Do you remember when...?

Tonight, I've taken a trip down memory lane. One that really gave me the goosebumps. I got that 'feeling'... like unexpectedly stumbling upon something you thought you've lost for good.

When I was in third grade, our class adviser encouraged me to join the inter-class singing competition. I was hesitant at first. I told our adviser I would think about it. At that age, I wasn't totally invincible to stage fright. I told Mama about the invitation and she said my aunt, Tita Ana, who sang in our home church choir, could help me if I wanted to join. She's a good singer. Hmmm..

When I finally made up my mind, I told our adviser I was willing to represent our class in the contest. The challenge? It was a duet. Our adviser told me I could choose my singing partner.

Okay... But who?

I can't exactly tell you how it all happened but Ivan Lemuel ended up being my partner-in-crime. I think I asked him if he wanted to sing with me. (Hahaha!) He's one of my childhood friends. We were classmates from elementary to high school; we practically grew up together. My sister and his sister were classmates, too. His family is a close friend of ours.

My aunt chose the song we were to sing in the competition. It was "Kahit Habang Buhay" by Smokey Mountain, one of my favorite OPM bands whose songs mostly revolved around social, environmental, and patriotic themes. (The band, however, was active only until 1995.) The song title roughly translates to "even if it's for life". The song is about two people who love each other but both thought that the other already loves someone else. They sing about waiting for each other even if it meant waiting for as long as they lived. (Thinking about it now, the song really wasn't appropriate for our age. It's a good thing mainstream music didn't get the best of us then.)

To prepare for the singing contest, Ivan (I don't know if he still wants to be called Lemy. :P) and I would go to each other's house to practice in the afternoons and weekends. The whole ordeal was more tiring than I originally thought. Moreover, I was still a lot boyish during third grade. Imagine the weird feeling I had in my tummy when I realized that 'I am a girl that was actually singing with a boy', even if he was a friend. And I have to wear a dress during the contest. And we have to hold hands as 'choreography' for some parts of the song. Ugh. Cooties. Thinking about it now really brings me good-natured laughter though. :)

To cut the long story short, let us proceed to the results. We won first place in the singing contest. :) Both our moms watched us perform - they were both very happy and proud. I was overjoyed, too. It was a promising start for my singing career. Just kidding. On a more serious note, I was glad I joined. I learned a lot from that experience. It was one of the first few steps I had towards conquering my fear of facing the public. That moment also proved that somehow, I can sing. :D

Kahit Habang Buhay

Smokey Mountain

Chedi Vergara:

Nakakalito ang mundo.

Kung sinong mahal mo, s'yang ayaw sa 'yo

H'wag sanang masayang itong

Damdamin kong laan sa 'yo.

James Coronel:

Pa'no naman ako?

Kay tagal ko nang umibig sa 'yo.

H'wag sanang masayang itong

Damdamin kong laan sa 'yo.

CHORUS

Duet:

Kahit habang buhay maghihintay ako sa 'yo.

Kahit pa maglaho ang mundo.

Kahit habang buhay maghihintay ako sa 'yo.

Asahan mong hindi magpapalit

Itong damdamin ko.

James Coronel:

Pa'no naman ako?

Kay tagal ko nang umibig sa 'yo.

Chedi Vergara:

H'wag sanang masayang itong

Damdamin kong laan sa 'yo.

CHORUS

Duet:

Kahit habang buhay maghihintay ako sa 'yo.

Kahit pa maglaho ang mundo.

Kahit habang buhay maghihintay ako sa 'yo.

Asahan mong hindi magpapalit

Itong damdamin ko.

James Coronel:

Pa'no naman ako? ooh...

Chedi Vergara:

Nakakalito ang mundo

Duet:

Kung sinong mahal mo, s'yang ayaw sa 'yo...

Kung sinong mahal mo, s'yang ayaw sa 'yo...

Kahit habang buhay maghihintay ako sa 'yo.

Kahit pa maglaho ang mundo.

Kahit habang buhay maghihintay ako sa 'yo.

Asahan mong hindi magpapalit

Hindi-hindi magpapalit

Hindi-hindi magpapalit

Itong damdamin ko.

In addition to this journey to the past, I recently reactivated my Facebook account and have been reconnecting with classmates and acquaintances from my former alma mater. I can't quite put words into the experience of seeing how much we've all grown up since elementary or high school.

I feel old - like the classic senescent adult...

Well, I'm getting there. :)

Three, two, one...

X definitely marks the spot.

My classmates and I had a countdown for almost everything when we were in high school: exams, someone's birthday, a school event, holidays, and so on. Our favorite (not to mention the most popular) is the countdown for summer vacation - roughly two months away from tests, homeworks, and projects. Each day crossed off from the countdown poster is a day closer to "farewell, dear alma mater... hello, freedom!".

The countdown in the picture above was made by my classmate, Erwin, one of only eight boys in our section/class of 44 (if I remember correctly.. I had to look at our class picture and count). The handwriting is undeniably his. ^_~ The blue highlight stood for quarterly examinations, yellow meant school events, while light green meant a holiday.

The poster was placed right next to my seat in the classroom. As such, I was assigned to make sure it was updated every day. I was tasked to cross off the date of the day as soon as the last class was finished. Sounds easy, but I tell you, there were times I'd forget to cross out a date if it weren't for my classmates' reminders. There was just too much going on in my head, sometimes, that a simple task like that slips my mind. Nevertheless, all of our eyes were on one goal: to finally put a cross mark on the last day of classes for the school year.

A year after graduating from college, I still haven't completely outgrown countdowns. However, instead of doing the daily cross marks, I now mark down a specific date in the calendar, which I truly look forward to (like my first day at work) and do more of a mental counting-of-days. Thankfully, holidays and special national events are already printed in most calendars. The new downside now is that two-month summer breaks are no longer applicable to me. ^^

There's a great caution amid all the excitement of looking forward to that long-awaited day, though. As much as keeping the eye on the goal is important, it is equally important to keep this in mind:

"Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God."
- Jim Elliot