it by matching the attire with flashy red dangling earrings, sequin waist belt, and red shoes with silk lace like the ones ballerinas wear. I paired the shoes with white stockings, but of course! Looking back in retrospect, I must've been a strong headed girl for going on with it and not listening to my superiors' advice. Waah! That was me, a fashion victim! And I'm still searching for a photo of me at the JS Prom in 1988 among my high school batchmates, just for laughs!]
So that was it, when I arrived that evening, Dess led me to the Bonifacio classroom as we waited with the rest. Then someone gave me a rose, it was just my nephew Bacon (younger by 3 years) who was supposed to be my escort [or watchman should be the proper term].Later we all went to the STHS quad for the JS Prom proper. A moment later, as I was seated, someone behind me handed me three red roses.. it was Sam ( one of my decent classmates at Bonifacio section; he was almost my partner at the Rigodon De Honor Dance) I was just polite to him that evening and said, "Thanks." He must've summoned up the courage to talk to me some more, asked me if I the chair beside me was already taken and if he could sit beside me. I said, "Sure" He asked me if I had an escort - I stammered: "Y-y-yes, b-but he left for a while" coz at that time Bacon went to the town plaza. [ I didn't tell him that my escort wasn't really my partner, but my nephew-bodyguard so I didn't get into mischief. I pretended to have an awesome escort out there] Ok, so maybe, Sam expected me to speak to him but when I didn't say anything more, he left. [typical teenage snobbish behavior or what we call in our local dialect "suplada" ]
I kept looking at the JS Prom invitation and what was written at the back like First Dance, Favorite Partner, etc. and that time I had no name to list there to :)) I happened to see Sam far back and I think he frowned at me (or was that my imagination?) But he smiled at me later when I looked at him again. Ooops, don't get me wrong, dear diary, he's not my Valentino, I'm just being nice......
But there's still more.... when the Candlelight Ceremony started, we all queued up. It so happened that Honey (one who had a crush on Dean - that's Brendon's brod) was infront of me. We both went to our places at formation which looked not the way it was practiced. We happened to be at the Junior's group, where Dean was!! He wasn't Honey nor I's partner though. But still, he said "Hi!" to Honey and I felt....uh-oh sad. But it was such a nice and wonderful moment just to see Dean closer. And it was real stupid of me to look or stare at Dean so I just turned away, pretended to be interested in looking at other people and be amused at their corny moments.. oh, sick, sick, sick, sick!
There's something more, after the Candlelight Ceremony when we got back to our seats, there was a guy just behind us who looked handsome, kind of rugged. He resembled a mix of familiar faces. Everytime I glanced back at Dess or Sarah, I catch him staring at me. But he didn't matter to me, coz I only can see his face from the crowd and besides, I just found him semi-handsome ( I told Dess that he kind of looks like Ricky Davao) But not until I saw his face closer and the shirt that he was wearing, did I recognize him! I shot a quick glance at him. Hmm, he looks like my "brod" Dean and isn't the shirt that he's wearing now the one Brendon wore on the Cultural Presentation Night? Oh, yes, he must be my brod-in-law (Again!!!) Lanie was speaking the truth, Brendon's brothers are all good-looking that ladies get cross-eyed not knowing whom to look at first if they are all together! [lol] That same guy glanced at me and I glanced back. And because he's my _ _ _, I smiled and he smiled too. oops, he might think I have a crush on him just because I smiled. Anyways, whatever happens then so be it. Then he came closer, just took a seat at a vacant chair nearby. We just kept on smiling at each other in between pauses at the JS Prom dance. But it was too impossible that we would speak to each other because Kuya Johnny (our older bodyguard) and Bacon were there! If only I wasn't shy, I would ask him for starters : "Are you Brendon's brother?" It would have been awesome!! Whew! Goodnight!!! luv,luv,luv ... Red
