LONG NIGHT. . . MORNING AFTER
or,
BATCHMATES LOST & (SOMEDAY) FOUND: REMIXED & EXTENDED VERSION
January 31, 2009
[NOTES FROM YLB : thanks for the forwarded emails, invitations and hellos rlynA, peggypatches1, oolisa_26, and nhoymssb... COMES NOW the time for all loyal batchmates (we’re just 1 of many) to sit around the fire and shoot the breeze, which is whenever we’re sinfully idle, dusting away the cobwebs of ADHD / premature Alzheimer’s , noting the offline smileys of Nigel Nicole & Brent, and just staring at the 9:30 sunset before it surrenders to the night… thanks and kudos to each & every kabatch that touched our lives last Xmas, which includes the attendees at the Batch New Year party at the chateau of VeepCarol and husband John, the MetroWalk 5 (should’ve been 8 pero ala po si KuyaChat, newlywed JunYulo & OngBunHuaJr) , and the Sugi 7 (dapat walo po cla pero ala si MaryJoneTan); precious pix and just as precious captions / memory aids from DocGerry, with his fellow memory-scourer KuyaSonny (Nelson T.), you two are truly gems. Special mention to Ms Evelyne Sy Yu (YoungShi’s sis), who feted us in Trinoma near NorthEdsa, and Ms Marlene Venes – Morrison (Achi Doc’s siobe), who would’ve given us a whirlwind Sydney tour during a halfday stopover had she not herself been in the old country those dawning days of 2009… ]
Dear batchmates, batch and kabatch ,
MY EARLIEST RECOLLECTION of Batman & Robin (our two Judenite Xavierian hybrids) are of two sometime cub scout / boy scouts, proudly showing off their golden / emerald kerchiefs and merit badges. If you were able to view the latest website pics ( & we know you have ) among other things you may have discerned that these two have been buddies from way back, and we DO mean wayyy back. Like Forrest Gump or Where’s Wally?, the pair seem to be found in an arranged pose (together or nearby) whenever the camera struck. They might just have had the fortune (misfortune ?) of being classmates from 1969, shared similar heights that caused them to be like peas in a pod whenever the class was lined up for prayers, snacks or dismissal, and incredibly, since magkasunod ang mga initials ng mga apelyido nila, again whenever the lineup was sequenced alphabetically magkatabi na naman po ang ating intrepid tandem.
Fast forward to late elem, and still I see them side by side during KAS ( Knights of the Altar ) inductions, partners while serving Fr Yang during Saturday anticipated Holy Mass, helping out Ms. Go, Ms Llantos and Ms Azarcon during Mission Sunday and other religious programs; gosh, they were even neighbors in Sto Domingo Heights / Banawe QC . . . they also transferred to Xavier in Greenhills in succession. Anu ba yan kuya ???
Years later, they must have shared (with their dates) tables during the senior prom, matriculated in U.P. and neighboring Ateneo before paddling across the Pacific; parked cars next to each other during their reunions Stateside, and now have joined the batch e-group within a month of each other. Wouldnt be surprised if they stood as best men at each other's nuptials. Careers and families aside, Dr Gerald So and Engr Nelson Tan were fated to be closer than brothers, both physically and psychically. Did they consult each other before voting McCain or Obama? How about between Davids Cook or Archuleta (tukayo pa man din?) in A.I.?
One thing we’ll say about the dynamic duo: where our parents were overprotective and sheltered us from the realities of life in middle childhood, their folks were quite the reverse: They tried to give them every experience possible as regards sampling Life Dekada Setenta (’70) and taking it by the horns. Whereas this way of thinking was years ahead of its time for most Fil-Chi parents, for the So’s and Tan’s it was par for the course. And we think it produced more street smarts, practical knowledge and wise-to-the- world qualities in DocGerry and KuyaSonny. In fact, this mindset was probably what influenced their decision to enroll their kids out of the more academic SJCS and into the more reality-oriented KwangChi. After all, the Jesuits , the most service oriented religious order around, DID run the school. Their apostolate must have inspired them to likewise prepare their wards for service to society by adjusting to it the soonest time.
