Christmas Idol
December 23, 2008
Notes from the Underground : we thank you from the bottom of our heart for the various messages touching on batch sentiments, batch attitudes & batch mentality, but for 1 reason or another did not get coursed through the e-group. Our reactions : We agree that life is too short to dwell on the negative, as we have tried to focus on the positive naman diba? Likewise, we are humbled by the recognition of efforts to highlight all that puts a smile to our collective faces whenever our years at Ycaza in San Miguel are revisited. We thought of mentioning your names, beloved email senders, but as you have chosen to send Yahoo!-outside- group, just know that we enjoyed very much wishing you happy birthdays as not only are you now a calendar year older than us 
, each of you also made us remember you in a special way. To the last sender, as we said, it may be cliche- ish but we are kindred spirits you and I, thanks for making a great effort towards resuming our lifelong conversation. ..
each of these can start our email, so choose your own intro na lang 
Dear kabatch, batch and batchmates (3 popular ways of calling 82ers) :
( Pick A) MY PROBLEM with Christmas memories, and I'm not so sure I'm the only one with this dilemma, is that, with the brain cells, axons, synapses & neurons so frayed and entangled for this particular subject matter, I have not a scarcity but a surplus, albeit of disjoined, disorganized and scattered reveries of that undisputedly most popular time of the year; indeed times of your life... December memorables and assorted feel-good vignettes in our deranged mind.
( Pick B ) CHRISTMAS, almost universally perceived as the season for children, was rightfully celebrated in Hogwarts (since wala namang tutoong Hogwarts, we are hence appropriating it for the flag of the Republic of EZ-Jay-See-EZ) as our birthright.. . in strutting around like US Marine soldiers and marching like Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club - inspired bands; twirling and somersaulting around like colorful gorgeous professional cheering squads; and of course, showing off our athletic skills (whether basketball or volleyball) like seasoned athletes... it was the one time of the year our handlers let go of the reins and let bloom the lust for glory, creativity and excellence in fields other than academics.
( Pick C ) OUR PERSONAL memories of Christmas and Christmas - related events in Hogwarts are so entwined around the personal glories of particular individuals that we would rather express them in memories that THEY might have carried with them had we been able to look into their minds... parang Inside John Malkovich's Brain, or something like that:
Hoop Dreams
It would be no exaggeration to say that had he been blessed with 3 or 4 more inches of height, KuyaChat ( Uy ) would've been playing in the big leagues. He was the Batch 82 quintet's Shaq Daddy, Charles Barkley and Dwight Howard hammered into one massive body. As early as during our freshman year, we were already imagining we had his bulk and upper body strength, snaring rebounds over much taller and older opponents. Of course he did this best during the Intrams, incurring the most damage under the basket. His very able frontcourt partner would be none other than former batch prez Andy L, another capable hoop warrior with his medium range shooting and interior defense.
Quartercourt sniping (sayang, wala pang 3-point shot nun), accurate baseline jumpers and speedy fastbreak conversions against Intrams opponents naman were the forte of Rodney U and Wilson Recato. We also pretended we were wearing their jerseys and puncturing the hoop, drawing oohs and aahs from the adoring crowd...
And as if he didn't have enough talents already, yet one more source of good - natured envy
YoungShi generated from YLB ( and other batchmates ) was his uncanny ability during Intrams battles to make "acrobatic" shots that somehow found their way into the hoop... "fading away" from his defender while in mid-air; "hesitation moves" ala Dr J that evaded even the most bothersome block attempts, and changing his shooting hand in midstream were all regular fare for him in his forays to the basket. . . in our own sandlot basketball court, we would copy his moves perfectly,
slow-motion lang nga. 
Anchoring this array of talent was Augusto Jun Yulo, who I also imitated, bringing down the ball ala Big J, dribbling in and out of trouble and issuing crisp passes that more often than not led to a basket.
Spikers and Setters
Beyond basketball though, nothing seemed more exhilarating than the
spike in volleyball, almost as impactful as the slam dunk (as if anyone outside the PBA could do it), an unparalleled symbol of strength and dominance, and an extreme morale booster to the spiking team (and demoralizer to the spikee team). Just as vital is the setter, or the guy setting up the spiker. Many times I dreamed i would be either of these volleyball heroes. Sadly, outside of
Henry Ty, Lawrence L and (again, ano b yan?)
YoungShi, I don't recall either the composition or win-loss success of the '82 volleyball team. May anyone jog our collective memories re the girls' team? Actually, although this is a matter of opinion, the girl's side was more fun to watch
.
Leadership in Fatigues
Some batchmates may remember that YLB is probably the Dodgiest Draft Dodger, having been in DBMC 4 straight years, NEVER having worn the CAT fatigues (not even once), and forever doomed to evading traffic cop duty on J.P. Laurel St. (
although we were barely 10 meters away when a car hit Commandant Gelido and held our breath while he was checked for broken bones), and famously bumming around (with other DBMC dodgers) inside our tent during the annual CAT Bivouac in Gulod sa Batulao 3 straight days and munching Kropeck, Grower's, M&Ms & Clover Chips till the methane levels within said tent reached combustion point...
but we never failed to get goose bumps during Pasamasid (was that what it was called, part of the Yuletide festivities? ) and other CAT functions whenever our very own Corps Commander KuyaToto reviewed the troops like Russell Crowe in The Gladiator, barking out commands to his captains before presenting the entire Corps to whichever dignitary was in attendance. Whether or not he was ready to assume the leadership of CAT, it seemed that he grew into the job, and we have to credit Mr Gelido as well for his superb casting. He was just a natural for the position, and in an alternate life we wished we had such poise to lead. YLB as Corps Commander ? Kaya nga transferred memories lang eh...
Cheering ( and Cheerers ) is / are for Everyone
And though we have always prided ourselves on liking male-oriented sports, it was always cause for us to be envious of the creative energy, artful grace, and vivacious agility that the '82 cheering squad displayed every time competitions were held. Particularly enthralling was the human pyramid that the squad would build as a finale to their routines, with of course the lightest and by necessity smallest member on top, syempre bida sya cuz always the routine wouldn't end without her raising her arms (holding pom-poms) in triumph. If I'm not mistaken, somebody like Achi Doc, Ate Mel or someone very much like these Twins held that "high-level" job...
Whatever frustrations we nursed by virtue of the Yuletide performances of our precociously talented batchmates , they dont seem that important now, lined up next to the outstanding memories that the Christmas events generated. To all who made these possible, you are appreciated !
Indeed, thanks for the memories.
PS. wouldnt it be great if any and all could add to the scant kwento given here? It would be awesome for anyone to furnish us with any stats of Intrams performances, kahit win - loss lang. Please dont hesitate if you do know, and don't delay po !