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| Opening of the Centennial Celebration |
The first I attended my high school reunion, I was not yet afflicted with
THE big "C" and although the occasion was a fun experience is was not as memorable as the reunions that followed when I had the dreadful disease already. The feeling is like seeing your parents grow
old and retire and accepting that they have a few years left, they yearn to
return to the ground. At first you will
construe the move to be literal with the biblical verse “from ashes to ashes, dust to dust”
verse. However, you will be surprised
that what they meant was only to return to the basics and begin tilling the land,
planting crops and feeding livestocks and very much preoccupy themselves each day
with the same routine. I'm kinda having the same feeling now and the desire for me to return to my past and is stronger than ever.
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| Pasig Catholic College Batch 1982 |
The big "C" changed my life. I began to be grateful to each day I
am alive because I consider each day a victory for me.
I realize that with the remaining time, it is not simply the years you
remain alive that counts, but more importantly, it’s how you live your life in
each year that remains. And because of the acceptance
of my fate, the change of attitude made a big difference. I realize that reuniting oneself with the
past filled a big gap in my heart and soul.
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| Add caption |
Pasig Catholic College is my high school Alma Mater where I
both graduated in elementary and high school.
I was just a simple, normal kid back then, just playing around while studying and occasionally has a share
of the well-known misdemeanors in campus.
I’m proud to be a graduate of PCC and as such, have the privilege of
being called “Kumbento Boy”, because the origins of our school can be traced
back in the post-spanish era where it was once a convent for girls until it
evolve to be an all-boys school during our time. When we graduated in the year 1982, everyone
was expected to go out in the real world to purse his own dreams. I went to college in UST and during that
time, I found new friends and seldom do I encounter a classmate in highschool
in the same university, more rarely so outside.
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| Salvador Feranil and I having a jolly moment with former teacher Ms. Baltazar |
Our school was already way into the tradition of having an
annual homecoming for its alumni and I being so immersed in the rat race of life,
never had any plans of attending reunions probably because I never got invited
in the first place and second, I was apprehensive of the desire of successful
classmates to show off their improved wealth, appearance, or fame. For them,
the evening was safer because of no fear of being ridiculed by bullies. I, having led the elite Model Platoon is
considered as one of the reputable students in campus and therefore much is
expected of me when I return back for the reunion. But I will be surprised of the turnout of
events when I finally attended my first highschool reunion after twenty
years. I remembered that the first time
I attended, there was no facebook yet and therefore I was not interested much
in taking pictures. However, when social cybermedia particularly facebook
became an avenue for sharing pictures worldwide, it enabled classmates to get
in touch again and when reunions came, the most important agenda is no longer
to catch up for lost time, but rather, take as many pictures as you can of friends
and strangers alike.
Most of the people I knew were there. I reproached myself
for not keeping in touch with these people, but I was very happy to have found
them again. We start anew in catching up
for the lost time. I could still remember names of those closest to me even if
their faces are completely different.
However, there are also many whom are familiar but I could no longer
remember their names. There are also some whom I cannot identify anymore even with
the fact that we are all wearing the same reunion t-shirt issued for that
particular event.
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| Classmates Francisco Ylarde and Serafin Tanyag |
Seeing the face of a close friend after being separated for several
years is an odd feeling. The feeling was a mixture of regret and joy because at
one time in the past, we all have to say our goodbyes to our friends. I vividly
remember a quote by Richard Bach which I feel aptly describes the moment. "Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A
farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after
moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends." It is these kind of reunions that makes you
feel that memories you share with high school classmates whether friend or not,
whether good or bad are what makes the moment worth remembering.
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