So it was that we were able to enter their tight, tight clique if only for a moment.
* * * *
We have never been high on leadership qualities. The obvious ones (being responsible, taking initiative, superior communication skills, organizational flair, ability to inspire, etc. ) we DID appreciate, in batchmates like DocHenryTy, KuyaToto, AteMel but we ourselves never did show a propensity to enjoy exhibiting such aptitude. All the signs were there. We enjoyed DBMC and were a keeper for four years, never became a class officer, and never volunteered for positions of leadership in any worthwhile endeavor, even though these would almost surely score pogi points with both the teachers and the girls.
Which was probably the reason why we were drawn to people who had stronger personalities. Not necessarily natural leaders ( though this is a natural outcome of such an attribute ) but those to whom others were also drawn because of their charisma, the camaraderie they inspired, and in simple terms the fun that being with them assured.
Just a comment about how we got to be close. It was a fortuitous combination of factors that led us to be sometime barkada: mainly of having enlightened teachers like Ms Fernandez and Chen Lau Shi, both cut from a different mold, and being their favorites.
Enlightened, cuz their primary purpose in life was lighting up the fire of loving knowledge and all its consequences in young souls like ours. This is wishful thinking, but in varying degrees, we honestly felt that both teachers (who never shouted at us) saw as favored ones, worthy of extra attention, anyone who recognized that learning loved everyone who loved it back, as someone loves a forest that gives it warmth, shelter and food. That's how all 3 of us became, weird as it sounds (cuz we were naughty as hell), teacher's pets.
Of course it helped that our advisors all taught or knew elder brothers of ours, via a weird coincidence. These were Herbert of Doc's, Roberto of Sonny's, and my Kuya Donald.
DocG was always talking about grand things. More often than not, he would make a prescient comment about how right or wrong the way something was being done, and he would start thinking out loud, wouldn’t it be great if…? Needless to say, when adding to G's thoughts KuyaSonny couldn’t avoid being the occasional conspiracy theorist, think up some sinister way the powerful forces in society would combine to subvert freedom and consciousness of the individual, all in the name of the common good, and similar doomsday scenarios. Which btw meshed well with DocG's James Bond formulas for saving the planet, think he read every 1 of Ian Fleming's adventures.
Then inexplicably talk would turn to how pretty this or that girl would undoubtedly make life all the more colorful for each of us, if only she would smile and give us the time of day. That’s how naughty and innocent life was for us, at the same time.
Ultimately, they both liked to talk about changing the world, for better of course. Whether it would be via superhuman / organized efforts that they would lead, via earthshaking technology that their superior skills would spearhead, or via the quiet conviction that their unshakeable faith fueled, it didn’t matter, as they firmly believed that all of us were potent agents for positive change. All these at 12? You better believe it.
Admittedly, and we gather it was consensus, Doc G was the stronger personality among the 2, although Kuya S was no pushover himself; he never backed down from a fight. He was usually equal to a challenge. And YLB? We were just the eager apprentice taking lessons in life. And these stalwart two were more than willing to share their smarts with us.
* * * *
And that, dear kabatch, was how SNEG was born. Diverse interests, common goals. Similar wants, united dreams. They were the type of dreamers that would build a manned rocket to Mars if it was possible, or if it would end world hunger. ( Dont forget manning it themselves. ) And in the next moment they would think nothing of making harana for anyone's current crush-of-the- month (and sometimes more often) just for the sake of pakisama.
My gosh, from this humble email add endless, numerous more anecdotes we could think of to fill the better part of an hour. But methinks sometimes its wise to hold our tongue and better to hear it from others rather than our own. So how about it bros ?
A word about the S in SNEG. We have only seen Simon Sy once in the last 30 years, a chance meeting on Paseo de Roxas near Ayala Ave. It was one of those hey-great-to- see-you-howve- you-been meeting, and we were both in a hurry. Wish we could have exchanged numbers or addresses though. ( we dont know why we didnt. ) That would of course, complete the circle of friends formed so long ago and pregnant with memories now.
To peng you’s Su Jinghong and Chen Xun Cheng. . . thanks for the memories !
YLB
NOel