Life During December 28, 2011 to July 31, 2013

I still remember all the promises said during my high school graduation in 2011.

"Magkikita tayo lagi ha!"

"Oo ba! Every week dapat."

"Walanag iwanan."

and such.

But more than 2 years after high school, I've come to realize that as hard as we try to keep these promises, the universe makes it impossible for us to do so. I, for one, am not unfamiliar with the sudden cancelling of plans because of the amount of schoolwork needed to be done. There's also the problem of how one divides his time between family and friends. It's obligatory to spend time with family whenever you come home, and it's great to hangout with friends, but with only a day and a half before you return to the Metro, there just isn't enough time to do both. Online chat? Hardly the same as talking to each other face to face. That's the sad reality of it all: you'll have to make sacrifices.

Taking everything into account, it's no surprise how people have drifted from each other since high school. I'm no stranger to this either. Even though I've tried to keep in touch with all my friends, there's this one person who I've been best friends with since 2008...but I didn't see him and hardly even talked to him for ALMOST 2 YEARS.

(me sharing a light moment with the person in question)

I don't think his name matters, so I'm not giving it, even though the 3 or so people who read this blog already know it.

Sounds pretty unbelievable right? I couldn't believe it either, that is...I couldn't believe it after realizing it 11 MONTHS after we last saw each other. Maybe we didn't really miss out on each other, or that's just how the brain of a guy works. Sure, I thought we somehow drifted away from each other, but that thought didn't really stick with me. The time would come when the two of us would see each other again, and when the time comes, it'll be awesome. I was sure of it.

Sure enough, it did happen...last July 31st. That was a year and 8 months since the last time we saw each other. After that, we only talked over the phone for about 3 times. That was it. We went on with our lives and made new memories without even knowing what happened to one another (aside from the occasional facebook posts). What's important, though, is that nothing changed. When we saw each other again, there were no awkward moments, and it's like high school again. It felt great to know that.

So, in dedication to this rather unbelievable happening, I'll name the stuff on the top of my head that happened between December 28, 2011 (the "last" time we saw each other) and July 31, 2013 (the reunion).

• I had my first girlfriend
• He had his share of flings
• I became 17 and 18
• I rode a plane 8 times
• We survived 2012
• I became an honor student once again
• K-pop became an even bigger trend
• I got drunk for the first time
• At least three unexpected relationships from the batch happened
• I learned to play three new sports properly (Table Tennis, Futsal, Handball)
• I cried 0 times (real men don't cry)
• I puked after more than 5 years, though
• The Ateneo became 5-peat champions
• He became a choir singer
• At least one of our kabarkada had a girlfriend
• At least 5 batchmates started smoking
• I became an even bigger football fan
• The Philippines named 12 new senators
• Iphone 5, Ipad Mini, and Windows 8 were released
• I went through at least 4 different hairstyles
• Manchester City won the Premier League
• Miami Heat became back to back champions
• I watched a Jason Mraz Concert
• Finished two of the latest How I Met Your Mother seasons
• Two New Years
• Juniors at UPRHS were now in college
• I got my driver's license
• I went from being fat to fit to fat again
• I got hooked on Suits
• Had a reunion with elementary friends to celebrate 5 years after we graduated
• I made this blog
• I discontinued my old tumblr account
• Twitter became a daily thing
• Hours of facebook became minimal
• I bought a new laptop
• Jan Javier had four flings
• My love for Bon Chon became even bigger
• Re-visited two places from high school fieldtrips: Ilocos and Manila Ocean Park
• At least 4 known couples from high school broke up
• My relationship with wrestling went on and off
• My relationship with some friends became sour
• Met some of the best people during my JTA accelerated sem
• Had my last summer vacation EVER

and many more. Frankly, I've ran out of things to list down, but the message is evident. A LOT OF STUFF happened since December 28, 2011, and in those 578+ days since we "last" saw see each other, we couldn't even find even a single minute to hangout. But like I said, nothing changed, and that made me realize the good thing that came out from all of this...

If the friendship were true, then no amount of broken promises can break it.

P.S. That ending was totally gay, but true as well. Let's leave it at that.

(during the reunion last July 31)