When the past attacks
Also in Tumblr.
Epic OL gimik is epic. Lunch at Chili's was first in the order of things, next was the usual stroll to no particular destination, so as long as we land at Café Breton at the right time; once there we had our fill of good crépes and the ceremonial opening of our Time Capsule that we had for LASARET five years back.
Oh, LASARET. Such a forgettable experience. I dived in my archives and found this golden nugget about it - me from five years back getting mad at the disconnection of our facilitators to us students, but more than that, their gross failure of imparting "Christian" values to their students, and instead lecturing us on how "affluent" we are compared to the suffering majority, i.e. being able to afford "bullet-proof windows". What a stinking lie that was. And here I quote from that entry:
(...) our section's faci(litator) did a mini-sermon on us "rich people" who live enclosed in "bullet-proof windows, drivers, maids..." et cetera. What he doesn't know is that a lot of the students in DLSU are in the middle class, and therefore CANNOT AFFORD BULLET-PROOF WINDOWS. (...) I just hate it when facilitators emphasize on the material things (that they think we have in overflowing abundance) instead of the more important aspects at hand, like "RELIGION". (Ugh!)
I've said it five years before, and I'll say it again. LASARET = FAIL. Five years on, with me now working in a La Salle school, I think those facilitators may have not been imbibed with true Lasallian values, or are not true Lasallian formators. The Founder himself was of the upper caste, but it was his selflessness and dedication to his cause (which is, education for the poor) that made him forsake his wealth and affluence to pursue his calling.
It is not a sin to be born rich, especially if the wealth gained by your parents is something that was obtained by the sweat of their brow and the blood from their veins. Nor is it a curse to be born poor, bless your heart if you have the motivation and the willpower to turn your fortunes around.
But going back, these facilitators from LSPO have got it all wrong. Maybe the retreats should be handled by the Brothers themselves and not be passed on to the hands of the incompetent lay.
Okay, so much for derailing OL gimik kuwento. Food lineup: Tostada chips of the refillable kind, Triple Play, Fish & Chips, Cajun Chicken Pasta and Chicken & Beef Fajita Combo. Lemonade to drive it all down the gut.
The alay-lakad-slash-burn all you ate for lunch walk was next. We went to all the Greenbelts (go figure), a side trip to Landmark in order to buy my coffee press, another side trip to Glorietta to buy sandals (Belle and Kim ata). Then, we found ourselves back at Greenbelt 3, going to Café Breton. Here we had some funtastic desserts, and the opening of our time capsule.
I tried hard to remember specific things that I wrote in that letter five years back. I knew that there were questions about fandom - that was a given! But when it came to the serious business, I was at a loss. So, I expected at the very least that I will be pleasantly surprised.
I was.
It started with this very provocative question: Asawa mo na ba si Kangta? Immediately I laughed. It didn't end there. Naiba na ba ang kinababaliwan mo? Tao pa rin ba o kathang-papel pa din? Still laughing, I answered it's more of the latter in my mind.
The letter went on, some words in romaji for fear of the possibility of other people reading it: Ilan na ang kareshi mo? I answered in half-dismay none, and moved on. Manager ka na ba? I replied to myself No, but each step makes me closer to that. The question had a follow-up. Nino? Ni Kangta? I laughed again. In my dreams! The letter written in pencil went on. Tandaan mo, kelangan niya ng magaling na public relations manager - AT ASAWA!
I find it very pleasing that I still maintain my humor from five years back.
The letter proceeded to four major goals - two of which were academic-related, one for leisure, last of the fangirling kind (you guessed it - Hagilapin si Kangta, with a note that says OMG MEGA GURANGOT NA SIYA NUN, TRENTA Y UNO NA SIYA! I marvel at the wisdom of this letter. *sarcasm* I have not fulfilled any of the four - yet.
After that, the letter listed three goals that are more realistic - those that I can surely reach in five years' time. Out of the three I've fulfilled two.
The most disturbing part of the letter was where it advised me find a guy that was like my high school crush. That was a shocker. It also asked me to reconnect with him, and try to find out if he and his girlfriend already have a kid. *shakes head* The nineteen year old me wasn't completely over the guy yet, I suppose.
The letter concluded with this, and I think it's better if I quoted from it directly.
WHAT IF DESTINY WAS UP TO US? What if all you need to do is to delight yourself in God and seek his kingdom first? (...) Wag mong kalimutan to put God first. Sabi nga ni PJ (initials of the pastor), yan ang modern version ng "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Instantly I remembered that message that this Canadian pastor preached (whom I used to have a huuuuge crush on, but he's got a family now) that really impressed on my nineteen year old self, probably because X(/1999) was her current obsession at that time, and the argument of "destiny" and the concept of everything being foreordained was something that was of interest. That preaching was the anti-X; there is no such thing as "pre-ordained", and the truth of that confirmed in me so much that nineteen-year-old me had to write it down for me to remember.
After that, it ended very simply - a reminder to always smile, referring to my recent graduation from my braces, the overbite finally being remedied. A postscript was included, which listed the crushes and LSSes of the time.
You're still reading this? Wow.
That's it. What a long entry. Phew.
All gimik pictures are in FB. I'm waiting for datenshiaoi to post the epic jump shot photos. Those are quite a sight for sore eyes.